#and the examples are merely the most blatant ones I have noticed

[symeraid-s]

AI has been on the rise with K-Pop companies this year, with ARTMS making faceless teasers using DALL E, Red Velvet using AI backgrounds for their teasers and MADEIN debuting with full on AI art in the music video.

But somehow nothing is as blatant to me as KISS OF LIFEs recent teasers. Because seriously, what the hell are these backgrounds?

[mylight-png]

A while ago I was listening to Dara Horn's podcast relating to her book, People Love Dead Jews. Within this podcast she discussed the fact that Holocaust museums tend to center stories that highlight ways in which Jews were just like anyone else, putting secular Jews on a pedestal of sorts.

The podcast went on to make the point that we shouldn't have to be like them to be liked. A Jew in a kippah is just as worthy of being accepted as a Jew in a baseball cap, and to position one, the more assimilated one, as "better" is antisemitic.

This made me think of how movies and shows portray Jews, and I realized a similar pattern of idealizing assimilation is deeply prevalent.

There are two main ways Jews are portrayed in movies/shows that I've noticed that are problematic. (For a narrower scope I'll be discussing American media as I am more familiar with that than most other countries.)

The first kind of Jewish representation is the token Jew. This is the character that the viewer wouldn't even have known is Jewish had the show not casually mentioned them celebrating Hanukkah in passing. This is the character who is entirely the same as any other character. An example of this would be in Ginny and Georgia, where a few side characters are revealed to be Jewish. This reveal occurred only for the purpose of making a Hanukkah episode, and immediately one of the characters says the beginning words to most of our prayers, adding "bitch" at the end. This sort of absolutely blatant disrespect towards the words many of us wouldn't even speak fully in casual conversation is meant to indicate that it's okay to poke fun at our religion. (By the way, it isn't okay. Don't disrespect our religion, thanks.) (And no the actress wasn't Jewish.)

Then there's Ben Gross from Never Have I Ever, a similarly extremely assimilated Jewish character. Instead of making fun of Judaism, however, the show plays into Jewish stereotypes. Ben's dad is a wealthy influential lawyer who works with Hollywood. Come on, there's three in a row there. Ben himself is frequently made fun of for being very short (to an extent not befitting the actor's actual stature), and some of his mannerisms could be described as effeminate. All of these traits play into anti-Jewish stereotypes. The protagonist even says she wishes Ben was killed by Nazis and other than a scolding this isn't made to be the big deal that it is.

These sorts of characters are meant to show how Jews are "just like you!" and pokes cruel fun at the few remaining things that do occasionally set them apart. Yes, secular Jews exist, but the way these shows make fun of their Jewish identities is where the issue arises.

The second problematic representation is meant to make goyim feel good about being goyim. This is specifically done through how Judaism is portrayed in these movies.

A major example of this is the show Unorthodox, in which the plot centers a young girl trying to escape her very observant community. This show directly demonized the Jewish religion, making it appear inherently oppressive and twisted.

While some may argue that the show was merely trying to portray the social issues within the community, there are better ways to achieve this.

The book An Unorthodox Match takes on a similar task with a vastly different tone. The book centers a protagonist joining an equally observant community, but not for a moment does the book, author, or protagonist blame Judaism. The book is very clearly written by a Jew who loves Judaism, and yet it manages to highlight similar social issues to the show without blaming Judaism. In fact, Jewish traditions have a fair share of appreciation in the book!

This sort of media is meant to make the goyishe viewers be grateful they aren't part of those communities, but as a Jewish viewer I felt deeply uncomfortable with the positioning of religious Jews as a negative part of society. This media makes the characters seem like they have nothing at all in common with the goyim around them or the goyim watching the show. It's the polar opposite of the previous example.

The first example is showing Jews as "just like anyone else" until they aren't, while the second example portrays Jews as entirely other. Never have I seen an Orthodox Jewish character side by side with the non-Jewish characters in any other context than the Jewish character envying their non-Jewish peers.

Why is the choice either to be assimilated or othered? Why can we not have an observant Jewish character remind their friends that they can't hang out on Saturday, or maybe they bring their own kosher snacks? Maybe a Jewish character muttering a bracha over their food? Why not make being Jewish an important part of their character without making them self-loathe because of it?

Media almost only ever shows two extremes and neither of those extremes has a positive impact on the perception of Jews.

(There is also a pattern I've noticed with Jews and goyim being cast in Jewish roles and how that corresponds to the character, but that's probably another post for another time.)

[roguestorm]

Given this data (the pictures in the previous reblog), what can we actually say about Illyana's style? And how much of that can be attributed to the character, instead of to other factors, like the changing artists or the styles of the 80s?

I don't want to say, for instance, "Illyana wears a lot of collared shirts" because it seems like all the New Mutants wear a lot of collared shirts. It was the 80s, I guess?

What we can say about her style is largely in reference to other characters. She isn't, for instance, drawn like Lila Cheney or Storm, who at this point both have very distinct styles. She also isn't drawn like Rahne, who is always going to be uncomfortable in revealing clothing. Illyana's taste in clothing seems to be pretty mainstream. She's comfortable in bikinis, but she's not wearing revealing clothing outside of that context. She likes dressing up for parties, and her dresses for that are neither super conservative nor scandalous. She doesn't wear a whole lot of jewelry, unlike Amara, who is often seen in jewelry. She does wear a lot of pink, in the same way that Rahne wears a lot of green.

You would have to do an equally deep dive into her contemporary fashion to really understand how it's changed, but as a taster, let's look at her 2022 and 2023 Hellfire Gala looks.

I mean, the 2022 one is just, What if the Darkchylde but high fashion? And that's certainly a break from what we see in the New Mutants series. It relies on her not only being comfortable being seen that way but even more than that feeling like she wants to be seen that way at the event of the year.

The 2023 one is in some ways more similar to what we see in the original New Mutants series, in that it's a dress, and it's colorful. Younger Illyana preferred simpler silhouettes -- all of the draping would have been more Amara's style, but it is a different decade and she has grown up. But this outfit also shows off her mutant power, although it's her soul armor instead of the black stuff. It's less demonic and more martial, and paired with the dress it gives an impression more of sophistication than of the danger and shock value you get with the 2022 look.

Both of these rely on Illyana being able to control her other form and her soul armor and not have it be something that happens to her. Incorporating the mutant power into the costume is very in line with the mission of Krakoa and mutant pride but also is an interesting choice with Illyana specifically because this is not merely a mutant power but also a representation of her inner darkness.

The Hellfire Gala looks are not really representative, so perhaps I picked poor examples, but I do like them because they are both so strikingly different from the outfits we see (even when she's dressed up) in New Mutants.

There is something else interesting I noticed, which is that the original New Mutants series suggests that Illyana is interested in fashion and style. It isn't merely that she comes off that way because of how she's drawn; it's in the writing too.

Here she is complimenting Betsy's hair:

Here she is smirking evilly as she threatens... to give Rahne a makeover! The terror!

And, most damningly, here she is saying that she loses all track of time when she's out shopping:

It's hard to imagine Illyana being written with such a blatant interest in fashion now, although she certainly didn't protest against the idea of shopping when she and the rest of the women and girls on Scott's team went out together in Uncanny X-Men #15.

illyana having a more girly aesthetic in old new mutants is fun bc she’s like. i am evil incarnate. look at how cute i am in this dress.

there are a lot of things you can say about like illyana then versus now, and one of them is that she no longer worries about how she’s perceived and that’s why she dresses so goth. she’s not trying to hide the way in which she doesn’t fit in with the world. but another one is that she’s actually significantly more depressed as an adult than she was in that era of new mutants. that’s why she’s less playful and that’s why she goes for the more goth look instead of the cuter more colorful clothes she might prefer.

[ilikekidsshows]

Hey can you talk about the Agreste family. Four seasons have passed by and still we don't know anything about them. Why did Emilie use the Peacock Miraculous? How did Gabriel and Emilie find the Miraculous? What's the deal with the Graham de Vanilys? What about Nathalie and Gorilla? And how do the Bourgeois' and Tsurigis fit into this?

You know what's really interesting about the Parent Generation of Miraculous? How so many of them are connected. There's a reason people have hypothetically wondered if maybe Sabine or Tom could be connected to the rest as well, because so many Parent Generation characters are connected to another Parent Generation character in fictional version of the Six Degrees of Separation. Audrey was the one who kickstarted Gabriel's fashion career. Gabriel makes business deals with Tomoe. Emilie acted in André's film debut. André works closely with Roger. Roger is familiar with Anarka. Anarka is Jagged's ex. It's a very interwoven web and it also establishes that the kids' parents have pasts. They had lives before they were just Parental Units.

The Agreste/DeVanilly family is an interesting target of speculation, but a lot of the theorizing I've seen has focused on merely very surface level stuff. This is mostly because the Miraculous fandom in general has a preoccupation with treating pretty obvious facts as mysteries to be solved. For example, people are so focused on asking "Does Chloé deserve a redemption?" (it doesn’t matter, her arc will be what the plot requires) that they rarely wonder what’s up between Audrey and André even when we got blatant confirmation that Audrey cheated on André. Similarly, people are so busy asking "Does Gabriel love Adrien?" (yes, but selfishly) that they don't wonder what part Emilie played in Adrien's upbringing, even though Adrien’s abuse was going on even before she disappeared.

Emilie, Audrey and Tomoe all have suspicious things to them in the show. Audrey is away so much she could have been getting away with anything off screen, including cheating on her husband. She and Tomoe both got cutaways in the scene in 'Feast' where the Guardian Temple made the news. Tomoe's car Tatsu's symbol looks a lot like the symbol on Ryuko and the car is even named "dragon" (these Tomoe details have actually been noticed before but seemed to stop being discussed after season four started airing). Emilie is a nonentity and the only people who speak in her favor are Adrien and Gabriel, both of whom are Unreliable Narrators. Adrien also defends Gabriel, and Gabriel himself is absolutely convinced Adrien is some fragile, demure flower who must be protected specifically from other people, instead of a lonely boy in desperate need of friends. Adrien has been conditioned to excuse his abusers because they love him while abusing him, while Gabriel only sees what he can use to justify acting the ways he does. Of course Adrien would focus on Emilie being a loving mother and of course Gabriel would focus on the things that would confirm her to deserve the things he does in her name in his mind.

Actually, with Audrey's connection to Gabriel and André's to Emilie, in addition to the theory that one of the other actresses for 'Solitude' was Tomoe, my brother theorizes that Audrey, Tomoe and Emilie might all be connected, perhaps some type of villainous trio, like an evil Totally Spies. We have no idea what Gabriel’s role in such a setup would be, but his villainy would probably be entirely separate from theirs.

Then we get to the extremely limited Agreste household staff. Nathalie is blindly loyal. She'd literally do anything for Gabriel, including risking her life and committing acts of supervillainy. However, it's implied she only fell in love with Gabriel after seeing just how far he'd go to get Emilie back, meaning it's a new development, but Nathalie has been around for a while, or Gabriel wouldn't trust her with his secrets. What was her loyalty originally based on?

The Gorilla, on the other hand, is more of a symbol than a character. He mostly functions as a way to disrupt or unwittingly aid Adrien’s attempts to sneak off to turn into Cat Noir. Even his Akumatization revolved around this role. If he is in fact mute, he is very similar to guards in fairytales, who'd be struck blind so that they wouldn't view the beauty of whatever they're guiding and be tempted to steal it. I'm saying Gabriel, a man with a whole lot of secrets, hired a man who couldn't tell any tales. It's more a symbolic thing in terms of character design rather than Gabriel's actual in-universe reasoning specifically because other forms of communication also exist, as do languages that don't require spoken words. I mean, four seasons in and the closest thing he has to a name is his job descriptor. He might as well be called The Bodyguard. He’s a symbol.

As for the Graham de Vanilys, hooboy, where do I begin? Amelie’s "I'd smile while I stab you in the back and drink tea while you bleed out on the floor" manner is suspicious enough even without the blatant clues that she taught her son to be a manipulative thief and is proud of him for palming Gabriel's ring based on both his dishonest skills and getting the family heirloom back. Then we add the fact that Félix is, in fact, a master thief in the making, capable of robbing both Adrien and Gabriel without them noticing until they realize they're missing items. Then he moves like a rubberband man while avoiding three Akumas out to end him. Finally, he's fully willing to make a pact with Hawk Moth. He's utterly immoral, has almost superhuman abilities and he's clearly dedicated to the Graham de Vanily heritage. He has his mother's last name, implying his father did as well. The Graham de Vanilys have a family legacy that he's willing to maintain, with his focus on the family rings. And, considering how proud his mother was of his thievery, the family business might indeed be something criminal, most likely related to relieving people of their valuables.

To sum this essay up, we know very few actual facts about any of these characters, but one thing is certain: They All Are Suspicious as Hell.

[marshmallow-xphile]

My thoughts on the sexuality of some of my favorite X-files characters.

I posted this in my X-files amino back in June as part of a LGBTQ pride challenge and for some reason I only just thought to post it here as well.

Fox Mulder: openly bisexual

Mulder is so open sexually that I really don't think gender matters all that much to him. He does seem to prefer females but I wouldn't be even remotely surprised if he had a boyfriend or two in the past. I don't think he's flamboyant about his sexuality but I don't think he'd hide it at all either

My evidence:

In the season one episode "Ghost in the Machine" we meet an Mulder's ex-partner, Jerry, and I absolutely feel like there is an ex-lovers vibe to the both of them. They hug upon first seeing each other, Mulder looks incredibly happy to see him, when Mulder says they worked together Jerry corrects him to say they were partners at which point Mulder looks over at Scully as if to see her reaction. Mulder has this real guilty look to him. When Jerry acts a little self conscious Mulder is real quick to jump in and reassure him. They get in each other's personal space. It just really leaves me with the impression that they care deeply for one another and broke up for other reasons, perhaps the different career goals as Mulder tells Scully.

We also have Mulder with Krycek. From the very beginning of Krycek's involvement with the X-files I feel like the writers went out of their way to make a correlation between the change in partnership and a new partner in a relationship. There is a scene in Sleepless where Mulder and Scully are on the phone and Mulder tells Krycek he'll be right there, the rest of the conversation feels reminiscent of two exes chatting about the change brought about by the new relationship. Scully even brings up that it must be nice having a partner who doesn't question his every theory.

There were many scenes in Sleepless, Duane Barry, and Ascension in which Mulder and Krycek were alone but that we never got to see who knows for example what the two of them got to talking about while they were stuck in traffic during the drive to New York in Sleepless. Or how often they hung out between Sleepless and Duane Barry.

During Mulder and Scully's partnership Mulder only called her 'Dana' on a few emotional occasions. He started casually calling Krycek 'Alex' almost immediately.

Let us not forget the infamous speedo scene. While yes it definitely showed more of a Krycek attraction to Mulder than the opposite. It does make one wonder what led him to wear such a revealing bathing suit. How many straight men do you know who wear speedos? My guess is few. How many straight men wear speedos when they can reasonably assume their male partner will show up looking for them? Not many would be guess.

And then there is their relationship after Krycek is revealed to be a traitor. They both tend to act more like scorned lovers than enemies and notice that it's Mulder, not Krycek, who cannot seem to keep his hands off the other. Seriously it's like every time Krycek shows up, Mulder immediately grabs him.

Now here's a couple quotes from Mulder,

Krycek tells Mulder he most be losing it because Krycek beat him with one hand. Mulder's immediate reaction: "isn't that how you like to beat yourself?"

When the little man in Humbug is lined up pretty much exactly with Mulder's crotch he says that Mulder would be surprised how many women find his size alluring. Mulder's immediate reaction: "you'd be surprised how many men do as well"

How many straight guys do you know comfortable enough with their sexuality to make a gay innuendo? I personally cannot think of any.

Dana Scully: bicurious

I believe that Scully is sometimes attracted to women. It definitely is not as blatant as with Mulder and I really don't think she's had any past girlfriends but I definitely think that there is an attraction.

My evidence:

In the episode "Ice" I really felt like there are a few tender moments between her and Felicity Huffman's character especially while they were examining one another for the worms. That examination had a sort of sexual energy to it I thought.

In the episode "kill switch" theres a moment where the Invisagoth asked if she could have her handcuffs removed or if she should type with her tongue. Mulder mentions that she doesn't want a vote there and the look on Scully's face and the way she licks her lips, I definitely get the impression that she would have been perfectly happy to see what Invisagoth could get up to with that tongue.

Some people point to Scully's relationship with Reyes as evidence of her bisexuality, I personally don't see any attraction there on Scully's side but I don't think its outside the realm of possibility.

Monica Reyes: Closeted lesbian

This one's probably a surprise I know there was something between here and Brad as well as a flirtation with Doggett so you would probably think she was Bisexual but honestly was either one of those even remotely convincing? To me they weren't. I believe that Reyes is a lesbian.

I kind of go back and forth on whether she's open about it. Reyes is very spiritual and open so it seems strange that she would be in the closet but maybe she has a reason, fear of it affecting her career in the FBI perhaps? It just seems strange that she keeps pursuing these heterosexual relationships she has no passion for unless she is trying to hide her true passion.

My evidence:

I admit I really have very little evidence but look at the relationship between Reyes and Brad Follmer. It had all the chemistry of two people who got really drunk once and cannot remember sleeping together. I don't for a second believe she was ever in love with Brad nor he in love with her.

Then you've got the same thing between her and Doggett. Yes the writers were obviously trying for a romantic angle with the two of them but to me it never came across as convincing. It seemed more like she thought of him as a good friend and figured she might as well date him, I saw no evidence of love or attraction.

On the other hand look at her and Scully. While I feel like the attraction there was one sided I definitely feel like Reyes was into Scully or Dana as she would call her. Reyes was willing to risk her life for Scully and yes that is her job after all but Reyes seems to take that above and beyond and it's not just Scully herself but also William. Look at how protective Reyes is of William in The Truth and of the sacrifice Scully made in giving him up. She seems to care even more than Mulder on that.

Cigarette-Smoking-Man: Asexual

CSM has probably had sex at some point, he is of course the father of at least three children but I do not think that he was ever in love with any of these women or even attracted to them. I believe they were all just a means to an end.

I believe that CSM's only love was for his cigarettes

Evidence:

There is a little bit of evidence that he might have actually felt something for Teena Mulder but I don't buy it. He freely admits that he felt nothing for Cassandra Spender but he must've been convincing if he got her to marry him and we have seen him fake emotions more than once. He also seemed to show an attraction to Scully in En Ami but that too was just a means to an end. Perhaps he does feel something towards all the women he has impregnated but I wouldn't call it love. I don't see any real attraction there either. My bet is that CSM needed some "help" in order to produce his offspring.

Alex Krycek: Gay

While Krycek did have an obviously sexual relationship with Marita Covarrubias he definitely didn't have any real feelings for her and I don't buy attraction either. No I'd say they were both just trying to use sex to get what they wanted. His anger at finding the Russian boy gone wasn't because he was heartbroken at her betrayal. Merely mad that she'd managed to get the upper hand.

