#I would be insanely happy if the case was the former

[cosmicdahlias]

Picture You

MINORS DNI

You’re snowed in at your research partner’s place! All other rooms are occupied so he offers to let you sleep in his room. You’ve harbored a crush on him for some time so just being alone in his room is enough to excite you, leaving you unable to resist touching yourself.

warnings: HUGE age gap (reader is in their 20’s), masturbation, p in v, mild mdom/fsub, creampie

this is loosely based off of chappell roan’s “picture you”. the second i realized what it was about i was ✨inspired✨

You had been Stanford Pines’ research partner for a year and some change, although the actual amount of time you had spent in his company was only a little less than six months. Not long into working with him, he left to sail the open seas and travel the world with his brother, Stanley.

You stayed back, working in the lab and cataloging their findings on your computer. Your skills with technology complimented his total inept ability for anything made post-1982. He would call you- from the phone you painstakingly convinced him to get- excitedly sharing the news of his and Stan’s latest discoveries.

You weren’t totally by yourself during this period. You were once Stan’s employee before becoming Ford’s assistant, so when you ventured upstairs you had the company of your former coworkers. Wendy, an incredibly laid back teenager with a habit for shirking work, and Soos, previous handyman turned Mystery Shack owner. There was also Soos’s girlfriend, Melody, and his abuelita who would hand you home baked goods practically every morning as you walked in the front door.

Still, you missed Ford’s presence dearly. You secretly looked forward to his phone calls and eagerly awaited his return. Ever since you had met Ford two summers ago you were madly in love with him. Hell, before you even met you were drawn to him. Dipper would lend you journal 3 during your breaks when you were still working at the Mystery Shack. You read every page over and over, wondering who the author could be and what they looked like.

You watched Ford walk through the portal, shocked to discover that the Stanford Pines you thought was your boss had actually been impersonating the true Stanford, his twin and author of the journals. As he removed his goggles and hood you felt your face flush. Of all the ways you’d imagined the author to look, a silver fox was not one of them.

What should’ve been a happy reunion between brothers quickly turned into an altercation, interrupted by Mabel’s demand for answers as to just “what the heck” was going on. Ford, who had been distracted by his contempt for Stan, took notice of the other four in the basement: Dipper, Mabel, Soos, and you.

He looked everyone over, but when he reached you his gaze froze, a slight pink dusting his cheeks. He pulled out his journal, writing something down and every so often looking at you before stuffing it back in his trench coat pocket.

Between a lengthy backstory told by both brothers and an interruption by government agents, there wasn’t much room for introductions. After some quick thinking by both Dipper and Ford to use the memory gun to erase the agents’ memories of raiding the shack, Stan insisted you and Soos head home.

The following day you worked with Soos and Wendy to repair the damage of temporary gravitational insanity, when Ford ascended the stairs. He walked towards you, the same shade of pink returning to his cheeks when you met his gaze.

“I don’t believe I had the chance to properly introduce myself yesterday. I’m sure you remember my name, but just in case, I’m Stanford. Though please, call me Ford.”

“And you can call me y/n. So… you’re the mysterious author?”

He raised his eyebrows in genuine surprise.

“Wait, you’ve read my journals?”

“Only the third one, your nephew would let me read it every now and then.”

He gave a small smile. “I’m so flattered to know you take an interest in my work.”

“Are you kidding? You make this hick town actually interesting, a place worth living in!”

You and Ford had a pleasant conversation, discussing the various creatures of Gravity Falls at length. Eventually he excused himself, insisting his work must be attended to, but that he would be happy to have future discussions of the same nature. You went to return yourself to your own tasks when you heard a gravely laugh behind you. You turned to see Stan leaning against the doorframe. Had he been there the whole time?

“Heh, I don’t think I’ve ever seen sixer so interested in someone before. Hell, I’ve never seen YOU so into a guy and men practically flock to you.”

You gave a small laugh. “I think he was just happy to meet someone interested in his research.”

“Oh please, that’s all it takes. Just stroke his ego and he’s yours.”

“Oh no, I’m not-“

“Look, I know I’m a catch and he shares my good looks, so I get it. It’s hard to resist a face like ours and you’re a total nerd so clearly you were gonna fall for him.”

You went beet red. “No, seriously it’s not like that at all.”

He cackled. “Oh really? Cause your face ain’t hiding a thing, kid.”

Throughout the week, Ford would often come upstairs to continue your talks of creatures and cryptids. The second he left the room, Stan couldn’t resist winking and making an obnoxious sex gesture with his fingers.

Another day had passed and Ford once again approached you. You assumed to discuss the plaidypus or something, but instead he offered you a proposition.

“So, y/n, I’ve been mulling it over and I think I could use an assistant. Would you be interested?”

“I thought you told Dipper you wanted to work alone.”

“Because he’s just a child. You’re an adult and I believe you’re fully capable of handling the dark and dangerous side of Gravity Falls. Besides, I’m getting far too old to do this sort of thing myself.”

Ford seeing you as someone worth working alongside with felt like something to be proud of. From your interactions you sensed he didn’t trust easily. You were eager to accept when you remembered your obligations.

“I’d love to, but… I have to discuss it with Stan first. It’d be shitty to just quit on him without warning.”

He seemed to bristle at the mention of his brother, but was willing to put his feelings aside for you.

“I completely understand.”

Later that evening as your shift ended you turned to Stan.

“Hey, so listen, Ford asked me to work as his assistant. I know you guys have a touchy history, but I-“

He waved a hand. “It’s fine, kid. I figured this was coming. Me and him might not get along anymore, but I still want what’s best for him. Go for it. And hey, if you do hook up, just promise you’ll name the kid after me!” He winked.

Over a year had passed, the holiday season was well under way. Dipper and Mabel were staying over for the winter break, having just arrived the day before. You were busy with research in the lab when a startling EAS alarm blared from your phone. You picked it up, reading the notification.

“EMERGENCY ALERT

Dec. 16, 9:46 PM

Severe Blizzard Warning until Dec 17, 10 AM. Unsafe road conditions expected. Avoid travel.”

“Shit.” You groaned.

“What is it?” Ford asked.

“Looks like we’re in for a snowstorm. I’m gonna head upstairs and see if I can still get out of here.”

You ascended the staircase and poked your head out the front door only to be greeted with a massive blanket of snow and thick flakes falling in droves. The lower half of your car was completely buried, tires no longer visible. Welp, you were stuck.

Normally this would’ve been less than ideal, but as you stared out at the enormous layer of freshly fallen snow you couldn’t help the feeling of your heart pounding excitedly at your chest. Possibilities swarmed in your head of what could happen while spending a night with Ford. You turned to head back downstairs when the telltale high pitched voice of Mabel piped up.

“Did you see all the snow? Hey, how are you gonna get home?”

“They’re probably not Mabel, it’d be suicide heading out in this weather.” Dipper said, nose buried in a book.

“Ooooo, we should have a sleepover! We could stay up doing each other’s makeup, painting our nails, watching holiday movi- WAIT WAIT WAAAAAAIT!!! This could be your chance! You could finally tell Grunkle Ford how you feel!” Mabel beamed up at you, face alight with excitement.

“How did you- I mean, I don’t know what you’re talking about.” You lied.

“Pfft, yeah you do! I found your love letter to him in the trash! It was soooo romantic, I don’t get why you threw it out.” Mabel said.

“Hey! That was private!” You scolded.

“Don’t worry, she did that to me too.” Dipper sighed.

“Either way, I know there’s something between you two! Nothing like a little snowstorm as the perfect nudge to make sparks fly.” Mabel said, playfully elbowing you at the word “nudge”.

You shook your head and trudged down the stairs. Ford studied your face, trying to determine the situation by your expression.

“How is it?” He inquired.

“Not good, there’s no way I can drive in this weather.” You huffed, feigning disappointment.

“Ah, I see. Well, the house is rather full at the moment, so there’s not a spare room. The only thing I can think of is the living room recliner, but I wouldn’t exactly recommend it. It’s not really designed for sleeping.”

He paused, looking nervous before offering his suggestion.

“I suppose you could… stay in my room. I finally added a proper bed, so I can take the couch. I- if you don’t mind, I don’t want to impose.”

Your heart did a backflip.

“I’m okay with that.” You said, doing your best to act calm.

After about an hour and a half of work you finally felt yourself getting tired. You yawned, struggling to keep your eyes open. Ford noticed immediately.

“Ready to call it a night?” He asked.

“Nnnmn, yeah I suppose.” You mumbled sleepily.

“Alright, I’ll show you to my room.”

He led you up the stairs and down the hall, opening the door. A long red couch, a queen bed, and a stained glass window were the main points of interest.

“As I previously stated, the bed is yours.” He said, gesturing towards it.

You sat on the bed.

“Thanks for this, Ford.”

He gave a small chuckle. “Well, I’m not about to let you brave a storm like that. You’re my favorite assistant and far too important for me to lose.”

You blushed at the idea of being “important” to him and his “favorite”.

“Aren’t I your only assistant?” You ribbed.

He laughed softly. “Fair enough.”

He looked down at you and his face gave the impression that he wanted to say something important.

“Y/n, I-“ He paused, stopping himself.

“Yeah?”

He shook his head. “Never mind… Okay then, I’ll let you get some slee- oh wait a minute, you don’t have any clothes to sleep in, do you?”

You shook your head.

“I figured as much. I can’t imagine being in jeans all night would be comfortable. Let me see what I can do.”

He rummaged around in his dresser, pulling out an old BMU t-shirt and forest green running shorts.

“I haven’t touched these since college. They’ll be a bit big on you, but hopefully they should suffice.” He said, handing them to you.

“Alright, well, I’m going to finish up things in the lab for another hour or so. Let me know if you need anything.” He said, closing the door behind him.

You took off your clothes and bra, putting on the shirt and shorts and looking at yourself in the mirror. Wearing his clothes was way more arousing than it should be. You laid back on the bed, sighing. Every second you spent with Ford was akin to torture. You wanted him- needed him so bad. He was nearly 40 years your senior, but you always fancied older men. Something about that salt and pepper hair and having more experience than men your age was incredibly appealing to you.

Given Ford’s years in other dimensions you would’ve thought that the latter wasn’t the case for him. However, he had admitted to you after a liberal amount of drinks the night he came home from traveling the world that he hadn’t been entirely alone in those three decades. He ended his statement mumbling in embarrassment that he had still never been with another human.

Your mind was flooded with thoughts of all 12 of Ford’s fingers on you, him eating you out, and fucking you in every position known to man, some only known in other dimensions. You slipped your hand underneath the shorts and your panties. You gathered the wetness from between the lips of your pussy on your finger and dragged it up to stroke your already throbbing clit. It wouldn’t take you long, just touching yourself in his room heavy with the scent of him was turning you on so much. God, how you loved his scent, you would find any excuse to be close to him just to take it in.

You were close, you rubbed yourself furiously as you felt yourself just about to tip over the edge. You pulled the shirt up, squeezing one of your breasts. At that exact moment the door swung open, Ford stood in the doorway.

“Sorry, y/n, I forgot to- oh my.”

You moaned softly, too caught up in your own pleasure to hear his baritone voice.

“Oh god, Ford.” You whimpered.

Ford turned as red as his sweater and gave an incredibly audible clearing of his throat. Your eyes opened, you gasped as you met Ford’s gaze. You quickly snapped your hand up and pulled the shirt down to cover your breasts.

“AH! NO WAIT! IT- IT’S NOT WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE!” You squeaked.

He stared at you in silence for a few seconds before speaking.

“Were you… moaning my name?”

You looked away, your embarrassment making you want to spontaneously combust. There was no way of talking yourself out of this one.

You blurted out an apology. “I’m so sorry! I seriously thought you weren’t coming in here for an hour!“

“No, no, it’s okay. You just surprised me. I wasn’t expecting this, not from someone as young and as gorgeous as you.” He said.

He shut the door behind him and crossed the room to stand next to you. You looked up at him.

“Y- you think I’m-“

He took your face in his hand, stroking your cheek with his thumb.

“Gorgeous? Of course I do, anyone with eyes can see that. When I first saw you that day after finally coming back to our dimension you were such a sight for sore eyes.”

“Ford, I- you don’t know how long I’ve wanted to hear you say something like that.”

“And you don’t know how long I’ve wanted to have you in my bed like this.”

“You wouldn’t believe half of the things I’ve done picturing you.”

He chuckled. “I think I have a pretty good idea.”

He leaned in, kissing you deeply. His hand traveled underneath the shorts to your wetness.

“Oh stars, you were close to orgasming when I walked in, weren’t you?”

You nodded sheepishly.

“Well then,” he purred “don’t stop on my account.”

He removed his hand from you, shrugging his trench coat off his shoulders and pulling his sweater over his head. He loosened his belt and unzipped his pants, sliding them off of his legs and letting them fall to the floor. His boxers barely contained his hardened cock, you could see a glimpse of it through the slit. He slid them off and they joined his pants on the floor. You bit your lip, he noticed you staring.

“D- do you like it? I’ve never been with a human, so I have no idea if it’s satisfactory.”

You laughed. “Oh I think you’ll be more than satisfactory.”

He leaned down again to kiss you.

“Let me see you, all of you.” He cooed.

You sat up and lifted the vintage shirt off of you, he eyed you in pure hunger.

“My goodness, your breasts are perfect.”

You laid back and hooked your thumbs in both the waistband of the shorts and your panties, sliding them off. Ford got onto the bed. The sight of your dripping pussy was too much to stop himself, came in close dragged his tongue along your wetness.

“Sorry, I couldn’t resist, I had to taste you. God, your scent and taste are incredible, just the pure essence of sex.”

