#I don’t feel like this happened even 20% as often when I was a teenager but I was out as gay not bisexual then idk if that changes anything

[junglejim4322]

After years and years of not disclosing my sexuality I am amazed by the sudden uptick of straight guys who will admit to me they’re attracted to men to some extent it’s like the second the opportunity arises they enter catholic confession mode and I’m the bisexual pope

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

Character Driven vs. Plot Driven

I had someone message me asking what these terms meant and which Miraculous was and if it explained the writing, especially in context of the ending of season five and that's not something I can answer in a quick reply, so you all get a post instead!

Intro

At first glance, “character driven” and “plot driven” are somewhat confusing terms because almost every story has characters making choices that make things happen and almost every story has some kind of plot that's driving the action, so what do these terms even mean? Why do we use them?

The answer is that we generally don’t? These are high-level categorizations that I’ve almost exclusively seen talked about in things like writing classes where the instructor is trying to help you figure out your style preferences or perhaps painting a genre in broad strokes. I rarely see these terms come up when discussing specific works because they’re not that useful in the mirco. They never excuse or explain writing choices the way something like genre might because genre is a meaningful category and these really aren't. They're too vauge.

Also, as with many such binary categorizations, there’s a spectrum here. On one side is pure plot-driven and on the other is pure character-driven and in between them are most of the stories you'll consume in your life. In spite of that minor issue, I am going to start by defining what these two terms mean at their most extremes because that is relevant to the discussion. We’ll then use Miraculous to get into the nuance of the spectrum.

Character Driven

Character-driven narratives are stories that focus heavily on characters doing – or not doing – things because of their unique personalities, thoughts, and feelings. Stories where the events unfold almost entirely because of who the characters are and what very personal choices they make. Switch the characters and the story would look wildly different or even not exist at all.

When I think of pure character-driven works, I generally think of coming-of-age stories where there’s almost no plot to speak of. It’s just a teenage character struggling with life and learning to accept it. Character studies are another good example.

Plot Driven

Plot-driven narratives are stories that you're engaging with for something other than the characters. The characters are just set pieces that are there to be used by the plot. This means that the characters are probably making choice, but we’re not going to focus on the deep, nuanced reasons for those choices. Change the characters and the choices remain the same because the story is focused on something beyond the characters.

When I think of pure plot-driven stories, I think of stereotypical action movies. Movies where the villain is throwing things at the hero and the hero is overcoming them as fast as they can and so much is happening that you barely even know who these characters are because you're not here for the characters. You're here for the action, so it's fine if the characters are pretty generic. Mystery stories also tend to fit this category as those are often just about the mystery and the characters that aren’t developed beyond what is needed for the puzzle to work.

Nuance

So which is Miraculous?

If we must pick a side, then it’s going to be plot driven because that is Miraculous’ main writing style. It’s not here to study the characters and let them drive the action. It’s here to entertain kids in 20-minute-long chunks where the kids don’t need to know the greater context of who the characters are in order to get what is going on. Pick a random episode and it’s probably going to be one where a random akuma shows up and where everything that happens will never come up again. That is not what character-driven narratives look live. This is not a show brimming with things like Chat Blanc and the season five final. Those are exceptions to the rule.

However, the existence of those episodes and the fact that some of the characters aren't interchangeable shows that this isn’t a purely plot-driven show. The writers do want the characters to effect the world in unique ways decided by their personalities and motivations and relationships. Those are character-driven elements and is why these categories are kind of meaningless in this context. Plot driven vs character driven doesn’t justify or explain Miraculous’ writing choices because many of the writing choices make no sense in either type of story!

Narratives that are mainly plot-driven are not narratives plagued by poor characterization. They’re just ones where the characterization elements aren’t the main focus. You still want your characters to feel authentic and make sense and you can even have moments where the action is effected by who the characters are because plot-driven isn’t some hard rule. As I said at the start, it’s just a general categorization! Genre and format are infinitely more limiting and worthy of discussion because they actually come with some pretty clear rules.

Dunking on Miraculous

The problem with Miraculous is not that the plot is the main driving force of the action. The problem is that characters often make no sense! They act widely out of character for the sake of dragging out the plot, which is the plot driving the narrative, but that doesn’t make it good writing! “Because plot” is not an excuse, it’s just an explanation. In fact, because the show so often ignores the characters’ personalities for the sake dragging out the plot, it actually undermines the entire story because it feels cheap when the story tries to use the characters’ personalities to justify further delays Oh, now you’re letting this matter? Really? How nice. F-off.

Here are some examples of what I mean about the plot-driven nature of the show making inauthentic characters:

Alya is obsessed with finding out everything she can about the miraculous and even becomes a full-time team member in season four with the explicit job of tracking down the butterfly and the peacock, but she never does anything meaningful in that role. We never see her trying to track down the villains even though her character would absolutely do that. Her lack of action is wildly inauthentic.

Gabriel and Nathalie learn all of the temp heroes identities at the end of season three and make two minor efforts to do something with that information that before letting their god-tier knowledge fizzle to nothing even though those same temp heroes never stop being used. This is out of character for both of them, especially Nathalie. In a story that was true to its characters, this would have meaningful consequences such as all the temp heroes having to be benched and/or the villains guessing that Ladybug is someone who knows these people since they have some obvious connections.

The secret identities are the only reason Ladybug lost all of the miraculous at the end of season four and Adrien knows this. The season also ends with Ladybug promising to trust him more and the next season opens on an episode where she does just that. In spite of this, Adrien never even tries to tell her about the secret identity thing and Ladybug never seems to become more open with her partner because, if the show did those things, then an identity reveal would happen and they can't let that happen so, once again, plot trumps characterization.

When a show is plagued by asinine choices such as these while also trying to claim it has these overarching plots and meaningful character beats, the story can come to feel disingenuous and frustrating to a lot of fans. That’s why we can get something as divisive as the season five ending. Because of the poor writing that lead up to that final, it’s hitting different people in different ways depending on how tolerant they are of a lot of the shows previous flaws.

Would it be hard for Marinette to tell Adrien the truth? Sure! That struggle is - in theory - a genuinely good character beat, but it falls flat for many because it comes after multiple seasons of forced, inauthentic delaying tactics that spat in the face of established characterization for basically every meaningful character. With those in mind, it’s hard to view the secret keeping as some authentic, meaningful choice for Marinette’s character when she and many others have been denied so many other authentic, meaningful choices.

This is extra true because her choice to keep both Adrien and Chat Noir in the dark just compounds the issue of the authentic growth that Marinette has been denied! I briefly touched on this in that last example in my list, but we just spent an entire season watching her and Chat Noir maintain their distance in spite of that being something that should have changed based on the character-based events of the last season. Remember, season four gave us this moment in Penalteam:

Ladybug: (looks around them and frowns) I'm sorry, I've been a bad captain. I played a solo game, I forgot we're a team. I'm gonna need all of you now, more than ever. Rooster Bold: Are you sure? I'm not really.. Ladybug: You're an excellent player, Rooster Bold. That's why I chose you. That's why I chose all of you! Let's play together, and bring all of our individual strengths together onto the field!

And this moment in the final, which is the two-part episode directly after Penalteam:

Ladybug: Why don't you just give up on me? I've lost ALL the Miraculous! I'm the worst Guardian EVER! I wanted to control everything, I didn't listen to you, I lied to you, I kept you at a distance! Every time you offered me a helping hand, I never took it! I really made a mess of EVERYTHING! (continues sobbing)

We are, as always, going to ignore that these things don't really match the story that season four told and instead take them at face value since this is the stated lesson. The viewers are being directly told that Ladybug went into season five having learned to trust others and stop keeping Chat Noir at a distance.

But did she? What actually changed in season five? I can't think of anything. Season five maintained all of the secrets and ended by adding new ones. We also had to suffer through Marinette doing absolutely nothing to try to find the missing kwamis even though that is wildly inauthentic to her character. Once that girl has a problem to solve, she obsesses over it! It's one of the few things that consistently gets her acting normal around Adrien, so why did her brain shut off and go full-Adrien for all of season five?