Whether Krycek is open or in the closet I'm not sure, I'm thinking it probably depends on the mission hes on at the time.

Evidence:

Of everyone on this list I'd say Krycek is the one I'm the most sure of. There is no doubt in my mind that Krycek was attracted to, perhaps even in love with, Fox Mulder. From the very beginning there appeared to be a bit of longing in his eyes.

There was the speedo scene wherein Krycek was definitely checking Mulder out. There were several scenes where Krycek could've killed Mulder but chose to help him instead.

As I've seen pointed out before, Krycek's crazy motivational choices don't make any sense at all unless it's all in an effort to be around Mulder more.

Look at his sense of style and his obvious love for lip gloss. I am not saying that straight men cannot love lip gloss and dress themselves in Krycek's fashion but it is uncommon and it was especially so back in the 90s

The infamous kiss in The Red and the Black could certainly be explained away as some kind of Russian custom but it isn't one that I am aware of and he hasn't really shown any other signs of his Russia heritage.

I would say my best evidence of Krycek's sexuality is in Essence and Existence, just look at the look on Krycek's face when Mulder trusts him to protect Scully. Krycek knows what Scully means to Mulder and then look at how seriously Krycek takes the job! I definitely feel like that moment meant a lot to him and he would have protected Scully with his life for Mulder.

There's also the fact that Krycek's unwillingness to kill Mulder lead to his own death.

Of course asking Skinner to shoot Mulder goes against this theory but I do have a couple thoughts on that, the most sensical being that he knew there was no chance Skinner would shoot Mulder and he probably knew there was no chance he would survive anymore. Maybe he made that request in hopes of sparing Mulder any pain he might have otherwise felt at his death (I know it's a bit of a stretch but my other theories require a long explanation of my thoughts on where the series had planned to go next)

The lone gunmen: no one knows....not even them

Three (I don't count Jimmy for this) single adult men who all live together in very cramped quarters and are, at least in Langley's case, perfectly happy to be around each other without thier clothes on certainly makes it seem like there's something between them all but I really don't get a overtly gay impression with any of them, even Langley who as mentioned doesn't like to wear pants and is the only one who hasn't had a love interest. They just have this sort of Vegas-esque thing. "What happens in the bachelor pad/newspaper room stays in the bachelor pad/newspaper room.

I would love to hear other people's thoughts on these and any other X-files characters you think might be somewhere on the LGBTQ spectrum.

[nightswithkookmin]

RE JIMIN'S LOVE LANGUAGE

This is in response to questions I've received in my message box following my recent post on Jimin's love language. Ignore this if you've read my main post on this same topic- Or maybe not.

Also, I'm sorry about the Asks. I accidentally turned it off- AGAIN. Thanks for drawing my attention to it. I purple y'all.

What I meant by my last post was that, for us to understandJimin or even the rest of the members' love language, it is important we make a distinction between what is uniquely Jimin/the individual members' love language and what is their culture's or even the established and accepted practices within their group.

And on that, I said skinship is a cultural practice but also one of the group's adopted love languages. It is their way of achieving intimacy and bonding with eachother and as such they do not associate romantic connotations with it.

Thus, when they touch eachother in any way, provocative as it may seem to us, to them there is nothing romantic about it at all. So when Taekook, Jikook, Yoonmin or any of these pairs touch eachother, it is not with romantic intentions.

Why then does Jimlous and Jeonlous exist? For a myriad of reasons other than that skinship is romantic! Lol

I've explained previously, that JK and Jimin's discomfort with each other's skinship with the others often has to do with the lack of boundaries that is inherent in skinship rather than that they are actually jealous or see skinship as romantic. This is often true for Jimin.

With JK, his possessive nature very often amplifies his discomfort with the lack of boundaries but also because, out of the seven, he is the only one that had had a problem accepting and participating in the skinship culture within the group- well, him and Suga. It's taking them some getting used to.

But that wasn't because he was viewing skinship as romantic but rather because he was uncomfortable with affections and the overt expressions of it as is required of skinship.

That's not to say they do not or have not implied romantic intentions with their touches- there is nothing platonic about boners. Lol.

And any skinship that results in a visible sexual tension or arousal can no longer be deemed skinship- it's foreplay.

Jikook does skinship all the time like everyone else in the band, but often too some of those skinship crosses the platonic threshold into sexual foreplay- they ain't slick.

You just have to see the look on Tae's face when he noticed, through the view finder, Jimin caressing JK's thumb to comprehend that not all their touches are mere skinship.

That's one of the differences between Jikook and the other ships; Jikook presents a mutual sexual attraction towards eachother beyond the pubescent hormonal teen frenzy that marked their early formative days- god, those boys were so horny they could hump a tree to death. Bless them.

Mind you, I disregard any sexual innuendos that was present in Jikook's dynamics as well as any other ship's dynamics, if ever there was one, during that hormonal teen period of their lives. It was all something but nothing at the same time. They were all just being horny and gross teenage boys- Hashtag, war of hormones for real for real. Lol

All that that timeline taught me was, Jikook are freaky af and certainly don't see each other as brothers. CERTAINLY.

That being said, for a better understanding of Jimin's love language, a distinction must be made between love language and sexual interest. It will make sense in a bit.

Because Jimin's father is an affectionate person and this is the love language he has taught to Jimin, Jimin interprets any affectionate and kind act as a loving gesture. It is how he gives love, it is how he receives love.

He values kindness and compassion, selflessness, vulnerability, transparency, fairness etc.

Thus to show his love for you he will be kind to you, vulnerable with you, transparent with you, supportive of you and nurturing of you.

We see him being like this with all the members, even the staff and dancers too at times but more so with Tae and JK.

The question then is, how does Jimin receive love? What actions does he interpret as love? Easy, sexual attraction. Hear me out.

You see, because Jimin is a natural nurturer and he sees nurturing as a universal love language that everyone speaks or ought to speak, he requires his romantic love interest to distinguish between their platonic love interest and their romantic love interest.

To fulfill him emotionally, you would have to make him feel special, treat him differently from your friends, and let him know that you want him and only him.

Sexual interest is one way of distinguishing between platonic interests and romantic interests, and it flows from this that he not only requires grand gestures, or special treatment but that you flirt with him as well.

Hence his emphasis on flirting. He likes to flirt. He enjoys it. He's mastered it. He's a fucking pro at it- give him his medal.

Just to be clear, even though flirting is part of his love language, he has also adopted flirting as part of his idol persona and often when he is flirting overtly he is only doing it for the 'fan service.'

But that doesn't mean all of that is fan service. Sometimes it's blatant foreplay as I've explained above and if you can't tell the difference between his foreplay and fanservice- chileee, I can't help you.

I'm still traumatized by that Bon V 4 moment. Sweet Jesus, save me if they should keep this energy up!

It's important, at this point, to note that because Jimin is a nurturer, every decent human being can easily be compatible with him. I have said several times over my blog that Jimin is ship compatible with anyone and everyone- I ain't mad at that.

What it comes down to then is whom he prefers and whom he is choosing to make him happy and to fulfill him. I explained that choice and being able to be in charge of decision making and to make his own decisions is very important to Jimin because on his background.

And when it comes to love, it's no secret who Jimin wants. He wants JK and that's on Periodttt.

I explained that in the early days during Rookie King, he felt he needed to get emotionally closer to JK when he had an opportunity to talk and heal as a group- his personal was important to him.

In that JinJikook VLive when Jin was eating a lollipop in a provocative way he asked him to stop immediately but couldn't, for the love of god, tear his eyes off JK when JK ate his lollipop in a- I can't. Jikook!

Unless he is in his fan service mood or is being his slytherin slash whore of babylon self- bless him, often he would reject any attempt by anyone to flirt with him except JK.

And I keep reiterating this, flirting isn't JK's thing. It's Jimin's thing. The last time JK tried to this flirty- he cried. Lmho

Take that interview where the host moved closer to Jimin in a flirty way for example. Jimin leaned back away from him. In the popular words of Jimin- don't do that.

Then in this airport scene right here, where Suga and Tae tried to protect JM from getting mobbed (if video is missing check bottom of this post. I hate tumblr)

You could see Jimin moving towards JK. Now some may argue he was trying to protect the JK who seemed oblivious to what was going on but I beg to differ.

I just think Jimin was moving towards JK because that's his safe haven. That's the person he feels the most safe with. 'Jk will protect' 'JK is strong.' He felt threatened and his instincts was to fin that person whom he feels would and should protect him- and that person usually isn't very far away.

And no, I'm not being biased. It's just I can't in good conscience theorize and make wild assumptions about Jimin's emotional needs the way I would the other's because unlike the others, Jimin keeps showing us what he wants. Y'all are just not listening.

It is why I said, JK on paper seemed like the last person to meet Jimin's emotional needs. He didn't strike me as the ambitious type or the daring type the way Yoongi presented himself in early days. It is why I shipped Yoonmin or even Vmin.

And even in those ships, I didn't believe they were real. Suga was too emotional closed off and wouldn't

And as I explained, having been denied his ambitions, it's not a stretch to assume, Jimin desires an ambitious partner. One who loves the stage, loves their career.

But I feel, most people including myself underestimated Jungkook. As much as JK may not appear as ambitious career wise, he is one of the most passionate members of group.

His decision to join BTS was driven purely by passion, his decision to start GCF, get a tattoo and every other endeavor he's embarked has been driven purely by his passion. And passion is a variant of ambition.

Jimin pursues his ambitious and JK pursues his passions- they are the same in the same way. And I see why Jimin will tell JK they are one and the same. They are more alike than we think they are.

So yes, Jimin needs an ambitious partner but a passionate partner equally suffices.

What equally suffices is a supportive partner. One willing to sacrifice their ambitions or needs when it comes to it, to accommodate Jimin's needs. Jimin is very competitive in nature and hates to lose, we've been told.

And nobody lets Jimin win the way JK does. Nobody. It's funny, because VMin's dumpling fight took days/weeks to resolve. And Jikook's raining dat fight took a few hours.

What hit me about that tale as told by Jikook was JK going to Jimin to resolve their fight- another instance he let Jimin win. Tae loves Jimin but I don't see him sacrificing his ego and pride the way JK would for Jimin. I don't see any member doing that for Jimin quite frankly.

It is one way I see JK nurturing Jimin. Jk can be hard headed but there is a softness and a tenderness to him that's speaks to Jimin's love language.

I can go on and on about this topic, you know? Lol

Signed,

GOLDY

[possiblyimbiassed]

John’s “therapeutic” blog

I’ve been fascinated by the wealth of content in John Watson’s blog since I first noticed it; I think it was some time after S2. For being a complementary work to a TV show, it’s surprisingly well crafted and packed with information. Joe Lidster, who has written the fictional blogs and websites of John, Sherlock, Molly and Connie Prince, is a screenwriter who has been working also with Doctor Who and its spinoff Torchwood.

Unlike the rest of the content within the BBC Sherlock franchise, for example the online game ”Sherlock the Network”, the escape room “The Game is Now” or the book “Sherlock Chronicles”, John’s blog is fully available online for free, you don’t even have to register anywhere. And unlike the other blogs of the franchise (Molly’s and Connie Prince’s blogs and Sherlock’s website), John’s blog is lengthy and has a lot of posts in it. It gives us background and explanations of cases that aren’t mentioned in the show, or only referred to, and I also think it provides a “second opinion” of what we see in the show. It’s a bit like what John says in TLD:

It certainly seems like this blog has been created as a special little treat for the fans, since most of the casual viewers of the show probably don’t even know it exists ‘IRL’. But I think the blog is much more than that; partly because it’s so heavily referenced in the show – with frequent, accurate and exact pictures of it (at least until S4) – and partly because it tells us so much about John’s character. I think John’s blog is significant and important in trying to analyse BBC Sherlock. And maybe the version of John we see in the show will actually get more nuances to it if we look at the blog, which is expressly written by John himself?

More under the cut.

As some of you might know, I’ve written a meta series (X) where I try to explore the idea (originally from @raggedyblue​) that the blog describes the ‘real’ events in John’s and Sherlock’s life more accurately than the show, and that what we see in the show up until HLV is Sherlock reminiscing their life together while reading up on the blog. In my view, the show might be Sherlock’s embellished and dramatized version of the events - ironically a bit similar to what Sherlock usually accuses John of doing in both Doyle’s canon and on the blog. But I find the blog’s writing style far more prosaic than the show, and also more prosaic than Watson’s stories in ACD canon; in BBC Sherlock the roles might have been inverted compared to canon. 

An example of this would be the scene in TEH (which I talked about in this meta over a year ago) where Mary is (supposedly) reading the following un-published post directly from John’s blog editor:

“His movements were so silent. So furtive, he reminded me of a trained bloodhound picking out a scent. I couldn’t help thinking what an amazing criminal he’d make if he turned his talents against the law.”

Something doesn’t seem quite right here, though. While the rest of the post is text from another, already published, post (The Speckled Blond), this first part is taken almost verbatim from ACD’s story The Sign of Four (SIGN). It describes a crime scene where Holmes has just “whipped out his lens and a tape measure and hurried about the room on his knees, measuring, comparing, examining, with his long thin nose only a few inches from the planks and his beady eyes gleaming and deep-set like those of a bird”. I see a big style difference between this and the rest of John’s blog. Since the quote above never appears on the ‘IRL’ blog, I’d rather believe that in BBC Sherlock this is merely wishful thinking from Sherlock that happens inside his Drama Queen Mind Palace. This impressive description is, I think, what he would truly wish that John had written. ;)

I also suspect that the continuing references to different blog posts in S4 are all made up in Sherlock’s mind, since John’s blog ‘IRL’ stopped updating after TSoT, when Sherlock hacked it and took over the storytelling.

Be that as it may, this meta is a reflection upon what John Watson’s famous blog actually might stand for, and what I believe it tells us about his character. In these months of quarantine, I’ve been passing the time by reading through the whole online version of the blog and taking notes of it.

Therapeutic origin

It seems like the initiative for John to start a blog came from Ella Thompson, his therapist. I believe Ella’s initial idea was therapeutic; if it was almost impossible for John to talk to her about his feelings and inner problems in their sessions, she might have found it difficult to help him. Therefore she suggested that he write it all down on his own instead. And if Ella could persuade him to talk about his life on an online blog, she would also be able to read it.

Of course this wouldn’t be the same as if John told her about his inner reflections in confidence, in a real therapy session, but maybe the blog would give him an incentive to talk about his life at all. And you have to start somewhere.

At the end of TST we see Sherlock visit Ella, but when she asks him to “open up completely” he refuses. 

If S4 is happening inside Sherlock’s head (as I believe it is), this might have been Sherlock’s way of trying to psychoanalyse John, to ‘solve John’s case’, by envisioning the therapy situation in his mind palace. A well-known method of Sherlock Holmes is that he tries to put himself in the other person’s place and think about what his own response would have been to the situation. In ACD’s  story The Musgrave Ritual (MUSG), Holmes says: “You know my methods in such cases, Watson. I put myself in the man’s place, and, having first gauged his intelligence, I try to imagine how I should myself have proceeded under the same circumstances.”

Which is also evidence that the character of Sherlock Holmes does indeed not lack empathetic capacity. Also in the show, John’s assertion that Sherlock “doesn’t feel things that way” etc. is basically BS in my opinion. The problem is that John refuses to see this.

John’s state of mind before Sherlock

John’s first three blog posts (in the middle of December - January) seem to completely lack motivation.

And this is maybe what one could expect from the deeply depressed John (as he appears in the beginning of the show), isn’t it? No surprises there.

Everything seems meaningless, and John only makes two attempts at blog posts to comply with Ella’s recommendations, but he doesn’t actually write anything in them. After the second attempt his old army friend Bill Murray tries to contact him, but John seems to have cut off his ties with the rest of the world; he doesn’t answer the comment.

At the third attempt over a month later, John seems to want to delete the blog he has started, but lacks the technical knowledge to do so. The fourth attempt is just a snide comment to Ella:

She doesn’t respond, however (not very surprisingly perhaps). Instead, John’s sister Harry discovers the blog and tries out this means of communicating with him. But John ignores her.

But at the fifth attempt at least John has gone out with some friends and describes it – almost bitterly. Sadly, it also seems like John met up with them mainly to avoid his therapy session with Ella.

So, the problem is that whatever Ella may have thought that the blog would mean for John’s healing, I think she aimed well but unfortunately missed the target. John Watson does not ‘open up’ himself on the blog. When he finally starts to really write - after he met Sherlock - it’s not actually about him (supposedly); it’s all about Sherlock. Basically, John goes directly from ‘Nothing happens to me‘ to ‘Sherlock happens to me‘.

What the blog tells us about John ‘after Sherlock’

John’s blog may be all about Sherlock, but there isn’t actually that much praise for Sherlock in the blog posts as one might think. My impression is that John applies his (perhaps somewhat overestimated) writing skills to project his own failures and self-loathing on his closest friend. More than anything else, I think the blog is John’s emotional outlet for his frustration over his unsatisfactory relationship with Sherlock and his own inability to improve it. Instead of trying to actually talk to Sherlock, he uses the blog to vent his frustrations over Sherlock, speculating wildly about what he believes Sherlock is thinking and feeling.

The stories and adventures are thrilling and entertaining, yes. But his assessments of Sherlock’s character are really not very uplifting. John doesn’t strike me as an ‘analytic’ person, which in this case means that John’s theories about Sherlock are rather based on his personal emotions than logical conclusions. It’s sometimes even a bit difficult to follow the chain of events in John’s posts, because it’s usually so intertwined with his gossipy and out-of-context comments about Sherlock’s personality.

Unfortunately, Sherlock doesn’t seem to realise this projection, and neither do we see him address the issue of John’s misconceptions about him. I believe Sherlock takes many of John’s jibes and insults at him at face value, which – sadly - only adds on to his own self-loathing. I also think that Sherlock trying to draw conclusions about his mysterious friend through the written blog might be a mistake; it may eventually tell him a lot about John’s problems, but to see these he needs to look behind all the cover-up of blatant criticism of him, Sherlock. Maybe that’s what Sherlock’s trying to do in S4, by setting up scenarios in his mind palace?

Judging by how John comes across on the blog – and in the show – I think Sherlock’s claim “You’re abnormally drawn to dangerous people and places” in HLV is a perfectly sound analysis - on the surface. However, I think one must read between the blog lines in order to see other possible motives for John wanting to hang out with Sherlock. Reading John’s posts textually, he gives a strong impression that he’s there for the adventures; when there is danger in the air, John’s never bored.

In the comment section Sherlock never mentions John’s evaluation of his character. Instead he repeatedly criticises John’s writing style. I get the impression that this is Sherlock’s subtle way of getting back at John without having to directly address John’s misconceptions about him. As I said above, I think John’s writing style is very different from Watson’s style in canon; far less respect for Sherlock and a far more prosaic and simple language. Canons Watson seems careful not to speculate much, while John does this all the time.

