#anyway this show is great and I’m having a great time

[william-t-sickofyourshit]

Bard nodded his head as Sebastian spoke, and munched on some more nuts, offering the bag to Sebastian as well every now and then, so he could grab himself a handful. Lady Charlotte might have seemed fine on the outside, but her actions clearly showed that she was anxious about Sebastian’s situation. The spontaneous visit in St Michael’s, all the gifts she brought for Sebastian, now the research for rehab center… she was obviously looking for ways in which she could actively help, do something. 

“Yep, rehab center.” Bard nodded. Sebastian asked, so definitely got curious and wanted to know more about it. With Lady Charlotte, no one could ever know what to expect, to be honest. “She was very excited when she found it, and made James inquire about open spots, the waiting list, all that. She seems serious about it.” the cook hummed. “She wants to help, and it’s frustrating to her that not everything is in her power, like it usually is due to her wealth. I’m sure Master William feels the same… I mean, that he feels a little helpless.”

Bard wasn’t sure how alright Sebastian was with this painful subject, and so he didn’t want to dig too deep. So he cleared his throat, and switched the topic slightly. “Anyway, so great that you and Master Will could visit for Christmas this year. How do you like the estate in winter time so far?”

For I have sinned...

The principal cleared his throat, eyes scanning the notes that he had wrote down before this meeting. It already lasted an hour, and the teachers gathered in the faculty room were becoming restless and bored. But indeed there were some things to discuss, with the concert that the senior class was supposed to perform at the end of the semester, and with recent staff changes. 

William glanced down at his watch, sighing softly. His class was starting in 15 minutes, so at least, whether the meeting will be done soon or not, he will get to excuse himself. He looked out of the window, his mind wandering. Principal’s voice turned into white noise in the background. It was a pleasant day, late summer. But William was looking forward to a slightly cooler weather. Wearing all black could really be bothersome at times. 

“And lastly, I am pleased to announce that we have finally found replacement for the violin teacher. Dear Mr Tanaka, may he rest in peace, was with us for so many years that I’ve been concerned we won’t be able to find someone as good as to fill this position.” the principal spoke. “But Mr… Michaelis, was highly recommended to me, and he indeed has impressive references. He will be starting this week, so please welcome him warmly once he will arrive. Ah yes… about that. He will arrive today at noon, I need someone to pick him up from the train station and bring over for the tour around the school. Any volunteers?” 

William was barely listening, and definitely not paying much attention. He glanced at his watch again, and saw that it was time to leave, as his class was about to start. He raised his hand to excuse himself, and little did he know, he just volunteered.

“Father William! Excellent!” the principal exclaimed. “Just don’t be late, the train arrives at noon.”

“Train…?” William questioned, raising his brow. He had a feeling he was missing something…

***

Right after the meeting, William had to run for the class, so he had little time to clarify what exactly he had volunteered for. He was a piano teacher in this Music Academy, but also he served as a priest in local church. Well respected, and rather liked. So when he later found out it was about the new violin teacher, he didn’t refuse. Who, other than himself, would be a better choice to introduce a newcome to their community?

So even though he raised his hand by accident, he accepted this fate.

After classes, at noon, William took a taxi and drove to the train station, to pick up their new teacher. Wearing black trousers, and a black shirt with a thin tie, was absolutely dreadful in this weather, so William quickly found shelter under the roof of the station platform, that provided some shade.

The train had just arrived. William had no idea how Mr Michaelis looked like, but he figured he will just look for someone carrying a violin case with them. 

He was in for a bit surprise.

@crazyvik97

[mariasont]

So I've been thinking of pre-show prosecutor!Hotch and I was wondering if you had any thoughts?

i do have thoughts. so many, in fact, that i had to exorcise them through a poorly proofed, probably terribly written blurb. i blame hotch for this. and also myself. mostly hotch. anyway, enjoy! pretend it's intentional if there's a typo

“Miss, could you repeat where you said you were standing?”

“Um.” Great start. Really strong. Definitely doesn’t sound like someone about to lie. You cough, try again, and this time manage a passable sentence. “On the — the corner of Sixth and Elm?”

“Are you asking me or telling me?”

