#and we truly r just 2 allies in this world!!!!

[wackpedion]

msi fan pride flag

yellow for piss

pink for gay sex

black for slurs

red is for fagz

they look like shit because that’s how the music sounds

Msi fans should not be proud and this flag should not be used

i put you and me on them because we are allies in this world (you are seth. sorry. kin assignment. no you can’t undo this).

1) the fact you send me this the same day I put the msigender flag on my pronouns page and considered testing MSI pronouns What The Fuck. Are you fucking spying on me.

2)I LOVE RJIS HAHAHSHX I LOVE YOU SO MUCH THIS IS AMAZING HAHA

3) I HATE YOU.

[twobluejeans]

HEARTBREAK ON TOUR!

charles leclerc x famous!reader

summary: in which the lavender haze has been lifted. or in which america’s it couple splits.

part 6: reckless, part 5: relevancy, part 4: emo ponytail girl, part 3: dupeee, part 2:wtf does ET know?, part 1: don’t start

faceclaim: madison beer

ally’s radio 📻: PART 6! #juticefory/n . shoutout to the anon who inspired this chapter, u helped sm and gave me further ideas💌. a lot of tswift references 🫶

INSTAGRAM, july 14

liked by dannylandopnj, alltoowellcharles, and 321,543 others

f1updates carlos recently in an interview in which y/n and charles got brought up

View all 31 comments

sainzpodium this is why carlos is the better ferrari driver

lewishsystem “loyal and trust are crucial in any relationship” wym by that 🤨

hereforicciardo the way carlos didn’t even interact with charles today in the paddock before and after the race

lewisfever lewisystem “it’s hard to ignore certain actions and how they reflect on a person’s character” the way he’s confirming the rumors bro 😭

russeliclassy lewisfever what rumors?

lewisfever russeliclassy charles cheated

INSTAGRAM, july 14

liked by naileadevora, lewishamilton, and 4,567,245 others

yourinstagram surprise. i know u guys are already getting 2 new songs from me with the new midnight deluxe edition on the 17th, but i still have a lot to say. meet me at midnight on chapter 1 for a story that turned out to be pretty…reckless.

View all 64,627 comments

billieeilish already crying

dojacatstreetsera the devil works hard, but y/n l/n world harder

landonorris song’s mid (i’ve listened to it 3 times so far and have sobbed uncontrollably🥲)

yourinstagram landonorris weak (i broke down mid-recording session)

barbiey/n no i cant i’m not ready

INSTAGRAM, july 14

INSTAGRAM, july 15 (midnight)

liked by zendaya, authurleclerc, and 6,543,127 others

yourinstagram thank you dearly to everyone who helped bring this video and this wild idea of mine to life... petracollins i truly could never have done this without you & to the rest of the amazing crew who worked 3 very long days & then a very long week... thank you, from the bottom of my heart. i also want to thank lando, who photographed these amazing photos awhile back when we were in manchester. landonorris i love u. reckless, both single & mv, out now everywhere 🤍 🏹

View all 81,342 comments

beyonce So beautiful ❤️

aliensuperstary/n beyoncé ADAM SANDLER?? WHAT R U DOING HERE😭

tchalamet proud of you ma chérie

yourinstagram tchalamet hi thank you i love u i miss u

onlychalamet tchalamet yourinstagram i love their friendship sm

salmahayek nunca dejas de sorprenderme. Estoy tan orgullosa de ti y tan feliz y emocionada de verte prevalecer a través de todo🫶🫶🩷🩷

see translation? salmahayek: You never cease to amaze me. I am so proud of you and so happy and excited to see you prevail through it all.

yourinstagram salmahayek muchas gracias tus palabras siempre significan el mundo para mí. te amo y te extraño mucho. ¡No puedo esperar a verte a ti y a Valentina pronto!

see translation? yourinstagram: thank u so much. your words always mean the world to me. i love you and miss you dearly. cant wait to see you and valentina soon!

90sbabyy/n salmahayek yourinstagram why am i just finding out salma is y/n’s godmother? hello what

bellahadid i love. so happy to see u turned ur pain n hurt into something so beautiful ... only heard some of it and already know it's so special. ok. enough of that. i feel like i've typed more than i needed to. love u! proud of u!

yourinstagram bellahadid u bitch why would u type this? now i'm crying in the middle of a re-run of narcos

danielricciardo yourinstagram you said u we’re gonna wait till i got to italy to watch it with me…

yourinstagram danielriccicardo ….oops?

landonorris danielricciardo you see me personally, i wouldn’t let that slide 🤷

danielricciardo yourinstagram #fake #donthmu #streaks #realonesknow

classynorris y/n and lando teaching daniel gen z slang gotta be the funniest thing ever

landonorris classynorris i actually regret it so bad

yourinstagram classynorris biggest mistake ever. he won’t stop saying bombastic side eye. free us

danielricciardo landonorris yourinstagram L + ratio + bozo

TWITTER, july 15

INSTAGRAM STORIES , july 15

yourinstagram 7h

viewed by authurleclerc, charlottesiine, and 4,854,257 others

ally’s radio 📻: yeah 😌. people in the instagram story views + the song itself might be a little sneak peak of the next chapter.

taglist 🦢🪩: @incoherenciass@dakotali@405rry@topaz125@sassyheroneckgiant@hevburn@itsmytimetoodream@ivegotparticulartaste@crowdedimagines @asterianax @haydee5010@scenesofobx@christinabae@magical-spit@dessxoxsworld@myareadsbooks@honethatty12@hopefulinlove@diasnohibng@gentlemonsterjennie1@hummusxx@eugene-emt-roe@taestrwbrry @perjarma @cxcewg@chimchimjiminie16@glow-ish@allywthsr @millyswife @mrsmaybank13 @black-swan-blog27 @stargaryenx @lilsiz @ohthemisssery @leclerclvr @slytherinjimin3nthusiast @shessthunderstoms @cool-ultra-nerd @ncentic @playboykenz @canvashearts @tinyhrry @xeliaaaa @ifionlywould

[scarletlizzard]

Secondly, on a more serious note. I rlly wanna know your experience living in the south. I grew up in neoliberal California and Washington but fell in love w Texas this year. I’m rlly rlly considering moving there next year.

Essentially I feel like I spend SO. MUCH. emotional energy vibe checking ppl. Bc ppl here r so neoliberal and fake! You have to rlly dig deeep to know ppl’s true values. And sometimes they’ll seem cool but then switch up on u and are like surprise! And say some whack shit like “trans ppl r only valid if they pass” or make some joke ab being gay but it’s ok bc they’re “and ally and well versed in queer culture”. And I’m kinda tired of having to vibe check so hard all the time. There’s also a lack of nuance in ppl’s understandings of history theory and social justice issues. But in Texas, I noticed that 1) u don’t have to vibe check ppl bc they’ll just straight up tell u they hate u and u can just stay away from them which makes things so much simpler when u don’t have to decipher shit and 2) the progressive ppl are just all radicals!! Bc in a state where they’re the minority thought, they have to be so secure in their values that they’ve done the research!! They know the theories!! They know the TINGZ. And they’re rooted in their beliefs. They don’t just say/believe things bc their liberal parents told them to without understanding WHY. It was kinda refreshing to interact w all these ppl ngl.

I only know one person from the south (became friends bc she moved here to CA) and she said she feels the exact same way ab both places. But that she feels as though despite not having to vibe check ppl, she’s still tired bc she’s constantly swimming upstream as a radical queer TM in the south just bc of statewide politics. And always having her rights be in a precarious status.

So I’m curious ab your experience living in the south as a queer TM. Do u have a similar experience? And curious what state u r in if you’re open to sharing! This also is a deep ish q so I understand if ur not comfy talking ab it and u can just ignore this ask!!

-

👹

Where to begin! This might be a bit long, warning 😬

First off, I'll say I live in Alabama. Texas is MASSIVE. There are good areas and really, really bad areas. I'd do a lot of research into specific areas before you made a move or traveled. I visited Austin, and it was nice. It seemed very welcoming? There were pride flags in most of the bars I went to, and it was in October! (I know some will just put them out for June)

As for being queer in the South, it's honestly such a toss-up. I think wherever you go in the world, most people are going to be fake, unfortunately. I worked with this one guy at a restaurant, he was about my age, we went to high school together, he knew about my dating girls, we even hungout after work occasionally! He's super country, drives a big truck, etc. , but was so nice and treated me no different. Asked about the girls I was talking to, SO casual. Last week, he shared on Facebook a vile, hatred post against Pride Month and LGBT in general. I was shocked!

The specific area I'm in is not as bad as some areas in the state. But it's always the looks rather than them actually saying something. Sometimes, it's just not even comfortable to hold hands walking around. It's hard, and it's very weird not to be accepted. Trans people have it even harder with all the medical laws. Women's rights are being stripped. It's honestly a political nightmare here. Don't get me started on the fucking OBSESSION with Trump.

It's really not necessarily always a political thing, but a religious thing. Religion here is absolutely insane and I don't think people understand quite how serious it's taken. Just in the state of Alabama, there are almost 13,000 churches. Think about that... that's INSANE. There is a church on every corner in my town, we probably have between 10-15. My town is not that big!! Separation of church and state here is an absolute JOKE. Some truly take into consideration to 'Love thy neighbor', but others only pick and choose who they want to treat with kindness.

It's not always easy, and sometimes I feel like I'm constantly having to hide a part of me. Coming out was one of the most terrifying experiences of my life (especially since I didn't even have control over it happening), but, as I said, it's so different in different areas. Every time I feel any progression, there's always someone to take it back two steps. It's more welcoming each year, but the ones who won't accept it can be just so, so hateful.

The South is a beautiful, wonderful place to live that is truly SO diverse when you think about it. The beaches are gorgeous, the forests are breathtaking, and the food is fantastic. The people can be so welcoming, but you just have to be careful who you trust, in my opinion. At least, if anything, you'll most likely be treated with that Southern hospitality and good manners. There's only been a handful of times in my ENTIRE life where I've been directly spoken to in a rude manner about my sexuality.

This was a lot, and I apologize if it raised more questions than answering your thoughts 😅 In short, I love and hate the South. It's different every day, and I wish more than ANYTHING it was more progressive. If it was, I truly believe it would be the most perfect place to live.

[riacte]

Hermitcraft on r/place - And The Blocks Need Placing (3/4/2022) Day 3 Part 2

Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Part 1 Day 4 Part 1

Greetings cyberdogs and citizens of the interdubs, welcome back to another episode of "What Is Going On At r/place?", here is your morning (afternoon? nighttime?) newspaper. I am still losing my mind, exhausted but enthralled. For an introduction or explanation to what r/place is please read the first two instalments. This is Part 2 of Day 3, Part 1 has been summed up with relative Hermitcraft stability and helping allies far away.

For how to help, please refer to Day 3 Part 1.

1. Allies from Far

Now that main HC area was chill, forces turned to helping others. The 3L area was being watched over, but the WSB people appeared to be less organsied than 3L so 3L could maintain its area. Portugal thought 3L was cringe (lmao) but accepted our existence. Hong Kong had a second mural to the right which was being taken over, they asked for help but alas, they died.

Someone from farmcarrots popped by and asked for help against good ole Macedonia. In return, they would build a golden carrot to honour us. Later, Macedonia made an agreement with the carrots.

2. Civil Conflicts Just Don't Stop, Do They?

So the diplomats had just been WRANGLING people to STOP EXPANDING, whether towards Brazil or Love Live or even MCC. A small EvilX was built between LL and HC. Brazil decided to do some pixel art on their left corner aka. the HC-Brazil border. HC liked the bird and the tree a lot (they were Brazil's design, actually), so after a bit of communication they kept the tree in the background <3

People were also screaming about the finer details on the HC heads. We sought to maintain and defend, not to expand.

We started anticipating the expansion of the canvas at the same time they expanded yesterday, but nothing happened. Perhaps one expansion was enough... or perhaps Reddit wanted to surprise us. No one knew.

3. Don't you love the smell of built bridges?

The threat of WSB eroded over time, and communication was set up between 3L Empires and Portugal. The banners and heads were agreed to have a bridge under them, and the space next to RK Ren would be used for their Portuguese streamer <3 People between 3L and HC were scurrying back and forth to tell HC not to worry about the 3L area. After a long and exhausting battle (particularly concerning Fwhip and Ren being drowned), 3L appeared to be secured, no more heads would drown, and Martyn added a blush pixel on RK (truly the highlight of that segment). All was good in the world. Portugal also planned to build a sick pixel art at their bottom right corner and asked us to help with them. Since we were now cool with each other, aka. 3L had been integrated with their canvas, we agreed. A Portuguese streamer was built to the right of Ren, and he was eventually blushified like everyone else.

Fwhip and Jimmy also started looking at each other, and Martyn started looking at Ren. To the great surprise of the active Treebark shippers, a pink heart was suddenly constructed between Ren and Martyn, causing a wave of ?!??!?!??!?!??!?!. (Background info: a community of Treebarkers basically quarantined themselves in a private discord server to stop spamming #treebark, only showing up to do stuff like Trafficpose, Maidtyn Monday, Treebark Week 2022, Space Opera AU etc etc. Nobody from the private discord was responsible for the heart.) Somebody in Martyn's discord also pointed out the heart and jokingly said "bring out the fanfics". This is very funny because the Treebarkers were putting their stuff where no CC could see it, only for others to slap Treebark on r/place and put it in Martyn's discord. Fishfucker flag was also added between Jimmy and Fwhip <3 So the 3L area ended up looking gay as fuck. This is what happens when tumblr gets involved <3

4. Movements in the Southwest

Nano, our neighbour-ish, got targeted by an anti-crypto streamer (asmongold). Love Live started eyeing the area with interest. Nano apparently asked LL for help, but the streamer would likely target everybody that helped Nano. HC would stay put and observe.

Around this time, a void started next to DSMP and we went to defend. People started joking the DSMP and HC communities have never been so cooperative before this.

EvilX was half-hidden by the LL girl and we would want to keep it that way to respect LL. Ah yes, the neverending battle of wrangling rogues.

5. Running Around

HC continued to do what they always did- fix rogue pixels, make contacts with allies, stop people from expanding, argue among themselves /lh, watch out for the void, etc etc. People were very anxious about attacks from streamers. We watched as the area below 2b2t was converted into a large pixel art based on orders from a streamer. A small HP (Harry Potter) mural asked for our help defending because they were invaded by bots for unknown reasons. HP lost, but apparently the public HP subreddit had their own secure thing elsewhere. Mindcrack also repeatedly asked for help with their logo.

Continued support was shown towards MCC's secondary area called MCC2 (which made me very excited because I thought someone was making a tribute to the actual 2nd MCC, and my pipe dream of [you guessed it] MCC9 Blue Bats mural could come true without me doing anything LOL). Noxite and Mysticat appeared under the team icons and were maintained. The team coin was also salvaged.

Brazil also occasionally popped by and asked for help with minor things, like their pixel art at their bottom left corner and when red hearts suddenly appeared next to the Pesky Bird of Peace (unofficial name by me, it's actually Brazil's blue macaw but everyone at HC had grown SO FOND of it).

Jellie also became bi (then mlm?) and Nugget became trans.

6. A New New World

More than 3 hours past the expected expansion time, the canvas suddenly doubled again, meaning it was 4x its original size. HC was way more excited about new colours than area because we finally had a decent skin colour instead of yellow for the hermits. 3L discord was burnt out and just focused on changing colours, maintaining, and giggling over Martyn's blush pixel. Hermitcraft Civil Conflicts were slightly starting again, but they were nowhere near the intensity of the Brazil-HC Crisis just yesterday (was it just yesterday? It felt like we were allies for days). HC argued over colours and tiny pixels and which hermit to start changing first. Also False's skin finally had better colours.

2b2t suffered another attack to the void, and while people were still distrusting of 2b2t due to their reputation, again we helped them out. It's actually really nice to see all of MC(YT) come together despite all the discourse and frustration. We know we're cut from the same cloth :) It's like when you have that one annoying kid from highschool and you two moved to another town and you only know them so you're forced to take care of each other? It's fun.

We watched in exasperation as the flags came to the New New World and started occupying again... what did we expect, lol. Cubfan also started being griefed for some reason, leading people to boom "KEEP CALM AND DEFEND CUB". Apparently they're targeting Cub because he said something anticrypto??? I have NO IDEA what went on, and HC discord didn't talk about it because it was a cause of stress, and I definitely respect that. Around this time, our old ally Skyrim asked for help for their new mural after they got destroyed, however HC forces were preoccupied right now.

HC was also collecting ideas to change the colour of half of the logo to (I think) potentially finally stop Kermitcrapt (which is seriously not funny anymore and a waste of pixels). The OG design also had two colours before the green bit got swallowed by mini Brazil (that conflicted seemed an era ago). Also, it looked nicer.

We also worked on maintaining our close allies, eg the SOR axolotl head, misc Brazil griefing. Then Jack Manifold came in to vandalise XQC and they thought it was the French...? Or something. "You've Been Etho'd" mural was also planned next to Green Lattice. Wynncraft was also relocating following the whiteout and request assistance. SOR also announced they would make a logo tomorrow. Whenever 3L asked for help, HC was eager to give it. As you can see, since HC was stable, we were extending our pixels to allies. Rogue GME continued the lime pixels into HC logo, we fixed them, blah blah blah.

7. Little Touches feat. the Knight

HC decided to move the Last Life (they share initials with Love Live, goodness gracious) hearts to the left to give space for Recap guys, which also required contact with MCC. HC was also very happy whenever Wels added a pixel <3 Ely was also VERY ACTIVE in chat :D The GME portals were refined a little to be more 3D. I'm very proud that we've come so far that we can care and negotiate on little aesthetic details <3 Last I heard, people were debating Gem's design, and the Hermit half of the logo was changed to purple!

Also, You've Been Etho'd was voided and needed rebuilding. MCSR also had their own mural (directed by Feinberg for a bit :D) and their heads :D It's so cool to see patches of Minecraft heads scattered around- if we all come together, we would be such a big target.

Also, little pics of DSMP and MCC2:

I have to sleep now, I seriously don't know how I long I can keep this up. I need my life back LMAO. Apologies in advance if I never make a Day 4 post.

o7 to everybody, good luck and take care! We got this!! :D

[ramblingguy54]

Sonic & Tails R: A Love Letter To Miles Tails Prower’s Characterization

     Warning: This will contain massive spoilers for the short radio play series of Sonic & Tails R. If you haven’t listened to the radio play yet on Youtube, I’d highly recommend any hardcore Sonic fan who hasn’t seen it check it out. It’s one Hell of a treat.

     For as far back as I can remember in my childhood, Tails’ story of trying to step outta Sonic’s shadow has been such a resonating one for myself. Even when I was a much younger kid playing my Dreamcast, during entries like Sonic Adventure 1 & 2, there was some idea lingering about why Tails just stood out more emotionally in his journey to grow beyond depending on Sonic all the time for help. Now here I am a young adult in my late twenties having such a deeper appreciation of this little two tailed genius kiddo because he’s got an important element that’s made him so beloved for good reason.