Examples that form a pattern

There’s a good deal of praise of Sherlock in John’s posts, but it has almost exclusively to do with his admiration for Sherlock’s intellectual capacity; he’s repeatedly described as ‘clever’ and after the Fall, John claims that “nobody ever really outwitted Sherlock”. But in fact, I’ve found very few blog posts where John doesn’t also criticise or complain about Sherlock in some way or another. And there are only two posts (out of a total of 45) where John says something positive about Sherlock’s character:

1. After their first meeting he calls Sherlock “strangely likeable” and “charming”.

2. In what John meant to be his last post ever (he believed Sherlock was dead), he calls Sherlock “funny”, “charming” and “everything a good person should be”.

On the other hand, there seems to be nothing in John’s own (supposed) opinions about Sherlock that he regards as too negative or inappropriate to publish online. I very much think this is about self-loathing; he projects his own shortcomings on his “psychopath” friend and flatmate. Like it’s always a relief to have a scapegoat. An additional explanation might be that if John is closeted and in public denial about any romantic feelings for Sherlock, this makes him not want to appear too ‘besotted’ on the blog. ;) Thus, he might believe he needs to compensate the praise with criticism. Problem is, with this contradictory approach the readers might ask: What is John’s actual relationship to Sherlock? Handler? Hostage? Lover? Concerned citizen? It’s hard to claim he’s a ‘real’, professional colleague, since John’s actual profession is a medical doctor. But why would John be friends with a psychopath? 

To seriously claim that his best friend is a psychopath seems perfectly OK to John, though – he does it repeatedly, and quotes Donovan’s claim that Sherlock “gets off on it”. At the end of A Study in Pink, John talks about Sherlock and the serial killer as if they were both psychopaths, one undistinguishable from the other:

“The taxi driver drove him to a college of further education so they could both educate each other on - well, on how their minds worked, I guess. It's not something I'll ever really understand and, to be honest, I'm not sure I ever want to understand it. To be that much of a psychopath. To be that above the rest of us.”

John even seems to pretend to prefer ignorance to understanding, only to find one more opportunity to blame Sherlock. Here are some examples of other things John calls Sherlock publicly on the Internet:

Arrogant 

Rude

Imperious

Pompous

Madman

Freak

Childish and

Not safe. 

He also says on the blog that Sherlock is spectacularly ignorant about some things, like the solar system. 

Little Freudian slips

In the post titled The Speckled Blonde 

(which is basically a re-count of canon’s The Speckled Band - SPEC) John’s closet angst reaches new heights:

Apparently John finds it important to preventively point out to his readers that he was not sharing a bed with Sherlock. Or, actually, that he even preferred sleeping on the floor before sharing a bed with his flatmate. The thing is, however, that the information that they spent the night in Julias bedroom isn’t at all necessary for the story, since - unlike in ACD Canon - nothing of importance apparently happened during that night. John actually tells us nothing about the night as such. The only ‘feature of interest’ is that Sherlock found a suspect bottle of bubble bath on the victim’s night table, which he took to Barts for analysis (and he was right - the bath had killed Julia by poisoning). Obviously, John could have described this crime scene investigation entirely without mentioning that they had spent the night there. So, if this little morsel of information was so embarrassing for him, why did he even include it? Hmm... 

In my biased mind, I can only think of two alternative explanations (not mutually exclusive, though): 1. John had spent so much fantasies and subconscious energy on reliving this night that he just couldn’t keep this info entirely to himself (Freudian slip), or 2. Something actually happened that night - something that had no bearing on the case. After all, John never says that he slept on the floor, only that he was going to sleep on it. ;) 

Speaking of bubble bath, I find the fact that Julia died from it slightly suggestive, and even metaphorical, as such. Because there’s also another case on John’s blog describing someone dying in a bath: The Deadly Tealights. The victim suffocated in a bathroom where the candles consumed all the oxygen. John has included this little comment:

Why does John bring up the idea that a person taking a bath with candles would potentially be judged? What has his own bath routines to do with the crime case? Does the victim really need John to find excuses for his private life? Methinks this rather might be John’s closet angst speaking again. Someone has tried to belittle John for liking baths, and apparently John seizes the opportunity to vent about it on the blog. Metaphorically, this tells me that the closet is suffocating for John, and that the ‘chemistry of love’ is involved.  

John - The Moral Compass

John is often referred to as the part of the duo who a) is more sociable and b) works like a sort of moral guide to Sherlock. The detective, on the other hand, is shown as a “sociopath” who supposedly doesn’t understand this kind of things. And – to be honest – Sherlock doesn’t actively say much to contradict this perception; sometimes he even appears to agree with it.

(I think his actions should be a clue to the contrary, though).

According to the blog, John seems to believe he himself is the adult one in this acquaintance, the one who does understand the rules of society. He repeatedly calls Sherlock “childish”. Judging by John’s descriptions in the blog, one might almost think that John had been forced to hang out with Sherlock, trying to do the best of it. But seeing as it’s entirely voluntarily it’s a bit hard to understand, for example, how John can blame Sherlock for “leaving me and Sarah to be kidnapped” in The Blind Banker:

John makes is sound like Sherlock left them to the enemy deliberately, knowing that someone would come after them. But weren’t they at home, supposedly on a date? If John didn’t like it, couldn’t he have left any moment and gone out to continue the date he was supposed to? But no; John counts himself among the innocent persons whom Sherlock “involves in his adventures”:

After reading the whole of John’s blog, all I can say is that this guy is a living, breathing contradiction. How can he be Sherlock’s moral compass if his needle is spinning all the time? :))

In The Great Game John describes himself as just a “pawn” in Sherlock’s and the killer’s great game, equalling himself with the other victims. With his insinuations, he indirectly blames Sherlock for the death of 12 people and goes back to Sally Donovan’s “freak” accusations:

Another interesting bit is this, describing Sherlock’s reaction at the pool, when John for a moment appeared to be behind everything: “I should have been horrified that he'd even doubt me for a second…” Wait – what!? John is capable of telling the whole world the most damning rubbish about his friend, but if Sherlock for any second doubted John, he’d be horrified? This part is also of interest: “But the laser sight simply moved to Sherlock's head and I was forced to let go. For a second, I wondered if Sherlock would have done the same for me but then all I knew for certain was, at that moment, I knew I was going to die.”

Before that, John had just described what could easily be interpreted as Sherlock calmly trying to talk Moriarty out of having John killed, but to John this was just “The two men talked, both clearly pleased to…”.  In John’s view, he was the only one who was forced to let go of the killer because of the threat to Sherlock. Honestly, who is it, between the two of them, that most appears to lack empathetic capacity?

Creds and Competence

John appears to be a rather honest, humble and straightforward in the show, quite competent in his medical profession, and in TSoT he is highly praised by Sherlock:

But on the blog John is more ambiguous, and he isn’t always modest. Sometimes he appears to enhance his own role in the crime solving and take credit also for things that are clearly Sherlock’s doing. For example, in The Great Game there’s this: 

“Between us, we worked out that while Connie's death had been made to look like the result of a tetanus infection, it had actually been caused by poison - their houseboy, â–“â–“â–“â–“â–“, had overdosed her on Botox!”

But if we’re supposed to believe the show, John actually believed it was a tetanus infection, while Sherlock deduced and later demonstrated poison:

John also expresses a slightly childish vindictiveness in making a lot of fuss about Sherlock’s failures; every single time Sherlock can’t solve a case, John points it out on the blog with glee. It almost gives me the impression that the doctor is suffering from inferiority complex. He even uses  “Sherlock Holmes Baffled“ as a title for one of their cases.

This seems to be written in jest, since Sherlock frequently is rude about other people’s lower intellectual capacity, but actually hates ‘not knowing’. 

I admit that this may be funny to joke about once, but it gets a little tiresome that John has to point it out every time. Why does John even do this, even as Sherlock has explicitly asked him to not publish the unsolved cases? Which I assume would not be good for their business? 

If John truly is Sherlock’s colleague, wouldn’t he also be more interested in helping to solve the cases, rather than talk about the failures? It seems to me that John is struggling so hard against his own feelings for Sherlock that he feels the need to provoke rather than help him.

The Most Inhuman Human

Sherlock’s supposed lack of humanity is a recurring theme for John; he claims that “people” want to know that Sherlock is human, as if anyone - on the blog or in the show - except John had ever questioned this. 

I can’t remember anyone on the blog except John showing an interest in this issue, though. In the post Many Happy Returns he writes this (my bolding): 

“Yet the video... it showed the other side to him. He was rude, yeah. Arrogant. Apparently lacking in anything resembling empathy. But I'd forgotten just how funny he could be. He was so charming. So... human. It's bizarre because most people would say he was the most inhuman person they'd ever met. But he wasn't.”

He wasn’t? Wow - great revelation, John! [sarcasm :)]. But who said that, actually? Not even the haters and trolls on John’s blog ever claimed Sherlock was inhuman. It’s one thing that Donovan and Anderson called him a freak and a psychopath, but John is the only character I can think of who has ever implied that Sherlock would not be a human being. Only John calls him a ‘machine’. Which is a load of BS of course; John really doesn’t strike me as a professional doctor when he says this, even less as a friend - always trying to mark the distance.

So what’s Sherlock’s ‘complete lack of empathy’ in that video actually about (mini-episode here)? Was it because he didn’t want to go to a birthday dinner with people? Hardly - John seems to understand this about Sherlock. Or was it maybe because of his comment: “How can John be having a birthday dinner? All his friends hate him!” Well, this probably hurt a bit (even if I rather think he sounds bitter and jealous - he wants John for himself ;) ). On the other hand, Sherlock then backtracks and seems to regret his little outburst:

Mary’s role in John’s life

The blog is where Mary Morstan appears to be introduced to John; on John’s first blog post about at least a year after Sherlock’s ‘death’, she suddenly just shows up in the comment section, sending him kisses and inviting him out:

John ignores her, though, and when his sister asks him who Mary is, he doesn’t answer. Mary seems to hang in there, however, and the next time she appears is on the Deadly Tealights post (the one with the dead flatmate in the suffocating closet bathroom). And now she’s called Mary Morstan. Next time is The Inexplicable Matchbox. Both times her only comment is ‘ignore the trolls’. John rather seems to ignore her, though. Finally, he finishes his Many Happy Returns post (which was supposed to be his last) with saying that he has now “found someone” (without naming them) and should concentrate on that. 

All this is a little bit weird, though, considering Mary’s comment in TEH, when she is logged in and reading aloud from the editor of John’s blog: “The famous blog, finally!” As if she hadn’t already read all his posts and tried to interact with him on the blog? Hmm. 

In the show Mary just seems to come from out of nowhere, suddenly showing up in the graveyard holding hands with John. 

Her anonymity reminds me of Doyle’s treatment of Mary in canon, where she’s only mentioned by name when she’s still a client, before she marries Watson.

On the blog Mary is not mentioned by name until over a year after John met her, in spite of her presence in the comment section long before that. And it’s not until John’s first post after Sherlock’s return - The Empty Hearse - that John says something appreciative of her. Suddenly she is (still without name) "...the best thing that's ever happened to me. Sorry, Sherlock :)”. For the rest of the blog posts, John’s (very scarce) answers to Mary’s comments are never flirty or appreciative in the least. Mary’s own last comment, on the very last post - this time written by Sherlock who hacked the blog after John’s and Mary’s wedding - is this: “SHERLOCK! SHUT UP NOW!”

None of this gives me the impression that John has fallen in love with Mary. The silence with which he treats Mary on the blog rather makes me think of her as someone basically not very important; a sort of substitute in a desperate attempt to fill an emptiness in his life. And I think it might be significant that as soon as John recognises the existence of Mary in his life, he seems to use her as a sort of buffer towards Sherlock. A façade. First it’s the gleeful “Sorry Sherlock :)” comment above. Vindictive, it appears. And then, in the post Happily Ever After, John insists that his and Mary’s impending (heterosexual) marriage must clearly be the reason why Sherlock chose to help a gay couple getting together, one of them leaving an abusive marriage which was basically a façade. This whole ‘conclusion’ is so stupid that I’m rendered speechless.

Summary

To summarise - for those of you with enough patience to have followed all my ramblings in this marathon meta - I think the picture of John’s character that we can discern from reading up on the whole of his blog possibly tells us even more about him than the show. If the show reflects Sherlock’s mind, albeit almost entirely focused on his own perception of John Watson, this blog might actually give more insight into how John’s own mind works. I think it shows us someone who is struggling desperately with his own feelings. Someone who is trying to mark a distance that he believes is healthy for him, but that he actually doesn’t want, towards the object of his affection, by criticising them. The full-fledged, living, breathing contradiction that is John Watson comes to its full right by the blog. We could almost say he’s ‘human’ :). Kudos to Joe Lidster and the other showmakers for providing us with this gem.

Tagging some people who might be interested: @raggedyblue​ @ebaeschnbliah​ @gosherlocked​ @sagestreet​ @sarahthecoat​  @tjlcisthenewsexy​​  @elldotsee​​ @88thparallel​​  @sherlock-overflow-error​​  @yeah-oh-shit​

[boop-le-snoot]

PARTY FAVOURS | A MYSTERIOUS INTERLUDE

first time reader click here

This is a scrapped chapter. Originally, I was planning to 1) give Reader a longer, more intense destructive streak before her ending up with Tony. I planned three or so chapters that involved an abusive Quentin Beck, but, ultimately decided that to be too cliché. 2) I had planned to write at least 30% of the fanfic in Tony's/third person POV. This chapter would have been number 11/12 - Tony would have rejected her advances in the lab & she would have got hooked on Beck's charming facade.

Why am I publishing this? It seems like a waste if effort to shelf it, plus, it's Tony's POV. You can skip it since it has no relation/bearing on the current story. Just a tiny "what might have been" tidbit.

It was a moment's notice. One second, they're standing in a group, laughing, soaking in the warmth from the fireplace, chattering amongst themselves, telling tall tales and sipping their liquor. It all goes black briefly, and then they are surrounded by darkness - it's nearly impenetrable, so thick that their voices echo in it.

Tony's body was encompassed by the nanotech suit immediately after his eyes and his brain adjusted to the rapid change of surroundings. His teammates, too, had their skills honed on an instinctive level - the faint thump of Mjölnir in Thor's hands, the golden-green glow of his brother's magic, whirring of Barnes' prosthetic arm. Steve's shield stayed tucked behind the living room couch but his enhanced physique and readiness to fight 24/7 has him covering the unenhanced Clint and Natasha in mere seconds.

Tony was mostly angry rather than afraid. The team was having a good time at his party and the chance encounters of weird shit like this had been reduced to nearly zero percent possibility thanks to Friday's screening process: supervillains, Hydra agents and the likes strictly prohibited on Stark-owned premises.

It was a strange coincidence Banner had to take a break to check up on one of his experiments not even five minutes before the rest of the team was experiencing the strange change in scenery. Speaking of Strange, the sorcerer also was nowhere to be seen - Tony distinctively remembered seeing Stephen ten feet away from the bar, engaged in a hearty debate with the lead of SI's Medical Engineering department.

"This is not magic," Wanda piped up from behind him, confused. "I don't feel anything on the usual frequency. It sounds more like Friday humming in the walls, like electricity."

Good to know, Tony thought. It was nice having someone who was familiar with the undiscovered side of science - after all, Tony had always considered anything 'magical' to be science he had not personally understood yet. Wanda's most redeeming quality in Tony's eyes was the fact that more often than not she seemed to be as clueless as everyone else when it came to her powers and didn't act so high and mighty as some other people. Cloaked people, and horned people, for example.

"The fuck, man? I was hoping, just one evening, one normal evening with my beer and wings," Clint whined. Tony could hear Natasha huffing in annoyed agreement.

"Mr. Stark, what are we going to do?" His very own spider-child, on the other hand, sounded distraught. Peter's voice has this funny thing it does when the boy is upset but tries to hide it: it quivers on the vowels, wobbles slightly.

Tony had to blindly grope the air for a moment before his arm found Peter's shoulder. The boy was shivering and took the offered comfort eagerly, folding into the older man.

"Okay, whoever is pulling this stunt, my advice is: don't," Tony sighed, 12 000% Done With This Shit™, exclaiming loudly. "If that's a prank, stop it or speak up. If you got beef, then you got some nerve doing this in my tower. Show yourself."

He could feel the fine hairs on his neck stand up as the team tensed next to him, readily gearing up to pounce. Peter was vibrating in Tony's arms and the billionaire suddenly remembered the curious side-effects of Peter's powers, the spidey-sense. It must have been going absolutely haywire - the kid nearly hyperventilated himself into a heart attack.

"Stark, I must apologise for the uncomfortable circumstances. Believe me, it was a necessity - you always demand attention, whereas I need people to pay attention to me for a moment. Don't worry, you'll get yours when the time is due."

The voice was vaguely familiar. Male, slightly nasal but quiet and creeping. Insinuating. It lacked the usual boisterous bravado of a mid-grade bad guy, Tony had to take an educated guess that the owner of the mysterious voice was well-off, white. Privileged. No hint of desperation in it, as if the man was pitying everybody.

"The fuck? Q, is that you?"

Oh shit, Tony realized in muted horror. She must've been hanging around somewhere in their vicinity - which wasn't unusual, the girl usually orbited around Barnes, Wanda, Peter or Bruce. All of whom were present at the party. Tony had forgotten about her, to his shame, somehow having had automatically assumed she trotted out of the room on Bruce's heels. His science bro and her acted like conjoined twins when it came to their scientific ventures.

"Stop talking," The man growled, the voice suddenly coming from a very different direction. Tony heard a distinctively feminine yelp, albeit muffled. Peter violently jerked in Tony's arms. The engineer put the superstrength of his suit to use, holding the teenager down.

"Aw, hell no!" She yelled, the indignant shrieking followed by the sound of a moist palm slapping something glass...y? "What the fuck? I am asking you again. Are you... Oh my God, are you wearing a fishbowl on your head? Ow, motherfu-" The rest of the sentence is muffled, garbled. Whoever this "Q" was, she obviously knew him and he had silenced her. And, apparently, Q had an uncanny choice of headwear.

Tony was sure the rest of the team had followed his lead on doing a spit-take. They've fought enough supervillains with more than questionable fashion sense but a fishbowl? That was new.

"Be quiet, baby. It's for your own good. I don't want to hurt you if I can help it," The Fishbowl chastised her.

Tony's confusion once again returned to irritation at the frivolous way the villain addressed his science buddy. Peter's friend would have been more accurate but Tony had put her into the 'science bro' category not too long ago. They were close, as much as they could be, with the age gap and totally different interests and... The immense amount of guilt Tony felt for his attraction towards the girl. He was a dirty old man and she was barely an adult.

Every damn day Tony did his best to avoid making a shiny, big, new problem. Yet her brains and her wit and the uncanny ability to pull anybody into a conversation had a firm hold on his attention.

"Leave her alone," Stark angrily declared, powering up a repulsor. "What do you want? Party crashing isn't allowed in my tower anymore."

"What I want, Stark, is for you to give credit where it's due," The man answered simply, giving Tony just enough time to shove Peter behind him towards Natasha and take a tentative step forward.

