#and talented like she puts everything into that

[prlssprfctn]

Being Robin is an art, in a way. It is hard, and it is always about keeping a balance — being graceful as a cat and yet, hold a power of a lion. Being flashy in all these colourful patterns and, at the same time, completely invisible for enemies.

When Bruce picks up Jason, he thinks he will need some extra training. He doesn't expect Jason, a street kid, to have the same mannerism Dick, the child of the circus, had. And he doesn't - not fully, at least - but the way Jason just... disappears in a way, making himself stealthy and invisible, is incredible. It is natural.

(It is... a talent?)

He is so great that sometimes Alfred and Bruce don't notice him until he wants them to notice him!

'You are good at this, chump,' Bruce compliments him once.

Jason tilts his head, seemingly confused.

'Huh?'

'Enemies never notice you, despite how bright your suit is,' Bruce points out proudly. 'Even I fail to find you in the room sometimes.'

Jason lets out a quiet "a-ah" in realisation and just shrugs.

He is always so humble, this kid.

Red Hood is not exactly humble. He knows his worth. He doesn't fail to remind others of his superior trainings or to mock the weakness of his enemies. But even he refuses to accept this exact compliment.

Why, though? He is tall, bulky — double-fridge, really — and his armour is bright red, and still... and still, people fail to notice his presence most of the time. Isn't it just great?

'Despite how huge you are, you are stealthy enough to match the style of my assassins,' Talia tells him; she is not exactly as beaming as Bruce was, but there is still a hint of respect in her voice. 'It is impressive. Though, I don't appreciate being caught off the guard.'

Jason huffs.

'Yeah, alright. Put a bell on my neck or something — it is not like I am trying to scare you.'

Talia tilts her head but doesn't comment further.

At that moment, Jason fears she knows. She knows exactly why he never accepts these kinds of compliments or where this skill comes from.

'You know, when I first got into Robin suit, Bruce said that he knew someone, who was as good at being invisible on the streets as me,' Stephanie tells him once, when they sit on the coach of the living room, waiting for others to return from the kitchen. 'Never figured out he was talking about you until I saw you scaring the shit out of others by your random appearances.'

Jason hums.

'Crime Alley kids' thing, am I right?' She elbows him, half-amused, half-bitter.

And Jason thinks, yeah. Exactly that.

Because it was never natural for him to take no place in the world — he just taught himself how to. How to make no sound, how not to irritate some men, who gradually got drunker during the day, while passing by the same streets, how to keep himself safe by being an empty space. People can't get angry if they don't see you. They can't kick you out, either.

(He perfected this skill so much that at some point he embraced this emptiness, right after his death. So, maybe it was his fault that Bruce scrapped away everything that was left of him, maybe-)

'Let them think that it is a talent,' he advises, instead.

Whatever makes you look valuable enough, his inner voice adds helpfully. Whatever makes you special to be kept around.

'Yeah. Sounds good to me.'

Jason hasn't lived on the streets for decades now, but he never grew up its habits. He doesn't think he ever will.

And it is... fine.

Because that is just who he is. Who he always was.

[if-mirrormine]

closing shift

summary: grayson and alex help teagan close the restaurant for the night.

pairing: gralex x teagan (nb!oc)

word count: 870

hi hello do you remember my follower giveaway? this is for the first winner chosen, @bohemianquacksody, who asked for some fluff with our beloved poly! and of course, the beautiful artwork is done by @somewillwin, who is very talented and you need to check her out because i say so.

"that's the last one!" callie announces with a clap of their hands. after a long day of refilling coffee cups and listening to the idle chatter of patrons, the restaurant is finally and blissfully quiet. they rip off their apron as they make their way over to the counter and throw it at tegan, who just barely manages to catch it. "which means i am out of here!"

"don't cause too much trouble tonight," tegan says, trying and failing to sound stern, a teasing smile shining through and their sibling only rolls their eyes.

"i could say the same thing to you. grayson and alex in one room all night long? try not to burn the place down."

"hey!" grayson says from his place sitting at the counter, his hands raised in defense. "we're capable of getting along."

"yeah, i'm not buying it." callie tuts, shaking their head. "i give it five minutes before the bickering starts." the bright headlights of a car pulling up outside the restaurant suddenly flash across the windows and a bright smile unfolds their face. "that'll be my ride. later losers!"

tegan laughs quietly as their sibling practically skips out the door and into the night, off to whatever party or club they have planned for the night, and they turn their attention to the man sitting in front of them. "speaking of lex, where is she?"

grayson chews on his lip, humming as he glances down at his phone. "she's on her way," he says after a moment. "apparently the buses were delayed."

they snort. "the buses are always delayed. weren't you supposed to pick her up?"

at that he pouts. "i wanted to but she was pulled into an emergency surgery."

smiling at him, they reach over the counter to ruffle his hair, causing a bright red blush to bloom across his cheeks. "you're such a sweetie, gray."

he gives them a shy smile and opens his mouth to reply when they're suddenly cut off by the door opening, the bell overhead announcing the newcomers arrival. "honey's, i'm here!" alex announces, slightly out of breath and her face flushed from the cold outside. her eyes land on the two of them at the counter and a look of amusement twists her features. "you two having fun without me?"

