#but that isn't relevant and he was also just a guest

[deityoftherain]

Evbo and Martyn are the same person, prove me wrong /vsilly

Me looking at the new fanart on my Tumblr dashboard and wondering who people were shipping with Martyn before I found out what Parkour Civilization was:

Art Credit

Evbo (1st Picture): https://x.com/naonda_/status/1841046729258340434

Martyn (2nd Picture): https://www.tumblr.com/mellozheist/734313965251936256/6-friends-running-the-dungeon-today

[fancyfade]

2009 era Damian reading

As I've been doing my 2009 era Damian reading, I'm trying to condense the good stuff and bad stuff, and things I believe are relevant for his character. These are in addition to what I assume is obvious (Batman and Robin 2009, the comic where he has a starring role).

Battle for the Cowl: this has how Damian becomes Robin. It's not necessarily good. Daniels really does not understand Damian, especially this early in his writing, but it does have some important context for things going down b/c Damian helps Squire save Tim's life, and we can see Dick viewing training Damian as something he is responsible for.

Secret Origins (2014) #4: This is a much more in character Damian becoming Robin, though fit for a condensed new 52 timeline that leaves some stuff out (like Damian's rocky intro with Bruce).

Batman #688 (Long Shadows part 1): Winick seems one of the early writers who does a Damian as he lines up with later characterization (views himself more as a professional assassin), so I think this one's good.

Batman: streets of Gotham #1-6: damian makes some minor appearances here.

Batgirl #5-7: Always take Damian's guest-starring stuff with a grain of salt, as often times writers just go with "how would an obnoxious 10 year old boy act here" without understanding he's a specific kind of obnoxious 10 year old boy... that said I do like some of his interactions with Steph, and I think it's incredibly important that we see Damian defends his competence based on his training, not on his blood.

Like he'll sometimes justify why he belongs based on his blood (which like... no one acts like they want him around), but he isn't going around saying "I'm better than you b/c I'm batman's son". he was trained intensely since birth (and that's why he should say he's better than you :P)

Batman #692-697: not a ton of Damian in this, and it is Daniel's writing, but he's a little better than he was in Battle for the Cowl. We see Dick training Damian some.

Batman: Streets of Gotham #7, #10-#11: love this plotline for him. Good show of competence and characterization.

Blackest night: batman: More focused on Tim and Dick, and Tomasi sucks at writing Babs, but at there is some Damian content that I remember enjoying.

Red Robin #11-15: as long as you read this one with your brain turned on, it's good for explaining some Tim and Damian stuff. Sadly some fans are like "woooo arrogant 10 year old gets beat up". Nicieza makes some missteps (frames Tim's thinking around Damian as coldly logical, when it is anything but and he is reacting from a place of emotion), but one can ignore those.

Batman #703: shows Damian's character pretty well in a default Batman and Robin adventure, and his relationship (or lackthereof) with Bruce and his dynamic with Dick and Alfred

Teen Titans #88-92 (including Red Robin #20 in a crossover plot): surprised by how well I liked this one. I think it portrays Damian pretty fairly, and we can see that he is trying hard, but hasn't been given a lot of support up until now (or even now, Dick kind of just drops him off with a bunch of older kids who all also have issues and are predisposed to disliking him XD). His dynamic with rose is fun and I think it is notable how quickly he does acquiesce to following Cassie's orders when she's like (at first) the only Teen Titan who is OK with him being there and assures him its not personal when she makes a comment he doesn't like.

Bruce Wayne: The Road Home: Batman and Robin: Has some nice Dick and Damian banter, showcases how they've worked together well

Batgirl #17: more damian and steph interactions.

I will probably add more (either editing this post or in a reblog) as I keep reading.

[lassieposting]

Fic Concept:

Tali'Zorah is, if she does say so herself, something of an expert in galactic romance. Her omnitool hosts a 6 terabyte collection of romance and romcom vids from across the spectrum of known species, and after that much media exposure, she's fairly sure she's familiar with all the ins and outs of each culture's dating milestones.

She knows, for example, that family members have certain duties in a clan member's new relationship, in human cultures. As one of Shepard's closest friends, she also knows that the poor thing has no family to fulfil those duties for her.

Determined to see Shepard and Garrus's relationship turn into Shepard and Garrus's marriage, she starts handing out responsibilities to appropriate members of the Normandy crew. Shenanigans ensue.

(AKA the one in which Tali is convinced common romcom tropes are actually essential milestones in any human romantic relationship, and takes steps to make sure Shep and Garrus get to experience them.)

