#Who does she become now without Cutter?

[nobodysdaydreams]

Thoughts about Pryce and her AI:

Thinking about the fact that the AI in Wolf359 (or at least, Hera and Eris) always saw themselves as human. Like, when they pictured themselves, they didn’t visualize a spaceship or a computer but a person, a person no one else could see. A person who had to hurt people they didn’t want to hurt (Eris), a person who wondered what it would be like when their friends “went away forever” (Hera), a person who was worried about her friends when they got stuck inside a torture trap (Rhea).

And the thing is, Goddard Futuristics didn’t need to do that. They gave the AI human desires for things they can never have, but what was the reason other than to torture them? Just program them to be satisfied with their given state and give them less emotional attachment to the crews. Why give them free will only to forcibly take it away? Why give them a personality only to criticize it? Why make them human only to deny their humanity? It only encourages rebellion and frustration, so why bother if the whole point is for them to be obedient and easily controllable?

But then I started to think about it. And two things occurred to me.

The first is that creating conscious AI with their own personalities might be most easily done by copying already existing human brains and personalities, likely ones that Goddard Futuristics would deem to be useful. Hera, based on voice and personality, seems most obviously based on Pryce, and Eris might have been Pryce’s voice in a past body (Pryce did say she did that on purpose to help control them), but what about Enlil? Is he based on another one of Goddard’s employees? Is he what Cutter sounded like in a past body? Possibly not because Carter sounded the same as Cutter in that flashback, but it’s possible he’s had different voices before. And even if the AI brains aren’t copies of already existing personalities/people, their voices definitely are. If their voices aren’t all either current or past versions of Cutter and Pryce, did people give consent to have their voices used in the AI? And what about Rhea? She didn’t have a voice. Why not? Is she based on someone who couldn’t talk? Or did Pryce and Cutter start giving the AI voices so that they could control them once issues started happening with AI like Rhea?

But then as I was asking these questions, something else occurred to me. We learn from Eris that although the AI could theoretically live forever, Cutter and Pryce don’t let that happen and the AI are killed routinely (Hilbert was ordered to kill Hera, Rhea dies before the podcast even starts, and Eris clarifies that several versions of her have died over the years and that Cutter and Pryce force her to die to end the simulation). The AI are also forced to see themselves as fully human, while still not being human or treated as human. However, despite being born and forced to be super intelligent servants, they still have a desire for social connection and befriend and care about their crews.

And these expendable AI, incidentally, were created by Pryce, who in her “Brave New World” narration tell us that she built “dolls” and AI so that she could have friends that would love her. Pryce, who tells us that she was never supposed to live a full lifespan or ever see at all. Pryce, who narrates that the only thing she felt like she could never fix was herself.

How many of her own experiences did she dump into her creation? If she once felt like the only thing she could never fix was herself, then how often did she think to herself “I can’t do this, I’m not good enough”, and is that why she knew it would work on Hera? If Hera is a copy of her voice/personality, is that why Pryce specifically hated her so much, enough to argue against Cutter that she wasn’t going to give up any opportunity to control Hera and promise that Hera would never be rid of her? Is that why she called Hera spending her whole life trying not to be her [like Pryce], “adorable but futile”? Is that why she insisted on calling her “unit 214” and an “it”? Because she views Hera as broken like her, but a version or thing she should be able to “fix”? One that should not only obey her perfectly, but also understand her? Is that why Pryce is so angry when Hera doesn’t look like her despite them having the same voice? Did she picture Hera with robotic eyes and a weak heart too? The same robotic eyes that the other characters (both good and bad) act disgusted by? Does it frustrate her that her creation doesn’t reflect her image? Is she jealous that Hera didn’t end up as angry and bitter as she is? If her version of love is creating something that obeys you, does it hurt to see Hera choose to love people other than her? The very people who called Pryce, her eyes, and everything about her, disgusting and horrible? And worse still than Hera declaring her loyalty to someone else, does it hurt even more to see friends love her back? To hear Doug declare that he trusted Hera with his life and is willing to give up his memories for her, especially just after Cutter told Pryce that her only job was "to back his plays"?

And what about now that Pryce doesn't have her memories? Now that Hera, the AI version of herself that she created, is telling her the story of who she is instead of Cutter? Is that how she finally fixes herself?

Look, I don't like Pryce...but I wish we got more from her character, because there is a lot to unpack here.

[runnning-outof-time]

K, congrats again on your milestone! I'm here to request a 3 word prompt sentence--"Don't you dare" with John. That seems quite fitting for him, doesn't it? 😜 Looking forward to reading what you come up with!

Thanks for sending this in, Lee! Oh yes - this prompt absolutely does scream John! I hope you like what I did with it! Also I’m sorry the title’s a little lack-luster…I was bound to use the prompt I’m writing for it at least once though, right? Enjoy! :)

PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK!

Part of my 3.5k celebration — find other stories here!

Don’t You Dare

John Shelby x Reader

Warnings: none

Word Count: 741

Summary: It’s no surprise that things have to get a little messy on John and (Y/N)’s wedding day.

The night had gone off without a hitch. The ceremony was smooth, no interruptions happened before John and (Y/N) were named man and wife. Then the crowd rolled right into the reception, which was happening on the grounds of the garden they got married in. But of course, something was bound to go a little off-kilter. It just came with the Shelby name.

So when the band leader made the announcement that it was time to cut the cake, and (Y/N) took one look at John’s suspicious smirk, she worried that this might be the time.

Everyone had gathered around the newlywedded couple, who were standing beside the extravagant wedding cake that (Y/N) meticulously picked out. (Y/N) looked around at the smiling faces, glancing over to John before adressing them.

“I wanted to thank everyone for coming to celebrate with us tonight. John and I are lucky to have so many amazing people in our lives…you’ve helped make this the most special day,” she started off, smiling widely before she looked to John, hoping that he’d continue.

“Right,” he nodded, catching his wife’s drift, “we’re happy to have ya!” he added on, holding his glass up to initiate a toast. The crowd followed suit as (Y/N) shook her head, her lips pursed to hide the smile.

She waited for the noise to dull down before she spoke again: “it’s now time to cut the cake,” she announced, earning more cheers from the on-lookers.

She was given a cake cutter, John two plates, and she sent him one last smile before she went about cutting two small pieces; one to put on each plate. She set the cutter down and accepted the plate from John, feeling eager to try the cake that she’d truly been dreaming about.

“Oi! You’ve gotta feed it to each other!” Arthur’s booming voice came from the crowd before the couple was able to get any further. His exclaimation was, of course, met with many shouts of agreement.

That was when (Y/N) looked to John. She could immediately tell by the cheshire cat-like grin on his face that he was plotting something. This was not the time that she wanted things to go off-script. But with each second they looked each other, his grin grew.

“John Shelby…” she started, a warning tone laced into her voice as she raised her eyebrows at him. “Don’t you dare.”

John heard what she had to say, looked down at the cake on his plate and then rolled his eyes, his smirk still ever present as he located his older brother in the crowd. After sharing a brief glance with Arthur, he found (Y/N)’s eyes again, seeing that they were still wide and serious. “I’d never,” he told her, although his grin made her think otherwise.

“Get on with it!” Arthur yelled, obviously becoming impatient with the time they were taking. His statement made (Y/N) zero her intense gaze in on him, silently telling him to knock it off.

“Come on, baby,” John’s voice made her finally break and look back at him, and when she did, she noticed that he had already taken a small piece of the cake into his fingers.

She sent him one last ‘don’t try it’ look before mimicking him and taking a piece into her fingers as well. She held her breath and hoped for the best as they got closer to each other, close enough so that they were able to cleanly place the piece of cake into each other’s mouths. Cheers sounded off around them as they stepped back, smiling at each other.