"wouldn't dream of it, babe," tegan grins as they pull back. "now that you are here though, we can get started on clean up duty."

"oh joy," she replies dryly as she begins to shuck off her backpack and her coat. "and here I was worried I'd miss out."

grayson rolls his eyes. "you're being dramatic; it's not that bad."

"no, it's devastating actually." she throws her head back, grimacing, the back of her hand pressed to her forehead. "how ever did I let you to convince me to do this?"

tegan laughs as grayson looks back at them, his face deadpan. "callie was right," he groans.

"qnd yet the night is still young," they reply, amused at their partners. "i'll deal with everything back here, alex on restocking and gray on the floors and seating?"

"sounds like the perfect plan to me," alex beams.

again grayson rolls his eyes. "of course; she can make the mess but god forbid she clean it up."

alex swiftly walks up to him up and presses a chaste kiss to his temple. "now he's getting it."

with the tasks divided amongst them, they get to work, a comfortable silence settling over the restaurant. the time seems to fly as tegan swipes down the counters, grayson sweeps the floors and alex refills serviettes and cutlery. it's nice really, being together even if it's doing something so mundane, and it makes it easier to do.

before long, the restaurant is spotless and their hardwork comes to a satisfying end. grayson and tegan put away the cleaning the supplies while alex stands in the middle of the room, admiring their work with her hands on her hips. "i think we deserve a treat for all of this," she states. "grayson, I trust you have dinner covered?"

he narrows his eyes at her as he goes to stand next to her and she cranes her head back to flash an innocent smile at him. "you’re not funny," he tells her, the same pout from earlier making a reappearance.

"why's tegan laughing then?" she retorts and his eyes snap towards them as they rush to conceal their laughter, a look of betrayal forming on his handsome face.

"et tu, amor?" he turns his eyes away from them, his hand held over his heart.

tegan smiles as they finish pulling on their coat before walking towards them. they put their arms around each of their waists, pulling them close and pressing a kiss to each of their cheeks. "alright, you two," they say as the three of them make for the exit. "i'll handle dinner if you at least pretend like you love each other."

"i don't need to pretend," alex says as she nuzzles into their side.

"neither do I," grayson smiles down at the two of them fondly and together they walk out into the night, all too ready to go home.

[lukeynewtssimp]

When Nic is out and about with her bf all I see from Lukolas is pure hate and disdain for them both. It’s only now that the man brought out his gf that suddenly everyone is okay with it. Does that seem like equal treatment to you? Where was your defense before this?

You’re happy and proud of him for finally claiming her but where is the happiness for Nic? I’m still talking about Lukolas in general.

Do you not see the people saying he’s finally with someone well matched with him? And when people said the same hateful things after premiere night because of that stunt where was the support for Nic? You think his choices didn’t affect her, whether it was intentional or not?

This side of the fandom is extremely male-centered and you just don’t want to admit it. I am still very much hoping to be proved wrong in the future.

Wow okay there is a lot to unpack here.

Let me start by saying that my blog is very new. I only started posting like a month or so ago so excuse me for my lack of defence back when Nic apparently “needed” it.

Neither of them “need” anybody to defend them lol. We don’t get brownie points for proving we are their number one fan. They literally have no fucking clue who I am and don’t care to find out either. I just use my platform to express my love for the people I am a fan of and the things I am passionate about and to express my frustration at things and behaviours that annoy me. That’s the point of having a personal blog.

idk how to make it any clearer. Like it’s literally in my username, yea I am a fan of Nicola too but I’m a bigger fan of Luke. We all have our faves so I don’t get why you’re so angry that Luke is mine.

Yes I see the very small number of people making comments like that about Antonia looking good next to Luke or whatever. I choose to ignore it because I have seen a very small number of these comments and me talking about it would only amplify these pathetic people’s voices. I obviously do not agree with this take. It is rooted in fatphobia and those people can say whatever they want but they do not speak for Luke or Nic.

Nic is not some self conscious young girl waiting for a man to notice how beautiful she is. The fact that you think Luke’s decisions about who he’s dating affected her, then you’re the problem. You’re the one painting Nicola as this desperate girl crying for attention. Nic is a confident and very sexy woman and she fucking owns it and knows it. She literally ruled 2024 and has gained so much popularity last year as she deserves. And you know what? Luke knows it too and that man, unlike what you and other people think, is not and was never ashamed to show that he’s attracted to her and finds her beautiful and sexy and smart and talented. He’s not the most talkative when it comes to that stuff, that man literally blushes at everything. But his actions speak louder than his words. Just because he is dating a woman who doesn’t look like Nic does not mean he does not find Nic attractive and it also does not mean he rejected Nic by doing so.

As @jenhack beautifully put in the comments: Nic is not bothered! She is busy talking to other SAG nominees and being lauded by her peers. She does not need to, or have to be defined by any man she is connected with.

