#and it really makes her stand out in a bad way imo

[litnerdwrites]

@livinforthetea Yes! Exactly!

The whole ignoring her for a year unless it was to force her to social events she didn't want to be at, nor did others want her at thing seemed like it was a very extreme measure to take. And sending her to the how (or any other "rehab" facility (calling what happened at the HOW rehab is an insult to actual rehab imo)) is also a very extreme action, albeit on the opposite end of the spectrum, but still extreme.

Like, I would assume most people would, perhaps, reach out to her, offer to take her to the library (even just for like weekly sessions with the consoler there, or try like 101 other things to help her, before deciding to do either of those things. And if it was bad enough that something like rehab was needed, then it needed to be overseen by a professional

On the money thing, that I see being brought up, I'd argue that they owe Nesta money for what she endured on their behalf. Hosting the meeting with the human queens, despite the danger it presented (which wasn't helped by Rhys and Feyre, who's only job was to protect Nesta and Elain, to make sure nothing happened to them) was Nesta's way of trying to pay Feyre back for the hunting, atone in a way, as was suggested by Elain, and was what finally convinced Nesta to help to begin with.

So if we put that aside, that leaves everything Nesta did during the war, and her work as emissary. If she was their emissary for the HL meeting, she was entitled to regular pay from then to the end of the war, at minimum. There are some arguments to be made that she be payed after that as well, but that's for another day. She scried for them, saved Cassian's life (twice), and killed the King of Hybern (which deserves a reward in and of itself). Let's also consider that her choosing to train with Amren was conditional on the heads of her enemies being delivered to her. She killed the king, but that leaves the mortal queens, so if nobody is going to bring her their heads on a stick, then at the very least, she should be compensated monetarily for each queen, and given that they're queens, the amount is presumably a lot. For each one. We also know Rhysand pays his court on the higher ends of the salary range, at least, so Nesta's entitled to quite a bit of money.

I don't think there would've been many complaints if the IC had paid Nesta in either a lump sum or in instalments for her work, and then stopped. There's also the issue that Feyre is the one who wants Nesta to be a part of her life, and her circle. Nesta just wanted to be left alone, or, at the very least, be met on her own terms, given that she did mention how Elain could come see her at one of the taverns (while Rhys was eavesdropping). A compromise could be inviting her to a restaurant or cafe, with just the three of them.

The conversations Nesta has with Feyre, when it's just the two of them in the library, before the ravens attacked, was the most open they'd been in the books, and I firmly believe it's because there was no outside pressure or influence from the IC. Whereas, in the tavern, Rhys was standing outside, and Nesta knew it. Feyre wanted to make Nesta conform to their circle, because that was her idea of healing.

When you look at the intervention and 'healing plan' in acosf, as well as the information (or lack there of) about the time period between it and acofas, then it makes you wonder how necessary it even was. That's putting aside how terribly thought out and executed it was. They claimed to have tried, for a year, to help her, when they didn't. They tried to help themselves, and Feyre, and Elain and Cassian, by having Nesta conform, when, really they should've talked to Nesta, and found ways to help her become comfortable in her own skin, and reach whatever she thought healing looked like. Not Feyre, or Elain or Cassian or Rhys or anybody. If her version of healing was keeping in touch with her sisters but not anyone else from the IC, that's her prerogative, and should've been the focus.

Another reason the intervention/plot of acosf didn't work was because their words and actions, like being embarrassed by her, for example, indicated that they cared for Feyre, Cassian, and maybe Elain. Not her.

Feyre can feel how she feels, but throwing that in Nesta's face, and slut shaming her aren't helpful when it comes to healing. Having multiple sexual or romantic partners isn't an issue over all. The entire IC have made it clear that they either do, or did. However, Nesta is using both alcohol and sex as a self harm method. If she was SHing in other ways (like physically injuring herself), then throwing it her face would be shitty, and selfish, and indicate that you don't have her best interests at heart, so why is it any different here. Even if Feyre felt embarrassed, if Nesta's wellbeing was her priority in that matter, then she shouldn't have said it. That would just push her deeper into the dark hole she was already in. It wouldn't indicate that Feyre was a person that Nesta could feel safe or open with, especially with the headspace she was in.

There's so much about acosf that was messed up, and indicated that Nesta's wellbeing wasn't the priority, breaking her was. There were so many signs of ulterior motives, like the Dread trove B-plot, or the training, or Cassian's involvement. There's so much more to go into.

Will never understand the people who clain the Inner Circle should have just let Nesta keep spiraling instead of helping her. Because "it's mean to put her on house arrest." But you know. The first 14 months of leaving her to spiral worked. I'm sure another 14 would've been GREAT for her.

[mossycat]

Toothless/Light Fury. Overhated couple needs love too :c

While I was, like many people, disappointed with the romance/seperation plot line dreamworks went with for thw, the ship itself is just fine! Lots of cute moments, is sweet for what it is!

[m4g0hun]

in stars and time x dungeon meshi

(extra thoughts and ideas below!)

closeups!!

so this is more of a isat in dungeon meshi kinda au than the opposite, the idea is that the King is the dungeon lord/mad mage, his desire being to be able to freeze the dungeon and the country in time

The change belief still exists, and Mirabelle is still a housemaiden destined to save the counrty, so she goes to seek out companions who can help her on her journey

Everyone's reasoning to join is still the same as it was in the game

Also this isn't a redesign of them, more like a dungeon meshified version of their clothes + colors so they could fit in better (imo!!)

ok now onto some design notes!

Siffrin

originally he was just gonna be a half-foot, but i realized his wish to be able to stay with everyone would hit harder if he would outlive them, so i made them a half elf- halffoot

i removed his hat purely for aesthetic reasons lol, i think he would stand out too much in the dungeon meshi universe with it, but i suppose its true for ingame too so maybe ill give ut back to him if he behaves well

i also wanted to remove his hat so i could see the top if his beatifiul head

his poncho is a bit different, just a few small details so it would better in universe i think

he lost his eye in one of the previous dungeons they were going through

Mirabelle

she's still part of the change religion

i felt like her being an elf is pretty much perfect, no notes on that

i did have marcille in my mind while designing her outfit, and also theyre kinda similar overall i think?? idk but i love both of them

i gave her braids because its canon in the dungeon meshi universe that taking good care if your hair+unique hairstyles strengthen your magic and also i think its cute

Bonnie - the senshi of the group!!!

i wasn't sure what race i should make them at first because they're a kid so theres no point in chosing a shorter race to show their size i thought, but then i remember how cute gnomes are in the verse with their big ol ears so thats what they are haha

their design is probably my favorite out if anyone as well

i imagined they would join pretty much the same way senshi did

Odile

her race was also pretty much immediately decided

her clothes were the biggest struggle for me, not only figuring out how to make them look a bit more medieval-like but also the colors

i decided a while ago in my head that odiles color palette would be blue but it was still a struggle making her coat not look like a lab coat lol

maybe that was the intention but i really just wanted her to appear like a normal adventurer

Isabeau

as you can see on the page i have the least amount of ideas for him lol

i pretty much just had laios in my head while i was designing him

i do feel a bit bad for taking away his stripes and silly looking belt thingy but i felt its a bit too much for the dunmeshi verse

thats pretty much it i think!! not sure if i will draw more of this au, i just mainly wanted to get it out ot my head cus its been rotating in it since i played the game

[alllgator-blood]

hymns of the unholy drops tomorrow, I'm gonna make a track tier list but here's my initial thoughts before it comes out:

This feels worthy of a "read more" just because there's no pictures to look at and it's four paragraphs. TL;DR the album is very cheesy but I'm literally so excited I'm gonna stay up all night so I can listen to the new album the second it drops. The overly critical part of my brain is telling me I shouldn't derive enjoyment from this album unironically but I'm not gonna obey, I am cringe and free and I'm gonna crank this shit with no shame cause it's the game I like...IN MUSIC FORm

[gif meant to represent me randomly busting it down leshy style when I'm home alone, and singing "THE END AWAITS AS THE OLD FAITH TAKES THE LAST OF MY KIIIIINDDDD" over and over]

The lamb's song was kickass and if I heard it in the wild without knowing there was a metal album for this game, I'd spontaneously combust from sheer excitement. It's instantly recognizable and that's kinda all I wanted from it tbh! I've mentioned before that I'm way more of a djent/shoegaze/sludge fan when it comes to metal rather than the genre these songs have been, but I'm literally so excited the bishops are getting some kind of inclusion in a project that I'm gonna crank this album even if it reminds me of the shadow the hedgehog game soundtrack. Tbh this one is so solid that if they JUST announced this one and didn't make the others, I'd still think it'd stand alone quite well for what it is! Edit: I said I'm cringe and free, why did I spend half this section dunking on the genre.....

