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lizzybeth1986 · 11 months ago

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Liam and Olivia: When You Prefer The Side Character To The Main

Series - TRR's Alternative LIs: The Romances that Didn't Happen

Previous: A Brief History of Alternative Romances in Choices

A/N1: My apologies for the length of this one! There was a LOT to explore, and even more that I had cut out from my initial draft.

A/N2: This essay operates on the premise that Liam is not the "favoured LI"/"golden boy" of the team - an argument I have made in detail in other Liam-centric essays. I am not interested in arguing those same points in my comment box/reblogs. Visit the Liam section of my meta masterlist if you want to learn more about that.

CW: Mentions of non-consensual kissing. Mentions of the plot against the MC in TRR1. Very fleeting mention of the "infertility subplot" TRH pushed onto Hana.

(Screenshot from HIMEME's YouTube channel)

As I mentioned in the previous essay, TRR (along with ES, to a far smaller extent) was the only series that seemed to make an attempt to pair even their popular LIs with another character. It also was (along with TCaTF) one of the very few books that hinted at an alternative romance in the first book itself.

This section of the essay series will perhaps be the longest, since Liam x Olivia got the earliest hints, and was built up first. While the other three pairings were introduced or hinted at in Books 2 and 3, the reader got to see glimpses of a possible Liam x Olivia pairing from the finale of Book 1 onwards.

Why An Alternative LI?

TRR is, essentially, a story that hinges on the likelihood of an arranged marriage. The character that makes this entire story possible, Liam, is expected to pick a bride by the end of his social season, whether he is ready for marriage or not. The ending of Book 1 itself ties his ascension as a king to marriage.

(Screenshot from Skylia's YouTube channel)

To prove Madeleine's point, the finale actually shows us that until he picks a fiancèe, he literally won't be addressed as king, but still as Prince Liam. So while this point does get heavily retconned later on in the series, the original story itself required Liam to be married sooner than any of the other LIs.

But Liam's story doesn't just hinge on needing a good Queen for his kingdom. His arc - at least in Book 1 - involved learning that being a good king doesn't mean he needs to sacrifice his own desires or romantic sensibilities. If that were the case, he could have just been stuck with Madeleine. No - the story was supposed to be about Liam learning to validate his personal aspirations without hurting his political position. It was essential then that the woman he picked was someone he either was already in love with (the MC), or someone he grew to love over the course of the series.

When you take this context into account, having an alternative romance becomes not only convenient, but essential.

And if the MC doesn't choose Liam as her endgame...who better for this "romance" than an old friend who has always held a torch for him?

A Romantic Rival

(Screenshots from Skylia's YouTube channel)

As most of the fandom remembers the first book and the trajectory of the Liam and Olivia relationship in it pretty well, I'll try not to go into too much detail. The Olivia of Book 1 has two parallel storylines: the one with the MC, where they first start out hating and then learn to like each other...and the one with Liam, which begins with Olivia assuming she will win the social season, but becoming more and more resigned to the MC's chances of winning as her position in the competition declines.

There is obviously a lot more focus on her dynamic with the MC, for two reasons:

1. Until the MC chooses an endgame, an LI will never show more interest in another person. It will always be the alternative LI whose interest initially drives that side-story. Making an LI reciprocate that interest can result in a negative impression of them, as fans could potentially believe that their love for the MC is not genuine or special. This is the case for all LIs in the series, not just Liam.

2. Narratively, the first book wants to make Olivia's love for Liam their big character reveal. It is the first time Olivia actively opens up to the MC, and is canonically the beginning of their "friendship". So very little emphasis is placed on her emotional attachment to Liam until the Coronation (with her cactus gift and her confession to the MC before leaving), and even less on how Liam feels about her.

Whatever little we do get of Liam and Olivia's dynamic before the finale is focused on their childhood friendship. We learn from Liam that she was a sad, lonely child when they met, heartbroken by her parents' death and the negligence of the aunt who was supposed to raise her. Her attachment to Liam emerges from his support of her when they were children, and we later learn in TRH that he not only supported her, but often empathized with young Olivia and comforted her in ways that didn't give away her vulnerabilities.

Olivia claims at the beginning of TRR1 that "everyone just assumed Liam and [Olivia] would get married one day". Given what we learn later about Constantine and the Nevrakis family (and the fact that no one backs Olivia's claim at any point in the book), it is possible she was exaggerating. But it is also true that until the MC gains more popularity and Madeleine makes her entrance, Olivia is assumed to win the social season quite easily. In the same way that Madeleine is positioned as the "political" rival in Book 1's story, Olivia is viewed as the "romantic" counterpoint to the MC.

From Liam's end, there is actually very little shown about his thoughts on Olivia. It is clear that he cares for her, wants the MC to think well of her and understand her circumstances. While as a child, he comforted her when she was called a cactus by reminding her that they were tough plants that no one messed with; as an adult he is pained by her vindictiveness towards people who haven't even harmed her. There is plenty of grounds here for some sort of relationship, but enough there that shows why the MC who will marry him would be a slightly better fit.

The second half of TRR1 focuses on softening Olivia to an extent - having her and the MC optionally bond over their dislike for Madeleine (who is viewed as the "bigger bad" at this point) and having her only occasionally approach Liam for his company. Her feelings for him come to the forefront only during his Coronation, around the time she withdraws due to the blackmail exposing her parents' attempts to assassinate King Constantine.

This moment in the series completes Olivia's transition from antagonist to a possible friend. The reveal that Olivia loved Liam all along ensures that the MC can sympathize with her for not getting the man she loves, and allows the reader to envision her as a future ally.

To some who already vouched for a Liam-Olivia endgame before the finale, this moment was a confirmation. To others who didn't exactly see Olivia's actions towards Liam as rooted in affection, this moment was a revelation. Whatever it was, this moment made her extremely popular in the fandom.

But this scene also had a more important purpose - it provided players not interested in Liam, a possible out from the situation. The ending of TRR1 hinged on Liam choosing the MC as his future bride, then being forced to accept someone else when the scandal broke out. Book 2 allows the MC to explore what she wants without the expectations of a social season. The prospect of a titled lady who genuinely loved Liam being his potential endgame would make it easier for fans of other LIs. It sounded like a perfect ending for everyone.

The (Unwanted) Kiss, and What It Says About the Fandom

(Screenshots from Danni Stone's YouTube channel)

A scene that often gets ignored (or conveniently forgotten) when discussing Liam x Olivia in TRR1, is the kiss in Lythikos.

The Lythikos Ball in Ch 8 is already a social battleground of sorts for Olivia. She wields her power as hostess here - monopolising Prince Liam's company, and humiliating the MC and her friends with the worst seating and ice-cold food. Things come to a head when - while dancing the Cordonian Waltz with Liam - she forces a kiss on him, completely disregarding his ability to consent.

I use these precise words to describe this incident for two reasons. First, because canon refused to do so. Second, because most of the fandom refused to do so.

Different characters in the story respond to this incident in different ways. A shocked "what a bold play!", a sarcastic "Olivia's growing up, how sweet", and an enraged "she's gone mad with power here!" emerge from the ladies of the court - all focused on Olivia's intentions and actions. None of these responses ever address Liam's end of this situation.

Even more interesting are the options the MC is given to address the situation when Liam speaks to her later.

(Screenshots from Danni Stone's YouTube channel. This is the second dialogue option)

She either speaks to Liam like nothing happened, or engages in victim blaming. Personally I think both options are as bad as each other. Neither of these options include "are you okay?" or "were you comfortable with that?".

Liam's answer to the MC's (optional) accusations is perhaps the only time the issue of consent is even barely addressed (and even here Liam is duty-bound to think of Olivia's welfare over his own comfort). It is appalling that it takes the MC practically victim blaming this man for that to happen. And it is equally disturbing that Liam's response is so apologetic, so contrite, as if this entire situation was his fault.

The kiss is viewed as a number of things in the book: an affront to the suitors who have no power in Olivia's estate, or a political blunder. But what does it mean to the man who had this kiss forced upon him? Would he really feel comfortable or safe around her again after that? The writers clearly didn't know, nor did they care. And most of the fandom was only too happy to follow suit.

The few times this kiss was spoken about amongst the fandom, the question of consent was barely ever addressed. The kiss was either brushed aside as unimportant, seen as an indication of the "love and passion" Olivia had for Liam, or viewed as a manifestation of her jealousy towards the MC. Liam is sometimes seen as "clueless" for not "noticing Olivia's feelings...I mean, she literally kissed him!!" All of which could be true, but it doesn't erase the fact that his consent was never given, nor his comfort with the situation ever considered.

It is doubly ironic given the fandom reaction to the MC's plight in Applewood, after Tariq attempts to kiss her without her consent (though this situation involves significant privacy violations and dark conspiracies, and Liam's does not). The MC's situation was (rightfully) viewed as horrible and potentially traumatising, and many were upset that the emotional impact of it wasn't adequately addressed in the story. It wouldn't be surprising if Liam's situation wasn't viewed on the same level - given the difference in contexts - but the fandom and canon rarely saw this as something that happened to him, without his consent.

Ironically, the fandom never really considered Olivia planting a whole smacker on Liam's mouth as possible "proof" that she could engage in creepy, entitled behaviour...but they did often view Liam as "creepy" for...complimenting diamond-option outfits, or saying romantic-coded dialogues that the MC would reciprocate by default (again - I don't deny this is a problem and those lines should have been coded properly. However one cannot deny the doubt standards here). Olivia was the one who forced a kiss on the object of her affection in canon, but Liam was the one who got so many "abuser" and "harrasser" (and worse!) depictions in fanfic when TRR2 and 3 were out.

I will be addressing this particular scene again in another context, in a later essay in the series. I would like my readers here to not forget this scene, or the (lack of) outrage around it. It would be helpful to ponder over why Olivia's behaviour here is largely viewed as no big deal, especially when other side characters (and at least one main character) could be villainized for far, far less.

Olivia and Liam in TRR2 and 3

(Screenshots from Skylia's YouTube channel)

TRR1's finale and TRR2 show a small shift in Liam and Olivia's dynamic. Now that he is engaged, and in love with a woman who isn't Olivia, their interactions become sporadic and awkward. To ensure that Liam won't be viewed as a cassanova, the narrative keeps their interactions to a minimum. Group scenes that involve Liam often leave Olivia out, and group scenes that involve Olivia exclude Liam.

However, to address the "romantic potential" from TRR1's finale, the book shows Liam and Olivia interact in at least one scene in Ch 10. Here, they have a short, stilted conversation that leaves Liam concerned about Olivia's well-being, and that makes Olivia grieve over her unrequited love for him to an equally concerned MC.

Olivia's story in TRR2 largely centers around establishing her character (snarky, prickly, warriorlike. Much of this is actually a deviation from her writing in TRR1), strengthening her relationship with the MC, and integrating her into the core group.

Olivia's feelings for Liam get addressed again after the MC makes her final choice of LI. The MC's acceptance or rejection of Liam's proposal results in a bit of tension between the two women. If Liam is the MC's choice, Olivia admits to her heartbreak despite being truly happy that Liam has found love. If not, she reveals a slight resentment that the MC could so easily throw away the love that Olivia so badly wanted. The narrative allows Olivia her complicated, ambivalent feelings towards the Liam x MC match, and expects the MC to understand and sympathize. By default.

If you don't choose Liam in TRR3, his romance with Olivia does start here. And by this I mean that Liam is now allowed to reciprocate her affections.

(Screenshots from the Skylia YouTube channel (Drake playthrough). The screenshots aren't in order. 1st Liam x Olivia scene is the handholding at Applewood (5), 2nd is dancing at Vegas (1st two), 3rd is Liam asking Olivia for a dance at the finale ball (middle two), and the last is Liam asking Olivia out (6))

Even in the playthrough where Liam is marrying the MC, his default is to trust Olivia, show her kindness and staunchly defend her to people who suspect her motives. Liam advocates for her innocence in TRR3 Ch 2, even as her family becomes one of the prime suspects. The MC may vouch for her by choice...but if she does choose to suspect Olivia, it is Liam who pushes back against the idea.

