#and there’s even foreshadowing! and predictions but you don’t feel it

[itspileofgoodthings]

it’s about the shift between meeting them and discovering their youth and their shyness and Romeo saying “I wish I was your bird” and Juliet saying “I can’t remember why I came back” (because she can’t handle looking in his eyes) and Romeo saying “I’ll just stay here forever looking at you until you remember it” and then suddenly remembering the gut punch of the prologue and the ending

[irisintheafterglow]

You Are In Love (Gojo Satoru x You)

summary: you can't stop dreaming about him, and your friends start to notice a change in your behavior. (2.4k words)

cw/tags: mild angst to comfort, friends to lovers, pining, idiots in love, profanity, elder sorcerers being assholes, pet names (doll, gorgeous, etc), uhh gojo loses his cool and blows up a building lol, kissing, one instance of foreshadowing manga spoilers but only if you squint

note: HELLOO GOJO NATION. ok so i'll be so honest with you, this stupid man was my #1 for so long and i think those feelings resurfaced so i got a little carried away with writing this (it's my longest fic so far, my bad). but yk something about gojo, hawks, and kuroo all being played by the voice actor just gets me. the prompt for this is from the AMAZING @creativepromptsforwriting and was supposed to be a drabble but turned into a full fic. anyways, hope you enjoy it!!

likes/reblogs/feedback are always appreciated!

“It’s too quiet. Can I tell you guys a joke I heard on TV?”

“Mmm, please don’t.”

“But it’s funny!”

“Satoru.”

“Ooh, using my first name. Something’s up with you.”

“Something is not up with me, weirdo.” 

“No, something is definitely off with you today.” You thought Suguru and Shoko had stopped listening, but they chimed in with evidence of your odd behavior.

“You said good morning differently,” Shoko added, casually taking a sip of her soda and peering at you over the rim. Her hair sways gently in the breeze outside of the convenience store you four had stopped at before heading back to Jujutsu Tech. You glare at her and open your mouth to defend yourself when Suguru adds his two cents. 

“You tripped up during that last mission that should have been a cakewalk,” which was true, but you thought your mistake had gone unnoticed. The truth was, the spirit had caught you off guard with a simple teleport trick. It warped behind you and unlatched its grotesque jaws to end your life faster than you could blink. You should have been able to predict the movement with your eyes closed, but you’d been too focused on making sure a certain white-haired sorcerer was alive after your group had been ambushed several hundred feet underground. Suguru had given you a curious look after one of his demons saved your ass, and you’d flipped him off hoping that would be the end of it. “And you also flipped me the bird instead of saying thank you,” he shrugged.

“You also finish your food the fastest out of all of us, and today you haven’t even taken three bites,” Shoko says, finishing her drink and standing to toss it in the trash bin. “Something’s going on with you, and I, for one, am incredibly curious as to why.” Satoru watches you with a smug glint in his eye, and it takes all your willpower not to strangle him. 

“As glad as I am to know that you all pay such great attention to my habits, I promise there’s nothing wrong.” The three of them stare at you skeptically but thankfully decided to drop the subject, instead pivoting to who’s most likely to go to jail first (it’s Gojo). 

After the late lunch, you begin the walk back to Jujutsu Tech as the sky transforms into faded shades of orange and pink. The vanishing sun casts shining reflections on the surrounding skyscrapers, bouncing off the windows of speeding cars and zooming trains. Satoru and Suguru walk ahead, playfully shoving each other and almost falling over doing so. 

“Alright, are you gonna tell me what’s going on now that Dumb and Dumber aren’t here?” Shoko asks as she falls into step with you. The sides of your mouth turn down, realizing that she didn’t forget about your conversation at lunch. It wasn’t that you didn’t want to tell your closest friends what was going on; you just didn’t know how to explain what you had dreamed about the previous night and the night before that, and all the nights the past two weeks. 

It began with a look he had given you after a meeting with some higher-ups in the sorcerer world. They had visited Jujutsu Tech unexpectedly, stating that they would be evaluating the skill levels of random students. Out of your group of friends, only you and Satoru had been pulled to be tested. Principal Yaga had instructed both of you before entering the room to give the evaluation your best effort and to not become indignant if they judged you poorly. 

The brass declared your evaluation to be first, and you poured all of your energy into showcasing the power of your Cursed Technique. You even managed to pull off a few strikes of extension techniques that you’d been perfecting for months. Though the entire performance lasted less than ten minutes, you were breathless and light-headed when the panel told you to stop. After bowing deeply, you moved to exit the room, desperate for fresh air, but they stopped you and began listing every single reason why your demonstration was unsatisfactory. Besides “inefficient technique, predictable attacks, weak offense, insufficient defense,” and a general lack of power compared to that of other sorcerers at your level, they informed you that your Cursed Technique was obsolete and would eventually render you useless as more innately talented sorcerers take your place. You were speechless at their blunt criticism of your effort, on the verge of breaking down, but you managed to nod in acknowledgment as you stepped out of the room.

But then you saw him sitting there, waiting on his phone and looking up at you with a bright smile as he stood to greet you. A confusing blend of disappointment, anger, sadness, and loneliness panged in your heart and spread to the rest of your body, and you rapidly tried to blink away the moisture welling up in your eyes while Satoru approached. He was halfway through a snarky remark about you blowing away their expectations when his smile dropped and his eyebrows furrowed with concern. Shit, he’d noticed you crying. 

“Hey, hey, hey, look at me. What the fuck did they do to you?” Dashing blue eyes found yours through the clouds in your vision, and his thumbs gently brushed away stray tears that escaped down your cheeks. 

“Do you think I’m weak, Satoru?” Your voice cracks when the words finally spill out, swallowing hard to push down the sobs threatening to break loose from your constricted lungs. Satoru freezes, eyes searching yours. He doesn’t answer your question immediately, but instead asks again. 

“Doll, what the fuck did they do.” You can’t get a reply out in time before his focus snaps up to behind you, and a second later you hear the door roll open, one of the officials commanding Satoru to enter for his evaluation. His large hands hold your face and turn you to look up at him, and you move unconsciously to cover his hands with yours. “Stay here for me, okay?” He glanced at the official waiting in the doorway, blue eyes dark with suppressed rage. “This won’t take long.”

His evaluation lasts two minutes and four seconds. At first, the room was silent and you couldn’t hear any demonstration of Satoru’s technique, almost as if the panel was having a conversation with him before they began. Then, at two minutes on the dot, the room was blown to splinters. The door, the ceiling, the porch, and all of the furniture inside were violently thrown outward in an explosion that made the ground beneath your feet tremble. Curiously, none of the debris had hit you, but you coughed through the dust and saw that the panel hadn’t been so lucky, all of them buried under shredded beams of wood and canvas. And, standing at the center of the room’s remains with a satisfied grin plastered on his beautiful face, was Satoru. He found his way over to where you stood in disbelief and took your hand in his, interweaving your fingers and guiding you away from the ruined building. 

You two walked hand-in-hand in silence back to your dorm, where he seemed reluctant to let go of your hand. Before he walked away, he finally answered your question from earlier. 

“I tell you this not just as your friend, but as another sorcerer. You are not weak. Your technique is special and something that those shithead elders haven’t seen in decades, and they don’t like what they don’t understand. I know the thought of leaving Jujutsu Tech crossed your pretty little mind, but you shouldn’t. People need you here, Shoko, Suguru, Mei Mei...” He hesitated, taking a shallow breath and reaching back for your hand. 

“Me,” he said, his voice low, and his voice got even softer until it was almost a breath. “I need you here.” As quickly as the fondness in his voice appeared, it disappeared. “And, plus, you definitely can’t leave us here with ol’ Yaga. What the hell am I gonna do if I can’t hide in your room while he’s trying to beat my ass?” 

You laugh, and the feeling makes you feel better. He makes you feel better. You smile back at him and finally bid him farewell, and he raises your hand to his lips as he says goodbye. 