Add in the fact that a major plot of season five was outing Lila's lies and lies being bad and Marinette keeping this secret falls incredibly flat both plot-wise and character-wise. There's a reason that one of the main justification people use for the lie is a scarf from season one that we have literally never seen again and that Marinette never actually lied about. The show simply did not set itself up to make Marinette's lie feel like some authentic character beat. The best justification most people can give is that a 14-year-old would probably struggle to reveal this secret.

To be fair, that is a believable justification. That's believability is why the season five ending could have genuinely worked in a better show where the characters felt more authentic or even if it came much earlier in the story. If this was the season two ending, then I think that most people would be engaged by it and I’d probably even be defending Marinette’s actions because this is a massive thing to put on someone’s shoulders and she was early in her journey. Heck, I have defended her actions by pointing out that she was the last-informed of the group of people in the know and none of them are telling Adrien, so this is not all on her.

But that's the best I can do while being authentic to the story because this lie isn’t part of a story with authentic characters. Marinette has not been set up to lie like this and the lie is being told at the end of a season full of poor storytelling after multiple seasons of stalling tactics, making it impossible to take this lie seriously. Even if Miraculous was a primarily character-driven show, you can’t use that to justify the lie while ignoring all the poor characterization that surrounds it. The writers gave Marinette the kind of journey that should lead to her being brave enough to tell the truth, not the kind of journey where she was too much of a coward to tell the truth. The writing also never set up Nathalie or Kagami as the kind of people who would just bow to Marinette's wishes. It is glaringly obvious that this is all happening as a delaying tactic and not because it's a good choice for the characters or the plot.

[taylortruther]

I want the entire cardigan demo explained. I still don’t think she had the characters of james, august, and betty in mind when she wrote the song, especially since it’s the first one she worked on with aaron. I’ve always believed that story came later when she and joe wrote betty together, and she changed certain parts of cardigan and august to create a cohesive narrative. ‘Peter leaving Wendy’ and ‘Peter losing Wendy’ are two very different lines, and it makes me think she changed the lyric to the latter to make it fit into the love triangle where betty is more mature than james. ‘I knew I’d wish you would’ve changed your mind?’ ‘I knew you’d haunt all of my what-ifs?’ the original lyrics make it sound like he didn’t want to be with her/changed the ending where they stay together or perhaps where wendy outgrows him by cheating and leaving. saying she knew all of this makes it sound like she’s already experienced all of those emotions upon reflection, and they got back together. she’s imagining what she might think about this situation years down the road as she looks back on how they ultimately couldn’t stay away from each other. ‘I knew you’d miss me once the moment died’ seems to imply he left to be with someone else but realized he’d actually lost ‘the one.’ all of these lyrics add context to ‘your faithless love’s the only hoax I believe in’ and ‘what you did was just as dark.’ granted, I’m not even necessarily saying all of this happened in 2019-20. maybe she was looking back on when they first fell in love. but idk, I feel like we’re missing some information about something major that she felt the need to write about but couldn’t address directly without creating some sort of narrative around it. I guess the main thing that gives me pause is that we SAW them so often in 2018-19, but that logic is so flawed? you don’t actually know what’s going on in their lives even if you make educated guesses. they were insanely private after all. idk idk. thonking

i would really love a deep dive from her for these reasons too! the perspective from which betty is writing is REALLY interesting. like, yeah, why is she reflecting on a teenage moment as an adult? did it happen again? her grieving sounds so PRESENT, not just reflective.

also thank you for thonking as usual.

[exysexualmoron]

One of my favorite things about aftg is how the characters feel so real. I read them at the exact age most of the foxes are and they just fet like ppl I knew irl. And I think the prevalence of certain fandom views has SO MUCH to do with people forgetting what it’s like to be younger and not knowing what it’s like to be older.

Like we often talk about how they’re in their early 20s, Andrew and Aaron then 20 in TRK, most foxes are 20-24. They’re college kids, old enough for society to let them live on their own but still young enough that they have zero experience being adults. They’re doing it for the first time! And a lot of the infantilization of the characters stem from that (I don’t mean the uwu Neil discourse but generally how people perceive them according to their ages).

Neil’s 18 at the time. Legally an adult but with no “real world” experience in many senses, while other Foxes (Dan) seem much older than they are because they had too much “real world” experience growing up (and the definition of real world goes regular life and regular bad, not running-from-your-serial-killer-dad).

Andrew’s 19 in the first book. I was cuddling with my mom and watching Teen Wolf at that age, she was telling me I could go out without asking but never without telling her where i was going. That’s how old he is. He can’t legally drink in the US. In some places he’s not old enough to stop receiving child support.

Nicky’s approaching his mid 20s but he managed two teens and is just now getting to live that sweet 18-21 life.

These are all real people. With issues, and an imaginary sport and surreal mob war that wouldn’t happen irl but they are real college students. They’re that kid you’d meet at a party and talk about work and taxes and then they’d have to leave because their mom who lives two states away wants them home before midnight and they do it because they know it’s about being safe and also their last chance to be their mom’s baby.

We often compare the foxes to teenagers, or say they’re immature for their age, but even when you take into account how trauma makes people act older and younger, they’re such real college students that it’s probably what got me in the first place. You see the age range, and you know the Andrew that leaves PSU is not the Andrew we met. He’s probably closer to Matt than anyone would like to think.

[just-antithings]

A recent published study showed that about half of gen-z doesn’t want to see sex in media

“sex and sexual content is not needed for the plot of most TV & movies.”

And they want to “see more content focused on friendships and platonic relationships.”

I’ve seen both proshippers and antis pick this study up, some proshippers (and adults in general) are blaming gen z for being so puritanical. And I can understand that, there’s actually less sex that’s being featured in movies (about 2% only, including 20 seconds of showing some skin as well as actors wearing skin colored dresses) so I want to know what they’re seeing

but on the other hand I also feel like they don’t realize what CAUSES gen z to have this aversion to sex / sexual content. And I immediately think of two things:

The internet getting smaller. Adults and minors are forced to share the same platforms with lacking boundaries and weak enforcing of punishment when it comes to TOS violation. You can make violent threats on Twitter for example and even if you report it, it’s not often removed. Same thing happens when you report adults who don’t tag their nsfw posts correctly

Explicit material in pop culture. Minors are exposed to sexually explicit material in mainstream pop culture, memes, songs etc now, at too early an age, and it warps how they feel about appropriate sex scenes in TV and movies when they get older.

It’s too easy to find porn on the internet, even with safe search on, even if you haven’t turned on “sensitive media” features which are required for apps like Twitter/reddit/tumblr etc. It's in-your-face and exhausting. I hate wading through it so I can't imagine how teenagers feel.

Can you send me the link to the study? I’d love to look at it more for myself

[solar-halos]

hemlines throughout history

umm pls keep in mind i’m doing this off of memory (bc when i was 14 i thought i was a fashion historian LOL) and then pics ive seen paired w my very general knowledge of wtf was going on in that decade but like idk where else to talk about hemlines throughout history so here we are. this is SORT of embarrassing sorry

1910s - this is more interesting to me than the 1920s. since wwi was Happening women stepped into the factories and needed a shorter skirt so they wouldn’t trip and fucking die. but also around this era i’ve noticed that they have the cutest fucking boots that are kinda reminiscent of a go-go boot. perhaps the intent was for the boot and the shorter skirt to meet in the middle so the ankles weren’t on full display. also do you know that advertisement marilyn monroe filmed of her skirt flying up? i think the og video was filmed in this decade (not for a movie or anything (obviously) i think they were just experimenting w the camera)

1920s - flapper era! i feel like theyre often depicted wearing skirts way above the knee, but in the early 20s, the hemline would usually stop a little below the knee so that when they walked around their entire leg wouldn’t be exposed. i think the idea of their thighs being on display is bc in the mid/later half of the decade the hemlines did eventually stop above the knee (but not by much). also it was pretty iconic for women to step out in drapey fabric with drop-waist silhouettes. also i remember when i learned the difference between a flapper and a vamp i was gagged cos i wanted to be a vamp so bad (for some reason… again i was 14 lol)

1930s - the hemline dropped, but not by much. more like above the ankle/calf territory. also the fabrics clung more tightly to the body and even movie stars wore inexpensive fabrics like rayon to imitate the glamor of silk. i don’t rlly have much else to say about this decade tbh

