#again I may very well be complaining about a problem that doesn't happen any more

[coockie8]

Okay, I'm sorry, I got myself a little too heated answering that last ask, but something that used to really bother me in the Okami fandom was when people would whole-heartedly insist that Waka is only 200 years old.

I'll admit this isn't something I've noticed in this run in the fandom, so I could very well be bitching about a problem that no longer occurs, but all we know, canonically, about Waka's age is that the Tao Troopers are 200 years old, and Waka has been their only recorded Captain.

So we know the bare minimum amount of time Waka has been on Earth. Not alive, just on Earth.

I remember being like 13 and seeing 20+ year olds claim Waka had to be only 200 because that's what they said in the game, and getting blood-red mad, 'cause no, that is not what they said in the game, and if you cleaned the dried cum out of your ears and used that singular half-dead braincell still rattling around in your skull like a DVD logo for half a second, you'd fucking know that!

Like I just think it's common sense that if he's been the Tao Trooper Captain for 200 years, then he has to be at least 100 years older than that to have already been an adult, as implied, when he gets to the Celestial Plain, and then live a bit of a life there before Orochi showed up.

[a-student-out-of-time]

Episode 13 was...something

I have to be real with you all: I don't think I liked this episode very much. And no, it has nothing to do with my theory. This is a lot more serious than that. But hey, we're actually moving forward with the plot, and there's a lot to discuss about this episode

Let's cover the big things in detail, shall we?

Levi the Moral Sociopath

So let's get this out of the way: yeah, I was probably wrong here. I thought maybe Arei had talked to Levi about his secret and they reached a mutual understanding, and that turns out not to have been the case. In ways that NOBODY predicted.

See, we were all under the impression that Levi had moral reasons to kill and that's why he holds "no remorse." Turns out that interpretation was meant literally; as in, Levi doesn't experience remorse. Or compassion. Or empathy.

From the way he describes it, it sounds like Levi has Antisocial Personality Disorder or something similar, something that impedes his sense of empathy. See, there's two types of empathy to consider: Cognitive Empathy and Affective Empathy.

Cognitive is where you can interpret the emotions of another, while Affective is the ability to share in emotional experiences with others. Low cognitive empathy is what autistic peeps (such as myself) experience, while low affective empathy is what one would associate with sociopaths. They recognize emotions in others and mimic them accordingly, but they're not able to share or really understand them.

Levi...seems to be lacking in both. He has trouble interpreting emotions and he admits he doesn't really feel anything when it comes to the others; their deaths might as well be the deaths of complete strangers on the other side of the world. He murdered three strangers and his own father, yet he barely remembers them because he's moved on since then.

But Levi is not an evil person. Quite to the contrary, he still believes in doing good and helping people, even if he has no emotional attachment to doing so, because it guarantees him a better and easier life than continuously being a delinquent. He may not really be able to feel compassion for others, but he'll still try and help protect them. That's such a rare presentation of a character with low empathy, especially compared to the more common stereotype that they're all serial killers, and I just think that's really neat.

Way more interesting than him being the volatile, crazed murderer so many believed he was.

2. Hu, Veronika and Nico

So while it was largely skimmed over, here's what I did get right: Hu is the one who's attempted suicide three times and Ronnie has engaged in self-harm in the past. The latter didn't share because she decided it would be more interesting to hold onto it, and also because she considers suicide a boring motivation. Concerning.

And as it turns out, we finally discussed the murder method and they managed to draw an important conclusion: Nico's attempted murder of Ace and our current murder do indeed have a connection. That entire scene wasn't just there to happen, I'm still willing to believe that it was due to David's influence and that was the first attempt.

Because, again, the last people we saw with David before the attempted murder were Nico and Hu. And then Nico tries to kill Ace. And then Arei apparently dies in the same method.

Does that mean Nico is the culprit no? No, probably not. As I've said many times, we have to consider that rule that the Blackened doesn't have to be the murderer, they have to be the "most mastermind-y." Nico also really doesn't seem to have any motivations, at least at this point in time. Levi seemed like he did, but as he explained it, it became clear he had even less reasons to do so than we thought. Nico already has very few reasons themself.

This isn't us zeroing in on the culprit, just moving the story along. And boy did we REALLY need that. Now time for the part where Mod complains.

3. The Wheel-Spinning Is Becoming A Real Problem

Now, one thing I've praised DT for in the past is how well it handles foreshadowing. Small details always come back, no matter how seemingly innocuous. It really gives the impression that everything in the story matters in some respect, which is what good stories should do.

...But we've only just NOW started discussing the murder plot, and it took only a couple minutes to say what many of us have been saying: they used the carousel the hang the victim and snap their neck using the trash and the rafters. We're on Episode 13 of this chapter. It took us 5 episodes and 17 months to get here.

That's what's made this trial and this chapter in general so frustrating to me, because most of our time hasn't been spent on what's relevant to the situation at hand. Most of it has been spent on tangents about secrets, or just pointless nonsense and comedy hijinks. And I get it, this is DR, that's to be expected. But at this point? We should have more information than we do, because we only have a handful of episodes to work with and so many things left unexplained.

I harped on the smaller details because time was devoted to them, attention was drawn to them, and I refused to believe they're going to be totally irrelevant to this chapter. Now I worry they are and I have to wonder why time was spent on them this chapter and not the one(s) where they'll actually matter.

There were so many tangents this chapter and so much time spent on discussing them, I want to believe we're building to something for the climax.

"You mean your theory, right?" You may ask.

And I have to be honest, the theory is barely on my mind at this point. My concern isn't just the many, many tangents that don't seem to add anything, but the direction DT seems to be heading.

4. What even was that scene with Arei?

I have...so many questions about David's flashback.

To immediately dispel the obvious question, no, he's not lying here. If we're allowed to see it, that means it's what actually happened. What Arei said in that scene was what really went down. And I'm not really happy about that.

Now, I'll admit, I had a very negative initial reaction to that scene. Arei confronts David about his secret, and it turns out...she's relieved that it's true. My initial reading of that scene was that she was giving up on being a good person because David being a liar has proven it's pointless. She then goes on to say that Eden's probably done something terrible as well, so there's really no such thing as a good person, and it really felt like a cynical, mean-spirited undermining to everything that came before.

But revisiting it, that's not really what happened. TA and Poi pointed out how, no, what she really seems to be saying by "there's no such thing as a good person" is there's no one who's just naturally morally upstanding. And that it's okay, because it means she's not too far gone.

What came off as her giving up really seems to be more of her deciding not to live by some arbitrary standard about who isn't and isn't a good person, because everyone's probably done something they really regret. Her saying Eden's probably done something terrible isn't dismissing all her good efforts, since she still considers her a friend. It's her accepting that labels like "good person" are meaningless, and that it shouldn't stop you from trying to be better.

And she extends a hand to David, hoping that maybe both of them can be better in the future.

And David...doesn't share a word of this with anyone, especially not Eden. That means that scene only exists for the audience's benefit. We're meant to consider what she said for whatever reason, and while my initial interpretation wasn't wrong, I do have concerns about that.

First of all, while this could still work with my theory, this is probably the biggest factor that changes things. At this point, I'm willing to accept there's an 80% chance I'm wrong. The problem is, theory or not, I worry what exactly showing us that scene is meant to suggest. Why did we as the audience need to see it for dramatic irony purposes?

There are only three interpretations that really come to mind, and I have to say, I'm not fond of two of them:

My theory is correct and this is all part of Arei's 4000 IQ play.

My theory is wrong and that scene only exists to twist the knife for our sake, especially if David is the Blackened.

My theory is wrong, David is the rival, and that scene exists to facilitate his future character development.

And that last one is fridging. Like, it's blatant fridging, where a (frankly more interesting) female character dies in order to spur development in a dude. I'm going to be genuinely pissed if that happens, because it renders her entire character arc this chapter pointless and ends it in such poor taste. It's also a very dumb course of action because why would you ever say all this to someone you know is a MANIPULATOR WHO TAKES ADVANTAGE OF PEOPLE?!

The second one is just poor writing, where it's only there to hurt the audience a little bit more. It's unnecessary and ends things on such a pointlessly bittersweet note. But I'll take that over option 3, because I genuinely don't give a shit about David and I really don't want Arei's death only happen to focus on him more. He doesn't want to change, he believes it's better to sacrifice everyone's lives for some cause he refuses to disclose.

And at this point, I'm pretty sure I'm wrong. Whatever, I expected to be wrong anyway, but that's hardly my biggest concern.

My biggest concern is that DT is resorting to genuinely bad writing decisions and it's going to have a lasting negative effect on the story. I don't understand what other interpretations there could be with that scene, and I really don't like the possibilities we do have. Everything I point to as a basis for my theory could end up being completely pointless to the story, and I have to ask what the point was.

Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe I'm reading all this in bad faith and something else will happen, and we'll spend the remaining episodes discussing everything I've brought up in detail. I've been burned a lot by stories I've enjoyed going in very poor directions and characters I got invested in bore the brunt of it. Regardless of my theory being true or not, I don't want the same to happen to DT.

And I can see reasons why I may be wrong here: David only really gives a damn about Xander, for instance, and we've yet to really discuss the hows and whys of the murder. And I still wonder why J has been getting so much focus when she was barely in Daily Life.

Overall, while I got really negative here, I hope next proves me wrong and things head in a new direction.

[linkspooky]

Hi there, I was rereading your Maki Zenin fanfic (Tyler Durden and the Culling Game piece). I must say when I read it the first time reading it, the way you depict her mentality, emotion, and actions. It was so emotionally draining and at the same time cathartic as it reminded me of myself back then and now still (well minus mass murdering all lotta people). But also surprised me, cause I have never this depiction of her after Shibuya Incident. But over time as I look at your analysis on various characters and paid attention to her upbringing by rereading the manga chapters focused on her, I realized the way she behaves in the Culling Games after what happen to her throughout her life. She is kind of stable??? Regardless, even though she is already my all-time favorite character. Your depictions of her makes me love her character even more as I actually relate to her more and felt those similar feelings. But I'm glad she is alive and is doing ok near the end of the manga, so I wanna ask. What do you think about her character now since JJK is VERY close to its end? And how do you feel about where she is right now as of Chapter 269. Sorry for the long ramble, I might ask more lol.

Thank you so much for your ask! That reminds me I need to start updating my culling games fic again sometime soon. For anyone curious the ask is about THIS YUTAMAKI FIC HERE.

Maki's kind of a hard character to talk about because even though Maki is clearly one of my favorite characters to explore in fic, and I love to dive deep into her motivations and inner struggles in the fanfics I write every time I criticize her writing in canon a little bit her fans jump me.

So instead I'm going to share one recent Maki scene I really liked, and one little tweak I think would have made both Yuta and Maki's character endings perfect.

You're right, for a lifelong abuse victim who just murdered her family Maki seems oddly stable all throughout the culling games. I no longer think this is a Maki specific problem, but rather a Jujutsu Kaisen problem. Basically, post Shibuya most of the character conflicts in between characters are dropped so everyone can work seamlessly together as a part of one big team.

This is a storytelling choice on Gege's so he could eventually set up for the Shinjuku Showdown fight, it'd be impossible for everyone to keep jumping in and out of the fight if people kept stopping to argue and have interpersonal conflicts in the middle of it.

If your name wasn't Megumi or Yuji, then basically all your personal hangups, your self-reflection, all got dropped. Which now it kind of makes sense why the audience was yelling at Megumi for not being able to immediately get over his sister's death, like in comparison none of the other characters spend any time at all dwelling on personal issues because Gege needs them to move to the next fight.

I'm not complaining, I'm just saying this is how Gege chose to write his characters post Shibuya, most personal conflicts got dropped for story reasons.

However, there was one moment that made me really get on board with Maki's writing again, and it was a... you guessed it moment of personal conflict.

This moment where Yuta is bringing up the idea of body swapping with Gojo before the group, and Maki despite being firmly against it is unable to do or say anything substantive to stop Yuta.

It's the first time I've seen that yeah, Maki is still in fact reeling from the loss of Mai. It doesn't really show most of the time on the surface, but Maki's always been like that - like an island able to stand strong without the support of anyone else. It is her strength, and also her greatest weakness.

Remember, the last time someone she loved walked away from her and decided to sacrifice their body and autonomy so they could become a weapon for the greater good Maki wasn't able to say or do anything to convince Mai to stay with her and stay by her side too.

There's the parallel with Maki and Sukuna, that Sukuna chose to devour his own twin in the womb in order to survive and therefore gained a body perfect for sorcerery. When Mai died, Maki gained a body just like Toji's.

Maki carved everything away in order to become a true void, but unlike Sukuna she didn't do it by choice.

We know she wouldn't willingly sacrifice Mai. She begged Mai to stay. Yet, she kind of did choose to sacrifice Mai with every choice she made before that. Maki chose being a Jujutsu Sorcerer over Mai every single time, to the point where when it counted she couldn't do anything to convince Mai to stay.

Maki consumed her twin and became a monster like Sukuna, a true void. She didn't choose to do it per se, but every choice she made leading up to that point indicated to Mai that Maki would rather be strong on her own then weak together with Mai. That Maki is someone like Gojo, and like Sukuna meant to stand strong all alone. Maki is an island and that is her greatest strength and her greatest flaw.

As when it happens again and someone she loves is about to become a monster, she can't find the words to convince Yuta to stay with her on the beach instead of walking into the ocean the same way she couldn't find the words to stop Mai. After all, Maki is someone who chose to become a monster like Toji after losing everything else, what right does she have to stop Yuta from becoming a monster too?

How could she possibly stop him from walking the path she walked? I think it's telling to thde depths of her love that Maki who values being a sorcerer above everything else, would have rather had both Mai and Yuta stay human and stay with her, but also telling of her complete inability to express that love.

It's "You're too important to us" because the words "You're too important to me," doesn't occur to Maki in both cases with Yuta and Mai, because Maki is an island. She can keep going on even after Mai and Yuta are gone even if she doesn't want to.

So here is the one change I would make the Maki's endgame to make her and Yuta's character arcs perfect. I would just have Yuta not be able to come back from Gojo's body. Otherwise, Yuta being magically fixed after the fact makes that whole plot twist kind of inconsequential and as much as I love Yuta in Gojo's body it kind of just seems to exist for shock-value now considering how easily it was resolved.

