#and when the conversation gets to the point where you both reveal Those opinions and you have the same somewhat unpopular takes

[whiskeyswifty]

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[harmonysanreads]

Analysis↬Sunday and Jealousy

The Oak Family's leader doesn't get jealous, he shouldn't get jealous but still ; at times, it feels as though the practiced grasp he keeps on his emotions is more fragile than it appears to be.

「 words : 1.3k 」

Jealousy catches Sunday completely unprompted one day.

It's not that he'd been ignorant to the concept of envy, having met its acquaintance sporadically throughout his younger years. But envy in relation to a person, someone who's getting closer and closer to bringing down the barricades around his soul at an increasingly concerning rate — turns out to be an entirely new predicament for the Oak Family's Head.

Not that he welcomes it as well, because of the realizations it brings alongside itself. Envy is a reflection of insecurity, a gap in healthy confidence. That one has no faith in their capabilities. Alternatively, they refuse to acknowledge their worth or deem it insufficient before another's, but at the same time, can't bring themselves to focus on improving themselves — resulting in a state of inferiority complex.

Envy is a natural response scattered throughout one's lifespan, because no one is at their best all the time. To let it consume them further than a miniscule timeframe and drive those initial feelings of insufficiency towards hatred, that is where the problem arises.

Visible indication of these emotions is scarce, but his silence is meaningful. As a leader, it's more or less obligatory for him to use his words at the right place, while also knowing when to utilize silence. For you, he's willing to both lead a conversation and to remain a listener. But when jealousy sinks its talons into him, he's rendered a bit too silent, almost as though he's unable to process what is happening before him.

Further observation will reveal some other things ; namely the manner in which his wings curl around himself, how he withdraws both of his arms behind him and his overall countenance appearing even more rigid, withdrawn than before. Should you be perceptive enough to look into his eyes, you'll find their edges to be far sharper than what your memory suggests.

It takes no more than a while of contemplation in complete silence for Sunday to draw all these points. The feeling is uncomfortable at first, because dwelling in that pessimistic headspace isn't the most enjoyable. Sunday holds himself guilty before extraordinary standards, which is why his first course of action is self-improvement.

He attempts to pinpoint where exactly his subconscious detects himself insecure, what aspects of him he can improve so that his heart won't betray his soul and makes apparent progress in that pursuit as well. But it doesn't work in the long run, because he's harsh on himself. The cage of “self worth” lures many to make mistakes, but the human subconscious will always tilt towards asking external influences to take the burden. Because of this belief, he has difficulty in shifting the microscope away from himself for a long time.

When he finally wills himself to look at the source of the envy, he becomes even more confused. Objectively speaking, there are very few who can best the Oak Family's leader in an overall inspection. Perfection is but an estimate, he's aware everyone falls somewhere in the path towards it and for matters that concern human relationships, objective views don't really matter. So, he spares you of any judgement.

Supposing that the source of his envy is a person, Sunday holds himself back from comprising a resolute opinion on them as much as he can ; since he's aware that that opinion will ultimately be dictated by emotions. Still, studying people comes as a natural instinct to him. So when he spots certain... negative qualities in them, he's split between pity and relief. The latter stuns him initially.

Accustomed to viewing things from an overall perspective, oftentimes feelings such as anger and hatred seem futile to him. Like an instrument handled a little carelessly or left unused for an extended time, Sunday would not mind ‘tuning’ that person if necessary. After all, everyone deserves compassion and he'd much prefer settling things peacefully.

On the other hand, his relief stems from his trust in you. Because if he didn't place his faith in you, you'd not be as important to him as you're now at all. He knows sooner or later you'll see what he sees as well and return to his side on your own ; unless his perception of you was wrong. Though the thought births an ache in his heart, he doesn't reject it either. He's been betrayed and used too many times to cross out that possibility.

There is another case that'll hurt him far more, if the person is revealed to genuinely love and care for you and there is no such quality that tramples their positives. There is so much Sunday can't give you, being with him requires more patience than what one would think and worst, he knows this all. As such, he can't bring himself to just walk up and drag you away from them — not when he knows you deserve better.

If your relationship with Sunday was established even before this ; he's first displeased, then in disbelief until it settles on disappointment. This disappointment vacillates between you and him before he ultimately fixates it on himself. Sunday places before him nearly impossible standards to meet and unconsciously expects the same efforts from the people he cares about. It's not a hassle for him to be harsh on himself but he can't expect similar attitudes from others, everyone is different. You are not someone he can control and shape to his preferences.

So when his silent, impossible expectations aren't met, frustration and hopelessness replace them. He shouldn't have expected so much from you in the first place. When he thinks about them more, could he have just overreacted? Analyzed the situation so much that it became separated from what happened initially? This ensues a state of paralysis where his functions become static until he ultimately blames himself for everything.

After all, it's easier to do so. Take everything on himself so that no one, or worse — you get hurt. To know that he'd lowered his thoughts to such a degree and for a measly reason at that would undoubtedly fracture you, put forth the question of whether he has trusted you at all. No matter what, Sunday cannot ever bring himself to be cruel to you, it's not in his nature. Rather, his problem is that he cares so much for everything else around him that he has not a speck left of that kindness for himself to spare.

In this stage of it all, he really has no idea who is at fault and everything that transpired in his head feels meaningless and he's tired. A part of him keeps probing that he should just be honest, confess everything to you and bare his soul — but he can't find any semblance of courage required to do so. To everyone he appears normal, with nothing out of place. But inside he's crumbling, everything he's pushed to the back of his psyche has come forward to crush him.

Sunday is not above letting you go should you desire. He's always been selfless, sacrificing everything of himself for the greater good. And for you and your happiness? Destroy him, take away everything but please, be happy. Be genuinely happy and he'll find joy in your smile, even if you forsake him.

Sunday has always known attachment would inevitably hurt him, which is why he doesn't bare himself to just anyone. This turn of events does not surprise him, but it still hurts. Admittedly, he would not mind being proven wrong for once, he yearns for it even.

Besides, he has far grander plans to execute, so many other responsibilities to shoulder. He can't dwell on that attachment for long. Granted, he won't just forget you and the thought of what he could've had would haunt him for a long while but still, he won't blame you for anything. He knows he could just prevent everything by coming clear to you, however, he doesn't have that courage yet.

His suffering is silent, as it has always been. Even in the sweet dream of Penacony, he remains plagued by nightmares he can't shake off. In other words, he's afraid to awaken, to face the inevitable. And until he learns to be sincere to himself, to not be as tenacious as he is, this cycle will remain a challenge to break.

[bookishjules]

Best Sizzy moment in your opinion?

it's the bite scene. it has to be the bite scene.

the thing is.. this is the first truly intimate moment we have between the two of them. up until this point they've both been almost dancing around each other like a whirlpool, slowly moving closer and closer, leaning on each other, protecting each other, etc., but in ways that don't necessarily have to be acknowledged as indicative of just how much they mean to each other, yk?

and if isabelle hadn't gotten drunk the night before. if she hadn't let down her walls enough to invite him over just to sleep, and if that night hadn't set a precedent for this one where they are both sober and awake. if simon hadn't been hungry.. it's just one thing after another that strips the layers between them until it's just simon and isabelle. and the bit of forced vulnerability on simon's part leads izzy to give him pieces of herself as well. admittedly it's babysteps.. but that's still huge for izzy. she doesn't like seeing him like this. doesn't want him to put off prioritizing himself and his needs out of fear.. of himself, of izzy's opinion of him. because she does trust him. she does want him. so she shows him that. and as she does so she reveals, at minimum, the implication of her own insecurities in this situation. and those willing cracks in the facade of fearlessness she clings to are like the flecks of gold simon notices in her not-as-black-as-he-thought eyes.

the fact that the scene starts with the two of them awkwardly trying to fit together and ends with an easily achieved comfort, and that between those two moments sits a conversation dipping into vulnerability and intimacy.. i could hurt you. let me see your face. you're not nothing. nothing about you is ugly. they're a part of you. i trust you. i want to be with you. it scares the hell out of me. you are a heartbreaker. maybe you'll break my heart. ..it says so much. so much about what a shift this night is, even if its intangible, even if the result isn't that obvious. the shift toward ease and simplicity and security is there.

and don't even get me started on the metaphor of simon siphoning the output of isabelle's heart into himself. of izzy letting him. the acknowledgement that this is different than it has ever been before. in so many ways this is just a physical representation of everything they achieved through their conversation. it's izzy saying you need me. let me be here for you. let me let you use me. which is itself a reciprocation of not only the night before, when izzy needed simon and he came just for that reason, but also of moments like that in cog when he comes to her after max, and he lets her use him because it was what she needed. but it's deeper. it's vein-deep. and the pleasure they both get in the act of sharing blood is just proof of how right they are together. of how scary this whole thing is but also how worth it.

[allaboutthedrama]

I know that I'm pretty late to the conversation, but I've just reread all of Vampire Academy and Bloodlines (possibly for The Untitled Jill Project) and it's the first time I've reread the VA series in years.

I'm just thinking about how, in my opinion, the quality of the VA series improved as we got into the last few books, and with Bloodlines, I think the reverse sort of happened. Spoilers for both series ahead. (Yeah, the last book came out nine years ago, but you never know.)

I think I hadn't realized how cohesive the ending of Last Sacrifice was. Details from as far back as the first book came up and were very relevant. The political plotline came together in a really tight way, Sonya Karp turned out the be Chekov's spirit user, we got more world-building details, the antagonists had complex and convoluted motivations, and even when there were plot threads left dangling, those actually served a purpose. I loved the part where Adrian pointed out to Rose that her actions had consequences and even though she had gotten what she wanted, not everything else was resolved, so people like Eddie and Sydney and Jill were left in bad situations, and she was partly responsible. It created a little more moral ambiguity, which I really enjoyed, especially since YA tends to like the very neat endings where everything winds up happily ever after.

