#and redemption so she can become a real live girl again

[seramilla]

Carmilla shows Vaggie motherly affection and Vaggie basically having mini panic attack because she never had any sort of affection from a mother before. Thoughts?

I think I touched on that in the Vaggie Related to Carmilla AU/subsequent fic I posted for it, but yes, absolutely. Depending on whether Vaggie was always an angel, or lived a human life before dying relatively young, she's probably had little to no exposure to a mother's love. Any she did have was so long ago, she doesn't remember it.

We see her self-esteem issues in her relationship with Charlie. She throws herself at the redemption plan to make up for every bad thing she did, every person she killed, as an Exorcist. She feels unworthy of love, like she has to work for it, and feels useless when she can't do the things she needlessly imposed upon herself to do. She feels personally responsible for getting Charlie's hotel off the ground, because maybe saving as many souls as she destroyed will somehow make up for their loss.

The first time Carmilla ever praises her, encourages her, or tells her she's doing a good job, it's like a slap to the face. The first time Carmilla hugs her, pulls her in close, and calls her some Spanish term of endearment like she does for her real daughters, Vaggie feels like she could die. She's a nobody; she's a fallen angel. There is no universe in which this woman taking her under her wing doesn't imply an ulterior motive. She panics, pulls away, and puts her back to Carmilla, so the Overlord can't see her cry.

Carmilla is confused. She thought they were getting along swimmingly. Vaggie spars with her almost every day. Clara and Odette love her. Even Zestial seems fond of having the little angel around, and he usually takes an extremely long time to warm up to new souls. She feels completely comfortable showing Vaggie she is welcome in her home, and the former Exorcist has completely rejected her. She doesn't know how to handle that.

Vaggie doesn't want to talk about it, but Carmilla manages to get her to spill the beans. Carmilla's heart shatters all over again, hearing Vaggie break down; realizing the girl is unable to accept that her fondness for her is real. She knew Vaggie was obsessed with perfection, and having to be strong for Charlie all the time, but she didn't know the self-revulsion went quite so deep.

Vaggie has to get used to her touch over time. See with her own eyes that Carmilla is genuine in her affection, that she's not going to hurt Vaggie by giving her a hug. Vaggie is so used to fighting; any kind of physical encounter outside of throwing a punch feels foreign. It makes her shrink in on herself, and sends her fight or flight instincts into overdrive. She has to get used to Carmilla's arms around her. It makes her feel trapped at first. It's so hard for her to just feel a good feeling without thinking of all the reasons she doesn't deserve it.

She's not an easy nut to crack. It takes months. Years, even, before Vaggie is fully comfortable accepting that she has a family now. One that actually wants her there, and enjoys her company with no strings attached.

Carmilla encourages her to tell Charlie about it, so her girlfriend can help her through it, too. That, Vaggie thinks, is probably what finally helps her let go. She learns she doesn't need Charlie's acceptance, her approval, to be worthy of love. She can accept love from other people, too, and eventually, it becomes the easiest thing in the world.

Carmilla can dote on her. Love on her. Shower her forehead and face with goofy little kisses that make Vaggie laugh out loud from their intensity. She's still a little wary about initiating contact herself, because that will never not be awkward, but it's fine. Not many children openly express affection for their mothers when they get older, so in that, Vaggie is exactly like Carmilla's other kids. Yeah, she's her daughter, and neither one has a problem saying it from here on out.

[zvtara-was-never-canon]

The only way i could see Canon Katara interested on Zuko is if he somehow did his Heel Turn long before the start of the show and has become a freedom fighter akin to Jet, but without the murder.

Obviously, this is impossible, there is no way that a young Zuko could become a better person without his exile, his enviroment is just not place that encourage

Sorry for the last question i send, i made a mistake and send it sooner than i wanted.

But anyway, what i tried to say that, even if that ridiculous scenario that i propossed where to happen, Zuko would be a very different characther from his Canon self. Plus even if he has become Katara's type, there is no way to know if Katara would be Zuko's type on that scenario lol

***

Once again, guys: pre-scar and exile Zuko was already dealing with a ton of bagagge, and post-redemption Zuko was already a "freedom fighter but without the murder." Katara saw him at this worst during all of book one, at his somewhat less of dick moments (Ba Sing Se), and at his best after his redemption - and she wasn't attracted to him at any of these points.

"I don't support war, genocide and/or murder" is the bare minimum for Katara to not want somebody dead. Compassion is an obligation, not something that immediately makes a guy be a potential boyfriend in her eyes.

We have the answer of what would take for her to be into Zuko, and that answer is not "He can't be a villain anymore" but rather "He can't be Zuko." He can't be a dork that says the wrong thing in a funny way, she'd get mad. He can't want to live in the Fire Nation, there's nothing there for her. He can't be as stubborn as she is, otherwise they're gonna fight (just look at how many times she fights with Toph). He can't take himself too seriously, she'll just mock him for it (ask Sokka).

She wants the guy that literally sweeps her off her feet to charm her, or the guy that notices she's feeling left out at a party, dances with her, and smoothly tells her to ignore everyone's eyes on them because "it's just you and me." She would NOT react well to a guy that screams "SHE'S NOT MY GIRLFRIEND!" in the middle of their date (just see how well it worked for Aang when he went "I mean, if it was between kissing you and dying")

And we do know what Zuko's type is: Mai. Gloomy yet sweet, bitchy yet unbothered, out-spoken yet doesn't feel she owes anybody any explanations ever, can handle herself but likes being pampered, apathetic yet caring, has nothing prove yet can be quite arrogant, stubborn yet understanding, aloof to the world in general yet obviously crazy about him in particular.

Zuko might catch brief feelings for someone like Jin (nice, sweet and cheery), but long-term he needs someone as messy as himself so he can relate, but with the kind of mess that balances him out instead of encouraging his worst traits - the yin to his yang. He was not kidding when he said "You're so beautiful when you hate the world"

Katara loves life in general too much for her and Zuko to relate to each other in that regard. She doesn't even know what the word "apathy" means. She doesn't have an "unbothered" bone in her body. Girl went through a ton of trauma and still wasn't anywhere near gloomy, quite the contrary. And she has a bad temper, just like Zuko, which they both know is a bad combo, hence them surrounding themselves with more chill people (Aang, Iroh, Hakoda, Mai, etc).

They're not each other's type AT ALL, hence there being no spark when they become friends. Hence them being not just embarassed, but weirded our and uncomfortable when people mistake them for a couple.

There's a reason zutara fics re-write their personalities completely: there's no other way to force them together because they're fundamentally incompatible. The real Zuko would NEVER be attracted to the real Katara, and vice versa.

[miniaturesketches]

Skyeward Fic Recs

Here's a new list including both old and recent works! I'm always on the hunt for beautifully written fics with great plots and compelling characterization - or you know, just enjoyable and quick fixes, that too - so this list will be updated from time to time. (Note: some fics are abandoned or incomplete.)

The Head & The Heart series by Poetgirl925 is my all-time favorite long fic, featuring a non-HYDRA Agent Ward who ends up planning and working on operations with Skye at the Triskelion. It's the lesser-known sister of the famous Under Your Skin fic by the same author.

the death of peace of mind by hellfxres involves a Hellfire! Ward working as a firefighter. That is, until Agent Daisy Johnson shows up at his station. I haven't finished reading this, but the premise is so interesting that it's on my list.

There is Nothing Special About Grant Ward by NezumiPi is one of my only two bookmarks. That's how good it is - a complex and absorbing exploration of Grant Ward's childhood as the son of a mob boss, his abusive relationship with Garrett, and his subsequent crimes. In custody at the Playground, Ward slowly is allowed to participate in operations again. (Note: this is not for the apologists and while there are interactions between Skye and Ward, they are not romantic in nature.)

You Know You're My Saving Grace by GreenEyedStone is historical fiction set in WW2. Unapologetically Skyeward, it follows the life of Skye, the daughter of the United States Air Force Major Phil Coulson, as she gets married to the soldier Grant Ward and has a child. She works on the frontlines in Europe as a journalist. (I'll admit I'm biased as I beta'd some of it, but I think this fic is criminally underrated.)

How to Keep Your Distance, Unsuccessfully by miniaturesketches, aka me, is an old two-shot. Set in Season 4, Daisy Johnson is on the run as a wanted vigilante, hunting down the Watchdogs. When she's severely injured, there's only one person she can call - Grant Ward, her old partner at S.H.I.E.L.D. (Note: "Ward Is Not HYDRA" fic.)

Four Bullets and A Dirty Smile by thefrenchmistake is one of the most popular Skyeward fics of the early 2020s. Not S.H.I.E.L.D-friendly, it's a classic Grant Ward redemption story. But my personal favorite from this author is the oneshot Maybe in One of Those, We Can Win It All, involving the multiple tragic universes in which Skye and Ward meet. So much angst.

I'll be cleaning up bottles with you on New Year's Day by go_astray_with_me, who is the queen of fun-to-read Skyeward. I'm always excited to read her oneshots (and PWP) when they turn up on the Skye/Grant Ward tag. This one is pretty much as the title says.

The Fine Dimensional Line by Kylia has one of the most exciting plots I've read. Grant Ward and Kara Palamas, desperate to escape HYDRA! Skye, take a gamble on one of Fitz's mad ideas - and end up in an alternate world, one where the fine line between loyalty and treachery, love and hate, worked out completely differently.

Real or Not by DrawntoDarkness is a classic oneshot. After being tortured, Skye has trouble differentiating truth from her implanted memories. She spends a day with each member of the team.

