#and you find a line that works on two levels SO PERFECTLY like. god that's the STUFF

[wistfulwatcher]

i feel like your roman candle; misty/nat, 8k, explicit

written in response to a series of tumblr erotic prompts (since i ended up getting many more than i was expecting, i have combined the ones that fit!).

prompts used: caught masturbating, torn lace, against the wall, fingers (@igotreallyreallytiredofmyoldurl), “do that again”, hair, panting, love bites, taste, restrained, desperate, tease, on the edge, and in public (if you squint)

read here on ao3

[accio-victuuri]

ONE NIGHT IN BEIJING & other sweets 🌃

when i first saw this song being discussed earlier, i was confused cause i don’t know what’s happening. lol. what’s with the song. i cannot trace where the screenshot is from but it says one of WYB’s favorite song is this, one night in beijing.

then a fan commented that XZ sang this in our song before ( not main performance ) and someone found a recording. did he discover the song because of that? was it on zz’s playlist at some point in the past and became his fave?

the song itself tho. very 👀👀👀

Don’t wish to ask where you have been

Don’t wish to wonder if you are ever returning

I’m thinking of your heart, I’m thinking of your face

I’m thinking of your embrace – I won’t let go, I just won’t

that’s just the first few lines and i’m here nodding my head that this fits his style of bittersweet song.

but this not even the interesting part….

Fans are thinking about how this relates to what’s been happening in the past few ways. The way we have speculated about 11/19 and WYB acting as the mystery driver again. Then him sharing a post on his weibo. One night in Beijing? Does he love that particular title cause it sometimes describes their meetings? They are often busy and one night is all they can get.

People are also pointing out the change in ZZ’s work schedule today. His LOCH sched starts early and ends in the evening or very late but the 5:30-6:00 AM call time for him is almost fixed. Yesterday, 11/22, WYB posts and we think they are together. What happens today? ZZ comes in “late” to work at 11:30 AM. So why the change? Was he spending time with Bobo? This reminds me of that time he was out of his schedule too when Bobo was sick.

A common argument from haters is how is a relationship between them possible. They are busy! Well.. this is how. since 2020, they have been meeting (allegedly) and even going to each other’s workplace ( allegedly lol repeating this to be safe ) It doesn’t matter how long, they make it work. You will always find time for the important people in your life.

Next, let’s move on to XZS post. On a Thursday. Also it perfectly coincides with their WB account reaching 10 million followers. The photos shared are behind the scenes content from ad shoots but the contrast of the photos stands out. Day & Night. The kadian they use, 14:23 loving zhan forever. Which goes to show that they do use it!

The caption gives us more insight on the choice of photos. Sun & Moon. Another symbolism that is popular with CPFs Sun/Sunshine & Moon.

“It is the perfect moment, just like when the gentle light meets the rising moon.”

I think the english translation doesn’t give that much deeper meaning that we clowns love. so we gotta take it to the next level 🙃🙃🙃

"Fuguang" and "Wangshu" are both important elements in Chinese culture. "Fuguang" comes from the works of Song poets in the Southern Dynasties, which means sunlight or sunlight."Wangshu" is a god in Chinese mythology and legend, representing the moon and can be used to describe moonlight'. The two can be combined to show that lovers support each other and move towards a bright future together.

This caption aligns to WYB posting a photo yesterday that shows the 🌙. So does this mean WYB is the Moon & ZZ is the Sun/light? I have to say that it fits with their personality ( tho Bobo is warm and ZZ has his moments of being cold too but you know what I mean, for symbolic purposes only ok. ) I am loving this imagery between them! I hope we can have more reference in the future.

I’m cackling at this tho. The progression of posts, WYB’s caption was a reminder that it’s getting colder > YBO reposts and says to wear warmer clothes > XZS posts and GG is wearing a cozy sweater 😂 As if saying that yep, he has worn warmer clothes. LOL.

and xzs and ybo are at it again, the photo ybo shared yesterday was showing wyb’s back and xzs shared something similar today as the last photo in the grid. i’m sure they have lots of photos that show his face or close ups of his body like his hand but they had to choose this as the finale.

i mean thank you, this will make it easier for us to edit them together 😂😂😂

Bonus, the “light” photos appear to form an 8 = bo. (p1) is a himalaya episode about the 8 of diamonds card forming an 8. What a coincidence!

-END.

[nat-20s]

a fic featuring Fourteen and Donna being so so eepy (also on a03)

During one of The Doctor’s usual puttering about at 3 am in the Tardis, they immediately notice two things about a certain door. The first is that in the latest rearrangement of the floor plan, this door has gone from the hidden depths of what we’ll call it “the basement”, to a fairly central area of the top level. Second, and perhaps more alarmingly, this door that has been locked for millennia is now cracked ajar.

He doesn’t, however, feel any immediate panic. Instead, a little smile he can’t quite hold back appears on his face. Soft in their old age, really. Should at the very least check that what he thinks is behind the door is there, and not some sort of intruder. Technically, while the bio-metric locks that had been put in place were some of the finest in the universe, he had enough experience to know that no locks were truly unpickable.

As gingerly as possible, The Doctor opens the door enough to peek their head inside; it’s immediately revealed that he truly needn’t have worried about a break in. Donna Noble, currently prone on the bed, had been the one to open her room, just as he had guessed.

He should have worried about how now, apparently, Donna was an extremely light sleeper. He had been almost certain that he hadn’t made a noise, but not even a full second later, she rolls over to face the door and stirs awake. Blinking away some of the sleep, she sees him and gives him a half-sheepish, half-tired smile. Before he can say something along the lines of “don’t mind me, get some rest”, she pats the space next to her and gives him a “c’mere” nod of the head.

The Doctor goes willingly, and even manages to not hold their breath stepping through the former mausoleum of their best friend’s memory. He settles next to her, face to face in a classic “talking too late at night during a sleepover” pose. Because of who they are, he can’t help but let the first thing he says be, “I seem to remember someone lecturing me about sleeping in the Tardis when there’s a perfectly good bed in a perfectly good house, spaceman.”

Donna must be half-awake, because instead of arguing, she gives a one shoulder shrug and scrunches up her nose in amusement. “You caught me.”

“I thought everyone but Granddad was at the London house tonight?”

“Oh, they are. Work ran late and here was closer, so I sent off a text letting them know I was crashing here instead.”

“In the Tardis?”

“Well. No. That’s my little secret. Or, I suppose, our little secret now.”

The Doctor raises an eyebrow at her, asking for more info, to which she replies with a sigh. “You know, I wasn’t a super fussy baby-”

“-a bit shocking to hear, considering-”

“Oi! As I was saying, I wasn’t colicky or anything like that, but if Mum just could not get me to settle down, she would pop me in a car seat and drive around the neighborhood. Said I was out like a light within minutes.”

He has no idea where this story is going. He finds he doesn’t mind. It’s silly and sappy of him (what isn’t, these days?), but he finds it deeply charming when Donna goes on a little ramble. Especially when sleepiness is slowing her words and she keeps blinking for more and more seconds. They think they’ll get maybe 5 more minutes to chat before she’s fully gone again, and they’re going to savor it. She continues, “She stopped doing that when I old enough to toddle into their room and fall asleep between them. God, one morning they had gotten up early and I apparently screamed my little head off thinking they had left me forever.”

She says that last statement with a roll of her eyes, passing it off as one of those things kids do, but The Doctor’s heart lets out a pang. He wishes he could’ve told little Donna that it was okay, that her parents are there and they love her so so much. He wishes he could tell all Donnas that she won’t be left behind, not in the end. (They also wish they could tell themselves that they don’t get left behind, eventually.)

Personal timelines, however, are messy, and best left alone. Instead, he stays now, and he listens, and he takes Donna’s hand in his own. “Honestly, I don’t think my sleeping habits have changed that much. I still hate sleeping alone. I still hate sleeping motionless. Stick me on a boat with someone to cuddle up to and I’ll have the best rest of my life.”

She looks around the room briefly, then presses her forehead to the Doctor’s and continues, “You know, kind of like the nights I spent here. The Tardis, this room...it was only my home for a year. But it was also the most home I had been for a long, long time. And the house is lovely, so lovely, still can’t believe you bought us a house, but right now it’s too quiet and I missed it here. The various whirs and clicks and hums the Tardis makes? Better than any white noise machine on the market.”

The Doctor grins at her, feeling a bit smug and a lot soppy. “Now you know how I feel.”

She gives a half hearted poke at his chest, which is rather undercut by the yawn she lets out. “Still, ‘spect you to stay with us the majority of the nights.”

“Hey, I’m with you right now, aren’t I?”

She closes her eyes, giving a grin and a hushed, “Yeah, you are,” before slipping straight back to dream land. He technically could slip away now, but he’s already under the covers, are the steady breathing of his best friend is having a rather lulling effect. Remembering that he’s now allowed to rest, whenever he wants, he snuggles in closer, pulls the blankets tighter around them, and does just that.

[otesunki]

where can i find information on {0|0}. on *. i'm obsessed

colossal infodump incoming

alright there's this Very Very Good Book called Winning Ways for Your Mathematical Plays which explains combinatorial game theory and how they link into surreal numbers in what can only be described as an Unreasonable level of detail, including how it ties into Surreal Numbers oh God surreal numbers is just as loaded of a term Okay let me take a brief detour into That

so surreal numbers are like. imagine defining every number as a pair of sets of other numbers. a set of numbers Less than it and a set of numbers Greater than it. and we write this as foo = {less than foo|greater than foo}. so like. 0 = {|}, 1 = {0|}, 2 = {1|}, 1/2 = {0|1}, -1 = {|0}, that type of thing

the reason why surreal numbers are mindmelting is the fact that they happen to be the Largest Totally Ordered Proper Class and they contain Literally Every Other Totally Ordered Number System inside of them. totally ordered here means that any two numbers are related by < > or =. so like. complex numbers and quaternions aren't included. surreal numbers also behave just like real numbers in that you can do arithmetic on them exactly how you'd do arithmetic with any other real number. and for the surreal numbers that are also real numbers the classic laws of commutativity and associativity hold.

however the surreal numbers are. a.

a bit bigger than just all the real numbers. because there are also numbers that are infinitely big or small and you can make infinitely-bigger-than-infinte numbers and the arithmetic operations still work and also have you ever wanted to take the logarithm base infinity of a number too bad that's defined now

games are what happens when you look at the surreal numbers and go that's for rookies and decide that actually yes {1|-2} makes sense what are you Talking about. why Can't on = {on|} that's a perfectly sane definition also over = {0|over} also Also actually you can define a number that's Even Closer To Zero than over is and if you churn through the calculations you can literally Prove that 0 < tiny < over Yes the number is called tiny

right okay so what is star? in fact if x = {A|B} then -x = {-B|-A} and because A and B are both just the set { 0 } and 0 is {|} you can trivially prove that negating star gives you back star, it's not greater than zero because it has zero in the right hand side, it's not less than zero because it has zero in the left hand side, and it's not Equal to zero because playing a game with a value of zero means that the first player Loses but a game with a value of Star means that the first player Wins which means neither player has an advantage but it's a balanced game in a different way to how 0 is balanced and this is reflected in the Thermograph of star which is a way to draw what star looks like when you Heat it up and Heating a number basically means moving its left and right hand sides closer together in value until eventually they meet up

so Zero because both of its sets are empty is just a vertical line at x=0 because it can't heat up nor cool down but Star on the other hand stays at 0 when it is cooled down but if you Heat it up (make t negative) then actually the two zeroes in it begin Diverging and going in opposite directions

but because the whole thing is Horizontally symmetric it means that the number is its own negative because negating a number is equivalent to a horizontal flip. also if you thought thermographs couldn't get more complicated and involved you're wrong

so. That's. what. star is.

so have you ever wondered what would happen if you had a bunch of numbers that are all mutually recursive and not defined in terms of anything el-

[akamikazae]

oh my god im dying to know what you wrote for bokami!!

Ah! thanks for asking! <3 I don’t have much, mainly just vague plot ideas and lil bits of dialogue. 

Akami went to Nohebi high school - hehe snek school, Where she played volleyball. Tho she and Bokuto don’t officially meet until their sophomore year of College. Bokuto and Kuroo are college roommates + vball teammates. Kuroo and Akami also have a couple classes tg. Bokuto's trying very hard to get though her cynicism and trust issues. And she finds him and his cringe-fail optimism and thoughtfulness very endearing.  ~I have this lil scene and then some more blabby- plot stuff under the cut

Bokuto cannot help himself, he’s darting around the court like his life depends on it and calling after every ball. A kill, two digs, service ace after service ace. Everytime he so much as touches the ball he glances to the stands, to where Akami is sitting. He needs to make sure she’s watching. This is the first time she’s been able to come and see him, even if it is just practice. He scrambles out of bounds to keep the shanked ball in play.  “Take it easy”, Coach calls. But Bokuto can’t help it. It’s like he’s got the zoomies.   Another kill, straight shot, down the line, three blockers, no touch. He’s amped up. “Nice kill,” Semi cheers. As he goes up to serve.   Bokuto glances over at Akami, she’d brought her homework with her, case files spread out on the bleachers. She’s leaning on her civil procedure textbook, watching him watch her. She gives him a small thumbs up of approval as he continues to stare at her, like he’d been doing all day. He gives one back, smiles big with all his teeth. It is only then that he turns his attention back to the game, the game that had continued despite his own personal pause. The ball is spiked by his teammate directly into Bokuto’s face. The gymnasium rings out in a chorus of “ooohs.” The whistle sounds, giving the other side a point and ending the rally. Bokuto is doing his very best to play it off like it didn’t hurt and that he’s perfectly fine despite the nosebleed and the ‘Mikasa’ logo imprinted on the side of his face.  “You okay?” Akami asks, cringing at the blood on his t-shirt as he sinks down on the bleachers in the row in front of her. “I’m fine- I’m great!” He says, pinching his nose. Akami closes her textbook, “You don’t look so great.”  They both turn their attention back to the game. “You know, I have a lot of homework, maybe I should finish up at the library.”  “No, no you don’t have to go.” He scrambles. “I’ll be back in in no time!”  “I don’t want to distract you,” she says  “Oh , what, no you’re not distracting me!” “This-” he gestures to his nose, “this is nothing, don’t worry about it, it happens all the time.”  Akami raises her brow, doing her best not to laugh. “You get hit in the face all the time?”  “Yeah--No! I mean…uhh,” He sighs to himself, tipping his head back in defeat, “I’m shutting up now.” He has completely and utterly embarrassed himself in front of her, yet again. He sinks back into the small space between the bleachers, hoping that the universe will take pity on him and open up a crater in the earth to swallow him whole. Or at the very least let him hide beneath the stands.     Akami chuckles beneath her breath and scoots down to the bleacher seat beside him. “Here”, she says, handing him a few napkins she scrounged up from her bag. "and you should tip your head forward." Bokuto perks up immediately, smiling through his embarrassment and thanking her, as if she handed him a gold medal and not some crumpled up old napkins from the dining hall. She rests her chin in her hand, while he takes her advice and stares at his sneakers, nose pinched with the napkins rambling excitedly about how he's been working on back row attacks. Akami can't help it, she smiles back, hiding her grin in her palm. **

— I’m sorry but I can’t have story without some level of angst lol. They date for almost two years, and as they’re getting ready to go into their senior year of College Bokuto gets drafted in the V league. He decides to surprise her with the news, which totally backfires. Akami takes it as a slight, in that he doesn’t consider her in his future. She low-key waits for him to ask her to move with him, but he doesn’t because he doesn’t want her to uproot her life and opportunities for him. She stays in Tokyo, finishing school and working an internship at a law firm, he moves to Osaka. They break up.

