#but also in contrast her parents and people who would want to 'other' her see her as staunchly from her little childhood 'heretical' town

[eolande]

i think ashera identifies very strongly with the notion of what it "means" to be cassardi despite neither of her parents being natives.... at her heart her loyalties lie with cassardis and it's ways and traditions but she also can't help always being a little off-beat/out of place.... opting to hunt rather than to fish, having this great sense of wanderlust....

[suguru-getos]

— satosugu as boyfriends —

it’s hard to decide who’s your bigger fan, satoru or suguru. they’re so in love with everything you do & are so supportive! it took a LOOONNNGG way though— let’s say you met them when they were still in school & so were you. though — you were not a sorcerer. satoru doesn’t mind, he hated non-sorcerers before for making him the reason he’s so looked upto. now thanks to suguru, he wants to protect them. suguru knew you much before than satoru, you were his neighbor after all. how else could you hangout with people who have such major power differences?

things changed after the riko incident— you could see the hatred that suguru slowly festered within him. there were days satoru came to suguru’s apartment to relax & play games with their other juniors like nanamin or haibara. these days you could hardly see the fun… suguru goes out and comes home & that’s all. you and him used to play together as kids and despite you reaching out, suguru was shutting down.

it was until he killed his own parents — that satoru took matters into his own hands. killed hundreds of people & adopted, some girls!!?!?!?? what was even happening!! to protect you, satoru shifted you to the gojo estate. it was simple really, you were a non-sorcerer & suguru would not really care about your life right now just to prove a point.

a year went by just processing what was happening. of course— spending a year with gojo satoru also meant that you two had become incredibly close. earlier, you were invited by suguru over because you & him had always played gaming consoles together. right now, it was totally different. you didn’t know satoru was so mature, and so kind when needed, although keeping his childishness still intact. you were the only one he could openly talk about suguru with. not even shoko — her & yaga had started calling him geto to detach maybe. yet it’s endearing to see such fondness in satoru’s eyes for his bestfriend aka almost lover aka what could have been.

long story short— suguru could not kill you. it’s sickening to think he could do so with his parents but after a year or two when he finally went to the gojo estate having known your whereabouts & missing the chaste peck he stole when things were alright. he cried. hugging you tenderly. expressing how he thinks he shouldn’t have been high on adrenaline that day & did what he did… he wants people like satoru to suffer less. he wants to do something ‼️

it takes a while for suguru to start healing, no one suspects that the strongest sorcerer satoru gojo had secretly kept his best friend in the gojo estate along with his almost girlfriend. :33 even the girls are present with megumi and tsumiki & despite their contrasting personalities— things have seemed to settle for once.

you knew suguru liked to cook so you were now greeted by him preparing you the sweetest ever breakfast in bed, meanwhile satoru insisted you sleep with him (to protect you) :3 yeah as ifff 💁🏻‍♀️ man was too shy to make the first move just yet because you had been trusting him so good. afraid to fuck up. though when you agree? oh he is out of this world. suguru is happy too, in a way he also gets to spoil satoru like this.

satoru uses his old money to ensure you three go on trips at least once every 2-3 weeks. the recent one that you remember is paris. for new years !! it was beautiful to confess your love for each other and finally officially start dating. you were spoiled by insanely hot balcony sex that day. ;)

suguru has improved & also started honing his skills. though during one of the much intimate conversations, you had asked him to trust you enough to come home to after swallowing the sabotaging negativity of a curse & to let you kiss it away. <3 you trust him to follow through with it.

suguru can get especially testy when you’re around your period and satoru decides to mess with your mood. normally, satoru’s teasing is ignored but during those days he gets smacked from sugu. :3 satoru just wants your mood to be better :(( not in the same sense as suguru perhaps. so satoru takes on the role of your sugar daddy as usual. getting you your favorite snackies and stuff.

there is no power dynamic as such between the two of them. really— they’re just equals and you like that despite being in a relationship, satosugu can be switches to each other and daddy doms to you as always.

satoru was the first one who discovered that making you feel smaller, would regress you up a little. you’d cutely pout & get subby and babytalking to you during that rare occaision would actually get him you in the form of putty in his hands. so satosugu are mostly like “let daddy handle it sweetness.” / “oh no you’re too small for that, give me.” / “no baby you can’t reach there, let daddy help.” and ugh it makes you so fucking submissive for them they love that & YOU love that😩

satoru and suguru together decided to get you another cat which would be a cute little brother for your pet. they are such good pet fathers you often wonder how good they’d be to kids — oh wait, 😏 you have their adopted babies to witness that first hand too! how lucky! 🍀

nsfw hcs later alligator i’d elaborate on this more later too! enjoy my word vomit besties 👯‍♀️ send me jjk askies 🙇🏻‍♀️ thank you!

[justwinginglife]

thinking of a Hoshina/narumi x Vice captain! reader who was raised to be a traditional wife for wealthy clans 🤔 Like she looks and acts like what people would scream wife material and in the field she be an aggresive fighter but still keeping a graceful look on her....i imagine she'll be the type to use aggresive weapons like SMGs just to contrast her character

Disclaimer- I am a Hoshina girlie through and through and idk if I would even know how to write Narumi but I will give it a shot for you anon. Thanks for trusting me with this request, I will do my best.

Three's A Crowd

You always thought you'd marry well, after all, you'd always been told that being a wife was what you were made for. And not just because you'd been raised by a governess in a proper household, no- you made the act of being a wife look effortless. If being a wife was a job, you were the CEO. If being your husband was a prize, the raffle tickets would've sold out.

Your parents would joke to family friends that you glided out of the womb in stilettos, ready to host dinner parties with your best wine and your best smile. And then when you were the youngest female to ever make Vice Captain in such a short amount of time, people just assumed talent was in your DNA at this point. You could completely brutalize the hell out of a kaiju, not even get your hands dirty or break a sweat, and then be back home in time to instruct the household staff which table settings to use for dinner and maybe even recommend a nice dessert pairing for whatever meal the chef had prepared.

Now, coming from a well-established clan, you had always assumed you'd marry one of the Hoshina brothers as your family had deep ties to the Hoshina clan and you'd known them since you were young, but you had also recently caught the attention of the Captain of the First Division and you could never resist a man with power.

As the Vice Captain of the Second Division, you were constantly meeting with the Captains and Vice Captains of other divisions, but for some reason you didn't meet the Captain of the First Division at any of those stiff meetings. In fact, he never showed up so you thought you might never meet him. But fate must've had other plans because one day as you were on your way home from meeting with the Vice Captain of the First Division, a kaiju decided to take a bite out of a nearby building and that's where you met Gen Narumi.

It's like he had known they were going to strike because he was onto them in a matter of minutes, skewering them like a kebab. You were impressed but you didn't want to let him have all the fun, especially since this might be the only time you ever interacted with him again. So you raced him to take down the remaining kaiju in the vicinity, gunning them all down with equal parts aggression and grace. He had been quite impressed by your agility and the elegance with which you slew each creature. So much so that he actually started showing up to his meetings from then on just to get a glimpse of you. And then he got greedier and a glimpse just wasn't enough for him anymore, he wanted to talk to you, get to know you.

Soon, a rivalry had formed between Gen and Soshiro as they both raced after your heart. The two of them were so different, pretty much the only commonality they shared were their feelings for you.

Gen was a quiet lover, he'd shrug people off when they'd ask if he was seeing you, keeping to himself about the details. But then he'd secretly leave a vase of your favorite flowers for you to find the next morning and if you confronted him about it he'd simply say your apartment looked so sad that even a bunch of weeds he'd scrounged from some random field was an improvement to the place. The flowers were not in fact wildflowers as he claimed, you could tell he'd gone to great lengths to buy the most expensive bouquet he could find from the hothouse but he'd never acknowledge it.

Soshiro was the exact opposite- he was loud about his love. He'd sling his arm around you, and brag to anyone who'd hear him about what a catch you were. He'd remind you everyday how much he adored you. And though it bothered him that Gen was attempting to court you too, he always felt he had the upper hand, having never seen Gen make any grand gestures for you or declare his love for you as openly as he did.

You were used to many men vying for your attention but you never thought that two of the most powerful fighters in the JAKDF would be among your long list of suitors. In fact, the two of them paid such frequent visits to the Second Division that you didn't think you'd even have time to look at any other men. Not that they'd let you look anyway, they'd pretty much assumed that one of them would be the one to marry you.

They weren't wrong. You did intend to choose from one of them as you'd grown quite fond of your little daily routines with each of them. Soshiro was always the first person to text you something sweet in the morning, he wanted you to get a taste of what it would be like to wake up next to him. Gen was always going out of his way for you, picking up dinner from your favorite restaurant an hour away or buying you a pair of earrings you mentioned in passing months ago, once he'd saved up enough for them (you had expensive taste).

It was the first time you felt like more than just some prize, you were actually wanted and desired as a human being. You felt like maybe even if you didn't say the right things or laugh at the right time, even if you fell short of the perfection you'd worked so hard to achieve your whole life, they'd accept you as you were.

It was both a blessing and a curse as you knew you'd have to pick eventually. As different as Gen and Soshiro were, they both did not share well and this little arrangement you had, seeing both of them, would not hold up for long.

