#and also obviously our biases and love for particular characters

[caiusthecat]

I’m not even going to explain. Read tags🥱

[merrivia]

in ur opinion who are the hottest characters in cp and who are the least ;)

Haha what an excellent question.

And because clearly I can't just be like here's the list of hotties, enjoy, you did get me thinking.

I think fiction- and the way Pacat writes in particular- offers us this really interesting space in terms of 'attraction', as I mean, it's all just this lovely, indulgent hypothetical anyway. And what makes a character 'attractive' kind of just exists in the imagination? Like we are free to imagine Damen and Laurent for instance, in particular ways physically beyond the broad strokes of big, olive-skinned and dark haired vs blue-eyed blond, as there is no exact visual for us. The other part to is the idea of 'proximity'- you know, how in real life we often fall for the people around us? Who we can get to know or who we 'see' over and over? So as we read and inhabit a fictional world, we are approximating these things - we're inside character's heads, around them, getting to know them etc.,. And I think all of that plays a part in this mimicry of real life attraction?

It's such an interesting weird blurring between knowing a character is made up and a small part of your brain kind of making judgements as if they're real.

[But merrivia this was for fun...I know and I'm sorry 😂]

I also want to say that having a particular physical 'type' is a really fascinating concept for me, because I think it's rooted in all sorts of psychological issues we have swirling around in our subconscious? I don't think perhaps we can always control it, but I do think it's an important part of life to examine those biases we have, too. I had a type when I was younger, but I outgrew those ideas over time and don't really have any specific physical preferences, so all of this really is based on personality mostly, for me!

I've also based this list on how we meet characters in the books, as opposed to 'older characters when they were younger' for example.

So:

*tied position: Damen, to me, is the hottest. I think it's his intelligence and honesty and goodness and willingness to love. And yeah...okay fine, his fighting prowess and his physical strength. In real life, I don't care for that, in fact that would intimidate the hell out of me, but reading him literally outclass everyone else in the novels is beyond attractive. I also love love love, how smart and witty he is, and how he can match Laurent in that way. Also: the dimple /screams into the void/. In many ways Damen has qualities I admire, and I wish I had more of. How disciplined he is, his easy natural charm with others, how comfortable he is with his own body, how open and light he can be when it comes to sex while still being respectful, how he isn't actually vain over his looks and how he's very romantic at heart...that's all very attractive to me. He has his flaws, I know, but I just think he's really hot. And tied at that spot is...Auguste. I actually think, in real life, Auguste would be exactly the kind of guy I would have had a major crush on. Handsome and good-hearted and honourable and loves his family? I can see me watching Auguste with a younger Laurent, being all playful and big-brothery and I would just *die* and have to stop myself proposing to him immediately. He also, I think, loved animals, a quality I also really like in a man. I do feel we know so little about him, it's tricky...but he's tied at the no 1 spot for me.

Laurent is obviously gorgeous, but in a remote way to me? I absolutely love him, but I'm not attracted to him. He's ridiculously beautiful and mind-bogglingly intelligent and sharp and very funny and has his own moral code, but in a way, some of his sharpness reminds me of the worst of myself? And the lethal side of his personality is...phew, it's a lot. His love of animals and of children is so lovely though, and the sweetness that comes out in him around Damen makes me melt. I also am, as a woman, respectful of canonically gay characters's preferences, and I don't know if thats odd or not, but some people are in a separate category in my mind (my friend's partners, gay men etc.,) where I can like them, and even adore them platonically, but I cannot see them as sexually attractive in any way. That includes characters it seems! I also think, he is just so objectified in the novels...even if I did fancy him, I might want to protect him from that constant onslaught, not join in? Regardless of all that, of course Laurent is super hot, so he's on the list.

The Good Men of the book- Nikandros and Berenger. I think that ultimately, the older I get, the more I am drawn to inner qualities of principle and goodness. Both these men are loyal and loving. Both deserve love and amazing sex.

The Hot Women of the book- Jokaste and Kashel are polar opposites and both obviously gorgeous. Jokaste scares the hell out of me, but I respect the fact that people would fall at her feet. Kashel is like that nice, pretty girl next door type at school who does a lot of sports and who lots of people are really into.

Ancel is very much NOT my type, something about the long red hair and the personality...but is he a hottie? Yes, of course. You have to respect his hustle, and I really like how he falls for Berenger, showing how he does have a heart.

Jord...He's a good man too. I see him as on the shorter, stockier side, based on descriptions of the book, and, well, a bit plain, but he's a good reminder that being exceptionally good-looking and/or a nobleman isn't everything. He exudes a personableness and has some really good qualities. I really do wish he hadn't projected all of his 'I betrayed Laurent' guilt so strongly onto Damen at the end of PG, but... it did create a lot of angst and narrative tension (I mean which is partly Jord's function!).

Who isn't attractive...yikes, that's tough. I mean there are plenty of other characters in the book, so if I haven't mentioned them, they're just not on the list. I just feel like there isn't enough for me to get my teeth into with characters like Pallas or Lazar, as cute as they are? So it's not a judgement, I just need a little more description. As for some of the older characters...yeah nope. If that's your thing, that's fine! And the villains in the book can rot in hell as far as I'm concerned.

I guess find it difficult to see Erasmus as hot. On the list, he should be just below Laurent really. This is kind of how I see his looks being, but even prettier. Like ridiculously, sweetly pretty.

I didn't include him out of very nurturing feelings I think? He's just a little sweetheart, and I want to take him under my wing and make sure he's okay. I just want him and the beautiful Kallias together!

It's why I'm also so neutral on Torveld I think? He's a good man too, but just...yeah.

And poor, damaged Aimeric...he's clearly a pretty boy. But I just think he was far too troubled. Lots of therapy needed for Aimeric in a modern AU and no-contact with Guion and to go off and live with Loyse (who I hope didn't know until it was too late what happened to Aimeric or tried to fight her husband on it but couldn't win, because patriarchy, and didn't just turn a blind eye- if she did do that, then no-contact for her too) and date Jord :(

So that's my rundown!

That was fun, thanks for the ask!

[youshiai]

Lovebrush Chronicles, Thoughs on Story and route ranking type of thingy

~ Disclaimer: These are personal impressions ~

Now that I've completed Eden in its entirety, I've been wanting to compile some of my thoughts about the story, and even rank all the routes, according to my personal preference as well as my opinions about this game's narrative quality.

I'm in no way a professional writer but I would consider myself at least decently knowledgeable about what makes a story memorable, and what does not (Questionable).

So, without any further ado, lesss goo~~

In a general sense, my favorite world was, no doubt, Godheim!

Eden unfortunately became way too formulaic. The first three routes had a very defined pattern between the days going by and how MC's relationship with the particular boy would develop as well as its conclusion. Not much information and perspective was given on the overall plot between these routes, with the exception of maybe, Lars's. Still, I did not particularly enjoy how Alkaid was treated be it on Lars's route or any other in Eden, for that matter. I personally think they failed in showing, in a more engaging manner, his struggles and shortcomings. And I also don't like how in the exposure we would get at the end of each route, he would always be seen and treated in such a nonchalant black or white manner. It made him feel like such a cartoonish villain at times.

Another point I did not particularly enjoy is how MC's personality, drive, decision making, and observation skills would get watered down whenever she had a romantic interest. The relationship or just attachment is developed too fast and from that point onwards she puts way too much focus on the particular boy or group safety/companionship, almost completely disregarding the reason that made her get to that particular planet in the first place. The way she simply forgets or never wonders much about the boy that called her to Eden, personally drives me insane. He is so obviously Alkaid. And if he's not, the Master of Eden should be her priority, as she needs to get closer to people in positions of power in order to understand the truth of the world better.

The prologue and the Final Route gives us more of her seasoned traveler side, which absolutely makes sense, since she's got an absurd amount of experience in Godheim with all the time travel she did in order to fully understand how to resolve everything in that world.

About Eden's final route, I think our big reveal and conflict (Luminary Prefect and Alkaid's price to pay for saving his world by accepting and healing the resentment that came from a world being basically absorbed by another), fell way too short on presentation, logic sense and emotional weight and because of that felt unengaging and boring, mostly. Still, it was very interesting to see more people from The Empire and understand a bit more of their M.O.

All these things said, I enjoyed Eden quite a bit! Looking back at it, I can see it being rushed. I know they have competent writers, but maybe they didn't have enough time to freshen up some ideas and make them more polished, concise and impactful.

Still, I loved everything involving Clarence my beloved or Cael, also my beloved (biased much xD). What can I say? I adore their characters so every chance to see more about them is absurdly engaging and precious to me, even when surrounded by a not as polished of a plot.

On to Godheim!

Godheim is my favorite because everything that happens feels way more connected and rich in that world.

From the Prologue to the Last Route, we are met with incredibly captivating revelations. The existence of different worlds, the possibility of travel between them, the parallel world known faces, MC's unique abilities, Silver Knight's identity and his personal conflict with us, Clarence's past present and future and how we were the one shaping it. Everything is rich, meaningful, connected and not forgotten. Heck, all routes are canon, even, as MC did countless voyages until she could understand what needs to be done. Godheim is just... *chef's kiss* An impeccable first act for an ongoing and ever expanding game!

Now, on to my personal ranking for all routes! (so far)

1- Clarence (Godheim)

I am a sucker for destined love types of narratives, and I also love time travel used as cause and effect for someone's existence and connection with another, be it romantic or otherwise. Their execution of this troupe is absurdly memorable and heart wrenching. The way they involved real world Clarence and showed his trust towards MC is extremely moving and transcendental, in a way, it was really lovely. My favorite! This route has it all. Excellent writing, characterization, revelations, conflicts, conclusion, consequences. I love it tremendously.

2- Lars + Cael Hidden Story + card stories context (Godheim)

I couldn't separate these, they go together in my head. I'm sorry to say the reason Lars's route is my favorite is mostly because of Cael. His conflict with MC and subsequent confusion and heartbreak has been, so far, my favorite and most engaging moment in the entire game. I've written this, during the days I was experiencing these moments:

"There is something about this dynamic (Cael x MC), something I really love.

I believe it is because it involves key characters in the story showing a side we were not familiar at all with, and usually don't expect or wish to see...

It is a conflict between those that even while holding a lot of love and care for one another, and, in a way, acting mostly out of this deep love/care, are forced to confront one another and possibly grow distant. Because they can't agree the way this love might continue to exist while being authentic with very important personal values and vows.

It reminds me of Yuzuru Saeki, mostly, and even Ukyo.

It has those narrative and relationship connections floating around them.

A close relationship with the heroine we at first think nothing of, but begin to question as we explore the different timeline possibilities. The shock, hurt and betrayal we feel, as does the heroine, when we discover a dark and twisted side of someone we have learned to love and trust unconditionally.

When we are finally face to face we don't know who they are or how to feel about them anymore. Is it love still? Hate? Sadness? Despair? Disappointment? Confusion?

It is heartbreaking for both characters, heartbreaking for the readers when they get attached to them... a recipe to a very dramatic and soaked in tragedy relationship.

Ahh, I love it! Keep going hahahah."

3- Common Route (Godheim)

The introduction to the game comes with a bang! Godheim's prologue is very well made, bringing in a sense of adventure, wonder, danger, mystery, curiosity, tragedy, love... It has it all in a condensed manner. Personally I see this one as more of an Alkaid route than his own in Godheim and I love it a lot!

4- Clarence (Eden)

This is my favorite Eden route! As I'm not a big fan of how the plot was developed in Eden, this self contained story ended up being my favorite! As a Clarence enjoyer, there is so much to love here. We have Clarence a bit (!) less traumatized and closed off than his previous counterpart! We can see so much more of his sense of honor, emotional maturity, responsibility, friendship and unconditional respect! We have Naledi/Lin our beloved, being best girl, protecting us and letting us protect her in turn. We have pouty Alkaid being shooed, my poor misunderstood lonely angel. We have Clarence refusing to bow down to the world's established punishments and laws and simply overcoming them, being the first of its kind. A king! A king! In Clarence we trust for maturity, emotional security, respect and real companionship.

5- Common Route (Eden)

The common route to Eden is so engaging! Coming right after Godheim's superb ending, we are eager to see a new world, understand its problems, see our MC's progress, and discover more about Cael and The Empire. So many questions and a renewed sense of adventure! Truly captivating start and an opening with so many possibilities!

6- Ayn (Godheim)

It may not look like it, but I like this route a lot! As the very first one we experience, it helps us understand what this game goes for as far as characterization, interactions and romance goes. Ayn (I call him Ayn-Ayn) is a very good first partner as his character is quite charming and attractive! So it was a joy seeing his relationship developing with MC as they open up and depend more on one another!

From here onwards, I have mixed feelings towards the remaining routes.

7- Alkaid (Eden)

I honestly love the starting phase of this route. We see a more proactive MC, an adorable and protective Ayn-Ayn and finally the meetup between the child asking for help and the one that heard his cries and intended to offer it. MC's interactions with Alkaid are all adorable, even more so at the start, and it is very interesting to uncover more about his desires, the secrets of Eden and the personal inner turmoil and demon he has to constantly deal with. Unfortunately, when we finally get Prefect Luminary's big reveal, the story does fall considerably in its quality, in my view. I get what they intended to do and I believe they had good ideas, but the execution and presentation falls so short it is sad even, I wanted Alkaid from Eden to have more agency. Not even because he needed to do more, I believe he did his best, but at the same time it doesn't feel satisfying enough. One point I can bring up that may help understand my frustrations is the fact they tend to explain with words too much. His motivations, what he is feeling, thinking, what he plans on doing. Instead of showing us as he is going through these difficult times. The lack of visual aid during key moments of his character arc and struggles didn't help either, and they were linked to key plot points such as Eden's creation and rebirth.

I basically don't believe they have done his character justice with what we were shown. He is way more multifaceted and deep than what our interactions and explanations we've gotten would lead us to believe. Justice for Eden Alkaid!

Okay... trying again (what I've written from this point forward in this post has been sent to the void once, rip my time and all the ideas and meticulous observations I've shared then, let's pray the gods of inspiration come back to me sometime).

8- Lars (Eden)

I like the importance this route has on the overall plot, but I'm not a fan of how Lars was characterized, personally. His constantly going back on his word about being with us/guiding us/being our partner... ticked me off. But I can understand the appeal if you have different values and preferences from mine, so I can see it being someone's favorite.

(image limit, rip.png)

9- Ayn-Ayn (Eden)

Forgettable. At this point, Eden's formulaic nature was tiring me a bit and seeing as Ayn's personality is not particularly different from what we've been used to so far, I didn't feel much for this route. Although I liked the fact Ayn loves or at the very least feels a connection towards the MC from the very beginning, it is sweet. It is a nice one but held back by following the formulaic nature + not bringing much new/important. Cute for what it is tho, I love Ayn!

10- Alkaid (Godheim)

All last three spots could have been interchangeable. They are my most "mixed feelings" trio.

What I love about this route is my sweet Alkaid but he spends a lot of time unavailable, sleeping. What I dislike about this route is the silly snake man subplot, and he's here for too long. I like how we get Lars and Clarence on board for our naive plan that ends up working. To me, the real Alkaid route is the friends we made along the way Godheim's Commom Route !

So, in the end, I guess what I may want to say I consider important, all things considered, is characterization, case by case.

When characters are engaging and multifaceted, their interactions carry weight and make the moves the plot needs to make and its consequences way more interesting and memorable individually! So, the less the characters are engaging, or the less they are even present, the lower I feel impacted or moved by what is happening.

Ps: I had 35% of what was originally written here sent to the void, so I can't guarantee the quality from Lars's portion ahead, I had said some good things I'm not sure I can explain again the same way Y_Y

I also wrote this more because I wanted to vent out my opinions and have them on my personal archive, not much for sharing. But if anyone finds it, enjoy!

[ncisfranchise-source]

“It’s like a double-edged sword,” coming into a franchise like NCIS, says Sydney star Todd Lasance.