Three years go by. They run into each other at hotel. She’s there for the work, he’s there for a game. They decide to try being friends again, because they miss having each other in their lives. She goes to his games when she can or they meet up when he’s nearby or vice versa. She has to go to Osaka for work, he offers—insists— she stay with him so he can show her around the city. She doesn’t have the heart to tell him no, even though she’d been to the city many times. Staying just friends doesn’t last they hookup her last night there, he tells her he still loves her, etc, etc. And they try doing the long distance thing. I haven’t exactly figured out how to keep them tg yet, without one of them having to give up their job, but I am working on it. Okay big ramble over lol ! thanks for asking! And thanks again for giving me them ❤︎₊ ⊹ wip game

[whywhatswrongwithblue]

DW REWATCH

S1E1 ROSE

When Rose Tyler meets a mysterious stranger called the Doctor, her life will never be the same again. Soon she realises that her mum, her boyfriend and the whole of Earth are in danger. The only hope for salvation lies inside a strange blue box.

1. LOVE this opening. Such a great bedroom hahah. Perfectly messy and pink—makes me wonder what t2r’s shared bedroom must look like now!

2. What does Jackie do for a living? I know it’s canon (or fanon?) that she’s a hairdresser but do we actually ever see her working as one?

3. Who’s Derek? And why does Rose think a mannequin prank would be up his lane? RUN. Such a great meet cute 😭😭😭😭 these two are married now you guys!!!!!!!

4. ‘Cos to get that many people dressed up and being silly, they got to be students. 
That makes sense. Well done. 🥺🥺 nothing just the Doctor always appreciating the insight Rose brings🥺🥺

5. WILSON’S DEAD

6. ‘So, I'm going to go up there and blow them up, and I might well die in the process, but don't worry about me. No, you go home. Go on. Go and have your lovely beans on toast.’ ohhhhh he wants her to join him so bad 😭 the poor guy. This is right after he’s destroyed his entire planet and there’s just SOMETHING about Rose he sees, huh? 😭🥺 also ’Nice to meet you, Rose. Run for your life.’ Such a great line!

7. TARDIS appearance!

8. ‘Honestly, it's aged her. Skin like an old bible. Walking in now you'd think I was her daughter.’ oh my God Jackie Tyler I have missed you. Imagine your mum reacting to you almost getting blown up like THIS though 🤣 yikes!

9. Rose doesn’t tell Mickey about the Doctor—no matter how ridiculous the plastic plot sounds she believes him, even if it is unconsciously at the moment

10. All the calls Jackie is getting one after the other insinuate a pretty closely knit neighbourhood, doesn’t it? All these people know where Rose works and are concerned enough to call up. Imagine how traumatic the sudden shift to Pete’s World must’ve been for Jackie—I know she’s got the parallel version of Bev but it’s not the same, and it must’ve taken a WHILE to adjust to everything.

11. “The airs and graces” comment. So much to be dissected here! Jackie’s relationship with herself and with her daughter implied very heavily in this one line. She seems to be jealous, even.

12. They have a cat flap! Rose confirmed cat person moment (1). The Doctor waiting outside the flat xD. Talk about picking up strays🥺

13. The dialogue is so damn gooood. And Christopher’s delivery is so endearing

14. Jackie hitting on the Doctor!!!!! Need tentoo to bring this up ASAP. She’s his mother in law😭

15. Staircase shot is incredible. Love the Sort of, yeah❤️ bit. Also love how the Doctor repeatedly checks on how she’s handling the information (*Are you alright? Do you believe me?*)—however unconsciously he’s doing it, he IS checking her suitability as a potential companion 🥺

16. Mickey SMH. Also apparently he doesn’t wash his dishes 🤣

17. Loveee Clive. RTD’s writing is so immersive, it really makes the whole world come alive. These side characters add so much depth to the story—something sorely missing in the Moffat and Chibnall eras.

18. THE WHEELIE BIN. I always forget how fucking ridiculous this episode is until I rewatch it 🤣 also lord Rose is so uninvested in this relationship. P-P-PIZZA will always be one of my fav lines

19. The infamous Jimmy Stone! I love how we’re given the one line about him and it’s inspired thousands of fics. Rose considering completing her A Levels here—would that be something she’d be interested in doing in Pete’s World?

20. TARDIS!!!!! Doomsday theme begins here 😓😓 love how the Doctor is judging how easily she can accept his alienness—he claims to be done with human companions every time but he is undoubtedly impressed by Rose. Also find it incredibly interesting he didn’t even think about Mickey being dead. This, contrasted with other alien lives (including the Daleks, sometimes) that the Doctor seems to value…is an intriguing juxtaposition. Is there a little simmering jealousy of the boyfriend already? Is he slightly unable to look at consequences of actions beyond his own? He has just come off of a genocide at this moment

21. Mickey’s mother! Bit of a mistake here, we learn that he was raised by his grandma in *Father’s Day*

22. Lots of planets have a North!!!

23. I always found it funny that Rose, who seemed so upset about Mickey a second ago, is now holding hands with Nine and running down the bridge lmfao. They really are very alike in their love for the thrill.

24. ‘Yeah, that was always a possibility. Keep him alive to maintain the copy.’
You knew that and you never said? 
Can we keep the domestics outside, thank you?’ hmmm. Jealousy, perhaps? Or a disregard for lives he doesn’t believe are at the same level as that of higher beings? As much as he rejected the Time Lords, he is a product of his origin, and has quite a condescending view of humans

25. Shunt off. God, I love you RTD

26. The Nestene Consciousness is alarmed when it recognises that he is a Time Lord. Later in the show, it’s implied that the Time Lords were almost, if not as bad as the Daleks were, during the Time War.

27. RIP Clive 🕊️ fingers crossed it’s your cameo we’re getting in the 60th

28. Rose! My beloved! Bronze medalist! This screencap in particular is very Bad Wolf

29. I honestly can’t wrap my mind around people who say Rose was wrong for going with the Doctor. He came back for her!!!

30. The perfect opening episode. Extrapolation is done so elegantly and we even get a sense of how absurd the show can get. 10/10, and one of my favourite episode 1s!

[chchcharliebrown]

Carmy's behaviour in season 3 of the Bear

So I have seen some other posts discussing aspects of this but wanted to make my own with some thoughts on this topic and to see what other people were thinking. After two absolutely phenomenal seasons (season 2 being some of my favourite television ever made) I had so many issues with season 3 (including the uninterrupted Fak comedy routine culminating in that god awful John-Cena-being-called-in-to-mop-but-not-actually-mopping-the-floor scene), and one of the main ones was Carmy's behaviour and how the people around him are responding to it. This is a pretty long post, just as fair warning.

To start out with, I do of course understand that Carmy's a very troubled character and that the end of season two left him wanting to make some kind of a drastic change and deciding that he should not have a life outside the restaurant. And like, so far so good, but the way the show then went about it felt so weird to me. Literally one of the things he talks about, at the height of his emotional outburst in the freezer, is how he was at a point of functioning and had a routine, and how the relationship was (in his eyes) the wrench that messed everything up. So then why is the first step in this season not have the painful conversation with Claire where he apologises, but also breaks up for good, because clearly thats what he thinks is needed for him to function properly and focus again?

Instead, the show teases the Claire conversation for the entire season (I have no idea if there's eventual plans of a possible reunion and they want it to happen once Carmy has his shit together again but I still find it so weird there's not even like, an attempt at an apology on his part, which she could still ignore for now), and has Carmy decide that he's actually going to absolutely mess up any sort of routine he previously has by introducing a ton of NEW changes into his life. Not only does he quit smoking, he creates more obstacles for everyone by suggesting the constant menu changes and super irresponsible spending instead of just running the restaurant for a while as is and actually trying to generate some profit. Instead of trying to iron out the kinks that came up during their first night and doing his level best to get the restaurant running absolutely perfectly, and learn some actual lessons from season two like being more available when Sydney wants to talk about the menu for example, he becomes less available than he was even last season, which, again, is weird to me.

They still could have had the central plot line be about Carmy working himself too hard or showing other self-harm adjacent behaviours, or there being friction with the other characters about some decisions he makes or his management style, or the same plot line they did introduce about him being creatively frustrated, which would have nicely echoed a lot of things we have already seen about how it's important to get 'out there' and find inspiration in places outside your restaurant, from Syd's food tour in season two to Markus's experience in Copenhagen or what Chef Terry tells Richie about her dad's diary. Like, by all means show the character continuing to struggle or maybe even regress in some ways, all of that could still work really well with the story you set up so far. But for the show to establish the 'Carmy doesn't prioritise Sydney as a partner' thing as a problem in season two, have the character have a big breakdown at the end of that season where he comes to the conclusion that he really did let his team down (even if his exact reasoning is flawed that's still what he firmly believes), and that he needs to be completely focused on this restaurant and this team going forward, only to then...continue to be absent as hell and not listen to what any of them say? It just felt so bizarre to me. He even says the reason he wants the star is because Sydney said this was important to her, but then he still totally blanks her on so many occasions.

There is also the fact that one of the things that made season two so great was showing how the restaurant is a collaborative enterprise and that everyone had a part to play, and the fact that the last two seasons have shown us Carmy doesn't have much of a head for the business side of things (or maths in general). Knowing this, and having seen many examples of Unc, Sydney and Sugar call him on that previously, WHY ON EARTH is everyone just going along with all his decisions here? In the past when he'd get prickly and started being an asshole when he was stressed someone (often Syd) would be like Hey you gotta take it all the way down dude, and then he'd calm down relatively fast and they'd have a conversation about it. But now, even though they all have so much tied up in this restaurant, their time and effort of course but also in many cases their livelihood or for Unc a sizeable chunk of money, why are they all just letting him run rampant like a kid in a candy store? Literally change the passwords on whatever spending account he's using and have an intervention where you remind him money is still real and we still need to worry about it.

The same is true for the menu changes every single day. I find it so mind boggling that after one conversation everyone's like 'Guess there's nothing we can do he's made up his mind' like..you are not his minions? He's not a dictator? He's not even a guy who singlehandedly owns the restaurant or finances it. That's your kid brother / friend you've known all your life / mostly very nice boss who bought you a very thoughtful gift and told you he didn't want to do this without you not one day ago. They act like Carmy's somehow able to just bulldoze them into all this stuff when again, a really big part of season two was people correcting him on his numbers and telling him the things he was used to at other restaurants like the absolute fanciest plates were not realistic at this place, or them using personal contacts to help with repairs or hook them up with ham. There was no room in the budget for the fancy plates and so they just didn't get those plates. End of the god damn story. But now it's like Carmy says 'we just gotta buy all these madly expensive ingredients to use once, it's necessary' and everyone, from Nat to Sydney to Unc just like..accepts this? Again, stage an intervention if necessary or forcefully remove his ability to make financial calls like that, but don't let him run this restaurant into the ground (a restaurant which ALL OF YOU have a stake in) just bc you suddenly think you need to respect his every decision.

The main reason why I hated seeing this development was also just because it felt very incongruous with who Carmy has been set up to be as a person so far. I think it's fair to say that the vast majority of the time he has been shown to be a very kind and thoughtful character whose mental issues most destructively manifest in the way he treats himself, rather than in how he treats other people. It's true that he flies off the handle when he feels stressed or provoked, but to me at least the only time he truly crossed a line so far was while he was stuck in the walk in freezer saying those things to Richie at a massively heightened emotional state. Yes, he was also too intense during his outburst in season one that caused Sydney to quit, but to me at least that was a lot more understandable because even though Marcus is a sweetheart and I would die to him, he really should have taken the hint the first seven times and realised there is a time and a place for those god damn donuts and that time is not the middle of service. And when this happened he also apologised to both of them afterwards.

But this season suddenly makes it seem like Carmy's worsening mental health turns him into like, alternatively a zombie who doesn't seem to truly hear anything anyone says to him, which I know might be realistic for some people in some situations, but it makes for some incredibly frustrating television because it makes a lot of what should be poignant dialogue feel pretty pointless or like those conversations don't lead anywhere, but then at the same time it turns him into a tyrant who blames everyone around him at all times, when again, there were so many moments in season two alone where he went "Oh don't worry, it was probably my fault". A really good example is when they are working on new recipes and the sauce Sydney makes turns out to be too acidic. She apologises in case she messed up his recipe and he immediately goes Don't worry I probably gave you the wrong numbers. Again, this is a character who has had no shortage of onscreen apologies, for small and major things. I think in a lot of ways, in addition to that just being what his personality is like, it might even have been an active attempt to not be like Donna, constantly talking about how she's the only one doing anything and blaming everyone else, or Mikey blaming everyone but himself for his failing businesses. He was always a "going down with the ship, we're a team, this isn't gonna be like one of the kitchens I worked in" type captain. And I'm all for exploring dark sides to a character but it should still be consistent with what you've shown us so far.

Maybe on some level Carmy feels like he needs to mentally get back to a time in his life when he was at his most 'efficient', but I would still find that kind of a weird conclusion to come to because his problem was never that he lacked assertiveness in the kitchen, his problem was (again, in his understanding) having a relationship/allowing himself to find fulfilment outside of work and that taking away from his focus. Once he changes that and becomes fully dedicated to the restaurant again why are we not seeing more of a regression to season one Carmy, who was still an anxious mess, but again, generally made an effort not to be a dick to his staff and apologised when it did happen.

I also think there could have been some really interesting potential in exploring Carmy experiencing a version of what Richie felt in the last season, a worry of everyone in his life abandoning him and finding that they no longer actually need him. I think they could very easily have gone into this, especially after he discovers that while he was locked in the freezer they managed great without him and worked together very well. To a character whose sense of identity and self-worth is so rooted in how good he is at this one thing, I think it would have made complete sense for him to initially lose it and try to wrestle back control somehow, but as I said, another massive issue I have is that this _works_ and that everyone is letting him do this. I also find it kind of weird Richie isn't more concerned about him given everything that happened with Mikey. I know they hurt each other during the freezer fight but if we're being honest, Richie (despite being the loveable kind of asshole) has had more than his fair share of outbursts and unhelpful behaviour during the first two seasons, and instead of ditching him like Richie was worried he might, Carmy finds the perfect place for him to stage that fills him with a newfound sense of purpose. Carmy understood him so well and came through for him when he needed it, and in return we see Richie do so little to try and get through to Carmy and help him in return. That was kind of disappointing too, because like a lot of other people have pointed out, these relationships, the one Carmy has with Sydney but really all the different relationships at the restaurant, are really the beating heart of the show. You take that out and it loses so much of what made it great. We never even see Carmy interact with Sugar after she had her baby, or hold said baby for the first time. Like wtf?

My last point is about feeling super weird about trying to liken Carmy to his former boss (the New York chef) this season. The only reason any of the parallels they are trying to highlight between Carmy, Syd, and said former boss even remotely work is because both Carmy and Syd are acting like such radically different people this season. There is, again, this really bizarre lack of communication between Sydney and Carmy this season (and all of the characters in general). In the past whenever Carmy stepped out of line or got too loud or shitty with his instructions (or whenever any person in the kitchen crossed a line really) Sydney was always the first to be like That's not on dude, you gotta take it all the way down. I think the show has repeatedly and thoroughly established she's not scared of Carmy the way he was of the New York chef. Even when he was being an asshole to her in the past she mostly found it annoying and uncalled for and then they had a conversation about it and he would apologise. Sydney knows he'd never do smth like badmouth her to try ruin her reputation at other restaurants should she leave the Bear, for example, or do other things that would hurt her career. When Carmy makes a comment that implies she's worried she can't keep up with him in terms of skill, she's, again, annoyed at the implication and tells him so to his face. I get making larger points about how we repeat the patterns we know and how work environments like that can dampen the joy you once felt for the profession, make you far more anxious, it happened to Carmy, now he's doing it to Syd, etc, but I still felt like this could have been handled much more subtly, or maybe once Sydney did take the job at that new restaurant and her new boss turns out to be awful. Introducing this particular dynamic that again, seems very keen to draw parallels to some of the unbelievably heinous abuse Carmy underwent, with these two characters in particular, required Carmy to become a much bigger asshole very quickly, and it required Syd to suddenly become much more passive as a character, and for both of them to not be even remotely close anymore, seemingly overnight. Which again, I found weird, because she's not the one he yelled abuse at through the freezer door. They didn't have a particular falling out in the climax of the last season. Show their relationship getting worse, sure, but I still think it is incredibly different to what Carmy went through with his boss in so many ways, so I'm hoping they're not going to continue in that direction because it just feels incongruous for them both.