After that, he’d appeared in your dreams for two weeks straight. The dreams started as a continuation of what would have happened if you didn’t just say goodbye to him, if you’d invited him into your dorm, or if you’d let him pull you into his. They transformed after the fourth day into what it would be like to love him and receive his love in return: stolen kisses, flirty whispers, and movie dates to name a few. All these dreams added up to the previous night’s nightmare, where a mission had gone bad and he’d been imprisoned with no hope of breaking him free. You’d startled awake covered in sweat, and barely fell back asleep before your alarm forced you to start the day. 

“It’s… hard to explain,” you reply apologetically, and Shoko looks at you with so much skepticism written on her face that you have to turn away and look in the other direction. 

“So something is bothering you.” 

“Yeah, there is. I’m sorry; it’s just really, really hard to verbalize.”

“Can I take a stab at what’s bothering you?”

“If you could actually stab it that’d be great, but sure. Knock yourself out.”

“It’s Satoru, isn’t it?” You stop mid-stride and her face lights up with amusement. “Holy shit, it’s Satoru. You like Gojo Satoru.”

“Jeez, Shoko, go ahead and say his name four hundred million times, why don’t you? But really, what tipped you off?”

“Ten seconds ago when you asked me to stab your problem, I figured it out,” she chuckles, bumping her shoulder against yours playfully. “If it’s any consolation, I’m 99% sure he’s felt that way about you for a while.”

“Really?”

“Yep.”

“How do you know?”

“Would you let me off the hook if I said it was hard to explain?”

“Har, har, very funny. Could you at least try?” 

“Mmm, I think it’s better if he explains it himself.” 

“You’re no help, Shoko.”

“Yes, and you love me anyway. But not as much as you love Sa–” You groan, covering your burning face in both hands and increasing the speed of your steps to escape your friend’s teasing chuckles. 

When you finally arrive at school, the stars have started rising and the moon hangs in the sky. You walk in the direction of the dorms when Shoko suddenly unlinks her elbow from yours, winking at you over your shoulder. 

“Suguru, can you help me move something from the gym real quick? I forgot a few things over there.” 

“Sure, but why do you need my help?” Shoko gives him a pointed look and realization quickly washes over his features. “Oh, OH. Okay, of course, sure.” Suguru turns on his heel awkwardly, briskly walking in the direction of the gym.

“Satoru, walk them back to their dorm. Don’t want anything happening to them after their little slip today,” she adds before heading in the other direction with Suguru, who tries and fails to communicate something to Satoru with a nod of his head. 

“Alright, pretty girl, you heard Shoko. C’mere and let me walk you home before she beats my ass.”

“I think you have too many people on this planet that want to beat your ass. And, for the record, I’m one of them.”

“It’s the price of being this gorgeous, gorgeous.” A soft laugh escapes your mouth, and you swear Satoru’s smile gets a little wider. The rest of the short walk to your dorm is just as easy and comfortable, Satoru making stupid comments and you replying with a quick remark over and over until you’re back in the same situation you’d been in two weeks ago. But, this time, you realized that Satoru was a lot closer to you, leaning back against your door with your hand touching the handle but not opening it. You both spend a few moments there, just looking at each other, and his mesmerizing eyes flicker to your mouth when you unconsciously lick your lips. He opens his mouth to say something smart, but you beat him to it. 

“If you’re gonna look down at my lips and say something stupid about it, you might as well do what I’ve been wanting you to do for ages.” 

“Oh? And what’s that, pretty girl?”

You sigh in mock disappointment and look up at him through your eyelashes. “If you don’t know what it is by now, then I guess… you don’t deserve to do it.” His pupils are blown wide with desire, and you resist the impulse to laugh. 

“God, you’re intoxicating,” he says, before pressing his lips to yours. Your eyes flutter shut and you melt into him, arms snaking around his neck while his hands find your waist and hold you up from your knees that have turned to jelly. The first kiss is gentle and experimental, but having the flirtiest asshole in the country chasing your lips as you briefly pull away gives you a newfound wave of confidence, pulling him closer and closer until his body is flush against yours. When you finally pull away from each other and catch your breath, he doesn’t go very far, resting his forehead against yours. 

“You know, I wanted to kill them. Those wrinkly assholes two weeks ago that had the gall to call you weak. And I would have, you know I would have, but you were outside… and you were crying… I just didn’t know what to do. I saw red, and, uh, then the building exploded.” You chuckle at his confession and he presses a kiss to the corner of your mouth, rubbing his nose against yours. 

“I had a dream about you. Well, a lot of dreams.”

“Yeah, me too.”

“Really?”

“Mhmm. Got a little nervous today when I heard you talk with Shoko about liking a boy, but it helps knowing now that the boy is me. And, hopefully, it will only ever be me.”

“You pretentious asshole.”

“You know it.”

“You’re a dork.”

“Yeah, but I’m your dork.” 

“I know you are.”

“And I’m never going anywhere.” He kisses your forehead sweetly, and it’s just like the dreams that had plagued you for weeks before. “Ever.”

if you enjoy my writing and would like to support me, you can buy me a coffee on my ko-fi! you can also check out my full masterlist here :)

[everyonehasamnesia]

One thing I love, love, love and adore about the Full Moon episode is that it delivers what the series has promised. Apologies if you were totally blindsided by the events of Full Moon, scroll past this post.

I don’t know anyone personally who was surprised by the way things went down. Disappointed, pained, writhing in agony? Yes. Shocked? No! And that’s a GOOD THING!

Too often in modern shows I feel the need to keep the audience guessing. Even shows that are neither mysteries nor thrillers and thus surprise shouldn’t seem to be one of their thematic aims are often throwing information at us too fast and too sparsely to really be understood, so that every development shocks and surprises.

Helluva Boss has brought back foreshadowing and understandable exposition. It rewards the audience for paying attention! If every development in your story shocks the audience, you have not done a good job telling the story! People should be able to link cause and effect well enough to predict the general direction a story is going!!

A show abandoning a clear plot point, character decision, or major choice because the audience figured it out ahead of time is my biggest pet peeve and I am pleased as punch that Helluva Boss set this episode up and knocked it down, one, two.

[d3pressed-caffiene-addict]

Hazbin Hotel Ep 5&6 Oh My God (Major Spoilers)

I am having so many thoughts, this is just a brain dump

-LUCIFER. He’s so pathetic I love him

-Jeremy Jordan you fucking legend. I’m a big fan of a lot of his work and was excited to see him in this but I was slightly unsure if he was the right casting since I expected Lucifer to be more of a high and mighty/snobby figure, but with the way they characterised him HE IS PERFECT.

-“TAKE THAT DEPRESSION”

-The Lucifer vs Alastor rivalry is beautiful

-“Ha ha, fuck you.”

-Father figure Alastor

-HIS EARS GO BACK LIKE A CAT WHEN HES ANGRY I CANT

-MIMZY’S ARRIVAL. I know most of us know the lore about her and Alastor being developed as a couple before it was scrapped but I really like how they are in the show

-Even if it’s just crumbs I’m so excited to be getting snippets of Alastor’s lore. It’s wild to keep going back and forth between “aw he actually cares for and protects his friends” and “oh my god he’s a fucking psycho”

-Speaking of that the scene with Husk holy shit. Poor man looked terrified

-The confirmation that Alastor’s also stuck working for someone, it has to be Lilith surely. I know some people will call it predictable because a lot of theories are coming true but personally I think it’s from good worldbuilding/foreshadowing

-ALASTOR IN FULL DEMON FORM JUST ANNIHILATING EVERYONE and then he just goes “Ah that was fun, now back to it”

-I kinda like the parallel between Al and Mimzy & Angel and Cherri where they invite their friends to join them if they want to, even if neither of them take it up initially maybe we’ll see them join the hotel in the future?

