#although i don't know anything about the character

[bugdoppio]

OFFICIAL JJ INTRODUCTION POST! REJOICE!

my stupid yumeship .... guuhh !!! lore is down here if you wanna read it

they first met at joe's fantasy world, julie (my self insert! hurrah!) had just moved to eltingville and was checking stuff out, jerry was hanging back watching bill and josh argue over something, and she asked him if she could go over to joe and buy a first edition pokémon booster pack with her money for her, since joe was looking at her weird just for being there. he said sure, and when they went outside to open it together, they got two of the base set 1st edition holo zapdos. they both freaked out together and she gave one of them to jerry for helping her out. before he could say anything else, bill yelled at him to get back there, which he did, before noticing she stuck a post it with her number on the back of the zapdos card she had given him.

they started hanging out more and more, and eventually, with much sucking up to the guys and her drawing girls with big boobies for them, bill very very begrudgingly let her hang out for some of the eltingville club meetings, angrily kicking her out if she ever touched anything she wasn't supposed to.

other than jerry, her best relationship is probably with pete, with their shared interest of monsters and scary creatures, and he often makes her draw cool creepy stuff for him which she finds a little fun. although, she gets squeamish and is not too fond of actual horror movies, so they don't get that close, he thinks she's kind of a pussy for that. she's also kinda terrified of him after discovering he watches gore.

josh hates her, and she hates him too, probably. he kept bugging her about not being able to name any star trek characters, and when she asked her dad about them to tell josh, he dismissed her efforts as being a wannabe. though they bond the tiniest little bit over having watched akira and josh liking the same stuff as her dad (star trek, star wars, dr. who).

bill is fond of her even less, somehow. though he doesn't see her as a threat to the club as much as jerry's other girl friends (like agnes) were, he's still incredibly annoyed by her presence and tries to make up any excuse to kick her out of his basement whenever she shows up. the only times he doesn't complain is when she's drawing stuff for him or when kairo is around, since they're besties.!!!! (@ghiacci . farts)

jerry is the closest to her out of all of them (obviously), and, after getting over his fear of talking to girls in general with her, they got really really close. they very often had sleepovers together, hung out in the mall, had walks together, and more stuff, making it baffling to any outsiders to learn they weren't dating at all (yet). she torrented the first lord of the rings movie for him, and in turn he got her into d&d. they also watch ghibli movies and go to renaissance fairs together, and jerry almost passed out when he saw her in fake elf ears for the first time. they often draw stuff of each other (that one doodle of knight jerry and elven princess totally not julie i did), and they're both equally oblivious that it's supposed to be them when one shows a drawing to the other. jerry also always calls her over to open card booster packs for him, because she somehow has incredible luck whenever it's her that opens it for other people.

they all also sometimes make fun of her jojo's interest, calling it gay shit, but they do respect how much trivia and useless fun facts she knows about it. also, other than her drawing ability (and the fact that she's okay with drawing weird shit for them), they fuck with her music taste a lot (she listens to literally EVERYTHING). and whenever one of them is sick or unable to go for other reasons, she's happy to play d&d with the others as a replacement, though they get pissed off whenever she doesn't take it that seriously and jokes around a little (think perception check by tom cardy).

SPOILER ZONE !!! WATCH OUT

her and jerry stop hanging out after this fan, this monster, due to jerry's mother thinking she was involved and forbidding jerry to talk to her, and julie's mom also forbidding it for thinking all the boys decided to burn joe's down and that none of them respected her at all (kinda true). and, due to none of them really admitting they had crushes on one another and not dating at all around that time, that did stop their relationship from evolving.

she met mandi in college, bonding over liking cosplay and other stuff, and developed a crush on her, becoming incredibly surprised when she started dating jerry, her old crush, of all people she expected. they started hanging out together as a group, regaining jerry's friendship, before she eventually worked up the courage to ask to be their third when drunk in a bar and, since both of them liked her back too, they agreed. (jerry + julie + mandi ship name is jumanji btw. because i love being silly !!!)

julie got a whatever degree and became a full time commission artist, mostly doing gigs for big companies and games (i like to think she did something for like. marvel once and when she says this in the epilogue, bill, josh, and pete all fucking freak out).

ALRIGHT THAT'S IT I THINK. have jj eating a pizza slice for your troubles

[allofnypeaches]

I love a lot of things about the hunger games trilogy, but by far my favorite part of reading the books is how suzanne collins manages to use katniss' unreliability as a narrator as an advantage that improves the reading experience instead of limiting the readers' interpretation of the facts. I think about how when reading other first-person narrated books I am always conditioned to perceiving things the way they are presented to me by the narrator, without me even realizing it, and how that - obviously - reflects how every story has multiple sides to it and whatnot. but the hunger games, despite having a very biased narrator, manages to paint us a picture that is wider than katniss' view somehow. I haven't fully figured this out yet, but I think it's a combination of the following things that make this possible;

#1: Katniss, although very young and at times naive and blinded by fear, survival instincts, propaganda and most of the time just sheer confusion because of all the information that is kept from her, is very skeptical of everything. she rarely ever takes things at face value (even when she should, like when peeta shows his feelings for her), and is always questioning, pondering the different motives behind things, the possibilities and outcomes of what could happen if x thing meant y instead of z. and yes, her hypothesizing is often inconclusive - which is very understandable for someone in her situation - but it invites us to question things and hypothesize about them on our own, and through context clues that she may sometimes miss or misinterpret, we are sometimes able to piece together entire puzzles of the narrative before she does, and that is simply delightful to experience, while simultaneously not spoiling anything either, because it makes us anxious to see how and when she will realize what we already know.

a few examples include, but are not limited to :

- realizing that Peeta is madly in love with her before she even considers that possibility

- realizing that Madge genuinely likes her, as well as her entire family, and that they're actually friends before she admits this

- seeing through Gale's words and knowing he has romantic feelings for her before that ever crosses her mind

- thinking that the people in 12 are definitely looking out for her and Prim in any way they can (with their extremely limited resources and freedom) before she gets suspicious of that fact

- realizing how much of a symbol of hope and rebellion she is to Panem before she is told so (that's the most obvious one though)

- comprehending her mother's reaction (or lack thereof) to her father's death before she can see past the resentment in catching fire

- seeing that Gale brings out the worst in her at times, and seeing that he's constantly pressuring her when she's already holding the weight of the world on her shoulders, and how that makes him a bad friend, who, by the way, doesn't see her as a friend at all especially after the first games

- piecing together how terrible Coin is and how she needs to be eliminated just as much as Snow for the war to end before Katniss fully accepts that reality (she is the least oblivious to this one)

- realizing that Squad 451 don't actually believe that Coin gave her a mission in Mockingjay, but they're following her anyway because they want to, long before they tell her that

- watching her fall in love with Peeta, develop deep feelings of love and desire for him, while she is always either excusing it as something else, or too confused/oblivious/naive to see it

#2: the characters around Katniss never seem one-dimensional because of how empathetic she naturally is. because of how much she treats everyone like multi-faceted human beings as complex as she is, we are invited to wonder about those characters' feelings very deeply, and to interpret their actions accordingly, which greatly diminishes the potential for mischaracterization if the person reading actually exercises at least 1% of their critical thinking. this also goes for the system that she lives in, the culture she grows up in and the overall symbolism of things throughout the books. because of how well everything is presented, we don't need Katniss to tell us straight up how manipulative, coniving, dirty, cruel and tyrannic the government is, we can see this time and time again, in small and big things, from her odd description of things she's never seen/tried before showing us how isolated the districts are from eachother and how precarious their living situations are, to her talking about how traumatic her father's death was for her making us wonder if it was actually an accident. she doesn't have to connect the dots for us to wonder about the limited genetic pool of district 12, or about her father's extensive knowledge, where it came from and why he passed it all down to her, why he documented it in a book. it's like there is always a door open into the lives of others, into the things they believe in, into what the past of what that world was like, and if you're just willing to go through that door, the universe within the books greatly expands.

and that is all extremely intentional, too. Suzanne is trying to tell us that it is always worth it to look past our own lenses, to question things, to not be susceptible to manipulation and propaganda, to look beyond what we are shown and see the world, and the people in it, for what they truly are instead of always being limited by our own perspective of things. it's just so beautifully and masterfully written, and it will never stop being relevant. that's why these are my favorite books ever.