Of course I understand that the stress and trauma are getting to both of them and that the showrunners wanted to do something new with this season, but this just didn't feel like natural and subtle character progression to me so much as a way to artificially inflate the drama (much like what they did with endlessly teasing cliffhangers like the review or Syd leaving or not leaving or whether Carmy will ever talk to Claire). I think there is a difference between writing a character who acts in ways that are 'irrational' in the sense that they act in a certain way because of distorted mental perceptions and destructive habits, or other things explicable by their mental illness, and characters whose actions are completely inconsistent with all the behaviour they've exhibited so far. Because it's not like we've only ever seen Carmy as this totally healthy person who then had an experience that totally knocked him off his course. He's been varying shades of unwell for this entire show and all the flashbacks we've seen. But until this season he was also always very consistently written. To me, trauma and mental illness just aren't a get out of jail free card for having a character behave in ways that make absolutely no sense (again, based on what we already know about them), and having all the characters around them respond to it in similarly nonsensical ways. If they really wanted Carmy to go down this more villain-esque road of turning into his former mentor I just wish they'd written a scenario where that development would have felt more organic, and happened more gradually.

I'm really hoping they'll find a way to still turn things around because I honestly still love this show but I am very worried at this point.

[theskyexists]

The last graduate reread

It's crazy. People just RUN. You save yourself or it's over. Damn

Does El seriously not realise that if she just got her head out of her ass and told any enclave: I can kill every mal ever ever ever if you just give me the mana... But no

It's something that the scholomance is trying to teach her now. It realised she's got a weakness for poor freshmen lol

But hold on if El got jumped 5 times a week, then how the heck has she never shown off her killing prowess???

She NEVER asks Orion for mana. And he's so unbelievably dumb that he never even offers it

Once again, the last graduate sets the scholomance up as the largest mal ever - perfectly. El literally thinks: it feeds on us. Yet.

Honestly ...I think Orion DOES like Chloe a bit. He likes them all well enough. They're alright. They just don't interest him.

She just killed a whole pack of leskits.

She could have absolutely saved a couple of those 600 kids that died anyway. If she'd had the SENSE to get a power sharer

There were two silly parts in here that I disliked. The plans that went nope. The honeypot plan in original form that went nowhere. And yknow the whole graduation plan.

Was the scholomance trying to get Orion to slow down on his eating too?

I am pretty damn sad that Chloe got such a limited role in the golden enclaves. She's their ALLY. Why wasn't she there for any of it???

Yeah. Why CAN Orion see El? It IS probably because she's a third level entity.

Mana mana mana. Can't find enough mana to do a major working. Ok but. Orion is right there. He's right there. He WILL BE right there in the graduation hall. So. Endless mana.

Yeah this was the disappointing honepot setup. Their first experiment with the lute worked just about. Rework the melody.

Sludging acid that can burn through flesh and bone. It's like she doesn't even see that that might be USEFUL ON MALS???

Last time i also thought this spell was insane. Insane. It took a minute. It took no mana. Its free mana building. All it takes is common selfless purpose. healing. And they never use it again. She could have used it on any one person bleeding out or dying of one or the other mal poison or wound. Like.

Wait... Orion could SEE Cora when she got healed by circle

Wait... Is it because she's pure mana? No. He'd be able to see liu. Its because she's so powerful. So that IS why. Third order entity, thus has crisp edges for a mawmouth

Orion doesn't want the sharer because then he'd suck it dry.

El complaining aboutbrewing instant kill poisons. El...you can throw them...at Mals. You can trade them..... To be thrown at mals....

I would actually bet that the Scholomance has been funneling mals at El before, it was just never so obvious before, and matched to her abilities. Or not.... Did she just run everytime she got jumped? Probably ....

El says ' i understood him perfectly' but she didn't understand him there at all lol

Holy SHIT. Liesel tripped El so bad just before the mortal flame it's basically a fucking murder attempt. What the FUCK. She goddamn well gave you important information too

Ah. Right. She regretted hurting her that bad.

Amazing cake metaphors for Liesel's stunning cleavage lips and hair ensemble that Orion has zero interest in.

AND THEN THEY KISS!!!!!!! great kissing scene

That line I'll never forget it. That there's nothing much more dangerous than a fully grown wizard. Yeah. What if they didn't have to fight for their lives endlessly. What would become of humanity then...

She only realised now, now that freaking khamis did it, that SHE could do it. My god.

El is convinced Orion wouldn't survive. Which is stupid and hilarious in retrospect..he WILL survive

He just won't be able to protect people much. After all he couldn't get at Ellen in time

So the scholomance set up a situation to get El to see she will have to get everybody out. Then threw a course at them that only she can help teams get through

ALFIE!!!!! still so friendly lol

Liesel, a woman after El's own heart.

The Marathi group who traded their spellbook to Jaipur for enclave building spells instantly imploded after getting them. Well now we know why. Some moralists among them

It does also say here that you can purge your own mana. Why doesn't every fucking wizard do that oh my GOD. That's a bad loophole you shouldn't have put in novik

She literally describes the use of a mal binding spell then goes urgh but it was useless. El....you didn't have to keep it... Didn't have to feed it human corpses....just direct it into the void....

El still pessimistically interpreting the scholomance.

El not telling anyone she's gonna save em all.

WHY???? ARE YOU AN IDIOT

I guess the scholomance feels the same

Oh right. This was the moment even the book admitted: El desperately needs help because she can never spit a single thing out that would help everyone

Wow I suddenly love khamis. For finally having a go at El.

Yeah the scholomance made her the enclaver in a group of thousands. But now she's got to live with being that, everybody having to say yes to her stupid plan or die

Edit: kind of hilarious that Liesel was looking like some sort of super attractive vogue model scholomance equivalent and Orion didn't even notice which somehow triggered El into going for it with him. I need a fanfic of that exact scene again with them as highly accomplished adults. Like. El (Killer of Mawmouths) takes Liesel along (Domina of London and Manager of the Mawmouth Extermination Program) into the new Scholomance to visit Orion (Guardian of the Scholomance) and Liesel looks stunning and El looks beautiful naturally but yknow like a hippie nomad who never had the chance to learn how to dress. And somehow you get the same dynamic where El notices how amazing Liesel looks and how Orion doesn't notice at all. And Liesel rolls her eyes at El like, duh. And it again triggers El and Orion making out. Lolololol (because that IS flattering right? And also Liesel IS an aphrodisiac alsjdodjeoddjdjliaks).

[kamenstranger]

With this new season of Castlevania alleged creepy sex weirdo Warren Ellis was out as head writer, and Clive Bradley was in. Bradley is known primarily as a crime and horror writer, whose works I wasn't too familiar with before this. That, in addition to the events of season 4, left me with basically no expectations for what direction the show would go.

That said, The first episode perfectly sets the stage for the rest of the season. It is efficient without feeling rushed or over-stuffed. It is concise while covering a lot of ground.

We open on Richter being sent away to France for his protection, but in the process, his mother, Julia (Sophie Skelton), is killed by a powerful vampire, Olrox (Zahn McClarnon). Nine years later, in 1792, we find Richter (Edward Bluemel) with this adoptive sister, Maria Renard (Pixie Davies). Maria is a witch and a young revolutionary fanning the flames among the peasants, making her and her listeners targets for the literal bloodsucking cronies of the upper class. Although they pose no threat to our two heroes.

Richter and Maria right off the bat have a great sibling dynamic. While it would be a stretch to call this young cocky Richter level-headed, he has a comparatively cool demeanor to Maria's short fuse. Maria herself is a lot of fun. She is foul-mouthed and rebellious in a "burn the bourgeois" sort of way, which puts her at odds with institutions such as the church.

Still, the two meet with the local Abbott, Emmanuel (Richard Dormer), seeing as one of the attacking vampires mentioned a Vampire Messiah. Although the church is of no help.

After that excursion, there's a slight respite in Richter's domestic life, focusing on Maria and her mother, Tera (Nastassja Kinski). We see that Richter suffers from PTSD nightmares over his mother's death. He's awakened by an attack on the homestead by night creatures, something neither Richter, nor the rest of the household, has experience or knowledge of, resulting in a pretty brutal beatdown.

He's saved by the timely intervention of Annette (Thuso Mbedu) a former plantation slave who can manipulate rocks and metals; and Edouard (Sydney James Harcourt) a revolutionary opera singer. Both were looking for Richter in hopes of stopping this vampire messiah. Elsewhere, Olrox arrives in France to meet this messiah.

As I said, this episode covers a lot of ground. The back story for Richter, supporting characters and their relationships, major events being set up, more supporting characters to explore, and a lot of small character moments. That last one I think is the most important because there is a lot of that sprinkled throughout, along with some quick dialogue that explains small details. For example, when Richter is a child there's a quick line about how Tera isn't a vampire hunter. Richter is talented and has some training, but we see his limitations with the Night Creatures. There's some other stuff too, like Richter not having much thought on the current affairs of a classist system, but finding Maria and her mother good people with good intentions, so he stands by them. He has a good heart, but he perhaps doesn't think much about the world at large the same way Maria does.

Another small but appreciated bit is Annette's spear turning into dust and reforming as plates. You immediately pick up on her metal manipulation ability, and it's nice that Maria isn't the only one with unique magic (that being the Sì Xiàng.) Not to mention this also sets the ground for a much larger world of magic, like say, Richter's Item Crash abilities from the games. And yes, that is a key component because Richter lost his ability to do any magic after his mother's death.

In fact, episode 2 expands on that very thing while also explaining that Annette's powers came from her father's side, leading all the way back to her culture's God of war, Ogun (They don't specify which African Religion.) An inheritance of magic would become a running motif throughout this season. But That's just a small part of this episode.

The real meat of the second episode is the arrival of the Messiah's Emissary, Drolta Tzuentes (Elarica Johnson) to France, and Annette revealing the vampire messiah's name; Erzsebet Bathory. This triggers memories in Maria's mother that she had long kept secret. Tera was originally from Russia, part of a group of speakers helping a small village until they were besieged by vampires. Tera lost her sister to vampirism in the process and was forced to kill her. She fled until she reached France and was taken in by Emmanuel, hoping to leave that nightmare behind.

With their best lead being an Island chateau with nightly parties, Richter, Maria, Annette, and Edouard, skulk out the place in hopes of finding out where the night creatures are coming from. While spying on the partygoers, Annette spots her former slaver, Vaublanc, and nearly loses control of herself. Regardless, Vaublanc still takes notice and things quickly go south. The four flee an onslaught of monsters, but only three make it out. Edouard is overwhelmed and slain in the chaos. His body is brought to the Abbey along with other corpses to be made into night creatures in the cellar.

Unlike the slow methodical smith-like process of the 1400s, the demon forging process has become industrialized. Something I didn't care for much (at first) is that Edouard is turned into a night creature where it's basically just him but with monster appendages. So his midriff and face are perfectly normal. Everyone else turns into these barely recognizable monsters, but you know his features stay intact for future drama. We'll get back to that.

Episode 3 focuses on the group comforting Annette's loss, and her in turn opening up to the group about her past. Seeing her mother killed by Vaublanc, the awakening of her powers, her escape at age 16, and of course her meeting with Edouard. Edouard hid Annette from Vaublanc and brought her to a rebel militia in the mountains where she was trained to use her powers by a Seer, Cécile, and eventually aids in the uprising of Saint-Domingue. Although Vaublanc would of course escape. Annette is obviously very different from her game counterpart and for the better in my book. She's a proactive player here and the backstory given also connects both narratively and thematically to the setting and themes. It's also nice that Edouard gets some backstory laid out because we never really got a chance to explore him before his death. While this is still more in the service of Annette, it's at least something.

A smaller part of the episode is a homoerotic confrontation between Olrox and the Abbott's right hand, Mizrak (Aaron Neil) Olrox seemingly throwing a wrench into their plans for his own gain, planting a seed in the warrior's mind that Erzsebet will cast them aside when the opportunity arrives. Maria also introduces Annette to her revolutionary group, but are attacked by night creatures, Edouard among their ranks. One little twist is that Edouard maintains a degree of consciousness. He turns away from Annette, hides his face, and ends up attacking another creature that goes after her. In that regard, I consider his appearance to reflect that the process of the forge was perhaps flawed in some manner. But we have seen creatures display a degree of independence before, and memories of their past life as with FlysEyes. Whatever the cause, he's carried off with the remaining night creatures, Maria noting that they were heading in the direction of the Abbey.

Episode 4 follows up with Maria and Annette being hell-bent on assaulting the Abbey for answers, although Richter objects to the impulsive nature since they're unsure. Tera instead offers a more subtle approach with an alternate entrance to the cellar. In fact, she knows a little bit too much about the Abbey, something Richter takes notice of.

Olrox is also busy getting answers. From an afterglow chat with Mizrak to secretly investigating the demon forge and its workings. He even chats with Edouard while the Abbot is busy in a meeting with Drolta on their uneasy alliance. Trepidatious though it may be, both see a benefit. Emmanuel wants to purge the revolution for questioning and outright attacking the church. The Vampires want to maintain a ruling class and need a human to forge demons for an army. It's all about the status quo.

Drolta also has some good character bits here. I wouldn't call her particularly deep as a villain, she never becomes as interesting as Olrox. But she is a fun villain. Which, hey, that's more than I can say for her Bloodlines counterpart who was just a witch. You can also tell someone had a lot of fun designing all of Drolta's different looks, she has more outfit changes than anyone else and her aesthetic is fucking great.

All that said, Drolta and Emmanuel cross paths with our heroes, and a big chunk of the episode is a massive fight in the cellar. If you've read my previous Castlevania reviews you know I dislike regurgitating what's on screen followed by "done well" But this is a highlight of the season. We're at the midway point, the threads are starting to come together, and we're ramping things up with an amazing battle showcasing everyone's abilities brilliantly. In particular, we see how dangerous Drolta is. All this with a beautiful vocal performance by Edouard.

Amongst all this action are some story morsels; Tera is horrified at Emmanuel for one- although he does stop Drolta from going after Maria. Put a pin in that. There's also a truly heart-wrenching moment between Annette and Edouard where he begins to remember who she is. And if that wasn't enough, just when we're showing how fucking badass Richter can be with him finally handling night creatures, Olrox makes his presence known. And the utter looks of terror in Richter's eyes upon hearing his voice is so palatable.

The facial expressions this season are truly wonderful. Richter tells everyone to get the fuck out and runs for it, not stopping. And what I love is right after everyone has escaped, Olrox acts completely natural toward Drolta, saying he just got off the boat and the messiah is expecting him.

Ep 5 is split into three parts. One follows a frustrated Annette as she heads out and eventually tails Drolta's carriage until she meets up with Olrox. This segment is largely exposition while also trying to further convince Olrox of their cause. There's a lot of back and forth about rising and falling empires, something both Olrox and Drolta have seen their share of since their Aztec and Egypt days, respectively. It boils down to Drolta considering the natural order of things to be of rulers and subjects. The messiah can supposedly offer a permanent empire for Vampires to rule. After that meeting, and by complete happenstance, Annette ends up running into Vaublanc in the same graveyard. She uses her ability in possibly the most unique manner to trap the slaver in a cage of crosses. And for really no good goddamn reason at all, he gloats about Erzsebet Báthory's plans and her power. How she drank the blood of the Egyptian goddess Sekhmet. Considering she's a solar goddess, all I'm picturing is the time Dracula bit Superman and blew up.