Leshy's song..........was totally lame but in an epic way, like the first time I listened to it I thought it was fine! But when I actually read the lyrics I had tears streaming down my face from laughter. I screamed out loud when the guy basically says "btw my name is leshy :)", the lyrics are actually so fucking bad. But c'mon it's LESHY he's the littlest brother, if anyone got a corny ass song it should really be him. The shredding solo at the end is fucking hilarious and if he was in charge of his own song, he 10000% would request that specific ending. Musically, this one sounds the least like the source material so far but it's got that arpeggio from his + amdusias' theme and that's arguably the most iconic part. Also, "DAYLIGHT WILL COME UNDONE AS WE ECLIPSE THE SUN" is insane and is the best part besides describing his blindness as "ETERNAL NIGHTFALL"

Heket's song...........It has my favorite lyrics so far but the vocal work after the 40 second mark had to grow on me. I can't describe it but it sounds like that post grunge style and as a grunge fan, post grunge is my biggest opp in the music world. I was hoping they'd get a female singer for this but for heket specifically I can understand why they didn't. The actual lyrics in the song are fuckin badass, when it gets to the "MAKE YOUR PEACE, CREATURE" part I always turn it up to a deafening volume because it goes BALLISTIC. Genuinely my favorite part of any of these songs so far. I adore that her characterization in this song is layered and isn't just "I'm leshy, I'm made of plants or something and also I'm gonna kill you", it goes through her arc PERFECTLY imo!! Instrumentals in this one are better than the leshy song as well, I really like that they brought back the pitch bending/choppy sampling from the ost for this one

I'm on my hands and knees begging for the shamura song to be good, the leshy song had me worried but they came in clutch for heket. If they don't work in shamura's iconic lines from the game, I'm gonna cry inside I think- I'll forgive a lame kallamar song but ONLY if it's funny. Narinder's theme is gonna be hard to fuck up imo I have faith it'll be top tier

[unionizedwizard]

now i'm thinking about who among the scions would be the best at grillin' (not including the wol who might very well be a lvl 100 culinarian in anyone's specific timeline, obviously)

urianger: not great, as we've established

thancred: i THINK he got better at it after spending five years (!) on the run in the wilderness with a teenage girl honestly. if only thanks to sheer practice. and he's versatile enough that he could be a decent cook imo. still okay at best probably though, his dad card doesnt got that far (F)

y'shtola: i don't believe she was put on kitchen duty even once during her time among the night's blessed. she can probably make various healing potions and basic meals (SOMEONE had to help with matoya's meals. that's what apprentices are FOR!), and she obviously does have a great mastery over fire (euphemism), but she wouldn't want to grill in the first place. she's sitting by poolside drinking rosé and having fascinating conversations

estinien: i do agree with lizzie here, estinien probably would be good at it provided he's familiar with everything involved in the process, and he probably would rather actively but quietly take care of business & help in a concrete way, while being removed from the action.

alphinaud: no. let him build the fire and set up the bbq and send him to go help with the potato salad or something. not sure he can tell rare and medium rare apart. he's very eager to help and learn but wouldn't ask for grilling duty because he knows it's not his specialty

alisaie: this is a baby butchling who wants nothing more than out-grill EVERYONE. i don't think she'd be good at it (yet) but she's definitely staying around and helping and learning, eagerly trying to prove herself. i think she'd have hunted and then prepared the animal the meat came from in the first place. give it a few years and she'll be the ultimate bbq dad But A Dyke, i just know it.

g'raha: would not ask for grilling duty but would not be bad at it if given the chance. between the 100+ years of survival mode & his experience as a broke student doing field work (not to mention potential childhood experiences - grilling meat seems to be a staple of seeker culture all across the world), i think he's seen enough to know what he's doing, but as grilling is some kind of Important Position With Responsibilities, he'd let anyone who thinks they can do a better job than him handle it, and compliment the result no matter how terribly wrong it went

krile: can't say i'd see her want to do it in the first place. her job both as a scion and as a student of baldesion has always been very firmly confined to intellectual, diplomatic & magical duties, and she's been a city girl her entire life. she would help in a thousand little ways including making sure everyone feels included because she's really good at handling social gatherings, without showing it

tataru: could and would out-grill the world's most renowned chefs. they're gonna have to invent a new dellemont d'or prize for grilling specifically after tasting her cooking. she's standing on a stool wearing a pink apron the whole time. the local restaurant owners are having a personal crisis and begging her to teach them her ways.

[echobx]

Rafe x reader request:

In episode "Parcel 9," the group plans to cut off a house's power, but they accidentally alert the elderly resident, who defends her home with gunfire. Reader gets injured, and despite objections, they're forced to leave her behind. Later, Rafe overhears their conversation, outraged by their abandonment. Determined to make things right, he enlists Barry to rescue Reader. Rafe finds Reader injured but alive, becoming her unexpected hero, and they bond through the ordeal.

Sorry it’s so long Xx

The Cellar - Rafe Cameron × fem!reader

summary: see ask

warnings: mention of reader's leg being injured, other than that none

word count: 1k

author's note: idk why it took me so long to finish this 😭 and now the formatting is (imo) bad bc I don't have my laptop here with me but I wanted to post this anyway. it's roughly edited but not much.

“We don't have a choice,” John B yells and pulls Sarah with him, leaving you stuck under the wooden pillar.

“Sarah!” you cry out but her boyfriend has already pulled her away, out of the cellar and away from you.

You do your best to contain your sobs and cries of pain, not wanting to alert the old lady again. Time passes slowly and you feel yourself growing weaker.

Unbeknownst to you Rafe has his ears perked, listening to John B promise Sarah to go back later that night to get you, but he doesn't sound convincing. Rafe quickly pulls out his phone and texts Barry to meet him at the Crain house.

When they get there it's already getting darker, and they have to use their flashlights to see around the garden and find their way into the cellar.

“John B? JJ?” you whisper as you hear someone enter the cellar, but the voice that answers is not one you are familiar with.

“You really think those two are gonna come back to get you?” Barry laughs quietly before you can see him.

“How'd this happen?” Rafe asks, reaching over to brush over your cheek, removing your tears.

“The old witch shot at us and then this thing fell on my leg and-” You stop before you start crying again and Rafe nods.

“Gonna get you out of here, love,” he promises and turns to Barry. They lift the pillar and you manage to scoot out from under it.

Rafe picks you up and carries you out and towards his car. He saved your life and you don't even know how he knew where to find you. But most of all you wonder why he cares enough to do it.

The ride is quiet, apart from his rather aggressive taps against the steering wheel, or the fact that he's 10 mph over the speed limit.

“Why did you come and get me?” you ask quietly after he puts you down on the couch in his home.

“Because you deserve better to be left alone and all,” Rafe runs his hand over the back of his neck. You have never seen him nervous. As a matter of fact, you have never seen much of him at all, especially not on your own. But now that he's standing in front of you, you get a clear look at him; furrowed brows, lips pressed to a thin line, his hair hanging into his face.

“The doctor will be here in a bit to check on you,” Rafe pulls your attention back to the present.

“Oh, I'm fine, really,” you lie and try to get up, but he catches you just as your legs start to give out from under you.

“I can see that,” he huffs and puts you back down on the sofa.

The doctor comes and leaves rather quickly, only prescribing bed rest and a special ointment for the bruises on your leg, as well as pain medication.

“Maybe I should get you cleaned up before we start the bed rest part of this,” Rafe mumbles and picks you up to go upstairs without you being allowed to say anything about it. It's like he has taken over and you're unsure if you really want to complain about it, about giving parts of your freedom away to him.

He helps you undress with his eyes closed. It's a funny game because he really doesn't want to cross a boundary with you, but he also can't see which makes you giggle when he accidentally grabs your boob instead of your arm and then he jumps back and nearly falls over all by himself.

“I didn't mean to do that,” he apologizes but you keep laughing.

“It's okay.”

His eyes are still closed when he helps you in the bathtub, only opening them after you have confirmed that your bubble bath is covering you completely.

“You can open your eyes again,” you giggle, and he peeks one eye open before looking at you fully. “Didn't think you'd be so weird about potentially seeing some boobs.”

“I'm trying this new thing called, being respectful. Apparently, girls are into that kinda shit,” Rafe says and flashes his eyebrows at you while pulling a small stool over to sit down next to the tub.

“No way!” you fake a gasp and he smiles.

“Yeah, you would be surprised how well it's working.”

“Is it?” you ask and he nods, gnawing at his bottom lip.

“Can I be honest with you?” you ask and he nods. “I always thought you were worse. I mean, you're not the best, still-”

“Not my fault you hang out with assholes,” he shrugs and you roll your eyes.

“I hang out with Sarah, and Sarah has friends who are not always as bad as you think. I know JJ would've come back to get me,” you argue.

“Did he, though?” Rafe remarks snidely.

“Eventually they would’ve.” You are sure of it, your friends had never left you behind before, surely it had been a mistake.

“I can bring you back there if you're so sure,” Rafe suggests and you shudder.

“No, thank you. The old witch had a fucking rifle.”

“See,” Rafe chuckles softly and you can't help but gaze at him, at how pretty he looks.

You keep talking, getting to know him better, really. You learn that he, just like you, doesn't have the best relationship with his dad, always trying to get approval from the parent. And you learn that he likes bikes, and only golfs to annoy the old fuckers on the course.

And after you're done bathing he gives you some clothes he found in Sarah's room and you lie down on his bed, eating pizza and watching a movie.

“It's the best because they are both doing the same thing and in the end, all their efforts go out of the window because they realize they belong together,” you sigh happily as the movie starts playing. Rafe pulls you into his side, and you let him. And although he's not a fan of rom-coms, he sits with you, more focused on your reactions to the film than the actual screen.

And while he's watching you, he can't help but thank your dumb Pogue friends for leaving you behind and giving him a chance to win you over.

part 2

please don't copy and/or post my work onto other platforms! ~e©ho

taglist: @ijustwantttoread @spideysimpossiblegirl @redhead1180 @princessmaybank @kys4-20 @drwstarkeyy @immyowndefender @julczimozart @notdxbya

[legendsofamultishipper]

So, since TOWL started, but even moreso after this episode, we've been discussing when was the exact moment Rick & Michonne fell in love.

Here are my thoughts.

-For Michonne, I think it's obvious and Danai already said as much. It was when she watched Rick bite a man's throat out to save his son. She saw that this man (a man she cared deeply for, a man she was very attracted to) was willing to do absolutely anything for his family and she realized he was the one. This was the man she loved. This was the man she wanted. For herself and for the future family they were already building.