-BABY CHARLIE

-I really expected Lucifer to be a dickhead and a shitty dad, but he seems to be an overall better guy than most people in hell

-CHERRI BOMB ARRIVAL! And she’s Aussie now fuck yeah represent

-I still love her and Angel’s friendship even if she is a terrible influence. Everyone’s got that friend who’s solution to a bad day is just self-destruction but they mean well at least

-DARREN CHRIS TOO, THE MUSICAL THEATRE/BROADWAY ACTOR CASTING IS STACKED

-Emily is so sweet I love her

-The Molly cameo is so sweet, I was waiting for her to appear somewhere but lowkey forgot she was in heaven. Honestly though how did she get there when the rest of her and Angel’s family got condemned for what they did together? Maybe she left the mob or something idk I just hope we get to meet her properly at some point

-Heaven’s real fucked up? Yeah not shocked

-VAGGIE?? FALLEN ANGEL REVEAL?? AND SHE WAS AN EXTERMINATOR???? I know most of us called it but holy shit I didn’t expect it to be confirmed this soon

-Adam is such a dick but he’s so much fun

-I love that Charlie was gonna start her court presentation with definitions like a high school essay

-“Consent is a good name for a sex club” the gentleman Husk truthers gonna have fun with this one

-Pentious hitting on Cherri is hilarious and totally not the same level of subtlety I flirt with when I’m drunk

-Hearing more and more about how Val treats Angel is so sad especially with how casually he talks about it since it’s just another day for him

-Him parenting drunk Nifty is beautiful

-“You wanna play with the kitty?”

-Valentino is my #1 enemy

-Seeing Angel stand up to him to protect his friends is making me feel feelings. Like he knows that he’s gonna be treated even worse for it but I think he’s reaching his tipping point and shits gonna go down soon

-Also I know there’s a popular theory that he’s gonna die soon and a lot of the theories are coming true so I am scared. I kind of don’t think this one’ll happen though since he’s the fan favourite and its just too soon to take that much of a risk. Plus Vivsie’s admitted he’s the best written character and it’d be such a waste of all that development

-More sweet moments between him and Husk, they’ve gotten me so invested in this ship so fast

-The fact that most of heaven didn’t know about the extermination?? Wild

-Idk how I feel about the timeskip between Ep 4&5, they’re only a month away from the extermination now. Yes it’s making the stakes feel higher but I do wish we’d been able to see more of that time for the relationship development, all the characters seem much closer than before and we’ve only seen bits of how they got there

-I really wish they’d greenlit more than 8 episodes to pace things a little better but I’m glad we have season 2 confirmed

-That last minute ‘reveal Vaggie’s past to Charlie, boot them out of heaven and then cut to credits before she can react’ is gonna torture me until next week

-I don’t disagree with past criticism that Vivzie’s female characters can feel a bit underwritten but I think it’s getting better

-“We’re coming to the hotel first” plus all the theories that someone’s gonna die are fucking stressing me out man

Anyway hope you enjoy the brain dump, this show has once again consumed my thoughts

[novlr]

how would you go about creating an interesting middle of a story?

As a creative writer, you know that the beginning and end of your story are crucial for hooking readers and leaving them satisfied. But what about the middle?

The middle of your story is just as important, and it’s where many writers struggle to keep their readers engaged. Here are some tips for keeping the middle of your story interesting:

Introduce new conflicts

Just because you’ve introduced the main conflict at the beginning of your story doesn’t mean you can’t introduce new ones in the middle. Consider adding subplots or minor conflicts that your characters must overcome in addition to the main conflict. These new conflicts can help keep your readers on their toes and prevent the story from feeling predictable.

Develop your characters

The middle of your story is a great time to dive deeper into your characters‘ personalities, motivations, and relationships. Show how your characters are changing and growing as a result of the events in the story. Give your readers a reason to care about your characters by revealing their backstories, fears, and desires as the story progresses.

Raise the stakes

As your story progresses, the stakes should get higher and higher. Make sure that the consequences of failure are clear and that your characters have something significant to lose if they don’t succeed. This will help keep your readers invested in the story and rooting for your characters to overcome their challenges.

Foreshadow future events

Foreshadowing is a powerful tool that can help maintain reader interest and create anticipation for upcoming events. In the middle of your story, consider planting subtle hints or clues about what’s to come. This can be done through dialogue, description, or seemingly minor details that gain significance later on. Effective foreshadowing will keep your readers engaged and eager to uncover the mysteries of your story.

Use plot twists

A well-placed plot twist can be a great way to keep your readers engaged and surprised. Consider introducing a new piece of information or revealing a secret that changes the course of the story. Just be sure that your plot twists are believable and consistent with the rest of the story.

Vary the pacing

The middle of your story is a good time to vary the pacing and keep things interesting. Consider alternating between fast-paced action scenes and slower, more introspective moments. This will help prevent your story from feeling monotonous and keep your readers engaged.

Keep the end in mind

Even as you’re writing the middle of your story, it’s important to keep the end in mind. Make sure that everything you include in the middle is relevant to the overall story and helps to move the plot forward, even if it’s just character development or worldbuilding. This will help ensure that your story feels cohesive and satisfying when your readers reach the end.

[nothoughts-onlywomen]

proof that lumax is NOT bones

ok look, i know we’re all freaking out a bit right now (see here for context), but i feel i have tangible proof that lumax will have a satisfying ending come s5.

1. she was listening to his game

i don’t know if we fully acknowledge how meaningful this is. max doesn’t go to lucas’ game because there’s a big crowd and she’s very depressed. BUT she knew the game meant a lot to him. even earlier in the episode she was the one who explained the tournament to the boys. she doesn’t care for sports (except skateboarding obviously), but she cared for lucas enough to know what was going on. and she cared enough to listen to the game on the radio even after the fact.

2. her letters

tell me she didn’t write some sentimental shit to him in that letter. we have yet to see what was in it, but my guess is that whatever’s in it, max will get a chance to say some of those things aloud. like if she wrote “i love you” or something to that effect, it’ll show growth for her character to say it aloud to lucas. which brings me to…

3. the cemetery scene

the entire point of this scene was to show that lucas doesn’t only want the good parts of max. he wants ALL of her. even the sides of herself she views as ugly. and even as max is struggling to just TELL lucas how she feels, lucas is letting her know it’s okay. he just wants her to talk to him. all this is the crux of what i believe will be one aspect of max’s arc next season. learning to SAY how she feels. especially to lucas.

4. THIS moment

another reminder that LUCAS IS THE ONLY PERSON WHO MADE MAX SMILE OR LAUGH LAST SEASON. this is another aspect of the lumax arc that i think is important. lucas makes max FEEL things, which is why the whole thing terrifies her. one of max’s reckonings in s5 will be with her own feelings. and if she ends up permanently blind or disabled, those feelings might explode out.

5. “i see you now. i see you.”

apart from the cruel irony we’ll get if max ends up permanently blind, this again echoes the idea that lucas sees max for exactly who she is and loves her completely. even in her darkest moments.

6. rv scene

lucas is the impetus of max’s HAPPIEST MEMORY. i mean writers don’t do that shit on accident. her happiest memory is KISSING HIM. that won’t change overnight.

7. cute as shit notepads

they have mutually agreed to go on a date again. you think the duffers would leave us hanging on that? have they ever let us down before? mike told el in s1 they would go to the snowball, and they held onto that shit until the end of s2.

8. fuck vecna

here’s my prediction for the “going left” that caleb mentions. while i don’t think they’ll break up or not be together in the end, i do think that vecna will possess her and use it to physically attack lucas. like i get the feeling they’re going to pull a mockingjay on us. this scene foreshadows that. she’ll be clawing at him and he’ll just be holding her off looking devastated. cue waterworks

9. i don’t even want to talk about this scene

why would they have max die in lucas’ arms if we WEREN’T getting s5 lumax in some capacity? lucas’ trauma from that will have ripples in s5, leaving him vulnerable to vecna’s attacks. because he now has that something haunting him.