That somehow didn't happen but instead supposedly gave her the ability to block the sun. This ranting goes on until the sun rises and burns the lesser vampire to a crisp. Meanwhile, Emmanuel shows up at Tera's house. It's a similar case of back and forth, how Emmanuel is clearly engaging in horrible sacrilegious acts but he views it as an end justifies the means sorta way. I'm getting a little bit ahead of myself here, but this is basically Emmanuel's character for the rest of the show. Becoming increasingly unhinged, but with a touch of self-awareness. His character has this uneasy combination of the deeper he goes, the worse he feels…but he can't stop. You wonder if it will ever be too much. Honestly, it makes for a more interesting human monster compared to the flat 200% evil priests of the previous Castlevania. Oh, it also gets revealed that he's Maria's father. Okay, that's not shocking from an audience perspective, it's painfully obvious what with Tera's comments, history, and the fact that there are only two adult blonds in the entire show. But from the Character's POV, it causes a rift between Maria and her mother.

Richter oddly has the least to do in this episode, yet he is perhaps the most interesting. After bolting and having a breakdown, he wanders aimlessly, gets a bandana from some revolutionaries smitten with his looks, and ultimately winds up at a bar. He's too poor for a drink, although an old man pays for a meal. And this is when things take a surprising turn. A vampire bursts into the bar looking for the old man. Richter reaches for the whip, but the old man has already taken it and quickly slays the vampire with ease.

Playing up an old fan theory, this is in fact Richter's Grandfather, Juste (Iain Glen). This one got me. The moment I saw a long white-haired man I figured it could be, but I was still pleasantly surprised they went there.

Episode 6 is another dense one, with Erzsabet making her horrifying arrival to France. Edouard meanwhile begins talking to fellow night creatures, one of whom, Jacques, recalls attending Maria's meetings. Speaking of, Maria visits Emmanuel in hopes of swaying the Abbott away from his path. I guess you could say she's presenting the choice of what sort of father he wants to be. I admit, it's slightly jarring that Maria would extend this offer in the first place given her utter disdain prior. I guess she wants to give the benefit of the doubt, but she's not exactly had a longing for a father figure as part of her character. Sure, she thought her father was dead until now, but it feels more like something thrown in so Drolta can secretly take notice and set up events for the finale. In fairness, Maria is impulsive, so I guess in that regard it still works. But… yeah I'm still iffy on it as a plot point.

Thankfully, the main core of this episode is much better by being centered on Richter and Juste. We learn why there was such dissonance with his daughter, and why he's kept away from Richter, how he became so broken. Juste once was the most powerful magic user of the Belmonts, the whip was almost secondary to him. But his wife Lydie and his best friend Maxim were both killed by a vampire. After that, he lost his magical touch. He lost hope. These tales of woe are cut short when elite vampire warriors sent by Drolta assault the duo, chaining Juste and separating Richter from the whip. Richter is restrained and prepared for execution. But something happens to Richter. A burning desire to not only live, but to protect the people he loves. That fire inside him grows and becomes literal.

What follows is less of a fight and more pure elegant destruction. Richter burning, freezing, and stabbing all the night fiends. I would also be remiss if I didn't mention this is backed with the one game cover for this season; Divine Bloodlines. Which is just exquisite. Beyond that, I just love this bit of character. Richter's strength, and consequentially what makes him contrast with Trevor and more directly Juste, is how he channels his trauma into something positive.

However, do not let the above distract from the fact that Olrox gets his own spotlight finally delving into his motivations. After all, he was once part of a great kingdom until the Spanish arrived. Does he see Erzsabet as just another god king which fools have pledged themselves to? Perhaps. We also get some insight into the lover Julia killed. A Mohican man who fought in the Revolutionary War, only to have his home stolen by those same people. The only thing that changed was who the colonizers were. But lest you think that makes Olrox too sympathetic, the only reason he lost his love is because he was turned into a vampire. Mizrak actually confronts him on this, asking if a choice was even granted. Of course, Olrox was too selfish for that.

Ep 7. Our penultimate episode, unsurprisingly, is mostly set up for the finale. Although a great deal is simply low-key character interactions, like the fallout between Maria with her mother over Emmanuel.

Richter also returns to the trio and has a nice quiet scene with just him and Annette, Richter apologizing for abandoning them and promising to help rescue Edouard. It's really the only scene the two have leaning into there being something between them, Annette admitting she was more worried about him than she wanted. It's rather cute and I love the subtle blush on Annette. But there's no time to kindle that spark. The four must prepare a full assault on the Abbey.

Less low-key is Erzsabet's plans being fully laid out. Olrox is nothing more than a servant to pay Erzabet tribute by conquering the Americas on her behalf. This submission is not something he takes kindly to, but he has little choice. Speaking of submission, Emmanuel is expected to do just that for the new messiah. A sacrifice of something dear to him; Maria.

As our heroes begin planning their attack on the Abbey, Maria voices concern over what could happen to Emmanuel. But as Tera bluntly puts it: he made his choice. Before they can continue, they're interrupted by an unlikely source, Olrox, who drops off Emmanuel's infernal tome. While this leads to a whole excursion, the gist is really quite simple; Olrox can't afford to get too involved with this subversion, Erzsabet is far more powerful than any know, and the Demon Forge can only be handled by humans. Whether or not they trust Olrox is irrelevant, this is their best bet at dealing a blow before Erzsabet can build an army.

That night, as Tera reads over the tome, Maria sneaks out and heads for the Abbey, hoping to give her father one last chance to have a change of heart. But it's to no avail, his mind is thoroughly poisoned and Maria is captured, breaking the last straw for Mizrak.

The following day, Tera figures out the solution to dealing with the forge, but it won't be easy. Destruction isn't possible, the only solution is sending it back where it came from; Hell. Annette will be needed to quite literally push the entire machine through a portal. Just as their plan is formulated, Mizrak arrives, warning them that Emmanuel is preparing to kill Maria. As they hurry to the church, the sun is suddenly eclipsed.

Erzsabet, true to the rumors, can call forth an eternal night.

This brings us to the season finale in episode 8. The four arrive in time to save Maria from the crazed holy man. Annette heads down to take care of the forge and also free Edouard, although he prefers staying with the night creatures, two of whom have regained their sentience and even protect Annette.

As Tera reads incantations to summon the portal to hell, Drolta and a small squad of vampires arrive at the church for Richter, Maria, and Mizrak to take care of. One thing for sure is that Drolta is a force to be reckoned with. Their previous fight was during the day, but now she's at full strength. Maria is giving it her all, and Richter is no slouch with his new magic. He even gets a few good licks in with his ice whip.

But things change when Erzsabet arrives. She has since transmogrified into a Sekhmet lioness appearance, and she is immensely powerful. None of the attacks launched at her can even make contact. Not Maria's guardians, not the whip, not the elemental magics. She casts everyone aside and heads right for Maria, which causes Tera to lose focus and close the portal. See, Emmanuel misunderstood. Bathory wasn't looking for a blood sacrifice, she was looking for someone to turn. Tera intervenes and begs to be taken instead of Maria. After all, she's a speaker and would be a powerful minion to have. Bathory accepts. I want to take a moment and say Tera's fate hits surprisingly hard. She's not the deepest character, we don't spend a great deal of time on her. But she's prominent enough to leave an impact. A flawed individual with the best of intentions and ultimately a good heart. I do want to give mention to Nastassja Kinski's performance, which is her first voice role. She gives Tera this soft-spoken kindly forlorn inflection that perfectly matches her complicated past. And to see that character turned and suddenly become this ravenous beast, feasting like a combination of starving infant and strung-out addict… it's beautifully sad. This is a show full of contrasts and Tera made a great contrast to Emmanuel, more so than Maria, I think. I don't believe Tera was under any illusions like Emmanuel. Her sacrifice isn't going to spare Maria, but it buys everyone enough time. Conversely, Emmanuel would give up anyone else with the assumption it would be worth it, even as it broke his heart. And make no mistake, his heart is breaking during this moment.

With the situation at its worst, the four make their escape as Drolta and her minions give chase. Drolta closes in on Richter, lunging after him.

Only to be met by a familiar sword. Understandably an elite vampire being taken out followed by a guy claiming to be the son of Dracula causes the rest of the vampires to flee. Alucard turns his attention towards Richter, hoping that he isn't too late. And that is one hell of a season finale. Goddamn.

If it wasn't clear by now. I thoroughly enjoyed this season. There are a few issues I have, mostly small and nitpicky stuff. But things are fairly damn solid and I don't have much major to complain about. One thing I do see criticized is some of the dialogue being "Cringy." It's not as bad as I had seen made out, but there are undeniably some dorky-ass wince-inducing lines. Some try too hard to be inspiring or funny. One example would be Richter going on a speech as his powers awaken and saying he was "gonna have a witty line… but fuck it." It just doesn't come off as earnest. I get the feeling that it's trying to evoke Ellis' form of vulgarity and irreverent humor- which itself sometimes fell face first. But there's nothing in here even close to "Eat shit and Die. Yes, fuck you." or "See? God Hates me." Nocturne thankfully avoids trying to be too much like its predecessor and is better for it. Although its own quirks occasionally stick out, it's nothing that ruins the moment. Probably the worst it gets was Annette's speech to the revolutionaries which isn't even a paragraph and about as inspirational as Marshmallow fluff is nutritious. Maria's overly enthusiastic reaction only highlights the lame awkwardness. Fred Hamton this was not. I suppose on a related note, it is worth talking about the themes of the series. The most notable of all these is how it interprets Vampires among the aristocracy, literally feeding on the lower classes. Not an original take by any means, but one that works and is great for the setting. Perhaps the most criticism I can levy towards Nocturne when it dips into the various class systems at play is how little it actually gets to delve into them, despite how constant they are. It does raise some interesting ideas and points, such as the uprising in Saint-Domingue, or how Olrox's Mohican lover was turned against by the Americans. It presents this idea that there are those that will always see themselves above others and the French Revolutionaries aren't really going to give a shit once all is said and done. A slave is beneath a peasant, an Indian beneath a colonist, a night creature beneath a human, a human beneath a vampire, and so forth. But as prevalent as that is, I don't think the series ever takes full advantage of those elements. The parallels are just that, parallels. Something repeated but never expanded upon in a meaningful way. Look, I'm in a post-Black Sun world. I realize nothing is going to compete on the totally radical scale by comparison. Still, while Nocturne is far from toothless, it doesn't have as much bite as it could. I will give credit to Olrox. I think he's the most interesting of the bunch in how these systems affect his compass. Driven away from his homeland by Conquistadors, his lover was driven from his by revolutionaries. Olrox himself is now part of a system of power- and yet he is still subjugated as nothing more than muscle to a more powerful figure within that system… who wants him to colonize.

As for everyone else… Man, this is a weird situation. For Richter, I don't think there's much that hasn't already been covered. I like his character and what they do with him. It's a fairly typical young hero journey, one that just got started in a lot of respects. He overcame is trauma, got his power back, and was met with something far stronger. He has quite a ways to go and more to learn. I think it's safe to say that applies to Maria, too. Perhaps even more so because she lacks a character-focused episode that doesn't center on her family. She was fine overall, but I'm more looking forward to the next season and the fallout of losing her mother to a fate worse than death, how that affects her, the relationships around her, and perhaps channeling it into becoming more powerful.

Curiously, Maria is down an animal buddy throughout this entire season. I'm not counting the doves/owls because I'm fairly certain they were considered redundant with huáng. But Shenlong is noticeably absent and I can only assume that's going to be Maria's big upgrade in the next season. I hope the same is true for Richter. As much as I appreciate seeing them get clever with the ice and fire abilities, I want to see things I associate with him specifically. The closest we get is the flame whip and a pseudo grand cross. Have him throw a bible and the page cut like razors or stick like Fulu talismans, 1,000 blades, hydro storm. Make that a part of him getting stronger, going beyond the traditional magic, and perhaps tie that in with some character stuff with Annette as their relationship blossoms. (As an aside. I can't help but think Tera being turned into a vampire is perfect setup to make the whip into a proper vampire killer ala Lament of Innocence.)

To give more credit where it's due, I also appreciate what's done with Annette by incorporating wider cultural elements into the setting, in addition to still being something that's a major part of her background. I'm hoping for more stuff with Annette next season because I feel aside from her origin tale she's easily overshadowed by Richter's journey feeling more full. Plus it's perfect opportunity to set up a family dynamic with the three.

Getting back to the magical angle, I also love that Erzsabet takes on a second form in relation to a God. That's very much in tune with how in the games Dracula could assume a form like Pazuzu. Likewise, Olrox can turn into a giant serpent, which is a nice twist on his lizard form from SOTN while giving some Quetzalcoatl-like qualities related to his own background. Hmm, that's another Sun God like Sekhmet…

But a lot of what I'm talking about here is setting and background stuff around characterization. And also shit I'm expecting/wanting next season because I've already covered most of the characters. Well, that, and as efficient as the story is, it does leave me wanting more. Which, yes, is a great thing. I enjoy these characters and want to spend more time with them. I feel it's at least appropriate enough to leave off where we do. But there is still a nagging part of me that hates that we have horribly short seasons with this franchise. As wonderful as the writing is at balancing the narrative and characters for a streamlined experience, it's still in the single digits. We only have 8 roughly 25 minute episodes and I struggle to say more than a few unique blurbs about any one character because of that short run. The plus side is they use every bit of that run time well, it's remarkable how much is done in that time. The downside is "barely scratched the surface" is a phrase I can apply to most of the cast. Richter is truthfully the only one with a proper fulfilling arc that still leaves room for growth. Annette sorta gets a spirit journey about using the full strength of her ancestors and forgiving Richter, but that's kinda it. Maria has some character stuff with her family, but it's not a journey in the same way as the others, despite the personal nature. We're going to have to wait until next season before deep-diving on Maria and Annette. To say nothing of Mizrak who barely has a speaking role. The more I think about it, the more I wish this was 3-5 episodes longer just to sink those claws in more. It almost feels like a show that is the best case scenario for when you cut out all the fat. As it stands, I'm still appreciative of what was done. 8 episodes were ordered and they did the best with those restrictions, that much I believe is certain. Maybe it's best to focus on what is rather than what could be, and what we got is still damn good.

Also damn good is the animation this season. So this is going to be a pretty sort section because I'm limited to 30 photos and I've got 4 other reviews talking about the animation in Castlevania. One thing I have to point out is that Netflix and many others are calling this an anime, despite the fact that outside Japan the term typically refers to animation which is at the very least produced by a Japanese studio. We won't get into the semantics of how that applies if the actual animating is outsourced to South Korea (Which Studio DR Movie is) Or the nuances of how styles have intermingled for decades. Honestly, I don't really care all that much. I'm just pointing it out because I find it hilarious that a show partly handled by a studio based in Austin, TX gets slapped with the Anime label because, and let's be real here, they're too insecure to call it a cartoon or animation outright. That's the only reason. Amazon does the same damn thing with Invincible, which is just embarrassing in my eyes. If the HBO Spawn was made today they'd be trying to do the same shit with that… especially since that was partially handled by Studio Madhouse… who outsources to DR Movie.

Anyway, we've got yet another change up this season with animation moving from Tiger Animation in Season 4 to the renowned DR Movie. Chances are you've seen their work somewhere before, as they're pretty big in both the Japanese anime and Western animation scene. They've done everything from the in-between shots on JJBA Diamond is Unbreakable, to additional work on the 2010 Young Justice series.

Of course, that's not to say they handled all of this. After all, Powerhouse Animation has been at this since the first season in 2017, and are damn impressive in their own right. If you've seen the Sonic Frontiers and Superstars animations, that was them.