“See? I wouldn’t try anything,” John said to her as he leaned in to press a sweet kiss to her lips.

“Yeah,” (Y/N) answered, a relieved smile now on her face. She glanced down at the remaining bit of cake that she had on her plate then, not wasting much time to grab it and smear it across John’s face. More excited cheers coursed through the crowd of onlookers as John’s jaw dropped at her actions. “I never said I wouldn’t,” she told him with a grin before leaning in to kiss the icing off of his lips.

John couldn’t do anything other than smile as (Y/N) looked back at him with a smug grin. Hey…she was a Shelby now, this should’ve been expected.

Tagged: @the-anxious-youth @mystcldydrms @look-at-the-soul @mrsalwayswrite @julkaamazing @evita-shelby @lilyrachelcassidy @shelbydelrey @onlydeadcells @peakyswritings @watercolorskyy @strayrockette @peakyduchesss @alexxavicry @stevie75 @dark-academia-slut @zablife @cillmequick @letal-y-poetica @depxiety @shelundeadxxxx @areyenotfondofmelobster @padfootdaredmetoo @crabat-the-queen @sebastianstangirl01 @everythingelseisextra @kmc1989 @papichulo120627 @brummiereader @adaydreamaway08 @kissforvoid @raincoffeeandfandoms @wildheartsalwaysburn @dragons-are-my-favorite @jessimay89 @slaymybreathaway

MASTERLIST

[shesalittlelost]

I've noticed this that most Nesta stans treat Nesta less like a character and more like a vehicle that they can use to be as misogynistic as possible and live their own mean girl fantasy on the internet. And the saddest thing is that it's not just her fans who do it, the author did the same to her so I'm gonna talk to about the latter first.

Nesta in ACOTAR wanted to go out and carve her life on her own because the realisation that she still hadn't found a purpose for herself while her sister already did and that she owed her whole life to her chafed at her. That's why their reunion in the first book was so touching. I was so looking forward to see what Nesta does with her journey but she isn't allowed that. Fast forward to ACOMAF, she's just... a mean girl, unnecessarily poking at her sister for no reason at all. This scene is used as a way to start Nesta and Cassian's “banter” and “romance” (lol) and in order to do that SJM basically walks back and kills whatever little but extremely significant development Nesta had in book 1. Her concern for her sister that made her risk her own life is forgotten and instead she's made to be petty, antagonistic and stupid and incredibly shortsighted even (when in book 1 she was the only one in the family who listened to Feyre & understood the threat Fae posed to the humans) to Feyre for no reason other than to clash her with Cassian. And since then it's been like this. SJM keeps obliterating everything that made Nesta, Nesta. Her ability to resist glamour? forgotten. Her not wanting to become a warrior? LOL her whole personality is just being fandom's cookie cutter sword and armour girl now. Her being averse to casual sex? Well.... you see... she lavvvvsss sex so muchhh that she starts daydreaming about having a threesome with her bf and his brother to a point that her brother-in-law can tell that from her face and gets awkward (🤮). Her wishing to explore this world on her own? Yeah lol that's not happening. Like ever.

This girl really just got moulded into someone that Miss Maas can conveniently use to live her own fantasy in the ACOTAR world. Maas is known to not get along well with other women in the field who are as popular and successful (if not more) than her and allegedly called one an ableist slur. It's public knowledge that she was horrible to her other author friends until they cut her off. She now lives in her own bubble and picks some two or three new people, less popular than her to befriend, who just hype her up. Sounds familiar? Yeah. Nesta too can't ever get along with any other major female character who is as equally relevant in the story as her. Elain was her best buddy until she stopped being Nesta's side chick. Feyre, she was always jealous with, in her own words. She looks down at Mor for not being dressed modestly causing the men to laugh at that insult (Sara, you're very obvious). That scene where Rhys aka SJM gasses her up by calling her an illyrian (warrior) as a compliment while comparing her to Elain and implying Elain doesn't count coz she just isn't one. Like there is such a big “she's not like the other girls! she is ✨different✨” energy going on with the way she's written, especially her relationship with every other women in the story, except for the two girls who are written solely to be her hype girls, that I literally can't stand it.

It starts to make sense why she appeals to a certain kind of fans here who also suffer from the “i'm not like the other girls” syndrome. A lot of these people don't even like or care about Nesta's character or story that much no, they just latch onto her to hate on every other character, especially the female ones, that they can't self insert as. Calling Feyre the nastiest things, hating on Elain for apparently being a “selfish bitch” and Mor for idek what. Like these people are physically incapable of talking about her or praising her without comparing her with or bringing down other women in the series and it's genuinely nasty how they talk about every woman who isn't her or the ones who suck up to her. I wonder if they realize how crazy they look to others coz they are very transparent.

[beevean]

hey i can't read the comics (broke) how bad is lanolin exactly?

It's a long story...

Basically, Lanolin was a background NPC for years, because she's one of the artists' own OCs. She was a frightened sheep who nonetheless wanted to help the Restoration, so far so good.

By #57, Flynn made her a more prominent character, and turned her into his favorite type of girl: the bossy #girlboss without a hint of quirkiness who commands everyone around, Sonic included, and acts exasperated at every sign of silliness. Well, this is not fun. However, she does say that she wants to become less bossy and uptight, so maybe it's a genuine character flaw that she'll overcome.

And then it becomes... unpleasant in #63, once a villain infiltrates the Diamond Cutters. Mimic, posing as a cat named Duo, makes Silver trip to make him lose control of his powers and causing a landslide. Lanolin believes the newbie over the renowned hero, and she's just the most condescending prick to him:

A good breakdown of the issues at display is here, and my personal grievances here.

#64 is where the character falls apart. Whisper gets into an altercation with Lanolin, because she understood that Duo is Mimic, the guy who killed her friends: she's furious, and she's scared for her new team. Lanolin refuses to listen to her teammate, refuses to believe that this mysterious kid could be Whisper's old enemy shapeshifted.

Whisper grabs Lanolin to move her out of the way, which is questionable...

... but Lanolin's reaction is to slam Whisper violently on the ground with a hateful sneer on ther face.

And the two get engaged in a fight, in public.

Nothing in the text says that she hates being touched, by the way. She knows, however, that Whisper has mental issues over Mimic. I went over it here.

and she's generally just. a bitch for zero reason.

Tangle has done nothing to deserve this vitriol. (well, to lanolin. lol)

Lanolin is a very new character, and I get the idea. She's serious, no-nonsense, a control freak, overcompensating her inexperience with bossiness. But she just comes off as a terrible person, a terrible leader and a terrible friend, trusting a new guy over Silver the world hero who saved everyone from the Metal Virus and Whisper the veteran sniper who knows Mimic more than anyone. She talks condescendly at best and resorts to unwarranted physical violence at most. Her behavior is simply not justified in any way. As of now, we're still waiting to see the other shoe drop and Mimic to reveal his colors - and I doubt she'll ever apologize for what she has done.

[victoriadallonfan]

Mistborn: Well of Ascension Review

Is It Good: Yes

Does It Have Flaws: A lot

Is It Problematic: Sometimes

Would You Reread: No

Would You Recommend: Yes

Spoilers below

I’ve listened to positive and negative reviews of this book to help formulate my thoughts

So overall, I think there’s a great book buried underneath a slog of really repetitive material.

Brandon is great at writing a mystery, but it’s hindered by the fact that we get incredibly uninteresting scenes that just have Elend, Vin, Zane doing the same song and dance over and over again.