“You’re coming in going, oh, you’re part of this amazing franchise. It’s been running forever, and that’s incredible. You feel you’re part of the family, but then two minutes later, you’re like, oh, I hope we don’t stuff this up. I hope that people switch on and then come along for the ride and respond to the characters,” he continues. That’s why he’s glad that the first international version has been a hit.

And NCIS: Sydney shows no signs of slowing down, ending its eight-episode first season with a finale that puts Lasance’s JD right at the center when his son is kidnapped — and in order to get him back, he’d have to swap the criminal that the team had been after all season (played by Georgina Haig) and just got into custody.

“What I love about the eight episodes is this is the culmination of little breadcrumbs of information, little clues that you don’t necessarily know are relevant until the final episode. And then actually when the episode ends and the cliffhanger you get left with, you’re like, oh, wow, this has been planted since Episode 1,” Lasance teases.

“This is also the culmination of the full 360 for JD. This is the complete other end of the spectrum that you’ve never got to experience with the character before,” he adds. “This is the actor’s dream, this episode as well, because you get to dive into the emotional element that you’d never seen before on our series, and also the heavy element of the subject matter. This isn’t usually where they track the tone of the series. So it was also really cool for NCIS to go deep into this emotional family kind of stakes of it all and for my character, too. This is the collision and the explosion of all the elements of our series and our eight episodes clashing into one.”

The episode, which is his favorite (and he knows he may be a bit biased), will see JD willing to do whatever it takes; the promo already shows him throwing a chair in the interrogation room. The only problem? The time he might not be able to think with his badge or rationally is exactly when he needs that investigator side — it’s the part of him that can find his son.

“Finding these elements throughout each scene was the key,” Lasance explains. (Not only did they shoot scenes out of order, but they were also filming Episodes 6 and 8 at the same time.) “What I love about these scenes and the way that it was written is that there’s times when he’s thinking with the badge, he’s actively using the law enforcement elements and he’s thinking with clarity. And then there are also other elements where it’s the complete other end of the spectrum where he loses it, where he does lose control, where his emotions get the best of him, where his relationship with his son, his family gets the best of him and takes over.”

It’s a storyline that is easily relatable — especially for Lasance, a father of two (his son was born during the series). “To be given this role where this particular storyline relates to my son so closely, it was like universally meant to be for me to have this role so that I could reflect the experience that JD was going through and obviously translate that from my own experience having kids, and particularly just having had a son,” he says. “It was emotionally one of the most full-on experiences I’ve had of my career, which was fantastic. You want to get this kind of content to be able to translate on the screen. So yeah, it’s beautiful. On one hand, he’s approaching it from a law enforcement perspective and then he’s also, at the end of the day, a father. Those two elements clash all the time, which is great.”

The finale also offers a look at a relationship we’ve only heard about thus far: his with his ex-wife. “They give you that little teaser where it’s just enough to go, oh, wait, what? What’s happening here? And then the dynamic is introduced, but then they leave enough of it so that you want more and that there’s so much more to explore as well,” he shares. “So there’s a lot coming.”

So buckle in for the wild ride. “You got to deal with his relationship side of things, find the history there, dealing with his team, dealing with Mackey [Olivia Swann], but then also dealing with the relationship with the son as well,” Lasance teases. “It’s all happening for JD.”

[laura-de-milf]

W o w ok- the first part of the book was pretty on pace with the show but the ending went in a vastly different direction. I'm really glad I read it and enjoyed it a lot--but I'm also SO in support of the extreme changes that the show made.

Spoilery thoughts to follow:

(Like actual serious spoilers. Major plot points that differ from the show. You have been warned)

ELENA. MY BELOVED. I loved that we got her POV--and ok maybe I'm understandably biased but i often found myself counting the pages until the next Elena interlude. I actually preferred how much more backstory we had for her in the book over the show. Obviously there is the timing limitation of tv, etc. etc. and I guess they really wanted to heighten the mystery of is-she/isn't-she the bad guy so couldn't make her too sympathetic--but I found that the book was still able to keep that mystery really well even with the direct POV? We're led to believe for the first 3/4 of the book that she's working for the Russian oligarchs because even in her head she's doing The Absolute Most to play pretend for Victor, and it isn't until she casually mentions getting instruction from Washington that we're like, wait-

Brilliant. 🤌

It's a bit odd having seen the show first because I think we're often predisposed to prefer our first exposure to a story, so I don't think most of my disappointments are actual judgements of the book so much as my just having particular show moments that I would have loved to see. Like I was mildly disappointed that she didn't get to kill Viktor; it would have been especially satisfying in the book-world because of the mentor/protegée dynamic they were playing at (especially with Elena being much younger). How glorious would it have been for her not just to get the satisfaction of offing her abusive boss, but also now one-upping her extremely powerful mentor and taking that authority for herself. It felt like Viktor was also posed as a sadistic sort of father figure for her--and what a great bit of contrast it would have been for her to feel exactly what a fully intentional "killing a father" is like so she can release herself of the illogical guilt she holds re her own father's death. I suppose this wouldn't really have worked narratively though if she was just going to end up dead anyway.

Which brings me to my next devastation. It's such a small moment, but the reveal of her having escaped the bathroom at the end of the show breathed life into my decrepit form and I missed that a little.

But!! Elena being the one who killed Alex??? Queen shit. I guess I understand how they needed to change that for the show so they could make her more sympathetic for the galpal duo. (Even though it turns out the show invented the whole sympathetic aspect to Alex's story and he was straight up just stealing from investors in the book? So like, can you blame her.)

Speaking of which. I reaaaallly missed the Miranda x Cassie galpal duo that the show (it turns out) completely fabricated out of thin air. Like, yeah, I guess the book was telling a slightly different story, but damn if that whole dynamic wasn't so delicious to watch. The fact that they never really got to interact- 😔

Buckley!! What!!! I'm so bewildered that she let him go. Like I guess it turned out for the best? but still- what??? Also what happened to Elena's body and what was the fallout from that? because by Buckley's plan she (and Enrico) would have been in the room alone, which contained a dead body and every assassination tool under the sun, and Cassie had no reason to believe that he wouldn't peg her for it??? That was some wild decision-making on her part but not out of character I guess.

What the fuuuuuuuck was the epilogue. I guess on the one hand maybe it's sweet that she named the kid Masha, because Symbolism and all? But man if it doesn't fall into the disappointing trope of Women Need Children To Heal And Be Complete. And "getting a child out of an otherwise traumatic incident is a good thing actually". Also how did she know it was his? She drunk!slept with like 4 people that week. mmmmmmmm uncomfy. Thank GOODNESS they cut that for the show.

Elena. My beloved. You were done so dirty. Cassie (presumably) never even got to learn that she was coming to rescue her. Brb, gonna be sad about that for a little while.

[sacred-stanning]

Chapter 16 Part 8: Dance party, and then...

I end turns a bunch more and knock out some more supports.

Gerik and Tethys's B picks up where they left off in C.

Gerik had asked something about Tethys's background in dancing, and at the time she had avoided answering, but now she tells him, "Ewan and I were abandoned by our parents."

She learned to dance by imitating dancers she saw while she and Ewan were living on the streets. She tells Gerik about how hard it was since she didn't have a natural knack for it, but that she always kept a brave face because she knew that if she cried, then Ewan would cry too.

I also unlocked Moulder and Vanessa's B support. This is another continuation one. In the C conversation, Moulder had told Vanessa that he would tell her a story about Innes as a kid another time, and now the time has come.

He relates this story about Innes as a kid challenging a traveling archer to a competition, and how Innes won in the end with a hail-mary curved shot into the target.

<soapbox>

(I'll be honest, I'm kind of *eh* about this whole support chain since I'd rather learn more about Moulder and Vanessa's history together since my interpretation has always been that Moulder is like an uncle figure or something to her. This is mostly based on the one line he has when they're introduced where he defends her as "being a bit overly serious, but a very dependable knight" or something like that. There's something sweet and protective about that line, I think.

It's too bad Vanessa and Moulder's whole chain is about Innes, a character I don't even really care that much for. Uh, also, I may be biased since Vanessa's barely hidden unrequited love for Innes doesn't sit right with me since CLEARLY OBVIOUSLY LOGICALLY FACTUALLY she and Lute are the best partners ever. And while I buy it that she looks up to Innes as an amazing archer, the whole romantic attraction part of it always felt shoehorned in to me.)

</soapbox>

The last support conversation I unlocked was L'Arachel and Rennac.

It starts with L'Arachel calling Rennac, and him yelping in response, to which she takes great offense.

"What do you mean by saying "geh" in response to me calling you!?"

(I guess "geh" here would be more appropriate as something like, "yipes" maybe.)

Rennac points out that his particular line of work becomes more difficult with "noisy people like you around".

"Noisy!? How rude! At the very least you should use a word like 'extravagant'!"

"You don't have the slightest clue how to properly treat a lady!"

Somehow, in defending himself, Rennac brings up that he used to be known as a good dancer. (So I guess he knows how to treat a lady on the dance floor?) He challenges L'Arachel to see by dancing with him right then and there.

"For me, to dance with a mere commoner...Such a thing!"

Rennac sees his opening and eggs her on by saying that she's probably just refusing because she can't dance.

L'Arachel takes the bait and agrees to dance with him soon. Then she reminds him that having the opportunity to dance with a high born woman of her station is an "extremely rare, special, unbelievable opportunity that you must be thankful for! Understood?"

lmao, seriously, how did this conversation turn into a dance off?

At any rate, I've grown bored of hitting end turn, so I take the throne and end the map.

Seth guides Ephraim to the room where Orson had holed himself up.

Ephraim and Eirika enter the room, and someone speaks.

The word used here is literally is one of the words in Japanese for "you", but this word in particular is often used by wives to call their husbands, so it's more like "dear" or "honey" or something in this context.

"Dear dear dear dear dear dear dear"

Ephraim realizes what we the player could already guess was coming. "This is the same type of magic that animated the emperor..."

"She's dead already. I'll take care of the corpse."

"Eirika, it's better if you don't watch. Wait outside."

Seth offers to take care of it, but Ephraim insists that he will do it himself.

"Orson and this thing spent every day living here..."

"Orson was crazy, but I think he must have been happy..."

*shiver*

This scene gets me every time. It's genuinely one the creepiest, most skin-crawly scenes in any Fire Emblem game.

Just the thought that Orson sacrificed everything he had lived for in order to bring back his wife, but what he actually got was just an animated corpse, but he was so desperate to see his wife again that he holed himself away with this animated corpse and spent all his time with it, barely eating, sleeping, or taking care of any responsibilities...

It actually kind of reminds me of a Japanese folk tale I remember reading (and there are probably multiple examples like this) where a man started disappearing every night, all night, and no one knew where he was going, but they could see he was slowly wasting away. Then when someone followed him, they discovered that the "lover" that he thought he was visiting was actually a giant snake that was slowly draining his life force.

(I searched online a bit, but I couldn't find an example of the story I am talking about above. I don't remember where I read it, or what it was called. It's not the white snake Chinese story that you will probably find if you search for it. That one came up a lot in my results, but I'm thinking of a different story.)

For that matter, this situation has shades of the story of Izanagi and Izanami, the creator gods of Japan. They were a brother and sister, and also a husband and wife, but the wife, Izanami, died while giving birth to fire, understandably. When Izanagi goes to the underworld, he finds her, but when he finally gets a good look at her, he is revolted to discover that she has become a rotting corpse (still moving and stuff, but a corpse, and indisputably a resident of the world of the dead).

Back in the main throne room, Eirika says that the broken down castle can be repaired, and stolen treasure can be replaced, but she is still upset about what has been done to the people of Renais.

Ephraim wonders if the people of Renais will accept him, a prince who disappeared right as the war began and wasn't there to protect them.

But upon stepping outside onto a balcony, they hear the people chanting their names.

"Ephraim! Eirika! Our king has returned!"

And then in a moment that's very real, Seth warns that it's less that the people are celebrating Ephraim than it is that they are celebrating their release from Grado and Orson.

Basically: "This is your opportunity to prove yourself, Ephraim. Don't fuck it up!"

Ephraim resolves to become king and dedicate himself to improving the lives of his people.

And then they use their bracelets and prepare to go find Renais's sacred stone.

(Look at this Zelda-ass throne with stairs under it!)

"Ephraim and I will be going with Seth to find the scared stone of Renais. Our patrols have cleared the castle and it looks like there are no remaining soldiers, so you can all rest now, but please keep an eye out just in case there's something we missed."

Eirika had addressed the generals in place of Ephraim. Vanessa wasn't entirely sure why, but the rumor was that Ephraim was overcome with emotion after the greeting the people of Renais had just given him.

Vanessa understood the feeling. She didn't like to show too much emotion in front of the soldiers under her command, so she could imagine how Ephraim would want to do the same.

"He's got a lot riding on his shoulders..." she thought. While she knew that acting as a general under Ephraim was temporary and that she would be returning to Frelia's army once this war was done, she had become very fond of Ephraim and his sister in the time that she had known them.

She started walking in no particular direction, just to move and clear her head. "There's going to be a lot of rebuilding to do in Renais after this war. Since we're allied together, I suppose Frelia's military will probably assist in that. Maybe I can continue to do work in Renais even after the war." She smiled at the thought. "I could visit Lute then!" She had of course invited Lute to visit her in Frelia, but she imagined that Lute would probably want to go home see to her family and village, so it was hard to say when that visit would be.

Vanessa turned a corner and almost bumped into Ross.

"Oh, hey, Vaness...I mean, uh, General Vanessa!" Ross stammered.

Vanessa wanted to laugh. He was such a goofy boy, but he was also a good fighter with a lot of potential, so her instincts as a knight told her to be strict with him. She adopted a stern look and stood straight. "Ross."

Vanessa's tone and posture sent a signal to Ross. He immediately stood up straighter, and then, as if an afterthought, brought his left hand up to his forehead in a salute.

"Right hand, soldier. How many times do I have to tell you?"

Ross's eyes opened wide and he quickly switched his salute from his left hand to his right. "Sorry, general!"

Vanessa stared at him wordlessly and let him sweat for a moment. But in truth, she was tired. They all were. So she decided not to push him too much right at this moment.

"At ease. We have a little time to rest now while the prince and princess look into the sacred stone in the castle." To drive home that she really meant for him to relax, Vanessa smiled and stressed to him, "Make sure you get some rest while you can, ok?"

"I will!" Ross said, his natural exuberance coming back into his voice now that he no longer was trying to soldier. "I'm just off to find my dad to see how he's doing!"

Ross then hesitated, and then he continued speaking, "Um, I don't want to offend you or anything, but I was just talking to your friend, Lute, before, and I was telling her about how you look like my Aunty R..."

"Aunty R?" Vanessa raised an eyebrow. What does this have to do with anything?

"Yeah, she was one of my aunts, and she was tall and strong like you are!"

"Ok...thanks?"

"Um, anyway, that's not my point."

Vanessa bit her lip slightly to keep from laughing. In her experience talking to Ross, she had found his conversations often flitted from one thing to another. It was frustrating when she was trying to get a actual report out of him, but it was amusing when they were having a more casual conversation like this.

"I guess, I just noticed that Lute looked really pale, like she was about to collapse, but I guess she's always been pale, and I didn't want to pry too much, but, uh, I just thought I'd let you know since you two seem to get along well... I'm not...uh, out of place, am I?" Ross swallowed nervously.

"No, no. Not at all. Thanks for looking out for your fellow soldiers, Ross. I wouldn't want you to do otherwise. And I meant it when I said to get some rest now while you have the chance. I'll go check on Lute and make sure she's ok."

"Alright, thanks Vanessa!" Ross smiled and waved, "I'll see ya around!"

Vanessa rolled her eyes. "He has a lot of potential, but no formal training as an actual soldier. If we weren't stretched so thin already, I'd make him run laps for that 'I'll see ya around' he just threw at me!"

But there were more pressing concerns. Vanessa was slightly worried to hear what Ross said about Lute. She had been by Lute's side for much of the invasion of the castle, and she had also noticed that Lute seemed a bit off. It had been a long campaign. Hopefully, she was just tired...but still...