-For Rick, I think it was a more gradual process. The attraction was there from day 1. From the moment he saw her standing at that fence. Sure, he was still grieving and half out of his mind, but he could see the woman standing in front of him was out-of-this-world gorgeous and their chemistry was undeniable. He could feel that tension between them even if his mind wasn't there yet.

-I think he started to fall for her in "Clear." The moment she told him she knew he'd been seeing things and she could relate, he realized she saw HIM. She saw him and accepted him in a way no one else could. What was he going to do, NOT fall for this amazing woman who understood him in a way no one ever had? Please.

-I think he fell in love with her more and more each day, but when did he actually realize he was in love with her? Imo, it was when they got to Alexandria. When he had time to take a moment to really process everything they'd been through. He takes a minute to himself and it dawns on him that he's in love with Michonne. But also, he can't be.

-Because Michonne is his son's best friend. She and Carl, they've built this incredible bond and it's precious. It's too precious to put at risk. Rick starts to worry that if he and Michonne get together, it could damage the relationship between Michonne and Carl. And Rick can't do that. He can't take that away from them. He loves his son and he loves Michonne and he won't risk hurting either of them.

-So he makes a decision. He and Michonne can't be together. At least not now. Maybe, when Carl is older. Maybe once his son has formed close bonds with other people like the one he shares with Michonne...but not now. Not when Carl and Michonne need each other. So it can't happen.

-And as Rick is trying to figure out how to suppress his feelings for Michonne, Jessie is there. And she's nice and pretty and suffering in a bad marriage to a bad man and that's a problem Rick can actually do something about. He can get this woman and her kids away from her pos husband so they can be safe. Now he's got something to focus on. Now he's got a mission that will take his attention away from the breathtaking woman he's in love with but can't actually be with.

-And so he uses Jessie as a distraction. Now, let's be clear, he doesn't do this on purpose. Rick is a good man and he would never intentionally use someone in that way. He just wanted to help this woman escape her abusive husband. But she's kind to him and she reminds him of Lori so they form a connection. And it's good. Or it could be good. If he works at it. If he tries. It could maybe, someday, turn into something good for both of them.

-But then Carl is shot and everything changes. I think, even if Jessie had lived and it had been some random kid who shot Carl, their relationship would be over. Because now Rick knows what matters to him. He knows WHO matters to him and it's not Jessie. It's Michonne. It's only ever been Michonne. And while he's still worried about how Carl might react, he can't deny his feelings anymore. So he's going to tell her how he feels.

-But how does he do that? How can he make his move on the woman who means everything to him? Where does he even start showing her how much he loves her? He's still trying to figure that out when she gives him an opening. The toothpaste. She needs something and he can give it to her. Sure, it's a small gesture, but it's a way to start showing her how he feels. He can do this. He's going to do this. He's going to bring her a whole damn truck full of toothpaste until his plans get shot to hell.

-So he gives her the mints. It's not what she wanted, but maybe it's enough. And it is. Because she doesn't need the toothpaste or the mints or any other small romantic gesture. She needs him. She needs him the way he needs her. She LOVES him the way he loves her and all that worrying was for nothing. Because Carl is going to be fine. (😭) His relationship with Michonne is unshakable. And whatever weirdness he feels at seeing Rick and Michonne together is something they can deal with. As a family. Because that's what they are. That's what they've always been.

.....Anyway.......those are my thoughts :)

When do YOU think Rick & Michonne fell in love?

[totally-not-niyah]

Arranged Marriage - Part Two

(felt like the gif was really fitting for the ending scene of this) - Pairing: Loki x Reader Notes: Here it is! The significantly better, longer, second part of my arranged marriage story :) this one capped at 4k+ words and it's lowk one of my best works to date imo <3

=

Never in your life did you ever think you’d be excited at the prospect of marriage, especially one you never chose to have in the first place. 

But now, here you were, waiting in the gardens for your betrothed, the second son of the king of Asgard, Loki Odinson. 

In the couple of weeks you had known Loki, you felt yourself growing more and more attached to his person. There was always this lightness in your body whenever the two of you were together, like he was lifting your heart, even with just his smile. 

Everything about him was amazing. His kindness, the way he carried himself, the occasional mischievous glint in his eye whenever he’d get ready to do something silly and send you both into laughing fits afterwards. Just his overall company made you happy. 

You couldn’t help but notice a tight feeling in your chest whenever you were with him, like a feeling being caged inside, yet trying to make its way into the light. It reminded you of the stories your mother used to tell you about her and your father before he passed, how it was a sign that she was in love with him. 

But it was too early to be in love with Loki, wasn’t it? 

“There you are.” 

You pushed the thought aside as you heard that familiar voice, turning around to see the same man you were just pondering over. 

“I was wondering if you’d ever show up,” you said with a teasing smile. “Apologies, darling,” he said with a small laugh. “I lost track of time in the library.”

“I thought you said you’ve read every book in there?” 

“Oh, I have! But you haven’t.” After he says those words, you watch as he pulls out a couple different books from behind his back and presents them to him. “I…figured maybe I could read my favorites to you.” 

You tilted your head to the side, your lips curling upwards even further as you felt your heart fluttering. 

“Really? That sounds fun.” 

Loki seemed to share the same excited manner as you did, eagerly taking the seat beside you on the bench when you patted it. 

He let you pick the first choice, to which you chose one with a dull blue cover, the two of you sitting together peacefully as the sun gleamed down on your bodies. 

Loki’s voice was gentle yet accentuated as he read to you, and you conclude in your head that you could fall asleep every night just by listening to the soothing sound of his voice. 

Norns, you really were bad for this man, weren’t you? 

Unfortunately, your peaceful little bubble was broken when a guard came rushing forward, bowing his head as he approached your view. 

“My lady, I’m very sorry, but your mother has urgently requested your presence.”

You sighed inwardly at the news, feeling your muscles tense in preparation for the encounter you knew was coming. If she was urgently searching for you, it couldn’t have been anything good. 

“Of course,” you sighed, standing up from the bench and giving Loki an apologetic look. “Will you wait for me?” “Or, better yet, I could accompany you.” 

You let out a sigh of relief, grabbing his hand. “Oh, you’re a lifesaver, let’s go.” 

=

“Mother?” you called, pushing open the large golden doors. “You’re looking for me?” 

“(Y/n), there you are,” she said. “I know this is very last minute, but we must travel back home, we have some things to discuss with the royal advisory before we finish planning your wedding.” 

The words made your shoulders slump in disappointment. “But do I have to go? You handle all of the advisory meetings by yourself, anyways.”

“Yes, but dear, those things were never about your wedding,” she stresses, giving you a look that told you there is no way to get out of this. “The sooner we leave, the sooner we come back, yes?” 

You give her a reluctant nod. “Right.” You then turn to look at Loki. “I'm sorry…for cutting our day together short.” 

“There's no need to worry,” he said with an understanding smile, taking one of your hands in his. “Here.” 

His free hand lifted up slightly, and a green light began to emit from his palm until it materialized the book he was reading to you earlier. 

“You can write to me while you're away. Tell me what you think when you've finished.” 

You felt your face getting warmer, but you hoped at least it wasn't showing. 

“I will,” you told him, nodding your head in confirmation. The two of you just stood like that in silence for a while, like both of you wanted to do something, but at the same time, wanted to see if the other would jump at it instead. The staring went on for so long that your mother had to clear her throat to break up the eye contact. 

“Right,” you murmured, blinking and looking away. “I'll see you again soon?”

“Very soon, darling,” he promised. 

And so you traveled back home with your mother, anticipating the moment you would see your betrothed again. 

Being in your home realm took longer than you thought. 

You never realized how much planning actually goes into a wedding, not to mention that because both families involved in the marriage party are of importance, and for the future alliance of kingdoms, for some reason, everything had to be incredibly extravagant. 

By the end of every night, you were wiped out. Even so, you made an effort to read at least half of a chapter of Loki’s book every single night, and write notes about different parts of it to share with him in a letter. 

The letter writing exchange helps you feel closer to Loki without actually being close. Although it takes time for the both of you to receive, read, write, and send back another letter in reply, it was nice to still get to talk to him despite the distance. 

You talked about nearly everything occurring in your life and realm. Like how a noble had invented something called “Pigeon Gossip” where one person writes in a scroll about the latest drama, mass produces it, and sends it on dozens of pigeons for all to know. That was his favorite one, and you promised him that you’d try to get Pigeon Gossip more known in Asgard.

Eventually, though, as the writing progressed, you'd found out through one of his letters that Loki had been struggling mentally. You worried, of course, and would always try to send him a positive message back, especially since you couldn't be there to help. He never mentioned what exactly it was that he was struggling with, and you never tried to push for answers, just tried to help him through it. 

And then he was better, which you were thrilled to hear. The letters continued on as normal, and the two of you continued your usual conversations. 

But then they stopped.

When your letter went unanswered for more than a week it gave you concerns, and when it went on to a month you decided to write again.

And again.

And again.

You couldn't figure out an answer as to why the letters stopped so abruptly. And, to add to your 'luck,’ you still weren't able to leave your home realm to investigate. Even still, you wanted to know that he was okay. 

So you wrote one last letter. 

And to your delight, it was answered, but it was short lived.

Reading over the words, your mind went blank and you could feel your heart shatter. Tears came to your eyes as you reread it twice.

Three times.

Four.

And every time, it was the same writing. 

The letter came, not from Loki, but from his parents, the king and queen of Asgard, to inform you that Loki had passed weeks ago. They expressed their sadness and condolences to you, and unsurprisingly, a tear or two fell onto the paper as your eyes skimmed over the words for a final time.

As you felt the burn of repressed sobs in your throat, you finally let it go. Hot tears came streaming down your face as realization fully hit you, and you moved the parchment away from you to keep it out of the line of fire - or rather, water.

Too wrapped up in the sudden news, you failed to hear your mother enter your room until her voice was more audible. 