While the gap between this and Season 4 isn't massive, the uptick is still very noticeable. Fights in particular stand out more with a strong sense of choreography to the battles. There's a good use of the environment with impactful kinetic energy. Shading and lighting are probably the best it's been, and at no point was there a glaring instance of what could be perceived as "corner-cutting." It's frankly gorgeous and perhaps the best so far.

What I have a harder time commenting on is the music, and man, I always feel trepidatious talking about Music in the animated series. Comparisons to the games are inevitable, and those have some of the most rockin' iconic beats of any game series. The show typically only has one game track represented per season, if that. Yet I also feel that's disingenuous to Trevor Morris and (this season) Trey Toy, who do great work. Yet often times it is very atmospheric and more subtle, which I have a hard time conveying that, aside from asking if you like Castlevania IV's approach. What I can say, aside from the obvious choice of Bloonelines, is that Lamento della Ninfa is the standout track this season. It's used a couple of times, mostly in the Abbey, and it is a truly beautiful piece that complements the battles yet is still a great track divorced from the context of the scene at play. I also feel bad saying that because it, like bloodlines, is a preexisting track. In this case a Claudio Monteverdi composition.

Since we're on the subject of vocals, I might as well talk about the voice acting. It's good. I mean what the fuck do you expect? We're on a sequel to a 4 season show, of course, they're going to get that right. I will say it's surprising that not a lot of the cast have voice-acting credits prior to this. Some have one or two, for others this is their first VA role, and they all do a damn fine job. Less surprising is that Zahn McClarnon is one of the stand-out performance to me. He is the most experienced of anyone in the cast, and ironically it's the role showing the least variety. But I would say it's the most complicated because Olrox has a very subdued, practically emotionless delivery. To impart that sense of control over oneself without being stereotypically monotone is remarkably difficult for a lot of performers. I can hear Olrox and immediately pick up he's weary from all the shit he's seen. Every now and then you'll get something dry and cheeky, or a cold threatening aura peeking through the unnatural calm.

The other standout is Sydney James Harcourt. As far as I'm aware, this is his first VA role. He is primarily a musical performer on and off Broadway. And yes, that means when Edouard sings, it's still Harcourt. So that amazing rendition of Lamento della Ninfa is him.

Final Thoughts.

Castlevania Nocturne quelled most of my fears about the series continuing on, and in some areas showed itself to be far more nuanced and interesting than its fore bearer. There are still critiques I have with the show- it seems an absurdly short season is a reoccurring issue with this franchise. But I can't deny that few shows can do so much in so little. I've seen 43 episode series do less with their characters, so make of that what you will. Whatever issues I have with the episode number, I'd rather them set up and wait than try to tackle too much in a season that clearly doesn't have the time. My only real concern going forward is Netflix's abysmal practices fucking the show over. Ya know, is it going to take a third season to get some characters a satisfactory amount of development?

Regardless, I can say that Nocturne's first season feels refined, and frankly more mature. It never goes above the means given to it, and despite some stumbles, it's not overly ambitious or clunky. Nocturne knows exactly what it wants and gets to it in the shortest amount of time. If season 2 can continue that trend remains to be seen. I'm at least confident the series is in good hands.

As always, thanks for reading, and reblogs are always welcome. You can find me on Bluesky @kamenstranger.bsky.social I have a Ko-fi if you'd like to throw a dollar at me. Happy Halloween!

[kingwuko]

👄🙌🥘

👄 Your OTP are having their first kiss. What song do you imagine is playing?

I did already answer this one! Halo by Beyoncé is a beautiful song and feels fitting because Wu canonically does a Beyoncé dance (I cannot believe the writers tried to make us believe he's straight.) I've always loved that song and something about the lyrics feels very Wuko.

🙌What's a line or paragraph of yours that you're proud of?

I really like this paragraph I wrote for Unnatural: If this were a cheesy romance mover, this would be the big, romantic climax. The leading lady, and her loyal love interest, finally declaring their love for one another after years of will-they-won’t-they. The wedding of a friend was the ideal setting, perfectly picturesque for a big romantic gesture, then happily-ever-after. That was what was supposed to happen, what would probably happen. After the supporting character left them alone. I wrote it wanting it to kind of work on two levels. Obviously the surface level, Wu prematurely (and sadly) popping Makorra bottles. Considering himself the supporting character in their romance... It feels sad even as he tries to talk himself into being happy for Mako. BUT I also wanted this to describe what ACTUALLY happens with Korrasami. I wanted the description to match the scene in canon that follows when Tenzin (the supporting character) leaves Korra and Asami to have their romantic gesture and happily-ever-after. Like. Wu was close. He just got the name of the loyal love interest wrong. Anyway I don't know if that came through but I'm happy with how it reads anyway.

🥘What wip are you most excited about?

OH GOD I'm trying SO HARD to contain my excitement, but I did write a summary for my new AU. I've got it outlined and I've made good progress on writing it, I'm just in the early editing stages for the first chapter. So I'll share the title and summary that I've crafted so far, though I might tweak it when I actually post. You'll Be the Death of Me Summary: Mako, a hitman for the Triple Threat Triad, is hired to assassinate the heir to the Earth Kingdom throne by posing as a bodyguard. But when he finds himself falling in love with his target, Mako must navigate the treacherous worlds of politics, high society, and the criminal underground to protect Wu, Bolin, and to find redemption for his bloodstained past.

Send me more asks? From this list or this one, or just about Wuko in general!

[humorisstoredinthetits]

Heathers x I'm In Love With the Villainess

I'm a fan of both properties, and I've noticed that Claire and Heather Chandler are basically the same person, so I've thought of an AU where instead of becoming obsessed with Revolution, Rae/Rei becomes obsessed with Heathers the Musical and Heather Chandler and gets isekai-ed into it

So instead of her friend giving her a copy of Revolution, she gives Rei a link to a slime tutorial of Heathers the Musical, and she similarly becomes obsessed with it, watching it over and over again until she could recite it from memory

And similarly to canon, she ignores the male love interest in JD and obsesses over Heather Chandler

In either universe, Rei still has a type, spoiled bossy rich blonde girls who wear red

She reads Y/N fanfiction about Chandler, and when she runs out of that she starts to write her own

She would watch the musical every night when she got home from work, over and over again

That is until one night when she falls asleep after an exhausting day at work, and wakes up and sees Heather Chandler speaking to her, saying 'This is an excellent forgery, who are you?'

She is super confused until she looks at the mirror next to her and sees that she is not herself, she is Veronica

Chandler gets impatient and asks again

Rei/Veronica panics before quickly deciding on her response

"I'm Veronica Sawyer and I love you!"

All 3 Heathers are completely stunned at her declaration and it takes a minute before they get their wits together

Chandler says she was going to invite her to their clique, but they don't want lesbians and to go back to playing dolls with Martha Dumptruck

Rei thinks about just leaving the bathroom, but a plan was starting to from in her mind and to fulfill the plan she needed to be in the Heathers, so she throws out Veronica's line about permission slips and absence notes and that grabs the Heather's attention

Chandler does agree to let her into the group, but she lets Rei know that if she pulls the lesbian shit again, she'd become a social pariah

Rei says "I'm perfectly okay with that, as long as I get to be around my Chan-Chan"

So over the next two weeks before JD arrives, Rei attempts to get settled into her new life as Veronica

Of course, there are a few problems with that

For one, Heathers the Musical has a very limited canon, especially compared to say, an otome game and as such the amount of information she has access to is also very limited

Like, for example, she doesn't know where Veronica lives or what the name of her parents are

And since Heathers was in 1989, she doesn't have a cell phone to find her house or call her 'parents' to come pick her up and she doesn't know their phone numbers

She has to go find a phone book, find her 'parent's' numbers, and find a phone to call them on to come pick her up

Another issue, Veronica is very intelligent and takes upper level classes like Physics and shit, and Rei is not very good in those subjects, so her grades start to dip and she had to explain it to her 'parents'

But back to her plan, she plans to follow canon up until the point where JD hands her the drain cleaner and right before she gives it to Chandler and 'notice' it before yelling at JD while also saving Chandler's life and making her grateful and hopefully she begins to develop feelings for her

As you may expect, things do not exactly go as planned

Rei flirts with Chandler at every given opportunity, turning her harsh words against her into compliments which only enrage her more

Chandler can't get rid of her though, as (who she believes to be) Veronica's talent for forgery is too convenient to let go, as well as the possibility this could be used against her

Rei learned how to forge handwriting in her old life because she obsessed over any thing that was apart of Heathers, forgery included

Thank god she learned how to do it, because if she didn't then she would have no leverage to stay in the Heathers, which is vital to her plan

If she's not in the Heathers, she can't be kicked out later, and if she isn't kicked out then she has no reason to show up to Chandler's house to apologize then save her

Another problem, Martha knows something is up

She tries to question 'Veronica' about it but she always deflects

Martha keeps quiet, for now, but eventually she says to herself that she'll confront Veronica about it, because the Veronica that came out of the bathroom with the Heathers is not the same Veronica that went into it

Two weeks pass and Rei gets settled into her role as Veronica

She goes to lunch that day and the Heathers goad her into writing the fake note from Ram, which Rae remembers from the show the Heathers don't actually look at

Much to her dismay, they don't get up and start singing Candy Store, which is a shame

So instead of writing what Chandler wants her to, she writes "Martha, the Heathers are trying to trick you, after you finish reading pretend like you've heard the greatest news in the world and you're just so excited that you had to tell me, I promise that I'll explain everything later"

Thankfully like she predicted, the Heathers don't read the note and they hand it to Martha, who reads it and while she is confused, she does as Rei explained and the Heathers are none the wiser

Rei decided to change this because she planned to get kicked out of the Heathers when they discover that Martha didn't show to the party, when she would reveal that she faked the note

While this didn't boost her chances of getting with Chandler in any way, this saves Martha from going through much of the emotional turmoil

JD approaches her and with her knowledge from seeing the show over and over she is able to copy the conversation they had during the musical

JD then starts the fight during lunch

She later meets up with him at 7/11 while he talks about his dead mom and thats when Rei comes to a realization

She's a lesbian, how is she supposed to do the deed with JD

She has to go to JD's house to make sure that he tries to give the drain cleaner to Chandler, but she can't stomach the thought of doing it with a man

That thought stays with her all night because she doesn't have a good answer to it

She goes to the party, avoids drinking or smoking as to not cloud her judgment and loosen her lips so nothing gets revealed prematurely

Eventually Kurt and Ram bring out the pig pinyattah (i'm spelling it like this on purpose) and Chandler tries to get Martha to come hit it, but to her shock Martha is no where to be found

Of course she blames 'Veronica' and Rei confirms that she faked the note and warned Martha about the plan

She then gets kicked out of the Heathers, before vomiting on Chandler's shoes instead of her, the need to vomit coming from stress instead of whatever she drank or smoked

She then leaves the party before freaking out bc holy shit what is she gonna do

She can go to JD's house and just not do it, but that introduces unknown variables, like what if his reaction isn't the same when she comes into his house and they don't immediately do the deed

And again, she doesn't know where his house is, which this lack of knowledge on where people's houses are is becoming a problem, so there's no guarantee that she even finds his house anyway

She decides to screw it and just find JD's house and hope for the best, but while walking around looking for it she passes by Chandler's house (which she knowns where it is bc she's been there before) and sees that her car is in the driveway, meaning that she is home

Rei takes this as a sign and climbs up into Chandler's window

She, of course, freaks out seeing 'Veronica' climb into her room

She tries to apologize and get forgiveness but Chandler just laughs her off, telling her to enjoy her last few hours of freedom before Monday comes around and she's dead meat

At this point Rei is desperate, she doesn't know what else to do besides pull out her secret weapon

**Line break bc tumblr is dumblr**

Her favorite song had always been The Me Inside of Me because she assumed not everything Veronica and JD made up was false so she decided to shout in fake anger "Why are you like is, why do you feel the need to be such a bitch? Do you parents not love you? Is your bitchiness some kind of mask? Just what the hell is your problem?"

She said some more than that, including lines from the song like "looks being just like prison bars"

It hurt Rei to speak to her crush like that but if it worked out like she hoped then it would be amazing

Chandler looks pissed, but quickly drops her scowl and slumps down onto her bed saying "Is it really that obvious?"

From there Chandler begins to vent about her problems, the impossible standards her parents held her to, her need to always be the best so that people have a reason to keep her around and wanting to be in charge so she feels like she has some control over her life

Rei reassures her that she does like her regardless and that if no one else, she wants her around

Chandler says that she's just saying that, but Rei asserts that she does and that she loves her

She questions those feelings, to which Rei confirms they are genuine to which she can only ask why

Rei then goes into this long, fangirly speech about how amazing Chandler is which caused Chandler to blush

Chandler then sighs before telling 'Veronica' that this conversation never happened, but she's back in the Heathers as long as she keeps the secret

Rei agrees gleefully before leaving the house

At this point in her plan, she questions what she's gonna do, before saying 'I don't know, I didn't think I would get this far"

She comes to the conclusion that there are two main goals

She needs to placate JD's homicidal urges, and she needs to keep up her friendship with Chandler, which will hopefully blossom into a relationship

She decides the best way to deal with the former is to introduce JD and Martha so they will have a friend outside of 'Veronica', which works out well, they get along and have someone to spend time with when she's busy with Heather stuff

She also decides to make time to spend with them and talk to them about their problems, during which she hopes to get to the root of why JD wants to kill and put a stop to it

However, she thinks that she's already sort of done that, as during their talks she revealed that she's a lesbian, making dating JD an impossibility

She hopes by doing that, it wont make JD so desperate for her, as he knows that no matter what he does, it wouldn't work out between them, and she knows that their relationship was one of the main factors that led to him wanting to kill

She also makes time for Chandler, pulling her aside sometimes to ask how she's doing

Chandler finds this annoying at first and brushes her off, but eventually she breaks and starts talking to 'Veronica' about her struggles, which Rei always comforts her over

Rei starts to notice a change in Chandler during these times

Chandler has less outbursts where she yells at freshmen over things, she doesn't bully people as much, and she's even nicer to Duke

By giving Chandler another outlet to vent her struggles to, she felt less of a need to let out her struggles in other ways

She still flirts with her whenever the opportunity arises, and sometimes she sees her blush

Eventually one day Chandler asks her to stay behind while the other two head to class, after which she pulls Rei into a bathroom and before she can say anything she pulls her into a long, deep kiss before blushing deeply and running out of the bathroom

Rei pretty much cannot function normally for the rest of the day after that

Of course, something had to ruin it, and surprisingly it wasn't JD

JD had been doing really well, he had two stable friends who were willing to listen to his issues and actually wanted him around and even if he couldn't date 'Veronica', he still appreciated her friendship

Martha was the one who ruined everything

She'd been suspicious ever since Veronica joined the Heathers, her personality seemingly shifted overnight and she went from detesting Chandler to being in love with her, and when she happened to see her and Chandler making out in the bathroom, she felt enraged and betrayed and decided to spread the rumor around school

By lunchtime the whole school knew that Heather Chandler was a lesbian, and Chandler didn't even know until she entered the lunchroom and everyone started laughing at her before Duke explained everything

She fled the room, with Rei in pursuit

When they got to an isolated place Chandler starting bawling, saying that her world was falling apart and that she blamed 'Veronica' for making her fall in love with her

She then told her that she hated her and wanted nothing to do with her

Rei's heart shattered at this point and she sank to her knees while Chandler bolted out the front doors

After crying for a bit her sadness turned to rage

She assumed Duke was the one who saw them, because who else would have been around and had enough social status to be believed

And given what happened after Chandler's death in canon, she was sure it was her

Her hands curled into fists and she marched into the lunchroom and launched herself at Duke, sending the both of them flying across the table

