#also i should say we still have 3 episodes left they could elaborate on this in a way i like but i dunnooooo....

[dykeyleth]

so you can answer privately if you'd like: what do you mean by the "c3-ification" of Pike and Sarenrae? cause im not sure i like it either

to me it's tlovm's retconning of pike and sarenrae's relationship with the added context of campaign 3. in theory, it makes sense that with what we've learned about predathos and the discussions around the gods, they would add a little bit of that worldbuilding to campaign 1. and that's great and fine i love that! but i don't think that should equal pike throwing away her holy symbol because it was weighing her down and that's just what she needed to kill thordak.. like it's nice to see "the power was inside you all along" but it goes a step further into "actually pike doesn't need sarenrae at all." and wouldn't you know it! that's exactly the message abt mortals/gods ludinus is trying to send in c3. it's a completely unnecessary change (sacrifice) that only serves an animated series we're still 5+ years out from and comes at the cost of pike's meticulous work in bringing her following back from the brink of extinction following the calamity. and well i don't really like it

[ponytailzuko]

writing down my overall thoughts on the live action

first of all, i walked into my step dad watching it of his own free will - and then me and my entire family sat down to watch it. both my step dad and mom had never seen the cartoon in their life, so this was a first time viewing for them. they enjoyed it. my mom even asked where season 2 was. so i think the live action served its main purpose - get new people who haven't watched or wouldn't have watched the cartoon into the franchise. they did it! yippee.

anyways, my own thoughts have an inherent bias due to having seen and loved the cartoon. i believe my parents when they say that from their perspective, it holds up on its own. obviously, i don't think it was ever going to be better than the cartoon, but wanted to write my opinions what i liked, changes i enjoyed and changes i didn't, etc.

putting it under a read more because this sucker is long:

i don't know anything about film making - set design, props, fashion, cgi, etc. nothing particularly stood out to me in a way that ruined the show, and i only really pay attention to it when it serves the story. so i'm just not going to comment on it for the most part. most of this is about writing choices i liked or disliked. anyways here we go.

the good:

aang was a highlight for me. i know some people have problems with moving his backstory to the very beginning of the story, but i liked it. it immediately made me get in aang's shoes and feel his connection with his people, his home, and gyatso - and made it very easy to connect with his grief when he woke up from the iceberg. live action really emphasizes the last airbender part of the title throughout, and how aang feels isolated in his duty as the avatar, as the last airbender preserving his culture, and by being from another world - lost in time.

i liked how he sought out his past lives so often. really makes him feel like a child who doesn't know what he's doing and had the rug pulled out from under him by losing gyatso too soon. he's looking for adult guidance, and kyoshi, roku, and kuruk are all there telling aang THEIR version of how to be the avatar. feels like good set up for later when aang gets to define HIS version of the avatar, and how he wants to bring peace to the world. we already see it with their versions of the avatar feeding into aang's feelings of guilt and self-isolation - that he needs to do things on his own. it gets concluded with katara and sokka declaring him family, and they won't leave no matter what.

in that nature: adding more emphasis on katara's grief as well, since it was APPARENTLY not enough for people watching the cartoon and called her whiny for mentioning it. in general, it feels weird that katara's flashback to her backstory happened in season 3 of the cartoon when there was a whole episode dedicated to aang and zuko's backstory all the way in season 1, another one for zuko's backstory in season 2, and then bato of the water tribe elaborated on sokka being left by hakoda. glad to get katara backstory earlier. love you katara <3

and from that: sokka and katara's conflict being about if she should waterbend. feels very natural and something they would fight over. it is a vital aspect to their culture, but also if word gets out there is a waterbender in the village, there could be another raid.

aang stealing zuko's notebook is another highlight. it is both such a petty kid thing to steal and be upset about someone reading your diary, but also it actually serves a purpose in giving aang a guide for his avatar journey. the show sacrificed paralleling aang and zuko's backstories like the storm, but they still intertwine aang and zuko's story through this notebook and the connection aang makes with zuko through it. very sweet.

in that note: the set design adding little things such as those little statues in zuko's room. feels like it really was lived in by someone obsessed with finding the avatar for 3 years. i really liked details like that they put throughout the show

suki extrapolation with her mother and her conflict of being duty-bound to her village but wanting to see the world, and how this relates to sokka. made me genuinely invested in their relationship in a way i wasn't from the cartoon. i also loved the actress' portrayal of suki, she's so awkward and i love it. need to see more of her.

iroh in season 1 of the cartoon feels less like his own fleshed out character and more of a comedic relief expansion of zuko's b plot. he's made to make zuko's slice of the show more fit for a fun kids show by giving him someone to talk to and be funny with. he's a fun tea-loving uncle, but it's hard to parse what he really feels until later. live action iroh keeps that fun tea-loving aspect, but he has his own baggage and its GREAT. i think i genuinely enjoyed live action iroh more than the cartoon. he has so much more growing to do. could talk about this version of iroh (and his relationship with zuko) forever. i need season 2 just for him.

iroh and aang's prison arc together.

making zuko's crew have issues with him earlier and making them 41st division was nice. i really liked that change.

secret tunnel with familial love between katara and sokka was so cute. enjoyed it.

the ???:

azula and ozai's addition is a 50/50 to me. i think the sick power plays ozai is doing between his two children are genuinely interesting. the change in how ozai doles out praise and the dynamics between azula and zuko is also interesting and i enjoyed it. but i also find their screen time unnecessary. could be used to further the dynamic between the main protagonists, or they could be saved for season 2 or 3. did like how azula used zhao to thwart zuko and it fucked zuko up immensely in the head. very nice. also not sure how i feel about azula being good at archery, feels like getting good at a nonbending discipline isn't something that meshes well with her character for me, but that's a nitpick.

combining plotlines such as jet and the mechanist in omashu + the change with bumi was... fine? it served its purpose. liked some aspects and didn't like others.

the spirit world stuff was really cool and i enjoyed how koh preys on people lost in the fog. very interesting concepts that got us to be able to experience katara and sokka's backstory first hand. felt immersive to me. but also wtf, wan shi tong? katara and sokka being gone from the plot for so long? come backkkkkk! COME BACK! DO WE HAVE TIME FOR YOU TO BE IN SPIRIT JAIL WHEN I HAVEN"T SEEN YOU GUYS INTERACT ENOUGH? i did like yue being in the spirit world and interacting with sokka. that was cute as hell.

northern water tribe and yuekka had parts i liked and parts i didn't. they kept the sexism and arranged marriage but also yue opted out? feels detrimental to yue and sokka's relationship and how they connect to each other out of their sense of duty. did really like hahn being nice, it would have been really interesting to see how yue felt stifled with an arranged marriage even if hahn was perfect. also liked yue being able to waterbend and the little scene with yue and sokka making dessert, so cute. yue freezing sokka to the ground before sacrificing herself.... didn't like that. wish they let sokka let her go, understanding it was her choice.

katara in the nwt as well. katara fighting master pakku and losing, but everyone watching thought she was SO COOL. loved the guy asking how she did the ice disks and she has to teach him. but confused on the fact that pakku doesn't take her as a student, and we don't see her being taught but people still refer to her as a master. i'm going to assume she learned waterbending by learning from her fanclub and also teaching them her moves.

why did they almost kill momo?

the bad:

everyone and their mother has said the exposition is bad so i won't hammer it home too much. this isn't actually much of a problem for me because it was actually necessary to get the point home to my mom who was watching it for the first time. i was also told that screen test audiences asked for the exposition to be added in the first episode after production, so i don't have much to say there.

aang's decision to leave home not being running away but due to the fact that he was stepping out to get a breather. this felt like a weird change to me, since the rest of the show hammers in about aang running away from his problems and his duties in a way the cartoon doesn't. would have felt WAY more heartwrenching to see the temples under attack while aang runs away from being the avatar and it would have hit harder when gyatso tells aang to let go of that guilt and pain... that it wasn't his fault. it was harder to feel the root of aang's guilt when i know that he didn't even plan to leave for very long. alas!

continuing from that point about aang's attribute of 'running away': lack of episodic plotlines. everyone and their mother has also hammered home about the lack of them from cartoon. i don't actually hate the change, but i do think it does some disservice to aang's character that they didn't adjust for. i'm being told that aang runs away, but i haven't been shown aang doing so. i've been seeing aang do his duty as the avatar and research it every episode. give me a reason to believe why this is a character flaw that aang needs to face.

similarly, i think this does a detriment to katara's role in book 1. since aang is more focused on what he needs to do as the avatar, katara becomes more his partner in finding out more about what it means to be the avatar instead of pushing him to be more motivated into doing so. (ex: 'we need to continue on our journey and not stay on kyoshi island' or 'we need to help haru in this village')

aang, katara, and sokka get separate plotlines so much that they don't feel like a solid dynamic. again, detriment of the lack of the smaller episodic plots. does make more sense that katara says aang is family at the end of season 1 instead of the beginning for this reason, though.

katara feels like one of the weakest aspects of the show to me. katara doesn't get the narration. katara isn't the first thing when aang gets out of the ice. and katara's rage just feels lost. i think a simple script or direction change in ep 1-2 to make katara's actress play her with more of that rage during her arguments with sokka would've worked wonders. katara has this feeling of anger at injustice that motivates her throughout the cartoon and i don't feel it here. also miss some of her sass - katara should've hit aang in the head with an acorn.

sokka's weird engineer arc? he's a warrior. why are you saying it's okay to not be a warrior when he is - what is up with setting up sokka as a disappointment to hakoda? HELLO? DOES ANYONE HEAR ME? i'm confused where they're going with this, please tell me that sokka has misinterpreted and created that memory due to insecurity. this is where my bias is totally coming in. this worked fine for my parents who hadn't ever seen it. BUT WHERE ARE THEY HEADING WITH THIS?

kinda wish information about zuko's situation was dropped more subtly throughout instead of zuko being like "my father banished me and i need the avatar to get back" like episode 1. like ok give me a moment to just be like "ugh this zuko kid is a fucking BITCH" before i have to feel for him, damn.

also zuko going straight to barbecuing feels weird to his character when they're also trying to tell us that zuko's capable of kindness and also has a strict honor code? zuko is against using bounty hunters in a way he's not in the cartoon. he talks down on the terrorism in omashu since its not 'honorable', but he also was about to burn katara who was down on the ground. of course, realistically if you're throwing fire around, you are going to burn people. but there was a suspension of disbelief in the animated version that isn't in the live action. zuko does things such as immediately resorting to fire instead of hand to hand in his fight with sokka. in the live action, i'd expect zuko to use MORE hand to hand in comparison to fire, not less. plus the fact they took out moments such as zuko not burning zhao in the agni kai or holding his hand out to save him during the north. weird dissonance at points with his character for me.

[jackie-shitposts]

do u think theres actually gonna be a sequel for carmen sandiego or r they just teasing due to the popularity of summer of sandiego

also i wish there was a miniseries with like 3 episodes of like the main ships (carulia/red crackle/carmivy) like idk i feel like that way all fans wud be happy LMAO but broo them not showing carmens mommy reuniting w her made me want to hit my head on the wall

like did her mom accept her and recognize her at first? did her mom slowly accept her and treated her like a stranger for the first weeks before warming up to here?? did her mom not accept her as her daughter due to the trauma of what happened that night?? like i need answers before i go boom.

The only thing said about a potential spinoff or sequel is that it was in the “earliest stages” back in september 2021. We’ve had basically zero update since then, and in addition they said the same about a live action carmen sandiego in 2017, and reiterated that again in 2021.

Summer of Sandiego and similar events being popular does have the ability to affect whether or not a TV show gets more content or not, although it doesnt have as much power as ratings/watch time do.

I think something that might point in favor of CS getting more content is the fact that the CS social media accounts have not gone dormant. Most social media accounts for movies and TV stop posting entirely after some amount of time, but its been years and CS socials are still active. Plus, some time ago they launched a merch store, which signifies that executives still think CS could be worth investing in (although it would be more profitable if they sold actually good looking merch).

All this to say, I have no idea what the fate of future carmen content is, but it doesnt mean we cant hope.

as for your shipping miniseries, I wouldnt want that for many reasons, the a big one being that i think rather than satisfy shippers, it would just make most of them fight with each other more than they already do. because nobody realizes that polyamory solves all your problems. sobs. and besides, theres always fanfic

I actually dont really feel the need to know who carmen’s mom is. While I have issues with how the show ended in regards to NOT elaborating on Carmen’s found family life after she was saved from VILE, I do agree that getting to know her mother is a story Carmen should undergo alone, at least to start. And from an audience’s perspective, why do we need to see her mother? She isnt going to have a face we recognize. And the show didn’t have the time to allow us to get to know her or care about her. All it wouldve been is a few seconds longer to see the hug we already know happened, and then jump cut 2 years ahead anyway. I think in regards to Carmen’s mother, they left it in a good spot that allows for further exploration in fanfic or the mystery spinoff.

[renjibozo]

episode 8 has finally dropped (1/3)

its time !!!! ill be referencing this post quite a lot since it's my prediction post

(part 2 for things that weren't mentioned here) (part 3 for more things that weren't mentioned)

everything under the cut for spoiler avoiders!

THE TIME HAS COME. and i'm extremely giddy despite sobbing my eyes out for today's episode

let's debunk or confirm the things that i said/predicted when the trailer dropped

kazuki and miri are preparing but i'm still not sure if they're preparing for rei's birthday because putting kazurei's conversation aside, it should be related to the episode still like the previous trailer for episode 7

since miri's zoo trip is over and the rainy season was shown in episode 7, and kazurei talked about the summer weather, i can only guess that it really is gonna be a rei birthday thing because no way is it miri's birthday bc hers is in november, and her acquisition was in christmas eve

rei bday might be somewhere between june to september

i will cry if i get this correct

I WAS CORRECT. I CALLED IT!!!! the episode is set in the summer, august (specific date is august 10th)

you can hear extremely loud cicadas, and this ties in pretty well with kazurei's conversation about summer during the trailer!

not only that, today (in the anime) is rei's birthday and that IS what miri and kazuki are preparing for

now we have all of their birthdays........... wow

the suwa manor i assume??

yes it's the suwa manor. we could see similar architecture on the outside compared to episode 3's flashback scene

a little bit of benefit of the doubt for those windows because it has been some time since episode 3's flashback to current timeline

this implies that despite kyutaro once looking at rei saying he knows the consequences of betraying the organization the most, he is in contact with his boss (father)

unfortunately, despite that line, he didn't betray the organization. he also wasn't in contact with his boss the entire time he was gone

did he have an escape attempt once? is this episode going to elaborate on that? this seems more of a rei backstory episode after kazuki's backstory episode

the episode does end up elaborating! though he never had an escape attempt. his boss was fully aware of him leaving the manor for elsewhere and made an oath to return

if kazuki's wife died five years ago and rei left the suwa manor (and by extension, the organization) three years ago, that means there's a two year gap between them meeting... curious as to what happened during then

im willing to bet kazuki's the one who did her hairstyle because i feel like rei would just accidentally tug on her hair every few seconds but i might be proven wrong or they never show us

THEY DIDNT SHOW !!! but it's definitely kazuki because rei's outside of the house, small win

favorite child and unfavorite child face off? they have similar facial structures and hair strand placement the color contrasts is screeching into my face as well

absolutely nothing like that !!!! a little sad to report that,

this man wasn't rei's sibling, but rather, rei's mentor who taught him how to use weaponry for assassination

now why is this man here

he's here as rei's uber driver and someone who shares things without being asked for it /LH

he also asked for kaji's last words but we'll get into that a bit later or maybe in a part 2

i really do wonder what sort of conversation they're having in the midst of a gunfight inside a ship maybe the organization found out about miri and them taking in miri?

they were talking about rei leaving the organization, a little bit of their history, complete with a debate between someone who follows the organization's rules to the letter and someone who strayed from the path for something they wanted to protect

this definitely resonates with rei because

he never tells ogino the last words he saw kaji mouthing while he fell to his death despite knowing what they are

he also found two someones to protect (i'll never forget this scene where his voice sounded really panicked)

NOW WHAT IS THIS !!!! HELLO !!!!!!!!!!!! WHAT HAPPENED LITTLE CRINGEMAN he's showing too much emotion so i'm convinced that there was a threat made to miri and kazuki by favorite poster suwa child

WE FINALLY GET CONFIRMATION! this face was due to this scene right here

he seemed startled at how accepting his mentor was at dying when his wife? girlfriend? fiance? died

it didn't even look like he wanted to drop the guy off the balcony on purpose because why would he run over to try and catch him somehow

and for the last part of the prediction post that i want to tackle,

hopefully rei does get back home safe and sound even if he gets a wound or two, manifesting!!

he does come back home! thankfully.

he only has one wound on his arm that he hopefully did take care of when he finished eating some of the birthday food laid out on the table for him

now onto things that weren't tackled on my prediction post, but in a part 2 to have some form of organization :DD

[thescrapbookingscientist]

Biweekly Media Roundup

- The Owl House (TV) - Alright so we got the penultimate episode, soon we’ll have no Owl House left. This was a pretty good setup, the most memorable parts being Willows much needed development, Luz’s palismen reveal, the brief snippets of Collector lore, and Eda and Lilith's new looks. The school stuff sorta dragged as I wasn’t super interested in the background cast and their petty survivalist struggle when the Collector as an entity is a lot more intriguing; I do wish we got to see more of their deal though I suppose that’s something to look forward to in the finale. 

- Buddy Daddies (Anime) - Buddy Daddies started off pretty good and has gotten a bit better each episode, with a pretty good sense of humor and some nice characterization moments for Rei. I’m still waiting for Miri to develop a personality beyond ‘Cute child’ (Something like Anya or Yotsuba), but as a vehicle for comedy/wholesomeness she works fine. Anyway, if you’re watching pause to read the daycare moms texts, they’re great. 

- The Way of the House Husband (Anime) - An anime night staple, we’ve caught up with House Husband, which continues to be a great time. While the core joke of “Scary ex yakuza actually does really wholesome mundane things” is more or less the same each time, the execution changes enough to keep the formula working. In general it’s just a pleasant watch, and it’s kind of validating to see normal struggles like weeding your yard or impulse buying expensive food being treated with the same intensity as a shoot-out. It really be like that sometime.

- JJBA: Stone Ocean (Anime) - Welp finished Stone Ocean and. It did certainly end. I’m not really sure how I feel about it, I guess it’s not a bad end per se but it sure left a lot of things unanswered/open to interpretation. I guess Part 7 will elaborate more on the rules of the new world but for the characters in this part I guess we’ll just have to imagine what this Modern Day Nobody Dies Found Family AU is like. Either way my favorite nonbinary mass of plankton FF probably doesn’t exist in this new world either so bummer. Still, this was an interesting season, I did like the concept of gravity reversal and the opportunity to see the main cast outside of the prison setting.  In terms of Jojo Parts overall I’d put it around the same Tier as Part 3, it had a solid cast of main characters, a good antagonist, and some interesting stand match-ups, but could also drag a bit as I zoned out during quite a few of the villain-of-the-week battles, and lacked consistency when it came to the power set rules. 

- The Greatest Estate Developer (Webcomic) - I still have brainrot over these guys, I’m going to cave and read the webnovel any minute I can feel it. 

- Demon Slayer (Anime) - Watched the whole Mugen Train Arc this week, which had some extra content from the movie to allow for more Rengoku time. Again, I don’t have much to say, still really impressed by the final battle and Inosuke is still best boy.