I was 200% more invested in Sazed investigating the Hero of Ages compared to the political drama Elend and Vin dealt with. Or Vin dealing with “wanting to wear a dress” (more on that later).

I really love how Eldritch and Sinister the cosmology is, even as I knew from Stormlight Archives what it would be. It’s handled far more horrific here in a good way compared to Stormlight, which was a letdown imo, so this was enjoyable.

I also really love Sazed’s magical abilities. Allomancy is neat, but the story points out that Mistborn are just.. so powerful they make other Allomancers feel pointless, worldbuilding wise. But Sazed’s powers are more limited while also being far more interesting in applications, so I loved that we got to see that more in depth.

Most of the characters are good, and enjoyable, even Breeze.

Now for the bad.

Breeze and Allrianne relationship is just… disgusting. I really don’t understand the purpose of having a near 40 year old man having sex with a barely legal woman who just recently turned legal iirc. Why was this added as a story beat? Why are some of the characters that aren’t Vin and OreSeur not more grossed out by it?

And no, having the “she seduces me!” reveal does not help.

Secondly, none of the antagonists are good. Sure, they are hateable, but they all lack any sort of impact. Zane is the worst because he is quite possibly the most cookie-cutter CW Bad Boy stereotype in existence, monologuing like a bad anime character about how “we are different”/“why do we listen to them?”/“they just don’t understand us” ala Lysanderoth. And he dies from the worst “reveal” I’ve ever seen; it was so cool how Vin used pewter dust to blind the Inquisitors and improvised weaponry to bypass the skill gap. Here it’s just: “Lmao I just wait to attack bypass your precog, get good”, which I’m pretty sure does not track at all with what we see in the first book (or this one).

Despite Lord Ruler having little presence in the first book, he at least had PRESENCE

Finally, the way this book handles women and skaa is just so odd. It feels as if the story/characters/Brandon treat women as having a hive mind for being obsessed with fashion; in fact, it’s part of Vins struggle that she loves dresses but can’t find the “strength” to wear them. Meanwhile, no male character obsessed over fashion nearly as much, even Breeze who admits part of his design is an act for others. Likewise, there’s no woman who thinks fashion is stupid or just indifferent.

I don’t hate the idea of Vin struggling with newfound femininity vs her own biases, but it’s just so blandly set up that I can’t feel invested.

And I will lose my damned mind if I have to hear one more “you can never understand a woman”/“teenage girls aren’t rational” comment, even from other women characters!

Also, besides Tyndl and Vin, there aren’t any really any women in power nor is that explored. Even Allrianne - who is just… meh as a character over all - has no political power without her father and she’s basically a femme fatale cliche as well. None of the Skaa have female leaders, for example.

And speaking of Skaa, those poor guys. Going from brave freedom fighters and rebellions, even prior to Kelsier, to idiots who are treated as fools who need the privileged Elend and his like to guide them all to the right answer (or they become manipulated or are in fact corrupt). I don’t even hate Elend, but the way Brandon puts him in this position is just such a shame. The story doesn’t even let him explore his ingrained classism or racism/specism for the Skaa or Kandra

Like I said, there’s a great book under all this stuff. But it’s pulled down by - in my opinion - a lot of faults that verge on problematic.

Good but it could be better

[pinkestmenace]

🥀 for whichever oc you want! :D

🥀 (Wilted Rose) - Do they have a Soul form? What would it look and act like? How much control over themselves do they have? Is it still possible to save them, or are they too far gone?

*Sweats nervously* Oh, my dear, dear anon. Beware! You have hit the jackpot of DOOM! /jk

This subject is very spoiler heavy for 'Broken Hato' and its sequel fics in my Hatoful Dreams series, so I have to tread carefully.

Does Olympea have a Soul form? Well, her future soul is certainly in a form. It may even retain some awareness. Where it is and why, how long it has been there or will continue to be there, I cannot tell you.

...Have you ever heard anyone say people die twice? First when their body goes and finally when everyone who knew them has forgotten them and passed on themselves? The Ancients are dead. The Heroes of Yore are long lost and cursed to be forgotten. Only Galacta Knight remains and his memory is not only fading after his endless imprisonment, it's also affected by the curse. But he is still alive. Wisps of his friends still linger in his memory. As long as he holds on, some of their presence may linger. Is this a blessing or a curse? And for whom? Will they go with him...or will he go with them? Where are they going?

But let's ignore all of that for a moment and think about what a Soul form normally means. A character is driven to the extreme, to the threshold of death, but their determination prevents them from giving in just yet. Their body warps and keeps fighting in a last ditch effort while their mind is already degrading. You don't come back from this. Not unscathed. Maybe you just straight up turn into paint and die (Drawcia). Maybe you return, but you're undead and keep some eldritch traits (Marx). Maybe you go to superhell, gain catholic guilt and fight the personification of your sins before becoming a questionably trustworthy salesman in another world (Magolor). Maybe you go insane and wither, with your last remaining essence joining a giant plant (Sectonia). Maybe, if you're very lucky, you finally get purified and your reincarnated form gets another chance at a better life (Void). Maybe you're even assimilated by a reaper butterfly, hold on to your will to live and steal its power for yourself, before finally letting your last remnant reunite with your counterpart (Fecto Elfilis).

Let's say some catastrophe like that happens to her, hypothetically.

[CW: loss of sentience, amalgamation, body horror, death. Features some headcanons about the physical makeup of Astrals/Puffballs and how Soul Matter affects that.]

If she had to push it beyond the limit to keep fighting it would be to save her friends. It was always her greatest Dream to be a hero and she is very determined to achieve that! ...But ironically, as her body is so stable and uniform in its makeup, it never had to make Soul Matter to glue itself back together to keep from collapsing before. Being flooded with too much of it at once means she has little control over it. It would corrupt her.

As she keeps fighting and her mind deteriorates she'd slowly be reduced to nothing but a fighting machine, mowing down her foes left and right without a care about collateral damage. Soon she wouldn't be able to distinguish between friend and foe anymore. Anything that stands against her is getting crushed. When she reaches the tipping point and only Soul is keeping her hollow shell going, her now jelly-like body would meld with her weapons and armour. What little magic her unholy cyborg body contains would only serve to make the impact of her attacks greater. Every hit of her club shakes the earth, shatters dreams and breaks the resolve of anyone nearby with its shockwave. Her previously modest finger gun morphs into a devastating laser cannon. She swings and stabs her glaive with such speed the gusts of wind and concentrated energy shoot out as cutters and slice all around.

I doubt she could be fully saved from this form, since there won't be much left to salvage of her organic body as most of it has melded with her metal armour. She would be unrecognisably, irrevocably altered. Yay? (-Ŏ⌒Ŏ- )

Oh! Why not make a little blurb while we're having fun? :)

Soul of Olympea: Shatterer of Dreams

Once a brave hero protecting the people, now corrupted, this amalgam of determination and automation has lost all reason. No longer able to distinguish friend from foe, she lashes out at everything that moves. Stop her rampage before there's nothing left to protect!

Good thing this is all just a hypothetical, right?

(I really wish I could say that I don't enjoy putting her through the wringer, but that's more of a retroactive "NOOO! What have I done to you, my girl?!" after getting attached to what was supposed to be a tragically doomed background character. Oops?)

Masterpost

[terapsina]

Okay, it's been a while so here's an additional list of fantasy and sci-fi books with little to no romance in them that I've read recently and really loved.

---

First post with books not heavy on the romantic subplots HERE.

---

Once There Was ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ by Kiyash Monsef.

An Iranian American girl discovers that her recently dead father was a veterinary for magical animals and that she - like him - has inherited the ability to help these animals because of a family line reaching back for hundreds of generations.

