#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!

[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.

Smells Like...

Marcus had always told himself he wasn’t the jealous type until her. He told himself she was gone for good, that she had moved on. But when he sees her at an art exhibit a year later, with another man, something inside him snaps. The jealousy, the longing, the love he never let go of all crashes down on him.

One heated confrontation later and the past proves impossible to ignore. The chemistry is still electric, the connection undeniable. But Marcus isn’t willing to let her slip away this time. As passion ignites and old wounds resurface, he makes one thing clear—he wants her back.

But is Marcus willing to risk his heart one more time to find out?

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.

Oberyn Martell

Of Death and Butterflies

Everyone’s heard the stories of Lilith. Of how she came to be. But are the stories true? Is she really a demon or something else? She was not born of angels but created by Death himself. To walk between the land of the living and dead. But what happens when The Fates intervene and present her soulmate? Countless lives and re-incarnations have been lived and lost. Will Oberyn remember before another life slips between their fingers like sand?

Wild Hearts

For Mina’s Moodboard Birthday Celebration. I picked Oberyn and got horseback riding so I wrote this lil drabble. It takes place before Oberyn would have told Lilith that he was going to announce their union. Their fourth lifetime. Of Death and Butterflies had so much angst, I wanted to write something sweet for them. Please enjoy the moodboard and the drabble.

Max Phillips-Tinsel and Turkey Vultures

This was written for @beefrobeefcal Half Bricked, Wrong Time February Prompt Challenge. It is a dumpster fire but well I think it is funny. Not your shot of whisky, scroll on by. If you want a giggle, give it a read.  

Lucien Flores-Never Have I Ever Killed Someone

What were Hollywood parties except a chance to show off the glitz and glamour? Shallow was the word she liked to use but as a PA to a boss who went through a horrid divorce, she was begged to go. To let everyone know he was okay when she knew the truth.

But now she finds herself drawn into an unexpected encounter with a stranger. He convinces her to join him in a private game of “Never Have I Ever.” And what begins as playful banter escalates into an electrifying, passionate night that neither of them anticipates but both desperately need.

A one-night stand was meant to be just that—one night. But can something so intense truly end there?

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

[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."

[hollowghostsonfilm]

[Geto/Gojo Fic] Hollow: The Fracture [5/7]

Summary:

Satoru Gojo wakes up in the body of his sixteen-year-old self, 6 months before the Star Plasma Vessel mission. He's certain its a domain. Or a curse. Or a hallucination born at the moment of his death. It can't be real. Geto is alive. Shoko is there. The dorm floorboards creak at the exact right place. He has to focus, has to work out how to break out of this domain. But hope has teeth, and Gojo has been bitten. Haunted by a future that only he remembers, Gojo has to walk the knife's edge between redemption and madness. Because if this is real, he can't let it go the same way again.

Master List for previous chapters.

Link to AO3 or read below:

Yuuta doesn’t answer the door, but he hears it open.

The voices drift upstairs before he even hears his name. He’s been sat in his room with the curtains drawn, clutching his knees with his head against them as Rika warbles next to him.

Today has been a bad day. He just wants to disappear. No. Not disappear. He wants to have never existed. He wants the curse that he’s brought into this world, the one he hates most, to be gone. To not cause any more trouble for anyone.

He hadn’t meant to hurt anyone. He hadn’t.

He stays curled in the corner, breathing slowly, as though trying to leave as little imprint in the world as possible. He can feel Rika’s hot breath against the back of his neck, the feel of her darkness between his ribs.

And against that backdrop is when there was a knock on the door, one loud bang followed by something that sounds like squabbling, and a professional knock shortly after.

Shortly after, a man’s voice, smooth and bright, like a salesman carries through the apartment. “Good afternoon, Okkotsu-san. We’re here about your son, Yuuta.”

He hears his mother’s voice tremble as she answers. “Yes?” She knows. She knew when he walked in. He’d done something terrible again. He’d hurt someone again. She’s afraid, afraid of whatever these people are here to do. Are they police? Are they teachers from school? Social services?

He grips his knees tighter.

“We were told Yuuta might be a good candidate for our special programme. Can we come in?” This second voice is lower, more gently, a little hoarse.

Yuuta hears the sounds of people coming inside, hears the sounds of shoes being discarded and people padding into their living room. There’s a rustle of paper from beyond.

He crawls slightly towards his own door, not wanting to hear, desperate to hear, what is being said about him.

Gojo and Geto. He catches their names when they introduce themselves. They start explaining something about a school, a special one. They use buzzwords Yuuta doesn’t care about, things like enrichment and potential, something about “sensitive boys” which Yuuta takes to mean ‘delinquents’.

Yuuta closes his eyes as Rika presses herself along his back, sharp teeth so close to his ear that if he moves, she’ll bite him. She doesn’t like them on principle, she doesn’t trust them, he can hear it in the way her breathing has become tighter.

“And the tuition?” his mother asks, quietly.

“No tuition,” says the lower of the two voices. Geto, wasn’t it? “We run entirely on scholarships.”

