#and well. he’s doing a piss poor job of sticking to his vow now

[daylighteclipsed]

Genuinely this is why I would kill for a scene where Sasuke calls Naruto out on this. Because 1. Sasuke is the only one emotionally perceptive enough of Naruto to understand that this, the fear of loneliness, is what drives pretty much everything Naruto does. Sasuke even sees how the Shadow Clone technique is Naruto compensating for the lack of human love in his life.

2. Sasuke has been in the position Naruto’s in now, admired by Konoha, so he knows that it feels empty. Because it is empty. Naruto has wanted this popularity since he was a child because he thought that it would solve all of his problems. It would fill him with love, and he’d be happy. But he’s still unsatisfied and lonely. In some ways, he’s more isolated than he was before, put on a pedestal, elevated above everyone else. Dehumanized in the opposite direction.

3. Sasuke is looking for any reason to keep Naruto at a distance, and Naruto protecting the people who ordered the genocide of Sasuke’s entire clan and then covered it up is perfect. Why wouldn’t Sasuke bring that up when Naruto tries to say that they’re friends? That would be my first argument. Naruto has no right to call himself Sasuke’s friend.

4. Sasuke is supposed to challenge Naruto like this! Sasuke and Naruto’s dynamic is set up specifically in a way that pushes their characters, forces them to grow and learn from each other’s different feelings, perspectives, and ideologies. Neither of them is supposed to be all Right and all Wrong. They’re Yin and Yang. They’re supposed to highlight each other’s strengths and weaknesses. Sasuke faces his trauma. He expresses his anger and hurt. He considers his own feelings. Naruto could learn from him. Naruto should continue to change as a character because of Sasuke.

5. If anyone is going to give Naruto a brutally honest “the reason you suck” speech, it’s Sasuke. And if Naruto is going to listen to anyone, it’s Sasuke. Naruto cares a lot about Sasuke’s opinion, and if Sasuke is straight up like, you’re a coward, you care more about having everyone’s approval than doing anything about the injustice in front of you, you are so petrified of being alone you would swallow all the bullshit Konoha feeds you, you think if everyone acknowledges you it will fill the void in your heart and make up for all the pain but it won’t and it hasn’t because it’s not real love and it never will be, you have the audacity to call yourself my friend when you are friends with the people who slaughtered everyone I love, you disgust me and are certainly not my friend, like. I think that would really Hit. Knock Naruto flat on his ass. Devastated but incapable of ignoring his own issues after that, especially if he wants to reach Sasuke.

Sasuke calling Naruto out on the crap he refuses to face or admit is maybe the ONLY way I could realistically see Naruto start to critically examine himself in Shippuden. Because Naruto won’t do it for himself. The above scene with Kushina is proof to me that the Waterfall of Truth accomplished nothing because Naruto clearly harbors anger towards Konoha but hasn’t accepted it in any way that allows him to express anger on his own behalf.

Naruto is right, and I hate how it’s resolved/brushed over with “being a jinchuriki is fine if you are filled with love” like. Okay emotionally perhaps that solves a problem, makes it bearable, but it doesn’t do anything about the politics creating this suffering in the first place. Nobody should even be in this situation. People, kids, should not be experimented on and turned into weapons of mass destruction for the sake of maintaining a balance of power between other nations. That’s fucked up and needs to go, and even if Naruto won’t get angry on his own behalf, he recognizes that this is wrong. He projects on and gets angry for other people. He KNOWS. But then?? Kushina says it’s okay because she’s loved?? And it was okay of Minato to do that to Naruto because it was out of love?? When it wasn’t for love but for politics?? Kushina wanting to die to spare Naruto a fate of loneliness and pain is an act of love. Minato sealing the nine-tails inside Naruto to keep Konoha strong is not. And, from a character standpoint, that’s fine if Minato is not exempt from propaganda and brainwashing. It’s more interesting if he’s NOT a perfect person or father. But he’s not condemned for this decision. Kushina is glad that Naruto doesn’t resent her or Minato for turning him into a jinchuriki, when he has every right to, and this is the resolution to this debacle, I guess. I’ve no idea if this is ever brought up again. Does Naruto think what was done to him and so many others is still wrong? I understand that it’s bad to hold on to rage and hatred, but letting go of that and moving on doesn’t mean you have to forgive what was done to you, and it shouldn’t mean it’s OK for this to happen again. Naruto, the series and character, is always so close to holding the corrupt system and political figures accountable for this crap and then just doesn’t.

[statusquoergo]

Part I

I wonder if Faye feeds on everyone’s hatred for her or what, because she heads on into Donna’s office to ask for help with the massive amount of work she now has to do as the firm’s new managing partner, Donna greets her with predictable snark and sarcasm, and I swear I thought Faye was going to ask her for help finding a secretary but no! She asks Donna to help her get a handle on things.