Crazy Lukolas do not only hate on Jake and Nic but they also hate on Luke and Antonia. Have you seen all the nasty stuff they have called this poor girl?

Sorry this has been very long but I just need everybody to stop projecting their hurt feelings and traumas on Nicola and Luke PLEASE!

PS: the “you” is not just aimed at you specifically anon, but everybody who agrees with that discourse of Luke hurting Nic by dating another woman and taking her to the premieres that I am tired of hearing about. And let’s not forget Nic took Jake to that premiere too…

[lyracarvahall]

HeartBeat Part 15

Serenade for Seonghwa

Part 14 Here

As Seonghwa stepped towards the microphone, he turned to look at Y/N. "So what is the goal today? How can I help?"

"I am just setting up the intro harmonies for one of the tracks and you can record your parts for the whole track if you are comfy and have time."

"That sounds great!" He gave her a sweet and gentle smile. With that he put the headphones and took a listen to her reference for his vocals. He closed his eyes and swayed to the beat, tapping the beat lightly on his waist with his fingertips.

Once he finished the first listen, he took one of the sides of the headphones off and looked at her beaming. "This is truly brilliant Y/N. I listened to some of your music and knew you were capable but this...this is perfect for both your sound and for us. Thank you for doing this for us."

Y/N blushed at the compliment. She had had fans but hearing someone so musically talented and experienced compliment her so highly filled her with a different level of pride. "Thank you Seonghwa. That means so much coming from you."

He looked genuinely touched and muttered a quiet thanks. "Is it alright if I try to record it now?" Y/N nodded and again was blown away by his talent. His voice had such a unique tone to it it was hard not to be captivated. She made sure to give him a few high notes throughout the song because she didn't think he got enough of those. He knocked it out of the park the first recording.

"Wow Hwa! You nailed it first try! That was beautiful!"

Now it was his turn to blush with a bashful smile. "Thank you."

Now was the moment she began to panic a little bit. Here was the special project she has worked on this morning. She was just hoping that he liked it.

"Hey Seonghwa? Is it okay if I get your feedback on another track that I have been working on? Since you finished so early?"

He nodded enthusiastically and she cued up the track. It was a confession, a plea. A ballad she had written about her struggles to connect with him. The sweeping instrumentals built to a peak and then everything but her voice cut away. The end of the song pleaded for him to talk with her and give her a chance to love him. Even if it was as a friend. To let her connect.

Seonghwa began to bawl as he sat on the recording booth stool. As soon as the song ended, he threw the door open and she thought he was going to storm out. Instead, he turned towards her and fell in front of her on his knees. He laid his head on her lap and continued to cry.

As he clung to her waist, she heard it. A gentle ocean wave. He gasped and clung to her tighter as she saw the tattoo crawling up his neck like curls making their way around the base of his hairline. She felt the matching burn.

"I am so sorry. I am so so sorry." He continued to sob into her lap. She began to cry to watching him fall apart this way. She felt his sorrow and regret.

"Hey...hey Hwa it's okay." She gently combed her fingers through his blonde hair. "I am here in whatever way you need me to be. Did you want to talk about it?"

Y/N looked up to see San watching the scene unfolding in front of him through the window. He held up his phone and then walked off. Shortly after he messaged that he would get them all food and be back.

Sniffling, Seonghwa sat up but still remained sitting between her legs. "I....never thought that...I was a part of this. I figured my feelings about it made it karmically impossible."

Y/N stayed silent and let him keep talking while rubbing slow circles on his back.

"At first I resented you. I resented that you took him from me. As a group we had discussed the possibility of soulmates before but all of the public events worldwide and no prospects coming up...we thought it was not in the cards for us. Some held onto the idea...including Hongjoong. I developed feelings for him years ago and no matter what I hinted at he had still held out hope to find you. Recently he had started responding to my flirtations and I thought there was finally something there for us. And then you came. Instantly I was forgotten and my hope was gone. I couldn't deny that I felt a connection to you too, but that only made me hate it more. As I saw each of my friends fall for you, and I learned more about you, I couldn't hate you. You are a beautiful person and I am sorry that I took this out on you."

He took a moment to finally look into her eyes. His were red from the tears that had been shed. "I would like to explore this connection with you. I would. I just need it to be slow. I am still...healing from heartbreak in a sense."

"I understand. Take all of the time you need. However, I wanna say something and don't get mad. Please."

Seonghwa hesitantly nodded.

"I think we should talk to Hongjoong together about this. I don't like the idea of breaking your heart just because you are bound to me. I am not opposed to you two exploring your feelings with each other if it is something you both want to pursue."

Seonghwa looked shocked. "Wait really?! Why would you do that?"

"Because I wouldn't truly love you if I kept you from happiness Hwa."

He lept up and wrapped his arms around her. She felt such joy through the bond it was contagious. She giggled and squeezed him back. Just then San gently knocked on the door. Wiping tears from her eyes, she nodded and waved San in. He was carrying bags of takeout which he placed on the table behind them.

