#YES NICO IS EVERYTHING BUT A SAINT

[thaliasthunder]

so what? so what if he's the devil?! at least the devil has a job! at least he's active in the community!

[maxedes]

someone probably said this before but another one of the very many reasons i‘ll never be normal about brocedes is that nico still supports lewis. like after all this. without a thought he still goes all in for him.

in saudi '22 after he already lost the wdc but nico still had faith about him winning the last race. this year in china when mercedes was still bad he still defended him and every other time he is commentating he wants him to do good. sometimes he is criticizing or offering advice almost but he is never mean about it.

his relationship with lewis going bad, turning into a pretty toxic rivalry (think about the strictly separate garages bc they were worried the other one would sabotage them) was one of the reasons he quit the sport (both weren‘t saints we know that so no one sided blame here).

so it would be so easy to be so petty on the literal international sports broadcast (we know he has no problem being a little sassy), making snide remarks whenever he can, being overall much more of a critic or even having a little schadenfreude when the mercedes stopped being the dominant car. but he doesn‘t do any of that. he still supports him. positive comments, defending him to other commentators and all

-just their whole dynamic is so wild. take any little details away & it would be so much less appealing. the wink after the silverstone interview,the yes, and teammate, the being unable to say each others name for years. all that is just insane

but after all it’s still watching the stars in greece. the war of the silver arrows. everything but a lover, in my heart he‘s still my best friend & nico still suppprts lewis

[cassecorrea]

Exactly omg. All this weird negative Percy talk to praise other characters like Nico or Jason is, well, weird. They’re ALL flawed characters, which makes them so great. Nico and Jason aren’t pure perfect saints either. And idk if people forget but we first saw only Percy’s POV, and from his POV, not only did he have a crap ton on his plate (hello great prophecy, people dying on his watch, etc etc), but Nico pushed him away, hated him and everything he tried to do to help, then betrayed him and left him to die. Yes he was angry and hurt and a child, but Percy doesn’t have to let Nico do that to him. Not to mention the fact that Percy did try to help Nico multiple times, but Nico wasn’t accepting that help, nor was he ready to.

Idk, Percy has flaws and that’s a good thing, and discourse about these characters is good too, but bashing a character for this type of thing just to uplift other characters is weird, especially when Percy doesn’t deserve this amount of bashing in this scenario. Your faves aren’t perfect.

Thinking about, when Nico said he would be leaving, Percy let him go whereas Jason tried to make him stay.

[arabnico]

nico al malaak

you’re saying this off-handedly anon but i’ve genuinely thought so much of nico’s surname and its origins and how it fits with everything in my mind, like with how nico’s ancestral family may have immigrated to italy and made efforts to conform and fit in by changing their surname. nico’s full name—nico di angelo—isn’t the poetic, deeply meaningful name people think it is lol. the “di” usually refers to property and implies ownership or being from somewhere like a town or a village (which would be odd in this case because “angelo” in itself isn’t a usual name for a town—should probably be preceded by “saint”), but in last names, “di” insinuates and refers to a father’s name. so technically his last name would be born from one of maria’s ancestors being given that surname because they’re the child of someone named “angelo”. which reminds me of the arabic tendency to also refer to people based on either descendants or elders—“ibn/bint [name of parent]” (as in son/daughter of [name]) and “ab or bou/um [name of child (usually eldest son)(misogyny)]” (as in father/mother of [name]. but it’s kind of an odd thing still in the italian language especially when it comes to nico’s name, it would be considered “odd” and would definitely make him get ridiculed for, which kind of makes sense to me if you view it from a perspective of clumsy attempted assimilation into the immigrated into culture. so yes nico al malaak so real 🫡🫡

[chironshorseass]

do you have any hc about percy being part of the sea? I know it's partly because we have so many books that get into his character and his connection to the sea, but t me it always felt like his connection is very different to the connection the other demigods have with their element

and u are not wrong, anon, because we don’t see anything like percy’s connection to the sea with other demigods and their respective elements. here are some Thoughts that i have about this, in no particular order at all:

if u read carefully, percy gets more and more powerful as time goes on, or more specifically: as he gains a better understanding about who he is. his connection to the sea is something he has to find, but it is still very much a part of him.

i feel like this is canon (i can’t remember? but i swear this is mentioned somewhere) but percy has more water in him than the average human. he is the ocean, based on how much raw power he has, so theoretically he may or may not be able to melt into the water the same way nico shadow travels. it could be like. idk. water traveling lmao

yes he can cause earthquakes, but this has to do with not only poseidon being the earthshaker (duh) but because the majority of earthquakes take place on the sea floor so. makes sense, i guess. this is something percy finds he can do later on (maybe when he’s 18 or something) because to me the incident of mount saint helens doesn’t count.

his moods change depending on the tides. for the longest time he didn’t know about this, but it gets to the point where it’s such a coincidence that when it’s a full moon he feels more powerful, more confident. tbh this is how i came up with the h2o au lol.

there was an oil spill near montauk while he was there and he felt sick for days

or for example if there’s a storm, he will feel uneasy/more alert about everything

this is how i came up with this fic bc he can totally tell when a storm is about to come in. this was handy in the argo ii probably lol

this goes for earthquakes, too. and sometimes he feels weird for no reason at all

like imagine him at school:

“hey, percy, you okay, man?”

and he explains that it’s an earthquake, but at the end of the day no one feels it bc it was like a 1.5 in the richter scale lmao so he learns to live with it.

obviously he wasn’t trained with his powers. obviously chiron didn’t want to train him. power=a threat in the riordanverse, so even once everyone learned about him being a son of poseidon no one made it their mission to help him control his powers. everything he knows about his abilities just….happened.

SO i am Convinced that poseidon or even triton take pity on him they also wanted to piss off zeus and help him out. he’s unstoppable after ofc

he’s also weirdly strong? this is canon, and it’s also canon for most demigods since it’s an actual Trait that was specifically described in greek mythology concerning heroes, but percy’s strength comes from the ocean’s raw power.

he loves salt. yes. he does. when annabeth first comes over to his apartment and sally makes her dinner she has to gulp down GALLONS of water because of how salty the food is 💀 sally had gotten so used to percy’s Needs ig. annabeth never lets percy live this down.

[ofpsalms]

He knows that she's not one for fanfare, but he'd be hard pressed to allow the day to go unnoticed. Birthdays deserve acknowledgment, he'd always felt, even if that acknowledgement was quiet. A way to appreciate and celebrate the gifts of family and friends God had given them- that's what he'd always told the children on Crockett. And what a special gift it is indeed that after all this time, after everything that's happened, God still found room in his heart to grant Monsignor John Pruitt a friend. A begrudging start, yes, but a friend no less.

The gift was left on Nico's desk: something thin and flat, wrapped in the gold and white gift paper that caught his eye at the store ( celebration colors on a celebratory day ). Inside she'll find an autographed copy of both Pete Seeger's vinyl God Bless The Grass and a tour poster, along with a folded note:

" Got these autographed at his live Berkeley performance back in '68 - I was able to bring some vinyls with me off Crockett, but obviously not the record player. Figured someone should get to enjoy these properly. Buon compleanno, Nico! - Msgr. Succhiasangue. "

Two espressos and a cigarette had been her birthday gift to herself early this morning. So busy with her nose in her files and keeping her peers in order, Nico is content to forget this date’s significance after that. Simply another year closer to eternity, to her it’s not much to celebrate.

 Still she’s only human, she cannot help the curiosity that overtakes her at the sight of a nearly wrapped parcel on her desk.  Nor can she help the way her heart pounds with childlike excitement as her fingers gently tear through the metallic paper. Dark eyes widen and her breath catches in her throat at the sight of her idol’s signatures. She holds these small treasure up like sainted relics, and a disbelieving, ecstatic laugh escapes from her lips. 

His note is the next thing she finds. As her dark eyes scan it, she shakes her head with a smile on her face, snorts as she always does at the ease of which he’d adopted her once cutting nickname as his personal moniker. Pruitt. He’d remembered. Perhaps it had been hard to forget. She’d played one of Seeger’s disks on repeat in her car the first time she’d dragged him out on assignment.

Here is a land full of power and glory Beauty that words cannot recall Oh her power shall rest on the strength of her freedom Her glory shall rest on us all 

The previously neglected record player, nestled in the corner of her office, spins. Music of hope and struggle carries itself out of the crack in her door and down the halls. It seems to follow her footsteps as they carry themselves with purpose down the ornate halls to find him. 

❝ Monsignor? ❞ 

Nico appears at his office door, still clutching his message in her hand. She hadn’t meant to for this to carry so much weight, had meant this as a simple thank you, followed by a bit of their usual banter. Nico rolls her shoulders back, tries to keep a joking smile on her face, but whatever casual thanks or clever comment she had planned turns to dust in her hands. A series of half-formed thoughts tumble out from between her lips instead.

❝ I just wanted to thank you, for your gifts- I love them. I really love a lot. I mean, I know I talked your ear off about Seeger in those early days and I... thank you, for remembering and all. I mean, no one really... ❞ 

She looks at him, and a long, contemplative silence follows. Before she can stop it, her collected expression crumbles, followed by tears that sting and redden her eyes before falling down her cheeks.

❝ Father John. ❞

 His name comes out thickly and stripped of formalities. It’s the only thing that she can manage. In the next moment she’s stepped forward and has her arms around his tall frame, her features buried in his shoulder. For a time there is nothing else she needs to say, embracing him tightly, unapologetically, and praying her tears do not stain his black clerics.

What wonders in God’s plan. She’d hated this man half a year ago, then reluctantly turned to him when there was no one else left. Now he’s resurrected a feeling long buried, the fear that comes with having someone else to lose. The impenetrable walls of Babylon that previously incased her ribs have fallen, and she allows herself to feel it all, lets its flames scorch the inside of her chest in all of its triumphant agony. 

❝ Grazie. Grazie mille, Monsignore Succhiasangue. My brilliant friend. ❞ 

[solangelover]

"Look Both Ways First, Kids!”