By this point, the MC and Olivia can cement their friendship if the former has worked on gaining her trust. If not - the book has already created an inbuilt mechanism to ensure Olivia's loyalty anyway. It is tied to her gratitude and affection for Liam, the one person who consistently believed in her from childhood. Whether the MC makes an effort to win her approval or not, Olivia respects her. Her emotional attachment to Liam as an old friend, and loyalty to her king, ensures that her support is gained by default throughout.

Outside of his own playthrough, though, the narrative does slip in a few extra scenes where Liam shows an obvious romantic interest in Olivia. It's small - he isn't exactly yelling from the rooftops that he loves her - but it is definite progress where he seeks her out for support, dances with her and eventually asks her out to dinner at the finale. The scenes are few but prominent, and leave no doubt to the reader that Liam fully intends to court her.

So...why is Liam still single in the Drake, Hana and Maxwell playthroughs of TRH?

Writer Bias

When you read enough interviews and watch enough livestreams from the TRR team, one thing becomes very, very clear. They love their TCaTF callbacks. And no callback is more beloved to the writers than the repurposing of Zenobia Nevrakis' sprite to create her descendant, Olivia.

In this section, I will focus in particular on Kara Loo, COO of Pixelberry and one of the head writers of the TRR/H/F series. Going by several interviews and social media posts, Kara wrote most of Olivia and Drake's scenes and dialogues (along with "some of the Prince's speeches"), and was in fact the driving force behind how Olivia's character came to be, in the original series.

"...when we were creating Book 1, we wanted an evil redhead to be your antagonist, and Kara said, "Oh, what if we used Zenobia, but the twist is she's a Nevrakis descendant?"" - Jennifer Young, Looking Back on The Royal Romance (Sept 2018)

Kara has openly admitted before to having a fondness for Olivia's particular character type. In an interview with Daily Dahlia, she spoke of Val, one of the TCaTF LIs, in glowing terms that perfectly fit the way Olivia has been written as well:

"I love writing Val Greaves in The Crown & The Flame. I love writing for characters that are a little meaner and will really just say what they’re thinking, even if it isn’t exactly tactful." - Daily Dahlia's Interview with the Pixelberry Crew (Sept 2016).

The love for mean (and white! Don't forget white) women among the team, is pretty clear when you look at the kind of reception TRR's mean white women get.

Notably, Kara does have the occasional nice thing to say about Liam too. In an interview before the release of TRR2, she spoke of how "considerate and loving he is", how "there is nothing mean or selfish about him". As a Liam fan who kept seeing him bashed left and right after the TRR1 finale, those words initially felt like a massive relief.

But now, seeing the way the team treats nicer and more diplomacy-oriented characters in the series, this fulsome praise for Liam's selflessness gives me pause. It reminds me too much of how most of the team swore up and down that Hana would be their choice of LI to marry in a livestream, at the same time that they were slamming an infertility subplot on her in the books. Looking back with the knowledge of how the writers would treat Liam later, praise like this seemed less focused on finding him lovable, and more on ensuring that he gave constantly to the MC without ever getting much in return.

While Liam's treatment is not as bad as Hana or Kiara's, one must take note that the team - esp the head writers - have never really hesitated to throw Liam under the bus or retcon entire chapters and backstories to make characters like Drake seem better than him (eg. The narrative choice to have Drake claim Liam was leading the MC on when they first met in TRR3, which has led to more than one attempt to rewrite the bachelor party).

Part of this could be attributed to just the fondness for a specific character type. But I do think that with Kara in particular, ideology also plays a role in her preferences. There are at least two interviews from the team where her liking for darker, more violent storylines has been mentioned. In TRR3 the team affectionately called some of their brainstorming sessions with Kara as "Kara's trail of bodies" (one idea was to kill off Madeleine in Lythikos), and in the TRF livestream they mention that she initially wanted a war storyline.

This leaning towards a more militaristic mindset shows...in the care that Kara takes for Olivia's dialogues and especially her spy scenes (tho such scenes actually don't contribute much to the plot). In contrast there is a subtle disdain for the more diplomacy-minded characters shown in scenes where Olivia's ideologies are measured up against theirs (eg. Any scene where Hana and Olivia are supposed to work together, or the vast difference between the "valiant" Lythikos tournament and the "ridiculous" Castelserraillan flower competition in TRH3).

Even though it is often the diplomacy that saves the day at the end, the framing always highlights the militaristic way of thinking more positively. Given that Kara writes a lot of Olivia, and a fair amount of Liam, it's pretty obvious now where her (and the team's) particular bias may lie.

Because of this bias, it became far easier for TRR's writers to lean into popular fandom myths when it suited them, or pander to a particular section of the fandom. Which is the subject of my next section.

Fandom Entitlement

Olivia often has two types of fans - the ones who wanted to ship her with their MCs in canon (and couldn't), and the ones who wanted to be "bestieeeees!" with her. The frustration of the former was rooted in the fact that wlw had only one romantic option, but I will not be talking about them.

The latter were found in plenty among the Liam, Drake and Maxwell stans - all of whom either viewed her as an ally to win over (Liam), or as someone to push onto Liam, so they could romance the men they preferred in peace (mostly Drake and Maxwell. Some Hana stans but not as many).

As I'd mentioned in an earlier section, Olivia's final scene in TRR1 allowed people who didn't want to romance Liam, to envision a narrative 'out' for themselves. By the time Olivia reappeared in TRR2 Ch 5, she'd gained a cult following among many, many fans. A lot of them were actively rooting for the start of a romance between Liam and Olivia, and very few resented her for her feelings or begrudged her past actions.

But there was one downside. The intent among the majority who rooted for this pairing, was more about "getting Liam out of the way", than any actual romantic potential. Because of this, certain Liam x Olivia stans (ironically, the Drake romancers were the loudest voices in this group) felt a ridiculous level of entitlement towards this pairing.

A number of readers insisted on having Liam fall for Olivia immediately, wanted him to show feelings for her instantly, and complained when he didn't do so while his (optional) romance with the MC was still on.

Olivia's sad, longing gazes in TRR2 propelled many a reader to complain about what an awful situation poor Olivia was in and how insensitive and uncaring Liam was (even in the face of screenshots that clearly showed him worrying about her desolate mood). One of many examples comes from a post in Feb 2018 - a Drake stan's written walkthrough of TRR2 Ch 10, and ironically the following lines were made above a screenshot set that clearly showed Liam noticing how sad she was and worriedly asking the MC about that:

Liam finds you and as always, can’t help fawning over you. This time Olivia is right there and he is like, Oh yeah, Olivia, you are too here, hi. She definitely notices, gets upset, and leaves because she really does love him and she is third choice at best.

This was not the only one. There were multiple posts like these, and they often positioned Olivia as a figure of sympathy, yearning for a love that would never be hers. Liam in these readings was always positioned as someone who "didn't care" and later, "didn't deserve Olivia".

When he did start showing an interest in Olivia in Book 3, it went largely unnoticed by most of the fandom, even though he was romancing her in at least 3 out of 4 playthroughs. There were very, very few posts made about any of these romantic moments. Instead, from Chapters 3 to 10 of TRR3 - where Liam didn't show any indications of heartbreak re: the MC - certain Drake/Maxwell fans made posts complaining over his not pining over the MC, or theorizing that some of his friendly attempts to educate the MC about the country had to have been done with more than friendship in mind.

This section of the fandom often got insane amounts of pandering from the writers themselves. When TRR3 returned from a hiatus post Ch 9, we were suddenly hit with more scenes involving Liam's "heartbreak" (it featured sporadically in all three of the other playthroughs, but you could tell it was tailor-made for the Drake one because it got referenced there waaaay more) before the big battle with Anton. Fandom spoke far more on these scenes than on the ones they got for Liam x Olivia.

What was completely missed was that such "heartbreak" scenes happened because there was a demand from readers who weren't even Liam stans in the first place, and the same stans didn't hesitate to flip and label him "desparate" or "pining" or write fanfic where he was an absolute creep in response to a thing they asked for!

As for talk of the Liam x Olivia ship post TRR3, the phrase "sloppy seconds" started to be used often to address the pair after the series ended, and there were quite a few posts claiming that Liam didn't deserve such an incredible woman like Olivia.

(Edit Source: the playchoicesconfessions Tumblr blog)

Using the pining subplot that nonLiam stans had asked for, some of the same people would insist that Olivia "deserved better than to be sloppy seconds" (at some point after TRR3, I noticed that even some Liam stans would say the same!). This argument often came hand-in-hand with the lie that Liam never cared for Olivia enough (as one can see in the edit above). It also often hinged on the premise that the MC was Liam's first love, that he wouldn't (and shouldn't!) ever get over her, and that anyone else would rank as second best to him. And while I agree that Olivia deserves a partner who would wholeheartedly love her, this argument seemed to come from people who were eerily reluctant to imagine Liam leading a happy life without the MC.

Tbh, the fandom at large has always had a very confusing relationship with Liam as a character. I wouldn't be exaggerating if I said that from TRR2 onwards, making Liam a scapegoat was a very popular reading from the fandom. He was often expected to live up to impossible standards - way more than the other male LIs - and criticized incessantly for dialogues and action that the other two could easily get away with.

Many fans were (rightfully) frustrated by how Liam could have romantic lines by default (which the MC would by default reciprocate, to their chagrin) all through TRR1 - while ignoring romantic default dialogues from Drake - but also complained when Liam responded more calmly than expected to her rejection of his proposal. They also didn't like that he could be largely neutral/merely friendly towards the MC for most of TRR3. Damned if he didn't, damned if he did.

I'm not saying that this was the viewpoint of the entire fandom. There were people - yours truly included - who pushed back against such a biased view of this pairing. Against a view that insisted on centering only Olivia's feelings, while either badmouthing Liam for not returning her love, or ignoring the times when he did. There were people who pointed to canon for proof that he cared.

But enough voices vouched for this other, more unsavoury reading that "Olivia deserves better than to be Liam's sloppy seconds", that it became quite popular. That it became the accepted view in canon too, when the writers began work on TRH.

Olivia x Liam (not), TRH and Beyond

As we all know by now, Liam x Olivia did not happen in TRH. After a dance and an invitation to a date in the finale, Liam was back to being single and uninterested in any romantic relationships (like all the other LIs). It went to the point where he was ready to appoint the MC's future child as his heir (heir apparent, not presumptive. The fandom mockingly dubbed him "Rumpelstiltskin" for this). At the time, I imagined that perhaps the narrative was trying to erase the pair altogether, since no other LI got paired up either. It would be fair.

This wasn't exactly the case. In fact, in my opinion, what they managed to do was much worse.

(Screenshots from the HR Gameplay YouTube channel. Liam is renamed "Rayden" here)

Savannah's bachelorette (TRH1 Ch 7) has the MC and the ladies "address" certain pairings that were hinted at in TRR3. One doesn't get addressed at all, one addresses the LI by name only if the playthrough isn't the one where the MC is married to him.

Olivia's is the only one that got addressed regardless of whether the MC was married to the man she had wanted or not. And looking at the scene now, I really, really wish they didn't write it at all.

If the MC encourages Olivia to talk about her feelings for Liam, the latter shows anger and resentment over Liam not choosing her twice over. This, despite the fact that he did attempt to date her the previous book. This, despite the fact that he never indicated interest until he actually felt it. This... despite the fact that not returning the feelings of someone who likes you romantically is a normal, natural thing that said someone should accept without judging other person!

In fact, the fandom was more than willing to view other LIs "not returning feelings" as normal, natural and blameless...so why did only Olivia get sympathy and praise for her unrequited love, and why did only Liam have to be criticised for the same?? Even in THIS scene??

Liam x Olivia would not be referenced for 3-and-a-half books after this, until the very end of TRF. Over the course of the series, the team tested her compatibility and possible chemistry with at least two side characters. One was Jin, the Auvernese spy that Olivia fights with in TRH1 Ch 19. While they did seem to have some banter in the first book and a smattering of scenes in the second, interest quickly died down and Jin was written out of the story once the Auvernese royals' scandals were exposed.

TRH3 then hinted at Amalas x Olivia as a pair, peppering hints as early as the introductory chapters. There had been a few murmurings among the fandom for the same, since a number of wlw were fond of Olivia, and people liked headcanoning her as bi or lesbian (in fact, when the team claimed in a TRH1 livestream that having Olivia as an LI would "soften her" too much, the fandom protested). Amalas x Olivia was met with more approval than Jin x Olivia, and in TRF you could encourage Olivia to ask either Liam or Amalas for a dance.