He moved to sit on his knees at the foot of the bed.

“Now, sweet girl, pick up where you left off.” He said.

You didn’t need to be told twice, returning your hand between your thighs.

“Good girl.”

“Fuck, I love being called that.” You whimpered.

He chuckled. “I always suspected you had a thing for praise.”

His hand found his cock and he began to stroke himself to you. If being in Ford’s room was enough to make you cum fast, him touching himself to you was going to do you over in half the time. You worked your fingers quickly, electricity pulsing through you. Ford watched intently.

“Are you close, princess? Already?”

“Mmmnn, I can’t help it with you watching me and stroking your huge cock like that.” You moaned.

He blushed a deep scarlet.

“H- huge?”

“Massive. Like I said, more than satisfactory.” You smirked.

Your breathing quickened, your body shook, your moans became louder.

“Good girl, that’s it. Cum for me.” He coaxed.

Your head sunk into the pillow as you came hard, moaning and swearing like a sailor. Ford watched you intently.

“God I’ve wanted to see you like this for so long, you look so perfect in a post-orgasm glow.”

Ford got on top of you, kissing you passionately.

“Ready?” He said softly.

“Please.” You begged.

He slowly slipped himself inside you, you winced and moaned at the sensation of his thick cock.

“Are you alright? You’re squeezing me so hard.” Ford asked.

“Y- yeah, just give me second to adjust.”

He kissed you and gave you time to ease up around him.

“Dear moses, even when you’re relaxed you’re still so tight. I’m going to start moving, tell me if it feels like too much. Okay?”

You nodded and he began to thrust softly.

“Oh god, human pussy feels incredible, y- you feel incredible.” He moaned.

“Ever since you told me you’d never been with a human I wanted so badly to change that.”

“I longed to have you as my first, but I never imagined it would happen. I thought it would be nothing more than a foolish pipe dream of an equally foolish old man. I’ve always been incredibly attracted to you, not simply for your beauty, but because you compliment me so well. We make a good team. I would trade all of the stars in the known universe and beyond for just a second of being in your presence. Out of all the creatures I have seen, you are by far the most enchanting, the most captivating.”

“Ugh, how am I supposed to top you saying something as beautifully Shakespearean as that?” You huffed.

“It’s alright, just the feeling of being inside you is far more poetic than anything I’ve ever read.”

You laced your fingers in his hair and pulled him into a kiss. He sat on his knees, lifting up your hips and putting a pillow under your ass, throwing your legs over his shoulders.

“What’s the pillow for?”

“It’ll increase pleasure to the Gräfenberg spot.”

“The what?”

He chuckled. “The g-spot, love. Here, this will only make things better.”

He slipped a hand between your thighs, stroking your clit. He began to move again, holy fuck he was right, this felt amazing.

“Ohhhh jesus, Ford.”

“Yes that’s it, your pleasure is all I want.”

His free hand found your waist, gripping it.

“H- harder, please.” You whimpered.

“You have to earn it. Beg for me.”

“P- please fuck me harder, sir. Make me cum all over you. I need it, I need it so badly.”

“Sir? That’s my good girl, how could I not oblige?”

His grip on your waist tightened and he began to move himself at a blinding pace. The bed creaked and shook, the headboard slamming against the wall. You tightened around him.

“God, you’re getting so wet and tight. Are you close?”

“Uh huh.” You panted.

“I’m getting there too. I’m going to let you cum, but you have to promise that you’ll cum with me. Understand?”

“Yes, sir.”

“So obedient, such behavior needs to be rewarded.”

His fingers began to move as fast as his thrusts.

“I’m going to cum, sweet girl. Will you let me cum inside you?”

You nodded.

“Use your words, princess.”

“P- please.”

He stopped.

“Please, what?”

“Please, sir.”

“Good girl.”

He resumed his brutal pace. You felt a pressure within you explode and you arched your back, cumming around his cock. The feeling of you undid him. He let go of your clit, both hands gripping your waist to pull you against him and bury his cock fully inside you down to the hilt. He came an ungodly amount inside of you, it spilled out and dripped onto the bed.

“Oh god, I love you!” You moaned.

He looked down at you, his face bright red. You froze, that was an inside thought.

“You- you love me?”

“I- I- ah, uh-“ you took a deep breath. “Yes, since the day I met you.”

He kissed you passionately.

“I love you too. I was so drawn to you from the very beginning. My feelings developed when you told me you read my journals. Hearing you talk so passionately about the weird and unusual, I knew I had met a true kindred soul, my twin flame.”

Ford pulled out and laid beside you, pulling you to him with your back pressed against his chest, his arm around you.

“This was not how I was expecting my night to turn out, but I’m so glad it did.” He mumbled into your neck.

You smiled. “Never thought I’d be so happy to be snowed in.”

You lay in silence, drifting off until you felt something hard and warm press against your ass. Ford moved himself down, his head between your thighs.

“Ready to go again, princess?”

[yunwangja]

undercurrents | yn’s council

masterlist

character descriptions !

y/n

after a failed relationship that traumatized her, she decided that fangirling is better than actually falling in love

her ex broke up with her saying they got “tired” of them and they’re not a match

she felt nothing but insecure in the relationship, her ex was always disappointed for her not “living up” to being a girlfriend

“you should be less demanding” or “you should be more ‘happy’ when we’re together” or “you’re too tense (said annoyingly)”

the final punch was “you’re not acting like a girlfriend”, and “you’re not cut out to being in a relationship”

since then, she’s coped by liking guys that are “out of her league”

she actually liked them anyway though

but never actually romantic !! always an admirable and happy crush

that’s why when she was invited to a volleyball match by samu, she noticed oikawa right away

but someone else found her interesting ;)

is not completely weird with tooru, she can be aggressive lol but in front of him, more of a shy fan

and tooru responds well (wholesomely) to yn

uni student

goes to yuu for diabolical plans

goes to yams for advice

goes to osamu if she needs a peptalk

osamu

calm, except for when he’s with his twin ,,, or stuck in a room with noya

more like a … yn handler

tolerates her; but he’s also the one who keeps her in check and makes sure she’s not going insane

in the first place he has no idea how people knew he had a twin because he never told that to a soul

as per his bio, tsumu is an extra character who pursued vball professionally and didn't go to univ (so diff from kuroo's team since they're all in univ as well)

former volleyball player but chose to go to univ after they graduated high school

good friends w bo since high school (but both got busy and spent some time apart when univ started)

always says yes to eating out for the food

especially when yams bakes cookies

sometimes he uses the lamest excuse to act “sad”

samu: it rained today… that’s depressing

yams: OKAY COOKIES FOR YOU (he knows, he just loves to bake for his friends)

yams

a very good friend of yn from her first day in uni

a yn protector at all times !!!!!!

he will not use violence but will instigate nishi into doing so

in this smau, he has no background of being a vball member

yn’s kindest adviser

would bake cookies whenever his friends are down or stressed

noya

loves to be painfully cringe

50% because its funny, 50% because it gets on his friends nerves

a yn protector !!!!

will use violence if that’s what it takes

the most annoyed one when yn has a new “crush”

yn: there’s this guy-

SHUT UP

so watch his reaction when she got a crush on oikawa <3

also has no background of being in the vball team

note: these are how i envisioned them to be when i started forming this smau. but along the way, there might be times their personalities may shift a little and/or expand more. just wanted you guys to take note of this in case i forget some of the details i wrote down here or make something along the way that might not be written here. idk, in my past smau i thought about this a lot so i wanted to say this lol, but rest assured the core of their personalities will be consistent throughout !

taglist: @lvtilzs @rarararararq @iamfontenlos @kurooswifeyy @secretsunsetsociety @kagsnumnine

[dangermousie]

I saw a post where you analyzed some details in Flower of Evil (particularly the relationship between the lead couple) and your analysis was super interesting.

I dropped that drama ages ago somewhere in the second episode because it just felt like things had already gone so horribly wrong that there was no possible way that it could be brought back to a story that I'd enjoy. I was wondering if you might be able to explain how that isn't the case so I should give it another chance, ideally without spoiling anything too huge? Or do you think my first instinct was right? If I couldn't stomach the first two episodes it probably just isn't the drama for me? My original interest in watching it was for the romance more than anything else.

I would love to analyze (always game for FoE freakouts) and address the issue but I think I could do it better if you clarified a little what you mean by "it just felt like things had already gone so horribly wrong that there was no possible way that it could be brought back to a story that I'd enjoy."

Is it a worry that there would be no happy ending (and one that feels earned/logical not tacked on) for the couple and/or ML (or FL), or that the progression of the relationship would not be anything you like or not given sufficient importance? Or something else?

If it's the former, while I can't say whether you'd like it or not because it's very hard to predict what clicks and doesn't for another person (I have like two mutuals where I automatically know if they like X, I am guaranteed to do so) but I can answer that:

(a) This drama has a happy ending that felt right and justified and not tacked on for me - in terms of both characters individually and the ship. They both go through hell but emerge into sunshine on the other side; by the end of it, Hyun Soo knows exactly how much he's both known and loved by Ji Won (and it's huge for a man who believed on a deep level nobody could possibly love someone like him nor should they) but also he's accepted that he himself is not a monster but is capable of love. And Ji Won loves her husband as much as she did at the start and has proven exactly how much and this time it's based on true knowledge of all of him - because before that she loved him for what he was (his characteristics were all true even if his background was not) but now she knows exactly the traumas and events that shaped him and the issues that haunted him and...she still sees the slightly odd, quite introverted, very caring man she fell in love with. It's a process, she thinks things through and it takes her time to get there, it is not linear but it is so thorough and glorious. She basically goes with her whole behavior: I see you fully and I know you fully and because of that sight and knowledge I love you MORE. And he processes that but also, in an even huger emotional shift, he realizes that he loves HER, that he's always loved her, he just had no vocabulary for it and no ability to process that this is what he felt due to all the trauma and gaslighting and what not.

(b) This is a romance drama. Oh, it has a good plot with its share of mysteries and mini-mysteries, and it's a great character study and has a lot of other interesting things to say. But ultimately, it's a romance. It is centered not really on the mystery of who Do Hyun Soo actually is, or who was/is committing various murders, or when Ji Won would figure stuff out or w/e - it focuses on a relationship between husband and wife who desperately love one another. This drama had an INSANE fixation with shots of their wedding rings and it was for a reason because this is the story of their marriage more than it is anything else.

It actually features a trope that is very much my catnip and narratives (outside of Gong Xinwen novels) don't do often enough - where the woman is the rescuer and the white knight and the savior and the man is this beautiful, oddly fragile (despite being competent and potentially deadly) being in need of rescue. And I don't mean just in the metaphorical sense - she is the reason DHS still has his sanity and found happiness and healing - nah she rescues him in the most physical way possible, from drowning, from various other acts of harm. In a way, Ji Won and Hyun Soo are a noir couple with genders reversed - a tough pragmatic detective and an alluring romantic partner with a mysterious past and ambiguous in terms of morality vibe, a homme fatale. But who (which also happens in some noir), turns out an abused, gaslit person who needs saving and who has honestly is owed by the world for all the hell it put him through.

Once again, I can't say if you'd like the drama - but the above is why I love love love love LOVE it and thank you for letting me have a chance to rant.

[classicanalyzer]

Star Wars Acolyte - Night Thoughts

"Freedom. The freedom to wield my power the way I like. Without having to answer to Jedi like you. I want a pupil, an Acolyte. But this one...went back on our deal. She exposed me. So, now I have to kill every single last one of you. I don't make the rules. The Jedi do. And the Jedi say I can't exist. They see my face, they all die. Aw, look at you two. Right back where you started." "Qimir"

HOLY SHIT, THIS EPISODE IS SO GOOD.

I love how badass Jecki was against both Mae and "Qimir"...sadly she didn't survive "Qimir" (I was not expecting how fucking brutal her death was and I was so sad). She managed to not only take down Mae who took down a Jedi Master in combat but hold out for a good while against a Rule of Two Sith (even breaking his Cortosis helmet!). She was simply too badass to live with her amazing dual blade stance. Jecki is truly Sol's Padawan.

I know I thought "Qimir" couldn't have been the Sith but I love this show's execution of him being the Sith. He's so jacked, I guess we know why he chose to be a seemingly carefree chemist. I love how he comes across as a psychopathic manchild with how he wants the freedom to do what he wants...which is killing Jedi. "Qimir" is definitely the Sith Apprentice (or rather Acolyte) and not the Sith Master. I think he wants an Acolyte to overthrow his master.

I'm also so happy that the show didn't try to make the Sith sympathetic. That was one of my biggest worries going into this show. We see the insanity of "Qimir's" "reasoning" for hating the Jedi and their attempts to stamp out the Sith for good.

I think what's going to happen is that the Jedi think "Qimir" is the Sith Master and not the Apprentice. Then after they kill him, they'll not tell the rest of the Order and Republic about this little incident. Since they're sure this time the Sith are truly extinct, and they don't want to cause any unnecessary panic.

I love how "Qimir's" armor and helmet are made out of Cortosis, a material that can temporarily shortcircuit Lightsabers.

Poor Jecki and Yord, the two Jedi were trying their goddamn best but it wasn't enough against the Sith. Jecki did an amazing job in this episode despite being a Padawan. Yord also grew on me as the show went on, and it was surprising how brutal he and Jecki's deaths were. Their deaths also show how unnecessarily cruel the Sith are. I'm also thankful that Bazil and Pip survived this episode given how murder happy this show is.

It's sad to see how far the twin's relationship fell apart. Mae truly wanted to be with her sibling again, even willing to abandon her Sith master...but Osha will always see her as irredeemable which one can't blame her for. I was screaming when Mae posed as her sister and even more so when Osha was left at the "mercy" of her former Master. I really hope Mae backs out of her presumed plan to kill Sol.