[specialized-rexan]

(none of the following is me criticising you @ op, and of course you're not obligated to read or respond to this. it's. a lot. this reblog is mainly me rambling aloud for myself. seriously, when i say "i find this post funny," it's more along the lines of "i'm entertained at myself and my own fandom / character design tastes."

also @sir-subpar, you're tagged because i very much appreciate your comments and screenshotted them. they're just. near the very end of this long post XD)

i find this post funny because it came out about a year before the show, and, huh, i didn't realize how much Vivzie had already said about Lucifer as early as 2022. mainly i find it funny because the two characters who i was obsessed with before Hazbin Lucifer / Hazbin Hotel are even MORE ''boring'' than Lucifer

they're almost basically him but without hair. e.g. Black Hat from the show Villainous:

(the screenshots i picked are from a sort of "later" design of him, about a year and a half i got into the show, but i'm okay with that because it turned out a lot of what i'd first seen was probably fanart anyway, although i hadn't been aware of that)

the other character is a fandom-created ''opposite'' version named White Hat. (design varies by creator, but usually White Hat is essentially Black Hat but with a different outfit color lol)

(character design rambles on why Black Hat's design might "work" while Lucifer's "doesn't" under the cut. ...sort of. also me yapping about me a bit lol. but yeah Black Hat's definitely of the aforementioned "tumblr sexyman design" category, no arguments there)

despite Black Hat's design being even more "boring" than Lucifer's, my first impression of him right off the bat was he was some ''big bad boss'' character right off the bat. ...and i'd thought he was a Hazbin Hotel character (lol). (i found Villainous in early 2019 before the Hazbin pilot but was casually following the pilot's progress just enough to know if it ever got canceled or anything)

so what's FASCINATING about all this is that the main difference in visual communication between ''boring'' Lucifer and ''even more boring (but not actually)'' Black Hat is probably shape language

Lucifer is (often because his design's not consistent lol) round and short while Black Hat is angular and tall. i don't feel like recapping shape language lessons (INCREDIBLY BASIC gist for this post's context can be "round" = approachable, "angular and sharp" = villain), and most people are already aware of height stereotypes when it comes to leadership positions

(there's a lot of triangles on the Lucifer screenshot i picked with the epaulettes and his wings out, but he still has his round face, round hair, round puffy pant legs, his hat brim is rounder than Black Hat's, and even his chest and eyes are is rounder rather than sharp. better look at Black Hat's eye in the previous screenshot)

(i also find it fascinating that, despite Lucifer's design being far more busy than Black Hat's -- the stripes on his shirt, chains on his coat, the cheek circles, all the items on his hat -- he's described as "boring" in a way that makes sense for this post's context: blending in with the other Hellaverse characters)

i'm just going ''huh'' and also ''lol''* at the original post because the only difference seems to be shape language, and the choice to make Lucifer rounder seems to be a purposeful one since he's supposed to be a "goofy" angelic character

(*again not going "lol" at the original poster. i actually agree with the point that Lucifer maybe doesn't stand out enough among the cast. and i only say ''maybe'' about him not standing out "enough" because of ''writer/designer intention'' / ''whatever you want to MAKE the intention because Vivzie's intentions change often lol'')

(*and my ''lol'' at the overall post is more about how my reasons for getting obsessed with Lucifer aren't related to his design at--OH HOLD ON. OKAY, TAKING THIS RAMBLE OUT OF TAGS AND MOVING IT TO THE BODY OF THE POST NOW HA (and editing punctuation and such as necessary to make it into a functional post body, e.g. image of Black Hat rather than just giving a search to look up :p)

(and now adding random Lucifer screenshots every once in a while because walls of non-story text without images, especially ones written by me lol, murder me)

SO. OKAY. YES. MOVING MY RAMBLE FROM TAGS TO THE ACTUAL POST

(OH MY GOSH LOL I'M ADDING THESE EXTRA IMAGES AFTER TYPING EVERYTHING UP, AND HAVING SUCH A HYPED IMAGE FOR "YES MOVING TO THE ACTUAL POST" IS UNINTENTIONALLY HILARIOUS SO I'M KEEPING IT)

BECAUSE, WHILE I THINK THE WRITING IN BOTH VILLAINOUS AND HAZBIN LEAVE A LOT TO BE DESIRED (and they also both hilariously have the problem of characters disappearing into the background, except in Villainous's case it's "villains with dark uniforms unintentionally disappearing into dark backgrounds." you can see that issue even in the second screenshot i chose for this post), LUCIFER SNUCK BY AND ACTUALLY GOT ME OBSESSED WITH HIM DESPITE HIS CHARACTER DESIGN

I GOT OBSESSED WITH VILLAINOUS ALMOST SOLELY BECAUSE OF THEIR CHARACTER DESIGNS. (i also very much enjoy the designs of the other three main characters, Dr. Flug, Demencia, and 5.0.5.) I GOT OBSESSED WITH LUCIFER BECAUSE OF HIS WRITING. YET THE WAY I MOST OFTEN DESCRIBE HAZBIN TO PEOPLE IS "I ENJOY IT/LIKE IT A LOT/LOVE IT, BUT IT'S NOT GOOD (BECAUSE ITS WRITING ISN'T GOOD)"

okay, saying i got obsessed with Lucifer "despite" his character design isn't FULLY accurate. i don't think it's terrible. but i was neutral toward his design. just this week i literally posted more than a few thousand words on why i like Lucifer, but it mainly sums up to "he's INCREDIBLY relatable and entertaining."

so.

huh.

(i'm almost certain i had this ''HOLD UP'' moment with one of my friends months ago XD because my going "OH MY GOSH THE WRITING" about Hazbin ep 5 [Lucifer's intro] feels very familiar. except my ramble at the time iirc was more about "i had incredibly rare CERTAINTY in my first messages while watching ep 5 that i wouldn't watch it as many times as the other episodes because of the superficial aspect of how bad its animation comparatively is. yet i've, very surprisingly, watched it FAR more than the others because i love Lucifer so much."

comparing Lucifer's roundness to Black Hat's sharpness also feels like something i've pointed out to said friend before, because "HAH Lucifer could almost be a White Hat")

the overall pacing of the episode is crammed and odd, but it's enjoyable. and Lucifer is there. big bonus points for that last part.)