The Persistence of Memory by Eienvine is a "Ward goes through T.A.H.I.T.I." fic. James Shaughnessy is a respectable but average person living a respectable but average life . . . except for the dreams. Except for the scars on his body that he can't explain. Except for Daisy, the beautiful girl who comes to his restaurant sometimes and looks at him like she knows him.

The White Silence by starshine is a beautifully written oneshot. After they crash in the Canadian mountains, Ward must get an injured Skye to Providence. The fact that he is an enemy of SHIELD is of little importance in the face of hypothermia threatening to set in.

A Spy Like Me by colormeblue. After the Battle of New York, Grant Ward decides that he no longer wants Hydra to win its war with SHIELD and becomes a triple agent. Nick Fury gives him orders to work with Coulson's team in order to get valuable intelligence on Hydra but Grant finds his triple status and working with a team quite difficult.

Shades of Grey by imadetheline is another slowburn, Grant Ward redemption fic (unfortunately, abandoned). It was one of the first SW fics I read and I still have fond memories of it!

More coming soon!

[naboman]

Synopis: In which Chifuyu reunites with the one he shattered countless school years ago, seeking redemption, but perhaps it's just too late to apologize." Pairing: Chifuyu Matsuno + Fem!Reader. Genders: Angst, Drama and Tragedy, Farce. Content Warnings: mentions of tryte of suicide, bullying and autodepressed.

Chapter One: little liar

[Previous]

[Next]

He woke up in anguish, feeling something poke his arm like a pin. When he lifted his chin and pulled the book away from his face, he had the (un)pleasure of meeting the familiar, iconic figure. He clucked his tongue in protest. That girl had already become a pain in his ass, not to mention the fact that she didn't bother to bother him so often, it seemed like she had no idea who she was messing with.

And that made him too angry.

Was she a phony or was she just playing around?

"You again…" he hissed, annoyed.

He turned his face sideways, resting it on the school desk.

"The rep asked me to wake you up before I left," she explained, looking pleased, linking her arms to hold the box she was holding in front of her hips, "or you could get a warning."

"You've already woken me up, so get going," she hid her face under the book once more.

"We need to leave first, I'll deliver the key to the teachers' lounge," he warned.

Chifuyu took a deep breath, then got up from his chair.

"Why you don't leave me alone just one time? You are fucking boring, damn!"

He asked acidly.

"Oh, sorry," she replied genuinely, not noticing the blond's tone of voice, "I didn't think you'd feel this way, I could ask the teachers for another 10 minutes before we close the room, what do you think?"

"Fuck…" he woke up to the taste of sour memories.

This time she wasn't there to wake him up. And that left him alone with his own thoughts. He had the whole classroom to himself, and that scared him. Soon he would be swallowed up by the immensity that only accumulated in his mind.

Outside, the racing team was already putting things away, and he could see it when he stared at the window with a twinge of curiosity. But he wasn't there to keep an eye on other people's lives.

Matsuno finally got up from his chair, his body feeling heavier than usual - containing what he called 'anxiety' - and left, out of the room.

He felt he urgently needed some fresh air, blaming himself like this would only hurt him even more. After all, it was all right, he tried to apologize. If she didn't accept it, it was because it was meant to be. There was no point in blaming himself for what happened in the past. At least he could tell his inner self that he had tried and that it was enough, but he couldn't even convince himself when his altruism was severely drowned out by his wave of destructive thoughts.

Everyone makes mistakes, don't they? He thought.

Are you joking? Serious? Do you really believe that the past can be overcome with just a few words of fool afirmations? And his mind fights back.

He shoved his hands into his trouser pockets, trying to wipe away the cold sweat that insisted on dripping. Try as he might, he still couldn't touch his own soul with the shallow words he spoke to himself.

He sighed loudly, trying to calm his heartbeat.

But he remembered [Name]'s broken arm as he passed in front of the infirmary, and immediately her image materialized completely in his consciousness.

He wondered if she was all right.

He shrugged, turning into the corridor. He bumped into someone as he was passing, and that made him completely disconnect from his own mind and return to the real world. What was worse, the corridor ended at the staircase, but luckily only the papers flew down the stairs, scattering completely on the cold floor to the touch.

Matsuno, who was still standing, bent down to see who he had knocked to the floor.

"Sorry, I just…" he was lost for words when he saw the girl's face.

It was as if he was reliving the worst moments of his life, live. Making the same stupid mistakes, however absent-mindedly, on automatic, they were still mistakes.

[Name] couldn't help but show her surprise, and even tensed up a little at the impact.

"I'm sorry…!" Chifuyu hurried to gather up the papers on the floor.

Without reacting, [Name] just watched as the blond walked down the stairs, quickly and dexterously putting everything together. Until he stopped in the middle of the steps, staring intently at a particular piece of paper. Too much attention for the girl's taste. And the next thing she knew, it was her medical report in the boy's hands.

She got up from the floor with the strength of a single arm, ran to the stairs and snatched the document out of his hands. He was unsettled. Somehow, Chifuyu thought he saw the look on her face become harsh, disappointed.

"Don't go around reading other people's stuff! "

"Oh, sorry… I only read the title, I swear!" he stammered.

It wasn't a lie, she read the document out of pure reflex. She hadn't imagined that among the school papers would be something so intimate and personal.

She ignored it, giving in.

"Thank you for your help…" She nodded, taking a deep breath, taking the papers from the blonde's hands without a hint of aggression this time "don't feel obliged to help me, I can look after myself, thank you. "

He silently watched her pick up the last few sheets from the floor as patiently as possible, then turned his back on her and - ironically - headed for the school infirmary.

Without much to do, he continued down the stairs. He was still puzzled and even a little worried about her arm. Or perhaps he was thinking of a way to redeem himself and see if the weight he was carrying would lessen. But he liked to imagine that he was far from it, that kind of intention would make him look like a wronged self-interest, and he hated looking like a victimizer.

He rummaged through the shoe cabinets, looking for the name of the stupidest human being on the face of the earth. Oh, and lo and behold, it was him!

As he put on his shoes, he allowed himself to relax and get away from his problems for a while, taking in the magnificent view of the landscape ahead.

The concrete that stretched to the school gates was the only thing separating the two sides from the low, gray grass, as the humidity took shape in the air and turned to frost. The sky, on the other hand, took on a much colder and drier hue, as if the whole atmosphere had entered into a soft consensus of choosing a melancholy color palette to finish fucking up Chifuyu's week.

He seriously thought that the universe might have taken his empathy and put it in the middle of that place where the sun doesn't shine. Because it wasn't possible! It was almost like having the distinct experience of living through a totally melodramatic and depressing story.

Now, where would the blessed viewers be who take pleasure in entertaining themselves with other people's misfortune? He thought. Rancorous. Deep down he just wanted someone to blame.

And that was discouraging. So, congratulations to the universe, for finishing destroying what was left of perseverance and self-esteem inside that empty shell called "Chifuyu".

Without further ado, he left the school.

Perhaps it would be good to talk to Takemichi. It wasn't as if he was going to put another plan into action, but he felt he needed to talk to someone or his head would explode like a squeezed lemon. And, frankly, Matsuno didn't want his brain to turn into lemonade.

No one would want to drink the citrus juice of a rotten lemon.

"You didn't show me your medical report," the older woman commented, as she quickly went through each sheet with attention, while the younger girl propped her body up on the stretcher, looking lost.

"I told you I'm fine," she lied, controlling the agitation of her restless eyes, with no fixed direction in which to look, "there's no need to worry. It was just a little mistake, I won't be like this for much longer."

"How many weeks have you had that cast on? "

"One month…"

"And those bruises? "

He pointed to the calloused fingers on the girl's hand, which she quickly tried to hide behind her back.

"I've just been practicing a lot."

She swallowed dryly.

"You're still playing? Even with that broken arm? "You can't do that! It's stupid and it'll hinder your recovery! "

"I haven't been taking part in the practical classes," she explained fearfully.

turning to face the nurse.

"I took part in the test, but I only watched," she explained fearfully, while the girl in the white coat just listened attentively, her arms crossed on the table, "and I've only been taking theory classes. So it's okay, I haven't broken any of the doctor's rules! "

"I'll trust you, [Name]" he soothed, seeing how elated the girl had become with just that little accusation "but I don't want to see you practicing, you know that's for your own good."

"I do… I do."

[isagrimorie]

Star Trek Voyager 6x02 - Survival Instinct | Star Trek Picard 1x08 - Broken PIeces

Seven: When I was first assimilated into the Collective, I was a child. They were assimilated as adults. When our individual memories began to resurface-- Chakotay: Yours were of being a little girl. A scared little girl. Seven: I let that fear control me. After I saw the drone die in the swamp, I panicked. I began to envision my own death. Alone, without even the sound of another drone to comfort me. So I forced them to return. I infiltrated their left cerebral hemispheres with nanoprobes and created a new interlink network. One that they couldn't resist. And then I eliminated the evidence of what I had done. Chakotay: You were overwhelmed by feelings you couldn't begin to understand. You're not responsible for that. Seven: Because of what I did, they'll be forced to live the rest of their lives in the Collective. For that, I am responsible.

Rewatching Star Trek Voyager after Picard is so good because it makes the Seven-centric stories even richer. They were already good but it adds another layer to everything.

It also makes this moment in Broken Pieces even more resonant for Seven because she's not only assimilated people before but she's assimilated people who were trying to escape. I love how interesting this makes Seven's character. It's a situation TV Tropes call Ignored Epiphany.

