#based off their storys from what we've seen it also fits me as a person

[mmmmmmky]

limutuals another poll

part of a new series of limbus polls i think reblogs with your answers and such would be appreciated :>

[cringecompanionapologist]

I Found a Doctor Who RPG Sourcebook and I'm Making It Your Problem

Actually, I found several. It seems that there is a sort of Doctor Who tabletop RPG with sourcebooks for each Doctor that include ready-made character sheets for the Doctors, companions, and major players in each televised story.

I could look into all of them, if I really wanted to, but the thing is, my computer is nearly a decade old, slowly dying on me, and hates screenshots, so taking and storing a fuckton of screenshots of absolutely everything isn't something I can do. So, I'm just pulling a few interesting bits from the Second and Fifth Doctor Sourcebooks. There's no structure to this beyond me thinking "I wonder what their character sheet looks like".

So, the Second Doctor stuff is not much at all. I got the Doctor himself.

I should probably note that I don't have much experience with tabletop RPGs, and none with this one in particular, so I only half know how to read these. This screenshot isn't even very good. I'm working off a free site with a terrible zoom function and I couldn't get the whole thing. The basics are that characters have a set of six Stats, a bunch of Skills, some traits that give them special strengths and weaknesses, and some basic character information. The Second Doctor's got a lot of stuff, some of which even gets explained.

I've deduced that there's probably a separate manual for the basics of how the game works, what the Stats mean, what the Skills do, etc. So a lot of Why These Numbers Are What They Are questions go unanswered.

Any way, this screenshot sucks so much that I can't bare the sight of it any longer, so we're moving on to the next one. Here's Jamie:

Wow! You can actually see things this time.

Most of the stat numbers don't go above 5, from what I can tell. So we can assume that Jamie's strongest stats are Coordination, Presence, and Strength, without any stat being too weak.

The skills are more mixed.

Athletics most likely refers to physical skills, Convince is persuasion, Craft is making stuff, I think, Fighting needs no explanation, Knowledge is...well...knowing stuff, Marksman is shooting/throwing accuracy, Medicine is obviously medical knowledge, Science is...look a lot of these seem like special subcategories of knowledge that are self-explainatory, Subterfuge I think covers "rogue skills" like spying and lock-picking, Survival is the sort of things Boy Scouts learn probably, Technology is computers and technobabble, Transport is driving and the like.

So, when it comes to strengths, Jamie is physically fit, but can't swim. He is very good at fighting because he's a male companion in the 60s that that was like at least 75% of their job. Marksman is apparently based in knife-throwing ability. Subterfuge...well, if you've seen The Enemy of the World, Jamie is actually a pretty good spy.

As for weaknesses, Jamie knows nothing about any STEM field.

There's also a little number for Technology Level. I've seen this number go as high as 7, but the 18th and 19th century characters seem to be placed at a 4. I didn't get a screenshot but Victoria is the same, despite the whole Industrial Revolution thing.

Then we've got some personality traits and such that effect things. Jamie apparently gets points for being attractive and brave, as well as for being accepted anywhere in time and space no matter what he's wearing. There's really not a whole lot to analyze here.

Now, the entire reason I did Second Doctor stuff was because the villains get character sheets and I wanted to see Salamander's. I added the Doctor and Jamie to pretend I had any other reason to be there.

I took this screenshot without using the zoom and it looks pretty good actually.

It turns out that those skill numbers can go above 5 as Salamander scores a 6 in Ingenuity and Presence, as well as a 5 in Resolve. Almost all of his stats are pretty high. As an RPG villain, he's a boss fight.

Instead of a full chart of skills, which only Doctors and Companions get, Salamander just gets a list. His higher points here are Convince at 5, Knowledge at 4, Subterfuge at 5, and Technology at 5. Convince and Subterfuge are his more manipulative skills as a politician, while Knowledge and Technology are because he did, in fact, invent the technology he got popular for inventing. His Tech Level, at a 5, is somewhere between Jamie and Victoria, and some of the more futuristic aliens. That does make sense for the early 21st century, even a slightly more high-tech 21st century than the one that actually happened.

As for Traits, a lot of them give him bonus skills that are actually explained, such as the ability to invent gadgets, resist mind control, menace people into doing what he wants and get even bigger bonuses in Technology and Convince situations, being a tech genius for his time period and a respected authority figure.

So, cool stuff.

The Fifth Doctor stuff I got is a bit more extensive. We'll start with the Doctor himself.

The good news is that it's a full screenshot. The bad news is that it's very hard to read. We can see a very high Ingenuity stat, because he's the Doctor. There's a Tech Level 10, because I'm guessing that's Level Time Lord.

I do have enough info to compare his Skill number to the Second Doctors.

Athletics has risen from 1 to 4 because of all the cricket. Convince drops from a 5 to a 3, because nobody listens to Five while Two was fairly good at getting people to listen to him. Fighting has risen from absolute 0 to 2, which isn't much but it's literally something. You can see a lot of numbers improve slightly as the Doctor has learned more things over time, like Medicine going from 1 to 3.

I actually looked over four different companions this time. We'll go in order of introduction. Here's Adric.

His Tech Level is confusing in the blurry screenshot. But, as for other stuff, his fast healing and ability to control the TARDIS a little are noted, though the reality warping of Block Transfer Computation isn't because it's too damn complicated and has it's own system.

Adric's skills in general are pretty low, but they don't seem to be too unfair. These sourcebooks started coming out around 2013, when the fandom's aggressive Adric hatred had started to wind down, possibly as people realized that all the season 19 companions had writing problems and the confused performances you often get with confused writing, but Tegan and Nyssa stuck around longer so improvements could be made, and Big Finish started doing damage control with them earlier on, especially in Nyssa's case.

I'm actually surprised Adric's Athletics score is as high as it is. His Science score being only a 3 and Knowledge 2 confused me at first, but when I thought about it, it a makes sense. Adric knew a lot about mathematics but basically nothing anything else, even other STEM fields. Nyssa had to tell him what photosynthesis is, which I learned in elementary school science classes. Between this extreme focus on a single subject, lack of socials skills, and somewhat stilted speech and movement, I think I like Adric as much as I do because all this stuff feels like autism and I was an autistic teenager when I first saw him.

He also gets good Subterfuge skills because he can pick locks, do sleight of hand tricks, and overall has a good skill set that was rarely put to use.

And now, Nyssa:

Tech Level 7 explains where Traken is. We'll get to compare several different planets I guess.

Nyssa gets a higher science stat, with an emphasis on biochemistry. She has a more diverse STEM skill set than Adric. Other than that, I don't have much to report here. The fact that she's upper class seems to affect her ability to interact with people who aren't. As you will see, Turlough somehow isn't given this problem despite it being more obvious with him than with Nyssa.

But before that, there's Tegan.

Technology level 5 for the 1980s. These tech levels seem to cover a lot of historical ground. 1746 and 1866 are both in 4 and 1980 and 2018(futuristic version) are both in 5. I wonder what separates these levels from one another.

Tegan is considered fairly ordinary, not a fighter like Jamie nor a scientist like Nyssa, so her stats are kinda bad. Looking at her traits, her skills seem to include running and screaming, with points off for being impulsive, argumentative, and loud. I don't think the people who wrote this liked Tegan very much.

Anyway, of course there's Turlough.

Trion is apparently Tech Level 7, the same as Traken. So that turned out to not be very interesting.

His main strengths are in Convince and Technology. He can half-understand the TARDIS at times and appears to be good at lying to people. The fact that he doesn't get running and screaming in his traits and Tegan does is sexism. He also gets to be charming, though not attractive like Nyssa or Tegan. Men can get this trait, since Jamie did. I think he's commonly seen as average-looking.

Also the fact that he's seen as lucky with all the shit he went through is hilarious.

Finally, as a bit of a bonus, Captain Wrack from Enlightenment has a character sheet. How do you even make stats for an Eternal?

Many of her stats are surprisingly low for basically a low-level god. Though she's got a high Knowledge score and a Tech Level of 12, since Eternals go beyond Time Lords, though it's more power than technology with them, isn't it? Do we just not know how to factor this in?

So when it comes to these tech levels:

18th-19th century Earth = 4

20th-21st century Earth = 5

Traken and Trion = 7

Time Lords = 10

Eternals = 12

That's all I got for now. I hope you enjoyed this bit of fussing over meaningless numbers.

[zizz-asdf-re-r-o-u]

Headcanon time: Who might be on the aroace spectrum in a sex game?

I missed arospec week by... a few weeks lol. And hey look i'm making a Nukani headcanon post instead of a questionable theorizing analysis for once! If you have contributions for characters I don't have enough info on (especially Quincy), please add on!

Disclaimer: I'm aromantic but allosexual. For me, this means I experience sexual attraction, but not romantic attraction. In my local kink scene, I actually personally know several community members + friends who are asexual or aromantic or both, and some engage in sex while some don't. And lastly for demographic proof only, I'm in an unofficial discord server where some unspecified members are asexual, but they still play this porn game, so yes not everyone who plays this game are into romance or sex.

TLDR: someone can be asexual or aromantic or on the aroace spectrum and still have sex but that varies for everyone!

Now that that's out of the way, here are my headcanon times! None of this is true or ever will be true due to the marketing of a porn harem game, but I think it's fun to headcanon! Feel free to disagree cause I know how people reacted to that "Is Aster trans" reddit post.

Speaking of Aster. I think he's also aroacespec! In his SR room 5, we got text narration ONE time that he gushed or orgasmed or something with a vague hot rod behind Eiden's back. But we've never seen Aster naked nor involve his genitals with another body in the 5 H scenes we have with him. And unlike EVERY other character, he’s only described to have orgasmed once. He also constantly talks down on morvay’s sexual habits, and while it’s a running gag that’s played for laughs, isn’t it possible Aster actually thinks this way? But is still willing to engage in sexy times with Morvay because they're essence creatures so that's how you exchange essence, and they’re basically an old married couple & deep down they do care about each other. And remember what I said about aromantic or asexual people who still engage in kink or sex.

Next, Karu my beloved chew toy. At the time I wrote Garu/Karu analysis part 1, I thought both of them were firmly allosexual but also presented some evidence someone could use to argue Karu might be demi or aroace or something else. But the more I think about it, the more I think yeah, he might be. Or he’s just a tsundere. I swear I'm not delusional and am a logical canon-based theory fan. (Btw, according to google searching, it is possible for different alters to have different sexualities, so this does not apply to Garu).