Liam himself never got any other options for romance (understandable, none of the LIs did), and in fact had several aspects of his story chipped away, chunk by chunk, to benefit other characters. In the end, Liam is treated like Olivia's "alternative LI" than the other way around.

It was a pretty ironic ending for a pairing that people felt so entitled over in the beginning. After years of protests against Olivia being Liam's "sloppy seconds" just because he chose her after being rejected by their MCs... the narrative didn't mind treating him like some sort of "consolation prize" (one of two) for Olivia. And as expected, nor did the fandom.

Conclusion: Could This Pairing Have Worked?

Much as I dislike it now, I did think Liam x Olivia had some potential back then. Politically and emotionally, Liam and Olivia were opposites in many ways. There was a lot you could explore. Their background history and the sweetness of their childhood story had the potential to add layers to their dynamic.

But for a pair like Liam x Olivia to work, romantically, some things would need to change:

1. Respect in the writing room for both their ideologies, not just Olivia's. If you view one with adulation and the other with disdain, that will eventually show in the writing. These two could have been a solid power couple if the team could just set aside their boners for violence and knives once in a fucking while.

2. THE KISS. If you're going to have that kind of a scene around, especially in the context of TRR1's larger story, it needs to be addressed. From Liam's point of view. With Olivia openly regretting it and atoning for it, and Liam getting to choose how to handle that. It isn't just enough to assume they spoke offscreen, and then pretend the forced kiss never happened or that that violation meant nothing.

Olivia was wrong. Olivia crossed boundaries. Olivia disregarded Liam's consent. Liam was the victim here, not the person the MC should be shouting at - even by option.

If a romance should proceed between the two, that kiss deserves to be addressed with a lot of sensitivity and respect to Liam's own experience.

3. BALANCE! Between their perspectives, their viewpoints, their beliefs. Which would only be possible if you equally valued both characters.

4. Respect for Liam's feelings and his romantic choices, whatever they may be. Liam knows what he likes best. Him not returning Olivia's feelings is not a crime, nor does it make him any less of a caring person. Him falling in love a second time, seeing an old friend in a new light, should have been embraced as a concept.

Loving someone else deeply in the past shouldn't make his feelings for his second love any less genuine. But most of the fandom adopted such a way of viewing the Liam x Olivia relationship because it allowed them to pity Olivia and blame Liam (again) - and the team validated those sentiments out of excessive care for one character, and a lack of it for another.

Changes like these four would have definitely made for a better-written alternative romance. But given the kind of team and the fanbase TRR had, none of the changes I mention here would ever have a hope of becoming a reality. Olivia is too popular, too beloved to her writers and fandom, (and too white!) to be viewed with even this much of a critical eye. And tbh, once the fandom has marked a character (esp a character of colour - customizable or not) as a scapegoat, they would enjoy bashing them too much to stop. From then on, it would only be a matter of which excuse, which nitpick, which set of double standards, would work best.

Liam and Olivia had potential. And the narrative was able to get that story to the point where the two could at least have a first date. But team TRR squandered all its future possibilities in the mad rush to pander to a portion of their fandom, with a clear bias for the side character...and so we will never know how a more balanced portrayal would've looked like.

A/N3: I have quoted posts that have actually appeared on Tumblr, but without any identification marks. All of them are one among many such posts - either lost to digital decay or hard to find. I do not want to call out any of the individual posters - I want to make it clear that many of these posts are indicative of a fandom-wide problem. Do not try to find out, or harrass, these posters.

Next - Maxwell and Penelope: When You Like the Side Character So Much, You Gift Her A Shiny New LI

#essay series: trr's alternative LIs #the royal romance #the royal heir #the royal finale #king liam #liam rys #olivia nevrakis #trr meta

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hazelnut-u-out · 2 years ago

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Something that’s always bothered me is the presentation of the infamous ‘Mr. Jellybean’ scene in Meeseeks and Destroy versus the Planetina plotline in A Rickconvenient Mort.

(TW for grooming)

On first watch, we know Mr. Jellybean is terrible. In my opinion, I always thought they handled that whole plotline rather well. It wasn’t played for laughs or made light of, we see the emotional effect on Morty, they don’t attempt to make the predator sympathetic, and we see Rick step up as ‘Grandpa’ for one of the first times ever— to kill a pedophile, no less. Pretty strong morality alignment on that one.

Suddenly, though, when the predator is no longer an older man, but an older woman, it’s… shitty, sure, but not explicitly wrong.

On my first watch, I thought A Rickconvenient Mort was pretty blatantly a statement piece on grooming. Planetina follows textbook grooming tactics, including lovebombing, isolation, manipulation, and gaslighting. She plays into the classic ‘very mature young man.' We even have Beth as a voice of reason, finally stepping up to the plate to protect her son after what seems to be years of emotional neglect. We watch that very neglect backfire on her concern and push Morty further into this relationship. I initially thought it was a play on grooming the viewer, as well, because of the way it’s told essentially from Morty’s ‘puppy love’/‘first love’ point of view and leaves you feeling just the right amount of unsettled after the ending.

So, you could imagine my surprise when I realized that not everyone (in fact, less people than I had expected) initially clocked Planetina as a sketchy/predatory character.

So, I did what any great journalist would do— rewatched. And rewatched. And rewatched.

I wanted to form a nuanced opinion, but I came out on the other side wondering why we never got a moment with Planetina that clearly shows us she’s a condemnable character in the relationship with Morty and not just because of her methods of activism.

I think we’re actually supposed to agree with Morty in this scene, which was not my first reaction.

The age difference is obviously something they intended to be a main plot point for this storyline, as well. The explicit references to it (Morty's age, in particular) were put there for a reason, from the beginning of the episode all the way to the climax.

In a lot of ways, it makes sense to assume that maybe they didn't want to explicitly state it was wrong (though, they do through Beth, in my opinion).

That would explain why so much of A Rickconvenient Mort is set up using textbook grooming tactics; why we never see Planetina outright condemned, but see Morty emotionally destroyed and confused; why we’re (arguably) supposed to agree with Morty over Beth; why we follow Planetina all the way up to when her facetious face of peace and ambivalence crumbles.

Of course, I’m not trying to assume anything, but it does make me wonder what leads someone to write a character in this way— and even promote her as a character at times (like this post, which is captioned 'Tag your Planetina').

Then again, maybe my initial interpretation was correct and all of this was the result of a conscious choice to write and direct an episode from the point of view of Morty as a victim. I mean, it wouldn’t be too far off to assume something like that as we’ve seen them do it time and time again, just with Rick as the abuser. Think of Mortynight Run, The Vat of Acid Episode, and the new infamous episodes: A Rick in King Mortur’s Mort & Ricktional Mortpoon’s Rickmas Mortcation, just to name a few.

Maybe A Rickconvenient Mort is another one of the episodes intended to show Morty’s perspective and frame his loss of innocence as he views it, not as adults/outsiders view it.

It could be a cool contrast between how Rick protects Morty from these sorts of situations versus how Beth does.

(Disclaimer: I’m NOT saying that there aren’t different types of abuse and different appearances to abusers/predators! I just feel like both of these types of abuse/assault can be explicitly depicted as wrong.)

#rick and morty #a rickconvenient mort #rick sanchez #morty smith

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theflyindutchwoman · 9 months ago

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What did you think of Nolan,Bailey and their storyline this episode ? And the episode of their wedding ?

Let me preface this by saying that if you are a fan of Bailey & Nolan, you might not want to read my answer. As always, this is only personal. I mean no disrespect to anyone who loves this pairing.

I have reached a point where I simply couldn't care less about these two. I can't even say I hate them or anything. I just… don't care. And that's pretty much how I felt about their wedding storyline - from the proposal to the honeymoon. On the bright side, I did like her dress and her vows. That's it. Oh and the bachelor/bachelorette parties… But they weren't even the focus : it was more about Tim and Lucy than Bailey and Nolan.

If anything, that whole wedding storyline encapsulates everything that bother me with this pairing. It was completely over the top, too cliché. Instead of focusing on one or two problems so they could be properly developed, it almost felt like the writers used all the tropes they could think of for drama's sake. Now, it wouldn't be so bad if it were the first or second time. But these two, somehow, always find themselves in these unbelievable situations… to the point that it becomes more boring than entertaining since it never leads to anything substantial. I know it's a show and I expect some drama but I need some balance too. If the writers can't be bothered to give them some depth, why should I care? I mean, awesome, they can fight (and I love me some good old Battle Couple Trope). But what about the character development?

Like the proposal. It happened right after a huge traumatic moment for both Nolan and Bailey. And all we got was John crying for a total of 5 seconds. Show me the struggle and the guilt he had to feel for not pulling the trigger and thinking he had lost the love of his life. I'm not saying that he was right or wrong. But I need to see him dealing with the consequence of that decision. And what about Bailey? How did she feel about being targeted, about dying and about John's choice? We don't know. And if that wasn't bad enough, her death was treated as a running joke one episode later. Compare this to Tim's feeling of guilt for pushing Lucy to go on that date… to Lucy's feeling of guilt for Chris being targeted by Rosalind… to Chris' struggle with his trauma. We got none of that for John and Bailey and they're supposed to be the main couple.

And that's exactly the same issue with the wedding and honeymoon. So many things went wrong but that was it. Well, to be fair, maybe we'll see Bailey and Nolan struggle with almost getting killed (again) in the next episodes… But I'm not holding my breath. Their honeymoon was the worst for me : the lack of passion was absolutely jarring… It's a freaking honeymoon! Why would they spend so much time focused on their cameras and weird neighbours?! Are they this bored of each other? (the way it was filmed didn't help at all).

#ask & ye shall receive #the rookie #I'm not sure how to tag this #but I don't want to upset anyone who likes this pairing so I won't tag the characters just in case

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just2bubbly · 3 months ago

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If we weren't meant to be together, why did we have to meet and fall in love? Kaider angsty

Masterlist / ao3

i actually had fun writing this, and that's not what i expected (no offence anon), don't get me wrong, I have written a lot of kaider angst revolving around the same storyline, so it has become somewhat dull now. i was supposed to write this for 'i miss you' prompt in the #tlcshipweek24 but with my assignments and lack of any commitment i just couldn't- BUT YEA THAT'S NOT THE POINT

i might have sorta convinced myself to wring a self-indulgent 5k words fic, cuz why not, the angst doesn't start intially, so if you are looking for the hard hitting lines, anon, you would have to scroll down a little, but that's all from my side, I hope you like it! <3

Let Me Let You Go

Words: 5.3k

Cinder's Perspective:

"Lunars and Earthens, we have the Lunar Queen in the house, Miss Selene Blackburn, revolutionary and New Beijing city's most talented mechanic. All of us owe the peace and perhaps our lives too to her! So let's give it a big round and be active as we discuss Miss Blackburn, before, after and through the years!"

The host announces as she walks onto the stage, lights flashing all around, until they come to focus on her.

Cinder flashes her methodic grin to the cameras, neither too cheerful nor too dull, the right amount of happiness that allows people to imagine she is satisfied with their work.

The bright glaring white light almost blinds her, unable to look around much but the quick blackout soothes the burn. Some newbie guides her to a seat, and she sits across from the infamous Natalie Sahoo, popular all around for the digital hype she starts. Cinder wouldn't pertain to entirely helpful when standing in the limelight.

The plush leather chair smells rich against the disinfectant-smelling space, and a few leather knots hanging around the corners help her calm her nerves. Pulling at the strings, she gives her fingers something to hold on to, as she would unnecessarily be asked about her life and beyond.

Cinder can't fathom how she has managed to get convinced to sit before a podcast, wearing a dress shirt and box skirt that Iko says makes her look ethereal, that would be watched by millions if not billions of people.

"You speak highly of me, Sahoo. I didn't come from any moral high ground, just a simple girl trying to break out." Cinder spoke once the camera blinked green, to show they were being recorded. She had turned off her inner screen, not wanting to get distracted by any notifications and comments that would be made during this interview.

Mrs Sahoo smiles, as reporters do when they find a slip-up. Cinder wonders if all the training Iko has enforced on her, will help prevent a scandalous rumour.