She fucked up Duke pretty badly, broke her nose

She got suspended and her 'parents' had to come pick her up

She got grounded but she ignored them and immediately went to Chandler's

Chandler was sobbing into her pillow when Rei came in through the window again

She cried harder and tried forcing her out but Rei wouldn't leave so eventually she calmed down

Rei told her about what happened between her and Duke to which Chandler said that she got what was coming to her, but she also is gonna make their lives a living hell after that

Rei says something sappy like "I'd go through hell as long as we're together" which makes Chandler giggle a little and then they kiss

Rei tries to tell her that its not gonna be so bad, they'll hang out with Martha and JD and sure it won't be like she's used to but difference isn't always a bad thing

Chandler seems unconvinced but she agrees to at least try

Chandler skips school until Rei's suspension is over because she's too afraid of what's gonna happen

The day comes when Rei returns to school and Chandler is basically hiding behind her

Rei walks into school with her head held high, but its all for naught because people stay away from her and by extension, Chandler, probably because they are too afraid of getting their asses beat like Duke did

At lunchtime they go straight to the loser table with Martha and JD

Everyone has their eyes on them, including Duke, who has a large bandage covering her nose

Martha tries to hold in her disdain for Chandler while JD actually gets along with her

Eventually it gets to be too much and Martha launches into a triade, accusing Chandler of doing something to change Veronica and of bullying her and all sorts of shit

(Martha is sort of in the right here bc Chandler did bully her, but she also outed Chandler and by extension her best friend to the entire school which is also pretty fucked up)

Rei quickly comes to the realization that it wasn't Duke who found them

It was Martha

The only thing that stops her from attacking her like she did with Duke is that she had sympathy for Martha because of everything that happened in canon, while she never really cared for Duke

Rei launches into her own triade, asking Martha just what the hell her problem was

Martha realizes at this point that she fucked up but is still pissed that her best friend, her only friend for literal years took her bully's side over hers

**Line break 2 electric boogaloo I hate word count limits**

Rei argues that yeah, what Chandler did was really fucked up and that she needs to apologize, but that didn't give Martha the right to fuck up Chandler's whole life

She isn't exactly thrilled over Chandler's actions but she's also pissed that Martha outed Chandler, also outing herself, which is when she gets really mad

She starts getting flashbacks to when she got outed in her old life and that only fuels her rage

Martha didn't think it through fully and she begins to apologize but Rei doesn't want to hear it and walks away

Chandler and JD also get up and walk away

JD is in the same boat as 'Veronica', he agrees what Chandler did was shitty but Martha did something that was almost worse

Surprisingly Mac also gets up and follows them, telling them that she's so tired of the popularity bullshit and she just wants her best friend back

Things stay the same for a few weeks

The 4 of them hang out and just try to live and have fun outside of the popularity bullshit

They all kind of feel bad for Martha though, even Rei once she calms down a little and when she comes to their table a few days later to apologize, Chandler surprises everyone by apologizing first

Throughout all of this Rei and Chandler continue dating

They go on dates and don't really have to hide because the news spread around like wildfire, in addition to the news that the tall blue one would beat the crap out of you if said anything

Eventually high school ends and Chandler and Mac take a bunch of their parent's money and they all leave Ohio for good

Rei never ends up telling anyone about her true origins, she decides that coming from the future and an alternate reality would be too much to explain and it provides little to no benefit

I find the idea of Rei being isekai-ed into Heathers interesting bc unlike in canon where all she needed to do was ensure that Claire survived the revolution, something that she could not prevent, in Heathers she would have to prevent JD's murder spree and then figure out how to keep going after that which because of the butterfly effect could have been a number of any different scenarios, while on top of all of that getting together with Chandler

[mythicaldemigoddess-of-deltarune]

Credit For Helluva Boss & Hazbin Hotel goes to Vivziepop and Spindlehorse 

Credit for The Smash Or Pass: Hazbin/Helluva Tier List Maker goes to  SharkAxeSock ------------

I tried this out a few days ago on that TierMaker...

and yeah I put Ozzie and Fizzy as the....you know Smash and Marry one...

but then I put them in the Double Pass, like there are two versions...

where they are in the Smash/Marry and the other is Double Pass.

feelings for those two, and well The Embodiment Of Lust, would be like complex.

it’s like that song “Hot N Cold” by Katy Perry, or like the song “Take A Hint” by Victoria Justice & Elizabeth Gillies.

and if I had to describe my feelings for any version of Asmodeus,

it would be “10 Things I Hate About You” by Leah Kate.

I’m a Earth Angel (a Defective one that doesn’t work as perfectly as other Earth Angels), and my Blood Type is O RH D Negative, well I’m still procrastinating in checking to see if my blood type will turn out O RH D Negative for a third time.....I will try to get around to it when I can...          

I mean I know the last few times I tried, and half of them didn’t turn out very well, and only two might of turned out okay, but I would end up feeling not so great and I would have to either go lay down or sit down or be close to some cool air.

and I have to keep my eyes closed half the time and we did find out it works better if we get the blood from my left hand instead because it being closer to the heart.

and I guess I do have a small crush on both Ozzie and Fizzy, and well there are different levels of crushes, and we know that a lot of fans have fallen for the whole Ozzie x Fizzy ship.

I think that I made the right call, by placing Alastor in the “Date” part...

at least he wouldn’t try do anything and maybe he would respect the whole me not wanting to be touched at times and the times when I really need space and me time.

if Angel’s brother Arackniss was in as one of the choices, I would put him along with the “Date”...

if Ozzie and Fizzy were real, and they tried anything with me, I would slap both their hands away, all while saying “No Touchy”

and well if I were able to or allowed to, I would probably try that with the Real Life Asmodeus, and yeah if I were allowed to, if Jesus and Antichrist ever crossed a line....I still want to grab both of them by the ears.

I’m weird and those are the weird thoughts that come to my mind...

i can still believe in Jesus, but with some info I found that has to do with him, makes me want to grab him by his ear and scold him.

and if he is a descendant of King David as well, then he is still technically family.

I still see me being a descendant of King Solomon more of a blessing than a curse, so jokes on the ones from back in those ancient times and those in this modern times who still view being a descendant of King Solomon as a curse.

cause to me it’s a freaking blessing, means I don’t have to take that throne.

don’t know how that Toxic-Religious person who made me feel really bad before, by repeatedly misusing the words “may god have mercy on you” or “may the lord have mercy on you” at me, I know it was one of those two...

would feel or think about that info, well so long as I don’t run into them on here it should be good.

I mean they didn’t have to misuse those words at me, just because I believe in a Goddess now too, but they did and even if I tried to point out it was hurting my feelings, they kept throwing those misuse words at me, and I had to block them because they kept throwing those misused words at me, even when I pointed out it was hurting my feelings and making me cry.

even if not everyone who is religious is like a bad toxic type, there are some that wont listen to reason and will cause some kind of trauma to those who are religious or not religious, and there was no reasoning with that Toxic-Religious Jerk who couldn’t take a bloody hint that they were doing more harm than good.

there could be a lot of people that went through that, not just me.

anyway as weird as it is to say, and even if it were true...

if the whole how Solomon met one of his future wives is true, that it was because of Asmodeus, that would mean that The Embodiment of Lust is the reason why my Ancestor and Ancestress ended up together.

I mean if the story are true, and I know that Lady Godiva is one of my Ancestresses and the whole “Peeping Tom” came from a story that had involved her.

so maybe the story behind that whole Peeping Tom thing, could hold some truth as well.

picture Asmodeus fainting if Fizzy tells him that he accidentally played match maker for two people that would end up being my Ancestors, well mine and a few others who are Solomon’s descendants as well.

well we do know that Asmodeus of Helluva Boss, is like a Ficto-Counterpart of the Other Asmodeus....and Ozzie is suppose to be like the King of The Lust Ring...

who knows if there will be a King Solomon in Helluva Boss or Hazbin Hotel, but if there were, it would probably be like a parody song of “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” from the Encanto Movie          

like picture Stolas and Stella singing the first part of the parody version of the song that goes “We Don’t Talk About Solomon”....

 picture Ozzie being the Dolores and Fizzy being Mariano in that parody.

I’m weird and that might be the weirdest and awesome thought that comes to my mind, but it’s okay that not everyone likes that idea.

anyway maybe some will find it amusing that I put both Fizzarolli and Asmodeus in both Smash/Marry and Double Pass, well not sure if many will find that a little amusing...

instead of posting the two versions separately, I decided to post them together.  

and if a Earth Angel did fall in love with Asmodeus, like let’s say hypothetically...

the song that might fit in that situation would be this...

“I Wont Say I’m In Love” from Disney’s Hercules Movie.

anyway I’m going to go watch a movie now, I might sign back on tomorrow or the day after tomorrow to check out more art on here and maybe post some theories and fan art.

also don’t read too much about that whole Earth Angel falling in love with Asmodeus thing, I did say it was hypothetically.   

[indigoire]

I posted 5,657 times in 2022

That's 2,393 more posts than 2021!

223 posts created (4%)

5,434 posts reblogged (96%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@forestdwellingrat

@fwishbone

@acepalindrome

@milkpowderbun

@p-t-f-s

I tagged 4,136 of my posts in 2022

Only 27% of my posts had no tags

#critical role - 436 posts

#dracula daily - 343 posts

#ofmd - 307 posts

#gif warning - 284 posts

#tlovm - 227 posts

#disco elysium - 226 posts

#cr1 - 213 posts

#dracula - 210 posts

#kim kitsuragi - 171 posts

#our flag means death - 140 posts

Longest Tag: 139 characters

#like they're buddies but also rivals but also they would die for each other but also they don't want to be associated with each other but a

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Our boy Jonathan goes on a night ride through the mountains, almost get eaten by a pack of wolves, pulls up to a huge and spooky castle, and then (while waiting for his host to change out of his carriage driver disguise) reassures himself that he is a SOLICITER! He's a big boy with an adult job! He's gonna prove himself!

I mean we all joke that Jonathan doesn't have a clue what's going on around him, but he's trying so hard to prove himself and show that he can be responsible that he's willing to face all sorts of strange things, like wolves and men with hair on their palms and, god forbid, chicken with paprika on it.

658 notes - Posted May 5, 2022

#4

What I keep attempting to write: Kim Kitsuragi is a truly amazing character and I love him, both from a character standpoint and how he works as a game mechanic in Disco Elysium. Harry is an absolutely deteriorating wreck and Kim serves as a perfect counterweight, but their relationship is not an uneven one. Kim makes it perfectly clear that he would ditch your sad sorry ass in a heartbeat if you crossed the line with him. You can toe that line, sure, but he has his limits and he's not just some unflinching sidekick who never pushes back. He doesn't just put up with your shit, it's clear that he respects you as a fellow officer, particularly after he finds out about your case solving track record. There is an unspoken devotion there, of one officer to another, of two outsiders to each other, of two men out of their depth in a town that hates them on a case that's mostly a pissing contest between their respective precincts. Kim sticks by Harry (and MY Harry at the very least stuck by Kim). Kim is both an unrepentant spoilsport and very silly. He has a level of control that is unparalleled, but you can make him give in and go along with your tomfoolery. He tosses out quips in complete deadpan. He jokes with such utter sincerity. Kim is, if nothing else, committed to the bit. Kim from the outside is such an average man, but he becomes this rock to Harry, someone who is so put together ( or at least appears to be) it contrasts so completely against our utter wreck of a player character; he becomes a source of stability. We may not know where we are and who we were/are, but Kim will always be Kim, and we can count on him, rely on him even. It sets him up as this almost deified figure to the player character, someone on a whole different level of "has their shit together"ness that it's impressive. Kim is competent. Kim is smooth. Kim doesn't succeed at everything, but his failures pale in comparison to Harry's. And yet, despite all of this, it is incredibly clear that just on a personal level, Kim likes Harry. Harry is able to make Kim smile (even if they're just small smiles). Harry is able to suss things out about Kim that most people wouldn't notice, and it's clear that Kim likes the attention--at least when you're not begging him for secrets about himself. Kim is, at least in some small part, a bit attracted to Harry. Kim is canonically gay. Kim is such a huge part of Disco Elysium to me that as much as I love the rest of the game, it falls away in comparison to the magnificence of one Lieutenant Kim Kitsuragi.

What comes out: hnnngh Kim is the best I love him love of my life happy pride to Kim Kitsuragi only

773 notes - Posted June 12, 2022

#3

Everybody look at my cats

2,058 notes - Posted April 21, 2022

#2

Everyone shocked that Jonathan has a portable Kodak camera would be delighted to know that the Count could have easily pulled out a deck of cards and asked Jonathan if he likes Nintendo.

...Nintendo started operations as a hanafuda card company back in 1889. Dracula and Jonathan could have played a game by Nintendo in canon.

3,549 notes - Posted May 7, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Can't believe Jonathan Harker, experiencing the creeping horrors of Castle Dracula and therefore unable to write, inspired such a love in tumblrinas that we're all sad NOT to get an email. This is the site where "every day I get emails 😒" reigns supreme. And we're all like "letter from Jonathan? Letter from Jonny? No letter?" Like, I'm one hundred percent an email avoider myself, and I *knew* we'd be skipping days, and I'm still like "🥺 where's my email?"

5,314 notes - Posted May 6, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[widowsofchaos]

THIS CHAPTER—- SPECTACULAR GIVE ME FOURTEEN OF EM !!!! THE DRAMA !!! THE SEDUCTION!! WHEW SHIT!! COLOR ME A WHORE!!!

Loki’s stone-faced apprentice seems unimpressed when you open the door before the second of his tiny knocks. It’s exactly midday. Not desperate at all, you think, as his lips form a thin line. He’s judging the neckline, you can tell.

Child do not judge me😭

-

“After you,” you say, forcing a smile. You don’t like him, and the feeling is clearly mutual. You catch the start of his eye-roll as he turns away and his silly little boots clack across the stone.

Even his apprentice got sass, like hold up.✋🏽

-

You stick your tongue out at the back of his head and suddenly his fist rises, a burst of blue smoke curling between his fingers. It undulates in the air, a ball gaining the shape of a small fist identical to his own. Slowly, one finger unfurls in your direction: the middle one.

NAH CAUSE HOL UP—-

-

A rogue spurt splashes into your eye and you yelp, dropping it on the ground. Through the burn, doubled-over, you see a fading wisp of blue smoke. Little shit, you think again, more violently this time.

AND WE WOULD BE BEEFING FOREVER!!!

-

You squint up towards it. He’s hanging out a window in the turret, propped on his elbow with that smirk on his face. But no hard-on, you think. At least, not that you can see. Rumour is he’s always sporting at least a semi. Side-effect of all the mirrors in the palace, you figure.

we will never forget !!!

-

“He did the same to my brother. And what’s worse, my brother has been here before many times: he’s just an idiot.”

Oh sweet Thor, never change. 🤣💞

-

“And you bring out the best in me, my dearest Lagertha,” he says in earnest. “Still beautiful: inside and out.”

LAGERTHA? AS IN THE QUEEN LAGERTHA FROM VIKINGS?? PURRRRRRR!!!!!

-

You trace the angle of his chin, the sharp lines of his jaw, imagining how perfectly they’ll fit between your legs; only his strong brow and devastating eyes drunk with pleasure visible as he laps at your clit. A shudder wrenches down your spine.

WOOF WOOF WOOF

-

Loki likes the spells woven in to be just so: make it smell like orange blossom when the folds move, cape fluttering to a particular rhythm…that sort of thing.”

He smells GOOOD!!! My mans STAY DELICIOUS!!

-

“You know the stipulations, Lagertha. You don’t qualify, much as it pains me.” He presses a hand to his chest. “Otherwise, I’d have been at your door on my hands and knees centuries ago.”

these two !!! mischievous asses!! sksks

-

“Getting some practice in, good idea, dear.”

