#because he had spent so much time focused on him and it didn't solve his problems

[jecki--lon]

Obi Wan Kenobi was dead.

Obi Wan Kenobi was dead, and Anakin Skywalker, now called Vader, came to in his bacta tank knowing that he had killed him.

It should have felt better.

There was gone the last chain tethering him to his lost youth, there was gone his once brother, now nemesis, there was gone the man who had left him in this half-machine state. Lord Vader had had his revenge.

Anakin Skywalker felt empty.

He had dreamed of it for years, spent two decades imagining what it would be like. It should have brought joy, elation. More even than the thundering, rapid pleasure the Sith had a taste in. Peace.

This is the man who you can blame for the death of Padmé, he tried to remind himself. The hole that was remained where Obi Wan's presence had been whispered back: you, your choice, killed her.

There was only Anakin Skywalker to take the blame. For everything.

[fightmewiatch]

The emotion behind the way Edwin uses fuck is so heavy, because outside of the pilot episode and the scene on the stairs, he doesn't swear. He's a proper boy, repressed and focused and he bottles everything up.

In the Pilot, "The police don't know what to do with a fucking witch", he isn't swearing about the witch. He's angry, and he's upset, and he's frustrated. He's trying to focus on solving this case, saving the girl, doing the right thing, fixing things. Edwin spent seventy years in Hell, fighting for a way out (the detail in his journal, he didn't get out on the first try, he spent those 70s years trying over and over and over to find a way out - but that is a story for a whole other time), torture and pain and heartbreak, only to get out and fall into the school to find out no one cared that he died. "An act of God." The school wrote him off, everyone wrote it off and that was it, that was the end of it, no one cared that a 16 year old boy went to bed and was never seen or heard from again, poof, gone. He spent Charles' last moments with him to keep him company, and calm, and not scared, the two of them knowing what had happened only for the school to once again cover up the death of a 16 year old boy and pretend that whatever happened didn't. Edwin spent the next 30 years connecting with Charles, trying to help ghosts so they don't spend their entire afterlives in a state of absolute sorrow and heartbreak like has. We get such a bare taste of the ghosts they've saved and helped move on, who knows how much good they've truly done, how many they've saved from going to Hell on technicalities like Edwin had done. He's frustrated with Crystal, because he's spent 30 years working with Charles and only with Charles, he knows his friend, he knows how he behaves and how he works and how he acts, those two are connected on a level some people only dream about, and here she comes, she latches on, and she joins them to help but she's so hyper focused on herself and David (understandably so), that she isn't giving the same attention to the case that Edwin and Charles have always done, and he's angry, and he feels like it's going to happen to this girl, he is worried that her focus on David, is going to cause them to fail. Crystal has every right to be upset and scared and everything else that she is, but she doesn't consider, until that moment, that Edwin has a right to be upset about how it seems to be interfering with the case. The way that she reacts when he says "The police don't know what to do with a fucking witch," she realizes it then just how important this case is. Edwin was dragged to hell, the boys around him obliterated - leaving behind the idea that maybe he was, too - so to the school, maybe Edwin just disappeared, like Becky, like all the other little girls over the years in Port Townsend. Solving Becky's case is so damn important to Edwin that he is taking it personally. And while it's subtle, Charles reacts to him swearing, too, as though Edwin does not swear. And based on the rest of the season, it's clear he really doesn't. The way he swears in the pilot is from a place of complete and utter sorrow and anger.

In ep 7, it's different. He's spent the whole season struggling with who is he, trying to come to terms with a feeling he'd repressed for at least a century, and he's had to do it while dealing with the Cat King and Monty and watching Charles flirt with Crystal and struggle through his own rage, he's done it as quietly as he could, as if bringing it up out loud might ruin everything that he's worked so hard for. But now he's in Hell, again, now he's trying to get out, again. Edwin encountered the reason he was sent there in the first place, and found out what really happened. Edwin spent all those years thinking it was purely malice that got him sacrificed, only to find out it was just because Simon had a crush on him, and did an absurdly stupid thing thinking it was harmless. I think in that moment, Edwin realized how easy it is to misunderstand something - because clearly, Edwin had absolutely no idea that Simon liked him at all, until the moment he admitted it in Hell. And then Charles shows up. Charles came to save him, armed with a bomb, a Molotov cocktail, and Edwin's notebook with a map of hell on it. Charles came down, he listened to Edwin's directions, he ran behind him most of the time to make sure Edwin was going to get out. Charles was with him, saving him from one of the rooms, following him to the stairs and up. He stopped with him, even when they needed to keep going, Charles let him have a moment on the steps. Edwin is in shock, he cannot believe it. All these years, all these write offs, all these moments where Edwin genuinely didn't think he'd ever get out of Hell if he were to go back, believed that if they ever got caught by Death or anyone from the afterlife, he would be damned forever because who gives a shit about a technicality, who cares about the poor boy that was sacrificed and written off by the rest of the living. Edwin didn't know what else to do or say, the emotions he'd kept bottled up while he tried to figure them out were coming out one way or the other. "It's so fucking stupid, it's unbelievable." Edwin didn't think he deserved it, thought it was stupid to come down and save him, because who would do such a thing. Charles risked himself to come down to Hell to save Edwin. Edwin never thought he'd be worth it. And when Charles just shrugs it off a bit, reminds him that he was gonna do it, and he's so easy about it that Edwin just. Confesses. And corrects him, when Charles misunderstands for a second. Charles didn't think twice about "Great. Love you too. Can we go?" And he really didn't even hesitate to reassure Edwin when Edwin clarified what he meant, that they had forever to figure things out.

[fiddleyoumust]

So, the reality series The Boyfriend has eaten a large chunk of my brain recently. I'm not usually a huge reality TV person, but this show is scratching my brain so well, and I think it's mostly because it's very communication focused. So we get a lot of these men being exposed to different ideas and perspectives, different ways of communicating and problem solving, and most importantly, different ways of being in intimate relationships.

Shun is not my favorite person in the house, but I do find him the most fascinating to watch navigate these new relationships. He's extremely low energy, moody, introverted, outwardly calm, and reflective. He very obviously does not trust his own instincts about love and relationships, which is understandable given what he's revealed about past partners.

There is obviously a lot going on with Shun below the surface, and I get the feeling he is an extremely emotional person who has gotten very good at masking those emotions because he's never had anyone who cared about him enough to unmask them. We show our emotions to others because we want something in return - validation, comfort, understanding, etc. But we are able to show those emotions because we have an understanding with the people we are showing them to, that we will get something in return, that they care enough to give us something back for being open about our feelings.

Shun, an orphan who spent his entire childhood in an orphanage and who has had mostly toxic romantic relationships, hasn't had anyone he could trust enough to share his emotions with, so he is very closed off, even though he has a good understanding of his emotions and is a very good communicator when he needs to be. I think Dai (the guy Shun is most interested in) is a great fit for him, even though Shun hasn't fully realized it yet. Dai is ready to be that person for Shun, and his desire for Shun to trust him, his desire to be Shun's safe space is palpable in every move he's made to get closer to Shun.

In one of the most recent episodes, Shun passes up the opportunity to spend time with Dai simply because Shun's in a bad mood. He immediately feels bad about it because he knows his rejection hurt Dai's feelings. When Dai gets back from the daily mission, Shun makes a failed attempt to explain himself.

The conversation is so interesting because Shun is making a case for why not going with Dai was his perogative and Dai, who is just a really excellent person, and who has really tried hard to meet Shun where he is emotionally, is 100% not interested in having that conversation. Because he doesn't actually care if Shun wanted to go or not go, it's Shun's disregard for Dai's feelings that he's upset about. It's being taken for granted. They are not having the same conversation. But Dai also doesn't want to tell Shun how to fix it because he wants Shun to care about him enough to figure it out on his own.

They leave that conversation with Shun feeling worse than when he went into it. He goes off to sulk with a bottle of wine. Then Taehon, another contestant, joins him, and they have one of the best conversations I've seen on a reality show.

Shun talks about why he didn't go on the daily mission with Dai and how he doesn't feel like he had to volunteer to go, even though he likes Dai a lot. Taehon validates Shun's feelings, and here is the part that really hit me, and the part that I really hope Shun remembers later because he's revealed a bit about his past relationships and it seems like he was very much a person who got obsessed and lost himself to the whims of the men he's been interested in.

Shun tells Taehon, "I'm not obligated to go with Dai. We're not even dating yet." And Taehon replies, "Even if you were dating already, you're still not obligated to go." And MY GOD I hope those words stay with Shun for the rest of his life. That was something someone like Shun NEEDED to hear. You do not have to bend to the whims of your romantic partner. They are not entitled to drag you beyond your boundaries, and it is 100% okay to set boundaries and demand your romantic partners respect them.

Shun goes on to wonder if he wasn't wrong, why does he still feel so bad about what happened. Taehon tells him maybe focusing on right and wrong isn't what's important here, and Shun all on his own realizes what he feels bad about is hurting Dai's feelings, and even if hurting Dai wasn't intentional, and even though Shun had the right to not spend time with Dai, he should still let Dai know he's sorry that his choice caused Dai pain.

So, Shun apologizes for hurting Dai, and Dai is very happy, and the two of them get back on track. The entire show is so emotionally satisfying because you get to see in real time the ways people communicate, the intricacies of navigating new relationships, both romantic and not. If you enjoy watching people in all their odd, frustrating beauty, I highly recommend checking out The Boyfriend on Netflix. It's delightful.

[kykyonthemoon]

Hello! Could I please request a Zayne x reader where Zayne helps the reader study for her med school exams?? Thank you <3

Dear valyvinny,

I didn't get the chance to finish this request during the summer, so here it is now, for back-to-school season. I hope you enjoy this little piece <3

I'm not sure if you had an exam by the time you sent me this request? But if you did, I hope it was well.

Thank you so much for entrust this idea in my hands. Take care~

Revision

── .✦ Zayne x MC (F.Reader)

── .✦ Tags: childhood friends, fluff, sweet, short fic, late night study session

── .✦ Word count: over 800w

── .✦ Masterlist ♡ Request a fic - closed for the time being.