- Love Is War (Anime) - So this is one I’ve had on the backburner for a while, I had heard from basically everyone that it was amazing but had attempted to watch the first few episodes a few times and never got it to stick. To be fair I had known that I should give it longer to impress me, comedies in general usually take at least half a season to endear you to the characters before getting really good, I guess I just had other things I was more interested in. Well, no more, now that my sister is watching it with me we’ve blown right though the first season, and while I still wouldn’t call it a masterpiece I do see where the hype is coming from, the cast is a lot of fun. The ending of the 1st season in particular was super cute, I’m rooting for these idiots. 

- Ace Attorney: Dual Destinies (Video Game) - I had taken a brief break from my quest to complete the whole Ace Attorney franchise after Apollo Justice, but I’m back now with Dual Destinies. For positives so far I like Athena and Blackquill, as well as the Athena/Apollo sibling dynamic. For negatives I kind of wish Phoenix wasn’t as prevalent as he is, we are starting to get too many characters vying for the spotlight and I feel like there’s not enough time for any of them to make a lasting impression, especially poor Athena having to share her spotlight with 2 guys who already had their own games. 

- Persona 5 Royal (Video Game) - Still impressed with how this game writes the core friend group, it’s very pleasant to watch them all interact. Yusuke and Makoto are my faves right now, though battle wise Ann and Ryuji are solid units. I don’t feel like writing much more atm, mostly because I’d rather be playing this game haha.

We also just started Gintama and Ranking of Kings at anime night. I’m theoretically watching Sense 8 and The Last of Us as well, though I’m behind due to prioritizing the others. Finally, I’ve been keeping up with ORV, S-Class, Demon School, and TVDINT as they publish weekly.

Listening to: Persona 5 OST, Little Lion Man by Mumford & Sons, Parachute by Ingris Michaelson, Fear & Delight by The Correspondents, Her Diamonds by Rob Thomas, Melancholic by Junky, There She Goes by The La’s, Waiting For Love by Avicii, Every Little Thing She Does is Magic by The Police, Somebody Loves You by Betty Who, EPIC: The Troy Saga OST

[ellakomskaikru]

Why don’t you like Maiko? I was tempted to ask this because if you didn’t know already, it’s Maiko week. I ship Maiko. I’ve seen more hate for Maiko than love for it and I’ve never really understood why. I get liking Zutara, it’s a really dynamic ship, but liking Zutara doesn’t mean you have to hate Maiko. I hope this doesn’t come off as rude, I’m just curious about your reasons for disliking Maiko.

Hi! Your ask isn’t rude at all!

(I really hope this doesn’t end up visible to Ma.iko shippers, especially during Ma.iko week, that would just be awful. Even with correct tagging, it can still sometimes come up, so if it does, I’m so sorry for that! Please ignore if it does.)

My reasons for disliking Ma.iko are very long, so be warned.

1. Their backstory was not convincing.

Although we were shown Mai having a crush on him as a child, we were never shown that Zuko actually reciprocated those feelings. I did not take him knocking the burning apple off of her head as proof that he liked her back. If they wanted to set up their relationship, they could have had Zuko mention her during his banishment. A simple line of how much he missed Mai would have done the trick. I also was very put off by how Mai smiled at the prospect of literally hunting Zuko down. So basically, their backstory didn’t do it for me.

2. I did not like the way that they got together.

Zuko was anxious about returning back home, to the father that burned him in the face, and whom had abused him for years. He needed to be comforted in that moment. And I know many say that Mai was genuinely trying to cheer him up in her own way, but Zuko clearly didn’t like it, and she noticed it. So instead of really comforting him after, by asking him to elaborate on his worries and listening to him, she put her hands on him and kissed him when he clearly did not look like he was in the mood for that. Then she left him to sulk alone on the deck of the ship. So that immediately turned me off their relationship, but I was still willing to see if it would get better later.

3. Their interactions in the Beach Episode made me lose all patience with their relationship.

Zuko was on edge the entire day because he was anxious about the possibility that his father may find out that the avatar was still alive and punish Zuko. So Zuko was trying to distract himself with Mai, his girlfriend. When he got her a shell, she rejected it with, “Why would I want that?” And Zuko responded with, “Don’t girls like stuff like this?” And Mai replied, “Maybe stupid girls.” Like, it’s fine if she didn’t like it, but she should have at least appreciated the fact that he was trying to connect with her. Zuko had severe self esteem issues because of his father’s abuse, and he was just trying to please her.

Then, at the party, Zuko was jealous of Rion Jian, and yes, it was irrational, at first. But then, Mai and Zuko were sitting next to each other and clearly not connecting. Mai had her arms crossed and her back turned to Zuko. She then ordered him to get her food. And yes, it was an order. “So, find me some food.” Not, “Hey, could you get me some food, please?” Zuko went to do this for her, but when he returned, he found her engaged in a conversation with the very same guy that Zuko was jealous of. Mai almost looked like she was smiling. Her body language was open, and she looked like she was enjoying the conversation. She may not have actually been flirting with him, but to Zuko, it clearly looked like Mai enjoyed talking to that guy more than to Zuko, you know, her boyfriend. Yes, Zuko’s reaction was way over the top and totally out of line. But it was clearly a build up of the entire day of Mai not connecting with him. Seeing Mai speaking so easily with the other guy probably made Zuko feel so inadequate. Then Mai rightfully broke up with Zuko when he yelled at her and she watched as Zuko left the party. Their issues were not resolved after they got back together. Them deciding to burn down Chan’s house was negative. Zuko figured out why he was so angry, but that didn’t really fix their relationship problems. Mai was still apathetic and hated the world, while Zuko was emotional and did care about the world.

4. Their nightmares and daydreams interactions were not good.

Many Ma.iko shippers use their interactions there to defend their ship. They say, “Look at how happy Zuko looks with her!” Yes, he was smiling. But that wasn’t the real Zuko. Zuko was showing off for her. He was playing the role of the perfect son of Ozai. He was ordering fruit tarts for her and Mai was pleased with the “perks” of royalty. The Zuko that Mai was pleased with was the Zuko who was the worst version of himself. That was a regression from what Zuko learned at the beach. Zuko was angry because deep down he knew that he made the wrong decision in Ba Sing Se. So Zuko was basically ignoring all of that in Nightmares and Daydreams. He was trying to be the perfect prince. Then when Zuko was upset about not being invited to the war meeting, Mai tried to cheer him up by having them order around servants. That’s where their huge disconnect is shown. Mai sees no problem with ordering them around in order to have fun. In her view, they’re just peasants, and she’s a noblewoman. But Zuko doesn’t have that view anymore, not after his experiences in the Earth Kingdom. Zuko can never be what she wants him to be. Zuko wants to make the world a better place, to help the same type of people (peasants) that Mai thinks it’s fun to order around for entertainment.

Therefore, they do not have the same morals. In that same episode I believe they are also implied to have had sex, and Zuko is turned away from her and doesn’t look happy about it. Then after Zuko attends the war meeting, he tells her that it went well, and she tells him, “That’s wonderful.” I can tell that Mai is really trying to help him, but she just couldn’t because she didn’t actually understand him. Zuko later told her that “That wasn’t me.” We didn’t see her response, but I’m guessing that it was negative. Mai wouldn’t want Zuko to be dissatisfied with his life as a prince, because that would mean him eventually pulling away from her. And given by how he broke up with her through a letter, I’d say that belief is likely to be correct. In my view, the Zuko Mai loved was the worst version of himself. Therefore, it was not the real Zuko.

5. Zuko did not trust her.

Although he claimed that he broke up with her over a letter because he couldn’t “drag her into it” it was clearly because he was afraid of what her reaction would be. Mai never showed any signs of being against what the Fire Nation was doing. Towards the end of their relationship, she seemed perfectly happy with being the girlfriend of the Crown Prince of the Fire Nation, and was completely blindsided by Zuko breaking up with her. So I think Zuko thought that Mai would try to stop him from leaving, and given how proficient she is with knife throwing, I’d say she may have very well succeeded in pinning him to a wall. I can even picture her saying, “I’m stopping you from being stupid, Zuko.” Their relationship also had no depth. They did not connect on a deep emotional level. It mainly consisted of raging teenage hormones and physical attraction.

6. I did not like their interactions at the Boiling Rock.

Although I understood Mai being upset at Zuko breaking up with her over a letter, there were bigger things at stake there than their relationship. Zuko was literally committing treason, and the only thing that Mai cared about was Zuko breaking up with her. When he said, “Stop, this isn’t about you, this is about the Fire Nation!” She made it all about her again by saying, “Thanks Zuko that makes me feel all better.” Then he told her that he was doing what he was doing to save his country and she told him she was betraying it. That’s when I really lost all patience with Mai as a character. Like, Zuko was doing the right thing by trying to stop his father from wiping out the entire Earth Kingdom, and Mai still thought that he was in the wrong. Not to mention the fact that Mai wanted Zuko to stay loyal to the Fire Nation and by extension to Ozai, the man who literally abused him and burned his face. Then we were not shown Mai’s reaction to Zuko further explaining his reasons for turning against the Fire Nation, and the next shot of them was Mai literally frowning at Zuko, insinuating that she still did not agree with his reasons. Then Zuko literally locked her inside of the cell and left her again.

7. Mai saving Zuko at the Boiling Rock was not a true redemption.

There was never one scene of Mai agreeing with Zuko’s beliefs that the Fire Nation was in the wrong. The last we saw of them, Zuko was locking her in a cell. If she had agreed with him, he wouldn’t have had to do that. And when the gaurds asked Mai what she was doing, she said, “Saving the jerk who dumped me” those were her choice of words. She clearly still viewed Zuko as a jerk for breaking up with her, for prioritizing saving the world from his evil father over his relationship with her. So with all this in mind, I think it makes sense to conclude that Mai’s views on the war never really changed. She only saved Zuko because she still loved him.

8. I’m not convinced that Zuko loves her at all.

Zuko did not mention Mai even once after she seemingly sacrificed herself to save him. He had to have known Mai would either end up dead or at best, in prison, for committing treason. But he still never showed any worry for her fate. Then in the next episode, he literally focused all of his energy on winning the forgiveness and trust of another girl, Katara, and literally helped her infiltrate a Fire Nation stronghold to help her avenge her mother. He could have at least tried to find out if Mai was alive and if she was, to help free her from prison. We all know Zuko is super stealthy and adept at breaking into places, but he never even tried. So sorry, Zuko’s interactions with Katara were so much more impactful and intense than those with Mai, the girl he supposedly loves romantically. Honestly, Mai deserves better. I’ve never liked her character, but she deserves a boyfriend/girlfriend that truly loves her, because Zuko wasn’t it. Ty Lee honestly showed more devotion to and love for Mai than Zuko ever did tbh.

9. Their reunion scene made no sense to me.

Zuko wasn’t even the one to get her out of prison there, it was her uncle. As Fire Lord, he would have been able to get her out, but he didn’t. The guy even looked surprised to see her. It’s like he completely forgot about her. Then Mai just assumed they were back together. “When the Fire Lord is your boyfriend” I was just so confused by that. Then she said “Never break up with me again” some people insist that was an innocent joke, but I don’t see it that way. If it had been a male Mai telling a female Zuko that, I think no one would be okay with it. The fact that she told him that, even jokingly, also proved that she never really understood why Zuko did what he did. She was still angry at him for breaking up with her even though he had a good reason for it, you know, to stop his father from burning the Earth Kingdom.

So those are my reasons. There were just too many negatives that I couldn’t ignore in their relationship. Mai as a character also just always rubbed me the wrong way. But I think it’s a shame, because she had the potential to become a compelling character. Instead, the writers had her character revolve around Zuko. She switched sides for Zuko. Not because of her own realizations about the war being wrong. And her supposedly ending up with Zuko isn’t good for her either, because she was trapped and stifled growing up as an aristocrat, and she clearly resented her father’s political career. Mai needed to branch out on her own and have adventures. She needed to figure out who she was separate from Zuko and Azula. As Zuko’s partner, she’d always have to deal with politics. And Zuko needs someone by his side who truly cares about the world and wants to make it a better place, and that just isn’t Mai. She cares for some people, obviously, but not for the fate of the entire world.

Sorry, this got really long, but I wanted to be thorough on why I dislike it. I hope it wasn’t upsetting to you, as a Ma.iko shipper, to read such a harsh critique of the ship, but I was trying to answer your question as detailed and as honestly as possible. Many other anti ma.ikos believe many of the same things I do. You may be able to overlook all these reasons and ship ma.iko, or maybe you have a different interpretation, but many of us don’t, which is why we don’t like it.

There are certainly some multi shippers that like both Zutara and Ma.iko, but unfortunately I’m not one of them. I just think that Mai and Zuko are fundamentally incompatible, and both want different things from life. On the contrast, I think that Zuko and Katara would be very compatible. They both have compassion for the lower classes, and want to make the world a better place. So those are my reasons.

Thanks for the ask! Enjoy Ma.iko week.

[lubdubsworld]

Blackberry Winters.

PART 1 🌸 PART 2

Namjoon Werewolf Au!! 

Pack Head Alpha Namjoon and mate OC!

Arranged marriage sort of?

Pack dynamics / strangers to lovers. 

Part 3

“You did not think to tell him no? To demand that you had every right to stay there?” Her mother in law looked disappointed ,  eyes trained on her as Jiah carefully pulled the blouse of the tunic down over her tummy, frowning when she realized that it didn’t do a thing for her figure.

She felt self conscious, the grey cotton of the tunic making her feel drab and lifeless. Why did she always choose clothes in colors like this? Why did none of them fit her right? Why did she never make an effort to look at least a little good. Her hair was limp, a mousy brown and while it was thick, it had no luster… Why didn’t she use one of the hundred powdered mixtures the village healer liked to give the younger women?

“Jiah, are you listening to me?” Namjoon’s mother said sharply and Jiah jumped a bit, guilty.

“I didn’t want to be a bother..” ��She said nervously, not sure how to handle her mother in law. On the one hand she seemed to be understanding of her many hang ups, but she also looked impatient and upset, anytime Jiah failed to stand up for herself.

Lady Kim drew herself up to her impressive height and Jiah cowered. She’d hung around enough pack bonfires to recognize that stance and that gaze. The woman was about to give her a piece of her mind.

Sure enough, her voice thundered when she addressed her.

“If you keep viewing yourself as a bother, I’m not sure how others will begin seeing you as anything else. You’re the head alpha’s mate. Your place is by his side, helping him with the crown on his head. It’s not a choice. Your duties are not mine and I am tired of doing them for you.” She snapped.

It stung. Guilt churned and Jiah could feel the beginnings of one of her episodes. The ones that always left her shaking and breathless. Much to her surprise, Lady Kim’s gaze softened at that and the next second she was being drawn into a warm embrace.

“Good lord child, why are you so terrified? Has my family not been kind enough to take away this stark terror out of your veins?” She sighed deeply. “You must not let your fears dictate your life. I want you to live your life, pleasing the person you’re bound to .”

Jiah felt her shoulders sag. Please the person she was bound to.  Of course. Namjoon. It all came down to the alpha wolf. And how was she supposed to please him, if he couldn’t bear to be in the same room as her?

“Yourself.” Lady Kim’s voice, laced with amusement made her jump.

Jiah frowned, pulling back to look at the older woman in confusion.

“You’re bound only to yourself , Jiah. You need to please yourself. To do and be the person you want to be. And then everything else will fall into place.”

Jiah watched as the woman went back to the door, calling for and directing a few more workers as they finished setting up the outer courtyard of her living quarters. Still a little chilled, she grabbed a thick coat from the small cupboard by the door, draping it over herself and tying it together with the sash. She moved quickly to the door, watching her mother in law talk to the workers, looking them straight in the eye , firm and clear in her instructions.

It was fascinating.

Lady Kim’s stance fairly vibrated with power and her voice brooked no disobedience. People looked at her and listened. They saw someone who knew what she was talking about and many a time, Jiah had felt it herself, the comfort of someone reliable. Someone who wished no ill on anyone.

Namjoon’s mother had lost her husband at a young age. Namjoon had scarcely been a babe of two when it had happened and the entire pack had expected the young wolf to lose his birthright as the heir. It was unheard of for a mate to take over the head alpha’s duties but Lady Kim had risen to the occasion with an elegance that had stunned everyone. The woman had met pack leaders and settled disputes, had negotiated boundary conflicts and made elaborate plans for new buildings , all while carrying around a babe that was still fed at her breast.

What was more, she had defended her position against the men who had wanted to usurp it. Mnhyuk and Jaejoon were two of her husband’s cousins, eager to sink their fangs into the woman to mate her, just to be able to get their hands on the pack. They were terrible men , even worse wolves. Their ideas on how the pack ought to be run dripping with archaic ideals and oppression of women.

But Lady Kim had humiliated them, told the whole pack in no uncertain terms that the next pack alpha would be Kim Namjoon. Her son would be raised to rule the pack with kindness and understanding and she would make sure of it.

The tales were told with hushed tones of disbelief and admiration and Jiah had listened to them with hunger and aching. Had felt such a huge surge of affection for the matron , had wanted to hug her and tell her she had done a great job.

And standing here as her daughter in law, she realized that she would be a fool not to listen to her. Not to learn from her. Especially when it was obvious that in the entire pack, the only one who didn’t seem to hold Kim Namjoon on a pedestal, was ironically his own mother.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“ They’re going to challenge you again. I can feel it.” Taehyung said gruffly, dropping the bundle of scrolls on the table and Namjoon flinched, head throbbing.

“That bad?” He asked hesitantly and Taehyung nodded.

“They want you to re-negotiate that treaty about courtesans owning property. Think it would make them quit the profession… if you let them own stuff” Seokjin said quietly and Namjoon bristled.

“They are no different from any of us. They work for their pay too. Why shouldn’t they be allowed to do what they wish with money that they’ve earned?” He demanded angrily.

“You’re a good man Namjoon. A fair one. And you’re striving to build a pack that treats all it members as equals . Obviously people who thrive on abusing their power aren’t going to like that. Especially Minhyuk and Jaejoon’s pups. Those two are terrible.”

“You should accept their challenge and just rip their throats out someday.” Taehyung said firmly AND Namjoon gave him a glare.

“I’m not going to shed blood without cause, Taehyung. Don’t suggest that. Even in passing.” He said firmly and the younger beta bowed politely in apology.

“Where is Jiah?” Seokjin asked casually.

Namjoon glanced at him, brows raised.

“Since when are you so familiar with my mate, hyung?”

Seokjin rolled his eyes.

“She used to come sit with me, when I watched over the herds on the outer pastures. Sweet little thing really. Very funny too.”

That made Namjoon pause.

“Funny?” He asked, completely confused.

“Witty. She would make these clever little riddles and jokes that would always leave me in stitches. We made a game of it. I would give her one of my funny jokes and she would give me a riddle. Is she feeling better now?”

Namjoon who was still kind of struck dumb by the idea of his cowering, reticent mate doing something as…. Normal and friendly as laughing and being witty….. could only stare at Seokjin in confusion.

“I…. Yes. She’s well. We’re expecting a pup.” He said softly.

Both Taehyung and Seokjin went still.

“What?!!! Why didn’t you say that first?!!” Taehyung exclaimed, offended.

