#I hope they’re developed more I’m desperate for like an actual story

[1driedpersimmon]

Hi, saw the smtvv trailer

My take away is that I hope these girls can now kill people, together 🤝

[jade-kyo]

Season 17 post restoration thoughts

Casually skipping 16 and going straight to 17 because lord knows I can’t afford to lose anymore braincells. I genuinely enjoy this season so I’m looking forward to the rewatch!

Ngl jumping straight from 15 to 17 really highlights how absurd this is like bro why is there gods and shit omg 😂

The fates are racist- that explains a lot

Donut my sweet baby boy

You know as much as I hate time travel stories this works way better for a “lets reference and call back to as many previous arcs and seasons as possible” nostalgia trip than Restoration did

Okay while I personally prefer the take that Donut is fully aware of all the innuendos he makes and is doing it to be a little shit I do think it being unintentional is really funny considering the ace Donut thing

“You have me all wrong” “I doubt it.” Donut the master at not getting gaslit

Donut knows Wash’s name is David- meaning Wash must have told all the reds and blues his real name

JESUS CHRIST DONT KILL JUNIOR

Felix is afraid of knives

Man I love it when Dr. Grey sounds like herself

We love insurance fraud

DONUT WASH TEAM UP MY BELOVED

Wash just silently shooting Donut again has me wheezing holy shit

The Wash and Carolina conflict is so freaking good man I love them

Man this season is just genuinely entertaining to watch despite everything- the way I wish we could’ve gotten this character writing with a better story

Oh what’s that a way to reference back to all the freelancers that includes Wyoming and the triplets. The concepts are wild again.

Also it’s just genuinely hilarious

WASH SCREAMING INSIDE HIS HELMET

DELTA OMG I FORGOT HE WAS IN THIS SEASON

I need to find the ost for when Wash and Carolina reunite and she’s saying how she trusts him and doesn’t know why bro this music is so pretty

Seriously I’m enjoying this as a nostalgia trip so much more than restoration

Oh I can feel my inner 15 year old desperately trying to take control of my body and send me down the carwash pipeline again holy shit- platonic or romantic. They’re good either way 🙂

OH GOD THE CABOOSE FEELS AGAIN THIS SHOULD BE ILLEGAL

Kai I love you with all my heart and soul but you do not disrespect Junior like that

STOP BEING MEAN TO DONUT HE IS DOING HIS BEST

Yes Caboose IS a genius and also my son

Kai messing with Tucker is glorious holy shit is that bit funny I love them

“Time is made of circles” what a nice, funny and succinct callback. Look at those concepts being wild.

Not Tucker dropping the “your mom” bit on Doc AGSKHAKS

HELL YEAH DONUT YOU FUCKING TELL THEM THATS MY BABY BOI!!!

PINK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wash might be a competitor with Church for number one Donut Stan

Or simulation headcanon: Church is projecting his liking of Donut onto Wash

Okay but Donut should be in the caves not under the pelican FR PEOPLE STOP FORGETTING ABOUT THE CAVES!!!

Laughs in Spanish

I love competent Caboose and Donut

“My testicles send their regards” has no right being as badass as it is

Love a good Tucker moment- sure wish it wasn’t just redoing his character development that never should’ve been undone to begin with

OKAY BUT TUCKER AND DONUT MOMENT THO???? So good- can’t believe Donut is the “angsty bitch”

WASH AND CAROLINA AKDHAKBSKSHSKDHK

Love them talking about the AI like they’re Carolina’s siblings

Holy shit the voice acting between these two is so good

“If he’s single there’s no hope for any of us” sargington nation rise

Sarcastic Donut my beloved

I said this last time but seeing Church impaled by a golf club, even if it is actually Genkins, is entirely unnecessary bro I don’t wanna see that

THE LABYRINTH!!!

GOD CAROLINA VS CAROLINA AGAJSHKAH FROTHING AT THE MOUTH

Sarges vision is further proof that the correct ending for him is retirement

OKAY I STILL HATE THE LOPEZ VISION LISTEN I GET HE COMES BACK BUT ITS JUST IN POOR TASTE

“Don’t say toodles” LOVE sassy Donut so much

DOC BADASS MOMENT LETS GO

GRIF SIBLINGS MY BELOVED

Grif enlisted reveal you will always be famous to me

I never actually thought about it too deeply before but now that I am holy shit do I love that detail it’s so good and actually reminds me of my own brother who enlisted for similar reasons and regrets it now- seriously Grif enlisting is so realistic, a lot of kids sadly think the military is the only thing that can give them structure and purpose. It’s a great addition to the anti military themes of RvB

And yet- despite all these good red team moments- THEY FUCKING TURNED SIMMONS INTO A PENIS JOKE???? AND A BAD ONE AT THAT?????? COME ON S17 I THOUGHT YOU WERE BETTER THAN THIS THATS SOME S16 NONSENSE

TUCKER CANONICALLY HAS PANIC ATTACKS- the fact they kept his visions so vague is truly a CRIME

“Still got my penis” “what-“ GOD DAMN IT THAT ONE WAS ACTUALLY FUNNY COME ON I WAS TRYING TO MAKE A POINT EARLIER

AND WE DONT EVEN KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO CABOOSE- honestly I know they probably didn’t have this arc planned back then but they should’ve used the labyrinth for Caboose to find closure in Church’s death rather than the Time Machine nonsense in s15. I feel like that would’ve been infinitely more interesting.

Carolina vs Carolina MY BELOVED HOLY SHIT I AM FROTHING AT THE MOUTH

OH FUCK THE FREELANCER TRAINING ROOM IM AKDHKAHSKSH THIS SHIT IS SO GOOD

GIGGLING KICKING MY FEET WE LOVE THE POWER OF FRIENDSHIP

Caboose gets it!!

GOD THE SLOW PIANO COVER OF BLOOD GULCH BLUES I CANT

AAAAAAAGGGGGGGHHHHHH

Man what nice fairly satisfying conclusions to everyone’s arc- don’t we love wild concepts.

Sure maybe it’s not anything super poetic or perfect like 13 but at least it makes sense

Hell I’ve even warmed up to Donut leaving! Bro deserves some him time and it’s not like he said it was permanent or anything… doesn’t that just really hit you in the wild concept 🙂

You know what- this season is genuinely such a delight at times. Im thinking about adding it to my regular rewatch list along with 1-13 as just like a little bonus I can have at the end cause it’s just such fun. Glorified fanfiction! We love to see it- maybe Restoration sucking was a blessing in disguise cause it really gave me a new appreciation for 15 and 17 (but 17 especially). I probably won’t rewatch 15 as much cause being honest I don’t really enjoy it in its entirety as much as 17 but it’s got good moments I love.

Now- I know the logical thing for me to do is go back and watch 16 and then Restoration but here’s the thing… I don’t want to.

I genuinely do not enjoy those seasons. I don’t want to put myself through something that’s just gonna make me angry and bitter just for the sake of giving commentary on them- not right now anyway. Maybe one day I’ll feel like being a bit salty and do it but that’s just really not how I want to spend my time with my favorite show. I’ve already rewatched any clips from restoration that I cared to rewatch and I don’t think any of my feelings on it are gonna change. And I’ve seen 16 enough times to know my feelings won’t change.

Now what I am considering doing is rewatching 1-13 for the 20th time (<- accurate number, I’ve kept count over the years) and continuing to do these thought posts cause they’re good fun to do! So who knows whenever the time comes you’ll probably have to deal with more of my insane ramblings 😂

[schraubd]

How To Hack The Law

Do you ever idly puzzle through various ideas for a "perfect crime"? It's awkward to talk about -- you don't actually want to do them, you don't actually want to give anyone a bright idea, but they're still so interesting to think through.

The legal community is abuzz with the story of a lawyer who relied on ChatGPT to do his research and submitted a brief filled with entirely invented cases. ChatGPT just made them up out of air -- complete with names, citations and quotes -- and the lawyer dutifully added them to the brief. When opposing counsel tried to read the cases for themselves, they were baffled because they couldn't find any trace of them. The presiding judge went so far as to contact the clerk of the courts where the cases were allegedly filed, confirming their non-existence. Now the lawyer is facing sanctions; he is begging for mercy on the grounds that he had no idea ChatGPT would lie to him like that.

I know of very few lawyers who have sympathy for this lawyer. But imagine a slightly different case. Let's say that LexisNexis developed a glitch where it invented a case. If you typed in the (invented) citation to the case, it would pop up on Lexis the same as any other case -- name, judge panel, court, reasoning, everything. But the case isn't real; it was a complete invention. If a lawyer came across such a "hallucinated" decision on Lexis, I think we'd be very forgiving if she ended up being deceived and relied on the case in her briefs. Indeed, I actually wonder, in a situation, like this, how long it would take the legal community to figure out that the case wasn't real.

For example: the last case contained in volume 500 of the Federal Reporter (3d) is Jacobsen v. DOJ, 500 F.3d 1376 (Fed. Cir. 2007). That case ends on page 1381. Suppose an enterprising criminal hacks the Westlaw and Lexis database* and adds another case, call it Smith v. Jones, cited to 500 F.3d 1382. To further cover her tracks, the criminal "assigns" the case to a panel of judges who are no longer active on the court, to make it less likely one of them will see it and be like "I don't remember that decision." Smith v. Jones, of course, can be about and say whatever the criminal (or the unscrupulous lawyer who hired her) wants it to. Need a precedent that appears to decisively resolve a contested point of law in your favor? Voila -- the new case of Smith v. Jones is there to meet your needs. Indeed, the diligent criminal could add one or two new precedents per volume on a range of topics, providing bespoke "new" precedent to shift the legal terrain on an array of different issues.

If this happened, again I ask: how long would it take for the legal community to figure it out? If the initial hack was undetected, could one get away with doing this? Certainly, there would still be ways to confirm the cases are not real. If one back-checked the cases back to the clerk's office, one would discover they're vapor -- but realistically, that almost never happens. We take Lexis and Westlaw as proof enough; I'm not sure I can imagine a circumstance where I would try to confirm the veracity of a case I saw on Westlaw or Lexis by contacting the clerk's office. There probably would be some other hints that the cases were suspect -- the lack of citations from other cases would be a significant hint that something is shady -- but I can imagine a crime like this slipping by us for some time. And the longer it goes unnoticed, the more these cases have the opportunity to subtly adjust the overall trajectory of law in a new direction.

It's a scary thought, no? We're very reliant on the robustness and reliability of online databases. If they start to falter, we run into seriously trouble very quickly.

* Note: I assume -- and desperately hope -- that this is difficult-to-impossible to do.

via The Debate Link https://ift.tt/hLkYFA1

[eds-gryff]

Dates Out of Duty

Edmund Pevensie x Gender-Neutral Reader

Okay, despite the pictures, Y/N is GENDER-NEUTRAL IN THIS FIC!! It is the first time I’ve written a gender neutral reader, and also I have been having horrific writer’s block for about two months, so this fic may not be the BEST. I tried very hard, though 😭😭 I’m sorry.