Everything about Sol in this episode, the panic and heartbreak in his voice and face when asking Yord to bring Osha to safety and Jecki's death shows how much of a father figure he is. Sol truly saw Osha, Jeckil, and even Mae as his children. It's truly a case of what if Obi-Wan died in TPM instead of Qui-Gon and we see that good is not nice at all. If it wasn't for Osha, Sol might've done something he would've regretted. I wonder if he figured out by the end that Mae is impersonating Osha.

ALSO THE USE OF KYLO REN'S THEME NEAR THE END. His Knights of Ren-looking helmet might actually hold more than we thought. Perhaps "Qimir" founded or inspired the Knights of Ren.

I hope Sol can help Mae and perhaps redeem Mae. On the other hand, I really think Osha might fall to the Dark Side. It would be a nice subversion of what we thought Osha being the Light Side Twin and Mae being the Dark Side Twin. Great darkness has the possibility of being just as bright while great light has the possibility of being just as dark. I wonder if "Qimir" will tell Osha of the Sith version of the events at Brendok that make the Jedi look worse than they are. However, perhaps Sol would tell Mae the actual version of events which shows that while the Jedi are flawed, they weren't responsible for the deaths of her Coven and even tried to save some, even if some (Master Torbin) believe it was their fault that it came to these series of events.

This is an amazing episode and my favorite episode of the show. Once again I felt this episode was 45+ minutes rather than under 30 minutes. Truly the definition of all killer and no filler. I love this show so so much.

[operationslipperypuppet]

1: Baggin’ it with Balnor: Loud Libraries, Questionable Drug PSAs, and Staying Fit w/ Pendergreens (NADDPOD Aug 5, 2020)

2: Clash of the Corn Cuties (Fantasy High, Ep. 2)

3: “…AS ANY OF YOU” Blast from the Passed (Fantasy High: Sophomore Year, Ep. 15)

4: (finishes with “Only thing that could take us out was a trip to the zoo.”) Rolling up the Hill (A Starstruck Odyssey, Ep. 2)

5: (he misspoke, had to walk back everything, and didn’t remember what it was from. this was after 10 unrelated off topic minutes on the Flintstones.) D&D Court: Bonus Cases - King Robert Can Klump (w/ Ally Beardsley) (NADDPOD Short Rest Jun 24, 2022) [this is a Patreon-exclusive but it’s so unhinged i needed to include it]

6: (including writing a letter to his former wife and expecting her to read it while he watches, then ending the conversation with this song) Leap of Faith (Neverafter, Ep. 15)

7: Everyone else gave a number that was less than 5. Murph thought they were all crazy for saying numbers so low. He said sixteen. Hearthside Chat Q&A: What’s Your Clown Tolerance? (NADDPOD Short Rest, Oct 1, 2021) [this is also a Patreon-exclusive and it’s soooo goddamn ridiculous]

8: Cult of the Trident, thinking a child was named Nana, there’s literally too much to name Trinyvale x Bahumia Mini Arc: Eps. 1-3 (NADDPOD Feb 10, 17, & 24, 2023)

9: Donkey Kong One-Shot: A Bananksgiving Special (NADDPOD, Nov 27, 2019)

10: I’m literally so sorry there are so many moments, the man is insane. if you choose this, tell us what moment, and include the episode title/source/date so we can all enjoy the unhinged moment.

[marreddream]

Housamo Fic - Two Dog Warriors Walk Into A Cafe

Ding-a ling~

Shinya Tennoji is picking up empty cups and plates from the tables when he sees a small pink and a large brown Therian enter his cafe. Hazelnut strawberry and matcha dark chocolate. They make a rather charming pair, he thinks.

“Oh my, Tanetomo and Yasuyori! It’s so nice to see the two of you again!”

Yasuyori beams. Tanetomo scoffs. 

“We’re just here to use the coupons you gave us. We happened to be close by, so we figured we’d scope your place out.” 

Shinya’s glad to see them, and glad they hadn’t shown up until a good amount of time after the Valentine’s Snowball Fight Shinya had met the two at had passed. Days after an absence of his at the cafe were always busier than normal, to speak nothing of a missed Valentine’s Day shift. 

“Aw, I’m happy to hear that! Yes, see what on the menu you’d like, and order at the front when you’re ready.”

“Shinya Tennoji. I hope for your sake that what you just said was a simple case of you automatically rattling off whatever generic customer greeting phrases first popped into your brain when you saw us, and not you assuming me to be so moronic I never learned how to order from a cafe.”

“Ahaha, it was most definitely a case of the former, Tanetomo.”

“Well, perhaps Yasuyori might have needed the assistance, so good on you for being such a diligent and attentive employee.”

“Counselor! You have seen me function perfectly well at the plenty of other establishments we have been to together before!”

There are some minimally subdued rumblings from the regulars about the fresh faces who have entered the cafe. 

“At least...not fawning…Shinya, but…” “Treat… more respect…holes…” “...think they’re …type?” “… are pretty cute…”

Tanetomo’s ears twitch at the last comment. He does a hair flip and a whimsical 360 degree twirl for the crowd as naturally as he draws breath, which is to say: effortlessly yet with intention, before returning to scanning the menu. 

Taromaiti is at the cash register. She observes this action without judgment or reaction. Hermes isn’t here today, but it’s what you could call a slow day, so Shinya doesn’t particularly mind. Kalki is busy preparing food and cleaning dishes in the back, so he does not get to witness this 10s-across-the-board maneuver.

Cafe Asterism’s patrons tend to get upset when Shinya isn’t the server or cashier, but he wishes he could be on cooking duty during cafe hours more often sometimes. Oh well. He wishes for a lot of things that can’t come true. He returns to what he was doing before hand, and Tanetomo and Yasuyori make their order.

“Iced coffee. Grande. And a bread pudding.”

“Could I have… a venti sized matcha frappuccino? Five Monte Cristos, and two shortbreads, please.”

Yasuyori pays for them both, and they take a seat. 

“Oh, 1 hour seating?” “Well, we won’t be staying long. Anybody who could find something in here even remotely interesting enough to justify spending over an hour in this place (aside from the presence of yours truly, of course) would have to be quite the simple minded kook.”

It’s a subtle dig at Shinya, and the corners of his lips curl up a little. But, for somebody whose goal was to win over Shinya’s “adoring throng of fans to show them who was truly worthy of their love”, as Tanetomo had put it, Shinya wasn’t quite sure if…ah, what was it called? If, “negging”, was the right direction to take.

The people seated nearby Tanetomo and Yasuyori smile upside down. There are definitely some unsavory feelings to be felt in the air, but romantic rival nor direct threat to Shinya’s life/ego (it’s the same thing to them really) Tanetomo does not yet appear to be, so they keep to themselves.

Shinya drops off crockery in the sink, and Kalki has already completed the preceding order for Shinya to serve. Kalki’s insane multi-tasking skills are one thing, but that combined with his four, rugged, heat-resistant arms puts him on a whole nother level when it comes to cafe work. Shinya could sing his praises about Kalki all day long, but not out loud. Kalki would explode the world from embarrassment before any of Shinya’s fans could do it for him in a fit of an envious rage. So Shinya settles for a simple ‘thank you Kalki’ and serves Moe-chan her order, who smiles and says thanks.

When Tanetomo and Yasuyori’s orders are completed, Shinya brings their food over.

“Wow! It looks so good! Thank you, Tenn-”

“Taste test for poison.” Tanetomo spoons a scoop of pudding into Yasuyori’s mouth, and then a strawful of iced coffee. 

“Gulp. Delicious! No poisons identified, Counselor.” 

Shinya wonders if this is Tanetomo’s roundabout way of sharing his food with Yasuyori, some sort of twisted display of dominance, or if poisoning attempts really are frequent enough to be something they actually needed to watch out for. Regardless, it’s a somewhat endearing scene, in a darkly comedic sort of way. 

They are in dangerous territory too after all, Shinya acknowledges. He smiles at the two and leaves them to go attend to the other customers.

Yasuyori takes a small sip of his frappe before setting it down on a coaster. The drink is now already half empty. 

“Give me some of your drink.”

Tanetomo has already snatched it before his sentence is even finished and tries some. He drinks a quarter of it, and Yasuyori nibbles on one of his cookies before giving it to Tanetomo.

The two of them efficiently dine and chat. As Tanetomo consumes the bread pudding and his drink at a surprisingly fast yet visually refined pace, Yasuyori piles three Monte Cristos on top of one another to impressively bite down on all at once, and then hands the remaining two to Tanetomo who proceeds to do the same.  

Wow. Shinya can already feel his jaw locking from just looking at them, but it also kind of makes him want to try it out as well.

Yasuyori finishes his sandwiches and cookie first, and then stares at the one he had given to Tanetomo. Tanetomo purses his lips and tells him to go buy some more for the both of them to-go. Yasuyori complies.

To Shinya’s surprise, Tanetomo calls out to him.

“Don’t think I haven't been seeing you side-eye us the entire time, Shinya Tennoji.” 

Oopsies. Looks like Shinya Tennoji got caught. He wasn’t bombastically ‘side-eyeing’, as Tanetomo had verbally interpreted it as, but he really thought he was doing good about not being that obvious observing them. He hopes the other customers haven’t been as perceptive and paranoid today as Tanetomo is in general, but he’s been pretty good about personably interacting with everybody so he thinks it’ll be okay. 

“So was the entertainment of our dining in your establishment to your satisfaction?”

“Aha, sorry, sorry. It’s not like I wasn’t looking, but the two of you seemed like you were having a lot of fun. I always want to see my customers having a good time at Cafe Asterism.”

“Hmph. Is that so.”

Well, yes. That is so, Shinya thinks. He most certainly does not like to see people having a bad time at Cafe Asterism, when the reasoning for most everybody gathering here tending to be because of him.

“Ahhh… could it be that... that wasn’t the case for you two today?” 

His hands come up to his chin. It’s an endearing pose that he finds tends to quell agitated customers, but it only serves to scrunch up Tanetomo’s expression even more. Shinya holds back a smile.

“The atmosphere here is not to my standards. The interior design doesn’t help either.” 

Shinya’s proud of his quaint little cafe, but he knows it’s just that. A quaint little cafe. That also attracted a lot of… rather strong-willed habitué . So he can acquiesce to that opinion. And besides, Tanetomo was not saying Shinya’s decorating was making the atmosphere worse! He can take that part as a compliment.

Anyways, the only opinion on his cafe that truly mattered was Retail Food Health and Safety Code’s opinion, and Cafe Asterism was up to snuff.

“Aww…. Tanetomo, I’m so sorry to hear that. I’d love for you and Yasuyori to come again sometime… but if you’ve lost all interest in returning to Cafe Asterism, then I completely understand.”

He doesn’t want them to never return again. But it’s not a bad thing to let people run while they still can either.

“I’d be significantly more incentivized to return if I had some more coupons to use at a next visit. The food is up to par, I can at least say.”

“Hehee. At least that can be arranged.” He pulls some from out of his apron pocket. “Here you go, Tanetomo.” 

He smoothly plucks them from Shinya’s fingers and looks them over. 

“You just give these out to whoever asks?” “When I feel like…I have extra, I guess.”

Shinya feels a presence behind him and turns around. Oh, it’s Moko.

“Sh…Shinya… sorry, cuz’ I overheard…but could…. I have a coupon, too…?” 

Moko gets the words out just audibly enough for only Shinya to hear, but Shinya knows it’s only a matter of time before people will begin to gather round, and Tanetomo seems to sense this looming phenomenon as well.

“My, one’s heart can't help but be tugged at by such pitiful displays of desperation…”

Yasuyori returns with a paper bag of confections in hand, and Tanetomo gets up to leave.

“I’m off.” He spins, his hair elegantly following in a curve, and heads to the exit.

“Farewell Shinya!” Yasuyori gives a friendly wave goodbye, and Shinya turns around to reciprocate.  

When he turns back to respond to Moko, and Sumael, Amon, and Rue who have also begun to crowd around Shinya, he hears the bell of the exit door ring as it is opened and Tanetomo calls out from behind.

“Customer service wasn’t bad either. Give my regards to Miss Taromaiti and the chefs.”

The door closes shut. 

“I was still right here to give regards to, you know,” Taromaiti remarks amusedly from the front register. 

Shinya proceeds in the distribution of coupons to his patrons who have circled around him.

[trafficblrpositivityproject]

I wish this was just mcyt in general because OH MY GOd YALL ARE INSANE <3 <3 <2 <3

Do you want to know a secret? I have not been fact checking to make sure that each blog that you all send me is in fact a trafficblr blogger.

I’m fine with people submitting hermitblr or empiresblr bloggers, too, since those are fairly closely related to trafficblr. There is currently a small collection of asks sent by one anon who all mention the recipients’ Xisuma designs—I’m not picky enough to delete hermitblr or empiresblr asks. Any current or former trafficblr or trafficblr-adjacent blogger is perfectly fine with me.

If you submit bloggers from any other mcyt sphere—DSMP, QSMP, singleplayer servers, speedrunners, Lifesteal, whatever else—I am not likely to notice unless you specifically mention it in the ask or mistype their URL and I have to look for them. If I do notice, I am not likely to call you on it, since sending other MCYT bloggers is a harmless “mistake” in the grand scheme of things. (I will, however, draw the line if you all start sending me bloggers from entirely different non-MCYT fandoms and I notice this. See if your other fandoms have these blogs and submit to them! Or send them an ask directly!)

