#and so he is very familiar with his sister's powers!! isn't that fun

[hel1nn]

And suddenly everything changed ೀ⋆｡

Ch.4 honeymoon

𐔌 . ⋮ satoru gojo x fem zenin!reader .ᐟ ֹ ₊ ꒱

.𖥔 ݁ ˖ : Listen to kingston while reading ⭑.ᐟ

୭ ˚. ᵎᵎ : fluffyy | 18+ smut mdni | eventual smut | arranged marriage | reader is 22 and gojo is 25 | reader had a lonely life untill satoru came | abuse (gojo did nothing here.) | trauma | sprinkles of angsts | jealousy | flashbakes | soft!satoru | soft!reader | loss of virginity | self harm | first time falling in love | reader has two sisters. | Reader belongs to zenin clan. | Idiots to lovers | reader doesn't find satoru annoying since she was alone her whole life. | Insecurities | 𖦹ׂ ₊˚⊹⋆

౨ৎ Summery : spending your whole life with feeling of being useless and a waste of space,even worse that your two sisters had cursed energy but you didn't, made you wanted to kill yourself so many times but it stopped when a marriage proposal was sented to gojo clan about marrying you or one of your two sisters. Your sisters were so powerful and beauty with brain so why did satoru gojo choosed you? Moodboard | series masterlist

A/N : English isn't my first language sorry if a made any mistakes:)

Things between you and satoru were awkward yet it was peaceful. He's being respectful towards your rules (not touching eachother without any reason, sleeping in separate rooms etc etc). Sometimes your left alone at house because of his work but satoru spends his time with you. Even one day both of you had a movie night too. It wasn't bad, infact it was very much fun more than you expected. Not to mention the small date on 31st December. Today you were just getting ready for bed as you hear a familiar knock on the door.

"come inn" you spoke as the door opens, revealing the white haired man standing there as steps in your room. You complete braiding your hair as you look at him, giving him a small smile. Seeing his expression you could tell he wanted to say something.

"do you want to..talk about anything?" You ask as you sit down on your bed, "sit here" you say as your hands pats beside you. Satoru was slightly avoiding making eye contact with you. He gives you a smile before sitting where you told him to..

"the higher ups told me too.."

"did they again do something stupid" you say,thats all you could think of them from the ridiculous things they did. From what satoru told you.

Hearing you say the *stupid* his hesitation becomes a little more... would you agree or not. He doesn't wants to upset you now c'mon.

"i mean no..they still haven't done anything for now but..they wants us to go to..okinawa.."

You blink few times..they want you and satoru visit okinawa. For what. For what..oh.

"you mean hone-"

"yes that's what i am trying to say. They want me to take you to honeymoon.." satoru says, looking away. His cheeks slightly pink. When he finally looks at you,the slightly freaked out expression..

"dont worry..i won't do anything to you if you agree. And if you don't it's completely finee-"

"i want to." You perk up,the biggest grin on your face. You had never visited a beach before. All your life locked in that jail. A smile breaks on satoru's face seeing you like this.

"the lets do whatever you want." He chuckles softly. As the blush slightly grows on your face. That night both of you yap the life out of eachothers ears, planning on what you two would do..you don't know why but even if you and satoru aren't so much close,when both of you spend your time together it feels like satoru is the closest person to you.

February 20.

Satoru almost looks like a child, you were surprised seeing people visit the beach in this weather too. Satoru bought you a party floral midi dress. With a cardigan too since you felt kinda cold. the smooth skin of your thigh distracted satoru few times. The cherry blossoms there looking fresh and pretty. You stare at satoru playing with a kid and the kid's parents laughing at satoru as their son splashes water on him. Satoru shakes the water away from his hair like cat. (Catoru.) A soft smile playing on you lips. Everything was going fine,your eyes closed as you rest on the beach chair. The laughter of few peoples around you and the fresh breeze feeling like soothing music to your ears.

"y/n.!" You here satoru chime beside you, your eyes shot open as you perk up in slight shock. You could tell there was something in his hand that he was hiding behind his back..

"you scared me for a second" you laugh softly, recovering from that. "And what is it?" Spoke just as satoru almost shoves a sea cucumber at you. You yelp in horror,staring at the squirming thing on the ground. Satoru pouts,his shoulders slumping in the fail of surprising you with that thing.

"W-what is that.." you trail off.. moving you gaze to satoru,uh. Did he just made a foolish scene of him Infront of you? He looks away slightly,his cheeks pink

"sorry i thought this little shi- thing would slip out of my hand.." satoru says as he laughs a bit, looking at you

You shake you head in slight amusement..oh my. This man is like a manchild but..you kinda liked (absolutely loved) it. You chuckled softly before adjusting yourself on the chair comfortably

"okay you didn't failed to surprise me..btw it scared the life out me for a second" you smile at him,you pink lips shining. Satorus gaze was focused on something else,on how beautiful you looked in that dress. He loved it. Yeah don't think he's a perv cause is there any problem to admire his wife?? He finally shakes his head, snapping out of his day dream

"y-yeah what were you saying" he mumbles and you sigh, sometimes you wonder what happens to this cute man. You were enjoying the small conversation with him just then a ball hits you face, the dirt landing on the skin of you face,you see the child satoru was playing with comes running to you

"sorry miss that was meant for the uncle beside you" the kid yells before taking his ball and running away again, leaving satoru pouty and you giggling like a highschool girl

"heyy i am not any old fart!"

You and satoru were entering the aquarium,the big and small fishes leaving you mesmerized. Not noticing satoru gently intertwining his fingerd with yours so you don't get lost here. Satoru carrying your cardigan. Not letting you since this trip is meant for you and you should enjoy it as much as you want. So you couldn't argue with him more. In the middle of exploring with satoru you suddenly bumped into someone. Just as you were going to apologise-

"oh hi.." that girl looked at satoru, totally an stranger

"oh..do i know you by any chance"

"uh- um no! But would you mind-"

"then byee" satoru started to walk, dragging you with him but then that girl again stopped both of you. All you could do was watch everything

"m-mister waitt is that your sister-"

Satoru's expression turned dumbfounded before replying. You slightly laughed, looking away in embarrassment.

"no she's my wife" the girl stops bringing out her mobile from her bag,who was planning on taking satoru's number,a pout forming on the her lips as she gives a small apology before leaving you two alone again. Satoru just lets out a sigh. You didn't really cared about anything that happened right now. Its normal for girls to hit on him because just look at him he's so handsome. Satoru and you continue your little date that both if you were too shy to admit it. Going here and there,satoru secretly clicks a photo if you staring at a big fish there. As aquarium was about to close both of you finally left, you intentionally didn't let go of his hand since..it felt warm. At the hotel room you were unknownly tucked into satoru's arms since the hotel room only had one bed,his long fingers gently caressing your scalp. Admiring your little face resting against his chest. He knows how you will shower him with apologies because you touched him after saying you would respect his personal space. But satoru liked it. a little smile playing on his lips

"your beautiful"

Taglist : @chilichopsticks @milolop @kuroosvow @bypanana @hoseokslefteyebrow @sorcerersseestars @ssetsuka @megumisthirdog @certainduckanchor @myahfig4 @officialholyagua and idk why i can't tag @deliciouslydeliciouspenguin and @saihar4s :(

[hysteriaww]

Hi ! It's going to sound weird but....

How do you think Kai would have influenced Luke's personality if Luke actually won during the merge ?

I know Kai was stronger, but let's say Luke wins.

He was already pretty strong since he was able to break Liv out of the spell she was trying to do. He was stronger than his sister. He would have won if they were to do the merge. I don't exactly remember how powerful he was but I suppose he was fairly quite good with magic.

And magical powers aside, he has quite a strong personality. He's fed up with the Mystic Falls gang bullshit. He was not even that scared of Kai. I mean, he knew his brother was a freaking threat, but he did not hesitate to go on his own and do the merge with Kai. Even when Kai didn't want to do it Luke was like "Hey bitch, you scared I could win ?"

I don't think Luke really thought he could win or maybe he did, anyway he just wanted it to end. He wanted to project his sisters.

So, with Kai's personality inside of him, what would he be like ? I think that guy would at least find a way to end that Gemini tradition crap about the merge, and the lives of the whole coven linked to the leader.

Apart from that I don't know.

That would not be as fun as seeing Kai struggle with new emotions 🤣 but I want to see Luke being even more badass you know.

Yup, really long question sorry not sorry. X)

This is a very interesting question! Tho I have wondered what Jo would be like if she merged w Kai & won, I've never wondered about Luke until now... I think it could be a very compelling arc for him & the gemini coven. Here's what I think would happen! (I wrote a whole ass mini-fanfic in my answer lmfao):

Fresh after the merge: Luke would initially act & feel almost exactly like same old Luke, except maybe he'd rightfully be a bit more grim, traumatized and world-weary after defeating Kai. Liv & Jo would be concerned but he'd tell them not to worry bc he just needs some time to recover & leading the coven rn is more important than his mental health anyway (aka the FIRST Red Flag). Liv & Jo would disagree but let it go for now to avoid stressing him out.

First few months as leader: I think Luke's first order of business would be to undo the damage Joshua did as a terrible coven leader. That might mean overturning fucked up coven laws, etc. but Joshua doesn't like this, so he gets his supporters in the coven to back him & veto Luke's changes. Meanwhile, Luke's own coven support is growing bc I do believe he'd be a MUCH better leader than Joshua, so old man's resentment grows more. Eventually, it reaches a point where Luke feels boxed in like he can't make any real GOOD change bc of Joshua's puppets & THAT is when... the whispers of Kai's voice begin to awaken in Luke's mind. Uh-oh...

Conflict resolution 101: The part of Luke that's in control tries to be diplomatic about getting rid of Joshua's supporters but it just. doesn't. work. The assholes are FLUENT in gemini bureaucracy bc they've been around longer so they outmaneuver Luke constantly. That's when Kai begins suggesting some... less diplomatic solutions, including the idea that Joshua's supporters wouldn't be such a problem if JOSHUA was gone. Luke spends a long time rejecting this & literally warring with himself, so Liv & Jo are like "dude are u ok" and in a moment of weakness he admits his idea about taking joshua out. They're shocked, but after a sec, they're like "wait this is the same man who tried to off his own kids more than once. Uk what? yes lets do it." And suddenly all 3 (ahem, 4) Parker kids are plotting to put dad in a magical coma (hmm does that sound familiar? I wonder which sibling's idea this was...) so he can't influence his supporters anymore. And the siblings succeed! Joshua's out! but it becomes their lil secret, hidden from the coven...

A Good Ol' Frame Job: Lo and behold, Joshua's supporters still stay loyal to the man in a coma instead of Luke! Liv & Jo are like "it's fine luke, dad isn't gonna wake up so eventually they'll have no choice but to listen to you" but KAI isn't convinced... and neither is Luke. Diplomacy didn't work, sleeping beauty-ing joshua didn't work, so now he needs to play dirty. He doesn't jump to violence or anything - he simply frames a few of them for crimes they didn't commit. Snakey, but simple. Only problem is... Luke can't recall if this idea was his own, or Kai's...... bc they're both equally likely to have thought of it. Kai's influence is growing... So when Jo & Liv come to him like "wow crazy how those supporters got revealed as criminals right? That worked out conveniently," Luke goes w the safest option & says "haaa yea what a coincidence! no idea how that happened" ......and now he's lying to his sisters (Big Red Flag #2)

Calm before the storm: Now that joshua's remaining supporters (who haven't been framed) are very few, Luke doesn't face much resistance anymore & he actually succeeds at reforming a lot of fucked up gemini practices & making positive change. Maybe he even succeeds at eliminating the merge altogether! Luke's flying high, believing he's a true protector of the geminis & the best leader and savior (which, to be fair, he rly is better than the shitty leaders before him)! Kai's influence here is very sneaky bc some of Luke's old sense of humor comes back to him, with some new hints of cockiness that weren't there before. Luke's golden boy charm & Kai's cockiness creates the perfect politician cocktail & liv and jo appreciate the good he's done for geminis but also lowkey resent the big-headed self-important persona he's growing.

But THEN there's trouble in paradise: joshua's leftover supporters find a piece of evidence that proves Luke framed the others & they threaten Luke w it, deducing that he also had smthg to do w Joshua's coma. They order him to step down but he can't do that. Not now, when he's finally *this* close to changing the coven for good! These pricks will wake joshua & bring the old laws back! No, he can't let that happen, he can't let it- ....Luke snaps. He blacks out, then wakes up in horror to realize he violently killed. them. all. He panics, calling Jo & Liv for help BUT to cover his ass, he lies & says he had to kill them bc they found out about "all 3 of them" cursing Joshua... while choosing not to mention how they also discovered his frame jobs. Liv & Jo are horrified yet they help him cover this up bc he's falsely led them to believe their asses are also on the line for cursing joshua... but then Jo notices some of them were killed in very "Kai" ways (bled to death from their spleens getting cut out, etc.) & Liv finds the piece of evidence they had that links Luke to the frame jobs...... the 2 of them realize Luke is not in control anymore.