Also, I do have an Arranged-Marriage-with-Edmund-Pevensie fanfiction on Wattpad- it’s called ‘Alliance’ and it is a series of four books, so please do check that out!!

-

Requested by @potatosdragon

‘Hi, could you please write an Edmund pevensie imagine x fem reader where it's about the types of dates he would take you on after an arranged marriage. Thank you sosososossososossosooskks much’

It’s not exactly a list of dates like most fics about this scenario are, I wanted to tell a story of the reader and Edmund’s development as well- plus, the date ideas come from both, not just from Ed. Hopefully it’ll be tolerable! 🥲

-

Y/N= Your Name

Y/C/N= Your Country’s Name

Y/P/W= Your Preferred Weapon

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

Riding Dates

It’s unfamiliar territory, romantic feelings for each other, but Edmund and Y/N both desperately need some semblance of comfort.

The first date, thus, is familiar territory.

He had learnt that they shared a love for horses very soon after the wedding- when he’d witnessed the delight in his then-affianced’s face upon learning that Y/N’s horse was going to come along as they returned to Narnia.

(Their wedding had taken place in Y/N’s kingdom, as per the agreement of the marriage alliance. Neither of them had smiled once during it. It had been their duty, and that was all. Neither had hoped or thought or even imagined that anything more would come out of doing their duty.)

The date is not the roaring success both hoped for- they had hoped, actually, that once they confessed their feelings for each other, things would get as easy as possible- but it’s not a devastating failure, either.

They have fun, playfully bantering with each other as they rode deeper into the woods- banter that Edmund’s horse, Philip, joined as well- and they attempt to, rather clumsily, kiss while on horseback as well. It makes them laugh, and then soon blush, once it turns out that they were quite good at kissing in even inopportune situations.

The problem comes when it is discovered that the path Edmund had chosen led them much further away than expected and when it is found that Y/N had forgotten to bring along the picnic basket.

Hunger and the fear of getting lost plays havoc on romance, and by the time they manage to return to Cair Paravel, the banter has turned to bickering, despite Philip’s most valiant efforts.

And by the time they return to their shared chambers after supper, anything more than a chaste good-night peck is unthinkable.

Bakery Dates

Y/N and Edmund are not very deterred by the less-than-ideal results of their date in the woods, especially since they wake up the next few mornings snuggled into each other.

It’s hard to stay annoyed when you wake up so comfortable and so warm and in each other’s arms- and, one of these mornings, the royals dawdle in bed for a good two hours before forcing themselves to get up.

They miss breakfast- something that’s usual for Y/N, perpetually a late sleeper, but not for Edmund, because although he loves to sleep in, he also enjoys having breakfast with his family- and so Y/N suggests going into town and to one of the bakeries, for the Just King is known to have quite the sweet tooth.

Edmund says yes, quite happily, and it’s hand-in-hand that the pair walk into the town closest to the castle.

They sample cakes and pastries and some things Y/N can’t pronounce but Edmund can with a funny accent- and the employees in the bakery are all aflutter at serving two Monarchs, and that, too, while they’re on a date!

They settle them in a large corner of the bakery, practically forcing every other customer into the opposite corner- despite repeated requests from the royal couple to treat them as regular folk- and they’re given so much sweet confections that Y/N’s tongue, unused to having such large amounts of desserts, goes numb in the middle of a sweet apple crumble. Edmund is having the time of his life, though, biting into a chocolate gateau and a rose parfait and blueberry cakes, and Y/N gazes at him quite contentedly the entire time- and then the gaze turns mutual and humorous and a bit alarmed, when the head baker packs them enough sweeties and desserts and chocolates to last a few decades.

They both are supposed have meetings that day- one with an envoy from Archenland and the other with a Tarkheena from Calormen- but the meetings are later in the day, and they know that the High King and the Queens of Narnia will happily keep the guests busy on the off-chance they are late.

His siblings are more invested in their relationship than they both are, the Just King feels.

As usual, he’s right, and it’s seen just how right he is at the next Ball.

Reading Dates

But before the Ball, comes winter, and with winter, comes the need to stay warm and cosy.

Especially for Edmund, since he does not deal well with the cold at all.

Y/N isn’t used to the cold, since Y/C/N is a warm country, and so they both have more reason than most to stay indoors during the most biting days of winter.

But they haven’t gone on a date in weeks, and Y/N is fearing that they could go back to the aloofness they had regarded each other with during the beginning of their marriage.

Neither of them wants that- Y/N and Edmund care for each other very deeply, and that’s something that even they, expert at denying feelings, cannot deny.

Hence, Y/N hauls candles and blankets and some of the bakery’s sweets in the middle of winter, in addition to asking the Kitchens to bring up some food and warm drinks.

Lastly, Y/N finds Edmund in his study, wrapped in a thick shawl his mother-in-law gave him, and they walk hand-in-hand to the destination.

In the Library, seated on a cosy couch, half-suffocated by thick blankets, Edmund and Y/N hardly talk. They read quietly in the candlelight, occasionally looking up to grin at each other or hold hands again, and even the meal is had in utterly comfortable silence, broken only at the end of it by Edmund’s declaration that they must have a sleepover in the Library.

Of course, both being the bibliophiles they are, they doubt much sleep will happen- it’s far more likely they’ll read and read and read until they fall asleep reading.

But neither will mind that- and so, Y/N climbs into Edmund’s lap, fishes a book from the pile next to them, and agrees.

Ballroom (And a Bit of Stargazing) Dates

Edmund dances well, and since he’s married, he knows that the one to dance with is his consort. He was the one to suggest they consider the Ball a date for he had no wish to spend the event with anyone apart from Y/N.

Y/N felt the same way, and his suggestion was met with an approving kiss.

Still, his siblings have some insane idea in their heads that the relationship between the two Monarchs needs meddling to grow- and their idea of meddling is to make sure no one else meddles.

And so the rest of the guests at the vibrant New Year’s Ball give the two Monarchs a wide berth throughout the event.

It suits Y/N just fine, because Edmund is easily the only one around who offers comfort as well as conversation, not to mention how fine a dancer he is, to make up for Y/N’s abysmal dancing skills. And even Edmund can’t mind, truly, not when he has his dear consort clasped in his arms, and he sees just how bright and soft Y/N’s smile, aimed at him throughout the night, is.

They spend the Ball dancing and laughing, and occasionally tripping, and they are not away from each other’s embrace for longer than a few minutes.

And then they steal away to the roof of Cair Paravel, and spend the rest of night staring up at the sky, with Edmund pointing out the different constellations in the sky, and Y/N speaking of the stories and fables of Y/C/N that were linked to the stars and the Heavens.

Y/N notices that Edmund’s freckles are like constellations. Edmund notices that Y/N’s eyes shine like the Moon. They gaze at each other more than they look at the celestial bodies.

And when the fireworks bloom into artificial stars in the sky, a few metres above them- the couple has their lips on each other’s, feeling something deep bloom in their hearts as well.

.

Things go sour not long after the Christmas Ball. It’s coming up on five years of marriage- Peter and Susan and Lucy and Y/N’s parents and both their countries were extremely frustrated by how long it’s taking for Y/N and Edmund to confess their love for each other.

But the couple is taking it slow. Neither are the type to fall in love quickly- rather, until each other, they hadn’t thought they would fall in love at all.

It is all wholly new and unexpected- for them- and they hadn’t quite believed what was happening when they’d quietly confessed to each other that they had feelings for the other. It was for that reason that there had been an unspoken agreement, after the confession, to do things slowly.

But the slowness was frustrating more than just the people around them- it was frustrating them, too!

Edmund regularly had to bite his tongue to keep from saying ‘my love’ in almost every single situation and at every moment of the day, but especially he’d come across Y/N be in the training field, eyes shining and sweaty skin glowing, perfecting the use of (Y/P/W).

The ‘I love you’ had been on the top of Y/N’s tongue every time the two Monarchs fell asleep while reading in the Royal Library, and then Y/N would be the one to wake up first, watching Edmund in peaceful slumber.

There are bets going on, in both Cair Paravel and in Y/N’s castle in (Y/C/N).

Peter said that Y/N would say it first, being the more impulsive of the pair.

Susan said that they’d both say it together, because underneath all their emotional unintelligence, there was some understanding and wisdom.

Lucy said it would be Edmund, because once he got over whatever fear was keeping from telling the three not-so-little words, he would surely want to be transparent with his consort, despite the possibility of his declaration being unrequited.

Y/N’s parents, for their part, thought that it would be another five years before the word ‘love’ would come into the conversation, and they said they’d announce their bet in three.

The sourness is not, however, Edmund and Y/N’s fault.

They’re doing quite well, actually, they feel, and they blush rather brightly every time the other’s name is brought up.

Then the Giants attacked.

Y/N spoke heatedly, looking with flashing eyes to the rest of the war council, “I’m going to fight!”

Edmund nodded, “Of course you are, darling, but you must stay here. It’s not safe to travel back to your country-”

No, Y/N wasn’t running back home! Of course not. That was what Peter had assumed for an awkward moment, and Y/N had almost thrown a scroll at his face.

“I need to get my army here, and I need to leave now. Narnia needs support, and it is part of our alliance treaty that our countries come to each other’s aid in the event of war.”

Peter stepped in here, “That’s right. Remember, Narnia has lent its troops to Y/C/N whenever minor scuffles at the border occur-”

“Of course I remember.” His younger brother said calmly, though not feeling calm at all.

His consort wanted to go out of Cair Paravel- which wasn’t safe in the least, as the Giants were camped practically just outside their walls. He couldn’t- he couldn’t risk losing someone he- someone he loved so much.

“We both signed the treaty, need I remind you. But then we can send a Raven to Y/N’s parents, they can-”

“I am the Monarch.” Y/N spoke, cutting across the Just King. There was no anger in Y/N’s voice, but it was simply firmness. “It is because of me that my country will be brought into this War, because I-”

Fell in love with you.

But the treaty had been signed long before that. And Edmund didn’t know that fact!

“Because I married you.”

Edmund swallowed. Y/N was right. There was no one else who could catch his tongue like that, or get him to change his mind.

“Very well.” He said stiffly, and looked to where Lucy was standing, already dressed in armour and looking fiercely warrior-like. “Lu, I’ll be going with Y/N, so I’ll ask Orieus if he may patrol with you instead-”

“No.” Y/N said, once against interrupting him. Somehow, Y/N’s hand was now on Edmund’s arm, and there sprung a need in both to clasp each other’s hand tight.

So, they did.

“Narnia needs you, dearest. I’ll be alright, and I’ll be back soon.”