10. and finally…

ok COME ON. the duffers even posted a bts picture with this in it. combine that with the other bts we’ve gotten so far? i'm not worried.

max's arc in s5 will be about connection with her loved ones. namely, her finally being able to break through her own walls to tell them how she feels. and both her and lucas' arc in s4 will lead up to that eventual conclusion. which is why we're getting our damn endgame.

[fuckyeahaudiodrama]

☀️JUNE LISTENS☀️

i still don’t have a brain! ah!!!! but i do have ears for listening! i actually listened to a lot of stuff that i ended up not liking as much, last month, but i still have plenty to rec.

Remnants — (ep1-2 early access) a dark fantasy mystery anthology. hard to describe without giving anything away. i love everything by Hanging Sloth (creator of SBR, NQD and Clockwork Bird), so i knew that i was very likely to enjoy this regardless of the premise… but my god, absolutely surreal vibes. the sound design is breathtaking! feeling very grateful to be a HS patron right now. keep an eye out for this one coming 15th july! subscribe now and don’t miss it.

Mockery Manor — (3 seasons, 37 eps + miniseries, between seasons) a murder mystery set at a theme park with a comedic twist. i didn’t think this was going to be my thing and i was so wrong. the protags are twin sisters with plenty of baggage between them. their shenanigans and banter keep the tone light even when the plot takes dark turns. looking forward to s4!

Limelight: The Specialist — (5 eps, complete) self-described as a “dark medical thriller” set in rural wales. Limelight series are generally good but satisfying endings are hit or miss; this one was VERY well-paced, with a satisfying payoff, and gave me hope for a series 2 in future. i loved the execution of the gruesome mystery and i loved the protagonist to pieces.

Close Your Eyes — (1 season, 9 eps, s2 in production) having recently listened to RQ’s Neon Inkwell: The Pit Below Paradise, which also centers around cult dynamics, i found this to be a very fun contrast. here we see how someone can be immersed and isolated by a cult, regardless of their personal skepticism or strength of will. the suspense was so delicious i had to listen to all nine episodes in a row. ends on an incredible cliffhanger — can’t WAIT for season 2.

The Silt Verses — (44 eps, finale soon) a grim religious fantasy dystopia. some of the most intricate and fascinating worldbuilding i’ve ever seen. huge cast. i know that everyone in the AD space has rec’d this pod a hundred times over, but i can’t stress enough how it’s one of my very favorite stories in the medium. the penultimate ep left off on an absolutely deranged note and i have no idea what’s coming! so exciting, if you’ve been waiting to check this one out — now might be the time!

Dice Shame — (2 seasons, 200+ eps, ongoing) classic dnd actual play ft. Harlan Guthrie of Malevolent fame, and his equally charismatic friends and family. i don’t listen to a lot of APs bc i have trouble focusing on such long episodes but i just love the chemistry of this party. slapping it on the rec list bc the current storyline has me hooked!!

Bridgewater — (1 season, 22 eps, ???) supernatural mystery, notably starring Misha Collins as the protagonist. this one has a lot of complicated family dynamics read: mommy AND daddy issues. the length of the series is just enough to let you spawn several of your own theories, which is fun, and i was really pleased that i was able to predict the true conflict and identify the antagonist. excellent use of foreshadowing etc, biggest props to Lauren Shippen of The Bright Sessions fame.

Consumed — (12 episodes) small town horror/mystery through the eyes of a stranded newcomer. this one did NOT go where i expected it to, because i started it before i listened to Bridgewater; they’re set in the same universe, so the same worldbuilding applies. i would honestly recommend listening to this one FIRST because if you do listen to the end of Bridgewater, it will kind of spoil the twist in Consumed.

The Penumbra Podcast — (5 seasons, 2 storylines, both ending this summer) still barreling toward the finish line for both Second Citadel and Juno Steel. as a patron, i was notified of early release for the SC finale this morning, which i know is gonna wreck me. just wanted to feature this because i don’t see it recced as often anymore and that’s a fucking crime. one of my top AD recs for sure.

Red Valley — (While You Were Hypersleeping 3) three ep miniseries featuring our main best boy, warren, who has been notably absent from most of this season! so nice to hear from him and to get a glimpse of what might be coming in the next part of the season.

Observable Radio — (11 eps, ongoing) my favorite recent sci-fi/horror anthology by far, tied up in a terrifically dreadful meta narrative. afaik this is a limited series but i’m really savoring each and every episode; the most recent, “Earworm”, was one of my favorites. very dark and dystopian. mind the content warnings!

The Network Defenders — (ep1) the debut of a new Planet Arcana miniseries, featuring some new voices and a fresh new tarot-based system (crowdfunding this year!) has all of the appeal of PA in terms of prod. quality, vibes and emotional depth, just new mechanics. 2nd ep is out now so i’m hopping right on that as i post this!

Waterlogged — (ep1) a new indie horror that i’ve been waiting to drop for a while now, and i really enjoyed the soft-spoken eerie vibe of the pilot. there’s a couple more things in the feed now so i’ll have to go catch up.

[jacarandaaaas]

why waiting on a miracle is one of my favorite (and one of the most underrated) encanto songs:

So this song in my humble opinion is one of the most under appreciated songs from the movie so I’m here to give it some appreciation! (Also the irony of the song being about being ignored and overlooked and that’s exactly what happened)

So waiting on a miracle is the classic “disney I want song” but to me this song is so much more than that. One thing that sticks out to me immediately is the fact unlike most I want songs, mirabel isn’t singing about wanting more than she already has shes singing about something she lacks but SHOULD have already. From the title most people gathered that she wants a magical gift like the rest of her family and whilst that is true I find it profound that it’s not the magic for the sake of magic she wants. It’s the appreciation from her family. All she wants is to contribute and fit in and she feels the only way she can do that is if she gets a gift. It’s also important to note unlike most I want songs mirabel doesn’t get *exactly* what she wants at the end which she mentions is a miracle. She does however end up getting her ultimate goal which is the acceptance and she doesn’t need a miracle to do that. Also with the title being “waiting on a miracle” a miracle is rare it’s thought to be something almost impossible or not even real. So for mirabels I want song to be about this shows that even she herself is aware it’s literally an impossible ask but she’s just dreaming of the possibilities if she got something as rare as a miracle.

I also found the instrumental quite genius as some have already pointed out all the madrigal songs are in 4/4 time… except this one. Waiting on a miracle is in 3/4 time as yet another subtle way to show she’s out of place. as lin manuel himself said “she’s literally out of beat with the rest of her family” so thanks for that lin the song was already sad enough but you just had to do that👍

also congratulations to mirabel for being one of the few disney characters to actually say when they aren’t ok “I’m not fineeee” I know that seems minuscule but it’s so refreshing to hear a character actually express that they are feeling negative emotions and it’s ok to express that. Especially since bottling up emotions is so common nowadays it’s a good message for the next generation <3

also waiting on a miracle kinda sorta predicts the whole movie? “I would move the mountains, make new trees and flowers grow” “I would heal whats broken show this family something new” she ended up achieving all of that in the movie’ 1. The mountains split when the house was collapsing. 2. She helped isabela discover what else she could do thus making new trees and flowers grow. 3. She basically healed the entire family which is what was broken and she showed them all they are enough without gifts! So that’s just a nice little bit of foreshadowing.

Ok now back to the sad stuff! in the lyric “I would heal whats broken” turns out she’s not referring to the entire family but herself. She views herself as broken because she didn’t get a gift and she wants to fix herself 💔 another lyric to note is “cant keep down the unspoken invisible pain” a lot of people talk about how inconsiderate the madrigals are towards mirabel but the thing is they don’t realize how it effects her. We know she can put on a hell of an act (see family madrigal song) and she herself refers to her pain as “invisible” she’s hiding it from everyone so they don’t realize how badly she’s hurting because she puts on the whole optimistic act. So another way the movie demonstrates the communication issues within the family.