Yuta not coming back would provide a consequence for Yuta defiling Gojo's body, and also in general give the perfect bittersweet ending to both him and Maki's arcs. They both chose to become monsters in the end to defeat Sukuna, and as a result Maki is standing alone at the strongest. It would also provide the perfect parallel to this scene with Geto and Gojo. You could even have Maki musing on how she was left behind again. There's a pretty big parallel to Maki and Gojo both being people who seemingly don't need anyone because they're so strong and self-sufficient and yet they crumble at the idea of the one person they've always been relying on walking away from them.

It would also parallel Megumi and Itadori as well, because the reason that itadori is eventually able to reach Megumi is specifically because unlike everyone else he refused to give up his humanity to defeat Sukuna.

You could have a really heartbreaking parallel of three generations of friendships broken apart by the Jujutsu World. Satosugu, and YutaMaki aren't able to reach each other and stay together, but finally by never giving up on reaching out towards one another Megumi and Itadori are both able to find each other again after the world and Sukuna pulled them apart.

I do enjoy this scene a lot - especially the parts where Maki seems borderline arrogant by insisting she could have done things all on her own and if they went with her plan instead of Yuta's then they would have suffered far less losses. Especially since Maki's not genuinely trying to chew Yuta out here, she just knows no other way to express her worry over him besides being hyper aggressive and confrontational.

It still shows that Maki's personality problems are all still there, she loves people a lot but she loves people from afar and can't admit to needing them but like I'm just saying we could have had THE UTLIMATE DOOMED LOVERS ending for YutaMaki.

[bookshelfdreams]

There's been some news articles here that the AfD wasn't kicked out of the ID for being too Neonazi, but by being too obvious about it. RN cut ties because while they do in fact agree on politics, RN is trying to appeal to more moderate conservatives. AfD is just being too overtly nazi, especially currently. So it isn't really that AfD was too far right-wing for the others, even though RN and others may say that for publicity reasons to save their image, but that they didn't have the forethought to hide it a bit more.

I mean, that's kind of true. Part of it is definitely that Krah couldn't just keep his big dumb mouth shut. That he had to go and be #notallSS. In an interview. With an Italian newspaper. Being "well, acshully" about the most notorious war criminals in European history still doesn't go over well with our neighbours who were the victims in said war crimes (like, say, literally erasing entire villages). Who would have thought. That's the line he crossed.

(Yes, he's an idiot of truly incomprehensible magnitude)

It is also correct that Le Pen and friends are distancing himself from him and the AfD in general more because of optics than any actual political stances. This is calculation, not the sudden emergence of a moral core, I agree with that.

However.

It really can not be overstated just how bad the optics are. This isn't just about a controversial quote.

This is also about the fact that the second in line after Krah, Petr Bystron, is accused of being entangled in the whole Voice of Europe affair - a misinformation network, revealed to have been controlled by the Russian state, and accused of having paid political actors to spread propaganda. Bystron is alleged to have taken 20,000€ from them. Supposedly, there's tapes of this. He denies it, of course, but there was enough evidence to lift his immunity and to issue a warrant to raid his office, so. (There's also reports that he initially complained about being paid in 200€ bills. Allegedly, he would have preferred smaller ones.)

Consequences from the party? He was advised by Krah to keep to the background during the election campaign. Other than this, nothing.

Then, of course there was Krah's employee Jian G., who was arrested on accusations of espionage for the Chinese government. Krah had no idea this was even happening, you guys, seriously! Taken aback he was. Shocked. Scandalized, even.

And there was the time chats came to light in which pro-Russia Ukrainian Oleg Voloshyn assured him that "problems" with "compensation" had been sovled and from May on, "everything will be as it was before February". Seems like he took money from Russia too, doesn't it? He denies it. He never answered the message, Voloshyn probably just wanted to invite him to the opera. or the message was meant for someone else. (No, really. That's what Krah said).

Again, consequences? From the party? For any of this? Nada.

This is the problem. The AfD is openly corrupt and incompetent, the chairs clearly have 0 control over their own members, and none of these absolute buffoons can behave like civilized people in public. This isn't even touching on all the many, many scandals the party had on a national level this year alone!

f course you can't be a far right populist and have manners or a modicum of decency, so the fact that even people like Marine le Pen find the AfD unbearable - honestly gives me a little hope? There's an election in my state this year, and the AfD is predicted to get about 30%. That's very bad.

I do not think any of the clowns in I&D are better people for excluding the AfD. I don't think any of them will take this as an opportunity to take a good long look in the mirror and examine all the hatred they have in their heart.

This is, however, another little act of self-destruction. Another brick crumbling from the foundation of the party. I hope it all comes crashing down.

[linkemon]

Showing affection headcanons 2

Friendly reminder that English is not my first language. You can check my Masterlists both in English and Polish here.

Venti

✧ Clingy with the need of attention - this is the first thing that comes to your mind when you think about him.

✧ He has a tendency to act like a child. He is everywhere and needs attention.

Have you seen what is happening in the market? No? You both have to go there now!

Were you watching me doing that trick? Well, see it now!

Are you listening to me at all? That day...

If he has your attention, he feels loved. Therefore, he gets jealous. More for show than for real but guys around you should be aware because he'll give stare at them or he'll just grab your hand and take you away without explanation.

✧ Venti likes to use the wind to pick you up. He'll make your hair look bad in a funny way or lift your skirt for if you wear it (within the limits of decency of course, almost...).

✧ He will sing for you any time of the day or night. Whether it's a private concert or a drunken shanty at Angel's Share, he'll take out his lyre and charm you and others present with his voice.

✧ He often takes you to the big tree in Windrise. Then he gets more serious and instead of quick kisses, before you expect it, he lays his head on your shoulder, reminiscing about older times. Then he also honestly talks about how much he appreciates you and what you have changed in his life.

Zhongli

✧ Master of remembering details. The little things you shared with him, even long ago, turn into something special. Whether it's a gift or a place you wanted to see.

✧ His way of showing affection is to support and care for you. If you're having a bad day at a restaurant, he'll always gently ask how you're feeling. If you want to tell him, he'll listen, if not, he's got plenty of stories to distract you from your problems. Traditionally, he will make tea and then cover you with a blanket and you will sit together.

✧ Zhongli is a person who is used to showing affection more in private than in public but if you like walking around the city hand in hand, he doesn't mind.

✧ He loves to cuddle. You always feel safe in his arms.

✧ When you offered to comb his hair, he agreed and he must admit that he liked it a lot more than he thought. Now he often lets you do it or braid it.

Gorou

✧ If he's happy, his tail starts wagging. This is especially common with you. You can easily tell his emotions by his ears. Ever since a rumor spread among his people that his ears were lucky, you started petting them for fun. Embarrassed, he admitted that he liked it very much.

✧ Since the war in Inazuma ended, you have more time for each other. He especially appreciates being with you. Even if it's just paperwork, he doesn't mind. However, he especially encourages you to climb with him. He will always check the equipment several times and whether you are well fastened. He wants to be sure of your safety.

✧ He often brings you small gifts. Especially shells from the beach or pearls from Watatsumi. At some point it occurred to him that you probably had many of them before, after all, you lived on this island since childhood. He flattened his ears and started promising bringing something else but you assured him that the presents were beautiful and made a necklace out of them. Several people have complained that it looks childish but you don't care.

✧ You are a hero in his eyes since you learned how to cleverly save him from Yae Miko's clutches. The first time he yelled that you were so gorgeous he could kiss you. When you said you may do it, he got so embarrassed that you didn't bring it up again. He's not ready for it yet.

Barbara Pegg

✧ If there's one thing you can be sure of, it's that Barbara will let you know that she loves you. Even if she gets embarrassed sometimes, she is so open that the words I love you are not a problem for her.

✧ Dressing your wounds is also an expression of affection for her. She will always help you when you have an accident or monsters attack you around Mondstadt. Barbara likes to apply bandages and tie mini bows on them. She also used to draw hearts on your cast.

✧ She loves to give you goodbye kisses on the cheek. You, on the other hand, love kissing her forehead. She considers it a very tender and caring gesture.

✧ She composed some love songs for you. You happened to find them by accident in her things. She's only sung one for you so far because she says the rest aren't finished. You have to wait until your birthday.

✧ Whether or not you believe in Barbatos she prays to him for your health and prosperity in all matters.

[taffycandyqt]

👉👈 can I get some head-cannons on how 1987 and 2003 Casey would act as dads to his and the readers kid…….i have to imagine ‘87 Casey would be an interesting parental figure……not a bad one just very…..very interesting

Very interesting indeed...

03' & 87' Casey Jones x reader

Warnings none:

Fluff

2003 Casey:

Will cal the child squirt, tiny, chump, and/or kiddo

It all just depends on his mood.

If the kid is a girl he'll definitely call her princess or little darling and if they're a boy he'll call him little man, or buff little man.

He will love the crap out of your kids, dude is honestly so happy to be a dad.

When he first married you he wanted kids but he was also pretty scared and wasn't sure he was ready.

When it finally happened though?

He was so happy.

Just picture this man laying in the bed with your new born in his hands while they moved their little hands around without any real reason.

He would have literal stars in his eyes.

Dude would probably start taking his baseball bat with him every time he left the house.

Ain't no way he's going out with his kids without proper protection in New York of all places.

He would have a blast teaching the kids about hockey and if they were genuinely interested hockey games would become their biggest bonding moments.

Bro is honestly just a really fun dad.

Any game the kids play with him he will be 100% into it.

Doesn't matter what role he's playing he will literally destroy your house if your kids say it's what his character would do.

In short you had to tell the kids (and your fully grown adult husband) that real weapons were not, infact, toys and to stop stabbing your furniture.

You almost blew a gasket when you walked in the room to see Casey rip one of your couch pillows in half.

Yeeeeeah...

He won't be doing that again.

Also, ice cream trips are a staple in your house.

the kids want iced cream?? Why not!

Honestly he wants ice cream just as much as them.

If you say no he will join in with the kids and either try to get you to say yes or just try and convince you with puppy dog eyes.

when you kids hit the rebellious teen phase he will wil feel so much internal conflict.

On the one hand what they are doing is extremely dangerous, irresponsible, and/or disrespectful and it's infuriating.

But on the other... He also did those things at their age.

...

BUT HE WASN'T AS BAD (this is true. He was worse)

He is still happy with their teenage stage though.

The proud dad moments will be golden.

I feel like your guys kids would gravitate towards certain turtle uncles.

They would just click more with one than the other and he's happy to see his kids still having a connection with his old friends.

Mikey will complain to him often though if none of your kids pick him as their favorite uncle.

Overall, Casey is a top tier dad.

1987 Casey:

This dude is an entire basket case.

Not to say he isn't a good dad! He is.

You just have to thoroughly explain child safety and proper emotional reactions.

Examples would be, "You can't let our kid beat up their teacher for giving them an unfair grade" or "you can't hand a toddler a golf club to swing around the house" or "Sticking a fork in an electrical outlet will electrocute them"

Once you show him how to legally and safely go about certain situations, there actually aren't many problems!

He is very strict on what he believes to be right and wrong.

While his methods may be a tad counterproductive he means well and he will do everything in his power to mold your kids into well mannered law abiding citizens.

And in case you were wondering, he sees the whole beating up the teacher thing as the teacher lying on an official government document sooooooo.

In any case he's doing his best.

Casey doesn't really spend much time around the turtles in this version so their less like uncles to your kids and more just, "People dad knows".

If your kids show an interest in the turtles though, he will make a point to hang around more often.

When it comes to his mask Casey likes to leave it on.

It makes him feel prepared for any potential danger and he honestly doesn't feel fully dressed without it.

9 times out of 10 though, if your kids ask him to take it off he will.

He just loves them so much, and as paranoid as he can be he still wants his kids to know their fathers real face.

When it comes to raising your kids he is usually the one dishing out punishments. Not because you don't, he's just quicker at it.

He understands your kids are learning the ins and outs of life and he wants to make sure they know the consequences of their actions so they're prepared when they go out into the real world.

That being said he is also very fair.

If your kid didn't know something was wrong he won't punish them.

He'll just tell them why it was wrong and not to do it again. If they do it after that? Then they get time-out.

Like 2003 Casey, he is also very playful and loves playing games with the kids.

He will run with them around the house, dress up in costumes, do weird voices and all that jazz.

It's so cute honestly. This big buff dude in a hockey mask who prides himself in his strength and ruthless attitude towards "evil doers" will also have the most legitimate tea party while your kids call him Mrs. Whittlebottom.

With the way you both go about raising your kids it seems unlikely, to me, that they would become rebellious teens.

However if that were to happen Casey would be at a complete loss.

Casey has never felt tied down by the rules or "the man" as long as they kept the peoples best interest at heart.

Don't steal things, don't break others property, don't sell harmful substances.

It all made perfect sense to him.

When people follow the rules they are happy and safe and peaceful.

People don't get hurt and they are able to do what they love.

So when your children express feeling trapped by the rules of the house or call the punishment they get by breaking them "unfair" he is straight up confused.

Like, what do you mean its unfair that your growned for seeking out?! You know it's against the rules and you could have gotten hurt! WTF???

This could potentially cause a lot of tension between Casey and your kids but at the end of the day they still love each other.

It just might take some time for them to properly understand the other.

For everyone's sake though, let's not bet on your kids hitting the rebellious phase.

Also, your kids may or may not pick up some of his weird mannerisms such as calling criminals "evil doers" or hunting down literally anyone in the name of justice.

Yeah, it really doesn't help he raises them on super hero shows.

All in all, very dedicated husband and father. Will literally die for his family.

[destinygoldenstar]

🍀Justice For Lake!🍀 - Total Drama Viewer Reacts to Disventure Camp Season 2 Episode 6 “Broke & Back Mountain”

BOW DOWN TO YOUR SAVIOR.

HE SLAYED RIGHTFULLY.

Anyway, we're back. I know it's been awhile. I've been busy doing other things.

But don't worry. We're back now. We're cool. I didn't die.

At least I can watch this show more peacefully, so I'm not bombarded with bigotry every minute! I can hear my conscience again!

Because yeah, last episode's elimination, subverted my expectations in a way that pleased me.

I'm very interested in what's gonna happen next, considering Yul is out now. I mean, slayed or not, James is still an antagonistic character, so I'm ASSUMING he's taking the mantle as villain.

That and we have Krystal as a villain already.

So let's get into this episode:

Oh, no recap this time? We're just gonna...