But you'd hold out for as long as you possibly could. For as long as they'd let you.

After all, true love is hard to find and you'd stumbled on double the jackpot.

[mariacallous]

It’s the most startling thing I’ve seen in this year’s presidential campaign – the astoundingly large gap between how young men and young women plan to vote this November. Among women under age 30, an overwhelming 67% plan to vote for Kamala Harris, while just 29% say they’ll back Donald Trump. But among young men, a majority – 53% – plan to vote for Trump, while 40% say they’ll support Harris, according to a New York Times/Sienna College poll. That’s an astonishing 51-percentage-point gender gap.

It’s easy to understand why so many young women favor Harris – she has an inspiring life story, champions reproductive freedom and would break the biggest glass ceiling of all by becoming the first female president. But I’m mystified why so many young men back Trump.

Many of them seem to like Trump’s machismo. They like that he talks tough. They see him as an icon of traditional manhood. But all this raises an unavoidable question: should Trump be looked to as an icon of manhood considering that he boasted of grabbing women’s genitals, was found liable for sexual assault and had an affair with an adult film star soon after his wife gave birth? That shouldn’t be anyone’s model of manhood.

Many young men seem to admire Trump’s king-of-the-jungle vibe: he roars, he bellows, he boasts that no one can ever beat him (unless they cheat). But when you cut through Trump’s tough talk and look at the record, it becomes clear that Trump did very little for young men in his four years as president.

Whoops, I should note that if you’re a young man making more than $1m a year, Trump did do a lot for you, thanks to his colossal tax cuts for the richest 1%. But for the more than 99% of young men who don’t make $1m a year, sorry, Trump didn’t do diddly for you, other than cut your taxes a wee bit, a tiny fraction of the tax cuts that he gave to the richest Americans.

I recognize that many young men feel uncomfortable about the Democratic party, partly because some Democrats unfortunately treat men as a problem – and sometimes as the problem. If the Democrats were smart, they’d see that young men – like every other group in society – have problems that they need help with, problems like affording a home, finding a good-paying job, obtaining health insurance, affording college and having enough money to raise a family.

Regardless of how you feel about Harris, the truth is that her policies will do far more for young men than Trump’s policies will. It’s not even close. She is serious about lifting up young men and young women, and she has plans to do so.

Unlike Trump, Harris will help with soaring rents and home prices. She has pledged to build 3m new homes to help drive down housing prices. In another big step to make housing more affordable, she plans to give a $25,000 subsidy to first-time home buyers. Unlike Trump, Harris is also attacking the problem of high grocery prices – she has promised to crack down on price-gouging at the supermarket.

For many young men, health coverage and high health costs are a problem. On those matters, Trump will only make things worse. He has repeatedly promised to repeal Obamacare. That would be a disaster for millions of young men and women because they would no longer be able to be on their parents’ health plan until age 26. What’s more, repealing Obamacare will push up healthcare prices.

Many young people complain about their mountains of student debt. Trump won’t help on that; he has condemned the idea of forgiving student loans. In contrast, Harris wants to expand Biden’s debt cancellation program, which is hugely popular with young Americans. What’s more, Trump backed huge cuts in student aid – a move that would make it harder for young people to afford college. Harris is eager to make college more affordable by increasing student grants. Not only that, she is looking to what Tim Walz, her running mate, has done as Minnesota’s governor. He has made Minnesota’s state universities and community colleges free for students from middle-class and lower-income families.

If you’re a young man frustrated by how little your job pays, you should know that Trump – doing a big favor for his corporate allies – did nothing to raise the $7.25-an-hour federal minimum wage. Harris strongly supports raising the minimum wage.

Trump has made two big promises to make your life more affordable. Without giving details, he says he will cut auto insurance prices nationwide in his first 100 days in office. He also says he will cut energy and electricity prices in half during his first year in office. If you believe those far-fetched promises, then you’ll probably believe me when I say I have a bridge to sell you.

If you’re a young father or if you hope to have a family someday, you should know that Harris’s policies will do far more for you than Trump’s. Recognizing how expensive it is to raise a family, Harris has called for creating a children’s tax credit of $3,000 per child per year and $6,000 for a newborn.

To improve work-family balance, Harris has long pushed to enact paid family and medical leave so that people can take much-needed paid time off to spend with their newborns or care for sick parents or children. (Most Republicans oppose a paid leave law because their corporate donors oppose it.) Trump doesn’t have similar pro-family policies – his main policy proposals are huge tax cuts for corporations and the ultra-rich and large tariffs on imports that will dangerously push up inflation.

Although many young Americans don’t realize it, Biden and Harris have worked hard to create good-paying jobs for those who don’t go to college. Biden and Harris fought to enact three important pieces of legislation – an infrastructure bill, a green energy bill and a computer chips bill – that will create about 1m construction jobs, factory jobs and other jobs across the US, many of them unionized jobs with strong benefits.

If you’re one of the many young people at Starbucks, REI, Apple or elsewhere who support unionizing as a way to increase your pay and improve your working conditions, you should know that Harris is a strong supporter of unions and enthusiastically backs legislation to make it easier to unionize. But billionaire Trump dislikes labor unions. When he was president, he and his appointees did dozens of things, large and small, to weaken unions and create roadblocks for workers seeking to unionize.

There’s no denying that Trump’s tough talk makes many young men feel good. But tough talk is cheap. It won’t help anyone pay the rent, afford college or raise a family. Harris doesn’t talk as tough as Trump, but her record and her policies make undeniably clear that she will do far more for America’s young men and women than Trump will.

I don't agree with every point he makes here, and I also don't think a lot of young men are voting based on rational and objective things like whose policies will benefit them most. But I still thought this was an interesting read.

[motions1ckness]

“Girl Next Door”

Julien Baker college!au

summary: you’re visiting your hometown from college and the new neighbor’s daughter is visiting too.

content: smut, f!reader, dom julien, overstimulation, straps, submissive reader, minor use of pet names

“Do you know if the coffee shop I always went to is still open?” You yelled down to your mom, who was bringing in the last of your luggage from the car.

“I think so, but it’s almost 4 honey. I also forgot to tell you about the new neighbors.” She trailed on as you made your way down the stairs to get your bag from her, “they’re across the street and they told me they also have a daughter coming back from college; you should say hi, she’s a music major,” your mom beamed. You took the bag from her and offered a weak smile.

Honestly, you hated introducing yourself and feeling forced to say ‘hi’ to people you barely know. So, hiding out from the new neighbors seemed easy enough. “Yeah if I see them,” you responded, making your way up the stairs and setting the final bag on the wooden vanity that’s been in your room since you were in the first grade. You gave yourself a look in the mirror before losing the scarf around your neck and grabbing your keys, “Alright I’m gonna head out, I’ll be back before 6 probably.” All you got back was a murmur. The new neighbors and their mysterious daughter were the last thing you wanted to think about as you finally shut the front door.

Directly after locking it, you saw her. She seemed to be getting her stuff from the back of her truck as the two of you stopped. It was quick, but you could feel her studying your body, then your lips, before darting to your eyes again. Heat scattered over your face, contrasting with the brisk weather. Her lips curved into a smirk as she continued getting her stuff from the back, and you resumed on your way.

The ride was loaded with second-guessing and arousal as you kept playing the moment in your head. And it kept playing as you pushed open the doors to the cafe, the nostalgic scent soothing your nerves. After placing your order, you claimed your favorite spot in high school and often spent hours cramping for a test the next day. In an attempt to control the racing thoughts about the neighbor's daughter, you mindlessly scrolled on your phone, trying to relieve yourself of this fascination. A subtle chime from the door whistled, commanding your attention to none other than her. Her eyes flickered to yours before ordering and then walking towards you. Your breath was caught in your throat as the girl you’ve been trying to get out of your head was directly in front of you.

“Mind if I joined you?” Her voice was warm, and before you could think you were nodding. She took the seat across from you, and you made a mental note of her toned arms and how good they’d look- “ I’m Julien, by the way.” You had exchanged names and noticed her thumping on the table with her tatted fingers. “I’ve heard a lot about you,” Julien stated, gaze fixed on you.

“You have? Like what?” You wanted to kick yourself for not thinking of a better response but blamed it on her boldness and your extreme attraction toward her.

“That there was a cute girl also visiting from college across the street. Had to see it for myself.” A familiar flush covered your cheeks as her eyes landed on your lips.

“I hope I live up to the expectation,” you responded meekly.

Julien smirked, tilting her head slightly, her gaze piercing, “You definitely do,” her comment made you more giddy than you’d like to admit, “I feel like our parents have been plotting our introduction for a while." Her dumb quip made you laugh, sounding more nervous than you wanted, but Julien didn’t mind.

She loved how flustered she made you.

“Since I’m kinda new to this area, would you mind showing me around?” she asked, moving her hand from the table to your arm. The action pushed all the tension to leave your body, breaking her eye contact to stare at her rose tattoo below her knuckles.

Flustered, you respond, Sure,” taking a sharp inhale of breath, “I can show you more than just that.” You said, just above a whisper.