“Oh! Telling you,” you blurt, practically elbowing your hair out of your face in a rush to clarify. You fumble with the mic, an awkward little shuffle-and-scrape as you drag it closer, before contributing a more certain, “Definitely telling you.”

You try for a smile. You think it lands.

The prosecutor, Aaron Hotchner, if memory serves you correctly, gives you a look. Not a mean one, not even really skeptical, just the level thing that knocks you clean off your axis.

His face is just… offensively handsome. Sharp, classic, serious. And he’s a lawyer, which means he’s smart. Not just good-at-crosswords smart. Real smart. The kind that studies latin and knows what the word precedent means in actual context.

You bet he went to Columbia. Or maybe Stanford. Someplace that required essays and character references and three different recommendation letters.

“Did you notice anyone else there with you at that moment?”

You like his voice, too. It sounds like it should be narrating audiobooks you fall asleep to, or whispering Supreme Court cases in your ear or —

Focus.

“There might’ve been — um, I mean — maybe?” you offer.

“Miss,” he says, closer now, “I need you to be sure.”

“Yes.” The word leaps ahead of you. You clamp your lips shut for half a beat, then add, “Sorry. You’re just — um, sorry. I’m sure.”

He raises an eyebrow then, tilts his head, just a little. That lawyerly squint, halfway between confusion and curiosity.

“You’re just very… persuasive,” you say, scrambling. “I mean — clear. I meant clear.”

You laugh nervously. He doesn’t. The mic picks up everything.

“Thank you,” he murmurs dryly, though there’s a glint in his eye now, the smallest twitch of his upper lip before it evens out again. “Did you observe the defendant exiting the building at approximately 9:15 that night?”

He turns back toward his table — his bench, you think it’s called — and you catch a full view of him from behind. The lines of his back flex beneath his suit, tapering down into a waist that is frankly slutty. Your gaze dips, entirely involuntarily, to where the fabric hugs his nicely-shaped ass. You know it’s wildly inappropriate to be noticing any of this in a courtroom, but, I mean, you’re only human. 

You think about what it would be like to feel that strength over you, not legal, but physical. Hands braced on either side of your head. Jaw clenched. Voice low.

The judge coughs. Loudly. Your eyes shoot forward. You’re ninety percent sure she knows. You’re ninety-nine percent sure everyone knows.

“Yes,” you say quickly, “Yes, I saw him leave at 9:15.”

You manage to survive the rest of questioning without further incriminating yourself, verbally or otherwise. You nod when you’re supposed to, speak when asked, and somehow resist the urge to faint.

And when he finally thanks you and releases you from the stand, you rise with all the grace of a newborn deer on a frozen lake. You practically stumble down the steps, heart pounding like you’re the one awaiting sentencing. 

You don’t meet the judge’s eyes. Or the bailiff’s. Or God’s, for that matter.

But then right before you find your seat, because you are weak and hopeless, you glance back.

The prosecutor is already looking. And for one completely insane, possibly legally compromising moment… he smiles.

[secretgardensinmymindd13]

every time someone says that eddie doesn’t love buck as much as buck loves him -

ughhhhh, what are you talking about?

buck, the guy with abandonment issues because everyone is always leaving. not caring enough. not needing him enough. not seeing him

and here comes eddie, who makes him his partner and his bestie, who always makes him feel like he and chris are his home. they’re always here. they need him. they want him. he is part of their life now

you can have my back any day (i trust you). and i’ll have yours (you can trust me). it’s a deal.

anyways, that won’t happen to us. (it better not)

he’s hanging out with his buck today!

you saved him. that’s how he remembers it.

but i love him enough to never stop trying, and i know you do too.

there’s nobody in this world i trust with my son more than you.

i couldn’t even call you to bail me out of jail…

did you ever stop for a minute to think what it could do to us?

i forgive you. also, what it means to be part of a team.

this is eddie’s house. i’m not really a guest.

you’re a miracle worker.

(they never wanted another kid. they just had me for parts. defective parts, as it turned out.) hey, that’s not on you.

(i had to do it.) i know you did.

are you hurt?

it’s in my will - if i die, you become christopher’s legal guardian. no one will ever fight for my son as hard as you. that is what i want for him.

you act like you’re expendable. but you’re wrong.

you’re stuck with us.