If I am honest, the main reason I did not open this blog up to MCYT in general (besides the fact that I am only one person running this) is specifically because I do not really look closely at the accounts of people I have not heard of (except in the case of typos in URLs to try and find the right person). I used to be into DSMP before I was into the Traffic Life Series, and I am fairly aware of the state of many of the CCs right now being outed for abuse. I was somewhat worried about accidentally posting positivity for extant wilbur soot bloggers or something, which I did not want to do. Additionally, the amount of arguing and being mean to each other in DSMP fandom when I joined had me a little worried I would post a nice message about one blogger and receive a follow-up ask by someone who did not think that person should be posted because they disagreed with their opinions. I did not fancy the idea of accidentally becoming a discourse blogger.

These concerns were probably a little silly, but they did leave me to keeping my scope narrower. That said, if anyone would like to make their own blogs which are for other parts of mcyt fandom which are not trafficblr or trafficblr adjacent, such as QSMP or DSMP, I would be happy to post the URL here.

Sorry to derail your positivity post, Anon, but I wanted to make my, we shall call it, “slightly broader than advertised” stance clear!

[sxfiamd]

Back from a mini break, let's overanalyse this and be delusional!

MAIN SUBJECTS; Rimuru, apple, flags (Tempest, Blumund, Dwargon, unknown likely Sarion (?))

Flags

Flags feature, as I said before, Tempest, Blumund, Dwargon, and likely Sarion. In my eyes, the only other option for this fourth flag would be Farmenas. However, that is a vassal state of Tempest, and the flag of Farmenas has been seen within the anime, looking nothing like the fourth flag featured.

Blumund, Dwargon, and Sarion are, at this point in the manga, Tempest's largest and only allies. This panel is placed just after the founding festive — within the chapter itself, it features each ruler of their respective nation discussing and having a meeting. It's likely why the flags are featured.

Rimuru

Rimuru is depicted wearing casual attire, one he had worn to the meeting with the various other leaders. Earlier in this chapter, he had worn his typical demon lord clothing during his battle of wits with the duke. This places the panel, time wise, between the two meetings.

Rimuru would've been relatively happy with himself, and he had successfully resolved the issue without losing face for himself and his budding nation.

Apple

!!CREDS TO @ijney ON THE ANALYSIS OF THIS APPLE — SUCH A BIG HELP I LOVE YOU!!

The two primary objects in focus are Rimuru and the apple. Your eyes flow or travel from Rimuru's face down towards the apple before exploring various other parts of the panel. This is a very common technique used by artists to put emphasis on certain objects — in this case, the mangaka likely wanted to emphasise the apple alongside the main subject; Rimuru.

The apple can be a symbol for many different ideas — temptation and the fall, innocence and knowledge, immortality and death, love and sexuality, fertility, and decay, etc.

From mine and my friend's (thank you so much) interpretation.

The apple, mostly the perceived good traits, represents Rimuru's past self. This panel takes place at a very important time in Rimuru's life. This point in time was a complete turning point for both Rimuru and his status as a ruler.

What is seen being depicted is Rimuru looking down (?) towards the apple with a bittersweet but almost accepting expression. Maybe even be described as solemn. He appears to have been bending in the direction of the apple before he stood straight up, fixing himself. I interpret this as him either standing up from putting the apple down, almost as if leaving the apple or him bending towards the apple.

I imagine this as him finally accepting that, how he was in the past, is in the past. He is no longer thinking of himself as a 'monster with a human mind' but a 'monster with human experience'. He is a monster before a 'former human'. As opposed to how he viewed himself before. Of course, ever since he had been reincarnated, Rimuru was always morally grey, but at this point in time, he had begun to accept it — enhanced by the Falmuth incident and his accession to Demon Lord.

OR

I'm insane and delusional.

OR (theory made by my beloved wife who is not on tumblr)

He just likes apples

[saltiestgempearl]

Today is the day! At long last, I can talk about my absolute favorite headcanon about Dr. Seward with you all.

I'm writing a new post about it instead of just reblogging my post from last year because that post is not spoiler free. That is, I posted October 22 of 2022, so it does mention things from entries that have not happened yet in the 2023 Dracula Daily.

That said, most of it is still fine now that the September 3 entry has arrived, so I have put together a slightly edited version that does not touch on anything that happens after the September 3 Dracula entry:

It starts out with this passage from today's entry:

How can he'—and he pointed at me with the same look and gesture as that with which once he pointed me out to his class, on, or rather after, a particular occasion which he never fails to remind me of—'know anything of a young ladies? He has his madmen to play with, and to bring them back to happiness, and to those that love them.

The thing is, that's not exactly the wording in the original book. In the original book, it says “He has his madams to play with, and to bring them back to happiness, and to those that love them.” Many people write this off as a typo to the point of changing it to “madmans” or “madmen” in some versions.

But what if it wasn’t a typo?

The word “madam” implies an older woman, like anywhere from middle-aged to elderly. And at the time, it was not at all uncommon for women in this age group to be sent to asylums to recuperate. Sometimes it was just a way to get female relatives you didn’t like out of the way, but sometimes it wasn’t.

You see, many Victorians (men and women alike) unironically bought into the “delicate woman” narrative. People really, genuinely thought women were just psychologically more predisposed to mental instability.

Anyway, the headcanon is that Seward actually started out as a relatively low-level psychologist at an asylum, primarily working with middle-aged to elderly women. And being the inquisitive man he is, he interacted with the patients in a less-than-conventional way, letting them talk about things that would normally be considered signs of imbalance by the contemporary medical community (e.g., “sometimes I wish I’d never had my children,” “sometimes I just want as little to do with my husband as possible,�� “honestly those suffragettes make some good points,” etc.). This isn’t to say he was some feminist icon mind you; he didn’t even necessarily agree or legitimize these ideas. But he didn’t shoot them down either—he just listened. And by engaging with the women in this way, he was essentially exploring some of what we now call talk therapy, which was very much not a thing at this time. He may have also tried to be supportive of their hobbies, which while not unheard of (institutions like Bedlam set a precedent for this), was not the most common thing either.

So he did this for a while, and surprise surprise, it actually helped these women quite a bit. He quickly got a reputation for being someone who was unusually gifted in turning around cases of “nervous disorders” that were so common with these delicate womenfolk.

But then some higher-ups decided “oh, well if he’s good with this, he must be good with insane people too.” So despite being a 29-year-old budding psychologist in a very young field, he suddenly found himself the head of an asylum with a very different sort of population to treat.

Given why he was put in this position, Jack naturally continues using the methods that helped his former patients recover so spectacularly. The issue is, of course, that people who are dealing with psychosis or other more serious conditions generally need a different approach than neglected women with anxiety. Basic talk therapy isn’t going to cut it with someone like Renfield.

But again, this field is very young, so Seward is actually relatively limited on how much he can research this. So he continues with his talk therapy, but then adds things like straightjackets into the mix when his patients have meltdowns because that was also a relatively accepted solution at the time (though not universally so; even in Bram Stoker’s time, there were some professionals in the field who had figured out that this type of manual restraint was not helpful and honestly not humane.)

It’s also possible that Jack might have had some criticism early on for not being firm enough with his more “difficult” patients, so he might have overcompensated for that by using the straightjacket solution more often when things got out of hand.

And finally, Jack also has his mad scientist tendencies that he openly grapples with in his diary—you know, the sort that caused him to make wildly irresponsible decisions like “let’s let Renfield escape, but supervised, and see what happens.” And since Jack was the head of the hospital, no one shot down this obviously ridiclous idea because they probably didn’t have the authority to.

TL;DR: The headcanon is “maybe Van Helsing did mean ‘madams’ because Jack started off wildly successful in treating older women with anxiety, and as a result was catapulted into a much more powerful position he was neither properly trained for nor mentally ready for.”

[barokvanziekscumeater69]

Twisted Karma and His Last Bow

The first part of a excellent conclusion

My thoughts on the final case(s) are kinda scattered because for obvious reasons the 4th chapter isn’t self-contained as the others. It’s only the first day of the trial, with the conclusion coming afterwards. I don’t know why they chopped it considering it would work more or less the same way  (I mean, they half-assed the opening for the final chapter and didn’t even bother to make a proper title card, just opened Canva, chose a fancy-looking font and typed final chapter the cis resolve of ryu)

Interatcting with Kazuma feels uncanny. He is just standing on the office of the person he swore getting revenge on while being a little rude to his “best friend” (im a fan of asoryu on fandom/paper but in canon/pratice Kazuma is just a prick, reacts badly even when Ryu tries giving his armband back)

The whole crime scene makes way to another bigger story. For sure the crime couldn’t be more simple than it looked. For the first time in AA history it makes a lot of sense arresting Barok because everyone down there heard the gunshot after he entered and there was a pistol  laying beside him (Jigoku having the exact same model is stupid tho, couldn’t they have issued another different model in this span of years?)

Considering Jigoku again, the witnesses are being stupid again. Weren’t they shown a picture of the victim in the first place? Anyone with a brain could see the obvious difference between Gregson and the judge, who is way bulkier and taller than him. The wig managing to confuse three whole people, one of them being a former prison warden with a keen eye for detail, is another silly plot point. Doesn’t ruin the fun for me, but it makes the whole logic trip on its feet rather quickly.

I shouldn’t be that happy on having jurors return as named characters, but i liked the yaoi woman from the last trial way too much for her to be forgotten. They're repeating the jurors almost make sense economically wise considering they’d have to make five new designs for one-off characters on each chapter. 

The Vigil lady is very stupid. How did she not notice her husband was slowly becoming poorer overnight? They could’ve at least sat down and talked about it, but this would take the magic away from the case, and she accepts him and his weird friends in the end, so I guess that doesn’t really matter

It’s order from above this, order from above that. If you didn’t realize that Stronghart was the big bad in 1-3 you probably had a lobotomy, twice. Even I (stupid with capital C) noticed it.

Gina didn’t deserve losing the probably single parental figure she had so soon. I’ve said it before and will say it many times as needed, but her journey of an untrusting girl to accepting that there are people out there that want to help her is beautiful.

The small room in a fucked up corner of London vibe is awesome. For final cases we usually get those very memorable places that just scream finale (the Bigg Building/Grand Tower from AAI2, the Embassy from AAI1, Dusky Bridge and in a lesser scale the tomb from 6-5) but here we have a key character that gets dispatched in someone’s flat. I love it

The red-headed league are on my “annoying as fuck witnesses” but their dynamic is alright. Not bad for the Skullkin brothers because their cheering doesn’t have sound. Just wish they got a little more involved in the case rather than just mauling Dailey Vigil and getting arrested for massive fraud.

The whole Vigil reveal is kinda insane. He was made a scapegoat in his last job and never knew the whole extent of everything that went down in his last execution. Pieced together with the suicide attempt and the fact that the prison director didn’t give a single fuck about him. It also amazed me how did he manage to make such a perfect lip made from whatever fatty material he had his hands on. How did Venus not notice?

Also, it’s the first time I was empathic towards a witness. Sandwich made me feel bad, considering the bus driver just wanted to make a little more money on the late night rides, and now he’s fucking homeless. Had to do a double take the first time I saw him on the stand, but holy shit, unemployment hit him hard. Also, why was his previous boss a photographer for the Waterloo hotel?

Maria Gorey is also interesting. Her mother was pretty much a one-off character like she is here (she only gives some testimony at the start of the next chapter) but she already shows the resolve to be different from her mother and do stuff her own way. And I’m pleased she has something more to her personality rather than just being the gothic Victorian girl that likes dead bodies way too much. Also, how fun is that Gregson would have his life indirectly saved from the fish in his coat pocket? He really clenched like his life into the fish like his life depended on it lol

The Iris’ father situation made me stumped a little. Considering we had bigger stuff to deal with, I’m surprised they shoved the matter of Mikotoba having read the Baskerville story before in the end of the case rather than the beginning. 

[kawaiichan67]

Happy Holidays @clearwillow

I’m your IYSS! I hope you enjoy!

pairing: InuKag

Modern AU Fluff

For a second, she thought it was an intruder. Slowly, though, a pair of sheepish white dog ears emerged from her hallway. Even against the beige tones of her walls, the ears stood out.  It wasn’t just because she loved them, no. It wasn’t because they were absolutely adorable. And it most definitely wasn’t because she had dreamed of petting them, (stroking them..oh boy) or spent days with her fingers twitching slightly whenever she saw them move.

Her voice trembled a bit since he wasn’t coming completely into view. “In- Inu Yasha-san?” She was surprised that he was still not emerging from her hallway. “Is everything ok?” She gulped for a moment, wondering if this was some weird dream that she was having. Especially after how terribly her hints and flirting had gone over at Miroku’s holiday party.

“Yeah. Ev-everything is ok.” Kagome wondered why he was still hiding most of his body. His voice soothed her even as it didn’t answer her question. “I’m sorry for surprising you, but I wanted to give you something special for Christmas.” 

Kagome placed her bag down in her kitchen and moved cautiously towards her bedroom. Inu Yasha was standing in her hallway, looking, well, odd. His expression was nearly unreadable but, like his ears, he seemed a bit sheepish? 

His voice, so velvety and rich, trembled slightly as he motioned towards her bedroom. “Sorry, I didn’t want to leave it in your living room. Just in case.” He stood to the side as Kagome walked in and then—Did he just sniff me? 

Gasping, Kagome surveyed her bedroom, bedecked with mistletoe. There was mistletoe hanging from the ceiling, draped along the walls and tied to the headboard of her bed. A piece of mistletoe was lying on the bed and Kagome barely controlled a shiver as a breath seemed to rush over her shoulder and her heart started beating faster.

She turned, every nerve in her body tingling and her heart racing and then—then!  Inu Yasha took her into his arms just as she had wanted him to at Miroku’s party; only this time, it was real.

