#I know Tessa is the main character in all of this but it honestly feels more about the love between will and jem rather than her
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I’m rereading the infernal devices and for being such a horrible person she really did write an incredible tragic gay love story without even meaning to
#i bet no one wanted to know that#please if you see this ignore it and do not read more tags#seriously I can’t believe I decided to reread them but the fact that she tried and failed to make a love triangle is so funny#really she went oh here’s a boy who thinks he’s cursed that anyone who loves him will die#and the only boy he has decided to let in who is already dying and who is unable to be saved#also by the way here’s the side story of a person who fell in love with his bonded partner and killed himself because it’s forbidden#which wink wink those two are bonded the exact same way#oh and by the way here’s the only girl who either of them have ever been interested in and who they both can’t seem to forget#and she starts to love them both but of course she has to choose between the boy who keeps pushing her away thinking it’ll save her#and the boy who’s currently dying like seriously any two of those people could get together or even all three#but I do hate how she deals with it making the cursed boy realize he’s not actually cursed at the same time that dying boy decides#to ask girl to marry him and of course she accepts and then boy who finally can let people love him has to hold himself back#because now the only person he has let come anywhere near his heart is finally happy in a way he couldn’t give him because forbidden love#I know Tessa is the main character in all of this but it honestly feels more about the love between will and jem rather than her#alright now I’m going to go read fanfiction which fixes all of this and forget about the horrible person who happened upon a great story
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Hi! I hope you’re feeling better. 💜
When I’ve heard writers talk about their process, some outline a character before they start writing and outline everything- the charcater’s history, personality, etc. While other writers say the character “talks” to them as they write and they don’t plot a lot out before hand. I’m curious- how much of Remi’s personality did you determine before you started writing? For example, did you know she was wonderfully snarky before you started writing? Did you always know she struggled with depression?
I know you’ve written other OC’s too. Has your process changed since writing Tessa and co?
Hi!
I...am incapable of lying lol. I'm not really, but I appreciate the sentiment 💗 Not looking for sympathy, just keeping it real 💀 The depression be doing some depressing. But hey, *sobs as I smash at my keyboard* it makes for great content!
I don’t hear it. I can’t hear anything but the pounding of my own heart and one memory on repeat. You can love someone and hate them a little at the same time. My mind is stuck on that. I know he loves me, but—he hates me, he hates me, he hates me—I fucked things up.
I never outline an entire character before I start writing. I have an idea in my head, but not a whole profile. I don't even name them until I'm part way through a story, they're "Name" usually until like chapter five-ish and then I hate their names until like chapter ten.
The case of Remi is a little different, honestly I've kind of done things backwards. When I created Tessa I had an idea of what her personality would be, based on what she'd been through living in Illyria and there were small parts of myself I incorporated into her, like her struggle with social settings and relationships. With Stella I was more just having fun, but keeping in mind the (broad overview) history I had planned for her. They do kind of just write themselves, if I'm honest. It's why I like to write ahead, because I only ever have a broad plan in mind.
I don't know that I ever really planned to publish BRV outside of like a little wattpad adventure. It was entirely self-indulgent. I tried very hard with Tessa and Stella to have them be...measured? I guess you'd say. To not pour too much of myself into them.
Remi was cathartic. There's so much of me in her. She was my 'whatever, it's not serious' character and story. I just threw whatever I wanted at the page without worrying about whether things were realistic or too self-indulgent and I guess that worked for a lot of people.
I knew she'd be snarky and a realist and that she wouldn't be as settled as Violet with her chronic illness. I knew she'd be depressed and quick to anger because that's me and my experience and it was a therapeutic process pouring all that out onto the page. So I guess I didn't really need to determine anything, I just wrote from the heart. She's almost self-insert. It's made it really comforting that people relate to her so well, because it feels like they relate to me, when no one else does outside of the internet.
It's funny because I'm trying (and never making time) to plot out the original novel I plan on writing and there's this voice in my head like saying I have to be measured and I have to plot out these characters first and their whole histories and personalities because it's a Serious Thing, but then I'm reminded that the character I wrote who resonated the most with people was just me throwing my unhinged feelings into the void, so???
Also, I had intended my first original fantasy novel (featuring a chronically ill fmc and dragons) to have two main characters—Remi and Caden. Then Fourth Wing came out and I screeched in fury. I used the name for BRV anyway, but... 🙃
And the MMC for my sports romance is named Liam and I wanted to give the FMC a nice tough girl name like Sloane 😭 but I guess the universe said fuck you, again, so that's a nope, so if anyone has suggestions here I am.
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Hii 🥰
I saw this and thought pink 🩷 You can use the quote / pic in whichever way you want 🩷
Loyal to be Royal 👑
Female Main Character: Alex
Pairing: can be considered as F!MC×NikRyder or F!MC×Garrus, the fae
Summary: Alex feels the pressure of royal life
Word Count: 1.9K words
Rating: General
Warnings: none
-> My complete Nightbound Masterlist <-
A Garrus (fae) fanfic for @teatimemols 🧝🏻♂️🧚🏼♀️
Taglist: @infactnoimmasitinthemiddle ; @peonierose ; @secretaryunpaid ; @jdstar88 ; @blackcatkita ; @lilyoffandoms ; @liviusofpella ; @mxdanni ; @dutifullynuttywitch ; @mariemarieohcontrary ; @tessa-liam ; @choicesficwriterscreations ; @hopelessromantic1352 ; @rosepetals1 ; @choicesjanuary2024 (Prompt: Relationships)
Some parts beta-read by @peonierose
Thanks @lilyoffandoms for ideas of this prompt
Comments via Reblog wholeheartly welcome
Author's note: Part of Song Lyrics taken and rewritten from Barbie - The Princess & the Pauper 🩷👑
"Hey guys, I'm back.", Alex tiredly spoke as she finally entered Garrus his bar, the Graveyard Shift from the side-door. Krom, Ivy, Nik and Garrus were seated on stools and enjoying their drinks.
"Hey, Alex!! You look exhausted. Everything alright?", Nik asked her with a concerned look on his face as she plopped on an empty stool next to him and rested her head on the wooden table.
"Tired.", she wispered.
"Tired? Awww, poor thing. Did you faes partied hard at the palace or what?", Ivy giggled and gently rubbed her friend's back.
To answer her question, Alex sat upright and faced her friends with a sad expression. "Ivy, that's not it. I'm so tired of all those many rules. I'll never be a perfect royal. All I do is make mistakes. I... I just want to make Thalissa and everyone proud, but I can't. I wish just father was alive. He would have definitly helped me."
"Rook, you're still learning. I know you will be doing well. I just want to say... We... We haven't seen you for days and... well...".
"What we all want to say is that we missed you, Alex."
"I know, Krom. I missed you all too. Sorry, but beeing royalty isn't exactly a piece of cake. I thought it's not going to be difficult and I'll enjoy this wealthy life, but I guess I didn't know what was coming for me. It's so stressful, especially when Lamrian has currently no ruler sitting on it's throne. So it's up to me to handle everything."
"Do you even want this royal life, rook? Can you handle this or...?"
"Oh baby, I could build a castle out of all the bricks they threw at me.", she confidently answered him and winked.
"Oh really?", he raised an eyebrow.
"Nik, I somehow have to. For my father, Lord Elric. I'm alive only because of him and Lamrian is my home. I don't want to disappoint him. I have a duty to fulfill... just like you have, Nik.", she glanced meaningful at him and got serious now.
Yes, what has to be done, must be done. Just like the young nighthunter, Nik Ryder swored after the death of his adopted father to protect everyone from evil and keep the worlds safe.
"Yeah, guess so... I just thought about your well-beeing.", Nik disappointedly looked away, trying to avoid her gaze.
"I know, but I have to prove myself. Some fae nobles are just... Arrrghh!!! Rules, rules and more rules.", she wanted to scream and let her frustrations just out.
"I sadly know what you mean, darling. I've been there too.", Garrus gently smiled at her and layed a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"Honestly, I feel hopeless actually. They haven't even considered me as Elric's child yet, as the heir of Lamrian, a member of the royal fae court... I'm no fae for them, just an outsider who's responsible for my father's dea..."
"Don't you dare to say that!!", Garrus suddenly bursted out his anger which surprised everyone since it's not his nature.
"Uhhh, Garrus? You okay?"
"I... I... I'm sorry. My apologies for the sudden tone and behavior. But... My fellow fae friend, don't you ever dare to blame yourself for anything. You're innocent and not responsibile for anything. Neither for the death of my duke nor the banishment of young Lord Tialo. Some fae nobles are just like that and they won't change their behavior, so do not allow them treat you like this. They think they're just better than others. Trust me, I've been there too once and I feel you. Of not beeing accepted and..."
Garrus was the heir of a Fae viscount before the Fae cast him out. The friendly fae remained exiled until this day. He was banished for running cons and swindling magic off the upper crust. The Fae court was too uptight for him and he needed his freedom. But until today, still dreaming of returning to the Fae kingdom. His true home.
Garrus lowered his head, remaining silent for a moment in front of his friends who worriedly glanced at his sad expression. It took a few seconds, before the handsome fae snapped out of his thoughts and focused back on his loyal companions.
"I was thinking. My dear Alex, let me help you. Guide you and teach you about the royal life of a fae. Let's show them what we got, darling."
"You would do that? Are you sure?"
"I'll show you, m'lady. But I'll teach you in my style. Some music, please!", Garrus requested and Krom immediately did what he asked. A beautiful, classical melody began to play. Garrus began to sing and dance. Taking Alex her hands in his and twirling around the room as if they were dancing waltz in a dance hall. While dancing he began to demonstrate whatever he was singing whether using his acting skills, body language or showing her something. He started by picking up a silver spoon from a plate.
🎶 To be a royal is to know which spoon to use.
To be a royal is a thousand pairs of shoes.
To maintain a regal gait.
Leave the parsley on your plate.
And be charming but detached, yet amused 🎶
"Wohoooo, Garrus!!!", Ivy excitely cheered and began to whistle.