“(Y/n), we've been looking for you, we need to discuss-” 

She cuts her statement short when she notices your tear stained face, and the way your eyes are blank, as if you're trying to inwardly suppress something, but the evidence is still clear as day. 

Her tone of voice is gentle as she walks towards you, kneeling down beside you. 

“Sweetheart, what's wrong?” she asks. 

For the first time since she's been inside the room, you finally look her in the eyes. 

Your voice was strained as you spoke and more tears escaped your eyes. Clearing your throat, which did next to nothing, you choked out, “He’s gone.”

There was a long air of silence between the two of you, like she was looking for the words to say. Eventually, she just puts a gentle hand on your back and sighs, “I’m sorry, sweetie.”

You let out more shaky breaths then furrowed your brows at her, “You…You already knew, didn’t you?”

Her silence answered for her. 

You got up angrily, sliding the wooden chair across the floor with a harsh noise, “I cannot believe you right now.”

“Y/N I can explain-”

“NO. YOU COULD HAVE TOLD ME THIS WEEKS AGO. BUT YOU DIDN’T.”

She walked up to you cautiously with her hands raised in front of her, “I didn’t know you just now got the news, Y/N, I promise you. I hadn’t said anything about it because I wanted to give you time to grieve.”

Scoffing, you turned back to her, “You thought I was sending letters to a ghost as a coping mechanism or something? Who thinks that?”

“Listen, some people find different ways to grieve over someone they cared about,” she reasons. “I just…you seemed like everything was normal, I thought maybe you were just trying to forget about it or something. It should've been obvious that you didn't know, and I'm sorry, but… there's not much else for me to say.” 

There was too much overwhelming information going on for you to fully process at one time, so your mother, after another soft spoken apology, left you with your thoughts and feelings. 

Unfortunately, it didn't last long. 

With about maybe 3 days to cope, your mother came with some news that you were less than happy to hear. 

As your door creaked open you pushed down your quilt to see who came in, rolling your eyes at who you saw. “Have you come with more news that’s a month late? You’re slower than most Pigeon Gossip.”

As she stayed silent, you sat up, your hair an unruly mess but you couldn’t care less, “What is it now?”

She cleared her throat and slowly looked at you, “I’m afraid that, even though Loki is gone, the treaty between our realm and Asgard must go on.”

Your eyes widened as you realized what she meant and you rapidly shook your head negatively. “No, no. You are not having me marry Thor!”

“There is no other way, young lady! You will marry the prince of Asgard and that is that!” She yelled, stomping out of your room and closing the door with a loud slam.

You felt like your life was slowly falling apart as the hours went by. 

You thought nothing bad of Thor, truly, he was as kind as they come, but he wasn't the one you wanted to marry. And although you tried explaining that to your mother at a later time, she ignored your pleas for the simple excuse that your realm needed this alliance, and that it was your duty to see it through. 

It felt like when you first found out the news of an arranged marriage all over again. 

Even worse, when the two of you returned to Asgard, you and the eldest son of Odin– per your mother's request– found yourselves on a date to “get better acquainted with one another.” 

You were less than thrilled. 

The afternoon spent together was filled with awkward silence and weird glances, and when one of you decided to occasionally bite the bullet and ask a question, it was short worded replies before the silence continued. 

Eventually, though, Thor brought up the cause of the barrier of silence in the first place. 

“...I wanted to express my condolences on behalf of my brother,” he said. “I could tell you care for him, despite the circumstances and the…short amount of time you spent together.” 

You didn't verbally reply, instead offering him a faint nod of appreciation. The whole situation hurt, but even still, there was one question lingering in the back of your mind. 

“...How did he die?” 

Thor's gaze casts downwards at the memories of the events leading up to the death of his late brother. 

“There were a few secrets…family issues that caused a rift between our family,” he began to explain. “Loki took it hard. He struggled with the discoveries. And then our home was invaded by frost giants. We tried to fight them off, but Loki wasn't entirely focused, and…” 

He didn't want to say the rest, knowing it was self explanatory regardless. You didn't have a good reply to offer, so you just remained silent, allowing that information to sink in. 

It's only more uncomfortable after that. 

Conversations form between the two of you every now and then, but it's nothing more than the basic, bland topics. Even so, only two or three sentences between each of you pass before that thick silence takes its place again. 

You didn't want to seem rude, but you weren't up for this. You were still emotionally coping, not to mention the overwhelming prospect of being forced to marry the brother of your late betrothed. 

 Eventually, the two of you stop to sit in the middle of the flower field, just taking in the atmosphere. It relaxes you a little, seeing as your shoulders are no longer as tight and drawn in. 

After a while of quiet, Thor pipes up. 

“My lady, I think you and I can both agree that this arrangement is rather…” 

“Disappointing? Absurd? Soon?” You listed off multiple possibilities to complete his sentence. 

“Something along those lines, yes,” he chuckles a little, which lightens the mood. “I declined, out of respect for both you and my brother, but… our kingdoms must unite.” 

“So you mean there's nothing we can do?” You didn’t even need him to answer that, not with the way his face effortlessly did so on its own. 

Shoulders slumping, defeat slowly washes over you in agonizing waves. You felt just like you had when this arrangement was first conceived — once again unwilling, and yet, without choice.

Despite knowing the odds were not in your favor, you fought hard, in any way you could. You attempted to convince them to delay the wedding for a while longer, but the All-Father and his queen could tell there was more to your continuous requests, and that, below the surface, you truly had no desire to be wed to their eldest son. 

In light of this, Odin summons both you and your mother to the throne room one afternoon. The date of this marriage was inching closer with every passing moment, which meant that the outcome of this meeting would determine your permanent fate. 

When you heard the king tell you that you had the power to call off the wedding if you so desired (considering the circumstances), you were absolutely thrilled. 

But, as it turns out, you were the only one who was. 

Your mother was downright hysterical at the idea of ending the whole arrangement when the date was so close in timing. Before you could even get the words out of your mouth to reply, she cuts in and does it for you. 

“No! The arrangement shall go on, like it was meant to. She’ll do it.” 

Face falling at her declaration, your feet are quick to assume their place beside her. 

“What? But, Mother, no…-” 

“She’ll do it,” her voice is firm, like she’s establishing that you have no say in the matter, leaving you powerless to her once more. “Because she knows how important this is. How beneficial this will be for all of us once the wedding is seen through.” 

As if to add salt to the wound, she turns her head, expectant gaze boring holes into you. 

“Isn’t that right, dear?”

Eyes trained on the floorboards below, you sigh, biting your tongue to avoid saying anything more that wasn’t what she wanted to hear. 

“...I’ll do it.” 

The royals seated on their thrones take a look at both you and your mother, as if they’re hesitant to make a decision, but soon enough, the All-Father speaks.

“Very well. The arrangement will be seen through, and the wedding will go on.” 

And there it was. Your one chance. 

Now it’s gone.

=

The day of the wedding soon arrived, faster than you would’ve liked. 

You had the commotion of the guests of both your home and of Asgard, the chatter amongst each other surrounding the occasion they were attending. 

You sat in one of the rooms close to the ballroom, being fussed over by the female servants as they went around, fixing your dress, adding flowers to your hair, and overall ensuring you looked your best for what was to be the most important day of your life. 

Maybe it would’ve had more meaning if Loki was still here. 

After what felt like forever, the ladies were finally done, and your mother entered the room, stopping to look at you. 

“Look at you!” she says, her voice overly cheery, which you hate to admit sent a hint of irritation through you. “You look absolutely gorgeous, sweetheart.”

“Thank you, Mother,” you replied politely, offering her a tight lipped smile. She comes to stand beside you, looking through the tall mirror you stood in front of. 

“I know this isn’t very…conventional for you, my dear. But…don’t disappoint me.” 

As if there wasn’t enough pressure on you now as it is. It wasn’t about just disappointing her, either. You knew that if you did anything now to cancel this marriage, you’d be looked down on by both your mother and the people of your kingdom. Perhaps even the people of Asgard. 

“Of course not.” The words tasted bitter in your mouth, even more so as you gave yourself a critical glance in the mirror. 

Satisfied with your answer, your mother guides the servants out the door with her, giving you a few moments to yourself before the ceremony begins. 

Looking out the large window, you felt that ache in your chest again. It was just like the one you felt before you left Asgard, left Loki. 

But this time, there was something more to it. Something like…longing? 

You longed for him to return to you. You wished it to every bright star in the night sky as you counted down the days before this had to happen. 

And still, your desires were unmet, leaving you with a hole in your heart. 

That’s when you knew you loved Loki. And your only regret about it was that you couldn’t come to terms with that feeling until after he died. 

A knock on the door pulls you from your storm of thoughts, and you quickly wipe away the tears that strayed down your cheeks before calling the person it. 

It was one of the other servants, alerting you that it was finally time. You followed her out of the room and into the hall, where you had to stand until your name was announced. 

Once you actually started coming down the aisle, it felt like you were being held together by a thin cord. Your legs wobbled with every step, although going unnoticed to the guests thanks to the lower layers of your dress. 

But this place, this room in particular, it reminded you of meeting Loki, dancing with him on the night of your betrothal, the soft smiles and lingering looks the two of you shared—everything was overwhelming your senses all at once, leaving your stomach feeling queasy. 

Finally meeting Thor and standing beside him, you both offered each other smiles; yours was forced, while his was meant to offer you some form of comfort. 

Your head was barely there as you listened to the All-Father’s speech, eyes darting around subtly, glancing at all the people behind you who were watching intently. 

And…maybe your mind was playing tricks on you, but you were almost certain you saw a shimmer of green just outside the window. 

Heart skipping a beat, you let your eyes linger on the view outside for a moment longer, but the longer you watched, the more you told yourself to snap out of it, that nothing was ever there in the first place. 