A beat passed, Julien's lips parted slightly before standing and holding her hand out, “I hope you didn’t want that coffee.” she said, her voice sounding gravelly. Unable to form words, you took her calloused hand and rushed to your car.

The moment she closed her door her hands found your hair, hauling you towards her, her lips crashing into yours. A slight moan escapes your throat as you feel your core pooling with heat. Your hand falls on her neck, as her tongue runs against your teeth making you submit to her.

Julien pulled away slightly, panting, “Maybe we should just head back to mine.” One of her hands leaves your hair to hold your jaw, her thumb sitting on your lip. You softened to her touch, your fixated stare never wavering.

Her attention focused on your mouth, running her thumb across your bottom lip. You gave her a short hum in response, unable to form cohesive thoughts.

“I need you to use your words, hun,” she commanded, adding pressure to her movement. That seemed to finally push you out of a dream state and answer her, “Y-yeah let’s do that,” you swallowed, starting to head back.

The ride was short. You put on some mindless music and could feel Julien’s gaze burning through you. When you pulled into your driveway, both of you took note of the vacant parking spots left by her parents.

After getting out of the car, the two of you discreetly went to her parent’s house, worried your parents would look out the window and question you about the two of you sneaking around. Whilst entering, Julien eagerly took your hand, pulling you towards her room.

Julien shut the door behind you two, pushing you against it. Her cologne overwhelmed your senses, the tattoos, and strands of her dirty blonde hair falling in front of her face making you weak.

Julien started attacking your neck, leaving marks and small bites down to your collarbones. “Julien you’re so- fuck” you whined, tossing your head back, giving her better access.

Drawing back slightly, she found the neck of my shirt and rubbed the fabric between her fingers, “Can I?”

“Please” you breathed. Julien wasted no time getting your top onto the floor before grabbing your waist and attacking your chest. The sensation pulled a moan from you, feeling her soft lips leave scattered love bites across your body.

“How about we move to the bed,” she asked, glancing up at you with a contrasting innocent demeanor. You quickly nodded and followed her to the bed, where she stood over you, looking down at your beauty.

“Are you into straps or stuff like that?” She followed up, catching you a bit off guard by the reality of the situation setting in.

“Y-yeah I’m good with anything,” you affirm before kissing her again, Julien pulls away looking in one of her bags to pull out a strap. You knew if Julien was a guy you’d have trouble with it, but seeing what she brought made your jaw hang.

“You always carry that with you?” You joked but tried to figure out why she packed a sex toy with her while visiting her parent's new house.

She started to undress, starting with her shirt. “I told you,” peeling off her sports bra and exposing her bare chest, “My parents told me there was a cute girl next door.” Your vision glued to her as she stripped down, putting on the strap, not looking away from you either. “Couldn’t resist,” she admitted, walking back to stand between your legs.

Julien liked towering over you, how you beamed back at her, knowing she had full control over you. She leaned down, cupping your face, placing sloppy, desperate kissing over your mouth and jaw. Julien’s hands began on your shoulders, but quickly moved down to your clothed heat.

“Baby I don’t want to split you in two,” Julien said genuinely, tracing shapes into your hips .

“Break me,” you waiver. It was so easy for you to fall under her control. Julien smirked before pushing her lips into yours again, cupping your breast and squeezing your nipple. A broken moan escapes your lips, causing you to throw your head back.

“Can you take these off for me?" Pulling on the hem of your underwear, "It’ll be easier for both of us.” Julien breathed, her face flushed. Without wasting a second you stripped, leaving you both exposed.

Julien’s eyes scanned your body, biting her cheek, “Fuck baby, I need to be inside of you already, please,” she said before kissing you again, pushing you into her new sheets.

She went back to your chest, taking each nipple in the mouth and swirling it with her tongue before releasing it with a ‘pop’, then repeating the same motion with the other. Your back arched off the bed, eyebrows furrowing and jaw hung. She wasn’t even inside you yet and you were a writhing mess.

Julien pulled away from your body, causing you to yearn for her touch. She sat between your legs, adjusting her hips and pulling your leg over her shoulder. You felt the tip of the strap run against your folds, drawing a whine from you. Julien gradually pushed into you, giving you time to adjust to the size, before bottoming out. After a few seconds, she formed a slow pace, trying not to hurt you.

“Julien–fuck, m-more please,” you begged. Her hips didn’t falter as she picked up the pace, slamming into you. Sweat started to prickle to the sides of your forehead, spewing praises and moans with every thrust she hit into you.

Julien pressed her forehead into yours, looking down into your eyes. From the angle of the strap, every thrust would rub against her clit, causing her to whimper against the friction.

Your orgasm was close you felt yourself clenching around the plastic cock. Your breath hitched in your throat as you finally came, but Julien didn’t stop driving into you.

“Julien baby it’s–,” you squirmed under her, unable to keep your eyes open, feeling tears beginning to prickle in the corners from the brutality.

“You’re doing so good, take it,” she said, her breath faltering from the thrusts. You continued to whine from the overstimulation, unsure how much more you could take. Julien’s body jolted as she sat up, throwing her head back as pretty moans fell from her mouth. Her hips shuttered frantically and out of rhythm as her own orgasm grew close.

Tears were stammering down your eyes as she fucked you raw, whining out to her. Her rough hands grounded onto your hips. “Take it, baby, take it, just– fuck fuck fuck,” she swore out before one final shuddered thrust. The slight glow from the window highlighted the sweat glistening from her forehead and the maroon flush casting over her face as she came.

After she finished, Julien slowly pulled out of you; not wanting to cause any more discomfort. She let go of your body, contrasting with the Julien from a few seconds ago. Hovering over you, she gave you a delicate kiss. Pulling away, she noticed the amount of cum on your leg and headed to the bathroom, discarding the strap. Your body had calmed down from the rapid and rugged pace inflicted but you found yourself fixated with that side of Julien more than you’d like to admit.

She returned back with a towel. “For you. I can also grab you water,” she offered with an angelic expression like she didn’t fuck you relentlessly a few minutes earlier. You accepted the towel as you snuggled under the covers of her bed, her doing the same.

“Oh shit aren’t your parents gonna freak out that you’re not home?” Julien asked, not wanting you to be reported missing or have your mom knocking at the door.

You look at her, her doe eyes already fixed on you. You couldn't help but pull her in and kiss her. “I’ll text them I’m visiting the neighbors,” you whispered against her lips. “And we can get your car in the morning”

“Can we actually have coffee this time?” She asked.

“Yes.”

[softzindagi]

Some of my thoughts on maxton hall and why i loved it so much:

- im so glad that they didnt have james being a dickbag and kissing other girls after he met ruby

- the contrast of james and ruby’s families, the polar opposite in fathers. I love how they still had james and lydia be each other’s rocks in such a crappy situation when they have no one else, even if their relationship isn’t the best. The dichotomy of their relationship to ruby’s and ember’s? things can go wrong but they are sisters who love each other deeply.

-i loved the very pride and prejudice esque scenes of ruby dressing james down, and every time he deserved to be told off but it still makes ruby feel guilty afterwards. there’s a moral compass of ruby that james hated at first but it humbles him? Chefs kiss its so fucking good. He betters himself just like darcy and the change is seen even by his parents.

- the scene of ruby telling james off in the oxford course, its a pivotal scene because everything she says digs at things he knows. Young Beaufort wasnt his idea, it was Lydia’s and he’s taking credit and charge of it. He feels bad, he’s forced into it, but it’s the “you go through life representing wealth to which you have contributed absolutely nothing? With so much money, there’s no need for your own ideas.” Ruby has no idea how hard that actually hits home, and you can see Lydia take a step back mentally and yeah she agrees. The rest of it, how people will only like him for his money and not himself, that also hits so close. We see how Cyril laughs inspite of James’ pain, Alister is impressed by Ruby’s dress down but no one goes after James like a true friend would. As the series goes on you see how Alister and James grow closer as he becomes a better person, you see the care and concern because they’re in similar places but Alister isn’t as proud or arrogant as James is. I really love how by the end of the series, you have James and Alister confiding in each other.

- the scene on the lacrosse field, the way she apologizes and he is arrogant but decides to be nice because he is curious, and finds out that he does like her. She humbles him and makes him want to do better, she’s not the enemy and he kinda respects her for it. I also think, he’s never had anyone genuinely apologize to him, because he’s never had anyone wrong him but his own family. The apology, it’s a catalyst for him to let go of this resentment he has for her, in the truth she dug up in him.

- i am very happy that they have the good and the bad with ruby’s parents. The guilt that Ruby feels and the way her father is not happy that she is “wasting” her money on saving for his lift. There’s care there, but it’s hard nonetheless, those are big emotions to have years after an accident like he experienced.

- piggy backing off of that, the pivotal scene of James saving Ruby from the pool, that even though he didn’t know why she didnt come up but didnt hesitate to jump in? CHEFS KISS! The scene after of her confiding in him, him being so gentle and careful and being honest with percy, that he’s in over his head but he likes ruby, he wants to help her and has helped her. Oof just so fucking good!

- the way they keep telling each other that they should go back to never knowing each other, but every time fail because they’re meant to collide now, they MATTER to each other now

- i just really am glad they had him apologize for the shitty way his father was to her. That he was embarrassed by himself and his father. It was excruciating to have her get humiliated by his father. He’s only experienced it within his own family, but having it happen to Ruby? that changed things.