"Speaking of a simple girl, there is little known of your life before the revolution. The Linh family had adopted you, but there isn't much to say. Your schooling, high school sweethearts, the cybernetics - it all seems to add mystery to your character."

"Oh, no mystery at all," Cinder mimics, "There weren't any interesting things going around then, I had a mechanic shop on Prickett Street and spent most of my time there. I was 16 when the universe decided to intervene with my life, there weren't any romantic interests to pursue during that," Cinder elaborates, the lies in her latter words evident.

Everyone in this room knew about the romantic prospects of Kai and Cinder during the revolution, it had been a global scandal back then, The Commonwealth Emperor in love with a fugitive. However, Cinder wasn't going to be made a fool, entrapped with talks of sweethearts and lovers, into talking about her life's torn tapestry.

"So it seems, there had been much speculation about your adopted family being abusive, where they cut down your schooling, even tried to draft you in being one of those experiment rats. How would you say have these actions defined you in the future?" Sahoo asked, cleverly bypassing the agreement she had signed before, prohibiting her from indulging in a list of topics Cinder wasn't comfortable with. However, having asked a question about childhood, without the explicit mention of the Linhs, ensured her security over a sue.

Cinder won't hold the question against the agency, having never talked about her life with the Linhs, there were many speculations and Adri and Pearl's mouths were shut with the agreement drawn between them.

This interview gave her a chance to clear the air around her upbringing, and Cinder was bound to provide something to keep Sahoo backing away from the topics that did hurt.

One would know, how much Cinder hated to talk about the Linhs, having given them a fortune to spend the rest of their lives rolling on cash, they weren't keen on showing much grace.

"Garan had decided to bring me to New Beijing, he never made me feel inferior for my cybernetics. He was more of a scientist at heart, I would later learn that he had adopted me only to test with the bioelectric manipulation security system now in use.

The Linh family was quite fair until his tragic loss, and the whole dynamic changed later. 3 kids in a household with no real income, pushed Miss Adri to be very upset over things, and the fact that Garan hadn't any coverage spoiled her mood further.

My younger sister Peony and Iko, were the nicest things that happened to me in that household. Times had been tough with Leutomosis and poor employment opportunities, and even when that doesn't justify being cruel to a child, I have moved past the turmoil of it all. However, my early experiences have taught me to be kinder and more compassionate towards the underprivileged. Also, it somehow helped me not tolerate bullies in the Lunar Court under my term."

"That is much like the famous line, 'Heroes can't choose to look on the dark side, everyone else does it for them'. I think I will speak on behalf of everyone when I say that optimism is all that we want in our lives."

Cinder smiles ruefully at her, thinking over how people want a peaceful life without any traumatic experiences to overcome. There's no need for sorrow to follow you until you punch it in its face and stop lamenting, to be applauded.

There's a call by someone, and many 'cut' shouts are heard as the cameras stop rolling. A small break, it seems, and Cinder can't help but sigh in relief, all the questions about her lack of proper upbringing and life led to a feeling of dread, self-consciousness even.

The make-up artist approaches her, asking if she wants to touch up anything, but Cinder declines. If Iko isn't marching in this room asking for a change, Cinder is up to good. However, in reflex, she scratches against her neck, fidgeting with the cold jewellery chains.

They are back again within minutes, as Sahoo starts talking about the revolution, but there is nothing out of the blue. In all her prior interviews, they always wanted to know about her feelings during the moments of doom, if she had felt afraid, if the possibility of her death had ever crossed her mind, and whether controlling the newfound Lunar abilities had been a problem. She had become used to the monotony by then, answering everything with no new addition as such, until Sahoo decided that she wanted to ask for something more of Cinder.

"- the kidnapping, was it so easy to breach inside the Emperor's chambers and then take him hostage?" Sahoo asks, a jolly tone to her question as if suggesting that The Eastern Commonwealth had no regard for their Emperor's security.

"The implications you are trying to make, Natalie, can get you in deep trouble with the Commonwealth," Cinder cautions, a chuckle follows, "- taking the Emperor wasn't an easy feat like you made it to be. The post-hostage scenario, however, was pretty straightforward, since Ka- I mean, the Emperor was willing to be an accomplice to our plan. One can understand, his disdain for his marriage to Queen Levana."

Cinder replies, mentioning Kai's name in this interview was out of the question, thinking how she possibly had just handed Natalie Sahoo the opportunity she so adamantly had been looking for the last hour.

She smiled, hoping it didn't look like a grimace, and worried where this interview would end. The media house had all rights to stream this content, without considering any requests from Cinder.

Not to mention, Cinder couldn't stay shut for any questions, as that would result in many raised eyebrows and more speculations, which would feed the gossip columns for weeks if not months.

"-Now that you do mention, His Majesty, we hope to know more about your friendship." Sahoo smiles, somewhat evil, as she says 'friendship'.

"Will that stir a problem?" She asked, almost hungrily, as her lips perched against each other.

Cinder shakes her head, trying to curb the heartbeat that had been off to some mile sprint now, not letting the interviewer's words get to her.

She isn't known to give many one-on-one interviews, Sahoo would want to have something engaging from her that will make the show a sensation, and Cinder knows, she is doing her first interview since her break-up with Kai, he is married now, and it's obvious that they want to know what went so wrong between the two.

"Very well, Miss Blackburn, we have a few rumours running around for a while, the Emperor doesn't talk much, so we hope you are more resourceful!" Sahoo says, a wink thrown in her direction, doesn't help the churn of anxiety uphoarding inside her stomach.

"You have to be more specific darling, I have got quite a few of them," Cinder jokes, trying to throw the stress off her, if Natalie believes that she isn't crawling under her skin with the spotlight and unsettling questions, that would be enough.

"- the one about you having manipulated the Emperor, trying to play good unlike some other Queen, but he was-"

"A lie," Cinder hisses, before she can complete the statement, not wanting to put manipulation and Kai into the same sentence.

She imagines having used her charm to drill the words around as she sees a few willing nods around the room. The dread she felt seconds ago, has vanished and anger bloomed in its place.

"Why so ever?"

"Because it is," Cinder says, words stressed at the ending, giving a sense that there's no argument to be had, however, her companion isn't so accommodating to her demands as she counters.

"Perhaps an elaboration to make it seem more believable?"

"That rumour is a lie, and I'm not going to justify some baseless accusations, because people are too blind. Hence, you could move down a few questions, unless that's all for the day," Cinder asserts, making her position clear, she might not have much choice of answers, but she was not going to be toyed around for amusement.

For all that people have to say, Cinder wouldn't tolerate speculations about manipulating Kai. It always left her feeling like someone had smudged her with bright neon sketch pens, left behind undone as the painter got tired before completing their work.

"-that won't be the problem, Miss Blackburn. Perhaps a short break could do us good," Natalie suggested, her words bringing Cinder out of her train of thought.

"As much the idea is appealing, I'd decline. With all disposed of respect, I'd rather end our time sooner, to meet prior commitments obviously," Cinder mentions, the words filled with masked disdain.

The tight-lipped smile that Natalie puts on at the remark, feels like a balm, a reality check to her, Cinder might not hold much power before the screen but she has been a Queen for years, and had been taught well to use her words to her advantage. From the very best.

"It won't be long," Natalie says, skimming through flashcards, as she mentions a few sponsors, "-we would like to talk about where you see yourself, in the future, perhaps, in a sense of legacy?"

Cinder hadn't thought about the future much, taking things as they came made her feel less alarmed about things around her. She worked in a job that made a difference, with a long-standing fortune, so there wasn't much to crib over.

"I have more than what I'd wanted when I was 16, so that sense of fulfilment keeps away thoughts of plans. Speaking of legacy, being the revolutionary and Lunar Queen has given a permanent spot in the history books. I'm content with that, but what I would like is to continue to make a difference in the inter-habilitation of Lunars and Earthens, along with giving the deserved merit to cyborgs."

"That is immense, we have all seen the reforms put into place after your coronation, and we desire Star's glory for you, but we hoped to learn more of personal plans?" Natalie explained, looking genuine, for the first time throughout the entire period.

"My life is a public affair, whatever do you mean?" Cinder asked, puzzled at the remark.

"Perhaps a beau, marriage?"

At that Cinder has to visibly hold back a laugh, a partner sits last on her list of wants, and she wishes to keep it like that, at least for some time.

One excruciatingly painful heartbreak is enough for her 20s, she thinks, as she answers, "Well, I'm not quite fond of the idea of commitment, for a while, don't think I have found someone worth settling down for!"

But what if she had?

NO! She won't be going down that path again, forcing all introspections of her regrets and guilts and mistakes mixed.

"-and can we say it's because of some black-haired royal?" The host implies, that sparkle in her shows exactly how contended the reference has made her.

Precisely.

A scoff mildly hidden with a tight-lipped smile embraces her features, saying the very name she had forbidden herself from uttering, "Kaito, or as I know him, Kai, has influenced a lot of things in my life, and I couldn't ever be thankful enough for his help navigating through my early years as the Lunar Queen. Kai is always going to be someone that was meant to be in my life, not necessarily as a partner, perhaps a friend, I haven't quite figured it out yet. So Kai isn't stopping me from living my life, it's the inevitable loss of a future I'd imagined that keeps me at bay," Cinder answered, unable to hold her words, once she started talking about Kai.

Praying she hadn't used any loose words that could lead to speculating troubles.

'Kai, is always going to be someone that was meant to be in my life,' Cinder had said, but Kai wasn't part of her life anymore.

He had a wife, who probably despised the utterance of her name, Cinder didn't hold the thought against her. To think that your husband married you because it was the only possible thing in the cards would sour anyone's mood- however, Cinder doesn't know that for sure and doesn't know if Kai married Daiyu because it was realistic or for love.

The thought leaves a haunting chill deep in her bones, as she questions, whether Kai truly loved Cinder.

The small gestures, and gift exchange through Thorne, or endless time spent trying to find excuses for an inter-galactic excursion couldn't all be fake, she believes, they were too elaborate- no one would want to help her find her favourite colour and learn the symbolism behind it, all in vain to leave a gaping hole in their absence, it's too much of an absurd idea, Cinder thinks.

Kai might have been a born diplomat, and sometimes he didn't do what he meant, but he wasn't a liar, Cinder couldn't recall all the time he had told her he loved her.

Not many times obviously, she thinks, trying to keep the scowl off her face.

On nights, when she failed to sleep, she wondered, whether Kai had still kept her prosthetic leg, stored in some corner of his office, or if he had discarded it because it was too much explanation for Daiyu-

"Miss Blackburn?" Natalie asked, hands hovering everywhere, as she touched her arm, shaking Cinder out of her reverie.

"Oh, yes, forgive me, I got lost in thought," Cinder said, clearly shaken, pulled against the chair, gulping down the glass of water offered.

"Oh, as I said, now that you brought up your shared history with His Majesty, our interests are peaked. Perhaps, curious enough to know what led to your ultimate downfall," Sahoo asks.

Cinder has to stop herself from going rigid, having anticipated this question while signing the media agreement.

She looks around, trying to see if Iko is still in the room with her, but isn't able to look beyond the bright glare of the camera, and the room afterwards is too dark for any visibility.

Cinder wonders if she begged Natalie to stop opening her wounds, which she had tried too hard to keep hidden, will she give her the dignity to leave, then reminds herself that Sahoo is a media person, they are the most inhuman creatures to exist.

"Would it be too dramatic, if I said fate?" She says, trying to aim for a joke, that lands well, from the laughs that burst in the already tense room.

"I don't know what you expect, there's no scandal or rumours that led to our fallout. It was more gradual like dust being laid on countertops, where you don't notice it until your hand is painted black at the slightest contact. We realized that with both of our responsibilities and titles, a future that found a balance between the two was becoming fatalistic as we grew older. The realization, with all its disappointments that followed, was the moment when I knew, it wouldn't survive."

And it didn't.

Cinder keeps the latter part to herself, having withheld the information of the prejudices the Commonwealth Court held against her, it wasn't that the future was looking bleak that hurt, it was knowing that Kai had believed that convincing everyone would be impossible, and ultimately had failed to uphold his promises to her that had been the problem.