1940s - okay this is actually really interesting. with wwii, rationing became a huge thing, and this applied to clothing too. so in the beginning of the decade, women were wearing shorter skirts that fell to their knees. then, in the latter part of the decade, the skirts got fuller since they didn’t have to worry about rationing as much and the hemlines dropped to create a more feminine silhouette

1950s - the styles in the late 40s trickled down into to early 50s, with skirts becoming longer and dropping around mid calf. this decade was all about “taking back” the femininity women “lost” during the war so that’s why it got so flouncy and reminiscent of like the victorian era

1960s - mini skirts! kinda. the styles from the 50s also trickled down into the early 60s, so it wasn’t like a change over night thing. at first the mini skirts were less mini and more just… above the knee. then later on it got more mainstream to wear mini skirts that we’re more familiar with today. my grandma told me that when she was in school the principal or something would literally fucking measure the length of their skirts and they’d get in trouble if it was too short OR too long. but also my grandma loves lying for fun so idk how true that actually is

1970s - if i’m being honest i haven’t looked into later decades as much but if i recall correctly hemlines were kinda up to you, whether u wanted more mini or maxi lengths

1980s - okay but why were they kinda giving 40s. the boxy silhouette and shoulder pads were back in style and longer skirts got more popular. but also i feel like at this point fashion wasn’t as homogenous so obviously there were different aesthetics and cores and stuff. also not saying that fashion was completely homogenous in the other decades either (like the hobble skirt in the 10s or just the experimentation of diff silhouettes and drapes in general) but the “kids/teenagers dressing like mini adults” phenomenon was long gone so i feel like this was just one genre of style that was popular. i think heathers is kinda a perfect example of this since the Heathers are more preppy but there’s also this stoner who looks grunge adjacent

1990s (i’ll stop here) - micros got so popular in the late 90s/early 2000s but shoutout to feminism bc women weren’t pressured (as much) into wearing one specific skirt length, so minis and maxis were popular. as a matter of fact my mom said that wearing biker shorts (that u could see) under ur dresses was rlly popular when she was growing up in the 90s so i think that style came back with a VENGEANCE in the 2010s

okay i’m done. pls keep in mind that this was #justforfun so my research wasn’t that in depth it’s just what i’ve picked up from looking at old pics/doing very bare minimum google searches over the years. also! saying “women wore ___” is just me generalizing no matter the decade since fashion is crazy and even though it might have been trendy at the time it still doesn’t mean every single person was wearing it. like just look at the hobble skirts, wealthier women wore them as intended whereas working women either had to adapt the trend to their lifestyle or just abandon it entirely. i know it’s not that deep but just wanted to let it be known that im not intentionally tryna spread misinformation

[ewanmitchelll]

•Wait for me…•

Imagine it’s 1944, Aemond goes to war and he parts without knowing your feelings for him. What then?

Warnings: N/P= the name of the place of your choosing. Y/C= your college course.

Recommendations: “Wait For Me”, Kings of Leon. “Thinking of You” and “The One That Got Away” by Katy Perry.

***

The year is 1944. War is carrying further, leaving destructions everywhere, anywhere with little hopes of coming to an end. It has become part of the routine to turn the tv and see the images of bombs, armies marching against the other, scenes of extreme violence and sadness.

You, on the other hand, try to avoid watching. It’s bad enough to live in such scenario, worse to allow oneself to live with hopes. As you grow in your teenage years, you spend time with the Targaryen family in a small village located in N/P, United Kingdom. Though the big, white mansion is the summer house of that family, you more than often are seen around them.

And though everyone seems to think you and Helaena are the best of friends, it’s by Aemond’s side you are seen the most: whether riding a bike together, climbing trees or even studying.

You two know each other so well that even his mother once remarked:

“You know, Y/N. I’ve only seen Aemond smiling widely when he’s around you. Not even his family has earned such privilege.”

At which you blushed and appreciated the consideration. But even so the Targaryens are like your second family, so you feel free to be yourself around them.

So now you are getting close to celebrate your 20’s and you are about to get to university to study Y/C. Under a cork tree, right in front of the lake, you and Aemond are talking about it.

“So I want to become a y/c”, you tell him, placing your curls behind your ears, making sure not to have your hair a complete mess when you are around him, a sudden concern you try not to pay attention this much. “And after a lot of conversation with my father and my mother, they agreed! I thought they wouldn’t, but they did!”

Aemond, in turn, is surprised to find sadness upon such news. Yet, he masks well when occupying himself with lighting a cigarette.

“Does this mean you are leaving to US?”

“What? No. I wouldn’t dare to go that far”, you mumble shyly, looking down at your hands and missing the side, shy smile when he casts you a relieved glance. “You know I cannot afford crossing the ocean and establish myself.”

And yet, despite his selfishness, he finds himself saying:

“You know we could always help you. You are practically a family, Y/N.”

You smile at him and your heart skips a beat when he smiles too. Uh-oh. Oh you wish you haven’t noticed that when he is happy, your heart swoons as a result.

“I appreciate it, dear Aemond. But I wouldn’t ask you this. I.. I prefer to stay.”

“How come? There is so much you could do. I mean, I would go if I had the opportunity”, he grumbles.

You shoot him a hurt glare despite being aware that he has a complicated relationship with his father and his elder sister.

“What about me?”, you hear yourself saying and almost instantly you wish you had not opened your mouth.

But Aemond scoffs at you.

“I would take you with me, of course”, the Targaryen smiles gently when seeing you blush.

A pleasant sight to behold.

If only you knew, though…

“Well, we could always run away together despite the darkness this world has been plagued to.”

“I’d like that. Don’t see why not.”

“You are quiet today”, you remark, leaving your spot to join his side. “What’s been happening?”

Aemond sighs heavily. Looking at the horizon, he at first refuses to look at you, but you are patient. Very gently you put your hand over his shoulder and rub it.

As you wait, your eyes linger at his long silver hair, his long face with lilac eyes that often hid from others what you could easily perceive: his kindness, sense of duty, gentleness to others, loyalty to his family. Where people judged his pride, you’d find him reserved, preferring quiet occasions than lousy ones.

Oh damn it, Aemond. I think I’ve fallen for you.

The realization knocks your heart down, specially aware that you’d never be his type: he’d been in a long relationship with an older woman named Alice Rivers for about five years and the break up wasn’t easy—despite the evident relief in his family, who clearly disapproved the match.

So you remove your hand and look away, thoughtful, but nothing is yet to remain the same when Aemond, feeling the cold on the spot he appreciated the warmth of your touch, gives you the worst news you could expect.

“You know, Y/N. There is something I haven’t had the courage to tell you.” He hesitates.

You look at him, already distressed when he is careful with words—knowing Aemond is not, like when you witnessed him shouting at his older sister Rhaenyra for trying to teach him lessons about dating an older woman when she hooked up with her own uncle—, for something bad is happening. As you predict, it does.

“Yes? Aemond, darling, what is it?”

He cannot look you in the eyes when saying:

“I-I’m going to fight in the war.”

You don’t even realize you shout.

“WHAT?”

You don’t realize you start sobbing.

“W-WHY? No, Aemond! No!”

Aemond swallows his own tears before pulling you to an embrace, forbidding you to flee from his arms.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier. I…I was a coward”, he speaks softly to you. “I’m sorry, Y/Nickname. I really am. But I had no choice upon this matter.”

You cast him a hurtful look without parting the embrace, his arms so tight around you that even if you wanted to, you could not get away so easily. You hug him in return, not saying a word as you two stay like this for a long while.

You understand his motivations, but you blame yourself for expecting… What exactly were you expecting, though? That one day he’d find out you have feelings for him and suddenly you’d replace Mrs Rivers in his affections? That the war would never find you and part one from the other?

“What are you thinking? Please talk to me”, he begs you, cupping your face when looking for your eyes.

“I…”

There is so much you wish you could say. But believing to be far from reaching his heart, you are stuck with your words. What comes out of tongue disappoints Aemond, whose thoughts mirror yours.

“Why must you go? This is not your war to fight.”

“You know I cannot refuse. My father’s influence along my maternal grandfather’s managed to prevent my participation in the front.”

“I bet Aegon kept instigating you about it”, you remark with evident displeasure.