“I’m sorry that I didn’t understand,” Inu Yasha said, his golden eyes sparkling as he took in her joy. 

From one breath to the next, Kagome was back at the party. How silly she had been, basically bugging Miroku to have it in the first place. He’d been as supportive as he could be, even while the former charmer had refocused on his ‘true love,’ Tsubasa Sango. 

“Kagome-chan,” he’d said one day at lunch, “I realize that you are interested in Taisho Inu Yasha-san, but it really seems like he isn’t interested in anyone. Are you sure that you want to try for him? He can be so terribly grumpy.”

Kagome had a difficult time taking her eyes off of said grumpy and standoffish inu hanyou. She turned to look at Tsujitana Miroku and blinked, trying to shake off the mesmerizing effect that Inu Yasha had on her. It was dangerous to her sanity!

“Yes,” she answered resolutely.  A new gleam appeared in her eyes and she reaffirmed her devotion for the grumpiest employee to Miroku. “I have already made some headway,” she reported happily. “He took the ramen that I made for him!”  

Miroku stared. That seemed out of character for the department grump. “He did? Really? What did he say? Did he like it?”

Kagome sighed and nodded her head sadly. “Not really.” At Miroku’s shocked look, she rushed on, “OH! He said thank you, but later when I asked him if it was good he only said that it was ok.”

For a moment, silence settled in between the two of them; even the noisy background didn’t dispel the slight feeling of disquietude. The air swirled around them as people moved, laughed, and chatted. Miroku shifted uneasily and wracked his brain for something funny to say, but gave up. It wouldn’t really help to provoke Kagome. Instead, he glanced over his shoulder at the grumpy object of Kagome’s affections. 

“I’ll help,” he said slowly, wondering how insane of a plan this would be. At Kagome’s tiny twinkle, he shook his head. He was practically in love with this girl and yet, it wasn’t romantic in the slightest. A foreign and protective feeling overtook him. “Yes, Kagome-chan, you can thank me later,” he added with a laugh. Maybe the good karma from helping her would give him his own karma boost. 

The lovely Sango would be an interesting, but difficult challenge. 

And so began the wooing. 

Friend wooing, that is. 

Most days, Miroku knew where to find Inu Yasha. All he had to do was track down Kagome who seemed to have memorized his schedule and had multiple people spying on him and reporting his activities.

Soon enough, however, he managed to befriend Mr. Grumpy Pants (seriously, she wrote that as his nickname?!) on his own. It didn’t take much. Ramen and bonding over pool worked their magic and soon Miroku forgot that he’d had ulterior motives for befriending Inu Yasha. 

And then, one day while they were having lunch and chitchatting about the latest Tigers game, Miroku met the pining gaze of Kagome. He grinned and then double checked his calendar. Perfect timing. He could easily have a get-together. 

“Hey, Inu Yasha, I was planning on asking Tsubasa-san and a few others to hang out at Kaze Anna on Friday night.” His violet eyes gazed at Sango’s lovely…loveliness, —Behave, Miroku-kun, he could practically hear Kagome-chan chastising him!—but he turned back when Inu Yasha snorted. Raising his eyebrow expectantly, he waited in silence until Inu Yasha spoke his mind.

“Keh. Are you sure you wanna try that?” Inu Yasha replied, his golden eyes focused on Miroku. He seemed to be in a particularly bad mood today for some reason, although Miroku had no idea why.

Ignoring his negativity, Miroku continued. “I think Hojo-kun might come, and there’s also Kino-chan, and Higurashi-chan.”  He paused a moment. Had Inu Yasha made a small noise? Miroku hid his smirk. Maybe this wasn’t hopeless! “Anyone else I should invite? I wasn’t sure about adding Yamamoto-san or Takayama-san.” Miroku looked at Inu Yasha who was staring at Kagome! 

Was he growling? Let’s test this theory. “Oh! There’s Kagome-chan! Maybe I should ask her now?” The conniving hentai stood up and stepped towards the table with a smiling, but watchful Kagome, Sango, and —oooo!— Hojo. Maybe that’s why?

“Keh! You shouldn’t bug people during lunch, ya know,” Inu Yasha stated, suddenly in between Miroku and the other table of their co-workers. “We-I mean, you, could always ask them later.”

Miroku smiled. Kagome was in luck! “Sure. I’ll see Hojo-kun later anyway and I can always stop and chat with Kagome-chan later.” 

It was no surprise at all when Inu Yasha bristled a fraction. “Keh, I’ll tell Hobo when I see him after lunch. We sit near each other.” The inu hanyou’s ears were twitching like mad but Miroku didn’t acknowledge his heightened state. Clearly he was zooming in on Kagome’s conversation. But why offer to invite Hojo-kun? The affable young man was clearly in love with Kagome, so it seemed counterintuitive to invite him. 

Miroku had his answer that Friday night. The izakaya was mostly full, but he managed to get a private table with Kagome’s assistance. The atmosphere was lively and buzzing with the sounds of office workers looking to blow off some steam. There were even a few foreigners, practicing their Japanese. He nodded at the server who came by and dropped off their drinks. It wasn’t long, however, until Sango approached and sat next to Kagome, giving Miroku every chance to chat her up. 

Miroku was a little surprised when Inu Yasha pulled back the hanging to admit Kino-chan. The excited look on Kagome’s face was replaced by a firm, happy smile, slightly different from the overjoyed look that had flashed across her face when he’d first appeared . As he turned to greet both Inu Yasha and Kino-chan, Miroku caught a knowing look in Sango’s eye and he gave her a raised eyebrow. 

Happy greetings were exchanged as Inu Yasha slid next to Miroku and Kino-chan joined Kagome and Sango on the other side. 

“So, Kino-chan, how is work?” Kagome asked gently. 

"Oh, its been really nice!” Kino’s lavender eyes sparkled and her white bob shook with her enthusiasm. “Inu Yasha-san has been so kind, showing me how to handle so many of the projects.”

Sango glanced at Miroku briefly as a small, sad sound escaped Kagome. Miroku raised both of his eyebrows and turned to Inu Yasha, his violet ones meeting Inu Yasha’s gold ones. Inu Yasha raised his own eyebrows and then turned away, a slight blush on his face. 

“Oh! Shiori-chan, Inu Yasha-san is very good at explaining things,” Kagome said quickly. Miroku didn’t know where to look first: at Kagome’s embarrassed blush, Inu Yasha’s twitching ears, or Kino-chan’s twinkling and sneaky smile.

“Really, Kagome-chan? I didn’t realize he was so kind until recently. Inu Yasha-san acts more like a big brother than a senior employee.” Her entire statement was directed at Kagome who nodded in agreement.

Inu Yasha gave his typical response. “Keh. It was nothin’.” He glared at Miroku. “What are you grinning about, hentai?”

Miroku nearly choked on his beer as the women all giggled. He put Kagome and Inu Yasha out of his mind, however, and focused on the lovely Sango. “Tell me, lovely Sango-san, how much longer before we have our first child?”

The table burst into laughter as Sango blushed and said firmly, “Never, hentai-san!”

Miroku shrugged and then smiled mysteriously. Kagome gave a little giggle and then leaned forward conspiratorially. “Did you hear that Hojo-kun accidentally spilled coffee on Sesshomaru-sama?”

Inu Yasha guffawed joyfully as the others all gasped and the entire tone of the night shifted. Kagome sparkled for most of the night and Miroku and Sango traded knowing glances. 

After a few hours, the group stood outside, gathering themselves. Miroku stood close to Sango, but forced himself to pay attention to the others. Kagome seemed a little tipsy and her cheeks glowed softly. Inu Yasha seemed torn, standing in between Shiori and Kagome when a sudden call for Shiori made them all turn.

“Shiori-chan!” a handsome young man called as he walked up. “I’m so glad you texted me!”

As one, the other four turned to a blushing and grinning Shiori. “This is one of my college friends, Nakayama Ken-san. He works nearby and we haven’t seen each other for a few months.”

Nakayama greeted each of the group and then turned expectantly to Miroku. “I hope you don’t mind, Miroku-san, but I owe Shiori-chan a dessert. If its ok, I think we’ll go to a cafe nearby?” 

The group turned to Miroku expectantly, although Kagome wobbled a bit until Inu Yasha righted her with a soft pull on her arm. 

With a chuckle, Miroku agreed heartily.  "Of course, Nakayama-san. I’m not her father, y’know!” The group chuckled and turned back to each other, but Miroku caught an ear wiggle from Inu Yasha and another blush with a quick glance at Kagome. 

“Um, which-which way are you going, Higurashi-san?" Inu Yasha asked quietly, looking at the ground. 

Kagome giggled and then responded, “I’m heading for the JR line. How about you?” 

Before anyone else could respond, Inu Yasha rushed, “Me, too. I’ll walk you, if that’s good?”

And with barely any goodbyes, Inu Yasha ushered Kagome off to the JR line. 

“Quick question, hentai-san,” Sango said. “Which way on the JR line are they going?”

Miroku paused, then looked at Sango and started chuckling. “I didn’t even think of that. He seemed in a bit of a rush, didn’t he?” The two shared a knowing look then parted for their own homes. 

It was only a few weeks later that Kagome cornered Miroku at lunch, a desperate look on her face. 

“I’m so sorry, Miroku-kun, but I definitely need some help! I have no idea why but I invited Inu Yasha to a party at your house for the holidays! I was trying to explain the Western idea of mistletoe and suddenly it just popped out of my mouth. Please! Please can you help me?”

Miroku sat, overwhelmed at first, then caught a glimpse of Sango, staring intently. Hmmm, so the lovely Sango is invested in this. Two birds, one stone? He paused, smiling and nodding at Kagome as he finished his bite of spaghetti. Yes. This will be good for both Inu Yasha who blushes every time Kagome looks in his direction and Kagome who loves this grumpy guy with a soft side. 

“Yes, that sounds wonderful, Kagome-chan. I hope that you will help me plan and organize the party? Let’s say for next weekend?” Miroku almost laughed at how Kagome seemed to be vibrating with happiness. Apparently she had picked up one of Inu Yasha’s traits. 

For a moment, his eyes met Sango’s and he saw her give a slight nod, which gave him another thrill.  He winked and nodded at her. If my lady approves.

Kagome whirled around Miroku’s apartment, adding mistletoe at strategic spots and planning how to maneuver Inu Yasha underneath one of them. Or all of them!  Carefully, she moved the mistletoe from the middle of a doorway to closer to the side. No need to trap everyone underneath this western custom. It could cause some serious awkwardness. 

She smiled as she ran through her list of things to do. Miroku already had all the glasses and drinks out and Sango was putting out the snacks and setting them on a few different places around the main room. Kagome stepped back and grabbed some of the extra coasters she had purchased. They were a cute novelty gift that changed their message when they heated up.  Carefully, she pulled the few ‘special’ coasters which would change to “I really like you” rather than the more Holiday themed ones that she had already put out. 

A quick hug from Sango helped her calm down just as the first person knocked on the door. 

Miroku’s voice put both the women on alert. “Welcome, come in! Happy Holidays, Hojo-kun, Ookami-san.”

Sango and Kagome groaned and headed for the drinks. 

Kagome and Sango sighed and then laughed. So far, Miroku had managed to kiss both of them on the cheek, although Sango had lost count after 5 kisses. 

“How did it go?” Sango asked in a hush, her head slightly tilted towards Inu Yasha, currently drinking some Asahi with Miroku and Ken-san. 

Kagome grimaced but then stood up and nodded. “We did have a nice chat, but he completely missed out on the fact that I was standing underneath the mistletoe. 4 times!” she added in frustration. “4 times, Sango!” She paused and they walked closer to the kitchen for more privacy. 

“I have to admit, Kagome-chan, I was very impressed with how you dodged Kouga-kun. How did Hojo-kun sneak attack you, anyway?” Sango brushed her hair over her shoulder and added some more ocha to her cup. 

Kagome added more ocha as well and then leaned in. “I was busy staring at Inu Yasha’s—umm, his…” At Sango’s knowing giggle, Kagome relented. “Ok, yes. I was staring at his butt. Oh my kami! Sango! Its like a perfect peach!”  The two women shared a look, then glanced at the man they were discussing. The giggles continued until a sudden male voice surprised them

“Who has a perfect peach, my dear ladies?” the host asked and then waggled his eyebrows, provoking even more giggles and a reprimand from Kagome. His eyebrows shot all the way up, however, when he felt a little pinch on his butt. He grinned and leaned in to kiss Sango again.

Kagome sighed as Miroku kissed Sango’s cheek. Somehow, Inu Yasha had managed to maneuver her under the mistletoe every time she got close to it. But no kiss! She had thought they were getting closer. Especially last week and this week when he had stopped by to discuss something. It was clear that he was just there to see her, but he ignored her hints about grabbing dinner or drinks after work. She’d even bought him a Christmas present but it seemed foolish to give it to him now. 

With a quick look at her watch, Kagome started packing up her things. Most of the attendees had left and she was happy to have avoided Kouga-kun several more times. He had managed to kiss her hands once but she had carefully made sure to always have something to drink or snack on if she wasn’t trying to woo Inu Yasha. Maybe after the New Year Mr. Grumpy will finally notice me. 

Even her special coaster hadn’t worked! Inu Yasha had used it, the message had shown up, and while Kagome stared at it pointedly, Inu Yasha seemed oblivious. Resigned, she had given him a weak smile and left to avoid Kouga-kun again. 

She caught Miroku’s eye as she headed for the door and he met her in the genkan. He helped her put on her coat and then gave her a wink. She shrugged her shoulders and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. At his surprised look, she replied, “Mistletoe,”and left. 