- they fucking nailed the cute scenes between them. The dancing in the victorian clothes, the chasing pigeons, the planning and setting up of the gala? Hell yeah!

- The whole fourth episode was chef’s kiss, no notes just purely good storytelling

More thoughts later but this is what i’ve got rn after rewatching the show for the third time

[stardustpr1ncess]

Bonzle is 100% without a shadow of a doubt a trans allegory. People have been trying their best to say Sora isn't transcoded, but Bonzle is 2 scenes away from looking at the camera and saying "Hello. I'm a trans allegory." I shall now go into detail on every piece of evidence for this claim because fuck you.

EPISODE 5: Bonzle is afraid of how her found family will react to learning she's a spell (trans) and worries she will be rejected because of it. Easy parallel to trans people being afraid of revealing they're trans post transition. There's also her conversation with Bitch Boy Master Wu, with her saying she feels great loneliness, and only after gaining a physical form (transitioning) she feels happy and her true self. Very common trans experience. Gonna also put all of the quotes for my evidence as well since I know there's transphobes (filth) that like Ninjago and will be scrambling to deny it when people start coming to this conclusion too.

"Bonzle: I-- I was afraid of what you'd think if you knew about my past... Wu: It's called loneliness... Bonzle: I feel like, for the first time ever, I've become who I was destined to be... Bonzle: I was afraid if you found out I wasn't a real person, you wouldn't want me to be in our family anymore."

EPISODE 6: Bonzle is apprehensive about meeting with Gandalaria, seeing as how she's only known Bonzle as a spell, aka pre transition. She worries if she will respect her identity, much like how actual trans people fear how their family, more specifically a parental figure, would react. Bit of a light episode but an important aspect, here's the quotes;

"Bonzle: The Sorceress. She only knows me as a spell. What if she doesn't believe in me as a real person?"

EPISODE 7: This episode is the sauce. Bonzle is reunited with Gandalaria and their conversation is nothing short of magical. Gandalaria immediately recognizes Bonzle, saying she was her greatest creation and had always hoped she'd come home, shattering Bonzle's fears. It's a fantastic contrast, showing how this interaction can go well for some people, while others get an interaction much more akin to Sora's parents. When she's informed of Bonzle's chosen name, Gandalaria immediately starts using it, saying it's a great name. However, for that juicy authenticity, Gandalaria accidentally says spell before quickly correcting herself saying Bonzle. IT'S LITERALLY SO FUCKING OBVIOUS BONZLE'S BONES MIGHT AS WELL BE BLUE PINK AND WHITE. Oh yeah, here's the paragraph of quotes;

"Gandalaria: It's you! My dearest! You've come home! Bonzle: You... You recognize me? Even in my boney physical form? Gandalaria: Oh, I would know your true essence anywhere. Bonzle: I was so afraid you wouldn't accept me for who I am now. Gandalaria Are you kidding? I put my heart, my soul into every spell I weave... The most complex spell I've ever woven, and the first of my creations to ever come back to me!.. Bonzle: I'm Bonzle. That's the name I chose when I became a person. Gandalaria: Well, that's a splendid name... If this Ras times it right, he could reverse the power spell-- uh, Bonzle here--."

EPISODE 9: This episodes importance comes from Jordana, who acts EXACTLY how transphobes do. She constantly calls her a spell (some sort of derogatory term), says she's playing person (like pretending to be a girl), and says she's helping her do what she was made for, like transphobes very creepy beliefs in reproduction. Literally you half expect Jordana to ask which bathroom Bonzle uses since she was a spell. THE QUOTES;

"Jordana: Settle down, spell. I don't know what you think you've been doing, playing person with your fake family, but I know your true purpose... You should thank us. We're helping you to do what you were created to do."

In conclusion the silly lego skeleton girl is one of them spooky transgenders. Lmk if there's anything I missed. Thank you for reading.

[lurkingshan]

Cherry Magic Episode 12

MY HEART IS FO FULL. This adaptation has exceeded my wildest expectations to become one of my favorite bls of all time. They really put their backs into it and gave us everything we could want for these characters, and I will always be grateful. This show managed to be a faithful manga adaptation, a loving homage to the jbl, and a fresh take on the story all at once. An amazing feat to pull off and this creative team deserves so much love and kudos.

The way Achi and Karan have grown together over the course of this show has been fantastic to witness. I love how seriously the show took their growth, and that we got to see them put in the work to improve their communication and become a great team. Meeting the parents was a big step for them, especially because they were uncertain how their respective families would react, but I loved that they were so open with each other throughout about how they were feeling. I loved, too, that we got a contrast, with Achi's mom being so warm and loving (but still managing to get a dig in on her son, lmao) and Karan's being more avoidant and passive aggressive and needing a talking to her from her eldest child to get her shit together. I love that the drama created space for things to not go perfectly with the parents, and to show us that people can be moved to acceptance.

We got a bit of a parallel with that message in Jinta and Min's story this week, with Min's fans initially attacking Jinta, but backing off once Min named him as his faen and asked them to respect his relationship. I like the choice to model positive fan behavior, and it felt a bit pointed from this production company. Both with Pai and now with this new group of fans, the show has said consistently that being a fan should be about love and support, not control. That you can admire your idols but you also need to give them privacy. That it's not your place to judge who they love. I just love that message.

Of course, I have to talk about the mutual proposal and the wedding. I am pretty sure Karan has been carrying that ring around in his pocket since the second day of dating, but it was such a welcome surprise to see that Achi had already made his own plans, too. The show really succeeded in taking this relationship from something that felt a little one-sided to a very mutual partnership I can believe in. I teared up when right along with Karan when Achi followed Karan's proposal with his own, and you could see how much it meant to him to know that Achi is really truly on the same page. Getting to see their wedding and the love surrounding them on their special day was the cherry (lol) on top of this fantastic love story. I also absolutely loved the wink to the jbl elevator non-kiss in the way they framed their final married couple kiss and then cut away from the bed.

Continuing the love fest, I also love the changes this version made to the side couple's story. Min getting to fulfill his dream, Jinta being an excellent supportive partner, their agreement that they will marry someday when they're ready--it was all just lovely. The nod to the jbl pen proposal was cute, and I love that they took it a step further by drawing rings on each other. The flip in the sexual relationships was also quite welcome, with that triumphant arc reserved for the main couple in this version. Jinta ended the show with his magical powers still intact, but it didn't seem like that would be the case for long.

As for Rock and Pai, I am happy with how the show handled their story. To the end, Pai stayed true to herself, and Rock came to know her better and understand what kind of romantic relationship he could reasonably expect from her. She will always have her head more on her ships than on her own love life, and he seems okay with it. I think you can still take an aroace read on this Pai if you choose, and I appreciate that the show made space for that. I like, too, that Pai helped Rock reconnect with his own passion for dancing and find a fun outlet for his creativity. They were another reinforcement of this show's overarching themes about the importance of kindness, support, and clear communication in relationships.

This show left me with such a warm feeling. I'm so glad they stuck the landing, that episode 8 never happened, and that we can rewatch and remember this Cherry Magic so fondly. I never expected Thailand to go so above and beyond the original live action drama, but they have undoubtedly delivered my favorite version of this story.

[danmei-confessions]

I will never understand why anyone thinks Jiaojiao's account of YZY and JFM's courtship is accurate. She wasn't there! She's from a Wen subsidiary clan and she wasn't even born yet! Also she hates YZY and specifically felt humiliated by her. She is spreading nasty rumours to make herself feel better about YZY calling her her inferior and stepping on her. Beyond that I don't get how people think that JFM didn't outwardly favour WWX? he's more affectionate towards him and gets along with him better. He's also conflict avoidant and doesn't want to start shit with his wife. There's no amount of loving WWX that will change that part of his personality. Moreover he's already only picking JC up in the single digits when he's like 10, I do not think "my child has bad vibes like his mother" is really a factor in play there or if it is it's one that speaks very poorly of him. I also don't get feeling the need to defend WWX from the idea that his presence made an already tense situation worse. He's literally a starving orphan child in need of a home. Neither YZY or JFM's behaviour is on him, but if you think his presence in that household didn't exacerbate YZY's anger and JC's insecurity because of the contrast in how he treated JC and WWX as well as his past connection to WWX's mother you are just in denial. He makes sure that he gets to go to Gusu lectures and shows up in person to smooth things over when WWX starts shit, he picks him up and cuddles him as a child, he spends lots of time and energy searching for him to bring him home in the first place! None of that is at all wrong in fact it's a rare JFM win but it's way more than being a present for JC. Which again would be fine if he wasn't so willing to give up on his own kid for the crime of resembling his other parent making the contrast in easy affection obvious. He obviously loves JC but he doesn't understand or like him and he's terrible at hiding that. The absentminded well meaning father who's kind of a dick to his kid because he wasn't in love with his wife is a classic historical drama/wuxia trope anyway. You can see it in Joy of Life and Nirvana in Fire it's just that in both of those cases the protagonist gets to tell the dad his son loves him and he needs to do better and his relationship with his son is saved.

.