Edmund gazed into Y/N’s eyes for a long moment, and Y/N gazed back.

The war council moved onto other matters soon, but Edmund and Y/N kept holding hands for the entirety of it- in fact, until they reached the Stables where Y/N’s horse was kept.

“Are you sure you want to leave now?” Edmund queried quietly, as his consort tied some necessities and supplies to end of the horse’s saddle. He’d been the one to have the sense to tell one of the servants to pack for a journey- Y/N was reckless enough to make the journey with nothing useful. “You could leave in the morning-”

“I don’t want to leave, but I have to. Sooner rather than later- you told me once they said that where you come from.” Y/N’s voice was just as quiet.

What if he was right? Well, of course he was right, he always was- but what if the Giants did attack Y/N on the way?

Death was inevitable, it was known- but to die while on the way to help in a War? What sort of Monarch did that?

But the alternative was not helping Narnia. The alternative was letting Edmund and Peter and Lucy and Susan suffer the War on their own.

Y/N turned to Edmund, “Spare Oom, was it?”

He smiled a little, and they neared each other, their arms sliding around each other so they stayed in an embrace for as long as they could.

“Or War Drobe. I’ve heard it both ways.”

He bent his head, and their lips met in a slow, needy, passionate kiss.

“I’ll be safe.” Y/N whispered into the kiss, knowing full well what Edmund would murmur once the embrace broke. “As safe as I can.”

“That’s not very reassuring.” He tried to joke, but it fell flat. They were going to part. Not for long, if they had any luck- but it was war. How often was good fortune found in the middle of battle? “I’ll wait for you.”

“And you best fight in midst of the waiting.” Y/N said- deciding to not ask him to be safe, because he would be. He would. He was a warrior and he was wise- he’d stay alive. “And try to think of better date ideas.”

Edmund smiled in spite of himself, “I’m the one with the good ideas. Yours are more hit or miss.”

Y/N chuckled softly, “Maybe a battle will give me inspiration, then. I’ll think of you anyway- may as well have that thinking be productive.”

“We’ll go on that date the moment the War’s over.” His smile softened, and they kissed once more- one last time.

The kiss lasted another few moments, before they both pulled away- and Y/N climbed onto the horse.

“G-goodbye.” Y/N almost said ‘my love’. “I’ll see you soon.”

Edmund raised his hand in farewell, not trusting himself to speak.

And then, as the horse pulled out of the paddock and just as his consort was almost out of sight- he spoke.

Well, shouted.

“Y/N!” He said, and the horse and her rider both turned.

They weren’t too close to each other, but they were close enough to hear each other.

Steeling himself, and not entirely sure his sanity was intact, he said loudly, “I love you.”

He saw Y/N’s eyes widen, and- then he fancied he saw a smile. His heart was pounding so hard, he was aware of very little except for his heartbeat and his consort’s outline against the sunset.

No- he wasn’t imagining it. He was seeing a smile. Y/N was smiling at him.

But then Y/N tugged on the reins, and the horse galloped away, and Edmund was left alone in the paddock of the Stables.

But at least he had received a smile in exchange for his impulsive declaration of love. It was far better than the rejection he had thought he was sure to get.

Impromptu Dates

Y/N and Edmund did not see each other until the siege of the giants ended two months later. They had news of each other, of course- letters tied to Ravens’ legs and messages delivered by dryads kept them, as well as every regiment fighting the Giants in the north of Narnia informed of what was happening.

And then, in the spring, the Giants surrendered, and High King Peter declared the War won, and he sent Ravens to all corners of Narnia and to the neighbouring lands to inform them of the news.

Y/N had been with Peter during the battles, while Edmund was stationed away, in a part of the land where strategy would be important to win than force. Lucy was with him, but she regularly rode far away to fight other threats that took advantage of the War to attack Narnia as well- while Susan stayed at Cair Paravel, holding down the fort in case the Giants somehow breeched their defences.

But now that the War was over, the Pevensies were to be together again, soon. Very soon, the four hoped.

Sooner than that, though, it Edmund and Y/N that were fated to reunite.

The path that Y/N was to take on the return from Y/C/N to Narnia was, coincidentally, the path that led from the Western Woods to Cair Paravel.

Edmund hadn’t spent the War there, no, but he had gone to check on his domain after it, just in case any of the White Witch’s supporters had come out of the woodwork and had tried to capture the forests once more.

(There hadn’t been anyone in the Western Woods except for one very adorable family of rabbits, and some deer that complimented his choice of swords over a bow and arrow.)

There was a brook nearby, and Y/N had taken off the armour and had washed up in that- not bathing, of course- and had managed to get some drinking water, too, since the water was cool enough. After such strenuous fighting and the wounds afflicted because of it, cold water was a must.

Y/N had decided to keep wearing the soaked tunic, as the wet fabric gave extreme relief to the hot and bruised skin.

As the horse began away from the brook, walking along a path bordered with flowers, Y/N heard something else.

Someone else.

Someone that travelled frequently with the man who had said ‘I love you’ just before their parting- and the man whom Y/N wanted to tell the same to.

It came from a bit far ahead- nearer to the mouth of the brook, where it was more a stream.

Y/N’s eyesight wasn’t the best, but the hearing was- and Philip, Edmund’s horse, had a very loud voice.

“Your Majesty.” The sienna-hued horse’s voice spoke. “Why not a bathe?”

“It’s only half a day to Cair.” Came another voice, and Y/N’s heart soared so high an attack of dizziness came. “I’ll bathe there- and it won’t do to dirty such a clean, pure stream.”

“Edmund!” Y/N shouted, almost falling off the horse.

Climbing properly off her, Y/N ran towards the sounds of the two voices.

”Edmund- Edmund-”

Edmund had his top-armour off, clad in a wet long-sleeved under-shirt, much like Y/N’s, and he had been washing his face and attempting to fill some water into his flash, even though he’d cracked it and water poured out more than it poured in.

At the sound of his consort’s voice, he dropped the flask again, and turned quickly- in alarm and quite a bit of hope.

Y/N flew at him, and they collided together, falling down onto the grass. Their arms stayed around each other, and Edmund kept calling Y/N’s name and Y/N kept calling Edmund’s, though they were clasped tight together, and neither cared that they’d landed half in the water, too.

“You’re here!” Y/N spoke into Edmund’s shoulder, clutching him tight. “What are- how- this isn’t your route-”

“Had to check on the Woods.” Edmund answered, kissing his consort’s cheek.

He was on top, and there was a grin on Y/N's face at the position, and he felt himself blush.

“You’ve been to guide your armies back to Y/C/N, yes? I thought you’d stay home for a few weeks- to rest.”

“I wanted to.” Y/N admitted- as absolutely lovely and beloved as Narnia was, there was no place like home. “But I- I had something to do in Narnia.”

Here, Philip interjected, “Good to see you again, Your Majesty!”

Y/N waved happily at the sarcastic horse, before looking back at Edmund, who was looking curious as he asked, “Official work?”

“Well.” Y/N said, and rolled them around so that their positions revered and Edmund was under. “I had to make a declaration.”

Y/N’s heart was shaking. And there were palpitations. And anxiety. A lot of anxiety. And nerves. And nausea, if one squinted.

But so much love. So much of it. It overwhelmed all else.

“What?”

His question was ignored, and Y/N went on, “And before that, I had to suggest a date idea.”

And then they kissed, beginning too soft and careful- for neither was aware of the other’s injuries- and then ending with gasps and even tighter grips on each other.

Oh, how they wanted to peel off the remaining armour and the wet tunics and make love then and there, having missed each other so painfully much- but Philip was there. They didn’t want to scar him for life- more than they already had. The poor horse had been an unwitting witness to more than one ardent snogging sessions between the two Monarchs- and, in some of those sessions, they had not been very clothed.

It haunted Philip’s nightmares, but it also gave him a lot of material to tease his rider about.

“Was that the idea?” Edmund asked hoarsely, his hand curling into his consort’s hair. He wanted to say those three words again- so, so badly. “A kissing date?”

Y/N’s swollen lips curved into a smile, “Do you mind it?”

“Not at all.” He said, thinking that all the date ideas he had had might have already been beaten- before asking, “But what’s the declaration? If it’s got paperwork, I’ll have to handle it, you know.”

He was very tired. Fighting battles was difficult. Whatever it was, he wanted to get the work done as soon as possible.

“It is a declaration to the Just King. To my darling husband.” Y/N whispered.

Oh, how could a heart possibly feel like it was creeping so high into a throat!? The anxiety was getting unbearable. It was only Edmund’s proximity and his beautiful, dark eyes gazing into Y/N’s that kept an anxiety attack at bay.

“I declare that I am absolutely and besottedly in love with you.”

“Oh.” Well, he certainly didn’t want that over with as soon as possible.

Never, in fact. He wanted it to last forever.

He smiled again, his heart aglow and both their eyes shining, and they pressed their foreheads against each other’s.

“I love you. I love you so much.”

It was the best date ever.

Vow Renewal Dates

A vow renewal ceremony is not a date, Susan tells her brother and sister-in-law repeatedly- but as far as they’re concerned, that’s exactly what it is.

It takes in a lovely meadow of flowers, and they are together, looking radiant and lovely as they gaze at each other- and they hold hands through it all. They tell each other how much they loved each other, and they promise once again to forever be by each other’s side and be joined in the bond of marriage forevermore.

Well, dates usually didn’t have parents and siblings around, but one couldn’t have everything.

They are in love, though. A love they hope would last forever, and if there’s something after that, then even then.

And it may not be everything- but it certainly does feel like it.

-

Thank you for reading!

-

[showtoonzfan]

The way NONE of the emotional scenes from Helluva Boss all the way back since episode 2 don’t feel earned at all and instead come off as forced, is one of the things that make me feel worried for Hazbin. One of the main reasons why the emotional scenes or “powerful moments” in Helluva never work is because the characters/relationships don’t have the amount of proper buildup or development to make the scene actually hit the landing and make an impact. There’s just not enough time to really let the audience get used to these characters and relationships because the show wanted to dive into the emotional aspect immediately, right at the second episode of season 1, and it threw everyone off, thinking that this was a turn your brain off comedy show. But that’s not the only issue, as I said the characters themselves just don’t have the proper development or buildup. With how unfocused and sloppy the writing is, characters like Blitz and Stolas always come off as if they’re flip flopping, one moment they’re over the top, goofy and/or mean, and then the next you’re supposed to take them seriously, with the show insisting that they’re good people and care about those around them, despite us not really seeing that. The show suffers from “Show don’t tell”- it expects you to go along with whatever it says despite not showing it or taking the time to develop around it, and the fandom doesn’t care because they’ve already been writing the characters themselves in their head so they just accept the show practically confirming it. I’m seriously hoping that Hazbin won’t have the same issue. I want the Hazbin characters to actually have substance and have a reason to go through something impactful and emotional, have it make freaking sense, and have it feel EARNED. The emotional scenes in Helluva always come off as so half assed to me, if feels like a desperate attempt to be deep and they just fail every….single…time. At the very least I can say that following an emotional deep narrative makes more sense for Hazbin since it’s a story about redemption and follows a main character who’s sweet and trying to do the right thing. I just really hope it’s completely different from what Helluva is because it’s so bad and misses EVERY mark.

