#also petra at least look like in early 20

[whataboutsimple]

So you once said you prefer Gabriel being Jesse's father figure and Ivor as Petra's.

But I don't think I've ever seen Ivor and Petra with this relationship before

So I was wondering if you have any headcanons or concepts about it?

Oh god it took me a while to get to this. Too long even.

Anyway, yep! I actually have some, because c'mon. It's not me, if I don't have hcs for some strange thing only I could've think of.

First things first lemme tell you, why exactly I see them having a father-daugther relationship!

Of course I've seen lots of concepts about Jesse being Ivor's child, even in those AU with New Order as kids, but I never really understood why? Like father, like son, isn't it? Jesse is nothing like Ivor and Ivor is nothing like Jesse, so it's very hard for me to get the reasoning behind that.

Sure I'm not rooting for the concept of kids being an exact copy of their parents, but there should be at least some similarities, right?

Let's take apart characters of Gabriel, Jesse, Ivor and Petra to understand things a bit better.

Gabriel is the "dad" friend of Original Order Of The Stone, he's kind, patient, peacemaker and mostly important: connects all members of the group. I've already talked about it in my small study of his character, but if we look closely, he's the only member who no one has personal beef with, well, expect for Ivor, and even he behaves differently to Gabriel, than to other his friends.

Now Jesse, who are they? It really depends on which options the player chooses, but usually they're kind and sympathetic, also a peacemaker and the one who holds their friends together. Jesse had a better relationship with Petra in S1Ep1-4 than Axel or Olivia, they also kept Lukas around. He, just like Gabriel, keeps the group together.

Now Petra. Clearly and outsider, not used to work on team, hotheaded, sometimes arrogant. Doesn't she reminds you of Ivor? She's also fangirling over Jack just like Ivor was fangirling over Old Builders, and both of them were denying it. They also both can't express their feelings the right way.

So what I'm talking about is the fact, that Gabriel and Jesse, as well as Ivor and Petra, have some similarities over which they can bond. Ivor would be more of a chaotic good dad, meanwhile Gabriel is pure good.

Just see an example of Gabriel's and Jesse's interactions:

Gabriel, making dinner: So early from school?

Jesse, throwing their back pack on the chair: Miss Applegate got sick, they let us go earlier.

Gabriel: Poor woman, hope she's going to be okay. How's the day?

Jesse: Actually it's fine! I've got three A's and one B.

Gabriel: That's great, keep it up! How about your friends?

Jesse: Oh, me and Olivia got paries up for science project and Axel was whining all day about how he got paired up with Aiden. They gonna destroy each other!

Gabriel, laughing: Sure they are. Go to your room and change, I've baked apple pie today. Don't forget to take Reuben from backyard!

And now let's see the same situations, but with Ivor and Petra:

Ivor, cleaning the dishes: Ahh, it's early. You run away from school or what?

Petra: Yeah, dream old man. They let us go earlier cause teach got sick.

Ivor: Sssure, whatever. Lemme guess: you got all F's?

Petra slamming her backpack in the table: Dreeeeam! Two B's, ha!

Ivor: Oh wow, surprised you know at least something.

Petra: Yeah, thanks god I got my brains from mom. Otherwise I would have none from you.

Ivor, rolling his eyes: Get lost. The chicken will be ready in twenty minutes.

Petra: Ah, also, I got paired up for science project with Maya, so she'll come over today! Axel is paired up with Aiden.. I bet 20$ they're going to kill each other till tomorrow.

Ivor: Tomorrow? Pfff, wait for the news till the dinner!

See the difference? Both families are happy, but one is calm and the other is chaotic.

Also there is no way I won't remind you, that both Ivor and Petra loves to call things different names.. Petra with her "Miss Butter" and Ivor with his whole collection of different armour, where each has a name.

Like father like daughter.

Let me speak another detail! Since Ivor got visibly better at expressing his feelings in S2, I bet you he also helped Petra to get through her "I don't want to loose my friends but I want freedom" stage. He too was friendless at some point, so he knows how it feels like no one else does. The feeling of betrayal and discomfort.

Yeah, that's pretty much it. Not hcs or concepts, but at least I got my thoughts out.

[kribuki]

LOOKING FOR ATTACK ON TITAN LITERATE-ADVANCE LITERATE RP PARTNERS [OCs welcomed]

Henlo! I'm Kri, in my early 20s, in the CET (GMT+1) timezone, literate to advance literate, 1500~ keystrokes, 300~ words, third person perspective, past tense, only use Discord and absolutely love to dive in details and characters' psychology. I'm an enthusiastic and hyper writer who might annoy you with headcanons, plot-relatable clips, ideas and memes so I'm not for the weak hearts (⁠ ⁠ꈍ⁠ᴗ⁠ꈍ⁠)

We might be a good match if:

You're around my age or older (20+ y.o.).

You are not looking for smut-centered roleplays. I'm okay with smut and NSFW, but when it's only that, it gets boring, honestly.

You're active: I'd appreciate if you can at least send a couple replies every week. Of course, I completely understand if you'll be busy, just tell me in advance. I'll do the same.

You're literate to advanced literate, meaning that you can give me a good amount of text like two+ paragraphs. Though, quantity isn't everything. I prefer quality and if you give me details, psychology, description and all the good stuff, we're gonna be besties.

You can write multiple characters and multiple couples: my style of writing evolves around many characters, since it's a nice way to insert drama and chaos. I'd love if we could write more than one couple. It can be considered as doubling, but maybe it's closer to mumu, since I prefer the ships to be written in the same story rather than having a complete different rp.

You like to mix different genres: romance is a must for me; it will always be there either as the main plot or subplot, but I also love to include many other genres, such as action, thriller, psychological, drama, fluff, angst, gore, fantasy, even comedy.

You're okay with mature and dark themes (dead dove: do not eat): I'm not going to write sugar coated stories, I like to write and explore many themes and they include possibly disturbing ones. I don't want to traumatize anyone, so, if you want to write with me, be prepared. I do not have triggers, although my only objections are adult x minor ships and incest. You may talk with me about your triggers and I'll gladly respect them.

You are open to both canonverse and AUs: I personally prefer AUs (alternative universes), since I believe they allow more freedom and creativity. Examples could be medieval, royalty, knights, monsters, ghosts, gangsters, professional hitmen, mafia, car racers.

You'll match my energy and don't mind OOC (out of character) chatting: like I said earlier, I get very excited and will most likely send you random stuff related to the story for fun, and I love it when people can match my energy and spam me with content. It helps me keep my interest up and also gets me emotionally attached to our story. Moreover, I would really appreciate if you could be honest with me. I wish for both of us to enjoy the story we are writing so if you lost interest, if you want to change/drop it, please let me know instead of ghosting me.

Ships I'm interested writing

Only MxF ships. In bold are the characters I'll write. If both are in bold, it means I can write either of them. ♡ = prefered

Ships I'm looking for:

Pieck x Jean Kirstein

Pieck x male Hange/Hanji

♡ Nanaba x Mike/Miche Zacharius

f!OC x Levi Ackerman

f!OC x Jean

♡ f!OC x Mike/Miche Zacharias

♡ f!OC x Furlan Church

Ships I can write:

Erwin Smith x f!OC

Kenny Ackerman x f!OC

Zeke Yeager x Pieck / f!OC

Eren Yeager x Mikasa / f!OC

Mikasa x Jean

Reiner x Historia / Annie / f!OC

Bertholdt x Annie / f!OC

Porco Galliard x Pieck / f!OC

Nile Dock x Marie / f!OC

Petra x Oruo

Eld Gin × f!OC

Please keep in mind I do want one of my main characters to be a female. My other characters can be of any gender. I'm open to any ship if you want to write an OC. Those listed are the ones I'm most confident writing, but you can always ask. I'll put the same effort in all the ships and couples, unless we decide otherwise, and I'm not going to cast anyone or any ship aside because I love including many characters and see different dynamics.

Ok, I'll stop here and thank you for reading through this long post! If you're interested feel free to dm me, if you've got any questions I'll gladly enlight you. I look forward to meet you! (⁠ﾉ⁠◕⁠ヮ⁠◕⁠)⁠ﾉ⁠*⁠.⁠✧

[deadcactuswalking]

REVIEWING THE CHARTS: 26/11/2022 (Clavish/D-Block Europe, RAYE/070 Shake, Meekz’s ‘Respect the Come Up’)

For a fifth week, “Anti-Hero” by Taylor Swift sits at #1 on the UK Singles Chart. It’s our first Christmas week – yes, this early, and it’s in full force – so welcome back to REVIEWING THE CHARTS!

Rundown

As always, we start with the notable dropouts, songs exiting the UK Top 75 – which is what I cover – after five weeks in the region or a peak in the top 40. This week, given the first Christmas surge, was kind of a massacre? We say farewell to “I’m Back” by Fredo, “Die for You” by Joji, “Delilah (pull me out of this)��� and “Turn Off the Lights again..” with Swedish House Mafia and Future both by Fred again.., “Evergreen (You Didn’t Deserve Me at All)” by Omar Apollo, “All These Nights” and “Not Over Yet” with KSI both by Tom Grennan, “Doja” by Central Cee, “For My Hand” with Burna Boy and “Shivers” both by Ed Sheeran, “Green Green Grass” by George Ezra and finally, “Heat Waves” by Glass Animals.

Now this last month of the year is always great for when you just need a list of songs typed out in succession alongside numerical chart placements, as there are a total of 10 returns this week, some being pretty high. However, they’re mostly Christmas songs, so we’ll cover those separately. Instead, we can focus on our notable gains, those being similarly scarce but we do see “Kiss Me” by Dermot Kennedy at #15 thanks to his #1 album and “Out of Nowhere” by Bugzy Malone and TeeDee at #13 off of the debut. That’s really it other than the return for “Three Lions” by comedians David Baddiel and Frank Skinner with rock group the Lightning Seeds at #20 – it’s essentially the England football anthem and it always arrives amidst World Cup time, peaking at #1 three separate times as a result, in 1996, 1998 and 2018. I think the song is lousy but its big boost from the FIFA World Cup in Qatar will see it surviving the Christmas frost even with ACR.

Speaking of said Christmas frost, we saw nine Christmas songs return and a switch-up in the canon also. First of all, the list, with “Jingle Bell Rock” by Bobby Helms at #69, the dreadful “Do They Know it’s Christmas?” by Band Aid at #63, the joyful “Underneath the Tree” by Kelly Clarkson at #62, “Fairytale of New York” by the Pogues featuring Kirsty MacColl surprisingly low at #57, “Santa Tell Me” by Ariana Grande at #55, “Merry Christmas Everyone” by Shakin’ Stevens at #54, “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas” by Michael Bublé at #49 and “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” by Brenda Lee at #42. With the increased power of streaming playlists, we may start to see our traditional UK Christmas songs fade in popularity compared to the more worldwide classics, with a more streamlined chart that looks kind of like the US Christmas chart a bit more likely. Oddly enough, probably thanks to playlisting, we get the third most popular Christmas song on the chart not being the Pogues or Brenda as usual... but rather the recent #1 “Merry Christmas” by Ed Sheeran and Elton John returning at #40. Given that the song is, you know, terrible and may become an immediately dated downer in the post-COVID years considering the lyrics, I have my doubts about this entering the canon but it just might end up as one of the highest-charting holiday tracks for the next few years. At least it’s not the sausage roll version.

Oh, and of course, “Last Christmas” by Wham! is at #23 and “All I Want for Christmas is You” by Mariah Carey at #18. As for the top five on the UK Singles Chart, it currently consists of “messy in heaven” by venbee, goddard. and ArrDee at #5, “Miss You” by Oliver Tree and Robin Schulz at #4, “Made You Look” by Meghan Trainor at #3, “Unholy” by Sam Smith and Kim Petras at #2, and of course, “Anti-Hero” at the very top, being mostly unchanged from last week. Now as for the songs that weren’t on the chart last week, prepare for a semi-album bomb or as much as the Official Charts Company allows as we start with our newest entries.

NEW ARRIVALS

#74 – “Say Less” – Meekz

Produced by M1OnTheBeat and Chucks

UK rapper Meekz has released his newest album, Respect the Come Up, with three tracks from it charting this week. I’ve never liked Meekz as much as other British rappers largely because of how devoid he is of any real unique characteristics in his delivery, and how little his beat choice has ever impressed me, so the fact that half of this week’s batch of new songs are just Meekz is pretty disappointing. This is the opening track, which also got a video, and I’m not really impressed with this at all. Meekz drones on a piano loop before more gets layered onto it without a real build up, and the beat cuts out constantly so it feels a bit awkward. Sure, Meekz isn’t offensive, but the delivery is mostly flexing and gangplay that sounds particularly dull coming from his deadpan delivery. Once the trap beat comes in, it’s pretty rote, and Meekz has barely any control over the rhythm with his meandering flow through one, overly long verse. It trails off and ends as if nothing ever occurred, and I’ve yet to find a counter to the argument that nothing in fact did ever happen.

#68 – “AVA” – Natalie Jane

Produced by Doc Daniel, Pink Slip and Inverness

This is a largely rap-focused episode, so it’s good to get some diversity here but who is Natalie Jane? Well, as a teenager, she was an American Idol contestant in 2020, and this song is her breakout track... and it really is just Billie Eilish. She sounds pretty close to her, even closer than your typical smoky indie-girl voice, and there’s a mix of the elegant piano with bassy industrial blasts and trap-esque rattling. Jane is definitely less subtle as she tears through this guy’s cheating, making links between the affair and the seemingly manipulative relationship Jane had with this partner. I actually like the songwriting but in terms of production, it has a bit too much bombast, with the strings and horns alongside the tight drum fills and shrill vocal mix making the post-chorus seem a bit too triumphant instead of frustrated. With that said, the incomprehensible blend of vocal layers in the outro is kind of inspired, and I have to appreciate the vocal talent on display, so I’m sort of torn on this one. Tonally, it’s a bit of a nightmare, but that’s probably what works about it, and it’s almost definitely the appeal.