It's the moment when someone who is on a path of redemption or enlightenment willfully ignores the epiphany to continue on the current path they were. But narratively, the ignored epiphany moment wasn't futile.

Eventually what happens is the ignored epiphany becomes a building block for when the real epiphany hits. Because sometimes epiphany and the choice to turn around is not just one moment, it's composed of several moments, and sometimes, people need the help of other people to pull or push them out of the current path they were on.

This is what happened to Seven of Nine.

Drone Borg Seven of Nine was happy to continue being a Borg and was proud of being a Borg. It wasn't until Janeway chose to cut Seven from the Borg and started Seven on the path of her own individuality that Seven finally understood the real damage the Borg has down to other people and herself.

And now that she possesses individuality and knowledge when she's asked a year later if she would want to return to the Collective given the choice and Seven's answer is a resounding No.

And then going back to this moment in Survival Instinct to the moment in Broken Pieces knowing the context for Seven now it's so much more poignant because she's done this before and regretted it.

I think this is one moment out of many moments in what she's done and made to do as a Borg that Seven will never forgive herself for because the moment with her three Unimatrix Drones was something Seven did herself.

(I do wish they let the moment in Picard 1x08 breathe more but time and production probably didn't give them enough time to do more).

Seven: The damage I did can never be repaired, and my guilt is irrelevant. I simply want them to experience individuality, as I have. As you have. At one time, you were confined to this Sickbay. Your program was limited to emergency medical protocols. In some ways, you were not unlike a drone. But you were granted the opportunity to explore your individuality. You were allowed to expand your program. Your mobile emitter gives you freedom of movement. Your thoughts are your own. If you were told you had to become a drone again, I believe you would resist. EMH: Yes. I suppose I would. Seven: They would resist as well. They would choose freedom, no matter how fleeting. Only you and I can truly understand that. EMH: Survival is insufficient.

[valhalla-awaitsfor-us]

Hi! I hope you don't mind I take your reply to my post to talk a little bit about script writing as a scriptwriter.

This is in no way an attack, I just saw an opportunity to explain something as someone who works writing scripts.

At this point I think it's becoming clear that live action only exists because Netflix wants to have its own Game of Thrones, but that they are not going to respect the core of the original series, because their goal is different. Having said this, I want to review why the changes that are being made are incorrect (if the idea is to respect the story and the characters) focusing on the 3 protagonists: Sokka, Katara and Aang.

Let's start with Sokka, whose changes are perhaps the most "controversial."

As I said in my original post, The core of Sokkas character is that he is a boy who grew up trying to be a man since his father left for war. In that attempt, as someone immature and unguided, he had sexist attitudes, only to later mature and become a real man. Great example for young boys.

No, his sexism comments didn't last long, but they changed at a key moment in the plot: When Suki appears. Avatar is a special series because it was one of the first of its time to so explicitly touch on the topic of feminism. Rebelling in every sense of the word is a recurring theme in ATLA. Sexism was literally knocked out of Sokka when he met the Kyoshi warriors. That's why the scene of him wearing the warriors' clothes is so significant and why it's so important that at the end of the season Sokka has learned his lesson, because there is a direct comparison between him and Pakku. Sokka, on his path to becoming a man, was able to deconstruct his misogynistic mentality at his young age and without an adult guidance, while a man of Paku's age, admired and respected, was still rooted in his sexist beliefs.

It was Katara's act of rebelling against Sokka's sexism that freed Aang from the icerberg. Because, again, an act of rebellion, of standing firm in the face of injustice, along with redemption, are the pillars of Avatar. Sokka's journey encompasses all of those topics, and the fact that he is 16 and not 19 is essential to his character arc.

Is not that we want him to be sexist. We want him to be flawed. Because each flaw are unique to each character. It talks about their development and also about the themes of the show.

Also "Toned down" it sounds weird because as a kid I always knew Sokka was an idiot when being sexist. But it wasn't that bad that I was afraid of him or so angry that I hated his character. Because Avatar is a kid shows even if people from all ages can enjoy it. So when they said "toned down" I was really confused. It made me feel that for them, the only way to show him being sexist way to make him do some unredeemable thing.

Katara

So. Im gonna start saying that Im not a fan of Katara. I think her character is written incredibly well, but it just not for me. In fact, i do feel like we needed an scene between Sokka and her where they can clear the air about their mom. The things she said to her brother and to Aang, the only survivor of a genocide, were too hard to not have a talk after that.

NOW, After saying that, Katara is Katara because of her backstory. Seeing her mother die in front of her and being the only waterbender in her tribe lead her to feel the need to take care of everyone, especially her brother, to be overprotective, to be compassionate. To be Katara.

Sokka himself admits that sometimes when he tries to remember his mother he only remembers Katara. While Aang is a boy who must mature faster than normal, Katara is a girl who has already grown faster than normal and her journey not only includes rebelling and protecting others, but also recovering some of that lost childhood.

Katara is the representation of water. Healing and destructive at the same time. Turbulent but benevolent. I feel the live action writers, and even the actors and actresses, do not understand that the feminist message was already perfectly captured in the original material. The creators of Avatar created complex female characters and just because Katara's story is influenced by the concept of motherhood does not mean that she is not a strong character. She is a strong character because her story is influenced by that concept. Not because motherhood in itself makes us women strong, but because motherhood, specifically for her character, puts her at crossroads and forces her to go through an arc of transformation.

Aang

I'm going to be concise and short with Aang. The decision to have so many "distractions" in his mission is because Aang is 12 years old and does not want to face a war. I think it's something so basic that it seems dumb not to understand that a young boy doesn't want the responsibility of saving the world and seeing his friends die again. I think, maybe, just maybe, understanding that is not that hard.

If they wanted to write a story of wars, blood and darkness, they should not have chosen Avatar, whose protagonist is a little boy.

[princess-of-the-corner]

So apparently TA did yet another interview regarding miraculous and outside of lying through his teeth regarding chloe(again) There's some stuff I think you might want to take a look at.

https://www.reddit.com/r/miraculousladybug/comments/1dy1l98/the_interview_of_thomas_astruc_and_s%C3%A9bastien/

.....

"Lila is the most difficult to write" yeah she REALLY doesn't have to be just make her fucking normal instead of creating hoops to jump through

'we already saw why lila is like this' unless this is 'because she's a 14 year old girl and therefore evil' there's been little that explains Lila. there /was/ originally back when it seems like she was just neglected and attention starved, but they turned her into some mastermind con artist so one of her marks being too busy to parent her is somehting she'd love.

I'm not even going to touch that 'we gave her the oppurtunity but it didn't make sense for her character' and 'a /real/ person would never turn good' bullshit.

..... they redeemed him. Because they wanted. To show a backstory. You can show a backstory without giving that fucker a 'oh actually /he's/ the victim here!!' bullshit ass redemption

At this point I really don't care why they didn't do the 2d

the darker tone of the PV was on the animators not TA and team? So one of the most intriguing aspects were literally just some guys going off on their own rather than intentional????

Simpleman being their favorite but either heavily disliked or straight up forgotten by the fans is.... telling.

Yet another on the list of 'based off someone TA knows!'. You'd think he'd stop confirming this after people went 'hey you base characters off irl people and you have an intense hatred of this character, are you venting something with her?'.

I call bullshit there's no way any of them would design themselves to look like that

At least we get a song!

On one hand, I want Akumanette and I def think enough things have shifted since TA's original 'no she would never be akumatized because then things are fucked' tweet to allow for that to happen. Namely Mr. Bug and Scarabella providing the groundwork of someone who could be Ladybug in her place. But I do not look forward to TA being fucking insufferable when people bring up the tweet and all 'you're looking too much into it' or 'clearly it was a deception'.

I know we're greenlit to season 8 already but GOD stop milking this dead horse

Ya know what fair enough gay as hell

On one hand I want more solid info on the alternate universe and The Supreme. But on the other hand the lore got so contradictory the more you look into it.

Nathalie's history is one of the few interesting points I'm actually kinda really hoping for.

my motherfucker in arceus Adrien is very much written as the secondary protagonist, we've had plenty focus on him and his pov. Just because y'all tried to make him the sexy lamp and shafted him last second in the finale and keep him from knowing jack all doesn't change that at this point it just becomes bad writing after multiple seasons of his importance

I am spooked by the idea of a live action.

Rip to Chloé continuing to get dunked on in season 6

[galway-girlatwork]

Masterlist and AO3

So I am still new to this whole masterlist thing but again I just wanted to put all my works up. So if you feel froggy jump. If the summaries aren't your shot of whisky, then scroll on by.

Joel Miller

Echoes of Hope-

In a remote cabin, Raven finds solace in living off the grid, maintaining the life her late parents envisioned. The isolation is interrupted when she spots a man and a girl approaching her property. Initially hostile, the trio’s encounter, laced with lies, deceit and budding passion, show just how alliances are formed but they are fragile things, that can shatter in an instance.

Fragile State-

The aftermath of a traumatic car accident leaves a family struggling with fear and uncertainty. The emotional toll weighing them all down as they try to find some normalcy which they all know is impossible until he wakes up. Vulnerability and desperate needs for the man who is the center of their lives to remember who they are and the life he had with them.

Concert Charms-

What happens when you go to a rock concert? Confusion, angst at miscommunication, you begin to wonder if it’s worth getting involved with a stranger. But backyard BBQ’s leads to something more and who knows what can happen in twenty years.