🎶 To be a royal is to never be confused
Do a plié and never fall
Don't ever stray from protocol
All through the day, there's just one way you must behave
Do keep a grip and never crack
Stiff upper lip and arch the back
Bend from above and always wear your crown and wave
Shoulders back and
Tummy in and
Pinky out and
Lift the chin and
Slowly turn the head from side to side 🎶", he sang while Alex did what he musically requested.
"Like this?"
"Dear, you're Fae-tastic!"
"We're Fae-tastic."
Soon Garrus signaled Krom to turn off the music. The song might be over but there was still a lot to teach.
"That dance was amazing, Garrus."
"Thanks, now listen!! From the way you eat to the way you walk, here's what it takes to have the manners of a royal.", Garrus proudly handed Alex a very big binder over.
"Ooof, it's... really heavy. But you will help me, right?"
"Of course, teaching you about the life among the royal court of the fae is also important. Don't worry that's very simple. Are you up for the task or is that too much for the beginning, darling?"
"I'm ready, Garrus. Challenge accepted!!", she winked.
"First thing, the royal curtsies. They don't need to reach the floor, simply put one leg behind the other, bend your knees, and bow your head slightly. However, deeper curtsies and long pauses are a sign of respect and formality."
Alex does as her fae-friends explained and put one leg behind the other, bend your knees, and bow your head slightly.
"Pfff, that's easy."
"I like your spirit, dear.", he smiled and placed a plate infront of Alex and requested her to take a seat at the table.
"You may not put much thought into how you cut your food, but those nobles take dining etiquette very seriously."
"I know how to eat properly. I'm a grown-up and not a toddler."
She held the knive in the right hand, the fork in the left with the tines facing down and stabbing the food. Then she brought it to the mouth.
"Instead of stabbing the food, balance food on back of the fork, then bring it to the mouth."
"Is it that important, Garrus? I mean, at least I don't mess up my clothes or my face while having a meal. "
"You're right, dear. I don't care either, but... the other faes."
"I know...", she sighted.
"Look, if royals need to use the restroom during a meal, they don't announce their intentions. They simply say, "Excuse me," and leave it at that. If they're not done eating, they cross the utensils so wait staff know not to take the plate. When finished with the meal, they place utensils at an angle, putting the handles at the bottom right of the plate."
Alex took the fork and knife in her hand and started to place them correctly on the plate.
"Wait, you mean that angle?"
"Like 4:20 on a clock you mortals use."
"Hah, I got it! I'm good at this, right? Show me more, Garrus."
"You're a natural, dear. Now let me think what else you might... Ahhh, yes. Now I know. They say your handshake reveals a lot about your personality. Keep direct eye contact with the fae in front of you, grasp their hand firmly but not painfully, shake for one or two pumps (no more!), and shine a royal smile."
"Why two pumps and not more?"
"Yeah, why two? Good question, Alex. Why only two, Garrus? What if I want to give four?", Ivy asked too.
"Wouldn't four be too much.", Krom asked worriedly.
"Yeah Garrus, why two?"
"Quiet, please!! I'm trying to give lectures to Alex. I actually don't know either. Hmmm, let's skip that. Alex, they say that men in the royal family put out a helping hand when their spouses go down a flight of stairs, especially at formal events. The women keep their chins parallel to the ground and hands at their sides. If there's a banister, they rest a hand on it, rather than grab it and keep their toes pointed toward the railing while they walk."
"I know, I know, it's just like in the movies. But this royalty here doesn't need the helping hand of a man, I can do this on my own.", she confidently answered.
"Your spirit is admirable. Another point, royalty are expected to be addressed by their full, given names rather than nicknames given to them by their families and friends. Sooooo...", Garrus nervously glanced at Nik who immediately understood.
"Are you tryin' to tell me something, Garrus? Nobody has a problem if I give Alex nicknames. It's my style, right rook?"
"Uhhhhh... riiiiiiiight, blondie.", Alex rolled her eyes and grinned after giving the blond haired guy a new nickname. It's sure fun.
"Don't call me like that, rook."
"Alright, blondie. Oh, I... I mean, Nik. So Garrus, what's next?", she tried not to laugh and turned her attention back to the young fae.
"Alex, you did well. These are enough lessons for the first day, we'll continue tomorrow. Time to open the Graveyard Shift and letting the customers in.", Garrus suggested while taking out his keys to open his bar. As he was headed towards the front door, Alex stopped him by resting her arm on his shoulder.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing. I... Thank you, Garrus. For helping me, teaching me. For everything."
"I would do anything for my favorite fae."
"I know, but still. Thanks! And I'll promise you that one day, I'll make sure that your banishment will be lifted. I'm aware of how much you miss your home, Garrus. Soon you'll be free again, I promise."
"Thank you, Lady Alex."
"Please, no formalities. You're my friend. Even when I become a duchess one day, I would never want my friends to call me like this. Without any title, please. Just Alex is fine.", she smiled at him.
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Chain of Thorns - First Impressions
I finished the book a couple hours ago and needed to take a bit of time to formulate my thoughts. I’m a fast reader and admittedly, this can mean I skim in some places / go over some details so doubtless I’ll pick up on more when I do my reread.
They got long so underneath the cut… but here are my first impressions of Chain of Thorns:
I liked it a lot. I didn’t love it. It suffered from many of the same issues that plagued Queen of Air and Darkness and maybe even a bit more in this book. Namely, too big of a cast, too much plot to explore decently but more importantly - lack of follow-through/consequences for characters’ actions or events in the book.
Some initial points:
SOMEONE ELSE SHOULD’VE DIED/BEEN EXILED/BEEN LOST IN ANOTHER REALM. I like the happy endings they got (I have much love for these characters). But it didn’t feel earned. :/
Also the pacing throughout much of the book was breakneck, bar a few quiet interludes. Some storylines - Lucie, Jesse and Malcolm’s visit to Cornwall and Matthew and Cordelia’s Paris interlude could’ve used a few more pages to really allow the characters to develop/explore why they were really there before pulling them back in service of the main plot.
Let’s start off with what I did love:
My love for Matthew, Cordelia and James’ characters was maintained and possibly even grew during this final book. I just - *BITES FIST* Honestly, I’m pretty damn happy where things ended up when it comes to the interpersonal relationships and dynamics between the three of them.
I loved that we got Fairstairs in Paris, though I will pout (and almost certainly finish that one fanfic for…) it was so little. Just- James could’ve arrived later on? Not been waiting in their room? *forever mourns the lost opportunity*
I especially appreciated the brokenness of the three of them as they returned to London. The time it took them to muddle through, process and re-discover their true feelings post-Gracelet revelation and how it shaped the course. But how they all still desperately cared about one another and it never wavered even when they were furious with each other.
Controversial opinion - though I know Bry will back me up on this - but James and Matthew’s parabatai relationship is the best one out of all the TSC parabatai - yes, even Will and Jem, who were idealised. Matthew and James’ relationship is that perfect mix of love, frustration, co-dependency that you need for a parabatai relationship.
It rose to new heights in Chain of Thorns, as James was finally able to break down Matthew’s walls and help him begin to heal, not only with his drinking but also his self-loathing. And Matthew finally gets his friend back who has been suppressed emotionally for three years (!!!) and you can just feel the intensity and pull of the relationship between the two of them, for good or bad, throughout the book. The scenes in Edom just killed me.
And Cordelia is - maybe not glue but it’s just - something separate but essential between the three of them. The mirror, perhaps? Reflecting their best selves upon her. And Matthew and James’ unconditional love heals the part of her that feels she has to be useful or heroic to be loved
Look romantic or platonic, you cannot convince me otherwise that they weren’t all meant to be together in some fashion, even if it’s not a classic OT3, but maybe more V-triad? <brb just thinking about a heronfairstairs fic set in the 1910s>
UGH. I AM EMOTIONAL JUST THINKING ABOUT IT. It’s a messier, truer to life version of the Jem-Tessa-Will situation (especially if Jem hadn’t become a Silent Brother) and you won’t be able to convince me otherwise.
Cordelia, she broke my heart with Matthew but I accept it. I knew she was going to end up with James. But I do think- much like Tessa was with Jem, Matthew and Cordelia’s love for each other is a quieter flame than the ones they have for their respective Herondales, and it’s a shame it wasn’t explored more.
I think the one sticking point for Cordelia and Matthew in terms of romance is Matthew’s drinking. Cordelia has trauma around her father’s drinking and to see it reflected in Matthew (even if he is successful in his sobriety) means there’s that extra hurdle if they were to enter a romantic relationship. Cordelia is pragmatic enough that she knows she does not want the same type of relationship her mother and father had.
James and Cordelia- I did enjoy their ups and downs. I do enjoy them together. I think I am always going to be slightly put out that it didn’t end more tragically. Herondales always win in love- and the way that James’ story and history has been framed and referenced in SO MANY OTHER Shadowhunter books made me think possibly there would be something different this time- that he’d lose one of his loves, either Cordelia or Matthew.
Quick points individually:
Cordelia - My girl remains the best- she is the best combo of heroine - kind but proud, reckless but also caring and straightforward in her dealings. She can’t abide to be cruel but she can be ruthless (her cutting Tatiana’s throat- dammmmmnnnnn)
James - *checks* Not feral enough, lol. Yes, we did get many moments�� especially post-Paris and ummm, that scene where he and Cordelia consummated their marriage but could’ve used more. Will come back with more coherent thoughts later.
Matthew… oh my darling Matthew. I’m going to have to come back to him in a separate post, I think. Having just read his arc in this book- I get why Cassie didn’t kill him off or separate him from his friends. There was already so much hopelessness woven into his storyline and a lot of uncertainty if he’s even going to succeed in remaining sober, any tragic ending would’ve felt pointlessly cruel, I think.
Ultimately, his journey isn’t over but I appreciate the steps he took during this book. At the same time, it feels so strange we ended the book with Matthew’s future still a large question mark. Still time for him to get lost in Faerie!! I ultimately believe he has a promising yet tragic life to lead, and I want to know what it is…
Other things I loved:
The Merry Thieves relationship in Chain of Thorns >>>>>>
Especially the scenes where they all go to help Matthew get through his first couple days of non-drinking. And of Thomas and Christopher each going to respectively check on James and Matthew. I loved their dynamic during this book, which I think we saw in Chain of Gold but less so in CHain of Iron so was happy to see its return.