“And it’s a… boarding school?” Yuuta’s mother asks again.

“Yes. All expenses paid. Honestly, it’s kind of a sweet deal. Wish I’d had the chance to go there,” the smooth talker replies. “Yuuta would be with two boys around his own age, and three girls for middle school. Then for high school, the class sizes are… well… small. But that just means he’ll get lots of extra tuition from the teachers. Oh, and did I mention, 100% of our students graduate with a guaranteed job at the end of it.”

Rika growls and Yuuta wraps his arms around himself even tighter. Don’t go out there don’t go out there don’t go out there.

There’s a lull in the conversation, and then his mother calls out to him, voice strained: “Yuuta?”

He doesn’t answer at first. He’s scared that Rika will get away from him, that he’ll step out of his room and she’ll attack, maim, bite, do something unforgivable. But when he mother calls again, he can’t hide any longer.

He opens the door to his room and shuffles awkwardly into the living room, holding onto one of his elbows. There are two men in the room. One of them is tall with bright white hair. He’s wearing sunglasses indoors, and a slim fit suit. He gives Yuuta the biggest, most blinding grin that Yuuta’s ever been on the receiving end of. It’s not the smile Yuuta usually gets; the one reserved for troubled kids. He doesn’t look pitying at all. He looks… delighted.

The other man, Yuuta presumes, is the quieter voice he’d heard. Long dark hair, something wrapped in cloth under one arm. His eyes find Yuuta, and then very slowly slide up and up behind him.

He can see Rika, Yuuta realises in horror, his lower lip trembling. He hears Rika make a trilling sound, a curious one as she sniffs the air in the lounge, but then the man’s eyes slide back down to Yuuta’s face. He inclines his head slowly.

“We brought this for you,” Gojo says, standing up to hand Yuuta the package from under his arm. “It’s a brochure for the school. You should go check it out. We can continue talking to your mom about it.”

Yuuta takes it out of instinct. He wonders why they’ve bothered to wrap it in a furoshiki if it’s just a brochure. He takes a step back, clutching it to his chest.

The white-haired man bends at the waist, leaning in to look at his face. “You need more sleep, kid.”

Yuuta flinches. “I-I…”

“Yuuta, why don’t you go look at that in your room, hm?” His mother suggests kindly. “I’ll continue to talk to these men here.”

Rika possessively curls around Yuuta’s shoulders, letting out a low, hissing rattle as Gojo tilts his head to the side. He has bright blue eyes, and they flick up over Yuuta’s shoulder once. He can see Rika too, Yuuta realises, but he doesn’t seem scared. Instead, he smirks and reaches out.

Rika’s jaws snap on millimetres away from the ends of the tips of his fingers and Yuuta looks stricken. The man just leans back, looking thrilled for some reason, and grins at him.

“Better do what your mother says.”

Yuuta retreats without saying a word, back to his room, Rika coiling round him as though to protect him. He closes the door to his room and sinks down against the door.

He reaches to undo the furoshiki and Rika snarls.

“I’m just going to look,” he says, resting a hand against her forehead. “It can’t hurt to look, right, Rika? Maybe it’s for the best to go to a special school with less people for us?”

What tumbles out of the furoshiki though isn’t a brochure. It’s a campus notebook. One that looks a bit rough around the edges if he’s honest, like it might have been shoved into a few school bags and knocked around a bit.

He opens the first page, wondering if the man had accidentally picked up the wrong thing to give him. Maybe he was just scatty? But then, he sees that there are handwritten notes on the first page. He flips through.

There are… hand written letters on the first few pages. All addressed to him. One has a pressed flower that has been taped down on it. He flips the pages, hands trembling.

*

Yuuta,

You’re probably wondering what this is. Truth is, the school doesn’t actually have a prospectus for you to look at. So we kind of had to free style it. We got help from your future classmates to showcase what it’s like to go to school here, so hopefully you’ll find it okay.

We know what it’s like to be feared, and to be afraid. To be stared at in the street, or to be treated like a problem waiting to happen. We know what it’s like to have a problem inside you that you didn’t ask for, and can’t help but unleash.

We also know what it’s like to lose someone you love.

You’re not in danger from us, and we want to reassure you, that you’re not alone in the world. We’re all jujutsu sorcerers, just like you. Rika doesn’t scare us. We can teach you how to control her.

Whatever you’ve done, or whatever you think you’ve done, you still get to choose who you want to be.

Of course, we’re hoping that you choose to come with us to find out who that is.

We’ll be waiting, even if you take your time to think this over.

Satoru Gojo and Suguru Geto

*

Dear Yuuta,

I don’t know everything you’re going through, but I know what it’s like to love someone so much it hurts. Gojo-sensei told us that you lost someone you loved once and that’s caused some problems for you. I’m so sorry. I don’t have parents, so I can understand a little bit.

Well, I have Satoru and Suguru, I suppose. But that’s… Anyway!

I don’t have any powers myself, but if you come to Jujutsu High, I have other things I can teach you! Like how to cook! We make it together here, sometimes. Yuuji helps a lot in the kitchen, and you could help us too! You can peel the potatoes!