"Now, where would Lute have gotten off to..." Vanessa started to think, and then it hit her. "This is a royal castle! I bet she's found the library already."

And with that thought, Vanessa starting walking--quickly--to find where the library was.

Next time: We get more nifty stuff

[syncogon]

ranking the young blood season 1 arcs

names and episode counts are from memory so forgive me. writing this down now, so I can see how my feelings change after I do my s1 rewatch - this is mostly* from memory from 4 years ago

*I've most recently rewatched the beginning and the end. and also I've been reading this sequel fic, so there's huge biases at play here haha

SPOILERS!

1. Bin Province / Qichuan Memorial arc (ep 33-42):

So here you can most obviously see my bias at play because I've been rewatching and hooo boy there's so much to love here. The premise with ZJ about to be married and YZX really upset but trying not to be and the rest of Qizhai being like why you are such an idiot. Zhao dad being supportive. We get the fantastic and heartbreaking brother relationship with YZX and YBQ, and the intrigue and tension of trying to outwit someone as powerful as him, and the conflict of "fighting" someone you love like this. The incredible homoerotic tension between YBQ and LZ (that boat escape scene?? that umbrella scene?? what was up with that???). And of course the return of the greatest villain of the show, and his relationships with ZJ, YBQ, etc... 妙. The plot twists and reveals and character/relationship development of this arc were just really well done aaah

2. Chen Gong / Wheeled Cannon arc (ep 12-22):

This is the mission where the team really comes together properly for the first time, and it's our first taste of the stellar plot twists of this show. CG himself gave an incredible turning point that I didn't foresee at all, with really interesting ramifications. Having to work against people you thought were allies... Lots of dark forces at work here that they have to navigate, and the Qizhai was really tested. I think in particular WYN's development during this arc shone.

3. Mi Ge Recruitment arc (ep 1-7):

It's nice seeing the squad come together and start to get a feel for each other. But it's also a little sad/painful I want them to be friends already :c that life-or-death trust... I did also like this arc for the first allusions to important characters and plot points that are bookended in the final arc. Shoutout to early YZX WK relationship was already so good. I feel our main cast was painted in efficient strokes in our first introduction, that they would then proceed to develop over the course of the show. Also, I do have a soft spot for their school shenanigans (the Chen Gong arc also features plenty though, including the infamous "you qizhai are all insane!" heh)

4. Yun Ni / Liao Princess arc (ep 22-33):

Honestly don't remember too much about this arc. I think I just hated HDZ so much, and masked guy blaming them for something that wasn't their fault, and the number of important people dying just got a little too excessive and depressing for me. Yun Ni herself and her attendant are so young and cute though

5. Prison arc (ep 8-12)

This is a little unfair because I'm giving it so few episodes compared to the others, but I honestly don't remember much of it and didn't really understand the plot haha... But we get Ding Er so :) I'm always a fan of the "you created your own greatest enemy" trope and this is a less painful flavor of how that usually goes

[inonetoomanyfandoms]

Our skyy 2 overall mini ratings

This is just me giving my unneeded opinions. This is all relatively at face value btw.

NLMG: 7/10

Would never expect anything else from the doomed delusional lovers. I honestly really loved Palm in particular in this. Would’ve loved more context for background characters (aka why the fuck is Marc there) but I liked watching them work together a helping others again. Otherwise was good.

SIMM: 4/10

They dragged it too much for my liking. Cute but highly annoying by the time we reached like the end of ep 1. Would’ve been better with just one ep or if they also did sky in your heart. It would’ve been nice to see Prince and Fah again. Also robbed of Sean and Maitee

The Eclipse: 6/10

I think khaofirst’s chemistry saved this. I loved seeing them all together but AkkAyan’s emotional constipation is showing and isn’t solving idk. I also would like to know why they uncomfortably suggested a relationship between Wat and Teacher Sani. Like I know they’re out of school but still. Neo is still gorgeous as ever and Thua still gets on my nerves.

Vice Versa: 7/10

I think the main reason I liked this a lot was cause the lack of product placement. I thought it was actually super cute and I loved Puen and Talay taking care of a child together. I don’t think that would be legal though but yknow. Also I’d love to understand the thought process of giving your nephew to your friends to solve their marriage problems. But apart from that honestly I actually enjoyed it.

MSP: 8/10

I’m too biased to make a legitimate opinion on this so I’ll save my breath. I thought it was a great a idea to swap and I really think they delivered tbh. I just think though that the original series nailed the casting cause as much as I love fourth playing Tinn he just couldn’t nail it like Gemini. This applies the other way around although I do think Gemini did a slightly better job at playing Gun. Literally only problem I have was that it was little awkward.

That and that fucking bullfrog song getting stuck in my head at worst possible times.

ABAAB: 7/10

I understand the timing of it airing but that was cruel to put it in between MSP and BB like cmon. Because a boss and a babe is great and actually the our skyy was pretty damn good considering everything. Gun needs to chill though this man. Also I don’t think I’ll ever get over how cute Zo is. Like if I was Thi I would also treat him the same way he’s so cute. But it really did feel like a nice little special (two) episode, it was nice.

Bad Buddy and ATOTS: 8/10

I am also too biased here to give a stable opinion. This fed all my dreams and more. I loved the parallels both to themselves and also across shows. I understand how phupha and tian are a lot more emotionally constipated than patpran my gosh. But honestly I really loved it despite its rush. They did however spend way too long lost. Like they could’ve fit a bit more character development in those times but I guess you gotta make up the budget so.

Overall thoughts:

giving many 7/10 but honestly most of these were just simply good. Not mind boggling great but I wasn’t disappointed.

Obviously pretty much all of these were rushed and half baked in some sort of way but that was expected considering it’s only two episodes and they’re trying to cater to headcanons and fan service at the end of the day. The callbacks and domesticity of the shows is pretty evident of that.

Overall it was fine to be honest. It was relatively true the way the characters are and it gave us just that extra bit people would like. I can’t complain about being given exactly what I was expecting.

I can’t wait to see all of the actors again!!!

(especially baby Ohm I love him so much)

[hamliet]

Soooo… ummm…

This is a late topic, but I wanna ask when the jjk fandom calmed down a bit. Anyway… Got any opinions on chapter 208 of jjk? Since… ya know.

That chapter sparked a huge controversy about how female characters are being treated. I mean. There’s also the discussion about how the fight went too.

But yeah. Thoughts and Opinions on chapter 208 and how Gege treats the female cast?

Hello! I actually got several asks about this when the chapter dropped and didn't answer bc I was Going Through It at the time.

My opinion isn't uber positive, obviously, but it is also not that different than it has always been in regards to how Gege writes female characters. I wasn't surprised, and I don't say this in a "told you so" type way--really, and I didn't post earlier because I really, really don't want to come across like I think this. "Disappointed but not surprised" sounds too flippant for what I actually mean, if that makes sense? I don't feel schadenfreude. I just feel sad.

Like with Horikoshi, I don't think Gege has any malice or overt misogyny. I just think that he's a man in a society that privileges men. The reason I think it feels like such a betrayal is because, unlike say Horikoshi or Kishimoto, Gege started writing female characters to be kick-ass. That's the easy way to seem feminist, and I actually think Gege isn't doing it to be a bait-and-switch or a jerk, but because he genuinely wants to write strong female characters.

But due to personal experiences and my own pet peeves, I side-eye badass female characters as written by men. Fair or not, I do--a bias of my own, I suppose. What I mean is that in our world, we sideeye traditionally feminine things--kindness, softness, and in terms of stories, romantic plotlines. We tend to be drawn to praise male characters--who tend to be better written--but the substance of what makes them better written has nothing to do with being able to physically kick ass and laugh while doing it. Yet, that's the easiest trait to replicate among female characters.

Like, James Bond is historically not a fabulously written character just because he kicks ass; I'd say he has the same depth (in earlier films at least) as Twilight's Bella Swan. They both work for the type of stories they are in, however. Yet most people would be more likely to praise James Bond than Bella.

What I look for in terms of a well-written character is if there is an internal world that is rich and compelling, that pulls the story along. Gege has written that for male characters like Gojo, Yuta, Itadori, and Megumi, even for smaller characters like Junpei. Mai and Maki had/have depth, but Nobara has next to none. You can remove her from the plot and basically nothing changes thematically or plot-wise, and that's exactly what happened, so it's not even really debatable. So I started grousing about seeing Nobara held up as an awesome female character just because she kicked ass. I think Nobara has potential, but I think she is, as is, written with the same unexplored potential and shallowness that Haruno Sakura in Naruto is. And I guess what annoys me in particular is that the world, including fandom, inherently sees Nobara as a stronger female character just because her focus is fighting. Love is seen as something that weakens Sakura. And I'm not saying Sakura's better written than people think--she isn't, not really. I'm just saying the way fandoms respond to Nobara vs Sakura (with Sakura held up as the quintessential wasted love interest) belies our own unconscious biases towards denigrating traditionally feminine traits.

So, the particular developments of 208 don't surprise me.

I'm going to post one of the asks about 208 from when it happened that I got below:

Hmm…

Not sure if you have caught up with jjk lately, but mannnn… lately I’ve been pretty disappointed with gege’s writing. Especially toward female characters.

Um… spoilers for jjk 208 I suppose

Like, why gege have to under utilize Yuji like that? Like I suppose it was a battle between ideology with her and Kenjaku, but if that was the case… why her dialogue near the end so focused on Choso and not like… her actual thoughts and ideals.

I dunno man… Yuji was introduced as someone who has her own agenda of changing the jujutsu world, which doesn’t necessarily mean she was on the protagonists’ side. She have so much mysteries and questions she brought up. She’s a Special Geade One Sorcerer!

She was so interesting and I so so invested in where she will take the story, but then… 208 happened.

I mean… I know I should have expected this since what Gege did with Mai and Maki, but I was so hoping that Gege won’t disappoint me again.

Now my expectations for the future of jjk is gonna be pretty low for female characters. Since whenever I see an interesting or nuanced set-up for a female character, it’s bound to become a disappointment in the future…

My only flickering sparks of hope would be Miwa’s future development, and a hopeful possibility of Maki’s arc being salvaged.

I agree that I think Maki has the best chance of having a decent arc, even if it's taken a detour into yikesville. Miwa I hope for as well, but admittedly I'm more invested in Maki.

[chasingpj]

𝐀 𝐒𝐞𝐭-𝐔𝐩

"We should go pick the strawberries over there. Percy and Y/n can work on the ones here."

pairing: percy jackson x child of hecate!reader

words: 3,887

warnings: none?? pls let me know if i missed anything

timeline: post sea of monsters

if you want to be tagged every time I update this story click here

a/n: hi hi! I was supposed to post this yesterday, but oops. I don't have much to say. again, it's a little bit of a slow start just because I want to introduce characters and establish relationship dynamics before getting into the good stuff. anyways, i hope you like it! i love hearing feedback so don't hesitate to reach out to me!

Part One Part Two Part Three

When you were stressed or needed to be alone with your thoughts, you often found yourself in the strawberry fields, either helping collect the harvest or simply sitting on the grass patches nearby. You usually preferred being in the fields alone, peacefully listening to the chirping of the birds and cicadas while inhaling the scent of sun-baked strawberries. However, there were times where you did stumble upon the company of the girls from the Demeter and Aphrodite cabin. You didn't mind hanging out with them, always amused at their banter and choice of conversation. They were always bubbly, taking advantage of the leisure activity to gossip and have girl talk, and it was nice, even if you were just listening.

Today was one of those days where you weren’t alone in the fields. Standing alongside Silena, Katie, and your half-sister, Lou Ellen, you find yourself zoning in and out of their conversation. Their chattering and giggling serve as background noise as you focus on cutting the strawberries from their stems to carefully place them in your basket.

"Who do you think are the cutest boys at camp?" You hear Silena ask when you decide to tune back into their conversation. A silence falls amongst the group; Katie and Lou Ellen were suddenly hesitant to speak. You look up, waiting for one of them to break the silence because it definitely wasn’t going to be you.

"I know what you're doing! You're trying to find out our crushes," Katie points her finger at Silena accusingly. Lou Ellen nods,

“Yeah, we know your tricks, Silena! You’re gonna try and set us up with people.”

"What? No!" Silena denies, but the smirk on her face said otherwise. "I'm just asking in general! You can find someone cute and not have a crush on them,” she points out. The three of you weren’t convinced at Silena’s claims, and the silence returns. You turn back to what you were doing, not really wanting to trap yourself in this conversation, and you decide to leave the pressure of confession to Katie and Lou Ellen.

"Okay.” Katie turns her body to face you. You hesitantly meet her gaze, already knowing what she's going to confess. "... this might be weird, but I think your brother is really cute," she admits, giggling nervously as she looks at both you and Lou Ellen. You scrunch your nose, shaking your head while Lou Ellen joins your reaction as she gags theatrically. The confession didn't surprise you, but it still felt weird to hear it.

"He's ugly!" You exclaim. Silena laughs, her head thrown back as Katie gasps at your insult about Atticus. Even though this wasn't the first time you've heard this from girls at camp, you still found it strange. Even your mortal friends have told you that they think your brother is adorable. You’ll never admit it out loud to anyone, but you were aware that your brother definitely wasn't ugly. Obviously, he wasn't if almost all of your friends had to mention his appearance at least once. Not only was Atticus conventionally attractive, but he was also a natural flirt, so he got attention from girls fairly easily. So much so that before your mother claimed you, Connor and Travis Stoll swore you guys were going to be claimed by Aphrodite.

You've only seen him flirt a handful of times, usually with the wood nymphs and playfully with the girls from the Aphrodite cabin. It was strange seeing girls flirt with him and giggle at all his stupid jokes because that “smooth” Atticus they meet is so different from the Atticus you saw. The Atticus you got to see was a clumsy dork that obsessed over Harry Potter and had a habit of bursting into song whenever he was bored, most often singing his own rendition of a song from a broadway musical or of a rock song from the 90s.

"No, he isn't! His facial structure is amazing!” Katie gushes. “And he's tall and has broad shoulders. He's also really funny!" You and Lou Ellen stare at her with a straight face before simultaneously bursting into laughter.

“He’s a dork!” Lou Ellen chokes through her laughs, and you nod, agreeing with her.

"Hey! I get where Katie is coming from! As his sisters, you guys are biased. Of course, you’re gonna say he's ugly," Silena points out, and you sigh,

“Live with him in the Hermes Cabin for a couple of weeks, and when you see him in his natural state, you won’t find him cute anymore,” you joke. Katie shakes her head,

“I don’t believe you. I bet he’s even cuter! You’re calling him a dork, but jokes on you, I like dorks,” she says playfully, crossing her arms over her chest, and you smile at her.

“To each their own, I guess.”

"What about you? Who do you think is cute?" Silena asks you. You side-eye the other, and you feel your face heat up. You really didn’t want to be the target in this conversation. Turning back to the bushes, you answer her question with a shrug of your shoulders. Silena scoffs, "there has to be someone! We have a good group of guys to choose from at camp."

"I mean, yeah…" you trail off hesitantly, and you feel the stares of the girls as they wait for your answer. You knew they weren't going to let this go, and so, you sigh softly, taking a moment to find the courage to confess. "I guess Percy is cute-"

"Y/n!"

Your breath hitches in your throat, and your shoulder tenses up at the sound of the familiar voice. It was too much of a coincidence that Percy showed up the exact moment you were speaking about him. The girls laugh at your reaction and your cheeks somehow become hotter as Silena smiles at you knowingly. If she didn't sense your crush before, she definitely sensed it now. Snapping your gaze away from her, you find the courage to turn around.

"Hey, Percy," you say, smiling sheepishly. You fiddle with your fingers as you take in his appearance. Percy was wearing his orange camp half-blood shirt and cargo pants. His cheeks were a little flushed at the summer heat, and you assume he probably came from training. As usual, his dark hair was slightly disheveled, and you couldn’t help your lips curling into a soft smile.