Miroku headed back to the living room but nearly ran into Inu Yasha. “Hey, was that Kago- Higurashi-san?” Miroku caught Sango’s eye and nodded, a sneaky smile drawing up his mouth. 

“Yes, she left. It was getting late. Too bad; you could’ve walked her home again.” Inu Yasha gave a small nod and looked at the door. Miroku moved closer to Sango. “It’s a bit strange, though. I could’ve sworn you lived in a different district. You don’t take the JR, right?”

He chuckled and followed Sango into the kitchen. She’d promised to help clean up tonight and they were already making some good headway.

“Hey muttface,” Ookami Kouga said from right behind Inu Yasha. “Did Kagome leave?”

Inu Yasha didn’t bother responding, but he stopped when Kouga grabbed the cardboard coaster from his hand. 

“Oi! What‘s the deal?” Inu Yasha responded grumpily and snatched at the coaster. Normally, he wouldn’t care, but well, Kagome had given it to him. No one needed to know about his Kagome collection, anyway. But he’d get the coaster back somehow. Smelly Ookami.

“Hey! Yours is totally different from mine!” Clearly they both had Kagome collections; otherwise, why else would Kouga still have his coaster, too?! 

The two stared at the coasters. One clearly said, “Happy Holidays!” in katakana and the other said, “I really like you,” in hiragana. The two stared at the coasters, then at each other. 

Inu Yasha worked hard to control his blush, his ears, even his heart. When Miroku cleared his throat, Inu Yasha swiped the coaster from Kouga and pretended to throw it away.  “Very funny, hentai,” Inu Yasha said to Miroku. He gave Sango an inscrutable look, then palmed the coaster and gathered up some of the leftover beers for the recycling.

When things had calmed down and it was only Miroku, Sango and Inu Yasha, he pulled out the coaster and showed it to Miroku.

“Something I should know?” His voice was low but serious and Miroku could detect a hint of curiosity mixed in.

“Why would you ask me?”At Inu Yasha’s unhappy look, Miroku added, “You should probably ask the person who ordered them. She made sure that you got one of those and no one else did.”

Inu Yasha blushed and then raised his eyebrows as Sango slid into Miroku’s arms and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. She smirked at Inu Yasha and pointed over head. “Mistletoe. Wonder who put that up?” 

“No…” Inu Yasha couldn’t help it this time. His ears wiggled and his heart began beating faster. He was definitely adding this to his collection! It would look great next to the cute notes she wrote him and left with his ramen. He looked back over Miroku’s place, thinking about the events of the night. He could remember each time that he spoke with Kagome. Her voice was so soothing and electrifying, and her smile made him giddy. Her eyes…he was ashamed to say that he’d had to physically move to keep his mind on whatever she was saying. But…Kagome had kept talking to him underneath the doorways.

For the first time that evening, he examined the doorways and ceiling. In nearly every place Kagome had spoken to him, there was mistletoe. He reached up and pulled it down. Hmmm, he should definitely take these and then…what should he do? 

He was such a baka! Kagome! This whole time Kagome had been interested. IN HIM! the ramen-Oh I was just trying a new recipe-the cute notes! She had even asked him out for dinner! He was so stupid! Why did he think his feelings were so one-sided! She always smelled so nice it was hard to think clearly around her.

Well, he would just gather up the mistletoe and plan a nice surprise for her tomorrow!  

So here he was, like a deranged stalker, hoping she would understand that he was only trying to keep things private. He was not…she smelled so good! His brain short-circuited.  

Kagome looked into Inu Yasha’s eyes. They were warm and shining, but only for her. 

“Thank you,” she whispered and rose to her tip toes for a quick kiss on Inu Yasha’s cheek. He smiled at her and kissed her softly on the forehead, then moved further into her room and kissed her right cheek, then her left. 

Kagome’s giggles almost overwhelmed her, but she reined them in to gaze into Inu Yasha’s eyes. “Are you certain this is all for me?”

Inu Yasha grinned and gave her a light kiss. Her lips were soft and warm. They tasted like sakura and vanilla, the same as her smell. 

“You’re so sweet. I knew you were just a big teddy bear,” Kagome whispered against his lips.

“Sure. Sweet,” he gave a short chuckle. Kagome pulled back and made a funny face at him, so he leaned in and said, “It’s kissy time. Not chatting time.”

Kagome erupted into laughter. “Kissy time!”

“Yes, first we make the kissies.” He kissed her again, but with more passion, leaving Kagome a bit breathless. 

She nodded. “Yes. The Kissies,” she repeated, now under his spell.

He smirked dangerously and pulled her even closer.  “First, we make the kissies. Then we make the babies.”

Kagome smirked back and pulled Inu Yasha into another kiss. Happy Holidays, indeed.

tag list: @liz8080 @clearwillow @iyfss @inusecretsanta

[highqueenofelfhame]

a/n: happy mermay!! this wasn't supposed to be multiple parts but it started getting a little long. it won't be a full length fic but it will have a few parts for it just to keep it from being one insanely long one shot. i hope you enjoy. pls be kind, i haven't written fantasy in a long time or fantasy like this ever. ok bye &lt;3 PS: IF YOUR TAG IS BOLD IT WOULDN'T LET ME TAG YOU!

masterlist // rowaelin // 5.3k words

Of everything that Rowan Whitethorn had ever been called, stupid was never one of them.

Always at the top of his class, he graduated valedictorian in both high school and college. He worked tirelessly to graduate with a double major in oceanography and marine biology. A decade later, he had a doctorate in the former and worked for the most well respected ocean research institute in the world. Rowan himself was said to be one to watch in their community with his passion and tireless research. 

Right now, however, the only word blasting through his brain was stupid stupid stupid while alarms in his submarine wailed for about fifteen different reasons. Frantic fingers flew across the keyboard to access troubleshooting. Everything was going off. His oxygen inside the craft was plummeting, air pressure was rising, something in the back was hissing,  communication with the surface was down, and he had no fucking idea why. 

Five minutes ago he approached the ruins far beneath the waves and was studying animal activity in the middle of the night. It was by the far the dumbest thing he had ever done, going down at night without telling anyone. The submarine was built for two bodies and there was always a team on land surveying everything about the machine in case something went wrong. He knew better, yet something had been calling to him until he found himself pulling on his clothes and boarding alone. Rowan hadn’t even woken anyone up to ask for assistance. It was a trip he had made so many times over the last few months and he didn’t see the harm in going. 

And now the multi-million dollar submarine had managed to hit something incredibly hard while not moving. Nothing had shown up in the radar. One minute he was scribbling notes on lined paper and the next he was launched out of his seat and into the wall. His body was screaming as he pulled himself into the seat to figure out what the hell happened, but he couldn’t see anything. Rowan wondered what kind of chaos was happening above the water. Everyone would be awake by now and realize that both he and the submarine were gone. 

Still panicked, he kept trying and failing to get the back-up oxygen running. He was down to three percent which should have been fucking impossible for how long he had been below. 

At least he was going to die in the ocean. He had loved it so thoroughly since he was a boy, always feeling drawn to the water. At least there was this. 

“Burning hell,” he heard, but it wasn’t his voice. Rowan quickly surveyed the submarine and came to the conclusion that he was alone. But where did that voice come from? The accent was unlike anything he had ever heard but it was so lovely. All rolling letters and curved syllables,  it nearly entranced him. Whoever she was, her voice was the most gorgeous song he had ever heard and there was a tug—

Metal groaned and cracked, popped and exploded to nothing and suddenly he was launched through the water. By the grace of the gods, he managed to get one gulp of air into his lungs before being swept out into the iciest cold he had ever felt. It was pointless. He was going to die. How he hadn’t burst into a billion pieces at exposure to such high water pressure was absolutely beyond him. That one quick breath wouldn’t save him. 

Maybe he was already dead. 

With his body going into shock and the submarine sinking in pieces and chunks to the ocean floor, there was no way he wasn’t one hundred percent a dead man. It didn’t make sense that he hadn’t blown to bits, that he had seemingly stopped flipping and hurtling through the water. Everything around him suddenly felt warm like the ocean was wrapping him in a loving embrace. 

Definitely dead, then. 

If he was still alive against all odds, he didn’t have much time left. Despite being an excellent swimmer with lungs that could sustain him under water for several minutes, he didn’t have the time to get a proper breath. Still, he opened his eyes, rapidly blinking as the salt burned, invisible tears escaping into nothing. He shouldn’t be able to see anything this deep without the lights, and yet… 

Something was glowing. It was a radiant golden light floating closer and closer to where he waded. Which also shouldn’t be possible, but he supposed all bets were off when you were dead. Perhaps this was all a dream and he would wake up soon, haunted by that lovely, lilting voice he didn’t want to forget. 

“I can’t do this for very long,” Gods, that voice. His panic seemed to cease at the sound of it. A sense of calm washed over him and the sudden sensation of air whooshing up his nose had him exhaling the breath he was holding. Rowan blinked again, that blurry orb of bright light turning into a woman. 

Mala burn him alive, he had never seen anyone so beautiful in all his life. Her hair seemed to defy the laws of oceanic gravity, cascading over her shoulders and well below her breasts. With pale skin and a smattering of freckles across her nose, she swam until they were close enough to touch. 

Despite his blurry vision, he could tell her eyes were the color of the purest seas. So vibrantly turquoise there was no way she was human. Light seemed to radiate from within her turning the golden ring in her eyes into molten flame as she appraised him. Her skin cast a dim light around them, those brilliant eyes scanning the area. 

Something deep within him tugged, like a taut piece of string pulling against his ribs, his heart. This is what he had been looking for. This angel was the reason he was so drawn to the ocean and all that dwelled within. 

“I can’t keep giving you oxygen for long,” she told him, concern furrowing her brow. Rowan opened his mouth to ask if she was an angel, to tell her how beautiful she was and that it felt like he’d been pulled toward her his entire life, but water rushed in and forced all of his words back down his throat. “Don’t try to speak. I don’t have long.” 

Dumbly, he nodded his head. He would do anything she asked of him. 

“You have two options and you must decide quickly.” Her pretty words were rushed like she was the one panicking. “You can die and I can return your body to the surface, or I can save you. But if I save you, you’ll be like me. And you will dwell here forever.” 

He was already dead. There was no other explanation. But he cocked his head slightly in a silent question. What did she mean like her?

Thus far in their interaction he hadn’t been able to pull his eyes from her perfect face. His eyes had dipped down to her neck, but no further than that. Something in his mind told him to look, to see, so he took one of their dwindling moments to fully take her in. If he wasn’t dead, he probably would have been surprised. Perhaps he would have yelped and tried to get away, or maybe his brain would have made something up to make him believe what he was seeing. 

Her hair seemed to move from her neck, coiling around to the other side to display what could only be gills just behind her delicately pointed ear. Some sort of shining fabric was wrapped around her breasts. Like her eyes, it was a stunning shade of turquoise that he was convinced had no name and seemed to be fused to her somehow, like scales. Her body was finely sculpted by the gods, all the way down to her navel. There, her skin reflected bits of gold, and lower she—

Where her legs should be was a vibrant, shimmering gold tail. It looked like golden starlight had been melted and wrapped tightly around her body. The fins of her tail swayed idly in the water like molten ore. Similar to some jellyfish, the edges of the main fin had a slightly ruffled quality to them yet looked like the finest gossamer. He couldn’t be sure with his blurry eyes, but it seemed to have a glimmering effect. At her hips she had fins on each side that looked much like the one where her feet might have been if she was human. She was a mermaid. And she was fucking exquisite. 

“I can save you, or take your body home. What do you wish?” 

The answer seemed obvious. Die and let his friends and colleagues find his body, or live forever in heaven with an angel. One that it felt like he’d been looking for his whole life. Maybe that was the death talking. 

Still, he nodded, gesturing toward her. He wanted to ask how she was going to save him, but the words didn’t leave his mouth. Instead, she smiled, pink lips spreading to reveal surprisingly normal teeth. 

“A kiss,” she whispered, her voice a sultry purr as she leaned closer. “Are you sure?”

Rowan nodded as the airflow through his nose grew weaker. How could he say anything but yes to her? To the creature with the voice of a song his heart had been singing forever. As he took his last inhale of the air she gifted him, his nod grew more eager. 

“This is going to hurt, and I am so sorry.” Before he could process her words,  cool lips were pressed against his. 

Something pulled at his insides, but he couldn’t name the feeling. His lips parted when her tongue brushed his lips and she exhaled what could only be liquid flame into his core. Rowan began to thrash about, lightning striking every nerve ending in his body. Aches rumbled deep in his bones and barreled through every pore, that white-hot pain lancing across his skin, his lips, his eyes. Even his hair seemed to hurt as she burned him from the inside out. The pain was so fierce he couldn’t muster the strength to even attempt to restrain her, to shove her away and make her stop. 

Through the pain his body bowed, back in a tight arch that felt like his spine would splinter into thousands of pieces. Color exploded behind his eyes as whatever fire she breathed into his lungs took root. Paralyzation took over and he couldn’t move, the only solace to the heat being the frigid water surrounding them. 

Rowan might have been screaming to no one and nothing, and she might have been devouring his very soul. Even when the pain became so blinding that consciousness was no longer an option, her poisoned mouth stayed glued to his. 

He had always heard that beautiful things were deadly. It couldn’t be more true about the creature stealing his soul. All he knew was pure agony when the freezing darkness of the ocean swept in, claiming another life to her mysterious depths.

~*~ 

When Aelin awoke she was nestled on a bed of kelp and seagrass. The sickly-white bioluminescence told her enough about where she was without having to really look around: the infirmary. It wasn’t the first time she had woken up here with twinges of pain throughout her body and it certainly wouldn’t be the last. It was, however, the first time she couldn’t place why she was there. 