“He always sought glory and in many ways, distorted these might be, he is dutiful. He’s been sent to Germany, however, and so far it’s not been so bad.”

You shake your head.

“Come on Y/Nickname”, says Aemond rather anxiously. “I must do what is expected from me. Lots of men are doing so.”

Your eyes are full of protest, Aemond can tell they do, but your gentle nature softens it.

“As long as you come back to us whole, well and alive.”

Aemond gives a smile before taking your hands and kissing each, which makes you giggle.

“I promise you, Y/N. I promise you I’ll come back.”

And he is yet to say something—his impulsiveness seems to realize that he must profess how ardently he loves you before he goes to war—when Lord Otto, his grandfather, comes after you.

“So is it here your secret spot, children?”, the older male laughs away as you two instantly part from each other, and he finds quite absurd how you can’t see what is evident to everyone. “Well, I lament to intrude but Aemond, General Lannister is waiting for you. Apparently you are needed urgently. Your poor mother is already weeping.”

Lord Otto nods at you and there is little time to say anything. Aware how Aemond is colder in front of his relatives, you expect nothing but a quick goodbye. But Aemond hesitates. All he does, though, is look into your eyes, seeing something in them.

I wish I could investigate what there is in your y/c eyes, Y/N. I wonder if you feel the way I do… May God spare me and let me know if you when I come back.

Thoughts that do not, however, reach out for his tongue.

“Take care, Y/N. I’ll see you around.”

He knows… Aemond knows that, without waiting for your response, the moment he turns, you’ll weep. He is forced to swallow his own tears.

And he is right. You are left in silent tears, hating yourself for never telling how much he means to you.

***

A year later… Oxford University.

You don’t move on. You simply cannot, in spite of the appearances. In spite of dressing a long blue skirt and a red-white short sleeved shirt. In spite of putting those Mary Jane’s black shoes and carrying your notes everywhere. In spite of conceding dances to other gentlemen such as Mr Alex Velaryon.

But no gentlemen match your beloved Aemond, your best friend, whom you loved since you were a child. Who went to fight a war and never again you heard news from him.

Because you started to study y/c at Oxford University. Because the Targaryens never again came back to the village you were raised. Because war ruined your dreams.

Your hair is shorter, filled with curls in the manner of these days. You like the fashion. It helps making you feel alive—because part of you left with him.

He is not dead. I know in my heart, Aemond. I know you are alive.

But there are moments your heart is heavy with regret and remorse for never telling him how you feel. So you write this in your journal:

“I should’ve told you what you’ve meant to me. So now I pay the price. In another life, I would make you stay so I don’t have to say you were the one that got away.”

You, however, wait. Specially when news of the end of the war reach your ears. It’s a great relief and everyone is naturally overjoyed. Classes are ended before time and you are allowed to visit your family.

Unbeknownst to you, Aemond is on his way home. He has missed an eye during the conflict, but he is going back as a war hero. Despite the traumas he’s got to deal with, all he cares now is to find you.

Aemond too collects remorses. War has changed him, his perspectives...and mostly taught him that there might not be tomorrow. Losing an eye is nothing compared with the possibility of losing you.

"You are too quiet, Aemond", so says Aegon. "Are you seriously letting it affect you? If I survived this shit, so will you."

"Each to their own", grumbles Aemond. "You became a drunk man, Aegon. How does that make you feel better?"

Aegon pats his brother's shoulder and says:

"Each to their own", he repeats his words.

But they do share the relief of coming back home. By the time they are dropped at the Targaryen mansion, the brothers are surprised to find their father waiting for them next to their mother.

"My boys!", it's Alicent who runs in their direction.

It's a moment to count their blessings, indeed. Even Viserys leaves pride aside to acknowledge he hasn't been the best of parents. Reconciliation is a most prudent path to take, the first steps to heal old wounds.

But as much as Aemond wishes to take part of it, the urgences in his heart cannot wait any further. So he excuses himself from his family.

"My son!", exclaims Alicent in perplexity. "Where are you going to?"

Aegon smirks, but it's Helaena who responds:

"Oh, he is going to purchase his lady's heart at long last!"

***

You are twirling in your swing, finding the celebrations boring. You are not in the mood to tolerate your family, and their constant implications you are in the age of marriage. Your cousin even went as far as telling how he got over the first woman he fell in love.

Ugh. Their assumptions are so unwelcoming and out of place.

However, you do feel sad when considering the possibilities of your life had you told him how you felt.

Not to know makes difficult to move on.

Yet, every doubt dissipates and with it, the shadow of the reminiscent sadness when a very known voice is heard:

"I never thought I would find my lady in such a state."

When looking up, you find Aemond himself standing before you. He is dressed in his old uniform and there is a mix of anxiety and concern in his lilac eyes when staring at you.

Your heart races, but you hesitate.

“Is that a phantom that stands before me?”

He takes your hand, tears emerging in his eyes.

“Is this touch not real enough for you? Oh, madam, what other proof is enough to dissipate any doubts about my return?”

You promptly stand and hold him tight, all the whilst Aemond breathes in relief and lifts you in the air, spinning you around.

“I told you I would come back for you, silly head.”

You giggle amidst tears.

“It’s really you!”

“One eyed, indeed, but me!”

And words come out just like that.

“I love you all the same, Aemond.”

It’s when his face brightens that you notice what you said. And you pale at once.

“Y/N…”, Aemond smiles the brightest at your reaction. It’s so much better he’d ever conceived how it was gonna be. “What did you say?”

You untag yourself from his embrace, turning abruptly on your back, detesting to feel that old anxiety that plagued your teenage years about anything that was out of your league—and Aemond had always been one of those things, at least according to your judgement.

“I didn’t say anything.”

But he turns you at him, making you look at him.

“I heard you well. Why are you running away from me? I told you I would come back for you, didn’t I?”

You swallow hard, specially when he cups your cheeks and, caressing each, makes you look at him.

“I love you too, Y/Nickname. I’m sorry I took so long to admit it.”

“I thought you loved her”, you whisper, leaning into his touch.

“I thought it too, but when it comes to you… Good God. I was afraid you were married by now”, he says, afflicted.

You smile gently, placing your hands all over his chest.

“My heart has always been yours.”

“You waited for me”, Aemond smiles back.

“Of course I did. I will always wait for you.”

“As I will always come for you, my wife.”

You smile brightly.

“My husband.”

And so he pulls you for a kiss, sealing your destiny for good.

[forgiveness-in-the-misery]

I think a lot of people don’t know how to handle a show growing up along with them.

People debate at length or talk about how they stopped watching shows at certain points because it lost its innocence.

This happened especially with Buffy. A lot of people managed through the college years but fell off soon after, others left with Joyce’s death or with Buffy’s resurrection.

And it’s fine, the show was made with the ability to stop watching at the end of about any season and be relatively content. And when I was a teenager I hated the seasons post high school, because they went into topics I had no real way to relate to or understand on a personal level. Now as an adult though to see Buffy struggle with adulthood it’s a total fucking mood but also so much more.

Buffy is a superhero and people tend to want to see superheroes as shiny and happy and perfect and strong. Buffy is a character who was told before she turned 18 she would die as most slayers have before her because they seldom lived into their 20s. She threw herself into being a slayer more and more because it was expected of her and she slowly began to realize that maybe she couldn’t ever be normal as she had hoped.

She didn’t get summer jobs, she couldn’t date boys at school, being a cheerleader or joining a sports team, sleepovers and dances became something she struggled with or had to literally fight to enjoy for a single second. College was something she wasn’t prepared for in the least and it was an early warning about how in no way is this character prepared for the adult world.

The creepy asshole she has sex with was a walking red flag. A lot of girls would have known he just wants a one night stand or a sexual thing, but Buffy didn’t. Her only experience with sex and dating and love was Angel; a vampire who was over a hundred years old who wanted to devote his very existence to loving her. She never really casually dated or had a sloppy makeout session with some dude. So for her she assumes this guy she has met cares about her, that he wants to pursue a romance with her, but he doesn’t and it leaves her feeling violated and confused.

This is the first sign we really have that the show no longer has training wheels and we are moving away from a campy story about a teen juggling classes and saving the world. We are now seeing what does a hero do when they aren’t saving the world?