     In spite of his genius being a rival to that of Eggman’s high IQ and of course proving to surpass it plenty of times when scenarios boil down to being a high stakes battle, Miles Tails Prower beneath it all is still just like any one of us. We’re all trying to find our place in this world about what defines us for who we are as unique people. He wants to be more than just seen as someone who’s alongside Sonic The Hedgehog’s never say die attitude, but prove he’s plenty capable of standing on his own two feet to protect everything the kid holds dear to himself. Underdog stories, when they’re naturally executed very well, can reel me in so easily. They are very much my bread & butter trope I adore seeing.

     To no one’s surprise, the two Sonic Adventure’s iterations portrayal of Tails’ characterization are hands down some of my favorite writing for the two tailed fox, regarding what the 3D era has done toward him, development wise. It gave him more of an existential struggle to endure like, “What happens when Sonic isn’t around to help stop Eggman? What if I’m not strong enough to accomplish what he can?”, making Tails plight to be seen as an equal all the more endearing when stopping Eggman in his climatic battle against the Egg Walker in Station Square. This here is a great use of a timeless lesson you can apply in life that if you set you heart and mind on anything, there isn’t a thing you can’t accomplish on your own, which is why many fell in love with Sonic Adventure 1 & 2′s writing for Miles Tails Prower’s journey of independence.

     As someone who comes from a large family tree of relatives, I feel the weight of my existence on my shoulders at a number of points more than I’d care to count, admittedly. Seeing Tails struggle with his sense of purpose, in contrast to observing how much Sonic has accomplished with his carefree, yet deeply compassionate attitude, means the world to me in watching another trying to comprehend their value as a whole on how much they matter, overall. This is a big part of why my fondness for SA1 & 2′s quality has never wavered over these years, besides still obviously enjoying most of their game play mechanics. People can try to debate to their heart’s content on whether the Adventure games still hold up in their own eyes, but I’ll always respect them for how they tried to develop certain characters, such as Tails, Gamma, and Shadow The Hedgehog notably, to attempt expanding upon their characters, as well as world building.

     I won’t bother going into a rant about how Sonic’s recent 3D games have butchered Tails’ personality & relatable nature, due to the current writers in charge of handling the cast of characters. More or less, I greatly empathize toward the notion many have already stated about Tails being so cowardly and God forbid, looking at Lost World, downright severely mean spirited. Rather, I’m obviously writing this lengthy post to breakdown why Sonic & Tails R succeeds, where these certain 3D games have greatly faltered in exploring Tails’ emotional dilemmas as an insecure, yet still having the courage to prove himself, talented boy full of hidden potential he doesn’t quite realize, until his back is against the wall in life threatening situations.

“That day, I realized I couldn’t depend on you forever. Not that I can’t depend on you, but like, “What happens when Sonic isn’t here?”, you know?”

     Sonic & Tails R further delves into this fundamental rule of what has defined Tails in Sonic Adventure 1 & 2′s stories of events where Sonic wasn’t there to aid his best bud in taking down Eggman’s evil efforts for global domination, most importantly his fear of defending the Earth without his role model. Besides what I already stated in SA1′s events in Station where he stopped the Egg Walker, as well as the missile Eggman launched from detonating before their climatic battle, Tails watched Sonic blow up in ARK’s capsule presuming him to be dead after Sonic imparted how much faith he has in the kid’s abilities to be truly strong in the face of any foe. Sonic & Tails R manages to use fan service in a way that doesn’t feel like “pandering” for the sake of it, using this past canon material to do more of an in-depth study about Miles’ anxieties of existing without Sonic.

     Wouldn’t put it past them if EmuEmi & crew were using SA2′s Sonic death fake out scene in that space capsule to further add trauma to Tails’ psychological attachment to Sonic, as well as his insecurities of depending on him too much, to boot. While it’s never obviously outright stated in their radio play, I definitely believe they were factoring this element into adding dramatic exploration for why Tails is so self-conscious about the worst case scenario of permanently losing Sonic. Watching Sonic supposedly die put Tails into a deeper state of self-reflection, so I very much enjoyed how they went using these past events to create a thorough exploration about him learning just as it’s important to realize you need to stand up for yourself without using someone else as a crutch all the time, it’s doubly important to remember there’s nothing wrong about asking someone for help when you’re about to be down and out with little options left.

     Sonic & Tails R beautifully builds upon the foundation these two games’ stories left behind years ago, creating new damn great material to explore with the most iconic characters of this cast, Sonic & Tails brotherly dynamic. I’ve been praising Sonic & Tails R out the wazoo for how well it captured Tails underdog story of overcoming death defying odds, but it managed to remind me how simply adorable and outright wonderfully endearing their brotherly chemistry is as a whole. This is a big friendly reminder Sonic isn’t all about being cocky wise cracking character making meta jokes left and right, but he can be plenty capable of showing serious compassion to anyone he values as an ally and friend. This is no greater evident, than with him verbally lifting Tails up in his time of need when he’s self-depreciating his own significance. It can be seen in Episodes 2, 4, and 7 giving Tails motivational pieces of advice.

    Episode 2 In Adabat’s Cavern

-Sonic: Wasn’t it your radar that helped us find these Emerald shards in the first place? How could you be slowing us down when you’ve gotten us this far?

-Tails: But, I...

-Sonic: I could never make something like that. You’re the smartest person I know, Tails. One way or another, we’ll figure this out, count on it.

         Episode 4 In Holoska After Helping Silver Save The Chao

-Sonic: So, what was that back there? At the cave, in Adabat? -Tails: What do you mean? -Sonic: Frozen stiff. Confidence shot. It’s not like you. It was more than feeling like you were “slowing us down”, right?

        Episode 7 Inside The Egg Carrier 3

-Sonic: Let’s split up! I’ll distract them and you can go after the energy source. -Tails: You’re gonna take them on all by yourself!? Let me help, Sonic! -Sonic: No time for this, Tails. Stop overthinking and just go! If I can get their attention, I’ll take the heat off of you and that room you’re going to probably won’t have any security. Take this emerald and I’ll take the other one we have. It’ll lead me right to you after I beat these guys. -Tails: O-Okay... -Sonic: Hold on, Tails! Listen to me. Don’t stop moving and be careful. I’ll be fine and so will you!

     Sonic & Tails R remembers the most crucial detail of their important relationship. One isn’t better than the other and needing to always rely upon that notion for helping one outta a jam, but instead showcases how they’re equals as a team/bros. Sonic may be super fast and strong, however Tails has his intelligence to analyze situations in a different angle Sonic wouldn’t necessarily consider, per say. Which isn’t to say Tails couldn’t put up a fight either, as we’ve seen in SA1 & SA2′s stories where he faced Eggman one on one with no outside help to best him at his own game of wits & strength.

     We get see the apex of this idea through Tails facing Eggman in his super improved mecha walker. Although Tails may get thrown for a loop here at first by Eggman, it’s his villainous speech about winners and losers in their world that ironically does the exact opposite of what he intended. Eggman wanted to crush Tails’ sense of self worth before finishing him off, but all it did was reignite the very lesson Sonic told him earlier before running to distract Eggman’s robotic minions. That said lesson of he’s more than capable of facing dangerous threats

-Eggman: Poor boy. We all have to learn this lesson, sooner or later. In every game there’s no one you can depend on. You’re all alone and you’re either a winner, or a loser. And as you know, loser’s lose all of their lives. Say goodbye, fox!

-Tails: You’re wrong! I can depend Sonic! I won’t let him down! I can’t because...Because he’s depending on me! And because of that I won’t lose to you!

     This radio play strikes a good balance in utilizing the grey moral area about depending on someone vs it being an unhealthy display of attachment derived from serious insecurity. Word’s can’t begin to describe how much I loved this moment to pieces because it’s oh so important for writing Tails’ characterization. If you’re going to tackle him being super self conscious about his reliance on Sonic, then you gotta remember why they are so close to one another to begin with. Sonic & Tails have an unbreakable connection, considering they’ve brought out their best qualities in themselves from being together as individuals. For Sonic, it’s his older brother compassion to Tails to bring him outta feeling melancholy. For Tails, the kid finally understands there isn’t anything wrong with depending on Sonic when he needs it most.

     After all, that’s what a real healthy friendship is all about. Whether you’re giving someone a dose of tough love, or simply a piece of motivational advice, it defines how much you truly care about someone, period. Sonic & Tails have this very same power from their bond, which is why new emeralds form from their compassionate friendship that hasn’t been shaken after all the years they’ve been together. Another detail worth noting is it adds to the lore in an impactful manner when Tikal expresses in Episode 8 about positive connections and thoughts from users of the Chaos Emeralds having a strong will & heart. Using the ideas they had for encapsulating Sonic & Tails’ dynamic to create new emeralds from their love for each other as brothers adds an emotional weight.

“So, Sonic’s not the only one who harness the power of the Chaos Emeralds? I can too!?”

“Yes, you have a strong heart! There is a power waiting to be unlocked within you, as well.”

          I’d always daydreamed about in my childhood seeing Super Sonic & Tails take down a threatening villain, whether it was Eggman or different powerful creature such as Chaos or the Biolizard. You can imagine how fucking giddy I was beyond belief to see this artwork of Episode 9′s cover for the radio play. Tails not only got to have another one on one with Eggman, but a team up with Super Sonic in his own respective Super form? Sign me the Hell up! Talk about an all you eat buffet of good writing for Tails’ journey reaching its climax. Getting to hear this play out, alongside the amazing song of Fly With Me, made it authentically feel like something straight outta if there were an installment of Sonic Adventure 3 being brought into reality, which certainly feels like it now.

     Episode 9 has so much awesome stuff with Sonic & Tails working together in their super forms. Particularly, my favorite scene is at the beginning when Sonic teaches Tails how to navigate his newly acquired speed in his respective Super form. My heart melted hearing Sonic help Tails through it all, while he was overjoyed about how fun this new form is for himself. Wholesome Sonic & Tails content is the perfect daily serotonin for me, easily. It’s an awesome fun fact to know they used a scrapped boss from Tails Tornado segment in SA1 for Eggman’s flying dragon three headed robot in their big final battle, once again using old canon material in a very effective manner to boost the quality of their fan made story.

     It’s been a real thrill to hear Mike Pollock play a straight forward serious Eggman making my day in more ways than one, considering that’s another thing I’ve been yearning for desperately besides Tails being a competent character again. His performance in Episode 9 when Eggman gave that speech about how long he’s been at odds with Sonic & Tails stubborn will power was simply excellent. The moment he told his mechanical dragon to crush them I got serious chills. That’s the Eggman I remember and grew up with. He could be a hammy villain sure, but Eggman wasn’t a doormat that could be swiftly beaten. Robotnik can be considered a serious threat in his own right and this radio play nailed it down to the very letter with how much he predicted their actions.

“Sonic, all I ever wanted to do was be like you. You’re not scared of anyone or anything. I could never be like that. At least, so I thought. I grew from that, but then I got so caught up in trying to prove it that thought it wasn’t okay to depend upon anyone, especially you. I just didn’t want to be that scared little kid in Station Square anymore, but now I understand. It’s okay to depend on your friends. It all means is that we’re stronger together, so the next time Eggman comes back and wants to start any trouble with you, or any of my friends. Emeralds or no emeralds, he’s gonna have to get past me and he won’t!”

Sonic By Episode 1′s End: Aww, yeah! Adventure, here we come!

Tails By Episode 10′s End: Aww, yeah! Adventure, here I come!

Turn your thoughts into power. Be all that you can be.

     The ending legit got me choked up because what of they decided to do for wrapping up Tails journey in a poetic fashion. Having Tails go off on his own separate journey to grow more independence pulled on my heart strings perfectly. Very much so, as I’m transitioning slowly, but surely, into gaining more freedom to go out into the outside world in my own life. Concluding the story, by Sonic & Tails holding onto the two Emeralds their bond had formed from positive energy, due to their powerful friendship, was so heartwarming. This is how you write an overview of what makes Sonic & Tails chemistry work so well as it does.

     Sonic & Tails R’s ending represents while some things never change, like Sonic and Tails bond for each other, it also shows there’s very much a necessity for people to grow, hence Tails’ whole solo journey in the epilogue. People can’t stay in the same place forever and will need go about finding their own path, even if it means saying “goodbye” periodically for a notable amount of time.

     It’s for these reasons I’ve listed in great explanation above throughout this detailed post cement Sonic & Tails R high on my list of favorite Sonic fan projects. They captured the magic of what made the Adventure games so beloved. Gonna be looking back on this passion project for many years to come. Everyone involved in this year long effort of a project dating all the way back Summer of 2020 ought to be immensely proud for how much their hard efforts paid off in the long run.

Thanks for taking the time to read my thoughts here! 

Hope you enjoyed. 

[mk-wizard]

Sailor Moon 90s Anime is STILL the best

Hi. I know I am on a Sailor Moon binge here, but after seeing all of Crystal, Eternal and on R (season 2) of the first anime, I want to get this all off of my chest... and before I go further, since these are all animes, I will refer to them as 90s, Crystal and Eternal. And after watching them all, I have to say that the 90s takes the gold medal as the best Sailor Moon anime so far and this is why;

1- It had the best pacing. - While I admit that sometimes, it went too far with the filler, 98% of the time, it worked with the 90s. It took its time to make you get to know the characters for better or for worse, it made you see different sides of them, it gave them a chance to truly develop and be multi-dimensional, and it made you care about them. When a death happened, it felt tragic. When a victory happened, you cheered. And when you saw what side characters did, it mattered. I mean, who can ever forget the contribution 90s Naru Osaka had to the story? And everyone who has seen the 90s anime cannot forget her. More on the character development and getting to know characters later.

Sure, it wasn’t true to the manga and even the characters had different personalities, but I let that slide by because when Crystal and Eternal did follow the manga to the letter, we didn’t get a chance to digest anything. The only characters who develop are Usagi, Chibi-Usa and the outer guardians, and for the last bunch, it was the bare minimum. Crystal and Eternal were fun rides and I would be lying if I said I didn’t like them, but they were like roller coasters. They gave you a thrill, but fast and been done. The 90s was like a slow scenic ride that gave you surprises, emotionally touched you, made you cry, made you laugh, made you root for the heroes and even at the age of 37 years now, I keep rewatching this series.

2- The art of the 90s was better because it was sketchy, dark and edgier. - I know Sailor Moon doesn’t seem like this on the surface because the heroines are lovely girls in cute costumes, it emphasizes femininity and all things pretty, it has a romantic theme and is all about love, but Sailor Moon is also one of the darkest, grittiest, edgy and violent magical girl animes I have ever seen since Magic Knights Rayearth. Sailor Moon has on screen deaths which were permanent most of the time, on screen stabbings and the drawing of blood, and fights that got so hardcore, that real punches and kicks were thrown. The dark edges, black line art and sharp edges worked with the atmosphere of the story. I mean, look at the difference between the halls Dark Kingdom of the 90s (above) and that of Crystal.

And if that is not enough to win you over, the characters were much more animated, organic and conveyed more emotion whether they were exaggerated or serious.

In Crystal, the expressions and body language was very dulled down. Not to mention, very stiff.

Everything is also too bright and soft which makes the characters look like velvet dolls with too much make up especially with the line art. I will give them props for adding better details, cleaner lines, the glow of magical items, and details in the gems, but everything else is all wrong.

Eternal was better, but still not quite there. The colours are still way too bright and the characters still look too much like dolls from having line art that is too wispy. And I really do not like how the eyes have this unnatural glow to them. The edgy scenes become lost with all this brightness.

3- We got to see that there was so much more the characters than just heroes or villains. - Since Usagi is the titular character, let us just talk about her in the 90s since I could go on forever about how much we learned about the characters. In any version of Sailor Moon, Usagi’s role as a Sailor Guardian has always been the core of the story and she does indeed show progress as one. However, the 90s tells us that no matter what, she is still going to be herself too which is just as important and she shows character development as just plain old Usagi too. The manga, Crystal and Eternal which only paint Usagi as not doing anything right except be a Sailor Guardian, but the 90s show her hidden talents and learning new skills. For example, she was bad at cooking at the beginning of the series.

However, by Sailor Moon R, she gets the hang of it and is able to cook a meal by herself. Yes, she is messy, clumsy, never gets the hang of making cookies and is nowhere near Makoto’s level especially when it comes to presentation, but she is good at cooking food.

Another hidden talent of Usagi’s is her drawing skills. She isn’t just good at drawing. She’s got talent at it, so in the 90s, Usagi is quite the artist.

And it is admirable that 90s Usagi is open to trying new things even if she isn’t good at them. She practices, she explores and tries to enlighten herself. Sure, academics, coordination and organization will never be her fortes, but she really does have other and tries to discover more.

In Crystal and Eternal, she is good at being Sailor Moon, she is a good friend and a good girlfriend, but that is it. She is one dimensional here and she isn’t the only one to painted like that. Everyone is only the obvious and that is all the audience gets.

4- Better character redemption. - I mentioned before that Sailor Moon had grit and was dark, but the 90s also made it more complex and did character redemption right. It was open to the possibility of bad people becoming good. For instance, the Black Moon Clan Specter Sister are unforgettable for being successfully redeemed.

Yes, I admit that the monster of the day would get killed by the hands of the Sailor Guardians, but they also clearly showed that the monsters were not people or even alive. They were made of energy, clay or sand. When the monster of the day was a possessed innocent, they were saved through exorcism. Very rarely was an actual person ever killed and even when they were, it was either by the hands of another villain, their own hand, self defense or as a last resort. They never used killing as means of dealing with every single bad guy.

Furthermore, the bridge arc about the Makai Tree that also served as a prologue to Sailor Moon R could be seen as a story about mercy, kindness and love. It stands out as the one time the big bad was actually a misunderstood big good being the Makai Tree herself. And even Ail an An were never bad, but were raised bad. And even then, they changed. This story is unique only to the 90s so far, but it was great and stood out for that reason.

In Crystal, the heroines will kill a person without a second thought which I am shocked that no one brings up how repetitive and contradictory that is. The pretty warrior of love and justice should by all means protect the Earth, but doing so by killing off the bad guy all time is not love or justice. I also think the caption in this picture sums up how I feel about how the one and only time bad guys were given a chance to be redeemed...

Eternal was better because the Asteroid Guardians got redeemed and saved. However, even then, I feel like there is still a double standard. They were one of the good guys to begin with and Sailor Guardians. In the 90s, the Amazoness Quartet wasn’t, but were given a chance to change anyway. I find it cool that the Quartet turned out to be Sailors and even better that they will go on to become Chibi-Usa’s team, but mercy is not just for your allies or for your own benefit. Everyone should be given at least one chance to fix their mistakes.