Now, true, “You were the best secretary this firm ever had” is probably not the best way to convince Donna-the-COO to give her a hand, but everyone keeps insisting that this firm is woefully understaffed (despite apparently having plenty of associates and also enough clients to use some of them as bargaining chips), and as Chief Operating Officer, it’s Donna’s job to make sure the firm’s operations are running smoothly, so…if the managing partner needs a little help getting her work in order…it kind of is her job to get that done? I still think it would’ve been more reasonable for Donna to hire Faye her own secretary, but it’s not like she’s qualified to be COO, or doing…anything, at all, to deserve the position, so I mean. It’s just a couple of days and it’ll probably go a ways towards getting Faye off their backs, why not take one for the team?

On the other side of the floor, Alex and Samantha have some more weirdly endearing bonding time, and I admit I thought it was pretty funny when Alex told Samantha how important family is and she asked if he was trying to adopt her. Then he invites her over to dinner, pointing out how highly his wife and daughter think of her, she accepts, and this is definitely the first time I’ve actually kind of liked her as a character.

Harvey gets an impromptu call from Dan, that random CEO from before, who tears into him for taking out a full page ad (what is this, 2003?) bashing Faye’s old firm for endangering the future of Dan’s company, and seriously, who’s going to see that ad who’s going to, one, give a shit, and two, have any idea what it’s talking about if they don’t already know? Anyway Dan informs Harvey that his board fired him, Harvey exclaims that they can’t do that in the middle of litigation, and actually, he’s probably right, but who cares about logic, this is Suits, for crying out loud. He promises to fix everything, Dan threatens to sue him if he doesn’t (which I’m sure wouldn’t be long and drawn-out and expensive and totally not worth it), and Harvey immediately goes to Donna to bitch and moan about this situation that is of course in no way his fault. She tells him that Faye has her doing secretarial work, Harvey tries to storm off to tear into her, and Donna proposes that they go out to dinner instead to give him a chance to clear his head because they decided earlier that they don’t want Faye or their work troubles to come between them as a couple. Which I get, I mean, that’s sensible, but how is this Faye coming between them? Is Harvey being mad at her for asking Donna to do this work hurting his and Donna’s relationship somehow? Would Harvey not be pissed off and storm her office if he and Donna were still just friends? I can’t decide if this is him being chivalrous or patronizing, but I’m leaning toward the latter if for no other reason than that this show has a bad history of some pretty sexist sub-plots and throwaway jokes.

Katrina summons Susan to her office to reprimand her for disobeying her direct order by contacting that family friend of hers, and yeah, Susan should’ve obeyed her because she’s an associate and Katrina is a senior partner, but I still think it would’ve been a good idea for Katrina to tell her tell her up front why she didn’t want her to do it. Too late now, because Susan tries to blackmail her into keeping her on by threatening to tell Faye why Brian really left (he and Katrina had romantic tension, that’s why). I’m getting shades of “You put your interests above mine. I mean, I’m just putting mine back up next to yours” (s01e01); I wonder if this show knows how to do partner/associate relationships that don’t mirror Harvey and Mike.

Fast forward a little: Gretchen offers to do Faye’s work for Donna so that she and Harvey can “get [their] smush face on,” which, what does that even mean; Louis goes to bitch at Faye for stealing his secretary and we learn that she immediately saw through Gretchen and Donna’s ruse; Louis goes to complain to Gretchen and vow to get Donna back; she tells him not to do that because it was her choice to take the work on, he asks her where Donna and Harvey are so he can make sure they’re keeping Donna’s promise not to let their relationship interfere with his need for support, and she says he shouldn’t bother them and then immediately tells him where they are. Because logic.

On said date, Harvey and Donna are having a hell of a time talking about anything other than work, even though the entire point of this date is to not talk about work; they resort to “Water is wet” (Donna) and “Have you read any good books lately” (Harvey) before Harvey realizes that Donna reminds him of Ricky Garfield’s mom, a beautiful redhead he had a crush on when he was a kid. This is obviously an implication that Harvey has a “type” (that neither Zoe nor Scottie nor Paula matched, go figure), but it feels weird to me in a way I can’t quite put my finger on just yet. Something about infatuation or obsession or idealism or…something. I don’t like it.

Minor interlude to Alex’s house, where he and Rosalie reprimand Joy for backing Alex’s car into a lamppost and then lying about it and Samantha tries to blend into the refrigerator for a minute until they all sit down at the table for takeout Chinese. No, this is actually a good scene; it’s realistic without being too cheesy and incorporates the awkwardness without letting it ruin the evening. I still don’t much care for Joy, but the effort is pretty nice overall.