Aw, I wanted to watch Yul die again :(

Awwwwww, Aiden and his bear, that's so cute ❤️

Why you sleeping with earrings?

Uuuuuuhhhh... why are you two sleeping together? What is going on here?

I guess you guys figured things out.

...

AND NOW I'M EVEN MORE CONFUSED AS TO WHAT IS HAPPENING HERE?

ARE THEY IN A POLYCULE? IS THAT WHAT IT IS?

😂

Riya has my exact reaction XD

"What in Bollywood's name did I witness last night?!"

"I told them not to bring it up until the game was over."

Wait, so why were y'all in the same bed?

That's not a 'friends' thing to do.

So Hunter still hasn't come out yet.

"Fortunately, Yul had to leave the game due to a medical emergency."

Yeah, FORTUNATELY XD

I love that nobody misses him at all.

"Eh, you know, we don't know if he made it or not, but he was kind of a douche, so I should be worried, but I'm just not, you know...?"

"Well, I hope he doesn't get well soon."

XD

YEAH SEE?! XD

DON'T WE ALL?

Idk how many Yul stans there are. All the Yul stans probably blocked me.

"I never liked Yul. His personality and way of expressing himself were horrible."

Why didn't you vote him out then? When you had the chance.

You could've allied with Kai or Connor, and not much about your gameplay changes.

"But all the hate he caused kept me and the girls safe. It was good strategy."

THAT'S your justification?

You and your girls weren't in ANY danger. And Kai would be easy to persuade for a fourth vote. You have majority.

OH. MERGE ALREADY?!

We're only at Episode 6. GODDAMN.

Total Drama 2024 was out for BLOOD trying to beat this.

"PreMerge speedrun! How quickly can we merge our characters?"

"As you may have noticed, we are in the middle of nowhere."

XD

"WELCOME TO THE VOID!!!"

"Excuse me?!"

What's wrong with supplies?

"HOW DARE YOU ENSURE THE PEOPLE'S SAFETY!!"

"Aiden and James are going together."

Oh goddammit. AGAIN?!

I mean yeah James didn't kill Aiden, but THAT'S THE BAR.

I would've loved to see Aiden and Lake pair up tbh.

As friends, obviously.

"Is there a problem with the signal here?"

I'm glad I have subtitles on so I know he said signal.

I heard 'SIGH-NAL'

'SINAL'

Idk, I'm not gonna question it in case this is an accent thing.

"You are in the middle of forest. There is no Internet here."

I thought that'd be obvious. XD

Oh he's gonna LOSE IT

"What?! What year are we in?!"

The year of HELL.

Except I'm in the future. So...

Still hell.

"You seem to know a lot about survival."

"No big deal, I just read it in a book."

Sounds like everyone.

"Sources?"

"Uh... I read a book once. Ten years ago. So yeah, I'm an expert. I know everything there is to know about surviving-OH, HEALTHY BERRIES-*GAGS*"

"Nope. Not another one. Please no."

XD

"NO! NO MORE GIRLS! PLEASE! I DON'T WANT LOVE, PLEASE!!!"

"Can you believe it?! What kind of low budget show leaves its participants without Internet access?!"

BUDDY. IT'S THE WOODS.

I'm surprised you even HAVE wifi at camp.

James is just gonna be complaining the whole time.

"We're in the middle of the woods, James. What did you expect?"

Yeah, exactly. Even the other characters are calling this out.

"Look, the faster we get to camp, the faster you can get back online."

Aiden's like, "So PLEASE, shut your mouth and stop staring at me with predatory eyes. Then maybe I'll get you your precious wifi back. If I don't smash the phone first-"

"I had some differences with James, but what he did for me in the previous ceremony makes me believe that, deep down inside, he's not that bad."

"I mean, HE KILLED YUL FOR CRYING OUT LOUD. How can I NOT respect the hell out of him?!"

"Now that the teams are dissolved, I guess you'll go back to your alliance with Lake and I'll be alone again."

Awww, Riya, honey, no...

"If I make an alliance with Lake, you will be also part of it."

ABSOLUTELY.

BEST GIRLS ALLIANCE? HELLO?

Alliance of all the best girls?

"We can dominate the game together and you can beat the shit out of us in the semi-final."

Oh so you WANT to lose to Riya?

Heyo, don't tempt her to slay, Rosa. SHE'LL DO IT.

"Huh, now that you're encouraging me to slay, I think maybe I should slay, you know? Helps with my broke-ass career. People LOVE IT when people SLAY."

Awwwwww

Why is Rosa so good with everyone?

"Maybe I should go higher."

"Don't do it. You could fall and hurt yourself."

LOOK AT YOU SITTING ON THAT THIN-ASS TREE BRANCH. YOU'RE ONE TO TALK.

"Do you care about me?"

Oh... oh that's deep actually... shit...

"Well sure. You are my friend."

"Even though you threaten my senpai's attention away from me."

"Who's your senpai?"

"Good question..."

*Bi Crisis*

"I thought you were just pretending to be nice to me."

Oof. OOF. Girl, I'VE BEEN THERE.

"What? Of course not! I really like you!"

"Don't take that in wrong context! Please, no! I'm not bi! I'm just making a point!"😳

"I admit, at first I pretended to be Tess's friend a bit so Hunter wouldn't feel bad."

Oh, so...

This and the children rage thing. I question your morality a bit Allyson.

Poor Tess.

"This is the last time you take part in a challenge!"

What are you mad at him for?! Ensuring your camper's safety?

...actually that checks out.

"People want to see people suffer and fight for their lives, to see them get hurt and go through the worst of embarrassments! This is what the show is about!"

You sound like a Chris McLean child.

You sound like Chris McLean right now XD

God that's a good line though.

Has someone working at OddNations seen my Total Drama posts where I discussed this exact topic, and said "We should make THAT a major theming of our show!"

"That's why this show went so many years without being broadcast!"

HUH?

HANG ON. BIG QUESTION MARK.

What is the time gap between Season 1 and 2? Exactly?

I THOUGHT it was just one year, but apparently not. It's been several years?

I mean I know the past hosts were criminals, but the show was still aired, right? Or was it not??

I'm confused now.

"I'm saying Lake was right. You ARE worse than Mr McLean!"

*CHOKES*

WAIT WHOA WHAT THE FUCK-?!

I SAID THAT AS A JOKE.

I SAID THAT AS A JOKE, I THOUGHT SHE WAS JUST SOME EXECUTIVE'S CHILD-

SHE'S ACTUALLY CHRIS MCLEAN'S DAUGHTER?!

SINCE WHEN DID THAT MAN GET A KID?!

Oh wait cause her name is CHRIS-tal-

I'm an idiot.

I am a fucking idiot.

I bet y'all are laughing so hard at my mental breakdown right now cause you figured this out on day one.

I AM A FUCKING DUMBASS...

Alright I'm calming down. I'm calming down.

So uh... SO MUCH MAKES SENSE NOW.

So... let me get this straight, if I am TRYING to understand the lore here:

Total Drama is CANON to this universe. That's what they're implying. Unless this is an AU.

I THINK when Oliver said "This Show" he meant that SURVIVOR, the show Total Drama is based on, doesn't exist in THEIR universe, and Total Drama IS the equivalent of Survivor in THEIR universe.

Total Drama took place in the years they were airing in real life. So TDI took place in 2007 for example. And the last season, before the reboot anyway, was Pahketiew Island. AKA, the worst TD Season EVER. That aired in...

*looks it up*

2014.

So if this same logic applies here, then this show takes place in...

2022.

So it's an EIGHT YEAR TIME GAP.

So after Total Drama got cancelled for Chris McLean's island scheme, before the show was revived in 2023, Disventure Camp Season 1 would take place in 2021.

And the original Disventure Camp, the season ran by Derek and Trevor, was aired as a shady site due to their crimes. Which is why they got people messed up in the head and/or desperate for money, to do the show. THEN when they got caught, a year later, the rights of the show went to Krystal, someone of much higher power and Chris McLean's daughter, and she kept the show alive and aired this season.

So it's basically:

TDI-TDA - 2007

TDWT - 2008

TDROTI - 2012

TDAS - TDPI - 2014

DC1 - 2021

DC2 - 2022

TD2023 - 2023

TD2024 - 2024

And if we're sticking with the year gaps, then DC3 is in 2023 in their time.

Idk, I feel like this could be wrong. I'm trying to understand the lore here.

I know, THERE'S ACTUAL LORE IN TOTAL DRAMA NOW.

"I'd rather sleep on the street than keep working on this damn show!"

DAMN.

That's every Gen Z employee now.

Y'all have no idea of the mistreatment we suffer...

Like, old folks, we will be overworking our asses off just to get impossible standards to even get HIRED in the first place. No matter the degree. No matter the experience.

And we will STILL not be able to afford rent.

And WE'RE the problem?!

Ummmmm... hi?

"Lake, get in the helicopter."

What? NO. WHY?

"You're out of the game."

WHAT?!

WHAT WAIT WHAT THE FUCK?!

HANG ON!!!!

Is this because she read you for filth?!

Are you eliminating Lake out of SPITE?

NO. I WON'T ACCEPT THIS. NO SHOT SHE ACTUALLY GETS ELIMINATED HERE.

SHE HASN'T EVEN GOTTEN A CHANCE TO PLEAD HER CASE OR GET VOTED OFF!

"Your father called. He wants you to come home immediately."

Oh so that's why?!

Lake, you don't have to go sweetie! STAND YOUR GROUND AND SAY NO.

"NO, Krystal. I am NOT going anywhere!"

"Unless I get voted off. THEN I'll leave. But not because of my shit father!"

"I could, but your father offered me a generous payment for him to skip certain deals."

Uh, yeah, no.

Lake, you don't have to do this.

"Also, if I remember correctly, you said some nasty things about me in the last challenge."

YEAH I FIGURED THAT HAD SOMETHING TO DO WITH IT.

LAKE, YOU DO NOT HAVE TO GO.

"I AM NOT GOING. I HAVE TO GET VOTED OFF FIRST."

NOOOOO

NOOOOOOOOO

NOO COME ON

HUNTER!!! YOU'RE WATCHING THIS. DO SOMETHING!!

YOU CAN'T JUST DO LAKE LIKE THAT!

WHAT WAS THE POINT OF HER DEVELOPMENT IF IT WAS GONNA AMOUNT TO NOTHING AND SHE WAS JUST GONNA GO BACK?

WHAT WAS THE POINT?!

"I don't agree with Lake's situation but I admit I feel a little relieved now that I'm on my own."

WOW. YOU SUCK HUNTER.

BRING LAKE BACK! I WANT LAKE BACK RIGHT NOW!! GIVE HER A PROPER ELIMINATION! THAT'S BULLSHIT!!!

I'm so mad...

"Do you have any idea how much content you could be uploading to TikTok right now?"

And Tumblr.

*UNRELATED IMAGE*

"Don't tell me, thunder scares you."

Awwww.

It's actually worse cause they're in a tent.

"And to think I could upload how cute you are when you're terrified! Look at my BABY everyone! Hashtag LOVE!!"

UMMM... SIR. NO.

HE DID NOT SAY THIS WAS OKAY.

THERE IS NO CONSENT HERE.

HOW HARD IS IT TO ASK: "Hey, do you want me to cuddle you? It might help your fears."

"I can't replace your teddy bear. But I can try it."

...I mean it's a sweet gesture at least...

Half the time I can't tell if Aiden is blushing out of crush or DISCOMFORT.

James, I appreciate the effort, but you're still a creep.

Oh god it's HELL...

How is there a fire in the rain?

"It's the boys! Great! Now that I'm an intern, we can be friends again!"

What boys?

Trevor and Derek? They escaped?

WHAAAAAAATTTT IN HELL'S NAME...

WHAT ARE THEY DOING OUT HERE? HELLO?!?

"Kai and I have been living in the forest."

You're completely okay with this? WHY?

"A dance to bring rain!"

WAIT YOU'RE GODS?!

These two have been trying to become the GODS and take over the universe. Holy shit...

Why is Kai jacked? I just noticed that...

Why am I asking this when I have A MILLION other questions.

"Look for the wise man who drinks from the turtle's neck."

WHAT?

"I'm going to find some wood to make a fire."

Girl, IT'S RAINING. It won't work.

...what's wrong with Tess? You're fine.

"I need... I want all this to go away..."

OH...

Wait what she's going through? Is she panicking?

"I do not want to be here."

Does she have some trauma with the cave space?

"No! You do not understand anything! Nobody understands why I came to this place!"

Oh...

Okay, explain then. I want answers.

Honey's going through it right now.

"I told you not to worry, I don't need you."

Tess, come on...

NO DON'T CUT AWAY.

I WANT TO UNDERSTAND TESS BETTER.

WHAT WAS TRIGGERING HER THERE? I DON'T GET IT.

YOU CAN'T JUST CUT AWAY BEFORE I, THE AUDIENCE, UNDERSTAND SOMETHING!

OH LAKE'S STILL HERE. YES!

"Is there a reason father wants me to come back?"

I WONDER WHY.

"It's because of the kisses, right?"

"I haven't exactly come out of the closet, you know?"

"Because of that and because you burned your books, didn't turn in your essays, they found out you hid photos of them and now everyone knows you're bald for being stressed."

Oh. We FINALLY get an answer for that.

I heard that was a real thing that could happen. When people lose their hair out of intense stress. And... yeah.

That says a lot about Lake's character and what she goes through.

Also Krystal FORCED her to do all these things, so why isn't her dad taking it out on Krystal?

"I'm done. I'm sure he'll send me straight to boarding school and I'll have to spend my youth surrounded by cranky nuns."

You're just giving up? GIRL.

"Your parents seem tough, huh?"

"They're the worst."

Yeah. Took you awhile to realize that.

"Since I was born, they have controlled every aspect of my life. From the clothes I should wear, to the tone my skin should have..."

DAMN.

"Well, at least your parents were with you."

Oh, is Chris...

Why am I asking? OF COURSE. OF COURSE CHRIS WAS A SHIT NEGLECTFUL FATHER. I SHOULDN'T BE SURPRISED AT ALL.

"When I was a child, I could only see my dad on television."

"And he was torturing teenagers. Now you know where I get it from?"

"What abut your mother?"

"I don't know. Dad never talks about her."

I'm confused on if it was a fling situation or if Chris is married... idk, I don't remember if Chris mentioned having a wife or not.

This could just be a fling he had and whoops, the woman got pregnant.

OH THIS LOOKS LIKE A NIGHTMARE.