"Hey, I've been looking for you. You left these on the dock," he says, presenting the black pouch filled with your crystals in his hand. You gasp softly as you take it from him.

"Oh! Thank you. I can’t believe I forgot them," You shake your head at yourself as you put them in your strawberry basket in the meantime. You didn’t understand how your forgotten crystals never came to your mind once, especially this late in the day.

"No problem. I think they’re all in there," he smiles at you before acknowledging the girls standing behind you. "Hey, guys.”

He furrowed his eyebrows as they giggle amongst themselves. They murmur a few things to each other before turning their gaze to him again.

"Percy, I wanted to ask who do you think is the prettiest girl at camp?" Silena asks as the girls move to surround him. You're stomach flutters crazily with nerves, and you cringe, feeling embarrassed even though Percy was oblivious to the motive behind the question.

Percy looks around him, shifting his weight from one foot to another,

"This… feels like a trap,” he says slowly, making the girls giggle.

"It's not! We just want to know. Anyone, in particular, stands out to you?" Silena steps closer to him.

"Any crushes?" Katie asks.

"There has to be someone, right?" Lou Ellen smiles.

"Um… I- why are you guys asking so many questions?" He mutters, his shoulders tense up as he avoids the stares of the three girls practically towering over him.

"Guys, leave him alone," you laugh shortly. "You don't have to answer all that," you reassure him, cutting through their little circle as you squeeze between Silena and Katie.

You stand beside Percy, the girls deciding to step down and return to their original places. Silena smiles, and you can't tell what she's thinking, but you knew that the smile playing on her lips made you nervous. You awkwardly exchange a look with Percy, noticing that he was just as flustered as you were.

"You know… I noticed that those bushes over there get a lot of sun," Silena says, breaking her silence as she turns to Katie and Lou Ellen. She points at the bushes about three rows from where you were all standing, and Katie nods,

"We should go pick the strawberries over there. Percy and Y/n can work on the ones here." Silena gives you a smirk, winking at you before turning around and taking the other girls with her.

You resume your strawberry picking, chewing on your button lip. You were hoping that he didn't witness Silena wink at you because if he did, it was then way too obvious that the girls spontaneously set up this. There's a silence for a moment, and you feel your palms start to sweat as you try to figure out what you were going to say to him.

"Where's Ambrose?" Percy asks softly, and you glance over for a second, watching as he picks the strawberries beside you.

"Oh, uh, he ran off a little while ago with my brothers. They're probably playing somewhere." You smile, remembering how Ambrose wasted no time, running over to Alabaster and Ernest the moment they had offered to play with him.

"... how do you play with a ghost dog?" Percy gleams, amused at the idea of playing with Ambrose considering he couldn’t touch many things.

"There's a process where you can offer things to his spirit, so he has a few toys that he can play with," you explain. “He and I play with his toys all the time, but he’s with my brother’s right now, so they're probably wrestling."

"What? Really? I wouldn’t want to wrestle Ambrose,” Percy admits as a short laugh comes from his mouth.

"Yeah, me neither. He would definitely win if we did. Once he was so excited to see me; he jumped on me and knocked me down no problem,” you shake your head. “I think he forgets how big he is, and he ends up getting carried away sometimes.”

You look up from what you were doing, unexpectedly meeting Percy’s green eyes that resemble the color of the Caribbean sea as the sun shines into them. The butterflies in your stomach return, and you’re trying not to focus on the fact that the other was already looking at you. You look elsewhere, suddenly too shy to look at him, but your eyes couldn’t help but flicker back to his face. From this close, you noticed things about him that you didn’t see before, like the scattered freckles on his face, his long eyelashes, and his slightly chapped lips.

“I-” he stops himself suddenly, and your eyebrows furrow. The tension between you both was something you've never felt before. You didn't understand why Percy looked dazed, staring at you as if he found you to be the most captivating person in the world.

You open your mouth, but before you could speak, you see something moving at the end of the bush row. Breaking your gaze with Percy, you notice Silena's focusing intensely on you and him. It suddenly dawns on you that the strange tension was because she was working that love magic that all the Aphrodite children can do. She smirks when she sees that you’ve noticed her, and you swore you saw her mouth a “you’re welcome.” The tension suddenly falls as she hides behind the bushes right as Percy turns around to find out what you were looking at.

You giggle nervously, “um, yeah. Anyways... Ambrose can put up a fight,” you say, trying to revert to the original topic because you really didn’t want to discuss what just happened. You give him a second to get himself together, Percy looking a little disoriented after being under Silena's look magic. He blinks a few times before turning abruptly toward the strawberry bushes. A nervous chuckle leaves his lips, and his hand comes up to rub the back of his neck. He shifts on his feet and nods,

“Yeah, I can imagine.” He clears his throat, his voice coming out a little higher than he had intended it to be. You bite your bottom lip, trying to refrain from laughing, and you hum softly in response.

The two of you sat in silence for a bit before your conversation had picked up again. Surprisingly, even after being unknowingly manipulated by Silena’s magic, Percy moved on quickly from the awkward tension. You found it was easy to talk to him, the two of you chatting as if you didn't just meet yesterday. The two of you talked and laughed a lot, sharing funny stories from quests or about your mortal parents.

You’ve never been a closed-off person, and you were able to share things easily with people, so the conversation flew naturally. You guys talked about the weird perks of your powers. One of the weird perks you shared is your ability to see and communicate with ghosts, and you end up freaking him out with the many stories of your paranormal experiences.

You weren't sure how long you were talking to him, but time felt like it flew by, and eventually, your baskets were filled with strawberries as you finished picking the row. The sun was lower in the sky, and you assume that it was almost time for dinner. You figured you should find your siblings, and Ambrose and Percy had mentioned that he had plans to climb the lava wall with a few of his friends. So you guys placed your baskets in the drop-off section where they package the strawberries, exchanging a short “see you later” before parting ways.

☆’.･.･:★:･.･.’☆

The last thing Annabeth was expecting to see today was an out-of-breath Atticus bursting into her cabin, but there he was. She jumps in her seat at the sudden bang, the sound cutting through the silence. Her gaze snaps from her book to the door, concerned for a second as Atticus looks panicked. He lets himself in, scoping out the room in search of something.

"What are you-?"

"Have you seen Harvey?" Atticus asks, frantically looking for his familiar. Harvey is a black-footed ferret that was given to him by his mother. When you guys found out that Ambrose was for you, Atticus was pretty bummed. He was jealous that your mother had given you such a cool gift, and you had assumed that she had seen how upset he was because a few days after Hecate officially claimed you, Atticus received Harvey as a present. The morning he met Harvey for the first time, Atticus was thrilled to wake up with the ferret casually sitting on his chest.

"I'm sorry, Harvey? I don't know a Harvey?" Annabeth turns in her chair to face him, her arms crossed over her chest.

"My ferret, have you seen him?" Atticus drops to his knees, looking under the beds and the nightstands. He just saw him jump into the back window of the Athena Cabin, so he was sure that Harvey was hiding somewhere.

"Um, no?" Annabeth rolls her eyes, finding it rude that he has barged in as if he lived there. Suddenly, a small animal jumps from the top of the bookcase beside her and right on her desk. Annabeth yelps, getting up from her seat quick as Harvey snorts, and he clumsily runs across her papers before prancing across all the desks that were lined against the wall.

"Harvey, what are you doing?!" Atticus exclaims as he moves to stand up. He attempts to meet Harvey at the last desk, but Harvey jumps out of his reach just as he closes his fist to grab him. Harvey zooms across the room, forcing him to play a one-sided game of tag that Atticus was definitely losing. He occasionally slips and stumbles, the snorts that leave his snout starting to sound like mocking laughter.

"What's wrong with your rat?" Annabeth jokes as her eyes follow Harvey around the room.

"He's a ferret," Atticus corrects her, mumbling under his breath. He sighs as he tries to catch up with the animal, failing miserably as not only was he crazy fast, he was able to find the smallest corners to hide in.

"Similar family," she shrugs, smirking at him. "And you didn't answer my question."

Atticus sighs, getting on the floor to try and grab Harvey, who’s tucked in the corner under one of the beds. He squints at the small animal, not sure why he’s acting this way when Harvey was curled up on his desk, peacefully taking a nap about 20 minutes ago.

"He does this sometimes. I don't know. He wants to play, and then he causes chaos," Atticus grunts, almost grabbing Harvey, but he runs out of his reach once again. Atticus groans as he sits back on his heels, pinching the bridge of his nose. He decides he might as well take a breather since he's been chasing him for the past 10 minutes, and he considers that he should stop entertaining him since Harvey obviously saw this as some game.

He sighs softly, choosing to forget about Harvey as he looks over at Annabeth. Her gray eyes are fixed on him as she leans against the edge of her desk. Her curly blonde locks are pulled back in a messy low ponytail allowing the front strands to frame her face prettily. Atticus smiles as he admires her, taking in her appearance before she starts telling him off.

"You look pretty like that," Atticus compliments, his heart skipping a beat as their eyes meet. He watches as her expression softens for a second, her eyes wide at the random compliment. Atticus smirks softly, not surprised, as her face suddenly darkens into a scowl. If Annabeth felt anything for him, she was good at hiding it.

When Atticus had first arrived at camp last summer, Annabeth and he spoke here and there. Their conversations were brief but pleasant, and Atticus found himself wanting to talk to her more often. As his crush for her grew, he had taken it upon himself to harmlessly flirt with her, hoping she’d get the hint that he was interested.

"Like what?" She asks, her chin up as she moves to stand up straight on her feet.

"With your hair in a ponytail like that. It's cute.”

"Hmm. Thanks for letting me know, so I'll never do it like this again,” she says in such a serious tone that made Atticus laugh. There it is. Annabeth was always quick to shut him down, and she never failed to make witty comebacks. He was pretty certain that it was just banter, but it made it hard to tell if she was maybe into him. But he never failed to notice how occasionally, she’d momentarily be lost for words or have a flustered look on her face before it hardened as it did a moment ago.

"You'd be pretty regardless, Chase.” He feels his knees start to ache, and he sighs as he gets back up on his feet.

"Don't call me that," Annabeth says abruptly.

"What? Chase? What do you prefer? Annie? Beth? Anna?" He teases.

"I prefer Annabeth, thank you." She gives him a tight, sarcastic smile, and a short laugh comes from Atticus’s mouth.

"That's not fun, though…" His hand comes under his chin as he studies her. He ponders for a second, trying to come up with a name that he can personally call her. Annabeth shifts, avoiding his gaze as she looks elsewhere. She was weirded out that the other was looking at her for so long, and she tried not to show how flustered she actually was. She grunts,

"What?! What are you look-"

"Goldilocks," Atticus blurts out, his finger pointing into the air as his face brightens, thinking he’s an absolute genius for coming up with that name. Annabeth shakes her head,

"Don't call me th-"

"It's been decided. I will call you goldilocks. No one else can call you that," Atticus cuts her off, the same proud smile plastered on his face even though Annabeth’s eyes narrow dangerously at him. Atticus takes a step back hesitantly. At first glance, she didn’t come off as intimidating, but Atticus knew better. He was always sure not to push her too far because he was completely aware of her ability to kill him.

Atticus suddenly remembers Harvey, noticing how the sound of his little feet pattering along the wooden floor ceased a while ago. He scans the room finding Harvey standing on his hind legs a couple of feet away, calmly watching them. Atticus still couldn’t understand why he had acted so strangely. Familiars couldn’t talk, obviously because they’re animals but their actions are never out of vain. They’re usually trying to tell you something if they’re acting strange, and it takes a while to put the pieces together since there is only so much they can do. After thinking for a second, it dawns on Atticus that Harvey purposely made him come to the Athena Cabin so that he can talk to Annabeth. He smiles to himself, walking toward Harvey. He didn’t run away this time, allowing Atticus to put him on his shoulder.

"He just stopped,” Annabeth points out, her head tilting to the side.

"Probably got tired?" Atticus makes an excuse for him, not wanting to admit that Harvey had decided to be his wingman today. "Sorry for barging in, by the way," he apologizes. “I saw him jump in from the window, and I was worried he’d break something.”

"Whatever. Don’t do it again.”

"Got it. Well, I'll see you around, Goldilocks. Happy studying.” Atticus turns on his heels, hearing a scoff coming from Annabeth as he walks out of the cabin.

"When did I ask you to be my wingman?" Atticus asks Harvey as he walks off the steps of the Athena Cabin. He reaches up, his index finger petting the top of his head. "You're crazy, bud... But she is cute, isn't she?" Atticus laughs, Harvey snorting as if he agrees with him.

masterlist

[variousqueerthings]

Daniel LaRusso: A Queer Feminine Fairytale Analysis Part 1 of 3

Disclaimers and trigger warnings: 

1. These fairytales are European, although there’s often overlap in themes globally. I know European fairytales better, which is essentially the reason I’m not going to branch out too far. I opted to also stick to Western movies so as not to narrow things down, but also in particular “waves hand towards all of Ghibli” amongst many others. There’s a reason the guys in Ghibli are so gender.

2. TW for discussions of rape culture and rape fantasies

EDIT: FUCK I’M A GOBLIN CHILD! FORGOT TO PUT A MASSIVE MASSIVE THANK YOU TO @mimsyaf​ WHO HAS BEEN THE NICEST, KINDEST EDITOR ON THESE THOUGHTS AND CONTRIBUTED SO MUCH TO THEM AND GENERALLY IS A WONDERFUL PERSON!

Part 2

Part 3

1. Introduction

I recently wrote a little thing, which was about Daniel as a fairytale protagonist – specifically one that goes through some of the kinds of transformations that are often associated with female protagonists of fairytales.

I used quotes from Red Riding Hood, Labyrinth, Buffy The Vampire Slayer, and Dracula, which, as an aside – the overlap between fairytales, horror, and fantasy and the ways each of those genres delve into very deep, basic questions of humanity and the world is something that will always make me feral. I will be generally sticking with fairytales though. Also I am very excited about some of those Labyrinth concepts going around!

I’m going to use “feminine” and “masculine” in both gendered (as in relating specifically to people) and non-gendered (as in relating to codes) ways throughout this, depending on context.

To be binary for a moment, because sample-sizes of other genders are low, women are usually able to fall into either feminine or masculine arcs, although sometimes the masculine-coded woman can become a “not like the other girls” stereotype and the feminine-coded woman a shallow cliché – in both cases they’re also under more scrutiny and judgement, so it’s always worth asking “is this character not working for me because of the writing or because I have ingrained biases? (Both?)”

Men don’t often get feminine-coded arcs. Because. Probably a mix of biases and bigotry. But there are some that seem to have slipped beneath the shuttered fence of “Sufficient Narrative Testosterone,” and Daniel LaRusso is one of them.

2. Some Dude Comparisons (Men Doing Manly Action-Hero Things like being trans symbolism and loving your girlfriend… seriously those things are hella manly, I wish we saw more of that onscreen…)

a. Neo

Much like Neo The Matrix, whose journey is filled with transgender subtext and specifically and repeatedly references Alice In Wonderland, Daniel doesn’t go through quite the kind of hero's journey usually associated with Yer Standard Male Hero, especially the type found in the 80s/90s.

Neo is my favourite comparison, because of the purposefulness of his journey as a trans narrative and the use of Alice. But I’m sure there are other non-traditional male heroes out there (but are they trans tho? Please tell me, I want trans action heroes).

Neo “passes” as a socially acceptable man, but online goes by a different name - the name he prefers to be known by - feels like there’s something inherently wrong about the world around him and his body’s place in that society, and then gets taken down the rabbit hole (with his consent, although without really “knowing” what he’s consenting to) to discover that it’s the world that’s wrong - not him. And by accessing this truth he can literally make his body do and become whatever he wants it to.

Yay. (The message of the Matrix is actually that trans people can fly).