In any case, since coming here I’ve realised one thing, everyone deserves to be understood. That means you too!

Warmly,

Tsumiki

*

Hi Yuuta!

Mimiko and Nanako here! We live at Jujutsu High. We’re twins, by the way, so we’ve chosen to write our letter together. I think you’d like Jujutsu High. I don’t know what Gojo-sensei has said to you before you read this, but if it’s anything weird, just ignore it. Suguru-nii is way better than him anyway and the best teacher here by far.

We hope you come. Gojo-sensei said you like books? Mimiko has a load of horror manga that her and Itadori have been hoarding between them. I know it’s not the same, but maybe you could make Gojo-sensei read something so he’s quieter in the mornings or something?

Love,

Mimiko and Nanako

*

This place isn’t going to be easy. People are going to expect a lot from you. Sometimes, you’re not going to know what to say or do, or how to make things better. Sometimes, the teachers come back and they’re beat up in a dozen different ways. Sometimes, even the students have to face difficult things. I’ve heard some of them have died before.

I know everyone else’s letters are going to make it seem like it’s all sunshine and rainbows, but I figured someone needs to be honest with you about what you’re getting into.

But at the same time, there’s space here. You don’t have to be loud. You don’t have to be a fixed idea of a person. You just have to show up and do your best and the rest kind of comes. Train, get stronger, help people.

If you need quiet, you can always hang out in my room. I don’t like talking so much anyway.

Fushiguro Megumi

*

Yo Yuuta,

I’m Yuuji. I’m kinda loud and Fushiguro says I’m bad at math. I’ve learned I’m pretty good at punching things though. I mean curses! Not people!.

Listen, this school is weird. I think there’s an immortal tree person? And Gojo-sensei can, like, stop anyone from touching him. And Geto-sensei has curses he can summon like Pokemon.

But it’s not scary, it’s really cool.

I heard you’ve got a curse called Rika. I’ve got a curse too called Sukuna. He lives in my face, and sometimes my hand. He sucks 99.99999% of the time. Gojo-sensei said Rika isn’t exactly like Sukuna, but I bet we understand each other pretty well anyway.

You and me, we’re gonna be friends. COME JOIN US YUUTA!

Yuuji

PS I can be friends with Rika too if she wants. Though Gojo-sensei said she might try to eat me the first few times I meet her.

PS x2 I don’t know what you look like yet and Gojo-sensei was really bad at describing you so I hope that I didn’t get it too wrong!

*

Yuuta traces over every word, every line, until they blur. He puts his hand over his mouth to try to stem the tears, but these ones don’t hurt. They aren’t like the ones he’s used to, tight and quiet, curled around his shoulders and crushing him like Rika. They fall regardless of him trying to hold them back.

They taste like relief.

He clutches the book, throwing open the door to his room. Rika yowls in annoyance as she chases him as his socked feet slip on the wood. He barrels into the living room, clutching the notebook tightly to his chest like a lifeline.

Gojo, who had been in the middle of saying something, looks up in faint alarm, but Yuuta turns to his mother immediately, bowing deeply to her.

“Please,” he says. “Please let me go!”

His mother takes in a shaking breath. “Yuuta, let’s think this thr-“

“Please!” Yuuta drops to his knees. Rika hovers behind him, seeming unsure on whether this is a threat or what to do.

“Perhaps we should come back lat-“

“Please!” Yuuta repeats.

He looks up at his mother and she stares down at him as though seeing him for the first time again in years. As though seeing his red-rimmed eyes, complete with their dark circles. As though seeing his unkempt hair. As though seeing the utter torment that he’s lived with ever since Rika died.

Her eyes start to shine, and she puts a hand over her mouth. “Okay… Okay, Yuuta. Let’s… let’s talk about this together with these teachers then…”

♾️

Suguru didn’t know what he’d expected from Okkotsu Yuuta, but from how Satoru had spoken of him, he hadn’t quite expected… this.

He’s soft-spoken, overwhelmingly polite, and shies away from attention as though it might actually burn him. Suguru can tell his personality is one of overwhelming kindness, at complete odds with the aura of absolute menace his aura gives off.

And he does give off one hell of an aura. Suguru has only ever felt one like it once before, when Satoru had killed Toji Fushiguro, unleashing Hollow Purple. Satoru had said that Yuuta would be a Special Grade sorcerer, had said that Rika was a Special Grade curse. But knowing it and knowing it were two different things. And whereas Satoru could tamper down his own aura, Yuuta hadn’t even begun to understand how.

He helps Yuuta get his things into his room, sorting through boxes and helping the boy make up his bed. Yuuta thanks him profusely the whole time, apologising and trying to both do his own unpacking and help with whatever Suguru is doing at the same time. It takes three times as long because Yuuta is just so overwhelmingly polite.

Suguru realises, with some sourness, that he doesn’t really like this type of personality. He hopes that Yuuta loses it as he grows more accustomed to being here and grows some teeth.

And that thought unsettles him somewhat, because Yuuta is a child and Suguru is an adult and he really should be above having those kinds of thoughts at all.