(yeah, i know i’m the guy that always wants to fix everything.) hey, comes in handy when you have a bunch of holes in your wall.

(we’ll do our best!) do more!

welcome back to the world of the living, buck. you were missed.

this doesn’t change a thing between us. (i love you and accept you exactly the way you are, and i’m always there for you)

what you always do. just talk to him.

i do not know what i’m gonna do without you.

it’s not nothing.

i don’t like it any more than you do.

if you’re gonna make this about me having to choose between you or my son, you’re gonna lose every time. (buck obviously knows it, so it was a reminder to himself, because eddie had to make this choice too)

but i hope you know, you do matter to me.

appreciate you, buck.

with every word and every action, eddie shows:

i don’t care how much you fuck up. i love you. i want you. i need you. i’m not going anywhere. i’m always here. i always have your back. that was the deal.

the only time i push you away is when i’m too caught up in my own pain. but it has nothing to do with you. you’re still my safe space. you’re the one i can be myself with. you’re the one i want to have in my life always.

buck’s acts of service for eddie are usually loud and definitive,

but eddie’s act of service for buck is staying. being present. being consistent. carving out a space for him in his life and saying, “this is it. you’re now part of my life. you always have a home here”

eddie makes buck feel needed. he makes him feel wanted and valued. he shows him that buck matters to him, that he sees him

i feel like buck doesn’t really need someone to go to great heights for him the way he does for the people he loves. i feel like he just wants people to understand him, to recognize his efforts, and to appreciate him the way he is. and this is exactly what eddie does

buck’s parents “looked through him”, his romantic partners didn’t care about him enough - abby leaving and not even bothering to properly break up with him, ali thinking she couldn’t handle his lifestyle, taylor always putting her work first, natalia doesn’t even count, tommy only getting with him out of convenience and breaking up with him because of insecurity and indifference. (by the way, i don’t think they were all evil for breaking up with him - it’s just that none of them were on the same page with him. they didn’t fit. relationships are often a two-way street, after all)

all buck ever wanted is to be seen, to be needed, to be wanted. eddie is the one who gives him that. he’s the one who loves him as much as buck loves him. buck might be head over heels for eddie, but eddie is just as head over heels for buck - it’s just that the way he shows his love is more quiet, but it’s persistent and stable, and it’s kind of exactly what buck needed all along

and it just so happened that he found the kind of love he was searching for in the face of his colleague and best friend. he just needs to realize that his quest for a romantic partner is over because he already found the treasure - he just had no idea he did, or that it was even an option

and it makes me very emotional that buck was looking at that old couple’s album in “buck, actually” and had no idea that he already met someone to spend his whole life with - and that this person was standing right by his side, and that it was his best friend (with whom they became besties suspiciously fast, lmao - but that’s just how soulmates work)

i know it was accidental, but honestly, that’s what makes it even better ’cause they’re soulmates through and through. even the writers couldn’t have predicted it

[cloudcountry]

auburn!! id like to request any characters you like with a reader thats studying for med school!! the entrance exam could be in a year or maybe less so they need to just 🙏🙏lock in🙏🙏 pulling more all nighters than usual etc etc

who do you think would be really supportive and understanding of the work they put in just for one single day? or who would be an interesting pair with the reader considering all this

can u tell how self indulgent this is lmaooo (i desperately need motivation or im gonna hate myself in 2026)

as always love u and ur work sm mwah

SUMMARY: which ghouls would be the most supportive and understanding of the work you put in just for one single day of studying?

CHARACTERS: Ritsu, Rui, Yuri, Jiro.

COMMENTS: i just finished my finals . my lower back was seizing last night AAAAA i sympathize ^^; i know you're gonna do great though!! thank you for your continuous support i always see u in my notifs <3

Of course, the king of studying for like five hours a day is in the number one spot. Ritsu is making sure every minute of your time is optimized, and that you’re performing at the best you can be.

There will be no all nighters for you under his supervision I’m afraid! Your ass WILL be in bed by 10pm or Ritsu will scold you. He means well, he just wants to make sure you get at LEAST eight hours of sleep. This is non-negotiable.

If you ask politely, he will exchange studying tips with you. As your business partner, he is committed to making sure you reach your truest potential. After all, that’s what his parents did for him...it is the purest expression of love he knows.