Thomas and Alastair - were perfection. No notes.
I have to admit I might’ve skimmed over a few of their scenes that were cute but were interludes during other tense moments, when I was dying to know what happened to other characters we had just cut away from… but I am going to savour their interactions on my reread.
Alastair and Cordelia’s sibling relationship also remains amazing. As admitted before, I am a Carstairs family fan and this book definitely helped cement that.
After a few Christopher POVs, I definitely got the sinking feeling he was a goner. And yep- I was correct- as were quite a few others in fandom. He wasn’t one of my favourites but his development in the first half of Chain of Thorns before his death- his expanded interactions with the other Merry Thieves and his growing relationship with Grace were a delight to read and I am sad he didn’t make it. Also, I am such a sucker for an Orpheus and Eurydice callback so I absolutely adored the moment in the laboratory.
I think I’ll need to reread before I can fully opine on Grace’s arc in Chain of Thorns but my first impressions were favourable. I like that she didn’t get the full redemption arc right away. I appreciated she told Cordelia what had happened with her and James but it was strange we didn’t get that scene but were told it? Hmm, this was something that bothered me a few times- there were some important conversations between characters which should’ve happened ‘on page’ but didn’t.
Things I was relatively meh about:
Anna and Ariadne - they were… fine? I absolutely get they are some people’s fav characters but I think out of all of the characters, many of their scenes would’ve been the easiest to cut, and it might’ve made a more cohesive, tightly-plotted story.
Jesse and Lucie - honestly, I think the plot with Belial overshadowed the consequences of Lucie bringing Jesse back to life. No, he wasn’t just half alive, he WAS DEAD. You did necromancy, Lucie- accept it! I hate that it all seemingly was swept under the rug. :/
And sadly, Jesse as a character in Chain of Thorns was… boring. I’m sad to say it but it’s true! I appreciated him so much more as a sarky ghost.
Lucie’s plotlines… I need to reread but I think it’s a combo of Lucie’s storylines not getting a proper chance to breathe, like- what she and Malcolm were going to do to raise Annabel in Cornwall, or being too tied to what she can do with her ghost powers to help against Belial. She felt more like a plot device in this book than the others, and I disliked that for her. Maybe that will change upon reread but ehh. Wasted potential overall on both Jesse and Lucie.
Overall plotline with Belial - less interesting this time around? Hmm. Need to pay more attention to it on reread but first views were less than favourable. That being said, I guess he and Tatiana were quite clever with the Watchers and the plotline with the Cornwall Institute.
I enjoyed all of the Lilith-Cordelia interactions though - super fun to watch them spar verbally, and loved that Lilith kept implying that if Cordelia fullfilled her oath as paladin, she could have BOTH Matthew and James. Lilith isn’t shocked by that sorta thing, lol.
Lastly, the inherent bigotry and cruelty of the Enclave was used more as a plot device to get the adults out of the way for the big showdown and I hated that immensely- especially as all the fuss about Tessa and Lucie and James’ bloodline was again, all resolved by the end of the book. Booo, no lasting consequences.
This is very long for first impressions but anyway… I’m glad I’ve written it all down. Happy to engage in comments/reblogs but let’s discuss civilly, and of course - tag all your spoilers!
#chain of thorns#chain of thorns spoilers#chot spoilers#chain of thorns spoiler#chot spoiler#reader of books#cot spoilers#cot spoiler#the last hours#matthew fairchild#james herondale#cordelia carstairs
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so I was fucking TIRED of being inconsistent and generally behind on this, such that I sat down and made myself watch 5 episodes in a row, which isn't a lot of episodes but also like man, you know? Also as a sidenote earlier in the year when the friend I'm watching all KyoAni shows with mentioned how long he expected it to take if we never missed a day he came up with August 22nd - now this date assumed we'd only ever watch one episode a day and that that'd apply for specials as well, which would have been pretty stupid and added on like a month, so it's not like the actual formal "we have to finish by this date" date. But also, it's kind of a fun goal, isn't it? Like we're so close to it that it has to be possible, I want to have it done, you know? To that end I'm hoping I can watch Second Raid at a faster pace than I've been doing before, but we'll see.
Anyway, as for the episodes I watched today:
Episodes 8 and 9 are a two-parter in which Tessa briefly joins the school and later they go on a hot springs trip. I didn't really like these episodes at all - Tessa's kind of just annoying, her rivalry with Kaname is obnoxious, and the hot springs episode is an excuse to watch Kurz and some of the NPCs try to peep on the girls, which I just literally did not enjoy a single second of.
Episode 10 sees Bonta-kun Sousuke train a group of yakuza members so they can more effectively take on a different group of yakuza members, with an action climax involving rescuing Kaname and her friend. Felt kinda lame. Every element that composes this conflict was done better earlier - Bonta-kun in his introductory episode as well as Ponytail, rescuing Kaname literally everytime that's ever happened, and Sousuke training a bunch of incompetents in the rugby episode. So just wasn't really it.
Episode 11 is a flirting competition so there's a lot of early 2000s haha women dialogue that was pretty annoying, and moreover it was boring for a lot of the runtime, but there's a pretty sweet scene at the end of a disguised Kaname rescuing Sousuke from a bad dare punishment, it was quite nice.
Episode 12 sees a biohazard released into the classroom such that Sousuke detains everyone so they can all safely die together, hilarity ensues. Pretty entertaining actually. The get-out-of-jail card at the end is that actually, it just dissolves clothes. Frankly these last couple episodes have really upped the sheer amount of fanservice scenes compared to just earlier in Fumoffu. No strong feelings on that.
And thus, the show is finished. I was kind of between 4 and 5 for my score, honestly I think the main thing I felt about the show for the bulk of its runtime is that it's kinda boring, but there's generally enough there to where I felt a 5 worked, certainly the first episode made me laugh out loud and there are enough like single-line gags that would get to me. Sousuke overhears high-school boys trading photos of the girls using vague terminology the entire time and saying out loud "I understand. They're trading narcotics" or something, that's funny. More broadly after hating every single character in the original series it was nice to watch this and straight up enjoy Sousuke as well as be able to tolerate Kaname. Not hating this is such a huge upgrade over the first season anyway, so.
Next step in FMP groupwatch is I'll watch Second Raid episode 0 since it's 5 minutes long, and then starting tomorrow I'm gonna have to make pretty good time knocking out the proper 13 episodes remaining and then the OVA as well. We'll see if I can't hold myself to that August 22nd deadline. Gaming.
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🌹
#positivitytime // @escapedartgeek
a lot of blogs make me happy. your blog makes me happy. z's interactions with udyati makes me happy. but z's interactions with others like @bewitchingbaker also make me happy.
i wish i could just plop down every single one of my followers on here and write a little thing about them. unfortunately i can't, because it'd take forever, so here are a couple of blogs that make me happy.
i love oc's. i especially love oc's that sneak up on you and then it becomes blatantly obvious that they were meant to be the main character of this story. such is the case with @unbearablyindifferent. i don't know a lot about spn other than the three or four episodes i've watched but hayley always explains the things i don't get like salmon dean because i thought it had to do with an actual salmon. or, you know, dean liking salmon. or a salmon ladder like the one in arrow.
@bansithe's ryan is canon to me. truly, ryan was just always there in the background after they got her out of eichen house. i know this is canon. scott mccall told me himself. all jokes aside though, i really truly love this oc. west goes above and beyond and slots ryan into the teen wolf world with love and care.
i feel like that i (tessa) would probably not be able to talk to @khrused's hera because ???? too pretty ???? i would combust on the spot. i do, however, look back to our interaction fondly because hera was so kind and warm and maternal to udyati in a moment that she really needed it and it made me feel really happy as well.
@soulmissed's auggie is so little brother shaped. i'm serious. i cannot fight because i think i'm done for whenever i stub my toe but boy oh boy would i fight for auggie. i love him a lot. udyati loves him a lot. that's her little buddy! that's her baby brother! ruben writes auggie with tenderness, love and care, but also with that inner spark and drive. with wit and tenacity not often seen in kids auggie's age. also auggie has dyscalculia and i have dyscalculia and i appreciate the representation.
at this point, @fatecrafted is stuck with me. from our long talks and rps on discord to our dash shenanigans - adam has seen me at my worst, at my mediocre and at my best. he truly is the nico di angelo to my lou ellen blackstone and i would not have it any other way.
and last but not least: @pistachiofudge - who has the best url. m's characters have a special place in my heart. i met ashton - or blue boy - first, back when he had a solo blog. that's such a long time ago i can't really recall. probably 2012 or 2013. 2014 at the latest. but i've been a blue boy fan ever since. imagine my surprise and delight when we crossed paths again when m made a multi. it wasn't hard to fall in love with the other characters on that blog like jessica or whitney english or kelsey monna and i'm honestly overjoyed at m's comeback! i can't wait to watch this universe grow and expand and i'm really glad to be a tiny part of it.
#escapedartgeek#//@ everyone mentioned: if you would like to be unmentioned or deleted from this pls let me know#outofdoors
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If you met Tessa and Scott, what would you say to them or ask them? (Individually and together)
OOOFF!!
What a loaded question
I’m going to take this as “What would you ask if you got to interview them” because there’s no way in hell I would cope in a M+G situation I would be awkward AF, sweat, stutter, cry probably, most likely faint.. nah I need a few hours and half of that will be me trying not to sweat and cry.
You would not believe the amount of times I have fantasised about getting to interview them! I’m not saying I would be good at it but so often they always get asked the same questions and that’s partly the reason they give the same answers.. one thing I would manage to do though is not ask them about any “‘’’’’’’ relationship””””” stuff- at least the typical way it’s always asked
Also I have been secretly hoping someone would ask me this so I would have an excuse to post my answers coz honestly I feel like a dick just posting this fantasy of mine unprompted
I’m gonna say before hand that some of this stuff is probs too personal and I wouldn’t necessarily expect them to answer- like when I go to ask them I would likely say ‘if this is too personal you don’t have to answer’. I think if it was maybe asked in the right way or with the right intentions- which I don’t feel a lot of interviewers in general have, they would answer though. So anyway just saying that up front so I don’t have to say it in every third sentence below.