Quincy- I have never watched a Quincy intimacy room (including his SR & R cards that I have unlocked) but my vibes based off all the other story content with him makes me think he might be in the umbrella, so Grey-ace, Demi, etc. From what I’ve heard other people say, Quincy has had a lover in the past but currently only has sex if Eiden begs for it. This might fit into the definition of people who don't really care for sex themselves, but is interested in it for their partner. If anyone has Quincy cards and has more information, please let me know!

Huey: ok so we have almost no information on him. But he didn’t have sex with his clan members. He was definitely not romantically invested in any of his clan members nor do I recall him having hints of being sexually or romantically invested in anyone else, which does not equate aromantic or asexual but its still possible. And that’s all I got. Anyone got additional input?

Eiden: ah our beloved Eiden. Let’s ignore that in meta, he’s supposed to be the audience self insert (even though he’s the least self insert type MC ever) and therefore he is not going to “prioritize” one ship over another.

Anyways, so I am 100% sure he’s not asexual. BUUUUT he has not expressed romantic lovey dovey attraction to his clan members. More significantly, he does not seem to pick up MULTIPLE clan members’ romantic hints towards him. Yes in Fateful Aegis, Eiden says “I love you too” back to Yakumo, but it’s prefaced with something like Your grandparents love you and I love you too-ish, which to me indicates found family love. Kuya has said the Chinese/Japanese equivalent of “I love you” (“the moon is bright/the moonlight is beautiful tonight”) and that totally went over Eiden’s head. Dante & Edmond are also intensely crushing on Eiden… but they’re tsunderes so it’s probably gonna take forever to get across. The other members are different types of dedicated but open relationships rather than traditionally romantic relationships (except for Rei, who’s still getting there). And I think this is a great thing! All these varying relationship styles that are given the same weight & importance & Eiden has such appreciation & care for all of them, despite not providing traditionally romantic affection back.

Aromantic people can still love their friends & family! We’re not heartless emotionless creatures. We just may not experience or be able to comprehend romantic attraction. And i don’t think that’s a defect nor a bad thing.* And I think it’s especially cool when we compare Eiden’s bad hookup habits in the real world with how he has multiple regular partners that truly value him and a new found family in Klein. If he was aromantic this whole time, it’s kind of a positive perspective, isn’t it? Some aromantic people do experience “squishes”, which is a term for when we feel emotional desire for a platonic relationship. Obviously none of Eiden’s relationships are truly platonic due to the sexual element, but they all lack the romantic element from Eiden’s side.

(Anyways, Eiden won’t ever “reciprocate” romantic love because it’s a harem game, but shhhhh. Also to anyone who says it’s an Asian game and the characters aren’t going to say “I love you”…. Well in their newest intimacy rooms, both Kuya and Yakumo literally just did. Heck one of Forest Night Kuya’s sprite dialogues repeats that!)

So yeah, I hope you enjoyed this pointless headcanons!

*Speaking from my personal experience, I’ve have several sexual partners over time, but I never had the desire to date them or be romantically invested in them. And a weirdly telltale sign, that Jaidenanimation pointed out quite nicely, is that when she listened to romance songs she was like “wait that’s what people experience when they’re in love???” I’ve read a TON of romance and have heard a TON of love songs, but I cannot relate to any one of them. I literally have not felt any of those feelings. And when I have sexual partners, the horniness is definitely the forefront compared to any “falling in love” feelings. I did have what I now realize were several “squishes” in high school/college. What squishes feel like to me, are like “I wanna be your friend & you’re really cool & I cherish you! Like a lot! And also I don’t mind if you fucked me!” which emotionally feels different from “I’m in love with you!!!” (Which yeah i still don’t know what “in love” feels like, and I’m fine with not knowing!).

[y0imiy9]

What would your art taste like?

Inspired by @solisflowersblog because she asked what her art would taste like and I got to cooking >:)

Explanation under the cut!

Sweet explanation:

Solisflower's art would taste like a raspberry compote custard tart with a dark chocolate crumble on top (couldn't find an image of just a crumble topping so imagine the crumble on the right is on top of the tart on the left)

(raspberry tart, chocolate crumble)

Her choice in brush colour influenced the reason why i chose raspberries. It's both sweet and sour, and has a gritty texture from the seeds. Personally, i actually don't like raspberries (texture issues), but i can appreciate the flavour when combined with other fruits or ingredients. Dark chocolate pairs extremely well with raspberries. Its rich and smooth texture beautifully balances out the tart flavours of raspberries, giving the perfect blend of flavours. Dark chocolate also represents Mizu in her artworks. Mizu has rich lore that goes deep, we've barely scratched the surface about her origin story so it felt fitting to include chocolate to describe Mizu.

A custard based tart perfectly describes Solisflower's art with the way she intentionally blocks out certain areas of her pieces with minimal details and colour. The smooth and silky texture of custard best represents this. Though you're not drawn to the custard due to it's simplicity, it holds a lot of weight as it helps deliver the other striking ingredients. This is best shown in the Akemi artwork where she intentionally uses minimal details on the hair and clothes to better direct your attention to her face and hands.

The dark chocolate crumble i mentioned best describes the crosshatching shading style she uses in majority of her art. The sketchy look adds a lot of texture and variation while also making her pieces look visually interesting and crumchy (been snacking on crackers lately and i imagine eating victorian era mizu, as seen above). I really enjoy her use of insane details and basic blocking of shapes to best enhance the subject (mizu) in her pieces.

In conclusion, Solisflower's artworks has a perfect balance of striking and rich flavours, the sourness of raspberries and richness of dark chocolate. The added texture of silky custard and gritty dark chocolate crumble greatly enhances her pieces, with the consistent use of shading and blocking that gives an interesting variation in all her artworks.

Savoury explanation:

On the other hand, her art would taste like a nut (pecan, walnut or pistachios) and herb panko crusted salmon with a creamy lemon sauce. It took me a while to think about what kind of protein best fit Mizu since she's the main subject matter in almost all of Solisflower's artwork. Her art doesn't give off beef vibes, and chicken didn't feel right either. Her art is more delicate, though you could argue that with her style of shading it gives poultry energy, a quail maybe, but i personally think fish best describes the delicate nature of each brushstroke that is laid onto the canvas.

(pecan panko crusted salmon, panko crusted salmon)

Her use of crosshatching for shading greatly reminded me of the flaky layers of fish. The layers and delicate nature of fish represents each singular brushstroke that makes up majority of her pieces which adds lots of texture and variation in her art. The addition of a panko crust is because of the type of brush she uses which adds a lot of grain and a sketchy, almost rustic look. Fish dishes aren't complete without a sauce and a creamy lemon sauce best describes the solid areas of her pieces. It gives the perfect balance and enhances her art in a way that uplifts the important details of her artworks.

I chose simple flavours to represent Solisflower's artwork. This is because i'm more drawn to her use of texture and minimal colour that she uses in her pieces. Herb and lemon flavour combinations are a good pair that best describes her art as it enhances the flavour of fish (MIzu). In the example of the art above, her subtle use of blue adds a small but striking variation in her piece but it doesn't draw away from the subject itself, but enhances it.

In conclusion, Solisflower's art has the perfect balance of texture that i love so much. I'm such a sucker for sketchy, clean lineart art styles because the variation of line thickness and the grain of the brushes used tickles the right part of my brain. I'd eat her art up like i've been starved for several days. If her art were a restaurant i'd give her 3 Michelin stars <3.

If any artist would like me to compare their art to food, please let me know! I need to do something with my culinary degree once i get it lmfao.

[doggendoodle]

It's especially interested how bad the Minecraft movie feels when you compare it to other video game movies nowadays.

Like. For example, the Mario movie in concept was simple. Adapt the basic structure of what a Mario platformer is (person gets kidnapped and Mario saves them) with Mario's alternate backstory of being from Brooklyn as an excuse to make him an easier viewpoint character. And Super Mario is THE video game franchise so it's an easy money grab.

Except they didn't make an easy money grab. They made a kid's movie that respected the kids who play the games, they made references to the games and incorporated them into the movie in a way that enhanced the story, and they did this while still understanding the spirit of the franchise.

Mario and DK being rivals but still coming together to fight a greater evil. The Bros.' relationship being the emotional core of the movie. Bowser being portrayed perfectly as a goofy yet still threatening villain. They even incorporated Mario Kart into the story without it feeling tacked on. They took the world of Mario seriously and treated it with respect - they made a world that's goofy and charming but still lived-in, without making it edgy or "realistic" just to "appeal" to adults.

Most people apologising to Minecraft Story Mode are probably doing it as a joke, but like. They already understood this and worked through it. Even in the first game which features a grand adventure, the adventurers are people from the world of Minecraft, and the epic invasion was a horror unleashed by accident, like the Wither it's based on.

Later episodes and seasons play more into the inherent fantastical elements of Minecraft, with the Far Lands and the End as eldritch, alien places. They also reference the community aspects of Minecraft: power-hungry server admins, fan-created games like Spleef, fantastical redstone contraptions, even the Minecraft YouTuber murder mystery.

And even being a movie instead of an episodic game isn't an automatic death sentence - hell, if you really wanted to stick to the base game of Minecraft, you could showcase the joy of exploration that is a much more common and more core experience than big epic boss fights.

That moment in the trailer, where there's a log floating in the broken tree and the boy reaches out for it? The one at the start where they're looking around at the world and the camera lets us see the surroundings? Those are great moments, because that's how it feels to play Minecraft. I've seen and heard kids play the game, I know that's still how they experience it. If you're going to make it into an epic, make it into an epic journey and show off the world. The vistas we've seen do genuinely look gorgeous, like someone transplanted

Even the visual design plays into this. The weirdly realistic mobs Detective Pikachu/Sonic style do not work. Detective Pikachu still looks uncanny to me, but the world of Pokémon is meant to be similar to the human world, and Pokémon are meant to be animals. The world of Sonic is Earth, and the redone design for Sonic and the other animal characters is beautiful; it really does feel like Sonic exists in a world overlaid on ours, more fantastical but still in reach.

The Minecraft movie trying to have its blocky cake and eat it too just feels like a shoddy compromise. The wolf howling at the moon doesn't look epic or awe-inspiring, it looks bad - in fact it's not even on model. They deliberately made it look blockier, for some reason. The invading piglins have realistic armour, and clothes, but their bodies are desperately trying to fit the voxel shapes and it all feels at odds. And of course the pink sheep and llama look god awful.

Combined with the human characters being Regular Humans, it feels more like some random friend group making a home movie than a fucking big budget production - and honestly, it loses some of the fun and appeal of portal fantasy.

I will say, it does look like they will visit the Nether at some point.