The Vampire Academy books improved the deeper into the series you got. And, although I love Bloodlines, I do think that the first three books are much stronger than the last three. Which is a shame, because the series has so much potential.

I think Mead is at her best when she's writing something of a mystery. Last Sacrifice obviously comes to mind (they're solving a murder mystery, after all). Bloodlines had that, with the tattoos, Lee, and Keith being shady all building up to a really exciting climax. The Golden Lily wasn't quite as much of one, but the clues leading up to the reveal of the Warriors were well-placed. Indigo Spell went straight back into mystery territory, trying to find Jackie's sister. And then The Fiery Heart is where, in my opinion, things start to falter. There's a lot of interesting worldbuilding information introduced, with the new details about spirit and magic coming up, and it was fun to get into Adrian's head, but it definitely felt like this supernatural romance was shifting to become a lot more romance and a lot less concerned with the supernatural. But that's not such a big deal. It's the middle of the series, we're building tension, Re-Education has been a threat hanging over Sydney since page one of Bloodlines and we're finally seeing that fear pay off.

But then we get to Silver Shadows, and while I guess figuring out where Sydney is could be a mystery, it doesn't really resonate the way 'who killed the queen' does, in my opinion. Sydney's arc in Re-Education is great, and I do like the way the books deal with Adrian's mental health issues, but some of Adrian's chapters felt more like filler. And a bigger issue, imo, was that this was when we really started to lose the side characters. Some of my favorite parts of the first few books were characters like Jill, Eddie, Trey, and Angeline, and then the ensemble atmosphere was largely gone, because Sydney was in Re-Education and Adrian left Palm Springs. The final fight and flight sequence was really good, though, so I had high hopes going into The Ruby Circle.

The Ruby Circle is probably my least favorite of the books between both of the series, and I think that's a shame, since it's the finale. We'd just had a 'kidnapped character' arc, so I think there was less emphasis on describing everyone's reactions. We saw the biggest reaction from Eddie, but as a result, he got kind of flattened out from the really well-rounded character he'd been from the back half of the VA books and the first part of Bloodlines.

The Ruby Circle could have been a really good mystery, with lots of twists that tied up a lot of the lingering questions from the series. Except that a lot of threads from the rest of the series were dropped and didn't resurface. They never caught whoever was behind the assassination attempt on Jill. I don't think we even got an official resolution on whether Lissa managed to change the quorum law. The political plots that were integral to VA weren't significant in Bloodlines, despite it all starting because of a politically motivated assassination. We also never got a resolution on the rogue spirit user who turned Lee back from being Strigoi, or the spirit users who had been sent to the psychiatric facility in Tarasov (the prison from Spirit Bound). We never found Robert Duro. The bond itself was somewhat discarded, too, whenever it wasn't immediately useful for a plot point. Instead, we just got a scavenger hunt across the country, a few fight scenes where the protagonists were pretty much guaranteed to win, and a final showdown with a magic barrier that, as we learn after, would have dropped down on its own in a few hours for them to bring Jill food, anyways.

I obviously still like the series, since I'm rereading it and talking about it nine years after the fact. But I think that there were a lot of opportunities to continue plots from VA that were lost, even when they should have been brought back into the story.

If anyone has made it this far, I suppose I should throw in a pitch for The Untitled Jill Project, which will be my attempt to rewrite the Bloodlines series from Jill's perspective, because I think there's still a lot more story to be told. I haven't got it all mapped out, but I intend to at least tie up some of the narrative loose ends I mentioned that bothered me about the series in that story. I might write up another post here soon about how Jill's characterization also suffered as Bloodlines went on, if anyone's interested.

Anyways, if anyone has any strong opinions on what I said (agreeing or disagreeing) please let me know! I'd love to talk about the series with people, since no one in my real life has read it, and I'm curious to know what the rest of the fandom thinks about how the narrative progressed in Bloodlines.

[classicequinox]

In the manga's flashback about EnjiRei's first meeting, one of the very first words he uses to describe her is 'strong'. Later, in Enji's memories during the battle with AFO he thinks about his weakness as about something that drove him all this time, and his inner monologues empathize he thinks about himself as a weak human being. Do you think canonical Enji consider Rei stronger person than he is? This two are fr my Roman empire 🥹

Thanks for the ask! These two are definitely my Roman empire too. Essay incoming :') There are different types of strength. In terms of mental/emotional fortitude + the courage to question yourself and admit when you’re wrong… I think canon Enji’s opinion on which of them is stronger would have differed greatly depending on whether you’re asking early manga pre- or post-character development him. In a way, his definition/understanding of what constitutes strength in the first place seems to have changed as he did.

Pre/Early Manga

From what we see in the manga's flashbacks where Rei tries to confront Enji about how their plan to keep trying for a perfect half-and-half child to convince Touya to give up on becoming a hero/using his quirk and hurting himself wasn’t working and was only hurting him emotionally + even more again after Shouto's birth... His response (or lack thereof) suggests nothing positive:

At that point, he probably thought of Rei as the weaker one for not having the stomach to go through what they (he) planned, and himself as strong for willing to be the ‘bad guy’ and ‘doing what’s right even when it’s hard’. Throw in a whole slew of other possible defensive self-justification with his attitude in chapter 302 e.g. ‘I'm too busy with work/I’m the breadwinner going out every day only to come back and have to deal with this, what does she have to complain about’ to ‘what does she even know/understand about wanting to be a hero/the lengths a man will go to to achieve his dream’ and he probably did a good job devaluing Rei in his own mind, making it easier to justify himself dismissing her opinions and his subsequent abusive behaviour towards her.

(That being said, while it’s never outright confirmed, all those future inner monologues and flashbacks seem to hint that a part of him always knew that what he was doing was wrong/that Rei was right. The man is far too good at compartmentalising and self-denial/righteous self-justification…)

Middle/Late Manga

Post-character development and later into his atonement/redemption arc is where he starts openly acknowledging that what he’d justified to himself as strength (not giving up on the path he chose and doubling down instead, not showing weakness to others including his own family etc.) was in fact weakness, because like Rei pointed out to him earlier, it was nothing more than him running away from the consequences of his decisions.

I personally think of the aftermath of the Dabi/Touya reveal + this subsequent scene in the hospital where he’s drowning in his own guilt and Rei steps up to challenge him/acknowledge her own responsibility as a turning point of sorts.

If there was a point Enji started thinking of Rei as a stronger person than him (and properly admitting it to himself), this would probably be it. Both for the reasons above and for (again, it's never explicitly stated) wanting to stand by him despite everything he's done to her and their children, even if only to give him the strength to continue to fight and confront Dabi. There's a difference between acknowledging your wrongs and getting crippled by guilt, and I like to think Enji does take some reference from Rei's attitude + mindset (both from that conversation and off-screen interactions) as to how to balance the two and go on from there!

[venticuliao]

Overanalyzing Cyno and Alhaitham's current relationship

These characters are the first to have a significant on-screen development in genshin, from enemies to circumstantial allies to..?

It seems they didn't get any specific resolution post archon quest, so I decided to take a steady look into the breadcrumbs left behind.

When they clash at Aaru Village, they both have reasons to suspect each other of compliance with the Akademiya sages, and Cyno vows to "eliminate" him if he finds Alhaitham guilty to any degree. However, after the events of King Deshret And The Three Magi (act IV of the Sumeru archon quest), Cyno's about Alhaitham voiceline is immediately unlocked:

Although a bit reluctant, Cyno acknowledges Alhaitham's motivations to be harmless and doesn't consider his behavior threatening, he knows he's different from regular scholars so his position of relative power as the scribe isn't something Cyno has to watch over, and he even implies Alhaitham can be of help in keeping order. At this point, he has dropped all the initial animosity he once felt, and the voiceline is unlocked early to let the player know Alhaitham is a genuine ally.

In summary, Cyno trusts Alhaitham, even with his shady antics.

Fast forward to the Toast to Victory in the last act of the chapter, they share a short conversation with a bit of playful banter:

Cyno: Why didn't you accept the Akademiya's invitation to become the Grand Sage? Alhaitham: Are you trying to say that I'm fit to be a sage? Cyno: Heh, not at all.

So they are on good terms, though they retain some of the rivalry in dialogue just annoy each other a little bit.

After the Sumeru archon quest is over, Alhaitham's voicelines about other characters involved in it are unlocked (Nahida, Nilou, Dehya), but not Cyno's. At this point, Alhaitham has nothing to share about him.

We learned what Cyno's opinion about him was an entire act ago, but there's no reason why Alhaitham should be aware of it. As far as Alhaitham is concerned, just because he's on friendly terms with the General Mahamatra doesn't mean he'll stop acting behind the Akademiya's back in his shady yet harmless way, which isn't ideal from the perspective of the matra. Even Kaveh is surprised that a matra can hang out so comfortably with scholars, but him and Tighnari don't behave questionably like Alhaitham. And Cyno is also keeping a distance and avoiding asking questions that he's not willing to answer anyway:

From his character story 2

Alhaitham, who had no interest in boasting about how he remained unscathed, answered Nilou's question with another: "As far as I know, Cyno and Dehya are also curious about this, yet you are the only one who has raised this question. Were they just too shy to ask me themselves?"

Alongside this character story, after completing his character quest The Illusions of the Mob, his about Cyno voiceline is also unlocked:

This voiceline is rather unfortunate in that it.. doesn't really say anything. There's no additional context or tidbits about the Hivemind case, we already knew it wasn't his fault and that the matra intervened at the end just by playing the quest. It doesn't say anything about his relationship with Cyno either, nor about Cyno or Alhaitham themselves as characters.

Usually, those are the purposes of the "about character" voicelines: provide additional or missing context from a quest, insight about the character mentioned from the perspective of the speaker, or about the character itself in contraposition to the mentioned character. For example, Raiden's "Who?" about Itto serves as comic relief that shows he doesn't have a presence in the nation despite what he himself believes, since the Shogun puppet doesn't even know him; or Childe's (now erased) about Scaramouche, where he doesn't share any personal opinion about him (despite doing so for all other Harbingers), but explains he ran away with the gnosis, which is information that was originally revealed during a time limited event (Labyrinth Warriors) and players who didn't participate in it wouldn't know otherwise.