Ideas that made me horf:

- Wrex, as Shepard's oldest and closest (deeply violent) male associate, is enlisted to give Garrus the if you break her heart, I'll end you speech usually performed by the father, on a visit to Tuchanka. Maybe he absolutely knows Tali has misread this, and lowkey gives the speech over shots of ryncol, wheezing about how Shep would kill Garrus just fine herself. Maybe he has no idea this isn't an actual important human ritual, and performs his part with ceremonial gusto. Anyway, he does it, and somehow manages to be vaguely heartwarming about it anyway or gives Garrus some sign of approval.

- Mordin, as the oldest male friend on the Normandy, is tasked with interrogating Garrus at "Family Dinner". He does so, but very few of the questions he asks are actually relevant to the typical Meet The Parents dinner, and Shepard actually learns a few new things about Garrus herself.

- Joker volunteers to be "mom" and bring out the baby pictures to show Garrus. He doesn't have any pictures of Shepard as an actual baby, but he does have some funny or embarrassing ones from their time serving together under Captain Anderson he's been itching to share, and that's almost the same thing. She's more baby there than she is now, anyway.

- Tali strongly encourages Garrus to spend time "bonding" with Grunt. It's very important to make sure your future wife's child knows he is included in your new family unit, Garrus! An eventful trip to the zoo/museum/etc ensues.

- Bonus wedding chapter where Wrex is bullied into formal wear to walk Shep down the aisle; Jack paints Cipritine face markings on Grunt thinking they're Vakarian family markings and then sets him loose on Garrus's extended family, who are all very confused as to how this young krogan is apparently from Cipritine; Zaeed gives a hilariously inappropriate speech as Best Man and accidentally outs Garrus as Archangel in front of Aria T'Loak; Kasumi attempts to hook up with Jacob in a time-honoured tradition of inadvisable bridesmaid/groomsman couplings, and Mordin makes use of his STG training to break into the honeymoon suite to leave a tasteful gift basket of sex aids on the bed, because Tali has banned him from giving them in front of the guests.

Just. Interfering Interspecies Crew Way Off Base But Have Loving Intentions. And in the end Shepard is deeply exasperated, but also very touched by the effort put in by the people that love them, and honestly lowkey glad that they got to experience those cliche moments after all.

Bonus points: crewmembers who really do see Shepard/Garrus as family also trying to share their traditions with her/him. Like, if a krogan warrior convinces a fertile female to join his clan, that's a big deal and maybe the clan throws a huge feast and party to celebrate, so Wrex does that for them. Or maybe asari pass hereditary jewelry from mother to daughter to be worn at the first bonding ceremony to a beloved life partner, so Samara lends Shep hers to wear for the wedding. Shit like that.

[lemon-natalia]

The Locked Tomb Reaction - The Unwanted Guest

it’s taken a while, but finally I’ve been able to get around to liveblogging this! my understanding is that The Unwanted Guest takes place in that period of time where Palamedes is ousting Ianthe from Naberius’s body? so i’m intrigued to see what actually happens, as well as how Muir writes in a new theatre-play format

‘kissing or feeding; we can’t be sure’ haha what the fuck. we’re really going in right off the bat with the surrealist horror here. i had a feeling that Ianthe’s mindscape might be a disturbing place, and apparently i was right

ok so i’m willing to suspend my disbelief that this is just a description for the reader to understand the concept but … does either Palamedes or Ianthe’s subconscious know what a 20th century English butler is?

ohhh my god Ianthe’s in a French maid costume, is this because Palamedes considers it sexy. this is so cursed. once again suspension of disbelief, but do either of these characters know what France is?

i am very much enjoying the dynamic between the two of them here, especially how unimpressed Palamedes is with, well, everything Ianthe 

oooh okay thats intriguing, there’s another person’s voice here. my first instinct is that it’s Camilla, given Palamedes is currently in her body

wow Palamedes’ immediate response to a game of essentially 20 questions is to immediately get philosophical and start a debate about whether the soul can be changed. he sounds like the kind of person who would be absolute hell to play Scrabble or Trivial Pursuit against 

what they’re talking about here is very interesting though. i like the little glimpses we get, primarily through the Sixth and the Fifth, about what academia and science looks like in a world with necromancy. whether the soul can be changed is kind of a big hypothetical in the real world, but in TLT where you can literally summon or ‘consume’ a person’s soul it would be much more directly relevant 

also a very interesting point (at least what I think he’s saying?) from Palamedes here that just because the Lyctors lived for 10,000 years doesn’t necessarily mean that the thanergy powering them is perpetual, it could just be declining very very slowly

okay so the Voice just started talking about ‘Camilla’s idea’, so presumably not her unless she’s talking about herself in third person? it could theoretically just be Palamedes debating with himself? 