#66 – “Don’t Like Drill” – Meekz featuring Central Cee

Produced by Chucks, M-1 and Riddle

Welp, we’re back with Meekz this time and for whatever reason, this brings a lot more energy. He’s still not interesting and his flow is barely there on a rumbling drill beat, but at least he’s projecting his voice and going for newer flows throughout, despite the fact that most of them are way too slippery for a tighter drill track. Again, the content is what you’d expect, although the chorus about being not a fan of drill music even though his life reflects its content would kind of be an interesting concept if he wrote anything actually regarding it in the verses. The eerie loop under the occasionally clipping 808 is a pretty solid foundation, and with Central Cee’s energy and vague attempts at wordplay, he definitely maintains himself over this pretty good beat a lot better. In fact, Cench kind of kills this and honestly put more of himself into this track than Meekz does on like 90% of the songs I’ve heard from him. I wish the song ended naturally instead of the meandering instrumental outro but it does show off some of the odd distorted loops that are used for atmosphere’s sake, and I kind of like how jarring they are. With a better rapper than Meekz, this could really be something.

#35 – “Fresh Out the Bank” – Meekz featuring Dave

Produced by Clonez, Elevated and HONEYWOODSIX

I really wanted to like this last Meekz track. The watered-down melody feels like it’s coming in and out of existence and I love how driving it gets by the end of the loop, but Meekz just had to be as awkward and stodgy as possible on the damn chorus! That’s not to say that his verses are any better, but unmemorable verses can be forgiven by him just getting someone with actual groove and rhythm on the chorus like, I don’t know, Dave himself? The beat has an almost West Coast groove to it with wonderful pianos and an overwhelming bass, and personally, I love it... but neither Meekz nor Dave unfortunately do it justice. Dave is best when he’s lighthearted and casual, and many of his more serious tracks end up dubious or heavy-handed, but he can always run the risk of being very boring and here, there’s like no wordplay to speak of that isn’t slightly embarrassing. Dave leads into a beat switch with a soaring string arrangement, but the climax never really comes because it devolves back into Meekz’s chorus. I’m pretty disappointed with how neither of these artists can effectively ride what is probably the best beat I’ve ever heard Meekz on.

#31 – “Escapism.” – RAYE featuring 070 Shake

Produced by Mike Sabath

RAYE’s latest era hasn’t seen as much success as it could have, and I think that’s mostly down to a change in sound, since her big crossover hits with EDM producers aren’t entirely as accurate to her darker, R&B-inspired brand of edgy pop that she’s working with on recent tracks. I liked it on “Black Mascara”, and it’s no mistake to bring 070 Shake’s unique voice on board for this new track “Escapism.”... and yeah, it’s great. RAYE is practically rapping over a tonal shriek ripped into by the lively trip hop drums, which sound really organic and hit really hard against the drizzle of pianos and strings that separate RAYE’s badass, sensual revenge and her genuinely heartbroken response to a breakup. It’s a tad heavy-handed and drowning woes in drink and drugs is far from a new concept, but RAYE of all people sells it in a way that feels honest albeit as melodramatic as possible (which for the record, is a plus in this kind of pop). I love how the bass warps in the verses, and how the flows trail off in harmony in each verse. It sounds like over-thinking, which is somewhat ironic in how careless and chaotic the decadence can be, but the stream of consciousness of the second verse acts as a retrospection, retelling the events that she didn’t get to fully comprehend and contextualise when it was happening. 070 Shake’s bridge is bloody gorgeous also, with the synths flooding her cryptic murmur alongside pointed shrieks she lets out so brutally in the background, and if there’s a moment of true resonance and defeat, it’s when RAYE comes back in for the final refrain amidst the strings and mix that feels perfectly compressed enough for the dark places that this song is going. The song has energy but it restrains it all for the brief interlude where RAYE’s vocals are manipulated to the point of not being recognisable yet still carrying the same floaty harmonies over the trickling rain. It’s the tough sleep the next day or even the same night, where the worthlessness of the vengeful sex and substance abuse becomes even clearer. That looping vocal of “night” rings like an alarm through the final verse where we get a sneak peek of where this narrative could be going next. To cut it short for a surprisingly long and progressive song for the charts, I think this is excellent, and I’m actually very excited to hear where RAYE goes next with both this sound and the content itself. This album could shape up to be really cohesive if she sticks to this narrative, and Sabath’s detail on the production side cannot be overlooked as this is intricate. If this opens the door for more mainstream success for 070 Shake also, I’m all the way for it because she’s the future. Without a shortened edit, I’m not sure if this’ll last that long, but for a song to have fleeting success during the holiday season and disappear afterwards, you could do a Hell of a lot worse. Like...

#9 – “Rocket Science” – Clavish featuring D-Block Europe

Produced by Kazza and Madz Thomas

Sometimes I forget how big DBE actually are. They can propel a song by Clavish, who had yet to even touch the top 40, to a #9 debut by just their presence in his song and video alone... or more accurately, Young Adz’s presence, but there must be some reason why neither rapper has gone solo yet. I wish I liked this new track more, because I’m kind of gunning for DBE to survive the Christmas movement like they did last year. The production is fine enough, with the creeping keys and the skittering percussion but it’s a pretty standard trap track, although with the extra reverb that you can expect from DBE. Regardless, Clavish clearly upped his budget when it comes to production quality and vocal mix, and all three rappers end up flowing pretty confidently on their verses alongside a pretty infectious chorus. If there’s a problem that I have, it’s mostly with the content as Clavish and Adz both sound like really annoying boyfriends, but that’s nothing new. Surprisingly enough, Dirtbike LB is probably the best rapper here, since he mixes the melody with a faster paced flow and it sounds really convincing in his typical Auto-Tuned warble. Oh, and he doesn’t say a lesbian slur like Youthful Advertisements over here. Sigh, it’s fine for what it is, but I definitely don’t see it having much lasting potential.

Conclusion

Well, obviously, RAYE and 070 Shake get Best of the Week for “Escapism.”, with a reluctant Honourable Mention for “Don’t Like Drill” by Meekz featuring Central Cee, though trust me, one washes out the other in no competition. As for the worst, nothing here is actively offensive, but I’m really not a fan of the lazy “Say Less” so Meekz can take both Worst of the Week for that and also for butchering good production on “Fresh Out the Bank” with Dave, which gets the Dishonourable Mention. As for next week, I suppose we’ll see how Stormzy impacts the chart amidst more Christmas flurry, in what will be our first December chart. For now, thanks for reading and I’ll see you next week!

[rainumb947]

Currently reading akatsuki no yona, this (already married) couple remind me of certain pairing...........

[mello-jello]

Hi Jello! Got a prompt for you (feel free to do a drabble/one-shot or a fanart for this): Levi and Hange playing tabletop games but Hange's too competitive so Levi lets them win once in a while even though he knows every strategy (hint, hint: would be nice if you could base this off on how you and your husband interact!) Enjoy!

Thank you for the prompt R.K! So... Here's some projection...

Hange crossed their arms and slumped backwards into the kitchen chair, pouting.

They lost again.

Levi sat across the table and calmly started collecting cards and pieces. "Good game," he says.

"Was it?" Hange asked, a little too bitterly.

Levi barely reacted to Hange's tone and replied, "Of course; I like playing with you."

Hange's eyebrow twitched as they fought the urge to flip the table. They were being childish and they knew it. It was just a game and they were just spending time with Levi, but something about the way he always won was infuriating.

He never took long to take his turns. It was like he never struggled with finding the right strategies or like Hange’s turns weren't challenging for him at all. They would try so hard to have good turns, really racking their brain as to how they could most benefit themselves while also being a hindrance to Levi.

The scores were almost never even close and no matter how much effort Hange put into a game, Levi expected everything Hange could think of and had a counter-move ready for it. After spending up to 15 minutes taking their turn, the most they ever got was a, "good move," and then Levi would effortlessly take the lead again.

It was maddening. He wasn't even trying!

"Do you want to play again?" Levi asks before closing the box.

Hange scoffed and stared at raindrops on the window. They were conflicted and somewhat embarrassed that they felt this way.

"Well? Or we can try a different game?"

Hange sighed, putting their thumb and index finger on the bridge of their nose, not giving a real answer. They both did and did not want to play again. On one hand, Levi was their most favourite person in the whole world and they wanted to participate in his hobbies. On the other hand, Hange knew their salty attitude was taking over. It would be really nice to win once in a while. Or even feel like they had a fighting chance.

Levi and Moblit were into intense tabletop games. Games that took 8-9 hours to complete, like Twilight Imperium. Nine hours is way too long! For the lighter games, there were monthly board game nights with Erwin, Mike, Nifa, Moblit, Eld, and Petra. Hange was always invited and welcomed, but they were often miserable. Turns out, a lot of board gaming involves keeping track of numbers, which did not appeal to them as a relaxing activity.

Hange uses their brain all day at work and when they get home most days, they just want to relax with a book or Netflix.

Why couldn't Hange be more like Petra? She wasn't especially skilled, but she was gracious and was always down to play whatever the group suggested, and seemed to genuinely enjoy herself.

Levi pulled out his favourite game: Sakura Arms. He held the box up with a pleading face. Hange's chest felt heavy. Oh fuck, not that one. It was so complicated! First you have to pick your characters that somehow have to complement each other’s stats, then build a deck with synergy, and then battle Levi, who has played this game countless times with numerous opponents that were all better than Hange.

The last time they played, Hange conceded early and said, "I think I made a terrible deck and there's no way I can win from here".

"Okay, let me see".

Levi took a look at Hange's hand and said something along the lines of, "No, this isn't terrible. You could do this, this, or this, oh and that is an option too. You'll want to play around the card I obviously have in my hand, so that stops you from using this, but you could have survived a few more turns".

Hange stared at him, dumbfounded. "Obviously?"

"Yeah, you know I have it because I used it two turns ago, but I used this card to reshuffle my discard pile on my last turn."

They continued staring. How the hell does he keep track of all that? Hange was smart, right? This is just a silly game that's supposed to fun, what the fuck?

So when they saw the box in his hands, and the eager look in his eyes, Hange couldn't help it; they felt the tears coming. Stupid, childish tears, betraying them. It was ridiculous to cry over this. Although they suppose crying is better than raging.

"What's wrong?"

Hange sniffed. “I’m sorry, I'm such a big baby".

Just play the stupid game with your husband, they mentally scold themself. They love Levi with all their heart, so why was this so exhausting? It’s not like he ever asks them for anything. He cooks, cleans, does the laundry, and also has a job of his own and he never complains. Why couldn’t Hange just pretend for his sake?

Levi put the game down. He walked to the other side of the table and wrapped his arms around Hange’s shoulders, and gave them a quick peck on the cheek.

"You don’t have to play if you don’t want to. And you're my big baby, and I love you anyways". He gives them a reassuring squeeze.

Hange scoffed again, looking at the ceiling to keep more tears from spilling over. Great, now he was being sweet and Hange felt guilty. What did they ever do to deserve this man?

“That’s the thing: I do want to. At least I want to want to,” they explained and Levi tentatively listened while returning to his seat. “I just… it feels shitty to always lose. I feel so stupid. But I know you’re not going to let up on me”.

Levi gave a knowing look. "Hange, you don't actually want me to let you win. That would be an insult to your intelligence. When you do finally beat me, it's going to be because you deserve it".

Hange smiled on one side. He was right. It would be patronizing if he just let them win. And it wouldn't be rewarding either, knowing he was going easy on them. “Okay, but be honest: is it actually fun for you to play against me? Doesn’t it feel like you’re playing with a toddler?”

Levi snorted. “Give yourself some damn credit, Four-Eyes! You’re only stupid for thinking you’re stupid”. He crossed his arms, genuinely offended at the notion of Hange being self-conscious.

“Wouldn’t you rather play with someone more challenging? Like Moblit?”

“I didn’t marry Moblit”.

“That’s a shame,” they said sarcastically, already feeling better. Levi gently kicked them under the table.

“But, it really is fine if you don’t want to play, I appreciate you trying though. As it turns out, I just like hanging out with you.” Levi was serious again, but Hange was back to their bubbly self and felt like being a little shit.

“You know, I’d be okay with Moblit being your board game side-hoe. He can satisfy all of your needs,” they wiggled their eyebrows at him.

Levi scowled and said, “Yeah, there are a few needs of mine I am certain Moblit can’t help with”.

“Hoo HOOO there’s an image!”

“Ugh, can you not?”

“The two of you, huddled in a dimly lit room, strategizing late at night, silence only fueling the sexual tensi-”

“Please stop,” Levi covered his face with his hand.

Hange giggled, satisfied with his bashful reaction.

“How about we watch something instead?” He offered. “There’s a new episode of “Assault on Gargantua” coming out on CrunchyRoll in 20 minutes. The horrors of that show are nothing compared to what you just put in my mind, so it’ll be a nice palette cleanser.”

Hange beamed. “I’ll get the popcorn!”

[butwhatifidothis]

I did it! Finally fucking did it! I 100% the support log for 3H….Holy shit, that took longer than I was expecting, lol. 

(Long rant, so heads up.)

I came in thinking “Oh they finally time-locked the supports, so I don’t have to have the damn cursor mocking me every time I open the menu like in Awakening and Fates, hurr hurr”. No no no no no. At least for Awakening and Fates, it was on my dumb ass for pressing the S-support and saving when I knew I shouldn’t. First off, if they wanted us to regain supports for Byleth in NG+, why the heck are supports for characters like Edelgard, Rhea, Dorothea and Lindhart locked? I don’t mean time-locked like the post-TS supports in a regular playthrough, I mean deadass “you can’t buy this, period” locked. “Oh it’s because you haven’t advanced that far in the story yet”. I can buy post-TS supports for the other characters, what makes El and Rhea exceptions?! The only thing that would be lost is that I don’t have to replay their entire route to get their S-support twice. It’s not like there’s enough differences between Bylad and Bylass to warrant the supports being locked, none of the characters specify a specific gender in their dialogue, and as far as different models go, changing models during a cutscene is coded into the game, so that should be no issue.  

After going through the monastery option enough times, the hubworld is in this weird limbo state where it feels like it was made specifically for Byleth’s benefit (faculty training, recruiting party members, etc,) but the rest of the party seems to benefit from it instead (Instructions, Motivation points, etc). The Explore vs Battle options just don’t mix well, which feels like poor design choice. You can focus on auxiliary battles to raise your party’s level, but at the cost of potentially missing out on more party members. You can instead focus on the monastery to recruit party members, but at the cost of Byleth falling behind due to splitting activity points between recruiting and faculty training, and being in the monastery means less time grinding for levels. This isn’t as much of a problem in NG+, but if a game needs NG+ to lessen a design problem, then that’s more of a sign to me that the idea itself needed more ironing out. 