In true Aedion fashion, he was lounging on a rock with a solemn glare aimed at her. Aelin winced as she sat up and adjusted her weight. One of her fins had been caught beneath her for what felt like entirely took long. She frowned at the wrinkle, at the thing that seemed different about herself that she couldn’t place before looking at her cousin. 

“What the hell happened?”

“You don’t remember?” 

“Not particularly, no. Some grand adventure of mine turned a little sour, I suppose.” They often did much to her family’s eternal dismay. It wasn’t that she went looking for trouble, she just had a penchant for finding it. 

“The submarine? The explosion? The man? Your kiss? Any of that ringing any bells, sweetheart?” Bright memories clanged through her at his words and she started, twisting and turning to find the man from the vessel. 

Her heart both soared and sank at the sight of him several beds over. Considering that he was already finished with his transformation and sleeping soundly, it meant that she, too, had been unconscious for at least two days. Maybe three. 

What a glorious transformation it was, though. Her aching body pushed her through the water to his side, her fingers weaving into the seagrass as she came to a stop. Gills fluttered gently as he breathed, his long silver hair fanned out around his head like a halo. The clothes he had been wearing when she found him were gone. A bronze sculpted chest expanded with every breath and occasionally his eyes and fingers twitched. The tattoo he had as a human remained, but where the ink had once been a flat black, it now flashed with blues and greens beneath the lights. It had expanded to crawl up his neck and feathered along his jaw, the edges of it wrapped around his ears like tiny tentacles. Fascinating. The gauntlet of scales that started at his wrist and crawled up his forearms were of the same coloring as his tale, all vibrant shades of silver, gold, green and bright blue. 

Then there was his tail. While hers was all golden with turquoise throughout, his was primarily her favorite shade of green. About halfway down it faded to a darker emerald with sparkling silver and gold shooting throughout. Aelin’s scales were flatter, more silken to the touch. The ones of his fin were thicker and more defined, similar to how Aedion’s were.  He had very defined boning through his bottoms fins, the webbing between iridescent hues of pine, starlight, and the purest ocean water. In short, he was beautiful, and she was positive she could write an essay about him if she tried. 

“Has he woken up at all?”

“Not yet, but his vitals are steady and healthy. He should wake up soon, though. Probably good that you woke up first.” Aelin nodded in agreement, curling her hands into fists to keep herself from touching him. “Are you going to tell me what the hell happened to make you give him your kiss?” 

“I know what it looks like, and it’s not that,” she blurted, perching on the edge of the man’s bed. It looked like she lured him out of the submarine to seal his fate below the waves. While she had spent the last several months enthralled by him and the work he did, she didn’t kiss him lightly. It wasn’t a simple decision to make, and it was one that few mer ever risked. 

Aedion arched an eyebrow, his fins moving in a way that told her she was impatient. Aelin sighed heavily, running her fingers through permanently silky strands. 

“He got too close to the city. The defenses went off and when I tried to shove them out of the way, it was too late. It rocked the back half to the vessel and sent all the mechanics into a tizzy. He was going to die.” 

“He’s doing work that could kill us all,” Aedion reminded her. It was a harsh truth she wanted to ignore. Something about this man was different from all the others that had ever studied their kingdom. Humans saw it as a cluster of ruins. In reality it was one of the seven thriving kingdoms that dwelled at the bottom of the ocean. A kingdom that she was the princess of. 

While many oceanographers tried, and failed, to get too close to document the ruins, this man had always made his team stay far enough back that no damage would be caused. Even on the night that the world went to hell, he was a respectable distance away until a current pushed him a little too close. Aelin had been watching all these months, though. The man was incredibly intelligent and cared greatly about the ocean and her creatures. She spent hours watching him while he scanned what he believed he saw, scribbling notes in a little book. Most often he had a golden or onyx-haired companion with him. It was always this one that was most cautious and respectful about the marine life, though. 

The lost Kingdom of Terrasen was only a myth because it had never existed on land to begin with. Legend says a thousand different things about how it wound up on the bottom of the ocean, leading generations of scientists to dive deep below to try and find the forgotten city. Most of the time, the defenses of the kingdom would wipe memories and send people far away. Some of them forgot what they were doing in the water to begin with, some forgot who they were entirely. Their wards were temperamental and it all depended on the heart of the person hunting them. 

For the first time ever, when this man was on board the submarine, they were allowed to see the ruins of what might have been. It confused everyone, her father included. Even the king didn’t have control over what the wards permitted people to see or what knowledge they might walk away with. This man and his team had been chosen for the smallest amount of exposure. The only catch, it seemed, was that they couldn’t nail down exact coordinates and there were days between visits because they got lost. 

The night he appeared entirely alone, however, it was like he knew exactly where to go. Like the magic of the lands were whispering to him, guiding him almost to their doorstep. It was the first time he had ever gotten much too close and it almost cost him his life. That wasn’t entirely his fault, there truly had been a current that moved the ship just enough that it triggered major defense systems. If Aelin hadn’t tried to knock the blast out of the way, he would have been dead before she could intervene. 

She looked back down at his handsome, sleeping face and held in a sigh before looking back at Aedion. “You know that the magic sings to him.”

“Is it the magic, or has it been you?” 

Aelin scowled. Sirens were relatives of the mer, and liked to lure men to tragic deaths. Somewhere in their shared Ashryver bloodline were siren powers. They never really used them. Speaking to this man to save his life was the first time she had ever put the full force of it in her voice, and it had only been to calm him down. 

“You know it wasn’t me,” she said, twisting to look back down at him.

“You gave him your kiss.”

“I gave him the option of death or life, and he chose life. So of course I gave it to him.” A mer’s kiss was as much of a legend as the merfolk themselves. Most of the stories were watered down versions of the truth. None of them were exactly correct, yet they weren’t wholly wrong. 

Many of them claimed you would be given magic of your own or healing powers. Most implied it could be done over and over, and that to take a kiss from a mer was to sell your soul. The last part was kind of true. To take a kiss was to become a mer, but it was a little more complicated than that. 

Each mer only had one true kiss to give. Typically it was given to humans, though some had been known to give it to other creatures of the deep. It was a heavy decision on the mer because of the repercussions. That other life would be immortally bound to theirs, half of any magic the possessed transferring to the other being in the process. The elders said it was because the magic was the only way most could survive the transformation, and after witnessing it with her own eyes, she understood why.

Aelin had always known that it would be painful on both parts. For the man she saved, it seemed to ring true. She had never seen that kind of blind terror on anyone’s face, had never been able to feel such raw, visceral pain coming from another being as clearly as if it were her own. The few mer that she knew were Made had once said it was like having every part of you ripped out and made new, but it depended on what magic the other possessed. Among a few smaller healing gifts, Aelin had liquid flame that nobody could really explain. It had to have been agony. 

For her, she felt parts of herself she didn’t know existed splintering apart. The tangible feeling of her magic being torn from her body was painful enough, and she wouldn’t have been able to pull away from him if she tried. Her bones still ached like she’d been slammed into the sandy floor over and over. Maybe she had. At some point she lost consciousness and then woke up in the infirmary with her glaring cousin at her side. 

And then there was that other thing she had felt. Like a harp string between their bodies shining golden in the dark, plucking a song she swore she had heard her entire existence. Most merfolk didn’t risk giving their kiss away. The costs were simply too high for them unless they found their true mate. Looking down at the handsome face beside her, feeling that vibrant bond between them, she couldn’t help but wonder if the wards had been so forgiving of the man because his heart sang their princess’s song. 

“Aedion, I think…” Words were tangled in knots that she couldn’t speak.

“I know. We all knew. Look at his tail and yours.” Aelin swished her lower fin up, gasping at the brilliant shades of green that shimmered in the bioluminescence of the infirmary. Where her tail used to be just gold and blue like her eyes, green was now infused effortlessly. Near her bottom tail, the gold speckled then blended into turquoise. Now green made the fade all the more seamless and complete. The delicate webbing that layered upon itself in a ruffled-like display had vibrant bands of green melted effortlessly with her natural coloring. As fuzzy as her mind had been when she woke, it was insane to think she had missed the green and silver scales speckled through what had once been solid gold. Even the fins at her hips and her forearms matched the lower one. 

When she looked back down at his tail she felt silly for not seeing it before. Those blue hues were exactly the color of her eyes, of her scales and webbing. Even the gold was identical to hers and that was rare. Not even Aedion’s or her parent’s shades of gold were a perfect match. 

The sleeping man was her mate. It was wholly undeniable. 

Hours passed, her mother and father coming to check on her not long after her revelation. Neither were angry with her, though she wouldn’t have blamed them if they were. Both were just relieved that she was okay and still breathing, and promised they would figure out the next steps together. 

“Let us know when your prince wakes,” her mother said, a knowing look twinkling in her eyes. Prince. Because he was now a prince of the most powerful kingdom in the ocean. Gods above. 

Aelin stayed perched on his bedside, tail swishing anxiously while she waited for him to rouse from sleep. She had just finished a seaweed snack when she heard a deep inhale beside her. When she looked over, she was gazing into bewildered but bright green eyes. 

“Hello,” she said, pushing off the bed to give him his space. Hints of fear were speckled in his eyes, the smell of his heart rate spiking beneath his skin heady in its own way. Her fins swayed idly to keep her in place, the ribbon-like tendrils at her hips reaching for him. It was almost like her magic and her body recognized him as belonging to her. 

The man was quiet, bleary eyes blinking up at her. One of his hands waved in front of his face as though realizing he was underwater, breathing, and alive. Wonder and amazement crossed over his features before he looked back at her. 

“Am I dead?” His voice was prettier without machinery warping his words. Aelin bit down on her lip and glanced away, trying to bite back a smile. 

“No. You are quite alive, but not the same as you were. Are you in pain?” Those green eyes didn’t stray from her face as if he couldn’t look away. 

“I’m sore.” Aelin nodded, parting her lips to respond when he asked, “Where am I?”

“In one of the infirmary towers of the palace.”

“Underwater?” Bewildered, his eyes flew around the room. He probably expected ruins, and was instead greeted by pristine walls made of seashells and rows of beds. Beyond the doorway behind them was an extensive supply of medicinal plants and herbs. 

“We were never lost, just never wanted to be found. You are the first human to ever see it as ruins. I’m afraid that your research won’t reflect that. The magic only seemed to like you and I can’t imagine your colleagues will remember what they saw down here.” Aelin’s smile was sad and her heart ached for what he lost. From his human life to the career and research that he seemed to love so much.

“I think I died. And that you might be an angel of death,” he said slowly, the memories seeping from his mind down that new bond they shared. Aelin could feel his fear of her, even as she shook her head.

“I know it felt like I was trying to kill you, but believe me when I say it was the only way to save you. My powers.. I have great strengths, but I also have weaknesses. My healing magic is few and far between and I only have so much to give. I wouldn’t have been able to sustain your oxygen levels for the ascent despite how fast I can swim. You would have been dead before we broke the surface.” She hated the dread on his face. Hated how much he wanted to believe none of this was true. Still, he hadn’t looked away from her to see what he had become. Aelin wondered if he could feel it, if he knew, or if he still felt the phantom of his human limbs. 

“Are you an angel?” His eyes dipped to her throat then back to her face. The Adam’s apple in his throat bobbed and she wondered if it was the gills that got that reaction from him. 

“I think you know what I am,” she said, swishing her tail hard enough that he had to view it in all its glory, not just out of his periphery. “Just like I think you know what you now are.”

His eyes were roving over every scale, every shimmering, shiny inch of her body. She held still while he drank every piece of her in, his mouth parted in surprise. One hard swallow later and he was gaping down at his lower half like he couldn’t make sense of what he was seeing. 

Some mer chose to take this part away after the kiss. Truthfully, she hadn’t thought about it too much, but was now wishing that she had. So many emotions were flying across his face entirely unfiltered, so quickly she couldn’t make sense of them all. 

“What’s your name?” Her hands toyed with the ends of her hair just to have something to do. 

“I— Rowan. Rowan Whitethorn.” His eyes darted to her body and back to his. 

“Rowan,” she whispered, two syllables turning over sweetly in her mouth. “My name is Aelin. I’m the princess of what you call the Lost Kingdom of Terrasen.”

“Bullshit,” he blurted, shooting upright and looking around the room. His hands were braced on the bed, the kelp and seagrass trapped beneath his fingers. 

“When you’re feeling better I’ll show you everything. Anything you want to see or do, it’s yours. But I would rather wait until the residual pain has faded because swimming long distances—”

“What did you do to me?” 

“I saved your life the only way that I could. I told you it would make you like me.” She hated that her tears, thicker than water and shining in her eyes like oyster shells, were burning her eyes. Soon they would be falling down her cheeks like lost pearls. 

“I thought I was dead,” he argued, the beautiful lines of his face hard and unforgiving. 

“You would have been if I didn’t shield your human body from the pressure, the cold, and your submarine exploding into pieces,” she fought back, hands in fists and voice on edge. Aelin was known for having quite the temper when the right buttons were pushed.

“Maybe you should have let me die. Everything I loved is above the surface.” It shouldn’t have hurt, but it did. It felt like the spindly thorns of a lionfish pricking venom into her skin. Her jaw clenched, sharper teeth sliding out from her gums. The sharp tang of blood filled her mouth as she bit the tip of her tongue. They were a defense mechanism, sometimes used for certain meals, but in moments like this she had little control over their appearance. Her body and magic thought she was in danger so they were giving her the tools to protect herself. 

“I gave you the choice. It was your choice. I—” Aelin turned and fixed her eyes on one of the bioluminescent lanterns on the wall. She didn’t need him seeing those shark-like teeth and becoming more fearful than he already was. “Do you want me to take it away?”