Palamedes briefly trying to play bad cop/Ace Attorney and intimidate Ianthe is hilarious 

Ianthe’s insistence that she didn’t murder Naberius because it was his job to die for her anyway is an … interesting perspective

‘she and I both understand that the goal is always worth the cost’ ngl i think Harrow herself would have something to say about that, given she literally gave herself a Claire’s lobotomy in the hope of saving Gideon. it wasn’t so much Harrow who decided that Lyctorhood was worth defeating Cytherea, but Gideon deciding for her 

once again i feel horribly bad for Naberius Tern, whose worst crime was pretty much just being an asshole

hah has Palamedes picked up a cigarette habit from Pyrrha. i’m enjoying the insight into his thought process here given that he generally comes off as knowing more than other people all the time, so it’s nice to see him actually in the process of figuring stuff out 

‘She wandered around like she was the protagonist’ HAH Ianthe i have bad news for you 

aww it’s sweet to get Pal’s view on Gideon here, namely that he thinks she’s smarter than even she gives herself credit for and that he was initially jealous of her dynamic with ‘Dulcinea’ but came to like her anyways

‘My problem was reminding myself you were a child’ ohhh my god the mysterious voice is Dulcinea! i can’t believe this is literally the only time we’ve seen Pal and Dulcinea actually interact. and isn't this possibly the first time that they've had an 'in person' (so to speak) interaction since most of their relationship was sending letters to each other?? oh i am not okay

okayy i’m interested in what Dulcinea’s saying here about how she seems to have died again and ‘something awful’ happened to her soul … it doesn’t seem to totally line up with what happened at the end of HtN, especially with her mention that there are two shores on the River. again everything seems to point to the nature of the River playing a big part in AtN 

woooh Magnus Quinn reference, my beloved 

oooh i love the contrast between Ianthe’s descriptions of her relationships with Corona and Babs - despite Babs being the one who was actually the cavalier, the kind of co-dependent relationship she has with Corona is much closer to the relationship between the other cavaliers and their necromancers. which is why the fact that she’s apparently the only Lyctor to outright murder their cavalier vs her admission that she wouldn’t have used Corona is very interesting to me

‘Coronabeth herself is part of your goal’ i’m very interested in the long-term goal of Ianthe in general. obviously one part was becoming a Lyctor, but i do wonder if she has something else planned, i doubt she’s content to just sort of do what John wants her to do forever

‘Jeannemary Chatur regaled me with the story at breakfast’ woooh Jeannemary reference. also this is such a cute detail

ooooh Palamedes's newfound cigarette habit is from Ianthe not Pyrrha, that's very fun

and Palamedes’ final point here that the soul is permeable is not just very satisfying against Ianthe’s general smugness, but has very interesting implications for all of the Lyctor characters, especially the fact that their titles are named after their cavaliers. for example, how much of Mercy’s devotion originally came from her versus the fact that Christabel pre-Res was a literal nun. and what does it mean for John and Alecto exactly - how much of the same person, or even human, is he after literally eating the soul of a planet

ok this isn’t to do with the Unwanted Guest exactly but i am very concerned by the notice at the very end that ‘Hell Will Break Loose’ in AtN. it already sounds ominous enough without considering that the previous notice, ‘Gideon will return’ at the end of HtN was done in the most painful way possible 

overall i really enjoyed this! what i really like about the additional short stories Muir writes for TLT is that you get to see little character moments and explore bits of the lore that would have dragged the main story down a bit, so it was very fun to see Palamedes and Ianthe interact one-on-one and debate a bit

and now i really have run out of stuff to liveblog about these books rip my sanity

[resisteverything]

Just for fun (I am really not invested, haven't even watched the full thing): why do you dislike Hazbin Hotel?

This is the biggest one, the hotel is useless. Charlies whole goal is to redeem sinners with the hotel, but by the end of the season there are only two guests, and then one of them dies. This is particularly bad because of the six month deadline set in episode one. Like what is Charlie even doing over those entire months?

The main characters are weak. I expected to learn more about Angel dust in the show itself, and see a new side to him, but in the end his entire character is summed up with Addict, except the show gives him less personality than Addict does. And he's the best one. Charlie is just a Disney princess parody, the only unique trait of hers being that she swears randomly and has daddy issues, the latter only mattering in one episode, the other seven either shafting her character or giving us no new information about her. Vaggie never once does anything that isn't what Charlie told her to. Alastor is vague and mysterious, but the intrigue and fear factor he brought is just sort of ruined in the show proper. He doesn't work as a foil to Charlie or an antagonist because he never does anything for forward the plot.