Neo is – kind of like Daniel – a strange character for Very Cis Straight Guys to imprint on. He spends most of the first movie unsure about what’s going on, out of his depth, and often getting beaten up. He is compared to Alice several times and at the end he dies. He loses. He has to be woken up with true love’s kiss, in a fun little Sleeping Beauty/Snow White twist. Yes, after that he can fly, but before that he’s getting dead-named and hate-crimed by The Most Obvious Stand-In For Normativity, Agent Smith, and being carried by people far more physically capable than he is (people who also fall outside of normative existence).

Trinity and Neo in The Matrix. The fact that a lot of the time neither of them is gendered is something. Literally brought to life by true love’s kiss.

I’m not about to argue that Daniel LaRusso is purposefully written along these same thought processes, so much as the luck of the way he was written, cast, directed, acted, and costumed all came together in the right way. And this is even more obvious when compared to That Other Underdog Fite Movie That Was By The Same Director as Karate Kid.

b. Rocky

The interesting thing about Rocky is that he is (despite being a male action icon) also not written as a Traditionally Masculine person. Large portions of Rocky – and subsequent Rocky films – are his fear and insecurity about fighting vs his inability to apply his skills to another piece of work and wanting to do right by his girlfriend (and future wife), Adrian. The fighting is most often pushed onto him against his will.

Much like in Karate Kid there is barely any fighting in Rocky I. Most of it is dedicated to how much Rocky loves Adrian and the two of them getting together. The fight is – again like in Karate Kid – a necessary violence, rather than a glorified one (within the plot, obviously watching any movie like this is also partly about the badassness of some element of the violence – whether stamina or the crane kick, it’s all about not backing down against a more powerful opponent).

Rocky is played by Sylvester Stallone. He’s tough, he’s already a fighter (albeit in the movie not a great one yet), he’s taking the fight for cash – so although he’s also soft-spoken and sweet, you’re aware of the fact that he’s got those traits that’d make a male audience go “Hell Yeah, A Man,” or whatever it is a male audience does watching movies like that… cis straight men imprinting on oiled muscle men sure is a strange phenomenon, why do you wanna watch a boxing match? So you can watch toned guys groaning and grappling with each other? Because you want to feel like A Man by allowing yourself to touch the skin of other men?

Apollo and Rocky in Rocky III. This sequence also includes prolonged shots of their crotches as they run. Sylvester Stallone directed this. This was intentional. Bros.

Daniel LaRusso is not built like that. But that doesn’t really have to matter. Being smallish and probably more likely to be described as “pretty” than handsome, and not having a toxic masculine bone in his body does not a feminine archetype make. It just makes a compelling (and pretty) underdog. 

c. Daniel

So where does the main difference really lie? Between Rocky and Daniel? Well, Rocky has the plot in his hands – Daniel, largely, does not. Rocky is acting. Daniel is reacting or being pushed into situations by others. Just like our boy Neo. Just like Alice in Wonderland, Cinderella, Snow White – just like some of the women in some contemporary(ish) fairytale films like Buttercup (Princess Bride), Dorothy (Wizard of Oz), or Sarah (Labyrinth).

This isn’t a necessary negative about stories about girls and women, so much as looking at what it is girls and women in fairytales have/don’t have, what they want, and how they’re going to get it. It’s about power (lack of), sexuality (repressed, then liberated), men, and crossing some taboo lines. It’s also about queerness.

3. The Karate Kid Part One: Leaving Home

Daniel LaRusso is a poor, skinny, shortish kid (played by a skinny, shortish twenty-two-year old) who doesn’t fit in after having been taken away from the home he was familiar with against his will. Not every male protagonist in a fairytale leaves of his own will, and not every female protagonist leaves under duress – Red Riding Hood, for example, seems perfectly happy to enter the forest. However generally a hero is “striking out to make his fortune,” and generally a heroine is fleeing or making a bargain or being married off or waiting for help to arrive. She is often stuck (and even Red Riding Hood requires saving at some point).

Daniel then encounters a beautiful, lovely girl on the beach, puts on a red hoodie (red is significant), is beaten up by a large, attractive bully, loses what little clout he may have had with his new friends, and generally has a mostly miserable time until he befriends and is saved by Mr Miyagi. To do a little Cinderella comparison: Miyagi is the fairy godmother who pushes Daniel to go to the ball in disguise as well, and that disguise falls to pieces as he’s running away.

Then Daniel asks for help, Miyagi gets him enrolled in a Karate Tournament, and starts teaching him. Daniel wins the tournament and gets the girl, the end.

While Daniel has chutzpah and is a wonderful character, none of the big events are initiated by him, except for the initial going to the forest/beach (and within all of these events Daniel absolutely makes choices – I’m not saying he’s passive): Lucille takes them to California, Miyagi pushes him to go to the dance, Miyagi again decides to enroll him in the tournament and trains him, and only because Kreese doesn’t allow for any other option, Ali is the one who more often than not approaches Daniel, and even their first encounter is pushed by Daniel’s friends.

Daniel really is at a dance/ball in disguise and receives a flower from a girl who recognises him through said disguise, it’s unbearable! It’s adorable! I get it Ali, I fucking get it!

Daniel’s main journey within this – apart from not getting killed by karate thugs (love u Johnny <3) and kissing Ali – is to learn from Miyagi. He’s not necessarily a full-on feminine fairytale archetype at this point, although there are fun things to pull out of it, mainly in the context of later films and Cobra Kai: the subtext of karate and how that builds throughout all the stories, the red clothes, the themes of obsession, his being targeted by boys whose masculinity is more than a little bit toxic and based on shame… more on all that coming up.

He doesn’t technically get a home until they build him a room at Miyagi’s place, but he definitely leaves the woods at the end of this one, trophy lifted in the air after being handed to him by a tearful Johnny and all.

And then they made a sequel.

4. The Karate Kid Part Two: Not Out Of The Woods Yet

Daniel’s won the competition, Kreese chokes out Johnny for daring to lose and cry, more life-lessons are given (for man without forgiveness in heart…) and Daniel and Ali break-up off-screen, confirming that TKK1 was not really about the girl after all, which, despite Daniel and Kumiko having wonderful chemistry, is also an ongoing theme. Daniel enters the screen in The Most Baby-Blue Outfit seen since Tiana’s dress in Princess and the Frog? Or that dress in Enchanted? Maybe Cinderella’s (technically silver, but later depicted as blue)? 

(Sidenote: At everyone who says Sam ought to wear a callback to that suit,  you are correct and sexy).

Surprise, Miyagi’s building him a room.

Double-surprise, Miyagi needs to go to Okinawa.

Triple surprise, Daniel reveals he’s going with him, because he’s his son dammit.

The Karate Kid Part Two is maybe the least Daniel-LaRusso-Feminine-Fairytale-Protagonist of the three, because it’s not really his movie. Daniel runs around with Kumiko (aka the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen), continues to be The Best Non-Toxic Boy a middle-aged Okinawan karate master could ask for, lands himself another Built Karate Rival (twice is just a coincidence, right? Right?), and eventually doesn’t die while wearing red again – twice: When Chozen almost strangles him to death at the Miyagi dojo and then during the final fight. The Saving Of The Girl (both the little girl in the storm and Kumiko) actually puts him in a more traditional masculine space than the previous movie did, even if the main theme of the film is about compassion and kindness and by the end, once more the boy whose masculinity is built on rockhard abs and matchsticks is on his knees. Daniel just has that power over big boys. It’s called kick/punch them in the face hard enough that they see stars.

There’s an aside to be made here about how much Daniel really is an observer in other peoples stories in this, although he is the factor that sends both Chozen and Kumiko into completely different directions in life (Chozen and Kumiko main characters when?) Anyway he comes out of it presumably okay, despite being almost killed. Maybe a few therapy sessions and he’ll get over it. Too bad Terry Silver is lurking around the corner…

5. The Karate Kid Part Three: The Big Bad Wolf

Alright people have written Words about the third movie. It’s fascinating. It’s odd. It’s eye-straining. It’s like olives – you’re either fully onboard the madness or it’s too off-putting for you (or you’re like. Eh, don’t see what all the fuss is about either way...). It’s basically a non-consensual secret BDSM relationship between a guy in his thirties (played by a Very Tall twenty-seven year old Thomas Ian Griffith) and a 17/18 year old (played by a shorter twenty-eight year old Ralph Macchio).

Also recently we got more information on Mr. Griffith’s input on the uh… vibes of the film. Apparently it wasn’t just The Sweetness of Ralph Macchio’s face, the screenplay (whatever that amounted to in the first place – release the script!), the soundtrack, the direction to not tone it down under any circumstances, the fact that Macchio categorically refused to play a romance between himself and an actress who was sixteen, no: it was also TIG coming up with fun ways to torture Daniel’s character and suggesting these to the director. Clearly everyone has fun hurting Mr Macchio (including Mr Macchio).

The point is that aaallll of that amounts to that Intense Homoerotic Dubiously-Consented-To D/s subtext that haunts the movie and gives a lot of fun stuff to play with. It’s also a film that – if we’re analysing Daniel along feminine-coded fairytale lines recontextualises his role in this universe.

The Fairytale goes topsy-turvy. Through the looking glass. Enter Big Bad Wolf stage right. Karate is a metaphor for Daniel’s bisexual awakening. 

“Oh, when will an attractive man touch me in ways that aren’t about hurting me?” he asks after two movies of being hurt by boys with rippling muscles. “Why do men continue to notice me only to hit me? Do you think wearing red is making me too noticeable? Anyway, Mr Silver looked really good in his gi today.” 

Daniel’s diary must be a trip.

[hanjo-love]

Hai! How you doing lately? Fellow Hange-stan here. I want to know what you think of the writing on Hange’s character arc post time-skip. [P.S. hopefully it’s alright with you if we can continue to discuss about it after you answer if you decide to, that is]. :))

Hello lovely anonie ❤️ I'm so sorry for the late reply, but life has been quite a rollercoaster lately haha

Well tbh, I know this sounds pathetic af after almost two weeks have already passed, but I'm still trying to cope with the last chapter and the ending overall. I'm in the process of gathering my thoughts, deciding if I like it or not. And lemme tell you, it's quite exhausting haha

Every Hange-stan is very much appreciated and welcome here ❤️ looking forward to be exchanging my thoughts with you, ngl it's weird but it also makes me happy that someone's interested in my opinion haha ❤️

Okay so let's start talking but Hanjo ❤️ but beware, a long ass wannabe meta is ahead of y'all haha

Honestly, another thing I've had troubles with accepting and making my mind around was the fact that I didn't like how Yams treated Hanjo in the story overall and mostly past TS. I gotta tag lovely Sav @tundrainafrica cause she described it perfectly in one of her amazing metas and I'm constantly thinking about that so I'm gonna try quoting her now haha :"If the characters are Yams' children, we gotta accept the fact that Hange has always been his least favorite child. But the more Yams ignored her, the more we loved her. In fact, Hange was never a character who even needed a lot of panels or pushing and forcing for us to like her. Hange didn't even need Yams! She was always navigating the narrative by herself and that's why we love her." (Sorry Sav for not quoting you properly 😅❤️)

So what I'm trying to say is: did Yams purposly ignore Hanjo throughout the story? Unfortunately YES. Has this affected her character? Not at all. But it did affect the readers'/viewers' opinion about her, for sure.

It honestly makes me really sad when people hate on Hange and reduce her character to a "bad commander". Like guys... Are we reading the same manga? You don't need to be a Hange stan to realize how much Yams rushed and skipped everything past Marley arc. We know shit about what happened in those 4 years of TS. Just because Yams didn't show us anything, doesn't mean nothing happened in those 4 years. I'm not gonna start talking about how her job as a commander was very, VERY different than Erwin's, but there was something that caught my attention after watching the anime:

I never believed Yams when he tried to show us how Hange was a "bad commander" for not having a plan B to all the mess that was going on. No matter how much Yams tried to prove it (mainly because he wanted us to notice her insecurities and her being overwhelmed by this position and Erwin's legacy), I never bought it. Because we know Hanjo ffs! We know how smart and quick-witted she is and how she is the perfect candidate to take over Erwin's legacy of being the SC's Danchou.

The anime reassured my thoughts, cause if I remember it properly, in that scene we heard Hange's thoughts and at the end of her monologue she said "but what if..." before Eren threw a tantrum again lol

The next scene only added fuel to my fire, cause we've all been speculating about this and the last two chapters actually proved it:

We've been speculating about why Eren was getting his titans marks in this particular scene (dude, Yams made us look like clowns with our theories lmao which btw have less plot holes than the entire last arc of the manga, just saying). Moreover we've seen Eren getting his titan marks again while manipulating his friends' memories in ch138&139. So my conclusion is, Hange DID indeed have a plan B, but Eren decided to wipe that option out of her head in order to achieve his goals. Otherwise this particular scene makes no sense at all, but it was important enough to keep it in the anime.

In conclusion: I did absolutely NOT like how Yams handled Hange's character post TS. She didn't get enough "screen time" and whenever she got some panels, she was mainly shown as an insecure and overwhelmed commander (obviously not in all of her panels, thank God), which she absolutely was NOT. I also felt like most of the times she seemed to be (for Yams at least) just a placeholder between Erwin and Armin. And here comes my biased and petty ass: Hanjo was Yams' best written character. Period. She had so much depth and and potential, but Yams dropped her like a hot potato because he was overwhelmed by her and not able to deal with her character. That's it. That's the harsh truth y'all.

Anywayzzz, that's it for today's Ted talk lol thanks for the ask dear anonie. Have a lovely day ❤️

[veronicamarsconfessions]

Editor’s Note: TV moves on, but we haven’t. In our feature series It Still Stings, we relive emotional TV moments that we just can’t get over. You know the ones, where months, years, or even decades later, it still provokes a reaction? We’re here for you. We rant because we love. Or, once loved. And obviously, when discussing finales in particular, there will be spoilers:

There was a time when Veronica Mars’ legacy was that of a beloved cult show that was canceled too soon by network executives who didn’t understand it. With the arrival of a crowd-funded feature film in 2014, its legacy evolved as one of the first shows to see the benefits of a revival. Now, it simply brings thoughts of sadness, rage, and betrayal.

When Hulu first announced it was reviving the series for an eight-episode fourth season, the news was met with resounding joy from a vocal and passionate fanbase that had never given up hope it would return after the crowd-funded feature film reunited Kristen Bell’s Veronica, a pint-sized private eye with a sharp mind and even sharper wit, with her one true love, the reformed bad boy Logan Echolls (Jason Dohring). But the fire that had burned for more than a decade and twice-revived the show was suddenly extinguished in a single, heartbreaking, and wholly unnecessary moment when Logan was killed by a bomb left in Veronica’s car shortly after the couple exchanged wedding vows.

I can still remember the shock I felt when I reached the end of the screeners Hulu sent. The whole thing felt kind of surreal, like if I didn’t acknowledge what had happened out loud maybe it didn’t actually happen. But it did happen. And I’m still filled with a fiery rage and a deep sadness when I think about it now, nearly two years removed from the episode in question, because needlessly killing Logan was a betrayal of the worst kind. The character’s untimely demise felt engineered for nothing more than shock value, like it existed only to leave Veronica even more isolated and cynical. But the interviews that series creator Rob Thomas gave in the aftermath, in which he tried to defend the decision, revealed something much worse while only driving the knife he’d stuck in fans’ backs deeper.

“In order for us to keep doing these, I think it needs to become a detective show—a noir, mystery, detective show—and those elements of teenage soap need to be behind us,” Thomas told TV Guide of the decision to kill Logan, noting that he also hoped to take Veronica out of Neptune and on the road in potential future seasons. “I sort of viewed these eight episodes as a bridge to what Veronica Mars might be moving forward.”

Instead of being a bridge to the future, it was a bridge to a grave of Thomas’ own making. Not since How I Met Your Mother ignored literal years of character development to deliver a half-cooked series finale the creators had come up with several years prior has a show felt so out of touch with its characters, the story it was telling, and its fans. Thomas’ decision to kill Logan is the perfect example of a creator being unable to recognize their own biases to the detriment of their creation.