We see her struggle with bills and payments and home repairs and upkeep, making sure she can keep custody of her teen sister, making funeral arrangements, trying to find a job she both qualifies for but also can pay enough to cover bills. We see the shit that you often don’t see in these stories and I think a lot of people were uncomfortable with the reality of it.

The same issue came with shows like Steven Universe, once Steven is a teen, once he’s about 16 and we get stories where he’s angry about the childhood he was robbed of, when he finds out about all the physical trauma he’s endured in fights that once seemed light and magical now drag in a sense of crushing reality and this darkness seeps in that we are watching a traumatized teen who is realizing he isn’t normal and never will be. He won’t ever graduate high school or go off to college with his friends and he can’t pursue a career due to lack of education and there is a fear of being abandoned by his friends due to this. He frantically proposes to his closest friend because he needs somebody, he is scared of her leaving and him being alone.

I love these stories and I love watching them grow and change, because even if at the time you don’t relate to it there will come a point where you re watch these seasons and episodes and have a better understanding of the characters and the struggles they are going through.

[smilesrobotlover]

in kotg what are the champions relationship like with one another ( also including link and Zelda)

As I’ve said before Urbosa and Daruk are sort of the parents? I love found families so I honestly want them to be a little family. Rebels style you know?

Urbosa is def the most responsible, I imagine that when Zelda and Rhoam aren’t there, she’s the one leading the champions. She’s the chief, very motherly, so of course she’s the most responsible. She’s very comforting to the others when needed and overall they greatly respect her. Now, I haven’t played the dlc for botw so I haven’t read the journals, nor do I have creating a champion, so some facts may not add up, but I do know that Urbosa describes the others besides Daruk as very young, so I think she naturally feels very responsible for the other’s well being. She and Daruk, being the oldest, are good friends and I would describe them as drinking buddies. She’s very motherly towards Mipha, I feel like she and Zelda have a lot in common so Urbosa treats her the same way as Zelda. She sees Link as a goofy teenage boy (even tho he’s 20 in this au) but I feel like she treats Link the same way Telma treated Link in tp? Not super motherly towards him cuz he doesn’t need that (his mother is alive and well) but she does guide him when needed and sees him as a capable adult. And Revali… there’s a reason that he’s scared of her. Anytime Revali would act up she’d scold him and tell him that he’s basically an idiot lol. She understands that he really has a lot of underlying issues underneath his arrogant attitude so she does look out for him.

Daruk a fun dad type of character. I imagine he’s charismatic and helps hype people up when needed, and he’s kind of a ride or die kinda guy (lol). But he’s not responsible. There’s a reason why Urbosa is in charge and not him lol. He’s a loveable himbo who wants to look out for the kidlets you know? Obviously he thinks they’re all adorable, Link is his little guy, Mipha is the little zora princess who has a huge crush and wants his help to confess to Link (he’s a wingman ;)) and Revali is the sassy child who needs some love. Even tho Revali makes fun of him, he doesn’t get offended by any of it. Whether it’s because he’s understanding that Revali means nothing by it, or if it’s because he’s just a himbo, who knows. He loves the kids tho (I keep saying they’re kids they’re adults but THEYRE LITTLE 💀💀💀). But yeah, he just kind of vibes. He and Urbosa are indeed besties and again, he sees Zelda almost the same as Mipha. Just a sweet little child

Mipha is kind of a people pleaser and doesn’t know how to say no. So she finds the champions who won’t take advantage of her kindness very comforting. Now, Mipha’s mother is gonna be in this au (just say she’s alive and don’t worry about the logistics lol) but she doesn’t see her very often so it’s nice to have Urbosa there to tell her “hey take a break”. Zelda is her best friend and they love hanging out. Mipha is really the only person who got through to Revali, so she considers him to be a very good friend. Obviously she loves Link and is basically going to Daruk for help. She wants to impress him with her fighting skills <3 and yeah. She very much wants to protect them. If anything where to happen to them, well… you’ll see :3c

And lastly Revali. You saw that stupid respect thingy ma Bob i made. He’s afraid of Urbosa, but more in a fearful respect kind of way. He won’t cross her in any way and he doesn’t want to make her upset of course. He is very fond of Mipha and Zelda. He thinks they’re both very great people who are strong princesses. He respects Zelda’s determination and intelligence, and he respects Mipha’s kindness and selflessness. He may sass them a couple of times but overall he likes them. Even tho he makes fun of Daruk, he deeply cares for that rock guy. Daruk is just a silly guy and Revali will laugh at him but will defend him with his life. And Link…. Revali is a hardworking guy who is very good at what he does, and Link seems to be some prodigy who is good at everything, and that makes Revali very insecure. Like Zelda, Revali has a huge issue with comparing himself to others. If he’s not the best then he’s the worst, and Link really makes him struggle with that. It’s not Link’s fault, and Revali genuinely thinks he’s an amazing fighter, but he’ll never say it out loud. It’s complicated to say the least. Honestly Revali is the only person who sees him as a rival. Link doesn’t care and the others just think that Revali hates Link lol.

Now for Link and Zelda. Y’all know my thoughts on this zelink. I feel like Zelda would love Link but I don’t want to deal with a love triangle so I might not explore any of that. But they are just friends. You can overall pick up their thoughts on the champions with this.

[otrtbs]

10 books to know me 📚

thank you for the tag @anouri !!! <3

ten books to know me or know what i like to read about?? hmm. i'll tag the books and some quotes to convince you to read them.

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt ~ the only book ever. jk. but it is my favorite. i read it 1-3x a year. would take it w me on a deserted island. all that.

"A great sorrow, and one that I am only beginning to understand: we don’t get to choose our own hearts. We can’t make ourselves want what’s good for us or what’s good for other people. We don’t get to choose the people we are."

"And in the midst of our dying, as we rise from the organic and sink back ignominiously into the organic, it is a glory and a privilege to love what Death doesn’t touch."

"As long as I am acting out of love, I feel I am doing best I know how."

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë ~ moody and damp in a way that seeps into your bones and refuses to leave.

“You said I killed you-haunt me, then! [...] Be with me always-take any form-drive me mad! only do not leave me in this abyss, where I cannot find you!”

“If all else perished, and he remained, I should still continue to be; and if all else remained, and he were annihilated, the universe would turn to a mighty stranger.”

What My Mother and I Don't Talk About by Michele Filgate ~ collection of essays about people's relationships with their mothers.

“The hunger I feel is so unreasonable I can’t parse it, even to myself. But I want to be the daughter of this mother, the one who lives in a pink building, the one who dances.”

“I love you past the sun and the moon and the stars,” she’d always say to me when I was little. But I just want her to love me here. Now. On Earth.”

A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket ~ yes, the whole series. read them as a kid and they're why i am the way that i am.

"I will love you as a thief loves a gallery...as misfortune loves orphans, as fire loves innocence and as justice loves to sit and watch while everything goes wrong."

"To Beatrice— Darling, dearest, dead."

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott ~ comfort read! it's coziness and comfort in book form! jo march n me are the same and we're besties.

"I keep turning over new leaves, and spoiling them, as I used to spoil my copybooks; and I make so many beginnings there never will be an end."

“The humblest tasks get beautified if loving hands do them.”

The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros ~ read this as a young teenager and it's stuck with me ever since.

"And the story goes she never forgave him. She looked out the window her whole life, the way so many women sit their sadness on an elbow. I wonder if she made the best with what she got or was she sorry because she couldn't be all the things she wanted to be. Esperanza. I have inherited her name, but I don't want to inherit her place by the window."

"Their strength is secret. They send ferocious roots beneath the ground. They grow up and they grow down and grab the earth between their hairy toes and bite the sky with violent teeth and never quit their anger. This is how they keep."

Play it As it Lays by Joan Didion ~ it's just a book for your early 20s i think.

“There was a silence. Something real was happening: this was, as it were, her life. If she could keep that in mind she would be able to play it through, do the right thing, whatever that meant.”

Ways of Seeing by John Berger ~ all about art and capitalism and observation. 13/10 read.