(i emphasized "incredibly rare CERTAINTY" about how i wouldn't rewatch ep 5 as many times as the other eps because i almost always--HA. EXAMPLE RIGHT THERE--say things like "i'm almost sure" or "it seems likely" rather than just stating things firmly, just in case i turn out to be wrong lol. but ep 5's animation was SO BAD to me that i was certain i wouldn't be able to look past it on Hazbin rewatches. yet i was still wrong)

topic jump, some great comments because they work with the concept Vivzie had in the first place but give alternatives for how her concept could have been used for Lucifer's design:

OH DANG AND ONE LAST POINT I ALMOST FORGOT TO MENTION BUT ALSO HAD ME GOING "HUH" AND "LOL" BEFORE I STARTED RAMBLING (well, i kinda said this earlier, but not so clearly):

Black Hat, even with my thinking he was from Hazbin Hotel and even with him hitting all of the criteria for what makes Vivzie's designs bad and repetitive, still stood out as a notable design for the Hazbin universe. (and i don't think i've ever seen a single person criticize his design.) he still seemed like a leader character. (which probably comes down to shape language and his design being "tall"-coded)

(i actually thought his design had been teased like, "oooo look at this Hazbin Hotel character you have to look forward to oooooo" because i suspect some of the first images i saw of him were behind the scenes not-colored-in images from the studio, and i didn't save them because i was avoiding Hazbin spoilers.

i earlier said "a lot of what i'd first seen was probably fanart" because this is the first DEFINITE image of Black Hat i saved, which is fanart and also not colored. and also seems to very much belong in an adult cartoon lol [it's not nsfw or raunchy in any way. it's just. thirst posting XD] )

tl;dr:

Lucifer is a short and rounder Black Hat;

Black Hat and Lucifer's designs have diametric shape language (sort of but i'm cutting down on wordiness lol);

Black Hat still could potentially stand out as a Hazbin character despite having a "plain" design that matches common descriptions of Vivzie's designs;

and, even tho i don't think the writing in either Hazbin or Villainous are as strong as they could be, i only got obsessed with Villainous because of the character designs, but i got obsessed with Lucifer because of his writing

okay the end i had my fun lol

Ganna go back to answering the questions in my inbox soon, but for now I’d like to say my thoughts on the Lucifer design backlash. Like Lemon-critiques has said, this whole ordeal is just freaking hilarious and enjoyable to watch, I’m literally scarfing down popcorn while watching people tear this design apart while fans or others get pissy. Here are my personal thoughts. This is me being nitpciky, but while Lucifer’s design isn’t….BAD I would say, it’s just….boring. Like I said before, I don’t mind the ringleader motif, the idea of Lucifer seeing hell as a circus to him isn’t a pretty bad idea, however like most people have been saying, he’s just your generic Vivziepop male character, a skinny twig with a fancy suit, bow tie, beedy eyes, and a sharp toothy smile. Mainly for me, I can understand this backlash because yes, I am one of those critique blogs who thinks all of Viv’s characters look the same, and the features I listed above are exactly why. Characters like Alastor, Valentino, Vox, Seviathan, Sir Pen, even Angel Dust, they all have that sharp generic smile and eyes while of course wearing a suit and being the size of a pencil, and it’s a trend that really is a turnoff for me when it comes to Vivzie’s character designs. It’s so funny because as much as I tear into Helluva Boss, literally THOSE character designs are more distinct and have more variety compared to the character designs in Hazbin, and that’s a problem, especially since said designs in Helluva Boss are more detailed and crazy compared to its spin off counterpart.

So yeah, not only do all of Vivziepop’s male characters look exactly the same and have the EXACT same boring body type, but the design of Lucifer himself is just…..meh. It’s not really something I’d get pissed at or rip into unlike Alastor lol, but I think my biggest issue with Lucifer is that he’s literally the devil, the king of hell himself, and yet he does not in any way shape or form stand out from the rest of the cast. If you were to show me his design and told me this was Lucifer, I would have just said he just looks like some regular dude in this world of Hell, because that’s just it. He looks like your generic standard Vivziepop male character, just like everyone else.

I’m nitpicking again yes….but yeah this design is just….generic. I wouldn’t really be saying this had the rest of the Hazbin cast look different compared to this but….they don’t so lol. I do remember Vivzie once saying along the lines that she was going for a “pretty” look for him, since Lucifer was once a beautiful fallen Angel. THAT I can understand, but to me her version of Lucifer looks more goofy than angelically beautiful, and like I said, he just isn’t intimidating, and there are many ways to make Angel’s look scary, though it doesn’t help that the crew describes him as a goofball. Honestly all I can say is that Viv could have just branched him out more, made him more unique compared to the rest of the cast, instead of the same generic look all of her other male characters have. The concept of a ringleader-circus motif isn’t the issue for me, nor is it that he’s “not accurate” since this is Vivzie’s adaptation, it’s just….not creative and uninspiring. I agree with what Lemon said, I think the reason why this design is getting so much backlash is because they just…flat out revealed one of the most important characters in the show with no buildup or anything. Wether it be people who haven’t heard of Hazbin or have, Lucifer was revealed in the pilot in a background portrait, however I think they should have saved his design for the show, instead of just dropping him now. To be fair however, if they HAD build him up only to reveal this, it probably would have ended in huge disappointment lol. With that, that’s about all I can say. I definitely agree with the people saying how her characters look the same and that he doesn’t stand out….because he doesn’t. I’m honestly glad more people are recognizing the flaws and issues with Viv’s designs however, it’s nice to see people critique her stuff more openly, even if it causes a whole twitter fest of people arguing lol. Mostly people keep bringing up how this is a poor attempt at a “tumblr sexyman”, but for me, that ain’t the issue with his design. Also like…of course it seems tumblr sexyman-ish, it’s literally Vivziepop lol.

[kurogane2512]

Man, i just finished the main story and all i can say is CANTARELLAAAAAAAAA 😭😭💞💞💞 she's actually surprisingly chill the entire time she's onscreen and i love that she's so affectionate around girls like!! wow!!! calling them "my dear"!! all those time she'd cup their chins!!!! my heart can't take it!!!!

Although, mine did break while doing her companion quest like........pls.......i know you're strong......i know you're resilient..........but you don't have to hide your pain and bear responsibilities alone..........at least not while you're around rover...........

I invited her to go on a boatride and all her voicelines are so aaaaa 💞💞 so what about f!rover taking her out on a boatride date and maybe bringing her to a picnic spot afterward?? Up to you if you wanna bring some smut in but i just want to spoil her, man.....

THE URGE TO SPOIL HER IS SO REAL LITERALLY NSIDJFHWEI She's so mother all the time but she deserves that love and care in return 😭😭

Game: Wuthering Waves

Characters: Cantarella x fem!reader (Rover)

Type: SFW, Fluff (slightly suggestive in some parts)

The afternoon sun cast a soft glow over Thessaleo Fells, but there was a chill in the air that didn’t quite match the warmth of the light. The tall grass swayed in a gentle breeze, and the path stretched out ahead, winding its way toward the distant silhouette of Porto Veno Castle. The land was quiet, save for the soft rustle of leaves, wanderings of Tacet Discords and the occasional call of birds in the distance.

The scent of flowers mixed with the salty tang of the sea as you walked, each step drawing you closer to the castle. Its commanding yet eerie silhouette seemed to watch from afar, standing steady against the fading light, as if waiting for your arrival. The world around you felt peaceful, yet there was an unspoken sense of anticipation in the air, like something was just about to begin.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Cantarella." you spoke once you reached the boundary of the castle grounds and spotted Cantarella standing near under her parasol.