The soft glow emanating from the repulsor illuminated barely two inches around his hand. The darkness surrounding it seemed to swallow the light. Tony moved on quiet feet towards the voice, easily avoiding furniture. His memory was good and he knew his tower, his home, better than anyone else.

"Did I hear that correctly, you're accusing me of plagiarism?" Tony tried for indignant, hoping to provoke the man into an inevitable, drawn-out speech where he lists all the wrongs Tony ever did him, giving the team precious time to regroup and form some semblance of a plan.

"Yes," Q simply answered, pausing for a second. "I hope you enjoy your next adventure. It certainly will show you the potential of my creation."

Tony shared a muted sound of confusion with the rest of the team.

"Q, I am very disappointed," To Tony's horror, th girl stared talking again. She sounded somewhat breathless, and closer to him than before. "Stop it with the dick measuring contest, you're a grown ass man. Go work for OsCorp, or Hammer, drink your sorrows away." She sounded so tired. And even closer to him.

"This is not a dick measuring contest!" Q roared suddenly and wow, that man was unstable. "This was my life's work, my creation, he insulted, berated and threw away!"

"I get it, I really get the whole 'being discarded and thrown away' thing," She replied, somewhat sarcastically. "But you know what? I'll be damned and I'll be fucked if I give some piece of shit any more of my undivided attention. They don't want me? Fine, they can fuck off and take their complaints with them." Her speech was periodically interrupted by shuffling noises.

Tony didn't dare to interrupt, seeing now the possibility of Q being actually calmed down by a teenager (probably) quoting some teen drama TV show.

"But going full Joker? You're a brilliant man, Quen, I wouldn't even look at you twice if not for your brains and your baby blues, however I don't fuck with the bad guys. That shit kills," The hand that rested on the wrist cuff of Tony's suit unmistakably belonged to her. She had the remnants of some sort of wire around it, sleek and quicksilver-shiny, irritating the tender skin under it. "And I want to live. You've gone and pissed off an entire crew of supers and I don't know what to do. I don't know what to think, Quen," There was genuine sadness in her voice.

Tony stood silent in confusion.

Whoever this Quen was, they obviously shared a close relationship. Tony's brain ran through the list of her friends, her relatives - there was nobody named Q, Quen or even remotely similar. Natasha had mentioned a possible boyfriend at some point but the man sounded too old for that, he was at least thirty. Or maybe? Tony wouldn't put it completely past the girl, if judging by the blatant way she flirted with Bruce. With himself.

"Baby, this is not about you. I don't want to hurt you," Quen replied, a hysterical edge to his voice. Something began flickering in the distance, attracting Tony's attention to the shape of a man with a round sort of helmet and a red, billowing cape (hello, 2012-Thor!).

"Too late, Quen. You've tied me up and you went on to attack my friends. I've already told you that if you yell at me one more time, I will leave you. So I guess this is it," Her voice broke at the end, pitiful sniffles following the statement.

Tony watched the exchange, mildly uncomfortable and very concerned. The man yelled at her? That was absolutely unacceptable, however, what else could one expect from a maniac with a flair for the dramatic?

The girl bodily placed herself in front of Tony, standing, doing nothing but rubbing her wrists. It was then that the engineer noticed Q nearing them, the shape becoming distinctively closer. And - yep, there it was - the fishbowl on his head. It completely obscured him, making his face invisible, unrecognisable.

The man seemed rather fixated on the girl standing in front of Tony. He floated in front of her, ignoring Tony, taking her bound hands in his own. A brief click and a hiss later, her wrists were released and the contraption fell freely to the floor where it landed with an oddly heavy thud. Tony hoped there was no lead in that thing - supervillains were dangerous but lead poisoning was cancerous and fatal.

"Baby..." Quen timidly touched her face with a leather-bound glove. "I didn't mean to yell at you. I'm sorry." Tony took the chance to examine the man's costume. If anything, it looked somewhat steampunk-y? There was a lot of bronze, and the chest brace had some sort of glowing lines on it. Power storage units?

She stared up, towards the man's hidden face. "M'sorry, Quen," She mumbled, going in for a hug. Or that's what Tony thought. The majestic cape that billowed behind Quen was unceremoniously yanked from his body as the girl ducked, covering herself with it, yelling: "TONY, NOW, SHOOT, SHOOT!"

Tony did just that, shot Quen flat in the chest and the man stumbled backwards, tripping on the cape - such a stupid, unexpected thing. But Tony knew, his girl was clever and resourceful. Pride swelled in his chest as he shot the man again, Rogers running out from behind him blindly, body-slamming Quen into the ground for good measure. Two hundred pounds of supersoldier later, the battle was over before it even started.

"No!" The villain shouted as Steve pressed and popped the hilarious glass contraption on his head. The accessory was no match for the Captain's super strength. Tony immediately recognised the man as his former employee, Quentin Beck, and it clicked for him. It was totally a personal vendetta.

"This stuff is tough, plexiglass, maybe," The Captain remarked, pointing at the scattered shards around Beck's head. "It appears to be augmented too, some kind of tech, I don't know. You're good at this, Tony," Steve chuckled humorlessly, roughly turning Beck around and securing his hands with a pair of vibranium-reinforced handcuffs. God only knew where he'd gotten those from.

"Good at what? Making enemies?" Stark couldn't resist the self-depricating joke.

"Stop it, Tony," Natasha's gently admonishing voice interrupted Steve's incoming lecture. Tony, for once, was thankful that the Widow interrupted. He was in no mood to listen to another one of Steve's speeches.

"Who do you work for?" That deadly gleam in Natasha's eyes was terrifying and Beck was only a man.

"I don't work for anyone but myself, thanks to Stark," He spat venomously.

Natasha cocked an eyebrow in Tony's direction.

"Fired him years ago, this guy was going nuts. Brilliant but crazier than a bag of cats," Tony replied, feigning nonchalance. He could feel a mild headache begin to gnaw at his skull. "We worked on a project together, he got upset that I refused to weaponize it. We had a falling out. End of story." With that, Tony stood up, retracing his suit to only leave the gauntlets on his hands, gathered the various pieces of tech the good captain had removed from Beck's persona and made way towards the nearest table.

Or where he thought it was. All of them were still surrounded by the uncanny darkness. The anxiety that Tony forcefully shut down reared it's ugly head as soon as he lost physical touch with his teammates. He stumbled, his foot catching onto something on the ground.

"Ow, motherfucker!"

"Buttercup, I haven't fucked your mother nor I plan to," He snarked back automatically, flooded with relief at the sound of the familiar voice.

"Hope so. She'd probably bite your dick off if you try," A hand was groping his calf and then she stood up in front of him, still clutching the ridiculous cape. It appeared to be a source of light, which was very strange. The girl looked positively demonic, illuminated by red light, face scrunched up, eyes puffy, and clothing in disarray.

"You good?" Tony managed to choke out, confusion and worry and anxiety making his chest tight.

"Balmy. My boyfriend is a homicidal maniac with an inferiority complex," She sassed, an edge of panic to her voice. "Oh, and he tried to kill one of my best friends. I am fine and dandy."

"Your boyfriend?" That was the only thing Tony heard. Bat-shit crazy Beck, his babygirl's boyfriend? There was no way in Hell he'd allow such a thing...

"My ex-boyfriend, I guess," She sighed, removing the cape from her persona. Refusing to meet his eyes, fiddling with the hem of her top. "Here," The girl abruptly thrust the cape at him. "This is a funny thing, it's like a hologram but you can actually touch it. You should, uh, probably disinfect it, or something. I've been on-uh, around it many times," It was so unlike her, the fumbling, the embarrassment, Tony wanted to wheel her straight to medical to check if she's gotten concussed again.

Then his brain caught up and all he saw was red. Figuratively and literally - the cape was still in his face, loosely hanging from her outstretched hand. She must've seen the look on his face.

The step she took back was quick and worrying. "Forget I said that, I don't know why I said that. Oh, god."

"What were you thinking?" Tony inhaled a solid lungful, prepared to make his opinion very clear. "Getting involved with a lunatic! For a second I actually thought you were smart, there isn't a chance you missed that the guy is short of a few marbles," His voice was quiet, the one of a calm fury. His words cut deeply and he could see the hurt, the shame in her eyes, on her face. Tony knew he'd regret it later however his brain insisted it was a necessary evil. He continued ranting until he ran out of breath. "Not to mention he's, what, twice your age? And he yells at you and tells you to shut up? It didn't ring any alarm bells in that pretty little head of yours?"

"Tony, stop," Steve's hand landed on the engineer's shoulder and he simply shrugged it off, staring at the quivering girl in front of him.

She was crying, silently, few tears pooling in her eyes and streaming down her cheeks, leaving ugly streaks in her make-up. Tony expected her to sass him, to argue back, to yell obscenities like she usually did when something or someone upset her but he was met with hurt, stunned silence. His worst fear came true when she looked away, shrugging.

He'd seen this sort of dejected shrug the time her father drugged her and... She just took it. She expected it, even, his outrage, his disappointment. Being hurt and mistreated was the norm for her, Tony realized belatedly. There were too many parallels between them both that made him uncomfortable deep inside. His chest felt tight, regret washing over him like a tsunami wave.

"I'm turning on the lights, close your eyes for maximum comfort," Strange's voice announced suddenly, causing everybody to jump and shudder. Tony complied begrudgingly. The sudden influx of light was painful even from behind closed eyelids. His headache became a full-on dull throb.

"What happened?" "Are you okay?" "Is everybody alive?" Resonated across the room. Tony spied several small drones smoking and crackling next to the exit door, Stephen Strange closing a portal he must've used to evacuate the civilians.

The puddle of red holographic cape on the floor. And her hastily retreating back. Damn.

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[masterthespianduchovny]

Why I Write About David and Gillian’s Friendship

I have this one anon, and I do believe it’s the same person, who asks me, “if you’re so sure David and Gillian are friends, why are you so insecure?”

It’s such a peculiar statement to make because I’m merely expressing a dissenting opinion from a popular sentiment. I’m not attacking anyone or getting defensive, I’m just explaining my case.

I’d actually argue that antis are insecure because 1. They get hostile whenever someone asserts that Gillian and David get along 2. They send hate anon 3. They resort to slander and claim they’re being attacked for not liking David. 4. They’re actively watching my blog. :) I literally don’t tag any of my anon posts, yet they send in other anons responding to them. 

If they’re so secure that David and Gillian aren’t friends, why do they care what I think, especially since it’s not harming or attacking anyone?

That’s called projection.

So, why do I write about David and Gillian?

For starters, they’re magic together and I’m clearly not the only one who thinks this. They’ve captivated fans, interviews, and photographers for almost 3 decades and that says a lot. For two people with such an enigmatic relationship, people cannot turn away.

Consequently, I examined my own fascination with David and Gillian by juxtaposing them with claims that they hated each other even present day.

And you know what?

I found that I didn’t agree with claims these two didn’t get along.

It’s not because I want them to be BFFs, which they aren’t, but because those who swear David and Gillian hate each other have an agenda. 

I’m not asking for any, but I notice whenever I post about David and Gillian being friends, I receive hate anons usually shitting on David, yet none for Gillian. The remaining anons are usually clearing up facts or trying to understand what’s going on. But, like...96% of my anons, which I received around 30 within 24 hours, is about shitting on David.

How does that have anything to do with David and Gillian not being friends?

It doesn’t.

Even one of them reminded me of when Peter and Gillian got together, which has nothing to do with David and Gillian being friends. Funny enough, they went to bat for Peter claiming his was this oh so charming gentleman only to turn out he was a massive asshole--they propped Peter up to shit on David only for that to hit them in the face last year.

This misinformation campaign that David and Gillian aren’t friends is all because a small group of Philes hate David. I’m not here to argue if their opinions are valid or not because it's nothing I care to concern myself with. But, their feelings about David has nothing to do with his actual friendship with Gillian. Yet, they conflate the two to have Gillian mirror how they feel, which is inappropriate and false.

Their poor understanding of friendships is why they believe that since David and Gillian don’t see each other every day or talk regularly means that they aren’t friends. They believe since Gillian says she doesn’t know much about David, all while overlooking that Gillian has shitty memory, that this proves they aren’t friends.

In their minds, everything is PR and Hollywood BS.

When the simplest explanation is that they actually do get along.

Even if you argue that they needed to pretend to get along during the original run of the show, which have examples of this not being the case, it doesn’t explain their present behavior. It doesn’t explain them showing up to each other plays and promoting each others work outside of the x files even after season 1 ended. It doesn’t explain them casually bringing up each other when the question had nothing to do with each other. Or allowing the other to speak at the Hollywood star ceremonies. 

Most importantly, claiming that they hate each other is calling Gillian Anderson a liar.

Gillian has stated on record that they do not hate each other. She has explicitly said that the work environment they had back then made shit tense at times. They have said that they’ve grown an appreciation for one another and wished they would’ve handled things differently. She has said she added to their friction back in the 90s.

Yet, her alleged fans call her a liar by dismissing her own words and running away with their own.

In their minds, every instance these two laugh together, smile at one another, have a good time, speak highly of the other, etc is all bullshit. They’re acting.

They say that people like Mark Mann who has personally spent time with them doesn’t know what he’s talking about, but they, internet stalkers know better than him. Their claims even goes against Jimmy Kimmel’s observation who was notably surprised at how well they got along. It was something that stuck out to him on at least three different occasions: behind the scenes, when the interview first started, and later on in the interview when he called them out again.

Again, all acting. :) It’s PR and Hollywood bullshit.

IMO, it’s absurd.

I write about Gillian and David’s friendship because I’m refusing to allow antis to continue to control the narrative and taint every interaction with their lies. To contextualize any blatant misrepresentation they’ve spewed these last few years. And to show that it’s okay to think D and G are friends, like it, and talk about it.

Because the only people who look delusional are those who keep insisting that two people who clearly enjoy each other actually hate each other.

How can two people who had a candid moment photographed into an iconic moment hate each other? Two people who a literal stranger said electrical energy surrounded them when they walked out of a room together? Two people where people (interviewers) remark on their chemistry (on and off screen)?

They give some of the best interviews together. They’re their most animated around each other. They bring out the best in each other (IMO). But, these two hate each other and aren’t friends.

When have we ever seen Gillian smile and laugh as much as she does with David?

My posts aren’t about romance, sex, or secret families (lol), just friendship and I receive hate anon for this shit. LOL.

The true insecure group are the anti David/anti gillovny folk (gillovny means more than romance so don't start).

In conclusion, altogether David and Gillian don’t talk frequently, from what we know, that doesn’t mean they don’t get along and/or aren't friends. There are different types of friendships with different frequencies and different expectations. But, these two clearly get along and enjoy each other’s company.

I’ll like to add something I forgot: Just like most relationships, romantic, platonic, or familial, people have their ups and downs. They don't always get along and sometimes issues are drawn out. That doesn’t mean two people hate each other, it means they need time to handle their own shit. Whatever crap David and Gillian may or may have not been arguing over in the past or present is their business. Neither have had issues saying how they’ve felt about each other before, so why now?

It’s because they don’t have an issue with each other, it’s all fandom bullshit.

[sugarcookiesandsins]

Charmed [Episode 6]

➰ ot7 x reader, poly!bts x reader, mafia!bts ➰ they wouldn’t notice her until she was standing above them, a smoking gun in her hand a bullet in their heart 🌡 M   🛑  details about weaponry and similar materials, dark humor, swearing, mentions of violence 🕛  4.k+

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Following your explanation, the boys sat in silence as each of them took in the various blueprints and notes spread out before them. Processing it took them some time, and Eli took the opportunity to soothe his dry throat with the remnants of his drink.

“It’s complicated, to say the least.” Namjoon’s voice was distant as his mind wasn’t all that focused on the words coming out of his mouth.

Yoongi only snorted in response, but it was more of a reaction that he had given for the duration of the discussion so Eli considered it a win all in all and looked to the other members for their reactions. Seeing nothing else of note in their eyes, he reached for the papers to clean them up, planning on returning to his room and cleaning up, before going out for supplies. Sure, Hoseok or Jimin could probably hook them up with all that they needed but call it a con’s intuition for wanting to check out the equipment themselves.

Grabbing hold of the documents, he rifled through them and aligned the corners as he always did before getting up.

“I’m headed out for some of the basic equipment so yall can break it in before D-day.” Not waiting for an answer, he headed back to his designated room, barely sparing a minute to toss the papers onto his desk before heading to the bathroom. 

With the door locked and the hot water soothing your muscles, you had some time to yourself to think. Your relationship with the rest of the boys could be simmered down to two words: grudging acceptance. Neither side was about drop their pride and invite the other out to dinner, but at least Jungkook wasn’t lunging for your throat every time he laid eyes on you.

The heist was risky, and would take some real trust and teamwork, and “grudging acceptance” wasn’t exactly the best relationship to have with the people you would be trusting with your life while completing the mission. You still were damn sure that they wouldn’t hesitate to leave you behind if they needed to; their relationship was one where they looked out for each other and solid walls were drawn against those who weren’t inside when those walls were built.

In a way, you understood. Though you didn’t have the exact details, it was obvious they went through some trauma together, one that bound them together by something greater than blood ties or brotherhood. You were the same way; the only difference was that you were alone when you built those walls and they had each other.

Shutting off the water, you stepped out into the foggy bathroom, the heat blushing your skin red. The mirror was fogged up, and the metaphor almost made you snort. It seemed that even the world was trying to tell you that within all the personas and costumes, you had lost sight of your true self, even as it stood within reach, blurry but there.

The skin on your chest was red and irritated, most likely from the bandages you used to keep your secret. You needed to spend a night away from them, if only so you could let your skin breathe.

Getting your costume back on, you waltzed out of your bedroom towards the living room, most of the boys had disappeared, but Jimin was still where you had left him, albeit in clothes more appropriate for your shopping trip. In a way, you expected Hoseok to be there as well, but Jimin oversaw their equipment.

“Do you know the weights and heights of everyone,” Eli casually asked as he thumbed through a small journal filled with more of his chicken scratch trying to find the specific page he wanted.

“Don’t tell me you’re interested in us,” Jimin scoffed obviously getting the wrong impression from Eli’s words.

“Interested in keeping you all alive yeah.” Eli turned his back on the still lounging Jimin, who had somehow managed to get even more attractive as he leaned back invitingly on their soft couch. “Don’t fool yourself shorty. I doubt you have anything that would make me want to chase after you.”

Making his way to the foyer of the apartment, he didn’t even look back to see if Jimin was following him before he slipped out and towards the elevators.

The ride down was silent once Jimin joined him, each absorbed in their own devices to pass the time. Upon exiting the tall high-rise building, Eli was none too surprised at the sleek black SUV waiting for them. They needed to buy a lot of equipment and they would need a large car to hold it all.

While in the car, both still maintained the strict silence that they had started in the elevator. Eli’s eyes were focused on the passing scenery, letting out tiny grins at the snapshots of daily life he saw beyond the tinted glass windows. They were all so oblivious to the harsh realities of the world and even if they did know, their brains would probably cut out the information deeming it too harmful to remember. 