So for me there’s two main things I’m really interested to hear from them that I don’t feel they have ever discussed in depth.
1. I am really fascinated with their physical relationship. This is everything from technical partnering- dance, lifting etc, choreography and movement language, storytelling, and then physical intimacy including things like The Hug, their handhold (the handy holdy) and then just the way they handle each other- the softness, the gentlenesss, the heart eyes, the closeness. Then how all of this plays with their connection and communication and all the things they talk about that went into cultivating their partnership- how that manifests physically.
That is very wide reaching and I think I would need at least 3 hours just to talk about all of that stuff (I would legit need like 5 hours with both of them, then like an additional two hours each of them alone so they can brag about each other hahahahahahahah) but that’s where a lot of my fascination lies and none of those things I think they have really talked about in depth in any other interview. The first few points are because I’m (was) a dancer and worked a lot with partners, but I never had the opportunity to work with any one partner for a long time nor get to any kind of performance based physical intimacy/connection with (very few stage dancers do coz you never have just one partner your whole career, much less from the age of 7/9- you don’t usually start learning proper partnering till teenage years). The rest is the stuff we all go googly eyes about and you legit don’t see it with other couples (dance pairs and just couples in general). The way they handle each other is so insanely beautiful and I would want to know if they are aware of it or its just so natural they don’t realise.
So, lets break these down into actual questions/proper subsections/dot points to launch off from (coz if one of them starts saying something interesting I’m following them down that train of thought).
Q1:
A) Can you discuss the evolution of your partnering, how as you grew older, stronger and more mature that developed. B) In your book you talk about working with Cirque du Soleil performers to develop your lifts but is there more you can elaborate on that- how you created them, developing program/character specific lifts, transferring from floor to ice (maybe get them to talk about 3 examples of lifts: Pink Floyd serpentine lift, original Funny Face curve lift, Carmen/MR rotational lift). C) How much ballet/ballroom pdd/partnering training did you do off ice (throughout career) and how did that aid you on the ice- closeness and body positions, your movement in harmony is so superior, transferring those techniques to the ice and adapting them for the steps, turns, glide, physics etc.
Q2:
A) once you developed (and continued to develop) your partnering technique- your way of individually moving together as one along with things like lifts, as that trust, safety, comfort with each other grew as far as the physical, athletic component of the sport, how did you then develop your movement- I’m gonna say ‘language’ together? You have said that you felt you became known for having a certain ‘lyrical’ style, yet your body of work proves you are the most versatile team in history. Personally, watching you I feel your style really comes from a much deeper connection and understanding of this language in how you moved together- no matter the specific dance style. So what was developing that language like? Did you find it came naturally as you matured, found styles/music you latched (pun intended) onto? Did you have to refresh/refine/redefine it often/occasionally? (Like working with Jean Marc).
B) Did that language change a bit with each program or was it this constant that you took with you into each new piece? How did the process of developing characters affect the choreographic process- say with something like Carmen or MR, more character driven, and how did that differ to looser themed programs like say Mahler or Latch- where the story is less obvious but very important to the two of you in how you convey movement together. What role did improvisation play in discovering movement?From personal experience I know its always different, but did you find there was a natural rhythm and process to how you found movement together- when one of you move did the other naturally find how to hold or complement the other? I imagine after so long together less and less verbal communication was needed to find movement and your bodies just naturally found each other and moved for each other.
C) You’ve mentioned briefly previously about working with acting coaches, and how especially in the comeback you found this… slightly method-ish approach of starting your movement, interactions and emotion from within- letting how you each feel inform how you interact- along with using character driven prompts, and this allowed each time you danced/practiced it to feel different and in the moment, and like you were really having an experience with each other in the world of your program.. can you elaborate more on that- what was entailed in working with the acting coach, what kind of things did you do, what other acting techniques did you employ? Would you say, speak to each other as your characters, obviously dancing you are communicating through movement but did these kind of things help you in discovering and learning about your characters? I find the way you two dance everything is so informed by what the other does, in a somewhat spontaneous way as if you are really living it in the moment like it hasn’t happened yet (sorry I’m trailing off).
Q3:
A) So there’s these two things you guys do that is pretty unique to you as a team: First thing is The Hug. I know you’ve been asked about it a few times before and it became this quite fascinating process to watch. It must be such a hard thing to verbalise because, the meaning is so internal and emotional, what you’re doing is quite simple but I imagine there’s really a lot going on. So I know how that sort of ritual started but, I’m sure like your dancing and skating and partnership as a whole as you went through more and more experiences together, if you can put it into words what did that ritual of the hug come to symbolise? What else was going on within it? The idea of getting your heartbeats to synchronise is I think maybe the most beautiful thing I’ve ever heard, so did you ever get them to and maybe in your desire for achieving that… I don’t know I just have this idea in my head that when you started working with B2Ten through heart rate and blood pressure monitoring or whatever they were able to get you to synch up so quickly and efficiently- not so it became robotic, but so it became more automatic and you knew it was gonna be there but then also I can imagine it being your special ritual that was your’s and no one was allowed to touch it and whether some days its was easier or not it had to be this completely natural process.
B) The second thing is, and I’m fully aware this seems like an odd thing to notice and have thoughts about, but within the kind of nature and traditional ‘rules’ within your sport, is often when you guys would be stroking around the ice on like a practice or warm up, is you hold hands, like properly rather than dance hold like, pretty much all other teams do. And, on first glance it doesn’t seem like a big deal but when you notice no one else does it its quite obvious. Then when you watch more, you notice that you guys have to change back to dance hold for things like bows and getting into partnering, so it’s not super convenient-that’s why dance hold exists. But I also just think it’s so indicative of you guys being this TEAM.. like it just makes you appear so strong and together, and less like this distanced dance pair. I know you’ve said- in relation to your IWTHYH exhibition, that “holding each other’s hand is the most intimate thing two people can share”, and I thought that was so inspiring, and I think really says a lot about your partnership- that you can show your love for each other through the most simple of gestures. So I’m wondering was this a conscious decision to start holding hands like this, and progressively more and almost exclusively when you came back in 2016, or was it like with the hug it just happened one day and you found you really liked it a lot more than dance hold? Was it ever noticed by coaches or judges or officials etc and frowned upon? What do you feel that hand hold gave you? It feels like watching you there was just this sense of empowerment and invincibility- not immune to failure or anything, but you were just stronger. It feels very empowering.
Q4:
(this would be prefaced with “if its too personal…..”) So I’m really curious about the physical intimacy you guys share- not only on the ice but somewhat off ice too. From the outside it’s obvious you guys have this beautiful, caring loving relationship- that’s obviously more, or deeper then a normal friendship, but also because it’s platonic… it’s just so unique. And don’t know if you guys realise it.. I mean you know the way you are is not like other ID couples, and I’m not asking this from the pov of what most portrayed as ‘romance’ but the way you guys are with each other is so beautiful, like you’re so gentle with each other and just the way you hold each other and look at each other like the world could be ending around you and you wouldn’t blink. And when I see it I don’t think ‘romance’ I just see these two people, living so artistically and you just have this aura as if your souls are connected, when you’re together it’s like the air is thinner, or as you’ve said creating this bubble where you only see each other and that’s such a safe space. So I guess what I’m curious to know is what does that mean to both or you? Being able to be that way, so unashamedly, was it always that easy or when did it become easy? Whether it’s kinda in the context of a program practice or just, I guess it’s being each other’s support system and confidant. I know you’ve kinda called bs in the past at the idea that anything that you do is played up for the crowd or the judges- I mean there is that in ice dance of convincing the judges of chemistry- but you guys never needed to, so it really just seems like it comes from this place of overwhelming love and care for each other. I know you’ve both said that you are very sensitive people and I can kinda see that in the way you treat each other that your always so aware of the others feelings and energy. Its just really beautiful, and then you see that gentleness in your partnering as well. It’s an odd thing to explain.. S I remember you saying how when T came back after surgery and you were being so gentle with her, afraid she would break. I think that’s so sweet, but then in a way, it’s like that softness continued and you’re both that way with each other and it’s not out of fear of the other breaking, its just this care and kind of, protection of each other, almost on a spiritual level. I’m sorry this rambled on forever, so I guess this was just a long complement for the both of you but if you may I’d love to know what your thoughts on that are, if you were consciously aware of it, and I guess, if you miss it- being able to be that close and physically caring of each other. To watch from the outside it’s very emotional and, if I’m reading it right, the care you have for each other is so visceral, I just wonder if it felt that magical for the two of you, after so long it still seemed just as special and emotional.
Follow up: how do you reconcile the physical nature of your relationship - all that in between stuff- the not choreography or the performing, with how you are removed from that. I think the way you treat each other off ice- out of that ‘athletic partnership’ just as best friends is so beautiful, unique and full of love as well, but it is different- it inevitably is out of that athletic/artistic space. Do any of those moments linger with you once you leave the ice for the day? Do they cause conflicting emotions? Is it something that you feel content with keeping in your safe space on the ice or the studio?
*this question/comment would be something I would want to ask them separately as well- obviously word it more specifically for each of them. Full disclosure I would one million% feel awkward AF asking them this but I still really want to know and since there’s a 0.000000001% change of me actually getting to interview them I can just be here feeling my usual amount of awkward.
2. The other thing I’m really curious about is their unwavering commitment to each other. Their unbreakable loyalty. Truly why skating with someone else was never an option- like at all. Why they wouldn’t do DWTS or BOTB or perform one-off with other partners, let alone form a new competitive partnership. When that really started to set in that they would only do this with each other. Beyond the work they put in starting at a really young age of cultivating respect and strong work ethic, why they chose so early on to only be with each other. Do they consider their partnership to be this exclusive thing like that of making a vow to each other. The way they often talked and still talk about how special it was…
So I think these questions maybe a little briefer. These again are questions I would ask them both together and separately. There’s something interesting about this/these questions, the topic of them, I think this is something they would often discuss privately together, but feel less comfortable answering together. I’m not sure, I just know based on things they’ve said how they would talk openly about how they felt about each other and things like.. that they told each other their biggest fear was letting the other down, that they are happier for each other then themselves, or they care more for each other than themselves. Yes they have admitted saying this stuff (that’s how I know) but I wonder would a question like this- their commitment to each other be more openly answered separately then together- that they would discuss this stuff, how they feel privately together but not publicly together. Does that make sense??