He wrongly believed that Veronica needed to be hardened by years of nonstop torment and trauma in order to prove she was a great detective whose story was worth continuing. In putting her through the emotional wringer (again) after spending the entire season attempting to dig into her flaws and determine the root of her problems, Thomas swiftly undermined his heroine and her trauma with one misguided act of devastating violence. The fact that Thomas then chose to also skip over Veronica’s grieving process entirely reveals how little he ultimately thought of Logan or Veronica’s relationship with him, which had pushed her to be better and work through her longtime trust issues.

It is common knowledge by now that Logan was not intended to be Veronica’s love interest when the show debuted, but the fans took to the character more than they took to Teddy Dunn’s Duncan “He Used to Be My Boyfriend” Kane, so the latter was jettisoned from the show after Season 2. And in the end, Logan turned out to be a much better partner and match for Veronica’s personality. So what’s truly unfortunate about Thomas killing Logan, and killing him so violently, is that his thought process during Season 4 has the potential to color everything that happened in the show up until the moment the bomb went off. There is also the issue that Thomas apparently believed that Veronica achieving some level of romantic happiness was a one-way ticket to the grave, as if shows like Friday Night Lights hadn’t already soundly debunked the myth that happy couples did not make great TV.

Obviously an emotional family drama does not play by the same rules as noir, but Veronica Mars had already proven that you don’t need to play firmly within the sandbox of the genre to excel creatively. So why should the more adult version of the show attempt to put itself back in the box to be confined to something more traditional or stereotypical? Furthermore, love and contentment are not character flaws or weaknesses. They are not an element of “teenage soap,” as Thomas put it. In fact, one could argue that by allowing herself to believe that she and Logan could have a happy future together regardless of everything she’d witnessed in her line of work, Veronica had shown more personal and emotional growth in the show’s fourth season than she had in the entire run of the series.

At the heart of the matter, though, is one simple, glaring truth: Logan’s death was a fundamental misreading of the entire Veronica Mars fandom and what they liked about the show. Storytelling should never be dictated by the fans and their desires—one of the loudest and most common complaints critics had about the movie was that it felt too much like Thomas was just giving the fans what they wanted rather than attempting to tell a good story—but when your fandom has dug their hands into the cold soil of the TV graveyard to raise your show from the dead, you should probably have a grasp on what exactly the fans like about it in the first place. After all, they’re the reason you still exist and will be one of the final arbiters of whether or not you get to continue to exist in the future. And the idea that fans would somehow be interested in watching a version of Veronica Mars in which Veronica was on the road, completely alone, and Logan was blown to bits is just a wild miscalculation.

This isn’t to suggest Veronica Mars could not ever survive without Logan. That would be to undercut the rest of the show and the woman Veronica has become since we first saw her cutting Wallace (Percy Daggs III) off the flagpole in the series’ pilot. But there is a difference in writing Logan out of the show’s ongoing story arc—his secretive Naval career offered the perfect out—and violently killing him in an attempt to shock viewers and show just how resilient your heroine is in the face of trauma. A survivor of rape who had to solve the murder of her best friend (Amanda Seyfried) while still in high school because the sheriff’s department was too inept to do it (or simply did not care to do it), Veronica had already been through more in her young life than anyone should ever have to live through.

Although Logan’s death led to her finally seeing a therapist, it seemed to be a one-time thing, so nothing has really changed. Veronica is still the same person she was before the show returned, except now she’s also a widow and Thomas has alienated an entire fanbase to the point that many fans, though likely not all, have no interest in revisiting her story. And they’re not likely to either, since Hulu chose not to move forward with another season.

So much for that bridge to the future.

[florrickandassociates]

TGF Thoughts-- 5x07: And the fight had a detente...

This episode is a wild ride, so if you haven’t seen it yet and you aren’t spoiled, don’t read this. Just go watch it.  

Ave Maria plays over a photo montage of cancelled men, including Kevin Spacey, Louie CK, and Scott Rudin. (Scott Rudin, if you don’t know the name, is a Broadway/Hollywood producer who treated his assistants like absolute shit. He’s the inspiration for the possessed producer episode of Evil—I think it’s the third episode of the series—and Robert King does not like him one bit.)  

And then the episode opens with Wackner, Del, and Cord discussing the Armie Hammer cannibalism ordeal. Whew, this is not what I wanted to be thinking about first thing on a Thursday morning. I do not think I can put into words how boring I find debating whether or not someone should have been “cancelled.”  Cancellation is usually about rich people facing consequences for shitty actions, and those consequences have never involved anyone’s rights being infringed upon, so why should I care about someone being cancelled? And, while I know that society/people on Twitter don’t always understand nuance, I’d like to think that when it comes to the most notable examples of cancellation... no one is losing their livelihood over false or minor allegations.  

There are so, so, so many issues in the world. Cancellation affects a handful of high profile, usually white, straight, male, celebrities. Why should I give a shit about, like, Louie CK not being able to make as much money as he used to? I just do not and cannot find it interesting.

I’m not surprised David Cord and Del Cooper find this topic interesting—Del likely hates worrying that all of his comedians could get cancelled and put him in a financially tricky spot; Cord probably says things like “Woke Mob” unironically. And as for Wackner, he almost certainly has a skewed understanding of what actually happens when someone’s cancelled and sees a place where he can step in and add some order. Blah. It’s just so boring.

"People are getting canceled without a trial, no evidence presented against them,” Wackner says. This is not it, Wackner! This is such a strawman argument. We don’t need the legal system to adjudicate people being assholes to each other, and in cases where a crime is committed or a particular individual can sue for damages, that is what happens. If you act shitty and then your sponsors realize you’re toxic and drop you, like, it is what it is. You can feel free to respond via a Notes App screenshot where half of your apology is actually just whining about cancel culture and then you say “I’m sorry if anyone took offense at what I did” instead of saying “I’m sorry I said/did hurtful things” and when people don’t take that seriously, maybe it’s because you didn’t take it seriously, either.  

“There are a lot of reasons these accusations never go to trial. The victims finally get to accuse the victimizer face to face,” Wackner explains. Were the victims asking for this?

Marissa shares my question, noting that if the victims don’t want to speak up, then the victimizer would have the court to himself. This raises a new question: who is even bringing these cases? Are Wackner, Cord, and Del just deciding they want to do things as cases and then getting everyone else on board? This sounds bad!  

Apparently, according to Wackner, “if #MeToo relies on mob rule, it’ll exhaust itself.” What... evidence is there for this? I get why people panic about the POSSIBILITY of this happening, even though I don’t share their panic, but is there any actual evidence that #MeToo is losing steam because of false allegations because cancellation isn’t a formal process? I don’t believe there is.  

The test case we have the pleasure of seeing this week is about “Louie CK two,” whom I shall refer to as LCK2 instead of learning his name.  

Now, suddenly, Marissa is asking one of LCK2’s victims to testify. She doesn’t want to participate because it’s just another way for LCK2 to get his career back. Marissa decides to be idealistic and say this is a real opportunity to confront LCK2 with his crime. I suppose she isn’t wrong, and that is what happens next, but, again, meh.

Apparently David Cord is going to defend LCK2. You know what would get cancelled in five seconds? A David Cord funded show that has David Cord actually on it, railing against cancel culture! Can you IMAGINE the thinkpieces?

God, when is this episode going to move on from this extremely irritating premise?

Marissa decides she wants to be the prosecutor. Wackner says if she prosecutes LCK2, she has to prosecute the academic who used a word that sounds like the n-word and lost her job for it.  Marissa thinks the academic shouldn’t have been fired, but Wackner insists she has to take both cases.

“Let’s go into court,” Wackner says, and, thank goodness, we do go into court: REAL court, where we are talking about REAL issues.  

In court, Liz and Diane are suing the police over the death of a black girl who was tased by the police. Her friend is on the stand and it’s quite emotional. Also, Diane tries to pass Liz a note and Liz ignores it. Why would you have two name partners on this case if they aren’t even going to try to work together?  

You can tell things are tense between two TGF characters when they talk at the same time in court but are on the same side.  

Hiiiiii Abernathy! ILY!

The victim had a heart condition, which the police lawyer argues is the actual cause of death. Police lawyer also argues that since this witness posted some ACAB lyrics on Instagram, she must be biased. Eyeroll.

Liz calls the other lawyer racist; the other lawyer tries to make Liz look like she is only on her client’s side because she’s black and that Liz is being absurd.  

Cancel culture court happens. We’re dealing with the academic case first. I don’t feel like talking about the cancel culture shit too much, so here is my take on this case as a whole: (1) I don’t think the actual word in question, which isn’t actually the n-word, is enough on its own to get someone fired (2) I also don’t think anyone can use that word, regardless of its meaning or history, without understanding how it will come across. (3) The teacher did not get fired for simply using this word once (4) This teacher believes that anyone who is from a group that’s been marginalized in history should have to confront that marginalization with as little sympathy and respect as possible because it will help them be more resilient. So basically, if you are from the dominant group then you don’t get challenged. She believes it is her job to do this. She is an egotistical asshole who has no business teaching.  

Cord wants everyone to have to say the full word in question. He says this pretentiously (though I don’t think saying “Said word” is that pretentious, tbh) and Wackner rules against him and also makes him wear a powdered wig for using “obtuse language.”

Marissa is not trying at all with this case at first, since she doesn’t believe in it. That’s shitty, Marissa. If you want to be a lawyer at a firm like RL you’re going to have to fight for all of your clients.  

Marissa makes a Latin joke and ends up in a powdered wig, too.  

The prof says, in one sentence, that she didn’t know what she was doing using the word and also that the black student who took offense thinks college is supposed to be warm, cuddly, and unchallenging. So it was a challenge, then, prof?  

I like this student. And I love that she calls Marissa out for obviously not trying.  

“The optics matter. Racially,” Diane says to Liz, who agrees. Diane, strategically, makes it about gender first (the cop is male, some jurors may react to a woman questioning a man), then makes it about how she should be the one questioning the cop since Liz is black. It would make the jury more “comfortable” (hey, there’s that word again!) Diane says. She says she is being pragmatic.  

Diane says that she could be “more dispassionate”. Be or come across as, Diane? Either way, Liz, who knows full well what the optics look like given that this isn’t her first time in court, doesn’t agree with Diane that they need to come across as dispassionate.  

Then Diane just changes the subject to the firm drama. “Liz, you’re shoving me out of my name partner position because of my race.” Like that’s the issue!  

“I am doing nothing. You are the one who got our racist clients to whine to STR Laurie about us,” Liz counters. “Those clients bring in a great deal of money, and they are not racists,” Diane insists. Yes. Sure. Diane just happened to choose white male clients who were “comfortable” with her to talk to. I have no doubt they’d have reacted poorly to any change in representation, but Diane was counting on those particular clients having some discomfort with their new lawyers.  

Liz calls her out and Diane’s still trying to play it like she just had to inform her long-term clients and it just had to be done this way. But, when Liz asks if Diane thinks the clients would’ve had the same reaction if their new representation were to be white, Diane says that maybe her clients are worried about racial grudges. So, what you’re saying is you knew exactly what you were doing, huh, Diane?  

I get why Diane doesn’t like being pushed out, because who would, but Diane, this isn’t about you. And if you didn’t want to make it about race, perhaps you shouldn’t have appeared on a panel about how great it is that your firm is majority black? You can’t have it both ways.  

Liz notes that Diane felt “entitled” to her name partnership. This is accurate, though based on revenue and stature I don’t think it can be denied that Diane deserves name partner status (generally speaking). Diane went over to RBK, was like, “sure, I’ll be a junior partner, thank you so much for the opportunity, I can’t even pay my capital contribution right now but what if I were name partner in three months?” and that is both entitlement and knowing one’s own worth, but mostly entitlement.  

(Liz does not act entitled, but if we want to get into who deserves their partnership more—again generally speaking, not their partnership at a black firm specifically—it is definitely Diane! Liz literally only has this job because her dad was important.)  

“I think that Barbara Kolstad was shoved out because you felt entitled to her position,” Liz shouts. OMG, a mention of Barbara?!?!?!??!?!? THANK YOU, WRITERS!!!

(This is a slight bit of revisionist history but I’ll allow it, and I think it’s right in thought even if it’s not right on the details. Barbara wasn’t shoved out—Barbara chose to go to a different firm that offered her a better deal—but I don’t think Barbara would’ve been on that trajectory had it not been for Diane’s presence at the firm. Barbara was in charge of a firm that shared her values when, suddenly, her partner decided that they needed to pursue profit over all else and needed Diane to execute that strategy. Maybe no one made a move directly against her, but Adrian and Diane changed the mission of RBK until it was no longer somewhere Barbara wanted to work.

“We can’t work together if you don’t respect me,” Diane screams at Liz. “No, we can’t work together if you use race cynically,” Liz responds. Diane gets even angrier, swears a bunch, and then says “You want to come after me, you come after me with an honest argument about my lack of competence, my lack of worth.” Diane, you are fighting a completely different battle here! You can be entitled and also correct and also good at your job. This is what you used to accuse Alicia of all the time. The fact you’ve turned this into something about your skill level when it’s about the meaning of having a black firm is only proving Liz’s point.

“Your unworthiness—which you don’t seem to want to acknowledge—is that you can’t be the top dog in a black firm,” Liz says. Exactly. But Diane just storms off.

Now the cop is on the stand. He did not know the victim had a heart condition. Uh, obviously, why would he have known that?  

Liz is aggressive in court; Diane thinks this is the wrong strategy. Without knowing who is on the jury, I have no idea which one of them is correct.  

The next move is to get the cop’s ex-wife, who he abused, on the stand.  

Goodie, it’s cancel culture court. Things go well for Marissa, but Del wants to know why Marissa wasn’t that passionate about the n-word case. Marissa says she feels like it’s not the n-word, like that is a valid reason to not represent your client to the best of your ability. “It is. It always is,” says Del.  

Marissa heads back to RL, and as she walks, the camera follows her and moves through the space until we end up in Liz’s office, where she gets a news alert about the cop from the COTW. He’s been killed, seemingly in retaliation for his actions. The news is quick to suggest the trial might’ve encouraged the killing. “Oh, fuck.” Diane says as she watches the news. Aaaand credits (at 20 minutes in!)  

From the promos, I thought this was going to be a Very Serious Episode about police brutality. From the opening, I thought it was going to be an insufferable episode about cancel culture. I was wrong! (Though, I suppose, some of the cancel culture stuff is still insufferable.)  

Yay for Carrie Preston, who directed this episode. I read an interview with her and she talked about how there’s a “look book” for directing TGF episodes and I have never wanted to see anything as badly as I want to see this look book. (Am I exaggerating? Probably. But I might not be.)  

After credits, Marissa finds Carmen and Jay to ask them if “n-word-ly" is offensive. She acknowledges she’s being annoying but they let her continue anyway. Jay finds it offensive. Carmen does not. This seems fitting with their characters, and I love that this scene acknowledges that not every black person is going to have the exact same reaction to everything.  

I want Carmen to have more to do! While I’m glad the show isn’t forcing her to have a large role in every plot just because, I feel like she’s gone missing for the middle part of the season. My guess is that their priority with Carmen is setting her up to be an ongoing part of the cast who grows into being someone we want a lot from rather than forcing her plots from the start... but surely we could get a little more of her! I doubt she’s a one-season character like I assume Wackner will be.  

The cop’s murder changes the vibe in court. Abernathy calls a moment of silence in his memory. “We’re fucked,” Liz whispers to Diane.  

And indeed they are. The cop’s ex no longer wants to talk about how abusive he was—she wants to talk about how great he was. Whose idea was it to still put her on the stand?! Idk about legal procedures but this seems like a really avoidable mistake!

Diane argues that the cop’s death has prejudiced the jury. Abernathy decides to call a “voir dire de novo,” using an obtuse Latin phrase that would not be permitted in Wackner’s court. (Love the little parallels in this episode, like this, the transition between courts earlier, and how much of Marissa being called out on her whiteness feels like a thematic extension of everything going on with Diane.)

Cancel culture court continues. Carmen shows up.