Rui is also a major workaholic so he gets it. If you really need it, he’ll use his stigma on you—but only if you really need it! You’re not like him anyway...you actually do need to sleep. The guest rooms are always open to you...

He’s the type of guy to show up in your room in the wee hours with a drink and small snack. Plus, once you’ve finished up your work, he’s insisting that the two of you go on a walk to aid digestion. It would be a shame if you woke up with a stomach ache. :(

He’ll stay with you until you fall asleep—and if you just so happen to fall asleep at your desk, he’ll drape a blanket over your shoulders so you can at least be a little comfortable...if you wake up with a sore back, he’ll do the best he can to remedy it!

Yuri understands exactly what you’re going through...and even though he’ll end up being a HYPOCRITE when he tells you to rest and drink more than caffeinated beverages, he is a great study buddy!!

Yur is really good at compiling quizzes to test your knowledge on the material he knows will be on your exams. He’s been down this road before, studying for Darkwick’s rigorous exams, and if you truly believe he is the best doctor, then you will listen to him, yes?

Yuri is a harsh tutor, but that is only because he expects a lot from you.Yes, he appointed himself as your tutor, but you know how lucky you are. :) Not many can say they have studied under Dr. Isami’s guidance!

Jiro is another one who understands, although he isn’t as intense about it as Yuri is. He’ll answer any questions you have and bring you things if you ask, but other than that he won’t really bug you about it.

Yuri usually likes to listen to music so Jiro will give you some recommendations based on the Doctor’s tastes. He won’t be offended if you dedicated not to listen to him, really it all depends on what works best for you.

Jiro would make you tea!! Mortkranken’s tea is the best for you (obviously) so of course he’ll bring you a cup. In fact, Yuri would more likely than not insist on it! He cannot have those germs who hang around you all the time offering their inferior tea.

[onismstrikes]

Megan snorted as she watched Teddy open the container of lo mein. “Great, I’ll add ‘nephew-approved surveillance state’ to the list of ways I’m definitely not winning Mom of the Year. But hey, if it keeps me from doing something stupid, I’ll take it.”

She was quiet for a moment, chewing her first bite of food, before laughing low and shaking her head. “You remember when we were younger and I swore up and down I’d never get soft over anyone?” She pointed a chopstick at Teddy. “You should’ve slapped me then. Spared me the humbling.”

But then Teddy started in with the teasing, and Megan groaned, covering her face with one hand. “No, no, I already forbid myself from being this obvious. Don’t you dare make it worse. She already makes me feel like I forgot how to form full sentences when she’s in the room. You showing up and doing the ‘big sister’ routine? I will absolutely combust.”

Still, the warmth was there beneath the mock whining—gratitude, affection, the ease of being seen and loved anyway.

She lowered her hand and met Teddy’s eyes, a little more serious this time. “She is different, Ted. There’s this… calm with her. Like I don’t have to pretend I’m okay all the time. I haven’t had that with someone in a long time.”

A beat passed before Megan added dryly, “Which is why it makes total sense that I’m now preparing to grovel at the feet of her neurosurgeon sister with a black belt in grudges.”

She popped a dumpling in her mouth and spoke around it. “Do you think a heartfelt apology and a bribe of chocolate might work on Amelia? Or am I gonna need, like… a full-blown PowerPoint presentation?”

"Look, Farouk knows that aunt Teddy is only looking out for everyone's best interest. So yes, if you ever try to leave, he's to take your keys and call me." She had been surprised that her nephew had actually accepted this, but then again, he probably wanted to stay too.

She brought the food over, digging in the bag for utensils, sauces and napkins. The last thing she needed to do was spill lo mien all over Megan's couch. Once she was sitting criss cross on the couch, she pulled out one of the containers of beef with broccoli, situating the chopstick in her hand so that one was settled in the curve of her hand and the other pinched between her fingers.

"No way, I need to see lovesick Megan. Riggs had you giggly but this one? Nah, whole different ball game, I can tell. And I need to make sure she's good enough for you. Maybe I'll forbid you from dating her." she teased, trying to ease the tension with humor, as she usually did.