So voicelines about a character usually have a purpose, and if there's nothing of note to add, then a voiceline isn't mandatory. For insantance, Cyno doesn't have an about Dehya (we've been robbed). Therefore, if Alhaitham didn't have anything relevant to say about Cyno, it wasn't necessary to have a voiceline about him. And if it is only meant to be random dialogue without value, just to establish the two as acquaintances (even though the player should already be aware by virtue of them spending half the archon quest together), then why go through the trouble of locking it behind Alhaitham's character quest?

The only new information in this voiceline is that Cyno didn't bring up the case in the aftermath, so this is what I'm focusing on.

Alhaitham seems surprised that Cyno hasn't even complained about the workload, and he rationalizes that it must be obvious he's not to blame for the case. Cyno is an intelligent man, after all, he must realize that.

In retrospect, it's funny that Alhaitham is concerned about that. As the Acting Grand Sage, he made sure to consolidate the authority of the Matra as an independent entity from the Akademiya, and even chastises the matra working on the case for caring about his opinion when they should be telling him to stay out of the way (like Cyno would). Not only that, but he also made sure to leave a letter for Cyno detailing everything he knew and predicted about the case, he did need the matra to show up at the end to perform the arrests, but he could have just left a note asking for the collaboration of the matra left in charge, no details required, yet he chose to let Cyno know everything that was going to happen. And then not only that, but he also left a breadcrumb for Cyno to follow (knowing he'd figure out what the mark was for) throughout the quest.

This is a man that, despite being used to acting shady, does not want Cyno to suspect him. And Cyno doesn't, he follows the unwritten instructions in the letter without question and doesn't ever confront or ask Alhaitham for explanations afterwards.

After all, Cyno has already revealed he trusts Alhaitham's judgement and actions all the way back in act IV. It's just Alhaitham didn't know that yet, he went through the trouble of making his intentions transparent to him from the start, and then still wonders why Cyno didn't approach him to homoerotically fight him at any point or just question his involvement in the aftermath.

Cyno doesn't seem willing to put himself in a position where Alhaitham has the upperhand, so he might have never told him how he felt. In Alhaitham's teaser video, he acts very defensive when Kaveh suggests Alhaitham is stronger than him, there's a certain pride that comes into play when Alhaitham is involved, yet seeing how he stops playing TCG just to talk about his hidden strength, he also seems very intrigued by him. We see him later say his iconic "you keep your cards close to your chest" line, which Alhaitham quickly shuts down with a nonchalant "not at all". Seems a bit hard to open up to him with honesty about this trust Cyno has placed in him if he's being annoying like that lol.

It's either Alhaitham has yet to connect the dots, or his quest and voiceline about Cyno are where he figures out that Cyno holds him in high regard and trusts him.

But either way, they seem to be getting along beneath the surface.

[yumeka-sxf]

A chronological analysis on Twilight and Yor - Part 7

*This is part of an ongoing post series. If you missed the Introduction/Part 1, click here*

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After setting up the "lovey-dovey marriage kit" before Yuri's visit, Twilight and Yor look a bit embarrassed about the whole thing, which is exacerbated by Anya once again suggesting that they're flirting, and once again they abruptly deny it.

It's understandable that Yor would be embarrassed, since she never had any notable relationships with anyone besides Yuri, especially not a romantic one. Even though it's only for show, just the thought of it is overwhelming for an emotionally sensitive person like her. But why would Twilight feel uneasiness about it?

In my opinion, around this point in the series is where he starts to show that he probably feels something for Yor…not love yet per se, but maybe a fondness on a level deeper than he had with other women, especially after their recent heart-to-heart conversation. So whenever he's confronted about it, he gets jarred. Perhaps he felt a twinge of it on their first outing when Anya initially suggested that they're flirting, but it starts cropping up more during Yuri's visit. Not only do they both recoil when they accidentally touch hands (again, Yor's reaction is understandable, but why would Twilight be anything but calm about something so minute?) but when confronted with having to kiss, his initial reaction is not what you'd expect from a spy who's wooed women before. At first he's shocked, then he has to take a few moments to regain his composure, telling himself that he's faked relationships with dozens of women and that it's just a kiss.

I'm sure he's kissed at least some of those women for one reason or another, so wouldn't he be used to it by now? Why would he have to go through a whole spiel in his head just to make himself do it again? It's also worth mentioning that at this point, he doesn't yet know that Yor has such a strong aversion to stuff like this, so that wouldn't be a reason for his hesitation.

But despite his internal misgivings, Twilight switches back to his composed Loid Forger mode and agrees to go through with the kiss. Yor, on the other hand, having never experienced this level of intimate physical contact, is completely flustered. It's debatable as to what stage her feelings for Loid are at this point – she definitely likes, trusts, and respects him wholeheartedly, and perhaps is even starting to feel something more for this man she's only known a short while yet he's given her comfort she's never had before. But unlike Twilight, who responds to emotions he doesn't understand by quickly reverting to his stoic spy persona, Yor responds in the exact opposite way...by becoming an utter emotional wreck.

When Yor intentionally gets herself drunk just so she can handle the whole situation, Twilight realizes how uncomfortable she is and tells her she doesn't have to do it if she doesn't want to. This is, once again, another example of him being a decent guy who tries his best whenever possible to consider people's feelings even if it conflicts with his missions.

But when (drunk) Yor insists, he decides to just let it happen…much to Yuri's dismay. When Yuri's shouting inadvertently snaps Yor out of her drunken state, and she realizes what she was about to do, she reacts the only way she knows how when feeling such intense, confusing emotions – with (often misdirected) violence.

Soon after, as he watches the interactions between Yor and Yuri as the latter takes his leave, Twilight comments on what wonderful siblings they are and how he admires their dedication to each other.

While he seems to be putting on his Loid Forger act here, we find out that it was not a total lie. Later that night, as he's sitting in his room, he reveals that he actually was feeling envious of the Briars' sibling bond. He can't remember the last time he felt envious of someone, envy being one of many other feelings he cast aside when he decided to become a spy. As I mentioned before, Twilight prefers not to think highly nor poorly of others, only seeing them as a means to better his missions or gather information. As a result, negative emotions, especially envy, have no place in his heart…and yet, he's suddenly feeling just that.

Not too long ago he found himself wondering what it would be like to have a family, and now he's feeling envious of a familial bond? As we'll find out later on, something in Twilight is already changing even if he won't acknowledge it.

Continue to Part 8 ->

<- Return to Part 6

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i think it's specious at best to attribute polarization to the ever-nebulous "media." like sure there is an element of truth but out of the two extremes of polarized opinion (either it's all fake or it represents a genuine threat to your mental well-being), i regret to inform you which of those two is both more productive, and closer to the factual reality (news is filtered through the accumulated-capital lens of the sinclair broadcast corporation. feigning ignorance to preserve your peace of mind is liable to cause a meltdown when something finally gets through your defenses, which is less likely to occur if you train yourself to tolerate it and seek out the underlying facts)

how exactly is the media going to be responsible for polarizing two groups of people who have deliberately pulled away from it? i think there are at least three other factors at play here

1) escalation of commitment to a failing course of action, 2) expectations for a social echo chamber, and 3) the effectiveness of negative behavioral reinforcement

1) there's this ineffective presumption over here on the left, that we've been talking about for years, where the error of thinking goes that, if only these people on the opposite side of the aisle could be presented with the truth, they would realize their mistake and change. this could not be further from the truth, and what you're really doing by having these conversations more often than not makes the problem worse. you're providing ammunition for escalation of commitment

when someone whose mind is already made up is presented with information that counters their expectations, this leads them to more thoroughly flesh out their opinion on why that must be wrong, up to and including completely irrational behavior

2) on the far-right side, the expectation for a social echo chamber is that when someone reveals themselves to not be a member of the in-group, they're immediately and summarily ousted from the group. they expect the group delineation to be enforced by adherence to its standards. here on the left, the presumption of dangerous news leads to willfull ignorance about what exactly our opponents stances even are, which allows groups like terfs, catholics, 4channers, to be mistaken for harmless edgelords while they make surreptitious inroads into our community. this is compounded by the assumption that being presented with the correct information will change them when it is far more likely to lead to escalation of commitment. we expect the group to recruit by exposing others to its precepts. again, i regret to inform you which of these is more effective

3) the purpose of negative behavioral reinforcement is not to change behavior, it's to change the way the enforcer feels. so there's, on the right, total exile for lack of adherence to group standards, and here on the left, there's a total lack of recognition that shouting someone down does not change their point of view. because that wasn't the mechanism. the mechanism was to make you feel better about it for having said the right thing, exposed them to the correct information, and then it doesn't matter what they do with it (they escalate their commitment to their preexisting point of view). again! i regret to inform you which of these is more effective!