Still, he doesn’t let any of it show on his face, and when he’s done helping Yuuta set up, he excuses himself to go start dinner.

Satoru is leaning on the wall outside, hands in his pockets, head tilted back against the wall. He has a smirk on his face, and Suguru knows that he’s read him like a book.

“Rethinking your plan of involving him?” Satoru asks, kicking away from the wall to fall into step with Suguru.

“No. He’s just…” Suguru glances over his shoulder, lowering his voice so Yuuta definitely won’t hear. “He’s downtrodden. We’re surrounded by traumatised kids, and yet somehow, he manages to be the most… damaged seeming of all of them.”

Satoru snorts. “I would like to apply for that title, actually.”

Suguru rolls his eyes. “Yes, well, apart from you, he does. Like, I kind of wanted to shake him by the shoulders in there after he apologised to me when he broke one of his own ornaments…”

Satoru chuckles and rubs the back of his neck. “He’ll grow. Yuuta’s heart is big. Huge. Right now, it has nothing to care about except that curse that’s strangling the life out of him. Wait until gets to high school and Maki, Panda, and Toge are here. Then you’ll see a different side of him.”

Suguru glances at Satoru. “I still can’t see him bagging a Zen’in like you said he does.”

Satoru waves his hand at him, laughing. “I’m not 100% sure he did, but trust me. By the time that kid is eighteen, he’s fighting them all off. Like you were suave at twelve?”

They get to the kitchen and Suguru opens the door to immediately come face to face with what seems to be the entirety of their little family. Yuuji’s face was practically pressed against the door with Nanako’s. Tsumiki and Mimiko are stood a little bit back, but close enough it was obvious that they’d also been trying to eavesdrop. Only Megumi is sat at the actual table, reading a manga as though he’s trying to ignore everyone.

“Is he here? Can we go say hi? Can we?” Yuuji is hopping from foot to foot with excitement.

Suguru looks at Satoru. Surely this is going to be overwhelming for Yuuta at this point? But Satoru steps aside, gesturing with his hand and a bow for the kids to rampage out of the kitchen and down the hall.

Suguru watches as Yuuji bangs on Yuuta’s door loud enough the walls shake, Nanako, Mimiko, and Tsumiki hot on his heels. Megumi sighs, putting his manga down and slinking after them as well, but Suguru can see the curiosity in his eyes all the same.

The door to Yuuta’s room opens, and Yuuji pushes his way inside and that, Suguru guesses, is that. They’ll either be friends now or they won’t.

“Don’t worry, Suguru,” Satoru says, putting a hand on his shoulder. “Rika will only nibble them when she senses Sukuna.”

Suguru senses the flare of cursed energy rising from down the hall and high tails it down the corridor, Satoru cackling in the background.

[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

[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.

[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.

[bigbeautybigheart]

I Just Can't XDDD

Yuna being so cocky about jumping into the Time Machine for the slightest chance to meet Yuga again. She's literally doing the "Bye-bye, b*itches I'm off to reunite with The Love of My Life" gesture as if what she's doing is some Big Romantic Moment.

VS

Yuna when she was hit with Big Reality Check as the harsh reality turned out to be her ending up all alone in an unfamiliar era with no way of going back, so there was a chance she would have to live there now. *cackle* Girl, you're soooo lucky you didn't end up in some Jurassic era instead where you would have been eaten by the very first dinosaur you encounter 😈 Good thing Ferko took you under her wing, what a good soul she is.

Although:

Them basically "highjacking the system" aka scaring the living daylights out of local kids so that people would bring offerings to a local deity's temple to appease the "evil youkai" and then eating said food. Like, I can understand Ferko having to live off of that cause she can't really interact with humans directly. Whereas Yuna could have actually just, y'know, try going to some village nearby... although then, I imagine, she would have been made to do some work for food, I guess? No one needs a freeloader, especially not in an era where getting food requires some real labor, and Yuna, being the spoiled rotten girl she is, isn't exactly used to that, lol.

Yeah, "becoming a youkai" and live off of the poor peasant's offerings sounds like a plan indeed 😅 That, and, I guess, they just needed to have her back in the plot + introduce Ferko, so the writers just killed two birds with one stone?

Now as for her "redemption". Hoh boi, talk about rushed! Although I would like to mention one thing as I'm able to read Japanese, so I can tell that Asaka did NOT actually fully made up with Yuna here? Here what was said:

*Asaka, calling out to Yuna as the latter is trying to walk away silently, most likely not daring to approach Asaka after everything she has done:

"I saw the future!"

"In the future, a Mutsuba descendant and a Goha heir will be shaking hands."

"Right now, it's impossible, but the time when we can understand each other will come."

So yeah... I wouldn't exactly call it Asaka just fully forgetting and forgiving Yuna, hence the "Right now, it's impossible" line? But, obviously, she decides not to hold grudges against Yuna either and keep the possibility of reconciliation on the table, even if it might take generations for Mutsuba and Goha to be friends again.