“It’s not that important…” Namjoon waved it off, reaching for the scrolls , “ what about the treaties, then? You did tell Jungkook we aren’t changing anything right?”  

Seokjin scoffed.

“ Only you would say that these treaties are more important than your own pup.” He snapped.

Namjoon sighed a bit at that.

“I don’t mean that. I’m just saying, what she needs now is to rest and take care of herself and the baby. I’m not what she needs . I’ve arranged for her to stay in some private quarters with the other women.”

Seokjin sighed deeply. After years of being one of Namjoon’s trusted friends, he could feel his heart ache for the younger and all that he hid from the people around him. He reached out and gently placed a palm on Namjoon’s shoulder.

“ Namjoon, you don’t have to do all of this by yourself. Tae and I , we can take over duties a couple of days a week… You can relax… Maybe spend some time with your new wife….”

“She hates me.” Namjoon said softly. “ I spent a whole month trying to talk to her, all she did was tremble and shake. Even when we…” Namjoon exhaled sharply, “ Even in bed , she made me feel like I was some kind of…. Predator.”

Taehyung bit his lips, looking worried.

“You’re not… You’re not going to break the bond are you?” He asked nervously.

Namjoon sighed.

“I’m not. I may have considered it, before . But now… She’s with pup. I can’t do that to her. I don’t want to either.”

“Why did you pick her?”

Namjoon stayed quiet.

“Because you wanted a wife who wouldn’t ask or demand or complain.” Taehyung said distastefully.

“That’s not… You make it sound so terrible. I’m supposed to be taking over pack duties, supposed to renegotiate every single treaty we’ve drawn in the past twenty years, not to mention get the entire pack ready for the winter…. Of course I wanted a wife who would adjust. Have you seen the omegas in our clan? The ones I could court ? They want to leave on trips… They want to visit the neighbouring packs…. They want me to arrange festivities and feasts for every damn thing…. You think I can marry someone like that??” Namjoon snapped angrily. “none of them understand a damn thing about helping me out. They’re shallow and vain. Jiah… I chose her because she didn’t seem like one of them. She seemed like she could understand what it means to be my wife. But I was wrong. I thought she understood my responsibilities and was giving me my space…. Turns out she just thinks I’m some kind of monster she needs to run and hide from.”

Seokjin reached out, patting his back soothingly.

“Namjoon I understand… It’s been hard on you, and you’ve been doing all of it by yourself. Its bound to take a toll. And that’s why I think you should take a few days off, a week. Give us all the instructions. We’ll carry it all out. You can relax.”

“That’s exactly what my uncles want. For me to slack off. They’ll summon the council and want to challenge me again. I can’t afford it. “ Namjoon shook his head.” Not until the babe is born and my position as pack alpha is solidified. I can’t let them use this against me.”

Seokjin and Taehyung exchanged looks.

“Joon-ah….”

Namjoon gave both of them a tired smile.

“I’ll be fine hyung. It’s going to be okay.”  He said reassuringly. “ The council’s meeting tomorrow right? I’ll try to go over these tonight.”

“Its already past sundown.” Taehyung said worriedly.

“Then I better ask the maids to keep enough oil for the lamp to last.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“What are you doing here?” Namjoon blinked, staring at her like she was out of her mind and Jiah flinched. Maybe this whole thing was a mistake. But the sight of him made something curl in the pit of her stomach. He looked exhausted. Like he had been up all night. She wondered if perhaps she ought to retreat. Go back to the private quarters he’d arranged for her.

No. No , you will not chicken out of this.

“ You have a council meeting, this evening. Could I come with you?.” She said softly, watching his face carefully. She tried to read his emotions, tried to look for traces of irritation or anger but all she found was a sort of hopeless resignment. Like he had stopped trying to fight whatever was bringing him down.

“Come with me….?? ” Namjoon stared at her like he wasn’t quite sure what she was talking about.

She inhaled sharply.

“Your mother told me I could go. As your mate, I’m allowed to sit in on council meetings. She told me it’s a new provision. That you were the one who had it written in. So perhaps, you should… let me come with you.”

“My mother-“ He paused, sighing. “ You don’t have to do everything my mother asks you to.”

She blinked, the words throwing her off. The truth was, she had been the one, tailing the older woman all day, trying to see what she did and how she did it. Lady Kim had merely offered to help her do her duties. She had mentioned in passing, that for centuries , mates hadn’t been granted many rights of their own. Namjoon had spent the past couple of years making a lot of amendments to pack laws and the council hadn’t taken to kindly to all of them.

“ Of course. I just thought that, as I am your mate , perhaps I should accompany you. ” It was a miracle, the way her voice came out, steady . Not at all betraying the nervousness coursing through her veins.

“Jiah…. I’m not sure.” His voice dripped with hesitation and she flinched. Oh, well, no one could blame her for not trying.

“If you don’t want me there, that’s fine.” She said quickly.” I’ll go…”

She turned around, feeling her face burn red as she quickly descended the stairs to the courtyard.

“Jiah wait!!” His voice made her still.

She turned around swiftly.

“I didn’t mean to imply that I did not want you there. I just….Council meetings aren’t short. They tend to go on for hours. Will you be alright?” He asked gently, gaze dropping surreptitiously to her middle.  

It took her a minute to understand what he was even talking about.

“I… Oh.” She quickly pressed her palms to her stomach, confused. “ I mean… I may have to be excused a couple of times to relieve myself. I’ve been doing that way more often than usual.” She laughed.

Namjoon’s lips quirked in a hint of a smile and she flushed. Surely, her stern mate didn’t want to hear about her body functions? What was she even doing…

“But, yes. I wouldn’t mind sitting with you. Truly.” She said quickly.

Namjoon nodded.

“Well, then. You can come with me. It’s an hour before sundown… I’ll come fetch you myself.”

“Yes , alpha.” She said brightly, curtsying lightly and immediately feeling like a fool.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“They’re called red feathers …” The healer, a middle aged woman called Selma,  opened a small earthenware jar to show her the contents. Jiah peered into the jar, catching sight of a bundle of dried flowers and roots.

“These can help me…?” She asked dubiously and Selma gave a quiet chuckle.

“They help you sleep better and also help you relax. They’re good for you. You won’t feel this anxious if you take them regularly.” She said calmly.

“Oh… alright.” Jiah nodded, glancing carefully at her mother in law who was standing elsewhere, looking through an assortment of salves and tinctures. “ Can I…. is this safe for Namjoon?”

Lady Kim stilled, turning around to glance at her sharply and Jiah stiffened. God, her impulsive mouth. She wasn’t even sure why she said it. Just the whole , helps sleep better , had immediately reminded her of how tired Namjoon had looked.

“I’ve already tried to get him to drink some of it. He refuses.” Lady Kim said tiredly. “ He feels that it may affect his mental faculties”

“Auntie Selma?” A high, soft voice rang through the hut and Jiah glanced up. She went still, catching sight of Jisoo, dressed in red velvet and all of her ornate jewelry.

“Ah… Jisoo…you’re back.” Selma said cheerfully. “ How can I help you child?”

Jisoo stared at her, eyes steady and unreadable.

“I need some wild carrot seeds and ginger roots.” She said softly and Lady Kim scoffed.

“I hope the man you’re taking into your bed is not who I think it is , Jisoo.” She growled. The younger woman merely bowed.

“I’m but a courtesan, my lady. I go where I am asked to.” She said softly.

Lady Kim sighed.

“Then perhaps you should go back home. Now.” She said sharply and jisoo flushed and ugly red.

“Your son wants me to visit him for tea , this evening. I was hoping to meet my lovely lady there…but I hear you no longer stay in his hut.” Jisoo turned to her, tone dripping with acid and Jiah swallowed nervously.

“I… I’m…” She couldn’t quite talk, much less think of something to say.

“Because she is with child.” Lady Kim said sharply, a hint of triumph in her tone. “ Namjoon’s child.”

Jisoo had gone paper white, her face pale and bloodless.

“What?” She whispered.

“It’s true. She carries my son’s heir. You know what that means, Jisoo. It means they are bound, for life. I like you. I respect your courage and admire your talents. You are beautiful and you deserve a mate of your own. Do not pursue my son.” Lady Kim said firmly.

Jisoo didn’t respond for a few seconds.  

And then she bowed again .

“Like I said, my lady. I only go where I am called.” She said quietly.

She turned on her heels, stalking away and Jiah could only stare after her, heart pounding a bit at what had just happened. She wasn’t sure why she felt so much disquiet. She’d never had high hopes of fidelity from Namjoon. The entire village knew that Jisoo had been his paramour. But now that she had seen how dismissive the younger girl was of her, she felt the unaccountable urge to fight back. To stake her claim.

“You look pretty upset. Don’t let her bother you. Namjoon will not break his vows.” Lady Kim said quietly and Jiah gave her a soft smile, although her heart still raced. She remembered how pretty the girl had looked in all her brocades and velvets. She stared down at her own murky yellow dress. She couldn’t go to the council meeting, dressed worse than a courtesan. Couldn’t embarrass Namjoon like that.

“ My Lady….” She turned to her mother in law. The older woman hummed, returning to examining the shelves.

“What is it, child?”

“Can we stop at the seamstress’ hut on our way back?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Whatever Namjoon had been expecting, as he knocked on his wife’s private quarters, it hadn’t been this.

He stared , or to be more accurate, gaped at his wife, completely thrown by her appearance.

She looked…. Cheerful.

That was the only word he could think of, taking in the warm yellow and green fabric of her gown, all with an abundance of ribbons and lace. She had also clearly made some effort to tame her hair.

Not a very successfully attempt, considering the dozen strands sticking out of her bun and curling over her bare neck and shoulders …..but an attempt nonetheless.

Which reminded him.

Why was her neck bare?

“I…. have you forgotten… part of your dress…?” He asked awkwardly, gaze trained on the pale, blemish less expanse of skin in front of him. Too much of it was on display he felt.

“Oh?” Jiah twirled about for a second, glancing at herself. “ Not at all, my alpha. This is how it is.”

Namjoon blinked.

“Right… the night is getting colder. Perhaps a shawl?” He suggested tactfully.

Jiah frowned, sticking a hand out of the door as though to the gauge the night air.

“Really? Feels quite warm to me.” She said thoughtfully.  

“It may be cold for the baby.” He said quickly and that made her pause. She glanced back down at her tummy and he wondered what she expected to see, every time she did that.

“Perhaps you’re right alpha….let me be back.” She floated back into the hut and he sighed in relief when she reappeared with a white fleece shawl over her shoulders.

“Shall we go ?” She asked quietly and he hesitated before slowly offering her his arm. She gripped it lightly, and they began the short walk to the main village square where the council usually convened.

“You… You’re better adjusted to this place now?” He asked carefully, trying to find the girl he had taken to his bed. The terrified, nervous , trembling young girl.

Jiah didn’t respond at once.

“I… I’ve been drinking some of Selma’s potions. They help.” She said quietly and he frowned.

“Potions? Potions for what?”

“They help with my nerves. I get scared easily…imagine things ….” She trailed off nervously.” I’m very anxious by nature and it gets worse in a new place. With new people.”

Namjoon considered that carefully. That made sense. Perhaps, that was why she had been so odd.

“The potions help?” He asked carefully and she nodded.

“Yes…that and your mother.”

“My mother?”

“She’s very kind to me.”

Namjoon laughed a bit at that. In all the years he has had people talking to him about his mother, the word ‘kind ‘ had never come up.

“ I’m being honest….she has helped me adapt to this place. To see how things are run. I… I don’t want to be a bother. I want to pull my weight. In the pack. To help in any way I can…”

Namjoon felt a sudden unaccountable fondness bloom in his chest at the innocent words.

“ That’s very virtuous of you.” He said seriously and she flushed.

They didn’t say anything else, continuing the rest of the path in companionable silence Namjoon spotted the seven council members gathered around a blazing fire and lightly stepped closer to her.

“You can stay close to me. You don’t have to answer them.  If they try to draw you into any controversial topic, just ignore them. I’ll handle it.” He said quickly.

Jiah gave him a wide eyed, nervous look but nodded quickly, fingers moving from his forearm to his palm , linking with his own and gripping tight.

“I’m here. You’re not alone.” She said quickly and it was ridiculous, how the words actually helped him relax just a little.

Taking a deep breath, he led her on to the meeting.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Author’s Note : i thinks its about time i accepted that this is a full blown fic and not just a drabble. fuck my life. 

Note : Red feathers are actually herbal medicines used as anti depressants. So this is just werewolf au equivalent of therapy. 

[ashdumpsterpile]

ASH’S TMA HURT/COMFORT/FLUFF REC LIST 

For the gays. (And @damcrows who’s been dead for the past 24 hours. Rest in peace babe. Read some gay fic. Deny the inevitability of canon. <3)

___

the end, but the start (of all things that are left to do)  by @ajkal2

Jon wakes up.

aka. mag200 tore out my heart

(Very smol, very short, very spoiler. Def recommend for anyone who just finished the podcast.)

remind me how to smile by @tamerofdarkstars

Jon is probably fine, just hiding out somewhere while the whole murder thing blows over and that's... fine. Martin is fine with that explanation. Really. He's got plenty to distract himself - like listening through the entire What the Ghost episode library, for example. Or watching Georgie Barker's Instagram livestreams.

(Yea this was in the last rec list, but you don’t understand THE ADMIRAL GIVES CUDDLES)

Chamomile by Dribbledscribbles

Whatever the ex-tea was, if it really had ever been that last bag of chamomile Martin claimed he’d found tucked in the back of the cupboard, it was fast now.

Martin had tried catching it, chasing it, blocking its way with shoebox lids and plates and an upended footstool, but the thing was just too quick. Jon knew as well as Knew that he might have left off the attempts completely if not for the creature’s preferred game.

The game was, See How Many Times I Can Push Martin Towards Cardiac Arrest Before He Comes at Me with The Broom.

(Scottish Honeymoon Era. Adorable and weird. A vampire gets harassed.)

hey stranger by @ennuijpg

It’s a late night Tesco run, how eventful could it be? It’s not like Martin is going to run into his boss who’s wearing something absurdly different from usual and get the most acute form of whiplash possible from seeing him, right?

(Martin runs into Jon at the grocery store and has an existential crisis.)

roses roses, roses. by @judesstfrancis

Rose scented laundry detergent. Running into Jon in the breakroom. Running into Jon on his way back to his desk. Rose scented detergent. Running into Jon. Roses. Jon. Roses, roses, roses. 

(Canon enemies to friends to lovers au-ish. Martin POV. Very pining much sweet.)

go softly by doomcountry

And there is nothing else besides this. 

(More hurt/comfort than fluff. Scottish Honeymoon Era. Mild eye mutilation.)

Not Alone by @backofthebookshelf

After the coffin, Daisy and Jon are both fragile. They hold each other up. 

(Post-buried Jon&Daisy starter pack. Very hurt/comfort.)

trust my love by antlsepticeye

“you… you’re real, aren’t you?” jon whispers, the fog slowly dissipating from his mind. “it is not a trick?”

“i’m here,” martin says softly, reaching up to grab jon’s hand that was resting on his cheek, intertwining his fingers with jon’s and squeezing. he moves jon’s hand to martin’s chest, resting it over his heart. “you’re alright. i’m alright. take your time, love. let’s just take some deep breaths, okay?”

(TOUCHSTARVED JON HAS ENTERED THE CHAT.)

reaching out by Athina_Blaine

By the time things settled, when Martin had finally managed to crack through his cold shell, feel some of his old self returning to him in bits and pieces, they had found their little routine.

One that had the two of them sleeping in the same bed, making breakfast, going to the mart. Where Jon reached for his wrist while they slept, and Martin luxuriated in the gentle warmth of his fingers.  

But not one where Martin reached back. One that had Martin kissing Jon awake or taking his hand over the breakfast table, because ... Martin never had the courage to try. And then it never became a part of the routine.

And Martin desperately wanted it to be.

-

Martin and Jon have an important conversation.

(More Scottish Honeymoon Era for the soul. Hurt/comfort/fluff.)

Belabor by @janekfan​

Jon's given the position of Archivist and is falling apart at the seams. Tim and Sasha are upset and playing games. Elias is overbearing and manipulative.

And poor Martin is stuck cleaning up the mess.

(THEE first fic I ever read for tma. Season 1, hurt/comfort/fluff, and hints of Jmartin. janekfan is the absolute master of seasons 1-3 hurt/comfort. This is my favorite, but pls check out the rest of their fics.)

tea, blankets, and a damnable stubborn attitude by ivelostmyspectacles

“Are you really gonna stay here and pester Jon all evening?”

“I’m not pestering him,” Martin retorted, sounding vehement if not busy going through the cupboards. “I’m heating up soup.”

“Oh, you might as well make him another cup of tea while you’re at it.”

“Oh, good idea.”

Jon shot Tim a withering look.

(The one where Jon is ill, Martin makes tea and they watch doctor who together. Fluff 1000%.)

A Kind Hand by @voiceless-terror

Jonathan Sims was adjusting just fine, thank you very much.

In which a minor workplace spill causes Jon to realize that he might have friends.

(Ah yes, the other master of seasons 1-3 fic aka voiceless-terror being my other fav author in the fandom. This one is also season 1 hurt/comfort/fluff.)

A Weather In The Flesh by @cuttoothed

"There is a span of years where Jon doesn’t touch anyone other than the occasional hand shake. It’s not so bad. He’s never been someone who’s needed physical affection."

*

Jon has never been any good at making people want to stick around.

(More touched starved Jon! Much hurt/comfort!)

Something Old, Something New by @cirrus-grey

Months have passed, and everyone is doing better than they were. Daisy and Basira are getting married, Melanie is feeling her old self, Georgie is as much herself as she has ever been, and even Jon has stabilized on his wild fall away from humanity. Everyone is doing better.

Well. Almost everyone.

(Daisy/Barsira wedding! Melanie is a bitch and we love her! Jmartin dance! Post-canon (almost) everyone lives!)

The Weight of Love by @voiceless-terror

Jon is a restless sleeper. Martin attempts to adjust. 

(The fic where Jon is literally me and Martin attempts to sleep for 1k words.)

The Art of Conversation by @voiceless-terror

"Do you ever stop talking?"

Jon has a complicated relationship with words. Difficulties come and go.

(Jon has adhd and Martin is in love.)

Novelty by @backofthebookshelf

Jon experiences A Sexual Attraction; Martin has A Concern. They figure it out.

(Any fic that explores the ace spectrum is a 10/10. We stan all ace interpretations of jon on this blog.)

Half a Hug by Dathen

I know you weren’t going to hurt me, I trust you, he said again and again. And then a different kind of fear shone through, hollow and echoing: “Please don’t stop touching me."

-

Or: Life is hard when you're touch-starved but have trauma related to your closest friend.  Spoilers through TMA 132.

(Honestly bless every author who saw jon&daisy and was like. They’re siblings. No I will not elaborate.)

the loneliness never left me (but i can put it down in the pleasure of your company) by Athina_Blaine

It was about Martin making Jon feel safe, treasured, and loved. And it had been so, so long since anyone made him feel that way.

And, in the face of it all, Jon was starting to flounder.

(At this point I just need to make separate rec list for Scottish Honeymoon Era.)

you can watch me corrode by scarletfish

"So, how long have you been pulling this shit then?"

"I… excuse me?" Jon’s indignant, certain she can’t mean what he thinks she means.