The Climax: Liv & Jo confront Luke, asking him to step down but warning him that they'll MAKE him if he doesn't agree. He doesn't agree. A fight ensues & Luke is pretty OP despite the 2 v. 1. Luke gets *this* close to killing them (while Kai cheers him on), but then says SIKE and kills JOSHUA's comatose body instead, shocking everyone. Jo, Liv AND Kai are like "wha- why?!" & Luke the politician diabolically reveals that he can't bring himself to kill them - but he can frame them for Joshua's death & turn the coven against them.... OR he can frame the dead supporters for Joshua's death & save his sisters, IF Liv & Jo stay loyal to his cause. At this ultimatum, Jo & Liv finally give up, saying they'd rather get framed or killed than let him rule the coven like this. The Kai in Luke gets triggered by their abandonment bc he's a gOoD LEADER can't u SEE?! Kai's increased presence & Luke's increased lack of control make his SIPHONING manifest for the first time & he unintentionally starts siphoning the sisters. And Luke gets triggered by them trying to overthrow him bc he's the OnLy one who can PROTECT the coven!! Just like he protected Jo & Liv from Kai!! At this point the sisters' resentment RLY comes out like "WE DIDNT ASK YOU TO!! YOU chose to merge to protect us WITHOUT ASKING what WE wanted!! U literally knocked out Jo when she was ABOUT to merge! You protected us bc that's what U wanted, not US. And now the coven doesn't need to be protected BY you anymore, it needs to be protected FROM you!!" Like a bucket of ice water, Luke realizes he's siphoning his sisters rn. He has become Kai. They're right. He is not in control anymore. He steps away & realizes the whole coven itself is broken. The best way to save it is to take the ruling family nonsense out of it & free everyone. He agrees to step down & Jo & Liv help him break the coven link altogether and they free the coven! For a moment, it seems like Kai is going to stop them, but then even the Kai in his mind realizes the coven fucked him over his whole life & he'd much rather see it gone. So all 4 kids unite in Sibling Solidarity and liberate the coven!

Epilogue: Luke gets therapy & that means Kai begrudgingly gets it too bc he's stuck in luke's head. They both start healing & finding a medium ground of how to share space in luke's head. Kai even uses Luke to apologize to Liv & Jo for his own crimes. I'd like to think he'd even get Luke to go to Bonnie and apologize on his behalf & maybe help her out whenever he can, tho i don't think it would be sexual, bc in canon the merge didn't change kai's sexuality so i doubt it would change luke's. But yea I think bonnie would still at least have a new ally in luke thanks to the Kai in him xD

THE END lol I hope my impromptu mini-fanfic here answered your question ahaahaha thank you for asking!!!

[mulders-too-large-shirt]

s1 episode 18 thoughts

i have been busy and my nightly watch sessions have fallen to the wayside, so i was really excited to watch this one! a great end to a busy day <3

so we open with a child reciting the bible to bring a dead burn victim back to life. i'm american so this was like an ordinary day for me ngl. like yeah yeah the child who believes he can resurrect, we've all seen it. nothing a good southern hallelujah can't fix in some people's minds.

the preacher says he found the boy on the banks of the mississippi which was SO funny to me. moses who?!

there was another scene of the ministry being cultishly devout and i wrote in my notes "like this isn't even really funny this is just the south i know people like this" and i stand by that assessment

scully wants to go investigate even though it's not an x file because they need someone with medical experience. she seems to think he won't want to come but mulder is soooo happy to join :D "when are we leaving for tennessee?"

(he needs to be out of his office for stimulation)

the preacher was dripping in expensive jewelry, had 4 cadillacs, again, many such cases here in the US of A.

when they meet the miracle healer boy (who has been accidentally killing people lately) he says to scully "do you deny the power of God?" and she says "no". i am storing that information for future use.

scully got deeply uncomfortable and tried to shut it DOWN when the miracle guy brought up mulder's sister, but he wanted to hear more. she even called the sheriff over. she said you are NOT going to mess with that man's head in front of me absolutely NOT.

then we had a plague moment in the courtroom. GRASSHOPPER ATTACK BE UPON YE!

mulder was reading from the old testament... this is so ethel cain coded

then he starts seeing his sister as a little girl and running toward her!!! he runs out during a chat with the preacher and scully is confused

she asks hey man. what did you see. he says "a girl". she says "who, jessica hahn?" (now i had to google who that is but she was a model.)

scully you are quick-witted and good at teasing this man. but he's sad and says "a LITTLE girl". making fun of mulder for having a crush has been temporarily POSTPONED due to his childhood trauma resurfacing.

i actually felt really bad for the healer guy who started killing people by touching them because i find it very believable that religious trauma will have you thinking that your evil hands made people choke to death because you are Sinful. again, seen similar things. in a less dramatic sort of way.

they return to the ministry event and mulder points out a seat in the crowd to scully then guides her with his hand on the small of her back. god, when is my turn? i have seen what you make the fictional men do.

the religious people are blocking an autopsy for religious purposes. which is something i will be googling later because tbh i'm curious if that is still a thing.

! SCULLY LORE REVEAL ! she was raised catholic! she is familiar with scripture and says "God never lets the devil steal the show!" mulder laughs and says "you must have loved the Exorcist" and she says its one of her favorite movies! (DANA SCULLY HORROR FAN?!?!)

we see a person in scrubs sharpening a knife for an autopsy and i did NOT like that so imagine my SHOCK AND HORROR to learn it was none other than scully herself getting to business!!!

mulder is also there and he is very squeamish so he's being a great friend by sitting on the counter while she cuts a body up. thank u for ur service king.

(she makes him look at some lungs and he does NOT want to do this. think of the poor man's stomach, scully!)

when he runs out to go see the healer turned killer kid in jail, i was like yeah he was looking for an excuse to get tf out of there

also scully... in scrubs... <3 yes the sharpening of a knife was impersonal and scary but it's still Her... she's in her Doctor Mode and i love to see it

the healer boy tormented mulder about his sister and had him in the jail cell yelling "IS SHE ALIVE" ohhh i was seated. i was on the edge of that seat i was sat upon. needed to know if he was going to crack some skulls to get answers about his sister.

well no skulls were cracked in THAT scene but in the very next one, the sheriff hires some henchmen to kill the healer guy in jail which is like. not really analyzed a lot throughout the rest of the episode. and i feel like we moved past this a bit too quickly. but okay.

i was worried they were going to make the shady pastor the hero of the episode and thankful they did not do that. we don't need that energy to be encouraged. don't we deal with enough as is? another megachurch pastor might break me.

(our duo breaks into the court room where earlier a plague of locusts had begun) "what exactly are we looking for?" "clues" okay cryptic scooby doo mulder. acting like the guy from blue's clues. dumbass. i love him. (blue skadoo, you can too!)

then he yells "SCULLY! it's potato" in a deadly serious tone. this obviously has Implications for the investigation but "SCULLY! it's potato" is a phrase that had me laughing until my sides hurt. the deadpan delivery. scully. it's potato. new phrase entering my mental roster. rotating it in my mind over and over again.

they realize it's the burn victim the boy healed as a child who killed all those people! and when they get to his house, scully takes a deep sniff of whatever he was drinking and announces it's poison. which again, important to the plot. but it looked like she was just:

(scully takes a deep inhale of some liquid that looks like water) cyanide...

like girl why are you sniffing that! they always tell you not to sniff unknown chemicals when you get to high school chemistry class!!! her med school training flew Out the window. she needs to sniff the poison.

we see them getting packed up to head home and MULDER BROUGHT A PHOTO OF HIS SISTER AND KEPT IT BY HIS BED. does he do this for every single roadtrip? holy fuck i was gonna cry. the impermanence of the hotel room but the permanence of his grief, trying to hold on to what he can remember, her photo as a symbol of what he works for, what he spends his life working toward, why he devotes so many late hours and sleepless nights to the job... because its about getting her back above all else. no i'm Fine it's totally okay.

i enjoyed that for once, this was just a good ol' fashioned murder. a guy was poisoning people and letting someone else take the fall. a totally rational situation! a win for the disbelievers from all backgrounds!

(okay, so we don't know exactly why the guy could heal people in the first place or cause mulder to see his sister. but don't think about that too hard! enjoy the w for skeptics and scully nation!)

[silviakundera]

a very official and unserious ranking of chinese mini-dramas I've watched. Mini-drama = 5-15 min episodes. Color coded "sets" that had same actor or writer.

1. Night of Love with You (2022) - the unbeatable. the ULTIMATE. villain 4 villain romance with a protagonist who knows she is in a manga series... but something has gone wrong, because how did she and the heroic female lead get switched this time?!

2. Provoke (2023) - Republican era noir revenge saga. Unresolved sexual tension. Glamour. Great lighting. Hot people in period costume giving VIBES. She married her mortal enemy as a concubine and keeps a murderboard. I'm in love w her.

3. The Deliberations of Love (2023) - Married consort of a prince dies with him due to the struggle for the throne. Then she wakes up in the past, only for this ambitious idiot to get them killed again! Receiving yet another chance after 2 awful deaths, she's determined to choose life over love and not marry into the royal family again. But it's not quite so simple... especially when the prince starts to feel echoes of their past life together. The romantic chemistry is what sells this lil tropey drama. She keeps subconsciously drifting back into acting like his familiar spouse and then he starts vibing too.

4. A Familiar Stranger (2022) - Like with Provoke, I think everyone's seen this one? Conniving prime ministers daughter face-switches an innocent girl who is searching for her sister and pining away for this hot general who saved her once. Wow what luck, the horrible marriage the prime minister's daughter wanted to escape is with her dream man. This all sounds very wtf but this director x screenwriter combo creates these moody pieces that have a certain dream logic.

5. Zhang Gong Zhu Zai Shong (2022) - The emperor's sister is tyrannical and keeps a stable of hot men. Political intrigue ensues. ngl this one is real choppy but is ranked high due to my bias for achingly hot leading ladies who step on a breathless delicate ML. 🔥 She makes me SWEAT.

6. The Killer is Also Romantic (2022) - Mr and Mrs Smith in costume drama imperial era china. It should be higher, but for an English speaker it's dragged down the list by terrible subs.

7. My Decoy Bride (2023) - Hidden identities, assassin marries her target in imperial era china. Same male actor as Deliberations of Love who builds good energy with his costars. But less budget, worse subs, choppy editing. Still fun. Probably ranked way too high but idc I was entertained.

8. Dong Lan Xue (2023) - 3 min episodes of broken Murder Couple ❤. The slighted 7th prince and his ex-prostitute maid who are out for blood & revenge. (It's that badass lady & her delicate suitor again. Love this webisode pair. love herrrrrrrrr)

9. Miss Mystery (2023) - Republican era revenge drama in a similar vein as Provoke but lacking it's elite lighting, sets, & cinematography. To her it's Fake Marriage but he agrees because he liiiiikes her. The couple has chemistry, gives good power-couple, and the FL is out for bloody revenge. It's a fun ride. But the writing isn't as strong as Provoke and the uneven acting of the supporting cast drags it down the list.

10. What's Wrong with My Princess (2023) - The standard reborn revenge tale played straight. Female general helped a prince fight for the throne, then he & her sister have her murdered when vulnerable and pregnant. Gasp! She wakes up years earlier on her wedding day to this other prince she'd married once, only to kill for her evil lover boy. Now she plots the downfall of lover boy & her sis, joining hands with the husband she betrayed the 1st time around. It's... exactly what it sounds like lol. Nothing stands out and the script is a string of tropes. But it delivers exactly what it promises.

11. Everlasting Bride (2023) - Republican era revenge with added spy games. Like Miss Mystery & Provoke, strong character intros & first meeting. They're mysterious and well-dressed and dangerous to know. More polished than Miss Mystery. The leads here are more filtered and more conventionally attractive. But I have to admit that there's a charm about how rough around the edges Miss Mystery is. And I like the lead actress in Miss Mystery a lot more. The first 3rd is pretty fire, then it lost steam for me.

12. Forever Love (2023) - It's that smoldering guy from Maid's Revenge (absent from this list because due to crap ending). Absolutely extra in every way, a tropey hormonal mess, to the point one can argue it circles back around to be ART. Female protagonists for 1-10 are all great & fun. Alas I can't say the same for #12. 💀

Haven't Finished:

Butterfly Lover (2023) - I have a serious hate for open-endings and I heard this has one, so I paused on it. It's from that amazing director&screenwriter combo, though (Provoke, Familiar Stranger, Killer is also Romantic...). So I know it's worth watching.

Romantic aka Love Strikes Back (2023) - I started this but stalled out. idk it wasn't compulsively watchable for me. Other people loved it.

[turtle--soup]

Watching TMNT Next Mutation Episode 7 (when I really shouldn't be but... eh.) 😅

Ramblings under the cut.

Sewer rays? OK.

Dude's riding a motorbike through the sewer. Raph just makes it look so cool he stated a trend huh?

"Do I wanna meet the NYPD? Hmm... naaahh, absolutely not!" Same Mikey, same...

Big monkey. Who is his voice actor? He sounds familiar...*

"I can't believe this! I've been dissed by a gangster ape!" Mikey bro this is like a regular Monday for you surely?

"Certified turtlefied!" Adding that to the List of Things I Can't Believe They Say

"Cops in the sewers? They don't sell donuts down here!" Raph providing the obligatory donut jokes 👍

"I dunno what you been eatin'. But I want some." Why don't they believe Mikey about the monkey dude? Like literally they are talking turtles. If anything a talking ape is less weird

These gangsters are all dressed like they're cosplaying alt- design Joker Funko Pops. Or they got lost on the way to audition to be in the 60s Batman TV show.

"We're ninja - not the Power Rangers!" Yesssssss they're crossing the streeeeeaaaamms!

Raph 'n' roll honestlyyyyyyy that's a catchphrase?? Raph buddy...

"That's team leader" 😤 Aw Don Don, you don't deserve this disrespect

"EY BAWS" hoooooo my god

"The schnooks" OK Venus.

"Battlin' crime is FUN! Heh heh I feel like Batman!" Yeah that'll be the knockoff Joker suits.