“The mirror was often used as a symbol of the vanity of woman. The moralizing, however, was mostly hypocritical. You painted a naked woman because you enjoyed looking at her, you put a mirror in her hand and you called the painting "Vanity", thus morally condemning the woman whose nakedness you had depicted for your own pleasure.”

“The bogus religiosity which now surrounds original works of art, and which is ultimately dependent upon their market value, has become the substitute for what paintings lost when the camera made them reproducible.”

As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner ~ haunting, southern gothic, stream-of-consciousness style that embedded itself into my 17 yr old brain and never left

“Memory believes before knowing remembers.”

“That’s what they mean by the womb of time: the agony and the despair of spreading bones, the hard girdle in which lie the outraged entrails of events.”

Turtles All The Way Down by John Green ~ i'd be doing teenage nat a disservice if at least one john green novel didn't make the list

“I was so good at being a kid, and so terrible at being whatever I was now.”

“You can’t control it, that’s the thing,” I said. “Life is not something you wield, you know?”

tagging some of youse bc i wanna see what you're reading! 😋 (absolutely no pressure!!) : @twisted-tales-told @rollercoasterwords @euphorial-docx @rays-of-raven @anythingforourmoonysstuff + anyone else who wants to play!! say i tagged you !! <333

[gasping-ghostzes]

A Little rant as to why I love Sprite as a character

Okay so this is basically a summarised version of a 5000+ essay I wrote about her 2 years ago

I know that Sprite is a slightly unpopular character within the fandom and while I totally understand, I feel like I understand her reasoning for acting out.

So for 1, the obvious appearance age gap between her and the other eternals. It’s a known fact that the eternals don’t actually age, and because of this, they must adapt and get use to the idea of moving around to be able to pull off the illusion of aging like normal people. For kingo, he’s apart of a famous nepotistic family where his ‘father’ , ‘grand father’ and ‘great grand father’ (I think) are all famous Bollywood actors and they all conincidentally share a name and a face. Kingo has been granted a life that he can live to the fullest and can continue that life for well over 15 years with a single identity. Because most of the eternals are adults, they’re able to use the excuse that they don’t age as quickly compared to other adults for a longer time. Except for Sprite, being represented as a young teenager, she is unable to keep using that excuse for looking youthful for more than 5 or so years. Even though all of the characters are thousands of years old the only one who won’t be capable of experiencing a mature lifestyle and way of life will be Sprite.

“You know why I hated living with humans? Because they reminded me of things I didn't even know I wanted. Because of them, now I want to know what it feels like to grow up. To fall in love. To have a family. And to know in the end I've lived.”

This quote perfectly reflects how fed up Sprite has gotten over the thousands of years having to watch as humans grow old around her as she has to be seen as a kid for her entire life. Having to watch as everyone around her grow up as adults and be able to fall in love, have kids, have jobs must be painful when you realise that as a kid, she wouldn’t be capable of atleast 2 of those 3 possibilities. And even if she were capable of atleast one of them, she’d have to disappear after 5 years because of her never aging. There’s also the issue where she is thousands of year old, with thousands of lifetimes worth of knowledge, maturity, and pain, it’d be very difficult for her to relate to another person her age.

2, the other issue with this age difference is the way that the eternals perceive and treat Sprite. With her youthful looks, Sprite is often treated as a little sister that was born by mistake 20 or so years later compared to everyone else. There were times where she would spend time with one of the eternals and they’d simply up and leave her. In the movie she mentioned how Kingo left her in Macedonia after going on adventures together for months.

I’d also like to talk about Sprite’s crush on Ikaris, because it was sadly one of the most important parts of her character. It’s a known fact that in the movie, she has a crush on Ikaris, it’s likely because not only was he another eternal like her, but also because of the explicit relationship between Ikaris and Sersi. The relationship between Ikaris and Sersi was likely the only relationship that she saw that she both admired and could relate to. Maybe it was cause she possibly idolised Sersi, or maybe she just simply had a crush on Ikaris. But whatever the reasoning, her crush on Ikaris is what led her joining Ikaris in allowing the emergence to happen.

To me, Sprite joining blindly to Ikaris letting earth simply die was done out of both her love for Ikaris and her completely wanting a restart a new life and be able to have another chance of living a life she can live longer than 5 years.

(Imma end it here because I physically need to go to sleep like rn thanks pookie ^_−☆)

[where-them-kinomiya-at]

A small portion of my character analyzation of Tyson Granger/Kinomiya Takao in V-Force.

I’m so sorry, I really gotta get on with another V-Force post about Tyson/Takao.

This is purely based on the first half/20 episodes of V-Force.

Also excuse me while I switch between the dub and sub names lol.

There was no defined build-up in this episode explaining why the boys were acting so frustrated the first thing in the morning (except for Kai’s loss over Yuya/Wyatt). It so happened that they faced another Psykick labrat, but I really do think that this episode says a lot about Takao.

It started off with his teammates yelling their asses off at him, not to mention Rei and Max legit giving him glares during the practice run. I do understand Takao’s utter frustration in his episode, had I been the one getting yelled at for just messing up a practice run the first thing in the morning, I wouldn’t react too well either.

When Hiromi came up with a valid point and tried to mellow things down, Takao took it the wrong way,

and then this-

The similarities between these two scenes is concerning. The G-Revolution one obviously hits a lot harder, but the dialogue just proves that Takao was as frustrated and insecure even back in V-Force. His V-Force demeanour, I do agree, is masked by his ego and anger, which is why people often overlook his character in this season. Not that I’m saying that he was the nicest guy in that season- he was that fourteen year old (dub) that got on everyone’s bad books real quick, but there are just certain things that are overlooked.

Heck I don’t even blame him for getting annoyed at this teammates.

If you look at these clips, it’s obvious that he didn’t mean one bit of it. It was clear that Takao was trying to mask the insecurities his teammates put upon him by talking trash. I’m not going to defend him for what he said towards the end of the scene, but calling him an unapologetic ego centred asshole? Nah, give him a break.

One important dub reference:

In episode 20 when Ozuma encounters Tyson, he says:

“You’re not good enough to beat the Psykicks.” Which completely shook Tyson, instead of flipping him. It continued with, “You lose your temper, Tyson and lose focus and the same goes when you battle. Every time time you get mad you lose control of dragoon and it’s a sure fire way to get beaten-sorry, but that’s the way it is.”

Tyson suprisingly said nothing. He just stood there and hesitated, panicked and clutched onto dragoon. He very well knew Ozuma was right. V-Force Tyson having no control over his frustration and anger really made me feel more sorry than hostile towards him. When I first got into Beyblade I disliked Tyson’s V-Force persona. But as I grew up, I realised what the creators intended- he can expose his weaker side and softer side even with a personality like that and even the dub tried to portray something- showing him as an actual teenage boy. This was honestly a decent approach.

Prior to this scene where Hilary and Kenny came by the river to comfort him (not directly) was indeed overwhelming because that’s what he needed.

Again, I don’t mean to defend his attitude.

Also I’ve been digging into Beyblade cause my exams are over, so if I post a lot…well yeah.

I would give an entire speech only about Tyson in V-Force, let alone the series itself, but that’s gonna be way too long lol.

Clips: Bakuten Shoot Beyblade 2002/V-Force episodes 17 and 20.

[chriscdcase95]

My thoughts on “Teen Wolf: The Movie”.

So I watched the new Teen Wolf movie. Ultimately. I'm giving it a six out of ten. While there was more I liked about the movie than disliked, I had quite a few  gripes.  

I didn't see it as horrendous as a lot of fans say it is, but there are a few valid critiques I've seen. Maybe I'm just easy to please.

I think some of the issues could have been fixed if there wasn't such a big time skip; like instead of fifteen years, five years. Maybe instead of raising a teenager, Derek would be raising a toddler. Though I don't think we'd get the same kind of story for Eli that way, especially for this generations teen wolf. 

Spoilers below.

1. So I got into Teen Wolf back in high school, and I remember being a die hard Scallison stan back then too. I'm not as big of a Scallison as I was back then, but I am glad to see them be endgame, if it wasn't for one small thing.

My main question is if Allison aged a bit after her resurrection ? Like is she still considered a teenager or is she considered a young adult now ? I feel like this is a nitpick, but some In-Universe clarification would be nice! Feels like something the writers overlooked.  