Submission Prompt: Hello…I just thought of this prompt and love the way you write. Will is an elementary school teacher as a side job and his classroom habits slip out while talking to Nico and the others. Like when they go out in a group, Will is like: ‘Okay now everyone hold your buddy’s hand.’

A/N: I’m going to tweak the prompt a bit since like, elementary school teacher is not a side job LOL. So now we have a mortal AU with teacher!Will, grad student!Nico (not that it matters), and they’re hanging a mix of friends (I always do Cecil and Lou Ellen so I’ll try to mix it up more haha). (YO I’VE HAD HALF OF THIS WRITTEN FOR AT LEAST A YEAR SORRY)

 Read on AO3 or FF.Net

“Bye, Mr. Solace!”

Will enthusiastically waved goodbye, his last student filing out of his classroom. Man, second graders were really just adorable. Also, very messy. Will turned his gaze upon the desks covered in glitter and paper scraps and sighed. Nico did tell him that this particular art project was a bad idea, but how else was Will going to teach the kids about the states in the US if they couldn’t cut them out and color them?

Will began the arduous process of cleaning up, humming lightly to himself. He had to actually get his gum scraper (yes, he always had it on hand even if gum was not allowed in school) to get glue off the desks. After vacuuming as much glitter out of the carpet as possible, Will dusted himself off and headed to a faculty meeting.

He came back to his room to find his boyfriend wiping down his desks. He let out a noise of surprise, startling slightly in the middle of the doorway. Nico looked up, a slow smile spreading across his face as he stood up from where he was leaning over a desk.

“Hey, Sunshine,” he greeted. “I see you went ahead with the glitter.”

Will rolled his eyes but didn’t respond to the jab, electing to walk over and throw his arms around the dark-haired man. “What are you doing here?”

Will leaned back to see Nico’s face as he started speaking. “We’re going out, aren’t we?”

“It’s like 4:00! Isn’t it kind of early?” Will untangled himself from his boyfriend after giving him a quick peck on the cheek.

Nico shrugged. “Jason said I should just get you from school. You know how he’s like an old man now and he sleeps early.” They both laughed in agreement. Jason got some government job out of college that fit his regiment of rising early and hitting the ground running. While he used to be able to hang with everyone late into the night, starting his career flipped his “adult switch” and he became “less fun,” in Leo’s words. Piper doesn’t mind much since Jason’s routine has helped steady her often turbulent schedule. She had started a small fashion company in college that really took off in the past year, meaning she had meeting after meeting with various people and often had no consistency between her workdays. Jason and Piper’s daily lives were drastically different, but they did good to balance each other out and keep each other grounded.

“Did Leo say he was coming?” Will asked as he began putting things away and shutting his windows.

“Yeah, I think so. And he’s bringing Calypso too.” Leo’s small mechanic shop had a few loyal customers, which was enough to make Leo content with his life. Then, as he tells it, a beautiful goddess waltzed into his garage covered in grease and dirt smudges, claiming to have broken down nearby and was in need of help. Leo said she gave him a decent rundown of what she found wrong with her car and was ecstatic to find that she was spot on. He was in love and, while it took a bit of charming and annoying, Leo convinced her to go out with him a few months ago.

“Oh, that’s good! I like her,” Will replied enthusiastically.

“I can’t believe she puts up with him,” Nico said in a flat voice.

“Don’t be so mean, Neeks,” the blonde said as they made their way out the door. “They’re good together and you know it. Besides, she teases Leo just as much as he does to everyone—“

“Probably why he’s whipped,” Nico cut in.

“Oh my gosh,” Will rolled his eyes as he grabbed Nico’s hand, swinging it between them.

They continued to talk and joke as they got into the car and drove downtown, where they were meeting their friends for dinner.

Once they parked and were getting out of the car, they heard a shout behind them. “Looks like the love birds finally made it!”

Nico rolled his eyes and replied without even turning around. “Don’t even talk, Pipes. You know you’re the queen of sappy romance.” Will could see the smirk on his boyfriend’s face as he rounded the car to stand next to him.

They turned in time to see the Piper’s offended expression as she strode up to them. “Excuse me,” she scoffed. “How dare you make such an accusation against me when we all know Jason is the mushiest one and he’s standing right here.”

The aforementioned blonde only sighed exasperatedly, knowing he never wins this argument. Then, a shameless grin grew on his face as he snaked his arm around his girlfriend’s waist, tugging her toward him. He shoved his nose in her face and crooned, “And don’t you forget it.”

“Woah, Jason, where’s my loving embrace?” an indignant voice cried out to their right. Will turned to see Leo walking hand-in-hand with a beautiful girl, her caramel-colored hair blowing back lightly in the breeze. Her cheeks were tinted pink as she giggled, watching her ridiculous boyfriend ramble on about being Jason’s first love and how no one cared about him around here.

Jason, ever the gentleman, immediately turned to Calypso to introduce himself, prompting everyone else to do the same.

“Leo’s told us a lot about you,” Will said politely. “It’s wonderful to finally meet you.”

“I’m glad to be here,” she said good-naturedly. “Leo’s told me many stories about you all, though I feel like they were a bit… embellished. I know for a fact that he isn’t a smooth, suave hero at all times.” She shot Leo a look that caused his cheeks to darken, even as he placed a hand on his chest in mock exaggeration. Nico was right—he was whipped.

“Oh, don’t worry. We have an endless list of embarrassing things Leo has done. We’ll fill in the gaps he probably left out,” Nico cut in. In all honesty, getting back at Leo for anything and everything he’s ever done to him was probably what he had looked forward to most about this dinner. Will couldn’t hold him back if he tried.

Before things could escalate any further, Will gestured toward the road. “Let’s head toward the restaurant before we spend the whole evening insulting each other in a parking lot. I like to have food with my entertainment.” He winked at Calypso, who laughed as she nodded in agreement.

The group mingled together, conversing loudly as they made their way toward the edge of the lot. Nico had clearly considered jaywalking across the street to the restaurant, but one stern look from his boyfriend had him pivoting to the nearest crosswalk.

Will pressed the crossing button and turned toward the group as they waited. They all continued chatting, not really paying attention to where they were going. He glanced at the crossing sign, hoping everyone could at least look forward when they stepped into the street.

When the sign lit up and his friends hadn’t moved, he spoke up on instinct. “Everyone, grab your buddy’s hand; we’re crossing the street!”

The chatter stopped, and Will blinked as all eyes stared back at him. “Um…” He glanced again at the sign, which was now counting down their seconds. Technically, you weren’t supposed to enter the road at this point, but the timer was still high. However, none of his friends seemed poised to move, so maybe he’d have to hold them back before they ended up sprinting across the street. “Are we—?”

A loud snort to his right cut him off. Will turned his head to see Nico doubled over in laughter. “You—” he tried to start, but he couldn’t hold his laughter in long enough to even form two words.

Soon enough, the others started laughing too—Leo and Piper, rather loudly, and Jason and Calypso, a bit more politely, the latter holding a hand over her mouth as her shoulders shook. Will continued to look confused, part of his mind still preoccupied with the light they were missing.

He replayed the last few minutes in his head, then promptly turned red as he groaned. His friends only laughed harder when he buried his head in his hands.

“I just want to cross the street,” he lamented through his fingers.

“But, Mr. Will,” Leo exclaimed. “You forgot to tell us to look both ways first!” He had tears gathering in the corners of his eyes from how much he was laughing. Honestly, Will thought they were all overreacting.

“Oh, come on! It wasn’t even that funny!” he cried.

“Will,” Jason started, in a consoling tone that the teacher did not think was warranted in this situation. “You didn’t hear it like we did.”

“You used your teacher voice!” Nico finally caught his breath enough to speak, though Will kind of wishes he hadn’t. “It was all high and cheery and—” He wiggled his fingers in an effort to express Will’s tone.

The blonde man turned back to see the light had changed, the red hand now mocking him and preventing him from leaving this conversation.

“You’re a teacher?” Will found Calypso looking at him with genuine curiosity in her eyes as the other four calmed down from their fits of laughter.

“Yes,” he sighed heavily. “And we had a field trip the other day. And I came straight from the classroom today.” He gazed at the others around him. “I guess I forgot I wasn’t dealing with second graders.”

Calypso carried on over the noises of indignation from the others. “Aw, second graders, how cute! Tell me about it!” Bless her, this saint of a woman, engaging in conversation and pushing Will’s slip-up away. It was a kind gesture and Will ran with it.

He quite literally turned his back on the others as he described what his day of geography and glitter was like to the woman.

In the next minute, when the light changed and the crossing sign lit up once more, he felt a hand slip into his. Nico was staring up at him, a grin on his face. “I call you as my crossing buddy.”

Will rolled his eyes. “Yeah yeah.” He looked to his other side to see the other couples also holding hands and smiling at him. The teacher rolled his eyes again and, before he stepped off the curb, brightly called out, “Look both ways first, kids!”

[amiramorozova]

Dual Summoner x The Darkling pt. 23

I decided to write back knowing that I owed it to him and I knew that it wasn't like a lot was going on here. I had to get ready for the Winter Fete so close by but I just didn't want to risk anything. I knew that there was time before the day of the Fete but I just had so much on my mind. So I started to write to him about what I wanted to.

Dear Nico,

I never really thought about how much I smile and maybe my eyes don't match how I feel. I guess being that nine years of secrets has been the burden I have carried. No one knew that I was a Dual Summoner until I didn't have a choice but to be known. General Kirigan gives me my space but I can't fully say that this is all my choice. My teacher is a bit strict but she is the only way I can get these letters to you I believe. I don't know if he or the Grisha who tends to me during the day will intervene. She warns me I might have to go after Morozovas Stag someday but only a skilled tracker could find it. From what you told me you would be the skilled tracker that could find it. So if orders come up to find the Stag, you must come to the little palace and find me. 

-Amira

I made sure to put that letter in my journal knowing that Genya could come anytime. As I opened the other letter wondering who it was from I smiled when I recognized the handwriting and I caught the item that fell from the letter. As I read over it knowing it was my father's handwriting. 