The story deals with grief, rage, neglect and how it all intersects.

But it's also an incredibly magical story that wakes up all the wonder and love for animals that most children have and some never lose.

Interspersed through the book are also short fables and legends that Marjan's father used to tell her when she was young and are now gaining new meaning as she understands that they were more than stories.

(totally also recommend the audiobook version for those who enjoy good narration. Nikki Massoud does a freaking excellent job)

(Marjan does develop subtly budding feelings for someone in the story but it's kept very, very background. On a scale from 0 to 10 the romance reaches barely a 2).

---

Vespertine ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ by Margaret Rogerson.

A story about a girl named Artemisia who is training to become a Gray Sister. A nun who cleanses the bodies of the dead so that their souls would not return as ravenous spirits that would then threaten the lives of the living.

But then her convent gets attacked by possessed soldiers and she's forced to pick up a sword holding the spirit of a very powerful revenant - a malevolent spirit of mass destruction that could possess her and kill everyone around her indiscriminately - despite not having the training of a Vespertine. So the only one who can teach her what she needs to know is the Revenant itself.

(The main character is autistic, antisocial and extremely introverted. And as for the romance, there is someone who develops feelings for her and we as the reader kinda notice it, but Artemisia the character notices nothing (also, the someone in question is not the Revenant, just thought I should clarify that). Amounts of romance in the book, like 1/10)

---

A House With Good Bones ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ by T. Kingfisher.

A Southern Gothic light horror with a bit of humor thrown in.

Sam Montgomery is worried about her mother so when her Paleoentomology dig falls through after she's already sublet her apartment for the next few months, she temporarily moves back in with her mother.

The mother who seems to be very stressed out while saying she's fine, and also seems to have acquired a sudden personality transplant. More specifically, she seems to have changed the house from the bright and colorful place it's been for decades, into the cookie cutter, bland (and slightly racist) fifties commercial kinda place it once was under the iron thumb of Sam's dead grandmother.

Is this some kind of weird delayed grief? Early onset alzheimers?

And why isn't there a single bug or insect in the entirety of the back yard's rose garden? Or why does she wake up to thousand's of ladybugs crawling all over each other - and Sam - one night in her childhood bedroom? And what's up with all these vultures staring at their house 24/7?

(Sam's POV is hilarious, her relationship with her mother one of the most genuinely emotional aspects of the book, and the story creepy enough to be exciting without reaching the point that would have made me throw the book down a hole for my own peace of mind. The romance... eh, there's a very nice dude Sam wouldn't mind going out with but it's not all that relevant to anything so amounts of romance don't reach past 2 out of 10).

---

And finally some special shout outs to some other recently read books that I also enjoyed and that don't really have a lot of focus on the romance but that I don't feel like getting into rn.

Thornhedge ⭐⭐⭐⭐ by T. Kingfisher, Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia of Faeries ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ by Heather Fawcett (okay this one's a bit heavier on the amount of romance but it gets points for not being annoying and still doesn't reach past 4 out of 10 in its amount, would recommend this book for people who enjoyed The Memoirs of Lady Trent), Translation Slate ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐by Ann Leckie, The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter ⭐⭐⭐⭐ by Theodora Goss (the daughters of classical book scientists like Frankenstein, Dr. Jekill and Mr. Hyde, Moreau and others come together to solve some White Chapel murders and maybe uncover a society that has been doing human experiments on women. 0.5 out of 10 on amounts of romance).

[bohemian-nights]

Let’s talk about the changed between white book laena to black show laena

Book leana had a pretty awesome life. She married at the age of 22 to a man she loved, traveled the world with him, had 2 babies and they lived happily on driftmark with her family together until she passed away at childbirth despite her loving husband doing everything he can to save her. + her husband remarried 6 months after her death.

Now let’s talk about show leana

She married daemon much younger than book laena, was neglected and unloved by him, was forced to live away from her beloved family and burned herself to death because “feminism” 🤡 only to have her husband sleep with another woman on her fucking funeral. And the showrunners claim they wanted to respect her character?????? Disgusting.

In the book laena is the only wife that daemon seemed to truly love. (Until nettles). He never cheated and they had a happy marriage. But when she’s black suddenly she’s the second choice to the white female lead. What a fucking joke. And then they absolutely spit on her by having her husband sleep with said white female main character on her funeral. This show treats its black characters like shit. I really don’t understand why people aren’t talking about this.

This shows deranged fandom tells you everything you need to know about the problematic way they treat black characters. We haven’t even got nettles’s casting yet. The most important dragon seed. Literally who gives a shit about the others? But I wonder why we have their castings but not the casting of the only canonically black character in the dance???? If nettles is not in season 2 I’m going to drop this show. If they’ll introduce the dragonseeds without nettles they are fucking disgusting.

All of this is why I criticize this shitty show and equally shitty fandom👏🏽

People try to act like you’re the crazy one for noticing how these changes affect the treatment of the characters, but nope fandom racism, more specifically fandom misogynoir, is real and it’s happening with HOTD.

Book!Laena was treated with love and respect, but the moment she became Black-ish she became worthless to both the showrunners and the fandom. All she's good for is to be a prop/placeholder. Hell, when she died people seemed more concerned about Vhagar, a dragon, rather than the woman who lit herself on fucking fire.

They made Laena into a stereotype just to make a crazed white woman’s death look better than it was and this demented ass fandom cheers it on.

Because she’s Black and not a cookie-cutter stereotype in the source material, Nettles' whole existence is a problem to these people and she must be cut, erased, reduced, etc.

They try to say she’s completely irrelevant. That the only reason people like her is because she's Black or out of spite, but I can think of a dozen white characters who don’t even come close to reaching her relevancy to the plot

This is why she’s always included where some characters like Ulf, Hugh, Sara Snow, Alys Rivers, Gwayne Hightower, and Silver Denys are omitted, and 5/6 of those characters are confirmed for s2. And I'm not trying to say none of these characters shouldn't be included(well we could do without 2 of them), but they aren't more important than her.

Nettles literally has all the qualities people usually like in characters(the ordinary girl who despite all odds does the unthinkable, she’s a survivor, she’s a final girl, she has one of if not the most powerful men in the realm willing to die for her, and she becomes a goddess like figure) yet she’s hated for it because she dares to be Black. They won't even try to relate to her or see her importance because she is Black.

They’d rather prop up psychos or mediocre flops just because they are white rather than ever admit that Nettles is an interesting and integral character to the Dance. She’s awesome. The man who created these freaking books that you claim to love and swear his word is law thinks she’s awesome and yet you want to deny that she’s awesome and has no real value because you’re scared shitless she’ll upstage your psycho(book!Missy Anne)/boring(show!Missy Anne) fave.

It’s nuts and like you, I won’t be watching s2 if Netty’s not there. They found time for a maid who shouldn't even be there, propped up Addam to the Gods, and gave Hugh an unnecessary sex scene, all while cutting Nettles out. Nope. I’ll skip straight to s3 cause I’m not dealing with this show's BS and blatant disrespect. It’s unacceptable!

[theerurishipper]

I remember people said the scene in Transmission, where Ladynoir renounce their Miraculous and "seemingly" not thinking about each other are mean to be a plot hole, not character inconsistency.

Bt for me, if the character NOT even make a slight uncomfort gesture/expression when they see Scarabella and Black Minette out there instead of their team mate, then it's not a plot hole, it's character inconsistency.

"Plot hole" excuse only work if Adrinette make any comment/looks surprised/make any reaction upon seeing the new duo but the aired time won't let the show do more than that. But the show doesn't let them react negatively which resulting people interpret it as "Yeah I don't care about my team mate, I already got my gf/bf anyway" which is not plot hole at all.