5- We got to know Mamoru better. - I admit that no matter the incarnation, Tuxedo Mask will never be as powerful as Sailor Moon except when he is King Endymion, but the 90s take on his character made him better even if they did omit his super attack being Tuxedo le Smoking Bomber. What the well dressed masked man lacked in firepower, he made up for in intelligence, insight about the enemy’s weakness, courage and skill. The only times he ever did get overpowered was either by bad luck or because it was intentional because he was taking a hit for Sailor Moon. And even then, he always got back up. He’s a real man like that.

More importantly, we get to know him as Mamoru too. Even before he confides being an amnesiac to Usagi, we see his struggles with feeling alone in the world from having no memory of his life before a tragic accident which also killed his parents. Now, him being a stern cynical person makes sense because I probably wouldn’t be pleasant to be around either if I lived with that. Once his walls come down, we see that deep down, all he wants is to belong somewhere and have a family. It should also be noted that 90s Mamoru doesn’t love Usagi because he is “destined” to. He loves her because he wants to. Even during that brief period where he broke up with Usagi was an act of love. The thing I also always liked best about 90s Mamoru is that even though he loves Usagi more than life itself, his life doesn’t revolve around her which is a healthy thing and he tries to encourage Usagi to be the same way for her own good. He is studying to be a doctor, he has a job and he even has his own crowd which I think is great.

In Crystal and Eternal, while I do see an attempt at trying to follow this trend by showing that Usagi and Mamoru were on their way to falling in love even before they got their memories back, I still find he was one note and we never really learn much about him that has nothing to do with Tuxedo Mask, Endymion or anything royal related. Sure, we know that he’s studying to be a doctor and is a genius to an extent too, but that is it.

I would like to end this by admitting that the 90s was not perfect either, but out of all the takes on the tale of Sailor Moon as of date. Crystal and Eternal were ok, but they just cannot stand up to the quality of the 90s. The only thing I can say I find Crystal did better than the 90s were the costume designs. Specifically, how they let Venus keep her chain belt, Pluto’s key chain belt, Uranus and Neptune’s shorter gloves, Uranus’s sword, Uranus having two earrings, Mercury’s suit is shoulder less which I always found suited her better, and I liked Sailor Moon’s brooch and necklace better in season 1.

And even then, I should have liked it if Jupiter’s antenna was always on display as it is just something I always found cute in the manga, I liked Mars’ five point star earrings better in the 90s, and I like how in the 90s, each of the Inner Guardians’ sailor stripes were a little different.

Of course, this is all my opinion. I would like to hear which of the animes did Sailor Moon right in your opinion and why. Thanks for reading and stay safe, and have a great day.

[dawnwriterimagines]

Stay with Me: Luther Hargreeves (2)

Request: Vanya hurts the reader instead of Allison; Luther and the others find them and the reader is dying. Lots of Angst!

Warning(s): Lots of Angst, Blood, Grief, etc.

"Can't you drive a little bit faster?"

Luther leaned in from the backseat, impatiently looking over to Five, who clutched the steering wheel. Already hitting over 90 on a small road off the highway that was probably only permitting anything below 30 on the speed limit.

"Ask me again," Five sighed. "And I'll burn you with the cigarette lighter."

Luther huffed, sitting back into his seat, glancing between his brothers. His palms were sweating, his hands were shaking, something was wrong, he needed you, he needed to know you were okay. "I just--somethings not right. Can you just press on the gas?" He said now, visibly alittle more lenient, just worriedly staring out of the window. The sun had set and stars were igniting the dark purple sky, it was your favorite time of day, when you could see the stars.

Diego glanced at his brother, before tapping on Five's seat. "How much longer?"

"No more than ten minutes, tops." Five then complied with Luther's wishes, pressing his foot down on the gas pedal until the car was going well over 120.

Luther visibly relaxed, closing his eye's for a moment, then opening them. He balled up his fists, the audible crinkle of paper stopped him however, he straightens and looks down before taking the narrow pieces of paper from his sleeve. His expression softens, he stares down at the tickets he had bought not too long ago, to Paris. Maybe if the world wasn't ending, you two could finally...live, together. He wouldn't disappoint you this time.

He pocketed the tickets before clasping his hands together, painfully squeezing to get rid of the burning feeling setting in his chest.

●

Allison's eyes were cloudy, swollen from crying for hours, she gasped out as she hauled your limp body another inch before collapsing. She had been able to get your body out of the house, but every move only pained you further, she finally collapsed as you begged hoarsely. "Allison, ally! Please," you wheezed, breathlessly, crying silently as blood continued to seep through your fingers. "Stop," you sucked in a breath.

Allison fell to her knees, a loose cloth from the couch pressed into your bloody chest, she whimpered lowly. "I-i'm s-s-sorry," she winced at every sound that flooded her throat, stopping with a hand over the side of her neck where she was bleeding profusely, her eyes dropping as she began to feel dizzy. She groaned, then looking down at you, where your eye's had began to dull, staring upwards. "N-no, (y/n), d-don't--" she leaned over her sister, stroking your cheeks to coax you awake, your vision fading in and out.

"Ally..." you muttered, a thin strand of blood ran down the side of your left nostril, your eye's crossed and Allison took your hand, holding it tight to her lips as she gathered you in her arms. "Where's--where's....V-Vanya," you struggled to say the words, your body spasms faintly, pain blossoming through your limbs as your toes go number and your legs lay limp.

Allison presses her lips together, closing her eyes at the mention of their sister, who betrayed them, who hurt the both of you. How could you still be concerned for Vanya's safety of all things when she left you like this? She doesn't answer, she can't. First, because she's physically incapable with the slice to the throat and secondly she had no idea where Vanya was now, but her first guess would be they were going back to Harold Jenkins place.

She instead, strokes the sides of your face, shakily wiping the blood from your chin and along your paling cheeks. She didn't want to lose you, she couldn't, you've been with her through everything. What would she tell her daughter? Who adored you, who she had made her Godmother, what would she do then? God, what would Luther do?

Allison let out a sob, hugging you to her chest, she couldn't even stand, they'd never make it to the car, you couldn't even take a step without crumbling. She couldn't just leave you either, she'd never do that, so she waited and as your breathing labored, your body shivering as blood pooled around the wooden planked flooring. Allison leaned her head against yours, her mouth opening and nothing left, she grimaced at the vibrations she had tried to create. But, she needed to try, she needed to let you be ok, "I--I heard...a r-r-rumor..." she could see your eye's begin to cloud over, a white glaze that washed over your pupils. "...that y-y-you...you're gonna be fine. You're gonna...gon' be o-ok," your eye's were glazed over, but she wasn't sure if it was from her power anymore.

The night air blew through her curls as she leaned over you, panting heavily as her eyes grew heavy, she stroked the side of your face. Your lips curved up fairly try before dropping, your skin was so pale, so cold now. "N-no...! No, please," Allison cried out as she felt her wound tear, but she still begged as she now laid beside you. Her hands shook you to stay awake, sniffling as she knew you didn't have much time left. "I'm--I'm sorry," Allison breathed, laying her head on your shoulder now, her hand pressing down weakly on your bleeding chest. She could hardly breathe, taking one painful breath after the other, and all she could do now is lay here with you until you were found.

It was moments later, Allison was on the verge of blacking out, when there was a sudden shout, a vibration along the wooden boards up to the both of you.

Finally...

●

The car came to a halt as the lights of the cabin illuminated the area, but Five narrowed his eyes driving up closer as there was no car in sight. "Harold's not here."

"What are you talking about, this is the place," Klaus brought up the police report copy, Five rolled his eye's, waving it off.

"Yes, I know that. But there's no car, Allison's call isn't here either." Five drove up further.

Luther sighed impatiently. "Well they have to be somewhere, let's go inside, maybe there's clues!" He hastily opened up the car door, just as Diego caught sight of the porch.

"Oh, god..." He breathed before pushing the door open and running towards the cabin.

Klaus finally could see and follwed. "Oh no!"

Luther rushed to the cabin, Diego racing towards the steps in front until he caught sight of the scene in front of them. "No...no!" He cried, pushing past Diego and collapsing to his knees in front of your limp body. "(Y/n), (y/n) hey, baby," he raised you up in his arms, your head limply hung to the side. "No, no! Please, (y/n)," his eyes burned at the sight of your bloody, broken body. His right hand shaking as it held the soaked cloth over your bloody middle, your breathing was so faint. "Oh god, oh god, oh god please, no! No!" He held you close, breathing heavily before lifting you in his arms, your skin was so cold, your eye's fluttered open.

Klaus came up, his eyes reddening, mouth agape at the state of his family, he was leaned over Luther, a hand on his shoulder, until the man began rushing back to the car. "Wha--oh shit, god no. Oh je--we have to get them back to the house!" He leaned over Allison as Luther took you to the car, his body shaking as he struggled to keep himself together.

"I couldn't--, I couldn't--," Allison gasped out, her eyes crossed in exhaustion as Diego carefully lifted her, Diego shushed her, quickly making his way to the car as Klaus opened his side door.

"We know, we know. It's gonna be ok, Allison," Diego assured her as he climbed into the car.

Five was already behind the wheel, pressing down on the gas as his own eyes blurred with angry tears, he couldn't stop his family from getting hurt, he came back to save them! And he couldn't protect them! He stepped on the gas, turning the wheel forcefully, they needed to get home and fast!

During the car ride, Luther ripped away his coat and wrapped you in its stifling warmth, hoping to keep you warm, but your body still shivered. He rubbed your shoulder, while your body was tucked into his chest as you sat across his lap, "We're heading home, you're gonna be ok, baby," he said, using his left hand to hold his coat in place over your chest as a desperate attempt to stifle the blood loss, the other caressing the side of your face. "Hey, (y/n), baby, look at me. You can't close your eyes ok?" He tilted your chin up, your head leaning on his shoulder, "You don't have to talk, ok? Just listen, stay awake," he tried to hold himself together, his body was shaking, he didn't know what to do or how to fix this.

All this blood. His pants were warm, his hands are sticky with your blood, draining from your body like a running faucet.

"Come on, (y/n)," Klaus turned in his seat, feigning one of his go lucky smiles Luther used to hate so much, "I thought you wanted go hear about my therapy session last week? I'll tell you now, that man was a mess, he spent more time talking about his problems more than my own. But then I took his, um, his car! And pawned it," Klaus produced a half-hearted laugh, you visibly produced a breath of humour, causing him to continue. "But, ya know I didn't make much, it was a rusty old thing, barely worth a grand."

"You're...hopeless..." You breathlessly spoke.

Luther adjusted you in his arms, relaxing slightly, happy to see you could still speak at least. He was thankful for once, for Klaus' humour, having never truly appreciated it.

Klaus leaned against the seat, his eyes on your pale skin and darkening eyes. "Yeah, yep, I am," he snickered lightly, his expression flickering as his eye's watered once more. "Yeah, you're right. But, I said it first."

You hummed, amused as Klaus laughed faintly with you.

Diego then pitched in, holding tight to Allison, who had her hand tightly looped with yours. "(y/n), hey, sis," Your eye's flickered over to Diego, "I still got a few tricks to show you, ya know. You're shit with the knife still," he said, turned away from you, snickering lightly while you snorted weakly.

"Gee, thanks," you breathed, a smile settled on our face. "Your...teaching is...just bad,," you finished, than humming a laugh as Klaus and Luther chuckle while Diego gave you a half-hearted glare.

Five looked up through the mirror. "Keep her up for ten more minutes. We're almost--," he looks at you, your eyelids fluttering. "Hey! Hey, (y/n)," Luther rubs your shoulder, coaxing you up. "We're almost home," he says directly to you, as calmly as he could.

You nodded, a faint movement he hardly caught.

Everyone tried to keep you up, Luther trying to hold himself together as you soon stopped talking altogether, only blinking or a light smile to show you were listening.

Then, you stopped responding, your eye's were still open so Klaus had assumed you were listening. All of a sudden, you stilled, Klaus paused, Allison sitting up after a few seconds and putting a hand over yours. When you didn't give any indication of response, she panicked, shaking your arm and that's when everyone realized what had happened.

●

"We're safe here for a bit," Leonard said, putting his keys on the table, shrugging off his coat.

Vanya stepped inside his home, numb as her hands were stiff with dried blood, her eyes with bags from the long ride and constant reminder of her betrayal to her sisters. Her body shivered with each step, her cheeks stained with tears that had gone on for hours.

"Can't stay long," Leonard continued, unfazed by the previous events. "We've gotta pack our things," he said.

Then fully turning to Vanya, her silence as she stared at her feet, "Vanya," he walked over to her, "Vanya," he said again, she didn't answer, she couldn't, a dead stare into a void he knew she must must be haunted by. "Let's clean you up." He took her hand, looking at the blood crusted along her hands and her clothes.

She followed him to the tub, when he ran the water, she sat down inside, the warm water did little to ease her. Even as Leonard--or was it Harold-- washed her bloody palms with a rag to the soothe her shaking bones.

"Your family," Leonard began, "they'll be coming for us soon," he said. When she said nothing, only still looking forwards, lost in the repeating memory of you falling in her arms, blood flooding your chest. "It's ok," he breathed against her. "You don't have to worry, we're a team now." He assured her. She blinked at the word, her eyes blurring once again with tears.

"Vanya! I made you this!" You ran down the hallway, clad in your umbrella academy costume, everyone was on their way to a mission. You had a mask in your hand, one exactly like everyone else's, Vanya hadn't received one before because she had no power at the time.

Vanya remembers being so emotional about it, tearing up so badly that she couldn't put the mask om right away because she'd just drown her own eyes in her tears. You gave her a walkie-talkie and shook one of your own in your hand, "Now, you can help me on missions!" You revealed, grinning widely. Wiping Vanya's eye's, you helped her put her mask on. "There! Now we're a team!"

"Take the fight to them," Leonards voice broke her out of her memory.

She spoke. For the first time in hours, "Why would they be coming for me?"

Leonard chuckles softly, "Vanya..." he breathes. "You killed (y/n)."

A flash of what she had done hits her, she flinched before shaking her head. "No, I..." she started. "I lost control." She explained. "Everything just happened so fast." She couldn't stop herself, she hadn't even known what she had done until it was too late. It was an accident. They'd understand that, right?

"I know," Leonard says, running the rag over her fingers. "I know," he repeated. "It's not your fault. You were protecting yourself."

"Vanya, vanya, I love you!"

From what? What was she protecting herself from? All they wanted to do was help, all you wanted to do was help her.

"That's not how they'll see it," Leonard continues.

"No. I'll-- I'll...I'll explain it to them." Vanya nods to herself, trying to convince herself. "Uh, I--I just need to get to them and I--I need to explain it to them."

Leonard frowned, leaning over her. "They wanna hurt you," he warned, "I'm the only one on your side who understands...just how special...you truly are."

"... (y/n) understood." A tear escapes Vanya's eye.

Leonard hums. "But, she's gone now." He reminds her.

She's silent after that, silently crying harder.

"I've known you were special since the day we met. I see it now, just as she did , as I look at your face," Leonard insists. "But they don't see it. And the only other person who did, she's gone now. But I'm still here Vanya," Leonard rubs her hands of blood, "They never have seen it, Vanya. And they never will."

She looks down at the water, having slowly turned pink, she sniffles, accepting the hard truth, the lie masked within his words.

"Say it."

She shakes her head. "I can't..."

Leonard stops, looks at her, hard. "Say it for me."

She takes a slow breath, a word she had once craved now seemingly cursed in her eyes. "I'm special."

"Say it again." He instructs, a grin spreading across his face as Vanya only sunk deeper into herself.

"I've watched everything my siblings can do, ruin their lives!"

"I'm special..."

Leonard chuckles. "Now that wasn't so hard."

●

The car comes to a screeching halt in front of the Umbrella Academy, everyone immediately piling out of the vehicle, carrying Allison's body out and Luther holds you tight in his arms. But, he hasn't moved from his spot in the car.

It's been an hour since you had gone silent, stopped breathing. Five stayed in the car, behind the wheel, gripping the leather wheel tightly and he still hasn't let go, he didn't dare look back at the back seat to see your body laying there. Luther hadn't been able to let go of you, burying his face in your neck as he cried in agony as you had passed on.

Allison had passed out after you had gone quiet, unable to deal with the reality, everyone else was in shock, thinking maybe they could make it home or to a hospital in time. But, they were too late.

Klaus and Diego left with Allison to carry her inside, hopefully Pogo and Mom would be able to make quick work to help her.

Luther is inconsolable as he finally goes inside the academy after an hour, carrying you inside and setting you down as Mom confirms you had passed on, giving a mournful kiss to your forehead as she runs a hand over your hair. She closes the infirmary doors after she had given Allison her blood transfusion from Diego. Cleaning you up from blood, she changes your clothes before letting everyone say their goodbyes as she opens the doors.

Allison wakes up later on, sitting up, hoarse breathing in as she cups the sore pain in her throat, she winced at the bandage on her neck. She hums but grimaced at the pinch that traveled up her neck, she looks around before noticing someone else in the room, two people actually. One on a gurney like her and the other sitting beside the other woman, her eyes widen as she recognizes your (h/c) hair.

Luther is at your side, holding your hand close to his face as he leans against your side, the man clearly having never left your side. Allison gasps softly in the quiet room, breathing heavily as she realizes you're gone, Luther looks up, his eyes were so dull, defeated and filled with grief.

He slowly straightens up from his spot before walking over to the woman, Allison cries as she can't take her eyes off of your body, she can't believe that you're actually... She sobs inaudibly, her chest clenching in agony, Luther comes over taking his sister into an embrace that she gladly responds to.

"No..." she gasps out, "No!"

Luther only holds her tighter, masking his own tears as the two sit in silence of their grief.

●

Klaus bursts into his room, stumbling to his bed, throwing the pillows off of it before pulling out the drawers underneath his bed frame. His eyes clouded over as he sniffles harshly, a shaky breath leaving him as he looks around for those little red and white pills he knows are hidden somewhere.

"What're you doing?" Klaus doesn't have to turn around to know Ben is speaking to him, his ghost brother, who steps into the room behind him. Ben's voice is dampened with sadness, having witnessed his sister bleed out on the way home and watched her spirit cross over. He didn't wish death on anybody, nobody is ready for it, he couldn't believe you had gone so soon as well.

"What does it look like?" Klaus stammered, he hiccups before wiping a stray tear from his face. "I'm looking for drugs!"

"Don't do it."

"I'm done listening to you!" Klaus spins around on him. "Just go away! Go away, please."

"I like the sober you," Ben admits as Klaus returns to lookin for the drugs he had apparently hid from himself. He rips through the fabric of a stuffed animal desperately while Ben frowns.

"Yeah well, sobriety's overrated." Klaus pulls out a few bagged pills from the fluff.

"Look where it's gotten you, though!" Ben points out, Klaus having met up with Sir Reginald earlier, albeit not a very informative meeting but he did it.

Klaus looks at Ben, upset. "Well, where has it gotten me? Where has it gotten me!?" He demands, "Nowhere!" He throws his hands up in exasperation. "I can't talk to the person I love. People...still don't take me seriously! The only one who did..." he paused before looking away from his brother, his hands shaking as he thought of his sister. "I can't even see (y/n)...I couldn't even say goodbye, nothing!" Klaus puts his hands to his face. "I wanna be numb again."