Dear Amira,

Word spreads fast and now people are already calling you Sankta Amira, I know you don't believe in being a saint. Still,  I had this locket passed down to me when I was old enough and now you have it. Inside is the name of Every Sun Summoner in our family that is alive or dead. I am also aware that Baghra told you of my agreement with her, I never thought Aleksander Morozova would have become the man he is now. Be careful my daughter, if he gets Morozovas stag he could turn this arrangement into something much worse. When the time comes to look for the Stag I will help you find it.

-Love Father

I looked over that name as I knew that I hadn't known the last name of Aleksander till now. I ran that thought through my head about what my last name could be if I did marry him. Not only that he had the same name as the creator of the amplifiers. I knew that there were always going to be risks but I looked at the locket as I opened it seeing the names of everyone and then I noticed at the bottom was my name that was in Father's handwriting. 

I'll be careful father when it comes to Aleksander. I just need to get through this and hope the stag is never found. I thought as I started to write to my father.

Dear Father,

Sankta Amira? I think people are just looking for someone to find hope in and a Dual Summoner who can bring the light is just something for them to look at. Most people seem more interested in the light than my tidemaker abilities. I get why with the light being able to tear down the fold but I really don't want to be the one to take it down.  I wanted to be just Amira but that is no longer an option with everything that has happened. It's lonely being here alone, the only one of my kind but I suppose Baghra and Aleksander know that feeling being the last two shadow summoners. Baghra has prepared me well so he can't manipulate me with any of the lies he would give to the other girls. When that day comes for the Stag, we can go look for it together. 

-Love Amira

I put those letters away knowing that I had to be sure that they got sent out. I knew that everyone else was blinded by his lies, the names that he was going by and I was the only one awake to see the truth. I took my sketchbook and snuck out of my room going to Baghra's training area making sure no one saw me as I was walking. I wore the Kefta to make sure that I could get there. When I arrived there I knocked on the door to make sure that she knew it was me as she soon opened the door.

"Amira." Baghra said 

"I need these sent out." I said as I got in my sketchbook and handed her the letters "Please Baghra." 

"Of course but you should be careful of those he's convinced." Baghra said 

"Which is why I didn't ask Genya to do this, I don't know how much I can trust her. I know I am drawn to him but every girl is drawn to him in their own way." I said 

"I taught you a bit too well to notice things others would not but I had to make sure he could not manipulate you into a slave." Baghra said 

"If he would try I would fight back." I said 

Baghra let me in for a bit and I relaxed in there knowing that no one knew I snuck out of my room. I wasn't supposed to be out except for preparing for the Fete but who cared. I ended up sketching a bit in my sketchbook as I knew there was nothing better going on. Baghra seemed to be plotting something but I knew that there was a lot going on.

"Thinking of Morozovas stag?" I asked

"We cannot let him obtain that kind of power if it is found." Baghra said 

"The only one who could possibly find it would be Nico." I said 

Baghra looked at me when I said that and I looked at her knowing she didn't know that I knew a tracker. "The friend I had an argument with, he's a tracker. His group in the first Army says he's the best able to track anything." I said, "I warned him about the stag and come to find me if they find it." 

"Well you think five steps ahead of Aleksander, he won't like that." Baghra said 

"The Tracker has his loyalties not to him but to the king." I said, "I just know how to convince him to be loyal to me." 

"Maybe you are a good match for my son." Baghra said 

"I know how to think ahead of him because of you, I am not persuaded like the others. Like Zoya." I said 

Zoya disliked me no matter what but I kept my distance from her for good reason, I knew that I had not seen her in two days. I wouldn't have a chance to avoid her tomorrow but that was tomorrow's problem. I would have to get my routine down for the Fete but I knew Aleksander was leaving soon if he hadn't already left.  I finished a sketch then headed out knowing I hadn't really done a lot today but I was going back to my room. 

Guess I will just see him when he returns, I knew this was going to happen. I thought 

I turned a corner to the west wing of the little palace where my room was near his war room. I was almost there when I saw his doors open and he walked out. I moved quickly before he noticed tossing my sketchbook into my room and closed it seeing him come out. He noticed me as he approached seeing I was standing there.

"Amira." Aleksander said 

"Hello, you're leaving for the north again, correct?" I asked

"Yes, some fights come up and I need to go to check on another group of the first army." Aleksander said 

"I guess I will see you when you get back." I said 

I saw his smirk form as he leaned into me and kissed me, as I returned the kiss knowing every time he did this my heart beat faster. It lasted for a few minutes before he pulled away and placed a hand on my cheek. I could see he had something on his mind as I put my hand over his and closed my eyes with a smile. 

"You don't need to worry about the Fete, I'll help with your performance." Aleksander said, "I've been thinking maybe there are others like you out there. A Dual summoner, maybe not with light but the elements of Inferni and Tidemaker." 

I opened my eyes hearing his words that there might be others like me out there as I had my doubts when it came to Dual summoners like me. I was one of a kind Dual Summoner being Sun and Tidemaker. 

"Only the Saints would know." I said 

"Speaking of Saints. Have you heard people are now calling you-" Aleksander started but I cut him off "Sankta Amira." I said

"You've heard about it?" Aleksander said 

"I got a letter from my father, he heard about it and mentioned it in his letter." I admitted

"I wish I could take you with me again but I think you're needed here." Aleksander said 

"I should do more training with Baghra. Every chance I get with her is better for our chances to destroy the fold." I said 

"What about the stag? Your thoughts on an amplifier?" Aleksander said 

"I don't want to rely on a myth amplifier that is impossible to find. I need to work harder and get better, you're a walking amplifier so if I struggle you can help me." I said 

Aleksander kissed me again from those words and I leaned in kissing him back knowing his ego grew if I relied on him. I just knew how to make this relationship work for the both of us so he hears what he wants to hear that I need him. I knew that there was no way I couldn't tear down the fold without an amplifier someday but I was doing everything to distract him. We pulled away when we heard someone clear their throat and I saw Ivan as I blushed looking away. 

"Ivan, is the carriage ready?" Aleksander asked

"Yes, General." Ivan said 

"Good." Aleksander said then he looked at me as I looked at him then he looked at Ivan "Have a heartrender tell Marie and Nadia they are to be Amira's guards while she's in the little palace. We can't take any risks with leaving Amira here and not many of our Inferni, Tidemakers, or Squallers would probably care to keep her safety in mind." 

Ivan looked curious and then he looked at me as I crossed my arms where he saw the ring on my hand. Unofficially we were considered engaged cause he hadn't properly done the proposal but I wasn't going around yelling about it. Ivan seemed to catch the hint of why it was important I had guards by my side now but I said nothing. 

"Right away, General." Ivan said before leaving 

"Does this make you happy Amira?" Aleksander asked

"Yes." I said with a smile "I trust Marie and Nadia with my life already. I am glad you think so too." 

"Good then I will see you when I return." Aleksander said and then walked away.

Still two steps ahead, Marie and Nadia may listen to you but their loyalty may not entirely be to you. I thought 

"Bye." I said before going in my room

A/N: Comment down below should there be other Dual Summoners who are Inferni/Tidemaker or Squaller/Inerni?

[mejcinta]

John Waker antis.

These are the kind of John Walker anti posts I just need to respond to:

“I didn’t even know there could be people actively defending that piece of shit but just for argument’s sake: he did get a slap on the hand?

Walker literally killed an innocent man in cold blood on foreign soil and mind you he didn’t do it in self defence or even during a fight, no he ran after the first guy he saw, took him down and decapitated him in front of a crowd and then left like nothing happened. May I remind you of the hateful treatment we (and by we I mean predominantly white countries) reserve to any person of colour who even dares to think something even remotely “submersive”? Yeah.

So yes, that white garbage fire got away with a slap on his hand because instead of being put on trial for slaughtering a man, he’s just sent home with dishonor or whatever cuz he’s the epitome of entitlement and privilege. Call that justice will you.”

Duuuuuuuuuude!!! Here’s just a little something I’ve obsereved about these types of individuals and their fake SJW Playbook.

1. They’ll identify with morally questionable characters a.k.a criminals who mess up their own circumstances in heated situations, then blame it entirely on a party *outside* of themselves and their poor choices. Nico, mind you, wasn't entirely innocent. He was an accomplice to Lemar's murder. And he can't say he didn't sign up for war when he chose to fight beside Karli. John was high on the serum and took the wrong stance, to be fair. But to pretend that Nico was a saint who had no idea what he was messing up with is something else entirely. And clearly, he admitted he had messed up when crazed up John was standing over him.

2. They’ll remind people, especially black people, how 'privileged' as white people they are, and how them coming down to 'advocate' for black people makes them 'better' white people. This is what I hate most about such so-called fans. They treat black people as objects to gain golden societal points from, as they ironically state over and over again, how ‘privileged’ they are to be born a certain skin color. With all due respect, I find any 'fan' or person that talks such shit to me, as if I ever asked for their help or ever saw myself as a 'helpless, poor little black person in need of a savior' the BIGGEST racist ever!!!

3. These fans think they earn points by calling people of their skin color, 'white garbage fire'. Dude, have you no respect for yourself at the least?? It's not virtuous to insult someone for the color of their skin, it's actually deranged and evil. And many of these John antis are in fact very deranged and small-brained. They can’t see beyond their unhealthy hatred for how someone looks or talks.

4. Making everything about race... Gee, where do I even start. The Falcon & The Winter Soldier has served heavy facts about how the government uses people to pass their sinister agendas. They experimented on Isaiah. Another shadow government organization kidnapped, tortured and brainwashed Bucky. John Walker and Lemar Hoskins were programmed to believe they were serving their nation abroad when all that brought was death and destruction to foreign countries. Biggest takeaway from here is that the government WILL use you fools. 

And what's the latest method Western governments are using to pass outrageous, tyrannical laws?? The excuse of 'racism'. Mass disarmament of nation's because 'racism'. Mass censorship of freethinkers and people that question government/try to hold it accountable because 'racism'. Black people must be inoculated first with an experimental vaccine because 'racism'. Open borders, mass child trafficking, sexual exploitation, pedophilia and dangerous notorious gangs getting in because it would be 'racist' to strengthen border protection. Oh, and black people shouldn't pass in Math because how could they when Math is 'racist' and black people can't and shouldn't compete equally with others in a subject that even African students ( Math is compulsory here in Africa) are really good at and consequentially pursue meaningful and empowering careers that take them as far as actress Lupita Nyong’o, writer Wole Soyinka , actor Eddie Gathegi or American surgeon Ben Carson????