Airwaves-

A hardworking single dad raising two daughters spends his evenings unwinding to late-night radio, listening to an upbeat and fiercely independent DJ with an encyclopedic knowledge of music, with a warm, magnetic voice. Joel becomes a loyal listener, calling into her show each night to request songs that resonate with his life—melodies for his girls, echoes of his past, or tunes Maggie herself loves.

What happens when they form a connection through their nightly calls? When their connection blossoms into something more than just what is said and played over the airwaves?

Beyond the Wall-

The QZ, where survival often trumps trust, two smugglers end up on the wrong side of each other. Amid the bleakness of survival, they share moments that let them briefly forget the hell they live in, their space becoming a sanctuary despite the nightmares plaguing them. But there’s hope or is there? When Tommy joins the Fireflies, something stirs in Stacie, a desire for more than just survival. She knows leaving will sever a bond, one that has been in existence for years. It’s the price of surviving, testing the limits of love and trust. How much strength does it take to leave behind everything, including the man you love?

Javi Pena

Broken Silence-A tumultuous relationship with a fellow DEA agent, is marked by tension and unspoken feelings. Can a growing affection, mixed with reckless behavior, drugs, death, money and power, really survive? From Bogota, to Miami, to Rome, how far will it go?

Frankie Morales

Beyond Times Edge-

Fairy rings do not exist. Fairy rings do not exist. Fairy rings do not exist.

Witches are not real. Witches are not real. Witches are not real.

How many times can he repeat this in his head for it to take hold? A thousand? A million?

What happens when a man transcends time and space and falls in love with a witch?

It’s just a bunch of hocus pocus, right?

Deliver Me-

Running. It was what she knew, her ex-hundreds of miles away. A relationship is not what she needed, not what she wanted. Peace is all she craved after years of living in fear, relying on the flight or fight response. Meeting her daughter’s kindergarten teacher, who was the exact opposite of David, her abusive ex, might change that. But what happens when the past rears its ugly head? Will she fight, flee or finally ask for help?

Marcus Moreno-Some Bodies

In the shadows of the ancient city, a dark romance blossoms between a healer and a sinner. It is a connection of light and dark, life and death. Can he accept her past? Can she believe there is redemption for what she’s done? Can carefully guarded secrets stay that way?

Marcus Pike-Shadow and Flame

The relationship between Agent Marcus Pike and Daciana, is a game of cat and mouse, taking Marcus around the world—London, Tokyo, Rio, and now Paris. Daciana taunts him, leaving clues that lead him to her hideouts just a little too late, fueling his growing obsession.

Their relationship is more than just professional; there’s an undeniable chemistry between them, a tension that neither can ignore. Marcus, frustrated by his inability to catch her, is simultaneously drawn to her presence.

Marcus knows that catching Daciana may come at a cost—one that goes far beyond the law.

Javi G.-You’re A Mean One, Mr. Grinch

Javi needs encouragement to get the Christmas spirit when he is down and out. Mia, his girlfriend, does what she can.

Din Djarin-Say Something

Eve’s career has always taken a back seat to Din’s. The goal was always she would start working more on her music when he graduated law school and worked for one year at a law firm. Now both of their careers are taking off but where she’s always been there for him, Eve is finding that Din isn’t always there for her. Feeling forgotten, she now lives for her music. And Din forgets that marriage takes just as much work as a career.

Supernatural

Sam Winchester-Do You Know Your ABC's

A witch’s connection with the Winchester’s put her in the hands of Crowley, determined to use her for her powers since his mother is MIA at the moment. We all know what lengths the boys will go to get back someone who’s become an ally to them. Can they save her? Or will she save them?

Thank you to @saradika-graphics for the banner and dividers. Love your work. Hugs.

Tagging cause I can. *wink*

@almostfoxglove @guiltyasdave @ninii-winchester @pedgito @ease-out-the-clutch @rivnedell @littlemisspascal @pearlessance @wintrwinchestr @burntheedges @jolapeno @morallyinept @jolapeno @tinyglamdramaqueen @604to647 @kittyfox1107

[multitrackdrifting]

mega 1000xRESIST spoilers under the cut *sorry anon I doubt anyone has this game spoiler tagged*

I know the ask is light-hearted but it's funny to throw this perspective into the arena cause even Iris doesn't agree with the way she found herself living her life before she arrived at the point of becoming the most important person in the world.

The premise is like, the most horrible person in the world (demarcated by a very finite scope of a small town in like Canada or some shit) is subject to unimaginable horrors and its interspersed with generational trauma and

You know that meme that's like mean girls in high school go on to be nurses? I'll be real, that meme is genuinely most of the nurses I know besides like 2 people. And here's the interesting part, not all of them fulfill the second half of the meme which is like still being horrible, but just as a nurse. Some decide to try to be better and even feel remorse for how they fell short as people and nobody really ever has to like reckon with how different they are - they are always going to be just that girl that was bitchy to them in high school. That's just how life is going to go

Something interesting about redemption and growing as a person is that not everyone will have it in them to forgive you, and they don't need to either. One of the influences for the game as stated by the director is Koe no Katachi (A Silent Voice) and a lot of people position that manga as like "oh it's trying to say you should forgive or let things slide and x, y, z" as opposed to like the very obvious point that you could just fuck your life up in countless ways and you still have to live, you just have to keep it pushing but people get really caught up on the aesthetics of a story's message more than its substance nowadays so I guess that's just bad literacy.

I feel like on a very basic level it's something that at least requires the audience to somewhat empathise with or understand what it is like to be a migrant. The division between Iris and her actual mother is like that of a westernised migrant child and the parent who cannot fully integrate or reconcile that the reality they live in is the one that they're stuck with. That inability to understand one another across generational lines is like a universal constant, but it's extremely pronounced for migrants - the most inane difference in perspective can't really be reconciled with dialogue because it's almost as if the two parties speak a different language and this inability to understand unless you're like gorging on a wealth of information you probably shouldn't know or need to know to understand a person comes across in a pretty compelling way when you think about the Occupants and how they're an alien force that just siphons all those experiences out from Iris in a very invasive and traumatic way. It's kind of like, who should know this? The player shouldn't, Watcher shouldn't, none of the sisters should relive all of this and yet they do. The life of the allmother is so thoroughly dissected and it's so violating to who Iris is as a person. She doesn't get to keep anything to herself and even though she is the one who "decides" to share what the communion stuff is with the sisters, it's not something she arrived at as a natural conclusion of her like development as a parental figure - she is coerced into it because the occupants have created a situation where she can't really do anything but take the deal of "you can siphon all my experiences, but leave the girls alone". I think that Iris is undoubtedly a "bad person", but she spends longer than an eternity atoning for it - unable to even have a conversation with those she harmed (Jiao), or those she left behind (her parents).

I really like the quote:

"Well now all I have is your picture And the world has come to an end. I promise I will be nicer If you want to come around again."

It really encapsulates the kind of mourning that her parents feel for their homeland. They dream of a world they can't go back to, and while some people are probably going to take issue with the inspiration and foundation of those feelings, those are still feelings that people feel in their raw and chaotic nature. My own parents went through genocide and they basically only travel back to their homeland and the neighbouring countries becuase it's bascially a motivation I can't understand even if I get it on a logical level - like I would think "oh why don't you travel to more new and diverse places, instead of just back there all the time" but they never went to school and they never got to be kids, they just saw everything and everyone annihilated around them, and the world they knew as children is like a place they can't get back. Of course, they can physically go there, but home is not just about the place, but the pillars that made up what home was at that time. It's that disconnect that I will always have because I didn't live through those gruelling days in refugee camps or the knowledge that most of my family tree is suddenly gone. I won't drone on too much about how sad my parents' lives were because they are happy, in their own ways, even if they wished they could have done so many things - I know my mom is genuinely happier nowadays than she has been in a long time.

I think the Jiao Clone faction is important because it covers a pretty important part of like reconciliation and growth - Youngest kind of refuses to reckon with her own difficult feelings while using Jiao Prime to channel those things - seemingly as if Jiao is just a blank slate to dump ones feelings unto and be told "you're a good person, you're okay." The Jiaos are just a subservient second-class that only exist because Youngest decided "hey what if I introduced the issue with creating sentient AI from cyberpunk settings into my world". There's already a shit load of ethical issues with the cloning at large, but the Jiaos are just supposed to be subservient helpers and workers which is like pretty harrowing if you know about how badly the class divide can be in Asia - this is especially apparent in East Asia where they do a pretty damn good job of using propaganda to wash away how bad it is for the lower/working class (see: Korea, Japan, China etc.). I guess it's a bit of a litmust test for the real manipulators among us, like who is really on some "I don't owe anyone shit" mentality that is like equal parts juvenile and equal parts sad. It's like needing a punching bag to make sense of yourself because you're more terrified of being genuinely known and accepted for your flaws so it's easier to just have someone who cannot realistic dissent/deny your whims which is just flat-out weird. It's the kind of ugly insecurity that makes one's soul feel like it is covered in tar, and Youngest, no doubt, probably realizes just how sad it is that even in her rise to power, she genuinely has nothing at all to comfort her other than a wish to return to something she cannot have.

The point of the game isn't really lying in the ethics of each moment or each character's Good Person Points at the end of the day, but the overall point of "who will carry on their memories and their will into the future?" The militant faction (their name escapes me right now) aren't exactly interested in having a dialogue in the marketplace of ideas, they are unequivocally down to exeterminate all traces of the world that was and this kinda thing obviously happens in reality too.