Teddy took a bite and sighed happily, closing her eyes as if it made the food taste even better. "No one is gonna punch you in the face. Amelia isn't pissed off enough to do that...at least I hope not." Teddy was now aware how easy she had gotten it. Maybe Amelia had felt sorry for her? Whatever it was, she was considering herself lucky.

[karebear923]

Okay I just watched the first episode of The Heart Killers!!

It is 12am now and I just know I’m gonna fall asleep standing up tomorrow 😴🪫 (today?) but gosh that was so good!! I’m not expecting much except to be entertained and that’s what I got!!

I can’t believe Style was that flirty and sassy with Fadel before his deal with Kant! Like that was just him being himself! 😄

My favorite part of the ass-grab moment wasn’t even the ass-grab. It was FirstKhao smiling at each other!!! Ooooh that got me giggling and kicking my feet more than anything!!

I love music but I always pay more attention to the official OSTs than the songs chosen for background, but this time I’m paying attention to all the songs! I gotta look some up cause there were so many good ones!

The visuals are stunning, this is looking like a big production! Sets, props, costumes, amazing! But was it just me or was the audio really bad? It sounded kinda fuzzy/echoey and it seemed to be only when they spoke, not the background music so I don’t think it was my earbuds? Idk if anyone else had that issue, I didn’t see anyone post about it.

Aaahhhh that was so good tho! I can’t wait for more!!!

[ironunderstands]

Sunday’s worldview sucks, his outlook and perception of himself and others sucks… and that’s why he’s so interesting

In honor of his drip marketing releasing tonight (or maybe yesterday for you depending on when I get this out), I’d like to talk about why I think Sunday’s beliefs and perspective is very, very flawed and how his own biases rather than the actions of those who oppose him are what led to his downfall.

Sunday is entirely responsible for his own failure, and that’s exactly why he’s incredible.

This contains mentions of leaks and spoilers for the Penacony quest line… you have been warned

To start with, oh my lord do Sunday’s preconceived notions kick him in the ass. 

I think the best example of this is his conversation with Dr. Ratio in which Ratio pretends to betray Aventurine, selling out his plan to Sunday. Now, what’s incredibly interesting about this exchange is that Ratio doesn’t fully lie to Sunday once in this exchange, rather he says half truths and makes vague statements which Sunday himself interprets as being in support of him. 

Take what Ratio said the whole, “A scholar knows their position and wouldn’t forsake it for the sake of petty pride.” In retrospect, we know this line is actually referring to Aventurine- aka Ratio is saying he’s not just going to sell him out to Sunday for the sake of information about the Stellaron (which he would get anyways if the IPC attained Penacony, plus Mr. Incredibly Dedicated Knowledge Spreader probably has other means of gaining it then through The Family). 

However, since Ratio answered the invitation Sunday gave him, Sunday assumes that Ratio is on his side, believes his cause is righteous, and that he won Ratio over with offering him information about the Stellaron, therefore making that previous statement of Ratio’s null, because Sunday interpreted it as, “convince me this is worth my time + prove to me you’re correct,” when it really meant, “there is no way in hell I’m about to sacrifice my friend to you, and there is nothing you could offer me to make me do so you crazed lunatic.”

But why did Sunday not weigh the options? Why did he unquestioningly believe his perception of the situation was the correct one?

Well- partly it’s because Ratio and Aventurine were doing their damndest to make it seem like they hate each other and that their plan was going off the rails.

But the more important part is that even without Ratio saying a word or even accepting the invitation, Sunday already believes he’d be on his side. 

Let me demonstrate this through Sunday's perspective:

I am a righteous person, I am doing the correct things, my worldview is the correct one. Dr. Ratio is also a righteous person who seems to be doing the correct things. Therefore, since we are both on the side of good, and Aventurine is clearly not on that side considering his status as Stoneheart and his negative relationship to Ratio, then Ratio will naturally want to be on my side. After all, the good guys work together, do they not?- and together will vanquish this evil villain.

This perspective is a simple one, but Sunday’s unshaking belief (up until the end of 2.2) that he is 100% in correct and in the right, that any and everyone who he also perceives to be in the right (like Ratio) would believe/side with him without truly needing to be convinced. Sunday doesn’t come out the gate offering the Stellaron information- he only keeps it as a backup just in case. 