Also like... the guys are acting like they don't fight crime? But like... they fought the Foot before? And I know that was bc they were an evil ninja clan specifically but you can't tell me they weren't Doing A Crime every now and then? And that was probably why the turtles fight them, at least sometimes??

The TA DAAAAA sound effect again 👌

All the money flying out of the back of the van this is genuinely the cheesiest live action cartoon

God I love how completely done Donnie is today

Mikey that was so fruity (affectionate)

Oh that's convenient. They moved most of the gold in Fort Knox to NYC for a bit. Of course.

The turtles just so happen to be living directly under half the gold in America right now. Of course.

"Translation for the thick of skull" oof Donnie he's your brother! Or not. So you all have a free pass to hit on your sister Venus.

"I suggest big caution" Leo providing much needed representation for people who can't words good (me).

NUCULAR?? DON WTF YOU ARE NOT HOMER SIMPSON

Isn't there a super villain who's a big monkey dude? I can't remember rn and its winding me up**

Honestly these accents... I could've been a VA on this show. I can butcher an East Coast accent with the best of them

Was I supposed to be able to see that wire??

Oh no they've trapped Venus in a classic Thunderbirds episode!

No genuinely though this could be pretty exciting if it wasn't like 3 minutes from the end of the episode...

Raph is very worried. "Whadda we doo just stand around and PANIC??" He's so relatable

Aw Don...

Aw they're crying 😭 bless them

It's a good job Donnie and Venus didn't die, the other three have to share one brain cell and I'm not sure Splinter could handle that alone

The code was Donnie's birthday asdghghfgdgk

"You mess with the monkey and it gets funky" this dude is legit a Power Rangers villain

--

*IT WAS GARY CHALK! I knew I knew that voice! How's a guy get typecast as a talking gorilla, anyway? I really hope that whoever cast him did that intentionally, and if they did I hope they also know that they're a legend.

**I think I might be thinking of Gorilla Grodd??

[brain-bumbler]

pick an aquato to hurt (it can't be dion)

Ohhhhh oh oh ohhohoho

Hmmm I'm gonna go with... Gus

SO many angsty scenarios for him I love this man and I love hurting him

I don't know if I ever posted here but I had an idea where Lucrecia had a son either with Gelsin or after his death. She gave the baby to her sister while she went to go do work in America.

But then she had fun there, and she met a very nice man, and Gus was growing up so well with Marona and Lazarus. And maybe she didn't want to mention the messiness of her family to Ford when they were having such a good time in their own little world, until she was sure about him.

But she does come back to fight for her country, and in the aftermath of the war political differences divide the sisters. Marona wont' let Lucrecia even see Augustus, and even if they fight about it Lucy knows the palace is not safe for him. It's not safe for anyone to even know she has a child.

And then the deluge happens, and Marona and Lazarus are dead, and everyone forgot that Augustus had ever been anyone but Marona's child.

I just think it was hard enough to lose his mother once- this kind of revelation, if it ever came to light, would break Gus from the emotional whiplash. I'm not your mother- oh wait yes I am!

Completely upset his understanding of family and his identity crisis becomes crippling. Who is he?

---

Another idea is Gus struggling to feel like he can become a "true psychic" from his cut voice lines.

I'm sure he has great power, but he's insecure about his age. Isn't he starting too late? Hasn't he repressed for too long?

He has to put on a brave face for his family, especially Razputin and Frazie. After he made them feel like they had to hide themselves, how could he burden them by letting them see him struggle?

He doesn't feel like he has the right to feel what he's feeling, and definitely not to express it. But every time his powers stutter, his levitation ball deflates or his flames flicker out, he wonders if something inside of him is irreversibly broken.

---

Then we could always just whump him! He's a powerful psychic after all. If his powers ever got out of hand then he would never forgive himself. The Aquatos have many enemies, and we don't know who they all are. The family is fractured and vulnerable right now. If someone wanted to take advantage, it would be all too easy.

If they attacked his family, he would protect them, and it would be difficult to handle the aftermath. He was always afraid of his powers and the hurt they could cause. Even if it was for a good reason, he'd be devestated.

Or he could be kidnapped, separated from the family, his emotional support and his rock. Used as a hostage or bait or any number of awful things, he just wants so desperately to be home and safe.

---

If I'm doing hurt I want to offer comfort! Gus is a family man! He adores his wife and children. I think in any scenario he can be okay if he explains what he's feeling. Dona can help him with that!

She's the one who can get past his need to be strong. He can lean on her and with a little coaxing it all comes out. She holds him and kisses his face and reassures him their family is strong and they love each other, and they love him, so much. Even if he doesn't know who he is, she knows him like the back of her hand. They'll figure it out together.

And if he was kidnapped, may god have mercy on the souls of those who tried to hurt him. This man leaves a good impression on anyone he meets, the only thing he has more than enemies is friends and loved ones. After being rescued, he can return to the caravan, filled with warm familiar smells and sounds, as his whole family piles in to one big cuddle pile. They're safe, they're all going to be okay now that papa's home.

<3 <3 <3 <3

[demonslayedher]

Things that went through my head in this episode:

--I'm hurting real bad in my Kamado Tanjiro feels, for two reasons.

--First, something that stuck out to me in the previous episode, and which I just checked against the manga, which has the same--the moment the Swamp Demon's head begins to appear from the ground, Tanjiro starts going into the 5th form. Yeah, that one. He changes it part-way through when he saw there were more heads he needed to target, but his very first inclination was to try to offer mercy. (Granted, we also see him slice this same demon's mouth when he starts going off about needing to eat girls while they're fresh, Tanjiro's mercy does not impede his righteous anger.)

--Second, we all remember that understanding smile he gives Kazumi in response to Kazumi lashing out, but I did not recall the words Tanjiro says to Kazumi right before that. These words are so very familiar, though, you know why?

--BECAUSE IT'S THE LYRICS OF THE "SONG OF KAMADO TANJIRO" AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH I was very close to tearing up at this part, aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

--Ok, let's set aside how much I love Kamado Tanjiro and what this rewatch is doing to me by focusing on how little I cared about the Swamp Demon that I didn't even notice in my watch of the previous episode that he does not, in fact, wear a hat.

--That being said, though this battle feels forgettable now after everything we know comes after it, on my first watch, it was pretty interesting. Beside the mechanics of Tanjiro fighting in a space where he doesn't have ground and must rely on the power generated by one of the forms he has practiced, we get to see Nezuko through around her strength and it is a blast.

--There are two things that I love that the Swamp Demon points out for meta benefit about Nezuko. First, that her moves are simple--I've always stood by my analysis that Nezuko is all instinctual power and no finesse, she fights like an angry toddler, but it is so much fun to watch her ignore finesse and throw her strength around willy-nilly with kicks and punches and stomps. Second, that she must had been bequeathed a very large amount of [Muzan's] blood to be so physically powerful. I love that we never really know how much of Nezuko's strength is due to Muzan experimenting on her with lots and lots of blood (making her ability to get away from his curse all the more impressive), or due to Nezuko sheer force of fill to make herself stronger (also very, very impressive).

--I love how this fight also makes Nezuko seem delicate once she's injured, for she does still have the frame of a younger sister whom Tanjiro wishes to see no harm come to.

--I love how Nezuko still needs so, so, so much sleep at this point in the series.

--I love how we see Nezuko's thoughts and understanding of both Tanjiro's instructions, and Tanjiro's strength.

--I love Nezuko

--On the titular character of this episode, this series really wasted no time in sending us straight into the main baddie one episode after he was named, even on my first watch I was like, "wait, really?" and Muzan is as stunned about this as we the viewers are.

--He looks at Tanjiro with the disdain of someone who has just found a flea on their fur coat.

--"Kokushibo, are you seeing this? There is a flea on my coat."

--Muzan has insulated himself from the Corp so thoroughly that having this small fry, whom he couldn't even recognize as a Corp member until he had laid a hand on him and Muzan had to actually turn around and look at him, actually get within a mile of him is so ridiculously incredulous that Muzan doesn't even know what to do at first. This isn't supposed to happen. This never happens. WHAT.

--Backing up a bit, Swamp Demon's fear was totally believable.

--And here we have our first taste of what kind of villain Muzan is--a simple one, who really, truly, blatantly has no regard for anyone around him, showing zero hesitation in causing a major distraction. That's really his whole character right there, the fact that he never develops plays in perfectly with how he believes himself to be a perfect being already.

--Other note, I love the bright character lighting used in the nighttime Asakusa scenes, and they feature prominently the building upon which Uzui stands in the Yuukaku opening! I'll be reblogging that nerd post as I get into Yuukaku, but suffice to say here that they put a lot of effort into the time period accuracy of Asakusa.

[thedragonagelesbian]

Canon Worldstate Questions!

tytyty @omgkalyppso i did um. accidentally post this way too early & hastily delete it, sooo let's try again...

1. your Warden/Hawke/Inquisitor's opinion on Orlais?

vidreu aeducan: for a long time, dru understood orlais almost exclusively in terms of trade, with the chantry lyrium trade being orzammar's economic lifeblood. that made sense to her. orlesian politics do not. while conceptually familiar with the game from her noble upbringing, when she gets her first taste of it in-person after the end of the fifth blight, it is Wayyyy too much for her. orzammar's politics are also cutthroat and status-based, but there's at least (purportedly) this shared understanding and cultural investment in values that dru respects like family honor. the game is absurd to her. the fashion sensibilities are even worse. the overwrought extravagance of the nobility is appalling. the social scripts are opaque and convoluted,. the social pressure is overwhelming.

dru makes like one debut as the famed hero of ferelden then gets shitfaced with loghain to recover and never shows their face in orlesian high society again.

cyrus hawke: he wants to see the empire fall, but until then, at least the aesthetics are fun

yiseeril trevelyan: adores it. everything is ridiculous, and nothing matters at all and everything matters immensely. she wonders often what her life could've been like if she had stayed in ghislain

8. who do they hate the most, and do they have an arch-nemesis

vidreu aeducan: dru's baseline attitude toward everyone is indifference, and that + unhealthy dose of pragmatism makes it hard to hate even people she really should despise like uh. bhelen. or loghain. but they do want to kill flemeth. and i think they could've done it if they had been in the fade for her toying with kieran shit. powers of a goddess be damned.

cyrus hawke: he can't pick just one person. he hates meredith, cullen, aveline, loghain, sister petrice, grand cleric elthina, cassandra, celene, gaspard.................. no arch-nemesis, just a lot of terrible people with power

yiseeril trevelyan: yiseeril is kind of a fake hater asjdpofjf she can be quite casually mean but that's just because it's fun and even the people she should be angry at (the templar who made her tranquil, the first enchanter who lied about her not being harrowed, everyone who took advantage of her while she was tranquil, hell even the maker for permitting her to suffer like this) she. isn't. because she doesn't want to look her hurt directly in the eye and acknowledge it, she just wants to move past it (though she isn't above a little bloody vengeance against that templar when sera tracks him down to try to make her feel better)

10. are they good horse riders?

vidreu aeducan: they would be an excellent griffon rider, but they can't get most animals to trust them.

cyrus hawke: my heart says yes, because it fits into the knight aesthetic so perfectly, but he would get too stressed out about protecting it in battle... if it's just for transportation/to be DramaticTM, it's fine, but in combat, he prefers to be on his own two feet

yiseeril trevelyan: her family had her in a saddle before her magic manifested, and she finagled her way into a pastoral outing or two while in Ghislain. the skills came back to her quickly in inquisition.

11 & 13.

Answered here!

12. attitude toward Mabari?

vidreu aeducan: alistair is convinced for most of the game that dru likes gorim (yes that is what they named the ostagar mabari) more than anyone else in the party, and he's RIGHT. that's their emotional support tether to the past they've been severed from and whom they can show weakness around without fear of reproach, thank you very much!

i also just. like the idea of her mabari also being... a lil more blight haunted than what we get in-game. he did swallow darkspawn blood, after all. sometimes zevran swears he hears them chittering to one another at the edges of camp in the wee hours of the morning.

cyrus hawke: cyrus has a mild phobia of dogs, after a guard sicced one on him as a teen. not a fan.

yiseeril trevelyan: she thinks they're boring adfojpafwe like they're Fine but a real pet should be horse-adjacent and hilarious. like a dracolisk or nuggalope.

14. who are they closest to from their family?

vidreu aeducan: the aeducans were not a close family by any definition of the word, but she and bhelen come out the other side of origins inextricably and painfully bound to one another, genuinely close and strangely caring (the bit in halamshiral in inq about the king depleting orzammar's coffers trying to find the hero of ferelden always gets me...) but also always a few strong drinks away from some light-to-heavy attempted fratricide.

cyrus hawke: it was malcolm, once upon a time. his relationship with leandra has always been strained, and there's a certain distance between him and his siblings (bethany's magic, carver's independence), but cyrus deeply admired his father and has always tried to emulate him. more than that, cyrus felt that malcolm understood and supported him, treating him with gentleness and empathy when his protectiveness and earliest inclinations toward sacrifice got him hurt.

yiseeril trevelyan: no one; yiseeril's family was embarrassed by her magic, and while she was in ghislain, the only person she kept in contact with was her mother. when she was made tranquil, yiseeril presumed that the transfer to ostwick was arranged by her and spent years expecting her visit. it was only later that she discovered the transfer was made by a rival of the trevelyan family to humiliate them further.