[ID: screenshot from the trailer. The scene is dark and lit by lava waterfalls originating above the frame, but the scenery resembles a Bastion. There are several piglins staring at the young male main character, whose head is peeking into frame. End ID]

Given they're shooting for the "marauding piglin" angle it's probably too much to ask, but the scene cuts away at this point instead of transitioning into that standard shot where all the mobs roar at the main character, so part of me is hoping that maybe this scene won't be at the climax, and we'll get to actually experience the piglins as nuanced mobs.

[doodle-do-wop]

I am asking abt the other cabins, I totally have not been hypnotized to ask

OKAY OKAY OKAY

so this is gonna be one long ass post (possibly) and it's going to be formatted weird because I rambled about this on discord ages ago

Sophie Foster: Daughter of Zeus

girly can fly, shoot lightning, and is mega powerful with enough low self esteem to match

as stated in a different channel she's picture perfect to be a demigod with her origin story

fatal flaw: ambition (reasoning being she tends to do things on a whim a lot and that can also be chalked up to hubris but let's not forget Sophie is a genius by all definition of the word. She was going to go to college based off of pure intelligence alone but there's a certain type of bite that comes with power and it's the realization you can do more)

Keefe Sencen: Son of Aphrodite

literally the goddess of love and beauty, emotions are her forte and thus the best godly parent for Keefe's powers to fit into

he can still be the funny sarcasm guy, kids can have more than one personality trait

also beauty and love don't just apply outwardly and only romantically. Aphrodite is the goddess of love, self love and platonic included

fatal flaw: low self esteem (literally look at that sad wet noodle of a boy and tell me he thinks he's worthy of anything)

Biana Vacker: Daughter of Athena

vanisher fits Athena to a T and yet even with a cool ability she's overshadowed by Fitz still

smart girl, was a brat in the beginning but grows into one of the most capable fighters around while keeping a caring side to her

once again, kids can have more than one trait and girls in STEM can like make-up and sparkles. It's usually the girls that have a cute blouse and know what they're doing that are the most lethal (mostly because the blouse might have a knife)

fatal flaw: Loyalty (sure she kinda abandoned Maruca but this is a new universe and look at how much she's gone through with Sophie and been a consistent and stable rock for her best friend. Girly has tackled multiple murders for her friends, she is insane)

Fitz Vacker: Son of Athena

while not a total perfect fit Athena has always focus on the mind, strategy, and being ahead of the game. What better way to do that than to make a son with the power of the mind itself, a telepath

a shining rebound ability that gives him enough pizzazz to overshadow Biana (not on purpose) but also keep him from being super socially gracious (because he ain't)

smart boy but can get a little too ahead of himself in things and send focus in the wrong direction

fatal flaw: Wrath (the boy's got a fighting temper and it's caused rifts in his relationships and even extreme pain for himself. If anything would take him down it would be his own anger)

Dex Dizznee: Son of Hermes

"doodle he's the technopath" Dex is also expecting things often only to get something else completely out of left field

the trickster god of travelers and roads ain't limited to putting a bucket over a cracked door, technological pranks work in his domain and let's not forget Dex did spike Stina's drink and make bombs

what better way to set your expectations high and get them destroyed than to expect Hephaestus or some minor god only to get the dude with wing shoes

fatal flaw: Grudges (we've seen I in action before, Dex can let a grudge like jealousy or his general dislike of the Vackers blind him out of many things including being a good friend at times, sure this was more prominent when he was younger but he still has a lot to hold against Stina even after she's shown herself to be a friend)

Marella Redek: Daughter of Ares

"but Leo is a fire powers" Marella? A daughter of Hephaestus??? Besides I doubt someone with Ares' rep can't spawn a child with fire powers

Marella's whole main goal, the very core of her motivation is her mom, she'd do anything for her and even if it meant being claimed by Aphrodite or Athena (evidence her father was unfaithful to her mother) Marella would've given anything to do something to help her mom

just to be claimed by the one god she never wanted to be claimed by, war and bloodshed, fear and hate are all Ares' domain, his kingdom of stacked skulls and crushed souls

fire is not easy to control and the path of 'easy' is almost never on the Ares' agenda

Fatal flaw: Loyalty (her relationship with her mom is a good point but also the fact that Marella was abandoned, essentially betrayed by someone she considered a friend and immediately turned cold and bitter for quite some time. She only came around because she knew she could do something to help the greater good)

Linh Song Wildwood: Daughter of Poseidon

hydrokinetic=ocean man

personally I have no idea where else she fits

the sea is a powerful thing that can't always be contained and controlled perfectly down to the last atom and Linh could've definitely had some trouble controlling the pull of the water causing the Songs to abound their demigod children once and for all leaving the twins to fight for themselves before a saytr could find them

fatal flaw: Ambition (the girl flooded Atlantis, the pull of the water is often too much for her to handle and that's the call of the sea challenging her and Linh giving into the temptation of more)

Tam Song Wildwood: Son of Poseidon

"dont you mean Hades" guys that's not how twins work

Poseidon isn't just about water and he's had kids that don't even possess his power over the ocean (ex. Chrysoar)

the ocean has depths, depths so dark and deep there are parts unexplored and uncharted due to the crush and pull of the water, a single sea current could blast you from here to another continent if you're not careful

the sea is dark but there's also light, balance, calm waves gently blanketing over sandy beaches, the moon waving between high and low tide. There is more to it than what's bobbing on the surface

fatal flaw: Loyalty (Tam is the most normal dude in a group of weirdos but those are his weirdos. Tam had always put Linh before himself and has even held an escape plan in his boot in case things got so bad he had to go back home. If Linh got kicked out Tam was going with her and staying by her side no matter what)

Wylie Endal, Son of Iris, goddess of the rainbow

he's a flasher this is quite literally his entire power scheme

each color of the rainbow possesses a slightly different kind of magic inside of it so Red might have a different affect than Blue or Green and its difficult to master the entire rainbow like Iris can

fatal flaw: Grudges

[unhappycylinder]

Gonna Be Trouble (Jake ‘Hangman’ Seresin x Fem!Reader) Part 5

Series Masterlist

--

Back in college you thought you’d be able to live your normal life without thinking of Jake, that you could just slip back into your daily routine as if the airshow never happened.

But you weren’t that strong. Instead you found yourself wondering what could have been every. Second. Of. every. Day.

He was eating you up, and he didn’t even know. Well he probably knew, cause all you talked to Gabby about was how much you missed him. And what Gabby didn’t let you know was that she was also hearing constant complaints and questions from Hangman about you. 

She had grown to be one of your closest friends, and now that she was engaged to Rooster and their wedding was fast approaching, you and she were on facetime almost every night picking out fabrics and dresses and decorations.

“What do you think about this dress?” Gabby asked, holding the phone up to a picture of the most beautiful flowy white dress you had ever seen.

“Gabby oh my god that’s stunning, you’re gonna look so beautiful!” You squealed, begging her to show you her huge turquoise engagement ring that fit her personality so well.

“Aww thanks y/n. I’m so excited for you to come down here for the celebration! I know it's just gonna be small and more of a get together, but it really means a lot to me that you're making the trek down” Gabby said sincerely, her tone changing drastically to taunting with her next phrase, “and I know I'm not the only one who thinks soooo”

“Gabby, if you're trying to get me to ask if Jake is gonna be there, I’m not going to. This is about you,  ma’am, we're not talking about my failing love life right now,” you reprimanded her.

“Oh please, like that's not the one thing you've been dying to ask this entire call.”

“Nope.” You lied.

“Okay fine if you're not gonna ask it, I'm just gonna say it. Jake’s gonna be there and I know that he’s gonna be in his sexy little dress whites and that he's going to be extremely happy to see you,” Gabby teased

“Gabby, I doubt he wants to see me after everything I did. I was such an idiot.”

“Yeah you were, and so was he, and if I saw you before you left I would have hit you with my shoe…but that's what this is all about, this is your chance to make things right with him”

“Gabby! We are not talking about me! We literally called to plan your wedding and all we've accomplished is digging up the shitty past, so can we please go back to looking at your dress?”

Gabby finally gave in and went back to showing you her plans, explaining she and Rooster wanted something small and just friends and family. She said it'd be held at a bar owned by Rooster’s godfather's girlfriend called The Hard Deck (cute name, you thought), and that the actual wedding ceremony aspect would be kept to a minimum.

With the wedding date just two weeks away, you began emailing professors about your absence, getting your apartment ready, and finishing up any assignments that needed to be submitted so you didn't have to think about them on your trip. And, of course, you had picked out a beautiful golden orange satin sundress to wear to the wedding. It had spaghetti strap sleeves and a scooping neckline which showed a little bit of cleavage, and it cut off just below the knee, with a small slit up the left side. Gabby assured you that orange was the favorite color of a certain aviator, and that this dress would drive him absolutely insane…not that that was your goal or anything. 

–

Gabby had welcomed you to San Diego with open arms, volunteering Rooster to drive her to pick you up at the airport. The entire car ride to their house you talked about the wedding and your term at college, and Rooster even chimed in here and there to offer a comment about recent happenings on base. The couple had hinted at Jake a few times, but you quickly shut down the topic, earning a few sassy stares from Gabby.

Once you got to their house, a quaint on-base 2 story home painted blue and white with a decently sized backyard, Gabby showed you to your room and left you to get settled.

Downstairs, Rooster pulled his wife-to-be aside.

“Gabby, sweetheart, I know she's your friend, but why is she staying in our house during our wedding? Isn't this meant to be about us getting time to ourselves?” Rooster questioned, gesturing awkwardly to his wife.

Gabby swung her arms up around his neck and pulled him down for a kiss, pulling away to explain that “she’ll be staying at Hangman’s tomorrow night at the latest, I can guarantee you that” 

“And what if she's not?” Rooster asked his fiancée, brushing her hair behind her ear

“Then I guess I’ll just have to make it up to you Bradshaw,” Gabby said seductively.

“What's that supposed to mean, future Bradshaw?”

“You'll see soon enough,” Gabby smirked as she retreated from her fiancee to go check on her friend upstairs, earning a teasing pinch on the ass from Rooster as she walked away.

Gabby plopped down on your bed as soon as she walked in, sighing deeply and staring up at the ceiling.

“You excited? Nervous?” You asked her while digging through the small suitcase you brought in search of a hairbrush 

“Bit of both, mostly excited though. He's the love of my life, but I can't say I’m not worried about that poor white boy spending the rest of his life with me, cause once he's in I'm not letting him out.” Gabby chuckled 

“Gabby, he's one of the best pilots in the navy, I’m sure he'll be able to handle you. He's done it for this long,” you giggled with her

“Yeah but marrying a Latina is different than just dating one, y/n, he's in for it I swear,” 

Gabby laughed with you as you continued to struggle to find your brush.