It's ironic, and beyond me, that these SJW John antis don't see they are the ones that are government/establishment props.

Now the question is: is John Walker, a character that’s a war veteran, programmed/conditioned into the role of Captain America and had a (black) best friend and has a beautiful, loving (black) wife a 'racist' simply because Sam wasn't ready to take up the Shield and voluntarily gave it up to the Establishment????? (Thankfully, he’s come around now).

John Walker is now liberated from government control and wants to do things his way, and he's bad for that?? He's literally what all of you 'SJW' fans aim to be right? A rebel breaking free from government control and exacting justice the way they see fit?

This is the big irony with John antis. Tell me you're petty without telling me you're petty, I guess.

[ursie]

Spare any Catholic Nico headcanons? I remember you made a post about it some time ago and you had some good ideas

Ok so I was not raised Catholic but my parents and grandparents were. So I can’t get too much into it as my religious experience is different. That said :

Nico has his moms rosary beads and prays with them (I said this before I just feel strongly about this)

He helps at Sunday school and Bible study!! He’s really helpful and reads to the younger kids and stuff

He’s very good at arts and crafts and spent a couple weekends updating the Christmas pageant costumes and decorations

Unironically loves veggie tales it was one of the few things he was allowed to watch by Bianca and the Catholic school-he says he’s putting it on for the kids-he’s not

Has such intense and truly interesting theological debates and discussions with the Church staff during or after Bible study and genuinely loves discussing this stuff will do so with any willing individual

Had a weird kid Bible phase special interest this is a thing that happens I promise every class has like one kid who’s like actually read it front to back and likes the angels. That was Nico

Loves debate and Bible study but absolutely hates it when people imply their interpretation is the right one or better than his like. Nico voice : bitch I’ve been doing Bible study longer than the popes been alive

Will infodump on changes to the Catholic Church and the different popes

Remember when I said he had a special interest?? That’s where it came up he learned all about the old popes and crusades ect and because he loves history and the undeniable religious influence here complicated and compelled by the fact he’s Arab and Catholic-he set to read like everything involved and that meant like. Every pope and saint ever

Actually devout practices all the lil days, prays before meals, bed, for patience..

Hades trying to make Nico listen to him : I’m a god blah blah -Nico voice : you’re not MY god I dont pray to you 🙄 hades : -Nico : you’re the one that put me in Catholic school

Absolutely loves the theological/historical debate of Pan/Hades/Satan people make jokes about hell ect and Nico’s like OvO there’s actually a real theological argument and starts infodumping as people flee for their time

Nico voice : I’m an Angel not a saint

Has a very complex understanding of it given how his existence is almost heretical but instead finds peace because if his dad, other gods, ect exist? Of course his can

Absolute king of Catholic guilt if he didn’t suffer for something not only does he not want it he doesn’t believe in its existence

Took the phrase idle hands are the devils tool too literally is physically incapable of not always juggling a couple things-if he’s not doing 24424 at once he’s a bad Christian™️ and does feel bad

Literally can and has spent all Sunday at church

Absolute fav of old church ladies somehow joined the women’s group they all think he’s one of their grandsons and nobody has corrected anyone

Yea he’s devout yes he gossips in church he exists

[bwoahtastic]

Okay but, I know this doesn't quite fit with the idea you had but if the drivers were superheroes what power would they have?