24. what languages can they speak?

vidreu aeducan: King's Tongue and Dwarvish

cyrus hawke: the King's Tongue and bits and pieces of Elvish (in addition to prayers, Merrill has taught him a lot of swears, bc it's good for him to vent his anger)

yiseeril trevelyan: King's Tongue, conversational in Orlesian

[kamenstranger]

With this new season of Castlevania alleged creepy sex weirdo Warren Ellis was out as head writer, and Clive Bradley was in. Bradley is known primarily as a crime and horror writer, whose works I wasn't too familiar with before this. That, in addition to the events of season 4, left me with basically no expectations for what direction the show would go.

That said, The first episode perfectly sets the stage for the rest of the season. It is efficient without feeling rushed or over-stuffed. It is concise while covering a lot of ground.

We open on Richter being sent away to France for his protection, but in the process, his mother, Julia (Sophie Skelton), is killed by a powerful vampire, Olrox (Zahn McClarnon). Nine years later, in 1792, we find Richter (Edward Bluemel) with this adoptive sister, Maria Renard (Pixie Davies). Maria is a witch and a young revolutionary fanning the flames among the peasants, making her and her listeners targets for the literal bloodsucking cronies of the upper class. Although they pose no threat to our two heroes.

Richter and Maria right off the bat have a great sibling dynamic. While it would be a stretch to call this young cocky Richter level-headed, he has a comparatively cool demeanor to Maria's short fuse. Maria herself is a lot of fun. She is foul-mouthed and rebellious in a "burn the bourgeois" sort of way, which puts her at odds with institutions such as the church.

Still, the two meet with the local Abbott, Emmanuel (Richard Dormer), seeing as one of the attacking vampires mentioned a Vampire Messiah. Although the church is of no help.

After that excursion, there's a slight respite in Richter's domestic life, focusing on Maria and her mother, Tera (Nastassja Kinski). We see that Richter suffers from PTSD nightmares over his mother's death. He's awakened by an attack on the homestead by night creatures, something neither Richter, nor the rest of the household, has experience or knowledge of, resulting in a pretty brutal beatdown.

He's saved by the timely intervention of Annette (Thuso Mbedu) a former plantation slave who can manipulate rocks and metals; and Edouard (Sydney James Harcourt) a revolutionary opera singer. Both were looking for Richter in hopes of stopping this vampire messiah. Elsewhere, Olrox arrives in France to meet this messiah.

As I said, this episode covers a lot of ground. The back story for Richter, supporting characters and their relationships, major events being set up, more supporting characters to explore, and a lot of small character moments. That last one I think is the most important because there is a lot of that sprinkled throughout, along with some quick dialogue that explains small details. For example, when Richter is a child there's a quick line about how Tera isn't a vampire hunter. Richter is talented and has some training, but we see his limitations with the Night Creatures. There's some other stuff too, like Richter not having much thought on the current affairs of a classist system, but finding Maria and her mother good people with good intentions, so he stands by them. He has a good heart, but he perhaps doesn't think much about the world at large the same way Maria does.

Another small but appreciated bit is Annette's spear turning into dust and reforming as plates. You immediately pick up on her metal manipulation ability, and it's nice that Maria isn't the only one with unique magic (that being the Sì Xiàng.) Not to mention this also sets the ground for a much larger world of magic, like say, Richter's Item Crash abilities from the games. And yes, that is a key component because Richter lost his ability to do any magic after his mother's death.

In fact, episode 2 expands on that very thing while also explaining that Annette's powers came from her father's side, leading all the way back to her culture's God of war, Ogun (They don't specify which African Religion.) An inheritance of magic would become a running motif throughout this season. But That's just a small part of this episode.

The real meat of the second episode is the arrival of the Messiah's Emissary, Drolta Tzuentes (Elarica Johnson) to France, and Annette revealing the vampire messiah's name; Erzsebet Bathory. This triggers memories in Maria's mother that she had long kept secret. Tera was originally from Russia, part of a group of speakers helping a small village until they were besieged by vampires. Tera lost her sister to vampirism in the process and was forced to kill her. She fled until she reached France and was taken in by Emmanuel, hoping to leave that nightmare behind.

With their best lead being an Island chateau with nightly parties, Richter, Maria, Annette, and Edouard, skulk out the place in hopes of finding out where the night creatures are coming from. While spying on the partygoers, Annette spots her former slaver, Vaublanc, and nearly loses control of herself. Regardless, Vaublanc still takes notice and things quickly go south. The four flee an onslaught of monsters, but only three make it out. Edouard is overwhelmed and slain in the chaos. His body is brought to the Abbey along with other corpses to be made into night creatures in the cellar.

Unlike the slow methodical smith-like process of the 1400s, the demon forging process has become industrialized. Something I didn't care for much (at first) is that Edouard is turned into a night creature where it's basically just him but with monster appendages. So his midriff and face are perfectly normal. Everyone else turns into these barely recognizable monsters, but you know his features stay intact for future drama. We'll get back to that.

Episode 3 focuses on the group comforting Annette's loss, and her in turn opening up to the group about her past. Seeing her mother killed by Vaublanc, the awakening of her powers, her escape at age 16, and of course her meeting with Edouard. Edouard hid Annette from Vaublanc and brought her to a rebel militia in the mountains where she was trained to use her powers by a Seer, Cécile, and eventually aids in the uprising of Saint-Domingue. Although Vaublanc would of course escape. Annette is obviously very different from her game counterpart and for the better in my book. She's a proactive player here and the backstory given also connects both narratively and thematically to the setting and themes. It's also nice that Edouard gets some backstory laid out because we never really got a chance to explore him before his death. While this is still more in the service of Annette, it's at least something.

A smaller part of the episode is a homoerotic confrontation between Olrox and the Abbott's right hand, Mizrak (Aaron Neil) Olrox seemingly throwing a wrench into their plans for his own gain, planting a seed in the warrior's mind that Erzsebet will cast them aside when the opportunity arrives. Maria also introduces Annette to her revolutionary group, but are attacked by night creatures, Edouard among their ranks. One little twist is that Edouard maintains a degree of consciousness. He turns away from Annette, hides his face, and ends up attacking another creature that goes after her. In that regard, I consider his appearance to reflect that the process of the forge was perhaps flawed in some manner. But we have seen creatures display a degree of independence before, and memories of their past life as with FlysEyes. Whatever the cause, he's carried off with the remaining night creatures, Maria noting that they were heading in the direction of the Abbey.

Episode 4 follows up with Maria and Annette being hell-bent on assaulting the Abbey for answers, although Richter objects to the impulsive nature since they're unsure. Tera instead offers a more subtle approach with an alternate entrance to the cellar. In fact, she knows a little bit too much about the Abbey, something Richter takes notice of.

Olrox is also busy getting answers. From an afterglow chat with Mizrak to secretly investigating the demon forge and its workings. He even chats with Edouard while the Abbot is busy in a meeting with Drolta on their uneasy alliance. Trepidatious though it may be, both see a benefit. Emmanuel wants to purge the revolution for questioning and outright attacking the church. The Vampires want to maintain a ruling class and need a human to forge demons for an army. It's all about the status quo.

Drolta also has some good character bits here. I wouldn't call her particularly deep as a villain, she never becomes as interesting as Olrox. But she is a fun villain. Which, hey, that's more than I can say for her Bloodlines counterpart who was just a witch. You can also tell someone had a lot of fun designing all of Drolta's different looks, she has more outfit changes than anyone else and her aesthetic is fucking great.

All that said, Drolta and Emmanuel cross paths with our heroes, and a big chunk of the episode is a massive fight in the cellar. If you've read my previous Castlevania reviews you know I dislike regurgitating what's on screen followed by "done well" But this is a highlight of the season. We're at the midway point, the threads are starting to come together, and we're ramping things up with an amazing battle showcasing everyone's abilities brilliantly. In particular, we see how dangerous Drolta is. All this with a beautiful vocal performance by Edouard.

Amongst all this action are some story morsels; Tera is horrified at Emmanuel for one- although he does stop Drolta from going after Maria. Put a pin in that. There's also a truly heart-wrenching moment between Annette and Edouard where he begins to remember who she is. And if that wasn't enough, just when we're showing how fucking badass Richter can be with him finally handling night creatures, Olrox makes his presence known. And the utter looks of terror in Richter's eyes upon hearing his voice is so palatable.

The facial expressions this season are truly wonderful. Richter tells everyone to get the fuck out and runs for it, not stopping. And what I love is right after everyone has escaped, Olrox acts completely natural toward Drolta, saying he just got off the boat and the messiah is expecting him.

Ep 5 is split into three parts. One follows a frustrated Annette as she heads out and eventually tails Drolta's carriage until she meets up with Olrox. This segment is largely exposition while also trying to further convince Olrox of their cause. There's a lot of back and forth about rising and falling empires, something both Olrox and Drolta have seen their share of since their Aztec and Egypt days, respectively. It boils down to Drolta considering the natural order of things to be of rulers and subjects. The messiah can supposedly offer a permanent empire for Vampires to rule. After that meeting, and by complete happenstance, Annette ends up running into Vaublanc in the same graveyard. She uses her ability in possibly the most unique manner to trap the slaver in a cage of crosses. And for really no good goddamn reason at all, he gloats about Erzsebet Báthory's plans and her power. How she drank the blood of the Egyptian goddess Sekhmet. Considering she's a solar goddess, all I'm picturing is the time Dracula bit Superman and blew up.

That somehow didn't happen but instead supposedly gave her the ability to block the sun. This ranting goes on until the sun rises and burns the lesser vampire to a crisp. Meanwhile, Emmanuel shows up at Tera's house. It's a similar case of back and forth, how Emmanuel is clearly engaging in horrible sacrilegious acts but he views it as an end justifies the means sorta way. I'm getting a little bit ahead of myself here, but this is basically Emmanuel's character for the rest of the show. Becoming increasingly unhinged, but with a touch of self-awareness. His character has this uneasy combination of the deeper he goes, the worse he feels…but he can't stop. You wonder if it will ever be too much. Honestly, it makes for a more interesting human monster compared to the flat 200% evil priests of the previous Castlevania. Oh, it also gets revealed that he's Maria's father. Okay, that's not shocking from an audience perspective, it's painfully obvious what with Tera's comments, history, and the fact that there are only two adult blonds in the entire show. But from the Character's POV, it causes a rift between Maria and her mother.

Richter oddly has the least to do in this episode, yet he is perhaps the most interesting. After bolting and having a breakdown, he wanders aimlessly, gets a bandana from some revolutionaries smitten with his looks, and ultimately winds up at a bar. He's too poor for a drink, although an old man pays for a meal. And this is when things take a surprising turn. A vampire bursts into the bar looking for the old man. Richter reaches for the whip, but the old man has already taken it and quickly slays the vampire with ease.

Playing up an old fan theory, this is in fact Richter's Grandfather, Juste (Iain Glen). This one got me. The moment I saw a long white-haired man I figured it could be, but I was still pleasantly surprised they went there.

Episode 6 is another dense one, with Erzsabet making her horrifying arrival to France. Edouard meanwhile begins talking to fellow night creatures, one of whom, Jacques, recalls attending Maria's meetings. Speaking of, Maria visits Emmanuel in hopes of swaying the Abbott away from his path. I guess you could say she's presenting the choice of what sort of father he wants to be. I admit, it's slightly jarring that Maria would extend this offer in the first place given her utter disdain prior. I guess she wants to give the benefit of the doubt, but she's not exactly had a longing for a father figure as part of her character. Sure, she thought her father was dead until now, but it feels more like something thrown in so Drolta can secretly take notice and set up events for the finale. In fairness, Maria is impulsive, so I guess in that regard it still works. But… yeah I'm still iffy on it as a plot point.

Thankfully, the main core of this episode is much better by being centered on Richter and Juste. We learn why there was such dissonance with his daughter, and why he's kept away from Richter, how he became so broken. Juste once was the most powerful magic user of the Belmonts, the whip was almost secondary to him. But his wife Lydie and his best friend Maxim were both killed by a vampire. After that, he lost his magical touch. He lost hope. These tales of woe are cut short when elite vampire warriors sent by Drolta assault the duo, chaining Juste and separating Richter from the whip. Richter is restrained and prepared for execution. But something happens to Richter. A burning desire to not only live, but to protect the people he loves. That fire inside him grows and becomes literal.

What follows is less of a fight and more pure elegant destruction. Richter burning, freezing, and stabbing all the night fiends. I would also be remiss if I didn't mention this is backed with the one game cover for this season; Divine Bloodlines. Which is just exquisite. Beyond that, I just love this bit of character. Richter's strength, and consequentially what makes him contrast with Trevor and more directly Juste, is how he channels his trauma into something positive.

However, do not let the above distract from the fact that Olrox gets his own spotlight finally delving into his motivations. After all, he was once part of a great kingdom until the Spanish arrived. Does he see Erzsabet as just another god king which fools have pledged themselves to? Perhaps. We also get some insight into the lover Julia killed. A Mohican man who fought in the Revolutionary War, only to have his home stolen by those same people. The only thing that changed was who the colonizers were. But lest you think that makes Olrox too sympathetic, the only reason he lost his love is because he was turned into a vampire. Mizrak actually confronts him on this, asking if a choice was even granted. Of course, Olrox was too selfish for that.

Ep 7. Our penultimate episode, unsurprisingly, is mostly set up for the finale. Although a great deal is simply low-key character interactions, like the fallout between Maria with her mother over Emmanuel.

Richter also returns to the trio and has a nice quiet scene with just him and Annette, Richter apologizing for abandoning them and promising to help rescue Edouard. It's really the only scene the two have leaning into there being something between them, Annette admitting she was more worried about him than she wanted. It's rather cute and I love the subtle blush on Annette. But there's no time to kindle that spark. The four must prepare a full assault on the Abbey.