[a-secret-bolton-vampire]

Young Griff, Part 1: The Pisswater Prince

So, I know I haven't done a super deep dive in a while. I kinda got stuck, then binged Sense8, The OA, The Americans, and Dark. It just got hard to write, and I feel into a bit of depression. But I finally managed to complete this, something I've wanted to write about for a very long time. This is part of the Daenerys essays, but the main focus is not on her, but rather the enigmatic Young Griff who appears in ADWD. As he was never seen on the TV show, we have little to no idea of what his future holds. Personally, of all the characters cut from the show, I most wish they kept Young Griff, because his presence is quite interesting. The fandom (and the in-world characters) are highly skeptical of his identity, and think he is destined for major things in the future of the story.

There is no doubt his existence is tied heavily to Daenerys's storyline, although perhaps not the way that is often recognized. This was originally going to just be one long essay, but I uncovered more and more that I found compelling enough to write, and so it became split into two parts. The first part will be about Aegon's role in the story; his identity, what he represents, why he is here. The second part will be about Aegon's future; his next moves in the Stormlands, possible allies, and how he might meet his end.

The Dubious Prince

What's curious is that apparently, Aegon's return has been considered by GRRM for quite a while. A mere 2 days before the publishing of ASOS, in 2000, GRRM was asked a question by a fan:

Fan: I was wondering if you could answer (or take the "fifth") one teeny little question I've been dying to ask for the past year: Are Aegon and Rhaenys, Elia's children, well and truly dead? GRRM: All I have to say is that there is absolutely no doubt that little Princess Rhaenys was dragged from beneath her father's bed and slain.

And then when ADWD is published in 2011, it is revealed that in fact, Aegon isn't dead, but secretly alive. This is something that was actually rumoured in Westeros, according to this entry of Aegon VI in A World of Ice and Fire app:

Rumors persist, however, that it was not truly Aegon who was killed, but some other infant, and that Aegon has been taken away to safety.

Aegon literally tells Tyrion the story of how he was whisked away to safety:

"That was not me. I told you. That was some tanner's son from Pisswater Bend whose mother died birthing him. His father sold him to Lord Varys for a jug of Arbor gold. He had other sons but had never tasted Arbor gold. Varys gave the Pisswater boy to my lady mother and carried me away."

It's certainly a great story, that Aegon return from the dead, living in Essos waiting for the chance to take back his birthright. The fact Aegon is still alive is truly a miracle... but is he? Is this young boy who purports to be Aegon really Prince Aegon, son of Prince Rhaegar and Princess Elia? One of the most pervasive fan theories is that Aegon isn't a Targaryen at all, but secretly a Blackfyre, descended from the Targaryen bastard Daemon Blackfyre who rebelled and tried to become king (the Blackfyres are still Targaryens but don't tell them that).

It's such a popular theory that it is considered all but canon, as much as R+L=J is. Now, time for me to commit heresy: I do not buy this theory at all.

For those not in the know, some have pointed out potential circumstantial evidence of Aegon being a Blackfyre; he's supported by the Golden Company, a sellsword company that was made for the Blackfyres and ruled by them until Maelys died on the Stepstones. Dany sees a vision of a cloth dragon swaying on a pole in the House of the Undying, as the Undying call her the "slayer of lies". There is mention of Maelys being the end of male line of House Blackfyre, but no mention of what happened to the female line. There is a story about an inn that had a black dragon made of iron symbolizing the Blackfyres, and after Lord Darry (a Targaryen supporter in the Blackfyre rebellions) took it off, cut it apart, and threw it into the river, one piece showed up years later on the Quiet Isle, having reddened with rust (potentially symbolizing a Blackfyre returning disguised as a Targaryen). Illyrio is oddly emotional when talking about Aegon. Plus the entirety of the Pisswater Prince story sounds really out there and unlikely.

At first glance, I found this theory really compelling. There is all this subtext and reading behind the lines that you didn't see before, and on some level it makes some sense. Why introduce another secret Targaryen in book 5 out of 7 (8)? It also fits neatly with another theory I will talk about more in depth later. However, while it isn't a theory I think is necessarily 100% inaccurate and completely out there, I think it doesn't account for alternatives, and ultimately is an unnecessary plot twist.

The support of the Golden Company isn't all that suspect when you consider just what's been happening since Maelys died. The male line of House Blackfyre is over (who knows what happened to the female line), the Blackfyres no longer rule the Golden Company, they are gone. The Golden Company was also founded by Westerosi exiles who fled Westeros and supported the Blackfyres. The fact the Golden Company broke its contract with Myr and that "some contracts are writ in blood" more has to do with the fact that these people are mostly descendants of Westerosi exiles and want to return home. The idea of the Golden Company wasn't really to be a permanent thing, it was meant to be a means through which the Blackfyres had support when they invaded again, and when the Blackfyres were installed, those exiled lords would get their lost lands back.

With the Blackfyre cause gone, the only thing left for the Golden Company is home. And that's exactly what Aegon is giving them, regardless of him being Targaryen. The slayer of lies visions are implying Daenerys is going to be confronting people who are in some way not true. Stannis (who is the first vision) is not Azor Ahai. This probably means that the cloth dragon represents a fake Targaryen, and in comes Aegon, out of nowhere! The first issue I have is that the vision has to be literal. Prophecies are very tricky, and the House of the Undying prophecies are extremely finicky. What does slayer of lies mean? Does it mean she literally kills the lies? Is it more metaphorical that she exposes people to the truth? And if Aegon really is a true Targaryen, then why is he the mummer's dragon and considered a lie to slay?

Disregarding the fact Varys was a mummer and he is working for Aegon, even if Aegon is a Targaryen, it's very obvious that they need to do a lot to convince people he is one. He has to play the part of Rhaegar's son, because everyone thinks he is dead. Meanwhile, Daenerys has to do literally nothing of the sort, because she has dragons. She embodies what it means to be a Targaryen, she is about to embrace her house words. As Illyrio tells Tyrion, Daenerys is a true Targaryen. But Aegon doesn't have dragons, so he needs to play up his Targness in some other way. Rhaegar was called the Last Dragon. Viserys called himself a Dragon. Aegon is about to try to take Rhaegar's place. But neither Rhaegar, Viserys, or Aegon are the Last Dragon; Daenerys is, and the lie is that he is the last dragon, and that Dany's existence itself is the way she slays the lie. As Dany thinks to herself after Viserys dies, "fire cannot kill a dragon".

Look at Aegon being someone piggybacking off words and looks for his claims. Meanwhile, Daenerys has all the proof one needs. I think the vision is much more esoteric than literal. While Varys's story is suspect and even Tyrion finds it unbelievable, it's not entirely impossible. Hell, Mance Rayder climbed the Wall and went to Winterfell in disguise as a bard twice. It makes sense for Varys to take away Aegon and replace him with another child during Robert's rebellion, when things were going badly for the Targaryens and plans had to be made in case the worst came to worst.

Another popular interpretation is that Illyrio and his wife Serra are Aegon's real son, but I find this to be incredibly flawed. Not only does Serra not really look much like a Targaryen (blue eyes instead of purple), but Illyrio's somewhat emotional confession that he can't see Aegon before he drops Tyrion off doesn't mean he is the boys father. The idea that you need to be someones parent in order to have a strong connection completely holds disregard for other kinds of relationships. Aegon is implied to have been raised for at least a bit in Pentos. Illyrio probably felt some affection for him and genuinely enjoyed his company.

To me, however, it's not really the alternative explanations for the evidence of a Blackfyre conspiracy that convince me Aegon is in fact Rhaegar's son. It's rather simple; what's the point of yet another secret identity plot twist? Consider how we meet Aegon. We meet him through Tyrion's POV in his third chapter, under the guise of the son of a sellsword named Griff, called Young Griff, his hair dyed blue in honour of his dead Tyroshi mother. Tyrion is immediately suspicious, but he's not entirely sure what's going on. We then get two more chapters of him aboard the Shy Maid, and during that time we are meant to be a little confused and unsure what is going on. It's a mystery of why Tyrion is on this boat and who these people are.

By the third chapter of Tyrion on the Shy Maid, the mystery is finally lifted, and all is revealed; Griff isn't Griff, he's Jon Connington, an exiled lord thought to have drunken himself to death. And Young Griff isn't his son; he's Prince Rhaegar's son Aegon, who was thought to have been killed by the Mountain in Robert's Rebellion. I think it's important to remember that it isn't just Aegon who is thought to be dead. JonCon is considered dead too! Two dead people aboard a boat plotting to retake Westeros. We already had a mystery handed to us, and the plot twist was already revealed. Another thing to consider is how thematically and symbolically important the journey down the Rhoyne is for Aegon. To me I think it makes a lot of sense for Rhaegar and Elia's son to be on the Rhoyne, especially since there is a lot of evidence that he and Dorne will eventually ally.

It's also important to remember that apart from a very few sly people, Aegon being secretly alive wasn't even a possibility on most peoples radar. It truly was something that came out of nowhere. While that can be used as a marker against him being Rhaegar's son, with the complaints of such a large character being revealed so late with seemingly no forewarning, I think that's honestly sort of the point.

Aegon's existence is already so large of a twist that it feels awkward to then put in another plot twist that he's actually a Blackfyre, something that really only has significance to the people who have read the Dunk & Egg novellas and know the history of Westeros very well. Although not entirely the same, it reminds me of "the Others are actually morally grey/the good guys" theories, which are in a similar vein of "George is always subversive and this is classic George". However, while the text does sort of lend credence to this theory being at the very most plausible, I feel it's ultimately an unnecessary plot twist built upon another seemingly unnecessary plot twist to try to justify his late entry and/or his significance (as can be noted, I detest calling him fAegon). The plot for Aegon isn't to be uncovered as this secret conspiracy of another ultra-double secret identity, it's about what his existence does to change the story.

Young Griff, Daenerys Stormborn, and Jon Snow

A large part of why the Blackfyre conspiracy theory is so popular is that it actually does have a compelling narrative link to the series. It's a simple progression; there are hints at a second Dance of the Dragons, vision of a mummer's dragon, a fake Targaryen, boom, Dany and Aegon fight. Dany thinks her claim is the best, but then someone appears who has an even better claim, and she fights thinking there's no possible way he could be real. It's an easy to follow trajectory. As always, people are welcome to disagree with my interpretation, but I think there is a far better reason for Aegon's role in the story; he's more foreshadowing for R+L=J.

For certain, there's more to him than just that, but I think this is something that simply cannot be ignored. He's another Targaryen. Yeah, it's kind of a meme to say X is a secret Targaryen, but I actually see the logic in why GRRM did this. Jon Snow is the son of Rhaegar and Lyanna, and most likely is a trueborn prince. He is the one destined to have an extremely significant relationship with Daenerys. I plan to eventually write an essay on how R+L=J effects the characters and story by itself, but for preface; I don't buy that R+L=J is there just to make Jon have an identity crisis. Something as significant as that is going to have a lot of consequences and reasons to be around, some more than others. I do think there will be people who will learn the truth and at the very least, some people will believe it.

This is where Aegon's appearance becomes more significant. Here is a Targaryen people had no idea even existed, let alone was still alive. It kinda opens the floodgates for the world to question what is known about Robert's Rebellion. It also serves as precedent for the reveal that Jon Snow reveal. One Targaryen we didn't know existed is suddenly here. Is there another nearby? You can't simplify such a complex plot quite that easily of course, but I think it's significant to think about how the Young Griff twist applies to the story as a whole, and specifically RLJ. George maybe thought of this as the initial purpose for Young Griff, but as per usual, he definitely has other reasons to exist.

In fact, Aegon is a perfect foil for Jon Snow. Both are the son of Rhaegar, both are disguised as someone else, both are thrusted into a leadership position at a young age. However, Jon is unaware of his true parentage, while Aegon is. Jon is reluctant to embrace his identity in general (especially as lord commander) while Aegon is embracing his identity to his fullest extent. In a way, Aegon represents what Jon's life could have become in a parallel world. Instead of being taken as Ned's bastard to Winterfell, he is educated and taught his role and origin in Essos as plotting begins for retaking Westeros. Aegon is literally parallel universe Jon Snow.

Aegon is also a foil for Daenerys (who in turn is a parallel to Jon Snow). Daenerys grew up poor, constantly visiting nobles in the Free Cities but never getting anything in return. She was sold as a marital slave to Drogo. Her brother resented and abused her, and anything she learned she learned from Viserys, who was very unreliable. Yet she climbs up and becomes an incredibly powerful figure, and is now one of the most powerful people in the world. In contrast, Aegon was always protected, given safety, care, education, train at arms. In fact, it might be accurate to say that Aegon is actually spoiled. His interaction with Tyrion while playing cyvasse is a good indication of this. After Tyrion defeats Aegon when he follows the bad advice he gave him (making a point to not always trust people), this happens;

Young Griff jerked to his feet and kicked over the board. Cyvasse pieces flew in all directions, bouncing and rolling across the deck of the Shy Maid. "Pick those up," the boy commanded.

This is quite an extreme reaction. It even reminds Tyrion of Joffrey, and I have to agree this is a very petulant, Joffrey-like outburst. I don't believe Aegon is really anything like Joffrey, but both kids were pretty spoiled and given so much safety and care that when things don't go their way they get upset. Aegon is used to having everything given to him, and Tyrion is the first to show that he won't always win. In contrast, Daenerys has suffered some pretty severe losses; Rhaego, Drogo's khalasar, Drogo, Jorah's betrayal, etc. I have a hard time seeing Daenerys react so badly to this the way Aegon did. It also casts doubt on the speech Varys gave to Kevan as he dies that Aegon was molded to be this perfect king. He may have been raised to be that way, but the opposite might be true instead.

In fact, this might really be the true crux and core of Aegon's storyline. He's touted as the rightful king, this perfect prince who has been taught everything he needs, ready to be this hero who returns to Westeros to reclaim the throne. But Aegon is a deconstruction of that trope. He seems to have everything going for him, and is touted as this great king, but the truth is he remains relatively untested. All the privilege he has been given has only made him spoiled. The game of cyvasse he and Tyrion play is a lot more significant than I think it is given credit for, but that will be saved for part two when I go in depth about his future.

Of course, there has been a lot of pushback against the idea that Aegon is spoiled and that he's no different from Jon and Dany and that it should be expected he react like that to losing cyvasse at his age. While the cyvasse outburst doesn't mean he is going to be evil or anything, I think the context about this is important, and there is a lot more stuff I think hints that Aegon is not really the prince Varys believes him to be. Again, this will be saved for part two.

The Dragons Will Dance Again

In 2003, a fan asked George:

Hi, short question. Will we find out more about the Dance of the Dragons in future books? GRRM: The first dance or the second? The second will be the subject of a book. The first will be mentioned from time to time, I'm sure.

This is further supported by a quote by Teora Toland in the first Arianne sample chapter for TWOW:

"It is dragons." "Dragons?" said her mother. "Teora, don't be mad." "I'm not. They're coming." "How could you possibly know that?" her sister asked, with a note of scorn in her voice. "One of your little dreams?" Teora gave a tiny nod, chin trembling. "They were dancing. In my dream. And everywhere the dragons danced the people died."

The use of the language of dragons dancing is very noteworthy, and when connected with the SSM show in-text hints that a second Dance is indeed going to happen. Various theories include that this refers to Jon vs. Dany, Dany vs. Euron, Dany vs. Aegon, or Jon vs. Aegon. The most common theory in the fandom is Dany vs. Aegon, with Dany believing Aegon to be a fake Targaryen and refusing to acknowledge his claim to the throne. Instead of facing Cersei as in the show, Daenerys will face Aegon.

The extension of this theory is that Dorne will ally with Aegon, with an ambitious Arianne marrying Aegon, and a burnt toast Quentyn showing Daenerys's rejection, turning Dorne against Daenerys. When Daenerys invades Westeros, Aegon is to be the perfect prince while Dany plays the role of the evil Mad King's daughter. In retaliation of Dorne siding with a false Targaryen instead of a true Targaryen, Dany will burn the Water Gardens. On a narrative level it kinda does make a lot of sense. In the first Areo chapter, Doran mentions that the blood oranges are well past ripe. He has waited for his vengeance for 17 years, because he's so careful about the cost, but in the end all that waiting will do him in and the second Daenerys will burn the Water Gardens that were built for the first Daenerys.

There is just a slight problem... someone talked about the theory that Daenerys will burn the Water Gardens in the comment section of a NotABlog post, and GRRM very quickly shut it down by saying "the Water Gardens bit... uh no". Not that we needed GRRM to debunk this tired theory, it didn't make much sense in the first place since the Water Gardens hold no strategic value and burning it would mean Daenerys has to do it for no reason other than needless cruelty.

The bigger issue I have is that of Dany and Aegon even fighting in the first place. Despite everything, what a "second Dance of the Dragons" even means is incredibly vague. A Targaryen succession crisis? A Targ succession crisis leading to war? A Targaryen man fighting a Targaryen woman? Does it need to be on the same scale as the original Dance? We have no context other than this and it could mean literally anything. What's more, there is a very often overlooked SSM that kinda puts the dampers on this theory a bit;

The second Dance of Dragons does not have to mean Dany's invasion. Geroge stopped himself short and said he shouldn't say anymore. The response came because of my question of whether the dance would take place in ADWD because AFFC and ADWD parallel.

We will definitely see more of Aegon in TWOW, and we'll probably get to know him better. I'm not going to argue that Aegon appearing in book 5 of 7 is bad writing, because I don't think it necessarily is. Perhaps he won't be as major a character as the fandom believes him to be. However, if Daenerys and Aegon are going to clash, there needs to be time for the characters to interact and establish any sort of relationship. I think the idea that Dany hears of Aegon's existence and immediately thinks he is a fake and goes to war with him completely disregards both Dany's character and how you establish a tragic event like this.

The first Dance of the Dragons was not something that happened on a whim. It was the result of decades of hatred built towards two factions. They weren't always antagonistic to each other, but as the years passed, the blacks and the greens grew to hate each other more and more and more until it took the death of the king that kept them at bay to start a devastating war. Dany declaring Aegon a fake without ever having met him and going to war with him is incredibly simplistic. Also, think about it from Dany's perspective.

Viserys was an abusive asshole to her, yet she still thinks about him and even feels lonely. It's natural to want to have a family and someone to feel close with. Dany is warned about the mummer's dragon, yes, but she is also lonely and thinks all her family is dead, that she is alone in the world. So what would really happen if she learned Aegon existed? For sure there would be intense skepticism, but I think there is a part of her that will at the very least want to believe it to be true. Daenerys is very ambitious yes, but I don't think she would simply refuse to believe someone is her nephew because that means he has a better claim to the throne.