Kai had convinced her for years that he would marry her, and her Lunar origins or cybernetics wouldn't pose a threat.

The distance between them only managed to get larger as he continued to fail to gain support for their marriage, he avoided facing her with his shoulders drooped low in dread, and the comms were intercepted by Torin, informing her about his absence, later their excursions became fewer, as Court representatives were being sent in the place of The Emperor.

Cinder wasn't blind to the signs, which led to the uneventful night on her Peace Ball to New Beijing.

"Cinder," Kai whispered, as she entered his suite, jumping into his bed, as she discarded her slippers. Cinder couldn't fathom why they cleared a suite for her visit when they knew she would spend all her time with Kai.

"Stars, I missed this smell, that hoodie you gave me didn't even last a month," She yearns, diving deep into the sheets, trying to envelop herself in the scent of Kai.

Her bliss doesn't last long, as she realizes that Kai hasn't joined her, blinking one eye open, she finds him fiddling as his fingers pull at the hair, "What?"

"Uh, nothing," Kai lies, and she knows it without looking at the blink of the orange light against her screen, 10 years into loving someone, you know.

She nods, leaving her very comfortable position, and says, "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

"But I need to," he pleaded, heading towards the back of his room, and his erratic breathing pattern made her follow him as she came to stand behind him.

"Are you ok?" She asks, squeezing his shoulders, concerns heightened, not wanting anything to keep him so disheartened.

"You should take a seat," Kai advises, pulling a chair for her, and the action confuses her more than providing comfort.

Cinder stays quiet, giving him the space to find the courage to talk, and in the meantime, she rubs her thumb on the back of his hand, offering support, not quite realizing that she would need it soon.

"This," Kai begins, his desk holograph shows a large copy of some file named 'Council Report',"- is the Council's opinion on us, or rather you," he states, making Cinder consider if it would have been better to stay in the suite the Commonwealth is so adamant to book for her.

"-and this is the woman they want me to marry," Kai says, turning to a picture of some women in white coats and pants. Her retina scanner gives her adequate information, majorly being that she is Chen Daiyu and her father is a Zulan Military General, who has connections in high places, the prospect will offer monetary gains to the industries under the General.

"And you want to tell me this because?" She questions, already having imagined the answer to it.

"I don't know," Kai murmurs, head hung low, and the sight causes something in Cinder to shatter, dropping his hand, she pulls herself up, and hisses, "You want me to make what I want to out of that statement?"

"What is there to make of it?"

"That you want me to make the choice, because you don't want the guilt eating you up!" Cinder exclaims, her body heating up with the anger building in her chest.

"What?! You can't throw in charges when you know how hard I have been trying to get the future we envisioned," Kai rasps, rising above to meet her eyes, but she is too damned to look out for poetic incidents.

"Definitely not enough, because this picture and that file says it!"

"I didn't want to keep you in the dark-"

"About what?! That I could find rumours about you cheating on me with some woman the Council approves?" She screams, knowing well how out of line her words are, but the hurt and the pain that is being constricted with each pump of blood in her heart makes her forget about her senses.

Cinder knows that Kai isn't also happy about it, but right now all she wants to do is hurt Kai like he had with the news.

"That's enough," Kai bellows, standing inches away from her, fingers pressed against her jaw, and had it not been for their situation, Cinder would have leaned in for a kiss, make-up with kisses sprawled across his torso for apologies, instead she turns, only for his hand to pull her back.

She thuds against his chest, all efforts to get out of his hold in vain, as he tilts her head and vows, "I will never cheat on you. Sit and we can talk like adults."

Her anger was somewhat tamed by the words or possibly his cologne which distracted her enough to sit across from him and talk calmly, nevertheless, it didn't stay like that for as long as she started.

"You can't marry me," Cinder states, the words she had overthought for months didn't seem like a ridiculous scenario now but rather a concrete problem that might cost them their future together.

"I told you that the Council is against the idea not-"

"Exactly what I said, you can't marry me." She cuts him off, uttering the word again. Repeating the word doesn't subdue its impact.

Kai sighs, fingers twitching away a headache and the action punches her in the gut, the full implication of her words hitting her. She believes that the room is swirling around her and the only person that will try to make it stop cannot do it.

"Cinder, I didn't want it to come to this."

"I know, Kai. I know that you want to marry me, but you can't and hence you won't."

"That is not tr-"

"Kai," Cinder croaks, "I might not see you every day but I'm not blind. I know when things become inevitable," having said it she locks her eyes, the burning sensation in her throat prevents her from speaking further.

She senses the warm palm covering her face and leans into the contact, Kai is staring sharply into her eyes, the intent evident in his copper brown eyes, as he swears, "I will not let you go."

"You don't get it, do you?" Cinder sniffs, "You did let it go when you came with the portrait of that woman."

His forehead fell against hers and Cinder could feel the salty water drops fall on her cheeks, that's all that it required for the stabbing headache to come in full course, but she didn't mind it.

She pulled her arms against Kai's neck, and found herself in a tight embrace, fingers gripping on his shirt, as she clings closer that it feels like sitting in his lap.

The long list of warnings asking her to remain calm angers her further as she shuts her eyes, forcefully shooing the flashing signs away. Kai heaves, shoulders shuddering with the raw emotion, and buries his face in the crook of her neck, fabric dampening with the tears, as he whispers apologies.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Please. I'm so fucking sorry."

"I know. It's ok. Breathe Kai. Yes, I know. Breathe."

And once both of them had got some resemblance of calm, he pulled back, palms rubbing his eyes, his face having lost all of its colour looked lifeless. Cinder gazes at the gigantic dampness of her shirt, the cold is welcome against her excessive body heat.

"I didn't want it to come to this," Kai croaked, breaking the silence mixed with their sniffs.

Cinder sadistically smiles at that remark, unable to find the words, she decides to be blunt, "But we are here."

"What are we going to do?"

"What they want you to do." Cinder whispers, making Kai twist his body towards her, visibly shocked at her words, she stops his argument before it begins.

"I know you tried, Kai. I want you to admit it to yourself and let us go. I will make that decision for you. This is all that we get in this lifetime."

"But what if I want more than this?"

"Then you make amends with your heart, Kai. Because what you want isn't going to happen."

"Cinder, please," Kai rasps, hands reaching out for her, but she is quick to move, and the hurt that flashes in his eyes would haunt her for months to come.

"It's been going too long, Kai. Listen to the Council this time, meet with Daiyu, but don't let her father manipulate you," Cinder advises, getting up to move, but her feet get rooted to the ground as she takes in his suite, for one last time.

"What thought brought you here tonight, Cindy?" Kai asks, his nickname for her causes unimaginable pain, the casual tone makes her forget about the horror around her.

"That I missed you, and wanted to wake up to find you staring," Cinder exclaims, too quickly, the time before she entered his suite, seems ages ago. So much seemed to change, in such a short time, and Cinder would give anything for it to stay the same.

One glance at the grief-stricken Emperor and she realizes, he is tongue-tied. Ever the diplomat Kai, who taught her how to give speeches and stress the right words to officials, is at the loss of words because he doesn't know what to say to her, but then he manages to find it in him to find the right words again.

"If we weren't meant to be together, why did we have to meet and fall in love?"

"I don't know, Kai. I don't think I will ever know." Cinder replies and her feet find their way out, and just before she slams the door on their shared future, she informs, "I will ask Marcus to do the intended work in my absence. I'd leave early for Luna tomorrow. I don't-" Her words cut short, before she whispers, "Goodbye, Kai," and shuts the door.

"-do you want to reapply your makeup, ma'am?" Someone asks her, shaking her awake. Cinder nods, not wanting to look tense in the light of her recent memory occurrence. There's been no signs of body overheating, so she takes it as a relief.

"Well, Miss Blackburn, a few more questions and we will cut it?" Natalie asks, coming forth with her assistant, Cinder nods, murmuring a few words of approval.

The lights flash up again, and the green light shows they are back on recording. Cinder makes a note to never sign up for interviews again, for whatever reason, and for the last time puts on a dazzling role to make everyone believe she is having a good time.

"Very well, Lunars and Earthen, we are here with the last segment of our shared time with Miss Blackburn. This would involve a few questions from our audience," Natalie says, as a card is handed over, "Our very first being, having made such diverse friends during the revolution, do you feel that the distance hinders your friendship?"

"Uh, I don't think drifting friendship has been a problem for us, and that is not denying that I'm closer to some than others. We have yearly visits, and group chats that keep us updated on each other's life, so the distance isn't much of a problem. However, it would have been fun to live closer and meet more often than we do," Cinder answers, thinking fondly about the Rampion Crew, she has grown to love more than anything.

This friendship would not be something that would be taken for granted, especially the one of Thorne, her heartfelt response would likely be followed by a teasing comm afterwards.

"How wonderful to have friends that make you feel seen even with the distance," Sahoo coos, and for once Cinder agrees with her.

"Our next one, uh oh, I hope you don't mind this one, Miss Blackburn!"

Her remark confuses Cinder, but the follow-up question makes room for much misery.

"-what would you say about relationships that do not lead to permanent commitment?"

"I don't think what I say will sit well with many, I spent over 10 years of my life loving someone, and that did not lead to anything. But that doesn't make all the time shared worthless. Sometimes you find someone you would want to spend your entire life with, but you cannot- and when you reach that point, you find out whether you love that person so much that you can let them go, and find solace in watching them live a life you wanted to share with them."

Her words remind her of the question Kai had asked her, 'If we weren't meant to be together, why did we have to meet and fall in love?' and this time she knows the answer to the puzzle that had been sitting on her mind for long.

"Cut," the head cameraman yells, and Cinder notices Iko walking towards her, and announces, smiling cheekily as she flings her dark purple hair, looking almost apologetic, "Natalie, I hate to cut it short, but Selene needs to be elsewhere."

The scowl of disappointment that Natalie gives Iko, is taken well by her bosom friend, as she frowns, allowing a compromise of a show closure.

It's a small affair, over within minutes, Cinder thanks everybody around before she follows Iko out, knowing well that she hadn't had anything waiting after the interview.

"What was that?" She asks, hurrying into the small lobby of the hotel.

"I looked into the audience questions, most of them were about Kai. I intervened because I didn't want you to be cornered into answering anything you weren't comfortable with," Iko explains.

Cinder wants to hug Iko so tightly that she chokes on the embrace, instead side-hugging her frame as she whispers a 'thank you'.

"Do you think he would watch this?" Cinder asks as they wait for their pod to arrive, thinking what Kai will make of her words.

"If he is confused like you were, maybe he should. Nonetheless, his media person would convey the gest," Iko mutters.

She catches on to the past tense in her dialogue but chooses not to comment, knowing that if Iko is convinced, maybe it's time she should be too.

taglist: @gingerale2017 @slmkaider @impossiblesuitcase @kaiderforever @fangirlforever0704 @cinderswrench @salt-warrior

thanks for reading!!

#tlc ship weeks 2024 #kaider #tlc #lunar chronicles #asks #marissa meyer #cinder #fanfiction #just2bubbly fics #kai #kaito #kaider ship week #prince kai #kaider fanfics #angst #writing

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lovecolibri · 24 days ago

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SaL anon here friend and it looks like its going to be another one of Those Weeks until the episode airs (with the fun addition of that pesky election thingy which, much like BT, I still legitimately can't believe the racist, misogynistic white guy is considered by some a legitimate choice). I don't mind telling you too I am so, so tired and desperately need for BT 2.0 to die next episode. I know its by no means a certainty but here's my argument for why Now is the time.

So on the minor side of things I'm still rolling my eyes over the "hurdle" being about Tommy's past and I really need for just once 911 to say no, people with a shitty past don't have to be forgiven or understood if they've never tried to be better. They're not going to bring up his treatment of Chim and Hen?? Fine, nonsensical but fine. Don't make "working thorough" it be Buck choosing to ignore, or worse legitimize, whatever red flag is there and accepting Tommy's dickish, condescending treatment of him (which frankly is enough of a hurdle in and of itself, no further information needed). On minor note number 2, I don't see the point of dragging this relationship out longer, or for them to resolve whatever differences come up only to break up a few episodes later for some other manufactured reason, it feels so pointless. Let's bury it and be done.