The silver moon hovered in the pure sky. The crickets had stopped chirping, and the cats were casually wandering on the roof. The entire neighborhood was in a peaceful sleep. Only the light from the half-closed window in your room remained brilliant.

You covered your mouth and yawned deeply. Documents, paper, and pencils were scattered about your desk, along with sweets and pastry wrappers. You were in your jammies, absolutely comfortable, with your hair a little unkempt. You should have fallen asleep a long time ago. But you sat there, with a remarkably strict "teacher" by your side.

Doctor Zayne was checking the assignment you had just completed. You wonder why it was so late, but he still seemed attentive. He was always neat, from the clothes he had not even changed out of when he showed up at your house right after work, to the very concentrated, serious expression on his face. As expected of a brilliant young doctor. A moment later, he returned the paper with a bunch of red circles on it.

"Do it again." Zayne spoke, and you sighed heavily. But you did not dare tell him to go home because he was there for you. There was just one month till your long-awaited medical school admission exam. You must work harder than your best.

Ever since you met Zayne as children, you had admired his family. His father and mother were also renowned doctors. Zayne eventually enrolled in medical school and became a doctor at a very young age. You must admit that your decision to pursue medicine was primarily due to his efforts. Zayne and his family inspired you, and you wanted to one day stand by them.

So, starting in the tenth grade, you focused on studying medicine-related subjects. Fortunately, Zayne agreed to become your tutor. He studied with you for hours after school. There was just one month remaining until you could reap the fruits of your efforts. But the closer the exam date got, the more nervous you became and the longer the hours Zayne stayed at your house.

Doctor Zayne arrived at your house as soon as he finished his duties that day. After a light supper prepared by Grandma, he and you spent hours reviewing. You would occasionally stop for treats. Sweets kept you awake. Even though Zayne warned you that you would get cavities, he enjoyed these sweets too and shared them with you.

It was past midnight and you were quite sleepy. But Zayne would not let you rest until you finished solving all these exercises. You reflected about it and were unable to figure out what went wrong. Obviously, you followed his directions. You scratched your head for a moment before realizing where the problem was.

“Doctor Zayne! It's not because I was careless that I made a mistake here. It's because your handwriting is so hard to read!” 

Zayne's eyes widened as he looked at your notebook where he had written the solution to the assignment on it. He seemed offended. 

“Are you making excuses for your mistakes again?”

“No! Clearly this word..." You pushed the notebook close to his face. “Here! I'm not sure what these words are anymore… Are those helminths?”

Zayne grabbed your wrist to pull the notebook out. His brow furrowed when he looked at you. 

“Will they teach me how to read a doctor's handwriting in medical school?”

Zayne lightly tapped your forehead. 

“Ouch!” 

"You should focus on your studying and yet, you keep thinking nonsense." Zayne said. He then took the notebook and crossed out the notes with a pen. After that, he meticulously wrote down each new word. “Is this easier to read now?”

“Sure.” Zayne returned the notebook to you, which you gladly accepted. “While I study hard, shouldn't Doctor Zayne also brush up on his handwriting?”

“You should worry about yourself first.” 

Despite his apparent displeasure at having his handwriting ridiculed, Zayne meticulously rewrote each line of previous notes for you. While working on your assignment, you secretly looked at him and smiled to yourself.

Doctor Zayne was so concentrated on what he was doing that he failed to notice his little student had fallen asleep on the desk. He gently shook your shoulders awake. But you brushed his hand away while dreaming.

“Helminths… Go away…”

Zayne grinned slightly. Perhaps all you needed was a good night's sleep to refuel your spirit. You had been studying really hard, not only in the last few days, but for many years. He believed you to pass the exam for the school you sought and become his colleague.

Gently, Zayne lifted you into his arms. He put you on the bed and helped you cover yourself with the blanket. You turned slightly but did not wake up completely. He remained on the side of the bed, watching you for a little longer. His fingers softly pulled away the strand of hair that was obscuring your face.

You once made a bet that if you could get into medical school, Zayne would date you. Even though he did not answer you at that time, he had been waiting for your great news. Before leaving, Zayne leaned down, gently kissed your forehead and whispered:

“Sleep well. I'm still waiting for the day you win the bet."

[bottombaron]

So after staring into the middle distance for a couple days I'm ready to start discussing some theories I have before the season finale destroys us. They are all very wide-ranging in absurdity but I'll start with the one that I think has the most substance and therefore I think is most likely to happen. Also, I haven’t caught up with the tag yet so if someone already posted these theories, sorry! 

So here is Theory #1, known otherwise as,

Why (I think) I know how Laszlo is going to unfuck Guillermo

The solution, I believe, was stated at the very end of The Roast by Laszlo himself: 

FIRST THOUGHT, BEST THOUGHT

Laszlo has spent weeks deeply committed to solving a problem. He's wasted precious time trying to outthink his first (and probably best) solution – and I'm not just talking about his book sorting. Neither was Laszlo, not entirely at least. I actually do think he was focused at least a little bit on his books because that's kind of what happens when you're stuck on a problem. Your brain wanders to other much less taxing ordeals. Usually, as you solve that smaller problem, you find the solution to the thing you really want to solve. 

So what was Laszlo’s first idea?

All along Laszlo had the answer but Guillermo told him that he didn't think it would work, so Laszlo just didn't pursue it further. (We don't even know if Laszlo knows the circumstances of the test and why it didn't work. Just that Guillermo didn't approve that idea.) So then Laszlo wasted valuable time and energy trying to ~Science~ this problem instead of using his true best skill that was showcased in episode one of the season: his charm. His powers of persuasion (the classical art of bullshitting, as it were) is his true super power. (Sadly, it’s not science. He doesn't really have the patience for science tbh).

But, no, rly, he should bullshit his way thru this. That's what he does best. He can outthink Nandor easily. (well….maybe. with the time spent on his experiments, Nandor could have the advantage of several weeks, if not months, to figure things out beforehand, as dense as he is) He should concoct a bullshit so impenetrable that it unfucks Guillermo from Derek and refucks him to Nandor. 

Further foreshadowing of this you ask?

(this whole season is dedicated to ‘plans’ it’s crazy how much A Plan pops up. maybe i’ll dedicate a separate post to collecting them all)

But alas! The test that The Baron did proved this wouldn’t work, right!?

Well here's some free additional theories to how Laszlo could solve that hiccup:

1. Laszlo figures out (and solves) the reason why The Baron/Neighbor test didn't work in the first place.

There could be any number of factors of why The Baron's neighbor blew up. It could be that The Baron is all that more powerful than the average vampire and so his bite gives an extraordinary fill of uh...vampire-ness? and Derek, being so young and weak, doesn't do much at all. Maybe it has something to do with The Sire. If The Baron was turned by the first being ever affected by vampirism, then maybe that vampirism is slowly depleted the further down the line you go. Derek is probably very far removed from The Sire which means he cannot transfer much of that affliction onwards. Nandor, if he was turned by The Baron (one removed from The Sire) or someone similar, explains how he is so powerful, hopefully tho he wouldn’t have too much power to possibly overwhelm Guillermo's half-a-virgin body (and yes I did like how kinky that sounded when I wrote it). It doesn't really matter the exact reason as long as Laszlo can convince Guillermo to try it and he has a relatively decent chance of surviving it. (convincing Guillermo to go thru with this plan overall is probably going to be the most trouble actually. you don't easily forget a guy exploding in your face)

2. Something to do with the experiments. (or the Nadja’s bait-and-switch tactic she used to catch The Baron/Guillermo from The Roast)

I have a larger theory on the experiments and why I think there's still one in the house, but that's for later. During The Roast, Nandor is pretty convinced that the mutant Guillermo is the real one (despite one pretty big glaring error: he has no glasses. none of the experiments need glasses...), Laszlo might have been testing this theory by having The Baron bring his body to Nandor in the first place in order to see how convinced Nandor would be by it. This might be enough for Laszlo to try to use a duplicate of Guillermo for Nandor to bite. The duplicate will not explode (probably?) due to only being a hybrid of Guillermo's blood and an animal…or something(one) else pretending to be Guillermo… (and if it does, maybe Laszlo plans to shoo Nandor out of the line of sight in order for him not to see. And then you get the angst and drama of Guillermo literally using a scapegoat to take his 'sin' despite his reluctance to hurt innocent creatures)

But will the fake Guillermo actually convince Nandor? It's hard to say, and I love that threat of Nandor realizing that it's not the true Guillermo he bit and feeling even more betrayed. Maybe Laszlo concocts a whole ambiance to the event in order to sell the lie. It has to be special right?

So there's dim lights and candles and (fake) Guillermo is laid out in Nandor's coffin and there's this whole presentation element to it that was left out of Guillermo's turn with Derek. It's more like the fantasy that Guillermo probably always had of being turned by Nandor. It plays out like a romantic love scene. But Guillermo is asleep or has his eyes closed and won't talk or maybe only makes small noises and Nandor's very upset abt this. Laszlo is probably hovering too and Nandor doesn't like that either but Laszlo insists he must be there and it's now it's all awkward and wrong, kind of like how Guillermo felt before he was bit by Derek. (now it’s like Nandor is the bull cucking Laszlo in front of him) Nandor goes thru with it and bites Guillermo and is rushed by Laszlo so he doesn't get to drink or drink too much of his blood and there's fumbling with trying to get his own blood into Guillermo's unresponsive mouth.

Or maybe Nandor finds out because Guillermo's blood is disgusting and he either knows or had hoped it would be good tasting*. or that Guillermo just lays there and there's no reciprocation of desire. But maybe he just doesn't find out and once it's over he expects to be able to lay with Guillermo or otherwise be there for his turning but Laszlo quickly rushes him out of his own room and closes the door behind him.

So now Nandor feels all the same despondency that Guillermo had felt with his turn with Derek. Like this big special moment he's built up for years was a complete dud. Like he missed out on something truly magical and he doesn't know why. And Guillermo will feel like shit too, for tricking Nandor. Laszlo isn't happy either. But it worked and they all just have to live with it. Meanwhile this act that was meant to make Nandor's and Guillermo's bond stronger, only serves to create even greater distance between them. 