Less low-key is Erzsabet's plans being fully laid out. Olrox is nothing more than a servant to pay Erzabet tribute by conquering the Americas on her behalf. This submission is not something he takes kindly to, but he has little choice. Speaking of submission, Emmanuel is expected to do just that for the new messiah. A sacrifice of something dear to him; Maria.

As our heroes begin planning their attack on the Abbey, Maria voices concern over what could happen to Emmanuel. But as Tera bluntly puts it: he made his choice. Before they can continue, they're interrupted by an unlikely source, Olrox, who drops off Emmanuel's infernal tome. While this leads to a whole excursion, the gist is really quite simple; Olrox can't afford to get too involved with this subversion, Erzsabet is far more powerful than any know, and the Demon Forge can only be handled by humans. Whether or not they trust Olrox is irrelevant, this is their best bet at dealing a blow before Erzsabet can build an army.

That night, as Tera reads over the tome, Maria sneaks out and heads for the Abbey, hoping to give her father one last chance to have a change of heart. But it's to no avail, his mind is thoroughly poisoned and Maria is captured, breaking the last straw for Mizrak.

The following day, Tera figures out the solution to dealing with the forge, but it won't be easy. Destruction isn't possible, the only solution is sending it back where it came from; Hell. Annette will be needed to quite literally push the entire machine through a portal. Just as their plan is formulated, Mizrak arrives, warning them that Emmanuel is preparing to kill Maria. As they hurry to the church, the sun is suddenly eclipsed.

Erzsabet, true to the rumors, can call forth an eternal night.

This brings us to the season finale in episode 8. The four arrive in time to save Maria from the crazed holy man. Annette heads down to take care of the forge and also free Edouard, although he prefers staying with the night creatures, two of whom have regained their sentience and even protect Annette.

As Tera reads incantations to summon the portal to hell, Drolta and a small squad of vampires arrive at the church for Richter, Maria, and Mizrak to take care of. One thing for sure is that Drolta is a force to be reckoned with. Their previous fight was during the day, but now she's at full strength. Maria is giving it her all, and Richter is no slouch with his new magic. He even gets a few good licks in with his ice whip.

But things change when Erzsabet arrives. She has since transmogrified into a Sekhmet lioness appearance, and she is immensely powerful. None of the attacks launched at her can even make contact. Not Maria's guardians, not the whip, not the elemental magics. She casts everyone aside and heads right for Maria, which causes Tera to lose focus and close the portal. See, Emmanuel misunderstood. Bathory wasn't looking for a blood sacrifice, she was looking for someone to turn. Tera intervenes and begs to be taken instead of Maria. After all, she's a speaker and would be a powerful minion to have. Bathory accepts. I want to take a moment and say Tera's fate hits surprisingly hard. She's not the deepest character, we don't spend a great deal of time on her. But she's prominent enough to leave an impact. A flawed individual with the best of intentions and ultimately a good heart. I do want to give mention to Nastassja Kinski's performance, which is her first voice role. She gives Tera this soft-spoken kindly forlorn inflection that perfectly matches her complicated past. And to see that character turned and suddenly become this ravenous beast, feasting like a combination of starving infant and strung-out addict… it's beautifully sad. This is a show full of contrasts and Tera made a great contrast to Emmanuel, more so than Maria, I think. I don't believe Tera was under any illusions like Emmanuel. Her sacrifice isn't going to spare Maria, but it buys everyone enough time. Conversely, Emmanuel would give up anyone else with the assumption it would be worth it, even as it broke his heart. And make no mistake, his heart is breaking during this moment.

With the situation at its worst, the four make their escape as Drolta and her minions give chase. Drolta closes in on Richter, lunging after him.

Only to be met by a familiar sword. Understandably an elite vampire being taken out followed by a guy claiming to be the son of Dracula causes the rest of the vampires to flee. Alucard turns his attention towards Richter, hoping that he isn't too late. And that is one hell of a season finale. Goddamn.

If it wasn't clear by now. I thoroughly enjoyed this season. There are a few issues I have, mostly small and nitpicky stuff. But things are fairly damn solid and I don't have much major to complain about. One thing I do see criticized is some of the dialogue being "Cringy." It's not as bad as I had seen made out, but there are undeniably some dorky-ass wince-inducing lines. Some try too hard to be inspiring or funny. One example would be Richter going on a speech as his powers awaken and saying he was "gonna have a witty line… but fuck it." It just doesn't come off as earnest. I get the feeling that it's trying to evoke Ellis' form of vulgarity and irreverent humor- which itself sometimes fell face first. But there's nothing in here even close to "Eat shit and Die. Yes, fuck you." or "See? God Hates me." Nocturne thankfully avoids trying to be too much like its predecessor and is better for it. Although its own quirks occasionally stick out, it's nothing that ruins the moment. Probably the worst it gets was Annette's speech to the revolutionaries which isn't even a paragraph and about as inspirational as Marshmallow fluff is nutritious. Maria's overly enthusiastic reaction only highlights the lame awkwardness. Fred Hamton this was not. I suppose on a related note, it is worth talking about the themes of the series. The most notable of all these is how it interprets Vampires among the aristocracy, literally feeding on the lower classes. Not an original take by any means, but one that works and is great for the setting. Perhaps the most criticism I can levy towards Nocturne when it dips into the various class systems at play is how little it actually gets to delve into them, despite how constant they are. It does raise some interesting ideas and points, such as the uprising in Saint-Domingue, or how Olrox's Mohican lover was turned against by the Americans. It presents this idea that there are those that will always see themselves above others and the French Revolutionaries aren't really going to give a shit once all is said and done. A slave is beneath a peasant, an Indian beneath a colonist, a night creature beneath a human, a human beneath a vampire, and so forth. But as prevalent as that is, I don't think the series ever takes full advantage of those elements. The parallels are just that, parallels. Something repeated but never expanded upon in a meaningful way. Look, I'm in a post-Black Sun world. I realize nothing is going to compete on the totally radical scale by comparison. Still, while Nocturne is far from toothless, it doesn't have as much bite as it could. I will give credit to Olrox. I think he's the most interesting of the bunch in how these systems affect his compass. Driven away from his homeland by Conquistadors, his lover was driven from his by revolutionaries. Olrox himself is now part of a system of power- and yet he is still subjugated as nothing more than muscle to a more powerful figure within that system… who wants him to colonize.

As for everyone else… Man, this is a weird situation. For Richter, I don't think there's much that hasn't already been covered. I like his character and what they do with him. It's a fairly typical young hero journey, one that just got started in a lot of respects. He overcame is trauma, got his power back, and was met with something far stronger. He has quite a ways to go and more to learn. I think it's safe to say that applies to Maria, too. Perhaps even more so because she lacks a character-focused episode that doesn't center on her family. She was fine overall, but I'm more looking forward to the next season and the fallout of losing her mother to a fate worse than death, how that affects her, the relationships around her, and perhaps channeling it into becoming more powerful.

Curiously, Maria is down an animal buddy throughout this entire season. I'm not counting the doves/owls because I'm fairly certain they were considered redundant with huáng. But Shenlong is noticeably absent and I can only assume that's going to be Maria's big upgrade in the next season. I hope the same is true for Richter. As much as I appreciate seeing them get clever with the ice and fire abilities, I want to see things I associate with him specifically. The closest we get is the flame whip and a pseudo grand cross. Have him throw a bible and the page cut like razors or stick like Fulu talismans, 1,000 blades, hydro storm. Make that a part of him getting stronger, going beyond the traditional magic, and perhaps tie that in with some character stuff with Annette as their relationship blossoms. (As an aside. I can't help but think Tera being turned into a vampire is perfect setup to make the whip into a proper vampire killer ala Lament of Innocence.)

To give more credit where it's due, I also appreciate what's done with Annette by incorporating wider cultural elements into the setting, in addition to still being something that's a major part of her background. I'm hoping for more stuff with Annette next season because I feel aside from her origin tale she's easily overshadowed by Richter's journey feeling more full. Plus it's perfect opportunity to set up a family dynamic with the three.

Getting back to the magical angle, I also love that Erzsabet takes on a second form in relation to a God. That's very much in tune with how in the games Dracula could assume a form like Pazuzu. Likewise, Olrox can turn into a giant serpent, which is a nice twist on his lizard form from SOTN while giving some Quetzalcoatl-like qualities related to his own background. Hmm, that's another Sun God like Sekhmet…

But a lot of what I'm talking about here is setting and background stuff around characterization. And also shit I'm expecting/wanting next season because I've already covered most of the characters. Well, that, and as efficient as the story is, it does leave me wanting more. Which, yes, is a great thing. I enjoy these characters and want to spend more time with them. I feel it's at least appropriate enough to leave off where we do. But there is still a nagging part of me that hates that we have horribly short seasons with this franchise. As wonderful as the writing is at balancing the narrative and characters for a streamlined experience, it's still in the single digits. We only have 8 roughly 25 minute episodes and I struggle to say more than a few unique blurbs about any one character because of that short run. The plus side is they use every bit of that run time well, it's remarkable how much is done in that time. The downside is "barely scratched the surface" is a phrase I can apply to most of the cast. Richter is truthfully the only one with a proper fulfilling arc that still leaves room for growth. Annette sorta gets a spirit journey about using the full strength of her ancestors and forgiving Richter, but that's kinda it. Maria has some character stuff with her family, but it's not a journey in the same way as the others, despite the personal nature. We're going to have to wait until next season before deep-diving on Maria and Annette. To say nothing of Mizrak who barely has a speaking role. The more I think about it, the more I wish this was 3-5 episodes longer just to sink those claws in more. It almost feels like a show that is the best case scenario for when you cut out all the fat. As it stands, I'm still appreciative of what was done. 8 episodes were ordered and they did the best with those restrictions, that much I believe is certain. Maybe it's best to focus on what is rather than what could be, and what we got is still damn good.

Also damn good is the animation this season. So this is going to be a pretty sort section because I'm limited to 30 photos and I've got 4 other reviews talking about the animation in Castlevania. One thing I have to point out is that Netflix and many others are calling this an anime, despite the fact that outside Japan the term typically refers to animation which is at the very least produced by a Japanese studio. We won't get into the semantics of how that applies if the actual animating is outsourced to South Korea (Which Studio DR Movie is) Or the nuances of how styles have intermingled for decades. Honestly, I don't really care all that much. I'm just pointing it out because I find it hilarious that a show partly handled by a studio based in Austin, TX gets slapped with the Anime label because, and let's be real here, they're too insecure to call it a cartoon or animation outright. That's the only reason. Amazon does the same damn thing with Invincible, which is just embarrassing in my eyes. If the HBO Spawn was made today they'd be trying to do the same shit with that… especially since that was partially handled by Studio Madhouse… who outsources to DR Movie.

Anyway, we've got yet another change up this season with animation moving from Tiger Animation in Season 4 to the renowned DR Movie. Chances are you've seen their work somewhere before, as they're pretty big in both the Japanese anime and Western animation scene. They've done everything from the in-between shots on JJBA Diamond is Unbreakable, to additional work on the 2010 Young Justice series.

Of course, that's not to say they handled all of this. After all, Powerhouse Animation has been at this since the first season in 2017, and are damn impressive in their own right. If you've seen the Sonic Frontiers and Superstars animations, that was them.

While the gap between this and Season 4 isn't massive, the uptick is still very noticeable. Fights in particular stand out more with a strong sense of choreography to the battles. There's a good use of the environment with impactful kinetic energy. Shading and lighting are probably the best it's been, and at no point was there a glaring instance of what could be perceived as "corner-cutting." It's frankly gorgeous and perhaps the best so far.

What I have a harder time commenting on is the music, and man, I always feel trepidatious talking about Music in the animated series. Comparisons to the games are inevitable, and those have some of the most rockin' iconic beats of any game series. The show typically only has one game track represented per season, if that. Yet I also feel that's disingenuous to Trevor Morris and (this season) Trey Toy, who do great work. Yet often times it is very atmospheric and more subtle, which I have a hard time conveying that, aside from asking if you like Castlevania IV's approach. What I can say, aside from the obvious choice of Bloonelines, is that Lamento della Ninfa is the standout track this season. It's used a couple of times, mostly in the Abbey, and it is a truly beautiful piece that complements the battles yet is still a great track divorced from the context of the scene at play. I also feel bad saying that because it, like bloodlines, is a preexisting track. In this case a Claudio Monteverdi composition.

Since we're on the subject of vocals, I might as well talk about the voice acting. It's good. I mean what the fuck do you expect? We're on a sequel to a 4 season show, of course, they're going to get that right. I will say it's surprising that not a lot of the cast have voice-acting credits prior to this. Some have one or two, for others this is their first VA role, and they all do a damn fine job. Less surprising is that Zahn McClarnon is one of the stand-out performance to me. He is the most experienced of anyone in the cast, and ironically it's the role showing the least variety. But I would say it's the most complicated because Olrox has a very subdued, practically emotionless delivery. To impart that sense of control over oneself without being stereotypically monotone is remarkably difficult for a lot of performers. I can hear Olrox and immediately pick up he's weary from all the shit he's seen. Every now and then you'll get something dry and cheeky, or a cold threatening aura peeking through the unnatural calm.

The other standout is Sydney James Harcourt. As far as I'm aware, this is his first VA role. He is primarily a musical performer on and off Broadway. And yes, that means when Edouard sings, it's still Harcourt. So that amazing rendition of Lamento della Ninfa is him.

Final Thoughts.