"When was the last time you ate?"

(Georgie decides Jon and Melanie need a normal day off. Jon learns that he and Melanie have more in common than he thought.)

(Look, Melanie isn’t my favorite person in tma, but she and Jon are like THE SAME PERSON and I adore fics that elaborate on their relationship.)

Out of the Wind, In From the Cold by @ostentenacity

There are two bedrooms in the safehouse, and two beds.

For a moment, Jon considers asking to share, but decides against it with a wince. “I really loved you,” Martin had told him. Loved. Past tense. And Martin doesn’t exactly have a lot of choices right now in terms of company; it would be cruel to demand he play at feelings he no longer has just to make Jon happy.

(For a moment, Martin considers asking to share. But he dismisses the idea with a shake of his head. Jon has already done so much for him. Martin isn’t about to ask for more, especially not when it’s something he doesn’t really need. He has his right mind back, and he has Jon’s friendship. That should be enough for him. It’ll have to be.)

---

Jon thinks that Martin doesn’t love him. Martin thinks that Jon doesn’t love him. They do not, of course, discuss this. Unrequited love is already awkward enough, right? No need to dwell on it.

(THEE SCOTTISH HONEYMOON ERA FIC. IT’S ABOUT THE PINING, BEING MUTUALLY OBLIVIOUS AND FALLING IN LOVE. 10000/10.) 

I Do by @voiceless-terror

“I, um- this was supposed to be a lot more romantic, I swear.” Martin looks down at the dirty bar floor. “I had it all planned out, I-I was going to take you somewhere nice, and then we’d go for a walk in the square- I’ll still do it!” He hurries to explain, as if that’s the most pressing part of this situation. “It’ll be really nice, I’ve already hired a photographer-”

In a fit of protectiveness, Martin proposes to Jon.

(Everyone lives, Martin accidentally proposes and Jon is crying in public.) 

________

[galactichoneybee92]

Disorganized Thoughts on Sex Education Season 3

I binge watched the entirety of season 3 on Friday, and after sitting with it for a couple days, I have composed myself enough to offer some thoroughly disorganized thoughts on what I’ve seen. 

     While I did enjoy many things about this season, I don’t understand the people who claim it was the strongest. In fact, I believe that it was the weakest. I don’t know what exactly happened during the delay, but I swear they have to have lost staff. Writers, perhaps editors? Whoever usually reins things in a bit, keeps the show grounded, and everyone in character. Whoever had that job, they’re either gone, or they’ve just stopped giving a fuck which, while relatable, is unfortunate in regards to this show. Now what do I mean by that? Let me elaborate:

1. This season was gross. And I don’t mean in general, like I didn’t like it. No, I mean that the writers decided that being sexually explicit wasn’t funny enough and decided to add just a fuck-ton of fart jokes and toilet humor. And I get it, okay? This show prides itself on being crass. But you can be crass without being disgusting. I acknowledge that this comes entirely down to personal preference, but I can’t stand toilet humor and I feel like this season really ramped it up. Every episode was someone farting or talking about shit, or that god forsaken thrice cursed bus scene. Sex doesn’t gross me out, talk about sex all fucking day I don’t care, but I don’t need to watch an extended scene of someone digging their own shit out of a bus toilet in a sock and chucking it out the window onto someone’s car. And even just smaller things, like Aimee talking about the flour constipating her or her taking a massive shit in Jean’s toilet when she and Maureen were there. Those scenes weren’t necessary for the plot in any way, which leads me to believe they were just there because someone thought they were funny and if that’s you’re thing go off, but it most definitely isn’t mine. 

2. Ruby and Otis. And more importantly, what was the point of Ruby and Otis? Now don’t get me wrong, I like Ruby as a character and I found their relationship interesting. And I think that it would have been even more interesting if the writers had devoted more time to properly developing it- Ruby was getting better as a person but she wasn’t there yet. I liked it once Otis started standing up for himself more, and demanding respect in the relationship and as she started to actually care for him she did come to treat him more respectfully. I think with more time they could have been really good. But they didn’t get that time- she said she loved him and they didn’t even work through that fiasco before he was kissing Maeve at a gas station. Overall it had a lot of potential but the way they played it left me just sitting here like...why? Like from a narrative standpoint what was even the purpose? Because from where I’m sitting it really only served as yet another roadblock standing between Otis and Maeve and even though I shipped them like CRAZY in season 1 and 2 the constant unnecessary roadblocks are getting a little old. Which leads me to my next point...

3. Why was Maeve and Otis so unsatisfying? That’s not actually a rhetorical question, I can tell you: Because the writers put so little effort into what is supposed to be the main couple on the show. I feel like they put more effort into keeping them apart and then when it comes time to put them together they’re just kind of like NOW KISS, they only talk like once after and then they ship Maeve off to America. Now I’ve heard rumors that Emma Mackey might not want to return to the show for season 4 so if I had to guess at all of this I would say that both this point and the last was a sloppy attempt to cover their asses in the event that they can’t get her to sign back on. If she does return, they can explore the relationship between her and Otis in season 4. If she doesn’t, they’re probably going to put him back with Ruby. But they couldn’t just write her off without at least touching on the relationship they spent the past 2 seasons building, even though Otis and Maeve barely interact in this season, which is frankly another reason why it felt so shoddy. They spent exponentially more time talking to other people and then half the time when Otis was talking to her he was super cringe. 

     Overall, despite loving their relationship initially, the characters have changed so much from their original dynamic, and have interacted so little, that I really don’t even know what’s pulling these characters together. It’s disappointing to admit that I’m kind of over it but honestly even the writers don’t feel invested. it kind of feels like they put them together because the audience expected it and after 3 seasons of anticipation the payoff was generally underwhelming. 

4. Otis. Just...Otis. I understand that Otis was introduced as being a very nice helpful character in season one. He was the quintessential good guy. And then in season 2 he got to explore being a douche for a bit- which is fine. He is a teenager and he was going through some shit. But I really felt that by the end of season 2 he should have resolved that particular plot point. And he was a little better in season 3 I guess? But he didn’t really progress until the end of this season and from a writing standpoint I feel like they really dragged that out for too long. 

5. What’s with this show and it’s hard on for cheating? Like seriously, why does almost every relationship have some kind of infidelity. Like, were Otis and Ruby officially broken up when he kissed Maeve? Maeve certainly hadn’t broken up with Isaac, and this was almost directly on the heels of their very emotional sex scene. There was the issue with Jean and Jakob last season, and Eric cheating on Rahim with Adam. And then Eric (for some reason) cheating on Adam this season with random Nigerian dude whose name I can’t remember. Just...why is this a thing? 

     But also can we just talk about how weird the break up was? And out of left field? Like they literally spent the whole season developing their relationship, and then they get to Nigeria and after hiding the whole time he is subtly able to talk about Adam to his grandmother. And he sounds so proud, and so nice when he’s doing so, and not at all like he’s planning to end this wonderful relationship he’s describing. And then when he gets back, guilty after cheating on said boyfriend (like he should be) he asks Adam, seemingly as a test, if he would go out to a club with him. And Adam says no because that isn’t his scene and like...Eric knows that isn’t his scene. But at the same time, I feel like if Eric had sat him down and been like “You don’t have to wear makeup or dress outlandishly, just come to the club with me because it’s important to me” I really think Adam would have gone. And if the clothes and make-up were a dealbreaker like...why? You know who you’re dating. And while wanting him to tell his mom isn’t an overwhelmingly outrageous request, when you start getting into his physical appearance then that’s just actually trying to change him as a person and that’s just a really shitty thing to do. 

6. I promise there will be some positives in this list at some point but before that...what the fuck Eric? Like, I understand that Eric wants to get out there and explore his options, find someone more comfortable doing the things that he wants to go do. That’s realistic I guess, your high school relationships don’t work out and just because Adam came out for him he still isn’t obligated to stay in a relationship with him. But from a fictional narrative standpoint? What the fuck is this? Adam and Eric were one of the most popular ships on the show. They have been foreshadowed since season one, and had so so much effort put into developing them both as characters. Adam has come such a long way. They have brought him so far out of him comfort zone that Adam in season 3 is almost a completely different person to Adam in season 1. They spent so much of this season further developing the relationship they established last season, and for what? To break them up at the very end? WHY? 

7. Following on the heels of point 6, Aimee and Steve. They didn’t need to break up. I understand the direction the writers were taking this- Aimee wants to be single for a while to fully process her trauma and get to know her own body again. And that’s valid. I just don’t like it because I very strongly suspect that she will have a new love interest next season and that all her stuff about being single isn’t going to be shown. It will all happen off screen during whatever time skip they employ between seasons and then they’re going to use the fact that she is single to introduce a new more dramatic love interest for her since golden retriever boy Steve wasn’t interesting enough for them. Maybe that’s just me being cynical but if anyone can come out of season 3 NOT feeling a little cynical it would probably be a miracle. 

8. A positive! Finally a positive! I love the relationship between Adam and Rahim. Do I want them to date? Not particularly. I wouldn’t be mad if it happens, but I really just like them as like awkward begrudging friends. Some of my favorite scenes this season were the interactions between the two of them (Once again, the disgusting bus ride notwithstanding) I like Rahim a lot more when he isn’t interrupting my ship (which is a habit of mine. I liked Ola a lot more once she broke up with Otis) 

9. I don’t think Viv was out of character. Some people have been saying that she was, but I don’t think so. She has always been ambitious and even Jackson understand that about her in the show. And even when she was working for Hope and carrying out her rules, she was never an antagonist because she never gave up her personal morals to do it. For example, when Hope had them divided into boy and girl lines, Jackson asked her where Cal should go. She told him that boys went to the left and girls went to the right but as soon as Cal was like “Im not a boy or a girl,” Viv was immediately like, “ Oh! Right! Let me ask Hope.” She approached the situation in a way that made it clear that she recognized this issue as a legitimate problem and when she went to Hope it wasn’t framed like “This person is being an issue refusing to choose,” but instead like “We didn’t account for this possibility, that was our bad. How should we fix it?” Later on, on the class trip, Viv even lied to Hope and told her everything was fine because she didn’t want to get anyone in trouble. Viv took the opportunities presented to her, but I never interpreted it as her being an antagonist in any way. 

10. I love that Viv and Jackson remained friends, and I love that Viv has her sexy long-distance boyfriend who sexts about wheat XD Her sexting was one of my favorite scenes- well written, laugh out loud hilarious. No complaints. Sexy boyfriend was indeed very sexy and honestly, Viv absolutely deserves him. 

11. Mr. Groff better apologize to Adam next season, or at the very least have any kind of fucking conversation with his son at all or else why the fuck did I watch SO MANY scenes developing him as a sympathetic character? They could have spent that time developing ANYONE, but instead we were focused on him so like...I’m going to need some kind of payoff. Make it relevant

12. I want more bonding scenes between Adam and Maureen. I love Maureen- I love her friendship with Jean and I love how she always chooses her son over  her estranged husband (as she should) I especially love her very loving and supportive relationship with Adam, even though Adam is terrible at communication. It’s a self indulgent wish, I’d just like to see more. 

13. Isaac. I made many posts after the season 2 release, about how much I despised Isaac. Unlike Ola, I find that I didn’t have a complete change of heart but I don’t hate him AS MUCH as I did before. I still don’t like him though and while you might think “Yeah but you hate anyone who stands in the way of Otis and Maeve” no. This is historically accurate and yet, this season? Not true. For example, I don’t hate Ruby. Do I think her inclusion in the story was handled poorly in a way that made the entire plot point unnecessary? Yes I do. I also feel that way about Isaac, but less so because I feel like the relationship between him and Maeve deepening was better foreshadowed and was kind of the natural conclusion given the events of the previous season. As a character though, I still don’t really like him, and after 2 seasons of him I don’t think it has anything to do with him interfering with Maeve’s relationship with Otis- I just legitimately don’t like him. And I don’t like him with Maeve. I think the biggest irritant this season was the way that, after confessing about deleting the message he was like “yeah I fucked up but only because I like you so much, just forgive me” And then at one point I believe I remember Maeve apologizing to him for her reaction to everything. But then when he found out that she kissed Otis (admittedly a shitty thing to do) he got so mad and like, held a fucking grudge about it. And I get it, he has a right to be mad, but also boy you were the one groveling like 2 episodes ago get over yourself. They both fucked up in different ways but he acts like he has the moral high ground all the time and it gets really annoying. I don’t know, maybe I’m letting my general dislike of the character color my perception of events, but this show has managed to change my opinion on characters before but it still hasn’t made me like him so I think it’s just not going to. 

14. What the hell were they trying to do with Hope? Like legitimately, what? Because I can’t quite figure it out. And that’s mostly because I feel like they were trying to make her a nuanced and sympathetic villain, but they broke a cardinal rule- To make a villain sympathetic you must also ensure that nothing they do is inherently irredeemable. For example, principal Groff. He was a grade A dick for the past 2 seasons but I still feel that, now that we have a sympathetic backstory, if handled properly he could still come back from this. He can see the error of his ways and if he works really really hard to make amends to his family he could perhaps have his character turned around. In Hope’s case however, I would argue that they did makes her nuanced, but failed to make her sympathetic because as a character she went too far. If they had stuck to her just being a general tyrant of a headmaster - enforcing strict rules and regulations but doing so out of insurmountable pressure from her own bosses -  and then softened us towards the character by showing us her willingness to help Maeve get a scholarship, her troubled marriage, and her inability to conceive, it could have worked. The trouble is when they brought in her racism and general bigotry. Those weren’t flaws brought on by stress, those were deeply rooted character flaws that the character isn’t going to overcome because by the end of the season the character hasn’t even admitted them to herself. The issues were addressed by others, but not by Hope herself, leaving me to believe that the character herself still views them as a nonissue. I would be very surprised if she even appears in season 4 and moreso if they manage to even half-way redeem her. I’m relatively certain we won’t see her again, which makes me question the effort put into her character development. 

15. I like Jakob as a character, I don’t like him as a love interest for Jean, but I LOVE him as a father figure for Otis. It’s very conflicting because I want him to stay in Otis’s life, but I don’t like him as a romantic interest for Jean. also it’s pretty clear he isn’t Joy’s father so that’s going to be an awkward fucking conversation. If she even tells him. The way the show is going I kind of feel like she won’t, or will at least put it off for as long as possible. 

16. I want more interaction between Otis and Jean. Positive interaction, not just her being intrusive or Otis being a little bitch. I like their mother-son dynamic when they’re getting along so I just generally want more of it. 

17. Adam. Adam has become my favorite character in this show and I just generally want more of him and his relationships with others. I love his relationship with his mother but I want more if him and Emily, and him and Ola and now him and Ruby. I want to see him and Ruby discussing the Kardashians. I want him to train Madam and enter her in more competitions and just ultimately grow his social circle. Get all the love and support for god’s sake this boy needs it. 

Im sure there are plenty of things I’m forgetting and you can ask me about them if you like but for now it’s late and I’m tired. 

[amorest-viesse]

City of Foam Sub-Episodes [All]

Ft. Rustica, Shylock, Murr, Rutile, Lennox, Shino, Arthur, Heathcliff

Impressions of the Spot (1)

Akira: Shylock, you seem like you’re in a good mood today.

Shylock: Oh my… to think you’d catch me like this. I’m feeling a little embarrassed.

Shylock: It just so happens that one can find many hidden treasures at this flea market. Take for example, this glass.

Shylock gently unraveled his scarf. Then, as if performing a magic trick, he withdrew from it a thin wine glass with a delicate design.

Akira: Ohh… pretty…

Shylock: The craftsmanship is exquisite from top to bottom. It’s an extraordinarily beautiful, elaborate piece of work. Such a glass would not seem out of place in the dining halls of royal palaces.

Shylock: The goods from this market trickle down from wealthier areas such as the City of Affluence. These high-class items are then lost and scattered amongst the rest of the merchandise here.

Shylock: To the discerning eye of a connoisseur, this place is like a treasure trove. Murr, for one, is quite fond of it, so much so that he left and has yet to return.

Akira: If Murr likes this place... than are there are many precious stones here?

Shylock: That’s right. However, it would seem there are more rocks than gems.

Shylock: I bought this glass as a set of two. Perhaps when we return to the manor, we should make a toast together. Would you care to join me, Master Sage?

Impressions of the Spot (2)

Rutile: Master Sage, take a look at this!

Akira: Is that a caricature? It looks just like you! Did you draw this, Rutile?

Rutile: It was a caricature artist! They were a kid about Mitile’s age, but they’re really good!

Rutile: It is a little concerning that children that young are already working in the City of Foam…

Rutile: But it seems like the people here are cheerful regardless. I feel like many of them like what they do.

Akira: I think so too. Like the Western Wizards, it’s probably helps being so cheerful and positive.

Rutile: Exactly! I got along really well with the caricature artist too. We ended up talking on and on about art.

Rutile: I gave them some art supplies from the Southern Country, and they looked pretty happy about it. I had so much fun chatting that now I’m feeling pretty inspired too!

Rutile: When we return to the manor, I want to make caricatures of everyone. You’ll be the very first one, Master Sage!

Impressions of the Spot (3)

Lennox: Oh…

Akira: Ah, Lennox, are you alright?

City Kid: Hey watch where ya standin' big guy! Don’t just take up the middle of the road like that!

Lennox: ...Sorry….

Lennox: However, could you return that sheep you just took?

City Kid: …! Here…!

Sheep: Baa! Baa baa!

Akira: Ah…! The kid dropped the sheep and ran….

Lennox: I’m surprised anyone would even think of stealing my sheep.

Akira: Me too… but I’m glad you noticed right away.

Lennox: I agree. The child also gave in pretty easily, so it wasn’t a big deal.

Lennox: I heard that the City of Foam was an impoverished area, but the buildings here are also quite beautiful. It’s not as run-down as I thought it’d be…

Lennox: Still, you should be careful, Master Sage. I urge you not to leave my side.

Break Time (1)

Chloe: Master Sage! Wait up! Here, try this!

Akira: Is this juice? Thank you Chloe, cheers! *gulp*

Chloe: It’s flavored soda! Yours is pomegranate and mine is mint.

Akira: Ooh… I’ve never had pomegranate soda before— it’s so tasty and refreshing!

Chloe: Right? I’m glad you liked it! You can find a lot of drinks at the Western Bazaar.

Chloe: If you go a little further, there’s also a place where you can rest. Since we’ve done a lot of walking so far, is it ok to stay there for a bit?

Akira: Of course. What kind of place is it?

Chloe: There’s an old bronze statue there that people say is the guardian of this city. Around the area, people tend to hold back from fighting and other misbehaving.

Chloe: The people of this city are poor, so they barely have any time to spare. That’s probably why they built a safe place to kick back and relax for a while.

Chloe: Especially since scary guys like the thugs workin’ under the city’s head honchos go outta their way to avoid fights around there. It's a place where people can feel safe and at peace.

Akira: It’s great that there's a place where you can just take it easy. Back in my world, whenever things piled up, I also tried finding calm areas where I could take a break.

Chloe: It’s important to have a time and place to rest your heart. It seems like the workers in this city often come to do just that.

Chloe: If you’re by my side, I think I could make some pretty good memories in this city.

Break Time (2)

Rustica: There’s a store up ahead that serves the most delicious tea. Whenever I’m in the City of Foam, I often stop by for a visit.