[galwithalibrarycard]

Hello, how r u? Soo, I just discovered love little losers (I was a huge fan on nmtd, but didn't know about lolilo). And I love your blog, thanks for keeping the fandon alive. Argh so, Freddie, does she gets better? Cause she's a little bit annoying. Pedro and Balt, I'm jumping out of my sits for them, the backslash? Really. I'm so excited to see more beadick. Anyway, I just wanna vent, thanks for the blog

I’m good thanks, hope you are too. And thank you! I’m definitely not the only one still here keeping the fandom alive, there’s still a few of us out here, but I appreciate the love! 😁 it’s nice to know people are enjoying my posts still!

We’re actually having a small resurgence in the tags with new people watching both series, which is fun. Those people inspire me to keep posting too, it’s all full circle.

I am… not really sure how to prepare you for lolilo tbh. It’s a loose adaptation of Shakespeare’s Love’s Labors Lost, and it’s a lot heavier and angstier than NMTD for one thing, so be warned. Pedrazar is a very slow burn, be prepared for a journey! I liked Freddie right away bc I relate to her anxious energy, but you might take some time to warm up to her, that’s fair.

I recommend you head to @beatriceeagle and check out the series of Lolilo meta analysis posts she made with her sister a few years back. It’s a show that trades in subtext and has a lot of important stuff go down offscreen. Reading the metas really helps give a more thorough understanding and insight into the characters and why they behave the ways they do. It might help you understand where Freddie’s coming from, and the others too.

As far as Beadick, I’ll tell you they will break your heart, but it will be put back together again. If you need more of them, the missing offscreen moments and development of their relationship are kind of my specialty in terms of fanfiction. I wrote “the world is too quiet without you nearby”, a 16-chapter fanfic covering the time period between NMTD and Lolilo when Bea and Ben are in a long-distance relationship (plenty of fluff to pad the descent into angst). I also wrote “And We Are Finally Home”, a fic that covers the Beadick relationship arc from the lolilo episode “Confrontation” on through the end of the show- and I WILL be finishing and posting the epilogue to that fic as soon as I can, but you can read the chapters that are already up and still get a pretty complete story there. You don’t have to read them, but i wanted to share because I’m proud of them and I think they’re a good companion to the show if you like Team B! Mind the tags, but there shouldn’t be anything in the fics you can’t handle if you can handle the actual show.

The most important thing you might not get from the videos themselves: it’s canon from the creators that Benedick and Freddie and Balthazar are all dealing with anxiety disorders of some kind, though the creators didn’t actually intend to write that going in- it just happened that they agreed with the fandoms interpretation later on. So everything Ben does is colored by anxiety constantly telling him that he’s too much and that no one likes him and the only thing he’s good for is a laugh- and the (false) worry that Bea is getting sick of him and can’t wait to leave on her travels to get away from him. He’s trying to keep people from leaving him. Freddie is the way she is because she’s desperate for control in life, it’s the only way she feels calm. And Balthazar is petrified of confrontation and retreats into himself when he’s stressed. A lot of this is covered in much better depth in the metas I mentioned, but I wanted to let you know. Not as an excuse for any of their actions, but as an explanation that might make it a less frustrating watch.

I hope that answer wasn’t too overwhelming. I am just incapable of being normal about these webseries and especially about Benedick Hobbes (look, you don’t simply forget the character who got you through your own social anxiety diagnosis, and this is the obsessing-over-fictional-characters website. I talk about other things too, I promise! xD)

Anyway, thank *you* for allowing me to share some thoughts right back! I hope you enjoy Lolilo! 😊💖🦩

[nikibogwater]

Aight, y’all know the deal by now. I’m someone who takes stories way more seriously than I’m probably supposed to. I revel in a good emotional shake-down brought on by an epic tale. Time to put on my Sentimental Goggles and really dig into this latest Zelda game, and see if I can explain why I feel it has the darkest and hardest-hitting story of any in the series so far. TotK Spoilers begin below the cut. 

To start, we must acknowledge the precedent set by Breath of the Wild. BotW, despite being set in a post-apocalyptic wilderness teetering on the brink of destruction, is very much a story about hope. Zelda even says as much during the game’s opening: “You are the light--our light--that must shine upon Hyrule once again.” In the midst of a devastating catastrophe, one little seed of hope survived--Link. BotW follows this little seed as it at last blossoms into a force that is powerful enough to defeat the Calamity and put Hyrule back to rights. It’s a pretty straightforward and feel-good plot, even if it does have its fair share of bittersweet elements.

The thing that makes Tears of the Kingdom so effectively dark is that it begins by mercilessly ripping away that sense of hope that was a constant in its predecessor. Everything Link and Zelda fought for is undone in an instant. Hyrule is in even greater peril than before. This is no longer a tale of a budding seed of hope, it’s a frantic, desperate scramble to preserve what little remains of their world. 

Throughout much of this story, Link’s biggest motivation is reuniting with Zelda. While he serves as a light for Hyrule as a whole, Zelda has always been a light for him, and for us as the players. I don’t think it’s too much of a controversial statement to say that BotW’s iteration of Princess Zelda is the most well-developed in the series to date. Zelda has always been the heart and soul of the series, but this is especially true for BotW because she is no longer just Link’s partner in destiny or childhood friend. She is a fully-realized protagonist with a character arc that endears her to us as the players. She isn’t just important to Link, or to Hyrule at large. She’s important to us. Which is why I felt a legitimate sense of grief and despair when Link discovered that she couldn’t be rescued this time. No joke, there were a few minutes where I actually wanted to stop playing after seeing the final Dragon’s Tear memory. 

Breath of the Wild’s story is a statement of hope. By contrast, Tears of the Kingdom’s story is a question, one that most of us don’t want to even consider: What do you do when hope dies? What do you do when your light is taken away from you? The answer is perhaps as merciless as the question: you just keep going. Even if there is no Zelda waiting for you at the end of the fight (at least as far as Link knows), you still have a job to do. You still have to face the dark depths and the nightmares that dwell within. You still have to fight, even when it seems like there is no chance of winning. 

In this way, both Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom feel like more than just games to me. They’re the kind of story that I carry with me into the real world. The kind that I look back on when I need to feel hopeful, or push through my own dark depths. Sure, it’s not a masterpiece of literature or anything, but it was a story that resonated with me all the same, thanks in no small part to TotK’s commitment to embracing the dark and the hopeless. There are times when it is enough to be reminded that I am strong, that I am capable of overcoming any challenge set before me. But when that challenge is no longer a puzzle or a personal flaw--when it’s say, grieving the loss of a loved one or longing to return to a happier time, it is just as comforting to be told, with brutal honesty, that yes, this feels hopeless. This feels like it could never possibly turn out alright in the end. But you must keep going. You must fight until you find your hope again, even if it can’t be the same as it was before. After all, that is what it means to be the light--their light--that must shine upon the world once again. 

[natimiles]

hello dear Nati I hope not to bother as ever but I am too into Mina and Roger these days please tell me more how do they meet ? what was the thing/moment that made one another realize that yes they are in love with the other ? and above all what kind of gifts they would give one another ? which is their favourite hobby and kind of dates ?

I want to know ALL about them I ship them already soo much I can't wait to see more of them and of their story. 😍😍🙏🙏

Hiii, Julie! Sorry it took me a while, I was organizing the thoughts, hehe. A chance to gush about Roger and Mina?? Definitely not a bother! HASOUHEHUASOEA.

Okay, so… Mina is the MC. So she ends up in Crown by accident and becomes their Fairytale Keeper. She starts helping Roger with his research, he asks her to be his human subject, but nothing that would kill her, ahsehasoeusa. She also helps him to take care of the others when they’re injured, so she’s kinda his assistant. Which means, she’s in the basement with him all the time.

A tension grows, Roger kisses her, and she’s pissed. So she goes back, kisses him so they’re even and leave. And after that they start to casually make out. She always had a sort of interest in him, something about him intrigued her. And same for Roger about her. After a while, Mina notices she is developing feelings for Roger, but she knows he doesn’t really believe in love.

I have this scene in my head where they’re all having a meal in the dining room, talking about random things, how things are going for her in Crown and stuff. And then Harrison asks if she has romantic feelings for Roger. Mina lies and says “no” and her face is desperately asking Harry to not say anything about it. But he’s a little shit and he says “it’s a lie”. It’s silent for a moment… And then Mina wants to beat the shit out of him and someone needs to actually hold her back, HASUEUHASHUOEA. I wanna write it someday, I need to play a little more with the idea, and how it ends. But this is what makes them talk about feelings, and how they end up together. So in the end, Mina isn’t so mad with Harry anymore, HUASUHEASU.

For gifts… Mina has a sweet tooth, like I said hehe. She also likes books, cooking and baking, playing the piano, and butterflies. Anything he gives her related to these things, she’ll love. Like a cookbook she wanted, a new music sheet, some accessories or a new dress with butterflies… She likes plants, but she can’t take care of them, so she’s not a fan of receiving flowers. She would love chocolate flowers though, HUASEHUOASESA. Of course, she will love anything Roger gives her.

For Roger, she would give him new medical books. A new pair of boxing gloves, or some other thing he can use while boxing so he can think of her while doing it. Some rare beers he can taste. And even cooking and baking his favorite things so they can eat it together.

And for dates, they like going out to have a nice meal. Mina doesn’t drink, but she can happily sip her juice while Roger drinks his beer, HUASEUSA. Picnics in the garden, window shopping in town, taking Ale to a walk. He’ll even accompany her when she wants to watch Liam’s new play. He’s more patient and devoted than most people think, in my humble simp opinion.

Thank you for asking all this! It also helped me to decide some things, HUAHSUEASHUO. I’ll definitely write for them, I just need to finish some things I’m currently doing hehe

[unusual-raccoon]

Hi! It’s me 🌚 I had a thought I just had to share. I just finished zooming through all your Frank and Billy stuff (fantastic work as per usual) and my mind decided to work over time to produce this: modern JaceLuke but they have to do a mandatory military service as part of inheriting their titles. They’re supposed to be kept out of danger, but Otto has friends in high places and they get posted to some pretty fucked up missions. Cue them developing the same kind of codependency we see with Frank and Billy. Like can you imagine the angsty power of Jace killing Otto or Aemond the same way Frank does to Rawlins with Billy (Luke) observing? “God damn, Jace. I love to watch you work.” I’m sorry, I love DJ Jace and soft fanboy Luke, but I also gotta feed my need for angst. I know the Frank and Billy dynamic/history doesn’t really match, but I love the idea of modern JaceLuke going feral for each other. They def have the same “us against world” energy that Frank and Billy have. Thoughts??