Castlevania Nocturne quelled most of my fears about the series continuing on, and in some areas showed itself to be far more nuanced and interesting than its fore bearer. There are still critiques I have with the show- it seems an absurdly short season is a reoccurring issue with this franchise. But I can't deny that few shows can do so much in so little. I've seen 43 episode series do less with their characters, so make of that what you will. Whatever issues I have with the episode number, I'd rather them set up and wait than try to tackle too much in a season that clearly doesn't have the time. My only real concern going forward is Netflix's abysmal practices fucking the show over. Ya know, is it going to take a third season to get some characters a satisfactory amount of development?

Regardless, I can say that Nocturne's first season feels refined, and frankly more mature. It never goes above the means given to it, and despite some stumbles, it's not overly ambitious or clunky. Nocturne knows exactly what it wants and gets to it in the shortest amount of time. If season 2 can continue that trend remains to be seen. I'm at least confident the series is in good hands.

As always, thanks for reading, and reblogs are always welcome. You can find me on Bluesky @kamenstranger.bsky.social I have a Ko-fi if you'd like to throw a dollar at me. Happy Halloween!

[mangosimoothie]

Seven Sins Challenge: Which of your OCs fits pride, greed, wrath, envy, lust, gluttony and sloth. Then pass it on...

oooh fun 🤩

pride: 1000% Atticus he is vain af lmao (and so valid for it) and truly honestly earnestly believes he is the best at all the things he loves to do (and he's right) and isn't weirded out by obsessive stans because he thinks like well, obviously they're right to obsess over him when he's who he is hello (so true, bestie)

greed: Ruth just by virtue of being a landlord

wrath: ESTHER pissing her off will be the worst mistake you ever made. Honorable mention: Eden (not my OC but had to mention them)

envy: Bastien bc he is a hater to his very CORE

lust: Rosie but this answer is cheating because she's a succubus 😅 but final answer Rosie. runner up: Ryan when he's feral in his dark form

gluttony: Y'all haven't really met her yet (she'll make some appearances soon!) but Isadora, Atticus's sister, probably fits this the most. I would call her a glutton for power as much as she is a glutton for blood.

sloth: Azul <3 only thing he loves more than girls, punk music, and weed is a motherfucking NAP

**BONUS: Putting all the familiars in a Seven Sin**

pride: Wren (as you should, queen)

greed: Kazu but greedy for like, clout

wrath: Eve, Khia, AND Wes rip very wrathful home

envy: Jasper

lust: Camilla, Eve again

gluttony: OZANA but I'm mostly putting her here bc she will NOT stop grabbing quick meals literally all the time her autonomy is so fucked she'll be full hunger and then makes herself a tv meal when there is already a group meal being made why is she like this

sloth: Collin bc sloth is the "has literally never done anything wrong" sin

[offkeyed-reason]

fun ideas to consider for a dotc overhaul bc that arc is hot garbage:

clear sky starts a cult and leaves resshakkmyu [the tribe of rushing water] to continue having control over its members. this includes clear wing, clear peak, storm's stream, quick water, dappled cloud, hawk swoop, jackdaw's cry, jackdaw's feather, dewy leaf, and turtle tail.

cats from fwookk [the tribe of flowing winds, one of my personal creations] decide to leave in order to have a new place to come to if something happens to the mountains. this includes shaded moss and his three daughters [rainswept flower, ice flower canon's shattered ice renamed, and star flower she's baby. just weaned.], snow hare, hollow tree, tall shadow, and moon shadow.

there's already a group with its own culture in the forest -- the cats of the river, led by river ripple. the cats of the river are a highly pacifist group, but they're very welcoming to new additions who want to join them, even if it's just to grab something to eat bc hunting was shit and there's a litter of kits to feed. no cats are ever forced to become a cat of the river, nor is anyone expected to repay their kindness.

wind runner's sort of a leader of her own group of cats, but it's more like cats that sometimes come in because they need help and then come back later to repay the favor. most lone cats or duos/trios are familiar with wind runner's rules of engagement as they don't like going near the river.

after settling in the marshes, shaded moss dies and his group ends up being under the joint leadership of his three daughters. this falls apart following the death of rainswept flower during the fourtrees battle and the remaining sisters join separate groups. [shaded moss is not a very good parent. he isn't terrible, but his daughters have only been told to follow in his pawprints as leader. this is very formative to star flower, who thinks she has to remain in a position of power to keep her father's memory alive.]

clear sky's cult settles on the moor, allowing contact between wind runner's group and clear sky's cult. this eventually leads to clear sky taking most of his cats to the forest, leaving behind clear wing, dappled cloud, hawk swoop, jackdaw's cry, and turtle tail.

in the forest, clear sky recruits cats into his cult, sometimes forcibly. one of his new additions kills dappled cloud, leaving both groups without a healer. this upsets everyone, but clear sky gives a half-assed lie that clear wing believes. clear wing's intelligence, coupled with his insistence that his littermate is different than everyone thinks he is, leads wind runner to treat him as an equal. this causes problems.

turtle tail leaves the moors because clear wing still has his nose up his littermate's tailhole and becomes a housecat. she's able to get a reasonable grasp on what's happening in the forest from sitting on her fence. this is important for later.

when clear peak is cast out after breaking his leg, star flower finds him and gets snow hare to take him to their home. while this is an objectively good thing to do, star flower starts taking in disabled cats so she has cats loyal to her, like how her sisters have cats willing to listen to them no problem. [she doesn't realize that it's because her sisters have friends. clear peak, now jagged peak after cutting ties with his older brothers, does think of star flower as a friend.]

after storm's stream has his firstborn, clear sky doesn't bother looking at his mate -- he claims that he's busy defending the territory -- until clear thunder is almost weaned. clear sky kills storm's stream when she refuses to cast out their freakish son, a kit that was born with one extra eye and a lower jaw on the side of his face. [clear thunder's appearance is supposed to be a message from a higher power.]

clear thunder ends up being found on the moors as a pregnant turtle tail returns -- with her wife bumble -- and ends up being raised by hawk swoop, jackdaw's cry, and clear wing. when clear sky ends up sheltering on the moors after a forest fire, clear thunder is encouraged to go live with his father.

tiny kits moth flight and pebble heart end up wandering into the marshy territory controlled by the flower sisters. they end up spending a lot of time with snow hare and learning how to heal from the old cat. turtle tail ends up getting squished by a carriage while looking for pebble heart.

when clear thunder refuses to take a disabled cat -- frost, named silent frost by clear sky -- to die out in the woods, clear sky banishes him. clear wing uses words very similar to clear sky's to justify the group not taking in frost. this makes clear thunder break off to create his own group with silent frost, bumble rly she was going to be kicked out bc she's been declawed and can't hunt or fight, acorn fur, lightning tail, sparrow fur, owl eyes, and morning whisker. [he also sheds the "clear" part of his name, separating himself from his family.] many of the cats to leave with him are young, just like him. dewy leaf, milkweed stem, chervil leaf, pink eyes, and violet dawn end up breaking away from clear sky's cult and joins thunder's group.

clear sky begins kidnapping cats in order to kill the leaders of the groups that oppose him, so he can rule the entire forest. he kidnaps shine and hopper from the cats of the river's territory, gorse root i renamed gorse fur bc his canon name sucks ass from the moors, and moon shadow from the marshes.

a great battle happens in the middle of the territories, where there are four of the largest oaks ever seen and a massive stone in the shape of a tree. [this later becomes the great rock at fourtrees. the stone tree falls over during a horrible storm not long before twolegs start destroying skyclan's territory, but that's very far off in the future.]

nettle, quick water, jackdaw's feather, hawk swoop, jackdaw's cry, rainswept flower, moon shadow, cricket, flutter, stoat, and dewy leaf all die in the battle. [many other cats end up disabled from the ferocity of the fighting.] the fighting only stops because a bolt of lightning burns off half of clear sky's whiskers before he can kill clear wing.

the spirits of the dead rise and demand that the cats unite or die. clear sky immediately tries to rally all the other cats under him, only to get bitch slapped by fluttering bird -- his half-sister that their father denied as soon as she was born bc she didn't look like him, his half-sister that became the god of his cult.

"what you want isn't true unity! it's about control! cats will only die if they continue to follow you."

cats shuffle around from thunder's group, the moors, the marshes, and the river. clear sky will not allow any more of his cats to leave. ice flower -- now shattered ice, star flower, bumble, holly, mud paws, pink eyes -- now pink flowers, pebble heart, and buzzing bee all shift territory.

star flower tries to gain power by cozying up to thunder. it works, until he catches her guilting silent frost into loyalty. when thunder kicks her out, star flower joins clear sky and quickly becomes his second in command and mate.

clear sky continues to recruit cats for his cult until there's a civil war within his territory. clear wing, still thinking there's some good in his littermate goes to help. when he takes a blow meant for clear sky, he's left for dead and is only saved by a dissenter taking him to tall shadow's group, where pebble heart saves his life.

[bosspigeon]

How is your Tav and Durges' relationship to the other companions? Are they close with any of them, other than their LIs? What is their dynamic like?

Bonus: Do they have any notable relationships among the other non-companion characters?

HELLO I AM FINALLY GONNA TRY AND ANSWER SOME OF THESE YEEHAW

As I love literally all the companions, bc they are all so messy and beloved to me, most of my characters tend to have that disastrous found family dynamic that I adore <3 but ye I think they've all got their own relationships with each other them

I think Pyre gets along really well with Karlach? Which I imagine surprises the others, somewhat. But they're both soldiers, at the end of the day, and there's a comfortable familiarity in that dynamic for both of them. Karlach, of course, is somewhat irreverent when she responds "Sir yes sir" to Pyre giving her an order, but he finds her energy and zest for life really refreshing? They both know what it's like to be a prisoner, after all, and to cherish the freedom they have, knowing what it's like to claw your way out of hell.

He gets along with Lae'zel for similar reasons in one direction, and Wyll in another. He and Lae'zel talk shop and strategy a lot, and she respects his shrewdness and forceful decisiveness, and he her focus, determination, and discipline.

With Wyll, once things come out about Mizora, there is definitely an uncomfortable familiarity for him, and it makes him determined to help Wyll escape the contract however he can.

I feel that Pyre feels much older than the rest of the party, save Astarion and Halsin, and it's sort of given him a reluctant dad vibe 😩 Well, he acts gruff and reluctant, but I think deep down he enjoys having this sort of close bond with them all. He's been alone for so long...

As for non-party members? He and Zevlor get along fairly well, even though I feel like it doesn't seem that way to most who see it. I can definitely see some history between the two of them, and I think they interact exactly how you'd expect two gruff old men to interact.

NOW FOR MOSS

With Moss, I think the rest of the party wind up very protective of him. He's so open and earnest, and also just... doesn't understand a lot of the intricacies of the world around him. He's very clearly completely lost, with no memories to speak of, not even a name at first. Still, he's determined to survive same as they are, and he becomes... terrifyingly loyal to them, very quickly.

They have to help him a lot with just becoming a functional person? And tbh I feel like some of them take that duty VERY seriously. Gale for sure. Especially bc Moss will happily listen to him explain magic things for hours on end just staring at him like 🥺. He and Shadowheart bond over that shared amnesiac trauma, and also later on the fun Abusive Parent situations. Lae'zel admires his power and brutality when it's necessary, and his struggle to resist that brutality when it isn't. Wyll just admires how honest he is about what he is and what he's feeling, and how empathetic he is when he has absolutely no reason to be.

Karlach has decided she's his big sister, even if he is A Good Bit Bigger Than Her. She cannot wait until it is safe to put him in an affectionate headlock and give him a noogie 😩

Halsin takes on a mentor role as a fellow druid because there's a lot about being one that Moss, oddly enough, doesn't really understand? Moss respects him enormously.

At the end of the day, Moss would tear out the entrails of any who dared hurt any of his friends and eat them bloody (ʘ‿ʘ✿)

[jetwhenitsmidnight]

Shoestring Theory by Mariana Costa

Release date: 8 October 2024

Genre: (new?) adult rom-com fantasy

If you like:

gay wizards

time travel

shenanigans

friends-to-lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐💫

Synopsis

The kingdom of Farsala is broken and black clouds hang heavy over the arid lands. Former Grand-Mage of the High Court, Cyril Laverre, has spent the last decade hiding himself away in a ramshackle hut by the sea with his cat familiar, Shoestring, and suppressing his guilt over the kingdom’s ruin. For as the King, Eufrates Margrave, descended further and further into paranoia, violence and madness, Cyril, his Grand-Mage—and husband—didn’t do a thing to stop him.

When Shoestring wanders away and dies one morning, Cyril knows his days are finally numbered. But are there enough left to have a last go at putting things right? With his remaining lifeblood, he casts a powerful spell that catapults him back in time to a happier period of Farsalan history – a time when it was Eufrates’s older sister Tig destined to ascend to the throne, before she died of a wasting disease, and a time when Cyril and Eufrates’s tentative romance had not yet bloomed. If he can just make sure Eufie never becomes King, then maybe he can prevent the kingdom’s tragic fate. But the magical oath he made to his husband at the altar, transcending both time and space, may prove to be his most enduring—and most dangerous—feat of magic to date…

Content warnings

Graphic suicide, self-harm, blood, drowning

Animal death

Injury, violence

Mentions of fatal illness

Parental death

Mentions of war and famine

Harrassment

Review

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC!

TBH, this isn't the best book. The writing style is humorous (good!) but it's very dialogue heavy, with not enough dialogue tags which makes it confusing to follow, especially when there are multiple characters in conversation (bad!). I also struggled heavily with the pacing. It starts out ok, but towards the middle everything slows down to the point of nothing happening, until it suddenly picks up again, and then it's full speed, non-stop action until the end.