Oh sis, the way I would be saying so much more KSKSKKS

-

Don’t think that, you chide. Don’t start being an idiot and actually falling for him. He needs you, that’s all. Just enjoy whatever this is.

oh my girl is DOWN BAD!! city girl points -1000, lover girls point 1000+

-

“What?” you ask, skin prickling under his stare. The god’s dark hair spreads over his bare shoulders, the point of his chin lowered as he observes you beneath his lashes. Something occurs to you. “There’s only one room in this place, isn’t there?”

LAGERTHA THE WOMAN YOU ARE !! WINGMAN 101

-

‘What are you doing, little owl?’ his raised eyebrow says.

‘What are you doing?’

His legs widen, as if of their own accord. The forest green silk at his crotch stretches tight, an unmistakable bump rising on the right-hand side. You stop in front of him, and his eyes move from their level place on your torso to your face.

‘What are you waiting for?’ the flicker of his lips says.

👁️👁️ sir, please, don’t make me sin— PLEASE, DONT MAKE ME SIN !!! I WILL LITERALLY [redacted train noises] [the crowd gasps in pure disgust and awe] IF WE COULD!!

-

His cock was made to fit in your hand – even the outline of it through the silk is like a legendary sword made for your grip. He palms ravenously at your breast with every work of his mouth, lips travelling to the curve of your neck and drawing his teeth over the supple skin they find.

FUCK—- I NEED HIM BIBLICALLY. IN WAYS THAT IS CONCERNING TO FEMINISM.

-

“Gods, I want to taste you,” he husks through gritted teeth. Saliva rings his lips, and Loki’s head falls back against the sofa, back arching under the ghost of your fingertips trailing up the ridges of his manhood like it’s made of spun sugar.

baby, the way we would the rite ceremony would go down in history as the most diabolical one, cause if I had my hands on this man—- we doing it till the sun BURNS OUT.

-

“-It’s fine,” you cut, forcing a smile. He’s a prince. Of course he’s not free, idiot. “Maybe tomorrow.”

:((( my miserable meows meows

-

“Ah, the jester,” a sneering voice craws. “Are you lost?”

HOE—- don’t fuck with me. fruity BITCH.

-

“For him, you’re just a bit of mischief - best you know sooner, rather than later. You'll thank me...sometime. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a certain ceremonial robe to be measured for.”

BITCH— ILL CUT YOUR DICK OFF BEFORE YOU GET THE CHANCE!!!!

Measurement : The Rite (III)

A Masterlist for The Rite is HERE A Link to my Regular Masterlist is HERE Summary: (3) Loki gives you a taste of luxury, a visit to the Asgardian Weaving Crones - and his inseam isn't the only thing measured up. (w/c 3.9k) Warnings: 18+ Minors DNI. Smuttish. Language. Loki being a tease. Ridiculous Asgardian lore.

‘I’ve never wanted anything so badly,’ Loki drips in your ear: warm, hot, desperate. With every impossibly calculated push of his hips, your spine arches off the bed: inch, by inch, by inch.

His lips meet the hollow of your collarbone with a hungry growl, like he'll eat you alive. ‘I’ve never wanted anyone so—’ You wake with a violent shudder, wide-eyed and staring at the ceiling. An oil of sweat covers your naked body, tangled in the sheets. The air is sticky, mind racing as you squint towards the window. It’s barely daybreak.

Noon, Loki said. The boy will come at noon.

Loki’s stone-faced apprentice seems unimpressed when you open the door before the second of his tiny knocks. It’s exactly midday. Not desperate at all, you think, as his lips form a thin line. He’s judging the neckline, you can tell.

“After you,” you say, forcing a smile. You don’t like him, and the feeling is clearly mutual. You catch the start of his eye-roll as he turns away and his silly little boots clack across the stone.

Shameless stares fall on the two of you walking the bustling corridors of Asgard’s court. Looks are followed by whispers. It feels…naughty - a tingling feeling that starts in the seat of your belly and seems to plump the ends of your hair, giving it a bounce as you walk.

You wonder what they’re thinking, seeing you led by the boy with Loki’s symbol emblazoned on his chest. You hope they think it’s something scandalous. And, maybe it is.

At every turn, you expect to see Loki standing in the middle of the corridor with his hands clasped behind his back; a smirk curling at his lip and the start of a hard-on in his ridiculously tight trousers at the mere whiff of your approach. But alas, it’s not to be. Just more stares, more whispers. They’re starting to get annoying.

“How much longer?” you hiss. He glances over his shoulder. “Not long, pipe down,” he says with all the enthusiasm of a bag of sand.

You stick your tongue out at the back of his head and suddenly his fist rises, a burst of blue smoke curling between his fingers. It undulates in the air, a ball gaining the shape of a small fist identical to his own. Slowly, one finger unfurls in your direction: the middle one.

Little shit, you think. But honestly, it’s pretty impressive. Loki's clearly teaching him well. Sort of.

Eventually, after passing through the courtyard and out the palace gates, he stops under a lemon tree. There’s a massive, bronze door cut into the stone walls with one large turret protruding from the top. Your eyes dart over the door, and then to him, and then the door.

“Well?” you ask, trying to be polite but the impatience bleeding through. This dress is pretty tight; your breasts look incredible but fucking Norns, it’s hot today. He gestures to the tree. “You have to bite into a lemon to open the doors.”

Your arms fold, eyebrows rising. “Be serious. I wasn’t born yesterday.”

His beady gaze drops down to the hem of your dress and back to your face. “Clearly,” he says. Your eyebrows rise further and you chew the inside of your mouth, reminding yourself he’s a literal child. He shrugs with a sudden burst of youthful innocence. “I don’t make the rules. It's some kind of test so they get no time wasters.”

“Who?” “The Crones.” No...way.

The Asgardian Weaving Crones are second only to the royal family in their legendary status. How many times had you pranced around in your aunt’s scrap fabrics from her sewing table, playing 'Ceremony' – inventing all the spells you’d have woven into the fabrics the Crones create with their famously nobbled fingers. The more nobbled, the more revered.

It's said the robes can make you more beautiful, more lucky, more fertile. Whatever you desired. Every piece is a work of art, cost more than a summer-palace in the hills, reserved only for the highest…highest…members of the court. I guess Prince Loki wasn’t kidding about the luxury, you think, eyes sliding to the plump lemons hanging over your head. “Just a bite?” The boy nods, and you reach up – pulling down the nearest one. He gives an unnerving smile of encouragement just before you bite into the peel, and stinging juice floods your tongue. A rogue spurt splashes into your eye and you yelp, dropping it on the ground. Through the burn, doubled-over, you see a fading wisp of blue smoke. Little shit, you think again, more violently this time. “What’s going on?” Loki’s voice is somehow everywhere all at once, smooth and heavy in the stifling air, falling like rain.

You squint up towards it. He’s hanging out a window in the turret, propped on his elbow with that smirk on his face. But no hard-on, you think. At least, not that you can see. Rumour is he’s always sporting at least a semi. Side-effect of all the mirrors in the palace, you figure. From this angle, his taut jawline cuts like an anvil, and his hair hangs apart from his shoulders as he cranes to get a better view. He's not wearing a shirt, and the temperature rises another few degrees. “Are you tormenting her?” he chides casually, and through the half-blind haze, you can tell the boy is squirming. The bronze door swings open from invisible hands, and you shoot the kid a withering glare with your one good eye before disappearing inside. The first, fresh waft of marble-chilled air hits like an orgasm and you let out a sigh of relief. “Come upstairs,” Loki’s velvet voice commands from above. You follow the spiral staircase in the direction of his soft laughter, skirts bunched in one hand, hoping your face isn’t as sweaty as it feels by the time you reach the top.

Ignoring the burn in your lungs, and your eye, you set your face in a mask of cool indifference totally at odds with the rabid excitement clawing in your veins. Long curtains of chiffon which ripple in impossible colours with each waft of breeze surround the turret walls.

Loki lounges in a chaise in the corner, loose green silk trousers slung low on his hips. One leg dangles off the end of the short seat, the other slung to the side as his laugh tapers and his eyes fix on you.

You swallow, unable to stop the rolls of your gaze up his exposed torso above the silk stretched across the bulge in his pants: pale, deep lines of muscle highlighted in painfully arousing definition as he brings a hand behind his head, raking those black waves back as he does it.

“Did he ask you to bite into the lemons?” Loki asks innocently. A solitary dimple crushes into his cheek as one side of his lip curls. You nod, mouth dry and knees weak. Loki sighs with a short tut. “He did the same to my brother. And what’s worse, my brother has been here before many times: he’s just an idiot.” You’re not sure if you should agree. It might be treason; you can never tell. Thankfully – that’s the moment you notice someone in a black robe hunched over at a wide table in the corner, laying out a selection of colourful fabrics so fine they seem to breathe. “Like what you see?” she croaks, wearing a matching smirk to the one Loki sports, just visible beneath a dark hood. You swallow, glancing between them. The two of them burst into laughter; the old woman’s hoarse cackle somehow twists perfectly with Loki’s deep, melodic mirth. Heat crawls up your cheeks. She waves a hand, brushing the hood down to reveal a shock of white hair plaited in a low bun, folds of tanned wrinkles creased in mischief. “Sorry dear, where are my manners? This one brings out the worst in me.” Loki scoffs, bounding from the chaise and crossing the floor in two long strides. He falls to his knees, gathering her hands in his own and places a gentle kiss on the crepey skin. The way he’s looking at her, the wide-eyed sincerity...it makes an unexpected lance of jealousy spear through your chest.

“And you bring out the best in me, my dearest Lagertha,” he says in earnest. “Still beautiful: inside and out.” She pulls the hands from his with a quicksilver grin, curling thick chunk of black hair behind his ear. “Mmm,” she hums, flashing you a wink. “At least where garments are concerned, I do my best. What you do in them, is your concern. Now, onto your usual perch.”

Loki raises a eyebrow and she watches him stand. The two of you follow the methodical shift of his muscular ass in those silky pants all the way to a small, raised block in the centre of the room. “You’re next, dear,” she says and you startle, realising she’s hovering at your shoulder. She turns her head fractionally, hiding the movement of her lips from view. “For now, take a seat, enjoy the show. Hmm?”

You shift to the same seat Loki occupied, still warm from his body. Spreading your skirts, it’s difficult not to feel the weight of the prince’s stare as Lagertha fusses around him.

And suddenly, the questions start. Loki’s eyes narrow and widen in perfect time to the cadence of your answers: hobbies, studies, the time you saw Thor fall into a well on his way back from a tavern. His laugh is music, as sweet and filthy as the best of your dreams – and you find yourself reclining on the chaise just like he was, a fist resting beneath your temple as you talk. It’s nice, it’s…easy. He's interested. And all the while, Lagertha works silently; the only indicator she’s listening at all is the covert smile that occasionally pushes her cheeks up.

“You have to stop making him laugh so much, the hemline will be askew if I get the lengths wrong.” “Nonsense,” Loki smiles down at her, before meeting your eyes again. “Lagertha has never put a stitch out of place. I have every faith in her.” “You’ve never had someone entertain you so much before…”

“I thought you’d have his measurements written down somewhere,” you say like the three of you are old friends. She pushes the silken tape into the hollow of his ankle, stretching up the length of his thigh to the bulge of his crotch. Loki shifts, spine straightening, and he shoots you a wicked smile that makes the pulse in your throat race.

You trace the angle of his chin, the sharp lines of his jaw, imagining how perfectly they’ll fit between your legs; only his strong brow and devastating eyes drunk with pleasure visible as he laps at your clit. A shudder wrenches down your spine.

“I don’t need to take Prince Loki’s measurements, dear,” Lagertha says brightly. ‘I’ve been fashioning garments that make his public weak for many centuries, I think I can remember an inseam.” “So why are…?” “Lagertha and I have an understanding, don’t we darling?” Loki tips her chin up with his finger and even beneath the heavy folds of wrinkles, she blushes. “Lagertha turns a blind eye to my family’s archaic demands of style, and we pretend that she forgets my measurements.” Lagertha meets your stunned expression, offering a self-assured shrug. “I may be old, but my eyes are just fine,” she says, winking. Suddenly, you wonder where Lagertha’s been all your life.

“What…demands of style, do they have?” You sit up, crossing your legs. Loki tilts his head, and you note his gaze drop to your lips. You wonder if he’s been thinking about last night’s kiss-come-dry-hump as much as you have, and as Lagertha loops her hands around his bare abdomen, pulling the measuring silk tight, he lets out a sensual, silent ooof that makes your pussy clench.

“My father and his ilk have very set notions of what ceremonial robes should be; you’ll be shocked to learn I don’t agree. In their eyes, we should parade ourselves in sack cloth and ashes—" “—Sack cloth? How dare you!” Lagertha screeches, mortally wounded. She slaps his thigh again, shooting you a look. “This one has a very specific set of requirements for his ceremonial garbs, ones that tend to highlight his…assets. Things which don’t concern the other family members quite so much – not even when Odin was a strapping one too." She sighs wistfully. "Loki likes the spells woven in to be just so: make it smell like orange blossom when the folds move, cape fluttering to a particular rhythm…that sort of thing.” I fucking knew it; you think with silent vindication. Loki looks down on her with adoration. “And you never disappoint.” “You should be more worried about disappointing her,” she jabs, nodding towards you. A sudden clarity settles in your stomach like a stone. “Wait, is this for our…the…Rite?” Loki looks up, impossibly beautiful; a slat of sunlight splitting the symmetry of his face. “You agree, then?” “If you don’t, I will…” Lagertha mutters loud enough for you to hear, and Loki snorts. “You know the stipulations, Lagertha. You don’t qualify, much as it pains me.” He presses a hand to his chest. “Otherwise, I’d have been at your door on my hands and knees centuries ago.” She slaps his thigh again, and then, they both look at you in perfect sync.

“I agree. I’ll be your partner,” you blurt without an ounce of doubt. As if it could have been any other way. Because now, as his eyes fall to your lips again and his tongue nips over his own; pulling the bottom one between his teeth like he doesn’t know he’s done it, you know he wants it as much as you do. Loki says nothing: a close-lipped smile skating across his lips and a regal bow of his head that his father would be proud of.

The next fifteen minutes passes in pleasantries and then, it’s your turn. You stand on the podium. Even in the strangely cool air in this secret place feels like hot needles; breaths growing short and heart hammering. The fucking…bodice, you curse as Loki’s expression hardens at your distress. He raises his hand, long fingers poised and his eyebrows raise like he’s asking for permission. You give him a small nod. He clicks them. The dress melts into a light cotton shift that blows around your ankles, and the relief is immediate. “Oh my…gods, Loki…that feels amazing,” you moan, head falling back. Lagertha shuffles at your feet. “Getting some practice in, good idea, dear.” Your neck snaps up, catching the back end of her sly smirk, before glancing to Loki reclined on the chair. He shrugs, picking at a bowl of nuts – his eyes are alight with amusement, and you wonder if he's always like this or you’re…special. Don’t think that, you chide. Don’t start being an idiot and actually falling for him. He needs you, that’s all. Just enjoy whatever this is.

Somehow, your measurements don’t take as long as Loki’s did. You’ve got a feeling that has something to do with the agreement they have. She creaks to her feet, shuffling to the wide table and notes something down on a scroll of parchment which reaches the floor. “Oh,” she says suddenly, patting the long folds of her black garb. One extra-nobbled finger rises. “I left something in the other room. Stay here,” she says, hobbling to the stairs. She glances over a hunched shoulder. “Behave yourselves, won’t you?” You figure it would be rude to follow her down the stairs to make sure she doesn’t fall to her death. Looking at Loki, you’re surprised to see the mirth dancing beneath his skin has somehow grown. “What?” you ask, skin prickling under his stare. The god’s dark hair spreads over his bare shoulders, the point of his chin lowered as he observes you beneath his lashes. Something occurs to you. “There’s only one room in this place, isn’t there?”