She turned to face you with a gentle smile on her face, her lavender hair swaying through the breeze.

"Not at all. You are right on time as scheduled, Y/n."

You smiled in return then walked closer to her, extending your hand.

"Shall we?"

She softly grasped it with her own, interlacing your fingers together as a smirk drew up her face.

"Well, may I know what arrangements you have made? I cleared my schedule for the day as you asked, but I haven't prepared for anything else."

"Uh, well...." you scratched your cheek shyly, "....I wanted to take you out somewhere. You said you wanted to sightsee around Ragunna, right?"

Your words surprised her for a moment, her eyes widening just so slightly before softening them.

"I see.... very thoughtful of you, dear. I have indeed been going out more frequently now since a major responsibility was lifted from my shoulders- by none other than you~"

She smirked then stepped closer to you, leaning near your face.

"So, where are you taking me for this date?~"

The emphasis on 'date' made you shiver briefly. Of course, you thought about it being like that, but didn't want to name it.

"A-Ahem, well, Gondola rides are quite the tourist attraction here. How about we go around in that?"

"Oh, a little voyage on the sea? Hehe, if you wish. Gondolas are such private escapes. Any commotion fades into the water~" she hummed with a chuckle, "In that case, we can take the Gondolas parked here at the castle and start our journey now itself. Unless, you have made other arrangements, of course."

"No, it's fine. I thought to take one at the city, but this is better."

She smiled and lightly tugged your hand, beckoning you to follow her.

"Wonderful, let us leave at once."

You sensed some eagerness from her which made you slightly relieved and confident about the plan. You then followed her to the waterside outside the castle where 2 gondolas were parked. You boarded one first then offered your hand to help her board, which she accepted by keeping one hand on yours and holding up her dress with the other, gracefully stepping onto the gondola. You sat down on the respective seats, facing each other.

"So, what's our first stop?~" she asked with a playful smile, resting back on the seat and elegantly draping one leg over the other.

"Hmm, shall we go to Whisperwind Haven through Nimbus Sanctum? The surroundings are quite good in them, and we can sit down at Whisperwind Haven later to take a break. Or, we could also go to the city through Egla Town. Any option is fine with me."

"Hm~ You seem to have thought about this quite a bit, I'm impressed~"

Your cheeks reddened a little, "Of course I have, I wouldn't invite you without a plan...."

Cantarella softly chuckled, "Indeed, I know how you are, dear. I'm pleased. Well then, I find the former option better. However, we will have to make a stop at Egla Town to change the gondola. This one cannot go beyond that."

"Sure, that's okay."

You patted the gondola echo and it gave its acceptance then began moving towards the waterfall.

"Ah, the waterfall.... You should brace yourself, Cantarella. Or, hold on to me if you'd like."

Cantarella smirked, "Tempting offer that I'll have to reject since there isn't enough time to move to you. Don't worry, I can handle it~"

You nodded with a smile and braced yourself as the waterfall neared, then with a sudden thud the gondola jumped before descending down the waterfall and falling into the lake with a splash. You shook off the water from your body, running your hands through your wet hair when your gaze laid on Cantarella's drenched form and you became entranced- her wet clothes clung to her body giving a translucent view of her skin and her lavender hair shone brighter as she dried them off.

"My, this never fails to give an adrenaline rush, hehe~" she chuckled as she squeezed water out of her hair.

"Y-Yeah, it's thrilling....!" you averted your gaze with a blush, realizing you were staring at her.

Cantarella smirked and looked at the scenery around her, taking in the sights. A gentle breeze picked up as the gondola stirred across, her luscious hair swaying with the wind.

"Well, how have you been recently, Rover? Saving more lives, as usual?~"

You chuckled, "Not really, I have just been helping Cartethyia settle into her new life."

"Oh, is that so? So, you finally found some time to take out for me?~" she narrowed her eyes with a grin.

"N-No, it's not like that. I assumed you'd be busy with your family affairs...."

She chuckled, "Relax, I didn't mean to put you on the spot. Helping Cartethyia is more essential, indeed. We must also prepare for our next move to uncover the schemes brewing in the shadows."

"Yeah, I will soon get in touch with Carlotta about it."

"That will be apt. This time, I don't plan to take a backseat either, this must be resolved once and for all."

She gazed into the distance with a unwavering look, clearly determined to set things right.

"Don't worry, everything will turn out fine."

Cantarella turned to you with a smile, "With you here, I don't doubt that at all~"

You smiled back with a blush, "Without you all, I cannot do anything."

She softly laughed, "You are always so endearing, Y/n~"

Your face turned redder at her compliment, "H-Hey, it's the truth—!"

She hummed in defiance and looked away again, the smirk not leaving her face as she glanced at you from the side.

"Hm, seems we are approaching Egla Town soon." she noted.

The gondola stopped at the port of Egla Town after a few minutes and you both stepped out, taking a moment to gather yourself and look for the next gondola. Cantarella opened her parasol and walked around the port for a bit, gazing up at the hustle-bustle of the town with a smile.

"Cantarella, we can take the next one in 5 minutes." you came up to inform her and she nodded in understanding.

"Oh, is that.... big sister Cantarella and Rover?!" a familiar cheerful voice called out to you both and you turned around to face the person.

"Chloe.... it's been a while." Cantarella greeted the girl with a smile.

"How have you been? You haven't come to meet us at all." Chloe chimed with a pout.

"Ah, I have been busy with some things. You tell me, how is Jojo doing?" Cantarella replied.

"Oh, he's better than ever! His treatment went well."

As you conversed, you heard the gondola call out to you as it was time to depart.

"Oh, are you both out on a date?" Chloe asked with an excited look, catching you off-guard.

"N-No, we are just taking a stroll...." you replied bashfully, your face turning a little red.

Cantarella chuckled at your side, "Indeed, this is just a stroll. Don't go around jumping to conclusions this way~"

Chloe nodded with a pout then Cantarella continued, "Well, we will take our leave now. Take care of yourselves and Jojo, and don't hesitate to contact me in case you ever need help."

"Of course, big sister. You also take care of yourself. At least you have Rover to keep you company!"

You blushed again then were about to turn around to leave when Chloe tugged your arm, urging you to lean towards her. You watched Cantarella walk towards the gondola and went closer to Chloe who leaned to whisper in your ear, "Take care of her, big sister~"

Your face flushed at the provocative tone and choice of words, "L-Leave it to me...."

Chloe giggled, "Hehe, let me give you a little token of gratitude. Take this and share with her during your date!~"

She handed you a packet and you looked inside to find some fruits of various kinds.

"All freshly harvested, I'm sure she'll like them."

You smiled, "Thank you, I will. Goodbye."

"Bye-bye~"

Chloe waved at your departing figure. You kept the packet in your backpack before you reached the gondola, wanting to make it a surprise for Cantarella. She was already seated in the gondola by the time you reached, patiently waiting for you.

"What did she say to you?" she asked.

"Nothing much, just general welfare. Let's go now before it's late."

You patted the gondola and it began to move. She looked at you with suspicion but didn't question further.

"So, are we headed to Nimbus Sanctum next?" Cantarella asked.

"Mhm, the scenery should be good there around this time."

She nodded with a smile and calmly took in the views around her.

"Have you visited all places around Ragunna before?" you asked.