THAT BEING SAID. I had lots of fun reading this! This book fully delivers on the premise. A wizard turns back time to stop the evil king from destroying the kingdom but the king is the wizard's ex-husband and he catches feelings again? Sign me up!!!

Going into this, I was a little worried about the potential age gap between Cyril and Eufrates, given that the Cyril is an older guy going back in time to his younger body, but this was quickly resolved in a way I am quite satisfied with.

There is a sort of love-triangle situation, with Cyril catching feelings for someone else, but I really didn't care for it. I found it entirely unconvincing, like, why are we bothering with this farce when OBVIOUSLY these characters are not ending up together.

I also wished there was more interaction between Cyril and Eufrates, like they actually don't interact that much. Cyril mostly talks to Tigris, whom I love VERY much, so I am completely fine with that, but since this is supposed to be a romance between Cyril and Eufrates I feel like they should have interacted more? Between all the ongoing plotting and scheming, most of their interactions are Intense Charged Moments™️, which is fine, but I wanted more relationship building stuff.

This book is also pretty light on the world-building. There's nothing wrong with this, as most of the focus is on the plot and the romance anyway, so don't go into this expecting intricate world-building and magic systems.

I realise this review might sound quite negative, like I have a lot of things to criticise, but this book really was a lot of fun!

The dynamic between Cyril and the other characters are very entertaining, and I know I criticised the amount of dialogue at the start of this review, but I loved how much time the characters spent just talking to each other. The characters are really over-the-top and dramatic, in a way that I found silly and endearing.

I noticed that some of the negative reviews for this book bring up that fact that it's marketed as a cozy fantasy, but the plot has action and pretty high stakes. That is true, but this works in my favour as I personally enjoy fantasy with more action anyway. (Although I agree that this book shouldn't have been marketed as cozy fantasy. While the writing style and settings does feel like cozy fantasy, this book has pretty intense moments that are not in line with the genre.)

A few of the other reviews also state that this book should have been marketed as MG. I strongly disagree. While the writing style is simple and humorous in a manner that may appeal to middle graders, a lot of the content is straight-up not appropriate. Like, the first chapter literally has a graphic depiction of suicide.

Anyway, if you're looking for a funny, high stakes adventure with romance, do be sure to check this book out!

[sacred-stanning]

Chapter 19 Part 1: Visiting Rausten

"The Scared Stone of Renais has been destroyed."

"L'Arachel, the princess of Rausten, proposes that Ephraim's army should head to Rausten's palace."

"The last Sacred Stone is still sealed away in Rausten."

"The army heads towards the palace, following behind L'Arachel, who is happily returning home."

Side note: The Japanese spelling for "Rausten" (ロストン) looks almost like the spelling for "Boston" (ボストン), except with the "bo" replaced by a "ro".

If they ever remake this game with voice acting, I propose that they should have L'Arachel speak in a wicked strong Boston accent. It would be very good.

"Uncle! I have returned~!"

(If you're not familiar with everything in the game's setting, L'Arachel's parents are gone--dead I believe--and her uncle is acting as some sort of Regent until she takes the throne.)

"Ah, L'Arachel! You've returned safely!"

L'Arachel reminds her uncle that there really was no chance of her not returning safely.

"There is no way righteousness would ever lose to evil!"

Another side note: I'm wondering how this part of the game plays out if you've gotten L'Arachel killed in battle. She takes on a big role in the story around here.

I did get the heir to Jehana (Joshua) killed, but you also don't see much of Jehana on Ephraim's route, so it didn't make a big difference.

L'Arachel introduces her guests to her uncle.

Eirika uses very proper language to introduce herself as "someone who has come as a messenger / representative / envoy from Frelia".

Ephraim, on the other hand, uses "ore" for "I" when he introduces himself.

lol

"Ore" is a very masculine, very casual form of the first-person pronoun, and his usage of it especially stands out when contrasted with his sister.

They catch L'Arachel's uncle up on the situation, and he mentions that recently the monsters in the Dark Woods have been increasingly active.

He notices how tired they all look and proposes that they take at least one night to rest.

In another scene, Tana comes to check on Ephraim because she's noticed how down he is ever since they left the volcano area.

She says, "This is the first time I've ever seen you with such a sad face..."

"I'm sure my brother is worried about you...As am I..."

It's very cute how, despite the icy attitude Innes shows towards Ephraim, and how competitive he is with him, he still considers him a close friend of a sort.

Ephraim warns Tana that she shouldn't get too friendly with him and Eirika. He says, "Even though we're allied now, Renais and Frelia are different countries. Who knows what might happen from here on out? Our alliance might break at any time..."

Tana tells Ephraim not to worry about that, and she promises that, no matter what, she will always be friends with Eirika and Ephraim.

"Feh feh feh..."

Uh oh! Enemy soldiers appear and take out this guard!

Oh, it's Riev! One of Grado's generals still isn't dead!

"Feh feh feh...Humans cannot hope to win against darkness."

Fortunately, some other guard isn't taken out and comes to warn everyone that they're under attack.

Ephraim has recovered a little due to his talk with Tana, and he reassures everyone that he is fine, and can fight with all his power.

So I think I mentioned it in some previous posts, but some of these late-game maps have really big deployment limits (though it goes back down to normal again for the last couple of maps). This is one of them. And with 17 units allowed, I can finally bring Myrrh to get her some levels, and Knoll to have fun with summoning.

Rennac is also coming to pick some chest locks, and all of my usual combat units are showing up as well, including units like Seth who hasn't been fielded in a while.

The army came around a bend in the road, and the Palace of Rausten rose up in front of them. Inside it was their last hope, the last remaining Sacred Stone.

Vanessa was once again having Titania walk alongside Lute and her horse. Vanessa turned to Lute, who was again engaged in a book, and told her, "Lute, look! It's the Palace of Rausten!"

Lute looked up. "Hmm, typical Rausten architecture," she said. She returned to reading.

"That's it?" Vanessa said. "That's all you have to say about it? You sure are hard to impress, aren't you?" She smiled, though she didn't really expect Lute to say much more, she still enjoyed teasing her.

Without looking up from her book, Lute responded, "I will have more to say once I get a better look at it, just like was the case with Grado's castle."

Vanessa remembered some of the sketches Lute had taken of Grado's castle. Lute's handwriting was atrocious, and her drawing skills were not particularly amazing, but she knew what details to look for since she had read up on all of the special features of different architectural styles, so she was able to capture some of the spirit of the buildings.

"Hey, Lute?" she said, an idea suddenly coming into her head. "You're always sketching buildings, and flowers, and bugs, but do you ever sketch people?"

Lute didn't respond for a moment, but Vanessa saw her finger tracing to the end of a paragraph in the book she was reading. Vanessa had noticed that Lute always went to the end of a paragraph before responding, so she didn't rush her.

Lute looked up and towards Vanessa, "No. I am not much of an artist. My sketches are for informational and recording purposes, so I have not ever drawn people." She considered for a moment and then continued, "I am not sure I could do a satisfactory job, as much as I hate to admit it. Usually, the purpose of portraits is to present the subject in a flattering way, and I do not think my skills would be up to the task."

"You should draw me sometime!" Vanessa wasn't sure where this idea came from, but somehow she liked the idea of sitting for a portrait by Lute.

Lute suppressed a grin. "I suppose drawing a person would be good practice in case I ever want to make medical diagrams of cadavers in the future. I should really work on my technique for drawing human bodies."

Vanessa shot a playful frown at Lute, "Gods, you're horrible, you know that?" She closed her eyes and put one hand to her forehead dramatically. "Comparing me to a cadaver! The nerve!"

Both of them laughed, Vanessa heartily, and Lute in her own refrained way.

"This is fun! I don't even care that we're in the middle of a war!" Vanessa thought. She felt relaxed. She felt like she could be herself in a way she usually couldn't. Then she heard a familiar voice from behind.

"So this is where you got off to!"

It was Syrene. Vanessa felt a slight palpitation of nervousness. How long had Syrene been there?

"Oh! Captain!" Vanessa blurted out, immediately realizing that Syrene was going to call her out on being overly formal again. She turned to see that Syrene had ridden up behind the two of them on her Pegasus.

"Captain? Again with the 'captain' thing!" Syrene said.

Vanessa felt herself blushing. "Sorry! It's just such a habit! Last time I saw you before this war...I..."

Syrene frowned. She sensed the nervousness in Vanessa again. Why was it so hard for them to just get along like sisters, like they used to?

But now wasn't the time for that. Syrene had a message to convey. "Sorry to interrupt, but you need to meet with Prince Innes and Princess Tana. I came to pass the message along."

"Oh, thank you," Vanessa mumbled. "Um, I'll see you later, Lute." She paused, then remembered, "Oh, and you too, Syrene! We were going to find time to have a meal together. All three of us... Right?"

Vanessa still wasn't sure why Syrene wanted to do this, and it felt awkward to her somehow, but she had promised. "And why should it feel awkward anyway?" she thought. "I'm going to have a normal meal with my sister and my friend! There's nothing awkward about that!"

Vanessa urged Titania forward a couple of steps and then took off into the air. Lute watched her fly off, until she heard a voice, "Hi, Lute! Do you mind if I walk with you for a bit?"

"Oh, Linder's Pegasus lady...that is, Syrene, is still here" she realized.

Lute looked at Syrene. "You may walk with me," she responded.

"Wait, did that sound condescending?" Lute thought to herself. She didn't want to upset Syrene. Syrene was Vanessa's sister, so Vanessa would be upset if Syrene got upset, right? Lute felt uncharacteristically concerned with how she was presenting herself.

"Thanks! I only just joined this army, and I don't know many people yet, so it's nice to have someone to talk to!" Syrene smiled at Lute.

Lute tried to smile back, but it felt awkward. She had never gotten the knack for putting on a smile when it was expected. She hoped she didn't look too strange.

She was finding the transition, from talking with Vanessa, which was pleasantly easy, to talking with Syrene, who she still didn't know well, to be very difficult.

"Oh, what's that book you have there? Vanessa told me that you read a lot and have a good memory!" Syrene pointed at the book in Lute's hand that she was resting on her horse's back.

"Yes. I am able to remember everything I read in books. I have been able to do this since I was a child." The conversation was tiring her out already. Lute usually got through conversations by not caring too much about what the other person thought of her, but she couldn't shake the feeling that she had to make a good impression on Syrene. She didn't want to disappoint Vanessa. "Oh. You asked what book it was. It is a book of Frelian social customs. I have been reading it recently because Vanessa is from Frelia, and I wanted to learn more about the place she is from."

"Oh?" Syrene said, raising an eyebrow. "Have you learned about any interesting customs that are different from Renais? Wait, you are from Renais, right?"

"Yes. I am from Renais," Lute paused. She wanted to answer Syrene's question, but what was a good answer? All of the information she had read was interesting! This kind of question was always difficult to answer.

"Well, I thought that it was interesting that, in villages in western Frelia, the husband and bride at a wedding are supposed to break a bottle on the house that they are going to live in. It seems that the tradition started at the fishing villages on the coast and spread from there..."

"Wait, you don't do that in Renais? Really? I grew up in a village that does that. I always thought everyone did that!"

Lute was a little thrown by being interrupted. Usually Vanessa just listened to her when she was explaining what she had read in a book. She wondered if she should continue with what she was saying or respond to Syrene's comment in some way. It wasn't really a question, so it didn't demand an answer, but would it be ok to ignore it and keep talking about the original subject?

Lute was saved from making a decision by Syrene speaking up again and asking an actual question. "So what do people do for weddings where you're from?"

Lute started to close her eyes to access her mind library. She hadn't ever specifically researched weddings where she was from, but she had seen some weddings in her village...and she had heard information about them elsewhere too...probably...

Then Lute opened her eyes. She remembered all the times she had been told it was rude to close her eyes while talking to people. She was supposed to look at them.

She looked at Syrene's face, but she found she couldn't drudge up any information about weddings. "I...am not sure..." was all she managed to get out.

Syrene laughed. "I guess you've never been to a wedding in your home town then?" Syrene paused, then narrowed her eyes. "Actually, speaking of weddings, I hope you don't think I'm nosy, but has Vanessa told you about anyone she's interested in?"

Interested in? What did Syrene mean? Where did this question come from? Lute still wasn't even done talking about what she had learned in the book. This conversation felt like chaos!

"I do not know..." Lute said unsure of herself. "Vanessa has not said anything like that to me."

"Hmmm," Syrene frowned. "I thought as much. She's too serious to be thinking about things like that!"

Syrene sighed, and then continued. "My sister is not good at showing what she feels. She's the kind of person who, even if she really likes someone, she might not ever tell them!"

Syrene gently tapped her pegasus and pulled up very close to Lute's horse. Lute noted how little effort she actually needed to expend to get her mount to do what she wanted. A Pegasus Knight captain's skills were impressive indeed!

"So, Lute. Are you sure you don't know what I'm talking about?"

Syrene was close. And she had lowered the volume of her voice. There was some sort of meaning in what she was saying, but Lute couldn't figure out what it was. She didn't like the feeling.

Lute felt paralyzed, unsure how to respond, and unsure of what Syrene was even talking about. She stared at the neck of Syrene's pegasus, unable to bring herself to look at Syrene's face. What was she supposed to say?

"I saw the talisman you gave Vanessa last time I talked to her. And now that I've seen this book you're reading... Was that talisman intended as a pegasus pledge?"

Lute stared blankly for a moment. "Pegasus...pledge? I am not familiar with that term."

Syrene's eyes opened wide. "Oh!" she said. "By the stones, have I totally misread this situation?" She laughed nervously. "I'm sorry, I thought that you knew all about this since you're reading about Frelian customs!"