[alexiethymia]

he makes her feel selfless and she makes him feel selfish

attempt at a meta or rather more incoherent gushing about these two

I love the contrast of the above scene, how Vash is joyous, all-smiling. While Meryl is wrecked, in tears. Most often, it seems that’s how they also remember each other.

Meryl likes to remember Vash happy and at peace. Vash remembers Meryl while she’s solemn and also a bit vulnerable. In a way, they inspire emotion in each other that’s hard for them to express. Vash has had a lot of sadness in his life, but while he will always wear a smile, I think he finds it harder to let himself be genuinely happy than to cry. Meanwhile, Meryl hates to cry. She hates to let down her guard and appear as if she can’t take care of herself, but with Vash, she really can’t help herself.

I ship WildeHopps (another goofy tall character hiding sadness with a smirk and a straight-laced, determined shorty. even their eyecolors are the same!) and I remember that there was a thing in the fandom about foxes that they can’t help but shout when they see their mate, and I don’t know how accurate the translations are, but even when they reunite again, Vash can’t help but shout out ‘Meryl!’ in happiness (seriously despite how surprised he was, he could’t help his smile. and he only called out meryl despite milly also being there, like rude, vash, if milly wasn’t such a sweetheart and loved you both to bits, but anyway, I digress…)

I really loved the fistbump (*cough indirect kiss cough*) scene so much because in asmuch as it was Vash comforting Meryl, it was also about him taking comfort in Meryl, which when we remember from his waterworks when Marlon called him out on it, he previously found really hard to do.

On Meryl’s side, we actually see that she has the same values as Vash. I love the Little Arcadia chapter/episode so much for this reason. Grandpa’s speech to Meryl about following your own path and your connection to your parents, resonated with her, but we as the readers also know that it’s something that would have also resonated with Vash. She wanted to resolve the conflict without anyone losing their life, and at first couldn’t understand why something like land would be more important than life. But push comes to shove, when she sees the resolve of someone to protect something, she puts her life on the line anyway. We even see traces of it in the anime with how she also shoots non-lethal shots, and that one time when she saved Vash, she shot the light to fall on the person instead of shooting the person. That sort of pacifism is present in her and Milly although they may not be as obvious about it as Vash, which is why despite himself, Vash finds himself growing closer to the girls and considering them as among his most important people despite the fact that he knew them only recently compared to the people from Home and Marlon. Even Milly’s principles regarding family bonds would also be something that would resonate with Vash, and it’s important that he was there in the shadows because I think that was the turning point in how he started to consider them his friends. So in a lot of ways, despite Meryl not wanting him to, I think Vash truly sees the vulnerability that she tries to hide. And I find it so believable and endearing that he would be drawn to her because of that similarity and connection between them.

they both inspire hope in each other

When I say that Vash inspires Meryl to be selfless, it’s in the way she will risk everything just so she can be there for Vash, to overcome fear and her own human limitations, just so she can hold him close. Vash (and through his connections with others like Luida) inspires in Meryl hope for a better world. At the same time, I always got the feeling that the type of love that Meryl felt was something she would be content to keep on giving to this person who always kept on giving to others, even when there was a chance that she would never get it back or have it returned. I imagine that she would have been fine with that as long as Vash felt that he was unconditionally loved.

When I say, Meryl makes Vash feel selfish, it is within the context that selfish for Vash is already a normal level or base desire of wanting to be happy in other people. I remember Legato’s observation of Vash, that he considered himself as having utterly no value in this world. Of course a person like that would be fine with dying!

But this person who considers himself worthless, eventually makes a promise like this.

Vash must know that there’s a high likelihood he’ll die. Someone as self-sacrificial as him wouldn’t want anyone, much less a person he cares deeply for, to be hurt by him. And yet he makes this ‘selfish’ request of Meryl anyways. And it matters so, so much that he does. Because it shows that he can consider himself as someone who can make another person happy. It’s a promise to her, as well as to himself, that he won’t let himself simply die. He wouldn’t anyway because of how much he values Rem, but with this promise, it feels like his wanting to live is finally something he wants to do for himself, and not just as a continuation of Rem’s memory. Like with the fistbump scene, this promise was as much for him as for Meryl. I know he still would have fought to live and to protect humans, but at the same time, in the wake of Wolfwood’s death, I also felt that he would have been at peace should he have died trying. So this promise was to tether himself (to her). It’s something to keep him fighting to live now that he knows there’s someone out there waiting for him, by his own actions at that. More than that or simply put, it’s just a simple thing of allowing himself to want something or someone.

And this is how Meryl inspires hope in him. All this time he’s loved humans, but it always felt like he was living beside them and not with them. He doesn’t know what it is with Meryl, maybe her sheer stubbornness, but somehow she ends up representing that hope, that possibility of finally living together with humans (with her). In contrast to Meryl’s hope, it’s a very simple and humane one. To have someone care for him, to have someone wait for him, to have someone to come home to, to have someone who loves him. And it’s funny that it seems that Meryl expects nothing in return for her overwhelming love for Vash, because Vash actually meets her halfway. He’s the one to initiate the kiss. He’s the one to make the promise and have her promise. Finally, he’s taking the chance of his happiness into his own hands and doing something about it. I just, I really can’t with them. No wonder I ended up being vashmeryl trash.

[orion4ever]

Hello! Can I request some headcanons for Qiu, Tamarack and Cove with overall Rebelious and mean MC who has a soft spot for them, but tries really hard to hide their feelings?

Author’s Note: I hope you enjoy this! Also sorry if this isn’t great , I am not good at writing about meaner characters.

Pairing(s): Cove Holden x Reader , Qiu Lin x Reader and Tamarack Baumann x MC

🗒️🐚🍂

COVE HOLDEN🐚

In the beginning, he’d be a bit intimidated by your attitude.

He might’ve avoided you when he first arrived in Sunset Bird , already making the judgment that you wouldn’t be that pleasant to be around.

That's until he meets you!

Cove noticed that you were much more softer and nicer with him than most people.

You wouldn’t be mean to him like you were with people who you weren’t as close with

And you would avoid rebelling or breaking rules when he was around to make sure he didn’t get in trouble for it.

Of course, you were still you. But with Cove around you were mellow.

Your moms notice how quickly your demeanor changes when he is in the general area.

One minute you could be telling somebody off and then the next you would be hugging Cove and asking him how his day was and if he wanted to get a snack later.

Cove would worry that you might get into serious trouble one day, which you reassured that you wouldn’t.

Depending on what comfort level Cove is: Cold, Medium, or Warm; this might just work for the two of you.

Cold Cove wouldn’t mind as much since he isn’t that social and rather be in your company anyway. Not that he is condoning it.

Medium Cove is a bit more awkward and less defined, he doesn’t want people to be put off and avoid you.

Warm Cove is probably the most understanding, he understands that's just how you are. If you didn’t like being nice to strangers then so be it, if you didn’t want to follow some rule then that's ok. Warm Cove would encourage you to be more social though, he wants you to have friends.

Cove appreciates that you are softer to him though, I don’t think he could handle you being genuinely mean to him.

You and Cove have fun though, It's a interesting contrast to see the two of you together.

Like a yin and yang.

QIU LIN🗒️

Their reaction depends on what stage of their life they are in.

Step 1 Qiu might be the TINEST bit nervous, also worried that you might get into trouble or get on somebodies bad side with your behavior

Qiu, of course, is very welcoming and polite still. You may be mean to everybody else but you aren’t to them.

They get a little smug about how you are softer and seem to favor them more than most people.

Like Of course you like their company, Everyone does!

Qiu tries and get other people to see your softer side but you don’t put down your walls for them.

Qiu during Step 2, is a completely different story though.

They just go “same💀”

You two probably skip school all the time and it starts to get concerning and your parents start enforcing it more.

You two get into a bit of trouble…(mostly loitering, you two aren’t getting into anything serious lmao)

Qiu understands your attitude more the older they get. Sometimes some people don’t deserve your time and sometimes some people deserve your kindness

It's a self-preservation, At least that's how the two of you understand it.

While everybody else worries, you and Qiu are just chilling.

They like having someone around who can match their energy.

TAMARACK BAUMANN🍂

Step 1 Tamarack wouldn’t like you at first, Or at the very least be indifferent.

She would want you to be nice to everyone, not just her.

She does brag a bit that you are only softer towards her.

She also has a rebellious side as well, you two get into lots of shenanigans together and cause lots of mischief all the time.

Your mom and her grandparents def put leashes on you two.

It's always kiddy fun.

Once again, Step 2 is another story.

Based on her interaction with Qiu, If you were similar to being mean to others and causing trouble then she would be disappointed

But she’s less awkward around you and tries to encourage you to be more nice or at least a bit more sociable.

Tamarack knows that you can be one of the most softest and kindest people she knows, you’ve watched her back and been there when it got tough

And she wants people to see that rare side of you, but she understands that you are just not interested or in the mood to be nice or to follow rules.

Depending on how rebellious you are, even her grandparents may be wary. It was okay when you were kids but your old enough to get yourself and Tamarack into serious trouble.

On a more positive note, Tamarack still enjoys your company. Sure you aren’t that social but you would never say half the stuff you say to strangers to her.