Rustica: While the tea leaves aren’t of particularly high quality, the owner himself is quite adept at brewing. He’s a little on the young side, but carries himself in the most elegant manner.

Rustica: Thus, I’ve brought you here in hopes of having tea with you.

Akira: I would love to join! I'm really looking forward to it, but…

Rustica: Oh my… the shop is closed? My sincerest apologies Master Sage, it appears they aren’t open today.

Akira: (That much is clear at least, but is anyone actually working here? The shop seems like it’s been abandoned altogether…)

Rustica: Excuse me, good madam, but I have a small inquiry. Is this tea shop closed for the day?

Passerby: What in the world are you talking about? The shop’s been empty for decades since the old man who owned it passed away. Nobody lives here.

Rustica & Akira: …

Rustica: Now that I think about it, when was the last time I visited…

Akira: (I’ve heard that wizards have long lives… Their sense of time must be considerably different from mine…)

Rustica: My apologies, Master Sage. For today, shall we turn back and have some tea with my tea set instead?

Rustica: <<Amorest Viesse>>

Akira: Ah… There are flowers on the door…

Rustica: It’s really quite a shame. I would’ve liked to enjoy his tea again. However, it seems, the more cherished something is, the sooner it scatters into the wind.

Memories at the Spot (1)

Chloe: Once a year, the City of Foam hosts a fireworks competition. It's like a huge festival, and everyone gets pretty hyped up for it— my family goes every year.

Chloe: Of course, I always had to stay at home, and I couldn’t really see the sky from my window... but I could still tell what was happening from the sound!

Chloe: Boom, boom, bang bang bang! It was a sound that shook me to my core. Have you ever heard a sound like that, Master Sage?

> I have

Chloe: It’s incredible, right? I always wondered how the whole city wasn’t destroyed. It was terrifying, but a little exciting too.

> Not really

Chloe: Really? I think you’d be surprised! It's like 10 times louder than you can imagine!

Chloe: Oh and while we’re talking about it, Murr once conjured up a smaller firework show for us back in the manor’s courtyard.

Akira: Right! I didn’t see it myself, but Shino and Heathcliff told me about it.

Chloe: It happened while you were away, but we should ask Murr to do it again when you’re here. We should watch it together next time.

Chloe: I was so happy to see how beautiful they were. This time, let’s host it in a more open space so we can really hear 'em while we watch!

Memories at the Spot (2)

Chloe: The people in this city don’t have a lot of money to spare, so it’s super duper important to reuse things!

Chloe: That’s why recycling and repairing old items is a city-wide specialty.

Chloe: Back when I was still working at my parent’s tailor shop, we had a lot of requests to patch up old clothing. However, people tended to repair things on their own for the most part.

Chloe: Now and again, you'll come across someone with super cute fixes. For example, using different colors to patch certain sections and things like that!

Akira: Now that you mention it, the people in the Western Country always give off a trendy vibe no matter which city I’m in.

Chloe: So you think so too! Ehehe, that makes me kinda happy.

Chloe: There’s a certain feel to broken windows or dishes that have been fixed… To me, they feel even more precious than before they were damaged.

Akira: Oh! That reminds me of the cup you have in your room. I always thought it had a strange design, but that’s not the case, right?

Chloe: Yeah! You noticed it? I carelessly broke it one day, and after I fixed it, the pattern was so funny that I just kept using it!

Chloe: What I like about this city is that people always find ways to enjoy life no matter how tough it gets.

Memories at the Spot (3)

Rustica: Since this city is a treasure trove of antique artworks, I’ve always been fond of it. Thus, I’ve visited many times over the centuries.

Rustica: However, Chloe isn't too fond of returning here.

Akira: He doesn’t have a lot of good memories in this city, huh…

Rustica: There’s no need for Chloe to be afraid. He has learned a great deal of magic since he left and is much stronger now. He’s also discovered new reasons to be happy, and I’ll be with him.

Rustica: However, I’d rather not take him to a place he doesn’t want to go.

Rustica: Whether he loves something or hates it, I hope he follows his heart.

Akira: Even though it was for a request, I forced Chloe to come to this city when he didn’t want to…

Rustica: That’s not true at all, Master Sage. In fact, I was planning on telling you the exact opposite.

Rustica: By coming to this city with you and the others, Chloe is trying to discover new, wondrous, joyous things about it.

Rustica: He’s trying to see something he couldn’t back when he was scared and alone.

Akira: Rustica…

Rustica: It makes me happy to see Chloe so full of courage. I must offer all of you my sincerest gratitude.

Rustica: It is my honor to be one of the Sage’s, one of your wizards. I look forward to seeing what else I may discover by your side.

Impressions of Chloe (1)

Akira: Shylock, could I ask for you opinion on Chloe?

Shylock: Chloe is a good student who never causes me trouble. It seems that he’s learned most of his magic fundamentals from Rustica.

Shylock: He’s a sweet child who works hard to make up for what he lacks. I’m glad that Chloe and Rustica were the new wizards chosen to join us in the West.

Akira: That's good to hear. However, you seem worried about something…

Shylock: From time to time, he does fall into a habit of doubting himself. I suppose it makes sense when you look at where he came from.

Shylock: I do hope he can spend his time at the Magic Manor smiling from the bottom of his heart. After all, our lives are quite long.

Shylock: However, there is one other thing…

Akira: What do you mean?

Shylock: Perhaps, because Chloe believes that Rustica saved him, he closely ties his own happiness to Rustica.

Shylock: Should there be a day where Rustica is no longer by his side, I worry for what would become of Chloe.

Akira: If Rustica is no longer by his side…

Shylock: Fufu. It’s nothing but a little worry for now. Rather, I do hope that over time, Chloe will be able to make his own happiness little by little.

Impressions of Chloe (2)

Murr: Master Sage! Look!

Akira: Whoa, this brooch is beautiful! Did you make it?

Murr: I asked Chloe to do it! The way it sparkles is the best!

Murr: Having a tailor with you is so much fun! Any outfit you want, any accessory you could wear, right in the palm of your hands! No magic required!

Akira: So Chloe was the one who made this. It looks great on you!

Murr: He made it for me after all! Isn't it perfectly perfect? I'm gettin' all excited about it!

Murr: Chloe’s specialty might be sewing, but mine is evaluating gemstones. That’s why I can confirm that this is one of the most beautiful pieces in the world!

Murr: Aren’t I right? Don’t ya think so too, Master Sage?

Akira: Huh? I mean, y- yes!

Murr: Okey doke! In that case, go tell Chloe everything I just said!

Akira: Huh!? Wouldn’t it make more sense to tell him yourself…?

Murr: I already did! So now it's your turn!

Murr: Besides, Chloe wouldn’t believe it unless a third party tells him anyways. He sure likes doin’ things in a roundabout way!

Murr: So hurry it up! Don’t just stand there all day, go, go, go!

Impressions of Chloe (3)

Akira: Rustica, what are your thoughts on Chloe?

Rustica: He’s a reliable person and a kind child. I owe him a great deal of thanks for taking care of me every day.

Rustica: However, the more he tailors for me, the more I wish to see him in his own designs. He would look splendid in his own creations after all.

> If you told him, I’m sure he’d be happy!

Rustica: I’ve tried many times. However, he always avoids the topic.

Rustica: Tomorrow morning, we should sneak into his room before he’s had time to change and tell him. It would certainly give him a surprise.

> He’d probably be embarrassed to hear that.

Rustica: If that’s the case, then I would like to tell him all the more.

Rustica: He might be shy, but he also has a great deal of courage within him. If I asked, surely he would try for my sake.

Akira: Even though Chloe’s your apprentice and you’re his teacher, I don’t really get that feeling from you two.

Rustica: While it’s true that I taught Chloe the fundamentals of magic, I’ve also learned a great deal from him. He's like a dear friend to me.

Rustica: Although… there might come a day where Chloe’s outward appearance exceeds mine in age.

Akira: That’s right… I’ve heard that a wizard’s appearance stops changing once they’ve reached the height of their magic.

Rustica: Chloe would make quite the striking figure as a gentleman, but it’d be rather strange to have one fussing over me, would it not?

Rustica: If that day were to ever come, perhaps I shall be the apprentice this time and he, the teacher.

Impressions of Chloe (4)

Akira: Shino, what are your thoughts on Chloe? It seems like he has a pretty good relationship with both you and Heathcliff.

Shino: I guess we get along.

Shino: Although the first time we ever interacted, he came off as a pretty shallow guy. I thought he was just another idiot.

Akira: What!? Did you really?

Shino: Only at first. I hate the kind of guys who act like shameless suck ups.

Shino: But Chloe isn’t like that. If he's angry, he shows it. If he has something to say, he says it. Plus, he’s had a surprisingly tough life, so he’s a pretty strong guy.

Shino: I consider him a friend.

Akira: (Since Shino's also had a rough childhood, they probably have similar experiences.)

Shino: I heard that before coming to the manor, Chloe and Rustica traveled across the Western Country together.

Shino: Sounds like fun. I’d like to try someday.

Shino: Chloe’s stories are interesting. He’s got my respect.

Impressions of Chloe (5)

Akira: Arthur, what sort of impression do you have of Chloe?

Arthur: Chloe is someone who works hard, not just to improve his magic, but also to achieve his dream.

Akira: And that dream is to become a tailor, right?

Arthur: Indeed it is. He has something that he wants to be in the future, something to continually strive towards. I’ve always thought that was incredible of him; it makes me a little jealous.

Arthur: I want to use my current position to improve the relationship between humans and wizards, but, it’s a little different from Chloe’s precious dream.

Arthur: I think it’s amazing that he’s already found something to wholeheartedly devote himself.

Akira: I didn’t expect you to be envious of him.

Arthur: Isn’t it mesmerizing to watch him sew or listen to his ideas though?

Arthur: I too, want a dream I can talk about like that.

Arthur: Oh, there’s also…

Akira: Is there something else?

Arthur: Rustica and Chloe seem like they have a deep friendship. I’m a little jealous of the bond they have as teacher and apprentice.

Arthur: Watching the two of them, I think it’d be nice if I could admonish Master Oz like that and fuss over him too, just once.

Stories Related to the Spot (1)

Chloe: Since I was locked up for a long time, I could only hear rumors from my family and the guests. However, they often spoke of a local boss named Timeo.

Akira: A local… boss?

Chloe: There was a lot of disturbing talk about him, things like, “that's where Timeo’s underlings were, so don’t go there,” or “they finally caught his cronies” or “those guys are so dead…”

Akira: Sounds like a scary guy…

Chloe: You and me both! However, even though everyone was scared, I think, there was a part of us that idolized him too.

Chloe: He could end fights, settle disputes, and chase out ruffians who came to town even if his methods were a little heavy-handed.

Chloe: People around here trusted him more than the public officials. I thought he was kinda cool back when I was a kid.

Akira: I see, so he’s like a commander protecting his territory.

Chloe: Yes! That’s exactly it!

Chloe: When I first came to the manor, I actually thought Bradley was a lot like Timeo.

Chloe: That’s why, I thought he was kinda cool when we met. He’s a little scary to talk to though, so please keep this a secret between us.

Stories Related to the Spot (2)

Akira: I hear children in the City of Foam work as well. What kind of jobs do they have?

Chloe: Kids usually help out with the family business like I did with my parents’ tailor shop. For those without family businesses or families altogether…

Chloe: Singing, dancing, or drawing are all options! If they have a special skill, they’ll make use of it. There are also a lotta kids who do things like shine shoes, clean, or act as city guides.

Akira: I see… that sounds tough…

Chloe: It is what it is. Besides, everyone’s pretty resolute here. The kids in this town are as clever as adults.

Chloe: Travelers are often tricked by them. They’ll feel sorry for the children street vendors and buy something, only to find out they’ve been cheated.

Chloe: Make sure to be careful Master Sage. It’s best to have me or someone else accompany you while you're out here.

Akira: G- got it. If I want to go anywhere, I’ll make sure to ask you or Rustica.

Chloe: Well, in this situation, you can't really depend on Rustica to help. He’s too easy-going and kind, so he often gets caught in these kinds of things.

Chloe: I can’t help but like that side of him though!

About the Western Country

Akira: You’ve traveled all over the Western Country haven’t you, Chloe?

Chloe: Yep! Ever since I met Rustica, I’ve had fun going to different cities.

Chloe: We mostly frequent urban areas, but the countryside can be relaxing too. It leaves a different impression that's for sure.

Akira: So that’s how it is. What’s the biggest difference between the two?

Chloe: Hmm, I’d say, the people and scenery?

Chloe: In the Western Country, humans are basically indifferent towards wizards due to the development of magical science. They believe they can just use magic on their own.

Chloe: This attitude is especially obvious in urban areas like the City of Foam or City of Affluence. However, if you go to a rural area, people tend to be a little warier which can be a refreshing change.

Akira: So wizards’ and humans’ personalities change based on where they’re from.

Chloe: It sure seems like they influence each other, although that goes for just about everything. I’ve changed a little since leaving home too.

Chloe: Now that I’m at the Magic Manor, I’ll probably change even more. I’m getting excited just thinking about it!

About the Great Calamity

Akira: During your time in the City of Foam, how did you spend the nights of the Great Calamity’s approach?

Chloe: Since I was locked up at home, I didn’t realize that the Calamity would actually grow larger and actually come closer.

Chloe: However, I would feel my power start to overflow, like a strange sensation crawling beneath my skin. It felt like I could barely control myself.

Chloe: I didn’t know it was because of the Great Calamity until after I left the city.

Akira: I suppose stories about its effects haven’t reached normal civilians.

Chloe: Definitely not in the Western Country although I did hear stories about a day that came once a year where wizards were essential.

Chloe: However, I could never tell if it was true or not since I only ever heard about it from my family or off the streets.

Akira: You didn’t know…?

Chloe: Some suspect the Calamity approaches and retreats according to its own will rather than the intervention of anyone else. There are lots of people in the Western Country like this.

Chloe: They say the stories of a battle are just lies told by glory-seeking wizards.

Akira: That’s terrible…

Chloe: Due to the development of magical science in this country, people believe wizards are unnecessary now.

Chloe: However, when it comes to the ill omens that surround the Great Calamity, machines can't seem to read them at all.

Chloe Incognito

Chloe: Master Sage! I wanna do a little shopping, but is it alright if you come with?

Akira: No problem. Of course I can.

Chloe: Yay! Thank you! …The truth is, I’m trying to find a disguise for myself.

Chloe: There are people I really don't wanna meet in this city, but I feel like if I go by myself, I’ll just end up choosing something that’s a dead give-away.

Chloe: That’s why, I want you to decide for me! With a disguise on, I can visit even the busiest flea market or bazaar.

Akira: Alright then, I don’t really know anything about fashion, but if you’re looking for a disguise, why not…

> Something like the Northern Wizards?

Chloe: Ooh, I see! Northern Wizards seem scary, but they also have a mature feel to them…

Chloe: A spiffy suit would probably make the perfect disguise!

> Something like the Eastern Wizards?

Chloe: Ooh, I see! The defining characteristics of Eastern clothing are their pattern and embroidery techniques. I could probably fool travelers with it!

Chloe: Since I don’t normally wear cool colors, if I coordinated the outfit with an overcoat or a light cloak instead, that would still give off the calming atmosphere of an Easterner, don’t ya think?

> Something like the Central Wizards?

Chloe: Ooh, I see! When it comes to the Central Wizards, you think of knights, nobility, and royalty, right?

Chloe: Their clothing definitely has a majestic and dignified feel to it. I’m too self-conscious to wear something like that, but then again, no one would ever suspect it was me!

Chloe: You did it again, Master Sage! I can always count on you!

Akira: It’s my pleasure to help. I’m also looking forward to seeing your disguise as a wizard from another country.

Chloe: Ehehe, I’d be happy if you could help me think of some good outfits too.

People of the Spot

Chloe: Wizards and humans in the Western Country tend to be bright and cheerful. I always thought I was a real wallflower and worrywart in comparison.

Chloe: After meeting the Eastern Wizards however, I was surprised at how mature and prudent they were, even if they tend to worry a lot too!

Akira: Now that you mention it, compared to the Eastern Wizards, you’re a lot more cheerful and lively.

Chloe: Right? Whenever I talk to Heath or Faust, I’m always the more optimistic one.

Chloe: Even if I’m worried about something, I’ll often think to myself “Go for it anyways!” and just let things happen.

Chloe: I suppose that part of me really is like a Western Wizard. Likewise, the people in this town may be poor, but they’re also pretty easygoing!

Akira: I really like that bright and positive Western Wizard side of you.

Chloe: Ehehe, thanks, Master Sage!

Chloe: However, when it comes to the other three Western Wizards, I definitely have to be the voice of reason for them!

Wizards at the Spot

Shylock: In shanty towns such as the City of Foam, there are a great deal of swindling wizards. They are one of the many reasons for our declining reputation in this country.

Shylock: One hears a number of stories such as purchasing a gem once bestowed by a royal family, only to have it turn to stone after a few days.

Akira: People probably think that magic would make pulling a trick on others a piece of cake…

Shylock: Taking advantage of someone’s greed and fooling them certainly sounds like something a Western Wizard would do.

Shylock: However, I wish such mischief making was carried out with a tad more elegance.

Akira: Elegance…?

Shylock: For example, playing a trick on a greedy human in order to teach them a lesson.

Shylock: By the way, Master Sage. A little while ago, I happened to pass by a shop where I obtained a bottle of wine said to be gathered from the dew of a miraculous flower.

Shylock: Normally, the price for such a fine drink would be worth three gold coins. However, just for you, I shall lower it to one. Will you partake in a glass?

Akira: W- with a lead up like that…

Shylock: It’s a steal, no?

A Dangerous Place

Murr: Master Sage, Master Sage! Right before you is an alleyway they say is so dangerous, you should never, ever go near it!

Murr: So let’s check it out!

Akira: What!? T- that’s not safe! Shouldn’t we turn ba—

Murr: What’s wrong? Don’t ‘cha think the danger adds intrigue? I love scary places that give ya a thrill!

Murr: Are you feelin’ it now, Master Sage? I wanna see your heart race!

Akira: M- my heart is definitely racing, but, aren’t you scared Murr?

Murr: I’m a wizard so places that humans deem dangerous aren’t exciting for me at all!

Akira: Ah. I suppose you can use magic after all. Well, having you here is reassuring at least…

Murr: Alright, talk over! Have fun!

[Disappears]

Akira: What!? Hold on! I thought we were gonna do this together!? I can’t do this alone!!

Murr: It’s fine, it’s fine! I can practically see the excitement on your face!

Akira: Why is this happening… Stop messing around! Murr! MURR!

Chloe’s Reputation

Akira: Chloe, Heathcliff. Were the two of you out together?

Chloe: I asked him to come to the flea market with me! There are so many clothes and accessories that would look good on him.

Chloe: I loved getting to dress up Heath! We drew sooo much attention; everyone was complimenting my coordination!

Heathcliff: I stood out a lot in that flashy clothing, so it was a little embarrassing…

Chloe: Heath was pretty shy about the whole thing! He looked so good in that white suit with the scarlet rose corsage though!

Akira: You wore something like that? It’s rare getting to see Heathcliff in something so bold. I wish I could’ve been there.

Heathcliff: Uu... not you too… but I’m glad Chloe enjoyed himself…

Heathcliff: It would’ve been nice though if we had bought the matching gray suit since you looked so good in it.