Ooohh you're in for a ride jsjs. I spend a good few hours on this and yeah am obsessed already

~~~~

Sebastian Vettel: he would have visions about the future. Not necessarily what will happen, but a possible future.

Charles Leclerc: according to @loving-ricciardo there is someone in the series Misfits whose superpower is making other people horny by touching them and yup that would be Charles.

Max Verstappen: he would be all about fire. Shooting fire from his hands, heating up hot chocolate for Lando, he can do it all.

Daniel Ricciardo: shape-shifting. Be it being another human to confuse you, or a badger to chew on shoes, or insects to scare you. Please don't expect him to shift into something serious though.

Antonio Giovinazzi: healing magic hair powers like Rapunzel, you heard it here first.

Kimi Räikkönen: some sort of ice power. But you all probably guessed that one

Valtteri Bottas: invisibility. Idk not to be rude but maybe he sometimes already has that power

Lewis Hamilton: he would be able to charm anyone and everything into doing what he wants. Like he will smile and you will forget you're fighting.

George Russell: heightened senses. Yes he will hear everyone's secret farts and spot differences to f1 cars from miles away

Nicholas Latifi: lowkey vibe with him having wings. That would be awesome

Alexander Albon: telekinesis. He doesn't use it a lot unless Lando wants to float around for a bit. Also useless to move your boss away from you

Esteban Ocon: regenerative abilities. Very useful, I think he's quite clumsy so very quick healing would be his saviour

Kevin Magnussen: Water bending. He my pretty little mermaid you can't convince me otherwise. Like annoy him and suddenly the water in your water bottle will attack you

Romain Grosjean: time manipulation/time freezing. He will mostly do it to keep people out of trouble though

Pierre Gasly: mind reading. And yes that leads to embarrassing situations.

Daniil Kvyat: superhuman strength, I think he would just yeet stuff away as if it weighs nothing all the time

Lando Norris: power absorption. He can literally take any power he wants. Mostly steals Dan's powers to change into the Aussie and annoy Max, but his pranks are not limited to that

Carlos Saint Jr: mind manipulation. You'd never be sure what you really think around him, not cos he uses the power a lot but because its like a Pavlov effect jsjs

Lance Stroll: talking to animals. It ain't much, but you can bet your ass cats always spill the tea.

Checo Perez: teleportation. I have the feeling he would be popping up everywhere just to scare everyone

BONUS

Nico Hülkenberg: look he will just hulksmash a bitch, it's simple

Jenson Button: phasing - which is just a fancy word for walking through walls. You won't even be safe in the bathroom

Yuki Tsunoda: I can see him just being an epic human fighter like Black Widow. Don't know if that's technically a superpower but I think you'd see it as such after he whoops your ass.

Fernando Alonso: his power is being a little bitch - jk he would have something cool like laser beams from his eyes - and that's all on him having a death stare hehe

[rotzaprachim]

Oh man as an aspie who clung onto the idea of autistic Nicky as soon as I watched the film, I'm super interested in knowing what people think his special interests are- I personally hc that he acquires a new one every century or so and sometimes that dictates where he and Joe travel

ohhhh ok time for my quarantine comfort hobby which is projecting upon fictional side characters in action movies! i think some of the big things for me about special interests is that they can be literally everything, and can also last for years or fade quickly! so some things that come too me off the top of my head, and although i totally think they all have a massive array of skills they’ve picked up over the years, i totally think Nicky is the one who is constantly pulling upexpected hobbies + skills out of his back pocket like ah yes. here is a perfectly executed lariat technique from 1800′s Sonora and here’s how to fix the wiring in a radio and write in mid 20th century secretarial shorthand at some point he picked up an incredibly amount of information about rare tree frogs of nicaragua and suminagashi, neither of which even Joe knew about. 

but anyway. some key Interests vaguely in order of CHronology 

- sailing + ocean stuff (also thanks to @captainshakespear !!! for a lot of the ideas on this one) 

i am a big believer in sailor Nicky! not an expert on medieval Genova or anything, but with my preferred background of him as being from a more modest background (not everyone in history was a royal, y’all) i think it’s quite likely his family earned their trade this way (or by fishing?). (might actually write a fic as sometimes i think it’s uh easier to write out characters thought processes than describe them but anyway) i have a real soft spot for Nico the kiddo who spent hours silently watching the sea either from the shoreline or his father’s fishingboat and who even if he had to be called by his mother three times for dinner and had a hard time focusing on conversations, understood the language of sails and ropes and knots from an early age 

- related to that- tying seaman’s knots 

- not to phrase this strangely but. religion 

there’s actually a lot of complexity to talk about with autistic people and religion/religious observance that i haven’t seen talked about much but! many thoughts on the this i might also expand upon later. Nicky eventually became a priest, even! 

but i do think that in the clamor and chaos of a medieval port city the ritualism and structure of religion would have been deeply comforting. the extremely set structure or a catholic mass, which quickly becomes the only time of the week where he’ll already know almost all of the words, and the feeling of wrapping his fingers around the rosary beads and counting through the decades. his mother’s been doing her best to raise all her children in the Faith, but she sees how fervantly her youngest actually remembers his prayers and sticks to them at the same time ever day on his own and is a little surprised. 

also like, lives of the saints! which are often exceedingly odd and strange, but Nico was like eh they’re Saints right they’re good this is a Normal THing to be Interested in and then lists off all the ways a few of the interesting ones were martyred over dinner. 

(but also in all of this he was definitely. a seven year old constantly questioning if God was real or not or could ever be kind when there were so many bad things in the world.) (we love projection.) and also a seven year old deeply interested in death and what happened afterwards. all things die. 

more to discuss later when i’m not about to fall asleep but! I think these interests lasted into his immortal life and long past the battlefield, especially as he starts to learn more and more about everyone the society and expression of faith in his first life taught him to hate. there definitely needs to be.. subtlety here, and he never intrudes on any closed traditions/is always respectful, but over the centuries he studies many, many holy texts and traditions from around the world, by himself and with Yusuf and also in various kinds of institutions and houses of learning. a LOT of religious text and discussion is surprisingly technical stuff about the practicalities of daily life or finer points of theologic debates as much as it is, like, the Big Picture, and also the finer point and big picture questions can be deeply related. anyway. 

- medicine

for all that there are a lot of autistic characters who are scientists, i rarely see one who’s a doctor/medical researcher and has that connected to their empathy and desire to heal others? but i very very much think Nicky has been a medic/involved in medicine and medical research since shortly after his first death and his centuries in the medieval Islamicate world with Yusuf, and has watched the way medicine has developed over the centuries, and is really fascinated by things like biochemistry and kept really studious logs of it all.  

- music esp guitar + folk music

also pretty fun to think about with so much of the history of stringed instruments linking to cross cultural trade around the mediterranean + Islamicate worlds, love the idea that Nicky has always kind of liked folk songs and music but has learned over time a number of varieties of stringed instruments starting with the oud, with his favorite being the guitarra batente and Hawaiian steel guitar with the slack-key playing style. sometimes he sings but a lot of his appreciation for music and stringed instruments especially is about the emotions that can be expressed without any words at all! 

- miscellanous other things 

the parts of a sniper rifle + shooting techniques, various kinds of sniper rifle scopes, buying + haggling for the best quality kinds of art supplies for yusuf, cooking, he reallllly doesn’t understand digital anything or the internet but he does like the elegance of electrical wiring and circuits, actually reads all the manuals that come with appliances for the interest value and is the one who wires safehouses to be off the grid and is just like. very good at odd household jobs + fixing things (which Joe finds unspeakably hot), he accidentally ended up as a star batter on a minor league baseball team at some point in the 1920′s and has an incredibly knowledge of baseball scores and runnings since even tho it’s literally one of like two sports who’s rules he understands and can focus on for more than five minutes (the other sport is the irish national treasure hurling), aforementioned nicaraguan tree frogs, in the last couple decades has gotten really concerned about biodiversity loss and the importance of protecting genetic diversity of species and crops, the large scale data of public health crises + antibiotic resistance, which he gives copley a long talk on basically the first time he speaks to him at all and which has copley pulling out a red sharpie and scribbling how massively he’s misjudged Nicolo di Genova, over the last few hundred years he’s become super concerned about medical + bioethics and the various technologies involved in that, stained glass window symbolism, angry birds and cooking 

[side-lizabeth]

ONE PIECE DRESSROSA-ZOU ARCS IMPRESSIONS

This part is the spoiler-free part of my impressions.

I don’t know what I was expecting from Dressrosa but it didn’t left me wanting for more... outside the animation part, probably. But I mean when you get spoiled on how OP’s being animated rn, no sh*t. Although I really did enjoy the new characters. Cavendish is accidentally becoming one of my favourite characters and this is because of the anime of Gintama... But that’s because I’m finding more and more seiyuus in One Piece that just so happened to be voicing recurrent characters (or straight up main characters) in Gintama, so I shouldn’t be suprised.

And then there’s Zou and I’d lie if I’d say I should have had expected an island with furries, and yet I didn’t. ...and once again the “holy sh*t I wasn’t expecting these seiyuus being in One Piece too” striked back. But at this point I don’t know if it’s really because of Gintama or just because I’m starting to go back to my old teen hobbies like when I was a hardcore Seiyuu fan, and recognizing a lot of seiyuus is giving me a huge bust of serotonin. (?)

Above all, I liked Dressrosa more than Zou, even if Dressrosa has... it’s own issues.

If you want to go straight up to the spoiler section, click down here:

Let’s start with Dressrosa:

I thought to just continue this lil update, where I started the non spoiler section by saying that I won’t feel any shame or make an apology for reblogging non stop posts of Roronoa Zoro, I’m still on that Idea, fight me if you want(maybe no); but I decided to explain more about my first impressions, and then maybe elaborate extra stuff from those bullet point-lighning round from that post.

Overall, I had fun. I geniuently enjoyed Doffy as a villain, and his motivations where pretty interesting too. NGL, this arc is basically new world Alabasta” and it pretty much shows... But the thing is that this time it was a little bit more interesting because of Doffy.

Doffy being the combo of Warlord and Celestial Dragon may sound like that moment of the Simpsons of “it’s just the same doll but with a new hat” in comparison to Alabasta, but even if I also enjoyed Crocodile as a villain in there, at least Doffy had a more interesting backstory and motivations to explore... while Crocodile was just an excuse to show off Nico Robin in all her glory. That’s it. I said it. (and probably made a fwend sad). Please, Crocodile, sir, next time you come back please do show us the secret Ivankov and you only know and then we talk.

Overall, I just had the time of my life hating Doffy, that’s it. I’m not going to try to explain anything else. I’m a basic b*tch whose favourite villains are the ones who are just so evil I just have the time of my life hating on. Like Tsurumi from Golden Kamuy, another despicable motherf*cker, for instance.

And now that I’m talking about Doffy... I KNOW UNDERSTAND WHY PEOPLE LIKE CORA-SAN AND I ALSO JOIN THE GANG. BEST FATHER EVER AND HE BARELY WAS ONE FOR 6 MONTHS. BUT GAVE BABY TORAO ENOUGH LOVE TO PREVENT HIM FROM BECOMING LIKE HIS BROTHER. KUDOS TO HIM.