Ok so some specific questions:
Q1: Can you discuss your commitment to each other? It’s so obvious based on the fact you never wanted to change partners, stuck with each other through injuries and semi-retirement, actual retirement, all the pressure and outside people nit picking at your partnership and off-ice relationship, protecting your amazing friendship and kinda companionship in each other for so much of your lives. The strength of your bond and commitment to each other just seems stronger then steel. You wouldn’t even do DWTS or BOTB- dance/skate professionally with other partners. Is your partnership to the both of you, somewhat of an exclusive- “marriage”- like commitment to each other-not an actual marriage but a commitment to each other that you would never break? Was it this combination of the work you put in and learning to care for and respect one another for the success and growth of your partnership, and along with that developed this genuine emotional connection?
Follow up: the way you often talk about it, not just what you say but the emotion with which you say it, it really feels like it was just so special to you and it was in a sense, like this love language- a language only the two of you spoke, and it was this thing that was so necessary you take care- that you took care of each other, and this partnership. This connection where it seemed like if one of you felt broken the other could feel it to. It’s sometimes like when I hear you get asked about dancing/skating with other people there’s this hurt and fear in your voices about the thought of having to do this without each other. You’ve said how the thought of singles skating is terrifying and what gave you so much strength was having each other. So what was that like? Can you describe some of the emotional factors behind protecting your partnership throughout your skating career?
Follow up: how important is it to the both of you that each other is the one that you have in a sense, for a huge part of your life, trusted with your life- your emotions, your wellbeing, your insecurities, your body, your heart. And how important is it to you that even now, you protect that bond and keep it as this incredibly strong and loving relationship even though your life circumstances are very different?
Follow up: do you consider yourselves to be part of each others family?
(I’m aware these questions are very long winded. In an interview situation I would try to cut them down- I hate when the interviewer talks too much- but that’s when it’s about themselves and not the interviewee- for me I just want to give them so much praise and complements and- not talk about myself but tell them how they make me feel- maybe give them a glimpse at what it’s like to witness from the outside these smaller things others haven’t brought up before).
Ok, now for some individual questions. As I said a lot of the stuff above I would also ask them individually because of the way they gush about each other there is stuff you would maybe get when the other is not there- this being a huge dilemma is they just think the freaking world of each other that the whole interview may be spent complementing each other. However I will say it’s amazing how good they are at accepting complements to their face- so often that can be cringy (unless you’re a narcissist) but I think they can take it so maturely because they DO think the world of each other so its easy to look each other in the eye and say think is what I think and feel about you because they know it is honest and they feel the same way.
Some questions first for Tessa: (I’m not gonna go in depth on these ones)
Her ballet/dance upbringing. Did she do exams (if so what syllabus) when did she go on/how long was she on pointe for (I doubt when they moved away and were skating full time she bothered with pointe shoes in the ballet she did do, not often at least) did she compete in solo/group dance competitions like with skating. What’s her favourite ballet/dance production, if she could perform one principal ballet role what would it be
Preparing skates: breaking in, care etc (compared to say pointe shoes- there is a whole process I imagine there would also be with skates I would just want to know everything about that coz I find it interesting) - I could ask either of them this really
I would like to ask her about that physical intimacy stuff without Scott- just from a female pov and being in a dance/performance environment- so it’s not your actual ‘SO’ partner, being so beautifully treated in that ‘dance partner’ relationship so there’s that element of friendship but mostly professionalism and a bit of presentation, what that felt like and yeh…. Does she miss it.
Scott:
I would probably just geek out over The Office with him. Bond over Modern Family quotes and being able to remember really random lines of dialogue.
This was touched on in the KOP podcast but I would go into more depth about his artistic journey. His relationship with the artistry side of the sport, other topics of that nature. Also that period in their teens when they made two big moves/coaching changes, how that affected him on top of puberty- as he says he could be a bit of a dick (and could’ve been nicer to Tessa) back then. How did he manage that then and how does he reconcile it now- its not a bad thing, we all go through shitty stages through our teens and when they were legit training for the olympics (2006) and winning international juniors comps- the pressure both from the outside and on themselves would be challenging to deal with- also the affect moving away from his family had on him.
One final question for both of them: WTF was that water bottle shit they had going on at that press conference at Finlandia Trophy in 2011??
#ask#manifesting my dreams come true#I would legit be sick to my stomach if this actually happened#but omg what an honour#that why I get shitty with bad interviews#like are you kidding me this is TS they deserve so much better#(and so do we listening to it)#so yeh like I said I would probs suck I would be a blubbering MESS! but#if I managed to get the questions out I think their answers would be interesting
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Weekly Reading Update (10/09/23)
Reviews and thoughts under the cut
A Bright Heart by Kate Chenli (5/10)
If you enjoy the currently very popular genre of stories about girls in historical settings getting a second chance at life with knowledge from their previous one, this has that sort of premise. It’s what initially drew me to the book. However, unless you like the genre, this book is pretty mediocre. The plot is very simple and easy to predict, and the main character, Mingshin, is pretty bland and perfect; she knows how to solve every problem. As such there’s not really that much tension since there are few challenges she doesn’t immediately overcome. The love interest and honestly most of the side characters are pretty one-note, and the writing fluctuates between the flowery words you’d expect from the setting and jarringly modern phrases. Overall, I was really looking forward to this book, but I don’t think I’d like it at all if it wasn’t a plot I know I enjoy.
Ouran High School Host Club Vol. 1 (9/10) & 2 (8/10) by Hatori Bisco
These are rereads, and it’s just so much fun to read this series. OHSHC is definitely a dated manga with some jokes that aged badly and a style that has fallen out of practice, but it’s so enjoyable, especially for someone like me who read it a while ago. It has one of my favorite openings, the chaos of the Host Club gradually discovering Haruhi is a girl, and the chapters, while mostly individual shorts, do a great job of establishing the characters and through lines for once the story becomes more serious. These volumes are honestly so funny, and Haruhi’s one of my favorite manga protagonists (and a genderfluid icon).
The Tea Dragon Society by Kay O’Neill (9/10)
Despite being a very quick read, a graphic novel less than 100 pages long, this was adorably sweet and actually made me tear up. The art is lovely, and characters are very well developed for such a short book with a lot of casual representation in terms of race, sexuality, and ability. The art is beautiful and really enhances the ethereal vibe of the whole story. Also, I absolutely loved the little academic accounts of the different kinds of tea dragons and how to care for them in the back! This is a book that feels like a passion project and is a great cozy fantasy read!
Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare (CR, 73%)
Cassie Clare was so close to figuring out that polyamory is an option in this book. She got it eventually, but the amount of times Tessa says she loves Will and Jem or one of them says they wouldn't be whole without the other...you have two hands for a reason! Otherwise, I think the pacing in this book is better than in the first one. I think a large part of that is Will's side of things with his curse and whatnot. Tessa's a lovely person but there's only so many times we can rehash her internal turmoil before it starts to bore.
A Day of Fallen Night by Samantha Shannon (CR, 33%)
This book stresses me out, which is part of why I'm making such slow progress. I turn in page in fear of what horrible things will befall the characters. I'm particularly attached to Dumai, and I just find her storyline so interesting.
Lodestar by Shannon Messenger (CR, 24%)
If there's one thing Messenger can do, it's make you empathize with the characters because ugh I just want some answers! I really hope some major leaps are made in this book; I feel like it's been a while since a big reveal (the brother doesn't count we barely know him). Also, it seems this series is really pushing Fitz and Sophie lately, which makes me suspicious. When it comes to the romance aspect, they just seem so bland to me, and I don't quite trust that the story is so adamant about them getting closer.
#books#reading update#a bright heart#kate chenli#ouran high school host club#ohshc#the tea dragon society#k o’neill#clockwork prince#the infernal devices#cassandra clare#a day of fallen night#samantha shannon#lodestar#kotlc#shannon messenger
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Hello! I just finished rereading The Lost Book of The White and I'm back on full force from the Stuff That Nobody Else Cares About department. I agree a lot with your general opinions on the book, I'm just clinging to some details now. Warning: Robert-adjacent rant (+ Maryse). Again.
A few years ago, The Land I Lost came out and it made a reference to the occasion of this book mentioning a time that Alec and Magnus let Max under the care of Maryse and her boyfriend, but the boyfriend part was edited out.
SRB is the co-author of that novella, and she was asked about it. Honestly, being the way I am, I was waiting for this book to see 1) Robert, because CC had said on her tumblr that he would show up to be cute with Max and 2) clarification on the Maryse's boyfriend thing.
Was I sad that I didn't get anything? Yes, while at the same time understanding that if Robert did show up it would be just fanservice for like 4 people in the world instead of anything actually meaningful. Just like Maryse's presence was: they could have let Max under the care of anyone else and wouldn't make a difference.
I suppose this is the part I'm upset about, as one of those 4 people in the world, I understand that Robert's character is done, in the sense that there's pretty much nothing else CC has to say about him, (take this with a lot of salt) and everything else about him from now on is just blatent fanservice. Like, CC gave CJ thumbs up to include in the graphic novel adaptation that when Clary used the rune that made people see in her their most loved one, Robert sees Michael, and CJ even included it with the whole page divided between Luke seeing Jocelyn/Robert seeing Michael, which, you know, gives all that vibe.
I love it so much, but you know, it's just fanservice that doesn't change anything. That's fine.
I wouldn't say the same about Maryse, though. I feel like her character is somehow simpler than Robert's, but that's also because the books are a mess and Robert's character was even more of a mess too before being loosely fixed in extra content/companion books etc. SRB's reply made me excited because I thought that the book would contain something that would be ABOUT Maryse, it didn't have to be a relationship, but if it's going to tell us something about her, I take it, as TSC is very romance-centered anyway.