PJM

He seemed utterly uninterested in anything other than the mission. It really was odd to see how quickly his attitude adjusted when he explained the plan to us this morning. Not once did he let out his signature smile, all teeth and stupidity. It was long, complicated, and required a lot more trust than I felt anyone was willing to give him at this point in whatever relationship was forming between us.

Going out with him was most definitely not my choice, but Namjoon had insisted on it because apparently it was obvious that I was the one with the most prejudices against our new add-on. We all knew it was a blatant lie, but Jungkook had no qualifications to go shopping therefore here I am.

The car is surprisingly silent, and looking over at Eli, he’s focused on the outside world. There was longing in a sense, something we all felt from time to time; we wonder and dream of our lives with intact families and normality.

The car stops in front of a hotel, conspicuous and in the center of town; it’s perfect. Getting down, it’s no surprise that we make an impression on the surrounding people. Jimin’s face is common on the news channels and everyone knows the people he associates with, so everyone gives us a wide berth as we enter the hotel.

Walking to the front desk, the person manning the fort gives us the biggest customer service smile that I have ever seen. Jimin merely nods back before handing over a medallion and asking for, “Room 113 please” with the most conversational tone.

“Forgive me sir, but our staff is still cleaning the room for you. Please feel free to wait in our lobby and I will call you when the room is prepared.” When you enter this line of work, you should always be prepared to deal with word games and subliminal messaging. We both understood what his words meant, there was already someone shopping so we could not go in.

Most places like this did not worry about anonymity between guests, hoping that it would work as sort of a motivation to not betray the location; if someone got captured then they could name everyone else that they saw. It was more commonly seen in stores that had not gotten a footing in the black world of crime. Yet, the truly powerful locations did not need to rely on such childish motivations as that.

Jimin and I made our way to the couches a couple feet away from the receptionist. The world continued to move on around us. Initially, some were focused on our identities, but as they each needed to be somewhere else, we were left alone in the middle of the lobby. The hotel itself seemed to be the playground of the higher class based on all the brand names glittering around me and the large entourages that revolve around a single person.

In a way, that life seemed bland to me. What fun was there to have everything handed to you, sure it was novel for a little while but then it would lose it’s charm. Inherently, people get bored which is why you see celebrities always doing.

It wasn’t long before the receptionist approached us from behind the desk and informed us that they were ready for us. He motions us to follow him and we do.

The receptionist returns to behind the desk and programs a reader card to let us into our requested room. He faces us again and hands that card over with that same sickeningly bright smile. “I hope everything is to your standards.” He knows, though I do not know why I ever doubted it for a second.

Jimin nods and I follow his example of silence as he leads me down a hallway and to our room. Unlocking it with the given card, he lets me inside before shutting and locking the door behind us both. The space is small and not a room at all; it was an elevator.

Surveillance was full force as someone welcomed us to the store and instructed us not to touch anything as the decent began on its own. By my estimate, the level that we stopped at was one below the basement. The doors opened before us and we walked into a well-lit room, almost as big as a proper ballroom. Certainly, not as high but just a big in width and length. The rich vibe continued down here as well with the red walls and gold trimming on the walls and on the cabinets filled to the brim with guns and other equipment.

At the far end of the room, a man in a fitted suit stood relaxed in his posture. Not single strand of hair or muscle moved out of place as we approached him. “Welcome. Please take a look around at your leisure and feel free to ask any questions. We are here to assist.”  

Jimin jets off towards the far end of the room, firmly in the directions of some automatic handgun; they suited him. I had initially pegged him at a knife person, but then again he wanted efficiency more than any perceived bloodlust so I relented on my initial judgement. His steps were quick, barely holding on to the perception of calm, but he was like a child in a candy shop, no doubts about it.

Letting him satisfy his own curiosity, I turned to the tactical gear. I would worry about the boys later, getting their measurements from Jimin now would be impossible when he seems much more interested in the custom grips on an Italian classic.

Shopping for harnesses was ironically reminiscent to shopping for clothes; they were all on gold hangers and organized by size and prices. The boys (read: Big Hit) were paying for all this anyways so I’d take advantage of that; only I knew what was really needed for this.

Shifting through them all, I decided on one with multiple points of weight distribution that had multiple clip combinations so one could vary their support based on their preference or on the limits of rope. As I was looking, I felt a presence on my 6 or 7 o’clock; it was either Jimin or the attendant.

“Is this what you wanted the body measurements for?” Jimin.

“No,” I scoffed. “I needed that information to plant fake bodies when we all fail this and need to get the heck out of dodge.”

“The confidence you have in us is astounding.” He didn’t waste time is coming back for me with the same amount of sarcasm.

“I have as much confidence in you as I do in my own survival with the group of you.” Snatching the paper with the written measurements out of his hand, I didn’t bother to head his response as I pulled out different sizes of the same harness. They would cost a pretty penny, but you weren’t footing the bill.

“Take these to the table.” I was already searching for the ropes; something strong preferably suspension or paracord, but mountaineering might work.

“Do it yourself.”

“Like you know what we need for this. Just do what I ask and maybe my confidence that we’ll survive this increase by a tenth of a percent.”

“You’re difficult.”

“But I’m good and that’s what you really need right now isn’t it? Now go.”

Deciding on some dark colored SWAT rappelling rope in 200 feet lengths. It was double braided and would be more than enough to carry our weights at 9mm in diameter. However, ti was a hefty weight, but I’d leave that to the boys. Additionally, I picked up some paracord, just in the case of an emergency lashing or situation.

Next, some infrared googles. They were also a hefty price, but trusting the boys to already have their own, I waited until Jimin returned from his second trip from the far table to confirm. Given a OK, I think he had given up on arguing with me for the sake of it, I picked out some durable ones with a heat sensor attachment.

Last in terms of tacticals, would be body suits. These would go under our regular clothes, additional protection and heat without the bulk. Of course, some bullet proof clothes would be going on top, but still a good base is always necessary.

Now to the fun part, weapons.

Jimin had already beat me to it, having laid out some stuff that he wanted for himself or that he got at the request of the other boys. A computer chip, most likely for Yoongi, catches my eye. Having a computer for research and planning would be so much easier than having to piece together scraps of paper.

Grabbing a sleek laptop off the shelf, I added it to the ever-growing pile of supplies on the table under the raised eyebrow of Jimin. He reaches for it, but I smack his hand away and firmly state that “I like doing these things myself.” I hear no further argument.

Then comes the guns. Semi-automatics have a soft spot it my heart so I grab an all-American Hollywood classic, twin Desert Eagles, metal caps, and a spool of wrapping leather; custom grip can only be truly custom when you make them yourself. Snagging some holsters, I argue mentally between thighs and sides, before just getting both; no point wasting time. Then for knifes, I grab a classic butterfly, before grabbing some more practical Damascus hunting daggers that were lightweight so they could be thrown as well.

Nodding at Jimin, I let him take care of the payment as I continued to explore the room for anything else that we might like. Closer to the door, I see a locked cabinet with oddities that most would not look twice at; they sell information. A couple flash drives being bid off, probably filled with some military programs or governmental passwords. I wouldn’t put it pas them to have one or two automatic Trojans with a logic puzzle for those dolts that didn’t know how to use a computer. Then on the far side, something unexpected.

“They say that’s a charm from the Banshee herself.” Jimin, seemingly done with the purchase, came over towards the elevator as the store took care of sending our goods topside.

“The Banshee?” This was one I hadn’t heard before.

“Yeah. She’s an assassin with some sort of moral code apparently when she kills. And she takes or makes charms from each kill to remember them. Morbid, but then again anyone who’s that good ought to have a few screws lose to not go crazy.” He wasn’t wrong.

Even Master had told me it was odd when he saw the charms, but he got used to it. The box of filled bracelets I left with Master, the only thing of personal value that I really owned anymore so my wrists were naked and empty. Yet, the feeling never hit me until now, when I saw the only charm I ever lost (a round mosaic for a contemporary artist who also profited from fakes) for sale. The Banshee name had power and with power comes profit; the betting for the charm already past the million mark.  

“Don’t think to hard. You won’t ever meet her.” Jimin laughed, the kind that came from his belly and was not held back by propriety.

“And you have?” It was a good enough act, lovestruck youngster falling for a power girl he had never even met before.

“Nope. But I want to. Her story sounds interesting enough.” That was the most uncharacteristic thing I had ever heard come out of his mouth.

“Her story,” I snickered, my face trying very hard not to mock him with its expression. “A mafioso and an assassin on a coffee date. That sounds more like the first line of a joke.”

He didn’t respond, but looking back as he pushed me towards the elevator told me he was thinking. The cogs were turning either to make up a lie or to figure out how to put it in words.

“I want to know what made her this way. She is truly someone that does not care, and something must have happened to make her that way.” His voice was quiet and rippling under the surface I could hear some semblance of emotions from him. It was a change, and I let him talk. “Even you can agree with this; we didn’t just wake up one day and decided we wanted to be like this. We went through the ringer and decided that we never wanted to be that low ever again, so we went for the heights.”

“We braved the cliffs and grew wings.” Simple words, but with more meaning that even a full paragraph could hold. He simply nodded in response and the rest of the ride up was silent, each lost in our pasts.

The ride back to the apartment was no different, except for the back piled with our new supplies. Quiet and heavy, not even the driver disturbed us in our thoughts.

The boys were waiting for us when we went upstairs, all cleaned up and hair coiffed to perfection.

“How was it?” Namjoon, objective as ever wanting to make sure the boys hadn’t lost their biggest weapons source because the two of us butting heads.

“Uneventful.” Me, as I turned to the boxes.

“Normal.” Jimin, as he joined the boys on the couch.

“Did you bring us presents?” Taehyung, relaxed as always, stretching his legs on the coffee table as he watched me organize.

I put everything that I had bought for myself in one box, including my harness, a loop of SWAT rope, the extra paracord, and the body suit. The rest was laid out on the floor next to the boxes that Jimin had already organized the others’ stuff into, most likely at the store itself.  

“I bought all of you harnesses and new rope. I suggest getting used to wearing them around and working with the additional weight so break them in to your own comfort.”

Jungkook scoffed, “We have our own already.”

“Of course, you do. But do they have at least a 5-point weight distribution and at lest 10 hold holds for various roping combinations?”

He stayed silent.

“No? Then I suggest you break in the one I got for you or I won’t be responsible for you screwing this up for the rest of them. I didn’t bother holding back with him. Jungkook had started to get on my nerves. I was starting to get the feeling that no matter what I did, I would never get on his good side. I had reached a conclusion; it wasn’t me personally he hated, it was the idea of me; all fun and games when matched with his cold perfectionism. He thought I was stupid and infuriating, I thought the same of him; it worked out.

Walking back to my own room, I could practically hear Namjoon trying to figure out a plan to get me and Jungkook back on better terms. But that would have to wait for another day; I needed to get my stuff together.

Making it back to the relative haven of my room, I unpack and start customizing. First was the guns, taking the leather, I cover both handles in a primitive but more familiar imitation of custom grips, adding in the end the metal cap at the bottom of the grip because if you can’t shoot, you can at least swing. Sure, it does mess with the balance of the gun but you get used to it after a couple years of practice. Next, comes the computer. Booting up, I have never been more thankful for technology and resolve to ask someone to scan the document to upload, but after spending a couple hours with Jimin, I am ready to be alone.

Then again, when does the plan of the universe ever work in my favor? Just as I put away the rest of the gear, keeping the harness out to break in after I relax, I hear a knock on my door.

“Can I come in?” Taehyung. Lovely.

“Sure.” I didn’t bother to try to contain my annoyance, but this was Taehyung we were talking about; he was selectively blind, and deaf for that matter, to the world around him. He heard me say that he could come in but he somehow didn’t hear my annoyance.

He waltzed right in and seated himself on my bed as turned around from my desk. Glancing out the window, I could see the first signs of the evening clouding over the brightness of the day, so it was no surprise that he was dressed to go to work. Silk shirt unbuttoned just enough for anyone watching to get a peak of tanned skin tucked into tight denim. A lone silver chain hanging around his neck and thin rings of the same material making his fingers seem longer than you have ever thought was humanly possible.

Once again, he lounged. Looking back, you have never seen him as anything other than relaxed, except for that one time when you technically broke in so context matter with him. He didn’t even bother taking of his leather shoes which made you scowl.

“Any particular reason you’re hear or is it just to grind my gears?”

“Both, but mostly I have a question for you to answer for me.” He reached for his pocket and pulled out a swatch of white fabric that almost made my heart strop.

“A bandage? You want me to wrap something for you?” I didn’t let it bother me. The bandages I wore were a dime a dozen and he could have gotten it from any mom and pop medical store along the road.

“No I was wondering why you had these. If you’re hurt, that’s not good for any of us see?” Sitting up, he kept waving that bandage in front of me, taunting me like he knew all my secrets, but he didn’t.

“You went through my stuff?” Sighing, I relented. “Should have expect nothing less from a sneak thief. They are bandages for emergencies. I don’t trust for a second that Jungkook still doesn’t want to put a bullet between my eyes.”

“True. You and Jungkook really don’t get along. Though that is to be expected when the both of you have different ways of surviving.” Taehyung was smarter than you, and probably anyone else, gave him credit for. His mouth was working to distract while his eyes watched and learned from the people around him.

I didn’t respond, but I didn’t need to. Even Taehyung seemed to sense that our conversation was over as he left my room with some important parting word. “The most dangerous liars are the ones who give themselves to the lies, body, soul and heart.”

[pixie-cocaine]

Sweet Like Candy

Flavor: Fluff

Brand: requested

Sweeteners: Baekhyun ｘ Reader

Hazards: may cause tooth decay

Amount: 2.5K words

Baekhyun was always an optimist. Always the singing that you’d wake up to in the mornings as he absent-mindedly cooked breakfast, and always the one that canceled plans at a moment’s notice to come cuddle with you when you were having a bad day. He was the best boyfriend you could’ve asked for, truly.

But one thing that he had the worst habit of, was dragging you out to loud, vibrant places when you had original plans of staying home and sleeping the day away. Sure, you absolutely loved spending time with Baekhyun, it was one of your favorite things to do, considering he was the most contagiously happy person you had the pleasure of knowing. But when you were exhausted from a day’s work and were a blink away from passing out, it was extremely inconvienient for him to wanna take you out for fun.

Like now, when he’s currently shaking you awake from a much-needed nap on your shared bed.

“Come on, wake up,” Baekhyun whined, practically trying to dislocate your shoulder with how harshly he was shoving your arm in attempts to rouse you from your sleep which, to his credit, worked.

"Hm..?" You moan as you crack an eye open, only to see Baekhyun nearly inches from your face, which in turn, makes you jump slightly before you letting out a sigh of relief, "what do you want this time?"

He couldn't help but grin at the leftover sleep in the timbre rasp of your voice. You were so cute when you woke up, he thought. The puffiness of your eyes, mattress marks lining one side of your face; it was all so endearing to him. Baekhyun reaches out to brush a thumb across your cheek.

"Wanna go somewhere fun?"

His dark eyes sparkled with life and amusement from the curtain of umber hair that fell over his eyes in soft, airy whisps. You felt your heart skip a beat at the beauty bestowed before you, almost forgetting that he had asked you a question when he cocked his head to the side. You soften suddenly. You never were good at saying no to that face. The face that you had a special weakness for.

"I don't know, Baek. I've been so...," You paused to yawn, your eyes tearing up, "So tired"

Glancing at the digital clock on your bedside table, it reads well into the afternoon, which means you have a right to be so adamant on falling back asleep. But this only makes him furrow his eyebrows as he unconsciously pokes his lip out, something he does out of habit when he’s turned down, and something he knew tugged at your heart strings like no other.

He dips his head to nuzzle his cheek against your covered legs, "Please? I'll leave you alone after...?"

Fuck.

"You're lucky you have such a cute pout"

That pout, and that’s all it took for you to be frowning, hunched like a ball of tension in the passenger seat of Baekhyun’s car as he grinned from ear to ear, the apples of his cheeks so soft and his face radiant with joy. Adorable, he was.

“You think my pouts are cute?” Baekhyun spares a glance over at you, smile becoming wider than you thought possible.

“You know they’re cute,” you raise an eyebrow at his blatant fish for compliments, as he was always the attention-loving type. He was loveable in that type of way. Always the one to do crazy stuff for people’s entertainment, especially yours, and you knew that.

“Of course I know they’re cute, but I wanna hear that you think they’re cute”

Snorting as you look away from the passing buildings, appearances etched with glowing neon signs and streets glowing over with burstings colors at the lighting decorations, your eyes focus back on Baekhyun, taking a moment to appreciate his outfit consisting of a white hoodie screened by a red tiger-print jacket and white sweatpants, which did well to compliment his hair, swept back away from his face, and the undercut causing loose strands to fall over his eyes in different places of his forehead.

"I think your pouts are adorable, Baek. It's obvious, or else I wouldn't have even came with you."

That seems to satisfy him, if the little noise of happiness he makes is anything to go by as he reaches over the console to grab your hand and intertwine his fingers with yours. You smile, giving it a fond squeeze looking back out the window, "So where are you taking me?"

Baekhyun merely chuckles at the question, "You'll see," he hums, "It's gonna be great, I promise."

You trust him. After all, he's never taken you somewhere that you've been bored at or not having fun, always the liveliest outings for the one he loves. He hated to see you not enjoying yourself. It was a fact he's stated countless times, after all.

“We’re here!” It doesn't take long before Baekhyun's pulling into a parking lot in front of a large, colorful arcade, and from were you can see through the glass doors, it’s crowded with groups of people, all different ages and appearances, but the one thing they all have in common is a large smile adorning their faces. They look like they’re having the time of their life, and when Baekhyun snaps a finger to pull you out of your daze, you can tell you’ll be having just as much of a blast with him by your side. 

He helps you out of the car, a hand on the small of your back as he walks you up to the entrance and holds the door for you, gesturing for you to go ahead of him, and so you do. It’s even more spacious than you thought it was; rows of different gaming machines that range from the classic crane to virtual reality rollercoasters, and tables with cartoonish designs on them. What really stands out to you is the various neon signs that occupy different walls and bathe the lively setting in different shades of orange and pink, as well as the other side of the arcade that has a more cool palette, for example, the big light blue panel which hangs overhead of a snack bar, it bendt in the form of the word ‘Candy.’ 

“I haven’t been to an arcade in so long,” You smile in awe as you look over at Baekhyun, who reaches down to grab your hand and lead you over to a ticket counter, where he politely pays for both of your game cards, turning to you whilst the employee straps a yellow band around his wrist, “Right?” He smirks, “Bet I can still beat you in all the games.”

Scoffing and crossing your arms after they fasten the same colored band onto you, “Wanna bet?”

“Whoever has the least tickets has to do whatever the person with the most tickets tells them,” He proposes, already looking smug. 