"Hmm, a few times. As a child, I mostly stayed confined in my house in order to study the ways of the Fisalia family, and then I was sent for the trials and eventually chosen as the next head. During my time as the head, I went to every place at least once for miscellaenous purposes. However, it's been a long time since I went anywhere other than the city as I spent the last few years travelling to foreign nations, and also refraining myself from public appearances due to the family's reputation."

"I see, I hope you enjoy this little 'stroll' then."

"Hehe, I already am. In fact, I'd enjoy doing absolutely nothing as long as it's with you, my dear~"

Your heart fluttered at her words and you simply nodded, feeling quite embarrassed. You soon approached Nimbus Sanctum as thick fog started clouding your vision, blanketing the entire region as far as the eyes could see. You approached closer to the center and the fog finally cleared up enough to see the surroudings, a serene sight occupying your vision now. Cantarella looked all around with wide eyes and took a deep breath to relish the atmosphere.

"A beautiful sight, made even more so in your company~" she commented.

She relaxed herself as she basked in nature's presence, a soothing melody flowing in her ear.

"Oh, is that.... Lorelei singing?"

"Mhm, it is. Have you heard her sing before?"

"Once.... a long time ago. Though, the melody from then is still fresh in my mind due to how divine it was."

The gondola moved closer to the atrium then stopped near the arch. You remained seated inside and listened to the pleasant music until Cantarella noticed something different.

"This song.... isn't the one from before. It's familiar...." she mumbled as she focused on the singing then became a little surprised, "This is.... Y/n, is this your doing?"

You nodded with a smile, "I asked Sebastian and Carmilla about your taste in music...."

Butterflies erupted in Cantarella's stomach at the revelation, the song currently enveloping her was her favorite and it was made all the more better by Lorelei's angelic voice. She became speechless for a moment then regained her composure and gave a sly smirk.

"Oh my, to make Lorelei sing to your choice.... for me?"

"I just wanted you to enjoy and relax...."

She softly chuckled, "When did you even get the chance to ask Sebastian and Carmilla about this?~"

"Well, I have my ways~" you said with a grin.

She chuckled more, "Thank you, I'm utterly grateful for this surprise~"

"No need for thanks, this really isn't much."

She smiled and tilted her head a little, "What matters isn't the action itself, but the thought and intention behind it, my dear~"

You smiled back with a light blush and basked in the music and nature together.

"Oh right, before I forget...." you took out the packet from your backpack, "Chloe gave me this to share with you. I figured this is a good time." you offered it to her.

"Oh, how sweet of her. They all look so fresh." she reached into the packet to grab some cherries.

"Mhm, she said it's freshly harvested."

Cantarella held up one cherry then stuck out her tongue to taste it, and a sudden shiver immediately went down your body looking at the alluring dispaly of her engraved tongue playing with it. She glanced at you staring at her and narrowed her eyes playfully then bit the cherry and pulled out the stem before seductively swallowing it.

"Mmm, delicious~" she commented before continuing to eat the rest.

Well, your best option was to look away for the rest of the duration.

After some time, the gondola started moving away towards the other end of Nimbus Sanctum.

"So, Whisperwind Haven next?" she asked.

"I thought to have lunch there, but are you hungry right now?"

"Oh, that's no trouble. We'll have to walk quite a bit to find a quiet place, I'm sure we'll build an appetite by then~"

"Alright, let's go then."

As expected, you indeed had to walk for some time after deboarding the gondola to find an empty, quiet place devoid of Tacet Discords and other disturbances. You almost reached the other end when you finally decided to sit under big tree. You laid out a blanket and asked her to sit while you took out several dishes from your backpack one by one.

"Huh, to think you were carrying everything in there all this time...." she noted with a chuckle.

"Abby gets hungry a lot so I made it a habit. But today, all this is for you."

"Oh, please, I cannot possibly finish everything on my own~"

You gave a soft laugh then settled down beside her, offering her some of everything.

"I see a lot of these dishes are my favorite.... Was this from Sebastian and Carmilla too?~"

"Mm, a little bit. I remembered what you said about preferring simple dishes due to your dormant tastebuds so I took some advice from them to make these."

"Wait, you made these yourself? Everything?" she asked wide-eyed.

You blushed, "Y-Yeah, it's not so difficult...."

Cantarella couldn't help but feel immense gratification, her hand automatically reaching out to gently cup your face.

"....Why are you doing this, Y/n?"

You looked at her in shock then softened your expression and cupped her held out hand with a smile.

"As I said earlier, I just want you to relax and enjoy."

"Is that all?" she probed with a tilt of her head.

The words were on the tip of your tongue but before you could reply, you heard some commotion nearby and quickly looked to the side, only to find a group of wild Tacet Discords approaching you both. You felt Cantarella's hand retract as she slowly stood up to face the approaching monsters, her parasol drawn out to as she prepared for battle.

"Please, give us some privacy, would you?~" she mocked with a smirk, preparing to unleash an attack but stopped as you stood up and pushed her parasol down.

"Let me handle it."

She was about to refute but couldn't get any words out as you already walked ahead, summoning your sword in hand. Her eyes widened looking at the sword- it was the sword she gifted to you, Bloodpact's Pledge, a sword that was passed down in Fisalia family for generations and symbolized an immortal bond. She smiled to herself and retreated as you asked, she knew there was nothing to worry about.

With a single sweep of concentrated energy, you decimated the monsters in a flash and the fight was over before it even began. You then turned back to face Cantarella who watched with a contented look and patted the place beside her, wanting you to sit. You nodded and sat down then were about to say something but were held back as she suddenly rested her head on your shoulder, cuddling into you. You blushed and tensed up, finding this action quite surprising.

"C-Cantarella?"

"Shh, just rest now~"

You composed yourself and eased your nerves, tilting your head to lightly lay on hers and closed your eyes. The leaves whispered softly overhead as sunlight filtered through in golden patches. The world was still— only the quiet murmur of the stream nearby and the flutter of petals in the breeze broke the silence. Birds sang faintly from distant branches, their songs laced with calm. You didn’t speak; there was no need. The warmth of her closeness, the hush of nature around you— this was enough. In this moment, everything was soft, serene, and exactly as it should be.

"For as long as I can remember...." she spoke in a soft tone, still laying her head on your shoulder and holding your arm, "....I had always been in that big, empty house. I would walk from one end to the other, knowing every tile on the floor and every potion bottle on the shelves. The house was gray, dark, and quiet. The only time it ever felt alive was when a bird flew past the window."

You narrowed your eyes, "Do you mean Porto-Veno Castle?"

"No, I lived in a different manor before I went for the trials. I used to the watch the bird flutter its wings until it became nothing more than a dot in the sky. Beyond that, the sky turned a clear blue, and the trees shone a bright green. It was such a beautiful sight. That was when I would wonder… what was happening in that thick forest? Maybe a princess was having an adventure."

She smiled and raised her head from your shoulder, keeping her eyes locked to yours.

"I'd imagine a clever princess who knew how to spot a poisoned apple. When a snake chased her, a little bird would swoop in to save her, carrying her high into the sky. There, she would find a girl in red shoes who couldn't stop dancing and save her. Then, they would dive into the sea to rescue a siren who was on the verge of turning into foam. In the end, the bird would carry them all, flying as far as it could until it could fly no more, finally landing in a castle… But what was the castle like? I only hoped it wasn't like the manor I lived in���big and boring."

She softly chuckled, making you smile in return. Her gaze lowered as she reminisced further, opening up a rare vulnerable part about herself.