You force yourself to focus in just in time, because now the king is addressing you.

“And do you, Lady (Y/n), take Thor Odinson of Asgard, to be your lawfully wedded husband?” 

You freeze up, mouth open as if to say something, but the words seem to fail to materialize in your brain so that they can come out. 

“Um, I…” 

Just as you get ready to force out your answer, the large golden doors to the ballroom open up with a heavy thud, along with a pair of footsteps rushing to meet the altar. 

“Wait!!” 

Your stomach both flips and drops at the familiar voice, and as he gets closer, you see his face for what felt like the first time in forever. 

He’s alive. Loki is alive. 

“Loki…?” You have to say his name out loud, to hear him respond, to make sure this isn’t all some cruel trick you’ve conceived for yourself to get through this dreadful event. Emerald green eyes meet yours, filled with both relief and happiness as he starts to smile. 

The guests gasp and murmur amongst themselves, but all either of you can focus on is each other. Loki continues hurrying over to get to you, and you grab the large skirts of your dress to meet him halfway, colliding with him in a rushed embrace. 

He picks you up, arms tight around your waist as he spins you in a circle.

You say his name again, your voice trembling as it comes out in a mixture of a laugh and a sob, your tear-glazed gaze looking over him while your hands hold his face in a delicate manner. His hands release your waist, setting you back down on your feet, letting his touch trail up to your upper arms. 

“You’re… you’re alive,” comes your quiet observation, watery smile forming on your lips. 

“I’m alive,” he responds, ducking down to rest his forehead against yours. “I’m here, darling.” 

“But how? They said-… You’re supposed to be-”

However, he’s a lot more interested in you than in answering your blossoming inquiries, which you soon realize when he gently cradles the back of your head, pulling you ever closer until he’s within range to kiss you, his soft lips aligning perfectly with yours. 

Every circuit in your body completely shorts out for a second, as you finally experienced what you’ve only dreamed of for the longest time. You start coming to, melting into the sensation of your lips brushing together, before you pull apart, and inevitably return for more, unable to untangle yourselves from the other. 

It takes the approach of footsteps behind you for the both of you to separate, turning around to face your lover’s family, who look just as surprised as you feel. 

“��Loki?” His brother is the first to say something. “How is this possible? I…I watched you die. You fell off into space.” 

The raven-haired man gives the blond a small smile, reaching a hand on to grip his brother’s shoulder, giving it a squeeze. 

“Come on,” he drawls. “What did you expect?” 

You watch as Thor’s bewildered face shifts into one of amusement, letting out a hearty chuckle as he pats Loki on the back before they too embrace each other. 

Queen Frigga approaches her youngest son, taking his hands into her own and smiling warmly. 

“Welcome back,” she says. 

“Thank you, Mother.” 

“Well, then,” Thor begins, turning to you. “Sister, would you give me the honor of handing you off to my brother in marriage?” 

You blink a couple times, surprised by the sudden change of subject. “Wait, what? Now?” 

“Yes! There’s no better time than now!” 

“He’s right, my dear,” his mother agrees, nodding her head. “The ceremony has already started. So then, if you’re still willing to marry our son…”

Locking eyes with Loki again, he carries the same expression that you do. But soon, that look fades, forming into something much softer, a sparkle coming to life. It makes you smile, feeling like you’re on the same page with one another. 

You’d love nothing more than to marry him right now.

[1moreff-creator]

Who do you think will survive the killing game??? ( also if you were already asked this my B )

:D

Hi! Don’t worry, I don’t think I’ve ever talked about it, so I had to give it some thought :p It’s an interesting question, so let’s see!

As a TL;DR, my “most likely,” in order and assuming a standard killing game formula (obviously the amount of survivors could be way different), are Teruko - J - Whit - Rose - Levi

Spoilers up to CH2 EP15

Of course, there’s one character that’s already kinda locked in as a survivor (assuming a more or less standard fangan ending and not an “everyone dies” sorta situation), and that’s Teruko. While there were theories about a possible protag switch post-LGI release, I’ve never found them particularly believable, and I don’t really think they’re very popular anymore.

The next character that’s basically a survivor already is Min, because if I never accept her death, she will always be alive in my books. /j

Yeah honestly after Teruko my confidence on survivor guesses drops dramatically, since there’s obviously no good way to tell.

Still, one character that particularly stands out to me is J. I have my reasons to believe she might become the primary support character a la Kirigiri, and while that doesn’t guarantee survival, I’d say it ups the chances a bit.

As to why I believe that… well here’s the thing. I’m kinda planning to make a mastermind probability ranking post after CH2 ends, and I’ll talk about my predictions for J in more detail there. As a result, I’d just be repeating myself if I talk about it here. So, I'll give you the quick rundown and leave the more detailed explanation for that post.

Basically, I believe the core theme of DRDT is the concept of “fate” and the possibility of change, where the big climax for Teruko’s character arc in particular (the single most important arc for the narrative, protag privilege) will be rejecting the notion that she’s fated to have bad luck forever. She already talked about it with Xander before he stabbed her, and her primary character foil, David, “covered” Literature Girl Insane. You don’t exactly give that song to a character who is very hopeful for a better future. Even Teruko’s trust issues are born from the belief her bad luck makes betrayal inevitable. And with Ace talking about how he’s “a coward who couldn’t fight his fate” (paraphrased), the connection seems more solid than ever.

J is important in that context because her entire character is sorta designed around the concept of rejecting fate, the thing Teruko needs to “learn to do” as it were. J was born into stardom and fame, born “lucky” (LGI numeral number seven symbolism go brr), but hides it and rejects her birthright down to her secret quote, “Please don’t call me your daughter ever again.” If Charles and Eden are the ones who are trying to get Teruko to trust again, I see J as the one who has the best shot at convincing her that she’s not doomed by the universe itself, giving her the best shot at survival out of any non-protag imo.

Also, silly yet existent argument: the CH1 title screen had Teruko (and Xander), the CH2 had J. Is it possible the survivors will each be featured in one screen? Probably not, but still.

The next one’s Whit. DRDT seems committed to explore its characters as much as possible before they die (which I think we all agree is awesome), and that means those that haven’t been fully explored or developed yet have a higher chance of a late run, thus a higher chance of survival. This applies to J and Rose somewhat, but it applies to Whit especially. I sometimes feel that we know more about Mai Akasaki than we do about Whit, which should tell you something.

Contrast that to Charles, who is absolutely dying sometime soon (imo). Even ignoring the “Charles dead at three” Whit comment from the prologue, Charles’ character arc is a little too complete for me to think it’s likely he stays ‘till the end. After we close out the Elliot subplot (which could easily be in CH3 given Elliot’s MV is already out), killing Charles off would be a good way to really kickstart Whit’s inevitable Breakdown Arc.

Final points to consider about Whit are the fact that luck is mentioned in his character bio, which along with J’s LGI numeral VII and Teruko being Teruko gives him an extra connection to the two survivors I’ve pointed out; and the possibility of him being the mastermind. Again something for the MM post, but put briefly; he’s not a bad mastermind guess, but I think it’s very likely that if he is, he won’t survive, so there’s that.

The next one might be Rose? Recap foil with J, so if the dev wants to explore that to its fullest, Rose will probably make a late run at least. There’s a lot to explore with her character too, but frankly that’s a bit of a moot point; every character in DRDT has a lot to explore.

Even if she’s one of, if not the best pick for mastermind imo, it’s very possible she can be the type of MM to be redeemed and survive alongside the cast. Again, details will probably have to wait for the mastermind post :v Hate to be saying that so much, but understandably given some of the reasoning is similar, a lot of good MM guesses are good survivor guesses.

As for the fifth most likely… well, this is the reason this post took me a week (this and I was busy :v). See, if you’d asked me during the hiatus, I would have said Ace. Obviously, that wouldn’t have aged very well now would it?

The ask was sent a bit after Ep14, and by the time I got some free time to write this, it was already Wednesday and anything I said about Ace or Eden could have very realistically been proven wrong in just a few days, so I decided to hold off until culprit reveal. And now that Ace is looking like the blackened, I’m pretty glad I did.

This does bring up a curious issue of gender balance. In theory, there’s nothing stopping DRDT’s survivor cast from leaning one way or the other, but generally survivor casts do try to keep it as equal as possible. And with three women already listed, even putting Nico here would cause an imbalance. But the thing is… I don’t see almost any of the men surviving?

Hence, Levi. I frankly have no clue where his character is going with the recent reveals and the fact Ace is dying soon; I could just as easily see him as the second CH3 victim (if there are two) or fulfilling “buff character curse” by dying in 4. But… not knowing where someone’s arc is going is kinda the reason Whit is up there, so I’m using the same reasoning. It’s my least confident guess, so yeah. He’d certainly be an interesting survivor at least, I wonder how he’d play off the mastermind in trial 6.

To quickly cover the other characters, I’ll go in order of least likely to survive to most likely. Excusing the dead, of course.

-Ace: He’s technically still alive, but, uh… uh…

-David: If he were to survive, he’d need to go on a near identical arc to Teruko, which is… hard to imagine properly working. He’ll make a late run, probably, but I can’t see him reaching the sixth.

-Charles: Already explained.

-Arturo might be a little too insane to work. It’s hard to imagine a sixth trial with Arturo of all damn people around. Especially if J’s there.

And… those are kinda all the guesses I have for who is (in my belief) 100% dying. I could actually see every other character being a survivor :v

-Veronika runs into the same issue as Arturo; it’d be hard to let the mastermind do MM stuff when this girl’s there simping for them. However, I could see a world where dev keeps her for the psychoanalysis of the MM… kinda. Frankly, she should be in the “no chance” list, but… she’s my favorite alongside Min so let me have hope!-

-Nico has the advantage that they’re the only way to make a cast of 5 survivors perfectly balanced in terms of boys and girls; two of each and Nico. But that’s not very strong. The main issue is that I don’t really know what could happen with them in the remaining chapters that would advance their character to a point they’re a survivor, if that makes sense. Maybe if Rose makes it?