Now I don't understand the thought process behind the change, and I had the idea of telling you about this after reading the extra story of the Jessa wedding that is included in my translated copy.
Maryse and Kadir were there too, already deep in conversation with Jocelyn and Luke. Kadir hadn’t been on the guest list Jem and Tessa had given Magnus, because they didn’t really know him, but Magnus had added him as Maryse’s plus-one. It never hurt to butter up your boyfriend’s mother, especially when she was willing to babysit for days at a time.
?
Being someone's plus-one in this sort of private occasion doesn't have many possible meanings, so I was like, Kadir is supposed to be Maryse's boyfriend, okay, but why anything about it couldn't be said in the book, as it was implied to be the plan according to SRB's reply? The whole trilogy exists to be a fanservice fest, and I'm very okay with that of all things, since clearly nothing that happens in books 1 and 2 so far changes anything in the main story, so it could be all 400 pages of fanservice for the hardcore fans and be it, I'm just upset because there was a setup for this book to have something about Maryse more than just her being there and Kadir standing beside her being there too, and it would have been so nice to have this universe remember non-immortal 25+ year old people exist too and that their story isn't "over." (I'm not even 25 by the way, I surprised myself getting so frustrated with these books)
Maryse is stepping down from the head of the institute position, which already doesn't make much sense to me (it's JUST so Jace can become the head of the institute in her place, I knooooow), and she is very connected with her family (I guess, since two of her children still live with her?) and seems to be in a relationship with Kadir, someone we are told to have been somehow close to the family for several years, and that includes several years before Maryse got divorced, and that's a interesting dynamic, as they've known each other for a pretty long time and Kadir certainly saw Maryse going through changes. I WANT TO KNOW ABOUT ALL OF THIS (cries)
And this book could perfectly have been the place for it. I hope you can figure out a coherent thought behind this word vomit I did, sorry.
Be well!
- R
Hope you've been well with me taking forever to answer your messages!!
I often feel like the Department of the Stuff That Nobody Else Cares About holds the most interesting things that are generally ignored, and we are lead to these discoveries by our obsessions over some side characters the author didn’t really intend to have this kind of scrutiny over.
After The Lost Book of the White in continuation with Queen of Air and Darkness, Maryse has become more or less a convenient baby sitter whenever it’s inconvenient for the kids to be around in the story. I didn’t actually know about that boyfriend line. I don’t mind Maryse having a boyfriend, her kids having a stepfather—I just hoped it would not be Kadir just for the sake of having one man-woman friendship that isn’t in any level romantic (though simultaneously he’d be an awesome, if not the best choice). Kit and Livvy didn’t even manage that and they were just friends.
I was similarly conflicted with the graphic novel. On the other hand, I felt really warm about Robert seeing Michael and Michael truly being the one he loved most (which is also weird because, Robert, you have children), and also on the other hand, like you said, it was just for fan service. I’ve said and will keep saying that there is nothing I trust about Clare as an author other than her infinite love for the Herondales. Everything else is questionable, and come to think of it, it’s tiring that there’s nothing else I can really trust as to her intentions with the narrative. The first time I read Born to Endless Night, I felt the major shift in Robert’s and Maryse’s characters. Though I now find it fun and a light piece of reading, I remember the distinct impression of how fan fiction-esque it all felt. It was surreal, to be offered all that but at the same time it felt like crap? Lol
Kadir has been such a constant at Maryse’s side, so I would not be surprised if Clare eventually did go for the romantic angle for them. If she doesn’t, I’m not saddened at all for the reason mentioned above. I don’t know, it could go either way, and I’d probably be fine with it.
As to Robert, I don’t get why authors make promises like that when the final story doesn’t even include them. The only time Robert is mentioned is this:
It was strange to walk into that same Institute, with a Lightwood next to him, holding their child. To have Maryse Lightwood as something more like family and less like a business partner he could never fully trust. He was glad that Robert, at least, was busy with Inquisitor business in Idris. Inquisiting some folks, he assumed.
He wasn’t even around. Where is my scene of Robert with Max, Clare? Where is it!!
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chain of thorns spoilers!!
i know the last hours was focused on the new/younger generation, but i am still very disappointed at the lack of gideon
particularly/especially in regards to tatiana, his sister and a constant consistent primary antagonist -- basically how so much of TLH is directly related to his family & bc of his family (his daughter is dead because of his sister!)
and like... i was really expecting like at least one (short) moment where gideon is shown to blame himself for everything re:tatiana, feeling like he failed her as an older brother; he was able to save gabriel but he was too late for tatiana and there's no way gideon doesn't feel responsible as an older brother, that it took him so long to see things properly and his younger siblings suffered because of that and tatiana was lost in the midst of that... i wasn't like, expecting a lot dedicated to that but i was honestly expecting like. at least one line of it.
i know TLH isn't his or the adults' story but like. i feel like we got more of will and tessa (throughout the series, and in COT) and i know that's bc they're james' parents and james is more of a main character (along with cordelia) than the other thieves + they're the parents of Lucie, Jesse's love interest/girlfriend but still...
but i was especially upset with the lack of interaction between gideon (and gabriel) and jesse!!!!!!!!!!! (in chain of thorns). and honestly the lack of thomas and jesse interactions. really the lack of lightwood and jesse interaction. and lack of gideon/gabriel and grace interactions, before and or after grace's imprisonment. so basically the lack of lightwood interaction with tatiana's kids.
like again i know that the adults arent the focus. and the story kept the adults out of the picture most of the time what with having to deal with The Belial Connection and then the separation from London in Idris but like.
there could have been a moment in the epilogue where Gideon talked to Jesse. it didnt have to be long but it could totally have been there and satisfied me.
the fact we didnt get to see gideon or gabriel (or their wives') reaction that their nephew was alive after all this time...especially after that short story thing where gideon met him!! aah!!!
this is what happens when you latch onto the non-main characters i suppose
#chain of thorns spoilers#cot spoilers#tlh spoilers#the last hours spoilers#gideon lightwood#chain of thorns#the last hours#tlh#;i have more complaints but those are for another post i suppose#cot#chot#chot spoilers
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I posted 21,171 times in 2022
5,484 posts created (26%)
15,687 posts reblogged (74%)
Blogs I reblogged the most:
@polkadotmotmot
@dailytomlinson
@ladychlo
@holyshit
@himboniall
I tagged 14,789 of my posts in 2022
Only 30% of my posts had no tags
#grey - 3,313 posts
#pop punk!louis - 391 posts
#weird uncle - 168 posts
#gimme - 163 posts
#*palpatine voice* queue it - 126 posts
#tessa - 122 posts
#🤍 - 114 posts
#god me - 91 posts
#the maine - 88 posts
#remember - 84 posts
Longest Tag: 138 characters
#also some happy updates since i’ve been gone 💕: 1) i registered for graduation last week and it still hasn’t hit me that in dec i’ll have
My Top Posts in 2022:
#5
i’m sorry but seeing that tiny pride flag in one of the boxes backstage regardless of who took it and knowing louis performs a song every night that resonates with his queer audience just makes me think about how much has changed since 2013. how unfathomable this would’ve been just two years ago actually. it’s really nice to take a step back and look at these things and notice the progression that’s been had in his image with something that has been isolated from him for so long. so so excited for him.
860 notes - Posted February 2, 2022
#4
all the pride flags made me incredibly emotional
932 notes - Posted February 2, 2022
#3
hiiiiiiii so i wanted to tell my closest friends before talking about it publicly but uh i won a radio contest yesterday. i’m meeting louis next week :( i’m eating lunch with louis next week :( it still doesn’t feel real, but i’ve been an emotional mess since i found out. i don’t know how to comprehend it honestly like!!!! i can’t believe it’s happening after all these years?? i’ve been thinking about 16 year old me and how much i gravitated towards him as i grew older. how much solace i found in him as i grew older. how out of touch the thought of meeting him even was back then and :( i really needed this news right now and i’m just really happy and grateful and yeah 🥺✨🕯 i cant even process it.
965 notes - Posted September 13, 2022
#2
See the full post
1,020 notes - Posted September 21, 2022
My #1 post of 2022
i’ll write a more in-depth post later but:
written all over your face: a mixture between grunge-rock and pop-punk. the guitars were absolutely insane. such a fast heat. you guys are not ready for this song in particular. she’s the main character of this era 1000% pop punk princess
face the music: think early 2000s pop punk. very similar to written all over your face, but much more condensed. the bridge was phenomenal. a chanting “WHOA WHOA WHOA” that is definitely a crowd moment. we were racing around each other during that part. reminiscent of reliant k, cartel, jimmy eat world.
Saturday: A sadder track. it’s one of the best ballads he’s ever written. his vocals were incredible. the bridge of saturdays has such a soaring quality to it, and it builds to his high vocal moment.
all this time: very tame impala 2015 very fuzzy synths. very driving down the highway at night. it’s just a steady alt-club hit.
the departure of sound from walls when it comes to FITF is insane like i know he said it was different, but it truly feels like FITF is it’s own animal. it feels entirely louis. it just exudes such a punkier edge both in sound and in feel. this is his record
1,095 notes - Posted September 21, 2022
Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →
#tumblr2022#year in review#my 2022 tumblr year in review#your tumblr year in review#false#i love how all of my top posts are just about louis DJDJDKFKF#also the pop punk!louis tag being my second most used tag yeah blessed
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How do you feel about The Mortal Instruments nowadays? Do you remember that series fondly or is it something you consider embarrassing and cringey?
It's a mix, honestly.
I'm always going to have a soft spot for it no matter what, because I started it at around 13, and Magnus Bane was the first bisexual character I'd ever read about, let alone who explicitly defined himself as bisexual, and that was really what kickstarted my own personal journey in coming to terms with my sexuality, so I'm always gonna like it for that (also Magnus is just great, I still love him, I have literally reread The Bane Chronicles within the last twelve months). And I like most of the worldbuilding and the plots of the first two series and I enjoy most of the characters and I had a good time reading the series and going back to it on occasion. It's a good book series and decently well-written and I've enjoyed it.