It's 100% character inconsistency. Plot holes are when the plot is wonky, and some logic doesn't logic. When a character acts OOC, it is character inconsistency. Adrien and Marinette have both become wildly OOC since the second Adrienette became canon on this show. They don't care about superheroing anymore, they don't care about each other as Ladybug and Chat Noir anymore. Outside of like, one line about "I hope Ladybug/Chat Noir are okay" (which is quickly overshadowed by some Adrienette, cause we sure do need more of that when we're talking about the late Ladynoir), they just don't give a fuck.

Actually, this isn't even character inconsistency anymore, this is a whole character overhaul a la whatever happened to Felix Fathom. Cause Adrienette only works if you change significant aspects of their characters. What about Chat Noir meaning freedom and a means of escape for Adrien, what about Ladybug being the narrative opposite of his abusive father who gives him unconditional love and acceptance? Fuck that, what he really needs is to start centering his identity around his classmate (with whom he isn't even that close because she thinks he's perfect) and defining himself based on her needs. And what of Chat Noir being the only one who can understand Marinette's struggles? Chat Noir being her special partner whom she can always lean on? Nah, fuck that shit lmao, here's Marinette trying to tell Adrien something he already knows and Marinette trying to hold Adrien's hand even though she's done that before without a problem!

Anyway, like I was saying, they had to change their characters up so that Adrienette could make sense, because it sure wouldn't make sense if it became canon in the show that devoted the bulk of its development to Ladynoir, now would it? So that's why we get episodes like Determination, where Adrien is suddenly head over heels for Marinette out of fucking nowhere, right after the Jubilation dream sequence where they had those cabbage patch kids, and Ladybug initiated a kiss even though they realized this was a dream, and they were clearly having some complicated feelings about the whole thing at the end of the episode. Cause fuck Ladynoir, amirite? Like, why would we waste time on the relationship we spent 5 seasons developing when we could focus on some cookie cutter high school romance with retcons galore and multiple, I tell you, multiple scenes featuring Marinette suddenly having the inability to do things she's done before with no problem, and apparently, it's all Chloe's fault, like what a fucking shocker, who could have seen that coming.

And lets not get into the actual plot holes in Transmission too, cause those also exist? How does Adrien Agreste know and proudly state Scarabella's name when no civilian knows she exists? How does this not make Marinette question why he knows? Why does Marinette expect that someone else becoming Ladybug means she's free when she's still the Guardian? Make it make sense, please.

Anyway, that's all I got. I'm sorry for using your ask as a venting post, anon. I just rewatched Gamer today, and god, Adrienette are so cute and adorable in Season 1. Like, they actually have chemistry and fun interactions and it's the lucky charm debut episode! I will never forgive this show for taking that Adrienette away from me and replacing it with... whatever Season 5 coughed up.

Thank you for your ask!

[true-blue-sonic]

I honestly kinda get but kinda don't get Lanolins angle.

Like Silver knows Duo is Mimic as he was potentially almost killed by him but he when he tells Lanolin, he doesn't actually provide any proof. Same goes for Whisper, she just says that Duo is Mimic and THEN trys to prove it which seems to mean putting Duo in danger or atleast risk of injury. From Lanolins POV, it probably looks like these 2 well respected team members are bullying the newbie with a weak excuse and are progressively getting more aggressive, escalating name calling to physical harm.

She didn't really know Silver personally before this Duo problem and probably thinks he's just a vindictive person who still hasn't gotten over Duo 'running off to get help'. With Whisper, I presume she just thinks she's being paranoid which when you have a nemesis like Mimic it something that could happen. Plus I don't think Whisper had actually properly told Lanolin just how dangerous Mimic can be so Mimic might not register that high of a threat since he isn't exactly destroying citys like Eggman or the Zeti.

However, I don't understand why she's taking the direction she is. She's incredibly disrespectful of Silver which I can only presume is because she now thinks he's a bully (otherwise I can't think of a reason) and she's incredibly disrespectful of Whisper, I could see her annoyance for Silver maybe bleeding over to Whisper now she's on his side but it feels very meh.

I feel like if Lanolin just had a page to explain her train of thought then alot of this could be sorted and I hope she actually starts giving Duo the side eye since now 2 people are saying he's Mimic.

I think you nicely describe the issues I see with this current plot, yes.

I mentioned it in my ask to Beevean as well, but this entire plot is fully dependent on not letting characters do or say entirely reasonable things we can expect of them, as to not fall apart. In issue 63 alone, Silver should have provided proof, namely that he got kicked, and Whisper should have backed him up, because she literally says later that she saw it herself as well. Silver also should have said that Duo's face changed to something super ominous, because in that same scene with Whisper later he says he saw so! And Lanolin, Whisper and Tangle should have noticed that Duo says to them he couldn't do anything to help Silver, but that Silver says Duo just ran away without saying anything while Duo himself protests he was 'getting help'. This isn't a small thing, this is Silver literally nearly dying because of Duo's (in)actions, and there could not be a greater discrepancy between what Duo first tells the girls ("I couldn't do anything") and then later says to defend himself against Silver ("I was getting help"). There is so many should have's, but all of these will make the dramatic irony plot fall apart, so the characters cannot say them! And thus we get the highly unfair scene of Lanolin immediately picking Duo's side and tearing into the literal saviour of the world as if she's his boss (no, Silver is not part of the Diamond Cutters, he's just training with them) and knows far more about heroing and psychic powers than he does (ma'am, in your first mission in the field ever Whisper, you, and Sonic got captured and Tangle almost got shot right through her head). Silver meanwhile is mischaracterised as immediately folding under that scolding, Whisper suddenly becomes a coward who does not back Silver up until all is said and done, and Tangle does not point out Lanolin is being overly bossy again. So basically in that scene, everyone is written terribly, but it is a necessity to keep the plot going. In that way, I can accept it is not fully Lanolin's fault that she doesn't know what is going on, because she's stuck in a badly-written plot with all the above should have's ensuring that she'll nicely not find out the truth until it is too late... but her terrible personality and constant immediate defending of Duo do not help in her figuring anything out, either.

And besides, Lanolin does, or at least should, know Silver's feats. She was there for the Metal Virus Arc where Super Sonic and Super Silver saved the entire world! Duo literally confirms people not allied with the Restoration at that time know of Angel Island! Silver was part of the Resistance for six months! He's got tons of credibility and a presence during prior events where he absolutely necessary to stop things from going to shit to back him up, where he was a team player and overall a very helpful person. We are never shown where her sudden disdain for him comes from, meaning we can only fill it with theorising that link right back to the should have's (e.g. "She thinks Silver is irresponsible because he nearly dropped those rocks on her!" -> Silver should have pointed out he dropped them because Duo kicked him). As for Whisper, from what I can tell Lanolin does indeed not know that Mimic specifically is the one who betrayed Whisper's old team... but instead of doing something more sensible like asking "Why do you think that?" or "Why would he do that?" when Whisper accuses Duo of being Mimic, she instead becomes defensive immediately. No surprise, no shock, no concern, just immediate defensive anger with her usual pissed off I Can't Stand You Actually facial expression. Why does she trust Whisper so little that she can't even hear her out normally? Why does she immediately assume Whisper is lying when she is presented with such an outlandish claim (too outlandish to come up with out of nowhere, imo) that still indicates they could all be in terrible danger? I can accept the idea that she thinks Silver is still mad about nearly being eaten by a Giant Chopper, but why did she react in the way she did to Whisper, who by that point had done nothing to indicate she should not be listened to?