"Thank you San. That was very nice of you. Come to think of it I haven't eaten since this morning."

Everyone made their way to the sofa behind the table and began to eat quietly. Seonghwa sat very close to Y/N like he needed her presence as reassurance. San smiled his closed eyed smile.

"Welcome to the club bro."

-----------------------------------------------

Taglist: @mrsminseochoi @vtyb23 @imbaebi @nuggiesnuggetdog04

[araybiaa]

rafia as parents headcanons

rafe as a girl dad

he’s such a softie. especially when his little girl — whose features are nearly identical to sofia’s — looks up at him with those wide puppy dog eyes and her pouted lower lip, making it damn near impossible to say no to anything that she asks him.

he does these silly little voices whenever he reads bedtime stories. he loves putting on a performance for his little girl and hearing her giggles whenever his voice ascends a few octaves higher than usual as he reads to her.

he makes sure he’s there every night to tuck her in. he doesn’t care if the work day isn’t officially finished. at 7:30 he leaves the office every night, just so he can make it in time to get home to his family.

he watches youtube videos to learn how to braid. it’s complicated at first, but after a few tutorials he test trails a style on sofia and it doesn’t come out too bad. on the mornings where sofia wants to sleep in a bit, he’s the one that gets her dressed. after a while, he perfects her two braided pigtails look.

he loves playing dress up with her. when it comes to his little girl; masculinity doesn’t exist. he allows her to paint his nails, put bows and ribbons in his hair, acts as a stand in mannequin when she wants to put makeup on him.

he makes a habit of taking her on a daddy-daughter date at least once a week. whether it’s to the park, out for ice-cream, to the zoo or aquarium. he cherishes those dates, knowing that he’s making memories with her.

he’s the dad that video tapes and photographs everything. he’s got his own camera that he brings along to all of her recitals and performances.

rafe as a boy dad

he makes sure his son knows that it’s okay to cry. growing up, he was taught to internalize his emotions; that boys didn’t cry. when his son cries, rafe consoles him without hesitation and holds him until the cries subside.

sofia still has to reassure him that he’s doing a good job. he has to be reminded that they’re both still new to this and that it’s okay to not be perfect because they were learning all of this together.

he coaches his son’s baseball team. he loved that his son showed interest in wanting to play the same sport that he played growing up. they have the same number jersey and it brings tears to his eyes seeing #21 and cameron stitched in the back of his son’s jersey like his was.

they go on dad and son dates too. on their first trip, him and barry take his son camping. they teach him how to make s’mores and start a fire. (he cries when his son kisses his cheek and tells him that he was the best dad in the world and thanks him for the best trip ever.)

he’s the dad that hang up every art project. it’s moments and memorabilia all over his office.

he hates when his son cries. it makes rafe emotional seeing him in any kind of pain. he has to stand out in the hall during his doctors appointments because the last time he nearly cursed out the doctor for making him cry when he got his yearly shots.

he’s the fun parent. he doesn’t like having to discipline his son because of how he grew up. but in the important times when he knows that he has to, he steps up. never once leaving sofia alone to bear the brunt of that responsibility.

sofia as a girl mom

she loves having a mini-her. she buys them cute mommy and me sets, and styles their hair the same. she loves when everyone says that it looks as if she birthed herself because of how much they look alike.

she loves cooking with her daughter. when she was younger, she used to always help her mom and abuela in the kitchen and now that she has a daughter of her own, it’s like she’s keeping up that tradition.

just like rafe, she records everything. he likes to joke that she’s like the mom in mean girls during the christmas talent show scene with how she knows every single step of their daughters routine.

she loves being a mom. it fits her. she love everything about it; even though she didn’t have an easy pregnancy she wouldn’t change anything about it.

she thinks it’s funny how her daughter looks exactly like her but has rafe’s strong personality.

she loves what motherhood has taught her about herself as a person. she learned the importance of patience and has appreciated family even more than she’s ever had.

she teaches her spanish. tells her about their heritage and it’s importance. (sofia finds it amazing at how easily she picks up her native tongue.)

sofia as a boy mom

she loves seeing how rafe interacts with him. she knew that during her pregnancy he had doubts about what kind of father he would be; but she loves watching him prove himself wrong with how much he loves and cares for their little boy. he’s a better father than he could’ve ever imagine.

she’s the mom that’s always involved whether it’s her hosting the after game parties at their house, baking goods for the team meetings, her being on board with the pta. she’s always there.

she loves how much of rafe’s in him. he has the same azure colored eyes and smile as him. he’s just as sensitive too — always seeking her out whenever he gets overstimulated and needs her to comfort him to calm him down.

she’s protective over him. her maternal instincts are always heightened whenever it comes to him because she knows how shy and reserved he is.

she likes to cook with him. (it’s more so of him taste testing the food rather than actually helping, but she loves the company nonetheless.)

she familiarizes herself with his favorite cartoons and comics; she could listen to him talk about his interests and hobbies for hours.

she’s the mom that lets him sleep with them even when she and rafe both agree that he’s at an age where he should be sleeping in his own bed. she tries to be strong, but the moment she hears him call out her name or open her eyes and sees him standing at her bedside with his stuffy against his chest and his wide eyes looking pleadingly at her, she gives in.