Knower is most definitely a victim herself, but she enables the cruelty around her as a foregone conclusion. If you think of the sisters not just as clones of Iris, but also reflections of things Iris has done it makes sense why she is like that. There's a paradox in embodying all the knowledge (rationality) of a perfect god, and seemingly being bound by ones emotions - the sentimentality of loving the sisters, and still perpetuating unbridled cruelty to Watcher as if it is a necessary means to an end. Even knowing what her motivations are as the player, there's a disconnect between her ability to convey her feelings to them and her intentions in each moment. She is culpable for the things that she does, it just becomes apparent that the world that each sister envisions is so wildly different which is why so many of hte endings are bleak besides the main two (red/blue).

It's kind of like, I understand why you pulled the trigger, but you still fired the gun - you know?

Foregiveness, especially in Asian media is going to be pretty make or break for some people because people are pretty set in their ideas about what reconciliation, growth and reconiliation probably should entail whereas I feel like media from Asia tends to lean on forgiveness being possible no matter what.

Anyway, I know this is like not trying to antagonise me but I wanted to reply with something thoughtful instead of just like playing it off as a joke LOL

If the most cruel and confused girl in the world suddenly became god, I wouldn't expect her to get it right. Shit, I don't think anyone would get it right, that's kind of part of the infinities that exist inside her mind. Reality itself has become such a cruel nightmare that the absurdity of raising and embodying countless clones and how ironically that ties back into the cryptic messages of the story is so damn peak

There is a you (Iris), that remains... (Youngest) and remains (Watcher).

Each of them has their own "original sin" moment, and it's so fucking cathartic how all of that coalesces into the messy truth of one girl's existence. It's ugly, unethical, filled with trauma and loss, and yet, it is all too beautiful, because it is human - this story, to me, is probably of a caliber I would call "generational" and I would not doubt it will get its blow up a few years from now as a cult classic that the mainstream simply let slip by. That's how I feel about it.

Nonetheless, I am glad I am one of the few tens of thousands that have played it.

[thewiddershinsme]

Finished A Curse for True Love!!!

-so Castor has a thing for LaLa? Did he like her before becoming Chaos or is it something that’s grown over the centuries? I dunno, still feels like more of the Unwed Bride’s curse: she had an epic romance with a dragon shifter which ultimately torpedoed any other chance she has at love for centuries. When she is finally able to be with said dragon shifter, curse steps in again with hesitancy and *gasp* sudden tension with his brother.

-I. LOATHE. AURORA. She is the Big Bad of this series. SHE IS THE REASON THAT JACKS HAS HIS FATAL KISS. It had nothing to do with him becoming a Fate. SHE IS THE REASON HE KILLED THE FOXGIRL. There is no redemption, and she got off way too easy. I wanted retribution.

-wow that put a whole new spin on Tella/Jacks. Tella was immune not because she is his true love, but because she would never love him. That was a good twist.

-omg their first kiss was perfect. Starting so gentle and becoming passionate as Jacks realized the curse was broken. Would’ve liked a tad more reasoning on why the curse was broken (from what I understand it’s cause Jacks let himself also hope and love, and not just the girl) but that’s the soft fairytale true love magic system working

-Evangeline still has one broken heart scar left. I thought it would disappear after their kiss (cause the person Jacks had always truly wanted her to kiss was himself). However their deal is forever unresolved and it bugs me as a loose thread that could’ve been circled back to somehow

-Apollo brought about his own demise completely on his own. Fitting. And Wolfric definitely saw that coming.

-it was a good ending, if a bit abrupt (I like slow denouements personally). Evangeline and Jacks have their happily ever after (mostly?) and if feels like they went through enough to get there. There are a lot of characters I feel like just sorta disappeared with no mention on whatever happened to them (Marisol? Luc? Tiberius?) and other things I feel like may be set ups for future books (LaLa/Chaos, Knightlinger, the other Valor kids).

-I say a maybe happily ever after, cause the epilogue confirms Jacks is still “not quite human”, so does that mean he’s still a Fate and ageless? So he’ll be an almost immortal while Evangeline ages and dies? I never feel that’s a real happy ending, which is why (like with Tella and Legend) I want to know the rules regarding love and immortality and agelessness so all these couples can live and grow old together.

-I am low key disappointed it was never revealed Evangeline was somehow Foxgirl. I really liked The Ballad of the Archer and the Fox story (even before it was revealed that Jacks was the Archer) and wanted them to have a happy ending :/ And we never saw Jacks as the Archer shoot anything!

-from Jacks’s response I think the apples are a way to distract himself from kissing. Bet that would be fun to note on a reread.

-I really liked this series. It’s peak romantasy for anyone who loves the vibes and aesthetics and storytelling of fairy tales played both straight and subverted. I personally enjoyed it more than the Caraval series, but would 100% recommend reading the Caraval series first. Of the three, I liked The Ballad of Never After the most, it had the most going on plus some of the most romantic moments (especially that ending!) I would definitely pick up another book set in this universe, and intend to read Spectacular eventually (though it seems more of a fluffy holiday short story based on the synopsis…unless Tella’s gift to Legend is revealing her pregnancy, and this springboards a new series about their daughter…)

-Evangeline/Jacks are currently winning favorite fictional couple of the year. Theirs was a very romantic story, I’m all in for the guys that would do anything to keep their girl safe. And I just loved Evangeline and her hope and optimism.

[emmy-dekarios-bg3]

Heart of the Weave - chapter 45

“Give me the baby and I’ll give you an answer,” I mumble sternly, my brow furrowed to express my seriousness. “Please.”

“You are the worst at persuading. You lack common knowledge,” Ketheric growls, but smirks mockingly. What these men don’t know is that I’m trying to distract them from the next move I’m about to pull. I glance over at Karlach, who is standing over Fanden’s weak, tiresome body.

“Now,” I demand, and Karlach then curbstomps Fanden’s head, resulting in his death at last. If he had a chance of redemption, I would have reconsidered, but he sold all real, positive emotions to the Hells, leaving him with a hunger for murder. While Ketheric and Gortash turn their heads to Fanden, watching him die, Gale then consumes an invisibility potion and snatches our child back from the clutches of Gortash.

“You…you killed my son…My ONLY son!” Gortash’s eyes are shut tight as he clenches his jaw, his fists enclosed in fury. I can hear his heavy breathing as he fights the urge to destroy everything in front of him. “You realize, Emmy, that you’re no better than any of us. You’re a murderer, too.”

“I sure as hell am not perfect. I wish I was. I wish I could’ve given my baby girl a life to live. I would’ve done anything to give her a chance to grow up and see the world. If I didn’t sell her soul and grant her immortality, she would’ve been consumed by the devils. Fanden was unable to be saved. He sold his own soul to escape the sorrows of his mother’s death, but was granted a heart full of hate in return. He practically lusted for Bhaal. There was no way to change his heart, and killing him was best for the world. Too many innocents have been lost.” I take a deep breath as I fight the tears trying to escape my eyes. Gortash observes me as I feel the urge to cry, recognizing raw emotions on my face. I notice our friends staring at me as well, but with smiles on their faces. They know my intentions and that I’m not afraid to admit I’m far from perfect.

“I didn’t want to kill him,” I add. “I would’ve loved to get to know him and be actual siblings. But I knew that wasn’t possible. I’m sorry it had to come to this. I’m sorry your parents ruined your entire life by selling you to a warlock. The past couple weeks, I constantly questioned what life would be like if you were never influenced by power. I forgive you, but I can’t accept you into our lives. We’re trying to be free from corruption.” Gortash and Ketheric exchange a diabolical glance, yet for a moment I can tell he regrets his past. A gleam within his eye appears to be glossening his eyes, as if there’s…tears?

“I can kill her,” Ketheric tells him. “We can take control again. We can take this power, be cleansed of our mortality and become immortals once more. Then you’ll never have to see me again.” Gortash is silent, hesitant even, but whatever positive thought crossed his mind, he completely snapped out of it.

“Let me handle this, Ketheric.” Karlach steps in to take Jenevelle from Gale’s arms; she must sense that our powers are beginning to rise and could unleash at any moment. Gortash then places his hands around my neck in a chokehold, staring heavily into the depths of my eyes. His grim smile quickly fades as we make eye contact, and he loosens his grip. It’s as if the evil left his body that very second and something within him changed. I see a tear run down his left cheek.

“My little girl…”

“What in the fuck is going on?” Karlach shouts, just as confused as I am. Memories open up before me like some weird vision. I see myself as a young girl playing in a field, which happens to be the one my mom’s home was at. My mother is cooking a delicious meal outside while I play, picking dandelions and putting them in my basket. I see a familiar man approach our home – Gortash. He needs to talk to my mother, but about what? My mother tells me to go inside, so I do. I later asked her who that man was and she told me not to worry about it.

Gortash can also see these memories that opened up between us. Who caused this? Me? Are my immortal powers revealing past secrets I forgot about?

“Oh, you were so happy. I kept suspecting all those years that you were my daughter.”

“ENOUGH!” Ketheric shouts, losing every ounce of patience. He whacks me viciously with the weight of his warhammer, though I feel nothing at all.

“Ketheric! Stop this at once!” Gortash pounces on him, pinning him down for a moment, glaring deep into his eyes. “Don’t you lay a hand –”

“Snap out of it, Gortash! You’re falling for her utter bullshit. She’s manipulating you.” Ketheric is behind all of this somehow, but why is he so offended? Now that I think about it, I did take away his immortality and killed him once before. I guess that’s fair. Gale and Wyll strike Ketheric with fireball, leaving him damaged and on his knees.