Lute still couldn't follow where the conversation was going, but she did manage to answer, "I only just began researching about Frelia. I have not even finished this book yet."

Syrene nodded and said nothing for a moment. "Lute, do you like my sister?"

Lute thought to herself, "Finally, a straightforward question!" She finally felt like she knew what Syrene was talking about.

"Yes, I like Vanessa," she answered.

Syrene furrowed her brow and seemed somehow unsatisfied with the answer. "Ok, but in what way?" Then before Lute could respond, she continued, "Are you two just friends, or...?"

"We are friends...yes," Lute answered. She felt like there was something more to the question, but she wasn't sure what. And at this point, she was really ready to be done with the conversation. She didn't dislike Syrene, but the whole conversation was exhausting.

Syrene nodded. A shadow passed over them, and Syrene looked up at the sky. A fellow pegasus knight raised an arm in some sort of symbol.

Lute had previously read about some of the arm signals pegasus knights used in battle, and she felt frustrated that she didn't recognize the meaning, but she was too tired from the conversation to think more about it.

"Oh, I have to go," Syrene said. "Um...Lute. Does that book have any information about Frelian Pegasus Knights and some of our ceremonies and customs?"

Lute remembered seeing a chapter titled something like that. She hadn't read it yet, but she knew it was in there. "Yes. I believe so."

"Good. You might want to read that part." She got ready to take off into the air, and then she took another look at Lute. "I hope it didn't feel like I was grilling you, but...well... Sorry. I'll see you later!"

And with that, she took off.

Lute sighed. Finally, some quiet time to think on her own.

...

About an hour later, as the army was approaching the entrance to Rausten Castle, Lute had made some progress in the chapter about the culture of Frelian pegasus knights.

It was fascinating! Obviously, the pegasus knights were Frelian, and they came from different cities, towns, and small villages from all over Frelia, but because they typically lived and worked together for long periods of time, they had a sort of culture of their own within Frelia! The author of the book had written this section after spending half a year living with a unit of Pegasus Knights deployed in the northern mountains of Frelia.

Lute turned the page and read the next part.

The typical Pegasus Knight will live with her unit for most of the year while serving the King and people of Frelia. Most knights only have the opportunity to return home a handful of times a year while they are in service. As a result, many delay marriage until after they have separated from the Pegasus Knight Corps, although some of the most talented who wish to continue as Senior Pegasus Knights to train the next generation are given special dispensation to bring their husbands and even children to live in special barracks for families. It is the custom for the husbands in these relationships to be the ones who primarily handle the household responsibilities, such as maintaining the home and educating their children. This is a pattern of household division of labor that has not been widely recorded outside of the context of Frelia's Pegasus Knights, to my knowledge. However, given the importance of the Pegasus Knights to Frelia, and the respect they are afforded within Frelia's society, the husbands of such Senior Pegasus Knights express pride in forgoing other work for the sake of supporting their wives.

Another unique custom among the Pegasus Knights that I personally encountered during my time living with the unit, but which seems not to be widely known outside of Frelia, is the custom of the "Hippolytas" as they are known. These are Pegasus Knights who forgo marriage to a husband and instead enter a relationship much like marriage with one another. There are many unique ceremonies associated with these "Hippolyta Marriages", but two primary ones are that, each Knight must gain the trust of the other's steed and be able to ride them without issue. The explanation given is that, if the Pegasi do not get along with both Knights, then that is a predictor of a bad match. However, there may also be a practical reason for this tradition. Seeing as these Hippolyta Marriages are recognized and respected by the Frelian military, and the Hippolyta spouses will be deployed together at all times until they retire from military service, the two Knights in the marriage are expected to be able to split all duties relating to their steeds.

Once the ceremonial flight on each other's pegasi is completed, the couple will typically exchange decorative jewelry, often pendants or bracelets, known as "Pegasus Pledges"...

The pieces came together in Lute's mind, and she realized what Syrene had been saying to her.

"Syrene was asking if Vanessa and I are in a romantic relationship, wasn't she?" She felt her face grow hot, and she felt embarrassment at not having understood.

Lute also found herself thinking back to what she had heard from Ross about his aunts... She had never heard of anything like that in her own village, but Ross was from a village much closer to Frelia, and if this book was right, then this was a common practice in Frelia...

Lute closed her eyes and tried to gather her thoughts. What did this all mean? How did she feel about this?

She wasn't used to focusing on her feelings like this. She much preferred facts. They were solid and unchanging, not like slippery feelings that would change on a whim and never stay still!

"I need to think about this," Lute resolved to herself. She closed her eyes and added some notes to her mind library.

Next time: Checking out the map

[mislamicpearl]

So maybe this will make you feel better - I'm a 29 year old woman, a math teacher, and I just became a Ninjago fan, like, a year ago!

I have two brothers and two sisters, but it wasn't my brothers who were into the show (not their kind of thing, one's more into DC heroes stuff and the other is into very obscure weird stuff), and anyway we were already in high school when Ninjago first started airing, so not really part of the age demographic for it. My little sisters, however, watched the show on TV and they got really into it. I, sorry to say, kind of dismissed the show entirely due to it being a Lego show (I used to say stuff like "Isn't this just basically Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, but Lego? Why do they have to be Legos??") but I don't think I honestly ever thought of it as a "boy's show". More like a kid's show without any real quality or substance.

The show first really caught my attention while my sisters were watching season 6 episodes and I saw that Cole was still a ghost (I'd been in the room when they'd first watched the episode where he turned into one), and I was shocked when they told me he'd never turned back. I was impressed that a kid's show had given one of the main characters such a consequence and actually stuck with it, rather than fixing the problem immediately or by the end of the season. It sounded surprisingly dark and angsty (and it made Cole my unofficial favorite ninja for awhile before I ever even watched the show from the beginning haha). I still never sat down to watch the show proper, but hearing my sisters talk about it I could see I'd probably been a bit too judgmental of how it looked (they absolutely LOVED Skybound and talked about it extensively, so I knew a lot about what happened in that season too and it also sounded fun [and I know Skybound is unpopular in the fandom but honestly screw that, I still think it's one of the best seasons!].)

Anyway I never ended up watching full episodes or anything, and after the movie came out (which my sisters and I watched in cinema together) my sisters kinda dropped the show because of a combination of not liking the new designs of the characters, changes to the story (or what they assumed were a lot of changes to the story to fit the movie), and our TV channel service not putting the show on anymore. They never forgot it though.

Cut to some years later, the younger of my sisters is in high school and the other one's in uni, and I've been teaching for several years, but all three of us are still as obsessed with cartoons and anime as ever, and we make a habit of binge-watching any new franchise or show that looks interesting. In March 2023 we watched Lego Monkie Kid season 4 and had to wait for the special to come out, and I guess it being a Lego show put my sisters back in the mood for Ninjago. They'd always talked about going back to it and watching it from the beginning, and continuing past Skybound where they'd left it.

I'll be honest, I kinda fell asleep through the first episode and that made me decide maybe the show just wasn't for me. I'd catch the odd episode here and there as my sisters continued their binge though, and I will say, personally, I liked the boy's vibes it gave in those early seasons (they reminded me a lot of Power Rangers, which one of my brothers loved when he was little; same kind of out-of-pocket goofiness, especially with the snakes ahaha). I got interested again in watching the show during season 3 (I knew Zane died at the end of that season and told my sisters to let me know when they reached that episode), and then from the first episode of season 4 onwards, the show had me; by now I was familiar with the characters, I loved the whole idea of the Tournament of Elements arc (reminded me of tournament arcs in anime), and then season 5 was even better, and Skybound was like, even better than that (my jaw literally DROPPED when Jay read the letter after his first wish saying his dad had died... again like, dang, I wasn't used to this kind of thing being in a KID'S show!)

After my sisters and I completed the whole show up to Crystalized (plus all the shorts and specials), I went back and watched the first two seasons again on my own and had a much better appreciation for them. Again I don't think I ever consciously thought of it as a "boy's show", but even if I had, that wouldn't have stopped me from watching it. I don't think there's anything inherently wrong with a show being more geared towards one gender over the other, or that a girl shouldn't enjoy a "boy's show" any more than a boy couldn't enjoy a "girl's show" (witness the era of the Bronies!). Or, for that matter, that an adult can't enjoy shows meant for kids. Do I feel a little embarrassment for being an adult and enjoying obsessing over a show like Ninjago? Well, yeah, I would be around certain people - I wouldn't really want my parallel teachers at school to know about it (though I did find out one of them is an anime fan like me!), but IF it was ever found out, I wouldn't be outright mortified or anything. I consider watching cartoons as my own quirky little personality trait that isn't necessary to mention in casual conversation, but that a person is welcome to discover on their own and make of it what they will.

As far as hiding it from family members goes, you can see I was blessed with siblings I'm very close to (my sisters both being almost a whole decade younger I practically raised them to be as into fiction as I am), but I did used to watch stuff in secret when it was just my brothers and I (oh my, the days when I used to sneak downstairs after bedtime with a pair of earphones to watch Sonic X episodes on YouTube on my dad's laptop in the dark!). As we got older though I stopped minding their teasing of my interests, especially after they developed fixations of their own (and also moved out of the house XD). If it's something that makes you happy and gives you harmless comfort, nothing should make you feel ashamed of enjoying it. Your family might think it's weird at first but they'll gradually accept it. And as for classmates, it's not impossible that at least one of them is secretly in love with Ninjago too!

Females of the Ninjago fandom, I have a couple of questions as a girl myself...

How did you discover the show? And how many people in your personal lives know that you're fans?

I don't mean to be discriminatory, but I feel that it's obvious that Ninjago, at least initially, was intended for boys. That too, little boys. Like kids aged about 6-12 or something.

But here, however, I've seen many girls (or women) into Ninjago. And I'm a fifteen year old girl who writes a lot of Ninjago fanfiction. But the thing is, in real life, nobody knows about my Ninjago obsession. (Well except for my best friend who's never even seen the show.)

And if someone from my family found out about my ao3 or tumblr account I will die of humiliation.

I started watching the show with my siblings, but they're not interested in it anymore. But I still am and they don't know that. Hell, they don't even know I was ever interested in it.

Today I was at home alone, so I managed to watch an episode of Ninjago successfully. Maybe someday I'll do it again.

Can anyone relate?

[moremysteriesthantragedies]

Murder of a Sacred Deer

Rating: R | Genre: Mystery, thriller | POV: 3rd Person Limited

Story written with: M, D, Q.

"Why did you give up your life so early when you had a chance to fix everything?”

Book Synopsis

In 1998, Roe Theron, the younger sister of the infamous Heart Thief, takes her own life in the bathroom of her mother's house. However, she soon finds life after death isn't as peaceful as she originally thought. Thrown in Hell for her brother's crimes, doing anything it takes to survive, she finds he may be closer than she originally believed when she hears that familiar voice on the radio.

Taglists

Wip Update Tag list:

Worldbuilding Taglist:

Trigger Warnings

Suicide, guns and hunting/animal death, self-harm, physical abuse, sexual abuse, past childhood abuse, depression and other mental health struggles, trauma, murder, emotional abuse and manipulation, referenced past racism, and discussions of the concepts of sin and purity.

Themes: Family trauma, coming to terms with the past, predators vs prey, power struggles, life after death, sin, self-respect, and finding joy in disparity.

Tropes: Friends with benefits, Hell/life after death, furry characters, broken ace, crazy murder (but he's a sweetheart, really), morally grey characters.

Characters

Roe P. Theron

#ghosthorns🌹

Affiliation: Wolfgang employee Theme Song: Too Much to Dream by Allie X

Age: 1971-1998 (physically 27) Sinner Type: Jackalope Personality Type: ISFP Pronouns: She/her Orientation: Asexual lesbian Height: 5'9"

The white, adoptive younger sister of Hart, now working as an assassin and bodyguard for a powerful sinner named Wolfgang. Not very sociable, with her guard often up, and acts very depressed most of the time. Has a talent as a snipper, and much sharper than she looks, though her current job has given her more than a little trauma.

“If you’re just here to torment and belittle me, you can save your breath."

Hart B. Theron

#hearthief💘

Affiliation: Powerful sinner & radio/show host Theme Song: Killing of a Sacred Deer by NEON666

Age: 1967-1997 (physically 30). Sinner Type: Weredeer Personality Type: INFP Pronouns: He/him Orientation: Demisexaul aromantic Height: 6'1"

A mixed-race radio and TV host. The Heart Thief in life after hours, killed by a rival known as "Lynx". Remains a radio and TV host in death, and has quite a reputation for violence. Despite this, he has a very polite and sunny disposition toward anyone he interacts with and tries not to cause other sinners any inconvenience.

My past was a well-guarded secret, the whole scare factor of the Heart Thief was the mystery that came with the persona. But clearly, I’d slipped up along the way...

Angie

#angiespeaking📞

Affiliation: Wolfgang employee Theme Song: Habits (Stay High) by Tove Lo

Age: 1997-2022 (physically 25) Sinner Type: Play bunny Personality Type: ESFP Pronouns: He/him (trans) Orientation: Demisexual biromantic demiromantic Height: 5'8"

A white/Canadian social media star, who died when trying to attempt to kill his cheating fiancé in a fit of rage. Know for being very flirtatious and often gives other pet names. Still, is very kind and takes more shy individuals at his work under his wing, Roe being an example.

It was the half-bunny from before, ears flopped down even further as they bent over, reaching out a careful paw to me, the other holding a bottle.

Updates

Snippets

(Scenes written for fun and do not completely reflect the final project.)

Other Links

LINE Club Music