"Sorry, that probably sounds all over the place, doesn't it? Well… Mother and Father always said that girls from the Fisalia family didn't need to read silly fairytales or have strange ideas like that. We were supposed to read books— books like The Complete Guide to Poison Recipes, The Fisalia Family's Secret Elixirs, and 108 Poisons You Never Knew About. They were interesting, but after reading them too many times, they became dull. Still, Mother and Father insisted that I memorize everything so that one day, I could save myself, or perhaps even become a Maiden or the family's leader. It sounded like a huge responsibility. I didn't really understand it yet, but I did what they told me."

You reached out to tug a strand of hair behind her ear, gently tracing her cheek.

"What do you feel now? Has the princess finally had her adventure and gained freedom?"

Cantarella smiled and extended her hand to brush a leaf on your head then cupped your face and leaned closer, her lips merely inches away from yours.

"You already know the answer to that, don't you?~"

Your eyes hooded as she leaned closer, "Well, it gives reassurance to hear you say it."

She softly chuckled, her breath brushing past your lips and her thumb tracing your bottom lip, "Indeed.... I have soared into the sky and the castle is no longer dark and brooding. And the bird wasn't a bird but you, Y/n, a savior of not just me but countless others."

Your face turned redder and Cantarella smirked, leaning even closer which made your noses touch.

"How adorable you look this way.... Show me more, would you?~"

And with that, her lips met yours in a soft yet firm kiss. You froze for a heartbeat as Cantarella's lips pressed against yours, the touch like the first bloom of spring after a long winter. The world narrowed to this single point of contact— her warmth seeping into you. It’s nothing like you imagined, and everything you’ve ever dreamed of. Her lips were surprisingly plush, yielding to yours with a delicate pressure. You mirrored her touch, your lips softening, deepening the kiss.

Her hand, previously resting on your cheek, moved to the back of your neck, her fingers threading through your hair. A small moan escaped your lips, and you felt her smile against your mouth. The kiss deepened further, becoming more insistent, more demanding. You responded in kind, your own hands finding their way to her back, drawing her closer until there was no space left between you.

An eternity may have passed when she finally pulled back with a soft sigh, the sensations and feel of her soft lips still lingering on yours. You breathed against each other, her hand coming forward to caress your cheek. She smiled and kissed the corner of your lips then leaned near your ear to whisper, "Thank you for this, for everything."

Her arms wrapped around your torso in a close embrace, her head now resting on your shoulder and feeling your touch. You slowly wrapped your arms around her and hugged her back, gently caressing her back in a soothing manner.

"There's no need to thank me. This wouldn't have been possible if not for your own choices, you said it yourself."

Cantarella hummed in agreement, "I'm aware. But, it wouldn't hurt for you to accept gratitude once in a while, would it?~"

She released the hug and drew away from you, gazing at you with a smile.

"U-uh, you are welcome...." you stuttered bashfully, face growing red once again.

She chuckled and pecked your cheek then turned to the side, "Well, let us eat before these go anymore colder. I don't want to spoil your effort~"

You nodded then continued with your meal, savoring the moment together. The sun began setting by the time you finished, a cool breeze with warm sunlight accompanying you now.

"Where would you like to go after this, Cantarella? Or shall we call it a day if it's late for you?"

"Hm, it's still rather early. I don't have a curfew, per say. Let me think..." she pondered for a moment then looked at you with a slightly excited expression, "Do you remember the Lake of Spirits in the Inverted Tower?"

"Of course, it was a beautiful place. Do you want to go there?"

"Unless you have something else in mind.... I figured it's not a bad place to revisit?"

You nodded with a smile, "Sure, I'm happy to go anywhere with you."

She chuckled, "Our feelings are mutual~"

You made your way to Avinoleum, to the Seminary where the door to the Lake of Spirits existed. The journey was rather long but still enjoyable as you talked and explored along the way, stopping by to look at the scenery or simply bask in nature, even having to do some fighting along the way. It was late evening by the time you reached the place, but the effort and time spent was worth it for the beauty of this place.

"Exquisite.... such a calm and delightful space. How pleasant it is to be eneveloped by a sea of stars from all sides...." she hummed with a smile, relishing the scenery as you strolled on the lake in the gondola.

You gazed at her gleeful state, the smiling expression and excited eyes. You didn't realize when you became entranced once again, your eyes unable to leave her. Her lavender hair swayed with the wind and the hues around perfectly complimented her style.

"May I take a picture of you, Cantarella?" you suddenly asked, making her slightly surprised.

"Oh? Go ahead. This makes me think we should have taken more photos throughout the day."

She turned to face you and adjusted herself, smoothening her dress and hair then assuming a natural posture.

"We can take some while going back, or any other day as well." you replied as you waited for her to be ready.

"That'll be good. Is this pose okay?"

You nodded then brought up the camera and clicked some pictures of her with the sea of stars in the background.

"Wonderful. Here, I'll take yours now."

She stood up and walked towards you, asking for the camera.

"O-Oh, it's okay. I have taken pictures here before."

"Oh, I see.... Shall we take some together then?~"

You blushed and nodded then stood up to stand beside her. You tried to hold up the camera facing you to take a selfie but it proved to be difficult. That's when your Tacet Mark started glowing and Abby came out abruptly.

"Just leave it to me! You both just pose together!" he held up the camera and waited for you both.

"A-Abby, at least give me a warning next time."

"Don't waste time now! Come on, scootch closer!"

He probed you. You stepped a little closer to her until your shoulders touched then smiled at the camera. Abby took a few pictures then appeared dissatisfied.

"Mm, this doesn't do. Make a better pose. Y/n, put your arm around her waist!"

"Oi, Abby!" you exclaimed in embarrassment while Cantarella chuckled.

"I don't mind, dear. Go on, touch me however you like~" Of course, she wouldn't back down from the teasing either.

You pursed your lips then slowly slung your right arm around her waist and gently pulled her closer, your bodies flush against each other, so much so that you could feel her ample breasts pressing against your side. Abby gave a thumbs-up and clicked some photos.

"Ok, next pose! Cantarella, put your arms around Y/n's neck and look at each other!"

"Abby?!" you exclaimed again, "This isn't some photosho—?!" your words were held in your throat as Cantarella swiftly wrapped her arms around your neck and pulled you towards herself, your bodies once again flush against each other and her face extremely close to you.

"Like this, Abby?~" she asked playfully with a smirk.

"Perfect! Y/n, put your arms around her waist now!"

Both of them banded together to tease you, you knew it. Although, Cantarella seemed to be genuinely enjoying herself. You composed yourself then wrapped your arms around her waist and gazed into her azure eyes, a light blush covering your cheeks and you noticed even Cantarella's face was a little flushed. Abby clicked some pictures from different angles then gave the okay for you to release the pose.

"Hmm, for the next one...." he pondered.

"I think that'll be sufficient, Abby..."

"Oh, are you sure? What do you think, Cantarella?"

You turned to look at her with a pleading look and she smiled, "Indeed, this is satisfying enough. Thank you for the assistance."

Abby let out a sigh then nodded and went back inside your Tacet Mark. You scratched your head and looked at her with an apologetic expression.

"Sorry if that was uncomfortable...."

"Not at all, Y/n. I mean every word I said~"

Your face flushed immediately. You knew what she was referring to. An unspoken air of tension engulfed you as you gazed at each other. Then, you suddenly lost your balance as the gondola pushed up from your side and made you tumble towards her. She quickly opened her arms and cushioned your fall, your face landing in her soft plentiful breasts as her arms securely wrapped around you.