Re*: evidence that Guillermo's blood might taste 'different':

3. ANYWAYS. that was theory two. lets talk about theory 3.

WITCHES.

I actually think there's good reason Laszlo has divorced Science and is now going to have an affair with Magic. It's exactly when Nadja says 'has this hex turned me into an uggo' that Laszlo comes to life and exclaims ‘that's it!’. If science wasn't the solution, maybe magic is. It's not like they don't know some witches, or that, at least to a degree, witches actually have some power. (specifically the power to look, vaguely, like someone else.) I'm not certain of the specifics but there's a chance Laszlo could be turning to magic to solve his problems. This would also bring Nadja's storyline more relevant and in focus for the season. The thing I like the most about this theory? Episode 9 describes being invited to a manor owned by someone named Morrigan. Morrigan is a Celtic goddess of war and fate that was probably the inspiration for Arthurian legendary sorceress, Morgan le Fay. (Laszlo's name may also be connected to Arthurian legend, Lancelot. but that probably doesn't mean anything.)

So! That's my three extra theories attached to this one big theory that Laszlo is going to go 'back to the beginning' and use his first thought to solve this. Go with his gut. His first solution was his best solution, all along.

…He simply needs to convince Nandor to turn Guillermo.

The, uh, details of this plan may be a lot more complicated than it suggests.

[heretherebedork]

I will admit that the relationship between Day and Night and their mother is definitely falling... into a bad place for me. Because there is nothing about how much she's hurting Day or how she literally didn't feed Night until Day pointed it out or how she's happy to lock her disabled son up if it means she can keep an eye on him rather than risk him having a life she doesn't know about... There is no point that that show truly lets us feel that pain because, each time, the scene is suddenly filled with that family loyalty and love.

There were a few scenes that came close but, each time, it never quite went there. Day's mother was never acknowledged as truly being awful.

The show obviously wasn't on her side but it also wasn't against her. And that's the hardest part sometimes.

Night's words about beef stew being his favorite and only Day acknowledging that he knew it? Their mother only admitting it was 'also his favorite' long after that? Day being literally cut off from the world entirely by his mother and getting a phone from Night?

They kept touching and then backing off, almost facing how abusive and awful she was but never quite admitting it because Night was able to get Day away from her again and again.

It's right there but it's not there.

I love this show, do not doubt that. I still love the characters and the story being told.

But it genuinely feels like a return to older shows where the nature of the familial relationship is always in favor of the parents regardless of what they do. Day's mother is wrong but the show can't just say or show that she's genuinely wrong and has to constantly soften it with moments with Mhok.

It was so close. We saw glimpses and then it would be softened again and again, each time, softened by something else or softened by the very nature of their relationship.

(It's been the same way with Mhok's pain, honestly and I am sad because I have spent the entire show waiting for Day to have a chance to support Mhok and it has never happened and now I don't see how it will since all of Mhok's problems have basically been solved. Why does he have to support Day?)

Okay, breaking my own parenthetical to bring up that this would have been a great time to stop the narrative that Mhok needs to support Day and instead have Day looking into his own future career as a blind man and rejecting the narrative that Mhok has to support him but instead focusing on making sure that Day had equal power in their relationship and that we could see more of Mhok's struggles that we started the show with so well.

It is still a beautiful romance and so much of the story is so well told but there is still so much softening of the pain that should have been sharper and deeper.

[bunni-v1]

Hello! Can I request malleus x reader angst?

Malleus breaks up with reader because he is afraid he will hurt her after putting her under a sleeping curse during his over blot

<33

Malleus Afraid to Hurt Reader Again After Blot

TW: Poor Attempt at Angst, No real resolution either, Mild swearing, Bunni hasn't actually written something in a while give them a break, please

Info: Short fic; Angst; Malleus x Reader

🍓I... didn't have much thought process when going into this. I just kinda wrote, and I think I did what I wanted to do? I'm not sure, but I did have fun writing it! This is less focused on Malleus and more focused on the readers internal thoughts and how they dealt with it. Idk I don't like Malleus, so I'm not gonna pity the guy lol. Anyway, enjoy lovelies!

Summary: In the title

Malleus had become… distant since his blot. Despite everything having been solved, you ultimately deciding to stay in Twisted Wonderland, and Malleus generally being forgiven for his transgressions he had only seemed to close off more than before. Of course, that made sense. Overblotting was traumatizing, and he had so much weight on his shoulders before and after it happened. The distance was natural. But it had been a month, and he had been avoiding you like the plague.

You tried to be patient, tried to be understanding. With reassurance from Lilia and Silver and even Sebek that he was fine, you were making it through, but… you missed your boyfriend. You were also experiencing pain from the overblot, from multiple overblotts. All you wanted was to heal with your boyfriend, but he was shutting you out. It wasn’t fair.

Ace, Deuce, and Grim agreed — in fact, they seemed more passionate about it than you were, adding fuel to your slowly growing angry fire. Every time you came crying to one of them with your woes, they only seemed to get more and more exhausted and livid. Deuce always tried to comfort you (pathetically), while Ace and Grim ranted on about how you should ‘just break up with him,’ and ‘he doesn’t deserve you if he’s gonna treat you like this.’

You were beginning to agree with them. Weeks of this was weighing on your poor heart and mind, getting in the way of your studies and day-to-day life. The only reason you were social was because Ace wouldn’t let you hole yourself up. ‘Hiding yourself away just means you’re letting him win, you don’t want him to win this one.’

So, with your head held high, you did your best to pretend everything was fine. You went to classes, spent time with your friends, worked at the Monstro Lounge, and continued your regular schedule. Except now, instead of running to Malleus when you were done with your long day, you met up with Ace and spent your time decompressing with him.

Occasionally, you would feel Malleus’ eyes on you. You would turn to give him a smile and a wave, but he would always turn away before you could lift your arm. So, you just stopped. You stopped trying. Your chest still ached, but you couldn’t allow this to be the end of your life anymore. You deserved to be able to function, and Malleus would come to you and talk to you when he decided to grow up.

In Malleus’ eyes, however, this was the final nail in the coffin.

・┆✦ʚ♡ɞ✦ ┆・

That morning you received a knock on your door. Grim, Ace, and Deuce were out cold on the floor after one of your bi-weekly, ‘hangouts,’ (which were just sleepovers), so you were expecting Trey or Cater to come to fetch them. When you opened the door, however, you were greeted by Lilia’s little grin. He seemed a bit… off, upset, though you couldn’t place why.

“Lilia…?”

“Good morning little one, I’ve got a letter for you.”

“An invitation... from Malleus…?” you wondered allowed.

“You’ll have to read it and see,” he paused, “please remember you are always welcome to come and speak with me. You are like family, and I am here for you always.”

You said nothing, simply giving him a confused smile and nodding as he walked off. With a sigh, you shut the door and flipped the letter in your hands. Rich black paper with a red wax stamp and your name in pretty gold letters — most definitely from Malleus. You couldn’t stop your heart from leaping in your chest at the revelation. Maybe he would apologize, and things could go back to normal?

You took a few deep breaths to calm your excitement. Be realistic, you reminded yourself. You quietly crept to the kitchen, carefully opening the envelope and unfolding the letter. It was short, less than half the page of Malleus’ gorgeous cursive.

“My Dearest,

Firstly, I must apologize for my absence from your life. I’ve had much to think about after my blot, and I could not think clearly around you. I realized quite a few differences between the two of us. Firstly, you are human, and I am fae. I have a much longer lifespan than you, and am far more powerful than you could imagine. You have a small lifespan and are magic-less. You are easily affected by even weak magical spells, and the toll that my magic has on you is immense. As I saw with my blot, you are fragile and easily harmed. Therefore, I came to the conclusion that you would be safer and happier if we put an end to our relations with each other. You will be well, as I have seen your friends care for you deeply. Please find it in yourself to forgive me for what I have done."

You stared at the letter blankly, your mind struggling to comprehend what you were reading. Malleus had… broken up with you? Via a letter, of all things? Perhaps it could be worse, but a letter was Malleus’ equivalent of magicam… so could it really be? You hadn’t realized you were crying until you saw your tears blurring the ink on the paper.

You didn’t want to cry. You were more angry than sad, but the hurt stung worse in your heart, so you stood at the kitchen counter and sobbed. And you sobbed and sobbed and sobbed over a man who did not have the decency to face you in person. You cried so loud that it woke one of your friends, and you could hear the creaking of the floorboards as they grew closer until you saw the red hair in your blurred vision.

“Yo,” he said awkwardly, “watcha cryin’ about now…?”

You let out a half-hearted ‘nothing,’ but Ace wasn’t having it. He rounded the counter, settling awkwardly at your side. Somehow, Ace was worse than Deuce when it came to comforting you. He noticed the letter on the table and -- with a defeated shrug of your shoulders -- picked it up. You could see him grow angrier and angrier as he read it.

“Who does he think he is, huh,” slamming the letter down onto the counter, “couldn’t even do it in person. What a coward!”

You sniffled, wiping at your face. It was hard to disagree, especially considering the circumstances. 

“He isn’t even worth cryin’ over, so wipe those tears,” he grumbled, “you, me, and the other losers in there are going out and getting your mind off of that dumbass. Go get dressed, and I’ll get them up.”

You nodded, wiping up the rest of your tears and stumbling up to your room to do as you were told. The first thing you did when you arrived was look in the mirror. Your puffy eyes, ruffled hair, and tear streaks down your cheeks, and for what? A guy who ghosted you for weeks on end, who couldn’t even break up with you in person. What a joke.

Ace was right. He isn’t worth crying over. He isn’t worth worrying about anymore. So, why did your heart still ache? It wasn’t fair. Still, you cleaned yourself up, got dressed, and resigned yourself to a life without Malleus. If you could do it before, you could do it for the rest of your life. He would be graduating soon anyway, and you wouldn’t have to see him again after that.