Without breaking eye-contact, without a falter in that low smirk, Loki nods. Just once. You step off the podium, wobbling a little. Forgot he took my shoes, but somehow you manage to maintain a sultry approach. Loki straightens against the chair’s back, a sudden nervousness flashing in his eyes. A silent conversation seems to pass between you. ‘What are you doing, little owl?’ his raised eyebrow says. ‘What are you doing?’ His legs widen, as if of their own accord. The forest green silk at his crotch stretches tight, an unmistakable bump rising on the right-hand side. You stop in front of him, and his eyes move from their level place on your torso to your face. ‘What are you waiting for?’ the flicker of his lips says.

Hands slide past his temples as you fasten one knee beside the thick line of his thigh – and then the second. You press tight to the crease of his hips, staring down at him. Loki of Asgard gazes up like the prettiest sub you’ve ever seen; but there’s nothing submissive about the slide of his large hands over the curve of your ass. The cotton of the robe he manifested for you is as thin as a spider web – but somehow opaque. You feel his touch like it’s bare skin; the lazy circles he’s making on the small of your back sending sharp shivers tingle across your limbs. “We must be very, very careful…” he murmurs, that famously stoic brow rippling in front of your eyes. You draw a finger down his cheek, cupping the angle of his jaw; brushing your lips against his. He sighs into your throat: shuddering, warm, desperate. Loki’s tongue feels like heaven in your mouth. Growls rumble in his chest as he pushes forward and pulls back in time with your body, completely in sync. Your hand creeps to his cock, fingers grazing the impossibly hard length of him. He must be eight…surely not nine, inches. Gods, what if he doesn’t fit. And then you remember, that isn’t part of the deal. He pulls away as your squeeze at the root, stark fear in his eyes.

“I know…I’ll stay away from the tip, I promise,” you whisper, catching his lips again. Loki melts into it.

His cock was made to fit in your hand – even the outline of it through the silk is like a legendary sword made for your grip. He palms ravenously at your breast with every work of his mouth, lips travelling to the curve of your neck and drawing his teeth over the supple skin they find.

The fact you can’t touch him…really touch him, somehow makes it even hotter; like you’re terrified virgins around the back of the stables. The other hand rocks you dangerously on his lap, and the sudden fear the thin fabric separating you both won’t be enough is very real. Loki’s thumb grazes against your nipple, pinching gently, rubbing in a way that shoots a lance of primal fuck-me energy straight to your cunt. Arousal tides between your thighs: tacky and warm and screaming for you to have him right here. You’ve never been more turned on in your entire life. You didn’t even know it could be like this.

“Gods, I want to taste you,” he husks through gritted teeth. Saliva rings his lips, and Loki’s head falls back against the sofa, back arching under the ghost of your fingertips trailing up the ridges of his manhood like it’s made of spun sugar. “Slower…Norns…I—"

His eyes fly open, pupils as wide and deep as fresh tar and his jaw slack. Loki’s hand flies to your wrist, wrapping it tight and pulling it away. His abdomen clenches as he breathes: slow, heavy, restrained.

“Did you almost…?”

The look in his eyes gives you the answer, and you can barely stifle the look of pride. You lean forwards, noting the shiver that tightens his thighs as your lips fasten around his earlobe. “Four moons, my prince," you whisper, bold as sin. He releases a low, ragged exhale that vibrates through his chest.

“I need to see you,” he says slowly, searching your face, “every day, from now until then.” You roll your lips together. “You said there was a feast?” Loki nods. “The night before – for the next two days, we can do whatever we want.” That smirk lights from its embers. “Almost.”

Your heart drops somewhere around your knees and you shuffle off his lap, shifting to the small edge of the cushion beside him. Suddenly, somehow, time is moving too fast; slipping through your fingers like sand. “Not that I’m…” -desperate- “…but, are you free tonight? Maybe we could go for a walk, or, something.”

Loki’s brows peak. It’s something he isn’t expecting, and suddenly you wonder how much of this charming afternoon has been staged. “I can’t, I’m afraid,” he says, lingering over each word like its passing quality control. “My brother-“ “-It’s fine,” you cut, forcing a smile. He’s a prince. Of course he’s not free, idiot. “Maybe tomorrow.”

At that moment, Lagertha heaves herself into view at the top of the staircase. Her face contorts in a staggeringly fake caricature of innocence. “Oh, I almost forgot you were here.” Out of the corner of your eye, you see Loki pluck a cushion from his side and place it on his lap. But Lagertha misses nothing, and her eyes slide to yours with a sparkle of approval.

“I’ll take my leave,” you say, standing and giving a quick curtsey. Loki calls your name as you cross the floor, but you need to go. You need to think – shake away these ridiculous, girlish thoughts in your brain before you embarrass yourself any further.

A faint glow of green colours your vision and you realise Loki’s magic has restored the dress you came in, and like before…it’s far too tight. At the bottom of the stairs, you press a hand against the marble; steading your breaths. The bronze door swings open.

“Ah, the jester,” a sneering voice craws. “Are you lost?”

You look up, locking eyes with Fandral. A cape slings jauntily over his shoulder: pale blue, rippling silk the same colour as the cloudless sky. His hair is particularly resplendent today, and as much as you’d like to kick him in the balls and run – he does hold clout. People like him, for some reason.

Fandral chuckles, and it makes your stomach turn. He paces forward, the tap of his heels on marble echoing until they stop in front of you. “May I offer a little advice?” he asks, in a way that says you’re hearing it whether you like it or not.

“Prince Loki likes shiny things, pretty things.” His eyes narrow. “He likes playing with new toys; the novelty, you know? I’m sure rumours of his appetites have even spread to whichever hovel you crawled out of.”

You open your mouth to call him a cunt but he raises a finger to his lips, eyes closed like you’ve interrupted the sweetest melody in the nine realms. They open slowly. “I will perform the Rite with Prince Loki, little jester. It will be my thighs shaking under the work of his regal, royal mouth. And do you know why?”

Anger, white hot and thick, curdles beneath your skin.

“Because,” he says with black delight, eyes dropping down to your feet and back to your face, “the pleasure of the subject is only one part of the ritual. You cannot possibly fulfil the second.”

He leans forward, and the scent of his cologne chokes up your nostrils. “But I can.” Fandral twirls the golden lock hanging over his forehead and stalks towards the spiral staircase. The periwinkle cape shimmers as he spins.

“I expect he didn’t tell you about that,” he says with feigned regret, pouting. It crawls into a shit-eating smile, and he offers a wink that makes your blood freeze.

“For him, you’re just a bit of mischief - best you know sooner, rather than later. You'll thank me...sometime. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a certain ceremonial robe to be measured for.”

The click of his heels ascending to the turret room fades as you tear gasping into the open air; heart hammering as you run; his words beating in your ears with every breath.

Chapter Four: Daylight Orgy The Masterlist for The Rite is HERE ❤️🕯️❤️ Tags in comments x

[chrysaoravioli]

2nd Year Anniversary: Happy Little Experiments

Remember this?

It's hard to believe an entire year has flown by and yet, I don't really have much to show for it, huh? At least, in terms of completed projects... nada. Zilch.

It seems like I've simply rested on my laurels, haven't I? Well, not quite...

A Nagging Feeling

While I was making the Bayonetta 3 combo video, I kept finding myself thinking, "Hey, what if this move was backported to a previous game?" or "Man, this hit reaction state was so cool. What if we could port it forward?". And as I kept working on this project, the list of musings kept growing bigger and bigger.

After the combo video was released, it was clear that the completion of this project had left me a bit empty. I found that it was difficult for other games to keep my attention because Bayonetta 3, despite some of its faults, had set an incredibly high bar for mechanical satisfaction that only one other game has ever surpassed (hint, it's also another Platinum title :D ).

For some time, I was contemplating what I should do next. Another combo video? Maybe creating the high level guides that I had briefly talked about? What about the violin covers? I kept going back and forth, and yet, I always came back to my list of "what ifs". There was this nagging feeling, a sort of itch that was just out of reach that desperately needed to be scratched (i'm not a good writer, why did you choose this metaphor).

I simply concluded, "eh, why not? Let's learn how to make a game because it's bothering me."

Giving Unreal Engine a Shot

Those of you that have been following my Twitter may have noticed an uptick of Unreal related tweets around March 2024. That's when I had a few personal breakthroughs and was absolutely excited to share any and all progress, no matter how inconsequentially basic.

You see, I had actually began experimenting with game engines around July 2023. After the Unity debacle in September, I made the switch to Unreal but I found it an absolute behemoth of a program to parse. In addition, I made the mistake of following a book that also taught C++ for Unreal, leaving me incredibly frustrated and lost. All I could think was "god, I really hate programming."

However, around March, I decided to sit down and just start from scratch. Forget finishing that silly book, just try to do something simple like... making a door open without writing a single line of code.

I Don't Actually Hate Programming...

...as long as it's Blueprints.

You see, this visual scripting system is actually a godsend. Forget about header files. Forget about trying to figure out the exact syntax. Forget about what feels like arbitrary words that somehow makes the computer do things. Instead, just take these coloured blocks, connect them with little wires, and hey, it spits out the same exact result as the hieroglyphics you've been trying to learn!

And holy ****, it actually makes sense! This node based scripting system allowed me to perfectly visualize and execute any idea that I had in my head. It's so freakin' convenient!

Only two weeks later, I was able to craft a basic initial framework for a dial combo system, similar to the one found in Bayonetta 2 & 3.

By then, I was locked in. Seriously. As soon as 5 PM rolled around, for two months straight, I would begin experimenting with charged attack inputs, delay combos, and a little system for evaluating left stick inputs to enable command attacks. By May, I was even brave enough to begin experimenting with hitboxes.

There's still so much more work to do but I was absolutely over the moon. Unreal Engine satisfied that same mechanical desire that I had felt when playing Bayonetta 3 but I still hungered for more...

A Self-Imposed Challenge

In June, I decided to challenge myself by recreating a specific mechanic from a game within a month. I needed a bit of a breather, as I knew that working on the stylish action system required a lot of interconnected subsystems that was beginning to feel overwhelming. So, I decided to work on recreating part of the painting system from Splatoon.

In the first week, I researched Render Targets and learned how to draw a simple shape into the RT. This simply uses the "Find Collision UV" node from a trace hit, then draws the painting material to the Render Target at the hit UV coordinate.

In the second week, I decided to go a little further and apply an entire Render Target to a custom mesh. This required creating a second UV channel with custom UVs so that the paint could be "continuous". However, one issue is that if an UV island wasn't scaled properly, the paint blob would become distorted.

In the third week, I took the plunge into the Material Graph so that I could figure out how to restrict painting surfaces. There was a lot to learn since creating the necessary functions to manipulate colour was a bit of a foreign concept to me. In the end, I was able to successfully figure out a solution that restricts a paintable wall with a mask.

In the final week, a Tricolour painting system that was much closer to Splatoon! While I'm still using the somewhat questionable custom UV channel albeit with more uniform UV islands, I can have multiple static meshes that share the same Render Target! Team Alpha, Bravo, and Charlie paint into their respective R, G, or B channels of the Render Target, which is then processed into a material to transform these into the appropriate colours defined in a Material Parameter Collection.

While there's still work to do in figuring out how to turn this into an interactive game element, I'm fairly proud of my work in this month long exercise. I learned a lot about the Material Graph and have even begun researching into how to bring all of this stuff that lives on the GPU, back to the CPU in a performant manner.

What's Next for Year 3?

For the time being, that little nagging feeling of mine has led me to realize that I'm really happy and satisfied as I slowly tinker away in Unreal Engine. It does mean I'll have to sacrifice some of my video ideas but I think that's okay.

I'm not really that old but I'm also not getting any younger. While I did enjoy making the combo videos and violin cover, they end up feeling so ephemeral that I think my time is much better spent on something that can have a more lasting impact.

So, as long as these little experiments continue to satisfy my curiosity and engineering spirit, that's what I'll stick to for the foreseeable future. And who knows, maybe if things pan out, you'll be able to play and experience the results of my experiments a year from now! Wish me luck!

While I wished I could've done more for my channel, I still hope you'll continue to support me in the future. Thank you so much for all of you who have stuck around!

Best wishes!

chrysaora 🎐

[funnuraba]

Regarding some of the more troubling stuff from PG Wodehouse: A Life in Letters: I would say ableism is the most persistent bigotry on display in his writing itself, but there are a couple of homophobic letters, and some racism that's about the same level you get in his books, except infinitely worse because it's about real people.

Frances Donaldson's biography excerpts some of his letters from his internment by the Nazis that just made me think "Oh my god, shut up, white man." The usual white British condescension, things like calling a Malay inmate "like a little monkey", and Life in Letters has him writing to a friend that he hears British authorities are instituting forced labor in a certain African territory: "That'll give them something to do besides jump up and down." (Referencing a film he saw of a Maasai jumping dance.)

As for the homophobia, there's this, first of all:

(PG Wodehouse, In His Own Words, quotes a similar sentiment:

As with the first example, this isn't a genuine accusation, but a general insult and expression of irritation. He considers "fairies" shrill and frivolous.

Then this entire letter is nasty, nasty stuff from beginning to end:

Hugh Walpole was gay, and it's clear that Plum was aware, because it starts out mocking the affectionate way Walpole addressed other men in his letters, then moves on to "Can you imagine a man keeping that diary of his?" There are two swipes in the joke diary entries: according to Wikipedia, Walpole used the word "friend" to discreetly describe the long-term partner he was looking for. Again, Wodehouse must have been perfectly aware, because of the "gazing into his eyes" part. Then "slapping Henry James' hand", imputing a very effeminate gesture to Walpole. Then at the end, back to more of the same, with a joking description of Walpole with a pink mustache.

There's also a line about Cole Porter that two people, including editor Sophie Ratcliffe, consider a reference to him being gay.

Porter was partying a lot at the time, making work difficult for his collaborators, but this is a nasty, evil thing to say about any gay man, and in this case his only crime was being an annoying colleague. I don't see any other reason for Wodehouse to bring up the Night of the Long Knives except as reference to Porter's homosexuality. Very shocking and unpleasant to read.

So what do we have here? According to his biographers, Wodehouse often visited a distant relative of his, Charles Le Strange, who was as openly, flamboyantly gay as one could be in those days, and they were on perfectly friendly terms. In fact, Le Strange's estate, Hunstanton Hall, shows up over and over in Wodehouse's work as inspiration for names and for his big country houses, including parts of his beloved Blandings. It seems that it was the usual case where a trait may be fine in your personal friends, but as soon as it's someone you don't like, it becomes free fuel to mock them.

He does the same thing with Jewish people. He rightly points out that he had tons of Jewish friends in his Broadway days, and I consider his antisemitism pretty mild compared to many people in those days, particularly after WWII when he started eliminating stereotypes that had crept into his early work. But when he doesn't like someone, as with a Jewish man who was (allegedly) skiving in the internment camp to get better treatment from the Nazis, every reference to him is "the Jew, the Jew, the Jew". (Again, the charges of this man deliberately pulling stunts to get extra food, leaving others with fewer rations, was imputed to him by the other prisoners and I find them extremely dubious given the circumstances.)

Did he improve on his racism towards anyone with skin darker than, say, the Efficient Baxter, who, while white, appears to be about the limit of tolerable darkness judging from the constant reference to his "swarthy" skin? I can't tell. There's one letter from 1971 where someone working in a stage adaptation of his work has advised him, "You can't casually joke about whipping Ethiopian slaves anymore" and he says, "Okay, cut the line." And in another letter, he talks very casually about the minstrel blackface subplot, but has upgraded from describing it with a slur to using the term that was preferred for Black people at the time. One of his favorite lines for Lady Constance is describing her as Cleopatra dealing with Nubian or Ethiopian slaves; by the 1970s Blandings stories, I believe the latter half was no longer appearing, leaving her as just Cleopatra.

So, mild but minimal progress.