But on a more major note I need the show to refocus the narrative that has depressingly gotten lost in this nonsense, namely Buck's journey. One of the reasons I have no trouble believing the rumor that Oliver hates Lou is because frankly, he should. Oliver had literally been looking forward to this arc for Buck for years, this was supposed to be his chance to deliver a compelling performance about discovering one's sexuality as an adult. And within a few episodes and several cameo's by Lou later a chunk of rather loud fans decided the narrative was no longer about that. Suddenly the narrative was about Buck and Tommy (and in some cases not even Buck really), like Buck's sexuality didn't exist outside that relationship. And instead of people wanting to see Buck's journey, suddenly there were demands that Tommy be a regular. Can you imagine how insanely disappointing that would be, to have the careful narrative of the character you'd crafted for years be snowballed over by calls to know more about a cardboard cutout of a character?? All that on top of Lou saying it was supposed to be Eddie's storyline, like Buck being the one to come out was an afterthought not something Oliver had been thinking about for years. So yeah, that story has gotten lost in the middle of all this, which is why I really hope BT ends early next episode and Buck's spiraling isn't about a side character's past that no one cars about but his realization that his relationship with Tommy isn't necessary for him to define who he is. Bring the story back tio where it should always have been, Buck being bisexual.

And as for the Eddie of it all, as mentioned by many others this has dragged on long enough. One can only hope we'll get some movement next episode, not just on Chris but on Eddie supposedly "discovering himself" without Chris. At this point dropping the Shannon of it all is the minimum that needs to be done. Eddie needs to be free of the expectations placed on him by his family and his upbringing. If Chris is going to be gone this whole time can we at least have Eddie realize that building a picture of himself outside of those expectations, one that includes his wants and needs, is NOT a crime and actually something he has the right to do?? And look, I'm no writer, but if, at the end of next episode we get Buck and Eddie having a moment together, where they both have this profound realization that they are entitled to define themselves however they choose without any other reference point, wouldn't that be lovely?? Wouldn't it also be lovely if they both, in their own way, maybe consider that the person who always allowed that to be true, the person who always brought out and encouraged the truest versions of themselves, is sitting right beside them?? Anyway sorry this got long, and by no means am I implying I'm quitting Buddie if BT are still together after next episode ends, just that the nonsense for both stories has gone on long enough, can we please just call it and move on??

Hello, hello my friend! It is certainly shaping up to be A Week, though hopefully tonight we can celebrate one thing (GO VOTE!!).

I am certainly with you on the "BT needs to end right now for my sanity, as well as fandom's and Oliver's" train! I'm also with you in that we have already seen enough times of Buck (and Eddie!!) "moving past" the red flags only to break up later anyways and I am SO tired of see that play out over and over and over again! The show NEEDS to do something new, and it's a shame that instead of exploring what the audience already knows about T and actually DOING something with it, they're just not addressing it. Why waste everyone's time inventing a backstory for Buck to struggle with? It's the nun-isol thing all over again! Something completely random that makes a "hurdle" that they "get over" that doesn't actually do anything productive for the relationship, the character disappears into the background, and then they break up. What a waste of time all that was when the story changes not one single bit if they had broken up in 7x05. It feels like we're headed for the same thing again and it's just BORING at this point.

As for centering the focus back on BUCK, everything you said is SO spot on, and for Oliver's sake I hope things circle around to Buck's journey again, entirely outside of T. I HATE that he will always be the first for Buck and that it was allowed to drag on this long instead of ending in s7 when it was supposed to. I wouldn't rule out network interference again, but honestly throwing a planned story and fan favorite main characters under the bus (including the firefam/maddie not being allowed to say anything negative about Buck's partners, only about HIM and how he's not doing good enough) just to fan ship war flames and perpetuate engagement? And over a racist misogynistic character and actor? It's gross. There is no need to devote any more time to this character, and continuing to do so only ends up reflecting badly on the main characters. What show in their right minds protects the reputations of random side characters over their mains?? It's especially frustrating because this isn't even the first time it's happened!! It's time to make it stop!

ANYWAY

I'm baffled that since s7 ended we have been told over and over that we are going to see Eddie figuring out who he is outside of being a father, and 5 episodes in its like, girl WHERE??? WHEN??? 98% of Eddie’s screentime has simply ENFORCED things about Eddie-as-a-father. I am hoping 8x06 gives us something different. And as much as I never want to hear about Shannon ever again, the doppelganger thing was ultimately SO unsatisfying and stupid that I am willing to put up with it ONE (1) more time if it means Eddie taking off the rose colored glasses about that relationship. But good god it needs to be done. And we need to see some movement on the Chris front. Ideally, it would be Eddie letting go of some of the shame and guilt that was never his to carry, letting the burdens that were Shannon's rest with her, and making the choice to go get his son back. I will also accept him just accepting and feeling some grief in silence with Buck this week, and hitting mid-season with him going to get Chris. I would also like to see some not-up-for-interpretation Gay Eddie but I'm trying to keep expectations low.

For having such a strong start, the show is starting to flounder a little bit and they really need to get back on track. With only 3 episodes until mid-season and a lot of fans stating that is the point of determination for them if they will continue watching, the show doesn't have a lot of time to get things together. Fingers crossed my friend that they can pull these last few episodes off! Especially because they aren't giving us a happy Christmas episode. It's been 84 years!

I also will not be jumping ship, but good god, it would make thing a lot less fucking annoying if we could get to the longing and pining and delicious slow burn stuff. Which only works if the audience is explicitly told in no uncertain tearms that someone has romantic feelings. That is the part we are all looking forward to, but the show doesn't have a lot of time to waste getting to that point. Get it the fuck together, Tim!

#my sweet nonnie friends #sleeping at last anon #911 #buddie #anti bucktommy #gonna see if i can stream rwrb this afternoon at work to take my mind off of everything

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princesssszzzz · 7 months ago

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I liked your video and your right. I’m so disappointed!

So many annoying people in the fandom are claiming they want Rhaena to do more and having a dragon is a good change to the story. I’m going to be so pissed if they ruin Nettles.

They’re only saying that in defense of Rhaenyra. They don’t actually like or care about Rhaena or really any other character, I mean it’s pretty obvious how this fandom behaves. It’s very bizarre and I don’t understand why considering GRRM’s universe should be known for ensemble characters who will have their own moments and motivations. Like how does anyone watch GOT or read AGOT and then comes to the DOD expecting simple and juvenile type writing of literally everyone on team black just doing absolutely nothing expect supporting one person. It makes no sense. They definitely don’t care about anything close to a good show adaptation and don’t want characters to seem like people. Even the dragons are doing their own thing 😭 It’s basically impossible to end House of the Dragon without Nettles being exactly the way she is in Fire&Blood. Not only does that effect HOTD, but also dragon lore just throughout the universe because I do believe Nettles was supposed to be like the legitimate PROOF someone can ride a dragon without having Valyrian blood. It’s just very obvious, it’s almost impossible to misinterpret but they found a way to do it anyways.

Also the people saying they want Rhaena to “do more” *side eye* My definition of Rhaena doing more is not the same as them and I know why they claim that. Their definition is creating a team black robot. Rhaena is actually related to these people and kinda stuck no matter how horrible they act. Nettles is not related to these people and doesn’t HAVE to help them, and legit is able to walk away when they aren’t. This is clearly a threat to Rhaenyra extremist who want every other character to just be a cheerleader with nothing else going on and no other motivations. That really can’t be forced onto Nettles. So Nettles and Daemon having a relationship that’s NOT by blood is very impactful vs Daemon just not wanting his failing wife to execute his daughter which is like an obvious no shit situation. It’s not very impactful emotionally. Daemon defending a girl who everyone is claiming he shouldn’t give af about has way bigger implications. Nettles is one of the few dance characters that don’t have to be expanded on because we already have enough. There’s no reason to alter anything about her. Any bad writing Nettles gets is an intentional fuck up because F&B laid it out perfectly, someone would really have to go out of their way to ruin it. I’m now seeing these same weirdos d x r extremist shipper weirdos claiming Nettles shouldn’t be cut like stop the cap we all saw who was creating anti-nettles agendas. They were actually the ones who created the Rhaena claiming dragons “rumors” because it was them trying to manifest it. They wanted her to claim Sheepstealer and then started saying vermithor so rhaenyra won’t have to deal with people being traitors. They need to accept their favorite characters and their storylines for what it is. This is why people need to stop pretending like they can portray a character like rhaenyra as better than she is because now it effects other characters…..

GTFO, sorry but that trailer was such obvious fan service

If they want Daemon to work on his relationship with Rhaena then the way I would do it is getting it out the way before she even goes to the Vale in ep7. There’s too much going on after that for that to be an ongoing issue atp. Then his relationship with Nettles really has nothing to do with his daughters, or really anyone outside of Rhaenyra getting pissed.

#anon ask #anti hotd #house of the dragon #rhaena targaryen #house targaryen #hotd #daemon targaryen #nettles #hotd spoilers #fire and blood #asoiaf

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lazyalani · 2 years ago

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Blue Lock Boys As Songs

| Blue Lock Masterlist

| Main Masterlist

Ft. Itoshi Sae, Itoshi Rin, Mikage Reo

•Part 2 (Michael Kaiser, Chigiri Hyoma, Bachira Meguru)

| Written mostly from the characters' thoughts, Written from my opinion and thoughts of them, Fluff- Reo, Angst- Sae, Rin, The lyrics written are the ones connected to the "storyline", Gender Neutral Reader, no pronouns mentioned or used except for the lyrics on Sae's part.

SAE

"I Broke Her Heart 'Cause She Was Nice."

"She Was Sunshine, I Was Midnight Rain."

"She Wanted It Comfortable, I Wanted That Pain."

"Chasing That Fame."

"All Of Me Changed Like Midnight."

Itoshi Sae has always been someone to set a goal, or more like a desire, and consider everything that would affect it. Itoshi Sae does not desire something that he cannot aquire, he does not set a goal that passes the boundaries of reality.

Itoshi Sae does not need, he wants.

He does not need distractions, he does not want obligations.

He has always centered himself in reality, philosophies and beliefs going around his interests, and things surrounding it. He was always a focused person, once he wants something, the entirety of his mind centers around achieving and gaining that want. In his mind, there will always be such thing as

"Sacrifices have to be made in order to obtain what you want." He allured himself into that thinking and told himself to erase distractions that might negatively impact his desires. He isn't one to take risks, he does everything that could increase his chances of victory.

And so he does.

Itoshi Sae is selfish, he takes and takes, and then he tosses.

RIN

"What's Wrong?"

"I Said, "I Can't Stay, Do I Have To Give A Reason?""

"It's Just Me, Me, Me, It's What I Want."

"So How Did We Get Here?"

"Better If We Do This On Our Own."

"Before I'm Someone You Leave Behind,

I'll Break Your Heart So You Don't Break Mine."

"I'm Asking Myself, Why I'm So Caught Up."

"Even If I'm Not Here To Stay,

I Still Want Your Heart."

Itoshi Rin's first heartbreak was caused by his own brother, on that snowy night, on a supposed heartwarming reunion, turned heartbreaking conversation. The Last Play. Ever since then, he was so obssessed with his dream of crushing his older brother that nothing else mattered to him. Except you.

Or atleast you thought so.

Itoshi Rin became tired of chasing his brother's lost affection that he started craving someone else's. You just happened to be that person. You thought yourself lucky of being the person Rin had decided to dedicated his affection to, of being the person he opens to, being the person who gives him the love he deserves.

Rin was a selfish man, much like his brother. Despite telling himself not to turn into a cold-hearted man like Sae, he was unconciously drowning himself in so much bitterness and turning exactly into his brother. When Rin had realized his feelings for you, he fell deeper knowing that you were the light that would prevent him from sinking further into the depths of hatred. He knew you'd always pull him back when he's about to fall, he got ised into thinking you'd always be there, and you were, until your light had started to fade.

Itoshi Rin fell deeper and deeper into the bitterness in his heart without you to pull him back. He wasn't blind, he started to notice that the light that was once in your eyes, was not there anymore. He wasn't an idiot to not know the reason, either. He felt guilt, but not as much as he expected. And he realized, ah, he was too selfish, too caught up on his own desire to crush his brother to even care further. The love you had given him was not enough to fill for the heartbreak his brother had caused. It wasn't enough for him to be completely pulled out of the dark side of his desires. He realized that the guilt he was feeling was buried in his own selfishness and bitterness. A part of him tells him to bring back the light into your eyes, to save your diminishing realtionship, but a huge part of him tells him that he doesn't have time for that, that he doesn't deserve another chance from you, that he was too caught up in himself to even care further.