 As far as using the monastery to raise support points goes, the hubworld definitely needs a revamp. The only (good) options available are Meal Time and Choir Practice, with the latter being limited to once per week and the former making me think that the monastery must eat their own weapons to survive due to how fucking scarce food ingredients are. Getting meat and fish isn’t too big of an issue so long as you have enough money, but produce might as well be an urban legend. There were too many times where I had 60+ fish/meat, but produce was at fucking 1. I get that they wanted to be “realistic” in having seeds grow once per week, but if it’s at the cost of a gameplay element being nigh unplayable, then some more thought needs to be put into it. Sothis is a goddess of life and time, maybe her powers allow Byleth to make plants grow faster. Just something to make this section actually playable. 

The final thing I wanted to talk about when it comes to the monastery is that, for some baffling reason, it is entirely possible to lock yourself out of key events like S-supports or being able to choose CF, simply by skipping to the end of the month. I’m not sure why this is a thing. It’s not like the game was designed with speedruns in mind (I mean, it is possible to beat a route in an hour, but fuck me if I ever succeeded in that), and nothing happens like a prompt popping up that you have to explore the monastery during that month or even limiting your options to just Explore (which the game has done before). This is especially weird for the quest in getting Jeralt’s ring (how to access S-supports), since Byleth is supposed to be sad in this month, so not being able to do seminars or Byleth being undeployable during auxiliary battles would make sense. 

The option to choose CF is even worse though, because at least for Jeralt’s ring it’s a Red Quest that doesn’t allow you to finish exploring unless you complete it. For Edelgard, however? A dime-a-dozen quest prompt you can entirely look over and skip. No prompt by the game, no indication to talk to Edelgard, nothing. FFS, Rhea’s tea time quest was given more thought. At least her quest marker is a unique color. 

(End of rant…sort of) 

…So anyways, that was my experience with the game, lmao. Now you or someone else may be thinking, “nonnie, if you had this many problems completing the game, why did you bother?”, and the answer to that good question is…I’m not completely sure, lol. I know there’s more than one reason why, so bear with me here. I know part of it is due to sunk-cost fallacy (“I’m already this far into the game, I might as well fully complete it”), but I think a bigger reason is because I knew ahead of time that the routes were so similar to each other that there was little point in having a route split to begin with (except for CF, but who gives a fuck about that?). Despite all of my bitching, I do really like 3H even if I admit that it’s my least favorite FE game that I’ve played so far. I guess a part of me just wanted to like the game more despite my issues with it. 

Now that I think about it, maybe the main reason was for fear of future mainline games. People are fear to like whatever part of a game that they wish, but I do think that 3H introduced some fundamental storytelling flaws that I’d rather not see repeated in the future, with me focusing on 3 in particular: 1) The Monastery, 2) Route Splits and 3) Byleth. 

Aside from what I already talked about in regards to the monastery, if we are going to get another hubworld in the new FE title, have it to where it doesn’t conflict with how the rest of the story is presented. Is it better to simply tell us that the Western Church is xenophobic in an easily skippable side quest early on, or is it better to show us? Enemy Western Church NPCs going after foreign party members like Dedue or Petra more aggressively and calling them “animals” or the like, the map having Duscari NPCs locking themselves indoors for fear that the Western Church will persecute them, things of that nature. Is it better to tell us that there has been civil unrest in the Empire and the citizens revolting against Edelgard, or is it better to show us? Enemy Adrestian Civilian NPCs, assassins specifically going after Edelgard in a map, maybe one where a large farmland has been stripped bare. Things like that. 

I’d rather do away with the Persona-calendar/Monastery hubworld, but if they are here to stay then they need enough content in it to keep the player engaged for 20-odd chapters, because there isn’t enough content in Garreg Mach to even hold up 12 chapters. Speaking of more content, if there’s going to be another route split in the next title, then there needs to be enough differences in the routes that actually warrants having a route split. Fates already did this well in having the route split be early in the game, along with the plot and story maps of each route being different, you could even skip to the route split moment on subsequent playthroughs, so 3H’s approach in having to play the same 12 chapters 3-4 times just felt like a massive downgrade. Playing multiple routes should feel rewarding rather than tedious, is what I’m trying to say. 

Finally, and most importantly, I know that no one at IS is reading this but on the off chance that someone is - please, for the love of God, do not make another blank-slate/self insert main character like Byleth. Or at the very least, don’t have them be the focal point of the story, it’s a big reason why AM just works better than the other routes. For a game like FE, “self-insert” and “protagonist” goes as well as oil and water. Now, out of those three flaws listed, the Byleth one is what I’m hard set on. The monastery and route split flaws, my opinion might be flexible within reason, but the Byleth one…not so much, lol. If we really do get another self-insert doll for a main character, that alone is going to make the next game a hard sell for me, because seeing all the praise Byleth got (and has been getting) makes me fear that IS is going to take the wrong lesson from this and think they don’t have to put effort in making their protagonist anything resembling an actual person and their audience will still lap it up. It would be one thing if I just hated the character, but I don’t. I’m disappointed, which is even worse.

…With that said, it’s still better than whatever the heck Cap’n’Crunch is doing. Okay, rant over. For real this time.

—

I agree with a lot said here! But I do have a few disagreements, though they’re mostly my opinion than anything else lol

And this first one is probably like, extremely unpopular given how much shit I’ve seen flung at this aspect of 3H, but like… I actually really like the Monastery? Like yes, absolutely, it should have done more to not shelter the player from how bad the war is and it should change more with the world instead of being in this mostly limbo state where apparently seasons don’t real. I definitely also have those complaints, but to me, the Monastery was fine for the most part. A lot of the issues you brought up, like supports and Faculty Training and supplies for eating, weren’t a problem for me almost at all. My only real gripe is with how hard it is for Byleth to get training in Flying, Mounted and especially Heavy Armor without NG+ unlocking weapons ranks, since they don’t have access to Weekly Chores. I do believe I still managed to recruit everyone while only unlocking C in Faith on my Maddening playthrough of GD, but it certainly wasn’t easy. But I feel a lot of the problem people have with it are on subsequent playthroughs where they’re trying to do things like 100% any aspect of 3H, which yeah is gonna exacerbate the issues tenfold. Cuz like, while those three weapons ranks I mentioned are hard for Byleth to raise, on Normal mode you have unlimited auxiliary battles to help with all the other ones. 

Like, I wanted to get Claude’s Dex to the max amount right? Just cuz I felt like it. And in doing that I found out just how tedious it is to get levels once a unit gets to a certain point, just cuz while Normal Mode gives you the Retreat option that lets you keep exp so you can drop a unit down on a yellow spot and get a decent boost in exp… you can do that like, twice or thrice on a story chapter. Once if it’s auxiliary (and not the freebie one). And that’s if you even have internet. And using the greenhouse to get Ailiell Pomegranates was a pain because they weren’t really guaranteed even if I used nothing but the right seed - doing that is more consistent, but not always, and I usually only got one anyway. It was annoying! But I was also doing a specific thing that’s gonna heighten the flaws in the system that I never would have noticed - didn’t even notice - unless I did that. The flaws are still there, don’t get me wrong! The Monastery definitely still needs improvement, battles still need to be a little more streamlined for future playthrough, but the flaws can seem a bit bigger than they are once you do certain things outside of a casual playthrough, know what I mean?

But, for example, when replaying 3H on hard mode and looking to recruit everyone after my no recruitment run, I didn’t come across any dilemma over “recruitment or Byleth being good, pick one.” That was the run my Byleth was usable, in fact - my first blind run that was no recruitment (save for Shamir) had my Byleth be pretty much completely useless while literally everyone else was fine. Also never came across problems with supplies for cooking (or at least not any big enough to comment on). So like, while these (and the above stuff) can certainly be problems for players trying to do everything everything in 3H, at least from my experience I just haven’t come across them. The monastery itself definitely needed a better story implementation, but yeah. I could’ve just been lucky tho lmao

I don’t mind how they implemented trying to get on CF at all tho lol. If you’ve been playing the game like it suggests you do - supporting characters and exploring the monastery  there’s no reason for players to have missed getting on CF. If players wanted to ignore one of the biggest aspects of the game I don’t really feel that bad for them when they miss out on very achievable things. Plus, CF’s requirements are nothing in terms of FE’s madness when it comes to getting on a route. It may be more specific than any other route, but like I said, playing the game as the game tells you to would naturally land you in it (the only thing that might be a bit unfair is that I think if you talk with Edelgard at all that month you have to decide right then and there, and then the whole month is lost. Kinda ass). 

Binding Blade, for example, requires you to do specific things that few first time players would think to do in multiple, random chapters in order for you to get the best ending. With absolutely no warning as to when these chapters happen and what to do in them. And some of these requirements are not fun lmao, I’d prefer how they did it with CF than with how they’ve handled ~secret~ stuff before personally

Pretty much agree with everything else though! While 3H is actually one of my more favored games in the series, I’ll be the first to admit that its storytelling is in dire need of improvement. Having the story and lore of the game just be spat out in lore dumps and this or that NPC just isn’t that good. Or if they are going to do that, at the very least give some visuals to go along with it! Imagine how much impactful Rhea’s story would have been if it was in a visual format, like CGs and/or a cutscene. It still would be an info dump, but at least we can see for ourselves how horrific the Red Canyon was for her! And I do not want another avatar in whatever next mainline game we get, personality or not. We’ve evolved past the need for self-inserts that all the characters Just Like lmao

But thanks for sharing your thoughts!! And sorry that it took so long for me to get to answering ;w; 

[minettestan]

Do you have a tag for games you recommend? I'm always looking for new games and my experience with point and click or 90s computer games is sorely lacking.

💕My favorite question💕 I took one of my old posts and updated it, so here!

💕 Personal Favorite

💀 Scary Content

👧 Female Protagonist

✨ Important to the genre’s history

📚 Tricky for new players, look up controls or a walkthrough to get started

❕  Difficult

👿 Potential insensitive content

The Colonel’s Bequest (1989) $5.99 💕✨👧💀❕📚

“It is the year 1925, and the roaring '20s are well underway. As Laura Bow, young college student, you've been invited to visit the Colonel's isolated estate. Watch as the Colonel announces his intention to bequeath his millions to all present!”

The classic Sierra murder mystery game, developed by the mother of the genre Roberta Williams. Laura Bow is a sorely overlooked female protagonist. The game works by navigating Laura and typing in commands, kinda of tricky at first. Tons of game overs are a hallmark of a Sierra adventure game so save often! If you play the GOG.com version you get the benefit of autosaves. This game runs a timer, the events of the night will unfold with or without you so stay on your toes and keep moving! The game can be found for free here, but imo the $5.99 is worth it for the easy of access.

The Dagger of Amon-Ra (1992) $5.99 👧✨❕📚👿💀

“Laura Bow, intrepid heroine of The Colonel's Bequest, is back! This time she's trapped in a huge, imposing museum in the dead of night, surrounded by socialites, miscreants, thieves...and a cold, relentless murderer.“

Roberta Williams is back! Iconic game, iconic heroine. It’s still a Sierra game so like TCB there are tons of (iconic) game overs, so save often. Solving puzzles in this one gives me a great serotonin rush. Unfortunately, this game has some racism issues, particularly with the characters Lo Fat and Ramses. While an important game in the genre take it with a huge grain of salt and maybe turn of the (kind of awful) voice acting and enable text-only mode and you’ll avoid some awful accents.

Sam & Max: Hit the Road (1993) $5.99 💕✨

“Sam (a canine shamus) and Max (a hyperkinetic rabbity thing) are hot on the trail of a runaway carnival bigfoot across America’s quirky underbelly in this deranged animated adventure!“

Sam & Max are truly my favorite characters in all of fiction. I have the box art to this game as my phone case. I have Sam & Max action figures, a plush Max on my bed, a print edition of Sam & Max Freeland Police Special #1 framed on my wall. From comics, to games, to cartoons I love these guys. Sam & Max: Hit the Road is a classic of the Lucasarts adventure games. That being said, it’s the least user-friendly of the Sam & Max adventure games and the slowest. I still love it to bits and it’s important to the genre’s history imo.  

Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers (1993) $5.99 💕💀👿

“The adventure of Gabriel Knight starts with gathering materials for his new book, and ends up becoming a fight for his very soul. He must now face countless dangers in New Orleans, Africa and Germany, each bringing him ever closer to unraveling the mystery behind suspicious voodoo murders. Haunted by nightmares, he won't give up until he reveals the truth. “

Another Sierra game directed by a woman, Jane Jenson. Gabriel Knight, voiced by Tim Curry, is one of my favorite adventure game protagonists of all time. This game is scary and gory so enter at your own risk! I love the gameplay in this one, I love the narrator, I love the puzzles. But it seems Sierra games have some problems with the representation of minorities. The game is set in New Orleans and focuses on a voodoo cult. Which means consequently the game's major antagonists are all black. Unlike the Dagger of Amon Ra, Sins of the Fathers actually employed black actors to play black characters. There’s a lot to be said about the ways in which white media demonizes voodoo and those who practice it. If you play this one, remain critical. And for the love of god, don’t play the 20th anniversary version.

Day of the Tentacle: Remastered (1993/2016) $14.99 ✨👧❕

“Originally released by LucasArts in 1993 as a sequel to Ron Gilbert’s ground breaking Maniac Mansion, Day of the Tentacle is a mind-bending, time travel, cartoon puzzle adventure game in which three unlikely friends work together to prevent an evil mutated purple tentacle from taking over the world!“

Another classic LucasArts game! This was the first game co-headed by Tim Schaffer who would go on to make the outstanding Grim Fandango! This one is exceedingly wacky and the remastered version has made it more user-friendly than ever.

Toonstruck (1996) $9.99 💕

“Drew Blanc is a cartoon animator and the original creator of the Fluffy Fluffy Bun Bun Show.. Drew's boss, Sam Schmaltz, sets him the task of designing more bunnies to co-star in the Fluffy Fluffy Bun Bun Show by the next morning. However, the depressed animator soon nods off, suffering from acute artist's block. He wakes early the next morning to inexplicably find his television switched on, announcing the Fluffy Fluffy Bun Bun Show. Suddenly, Drew is mysteriously drawn into the television screen and transported to an idyllic two-dimensional cartoon world populated by his own creations, among many other cartoon characters.“

If you’re a fan of Who Framed Roger Rabbit? you’ll love this. Christopher Lloyd is Drew Blanc (ha) trying to save a cartoon world through inventory item puzzles. Truly wacky, zany, and ani-mainy. I played Toontown as a kid so I’m predisposed to like this one. This is also the only game with Full Motion Video I’m putting on the list because FMV games can be an acquired taste.