But, I guess, it's still enough to make Yuna feel relief/some joy... although in MY personal opinion, it's still more than what she actually deserves, given how toxic and selfish she had been. Oh well, GR is a kids anime, so, I suppose, everything's bound to be fine and dandy at the end of the day? Besides, this isn't really the first time it happens in YGO either: Arc V just went ahead and forgave Leo freakin' Akaba for all his LITERAL war crimes, so meh *shrug*.

[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.

[reformed-demons-vampire]

I don't trust anyone who doesn't like Katie Cassidy/Laurel Lance/Ruby 1.0, period.

[weebsinstash]

Hi there. I’ve noticed you have been posting a lot of recs lately and was wondering if you could post a list of your overall top 5. Been looking for more stuff to read.

I sure could! I've been having a lot of fun reading all these new stories ^^ these are not in order of importance or anything and anything in the plot summaries either have defails that are revealed extremely early on or are minor minor spoilers

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1. Actually, I Was The Real One

Status: still in progress

Plot summary: Keira Parvis is the eldest and only daughter of the Parvis family, prophecized to become a Saint who can commune with the spirits and bring peace to the land, a role exclusive to her bloodline. She works diligently and devotes her entire childhood to working and studying hard to earn the attention and approval of her extremely distant emotionally absent father Ludwig, to no avail, becoming known to everyone as a no-nonsense, stone-faced prodigy who most are too intimidated to approach. Before her powers can manifest though, a young girl named Cosette comes forward and says she is the real daughter and that Keira is illegitimate, and Cosette displays her spiritual powers in front of everyone to prove it. Keira is immediately branded as a fake and a heretic fated to bring disaster and is set to be executed for treason. Cosette then appears in front of the gagged, imprisoned Keira, and happily tells her "actually you WERE the real one :)". Keira can do nothing as she is executed right in front of the city and her father Ludwig, who does nothing to stop it. With her soul travelling back in time before her execution, Keira vows to not only get revenge on Cosette and avoid her death, but to also live a happier life where she is not constantly trying to please her father who has done nothing but break her heart (end summary)

Oh my god this story. I think this one might be my favorite, which is tragic because it's either on hiatus or between seasons right now since it hasn't updated since spring 2022 (update! as I am coming back to this draft, the story actually began updating again a few days ago and I am so so SO excited and happy to see it continuing). The villain Cosette is infuriating and Keira is a strong competent and highly relatable lead. Since she spent so long trying to study and be perfect, she can be extremely socially awkward so this story is not only one of revenge and redemption, but also a sort of rebirth into a happier life. Keira starts making changes to how she lives and her personal journey is honestly really touching. She has never had friends or a boyfriend and she starts trying to be less lonely and it is honestly the most heart warming and cute thing ever. In the very beginning of the story, she tries to step down as the captain of the knights because she thinks people hate her and feel she weaseled her way into her position (because technically her position as captain is tradition for children of her family although she is also genuinely fully qualified enough to hold the position anyways), but after she gives a speech to the knights, saying she's sorry for making them uncomfortable, that the last thing she wanted to do was be a cold dictator who pushed people around, that she just took her job seriously, when she literally turns to leave all the knights together just burst into NO OH MY GOD NO WE HAD NO IDEA WE WERE IN THE WRONG PLEASE STAY CAPTAIN 🥺.

She starts forming friendships with her maids and one of them introduces her to a romance novel which she has never even read these kinds of stories before AND SHE STAYS UP ALL NIGHT READING IT LIKE A DORK. She tries to start dating and the first guy is so unbelievably sketchy you are just reading it SCREAMING through the monitor "BABY NO" because it's her first crush and she is so innocent oh my god 🥺

There's just. There's this scene that isn't even very plot significant but. She's sitting down at a garden party or something with all these other girls who are around her age and they all begin to laugh and tease her as they talk about marriage and it's like. She has friends now 🥺 Keira's character arc is not just about trying to save herself, but also growing as a person and finding out who she really is. This story is like watching your little sister grow up and im so happy it's still being continued

2. Father I Don't Want This Marriage!

Status: ongoing

Plot summary: a time travel story in a world of magic! Juvelia is framed for the poisoning of the princess and jailed and abandoned by her father who has been cold to her for her entire life, no matter what she does. Her father locks her up and gives her a knife before leaving without saying much more, and in a moment of pure panic, when the notoriously violent and cruel crown prince and brother of the princess is angrily approaching her cell, in the depths of her despair and with fears of being tortured, she kills herself and winds up travelling back through time. Can she use her knowledge of the future to avoid the same fate she had before, and why is her father suddenly acting so much differently?

My gosh this story gets so sad in places, but overall it's actually often very cute, wholesome, and comedic! The ML is green flags all around and is very cute and dorky once he realizes he loves Juvelia. He literally goes from realizing he loves her to fantasizing about marrying her and having kids together (his inner thought bubbles literally say something like "would just a boy and a girl be ok?" like, he legitimately wants to have a family with her 🥺❤). They are often represented as a white mouse and a black cat and I often find the symbolism and little jokes between them or the artistic humor used to be charming.