[theinquisitxor]

January 2025 Reading Wrap Up

I read 10 books in January, which is a very high number for me right now, but January always tends to be the month were I read the most books. I was super happy with what I read this month, and I enjoyed a lot of 5 star reads, but there were a few disappointments.

1.A Dark and Drowning Tide by Allison Saft, 3/5 stars. This was my first book of the year, and a bit of a let-down. I've read Saft's other books and liked them all, but this one was an outlier. I liked the folklore and magic, but didn't care much for the characters and themes.

2.Spindle's End by Robin McKinley, 4/5 stars. I want to read everything McKinley's written, and this was the next one I picked up. I loved the magic and worldbuilding, as well as the changes she made from the classic or disney story. I loved the focus on friendship and family love as well.

3.The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World by Robin Wall Kimmerer. This is a new essay published by Kimmerer which I listened to on audio. Another thought provoking and necessary essay about how we live and interact with the world.

4.Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant, 5/5 stars. This was my Random TBR pick for the month, and this book had been on my tbr since 2020. I had such a good time reading this sci-fi horror, and I did not want to put this down. I enjoyed the deep sea horror, our ensemble cast, and the plausibly mad biology.

5. A Little Princess by Francis Hodgson Burnett, 4/5 stars. This was my other Random TBR pick for the month, and has been on my tbr since 2018. This was a classic I never read growing up, but I was glad to read it as an adult. I didn't love this as much as The Secret Garden, but I can see why it's so beloved.

6.Buried Deep and Other Stories by Naomi Novik, 5/5 stars. I don't typically gravitate towards short story collections, but I'm so glad I picked this up. This was a mix of short stories from her publishes series, plus original works. The sneak peak at her newest project was a treat, I recommend picking this up if you are interested!

7.Lady Macbeth by Ava Reid, 2/5 stars. This was another disappointment, but one I can't say I didn't see coming. I've liked all of Reid's other works, but this was not good. I do think Reid is a talented writer, and the writing is very strong, but the rest of this is just not good. Bad portrayal of the middle ages, xenophobic of scotland, butchered the characters from the original. :(

8.The Scholar and the Last Faerie Door by HG Parry, 5/5 stars. A new favorite, and HG Parry keeps getting better and better. This is a dark academia magic school book about faeries, portals, 1920s England, classism, friendship, and trying to fix things. I loved this book from start to finish, and it's my favorite I read this month.

9. Melmoth by Sarah Perry, 3/5 stars. An interesting little gothic (horror-ish) novel set primarily in Prague. This was much more gothic and dark than I was anticipating, with a bit of a speculative twist. I can't say I enjoyed this book a whole lot, but rather appreciated the writing, the story, and craft of it.

10. Forging Silver into Stars by Brigid Kemmerer, 5/5 stars. A reread that I enjoyed just as much as the first time in 2022. This is one of the few YA series I'm still reading and loving, and I can't wait to pick up the second book which just released at the end of the month. I've been waiting years for it, and can finally see what happens next!

Overall, very strong month and a good way to start the new year! I hope the rest of my year stays as strong, and I'm hoping to pick up a new series to start in February!

[emilylawsons]

HI I’M BACK AND I FINISHED SEASON 3 AND I HAVE THOUGHTS™️

Newsreader spoilers under the cut

Okay first: THE NEWSREADER IS ONE OF THE GREATEST TREASURES TO GRACE TELEVISION AND IT DELIVERED ON EVERYTHING

ANYWAY…

The open ending as far as Helen and Dale goes—my shipper heart is a little sad we didn’t get a more explicitly romantic ending for them BUT these two have so much healing to do, and it starts with being exactly where they are. Finding peace and happiness as individuals before they give themselves to any relationship. And I think, no matter what any fan was hoping for, they can take this ending and decide how it goes for them. (Also the loving way Helen spoke to him and looked at him while she was talking to him off air. 🥹) They’re both exactly where they need to be and in their element, and that’s what the audience has been rooting for since day one.

THE PARALLELS AND CONNECTIONS TO THE FIRST EPISODE IN THE LAST ONE. Dale singing Kyrie in the car. Helen taking Dale home and talking care of him and “coming up with a plan.” Fucking brilliant.

Helen’s journey this whole season—getting a diagnosis and coming to grips with it. Being resistant at first but coming around and COMMITTING to getting better even when it’s hard and she hates it—frickin’ facing the place where she was locked up and endured additional trauma. She truly came into her own, and I’m just continuously blown away by Anna Torv and how, in every single project she does, she puts so much care and thoughtfulness into how she portrays her characters and the difficult situations they face. And she’s just a fucking incredible actress. THE SCENE IN 3.03 AFTER SHE GOT HER DIAGNOSIS AND CALLED DALE BROKE ME. I don’t think anyone else could have portrayed Helen. I just don’t. And Helen’s arc was all the more satisfying because the writers/creators decided to trust their talent and make her just as much a part of the creative process.