But there is some stuff that's soured for me within the series. I don't think a lot of the periphery relationships were very well done, like Simon/Isabelle and Sophie/Gideon and Maia/Jordan (really a lot of what was done with Maia in regards to the love triangle and her relationship with Jordan and her independent arcs felt badly done, which becomes a whole Thing when you remember that Maia is one of only two main characters of color in the TMI cast and the only WOC). I think the reasons for the Will/Tessa/Jem love triangle were incredibly contrived and overwrought, and also I do not ship Jem and Tessa at all, it felt really forced when they got together in the present day (Will/Jem is more interesting to me far and away, that dynamic means the most to me out of the main three in TID). COHF also just felt really overcrowded and padded to oblivion in a way that it didn't need to be, and the plot kinda nonsensical, as well as the fact that keeping so much open-ended, while good for the upcoming series, made it not as good of a finale to that story that it could have been (still good, just not as good as I think it could be). And the incest thing is a lot, especially in the latter half when it wasn't just "Jace and Clary THINK they're related" but "Sebastian KNOWS he and Clary are related and keeps trying to assault her about it". It doesn't feel like it's put in there for any purpose at all except that Cassie Clare finds it hot, which, fair I guess? but kinda pointless and not the most interesting thing for me.
Also, as someone who was in the single digits when it all went down, finding out about the msscribe stuff via the When Posting Goes Wrong video in 2020, after I'd already kinda left the series behind was certainly not boosting my opinion of Cassie Clare and her work. All in all, a mixed bag. Some stuff I look back on fondly and still enjoy, and some stuff where I don't necessarily cringe, but definitely acknowledge that I'm far more critical of it now than I was at fourteen.
#personal#answered#anonymous#I also haven’t read beyond TMI and TID#and TBC of course because it’s great#so idk what’s been going on with it since then
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gideon & tessa.
Well, he took his best shot. Sort of. Gideon hadn’t intended to hit on tessa at her engagement party, he didn’t even mean to do it. But he had. Even if it wasn’t super explicit, asking her if she ever wished it was him she was marrying instead, he had opened a door. Though he hadn’t asked her outright if she wanted to hook up, it’s what he was thinking, and he figured that tessa knew that because she graciously rejected him to his face, in her own subtle way. It was his own fault, really. He thought because he was so desperate and depraved that she might be too. He briefly hoped that she’d throw away wedded bliss for him because he was just so irresistible, when he knew that if they even did hook up and she cheated on her fiance, that he’d soon be bored of her and throw her away just like he had done to basically anyone he’s ever dated.
He left the party not long after that. Since that day, he had spent most of his time in his childhood bedroom, laptop open and not writing a word. He worried that his publisher was going to ask for the advance back if he didn’t spend a draft soon. Gideon didn’t know how to get inspiration for his sophomore novel. He didn’t even remember how he got inspiration for his first book anymore. For days on end, gideon would write a couple pages and then delete them all in the end because nothing sounded good and all the plots he could come up with he wouldn’t have wanted to read if it was someone else’s book. The central theme remained the same: lost loves. Rather, a love that was lost because it barely existed in the first place. Not real love. A high school crush that got away because the main character didn’t even realize that he liked her in the first place, and now some other man got her before he could realize what he lost.
Each time he wrote a few pages, he deleted them because he realized he was writing about Tessa. He was writing about himself. Gideon didn’t like self-reflection and he didn’t want to put too much of himself into his stories because he feared what he would end up writing. What critics and fans alike would think about his fictional self. After too much time in his room, his mother threatened to kick his ass back to new york city if he didn’t at least go outside once. Get some fresh air. Maybe find some inspiration in another woman. Gideon called up a few old friends from high school and suggested a local bar.
He honestly did not know that tessa was having her bachelorette party that night. The pub was pretty packed already and he didn’t see the group of women in sashes and crowns for a good thirty minutes. Once he did notice them, he assumed that it was for tessa, though it reasonably could have been any woman in town. It still made him feel embarrassed. “I’m going out for a smoke.” gideon announced to his friends at the back of the bar. He didn’t smoke cigarettes very often, but it would give him an excuse to avoid tessa if she was there.
Only he didn’t avoid her by going outside. He nearly ran right into her. “shit, sorry.” gideon apologized before he realized who it was, casting a sidelong glance over his shoulder as he dug a cigarette out of the pack his friend barry lent him. It took a second look for him to recognize tessa. She looked… drunk. Or at least headed in that direction. The cigarette suspended between his lips, he smiled hesitantly around it as she began talking. “Oh really?” he asked, producing a lighter out of his other pocket, then lit it up. “What kind of tricks have i been playing?” exhaling a gray cloud through his nose, he looked expectantly at tessa.
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First of all, @ibrushmyteeth-donttellanyone I respect and thank you for actually asking this instead of blindly hating on James. Thank you. this is insanely long but I really hope you make it to the end.
ahem. Here we go.
His overall character: smart, kind, funny, caring etc
Reading about nbs james was like looking into a mirror for 13 year old me. my comfort character. I bet nbs james was relatable to many.
james and his relationship with his power: james resents his powers. But he never once resents Tessa for it. this is important for the whole shadowhunter world. By the time we get to tlh james from nbs james, james is grown, has accepted his power with grace. He could easily have grown to become angry, bitter, resentful bc of his power. He could’ve been written as a boy who hates everything,believes himself cursed and not safe to anyone who loves him, pushes everyone away. Aka typical Herondale behaviour. i know people would maybe prefer that but come on. belial would easily take advantage of that and pull him over to his side. Nobody wants that. Being aware of the significance of your power and not being careless with it under the bc of ‘I’m sad and cursed’ is mature. He gets that there’s no point in hating himself or his family. He’s dealing with it in an adult way, doing the adult thing by being responsible with his power and learning how to deal with it. It’s hard for him, scary, a burden, but he’s still doing it bc he knows that’s the right thing to do. That’s respectable.
james and fairstairs: james watched his best friend and his wife kiss. He’s shocked, hurt, but does he yell at them or is livid? No. Bc he knows that he’s the one who put them there,the one who sent Cordelia running to Paris. Instead of being angry and putting them in a position where their instinctive reaction was to explain or apologise to him (which would’ve sucked bc he’d hurt cordelia andwould’ve made him seem despicable and unreasonable), he calmly talks to them. He asks cordelia if she loves Matthew, says he would remove himself from her life if she does. He knows that he has no right to yell at them. I know people wanted him to react to the whole thing but no!How is that fair to Cordelia and Matthew?he knows it’s not. We can’t expect him to show anger just bc we want to see some angst. James surprises us with his understanding of actions and consequences So he doesn’t jump at them or something. And while it is the right thing to do, it is not easy. he does it anyway. Again, respectable.
james and math’s alcoholism: james does not pity matthew. He treats him with respect. And idk if I’m putting this right but let me try anyway: when james sees math and Cordelia in Paris, he isn’t calm thinking “poor matthew he’s an alcoholic so I better not yell at him”. the way he doesn’t let his feelings for her meddle with his love for math. Loved it.
The Herondale trope: this is probably why so many people hate on james. They’d hoped that will’s son would be just like will—angry, broken, pushing everyone away, ‘dark’ and we can all love him like we loved will. And mh james was that but not tlh james wasn’t. Might I say that mh James wasn’t himself bc a) he was very, very, drunk b) he was wearing the bracelet. But seriously. Isn’t it nice to have a male lead character who is emotionally aware, healthy and grounded? Who isn’t reckless and rude and we just go with it bc we want to see the girl ‘fix’ him? (Yet another reason why I love jordelia. hey, I love wessa and clace but not as much as I love jordelia.). honestly, haven’t we gotten enough of the sarcastic, angry broken beautiful male herondale trope? Wouldn’t it be boring to get one more herondale like that? When I opened cog, I expected a clone of will to be the leading man (from what we got of mh James).But instead I got this wonderful person who is calm, reasonable, communicates etc and I just loved him So much. He makes me happy to read about him.He was such a breath of fresh air.
male main character: I think with shadowhunter books we’ve had a series of damaged broken boys that all of us adore. And I love all of them. But it’s just so nice to see, for a change, a male lead that’s rational and emotionally healthy.
James not struggling with his morals: there’s been complaints with the way james deals with his powers, him not finding it hard to navigate, not making one mistake. look, I get that people wanted to see a character who was rocking on his boat of morals, struggling with them. But the way james was raised, the way he’s written, it’s clear that this boy has had principles and a clear idea of right and wrong since he was little. That doesn’t mean he sees everything in black and white. He also sees in colour as is proved by chot, but his adherence to his principles is literally the only thing that kept belial at bay for so long. He accepts people’s mistakes, but holds himself to a high standard bc he can’t afford to make mistakes. It’s a result of his connection to belial. He can’t take a misstep. And he’s had enough time—years, in fact, since nbs— to grapple with that which is why we don’t see him struggling with the moral aspects of his power. We can’t overlook the fact that it’s hard just bc it’s boring.
James’s idealism and his principles: james has a certain idealism that I find myself drawn to. He’s kind, forgiving, loyal and brave. And most of this on principle. He was put in situations where these ideals were severely tested and it would be very hard to still stick to them, but we see him stick to them anyway, despite him seeing the ugly truth of things. The way he chooses to forgive grace, how he reacted to math’s story, he talked to Alastair in choi about giving people their space to be angry, talked to Cordelia about second chances wrt alastair in choi. He has principles, his views on mundanes in nbs, how he holds up under scrutiny of his family by the clave. And his idealism in general, what love is, how he looks at the world, his fundamental belief in the goodness of the world, in standing up for what is right. I know an idealist when I see one. They want to make everything better. James is an idealist, and I like that. Which, again, maybe sounds boring to some, but I love somebody who wants to make things better.