And that’s how it all went downhill. Your confidence, and your pride, all gone in a matter of two, short hours. You’d started out determined enough; your first game a fairly easy two-player shooter game, and when you lost at that, probably because of the wonky ass controls, you merely rolled your eyes at Baekhyun’s little celebration of victory. Then, making rounds through the first row of the arcade, your certainty slowly started to deteriorate with each win that your boyfriend tookーnoーstole from you. It got to a point when Baekhyun dragged you over to an old DDR game.

“Baek, you know I suck at fast-paced dance games,” You whined, ready to admit defeat when he gave another one of his complacent smiles, to which you immediately scowled at. Why did he have to be so good at everything?

“What? Giving up already?” He teased, “I mean, I don’t have a problem with winning but-”

“Yeah, yeah, I don’t mean that I’m gonna call quits!”

You groaned and stepped up on the dance pad beside Baek’s, and as you already figured, the first round was you just stumbling over your feet in order to hit the necessary notes. Baekhyun on the other hand, had only tripped a few times, but other than those couple instances, he got perfect scores without breaking a sweat. It came so easy to him, and you’d be lying if you said you didn’t envy his natural talents.

But, surprise, surprise, he’d won the three rounds that you both played, and you didn’t have to have to look at the difference in tickets to know that he’d won by a lot. You’d spent the last of your points on the DDR game, so naturally, Baekhyun giggled knowingly as he pulled you back to the front counter. “This is gonna be perfect,” He spoke to himself mostly, but absolutely didn’t mind if you heard him, either. 

“What are you gonna make me do?” You almost didn’t wanna know, mostly because of the sinister grin Baekhyun gave in response.

He swung your hand in his as you both neared the counter, “Nothing too bad.”

“You have a total of five-hundred,” The worker announced to you once he came back from feeding the tickets into a counting machine, “You can buy a medium stuffie from the wall behind me.”

Scanning the metal board that the worker sat afront, you saw a couple stuffed animals, but one that definitely stood out was a cute pink hedgehog, so you’d pointed to said pillow and hummed when the woman handed it to you. She turned to Baekhyun, “You have a total of one-thousand two-hundred, sir. You can buy from any section you see.”

That’s when you began to get nervous. Would he get something really weird and make you carry it around? You didn’t have time to think it out before he was looking at you with a smirk and proceeding to tell the woman that he would like the fluffy lion-ear headband that cost a small fifty tickets. Once the worker handed over the headband, he immediately shoved the ears on your head.

“Wha-”

“Do a little roar.”

“Huh?” You looked at him incredulously, gaping at the man like he’d just cursed your ancestors.

He only gave you his signature stunning smile, “Roar like a lion!”

“I’m not roaring, Baek.”

“We made a deal, though,” with a pout, he pushed at your arm slightly, looking like a kicked puppy, and you groaned in defeat.

You could’ve thrown up when you opened your mouth to let out a half-assed growl, but Baekhyun was loving it in every sense of the word. He clapped his hands and squished your cheeks with a bruising strength, still pulling at them when you attempted to slap his fingers away. He was going to be the death of you, really.

“Hey babe?”

Baekhyun turns his head to look away from the wide view of the city lights to look at you, “Yeah?”

It was a couple minutes after he’d taken you away from the arcade in favor of picking up some milkshakes, that he’d spotted a lone picnic table which overlooked the city and suggested you both take a seat. He looked beautiful with the white and yellow lighting that came from below them, and you can’t help but place a hand against the skin of his jaw to caress his face. He leans into your touch with a small smile.

“What candy do you think I’d be?” 

The question is random, but it suddenly pops into your head, and you’re curious as to what his answer will be.

He thinks for a moment, “Strawberry bubblegum,” He hums in approval at his own words before taking your hand and turning the palm upwards so he can press a kiss to it. The gesture makes your heard melt where it sits, beating, in your chest.

“What candy do you think I’d be?”

Without hesitation, you grin, leaning in to capture his lips quickly. When you pull away, there’s a twinkle in your eye that reminds him of everything he loves about you. You make him so happy. You’ll never even realize the love that he feels when he sees those gorgeous eyes of yours and that stunning smile. Always such a beauty.

“Pop rocks.”

[mister-lucky-bunny]

The Grand Neopian University Chpt. 2

The Grand Neopian University

Chapter 2: Eating, Meeting, and Greeting

As expected with such a prestigious college, the amount of choices that Lucky had in regards to food was overwhelming, to say the least. Even though he was familiar with numerous food stand choices, having come from Neopia Central, the Acara had never seen quite an array of delicacies and fancy foods in such abundance before. Ranging from gourmet sandwiches, pizzas, pastas, salads, sushi, cheeses, and plenty of desserts, it began to make Lucky wonder just how expensive a meal would even cost.

For awhile, he decided to walk around, browsing the various food vendors and what they sold. Aside from general food items, there would also be various Neopians selling food that was well known in certain parts of Neopia. For example, one stand that made the Acara slow down was the amazing smelling stand of Altadorian baked goods. Figuring that he might as well treat himself on his first day at the school, Lucky made his way over to said stand, which was being manned by a fat, yet quite burly, Skeith, adorned in a gold Altador toga.

It took no time for the vendor to notice the curious, hungry Acara, quickly brightening up and greeting him in a boisterous, thick Altadorian accent. "Ah, hello, my friend! Yes, yes, I see that hunger in your eyes, one that can only be satisfied by the fine flavors that Altador has to offer!" He started up, getting into a sort of sales pitched. Again, being from one of the biggest shopping districts in all of Neopia, Lucky was no stranger to such practices. Even as the Skeith began showing off a large variety of pitas and hummus, the Acara couldn't help but be charmed by how genuine he was. If the amazing smell was anything to go by, the vendor had a lot of pride in his craft, and was confident that what he had to sell would certainly be worth it.

"Well, uh, let's see..." Lucky began, eyeing over everything. Once his gaze began to linger upon one of the pitas, it didn't take long for the Skeith to grin, lifting it up in a large hand.

"Ah, a pita! Filled with hummus and some very tasty falafel, no doubt!" He said, offering from a few choices of hummus that he had before him. Plain, roasted red tomato, red pepper, olives and caper, roasted garlic, and even one called "Pimento and Caviar" (which Lucky was not bold enough to try). Deciding to go with the "Roasted Red Tomato Hummus", the Skeith scooped an incredibly generous amount into the pita, not slowing down as he popped a heaping amount of falafel as well. "Yes, excellent choice, my friend!"

As he began to fill the pita with some spinach and tomato, Lucky watched with wide eyes, both impressed by just how skillful and precise his movements were, and also a little bit intimidated by the sheer amount of food the vendor managed to pile into the pita. "Wow, that's uh... quite a big pita you're making there," Lucky stated, wanting to not be a silent weirdo.

"You're a skinny boy, yes?" The Skeith joked, laughing a little as he wrapped up the pita, handing it off to the Acara. "Here ya go! Let's say, for you, eh... 150 NP," He finished up, coming up with an amount of money to be paid. It definitely didn't seem like he put much thought into the pricing, as it was a lot lower than Lucky had expected.

Resisting the urge to take a big bite out of the overstuffed pita, the Acara couldn't help but tilt his head a bit. "Only 150? I would've thought it would've been more," He said, freeing up a hand to reach into his pocket, pulling out three 50 NP coins and passing them off to the Skeith, who merely laughed and accepted the money.

"My friend, I do this not for money, but to share my food with others," He explained, puffing his chest out in a prideful way. "Besides, you'll be needing money for books and other school things, yes? I do not want food to be a problem for students," He continued on with a chuckle, waving the Acara off. "Now go eat before it cools!"

Lucky nodded and returned the wave, beginning to move away. "Hey, thanks a lot, sir!" He replied gratefully.

"Hey, call me Buddy, alright?" The Skeith yelled in return, laughing as he served another Neopian that had walked up.

After a quick visit to a vending machine for a bottle of water (for 50 np), Lucky began to scout around for a free table. As his eyes scanned the area, he began to nibble at the pita. As expected, it was quite delicious and he didn't waste time in taking a couple more bigger bites, enjoying the flavor. While the Acara ambled around for a little, May soon zipped right up to his side, also eating at a large bowl of stir fried noodles. The sudden sound of the Xweetok slurping her food made Lucky jump a little bit, making him turn to her. "Woah! Don't sneak up on me like that," The Acara exclaimed.

"Shorry!" May replied with a mouth full of food, quickly swallowing her current portion. "So where do ya wanna sit, Lucky?"

"Uhhh, not sure," He answered, still looking at the dining area. While it was very big, as expected, all of the tables were already filled up with other students. Even though Lucky was above average with his height, he still had trouble finding any seating. "Maybe there's a second area? I can't find any empty tables."

At this statement, May scoffed playfully and shook her head. "Empty tables? C'mon, Lucky, it wouldn't kill ya to make some friends. C'mon, I see a couple of empty seats right over there!" She said, hurrying off to a nearby table. Before the Acara could say anything, May had already sat herself right down, setting her bowl of noodles and looking over at Lucky expectantly. Looking over the other Neopians at the table, Lucky's enthusiasm did not seem to go up. He didn't tend to do too well around new people. Heck, he was still kind of iffy about May!

One of the other Neopains was a Kyrii, who certainly came from Mystery Island, due to the bone necklace that he was wearing and his long green hair. He also had a single tooth ear ring, and had gold bracelets on. Other than a simple, yet long, grass skirt, he was not wearing anything else. The Kyrii had pinned the buttons on the skirt hem, since he had no shirt to afix them on. He paid little attention to anyone else at the table and instead took to prodding and stabbing at a bowl of... what was hopefully food. He knew that those from Mystery Island tended to be quite odd, so he tried not to judge it too much. Still, a bowl of what looked like oily slop just didn't seem very appetizing to Lucky.

Sitting across from the Kyrii was an Aisha, who's background was very obviously Darigan, with dark purple skin and black spikes menacing their back. Their hair was short, neat, and black (obviously), and their red eyes seemed to look at May for a few seconds before returning to their meal. The Darigan Aisha was eating a salad with steak on it, though judging from the amount of blood that pooled around it, the meat looked far too undercooked for Lucky's taste. The Aisha looked incredibly androgynous at a distance, due to the fact that they weren't speaking either. Not only that, but they wore some important looking, yet large robes with a large hood (currently kept down), the lapel of the robes pinned with the same GNU button that Lucky and May acquired earlier. The dark colors of the Darigan Citadel made up the second button.

Finally, the third stranger at the table would be a blue Moehog, with a long orange mullet. Upon closer glance, it was obvious that he came from Tyrannia, due to his larger-than-average tusks. Much like the Kyrii, the Tyrannian wore very little 'modern' clothes, and instead opted for a standard speckled pelt. He also had a ring made of bone pierced into it's snout. The Moehog looked like it was the strongest, physically, as his arms were incredibly muscular, and some pecs were visible as well. He also took no notice to any of the others, as he instead opted to messily eat away at a piece of raw meat with one hand, holding a large Juppie berry in the other, snorting all the while.

None of these strangers really seemed too friendly, in Lucky's opinion, and he would've rather just sat by himself than sit with such imposing figures. However, May's giant, sparkling eyes showed absolutely no fear and kept staring intently, yet patiently, at the Acara. With a quiet, rejected sigh, Lucky slumped his shoulders a bit and stepped forwards. He shifted into his seat as silently as he could, eating his food and keeping to himself.

Of course, May took this as a cue to start up conversation with the others, much to Lucky's chagrin. "Heya! Nice to meet ya all!" She began eagerly. Lucky's ears folded down a bit as the Kyrii and the Aisha turned their gaze towards them. The Moehog, however, paid no mind and kept eating his meal. After a few seconds of awkward silence, the Xweetok took it upon herself to continue her greeting. "My name is May: Illusen's finest disciple! And this here is Lucky! He's here all the way from Neopia Central!" She said, wasting no time in introducing the shy Acara.

Being put on the spot, Lucky looked between the other two Neopians, who now turned their gaze to him curiously. He could feel his face burn a shade of red, due to the fact he hated being brought to attention, especially unexpectedly. Wanting to not be incredibly awkward, he lifted a hand up gently and gave it a little wave.

A derisive scoff was soon heard from Lucky's left, which came from the Aisha, who had crossed their arms in an important manner. "Neopia Central? What'd you do that was so important to get in? Run the most successful lemonade stand around? Maybe even have the biggest stamp collection?" The Aisha joked. Her voice was clearly feminine, yet also rough and very thick with a Darigan accent. May looked quite taken aback with the Aisha's blatant rudeness, balking at the statement. Meanwhile, Lucky buried his face into his food, taking another bite.

Just as he was starting to wish he was invisible, another voice piped up across from the three. "It's awfully impolite to not finish a greeting, dontcha know?" The Kyrii asked, glaring and raising an eyebrow to the Aisha. His voice was smooth, yet high pitched, and also matched his place of origin. After another small scoff and a roll of her eyes, the Aisha remained silent. This gave the Mystery Island native the time to turn to May and Lucky, shrugging his shoulders. "Sorry, about that. Guess she's not used to niceness where she's from," He stated, taking a jab at the Darigan girl. "My name is Enele, an apprentice mystic," He began.

"Oooh, a mystic? So, like, you can tell the future and stuff?" May asked curiously.

Enele laughed a bit and waved a hand. "Kind of. I have predicted events in the past, and even helped the island prepare for a mudslide. I think that is the reason why I was invited to this school. Much much larger than the school we have on the Island, that is for sure," He added with a chuckle.

"That's even less impressive than what I thought," The Aisha laughed, earning another glare from Enele.

"And what makes you so important, eh?" He asked suspiciously.

Leaning back in her chair, the Aisha got a proud look and grinned. "I'm one of Lord Darigan's personal assistant. Name's Val, and Lord Darigan personally made sure I got in. After all, I am the one that kept him from being poisoned by a mole," She added on in a prideful manner.

This made the others curious, as they looked to each other and then back at Val. "Wow, a mole? Did it turn out to be another assistant? Or a guard? Or the butler? It was probably the butler, wasn't it?" May rambled aloud.

Val answered with a shrug. "Didn't matter. Took care of 'im the moment I saw him slip the dust into my Lord's goblet. Never saw me comin'," She snickered evilly.

For the first time, Lucky managed to gather up enough words to ask a question. "Is that what you normally do?"

"More or less," Val replied to the Acara. "Guess you could say I'm a bit of a spy of sorts. I go around the Citadel and listen on troublemakers and thieves. I make sure I stop 'em from seeing through their misdeeds and... 'take care of 'em'," She added on carefully.

"So that means you..?" Lucky trailed off cautiously, wondering if 'taking care' of someone meant what he thought. In no time, she unsheathed a dagger from a hidden pocket, picking at her fingernails with it casually.

"What do you think?" Val asked with a bit of a sneer. This quickly shut up Lucky, with him and May keeping a close eye on the dagger. "Just mind yer P's and Q's and nothin' will happen."

As May nodded meekly, the Kyrii huffed. "Put that away, Darigan. You have no need for that," Enele warned, pointing a fork in her direction.

"And are you gonna make me?" She threatened, pointing the dagger in his direction. Before the Kyrii could respond, however, a new voice at the table made itself known, beginning with a loud snort.

"Alright, you two, let's just relax a bit," The Moehog said, speaking in a surprisingly elegant, articulate voice, sitting up enough to keep Val and Enele from fighting. "No one's here to cause any trouble," He continued calmly, sitting in his seat and taking another few bites of his raw meat.

Wanting to also keep any fights from occurring, May spoke up and nodded. "Yeah, we're all friends here!" She said, which elicited another scoff from Val. "So what's your story, stranger?" She asked the Moehog, who peeked up from eating and began to speak again.

"I'm Krugg. Used to be a weightlifter back in Tyrannia. Damn good one, too," He said with a bit of a snort. "However, I soon decided I'd rather tell stories. Taught myself Common Neopian just so I could tell stories to more than just Tyrannians. After all, speaking only Ugga would put a few others off," He said with a laugh. "From myths to heroes, villains, fables, all of those types of stories, I'd tell numerous others lots of enjoyable stories. Guess they invited me here because I'm so well spoken? Who knows," He concluded thoughtfully. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance!"

"Likewise, Krugg!" May responded eagerly. "You'll definitely have to regale us in a tale sometime!"

"Of course!" He began enthusiastically, rubbing his chin. "Hmm... I've been cooking up one story about this vampire Chia-"

"Another time perhaps, eh?" Enele offered with a sheepish smile. "We don't have much time for a story right this moment."

"Besides, we still don't know anything about Lucky over 'ere," Val said, pointing in the Acara's direction. Upon hearing his name, Lucky peered up sheepishly, polishing off his pita as four pairs of eyes were currently fixated on him. "So c'mon, for real. Did ya own the most successful shop and make a shitload of money?"

"Uh... well, no," Lucky replied after finishing off his lunch. "I worked as the apprentice to someone else."

"Ugh, lame," Val replied, rolling her eyes.

"Were you a hero of any sort, perhaps?" Krugg. "Even the smallest bit of action gets the attention of the school, I've heard."

"Maybe he's keeping a few secrets up his sleeve, eh?" Enele offered, flashing a knowing smirk. "Blackmail someone, perhaps?"

"Coulda bought an invite, too..." Val said aloud.

"N-no, nothing like that at all!" Lucky insisted, his eyes wide as he accused of dirty tricks. "I swear, I just woke up one day and found the letter delivered to me," He explained, feeling quite nervous at this point. The last thing he wanted was to be treated like a criminal on the first day. He knew how rumors worked...

Fortunately for him, May seemed to come to his aid, her usual cheery tone trying to put a positive spin on the situation. "Well, whatever it was, it must have been important! They don't just choose anyone, after all. Maybe they just see something in ya!" The Xweetok offered , smiling gently and placing a hand on his shoulder. While not usually one to like being touched, Lucky didn't seem to pull away from the comforting act.

"Well... I appreciate it, May," Lucky responded, giving a small smile to her. "I'm just as confused as everyone else, though. If I knew the reason I was here, I'd definitely say so."

"Hey, it's alright! I was just pullin' your leg," the Kyrii replied, chuckling a bit. "I wouldn't know what to say in your position either."

"What matters most is that we're all here now," Krugg added, snorting with an important tone. "So we might as well see it through!"

"Yup yup! Friends help friends, so that's what we're gonna do, right?" May asked.

"Better than being alone, that's for sure," Lucky responded with a small laugh of his own.

"Certainly works for me, eh?" Enele added on, with Krugg nodding in agreement. This time, it was Val's turn to receive everyone's gaze, as she merely sat there in silence. Her arms hadn't uncrossed the entire time she had been sitting there,. She looked quite perturbed, yet also visible confused. After a few seconds of awkward, expectant silence, she finally sighed.

"Ah... could be worse Neopians to be with, I suppose... why not, I'll humor you all, yeah?" She responded, doing her best to hide a self-important grin on her face. "Just don't make me regret it, alright?" She snapped suddenly.

"Awesome!" May sang, quickly leaning over to hug the Aisha tightly, due to excitement. From the displeased look that flashed upon Val's face, it was safe to say that she did not enjoy the sudden hug.