You and Tamarack go out at night and clean graffiti and collect trash as a ‘reverse vandalism’ and you insult people who litter etc.

Tamarack one day does want to see a positive change in you , but for now it’s just the two of you.

[momentomori24]

I haven't seen anyone talk about it in detail if at all, so I'll just throw this out there: Is it just me, or are Ashley's feelings for Andrew very not romantic?

Just to be very clear-- this isn't me trying to sanitize the incest present in their relationship or twist it into pure unproblematic platonicness despite everything in the game being a hellish, dystopiant, grotesque, unapologetic mess (in a good way), just an observation that's been on my mind for a while.

We know Andrew is absolutely, 100% romantically attracted to his sister especially through both his inner monologues, relationship with Julia and of course, The Scene. But I never really got that same attraction from Ashley. She loves to degree where it can't be considered platonic, but there's a blunt edge to her affection I wouldn't call romantic either.

She's obviously been obsessed with him from a young age as he's the only person she had to cling to without worrying that he'd leave her. She doesn't treat him like a person, she treats him like a coveted toy that only she can play with. Between borderline neglegent parents, untreated apathy issues, a major abandonment complex and a parentified brother/psuedo-dad, unhealthy attachments and toxic tendencies can go real bad real quick. Go figure. It's possessive, referring to her brother as hers and something that's considered stolen the moment someone else has an interest in it, but it feels a lot more "innocent" than Andrew's possessiveness of her. Andrew is hers to have because he's her brother, just like how a plaything would be hers because it was bought for her-- there doesn't seem to be anything more to it than that.

I think the best example of that is their reaction to the Vision in the Burrial route:

Unlike Andrew, who is disturbingly flustered rather than reasonably revolted, she just... doesn't have a reaction to it. They've already trapped themselves in a box with each other and commited some of the worst atrocities imaginable, so she just chalks it up to another thing to add to their crimes list. Her causual playfulness and indifference to the situation is such a strong contrast to Andrew's desperate denial and really shows her feelings about the whole thing. Or lack of, as she isn't at all fazed about it. You'd think that she'd be thrilled, or excited or equally as flustered as Andrew at the thought of their relationship taking the next big step, but there isn't any of that here. Despite her jealousy, obsession, possessiveness and extreme closeness, it doesn't seem that there was ever any romantic intent involved on her end (or at least none that she knows of). Heck, she even voices her confusion when Andrew confesses he read her actions that way:

There is something funny about going through the story thinking ''ok i get it she's the obsessed yandere sister with a brother complex i see you game'' only to be hit with the revelation that it's the complete opposite way around. Basically just Ashley hitting both Andrew AND the players with the "wait you really saw me like that what did i even do to make you think that??" at the very end and it is baffling. The fact that she seems genuinely oblivious to how she comes off is both a little cute and unexpectedly innocent, but also cements just how little she grew up from when she was a kid.

But I think this line from her really encapsulates their relationship perfectly:

One way to keep him around. She won't sleep with him because of some repressed sexual tension or genuine (messed up) affection, but because she views it as transactional. She loves Andy, that version of her brother who went along with whatever she wanted and cared about her despite all her issues when no one else did. She always acts uncaring towards other people, but it's so obvious that she's lonely. That the people she cares about not caring about her has an effect on her. We see it with their mom, the way she continued to call her despite the abuse and neglect she put her through and immediately assumes she wouldn't have wanted them to find her because she feels that unwanted. We see it with her ''friends'', the way she felt so betrayed by how they basically left her for dead in that apartment without bothering to try throwing some food up their balcony. She didn't even care if they would've succeeded or not-- she just wanted someone to try. She clings so viciously to her brother because he's all she has left. She's been labelled unlovable by everyone else in her life, and the moment he leaves her for someone more stable, she's alone for good. Andy needed her the same way she needed him, but now he's gone, and Andrew is more unpredictable than ever. His nightmares have gotten better, so he doesn't need her to sleep easier at night (not that he did in the first place). He's better at having a social life too, so surrounding himself with others and getting his life together shouldn't be too hard. He doesn't need her the way she needs him anymore, but she knows that Andrew wants her, so she'll give herself to him before anyone else can if it means that he'll stay. Which, by the way, is such a good parallel to her mom's own mindset when it comes to relationships (like mother like daughter ammirite). It's so far from love; it's just blatant codependancy she doesn't acknowledge on her end, something we see Andrew both enable and take advantage of whether he realises or not. And I think that's a more nuanced, fascinating trait of her character rather than just the ''yandere sister in love with her brother'' trope.

Anyway, hope you enjoyed reading this messy, hopefully coherent analysis of our gravecest couple, mostly focused on Ashley. And who knows, maybe she IS in love with Andrew and I completely misinterpreted her feelings for him, but until proven otherwise I'll keep clinging to this theory. This GAME THE-- [GUNSHOTS].

[logo-comics]

Hi! What do you think about that moment in LN 9 of My Next Life as a Villainess where Catarina considers staying in Ocean Harbor Town if Maria did?

This one:

As a Marikata shipper I was really happy at first because it meant that Catarina wanted to stay at Maria's side as much as Maria wanted to stay at hers. However I also think it was a mistake. Both in the sense that the author accidentally added something that implies Catarina values being close to Maria more than the rest of her loved ones, which clearly isn't his intention considering the rest of his writing, and in the sense that it makes Catarina have a very glaring case of favoritism that doesn't really suit her.

She has known the rest of her friends plus Anne and Keith for a decade (and her parents for all her life considering she's the OG Catarina who got extra memories at 8 and diverged paths) while she's only known Maria for 3 years at that point. Even with romantic feelings it seems a little unbelievable that there wouldn't be a "but my family and other friends".

Part of me wonders if it's meant to represent the usual part of graduating and being an adult? (which would be kinda sad but that's something I could get behind) Like, she already sees her early friend group way less since she got her job so she's used to them not being there as much and leaving the parents' house is seen as the norm in many cultures too. Also there's the fact of finding something she could do instead of being a noble which, aside from the great quantity sweets, doesn't appeal to her. Besides she'd be following someone she really likes, which, also something people usually do.

So uh, what do you think?

I think that while you can chalk some of it up to her blatant infatuation with Maria and the general idea of moving out when one grows up that she'd get more of from her past life than her current life, it can be chalked up a bit more to the fact that Katarina has spent the ten years she's known everyone else wondering which of them is going to be the one that leads to her death/banishment.

While we don't know how much, there is a part of Katarina that definitely hasn't fully let go of the thought that those she loves could one day wish to be rid of her. Even with the confessions of certain members of the harem, Katarina doesn't have that full faith in them.

Maria, in contrast, aside from being her "waifu," is someone who she knows likes her, even if she doesn't understand the nature of that manner of care. Maria in the game is also not the one directly responsible for what happens to Katarina in the original game's endings. Maria is safe to her eyes. Sophia and Mary are tied to Nicol and Alan, and we can safely assume that the characters are tied to the trial scene, given that she didn't seem surprised to see them at the trial. Maria refusing to condemn her there, even more than the others standing up for her, probably had way more pull to her than the others.

Now, let's consider the testimonies in the trial, themselves. There are exactly two members of the original game cast harem that don't call her an idiot in that scene. To his credit, Geordo is one of them. Even Sophia, with whom Katarina regularly holds book clubs, and Mary, who Katarina discusses gardening tips with, both directly state that she is not smart enough to bully Maria. In a move that makes me think he actually could be a good king, Geordo, however, legitimately reviews the "evidence" the other girls had and notes that it's circumstantial at best. He does not, however, say anything about Katarina as a person.

In contrast, Maria is the only person to note upon Katarina as a person being too kind to do such a thing.

Despite her inability to notice people are in love with her, Katarina is, in point of fact, extraordinarily observant of people. The author does seem to have lessened her ability to plot to an extent, but that particular aspect is very much still a part of her, as shown by the fact that she knew that Larna Smith and Suzanna Randall were the same person despite how masterful Suzanna is at disguise. Notably, however, she can misinterpret things if she's looking at it through her lens of "I am a villainess." For example, the aforementioned obliviousness when it comes to her romantic prospects.

Katarina also has a significantly better memory than the most tend to give her credit for.

From all of this, while she can accept that her friends care for her, to her eyes, she is still The Villainess Katarina Claes, and they clearly don't think that highly of her if they think she's just too stupid to bully Maria. Combine that with how her mother will chastise her for not being ladylike and critiquing her actions, something born from love but something that clearly distresses Katarina and makes her feel that she's less than worthy of her lot in life.

In essence, Katarina sees everyone who has been around her for ten years as viewing her as stupid and her mother as loving her, but not particularly liking her. She might have experienced the confessions of Keith and Geordo, but those are simply things that happened (the Keith confession is a completely different, disgusting can of worms), and there's almost definitely a part of her that still hasn't accepted that they won't discard her. Contrast that with how she immediately starts listing people that she feels would be sad if Maria was gone.

Simply put, Katarina views herself as someone who could pull up her stakes and go with next to no fuss from most of the people in her life. With that in mind, of course she'd be willing to uproot her whole life to be with Maria, whose first thought about her in that defining moment of their lives was to call her kind, who is willing to fight dark mages for Katarina's sake despite her fear, who was willing to tutor her and wanted to join the Ministry to be by her side.