I'M SO SORRY GIRLS YOU DON'T DESERVE THAT.

OH NO HUNTER.

WHAT HAPPENED MAN?

"GOLDEN SAID I SUCKED..."

I'M SORRY!! I DIDN'T WANT YOU TO SUFFER FOR IT.

"James and Aiden found a bike that Oliver hid, Rosa and Riya put together a raft and are about to arrive as well."

Oh cool. Glad we saw that on screen. /s

"Third place? But Lake is here."

"Where's Hunter?"

"Oh, he died."

"Is that true, Lake? Are you going home?"

"Unfortunately, yes."

I hate this so much.

This sucks.

This is a SHIT elimination for Lake.

"But there was a change of plans. She stays here and she'll just leave this camp, voted out or with a million bucks."

OH WAIT, WAIT A MINUTE.

HAVE MY PRAYERS BEEN ANSWERED?!

Also the dad sounds like he's been kidnapped and gagged.

LAKE STAYS!!!!🎉

I wish Lake was the one who stood up to him. But SHE STAYS!!!

"That's right, father, mother, I'm not going anywhere. I will eat as many calories as I want, I will not marry anyone for your selfish interests, and I will not go to that boarding school! Whether I win the million or not, I will never let them control my life again!"

OKAY I'LL TAKE IT!!! I WILL TAKE THAT!!!

👏👏

GET EM QUEEN!!!!

Okay, NOW I get why y'all like her so much.

"There will be no eliminations today!"

Oh cool!

"Don't you want to catch up with your followers?"

"Nah. I'll do it later."

James development too? Hello?

AWWW LOOK AT THEM. THIS IS SO SWEET.

They didn't invite Tess, Allyson, and Hunter?

Oh there they are.

"Hey Ally, what I told you... what I said about pretending to be my friend, well I..."

"Tess. It's okay."

NO STOP INERRUPTING HER.

LET TESS OPEN UP GODDAMMIT.

I WANT A TRAUMA DUMP.

Allyson has a tattoo?

That actually looks kinda sick.

"Will Tess open up her heart to Ally?"

I feel like they can hear me teasing them.

Thing is I can't tell if they have better chemistry with each other than they do with Hunter, cause they'd had good Hunter interactions too...

But I think Hunter is aromantic, so...

And that was Episode 6.

No eliminations today. But I'm fine with it.

This was a pretty good character episode.

It's almost like now that a certain someone is out of the picture, I FEEL LIKE I CAN BREATHE. I CAN ENJOY THINGS AGAIN. I CAN BE INVESTED IN CHARACTER BITS MORE.

Instead of bitching about this one guy.

JUSTICE FOR LAKE.

Like, NOW I see why y'all like her.

I liked her at the start too, but not to the point where I was like "LOVE YA GIRLIEPOP, MUST PROTECT."

And now I am "LOVE YA GIRLIEPOP, MUST PROTECT."

I am SO GLAD that was a fakeout elimination. Because if that was real, I WOULD'VE BEEN PISSED. Because that would've butchered all her character development, made it all pointless, and plus that's just such a cheap and rigged way to eliminate a character.

That's why Leshawna's TDI Elimination is THE worst elimination of all of these shows. AND I DON'T CARE WHAT ANYONE SAYS.

THANK GOD THAT WASN'T REPLICATED HERE.

Do I think she's winning? Eh...? Idk. I don't know if a million dollars really suits her character and what they're doing with her, ya know?

If you're asking me who I think is winning: Rosa or Aiden.

Aiden has just been "The Innocent Boy" The entire time, and his association with the SNAKE of the cast is building up to something for sure.

I LOVE that James killed Yul. But in terms of being around Aiden, I'm not won over YET.

I still can't ignore the uh... CONSENTUAL ISSUES between them.

Like, come on, how hard is it to ASK before you snuggle up to someone? Especially if they're NOT your significant other.

And I just love Rosa. And I honestly see no scenario where she could be eliminated.

She's a lot like Owen and Wayne in that sense. Where her whole strategy is just being the nicest person around, and thus nobody wants to vote her off or hurt her.

Plus she actually DOES have some strategic moments with her girls alliance, and she knows morals and stands for them. So, yeah, I'm routing for Rosa.

She can use the money to raise her child. It would be so sweet!

She's a Paddington. That's all I'll say. She is a Paddington and a beacon of light in such a CRUEL, MISERABLE environment where there's so much deception and hate going around. And not only does she refuse to get pushed, but she also says that sweetheart. I SALUTE HER.

I also hope we get to know more about Tess. Idk. MAYBE I was stupid and didn't understand what was going on in that scene. Mostly because they don't explain it.

Like, I get that maybe you don't want an info dump. But I, the audience, needs to understand what's going on. I'm not in the writer's head! I don't know this character! I need to be explained what's going on!

I know she's an orphan. I know she's depressed. I THINK that scene was hinting towards a trauma trigger from either caves or the dark? But I don't know??? I don't know what they were saying there.

Maybe I'm stupid. If someone can explain that scene better, PLEASE. I want to understand this.

But, uh, here's a criticism for Disventure Camp:

There's several times in these episodes where they cut away before things can be explained. And several times it cuts away before I feel like the scene is properly done. It's weird pacing, and it's also depriving the audience of information we SHOULD have.

Like, Hunter says he'll talk to them about the love triangle situation. THEN IT CUTS AWAY. And next time we see them they're in the same bed and a confessional tells us what they talked about.

Like, you don't need a confessional there. You could've just, idk, SHOWN ME the scene where he talks about this to them. Then when we start this episode and they're all in the same bed, I wouldn't be scratching my head, I would be flattered because then I'd know what the conversation was and why they were doing that.

That's just an example. There's multiple others I could use.

Even in Season 1, even if it's not AS bad there, it's still there. Like when it cut away before Jake could tell Ellie his situation. Though, I can excuse THAT, because we the audience already knew of the situation and those aspects of Jake's backstory, so we didn't need to hear it again.

But everything else, idk, I feel like I should know more than I know.

This is like... just an example, The Amazing Digital Circus, only when they're in hell, we DON'T get Pomni breaking down and crying or Kinger's speech about love and memory. After Pomni gets saved from possession, we just go straight to them figuring out how to get past the damned soul corridor.

No, there's not a lot of action of them sitting there, so it's not the most fun scene to make, but it's NECESSARY, and helps you FEEL the characters and understand in full what's going through their heads.

You NEEDED that heart to heart. You NEEDED Pomni to cry. You NEEDED Kinger to explain his dementia. Otherwise you'd just be scratching your head on what the character's context is, because it's context you don't have.

This isn't a mystery show. So I think this criticism is valid.

It's a pacing issue. It's not a criticism I give out of spite. I'm just saying a flaw I have picked up on.

And I do hope they do better with this going forward and we get some really good character moments in the future.

And before you say "Runtime". This isn't Total Drama. This is an indie show that can do whatever they want and run these episodes as long as they want. So they ABSOLUTELY can make episodes 5-10 minutes longer to accompany some backstory and character building.

I know they can't do flashbacks or anything like that in this format, but idk, you could do some visual stuff with the setting to tell the story or something.

(I'm, at this point, asking to be hired as a writer.)

Good episode.

[fantasticalleigh]

thoughts on bridgerton season 3 part 2

MASSIVE spoilers ahead, i'm really annoyed so this is going to come out very salty!

TLDR: this season was largely a disappointment. part 1 is better than part 2.

-i've said it before and i'll say it again: this is an ensemble show that ultimately suffers for how large its cast is, how short each season is, how cheap netflix is, and how poor the writing is. the actors are great and do well with what they're given. the stories in and of themselves are largely compelling. but they need space and time to be told properly. eight episodes between 10+ characters is not enough.

-unhinged/in love colin from the books was sorely missed. the book is problematic yadda yadda but i prefer it at this point. instead for pretty much three out of four episodes in part two, he was just angry or sad and that was it. he felt so flat.

-i find it hilarious that debling just fucked off after rejecting penelope. he didn't even stick around to try and court cressida, who was clearly more than willing to take penelope's place?? he literally could have solved all her problems and that could have saved an incredible amount of screen time that should have gone to Colin/Penelope.

-i love the way they bridged portia and penelope's relationship. also to a lesser degree, her sisters. prudence not being so cunty anymore was nice but felt a little off, i think she needed more screentime with pen to show that she finally realizes what a bad sister she was and that she's genuinely sorry. one quick little comment "i was being honest" (or whatever it was) to me, didn't feel like enough. but i'm still glad they came around.

-violet/marcus and by extension, agatha. i'm glad violet and agatha finally had a heart to heart/ conversation that was about them and not the young people. when they affirmed that they were there for each other no matter what and used each other's given names? precious. i teared up. i love their friendship. (also don't come at me for what may have happened during Queen Charlotte bc i never finished it lol)

-the queen is probably my least favorite character. she used to have funny/kind moments but now it feels like she is just rude and dismissive and mean towards everyone. i can't even like her in a GirlBoss way because all we see from season to season is how other people manipulate her. Agatha manipulates her. Grimsby manipulates her. Lady Whistledown manipulates her. she was kind for francesca for a couple of days and then went sour when she realized francesca chose someone else. i get that she's jaded from season 2 but idk i don't enjoy her scenes at all anymore. she crashes the wedding breakfast to accuse the bridgertons, belittles the Mondriches ball at the start, complains/belittles all the debutants trying to impress her, doesn't care about the events being hosted in her honor. i loved her in seasons 1-2 but now she's just boring and one note.

-eloise finally admitted she was reckless/in the wrong about the Theo situation. that was nice. and she finally admitted befriending cressida was a poor choice. do i sense character growth at last?? but i'm still a little unhappy about how rudely she ditched Cressida once she and Penelope made up. Hey, this new friend of yours is distraught because of her shit home life and is about to be married off to some old, austere codger and you literally don't care? i genuinely felt so bad for cressida. she is a creature pushed into a corner lashing out for any way to escape and nobody (understandably, bc she makes bad choices) wants to help her. but eloise keeps saying that cress surprised her with how she was the only one to show her kindness when she was a social outcast and now the same is happening to Cressida and yet instead of repaying the favor, Eloise abandons her.

Eloise even goes so far to say that Cressida used her. Did she not also use Cressida? She admitted she befriended her to be petty towards Penelope. And she clearly stuck with Cressida out of boredom/reluctance to mingle with the other ladies their age because she found them beneath her. Eloise is still a hypocrite. I thought she'd taken a step forward but she's in the same place.

did cressida deserve help? not particularly considering the blackmail/fake identity, history of bullying. but does she also deserve to be married off like that and cut off like that by her asshole dad? also no.

with all that talk about running away i genuinely was rooting for C to run away, but i'm disappointed it didn't happen. i guess it makes sense within her character--she's always been a caged creature--i don't think running away ever came to mind, even if she didn't want to be shipped off to Wales with her aunt. she's strong but doesn't (yet) have the resolve/ferocity of someone like marina who was willing to run away with colin to elope in gretna green.

frankly i found cressida's story the most compelling in season 3 so far.

-benedict. if i have to watch ONE more sex scene for Ben i'm going to scream. wowwee, he had another threesome! and no more queerbaiting--he finally had sex with a man! <--that part is at least noteworthy for his character--but genuinely--i don't really care when his only storyline this season is that all he does is have sex. there are far more compelling stories needing attention right now and yet we get another freaking sex barrage with benedict. Colin and Penelope were robbed here and i don't think it's unreasonable to be annoyed that a B-tier ensemble character got more sexy time than them. and for what purpose? all we get out of ben's enlightenment is that it's ok to be gay and that he's not ready for serious commitment. which is fine and dandy except that that was already drilled into our heads since season 1. i feel like my time was wasted here because i already watched him do the same damn things over and over for THREE SEASONS by now.

AND FOR THAT MATTER:

if they really wanted to show any sense of growth for benedict they could have had him be brutally honest to Tilley and say something like:

"I'm having fun with our arrangement. I am open to seriously committing to someone someday...but I don't think you are that person."

what a world of a difference that would make, wouldn't it? it would show he's coming closer to being ready to meet Sophie but that he's still not quite ready to give up his old ways. i truly believe his season is next and frankly it wouldn't feel so insulting to watch his repetitive storyline if they had written better dialogue in that ONE scene.

(Jess + Shonda, I'm available any time if you want to talk.)

-T.S's You Belong with Me playing during a fucking wedding scene was a choice. All the options in the world and you pick a song about high school jealousy??? Babydoll I could pick five better options off my general playlist. across all three seasons, there's been so many bad cover choices imo.

-Coldplay's Yellow being Polin's song was an actual choice I will salute. Beautiful moment.

-the whole whistledown speech at the end where pen reveals herself was extremely flat to me and left me so bloody disappointed. someone brought this up on reddit and i agree so hard it hurts--why wasn't colin up there by her side? book colin would have VAULTED up over everyone just to be there with her and protect her. instead we get mopey Colin watching her from below. i need to rewatch it again but it felt like there was hardly any reaction from the ton to her speech. it felt like they shrugged their shoulders when she was finished and resumed the ball. my mouth was agape at that--you're telling me not one of the attendees would have rushed up and said "omg it was you??" "how did you do it?" "i can't believe it!" or something to that effect. the bridgertons already had that reaction so it would've been effective for literally anyone in the ton to show some amazement.

-ngl, i also feel quite cheated that Penelope was never celebrated in the way she deserved. yes, she got her wedding and the man she always wanted--but creating/maintaining the Whistledown enterprise is a huge accomplishment. individually there was praise from those closest to her but really there was such a huge element of shame and punishment surrounding it that really bothered me. yeah, she said some mean things but she did it because she was severely neglected/ostracized from her own community. there was no acknowledgment of that at all (that i can recall. once again i should do a rewatch but whatever) and that pains/angers me. not one person beside her mother took a moment to think or say, 'i treated you badly and caused you pain. i'm sorry.' instead they just focused on making penelope apologize again and again when she had only reacted from years of pain, which nobody even deigned to acknowledge.

wasn't there a moment in the book when she gets some applause after her revelation? am i misremembering? but in the show it was like nobody gave a fuck because ooh butterflies! which was...so stupid lol. bless you though, phillippa. penelope single-handedly contributed to the entertainment of the ton for years and exposed awful people even if she made fun of others. characters frequently and often complained if her issue was one day late and debated her true identity and so when she finally reveals herself there's no applause? no true reaction? were they all asleep? what the fuck? that scene was shocking at how badly executed it was. it was rushed and it showed.