Who needs him anyway? You’ve got your friends to take care of you. 

[two-braincells-in-total]

SPOILERS FOR THE GRANDEST GAME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

First off, I want to say that I liked this more than I expected. I don't usually vibe with spin-offs, I just don't like it when I get attached to characters amd then they become side characters in the next book, but this book surprised me in a good way

Let's unpack the characters:

Lyra: Don't come for me, but I must admit that I expected more from Lyra's character. Don't get me wrong, I still like her, but it was a little disappointing. Maybe a reason for it is that her POV wasn't as packed with action as the other characters' POVs, but either way, she has potential, so I'm having hope for Glorious Rivals. I don't know if I want her to win the game, because on one hand, hse deserves it, but the other hand, I really want Rohan to win

Gigi: her character hit very close to home, but in a good way. I saw myself in her, specifically tye dedication and the way no matter what she does she's never the best, the way she thought she was too much, which is also a reason why I was just as hurt at the end of the book. I was very sad when she got eliminated from the game, she was the third person I was rooting for (the first being Rohan, the second Lyra) and I know she was using the game as a way to prove to herself and the others that she is good enough, and I know from experience the devastation that comes when you fail. I really hope we have her POV in the next book, too, because I NEED to know why they kidnapped specifically her and how she's going to escape

Rohan: I didn't like him in The Brothers Hawthorne, but I LOVE him here. He was flirty and sassy and clever and I really enjoyed reading his perspective. I'm kind of disappointed that we didn't see much about his past, his POV was mostly focused on the game, unlike Gigi and Lyra, who we got to see as teenagers with trauma, but we got some crumbs, so I hope we get to see more of it in the next book. I really want him to win the game, because as much as I dislike the concept of the Mercy, it's the only live he has, he doesn't even have a last name outside of it. I don't know if I want him to decide that such lifestyle isn't good for him and attempt to start over, or deal with it, because the Mercy is a part of him, so for now both options work for me

Grayson: I have to admit, out of the good characters in the other books, he was my least favourite. I believe that there are two kinds of relatable characters - 1) the type that makes you feel seen, so you love them and 2) the type that points out all of your flaws and insecurities, so you dislike them. For me, Grayson is the second kind. In this book, however, it's obvious that character development has been done and I actually liked him. I still don't get why they decided to make him a player, what are they planning with this? And isn't the point of the game to give money to someone who needs it, why would they give him the chance for it and lessen the chances for winning of the other players? I really hope they explain it in the next book

Brady: I felt something was off with him from the very beginning, but I still fell for his lies and everything. It was exactly what Gigi needed to hear, and if I'm being honest, what I needed to hear, so I didn't see the traps. I spent a huge part of the book fighting with myself about him, because some part of me wanted him to be Gigi's love interest, while another part said that he's too good to be true and that's exactly what it was. I felt Gigi's hurt at the end of the book, especially when he accepted to continue the game, even when most of the game was solved by Gigi (who I applaud for the choice to accept her loss, even though I think she should've accepted the extra chance). I figured out that he wasn't what we thought he was around the time of the power cut off, I felt that he was going to betray her, and even though he didn't exactly do that, I still think there's more to him than what we know now and I highly doubt it's good

Knox: I had complicated feelings about him the entire time, up until the end. Part of the negative feelings about him were cause by the comparison with Brady and, now that I know who Brady is, I think the positive feelings overruled. He was just cautious and I think Gigi grew on him at the end. I really hope we see more of him in the next book, there's still a lot of stuff about him left unanswered

Odette: I think she's the only player beside the POV characters and Grayson that I actually trusted and turned out to be right. She was kind of just there, though the whole thing with Tobias was a juicy secret. I'm still caught on the questions she didn't answer though

Savannah (help, it autocorrected it to Satan, I'm dying): She's on thin ice. She already wasn't one of my favourites, but the whole revenge thing isn't doing her good. I admit that I'm biased, Avery is my favourite character in the whole saga. I'm pretty sure that Eve told her (because where else could she find that information? We also know that Eve was planning to contact her in the epilogue of TBH), so she might not know the whole story, so I'm giving her the benefit of the doubt. She has chances to get on my good side in the next book, but for now I'm 50-50 about her

Avery and the rest of the Hawthornes were iconic as always

The relationships:

Lyra and Grayson: It's definitely a very cute ship and it's going somewhere, but I expected it to be more interesting. I loved the dinamic and banter in the beginning, but things got a little bit boring as the book progressed. Still, it has SO MUCH potential and I hope we see more of them in the next book. For some reason, they didn't feel like the main ship. I don't know why. Maybe because we got multiple POVs and all relationships are kind of main, but I felt like they aren't the main ship, just how Lyra didn't really feel like the protagonist (because, correct me if I'm wrong, the protagonist is one, the character who has the most page time, even if there are multiple main/lead characters). I didn't track how much page time each character/relationship got, but even if they did get them most, it doesn't really feel like it. Honestly, I was expecting them to be more angsty. Maybe part of my expectations for them was the fandom and predictions before it came out (which is still weird ,because I purposely distanced myself from lyrason posts to avoid disappointment but oh well). I'm still not giving up on them, though, I liked them a lot!

Savannah and Rohan: they were probably my favourite ship from this book. THE TENSION!!! I was squealing every time Rohan called her love. Honestly, I was squealing every time Rohan. Period. I was thinking "kiss, kiss, kiss, KISS MFs" the entire time. As of nicknames, I loved "love" and I find "British" cute (even though I've seen many people say they don't like it), but idk what to think about "Savvy". Because, it was fun while he used it to annoy her, but it's kinda cringe when it became an actual nickname. Either way, I LOVE how smitten Rohan was the entire time. Like, they're solving a riddle and he's like "Savannah is another riddle, wait, FOCUS, but Savannah, FOCUS" it was adorable. I really enjoyed watching him lose his shit internally every time they touched. The scene with him brushing her hair is officially my favourite from the whole book, it's embarrassing how much I'm obsessed with it

Gigi and Brady: I spent some time thinking that he was the love interest, but as I said, he was too good to be true. And even before the reveal, I was still doubting it, because Slate was already mentioned and he called her "sunshine", so obviously, I, being a sucker for nicknames, lost it. I spent most of this book rooting for Gigi and Brady, but now I think it's unfair to her. Even if what he said to her about his brain liking A lot and the other stuff, he admits that he still loves Calla (who btw, what is the whole thing with her??? We were teased about it the entire book and we got nothing!), so it's AveryGrayson all over again, but worse, because Brady did it all intentionally. Now, I'm really hoping that I'm correct about Slate being the actual love interest and I hope we see more of Gigi and Slate in the next book, because it sounds promising

The AveryJameson crumbs were SO CUTE

NASH AND LIBBY ARE HAVING TWINS I'M DYING I'M SO HAPPY FOR THEM

Now, some specific plot points:

What was the power cut about??? I'm still confused and concerned about what happened while the power was off

Wtf does Eve want???

The whole thing with Alice is kinda confusing, but so very interesting, I need to know more about it

What's the whole thing with Calla about???

All in all, I enjoyed this book a lot. I'm excited for the next book and I hope my questions get answered

[ilikekidsshows]

I saw many people comparing miraculous with shugo chara, including one of my friends, so I decided to see how much similarity these two series have by reading the comics (since the anime has many episodes).

the first is the protagonist Amu and Marinette, they have magical items that can transform them into magical girls (miraculous and humpty lock)

Amu and Marinette also have a crush on their classmate who has the impression of a prince (Adrien and Tadase). besides that later these two girls are also the ones who give their friends the ability to transform (Marinette shares miraculous and humpty lock gives its power so that everyone who has shugo chara to be able to do chara transformation).

then the cat boy of the series, Adrien and Ikuto. they have a very strong bond with the main villain, which they are the children of the villain himself (step son for Ikuto) you could say they are the "connector" and key characters in their respective series because of their connection with the villain.

like ladybug and black cat miraculous which are a pair, Ikuto also has a pair for the humpty lock that Amu has called the dumpty key.

like miraculous ladybug, humpty key also has the ability to purify negative energy.

villains target magical artifacts (miraculous and humpty-dumpty key/lock) to ask for a wish.

the similarities between the two series are even greater because the protagonist ends up with the cat boys (at first Amu didn't like Ikuto because he was an antagonist, but over time Amu realized that Ikuto was only used by his stepfather).

the striking difference between the two series is, although Ikuto's role here is quite flip flop between antagonist-anti hero, and in the climax Ikuto who was brainwashed was forced to fight against Amu, the power of love is win. Amu managed to free Ikuto from the brainwash and finally they both fought together at the end. Ikuto who was also finally able to solve his family problems was finally free from his stepfather's clutches. unlike Adrien who was not even given a chance in the final battle or even knew who the biggest villain who had terrorized Paris all this time was.

and that was the strangest thing about miraculous. theme song says "the power of love is so strong" but many times the power of love fails them, chat Blanc and ephemeral for example. Marinette's love for Adrien can't save Adrien at all like Amu's for Ikuto and Adrien doesn't even want to transform in fear that he'll destroyed everything, isn't that weird? for a show that emphasizes love and friendship, I can't see either of those things in miraculous at all. love and friendship fail Adrien, big time.

honestly after watching shugo chara, I feel very very disappointed with the ending of s5, because shugo chara gave what I've always expected from miraculous, for ladybug and cat noir to fight together in the final battle and also prove that the slogan "the power of love is so strong" and "you and me against the world" are true. I feel very disappointed, for years I spent time hoping for a happy ending for Adrien and Marinette, but it wasn't like this.

I will console myself by reading and maybe watching the whole season of shugo chara, at least the power of love save my traumatic cat boy there.

---

I used to think the SentiAdrien plot concluding with: "Gabriel will control Adrien with the ring and Marinette will free him and kick Gabriel's butt, with Adrien's help if we're lucky" was the worst way the SentiAdrien plot could go, since it would have made Adrien being a Sentimonster just a reason for other people to fight over him instead of the story focusing on him. Then the showrunners had to prove me wrong by going beyond the pale on how badly they cloud handle a story about a character who's been created to be controlled by others.