Chloe: Huh? I’m a bit nervous about matching up to you though.

Akira: Don’t worry about that! I want to see you wearing a suit too!

Chloe: Y- you do? The price was pretty reasonable. If the Master Sage wants it, then maybe we should go back to get it…

Heathcliff: If you wear it, I’ll wear mine too.

Chloe: Huh!? Really? Ooh in that case, I should add decorations to the collars and swap out the cuffs so they match better and…

Heathcliff: Well, we should probably get going before someone else buys them first. Let’s think about this afterwards. Come on, Chloe.

Chloe: Y- yeah! Master Sage, we’re going to the flea market again!

Akira: Got it! I’ll look forward to seeing you guys!

A Local Specialty

Akira: Huh? There’s something in my back pocket… A slip of paper? No, a candy wrapper?

Akira: (I don’t remember eating any candy…)

Chloe: Master Sage! You’ve been visited by the Lucky Pickpocket!

Akira: The Lucky… Pickpocket…?

Chloe: There are a lotta pickpockets and thieves in this city. On some occasions though, they won’t steal anything and will instead leave a small coin or token in your pocket.

Chloe: It’s like they’re trying to say “we’re not all bad, we can do good things too.”

Akira: Oh, I get it now. So it’s more of a warning to be careful than a prank.

Akira: Ah! There was a coin wrapped in it!

Chloe: Amazing, Master Sage-- you really hit the jackpot! Today will probably be a good day then!

Discovery at the Spot

Akira: Rustica. Are you shopping for something…?

Rustica: Master Sage. I’ve heard that this gentleman can read your fortune, so I’ve asked him to look into it for me.

Fortune Teller: Eh he he… What kinda fortune are ya seekin’ today?

Akira: (He’s dressed up like a wizard, so he definitely has the air of a fortune teller! However, there’s something fishy about this…)

> A cat fortune

Fortune Teller: Very well then. Now, meow for me.

Rustica: Miaoow.

Akira: Huh? M- meow?

Fortune Teller: Hmm. Yer both very lucky!

> A dream fortune

Fortune Teller: Very well then. Now, tell me what ya dreamt of last night.

Rustica: Last night, I had a troublesome dream where several baby Chloes were born. I had to take them to a warm place, but no matter how hard I tried, they kept slipping from my grasp.

Akira: Huh? That dream sounds like fun... Umm, I don’t think I had one though.

Fortune Teller: Hmm. Both of ya should take it easy for the day and rest!

> A kissing fortune

Fortune Teller: Very well then. Pretend like yer puckerin’ up for a kiss.

Rustica: While it's not in my nature to wait, will this do?

Akira: Huh? I, uh… Do I do it here or…

Rustica: Oh my, Master Sage. Are you feeling shy about it?

Fortune Teller: Hmm. Both of ya get 100 points!

Akira: (What kind of fortune is that!?)

Rustica: Thank you. I quite enjoyed myself. Let’s get goin’, Master Sage.

Fortune Teller: Any time.

Akira: Rustica… was that person actually a fortune teller?

Rustica: Well. I can’t say for sure, but I certainly had an interesting time. What did you think, Master Sage?

Rustica: If you’re curious about whether or not he’s the real deal, shall we get our fortunes read once again?

A Fun Place

Murr: Master Sage! Looky, look!

Akira: Whoa! That rooster’s huge!?

Giant Rooster: Caw!!

Akira: What did you do? It looks absolutely furious…

Murr: There’s a cockfighting ring in the City of Foam! While the chickens are fighting, you can bet on the outcome and win prizes!

Akira: So it’s basically gambling… Are you planning on betting or participating yourself?

Murr: Both! Can we keep it, Master Sage!?

Akira: What? You’re keeping it at the Magic Manor?

Giant Rooster: Caw!!

Murr: Shylock said I could if you said I could! So I bet him that you'd agree!

Akira: Y- you bet on something like that? It’d be okay if it was more docile, but wouldn’t it be dangerous if it were to escape…?

Murr: Ah! The match is starting! C’mon we gotta go now! I’ll show you what a cool place it is!

Murr: If my rooster wins, let me keep it! I’m betting on his victory!

[letarasstuff]

Panic, Love and Take Out

Summary: Midterms are hard on all of us, even on a genuis’ daughter

Warnings: Angst, but it’s a fluffy end, I promise 🥺, panic attack, mentions of school (lets admit, we all got  trauma from school), stress, language (I think there’s one swear word?)

Word count: 1.6k

✨Masterlist✨

_______________________________-

“When you get home, you do your calculus homework first. Then you write this essay for history. After that you have to solve the problems from your chemistry class. Wait. It would be better if I do it after calculus”, (Y/N) talks to herself on her way home.

Midterms are around the door and the teachers think giving their students 30 hours worth of homework is the best way to help them study. Sadly they don’t see that it gives them nothing but stress pimples.

“I’m home!” she calls into the apartment while hanging up her coat. Like it occurs in 90% of all cases the teenager is greeted with silence. Her father has yet to come home.

After a little snack (a granola bar and an apple from the kitchen counter) she goes up into her room starting on her homework.

It’s not like all the things she does are due tomorrow or anytime soon. (Y/N) likes to get a head start on her work. So time won’t come and bite her in the end, because she procrastinated too much.

Though this attitude is something everyone envies her for, the downsides of it are just straight up destructive.

Since the amount of assignments doesn’t seem to shrink (Y/N) is constantly worrying about it. She can’t help it. It keeps her awake at night to know what she has to do and it bugs her that she lays awake and does nothing to help the situation.

“One down, only two left”, she mutters, putting her folder for calc away. It’s nearing dinner time, but (Y/N) doesn’t even dream about taking a break.

In her hyper focused state she doesn’t notice three important things:

1. The ever increasing clicking of her ball point pen

2. Her faster shaking leg

3. The front door opening and closing

“Honey, I’m home!” Spencer shouts. The absence of an answer makes his eyebrows furrow. His daughter should be home by now. Her shoes and jacket are neatly on the rack, indicating she must be there. Whenever he announces his arrival she is there to greet him.

“Hey honey, what are you doing there?” he asks, entering her room. The doctor stands in the doorway to take the picture in:

(Y/N) is bent over several notebooks. Textbooks litter the floor and an empty mug stands out between dozens of colored pens on her desk.

“Hi dad. Just getting some homework done. How was work?” She tries to make small talk, but it’s obvious that her focus lays elsewhere.

“It was fine, just a paper work day. When did you take a break? I was thinking about ordering dinner tonight. We could try this new chinese place Morgan recommended. We also can catch up on the newest episodes of Doctor Who. How does that sound?”

“Sounds good, but I have to get this done. Maybe I can join you later” (Y/N) excuses herself.

“Are you sure? It won’t hurt you to take a little time off. Actually your brain needs breaks between every 30 and 90 minutes in between study sessions. So I advise you to take one in order to avoid frustration because of exhaustion”, Spencer tries to convince her.

But the problem is that (Y/N) is her father’s daughter and can be as stubborn and ambitious as he is.

“I know that, dad. I promise it won’t take any longer until I’m finished. Just go ahead and order and begin watching.”

Defeated, the profiler leaves her room. He knows there is nothing he can do for now except for waiting. (Y/N) needs to come to him on her own.

But if she is honest with herself, she isn’t anywhere near being done. Her chemistry work takes longer than originally thought and her whole schedule is in delay. This only adds up on her already high amount of stress. The coffee she drank earlier to stay alert and awake doesn’t help the situation either.

What feels like only minutes later, which is actually half an hour, Spencer reappears in her doorway with a box of take out in his hands.

“Hey (Y/N), the food is here. Do you wanna join me on the sofa?” He asks gingerly. As her father he knows that it won’t take much now to make her explode. But this is exactly what happens.

“No dad, I don’t want to join you. Can’t you see that I’m busy? Not everybody has an IQ of 187 and just needs to read something once and can recite it like a damn robot. Now can you leave me alone for god’s sake?!”

Throughout her angry rant (Y/N) looks at her father with rueful eyes. He always knows that her outbursts, which are extremely rare for a teenager, are never meant to hurt him. It’s just the stress getting to her.

“Ok, honey. Just keep in mind where you can find me. I Love you and don’t overwork yourself.” He quickly closes the door. Spencer stood eye to eye with the worst scum on the planet, but his angry teenage daughter never fails to scare him at least a bit. So he tries to give her all the room she needs to get a clear head again.

(Y/N) on the other hand can’t feel any worse. Not only is she super antsy and stressed, now she also feels bad going off on her dad just like this. She knows he only wants to help her and she really is grateful for that, but in situations like this it’s difficult for her to keep her calm.

As the girl continues to write her essay, she realizes her father is right. Of course she is, she herself knows all the facts and stats there are about studying. Still she chooses to ignore them until it’s too late.

The longer she tries to form coherent sentences the trickier it gets. Which only frustrates her further, which only stresses her more.

“I’m so useless. I can’t even write about a subject I’m really interested in. I’m so dumb, god it hurts,” (Y/N) mumbles to herself. She can’t stop her train of thoughts from getting darker, all the stress now catching up to her mind.

In her state she loses the grip on her pen, letting it fall on the paper and splattering little droplets of ink. Her breath begins to get uneven, unfortunately a familiar feeling for (Y/N). At least she knows what to do.

The girl scrambles into the living room, where Spencer sits on the sofa like he told her earlier.

With shaking legs and a panic filled mind she looks at him, her eyes wide open. “D-dad. I-i-i” she doesn’t need to elaborate further. Not that she would be able to.

Sadly Spencer is experienced with the situation. He is quick to put her down in a chair, pressing her head between her legs. He draws with one hand circles on her back, the other is clenched in hers.

“Shh, (Y/N). Breath we me. We go in for six seconds, hold it for seven and let it go for eight. We can do it together” the doctor instructs her.

They do it until (Y/N)’s breathing is back under her control. She straightens her back again, still holding her dad’s hand in a deadbolt grip.

“I’m so-”

“No, there’s nothing to apologize for. What about we eat dinner and after that we do something repetitive. You really like doing these friendship bracelets, don’t you? I thought about it when I was shopping a few days ago and bought thread. Maybe you can teach me?”

At that his daughter begins to smile agreeing to the plan.

Not long after this, the small family sits next to each other. Old reruns of Doctor Who play in the background. Under softly told instructions Spencer ties his first bracelet. He knows that it is something little children do, but the repetitive pattern of movements help (Y/N) to calm fully down before she crashes down in exhaustion.

Like said before, it wasn’t her first panic attack. But she gets better.

“You know, you can always talk to me. I know school is stressing you out right now. But never forget, that your health, physically and mentally, is more important than any number on a piece of paper. And I will love you forever, nothing will ever change that”, he says after a time of silence. (Y/N) sighs.

“I know. It’s just, I want to do good. I want you to be proud of me”, she confesses. It’s hard for her to open up, but now seems like the perfect moment.

“I’m already proud of you. Hell, you could paint a pile of poop golden and I would be the proudest parent out there. Your accomplishments don’t define you as a human. They don’t determine your worth or are an indicator of your skills and knowledge. I love you, no matter what you do. I will always support you. I just want you to be happy and healthy.”

“Thanks dad. I love you too. Even though you are sometimes a real pain with your ‘know it better’ attitude”, she jokes and puts her head on her father’s shoulder. He slings his arm around her shoulders, making her snuggle into him further.

So the father and daughter sit there blissfully, basking in each other’s presence.

[antiloreolympus]

9 Anti LO Asks

1. Alright I get exaggeration in drawing characters and maybe I just noticed but Hades ears look huge in the latest chapters????? I draw myself but it’s so noticeable and huge it looks terrible. Also the shade of red of Persephones eyes looks terrible, she should have done like a pale red or just not do “red eyes for coolness” it just looks terrible and doesn’t add anything to Persephone design at the end of the day

2. Like I still do enjoy bits and pieces of LO, I’m interested to know how it’s gonna end, but Im just constantly disappointed in the writing now 

3. I’m the latest non fast pass chapter I still can’t take Persphone seriously. Idk if it’s the writing or whatever but RS just puts certain plot points at a halt. The last cliff hanger “am I a fertility goddess” and in the next chapter We don’t get answers we’re looking for might as well of not made that a cliff hanger if Demeter want going to give us much. Persphone asking if a fertility goddess means there’s a “few extra carrots” was the dumbest line. Was she being sarcastic? I can’t tell because the fascial expressions are often drawn a little weird. If Persphone is the “straight A” smart student she is, I would think she’d have more critical thinkng skills of why Demeter is hiding the fertility goddess status. Idk I think if RS is gonna write cliff hangers like that she should make sure those questions get answered not dodged or else Dont hype that scene up

4. Oook I have a wicked dumb theory that’s either far from happening or ACTUALLY happening. So remember in that one episode where RS left open another can of worms in ep. 148 at the very end where Kronos was a whole ass skeleton just saying “well well well”. I think that Persephone’s gonna turn giant again and maybe try to fight Kronos if he escapes and she might be all like “YoU cAnT hUrT hIm AnYmOrE!!” And judging by the art style, it’s gonna look goofy as hell and it’s gonna be another “yasaas queen gettem!!!” Moment. I can’t with this goofy ass comic Dx

5. lmao you guys werent kidding about the pom pin, it looks so out of place and passed on. its literally a circle with some spikes on top, how is that so hard to draw a few times over? my god rachel is lazy and overworking her poor team. then again their names arent on it, so why would they care if its bad? let rachel take the fall for it.

6. its not even an ancient greece thing but rather basic history that the rich and powerful did not wear white, their MO was always to show off they had money to afford fancy threads and dyes, so they'd always want colors and elaborate designs instead of undecorated white. maybe shes trying to base it off marble statues, but its well known by now that even those were brightly painted and colonizers from england actually whitewashed them for an aesthetic, so idk where her research is in any of this.

7. idk man maybe its just me but youd think a series that is trying to force a glamorous idea would actually put in the effort for the clothes to look nice, but instead theyre all just boring flat cloth and thats it. no pattens, no accessories, not even interesting cuts or folds or even different colors instead of "white" (its just pink or grey) or black. even in the beginning it tried to make up for it with sparkles to give the illusion of shine, but now it doesnt even bother with that.

8. White didn't even become a thing for brides until Queen Victoria was married in 1840, thousands of years after the timeframe of LO, so why would they have that symbolism in Persephone? More so, as other anon pointed out, Greek weddings especially loved yellow and reds for brides, so why would she be in plain white? Then again the gods of LO somehow have Versailles and 1980s American fashion before either country existed, so RS doesn't care to be accurate in mythology or basic history it seems.

-----FP Spoilers-----

9. Very true on the FP stuff. I think comedic use of a person being a bit jealous of their partners closeness to another can usually be done fine when it’s used not too seriously and the topic is moved on from quickly., but hades instead is just so mean and cruel to hermes for what, having an actual chemistry and friendship with persephone that wasn’t forced on by others and with her dependent on him? esp Bc we know how violently possessive hades is of her for no reason, so what could have been playful jealousy under a better writer is instead him being an asshole about it. persephone being jealous over hera was not done well but it at least made a little sense in the context (doesn’t make it good context) and she didn’t lash out at the people in question, but hades just looks like he’s legit angry persephone has a life and relationships outside of him. i think Rachel was going for “romantically possessive” (which isn’t romantic but go off) but instead he just looks like a creep.

[flowerbloom-arts]

Welp, since two people asked (@xanzusx and @ratdaduniverse ) I suppose I have an excuse to do an unnecessarily deep dive into a character literally nobody cared about that much or bothers to draw before I came along with my thing for all too unpopular characters!

Let's start with a quick tl;dr :

Aunt Jane is (probably, this is more speculative than anything) a victim of capitalism and misogyny working together to create a damaged woman with anger issues and a toxic relationship with money.

How, you may ask? Well, let's take a close look at her titular, starring, and only episode of the 90s series;

episode 27: Aunt Jane

In the beginning of the episode, Moominpappa receives a letter from an aunt from his father's side and it's made immediately clear that he is not a fan of his aunt or the reason she sent the letter to him, it's also stated that Aunt Jane had no one else to turn to besides her nephew to "discuss money matters" as the episode puts it. Moominpappa says that he isn't really scared of Aunt Jane herself (though she is quite scary and a not-great person as MP himself describes, being bossy and not letting people have a moment of peace) but it's the money he's afraid of, he's afraid of having to discuss something he knows nothing about with someone he dislikes, so he takes it upon himself to leave before she arrives. (sidenote: this may tie into some fear Moominpappa has of looking dumb and ruining his ego, aswell as generally not being able to put up with people he finds unpleasant for very long)

Then Aunt Jane arrives on a rowboat down the Moomin Valley river with someone else rowing for her (cool detail: her boat actually matches her umbrella! We can assume she owns the boat based on this and the rower is either an employee or some guy she paid [his mustache is delightful by the way, I love the round little fella]) and she just has this... Very odd blank stare as our very first shot of her? It's an odd first impression for the viewer to be sure.

Jane gets off the boat and the rower simply continues down stream without her, Jane notices Snufkin fishing and asks for directions to Moominhouse, Snufkin gives her the tip and then Jane asks Snufkin if he could carry her suitcase of gold coins for her. Snufkin politely declines, saying he's busy, and then Jane attempts to bribe Snufkin by offering a "handsome reward" in a very confident manner, almost as if that trick has always worked before. Snufkin still declines, saying he just wants to fish. Aunt Jane is legitimately shocked at Snufkin not wanting money, now a first-time viewer might interpret this as Jane being vain with her wealth but it actually ties into how everyone in her life would simply be interested in her money (which is something that'll be elaborated further on) so Snufkin is perhaps the first person in a long while to not be interested.

Jane has little time to let that sink in as Sniff (the ultimate capitalist of the show) runs in, introduces himself as simply someone to help take her to Moominhouse and goes to help Jane carry her suitcase, to which Jane simply acts like a more poised individual and bimbles behind Sniff.

They arrive at Moominhouse right after Moominpappa had already left in the previous scene, Aunt Jane adjusts her glasses and says "A round house? How stupi- typical of my nephew." which establishes that Jane... doesn't like her nephew (and considers round shaped houses as being dumb [which I think a couple architects/engineers would agree but correct me if I'm wrong])

Jane gets welcomed by Moominmamma and after Moomintroll introduces himself Jane's attention immediately goes to Little My, assuming that My is a child of the family, she says that My's too small for a daughter (her expression says that she's bothered by it more than anything), then Moominmamma explains that Little My's not related but lives with them and My says she won't get any bigger, to which Jane simply squints at the small creature in a strange but I guess concerned manner? It's easy to assume that there were some strange beliefs about daughters that she was raised on.