James’s family/James “being a nepotism baby”: so. James and lucie were “sheltered, protected, don’t know anything”. Which apparently makes them nepo babies. I noticed that nobody calls Matthew a nepo baby. Bc of his suffering. So what I’m hearing is, if a character has a comfortable life bc of their parents, AND is just not suffering bc of something it makes them a nepotism child. This is so exhausting that I don’t even know what to say. Just bc somebody has a powerful family and they are happy, doesn’t mean theyre simply bad.And do you know why? The way he was raised. We want wessa to be perfect parents but we also want to see their children be unhappy? Makes no sense. And james and lucie did go through stuff so ig I’m trying to say that even though James had a sheltered life, he was capable of facing so much.
finally. He makes doing the right thing seem easy. All of the above are linked to this. Doing the right thing is not always easy, especially in the situations james found himself in, but he does them anyway.
all in all, a fantastic character whose actions have layers. if you made it to the end, I thank you. Seriously.
For real okay this isn't meant to be a hater post but WHAT about James Herondale is appealing to so many people? Please James fans just help me understand ---
#james herondale#tlh#chot#chog#choi#chain of thorns#jordelia#herondaisy#matthew fairchild#alastair carstairs#lucie herondale#grace blackthorn
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To think I hated the first season of this series so much and here I am willingly having finished the season after the KyoAni stuff, something I didn't even need to watch but just did for the fun of it. Having said that though I'm stuck with scoring this one as well, although it'll likely be a 6 or 7.
Before any of that though, episodes 9 through 12. Invisible Victory pretty cleanly divides itself into three 4-episode arcs and I suppose you'd call this arc the one where Mithril comes back together and we attempt a grand assault on Leonard's base to potentially rescue Kaname. And it's pretty good! Tessa gets a lot of good moments in particular - the fake psyche ward play to get closer to Amalgam followed by her quite violently cursing the guy out, it feels like she's come so far. Kalinin traitor stuff happens here, which I'm iffy on - they've technically foreshadowed it but I'm not really all that convinced, and I suppose he's not really a character we've explored enough for me to get why he specifically isn't as unflinchingly loyal as everyone else is. Kaname finally starts existing here, and honestly like. I was actually pretty dead set on 6 as my score for this season, but Kaname steeling her resolve at the end and telling Sousuke to save her no matter how many people he has to kill, and even threatening murder and suicide herself? That shit's why I'm considering the 7. Really can't believe how far I've come around on Kaname. Although there definitely are weaknesses in this arc, Al's return in a fancy new AS body is fuckin functionally a deus ex machina, like they've been showcasing the progress towards that in the background the entire series that's all well and good but it's still very very huh. You are also just watching a lot of like fine action setpieces here but I don't think any of those were really impressing me quite like a lot of the character moments were, so that was runtime where I was just like "I'm a little bored". And it does sort of end on a cliffhanger as well. I can say with full confidence if they make more I'd watch it, although 6 years removed from this airing, who can say. Granted IV was 13 years removed from Second Raid but yk.
Anyway, Invisible Victory as a whole. I'm past the point of calling it a pleasant surprise - me liking Second Raid enough did that for me - but my friend warned me about a lot of things I'd probably not like in this season only for me to come away thinking that, actually, they really weren't problems at all. So in that regard it was a surprise, although he also watched it a while ago so I'll call him out when we next vc. It was worse than Second Raid, but I still think I was mostly enjoying myself. Really just wish it was slightly longer, the three arcs comprising this show do linearly follow on from one another but they feel very disconnected, and there are entire swathes of this show with huge amounts of the cast missing. It's very globetrotting nearer the end but the characters might as well be teleporting across the planet. Sousuke doesn't have much of an arc, he's really just seeing the plot out, but his developing relationship with Kaname is great, and her arc itself is really good. Tessa's at her most likeable as well. Kurama I already said is the least bad "main" villain, and yeah I'd say Leonard as well doesn't really bother me, he's fine. Wish we explored his and Tessa's relationship a little more, I don't feel like them being siblings has mattered yet at all. New characters are all solid although we are throwing in a lot more militaries randomly and having them be major supporting players just because. Visuals were a step down but not bad at all. I think I'm running out of little trivia for myself to talk about. No intention to check out the source material whatsoever so I'll just hope to see this story concluded in anime format one day.
Don't know if I have anything else, so uh, this'll probably be my secondlast Full Metal Panic post, with the last one being whatever score I settle on for this. All unless it gets more anime anyway. What a groupwatch this was. Farewell, gamers.
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Good morning I am mad! Like y’all said I am extremely appreciative of Cassie providing us this piece of media for free. Which I heard would be made into a physical book, which means she’ll probably get a lot of cash from it, anyway! So some fans should stop using that as an excuse, for it being a mediocre piece of media at best. The writing was great and the artwork was wonderful! But The plot could’ve been thawed out better. First of all, I left with more questions then I started out with. Like could Kit see Rupert? Was Andrew and Arthur aware of Rooper’s existence? If they were, why did Arthur came back to take the statues out of the garden? And many many many more other questions, we should’ve gotten the answers to. Second of all, this Kit and Ty thing is getting exhausting! SOBH is supposed to give us a look into the grove of the TWP team, warming them up to take the Baton from Julian and Emma. Like what COHF and Shadowhunters academy did for are main characters in Dark Artifices, with the wedding ceremony and Tessa teasing the potential, for a new Herondale. But no! They spend most, of what was supposed to be a opportunity for us to know them better, pining after each other! Kit’s character growth seem rough and out of nowhere, he didn’t really solve the kidnapping, Julian did. It leaves me fearful of what would happen when Julian is unable to save the day yet once again! Who is Kit and Ty without their romantic feelings for each other?
I’m in raged about how Ty’s struggle as a Neuro diversion person, living in a unyielding and rigid society, was once again sideline for someone else’s problem! But, I’m not going to further with that line of thought because there has been so many on here who’s been saying the same thing for months and years now! CC never listens!
To add the cherry on top of the proverbial pie, all the sudden, out of nowhere Jamie ( a character who we never given much thought to) is missing. Can she please tie up the loose ends first! This is so messy! It reminds me of a five-year-old, eating a cupcake, with the cream and cake splattered all over the table, creating a catastrophic catastrophe! At least the five years old is cute😂. A person going missing, on top of everything else on the other hand is not.
Thank you so much for listening to me rant and I’m so sorry about the long paragraph.
Omg, Anon!
First, it needs to be acknowledged that the opening to this ask had us dying (what a mood!) 😂 Bestie, we are with you.
Never feel like you need to apologize for sending a rant <3 we live for rants around here
Here’s a rant in return (as a bitter and salty treat):
On Criticism ...
The bit about it being sold and therefore that argument being moot is interesting, because it was never intended to be sold, and she can’t very well go back and edit it to make it worth the money we fully intend to spend on it at this point. You do have a good point, but at the same time, it is still free content in that purchasing a hard copy won’t provide anyone with anything that isn’t available to them online.
When it comes down to it, the issue is less about whether Cassie is profiting off of SoBH, and more so the fact that she is a published author who opens herself up to criticism through her profession. Her content isn’t ‘safe’ based on the revenue it generates. This was still a very fun project and experience, but it’s okay to criticize. It’s not a personal attack or an attack on her writing/content, which is something that is important for us to understand so that we don’t feel obligated to come up with excuses or defenses for the person behind the writing.
On Questions & No Answers ...
The point about ending with more questions than we started with is probably one of the most frustrating parts honestly. These in-between projects are essentially meant to fill gaps, aka answer questions, and instead we ended up with out-of-place fluff that didn’t exactly fit into canon — yes, we’re still mad and confused about how Arthur and Andrew could have lived in Blackthorn Hall in the canon timeline. Plus, we get no definitive information on Rupert or why he’d be trapped, which makes him being the ghost feel lackluster after the fact. We are Big Mad™.
On the TWP Gang ...
As for Kit, Ty and the passing of the baton, we get you. We’ve been a broken record on the point that the Kit Pain Train™ took way too long of a trip in this project. Kit’s character development wasn’t mingled into the story as well as it should have been, which lands on the fact that his arc in SoBH was tacked on to expand the plot after Chain of Thorns was pushed back.
It wasn’t terrible, but it definitely didn’t get the attention or drift off that it should’ve — which, as you said, could have been achieved if Kit did anything to actually help the Mina situation aside from getting bodied by Mother Hawthorn. He takes initiative, which is something, but to have him be the catalyst for success rather than Julian (or have him work more actively WITH Julian on a plan), would’ve hit much harder in a narrative sense. (There’s at least a lot to look forward to here, though, as we’ll get to see the growth of Kit’s leadership skills etc. from a better vantage point once TWP starts.)
The same goes for Ty and Dru. If Cassie genuinely wanted to have SoBH set up TWP (which is essentially what it did), they should’ve been given more of an active role, as well. Yes, Ty built the ghost sensor and helped with ley lines, but Dru never once interacted with anyone outside of Kit.
We feel like Ty being neurodivergent/autistic gets sidelined, as well as him as a character, because Cassie doesn’t have the time to do it or him justice. She’d rather push it back for TWP when she can dedicate the proper research and commitment to portray him correctly — honorable but cheap when you still have him lingering in the background.
On THAT Ending ...
The catastrophic catastrophe of ending on this last installment indeed! This is something we will discuss much more in our episode this week, but it would have been much more satisfying to end this in a way that rounded out Secrets of Blackthorn Hall, rather than create a new loose end for a character whose name had only been mentioned once before throughout the entire story, and whom no one really give two shits about other than Dru (including both the characters and the fandom lol).
It does set up the transition into TWP in a way that might make sense if (a) TWP wasn’t so damn far away, (b) we felt and or understood more about the gravity of that, and (c) Cassie had made mention of him more throughout SoBH.
Fin ...
In case you needed evidence that we live for rants … lol clearly we too have a lot of thoughts on this!! Thank you for giving us the opportunity to go a little insane <3 and we honestly appreciate you sending your rant our way. If you ever have any other thoughts, anon, we’d love to hear them!
Bry & Jules 🧡
#krp asks#krp#sobh#secrets of blackthorn hall#kit herondale#ty blackthorn#dru blackthorn#julian blackthorn#emma carstairs#jaime rosales#twp#the wicked powers#chain of thorns#rupert blackthorn#tsc
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