[sharonisthebettercarter]

we need to talk about common comic opinion for the boys

so i read the comics.

was curious for a while, buddies wanted to do it, finally bit the bullet and MAN OH MAN~<3

there's common opinion that swirls around from people who *have not read the comics* need i remind, an opinion that they are merely *meaningless edgelord drivel* or the like.

i'm here to bust that misconception, smack it upside the head and drag it around the fuckin' town and kick it till it's caved in because it couldn't be more *wrong* if it tried.

first thing i'll say is that the comics *don't* compare in what you'd call 'gratuitous edginess' to the show. while they have their 'bit on the nose moments', they're drawings that go panel by panel. even what they *could* show wouldn't compare, and it honestly doesn't. (coming from someone who's also watched the show too many times over now and got a nice fresh read in)

robin's death is more brutal *in the show*. there is more blood and gore. *in the show*. the arguably edgiest thing between both of them is a guy exploding another guy from inside his urethra, which *only happens in the show*

and for those that have no clue about the big twist or comics homie and try to make blocks of analysis for a character they have zero actual information or decent research on.

homelander is worse. *in the SHOW*.

granted, both have similar enough structure with reversed character development/reveal, but i digress

butcher is just THE biggest fucking bottom by the way, lord satan i CAN NOT with that boi--

anywho~<3

the 'meaningless' part? well that's just a big fat lie and i'll say it up front. that shit needs to stop. this thing was definitely an emotional rollercoaster, and while it may be true that it's not for everyone, it was far from meaningless and actually brilliantly written and even researched.

it's raw, it feels real half the time, it teaches valuable lessons, and even when you're in the notion of 'okay, where is this going, it's sus', when you stick with it? you get rewarded fucking beautifully.

there are moments you'd disagree with the characters actions in a way that makes them feel humanly flawed. of course they might do the wrong thing or say the wrong thing, so do real life humans?? there are cross cultural miscommunication references and conversations that show ennis knew what he was doing and why he did it a certain way. and yeah, it can be too much to handle for some,

*but if you honestly feel that way you shouldn't be watching the show either*

and here's what it's not.

meaningless, ill-thought, pointless, edgelord drivel.

it *is* an intricate and well done, brutally *honest* creative critique of the *military industrial complex*, *corporate capitalism*, and a couple other things expertly squeezed in. even touching on *abuse* and hitting all the right spots for how it can psychologically fuck with people. the ending punches you in the fucking feels as you could appropriately expect it to with a hard side of begrudged satisfaction.

good fucking satan these things were an excellent read that compelled me to want moar from start to finish, and yeah, if you have watched the show then i *highly* recommend them because the important topics and themes touched on are presented much better in the comic, even with the sometimes wonky ass art in place of hawt actors to distract you, lmao

but seriously? the lot of you that keep spouting nonsense from your clenched up assholes without actually bothering to look at the source material need to stop. all you're doin' is actin' damn fools and showing off high and mighty opinions based on complete mis-education if not un-education.

and f.y.i.... also being the damn fools both the comics AND show make fun of.

so remember that line billy says?

'but the main reason you don't hear about it is cause the public don't want to know about it.'

that's y'all. legit, at this point. more specifically, y'all would be the 'public' that wants to live with rose tinted glasses instead of acknowledging that reality is more brutal than we often want to see or admit.

why else would you keep denouncing and dismissing the comics and source material of something you allegedly love?

because some other schmuck on the internet said a lie, gave you hearsay, or a rumor they heard through a grapevine on a game of telephone that said it wasn't worth looking into yourself?

well i'll call bullshit on that straight up but what are y'all so afraid of??

couple other things i will say, if you hate butcher for being the biggest worldclass cunt, you will absolutely feel vindicated and have your feelings or possibly lovehate boner (like mine~) completely validated with what happens in these comics (and if i'm being honest about the direction of the show, weeeeelllll...~<3 lemme not tho lmao<3 still def the biggest bottom, out bottoms hughie by far, i wanna see him get railed by vas/love sausage)

i will also say, billy is 100% wrong in the comic and the show is slowly but surely unraveling that truth there as well, if it's not clear enough by now. what he does isn't for becky/becca, and definitely not for ryan either. it never was.

it's for his father, no i will not elaborate cause read the damn comics. (but also, people need to stop fucking forgetting that HUGHIE is the *actual* good guy here, not billy... billy is a bad guy... billy is objectively worse than homelander in many MANY canon ways and remember that reverse character development i mentioned--.)

contrast, if you *love* butcher, you will likely be disappointed in the show, but the comics will help prepare you for it (they also make too many things CLEAR)

unfortunately, you do not get sweetheart noir in this and while i love his show counterpart, bearing with cunt 9000 noir is worth it. (it also sparked fic ideas for me cause why not both~<3)

LOVE SAUSAGE IS UNREAL AND PERFECT~<3<3<3 if nothing else, comics love sausage at least deserves your full attention.

homelander's as always is a fun boi, show homelander by comparison is basically *final stage* comics homie (full throttle evil berserk type shit/just before it hits) take everything you thought you knew about (comics) him, and throw it out the fuckin' window.

boi does some fucked up shit... and ALSO has fucking mental breakdowns and visceral reactions like throwing up to doing evil shit because he literally can't stomach it and is trying to convince himself that he is the bad guy because he's been gaslit--.

and i'ma stop there. read the fuckin' comic if you actually wanna know just how deep that homie rabbit hole goes.

and i will absolutely use the idea of him having legit *adverse reactions to doing evil shit* in a fic because FUCK. YES. that was a sad but lovely detail and would make for a perfect fuckin'a alibi<3

anywho~<3, if you recognize he's a victim in the show? the comics. read them cause OOOOOHHHH--.

[wildpeachfarm]

i feel like dream and george have both hit this cycle where they want things to be perfect because of the lack of content like they think that since they haven’t posted in forever, it better blow all of our minds when they do post. and i get it like i really do because i probably would also have that mindset in their shoes but i hope they are aware all of us would watch them just sit in an empty room on their phones and occasionally speaking to the other

idk if these both are the same anon but I'm gonna answer them both here with just my general thoughts under the cut (also keep in mind this is MY personal opinion and I am happy for anyone to come in here and share theirs! as long as they are being respectful to everyone here and obviously dteam)

I definitely agree with this for the most part and I think it's pretty obvious that Dream and George are both perfectionists but in different ways and I think that certainly affects their ability to make content in any form. I know George used to not stream certain things because he thought it would be too boring and Dream doesn't want to publish a video until it is perfect. And yes I agree I think they just need to listen to us when we say that ANY content at this point is better than no content and constant silence.

I would agree however I think the lack of communication started way before that. The first round of grooming allegations was absolutely insane and definitely was a huge tipping point in terms of Dream putting his fans at a more "arm's length" distance and it just became more and more extreme of a distance as each new controversy happened. I know even in The Truth he said he pulled back from his fans a lot after the face reveal because meeting them in person made things way more real for him (which is kind of devastating to hear, but not the point here). And generally, it makes sense that if he is constantly being thrown allegations of interacting weirdly with fans, it wouldn't make him want to interact with fans anymore to be extra safe.

I'm sure George has been battling those same feelings of distancing himself from his fans in the aftermath of his own allegations after so many people in the community left. I think it's just a byproduct of these types of situations especially when they are left to sit and fester because there is no content to make the fans happy/distracted and fill that void.

And I think that's the predicament that the community is finding itself in these days: there is no communication with Dream about this project, and he doesn't interact with the community in a way that people feel heard in the ways that they used to years ago. Mix that with overpromising a project that's been taking over half a year to create with no accurate deadline in sight (and another wave of controversy that was fucking awful), and you have a pretty unsatisfied fanbase (I'm being very general when I say this). Which is why I think people are using reddit as a platform to voice their exhaustion and criticisms- because at this point it's the only chance that maybe dream will see it or they will be able to converse with other fans about their feelings on the situation as well

[strqyr]

With v9 really shining a light on the Ruby and Summer parallels and how Ruby being compared to Summer has shaped who she is. It makes me think about how this parallels Yang and Raven.

How Ruby feels like she has to have all the answers and how Yang in v5, trusted Ruby's opinion above her own.

Ruby gets compared to Summer being a good huntress and how she would be proud of her. While Yang gets Ravens stubbornness and she then apologizes for it. Tai does clarify after that it's not a bad thing. But those responses are telling.

I think about how sad it is that these two who were raised by the same mother. Seem to now have totally seperate moms. How quickly yang discovered summer wasn't her mom, after she disappeared. And how that must have shaped both of their lives.

I was wondering what your thoughts were on this train of thought?

well, what this immediately made me realize is that much of how ruby and yang view summer and raven is based around how qrow talks about them; with ruby and summer there are obviously others making comparisons as well, but the point is, tai wouldn't talk about them (the most he told yang about raven was that they were on the same team so like. that's your baseline on how much he would actually talk about), so that left qrow as someone who knew both of them well.

and this is where the scenes qrow has with yang in V3 and with ruby in V7 come in. to yang, qrow reveals that he knows more about raven and her whereabouts that he has let on previously (they even talk! sometimes about yang, even!!) but also that raven's got "an interesting way of looking at the world" that he doesn't particularly agree with. oh, and also she's dangerous.

it's no wonder then that yang's first response is to apologize, to see any comparisons made to raven as a bad thing, when tai does so. of course, tai sets the record straight, and spends more time talking about the positive traits of raven that he sees in yang, too; her strength, her ambition, and her dedication to whatever cause she thought worth fighting for

"I'm proud of how much of her I see in you. But, I'm glad I don't see all of her in you."

this conversation gives yang a more balanced view of raven, and more importantly that despite any similarities and comparisons made, they're not the same person. but also that it's not just all bad... just like summer isn't going to be all good, either.

but that's pretty much how qrow talks about summer to ruby. to parallel his scene with yang, this time around qrow reinforces the previous assumption that no one actually knows anything about summer's final mission. it was a summer secret, through and through. but still, she was "the best of us", if a bit of a brat, but hey. he likes brats, so it's not really a bad thing.

all her life, ruby has seen any and all comparisons to summer as a good thing. it's a compliment, because summer was just that great. the best, even. so when someone does it and doesn't actually mean it as a compliment, it doesn't register. and as such, ruby also seeks validation for her choices from it; the moment she feels uncertainty with her choices, she goes and asks "what would have summer done, had she found the truth?"

but unlike yang, ruby hasn't gotten that balancing talk yet. every single thing said about summer has been said in a positive light. seemingly summer has no flaws, she would have done everything right, she was the best... and she failed. the hero went to fight the monster, and there was no fairytale ending. the world wasn't made better. and it's that pressure, the feeling of needing to measure up to summer and still being faced with failure, that is crushing ruby at the moment.

sidenote, but this is also why i'm concerned over the possibility that alyx didn't actually make it home. ruby has been following in summer's footsteps, and the end looks like a failure. now she's following in alyx's footsteps to try and get back home, but if it turns out that alyx never succeeded, then that's just. oof.

and also why i think that's exactly what's going to happen because ruby needs to realize she doesn't need to be summer (she isn't) or alyx (as weiss said, they aren't), she just needs to be herself:

"You do not go to the tree, the tree goes to you. Unless, of course, you're me, you see?"

taking into account the role qrow has played in this—being the person telling ruby stories, be it about summer or how ~special~ silver-eyed warriors are—it gives me a stronger reason to believe raven is going to play a part in ruby's journey—possibly by being the way out of the ever after, they still want to go home but if alyx's way doesn't work out (or wasn't real in the first place) then you need another way, and raven has a portal that can take them directly home to tai, who can then have a similar balancing talk with ruby as he had with yang—because raven directly calls out the fact that qrow has been filling ruby's head with stories, and that "you sound just like your mother" was not meant as a compliment:

"The truth is that "truth" is hard to come by. A story of victory for one person is a story of defeat for someone else. By now, your uncle has surely told Ruby and her friends plenty of stories."

either way, one way or another, ruby is going to get it drilled into her head that she doesn't need to be summer, that being like summer isn't necessarily a good thing, that summer had flaws too, and that she can, in fact, be just herself and still be successful.