Then again, werewolves are slow to age in the show's lore, so I guess you can apply "Vampire Rules" to these kind of romances. Maybe I'm overthinking it. I mean the show used to tease Parrish and Lydia, in season four; back when she was a teenager, and he was in his 20's. As if over half the fandom wasn’t shipping Sterek.

Actually, while I was working on this post, I read that Allison was eighteen when she died, so that's...better I guess.

2. Speaking of Parrish, his and Malia's relationship...I'm okay with it, more so than Scott and Malia. I mean they didn't do much with either pairing. Maybe that's the Malira shipper in me talking.

With Scalia, it felt like they just slapped them together because Scott needed a love interest for the final season. You could make the argument that a lot has happened over fifteen years that we didn't see.

With Malia and Parish, it feels like there's a whole ass story we didn't see, but y'know, show, don't tell. 

3. While I'm on that, the movie leaves a lot open ended, that it felt like it was setting up a follow up. This is were most of my problems come from. I was thinking maybe it would tie into Wolf Pack, but I've been hearing that the show isn't meant to be a direct spinoff (or even the same universe) as Teen Wolf. 

One thing I'd like an explanation of is Eli's mother, which again feels like they're saving for a follow up. Speaking of Eli, he became an instant favorite of mine, and someone I wouldn't mind seeing again.

Also, the cursing and nudity in this movie, I'm not saying it's out of place, and far from being prudish. I like that they’re being more risqué, but I’m also glad they didn't go too overboard with it. Still,  “Darkness, you motherfucker” absolutely killed me!

Another gripe I had was that Kira didn't return. Like this is a story where kitsune are front and center, and one of the antagonists is a monster her mother helped bring into the world. 

You’re seriously telling me she’s not up for another round ?

We're introduced to a new Kitsune, Hikari, who I have nothing against, but it really feels like Kira could have (should have) filled her spot. Especially since Hikari didn't have a proper introduction for a new player. "Oh, Liam has a new girlfriend who's a kitsune ? Welcome to the team I guess."

4. The villains...here's where I have more of an issue. So the Nogitsune makes a comeback. Which is fine; I saw that coming as far back as the trailers. 

But the movie's other Big Bad is Adrian Harris, with no explanation for his survival. I mean sure, a slashed throat/strangulation is an injury you can survive, but the chances are often slim.

I could have easily bought this Big Bad Duumvirate, if there wasn't something that stuck out; Stiles wasn't there. 

I can accept that Stiles isn't part of the story. I can accept Stydia splitting up (albeit begrudgingly). But Stiles was the Nogitsune’s primary tormenting victim, and the one Harris had the most beef with. You telling me he wasn't on their radar ?!

You're telling me that even if Harris survived or came back, the first thing he wouldn't do was try to access the speed force and pull some Eobard Thawne buffoonery on Stiles ? 

Get out of town!

Anyways, the Nogitsune was a serviceable villain, but I feel like Harris could have been replaced with another past antagonist. Say Tamara Monroe, considering she was the series cliffhanger villain, and as of this movie her arc's unresolved. They probably wouldn't have been able to pull any kind of twist with her, but she at least would fit more. 

Hell, even Theo Raeken would have been more fitting; the guy such has a proud history of subverting whatever redeeming qualities thrown his way, I still have a hard time buying his “redemption” at the end of the series. Actually, it wasn't even a redemption, it was just the one genuine Pet the Dog moment the guy actually had.

Anyways, Harris probably would have been a better fit in a story that had Stiles in it.

5. Not gonna lie, Derek's death was something sorta I saw coming.

What I mean is, I certainly saw someone in the main cast was gonna die. That's like an unspoken rule in “Next Generation” sequels. But I thought it would be someone else. If not Derek, it would be one of the parents.

Who'd I'd probably have die instead would be Chris Argent. I mean if you're gonna bring back his daughter, you'd think one consequence would be that Chris would die in her place.

Derek's death, I'm more mixed on, but ultimately accept. I would have preferred if Chris was the one with the heroic sacrifice. I still think it would be a more fitting end than Derek’s.

I heard some complaints that Scott and Allison pretty much adopted Eli, but I didn't see it that way. When Scott and Eli interacted, I got more of an uncle/nephew vibe than any father/son thing. 

The way I see it, Eli just has a large support system following his father's death; a support system that just now includes Scott and Alison. And let's be honest, there's no way and hell Derek is gonna let Peter raise him.

I've been told this was intended to be the start of a trilogy, so if we get sequels, hopefully they'll fill us in on what we missed.

[indecentpause]

Hi! I decided to check your stories on ao3 and see that you have 20?? original stories!

I am gonna start reading some but if you don't mind I have a question.

how you were able to write so much? and they seem to have similar themes but how can you write a whole different story 20 times?? that's pretty cool. I have not even written 1 yet but you inspired me now

Hello Anon!

So, the first answer didn’t come out right, and the second I accidentally deleted. Third time’s a charm? Heads up, I'm autistic and I overexplain things, so this is going to be kind of long.

Most of the stories labeled with Sheraton Academy, with the exception of two (one which is not finished yet), they were results of my wife @ohsugarfoot and I bouncing ideas back and forth on long drives. Most of those characters are from an old pbp rpg from decades ago, where we met through her character Josselin and my character Meara. We are two huge nerds who are not afraid to write self-indulgent self-fanfic! Something would remind us of a character, and we’d laugh about it, and sometimes that was it, but sometimes it would spark a conversation of ‘What if this happened? Then ‘what if this happened?’ And soon enough we have a bare bones plot, or at least some beats.

I highly recommend getting yourself a person like this! Whether you meet irl or just talk online, having a person willing to be a sounding board is SO helpful. Writing takes a long time, and it can get lonely! Having someone to cheer you on helps so much.

Some of others were often based on alternate scenarios with some of my characters (Stars in Our Hands was a genderbent ‘what if Darcey and Jordan were women, how would their lives be different in a similar setting and what would their relationship be like?) SOME were things I’d been mulling over since I was a teenager, and now I’m in my late thirties, so they’ve had plenty of time to marinate. (I wrote three chapters of the first Feeling Is First in high school, and then dropped it for fifteen years until I found an idea where the characters really worked). Most of the non-Sheraton stories were based on those initial characters and ideas, just bouncing around in my head for a decade or so! Most of them I kept to myself until they were finished, occasionally asking Sugar to look at things if I was stuck. Those were a little more lonely, but I loved the characters and telling there stories was really important to me.

In the meantime, I was sharing prompt-inspired short stories here on writeblr. I slammed them out three times a week. The first dozen or so got a lot of likes, but don’t let that fool you —most of them were people just saving the prompts I was using. I even had people reblog and delete my story so they had reblogged just the prompt (this was back when you could edit other people’s posts). It sucked! But I wrote them because I loved to write them, and I shared them here because I have a handful of friends who liked to read them. Again, look for the cheer-readers! Those are the people who will get you through the rough times.

Short stories and longform stories are totally different monsters, though, and writing something longform can take years. It’s a totally different skillset. It’s not like some other kind of art that take a few days or weeks to finish before you have something to share. That’s where things like writeblr come in! If you feel comfortable sharing works in progress, and you have a Tumblr, I’d highly suggest starting one of your own and sharing ideas! You can share excerpts, make playlists, if graphics are your thing you can make those! Involve yourself in tag games (there’s always someone making a list, and it’s a good way to meet people and make friends and acquaintances). Jump on the trends going around on Tumblr like the Comic Sans Powerpoint or the Netflix show template, off you’re able.

The internet is a big place. Eventually you will find your people. Knowing there are friends and followers and mutuals online who want to read your work is inspiring! Even if you’re a slow writer, knowing people are interested in your ideas helps so much. I know plenty of incredibly talented people who often just ramble about characters and worldbuilding ideas, too, and even that can be helpful. And it’s fun for you and for people who like your ideas to read! You can also maybe find a local writing group or discord group, although with those ymmv. There are a lot of crap ones. There are some great ones too, though! You just have to be patient and dig.