And like, adding to that... why would Lanolin assume that Silver and Whisper suddenly are bullying Duo anyway, when neither has shown him any badwill beforehand? Whisper was totally down with him joining the team since they needed volunteers, no issues there. Silver was friendly to him until the Chopper incident, with not a hint of bad blood or envy or whatever negative emotion you might ascribe to it. And you are right: we are never shown why Lanolin is so protective of Duo, just that she values the newbie far more than a teammate she's been on a mission with before and the actual saviour of the past and future. Lanolin is written like an altogether terrible leader (cannot de-escalate situations and only makes them worse, clearly favouring one member over the others for no reason, cannot hear all parties out first before immediately jumping onto the defense) and to me as just a rude, unpleasant character on top, and we simply don't know 1. why, and 2. if this is intentional in a 'meta' sense. Nobody calls her out on her behaviours, but we do see that characters like Tangle are quite disheartened by her words and actions, and she herself admits she's bossy. So she's a character aware of her flaws who does nothing to become better: how nice. But overall, there's a lot of questions around why Lanolin acts the way she does, and why she can easily be taken as altogether hating her teammates (if her facial expressions around them are anything to go by) or at least not trusting them. And the comic is doing very little to answer such questions or indicate if we should root for Lanolin because she's 'doing her best' or dislike her for her nasty personality instead, unfortunate as that is.

So yeah... I don't know what is going to happen. All I know is that I do not care for it much: Silver's got quite the happy ending with someone who actually respects him and listens to him, and that is all I can ask for, haha. At most, I would love it if Mimic gave Lanolin the callout of a lifetime for trusting his random ass over the two far more experienced people around her, and allowing him an easy escape with her constant interrupting, distrusting, and scolding of her teammates so that he didn't have to keep scrambling for excuses. And if Lanolin admits she's been a terrible leader who only escalated things further with her actions and who clearly does not respect her team members for no reason, that would be nice too. We'll see what happens: I am going to predict there'll be absolutely zero consequences for Lanolin and her behaviours and actions, then it can only become better, haha.

[nobodysdaydreams]

📢 I just came up with the most devasting Wolf359 AU today and you're all gonna hear about it. 🚀

My brain really chose VIOLENCE coming up with this AU on father's day.

Here is the set up: the crew gets themselves into a stalemate with Cutter and Pryce that lasts a REALLY long time. The crew can't make it to Earth without getting blown up, but Cutter and Pryce can't get what they need from the crew without gambling too much. The stalemate lasts a long time. Like a REALLY long time, at least a decade. And this is when Cutter decides to play dirty. Well, dirtier than usual, even for him.

Basically, Cutter finds Anne (Doug's daughter), and very much appeals to her the same way he appealed to Miranda, through showing her support, promising her a way to help her disability and make her even "greater" and praising her potential and accomplishment in spite of the adversity she's suffered. He also connects with her via speeches about how his (Cutter's) father never saw the potential in him either. Cutter becomes a sort of mentor to Anne under the guise of "oh look this nice science man is tutoring deaf kids. What a philanthropist!". If we want to go really dark, Cutter has Kate and the rest of Anne's family killed in a terrible accident and adopts her, but he could also just be a mentor to Anne. Either way, she ends up trusting him, and seeing him as more of a father to her than Doug, and starts growing bitter about what Doug did to her and believes that he doesn't care about her at all (Anne thinks he never called, wrote home, or anything, and Cutter stages a whole thing where Anne finds some fake recording he made to make it sound like Doug never cared about her at all so that Cutter can come in and fake comfort her).

Anyway, flash forward through the decades long stalemate between Cutter and the Hephaestus crew, and now Anne's a college student who works for Goddard Futuristics (she's considered one of the higher ups/part of Cutter's inner circle). Like Miranda has her glow in the dark eyes and night vision, Anne has specially made hearing aids created by Goddard Futuristics that allow her to hear whisperers on the other side of the ship and very subtle sounds. Anne's relationship with Pryce and Cutter would be interesting. I can see Pryce being jealous of her (for obvious reasons not to mention that fact that she gets Cutter's attention), but I can also see Pryce finding common ground with her since they have similar backstories that Cutter can't relate to (though Pryce would deny it and whenever Cutter refers to Anne as their little girl, she rolls her eyes and say something along the lines of "for the last time, I'm not playing house with you, Marcus. She's a tool. Like the rest of them."). If Pryce did go with the common ground route, it would be interesting to see if they ever ended up ganging up on Cutter for any reason (I think they'd do this if they were both mad at Hera and Doug at the same time and insisted on making decisions based on this anger), and whether Cutter would find this alliance amusing and endearing or threatening.

But back to the story. So Anne works for Goddard Futuristics now, and the anger she has towards her father has led her to buy into Cutter's philosophy of survival of the strongest, immortality/new bodies, a better future, all of it (though obviously Cutter is lying to her about some stuff because...well he's Cutter, he lies to everyone). So Doug and the crew finally have a show down with their enemies after over a decade in space and who shows up to torture them but Anne. Doug doesn't even recognize her at first, because she's an adult now, but when he does, he's devasted. Anne doesn't believe he's sorry about what he did and insists that this is what she wants now and that Cutter has been a better father to her than Doug ever could be. The crew becomes very conflicted because while they were prepared to fight Cutter and Pryce, nobody wants to kill Anne because despite what she's done, she's Doug's daughter (which is what Cutter was counting on).

Anyway, flash even more forward to Anne discovering recordings that prove her father cares about her and that Cutter is a horrible person, and she eventually breaks down and flips sides. I don't think Pryce would be sad to see her go, and if she was, she'd either get over it, or get angry at Anne for her "betrayal". Cutter might also have more complicated feels by that point if Anne reminds him of Pryce, and I could see him trying to force her to stay. Also at one point, Anne's special hearing aids break, and that's when she discovers that Doug learned sign language for her, just in case he ever got the chance to see her again.

Anyway, feel free to lmk what you think!

[sea-owl]

Give me Colleen Bridgerton laughing with her fellow debutantes (much like in season 2) one of the them points out her attachment to Percy Featherington, her brother Elliot's best friend, and she says "Percy Featherington? Good lord Miss Fife, I would never dream of being courted by Percy Featherington. Not in your wildest dreams." Unseen is a heartbroken Percy walking away. Cue Colleen finding out a week later the Percy has gone off to help his uncle with his shipping business. She shrugs it off but is a bit hurt not to receive any letters while Elliot gets plenty. Cue a time skip to the next season but no Percy. And then another season. Still no Percy. It's when Colleen is 28 that she finally sees her old friend again. Escorting a shy young lady by the name of Phillipa Crane, her deceased cousin's sister-in-law who has been looking after her niece and nephew. Not only are Colleens eyes on him (was he always that tall and his shoulders that broad?) but every other debutantes despite the whispers of a soon to be engagement between Phillipa and Percy.

In my mind, rather than being fat, Percy is built tall and wide (often people joked that he looked more like a future wood cutter than a baron). But working on his uncles ships helped him refine his muscle so while he is still stout, boy is as solid as a tree trunk (one Colleen now finds herself wanting to climb) as it has become muscle. Despite his tough appearance, the boy is a gentle giant.

He's actually protecting Phillipa from fortune hunters who want to marry her since her son is heir to her land. Still, he thinks Elliot might be a good fit for her.

I do see Colleen as being Whistledown who just wants to write about far off places while Percy keeps a journal full of poetry.

You know I ain't gonna lie I was thinking Pen would still be a woman, and Colleen is just Pensexual. But this idea is intresting.

Say we take Pen's age at the end of season 2, 18, and run with it Percy wouldn't really be on the hunt for a wife yet. He would just be starting University and mix that with working with his uncles which would probably be a mixture of him also learning how to run his baroney he would be a busy little lord.