[studentinpursuitofclouds]

Hi! Who in the guild/magical group (like Camilla, lance,magnus etc…) would be a gotoran spy and how would the rest of the guild figure it out?

Hmm, now that's interesting...

Camilla could have been the prime suspect, but to me, she's just an all-powerful and spoiled witch. Yes, she's smart, cunning, strong in magic and can manipulate people - pretty good qualities for espionage and blackmail. But if you forget for a moment that Camilla really cares about people and their safety, she still wouldn't be a spy at least because she has almost absolute power here in Castles Village. After all, this woman is the only person who decides who can enter the village. She does what she wants here, and her high ego and confidence will not allow anyone to muddy the waters in her domain.

I don't think Jadu would have given so much time and effort to study, to betray at the end everything he has accomplished in all his work as a wizard. After all, double life is so exhausting, and it takes so much strength and emotional fortitude. He is already fucked up enough with his life to have to deal with getting information for the Gotoro Empire... Drama and intrigue? Fuck off please, let him finish his project and finally get some sleep. On the other hand, you never expect betrayal from the quietest and most inconspicuous people...

Like Jadu, Magnus will not sacrifice his status, his friends, or his peaceful life for the empty promises of a warm seat in Gotoro Empire. He is by nature a hermit in the woods, and it is his bliss to live the hermit's life, so why would he throw it all away?

But Lance... Handsome, always polite and friendly, silver tongue and sweet speech. Intelligent, talented in both magic and combat. All perfect, just like a knight in shining armor! Such a man, of course, does not arouse suspicion.... It would seem. Try to remember any anime, manga, cartoon or TV series where one of the characters, always friendly and perfect in everything, revealed his true face by the middle or end of the season. Now look at Lance again. I bet my precious chocolate brownies that he would turn out to be that "double agent". Politeness is one of the main tools of a spy (actually, I don't know if that's true or not, but you get the point).

Isaac is too straightforward and a little tactless in his conversation with his interlocutor. To me, he would not have been a good spy. He looks like someone who always tells people what he's really thinking. Isaac is not stupid, by any means, but espionage is a delicate and painstaking job, and our brave half-naked adventurer would be a fine one for a chain dog. To intimidate someone, yes, but then suspicion would quickly arise.

With Alesia it is rather complicated. It is difficult to answer such a question without knowing the full character, but in all available cutscenes and dialogues, Alesia is presented as a girl who knows the value of honor. The work of a spy can be quite dirty, up to and including blackmailing and eliminating unwanted people (in an extreme case it could go as far as murder), which doesn't suit her at all. Betraying those you are sworn to protect? Alesia would rather die. Though she's also very clever and dexterous, there's no doubt about it.

You could certainly decide that lesser-known adventurers or wizards would be the traitors, but we can judge that when the 2.0 update comes out.

Also, all of the above is purely my opinion, so if anyone also has speculations, conjectures or theories, feel free to share, I would be interested to hear it! Btw, thanks for your ask, anon! 👋

[thepersonperson]

I want to ask you a question, theres been a giant conversation in some groups about which version of jjk was better. The version we saw through the leaks or the finish version we have today. I would really want to know your opinion. If possible if you answer this question, can you hashtag it anon question so I can find it. I understand if not.

I don’t understand exactly what you’re asking.

By "finish" do you mean just JJK's end? Or do you mean the entire finished work?

By leaks do you mean the initial bad translation from Discord/Twitter vs the finished TCBscans fan translation? Or either of those vs the official (VIZ) translation? (I’ve been in the woods for a week I have no idea what’s currently going on in the JJK fanbase.)

(I'll try answering both interpretations below the cut.)

If you mean just JJK's end... Regardless of the version, unless there’s some serious revamping in the Vol 30 release, none of them really change my opinion on the ending.

If you mean the entire work... I prefer the TCBscans most of the time, but there are some instances (they are very scarce) where the VIZ is something I prefer.

My interest in leaks vs official is more about the translation process. Comparing quick, contextless translations to the cleaned up fan translations to the final product is fascinating. (I also enjoyed some of the chaotic fan reactions to leaks. It was kind of like a sporting event. I don't think I'm ever going to forget witnessing the JJK 255 leaks for the Gojo Post-Mortem Racist Reveal in real time.)

For example, when JJK 255 was officially translated, no one overseas really knew what the hell Gojo was talking about with respect to the linear/point movement powerscaling explanation he gave for himself vs Miguel.

Thankfully someone on Reddit was able to explain why John Werry cannot do his job properly.

This is an instance where the fan translation, or rather fan localization, is legitimately superior in every way.

When doing direct translations, you risk making little sense to the target audience if they aren't familiar with certain culture references. Localization tweaks the literal translation to get the mood or intent across.

For an English speaking audience that is likely unfamiliar with Chinese terms for martial arts movements, TCBscans localized this as a sprinter vs a marathoner. This effectively gets across that Miguel is the better fighter in short bursts while Gojo is the better fighter in the long run.

Incidentally, this localization made Gojo and Gege by proxy look more racist. (Gege never made the running comparison! That was the localizers!)

And that little bit of extra is something I prefer to the original script. Here you have this guy apologizing for being racist on accident and then immediately being racist on accident again. That’s just…so real.

Unlearning prejudices can take a while. Plenty of mistakes with microaggressions like that will be made along the way. Even though it’s not intended by the author, I really like that it highlights how clumsy this can be at times.

And that's kind of my approach to the different versions. I like mixing and matching things to get my preferred experience. I usually try to line it up with the themes of the original. But sometimes...VIZ botches the translation so bad that it's too funny to not consider canon. (Kind of like Destiel from Supernatural being canon in Spanish.)

This one is my favorite. (JJK Thorny Road at Dawn Ch 3 Pg 69. Yes, this is really on page 69.)

We get the bondage because John Werry forgot the lore of JJK. Binding Vows you see come from the word 縛り(Shibari). Shibari can refer to a specific type of kinky rope bondage from Japan. It's also a normal word used for regular non-sexual bondage. Depends on the context!

Localization could've gone with Shibari=Bondage, but they went with Binding Vows. It could've been to lessen that sexual connotation, but we don't really know. (This localization also helps with dubbing the anime. Shibari has 3 syllables and so does Binding Vows.)

The fan translation of this chapter gets across the original tone a bit better. Though this translation excluded anything that could hint to the use of Shibari, erasing Gojo's mention of binding vows in the original Japanese entirely. (Also I can't find the OG Japanese version of the light novel at this time, so please fact check trust me on this.)

“I came to this pub to challenge myself to only drinking non-alcoholic drinks and I can only go home when I get drunk.”

“Then you’re never going home for the rest of your life……”

“A self-challenge is only meaningful if you set some strict conditions, right? Ichiji, when you play video games, don’t you get delighted when your level goes up?”

“When I play video games, I don’t really commit myself to those kinds of challenges….”

So as you can see, both versions remove Gojo mentioning binding vows, but only one of them carries the tone of immaturity in the original Japanese. There's almost an innocence to him playing games sober in a place where adults are supposed to get hammered. That contrast does fit well with Gojo being perceived as a childish adult.

However, I prefer the John Werry translation because Gojo being a rope bunny is funnier. There's no real reason for me to believe this. Gojo doesn't speak sexually to anyone at all. Is he flirtatious? Absolutely. No matter what version you go with, it's pretty obvious Gojo is flirting with Nanami (especially in the light novels—Summer of Ashes, Autumn of Dust Chapter 2: Resurrection Doll) and Jogo. But it's pretty straightforward. Double meanings are more of Sukuna's thing.

The John Werry light novel translations are a much smoother and better read than the manga. I've yet to prefer a fan translation of the light novels to VIZ's. Like How are these the same person? There are still minor mistakes here and there like Utahime getting he/him'ed (JJK Thorny Road at Dawn Ch 4 Pg 41) and Gojo being called blond (see the above bondage passage)...but the dialogue is fire I think.

Anyways. I've never been one to say a single version of something is the correct version since they all have their own strengths and weaknesses. Sometimes the translation/localization will improve on the source material in unexpected ways. Even to the point where most of the fanbase will ignore the original. I can't really disagree with that. I see the different versions as something pretty flexible. How I interact with them depends on what I'm using them for.

If I want to argue on the basis of something being canon, I will go with whatever is closest to or directly from the original creator. It's much more convincing to people to use something official. If I'm creating fan content, I'll be much more relaxed about it.

This wasn't in your ask, but I think it's important to mention. The anime is also canon in its own way since Gege was involved with its creation and it often expands on the manga where it is desperately needed. It's just much harder to use it for an analysis because you have the whole new layer of Sub vs Dub and scrubbing for screenshots. Unless it's something very specific, I otherwise won't draw from it when yapping.

I hope this answers your question?