Rin had always known he didn't love you to the fullest, but he always thought that the love he felt for you was enough for both of you to stay until he can fully give himself to you, until he finally crushed his brother.

Or was it that he always known it had to end, just not this way?

Not when he still loves you, but is too caught up on his personal problems to make you stay. Not when his selfishness has extended to still want your love even when he knows he cannot stay. He does not know why he is so hung up on his bitterness, was it because he was so used to his and Sae's closeness? Or was is because he was just like his brother, cold, selfish, lets their personal emotions ruin them?

Rin does not know when your relationship started to crumble before him, but he does know that he cannot stay, and he knows that you definitely cannot either.

But even then, he still wants your heart to the very end.

REO

"You Got That James Dean, Daydream Look In Your Eyes."

"And I Got That Red Lip, Classic, Thing That You Like."

"When We Go Crashing Down, We Come Back Everytime."

"We Never Go Out Of Style."

"He Can't Keep His Wild Eyes On The Road."

"Takes Me Home."

Mikage Reo is a man that is hard to please, mainly because he almost has everything, he can almost get anything. Second is because he doesn't care about the things that don't interest him, that doesn't benefit him.

When Reo met you, it was Autumn. The leaves falling down from the beautiful tree infront of you serving as your background, your hair shining in the sun, the wind blowing it as you make eye contact with him. The view that was infront of him was mesmerizing, his purpose for going out during class hours was to find the missing Nagi, probably sleeping or playing games somewhere.

Your first reaction was not quite was he expected.

"What are you doing here? It's class hours!" You frowned upon being disturbed.

Reo was pulled out of his stare, clearing his throat. "I could say the same thing for you."

"It's none of your business."

"Then mine isn't yours either."

"I asked first, so it is my business."

"What kind of logic is that?"

"My logic. Now please go away, Mikage Reo-san, I was trying to have a moment."

He grinned. At that moment, he decided you were interesting. Why? He doesn't know, and he doesn't care. Afterall, Mikage Reo always takes what he wants without having to care.

Being in a relationship with Reo was weird, happy, frustrating, saddening, and free. In short, it triggers mixed feelings, but who cares as long as he takes care of you and you love being with each other. In didn't matter to Reo what happens around him as long as he gets to take care of you and you give him the love he deserves, the feeling of freedom with you. He spoils you, whether it'd be material things, or with his affection. He loves to gift you with things, to give you everything you want and need, to take care of everything do wouldn't have a problem with anything. It does make you frustrated at times because you feel like he thinks you can't do anything or that he treats you like you're too fragile, but as they say, communication is the key. When you tell Reo your thoughts, it does sadden him a bit, but it also makes him feel guilty because he doesn't mean to make you feel that way, but respects your thoughts and lessens his actions.

But it doesn't make him less affectionate. Reo loves to kiss your hand, like a true gentleman, especially when he's driving, taking you hand into his and kissing your knuckles, looking at you, and you need to remind him to keep his eyes on the road or hospital bills will go brrrr, or driving with one hand while the other rests at your thigh. Reo didn't know how to drive, but he learned how to just so he could take you home while also having personal moments with you, and also because he thinks it's romantic and always wanted to try the hand on your thigh thingy.

Reo loves matching your outfits, especially when you go outside for a date or something. He also gets you matching pajamas and video calls with you at nightime until one of you falls asleep.

Communication is the most essential part of your relationship. Reo does not understand the meaning behind everything well, so you have to explain to him bit by bit.

Mikage Reo loves you more than the amount of money he has on the cards on his wallet combined.

#blue lock #mikage reo x reader #itoshi sae #itoshi sae x reader #mikage reo #itoshi rin #itoshi rin x reader #blue lock angst #blue lock fluff #blue lock x reader

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buffyfan145 · 7 months ago

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Wow, that episode of "X Men 97" was great and so much happened!!! 😮 And we still have the finale next week. Is taking some turns I didn't expect but I do have a feeling what's coming for the finale. Going to talk more behind a cut for spoilers but it's focused more on Gambit and Rogue, and what I think is coming for season 2.

I'm still really enjoying the show overall even with what's happened to Gambit and Rogue. There's still other characters I love and the show really is one of the best Marvel has done. That being said I do get why the shippers are upset as this wasn't what we expected. However, I know Gambit is coming back some way, and likely it is as Death and Apocalypse being the main villain of s2. It does seem like Rouge saw Gambit too while she was in her coma, which also fits with some comic storylines and that they were able to see each other in astral planes and other dimensions. And now that she's working with Magneto something is going to have to happen to have her switch sides again. Plus, eventually she'll be needed to help Gambit come back to himself after being Death. So I think it's too early to call for a boycott of the show as we need to watch the finale first and then see what s2 is setting up before you decide. Plus, the wait for s2 might be even longer now that Marvel/Disney yesterday announced they're cutting back on the amount of shows/movies they'll be releasing now.

Also, we likely will have multiple versions of these characters in the live-action shows/movies very soon too as Channing Tatum is heavily rumored to be in "Deadpool & Wolverine" this summer. He was supposed to play him in a solo Gambit movie that got cancelled when Disney bought the X Men back. Then the MCU is going to cast both Gambit and Rogue very soon too, so we got more beyond this show coming soon as there's always the comics too.

#x men 97 #x men #gambit #rogue #remy lebeau #anna marie #rogue x gambit

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sonadow4life · 7 months ago

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Ok so I'm working on a little fic thing (first one ever yippee!). Heads up I'm really bad at wrighting ESPECIALLY when it comes to complex characters like Shadow. Anyways I would love some feed back. Don't go expecting too much when you read it. It's supposed to be set after Sonic 3. I also don't have a name for it yet. Or a plan. I just started wrighting and was like "yep, this is ok, I'm totally gonna finish this" so I have no clue where it's going. I'll get there when I get there I guess. It follows the storyline of SA2 but also I haven't finished that game so I don't know much about it lol. I think I might just make this story all about Shadows life after what I imagine Sonic 3 to be. Just think of the story line of SA2 but he doesn’t fall and die. He does fall. Doesn’t die. Also imagine it being a bunch of 15 yr olds. Just typical Sonic movie stuff. Tom and Maddie thrown in there where you can. I really can’t explain how I imagine it. It can’t be translated into words lol.

It was dead silent in the house aside from the annoyingly loud tik…tik…tik coming from the clock. Shadow lays wide awake on the Wachowskis couch. Mr and Mrs Wachowski had insisted he stay with them, just until he could find some place to stay. He had tried to refuse, especially after all the trouble he’d caused trying to destroy the planet, and while they seemed a bit hesitant, they persisted and continued to insist he stay with them for a while. Shadow looks over to the clock on the wall, the time reading 3:45 am. Shadow never tends to get much sleep, plagued with foggy memories of the ARK. The image of his sister's pale body lying lifelessly in a pool of her own blood replaying every time he closed his eyes, probably the only thing he could remember in full detail unfortunately. He runs his ungloved hands down his face, letting out a small, quiet whine and trying not to think about it much. Trying not to think at all.

Tails and Sonic were upstairs in their shared room, Knuckles having been moved down to the basement for everyone’s sake, his footsteps being far too heavy to be walking around at 2:00 am. Sonic and Shadow didn't exactly get along well. They could tolerate each other at best and get it a full blown fist fight at worst. Shadow didn’t necessarily dislike Sonic, as much as he tried to pretend he did at least, but he definitely didn't like him. Totally. Shadow was soon pulled out of his thoughts by a loud creak from the steps, followed by a quiet mumble that he recognised as his rival's voice. Shadow peaked over the back of the couch, making eye contact with a very drowsy looking Sonic.

“Sorry, didn’t mean ta’ wake ya’..” Sonic slurs lowly, walking the rest of the way down the stairs towards the kitchen.

“You didn’t.” Shadow says simply, laying back down on his side and staring aimlessly at the turned off TV. It was silent for a while before Shadow heard a glass clacking against the counter and a sink turning on, presumably Sonic getting a drink. Shadow shifted a bit, trying to find a comfortable enough position to attempt sleeping.

#sonic the hedgehog #shadow the hedgehog #sth #my fic #my fic writing #i need feedback #sonadow #implied at the moment (thats what the story is gonna be about i guess)#mainly focuses on Shadows life after trying to sestroy the world #i might end up chucking him with wade after a while if i ever finish this #sonic movie #tom wachowski #maddie wachowski #breifly mentioned #sonic 3 #after sonic 3

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bigskydreaming · 5 months ago

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Oh, for anyone interested....just started watching a new Netflix show called Supacell, on the second episode (of five) and I'm really enjoying it. Its basically Heroes, except set in London and all the main characters are black. Like, one of the main characters Michael is pretty much Hiro in terms of powers and how the plot positions him, but it doesn't really come across as derivative because the overall story is very much doing its own thing - its ultimately just 'ordinary people discover they have superpowers and must come together to defeat a threat' with Michael serving as a plot catalyst in a similar way to how Hiro was utilized in Heroes.

Anyway, the first episode is a pretty slow burn, most of the time is spent introducing the characters and showing their normal routines pre-powers and how they each interact with their own supporting characters and storylines....the powers and action-heavy plot stuff only starts in the last third or so, but the characters are really engaging IMO and the pacing works the way its meant to rather than feeling like its just dragging on. Like it very much plays into a whole "calm before the storm/the last normal day of their lives" kind of vibe, with a pretty effective tone of suspense.

Tbh, as of right now, the action heavy elements, ie the supposed threat that's going to bring them all together and the superhero-esque elements - those are IMO the weaker parts of the show though we'll see if that changes, its still very early after all. Just saying the character work and their personal goals/issues/storylines are the things I'm more interested in right now, although each character's reaction to their superpower manifestation, exploration of it (and the way the show really leans into the "no, actually superpowers can be scary as fuck if they pop out of nowhere" angle) are done really well and have me engaged too, its more the superhero team-up to defeat the enemy vibe that comes across as lukewarm so far. But most of them haven't even met yet, so again, I'm expecting that to change things there.

My favorite characters thus far are definitely Sabrina, Michael and Rodney, though Dionne and Sabrina's sister (didn't catch her name yet) are easily my favorite side characters. I don't love what they're setting up with Dionne's character, plot wise, but hoping they take it in a different direction than how it appears to be leading.

Trigger warning for the first couple minutes in specific - there are moments of violence throughout the show since it is action/sci-fi, but the first scene in particular shows a black woman being chased by armed soldiers, trying to escape from a place clearly implied to be experimenting on her due to her powers, and she is shot and killed. That's the only scene like that in the show thus far, and it is depicted as heavy, impactful and with a gravitas that doesn't attempt to cheapen the moment - beyond that, I don't feel its my place to weigh in on whether that moment was necessary or gratuitous, as its a show largely about black characters, by black creators.

I just mention it in case anyone interested in checking out the show wouldn't want to be caught offguard by that, and to express that despite it being the first scene, it doesn't appear to be meant as a typical/usual scene for the show. More something that was led with intentionally, to set a certain tone but not to set it up as "this is the kind of scene you should expect to see regularly throughout the show" kind of thing, if that makes sense.

Anyway, for anyone who liked Heroes or wanted to like Heroes but was put off by or soured on it by that show's problems with representation and antiblackness in particular, both onscreen and behind the camera, I would definitely give this a try. I'm really engaged by it and intrigued as to where its going and what its setting up, so....just a heads up if it wasn't on your radar but sounds like something you might like!

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mostlyinthemorning · 2 months ago

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Highlander Rewatch Episodes 1.2-1.6

I have been doing a very poor job of my rewatch summaries for Highlander, so here is a group post for:

1.2 Family Tree

1.3 The Road Not Taken

1.4 Innocent Man

1.5 Free Fall

1.6 Bay Day in Building A

1.2 Family Tree

It was a bold choice to have the second episode of the show focus entirely on Richie's backstory (a bold choice, but not necessarily a good one-where is Tessa's backstory episode?). Macleod is much smilier in this episode, which makes for a nice change from his usual Broody McBrooderson personality. And apparently, he cooks - get yourself a 400 year old man who knows his way around the kitchen!