The power within me can no longer be contained at this point. My immortal powers, perhaps? Whatever it is, Ketheric triggered it. Gale and I both rise, levitating in the air from the build-up of energy within our bodies.

“Guys, stand back. Karlach, take that baby far away from here. This could get nasty,” Wyll warns her. “Honey, now!” Karlach bolts off with our daughter until I can hardly see her, and suddenly the fatal wave of radiant energy is released, bursting through my body, as well as Gale’s. I can feel the violent heat escape my body as it obliterates the evil I’ve been dying to destroy.

As I descend back to the ground, I stare mindlessly as Ketheric’s body burns to a crisp. Two out of the three are completely dead, but where’s Gortash? Did he manage to escape? Karlach comes bolting toward Gale and I with Jenevelle in her arms and hands her to me as she’s trying to catch her breath. I held her tight, worried sick that I could’ve lost her. I try not to imagine the horrid possibilities.

“Oh Gods… I’m so glad you’re okay, little one.” I kiss the top of her head, feeling relief flow through me as I hold her close.

“The question remains: where did Gortash go?” Wyll asks. “He could be anywhere.”

“I…I don’t know…I thought we would’ve killed him for sure, unless he turned to ash.” In the far distance I hear a loud groan, as if someone is suffering. We all look at one another, realizing it’s Gortash’s voice.

“He’s over there!” Gale points to the left of where we’re standing and we notice him lying on the steps of Moonrise, covered in dust, bruises, and blood. As I walk up to his weak body that’s on the edge of death, I hand the baby to Gale for a moment. Gortash seems badly injured and I’m unsure how to feel.

“Emmy, I mean this sincerely… I really am sorry. No, it isn’t some scheme to take control and have all the power. When I opened my eyes after I found out I had children…” He coughs, releasing small puffs of ash from his mouth.

“Children or not, you got so many people killed in Baldur’s Gate. So fucking many. People were worked to the bone. You tried to kill Wyll’s father. You sold Karlach to Zariel when she was a child, and she had no choice in the matter at all. What you’ve done is unforgivable!” I take a deep breath, feeling rage and frustration as I try to contain myself. “I want to hate you. I wish I wasn’t even looking at you.” I notice a light smile curl on his face, expressing just an ounce of emotion through his dying body.

“But you have one thing I never had: a good heart.” He coughs some more, followed by an intense and heavy groan from the pain he’s in. “Damn it. Can you do me a favor and just kill me now? I’m hurting and can hardly breathe…”

Do I want to give him a death he’s begging for? Let him suffer slowly? If I let him live and get him the help he needs, I’d be betraying so many people close to me. Halsin walks up behind me and places his hand on my shoulder.

“Emmy, no matter what you choose, we’re here to support you.” His voice is so soothing, like a lullaby during a midnight sky. Karlach doesn’t look mad, but she looks as if she wants to let something out. If it’s toward Gortash, she’s keeping it contained rather well.

“Killing the man would hurt you and I can see it in your eyes that you don’t want to. He’s your father. Just know I’ll never be able to bring myself around him and if he causes mass destruction or even plans it, I’ll kill the fucker myself with my bare hands.” She’s fighting the urge to cry but stops herself by breathing in and out. While our friends seem to be alright with whatever choice I make, I can’t help but feel a huge weight sit on my chest. I look at my darling husband, who is unsure of how to feel about this predicament. He will not break eye contact with me, but he’s hoping I’ll say something.

“Be very careful and consider the outcomes of your decision,” he murmurs, gently rocking Jenevelle in his arms. “What’s on your mind?”

“I don’t want any sort of relationship with my father at all, but…”

“Whatever you choose, please make it quick. I’m fine either way, whether I accept death one last time or starting a new life elsewhere,” Gortash says with weakness in his voice. I sigh, feeling guilt and anxiety rip me apart from the inside out.

“I’ll let you live.” I cast ‘cure wounds’ on him, watching his body become restored to its former glory.

“You actually healed me?” He stands up, staring at his arms as they no longer appear to be bruised, then he firmly looks me in the eyes.

“Just know this, I will not have a bond with you. If you pull any crap like you did before, I will have no issues coming back to brutally murder you.” I can hear one of our companions gulp nervously as they stand behind me.

“Emmy, you’re a wonderful friend, but I’m not quite sure that was the right choice. You know what he did. You know what he’s capable of,” Wyll whispers. “Do what you must, though.” Wyll has a point. Am I letting Gortash’s manipulation tactics get the best of me?

“I will stay away if you wish. I’ve never been dishonest about my intentions. Yes I wanted power and corruption, to be at the top and dominate the city. Bane chose me, and somehow gave me another chance.” Before I can even respond to his words, Karlach steps up and gets just inches away from his face, her brow furrowed from anger.

“WHAT? You’re somehow a changed man and you regret your horrible life choices? You ruined my LIFE! You almost killed Wyll’s father! You…you…” Tears form in her eyes as she tries to find the right words to say to him. “You destroyed me.” Wyll holds her intimately, stroking her hair as she’s in his embrace and crying on his chest. My eyes glare back at Gortash.

“Nothing I say will be enough to–”

“FUCK no it won’t, Gortash,” Karlach interrupts.

“I’m so sorry Karlach.” It’s time I stop being quiet and test his faith, test his priorities and if he’s really the changed man like he says he is.

“Will you turn away from Bane? Will you continue to allow his influence? Your answer determines what is to come,” I mutter with a stern tone. He’s hesitant as he stares blankly at me, then just a moment after expresses sadness within his eyes. That look alone answered my question.

“No, I can’t. I’m… I’m so sorry.” Am I truly surprised? Maybe if this all happened before the fight with the brain, before he died the first time, I would have convinced him to change and turn away from Bane. The fact Bane gave him a second chance to live only made his bond stronger.

“I figured as much.”

I pull out a dagger from my pack and swiftly stab him viciously in the heart, watching him gasp from the shock and sudden pain inflicted upon his body. “I should have known you’d never change, not even for your own daughter.”

[stargirlfeyre]

List all the things you don’t want to happen that could make you stop reading SJM books if she writes it in her next two books, Go go go for some fun!

Others can add onto this post with the things that would turn them off of SJM books going forward. We got ACOSF being as bad as it was, how much worse do we think her next books will be? What could make us lose respect for her after already dealing with how bad ACOSF was?

I.e.

1. Elain becoming a High Lady of Spring or Dusk

2. Nesta losing her powers

3. Nesta ruling Hewn once Keir dies instead of Mor if SJM has Feysand split the court to getting retconned being two of my 🚩flags

4. Gifting the Moonstone Palace or Town house to a sister

5. Forcing way too many Rhys scenes with Nesta the way she forced Az to always be around her in Acosf 🥴

6. Another sister being referred to as a Queen might piss me off to no end not going to lie

Either of the sisters becoming HighLadies tbh.

Connected to number 1, Azriel or Cassian becoming HighLords.

Tamlin redemption or major involvement (anything that’s not death or eternal misery for him is a no for me).

Never having a proper conversation between the sisters and just having them move on with their lives as if nothing happened.

More retcons about what happened in the cabin so the sisters can look better (ie Feyre teaching Nesta how to use a bow, or Nesta never knowing that Feyre was illiterate).

Forced bonding scenes between Rhys and Feyre’s sisters.

Forced bonding scenes between Mor and Nesta.

Mor getting any kind of heat for “how she treated Azriel”. I know this whole narrative of Mor being a pick me or purposely leading Azriel on is more of a fandom thing but if Sjm writes any of the characters having that opinion of Mor I’m dropping the book.

Love triangle between Elain/Azriel/Gwyn. Not even kidding if Sjm writes the next books as a live triangle with Azriel in the middle, I’m only skimming it for FeysandNyx moments. (I have a sneaky feeling that she’s going to make Gwyn Azriel’s mate and then have him choose between what fate picked for him and what he picked for himself).

More training montages.

Feyre being sidelined or overly coddled since she now has a baby. I love that the people around her are protective over her and Nyx but let’s be real. This is the girl that freed an entire continent at 19. And while she was still human at that.

If everything that went on between the sisters is described as “sibling fights” again or if Elain’s pov goes above and beyond to try and justify her treatment of Feyre.

If Feysand (or specifically Feyre cause it happens with her a lot) are made to suffer for other characters’ development.