To summarize, I have a strong TCBscans preference for the manga and heavily favor VIZ for the light novels. If I'm going to make an assertion that needs a higher burden of proof, I'll go straight to the manga raws or interviews to defend my position. (And currently there is no version of JJK's end I prefer because I don't vibe with the content on a fundamental level. Maybe the anime version will change that.)

[natashasbitxh]

The anon that send you about how they aren't that close as friends and how they always dance around each other's. Wow anon I adore you.

That's exactly, it's there. But I was calling it the wall, like they put a wall on each other's, as if they cannot comprehend what the other is thinking but at the same time they're actually so similar. I have to say, yesterday I watched a lot of the old videos and that helped me to kind of understand this journey they are.

At first Chance wasn't afraid to look at him, he would always take an opportunity to said something to flirt, as a character or with a comment (this is important for the future).

In some videos, Shayne would be surprised how he would relate to whatever Chance has to said, an opinion or liking and then, it started slowly. Them laughing at the other jokes, also the looks came more from Chance, Shayne didn't looked that much like he was afraid of looking idk.

But the more vids later, probably like the challenge pit or the reddit one's, Shayne will be looking at Chance when he talked, I mean he was talking to everyone but he would look to Chance directly. You can see in his eyes to what direction he's was looking at.

The way he feel attacked by Mr. Peanut. The way he actually was the only one that new it was Chance secret about sleeping with a katana, for me it shows, they were actually paying more attention to the other in a silent way, by looks and listening to the other. Oh darling they would listen as if it is the most important thing.

And yet for some reason, if you see a video of them from those times and one from this times, you couldn't see any difference in the fact that they still don't know how to properly idk have like a banter. But I do feel like they understand the other more.

For example Chance doesn't flirt anymore, at least not like in the first vids, it shows he understands maybe or he just has a different mindset. To be honest I can't put into words how it is this way they interact. 'Cause Shayne it's looking a lot, but he doesn't try to be close, they just trying to see what the other is doing, like admiring from far away.

As is they are afraid of the other in a good way. I feel like they would get lost in a conversation about why they feel the same thing about a topic, and yet that would be it.

They laugh at the other's jokes more freely, they aren't super friends or anything, but maybe this will only show how great of a duo they could be, I know that Shayne is an easy person to make him laugh, but let's be honest here, nobody does it like Chance.

Another thing I would totally write is how in the theater video, you just can see how they don't know how to properly act in the scene, like yes they are acting those parts, but I do feel the emotions of just wanting to run away from both of them, they don't know how to properly act that way. It's uncomfortable in an interesting way I would say 🤨 not in a bad or good day, just curious.

I would be watching more videos, if I found where they shift I'll share it with you.

This was the closest I could get to show how I see them.

no truly, I love my anons sm u rlly come up with mind-blowing stuff!

yh, the wall makes sm sense! I rlly see it! And yes their journey is so interesting to me! U can rlly see them getting closer!!

and Chanse is such a bold person and outgoing, so I feel like he found it fun to be like that in and out of character!

everything you just said, I agree! It's been like a visible gradual build up, whether it's platonic or not!

yes, we talk abt Chanse looking all the time but Shayne has rlly started to be heavy with the eye contact too! And ur so right for saying the reddit and challenge pit vids because those r some strong lowkey shaynse vids.

OMG THANK YOU FOR REMINDING ME OF THAT!!! I completely forgot Shayne guessed correctly that it was Chanse, like he pointed at him and everything and then when it was revealed he was so mad he was right but wasn't listened too😭

I would definitely say they are visibly closer then earlier videos but yh I guess there's still that same little bit of hesitance

yh I get what you mean, a lot of admiring. And they rlly do give each other their full attention!

Well you saying abt them getting lost in a topic just reminds me of that one vid where they get lost in a convo abt nature documentaries! Like, another case of them unknowingly having something in common!

yes, Shayne rlly does laugh at Chanse! And honestly Chanse rlly laughs at Shayne too! Like before he even gets to the punchline (yes this is abt the Queen Nefertiti joke)

Them in the theater vid is so interesting to see! Just this sorta awkward vibe especially from Shayne, it's like he doesn't know what to do!

tysm for sharing ur thoughts, I always love to read them!!

[atlasdoe]

Hi my name is Ace and I just finished Wednesday and need to rant about Xavier

Xavier was by far my least favourite character on the show for multiple reasons and I need to rant about it so here is a long ass rant about why I dislike him, why I think he and Wednesday will never work and how I think the writers could improve his character next season.

If you like Xavier feel free to read this and give your view just don't be rude, please :)

Firstly he is the most boring character on the show. He literally has nothing going on.

Firstly I dislike the “small American town stereotype” that he is, that being the tortured artist. This is a personal opinion but it’s been done so many times before and these characters have always gotten on my nerves the most. To me, Xavier is no different and n my mind he’s just Jughead Jones with a paintbrush. 

The main arc that Xavier has throughout the season is that Wednesday thinks that Xavier is the hyde, but in the end its nothing, Xavier was telling the truth the entire time and has nothing to hide therefore we spent all of this time trying to figure out what he was hiding only to realise that he wasn’t hiding anything at all. If Xavier had something else to hide then the reveal could’ve made his character more interesting but because there was nothing he lost any potential he originally had. 

Compare this to Tyler (which I will be doing a lot, sorry) who also had an arc focused on mystery, we knew something was up with Tyler's mum but not what, similarly to how we knew something was up with Xavier and his paintings and inconvenient coincidences, however with Tyler the payoff worked. Tyler was hiding something, there was more to his character than we originally thought and that reveal added layers to his character from being a small-town barista to a serial killing monster. Xavier is the same person at the end of the season then he is at the start, even being framed and arrested didn’t develop him in any way. 

Another thing that Xavier is going through is the troubles he has with his dad, but we don’t really know anything about that. We know that his dad is a famous seer and that Xavier has daddy issues but that’s it. A lot of the characters in the show have struggled with their parents, the difference with Xavier is that we don't see those struggles play out. We see all of the other characters interact with their families so we can get a true sense of what they’re dealing with but all we get from Xavier is him sulking in a corner. Now I understand that one of Xavier's and his dad's hardships is that he doesn't show up but then I would’ve wanted them to use another way of showing us more about their dynamic. Maybe just hearing one side of a phone conversation would’ve done more to show what their relationship is like rather than just being told by Xavier. 

They could be teasing Xavier and his dad for season two but if that's the case then they did a bad job at it because I do not care about Xavier or his dad at all.

My main point is that when there are plotlines like the hyde or Bianca’s mums cult or Enid not being able to wolf out or the Gates family, Xavier was the character I was the least interested in, especially when it was at a point where it would be too obvious if he did end up being the hyde.

Of course, I have to talk about the love triangle when talking about Xavier's character because it took up a big part of his screen time. 

I do want to start by saying that this is probably not an unbiased opinion as I am a Tyler and Wednesday shipper but I will try to look at both sides as I can. 

Firstly let's get the “who was the most creepy” argument out of the way. I don’t really believe that either of them was creepy in a sense.

The worst Tyler did was told Wednesday that he felt like she was giving him signs when she obviously wasn’t. I’ve seen people say that if this was Xavier then more people would call him creepy and I do agree with this but mostly because you have to look at the context in which Tyler is saying it.

Tyler was wrong, Wednesday was not giving him any signs at all but at this point in the show Tyler is deliberately inserting himself into Wednesday's life to gain her trust, therefore it is very possible that Tyler knew he was wrong and was doing this to manipulate her or at least to put the idea of them being romantic into her head. Later on in the scene, he asks her if she’s just using him as a pawn in her game and as a viewer, I was fully expecting her to tell him that she was, but she doesn’t and instead tells him that she had priorities rather then just turning him down. 

Everyone has their own opinion about whether Tyler really cared for Wednesday or not and how much of what he said was genuine. In my opinion, he started out purely trying to manipulate her but started to catch feelings as they started to spend more time together, similar to how Wednesday started out only using Tyler to later catch feelings for him.

Xavier is different. Xavier doesn’t have any ulterior motives regarding his feelings towards Wednesday, so if it was Xavier who said this, it would be in a different context.

In theory, Xavier cares more for Wednesday, but that doesn't mean he’s a better fit for her.

My main criticism of their relationship is that Xavier just doesn’t get her like other characters do. I have three examples of this.

The first is when he suggests that Wednesday should join the secret society despite the fact that it seems to be led by Bianca who Wednesday hates and the fact that it’s a social club when Wednesday doesn’t like socialising. He then proceeded to get mad at her because he “stuck his neck out for her” when she declines.

Another example is at the dance where Xavier tells Wednesday that Tyler ruined his mural as a warning that she should stay away from him. Indicating that he thought that telling her this would make her back off of Tyler when really her response to this was “I would’ve done worse.” Keep in mind that this is Wednesday Addams we’re talking about. She once said that she would hate to be done for attempted murder because then everyone would know she failed, why Xavier thought that she would care about his mural is beyond me honestly, I actually find it quite funny how he thought that would do anything.

My third example is to be determined really but him giving her a phone at the end of the season I feel is another example if him not really understanding her. Wednesday says that she “doesn’t want to be a slave to technology” and throughout the season that never changes, she is never seemed to be lacking without a phone. The whole wanting to keep in touch is understandable but I think it could’ve worked better if Xavier had given her a flip phone or something like that. A way for them to keep in touch without having it be modern technology like an iPhone. (Also saving money in Xavier's case)

(Side note: I actually think that scene could’ve worked a lot better if it has been Edin giving Wednesday the flip phone rather than Xavier. It seems like something she would do and I do believe that if she was to get Wednesday a phone she would get her a flip phone rather than an iPhone.)

Compare these situations to Tyler playing Legally Blonde as a scary movie because he knew that she would hate the film and like that she hated the film (manipulation or not, he still understood her enough to manipulate her well) 

The main thing that Xavier had against Tyler is that Tyler is obviously the villain but again this is Wednesday Addams and as toxic as Tyler is Wednesday is just as bad. 