Harvey and Donna seem to have settled into some pretty easy banter as Donna confesses that she once thought she’d been poisoned by a Szechuan peppercorn; Harvey asks her what she did to deserve being poisoned, she says that’s neither here nor there, and he accuses her of being a black widow, at which point she corrects him that if she were the black widow, she’d be the one doing the poisoning. (Hold onto this for just a minute.) They keep up their irritatingly scripted repartee until Harvey has a brainstorm about how to save Dan, but he won’t deal with it until tomorrow because “tonight is for [them].” Then Louis calls Donna for that support he mentioned to Gretchen, she contemplates picking up, and Harvey talks her out of it, at which point we see that Louis is in fact at the restaurant and saw them ignore his call, and I get another flashback to him standing outside of Harvey’s office holding a poorly-timed cake meant to celebrate his and Mike’s success at working together just as Mike and Harvey decide to team up again. Poor guy. (I’m not sure if this show loves to self-reference or they’re just low on new ideas. Maybe both.) Oh, then Harvey says they should go to his place where he can pretend to be young Harvey and Donna can pretend to be Ricky Garfield’s mom and I think I’m starting to figure out what my problem with this is. (It has to do with idealization and romanticism and Harvey needs to go to therapy.)

Katrina asks Samantha how she knew when to give in when Katrina stood up to her, Samantha tells her she gave in when Katrina was right, and I’m so confused, does Samantha suddenly have a sense of modesty? Her character is so arbitrary, it’s giving me a headache.

The next day, probably, Harvey storms into Faye’s office and accuses her of having Johnson and Powell, which I guess is the name of her old firm, fire Dan during litigation thanks to a clause in Dan’s contract that allowed him to be fired during litigation. (Who the fuck would put that kind of a clause in their contract?) Faye denies it, asserting that a fifteen-minute phone call Harvey found record of in her LUDs (which he got…where?) was from Johnson and Powell rather than the other way around (which he should have been able to tell from the phone records) because, get this, they wanted to complain about what an asshole Harvey is. You know, in previous seasons, I might’ve taken offense at that, but at the moment, I think they’re really onto something. Anyway she invites him to subpoena her and points out that all he’s managed to accomplish thus far is getting Dan fired, so that’s gotta feel good.

Following up on the Katrina plotline, she escorts Susan to Faye’s office and boxes her into either disclosing the story about Katrina and Brian or dropping the matter completely; Susan ends up not ratting her out (for…not having an affair?) and Katrina admits that she was ambitious when she started out, too, but that can’t be all Susan has. I’m liking this dynamic, I hope Susan gets a redemption arc and sticks around awhile longer. (Not just for the overtones of Marvey, I also think it’ll be good for Katrina to have someone to mentor.)

Louis and Harvey have their final confrontation of the day as Louis declares that he’s taking that judgeship (that is not how that works), and Harvey clarifies that he and Donna ignored Louis’s call because they assumed it was about work, and also they weren’t laughing at him, they were laughing at some joke Harvey told right after they hung up on him. That’s all very well and good, but you know how earlier Harvey didn’t know what a black widow is? This time around, he’s unfamiliar with the phrase “tilting at windmills.” (It means to attack imaginary enemies.) I’m not saying that everyone has to know every idiom in the English language in order to be a functioning adult, but neither “black widow” nor “tilting at windmills” is especially uncommon, and the fact that Harvey doesn’t know them is…very jarring. Are they trying to make him seem dense? Out of touch? Socially inept? Did he entirely lose that part of his personality when Mike abandoned them? Is he faking it for some indiscernible reason? It feels to me like they’re trying to use these blind spots to make him seem more relatable somehow, or more likable, but for my money, it’s having the opposite effect as I’m finding it very irritating and out of character for him.

Samantha thanks Alex for bringing her over for dinner, declaring it precisely what she needed, kerfuffle and all, and confides that she’s been inspired by the fact that Joy is a perfect cross between Alex and Rosalie to find her birth parents. That’s nice, I guess? But…is she familiar with the concept of nature versus nurture? I don’t think this is going to turn out the way she wants it to. Also, I knew Samantha was a foster kid, but I didn’t know that she cared about her birth parents, and now she suddenly does with no buildup whatsoever, and I must say, I do not give a shit.

Donna shows up at Sheila and Louis’s place for a little bonding session, treating Louis to a “girl’s night” and promising him that tonight he’s “the most important woman in the room,” which is all very well and good but I can’t imagine it would’ve been any harder for them to say “tonight is all about you” and avoid making this into a whole gendered thing.