-also, WHY choose to have Colin learn Penelope is Lady Whistledown in episode six? I hate this because it crams all the drama in the last two episodes and makes everything feel rushed and frantic. he should have found out in episode three or four and i'll die on that hill. for that matter, his refusal to understand that Whistledown was Penelope's life's work and greatest achievement/power was so annoying. In the book he came around to it pretty fast and yet here it dragged on for way too long. everyone wanted her to give Whistledown up until it benefited them.

-editing to add a huge gripe i have with post-production:

for the love of god, go easy on the filters. the artificial blues and yellows are killing me. in twilight, it was camp. it was great. it does not translate well here. also, have y'all noticed how HEAVILY they blur the backgrounds??? there was one scene with colin and penelope in the garden and every time the camera focuses on one of their faces from over the other's shoulder (they were both seated) the background is blurred heavily. it looks bad!!! stop doing that!!! the backgrounds lend to the vibe! it genuinely makes the show look like crap when i notice that happening. it makes them look like they're using the green screen filter on tik tok. STOP. IT.

(seriously, imagine Joe Wright's Pride and Prejudice, the scene where Elizabeth is on the rocky plains and or she and her aunt and uncle are sitting at the base of that enormous tree--all that gorgeous scenery, remember that? now slap the Bridgerton filter over it so it's all one massive ugly blur. does that mental image fill you with rage? GOOD.)

-i didn't cover this in the prev. post but in part 1, the whole runaway balloon scene was Not Good. Why a balloon? the danger that poses is not that great--why not a runaway horse? there was too much sense of danger to the actual threat posed by a freaking basket. also the way penelope acted in that scene felt very very out of character for her and i hate rewatching it, even if colin looks very dashing while holding the rope. ugh.

-polin's main sex scene was beautiful. i feel kind of disappointed that everything else we got was less than a minute long and not in a weird way. it just feels a fair amount of the promo we got from Nic and Luke was hinting at the sex scenes and yet we got very little in actuality. i keep seeing people talk about there being a minutes long montage of them and yet it got cut. but in season one we got a LOT (imo too many sex scenes between daphne and simon). there were too many side stories happening this season and i'm sure that contributed to that, but there is also a whisper in the back of my mind that tells me that maybe showrunners felt the need to overly pad this season with storylines because they either didn't feel like nicola and luke could carry it alone or because they didn't care.

-i'm really glad genevieve got more scenes here, especially with penelope. their friendship is really nice and it's sad/sweet that penelope chose to spend her last night before her wedding with her, because apparently her mother/sisters didn't plan anything for her.

-frencesca/john. i have no stake in this game since i haven't read their book yet, as i've mentioned before. they're cute together but i'm not invested. they should have gotten married way earlier imo because all the "we need to tip toe around the queen bc she hates us :( but we want to marry now" went on too long and got boring. the michaela thing doesn't bother me but i understand why fans are upset about it.

-polin felt like a side character in part 2. i feel like their scenes went by way too quickly and their screentime was so sparse to the point of legitimately becoming annoying. colin spent most of it mad and penelope spent most of it crying/trying to explain herself. they had hardly any truly happy moments together.

-kanthony was adorable.

-"i love you."

"...are you sure?"

dear reader, my heart split in two. they did a really really good job with showing penelope's self-doubt and low confidence thanks to years of neglect and ridicule and doubt from her mother. when colin stood up for her to her mother and she looked so shocked, my heart broke again for her. poor pen, i just wanted to hold her. when violet and hyacinth hugged penelope after colin announced their engagement i wanted to cry bc poor pen is so starving for positive affirmations/love that just those hugs where enough to overwhelm her.

-also lady danbury saying that she had suspected Pen was whistledown was amazing. i love that she acknowledged her and her love for the bridgertons....but i'm still really upset that they nixed her and penelope's friendship/mentorship that was in the books. she was busy with her own storyline what with violet and marcus and sure it still worked but that was a relationship i was so excited to see in the show...and they didn't even try adapting it except for like, three lines at the very end. >:( hello 911? we've been ROBBED.

(i keep editing this to add more but this is another gripe i have that will not let me rest:

ALSO ALSO ALSO:

i've noticed over seasons 1-2 that the main romantic couple has one dance set to the bridgerton theme song.

in season one, daphne and simon dance to the theme song in episode 2 or 3 (the one where daphne says "and we must try to look like we enjoy each other's company" and simon replies stiffly but then they giggle and laugh all through it which was so cute

in season two, kate and anthony dance to it in the second to last episode where they're dancing with the rest of the bridgertons and lady danbury at the ball they threw that nobody came to. the subtitles say it's a country rendition (whatever that means) of the theme song but they are involved in the dance so it counts.

when i noticed this i thought it was such a cute touch and was anxiously waiting for Penelope and Colin to get their moment.

...instead benedict dances to the bridgerton theme song with Lady Tilley? who he clearly isn't going to end up with? wtf?? and it doesn't even work in the context of the scene because it's a wholesome tune and yet she's dancing like she wants to eat him alive? sigh.

i'm just an old man yelling at clouds now but i wish the writing in this show was better so badly because it meets expectations but it's so frustrating because it can be so much better. let the show breathe! thin out the cast. really pick and choose who gets airtime, because it's precious and you anger your viewers when you waste it.

i will rewatch the season in full at some other point, but i'm too annoyed now. there is much more i want to talk about but this is long enough for now. i will say that at this point i'm not even sure i want to continue watching beyond this season.

(the playlist thing really got me thinking so to prove my point:)

FIVE SONGS THAT ARE A BETTER CHOICE FOR POLIN'S WEDDING DANCE THAN A FUCKING T.S SONG:

-a world alone-lorde (the lyrics are perfect even if they wouldn't be used in an orchestral version)

-little of your love-haim ( perfect choice for the scene imo bc it's very happy and upbeat for a cute wedding dance bit)

-all this and heaven too-florence and the machine

or fuck, if you wanted to make it into a really emotional rather than joyous moment go with dog days are over and it would be a banger with the proper editing bc that song is universal and punches up the emotions any times it's used.

-burning-maggie rogers

-save a kiss--jessie ware

ORRRRR to make it a lil steamy:

-adore you--jessie ware (this would also be perfect ngl)

and i'm not even biased to any of these, i literally just scrolled down my general playlist on spotify and picked them based on the vibes.

[frankiebirds]

hii!! 11 + 17 for the ask game!!! :))

salty ask game

these got long so they're under the cut. thank you for the ask!!

11. is there an unpopular character you like that the fandom doesn’t? why?

I can't really think of any off the top of my head but two close answers:

i don't understand the hatred towards jordan todd. at all. not because i like her but because i truly can't imagine feeling that strongly about a character who was in eight episodes. i also really liked her inclusion for how it reminded the audience "hey the BAU is Not Normal. they are largely desensitized to the things they see (not that they're unaffected, not at all, but they deal). here's how a normal person would react." i'll probably write a whole thing about it when i get to her introduction but i think her character served a really good purpose

nathan harris. he's not hated or even disliked, but a lot of the fic about him has him coming back as an unsub (not that that isn't a compelling and plausible premise!) but i like to think that nathan goes on to lead a relatively normal life. a lot of the time, especially when it comes to the more sympathetic unsubs, the audience and the characters are thinking "if only someone had intervened before it got to this point..." and nathan is a little underutilized in fic as an example of that intervention succeeding, if that makes sense? i also really like his character for how he put reid into a role he doesn't get often, as the one providing guidance and support for a younger character. if nathan came back as an unsub, that would just put reid into the victim role, which he is unfortunately very familiar with. i just think his dynamic with reid as it is in the episode is far more interesting than him becoming a killer. (again: i have no problem with those fics. ive read several! im not complaining about their presence, just the lack of the opposite, if that makes sense?)

SORRY i know i didnt really answer the question :(( i didnt just want to say "no" because thats a boring answer so you get these vaguely connected ramblings instead

17. Instead of XYZ happening, I would have made ABC happen…

TW DRUG ABUSE

i know this is a very basic and unsurprising opinion in the cm fandom but i really wish we'd gotten a real addiction arc for reid. he just kind of...stops using offscreen? it felt a little like the writers realised they had no idea how to write a character dealing with opioid addiction and just went "nvm he's better now <3" it just felt very noncommittal and underwhelming.

this is dark, but i would especially have loved to see reid hitting rock bottom. there are only so many option for that that wouldnt make him keeping his job...highly unrealistic, but one that comes to mind is him going on a full-on bender. i think that specifically could have really worked because they would still be able to relegate most of his drug use to the implied/offscreen, both for the purpose of time (because the A-plot is always the case) and to avoid getting too graphic with it, which i think may have been a concern.

now im specifically picturing an episode starting with reid picking up the phone to hotch telling him they have a case. he doesnt look Well, and when he hangs up, we get a wide shot of where he is and it becomes obvious what happened the night/weekend before. maybe it becomes apparent he doesn't even remember most of it. i think that would really fuck with him—it would fuck with anyone, but especially reid. that would be a good opportunity for ethan, too. he implied he had a problem with alcohol in 2x18 and i would have liked to see him help as someone who Got It at least a little bit.

[elgatt0]

Inside Wolves

Hoie ^3^)つ

I always liked the villain/evil AU theme, and after reading this wonderful fic by @tashilover, I decided to put into practice an idea that was hammering in my mind for a long time!

⚠️Note: the following story will tackle some topics that may not be suitable for everyone (death, blood and such) But I promise to hold back and not leave anything too absurd. I will try

(⁠◍⁠•⁠ᴗ⁠•⁠◍⁠)⁠❤

======================

Chapter I

"Rabbits that live in burrows dug by wolves do not spend on burials"

==============================

Legend pov

"It's late. The sun sets and darkness rises, we better stop here." Mr. blue scarf speaks very politely.

Everything he does is always politey, I'm sure he's like that even when he shits.

To be fair, Mr scarf is a captain in his era. He fought in wars and led troops, so barking orders and having nice hair is his second nature...

Being a bastard is the first.

Everyone knows, he knows and seems to be proud of it, I wish hylia have mercy when that vain being starts talking about women.

"We're not going to use a bonfire tonight" he still didn't get tired of talking "Terrain is unknown, as well as the monsters here. The strong flames will attract unwanted attention, an oil lantern should be enough for us." I hate to admit it, but he's competent at what he does.

"Now that you mentioned , we've been walking through the forest all day , strange that we haven't encountered any monsters...or anything alive" Someone comments. Little guy, being observant as usual. If the trees could hear I'm sure they'd be offended by that last sentence.

Ah yes, new adventure, new faces, same name. But I already solved the last problem.

"Strange don't you think? It seems as if the forest is mourning" Cloud head agrees "It doesn't match at all what the villagers told us."

"Not only words, nothing was matching in that village."

The old man, many things with him don't match either. The tattoos that go with that pale eye emanate something ancient, dangerous, maybe divine? I don't know, I feel a strange sense of unease about them. But that doesn't matter, for now.

Everyone in that village was hiding something, far beyond secrets. I felt like I could find a corpse at any moment.

"I think we were fooled, one way or another" Looks like I'm not the only one who feels this way.

All the others fell into silence as morbid as the forest, lost in their minds as they prepared for the night. I bet that just like me, everyone is processing everything that happened these last days.

Having your butt ripped out of your house through a dark portal and thrown into a totally unknown place with 8 other incarnations of your spirit to travel aimlessly and fight demons is a really wonderful experience, I don't blame them.

May Hylia pay my therapy.

It hasn't been long since we started this journey, despite knowing that we have shared the same spirit, yet we are not the same person.

It feels like we've become more strangers than allies with each passing day. Not hating each other but not fully trusting either.

I shake my head as if to throw my thoughts away and toss my bag and boots aside. Lying down, I don't bother to take off the extra layers of my clothes. I'll likely wake up sore, but I don't care.

Behind me, the sailor brat seemed uncomfortable with the silence. Not enduring these calm seas, he decided to break the awkward silence and started talking about food, which seemed to liven up the tense atmosphere a bit. But I wasn't interested in joining, eating now seemed cloying.

Using my hands as a pillow, I gaze up at the dark starless sky. It's odd, we are in the middle of nowhere far from any dazzling light from towns or villages, I should be complaining about the brightness of the stars, not the absence.

I keep facing the darkness until an apple shakes my thoughts out of my head, again. I sit up, rubbing my aching forehead and look at the one who will wake up with a mouth full of ants.

"Stop the drama and eat. I bet the poison that comes off your tongue is more potent than anything I could put in food" Forget the ants, I'll smother him with his damn fancy scarf.

"And I bet my kick can make that butt flatter than it is" I don't normally put salt on the wound...

I use oil and set it on fire.

And it burned badly, leaving the captain's face flushed a pure red. "Why, you little s-"

"Enough" The old man intervenes with a firm voice "Veteran, eat. Hunger won't do anyone any good" I think about arguing until he gives me that look which reminds me that I have more important things to do.

Mister Blue Scarf snorts, a bit awkward after being scolded. "Your little shit" He mutters as he turns his back and stomps out, not being much polite in hiding his annoyance.

I salute the captain with my middle finger as he leaves, even I can be polite sometimes. My good manners elicit a few giggles and eye rolls.

That sharp eye was still piercing through my skull, so I decided to pick up the apple and eat it, not caring if it's really poisoned or not.

It's not like I need to have worries in the matter, the captain may be a bastard, but he has strong morals. He would never kill me like that, his death language is sword against sword, I respect that.

That damn wolf is what really worries me.

Wolfie gives me a strange feeling every time I see him, something wrong. Those eerily human eyes, the way him appears from the shadows no matter what era we're in, the beast always follows us. A wolf that herds sheep.

I remember the time the crazy cook said it was okay, he knew that wolf. Apparently, Wolfie acted as a guide on his journey, a kind of divine beast. I'd say it's about time he got some glasses, 100 years in darkness takes away anyone's eyesight.

There's nothing divine about that beast. The brutal way Wolfie shatters his victims and the pleasure he seemed to take in it was so wrong, I've seen demons be more merciful.

"Wolfieeee! You're back," the Sailor exclaims happily. Perfect, just as I was thinking about demons. I wonder if whispering his name three times will make him appear too.

I watch Wolfie approached slowly, each step calculated and deliberate. His claws dragged along the ground, producing a low, grinding sound. His tail wagged in excitement, making large arcs in the air.