However, this is complicated because Sunday is also not an idiot, and he’s extremely paranoid, so he’s going to make sure that the way he views the world is 100% correct on the off chance he’s wrong which could foil his plans- which is why he invited Ratio in the first place. Nevertheless, this isn’t him hunting for new perspectives, but rather him desiring to prove himself right again, which is a bad thing because Sunday is very much not right. 

A perfect world is a perfect pris- *gets shot*

Reference that approximately 2 ½ people will get beside, Sunday’s ideology that he is fully confident in.. sucks. It sucks ass, it’s terrible, and let me explain.

I’m not going to try going over all the little intricacies to how the dreamscape works because I a) don’t know and b) don’t particularly care because they aren’t relevant to the argument I will be making- which is that Sunday’s ideology is inherently flawed and immediately falls apart under scrutiny.

Essentially, he desires to create the perfect fake reality, enveloping the whole galaxy in Ena’s dream and fulfilling their every desire and whim within it, with himself as the sacrifice to allow it to exist. The seven rest days, no illness, no pain, no challenge, you get the idea. 

And, this perfect world paradoxically sucks ass because of its perfectness.

Improving society is great, eliminating hardship is great, increasing quality of life is great.

But declawing reality itself- absolutely not.

I’m going to try to explain this through my favorite strangely specific anecdote- the process of obtaining diamonds in Minecraft.

Stay with me now.

You essentially have two options- go out and mine them yourselves the hard way, which takes hours, gives you less diamonds per the amount of time spent on it, and likely with you exhausting some of your resources like food, torches, and tools which you will need to replenish.

Or.

You can just.. get them from creative mode or commands, and you can get as many as your heart desires.

However, despite the fact that option one is harder, gives you less diamonds and takes significantly more time, I, as well as hopefully you, would pick it every time (at least in a survival world, although honestly idk why you would even need pure diamonds in creative).

And that’s because the first option is rewarding. 

You did not earn the diamonds you easily and magically summoned into your inventory, there is no struggle, no journey, no challenge to it, therefore it feels entirely unremarkable, as compared to the feeling you (hopefully) get from mining diamonds, which makes you happy because you earned it. Yeah, it was harder, but the process itself is fun- the anticipation of not knowing when you’re going to find them, if at all, the danger, the fighting and digging and mauvering you will have to do in the process.

And with this unconventional example, the fatal flaw with Sunday’s ideology is revealed- it’s boring. 

It’s boring as shit.

Yeah, for the first few months or even years it might be enjoyable- having everything you could ever want served on a silver platter. However, humans are a) inherently a bit greedy and b) desire challenge, and this scenario fulfilles neither of those things. Naturally having everything means your desire for more can never be fulfilled, leaving the wanter forever unsatisfied, whereas in the real world, things are truly out of your reach, meaning that even if you never end up getting them, they are still a tangible thing just out of reach… as strange at it sounds, we like being tantalilus-ed more than you think. After all, if what you want is so easy to get, you will never run out of things to want, and eventually that gets draining. 

Continually, if everything is easy, if everything is just right there whenever you want it- existence itself no longer has stakes. 

And that’s the problem, because much like how a story with no stakes is extremely hard to find compelling, a life with no stakes feels boring at best and downright pointless and meaningless at worst.

I’m just saying, there is a reason why the Nihility was such a strong presence and problem in Penacony.

Anyways, like with the diamond problem, a lack of stakes means that nothing you do feels rewarding, because you didn’t truly earn it. 

Which is where the Sunday’s idea of a “perfect” reality falls apart, because the most enjoyable reality for humans to live in is not one literally devoid of any possible flaw.

So why does he believe in it? When it’s so clearly flawed?

Well, it’s because Sunday doesn’t think a better alternative exists.

The world made you this way.. and you chose to continue what it started.

I’m sure I don’t need to repeat the story of the Charmony Dove all over again because trust me, we’ve all heard it before. Nonetheless, it reveals something important both about Sunday’s personality and his ideology- he’s fundamentally a defeatist.

He doesn’t believe that there is any alternative for the dove, that it could ever be able to fly again with its deformed nature, so instead of being “cruel” and letting it “inevitably fall to its death,” he’d rather keep it in a cage all its life where it has no freedom, but at least it would he alive and “happy”.