“What?” 

“The memory, the pain, all of it. I can take it away. But I want that to be your choice. You can hate me if you wish, or I can take it away and you won’t remember your life before.”

Technically he could do it himself, too, but informing him that he now had different kinds of magic flowing through his veins right now didn’t seem like the best idea. Rowan was quiet, fingers tracing over his brand new scales where his knees used to be. Aelin keenly watched him out of the corner of her eye until those teeth sunk back into her gums and she felt his eyes turn back on her.

“No,” he finally said. “No, I don’t want to forget.”

“I know there is going to be a lot of adjustment for you. I want to make it as easy as possible. Your rooms will be next to mine and I’m at your disposal. Should you need me, just call for me and I’ll come. For now, I’m going to find something to eat for the both of us. If you’ll excuse me.” Before he could even open his mouth to object, she used a blast of her power to propel her through the open archway that led into the hall.

While she was going to find him food, those tears were getting a little too close to falling from the tension. It had been a long few days, an even longer few hours of being awake. Not only was she feeling all of her own emotions, but his were thrown into the mix, too. A moment to breathe in the salty water would be enough to ground her. 

Her pace only slowed when she was far enough away that it felt safe to sink onto the sandy floor and cry until the frustration began to drift away on a slow current. 

@fancysludgeshoelamp @kritical24 @readandlisten @icantfindmychashma @westofmoon @helwanderer @latenighthazymusings @lululululululuop @rowanaelinn @drywhiskers @constant-disappointment-and-gay @throneofus7 @princess-rumi-blog1 @the-regal-warrior @holdthefrickup @baby-babayaga @althelkingshorses @empress-ofbloodshed-writing @earthtolinds @lunadorned @adrianaslv @lunarwitch25 @superspiritfestivall @larisssss @renxzs  @1islessthan3books @darknessofoceans @autumnbabylon @backtobl4ck @aelinchocolatelover @besiber24 @s-uppertime @livingmylifeforme @tothestarsandwhateverend @kritical24 @sleeping-and-books @carranam-mates @fireheart-violet @aelinchocolatelover   @basicbittywitty  @goddess-aelin @shyvioletcat @punkassbookjockey26

[skayafair]

John and Agency

I'm gonna be feral about Malevolent about John, of course, who am I kidding here for some time (we're SO BACK, yaaaay a hyperfixation!) so buckle up.

Another recurring big theme I've noticed that got some developement after part 40 is John's agency.

The thing he has to struggle with for the most part of the story is that he's utterly powerless. A former god reduced to a mere voice inside a man's head an the sight of his eyes. An arm and a foot give some leverage but it's still less than a human even, let alone any supernatural being. And while John is ok with being human - he wants to, after all, - he's not even remotely okay with being less than.

He rarely talks about it, but it shows so painfully in the mines, when he managed to cut the monster's tentacle from Arthur's head. Arthur wasn't doing anything, he was too overwhelmed, and it was completely John's doing. He managed not only do something influential on his own accord, but also be helfpul and basically save them both. Just how happy he sounded about it sells everything one needs to know about how he feels most the time. And Arthur dares to call him a parasite and a passenger who just sits back and does nothing, ugh. Not blaming Arthur here, he was in another Situation, but. I'm JUDGING anyway >:( And later, when he stitched Arthur up - John was so frustrated at how little he was capable of and how much effort it took to do this.

Another time his frustration shows is when he's talking to Kayne.

John HATES Kayne with passion and doesn't hide this. That's a remarkable thing, actually, considering that he's also a very cautious person and is afraid of Kayne, feeling just how powerful this being is. John doesn't deal with fear well. Whenever he encounters something frightening, his first response is a freeze one. And Kayne scares the shit out of him. Yet, every time John refers to him, it's with very audible animosity. John knows full well how dangerous Kayne is and doesn't give a damn.

If he could, he'd have obliterated Kayne. But that's the thing - he's p o w e r l e s s. So many times John tried to threaten him in anger with "I'll- I'll- !" - only to fall silent, because, well, he can't do anything. Couldn't have, really, even if he still had full King's power. But this stark contrast with Kayne emphasises just how little John is actually capable of in his current state.

And in part 40 it was reinforced again. Only this time after his little developement.

I LOVE this new ability to manifest. YAY FINALLY! I had a Hellsalem's Lot a.k.a. Kekkai Sensen AU when he could do exactly that, so it made me laugh to actually see this in canon.

It should help. Now John can do more. We don't know how much more - is his manifestation only a vision or he can influence the material world as well? Can he manipulate people's minds the way Yellow could? (John would hate this.) In any case, this is still... something. Something real, something of his own. A way to show the word he actually exists, and not only as a voice inside Arthur's mind. All John's issues with this considered, it a great thing.

So, now he technically isn't powerless anymore. He has power. It's better, right? Right?

Well there's a catch.

John won't ever be happy to be more present if it's on Arthur's expense, and that's exactly the cost his new abilities come with.

So while technically he has more power now, it's a "last resort" kind of thing. He can't use it much because killing Arthur is not even in the realm of the things he wants.

Still... I think it should have been euphoric - even if only for a short moment - to gain it. To feel more capable. To have more power. It's not an insane amount, after all, and in John's case is a perfectly reasonable desire - more like a need.

But how painful and devastating it should have been to be reminded by Kayne that he's actually still just as powerless as he was before? That this new ability doesn't change much? Kayne knows where to hit and does it every time.

Like, we know John is more capable now, and it's really great! But that moment when he had to shut up because there was nothing to say to Kayne's "you what?" has hit me like a truck :''') That was painful, like a "know your place", and John couldn't bite back. He was already drowning in guilt and this just made things worse. I don't want to imagine how he's feeling after all this :''')

[beevean]

It's insane that the full extant of Kit's character is being Surge's getaway car. I honestly don't know how he would act or what he would think in a scenario where Surge isn't involved At the very least, he's less codependent on his partner than Whisper is with hers, but that's not a high bar.

(Lmao at how the story did Whisper so dirty that she has less individuality and agency than the guy who's supposed to be an unthinking drone)

If their goal with Kit was to make a character even more hollow and pointless than Surge, they definitely succeeded. Something like that should've been impossible, but they found a way. But we all know it wasn't intentional.

The writers wanted the new tryhard girlboss to have a minion, but they forgot to think about how the aforementioned minion would function whenever their master isn't around.

The thing is that, that's the point.

Surge and Kit are how Starline sees Sonic and Tails: so, his Sonic is an arrogant asshole who doesn't care about anyone but herself, and his Tails is a sycopant doormat whose very existence revolves around "Sonic".

Kit having zero personality, at first, was precisely what the "character" was meant to be, so I can't fault him for that.

The problem is that he was completely forgotten in favor of Surge.

Who got the most attention from #50 to #56? Surge. Who was the one who had a big speech about how hating their counterpart was baked in her very being? Surge. Who was the one talking and making fun of the protagonists in #58? Surge. Who is the one who is now getting rushed character development? Surge. Who is the one who got into Forces Speed Battle? Surge.

The only change in Kit is that he now calls Surge by her name instead of "ma'am". But the horrifying existence of someone who is literally bound to someone else's will has not been explored one bit. When Kit panics about Surge, when he flees to find her, when he speaks about her, when he claims that he wants her happiness, it's all meant to be seen as a wholesome display of how much he cares about his big sis, and not as the literal equivalent of Surge being obsessed with wanting to fry Sonic alive.

You can write good empty shells. Shanoa and Mithrun are compelling, lovable characters despite having no emotions, only one objective they fully dedicate themselves to, and in the former case amnesia as well. But you need good, respectful writing, which IDW lacks, because we all know Surge is the fandom's darling, and much like Maria is happily reduced to Shadow's trauma button instead of getting loved as her own person, Kit is nothing more than Surge's cute baby bro, and no one gives a shit about his pain.

[shittyness]

I’ve got a new theory!!

It’s been a minute since I wrote one so it’s probably not my best work lol

Anyway! This one’s about Martyn! I don’t think I’ve made one for him yet actually 

Spoilers under the cut

So as Martyn had confirmed under Ryan’s post, he isn’t a listener

And he isn’t a Watcher

I think he’s still a player, but one the listeners protected, and the watchers wanted to take

I think that’s why he has heard messages from the watchers in the past

They want to make him one of them, but because he’s under the listeners protection from back in Evo they can’t

So they still use him, but at the same time they try to temp him to join them by showing him all the power he can have.

Martyn has a strong will and is able to fight off the temptation,  but he still is curious on the Watchers goals, motives, and reasonings behind their actions 

I think at some point he had tried to ask Grian, or any of the other former Evo members, but the watchers had taken their memories (or in Grian’s case it might’ve been too painful to retell it)

So if Martyn is suspended in this in between of the watchers and the listeners, what does that mean? To me it means that he has these two opposing parties fighting for him to side with them the listeners wanting him to remain a player, and the watchers wanting him to join their ranks. Both parties keep trying to either make the other side look bad, like the listeners did in Evo, making promises to Martyn without any evidence that they’ll keep them, or by gifting him power for him to chance after, like I believe the watchers did in limited life (think a child of divorced parents, where both are trying to get the kid to decide to live with them full time)

Another point I’d like to make it, while I know the life series isn’t scripted, in lore I think it makes sense if the watchers choose who will win the season. 

My explanations:

3rd Life: Grian won. Grian is also a former watcher, and as Martyn’s last life lore (specifically the ‘he was only ever meant to watch’ line) proves, the watchers don’t like that he’s a player again. So the watchers chose for him to win to once again win his favor and remind him of the power they wield. But Grian saw right through their schemes, and him jumping off the cliff on monopoly mountain was kind of his way of telling them he doesn’t need their power to be happy, and in a way that he’s better then them. Obviously they didn’t like that and so they cursed him to always be a part of his closest allies demise. I think their anger was most apparent in limited life, for example, out of the 3 people who had to miss a session, Grian was the only one without a fill in. Grian was also the first one to loose his main alliance

Last life: Scott won. Before I start this one, I will admit I don’t know as much about this season, especially Scott’s character, and I don’t currently have the time to watch all his episodes. Anyway Scott and the Watchers like mutually dislike each other. (I believe Martyn said this once) and I’m pretty sure this started in last life with Scott being the boogie man. So I think the watchers had Scott win despite their hatred to try and force him back into line. I think they wanted him to fear them and wanted him to see the extent of their abilities and control. I think they wanted him to see the truth so that he would worship them. But obviously we know that didn’t work either

Double Life: Pearl won. Pearl won because she was the most interesting for the watchers to watch, and she had the most negative emotions throughout the season. Her story was one of overcoming these tragedies while also dealing with her decent into madness. She lost her soulmate because she chose to go to the nether to try and benefit them over finding Scott. Then after Scott and Cleo left Pearl and Martyn and Pearl was already heartbroken, Martyn left her as well. Then throughout the season she becomes an omen of death and destruction. As she became more and more insane, she also grew more and more upset. Eventually she did end up teaming with Scott, Cleo, and Martyn. But by then the damage was already done. Finally when she did win, she was surrounded by grief. She had lost her soulmate again, she had also just watched Scott sacrifice himself for her to win the game, and she had killed her only other surviving friend throughout the entire game. She had the most negative emotions, and the most interesting story to watch.

Limited life: Martyn won. He won for all the reasons I said before. The watchers wanted to show their power, and get him to join them. They made him win by giving him that dose of power and bloodlust to kill Impulse and Scott. They had that control over him.

Anyway, that’s the end of my rants for now! If anyone read this I hope you found it interesting and I hope it makes sense lmao

[euthymiya]

adding fuel to the ayato brainrot. Consider ayato getting an arranged marriage with another clan’s daughter that he’s been a little (a lot) pathetically obsessed with since you were both young. He’s a little insane, I agree, so he already has planned out for worst case scenario assuming you’ll be reluctant as most women being forced into a marriage would be (even if you wouldn’t show it since you have to act the part per the etiquette engrained into you all your life).

However much to his surprise he’ll find out you’re adjusting quite fine, or maybe you’re doing exceptionally well at hiding your true emotions of disappointment for your dwindling freedom. In truth, you might be just as insane than him if not more. Obsessed and utterly in love with that pathetic man since your youth.

It makes you a good pair, ignoring the fact that you’re both kinda freaky with each other when out of the public’s gaze. Freaky ayato and freaky wife truther ☝️

OH MY GOD BECAUSE. BECAUSE. He’s not above some less than savory methods, you know? It’s not like he has bad intentions—he has every intention to take care of you and keep you happy like a proper husband, all you have to do is let him be your husband. So if he has to stoop to some questionable behavior to have that happen…well he’s not opposed to it. If he has to pull some strings and start making your clan lose a little influence from the shadows…so be it. If he has to swoop in at just the right moment and offer his hand in marriage when it seems no one else will…so be it. If he promises he’ll help restore your family to their former glory as a dutiful son in law should to your father…so be it. And you? You love your family dearly—he can tell. Has known for years. So he knows you’ll accept his offer for the sake of your clan if for nothing else.

BUT. I love a reader who’s just as crazy as he on the low. Reader who purposely sneaks off at night alone because you know Ayato watches you closely, keeps an eye on you now that you’re his betrothed. You hope a drunk man or two will stop you on the quiet walk you’re taking so that he’ll intervene and keep you safe. All so you can thank him, act a bit shy, savor his attention as he checks if you’re okay, enjoy the fact that he’s worried over you.

Thank you Lord Kamisato, you tell him.

Please, he’ll rub his neck a bit shyly, you shall wear the name Kamisato soon enough. No need for such formalities—call me Ayato, instead.