Also. My god. This is also one of those "my fiance cheated so im leaving him and going my own way" stories and her fiance Mikhail is literally destroying himself trying to get her back. He's so self centered and pathetic that when Juvelia leaves him he later on shows up at a party with another woman just to make her jealous, and when she doesn't care, he discards the other woman immediately, who then becomes one of Juvelia's friends because fuck that loser douchebag. His descent into insanity is a lesson in karma for sure

3. Wendy The Florist

Status: this one is actually fully completed! A rarity amongst manhwa tbh

Plot Summary: Olivia Haslett is an illegitimate daughter whose mother has passed away. She lives in her family's home with her father and his wife and daughter, the women scorning and abusing Olivia even though uhhhh it was the father who cheated??? Her entire childhood is lonely and miserable since her stepmother encourages her step-sister and servants to constantly abuse her while her pussy loser dad does nothing to stop it or even defend her in any way whatsoever, and one day when her fiancé Dylan is coming to visit, she sees him the garden kissing her sister. She breaks up with him and leaves, eventually stumbling into the woods in tears and encountering a fairy who gives her the magic power to grow plants. She decides to leave her family's home, separate herself from them entirely, and create a new life for herself while opening a flower shop with the new identity of Wendy Waltz

Honestly being completed gives a lot more value to this story because when you're reading a manhwa that hasn't completed, it can really lose your interest while you're waiting between chapters. Wendy is also very headstrong and confident while also having a vast knowledge of plants and their uses. When she finds Dylan cheating she IMMEDIATELY tells him to get fucked and to never bother her again and she maintains this attitude basically the entire story which, good for her! The stakes in this story are relatively low but the emotional payoff is still nice. I also like the art and the coloring and there's a plot that exists outside of the romance between Wendy and the male lead. Even Wendy's abusive stepsister has her own reasons for what she does, and Dylan too! A nice story with an acceptable length and a happy ending :)

4. I Tamed a Tyrant and Ran Away

Status: ongoing

Plot summary: Time travel! Charlize Ronan is an extremely skilled knight from a noble family. She works hard her entire life to try and earn her father's approval to no avail, and in an attempt to impress him, becomes a servant of the Emperor where she is essentially tortured with magic and turned into a living sword, unable to move or speak or do anything except be a power source and vessel for killing, undying and trapped in hell for literally hundreds of years. She prays to God to either finally be free or just die to end her misery, and she is sent back in time to before she was transformed. She vows to take revenge on the entire Empire that turned her into a slave and begins her plan by recruiting Dylan, a mwmebr of the crown family and a man who in her future would become an extremely talented tyrant. Using her knowledge from the future, she makes him fall in love with her and pushes him towards becoming Emperor to overthrow the man who turned her into a sword and all of his accomplices, while also uncovering a hidden conspiracy of mages and legends about two people who may be carrying pieces of the good and evil gods inside of them

As much as I love Charlize as a talented swordwielding girlboss MY GOD did she dig her own grave with this one. She literally meets him in adolescence and changes his entire life for the better and then just VANISHES thinking he's just going to get over her. Dylan is absolutely a yandere for sure but in a way where he genuinely loves her and simply cannot live without her rather then some other people who view their darling as more of a possession. She leaves and he literally has dreams and fantasies and hallucinations of her, he aches for her so bad. This is also coupled with a subplot about an abusive and neglectful family and how she gets revenge on them by simply not giving a fuck and turning her back on them completely while becoming independent, if that's your cup of tea

5. Remarried Empress

Status: ongoing

Plot: Navier Troby comes from a family with a long history of women becoming the Empress and she is raised from birth to become one, becoming mature, eloquent, calm, and educated. She is given an arranged marriage in childhood to the Emperor's heir and future ruler Sovieshu and they grow up together and marry. One day, however, Sovieshu returns home with a runaway slave woman who quickly becomes his mistress, and Sovieshu expects Navier to not only tolerate her presence but welcome the homewrecker with open arms. The mistress deliberately schemes and causes conflicts on purpose to create friction between Sovieshu and Navier and he is so stupid and blind he takes the mistress' side every single time. He eventually divorces Navier for the other woman (for absolutely the dumbest fucking reasons, you will be rolling your eyes at the fucking clownery of this man) but Navier has a surprise: she tells the priest that literally just divorced her that she is officially asking him for immediate remarriage to a other man :)

This is the like, the gold standard OG for "my shit husband cheated on me and the mistress keeps trying to fuck with me so im outta here and doing what I want for myself" stories. If it doesn't make you angry seeing what happens to Navier after she has done nothing wrong I don't know what will. The characters in this story I find to be very emotionally complex and well written and I will DIE if it doesn't finish. The relationship between Navier and the ML Heinrey is very cute and sweet and there is a genuine mutual respect and they are just also very wholesome with each other. There are even subplots like the Duke of another country having sympathy for Navier because while her husband is openly flaunting his concubine, in the other man's country their ruler only has one wife and he finds Sovieshu's actions to be disgusting and disrespectful to Navier