...Btw, I just need to break this impressions one moment to openly say that, as a Spaniard, I feel weird now saying Doffy’s entire name. For a reason. And Cora-san’s too. Now I understand english speakers(americans to be more precisely) when they watch Bungou Stray Dogs and some characters from there just happened to be named after famous english literature writers... (the first comparison I just thought about, don’t attack me plz)

Also, kudos to the voice actors because they did an amazing job and I had even more fun, like for instance Koyama Rikiya. I absolutely loved Kyros thanks mainly to him... Although I wish I could entirely say the same about Rebecca and Baby 5 because they barelly had any screentime or, at least personally speaking, didn’t to bring something interesting tothe table... Well, maybe I can excuse Baby 5 because of the ending of Punk Hazard, but with Rebecca definetly not. FFS her seiyuu is the Queen Hayashibara Megumi, I was expecting more from Rebecca (although maybe the blame is really in me for expecting that much) than what we got. But don’t get me wrong, I did like her but.. I wanted just a little bit more of her.

Another thing I enjoyed a lot was the introduction of Fujitora. I knew he was popular for a reason, but I wasn’t expecting it to be... because of this. I was expecting him to be popular only because he was a blind old man who could fight harder than the dudebro’s gary stu fanfic-like idea they have of Zoro, but he’s definetly not that. Fujitora is a really interesting man who geniuently thinks about people’s safety (can’t say the same about Sakazuki and Borsalino, lol), and I respect that.

*LAST MOMENT EDIT BECAUSE I FORGOT ANOTHER VERY IMPORTANT THING* THE REUNION OF LUFFY AND SABO MADE ME CRY TOO. I DON’T KNOW, I’M CRYING TOO MUCH OVER ONE PIECE

Now I’m just going through some bullet points from the update post:

First bullet point I’m actually elaborating: The Colloseum part was hella boring.

I just couldn’t stand it. I barely gave any sh*t about the characters and there’s also times where I’m just thinking that the Colloseum part could had been handled differently, with more interesting characters but well, that’s my opinion. I mean the only tournament arcs that I genuenly enjoyed were the Galaxy Wars from Saint Seiya (the OG one from the 80′s if somebody’s wondering), and maybe the Heaven’s Arena arc from HxH, so even if I was interested on seeing the OP take on it.. It kinda went sour for me at the beggining of this tournament, honestly. The fight versus Diamante was probably one of the very few interesting things happening inside the tournament.

And don’t get me wrong, interesting things do happen inside, like the encounter of Luffy and Rebecca, the fate of the losers from the colloseum, etc. But the tournament arc itself... not the best thing, pretty boring tbh.

The second bullet point I’m actually elaborating, but this time I’m literally copy-pasting the bullet point... for a reason: I STARTED TO SWEAT IN F*CKING FEAR WHEN NAMI’S GROUP ENCOUNTERED BIG MAM’S SHIP, AND EVEN MORE WHEN SANJI SAID “I’M GETTING INTO THAT SHIP”. NO. PLEASE. DON’T. I’M NOT READY FOR WHOLE CAKE ISLAND YET.

Look, by the time I’m writing this I’m already in Whole Cake and let me just tell you one thing; I’m still not ready for this arc. I know it’s very important, specially for Sanji’s development as a character and it’s like a re-introduction of him, but I’d lie if I’d said that I “do feel sensitive” around the themes explored in this arc, and it’s personally tought to go throught it but... Since it’s just too long and too personal to share the entire reason on a public post, I’m just leaving it as the following: “I’m not ready to tackle those themes, but I feel like I need to tackle them if I want to be the best version of myself”. That’s all.

The third and last bullet point I’m actually elaborating, LET ME TELL YOU HOW GINTAMA F*CKED ME UP ENTIRELY

For the sake of being short, I’m a crazy Gintama fan. I’m almost like an encyclopedia of shorts for all(?) Gintama content. I’ve been like this since I was 14-15 y/o (when I’m writing this I’m currently 25), so of course, if there’s something that remotely resembles something from Gintama (mainly gintama jokes or references when it happens), I’ll react to it instantly (but in a healthy way, not like an obnoxious annoying elitist lil sh*t of a fan), and sadly, part of this curse I ended up with included reconizing every single seiyuu that appeared in Gintama (or at least the ones who voiced important/popular characters) in other anime. And of course, seiyuus from Gintama did already appear before Dressrosa; like kid Ace’s seiyuu Sakaguchi Daisuke (voice of Shinpachi), or... Akainu’s seiyuu Tachiki Fumihiko (voice of Hasegawa “Madao” Taizou)... But then there’s Dressrosa and... It just went all over the board (pun not intended... does it even count as one tho?).

And don’t get me wrong, this did also happened to me on reverse with One Piece Seiyuus, but.... coming back to “Gintama f*cked me up”, it hitted differently, because it almost looked like they were casted to play certain characters based on the characters they played in Gintama and... NGL, it made everything even more hilarious. Like the fact that Kugimiya Rie voices a bad mouthed “child” in One Piece(Sugar)... just like she does in Gintama(Kagura). And I know technically speaking Sugar “is an adult” BUT, if we follow the logic of her Hobby Hobby fruit, she’s doomed to be an eternal child for the rest of her life, as in “no more development like a normal adult human would”. I’m just saying what the canon says, don’t mind me.

...Or Cavendish. I can confirm you that Cavendish is pretty much Gintama’s Katsura Kotarou’s madness as an OP character. And now he’s one of my favourite background characters in One Piece... Mainly because of that. And yes, they do in fact share the seiyuu Ishida Akira. (Also, is it just me or is he inspired by Lady Oscar from The Rose of Versailles???)

...So yeah, TLDR: too much gintama made me shout “oh shit, gintama’s taking over one piece”

Now with the Zou impressions

I liked the idea of Zou being an “island”, that’s not an Island but a millennia old elephant, walking around and hard to track down. Brilliant. Also, I’m pretty sure it’s inspired by something mythological but I still can’t point out which one.

...also I wasn’t expecting Pedro to be voiced by Miki Shin’Ichiro, in the same way I wasn’t expecting Orikasa Fumiko as Wanda... although she already voiced someone previously in One Piece so...

Even if it was a short arc, it gave a lot of valuable information like the origin of the poneglyphs and the link between the Mink tribe and the Kozuki clan from Wano but...

What I wasn’t expecting was how we got introduced to the Whole Cake arc. I came to this arc, thinking the Whole Cake thing won’t be that mentioned and... I ended up crying because of the sacrifice Sanji was willing to partake in... I feel bad for that guy... And since by the time of writing this I’m already in Whole Cake... Without spoilers I’ll say: yeah, no sh*t I was feeling bad for him” (also because I got almost entirely spoiled over all Whole Cake arc).

...but look, ngl, I didn’t like very much the ending of this arc. Probably what happened to Momonosuke and the Millennia old elephant may be more interesting and better explained in the near future but... I was more confused than anything, and I’m hopping it to be better explained in the future. I’ll just leave it as such.

Over all, if I had to choose, I’d say that Dressrosa was more entertaining than Zou... Although Zou did deliver bigger stuff when it comes to plot development, while Dressrosa was more focused on the next step to overthrow a Yonkou than anything, I felt like I had more ”fun” watching Dressrosa... Probably because I also want to get to Wano already.

.

.

.

Now I’m in Whole Cake arc, I’m more or less by the beggining of the arc and oh boy... This arc is going to be harder than expected and the only thing ready I have are the pocket tissues by my side because I already know I’m going to cry the hell out of this arc. And of course, have my soul utterly destroyed by the Reintroduction of Sanji and his past.

I hope he has a break after this because wow... He needs too many hugs to count. Probably more than Luffy in Marineford.

[bebepac]

The Wrath of the Crown

I hope you are ready for this. 

The 9th Chapter of Their Hidden Pain  To catch up on what you’ve missed Please click Their Hidden Pain.

Sorry guys to throw you this curve ball, better early than late I guess!  My state is now doing the mandatory Stay at Home for most people. However me being in healthcare, I get to sport a lovely letter on my car, that says I am essential staff and must work during curfew and outside of the state mandated curfew hours.  

I really feel like this is me and my coworkers right now. 

Trying to keep the humor, but I’m stressed out y’all.  So that being said, after this chapter of Scar Tissue, it’s going on hiatus, as I mentally need a break from things that are stressful, or things that will possibly increase stress.  This is an angst filled story that is honestly mentally draining.  I enjoy what i’ve created to this point, but man,  I have shed legit tears over these chapters.  Every chapter pretty much.  I’m going to focus on fluff for a little bit, then finish this up.  Don’t worry Scar Tissue will be finished.  I have a lot of good ideas for it and a lot of bombs to drop in reference to it.  I’ll give you one.  Drake’s journal is found after his death.  He kept a very meticulous journal of his misdeeds. 

 At least 3 more chapters of Scar Tissue are coming.  We still have more to address and loose ends to tie up .

Musical inspiration for this chapter.  Before it was even created, before i completely had the idea realized.  Saints from the Streets.  This is the Reckoning. Please give it a listen.  I don’t own rights to the music but it’s totally bad ass.  I am streaming it while i type this playing on repeat. 

https://youtu.be/D3rSrD9dmTs

All characters belong to Pixelberry with the exemption of Nico Karahalios , and mentions of Mollie Lancaster.  

Warnings: Mentions of Rape of multiple characters, assault on a female, drugging multiple people without their knowledge, date rape drugs, gun violence, death of a major character, torture? beating the crap out of someone, blood and murder. 

A very very special thanks to @loveellamae for being my beta on this one.  I appreciate you friend so very much. 

Word Count: 2083

Tagging: @dcbbw @queenjilian @janezillow @kingliam2019 @glaimtruelovealways @annekebbphotography @queencordonia @kaitycole @custaroonie @camersworld @the-soot-sprite @sevenfuckslefttogive @yukinagato2012 @cordonia-gothqueen @cordonianroyalty @kimmiedoo5@hopefulmoonobject @my0123456789universe​ @we-lazystudent @queenwalton @indiacater @losingbraincellseveryday @furiousherringoperatortoad @atha68 @islandcrow @marshmallowsaremyfavorite  @unusualvisionsblog @flutistbyday2020  @lovemychoices

“King Liam, I spoke with the Queen.  I know what you’re here to do and what Drake has done.  And I implore you to think clearly, Your Majesty. You can’t do this here.”

Drake laughed again. “Pussy ass bitch can’t even finish what you started. Your wife is lucky she had a real man for a night. Me.”

Liam turned around again to face Drake.  He hit him so hard the force of his punch not only knocked Drake over, it took the chair with him.  Blood gushed from Drake’s nose.

“Shut your fucking mouth.”

Bastien continued.  “He must face the Crown’s wrath in the proper place….. The Palace Execution Room.“

Liam contemplated for a few moments.  “You’re right Bastien.  Let’s take him there.”

“You haven’t got the guts.”  Drake said.  Liam’s next hit rendered Drake unconscious.  Liam stood over Drake looking down at him.

“Drake Walker is going to die today.”

Liam walked out the door.

Bastien and Leo picked up an unconscious Drake, dragging him, following behind their King.

“Queen Riley, I’ve been instructed by King Liam to bring you to the Execution Room.  Follow this way ma’am.”

Hana got up as well. “I’m sorry Lady Lee, per King Liam’s orders only the Queen has been requested.”

Nico, Bastien’s second in command, led her through older parts of the palace she didn’t even know existed.

“I’ve never been in this portion of the palace before. Nico have you?”

“Yes ma’am, but only briefly, when I first started. I was taught to navigate it for situations like this.“

They stopped in front of two wooden doors.  The inscription on the door was in a language she didn’t know but had seen Liam reading. Maybe Greek since she knew he was fluent in it, as well as multiple other languages. She rubbed the inscription feeling the curves of it on her fingertips.

"Is this written in Greek, Nico?” She asked.

“Very good eye, Your Majesty.  Do you know any Greek yet?”

“Does baklava count?”  She smiled.

Nico smiled back. “King Liam and his sweet tooth.”  

“My Greek is a little rusty, but I can tell you what it says, if you like?”

“Please, Nico, if you would. Can you read it in Greek first though?”

He read the passage in Greek first pointing to the words as he read them. She liked the rich sound of the language, and the way they rolled off his tongue. She hoped one day to learn.

“ Your Majesty now in English it translates, ‘if there is harm, then you shall pay life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.”