There's a scene in the middle of this episode that is just Richie walking around the city talking to people with soundtrack music playing and this is the kind of television that 10-episode/season streaming has taken from us.

There are no sword fights in this episode but there are two very fun scenes where Macleod practically giggles with joy as he's defeating a couple of goons barehanded.

1.3 The Road Not Taken

I found the plot of this episode was a little weak - an old friend of Macleod's is developing a drug that will...bring peace? help humanity? something? Anyway, it does not do that, instead, it makes people strong and then kills them. Macleod is unhappy about this.

I think this is the first appearance of the classic Macleod trench coat, which is an important milestone. Richie ends the episode by kissing an old girlfriend...who is never seen on the show again. Are we supposed to believe Richie is some sort of teenage player? Annoyance with Richie's character is slowing increasing.

1.4 Innocent Man

I liked this episode quite a lot, although the ending tried to be a bit too cute in tying the past and present storylines together. Guest starring Vincent Schiavelli, who is one of those classic 80s character actors who is recognizable, but not known by name. One of Mac's old friends is killed and Mac sets out to discover the truth about who killed him. One of the best early themes for the show is how incompetent the police are in every episode. More police incompetence on today's TV, please!

I would also like to highlight this shot, which catapulted me directly back to my rural childhood in a way that would take far too long to explain.

1.5 Free Fall

Look, everyone! It's Joan Jett!

Joan Jett is the absolute bomb and I won't hear anything against her, but I will say that the moment she seduced Richie should have been the moment that everyone in this show realized she was up to something, because, come on.

Anyway, it's a wonder Macleod is still alive, what with the way he continually lets other immortals off the hook.

Much swordplay in this episode and a delightful scene where Tessa holds her own using a welding torch.

Side note: Everyone wears so many vests in this show. Did we really wear that many vests in the 90s? I guess we did.

1.6 Bay Day in Building A

I think this is the episode where the show is finally starting to find its feet. Interestingly, there's no flashback scene in this episode, nor is there another immortal. It's basically a hostage taking episode, with the twist that shooting hostage!Macleod is not going to get the results you expect.

That's all I have for now, I'll be back with random thoughts about the next unspecified number of episodes! Stay tuned!

#highlander #there can be only one #duncan macleod

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niseag-reads · 4 months ago

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Ouch my brain /pos - a ramble

Right. I want to say something sensible about this book, but I have been reading it since January, and I would be damned if I remembered what happened in the first half of it in any detail. This is a ramble/review for "Forges of Mars." the full trilogy. by Graham McNeill

Taking so long to read it was not the books fault. Indeed, that was me running into burnout and being preoccupied with university stuff. But being somewhat less than fully emerged in this book probably didn't help the book at all.

There are so many characters, holy shit. And some of their names are so similar! Hawke and Hawkins come to mind. Additionally, characters will be named by their first name, last name, or nicknames and keeping apart who is who is no joke. The dramatis personae provided is somewhat useful, but annoying when you have to refer to it too often. this does come with the caviat that I do, as a rule, not really remember names (I think it's the autism) making this all the more difficult to me. Where characters are diverse enough in their thinking and acting i will be able to tell them apart by that, but for side and background characters that really doesnt work.

With this, there are also multiple storylines, and my issue with that in many books is that there is always some I prefer over the others and then I get annoyed when they switch to the ones I do not care for as much. Also because I often didn't immediately know where we were jumping to. it really grated my gears that when a POV switch happened it wasn't always immediately clear whose POV the book had switched to, causing moments of confusion. Perhaps if i remembered which names belonged to what people it would be easier, but sadly it was not. for fairness, I was reading the ebook. Maybe this is clearer in the paper version.

In this trilogy, I found myself intrigued by the characterisation of the mechanicus characters whom I wanted to stick with, only to be forced to read about these other groups as well... if I wanted to read space marines, I'd have picked up one of their books, you know? Regardless, the arcs of kotov, linya, and tychon were all very interesting to me, and eventually, around the second book, I started to appreciate locke as well. The way the warhounds were written actively annoyed me, but I am someone who has read a lot of books involving (were)wolves, and my expectations from that may have influenced how I looked upon these chapters. the many POVs in this book felt somewhat unnessecary, too, like, I am unsure what the marines or the warhound POVs truly added to the storytelling. I get why there was both mechanicus and bondsman perspective though, that was a very interesting and clever choice in worldbuilding that allowed the reader to see the two ends of the coin when it comes to the runnings of a mechanicus expedition. the eldar perspective was not one I cared for much, but I do not fault the book for including it because it did definitely add a completely different angle to everything going on in this book.

The last book in the series is significantly more intense and action-packed than the other two, which I had not expected. It solidifies the feeling of a finale, I suppose, especially since the other two books lacked proper ending points. I thus believe that this was written as one very long book that was chopped into threes for marketability. That's not a negative, just an observation. the final confrontation is a-tier. very good, very satisfying. Galatea deserved worse. All in all, this was a decent enough experience and I can see why some people go wild for the characters in this book, they're very good. I left this review sitting in my drafts for so long I forgot where I was going with it. anyways. 3.5 stars. do recommend, but is very long and requires brain.

#book ramble #book review #warhammer 40k #forges of Mars #3.5 stars #sci-fi #trilogy

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television-overload · 4 months ago

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Final thoughts on X-Files: Perihelion: [potential spoilers below, I'll try to keep it minimal]

(analysis below the cut)

The first half. I wasn't the biggest fan. I liked a few Mulder/Scully moments, of course, it was interesting to see what they were up to. But it all felt a little watered down. Like corporate fanfiction, a little colder and sanitized, emotionally. I think it comes down to having not enough time or space to properly flesh out the characters, and ultimately relies on the reader's preexisting understanding of specific details from seasons 1-11, as well as who these characters are, both individually and together. Having them basically planning to coparent and be roommates? That was a bit of a stretch. Suspension of disbelief getting tested pretty hard.

The side characters. I get it, they had to be introduced and given their time, but I found it difficult to get through. I don't know if it was too much time spent on them, too much detail, or what, but I found myself skimming through their bits at a certain point. Something just felt off there. There was a whole storyline that ultimately ended up being a red herring, and I sort of see it's purpose, but also I think it could have been cut back. It continued Chris Carter's weird pregnancy/violence pattern though, so make of that what you will. I just think it was a bit excessive. The first 2 incidents would have been enough.

Skinner. This is one area I think we didn't explore enough. More on that later.

Also, in my head, Scully moves back into the Unremarkable House, I'm rejecting this reality, even if it does make logistical sense to live in D.C. since... you know... that's where they work. But I have grown immensely attached to that house, so I will keep being unrealistic in my own personal headcanon.

The second half, once the mess of different perspectives and plot lines starts to converge, it got easier for me to read. As much as I hate CSM, his brief appearance drew me in, and I think they did that in a creative way. But that also wasn't explored nearly enough. Same with Mulder's dreams, and everything Vane (smoke guy) told Scully. Again, more on that later.

Another thing I expected to see come back: That slimy company Mulder got offered a job at. I guess it was just to demonstrate his unwillingness to compromise his character in the name of providing for his family, which I guess is fair.

Another warning for [spoilers] here, because I need to talk about this too:

I just didn't vibe with the overarching story of people developing superpowers and mutations from alien DNA and viruses. Much less it happening to Scully. Wait yeah, hold on. I'm adding that to the pile of things to talk about at the end. I just found it weird, which yeah, this is the show where vampires are pizza delivery men and a dude can squeeze through pipes in your building, but this for some reason was pushing too far, to me. It was hard to tell what we were supposed to make of these mutated people. I think what it comes down to is the sheer volume of loose ends, which is what I'm working toward here. Maybe it would be better if it were a less visible mutation. I get what they were going for, with the mutations getting out of hand, especially in a world that barely blinks when UFO's are confirmed to be real. But part of the allure of X-Files was them being the sole witnesses to a lot of this stuff. They were the only ones in the know with the willingness to fight back. I liked the idea of using gene editing to develop a virus that could reverse the damage, but again, I'd have liked it better if the mutations weren't so X-Men/Marvel Inhumans. It for some reason made me cringe 😂

Before we get to the loose ends and my thoughts on the final few chapters, I just wanna have a chuckle at the other cringe moments for me. Maybe it's just me being unused to reading things set in the modern day, but there were SO. many. pop culture references haha. It was maybe excessive, but correct me if I'm wrong. Mulder's new informant, especially, felt to me like a self-insert character in a teenager's first ever fanfiction 😅. I hate to say it, but that's how it came across. So much detail that read as "She's not like other girls/informants 😎." And then noting that Mulder actually kind of liked her 😂 it's giving 2014 One Direction Y/N fanfiction. Then there's all the nicknames for shadowy Syndicate stuff. I think the only way the original show got away with goofball stuff like "Cancer Man" and "Cigarette Smoking Man" was because it was established in a way that made you really fear the character, and that's a testament to William B. Davis' performance, too. Trying to repeat something like that that shouldn't have worked in the first place is tough. Feels like a bit of a reach. "The Inheritors," "The Executive," and also Scully and her friend coming up with code names for suspects or projects. Ehhhhh, just didn't come across naturally to me. It's hard to describe, but I've been thinking about this kind of thing in regard to fanfiction lately. How sometimes a determination to emulate the source material through callbacks or overly specific references can take me out of it, remind me I'm reading a derivative work instead of something that builds on it. These thoughts are only half baked in my own head, so I won't try to elaborate on them here.

Okay, now loose ends. There are. A lot... So much so, that they HAVE to be planning a second book. Or something, right? (🤡🤡🤡 season 12 where they get some basic, less interesting exposition out of the way via book release and then pick up there???)

In no particular order:

Scully's electrical super powers

Telling Mulder William might still be alive

Telling Mulder that William is possibly actually his son

Telling Mulder that this new baby is probably also his child and wasn't a science baby

TELLING MULDER SHE MIGHT MAYBE BE SORTA IMMORTAL KINDA?? TELOMERES???

Whatever the heck is going on with Skinner. Ya can't just leave him in a coma forever.

Alien DNA virus spreading throughout the earth / coming up with a reversal to get things back to normal (Skinner and Scully included, they haven't even really mentioned that)

Dr. Jones (Scully's friend) agreeing to help them save the world, at great personal risk to herself

That one lady can channel the dead. Yeah, I feel like we should dwell on that a little longer. Neither of them really fully accepted that was what had happened

Robin Vane and aforementioned lady relocating their little retreat full of mutants, under increased supervision by the Inheritors

Yeah. The Inheritors. No way they just leave that how it is. And Vane killed that guy and said "The Syndicate sends its regards" when here he's been taking out lingering members of the syndicate for years. What's up with that?

WILLIAM. I will say it again. WILLIAM.

So yeah, as you can see, this is clearly half of a whole story. I'll be intrigued to see if they continue this. I did like the second half a lot better than the first. Mulder and Scully looking forward to parenthood was cute, especially when they finally started talking things over. Talking about William. Acknowledging the loss they had suffered. Finding out the sex of their baby 🥹

I've read fanfictions that had Mulder and Scully feeling more in character than they did here, but it wasn't by any means *bad*. Again, might be a limitation of the medium, here. This isn't an MSR fanfic, it's a real book. There has to be a story and other elements than the two people we all came here for. It was still a worthwhile read, I think. If only to see what future Chris Carter has approved for his characters, and written by a genuine OG fan and member of this community of fans. How crazy is it to write a book and get emails from the creator of this series after having spent so much time in the 90s writing fanfiction for it?? I'm sure it was a dream come true for the author. I'd say it's what every fanfic author dreams of, but I think for some of us, it would be mortifying 😂 (though I've often thought it would be fun to be a writer on NCIS, because that show's writer room needs some help these days. I CAN FIX IT, CBS, CALL ME) ((I have no television writing experience))

I've gone on long enough. There's probably more I forgot to mention, but these are my thoughts, while it's fresh in my mind.

Now back to my regularly scheduled fanfic programming 🏃‍♀️‍➡️

#txf #x files #x files perihelion #x files perihelion spoilers #perihelion

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