And Dale…oh my boy Dale. Sam frickin’ Reid the actor you are. Dale’s character arc has to be one of the most intense and challenging I’ve ever seen on TV, and Sam probably had the hardest job. Dale’s breakdown? OH MY GOD. We always knew Dale needed to break. He would have to be driven to the brink to be human again. And, just like with Anna as Helen, there was no one more qualified to bring Dale Jennings to life. Holy shit. Incredible, meaty, deep storytelling happens when you have creatives with a vision and actors they’re on the same page with. Sam got it from day one, and he saw it through to the end.

But Helen and Dale, stars of the show they are, are not the only incredible arcs we got to see. THE SATISFACTION OF WATCHING LINDSAY CUNNINGHAM GET KICKED OUT ON HIS ASS AND DENNIS SITTING IN HIS SEAT. The stuff of legends. And not just Dennis getting his moment (which we absolutely saw coming after he clocked Lindsay last season), but JEAN FUCKING PASCOE yelling at him from across the newsroom. I clapped. I cheered. And you know, I even cheered a bit for Evelyn Walters in all of it. She’s out for herself and still doesn’t get it (and Geoff was far from a victim), but she stood when it counted. She took action on one good thing. And watching them all collectively work together to get Lindsay what he deserved? Delicious.

And then we’ve got my girl Noelene who also went through The Most™️ oh… She’s got so much to figure out about standing up for herself and what she wants, and Rob’s got so much growing to do to be a better husband and father. But she did stand up for herself. She stopped being afraid to tell people how she felt and what she needed. She called Rob out on his racist tendencies and opened up to him about her work/motherhood balance, and she called out Helen for using her like everyone else and overworking her, and they both listened. She has hope ahead of her, and it was beautiful to see.

A few other small notes:

The whole Dale/Kay dynamic was so strange, but it needed to happen. Her constant comparisons of him and Geoff helped fuel his necessary fall. And it served to show what a terrible place Dale was in.

Cheryl got married!!! Good for her 🩷

Fuck Bill, and congrats to Helen for being like “I’m not gonna be punished because I didn’t wanna fuck you”

Tim gets a well deserved love and happy ending!!!

I’m really happy they brought back Linus. What a treasure.

Overall, as sad as I am to see this show go, they delivered on all counts. Everything they said they would be, they were. Every arc, satisfying. Just so beautifully and masterfully done, and with love by everyone involved. 18 episodes of perfection. And if Michael Lucas and Emma Freeman ever produce another show together and hire Anna Torv and/or Sam Reid or any of the wonderful-across-the-board cast? I will get my VPN’s worth as an American and be there for it.

[ode-to-fury]

AAAH ALSO what if Rook does their little Rook thing to Caterina? Weeks and weeks of them sharing a house and Rook is like... look she respects that Caterina has her position as First Talon (or had. Rook has to keep reminding herself it's had now) because of immense talent and ruthlessness and hard work but she's never going to like the woman that put the boys through all of this and pit them against each other with the First Talon decision but she tries to connect because Maker damnit she's Lucanis's grandmother and they love each other despite everything and I have to try at least. But she just gets... nothing back. Blank stares at friendly questions, or small, polite smiles at jokes, or jabs at how she used to be a lot better or smarter or prettier when she was Rook's age (idk just go with me here) or how she wonders whether Rook is really cut out for this kind of life or blatantly ignoring her in favour of Lucanis like she does with Illario and Lucanis is irate about it, but Rook tells him to just give it time because he's fought with his family enough for several lifetimes and she cannot be the cause of it starting again. Until one day she and Caterina are alone (maybe Lucanis is on a contract and Illario is helping, or both of them are meeting with the other Talons idk) and Rook is staring up at a portrait of Lucanis's mother because that's Lucanis's mother and she can see where he got his eyes and Caterina walks in the room looking like she wasn't expecting anyone else to be in there and Rook just smiles and goes "he has the same eyes" and before Caterina knows she's baring her soul to Rook about her dead daughter, her favourite daughter and telling her a story about when Lucanis was born because Rook is just like that?

Thinking about post veilguard rookanis like I always am and today I'm mulling over Illario and Caterina's reactions because like... there's been very many discussions about whether Caterina would like/dislike accept/not accept Rook and I don't think it's that simple. I think at first she assumes it's casual like it's always been for Illario because surely Lucanis wouldn't be that stupid? Surely he wouldn't fall in love and give himself that big of a weak spot? And then... Rook sticks. They get engaged, they're planning a wedding, Rook is already helping with First Talon things and it seems like that is actually the one thing making it bearable for Lucanis. And how the fuck is she supposed to handle that? Her poor little boy... is Rook good enough to stay alive for him? Should she kill Rook now to avoid heartbreak in future? Lucanis... what have you done?