“Seems fitting for an Execution Room I guess. Can’t say I’ve ever been in one before.”

“Nor I ma'am.”

Nico took out a large skeleton key, unlocking the door.

“I’ve been instructed to wait with you until the King arrives, they should be here shortly.”

It’s not long before she hears the sound of Liam’s signature wing tip shoes on the palace hardwood floor, before she sees him. When he rounds the corner, she screams.

Liam is covered in blood.  His face, his hands, his hair, his clothes. Everything that was white was red. She started to run towards him.

He holds up his hand to stop her.

Nico gently restrains her. “No, Your Majesty, please stay calm.”

Liam was not alone. Bastien and Leo were dragging a bloody and unconscious Drake.  When Riley and Liam were face to face, the only thing she could notice was how blue his eyes looked in contrast to all the blood on him.

Though she could see where two spots were clear on his face; it looked like tears had washed away the blood.

“It’s okay, I’m okay. It’s not my blood, Riley, I’m not hurt.”

Physically hurt, no, but as Liam looked at Riley, she could tell his heart was broken.

Liam pushed the double doors open, walking inside. 

Riley followed him. The room was dark and had a unique smell to it. Nico took Bastien’s place holding up Drake.

Bastien flipped a switch that sounded like a circuit breaker being tripped and the lights flickered for a moment, then the room was bathed in light. Once Bastien was done, Nico and Bastien switched places again.

The room looked medieval with unlit candles that lined the walls. There was an ancient looking fireplace that held a black cauldron.  There were hanging chains and ropes and in the middle of the room a chair.  Devices she had no idea what they were, but they looked like torture devices and were placed in strategic areas around the room.

They dragged Drake to the chair in the middle of the room. He was slumped in the seat, head bent forward. They cuffed his hands to the chains located on the floor.

“Nico.” Liam’s voice was stern and authoritative.  

Nico nodded, disappearing for a moment. He came back in carrying two buckets of water.

Riley watched Liam. She had never seen him look so cold. The sparkle in his eyes, the one she fell in love with that first night was gone.  

He looked stern, angry, and honestly incredibly regal.

“Do it.” Liam said.

Nico tossed the first bucket of water. The water landed on Drake’s face and chest as the water drenched his clothes. Nico glanced at Liam.

“Again.” Liam’s voice was stronger, more authoritative. When the second bucket of water hit Drake, he sprang to life.

“What the fuck is this?” Drake jumped up but was limited by his movements because of his arms. Drake pulled his left arm seeing the chains then his right. Seeing he was powerless at the moment, he sat back down in the chair.

Liam then crouched down to his level intensely watching him.

“Welcome back, but you won’t be here long. You already knew that, didn’t you, Drake?”

“Fuck you.”

Liam hit Drake hard.

He stared at Drake as he stood and stepped closer to him. He continued to speak.

“And I looked and behold a pale horse, and the name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. I have told you this multiple times, you mess with what’s mine, I will come after you. I told you, I would end you. You brought this on yourself.”

He pointed to Riley. “YOU MESSED WITH WHAT’S MINE. SHE IS MINE. RILEY IS MY WIFE!!!!”

“You were the last person she was thinking about when she was riding my cock in Vegas.”

Liam punched Drake in the gut causing him to cough up blood.

“YOU RAPED MY WIFE!!”

“She loved it,”  Drake said with a smile.  “Tell him how loud you screamed when I fucked the hell out of your tight pussy Brooks.”

Liam backhanded Drake.  “DON’T YOU TALK ABOUT HER THAT WAY!!!”

“I just knew today was the day, it felt like there was something special in the air. I don’t usually have these on me.”

He reached into his pocket pulling out two pairs of women’s panties.

“Recognize these?” He held them up for Riley to see.

Riley gasped. They were hers.

Drake licked his lips, laughing, tasting his own blood. Liam’s hits had gotten quite strong over the years.

“I had her Liam, not once but twice. Mementos of the two V’s, I shared with your wife King Liam, Vegas, and Valtoria.” He balled them up in his hands inhaling deeply.

Liam was completely floored. How did he not see all this crazy radiating from Drake until now? How the fuck did he miss this?!?!

“They still smell like her.”

Liam heard Riley whimper. He looked at his love, tears streaming down her face, and she was shaking.  Had he believed Leo back then, who said he didn’t trust Drake and Mollie, Drake would not have been here to do all this damage to her life, their marriage. Even the heir’s paternity had been potentially compromised by all of this.  It’s all my fault Liam thought. He basically handed Riley to Drake’s evil hands on a silver platter.

He caused Riley all this pain by not stopping the monster well before he could get to her. Riley couldn’t even touch her stomach to start bonding with the baby growing inside her because she knew she was getting an abortion if it turned out to be Drake’s seed that had implanted in her. On the flipside, she was missing out on the beginning stages of bonding with the royal heir if it was Liam’s baby growing in her womb.

Seeing the pain in Riley’s milk chocolate brown eyes as she stared into his blue ones, Liam screamed in anger, turning to face Drake once again.  

“GET ON YOUR KNEES!”

Drake complied.

“Wait. Liam before you go any further, I have something to say to him.” Riley said. Both of them seem surprised she was speaking.

Riley walked up to stand next to Liam.

“Whatever you need to do, my love,” he said.

She stared down at Drake on his knees, arms stretched out from the cuffs, looking like he was being crucified.

“I hate you. We used to be friends. At least I thought we were.” She stared in his eyes. “Your eyes….There’s nothing there.”

“Brooks, it’s easy to fake emotions. Is this what you need?”

She watched the look in his eyes change dramatically.  His eyes now looked like the funny sarcastic marshmallow that was her friend and confidant. Riley gasped.

“Marshmallow Man?”

His eyes immediately changed back to his previous cold, blank stare. “Brooks, he wasn’t real. This is the real me.”

She shook her head as if she had finally broken the trance.

“You’re a monster. ”

“Maybe I am.”

“What my husband isn’t telling you is, I’m six weeks pregnant.”

"From Valtoria? You’re telling me I could be a father right now? It could be my baby growing inside you?”

“Could be your baby, yes, but you’ll never be a father.  I would rather die first than give birth to your child. If it turns out to be yours, I will end the pregnancy. Just like my husband is about to end you.”

Drake laughed, “Well isn’t this an absolutely delicious turn of events, more than I could have hoped for.”

He smiled looking up at Riley. Then his eyes rested on her stomach.

“DON’T LOOK AT HER, YOU LOOK AT ME!!!”  

Liam’s free hand, not holding the pistol, grabbed for Riley’s hand pulling her protectively behind him.

“By order of the King of Cordonia for the numerous crimes you have committed against the King and Queen…”

"And Mollie Lancaster,” Riley said from behind him.

“And Mollie Lancaster, I hereby sentence you to death, Drake Walker, in front of these witnesses. Do you have any last words before I carry out your sentence?”

Liam released the safety on his white and gold glock 9mm pointing it at Drake’s chest.

“I really hope the baby is mine, do you want to know why King Liam?”

“Why?”

Drake laughs. “Because it would mean I beat the King of Cordonia to the Promised Land.”

He winks at Riley. “His Queen’s womb. Her first baby sired by the commoner.”

Riley gasped, choking back a sob.

“You sick motherfucker,” Leo said.

Bastien and Nico winced.

Liam screamed, squeezing the trigger twice, two bullets hit Drake’s chest.

He fell to the ground gasping for breath, writhing in pain.

Liam stood over him preparing for the kill shot.

“Liam, don't…… Please.”

“You don’t have emotions, remember?”

“I don’t, but that will be the part …… you’ll never forget…….. A little parting gift.”

Sadly he knew Drake was right. He was already trying to push it to the back of his head.

“Burn in Hell.”

Liam delivered his kill shot to the head.

Neither Riley nor Liam ever forgot the sound of that last gunshot made as the bullet pierced Drake’s skull, ending him.  They also had a long time to think about it, as they were married a very long time, and had a rich life full of family and children, grand children, and great grandchildren.  

Liam and Riley watched whatever it was, leaving Drake’s eyes because it couldn’t be called light.

Drake . Walker . Was. Dead.

There was deafening silence in the Palace Execution Room, after that last shot rang out, after Drake took his last breath.

King Liam had finally avenged his Queen, his beautiful phoenix.

Ever Rising.

[faresramettas]

share the love con panels

thought i’d write down some interesting answers from the cast (there were many more, but i have a bad memory and i took only a few notes)

first of all, before the panels even started the staff told us not to ask questions about season four, we know they are filming it, but they can’t talk about it. so yeah, our hopes and dreams of an announcement or besse making a surprise appearance (🤡) didn’t come true. they never talked about it, when you mentioned it to them they raised their hands or zipped their mouths or were like “idk what u’re talking about 👀😇😬” so obviously they contractually have to keep their mouths shut. but it’s happening y’all!

the only one who slipped, at the very last panel, was rocco and i was the culprit lol. i asked them if they’d imagined the fandom would support them and fight so hard during the cancellation months and bea said no, seeing our hashtags trending almost every day and receiving so much love was touching and incredible. she made rocco talk (mentioned how “he became saint rocco”) and rocco also said he couldn’t imagine the amount of support, and that “the power is all in your hands, and it was worth it-“ and then realized he spoke too much dhshdhfvk the others side-eyed him and he was like “ops” but we all laughed and moved on.

pietro had a lgbtq+ themed panel with an italian youtuber called shanti. they talked a lot about representation, how it changed for the better in the last 20 years or so, how for example right now there’s attention being given to trans* storylines too, and pietro made some really good points about how a show like skam italia should give hope and a positive representation to a young audience, without unnecessary violence or struggles inserted just for tragedy’s sake. how it may seem that martino lives an “easy” and relatively painless experience coming out and being gay, at least in his season, but young queer people should hope and know that that’s possible for them too. he said that he and filippo are different, and it’s good and precious that they are. we don’t know if filippo is an activist, like pietro is, but sometimes sharing one’s personal experience is enough to help. even if filo is not shown as an activist, he is so aware of his identity, he shares his own experience and point of view with marti and it gives marti courage. and that’s enough. finally, i asked what his favorite lgbtq+ tv shows are and he said queer as folk (he realized he was gay thanks to qaf), he absolutely loved euphoria, and thinks sense8 is a masterpiece (but he didn’t finish it smh). he said elite is just cute (😤) and he also told another fan he finished and loved fleabag!!

i also asked pietro what he, besse, rocco and fede were doing in the carrefour parking lot that night in august and he said that supermarket is open 24h and close to his house and he had to go buy groceries so he caught two birds with one stone, called them up and they drank and ate tramezzini (cold sandwiches, besse got a burrito he said) in the parking lot... and yes, they were organizing the revolution.

fede said what he likes the most about martino is his devotion to the people he loves. what he doesn’t like is how sometimes he shuts out the rest of the world, but it’s a problem he has learned to solve.

rocco said he’s thankful that skam italia has given him more awareness on some topics he used to treat superficially. he also talked about how much he relied on ludo and his research to portray bpd respectfully, and he’s glad that people found themselves represented in nico and that he could help them. it’s the greatest compliment. his eyes shine when he talks about nico, he loves his character so much.

a fan asked what was their favorite line to say. rocco’s is “non è figo il mio tipo?”, greta’s is “gli dei sono immortali”, nicholas’s is “sei frocio?”, pietro’s is “l’acqua solo se mi prende fuoco camera” from season 3, fede said “does it have to be my line? cause i like no zì sbagliato” but for his own it’s “minuto per minuto”. i can’t remember bea’s 😭

greta said the girls tend to stick to the script a lot more than the boys, she said ludovico tersigni literally never says a line how it’s written. nicholas confirmed that the boys (contrabbandieri) tend to improvise more and use the script sort of as a base, and that they piss besse off because he says it looks like they go on set just to goof around and gossip and not to do their jobs lol