And at some point he meets Pippa Crane (I'm just calling her Pippa so I don't confuse myself with Phillipa Featherington) the two bond over academics when Pippa starts going on a special intrest tangent about the different kinds of wood being used on the ships.

Fast forward to when Colleen is 28 and a spinster. She has yet to marry due to her being allergic to commitment she now sits with the chaperons more often than not.

Rumors have spread of the now 23 year old Lord Featherington returning to town with a newly titled Lady Crane after the death of her brother and sister in-law. Rumors also say that they might be heading towards the altar soon.

Colleen and Elliot were drinking some lemonade when a voice spoke up behind them.

"Ms. Bridgerton, Elliot!"

The siblings looked over, Colleen chocked on her lemonade while Elliot exclaimed, "Percy!"

Percy Featherington certianly had changed. No longer was the awkward 18 year old Colleen had associated with Percy in her mind. The man who stood before her now actually reminded her of a woodcuter.

Colleen had to stop her blush.

Hidding behind Percy was a woman about 25, who looked almost terrifed. Percy had introduced her as Lady Pippa Crane.

So she was the rumored fiance.

"Elliot do you mind dancing with Pippa?" Percy whispered. "She's shy and I hope dancing with someone I trust will help her."

Elliot agrees and leads Pippa off to the dance floor.

"So that is the infamous Lady Crane," Colleen said. She hoped Percy didn't see the way her hand tightened on the glass.

Percy nodded. "She's in need of a husband without a title to help her with Romeny Hall and won't try to run off with her fortune."

That would put you out of the running my lord, Colleen thought, hidding her smile in her drink. Wait, why does that make me happy?

"I was actually hoping to pair Lady Crane off with Elliot."

Colleen chocked on her drink.

[shower-phantom-ideas]

Dash is the biggest douchebag ever, who deserves a good kick in the crotch, held at gunpoint and shot on the spot. Same for that whore, Puta Paulina.

I havent done anything danny phantom related in ages. Besides like read phanfics and ask silly questions. This ask is the first one i have gotten in ages and its just quite the ask innit. So im gonna give it my all writing something just for you anon <3

Thanks for the ask! This one goes out to all my Dash haters! This one is for yall ❤️🥰🤗♥️💕😍

Dash Baxter

Dash was known for his prime jock personality. Really just a cookie cutter jock from those classic underdog movies. Low grades, quarterback on the football team, shoving kids in lockers, everyone knew it. What they didnt know was that this isnt where the similarities stopped. His mother died when he was younger. His father became a dead beat drunk, mostly a young Dash would receive the beating part. No future, just to peak in high school. All his peers told him these are going to be his highest moments. That soon he wont be anything but a loser working in fast food or as a janitor. His friends though, mostly Kwan, told him other wise. They tried to fill his head with dreams of him playing on a national level. Saying his future was bright. What did they take him for? Some sort of idiot? No he wasnt about to be given some sort of false hope. Yea what a laugh they could have when he got rejected to every school he applied to. No he wasnt gonna let them make a fool of him. He wasnt going to be tricked into believing in a future he had no chance at. After all they say you become your parents. Hes right on track for that, just like his old man. No way he is like his mom. She was kind, sweet, and cared about everyone. No hes nothing like her. He knows it. He can only hope she isnt looking down on him, she probably disowned him ages ago is she was. No son of hers. Sometimes he tries to plead with her. What choice does he have. How can he change it. Please help him. No matter how much he begs and pleads she will never answer. Shes gone and now she can see just how horrible her son really is. She much be so disappointed. That thought shakes him to his core. The idea that his mother who he loved is disappointed in him. How could he turn out like this, to waste all her efforts on teaching him better. He might as well go spit on her grave now. So he decides then and there that he will change. Tomorrow he says. Tomorrow I’ll stop. No more bullying. No more. I’ll become a son she can be proud of. Of course he had made this promise before. He goes a few days without being a jerk and then he just snaps. He doesnt get it. Why cant he do it. Why is it so frustrating and difficult to just not hit on his classmates. Why cant he just control his anger. Make it go away. He always tries so hard to just bottle it up. Stop it and hold it close but it always gets out. Maybe hes too weak. After all how else do you control your anger? All the others can so why cant he? Maybe theres a trick to it. If only he had someone to show him how. How to change. How to do better. How to make his mom proud. As if thats even still on the table. She was so naturally kind. Maybe thats it. Maybe hes just a born bully and he cant change. After all, why else would it be so hard for him to just be nice.

[tobiasdrake]

Episode 9 - Pokemon Victory Manual

I love how domestic Brock is. He traded being his siblings' surrogate dad for being Ash and Misty's surrogate dad. Meanwhile, Misty actively tries to get Ash murdered.

He picks a fight with five kids and warns her to keep out of it, and she's like, "Pfft, I'm not helping. Girls abhor violence. And these are five-to-one odds so they're going to eat you alive. Now go show them what you're made of, like a man!" XD Never change.

Ash doesn't like the idea of an expensive prep school where rich families can shortcut their kids to League certification without having to undergo the actual gym-challenge journey. I don't either. This is definitely a thing that would exist, and I hate it.

Ash wants to thwart bullying so they learn more about the school system. Misty ends up challenging the bullied kid Joe when he says that his school ranking is equivalent to having beaten her Gym. Joe thinks his Weepinbell can take her Starmie due to Type Advantage, but Misty oneshots with a Water Gun.

Turns out all that time playing the video game has left his actual Weepinbell atrociously low-leveled. Which is a good point to make against the school's methods in theory. But I find it ironic that they used Weepinbell instead of Bellsprout here. Bellsprout evolves into Weepinbell at level 21, which is the exact level that Misty's Starmie is at during her Gym challenge.

So actually, no. Joe's right. His Weepinbell would shitstomp both Brock and Misty's Gyms.

The head bully Gisele steps up for the next match. She lays out her training philosophy: Type Chart's cool and all but it's no substitute for sheer numerical stats-advantage from Level-up. She demonstrates by fighting Misty with Graveler, who pushes right through 400% Water Gun damage to oneshot Starmie.

(Aww, just a Graveler? Does nobody want to trade with the bully? In any case, "Levels matter" is a decent argument but if her only tactic for winning is to XP-grind above her opponents, she'd definitely get bodied in Competitive. This person is awfully smug about endorsing the zero-effort brute-force strategy.)

Ash, offended by Gisele's attitude, steps up to face her next. She baits him into leading with Pikachu by mocking his unconventional choice in starter and presumed low level. But then, despite her whole "My high levels can trump your Type Advantage" thing, she immediately sends out Cubone to resist Pikachu's electricity. Coward.

Ash reveals that his Pikachu is super-charged to damage Ground types, but then that doesn't work and he just looks like an idiot. I guess that's not in play anymore. Gisele next uses Leer to reduce Pikachu's defense, then Bone Club followed by Bonemerang while Ash stands around uselessly not giving attack orders. So much for that.

Ash accuses Gisele of cheating because he doesn't know some Pokemon have projectile attacks. Upon learning that he's being dumb, he gives PIkachu a new order: Just get 'em. Pikachu somehow manages to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat by flipping Cubone's helmet around, scratching him in the back, and then getting him hit in the face by his own Bonemerang while blinded.

This seems to be becoming Ash's thing. He gets stomped whenever he tries to compete by the rules, but he excels at finding unconventional solutions outside the narrow box of the established game mechanics. He's a knot-cutter.