"Gaaah!" She exclaimed, trying to pry the hyperactive Xweetok off. The three guys laughed at the sight, quickly finding good company in each other. As Lucky took a sip of his water, he felt a lot more at home, especially with new friends. It was still quite odd to him, of course, as just a few minutes ago, they were all strangers, sitting at a table and not talking to each other. If anything, he had May to thank for this, as she was the one who got everyone talking.

Of course, with how tight she was holding onto Val, he didn't want to thank her too soon. He didn't feel like getting squeezed to death right now.

_____________________________________________

It wasn't long before the group finished up lunch, as well as a bunch of other students. Now was the time to sign up for some classes, which took place in the middle of the courtyard. The GNU's courtyard, as expected, was extremely well kept, with all of the shrubbery cut to look like historical figures. Lots of very color flowers were planted in beautiful patterns all over the place, with various Petpetpets buzzing and flying around them happily. Perhaps the most noticeable art piece, however, was a large stone statue, depicting the symbol of the Grand Neopian University: a large open book with Neopia resting in the middle of it.

"Wow!" May exclaimed upon seeing the gorgeous courtyard. "They must've taken forever to make it look this pretty!"

"I hear they let some of the students take part in groundskeeping and gardening for the school," Krugg informed, which made the Xweetok beam from ear to ear.

"Oooh, I definitely wanna sign up for that program!"

"Don't sign up for too much. Otherwise, you'll have no time in the day for yourself," Lucky advised, heading with the group towards a large cluster of desks, each one of them formed by a large line.

"Well this is gonna take awhile," Val sighed, getting in one of the numerous lines.

"Aw, don't be like that. The lines seem to be moving quickly," Enele pointed out. Indeed, it didn't seem like the staff was taking too much time. For the most part, from what Lucky saw, they would pull out a sheet of paper, talk to the Neopian for a few minutes, write some stuff down, and hand it over to them.

The group of newly acquainted friends still had to wait in the lines for a good while, trying their best to keep small talk going. With stomachs full of food, they would've preferred to hurry up and get their new schedules so that they could take a nice long nap.

After what seemed like a half hour or so, the group managed to be called forward one at a time, talking to professors about what they would want to take. Lucky, naturally, was seperated from the others by an older Wocky professor, who eyed him over through his thick glasses. Even through the professor's large beard and mustache, he could tell that no smile graced his face. Not out of anger, just out of disinterest. Apparently, the Wocky was quite tired as well.

"Let's see... Lucky, yes?" He began, not waiting for an answer before returning to his paperwork. "Says here you're a freshman, so you'll have the mandatory class of 'Neopian History', along with the other freshmen, which will start at 9 am on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Anything after that is entirely up to you. Hmm... Neopia Central, huh? Perhaps a business related class would interest you?" He droned to the Acara, raising a big, bushy eyebrow.

Despite the obvious stereotype of him being a shopkeeper, Lucky did have a legitimate interest in economy. With a nod, he responded, "Uh, sure thing. Perhaps economy or something?" Wordlessly, the Wocky professor nodded in return, quickly scribbling the class times on the paper.

"Economics 101, Mondays and Tuesdays at 12... any other hobbies or interests?" He asked in a bored tone.

Knowing that 'games' was hardly a proper answer for this type of question, Lucky decided to think a little bit harder on it. "Uh...well, I like music..?" He said, feeling unsure of himself.

Instead of writing anything, the professor raised his eyebrow again. "What instrument can you play?" Lucky remained quiet for a few too many seconds, not sure of how to phrase 'I don't know how to play anything'. With a sigh and a small shake of his head, he wrote something on the bottom of the schedule. "I'll refer you to Doctor Finklebaum. She tends to be in her office in the evening from five to six in the afternoon. Maybe she can help you with that," He explained, writing her room and office number on it. "I do assume you have a Neophone, yes?"

Finally, a question Lucky could answer properly! "Yeah, I do. It's a little outdated, will that matter?" The Acara answered, holding up a simple, black phone. It definitely had some wear to it, but was still ultimately in one piece. Hell, the screen wasn't even cracked.

"So long as it can make calls and keep a connection, you'll be fine," The Wocky replied. He paused a moment, looking over the Acara with a more focused stare. Despite Lucky's obvious discomfort, the professor took his time before speaking up. "Say, lad, is that a real water faerie token around your neck?" He asked, showing interest for the first time in a few hours.

"Oh, this?" Lucky asked, holding it up to look over it himself. He nearly forgot that he was still wearing it. "Unfortunately, no. At least, I don't think so," He answered, scratching his head. "I got it as a gift one year."

"A gift, hm?" The professor hummed, a little bit more interest starting to show on his wrinkled, whiskered face.

"N-not from a faerie, of course. Just from my old boss," Lucky added on awkwardly.

The Wocky man stared a little while longer at the charm before returning his attention to the schedule, writing down another few classes and times. "...still, it seems like you have an interest in this sort of subject, so I've got you down for magic classes. Tuesdays and Thursdays at one in the afternoon," He rambled. Lucky smiled a little bit more, nodding in response. Magic was cool, and learning how to harness it would be nice. He just hoped he'd be good at it.

"Great! Thank you!" He said, looking over the paper. "Uh, may I ask what the other class is?" He asked skeptically.

"Our magic classes are conjoined with battle classes, so naturally I signed you up for both. After all, what good is learning magic if you don't know how to properly apply it?" The professor asked in a rhetorical manner. "These classes start at one in the afternoon on Wednesdays and Fridays," He concluded. Lucky's stomach sank a bit, his excitement dwindling. If there's one thing Lucky knew he wasn't going to be good at, it was fighting. A skinny twig like him would be utterly useless in an arena!

"I-I see..." He said with an unsure tone.

"You'll be fine, lad. After all, you look like you got a good head on your shoulder. Fighting isn't just about brawn, y'know," The Wocky replied, writing a few more things down on the paper before signing it. From the looks of it, he was referring to another sheet of paper to help come up with the book list. Each class was associated with one or two books, which would need to be purchased. "Alrighty, here you go, lad. Classes begin tomorrow, so get any last minute supplies before then."

"Thank you, sir," Lucky stated, scanning over the list quickly. His brow furrowed a bit as he read over the book list. He figured that however much it costed would be a lot more than what Lucky had in his pockets currently. "Uh, quick question, sir... what if I don't have the funds to buy all that I need?"

At this, the professor sighed, waving him off. "Lad, I'm sure you'll figure that out on your own. Now please move along, there's still more students who are waiting for their schedules," He sighed in a tired tone.

"R-right! Sorry about that, thanks again," Lucky replied hurriedly, quickly rushing out of line. Once out of the way, he kept scanning over everything, his nerves feeling a bit overwhelmed again. What if he didn't understand any of the subject matter? What if he was unable to attend a class? What if he ran out of money the first week of school?

While his anxieties bounced around his head, he was met with the familiar voice of his roommate. "Hey again! Finally get your classes sorted out?" She asked innocently.

"Eh... more or less?" Lucky responded, scratching his head once again.

"Works for me! The others went on ahead to the Book Store, so we should probably head over there," She said, walking alongside the Acara. "We can talk about our classes on the way there!"

"Sure thing," He responded, sighing gently to himself. "Well, she's helped me make friends, so hopefully she'll help keep my mind off of my worries," He thought, adjusting his glasses. At the very least, he knew he had a couple thousand NP to spend on supplies. With a new set of friends, he knew he wasn't going to be lonely, either, so thankfully he was off to a good start.

He just hoped it would continue as such.

[lady-plantagenet]

Unsolicited Book Reviews (n2): Death be Pardoner to Me

Rating:

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Even before I had an account, I tended to go to tumblr to see people’s opinions before buying a histfic. Certain books are either severely underrepresented, where I feel like there needs to be something on them, whereas others, though talked about enough, something more can still be said about them. So for my quarantine fun, I have decided to start a series where I review every medieval historical fiction novel I read. Hopefully, it will either start interesting discussions or at least be some help for those browsing its tag when considering purchasing it.

TL;DR: Since the author claims this book is written through her channelling of George Duke of Clarence, I don’t know if I should approach this as a historical fiction review or otherwise. Regardless, well-written and very balanced. The voice throughout was similar to how I pictured the real George of Clarence. Nevertheless, I deduct one star because I have noticed some innacuracies. Whether this discounts the veracity of the author’s claim - I leave it up to you. Despite how dodgy this book may appear, it has gotten very good reviews online and I do assure you it is not trashy or melodramatic at all; it is high quality compared to most modern histfic and other genre fictions in its prose and psychological insight.

Plot: So what essentially happens is, we get a fictionalist account (albeit a very short one) of George’s life. The book’s chapters are split between 1st person (where he (George) intimates what he felt and what thought during an event) and 3rd person limited POV. The author claims that the entire book is told in his own words but I suppose the background descriptions and such in the 3rd person chapters were her own words. We get basically every major event in his life (birth, childhood, marriage, rebellion and death) and some in-between. The in-between moments were by far my favourites as they are what added depth to what is essentially this character analysis (because we all know what he did, we are now interested in why). I was happy to see a lot of little details in this book were confirmed by my research (Caxton dedicating him a book, his penchant for fine clothing, his suffering of headaches (maybe after suffering the recorded head injury at Barnet) etc), his gift for legal arguments (I obviously squealed when I found that out) so I did end up learning something.

On the other hand, I would have wanted an account of the time he spend with Louis XI, Margaret of Anjou, Anne Neville and Jasper Tudor and what he thought and said. I would have also wanted more insight into the whole Burdett and Stacey debacle, not to mention his relationship with Sir Roger Tocotes: the old friend who though was apparently part of the whole poisoning Isabel scheme, Clarence could not bring himself to execute. Warwick surprisingly doesn’t feature very heavily either, nor does Isabel enough. But I’ll take what I can get when it comes to his particular historical figure.

Characterisation/ Historical Accuracy: As I’ve said, since the author claims to be a medium (I shall not comment on this as I myself am undecided on where I stand) any incongruency cannot be taken as merely artistic licence. So, the voice of George (which I suppose has been transcribed into our contemporary speech so we can understand what he says) feels very true to the character. His attitude towards things definitely sounds like a man from the 15th century. He is more reasonable now, than he would be if he were telling us his story during the action itself, because a lot of the book is told through the spirits (?) hindsight. Nevertheless, you do feel as if you were with the character while everything unfolded. The portrayal is more sympathetic than in other novels, nevertheless, he is no Gary Stu or major victim. He is portrayed as someone with genuine principles, intelligence, capable of some love towards other while also being deluded by his own self-importance, sometimes irrational and judgmental. So more or less a real and complex person.

On the other hand, some claims in this novel are quite bold but though unsubstantiated are not strictly speaking innacurate (I won’t spoil here, but if anyone has zero plans of reading this book but regardless wants to know what I mean PM me). One thing that made me deduct one star was this one blatant innacuracy: Ankarette Twynyho’s portrayal as a young woman, when we know that by the time she reached Clarence’s household she had a grandson (John Twynyho who petitioned Edward IV for a posthumous parson). There was also the implausible suggestion that George would not allow for in his household to be said that Richard of Gloucester married Anne Neville for her money (which though spirit George may in retrospect believe he loved her, 15th century George would at worst have been the one starting those rumours and at best, would not have cared). However, the latter unlike the former isn’t disprovable beyond doubt - but still I can somehow feel the Richardianism from the author seep in a bit. It actually has quite blatantly in a couple of instances. For example the suggestion that Richard visited him in the Tower (which I am 90% sure could not have happened). I do believe George and Richard loved each other in some weird twisted way since they were raised together and brothers, but I genuinely don’t believe it was so conscious on either’s part. Also, Isabel Neville was described as very ill from the birth of Richard of Clarence, but as we all know she was actually really well after the birth, she did not die of childbed fever. This is precisely why Clarence thought poisoning could have taken place. Isabel and George’s relationship as a whole was rather sad, and a part of me hopes this is all a hoax just so I can hope they were happier together in real life.

Prose: You may be surprised to know that the prose is actually still better than the vast majority of historical fiction novels. It flows well throughout, the dialogue is engaging and realistic, the descriptions of places and things (what in my opinion is essential for a period novel) is really well done but not too embellished. Certain scenes seriously gave me the feels (happens rarely), but then again it is hard to know if my reaction is more to do with the draw I have towards George in general than the author’s craft - regardless, I still think it is better literary wise than anything Weir or most popular histfics ever wrote, though obviously does not hold a candle to Jarman, Lytton-Bulwer or Scott. But then again, this was not even intended to be a novel in the classical sense. This is where half of the stars come from whereas the others come from insightfulness (as it did give me some avenues of research). There is also a semi-mystical theme throughout (as you would expect from a medium) but it is very subtle and not at all TWQ-esque, an honestly - it is plausible as we do need to keep in mind that medieval people did all believe in Angels, spirits and such. I think this added a nice flavour in some scenes.

Overall, this novel believable or not was much-needed. Too much is written about Richard III and the others. When a mutual told me of it I obvs could not resist haha. Since it was so short (around 200 pages with fairly large font) I think I might go ahead and purchase her Anthony Woodville one too (imagine my luck: two of my favourite historical figures got books).

[claudia1829things]

"BLEAK HOUSE" (2005) Review

"BLEAK HOUSE" (2005) Review Previously, I have confessed to not being much of a fan of Victorian novelist Charles Dickens. And if I must be brutally honest, that confession still stands. I have only seen at least five adaptations of his novels - two movies and three television miniseries. Out of the five productions, I tend to be more tolerable of the three television productions. And one of them is the 2005 miniseries, "BLEAK HOUSE", the third adaptation of Dickens' 1852-53 novel.

"BLEAK HOUSE" has several subplots . . . typical Dickens. But all of them are somehow connected to one plot that centers around a long-running legal case called Jarndyce v Jarndyce, which came about due to conflicting wills. One of the potential beneficiaries under the case is landowner named John Jarndyce, who is designated the legal guardian of two wards, Ada Clare and Richard Carstone, who are also potential beneficiaries. He also becomes the guardian of a third ward, an orphan named Esther Summerson, whom he hires as housekeeper for his estate and Ada's companion. Unbeknownst to everyone, Esther is the illegal daughter of a former Army officer and drug addict named Captain James Hawdon aka "Nemo", who makes his living as a copyist for law firms; and Lady Honoria Dedlock, the wife of baronet Sir Leicester Deadlock. As it turns out, Lady Deadlock is also a potential beneficiary of the Jarndyce and Jarndyce case. When she and Sir Leicester are informed of the court's decision regarding the three wards by the latter's solicitor, Mr. Tulkinghorn, Lady Deadlock visibly reacts to the handwriting on an affidavit. Mr. Tulkinghorn notices and sets out to investigate the identity of the affidavit's copyist, in the hopes of financially benefiting from Lady Deadlock's past. He also recruits the help of Lady Deadlock's maid Mademoiselle Hortense, his associate Mr. Clamb, a greedy moneylender named Mr. Smallweed and the unintentional assistance of a young man named Mr. Guppy, who works as a legal associate for John Jarndyce's solicitor, Mr. Kenge. I also enjoyed two other Dickens productions to a certain degree - the 1998 miniseries, "OUR MUTUAL FRIEND", and the 2008 miniseries, "LITTLE DORRIT". But if I must be honest, I found the narratives for both productions a bit hard to follow, due to the slightly chaotic nature of the source materials. "BLEAK HOUSE" turned out to be a different kettle of fish. Like the other two productions, it possessed a good number of subplots. In a way, it reminded me of "LITTLE DORRIT", as it focused on the mindless and useless confusion of the chancery. But what I really admiIt was probably due to all of the subplots' connections to the Jarndyce and Jarndyce case. Or it could be that Dickens had simply created a main narrative that I found easier to follow. Just about every subplot either connected directly or indirectly to the Jarndyce and Jarndyce case. A good example of a subplot that connected directly to the story's main theme would be Richard Carstone's blatant attempt to pursue a ruling on the case that would favor him and his fiancée/wife, Ada Clare, who also happened to be a potential beneficiary. And excellent example of the narrative's indirect connection to the Jarndyce case proved to be the subplot involving Lady Deadlock (another beneficiary), her illegitimate daughter Esther Summerson and her husband's solicitor, Mr. Tulkinghorn. In fact, this particular subplot proved to have the biggest impact upon Dickens' narrative. I thought it was certainly the most interesting. It also helped that the story's leading woman character, Esther Summerson, did not prove to be another one of Dickens' "angels in the house" types. Yes, Esther was a warm and decent woman whom most of the characters liked. But she was also a woman who remained traumatized by her status as an illegitimate child and the emotional abuse she had endured from a self-righteous and highly religious woman she believed to be her godmother, but who turned out to be her aunt. Because of her abusive past, Esther suffered from a lack of esteem. I must admit that I am only familiar with at least four Dickens novels. Because of this, Esther proved to be the first Dickens leading lady who was portrayed with such complexity. In regard to characterization, my only disappointment with "BLEAK HOUSE" proved to be the story's antagonists. As I had earlier pointed out, I am only familiar with four of Dickens' novels. For a man who had no problems with pointing out the evils of modern 19th century society, he seemed very reluctant in creating villains who are from the social elite. His villains are either lower or middle-class . . . or they are foreigners. The closet Dickens came to a well-born antagonist in "BLEAK HOUSE" was the selfish and amoral sponger Harold Skimpole. However, in compare to Sir Leicester Deadlock's middle-class solicitor, Mr. Tulkinghorn, and Lady Deadlock's French-born maid, Madame Hortense; Skimpole is, at best, a minor comic villain. I have few other complaints about "BLEAK HOUSE". One complaint I have about the production was Kieran McGuigan's cinematography. I had no problem with the production's exterior shots. Since the miniseries was shot in High Definition Television format, McGuigan's photography in the exterior shots captured all of the details of the set designs, props, the performers' costumes and make-up. However, I could barely see anything in those shots set at night time and especially many of the interior shots. There were times when I felt I was merely looking at a dark screen. And I must admit that I found some of McGuigan's camera angles rather disconcerting and there were times when I found it difficult to ascertain what was going on in a particular scene. Jason Krasucki and Paul Knight's editing did not help. Both men had utilized an editing method that I found irritating. Whenever the miniseries moved from one scene to another, the two film editors utilized a fast shift that I found unnecessary and tonally off-putting. Perhaps producer Stafford-Clark had hoped that the fast shifts between scenes and the odd camera angles would make "BLEAK HOUSE" look modern. Honestly, I found these aspects of the production tonally off and unnecessary. I have one last complaint. I never understood why Stafford-Clark and the BBC felt it was necessary to present the miniseries, with the exception of the first one, in half-hour episodes. Others had complained, as well. The response to this criticism was that Dickens' long and complex novel required the fifteen installments in which it was presented. But honestly . . . the BBC could have presented the miniseries in eight hour-long episodes. Why was that so hard to consider? Every time an episode ended after 27-to-30 minutes, I felt a sense of frustration. And there were times when I found myself trying to remember which episode out of the fifteen installments I had to choose to continue. Unfortunately, the BBC went on to utilize the same format for its 2008 miniseries, "LITTLE DORRIT". Aside from those complaints, I really did enjoy "BLEAK HOUSE". For me, the heart and soul of the production proved to the array of characters and the fabulous actors and actresses who portrayed them. "BLEAK HOUSE" featured first-rate performances from the likes of Timothy West, Alun Armstrong, Richard Harrington, John Lynch, Sheila Hancock, Tom Georgeson, Anne Reid, Richard Griffiths, Joanna David, Catherine Tate, Louise Brealey, Harry Eden and especially Ian Richardson, whom I found particularly entertaining as the kindly, yet witty Chancellor. I also enjoyed those performances from Warren Clarke, who gave a broadly entertaining performance as Mr. Boythorn, an old friend of John Jarndyce; Hugo Speer, the proud and struggling former Army sergeant and former friend/subordinate of Captain Hawdon; Pauline Collins, who struck me as particularly poignant in her role as the warm-hearted, yet long-suffering Miss Flite; Lilo Baur as the ambitious and vindictive foreign-born lady's maid, Madame Hortense; and especially Phil Davis, whose colorful portrayal of the mean-tempered and greedy moneylender, Mr. Smallweed, made evil look so entertaining with his caustic remarks and now famous catchphrase: "Shake me up, Judy! Shake me up!" Nathaniel Parker gave a particularly memorable performance as the manipulative, yet self-absorbed sponger, Harold Skimpole. A part of me remains amazed that John Jarndyce had regarded him as a friend for so long. Carey Mulligan gave a warm, yet interesting performance as one of Mr. Jarndyce's wards, Ada Clare. What made the actress's performance interesting to me was her ability to convey not only Ada's positive traits, but the character's unrelenting blindness to her love's flaws. Speaking of Ada's love, Patrick Kennedy was excellent as Mr. Jarndyce's other ward - the charming, yet undependable Richard Carstone. I must admit that Richard proved to be one a rather pathetic personality, who was always chasing a path toward quick riches, whether it was by jumping from one profession to another or putting all of his hopes on the Jarndyce v Jarndyce case. Burn Gorman was a hoot as the friendly, yet ambitious and clever law clerk, William Guppy, who became enamored of Esther Summerson and who figured out the connection between her and Lady Deadlock. As much as I liked him and Gorman's performance, I could not help but suspect that Guppy's idea of love was somewhat shallow In my personal opinion, there were four performances in "BLEAK HOUSE" that reigned supreme. Those four performances came from Anna Maxwell-Martin, Gillian Anderson, Denis Lawson and Charles Dance. Now, I would not regard the character of Josiah Tulkinghorn as subtle or even two-dimensional. But thanks to Charles Dance's subtle and malevolent portrayal, which earned him an Emmy nominatino, audiences were privy to Mr. Tulkinghorn's talent for manipulation and coercion. Denis Lawson earned an Emmy nomination for his portrayal of John Jarndyce, the kind-hearted landowner who took in Esther, Richard and Ada. Lawson did an excellent job in balancing Mr. Jarndyce's wise counseling of the three young people, willful blindness to Mr. Skimpole's machinations and subtle selfish desire for Esther's hand in marriage. Gillian Anderson earned both an Emmy and a British Academy Television Awards nominations for her portrayal of the story's femme fatale, so to speak - Lady Honoria Dedlock. The American-born Anderson did a superb job in conveying her character's complex and mysterious personality. Superficially, the Esther Summerson character seemed like another one of Dickens' "angels in the house". Thanks to the author's pen and Anna Maxwell-Martin's superb performance, Esther proved to be a warm, yet troubled young woman struggling to find a place for herself in the world and overcome her past trauma at the hands of an emotionally abusive guardian. Not only was Maxwell-Martin received a well-deserved nomination from the British Academy Television Awards, she also won. No movie or television production is perfect. I had some problem with the miniseries' editing, camera angles, and television format for "BLEAK HOUSE". But aside from these quibbles, I can honestly say that I truly enjoy this adaptation of Charles Dickens' 1852-53 novel. It is one of the few Dickens' stories that do not seemed marred by too many subplots that are unrelated. And I believe that screenwriter Andrew Davies, directors Justin Chadwick and Susanna White, along with a superb cast led by Anna Maxwell-Martin truly did justice to the novel.