And how can I forget mirabel literally telling herself at the beginning “dont be upset or mad at all” she’s quite literally telling herself to not feel those things that she’s “totally fine” I also love the fact the music is in the tune of “the family madrigal” up until she says “I’m not fine” I just thought that was a cool detail!

I’ve seen people complain about “open your eyes” x3 because it doesn’t get any louder or higher it just stays the same. Well there’s actually a reason for that! the song is called waiting on a miracle, mirabel is stuck in that position. She’s stuck waiting. It’s also important to note that the visual of her begging to her abuela to “open her eyes” and not being noticed implies that she’s been trying for a long time to be noticed but she keeps being stuck.

Also shoutout to Stephanie beatriz for the amazing acting because I could FEEL the emotion and the passion. and yes I know it’s because she’s in labour but I also believe even if she wasn’t in labour the song would still sound emotional as stephanie is a really great actress! I believe in an interview she stated she wanted to perform this song like it’s the first time mirabel is expressing these feelings to herself. Basically yeah that’s true she had been lying to herself for a decade and finally she decides to admit to herself she’s not fine she’s not happy and she wants a change. The voice crack on “I’m not fine” is actually heartbreaking and this is the moment her facade breaks entirely, and I love the vocal cry she does on “longing to shine like all of you shine” it’s just these little vocal details that add so much to the song and make it so powerful

I’ve also seen people complaining this song isn’t “belty” enough but it’s just not that type of song! mirabel is stuck in her position and if you notice in a lot of Disney movies once it reaches the climax of the i want song the protagonist comes to a decision of sorts. Take “how far I’ll go for example” she decides she’s going to sail beyond the reef and the music climaxes, she also has the triumphant high note at the end. Waiting on a miracle unlike how far I’ll go is NOT a triumphant song. The music does climax but only to emphasize mirabels false hope as she’s saying all the things she would do.

with the high note I firmly believe that there’s only one significant high note at the end for a particular reason. Like I said above usually high notes in Disney songs symbolize achievement or a sense of strength found. Mirabels high note has the opposite effect. She’s quite literally begging for a miracle in desperation only to realize she’s wishing for a fantasy. “Am I too late for a miracle” is the line the song ends on and the visual is important here too. We see the fireworks fade away and mirabel is left standing alone in the dark because it was all in her mind. (Looking at you “mirabels gift is time stopping” theorists)

So yeah I find this song to be quite unique and raw for an I want song and I think the “vent” aspect of it is what makes me appreciate it even more. It’s not sugar coated. To quote stephanie beatriz herself: “real, human, imperfect, yearning to belong and hoping for something beyond what she sees in herself: an expression of hope and fear, all wrapped in teen angst.”

So uh go stream waiting on a miracle because it’s a great song 👍(also yes this rant is a mess I’m terrible at articulating my feelings on songs but it’s also just for fun I’m like not a professional lmao)

[dani-ya-dig]

“A long time ago, little bits of me and little bits of you and little bits of him, maybe we weren’t strangers. Maybe things weren’t so fucked up and messy, because, Jolene, I know you. Just like I know Alphonse just like he knows us, and that little piece of you that brought you here tonight, that feeling in your gut that told you to take this long walk home. You know me too. I don’t know if you’re a spiritual person, Hell I’m not, but when you know. You know.”

I cannot fucking describe to you how much I love this line. This may be one of my favorite lines in bittersweet, and it’s from when Seth was trying to be a big tough guy.

Like it’s really cool and even impressive to me that Yuuri so accurately foreshadowed themes for the rest of the series before bittersweet was even fully fleshed out.

Also it’s an idea that I’m just in love with outside of all the magic stuff in the yuuriverse. Just the idea of knowing someone, knowing their soul, even if you haven’t really known them. It’s just something I adore.

It also makes me think about the possibility for a little like AU that wasn’t so distant where Al, Seth, and Boo grew up together as kids and that shit is adorable.

But when I sit and think about that line from like the character’s stand point it makes me giggle so much. Because there are two routes you can take with it. a: Seth trying to be like intimidating to Boo being like “I know you” as if that would scare them. Which is really funny if that’s the case because how the fuck did he accurately predict that larger narrative of the story in second stand alone audio?? Or b: It was genuinely and Seth was going off on a genuine spiritual rant to a person he has just met who is dating his ex AND it also implies that Seth just inherently knew shit that no one else did?! Even Boo at the end of his rant was kind of like “what the fuck are you talking about”. It’s so funny to think about Seth accurately predicting the larger narrative of Bittersweet and Boo just looking at him like he’s fucking crazy.

Dude! And after that “dream” about Derek, I KNOW they were probably side-eyeing Seth because he said all of that shit when they first met???

I don’t know I just really love that part. Omg. It’s so good in every sense.

[yannaryartside]

MY S3 PREDICTIONS

quite simple

Seriously, my prediction is quite grim. I think this season, Carmy is going to be hearing the voice of his former boss in his head constantly while he tries to run the Bear like his restaurant in NYC and dive deep into depression because that is obviously going to destroy him.

I think Carmy is gonna start the season heartbroken and shit, then Richie (our man) will compel him to seek Claire because obviously Claire can fix him 🤮 Claire will come back because she has no self-respect and is an over giver who wants with an overtaker.

They are gonna date for a while and Carmy is gonna try to make it work and be happy.

Then, the trauma is gonna hit him hard, a manic episode or really bad depressive episode, maybe the pressure of the restaurant and critics (he hates that feeling). Still, because he is supposed to feel good (he has everything he has ever wanted, Claire, his brother's restaurant), he will not ask for help.

Springle here. Sydney may be dating Luca, and Carmy feels bad for having feelings for her or being jealous. His relationship with Claire never had a solid base, and he is starting to feel it. He doesn’t think he can talk to her about his depression. Also, considering Claire never advised Carmy on therapy when she witnessed his previous panic attacks, I am curious how she will manage being with him at his actual lowest.

And then, he is gonna have a dark moment. Maybe even setting the bear on fire (it was foreshadowed real hard) or even have a suicide attempt. Maybe is something people have to save him from.

And then, he is gonna think of Mickey, ask himself what his brother would tell him (there is a flashback episode with Mickey put it here).

Either way, Mickey, Sydney, something else, may want to make him see the light. Find the strength to fight back.

The rest I don’t know. I wonder if he is gonna cut people off through the season because he is back mentally at nyc suffering under his horrible boss (you should be dead”) and that is gonna hurt like shit. His friendship with Sydney may get closer, since she convinces herself that Carmy should be with Claire (Carmy said she was great, and so does everyone else). She may want to keep him as a mentor and partner, while Carmy realizes he wants more than that (hell yeah)

For Sydney, I want to see her being the leader that she is and finding her unique culinary voice. She should find a real mentor, propel herself (maybe in another restaurant to learn), and realize she can do this without Carmy. Give her a good love story and tell me the one that broke her heart. There should be a Syd-centered episode.

other things, not in order of importance:

I want Marcus to grieve and heal.

More about Luca's storyAngel and Sweeps more screentime.

I want the Bearzatto family to see Carmy's struggle/actual date preferences

Claire realizing how she chases men will hurt her.

I want our man Richie to become the greatest SydCarmy stan, but mostly Syd stan, because they may get close that season.

I think Richie may try to get Tiff back.

Also, justice for Nat, with Francine Fack and others. I want her to stand up to Donna.

Syd and Luca going on dates/sleeping together

Tina being like a mom to Syd

Nat and Syd being sisters to each other

Carmy meeting Emmanuel

Emmanuel being Carmy's and Richie's father figure

A little bit of Cicero mafia

Cicero a Syd stan

Nat's baby and Syd supporting her and encouraging her as a mother

Auntie Syd!

Syd and Donna meeting

[captainfantasticalright]

Hello!

How are you? Hope you're well ☺️ sorry for being a nuisance but......

I have a really random costume question and thought of you! You always produce the most wonderful, detailed analysis of set pieces and costumes amongst other things 💖 so I thought you may have some thoughts or insight please?