However, how Shugo Chara really differs from Miraculous is with its treatment of Ikuto's character in that his story is actually his story and revolves around his desire to break free from his abusive stepfather. His wish is to find freedom, and the Tuning Fork Tsukumo uses to control him isn't tied to him, but is a separate creation the villain makes for this purpose in an unquestionably evil act. And the main reason the Tuning Fork is a separate, evil artefact is because Ikuto is actually a real person and not a remote control robot with a kill switch.

Yeah, Shugo Chara is another one for the recommendation pile for people breaking up with Miraculous and its nonsense.

[dreamwreaver]

Now as much as I like Lucifer, there's a lot of things that they did with him in the show that messed up certain dynamics and developments of characters.

One thing that really ticks me off is when he came in the episode 8 battle at the last minute and defeating Adam for his daughter. The show doesn't give you a reason why he's there all of a sudden and why he didn't just join them the first time. From what we've seen in episode 5, it doesn't seem like he's got much else to do other than sequestering himself in his room and building rubber ducks so what was his excuse for being late? But that's not the part that I'm angry with. It's the fact that by showing up and beating the main villain of the show by himself, he has effectively robbed Charlie of her character development. This battle was her chance to prove herself and to reveal her true power after being severely underestimated by her subjects but she doesn't get the opportunity before her dad swoops in and does the job for her. All without breaking a sweat, making Adam's defeat anticlimactic because we all know Lucifer is immensely powerful firsthand, what's the first man going to do against the fallen angel that doomed humanity?

That's what really made me fume at how the last episode was handled, that the show had to resort to a cheap deus ex machina to get rid of Adam instead of having the main characters fight for his demise. The show has teased Charlie's demon form several times, showing that raw power is simmering beneath the surface, ready to burst but the show doesn't give her the moment where she releases all that pent up anger, showing that you shouldn't mess with the princess of hell and justified rage at the angel who clearly should not be in heaven. No, what the show does is sidelining her once again, in favor of bringing in the creator's favorite boy. Doing so has led to Charlie looking like she relied on her dad to solve her problems for her.

Which comes back to my point of Lucifer's inclusion in the main cast, inducting him to a more prominent role would lessen the stakes and mess up Charlie and Alastor's development. Alastor is meant to be Charlie's mentor, the one who guides her and brings out her true potential but that would be extremely difficult to pull off considering her overprotective and jealous father will apparently be staying at the hotel and he's more powerful than the Radio Demon, he can teach his daughter on his own, basically nullifying Alastor's purpose. Because if Lucifer can do what he does but better, what use does Charlie have for him, considering she cannot trust him at all to begin with. Overall, Lucifer's involvement in the plot has been poorly executed and including him as a full-time member of the hotel is too early and upsets the power dynamics.

Again I am going to blame streaming at large and shortened seasons for some of these problems you've mentioned. I remember in at least one episode Viv wanted a 23-26 episode season but could only get 8. I assume that that would have given time for what I would call "townie" episodes and plot related ones. Townie of course being from the Steven Universe episodes that focused on Steven's relationships with the people of beach city and not doing his gem stuff. Townie episodes in hazbin would have been super useful for fleshing out the characters so that the ones who aren't Viv's oldest characters (Angel, Alastor, and some version of Charlie) feel less flat.

I'm just spitballing here but I do imagine that had she gotten her wish the visit to heaven and vaggie reveal likely would have been the mid season finale, leaving us with a couple of months or so to speculate on how things would play out before giving us the month timeline. Lucifer's inclusion, I believe, would have benefitted too from multiple episodes spent on him and Charlie butting heads over how to run things and manage her meeting with heaven (though part of me is glad they didn't because ra shippers can be entitled and annoying enough with just the not even 5 minutes of interaction they did get. God help us if they'd had multiple episodes of them interacting).

Personally, I don't think Lucifer should have been involved in the hotel at all. You're right, he's a deus ex machina, and a very annoying one at that. Maybe if Sera or any other high ranking angel was the one attempting to kill Charlie. We can assume that Lucifer hasn't intervened in other instances likely because of what tenuous treaty allows for the exterminations in the first place; namely that in exchange for not intervening the exorcists only target sinners and not Hellborns or something like that. I'd have much preferred them using him sparringly. One would think that as not just the leader of Pride but the literal Ruler of all Hell he'd have more important things to do than hang around his daughter's hotel all day.

But you're right, one thing I think I also like about Charlie and alastor's dynamic is that he knows she's more powerful than him. They both know it. The difference between Charlie and Lucifer is that she would never use her powers if it wasn't needed. Lucifer clearly has no problem showing off his abilities at the drop of a hat. While I do appreciate there being some indication that Adam's attempt at killing Charlie likely violated some sort of treaty between heaven and hell (hence why his mask glitched) and that's why Lucifer stepped in I really don't think that in that state Charlie was as defenseless as portrayed. Had she, like Alastor, already taken a blow of pure angelic might and was bleeding out or something then yeah, Lucifer stepping in would make sense. Charlie at that point would have been through the ringer and it would have been deserved.

Of course, Lucifer's relationship with Charlie is far from fixed. Years of estrangement is not by one musical number repaired. Personally, I'm hoping the only reason he's been elevated to a permanent place in the hotel currently is because Lilith is supposed to be re-entering Charlie's life after a seven year absence. And I want that man to become a S-Tier Simp because of it. We see already that he still wears his wedding ring, he's not over losing her, he likely wants her back. If the instas are still second tier canon this man was the Hellish Gomez to Lilith's morticia. Also lbr; the idea of bringing in this powerful king of hell only to nerf him by way of "still not over my ex" is honestly hilarious.

Thank you for all the asks Nonny, you deserve the world.

[flxwxr-bxy]

Heya are your request open? If so i would like to request Ranpo with a s/o (gn or male) who's in the port mafia? You could do hc or a drabble, whatever u want. And if not is totally fine :) thank u!

— Blanket Flower ☆

☾ Ty so much for your request, I hope you like it! (and my apologies for the wait) ☆

☆ Genre: Fluff

☾ Character: Ranpo x M! Reader

☆ Warning: None!

☾ I am not a native English speaker, so I apologize if you find any spelling mistakes.☆

The only way I can see this working is if you were also a detective.

One day, Ranpo was called to the scene of a crime, where they didn't have a single clue as to what the killer looked like. So Ranpo was at the crime scene, but to his surprise, he found another guy already investigating the scene, it only took him a couple of seconds to find out the truth, but he was intrigued to say the least, by how focused you seemed, could it be possible that you found something too? He rushed over to you and introduced himself, strangely he felt as if he knew you from before, but decided to stop giving the matter too much thought since he probably knew you from before at a crime scene.

You were quite surprised that an ADA member would introduce himself to you, even more so the moment you realized he was ranpo but wait? If it was Ranpo, then he should know that you were a member of the pm, and he was deciding to just ignore you for now since you were both just detectives working on the same investigation at the moment, so without further thought you introduced yourself once again now in a very different situation.

Ranpo was surprised when you were confused when you saw him approaching you, surely you were clumsy with people. He had met a lot of people like that, after all, he decided to ask you if you had discovered something and what a surprise when you discovered almost perfectly the murderer. It was only because of a small detail that you didn't figure it out, but he really thought that if he gave you a couple more hours you would have figured it out. He could lie and say he didn't feel a little scared at how really smart you were, but he tried to ignore the unpleasant feeling. After all, what you would find out in hours, he could find out in just a few seconds. That made him feel more sure of himself.

Days went by and in the meantime, Ranpo was investigating a new member of the pm what was his surprise when he recognized your face, that's why he had the feeling he had met you before! And deciding that investigating a bit about you wouldn't hurt anyone, he started to discover quite interesting things about your person, but what made him even more interested in you was your ability, it wasn't related in any way to solving crimes and stuff like that so that meant it was pure talent and expertise…. He tried to distract his curiosity, but after a long struggle with himself, he decided that if you two were able to have a normal conversation outside the enemy organizations you both belonged to, he could just ask you out for coffee in the next case you were both called, it didn't sound so bad and if he was honest with himself he definitely found you quite handsome and under his better judgement decided that maybe getting a little closer to you didn't sound so bad after all.

You were really questioning how you ended up in a café having a quiet conversation with an ADA member in the café where the ADA is located, perhaps you were just sick, but ranpo really seemed like he just wanted to satiate his curiosity, so you let it be and without realizing it you both spent hours just talking in that café about your own skills, cases you were each solving, exchanging strange but surprisingly so good tips on how to solve murders faster, and maybe it was just that you both just wanted someone to talk to for hours about these things perhaps you were just feeling a little lonely and maybe you both just enjoyed each other's company but thankfully neither of you went home until it was time to close the café and even then it wasn't enough.

The seasons began to change and as the days went by, you two fell in love with each other, everything felt a little more peaceful, free when the two of you were together and as time did not stand still, Ranpo found that little by little your house began to feel more like his too spending a lot of his time hanging around just feeling that if the two of you were together it was safe and as it was only a matter of time you began to date.

☆ -☆ -☆ -☆ -☆ -☆ -☆ -☆ -☆ -☆ -☆ -☆ -☆ -☆ -☆ -☆ -☆ -☆ -☆ -☆ -☆ -

Honestly, with this kind of dynamic between the two of you because of work, I think it would be pretty fun to date ranpo.

The first thing you two agreed on was that as soon as you walk in the door of your house, work doesn't matter and if you ever talk about work, it's solely and specifically about a criminology case that has nothing to do with both organizations.

I doubt the pm even knows about the relationship, but even if they did, they wouldn't care either, seeing it more as something that could go in their favor in the future (some probably think you're strategically dating ranpo to find out more about the ADA).

And speaking of the ADA… it would be pure chaos with a lot of varied reactions, but I'm pretty sure everyone would be more concerned about ranpo being used to get information, but since it's ranpo they assume it might be a bit safer (just a bit).