And then Illario... man what would Illario think? Here is his cousin who has never shown any interest in the myriad of people Illario has seen show interest in him (because lets face it Lucanis is a handsome man there had to have been some Crows going 👀👀) so of course when Rook happens he probably thinks like oh it's a first love infatuation thing I remember when that happened to me. Three months from now I'll have the old Lucanis back and then... thag doesn't happen? Rook is a Dellamorte now. For so long it's only been the three of them and now... Cousin, you're really in love? I just like thinking about the idea that both of them don't really click how deeply Rookanis care for each other until it's way too late to do something about it

[mer-se]

Prima facie round two. 5/17 🎭🤍

[trekbitch]

“you’re telling me Amanda Seyfried was going to try this?” -a real sentiment i have seen multiple times regarding her audition for Wicked

just say you’ve never heard her sing a heart full of love and leave it at that

[tsukacchako]

i cant stop thinking about bttf ... like that was INSANEEEEEE its so sad that it closed ...

[tophats-tea]

NEW DGNG LOG LETS FUCKING GO 🔥🔥🔥

I always get so excited over these. There’s so much put into them I never get sick of it. The design’s an utter banger as usual. Her outfit’s so well-coordinated it feels nice just looking at it. One of the first characters to have dyed hair, which looks amazing on her. I love the curls. The whole character concept of a waitress on skates’s something I haven’t actually had the chance to see much of before, so that’s nice. There’s so much things packed here and a lot of new things being tried out in terms of formatting and easter eggs too.

Okay, starting off, checking out the usual stuff, she’s around the average age compared to the character so far, a bit shorter than Asaro technically because of skates, but nothing too much to look at. Like Chika, her weight is unknown, and her chest size just…isn’t there? I won’t think too hard about that, but given we have two characters with unknown weights now, we could draw some conclusions based on how these are measured. Maybe something like them specifically not wanting to talk about it (similar to Julien’s dislikes being unknown), or then genuinely not knowing (similar to half of Rosie’s info being unknown). Neither of these possibilities hold too much importance, so I’ll just move on. She likes roller skating (obviously) and rosie, which is the fourth time another character was mentioned in the likes/dislikes section (first/second being the yoko sisters with each other, and the third being chika with nishimura in the dislike section; interestingly enough, the same doesn’t apply for nishimura/naruko, nor julipoppi). This puts an emphasis even further towards her relationship(?) with Rosie, which’ll be fun to dissect, especially during the episodes themselves. Her dislike of arrogance and authority might place her in an interesting position against hiriro, but well have to see how that develops if at all. The highlighted iority is genuinely fascinating to me but I have no fucking idea what it means T-T. Iority itself isn’t a word, nor a name. It’s definitely not a cipher, and nothing turns up for Google translate. I’m starting to wonder if naruko just genuinely ran out of ink and I’ve overthinking everything but who in their right mind writes the letter H in that stroke order ‘-‘.

I wonder if it’s canon that each of the logs are written with a different colour, since that’d mean Naruko might’ve used the pink pen for something else. If it isn’t though, then yea. That’s that.

Going to the quote, it’s all a bit wavy, but relatively easy enough to read, and it confirms that Naruko really does just write down things she hears other people say or directly asks them for something interesting to write down as their quote. Could explain why Rosie doesn’t have a quote, since she very clearly felt bad for her and likely didn’t get to ask/felt comfortable writing anything she heard down. The “the slower I go, the faster my thoughts catch up” could be hinting towards some kind of guilt from the past or even just general nervousness about the killing game, and it’s right before she ends the quote and says bye to naruko, so that’s something to consider. Her shadow shows what I assume is likely a highway/road, with splatters of blood at the top and bottom, even going out of the border. A bloody handprint is right behind her head too. Considering every shadow so far was based on certain character themes or at the very least their talents, I doubt it means nothing. It’s probably part of some kind of backstory, and given all the text about Anton (I only noticed the top 2 lines a second go. I almost assumed AntonAntonAntonAntonAnton was the only text), it likely involves him. Thinking about the handprint specifically, you could draw multiple different conclusion. If it’s literal, it likely means someone or another got injured enough to bleed an entire hand full of blood, likely through a car accident. My first thought somehow was Mikazuki, considering her connection to Anton, but looking closer, her hands themselves are almost definitely working fine, just heavily accessorized, unlike her cheeks. The next, and probably most likely connection, is Kellen. Her right hand’s a fairly big part of her mystery for now, and low and behold, the bloody handprint’s of a right hand. The chances of Anton being important because he was a good person drops every log. Rosie remembers him specifically, with no other information beyond that. Mikazuki’s hidden quotes beg him not to leave her. And Leiko’s directly says he was no best friend, possibly realised after somehow breaking Kellen’s hand and running away with Leiko fast enough for neither of them to remember her face. Maybe. That could explain Kellen’s burns too, almost all of which are on her right side. Then again, if we take the bloody handprint metaphorically…I don’t know, Mikazuki’s quote was “Don’t leave me”. Maybe Leiko committed vehicular manslaughter, killed Rosie’s lover/family member/doctor/idk, and erased her memory out of guilt, so that explains her quote and why she’s so attached to Rosie and why each of her lines talking about Anton is in past tense. Who knows.