Why is this so familiar? Where...when...who?

I don't know if it was because of tiredness, the low light from the lantern, or even if everyone needed glasses too.

There's no way anyone didn't notice the fresh blood that adorns the wolf's fur and stains the ground.

There's no way anyone didn't notice fangs ripping off sailor's throat.

AO3//Next>>

[2treez]

“My boss drove a luxury car everyday and it was my duty to greet him and to open the gates for him, as I worked as a watchman in his villa. But he never responded back to my greetings.

One day he saw me opening the garbage bags outside the villa in search for any leftover food. But, as usual he never even looked at me, it was like as if he never saw anything!

The very next day I saw a paper bag at the same place, but it was clean and the food inside was covered well. It was fresh and good food like someone had just brought it from the supermarket. I didn't bother as to where it came from, I just took the paper bag and I was so happy about it.

Every day I found this paper bag at the same place with fresh vegetables and all that we needed for home. This became my daily routine. I was eating and sharing this food with my wife and kids. I was wondering who this fool could be?! To forget his paper bag full of fresh food everyday.

One day there was a big problem in the villa and I was told that my boss has died. There were too many guests coming to the villa that day and I didn't get any food that day, so I thought that one of the guests must have taken it. But the same thing happened the 2nd day, the 3rd day and the 4th day.

It went on like this for a few weeks and I found it difficult to provide food for my family, so I decided to ask the wife of my boss for a raise in my salary or else I would quit my job as a watchman.

After I told her, she was shocked, and asked me, how come you never complained about your salary for the last 2 years? And why is this salary not enough for you now? I gave her so many excuses but she was never convinced!

Finally in the end, I decided to tell her the truth, I told her the entire story of the bag of groceries, and as to how it was my daily provision. She then asked me as to when this stopped? I told her after the death of her husband. And then I realized that I stopped seeing the paper bag immediately after the death of my boss. Why didn't I ever think of this before? That it was my boss who was providing this for me? I guess it was because I never thought that a person who never replied to my greetings could ever be this generous!

His wife started to cry and I told her to please stop crying and that I'm really sorry that I asked for a raise, I didn't know that it was your husband who was providing me with the meals, I’ll remain as a watchman and be happy to provide my service.

His wife told me, I'm crying because I've finally found the 7th person my husband was giving this bag full of food. I knew my husband was giving 7 people everyday, I had already found the 6 people, and all these days I was searching for the 7th person. And today I found out.

From that day onwards, I started to receive the bag full of food again, but this time his son was bringing it to my house and giving it to my hand. But whenever I thanked him, he never replied! Just like his dad!

One day, I told him THANK YOU in a very loud voice! He replied back to me to please not be offended when he doesn't reply, because he has a hearing problem, just like his dad!”

Oh! We have been wrong so many times judging others without knowing the true story behind their actions. Be kind and courteous in dealing with others, for everyone is fighting a hard battle. Be careful, not everything is about you. Before you assume, there is this thing called ASKING.

Don’t just jump to conclusion, because that is truly not an exercise, it may cause you more harm at the end of the day. Many of our problems are caused by how we process what happens around us. Don’t judge a situation you have never been in. Be humble enough to learn. You do not know it all. Lets change the way we feel about ourselves and others.

There are two sides to a story. Don’t believe everything you hear.

Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about.

🌳🫶🏼🌳

===>> Johnny Gachanja <<===

God Bless y'all!!

[ratasum]

A reunion in the Skywatch Archipelago medical ward. Odetta checks in on Leyya after the fight is over.

"Her injuries are healing nicely, for the most part." Narcisse's voice was soft, mindful of the recovering wounded through the medical ward. "They couldn't save her eye, but she'll keep the arm. It may be a while before she's able to use it well again."

Odetta was wringing her hands together as she followed the sylvari. Since they'd been here, everything had seemed to go sideways, and everything with Leyya in Nayos had been the icing on the worst cake she'd ever seen. She hadn't even had the chance to see or speak with Zojja since they got back. It was worrying.

That, however, wasn't important at the moment. What was important was making certain Leyya was all right.

"Knowing Leyya, she'll figure it out. She's very determined."

That got a chuckle out of Narcisse, who moved aside once the pair arrived at Leyya's bedside. "I'll give you some time to speak with her, but she'll need rest."

Tipping her head forward slightly, Narcisse slipped away, leaving Odetta to sit down on the edge of the bed where the white haired asura lay quietly. She was quiet for a moment, not wanting to disturb her, but Leyya shifted slightly once she sat. "Mmh... Odetta?"

"Hey there." Odetta smiled softly, looking over the asura in the cot. Leyya looked exhausted, her pale hair mussed, thick bandages wrapped around her injured right arm and a thick patch covering her lost right eye. But she was alive, which was more than anyone could've hoped for. "How are you feeling?"

Leyya scrunched her nose up slightly before groaning softly, turning her head slightly to look up at her friend. "Sore. Tired. But I'm on this side of the topsoil, so I don't really think I can complain."

Odetta's nose scrunched up in response, reaching out to smooth the sheets covering Leyya's frame. "I suppose that's true. I'm still really sorry this happened. You could've- what if you'd lost your arm too? Or worse?"

"No use dwelling on the what-ifs." She reached out to grab Odetta's hand, pausing its movement. "I did something stupid. I could've hurt you guys. You, Zojja, Logan, Dagda, Lyhr... I wouldn't have forgiven yourself if Cepir and I had hurt any of you. We shouldn't have even tried a stunt like that."

Shaking her head, Odetta curled her fingers in the sheet. "You were trying to help. There was just... a lot going on."

Leyya offered a wan smile at that. "I don't think that quite justifies it, but it is what it is. What about you? I couldn't see much, or at least not make sense of it, but I heard shouting about Alistair...?"

Odetta hesitated, worrying her bottom lip with her teeth for a moment. "...Mr. Thackeray- Logan- killed him. I guess Isgarren saw that as a positive? Something about them not trusting him anyway. Though why you'd bring on someone you didn't trust..."

"Well, I know a thing or two about second chances." Leyya pressed back into the pillows further. "He just screwed up his." Silence fell between the two for several moments as Odetta worked her hand free, carefully adjusting pillows and blankets, anything to keep her hands busy, before Leyya spoke again. "...have you talked to Zojja?"

"...not since we got back. She said she had a lot on her mind and wanted to think. I don't know. Do you think she'll stay?"

"...if she does, I'll support her choice. I don't like it, but... that's not my business." Leyya wasn't looking at Odetta as she spoke, gazing instead with her remaining good eye up towards the ceiling. "We'll know eventually I guess."

Frowning, Odetta leaned back, letting out a soft sigh. "I hadn't realized how unhappy she was."

Leyya shrugged, wincing when the movement pulled at her injured arm. "I don't know that she's been unhappy. Zojja's always been like this. She'll be so sure she has a problem handled but then it gets out of hand. She doesn't know what to do, so... she reacts. Been like that since we were kids."

Odetta lowered her head briefly, but after a moment, she smiled, tucking the sheets gently around Leyya's shoulders. Maybe it didn't reach her eyes, but she was trying. "Well, whatever happens, we'll deal with it together. We'll be okay. But for now, Narcisse said you need a lot of rest to get better. And getting better needs to be your absolute first priority."

"If you say so." Leyya did close her eyes, though, resting her head back. "We'll be okay."

"I know." Odetta went to stand up. "...I know we will be."

[lemmilemura]

Or, alternatively, you and Janae bonding over your crushes liking eachother. Sadge. Also very fun Maeve, Janae, Simon and You group dynamics. I'm having a lot of fun with this one. I hope you enjoy :D

All kept gender-neutral Based on the show

This party sucks. I only came along because Janae, Simon and Maeve needed a ride. We haven't even been here for more than half an hour and we've already lost Maeve and Simon. Janae just left to go look for them, I'm staying in the kitchen in case they come back. The party's host, Jake, comes in a minute or so after Janae left. "You're not going to drink anything?" He holds up a bottle of some sort of alcohol to me. "No thanks. Driver" I take a sip from the glass of water that I've barely touched all this time. "Oh. So you brought Simon." He takes a swig of his drink. I just roll my eyes at him. Luckily he's gone before I can really snap-back.

I decide to text Janae to see if she's made any progress. You find them yet? But she doesn't answer. I'm not really worried though, she's probably more focused on finding them. Which makes sense. So many people here have absolutely bombarded their social media with images, videos, and what not. Some people even complaining about Simon being here. Can't really blame them, can I?

"Can we leave?" I hear from behind me and nearly throw my phone across the room. "Jesus fucking Christ, Janae! Gave me a heart attack." I turn to her and try to catch my breath. "Sorry. Can we leave?" She asks again. "Yeah, of course. Did you find Simon and Maeve?" She just looks off to the side. "Just wanna leave" "Of course, no problem. I'll just text Simon we'll be in the car."

My car isn't parked far, but the walk is still kind of awkward since neither of us says anything. I get into the drivers seat, Janae into the passengers. I connect my phone to the aux and play some music. "So... wanna tell me what made you want to leave? I know the party sucked, but still." Janae is just sitting there, looking into the distance.

"So..." she starts. "You know I like Maeve, right?" I nod. "Yep. You two would look really cute together, if I may. Did something happen between you two?" I know Janaes had a crush on Maeve for ages, but she hasn't really done anything yet. Simon keeps trying to push her, but that'll never end well. "Well, I did find her. And Simon." "Where were they?" She's quiet again.

"Making out in one of the bedrooms." Now it's my turn to be quiet. "I just... didn't want to be there anymore." I turn my head to Jake's house. Janae turns to me after a minute of us sitting in silence. "Holy shit, you like Simon, don't you?" She asks. "And you only figured that out now." I reply, pulling my feet up on my seat and resting my head on my knees.

"Seems we both had our heats broken, huh?" She lightly pushes my shoulder. "Yeah..." Again, we sit in silence, both just processing things. Guess today is a shitty day for both of us. My phone then vibrates in my pocket. oow from Simon. "They'll be here soon." "Wish they wouldn't." Janae says as we both buckle our seatbelts and I start the car.

I can see them on their way, but they're taking their sweet time. So, I start honking. A lot. I open my window and start yelling like an angry mother. "You get in this car right this instant or I'm coming to get you myself!" Janae is dying of laughter beside me. I keep honking, and after rolling their eyes at me, they eventually hurry up.

Simon instinctively goes to the passenger door and opens it, almost not noticing Janae. "Not this time, fuckface." She proudly says with a shit-eating grin on her face. Simon stands there for a moment, offended to hell and back that he wasn't, like always, sitting passenger. "I don't fit back there, so get out." He retaliates. Janae scoffs. "You dick isn't that big, now go sit down or we're leaving without you."

He basically slams the door and reluctantly goes into the back. Maeve is just snickering from back where she's sitting behind me. He's pouting like a kid when I turn around to back out of my parking space. "Where do you wanna go now?" Maeve shrugs. "I don't really care, honestly." "And you, Simon?" I ask, but he just pouts and refuses to talk. "You're such a drama queen." I joke.

So I just drive for a bit. The entire time, nobody is saying anything. But it's not an awkward silence this time. In no time, we're at the beach. "The fuck are we at the beach for? We just came from a pool party." Simon, once again, complains. I park the car and we start to get out.

"Me and Janae planned on coming here anyways. If you don't want to be here, you can go home." I open my trunk and get out mine and Janae's stuff. "I don't have anything with me though!" He gets out of the car. "We were literally at a POOL party, Simon." "You know damn well I never planned on actually swimming." He crosses his hands infront of him.

"Sucks to suck." I smile back at him and me, Maeve and Janae go to get changed. "Even Maeve knew about this? Did you not tell me to make me look like an idiot?" "We went to a pool party, Simon, and unlike you I was actually planning on swimming atleast a little."

It only takes us a few minutes to get changed and ready. When we get back to the car, Simon is sitting on the hood, on his phone. I throw my towel at him, completely catching him off-guard. He yelps, pulls it off and looks at us.

"Since you're not joining us, could you be a sweetheart and set up our towels? We'd really appreciate it." Simon puts his phone in his pocket, stands up and walks over to me. "Now why would I do that?" "You got something better to do?" I ask back. "I do, actually." "Like what?" "It's actually none of your business, last time I checked." He smirks at me.

"Fine. We'll be in the water if you need us." Me and Janae walk away first, Maeve takes a few seconds before she follows us. For the next like 10 minutes we don't pay much attention to Simon. We just splash around, swimming, mess with eachother. Then, I get probably my best idea of the day.

I grab a bucket I brought. Yes, I brought a bucket to make sand castles, eventhough I'm in High School. Live with it. I fill it up with water and motion for Janae and Maeve to be quiet. I can see it in their faces that they know exactly what's about to happen. Luckily, we're sort of at an angle to Simon, so he doesn't notice me get closer. I do my best to step very slowly and quietly.

I get behind him. I raise the bucket. I turn it over. I do pay attention though to not get any on his phone, though I'm pretty sure it's probably waterproof. All of the water falls onto Simon. Janae and Maeve lose their minds and start laughing. They can see his face, I can only imagine his expression. He tries to shake some of the water off by flapping his arms. "What the fuck!" He curses and turns to look at me.

His eyes scream bloody murder. "I'm going to fucking kill you." He threatens. "Gotta catch me first." And right as I say that, we both start running. I, however, have an advantage. Eventhough I'm barely faster than Simon, I immediately jump into the water. Simon, stupidly, also jumps in, completely forgetting his previous statement about his clothes.

It takes him a moment to realize that now he's even more drenched. He goes quiet, just kind of staring up into the sky. "What was that about not having any stuff with you?" I ask. "I still don't." He complains and runs a hand through his hair. "Well, you got your underwear though. Unless you're commando right now." I say back.

He looks at me with anger on his face, then turns around and walks out of the water. "Oh come on, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to upset you! You just seemed bored and..." then I notice he's getting undressed. Janae immediately turns to me. "Not a word, Matthews" I whisper to her, she raises her hands up.

Since I'm looking at Janae, I don't notice Simon running at me again, tackling me into the water. "Fuck!" I yell out as we both go underwater. "Holy shit" Janae starts laughing. As we come back up, we're both gasping for air. "Fucking warn me next time!" I complain. "You didn't warn me either!" He complains, but then also starts laughing. It's then that I'm suddenly lifted out of the water and onto Janae's shoulders. "Fight us, then!" She yells at him. "Oh you two are on!" Maeve throws back.