Grim Fandango (1996/2015) $14.99 💕✨

“Something's rotten in the land of the dead, and you're being played for a sucker. Meet Manny Calavera, travel agent at the Department of Death. He sells luxury packages to souls on their four-year journey to eternal rest. But there's trouble in paradise. Help Manny untangle himself from a conspiracy that threatens his very salvation.“

Yesssssssss! I LOVE Grim Fandango! The iconic game directed by Tim Schaffer has received the best remaster I’ve seen a point n’ click receive. I cannot recommend Grim Fandango enough! Stick with it through the forest section, trust me.

The Last Express (1997) $5.99 ❕ 📚

“Paris, 1914. The world is on the brink of war and this train could push it over the edge. You are Robert Cath, a young American urgently summoned by your old friend Tyler Whitney to join him aboard the Paris-Constantinople express, departing from the Gare de l'Est on July 24th. Arriving late, you discover something has gone terribly wrong. Now you must untangle a complex web of political intrigue, suspense, romance, and betrayal. Every move you make could bring you closer to the truth or your own demise. Bon voyage! “

Ooooh I love a murder on a train! This game features rotoscope animation, which I love. Like The Colonel’s Bequest this game runs in real time, meaning the events of the game will unfold with or without you, depending on where you are at what time you’ll receive different information or see/miss different events. Very replayable with several different outcomes.

Sam & Max Save the World (Remastered) $19.99 💕

“ Sam is a six-foot canine detective with a love of justice. Max is a hyperkinetic rabbity-thing with a taste for mayhem. Together, they're the Freelance Police. And they're about to save the world.”

Sam & Max Save the World, originally released in episodes from 2006-2008 has been remastered and looks AMAZING! After LucasArts was shut down their game devs formed Tell Tale Games and produced three seasons of Sam & Max sequel games, all of which are great. But TellTale was shut down (and screwed over their employees) in 2018. Since then some of their devs have formed Skunkape Games and are currently remastering all of Tell Tale’s Sam & Max series (I’m thrilled). They’ve also adjusted some aspects of the game to make the game more inclusive and less **offensive. So imo it’s worth it to wait for the release of the other seasons to experience Sam & Max in pristine condition. Save the World is the only season out now, but you can get the non-remastered versions of Beyond Time and Space, and In The Devil’s Playhouse, here and here.

 **I should note the “offensive” material in the original is not as egregious as say, The Dagger of Amon-Ra, but it’s just a nice change to see especially in a game I hold dear.

Emerald City Confidential (2009) $9.99 👧

“Explore the underbelly of Oz as Emerald City's most cunning detective! As Petra, you'll be lured deep into mysteries involving new foes and familiar faces; Scarecrow, Lion, and Toto included! This is Oz as you've never seen it before! Solve the mystery and unravel a conspiracy of magic and intrigue! Follow a case through five chapters full of puzzles, witnesses, suspects, and allies in this twist on a timeless classic! “

We’re moving out of the 1990s now. Emerald City Confidential is the Wizard of Oz meets film noir. I played this as 13 year old and have revisited it as an adult and I still eat it up. Wadjet Eye makes consistently good adventure games so check this one out!

The Blackwell Series (2006) $14.99 💕👧

“Meet Rosangela Blackwell, an embittered writer who just found out that she is a medium and that it’s her mission, whether she likes it or not, to assist tormented spirits and investigate other supernatural goings-on. She is assisted by the sardonic Joey Mallone, a ghost from the 1930s.”

Another Wadjet Eye game! I’ve seen these games recommended amoungst the Clue Crew before and I’ll just throw my own endorsement on the pile. Yeah I’m in love with Joey Mallone. What about it?

The Charnel House Trilogy (2015) $5.99 👧💀

“Witness The Charnel House Trilogy, the chronicle of one fateful night aboard a train bound for Augur Peak. Three thrilling, horrifying adventure games in one, from the depths of the Sepulchre.”

Plays like Blackwell, has a Blackwell reference at the beginning, okay you got me. This is a good, if kinda short, game. It’s very creepy, involves murder and has some gore/violence so watch out! I’m still waiting on the sequel Owl Cave!

Thimbleweed Park (2017) $19.99 👧

“A haunted hotel, an abandoned circus, a burnt-out pillow factory, a dead body pixelating under the bridge, toilets that run on vacuum tubes... you’ve never visited a place like this before.“

Made by Ron Gilbert and  Gary Winnick the creators of the classic games Maniac Mansion and Monkey Island Thimbleweed Park is a love letter to the classics of the point and click adventure genre. Features 5 different playable characters, ala Maniac Mansion, who and how many you play is up to you! This one also has stand alone DLCs!

Unavowed (2018) $14.99 👧

“ A demon possessed you one year ago. Since that day, you unwillingly tore a trail of bloodshed through New York City. Your salvation comes in the form of the Unavowed – an ancient society dedicated to stopping evil.”

Okay I haven’t actually played this one, but I want to. Its a Wadjet Eye so you know it’s good. From the reviews I’ve seen this is the Blackwell Series meets Dragon Age. A point and click that incorporates RPG elements, I love that.

I also have a love of the more, strange, and unusual adventure games that I can't necessarily recommend with good conscience. So if you want bizarre 90s and early 2000s games of dubious quality hit me up.

[arotechno]

The Heartless: Chapter 1

Next

Read on Inkitt

(A/N: HOOOO boy here we go, after five years of staring down the barrel of this thing it’s finally done! Important question: does it matter to y’all if I don’t post the text of the chapter directly below the cut in the future and just link to Inkitt? I ask because formatting for tumblr was beyond annoying and I’m not looking forward to doing it for like 20 more chapters. But if it’s necessary for accessibility reasons, I’m willing to do it.)

Chapter I: in which the story begins

When the winter first melted into spring, Basil and I crept to the edge of the woods behind our houses to pick wildflowers in the meadow. It was still too early for raspberries; in the summer, we’d fill our baskets and our stomachs with them until our mouths were stained red with juices. Our mothers would bake pies in the afternoon and we’d eat them in the evening, cleaning every last scrap from our supper plates with the promise of a sweet dessert. Now, the earth was still cool beneath our bare feet, our toes wiggling in the soft dirt. Once we’d filled our fists with flowers, we settled in the tall grass and began weaving together goldenrod, daisies, and violets into flower crowns and daisy chains.

Basil presented his work and beamed at me, shielding his eyes from the afternoon sun with the back of his hand. “Take it, I want you to wear it,” he urged, thrusting the flower crown into my lap.

“But you worked so hard on it,” I replied.

He shrugged and brushed the dirt from his tanned knees. “I want you to have it,” he insisted, reaching forward and taking the crown from my lap to place it gently on my head.

I stared down at my own work in my hands; it was not nearly as beautiful as the one Basil had made. Some of the stems had split, and many of the flowers had lost some of their leaves and petals. I didn’t have the same steady hands that he did.

“In that case, I want you to have mine, too,” I decided, pressing the crown onto Basil’s head as a couple more leaves fluttered to the ground.

Basil grinned a mile wide, practically radiating sunshine with every inch of his being. “Now we match,” he beamed.

A peaceful silence fell over the meadow. Behind us, the trees rustled in the woods. Insects hovered in the grass, hopping from flower to flower; Basil jumped when a bee buzzed past his face to land in the flowering raspberry bushes that bordered the tree line.

“We’ll be friends forever, right, Basil?” I asked after a while, sheepishly adjusting my flower crown.

"Of course we will,” he responded. “Even when we’re old!”

 “How old? Like, eighteen? That’s super old!”

Basil laughed. “Yeah! Eighteen and then even older!”

I smiled hopefully. “And we can still make flower crowns like this?”

“Ace, when we’re eighteen, I’ll still make you all the flower crowns you want,” Basil decreed with a grin. “That’s a promise.”

* * *

The warmth of the sun and Basil’s innocent smile faded as I woke up to last night’s rain dripping down on me from the cracks in the ceiling above. Bertrand stood over me, jostling me awake with one hand while the other held a vial of another one of his concoctions. I assumed I had fallen asleep after supper, because the dishes remained untouched by the washbasin and twilight was just pouring in through the window.

“Drink up,” Bertrand commanded in that voice of his that just begged to be disobeyed, holding the potion in front of me expectantly as if to remind me of the curse that filled the vacant space within me. He stared at me with piercing eyes over the top of his dull gray beard, swishing the vial back and forth for emphasis.

I grabbed it from his wrinkly hand and sloshed the red liquid around in disgust before shutting my eyes and downing it in one gulp, just to appease him. Even so, I could not resist the urge to lay a hand against my chest, but still I felt nothing. Shaking my head, I rose from my cot and pushed past Bertrand, grabbing my bow and arrow off the hook by the door and slinging it over my shoulder.

“Where are you going?” Bertrand called after me.

“Out,” I answered, already halfway out the rickety wooden door.

“It’s past nightfall, Ace, it’s dangerous out there!”

But I was already gone, walking away from the old house as the door slammed shut behind me with a satisfying thud.

Over the seven years I’d spent under Bertrand’s leaky roof, I had slowly become disillusioned with the idea of ever finding a potion strong enough to light a fire in my ribcage. Bertrand had tested a lot of his spells on me throughout my life, but the love potion had always proven to be the least effective.

But I suppose that is to be expected when you do not have a heart.

The Village of the Heartless was smaller than the town where I grew up. A single dirt road ran from the village gates to the top of the hill, through the neighborhood before coming to a stop at the edge of the woods that surrounded the kingdom of Amistadia. We were a close-knit community, learning to provide and look out for each other through thick and thin, through every harsh winter and plentiful spring.

Bertrand’s house stood at the edge of the village, where the hill dropped off toward the gates below. At the base of the hill stood a large, sturdy oak tree where I perched some nights with my bow and arrow on the lookout for trouble.

Nights in the Village of the Heartless were always dark, as we could never afford enough oil to keep all of the town’s lamps lit, but they weren’t always quiet. Kids from neighboring towns sometimes wandered the area at night, brandishing knives in their grimy hands, looking to stir up trouble. Tonight was no exception; as I neared the village limits, I caught a glimpse of a pair of boys making their way down the road, and a thrill shot up my spine. I climbed swiftly up the oak tree and perched in the shadow of its lush, leafy branches, fingers itching for my bow.

The pair dragged a child behind them by the arm, yanking her across the dirt with them as they cackled and cheered triumphantly at their prized catch. The girl held tightly to a canvas sack, trying fruitlessly to pull away from her captors.

“Get away, get away!” she shrieked, dodging a blow as she fell to the ground, clutching the bag to her torso desperately.

“What’s the matter, little runt?” one of the assailants sneered. “You’re not afraid of a couple of kids, are you?”

“I just wanted something to eat!” the girl cried out as a likely filthy knife narrowly missed her cheek.

If I had been in my right mind, I would have simply shot the pair of boys in the shoulder, snatched up the child, and run away, but Basil’s face kept flashing in my mind; an anger was boiling in my gut that demanded confrontation.

“Hey, ugly!” I shouted, pulling back an arrow and pointing it in their direction.

The kid with the knife froze, eyes darting up to my place on the tree branch. I was yards away, but I could see the glint of light from the last of the setting sun on the knife as his fist tightened around it. His partner, as well as the child still laying on the ground with the sack clutched to her chest, stared wide-eyed as he

“Who’re you talking to?” he grumbled.

“Doesn’t matter,” I quipped, hopping down from my perch and tightening my grip on the arrow. “Just let the kid go.”

“Why should I?” he retorted, nonetheless taking a step back when he saw the arrow aimed directly at his head. “Y-You’re not really going to shoot that.”

“How do you know?”

The other kid called out, “Hey, let’s just get out of here.” He was ignored.

Pointing to the little girl, Knife Boy puffed out his chest and continued, “There’s no way you’re really worried about her. You Heartless are all the same; you don’t feel a damned thing. No way you’d go out of your way to save her.”

I allowed myself a bitter, self-indulgent smirk, too brief to be seen in the thick darkness. “If that’s what you believe, that I am entirely emotionless, then wouldn’t it also stand to reason that I would feel no remorse about ending your sorry life right here and now?” I drew my bowstring further; the wood audibly creaked. “If that’s the case, then it would seem you had better start running.”

Knife Boy froze, taking a few steps back before he and his friend took off running in the direction they came. “Cursed bastards!” he yelled over his shoulder as he hopped the gate and disappeared. Once they were out of sight, I let my arms drop to my side and slung my bow back over my shoulder. I felt my brow furrow in frustration; life in the village had become so mundane that I was almost hoping for a fight. I quickly stifled that selfish thought, pushing it to the far recesses of my mind; the girl, who had stayed completely still on the ground throughout the whole ordeal, now scrambled to her feet, still clutching the bag in her white-knuckled hands. Now, no longer squinting through the dark, I recognized her immediately.

“That was awesome! How did you know what to say?” she beamed, slinging the canvas sack over her shoulder and wiping the dirt from a pair of ratty pants that fell three inches from her ankles.

"Petra, you’re the one who I keep hearing has been stealing food from the neighboring villages?” I asked her, and her expression soured immediately at having been caught.

“Yeah, that was me,” Petra admitted under her breath. Then, scrambling to justify herself, she added, “But I only do it because there’s not enough food in the village and I gotta eat something!”

I nodded, mulling it over. “Sure, now I suppose I can’t blame you for that, but stealing is wrong. You’re plenty old enough to know that.”

“Of course, I know that, but I needed food!”

“Fine, I get it, I get it,” I sighed. “Just don’t make this a habit, got it? I promised Annie I would keep you out of trouble.”

Petra pouted. “Fine,” she mumbled. I started back up the hill, with Petra trotting silently alongside me.

At thirteen years old, Petra had been living in the Village of the Heartless since she was a baby—which was still longer than I’d been in town—left outside the home of one of the village women, Annie, in the middle of the night. I’d met her several years ago, and she quickly became enthralled with my stories of life outside the village. Annie was dead several months now, leaving Petra to fend mostly for herself, though the community kept a watchful eye over her (Not watchful enough, I thought ruefully).