Finally, Harvey meets up with Faye yet again to cockily inform her that, as Louis reminded him, he’s the guy things always work out for; this time around, he convinced Kevin Miller (who’s apparently become the show’s official deus ex machina) to buy SensaTech, which I guess is the name of Dan’s company? And then rehire Dan because he built it from scratch. He seems to have also advised Kevin to allow SensaTech to keep Johnson and Powell as their legal counsel, thereby allowing Faye to save face (which I was unaware she had lost) if she’s willing to give Gretchen back to Louis. (Faye didn’t want Gretchen, she wanted Donna; it’s Donna’s fault Gretchen is working for Faye, because she wanted to skip out on work early to go on a date with Harvey.) Faye refuses, countering that he can resign if he wants to try extorting her; they each claim that they’re not going anywhere, and she closes out the episode with the line: “And for the record, you said you’d do anything to win this, but you haven’t crossed a single line. So as far as I’m concerned, I’m doing my job.” I guess she means that despite being resisted at every turn, she’s beginning to succeed at bringing them into line? But honestly, as a parting farewell, it really doesn’t have as much punch as she thinks it does.

I told you Louis wasn’t going to resign. Next time around, it looks like they’ll be going all in on the Darvey angle, so that’ll be…fun…

[orangememory]

Nirvana in Fire 2 : Episode 5 Recap

Episode 5, some plots untwist and some plots twist, we see ample sprinkling of bromance, and one more badass joins the plot. So on we go! (Note: This recap may be slightly longer in order to explain some plot points. Thanks!)

Last Episode:

Episode 4 neatly wrapped up our Datong baddies in a bow, and threw Pingjing for a loop when he learned that Daddy was playing everything behind the scenes, including Pingjing’s own presence in Datong. The investigative trio of smols sets off with an army retinue to Jinling, yet something isnt adding up for Dragon boy. What could it be?

Episode 5 Recap:

- Our look into the journey of Pingjing and company is thankfully interrupted with a few cute moments between Pingzhang and wife Qianxue, who is the mosg beautiful thing I have laid my eyes on in NIF2 till now. Pingzhang and wifey are a stunning, utterly beautiful couple and they are adorable together as they figure out Pingjing’s route - and where the enemy will lay a trap. Pingzhang figures it will be near the Qizhu stream.

- In the retinue, General Ji, who has come to escort the prisoner with his soldiers, suggests a rest stop at…*drumroll* Qizhu, which is well protected by two cliffs on the side and is a good spot for resting. However, its quite close to the capital, and Yuanqi has his doubts as to why theyre not quickly moving on. However Pingjing agrees to the arrangement haltingly. My spidey senses are already tingling!

- We again interrupt this transmission with a sweet moment between Lin Xi and Pingjing, who invites her to the capital, thinking she will work at Jifeng Hall and promises to show her all the sights which most people dont know of. Lin Xi declines in her own way.

- A note here about the relationship between Lin Xi and Pingjing, although I do love the trope where one part of the couple is Tsundere and the other person turns them around - I dont exactly get a pulse on the Lin Xi-Pingjing bond. Pingjing isn’t a smitten puppy, but a rather straightforward guy trying to thank Lin Xi for her help, while Lin Xi isnt’ tsundere, but more like a professional and an introvert? She deals with Pingjing like one would do with a colleague, albeit I do feel that she has added baggage from her mother’s promise not to marry Pingjing or from the military. If this was your typical tsundere type relationship I think I would be more drawn to it, but right now I just see them as partners more than anything else? IDK. I think Zhang Huiwen is doing a good job, as is Liu Haoran, but I don’t find the easy bknd between them yet.

- As they go back to camp, Pingjing is still on tenterhooks and wondering why Duan Tongzhou or the enemies are not here yet and why Magistrate Zhang is not speaking. But then, boom! Our Ancient Chinese Human Torch is here, flinging darts everywhere, his first line of attack being Poor Magistrate Zhang. Ouch! What a way for the poor man to go!

- Pingjing immediately starts retaliating, and a few air moves and dart vs sword fights later, Duan Tongzhou is surrounded by General Ji’s soldiers. However he is extremely calm in the face of this madness, and doesn’t make a move, instead asking Pingjing if he had never expected this. But in fact, Pingjing had.

- And then, the plot untwists itself and makes a Banruo level plan by the baddies. My explanation follows, however there may be some assumptions because I felt there were a few gaps in the explanation or the subs.

- Pingjing has deduced several things about the last attack in Datong, where policeman Qian was killed. The main question asked in the last episode was why was an insignificant man like Qian killed whereas Magistrate Zhang was spared? The plan was two-fold. Police dude Qian was a man with no living family or relatives, if arrested, it would be likely he would easily open his mouth and talk to Pingjing about Minister Song Fu’s treachery. On the other hand, Magistrate Zhang had a wife and kids whom he had sent away, as long as someone ‘took care’ of them - they could shut the man up and Pingjing would never know the truth.

- Who was ‘taking care’ of Zhang’s wife and kids? No one but General Ji! Pingjing’s suspicions had been roused by a few of General Ji’s questions regarding Zhang, and how he tried to distract Pingjing from meeting the witness. There, in flashback, it is shown General Ji had a jade ring that Zhang recognized and asked him to keep his mouth shut.