-Hu is weird. From what we’ve seen in the series, she would make a pretty compelling survivor. But… her secret quote…

Hu: I want to pay for what I’ve done. But even then, I still want to live.

Like, that’s the most “blackened” line in history; do you wanna state your victim’s name while you’re at it? Part of me wants to say that’s too obvious and the line will have a different context, but… it’s a secret quote in the source code of her character page. It’s not that obvious to anyone who follows the series more casually.

-Eden: I could see the argument of Eden>Rose (and therefore Eden>Levi as he’s only there due to gender balancing), since our favorite Clockmaker is quite easy to imagine in a final trial setting. The main issue is that… assuming a more or less standard formula, it’d be sorta weird to have someone in the sixth trial who can out-hope speech the protag, and Eden definitely fits that bill. It’s possible she makes it, especially given her involvement in the pre-prologue scene with Xander’s eye, but idk.

Here are a few extra survivor configurations I could see happening! Obviously there’s plenty more, so watch absolutely none of them be right.

Teruko-J-Whit-Eden-Levi/Nico (Teruko MM or dead MM with no “two victims” case)

Teruko-J-Rose/Eden-Levi/Nico (Whit MM)

Teruko-Whit-Rose-Nico (J MM)

Teruko-J-Whit-Hu (Veronika MM)

Teruko-Whit-J-Rose/Eden-Levi-Min?!?! (Min MM)

Teruko-Rose-Eden-Whit-Levi/Nico-Min (Baking Squad Cope!!!)

Teruko-J-Whit-Veronika-Levi/Nico (Why not?)

Everyone (The only right answer)

Thanks a lot for the ask! Fun to ramble about this series lol.

[lovegrowsart]

what do u think of people saying that zuko only helped katara find the tsr because of his own selfish reasons? that he doesn’t care about her like that and just wanted her to stop being mean to him.

thank you for the ask, anon!

i think the first thing to establish is that, imo, it isn't necessarily wholly selfish of zuko to want katara to not be mean to him, even if he comes to a deeper understanding of why she's lashing out at him. it's perfectly within zuko's right to desire being treated well by his peers, especially as someone whose only recently left an extremely dangerous and abusive environment. that is NOT me saying katara is being abusive, she isn't at all, and her anger and distrust towards zuko is also perfectly understandable and relatable, and what's beautiful about their development in tsr is how they work through this conflict together. neither of them are being bad people in this episode - they're both good people that have some damage in their relationship, and i think some fans' attempts to make zuko (or katara ig) out to be the "bad guy" in the situation reductive and quite boring.

still, people generally point to how zuko acts/reacts in the beginning of the episode to paint him as "selfish", because he doesn't realise the depth of katara's hurt re: ba sing se until she yells at him about it - which is the moment that zuko switches from being frustrated with katara's behaviour to understanding and regretful, and immediately asks what he can do make it up to her. when katara lists a few impossible tasks for him, essentially implying that there's nothing zuko can do to improve their relationship and/or ease the hurt and anger she's carrying, zuko goes "well, bet, impossible tasks and relentless determination are my MO!" and goes to sokka, expresses that he cares about what katara thinks of him (as in its not only about wanting katara to stop being mean, but wanting to prove himself to katara, that he's changed for the better and can be there for her/help her), and learns about kya - then he stays outside her tent all night, offers to go on a highly dangerous mission with katara to go after yon rha, and stands by katara when aang and sokka preach forgiveness from their ostrich horse. on the mission, he never once dictates or even suggests what katara should do with yon rha once they find him, and completely follows her lead.

the thing is, if zuko's motivations were wholly selfish and only about getting katara to stop being mean to him, i doubt he would've gone to all those lengths to understand the root of katara's pain and anger (which, again, was never solely about him and what happened in ba sing se), and go on a whole ass mission to hunt down a dangerous someone they know has murdered at least one innocent civilian! it puts zuko at odds with aang and sokka after gaining their trust, which i doubt he wants, it takes time away from training aang and preparing him to face ozai, which i really doubt he wants, and he's going on a mission which someone who doesn't seem to like him all that much atm - not exactly a fun time! if it was really just about getting katara to stop being mean to him sometimes, i don't believe he would've done all that - he would've just accepted his lot and tried to work around katara's behaviour, which was frustrating to him, sure, but he's not thin-skinned or incapable of standing up for himself, he grew up with azula for fuck's sake!

lastly, i think it's pretty obvious that zuko's pretty surprised when katara forgives and hugs him at the end of the episode, which says to me that he wasn't thinking about whether she would do that or not, and certainly wasn't expecting it - which he would've been if his motivations were that selfish, if he was only doing it get katara to chill out or whatever and expected some reward for helping her find yon rha.

anyway, yeah - think i expressed my thoughts on this a bit messily, but tl;dr that i just don't think the way zuko was written and presented in the episode aligns with reading him as being selfish, not after the cliff scene, and tbh that reading often comes from people that have a vested interest in bad faith readings of zuko's character and devaluing zutara's canon development and relationship.

[ann-atar]

Re: Sauron, iterations in TROP

... or my impressions so far, going in the order we were introduced to them/him.

Halbrand-Sauron My least favorite Sauron! Now I have to preface this and say that I was not spoiled, at all, for any of the first season. I didn't look at anything online except the episodes themselves and the trailers/previews, so I really didn't know much about this character except what we were shown, so my initial impression of Halbrand was, I believe, exactly what I imagine the showrunners wanted it to be.

I thought Halbrand was sketchy and, honestly, a bit gross. Not in terms of looks but, like, everything else. His whole personality got under my skin and I could not stand him. (Kudos Charlie Vickers! I didn't know what you were doing at the time but damn.)

I felt for Galadriel because of all the Men she could come across after going through so much, she had to face off against this rather smarmy dude-bro. I was honestly baffled when she wouldn't be talked out of the idea that he was the lost king of the Southlands because it seemed like a wild supposition despite the fact that he had that heraldry. But Galadriel was -- is -- so traumatized that it didn't really matter who he was, she was going to find a cause and a way to fight the Enemy even if she had to elevate this obviously (to us) sketchy person.

My entire reaction to the evolution of Galadriel's fantasy about Halbrand's character was: girl no, girl please, girl stop. Which, rather ironically, was Sauron's initial reaction too. He tried so hard to shake her and it was almost funny, until it wasn't, because Sauron being Sauron means that he can't help but reach for power in whatever form it takes (imo in his mind there was not much difference between an army from the Southlands and the Uruk army, they could both be turned and/or further corrupted to suit his purpose).

The only times I liked Halbrand at all were when he did seem to be trying pretty hard to carve out a new life for himself with the smiths' guild in Numenor. He was honestly really passionate about making things, and it was too bad he couldn't reach for that new life in an above board, straightforward way. But that little spark, which I suppose we might call a hint of Mairon's lost light, was there again when he met Celebrimbor and helped out in his forge. At that point the story turned into more of a tragedy for all of these characters, Sauron included.

But being mildly annoyed and creeped out by Halbrand!Sauron did not prepare me for ...

Uncanny Valley Sauron The version of Sauron we saw in the flashback when Adar tried to kill him was ... unsettling. Too shiny. Wildly out of place. He made my skin crawl and that short scene was amazing because the tension surrounding him was palpable. A whole crowd of Uruk, and Adar, held somewhat in his thrall and tiptoeing around their erstwhile king -- but why? We can't see exactly what came before but it must have been BAD.

I call this version "Uncanny Valley" Sauron because there was something so off about him, and there was also a sense that he was acting out what he thought someone in his position should be doing, playing dress-up for a day or an age, and in a body that he wasn't quite used to, still figuring out what that body should do and say in that particular role and context.

When Adar made to crown him in front of the assembled Uruk, and he swept his cape around himself with that little flourish, I was holding my breath, not just because I was anticipating the inevitable violence but because he was so ... weird. Seriously. When they attacked it was more visceral than I thought it would be, but Uncanny Valley Sauron didn't even die like a being of flesh and blood, which was also unexpected and impressive.

The Uruk impact the surface of him, they break into the shell of his flesh suit until the real "him" escapes, but because they don't understand much about the nature of his being, Adar and the Uruk interpreted that as destruction, as death. Which of course it would have been for almost any other creature, but Sauron is a Maia and they're ... built different.

At that point I think we crossed over into horror territory, and we get to meet ...

Zhajiangmian!Sauron, a.k.a. The Thing Not everyone liked this version of Sauron but I was cheering wildly because not only does it show that his nature is alien, so far from what we know of the other inhabitants of Middle-earth, but it does something else: it shows us, in gruesome detail, exactly what Mairon, a creature of fire and light, was reduced to under Melkor.

That black ooze? It's not his blood, it's him.

Even in the shadow realm he still appears as blackness, decay, and ashes, even if his skin still burns with some of his lost fire, and that's just awful. Thing!Sauron in the rocks beneath the mountain, consuming any spark of life that got too close and then slithering up and up toward the light ... I don't know if this comparison has been made before, but I'm calling this version The Thing because it reminds me somewhat of the creature in the John Carpenter movie from the 80's. In that movie, the thing/alien/creature consumes and mimics any living being, and it's very hard to tell that the person being mimicked isn't "real," or isn't themselves. Until they're cornered, confronted, and inevitably kill again.