That aside, moving onto her actual log description, the first bits mostly filler. Her need to go fast, and her spatial awareness, and her balance/mobility, could make for a victim or blackened with an interesting timeframe for a murder, or a possible witness other blackeneds would be keen to keep an eye out for. If she’s the mastermind (which she’s genuinely a decent candidate for as of now), it makes for an interesting chapter 5/6 case provided someone gets framed. It’s interesting enough to take note of. Apparently Naruko‘s also seen a picture of her before the game. I mentioned how it could be a photo she carries with her or one Leiko found in her room, but now that I think about it, considering she’s an ultimate, it’s not too unlikely that Naruko’d see her on a newspaper or a social media post or somewhere else. The tense even seems to suggest so too. Moving down to Rosie, I’m starting to wonder about the exact cause of her amnesia. Obviously it could be something like blunt force trauma or dementia(?), but I’ve been having a slight theory going on where she only lost her memory upon joining the game. That’s a simple enough possibility to justify, given how every Danganronpa game, and subsequent fangans, keep their casts deprived of a few years or so of memories, and with Kyomi/Hajime/Rantaro, can even target specific memories to erase. What happened with Rosie could be a simple mistake, but at the same time an intentional choice, either because she had a real talent too difficult to manage in the killing game (she’s technically the usual ultimate ??? after all, just hidden from the fact because of nishimura’s gifted ultimate amnesiac title), she knew something about the killing game that’d be troublesome, or if her real personality with all her memories and possible trauma intact would cause trouble. It could just simply be done out of sadism too, if she’s something like an Ultimate Hope that the mastermind wants to see struggle and break. Whatever the case, the fact that Leiko seems to have known her from before the killing game, and what happened with Rosie’s considered a loss, it’s not a stretch to think her condition’s caused specifically by the people running the killing game. That aside, Naruko’s suggestion of Leiko mistaking Rosie for someone else does put the Rosie/Anton twin paralleling Nishimura/Naruko theory on the table, though it doesn’t make sense since 1.Opposite genders (Anton has confirmed pronouns now) 2.I don’t particularly think Leiko would still be fond of Anton, and 3.Mikazuki’d probably recognize him, or even someone who looks exactly like him but a girl. Anyway, their dynamic’ll be fun to watch develop.

I think that’s about it for now. Until the next log comes out. This ended up like two times the length of the JuliPoppi fanfic I wrote the other day what the hell. I’ll reread this later and find a hundred different grammar mistakes probably.

Log #11: Leiko Terakado, Ultimate Waitress

[no1ryomafan]

hate ever since I finished giant robo yesterday my train of thought hasn’t been a critical analysis of what I consumed despite acknowledging both the show’s strengths and weaknesses and instead going back to my Imagawa Armageddon drama conspiracy board and going “okay no way in fuck he didn’t have Kei as Genki planned after the fucking family drama plot line in giant robo being similar to what we got in arma and it’s likely that the team got away with this idea after he left because they might’ve been in production for ep 4 but had to rewrite it and the show after onwards to fit the new direction”

or in simpler terms my brain activates “how do I make this about getter robo”

[daz4i]

got an ad for a course that looks right up my alley (like, too-good-to-be-true levels of up my alley) and toyed with the idea of possibly signing up. asked my mom what she thinks, including abt the price and such, fully expecting her to shut me down and say it's too expensive or isn't a good direction to take, but no even before i started listing the actual cool stuff you get from it she already got so excited and told me to sign up and that it sounds perfect for me and such. so i guess we'll see

[these-are-the-first-steps]

Ok so like.....*sigh*

So like in the show he basically asks her to marry him and she says yes, and they're both like "Promise? Promise!" but she keeps fucking conveniently remembering and forgetting "the promise to mother" like I know he's intoxicating af and it's hard to hold a thought around this man (I also have a very hard time holding a thought looking at him), but pick a goddamn side and have a backbone about it ffs!! Like you can't waffle on people like this girl!! You literally sat here and engaged yourself to this man and then you go off and do THAT???

I would like to note that so far in the (very drastically different) novel, there is no such promise ever made, and she fucks off to the steppe because she's mad at Ning Yi thinking the whole entire time he had just been cozying up as part of a plot to kill her so leaving bought her time, space, and a power base to fight back and he just eats the misunderstanding like "????? fine, come and kill me when you're ready, at least I'll get to see you again, I am ok with this." which makes a bit more sense tbh.

In a loooot a lot of ways, the tv show is about 1000x more polished than the book, but at least the book has fewer slaps in the face like this. They become a bit more obvious on rewatch, especially after pawing through the novel. (I hope the translator finishes it someday!! They picked it up again this past may after two years of nothing so here's hoping!)

[angelnumber27]

Having a pussy is like having a built in multi tool