- But why was General Ji colluding with Duan and Song Fu? In a discussion between Tingsheng and Pingzhang, they suspect something that is later confirmed by Pingjing. Da Yu had used all their might to specifically attack Ganzhou fortress where Pingzhang was stated (whereas they usually battled at Meiling). And that too, right when there was a supply line cut off. Definitely Duan and General Ji had to be working together to somehow spread this news to Da Yu, who would attack and defeat Ganzhou easily - running across the flat plains southward into Da Liang, where there wpuld be no army good enough to stop them - until the Shanliu Army of General Ji in Qizhou, who were sufficient in strength and training to defeat the Da Yu army. General Ji would earn high merits and rewards for saving the Empire.

- I was like, wow, shit what a gameplay! Who will throw the dice next?

- But still, why was Zhang kept alive from the last skirmish? I suspect Duan Tongzhou did have the ability to kill Zhang but not the time, because of the presence of soldiers and Pingjing who is quite good at martial arts. He took the easier target Qian - who was more likely to confess, and in a way reminded General Ji that he too was involved in this mess. I feel it was sort of a mutually assured destruction-you scratch my back I scratch yours sort of arrangement. Duan Tongzhou (and his master) were clever enough to think along the same line as Tingsheng, which means they are terrifyingly intelligent - they knew that General Ji held a grudge, they knew Changlin manor would send for assistance to far off Qizhou, and therein lay their pawn and plan.

- General Ji, while escorting Zhang, could ensure his death at the hands of Duan - and the only blame that would fall on him was not guarding a witness carefully. The other witnesses, doctors and a boat captain could easily be discredited by higher powers at the Capital - and defeat the Changlin manor’s investigation. General Ji had already colluded with the baddies and passed info to Da Yu, and his crimes of treason would be revealed, which would be a sure death. So he undertook this journey as a pretext of securing merits.

- Also, one thing I forgot to mention - Magistrate Zhang is MIA! His prisoner carriage was skewered, but he wasnt there at all. Its now when Pingjing reveals of course they had seen through the whole plan, and Uncle Yuan had spirited away the witness somehow. Gee whiz IDK who is outsmarting whom anymore. *scratches head*

- General Ji is furious and burns in anger as to why the Changlin manor should score all merits, underlying a theme that we had discussed earlier, too much trust and imperial favour only leads to ruin, or at least, dire suspicions. This is one part of what had happened in the original NIF, where the Prince Qi- Lin family bond was hated by evil asses like Xia Jiang, and the power-hungry Xie Yu. Pingjing is furious when he hears those words, exclaiming that his dad’s years of service were not just for merits! But who is listening boy, def not all those jealous of your fam, nuh-uh!

- General Ji vows to kill them all because his army is loyal to him. Everyone draws their swords, including Yuanqi, however Duan is calm. (A point on Yuanqi - he has been super shocked at all these plots, showing complete naivete and anger at how these men wanted to hurt the common populace for their own ends. Although I am inclined to think he is more pure than I initially believed, I still sense he has this current of indignation that sparks through him. Anywhoooo…)

- Pingjing knows why Duan is calm as well, because something biiiig is gonna go down.(Does this boy know everything? WTF Hai Yan did you actually take out and write Lin Shu again? Because that is how I headcanon Lin Shu, loud, brash, too smart for his own good. Dont do this to me!)

- Duan Escapes and PJ follows for forest fight, but….someone comes to his aid! Who might this be, a beautiful woman whose martial arts skills are amazing? Why its DA SAO! Meng Qianxue, who is the Nihuang of this story is super competent, battling Duan with PJ and backing him into camp. She brings out the Changlin Army and the Military seal, arresting General Ji and his fuckers. Duan Tongzhou makes a last ditch attempt to escape again, but we only see the soldiers extinguishing fires in the aftermath.

- Back to our hurt puppy Pingjing, who is pissed off royally at Daddy for using him as a pawn in his game. Yuanqi, naive soul, asks Qianxue/DaSao (Imma call her DaSao from now because its cuter) how the Changlin manor was able to send soldiers right on time. And then Pingjing reveals the plot, wherein we see Daddy and Bro had discussed the ramifications of the Ganzhou attack, and deduced that General Ji would benefit the most - in order to not make any invalid accusations, they had sought his help. If he would escort them safely back to Jinling, he would earn rewards and otherwise - yeah you saw what happened otherwise. To test General Ji and train Pingjing, they had set up this entire plan.