“For the love of god will you stop rummaging through there and gossip with me about Hangman,” Gabby pleaded, sitting up on the bed, “you've been here for like an hour and we haven't said a word about him”

“Ugh Gabby!” You pleaded, “what is there to say?”

“Have you talked to him? Has he reached out? Are you gonna hang out with him? When are you gonna fuck him again? You know, basic shit.”

“No, no, no, and who knows? Good enough for y'a?” You moved to sit up on the bed with her.

“Uh no not good enough.” Gabby looked straight at you, “y/n I’m getting married tomorrow and Jakes gonna be there, and so are you, and please for the love of god if you're gonna give me a wedding present, please make it you and Hangman making up” she pleaded

“We’ll see” you replied, nervous about seeing Jake again.

“You know what, I know you and that's the best I'm gonna get. Go shower and get some sleep, you look like shit” Gabby teased as she stood up from the bed and walked to the door of the room

“You're a bitch” you laughed

“No, I’m a Bradshaw” she replied smartly

“Same thing”

–

Mariachi music blaring, a disco ball spinning over a small wooden dance floor, and navy memorabilia scattered across every possible surface, the Hard Deck was exactly the location you pictured for Gabby and Roosters wedding. You had arrived early with the bride and groom and helped Gabby, Rooster, Maverick (who you learned was Rooster’s godfather), and Penny (Mavericks girlfriend and the owner of the bar) set up the final touches to the venue. After setting up, you, Gabby, and Penny snuck away to change into your dresses and do your makeup and hair. You opted for simple makeup and your hair down and curled, whereas Gabby was dressed in a flowy floor-length gown with a beautiful shawl across the chest. She looked stunning with her long dark hair down and curled at the ends, and her turquoise ring adding a pop of color to the whole ensemble.

You and Gabby lingered in back before the ceremony, waiting for the guests to arrive and Rooster to take his place at the altar which was set on the beach just below the deck of the bar. Once Penny gave you the all clear, you walked down the aisle throwing carnation petals all over the sand between the guests who sat on benches. There were probably 50 people there, it was a fairly small event, and your eyes, as much as you didn't want them to, scanned the crowd for Hangman. In the sea of white naval uniforms, he was kinda hard to pinpoint, but as you reached the altar, you noticed him sitting just in front of Bradley, an empty spot next to him…the only empty spot.

She’s clever. 

Rooster shot you a wink from where he stood at the altar in his dress whites, giving you the spur of encouragement you needed to sit next to Hangman, who you hadn't dared to even make eye contact with yet.

Smoothing your dress, you sat down quietly next to him, still facing straight forward. You felt him begin to lean in and part his lips when everyone rose. You darted your eyes to his, meeting his piercing green stare for the first time in months, and all the feelings from before came rushing back to you. You stared at each other as you rose, only breaking it when Gabby finally reached the altar and joined her hands with Rooster, clearing her throat in a manner that seemed a little too obvious to not be directed at you two. 

As the ceremony went on, Jake kept his shoulder pressed tightly against yours, and every once in a while you would catch him glancing over at you, but you kept your stare on your friend who was exchanging her vows with the love of her life. As they exchanged them, Jake’s gaze didn't leave the side of your face, his eyes roaming from your lips to your jaw to the curve of your nose and your beautiful eyes staring straight ahead. He knew you could feel his stare, but he didn't want you to look at him, he wanted to admire you and enjoy this moment. Enjoy his first time laying his eyes on you since the air show, and dream that maybe one day it would be him professing his vows to you, and maybe this was the first step in making that dream come true.

“You're staring cowboy” you whispered, still not looking at him 

“I know Smalls, trust me I know,” his southern drawl sending shivers down your spine as he whispered back

“I missed you,” you croaked out, darting your gaze down to your lap where your hands were fiddling with the rings on your fingers.

“You have no idea. I-”

“I now pronounce you husband and wife” the officiant declared loudly, drowning out Jake and drawing your attention to Gabby and Rooster, who were now passionately kissing as the crowd clapped. Jake turned his attention to them and whistled, cheering on his best friend. You smiled watching them, and you couldn't help but imagine you and Jake in that same position.

As the sun set below the ocean, the crowd headed inside for dancing, drinks, and a taco bar provided by Penny. You mingled with the other pilots, including Phoenix who you had met at the air show. She introduced you to Payback, Coyote, Fanboy, and several other odd names that you would never remember. And after several tacos, several drinks, and a few bad rounds of karaoke with Rooster, you stepped outside to take a breather.

Close behind you was Jake. He had his eyes on you the whole night, hoping he could find a moment to get you alone, but never finding the right time. You were always either talking to someone or dancing or singing Great Balls of Fire with Rooster over and over again. Finally, he noticed your orange dress exiting the bar, and he saw his chance.

You stood with your back to the bar, arms draped over the fence of the deck, eyes scanning the ocean which was hardly illuminated by the moonlight above. Closing your eyes, you took a deep breath, trying to talk up the courage to go grab Jake and ask him to talk.

“Thinking about me I hope,” his cocky voice spoke from behind you

“Always am, flyboy,” you smirked as you turned around to face him, resting your back on the railing and spreading your arms out along it.

“I'd be lying if I said it's not the same case over here,” he said as he sauntered over, his white suit catching the moonlight

“Oh you mean that you're always thinking about yourself,” you teased, he let out a chuckle as he stopped about a foot in front of you

“You know what I mean y/n,” his tone was serious and his eyes were dark. They stared deep into your soul, letting you know that this was gonna be a serious talk, and that he meant business when it came to you. Jake had lost you once, and he had sworn to himself that he would never let you go again.

“Come here,” you said softly, holding out your hand for him. He grabbed it, and you pulled it around you as you turned around to face the ocean again. Jake wrapped his other arm around you so your back was flush against his chest, his hands laced with yours in front of you, and his chin resting on the top of your head. 

The two of you stood there for what felt like hours, just breathing together and appreciating being in each other's arms once again. 

“Honey, the first night I met you I told you I wasn't going anywhere for a long long time, do you remember that?” Jake asked into your hair as he held you from behind

“Yeah, I do.” You felt yourself becoming emotional. How had you read him so wrong? How had you let yourself believe that he didn't want you, that you were just a number and that all the things he said to you meant nothing?

“I’m pretty sure I was still inside you at that point too”

“Jake Seresin!” You squealed, turning around in his embrace so you could hit him on the chest. You let your hand linger on his peck, spreading your fingers out so you could gently grasp at the fabric of his dress whites. You stared at your fingers, fiddling with his medals as you spoke, “that night…you also told me I was it for you…and I told you that you were it for me too”

“Honey,” Jake interjected

“I meant it Jake,” you cut him off, looking up to finally meet his eyes. Eyes which were filled with the most guilt-inducing mix of love and wonder and pain.

“Jake, I'm so sorry. Leaving you after an experience like that was wrong, I don't know why I did it, but I regret every second of the past three months that I spent dreaming about what being with you would feel like instead of realizing I could have had it the whole time.” The tears were beginning to flow, and all Jake could do was pull you in tighter and try to compose himself as he heard the words he had been praying to hear for months. 

“I've never felt as loved as I did by you that night. I mean, I had met you that morning and by the end of the day we were prancing around the air show like we had been together for years. And it felt like we had.” Jake wiped the tears from your cheeks, glaring down at you in disbelief, “And I don't know why I was too dumb to notice that it felt like that for a reason. Most people you meet don't just make you forget all your troubles, make you feel like you've known them for years, make you fall in love with them instantly…you feel like home, Jake.  I'm never gonna lose you again, I can't.”

His eyes stayed locked on yours, threatening to overflow with tears if he looked away. His hands, which were resting on your waist, snaked up your back until they found the nape of your neck where he used his strong arms to pull your face towards his. His lips crashed into yours, welcoming you into the most passionate kiss of your life, full of desire and longing. 

Your hands grabbed at the collar of his whites, pulling him closer, making your breaths shorter and your kisses more heated. Jake pulled away quickly, staring down at you and moving his hands to your cheeks, guiding you to look up at him.

“You're it for me…y/n.” He smiled that million dollar smile, causing you to blush and smile back at him.

“There it is, my favorite thing in the world.” He kissed your forehead.

“What?” 

“You honey, and that damn smile of yours,” he pulled you in for a hug, you rested your head on his chest, “I knew you were gonna be trouble for me. I didn't think that'd mean three months of hell and driving Gabby insane with how much I asked about you…but it's all been worth it if it means I’ve got you now.”

“Oh my god you were constantly annoying Gabby too?” You pulled away from his chest to look up at him, giggling at the thought of what your friend has been going through.

“Only about every few hours. God she got so sick of me. The number of times she told me to just call you already, but for some reason I just couldn't believe you'd want to talk to me,” Jake chuckled.

“Jake, baby, I wish you had.” You stood up to peck him quickly on the lips, “but I’m all yours now…and we've got three months to make up for, Lieutenant…”

You played with the collar of his whites and bit your lip, looking up at him through hooded eyes. He looked down at you, raising his eyebrows.

“I think it's time we got out of here,” Jake moved his hand to your lower back and began ushering you towards the parking lot, the sound of feet stomping behind you causing you both to startle.

“Ohhh no you don't,” Gabby yelled, stepping out of the bar in her dress, “I did not play middleman for THREE months for you two idiots, and choreographed your meeting at my wedding, only for you to sneak out before the fun really starts.” She stood with her hands on her hips and her eyebrows raised, a pointed finger aiming towards the door, guiding you both inside.

Jake peeled away from you, hanging his head and walking into the bar, muttering a quiet “sorry Gabby” on his way in.

You couldn't help but giggle with Gabby as he walked in. As you passed her, she placed a hand on your shoulder, “about fucking time, y'all owe me one for real…and Bradley…he’s heard enough of it too”

“Gabby, I owe you my life,” you both giggled as you walked in and joined the party, finding your happy place nuzzled into Jake’s side with his arm around your shoulder as he mingled with his fellow aviators. 

You were home.

--

Taglist:

@dempy @shanimallina87 @luckyladycreator2 @mightiestheroes @taytaylala12

[another-lost-mc]

What was/were the inspiration(s) behind each oc's appearance? 'Cause while they all look scrumptious, I'm lookin' at Karasu ✨️respectfully✨️

-🦖 anon

The OCs are a little self-indulgent so they're a sampling of what I like personally, plus whatever I was able to make with the options available on Picrew. 😂

I have some of the "old" versions of their designs on my PC still, so I'll include some of those here too.