Why wouldn't Katarina be willing to run away with the girl who unequivocally told her that she wants her in her life forever?

[matan4il]

Daily update post:

Hamas has released 3 different vids of the same three hostages over the course of just 24 hours, in the first it claims they're all alive, in the second it questions that, and by the third, it's claiming 2 of these Israelis hostages are dead. The IDF is reminding everyone that Hamas is waging a psychological war against Israeli civilians, and intentionally tormenting the families of the hostages. Nevertheless, it also says there is real concern for the lives of these 2 hostages, Itay Svirsky (on the right) and Yossi Sharaby (on the left). Itay's parents were both murdered on Oct 7. Noa Argamani (in the center) was forced to read the statement about the death of the men. Her mother, Liora Argamani, has stage 4 cancer, and has repeatedly expressed her wish to see Noa one last time before she passes away.

In an interview with Piers Morgan, Thomas Hand, who is the father of Emily (a hostage of Hamas released after 50 days in captivity), said he's daughter is doing quite well, that more than 50 days after her release, her speech volume is almost back to normal, and she's only suffering from the occasional nightmare.

Mira and Barak Ayalon, the civilian mother and son who were killed by Hezbollah the other day, were buried last night in their community, Kfar Yuval. Because of the threat to everyone in northern Israel, the double funeral had to be held at night, in the dark, with a limited number of participants. Not that long ago, when Gal Hershko, an Israeli soldier killed in Gaza, was buried in a similar manner, Hezbollah aired the images, and then showed how in contrast, they bury their own killed terrorists in broad daylight, with lots of participants present. We can't even bury our dead in peace, and then we get mocked for it, and that's the reality that people want Israel to continue to accept on our northers and southern borders.

I don't write daily about the Israeli soldiers killed in the war in Gaza, but we learned about at least one more death every single day. Today, we learned that 37 years old reservist Noam Ashram, who was injured on Dec 29, has succumbed to his wounds, and 21 years old Nitzan Schessler was killed in southern Gaza, bringing the death toll of Israeli soldiers in the ground operation to 190.

The IDF estimates that the terror tunnel network spreads over up to 720 kilometers (roughly 447 miles) in Gaza, with more than 5,700 shafts that allows Hamas terrorists to carry out surprise attacks.

It only took over 100 days (disregarding everything that happened before Oct 7), but the European Union has finally designated the leader of Hamas in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, as a terrorist, allowing for the freezing of his assets. Looking forward to that being done to every Hamas terrorist senior.

This is 79 years old Edna Bluestein.

She's the woman murdered in the Palestinian terrorist attack yesterday in Ra'anana. The final number of additional casualties in that attack is 19 people, 4 of them severely wounded. Just a small reminder, the 2 terrorists intentionally targeted the elderly Edna, and another casualty, a 66 years old man, and kids, as 7 were wounded.

This is 22 years old Amit Man.

She was a paramedic with Magen David Adom (Red Star of David), and on Oct 7, as the attack on Israeli civilians began, she left her home, where she could have stayed in the safety of her apartment's bomb shelter, and rushed to her community's dental clinic, where the wounded of kibbutz Be'eri were being brought. For several hours she took care of them, and corresponded with her family members. During that entire time, Amit expressed her fear over how close to them the terrorists were, fear over how she could best take care of her patients, and repeatedly asked for the IDF to be directed to the clinic. The last voice messages she left for her family make it clear that she understood that she's not gonna make it out alive. Her apartment was found intact. She would have survived, had she not gone to the clinic, to help others. You can hear Amit's voice message to her sisters, her fear and the relentless gunshots, at this time stamp, and her very last voice message ever here, where she's just begging for it to stop.

Amit's mom recounted that after a difficult shift, when she had lost a patient, after they would talk, Amit would go into her room and record herself singing. The family mentioned that Amit chose to become a paramedic as a teenager, after she saw the dedicated medical treatment her dad got, before he passed away from cancer. If she hadn't made that choice, I think she would probably have been a singer, she had a beautiful voice, and it's clear this was an important way for her to express herself.

A Torah scroll had been dedicated in her honor at the Be'eri synagogue, and a rock band that she loved, Knesiat Ha'Sechel (Church of the Mind) used one of her recordings to create a postmortem duet. The song is called Nothing Is Going to Hurt Me, the original lyrics written by an Israeli soldier, 21 years old Erze Shtark, who died in a military helicopter accident in 1997. Knesiat Ha'Sechel, led by a band member who lost his brother in the Second Lebanon War (2006) turned Erez Shtark's written words in 2008 into a song, as part of a national project, called Soon We'll Become A Song, where many Israeli musicians have been doing the same for fallen Israeli soldiers along the years. The Song has two voices, that of the soldier swearing that nothing would hurt them, because that's what they promised their family, and the voice of the family, saying if anything happened to the soldier, there is no point to their life. "If you're standing here above me," the song goes, "I must have failed my promise. I'm sorry, I swear on my life." In the new version, Amit sings the part of the soldier, and the band sings the part of the family. Here's the duet, and in the vid you can also see the band performing it for Amit's family:

(for all of my updates and ask replies regarding Israel, click here)

[dutchdread]

Hi Dutch. Since you have answered many questions about Cloti, what is your thought about Zerith in Rebirth? I saw many people disappointed or having no hope for them but others said the devs are creating angst. Do you agree?

Hi, thanks for the question. Yeah, I understand being disappointed with the Zerith content in Rebirth. The developers spent a lot of time hyping up Zacks importance, not just with Remake but also with developer interviews and such. To have such a build-up and then have him relegated to just a few playable intermissions, to not get a Zack Aerith reunion, and depending on who you listen to to have him being brushed aside in favor of Cloud in regards to Aeriths affections, can understandably feel disheartening.

But really this is just a lack of understanding concerning story structure, to put it simply, Rebirth is EXTREMELY Zerith.

When reading Harry Potter I always knew that Snape was most likely going to end up a good guy, despite the seeming back and forths. And do you know which moment to me proved that he was a good guy? When he killed Dumbledore at the end of book 6. I knew then without a doubt that he was a good guy, because there was still one book to go, and it was obvious that that book would have the final ultimate reversal.

Rebirth didn't have a lot of Zerith pay-off, but if anything that's a good thing. If it did I would be worried about what would happen in part 3 to flip that pay-off on its head. Instead Zerith has gotten a lot of build-up that is now screaming to receive pay-off in part 3.

We have shots of Zack desperately trying to come back to Aerith. We have Aerith admitting she still has feelings for Zack. We have Aerith desperately trying to recreate her time with Zack. We have Tifa and Aerith talking about Zack. We have Aerith sensing Zacks touch in the cave of the GI. We have Aerith singing songs about meeting again. We have Aerith admitting to seeing Zack again in Cloud. We have Aerith instantly going to Zacks parents. We have Cloud talking about how Zack is head over heels for Aerith. We have Zack in Nibelheim talking to Cloud about their respective girlfriends

And the question you need to ask for all these things is "why?" Why would they include all these scenes if it's not getting a pay-off? Why show scenes of Aerith trying and failing to recreate her days with Zack interspersed with scenes of Zack trying to get back to her if that ultimately isn't of importance? Why show Zack positively contrasted with a negatively presented Cloud if the message you're trying to convey is that Zack has been replaced? Why show Zack to be an amazing guy if you want to end his arc with people being ok with him being rejected? Why make a themesong with the desire for meeting again at its core and have Zacks entire story in the game being about trying to reunite with Aerith if the point of that reunion is heartbreak?

The answer is that a writer wouldn't do those things, they make no sense. If you want your love story to feel positive then you need to disassemble the alternatives first. You need to show how the other pairings don't work, minimize their importance, or in some other way make it clear to the audience that the "main couple" coming together is the desirable outcome.

If you want to show that Aerith is getting over Zack you don't spend your limited screentime showing Aerith pining over Zack, you instead show how she's no longer occupying his mind as much. If you want to show Aerith getting over Zack you don't have her talking about still loving him, you instead have her talking about how she DID once, but that that was a long time ago. You don't end her arc with a date that remind the viewer of the existence of Zack, but one that is fully between Cloud and Aerith. If you want to show the compatibility of Cloud and Aerith then you don't make it so that everything goes wrong, you make it so that the dream date goes "DREAMY"!. And if you want to sell the idea that Aerith is over Zack and has come to the conclusion that she truly romantically loves Cloud then you DON'T place that confession right after said horrible date, with Zack scenes left right and center, a Cloud thats talking about you being "nakama", and Aerith dialogue that at best says she's not sure about what she feels, and at worst is a straight up friendzoning. If you want to replace a very positively portrayed romance then you will need the end all be all of chemistry and certainty in the new one, and talks about "well, I like you, but there is liking and then there's liking" is NOT a recipe for that.

In short, if you want to sell the idea that Cloud has truly replaced Zack in Aeriths heart and more importantly IN THE NARRATIVE, then you don't put emphasis on the existence of Aeriths feelings for Zack, and you don't put emphasis on Zacks feelings for Aerith. Those things all serve to maximize the connection between Aerith and Zack when what you need to do if you want to sell Clerith is minimize it. The reason being that this romance is in narrative conflict with the supposed Aerith Cloud romance, and the stronger the Aerith Zack connection is presented, the more extravagant the bond between Cloud and Aerith needs to be written for the story to make sense.