- Pingjing calls his Dad a sly old fox (OMG), and he and Yuanqi discuss this plan with Da Sao and Uncle Yuan. Pingjing stomps off and vents cutely to Lin Xi who probably thinks where she can stick a needle to shut up the yapping puppy. However, Uncle Yuan reveals the real mastermind behind the plan is Pingzhang, which Pingjing never realises because older bro loves him soooo much and would never play him, right? Pingjing, darling, you definitely have some of your other granduncle in you too. The water-buffalo one.

- Changlin manor is being spruced up for Pingjing’s return, and Pingzhang and Da Sao float beautifully among the pavilions in obviously MCS and Nihuang aspired white and blue and fur, cutely cuddling everywhere. NIF2 you dont have to make remind us of the original, you’ve already knifed us bad in that one and want to hurt us again? Old Fox Tingsheng is scolding Pingjing and taking him to task for reckless endangerment when Sly young fox Da-ge intervenes and tells Pingjing dad has been praising him behind his back allll along. What is this a discourse on Asian parenting? because my family does the same thing. :/

- Meanwhile going back to our other smols, Yuanqi returns to his manor, where new character and Yuanqi’s mom, Grand Madame Laiyang scolds him for getting involved in these hijinks. Yuanqi is a sad puppy and wants to support as a member of the Royal family, but Yuanqi’s mom wants him far far away from any court politics. She seems like a very sad, very benevolent lady who just wants to protect her son, but as we will see in upcoming episodes, she’s gonna be a hidden snake.

Grand Madame Laiyang, Mother of Xiao Yuanqi, wife of the Emperor’s deceased brother

- Lin Xi enters the Jifeng Hall hospital at the capital, where her Master has instructed her to take over, and especially care for patient Pingzhang. Old Master Li, you still tryna matchmake?

- The next scene is that of Minister Song Fu getting taken in for questioning. In Minor Character moment of the day, Minister Song sits proud and regal in his office, his eyes sad and resigned, with a candle burning as the Ministry of Justice storms in. Once the decree is handed over, he silently undoes his ministerial hat, and blows out the candle. Again, I must give excellent credit to the directors and this supporting actor - in two minutes he made an impression on me with his acceptance of his fate, the extinguishing of his life. Minister Song didn’t seem like a very dastardly man to me, but definitely influenced by the wrong ideas and wrong people.

- The next few moments are what move me the most in NIF2: the cute-as-fuck Xiao Family. The extremely adorable Crown Prince (who has actually acted with Wang Kai before and now as his grandson!) runs to his father asking about Pingjing-gege, and the Emperor indulges him. Later, at Changlin manor, Da Sao and Pingzhang battle for Pingjing’s affections, one with food and one stealing the poor child’s food - and then uniting against Pingjing when he reveals Da Sao was adopted by their mother, and Pingzhang was so in love that he asked the Emperor to marry them off when Qianxue was only 14. (cue very much awkward child marriage moment).

- The next, and very sweet scene is between Jingyan’s two babies, Tingsheng and the Emperor. The current Emperor has definitely inherited Jingyan’s genes, beating himself up for his failure in spotting Song Fu’s treason and making his brother suffer. These events have made the Emperor depressed and his cough is back, which Tingsheng tries to chide his younger bro for not taking care of his health. They remember Jingyan at this moment, and Tingsheng and Emperor have this adorable exchange. Their voices are more serious but they are the PZ and PJ of their generation. (*CUE UGLY CRYING BECAUSE JINGYAN RAISED HIS BABIES SO WELL XIAO SHU ARE YOU WATCHING?)

- The Empress meets Rasputin/ High Priest Pu Yangying, and talks to him about prayers for the fallen at Ganzhou. Pu reminds her that of course, they have to take care of this well because the Emperor regards the Changlin Manor as much as the Eastern Palace. Cue the Empress breaking into hives. Pu Yangying also passes the information of the case Pingjing has brought, and that quite a few of Grand Secretary Xun’s students may be implicated. (Secretary Xun is the Empress’ older brother). At this the Empress trembles, because anything that happens to her brother, could lead to her deposition. Hmmm.

- At Court, the Minister of Justice presents his report on interrogating Song Fu. In a twist, Song has admitted to the military ship incident, but not to conniving with General Ji, whereas General Ji explicity states that Duan Tongzhou/PA Qin has contacted him on Song Fu’s behalf. This is the first whiff of a conspiracy which is deeper than we think. Song Fu has also submitted a list of conspirators, and as it is handed to the Emperor, Grand Secretary Xun ages 20 years in one moment, paling. Will he be in trouble? The End.

Thoughts:

Aaaah, I have so many thoughts on this episode, so many, but I will try to list them coherently.

But first, INCOHERENT SCREAMING ABOUT DA SAO BECAUSE SHE ROCKS MY WORLD. I like women in armour, women being knights and how cool is Da Sao with a sword? She saved your ass Pingjing.