“You didn’t tell me how you knew what to say to that kid,” she urged, struggling to keep up with my strides.

“I used to spend time around those kinds of people a lot when I was a kid,” I explained, deciding to humor her. “I’ve learned how to turn their own words against them by now.”

I did not tell her that had I learned how to do so sooner, things may have turned out a lot differently.

 * * *

I eventually sent Petra home with a warning that I’d be watching to make sure she didn’t get into any more trouble. When I crossed the threshold back into Bertrand’s musty old house, the palm of his hand came down hard across my face, leaving a sharp stinging sensation behind on my skin.

“What on earth was that for?” I yelped. Bertrand grabbed me by the wrist and dropped me into one of the rickety dining chairs in the center of the room, bearded face practically sparking with rage.

“You must not keep doing that!” he scolded.

“Doing what?” I asked innocently.

“Getting into confrontations with… hooligans! What else?”

“I did what I had to—”

“Don’t think I wasn’t watching, Ace! I could see the entire ordeal from the window!”

 “Well maybe if you’d actually done something to help instead of just watching—”

“Unlike you, Ace, I value my life and am not going to get myself killed just to feel like the hero!”

I couldn’t help but bristle at his comment. Something in my soul shattered, and I sprung to my feet, the wooden chair tipping backward onto the stone floor behind me with a loud clatter that would have rang through the eaves had I not immediately erupted into theatrics.

“What do you mean you value your life? All you do is sit around making futile potion after potion and you still think it’ll work next time!” I clenched my fists at my sides, willing the confrontational energy in my veins to burn out before it swallowed me whole. “So maybe I need to tell off some asshole every once in a while to finally feel like I’m doing something meaningful. So you can keep pouring bile down my throat all you want, but I can assure you it’ll never make me happy!”

Bertrand’s face fell, and I knew deep down that I had hurt him, but I could not bring myself to feel guilty. He had it coming, I thought, stalking across the room to my cot by the window. I sat down on the thin mattress, kicked off my boots, and pulled my knees up to my chest.

“Ace—” Bertrand, having followed me, reached out a hand as if to lay it on my shoulder, but I flinched away from the touch and he retracted the appendage as if he had been burned.

“Don’t touch me,” I muttered, directing my gaze out the window at the dark, lonely night creeping across the landscape. “Just leave me alone.”

With a sigh, Bertrand retreated from my bedside, retiring to his back potion room to conjure his demons away, and I sat back against the wall, longing for home and the warm voices of my parents.

That night, I dreamt of Knife Boy, and his words reminded me of Carita, the girl who kissed me under an oak tree when we were younger and told me I was weird for flinching

Next chapter releases 7/25!

[lenacker]

To Raise an Eaglet

Kuchel and Levi’s life in my Meet The Ackermans Modern! Rivetra AU

This is my longest work yet, Word count : 2654 words

"So you're not coming here for Christmas?" Kuchel holds her phone to her ear with her shoulder, while cutting the vegetables on the cutting board. She was preparing some special stew from her beloved son’s cute, little family.

"No, I’m working on a very important case, Mom. I.."

"Wait, wait," Kuchel wiped her hands to her apron, re-do her ponytail, and now holding her phone with her hand, meanwhile the other was on her hips. "don't say you're not even coming home to Petra for Christmas Eve? For fuck's sake Lev, that's intolerable! That’s your very own birthday! Don't put your work before your family! If they're gone then who are you working for?! What's the use of money when you have no one to spend it with? Seriously, I don't remember raising a man that's ........" 

Levi took a deep breath, putting his phone on the desk while his mom kept rambling here and there. He loves her so much, but she always talks too much for her own good. Sometimes he even wondered how they share the same genes with the difference between their amount of words they can say in one breath.

When he put the phone back to his ear, he didn't hear the nag of his mother. Instead, the woman he heard since he remembered sounds like she's on the verge of tears.

"..... but I guess it can't be helped, huh? It's okay then, it doesn't like I've prepared anything, anyway. Say hi to Petra and the boys for me."

Kuchel sighed, pushing herself with her hands against the countertop, and looked to the ceiling to prevent her tears from falling. Why is she crying, anyway? It's not going to be her first alone Christmas! She spent plenty of them alone, trembling from the cold (and starvation if there are not enough customers in the brothel). 

Until one Christmas when she’s 20, she got a great gift she never even dared to imagine, a beautiful, little bundle of joy she named Levi. He came with such unbearable pain, blood, and tears but the moment she heard him scream and laid her eyes on him, no, even from the first time she felt her baby's move, she knows she wouldn't be alone anymore. 

I'm gonna protect you, she whispered while cradling Levi's tiny head against her chest, tears streaming from her tired eyes, We’ll live a better life together.

Life felt less ugly for a while. She had to hide her baby whenever a customer came, but it gets less lonely with a cute baby looking at you with such wonderful blue eyes. She hopes he doesn't grow up so he won't understand what kind of world they live in.

But of course, he grows. And in the process, Kuchel saw how unfit the environment they're in for a child's development. She saw how Levi started to laugh less, his skin pale and almost translucent. He stopped saying 'I love you' back when he's around four, instead, he would just hug her silently. He stopped moving when he had to hide from her customers in the tiny cupboard, not moving an inch. Not making any sound. It made her worried sick, she couldn't see if he's ok from the bed. Can he breathe properly? Is it normal for a 4 years old boy to stay still for hours?

At the age of six, he looks like a very malnourished four years old vampire-boy. His voice became raspy, his eyes darken, his cheeks sunken. In their city, it's difficult enough to find decent food when you have money, it's even harder when you don't. Sometimes he would give her some crumpled money he somehow finds, tells her to keep it to buy a new house so no scary men come to hurt mommy. That's also the year when she realized she has the disease that has been spreading around. Of fucking course. The disease takes over her entirely. In just a month, she can't even get up from her bed, her body feels like it's on fire. 

And the worst thing, she can't work nor provide food for little Levi. But he never asks for it either. He stayed with her on the bed, caressing her face with his bony hand. Around midday, he would get up, go for an hour or so, and come back with some half-decent food and bruises. Her heart ached every time he put the food inside her mouth, whispering 'please get better, mommy' with his raspy voice. 

She hoped she could ask him where he got the food and the bruises, tell him there's no way she could get better without any treatment, or simply say thank you because she's the one who was supposed to find food, but she couldn't force any sound out of her throat. Sometimes she sheds some tears, which Levi always reacts with a sad 'sorry mommy, I can't find better food'. It hurts even more. Sometimes she wondered if keeping him and bringing him to this cruel world is a mistake. Or if she's being selfish to want a friend in her lonely life.

Then she decided to give up. She kept her eyes shut, feeling how her body struggled to keep her alive. She let the darkness consume her.

-

But she didn't die. She didn't know how much time was passed but when she started to gain consciousness she heard the beeping sound beside her. 

Where am I? Her body does not hurt as much. She opened her eyes and was welcomed with Levi's beautiful blue-grey eyes right in front of her own.

"Levi?"

Wait, did she just talk? Did she really make a clear, understandable word? Well, that’s the first.

She observed her baby's face and noticed how he looks .....more like a normal child. She raised her hand to touch his surprisingly slight chubby cheeks, but he's faster. He moved down to hug -more like crushes, actually- her. He buried his face to her cheeks, mumbling long incoherent words to her cheeks. She felt how her cheeks moisten by his warm tears, how his body trembled, and wondered how she even thought of leaving this precious boy. 

"There's Kenny," Levi said once he calmed down, "he brought Mommy here and taught me to fight" then he proudly showed her some of the moves she recognized as Kenny's with a paring knife.

Kenny was a weird one, he always was. He's her only brother, but he never acted like one nor was there for her. He went to jail for killing some folks when she’s about ten. The last time she saw him was when she's pregnant, and he told him to abort her pregnancy. Of course, she refused, so he left without saying anything. 

"What did you do with Kenny, baby?" Did he teach you anything bad? killing people? He's a little bit psycho. Much to her relief, they just have some knife and martial arts training, then eat whatever food Levi wanted. Well at least her brother gave him food and brought her to the hospital. At least he keeps Levi alive even though he never approves of his presence.

A few weeks later, she's allowed to leave the hospital. She has been unconscious for three months, apparently. Kenny came, he took care of the administration and payment, drove them to a simple-clean apartment, left some money then left without any unnecessary words. They have never been a normal sibling with a heartfelt relationship but still, Kuchel hoped he would say something, where does he live now, why did he come, does he have any wife and kids, anything. 

And so, their brand new life began. In the morning Kuchel would bake some simple cookies, walk Levi to school while giving her cookies to shops along the street then she went to a supermarket near their home, where she worked as a part-time cashier. Then when her shift has finished, she picks her son home and takes her money from the shops. 

Years passed, their life gets better every day. Levi had poor social skills, but he managed to befriend two nice, orphan kids; Farlan and Isabel. Like everything he loves (Kuchel herself, a hand knife he got from Kenny, multi-functional stain remover, etc.) he was a bit overprotective. She had to meet the headmaster more than three times during Levi's first two months because her son 'created a commotion' when the only thing he did was protect his friends' dignity with his fists. She didn't think it's bad. Kuchel always knows Levi is such a kind and sweet boy, he just prefers to show his crude side (from Kenny or their previous place, she's not sure). So instead of telling him to stop fighting bullies, she told him words can hurt more than any blow. And it turned out surprisingly well, he never 'created trouble' again. (Saying hurting words is not considered trouble, how weird).

In the blink of an eye, Levi became a handsome man wearing an immaculate suit, kissing Kuchel's cheek before leaving to go to his office for the umpteenth time. 

"Don't forget to find me a daughter-in-law," she said teasingly, handing him lunch. Her son pretended to look disgusted, then smiled softly "I don't think I can find someone as pretty and amazing as you, Mom. See you!" 

Ever since he turned 30, she kept reminding him that 29 is the average marriage age for a male and he would answer with the answer he just gave her this morning, or "Nobody would want to marry a grumpy, constipated looking man, Mom" or, "I will once I find the right one". 

Kuchel knew her son was admired by many (he always bring home at least two bags of chocolates on Valentine's Day), he's good-looking (not that tall due to the malnutrition in his early years, but still, even the old lady next-door had mentioned that he's hot). His salary as a detective at the Criminal Investigation Department is high enough to afford both of them that he forced her to quit working and enjoy life. But she's as stubborn as he is, so she sneakily still bakes some cookies and sells them to a bakery far enough from his office. 

About two hours later, right as her oven timer rings, the front door of their apartment opened, revealing a furious Levi. He only wears his shirt and trousers, the suit he initially wears this morning in his hands. Thankfully he didn't notice the freshly baked cookies because he’s too busy muttering curses angrily, something about an airheaded, bitchy woman. 

Woman? Well, that’s interesting. Kuchel couldn’t recall when’s the last time her son mentioned anything about women (never). Aside from Isabel and Hange 'shitty-four eyes’, that is. She raised one of her eyebrows, wondering if this could be the beginning of the hater-into-lover relationship she often watches at Korean dramas. 

“Oh, you’re home early. Something happened?” she asked as neutral as possible despite her giddiness, leaning against the doorframe of Levi’s bedroom. He was buttoning his white shirt, annoyance still clear on his face. However, he forced a grin. 

“Nothing, Mom. Just a friend of Hange’s. She smeared some cake cream on my suit. Don’t know what she’s thinking.” Kuchel nodded understandingly, what a daring girl to do that.

“Is she pretty?” She asked once more, already imagining a scheme upon how they would fall madly in love. 

Her son looks surprised, or somehow like someone who just remembers he forgot something important. He took his tie and walked to her, letting his mother tie it around his collar. (She secretly appreciates how he let her do it, despite knowing how to do it himself. It makes her feel needed) While she ties the red garment, Levi looks intensely to her eyes and mumbles, “ShehasbigeyeswiththesamecolorasyousoIguess.…”

Throughout the years, Kuchel noticed that despite being sweet and kind (to her, at least), her son has difficulties showing feelings he deemed ‘bad’ or maybe ‘weird’. He usually mumbles lengthy sentences that she learned to interpret. Like that time when one of her customers hurt her, 4 years old Levi tried to wash the blood and mumbles how he wanna be stronger and hurt the man back, and how he loves his mother. Or when she woke up in the hospital. Or when everybody in his class praises him for shaving his head when one of his classmates had cancer. Or every time he presented her with a bunch of flowers on Mother's Day. That habit is still there, evidently. 

She simply smiled, deciding to not tease him any further. She patted his chest, telling him to go back to his office, and let the topic go. 

But apparently, the Hange’s airheaded friend story doesn’t stop there.

About a month later, Levi went to watch a musical titled Hamilton with Hange. He always likes musical shows, mainly for the elaborate choreography. She didn’t expect her son to get home so late, and grumpier than ever. She asked him why, but he dismissed her. She didn’t need to wonder for long, because Hange called her (it’s not even a rare occurrence, they’re so close that they often call her randomly in the middle of the night). 

"I tried to set him with my roommate," they said, "Petra is a very sweet girl, not to mention that she's clean and pretty short. She's pretty much perfect for him. I tried to push them into the stuck-in-the-elevator scenario, but I guess Levi ended up saying the wrong thing that Petra smeared her cake -that I ordered- to him. Of course, I didn’t just give up. So, I ordered two Hamilton tickets -it was soo expensive and hard to find!- anyway, I gave one to Levi and another to Petra, and pretend that I'm the one who'll go with them" They talked in a very Hange way, fast and passionate. They sounded really proud of their plan.  “Do you want to meet her too? I bet you two will connect instantly, Imma send you her bakery’s location, how’s that?”

So, the next day Kuchel visited Petra’s bakery and immediately fell in love. She’s like….a sun personified. Like, even her entire appearance was so bright and fun. Her hair was shoulder-length wavy hair, the root was strawberry blonde and it got lighter that the tip was light blonde. Her eyes are big, round, sparkling light brown eyes, and freckles peppered her cute face. She wore an ankle-length light yellow sundress with small blue flower patterns that complement her pale skin perfectly. She talked with a lot of hand motions, and she slips her hair behind her right ears every once in a while.

Yes, this one’s definitely perfect for her Levi.