"Oh, are you okay, my dear?"

"Y-Yeah, I'm so sorry!" you looked up at her and were caught off-guard by the closeness and the intoxicating scent radiating from her body, not to mention the supple feel of her breasts.

Your face flushed again, and so did Cantarella's. Her hands moved to cup your face and she pulled your face towards hers then pressed your lips together. The initial shock was quickly replaced by feelings of affection as you melted into the kiss, your bodies mending into one. You soon found yourself pushed down on the floor of the gondola with Cantarella's body on top, straddling you, your lips still locked in a heated exchange.

Her hands fumbled with your clothes, impatiently roaming here and there as if she wanted to desperately take them off. She adjusted herself on your lap more, now sitting on it properly as her arms snaked around your neck and she deepened the kiss. Her engraved tongue licked your lips, seeking entry, which you were too eager to give. Your tongue mingled with hers, soft moans resounding in your ear.

"Mmh, Y/n.... more....~" she hummed and came even closer, pushing her tongue deeper to completely enrapture your mouth, aching to explore every corner.

You melted into one under the sea of stars, creating yet another night to remember.

[kenozumin]

despite however rushed the wedding feels, i think it fits pangi's character to an extent. like, imagine being someone who takes it upon himself to keep one of the people he finds most dear to him safe from danger and then subsequently finding out that you spent weeks without any of your memories, slowly growing more aggressive towards that very person. that fucks with you a little bit!

so i wouldn't put it past pangi to want to make sure something like this doesn't happen again, however illogical it may sound. he already sticks to lukey's side as much as he can, binding them through means as permanent as marriage can't be that absurd (although, it really is). that's the only reason why, and there's no reason to seek any deeper into it, because sure, everyone has been insinuating something deeper between the two since they had met, and while he knows and lukey knows that is not the case, if it gets people to stop bothering him about "addressing his feelings," that's just a plus.

so, ultimately, pangi doesn't mind an impromptu marriage proposal, anything to keep from actually acknowledging that maybe there is something going on in his relationship with lukey that should be addressed (which there isn't!!!). because pangi would sooner take his own life than actually communicate over something like this, and the problem is that lukey is the same.

lukey is self aware and he recognizes, to an extent, that what he and pangi have is different from all the other friendships he shares. but pangi also was the first one between the two of them to draw a hard boundary on not wanting to be anything more than friends all those months ago, so why would lukey insist on digging any deeper. for all the good communication that the two participate in, this is the one line that they don't cross, perhaps because they both foolishly and naively think that the conversation they shared months ago covered all their bases.

unfortunately, i'm not entirely sure what it'll take for them to finally land on the same page of what they want in their relationship with one another. they're content keeping it undefined, but i doubt a proposal from pangi would delight lukey when lukey knows there is much the two need to address between them, and honestly i hope he does end up doing something about it, even if that means rejecting the proposal to give pangi a bit of a wake up call that he can't keep burying his own feelings into the ground to keep from confronting them.

[changingnames-constantly]

So i'm listening to Epic the Musical again and so I'm labeling Starbound characters as gods/people from Greek mythology :)

Asri: Hesphestus but also like- Apollo? He's like a mix of both because he's strong and does the labor like Hesphestus but his personality is very Apollo-like

Evren: Dionysus, I personally think this is self-explanatory but if not-WINE DIVA

Tad: He gives Hermes to me-, I haven't watched much of the vods but from what I do know he seems like Hermes

Aura: Athena, specifically more EPIC Athena as it is not surrounding just her strategical smarts but her emotional smarts. Also her expectations, I know Athena is a little contradictory but Aura gives Athena to me. Although also in a weird way reminds me of Theseus? Or even Circe in the way that she had to earn respect. Also Daedalus.

Vesper: The deceiving side of Circe and also Vesper kind of being like how Circe turned Scylla into a sea witch- that's kinda what happened to Vesper when she decided to bully Aura-. Hermes in a trickster/thief way, also travels as Evren can fly and she can't, a contradiction as Hermes had to travel a lot through the world and the underworld and Evren being able to fly but Vesper not being able to.

Vic: Artemis because fox, a little Hermes to

Romeo: Hera. Specifically EPIC Hera. She gives me that vibe.

Mi-Go: Aphrodite BECAUSE of the whole Hephestus and Ares thing. I like for Mi-Go it would be a metaphor for wanting to find that soulmate but having to put up with another one/ones first to find that.

Epsilon: Hades or Nyx vibes. Is kinda there, you know it's there but struggle to where or what it's thinking.

Navi: Penelope as in waiting to wake up, only being able to talk to one person, etc, not the Odysseus part, more of it's loyalty.

Ronja: I don't know like- anything about her but her vibe gives me Helios for some reason.

Daiv: Aesculapius cause a healer and medicine, I feel like he's a mix with Apollo maybe.

Skye: Ares but with a mix of Helios and/or Hermes, I take fighter pilot seriously lol. Helios cause the chariot and Hermes cause travel but I think Helios makes more sense.

Laika: Prometheus with a mix of Achilles, don't ask me why- I just get that vibe.

Aeros: Seems Hermes like to me, I don't know much about Aeros but from what I do know, Hermes.

Starco: Minotaur. HEAR ME OUT specifically the Minotaur in Circe by Madeline Miller. Again, I don't know why, but it makes sense okay-

...I think that's everyone...

[shadow-the-crow]

soo i'm sort of stuck on s4 of tma. i've somehow lost the motivation to listen to more than 1 or 2 episodes a month. and at first, i thought it was just because of the season's generally gloomy mood and me finding new fandoms, but i think i've figured out another reason.

one of the generally agreed upon rules of writing (which, of course, are meant to be broken if you know how to - but in this case i think it might have been good to respect it) is that you should give your main character a strong long-term goal. they should want something, really want something, and act in order to try and achieve that. whether the goal is killing the bad guy, finding a missing family member or maybe just getting back home to finally rest - it can be anything as long as it's important to the protagonist. this helps give a story structure and appeal, because otherwise, the protagonist tends to just passively float through a story, reacting to the events happening to them, but barely becoming active themself. in this case, the audience tends to feel as lost and confused as the protagonist seems. we're just watching the events happen, not knowing what to hope for - and also not being able to emotionally connect with the protagonist as much, since hopes and ambitions make a character more relatable.

and i think that's what's missing in s4. in s3, the crew was trying to stop the Unknowing. in s2, Jon was desperately trying to find out what the fuck was going on - what happened to Gertrude, what the Fears were and so on. in s1, although you might argue it was also missing strong character ambitions, Jon and the others were at least trying to fight off the worms and not become victims of the Corruption. plus, back then, there was still the mystery of what the horrors even were.

now, in s4, there's practically no mystery left. we know exactly what the Fears are, and the statements are often a confirmation of what we already know rather than something for us and the characters to theorize about. and even the minimum goal of survival has lost a lot of relevance, since by now, Jon has lost enough vulnerability and gained enough power to not feel easily threatened by other avatars anymore.

there's a few other "goals" that might come to your mind: stopping the Extinction from emerging, freeing Martin from Peter's grasp, escaping the Institute... but none of these really function as motivations. the Extinction thing is mostly Peter's goal, Martin only agreed to protect his friends, and while him and the others are acknowledging that stopping a new Fear is probably important, they're not really acting towards it. Jon does want Martin back, but again, he doesn't act on it until the very end of the season, he just lets him do his own thing. And he does want his normal life back, to be human again and be freed from the Institute - but these goals don't even seem achievable in any way. it's like: yeah, sure, Jon would ideally like to achieve these things, but there's no possible way out by now. even after finding out he could gouge his eyes out and run away, he knows he has the responsibility to stay and fight off the Fears - and he doesn't even know if he could survive without the Eye. he'll probably never be human again. so, again, not a goal he's actually working towards, since he's aware it's not realistic at all. and sure, there are other short-term goals he has throughout the season, like travelling to Ny-Alesund and stopping the Dark cult - but plots like these are resolved after a few episodes, leaving us once again without a bigger goal.

so yeah. i'm not saying s4 is badly written - when i do listen, i'm interested, it's simply missing an element to keep me hooked and make me want to keep listening. this is how i view it, feel free to disagree with me and do tell me your arguments.