And this is where his defeatism reveals itself- Sunday doesn’t believe reality itself can get better because improving it when there are so many factors and things out of your control is hard at best and impossible at worst. Therefore, he resorts to creating an escapist, false version of it- a perfect golden cage, because constructing that is far, far easier than trying to help the dove fly again. 

The universe has endless possibilities, if Robin and Sunday had tried hard enough, they probably could have found a solution. Sure, they were both children, so the capabilities necessary to even attempt that were likely far out of their reach. However, it was still possible, but Sunday doesn’t believe in possibilities- he believes he’s right above all else, which is where that stubbornness and arrogance comes into play again.

Sunday doesn’t think better solutions than his exists, and he believes everyone would could possibly stand in his noble way are either villains, or horribly misguided; so it’s his job to show them the light.

This is why he lets the Express Crew + Firefly try to change his mind- Sunday wasn’t actually interesting in shifting his perspective, or really what they wanted to say. Rather, he just wanted to let them say there peace, because well, Sunday’s a good, righteous person (at least from his perspective), and good, righteous people listen to others. Good, righteous people will let these poor, ignorant souls offer their foolish words before exposing them to the harsh truth- or at least that’s how Sunday sees it. 

Moreover, this also explains his arrogance. If he believes his worldview is the sole correct one, then why listen to anyone else? He’s this world's savior, or at least he’s been raised to believe that- so why not relish in it? He enjoys punishing Aventurine, enjoys the bastard who stood in the way of Sunday’s plans, shrinks away in “defeat” and get what he “deserves.” Despite how miserable it sounds, Sunday also takes pride in having to be a martyr to bring about his beautiful dream. The belief that he is a selfless, good person is a selfish desire of his, even if a genuine one, and it’s what leads to his downfall.

Sunday could have actually listened. He could have reevaluated his loss to Aventurine and realized it was not through the others clever deception, but through his own biases. He could have actually taken the Express’s and Firefly’s advice. He could have looked for other avenues to help the people he truly does care about. 

Despite Gopher Wood’s manipulation- Sunday’s decision to go forward with the pain is entirely his own, because he truly believes- even with all the evidence for the contrary- that he is correct.

And that’s why he fails. Not because of the Express. Not because of Ratio. Not because of Aventurine. Not because of Gopher, or even the rest of The Family.

No, Sunday fails because he is flawed, and he is wrong, and he is the arrogant, selfish and biased one, and his worldview is wrong.

So what now?

This might have seemed like I think Sunday is pure evil and irredeemable, but I think it’s quite the opposite.

He has very good intentions, and he does genuinely care about it the well being of other people around him. He gives Aventurine a chance to prove his innocence, even if he never intended on changing, he does listen to what the Express + Firefly have to say. He pauses when Robin shows up, as she’s the one person (until the very end) he’s actually willing to accept the perspective of. The whole reason he ended up here in the first place is because Gopher Wood twisted Sunday’s good intentions into a fatal arrogance and utmost belief in a flawed worldview. 

However, what really sells me on Sunday’s goodness is when eyes widen at that final moment, the light draining from him as he realizes he is wrong. 

And once Sunday realizes he is wrong, those flaws that bind him can finally be examined and improved upon, as they all stem from that worldview he no longer believes in. 

His whole life, Sunday has been enacting out someone else’s plan for him, even if he’s come to internalize it over time, at the end of the day- it was never his, and without it, he’s empty.

Which is exactly why the only place he can go now is the Express, and the only thing left for him is redemption and growth.

Dan Heng is right- Sunday has a noble soul, and now that he has stopped believing in himself, he’s no longer shackled by the past either. Improvement or utter demise (in a likely nihility-flavored manner) are his only options remaining.

I understand a lot of people want to see him become a Stellaron Hunter, but imo, that just does nothing for him. He’d still be following someone else’s path/script, and Mr. I Will Sacrifice My Whole Existence To Become The Sun To Illuminate These Wandering Souls probably wouldn’t be so on board with the whole.. terrorism part of being a SH. Like yeah, they are our friends (kinda), but they absolutely kill innocent people and cause millions of dollars in property damage to people who don’t deserve it. 