Jane then asks where her "worthless nephew" is (again, she doesn't think highly of him), Moominmamma barely manages to not tell her the truth and Moomintroll saves her by saying Pappa's away to find inspiration for his work. Jane says "When has he ever worked? I'm here to see him!" (Score 3 for putting down her nephew) and Moomintroll suggests she should talk to him instead, Sniff butts in saying Moomintroll knows nothing about money and Aunt Jane simply says "In that case it's about high time he learned! As for his father, I may still disinherit him." (Score 4), Sniff says he's a member of the family and she can talk to him about money, Moomintroll says he's a great friend of his, and Jane adjusts her glasses then says "But hardly a member of the family" (we can see here she only really cares about relations more than anything when it comes to others taking care of her money, perhaps the money was passed down through generations and she wants to uphold that tradition, which is only one major reason she wants to get rid of it)

Snork and Snorkmaiden walk in, Snork introduces himself and explains how his sister is a "special friend" to Moomintroll and basically that they might get married someday, thus merging the Snork and Moomin family together, thus making them practically family already (Which I find just so utterly hilarious, he can be such a weasel I love him). Jane doesn't accept that as an argument (OBVIOUSLY) so Snork explains that he needs money to fund his flying ship project, and then Mr. Hemulen walks in with a very happy confidence (that chaotic metallic theme [you know the one if you pay attention to the soundtrack] cues but then stops shortly, I got so hyped and it just ended like that :( ) and he tells Aunt Jane about himself and asks her to fund his scientific research (assuming Sniff had already told her about it) and Sniff tries to save it by explaining that they could grow a greenhouse of orchids and roses and sell them to make money, he corrects himself by saying "I mean you'll make alot of money!" instead of "we'll" which he thinks might make her more lenient to the idea, but Jane shuts it down by saying she already has plenty of money (showing that she really isn't interested in hoarding wealth, she's satisfied with what she has especially since the whole point of going to the Valley was to shove her money-related issues onto her nephew)

The three guys try to talk over eachother trying to explain themselves, Jane is overwhelmed and confused so she stops them and asks Snork to clarify that he's Snorkmaiden and it goes downhill from there, Snork asks if he's explained his connection to the moomins well enough, Sniff says he's a friend of Moomin's, Mr. Hemulen asks Sniff if he could explain his research to her for him, and they all talk over eachother, Aunt Jane looks back in forth in a confused and overwhelmed manner and then gets angry, then she yells "BE QUIET EVERYONE!" with an overhead shot of Moominhouse (this sort of sets up Jane's anger issues which builds and builds until the climax of the episode)

Moominmamma escorts Jane to her room and tells her that she can call if she needs anything before leaving Jane alone, Jane more or less just observes her surroundings (it's clear she wasn't used to such a simple environment but she isn't opposed to it either) and then sits down on her bed with her eyes closed, looking peaceful for literally less than two seconds before Sniff knocks and she stands up instantly with her hands held in front of her like a "proper woman" sort of pose. Sniff stumbles in the room with the suitcase of gold and sets it on the floor, Jane thanks him and then Sniff stands there and looks around as if he's looking for something and goes "Ehem". Jane sees this and unenthusiastically asks "What is it? Want a reward?" (This is like the most telling scene of the episode and shows that this kind of thing is something that she's used to) Sniff lies at first but then admits it after a second thought, he hesitates and looks around if anyone would eavesdrop on them, Jane tells him to make up his mind and then Sniff gets close to her and whispers that he knows where Moominpappa is, Jane dismisses it saying she knows that he's on a trip (atleast she's willing to believe it? Doesn't revert any of her put-down points tho), Sniff corrects her by saying he's actually nearby and Jane is immediately interested and asks Sniff where he is, Sniff says Pappa said not to tell her where he is since it's a secret and after teasing it with her Sniff says he'll be taking a risk if he tells her so Jane asks "Oh, how much do you want?" knowing full well Sniff wanted to get paid for this without him even saying it, Sniff plays it safe and says she can decide how much she'll give him.

Sniff leads her on the beach, Snufkin notices this and runs to the cave to warn Moominpappa before she arrives (what a champ, that Snufkin) and then Sniff and Jane enter the cave with it's watery floor, Jane thanks him with a singular silver coin, Sniff asks if that's it and then Jane replies (with a very angry tone) that yes that's it until she actually sees her nephew, the two enter the cave with no Moominpappa in sight, Sniff is bewildered by this and Jane is very angrily disappointed that her "worthless nephew" (Score 5, though it's just a repeated insult, it still counts) isn't there, Sniff says "this is very strange!" while desperately looking for Moominpappa and Jane assumes Sniff had tricked her and takes away Sniff's one coin as punishment and simply leaves despite Sniff's desperate cries that he has to be there somewhere.

Jane goes back to Moominhouse and enters the kitchen to ask Moominmamma where Moominpappa is hiding, Moominmamma gasps and tries to reiterate the lie Moomintroll said, but Jane says she wants to know the TRUTH, so Moominmamma stutters and Jane tells her to hurry up, Mamma sadly admits that Moominpappa is hiding in the cave but Jane says she's already been there and didn't find him. Mamma is suddenly hopeful and is like "Oh so he really must have gone on a trip!", Jane proceeds to ask why Moominpappa would want to hide from her anyway, Moominmamma "suggests" that maybe Moominpappa is afraid of her, and Jane gets legitimately surprised and furious over this and asks "But why!?", Mamma says that he's mostly afraid of money matters, Jane exclaims "Incredible!" and contemplates "Afraid of me because of money matters...?" and then storms out of the kitchen saying "He must be utterly mad!" (Score 6)

Jane sits down on the table in her room and talks to herself about how this family is so confusing and only Sniff seems to know anything about money, Little My enters smuggly and shits the behind her, saying she knows where Moominpappa is at that moment, Jane assumes Little My wants gold from her and My says she couldn't care less about her silly gold, Jane strangely enough seems to try and defend the thing by saying "My 'silly gold' indeed! With my 'silly gold' I can assure you you could do just about anything you want!" and My claps back with how it isn't helping her find Moominpappa, this arouses Jane and My continues saying she should forget about her money. Jane responds by turning around in her chair to look at Little My directly and says "Young lady, money isn't something you could just forget about! It needs constant looking after- that's why I must talk to Moominpappa at once! Now take me to that rascal nephew you of mine if you really know where he is, you hear me!?"

My and Jane walk down the dirt path and see Moomintroll and Snorkmaiden being all lovey-dovey with eachother on a tree stump, saying how they love eachother and such, Jane scoffs "Oh, how frivolous!" and My smugky responds with "Not really, if I could find a small enough boyfriend, I'd be frivolous just like them too!" and starts to walk away, Aunt Jane turns to her and says with a very strong sense of longing "Ah well, Fredrick and I were frivolous once..." (With an inexplicable voice change by the way) and My just teasingly says "Really? If you says so! Suppose I'll have to believe you!" while still walking away, and Jane gets so mad at this dismissal/mockery that she almost snaps her umbrella but stops herself and stomps forward to follow Little My. The marshmallow couple notices the two and follow them.

Little My interrupts a game of chess between Snufkin and Moominpappa in Snufkin's tent, she introduces them to Jane as a "special guest" and Snufkin is shocked by her presence, he says Moominpappa's name and he looks up to look at his very angry aunt, Moominpappa runs out of the tent and Jane chases him with her umbrella around a tree and stomps on the ground with enough force to make Moominpappa, Moomintroll and Snorkmaiden hop off the ground (OKAY I'M NOT GONNA GET INTO THIS PART SINCE IT DOESN'T REALLY TIE INTO THE THESIS THAT MUCH AND WOULD BE TOO SPECULATIVE BUT HOLY CRAP??? HOW??? WHY DOES SHE HAVE THAT KIND OF STRENGTH??? IS IT SUPERNATURAL??? HELP????), this causes Moominpappa to fall over on the ground and Snufkin intervenes by saying Moominpappa was just coming back from his trip and stopping by to play chess with him, Moominpappa tries to go along with this but Little My says it's no use since Moominmamma already told her the truth, Moominpappa gets all defeated and Jane asks him why he's afraid of her, Moominpappa says it's not that he's afraid of her, he's afraid of her money. Jane gets enraged by this and stomps of the ground again to send everyone hopping, she then tries to "reason" with Moominpappa on this by saying "It's perfectly good money and all in gold coins! Listen nephew, I'm depending on you as my only relative!" (For some reason her voice gradually gets higher pitched in this line? But anyway this just confirms Moominpappa is literally the only family she has left), Moominpappa echoes "Yes, yes, depend." and Jane continues with "When I get too old to do it, you must look after my gold for me! I'm relying on you!", Moominpappa gets spooked by this and desperately suggests they should just give it away to people who need it, Jane blurts out "HOW UNGRATEFUL!" and turns red from rage but then is subsides, the red fades away and Jane, probably after having a thought, breaks into actual sobbing and falls to the ground to cry even more, Moominpappa tries to comfort her and suggests that maybe they should put it in a bank, Jane retorts through her sobbing that her money would hate being in a bank and it's a terrible idea (which is the start of her talking about it like it's a person/entity which follows to the very end of the episode), Moominpappa reassures her by saying banks are so nice these days and Jane looks up asking "They are...?", Moominpappa continues by describing how they have "Flowers and shiny little piggy banks and paintings on the wall!" and Jane lifts herself up asking "Is that really true...?", then Moominpappa tells everyone they should go home and fix a welcoming party for Aunt Jane, the scene ends with a shot of a sad Aunt Jane looking around everyone, possibly confused or even sorry.

We cut to the dinner party when Mamma is putting the cake on the table saying it's her grandma's best recipe (I have to note that Aunt Jane's face here is just... So sad and guilty-looking), Moominpappa gets up and says to drink a toast to the only millionaire in their small circle and how he hopes she'll live a long and happy life. Everyone drinks except for Jane who simply looks around and then looks down at her glass to sigh, Moominmamma asks what's wrong and Jane says "Never in my life have I and my money felt ourselves so welcomed before, I'm so happy I could cry" (jeez woman that is actually sad to hear considering just earlier that day 3 complete strangers went to her asking for money and her nephew literally tried to hide from her before she even arrived, that must've been one heck of a welcoming party) and then she genuinely starts crying saying "And once you start crying- you just wanna go on and on-" and proceeds to sob a bit and says "Oh dear- oh deAr- Moominmamma-" and looks up "Moominpappa-?" Moominpappa answers and she says "I'll put some of my gold in a bag, but you must look after the rest when I'm too old!", Moominpappa hesitates and then Jane snaps into anger mode by asking "Why not?" and slamming her fists against the table, Moominpappa sheepishly describes how they'll take care of it and Jane says it's not what she had in mind though it does sound nice and sufficient, but then she says how the money will miss her. She decides then and there that she'll leave the suitcase of gold to Moominpappa so they can "get sorta used to eachother" and use it as they please, even complimenting the flying ship and botanical research funding as rather splendid. Everyone is happy except Sniff who laments he should've gotten a better idea than flowers, and the episode ends with Jane smiling and a pan out of the house as the narrator closes off the episode.

~

Alright so already we have quite alot to unpack here and it's all gonna get a bit rambly and jumbled if I don't segment it into specific parts so let's do that. We're gonna put allllll of that baggage into 5 parts

1. Moominpappa and the lack of a family

2. Money is not a good partner

3. A woman millionaire

4. A bitter, lonely maiden

5. Conclusion

~

1. Moominpappa and the lack of a family

It's been stated twice that Moominpappa is Aunt Jane's only relative, and it's said that they relate through Moominpappa's father.

(Side note: We'll be going by the 90s cartoon canon because Aunt Jane is a moomin comic strip character and in the comic strip Moominpappa wasn't left at an orphanage I don't think, so it's logical to assume they just met eachother because they're family. But we're talking about the 90s canon where Moominpappa WAS left at an orphanage like in Moominpappa's Memoirs/Exploits of Moominpappa)

It's really unclear on the backstory of their relationship. It's unclear how these two met, it's unclear when they've met, and it's unclear how they knew they were related. Moominpappa clearly met her atleast without anyone in his current family (esp. Moominmamma) and hasn't talked about her ever since (given how literally nobody INCLUDING MOOMINMAMMA knew who she was) which to me signifies that their encounter was both somewhat isolated and unpleasant given how he describes her as bossy and not letting people have a moment of peace (which only brings images of some kind of business setting when they met in my mind, and knowing how Moomin stories operate Moominpappa probably found himself as one of her employees somehow). Whatever happened between them has certainly put a sour taste in eachother's mouths, making Moominpappa believe Aunt Jane to be unpleasant enough to avoid at all cost (he probably also witnessed the horrors of wealth which is why he's scared of her money) and Jane believing Moominpappa to be incompetent, worthless and idiotic.

Pulling back from whatever encounter they had... Was Aunt Jane aware of her nephew's existence before then? We don't know the circumstances which lead to Moominpappa's parents leaving him at an orphanage in a paper grocery bag (if the person/people who left him ever WERE his parents), and since him and Aunt Jane are the last members of their family, it's easy assume something tragic most likely happened to the parents. And not only that, the rest of Jane's family would've been gone aswell, leaving Jane as the sole heir and possibly not knowing about her orphaned nephew. Can you imagine being in such a position? Your whole family is gone for whatever reason, you're the only one left to your knowledge, and you have all the money you could ever want in the early 20th century. You are responsible for millions of [money unit] in gold coins. Jane is responsible of that kind of money. And what is that to her?

2. Money is not a good partner

Aunt Jane's relationship with money is extremely weird but clearly somewhat toxic in a sense. We know she has it in the millions and she's not interested in making more of it (though we do have to ask if she runs a business or if all of it is inheritance and nothing more, does she turn in a profit? What business does she work in? How big is her paycheck? Does she work with employees? Why is it all in gold coins? Where does she even live? Nobody knows! It's all vague and unspecified and there really is no point in speculating something like this because there's literally no evidence to speculate about)

Anyway, money is 3 things to her: it's something people use to get what they want, it's a burden and it's something that needs to be taken great care of. It's both a commodity and a child to her, she doesn't particularly "like" having it yet she thinks it's in need of care by someone she knows she could trust, it's a pet she doesn't want since it attracts so many people who want to pet it. By the end of the episode she treats her money like it has feelings, it "hates being in a bank" (presumably because it's "uncomfortable" since Aunt Jane is swayed as Moominpappa describes how nice they are), it "has never felt so welcomed", it "will miss [Jane]" and it "needs to get used to Moominpappa", the thing is she hasn't treated it like an entity with feelings until her breakdown near the end of the episode. Moominpappa's "ungratefulness" broke her so much that she resorted to characterizing her money, and it's unclear if she ever has done this before in her life. It's odd to me, but her life does revolve around the thing, for all we know she's gone for extended periods of time talking to her money when she feels particularly unsafe/alone, but I digress.

Aunt Jane has presumably spent alot of her life taking care of her money and fears growing too old to do so anymore, so she turns to the only person she believes she could trust to continue that legacy. She has enough wealth to do whatever her heart desires, And what is her social reward for having such wealth to look after?

3. A woman millionaire

Misogyny exists. Yes, even in the moominverse, it sucks but it's true even if it isn't explicit sexism. Jane is presumably single, she had someone by the name of Fredrick who she was "frivolous" with but clearly that didn't work out as implied with the tone of her voice when she drops that information, Jane is alone in her wealth and that leaves her open to many people who believe they can get themselves some cash for whatever venture they want to pursue. It has happened plenty of times before in her life and it has happened within the episode when 3 males come up to her asking for funds, of course they didn't seem to care that she is a woman, not a word of it was even mentioned, but it's an issue that may be less present if she wasn't. Nobody is intimidated by her aside from Moominpappa who has met her, Snork and Sniff think they can weasel a family inheritance if they just do enough logical leaps, Mr. Hemulen just assumes she'd be interested from his botany credentials alone, and none of them really listen to her, they just talk over eachother trying to convince her to give them money until she bursts out yelling at them to shut up.

And she has to have some traditional feminity instilled in her, given the way she stands when Sniff knocks and gets in her room, how she arrived to Moomin Valley under a pink shade with curtains, having someone else carry her suitcase for her, being bothered at how small Little My is, her whole outfit among other small things, she seems to have been raised on traditional values, and those values, well, they don't lend well to someone of her status. She can be bossy and terrifying (and surprisingly powerful) but she's not respected by anyone that we know of, nobody's explicitly treated her kindly besides Moominmamma and maybe everyone at the welcome party if you count that, everyone only cares about her because of her money. Moominpappa is scared of her money and every other male only cares to get it from her for their own gain, she just can't win as a millionairess because any care directed towards her is actually care directed towards her money. And what does that treatment leave her as?

4. A bitter, lonely maiden

Jane is very, very alone. Nobody likes her as a person and the fact nobody likes her as a person only makes her more bitter and unlikable, it's a feedback loop. She doesn't seem to have anyone, and I mean, literally ANYONE. We have her rower but he's just a random guy she pays for all we know, she just sits there and stares blankly at the pink curtains until the guy rings the bell and she gets out, she just has no personal connection with anyone even by the end of the episode. Speaking of the end of the episode; she literally cries because she hasn't felt so welcomed by anyone IN HER LIFE (side note: I know I'm not supposed to bring up the comics but she actually cries when Moominpappa uses the word fond on her and it makes me so upset because she's treated even worse there too)

She's angry and alone because people use her for her money and don't care about her, everybody cares only about her money including herself, the only times she'd pay mind to her own self as a person is when she's flabbergasted at Moominpappa "BEING AFRAID OF HIS OWN AUNT!?" or when she feels disrespected by My teasing her about how she used to be frivolous with someone, Little My doesn't really care about her, she just takes her to Moominpappa to view the chaos that would ensue at such a meeting of two worlds. Moominpappa says she doesn't let people have a moment of peace yet it looks like she doesn't have a moment's peace herself, there's literally one moment and it's the one second she sits on her bed before Sniff knocks on the door.

Aunt Jane is both pitiful and somewhat sympathetic, she's an antagonist who's clearly not a good person but she has her own very understandable reasons as to why she's the way that she is. And what do we take from this?

5. Conclusion

I don't know if you know this but uhm, capitalism is bad, folks. It really just brings out the worst in people wether it's the scummy ways they gain money or the problems money causes for your mental health, and in Jane's case it's the latter. It's unclear how she got the money to begin with, I assume it's inherited but I could be wrong obviously, though I don't think that question could truly be answered. Aunt Jane is insistent on keeping her wealth and only giving her wealth away to her own family even if it's the root of her problems, but also Snork and Mr. Hemulen only ask for her money so they can continue with their hopes and dreams, Sniff is well, Sniff, but I'm pretty sure he's traumatized into believing he's only worth the wealth he has so that's another capitalistic problem.

Moominpappa is happy the way he is without the money, the Moomin family is decidedly non-capitalistic and Moominpappa knows nothing about how it works, so he chooses to simply not have it. They simply don't need it with the way things are.

And I suppose that was the appeal of the Moomins franchise that got people hooked into the fantasy of living there, it's pure freedom from an oppressive system that doesn't even give people what they're worth, it's being able to be yourself with a small, loving and accepting community.

But Aunt Jane never had that, which makes her feel out of place in this valley more than other outsider characters do in the show. And like the weirdly smooth and good animation that was clearly outsourced to a different studio for this one specific episode, being rich looks nice, but the cutthroat system of how it's made probably doesn't make it worth it.

[cobalt-canary]

Marcy & A Day at the Aquarium, retrospectively reveals a lot about her development

So I was rewatching A Day at the Aquarium and like many things about Marcy after True Colors several scenes hit different. But one thing I feel like I should point out is how much this episode showed her growth and where she still needs to go, but we only understand that retroactively after True Colors.

Keep in mind this entire episode Marcy knows when the three of them go home she will be separated from Sasha and Anne. As much as I ship Anarcy/Marcanne, this is probably the main factor as to why Marcy wants Anne to stay in Newtopia with her. To Marcy, she’s in the same boat as the Planters: all the time between now and when they get the box fully charged is all the time they’ll ever have together with Anne before separating for good.