My lovely 🌚 anon, ur actually so brilliant! JaceLuke, but like a Brank AU??? Genius. Even if we’re just stripping the dynamic down to ‘us against the world’. Certified killers JaceLuke is very funny, but also plausible? Luke already got that dawg in him, Aemond can testify.

I’ve had an idea that’s not necessarily a modern AU, but like a ‘on the run’ vibe, in which the King (Aegon or Aemond take your pick) has placed bounties on the heads of former princes. Aegon III and Viserys II (and possibly even Visenya?) have already been given asylum and secreted elsewhere as legitimate full-blooded children. However, the Strong boys are targets that receive little kindness. Cue them being forced to live on the run and killing whoever tries to stop them, concocting a backstory à la Rickard Thorne and Maelor in the books.

Their simple story (A/B/O time?) for Joffrey’s sake. Jace is his father and Luke is his mother, and should anyone ask, his father is a BETA. Wanted posters would include the fact that Jace is an Alpha.

At first they wander the roads and are easily mistaken for no more than bandits, especially Jace. He is the eldest, and by rights as defended his brothers the most.

On the road, before settling in a small fishing village so Joff can rest a bit easier and Jace can find a job to bring a little money in that doesn’t involve selling stashed (and rather incriminating) family jewelry.

Their saving grace actually is their “common looks” their dark hair and dark eyes make their seemingly unremarkable. Three bits of hay in a haystack.

Small ficlet under the cut

Jacaerys can feel his brother’s eyes on him as he cleans the blood from his seax, a stolen seax, one that Luke had lifted off a hunter that had happened upon him bathing.

His shoulders ache, he’d moved the body. There was no moving the pile of blood that had since soaked into the soil. Another sellsword looking for wealth with the heads of three little princelings.

Lucerys scoots closer, a hand falling easily upon Jace’s knee. Joffrey was sleeping. They’d given him the last of a the roasted hare that Luke had caught a few days prior.

Jace and Luke had found some dried salmon on the sellsword, amongst other things. His brother pushes another salted strip of fish into his hand.

“You need your strength.” He says with earnest brown eyes, teeth catching up his lower lip, “We, need your strength.”

This made the seventh man he’d killed for them. A dagger through the throat. The second one in a sennight.

Luke’s fingers curls into the filthy fabric of Jace’s trousers, ragged nails prickling against his knee in desperation.

Jace nods and takes the fish, tears the leathery meat between pointed teeth - teeth he’d soon need to file if he ever hoped to pass for a beta.

They settle down beside the fire, beside Joff. Their little brother whined in his sleep, instinctively nuzzling towards Luke. Their brother hushes him, rocking Joffrey gently in his arms

“Jace,” Lucerys calls gently, barely a whisper above the small starving fire that subsists on twigs and damp leaves.

“The next one that comes after us - I want do it.”

He sighs against his brothers nape, as he cradles Luke to his chest, and Luke cradles Joff.

“Mother would’ve killed for us,” he says gently, “I should be able to do it too.”

He cannot fault his brother’s thinking. It is true, regardless of how unsavory. Princes resorted to being common cutthroat’s.

“The next one,” Jace agrees, breath visible in the night air. Feeling as Luke shifts gently closer.

Lucerys could have the next mercenary that came their way, it would be his brother’s first kill. Their last kill, however, would be the miserable uncle that had made criminals of them.

[fieri-sentio-et-excrucior]

@10holmes Thanks for the 'Get to know your fic writer!' ask! :) As my answer got lengthy (of course), I thought best to make a separate post. Answers are under the cut.

Do you prefer writing one-shots or multi-chaptered fics?

I like both, but I tend to lean more towards one-shots. When I get a bug for a story, I’m kinda desperate to get it down asap so multi-chaptered fics are harder as they take more time and planning and, especially, patience. That said, I really enjoyed writing The Prisoner of Jinlintai and The Tamed and was really surprised I managed to write – and finish! – such long, multi-chaptered stories. I hope I can do so again in the future 😊

Where do you find inspiration for new ideas?

All over the place! From the original canon, from memes and gifs online, from meta and headcanons other fans share, from songs, from dreams… Sometimes ideas just spring unexpectedly but fully formed into my head. That moment of inspiration is always exciting – but then it’s got to be transferred to paper, which is harder :D

how do you write emotional scenes? Do you ever feel what the characters feel? Do you draw from personal experiences?

I think emotional scenes are ones I struggle with a bit. I often feel my writing ends up a bit clunky and melodramatic! But I try to put myself in the characters’ shoes and imagine how they would feel in that situation, their reactions to other characters’ words and actions. I think though, however unintentionally, my own personality probably seeps into the characters to a certain extent, which I know is not ideal! Particularly when I write Xue Yang, I often think I hold him back too much when he would probably fly wild 😉

Which of your fics would you call your wildest ride?

Hmm, probably either Priceless or Life Imitates Art, as they’re both a bit taboo!

How do you spend your time when it comes to fanfiction? Are you primarily a fic reader, writer, or a perfect 50/50 split of both?

Hmm, it varies from time to time. Sometimes I binge fics and don’t read anything for ages, sometimes I’m so caught up in the stories in my head that I don’t read anything at all. But probably on balance, I’m primarily a reader. There have certainly been long periods of time in the past when I’ve barely written anything at all but have devoured loads of fics. It just happens that more recently I’ve developed an obsession with The Untamed and have had the time, energy and inspiration to indulge in writing again (which has been a joy!).

Does anyone in your personal life know you write fic? if not, would you tell anyone?

Only a very small group of irl friends know I write fic. I discovered fanfic in my teens, started writing it myself in 2012 and never told anyone about it until last year. Sometimes I see on tumblr people saying their mum or their sister etc read their fics and I’m always amazed – I think that’s wonderful! I can’t imagine telling anyone in my family about the things I write – let alone allowing them to read it! Esp the explicit stuff :O I’d die of embarrassment lol. And they’d probably die of shock!

Do you have a favorite scene you’ve written from The Prisoner of Jinlintai story/chapter?

Ooh, difficult question! I think there are lots of parts I really like from TPOJ, I’m pretty proud of that story (if I may say so!). I think chapters 25 & 29 are particular favourites, probably for similar reasons – ch25 is the first time XXC stays overnight in XY’s room, they’ve got frisky before but this time there’s more emotion behind it, and it’s preceded by XY actually being concerned about XXC and taking care of him. And in ch29 we get a glimpse of XXC being concerned about XY when he’s late back from his work, and then the scene when XY arrives back and finds XXC asleep in his bed, all calm and peaceful and beautiful. And XY is kind of struck dumb, surprised to find him there, unsure of his own reaction, but in the end just crawls into bed and falls asleep with him in his arms. I envisaged that scene so clearly in my mind, saw XY walk slowly and cautiously through the darkness, all alert, and then suddenly stop at the sight of his bed, his eyes widening, his body frozen, his fingers twitching, wanting to touch… And then I really like the last paragraph of that scene:

The room was so quiet and still. Xiao Xingchen was warm in his arms. Xue Yang held him carefully, as though Xiao Xingchen was some fragile thing that would break if he wasn't careful enough. He felt strange; his heart was still doing some weird fluttering thing that made it slightly hard to breathe. Maybe he was just overtired. He brushed his lips against Xiao Xingchen's neck and closed his eyes.

Now I've waffled on way too much about myself lol :D But it was fun, thank you! <3

[constantvariations]

V9C4

Finally here after several hours of a dnd session zero, so this whiplash is going to be interesting

Post Ep: not as infuriating as the last episode but still missteps at pretty much every turn. At the very least we can say there’s been character “progression”

God Ruby’s voice is so damn bad I thought it was a literal child calling for a cat. Why does she sound more mature at 15 than 17?

Did we really need a close up of the cat piecing itself back together? We already know it can do wacky things with its ugly gradient body, so why the emphasis here? I doubt it’s foreshadowing for a permanent bisection

“Nothing we’ve tried has gotten us any further.” Ruby. Darling. Babe. You’ve tried walking to the tree. Nothing else. It’s not the cat’s fault you can’t think of something else besides Scooby Doo hijinks with the looping sections

What the hell is Yang now? She hasn’t been fun or quippy since Beacon but now (and that one spot in V8) she’s suddenly Joss Whedon with a dash of Hulk rage? And I can’t recall Weiss ever having these kinds of facial expressions. Judgmental commentary, sure, but this feels like she’s 3 seconds away from saying something into the camera like this is the Office

“Just because [the cat] doesn’t want to go back to the tree doesn’t mean we can’t lure them there.” That’s... a curious choice of words. Why “lure?” You lure someone into a trap or an ambush, not ask someone to be a guide. Why wouldn’t Blake use the obvious direction of “we can make a deal with the cat because they’re curious and want information we have.” You can’t really call someone a hero when their instinct is deception of a potential ally who’s already saved their asses for no real reason

Are they going to be losing the cat the whole damn episode? Is that going to be the running gag? I fucking hope not. Ruby’s voice is absolutely obnoxious this episode

She’s talking to the cat like he’s a literal toddler. And it’s acting like a toddler with an ipad. Someone put me down like Old Yeller please

Which of these idiots thought lampshading was a good idea? Like, congrats! You recognize the flaws in the story you wrote! How are you going to fix them 10 years too late? You can’t wink, wink, nudge your way out of shitty writing that you so desperately defended and clung to despite all the people giving actual constructive criticism

Why are all of them so tired of the questions? Surely, each of them have something they’d be ecstatic to talk about at length? Ruby with the progression of weapon development, Weiss with her plans to improve the SDC, Blake with other stories she’s read or how the White Fang came and fell, Yang with stories about Ruby when she was younger. There’s so many possibilities when you have a genuinely curious audience, yet they went the lazy route of “har, har, no one cares about anything” again

Was that bridge made of legos?

Okay, this is the second time the roles of acres have been mentioned. Exactly what does that mean? Do these roles serve a central purpose? The tree seems to be at the center of Wonderland, so are the acres serving the tree in some way? Is harmony throughout the different factions pivotal in keeping Wonderland in wonder instead of despair? What could this possibly mean for any themes or character arcs? It doesn’t seem like the areas thus far have resonated with any of the team, and they left behind Penny’s halo sword, the only thing that’s been even somewhat emotionally compelling, so I’m struggling to understand why Wonderland is set up like this

Love how literally nobody asks the obvious question of “are you okay?” All we get is Yang’s “Rubes?” (has she ever called Ruby that before? I can’t recall) and Blake’s logical deflection and Weiss whining yet again. You’d think for a season that cut away from the bloated cast to focus on the main characters they would, I don’t know, focus on the main character

This is the least Little has talked the entire season. Please keep the cat around more so this shithead will shut the fuck up. Also, Little deadass pointed to where the cat went and y’all don’t immediately follow? Are you trying to get lost?