[scentedchildnacho]

Little sister england.....I am looking for reads on how to finally let out a character a little desperate and illegal

Big sister by genetic arrangement may have nice traditional Piaget marriage plan

I by genetic plan have all sorts of men introduced into my life that all derivate from my position in impossible ways until disembodied philosophies have to be thought out

A character truly envious of the neo platonic marriage till which type of habit should she have

Some jobs in Florida would put out signs that I may stalk them

Picasso....no people like Shelley awa really cracked into a cutter like personality her character at awa was horrible though and I want this to inspire compassion and thought though

Kevin in her life was maybe married and Shelley was maybe his partner for the experience that man too her did really turn her into a pariah

Cracked out then she is Alaska but she is also Scotland and their staying together through it just cracked out dialogue

Kevin was this standard tall quiet good society looking man.....The Jew to fix the cutterishness I guess

A character that wants to mistress to survive

Look I am the partner but I didn't say you aren't the wife

Maybe I could be like the Floridan man in the orchid thief and invite some new York socialite to just do drugs and clean up houses in the child like warrior show

Now the character isn't though all that concerned with his wife though in fact the character likes his wife wishes her well and wants to separate him a little bit so she does more with her alone time

The character though does have a jungian complex and realizes she is obsessed with this man's good fortune and his inclusion in power networking

And the character does just want to incorporate his sense of masculinity into her life activity career potentials and once more outgoing and potent prefers to leave him for contracts like his

I don't think Kevin did anything to Shelley directly I think it's just Kevin's world that calls her an anxious spas

Its more that it's that man so

Why would Shelley that homosexually facially featured not have a man a lot like her though

I could become obsessed with a career plan till I was a cracked out anxious spas.....

And Kevin's in maritime law and Kevin looks correct for social appearances to get school acceptances....doesn't appear though to be any real feeling or relationship there though

Why would Kevin want a lady that made him look nature freaky and criminal though

New Orleans men around New Orleans all want women only if their the true abnormals

Borderline personality disorder those people did split personalities in front of me though

All true then....that was racist those people all had disturbed grieved childhoods

Not random all compiled because the researcher wanted a business off atmosphere

I just realized I think I did kind of have a relationship with that marine guy....I don't remember that

That was kind of a relational intense conversation not casually nothing

Lost count of bottles

Did you do something to lose count was time gone?

Then the tunnel vision

Then advise that marine man wants to be marine like and hits on as many people as he can......and yet marine man is always available if I say so

I would kind of avoid him though like it would be an icky situation between us without having to know his personal gender

That guy it would have had to be kind of a criminal situation between us though I suspect him of wanting to beat me though

Type of man not philandering or angry or homosexual or

I think I just realized that I found out about nothing that I never meet men that aren't angry

Okay now find a man who truly is not angry at all about life.....and that's my desperate target

Shelley I would call that Arizona culture.....Shelley and Kevin though don't tumble or dance together

[mdhwrites]

My Commitment to Theme in Crises Girlfriends

This is spoilers so this is your warning about that. Specifically, it follows up on the theme presented in this sentence of the story's description: Can love even help in the face of depression, anxiety and trauma?

So again, this is your warning. Here is a link to where I'm currently, slowly, posting the whole of the original version for free in case you're not interested in buying it. Also normal trigger warnings for depression, suicide, self harm, anxiety and abuse that comes with talking about Crises Girlfriends.

Okay.

One of the characters objectively needs MORE therapy after getting a friend. Not because that friend is abusive but because of the raw terror that comes from being able to open up and what might be hiding below the surface of what you were telling yourself now that you're not just in your own head. For this poor girl, it is DEVASTATING.

In finding connection, one of the girls, Sera, finally admits the depths of her depression. She'd had to admit early on that she tried to kill herself but after someone pointed out that she'd cut her wrists horizontally, she told herself she'd done it for attention. That without her singing, she'd wanted to be noticed somehow. That she was just a failure who wanted people to pity her. That all of this was just an act. This coalesces in a chapter where she literally can't handle even being cared about because she hasn't earned it. All she's done is lie and whine and do nothing, just like she does at home and so being given even a small gift from someone who seems to ask so little in return from her makes her go into a full blown panic attack. What it takes to snap her out of it is when Anisa, the other lead, tries to for a moment see under Sera's sleeve after Sera shows how she made her cuts over her sweater. She literally smacks Anisa's hand away though (something I had someone who I cleared with a cutter to understand better how to do the scene because the story actually NEVER shows the scars proper) and is forced to confront the fact that if she were just doing this for attention, why would she hide them?

The next chapter has her go under hypno therapy (again, had someone consult me on this because it is a legitimate and deeply helpful therapy technique for many trauma victims) where she calmly just states what happened the day she had to come in. The dehumanization her mother put her through. The lack of thoughts in her mind as she washed dishes and just began trying to carve herself open but didn't know how to do it the most efficient way. And then her mom even striking her when caught, before she was literally dragged to get bandaged up and taken to the hospital. All while mostly emotionally distant so the therapist of the Recovery Center can even know just how bad it really is because Sera literally can't say how bad it is otherwise.

And so the call is made: She is leaving the Crises Recovery Center. Not to go home... But to go into the psyche ward. They are two different things and (again from others as I've been lucky enough not to have to go so I had to consult those around me about their experiences) doctors will show caution with sending someone there. After all, the psyche ward isn't just for suicidal patients but those suffering from mental disorders of all sorts and it can be a LOT. But if someone's pain is great enough, they will go there. It is simply what she needs and no amount of hugs or kisses or compliments from the cute girl there will replace that need for help.

BUT. I write happy stories so you know what can help? Knowing there's something waiting for you outside. So in the second to last chapter, after advice from the therapist about healthy relationships coming out of a Crises Center because it's really easy to become co-dependent and toxic (a theme that isn't even new to this book specifically for me), Anisa makes Sera promise to take the therapy seriously and only leave when she genuinely thinks she's ready. In return? Her mom and her mom will be there waiting to pick them up for their first date: Ice Cream.

And the final nail: The epilogue. We don't see that first ice cream date. We see one when Sera and Anisa are adults and independent. Sera leaves the crises center, I made sure to make it clear this was a return trip, and they get ready to do the same trip they made that first day. The big difference though? This time Sera came to the hospital BEFORE she cut herself. Before she tried to kill herself. Because she had the support to actually be willing to face those worries.

Because love can't cure depression. It's not something you just need a kiss from time to time for as medication. But support and care? It can make finding the things that help you cope with depression so much easier than when all you are is trapped in your own head.

I guess I just wanted to share because I've been talking a lot about how fandoms see trauma and darkness in stories and part of that criticism has been using it for shipping. As someone who literally did a story where two characters get together in a Crises Recovery Center, it causes me to hum about my own use of it. There's a LOT of choices I made with Crises Girlfriends that I think help make sure that the angst isn't just flavor, such as how the girls get together because of each other's personalities and interests rather than shared trauma, but it's not like it doesn't still linger on my mind. Make me wonder if maybe I'm talking a game that I can't back up.

I don't know. And unfortunately, I haven't quite gotten enough feedback on the original version of the story to know quite certain how well I balanced it. Not when the only review currently on the story is from my mom who found it a pretty rough read due to being so closely connected to the author. XD

I am still incredibly proud of the story though and I hope someday it reaches more people, especially those who maybe needs its encouragement or lessons. Lessons learned from experience and what I wish I saw in media about my problems. I will keep ahold of hope though and wish you all the best. See you next tale.

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I also have an Amazon page for all of my original works in various forms of character focused romances from cute, teenage romance to erotica series of my past. I have an Ao3 for my fanfiction projects as well if that catches your fancy instead. If you want to hang out with me, I stream from time to time and love to chat with chat.

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