[iamipsitamishra]

Evolution did not make us intelligent. It taught us to create new things that would make us less miserable.

I am no statistician nor have I co-authored any research paper. The reason for pointing out this naked truth is to warn you lovely readers to not take up seriously whatever I say. All the stats and metaphors used are decorative and backed completely by my own imagination. So let's look at reality. 

The 7.7 billion humans who are scattered around our massive blue planet have an undefined purpose behind pursuing all dreams and goals. ''We live because of the consequences and not for the experience we get by doing something.'' This blatant fact can be argued in favour of the brilliant premise which presents that the perspective we gain after going through a situation enhances our ability to learn more about the world and also reality is not as dramatic as we thought it would be.

Every time we get ourself occupied with a certain thing no matter the extent to which it enchants us with its beauty or annoyance alike, we are never satisfied with that much of it. People who argue they live for a certain experience would be very grumpy as soon as they have to die after that. Nobody wants to see just a part of something. Going beyond and exploring the unknown is what has brought us to an era where we would be fortunate enough to see and maybe even travel in flying cars. Aeroplanes were not enough that flying cars had to be made and that too electric ones!

My point is, whoever says experiences are what makes our life meaningful is ignorant about the reality that it does not change anything except for creating more avenues for changing times. Experiences could give us an adrenaline rush or teach us a lesson to carry forward, or even make us capable of doing extraordinary things, but everything happens because of the consequences we are subjected to. Situations merely present themselves as a ripe apple. It is the consequence of either eating it that fills our stomach or letting it rot that makes it worthless is what fuels the reality we fear the most.

You could say that consequences stems from our experiences, what we do or don't, or think as right or wrong ultimately prepares us for the next task at hand. Theoretically you could derive it, but practically experience is a static component to the equation of life that under controlled terms and conditions gives somewhat a similar outcome to all the participants who agree to contribute in this study.

To make things simpler consider this example. Let us suppose there is a group of enthusiasts who are adrenaline junkies and love to get new experiences. Each one of them wanted to go for bungee jumping on the mountains. After experiencing, each one had an elevated serotonin component, the hormone responsible to ensure our pleasure. Since everyone tried the same thing, was there anything different? Let's decode this using the premise stated above. 

Here, bungee jumping is experience and elevated serotonin or happiness is the outcome. Since the experience is similar for all the participants and the happiness outcome can be categorized in a specific range for all the participants, does it indicate the consequences that will lead all of them to the reality can be similarly predicted? It is not as you expect.

The consequences for each of the participant will be different even if they have had similar experiences. Why is it so? More importantly how can that happen? We made to sure to keep everything constant, even stabilized the outcome by constraining our participants who were only adrenaline junkies then how could the consequences be different for each one of them? That is because reality is trickier than April's fool day.

The dilemma can be answered through a simple principle. An experience can determine the possibility of the reality but only deciding on how to react on the predicted outcome would lead us to the truth which is nothing but a series of consequences to our decisions. In short, decision making leads to consequences that in turn shapes our reality. No matter how much we try to predict our future, our actions are variables that are determined only when we are subjected to a specific situation. As the God of physics has rightly said, every action has an equal and opposite reaction, our reality is subject to change depending upon how positively or negatively or even moderately we react to our experiences.

A person can positively react in the hypothetical example above and may go on to do many more bungee jumps. He may moderately react and be satisfied with one experience of bungee jumping or may look forward to one more in the future. Lastly he may negatively react by never wanting to do bungee jumping since he/she can finally cross it off from the wish list. So the consequences for all three participants will be different as they will be going different ways even when the outcome of all the three of them being happy is the same. Hence reality is always uncertain. 

There are so many fascinating things happening around us without our knowledge. It is only when we are brought to notice about these details do they surprise us. As rightly said, the devil is in the details and details are way more fascinating than how much we credit them.

[yukiwrites]

Corrin, Being Supportive

Thank you so much for the support as always, @xpegasusuniverse! And Happy birthdayyy! :D<

Summary: Xander and Ryoma found themselves in a hidden room inside Corrin’s quarters. In there, they found a very unsettling amount of information regarding their allies’ relationships with one another, which Corrin dubbed as ‘Support Board’

Commission info HERE and HERE!

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The Astral Realm.

No matter how grim the situation looked on the world outside; no matter how much time passed and how weary the soldiers were, the Astral Realm never changed.

After both hoshidan and nohrian army joined forces to fight alongside Corrin against their true enemy, the soldiers could feel the walls they had built around themselves fall one by one.

Be it inside the Astral Realm or during battle in Valla against their mysterious enemies, both armies mingled as one with Corrin standing at their center, eager to see everyone getting along.

It had been a most smooth transition, from decades-long enemies to fast friends in such a short amount of time. If one stopped to think about it, it would actually feel rather scary, but alas, there were more pressing matters to attend to. Like winning the war, for instance.

Enjoying the pleasant late afternoon climate, Crown Prince Xander of Nohr walked with decisive steps towards the Master's Quarters inside the AR, his frown deep as usual.

From a distance, High Prince Ryoma of Hoshido spotted his counterpart and, still not able to discern an actual annoyed frown from the usual frown, called out to him. "Prince Xander!" He called from afar, closing in their distance as the nohrian stopped on his tracks. "May I ask where are you going with such a fierce look in your eyes? Did the enemy infiltrate our base?"

"Why, Prince Ryoma," Xander blinked in almost surprise, his harsh expression not alleviating. "Forgive me if my perpetual frown has thrown you off -- I am merely taking a walk while enjoying the climate. I do not suppose you wish to join me?"

"A walk? Surely you jest, Prince Xander. Your steps were much too decisive to be simply walking aimlessly."

"Ah, I suppose you HAVE come to know me, after all." The Crown Prince flashed an almost smile, lifting his gaze to the large tree he had been making his way to. "I am actually heading to Corrin's quarters to retrieve something he borrowed but keeps forgetting to return."

Resuming their walk, Ryoma followed Xander closely. "Oh? Might I ask what it is?"

Xander shrugged slightly, keeping his eye on the path ahead. "It is merely a book, a very old one I have been meaning to read once more."

"A book... Very well." Not really believing what Xander was saying, but not finding any evidence to the contrary, Ryoma simply concurred as they made their way into the master's chambers, unabashedly opening the bedroom to start their search. "Could you enlighten me on its characteristics, Prince Xander? For example, the color of the cover..."

Looking through a bookcase, Xander went through all of the books stacked in there. "It is green."

"Very well..." Ryoma glanced at Xander's general direction before returning to his own search, near Corrin's desk.

A few minutes into the search and a green covered book was still nowhere to be seen until- "Oh, what do we have here..." Xander mused as he felt a draft coming from behind the bookcase.

Moving a specific book out of its way made the entire case whirr and emit crackling sounds, slowly moving out of the way to reveal a hidden chamber. "How fascinating." Xander said simply, stepping into the room with one hand over his chin.

Surprised, Ryoma jumped in behind Xander. "What's the meaning of this? A hidden room in Corrin's quarters? Did you know of this, Prince Xander-"

"I had an inkling, yes." The Crown Prince replied, looking at a very large cork board stapled at the wall facing the entrance to the small room.

Ryoma glanced at the board, then at the piles and piles of paper stacked over a secretary right beside it. "Is this perhaps the reason-"

"Nonsense, I truly am looking for the green book."

"... Right." Ryoma shifted his weight from one leg to the other. "Mayhap we should leave- this is betrayal of Corrin's trust."

"Betrayal? Such harsh words, Prince Ryoma. Unethical at best." Xander replied without so much glancing at the hoshidan, his eyes focused on the cork board and its contents.

There were... dozens of hand drawn portraits pinned onto it. Portraits of their most trusted allies from both hoshidan AND nohrian army alike. Upon closer inspection, they seemed to be divided precisely like that: hoshidans occupied one side of the board while nohrians governed the other, with a few neutral units amassing the middle: Azura, Jakob, Felicia, Kaze, Silas, Mozu as well as Corrin himself.

That wasn't the most impressive -- or rather, disturbing -- part of it, not by a long shot.

The portraits were connected to others by differently colored strings; hundreds of them. Red ones, green ones, blue ones, black ones... everything was meticulously organized, to the point of bringing a chill to both princes' bones.

"Wha-t... is the meaning of this?" Ryoma frowned deeply, feeling a primal urge to run away, his flight reflex blaring to take him out of there. His eyes fell upon the stacks of paper by the secretary while Xander examined the strings on the board.

He had always known Corrin to be a very... meticulous and prepared person. During their strategy lessons, Corrin would always take his time to prepare and position each unit after giving serious thought. It was no surprise that he would devise such an elaborate plan to unify their forces.

But, by the gods, the accuracy of it all was rather unsettling. Xander noticed right away the true correlation between the colored strings to the person's relationship with another's: His eyes had taken him to follow the red string connecting Silas and Hinoka, making him remember the day the knight and the hoshidan princess announced their engagement to everyone in camp.

The black line connecting Oboro and half of the nohrian soldiers made Xander nod in realization, as well. Black strings meant they were enemies, or at least people they wouldn't get along with. Red strings meant love... But how could Corrin have such an insight of people's hearts like that? Was he observing them all that intently?

"What about the green and blue ones..." Xander muttered to himself, using his index to help him navigate the cluster of strings. He could see that he, Leo, Camilla, Elise and Corrin himself were connected by green strings, so perhaps they meant familial bonds... "Or rather not," he mused as he saw the same green string connecting him to Ryoma. Perhaps it meant a budding trust, as opposed to the blue string... which he saw connecting his own portrait to Mozu, a girl from an abandoned village Xander had interacted once or twice.

Blue meant neutral ground, perhaps. Acquaintances, even.

"Prince Xander, you will not believe what is written in these documents." Ryoma broke the silence with a huff, his heart growing cold.

"Try me," the nohrian prince replied, focused on finding where the red string connected to his portrait led to.

The High Prince took a deep breath before reading the document aloud. "Day 254, I have come to the conclusion that I shouldn't have had paired Niles and Oboro to battle; they almost killed each other! Well, Oboro almost impaled Niles 'by accident', so I've decided to give up on seeing their bond grow further than this. She did get better while talking to Benny, though, so I might go back to see how she and Niles interact after her feelings cool down a bit. Day 255, onto Niles and Setsuna, then! I'm having very good vibes about these two, so I'm sure they can develop their bonds much faster and become closer than intended... Or perhaps, as close as I hoped! I hope their love blooms just like Subaki and Felicia's did, way back in Day 23... What a sight to behold!"

"What a cheery manner of speech," Xander commented, trying to ignore the blatant emotional manipulation going on with his little brother and their army, though it looked like not even Corrin realized how shrewd all of that sounded.

"This- this is...!" Ryoma almost dug a hole into the paper he held, his body shaking with rage. "Is he toying with us?!"

At that moment, the clatter of a door opening made both princes look over their shoulder to find the owner of the room gasping at the sight of them inside the hidden room.

"Oh! Whoops, I guess you two found out!" Corrin said with a carefree giggle, spots of red flushing his face. "I-"

"What's the meaning of this, Corrin? For how long have you been emotionally manipulating our family and allies like this?" Ryoma waved the paper in front of Corrin's face, making the dragon prince flinch.

"I must say I agree with Prince Ryoma here, Corrin. I did not think of you as someone to use such underhanded tactics-"

"Oh no, but that sounds so mean!" Corrin jumped to get the papers from Ryoma's hand, quickly organizing them back into their stack. "I just want to see everyone getting along, so I made a chart of sorts!"

Ryoma and Xander exchanged glances. "That is far from a mere chart, Corrin. It is a rather unsettling sight."

"Weh? B-but I took a long time to make it... See, I even color-coded the relationships-"

"I am aware of their meaning," Xander interrupted. "I still fail to understand how did you manage to gather so much personal information about our allies to the point of making such a... detailed report."

"I call it Support Board, thank you very much." Corrin pouted. "I just realized that our bonds usually grow stronger much faster whenever we're paired in battle! I mean, the thrills of such a life and death situation makes anyone drop their guard around someone who got them covered, right? And then they become fast friends! I just want people to get along so there won't be any more need of war..."

Ryoma scowled. "Our feelings do not matter, Corrin? By your logic, you are placing people from either side together to force a relationship-"

"H-huh? But I never forced anyone to go out of their way to buy rings and propose marriage, you know? I just found that they might get along well and see what happens... It ends up surprising me more often than not!"

By the sincerity in the dragon prince's words, Xander could see that despite the unsettling and somehow nauseating nature of the so-called Support Board, Corrin meant well. It still felt a bit, nay, largely disturbing, however.

Ryoma wasn't still convinced.

"I understand your reasoning, Little Prince-"

"Wait, I do not." Ryoma took a step forward. "This is no mere joke, Corrin. If the others found out about this, our entire army could collapse. We are building a fighting force based on mutual trust and confidence in YOU as our leader. To see that you are using this authority to set up 'friendly'," he made a disgusted sound, "interactions between the soldiers is manipulative at best, tyrannical at worst! You are looking deeply into the people's hearts and throwing them around to fit your whim."

Confused, Corrin looked up at his brothers. "I really think you're overreacting a bit, Ryoma. As you said, I may be using my authority to make people get along, but is that so bad? They're developing deeper bonds than they would have if I had left them alone! I'm just giving them the little push they need to interact and bridge the gaps between our nations through friendship and true love rather than, I dunno, forced marriages or something."

"True love?!" Ryoma hissed as Xander flickered his brow. "You are emotionally manipulating them- us!"

"Surely you cannot think we will find true love during battle because you have paired us with other people, do you, Corrin?" Xander crossed his arms, imposing. Corrin tilted his head to the side in confusion.

"But... aren't the two of you getting along reaaaally well with Charlotte," he pointed to Xander, then to Ryoma, "and Camilla? I only did the first push to make you interact, and now your feelings are doing the talking, are they not?"

Both princes widened their eyes, their memories with the aforementioned women flashing inside their minds.

It was true. Ryoma did feel attracted to Camilla's natural charms to the point of wanting to get to know her better to ultimately enjoy her company because of her personality instead. The same could be said for Xander's situation.

Frowning, the princes utterly despised to feel as though they were being used, but they couldn't deny that their hearts were truly doing the talking.

Was such behavior acceptable? Would they truly come to think of Corrin's Support Board as something that ultimately brings joy instead of creeping them out?

They started doubting their own feelings, not wanting to accept them simply because they found the idea of being pushed into the relationship unacceptable despite not ever feeling the push in the first place.

Corrin could almost hear the gears moving inside his brother's brains, smiling to himself due to another job well done. It wouldn't matter if they had found out about the Support Board.

They would follow along Corrin's directions... whether they wanted it or not.

"Heh," Corrin giggled darkly, enjoying the troubled expressions of his brothers. "Such fun."