Okay. Not gonna lie. The caterpillar’s design is dope as shit. The triple eyes in that gorgeous green. The pointy mouth that moves like a skeleton’s jaw. The two-toned wings. The antennae and little spikes. The collar and vest. That ~voice~ Fucking A+ The only thing I’m side-eyeing is the accessories. Hopefully I’m wrong - I’ll be the first to admit I’m not well versed in Indigenous cultures - but the coloring is very reminiscent of turquoise which was an incredibly significant mineral to Southwestern Native American tribes, most commonly associated with Navajo, and Caterpillar’s jewelry designs reflect this as well. My quick google search for this specific design mostly ends up being “hippie aesthetic” which does take inspiration from Indigenous aesthetics, so I can’t really say for certain which one crwby looked at for the design. Given the Medicine Man trope and the herbal smoking in the OP, I’m not holding out much hope

“Growgurt” sounds so damn gross please never say it again

They are really hammering this “who/what are you” thing directly into your eardrums aint they? I’m not entirely sure how this answer affects a recipe, but go off I guess Also, note how Caterpillar gets just the bit exasperated and Yang’s immediately in a fighting stance. The others are afraid, for some cocksmith of a reason - all homeboy did was grumble, what y’all scared of? Did y’all suddenly develop RSD? - but this bitch at half a foot is ready to throw down

Caterpillar is speaking philosophy 101 and these idiots are acting like he’s speaking ancient greek. I hope he poisons the lot of them

“This is how a king winds up a prince.” Does that imply that the prince was genuinely the king that played Alyx but he’s somehow reverted back to a toddler? That raises way too many questions I have no care to even ponder

This far in and we have no idea who or what Caterpillar was to Alyx. Not even a whispered expo-dump, which would be stupid easy given that most of them are tiny. Yet Blake, upon seeing the smoking, is like “we gotta dip” which so par for the course in every episode thus far. This better not be crwby’s attempt at an anti-drug message or I swear I’m gonna toss a fridge into space

Oh christ on toast the Beacon outfits don’t deserve this slander

“You could just be human or just a cat.” Once again, weird phrasing. Like, yeah, it’s clarified that it’s about trying to bring peace between humans and faunus, but why wouldn’t you phrase it in a way that sticks closer to that sentiment rather than acting like she has the Yamato and can carve out what she doesn’t like? What would it even mean to Blake to “just be a cat?” Would that mean living in Menagerie forever with no worries about humans? Would she turn into an actual cat? She just has fucking cat ears man, this is so overblown

Wow, these “I know who I am” speeches suck ass. They’re so vague and InSpIrAtIoNaL I’m wondering if this is supposed to be a mature cartoon or a reading of those posters they put up in school halls of cats in trees with the quote “hang in there!”

“I’m the granddaughter of a hero” bitch who? Who is this mysterious hero? If someone doesn’t know or watch the Remnant expo-dump series, they don’t know who you’re talking about Weiss! You can’t bring up something in the main story if the context is shoved in a spinoff! Also, “daughter of a villain.” Babe, your father was a clown at best and a business major at worst. Villain is not a title he deserves “I will not be defined by my name because I will be the one to define it.” Uhhhhh exactly where in this redefinition is compensation for the lives stolen by your family company? Have you thought of that, Miss Heiress? When your name has that big of an impact, I don’t think you get to be the sole decider. Also, you have siblings who might want a say in it too

Still pissed that the whole “Missing Summer” arc was shoved onto Ruby, who was what? 2? 3 years old when she left? Ruby talks to her gravestone, sure, but as for memories or stories, she hasn’t had a single one. This entire thing falls flat because there was 0 buildup

“You’re supposed to be helping others find their way, but you’ve lost your own.” WHAT WHAT WHAT THE FUCK. Jesus on a toaster strudel can you not villainize every single person who slightly questions uwu precious Ruby? He literally helped the other 3 cement themselves, why doesn’t that count? Sure, it was against their will and all, but these girls clearly need some goddamn help if they can’t answer a basic question like “what is a huntress?”

There are so many questions about those last 20 seconds that I don’t even know what to do with them. Let’s just sum it up with “what the fuck”

[enneamage]

I believe part of Tommy's crisis is coming from a series of "failures" and feeling like he's lacking direction in his career. The daily vlog series didn't do as well as he had hoped, but I think his disappointment with the most recent merch drop is even more noticeable. Not only is he heavily marketing his merch (even his mother has retweeted his most recent merch plug), but he's grumbling about not making money from it on stream and just in general exhibiting an odd tension whenever he talks about it.

This is more speculative, but I also sense almost a bit of envy from him when he mentions his friends and their big projects. For example, him "jokingly" putting down Tubbo and the importance of his server and "jokingly" mentioning not being interested whenever Ranboo wanted to infodump about Generation Loss. It's almost as if he feels like he lacks his own big project and is subtly talking down on these projects to make him feel better (or even by making "having a girlfriend" sound like his next big content project/era, though that's a stretch). Obviously, joking about how much better he is than everyone and being "the main character" is a staple of Tommy's persona, but I think he's swinging more often between a sense of entitlement (making his friends come over and cook for him was definitely him egotripping) and self-deprecation.

I also notice that every other time he streams, even pre-dating the girlfriend reveal, Tommy acts as if we're entering into a new era of content, while most things seem to stay more or less the same. There's something about him constantly wanting to start over (there's a lot to unpack about his recent statement that his "gay era" is over, but to me the most striking thing was that he was basically asking to undo or move on from almost half a year of content for something presumably "new" in the so-called girlfriend era) that makes me think he's struggling to find his footing when it comes to content again.

I don't know if he's exhibiting textbook Type 6 disintegration signs right now, but I don't think he's doing great, at least not when it comes to content creation.

I had a lot of interesting conversations in DM’s around the vlog era because the mismatch of goals/expectations and outcome was very pronounced if you knew to keep an eye on it. It was clear from his fundraising goals and the pricing of the donation wall that he expected to be able to land way more big donors than he did, and if I’m not mistaken by the end, he started listing every name that donated, which if I recall weren’t that many considering the scale of the project.

Following the vlog series with Cheeto pants immediately was unfortunate. I think it was around the end of one of the finale lore streams that I realised he was a little desperate with the drop--  orange is a risky color, I would wager it’s those pieces that aren’t selling well. Semi-ethical merch is expensive and, not gonna lie, it’s a bit socially dicey to be flagging inniter in public. I understand why he leans kidcore for his branding, but it seems like the people who want it can’t afford it and the people who can afford it don’t want it.

I know it’s only been a week-ish since the GF reveal but if he really tries to wrap his go-to shtick around some dodgy girlfriend jokes we’re in for a rough time. He cracked off a few full-body cringers in the girlfriend stories stream and man if we aren’t back on track for the woman jokes. Except now they’ve got a target. Mmmmmmmm, hope that’s not permanent, since people have been developing a real disgust for that kind of humor for about a decade now and it’s not going away. Oh gayinnit, I will miss you.

He keeps talking about January, which I am curious about. Sometimes projects that youtubers hype up and want to be big actually don’t hit the way they’re supposed to, or at least it isn’t the guaranteed hit that they wanted it to be, but I want to keep my mind open for what’s coming since I genuinely can’t tell what it is.

I think if he was going to Three under stress this would be a lot messier and more reactive than it is. I think right now he’s relatively earnest despite being lost, and I’m sensing a lot of hope from him, which does imply that he's looking foward. If these next few months wind up being hard on him and nothing winds up working out, that might really freak him out, but he’s still a long ways off from objectively bombing so we’ll see.  

[thebroccolination]

BE MY FAVORITE STARTED FILMING TODAY AND I ALREADY LOVE THIS ENERGY

I’m really happy for both of them. They’ve already had one event together where they got to sing a duet, and they seemed really comfortable with each other. I hope they learn a lot from working together, because they’re both talented but they have different strengths and I’m sure different approaches to their work. I’ve been really impressed with what I’ve seen from them separately in the past, and I love that this is a casting choice few people expected or quite understood at first.

Like, obviously BMF has had an unpredictable casting history, but I was genuinely ecstatic when I saw Gawin had been selected. He’s been developing as an actor exponentially since Dark Blue Kiss, and he was just stunning in Not Me. His role in BMF is definitely unique from all his previous roles, and I’m looking forward to him playing someone more flirtatious. I’m sure he learned plenty of nuances from First.

I’m really, really into the story, too. Like, I haven’t heard much about the novel, but the original teaser seemed to imply that Botkawee (Krist) actually succeeds at some point in avoiding getting together with Pisaeng (Gawin), and there’s a frantic scramble to undo it because he’s caught feelings by then. I just love desperate feelings that stem from supernatural premises like that, and I’m so glad Thai BL’s getting more scifi/fantasy stories like this.

I can’t wait to hear the OST. ✨

[alparlaboratories]

My OCs Masterlist

I got tired of having to look through my mess of a computer to find drawings and other stuff about old OCs and characters I might wanna use in the future, and I’m bored right now so I figured I’d make a list with all of my important OCs, or at least the ones that mean the most to me.

These are not ALL of my OCs, just the main ones for their respective stories/campaigns. But there’s still a lot, lol. Also I’m not counting Niss for this list, even if she’s an OC in my heart. You can learn more about her in my pinned post anyway.

(Note: Art is either made by me, my partner @pastlight or has been commissioned by various artists)

1)

Metchi

You know how parents say they don’t have a favorite child? Well I do and it’s Metchi. ‘What if someone decided they wanted to do good purely out of spite and had pretty much everything stacked against them?’ I asked myself. ‘What if she was also a grungy trans girl who has no fucking clue what she’s doing and is constantly bickering with the deity inside her head?’ was the next question. And from that, Metchi was born. The willpower to burn a hole through Mt. Coronet yet the resources and energy of someone who considers cigarettes the most effective breakfast.

2)

Nico

He’s my PC from our current (in hiatus) Pokemon tabletop campaign. A Lumiosian street artist and Sky Trainer who enjoys throwing himself off of high places and being completely fucking incomprehensible to all who meet him. The only neurons in his brains are dedicated to serving looks, calling the wind to his command and delivering the most unhinged takes on the nature of human happiness he can think of.

3)

Tulip

‘I would like to make a tragic character whose obsession with the truth will inevitably lead her to ruin’ I thought. ‘Oh, fuck’ Tulip replied. Out of all my stories, hers is currently my favorite from a writing perspective, and I owe a lot of that to Tulip herself, always willing to push and push until something pushes back, because it’s what she thinks she owes to the people who were just as unfortunate as her. And I love her for it.