Besides, kinslaying is a huge taboo, and killing someone who claims to be her nephew without being sure is definitely going to not be the best option in her mind. And also, Aegon hasn't done anything yet to earn Dany's resentment, unlike Viserys. There might be some anger at Illyrio, some serious shock, denial even, but at the end of the day, this is one more family member she didn't know she even had. The show portrayed Jon's parentage as being a bad thing for her since he would have a better claim, but I doubt that will be the first thing on Dany's mind. In fact, she thinks to herself what would happen if Aegon was alive:

Five Aegons had ruled the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros. There would have been a sixth, but the Usurper's dogs had murdered her brother's son when he was still a babe at the breast. If he had lived, I might have married him.

There is a good chance that the emotions she feels when learning about Aegon will be a precursor to the R+L=J reveal with Jon Snow. Just more reason Aegon is a big step towards R+L=J being confirmed.

Although Daenerys is quite ready to leave Slaver's Bay for Westeros at the end of ADWD, Aegon's existence might motivate her to leave even more quickly and solidify her goal to get the Iron Throne. However, I don't think that Aegon is going to become a new main character. His appearance and his actions I feel are more important than his actual character. And hey, maybe the second Dance will involved Daenerys and Aegon, but I think there is enough reason to doubt it.

Next up; the Golden Company landing, Dorne, and Aegon's game of cyvasse, detailed.

[warsofasoiaf]

Uh. I checked the character count, and this is going to end up long. My friend sent me something, and while I'm sure it's wrong, I don't know enough about medieval battles to dispute it. Can you help? Part one of many

He held storms end against a siege. From what information there is he seems to have done this well. I don’t know if he employed a scorched earth strategy before the siege began (if he didn’t then a rescind my compliment). The siege showed little in terms of tactical or strategic prowess on the part of Stannis but his will power was commendable and eating last was (part 1)

The siege showed little in terms of tactical or strategic prowess on the part of Stannis but his will power was commendable and eating last was a good morale booster (though he likely didn’t do this for the moral). Still, if the Tyrells had decided to storm the castle he would have lost. The battle shows more incompetence on the part of Mace than prowess on the part of Stannis (part 2)

He captured Dragonstone. There is very little mentioned about the specifics of the engagement. It is highly unlikely that there was a contested landing as the defenders lacked the numbers and morale for such a move and there is very little precedent for a contested landing in the historical time period that ASoIaF is based on. He likely arrived at the castle to find an open gate. Part 3

The best mark on Stannis’s record, and the only truly impressive thing he’s done was his destruction of the Ironborn fleet. He managed to split his fleet in two and flank the Ironborn without them knowing. Though this is still impressive it must be mentioned that Stannis likely had a great advantage due to technological superior ships (the ships described in the books are absurdly large and in an age where gaming and boarding was the main instrument of naval warfare that is a great advantage).

During the war of the five kings Stannis refuses to ally himself to anyone. This is a great black mark agains his record. And shows either an abysmal understanding of basic strategy or an incredibly diluted ego. Stannis’s choice to march on Storms end similarly shows either incompetence or delusion, only saved by an entirely unpredictable magical trump card on the part of Melisandre. Combined with the luck of the Stormlander lords agreeing to side with Stannis.

His attack of Kings Landing similarly shows a lack of understanding of basic strategy. This time he seemingly fails to scout ahead before initiating a contested river crossing. Failure to do this is an incredible oversight that cost him the battle. Part five sorry forgot the last one

After Stannis’s previous blunders lead to the annihilation of most of his army he gambles and sails north to try and win over the Northern lords. This is probably his first truly good idea in the war of the five kings. With Robb dead and the Lannister involvement in what seems to be one of the greatest war crimes in Westerosi history the Northern lords are ripe for realignment. Part 6

He crushes a numerical superior Wildling army though his force is made up of mounted knights and the Wildlings too don’t seem to utilize scouts. I would chalk this up to apparent wildling incompetence. Stannis then determines to march on the dread fort. Which is rightly pointed out by Jon Snow to be a stupid idea. Stannis then receives advice that determines his next moves. Part eight

Sorry, had to wait to submit more. Stannis then determines to march on the dread fort. Which is rightly pointed out by Jon Snow to be a stupid idea. Stannis then receives advice that determines his next moves. Stannis also seemingly wins the battle on the ice. His strategy seems to be fairly sound though he likely will receive no small amount of help from the Manderlys. Part nine

Part 10: Ultimately Stannis does not deserve his reputation. He isn’t completely incompetent. But He does not stand up the the likes of Tywin Lannister, Randyl Tarly, or Robb Stark In skill. Most of his victories are largely attributable to events that he had no control over and could not have forseen, from Melisandre’s magic to Jon’s council.

I wouldn’t worry. Whoever wrote that doesn’t really understand warfare either.

Defending against the Siege of Storm’s End was a remarkable feat of leadership. Stannis is young, and this is likely his first real test of major leadership. That he is able to handle it with only one instance of defection is no small accomplishment. A general needs to have this sense of leadership, in order to inspire his men and to get them to follow his orders. This is something we see time and again with Stannis; his troops truly do feel inspired by him, and are not simply fearing punishment for non-compliance. His men cross the burning bridge of ships during the Battle of the Blackwater, they follow him to the very edge of the world (bit of dramatic hyperbole here, but the Wall is remote and he would need to unite his men after the disastrous defeat). 

Capturing Dragonstone. I fail to see your friend’s point. Naval landings are difficult in premodern times. Stannis had to organize a fleet and land, and he had built ships to take on the Targaryen fleet. Again, that’s another part of leadership, particularly since medieval naval combat frequently had ships that would be commissioned for a purpose and then mothballed.

What we see of the Battle of Fair Isle shows instead Stannis using the terrain features and the advantages of his equipment to his full advantage. This is something I often see with amateur military analysts is this idea that good equipment is used as an excuse to dismiss battlefield accomplishment in favor of a preferred conclusion. In real battle, this isn’t the case, it’s a chaotic mess and tools and techniques still have to be used appropriately.

Now I agree that the early moves that Stannis makes in the War of the Five Kings does show that he needs his character development to grow into a better king. The need to secure alliances, and the way his poor interpersonal skills don’t make much headway with Catelyn despite her being tailor-made to support Stannis (save for that pesky Northern independence thing) do show that his problems front and center. 

I’ll be frank, your friend’s interpretation of Storm’s End suggests that he or she did no analysis the battle. I’ve seen a bunch of folks argue that on the r/asoiaf subreddit before. The facts of the matter are that Stannis forces Renly to move and nearly exhaust himself. He prepares his position and ground, he takes key advantage of Renly’s mistakes, and overall shows himself capable of winning the fight. Melisandre is often dismissed by people in our own world, but we have to remember that Planetos is a world where magic actually does stuff. I’d agree that a general in our own time who prepares for a magic bolt of lightning or something to strike down an enemy general is an idiot, but Planetos operates by different rules, and we have to make at least some sort of concession to that.

Now, we do see Stannis making a lot of mistakes in the battle, but we also see Imry Florent making most of the mistakes against tactical sense. Part of that is on Stannis, he is the senior commander, but part of that is also the problems of incompetent feudal leaders. Imry is an idiot, and he only got that position by nepotism. 

Dismissing the wildlings losses as failure to employ scouts simply doesn’t match the text. We don’t hear about the wildlings not employing scouts, what we hear instead is that Stannis joined with the Eastwatch rangers and set out. We also see that the wildlings do employ some of their forces well, particularly their mammoths, which requires Stannis to secure a breakthrough against one of the other wildling contingents to flank the mammoths and bring them down, which is good tactical maneuver to eliminate an enemy advantage.

Stannis relying on Jon for counsel being marked as a disadvantage is a completely foolish argument. Securing local intelligence to better plan and execute a military campaign is one of intelligence’s primary purposes! That’s one of the most prevalent reasons to secure friendly local sources, so that you can adequately plan with better knowledge. Stannis makes a plan, finds local sourcing which gives him better intelligence, so he changes it. That being held against him is just a bad argument, start to finish.

I noticed your friend completely omitted the capture of Deepwood Motte, and I’m guessing because it really tears a hole in their arguments. Stannis using classic military deception techniques, camouflage to hide his troops, and captures Asha as she’s trying to evacuate, all of which showcase Stannis’s intelligence and effectiveness within the military sphere.

The Battle of the Ice we see Stannis again making preparations to take advantage of local conditions. While we don’t see what it is, because we’re still waiting on the book, all of the chapters that we see of him in the fifth novel regarding this show him preparing, show him leading his men. 

Holding up Tywin Lannister as an example of a military genius is laughable, since Tywin gets beaten pillar to post by Robb Stark. His efforts to win the War of the Five Kings completely doom his house, since he violates every social taboo and engenders significant resentment to his family while doing so. I think it is possible to criticize Stannis’s mistakes in the Blackwater, without needing to minimize the actual accomplishments.

Thanks for the question, Anon. Here’s hoping you can correct your friend’s bad arguments.

SomethingLikeALawyer, Hand of the King

[argylemnwrites]

Fight or Flight - Chapter 7: Resignation

Pairing: Drake Walker x MC (Riley Liu)

Book: The Royal Heir (canon divergent from the end of book 2)

Word Count: ~4200

Rating: R (language only)

Summary: Thirty hours since The Walker Absconding

Author’s Note: What day of the week is it even? Oh well, here’s a chapter, hahaha. This series follows the Walkers, their friends, and Cordonia as a whole after they flee the country with their daughter during Barthelemy Beaumont’s attempted coup. To catch up on this series, check out it’s masterlist. (link can be found via my bio - sorry, Tumblr is once again not putting my posts with links in tag searches)

“My fellow Cordonians, it is with a heavy heart that I speak to you today.”

His words echoed in his mind, over and over again, his speech something that was likely to stay burned into his mind for the rest of his life. After all, he couldn’t predict anything quite as memorable as having to announce his loss of title to his citizens and the world at large happening to him at any point in the future.

“I never anticipated having to bring this news to you, but even though I am no longer King of Cordonia, I have no intention of yielding the power of the crown to anyone who I feel is a threat to the safety and prosperity of this country.”

Stefan was following the media coverage of his speech that he gave this evening that provided an overview of the day’s events, including his removal from the throne, Bridget’s ascension to queen-regent until the Conclave, and his intention to name a regent for her tomorrow. Liam knew he personally should be watching to see how people were responding, but he just couldn’t bring himself to do so. His emotions were frayed, raw, and strung out. It felt like everything was spiraling out of control. He hadn’t felt like this in a very long time. Not since Father died, in all honesty.

The weeks surrounding his father’s death were sort of covered in a surreal blur whenever he reflected back on them. Not only had his relationship with Father been more complicated and fraught than it had ever been before at the time of his passing, making his loss a thorny storm of emotions, but he’d barely even had time to mourn in any capacity. His country had been in the midst of an active terrorist threat, plus he’d been processing true heartbreak for the first time in his life. He had somehow gotten through those days, those emotions, those struggles though. He knew he would get through everything happening now as well, but at the moment, that seemed like an impossible task.

“I know that this is an unprecedented combination of events, comparable to nothing that has occurred in hundreds of years of Cordonian history. But I have seen the strength and resilience of our citizens first-hand, and I am confident that we will emerge from this Social Season stronger than ever.”

As far as next steps went, naming Rashad as Bridget’s regent was really his only option. Thankfully, in spite of the man’s ambivalence when it came to his noble title, he’d agreed to fill the role and was coming to the hearing in the morning to allow for a rapid transfer of power. He was one of the only truly neutral parties available who was appropriately titled and qualified. Liam had brought Hana with him to broach the topic with Rashad, but her gentle powers of persuasion proved unnecessary. The only point at which the conversation was anything but pleasant and agreeable was when Rashad wanted to schedule a meeting with Riley and Drake to discuss how best to handle legal and physical custody of Bridget in ways that would be in accordance with the results of the no-confidence vote, but Liam had been easily able to convince him to table that topic until he was sworn in as regent.

“No matter my title or role, know that I will always serve the citizens of Cordonia in whatever way they require.”

He half-heartedly pulled more documents from his desk drawers, trying to focus on the task at hand. He needed to determine which pieces of information were private, and should come with him to Lythikos, versus those that he needed to leave behind as essential information to allow Cordonia’s next leader to govern. In all honesty, he probably should be creating a sort of quick-guide, a makeshift introductory pamphlet with the most important pieces of information required to lead the country to ease the transition of power. However, another part of him felt like that would be a mistake. Maybe he should allow things to be rough initially, giving the people a chance to miss his leadership. It’s not like Rashad was completely incompetent, so it shouldn’t cause a dangerous power vacuum if he just left Rashad without any formal instructions. And, after all, didn’t a no-confidence vote indicate he shouldn’t be attempting to wield any power at the moment? If this was the wish of the majority of the major houses, maybe he should just let their little scheme play out and backfire on them in spectacular fashion. But was it fair to subject the common citizens to engage in such a game of political chicken?

A wave of loneliness and isolation washed over him as he weighed his options. This dilemma was just one of many he was facing at the moment that he wished he could discuss with Drake. Over the years, Drake had, more often than not, served as his sounding board, devil’s advocate, and unofficial advisor. The countless instances they’d sat in this office at the end of the day, sipping whiskey while Liam solidified his stances and bounced ideas off of Drake had helped him prepare to face political opponents, foreign negotiators, and skeptical members of the press time and time over. Now, he had to make decisions on his own, without his most trusted friend and ally.

For perhaps the tenth time that evening, he pulled the slip of paper Hana had given him out of his pocket and stared at Drake and Riley’s phone numbers. He could call Drake to talk, he supposed. But he was struggling to work up the courage to do so. He couldn’t just pretend nothing had changed and ask Drake to listen as he worked through his thought process. Drake had different priorities now. That much was wildly apparent.

There was also the small matter of the fact that Liam knew he would need to hide some of his thoughts and feelings from Drake at the moment. He’d done it before, back during Drake and Riley’s engagement, but part of doing so involved keeping his distance from Drake at that time. Drake just knew him better than anyone and could more easily read through his diplomatic mask. It was really only in the past six months or so that it seemed things had fully returned to normal, Drake’s marriage to Riley no longer a point of awkwardness between them. Now, for Drake to flee in the middle of a coup, it felt like the foundation of their friendship was being torn apart yet again.

A few sharp taps on the door interrupted his thoughts. A second later, the door swung open, revealing Olivia with a bottle of wine in her hand.

“I thought you might want some company,” she said as she strode across the room, grabbing two wine glasses off the bar cart before flouncing into the seat across from him. “I won’t even make you switch seats with me, even though the monarch’s desk should technically be mine tonight.”

Liam forced a smile as she sat down and moved to uncork the wine, noticing the vintage of the bottle for the first time.

“Olivia, that bottle is worth over ten thousand Euros.”

She grinned at him as she poured them both a glass. “Exactly. This fine wine was procured by a member of the Rys family, and therefore if anyone deserves to drink it, it’s you.” With that she handed Liam a glass and picked up her own. Liam could only shake his head lightly before tapping his glass against hers gently.

“To the end of Rys rule in Cordonia,” he said with a little shrug before taking a sip. He saw Olivia raise her eyebrows over her own glass.

“Liam…” she started as she set down her glass on the desk.

“It’s nothing, just a bad joke,” Liam lied, waving his hand through the air. “Would you mind terribly if I asked you which documents you think are the most important ones to leave for Rashad?” he asked as he placed a stack of paperwork on the desk between them, trying to divert the conversation.

His question was met with silence, so Liam glanced up from the documents. Olivia was staring at him intently, and she took another sip of her wine before she responded.

“I can certainly help with that, but Liam… are you��� shit, I don’t know what to say. This fucking sucks, doesn’t it?”

He let out a little snort at that. “Indeed, it does.”

“I can’t believe those assholes are trying to pull this bullshit. Like fucking Barthelemy would make a better king than you. You’ve given up everything for this country.”

“It feels that way sometimes. I was happy to do so for so long, too. I always knew that leading Cordonia was an honor, and after my brother’s abdication, I never resented needing to prove to my people that I would be a worthy king. But now…” he trailed off, unable to vocalize the rest of that thought. After everything he’d done to be a good king, a better king than his paranoid, ruthless father ever was, and this was how the universe chose to repay him.

The tense silence hung in the office for a few moments before Olivia spoke again. “Speaking of your brother, I hope you don’t mind, but I gave Leo a call and told him what was happening. I figured this isn’t the sort of thing he should hear about on the news. I think he’s flying back. He seemed pretty upset over the whole thing.”

Liam just hummed at that. He loved his brother, but he wasn’t sure if the man who willingly chose to shed his title of Crown Prince would be able to sympathize with his personal pain of having his title stripped from him. Maybe he could help provide some nice distractions, though. Leo was always good for that.

“Thank you,” Liam finally said with a nod, “I planned to call him tomorrow.”

“No problem. I just figured you and Drake might have… a lot to discuss.”

Liam gave a weak smile and shook his head. “I actually haven’t spoken to him yet.”

Olivia narrowed her eyes and tilted her head slightly at his comment. “Well, that needs to be addressed.”

He frowned, taking another sip of the admittedly very excellent wine before he responded. “Quite frankly, Liv, I don’t know that I want to discuss my reasons for not calling him with you. At least not tonight.”

“Tough shit. You have no reason not to call him anymore. And seeing as he’s been your… confidante,” she said, clearly taking a moment to decide how to describe their relationship, “for decades, it strikes me as pretty concerning that you didn’t rush to call him at the first chance you got.”

Liam sighed heavily. He didn’t really want to get into this all, but she was clearly not going to let him brush this off. “I don’t know what to say to him. He left, and I just…” Liam trailed off, unable to fully vocalize the pain he felt in regards to Drake’s actions.

Olivia pursed her lips for just a moment, her bright red nails tapping rapidly against the stem of her wine glass. “I can’t figure out if you are attempting to punish him or protect him here.”

Her response caught him off guard. “What do you mean?”

“Well, you clearly are all sorts of angry and frustrated with him at the moment. I just can’t tell if you think that’s justified, and this is some sort of passive aggressive punishment, or if you realize you aren’t being fair, and you don’t want to make him feel any guiltier.”

“Are you saying that my irritation with him isn’t justified?”

“Irritation would be fine. But I don’t believe for one second that you would avoid talking to Drake if you were merely irritated with him.”

Liam was expecting some sort of sly comment about how surely talking to Drake was always irritating, but it didn’t come. Instead, Olivia continued on, serious and solemn.

“You must be insanely upset with him if you haven’t given him a call, and I’m going to be honest, that scares me. I’m backing you at the Conclave, Liam, and I intend to throw the Nevrakis name behind a winner. So that means you need to be emotionally ready for this fight over the next couple of months. I can’t have you caught up in some petty bullshit with Drake fucking Walker.”

Her statement was a surprising one. “I would have thought you would have been the one person who might understand my rather complicated point of view on this subject.”

She shook her head. “Drake and I may not see eye to eye on… a lot of things, actually, but I still think you are being absurd here.”

“This critique strikes me as slightly hypocritical, as I am having a hard time picturing you not being at least fairly angry with the mess they have created here. A mess that could have been avoided if they’d stuck to your plan, I might add.”