So, Simon picks her up and we start 'fighting'. Everything is extremely wobbly and very un-serious. We're pushing at eachother, trying to topple eachother over. Simon tries to kick at Janae, but just ends up losing his balance, causing them both to fall over. "Ha ha!" Me and Janae tryumph.

"Real smart move, Simon." Janae rolls her eyes at him. Because of the adrenaline, I only now realize that I am absolutely freezing. "Okay, you can let me down now Janae." I shiver a little. She kneels down so I can climb off, but SImon just kind of yanks me down instead. "Oh come on! It was one bucket!" I complain. "This is actually payback for, what, a year's worth of torment?" He thinks for a second, but then holds a hand out for to to help me back up.

"I think we should go. It's getting cold." Maeve says. We all agree and start walking back to my car. "Shit." We hear from Simon. "My fucking clooothes" He whines, picking up his absolutely drenched clothes. "Guess you'll have to drive home like that. You can have a towel though to dry off, first. Else you'll get sick."

It was so that Simon ended up wrapped burroto style in the passenger seat of my car, heating on full blast, mine and Janae's jackets on him too. "You really are just a toddler today, huh?" I joke. "oh shut up." He rolls his eyes, but I can see him smile out of the corner of my eye. I drop him and maeve off first, since they live across the street from eachother.

Me and Janae drive back to my place, she's staying the night anyway. The drive from their street to mine is about a ten minute one, so I put on a playlist me and Janae always listen to when it's just us two. We made it together, and called it Love Sucks. It's got all of those classic songs about unrequited love, being in love, all that stuff. "Ya know, if we're not married by 30, we should just marry eachother." I say and look over at her. Janae laughs. "That's stupid." She rolls her eyes.

"Well..." I take a pause. "With the way things are going, it seems more than likely it'll end up that way." I hate that I'm saying that and that it's actually true. "Yeah..." We fall silent.

"Love fucking sucks."

"That it does"

oh my god I love how this turned out, I did not intend for it to be so long I'm sorry about that xD 1933 total words =0.o And I got done just in time because I gotta go to bed now xD I hope you enjoyed it, and feel free to send any suggestions my way for more OOUIL and Simon, Janae and Maeve content!

[fumblingmusings]

Will we be seeing Leon anytime soon? I always felt like if any of Evelyn's kids would truly be her own it would have been Leon but the opium would have made her an erratic parent (well she is anyway but even more so now this kids her own plus its with a man -yao - she doesn't even love)

He will not, unfortunately! And I dont think Leon is hers in any meaningful way, aside from a colony that was won in a very cruel manner.

The main trio of the fic really are England, Canada, and America, with Australia, Scotland, Wales, Germany, and Japan being secondary, then ones like New Zealand, France, Prussia etc being tertiary. It's already so squished...

He gets mentioned twice, though, once back in 1851 and in the 1942 chapter, which I may have already written completely out of order.

I don't know if it's all that clear in the fic, but I reference that Alfred is the only one she took home in person herself. She found him, she stayed with him, she took him back to England too early and was in general in complete control of his wellbeing until the Revolution. Matthew was introduced to her by Francis, and she did genuinely fight to have him, albeit the permanent handover was done with Alasdair as the middle man.

After the Revolution, her ability to move around and go places becomes extremely restricted, both in terms of being in no state to travel or that the second wave of Empire is a different monster to the first, and her position within it is a bit different. She gets away for a few weeks here and there to Canada and Europe, but aside from the War of 1812, she's kind of stuck in England for the next century. Oz and Zee were literally handed to her, and neither was she desperate to have them like she was her older boys until they literally got dumped in her arms. Then she fell in love, because they were completely dependent on her.

There's a deliberate hierarchy involved with the settler colonies versus the others. In the early chapters, she does have some sort of relationship with the Caribbean, but that is strangled and left in the lurch, and anytime someone it crosses her mind she becomes a guilty mess, so she stops thinking about them after the 18th century. You may have noticed she has, not once, shown concern or interest in India. She tried with what would become South Africa but got such a firm 'no' she left it alone... Evelyn is very much a 'if I don't acknowledge the problem, it does not exist' kind of person. She knows full well the problem exists.

If Oz and Zee had not been given to her, if they had remained and spent their entire lives in their own nations, she would not have cared beyond a passing thought here and there. Her head genuinely only has space for the people right in front of her there and then. Repeatedly, it's mentioned that she won't see a kid hurt in front of her. Behind her... oh well. She really isn't the most empathetic or thoughtful person. Evelyn complains that to be ignored by Francis is the most painful thing in the world, blissfully unaware that she is capable of the exact same thing.

It's the same thing with Leon. She saw a little of him when he was a young boy immediately after the war, ensured his household was more than sufficient for his care and education, then did not seek him out again until she passed through in the 1890s on her way to Japan.

Essentially, she feels guilt over how Hong Kong came to be British, so much guilt that looking at Leon makes her uncomfortable, so she decides not to get involved to save herself from dealing with a difficult moral quandary. She knows it's wrong, but only enough to put a blindfold over herself, rather than actually confront what happened. By the time she gets over it and gets her head out of her arse, he doesn't need nor want a mother figure. Which is a shameful situation, but nowadays, she does sneak behind Yao's back.

Imperialism is bad, essentially. It poisons her brain and rots any healthy relationship she tries to build. She can't have a functioning relationship with any of them until that factor has been stripped clean. The fact that, in that time when they first won Leon and he was briefly brought to the UK for parading around, that Evelyn did sit up with him all night, holding his hand as he cried and missed Yao... there's a good person in there. It's buried until 3000 levels of bullshit, but there is a good person in there.

Sometimes.

[votestaynight]

1st Day - "One day"/2nd Day - "One day II" (Scene 1)

I haven't thanked Sakura for dinner yet, so I'll go and talk to her.

"Yeah, it's getting late, so I should walk her home too."

Sakura is in the living room getting ready to go home, having finished the cleaning.

"Huh? Weren't you taking a bath, Senpai?" "No, I'll take it later. I'll take you home first." "Eh… take me home?"

"Yeah. It's getting dangerous outside lately, so I'm going to walk you home. Your house is far away. So let me at least do this much since you're coming so far." "……" Sakura falls into an awkward silence. …Did I say something bad?

"…I'm sorry. I appreciate your concern, but you should stay here. I'm used to going home, so I should be fine by myself."

"Well, that may be true, but it's getting dangerous these days. So, I'll walk you home for a bit." "…But, um… if Nii-san sees you, you'll be in trouble too."

"Hm." That's right. Sakura's brother, Shinji, doesn't approve of Sakura coming to my place.

He can't object too strongly because she says she's going to Fuji-Nee's house, but it could be a problem if I take her home. It's a problem, but so what. I don't care what Shinji says. It's a much bigger problem if Sakura has to walk home alone at dangerous times like these.

"I don't care what trouble I get into. It's dangerous these days, so I'm walking you home." "Um, I'd feel bad letting you do that…" "It's fine. You're always helping me out, so let me at least walk you home. Or do you want to go home on your own?"

"Eh? No, it's not that, but…" "Then it'll be fine. I'm confident in my skills. I should be able to fight off most assailants, so you should make use of me at times like this. I'll protect you, whatever happens." I nudge Sakura towards the hallway with a glance.

"Senpai…? Is it really okay? You might get into a fight with Nii-san again." "I don't care. It's only right for guys to fight, and it's best when we talk honestly like that. He doesn't like to hide things, so it's best if he just comes out with any complaints he has." Sakura looks surprised for some reason.

"What? Did I say something strange?" "No, you didn't. I'm just glad you're such good friends with Nii-san." "Hm? No, I don't think that's right. I'm probably the only one who feels better from it, and it might be the opposite for Shinji."

"Perhaps. But you know, Nii-san always talks to you no matter many times you two fight. He probably finds it hard to deal with you, but he likes you more than other people, so he's always concerned about you. He's not honest, so he likes people he doesn't like."

"…Uh. I can't really reply to that." "Yes. I envy you, so I thought I'd trouble you a bit." Sakura smiles.

"Uh…." Seeing that smile, I hold my breath without realizing it. Would you call that a big smile? I think it's the first time I've seen her smile like that.

"A-Anyway, I'm taking you home. I don't care if Shinji sees me. I walked his sister home, so he shouldn't be complaining."

"You're right. It might be better to do it that way rather than to hide it. Then could you, Senpai?" "Of course. I'll act like your Senpai for once." I smack my chest. Sakura smiles warmly at my gesture of "trust me".

We go down the hill and reach the intersection. There's no one around, and the familiar residential district feels desolate.

"――――――――" It's not even ten o'clock yet, but the town is asleep. …The silence is strange. Even though there have been nasty incidents, should night really steal this much life?

"Senpai…? Uh, my house is this way." "Huh? Oh, sorry, I was just thinking. Your house is the very top one on that side, right?" "No, the top one is Tohsaka-Senpai's house. My house is up there too, but not at the top."

"Oh, was that it? …Wait, by Tohsaka, you mean…?" "Yes, Tohsaka Rin of the second year. Do you not like her, Senpai?" She must have read my reaction, as her comment is accurate. Ugh… was I making that kind of a face?

"No, I don't dislike her. I've never talked to her, so I don't know much about her. But she's famous, right? She stands out wherever she goes, so I know her just like everyone else." "……"

"What about you, Sakura? You have the same Western-style mansion, so do you guys have a neighborly relationship?" "No. We're certainly neighbors, but her house is up on top of the hill. But how did you know her house was Western-style, Senpai?" Sakura asks quietly.

"Oh, it's just something I heard. Something about Tohsaka's place being a haunted house and all that. A haunted house has to be a Western-style house, right?"

"That's true. It seems Tohsaka-san and the house itself like to be alone. When I was a child, I was told that a scary sorcerer lived up on the hill."

"A scary sorcerer, huh? I heard rumors like that too. Though, saying that, all Western-style houses seem to have sorcerers living in them.[vr] So, did you believe the story, Sakura?"

"I did, because I was small. That's why I always thought I shouldn't go up to the top of the hill." Sakura answers my joking question seriously.

We go up the hill. It's a residential district rather opposite to mine, but the habits are the same.

There are fewer and fewer buildings and more trees as you ascend the hill. It's only natural, as most of the town's facilities are at the bottom of the hill. In all that, one of the few buildings near the top of the hill is Sakura's house.

"Oh…" Sakura stops suddenly. "Hm? Did you forget something?" "Oh… no, it's not that, but… Senpai, is there someone standing near my house?" She looks around uneasily.

"Hm?" I look around too, but there's no one here except us.

"There no one… did you see something?" "Oh… no, if you didn't see anyone, then it's fine. I've been noticing a strange person around my house recently, so I just wondered if he'd be here again today."

"―――What? Isn't that a bit dangerous?[l] What kind of guy was he?" "Um… he was a blond, good-looking person. He looked like a model, so I'm sure you'd be surprised too if you saw him." Sakura says so with a blush, as if recalling him.

"……" …Sakura. I don't know if that's something I should be worried about.

"Oh, so it's not like he's suspicious?" "…I don't know. It's just that no one has moved here recently, so I thought it was strange."

"…Hm. Well, it is a bit strange. All right, if you see him around again, tell me or Shinji. We'll get him and make him tell us what he's up to."

"Yes, I'll be counting on you. But please don't do anything rough. I don't want you to get into a fight." Sakura says so while smiling straight at me.

"…Uh. I-It's all right. I'll ask questions first, so you shouldn't worry about it." I look away from Sakura's smile as I answer.

"……" …Geez. Sakura's gestures captivate me often these days. It would have been nothing a while ago, so I feel like I'm acting weird.

Maybe it's because Sakura has grown, or maybe just because I finally noticed it. …Well, I do think Sakura has become really beautiful. That on it's own is great, but I don't think it's cool for a Senpai to have to be careful where he's looking.

"Good night then, Senpai. I'm glad you walked me home." "I-Idiot. Don't thank me. You're the one making me dinner, so I should be the one thanking you." Sakura just smiles with satisfaction.

"…Geez. If this is all it takes, I'll make a habit of it from tomorrow." "Please do. It's fine if you only do it once in a while when you feel like it, but please do walk home with me. Nii-san will get mad, but I like being with you."

"Senpai, see you tomorrow! Thank you for today!" Sakura calls back enthusiastically and disappears into her house.

"―――Well." I should head home too. I left Fuji-Nee at the house, and to be honest, that's what worries me. "…Huh?" Did I just hear something?

…I can hear it. The sound of a creaking swing. It takes me a while to realize it's the sound of some bug.

"…I wonder what kind of bug it is? It's well out of season, certainly." I imagine a longhorn beetle in the dark, under the cold winter sky.

―――Then, I notice. "…Huh? There are three rooms with lights on." The one that just lit up is Sakura's room. …The light on the first floor is Shinji's room, so what's the light from the third room?

"…? Only Shinji and Sakura should be living in that place…" Maybe it's a guest, or Shinji's in that room. Anyway, I've been here many times, but this is the first time I've seen the light on in that room.

"……" Well, it's a big house. It's not strange for a light to be on somewhere in such a house. It's not strange, but…. "…What's this? I still feel uneasy." I feel something, like a presence or a bad feeling.

In the cold air, the unseasonal sound echoes. If there's such a thing as a hunch… The bug hidden in the bushes feels very ominous.

And so, the day ends. Just before midnight, Emiya Shirou must carry out his daily routine of using "magic".

"――――――――" I stretch out and adjust my breathing. I try to empty my mind. I ignore everything around me and pay attention only to what is inside me.

"――――Trace, on." As if to hypnotize myself, I murmur the spell I'm long accustomed to. No, I really am hypnotizing myself. As I have no Magic Crest and no knowledge of magic, a spell is only a change to myself.

…Normally, there are no lines in a human body to allow the passage of magical energy. To artificially change my body to create such a line, I need enough concentration to unify my whole body and every nerve within it.

Magic is a battle with yourself. For instance, at this very moment, I am inserting a burning steel rod into my backbone. This metal rod is the only "Magic Circuit" I can prepare for myself. When I insert it this deep into my body and connect it to the other nerves, I can finally become a magus.

This is not a metaphor. In reality, something like a burning tong which cannot be seen or felt is being inserted into my backbone.

――――I am a sorcerer. Emiya Kiritsugu, the man who said so, was really a magus. A living magus who performed many marvels and had touched the very structure of the world. As a young child, I admired him and asked him to teach me magic.