[pavlovianpanic]

2 (kate and nathan)

that damn nsfw meme again • tentatively (still?) accepting • @ottersden

2) crying crying during sex that leads to a pause or early end to comfort and take care of whatever emotions bubbled over

nathan prescott's release has been heavily influenced by kate marsh's entire disposition. once a witness against him, kate saw him through his time in prison, encouraged his good behavior, helped him seek forgiveness, understand what it means to be sorry and to come to a realization that ... if she can forgive him, then maybe he can also forgive himself.

it's not that easy. these sorts of things never are, and the messiness along the way is not swept under the rug. it is embraced, accepted, and nate has done his best to show her i really mean it this time.

he answered her questions, as difficult as that had been. more for her, of course, but telling it felt like a penny on his tongue as if telling the story of a kid he doesn't recognize.

in prison, he had become what he thought might be a man, having little to compare by, but when she told him one day that he is a good man, nate knew he had achieved the first real step in redemption.

redemption. she speaks a lot about it, and how he is in the process of earning the right to be redeemed. how he was not yet in the first phases of the real thing.

but that time has passed. a lot of time passed, and he did the halfway house, and the programs, and finally managed to do all the right things for once. if time can be corrected for some, it seems that nate can correct things, too, and live a quieter, much more humble life.

his apartment is nicer than his prison digs, more spacious, but still small. it's a studio tucked away in the gresham area, because kate lives in portland now, and there's just enough distance between them to allow her grace.

gresham is more who he is now, he thinks, and he's not afraid to walk around at night.

he passes mt. hood's small community college on his way home from work, wondering if maybe he could go back some day. getting an education was never his priority before, but he had done a lot of reading in prison. combined with the right meds, he's actually more or less stable, but it takes time to prove that to the person who lived through his greatest torment. and rachel.

he still can't think of her, only when he has to, and he's convinced she's out there, watching him. he hasn't seen her posters in so long, but for every new missing person's report that's plastered on a telephone pole, he finds himself checking. is it her? is it you, rachel? are you missing again? but that cannot be. rachel has been found, laid to rest next to chloe price, and that chapter of his life is oddly over.

he doesn't know killing chloe fixed things / he doesn't know that he's the real start of the storm. no, because that's wrong. chloe had a choice, and she was brave. nathan was weak, and nate grimaces.

with all he doesn't know, it actually doesn't matter. it wouldn't have held up in court. he's had to repent for crimes he never confessed to, but was still guilty of. his stints at the vortex parties, the girls he had coerced, even his first real girlfriend. all of it. some secrets are taken to the grave. some things ... he has been unsure of how to tell kate, but they come up, so they pray, repent, and he feels oddly better, but he wonders, very late at night, if his feeling better is actually a good thing.

what does that do for the people he hurt? kate is not his only victim. she's just the one most devoted to faith even he cannot understand, could not find in prison himself, but now almost clings to because ... ah, it's the same, isn't it?

i don't believe in god ... but i believe in kate marsh. who else said that once? how powerful is kate's standing with god?

all of this almost does nothing for him sometimes, despairing in the newfound privacy of his studio.

his furnishings were gifts from mostly kate, bargains at the good will, and an odd private donation of a new camera from an anonymous source. nate hasn't unboxed it yet, instead leaving it hidden in his empty closet. fuck that.

which all sort of brings him here, right? december, snow, and heavy boots. he smokes a cigarette outside of his apartment, dumping its carcass into the proper disposal as he heads inside with a meager bag of whatever. it doesn't matter. he tries to keep his one bad habit from kate, but she can smell it on him, frowns, and insists he stop soon.

it's bad for you, she's argued. and the environment. flippantly, he agrees he will, but there are odd things that humans are incapable of, and this must be one of his fatal flaws.

she's promised to come over tonight, so he's saved up to order a pizza, pay for a cheap movie off youtube, and settle on the couch that allows suitable distance between them.

it's been sort of ritualistic. at first, when she would come over, he would leave all the curtains split, the windows open, and the doors unlocked. she brought her own food, was allowed to keep her cellphone in sight at all times, and overall, the boundaries were strict. it was one thing visiting nate at prison during regulated hours or even at the halfway house in portland, but this ... being with him so close without any guard between them had resounded kate to play it safer than ever.

and he's proven himself. that's why she's there now, settled into his side as his arm is awkwardly slung over her shoulder, biting his lip as he tries not to yawn. her hair is down, longer than he had imagined it to be, and the pieces he's managed to swipe his fingers across are soft. he remembers that about her. everything about kate marsh is soft, even here now, a decade later. she's more lovely than ever, more confident, yet still as reserved, and oddly unmarried.

he has to wonder if he's ruined that for her. the bizarre hopeful in him has to think ... maybe she was waiting for me? after she started visiting, i thought ... i don't know.

nate and kate. it could have been cute back then. they could have been cute, and she had been honest that she had found him attractive. she was interested in him that whole time, especially the time he was nice to her. he had ruined that, of course, all in his crusade to ruin her. he was never nice. he was only kind to be cruel.

his tactless campaign of brutality had failed in the end / his attempts to remove her autonomy only made her more autonomous.

it's hard to keep things in the present, always looking back in regret or forward in fear.

choppy bangs hang over his forehead, using his free hand to push them back out of his face. for a moment, he almost feels like his old self again.

fuck that entirely. no way.

she says his name, the one he prefers, and he swivels his head down to look at her. she's staring hard at him as if struggling with something, and he goes to speak, but imagine his surprise to feel her body shift, move, and collapse onto him. it's like some sort of intimate trust fall, allowing him to hold the meager weight of her, and show her that he can do the right thing.

what is the right thing? he assumes if she's practically on top of him, she must want some sort of received affection, so his arms snake slowly around her, his chin trying to find its way to the top of her head, and he's straining, but it's cool, nate. he has to do this.

and they stay in a remaining, albeit awkward embrace, and his grip is loose as if to say, you can run away, little rabbit. he is no fox now, is he?

can we really shed our skin and teeth like that?

and their embrace is halted only by her lips beneath his chin, the way his chest rises, and how he asks if it's wrong to want to kiss her. he hasn't kissed anyone in a long, long time, and his desires are unknown now, though the lingering fantasies still bury beneath the skin, and he's prickling up. fuck. i shouldn't have said anything.

yet, she makes herself available to him, and he does the bare minimum. any hint of passion gone awry could spoil the occasion. a kiss is sufficient. it has to be. it never was before. nothing was ever enough for me.

but it doesn't stop at kissing. not at kissing, touching, or pushing her back onto the couch. he's waiting for any key indicator of hey, that's enough. he's on top of her, what he must imagine has been a frequent nightmare, but she keeps her eyes closed, her heart open, and her legs spread.

there is no way this is happening. she's testing me, right? this is a test?

through her encouragement, he's got his pants open, his face in her neck, and his body is trying to keep an even tempo. it's much better this way, he thinks. this is how it should have been all along, and maybe if he had been nice, patient, and kind, he could have gotten whatever it was he really wanted from her to start.

to be like this with kate is overwhelming. he's releasing soft, yet controlled moans, trying to restrain his past vocal expression.

nathan had been a dominant young king before, but now? nate is just a man. in a way, that's always what he wanted; he never wanted the pressures of the life he didn't choose, only wanting the freedom to choose at all.

now, he's some guy that works in gresham, keeps to himself, and what, is she my girlfriend now? shit, is that even okay? what kind of relationship is this going to be?

but he's not really thinking about that right now, instead consumed both in his own pleasure and waiting for her to tell him to stop. he's only able to do this because of her, so he's on his best behavior here, but still ... she feels too good.

the number of times he had pictured her in high school hadn't been enough, and her abstinence campaign had called to him directly as a challenge. he had found her to be a tease then, that all women were teasing him, but now?

i should have just waited for her. all of this could be different than it is now. i did this. this is all because of me.

it's when he's got this cadence going that he realizes she's choking back sobs, wet tears falling down her face. he's off of her fast, putting himself together so that he can pick up the pieces of whatever is going on. he thinks he might have a good idea. he's compromised her faith twice now, her body once by force, and this? he's not sure what this is. but he has to ask, so he does. tries to stroke her hair, wipe her tears, and all but beg her to be honest with him.

ah, seems to be more complicated than he's anticipating. it's too many emotions, she reveals. it's everything. her, him, their past, their present, and their future. do they have a future? is she letting this happen all over again? should she even be crying right now? is it okay to love someone that hurt you so badly before? can people change for real? it had been so nice until —

— she feels stupid, and even tells him outright this, to which he reassures her she's not. he explains he feels that perhaps he's ruined his one good thing; something so good that maybe that's how this has to be.

i have to ruin you. we can't be together.

[misireads]

Chocolat by Joanne Harris

[physical book, read in finnish]

a young woman who's spent her entire life travelling settles down in a small town in france with her daughter. she sets up a chocolate shop opposite the church, angering the local priest who can't stand the thought of the townspeople suddenly indulging in chocolate instead of god. the woman, vianne, couldn't care less about the opposition she's facing and ends up becoming part of the community, helping many of the troubled people and forming friendships with them.

➕ you can see from my goodreads scoring that i'm pretty picky with literature, but when i actually like a book i notice it early on, and this is one of those. this was a joy to read, not just because i love chocolate but i enjoyed the storytelling, all the little moments and poetic descriptions of food and drink. i'm also a sucker for these kinds of stories about small close-knit villages with a set of characters and archetypes who are all a bit strange in their own ways, and stories where the main character makes others' lives better. this also subverted pretty much all my expectations, i thought (especially based on the english-language cover on goodreads??) that this would be a romance story so i was expecting a tsundere kind of deal where the priest and vianne fall in love, but no. and i'm glad it wasn't so. i think the movie version might be that? i haven't ever seen it

➕ the language was so descriptive, this was the perfect book for reading out loud to myself because it was very easy to give life to the characters and their lines. i also had fun pronouncing all the french. i know that's not really about the book itself but it's about my reading experience so it goes here anyway

➕ i've read dozens of mystery/suspense/horror books in my life but this one had a much more thrilling ending climax scene compared to most of those. i never would have thought that [spoiler] it would be so intense to read about an embarrassing priest hogging a mountain of chocolate in a moment of frenzied sugar-lust

➕ i need a good cup of hot chocolate so bad

➖ while i mostly like this kind of poetic prose, i feel like sometimes the writing could have been more explicit instead because i didn't quite understand what some parts even meant. and i read the finnish translation.