In Carpenter's (horror) movie, The Thing mimics life and can take on almost any form, but it seems more inclined to impersonate living things that can communicate. Why? We don't know, we're not told, but it does have an innate drive to keep going, and to continue down a path of death and destruction for as long as it survives.

Of course this is not a complete parallel with Sauron, but it's close, and I can't help but think that's by design. And that we were supposed to consider what kind of being a Maia is, originally, and how much torture of all kinds would be required to transform a brilliant demi-god into the creature (the filth!) that crawled across Middle-earth with a similar appetite for destruction after Adar's attempt to kill it.

Which gives us a great deal of information on the nature of ...

Annatar!Sauron, Celebrimbor's Lord of Gifts If the black ooze under his flesh facade is him, that means that he sacrificed not blood, exactly, but parts of himself to create the Nine. Living parts, like tendrils forged into molten metal and shaped into the rings, connecting his will to the wearer's, his being forever sundered in a desperate bid to connect and dominate, a power over flesh but also made of "flesh," a power that reaches into the unseen world, but at what cost?

It's almost too much, that cost, and talk about horror! Sauron's living essence was forged into the rings, but near the end, in Eregion, it was smeared across Celebrimbor's desk, it was on his skin and under his fingernails, it was in Celebrimbor's hair. Annatar's corrupted essence is all over him, but in the end it doesn't dim Celebrimbor's light ...

After writing that I'm not sure how to convey why Annatar!Sauron is my favorite so far. I suppose I could say that he's the best/worst one to date, and that those actors together, playing Annatar and Celebrimbor, have created a phenomenal version of Sauron in general, and I'm pretty pleased with where this adaptation is taking him.

Sauron is no longer just the final boss in the spiky headgear we saw in the PJ films; after he transformed himself into this "lord of gifts," he's clearly a Maia who was tortured into insanity, whose essence was corroded and corrupted, turned dark and viscous when his nature was bold and bright, who still wants to create something even after ages spent twisting in the dark with no hope of regaining the light. It's a credit to the actor that we can accept that sketchy, sly Halbrand turned into a version of Sauron who was so nuanced and alien, and a credit to the showrunners who were able to let us see that progression.

Anyway.

I've already posted a lot about this latest version of Sauron, and rather than go over old ground and ramble even more wildly I'm going to link a few earlier meta posts here:

Finale Thoughts: Annatar, Celebrimbor, Galadriel

Pre-finale: Annatar, and Celebrimbor understanding the pattern

The Sauron Effect: TROP's Sauron is a great villain

Durin's immunity to the Sauron-effect

I'm still thinking about the relationship between Annatar and Celebrimbor, and the impact that will have on the forging of the One, and will doubtless have more thoughts on that in the future. If you got to the end of this post or have replied to my meta thank you, I'm enjoying the hell out of this show, the performances, and the fandom in general!

[expectopatronum18]

Hot take on Lily's characterization in this fandom

Ik I've written abt this before but I really cannot understand y this fandom insists on limiting lily's characterization to being good and right all the time and making the narrative sympathetic towards her even when she isn't coz ppl don't want haters for her. And this makes sense coming from the new marauders fandom coz they see all of their favs as incapable of being wrong. But I can't understand y the traditional marauders fandom acts this way too coz they tout themselves as being oh so progressive, but they write lily exactly the way rowling wrote her but in a different sense

Rowling wrote all the women in the franchise with the lens of what she sees as an 'ideal woman', but imo lily gets hit by this the most. She exists to further the narratives of other, more important characters, everything we ever hear abt her r positive attributes (harry goes thru tht phase in ootp where he realizes tht his father whom he looked up to so much was a flawed person, for whatever reason his mother is exempted from this), and the highlight of her life was dying for her son(despite the fact tht james did the same and we do know quite a bit abt him).

The conventional view of women has progressed beyond this now, but i d argue tht the underlying issue hasn't been resolved. I get tht fandom is a space for relaxation and fun, but then y do ppl hv a problem with lily being a tad bit flawed in a bad way when the boys r literally out there murdering each other and becoming fascists? The fandom sees her with the modern lens of what an ideal woman is(intentionally or unintentionally)- she's a perfect sjw who starts off with all the right values and has nothing to learn and grow from- she's an ideal feminist, she's always understanding, sympathetic and accepting, she accepts remus instantly, she's the moral voice in the marauders vs snape debate, she always stands up for the underdog, she doesn't let societal prejudices influence her views and waver her morals, etc etc. And while these r undoubtedly very fine qualities to hv, thts not how things work. Ur not being progressive by writing a woman who has no growing and learning to do like a normal person, and who's never allowed to be wrong in a way tht hurts others without making her sympathetic

Let lily be a catty bitch in a way tht can be interpreted as 'cheeky and vivacious' from an outsider's pov. Let lily not hv any proper female friends because she was a popular, well liked girl in high school who wasn't really a girl's girl. Let her be hated by ppl for reasons outside being a muggleborn and being friends with snape. Let her be friendless coz she's just a bad friend, she literally almost smiled when her best friend was being assaulted. Let her be homophobic coz it was the 70s and her social circle consisted of ppl lyk teenage snape and petunia. Let her not be accepting of remus immediately coz the whole ww was prejudiced against werewolves and she's new to it. There r infinite possibilities and none of them need to take away her good aspects in canon, much lyk they don't with the boys

LET HER BE FLAWED AND COMPLICATED AND CONTRAVESIAL COZ WHO CARES, SHE'S NOT FUCKING REAL

[bobbydagen24]

can we talk about how the Tv shows Handle Cloud Guy? and Poppy for that matter.

he's fairly harmless in the films just makes some brief appearances and doesn't outstay his welcome but in the tv shows he pops up quite a lot and he's made into this all powerful bully and honestly straight up stalker.

who messes with people for sadistic pleasure and never really gets any sort of comeuppance for his behaviour except maybe in the episode with his parents but even then he gets what he wants in the end.

and in the Trollstopia episode "" Cloud Control "" it gets worse since we find out he does this with one Troll from each of the other tribes constantly harassing them and showing up to ruin what should be happy occasions for them.

and when the Trolls he harasses get together and finally stick up for themselves he fakes a depressive spout all to guilt them and make them out to be in the wrong.

only for it to turn out to be a big trick and once again the episode ends with the Joke being on the victims.

not only is this kinda disheartening writing imo especially for tv shows targeted towards young children but also it makes Poppy a straight up enabler.

given she goes out of her way to ignore Cloud Guy's actions and demonise others even when he does stuff like flood the village out of spite in the Drought episode when Branch refused to give in to his demands any longer.

and worst of all in Cloud Control when the people who CG picks on finally stand up for themselves she makes out like their in the wrong and downplays his actions.

making out like he was only doing it to secretly help them in his own way and making them apologise because CG feels bad after being stood up to.

to be clear even if it hadn't turned out CG was faking being upset to prank them this would still be awful of poppy as it isn't down to them to take into account his feelings when he never did theirs.

so yeah Poppy just comes across in the Tv shows as some sorta school teacher who ignores blatant bullying but when someone finally snaps and fights back well then she starts taking it seriously.

and if that had been the point of any of the episodes like she had a mini arc of realising why she was wrong well then that'd be fine if anything that'd be great.

but she didn't instead she carry's on defending CGs actions and actively demonises anyone who dares stand up to him.

this is another thing I'm Hoping a Third Tv show will finally fix after all these years hopefully having an episode that finally calls CG out on his actions.

and has Poppy finally stand up to him on behalf of the other people he often harasses maybe Bro zone could be involved as well.

like they see CG harassing Branch as per usual and stick up for him maybe even call Poppy out on her downplaying his actions all the time.

and when CG pulls a prank on Bro zone for revenge Poppy finally steps in and despite CG trying to downplay it as just a joke she firmly scolds him.

and forces him to apologise to Both Bro zone and Branch and tells him if she finds out he's been up to any of his old tricks against any Troll in any of the Tribes well then he'll officially be banished from the village.

and she sends him away with his tail inbetween his legs.

or just something like that ya know? like I said I really feel like if a Third show does get made then this is something they need to fix as the way they've portrayed CG and Poppy in regards to CG is pretty awful imo.

[muffinrecord]

I've been pretty positive about Yuu so far, but watching her magical girl story... hmm.

Basically I like everything about Yuu, but man that serial killer bit is the only thing that really sticks out as an overt bad choice. Having Nagisa stand around and watch Yuu kill people is such a weird choice, it feels more like fanfic than actual canon. Like this doesn't feel like something that could happen in Magia Record-- or hell, even in Madoka Magica either.

For example, Sayaka has a scene on a train where some dudes are being sexist assholes and it's left up to the viewer to decide if she kills them or not. It doesn't go: Sayaka killed them and also they were calling out for help the entire time while Madoka watched you know?

That said, this is something I can see in a bunch of the spinoffs (Kazumi, Oriko, Suzune), but I think everyone agrees that the spinoffs are of dubious quality. I love me the spinoffs but they're a hot mess.

I dunno. It's one thing to know that Yuu is a serial killer, it's another thing to have a character watch her go around and kill people and not intervene in any way. Especially in a story that goes out of its way to not do that. Walpy hitting Kamihama is noted to have no causalities at all (which goes a little too far in the other direction imo but it is what it is), Suzune isn't able to kill anyone in Kamihama and is dealt with by kicking her out (and not killing her), the deaths in arc 2 are mostly accidental and have massive consequences, everyone is forgiven in the end-- this isn't a story that really has "watch someone kill people and do nothing" in it's cards, you know?