Just. My god. The side bitch Rashta will really get your blood boiling. She is naive and clingy and childish and is just fucking ANNOYING. At some point she's trying to seem more like a noble lady instead of being the dense former slave cant-read-the-room bitch that she is and starts following Navier around to copy her. THIS IS A WOMAN WHO DOESNT EVEN KNOW HOW TO READ AND SHE APPROACHES THE WIFE OF THE MAN SHE IS SLEEPING WITH AND SAYS "Can I call you sister since we share the same husband?" LIKE MY GOD I CAN'T WAIT TILL YOU GET YOUR JUST DESSERTS

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It was hard to choose a top 5, so I have a few more suggestions although these will be much briefer

How To Get My Husband On My Side: i can't remember that much about the plot because its in hiatus but the poor FL is horribly abused by her family to the point her back is covered in scars from being WHIPPED and she literally develops bulimia so that there is something in her life she can have control over. My god her brother Cesare is violently physically abusive on top of treating her so openly borderline incestuously that there are rumors and even songs about how they're sexually involved as siblings, that's how fucking creepy he is, people are literally making rumors he fucks his sister, although it's hinted Cesare might be spreading some of these rumors himself to keep men away from his sister. She barely stood up to him ONE TIME and he took her pet bird, injured it, and fed it alive to his snapping turtle right in front of her which gave her such an intense fear of turtles she cannot even stand to see statues of them. This is a story of her finding love and acceptance after being pushed around and abused for the benefit of others, and when certain characters around her realize she has an eating disorder they are very supportive and respectful and I find that this sensitive topic was handled very well.

WOW I ACTUALLY FORGOT A STORY I MEANT TO INCLUDE IN THE TOP 5 LMAO

The Villainess is a Marionette is another "I read this novel and now I'm living it" stories. In the novel Kayena is the daughter of the Emperor, the Princess who will manipulated by her brother Regef before being married off to an abusive possessive man who eventually will kill her for trying to escape. (not gonna lie this probably sounds so bad but the way Regef becomes obsessed with her at least as far as I'm currently reading is about to turn my ass into an incest shipper 😩 although mentally that is someone entirely different from his actual sister but he doesn't know that) so the new transmigrated Kayenna vows to do things differently and set up her own future. The art in this manhwa is insanely pretty, even just the use of filters and sunlight is well done and eye catching like, there are so many manhwa with such blah art and this is not one of them. Some manhwa artists can't even draw distinct faces or intense expressions but the artist for this sure can and also gonna stress again IT IS SO PRETTY

No More Turning A Blind Eye: i mentioned it the other day but this is another transmigrated FL getting revenge on her cheating husband. She has money and influence and is in actually a higher social standing than her husband and uses that to start living happier after divorcing him which makes him go borderline insane. Something I feel worth mentioning is that this story isn't afraid to introduce side characters who are more unconventional in typical "everyone is pretty" fantasy land. There is Madam Kate who is an older stout dress designer and there is a plot about an opera singer who basically starved herself for beauty and then one day a fan left cake in her dressing roon and she ate the whole thing and found out how extremely unhappy she was and began to live how she wanted and gained weight, but she began to be bullied and lost her confidence, and you'd think, oh they're just going to boost her self esteem and make her thin again, but no, its handled very respectfully and I like that the singer essentially chose to gain weight because eating made her happy rather than it being more stereotypical, and that she wasn't upset at gaining weight more so how she was treated because of it.

Lastly I have a story I haven't even began reading yet but ive seen it in YouTube shorts and it seems very interesting! The Maid Wants To Quit Within The Reverse Harem Game is about an FL who got transported into the world of a game but! She is transported into the role of an extra, an npc, a maid! She gets stuck in a time loop of the plot of the game and experiences the same plot lines over and over and she's sick of it, but when she finally decides to try and go to the office to hand in her resignation letter and escape the mansion where the story takes place, her resignation letter gets torn up right in front of her as the three love interests say she's their favorite and they won't let her go! Did something happen in the game, or is her going off-script somehow making her the new protagonist of the game? Guess I'll have to read it and see!

[magiclovingdragon]

So, anyone want to read my theory about how and why syIvie cant really continue as a character past Ioki s2?

Warning this is not exactly sylvie/sylki friendly. I’m not attacking anyone but please dont read if you’re going to look for a fight, I dont want one and its literally just a theory.

I don’t think Sylvie can continue as a character past s2.

The only character she really interacted with in s1 was Loki, her storyline with Kang and the tva is pretty much all wrapped up (one could argue her childhood nexus event but it was already l, very subtly revealed. When they arrested her as a little girl, she was playing with her Valkyrie dolls and she was roleplaying the Valkyrie that defeated the dragon and saved the day… she was playing the hero. Loki’s are not supposed to want to become or become heroes at all, they are supposed to be the villian who always loses. so because young Sylvie wanted to be a Valkyrie and protect Asgard, she violated the sacred timeline. She was not meant to be a hero, none of her actions so far in s1 make her a hero, to me she can not and will not be a hero going forward and the Lamentis nexus event was designed by He Who Remains to get her and Loki off Lamentis, back to the tva and then to the citadel). Her individual plot in s1 is only ‘kill HWR’, not even properly stop the tva because she could have been recruiting the tva workers instead of killing them, she knew they were victims like her that had been kidnapped and brainwashed. But she didn’t, she went straight to the top, killed HWR and has seemingly left to live her own life. Her story arc is essentially done. I don’t think she will have a redemption because she doesn’t think she did anything wrong and even if she did think it she wouldn’t admit it (like killing the minutemen she knew were victims - she just said “I did what I had to do”, no accountability or remorse).