-

December 22, 5 days after that (surprisingly) emotional phone call. Kuchel woke up to the loud sound of her doorbell. Seriously, the shameless guest was ringing the bell like some kind of madman in the middle of the night. Wait, what if that's a real madman? 

Ah, screw that, she thought sleepily, whoever that is they definitely need to be taught some lesson. She got off her bed, picked a frying pan from the kitchen, and then opened her door.

It's not a shameless nor mad man. 

In front of her door, Leo was sitting on Levi's shoulders while still ringing the bell vigorously with a big grin. Beside him, Petra was fixing her hold to Liam, while the ginger-haired toddler calmly eats his lollipop.

"Gran-Gran!" Leo greeted (gosh, that boy has too much energy for his own good), while his little brother just waved his hand that wasn't holding the lolly. 

Kuchel put down her frying pan, "Hey, guys! Come in!" 

She moved to the side, letting the little family inside. Leo immediately ran off to his favorite playing spot, the cabinet under the stairs. His brother tottered sleepily behind him.  

“So…...what happened to the case?”, she asked with as much sarcasm as possible, while locking the front door again, “Finally realizing your family’s more important than some ruthless murderer?”

A/N : I love Hamilton.

[aegir-emblem]

Online Learning: Black Eagles Edition

Byleth (We Know the Drill) *Doesn’t want to be there but it’s required that they at least make an effort to advance the students’ learning. Stays silent while they try to figure out how to use the online learning tools and probably has muted the whole class. Particularly tired around this group, because they’re absolutely split. While none of the Deer cared, and all of the Lions cared, Byleth actually has to try with this group; to make the environment workable for everyone. And it sucks.*

Edelgard: *Oh boy, we know she’s just excited to see the Professor. She tries to contain it, but it’s obvious in the way she cleaned her room and made sure her setup was presentable. Shows up in the class call 15 - make it 20 minutes early to talk with Byleth and ask how her quarantine has been, explain how hers was, and subtly peek around Byleth’s setup to see if she can catch a glimpse of her room. Feels slightly uncomfortable but at the same time finds this very neat, getting to be in such a casual setting.*

Hubert: *Tried to look presentable for Edelgard’s sake, but mixed with the dark ambiance of his room, it’s difficult to find where he is. Is he in a basement? A storage room? Your own closet? There’s no telling. Has the blinds closed and the worst video despite having a high-budget setup, so it’ll be pitch black and suddenly he’ll lean forward and appear from nowhere in the darkness like the vampire he is.* 

Ferdinand (von Aegir): *Has the college girl loooook. Hair up in a messy bun, glasses, sweaters and the cute but busy setup. Like - he wants to look like he’s been working (which to be fair, he has) and that he’s been cramming so much to learn the material, but really, we know those leggings are from Victoria’s Secret and you brushed your hair a million times to get the perfect poof for that bun. Still, his efforts are appreciated and that happy, pleasant smile is happier to see everyone than expected.*

Dorothea: *Still does her makeup in the morning to feel efficient and like she’s been doing something. Actually dressed in lazy clothes though, unlike Ferdie who was trying, because hey, Thea knows she looks good. She asks how everyone’s quarantine is, and surprisingly has all of the COVID-19 facts to assure everyone and make sure they’re all properly informed. Frequently reminds people of the best ways to stay clean and sanitary. Offers to send recipes to people who don’t know how to cook at home, that kind of thing. Best <3*

Petra: *Parents talking loudly to her, because she’s set up at a messy kitchen table. Yells back at them in her native language, trying to tell them to shut up. Also using the laptop mic, no headphones set up, so that echo is 100%. She’s trying, but... poor girl was muted long ago. RIP Brigid lockdown.*

Caspar: *Logged in, got in bed, fell asleep. Wakes up, goes to the kitchen, heats up some Chipotle, and watches. Honestly has no idea what unit they’re on and has no intention to do any of the work regardless. Brags about how he’s going to the gym no matter what, not afraid of a virus and how he’s gonna be so much more ripped than he already is when they see him next. But we know this boi is just going on runs outside and like - powerwashing the walls of the house like his dad tells him to. We love Caspar <3*

Bernadetta: *This is every day for Bernie, what are y’all expecting me to say?*

Linhardt: *Linhardt von Hevring has not joined the call. Our baby is sleepy uwu*

[ltwilliammowett]

Skeletons of the Vasa

Who doesn't know Vasa, the once so proud ship of Gustav II Adolf of Sweden, which on its maiden voyage 10. August 1628, managed a total of 1300 metres, only to sink due to serious construction defects.  When Vasa sank, thirty of the people on board died, the most weren’t onboard, mostly those who were below deck and could not escape. These included women and children who were either on board as day guests or accompanied a crew member for a longer period of time - the Swedish Navy allowed seafarers to have their wives on board in their own waters. During the salvage and excavation, the bones of at least 17 people were recovered. Some of them are almost complete skeletons, in one case with hair, fingernails and even a complete brain, but others are only partial due to the disruption of the wreck during the many salvage attempts over the years.

Crew member: Ivar (c) Withnall

Of these 17 people, 13 were men, the other two or three women - it is not clear which sex the Skellet has because it has no special sexual markers, and one child. During the excavations, the individual individuals each received a letter of the alphabet because the names of the crew had not been written down and are therefore unknown. In the course of the years a simple letter became a name only to be able to give a name to the persons. So A- Adam. B- Beata and so on. 

Crew Member : Johan and Ylva

Osteological examinations

The average height of the crew members is 166 cm, with the highest 179 cm and the shortest only 160 cm. That is much shorter than today what is to be led back on a bad nutrition as children. The 1620s were the depth of the climatic event known as the Little Ice Age, when temperatures were much lower and vegetation periods were much shorter, especially in the north. Malnutrition and other nutritional deficiencies were common, and we can see evidence of them in the bones. Two of the women suffered from either anemia or chronic diarrhoea, as low levels of copper and zinc show, and some of the skeletons show signs of scurvy (vitamin C deficiency) suffered earlier in life, although none seems to be suffering when the ship sank. Scurvy was common in Sweden in winter because of a lack of fresh food. Most people ate a balanced diet of meat and fish, but Filip was a vegetarian, with almost all his proteins from plants, which explains his small stature and thin physique. This is probably due to his teeth: He had an extra set of front teeth in his lower jaw, which made it impossible for him to close his mouth completely or use his molars effectively to chew solid food. On average, the crew members among the skeletons were well nourished and healthy.

Crew member: Beata, David and Gustav (c) Ingresen

The adult males range in age from late teenagers to the 50s or 60s, with most living in the 20s and 30s. This is the type of age group one would expect in a crew of conscripts who were admitted to military service between the ages of 18 and 48. The oldest is Johan, who we believe was an officer and not an ordinary sailor because of his clothes and injuries. The two clearly identified women, Ylva and Beata, are young, one a teenager and the other in their 20s; they are probably wives or relatives of crew members. Petter/Petra, represented by a one-armed bone, was a small child, probably less than eight years old. This is too young to be a ship boy, and so he or she is probably also a guest.

Crew member: Filip (c) Murdoch

Many of the skeletons have healed injuries, suggesting that life in the 17th century was much more violent than today, with accidents more common. More than half of the people had broken bones earlier in their lives, even the women, and many had broken more than one. Johan had lost two toes from his right foot in a crushing accident – was he run over by a recoiling gun? Adam had been hit in the face with a heavy object, which had broken his nose and cheekbone and crushed the sinus over one eye, which gave his face a lopsided appearance and probably caused him headaches. Filip, who may have been one of the ship's two lieutenants, had an old injury to both elbows, possibly from a fall, which would have made his arms stiff and sore. Most of the skeletons had lost teeth, some quite recently before the ship sank, and many suffered from gum disease (from not brushing their teeth) but there is almost no evidence of tooth decay, probably because of the lack of sugar in their food.

Facial reconstruction of Johan and Adam (c) Vasamuseum

The DNA analysis is its early stages, but it shows that all of the skeletons have DNA profiles which are common in Scandinavia, which one would expect from a crew of conscripts. Several have profiles more common today in Finland, which contributed sailors to the Swedish navy. The small child, Petter/Petra, has the same profile as one of the adult men, Cesar, and is most likely his brother/sister or nephew/niece. With further analysis of nuclear DNA, we may be able to identify such things as eye and hair color and the regional origin of their families.

Facial reconstruction of Beata und Ivar (c) Vasamuseum

Facial reconstruction

Seven of the skulls are complete enough to allow the faces to be reconstructed. This is possible because the features we use to recognize people are largely defined by the shape of our skulls. The muscle, fat and skin on top of the skull are more or less the same thickness for everybody, so by building up these layers in clay on a cast of the skull, it is possible to get some idea of how a person looked. Sculptor Oscar Nilsson, who is trained as both an artist and as an archaeologist, is one of the best in the world at this kind of work, and so he has been able to make lifelike reconstructions of six of the people on board when the ship sank: Adam, Beata, Filip, Gustav, Ivar and Johan. Some of the features, such as the shape of the ears and lips, the hairstyles, and the color of the eyes, are guesswork. And yet these reconstructions are an unbelievable job and give the crew of Vasa a very good opportunity to look into their faces.

 Facial reconstraction of Gustav and Filip (c) Vasamuseum

[mtvswatches]

Jane the Virgin 2x22 Chapter Fourty-Four

Click here for previous recaps!

Stray thoughts

1) I get that it’s part of the Latino culture, but I kind of wish we would be done with this “women are obsessed over weddings and they dream about having the perfect wedding since they’re young and their whole lives revolve around this one goal”. I could maybe understand if it was about marriage, but it’s about getting married, having a dream wedding, and it all seems so shallow to me. I understand this is a wedding episode, but I wish they would’ve found a new angle instead of relying on the outdated “I’ve dreamed about this day since I was little” trope. It simply puts me off.

2) Will Jane really lose her virginity? Why do I feel she won’t? Like, I feel this is one of those shows that takes its title way too seriously and they will purposefully prevent Jane from having sex as long as they can. And I feel the only way she wouldn’t have sex is if she doesn't get married or if something was to happen to Michael, right?

3) Oh, damn, Luisa is going to be back? Not the moron, again!

4) Jane called Rafael over to share with him that Mateo had just taken his first steps, which was very co-parenting of her and I totally endorse it. Of course, the moment is ruined both for Rafael and me when he’s reminded that Mateo will walk down the aisle during Jane’s wedding to Michael…

And now he’s entertaining the idea of declaring his love to Jane and stopping the wedding? Are we really back to this? This is terrible writing, I’m sorry. Is this the only arc they can give Rafael? Forever pine for Jane?

5)

The cat is out of the bag.

6) Jane and Michael are fighting over the honeymoon arrangements and budget and I feel this doesn’t bode well…

7) Xiomara and Rogelio arrive late and set up in motion a chain of events that end up with Mateo nearly killing the priest during the rehearsal. Jane confronts them and tells them to get their shit together until after the wedding, and I find myself siding with her, for once.

8) Anezka and Magda are planning something sketchy during Jane’s wedding, right? But what, exactly? And more importantly, why? Just out of the evilness of their hearts? Or do they actually have some ulterior motive?

9) Well, for once, the moron didn’t act like a total moron. She actually told Rafael he should keep his mouth shut and let Jane go.

10) Alba ends up confessing that her wedding was actually a disaster and that the veil she’s given to Jane doesn’t actually belong to her family, and they all just... laugh it off? But if I were Jane I would be at least a bit peeved? I mean, this is the wedding story upon which all her fantasies and dreams were built? Alba’s retelling of her perfect wedding is the reason why she’s dreamed about her own wedding since she was a little girl? It’s the second time Alba’s fabricated stories have shaped Jane’s fundamental principles and goals in life and her personality, and I don’t understand why she’s not even slightly bothered by it? Am I crazy? Shouldn’t she be having an identity crisis? And how come Alba is such a hypocrite and no one calls her out on it?

11) Oh, Michael, just when I was starting to like you, you boil down feminism to this…

And this is shown as a very sweet moment between the two of them, they're having this all-nighter about all the important points to discuss before they get married, but… isn’t this a conversation they should’ve had way before the night before the actual wedding?

12) Now, Jane needs to pitch her new thesis on her way to the wedding. She gets her thesis approved, and she ends up having her professor get her into the wedding dress. And this is probably my favorite line in the show so far…

13) Rogelio left the car running with the AC on and now it’s broken down, and Rogelio is having a breakdown. Jane calms him down and they decide to take a bus, which I feel is the perfect way for Jane to arrive at her wedding.

14) And this is how she arrives at the church…

I just love that Rogelio is the one to be by her side throughout this whole ordeal.

15) Ugh, the fucker did it.

Such a selfish, asshole move.

16) Oh, nevermind, he really didn’t. I don’t take it back, though. I still think he’s a selfish asshole.

17) Michael learned his vows in Spanish. That’s very sweet. He’s going to die, right?

18) The choir and everyone in the church telling her to go have sex was a great callback to early season 1.

19) Okay…

How did this little show manage to get huge stars? Britney, Bruno Mars, fucking Charo! (I actually wonder how many people watching the show knew who the fuck Charo is before watching the episode where she had the cameo...)

20)  Petra breaks down after Jane’s wedding, thinking what she just witnessed is something she’ll never attain. Just as she’s crying, one of her babies starts laughing, and she’s instantly reminded of the only true love that matters.

21) Aw, Rogelio called Michael his son.

22) Jane and Rogelio got their own dance routine…

And I just remembered how she was crying while dress shopping with Xiomara after finding out she’d been lied to about her father her whole life.

Also, when exactly would they have found the time to learn and rehearse this little routine...? Makes no sense!

23) Is this… Anezka?

Or has she done something to Petra and taken her place?

24) Is anyone interested in this couple at all?

I mean, what role do they serve other than acting as the token lesbian couple, because there obviously can only be only one of those!

25) Rogelio and Xiomara have a very sweet, honest conversation in which they both admit they still want to be with each other but they haven’t changed their minds about wanting/not wanting to have kids. And again, they prove to be most mature and reasonable people in this show. They did act petty and childish at first, but they always find a way to have an honest, grown-up conversation about whatever is bothering them, and most importantly, they don’t let whatever that is draw them apart. They might not be together right now, but they will continue to care for each other.