When I first wrote Azra’s character, I was deep in my Sukuna (S01 JJK) brain rot and he was the original influence physically. That was when he was just a character I talked to one of my friends about and wrote out a rough version of his story.

I changed his appearance when I decided to post about him here (it was mostly his hair that needed changing). I wanted him to have wavy-ish hair because it would be fun to play with. I thought it would also make him look deceptively soft for a demon too (it was more fitting when he was still an angel). He has a lot of tattoos on his neck/arms/chest but he got those in the Devildom and they’re meant to help cover his scarring from previous injuries.

(Original Azra Picrew and updated Picrew)

Zekhan is supposed to be a bit of a contrast to Azra since they spend so much time together and I didn't want them to look alike or be mistaken as brothers. He's generally a bit more serious/severe looking and not very approachable. He wears glasses because his vision isn't the greatest and, well, I like glasses. I figured that non-human characters in the Devildom/Celestial Realm would have more variety in their hair colours (going off what we've seen with Barbatos/Mephisto/Thirteen) so he has dark blue hair. His demon form is inspired by the Gargoyles' character designs a little bit and I thought dark blue would work for a bat demon whose specialty is blending into the darkness while still being a bit colourful and other-worldly.

(original Zee Picrew and glow-up Picrew)

I pictured Karasu as a more literal representation of a crow demon: dark hair, dark skin, dark eyes. For his story, the bright and colourful design/aesthetic of KARASU OS was something he was not involved with designing, which I thought would be amusing. (I could see the designers purposefully doing that since they know it'd be the last colour scheme he'd ever use.) Also, I wanted him to have something a bit demonic/menacing about his appearance that would contrast with the quiet but kind demon MC would meet, which I represent with his red irises and dark sclera.

The different versions of him let me play around with how I think he'd change his hair and fashion over time. He doesn't need glasses but I think he would wear them anyway while working.

(From left to right: OG!Karasu, OG! demon form, Nightbringer!Karasu, DILF!Karsu, Modern!AU Karasu)

They're all "average" in terms of demon height/body type. Based on my personal height headcanons, Azra would be the tallest at 6'1 or 6'2. Karasu is the shortest around 5'9. Zee is somewhere between the two.

Azra is a bit more muscular, but not as buff as someone like Beel. Zee is broad-shouldered and slightly muscular (especially his arms) but lean overall. Karasu is slender but not very muscular.

If they had to admit what makes them insecure about their appearance, Azra and Zee would both be most self-conscious about their scars. Azra's the confident and out-going type so he's very good at hiding that. Zee's demon form is the most animalic of the three so he might be nervous showing it to a human MC for the first time. Karasu's short height and slender build make him feel smaller and weaker compared to other demons, but he compensates by investing in tailored clothes and looking put-together in public.

[acourtofthought]

Hello :) Maybe I’m off base, but I think this is also proof that Elucien may be endgame (narrative wise):

Feyre ended up with Rhys, and developed a strong bond with his best friend, Cassian.

Nesta ended up with Cassian, and developed a strong bond with his best friend, Azriel.

Elain ends up with Lucien, and will develop a strong bond with his best friend, Tamlin.

I know this is controversial, and maybe you won’t agree, but I think that Elain and Tamlin - as friends - would get along really well. I also think it ties into all the Spring foreshadowing connected to Elain, and I do wonder that if Elain is indeed a shapeshifter (a theory I’ve had for a while now), that Tamlin will be the one to help her master these powers. It would lead into his ‘redemption arc,’ because one of the main criticisms of Tamlin in books prior is that he refused to train Feyre (so it’s as if he learns from this mistake - and it would be somewhat poetic that he trains and helps Elain… the one person who people, especially the IC, believe actually needs protecting…).

SJM is clearly still keeping the door open for Tamlin (especially with those quote in ACOSF; “Not if Tamlin cannot master his guilt and grief and become what he once was.”) His story is still to be told… and it fits in perfectly with an Elucien book.

To me, it just makes sense 🌸🌷🌿

While I'm not sure that Elain and Tamlin will be close friends in the way Nesta / Az and Feyre / Cassian / Az are, I do think that her relationship with Tamlin will be different than what we've seen between Tamlin and the other Archeron's.

In SF we have this:

"I don't care how much you apologize or try to atone for it or claim you didn't know the King of Hybern would do such a thing or that you begged him not to do it. You colluded with him. Because you thought Feyre was your property."

In the novella we have this:

Eris's mouth curved in an adder's smile. "Because Tamlin's territory is the only one that borders the human lands. I'd think that anyone looking to expand would have to go through the Spring Court first. Or at least obtain his permisson."

Another person she'd one day kill. If Feyre and Rhys didn't do it first.

It didn't matter what Tamlin had done in the war, if he'd brfought Beron and the human forces with him. If he'd played Hybern.

It was another day, another female lying on the ground, that Mor would not forget, could not forgive.

and this:

"Do you think she will forgive me?" The question was a rasp. As if he'd been screaming.

I knew whom he meant. And I didn't know. I didn't know if her wishing him happiness was the same as forgiveness. If Feyre would ever want to offer that to him. Forgiveness could be a gift to both, but what he'd done..."Do you want her to?"

His green eyes were empty. "Do I deserve it?"

No. Never

Rhys goes on to say (in regards to his mother / sister), "As if an apologize would ever right it. As if an apology would ever cover the loss that still ate at me, the hole that remained where their bright, lovely lives had glowed.

Then, "It was not forgiveness - it was not kindness. I could not, would not, ever forget what he'd done to those I loved most."

So.......we have Nesta hating Tamlin, Mor hating Tamlin, Feyre and Rhys hating Tamlin.

I definitely don't think Lucien hates Tamlin and I think he does probably forgive him for the abuse however I am not sure what has been broken can be repaired and that they'll ever go back to how they may have once been (in the centuries before Amarantha).

I'm also not sure whether or not Tamlin will ever be able to resume his position as High Lord because his people have lost all faith in him.

But....it's clear SJM can't keep Tamlin the way he is. She doesn't seem to be fond of his character, saying he sucks in one interview and saying he's an example of toxic male masculinity in another (I could swear there was a third where she calls him a douche).

But he's not a villain either so his character does need resolution and the other characters hating on him forever and ever just stands in the way of their own true happiness, like Rhys says, offering forgiveness can be a gift to all parties involved and it's something Tamlin clearly needs in order to let go of his guilt.

I think Elain will be the person to bring that change about for everyone. Whether it be her simply offering Tamlin forgiveness and that helps him on his path of healing which in turn is something the others note and let go of their past grudges is one possibility. Whether she actually talks to the others and encourages them to let go of the old animosities is another. But I don't see Elain as the type to hold on to a grudge, no matter what part Tamlin played in what happened to her and I think having even one person who he wronged show kindness and forgiveness will be the turning point for him.

But either way, I'm not sure I see him playing a major part in Elucien's journey, not where they're all hanging out as buddies laughing.

Forgiveness is one thing but becoming close in the way the others are with their mates friends doesn't feel right to me.

Either Elucien will end up in Spring for a time and Tamlin will set off on his own to finally find what makes him happy (because he never wanted to be High Lord in the first place) or they'll help get Spring and Tamlin back on their feet and they'll set off for Day.

Since Elucien's story also seems to be hinting at them traveling to the continent (a place we know Vassa will end up in), I imagine Jurian will become someone Elain develops a close friendship with as Jurian is currently the person Lucien is thankful for in terms of male friends. He's also got his head on his shoulders in a way that Tamlin doesn't which means he could actually offer friendship to Elain versus Tamlin who Elain would be offering something to and probably not getting as much in return.

But as Elucien makes friends wherever they go, we also might see them develop new friends in Day. We might see Lucien reconnect with Eris and maybe she'll develop a comradery with her brother in law once he stops hiding behind his mask.

I could see Elain getting on well with Helion, maybe he'll even fill some of what's been missing since she lost her own father.

There are a lot of directions SJM could take with their story.l but I agree with you that Elain may be able to shift as it does tie in with the High Lord of Spring

[thisselflovecamebacktome]

i would love to hear your thoughts on her not doing singles anymore

So a lot of people have pointed out that Taylor doesn't need the promotion of pre album lead singles anymore which is true, but I wonder if she almost sees them as a hindrance in hindsight. Like if we're honest, the last pre album lead single that came without controversy was Mine, and the last that got more than a lukewarm positive reaction was Love Story.

Mine was seen as Love Story 2.0, WANEGBT (and IKYWT which leaked) were seen as her selling out, SIO was seen as basic pop, LWYMMD was seen as playing the victim (in all fairness I don't think any Reputation track would have been without controversy given snakegate but still) and ME! ... well we know how that went lmao.

And a lot of that comes down to Taylor being a very album focused artist rather than hits. That of course doesn't mean she doesn't like to get n1's or whatever, and I think that shows with the catchy pop hits she tends to pick for her first singles for each album, but ultimately I'd argue the album is her main focus.

And I'd also argue that that puts her singles at somewhat of a disadvantage both because she's limiting what can be a single (because it has to fit what fits the album) but also because with her focusing on the albums, a single snapshot (single) on its own may not be as impactful on its own as it is within the album.

For me ME! is a perfect example of this. Like on its own it's a silly little song about how she has flaws but loves her partner like no other, but within Lover, and especially right after Afterglow, it really paints a light on why she needs that self confidence and fun nature when talking about why she wants her partner around. Stayx3 is a good comparison to this in that like those who actually understood RED when the og came out recognised that it was a song about why things were so on and off (the good times and him willing to work through the bad) and was deliberately romanticised red flags, something that is missed when people talk about the song on its own. But yeah unfortunately when it comes to ME!, by having it as the lead single, that context is missed and given psychology has noted that the more we hear something we don't like, the more likely we are to like it less, by the time the album came out, ME! had lost its chance.

Likewise, I know a lot of people who refused to listen to RED until well after it came out because like I mentioned before, they thought she had sold out based off of WANEGBT and IKYWT alone.

There is also arguments of if Taylor chose the "wrong" singles, which I think is very subjective but I do find it interesting to note that the two biggest organic tiktok/viral hits she's had were Don't Blame Me and Enchanted, neither of which were singles.

Of course Taylor is not the only person who suffers from all of this. I once had a friend who wouldn't listen to Rainbow (album) by Kesha even after I (someone who in general wasn't that big on pop/dance music at the time) said it was a favourite album of all time of mine, because they saw Kesha as just the party girl based off of her other singles at the time. But the point still stands, why keep the middle man if you can have all the benefits without consequences for yourself? As we've said, Taylor no longer needs to promo, which is the main reason for pre album singles, so why risk the controversy/mixed opinions, most of which came from listening to a song on its own rather than having the full context within the album, when she doesn't need to?