If the writers do it right they can have an amazing lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers arc with maybe the whole “only I can kill you” vibe. Idk but dating a serial killing monster seems right up Wednesday's alley (even she says it.)

For Xavier and Wednesday to work for me they’ll have to make Xavier more interesting and lean more into Wednesday’s vibe. With Edin and Wednesday, they’re opposites attract and with Tyler and Wednesday they’re two sides of the same coin. To me, Xavier is just somewhere in the middle and has the most boring dynamic out of the three of them. 

I’ve seen a lot of people online refer to Xavier and Wednesday as sunshinexmidnightrain or goldenretrieverxblackcat but I’m sorry they’re simply not.

Xavier is not sunshine. He is the tortured artist with daddy issues. He is constantly complaining or jealous, he gets worked up easily and spends the majority of his time painting monsters in a shed. How is that sunshine? 

Edin is sunshine. She is always smiling and full of energy, she is social and tries to look on the positive side of every situation. We do see Edin get upset or mad during the show but it takes a lot to get her to reach her breaking point. If the writers are going for sunshinexmidnightrain for Wednesday's love interest they’re looking at the wrong character. 

Speaking of Xavier's constant sulking that is something else I really dislike about him.

There's one scene during the dance that really gets to me. When everyone is dancing and having a good time before it cuts to Xavier and Bianca. Bianca is dancing a little in her seat and smiling, still obviously at least trying to have a good time while Xavier is sitting next to her angry that Wednesday came to the dance without someone else and then has the nerve to ask Bianca to erase his feelings for Wednesday.

That was the scene that put me off Xavier completely and despite the fact that he did apologise it was just such a dick move to make and I especially felt bad for Bianca in that scene. 

Another thing that annoyed me was him always bringing up the fact that he saved Wednesday’s life at the beginning of the season and acting almost as if she was in debt to him because of this. Wednesday made it clear that she is not thankful so I don't know why he kept pushing it. 

( I feel like someone will bring up Tyler telling Wednesday that she owed him a date because he nearly got killed to which I will again remind everyone that Tyler is the villain and needed to distract Wednesday so again, the context is different) 

(I am also realising how hard it is to compare two men's actions when one of them has been genuine the entire time and nobody knows if the other was genuine at all) 

Now I’m sure this may seem hypocritical calling Xavier a dick for the way he acted while Tyler is the full-on villain of the show but to me, there is a big difference between a good person and a good character and a lot of that relies on how the audience is supposed to view them.

Tyler is not a good person (if he’s fully aware of everything that he’s done and doesn’t care. With Tyler, there is the tricky subject of the fact that he was also manipulated and groomed to become what he was) but he is a good character. He’s the villain, we’re not supposed to condone his actions, similar to Wednesday and her actions. Both of them are not painted to be your typical good guys but Xavier is.

Xavier isn’t the only character like this, Edin and Ajax I will also say are supposed to be seen in a good light. Not only by the viewers but by the other characters. 

Also, Wednesday is a show where little moments like that between Xavier and Bianca are bigger tells of character than murder. A character could murder someone in the show and I wouldn’t care but smaller things between characters who are supposed to be seen as good I take note of.

I don't know if that last part made sense but in my head, it does so sorry if it's just gibberish.

In conclusion, Xavier just doesn't have anything going on for him that other characters can’t so better and in a more fun way. I can see the writers going with Xavier and Wednesday as endgame but I really hope they don’t consider the number of possibilities they have with other characters.

Jenna Ortega said that she would want them to have more of a siblings relationship and I can really see that happening in the next season, considering they’re about to take some time away from each other and Wednesday never confirmed any feelings for him the writers could make his crush on her fade over time and have them become really good friends. 

I can see myself liking Xavier in future seasons but they have to give him a proper arc that's unique to his character, rather than a tortured artist with daddy issues who has a crush on the new girl.

idk if anyone will both to read all of that but if you did congrats and thank you

[slothquisitor]

Invisible String: Chapter Four

A Baldur’s Gate III Modern AU.

Chapter Summary: In which both Liv and Astarion learn something new about each other. And I make my case that Gale would love Kafka.

Read from the beginning.

Read on AO3.

__________________________________________________________

It’s a beautiful day in Baldur’s Gate, and Astarion hates it. The autumn sunshine is out in full force, and the leaves are just beginning to turn. Summer wears on him, the long sun-filled days a constant reminder of everything he’s lost and can’t have. Winter is easier. Not only does he prefer the fashion of a good winter coat, the days are much shorter and darker, it’s almost easier to pretend he’s not a vampire spawn. 

But they’re not there yet, so he spends the daylight hours pacing the empty apartment and wishing Liv was here to provide some measure of entertainment. He’s not sure when he went from avoiding her to looking forward to her being home, but it happened sometime between morning chats and movie night. 

Books>People has been largely quiet today, and he finds he misses that too. He can’t quite be productive because he keeps checking his phone, willing a message to come through. He’s ‘working’ when one finally does, though today that seems to involve more mindless scrolling of Chirper than actual work. 

Books>People: Is there a point where one ever gets used to seeing a man passed out over a trash bag full of spaghetti on the evening commute? 

FangtasticLover: Is there a point where you want to be the type of person used to seeing a man passed out over a trash bag full of spaghetti on the evening commute?

Books>People: Is that the Baldur’s Gate sanity test? 

FangtasticLover: Yes, that and knowing that you never go to Wyrm’s Crossing on a summer Saturday. 

Books>People: Good to know. I learn things about this new city of mine every day. 

FangtasticLover: Wait, you’re new to the city? 

There’s a pause then at his question. There is some sort of unspoken agreement between them, they don’t ask identifying questions. They are happy to banter and tease each other, but they don’t delve deeper than that. He likes it that way. He likes that she wants to know his opinion on movies and books and that she wants to know if he’s having a good day or not. It’s all surface level, all comfortable. There’s a reason he cuts these connections off before it can turn into anything more. 

Books>People: I thought my surprise at subway spaghetti man revealed that.

FangtasticLover: It didn’t. How do you like it?

Books>People: I still feel like I’m learning it, but I love the way it feels almost alive all the time. The bells ringing in Old Town are my favorite. Do you like living here? 

FangtasticLover: I’ve never really lived anywhere else. 

Books>People: A true local! You’ll have to teach me your Baldurian ways. 

FangtasticLover: Ugh. First, you want my gold-digging techniques and now you want me to show you the local customs?

Books>People: And I better still be getting all your mind flayer erotica recommendations too. 

He smiles at the joke from their first conversation. She does that a lot, these little things she refers back to that already feel like theirs. It makes him want to pay attention to follow these invisible strings weaving between them. Perhaps that’s why he is so lost when he cuts someone off on the app, the severing of those fragile threads must be like a wound. But he’s good at surviving those. 

FangtasticLover: Where’s your favorite place in the city so far?

Books>People: There are  a few good places, but that one pedestrian bridge just south of the Wide is pretty spectacular. I was there today with a friend. 

FangtasticLover: I know the place. Great views. But you have friends beyond me? I’m hurt.

Books>People: Oh is that what we are? Friends? I thought of you more as my gold-digging-dating-app-pocket-comrade.

FangtasticLover: That’s a lot of words for friend, but sure, if that’s how you want to talk about me to other people.

Books>People: Awfully presumptuous to assume that I talk about you to other people.

FangtasticLover: *Did* you tell your friend about me?

Books>People: Maybe. Would you prefer I didn’t?

Astarion smiles. She definitely told her friend about him. There’s something about knowing she might have that lights up something within his chest. She doesn’t even know his name, and he doesn’t know hers either but the idea that she might be telling someone about their conversations makes it all more real somehow. He’s not sure how he feels about that, how he should feel about that. 

FangtasticLover: I don’t mind at all. Just nice to know I’m being thought of even when we’re not messaging.

Books>People: At least every now and again, pocket comrade.

Later that night, when his nighttime wanderings take him across the city he knows so well, he finds himself on that bridge. The lights of Baldur’s Gate twinkle in the night, brighter than any stars. He snaps a picture on his phone of the skyline, and sends it to Books>People without a second thought. No comment, just the picture. 

Books>People: Wow, it’s even better at night. Were you just passing through or did you go all the way there to think of me?

FangtasticLover: Why not both?

This is why he likes the Weave. The way it collapses the distance between him and other people, but always within his control. He likes that he stands here on this bridge in the same place she was earlier today. He wonders what other spaces they’ve shared, knowing even now, he wouldn’t be able to pick her out of a crowd. 

Sometimes, he worries that he only likes people in the abstract. More in love with the distance than any connection he could make. He feels made up of only jagged edges that will never quite fit without wounding. He’s sure he wasn’t always like this, but years upon years of abuse and violence drown out the other memories. There is the before and the after, but the before feels slick, like trying to grasp at water. Now he’s just a jumble of memories and an after that he can’t quite navigate.

Books>People: Where’s your favorite place in the city? 

He doesn’t respond, not yet. Instead, he leaves the bridge and jumps on the train, riding it to the oldest part of Baldur’s Gate where the university crouches, its spires lit up against the dark navy of the sky. As he walks the empty cobblestone paths, he is filled with a certain wistfulness. This is the only place in the city that feels untouched by the passage of time. It’s the only place he thinks he might be able to forget the years spent beneath Cazador’s thumb. He snaps a picture of his favorite building, the large domed library beside the tall tower of the nearby tabernacle. The photo makes the stone buildings look more buttery orange than they are, but the sky is darker too, and it’s like the buildings are aglow. He sends it off. Her response is immediate. 

Books>People: That is coincidentally my other favorite place in the city. 

FangtasticLover: Oh? 

Books>People: Well, it is a library. 

***

It begins with him. With his pictures that night, and it’s like he’s crossed an invisible threshold of their relationship, and now they send little pieces of themselves back and forth across their days. Small things: a coffee order or the cover of a book. But to Liv, it feels like a window. He feels more real now like showing the city back to her has sharpened his outline. She looks for him everywhere now as if she might find him in a crowd. 