I think you two's house would have one of the most peaceful aesthetics thanks to the job you two have, just wanting to have a place where you two can just relax and enjoy being with each other (even though it probably has random decorations if you look closely because you thought they were funny and cute).

Arriving late at night thanks to a mission that went longer than expected and ranpo just in the kitchen sleeping in a chair because he was waiting for you to get home, and you were taking too long, he got a little freaked out :(

When one of you is having a stressful week, and you spend the day just cuddling and enjoying each other's company to finally relax.

If you both found yourselves on the same mission, you would both try to stay as far away from each other as possible without compromising the mission. After all, it was the jobs neither of you were willing to give up.

In the end, even though you are both part of enemy organizations, you don't let those things get in the way of your relationship, making every day a new adventure knowing that you have each other for as long as the future allows.

☾ Author's note: Blanket Flower symbolize joy and modesty. I'm finally back! Sorry for the long wait, but I'm really excited to start writing again. Pls reblog and follow if you want, I hope you have a lovely day or night. :) ☆

All works belong to @ flxwxr-bxy don't copy, translate or repost in other sites without my permission. Thanks ♡

[the-lark-ascending69]

I didnt love S3 but Steve peaked there. Robin became the final puzzle piece he needed to complete his development - thanks to the actors because the duffers clearly didn't know what to do with him. Steve spent the last three seasons chasing after a girl who would never be his soulmate, and when he accepted that, he tried to find someone else to love instead. He tried flirting with any girl whose attention he could hold for over 60 seconds, except for Robin - setting her apart already, though for the wrong reasons initially. She was originally meant to be Nancy's replacement as Steve's arm candy, it seems, but making her a lesbian at the last moment is really what saves S3 for me, not only because she's my baby, my favorite character and I adore her with my whole heart, but also because... the improvised straightbait turned out to work incredibly well at the time to cement the conclusion of Steve's arc - he was a piece of shit and lost Nancy to someone who was better for her (say what you want about Jonathan, but that's clearly the idea the writers had with him, regardless of the effectiveness of the execution). Steve couldn't get Nancy back, and really, he shouldn't be focusing on romance at all because that's just not what he needs to grow as a person. The people who truly challenge him, push him to be better and motivate him to grow are his platonic bonds - Dustin and Robin. He couldn't "fix" everything with Nancy (meaning that he couldn't go back to before everything changed, as if he hadn't messed up). Nancy may appreciate the change but she won't go back to him. Steve doesn't need to change for love - he needs to change for himself, in order to be a better person, period. And Nancy has no reason to stay and watch him grow, she has her own matters to attend to, and she doesn't have enough space in her life for Steve. So Steve finds new people, somewhere else, away from Nancy, and he grows thanks to them.

Robin being not only just his friend but also being completely and eternally unavailable to him works perfectly here. The audience believed, alongside Steve (and the Duffers lmfao) that what Steve needed was romantic love, but Robin proves him wrong. He gets over his ex-girlfriend and finds a sister instead.

And then Season 4 ruins that, for no reason and to no one's benefit. Steve regresses. The growth is undone, for the purpose of keeping Nancy in that eternal love triangle loop that seemed to have been solved two seasons ago. It's sad and disappointing and I'm hoping they don't revisit that in S5.

What I would've done instead would've been to let Steve finish his arc in S3. S4 Steve has a flat arc now. He learned all he had to learn. He's fine. Now, he's here to teach others what he's learned, and I think it would be very interesting if the person who learned from him the most turned out to be Nancy. Steve basically just discovered the power of friendship, and deep emotional connections and trust and how closeness to others makes you stronger. Gives you a purpose. He learned to love and care for others and now that's his strength. Have him tell her about how much he cares about Robin and Dustin. Show him bonding more with Lucas and Max. Contrast him with Nancy, who is isolated, who just lost another friend after leaving him alone, and is desperately trying to protect Max from Vecna. Maybe she's hesitant to become friends with Robin, or to rely on her and Steve to share the burden, or trust the kids to take care of themselves on some capacity. Nancy has become more and more isolated as Steve grows closee to other people.

Then Steve sacrifices himself in S5 to save either Robin or Dustin or both of them idk I think that would be the best conclusion to his arc. Passing on the torch to one of them. Maybe Robin becomes the new babysitter and protector. Maybe Dustin becomes the new hot boy at Hawkins High idk but I think an ending of this sort would fit. He doesn't even need to actually die, if he somehow survives it still works, just having a sacrifice scene (not played for laughs) would be a perfect way to conclude his growth and move on to inspire others to grow like others have done for him.

[shortandslytherin]

Okay but set during Halfblood Prince! Female pronouns, Ravenclaw reader.

The reader is friends with Rolf, Luna, and Hannah. Rolf and Luna are the couple goals of the friend group. Also the reader is crushing on Neville, who secretly has a crush on her. Hannah is more focused on school than dating. Meanwhile, Seamus can't get a date to save his life and Dean starts dating Ginny. The reader, Dean, and Seamus start a little folk band (yk kinda like that Ed Sheeran song Galway Girl) and she starts dating Seamus because she doesn't think Neville is interested. You decide if it ends in fluff or angst.

Galway Girl (Neville Longbottom x Female Ravenclaw!Reader x Seamus Finnigan)

Okay so this is a really cute request. Honestly, Neville is 100% my comfort character so this is also kinda sad for me. But let's go!

Listen to the song while you read. You know, for the vibe. Also I left out some details from the song because I didn't know how to fit them in? So I hope that's okay?

Request: Yes/No

Summary: When all the reader's friends seem to be lucky in love, she feels left out. It seems like even Neville has been on dates with Hannah, who doesn't date. The only person in the same boat as her is Seamus. Dean and Seamus convince their Ravenclaw friend that they should start an Irish band. But does it solve or cause problems, when their friends find out about the little band at a Gryffindor party?

Warnings: Angsty but fluffy?, underage drinking, implication of weed, canon ships, emotional cheating, miscommunication, idiots in love, and also implied Irish reader? (a Galway Girl is a girl from Galway which is in Western Ireland)

It all started about four months ago, Rolf Scamander had asked you advice for a date with a girl he really liked and you gave him advice. You didn't know who Rolf could possibly have a crush on but you were hyper aware of his sudden fascination with your housemate, Luna Lovegood. She was your friend and so was he. The two of them had never been close until they began hanging out four months ago. You hadn't thought much of it until they became your couple goals. They officially started dating after the third date. Everything about their relationship seemed to be like they were always meant to be together. It reminded you of how when you were twelve, you believed in soulmates. But it wasn't long before they realized that their own mutual pining made them blind to the fact that you had a crush on Neville Longbottom for years. They immediately felt bad and made your crush their business. Luna was pretty close with Neville and made sure he spent more time around your small friend group. But you were pretty sure he'd never like you. Hannah Abbott was the only other member of your small friend group and she spent most her time studying. She always said she was much too busy for dating but she also seemed to be rather close with Neville. Actually, the more you thought about it Neville had more friends than you. He was seemingly friends with Harry Potter and his friends. But Neville's closest friends were Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan. But then as of recent due to Luna and Rolf's interference, Neville's friends became yours. The friend group went for from four to seven.....eight when Dean started dating Ginny Weasley last month.

You were trying to get the group together for a group for a Hogsmead e trip but everyone had different plans . Ginny and Dean had a date. Rolf and Luna had a date. Hannah and Neville didn't really say what they were doing but both mentioned the greenhouses so you kind of assumed. So it was just you and Seamus. But it wasn't a date, you were just friends. It was obvious by how this forced date-like atmosphere made you both uncomfortable. So you both just went back to the castle and threw yourselves into studying in the library. After the third time of being ditched by your friends for dates, you guys just knew it was easier to go to the library and study. However, Seamus brought up something this particular time he hadn't brought up before. "Do you like Irish folk music?"

"Who's asking? You or Dean?"

"What?"

"Dean's going through a rough patch with Ginny and she likes Irish folk music."

"Right...thanks. Hey, want to start a band? You, Dean, and me?"

"What do I get out of it?" You raised an eyebrow and Seamus shrugged. "The joy of knowing you helped out a friend or two." The only problem with it was you didn't think Ginny genuinely liked Dean. "No. Tell Dean to find someone else." You got up and walked away.

You'd been dodging Seamus and Dean for days, when they'd finally managed to corner you. You were in the Gryffindor common room looking for Neville. You were ready to finally confront him about his relationship with Hannah. It was irritating enough that you knew Hannah didn't tell you she liked Neville but the least they could do was admit they were together. You could have asked Hannah for the truth but something told you it'd feel more true if you'd heard it from Neville. Maybe you needed closure? However, you didn't find Neville because you ran into his two best friends. "Y/N, I know you think Ginny and I fight a lot." Dean started and you cut in harshly. "You do fight a lot." He took a sharp intake of breath before continuing. "But this isn't just for me. This could be good for all of us. Seamus won't be that Irish kid who can hold his whiskey. We can book gigs and make money. You can finally afford that trip to America you're always talking about." You couldn't help but be a little interested in the idea. "I'll think about it. But you have to make me a promise. Neville can never know I was here today." The two boys looked at each other then back at you before Dean grinned. "We promise, he won't know." You nodded and left the Gryffindor common room.

It was that weekend, the three of you were in the library whispering amongst yourselves about this band of yours. You were secretly passing around a small flask of fire whiskey under the table and sitting at one of the back tables where not many people would sit. "So are we going with trad tunes, newer stuff, or our own music?" You asked with a bit of curiosity gracing your face and Seamus shrugged. "Why not all three? How about instruments? Y/N, you should sing." You frowned. "I can really wanna play the fiddle but in songs where it's not needed I'll sing." Dean nodded. "I can sing most times then because Seamus can't sing worth shit and honestly I think we'll need like a piano." Seamus rolled his eyes. "We'll need some base so Bodhrán? We'll probably sound like shit but at least we'll be ridiculed as friends." Those were the last words said before you guys spent the rest of the Quidditch season doing band practice instead of supporting your Quidditch teams.