Also, being on the Express Just Makes Sense. This is a game about choices, a game about accepting the mistakes of your past, but not letting them define you in order to move on and forge a better future for yourself and others- with the Astral Express + Trailblaze as a concept being the literal embodiment of it. There’s a reason when you switch to the Trailblazer’s POV in stories, it includes Kafka’s most important words to us- “When you have the chance to make a choice, make one you won’t regret.”

Therefore, I hope the choices Sunday will make in 2.7 are ones he’s proud of, and I can’t wait to see how exactly they get him on board with the crew, because there still is a LOT of development he needs to do before then. 

Anyways, thank you so much for reading, and if you have any thoughts I’d love to hear them. This was a stream of consciousness mess, but I hope it was still valuable nonetheless! Also if you are reading this on the day it was written, I hope we don’t get disappointed by his drip marketing!

[thetireonstageright]

for anyone who has been in the ponyboy seat: did it feel like you were in time out when you were sitting at the back of house waiting until they escort you to your seat?? no?? just me??

[xskyll]

Page 15, for the second time! Apologies to those that saw the version I posted last night with the typo. My days lately have been busy, so sometimes I feel a bit brain foggy. A couple of people left comments on either here or Twitter and it killed me to delete everything. ;_;

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First

[gilmores-glorious-blog]

i do think some people’s complaints about c3 and how it didn’t feel like each individual character had a narratively satisfying conclusion could do with some reminding that this is a d&d game…i know personally, when i’ve ended campaigns, my characters have been nowhere close to fully fleshed out!! my characters, like bh, have had happy endings that were maybe a bit rushed or not as in-depth as they could have been, and that’s fine. in fact, i enjoy it, because it gives me room to continue to build and expand upon that character in my mind—which is exactly what y’all can be doing with bh right now if you find yourself unsatisfied 🤷‍♀️

[fingertipsmp3]

Maybe I did this to myself but it does irk me when people see me knitting and they ask who it’s for and I say it’s for me and the immediate reaction is “you should sell it” yeah… let me spend at least a week’s worth of my free time making an item I like, want, and would wear just to sell it on etsy, making at most a £2 profit on materials and not being compensated for my time whatsoever 👍🏻

[marianasofiaibarra]

.

[everywaythatmatters]

Wheel of time season two is so fun so far oh my god the actors are absolutely killing it!!!! I adore Dónal Finn’s Mat and the weaves look amazing and Rand wearing the red coat and literally everything about Egwene and Elayne and Nynaeve is just sooooo good

[inkykeiji]

hi clari, is it bad ive never heard of david lynch until his passing? :( id like to learn more about him! do you have any films of his you paticulary enjoyed? from what i know he was a very talented film maker.

hi sweetpea!! oh my gosh no of course it’s not bad! there’s nothing wrong with not knowing who someone is. honestly, all of david’s work is fantastic, but my personal favourites are lost highway, eraserhead, blue velvet and (of course) twin peaks.

i know twin peaks is a huge commitment, but i always recommend it to someone who is new to lynch’s work to kind of ease them into the lynchian sphere. david’s art is weird and wonderful and twin peaks will give you a toned down taste of what he’s like. i find david’s work to be deeply personal and rooted in emotion, and i’m very much drawn to artists like that. he created art for nobody but himself and i love that SO much. he was so unapologetic with it and with who he was in general.

if you do end up giving his work a try, please let me know!!! i’d absolutely love to hear your thoughts, even if you end up hating it!!

[seventh-district]

sometimes it’s late at night and you’re cleaning your room and you come across a few old black and white photos of a young girl and you stare at them for a long minute wondering how on earth they got lost in an old Kroger shopping bag with an unopened pack of cigarettes and a receipt dated 2017.

and you look at the girl in the pictures sat on the floor of someone’s home you don’t recognize, smiling and playing with a set of keys and a tiny part of you feels like it recognizes her but you aren’t sure.

and you flip the pictures over hoping to find some sort of annotation that would give you context and all you find is the year 1964 stamped in tiny font along the edge.

and you flip them back over and time stands still as you realize that the recognition you feel is because she looks so much like you once did and next thing you know your hands are sweating and shaking and you have to sit on the floor because you’re crying so hard because it hits you all at once that you’re looking at your mother.