i asked nicholas if they ate luchino’s pizza crusts. he said he had like 7 kilos of them because they had to retake that scene many many times, cause they wouldn’t stop laughing, as we can see in the bloopers (he also said it was the most fun scene to shoot) and bessegato would just keep adding mustard, ketchup and mayo on them. he felt sick the day after and “tasted mustard for a week”. fyi, nicholas and luchino are literally the same person. there’s no line between the character and the person, i love him so much. he also said he was having the time of his life in bracciano, with the light summer breeze, while the others were dying in their clothes and blankets.

marti’s spirit animal is the fox, fede’s is a golden retriever (debatable but okay). i think rocco said a cat, greta said besse once told her silvia is a goldfish, bea feels like a tiger but thinks sana is an eagle and i didn’t get the rest cause it was all very confusing lol

federico’s panel on sunday was actually very interesting, he is actually quite eloquent and deep when he wants to. he talked about how he really took the “minuto per minuto” philosophy to heart. how he doesn’t set long-term goals for himself, because he wants the freedom to change. how he chose to study medicine because after high school he knew he wanted to keep studying, and a bit like acting, there’s a fundamental human aspect to it that he’s always been interested in.

a fan reminded him it was marti and nico’s anniversary and he said “how are they celebrating? patatine e marmellata or sushi? in nicco’s new house? have our heroes moved there?” and we were all like Bitch u tell us... ofc he didn’t. but he said he imagines marti and nico celebrating their anniversary at a sushi restaurant in porto fluviale, in ostiense (rome). also, fede says their anniversary is bracciano (dec 1st) and rocco says it’s nel mio letto (nov 1st), i’m afraid we have to go with fede on this one.

i think the best question out of every panel was about marti’s interest in gio: was it real, or was it just a fixation? he said it was real interest, that stayed over the summer too. he and ludo had to find a way to show the shift in martino, and it was hard because they switched seasons and so there was no time for it to be gradually shown. however, where they imagined that shift to happen, is in ep1 when gio sleeps in marti’s bed. marti feels uneasy because of his feelings for him, but at the same time, he is uneasy because of the guilt. when he talks with eva on the phone and sees how giovanni reacts to that, how he’s still so clearly into her, he decides he has to move on from him, and gives up any hope or idea to have a relationship with him.

at rocco and fede’s sunday panel, rocco said he admires federico’s dedication to his work and his professionalism. fede and him bantered and bickered a lot, it was adorable, especially when rocco said some nonsense metaphor and fede was like “basta!” and fede kept asking for more compliments. but the question was about what marti and nico liked the most about each other, and federico said “it’s the kind of love where you like someone so much and you don’t even know why” as in, because you like everything about them, so that was beautiful.

a fan asked if there was any embarrassment between them, they said of course initially there was a lil bit of awkwardness, but they warmed up to each other immediately. one of the very first scenes they shot was an intimate one, rocco said the first kiss they shot was nel mio letto and they’d never rehearsed kissing before. amazing.

fede’s favorite color is blue (nicholas’ too).

rocco and nicholas sat in the crowd at the end of fede’s panel and rocco was like “tell us the story of bambi” and fede called him “er lucertola” and said it all started because of a tossico (junkie/drunk), i love them. nicholas made fun of him for his role in “i cesaroni” but fede said he’s only jealous cause they auditioned for the same role but fede got it, and nicholas has him saved as “andy dei cesaroni” in his phone. 

some anecdotes from other moments (m&g, dinners) i found on twitter: federico said when they shot la grotta, there was this whole solemn atmosphere, and then he broke it cause when they finished shooting he realized he had rocco’s snot on his face and he was like “MA CHE CAZZO È, CHE SCHIFO (what the fuck, gross)” and said rocco was always crying on him (i guess referring to the martino e niccolò clip) and rocco was like yes there was a significant exchange of bodily fluids. okay rocchì.

apparently fede likes his beard so much he said he doesn’t recognize himself without it. 

some fans adopted two giraffes in the bioparco di roma in their name as a gift!

rocco cried on the phone with bessegato when skam italia was cancelled. we been knew but it hurts to get the confirmation.

maxence and lukas are two rays of sunshine. not an anecdote, but i felt like saying it.

last but not least, rocco, nicholas and fede went absolutely batshit over @crazybee‘s “alt er besse” shirt. their reactions were priceless. rocco and nicholas took pics of them, nicholas was the one who sent them to besse and he reposted it on ig. forever blessed.

[bi-lullaby]

No one asked

And I should be studying, but here are some thoughts for season 16 so far:

(SPOILER WARNING, OBVIOUSLY)

1 - Merluca and it’s parts: COUPLES FIGHT STOP PREDICTING THE WORST OK. They’ve been completely adorable so far, but this is what someone said in a interview: “This is the after in happy ever after” (or something to that effect). They’re gonna fight and them they’re gonna make up, I hope. As for their fight: They were both in the right imo. Yes, Meredith is being inconsequent and it must be so frustrating for Deluca to A)Have her continue risking her career and license and freedom when he went to such lengths to help that, B) Be crapped on constantly bc of something your girlfriend did. Yes, Meredith is completely right in fighting the system that is so throughtly broken, and yes, coming to apologize to her mentor and longtime friend was completely the right thing to do. I wanna see merluca wedding and marriage! Maybe (since there are two pregnant people in this season already?) next season will be Mer and Jo? One can dream! For them individually: Poor Mer, she has bitten more than she can chew but she is ready to take on this fight! Imma love to see her as auntie mer! I mis merjolex so much tho, I know she’s been busy and all but they seem to forget she is a important part in their support system. Andrew has been all over the place. I love his confidence, but in the ep where he literally screamed at Bailey over her trying to teach an intern? And called her out bc she was using a different material than Mer? I was a bit off-thrown. But he’s still a great character I enjoy watching. Hope they find the balance between confidence and arrogance for him, and develop him even more!

2 - Amelink: AAAAAA. They’re so amazing and perfect and sweet and I wanna hug them both. Link is everything you could wish for, Amy is adorable as ever. If they lay a finger on either them as a couple, them as individuals, or their baby, imma kick some asses. I don’t think they will tho, Amy is been through SO MUCH already and she deserves a breath.

3 - Bailey: OMG SHE IS PREGNANT AAAAAAAA. I’m so happy! Ben is already a great dad, this will be so fun to watch! Hope they don’t put her through the ringer with a difficult pregnancy or a sick child, she does not deserve this! She already nearly lost her first child while giving birth in a bomb-y hospital while her husband had brain surgery NEXT to the bomb. Enough pregnancy drama for a lifetime. As for her actions: I’ve said before: I’m pissed, yes. She’s acting way too harsh and taking it out on people and more importantly (as I’ve touched on in my female grey’s characters ranking post) she’s out of character. Where is the Bailey that went around the hospital runnning after the attendings and kicking their asses into signing her proposal for a free clinic? And gave them a speech on how they had failed her and she needed something to believe in in medicine? She was one of the first characters to point out how broken the system was, to take direct action to try and fix it. Sure, she likes to try and work within the rules as much as possible, much she is not adverse to breaking a few of them if she thinks it’s necessary (hello deactivated HIV inside a young boy’s body without parental consent! Hello changing the date on a surgery which is also insurance fraud!)! If she thinks it’ll save a life! But also, she’s not completely wrong: Meredith did commit a crime, as good as her intentions were; As her boss, firing her was the only logical decision. She thought her hospital (which she dedicated a good half of her life to) was being attacked by someone she trained into the surgeon she is, ofc she’d be mad as all hell. Quadri was disrespectful, not doing her job well, actively getting in the way of her superior doing her job, screaming at her boss in the middle of the hallway about how she didn’t want to work there - firing her was a tad extreme (specially for a charact who has never, herself, had any qualms ahout mouthing off to her own superiors when she didn’t think something was right) but not completely out of nowhere. I hate hate hate how they’ll probs throw a “oh she was being crazy bc pregnancy hormones!” line after seeing how her actions have been badly perceived by people (like there isn’t enough a stereotype that women can’t have positions of power because hormones make them crazy) instead of “hey this character was put in extremely uncomfortable and tough positiona after extremely uncomfortable and tough positions and came off as harsher than necessary while trying to balance a world-class hospital crisis”. Ugh.

4 - Jackson: Ok so the last few eps have rekindled my love for him and I’m relieved! There’s the good, kind, funny and smart guy I like! I was mad bc of the whole Jaggie drama, but hey, shit happens! If they will be better apart, then I’m happy! (Ok 50% of this is because of what he said to levi! Stanning Meredith Grey + dorky Harry Potter reference? Yes!!!!). I hope this season will be kind on him, that he and Vicky work out well (from what I gathered about it, she has also been through a lot) and that we see more Harriet!

5 - Maggie: Baby girl. I love that they’re consistent that she has a jealous streak but is also a very good person who is always trying her best. Plus, official womb secret bearer is the best title omg! Maybe she should change from cardio to obgyn, lol! Plus, the sisters are everything to me! She instantaneous knew Amy was mad! She stood up for Mer! Aaaaa I love them!!!! Hope this show ends with all three of them happy and loved and badass as always!

6 - Others: Tom has been an.... Interesting piece. I love him, but his antics are almost caricature-esque now and it’s getting on my nerves. He was detestable in exploitating that family’s pain but also, the hospital did need a pr boost or it’d be in even hotter waters! The restraining order on Owen was a tad much bc it got in the way of patient care, but also he did get electrocuted in a very sensitive area by someone who had just gotten together with his ex - I’d be a little suspicious that it was 100% unintentional tbh. He’s power drunk and needs to be turned down a notch. Schmit and Nico and adorkable as always and I loved Nico’s speech about demanding more of himself - That’s one of the biggest traps of low self-steem and Imm glad it’s mentioned. I’ll miss Quadri. Helm being a MeredithGrey stan first and person second is still me lol. I loved how this last ep showed how much of a family they are - all the connections and shared pasts and references to relationships and what not. The “bird” storyline was so cute! Pac North seems so promissing and I’ll cry ugly tears when my baby Alex turns that ish around and shows everyone who’s boss!!!! The whole “the world is broken” theme of the season is my jam! Sadly, irl that handful of people are not gonna turn it around, but I want to see it happen on my screen! The medical system being fixed! As a future doctor (I promissed myself I’d not be the person who brings it up in every opportunity but lol here I am) it’d make me so happy! Against my better judgment, I’m liking Towen! They are trying, they’re really trying! Owen has done nothing wrong so far (besides offering to milk teddy which was just dumb, not malicious) and has been great at stepping down from his job so she could work! And him at Pac North will be great tbh - as much as I didlike him, he is an excellent doctor and strategist and he was a great chief at GS (until the last bit which was just gross negligence). From the promo for next ep: I don’t think they’ll make Webber cheat again. It’d be predictable and cheap and I’d be so mad that we’d have another round of acting like he’s a saint with a tiny issue of being a cheater. What I theorize is: He’ll have lunch with his friend, and either A) She’ll be friendly at the wrong time and Catherine will walk in and then think he’s cheating and it’ll be a mess, or B) Gemma is gonna try to get him back to drinking (Or maybe C) She was telling him to stop being bullheaded and fighting with his wife when life is so short). Cristina reference in the text omg, my heart!

Sorry for the long rant!