She has no meaningful or lasting interaction with anyone else but loki and HWR. The former she betrays and rejects, not just romantically but in every way between “you cant trust and I cant be trusted” and her repeated denials of being like loki/“a loki” and the latter she kills so where else can her character development go? They had some really interesting potential between her and B-15, Ravonna, Mobius, etc. but they barely did anything with that and only really cared about her in regards to TVA Loki. She has no real interaction with the other Loki variants in the void either, and they barely let her remember her own parents or her Thor. She is completely isolated in her story and I cant see her crossing over into the main mcu because even with as much as we’re told she’s amazing, frankly she is very bland and unlikeable, her only characterisation is ‘angry and can fight’. If she interacted with other mcu characters they definitely wouldn’t like her after finding out she was willing to put the whole multiverse at risk for her own selfish desires.

I know from what’s already been said by people working on the show about s2 essentially being “the search for Sylvie and to right the multiverse” but I can’t imagine her going “Oh I was wrong I’m so sorry, let me team up with you guys even though I insult and assault you all the time and betrayed you Loki. We’d make a great team even though we’ve already established we cant trust each other!” It would be out of character. She’s such a lone wolf and clearly hates working with others so I can’t imagine a redemption involving her joining other mcu heroes. Sylvies arc is so self-centered and selfish, her attitude so abrasive and condescending, that without Loki pining after her or the tva hunting her she cant believably interact with anyone else. Ravonna is Kangs love interest in the comics so I can see that happening and her expanding out. B-15 could become a shield agent if she wants or could just go back to her old life and never be heard from again. Mobius is a popular character and has other potential with him being MR Tesseract in the comics. Sylvie, there is next to no potential for her because she’s already achieved her selfish revenge, screw everyone else in the multiverse. There is no redeeming that in my eyes other than a last minute ‘I’m forced to help the mission/fight kang as defence and then be killed’ style “redemption” (and I personally hate those because its not actually redemption because there is no work being put in to be a better person, its just dying) but again I dont see it happening because she doesnt hold herself accountable. I think either she will refuse and live on a timeline, maybe with the postman mentioned in ep3 if they ever actually existed, never to be heard from again or she will in some way be forced to fight a Kang and he will kill her to A) establish him as the big bad both in the show and in the mcu proper going forward, B) as a mirror of her killing HWR (who was keeping his other variants in check) and starting all this multiverse mess and C) as a mirror to Ioki “helping” Thanos and then being killed by him. She could potentially be a villain, it would definitely be interesting and her actions in s1 pointed that way to me but again I cant see anything that could involve her crossing into the main mcu as a villain because right now it would be too similar in the broad strokes to what has been done with Wanda so I cant see them going that route again, especially so quickly.

From what we know sylvie’s only appearance is in 2 locations, the mcdonalds and a record store which I’m assuming will happen in the same episode so I really don’t think she’ll play a big part at all in s2. I dont think they’ll continue with sylki after she betrayed him and all the offscreen controversy surrounding it (incest, transphobia ect). Marvel cancelled brucenat and stevesharon over less harmful criticism. The ship is also just pure toxic, its not a progressive relationship at all, if their presenting genders were swapped it would be abusive but because its a female presenting person doing it to a male presenting person its brushed aside, he’s a simp and she’s a girlboss. There is also no growth for her in the relationship because she has already established that whatever she may feel for him is not as important as her own desires and again she then rejects and betrays him.

As a character most people just dont really care about her much. Critics didnt really like her other than “girlboss we should hype up”. We know that critics were only previewed the first two episodes, the first two episodes were the most watched and highest rated. I fully believe, what with everything Tom has said, that he was proposed the show based off the first two episodes. Everything from episode 3 onwards felt like a completely different show. Sophia herself isnt that skilled an actor or personally likeable, especially after her comments on Loki’s genderfluidity. She doesnt have that much onscreen or offscreen chemistry with any of her costars and she actively shits on Loki’s character to hype Sylvie up and she admits she did not research into Loki at all, not even collaborating with Tom and said Sylvie was basically being made up as they went along and Herron added extra Sylvie scenes in while they were filming which makes sense when Season 1 had a different original storyline (and I’m sensing that season 2 sort of is the OG storyline that they had in mind what with marvel reusing the s1 synopsis for s2). I remember Michael Waldron saying in an interview that they were mid way through writing the show when a female writer came to them and pitched the Loki and Sylvie romance love story, and he said he and the rest of the crew just went with it and Herron has previously said she thought the end of s1 would be the last we see of Sylvie.