And that won't happen when you have Cloud deriding Aerith for the way she tries turning everything into a date the one moment, and then a scene showing Zack taking care of Aerith while in a coma the next. It doesn't happen when you show a scene of Cloud bonding with Tifa in one scene and almost kissing her, and then show Zack bonding with Aeriths mother in the next. It doesn't happen when you show Aerith failing to recreate her date with Zack and asking Cloud to find her in "her place", and then show Zack waiting for Aerith in "her place" the next.

All these things signal the same thing "Zack good for Aerith, Cloud bad".

You can extrapolate this idea beyond Rebirth of course. If Zack and Aerith isn't getting a pay-off what is the point of re-releasing Crisis Core before Rebirth? If the point is to show that Zack is no longer in the picture what is the point of showing off an entire game all about how important he and Aerith are to each other and about how desperate he is to get back to her? What is the point of showing that the bow Aerith is always wearing was gift from him. What is the point of her always wearing the clothes that she said she'd wear in anticipation of seeing him again. What is the point in bringing up the fact that she wrote Zack 89 letters and has been waiting for him for 5 years if Zack is replaceable in 2 weeks? What is the point of writing that Aeriths one wish is to spend more time with Zack if her literally spending time with a Zack stand-in isn't relevant? What is the point of writing it that Aerith didn't just see Zack in Cloud because they're similar...but because he's LITERALLY putting on a fake persona based on Zack, if Zacks presence in Clouds persona is irrelevant to Aeriths feelings regarding him?

If you want us to believe that Aerith likes Cloud for Cloud then these are all very questionable writing choices, especially when you also keep harping on about her wanting to get to know the real Cloud, which implies that she doesn't know him YET. It's not that you can't still have it so that Aerith does actually prefer Cloud despite all this, but if that's the case then you've failed as a writer because this would be VERY incoherent storytelling. If the writers want you to believe that Aerith has moved on from Zack, then they shouldn't and wouldn't have spend so much time showing Aerith not having moved on from Zack. Ultimately the question is one of focus, a story about Aerith falling in love with Cloud, and a story about moving on from Zack might look superficially similar, and entail the same basic events. But the difference is the focus. Is that focus on Cloud and what he means to Aerith? Or is the focus on Zack? In rebirth there is a heavy focus, not on the developing bond between Cloud and Aerith, those are limited almost exclusively to Tifa, but there is a heavy focus on Aeriths feelings in regards to Zack. There is no storytelling purpose to Aerith telling Cloud she still loves Zack 3/4ths of the way through her story if the focus of the story isn't Aeriths feelings for Zack, but her feelings for Cloud. If the writers wanted you to think Zack doesn't matter they wouldn't spend so much time hammering in the idea that Zack matters. These moments are all in service to Aerith and Zack, not Aerith and Cloud.

Even things like Zack discovering that Aerith has started developing feelings for Cloud only makes sense to include if the pay-off for that is them reuniting and him showing Aerith what love really is. So if we saw in Rebirth wasn't a "lack of Zerith", then what DID we see? Well, to reiterate what I said earlier:

If you want your love story to feel positive then you need to disassemble the alternatives first.

This is what we saw in Rebirth, Cloud and Aerith being disassembled, so that part 3 can get us to the pay-off. We see Cloud and Aerith bonding, yes, but it's ALWAYS contrasted with Tifa and Zack. If we have a scene where Aerith tries to engage Cloud in talks concerning food he will be shown to engage with the same discouraging passivity of the average woman on tinder, then that scene will invariably be followed by a similar scene with Tifa where he is enthusiastically trying to keep the conversation flowing. If we see a scene where Aerith is trying to get a certain energy from Cloud and failing, it won't be long till we see a scene of Zack having that same desired energy naturally.

In short, Rebirth was filled with scenes that "serve a purpose in the overall narrative". But the only way those scenes WOULD serve a purpose in the overall narrative, is if the overall narrative is: "Aerith is trying to get over Zack and is trying to move on through Cloud. But by doing so she discovers that it's just not the same. While Cloud helps Aerith move on and accept the past, he can never replace Zack". If the overall narrative is: "Aerith used to be pining over Zack, but now she has truly replaced Zack in her heart with Cloud and Zack is a relic of the past" then none of these scenes would make sense to include. You can also look at it like this, why didn't Rebirth have a Zerith Reunion scene? Because apparently that's too important of a scene to quickly tack on to the end of part 2. Nomura has already hinted at something very important to include in part 3 that wasn't in part 2, something that he thinks will make people very happy if done right. And I am pretty freaking confident that what he's talking about is the long-awaited Aerith - Zack reunion. And that is why this game is extremely favorable to Zerith, so be excited for part 3.

[almacambiondaughterofsaleos]

Ukefication Of Stolas

Just as many people said that Vivziepop's writing is kind of like the worst of fanfiction tropes, I think one trope in particular is being invoked with Stolas is the Ukefication. It's a term where a character is devolved into a vulnerable and emotional character so they can be submissive to their partner and look more pitiful so you can feel sympathy for them and that they seek comfort in his significant other. A trait that can be seen with Stolas as the show goes on.

Let's go back to the pilot where although he's obsessed with Blitzo, he also can make demands of him and presents himself as someone who has his own agenda other than sex. He actually lives up to the persona of a demon lord and is unapologetic about his depravity. He's a guy who feels like he could be an antagonist if Blitzo gets on his bad side. The guy is truly someone who you should have a bit of fear for.

In the first episode, we do still see him more softer in voice but at the same time there is hint of that devious manipulator who can use Blitzo's situation to exchange more sex out of him. Noticeably, this would be the last time we see hints of his pilot immorality here. Mostly because of the questionable consent of the relationship. But again showing how he holds the cards in the relationship and Blitzo has to navigate his way to say in his favors.

Even though Stolas called in for protection from imp, it was merely an excuse to get close to Blitzo and he showed what he was capable of taking care of himself. It again shows that Stolas is a being capable of doing stuff himself but enjoys Blitzo's company due to his lusting over him.

Seriously, "Truth Seekers" we blatantly see Stolas being the one calling the shots and chaining Blitzo up. trying to show us that he feels trapped in this relationship even if later it would be shown he was the one who got it in Stolas' head they were a item. But again this demonstrates how unequal it feels and how everything seems to be out of his hand

In that same episode, we also see how much of a monster Stolas can be and that even though he's just a prince he still outmatches DHORKS who are slaughtered without any mercy.

I think where the shift happens is in the "Circus" where the established backstory of them being childhood friends was shown and we get more bad slash fanfiction tropes at us. He's also made way younger from an ancient demon who was a fallen angel to just a millennial parent in hell years. And we got this scene where Blitzo plays dominant seducer in order to get the book. We see Stolas be reluctant to sleep with him but gradually gets more into it when he misinterprets his move as being sexually enthusiastic. This is contrast as said before how Blitzo felt trapped when in reality he was the one who got the ball rolling and it shaves off the feeling of domination he previously was tormented by. A

Also the "Circus" finally confirmed Stella had always been abusive and still was in his life because she wanted to torment him. And even though it would have been interesting for her character showing she was always bad, the way they portray it is just so boing that it feels more like derailed characterization in a fanfiction rather than any smart writing. And again it feels like the childhood friend thing just to make Stolas more sympathetic and woobify him due to fans noticing how crappy he comes off as. It's also made to make Stolitz look better in comparison and make him into this sad owl man who just needs someone like Blitzo to finally accept him.

This ukefication can also be seen in how in "Seeing Stars" he mentions how weak he is in the human world when we previously saw him practically at full power without the grimoire and it comes off more of an excuse to make him seem less of a powerhouse and more of a vulnerable person to "relate" to and for him to fawn over Blitzo as he does stuff.

Again in Western Energy they pull out any bs excuse in order to make him be in danger from Striker. This gets annoying that even if he's not one hundred percent based the actual Stolas it again is annoying see someone named after a demon lord be such a wimp in order to damsel him in the episode. And again even more embarrassing it's from one of the lower class demands like an imp. I know they said it's' blessed ropes but you would think that imp would be affected handling that as well if they weren't careful. And even then it should be more difficult taking on a goetia which are said to be very dangerous demons in demonology.

Finally we get Stolas in the last scene after being badly hurt by Striker he has numerous injuries from being stabbed and beaten up. Again he really looks not like the Demon Lord in the pilot but more like those slash doujins you see online. He really was wussified for this ship and to make him into this big teddy bear the fans can feel sorry for even though we know he's capable. And again make Blitzo feel sorry for not being there when was kidnapped.

Overall, as season two has gone on we really see how wussified/ukeficated Stolas has become. He not only has that air of being a great demon to not mess with, but just this more pitiful puppy that is pampered by the creator because of their favored ship. She wants to sell this by making Stolas this poor baby that can't do wrong and is weaker and vulnerable than he looks. It really is sad how a character with so much character is taken down to indulge in an obnoxious romance.