“Of course I’m angry with them! They put almost zero thought into this, and I’ve been scrambling for more than a day straight to try and prevent this all from spiraling into total disaster. But that doesn’t mean I don’t understand why they did it. This was all in service of keeping their family together, Liam. You have to know that.”

He did understand that intellectually, but somehow her assessment just didn’t sit right with him. “Yes, Olivia. I can comprehend that their motivations are the safety and security of their daughter, but what I cannot bring myself to do is approve of their decision to commit treason and abandon the citizens of Valtoria they took an oath to serve.”

Olivia took a long sip of her wine before she replied, “Do you want me to pretend that I believe your last statement there, or do you want someone besides Drake to call you on your bullshit? I can do either, you just need to tell me what you want.”

“Of course I want you to be honest with me, Olivia,” he said, completely baffled by her assertion.

She just raised her eyebrows and stared at him, giving him one last chance to ask her to lie, apparently. All he could do was raise his eyebrows right back and take a drink from his own glass, almost daring her to do her worst.

“You aren’t pissed that they are shitty nobles who just abandoned their posts without a second thought. You are pissed that Drake isn’t here to serve as your emotional support.”

Liam opened his mouth to retort, but Olivia shook her head and just kept going.

“It’s understandable, really. He’s been the one you could always turn to, and now it feels like you can’t rely on him at a time when you really fucking need that kind of support. But you need to at least recognize that personal pain as the source of your anger here and not hide behind indignation over the way Drake and Riley fulfill their roles as duke and duchess.

“Those two have always been shitty members of the nobility, and you have never had an issue with it up until this point. In fact, you seemed to tacitly approve of their antics as you granted them power that other dukes and duchesses could only dream of.”

Liam frowned, the blood pounding in his ears as he tried not to let Olivia’s words anger him. “What do you mean?” he breathed out, focusing on not letting this situation escalate. A defensive Olivia was the last thing he was mentally and emotionally equipped to handle tonight.

“Liam, you essentially handed them the reins when it came to the Auvernal negotiations.”

“Those negotiations all centered around their child. It felt wrong to not grant them a certain amount of control given the circumstances.”

She tilted her head back and forth for just a moment. “Sure, I get that. And I’m really not trying to make you defend your decisions here regarding that whole mess. But you have to admit that Drake and Riley have kind of always just done whatever the hell they wanted, and until today, you never had anything to say about it.”

Her assessment echoed through the room as Liam leaned back in his chair, taking another sip of wine. He didn’t want to think he was being solely motivated by his emotions here. He’d worked for years and years, since he was a young boy, to ensure that he kept any feelings in check, guarded and secured for private moments. But Olivia did have a point - Drake and Riley bucking tradition and proper conduct for members of the nobility had never really bothered him before. 

“Liam, I’m not trying to kick you while you’re already hurting. It’s probably natural to feel hurt by Drake’s decision here. I just think you will be able to move past this a little easier if you are honest about why his actions bother you.”

Liam glanced across the desk, meeting Olivia’s gaze. “I sometimes just…” but he couldn’t complete his thought. To vocalize that he just wanted the most important person in his life to care about him on a personal level above all others would be immature and selfish. Drake had a wife and child to think about. Of course they warranted more of his consideration than Liam did. But it was just one more thing he lost in the past day or so, that one person around whom he didn’t need to censor himself, the only individual who gave him honesty without question of motive.

Olivia reached across the desk and gave his hand a gentle squeeze. “Like I said, being upset is pretty natural here. If it makes you feel any better, I wanted to reach through my phone and stab them both in the gut when Drake told me they had no intention of returning, even if it meant treason charges.”

Liam let out a little chuckle. “How are you so… calm about this now?” Using that word to describe Olivia in any situation felt out of character, but there was literally no other way to describe her at the moment. She looked at ease, sipping thousands of Euros of wine like it was nothing.

“I’m not sure if ‘calm’ is the right word; it’s more like I’m… resigned, I guess. They are both stubborn as hell, and they made this choice because they thought it was best for their kid. Even I can’t fight that.”

“I just wish they would have gone to Lythikos. Then we could be fighting this from all angles together.”

“Maybe.”

“Maybe? That was your whole plan, and it still seems better thought out than their fugitive act.”

“From our perspective, sure. But we are worried about Cordonia as a whole. They are just worried about keeping their daughter. And given that Rashad already brought up wanting to meet with them to discuss custody, it seems like they were at least a little bit justified in their concerns.”

Liam frowned. Hana must have filled in Olivia of the details of their conversation with Rashad. Liam had gotten the impression that Rashad wanted to find a way to keep Drake and Riley as active participants in Bridget’s life based on the way he requested that meeting, not tear them apart from their child. “Do you really think Rashad has any interest in keeping them from their daughter?”

“No, not exactly. But I also think that coming to live at the palace as Bridget’s nannies or guardians or whatever Rashad plans to throw out there as a way to obey the letter of the law when it comes to the no-confidence vote is a far cry from being recognized as her parents fully. At the end of the day, I just think they aren’t willing to compromise on any aspect when it comes to being a family.” Olivia pursed her lips and glanced into her lap before she continued, “It kind of makes me wish my own parents would have felt that way.”

Her confession was so vulnerable, so honest, it nearly took his breath away. When they were younger, Olivia had sometimes talked about her fears, her pain, her neglect, and Liam had always been willing to lend an ear and supportive shoulder for her to lean on. But as the years marched on, those conversations had dwindled and eventually ceased. Olivia became more defensive, not allowing herself to be perceived as weak by anyone. And in some regards, she thrived. But clearly, that pain from her childhood was still a part of her.

Liam could identify with her in some respects. Father had always devoted more time and energy to Leo. After all, not only had he been the Crown Prince, but he acted out more, drawing more attention nearly every step of the way. But that had largely left Liam to spend time with Mother, who always tried to balance his formal lessons with genuine warmth and affection. And even though she’d been killed and taken from him when he was still quite young, he at least had her guidance and devotion for a while. That was more than Olivia could say about her parents.

The more he thought about it, the more he realized that Mother might have made the same choice as Drake and Riley, had she been placed in that position. He didn’t recognize it as a child, but looking back on her words now, he saw her concerns, her worries, and her desire to keep him safe. Did she regret her station? Regret raising her son in such an environment? Or did the fact that he’d never known her as an adult mean that he just saw her actions through the rose-tinted glasses of a child?

“Bridget is lucky in that respect,” Liam eventually said, reaching across the desk and refilling both of their wine glasses. “I suppose that’s why royal lineage tends to be emphasized and protected for generation after generation. It’s the only way to battle that instinctual urge to protect one’s children and instead force them to carry massive responsibilities.”

Olivia shook her head. “Or generations of people who strike up primarily political marriages just eliminates all love and empathy from the gene pool.”

“What would you have done, if you were in their position?” Liam asked before taking another sip of wine. The more he thought about it, he wasn’t sure what he would have done if it was his own child. All the options that worked their way into his mind seemed terrible.

Olivia paused to take a drink as well, her free hand tapping a rapid pattern against the surface of the desk. “I don’t know. I’d like to think I would be able to plot things out rationally, but I might have violently lashed out. I don’t think I would have run, but that’s just never been my style. But I don’t know exactly how it would unfold.”

“It’s hard to imagine, acting on that gut emotional response, isn’t it? All our lives, we’ve been taught to negotiate, to employ diplomatic tactics, to foster alliances to protect our titles.”

“You might have been taught that,” interjected Olivia, “but I was taught to fight to protect the family name to the death,”

“Touché,” said Liam, a real smile forming for the first time that day, “but I think my point remains. I don’t think I could let my child be taken by another, but at the same time, it’s as if I cannot imagine myself being guided by my emotions, even if it would make sense to do so.”

“You would protect your kid, Liam. You would figure it out if you were put in that spot.”

“I hope so. I think you would as well, and with minimal bloodshed, I believe.”

She laughed at that, dropping her head back, causing a few strands of red hair to fall loose around her face. “Well, let’s just be grateful we don’t have to find out the truth of that assessment, but it’s getting late, and we still have a lot to do before we need to vacate the palace in the morning. Do you want some privacy to talk to Drake? I can sort through those-” she said, gesturing to the stack of papers left between them on the desk “-while you give him a call.”

He nodded slowly. “Yes. I still don’t know what I’m going to say to him, but…”

“You’ll figure it out,” she said with a shrug, gathering the papers in one arm. “Just meet me in my quarters when you guys are done.”

Liam gave her a little smile as she left his office, pulling out the paper from Hana and staring at it for a few seconds before pulling out his new, prepaid cell phone and calling the number on the top of the page. It was time to talk to Drake.

Permatag:  @walkerswhiskeygirl   @riley--walker  @bebepac @ravenpuff02 @oofchoices @octobereighth @drakewalker04 @kimmiedoo5  @mfackenthal  @thequeenofcronuts  

The Royal Romance/The Royal Heir: @ao719 @mskaneko @katedrakeohd @jovialyouthmusic @marshmallowsandfire @axwalker @kingliam2019 @sirbeepsalot @texaskitten30 @princessleac1 @ladyangel70 @dcbbw @yaushie

Drake x MC: @drakeandcamilleofvaltoria  @iplaydrake @gibbles82 @drakewalkerisreal @notoriouscs  @drakesensworld @drake-colt-lover-99

Fight or Flight: @masterofbluff @burnsoslow @bobasheebaby @shz256 @iaminlovewithtrr​

[hyunllx]

Flopbb’s REAL All-Star Sim: Premiere Week

Disclaimer: The actions and words of the houseguests in this sim do not reflect who they are as players and real people, nor do they reflect my opinion of said players. Im just trying to make sense of a random event simulator lol.

“Good evening everyone, I’m Julie Chen Moonves and THIS is Big Brother All-Stars. It’s been 20 years since the premiere of BB1, with countless twists, hundreds of houseguests, and dozens of games played across the globe. The past two decades have led up to this moment, as 16 of the world’s greatest players are about to enter the yet again to compete as all-stars. Your votes helped us pick the elite of the elite players of Big Brother from around the world. Welcome, everyone, to Big Brother All-Stars!”

One by one Julie calls the houseguests in. Excitement fills the house like a flood as old friends, allies, and enemies recognize each other:

“I am ecstatic when I see Da’Vonne walk through the door. She’s a close friend of me and Swaggy outside the house. She was there for us after BB20 and I am so happy to play alongside her this time around!”

“I can’t believe I’m in this house for the FOURTH time. On top of that, I’m with Kaysar and Britney again, my two closest friends in the game. I’m already feeling like I’m in a great position this season despite being the most veteran player.”

“The first thig I notice when I walk in the house is how many old school players there are. Janelle and Kaysar in particular, who’ve I’ve played against before. I was entirely prepared to fight a cast of newbies but I may have to rethink my strategy already.”

“I walk into the house excited to play with people I had so much fun getting to know through interviews outside the house... until I see her. Of course Neda is here, and by the look on her face she’s just as delighted to see me. I can’t get away from this girl.”

Reunions and new introductions are cut short, however, as Julie instructs the houseguests to head to the backyard. Surely pros of the game didn’t need to sit around drinking champagne. The first HOH will begin immediately.

“I didn’t necessarily want to drop out this early, but I also didn’t want to win, so I’m fine with it. It may also help the newbies underestimate me. I was never a big player or a comp threat; I got through under the radar.”

“Janelle and I have played this competition before. This was the first HOH on our original season, BB6. I felt like I could stay up there for awhile but I also didn’t want all eyes to be on me for the first week. I’ll let someone else take that fall.”

“I fall and I’m devastated. I wanted to at least outlast the other players from Canada but I’m the first of them to fall. Neda’s still up there and I know if she wins or makes a deal I’m in serious trouble.”

“Did I plan on winning this HOH? No. But I know being a four-time player is a big target and I would be on the block if I didn’t. I really need at least one week where I can build alliances that’ll help me survive a few more weeks in this house until that target starts to shrink.”

“History repeats itself and Janelle wins the first HOH of another All-Stars season. The last time this happened, she put me on the block, so I’m feeling very uneasy about things this first week. I need to talk to her to make sure she knows this time I’m her ally.”

After the competition the houseguests return to their introductions, hanging around the kitchen while Da’vonne leads several others in cooking for the house. 

Ika is the first one to break from the group, not unnoticed as she pulls Neda into a side room. Ika appeals to Neda, asking if they can forget their former rivalry as they are severely outnumbered by the American returnees. Neda listens and assures her she isn’t holding a grudge and agrees to join an International Alliance if Ika can pull Anthony and Angela in.

“Ika is out of her mind if she thinks I’m just going to forget about her betraying me and getting me evicted on BBCan5. I don’t trust her at all. She’s a snake and I’m not falling for her fake loyalty again. She needs to go.”

Later in the night, Danielle R approaches Janelle in her HOH room, congratulating her on another HOH win under her belt, while also reminding her about her nominations the first week of BB7. Janelle reassures her that she will not be targeting old school players and that they should work together this time instead. Along with Kaysar, they establish an alliance.

In the middle of the night Neda approaches Janelle and Kaysar. She tells them in secret about Ika’s plan to form an alliance, though she exaggerates the tale and claims Ika is forming a majority alliance. She reveals her distrust for Ika and warns them of her ability to backstab if she tries to appeal to them for an alliance. 

“I decided to form an alliance with Kaysar and Danielle because I’ve seen how these newer players react to old school gameplay on BB14. They’re intimidated by playing with famous players but they underestimate our abilities to keep up with them. When they are hit with the realization that we’re just as good as they are, or better, they come after us immediately and relentlessly. I think it’ll be good to have a safety-net of these like-players to fall back on if the new school players decide to turn that target on me.

As for the information Neda gave me... I don’t necessarily trust her but I have no reason to doubt this is happening. It makes sense that an international player would want to feel secure in a large alliance. I don’t like how easily Neda turned on people trying to work with her, but I’ll keep her for now if she wants to be on my side.”

Meanwhile, downstairs Bayleigh and Da’Vonne find a quiet spot to talk privately. Their friendship outside the house is strong, and they naturally fall into the role of allies in the house, promising to support each other to the final 2.

“I love Bayleigh. She’s a good friend outside of this house and I trust her entirely. She’s smart and we think alike in the game. This alliance really just built itself without conscious thought. I will do everything in my power to ensure one of us gets to the end.”

The next day everyone is exhausted from the previous day competition. The realization that they are truly back to playing Big Brother settles in and tension starts while the house gathers for Janelle’s nominations.

“I have nominated Ika and Vanessa for eviction. As it’s the first week I have so little to go on. Ika, It’s come to my attention that you may be rallying an alliance already in the house. Hopefully you trust these people enough to help save you this week.

Vanessa, we’ve talked very little so far and I know not to trust that. Your gameplay likes to lurk in the shadows, so here’s a spotlight.”

“It’s day two and 75% of the house hasn’t talked game to you. Why pick me over them? I wanted to lay low this time but it seems I have to get to work faster than expected. I think Ika is her target but I certainly don’t want to be a first boot pawn.”

“The only person I’ve spoken to about starting an alliance so far has been Neda. Clearly she still holds a grudge and I can’t trust her. Having the HOH on her side is very, very scary. I have to work my butt off to win this Veto.”

After nominations, Janelle, Kaysar, and Danielle R split up to individually pull in the other veteran players to their alliance. Janelle convinces Britney very quickly to join being great friends outside of the house. She attempts to pull in Keesha who seems apprehensive of the idea, but tentatively agrees. Kaysar pulls Rachel into one of the side rooms to propose the same deal. Rachel is hesitant, unafraid to remind Kaysar of her rivalry with Janelle and Britney. Kaysar explains that their rivalry can wait until later in the season when the vets have secured their safety in the game. Rachel agrees to help the alliance half-heartedly.

“I’m not really sure how to feel about this alliance. On one hand being safe with the HOH this week is reassuring. However, she’s only HOH for this week and if it’s found out I’m part of this old school super-alliance then I could be in big trouble. I also don’t trust Janelle and Britney to continue working with me in the long run. We’ll have to see how this week plays out.”

Meanwhile, Danielle R attempts to pull Jun into a quiet bedroom but is intercepted by Vanessa. Vanessa appeals to both about her situation being on the block and asks if either would consider using the veto if they won, promising to return the favor and to keep them safe if she were to win HOH. After much convincing, Jun and Danielle R agree to the deal.

“I honestly don’t really care about this deal with Vanessa. I doubt I’m going to win veto even if I am picked, but I’ll take the safety if she wins. I’m more concerned about this old school alliance Danielle tried to pull me in to. Fortunately I didn’t have a chance to agree to or reject the alliance. It’ll give me a little more time to mull it over and decide if I trust the other older players or not.”

Saturday morning, the houseguests are woken up to the announcement that it’s time to pick players for the veto competition. 

“I’m actually feeling pretty good going into this veto comp. The two people I got to agree to use the veto on me are playing, plus myself. Hopefully they’ll either throw it to me or keep their word.”

“Of course I get picked. I have to throw this comp. I can not be picking sides on Day 3 of this game. I’m sorry Janelle, but I have a feeling you don’t need my help on this one.”

“Just like last All-Stars I’ve won both the first HOH and POV. I’m used to being seen as a comp beast in this game so it doesn’t bother me that much. If anything it’ll help my allies feel sure that I can keep my word to keep them safe.”

After the veto competition, the houseguests scatter back inside the house to privately discuss their options, automatically assuming Janelle will keep her nominations the same. Bayleigh and Da’Vonne head up to the HOH room to congratulate Janelle on her win and pick her brain for a target. Janelle asks Day about her experience previously playing with Vanessa and listens carefully to Day’s personal perspective of Vanessa’s game. They speak for awhile, eventually being joined by Kaysar, weighing both options carefully. After a couple hours, they agree to an alliance, having grown comfortable strategizing together.

“I really like Janelle and Kaysar. I think there’s a real friendship forming there. They are great strategic minds but they can also win comps left and right and lord knows Bayleigh and I need allies like that in this game. She’s always going to be my number 1 but I wouldn’t mind going to final 4 with Jaysar.”

“I do trust Bayleigh and Da’Vonne and I’m very happy to be in an alliance with them. I think they will be easier allies to publicly support compared to the old school alliance. They can slip under the radar easier.

After talking to Da’Vonne I am feeling better about  my decision to put Vanessa on the block. I think her being up week 1 has hindered her ability to puppet master from the shadows so I don’t think she’s much of a threat for now.

I haven’t heard anything more about Ika’s majority alliance and that’s not necessarily a good thing in my mind. Either I’ve been lied to about it or they’re working against me which is dangerous. In either case, I have to get my allies to figure out who is in this alliance, if there’s anyone at all.”

After a quiet Sunday of little gameplay, the houseguests gather Monday afternoon for the veto ceremony. It goes quickly as expected.

“I didn’t expect Janelle to use the veto at all let alone on me but it still sucks being on the block week 1. People throw random votes on the first eviction and some of those could come my way if nothing major happens.”