4)

Hope and Hunter

These two come in a package deal. ‘Small town life-long friendship’ is something I’ve been meaning to try my hand at writing for a while, and though their story is at the very beginning, I like them quite a lot already. A lot of my personal history with friendships and growing up into your twenties is imbued into them, though they are cooler and dumber and more than willing to take those things to their natural extremes.

5)

Ska

Protagonist of my yet in-progress, unnamed visual novel I’m working on. She’s a sheltered Fae changeling with a death sentence hanging over her head, and a desperate desire to do as much stupid shit as possible before something ends up killing her. She has a bat and absolutely sucks at using it, and she’s hopelessly in love with both of her best friends. I love her deeply, and I hope I can share her with everyone soon.

6)

Shadi

Absolute trash human being, possibly the worst woman in Sinnoh, lover of drama and shadow magic and also Dark Souls. What if an older sister was allowed to be as evil as her little heart desired? Well, that’s Shadi. Obviously there’s more to her, but I like making fun of her. I think she’s a funny character on her own right, except when she’s doing horrible shit to my other OCs, which is often. In any case, she’s one of my favorites to write for a reason.

7)

Eatos

Eatos is... weird. They don’t have a set story, they kinda bounce around a few of my works being mysterious and off-putting and tricking people with smoke/illusion magic. They exist in the same universe as Ska, and in that world at least they’re a human with the power of a Fae artifact. I’ll get more of a chance to develop them someday.

8) (Really old drawing, I didn’t even have a tablet back then lol)

Shadi... 2!

Yeah I have a few characters named Shadi, I just really like the name. Anyway this particular Shadi may be my first actual OC, back when I was... fuck, I dunno, fourteen? I don’t know how relatable this is, but she’s the OC that made me think ‘I’m gonna write her story and become a famous fantasy author and write a bunch of books and-’ and you know the drill. That didn’t quite end up happening, but I don’t regret it much. I did write a book, but my creative goals right now are very different from back then, and I’m happy with that. One step at a time. Still, I care a lot about Shadi for basically getting me into writing fiction, and someday I hope I can write a story that’ll serve as thanks for her.

9

Cole

PC for another Pokemon tabletop campaign that unfortunately never progressed much. Which is a shame, because I like this guy, even if he’s so hard to relate to sometimes that I have trouble writing him. He’s nn ex League/army man who now lives peacefully in Pacifidlog alongside his Electrode called Maradona. He loves dogs to a comical degree (the only part about him I understand) and spends most of his time drinking beer, wishing he could drive fast vehicles and helping out Darya, his neighbor and aspiring contest star.

10)

Machi

Uh... yeah, we’re getting into the really old ones. I don’t remember much about Machi other than she was a hired killer and lived with a guy who did all her murder planning for her because the pay was good and he hated his job that much. It was from her story that Eatos came forth, so it’s a shame that they ended up being so much more interesting to me than Machi. I still like her, though.

11)

Tala

Listen, we all gotta have an edgy OC with a sword, and Tala was mine. Another PC for an even older Pokemon tabletop, maybe even THE oldest. I went around from loving him when I created him, to despising him a few years after and now kinda liking him again, just because he’s so ridiculous in his drama queen ways. He almost rivals Niss in that regard. But yeah, cool sword, tragic backstory, crabby personality, the works. What do you want from me? I loved that shit when I was a dumb kid.

Anyway... there are more of them, but these are the main ones I remember. Of course there’s also Reiko and Percy and characters like that, but they’re different kinds of OCs, and I already posted about them before.

No point to this post other than to have them on here for future reference.

[kithtaehyung]

*sighs* ryen ryen ryen…

WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT OMG 🤕😮‍💨🤧

- ok so first of all i must be a bit 3tan-brainrotted because tell me why i woke at 6am sharp and the first thing that came in my mind was the new chapter:&,!/‘d 🥴

- jk has a fucking audacity like…i get he’s desperate and full of remorse but reader has move on/start to finally move on and he’s throwing her back into those old memories :((( idk i don’t think that’s fair towards them

- besides i don’t think he still love them in the same way he loved them during their teenage years like they broke up before their twenties and those are the years where you change and grow the most…i think his love is the same way as reader described with the worned jeans parallel etc etc

- i was really touched by bro :(((

- im glad the backstory for bro and reader was developed during this chapter like the dynamic between them is much more understandable, have you always have that kind of family problem in mind for their personal story when you started to develop the characters?

- SO HERE COMES THE GUILT AND PAIN :D sobbing crying throwing up right fucking now like when reader understands what yoongi represents to bro im just…jfc..this is going to get ugly so fast when their relation is out… i appreciated the moment of clarity by reader when she’s like « oh if yoongi can do all of these for me when we’re not even together then i can’t even imagine for my brother during college»

- THREE FUCKING MONTHS KDKFKD no wonder they trashed the desk after such a long time lmaoommg’fnf

- the aftercare, sobbing crying screaming AND throwing up again the whole speech by reader in the car about how she missed him…yoongi snapping up omg’fkd and the whole cuddling and humming and shedding tears im just 🥺🥺 my babies 🥺🥺🥺 just wanna build a bubble or shelter for them to live in in peace 😞

- BTW HOW DARE YOU GIVING US PUBLIC DISPLAY OF AFFECTION AND A FUCKING KISS AGAINST HIS CAR WHEN THEY’RE OUT ⚰️

- you know what i thought of when i read the last part about oc coming home and bro waiting for them ? that damn spoiler about someone/bro (??) telling « it’s about yoongi. isn’t it. » DDBSKDKDKDK ryen gdi

- and now i think i should’ve voted for the whole story with the 30k etc like i’m addicted i think and i cannot wait to see the following for this damn cliffhanger once again how dare you

i’ll probably reread this a dozen times more during the weekend except sunday because i have a second date with that same person ☺️

rest well and hope to read more soon 🫶

-📀

CD PLSSSSSS oh my goodness, love. thank you so much for this wonderful commentary! i got my own things to say under the cut so let's gooooo

WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT OMG 🤕😮‍💨🤧

LMFAO

ok so first of all i must be a bit 3tan-brainrotted because tell me why i woke at 6am sharp and the first thing that came in my mind was the new chapter:&,!/‘d 🥴

nooooo way. wait really?! that's too much for me to handle i'm biting my fcking fist dsklfjdskljf what an honor!

jk has a fucking audacity like…i get he’s desperate and full of remorse but reader has move on/start to finally move on and he’s throwing her back into those old memories :((( idk i don’t think that’s fair towards them besides i don’t think he still love them in the same way he loved them during their teenage years like they broke up before their twenties and those are the years where you change and grow the most…i think his love is the same way as reader described with the worned jeans parallel etc etc

love these commentaries on jk and reader! it's so hard to have something like that happen.. especially if it happened when they both were far from mature enough to handle it. you have a great ass point about the formative years, too! wow i actually really like how you approached that whole section. this shit is why i love hearing from y'all forreal!

i was really touched by bro :(((

man i love that man.

im glad the backstory for bro and reader was developed during this chapter like the dynamic between them is much more understandable, have you always have that kind of family problem in mind for their personal story when you started to develop the characters?

YES! i'm so happy you liked their backstory build. it was necessary to flesh out so that we could understand where they're both coming from, as painful as that was to finally say. this was my plan for awhile, but gosh it was still hard to really write.

SO HERE COMES THE GUILT AND PAIN :D sobbing crying throwing up right fucking now like when reader understands what yoongi represents to bro im just…jfc..this is going to get ugly so fast when their relation is out… i appreciated the moment of clarity by reader when she’s like « oh if yoongi can do all of these for me when we’re not even together then i can’t even imagine for my brother during college»

GOD I KNOWWWW like damn. yoongi's choice was so jarring at first, but when we get this background on bro? it makes sense and brings a whole new wave of guilt. it isn't just "we don't wanna get between them" anymore, it's more like "shit... we could potentially destroy something much bigger than we thought." and like,, knowing what we know about yoongi? he hasn't had the best time before reader showed up..... so.... yeah.

THREE FUCKING MONTHS KDKFKD no wonder they trashed the desk after such a long time lmaoommg’fnf

LMFAOOOOO YEAH I WOULDVE BEEN THE SAME.

the aftercare, sobbing crying screaming AND throwing up again the whole speech by reader in the car about how she missed him…yoongi snapping up omg’fkd and the whole cuddling and humming and shedding tears im just 🥺🥺 my babies 🥺🥺🥺 just wanna build a bubble or shelter for them to live in in peace 😞

the way i want the gd same! the aftercare scenes were some of my absolute favorites to write, and i even saved them for last so that i could finally breathe after working on the rest lol. they're as much of a relief for me as the writer as they are for y'all and the characters. i'm so proud of reader for the car thing! bc we've seen them finally say something in basketball, but i think this was even better.

BTW HOW DARE YOU GIVING US PUBLIC DISPLAY OF AFFECTION AND A FUCKING KISS AGAINST HIS CAR WHEN THEY’RE OUT ⚰️

LMFAOOOOO i meeeean yoongi was pretty far around the corner if it took seven minutes to get to him, but YEAH. MWAHAHA.

you know what i thought of when i read the last part about oc coming home and bro waiting for them ? that damn spoiler about someone/bro (??) telling « it’s about yoongi. isn’t it. » DDBSKDKDKDK ryen gdi

I AM SAYING NOTHING!!!!! i can't believe you remembered that though omg??

and now i think i should’ve voted for the whole story with the 30k etc like i’m addicted i think and i cannot wait to see the following for this damn cliffhanger once again how dare you i’ll probably reread this a dozen times more during the weekend except sunday because i have a second date with that same person ☺️rest well and hope to read more soon 🫶

thank you so damn much! nahhhh the 30k would've taken me all the way out lmfao. this would've taken SO much longer if we waited. i think this gives everyone time to breathe! an intermission of sorts, or like when an episode ends on a cliffhanger ahahah.

read as many times as you want to! thank you so much for reading so soon, and i hope the second date goes/went very very well :D happy to hear about it, too!

[captainsspnanon]

Campaign 3: Bells Hells - Year Review

Can’t believe it’s been a year with this gang already!

Campaign thoughts overall:

I’m having a blast!  The Mighty Nein is still my favorite, but Bells Hells is second on the list for me with Vox Machina third.

While I think some of them have been a bit overblown, I do think some of the pacing criticism is valid.  The first 30ish episodes of the campaign just felt a bit weirdly paced out, both too slow and at times too fast as well.  While it feels like we’re in a much more solid pacing, it also feels breakneck.  I still wonder if the crew is expecting to have a ‘shorter’ campaign, or if Matt’s just got big things planned.  With the Hells getting an airship for a year as of the last episode, it also feels a little bit like there’s a time limit on the campaign.  Sure, M9 was just under a year, but VM was significantly longer, just because there were more timeskips.  With that one year leasing limit, so to speak, it makes me wonder if the days of longer timeskips are gone for good.  (Of course, the one year limit is arbitrary and I’m sure the Hells will somehow lose access to the airship within the span of a few weeks, but it’s just a Vibe.)