So basically - in Dead Boy Detectives, the Night Nurses' hero colour is an orangey golden burnished brown. For the entire season she wears various shades in that colour, until the scene at the end of ep 8 with the Principal. NN can be seen talking to Edwin where he asks how to address her. At this point her jacket is a much darker colour than we've previously seen her wear - possibly navy or black?

Given that with other characters, colour changes to their outfits can have significant meaning - do you think that's the case here too? I mean, she's taking on an entirely new job role, a departure from the familiar.....

I don't know, maybe it was that colour all along but it just looks darker in the final scene 🤔

Sorry if it's not ok to ask 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

Oh hi! You’re not a nuisance at all, don’t even say that.

I am doing well! Quite busy at the moment, but well! Thank you for asking. And thank you for this beautiful message! Wow, that really made me smile so much. Truly appreciate it. 🥹

Definitely think that the color change is meaningful! According to this very insightful interview from Tudum:

It’s not only Esther who wears clothes with a gilt, old-gold color — Cat King and Night Nurse also do as a nod to their villainy.

So her color tones are always within those very earthy, orangey color palettes. With a sprinkle of gold or just in general mixed in with the orangey to add to her “villainy”.

Kelli Dunsmore also: wove the story into the fabric of the clothes, because there are things that she foreshadowed in the clothing that happened episodes later. Or, if characters start to get in some sort of relationship with each other, that will be reflected in the clothes that they wear or the colors that they have. Or, if they're feeling any type of emotion, the same way we dress differently, the characters are dressed differently..[..]

So going from that and the indication of some type of villainy, although she isn’t truly a villain here, but more in the position of an anti-hero (literally Night Nurse was just fulfilling her duties), the change to a suit (which to me looks grey to be quite honest, my eyesight might be not the best to trust here) either tells me that because she thought she had wrapped things up, she changed from her usual colors into something more “neutral” or because she went through so much, especially with Kashi, she might have adapted some of his colors from the turmoil into her attire.

Even Edwin’s connection to her might be somewhat reflected in the dark color tones she wears (similarly to Edwin’s darker color palette). Which as we see by the end, her whole world has been turned upside down by having to join the agency, so definitely her clothes are poignant, but as to to journey they are predicting, jolly, possibilities are endless.

But also important to note that the color change does not only happen by the last episode, but she is also wearing a darker suit when she is in the Lost and Found department running errands and stops to talk with the Devlin girls. Maybe grey is to assume a mask of “right now I am not being as evil as I present myself to be other times”.

I don’t know if this helped, but I agree with you saying a departure from the familiar. Most definitely.

Also her suits were heavily inspired on Vivienne Westwood’s patterns! Super “over the top”.

[cthulhuwritesstuff]

Okay, another theory/prediction/I am probably wrong time.

I am thinking about “You Will Be Okay” and there’s this strange gut feeling I have listening to it now, all because of Octavia’s line “You never loved mother, you don’t love me, you love him”, which is the only line we hear her say in the trailer.

The only reason I could think of that would make Octavia sound that broken and sad, and to actually say those words is that something much bigger is about to happen.

And that something was already foreshadowed in the second episode.

Stolas is immortal, he aged to a point and now he is just immortal. Him singing to Octavia how she will be okay even when the Hell colapses, even when he is gone is a very beautiful gesture and it paints a picture of how much he loves her.

But also, what if it’s a foreshadow of what is about to happen to Stolas?

Here’re my thoughts:

Stolas loses his powers and status, and it is somehow connected to Blitz and Grimoire, or his marriage, or all of it. We already know this is a possibility, this isn’t news.

Right here, this scene that’s been bugging me cause “Why is he not using his powers to defend himself and Blitz”, would make perfect sense if we were to consider he doesn’t have his powers anymore.

That gray streak in his hair? He’s actually aging now, it’s natural now. He’s not immoral anymore.

Also, no cape. I know it might seem like a minor detail. But Stolas, unless in his robe, always wears his cape, as a royal he is (or was).

Now, what I am concerned about is what will happen to his relationship with Octavia. I would hate to see her hurt, but Stolas losing his immortality “because of Blitz” would really hurt her.

“You said you’d never leave”, I can see her saying that, being upset by that, referencing their moment at Loo Loo Land, and that right there might be a good moment to put in that line from the trailer. It would make sense and it would be so sad.

I also think we will get a song from Octavia.

I think this scene is from that song.

That star tear she is about to catch really reminds me of the stars Stolas and her were supposed to see together; stars that symbolize all dreams and wishes that never came to be. What if she is watching the star of her dad’s wish to forever be with her die?

Not enough pain? Okay.

Considering the colors in this scene and their scene in the second episode, what if this song (if there is a song… let’s say there is a song for the sake of this theory) is Octavia’s mirror song to her lullaby— “I will be okay” as she is coming to terms with Stolas’ newly acquired mortality.

This pains me to my core. I hope they don’t drift apart. I hope Stolas gets to have a good relationship with her still, whatever happens.

I hope I am wrong!

[she-posts-nerdy-stuff]

i adore reading your analytical posts abt soc so much jts not even funny; stumbling upon your account was like a coming across a goldmine 🙏 ALSO I RLLY WANT TO ONOW ABT THE SHE TREATS US LJKE MARKS ESSAY IVE NEVER THOIGHT ABT THAT RLLY also i loved the mr crimson post anw im sorry i’ll shut up now

Thank you so much, I’m so glad you like them!!

This is the first time someone’s submitted a question so bare with me because if there’s any way to do this wrong I’ll probably manage it, but here are my thoughts on the red herrings :)

She’s treating us like marks - an analysis of Leigh Bardugo’s use of red herrings in Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom

*warning: CONSTANT SPOILERS AHEAD!*

I happen to be an absolute sucker for a good bit of foreshadowing, I think if it’s done well it’s one of the best literary techniques out there, so it’s something I always like to try and be on the look out for when I read. With books that I go back and reread, in this case many many times (seriously I’ve never specifically counted but I’m pretty sure I’m at over ten times each for the duology, it’s ridiculous), I like to find the things I didn’t realise were foreshadowing the first time round. When rereading six of crows and crooked kingdom, I realised that a lot of the things I expected to be foreshadowing didn’t actually come to fruition whilst other, seemingly less important, details were the actual foreshadowing. I LOVE IT! It’s genius, because it leaves the reader worrying about one thing so they’re too distracted to realise the groundwork is being laid for something else. But you know what that makes me think of? Kaz’s ideology of “What’s the easiest way to steal a man’s wallet? […] Tell him you’re going to steal his watch,” and “you have to let the mark feel like he’s won”. Leigh Bardugo literally cons us, and she tells us that she’s doing it in Crooked Kingdom when the group are certain that they know where Inej is being kept, but Kaz says “Too obvious. He’s treating us like marks”. GENIUS

So I compiled a few of my favourite examples (in no particular order), if you know of any I’ve missed please add more I would love to see them!!

The cannon at the Ice Court. When the Crows first arrive in Djerholm they see a cannon built into the the cliff face, a defence mechanism for the Court, and Kaz says what might be one of my favourite underrated lines of his: “I’ve broken into banks, warehouses, mansions, museums, vaults, a rare book library, and once the bedchamber of a visiting Kaelish diplomat whose wife had a passion for emeralds. But I’ve never had a cannon shot at me”. Jesper jokes that “there’s something to be said for novelty” but then continues to say that a cannon would be useless against a ship as small as theirs and that it’s designed for “invading armadas”. They don’t mention the cannon again, but it stuck in my mind when I first read it as a looming threat, a reminder that the danger wouldn’t end when they left the court. So when they arrived in the harbour was I expecting soldiers, or a heartrender, or for Nina to take parem? Nope, I was too busy worrying about the schooner being blown to pieces - especially when the Crows all have such specific painful and/or traumatic experiences linking to water, with 4 out of 6 of them being drowning related. But that isn’t to say that the waiting soldiers at the dock weren’t foreshadowed. All the way through Leigh Bardugo constantly reminds us that Matthias had never seen black protocol in action, and that his time in the prison sector had been brief, but she lulls us into a false sense of security by letting us believe that the secret bridge onto the White Island was all Matthias was hiding. We trust him by this point, so we don’t expect anything to be different to what he’s told us, even though this is an aspect he couldn’t possibly have predicted. Bonus points for the fact that Nina’s poor well-being in the aftermath of the drug is foreshadowed by a joke at the awful Inn they go to before the job; the food is disgusting and she says “when I don’t want to eat, you know there’s a problem”, and in Crooked Kingdom it’s many times emphasised that she’s unhealthily losing weight and her appetite has vastly decreased, with Matthias buying her chocolate biscuits “in the hopes she’d eat something”.