And of course none of that even touches on personal factors like timing and/or costs.

Like idk, I'm not necessarily saying this is why we don't get pre album singles now, but I do think that ultimately it does align with her vision of artistry more in my opinion and wonder both what the reaction to her albums would have been both if she hadn't had pre album singles for the pre Folklore albums and if she had for the post Lover ones and find it all very interesting if I'm honest. Like there's probably more to say but this is what comes to mind right now.

[yuuana]

Music Monday #237: ATEEZ - Everything release: December 2023 genre: Kpop, K-R&B cw: flashing, arson, a relationship dissolving on screen

And now for something completely the same: ATEEZ's final unit MV from WILL, in which everyone cries and things end up on fire. Look, no one ever said K-dramas lacked in, well, drama. ;) The lyrics spoil the story, but if you really don't want any spoilers, watch the video before continuing further.

Obviously a solo song from Jongho was going to be a ballad - in previous years, when the team was less busy, his solo content was a series of covers for kdrama OSTs. He's main vocalist for a reason and don't even get me started on his Mayfly-V stage during Kingdom. Everything is every bit as soulful and heart-wrenching as any ATINY could have expected, a song about loss and regret and knowing you can never make right the things you did wrong, but oh, if you could.... The soft piano opening, the way Jongho pours his whole heart into his voice from the soft opening to the soaring high notes of the climax that then trails off into soft wistfulness once more to the end ... you may need to keep a tissue close for this one.

This music video, unlike previous unit videos, is almost entirely story mode, as Jongho flexes his acting chops once more, now with less baby face. Most of the flashing is at the very start, where the video flashes through snapshots of the scenes we'll see play out a bit more in the video, so the bigger warning is really if watching a relationship fall apart on screen is a bugbear of yours. The lyrics already spoil the narrative, since the song starts out talking about never being able to see the other person again, but the video offers more context to why things ended up that way.

Interestingly, this video was shot entirely on sound stages - yes, even the snowy night scenes, which was a surprise to me, too. And it's not CGI snow - watching the behind the scenes, I was surprised and impressed at the number of practical effects where others would have gone with computer-generated. Some of the fire at the end is very obviously computer-added, but it's combined with actual on-set controlled fires that the old-school film fan in me quietly appreciates. Plus the snow. So much fake snow, it's a delight ... until Jongho told me how they made the fake snow and now all I see is that. XD

And now ... the lore paragraph! As with Youth, Everything is firmly planted in the A 'verse, with Jongho as a former basketballer living with his girlfriend until they break up because he's been a shit boyfriend. This means we've moved along the timeline a little bit, though that fits with the lyric in Youth talking about being in their twenties - Zero Fever implied Heroteez were still in high school. Of course ATEEZ lore has never been entirely linear and considering ATEEZ were already in their twenties during Fever era, the warehouse scene from the diary could just as easily be happening closer to this than first appearances lead us to believe. So once again we're left with more questions ... and the recent teasers ATEEZ have released have been no help at all - I have no idea where Not Okay is going to fall and ANITEEZ are in Halateez garb, soooo. Who knows. Not me. XD

This is the last WILL unit MV ... so of course yesterday KQ put out a performance version of MATZ which has almost no footage overlap with the original MV. I had initially assumed the difference in shooting days (Everything was one day, the other three shot for two days each) had to do with Jongho being on his own for this project. But now I'm wondering if secret performance versions also contributed, since the other three have dances and Everything doesn't. I suppose we will have to wait and see.

WILL is still available for purchase, ATEEZ just wrapped a two day concert extravaganza (based on what I've seen from it so far) in Seoul to kick of another world tour (additional dates in Japan in February, further tour details to come later), and oh yeah, Coachella in April, so another busy year of travelling the world, kicking butt and taking names.

Want to see Music Monday deep dives more often? Sponsor a song selection! For the low, low price of one (1) KoFi, I'll write up the song of your choice. ANY song of your choice. Yes, even that one that's been played to death. Yes, your obscure faves too. With sponsors, I can stop skipping weeks and falling further and further behind in the releases! Sponsor a current CB for the next open Music Monday slot or sponsor a throwback for a Thursday feature! But seriously, if you've been enjoying my selections and analyses, we (me and the foster kittens) would love a KoFi in thanks. DW | Twitter | Mastodon | Bluesky | Ko-fi | Patreon | Discord | Twitch

[wrotelovelytears]

I wake up and choose violence

Was going to add this to an observation post but fuck it we ball

I personally can't not stand the term "unevolved/toxic *insert a sign*". There's literally no one on this damn planet who never had/ doesn't currently have toxic traits. What one may define as toxic may not even be harmful for another individual. Toxicity only applies to self, it's not a one size fits all thing. No one was born knowing everything, nor will anyone die knowing everything. You are having human experiences and you will act on human behaviors and your socialization, simple as that.

For example:

"A toxic Scorpio may not be open to vulnerability".

A less judgemental way of phrasing that:

"Due to life circumstances (because that's what breeds toxicity in a being), Scorpios may struggle with vulnerability".

The second wording takes the blame off the individual and has a more humanizing approach. You are not your toxic traits, you are the changes you make to better (or worsen) yourself. It also acknowledges that it's a general thing less than an individualized one. To me it just makes people feel more seen and heard not judged and misunderstood.

While they both point out the same thing, it's not a matter of pointing something out it's a matter of explaining in a way that doesn't feel like an attack on a person's character.

Another thing with unevolved is what one might find to be "uplifting" for them, it may just not work out for others.

Both terms come from a place of judgement and bias, rather than understanding and acceptance.

I'm not saying you have accept everyone else's behaviors, it's just a tad hypocrital to say "xyz" is toxic because it's a trait you (no longer/don't) have. I can guarantee something you don't think is toxic is something that someone else thinks is. And yes, you have in fact harmed another person, willingly or not. That is why judgement based anything will not change behaviors and attitudes but rather inflame them. If you never learn something is bad for you, how can you understand when someone else says it is.

We all are doing the best we can with the tools we have, it's a matter of how one chooses to use the tools not if they use them.

Because being honest, everyone is toxic in their own way. It won't matter what the stars, a textbook or you say, we could all do better.

I truly think astrology and psychology should be used together for the betterment of individuals not to point out who does or has it worse. I'm glad I learned more about psychology before getting deep into astrology because if I didn't learn more about myself, yeah I would be thinking "damn I'm toxic according to this person's explanation".

Astrology is based on personal interpretation like most things in life. It's a social science meaning society has influence over the meaning not it has one and only one meaning. That's why we can all disagree and agree with things, it's our social and personal upbringing that impacts if something has certain meaning.

///////////////////

On a side note,

That might be why so many people like the story of Lilith, not because of the tale or message (however you interpret it) , but because they can see parts of them in her. I won't sit her and say I've never acted in a "fuck everyone else my problems are theirs now" way because I definitely have, I just learned that it doesn't align with my personal values and brought more problems than ever solved them. So at some point yes, I was what one would define as *toxic Scorpio (or Plutonian)*. I didn't change because others wanted me to, I changed because I was sick of having temporary solutions to long term problems.

I just know people would never say they see parts of Narcissus in them. It's only because of societal interpretation. We've all put ourselves before others before, and sometimes it had a negative consequence.

Lilith is seen as a hot bad ass. Narcissus is seen as a self centered prick. But if you look at the stories they ain't that different. And you not that different from them either.

[bubble-masquerade]

I'm bored and can't get myself to work on any art so here's this.

I do have an idea for a rottmnt au, but have no idea if I'll do much with it. Guess it depends on how interested people will be. For now I want to get it out there cuz, personally, I think it's cool.

We're All Mad Here

It's based off my favorite fairytale, Alice In Wonderland with a splash of American Mcgee's Alice: Madness Returns. So, essentially it's going to be fun (at least for me) and dark. I love that game with all my heart, and I'm genuinely so sad we aren't getting a third instalment :( it's messed up what happened and I'm genuinely so sorry for the team.

For the cast. I had some ideas but unfortunately not every role has been filled.

First and foremost, out dear Alice. I immediately thought of the darling April O'Neil for this, hands down. I have some design ideas my head that I just haven't gotten down yet. So yes, it would've been April centric which (from what I've mostly seen) would be pretty different.

The Mad Hatter. Again, without even a thought, I thought of Michelangelo. We've all seen him. He can be absolutely unhinged. I wanted to use that to the absolute best of my ability and make an awesome character. And honestly he just gives me Mad Hatter energy, I can't really explain it.

The Cheshire Cat. This took a little bit of thought before I settled on Leonardo. So I would be going with, essentially, the blue version we got in the live action Alice In Wonderland movies and also the Alice: Madness game. Leo is cunning, a bit of a trickster. He fits with what I have in mind purrfectly... I'll see myself out.

The Queen Of Hearts/The Red Queen. I didn't really feel like I had to think much on this one, I went with Big Mama. Cuz like... Come on. Have you seen her??? Yes of course there's also her husband, the king, whose role would probably go to Splinter.

Of course there's still the remaining two brothers: Raphael and Donatello.

With Raph I thought at first to go with the March Hare/Thackery Earwicket. He's the best friend of the Mad Hatter, and of course, equally insane as him. But unfortunately I also thought of Donnie for this as well down the line. I love the Raph/Mikey and the Donnie/Mikey dynamics so much I wasn't sure which to choose. And I'd hate for either of them to get a minor part.

Of course there's also the Caterpillar, the White Queen and other characters to think about.

Why this?

Well..Why not? 🤷🏼 Honestly. And as I've stated prior, I feel in love with the story and concept when I was a kid. I watched the movies and fell in love even more. And with the game, it was the first one I really bought by myself haha. I felt so cool doing so. I saw it was an Alice inspired thing and immediately had to have it. Then I played it and my mind was blown.

The horror, psychological horror, the art style, the aspects of it... It holds near and dear to my heart still to this day. I mean, fucking hell I'm replaying it on my old PS3 (hang in there old girl don't catch on fire pls). I probably was a bit too young, considering the target audience of it, but still. I'm happy I was allowed to have that experience... No matter how buggy it was and still is 😅.

I think I mostly enjoyed the ability to escape into another world and be able to just... Leave this one for a while. I'm talking about the original story here lol.

Anyway one day I was just thinking and decided on this concept. I love the turtles and AIW. Putting those two concepts and medias together would definitely take a lot of time and planning but I pretty much have a basic layout of what I want. I just really need to have it physically wrote down lmao.