DID I SAY HOW GAY I AM FOR DA SAO? Meng Qianxue is not only beautiful but smart and competent, and Tong Liya makes my heart flutter. If I ever want to write self-insert fic in NIF, sorry Wang Kai, Tong Liya may be my first choice now. :D She can murder me and I would be giving heart eyes from hell (aint nobody gonna send me to heaven, I’ve watched too much porn for that. :P).  

Next, NIF2 seems to handle plots a lot more directly and the exposition is simpler. For example, in NIF1 I was puzzling over how MCS actually managed to purchase Lan Yuan Mansion with the female skeletons, until 2-3 episodes later when we realise Tong Lu’s sister was there (in the book version Tong Lu’s cousins were raped by Minister Lou, and the info about the mansion was uncovered by research). Here, Pingjing and fam explain all the details very explicitly. I dont know whether I like it, but its definitely easier to follow.

Also I hope we never stop getting the sweet family moments. It’s like Hai Yan is the evil witch in Hansel and gretel, fattening us up with loveliness before we get stabbed in the heart.

Thanks for stopping by! These recaps are not going to be very funny (and I wonder if I can continue for 50 episodes), but I hope to keep trying.

[smartcookie727]

Saturday Mornings

Thanks @spikerr for the drabble request after my scary game. Not exactly a drabble, but I liked the idea a lot. Sorry it took a while, but yesterday was quite busy. I just imagined Levy not having the best diet and Gajeel vowing to change it. Let the fluff rain down!

Pairing: Gajevy

Prompt: Kitchen

Length: 1k

Saturday Mornings

"Come on Lev, it isn't difficult. Just move back and forth slowly."

Levy huffed, irritated. "It keeps sticking. Gajeel, please, could you do it for me?"

He wrapped his arms around her and shook his head. "Nope. You gotta learn. Push a little harder and let things cool down a bit. It's too hot."

It was a mystery to Gajeel how Levy had made it this far in life without learning to make a decent plate of scrambled eggs. She could speak over twelve languages, but god forbid you ask her to do more than boil a pot of water. Levy would fret over every single detail: how much salt or milk to add, how long to mix, and the exact number of minutes to cook at each temperature. Yet every time she would still end up with a watery mess. Gajeel, on the other hand, could feel his way around a dish. He didn't need exact measurements, he added enough seasoning he thought it needed, gave a quick taste and added some more. He’d Just mix the eggs and milk until he couldn't see any white, no specific time, and cooked the curds until they were fluffy and soft. It was as easy as—scrambled eggs. But his poor girlfriend was lost without specific measurements or time. This was her fourth attempt this morning, and they were down to their last two eggs.

Gajeel held her hands, cradled around the spatula and handle, and together they moved the egg around pan. His hips swayed as he danced behind her. He'd do anything he could to make her relax and just feel the process, not think about it. She leaned against his bare chest; it felt like home and happiness, everything he wanted on a Saturday morning—cooking breakfast with his love, barely covered in one of his shirts—until he noticed she'd let him take over. Gajeel nudged her forward and let go of Levy's hand.

"Can't just let me do it, Shrimp. I know how to cook eggs. Yer the one who's gotta learn," he purred in her ear, "but that trick nearly worked." Levy smirked before turning her attention back to the stove.

"I still don't see why I have to learn when you make them so well."

"Cause what if I'm on a job? What will you do then? I'm not letting ya go through life not knowing how to cook basic things. You, my love, deserve better than yer own overcooked eggs." Levy moved to interrupt, but he knew what she'd say and quickly kissed her cheek. "And ya can't rely on Mira and the guild forever."

Levy pouted. She didn't like when people acknowledged her problems, especially with something that was supposed to be easy. "I can make pasta."

"Noodles cooked in unsalted water with a canned sauce do not a meal make," Gajeel countered. She wrinkled her nose at him. It was a meal in her book. He took her hand again, gently helping her fold the eggs over. "Think of it like a story. Let the characters develop together but learn to stand on their own. Take them on a journey until they change for the better. Delicious eggy better." Levy snickered. Gajeel came up with some of the most terrible jokes, and she loved him for it. Swiping the eggs one more time around the pan, he took them off the burner.

"What are you doing? Some of it's still raw." Levy reached for the skillet, but Gajeel held it high above her head.

"Ya gotta pull them a little earlier than you'd think. They'll overcook in a minute. I'd rather have runny eggs in the pan and perfect eggs on the plate than perfect eggs in the pan and overcooked eggs on my fork." Levy glared at him. According to Gajeel she'd overcooked every batch she'd made. They'd tasted fine to her, normal in fact. He handed her a plate, sprinkling on just a little extra salt, and thought for a long moment. "It's like ruining something that could have been great. You'd be pissed if I gave you a crap cup of coffee." Levy would be more than pissed if Gajeel couldn't make a decent cup of coffee after as long as they'd been dating. It ran like blood through her veins. "Think of it, Lev. Like a cup made from old coffee grounds that have been sitting in the pantry for over a year brewed with lukewarm water."