“As expected I’m still on the block. I tried to lay low to show Janelle that I really don’t have an alliance and I’m not making big moves against her but clearly that didn’t work. Now I have to work my ass off to start forming this alliance people think I have.”

“Ika is a final nominee and I couldn’t be happier. I feel like I’ll be be able to play the game without constantly feeling like I need to watch my back. All I need to do now is continue planting seeds in people’s heads that she’s working against them.”

Wednesday evening, the night before the live eviction, Bayleigh and Da’Vonne are approached by Ika and pulled into the back bedroom to hear her campaign to stay.

“Day and I decide to give Ika a chance to talk to us. Janelle is looking for any information she can get on this supposed majority alliance, but if she wants to promise us safety or a shield for the net few weeks, we’re all ears to that.”

Ika begins her campaign by admiring BayDay’s perception and strategic ability, playing into those in hope they will believe her. Da’Vonne is the first to address the alliance rumours , and Ika tells her the truth of her conversation with Neda. As she begins to explain, Britney walks in to join the conversation, having heard them talking in the room next door.

“I saw Ika take Bayleigh and Day into the back bedroom and I had to follow to listen. Janelle told me she wanted to work with them and if they were in this secret majority alliance all along, I was not going to let them plot behind her back alone.”

After a few awkward moments of Britney pushing into the conversation, Ika continues to confirm that she was trying to extend an olive branch to Neda and only  suggested an alliance with the international players as a way to leave their rivalry in BBCAN behind. After listening to the rest of Ika’s pitch, Britney takes this information to Janelle and Kaysar in the HOH room, who promptly call Neda up to talk about it.

Neda is steadfast in her lie when confronted about it, insisting she told Janelle everything Ika proposed to her. Britney reveals that Ika told her about the international players alliance and it was only proposed to put their rivalry aside. Neda denies this but becomes visibly upset. 

To put an end to the rumour once and for all, Britney calls the rest of the houseguests up into the HOH room. While everyone squeezes into the space, Ika and Neda bicker about the situation immediately. Ika reveals the truth to the house and Neda’s arguments become shaky, most people in the room skeptical to her lies. Eventually Janelle quiets the argument to ask Neda one more time about the alliance. Defeated, Neda admits to lying to get Ika put on the block.

“Hopefully this meeting shows people that I am true to my word and I haven’t been secretly making alliances behind their backs. I’m not going to stop campaigning and I think this might help keep me here this week. Sorry Vanessa.”

“I do feel bad for Ika in this situation but I don’t regret putting her up. This is big brother and someone has to be the first one out. Right now I don’t have a preference for either nominee so I’m just going to let the house decide for themselves.”

“I’m starting to feel uneasy in the house. I don’t like that the international players were brought up in all that drama. I had no intentions of working with them specifically and if people doubt my loyalties because of that it could be bad for me.”

“I do feel bad for Ika. No one wants to be on the block because someone held a grudge and manipulated the HOH. That being said, I know how good of a competitor she is and what she’s capable of. It might be good for Janelle and I if we get her out now while we have the chance.”

The following evening came in a flash, and nervously the house gathered in the living room for the first eviction of the game. Tension filled the room as they waited for Julie to appear on the usually-blank television screen. As usual, the host made idle chatter and jokes with a handful of houseguests to relieve some of the stress before calling for the speeches of each nominee.

“As everyone knows I have been lied on and you’ve been manipulated all this week. I have done nothing but tell the truth to the house about my plans and attempts to put a grudge behind me, and I think everyone knows who my target is. Janelle, I do not blame you for putting me up here, I’m not coming after you at all. Neda, I do blame you. You are a snake and I will not rest in this game until you are out of this house.”

“So I think I speak for everyone when I say this week has been kind of wild for a week one. There’s already been a ton of drama and plans have already been exposed to the house. I haven’t really gotten a chance to play yet but I know some of you have. Given how this week went, it seems like drama could pull any one of us in next, so I ask you if you think it would be a good idea to keep a non-threat, or someone willing to expose your secrets to the house.”

One by one the house guests are called to the diary room to vote.

It’s official; with 7 votes to evict, Ika will be leaving the big brother house tonight. Let’s see how the other votes fall.

[iyezarik]

"The death of God is about the drying up of a horizon of meaning."

R: Before language can have meaning again, "meaning" itself must come back into the world. A: We have to bring God back to life? R: Or wake it up. A: Or acknowledge Her unchanging presence obscured by ideology. R: Yes, it may very well be that God is still alive but we just can't see it. Or if God is to be conceptualised as the meaning by which we orient our subjectivity toward, we will be able to see it again if enough of us turn towards it. A: This is a very admissible reading of Qur'an 2:17-20. B: So what's the accepted interpretation of that line around here? I'm only vaguely aware of the one where "God is dead" refers to the peoples' turn away from the church as the primary source of ethics/morality and towards secular institutions. R: I don't think "God is Dead" has ever referred to people turning away from the church. At least in Nietzsche, where the term originated, that's certainly not what he's talking about The most succinct way I know of putting it, "God is Dead" refers to the paradigm shift, starting in Europe but has now become the dominant paradigm globally, of a mass re-orientation of subjectivity. People went from being "subject to X" to "subject to I", X being something outside of the individual and for Individualism to become dominant God had to be killed first. As Zizek says "We are no longer subjects to something else, whether that be God, or a cause, or some larger Truth but instead have become subject to ourselves, to our wants and desires" This outward oriented subjectivity is also how we formed communities in the first place. The idea that you are obliged to the service of others It's not as simple as "selfishness" or "selflessness" per se A: I haven't read practically a single thing you're talking about here, but this lines up very closely with a train of thought I've been developing for probably years now. Away From The Hindus talks some about how a change in religion is a real change in nationality, for that exact reason, because when you convert into a tribe, you're accepting their gods as your own. You have no god, you have no tribe, you have no subjectivity except for yourself. It's why a lot of lower caste organising is so skeptical of outside allies, I feel. Speaking as one. When you convert out of your religion by becoming an atheist, you also give up that tribal affiliation and convert into what's really a particular metaphysics of secularism. R: I sometimes think Atheism is just the worship of the non-God. It's another religion but without any of the positive aspects of religion. All the negative ones, though, lol. It has those in spades. A: Absolutely. Like every other "new religion", it leaves a lot of its fundamental metaphysics untouched and you can't truly understand it outside the context of its Christian milieu. It hasn't acquired a new identity of its own the way, say, Islam has, and it will never do so. R: Agree. One cannot arrive at Atheism without first passing through Christianity. Just like how we dunk on Protestantism for being so so soooooooo deeply heretical precisely because it replaces God with the Believer-in-God at the center of its cosmos. Fucking Protestants. I think we've discussed it here before but my take is that most of Protestantism and especially Evangelicalism is secularised Christianity. That isn't to say Catholicism is the bee's knees or anything but at least they're still Christians. A: I think yes. I think we're also dealing with a secularised Islam, and that Hinduism per se is a product of secularism as well. Wicca and Neo-Buddhism are very interesting as attempts to self-consciously create a religion in the context of secularism, as opposed to doing it accidentally as in the 3 above mentioned cases. R: How much of that purposeful construction is just the commodification of spirituality? A: I think none or close to none. Ambedkar when he made Neo-Buddhism absolutely wasn't targeting people who'd even been acquainted with the commodity form. Though neo-Buddhist twitter discourse is... twitter discourse. Wicca very quickly

became a commodity but I don't think much of that can be pinned on its founders. R: My brief exposure to neo-paganism movements left a very sour taste in my mouth but that might simply be my anecdotal experience. A: My more-than-brief exposure hasn't sweetened them to me. They are inert. When we talk about Wicca, there are actually a handful of lineaged groups, but your average Wiccan teeny bopper reading Silver Ravenwolf or whatever isn't really scratching any of the itches we've identified. A lot of neo-paganism is about as revolutionary as kinning. R: And in particular when it comes to anything to do with Celtic paganism. Anyone claiming to inherit that mantle, I'm sorry, is just a liar. There's nothing to inherit, the world it thrived in is dead and gone and appealing to a misguided sense of the weight of time/tradition belies the very real tragedy that it is lost. A: I don't think I'm in principle opposed to reconstructing, I think there's a real argument that my own approach to Islam is basically reconstructionist... however, when you do reconstruct something, you're making something that is not the original thing. It's still Islam, because Islam is Islam and there's a clear continuity Whereas for say Celtic reconstructionism you absolutely do not have that, unless you're connecting it through Christianity. R: Exactly. Like I said it's anecdotal but this space of neo-paganism just strikes me as a con. Not as in they are worshiping false gods or anything but that the continuity they are claiming does not exist. The monstrous grind of history has ensured that A: There are Celtic reconstructionists who consider themselves to be inheriting both the legacies of the Celts and of Irish Catholicism, and I'm much warmer towards that.

[howtosingit]

I just want to say yes to everything you wrote in the tags about the crossover. I only mentioned Carlos because the Buddie fandom seems to be really excited about TK and Carlos being there to validate their ship. I wasn't overlooking Grace and Tommy and I'm glad you mentioned them. I will be pissed if Tommy, Grace and Carlos don't get their own storyline back in Austin and it better not be just them watching news footage on the TV. All three deserve better.

On one hand, it was so great to see everyone so excited about the crossover confirmation yesterday - it’s been a long hiatus with very little spirited discussion about this show, and I’ve truly missed that!

On the other hand, I just 10/10 could not relate. Literally, here’s a visual representation of my face as I scrolled through all of the tags yesterday: 😬

(I’m going to put my initial concerns under the cut in case people want to avoid that kind of discussion - I’m really not here to rain on anyone’s parade...)

I will admit that a crossover is never something I’ve wanted. I’ve watched a lot of crossovers for other shows and they are almost never worth the screen-time that they take up, especially when that screen-time is already so limited and unfairly allotted to cast members. While it’s exciting to see fan-favorite characters interacting, when the shows are set so far apart, it’s not like we’ll be seeing important relationships develop that can actually be explored well in the future beyond a random line thrown out here or there. Sure, scenes with TK and Buck seem fun and enjoyable, but I’m here for the development of the characters and relationships that I love, many of whom already suffer from slighted storytelling. If I wanted to see characters from different shows interact, I’d read fanfic about it. (Spoiler: I don’t do that.)

And yeah, the minute that I realized that the 126 was most likely in California to fight wildfires, my heart absolutely sank. Carlos definitely won’t be there. There will be little-to-no Tarlos in the episode. Grace definitely won’t be there, and probably very little Grace/Judd. It would be so easy to just cut them from this episode entirely, and if the Lone Star writers have made one thing clear throughout season 1, they like to take the easy way out. Like, I get that as the sole cop on the show, Carlos is an outlier and easy to get rid of when it’s convenient, but that’s bullshit. A good writer would find ways to incorporate him into scenes and moments, not just be like “we don’t need him” and then CUT HIM FROM 20% OF THE SEASON and give him scraps of screen time in episodes that he does appear in. 

And like I said in my tags, I really only have this problem because Carlos was the only character to be cut from episodes in season 1. If they were to say “well we have a lot of main characters and can only focus on a few at a time, so everyone gets to be in 9/10 episodes,” that would make me feel better. I could accept that. But that’s not what’s been happening on this show, and it’s still a concern I have for future seasons. (God, please let me be wrong, I would love to be wrong.)

(And like, how does this all really serve the characters and world-building of Lone Star? This episode already feels like it’s entirely for the benefit of the original show and while I like that show well-enough, I’m not happy that Lone Star’s budget and screen-time is being sucked into a 2-hour wildfire adventure. Tell me you can imagine, at some point in the future, the entire 118 crew coming to Austin for an episode. That would seem pretty ridiculous, I think - so I’m just not seeing a balance here. It seems to me like this episode serves 911 more than anything, ESPECIALLY if Lone Star characters get cut completely to make it happen.) 

While I would HOPE that the writers will write material for Carlos, Grace, and Tommy, I’m not holding my breath. I’m seeing the following ways this episode will be written:

LIKELY: No Austin scenes at all. The 126 arrive in California at the end of the 911 episode, and then spend their entire episode in LA.

POSSIBLE: If they do show Austin, it might be when the crew returns home at the very end - maybe we’ll see Carlos and Grace greeting their partners as part of a classic episode-ending montage sequence.

POSSIBLE: Maybe we’ll get a phone call between characters in Austin and LA. Or, more likely, we’ll get reference to phone calls having been made, but we won’t actually see them. 

I WON’T HOLD MY BREATH: The writers divide the episode’s screen time between LA and Austin, showing the 126 working with the 118 while Carlos + Grace + Tommy deal with emergencies back in Austin. Maybe, even, a scene between all of them or at least between Grace and Carlos - IMAGINE THEM BONDING OVER MISSING THEIR MEN, IT PRACTICALLY WRITES ITSELF (if this doesn’t happen, I’m definitely writing the scene anyway, watch me)

(To end this on a more positive note, I am so beyond excited that we’re getting Carlos’s backstory this season. Whether it’s a “Begins” episode or just something that comes up throughout the episodes, I am here for it! Even if it goes against all of my headcanons, I’m so fucking happy that Rafa is getting a chance to explore his character more. He is so damn talented, and it’s what he deserves.)

....

AND AS A FINAL THING: I can tell you right now, I have never, for one moment of my life, wanted “Buddie” and Tarlos to interact with one another, especially not so that Tarlos could be used to validate a fan ship. I have seen some truly vile comments about Tarlos from Buddie shippers (not really on Tumblr, but elsewhere) and I really would prefer if they have nothing to do with each other ever. (And yes, if you’re a person who says “Tarlos only exists so that the writers don’t have to make Buddie canon,” you are homophobic and not an ally. Don’t invalidate actual queer representation/characters, ONE OF WHOM IS PLAYED BY AN OUT GAY ACTOR, just because the writers won’t make your perceived ship happen - that’s disgusting and I do take offense to it.)

[paipayaseeds]

The impact of not only knocking into the girl but also falling with her onto the hard floor made her ears act up again and it was difficult not to wince as a sharp pain emanated from somewhere in eardrum. Just as she thought, she ended up on top of Maki. She only had a second to reorient herself before the assassin roughly push her off and proceeded to glare daggers at her. Maybe it was incredibly stupid of her to actually attack her but judging from the look in her eyes, she could tell that Maki had absolutely no qualms about crushing Kokichi’s windpipe. And it’s not like anyone else ever bothered to interfere in the assassin’s assaults before so she was really the only one standing between the trickster and an early grave.

“Do you?” She countered with a pointed look “Do you really think it’s smart to kill him or anyone else right here in front of everyone? Even if you try to kill him later, everyone will know who did it. And you know what’ll happen then, right?”

She prayed that fear of execution would be enough to stave off any future attempts. And maybe it would have had a certain somebody not darted right in front of her and further antagonized her. Her eyes widened and she tried to push herself off the ground as quickly as possible. Her balance, though, was still off and she had trouble regaining her footing.

Hearing her venomous threat, she opened her mouth to counter it when she heard Kaito’s order. His voice wasn’t as strident as it usually was and she frowned as she watched him weakly make his way to Maki. What was wrong with him? Whatever it was, the assassin obviously shared her concern for his condition; amidst worried glances, she stood down and returned to the rest of the group.

Ah, yes. The rest of the group. The rest of the group who had undoubtedly witnessed the confrontation between the two and would be picking sides. And she already knew whose side they would choose. If her reputation wasn’t shot before, it certainly was now. Maki may have been an assassin but just the fact that Kaito vouched for her was enough to redeem her and make her worthy of being an ally to the others. On the other hand, to them Kokichi was at best a lying troublemaker and at worst, a sadistic, manipulative villain who enjoyed seeing them suffer. And she’d actually had to audacity to defend him from her. She could practically feel the rest of them glaring at her. Well, it wasn’t like she wasn’t used to being the outsider.

When Maki left, she lifted a hand and clutched her ear. It still hurt and the ringing was starting up again. She shook her head as if trying to shake the ringing out of her skull.

Realizing that she probably looked like a nutcase to him, she stopped and directed her gaze towards Kokichi. She caught the concern in his eyes and winced. She wasn’t trying to worry him, just protect him.

“Take care of me? You’re the one who just got choked out!” She cried incredulously as she reached out to take his scarf “Let me see...”

Kokichi flinched away from her touch unknowingly, his grin faltering before returning to its original large, lip-splitting size. "Don't pretend as if you didn't just shake your head like a half-full piggy bank! Nishishi, what's wrong with you!?" There had probably been a better way to phrase that.

Kokichi laughed off the chest-crushing anxiety, taking a step back, he narrowly avoided her touch on impulse. Despite craving to be cared for by her, it only seemed to weigh him down for what he was about to do.

Shuichi clutched his chest instinctively, everything had been a lot; the information of the several events that had just transpired hadn't registered in his head yet. It didn't help that his heart had been pumping incredibly fast as he was slightly afraid he would have witnessed Kokichi's murder. Why didn't he say anything?

He really was... unreliable.

His eyes darted behind him to Maki who wore an unapologetic expression on her face as if she had no remorse for crushing someone's windpipes just seconds before. Shuichi's conflicted irises darted to Kaito who seemed to be looking sicker by each second; he must've been straining himself to stay in the gym with all of them. He made a note to speed-run their planning, they have been going through a rough patch, but he still held concern for Kaito's well-being. Before darting to the troublesome pair that sat in the middle of the gym.

Noticing Shuichi's conflicted glare, Kokichi rolled his eyes and sighed, "Well, I think I may have overstayed my welcome here; you guys obviously don't want me here…" Kokichi's purple eyes darted towards Maki for a split second, "So I'll just go now." It had truly pained him to leave, especially after witnessing S/o clutch her head like that— was she okay? Did she get a concussion? Especially after the last time she had fallen, he... He was terribly worried. Even so, he needed to keep going, didn't he? It was... It had to happen, everything would resolve itself soon, it would be fine.

Shuichi had just barely been able to notice the strange actions she performed. Investigating and putting clues together seemed to be second nature to him as his brain solved what had been going on in less than a few seconds, even in his disgruntled state. "I, um…" Shuichi seemed to forget what he was going to say, the whole world seemed a bit too intense at the moment. "The... The bomb thing- I remember your... ear. Did it not heal completely?"

Tsumigi perked her head up from her silence, "Bomb thing...?" Himiko abruptly spoke up again, "W-who cares! She was probably faking it, r-right...?" Himiko had honestly been a bit shaken up after witnessing the scene before her and not being able to do anything about it— only to watch helplessly as S/o prevented 2 people from dying. Her whole view on everything had been shifted, whether Kokichi deserved to die or not. It was a matter of morals, and biases, something Himiko just felt too tired to think about.

Kaito coughed out, "G-guys, we have to... to talk about the plan. S-sorry S/o but... we need to-" Kaito inhaled deeply, forcing air into his burning lines and straightening his back painfully. "We need to figure out what we're going to do next..!" Kaito spoke with the same, blind confidence and hope, though you could see in his eyes; the exhaustion.