26) Anezka is apparently paralyzed, except…

Called it. By the way, how does Anezka manage to speak perfect English when she pretends to be Petra but she reverses back to her broken English when she’s herself? It doesn’t make any sense. And what is the end game of this plan? Just woo Rafael? Get the hotels and his money? Well, I guess this is an answer…

27) Oops. I guess Xiomara got her wish…

Why do I feel Rogelio will end up raising the kid with her?

28) Jane and Michael are getting it on, and now he stops to go get some ice for the champagne, and I’ve got this nagging feeling he won’t be back…

29) Well, that happened.

(he looks like he’s about to sneeze)

30) And this is pushing my suspension of disbelief…

I guess this is why the moron fell in love with Michael’s partner.

I’m really not “wow, holy shit!” about this because I always felt they would bring Rose back, and it also doesn’t feel like an earned plot twist, you know? Usually, this type of plot twists work better when they shock you but you also feel like a fool because the clues had been there all along. This reveal? Not so much. They did plant the seeds in this very same episode, but that’s hardly good writing.

31) Well, that was an extremely soapy finale. There are so many loose threads it’s difficult to keep track – Michael got shot and we don’t know if he’s dead or alive, Rose is back, Rafael and “Petra” slept together, Petra is petrafied, AND Xiomara is pregnant. Although it was a very entertaining hour, I feel the show only manages to keep me thoroughly entertained during high stakes episodes like this, a finale. A whole lot happened in this hour, but not enough during the season, in my opinion. And we still need to see how all of these plots that have been set up will carry to season 3. There are many things about this show that I’m kind of done with, and to be honest, I haven’t really seen what everyone seems to see in it, why it is supposed to be so great. Two seasons in, and I’m still not sold. Except for Rogelio. Rogelio is a cinnamon roll and should be protected at all costs.

32) Hope you enjoyed my recap, and, as usual, if you’ve got this far, thank you for reading! If you enjoy my recaps and my blog, please consider supporting it on ko-fi. Thanks!

[softgrungeprophet]

i’m going to post a bunch of pictures of wyatt in chronological order excluding anything that makes him any shade of red. partially just cause i feel like it, also just to see how he’s changed visually thru the years (or how he hasn’t)

by NO MEANS comprehensive

1960s:

His FIRST appearance, 1966, Fantastic Four vol 1 #50. Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, no idea who did colors on either the original or the digital recolor. classic. delightful. very tall. six-foot-six and charming

1970s:

He’s mostly shades of light red/pink..... for most of the 70s...

uh... Marvel Team-up #18 (1974) seems alright. Len Wein on writing, Gil Kane on pencils, Frank Giacoia and Mike Esposito on inks, Glynis Wein on colors so I’m actually shocked he’s not red cause she does that.... a lot.

1980s:

stop me if you’ve seen this one--a classic from Marvel Graphic Novel #18 in 1985... (The Sensational She-Hulk! not the series.) Writing and art by John Byrne, ink by Kim DeMulder, color by Petra Scotese

1989--She-Hulk: Ceremony #1 written by Dwayne McDuffie, with pencils by June Brigman, ink by Stan Drake and color by Paul Mounts. very cute and handsome. a weird comic with weird pacing that i’m not sure if i can recommend--it does a lot of stereotypical stuff but also is one of few comics to give wyatt a little more depth.

1990s

we’re just going to skip allll the way past Sensational She-Hulk

1990: Marvel Graphic Novel #62: Ka-Zar: The Guns of the Savage Land written by Chuck Dixon and Timothy Truman with pencils by Gary Kwapisz and inks and colors by Ricardo Villagran.... another handsome one, mostly. bit of an odd comic imo but fun.

Fantastic Four #394 in 1994, written by Mike Lackey, penciler: Paul Ryan, inker: Dan Bulanadi, colors by John Kalisz. have not read, but have seen pages and this scene is cute imo. he looks like the punisher lol

Early 2000s:

...idk why i used such a terrible crop but it’s fine. 2000--Fantastic Four vol 3 #29, writer: Chris Claremont, Penciler: Salvador Larroca, Inker: Art Thibert and Colorist: Liquid! Personally not a fan. Claremont’s run is fun but I just... find his approach to Wyatt’s family and tribe lacking--felt like he just made a bunch of stuff up instead of looking into his character.

Fantastic Four #543 (2007) "C'mon Suzie, Don't Leave Us Hangin'" Writer: Dwayne McDuffie, Penciler: Mike McKone, Inker: Andy Lanning and Cam Smith, Color: Paul Mounts. Same dude who colored Ceremony which i would not have believed if you told me cause he’s way paler here and also it’s just generic digital coloring vs the colorful paint in Ceremony..... weird. fucking massive arms though, jesus christ

Fantastic Four #543 (2007) "A Day At the Races" Writing and art by Paul Pope with colors by Jose Villarrubia. I haven’t read this cause I’ve been having trouble finding it.... art is weird.... kind of ugly... yet weirdly captivating......

20-teens

She-Hulks #2 (2010/2011) Writer: Harrison Wilcox, Penciler: Ryan Stegman, Inker: Michael Babinski, Color: Guru-eFX. I thought this min-series was actually really well-done for the most part, though the She-Hulks are too small and SO IS WYATT? He’s the size of a regular, possibly kind of short man which is really weird. The colors are odd too, it’s clear he’s supposed to be darker than Jen but he looks very desaturated. he’s not bad looking though and he’s sweet. just too short.

FF vol 2 #3 (2013) Written by Matt Fraction, penciled and inked by Michael Allred, colored by Laura Allred. Um.... I ignored most of the plot in this FF series, but the personal moments I found really nice and this is a great Wyatt-- Tall, dark and handsome. And charming.

She-Hulk Vol 3 #6 (2014) written by Charles Soule with art by Ron Wimberly. Haven’t read this yet but plan to. The art in this issue is.... interesting...

Fantastic Four vol 5 #11 (2014) written by James Robinson, pencils by Leonard Kirk, ink by Karl Kesel and colors by Jesus Aburtov. The pencils on this are okay I guess but the coloring I’m not a fan of. Wyatt being WAY paler than his other 2014 appearances isn’t great and I hate when colorists make brown eyes orange. The story seems fun though.

Fantastic Four vol 6 #1 (2018) Written by Dan Slott, penciled by Sara Pichelli, with ink by Pichelli and Elisabetta D'Amico, and colors by Marte Gracia. At least he has a different skintone than Johnny here.

I won’t bother talking about my complaints with this run but all of the colorists have made Wyatt pretty pale and after a decent amount of his appearances being tan it’s offputting. I didn’t include them but Jesus Aburtov has another stint on this that’s REALLY pale, and Erick Arciniega makes him pretty pale too.

adam hughes’ art is nice tho, in issue 5--he did all the pencils, inks and colors I believe, in the bachelor party ish. love his red tuxedo jacket.

2020s!!!!!!

he hasn’t appeared yet but.. BUT. This upcoming cover, a palate cleanser, if you will:

from the upcoming Fantastic Four #20. looks to be by Nick Bradshaw and John Rauch, a beautiful cover as always, on which everyone is attractive imo. sky is always cute tbf. johnny is lovely, love his dumb outfit... wyatt is nice and big and solid and handsome which is nice to see after a bunch of far-too-slender and pale wyatts. he is 6′6″ okay! at LEAST 260 lbs if not closer to 290

[loyalflutist]

Stony Expression (F!Byleth x Edelgard)

Rating: General Audience Archive Warning: Major Character Death Category: F/F Summary:  It's a compliment to Byleth. Any sort of emotion beyond the generic smile and cheeky attitude never saw the light of day, even in extreme situations. But in her life, there were only three people who saw through her facade.

A/N: RIP, I had an idea after reading the screenshots of dialogues from Byleth in Fire Emblem Heroes. Decided to write a somewhat... heartwarming... not really... kind of work? (We need more Mama Edelgard, if you know what I’m saying.) Hope you enjoy the work! 

----

“Gosh, don’t you think the professor is scary, Dorothea?”

“How so?”

“She’s never shown any sort of emotion to us!”

“Um… why are you so bothered about it? Isn’t that the point of keeping cool-headed?”

“It is, to an extent.”

“What do you mean?”

“I heard that when her dad died last week, she didn’t even shed a tear!”

“Whoa. Talk about creepy.”

“You sure you’re telling the truth, Ferdinand? You always seem to blow these situations out of proportion.”

“Um, duh, Casper. I’m sure someone else can attest to it.”

“I doubt so—”

“I did.”

“Lindhardt? YOU?”

“I saw it with my very own eyes. Mmgh… I’m gonna skip class and take a nap, ‘kay?”

“HEY! Don’t you leave us hanging like that!”

“Geez, why are you so loud, Petra?”

“U-Um… don’t… you think we should be… you know… comforting her?”

“I would, Bernadetta, but Teach is clearly keeping her guard up. I mean, just… look at her right now.”

Caspar, Dorothea, Ferdinand, Lindhardt, Petra, and Bernadetta shot a glance at their professor. In the classroom where lecture won’t start for another fifteen minutes, the early birds were given the treat to gossip, jest, and horseplay. The perfect occasion for learning about the hottest rumors too. Today, Ferdinand brought up a rather morbid rumor—No, it wasn’t even a rumor. It was facts about their professor, Byleth.

They kept an eye on Byleth. The young woman in her early 20s fingered through the worksheets behind her desk. Based on their observations, their instructor remained the same. Diligent in her duties, attentive to her colleagues, and always there for her students. That’s the Byleth they knew all too well. However, Ferdinand wasn’t wrong from his remarks. The Byleth they envisioned was a bit more… reactive. Byleth’s stony expression and lack of anything beyond her rare, cheeky attitude painted her in a different light. Strange is a euphemism about the older female. Cold-hearted as a dysphemism about the ex-mercenary.

‘ I’m used to it. ‘

Byleth was not oblivious to their dagger-like stares. It pierced her exposed skin and armor without a moment of hesitation. Despite the mental remark, her shoulder’s muscles became rigid, hidden by the worksheets tossed onto the wooden podium.

‘ They’re just like everyone else. ‘

The male student was not wrong with his impression of her. Her father, whom she looked up to so dearly, died in the heat of battle. It was supposed to be a practical lesson in warfare for her students. The once-a-week “field trip” the staffs put together as part of the Officer’s Academy curriculum. Tragedy hardly described the scene that had befallen them.

Byleth and her father were chaperones and commanders of last week’s trip. A simple mission of pushing back the rebels that dare disrupt the peace near the monastery. It was the usual skirmish to counter any troublemakers and doers. Little did they know of the rebel’s leader. It was an old-time friend of theirs back when they were mercenaries. An older male roughly the same age as her father now stood on the opposite end. They tried to reason with him. The students were uncertain of their role in the fight. He rejected their proposal with a spear thrust into her father’s chest.

The spear

that

pierced

his heart.

It was a complete blur afterward. Byleth knew she didn’t lose her composure. That would be disastrous for the remaining troops and students left on the field. In lieu of fury, she coolly commanded the units to defeat the rebellion. Victory was easily achievable… but at what cost?

She shook her head and refocused her attention to the present time. From the far back, the green-haired spotted Edelgard and Hubert make their entrance into the classroom. The chatters from the other Black Eagles simmered down at the appearance of the two intimidating figures. Both the noble Edelgard and commoner Byleth made eye contact. Byleth smiled. Edelgard’s cheeks reddened before hurrying to her assigned seat at the front. Hubert narrowed his eyes at the professor and seated himself in the back. As if the death of her father hadn’t occurred, her classroom ran exactly as how it should’ve operated. Even the addition of a romantic relationship that recently sparked between Edelgard and Byleth didn’t disrupt the natural order for education.

It was

all so normal.

Like he

never

died.

Was this… really what she wanted though? Did Byleth want some sort of validation?

“Good morning, everyone.”

Byleth’s mature voice rang throughout the premise. If there were any remaining whispers and giggles, they were hushed by the more responsible scholars. She approached the podium. Then, with both hands lightly gripping the surface’s edge, she scanned her surroundings.

Nothing out of place. (Right?) Lindhardt was also present, which was a bit of a surprise. Byleth had lowered her expectations ever since he skipped class for a nap in the garden. The fact that he was here was a huge plus. That amusing idea screeched to a complete halt when he began to nod off. The corner of her lip twitched. At least he did try to come to class…

As for the others… Ferdinand was eyeing the white-haired rival with a small smirk. He twirled a feather between his index and middle finger, eyes twinkled in excitement. A typical reaction from their competitive relationship. Petra toyed with her hair and rolled her eyes at the sight of Ferdinand’s obvious reaction about their future lord. Casper stifled a yawn, elbows on the table and chin resting on the palms of his hands. Bernadetta had beads of sweat fly out of her head as her thumbs toyed with one another. Dorothea sat at the front like an obedient puppy. Maybe a bit too obedient since she was clearly shooting heart eyes at the professor in a playful manner… And then there was Hubert. Oh, Hubert. He was always a loyal servant to Edelgard. The man is kind, but ever since Byleth started a private and secretive relationship with the noble, he has been awfully overprotective with the young lady.

Byleth suppressed a sigh. She closed her eyes and, after counting to five, reopened them and flashed her signature smile.

“Let’s review some materials from last week. It doesn’t hurt to get a little refresher after the long three-day weekend.”

The three-day weekend that was partially due to her absence to quietly mourn for her father. Byleth had disappeared from existence to visit his grave. Accompanied by the ever-so-noisy Sothis that she can only see, speak, hear, and touch, the two paid their respect. Numbness. Byleth felt numb during those three days. No—she still felt numb right now.

“I’m surprised you can still hold yourself together, mortal,” Sothis muttered. She crossed her arms and looked up to the female. “But don’t hold it all in. The bottle is going to explode one day.”

Sothis was one of the few individuals who saw through Byleth���s brick-like features. The second person is her father.

She lowered her gaze. Soon, the woman got down to her knees and reached out to touch her father’s tombstone. His name will forever be immortalized on the thick slab of rock. Unfortunately, it won’t be immortalized for a reason worth celebrating.

“…leth.”

The ex-mercenary now found herself staring at an empty desk. This shared office with other staffs not prestigious enough to earn their own office (like Byleth), who were crammed into this one area. Her father was one of them, yet he never complained. In reality, he had actually enjoyed it. The daughter would always hear his jolly laughter and gruff voice echo from within. Students unfamiliar with his booming personality were in for a shock every single time they walk past the room. To Byleth, she welcomed it. After all, he is her father and she is his daughter.