➖ didn't fully understand vianne's character, she was unhappy that her own mother made her travel throughout her childhood but then when she had a child of her own, she decided to also drag her around instead of allowing her to settle down and make friends? so the little girl has to have an imaginary friend instead who [spoiler] is beginning to disappear towards the end because she's finally made real friends but "now pantoufle is coming back bc oops i'm deciding we're gonna take off again!" not really mother of the year material, and she's supposed to be like this holy angel of goodness so it doesn't really all add up. i didn't really get that part.

➖ the PoV alternates between vianne and reynaud without any implication which one we're talking about so the first few lines of each new chapter is a confusing mess.

➖ i kind of would have wanted the "evil" characters to have a redemption at the end but there was none. not even for caroline despite one good moment towards the end but no.

➖ they fed chocolate to a dog

⭐ score: 4- -- not quite a perfect four because of the extensive list of things that still bothered me. it's not a perfect book, but a charming little one regardless.

[enchantedfms]

welcome to ethereal hollow, elsa ellie winters ! enjoy your stay and remember, those dreams are just that ; dreams ! 

OUT OF CHARACTER

Stella, 28, GMT +1, she/her

INTRODUCE YOUR CHARACTER

dreams of ice and snow powers are becoming more and more vivid for ellie winters. still just quick flashes, they should be nothing more than dreams, but they feel so real. the librarian has always been known to be gentle & astute, however at times can be reticent & anxious. usually spotted in nature park playing with her maltese puppy. but their long blonde hair, soft-spoken voice, and tendency to hum to herself always has them standing out. [ frozen & elsa. 25. ciswoman / she/her. victoria pedretti ]

FAIRYTALE LIVES

Growing up was a lonely and fearful time for Elsa. Taught from an early age to fear and conceal the magic that flowed from her hands, instead of learning to control it and embrace who she was. Once her parents died and it was only her and the sister she had been forced to push away left, it was only a matter of time before Elsa lost control. For a time it seemed like her powers may isolate her from the people of Arendelle entirely. She was frighteningly close to losing herself to the idea that she was a villain, dangerous.

Thankfully, with the help of Anna, Elsa broke through the wall of fear she had built around herself and began learning to embrace her powers. There was still a long journey of healing to go on, Elsa didn’t suddenly bloom into a socialite overnight, but small changes were being made. As queen she tried her best to be there for her people and prove that she could be trusted again. The same was true when the enchanted forest was discovered and Elsa passed the role of Queen of Arendelle to Anna. Things felt like they were finally falling into place.

Still, as her life felt like it was settling around her, there was something else that began preoccupying Elsa’s mind. The villains locked away and left in the prison to rot, no chance of redemption or attempts at rehabilitation. Elsa was painfully self-aware to just how close she could have been to becoming a villain herself, falling down that path and ending up banished, never seeing her friends or family again. She had a lot of empathy and mixed feelings regarding the prison, and had begun looking into some sort of compromise where the villains were given opportunities for self-improvement. 

CURSED LIVES

As far as Elsa knew, Ethereal Hollow was always her home. Her childhood had again been a lonely one, having no siblings and parents who were never around, and she was left to her own devices. Elsa was often anxious, but without any clear knowledge of why. It was as though she could feel something inside her, something that could cause harm and destruction if it was ever let out. She was told she just had an active imagination, being a child, and soon learned to keep these irrational worries to herself. 

Another thing she could never quite shake was the sense that something, or more accurately someone was missing from her life. She sometimes dreamed of a girl around her age with red hair, feeling an instant connection and sense of recognition, but would forget about these dreams upon waking up. The dreams weren’t always pleasant, other times she would be plagued with nightmares of losing control, people dying, the world freezing over… Those were dreams that stuck with her the entire day when she had them. 

Once she grew up Elsa went to school to become a librarian, and stayed in the town she had known her whole life when it came time to get a job. She lives with her dog Marshmallow in an apartment by the library. Marshmallow is an emotional support dog and quietly sleeps under her desk in the library while she’s working. 

AESTHETICS / MUSING / HEADCANONS

Headcanons:

Elsa is a lesbian. She realized when she was very young, but didn’t officially come out until her early 20s. Apart from the subtle pride pin on her work lanyard she doesn’t call much attention to the fact, but she’s not ashamed either, just an inherently private person.

Her favorite part of her morning routine is stopping by the coffee shop to get an iced coffee. It’s difficult for Elsa to get through her day efficiently without the assistance of caffeine. 

She’s good with kids and enjoys helping them find whatever book they want at the library, but she doesn’t think she will ever want to be a mother herself. 

Elsa dabbled in musical theater in high school, and loved it, but never felt confident enough to audition for a main role. It’s something she regrets as an adult, and sometimes considers auditioning for local theater shows, always talking herself out of it at the last minute.

[ultraericthered]

Anime Update V2 43

Wolf’s Rain - None for this week. Waiting for it to be March before I start on the final stretch of the series.

Hunter x Hunter - Watched Gon and Killua continue their special training with Biscuit, who is still a total delight to have around. But this episode also revealed the identity of the dangerous bomber on Greed Island who got built up before, and it’s the exact shady guy voiced by Todd Haberkorn I expected it’d be. Damn if he’s not scary good at what he does, though - he can make targets out of people and disarm them with just a word, has another guy working with him and even got Puhat blown up, dead sooner than I thought he’d be!

Fruits Basket - While Tohru talked with Master Kazuma about what happened on summer break and the implications of what effect the Zodiac Curse will have on the rest of the Sohmas lives, most of the episode was spend with Kagura taking Kyo out on a very special date, one that served as a springboard for a ton more insight into Kagura, what she and Kyo’s relationship used to be like, and why she decided she needed to fall in love with him and force herself on him all the time, and this led to astonishing growth and redemption for her character. I felt for the girl so strongly, seeing how she knew all the ways in which she’d been terrible but really wants to not only do better, but to see to it that Kyo is happy even if it’s not through a romantic engagement with her. While I love and still miss this character’s portrayal in the original anime, I’m glad that I’m now able to love this take on her as well. Kagura Sohma, all is forgiven now.

Date A Live S4 - After the Fairy Tale episode, the one that finishes off this conflict underwhelmed me with the exception of the action scenes of Ike Westcott VS Elliot, Ellen VS the Fraxinus Crew, and Origami VS the British chick whose deal I’m still kind of hazy on. Not helping is that Mukuro is by far the least interesting Spirit this show’s given us, so I’m left wondering what the purpose of her even is.

Fate Zero - Got Saber VS Rider first as a chariot VS motorcycle race, and then as a brief skirmish before it became clear that despite how it had appeared, Rider was not the one who abducted Irisveil - it was actually Berserker and Kariya, working under request from Kirei. There was also a brief moment where Zouken showed up to meet with Kirei, which sets up things to come for Heaven’s Feel. Then Kariya discovers Tokiomi’s dead corpse in the church, and wouldn’t you know it, Tokiomi’s wife comes in and believes Kariya murdered him! It is in this moment where Kariya fully condemns himself, losing his grip on sanity and strangling the woman he loves to death in a moment of anguished passion. Exactly as Kirei and Rider planned.

Re:ZERO - This one marked the real big dramatic turning point of this series - "the Sound of Chains”. In addition to Subaru once again having to repeat his days at Roswaal’s Manor (talking to Emilia and Puck and re-establishing his “Meelie” pet name, chatting with Beatrice in her magic library, getting roasted by Rem and Ram while also being taught to read and write, all that), there’s a scene where Subaru recounts the famous  “Weeping Red Oni” fable to Ram, with some underlining meaning and foreshadowing that starts to become clear at the end, as Subaru finally faces his assassin...and it’s Rem.

Symphogear G - As one could predict, Hibiki losing her arm to the Nephilim triggered her berserk mode, decimating the Nephilim but also putting everyone at risk and sending Dr. Ver into full pathetic Dirty Coward mode. It’s revealed that during the events of the last series, Hibiki absorbed some of Gungnir inside of her, and each use of it at full power drives her closer to death, so Tsubasa kicks her off the team in a pretty groan-worthy moment of creating a needless misunderstanding between the girls. Following some moments of growing clarity for Nastassja and humorous banter between Kirika and Shirabe (these two are globally wanted terrorists, folks!), Hibiki rejoins her friends at school only for them to run straight into Dr. Ver, who is again using Solomon’s Cane to control Noise. Immediately, Hibiki opts to break her agreement with Tsubasa and go into battle!

MAR - This show is normally just the most basic, average junk food level of “it’s okay/good enough”, but there are moments where it really kicks things into high gear and delivers a bit more, and these two episodes exemplified that. We got to follow Dorothy to her home, Cauldea the land of magic, and got more lore, more backstory, more details coming with revelations a long time coming. And then the Chess Pieces launch a unjustified assault on the place, endangering children and killing their parents. During this attack, Phantom is even there in person just to go toe-to-toe with Ginta, with Derek Stephen Prince continuing to sexually assault my ears the whole while! To top it all off, we learn that Babbo is the human spirit of the previous Cauldean elder sealed within Phantom’s ARM. What the fuck!?

Gintama - The episode that finally re-introduced us to Taizo the former government employee, who’s dealing with a mid-life crisis of sorts trying to find new work and, in a running gag that’s odd even for this series, is constantly being called a DORK, which is an acronym where the letters stand for different words each time it’s used! And then at the climax when he’s working as a taxi cab driver, he has to drive Prince Hata, the guy who got him terminated from his old job in the first place, along with Gintoki in the car as well, but he ends up once again pummels the spoiled alien brat away in favor of heeding his heart to help others in neeed. DORK or not, he’s cool with that.

(Also watched more Anohana and Nagatoro San 2nd Attack.)