I don’t really get how June, the victim of LCK2, potentially losing a headlining gig for a bad set instead of retaliation from LCK2, scores him a point. One, if she was a rising store, one bad set shouldn’t have damned her career. Two, isn’t it enough to prove that he masturbated in front of women who didn’t want him to do that???????  

Having June perform her act with no prep in Wackner’s court so they can judge whether or not she is funny is a wildly bad idea. So now Wackner is an arbiter of humor as well as cancel culture?  

This whole system is silly and I reject the whole premise but June should not lose two points for the logic that Wackner + the audience don’t find June funny --> June must’ve had her career derailed because she just isn’t funny (how’d she book the headliner gig, then?) --> LCK2 scores points??? He still masturbated in front of her without her consent!  

Using cancel culture to show Wackner’s court is going too far/slipping into bad territory: I’m on board with this. Using Wackner’s court to actually comment on cancel culture: Ugh. The writers seem to be trying to do both.  

Lol at Abernathy having Stacey Abrams’ book on his desk.

Marissa argues the n-word case more passionately, because these writers love to make situations that seemed clear cut seem more uncertain. It’s no coincidence they have the sexual harassment case look murkier (though, again, June being bad at comedy does not negate the sexual harassment!) right before they have the n-work case begin to tilt in favor of the professor’s cancellation.

Hahah what bullshit about trying to prepare the students for a world that won’t be kind to them. Do you seriously think your black students need YOU to prepare them?  

This lady thinks history classes have to describe rapes in detail to get students to sympathize. No, no they fucking do not.  

She also says she’d use the n-word if she were teaching a topic where it might come up. Um, no?

Mr. Elk (this is what I call Ted Willoughby, Idiot Reporter, after he said “things of that elk” in his first appearance) is attacking Diane and Liz on his show. Diane and Liz are, apparently, “Marxist slip-and-fall lawyers” and Mr. Elk plays a clip of Diane saying cops need to be held accountable. Obviously, this was before the cop’s death and meant to be about the legal system, but it looks like Diane’s calling for his murder. I also love how they go out of their way to only pause the clip on unflattering frames of Diane.  

Liz wants to use this in court—I forgot that Liz is super sneaky but this tracks; she is always quick to use things to her advantage and we’ve known that about her since her strategy with the DNC in 2x07 (to make outlandish allegations and then drop them before presenting proof). Julius wants to get Liz and Diane security.

That security is, apparently Jay. I think they’ve shown Jay as security before when Lucca went viral. I didn’t understand it then and I don’t understand it now.

I was, briefly, worried for Liz and Diane’s safety, especially after I saw all the angry cops waiting for them in court. Then I thought, oh, well at least they’re in court, they should be safe from being shot there. Then I remembered 5x15. Then I laughed at myself.  

Liz’s new strategy works and Abernathy uses more Latin. But, they can’t get any more jurors thrown. (They’re going for a mistrial.)

Oh, Carmen is back again! She did SO MUCH in that court scene where she appeared and then disappeared! She’s chatting with Marissa and spots LCK2 in the RL offices.  

Apparently, LCK2 negotiated a contract with Del, with David Lee’s help. (Why would David Lee be doing entertainment law?) Suddenly everything makes sense to Marissa.

She calls Del to the stand. This—and, honestly, everything after this—makes me wonder how much of this would ever make it to air. Why would Del televise this?

What a shock—Del wants LCK2 back on his streaming service (which I don’t think has a name LOL).  

Somehow Marissa’s questions become about Wackner and whether or not Wackner is an impartial judge, which doesn’t seem like the core issue. Wackner has made it pretty clear that his stance is that he doesn’t care if others are corrupt around him or try to use him; he’s going to be impartial no matter what. Why not play that up instead of making the entire show look staged and Wackner look complicit, Marissa?  

Like, why is Marissa asking Wackner if he’s prejudged the case?! Why isn’t she just trying to like, get him to declare a mistrial because there is a conflict of interest? She can make a version of this argument without accusing Wackner of PREJUDGING, which she knows—I know, so she knows—will set him off. Wackner truly believe he thinks he is impartial. It’s not smart strategy to question that (even if we all know that Wackner is not impartial!)

Wackner blows up at Marissa and shouts at her. He tells her to get the fuck out of court.

This is certainly dramatic, but again, would Del ever choose to air this? I doubt it.  

On her way to work, Diane notices hot pink spray paint in the elevator. When she exits the elevator, the whole firm is gathered in the lobby. Someone has painted COP KILLERS across the elevator bank. “Security doesn’t know how they got in,” Jay says. “Of course they don’t,” Diane responds. “They suggest we call the cops,” Jay says. I love this little exchange. I wasn’t exactly wondering how someone got in, but I like the show making it clear how unprotected Diane and Liz are right now and why.

Julius appears and says that Mr. Elk is saying something new. Diane and Liz sit down to watch and the tone of this episode completely shifts.  

I had forgotten completely that Liz’s dad’s assault issues are out in public until Mr. Elk called him “a disgraced civil rights leader.” It doesn’t feel like they’re out in public! Also I would believe Mr. Elk calling him disgraced for no reason at all.  

Y’all, when Mr. Elk said the name “Duke Roscoe,” my jaw dropped. WHAT A CALLBACK.  

This scene, and really, everything in this plot from here on out, is a delight. It just keeps going and going. It is the best kind of fanservice.

1x11 has been, for no real reason, on my mind since 5x04. It popped out to me as an example of this show’s humor so I talked about it in that recap. I nearly mentioned it in my 5x06 recap when Diane laughed at Julius’s suggestion that they start a firm together. I rewatched 1x11, by complete chance, like two weeks ago. How weird that I'm somehow on the show’s wavelength about this!  

Also I made a joke about Mr. Elk last week without knowing he’d be back this episode. I would like to think I conjured this.  

(1x11 is a really pivotal episode for TGW, even if it isn’t one of the most notable episodes overall. It's composer David Buckley’s first episode and that ending, with Diane laughing, is one of the earliest moments of TGW showing its sense of humor and playing to its strengths.)

Mr. Elk notes that they “rarely see” Kurt, which is apparently evidence that Diane is a lesbian. Hahahahahahah. Mr. Elk also wouldn’t want to note Kurt, despite his recent controversy, because to his viewers, Kurt’s beliefs would make Diane seem more sympathetic.  

GUYS, THE WRITERS DECIDED TO MAKE A CALLBACK TO AN ICONIC MOMENT FROM AN EPISODE THAT AIRED OVER A DECADE AGO AND THEN BUILD ON IT. I cannot express how fucking happy this makes me.  

Now, Mr. Elk says, Diane and Liz are an item!  

What’s better than Diane laughing hysterically at the original allegations? Diane doing it again, eleven years later, JOINED BY LIZ.  

This also works super well to cut the tension between Diane and Liz. I assume this isn’t the end of the name partnership drama, but I think it might be the end of Diane and Liz being pissed at each other. Since the name partnership drama was never really about Diane and Liz (Liz seems to want Diane to stay on...), I’m fine with that.  

Because this is an episode full of callbacks that delight me, Del asks Liz when he gets to meet her son! HER SON STILL EXISTS!  

It sounds like Liz and Del still aren’t fully official, which clarifies why they don’t seem to be a couple in public.  

Del brings up the Diane rumor (jokingly) and Liz jokes along. I love that we get to see this playful side of Liz.  

Wackner’s watching his outburst with regret. Del calms him down and notes that this is good TV (why... would Del air this... it makes DEL look worse than anyone!). Wackner calls Marissa to apologize; she picks up and accepts his apology.  

Abernathy calls Liz and Diane into chambers. He’s worried he was “insensitive”-- he's noticed the tension between Liz and Diane, but now he thinks it was a lover’s spat.

Diane puts on a poker face and leans in towards Liz. She starts nodding attentively and thanks Abernathy. Liz smiles and doubles down: she’s not just going to play along, she’s going to milk it. She gets a juror kicked for homophobia, which means a mistrial. Shameless. I love it.  

Diane and Liz playing off each other as Abernathy tries to look like as much of an ally as possible is comedy gold.  

Diane even calls Liz darling. Omg.  

LCK2 is on the stand, being charismatic and annoying. Of course he is. This is what happens when you give someone who is known for being able to connect with a crowd... a crowd and the benefit of the doubt.

LCK2 is talking about “stupid women” in his new set. Why... is Del giving that a platform at all? See, the fact that Del thinks it is not only interesting but also somehow essential to let LCK2 make jokes about sexual harassment is why I can’t take this episode seriously. Why should I be more outraged about someone who did something shitty not getting a trial for his shitty but legal behavior than I am about powerful people continuing to offer shitty people platforms? Only one of these seems outrageous to me.

Wackner decides that the professor did something “awful but lawful” and that’s it. So you’re saying that if it isn’t illegal, it doesn’t get decided in your court, either? What was the point of this, then?  

The professor says she doesn’t want that—she wants the school to know she’s being punished so she can get her job back. The student storms out, rightfully. Wackner’s job isn’t to offer someone who wants punishment some form of penance, like she can exchange community service hours for offensive remarks. It’s to... well, idk what it is to do, since this whole thing doesn’t really make sense and he makes the rules, but I don’t think his verdict has to be about giving anyone what they want. I’m disappointed that Wackner comes up with a punishment and I don’t think it’s going to get her her job back.  

LCK2 loses, too, because he hasn’t made amends. Wackner doesn’t want to fine him because he’s too rich for a fine to matter. Cord argues that LCK2 deserves a second chance. I mean, sure, but is he being denied a second chance? He doesn’t deserve an easy path back to his fame just because he wants it.  

Wackner mentions prison. At first I was like, oh, that’s a nice throwaway line that he mentioned prison! This ties into what I was saying a few weeks ago about how Wackner likes the institutions that already exist—he just thinks they’re imperfect! It’s fitting that he’s not a prison abolitionist!  

And then the episode actually went there: Wackner, thanks to David Cord’s private prison company, actually sentences LCK2 to prison. This is deeply uncomfortable (and of questionable legality). Wackner’s system is just going to recreate prison? Worse, private prison? He’s creating an unchecked, privatized legal system?! This sounds bad! Kudos to the show for taking this to some place so dark—I knew Wackner’s system would start to show cracks, but I didn’t realize they’d go this far.  

And I’m not sure what the end game is with this! All I know is I’m not on board with Wackner sending people to prison (except as a plot—I am very on board with this plot) and neither is Marissa.

I do not think viewers of the reality show will like the prison twist or the fact that Cord is financing a court and prison! Can you imagine the scandal!

And what do the contracts look like that allow Wackner to sentence someone to prison? Can LCK2 leave any time he wants? If so, then how does the prison sentence help? If not, is that legal?  

Del wants it to be a 2 week sentence, not 3, because this means LCK2 will have to miss his taping in two weeks. I have many questions. (1) Is Wackner’s show airing live? If not, then why do they need to rush the taping of the special? They could push it quite easily. (2) Why can’t they push the taping? This guy is a huge deal and enough potential $$ that Del wants to rehabilitate his career... so why does the taping have to be on this particular day and time?  

Is there really an Exxon Mobile case, I wonder?  

I like that we spend a good amount of time watching Marissa’s reactions to this latest addition to Wackner’s court. Combined with the score, Marissa’s facial expression serves to underline that private prisons are not good here! This isn’t Wackner getting legitimate methods of enforcement... this is just opening a pandora’s box of highly questionable extrajudicial practices.  

I do love that this episode ends up here: it starts out like it’s going to be about cancel culture silliness and ends up being about the escalation of Wackner’s tactics.

Funny how both of the cancelled people end up being found guilty by Wackner, huh! Almost like they actually did something wrong and faced the consequences!  

Liz and Diane get called in to talk to Liz’s favorite department: HR. They’re asked to sign “love contracts” to confirm things are consensual. I find it hilarious that HR gives them the paper before even asking if it’s true.  

Liz grabs a pen and signs. Diane follows her lead. They look at each other and smile politely at HR.

I am... not sure how to read this last scene! Is it a fuck-you to HR? A way of easing tensions? A way for Liz to get people to stop talking to her about removing Diane as name partner because no one will want to ask if they’re really involved? Something else? Help me understand!

Curious to see where things go next. I can see LCK2 coming back for another episode but it also wouldn’t surprise me to never see him again. Similarly, I could see some glances/discussion of Diane and Liz’s romantic relationship next week, or I could see it never being mentioned again, or I could see it being mentioned next season out of the blue.  

[imagine-loki]

Hiding In Plain Sight

TITLE: Hiding in Plain Sight

 CHAPTER NO./ONE SHOT: Chapter 10

AUTHOR: wolfpawn

 ORIGINAL IMAGINE:Imagine coming from a line of nobility or royalty and being in an arranged marriage with Loki in an attempt to strengthen your kingdom / alliance with Asgard. You’re not entirely on board with the idea but figured that the best you could do was to get to know your fiancé. You form an agreement with Frigga for you to pose as Loki’s personal servant for a few months so you can get to know who Loki really is – beyond the veil of his responsibility to the Asgardian throne, behind all the masks he wears when facing the public, to really know who Loki is behind closed doors as you slowly fall for each other.How long will you keep up the ruse with the God of Lies? RATING: General Audience

NOTE - I finally got my ass in gear and finished something, thank Loki.

Raven gave him a withering look. “Again with the ‘she’ and ‘her’. You are going out of your way to be insulting at this stage.” “But you are Raven? Not ‘Breanna’?” Loki demanded. 

“My grandmother called me Breanna. It’s one and the same.” She dismissed. 

“You hid yourself as a maid?” 

“I did.” “Why?” “I heard so many stories about you, so incredibly conflicting, I wanted to see for myself.” “So you pretended to be a maid? You…” Loki’s eyes widened. “You scrubbed my toilet.” He grimaced at that thought. 

“In fairness, whatever else was ever said about you, your hygiene is impeccable.” 

“Why?” “I told you.” “But why?” 

“I learnt you are intelligent and can understand many languages and are very much able to comprehend the spoken word so I don’t think I need to repeat myself again. I know it is something you also dislike. You told me that the first day I spoke to you.” She walked around a little. 

Loki studied her for a moment. Watching how she walked, so obviously well-bred and the manner in which she was speaking showing a significant education. He shook his head slightly as he spoke. “My brother said time and again that the Elven princess was raised in a manner that was meek and subservient. You have been insubordinate since the day you walked in here.” 

“How can I be insubordinate to you, we are of equal standing. The extra children of the ruling monarch, merely existing in the slight offchance our older siblings do not make it to taking the throne.” She challenged.

“I think your father would rather a republic than have you on the throne.” Loki pointed out, his tone half of anger, half merely stating fact. 

“I think he would too but the law is that I can take it regardless of my gender, I just need all four of my brothers to not get on it and have heirs.” She eyed him with intrigue, watching the glut of emotions swirling around in his face. Anger seemed to be winning as the most notable one. “I suggest airing your anger now. It will make this easier in the long run.”

“Was my mother in on this all along?” “Yes. I wrote to her to get her words on your character. Sadly, she gave the view of a biased and loving mother. So, convinced I would see your personality for myself in other ways by being your maid, she suggested I take Tatianna’s place for a few weeks. I can see you have a good rapport with her, so I can see why she would think that.”

Loki felt his anger rise at his mother’s involvement. “My brother, my father?”

“For the Allfather to know anything, he would have had to have come to your rooms whilst I was here, he never did, ergo, he never knew anything of it. Thor was not part of the plan. What I had not anticipated was that he recalled the few occasions that he met me in passing while talking to my brothers over the centuries, especially in Vanaheim. He confronted me, wanting to know why I was playing such games. He did not agree with it but the Allmother and I convinced him to remain silent.” 

Loki’s lip curled in anger at his brother knowing such things but also knowing that he had the excuse of being told to say nothing. Not that it would save him from a few choice words and more than a few spells and hard blows when Loki would be able to inflict such on him again. “You spied on me, and you thought it wise?” He scoffed in disgust. “How did you envisage this little reveal going? Pray, do tell.” “I suppose it’s obvious that I had not thought through that fully. I was hoping the Aesir I was meeting was actually a nice being so I would at least feel guilty.” 