Most of his supplies were placed in a rusted chest box. If there were any supplies to begin with, that is. Her father was not one to possess many materialistic items, save it for his clothes, weapons, armors, and whiskey. There wasn’t even a family portrait in his possession! He was always a firm believer that memories were picturistic enough. Seeking nostalgia? Dig even deeper into the memory zone. Forgot about it? It was probably not important enough to remember!

“By…”

Byleth sat on her mattress, her knees held close to her chest. She hugged them and stared at the somewhat decorated wall. Unlike her father, she allowed a bit of flair to settle in her personal space. Student notes were pinned to the wall. Some portraits and doodles hung alongside with them. One of them was a portrait of everyone in the Officer’s Academy. All three houses were together, and all of the staffs stood for the shot. It took the artist more than five hours to get them squeezed into this magnificent art. The process was excruciating but worth it.

It was the only physical piece of evidence she has in memory of her father. Her heart clenched at the thought of his death. Flashbacks replayed over and over in her head at the time of his doom. She nearly scoffed at mental torment. How much longer was this going to go on?

It

was going to

keep

on

going.

“Byleth.”

The older female blinked. Warmth enveloped her entire being in one swoop. Frantic, she rapidly examined her surroundings—until Byleth considered the context of her current situation. Edelgard held her seated mentor in an embrace. The two were safely hiding in the professor’s now-closed office. It was still early evening where students ran amok in the monastery. Musical melodies from talented choir members faintly trickled through the glass windows. A light breeze ruffled nearby leaves of a tree. Birds chirped alongside with the singers as an accompanist. It was a pleasant day.

Well, it was supposed to be for the two. Edelgard fingers began to run through her lover’s hair, nails satisfyingly brushing the scalp. She planted a gentle kiss to Byleth’s head.

“It’s okay to show what you’re feeling, Byleth.”

No—That wasn’t right. It wasn’t Byleth’s nature to show her feelings to the public. The stony expression, the bland reaction to extreme situations… those were compliments. She’s been told that she lacks emotion since she was a little girl! Even the Black Eagles think she is cold-hearted and cruel in the face of battle! Many of the students and paid troops think of her as an anomaly. Byleth thinks it’s natural.

But when it came to grief this strong, Byleth felt her heartstrings tug. For once, she wanted to let someone know about how she felt. It’s not an easy feat, though. The other half of her rational personality scream that she keeps it to herself. There was no use in burdening others of her sorrows and mourns. The death of her mother was a shining example of this. Besides, even if she did try to open up, she couldn’t. This nature of hers was just too ingrained into her system.

Edelgard continued to smooth through Byleth’s hair. In response, Byleth buried her face into the noble’s abdomen. The aromatic scent blossomed in the teacher’s sensory nerves. She gradually wrapped her arms around the student. Byleth deeply inhaled. A shaky exhale. At that instant, the floodgates from her lacrimal glands came loose as she felt her respiration shudder. The mentor slowly shook her head against Edelgard.

“Why did he have to die?”

She bit her lower lip hard. Eyelids stiff, throat scratchy, a choking cry erupted from her lips.

“I should’ve died in his place!”

Edelgard simply ran her fingers through the green locks, her eyes focused on her girlfriend. Soft “shh”s emitted from her lips as she planted another tender kiss on the head. Small whispers of “you’re going to be okay” and “I’m here for you, Byleth” sprinkled during the breakdown. It caused great agony to the empire’s upcoming lord to feel powerless for her teacher. However, unlike Byleth, who beat herself up, Edelgard’s emotional and mental health was far more resilient. Could it be because she was able to properly grieve when the time came? To release her anger unto others in an appropriate manner? Perhaps. For Byleth, she had always held everything inside.

“Oh, I miss him so much!”

She curled her fingers inward and dug her nails into Edelgard’s clothes. A slight wince from the student went unnoticed as she continued to wail uncontrollably. It was so unlike Byleth. If anyone else were to witness this, they would have assumed a trickster replaced Byleth with another person!

This is no good. Byleth is breaking free from her nature. She shouldn’t be venting, let alone blast her emotions to another person… even if that person is her significant other. Yet it was too late for Byleth. She became oversensitive from being honest with her feelings. The fear. The sadness. The grief. Out of all the people that saw through her façade, for Edelgard, she was the third person in her life to have seen through her stony expression.

[onestowatch]

Who Is 2021’s Best New Artist?

The 2020 Grammys are a wrap. Long live Billie Eilish. An absolute run-away year, Eilish and her brother FINNEAS swept the “Big Four,” taking home “Record of the Year,” “Album of the Year,” “Song of the Year,” and “Best New Artist.” Only the second person in history to accomplish such a feat, the first being Christopher Cross in 1981, the 2020 Grammys will likely be remembered as some not-so-clever portmanteau of Billie Eilish and Grammys. 

And not to toot our own horn but did we predict Eilish sweeping the Grammys? Absolutely not. No. We’re not psychics, but what we lack in crystal balls we make up for in pretty great guesswork. Eilish topped our “Best New Artist” prediction list last year, in addition to Maggie Rogers and ROSALÍA who were also nominated for the category. 

READ: The Best New Artists of the 2010s (According to the Grammys)

So, with the 2020 Grammys behind us, the only question on our minds is who is 2021’s “Best New Artist?” We’ve gone ahead and narrowed down some likely candidates below, but, in all reality, chances are it is someone who will go viral on TikTok in the next six months.

Conan Gray

In terms of meteoric pop success, Conan Gray may very well be the next Billie Eilish. In just over a year since releasing his debut EP, Sunset Season, Gray has risen to the top echelon of pop wunderkinds. The only thing seemingly missing from a proper Grammy run is a debut album. Well, all of that is about to change. March 20 will see Gray release his highly-anticipated debut album Kid Krow, and here’s hoping it will also see some love from the Grammys.

Doja Cat

The GRAMMYs may have to begin finalizing their list of Best New Artists far ahead of time, but, in our hearts, one of 2020’s Best New Artists was undoubtedly Doja Cat. From becoming a breakout act with a music video that looks like it was filmed in her room on iMovie to releasing one of the most versatile hip-hop offerings of 2019, Doja Cat stands as one of hip-hop’s greatest provocateurs. Everything she touches turns to gold, so isn’t it only fair she earns some in return? The gold in this sense being a six-pound gold-plated zinc alloy known as a Grammy award.

Alec Benjamin

Truth be told, sometimes we are just too early for our own good. Last year saw us heralding Alec Benjamin and his perfectly-crafted, storied worlds as a likely contender for 2020’s “Best New Artist.” While little of our praise changed in the ensuing year, it is seeming far more likely that he is a contender for 2021’s “Best New Artist.” With his much-anticipated debut album, These Two Windows, set to release April 3, 2020, could 2021 be Benjamin’s year?

Summer Walker

Atlanta’s Summer Walker follows in the footsteps of R&B icons Jimi Hendrix, Erykah Badu, and Amy Winehouse to present a velvety smooth vision you cannot help but lose yourself in. The tail end of 2019 welcomed the release of her debut album, Over It, which saw collaborations from the likes of Drake, Bryson Tiller, 6LACK, Usher, and more. As one of R&B’s evident stars to be, it is only a matter of time until Summer Walker makes her Grammy debut.

Kim Petras

Kim Petras is a veritable pop star. From her anthemic music to her captivating persona, every aspect of the pop sensation is larger-than-life. Pure, unbridled, cathartic music that nods back to the towering heights of early ‘00s pop giants while still presenting a forward-thinking vision for the genre aka the exact makings of a shoo-in for a 2021 “Best New Artist pop” act. At times, it feels like Petras is only one radio-hit away from the Grammys finally taking notice.

070 Shake

070 Shake is an artist without limit, at least that is the immediate impression you get when listening to Modus Vivendi. The acclaimed debut album out feels like a world unto itself, navigating the precarious inner psyche of an artist battling an existential crisis. The emotional highs and lows come in spades. The only constant is 070 Shake’s distinctive, hard-hitting vocals. And with both Def Jam and Kanye West’s G.O.O.D Music behind her, it would be no surprise to see a Grammy nod on the horizon.

King Princess

There is a raw sincerity behind the marvelous pop music of King Princess. Inspired by the likes of Dolly Parton, Perfume Genius, Beyoncé, and Nick Cave, the Brooklynite is shaping up to be a similar lasting cultural icon. Her universally-acclaimed debut album, Cheap Queen, arrived as an exploration of the one-of-a-kind artist, drifting between blues, indie rock, and an unmatched pop sensibility. And with a phenomenal debut under her belt, 2021 may just be the year the Grammys welcomes this indie icon. 

Baby Keem

Baby Keem is poised to be 2020’s breakout rap star. The Las Vegas native has found fans and collaborators in the likes of Kendrick Lamar, ScHoolboy Q, Beyoncé, and more. A single listen to his highly-praised sophomore mixtape, DIE FOR MY BITCH, begins to paint the picture of one of hip-hop’s most promising up-and-comers. Effortlessly flowing between melodic hip-hop and transfixing trap, Baby Keem is gearing up to make one hell of a Grammy debut.

[dlamp-dictator]

Three Houses Quick Thoughts

Just finished the Black Eagle’s route today and wanted to give my quick thoughts before I finally start drafting that Rambling. Mostly to get some of my thoughts together somewhere accessible so I have something to reference back to when I actually start drafting the danged thing. Don’t worry, I’m not going to spoil anything here... no story spoilers anyway.

Anyway...

The Bad

I was hesitant to say this at first, but now that I finished this game I can confirm that I hate Byleth as a character. They're honestly worse than Corrin to me due to their lack of personality and agency in their own story. The mystery surround their birth and general existence just muddies the whole plot when it tries to make them out as important when I, the player, barely know anything about my own damn character aside from being the father of a great mercenary. I didn’t like their designs either, but I wasn’t a fan of Corrin’s or Robin’s so... I guess their consistent in making player character designs I dislike/am apathetic for.

While I think the system for class advancement is good in the early and mid game, it fell a little flat as I got to the late game. Class mastery really needs to happen a bit faster, at least to a point that I don’t have to actively grind for mastery points. I pity those trying to optimize on hard mode when you don’t have endless auxiliary battles.

On that note, as of 2019 gender-locked classes are dumb and the one good thing Fates did was remove it. Why bright it back? Why deny me War Master/Punch Queen Edelgard? Why deny me a Dark Mage Lysithea? It just makes no sense to me.

Why is there no Dread Fighter class so Petra doesn’t die from a mage glaring her?

Why is there no Kishin Knight class so Bernie be more useful with a bow as a flying archer and have Amaterasu?

Why is there no Malig Knight class so Hubert can ride dragons with his waifu?

Why is Edelgard’s unique class an armored unit with 5 movement when the maps basically require two flying unique to be playable?

Oh yeah, these maps really remind of Echoes given how useless and slow the armor classes are without someone to warp them. These maps really want you to maneuver around them and can get very large. I feel like I’m playing Echoes again for the wrong reasons.

The Good

The soundtrack is great.  For all my complaints (and believe me, that’s just the tip of the iceberg), I do love this game’s music. Especially some of these battle tracks. The Edge of Dawn is probably one of my new favorite songs now.

While I didn’t like the class system in the late, the early and mid game is where it shines and I had the most fun testing things out and experimenting. As a casual player, it was fun to mix and match class and see what worked.

The supports were all done very well, some of my favorites came being Edelgard, Caspar, and Hubert. They really fleshed out all of these characters and I’m looking forward to a second playthough and seeing how all the rest are going to play out, especially when I’ll start actively recruiting now.

Speaking of, I like that recruiting classes has a real effect in the time skip, as it keeps those characters in your house after things go down and... well,  as I said, I won’t spoil things, but just know it really makes you think about what it means for some of your newer members stay on board despite what happens and it does wonders for storytelling.

While I had my hesitations about weapon durability being back it worked out for the better. It keeps the some of the strategy fresh and makes really decide between a strong yet fragile weapon versus a weak but reliable weapon that can take 20+ more swings, especially with the special relic weapons. Though weapons breaking in a story mission sucks.

The voice-acting was great, much like in Echoes. Nothing much else to say save for the fact that there’s more of it and it’s all great.

As conflicted as I feel about the Black Eagles storyline, I like the overall theme individuality, standing up for your own beliefs on your own two feet, and making a name for yourself with your own effort. The execution... well, again, not going to post spoilers, but I’ll just say the journey was more exciting than the destination. 

Again, my conflicting feelings on the story aside, I do like Edelgard as a character. I can really understand why she did the things she did in the time skip, especially after some of her later supports with certain characters. It makes me really wish the story itself was written to focus more the House heads than Byleth.

The fact that all the characters canonically have last names is a nice touch too.

Byleth aside, I did like a lot of the character designs, especially after the timeskip.

The ability to dismount is outright broken and I love it. My Pegasus Knights can look an archer in the eye and laugh at them before getting off their mount and stabbing them to death and climbing back on their flying horse.

Canto is also outright broken and I love it for similar reasons. 

General Advice

Because I feel like being nice and I wanted to just give some pointers after finish a playthrough.

According to people far better at this game than me, Master Classes are honestly optional unless you plan on being a flying class. A lot of the growths and abilities aren’t really worth it unless you’re specifically grinding for them and at least on the Black Eagle route, horse mounts can be more of a hindrance than a help with the maps of the last few chapters. I couldn’t tell you how many times I had to dismount half my army just to get a few extra movement spaces.

That said, War Master, Wyvern Lord, and Falcon Knight are generally seen as good classes overall.

Like I said, at least on the Black Eagle route, mobility is probably the best asset you can have, especially for flying units. Combining flying units, Stride, and Warp can outright break some of these maps in the right situation. You can clear a map in one or two turns if you play your cards right.

Again, coming from people far better at this game than me, don’t prioritize recruiting other students, especially on your first playthrough. Your original group is honestly all you need and I believe you can get the teachers after a certain point for free if you need some extra magic on your team.

That said, general consensus from people far better at this game that I am is that Felix, Ingrid, Bernadetta, Ferdinand, Leonie, Lysithea, and Raphael are good targets to go for. Though given my Black Eagle route I’ll say that a War Master Caspar and Dancer Dorothea are nothing to sneeze at.

Use Divine Pulse, it’s there for a reason.

And that’s it for my quick thoughts. Rambling for this will be come... eh, later this week.