But you cannot become a magus just through effort. It requires born talent and appropriate knowledge. And of course, I have no talent, and Kiritsugu taught me nothing of magic. He said something about me having no need of such knowledge.

I still don't know what he meant by that. But still, it didn't matter to me back then. I thought that if I could use magic, I could be like him.

But I was not born with talent: no strength of Magic Circuit, no accumulated works of magic handed down for generations.

The work of magic Kiritsugu possessed, the Magic Crest passed down the Emiya family, can only be passed on to a blood relation. A Magic Crest forces a rejection on those with no blood relation. So, as an adopted son, I could not receive the Emiya family's Magic Crest.

Well, anyways. As I don't even know what a Magic Crest is, it doesn't matter if I have one or not.

So now, all it comes down to is training what I can do. If I want to be a magus, I have to learn magic fit to my nature.

To be blunt, magic is a way to release one's magical energy. You could say that magical energy is my life force. It is divided into two forms: a large source, "mana", floating around the world, and a small source, "odo", created inside oneself.

It goes without saying that the large source is superior to the small one. The power of "mana" is on a completely different level from "odo". Whatever the form of the magic, a spell using the large source far exceeds one using only one's own power.

That is why superior magi excel at drawing magical energy from the world. It's like a filter. A magus turns his body into a filter, sucks up the mana from the world around him, and changes it into something he can use. This filter is what we call a Magic Circuit.

This is the talent one is born with, and the number of the Magic Circuits within you is determined the moment you are born. A normal human being does not have many Magic Circuits. To begin with, there are always very few. That is why magi pile them up generation after generation, making their children more suitable to use magic. I hear some families go too far and increase the number of Magic Circuits by selective breeding.

…Well, since I was raised in a normal family, I don't have many Magic Circuits.

So that leaves only one method open to me. According to Kiritsugu, every person has at least one form of magic they are fit for. He said something about drawing out magical energy appropriate to their "origin", but I didn't really understand. All I know for sure is that even I have some magic I can use, and if I train that magic, I may be able to become like Kiritsugu.

That is why I learned only that magic. That was eight years ago. After a lot of thought, Kiritsugu finally accepted me as his student.

―――Listen, Shirou. To learn magic is to stray away from common sense. You die when you die, and you kill when you must. Our essence is not in life but in death. Magic is only a way to destroy yourself―――

I guess I had no fear as a child. Kiritsugu smiled bitterly, putting his hand on the nodding Emiya Shirou.

――What I will teach you will bring you conflicts. That is why you must not use it in front of people, and you must not cease your practice even though it is difficult to learn. Well, I don't really care if you break that one. The most important thing is that magic is something you use not for yourself, but for others. If you do that, you may become a magic user, but you will not become a magus――

…I guess Kiritsugu didn't want me to become a magus. I don't care about that. I don't admire a magus. I admire Kiritsugu. If I can become like Kiritsugu and be there for someone like on that red day, that will be――――

"―――――!" I'm thinking needlessly. I feel the iron rod in my backbone slide into place.

"Uh, gah…!" If I lose control of my breathing now, it would be a fatal mistake. The artificial Magic Circuit will eat away my body and destroy it. If that happens, I'll die. I would be only an amateur, failing such an elementary step… "――――――――" I grind my teeth and resume the connection. After a battle like walking on needles, the iron rod finally arrives deep within me and fuses with my body. …This process took me about an hour. After that much time, I'm finally able to make one artificial circuit… one circuit that produces magical energy.

"―――Basic structure, analyze." After that, it becomes a process of naturally flowing magical energy. Emiya Shirou is no magus. He is only a magic user, who can create magical energy within his body and channel it into objects.

So there's only one magic possible. Which is…

"―――Composition, analyze." Strengthening objects. It is a magic of "strengthening" that reinforces the object's abilities by understanding the object's structure and channeling magical energy into it.

"―――Basic structure, alter." Before me is a metal pipe. I will channel magical energy into it, perform the simplest magic, and reinforce its durability.

Basically, channeling your magical energy into something other than yourself is like pouring poison into that object. It is just as the blood of Emiya Shirou is not the blood of the metal pipe. Pumping different blood only accelerates its breakdown, it certainly wouldn't strengthen it. To prevent that and to turn the poison into a tonic, one must completely understand the structure of the target and channel the magical energy into small open spaces.

"…Composition, reinforce." …It must be easy for a skilled magus, but for me, who cannot even create sufficient magical energy, it's as hard as hitting a target hundreds of meters away. The usual target in archery is 27 meters away. How much harder it is at many times that distance, goes without saying――――

"Guh…!" The heat in my body quickly escapes. The burning pillar in my backbone disappears, and the lungs stretched to the limit demand air.

"Haa… haa, haa, haaaaa….!" I arc my back to hold off the daze almost making me pass out.

"Ah… dammit, I failed again…" There's no change in the metal pipe. It seems that the magical energy I poured into it has evaporated into the air.

"…It's hard to improve something that already has form." The thing I'm attempting is like adding something to an already complete work of art.

Adding to a complete object risks making it less perfect. Adding unnecessary things will actually decrease the value. That is why the magic of "strengthening" is simple yet difficult, and only a few magi use it willingly.

…It's not like I use it willingly either, but it can't be helped as this is the only thing I'm good at. It would be much easier if I could just form something out of clay and use it instead, but a substitute in appearance doesn't have the internal structure to match.

The junk around here is a good example. When I fail with strengthening magic, I make some substitute objects to practice and to calm down, but they all end up with nothing inside. I can visualize something's structure easily, so I can make the outside look like the original. But it's empty inside, and of course, it doesn't do anything.

"――――――――" I wipe the sweat off my brow. Now that I think about it, I realize my whole body is sweating like I've been drenched with a bucket of water. …But I'm lucky it just ended like this. That was really bad. If I'd taken a second longer to recover myself, I would probably have destroyed most of my body.

"…If I improved every time I came closer to death, there might be some hope…" It's not even that easy. But it is true that you won't improve your magic if you're scared of death.

As long as you study magic, death is always right beside you. Even a simple magic repeated every day can go off with a simple mistake, taking the caster's life.

The first step of a magus is to accept death. ―――Kiritsugu said so sadly. Maybe he meant that he didn't want me to take such a step.

"…Saving someone means not saving someone else. A superhero is really selfish, huh…?" Kiritsugu said that to me when I told him I wanted to be just like him. I still don't know what he meant. But Emiya Shirou has to become a superhero who goes around saving people, just like Emiya Kiritsugu.

"…But I still can't even do basic things like this. Why do I get distracted by needless things at the most important times? I'm so stupid." It's not enough to understand the structure of an object with mere vision. A skilled magus only detects what's important and channels magical energy without waste.

'―――My dream is to become a superhero.'

I remember what Fuji-Nee said during dinner. I don't think it's embarrassing nor impossible. It's already determined. Emiya Shirou will succeed Emiya Kiritsugu.

That's why even though I'm inexperienced, I've done everything I can. I don't know what kind of a person a superhero should be. So I can only approach it by helping others within the limits of my abilities.

I have aimed straight for that goal for the past five years, but when things just go wrong like this, I do have doubts. "…Geez, I don't get it, Father. How can I become a superhero?"

I look up at the sky through the window. It's not like I can just randomly do good deeds. I think being a superhero is different from just helping others. I know that, but the question is, how can I become one? The difference between the two is the thing I've failed to understand for the past five years.

…My awakening is dark. Perhaps I just don't dream much, but unless something really special happens, I always seem to have the same dream.

…What I imagine are swords. I don't know why it is, but this is the only thing that comes into my mind. There's no meaning or reason to it. It may just be one of the aspects making up Emiya Shirou.

There are no dreams to dream. The only things I recall from sleep are things I was taught a long time ago. For example, about magi. Even if I'm an amateur, if I'm a magus, it's only natural for me to understand the kind of world I live in.

―――To put it simply, a magus is an exception in conflict with modern society. But even exceptions must band together to survive. Father told me that the group of magi is called the "Magic Association". …He also said that I shouldn't associate with them.

The group called the Magic Association hides magic and organizes magi. They basically keep watch to see that magi do not affect society with magic, but the strange part is that they do not prohibit misuse of magic.

According to Kiritsugu, the Magic Association is only interested in the concealment of magic. Even if a magus carries out his research at the expense of the lives of many ordinary people, the Magic Association will not punish him. Their priority is that magic should not become public, so they do not ban magic. So, they're crazy people who think you can do anything as long as you don't get caught.

Anyway, the surveillance of the Magic Association is thorough. Most magical research would cost the lives of ordinary people, and as a result, the existence of magic would become public. So, the Association does not allow research that would harm society.

So magi stay at home and research quietly, while the normal world carries on unmolested. Hence, magi only try to hide themselves to escape the Association. …So perhaps I just don't know it, and a magus lives in this town.

I hear Fuyuki City is a spiritually excellent area. Such an area always has a distinguished magus with a history. They are called the "Second Owner", an elite, and the Association entrusts the area to them. Magi who would live in the area must visit them and obtain their permission to construct a workshop.

…Looking at it like that, we're thieves living here without the permission of the landlord. Father was an outlaw who cut his ties with the Association and moved here without the consent of the administrator of Fuyuki.

The Owner doesn't know that Emiya Kiritsugu was a magus, and Kiritsugu didn't know who the Owner was. With reasoning like that, I think our position is ambiguous.

Father, the real magus, has passed away. And I, his son and pupil, don't know the Magic Association and have not the skill to be a magus. …From the Association's point of view, they would want to catch an amateur like me doing things, but I've seen no movement yet. No, I've heard that Japan is relatively hidden from the eyes of the Association, so I think I've just not been found out.

―――But that doesn't mean I can let my guard down. People say that the eyes of the Association are everywhere. On top of that, if you commit a crime with magic, the heretic hunters of the church will come after you. …That just means that whatever you use magic for, lack of care will create enemies. I, Emiya Shirou, just have to study independently, taking that into account――――

"…Hm." I wake up to see the sun shining in through the window. The sun may have just risen as it's still a bit dark outside. "…Hm. I'm really not good in the mornings." I get up, trying not to be defeated by the morning chill, and quickly fold up my futon.

It's five thirty. One of my strengths is waking up at this time, no matter how late I go to sleep. I do sometimes make mistakes and wake up late like yesterday, but I usually wake up early. I think alarm clocks are degenerate, so I haven't used one since I was a kid.

"Alright, breakfast…" Since I let Sakura do all the work yesterday, I have to return the favor this morning. I should finish preparing before Sakura arrives.

I cook rice and make some miso soup. It was radish and carrot yesterday, so I make onion and potato miso soup today. I also make the usual broth egg and broth boil, and I'm done. I cut and salt the saury, and stop just before cooking it.

"All right, that should do." It's almost six o'clock. I finished earlier than expected, so I have some extra time. So, what should I do?

[beesflowers]

𝒦𝒶𝓀𝑜 𝓌𝒾𝓉𝒽 𝓋𝒶𝓇𝒾𝑜𝓊𝓈 𝓁𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓇𝓈

Characters: Kako Boisclair x Akito Shinonome, Tsukasa Tenma, Toya Aoyagi, Rui Kamishiro

Type: headcanons, fluff

Note: I'm only doing male characters since Kako is gay. Also Kako is not canonically shipped (by me) with anyone so take your pick! Also I don't hate any character here, I just happened to give them nicknames that were my first thought

Akito Shinonome

So since Kako is always tired, Akito would probably be the one to always complain about it and make him take care of himelf... or at least he can try... Boisclair is actually pretty stubborn if it's about falling asleep so he usually fails. But when he does, our ginger let's his soft side out and yellow eyed boy may even catch him do so sometimes but he stays quiet as he's both too tired to speak and doesn't want him to stop.

"Kako... don't tell me you're falling asleep AGAIN... at least get on couch or somewhere more comfortable than floor!"

"But... floor is comfortable..."

"Eh... hold on tight. I'll carry you there... but next time I'm just gonna leave you be. So be aware!"

"Don't worry, it won't happen again..."

It does happen again. And tsundere never really left him! Instead he always carried him somewhere comfortable. Maybe french boy is doing it all on purpose, just to get carried?

Tsukasa Tenma

Kako isn't the quiet type but he's not really talkative either... that's why Tsukasa would make a great partner for him! Plus, our future star is also pretty caring by nature, especially to the ones he love! So if both boys happen to be together, it's almost sure that mr. future star will take care of this lazy french boy. Be it by putting blanket over him, making sure he always falls asleep somewhere comfortable or even lending him a shoulder if they're in public!

"Hey Kasa... I wanna take a nap..."

"Of course! Are lessons this tiring?"

"Kinda... my next lesson is math..."

"Oh... I see... well I'm sure you'll do good! You're not bad at it after all!"

"Thanks. I'd prefer to take a safety nap before it tho... do you want to take a nap too?"

"Not really... and someone needs to watch over you!"

Toya Aoyagi

Kako is really good at making coffee since he works at cafe so I'm just sure Toya often gets to taste the coffee he makes. This french boy might be lazy but when it comes to making the ones he love smile or making coffee, he's ready to get up for these few minutes! Plus there's nothing better than enjoying coffee with your partner~

"Kako? You're up from the very morning? Did something happened? Did you had a nigthmare?"

"Do you think a nightmare would stop me from sleeping? But no, I just happen to wake up early and decided to make us coffee!"

"Oh, thank you then. I'm happy to taste your coffee first thing in the morning~"

"No problem! And tell me if I got it right this time!"

"Yes... yes you did. Like always tho. Thank you Kako, your abilities are truly amazing."

Rui Kamishiro

Okey so sine Kako can be often almost all the time, he probably has a lot of problems with just walking straight... so when he's walking anywhere with Rui, he always has his arm wrapped around his shoulder or holding him by hand to catch him in case he falls.

But of course we cannot miss that constant teasing for our french boy from living ":3", mostly about his height... like there's around 24cm/9inches difference between them so of course he can't miss any ocassion!

"Oh? Did you not get enough sleep again?"

"I thought I did... I slept for 10 hours but it seems I might need a little nap today as well..."

"Don't worry! You can fall on me! I'm sure no one would even notice~"

"... Why? I'm the type to talk through sleep after all..."

"Oh no, I meant see, not hear! You're so short I bet no one would notice you there, cutie~!"

"I'm not that short...!"