Everyone has such cool AUs and I kind of wanted to join in...? I know this probably won't blow up and get popular, and I'm okay with that. I just mostly enjoyed getting this idea out there. Trust me, I've had this in my pocket for a long while.

End Notes

I guess that's all for now. It's a very shitty basic layout but it's something that still took me a bit of thought. It's okay to ask questions if you like. Bye for now!

[earthstellar]

Thank you for your input!

I'll be getting the Transformers #1 because I like having first issues if I can get them, but I'll wait and see how things play out beyond that, and I won't be buying any GI Joe tie-ins myself. Or any GI Joe anything, really.

I'm glad it's not just me who's opposed to the GI Joe thing in general; Seems like a lot of people are in the same boat.

I also hesitate when it comes to crossovers because of the whole financial aspect as well. I very much remember the impossible mess that was the original Marvel Civil War crossover clusterfuck; I didn't even attempt to follow that whole thing, and I think that it's honestly one of the "major crossover events" in comics that ended up putting a lot of people off of crossovers in general. Who can afford to keep up with that, let alone figure out the flowchart of whatever the hell is going on?

The theory that Hasbro might be trying to revamp GI Joe into a SHIELD type deal would make a lot of sense; That does indeed fit in with the ROTB stuff, and might be part of the direction they'd like to take these comics in. Personally I'm not really a SHIELD fan either, but we'll see how they play it as the comics gradually get released. I wouldn't be surprised if they end up going the SHIELD style route, though.

The rehashing of G1 also seems to be a common cause for pause or outright turn-off for a lot of people-- It's interesting to hear that most people seem to have the same or very similar concerns about it as a basis for a new run.

About the inclusion of human characters, I get why a lot of people don't like it in general.

I think that part of the reason why humans in IDW worked so well is that they were new human characters and had enough time to get in a lot of good interaction with the bots while also not overstaying their welcome in the plot and overarching story.

The focus in IDW never fully shifted to the humans unless it was well set up and integrated with what the bots were doing, which maintained interest. Verity was great. Hunter was fun. They were used sparingly and effectively, when they stuck around it was for good reason, and then they were rotated out as needed to progress things.

In IDW, overall time on Earth was limited, stuff that needed to be done was done, and then it was right back to post-war Cybertron and onward into space with the Lost Light. Instantly new and interesting settings!

Bringing back Spike has a lot of people rolling their eyes, I think mostly because if they're going Full G1 then he'll be around for a good while, and we've already seen so much done with this character. It's nostalgia for a few people, but fatigue for many others. We'll have to wait and see how they utilise the human characters for the Energon Universe, but I'm a little worried that with the GI Joe stuff, there's going to be a much larger human ensemble cast, potentially. And Transformers fans are, in general, here for the bots.

And even though I'm generally OK with some degree of Earth based shenanigans, I do hope they go beyond Earth; It may be some time in this crossover arc before that happens, since they seem to want to set up a lot from the get-go. It's called the Energon Universe, after all!

Image Comics has dropped their solicits for December 2023, and it looks like Duke #1 is where the Transformers/GI Joe crossover is gonna start really kicking off for the Energon Universe.

I know the general reception to the crossover at the end of ROTB was pretty rough, so it's interesting that they're getting the ball rolling in a GI Joe mini-series.

Personally, my dad was drafted into two wars against his will and suffered greatly for it, so I never had any interest in GI Joe because my dad vehemently hated that shit, as he felt it glorified war to children and that this is morally unacceptable. (He preferred the depiction of Army life of that era in MASH, which he said was at least more honest and aimed at adults.)

I also had classmates who ended up joining the military who had been big fans of GI Joe, two of whom were killed in Afghanistan. I know GI Joe wasn't the only factor involved in their decisions, but it certainly does not make me inclined to like the franchise.

My mother lost her first husband in Vietnam. He had also been drafted against his will. (I strongly dislike the GI Joe Vietnam era material in particular, for perhaps obvious reasons.)

So, I admit my general dislike of the concept of GI Joe as a franchise is at least partly based in my own trauma (and that of my family) relating to the US Army.

I've never been a GI Joe person and never will be (on moral and trauma based grounds), so I fully admit I am not well versed on the lore of that universe, and as such, it's hard for me to make any guesses at what Duke #1 might bring.

But what interests me is that on certain forums and other social media, I've seen very limited audience hype about this crossover in general, especially from the Transformers crowd.

After the extremely progressive writing and fresh visual style and designs of the IDW Transformers storylines which appealed to a lot of people across several age ranges and generations of fans, it feels weird (to me at least) to suddenly have a more old school style crossover with what is essentially a US military propaganda franchise-- At a time when the sociopolitical zeitgeist is that "going traditional" is often associated with "going backwards".

All art is political, and so on.

But I do wonder if what seems to be a lack of audience hype is partially due to the fact that not a lot of Transformers fans (at least, not many under the age of 40 based on what I'm seeing around the internet at the moment) seem to be all that into GI Joe.

A lot of young people are not exactly in love with US military fantasies, and the last Transformers comic series with IDW was a big hit with younger/teen readers-- A lot of that audience might be lost, here.

(And vice-versa from what I can tell, although I'm not in any GI Joe fan spaces so I'm not sure what the mood might be in that community in regards to the Transformers element of this crossover.)

All that having been said, the Energon Universe is only just getting started, and who knows what the comics will actually contain!

I do like G1, so I like the designs for the Transformers as drawn in this run this far.

And who knows, maybe they'll do something new with GI Joe for this. I'm aware that in at least one of the cartoons, they were essentially on the run from the military instead of working for it, which is an interesting twist. Perhaps something similar might happen here, with some Joes siding with the Autobots instead?

It's not fair to judge before a comic is even released, so I'm just thinking out loud here in regards to the crossover concept in general.

I'd be interested to hear what anyone else thinks:

Will you be checking out Duke #1 as a Transformers fan interested in the crossover?

Have any of you been interested in GI Joe previously?

If you're an IDW Transformers fan, are you interested in the Energon Universe?

Any other thoughts on the crossover, any conjecture or hopes for the direction of this run?

I want to give the Energon Universe a chance, but as I mentioned, I do have some difficulty attempting to get into GI Joe in general.

That having been said, I guess we'll have to wait and see what they do with this crossover.

[talkfantasytome]

Going to delete ask posts that directly linked other people's posts, based on this feedback and suggestion (which I thoroughly appreciate!), as I'm not trying to point fingers at anyone or directly tell a specific person they're wrong. I'll repost the general content, with a summary of what was asked, starting with this post.

Anon Ask: Some people are saying that SJM has confirmed Vassien by saying that she'd like to do retellings of firebird legends, swan lake, and Vasilisa the Beautiful, using some shots of her comments. What are your thoughts on this? And the time on facebook that Sarah said E\ain and Lucien have a lot of "tension, growth, and healing to be found (together)".

The most important thing to consider here is timeline. Both of the twitter shown were made in April of 2015. The first one is, honestly, fairly irrelevant. First of all, she's just saying fairy tales she might like to retell. And, for the record, she has also said she'd like to do a retelling of The Little Mermaid, yet often people disregard that as an argument for Gwynriel. So, either her comments on what she'd like to do a retelling of matter, or they don't.

And, if they're saying that those comments are foreshadowing a Vassa + Lucien book, then clearly The Little Mermaid comments are foreshadowing a Gwynriel book. And then...where's E\ain's?

E\ain is getting a book, so which fairy tale gets the short straw?

Or, maybe, the story won't be exactly like the fairy tale.

I do think that both of those comments are important, but Sarah said she wants to do a retelling.

That could literally mean anything. All that tells us is that she will take themes and ideas from the story. I'm not saying Vassa won't be important in a later book, but Sarah can retell the story any way. She could have Vassa betray E\ain, get Koschei to transfer the curse over to the middle Archeron, and now E\ain is the swan on the lake (cause, come on, E\ain's def. a bit swan-like), and Lucien has to rescue her. Or, maybe Jurian is the one that rescues Vassa while Lucien and E\ain deal with Koschei?

There are so many options in a retelling that to say SJM telling us she wants to do a retelling of these stories is a clear sign that Vassa + Lucien are endgame is, honestly, not a very critical analysis.

I'm going to address this tweet next:

This twitter exchange happed April 30, 2015. ACOMAF was published in May of 2016. This post can not be used as foreshadowing of Vassa + Lucien, because it happened before we found out E\ain and Lucien are mates. That "at some point further down the road" literally means "any time after book 1".

People keep using this tweet and presenting it as if Sarah's response came recently. They're spreading misinformation - it may not be purposeful, they may not have seen or noticed the date, but this twitter exchange can't be used as proof that Lucien's person has to be someone other than E\ain, because when it was made we did not know about the Lucien and E\ain possibility.

That doesn't mean it definitely is talking about E\ain, but my point is that this is not proof of Vassa + Lucien, of someone else + Lucien, because of when it was posted.

As for other comments on retellings Sarah would like to do - it's the same argument as the first one. Sarah said she wants to do a retelling of the firebird and swan like. We all know this. It's not new information. People who are saying Vassa + Lucien won't happen aren't ignorant of this fact. We're well aware, and we're also well aware of every other thing Sarah has said, mentioned, foreshadowed, and we're tying it all together. Focusing solely on stories Sarah has mentioned she'd like to retell - not confirmed she will retell - and ignoring everything else doesn't provide a solid analysis. You have to weave how those stories would fit into the grander scheme, and look at the other surrounding factors as well.

And, again, we need to remember that Sarah can do whatever the hell she wants in terms of the story and how she chooses to retell a fairy tale. I mean, how often is Little Red Riding Hood turned into a werewolf story? And sometimes even Red is the wolf?

Writers use fairy tales as a base, a foundation, but then they make it their own. No writer is going to tell the fairy tale exactly how it first was. They're going to adjust it...a lot...to make it their own story.

I'd also like to point out that both times she mentions Vasilisa, she says "Vasilisa the Beautiful". The first time she also said 'the Brave', but the second, solely 'Beautiful'. Vassa is beautiful, of course, but one of E\ain's defining characteristics is her beauty. Even in ACOSF it was again mentioned, discussed, about how her beauty made others hate her.

Could Vassa be Vasilisa...of course. However, I think people are a bit blinded by the similarities in names. Remember, Vasilisa the Beautiful wasn't the firebird - those are different stories. And, honestly, after doing a bit of research into the tale, I'm starting to get more and more sure of the thought that the character who would portray Vasilisa is E\ain.

I think I'm going to do a post on it...