I actually liked Nagisa's Wish for a lot of things. For example, I like that Nagisa didn't think she could be a magical girl until she saw Yuu, because she assumed that magical girls had to be good people-- aka, Nagisa did not think she was good. But that's not because Nagisa is a bad person. Nagisa is just unloved, and since she's a young kid, she's internalized that to mean that something is wrong with her, not that something is wrong with her mom. It's heartbreaking to see her go from "I can't be a magical girl," to seeing Yuu the murderer, to then going "oh okay if she can be a magical girl then so can I." Like sweet pea, your mother not loving you is not the same as being a killer. You've done nothing wrong. You are not a bad person for having Feelings and Emotions about the neglect you are experiencing.

However the serial killer/organ seller bit just goes too far for me and it kind of overshadows a lot of the better ideas present in Nagisa's Wish. Like how can you focus on the interesting ideas about justice or self worth when there is a serial killer/organ stealer walking around.

I think that the best qualities of Yuu are her design and how creepy she is-- having her actually go all the way and be a serial killer/organ seller actually makes her less creepy in my opinion. Yada yada, less is more, leave it up to the viewer's imagination. If she was just off, if we just knew that something was wrong with her and that people are disappearing but it's not outright stated what she's doing... I dunno. That would make her a lot more scary to me. A lot of fear can be found in apprehension and outright telling all the details will fill in too many gaps.

Like, the things that we all like about Yuu would be her voice direction, her memory issues, the way her Live2D is designed to be slightly off kilter from everyone else, the gap between her attitude and the darkness she engages in, the weird weaponry she uses and how it changes the way she walks/moves-- all of this is effective because it is offputting and different, not because the narrative is telling us "hey she kills people and sells their organs."

Basically I really love Yuu, but I do have some criticisms for her character and I understand why some folks don't like her.

That said, it did lead to this fantastic line from Kyubey so like,

You take some, you lose some.

[snowblack-charcoalwhite]

I think the best indicator of "love" is screen time and development the characters are getting. Aemond is definitely not loved, perhaps not even liked by this team. He was sidelined in s1 after Driftmark as well, the show never explored the aftermath for him, ignored his trauma, barely showed relationship with his mother etc. But in s1 Aemond was still a compelling character who stood on his own, now in s2 they write him like an afterthought, it feels like they would have left him off screen if he wasn't needed for the plot, they don't develop him, but the audience sees him occasionally so people remember he exists. His sole reason to exist is to be a worse version of Daemon who gets the same character traits except for Daemon's depth and interactions.

It really sucks and imo it also hurts Ewan as an actor, because after all the hype and PR he got, people had their expectations only to see that he was heavily sidelined for... literally everyone else. And now people are criticising Ewan's acting, but what is he supposed to do when his appearances are so short and he isn't given any meaty scenes? Like you can't seriously compare Tom and Ewan's material yet people do this and say Ewan is a bad actor. Olivia's sad eyes are constantly on screen, it's getting tiresome and repetitive, but hey, they need her to have a chance at Emmys. Same with Emma and Matt, they'd rather show Daemon walking around for 10 minutes then give Ewan an extra second. The battle of Rooks rest could have been his moment, but no, it's Fabien who gets the spotlight out of the Greens. Anime villains can't show any emotions apparently! Aemond can only appear on screen for 2 minutes per episode max. This is downright disrespectful, HBO used Aemond and Ewan for promo, tricked fans into thinking Aemond will have a prominent role, but the show treats Aemond and Ewan terribly. People on social media say they want to watch HOTD just for Aemond because he looks cool and I almost want to say it's not worth it because he is barely on screen lmao. And the writing is awful. The showrunners and HBO had an iconic character in the making but they're boring morons.

Hello!

I have to agree on the point about the complete and utter disrespect with which HBO and the writers have dealt with Aemond and Ewan this season. Actually, basically all of the characters have been subjected to the exploitative treatment and used to either push the show's agenda in a very crude, dumbed down form or to straight out bait the audience to gain more views. Olivia plays a double part of "a terrible mother"/"a victim of patriarchy" (to make Rhaenyra look better/to hammer home the "women good men bad" point) with a default "I'm about to cry" face (she even kind of joked about it herself during one of the promo interviews). Emma so far has been playing another crying/disrespected/constantly in need of saving or standing up for victim of patriarchy. Matt this season gives a master class in playing the walking collection of psychological issues (and not in a good way) - but he at least has something to actually act out. The latter also goes for Tom though Aegon has been really dumbed down - plus sometimes it feels like his main purpose in the show is to evoke pity in viewers. Phia has been amazing with what she was given but overall storywise Helaena doesn't fare that much better than last season - she is still barely a character. Fabien has been talking a lot about Criston's loyalty to Alicent (and this loyalty was shown to us in season 1) but we have yet to see the actual proof of this loyalty in season 2.

But Aemond IMO takes the cake as far as the disrespect towards the character and the actor is concerned. It really feels like HBO after introducing this character with so much potential for development (and the coolest design to boot) played by a very talented actor with a really powerful screen presence just used Aemond for increasing the show's popularity and selling merch - and after that used Ewan during the promo campaign knowing full well that a lot of people have been intrigued by him and interested in learning more about him. Is it possible that no one at HBO had been aware about the way Condal&Co treated Aemond's storyline and how heavily he was sidelined before the season was released? I don't think so.

Anyway, even if HotD has robbed Ewan of an actual opportunity to fully show his acting abilities, at least it has brought him a certain amount of fame and popularity (including interest in his previous projects). People (directors and studio execs among them) now know who he is and what kind of range he has (based off the way he has been playing Aemond and the way he played his other characters). So, after all, some good has come of it.

[stressfulsloth]

In regards to your post “and now I'm. Just thinking about the loneliness that is SO pervasive through Elysium.”…

I have one thing to offer, or perhaps nitpick if you’d prefer it that way.

I don’t think it’s entirely fair to say the Sunday Friend isn’t a real friend. The Smoker On The Balcony believes him to be a real friend, even if he isn’t going to be there come Monday morn. But isn’t that enough? A friend on Sunday is still a friend, even if it makes waking up Monday all the worse.

Perhaps I’m biased though! Now that I think about it, most of my friends would fit the description. “Fair weather friend” feels to cold, but “sunday friend” is good enough.

And of course none of this is to say your post is at all wrong. It’s lovely and true. I just felt the need to quarrel publicly with that little detail.

To conclude, since I really just did not make myself very clear here; you are utterly correct to include the Sunday Friend in a post about loneliness but I take slight issue with saying he’s not a real friend. And so I wrote you a very long ask. And now as I reach it’s end I’m realising this was a very silly undertaking. But I’ve come this far so I’m going to grow a pair and hit “ask”.

Thank you for taking the time to read this, I hope it isn’t too desperately obnoxious.

Peace out ✌️

Ahh man I'm sorry anon but I'm going to have to disagree with you pretty strongly here 😅 tbh I was a little too easy on him in the original post. It's not necessarily the temporary nature of their acquaintance that makes the Sunday Friend's friendship questionable on its own, although it doesn't help.

The Sunday Friend is quite literally not a friend. "Friend" in his title is a euphemism; he's not coming to visit the Smoker because he's his friend. He's coming to visit the smoker to do a bit of poverty tourism, to admire the crumbling place that his beliefs have helped to destroy, and a bit of heavily implied sex tourism too. A "first world" tourist, a bureaucrat from the international government, visiting one of the most impoverished districts of Revachol to spend his nights with a student. He's not the Smoker's friend, he's a client. They're using 'friend' as a stand-in for his actual role, which is a) as a part of the moralist bureaucratic system repressing the revolution and keeping the city as a whole trapped in a laissez faire purgatory easily exploited by foreign capitalists and ultraliberals, while still maintaining a friendly respectable face, and b) as the Smoker's customer, exploiting the poverty of Martinaise's residents to get what he wants for cheap and using the easy mobility that his money and status give him. Imo he's intended narratively as a parallel for the moralist coalition government; he views from a distance, focused on money and *ze price stabilité* but entirely divorced from the poverty and consequence of his work. Happy to dip his toe in and make use of exploitable populations in Revachol, but always ready to leave too. When asked how he became 'friends' with the smoker, his response is literally to describe the coalition occupying Revachol.

He knows so little about the Smoker beyond him being there to study art, but what kind? "Perhaps graphic design? Printmaking? Who knows?" As to your point about the Smoker thinking he's a real friend, the Smoker is under no illusions about who the Sunday Friend is. An injection of money. Someone with power, someone with the mobility afforded to him by ownership of a non-Revacholian passport, someone content to watch the place decay and do nothing but indulge himself in pet projects and worry about bureaucracy. Someone with the freedom to leave when things get bad; a freedom that is narratively only assigned to a rare few extremely bourgeois characters. Dora, on her flight to Mirova, Joyce and her boat, Trant and his academic travels, and the Sunday Friend who will be out of Martinaise like a shot the moment things start to kick off despite being a part of the overarching structure that is responsible for Revachol's subjugation and rising political tensions. The Sunday Friend will use the Smoker's labour, use the vulnerability of Revachol's precarious situation to his advantage, then once it becomes too precarious or he gets bored, he'll withdraw. In answer to your question, no, I don't think that's enough. Again I probably oversimplified in my last post but the loneliness all throughout DE is not just an emotional state but a political one. Alienation is a major theme. As is the impossibility of building community in the face of capitalism relentlessly subsuming anything in its path, in the face of shallow relationships dictated by the need for survival. The Sunday Friend embodies that concept perfectly. He is exquisitely shallow in conversation, a perfect moralist who at all times strives to remain impartial and distant.

Anyway. Tldr; my point is that the relationship between the Smoker and the Sunday Friend is far more transactional, and far more exploitative, than you seem to believe. "Friend" is not being used literally but euphemistically. A 'fairweather friend' is better than none, sure, but that's entirely inapplicable to this situation. Sorry for the long post and I hope it's not too rambling- I'm surviving on very little sleep right now but I hope it clears up for you a bit why I referred to the Sunday friend in that way initially.