You were ecstatic when you heard Gryffindor got the Quidditch Cup but extremely disappointed. They'd beat your team. You quietly walked over to your table in mock shame while the Gryffindors celebrated. You walked over to Neville after the feast and asked if you were invited to the party to celebrate Gryffindor's win. He informed you that he'd thought Seamus or Dean would have invited you since you seemed to be with them a lot lately. There seemed to be a hint of anger in his voice. And you couldn't hold back the vile feeling that built up inside you. "Well excuse me for wanting to actually hang out with my friends. You and Hannah seem to always be at the greenhouse. Luna and Rolf are always together. Dean and Ginny.... they're on a break. And Seamus...well he and I are in the same boat." You quickly walked away catching up with Dean and Seamus. It seemed like your body relaxed almost instantly as you started laughing with them about some inside joke Neville couldn't understand. "She doesn't mean it, you know." He recognized the voice but turned to look anyways. "Yes, she does. She's right. You and I are always together lately. I didn't think about how that must look to our friends until..."

"The girl you like said it?"

"Yeah."

"Back in third year, she said you were her type."

"Do you think I still am?" Hannah shrugged in response to the question. They quietly walked to the Gryffindor common room where the celebration for winning Quidditch Cup was being thrown.

When they got to the common room, Neville saw you chatting with Dean, Seamus, and Ginny. From the looks of it Dean and Ginny made up again. You looked really happy and you had a drink in hand. He turned his attention to Ron, who everyone in Gryffindor was praising, and was shocked by Lavender Brown suddenly kissing him. But he clapped along with everyone else in the room. It didn't even occur to him to care that Harry and Hermione left or that shortly after Lavender and Ron left. It seemed pretty normal behavior. He just went back to watching you with his two best friends. He joined the small group only to notice you were ignoring him. "Seamus, I'll bet 5 gaellons I can beat you at darts." It was shook on and sure enough you won. "Double nothing for pool." He said he conjured up a pool table and you nodded. In agreement to his terms. Sure enough, you beat him. "You owe me 10 gaellons, Finnigan." He rolled his eyes and you smirked. "You know what? You're really cute, I'll excuse your debt." All at once three voices screamed "WHAT?!" All male Gryffindors and your friends. You pulled him into a kiss and kisses him like no one else was there. He didn't know Neville had a crush on you. How could he? Neville was always with Hannah! He pulled you closer and kissed back. It was only a few minutes before he pulled back and you both grinning. "Debt paid." Neville walked away in what looked to be an annoyed state. You cringed but you didn't do it to hurt him. You did it because you felt like you needed a win and whining over a boy with a girlfriend wasn't a win. "Seamus, wanna go to Hogsmeade together sometime?" You asked with a bit of regret and he nodded but didn't seem to know what to say. You knew he usually had a crude sense of humor but in the past few weeks you'd grown so accustom to it.... actually kinda found it funny. And in that same way, grown to rather close to him and Dean. But his sense of humor isn't why you felt regret. It was the brunette boy, who was talking to Luna. Luna looked at you in shock and then shrugged at Neville. She didn't have an explanation and you didn't expect her to.

Neville seemed shocked as Ginny announced that a had a surprise had been arranged for Gryffindor. The music that was playing was stopped while Ginny explained what the surprise was.

You, Seamus, and Dean were singing and playing your instruments to traditional Irish songs. Dean seemed so uncomfortable with how close you and Seamus suddenly were. Neville, Luna, and Rolf sat in a corner talking about this surprise. "I just can't believe it. Just yesterday, she was complaining about how Neville was dating Hannah." Rolf muttered and Neville rolled his eyes. "I'm not. We've just been hanging out in the greenhouse together. We're friends." Luna laughed slightly. "Hannah didn't tell you?"

"Tell me what?"

"Y/N had a crush on you."

"Well Hannah told me that."

"Well... sometimes she hides her feelings."

"What are you trying to say?"

Rolf cut in. "Well, you could ask Y/N or you could retreat over there." He pointed to a group of Gryffindors with a cloud of smoke surrounding them. "And relieve your stress how you usually do." Of course Neville didn't want to confront the girl who just kissed his best friend so he walked over to the group of Gryffindors. They probably got it from his dorm mates anyways. He was actually doing a pretty good job of tuning the little band out. It wasn't until heard the song "Carrickfergus" that he had to look up. He'd heard Seamus play this song a million times over. But he'd never heard it sang so sweet. You were amazing to him.

After awhile, Seamus and Dean had enough and wanted to get back to the party. But you still wanted to sing your heart out. This wasn't for Dean or Seamus. This wasn't for your band. You were doing this for you. You shot back another glass of fire whiskey and were back at it. Except this time you had to sing a capella in and use your feet for a beat. Seamus was amazed at your enthusiasm and couldn't stop calling you his girlfriend to anyone that would listen. Neville, however, was silent. He was memorizing everything about you in this moment. He wanted to have your voice playing on repeat for a week. Any normal person would think you were singing to the boy claiming to be your boyfriend and maybe you should have been. But you weren't. Your heart immediately wanted to reach out to the boy who'd liked since you were like twelve or thirteen. But the part you were unaware of is even this packed room, he would swear on his life you were singing to him. But his hopes and dreams were crushed Cormac McLaggen convinced you to let him play some Weird Sisters and other Wizard Rock music. Seamus immediately grabbed your waist, kissed you on the neck, and then took you by the hand. You smiled at the boy nervously like you didn't know what was happening. He smiled in a way that was actually comforting and said, "Baby, I just want to dance." But the entire time you were dancing with Seamus, you were thinking about Neville.

When the few Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws that showed up had outstayed their welcome, you walked back to your common room with Neville. Luna had convinced Seamus it was safer if Neville took you back since he hadn't drank as much. And if Seamus wasn't so drunk maybe he would have thought about how Luna was going to the same place as you anyway. But he was still shooting back firewhiskey and couldn't think straight. So you were holding hands with Neville as you walked through the corridors.

Come tomorrow you'd be Seamus' girlfriend but tonight you could be Neville's. He smelt of smoke and whiskey. It was so intoxicating but your lungs were full of the cool night air that the stone castle walls let in. You smiled at him and whispered. "I swear I'm gonna put you in a song that I write."

"I'm not Seamus you know."

"That's why it'll be about a Galway Girl and her perfect night."

Neville shook his head in disbelief. He was convinced you wouldn't remember it tomorrow so he spoke words he shouldn't. "Then I guess you're my pretty little Galway Girl."

[fantastic-mr-corvid]

Acceptance.

Anevia is possessed with curiosity about who the document the commander is spending so much time writing is going to. she also muses on their new commander, and the bonds hes formed, especially the one with the purple theifling.

[is this in character for Anevia? idk i just woke up, wanted to write Georgie actually giving Woljif a contract for the cult idea, and then Anevia possessed me and made her n Irabeth adopt Georgie.]

-

After the party returned from their exploration and had rested up, Georgie spent a good hour head over his desk.

Anevia had been curious, a letter to family? It couldn't be more orders for the army's, as he had ordered them to stand down and rest before he himself had.

He was focusing hard, having changed sheet of paper three times already, A lover? She suppose that telling someone you alive and also telling them your leading the crusade was a hard message to get right.

But given how he had smiled upon being introduced to Sosiel, and even how he started actually looking at a certain count, she doubted that.

Family then? Teiflings don't often have that, well that can have *Familys* but not often the normal ones. She narrowed her eyes at the ring on Georgie's finger, the one that appeared after he ran of after questioning her love about informants.

She thought about Woljifs teasing about the now commander being his little brother. How said 'little brother' had sought out to solve the other teiflings problem first.

Anevia liked Georgie. She didn't like the thought of him seeking out the Family just for some sense of kinship and belonging.

Maybe she should have prompted Irabeth to have her heart to heart with him earlier. He clearly respected both of them, running to both for advice. He was a quick learner and naturally charismatic, but she meant what she'd told him, he was more dangerous now, and they didn't need him running into the arms of criminals just for acceptance of who he is.

And sue her, she liked the kid. Not just because he saved her life, or how he managed to keep his head while being thrust into the lead of their rag tag group, or even how he tried for peace and good at every opportunity, but wouldn't hesitate to summon his pets to their aid. But because he was a good kid, who saw the best in people, a kid who had been picked by the goddess or fate or whatever, and swore to himself that he would do what he thought was right.

Okay, also because she loved Irabeths smile after their heart to heart, loved how she finally had someone she could talk to about how she was immediately discriminated against for her race, who understood.

Merciful Goddess was this the so called 'motherly instinct' people harped on about?

Them and Woljif weren't the only ones, Seelah had silently claimed him as her brother once she had stopped being so preoccupied with worry over the order of the cart. Still, it seemed she was leaning on him just as much as he was her now.

Talking of Seelah, the little bigger girl, Ember, had clearly won over their commanders heart, even if Seelah was slow to warm to her deity disrespecting ways. Still, it should be but a matter of time.

Footsteps shook her out of her musings, their commander finally finished with his document. Shes waiting until the tent flaps fell back down to sneak... To walk out of the tent. As is her right. She's just visiting Irabeth about some paperwork.

Hopefully if the commander questions her he will think she's sneaking some *alone time* with her partner, not trying to find out what he was writing because of her curiosity. Sure she could just ask, but she's bored and this is fun.

And that's not a bad idea, to have some *fun* with Irabeth after.

The footsteps of the other side of the falling fabric finally reaching the end of her earshot signaled her to move. The bright chaos of the kid must have infected her too.

She walked out, schooling her body language into saying she's just checking in on the camp, with papers under her arm for Irabeth.

Both sets of horns and dark hair were together, over by the Quartermasters tent.

Georgie was shoving the piece of paper into Woljifs hands, the purple teifling trying to mask his confusion with humor.

Mm. She suddenly had the pressing need to check the resources available to the crusade...

Luckily, both were still to absorbed in their not a conversation to notice her getting closer. She shushed the Quartermaster and listened.

"-don't want you worrying I'll run off and use your idea without you getting your fair share"

"What?"She hadn't seen Woljif so off spin for a long time, he was excellent at rolling with the punches. To excellent at times.