[dark-lord-of-awesomeness]

I know you write a lot Emma-May and it got me interested in the character!!!

So I’ve been exploring some Emma-May stuff lately and came across this theory

https://www.tumblr.com/pixeltwix/768001819766046720/ciphertology-the-dixons

And thought it was interesting!

As the person who got me into Emma-May I wanted to know ur thoughts on it. If you have any.

If you don’t that’s cool too.

I've seen it before and I do think it's very interesting and adds complexity to both her and Fiddlefords relationship since he went and started another cult. I unfortunately conceptualized her character before learning about it, so I didn't really put any cult recovery in her background when writing her. Not that it would affect her overly much, just make her even angrier at Fiddleford and potentially more sympathetic with Ford after they went to his house and found him.

Although it would make an interesting alternative time line if Emma-May was still a part of the cult and one of Bills followers. I don't really have anything else to add about it, as @pixeltwix pretty much covered anything I'd add in the original post.

[thevegetablewhichnoonedaresname]

i unraveled half a dishcloth about 3 times because i was having a toxic man-refusing-to-ask-for-directions moment and kept telling myself "nah you've knit stacks of these and it's literally the easiest pattern" and ignoring the fact that i've been crocheting for 3-4 years and could really spare 5 seconds to google a pattern as a refresher

[leatherbookmark]

Also I've been in this fandom for like 2.5 seconds approximately and I don't respect a single one of y'all BUT cmiiw the girlypop high femme lesbian mommy etcetc whatever PSH is a fairly new development isn't it. Like my first bias was Sanini but then I realized HJ is a diversely creative fairy prince who wears half-skirts, paints his nails and talks about fashion for men AND women and I was like O YES HI HELLO THIS ONE'S MINE HI. It's fascinating that apparently there's a whole genre of fans who see Joongie as the masculine dom to Hwa's willow-waisted femme omega bottom when like... They both have "masculine" and "feminine" traits. Above all that they're cool fun guys and I like them a lot (assigning gender to personality trait is finest grade dumbassery, not to mention gender essentialism. I don't recommend doing that)

[iridescentoracle]

yes it's 1:47am on a friday and i am thinking about girl genius instead of going to bed

i cannot stop thinking about the theoretical possibility of a twin reveal happening in skifander. like i know we just had that light tease on monday of a maybe-reveal but i'll believe it when i see it and also i think a skifander reveal actually has an even higher chaos potential. i have like five different half-formed reveal scenarios floating around in my head right now and at least two of them involve someone actively trying to murder gil but i think my favorite at this exact moment is the idea of zeetha introducing everyone to her mom & company, with gil somewhere in the middle. zantabraxus spends the rest of the introductions being Very Normal And Polite To The Visitors and absolutely not doing anything to let on to anyone around her that she has any particular interest in gil.

at the earliest opportunity that won't draw attention she asks zeetha to bring gil (SUBTLY) to zanta's chambers/whatever so the three of them can have a nice private talk. gil's response is "oh so she does want me dead then" because he has in fact been getting some extremely weird and very intense vibes off her this whole time and he's known for ages his dad was obviously wrong about zeetha wanting him dead but he generally didn't get ideas like that out of nowhere so uhhhh Weird Intense Vibes zeetha's mom is pretending aren't there = she's the one klaus thought might intend to murder gil for some reason??

zeetha naturally laughs that off and drags him to meet zanta properly. the vibes remain Weird and Intense for about fifteen seconds as she just kind of stares at him silently for a minute before abruptly hugging him and saying something about how much she's missed him and how he's grown up so well and etc etc etc

gil, very confused, trying not to reflexively judo-flip a queen: zeetha, fully delighted by just how right she was continuing to Not Tell Him was absolutely the funniest option: [after a minute] zanta (realizing something is Up here and letting go of gil): …zeetha zanta: you did tell your brother what he was walking into and how skifander feels about twins before you brought him home, right? zeetha, cheerfully: nope! gil: her WHAT—

[fortune-maiden]

Did... did Tsukasa just die?

And that was the 7 Zios special... I have so many questions

[thekimspoblog]

"Blinded by the puss" means he doesn't know her well enough to meaningfully care about her, idiots! He wasn't skeptical before smashing. Did you people learn nothing from Westworld?

[sallykie]

I've decided. I don't like the HTTYD movie sequels' xenophobia era. I don't think the themes should have gone that way.

[front-facing-pokemon]

[not-poignant]

hear me out 👀 loki x mobius

idk, i’ve been rereading the guardians and other fae tales work… on top of the new season of loki-! they just seem like a dynamic you’d thrive with

Hi anon!

So, Loki x Mobius has been around since the show started sdlfkjsa and you might not know this, but I've actually been a hardcore Thorki shipper for over 10 years. Definitely since the first Thor movie came out. *checks how long ago that was and cries a little* Okay, twelve years. In my 1000+ AO3 bookmarks, the Loki/Thor pairing makes up the majority pairing with over 200+ bookmarks.

Anyway, Lokius has been shipped since the Loki show came out, but after like 12 years of being a Thorki shipper (with brief dalliances into some Steve/Loki and Tony/Loki) I mostly just enjoy Loki being friends with Mobius. Like I see the merits of the ship for sure, and am very glad people are enjoying it, but I just...personally prefer Thorki as my ship. I even put up some of a Thorki fanfic of my own and it's the only fic I've removed from thespectaclesofthor (because I knew I wouldn't finish it).

I have been idly thinking of looking at fanfiction offerings for Lokius again but I didn't like a single fic I looked at in season 1 which made me think I was either pretty cool on the pairing overall, or that what was being written just wasn't for me. But I also just...don't ship them. I can't imagine wanting to write a fic for them where I'd ship them. They're not a dynamic I thrive with.

I remember when people thought Steve/Bucky would be a dynamic I thrive with and I actually...don't ship them, and don't even like the ship at all.

With Lokius, it's not that I don't like the ship, I just don't care that much about it. I'm enjoying the show, I love the characters, I'm really glad Loki's experiencing some genuine found family vibes in the canon, and I feel nothing about wanting to make his experiences in that sexual at all. If I ever wrote Loki + Mobius it really would just be a friendfic.

Something might change on that front, for sure, but it's been a few years now and I still just mostly go back to Thorki fics when I want to read Loki stuff again.

I'm sorry anon, people trying to predict the ships I'll go for never goes that well (Mobius is not at all the kind of character I normally want to write in general), but I am very happy for the folks who are enjoying the ship and getting bits and pieces of gif/fic/fanart material from the show. :) And I'm glad we all get to enjoy their acting and the show together overall.