The poison pill. Leigh Bardugo worked very hard in Crooked Kingdom to make us think that Nina might die. We went into that book knowing there was a strong possibility that she wouldn’t come out the other side; we knew very little about how she was coping with parem withdrawal at the end of soc, but we had seen around a minimum of five grisha being destroyed by the drug so far. (That’s a guess I haven’t actually counted). So we went in with the idea that she was already in a precarious situation, and even though we begin to see her regain herself she struggles throughout the novel both physically and mentally in the aftermath of the drug. Matthias begins to dream of being lost on the ice in the worst storms known to Fjerda, knowing that she was out there somewhere and that he could not reach her. This sounds like it’s foreshadowing her death. Then when the pair go to the Ravkan embassy, Tamar gives Nina a small yellow pill that Genya made; she explains that it kills instantly and painlessly, saying “we all have them” to make sure they cannot be drugged and enslaved by the Shu government, who are hunting for grisha with the Khergud at the time. Matthias is terrified by this, but Nina just slips it into her pocket without a second thought. At that moment I thought that Nina would almost take the pill only to be stopped by someone else, because it felt too obvious that it would kill her, but I did wonder if the Khergud would be the ones to stop her and so she would still be lost. But the pill never gets mentioned again, except when the Dime Lions come for Nina at Sweet Reef and she briefly remembers that it’s still in her pocket. Then never again. And Matthias’ dreams were, of course, actually foreshadowing the FESTIVAL OF PAIN AND TORTURE that is chapter 40.

Mr Crimson. I’m so glad you like my Mr Crimson idea! Basically I posted saying I think that he represents death in the novels and I’ve also talked before about how I think the Komedie Brute costumes that the characters usually adopt are representative of their character; Kaz the Madman, Nina the Lost Bride, Inej and Wylan the Grey Imp, and Jesper and Matthias Mr Crimson. I won’t go into detail about all of them but if you’re interested the post is on my page, but with the idea that Mr Crimson represents death it’s very important to me that, although all of them wear his cloak at least once, he is the only Komedie Brute character taken on by Jesper and Matthias (at least to my recollection, feel free to correct me if I’m wrong). So of course I would argue that Matthias taking on the image in Crooked Kingdom foreshadows his death, but in that case what does Jesper’s represent? I came up with two options but I actually think you could combine them into one: it’s a red herring to make us align him with the literal death of Matthias, whilst actually foreshadowing the metaphorical death that his addiction and mental well-being are driving him towards as he tries desperately to stop them - in his own words to Colm “I’m dying anyway, Da, I’m just doing it slow”

Oh god sorry that this is yet another long post I hope y’all enjoyed this enough for it to be worth the time it takes for you to read all my ramblings 😭

Tagging people who asked for this one in the replies to my essay titles post - @the-magnificunt @flerkenkiddingme @luridorangeandviolentviolet @snowblack-charcoalwhite

[justallihere]

HI ALLI I LOVE YOU 🖤🖤🖤

OKAY SO THOUGHTS

Liam running to Ridoc, interesting 👀. bUt I thought it was heart breakingly sweet that everyone was holding back Ridoc and Sawyer (Or in Imogen's case, a dagger to the throat but its on brand so ITS OKAY!!! We love her)

The ore felt like a red herring ngl. I was like "where is she going with this" it didn't do "much" in the grand scheme of things but the sense of despair was building. It gave a realistic feel to how outnumbered they truly were.

The reference to Rhi's signet was a knife to the heart, she truly came in clutch in the battle of Basgaith, she was so valuable in so many different ways

Vi asking Drake to take care of Mira felt like foreshadowing, so was it LOL?

Mama sorrengail coming in clutch was great bc i was so tired of the Sage/venin, figuratively jumping for joy when she killed the venin. THATS HER MF BABY!!!

I was reading in my bed, and in the lead up to Vi's decision, i was kicking my feet freaking out bc my prediction came true. I didn't want to say anything yesterday bc it would have been embarrassing if i was wrong

It's so funny bc after IF, i kept thinking it would have been more interesting to have Vi become the venin and not Xaden, the moral dilemma would have been interesting to read for her BUT i digress it didnt happen. I had a feeling you were going to make her become one in SITQ to save everyone she loves (at least i was right about some things in SITQ) but Xaden also joining her was perfect bc theyre bOTH INSANE LOL. This epilogue is going to be crazy

Will/are they going to be able to locate Rhi's body, or is this wishful thinking?

On another note, will there be spin-offs of the other couples/things you wrote but never got to release bc it didnt quite fit for the main plot?

I want to send you a gift basket and homemade cookies, let me know your fav LOL 🖤🖤🖤

HI THERE!!

I wouldn’t read too much into Liam and Ridoc (or do, if you want!) but I didn’t write it intending it to be A Thing, Liam’s just doing his best as always to keep his friends from getting themselves killed 🫡

The ore wasn’t a red herring necessarily, more just a way to show Violet’s desperation. Like of course she wasn’t going to be able to do anything worthwhile with it, but it was still a tool at her disposal and she had to try it, if nothing else, even if everyone was telling her it was stupid and reckless.

The Drake and Violet scene talking about Mira was more of me doing what I’ve been doing for a while, which is giving myself room to write spin offs within this world if I want to! I’ve done it with Sloane/Dain and Aaric/Tessa too so the options are all there if I decide to take it. But it’s not foreshadowing for anything in the epilogue.

The epilogue is short, about 1500 words, and takes place 6 months later. So I don’t want anyone to expect anything crazy plot wise (I’m all plotted out lmao), it’s more just to show that Xaden and Violet are together and happy! You guys may have to fill in some of the gaps with your own imagination 🫶🏻

Xaden and Violet are ride or die in the most literal sense. Absolutely deranged people. I love them.

Rhi’s body isn’t addressed in the epilogue so I’ll answer it here: no, they don’t find her, but they do (off page) still have a memorial for her.

I would love to do spinoffs at some point but my brain is tired right now and I need to take a step back from this world for a second. Hopefully in the future though!

Thank you thank you thank you 🩷🩷🩷

[levbolton]

Hey I hope this doesn't come off as aggressive but why are you so against people considering hgsn a yaoi? After all yoshiki is in love w hikaru (according to the early concept sketches anyway) and it is heavily implied that either hikaru or ''hikaru'' likes yoshiki

I never said Yoshiki doesn’t have feelings for Hikaru the original one, not Unuki.

When you go hgsn is a bl (or even worse, yaoi that means no climax, no point, no plot) you undoubtedly reduce the story to Yoshiki’s feelings for Hikaru and discard everything else.