"You asked for a contract didn't you! And I'm a man of my word" Georgie shoved the paper at him again. "Wouldn't want to chest my little brother out off-"

"- little brother? Your the little brother!" This was clearly a well worn argument and more familiar ground for the teifling.

"And I'm older than you!" Georgie shook his head "anyway I thought is write it up. Make sure you know your ideas are valued." Ignoring the look of shock on his self professed little brother face, he continued, "want to make sure you get your due, you know? You don't screw over family" and he ended it with a bright smile.

She loved this kid. Didn't love the idea they were talking about, or that they had cooked up one, but it was clear Georgie would be taking the lead out of the two of them.

She didn't need to worry about Woljif dragging the commander into a life of crime, *he* needed to worry about the kid dragging him into a life of good.

Her chuckle at the thought drew their attention,

"Hello Anevia! Do you need anything" goddess the kids happiness was blinding.

"Nothing for you to worry about Commander, just checking our inventory after we moved camp" the quartermaster joined Woljif in spluttering.

"Excellent idea! Thank you for your initiative."

Someone needed to get the quartermaster a healer before he choked.

"Well that's done now, so I'll just bring these papers to Irabeth" indicating to the ones under her arm

Georgies smile grew cheeky "Enjoy! Give her my thanks for her assistance, and I will be taking my group to deal with the Hellknights, so get some rest while you can."

She couldn't stop her smile anymore, leaving with a nod of gratitude and a wave, walking towards her love.

Get some rest indeed.

[endiness]

s4 of tua thoughts/review

~

to start with the (semi) positives…

overall, i found the season… entertaining. i'm not quite sure if i liked it per se, but i did find it entertaining and i wasn't that mad about it or how it all ended, or at least the concept of the ending.

i'm so glad that the show focused on klaus and allison's relationship and their relationship with claire. klaus's relationship with ben is by far my absolute favorite relationship in the entire show, but if the show wasn't really going to focus on them in the last season, then i'm glad klaus and allison's relationship really got the focus because their relationship is probably my second favorite.

also, lowkey love the idea of them living together especially with allison still being an actress. it is giving "this happened in a fanfic" vibes. same thing with klaus getting buried alive. like, thanks for the fanfic content 👍 and also thanks for the continued misfits parallels 👍

i loved klaus getting to blow up at everyone. and i also loved allison refusing to be seen as the bad guyTM.

i don't think robbie was given the best material to work with this season, but when he did get good material to work with, he really brought it. like, his acting in the scene with claire when he relapses was great.

the show had me shipping five and lila, negl 🤷‍♀️ (also, i have to say: i cannot take people who say that lila cheated on diego seriously. like, no nope nah. if you are stuck in what more or less constitutes as a pocket dimension for over half a decade facing the very real possibility that you will never escape from it, like. it ain't cheating at that point. sry not sry. it just isn't.)

i think the show ultimately focused way too much on gene and jean for such a short season, but i do have to hand it to the actors for doing a good job.

i thought the fight scenes were pretty good and tbh i really enjoyed just how brutal everyone got to be. like, diego jumping and spinning and manipulating the bullets is a classic. i think the way viktor's power displayed itself this season was cool. same with allison. s/o to klaus for finally getting to levitate, too.

now onto the negatives…

i did not care about, or like, jennifer at all. so the show wasting so much time on her was extremely annoying to me given that the season was so short. also, as someone who almost always absolutely despises "destined for each other" relationships because they are usually incredibly poorly written as writers generally tend to rely on that aspect of it instead of, y'know, actually bothering to develop their relationship… yeah, ben and jennifer's relationship did not escape my disdain. and i think it was such a waste of ben's character for him to have spent so much of his screen time on this completely brand new character and not with his family, which the show didn't do the best job of developing anyway given that this isn't og ben but sparrow ben.

also, i don't even understand the whole thing with jennifer anyway? like, why did reginald not just kill her from the beginning? wouldn't this have solved a bunch of problems? and why was everyone so obsessed with killing ben? didn't reginald say you had to kill one of the two vessels, meaning either ben or jennifer? like, just kill jennifer. literally who the fuck cares about her. 🙄

that klaus's storyline this season was being a hypochondriac, relapsing, sex trafficked, buried alive, and then erased from existence. nobody likes that. especially as most of those things weren't really treated that seriously by the narrative. like, klaus went through a massive amount of trauma in a very short amount of time (like he always does), he never got to deal with it (and while the show hasn't always been the best about addressing klaus's trauma, like! it definitely did a lot better in previous seasons!), and then he was just erased from existence. like wtf. also that klaus was 0% involved with the whole "reginald killed his ben" storyline. again, wtf. 🙃

i still cannot stand viktor 💅

i don't mind the concept of the "erase yourself from existence to save the world" ending, but i feel like overall the show did not do the best job in executing it. like, for one thing, if you're gonna go for that ending, i think it is an absolute must that things need to be character driven as opposed to plot driven. and this season was extremely plot driven. on top of that, i think the show introduced the whole idea way too late. like, things need to be building to that solution and not introduced at the last minute, basically. like, it should've been building to that solution since day one and not, like, what. 10-15 minutes before the end?

also, i feel like the whole thing was so unsatisfying for the characters? like, if you're going for that type of ending… it really only works if it feels like… things were resolved with the characters. and i don't really feel like that. like, i can kind of see it for allison because so much of allison's story was just trying to get claire back and with it ending with the way it did, claire was still alive which was ultimately allison's biggest goal. so i think for allison's story it can be satisfying. maybe not the best ending, but all things considered and taking every other character into account, i think that ending for her works better than everyone else. and i guess sort of the same thing with lila because a lot of her story was initially tied up with her family, too, and she ended up saving them. and kind of five in the sense that, idk, i guess he solved the problem that is the apocalypse, lol. (even though he was also trying to save his family and he didn't get to do that...)

but yeah, for everyone else? like, diego got erased knowing that his wife wanted a break and then cheated on him (i still think it's ridiculous to view it that way, like, as an audience member, but i think it's more understandable from diego's position, obviously, even if i was in the same position i'd be like fair enough tbh.) luther got erased kind of doing nothing all season? like, his story last season was very focused on sloan and that's where his story ended off and then the show just went with completely erasing her and that's that. 🙃 i already talked about klaus, but yeah. that he ends up getting erased after going through highly traumatic things that are never addressed. and, like, ben didn't even get to go out with his family?

just, overall, i don't think it was particularly satisfying for any of the characters because not a lot of the season was that character driven. (plus i think there's also stuff that just does not make sense with the ending. like, claire and lila's kids should not actually exist. allison was erased from the timeline as was lila and diego. their kids should just not exist. i don't care that they were in some kind of time travel subway. they should not exist. also, like, the actual problem was reginald releasing the merigold, so like. i think the focus should've been on stopping him from doing that in the past as opposed to like. we are kind of retroactively erasing ourselves from existence by letting this monster eat the merigold that made us in the first place.)

[cosmogyral-cat]

I may be a bit late to the party but I finally started playing Life Is Strange: True Colors. I finished the first chapter yesterday so I'll give a quick rundown on things and characters I liked as well as my thoughts on the story's setup.

!!!My knowledge about the game is limited to chapter 1-3, but I will compare some of it to the other games of the series, so there will be very minor spoilers for Life Is Strange 1, Life Is Strange: Before The Storm, and Life Is Strange 2!!!

So here's a list of things I really liked about the first chapter!

Consistent setting (which is something I didn't like about LiS 2. The Life Is Strange series' biggest strong suit is, in my opinion, its characters and the consistent change of setting and characters made it incredibly difficult for many people to really get attached to the characters)

Great introduction to Alex through interview with Dr. Lynn (teaser for her powers without revealing too much)

Well-written dialogue, the characters feel very distinct and natural

Gabe. Best big brother out there fr

The graphics and animation are amazing! In the other games, facial expressions could often seem stiff and at times even unexpressive, but True Colors captured emotions incredibly well and the art style in itself is a big improvement, the environment looks absolutely astounding

The water is so beautiful

Alex' journal is very distinct from the ones we've seen in other LiS games since instead of doodles, she has a very unique way of expressing herself through quotes and songs

The memory collection feature is a great way for collectors to learn a lot more about Haven Springs and its characters

While I felt like Sean was very stiff and more of a self-insert for the player, Alex had very unique struggles with her past and how introverted she is

The love interests are amazing. While Warren was incredibly questionable in many ways and while Rachel wasn't the best either given that she's cheated on Chloe multiple times, Ryan and Steph are nothing but delightful from what I've seen

Speaking of which: Steph is really cool, I like how flirty and outgoing she is, she just seems like someone who's fun to be around

Also speaking of which: I love Ryan so much. He's a bit nerdy, I love his sense of humor, he's attractive, he's calm and attentive, he's got a beautiful voice, he's a bit of a smartass, it makes me happy every time he's on-screen

I love the way Ryan handled the situation when he noticed that Alex was getting nervous because of Steph's anger. He saw what was happening, quickly found a solution and made sure that Alex was okay. This is something I wish more people would do when they see someone get anxious instead of questioning their anxiety or getting upset because of it

Unlike Daniel who was at times extremely annoying (at least in my opinion, I understand that children are just like that sometimes and that's okay), I grew incredibly attached to Ethan right away

I love the side characters!! They feel so authentic and it's nice to be around them, listen to them, help them with their individual struggles

The Thaynor puzzle was very fun to solve (but I think most True Colors puzzles are fun, for example the jukebox puzzle)

I like that the story is heading into the direction of "I have a power with many downsides but I can also use it to help people around me"

On that note, Alex' power is very cool and I like that it's something she's had trouble with way before the plot started

I was genuinely sad when Gabe died, it hit me like a truck because I really liked him despite the short time Alex spent with him

True Colors doesn't try to tackle a million societal issues at once and instead focuses on a few to make the plot feel consistent and realistic

The arcade games are so much fun, I'm so glad that they put little mini games like these into the game

Those are my thoughts on chapter 1 for now, I think I'll add more about the other chapters some other time!!