Levy shuddered. She didn't even want to think about such a terrible drink. "Ok. I get it. Overcooked eggs are equivalent to a cup of coffee so horrible it should never be spoken of nor imagined again."

Gajeel laughed. If there was one quality culinary thing his little girlfriend understood it was coffee. "Exactly. And you'll never have to worry about that again, cause yer man just showed you how to make perfect scrambled eggs." Levy looked down at the plate in front of her. They seemed different from what she normally had but apparently that was a good thing. "See, they’re soft, fluffy, and delicious; not the rubbery mess ya were eating before."

Scooping up a bite, Levy sighed and licked her lips. "This is really good, but the others weren't that bad."

Gajeel laughed. It was tough to get Levy to set aside her ego, but her effort touched him. "They should be good. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day after all."

"Yeah, but I still miss my chocolate stuff, " Levy said, scooping up another forkful.

"Put it in yer coffee. I'm not letting ya eat those toaster things anymore. Yer sweet enough as is." Gajeel pulled her chair out from under the table and spun it around. "In fact," he straddled her lap, lowering down to kiss her deeply, "Your lips are sweeter than any pastry." She kissed him back, pulling him down onto her.

"And you're cheesy enough to make fondue."

"Oh, so ya know how to make fondue, now?" Gajeel teased. Levy launched them both out of the chair, giggling as they hit the floor and rolled. He kissed her hard at first, then slow, peppering his lips across her skin. It really was a perfect Saturday morning.

[characteresque]

Character Tree

“I wish I could blame myself on you, but we both know that wouldn’t be right.”

Anderson was an upper-middle class brat who wanted to do something that would both piss his father off and make his mother cry; simply because it hadn’t been done yet by his older sister. He was bored, just like the other liberal-arts college bound kids who lived in his neighborhood. And well, Anderson’s plan worked. His mother was crying and his father was pissed the day he came out of his room, stoned, and revealed to them both that he planned to move with his husband to California. Hell, Anderson even thought he’d try his hand at the music production field – since his fiancée had the voice of an angel, it’d be easy to get in with someone good.

But in California, things went south fast. He found the dealer he hoped for, but the cash he had brought drained fast. Without telling Seth, Anderson was accepting funds from his teary-eyed mother: it was fix and food money while Seth was out looking for a job. The two of them want the picturesque life: two high class gay men with an adorable adoptive baby. They submit the paperwork, knowing it’d be years before they’d even have a shot. Things seemed pretty sweet, but getting a job was just not Anderson’s aesthetic. The arguments started, which Anderson was not sticking around for. As soon as he would come home after work, Seth started in asking all those questions about the apartment and why it looked so shitty, and Anderson would shoot back with something equally as ridiculous; then walk out the door to spend the night at his girlfriend’s.

Mariah was perfect for him. She was a constant source of free drugs, and the two of them would shoot up and spend the afternoons together in a hazy bliss. Nothing mattered when he was with her. Eventually, Seth caught Anderson in the act: something started chiseling through his cool exterior when Seth walked out on him. He came back, like he always did, and the joyful news came to them: their paperwork had finally been processed. Because of Seth’s job, they were free to adopt. Nothing can fix a broken relationship like a baby, right? The second honeymoon phase doesn’t last long when Anderson dropped the bomb that Mariah was pregnant now with a baby that’d eventually be their responsibility.

Seth walks out the door one last time, daughter in tow, and Anderson is left alone with his thoughts. For the first time, something cracked through that wall around him – and Anderson felt something. What a loser.

Anderson sobers up over some time, and even manages to find himself the only job he can get – a shitty gas station job that makes him stare at poor working class people all day long. Something mental breaks inside of Anderson; and when Seth comes back after months of tearful begging, he’s never giving him up again. He quits his job to care for the developmentally challenged baby he created, a constant reminder of his infidelity. Now, Anderson has the emotional capacity of a 10 year old. Every little thing makes him cry: fear, happiness, love, sadness – and this emotion instability leads him to hate what he’s seeing. After a lifetime of trying to act like he didn’t feel a thing, the emotions come back with a gut-punch, and his embarrassing reaction has Anderson hiding when the tears come back.

Now, it’s Anderson’s chance to make it up to his faithful husband. There’s a garage band growing in popularity downtown, and Anderson submits Seth’s heavenly voice via recording behind his back. When Matt calls Seth, begging for his talent, Seth agrees: and Anderson is that high school boy all over again watching Seth perform. How can a man love such a massive fuckup? Anderson will never know. But there’s a chance to set things straight: it might just take his entire life to do it, but Anderson vows it’s going to happen.

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