People ship Yoshiki and Unuki (“Hikaru”) and that takes away all psychological layers this story has. Yoshiki doesn’t simply love “Hikaru”. What he held dear was his childhood friend, the only kid around his age in that secluded village, Hikaru. Now imagine one day he finds out Hikaru is no longer, he’s dead. If he’s dead he can’t see him again or hear his voice and that fucking breaks something inside of him. But there’s an identical copy of him, that has the same face and the same voice. Coping mechanisms activate and he somehow gaslights himself into thinking “this is fine, Hikaru is here”, only that it’s not Hikaru, it’s “Hikaru”. He knows it but prefers to ignore it (what you don’t know can’t hurt you). You know, the human need for things to stay the same, sudden changes one cannot control were never humanity’s cup of tea. It’s very subtle, and you have to realize: wait, someone actually died in this story, they’re not coming back, they were an important part of someone’s like and they’re not coming back. But there’s also “Hikaru” that learns how to live for the first time and you can’t simply pin Hikaru’s death and his abscence on “it” either, it’s way more complex than that, both sides are correct when you know both perspectives. “Hikaru” isn’t human so it doesn’t think like a human, if you know his perspective you can’t hate him bcs his brain (or whatever there is like a brain) can’t gasp the concept of survival that humanity has. And this “Hikaru” commits stuff that are unthinkable for a human being (killing a strangers like Matsuura, threatening to kill a friend like Asako) but at this point Yoshiki too thinks it’s his fault, he let the thing be and do as he please so it’s too late for him to pull out so all he can do is “bear the sins together”, what’s done it’s done now the show must go on. He doesn’t “bear the sins” together out of love, it’s an obligation he made peace with, in his head he’s just as guilty for those deaths (and Asako’s possible disability that could ruin her chances to play volleyball and that’s be fucked up if those were Asako’s plans for future)

When people say hgsn is a bl, they just focus on Yoshiki x Hikaru (“Hikaru”) oMg CuTe ElDeRiTcH gay monster obbsessed with yoshiki

And when people focus on hgsn is a bl they ignore everything else. Moku has a “show, don’t tell” kind of storytelling. There’s so many symbols that are basically foreshadowing or just easter eggs (chal mentioned once in the discord channel that the cypress bath salt from chapter 10 are from some greek mythology about someone dying i don’t recall the details, sorry it’s midnight and i didn’t have a greek mythology phase growing up), also Tanaka having chocolate on his board, and then adding sugar to his tea, that kind of insinuates he has a sweet tooth, just like Rie (that parfait, the recent chapters with the sweets on the table), anyway this is just a theory (tht Tanaka migt be Rie’s son), i could go on with way more details but that’s not the point of this post, there’s more symbols and stuff going on, been analysing the geography too as Moku doesn’t show us stuff randomly, or why did Moku choose to mention Herman Hesse’s work in chapter 2 (it’s not Demian, it’s the night peacock moth or however it’s in german Das Nachtpfauenauge ah thanks predictive keyboard)

I repeat myself again, when people say hgsn is a bl they just focus on the bl part and ignore all the complexities this work has. (When moku asked for questions for the qa at the end of vol 3 there were so many like “when will yoshiki and hikaru kiss 🥺”)

You say “early concept sketches” when the current work isn’t even sold as a BL, a story can go a different way from the first draft and concept (ofc you keep some stuff bcs if everything changws then it’s another story), not to mention that moku deleted that concept work, the only source available are the scanlation from nekojita (i think it was their group) and moku already said multiple times that hgsn is youth horror manga, unuki’s monster parts aren’t an allegory for being gay (or they could be but not like it was the sole intention)

In my opinion hikaru died too soon to realise and even accept his feelings for yoshiki, i guess that’s a possible reason why unuki is so confused, but im sure the story is more complex and has to do with the backstory, moku didn’t mention those famines and that bloody history for nothing, im not saying anything as I don’t have a good intuition for this stuff, so I’m just patiently waiting for moku to draw the story and reveal all the secrets

Besides, having queer male characters doesn’t necessarily mean it’s bl. Bl is a shojo genre, made by women for women, 2 guys so they have to skip all the inequalities women go through, bcs when it’s 2 guys they are both equal (don’t come at me, this is the real history of bl). Bl doesn’t even represent gay people nor normalise their presence, you’d think the country with the most Bls has already some lgbt friendly rules but guess what it’s not that case bcs bl isn’t for the queers. Actual works that focus on the queer experience are My brother’s husband, Yuhki Kamatani’s works or Kakeoichi Girl (i heard good things about Boys Run the Riot too but I didn’t read it yet). Bls focus a lot on adult (often teacher) x minor (often the student), on forceful interactions (such as SA), and it’s very hecking heteronormative (big is dominant, smal is dominated, big is manly, small is drawn that way especially so it’s very undistinguishable from a woman, again don’t come at me, it’s the BL rules)

So, in conclusion, again, hgsn isn’t just a bl, it’s more than that. Just like in Blue Flag, the queer feelings that exist are important for the plot, but they’re just there as plot driver (Yoshiki’s feelings for Hikaru blinding him into accepting the truth that Hikaru is no more), there’s more important stuff to focus on. There’s already much more BLs on the market than you could read in a lifetime, no need to force this tag on a story that isn’t one

Obviously you are alive and can do whatever you want, including shipping the depressed mop with the gay elderitch monster, but please don’t spread it as if it’s the only thing worth mentioning in the story 🙏 (i myself fallen to the BL tag at first bcs this is how it was introduced to me and it took me a few weeks to think “wait a minute…”)

[trebledcrow]

“Is Dainsleif a Red Herring..?”

Warning: Do not proceed if you haven’t finished this year’s Dain quest Chapter IV: Act VI Bedtime Story. I will be yapping about it and one of my longtime suspicions!

This could very well be out of copium, but is anyone else under the impression that Dainsleif is an intentional red herring in the Traveler stories of Genshin?

Hoyo seems to guide us in the direction of the traveler’s sibling. To make us trust the sibling. They are Traveler’s twin, after all.

They seem to intentionally make Dainsleif mysterious, secretive, and.. suspicious. He comes once a year to drop a lore bomb on us, to remind us of his existence and determination to eradicate the Abyss Order, and to leave as quickly as he appeared.

That aside, in the Interlude Quest Bedtime Story, Dainsleif and the Abyss Twin do have a confrontation with each other in those ruins after Dain sends the traveler out and back to the village.

Although I am an Abyss Princess Lumine truther, I’ll just speak vaguely for whichever interpretation.

Both of them speak accusingly towards the other of a trap.

“Hmph. I knew going along with your trap would be the only way to meet with you face to face.” — From Dainsleif.

“You risked your safety… and that of the eye… That’s quite the gamble, Dainsleif… But I believe that I am the one walking into a trap laid by the Twilight Sword.” —Abyss Twin

Dainsleif had possessed the Eye of the First Field tiller, which was highly important to the plans of the Abyss Order. Caribert notes that due to Dain’s memory alteration that he contributed to, they have obtained the eye, and thus the Loom of Fate has been completed.

Shouldn’t the Abyss Twin know that? They ARE the Prince/Princess of the Abyss after all. They should, and yet in this scene alone, it is not explicitly revealed by the Abyss Twin to Dain. It had been revealed to us, as the traveler, when we met with Caribert, only after that cutscene with Dain and the Abyss Twin.

So, I feel that this was the Twin’s trap, involving the Eye and Loom of Fate, yet Dain seems to have begrudgingly walked into it. Though, Caribert did predict his plan… So he only lost rather than gained here. I mean, he did get his ass handed to him… and we don’t know if he ever got to have his conversation with the Abyss Twin, and in my preferred case, Lumine.

Throughout the story, we keep seeming to gloss over the Traveler’s twin being the Abyss Twin. Dainsleif did ask if we believed our sibling to have betrayed us. One could perceive it as Dain being shady, but there seems to be more to it than that.

It feels like foreshadowing in the face of the intended distraction: Dainsleif, our possible redherring.

There were discussions of betrayal within this scene as well, particularly that of Dainsleif’s brother, Vedrfolnir. That in itself was another huge lore bomb.

Maybe this ramble was a little disorganized, it is 4:33am after all. But well...

All of that to say… I’m currently not as suspicious towards Dainsleif than I am towards the Abyss Twin. He is strange indeed… but the Abyss Twin is even stranger.

There’s still much we don’t know, and we’ll just have to wait til next year for more information…

Currently rambling while listening to…