Also, keep in mind that despite the dates I posted them, I finished my first full length novel (Two Heartbeats on One Page) back in 2012. (Then of course there was beta-ing and editing and stuff, but that was when I finished the first draft.) And before that I wrote all the time in high school, even though I only finished one novel, and it wasn’t very good, haha. I had been storing these up for years (I didn’t post my first novel until 2016) and was hoarding them like dragon because I was plagiarized in high school, and I was so scared of it happening again. But then I realized that the community was worth the risk, so I jumped in.

AND THE MOST IMPORTANT THING HERE, I CANNOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH: I am unable to work a normal job due to physical and mental disability, and my wife is the breadwinner. While I am not always able to write, often because of those things, I still have more chances to pop out a paragraph here and there. If I can’t get out of bed that day I can jot down notes on my phone. When I was writing and working before all that, I wrote much much less. If you have to work, or go to school, or take care of someone, or take care of a property, it is much, MUCH harder. It’s totally doable! But it’s a difficult balancing act so it might very well take you longer than it would if you weren’t.

As for ideas, it sounds trite, but they can literally come from anywhere. Something you overhear on the train, the taste of a certain cookie from a coffee shop you visited for the first time, a song someone is playing too loud on the radio in the car next to yours, seeing something pretty at a park. Inspiration can come from not so happy places, too, bad events that happened to or around you or loved ones, things or people you’ve lost, ways your community is failing you. Not every story is happy or has to have a happy ending.

And most of all!!! Just WRITE. Write great stuff and good stuff and bad stuff and even worse stuff. Just write, and don’t delete anything. You might hate that one scene you wrote BUT perhaps it can serve some other person in a project later. I have so many bits and bats and scraps of writing saved up. Many I will probably never use! But every word you write is a good one, because you are practicing and getting better.

I’m so glad to have inspired you!! I know this was long, I hope you got to the end. ;-; And thank you for being interested in my stories. Good luck in your future endeavors, Anon!

[welcometoteyvat]

love your thoughts on character’s ages. looking forward to fontaine & sumeru :) i think you described it really well. ages for my are like… they exist but they don’t at the same time.

edit: OH MY GOD TUMBLRS EDITOR FORMATTING SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!! if you see random parts of words bolded PLEASE ignore i dont know why it keeps happening

if you're the same anon as the og ask i am so so so sorry about the delay T_T T_T i was drafting my answer and then boom life happened ..... anyways. thank you for enjoying my thoughts wah <3333333 "they exist but they don't" SAME SAME frfr. like the most on-point (internet) discussion I've read on ages is that the stage of life you're in is often the only factor that matters, and that can vary a lot based on like your past experiences and stuff. and from my own perspective this holds true—similarly, in genshin where all the playable characters have jobs it's hard to kind of quantify them into really distinct age ranges tbh. sometimes it's just vibes (unfortunately vibes often includes height bc it's a game w not very diverse model types). anyways! character hcs:

sumeru (sans scaramouche): collei, cyno, tighnari, faruzan, layla, nilou

i think collei has an actual canon age right? unless I'm tripping and fanon has solidified so much in everyone's minds. I still haven't read the manhua <3 but iirc people think she's 12-13 there right. maybe she's like 17 rn, i can see anywhere from 14-16 though. idk anything abt her timeline so these are quite literally guesstimates from vibes and they're likely to be wrong. Layla is such a college girlie, she's like 19-20 and sleep deprived (same fr); begging for her to catch a break on behalf of uni students everywhere. I don't have a set age for Faruzan, I can see her anywhere from 30-40, 26 years old minimum (the redesigns people give her where she looks visibly older are so cool <3). Given she was a pretty well known researcher back in her day and since academia is a long and arduous career choice, I think it makes sense; also if she's like way older than Kaveh appearance wise (≥ 10 years) , even if she hadn't gotten trapped for a century, that would be sick af (their dynamic is impeccable and I think a larger age difference makes it better, sweeter, and funnier). Nilou also feels 19-20 years old to me; no real explanation, she just has a young adult vibe, like someone just out of her teenage years but quite capable at managing her life, although still testing out responsibility for major decisions and stuff like that (age solidarity w yun jin)

iirc cyno was already mahamatra or something WHILE tighnari was still in school; thus this makes cynonari EXTREMELY funny if you're a moral purist who ships it and thinks they fell in love in their akademiya days LOL. jkjk it's also a reasonable interpretation that Cyno became mahamatra at an insanely young age, since uhhh fucked up temple of silence background smth smth and honestly it feels in character for him to go buck wild at a young age like that (person most suited for young collei fr). HOWEVER. personally I think being mahamatra at like 19 is insane—thus I think tighnari's probably 23, cyno might be 27? I don't know if that makes it """""""better""""""" from an age gap standpoint but I also don't really care. Cyno being older but more joking around friends, while Tighnari is the younger kohai but serious and no-nonsense is pretty funny to me and when they're both serious you know you're fucked

fontaine: lyney, lynette, freminet (are those the only medium youth models so far lol. damn)

anyways lyney and lynette are confirmed to be at least 10 from Lyney's story quest. such helpful information I know lol. I'd think they're probably around 19-20? 18 minimum—I personally wouldn't watch 18 year olds do gravity defying magic tricks at the nation's biggest opera house—being like 1 year older doesn't make it any better ofc lol, but I think they're above the teenage threshold bc of that. Kinda fucked up to think about the timeline and house of hearth stuff though with this in mind

Freminet I'd say is around 16; 14 minimum. No thoughts for this just vibes. mmmmm idk when he was adopted into the house, if he's around 4-5 years younger than L+L, and let's say they entered the House when they were maybe 6-9 (my headcanons, is it now possible to piece together an accurate timeline of this from in-game lore??), and that was maybe 3-4 years after freminet entered, he probably was like 5-7 when he entered... wah frem............. poor child I'm giving him a hug (knowing that he's also a killing machine)

[kingkirby134]

Name: Norah Valkyrie Izunia (Aka Norah Lucis Caelum)

Song that matches her: Nature vs Nuture by Chase Petra

Now I have perspective and can see you

I don’t have to hide from myself

From the parts that resemble you

Age: 20 before T.S 30 after

Looks: (By Hunblooms)

She’s a clone of Ardyn, a lot of things were changed so she could be her own person. Thanks to Verstael Besithia.

Besithia practically raised her, Ardyn is a bad dad honestly, however the Besithia did constant experiments on her but like he fed her goldfish to keep her entertained since most of them were boring. Not even painful just boring. Its hard to keep a 3 year old sitting still. (She thrives off of goldfish crackers thanks to him and berry fruit punch only kind she’ll drink)

She was a very rebellious child/teenager which made Besithia’s original plan of turning her into a super soldier fail extremely bad. But it’s fine in the end, he was just happy to see her thrive in her own way even if he didn’t get to see her grow older due to what happens in Episode Prompto

Dad!Besithia is best Besithia, yes she had told Ardyn to his face that Besithia is a better dad than him

Shes very loyal to Noctis and his friends even tho she’s well supposed to be their enemy.

She hates daemonifing people it actually makes her physically sick either way

She can also heal people of the starscourge? Yeah if it sounds fucked up it is, she can’t control it

She really hates Bahamut. She spends her dreams when she sees him trying to piss him off.

If she could she really could daemonify the people she hated to get rid of them but for reason’s above she hasn’t (Looking at Caligo -_-)

She enjoys talking to Aera in her dreams she has accidentally called her mom before. Oops.

She and Somnus are on ok terms and I do really mean ok, she isn’t as angry at her Uncle like she used to be but she is scared of getting close to him.

She hates the fact she has powers like Ardyn but as she gets older she learns to accept them and realize she’s nothing like him, just because shes his clone doesn’t mean she is him. She’s her own being with her own feelings.

Speaking of feelings she uses violence typically not toward other people. Nope towards objects

Don’t get in her way tho she has daemonified people that way by accident because of her anger, Ardyn encourages her to use her power as well which never helps.

She once looked up to Drautos. Yeah no never again.

She used to be a workaholic until Insomnia fell now being able to rest she typically stays awake at night and sleeps during the day (daemon part of her) but the sun doesn’t harm her she does enjoy tanning from the sun surprisingly enough

She can’t go near havens tho…awkward explanation to the Chocobro’s before they found out who she was. (She slept in the regalia claiming the tent was too crowded more often than not either Noct or Prompto joined her in the car)

That’s probably it for now lol