Granted in her case she’ll at least be in the same realm as Sasha and Anne, however Marcy’s also brought up in previous episodes that she struggles to make connections with people, so she’s probably a little pessimistic about a long-distance friendship lasting.

It probably doesn’t help that Marcy can tell Anne would rather spend the remaining time with the Planters. Which is completely fair on Anne’s part because from her perspective the remaining time they have in Amphibia is all she’ll have with the Planters; Anne still thinks Marcy will still be around when they get back home, which is not the case, but she again does not know that.

Let’s recap how they got to Amphibia:

Marcy was highly emotional at the time

She acted very impulsively

It’s currently unclear if she knew stealing the box as a part of the plan, since that was Sasha’s idea and Anne did it

As far as Marcy knew, the Calamity Box was just a normal box that resembled something she saw in a library book that gave her hope

Morally speaking the worst, we can say about her intentions was she was a calling the box a birthday present for Ann when it was really more for herself

Since she saw the Calamity Box as an ordinary box at the time, she wasn’t really under any moral obligation to tell Anne and Sasha her fantasy that she hoped was real, but didn’t actually think could happen

Now let’s recap her decision to let Anne leave:

Marcy is fairly emotional again, but does a much better job of hiding it

She still managed to think fairly rationally on her overall decision making

She disregarded her own feelings and instead prioritized Anne’s

She accepted the idea of being separated from Anne

Marcy learned impulsive decisions made during highly emotional moments is typically not ideal. It’s why she advocates through out the episode that Anne make a rational decision with her head rather than her heart, because Marcy doing exactly that is what got them to Amphibia. She’s not being a hypocrite, she’s learned form her past mistake. She even does exactly what she advocated by making a logical and empathetic decision in letting Anne go. All of this could have prevented them from ending up in Amphibia, had she done this before the first episode. 

But I would like to stress, this is not necessarily what she should have done on Anne’s Birthday. As in, I’m not saying she should have just quietly let herself be moved away and separated from everyone, especially since I’m a little concerned about her relationship with her parents, but that would be long and off topic. Short version: a child with a good relationship with their parents would actually want to return home by time A Day at the Aquarium happened + plus that glass breaking & no one going after Marcy as she ran off = no good implications/neglectful at best.

What both of these incidents have in common:

Marcy is troubled by something and is in a fairly emotional state throughout her decision making process 

Marcy makes a choice

Marcy never tells anyone else the relevant information so they don’t get to make their own fully informed choices

This is what Macy needs to work on: communicating. Or I guess as many of us like to say this is Marcy’s “toxic trait”: she doesn’t truly open up about her problems -> makes the best solution she can come up with on her own -> no one else gets an informed choice.

Her problem isn’t the escapism, that’s a coping mechanism, not a character flaw that needs fixing (and honestly if that’s the aspect of her the show wants her to work on, that makes me feel uncomfortable since it feels a little ableist? I don’t want to elaborate on that right now since that would be another post, and I think someone else made a much better post than what I could articulate on that topic).

This is where Andrias comes in at the end of the episode and offers Marcy that deal, which we know she takes.

So let’s recap the deal and why it was a mistake on Marcy’s part:

Marcy is in an emotional state similar to the day they came to Amphibia

Marcy is promised more adventures like Amphibia, only this time the 3 of them will be together the entire time

Marcy keeps this a secret from Anne and Sasha

Anne and Sasha don’t get any input on this

Marcy has no idea the entire deal is a lie

She also doesn’t know Andrias is not a peaceful explorer

To me, this is what Marcy should be held accountable for since this time, it’s 100% intentional whereas stranding them was 100% accidental. But again, Marcy making this decision is a lot more sympathetic than the show initially portrays it as but that’s another post all together.

In all 3 of Marcy’s choices the main thing she does wrong is not communicating her problems or sharing the information with everyone else.

So let’s speculate what could have happened had Marcy opened up and disclosed everything at the time:

Getting Stranded in Amphibia I’m pretty sure they would have still stolen the box and ended up in Amphibia since Sasha and Anne wouldn’t have believed the box would actually work either. The only major change would be the other two would have a bit more of an idea of how they got to Amphibia and some other domino effect stuff in other sections. Of course, there’s also the possibility they don’t take the box, but currently I’m not sure what would have happened since it somewhat depends on how close to Marcy’s parents’ characterizations are to their current implications. I have theories, but again long & off topic.  

Letting Ann Go While it’s really sweet Marcy did this I’m 100% certain if she told Anne about her moving situation Anne would have either stayed longer with Marcy or convinced Marcy to come live with the Planters and her sooner. Either way, this would have left Marcy a lot less vulnerable and likely to agree to Andrias’s proposal. But Marcy probably didn’t since that would also relate to getting them stranded in Amphibia which the show treats as the biggest sin (for lack of better word).

Agreeing to Andrias’s Proposal Had she been upfront with everyone, she probably wouldn’t have gotten the fantasy adventures she wanted, but Anne and Sasha would have actually been able to talk out all their problems and most likely all of True Colors wouldn’t have happened. PS I’m not blaming Marcy for Sasha’s revolution attempt, but rather I’m saying Sasha would be much more likely to come clean about the plan had Marcy come clean about her deal with Andrias.

The point of outlining the potential changes that could have resulted from Marcy opening up is not about assigning blame and more about illustrating how things could potentially change had Anne and Sasha been allowed to make informed decisions.

So I kind of got lost where I was going with this at points since there’s a lot to outline, but the main point is Marcy went through a lot of development offscreen between arriving to Amphibia and reuniting with Anne and A Day at the Aquarium does a really good job of showing that retroactively, while also setting her up for some character regression for True Colors to happen.

PS I may make some of the posts I said could be separate posts if anyone else wants them? Might do it either way since I have no friends that watch Amphibia and True Colors has been + new intro has been killing me

[theravennest]

Hot Loki Take: Sylvie was Right

*Spoilers for all of Loki the series up to and including ep 6.

Sylvie was right to kill He Who Remains and free the timeline.

I’m deadass.

He Who Remains forced reality into an endless cycle between a time of Order (he rules as dictator) & a time of simulated and controlled "Chaos" (his Conqueror variants wage war). I say this “chaos” is simulated because when you think about it, it’s chaos that He Who Remains arranges himself by manipulating Lokis.

He Who Remains is so fucking sus but for some reason people are just tripping over their own feet to believe everything he says and vilify Sylvie for killing him. 

He literally tells them (and us) that his methods are deceptive and we know for a fact that he’s willing to murder trillions upon trillions of people, planets, and realities to get the outcome he wants. Yet some are still believing everything he says cuz he said maybe 4 things that were truthful, I guess, and cuz he’s cute. Some of us are so blinded by the fear/anticipation of Kang the Conqueror’s arrival, we are letting him bamboozle us.

He Who Remains perfectly and personally tailored the Ordered period of the timeline to produce this exact Sylvie and this exact Loki, had them meet/influence each other, and then had them travel to the end of time...to him.

Now Lokis by nature are agents of chaos and could suddenly swerve left, so to speak, for no reason. So let’s assume I believe that He Who Remains didn’t 100% know what they would choose once they crossed the Threshold (if the Threshold he described is even real, tbh). He also so carefully molded both of their entire lives for that moment in the Citadel. He may not have known 100% but he knew at least 90% of how they would react to everything he said and did when they were both pushed to this place/mindset.

Notice how he teed them up for the fight that ended in his death:

Manufacturing a scenario where they would meet via the TVA’s variant pursuit.

Manufacturing a scenario where they would travel to the Void and meet Alioth.

Kid Loki being in just the right place to give his sword to Loki.

Miss Minutes appearing to menacingly offer an obvious devil’s bargain.

Him slyly telling Sylvie that she can’t trust Loki, putting it into her head just before he gives them his ultimatum.

All of these thing practically gift wrapped that ending to the Loki on Sylvie fight.

Let’s elaborate.

What was even the point of Miss Minutes offering to re-insert them into the same Sacred Timeline with both getting their hearts’ desires there? 

Not more than ten minutes later He Who Remains told Loki and Sylvie to their faces that he manipulated all this for the sole purpose of making them choose between taking over as rulers of the TVA or killing him and ushering in a Multiversal War. Neither of those choices would result in re-inserting Loki and Sylvie back into the timeline.

So what is the truth? Why waste precious moments with a creepy Miss Minutes menacing them in that vestibule scene?

Notice how Miss Minutes’ words pushed Loki further onto his path of no longer wanting power or a throne but desiring to change his attitude about himself and the universe. Notice how her words conversely pushed Sylvie into balking at the idea of accepting another “fictional” life after a lifetime of being manipulated and made her double down on her mission to free the timeline and get revenge.

Sylvie has the ability to see memories but interesting how he kept her distracted by condescending to her and provoking her, just stoking the fire to make her react negatively. (Interesting how he was far more focused on Sylvie’s reactions than Loki’s, most likely because he needed her to kill him for his plans to work.)

Now I don’t want to completely shift responsibility for her choices away from Sylvie. In truth, if she had held in her vengeance for let’s say an hour and trusted Loki a bit more, they could’ve sat down to talk about things and maybe found a third solution other than starting a Multiversal War or ruling the TVA that still could’ve even allowed her to get revenge. (More on the ultimatum later.)

But I can’t blame her for losing her cool, either. He Who Remains made damn sure she would burn as hot as possible because he tailor made her life to give her the personality he wanted. And any other version of her out there who might have made a different choice would’ve already been pruned.

He Who Remains tells Loki and Sylvie straight up that he set them on their particular life paths because he needed them to be “changed by the journey” to ensure everyone in that room was in exactly the right mindset to do what was needed to “finish the quest” and presumably “slay the dragon,” aka Him. (Notice the parallels to the speaker narration just before episode 2′s fight at the Ren Fair.)

We don’t know! Sylvie never enchanted him to read his memories because she was so filled with rage and Loki was too busy trying to stop her, he didn’t think to do it either. And we’ve already established that He Who Remains trained them that way. Nothing that happened in that office was without He Who Remains’ influence and meddling.

Another nail in the coffin that convinces me that He Who Remains is a no good dirty liar is Renslayer.

If He Who Remains’ end goal was to either have the Lokis choose to rule the TVA or destroy it and thus end up with no memory of her previous TVA judge role/life, why did he send Miss Minutes to Ravonna with files that caused her to pack her bags and search for what she calls “free will,” AKA the one in charge?

I’d bet dollars to donuts that when the next season rolls around the only people who will know what’s going on and still have their memories will be Loki, Miss Minutes, Sylvie, and Ravonna. (Maybe Kang the Conqueror will know as well but I could see it going the other way too. I’m 50-50.)

He Who Remains was planning something by pushing Ravonna the way he did. Does he want her out of the TVA so she doesn’t lose her memories when everything resets? Does he want her to go find the Conqueror version of himself? I mean, at this point, practically everyone knows who she is to Kang in the comics, so let’s not pretend that’s not an option.

Another thing to think about...it’s super suspicious that he was so eager to make them believe he’s one of the “good versions” of Kang and all these others are much worse while giving absolutely no evidence of that outside of an interactive blob powerpoint, a quirky attitude, and a couple of sad, weary faces????

Who’s to say He Who Remains isn’t playing the long game and always manipulates his variants to eventually give him the chance to seize control of the multiverse?

Who’s to say he’s not one of the Kangs that wanted to conquer too? Funny how the “pure of heart” Kang is the one who still wrested control of all reality, killed off every other timeline with a weapon of mass destruction, installed a fascist time bureaucracy, and set himself up as the dictator. Sounds an awful lot like some conqueror shit to me, just saying.

Even wilder theory: what if this really is the same Kang the Conqueror but at the end of his life? We only have hhis word that he’s a variant. He Who Remains tells Loki that this fight is for the “young and hungry.” Maybe the “young and hungry” he’s referring to is not Loki and Sylvie at all but his literal younger self. Perhaps he set up this entire cycle of chaos and order so that he can perpetually live, conqueror, rule, die, and start all over again? Reincarnation, as he says...

But let’s set that wild theory aside for a moment. Let’s circle back to the Multiversal War debate and say it really is is caused by an infinite amount of his variants.

I think it’s hella sus that He Who Remains was so insistent that Loki and Sylvie only had two choices to resolve this riddle: Multiversal War or running the TVA almost exactly the way he did while maintaining only a single timeline. Those are definitely not the only two options they had. In fact, I could probably name 1-3 other options off the top of my head right now:

Keep He Who Remains alive while learning how he manipulated time and using those skills to slowly unleash the multiverse while killing every version of Kang to prevent him from existing as either conqueror or dictator.

Kill He Who Remains, take over the TVA, and slowly change it to something not horrific or even build a brand new system for governing time.

Kill or keep He Who Remains, still take over the TVA, slow rollout the Multiverse and kill or prevent every Kang along the way.

(I’m not saying these aren’t also morally questionable options, I’m just saying they are different from the two choices He Who Remains presented.)

But let’s say these options I suggested are not feasible. I just randomly came up with them ten minutes ago so it would be fair if they were picked apart logically. 

So let’s contemplate this, instead:

Why should we assume/believe that a Multiversal War is actually a bad thing again??? Why are we assuming that He Who Remains’ Sacred Timeline really saved reality from total collapse? 

Assuming he told the truth about his motives, maybe he was just...wrong about the end of reality. Maybe he saw what he thought was the conclusion to the Multiversal War coming and erroneously believed it to be the end of everything but actually it was the multiverse sorting itself out and everything would’ve been fine after.

We (and He Who Remains too) will never know because not only did he not show any evidence to back up his claim that reality was on the brink of collapse, but he himself never allowed things to play out naturally. Whenever the end of the war comes to the brink of something, he always panics, weaponizes Alioth, and traps the universe in his cage of Order with the TVA.

Even more controversial take...maybe the collapse of timelines and the end of everything should be allowed to happen. Maybe the natural cycle of reality is to build and build, splinter and splinter timelines, until it collapses and starts all over again from the void.

Nothing is created and nothing is destroyed, all things exist in a cycle so why should the multiverse be any different?

After all in all, in all three possibilities an infinite number of timelines is destined to suffer and die. Whether it be during the Kang-controlled Order period, Kang-controlled fake Chaos period, or the unrestrained natural Chaos that collapses in on itself...an untold amount of people are dying anyway. There’s only one of those scenarios that has actual unrestrained free will where those people get to exist how they want, make choices they want (even bad ones) for as long as they can.

(Personally, I’ll take that over what the Kangs have wrestled the multiverse into.)

I’ll just take this moment to re-iterate: trust nothing He Who Remains says. He’s a known liar and manipulator, and unlike Loki he has done absolutely nothing to actionably show he’s not still lying or to show that he’s trying to change outside of some sad looks. It’s all pantomime, bruh. Like, the pageantry of it all astounds me. 

Is he maybe telling some truths? Sure. But that doesn’t mean he’s not using the truth to manipulate everything. It’s an illusion, I’m telling y’all! He was up to no fucking good.

Sylvie was far more right to kill him than to not. Loki, Sylvie, & team (prolly also the latest Avengers lineup too) now just need to find a way to break this Kang cycle.

[lovecolibri]

SaL anon here friend and while I would call last night's episode a mixed bag, I definitely thought the good outweighed the bad. Really the only part in the bad category was the L of it all, but there was sooo damn much of it. I know we keep saying how strong the S3 M*ria vibes coming off L are but MY GOD last night really went hard on them. The way her "I don't care I saved someone, I wanted it to look cooler" attitude reminded me of "I don't care if I kill someone, I need to know who to TBC

save in my visions" made me want to break something. In what universe are we supposed to like this character after that?? Ugh, and I won't even touch AR's "why are you guys reducing me to a LI?" comments 🙄. On to the good stuff!! I don't think we've ever seen the Buckley-Diaz family look sooo damn family shaped. And not just for a scene or two, for the whole episode!! Buck just so easily jumps into Dad/husband mode it's ridiculous, and NO ONE questions it (not even his gf). And the heart scene??!! Honestly WTF was that, tell me again KR how am I supposed to interpret that scene? To borrow a very accurate tag, no romantic undertones my whole ass. While I would have liked to see more Buck and Chris scenes, I loved the Diaz boys interactions so I won't complain too much. And then Bobby and Eddie talking?? Madney slowly finding their way back to each other? Unexpected icing on the happiness cake. Finally, pretty sure i've got this week's song 😘.

Bestie, hiiii!!! The good definitely outweighed the bad last night though in what seems to be the running theme of season 5, the good was GOOD, but the bad was BAAAAAAAD. In news that shocks absolutely no one except KR apparently, when it's actually focused on the mains, the show comes back to sparkling life! While every moment with L (and tay kay) sucks that life right back out of the show. 🤷🏻‍♀️

...am I? Am I manifesting season 3 m*ria vibes by mistake?! Is the universe taking me out of context like it did with Buck and the dishwasher?! Seriously this episode was just an RNM season 3 nightmare! Woman complains and pouts about something she has no business complaining or pouting about while being entirely self-centered? Everyone else tripping over themselves to make sure they mention her every time she's not in frame? Make it stooooop!! But seriously, WTF was that?! That was supposed to make her, a supposed veteran of the force who is used to dangerous rescues and should know all about how luck plays into things, look sympathetic? Like, "I couldn't have done this rescue without getting lucky so what does it even matter if someone lived"?! Girl,

Also cackling about her being like, "I'm more than a love interest" while bringing literally nothing to the table besides sticking her tongue in Buck's mouth within 5 minutes of meeting him, and being the one who has been perpetuating this whole "sexual tension" thing this whole time! ANYWAY.

Also, them cutting Chim's "like I never left" after putting it in every promo? Not having Hen and everyone making a big deal about his first shift back?! No elaborate cake of the united states with a little car driving across it?! All so, what? L could have 5 scenes doing nothing? Howard "Chimney" Han deserves SO much better, and so does Kenneth Choi. At least him and Maddie got to be on screen together again which was, as always, so so good.

Every. Single. Moment. with Eddie was stunning, show stopping, amazing, etc. Gavin has always been good but him and Ryan are really taking things to the next level right now and it's a DELIGHT to see. I LOVED the scene with Bobby too, though my small gripe on that was, if we were going to have a big talk this episode, the emotional beat would have hit better if they hadn't told us they had talked beforehand, but not shown it. If they had shown the talk being a bit awkward and Bobby still being cold, then given us Bobby still being there for Eddie, OR not being told that Eddie apologized, and then seeing Bobby still stepping up to help out because "that's what family does, Eddie" would have hit that beat a little more on the head, BUT it was a great scene.

And the Buddie moments?! What kind of fanfiction fever dream was every single Buck and Eddie interaction?! Aside from Buck having to trade favors with his gf so KR can remind the audience she exists, it was NOTHING but romantic undertones. God, not even undertones! I saw someone say that if a guy took them to a horse therapy place to help their son, and help them start healing, they would absolutely assume the guy was in love with them, and they would be in love right back. Like, that is a FAMILY! Just two husbands and their son.

I'm SO excited to see what song you have for this week! I swear, every other SaL song I listen to I'm like "Oh! This is Eddie!" ....*5 minutes later* "Oh! This is Eddie!", but your choices are always on point! I'll let you know if the two that were in particular stuck in my head today happen to be what you pick!