In the later comment on retellings she'd like to do - which we know came after the first as the first came out in August 2015 and that story she's telling was given after the second set of books was confirmed - I also find it interesting that she said Vasilisa the Beautiful (specifically) and Swan Lake, subbing out the firebird.

Why would she do that? Perhaps because she's already brought in the firebird pieces she planned to bring in. We already know that retelling, and how it's come to play. Vassa is a firebird by the curse.

I'm not saying it couldn't end in a Swan Lake thing, as that is what the curse reminds me of. But, personally, I think the fact that she's saying Swan Lake now is also symbolic of something more, possibly another character getting trapped by Koschei.

As for the other piece you asked about, I don't have much to say about it, because it feels like the closest we'll come to an elucien confirmation.

That was also posted a while ago, back when ACOMAF came out. So, it's not like this is recent information Sarah is providing us. However, we know that Sarah can sometimes end up choosing endgame based on gut and things that just hit her. Cassian and Nesta - literally didn't know about them until she wrote them on the same page and was like "oh shit". So Sarah saying that she and Lucien didn't see E\ain coming...I'm sorry, but that feels almost more telling than even the next part of the sentence - where she says they have growing and healing to do together.

That's so huge. And we haven't seen that yet. We've only really seen the tension.

Sarah said this back when ACOMAF came out. And it was around writing or publishing ACOWAR that she got the okay for the second set of books (I think?). Which means she was likely thinking about the longer-term stories before that. Which would explain why we didn't get that growth and healing in ACOWAR.

Instead, she left them in a spot where it seemed like a possibility, and then for the later books has just added more tension. But that journey is still there. She's had it planned for so long. And yes, maybe she could change her mind, but we only know of two cases where she did just that:

Az and Mor

Nesta and Lucien

For Az and Mor it was because she decided to make Mor bisexual and unable to be in an emotional relationship with a male. This was due to complaints over diversity. It's the closest Sarah's probably come to 'fanservice' - except, admittedly, this is so not fanservice. Fanservice is doing something like, say, having Voldemort and Bellatrix have a secret love child despite the fact that Voldy never once came off as having any form of romantic or sexual feelings for her or anyone, ever. (Seriously, that guy was asexual and that is a hill I'll die on.)

Adjusting a character due to legitimate complaints and concerns on diversity, not just fanservice. It's more a full on social service, really, to try and provide that representation better. Yes, it wasn't done in the best way, but she did make an attempt.

The second one - Nesta and Lucien. That was her general plan, until she put Nesta and Cassian on page together. Then it all went out the window. Just like all of Nesta's thoughts when she saw Cassian. Just like Cassian's entire brain when he saw Nesta. 👀

And we get it, because we see it too.

So, while Sarah could have changed her mind about E\ain and Lucien, the only reasons she'd do that don't yet apply. She's already made a change for the diversity complaints, and I don't see her doing that with these two. As for finding out they actually belong with someone else when she sees them on page - well, that hasn't happened yet. She made the E\ain + Lucien decision after we see E\ain and Azriel interact, so clearly Az is not that for E\ain. And we've seen Lucien and Vassa on page together. There's nothing there except Lucien being pained about her curse - which, yeah, she's his friend. How often is one IC member described as looking pained for another? Or thinks about how much it hurt them to see their friend hurt?

But we know what it looks like when the chemistry is so undeniable it will adjust Sarah's plans. And if you're not sure - go back and read all the Nessian scenes in ACOMAF. And then see the one scene where Lucien and Vassa are on page together - I think you'll find there's another male there that, with Vassa, rings closer to the Nessian home.

There was no on page chemistry between Vassa and Lucien, and certainly not enough to change Sarah's mind. Which would also mean E\ain already wasn't meant for Az, which is likely why no one arguing for Vassa + Lucien seems to care as much about that, because most people who ship them are already dead set on E\ain + Azriel.

So, there you have it, my point of view/rant on those two pieces. But it's always important to look at the context of a post, and especially the "source material" people use to provide proof. It's why I tend to stick to the text where I can, and only use SJM statements that don't have an expiration date to their importance. SJM saying something about how she loves happily ever afters, for example, no expiration date. SJM telling us in 2015 that there is someone special for Lucien down the road - an expiration date after the first sign of a possible love interest for Lucien. Once E\ain was declared to be his mate, that statement became irrelevant, because regardless of whether it will be E\ain or not, you can no longer state that it's clearly hinting at someone else, since E\ain is a love interest for Lucien.

[whencallstheheart]

One thing I really don't comprehend is why Liz picking Lucas was really that much of a shock for Nathan stans. I mean, she had expressed just as much interest in him than she did Nathan, if not more at certain times so why is team Nathan acting like Lucas never existed in Elizabeth's affections and that he was never even a choice?!

I get that they interpreted things in a different way, but I know Team Lucas (TL) wouldn't have been SHOOK the way Team Nathan (TN) was if it was the other way around. I know this because we all resigned ourselves to the fact that they were going to go that predictable route in the penultimate episode and while we had HUGE reservations, we didn't act blind to the fact that it was always kind of a possibility.

Now this merely stems from what I've read and seen on social media, but we didn't ignore the reality of what was happening in comparison to TN. We didn't ignore Elizabeth's chemistry and interactions with Nathan, or the small symbolic gestures they shared or the very intent way Nathan pursued her. However it truly baffles the mind that the other team really went out of their way to ignore every time she ever looked, smiled widely, laughed, yearned and had fun & some real passionate chemistry with Lucas. I mean talk about selective watching. 😂

All Lucas stans hear is how Lucas is shady, but Nathan's enormous lie about Jack is brushed over and twisted into a noble sacrifice, whereas I guarantee had it been Lucas, he would have been painted as an opportunistic conman who took advantage of a widow's pain and loneliness, a man who wormed his way into her life in a completely questionable and frankly dishonest way. The truth is that his one lie is bigger than any lie Lucas or really any other character has ever told Liz and that already set off alarm bells for me personally and is just one of the many problems I have with Nathan's character, however we don't have time to go through all my issues with him.

As for the way the story was told, I'm not sure why certain fans think that TN was inevitable and that his reward for apparently just existing and taking care of Allie would be Elizabeth, who has been having intimate after intimate moment with Lucas. Seriously, she went on more dates with Lucas, she would even make the first move with him like taking his hand or being open to maybe kissing him and it was LUCAS that stopped it. I mean maybe in the penultimate episode when Lucas literally put Liz's happiness above his own, I can understand why TN held out hope but to act like EVERYTHING that happened between her & Lucas before that wasn't an honest appraisal of her feelings is just so odd and it kind of came across as denial.

It is also bizarre how TN could ignore and excuse SO MUCH of what she did or said, how she conducted herself and how she would retreat from Nathan more often than not, how he would keep pursuing her and how she would barely give anything back. I mean, how much can you really just blame her fear of getting hurt on her rejection of him? That's a bit too simplistic, because that fear existed equally in her opening her heart to Lucas, plus it seems that TN care more about Nathan's happiness than whether him and Liz really belonged together and if she truly wanted to be with him. 🤷‍♀️

I mean even reading your analysis, I noticed it was based on how Nathan deserved her after everything, but she's not a prize and while I know you did not mean it that way, it just doesn't seem like a good enough reason for them to be together & nor is Ally. I've noticed that TN just adored the neat perfect family 'appeal' they had because Liz has LJ and Nathan has Allie who ironically Lucas helped him adopt with the money he offered.

However, that is not a sustainable enough reason for two people to build their lives together. They have to have that kind of love, spark and connection that is incomparable and cannot be broken.

I think all three characters deserve partners who truly loved each other for who they are intrinsically and not anything else, not Lucas's money which apparently is the only reason she could ever love him, because she's apparently a spineless gold digger, who couldn't possibly love him for his compassion, his unwavering friendship, sense of humour, loyalty and patience 😂 or rather Nathan's automatic dad appeal and the land he purchased and the complete nuclear family they could have created, which I again could understand because that is a tempting offer also and she already loved Allie so it could have fit her too, had she wanted Nathan in that way.

Don't get me wrong, I don't love how long it took to get us here & I do agree that it should have been concluded earlier in the season & Elizabeth doesn't come off looking great. Although in a way, with everything that she has been doing with Lucas, it could have looked a lot worse for her character to have discarded him too, but I suppose that is all a matter of perspective. I don't however believe that Elizabeth is some kind of monster which is apparently what some of TN have landed on because she rejected Nathan. It's like we've forgotten that a woman doesn't owe love or a relationship to someone just because they've put the time in, not Nathan and not Lucas. It would have also been okay if she had just decided to keep them both as friends, that is her right as a woman. Just because she didn't pick what certain fans wanted, they have dragged her unfairly when she was also really struggling with not only mourning her husband and the life they had, but having to pick up the pieces and carve a new life out for herself, whilst struggling with the immense confusion surrounding her feelings for both men. I don't think the cobwebs really cleared for her until Lucas removed himself from the equation, I think that is when she really opened her eyes to whom she could not, rather did not want to live without.

Anyway sorry for the long rant, you just seem like you love to analyse shows and characters the way I do. 😆

It all boils down to perception.  That’s it.  It also doesn’t help that people were essentially forced to pick sides.  Everything became black and white for people.  If one man was a certain way, the other was the opposite... even if that wasn’t true.  But that’s what we’re conditioned to think.  It’s like politics.  The lines may be more gray but people are going to only believe what they want to believe or are told to believe by others within their party.  Nobody’s gonna listen to the other side because they’re the “enemy”.  That’s not really a great strategy for a tv show largely about community.  The show is so proud of the fandom that was built but yet they actively worked to divide it for the past 3 years.

I think a lot of the frustration comes from the fact that Lucas did get all those interactions with Elizabeth.  He got the dates.  He got the almost kiss.  He got the hand-holding.  Nathan got NOTHING romantic with her even though we were led to believe he would at some point since it was supposed to be a triangle.  If she had picked Nathan, at least Team Lucas would’ve had all those moments to hold onto.  At least they got something along the way.  Team Nathan didn’t.  And because he wasn’t getting much along the way, it made people think that it had to be coming.  That they’re putting him through all of this because it’s going to end in his favor.  It felt like the natural course of the storytelling (but now we know there wasn’t even any planned storytelling... they just made it up along the way???).

The two teams are never going to get along now.  People have made up their minds and they will continue to believe what they want to believe.  No side is better than the other.  You have issues with Nathan so why can’t people have issues with Lucas?  That’s hypocritical.  You have your reasons and others have theirs for believing certain things about the characters.  At some point you just have to agree to disagree because this is how things are now thanks to how it was all written and how it was handled on and off screen.  We don’t need to be pointing fingers at the fans.