I do not agree with any of the claims that C3 feels ‘overproduced’ or ‘more likely to be scripted’ than any of the rest.  They’ve got a better set, sure, better cameras and sound, yes, but they’re still goofballs who will talk over one another and improv with the best of them.  I may not always feel like a lighting change is necessary, but it’s much less obtrusive than it was as the start, and I get very excited when we see new backgrounds.  I desperately hope that there’s a snowy background, or a heavy rain/thunderstorm background!

PC thoughts:

No section here for Matt because all the NPCs are great and are consistently great.  They all are still in solid NPC status, no one has yet reached a Gilmore/Allura/Essek level of ‘getting involved with the actual campaign’ yet.

In table order: Chetney!  I’m loving every single choice that Travis is making with this character, he’s having a blast playing a smart impulsive chaotic being.  I’m looking forwards to seeing where we go with Chet in the next year, as I do struggle a bit of seeing it as more than just a silly-playing-to-have-fun PC.  There’s nothing wrong with a choice like that, but I’m not expecting it to be that shallow with this type of group and playstyle.  I feel like there’s so much of Chetney still undiscovered, but not necessarily that he’s hiding it, just that it hasn’t come up.  The Hells aren’t really the prying type.

Laudna!  I love her. Once “D” was mentioned the first time, I was a bit hesitant, as Delilah never actually did it for me in C1, so having her back as a probable-antagonist in C3 was not something that I felt would hold up.  Overall for me….well, it still didn’t.  It’s not bad! I’ve actually enjoyed all the interactions with her we’ve gotten, but I don’t have that underlying sense of “OMGTHISISSOBAD” that seems to permeate the table and fanbase.  I don’t really have a sense for what drives Laudna yet, so I am interested (and a bit impatient) to see how she develops in the next year.  Does she have a story separate from Delilah?  What mechanical choices is Marisha making?  How is Laudna even going to be in this week’s episode?! I’m very excited!

FCG.  Talk about a slow warm up.  I’ve always had difficulty connecting to Sam’s PCs, and I think it’s because Sam is a player who goes for the joke first and then builds that joke into the PC.  Flat Exandria is a great example of this.  So when Sam came in with a cheerful overly bright robit for C3, it took time for me to get it.  I know Sam is capable of great twists, so I wasn’t surprised and was even expecting the murderbot twist, I’m STILL expecting the Charlie/Devexian twist (though now I suspect it will be more of a twist if Sam DOESN’T do that), but what really got me with FCG? What really clicked me in?  Is when he started having more emotions than just ‘friendly helper bot’.  When he started to be irritated, sarcastic, angry, uncertain, and his latest exploration into religion?  I’m not saying FCG is my favorite Sam PC because I’ve spent so much time with Nott, but I’m saying FCG has the potential to become my favorite.  I am thrilled to see Sam start digging into the meatier aspect and I suspect that FCG is going to be one of the PCs with the biggest changes by the end of the campaign.

Fearne. I love her, omg.  She has the benefit of being my favorite Ashley PC (mostly because she’s been here the entire time without needing breaks), but I love every single choice she makes, including all the ‘bad’ ones.  Right now, Fearne has been played pretty surface level, with little dips below in regards to her parents and grandparents.  Matt has clearly decided that she’s going to be pulled into the main moon plot somehow, and I’m fascinated to see how Ashley is going to take it.  Will she let it change her?  Will Fearne stay the same as the world changes around her?  WILL ASHLEY AND LIAM GET SOME MORE SOLID RP MOMENTS THAT I AM DESPERATELY CRAVING???  (….look.  We didn’t get anywhere near enough Vax and Pike interaction, despite Liam clearly hoping for it, nor enough Yasha and Caleb interaction despite Liam clearly hoping for it, give me it here please please please!!)  I like that Ashley has decided that she clearly wants to play into the chaotic aspect of the characters and is embracing it for all she’s worth.  In the future, I’m hoping to see how deep the well that is Fearne may go, as I very much doubt that what we see is all that we get.

Imogen.  To my reluctance, I agree with some of the criticism that Imogen seems a bit Main Character TM.  I’m expecting this to balance out, as there’s been good balance in the previous campaigns, but it is occasionally a bit distracting right now.  However!  That doesn’t mean that I haven’t been loving the entirety of it and I’m desperately interested to know what the fuck is up with Ruidus and the forgotten gods and how this is impacting Imogen and what her mother has to do with it and and and and!  I’d say out of all of the PCs, I feel like we know Imogen the best.  She’s been very open with her backstory, and we’ve seen so many different aspects of her on display!  I am suuuuper ready to see more of her ruthlessness, I think the bomb and lighting bolt on the crawler is my favorite Ruthless!Imogen moment so far.  Out of the PCs, Imogen is also the one who has the clearest goal and path forwards.  Learn more about her powers, her mom, etc.  I suspect she’ll continue to be a driving plot force until the Apogee Solstice happens, whether that be at the end of the campaign or only partway through.  Also Laura Bailey is just fucking fantastic.

ORYM.  ORYM ORYM ORYM.  He’s just a dude!  I was not fond of him during EXU, but oh boy do I love him in C3.  I have a personal desire for him to slowly accept that he’s awesome at leadership and start taking a more prevalent role in the team, but I’m well aware that Liam specifically designed him to be less of a point person.  I’m looking forwards to seeing how much Liam will or won’t resist where it seems like the character arc may be taking him and how that will impact Orym’s choices.  Orym is the other PC that I feel we know the most about, at least backstory-wise.  What I’m looking forwards to most is seeing how much MORE we end up getting from him on top of the ‘just a dude with a dead spouse on a mission from my leader’. Also, do I need to talk about Liam’s flair for describing battle mechanics?  I don’t think I need to.

Ashton – the other slow grower for me.  If you’ve following along in all my reactions, you’ll know that I was very hesitant with Ashton at first as he felt a bit Molly2.0 to me.  That lasted, what, three episodes?  And then that was all gone and I was getting to know Ashton as they presented themselves.  Ashton is still a bit of a slow grower for me, though I feel like the past few episodes have really started to solidify my feelings for him.  First of all, really enjoying them. But now I’m also invested in their story and past.  Granted, it took so long because Taliesin is a cagey mofo from whom trying to get information can be like pulling teeth /affectionate.  I was actually fairly disappointed that we left Bassuras with barely anything in regards to Ashton, but we’re getting into it now and I’m getting invested!  TELL ME MORE I NEED TO KNOOOOW.

The setting:

…….probably the weakest part of the campaign, to be honest.  I WANT to learn more about Marquet, I WANT to feel the vastness and the wildness and the differences between it and Wildmount and Tal’Dorei.  But so far, we’ve been pretty limited in what we’ve seen.  Jrusar is definitely interesting, but the downside of a big city is that big cities are big cities and even with their surface differences they end up being big cities.  I found parts of Jrusar fascinating (that underground market??  LOVE IT WANT MORE), but I was excited when we left to see more.  Sadly, it seems like a lot of the travel in this campaign has been abridged.  Our journey through the jungle was quick with a little detour and a battle, but overall a non-descript jungle. The place that the museum was in was interesting, but it was more jumping to places versus really feeling the lay of the land.  The Hellcatch Valley was just flown over which disappoints me to no end because I would LOVE to see them have to travel through it for two or three episodes.  Bassuras had tons of character and I loved it and really hope that a lot of other places have this level of flavor and uniqueness to them!  I want to find more of what makes Marquet MARQUET, if that makes any sense.  It doesn’t need to be all Mad Max and desert (and in fact, shouldn’t be), and I feel like we’ll get that sense if we go from smaller town to smaller town.  With Jrusar being the main hub of sorts, I feel like we’ll be able to start exploring more, especially as we’ve unlocked another mode of travel.  Granted, it means we’ll probably end up skipping over a lot of the travel which makes me sad, but we’ll see how it goes. I’m discovering more and more that I adore exploration and want to see more of that in this campaingn.

The ships.

Time to batten down the hatches, because I’m about to get controversial.

My NOTPs: None!

My OTPs: None!

Ships that I’m actively shipping: None!

Ships that I can see happening and would enjoy based off of current characterization: Fearne/Anyone (seriously, she would pair fantastically well with ANY of the PCs!), Orym/Ashton, FCG/Imahara Joe (look it just fascinates me okay)

Ships that entertain me and I would enjoy for the funsies even if I don’t necessarily vibe with them: Ashton/Laudna, Chetney/Anyone, Ashton/Imogen, Orym/any of the ladies (doesn’t work with the sexualities, but still fun concepts)

Ships that I …. would need a hell of a lot of changes in the campaign order for me to enjoy: Imogen/Laudna, Orym/Dorian.  The latter because I really would need Robbie back full time and I’d need to see more interpersonal play with them.  I know that they were dropping a lot of teases for it, but it never clicked for me.  Okay, so the former.   *sigh* Look, I know this is the big SHIP especially on tumblr, but so much of it just seems to be ‘two women are affectionate OMG LESBIANS THEY’RE LESBIANS AND IN LOVE AND THEY’RE LESBIANS DID WE MENTION THEY’RE LESBIANS’.  There’s also a LOT of ‘Marisha and Laura HAVE to get together this campaign, they didn’t LAST campaign so they HAVE TO this time’.  Honestly?  I can see this ship in the campaign going either way, but I am absolutely dreading the fallout if they don’t get together.  I can only image what the fall out of Beau/Jester not coming to fruition was, and this feels like it could get so much worse.  Now, I’m not saying that I don’t see the possibility for it to happen, I DO, but I’d like to see a lot more interaction between the PCs first.  So much of their background is ‘we’ve been traveling for two years together!’ but it doesn’t always feel like it.  In the oddest sense, I almost feel like a lot of their relationship is still fairly surface level.  I need more depth and interaction, and if this does become a canon ship, I hope we have a good number of episodes more before it happens so that the PCs can develop more, both together and separately.  (also, and I know I’m poking the beehive here, but Laudna has IN GAME repeatedly shown attraction to men [Ira, the minotaur dude], so calling her a lesbian just really feels like denial.  I don’t think I’ve seen anyone suggest that maybe she’s bi? Or pan?  Just LESBIAN.  Shall I even mention that Imogen has also mentioned having a crush on a guy? That one at least was pre-game, so maybe could be considered to be before she finalized her sexuality, but once again, just feels like bi-erasure.  And god forbid either of these characters turns out to be straight, I’m pretty sure tumblr will revolt in it’s entirety, despite the fact that they don’t owe us a queer character or a certain relationship).