But she doesn’t bring up meeting. There’s a comfortability to this, to the way they spend their days messaging. She is grateful for this connection, for having someone she feels like she can talk to, even if it is mostly meaningless. She worries about breaking the spell, at pushing whatever this is along too quickly toward their inevitable demise. And it will be a demise, that much she is sure of. 

And yet, with every message from him that comes through, she hopes a little bit harder. For what exactly, she’s still not sure. 

When she gets home from work on Wednesday afternoon, she’s surprised to find Astarion working in the living room. She catches a glance at his laptop screen while she deposits her bag in her room only to find the man has a truly ungodly number of tabs open on his computer. 

“Everything alright?” she asks, stepping back out into the kitchen. 

He sighs. “I’m trying to capitalize on a particularly viral meme while one of the stupidest patriars in the city held a press conference dressed in a suit that looks like it came from his grandmother’s attic. And not in the nice antique way…literally it looks like it was made for a woman thirty…fifty years ago…?”

Liv sinks down on the other end of the couch. “Is it like a marketing thing to capitalize on a meme?”

Astarion looks up at her from the glow of his laptop with confused disdain. “Marketing?”

“That’s what Gale said you did?” Liv says, suddenly mistrusting her memory of that initial conversation about Astaron. She feels like a bit of an asshole now because he’s mentioned working but hasn’t talked about it much if at all, but she’s talked about her job plenty. She’s lived with him for almost two weeks now, and is it really possible she doesn’t know anything about his fucking job?

Astarion’s answering laugh is high-pitched and delighted. “Karlach would tell people I’m ‘in marketing’. I owe her a drink.”

Liv has seen enough of Astarion not to be overly concerned that whatever he does will be a deal-breaker, but she is wondering if it’s strictly legal at this point. “Okay, so what do you do then?”

“Oh, I’m the GlamReaper, darling,” he says with a slight giggle bubbling out of him. 

It takes her a moment to remember why that would be familiar to her. Then it dawns on her. “The guy who roasts badly dressed men on Chirper?” 

He grins. “You’ve heard of me.”

“Yeah, you’re pretty popular on the internet…this isn’t information you typically lead with? It seems like a tidbit you’d be sharing with most people you meet,” Liv replies. Astarion loves attention, that much she’s figured out in the past two weeks. 

He clicks his tongue. “Judgy.”

It’s her turn to sigh. “I didn’t mean to make it sound like such a bad thing…you’d just think that you’d want people to know that about you.”

Astarion shrugs. “Anonymity is part of the job; it’s why it works.” 

“Don’t you have like a million followers?” 

“1.2, but who’s counting? And nearly half of them have tagged me in a video of this ridiculous patriar so my notifications are a mess.”

Liv considers what it might be like to have over a million people choosing to listen to what you might say at any given moment. “How do you manage to post anything knowing that many people will see it?”

“Easily,” Astarion says, pushing publish on his post to prove it. “There’s money involved, after all.”

“That’s…wild to me. Do you like it?”

He considers that, seemingly surprised at her question. “I’m quite good at it, so…yes. But I do like other aspects of my job a bit more. The virtual closet consulting is a bit more fun these days, actually.”

“Well, I live with the GlamReaper, who’d have thought?”

He pushes the laptop away and twists in his seat so that they’re facing each other properly. “It is something I’d prefer you not broadcast though.”

She rests her elbow on the back of the couch, propping her head on her hand. “Your secret is safe with me.” She means it. 

He looks like he believes her. “I…appreciate that.”

She scrubs a hand down her face. “I feel like an asshole for not knowing your job when I’ve told you at length about mine.”

“Are you looking to make it up to me?” He leans in toward her, flashing a grin that tells her he’s not truly bothered but willing to take advantage of it anyway. 

This close she can see the ruby red of his eyes and the fine lines in the corners. She’s not entirely sure of his age, but he feels older than her and probably has an enviable skin care routine. “That entirely depends on what you want.”

He taps his chin exaggeratedly in mock seriousness. “How about we just settle on a future favor?”

“That feels ominous,” she replies. But she knows she’s going to agree because he’s her roommate, and of course she’d do him a favor any time. Assholery or not. “But sure. A future favor it is.”

“Excellent. How were the books today?” 

Liv smiles. “As always, better than people.” He looks a bit confused at her statement, so she presses on. “The library is looking for a new exhibit for the spring, and I’m thinking of writing a proposal for it.”

“About?”

“I want to do something to show off the archives and all of the cool and rare things we have there, but also something that would be interesting to library patrons. I was thinking of an exhibit on the editing process. We have some really rare manuscripts and unpublished works marked up by the authors.”

He considers that for a moment. “That does sound marginally interesting.”

She sighs. “It will need to be more than marginally interesting to win out. I’m pretty sure Gale has a true winner with his idea for a Kafka exhibit. He wants to bring in actual bugs.”

“Kafka? Really?”

Liv shrugs. “Gale loves him.”

“I have only ever heard about Gale from Karlach, but he would.”

Liv laughs. “Kafka did want his work burned after his death rather than actually shared with the world, but after he died, his literary executor still published it. There’s an interesting moral quandary to explore there.”

“If you say so,” Astarion replies. “Your idea sounds more interesting than that.” The way he says it, voice dropped lower, filled with a certainty she doesn’t quite feel in herself makes her cheeks warm. 

Suddenly, it’s hard to look at him, and she looks down instead at the stretch of couch between them. “Thanks.”

***

Astarion is enjoying a rare evening home, alone. According to the shared calendar he still hasn’t bothered adding anything to, Liv is at dinner with her library coworkers in what sounds like the most boring dinner party imaginable. He’d been looking forward to having the apartment to himself for the evening. He and Liv have been spending most evenings together watching Crown of Shadows , and while enjoyable, sometimes it’s nice to be able to just be alone at night drinking blood without worrying about an audience.

Books>People hasn’t messaged him back in over an hour, so he half watches, half scrolls his phone while a movie he pressed play on and then promptly forgot the name of drones in the background. 

He’s surprised at how empty the apartment feels without Liv in it. She’s only been here about two weeks, but already her presence has become a sort of fixture of the place. He likes having her around. She’s easy to be around, and seems happy, if a bit bemused, to give him her undivided attention whenever he asks for it. Beyond her work though, he knows so very little about her. But she’s not home, and her room is open, and well, he could just poke around a little bit. Couldn’t he?

She’d never know. 

He doesn’t bother stopping the movie as he pockets his phone and approaches the darkened threshold of her room. From the light of the kitchen, he can see her neatly made bed with no less than three blankets draped over the duvet. She’s a rather tidy person, he’s gathered, and her room doesn’t look anything like his often cluttered, strewn about one. 

It’s bad form to go into her room and through her things, and he knows he’d be furious if she did the same to him, but the thought doesn’t stop him. He steps forward full of confidence and curiosity, and headlong into….well something quite solid. 

He can’t enter her room. 

He presses his hands up against the invisible barrier blocking him, full of confusion. “But I own the entire apartment!” He exclaims this to the empty air, not sure who exactly he’s talking to. 

He petulantly kicks the barrier, which does nothing beyond earning him a sore foot before returning to the couch and his movie. Well, it seems that he won’t be unrepentantly going through Liv’s things until she invites him into her room. That ought to be easy enough to orchestrate. He’s ignoring his movie while thinking through how to make that happen when his phone finally pings. 

Books>People: What movie did you settle on? Sorry for the delay, was out to dinner with some coworkers. 

He stares at her message for several moments. That’s odd…Liv is out to dinner with coworkers tonight too. Oh fucking hells. No, no, no, no, no. This can’t possibly be happening. It must be a coincidence. He fires off a text immediately. 

FangtasticLover: I’m unsure if I should offer encouragement or condolences. I guess that depends entirely on what you and your coworkers do.

She told him she worked for the university once…and…and now he remembers what Liv had said earlier…about liking books more than people. No. This isn’t happening. But no response arrives…for several whole minutes. 

Books>People: I think most people would assume that a dinner with a group of archivists would be boring, but we made do.

He reads the message through at least three times before tossing his phone on the couch and jumping up and away from it as if it’s a snake poised to strike. He begins pacing the room, mind filtering through possibilities. Perhaps it’s not Liv…maybe it’s just someone she works with. Oh hells, it’s not Lae’zel is it? She had been in the apartment once, so the app might have clocked their proximity. For all he knows Liv doesn’t even use the app. But Books>People had said she was new to the city. 

Oh gods. Oh gods. This is bad . 

Or is it? He’ll just sever the connection, go about his life and never tell her a damn thing. It’s fine. It’s absolutely fine. Nothing needs to change here and he gets to keep his roommate and not make things weird. It’s a win-win. 

It hasn’t even been two weeks since he matched with her, but the thought of cutting that connection off, of losing the ability to talk to Books>People. He doesn’t like that. Ugh. It’s a coincidence. Probably. 

He’s not going to panic. Not right now. When she gets home he’ll simply send a message to Books>People and if Liv’s phone goes off, he’ll know. That’s all. It’s fine.

The door to the apartment opens, and he stares at it, unmoving from his place standing in the middle of the living room. Liv walks in dressed in a dark green wool coat, frowning at her phone before looking up. 

“Oh, hey.”

He strides over to the couch, as if he had simply been on his way back instead of uselessly pacing the room. “Hi.”

He picks up his phone. And types out a message. 

FangtasticLover: Archivists? Well, that does sound dreadfully dull.

He presses send and doesn’t look away from Liv as she hangs her coat in the hall. The passing seconds feel like an eternity, and for a moment, he believes that it might have been long enough that he’s safe. It is a coincidence. But then her phone vibrates on the table. 

 No, no, no, no no. NO. But he knows, and no amount of denial will make it go away. Books>People is his fucking roommate. 

He can’t do this, not right now. So the moment she’s in the kitchen proper he strides right out of the apartment without another word.