Loki’s brow rose at that. “You have the audacity to say such things with all your deceit.”

“You literally are nicknamed the God of Lies, tricks and mischief, I would have thought you would have been impressed if nothing else.” “I am anything but.” He became irate at her answers. “You have no right to speak to me like this, you deceitful wench.” He walked to the bedroom door and opened it. “Get out.” 

Raven felt hurt but understood fully and had expected him to react in such a manner, sighing, she walked to the door. “Well, it’s done now anyway.”

“What?” Loki had no inkling as to what she was referring to. “Getting this conflict out of the way. I was getting bothered waiting for it.” She spoke as she walked through the door. 

“You anticipated this, really?” He did not believe her. 

“I anticipated this, at best. I thought you would fly into a rage and throw me out at worst but then again, I thought you had not arrived for lunch because you had realised who I was and were giving me the very much expected silent treatment. Something I would wager all the ore on Alfheim I am going to be receiving from this point forth. I did not think it would last this long.” “What would last this long?” “This conversation. It lasted far longer than I had expected.” She shrugged as she walked to the door. 

“Did you really learn to be a maid for this?” “I hardly knew how to be one before. I had to at least pretend to know what I was doing.” “You were so desperate to try and make a fool of me?” “It was never about making a fool of you, Loki. I told you, I wanted to know what to expect here. I tried to find out by other means but to no avail. Unlike you, I had to move to another realm and live with a man I had not met in almost seven hundred years outside of the briefest of moments.” “So you thought the way to get to know me was to scrub my toilet, that is your thinking of me? That is what you considered in getting to know me? I honestly expected you to have little self-respect with how you were raised, what with it being a misogynistic realm but you really do not have any self-worth with how you acted.” He walked over to the main door of his rooms to open it. 

“Well, when your muscles ached and you wanted them relieved and when I neatened your belongings, you did not complain and don’t you ever look down at those who clean your toilet. You would not last five minutes in the real realm without your seidr, you pretentious prick.” 

Irate at her venomous words, Loki walked forward towards her but stopped suddenly when she flinched as though expecting to be struck. As much as he wanted to say something as vitriolic back, he refrained. “Your little stunt was nothing more than pathetic and ridiculous and your name calling even more so, but it clearly was futile because if your observations were even the slightest bit accurate, you would know I would never lay a hand on you.” 

“I knew that. If anyone will bear any physical brunt of this, it will be Thor.” 

Loki had to admit, she did learn something in all of this with that comment. “Yet, you flinched as though expecting me to strike you?” “I am not a warrior, I have not learnt how to not flinch when someone rushes forward. But I know you would not. If you had been a risk to me, I would never have come here alone.” She ensured to look him in the eye as she spoke to show her sincerity. 

Loki had to admit, that was a valid excuse and indeed statement regarding her safety. “Good, at least you grasped that much in this.” He opened the door fully and indicated outside. 

“I guess the deceitful wench will leave the pretentious prick to his day, then.” She walked towards the door. 

“Norns but you have to have the last word, don’t you?” Loki pushed the door shut again with some force. “You’re supposed to be silent.” “You literally said one of the things you were looking forward to least about being married to me was that you loathed the idea of a subservient and silent wife. My father should have had someone warn you, I tend to be too sarcastic for my own good, always have been, but you noticed that already too.”  “If I had only known.” Sarcasm dripped heavily from every syllable he spoke. He looked at her for another moment. “How could you possibly have thought that we could even attempt to build anything on this?” “You never wanted to build anything, you spoke terribly of me the whole time I was here. You would not even use my name.” “What is with you and that particular issue? Why does it matter so greatly to you?” Loki snapped. “You are like a dog with a bone.” 

“What is your obsession with not using it? You have nothing but contempt for me, both in your actions and your words, and have done so before you even realised it was me and do not think for one second I have forgotten your horrid words to your little friend about me, much less my realms’ people. Whatever damage I have done to the idea of creating a cordial relationship, you clean blasted it off the realm long before.” “I already told you, I do not think such, I was just venting.” “I told you in that very same conversation that I do not suffer fools. And if you think me to believe that statement, you are calling me one also.” “I bear no ill thoughts to the Ljósáfar. I would not have my seidr be so strong but for the ability to wield it perfected on Alfheim. I have nothing but respect for the race, you as an individual, on the other hand, not so much since you decided to try and trick me.” “There was no try, I succeeded in doing so.” There was some smugness to Raven’s smirk. 

Loki’s lip curled in anger at that statement. 

“I recall that day too that you wished to show me that you have no ill against my race, yet my parents and brothers did not deserve the respect required to welcome them, did they?” She shook her head. “You don’t respect us, you respect no one, not even yourself.” This time, she walked to the door and opened it, not wanting to speak to him any further. 

“What comes of this?” Loki asked, not wanting to acknowledge her fairly accurate analysis. 

“I do not know. You were adamant before, I am nothing but a duty. As a prince, you will be forced to do such duty. Our parents will not forfeit this agreement. My parents because it ensures I am no longer a burden, yours because, as you so crassly put it before, it solidifies my father’s alliance. So I guess we simply avoid one another outside of required interactions. I will not bother you, and you will ignore me. When this farce is done, I will stay in my rooms, you in yours and since I know Thor is being forced to court soon, we do some form of ritual dance that he has as many children as my father and we will not be required to do such things and you can have your conceited little harpy mistress and be happy.” 

Loki was going to spit a comment back at her about the woman in reference but he noticed the genuine hurt and heartache in her features that startled him to silence on that matter. He quickly analysed her words again while she seemingly attempted to recompose herself. He did not know what in her statement caused her to react in such a way but it did startle him. “I am still trying to fathom the reasoning for all of this.” 

“I wanted to know the true Loki, the one not putting on a facade for his father, or society, the being I would see every single evening after a long day.” “For what purpose?” “I spent my whole life having to be silent in public and mostly silent in private. I spent it being told how to act and who to speak to and how to speak to them. I wanted to know if I had to do that for the next few thousand years again or if it would be different. That is why I did it. I wanted to know if I could finally have someone to actually care for me as a being and not expect me to be what they want me to be, nothing more than a living doll. Norns, but you are right, had I but known.” And with that, she left the room. 

[wolfpawn]

Hiding in Plain Sight, Chapter 10

Story Summary - Imagine coming from a line of nobility or royalty and being in an arranged marriage with Loki in an attempt to strengthen your kingdom/alliance with Asgard. You’re not entirely on board with the idea but figured that the best you could do was to get to know your fiancé. You form an agreement with Frigga for you to pose as Loki’s personal servant for a few months so you can get to know who Loki really is – beyond the veil of his responsibility to the Asgardian throne, behind all the masks he wears when facing the public, to really know who Loki is behind closed doors as you slowly fall for each other. How long will you keep up the ruse with the God of Lies?

Chapter Summary - The conflict.

Previous Chapter

Tags - @peppermint-j @alexakeyloveloki @cateyes315 @laserpente @bravotheroyalfool @teylacarter91 @heavenly1927

Raven gave him a withering look. “Again with the ‘she’ and ‘her’. You are going out of your way to be insulting at this stage.” “But you are Raven? Not ‘Breanna’?” Loki demanded.

“My grandmother called me Breanna. It’s one and the same.” She dismissed.

“You hid yourself as a maid?”

“I did.” “Why?” “I heard so many stories about you, so incredibly conflicting, I wanted to see for myself.” “So you pretended to be a maid? You…” Loki’s eyes widened. “You scrubbed my toilet.” He grimaced at that thought.

“In fairness, whatever else was ever said about you, your hygiene is impeccable.”

“Why?” “I told you.” “But why?”

“I learnt you are intelligent and can understand many languages and are very much able to comprehend the spoken word so I don’t think I need to repeat myself again. I know it is something you also dislike. You told me that the first day I spoke to you.” She walked around a little.

Loki studied her for a moment. Watching how she walked, so obviously well-bred and the manner in which she was speaking showing a significant education. He shook his head slightly as he spoke. “My brother said time and again that the Elven princess was raised in a manner that was meek and subservient. You have been insubordinate since the day you walked in here.”

“How can I be insubordinate to you, we are of equal standing. The extra children of the ruling monarch, merely existing in the slight offchance our older siblings do not make it to taking the throne.” She challenged.

“I think your father would rather a republic than have you on the throne.” Loki pointed out, his tone half of anger, half merely stating fact.

“I think he would too but the law is that I can take it regardless of my gender, I just need all four of my brothers to not get on it and have heirs.” She eyed him with intrigue, watching the glut of emotions swirling around in his face. Anger seemed to be winning as the most notable one. “I suggest airing your anger now. It will make this easier in the long run.”

“Was my mother in on this all along?” “Yes. I wrote to her to get her words on your character. Sadly, she gave the view of a biased and loving mother. So, convinced I would see your personality for myself in other ways by being your maid, she suggested I take Tatianna’s place for a few weeks. I can see you have a good rapport with her, so I can see why she would think that.”

Loki felt his anger rise at his mother’s involvement. “My brother, my father?”

“For the Allfather to know anything, he would have had to have come to your rooms whilst I was here, he never did, ergo, he never knew anything of it. Thor was not part of the plan. What I had not anticipated was that he recalled the few occasions that he met me in passing while talking to my brothers over the centuries, especially in Vanaheim. He confronted me, wanting to know why I was playing such games. He did not agree with it but the Allmother and I convinced him to remain silent.”

Loki’s lip curled in anger at his brother knowing such things but also knowing that he had the excuse of being told to say nothing. Not that it would save him from a few choice words and more than a few spells and hard blows when Loki would be able to inflict such on him again. “You spied on me, and you thought it wise?” He scoffed in disgust. “How did you envisage this little reveal going? Pray, do tell.” “I suppose it’s obvious that I had not thought through that fully. I was hoping the Aesir I was meeting was actually a nice being so I would at least feel guilty.”

Loki’s brow rose at that. “You have the audacity to say such things with all your deceit.”

“You literally are nicknamed the God of Lies, tricks and mischief, I would have thought you would have been impressed if nothing else.” “I am anything but.” He became irate at her answers. “You have no right to speak to me like this, you deceitful wench.” He walked to the bedroom door and opened it. “Get out.”

Raven felt hurt but understood fully and had expected him to react in such a manner, sighing, she walked to the door. “Well, it’s done now anyway.”

“What?” Loki had no inkling as to what she was referring to. “Getting this conflict out of the way. I was getting bothered waiting for it.” She spoke as she walked through the door.

“You anticipated this, really?” He did not believe her.

“I anticipated this, at best. I thought you would fly into a rage and throw me out at worst but then again, I thought you had not arrived for lunch because you had realised who I was and were giving me the very much expected silent treatment. Something I would wager all the ore on Alfheim I am going to be receiving from this point forth. I did not think it would last this long.” “What would last this long?” “This conversation. It lasted far longer than I had expected.” She shrugged as she walked to the door.

“Did you really learn to be a maid for this?” “I hardly knew how to be one before. I had to at least pretend to know what I was doing.” “You were so desperate to try and make a fool of me?” “It was never about making a fool of you, Loki. I told you, I wanted to know what to expect here. I tried to find out by other means but to no avail. Unlike you, I had to move to another realm and live with a man I had not met in almost seven hundred years outside of the briefest of moments.” “So you thought the way to get to know me was to scrub my toilet, that is your thinking of me? That is what you considered in getting to know me? I honestly expected you to have little self-respect with how you were raised, what with it being a misogynistic realm but you really do not have any self-worth with how you acted.” He walked over to the main door of his rooms to open it.

“Well, when your muscles ached and you wanted them relieved and when I neatened your belongings, you did not complain and don’t you ever look down at those who clean your toilet. You would not last five minutes in the real realm without your seidr, you pretentious prick.”

Irate at her venomous words, Loki walked forward towards her but stopped suddenly when she flinched as though expecting to be struck. As much as he wanted to say something as vitriolic back, he refrained. “Your little stunt was nothing more than pathetic and ridiculous and your name calling even more so, but it clearly was futile because if your observations were even the slightest bit accurate, you would know I would never lay a hand on you.”

“I knew that. If anyone will bear any physical brunt of this, it will be Thor.”

Loki had to admit, she did learn something in all of this with that comment. “Yet, you flinched as though expecting me to strike you?” “I am not a warrior, I have not learnt how to not flinch when someone rushes forward. But I know you would not. If you had been a risk to me, I would never have come here alone.” She ensured to look him in the eye as she spoke to show her sincerity.

Loki had to admit, that was a valid excuse and indeed statement regarding her safety. “Good, at least you grasped that much in this.” He opened the door fully and indicated outside.

“I guess the deceitful wench will leave the pretentious prick to his day, then.” She walked towards the door.

“Norns but you have to have the last word, don’t you?” Loki pushed the door shut again with some force. “You’re supposed to be silent.” “You literally said one of the things you were looking forward to least about being married to me was that you loathed the idea of a subservient and silent wife. My father should have had someone warn you, I tend to be too sarcastic for my own good, always have been, but you noticed that already too.” “If I had only known.” Sarcasm dripped heavily from every syllable he spoke. He looked at her for another moment. “How could you possibly have thought that we could even attempt to build anything on this?” “You never wanted to build anything, you spoke terribly of me the whole time I was here. You would not even use my name.” “What is with you and that particular issue? Why does it matter so greatly to you?” Loki snapped. “You are like a dog with a bone.”

“What is your obsession with not using it? You have nothing but contempt for me, both in your actions and your words, and have done so before you even realised it was me and do not think for one second I have forgotten your horrid words to your little friend about me, much less my realms’ people. Whatever damage I have done to the idea of creating a cordial relationship, you clean blasted it off the realm long before.” “I already told you, I do not think such, I was just venting.” “I told you in that very same conversation that I do not suffer fools. And if you think me to believe that statement, you are calling me one also.” “I bear no ill thoughts to the Ljósáfar. I would not have my seidr be so strong but for the ability to wield it perfected on Alfheim. I have nothing but respect for the race, you as an individual, on the other hand, not so much since you decided to try and trick me.” “There was no try, I succeeded in doing so.” There was some smugness to Raven’s smirk.

Loki’s lip curled in anger at that statement.

“I recall that day too that you wished to show me that you have no ill against my race, yet my parents and brothers did not deserve the respect required to welcome them, did they?” She shook her head. “You don’t respect us, you respect no one, not even yourself.” This time, she walked to the door and opened it, not wanting to speak to him any further.

“What comes of this?” Loki asked, not wanting to acknowledge her fairly accurate analysis.

“I do not know. You were adamant before, I am nothing but a duty. As a prince, you will be forced to do such duty. Our parents will not forfeit this agreement. My parents because it ensures I am no longer a burden, yours because, as you so crassly put it before, it solidifies my father’s alliance. So I guess we simply avoid one another outside of required interactions. I will not bother you, and you will ignore me. When this farce is done, I will stay in my rooms, you in yours and since I know Thor is being forced to court soon, we do some form of ritual dance that he has as many children as my father and we will not be required to do such things and you can have your conceited little harpy mistress and be happy.”

Loki was going to spit a comment back at her about the woman in reference but he noticed the genuine hurt and heartache in her features that startled him to silence on that matter. He quickly analysed her words again while she seemingly attempted to recompose herself. He did not know what in her statement caused her to react in such a way but it did startle him. “I am still trying to fathom the reasoning for all of this.”

“I wanted to know the true Loki, the one not putting on a facade for his father, or society, the being I would see every single evening after a long day.” “For what purpose?” “I spent my whole life having to be silent in public and mostly silent in private. I spent it being told how to act and who to speak to and how to speak to them. I wanted to know if I had to do that for the next few thousand years again or if it would be different. That is why I did it. I wanted to know if I could finally have someone to actually care for me as a being and not expect me to be what they want me to be, nothing more than a living doll. Norns, but you are right, had I but known.” And with that, she left the room.