[aion-rsa]

Helstrom: The Comic History of Marvel’s Son of Satan

https://ift.tt/33Vbv3V

On Oct. 16, Hulu will be releasing the latest Marvel tie-in series Helstrom. It’s not so much like one of those upcoming Disney+ MCU shows that feature high-profile superheroes telling stories that will be important to the overall fictional universe. It’s more like Daredevil or Runaways where quality be damned, you’re never going to hear anyone in the movies make anything close to a reference to it, but it counts as part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe anyway.

The series is about siblings Daimon Helstrom and Ana Helstrom, who have seemingly normal lives, but oppose demons and evil people on the side. Their mother is institutionalized, which is fairly true to the comics, but their father is also referred to as “a powerful serial killer.”

In the comics, things are a bit grander. Their father isn’t just any serial killer, but a variation of Satan. Marvel has a bunch of guys whose identities are “basically Satan, but not really.” Instead of suits and turtlenecks, the two have comic adventures where they dress like they shopped off the sexy Halloween costume rack at Party City.

Daimon Helstrom (played by Tom Austen) gets both L’s in the comics as Daimon Hellstrom, but also has the rad nickname of Son of Satan. Shockingly, he’s a good guy! Mostly. Even when bare-chested with a glowing pentagram over his torso. Even with a magical pitchfork as his weapon of choice.

Son of Satan and his sister Satana are essentially the Marvel versions of Dante and Vergil from Devil May Cry. Both are half-human/half-devil and they lean on opposite sides of their genetics.

So let’s say you want to get into Hellstrom’s comic book exploits. Well, you’re in luck because we have a list of his main character runs since showing up in 1973.

The Early Spotlight (1973-1975)

Hellstrom made his first appearance in Ghost Rider #1. In the first two issues of that series, Hellstrom was hired as an exorcist to help deal with a missing woman who had been possessed. Interestingly enough, they never gave a clear look at Hellstrom in those two issues other than the demonic birthmark on his chest.

Initially, Hellstrom had a Jekyll and Hyde gimmick to the point that he told the woman’s loved ones to lock him up in a dark room and not let him out no matter what he said. Unlike the supporting characters in Young Frankenstein, the bozos didn’t take that to heart and let Hellstrom’s more maniacal personality Son of Satan loose.

Sidenote: His adventures were originally going to be called “the Mark of Satan” with more emphasis on Satan as the antagonist, but doing comics focused on Satan was deemed a little over-the-line, so they changed it.

Second sidenote: I did not hit her, it’s bullshit, I did not hit her, I DID NOT! Oh hi, Mark of Satan!

Read more

TV

How Helstrom Became One of Marvel Television’s Last Shows Standing

By Alec Bojalad

Son of Satan’s adventures continued into Marvel Spotlight #12-24. It didn’t take long for Marvel to realize that giving him a double-identity was kind of a lame idea and instead had Satan Sr. magically handwave that away and make Son of Satan just one dude. Definitely for the better as he no longer felt so blatantly like Marvel’s answer to Jason Blood/Etrigan.

Hellstrom continued to fight against ghoulish enemies while opposing his father’s ways and dated some generic woman whose name I couldn’t tell you if you paid me a million dollars. It all culminated in a really strong finale issue where Hellstrom fought against and with his sister Satana, but maybe ignore the part where Hellstrom had a dream about the two of them making out.

Striking Out Solo (1975-1977)

Son of Satan had his own self-titled ongoing series that only lasted eight issues. From the beginning, Hellstrom went to Hell to basically tell off his dad as a way to say that this series wouldn’t be about their rivalry. Instead, it was Son of Satan dealing with a bunch of random villains that nobody would ever really remember.

There was one ridiculous enemy named the Possessor (not to be confused with the Elder of the Universe) who wore a mask to hide the fact that he had demon faces where his ears are supposed to be. Too bad he never showed up outside of this series.

It was a trippy outing, but ended before it could find its footing.

Demon Defender (1981-1983)

The Defenders are, of course, the bundle of heroes who don’t quite fit in with the Avengers, Fantastic Four, or X-Men but need people to hang out with. Guys like Hulk, Dr. Strange, Namor, Valkyrie, etc. Son of Satan became a regular ally in the team’s early days, appearing to help out every now and then. Most notably, he was part of a storyline where the Serpent Society kidnapped the Defenders and Clea put together a second team to rescue them, featuring the likes of Son of Satan, Daredevil, and Luke Cage.

Then again, the only thing anyone truly remembers about those issues is a very bizarre and legendary scene of a random guy getting killed by an Elf with a Gun.

As the series reached its 92nd issue, Hellstrom finally joined the team. On one hand, having Son of Satan on the team meant the Defenders had to take on the occult more than usual. On the other hand, Hellstrom soon fell in love with fellow Defender Hellcat, who was regularly dealing with constantly being possessed and turning into a scantily-clad demoness.

When Defenders hit its 100th issue, they did a really climactic storyline where a handful of the various Marvel Devil guys invaded Earth and Son of Satan had to take on Father of Son of Satan for the fate of Earth. The conclusion is rather surprising.

Prince of Lies (1993-1994)

Okay, so Daimon Hellstrom and Patsy Walker have been married for ten years (our time). It’s a fairytale romance where they’ve made a few guest appearances here and there, but have otherwise retired, happily ever after. What could POSSIBLY taint such true love?

90s comics. That’s your answer.

Welcome to Hellstorm: Prince of Lies, a 21-issue ongoing series where every issue looks like a Nine Inch Nails video and they try to see how much lanky nudity they can get away with showing in a Marvel comic. Like, holy crap, there has to be a world record for shadowed-out junk in this series. They even edit in some obvious, hastily-drawn underwear on characters at times as if the editor has realized they’ve gone too far.

It’s a gritty and grimy series that you’d expect from a 90s comic where much of it is written by Warren Ellis and the main character is Satan’s son. Lots of spikes, sharp teeth, long hair, suffering, insanity, and so on. It’s most definitely a product of its time.

Plus it’s called “Hellstorm” instead of “Hellstrom.” Scout’s honor, I didn’t notice the difference until my editor pointed it out.

Maximum Hellstorm (2006-2007)

Ah, Marvel MAX. The days when Marvel decided to give R-rated comics a shot and just threw everything at the wall. Hellstorm: Son of Satan was one of them, going for five issues. By this point, we’re in the mid-00s, so Hellstrom has a more down-to-earth look and is constantly talking to his father on a cellphone and tries so hard not to remind us what he looked like in the 70s and 80s.

But because it’s Marvel MAX, it means that his adventure is filled with lots of curse words, ultra-violence, gross demon boobs, and explicit Jesus imagery you normally wouldn’t see in a comic like this.

While the whole “Hellstrom messes with Egyptian underworld deities” storyline is a bit high concept, it still feels more like the new Hulu show than anything else.

Zombie Slayer (2009)

Speaking of gritty Marvel trends, there’s Marvel Zombies! While the initial Ultimate Fantastic Four storyline and the first two volumes of Marvel Zombies dealt with the happenings of a doomed universe, the next few volumes went slightly more uplifting. After all, sometimes you need to have people to root for who can back it up.

In Marvel Zombies 4, the Black Talon and the Hood (under the influence of Dormammu) try to use the decapitated head of Zombie Deadpool (otherwise known as Headpool) to bring forth the zombie apocalypse in the regular Marvel universe. Yes, we actually have canon stakes this time.

To prevent this, we have the Midnight Sons, made up of Son of Satan, Morbius, Jennifer Kale, Werewolf by Night, and Man-Thing. It’s an incredibly badass group working through an incredibly badass adventure. Too bad the team doesn’t last.

On a similar note, around this time there was a miniseries called the Last Defenders where Son of Satan was a major character. It’s just that by the time the team came together, they were an immediately-forgotten afterthought, so there’s no use in giving it its own entry.

Ghost Riders in the Sky (2009-2010)

Jason Aaron had a really, really, really great run on Ghost Rider. Most definitely read it. It’s pure grindhouse and I love it.

The whole run finished with Ghost Riders: Heaven’s on Fire. This culmination featured Johnny Blaze and Danny Ketch working together against a corrupt angel, the anti-Christ, and a group of villains from earlier in the run teaming up.

At least they have Daimon Hellstrom there to help out. Unfortunately, Hellstrom looks outright goofy with a bald head and Fu-Manchu mustache. The story brings back Jaine, his EXTREME love interest from the 90s series who he ended up with after his relationship with Patsy went very south.

Anyhow, Jason Aaron’s Ghost Rider run. Read it!

Strikeforce (2019-2020)

Much like how X-Men had X-Force as the team that would do the really dirty work, Avengers had a spinoff team called Strikeforce. Made up of Winter Soldier, Angela, Blade, Spider-Woman, Wiccan, and Spectrum, the team soon brought Hellstrom into the fold. Which is just as well, since he was working for Baron Zemo for a little while and really needed to get his head back on straight.

Unfortunately for Hellstrom, 1) he retained his bald look from Heaven’s on Fire and 2) the series didn’t last all that long. Only nine issues, sadly. Eh, it was fun while it lasted.

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At least he’s joining the Savage Avengers next! And they’re giving him his hair back!

The post Helstrom: The Comic History of Marvel’s Son of Satan appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/31dX5KF

[jsteneil]

Neil Josten’s Birthday Bash

in which the foxes don’t get anything done, ever

 *

Nicky added Dan, Kevin, Aaron and three others to “Neil Josten's Birthday Bash Organization Committee”.

Nicky: can't add Andrew because he still owns a FLIP PHONE but here we go

Dan: hell yeah B-)

Nicky: kevin can fill him in with the details anyway

Kevin: why me?

Allison: because you live with him?

Matt: you're practically attached at the hip

Dan: omg ur roomm8s

Matt: ^^^ what allison said

Dan: yeah

Nicky: OR aaron can do it on wednesdays so that there's no chance of neil finding out :D

Aaron: no.

Aaron left the chat.

Nicky: what

Nicky: the

Kevin: just add him back

Nicky: fuck

Kevin: ffs

Kevin: some ppl are in class

Nicky added Aaron to the chat.

Aaron: im muting you all

Allison: just embrace the fact that you've lived in SC for years and say y'all

Nicky: y'all!!!

Nicky: yeah

Matt: dude don't how are u gonna know when to buy your coordinated outfit and rehearse the choreography if you mute us

Dan: Aaron?

Renee: I do think he muted us

Allison: fuck a crybaby

Nicky: hey

Allison: what's he gonna do? Unmute us?

Dan: asdhskfjdl ALLI

Matt: lmfao

Nicky: moving ON

Nicky: the important thing here is my boy neil's birthday

Kevin: and you wonder why Aaron left

Nicky: what?

Kevin: maybe Neil doesn't want to celebrate his bday

Nicky: no that's too sad

Nicky: next person?

Allison: not to be that bitch

Matt: oh?

Allison: but do we even know when his birthday is?

Allison: fuck you matthew donovan boyd

Matt: sorry i love you

Dan: it was easy

Dan: matt ur easy

Matt: ily babe

Dan: <3

Kevin: jan 19th

Renee: March 31st?

Allison: wait

Dan: uhhhh

Matt: Neil Josten deserves 2 bdayz

Kevin: no jan 19th

Renee: oh i thought we were using the one he chose for himself

Matt: Renee add a smiley face

Renee: :)

Renee: ?

Dan: babe ur mind,,,, im crying

Matt: ikr

Allison: stop using mygf so

Kevin: is it me or does it sound really passive aggressive bitchy with a smiley face

Dan: ye that's the point

Renee: I really wasn't trying to be

Matt: oh no we know, sorry

Matt: i feel bad now

Matt: it was just funny

Matt: sorry

Dan: :(

Renee: It's okay, don’t worry

Renee: :)

Dan: renee STOP i feel like ur going 2 murder me in my sleep

Renee: I could, but I won't

Nicky: im shaking and im not even in your dorm

Allison: and we daily thank god for that

Nicky: hey im an excellent roommate

Nicky: i always leave so cap and matt can have sexy times

Dan: yeah but then u call it sexy time

Allison: ive seen the bathroom nicky

Nicky: that's aaron

Matt: l o l

Kevin: aaron's a neat freak

Allison: exposed

Nicky: erik come get me the people here are mean

Renee: So when's Neil's actual birthday?

Kevin: jan 19th

Nicky: who's gonna ask andrew?

Kevin: HE HAS REAL PAPERS NOW

Kevin: JUST GO CHECK AND LET ME BE IN CLASS IN PEACE

Allison: well okay drama queen

Dan: kevin: *is on the chat as much as us*

Dan: also kevin: guys why r u dragging me here

Matt: it's okay kevin we can talk about it during practice

Renee: Don't goad him, Matt

Dan: lmfao babe u thought

Matt: uh oh

Allison: lol

Dan: we need 2 trounce the ravens nxt wk

Nicky: do we have to

Dan: y'all r hauling ass @ practice or god help me

Nicky: id settle for a close victory

Matt: nicky if you don't help us close the goal next friday im telling neil about his surprise

Nicky: noooooo :'(

Allison: ye renee has enough to do without having to face stuff y'all should have blocked

Renee: Andrew is also a goalkeeper

Allison: yeah but he doesn't give a fuck

Renee: That's neither true nor fair

Dan: i want bragging rights over this vctry, end of the question

Matt: are we just gonna ignore the fact that the fbi chose neil's old bday

Matt: even tho they made him a new identity

Allison: wonder how this conversation went

Nicky: are we ignoring the fact that neil is a goddamn CAPRICORN

Allison: "in my left hand is your birthday date. In my right hand is your other birthday" *shuffles behind his back*

Matt: idk about astrology but I checked and he tried to pass for an aries so what does that tell us?

Dan: shut up adfhskdjs

Nicky: im dying

Kevin: [attached picture]

Matt: did u steal neil's ID

Allison: i thought you were in class

Kevin: he sent it to me

Nicky: his phone can take pics??

Dan: RLY crappy 1s but yeah

Nicky: so all those times andrew refused to send me pics of his Eden’s Twilight's outfits so i could coordinate neil's…

Matt: :/

Kevin: he just doesn't like you

Allison: i would have laughed but you two have been fighting the good fight since last year, dressing neil up

Nicky: hey

Renee: Kevin, that was mean

Nicky: but thanx allison, I think so too

Kevin: sorry

Kevin: he's just difficult?

Nicky: yeah :(

Dan: omg u guys rmr when neil was on k ferdinand's show n he looked like a bite-sized snack in that shirt

Kevin: not exactly what I remember from this interview

Dan: u were pretty 2 <3

Kevin: oh my god

Renee: Didn't Neil keep the clothes?

Nicky: i've never seen him wear them again

Nicky: maybe he STUFFED THEM DOWN THE TOILET

Matt: uh okay

Allison: weird emphasis

Kevin: are you still stuck on that

Dan: what

Kevin: it's what happened with the clothes he wore the first time we went to columbia

Nicky: do you know how expensive that plumber was?

Matt: just a thought but maybe that wouldn't have happened if you didn't force him to come with you and drugged him against his will

Allison: don't tell me someone actually peed on them and tried to flush

Nicky: take it up with andrew

Matt: you literally drove the car

Kevin: what happened in columbia stays in columbia

Allison: omg oh my god

Dan: IM SCREAMING

Nicky: what was i supposed to do, get knifed?

Nicky: also ^^^^ yeah.

Nicky: ANYWAY

Nicky: now that Kevin got us proof that the FBI officially made neil a capricorn again,,

Dan: the fbi be like "oh u thought u could escape ur traumatic past? That's nice buddy

Matt: yeah I don't think beating last year's party is gonna be hard

Dan: here's ur bday n trauma back"

Nicky: HAPPY THOUGHTS

Nicky: :(

Nicky: anyway it's the big 21st, so the first thing in order is BOOZE

Kevin: uh nicky

Renee: He's turning 20?

Matt: what???

Kevin: yeah he aged himself up on his fake papers

Matt: oh my god

Dan: lmfao only neil

Nicky: he is baby

Matt: does. Does he know though. Like did he check when they made him the papers.

Kevin: I'm guessing so

Matt: imagine filling a form or smth and you get the day right but not the year

Renee: Wait Kevin, how did you get neil to send you the pic without telling him about the surprise party?

Nicky: DON'T YOU DARE HAVE TOLD HIM ABOUT THE NJBB

Allison: njbb?

Dan: neil josten's bday bash, im guessing

Nicky: Neil Josten's

Nicky: BIRTHDAY BASH

Nicky: yes

Allison: it doesn’t sound right

Allison: like, something’s missing in the name

Matt: alli we play a sport named after what you get when you take the s from sexy

Dan: 10 bux kevin wishes he didn't have such a stick up his butt so he could reply with exy is sexy

Allison: im not taking that

Kevin: i actually don't know why she named it that

Kevin: she never told the press and she didn't write it anywhere so

Nicky: :(

Allison: oh

Dan: sorry :(

Renee: Maybe coach knows?

Matt: maybe each letter has a meaning

Kevin: how?

Allison: endangering xylophones yearly?

Matt: EXceptional daY

Matt: and then, boom, it's about your name

Renee: Matt, I like that idea!

Dan: allison, no

Kevin: I'll have to ask coach, renee

Kevin: anyway it was always going to be her name, she invented it

Nicky: someone bring neil in so he can say something super serious about how kevin is a legendary striker whose name is already associated with exy and make us choke with emotion

Kevin: nicky….

Nicky: look it's working and he's not even there

Allison: it's the josten effect

Dan: changing your entire life's beliefs one extremely tragic remark at a time

Matt:...

Matt: someone change the subject im sad

Nicky: BIRTHDAY BASH

Kevin: oh yeah nicky asked me how i got neil's ID

Allison: and?

Kevin: i told him i signed him up for his own exynews account so he could stop hogging mine for streaming

Kevin: so i needed his name and birthday

Kevin: and then we got into an argument about date formats

Nicky: dd/mm/yy 4ever

Allison: eww

Kevin: so he sent me a pic instead of writing the date

Dan: it's the european propaganda getting to him

Kevin: i guess i really have to get him an account now

Dan: kevin i know you're entirely serious but that's so funny

Nicky: THE REST OF THE WORLD USES IT

Matt: admit it, you can't wait to go back to Germany because you secretly like the metric system

Nicky: yeah dicks sound bigger if you use centimeters

Dan: didn't need 2 know that

Nicky: not that erik needs that :)

Dan: I DON'T WANNA KNOW

Renee: ….

Matt: honestly im glad i don't understand german or i would never live down all the skyping

Dan: renee's like "can't relate" lmfao

Renee: No indeed

Allison: hell yeah that's my girlfriend

Renee: <3

Allison: hey minyard if you're secretly lurking now is the time to leave

Allison: …

Renee: No, he truly muted us earlier

Dan: are we surprised?

Renee: we'll catch him up on what we decide to do later

Renee: Nicky?

Nicky: oh, yeah!!!

Nicky: BIRTHDAY BASH

Matt: here we go again

Dan: mamma mia