Nothing happens in this show. Episode one's only contribution is the dead angel and six-month deadline, everything else is skipable. Episode two changes nothing except that Pentius is at the hotel now, and he doesn't do anything. Episode three is only important in that Alastor hears about the dead angel head, info which he doesn't use until episode seven, like no other character is aware of the angel head. Episode four is only important in that episode six centers on whether or not angel has redeemed himself, except in episode six has the question be answered with "Actually heaven doesn't care about that and was never going to listen to Charlie", episode five is only important in that it's setup for Charlies meeting with heaven, a meeting that ends in her being kicked out and nothing having been changed. Episode six is that meeting. Episode seven is Charlie literally giving up on her motivations to prepare to do battle with heaven, and episode eight is them fighting that big battle. Nothing Charlie did from episodes one to six actually brought them closer to resolving the conflict, and season two is just a return to the previous status quo of hell.

The series is packed full of side characters that should not be so numerous in an eight episode season. Why is Carmilla Carmine, a character that shows up in two subplots a more relevant character to the narrative than any of the main characters? Why did we get half an episode dedicated to the Vees dicking around in ways that in no way affect the plot but never got to see Charlie and Angel dust have a real conversation that wasn't antagonistic? Why did Charlie work out her issues with Vaggie with a completely new side character she's never met before this episode instead of with Vaggie? Why is Vox spying on the heroes for all of episode eight instead of doing anything? Didn't one of them actively try to incite a war against heaven? Shouldn't she be siding with the heroes?

The show has a bizarre relationship with the pilot. It expects you to understand that Charlie taking Alastors hand is a big deal, or know who Cherri bomb is, because these things are in the pilot. But it also Retcons things like Lucifer's characterization, or Husks reason for staying at the hotel. It makes the show hard to follow plot wise.

The tone is all over the place. Pentius dies as a joke that kills a serious moment but then they try to make it serious. Charlie and Vaggie have a serious conversation with jokey slapstick noises in the background. Valentino flips between scary and goofy at random. Angel gets raped and it’s a big deal, pentius gets raped and it’s a joke.

[adamnablelittledevil]

I'm excited for Devil's Minion but I hope the Lesmand aspect isn't undermined in its favor. That ship may not be endgame but it's so important to both Lestat and Armand.

I only know Devil's Minion content from what I've seen on the tag, but I share the same feeling! I also enjoy Armand and Daniel's dynamic on the show. I can't wait to see more if it (and any possible duo, romantic/endgame or not, because they're all so appealing) and I hope they did have something in the past as well (and I think it's highly possible), because both Eric and Luke are great. And, well, this chemistry is too extraordinary to ignore.

Sure, this scene wasn't a positive one, but tell me they don't have potential to deliver the romantic content?

So, about the books, I'm still on chapter 5 of The Vampire Lestat (I'm leaving IWTV for last), but so far I don't see how they could reduce lesmand. I guess you could say there is some romantic aspect to them, but there's so much more than that too. Now, I might be interpreting this wrong or things will naturally change over the course of the books, but I believe they have this soul ties/mirrors/foils/two sides of the same coin aspect. It's only been a little over one chapter since Armand was firstly introduced, but their dynamic already feels so important. They're so similar and yet so different, they're fascinated by each other, they see parts of themselves that they don't like on one another, they see things they can't understand but want to, there's empathy, there's protectiveness, they're attracted to one another and not even just in a physical/romantic sense, but there's some genuine curiosity, admiration and magnetism there, but they're still afraid of each other, they still despise one another, they hurt each other, they know it's better to stay way, but don't really want to so it challenges them to the point they also HATE each other... I even feel like it's more frustration and projection than actual hate, but still... They're very INTENSE, in every sense of the word. And it keeps fleeting all the time, sometimes it's warmer, sometimes it's more explosive, sometimes they have similar reactions to one another and sometimes they don't... Which leads to different types of tension that is entertaining to play with. Plus, they have the best conversations and arguments for me. They touch on some really relevant topics about each other's existence, their collective existence as a species and as individuals (which is part of their conflict). Basically, we can call them whatever we want, but they're never boring.

So I can't see them being able to change that even if they want to? Also, because Armand is the first vampire Lestat meets after his maker and fledgling. Magnus kills himself shortly after turning Lestat, Gabrielle and Lestat are almost on the same level when it comes to powers and knowledge about vampirism. Armand exists out of their sphere, has been a vampire for a while, has more abilities/knowledge than them... I feel like you need that in order to 'shake' things up on the flashbacks instead of just being in the bubble of Lestat and his fledglings or using Armand as a small character.

And Assad is one of the main actors, he's paid for main actor screen time, so it would be a waste not to use him as such? And, like you said, it's so important for both Armand's and Lestat's arcs, and this is a main character + main character dynamic, it's not like a side plot with a guest star. It would be killing multiple birds with one stone, because you'd find a way to use two fundamental characters, tell the story in a proper and also engaging way. Not to mention they would be insanely stupid to waste this.

Yeah, I know this is different on the book, but my point is that the enigmatic chemistry they're supposed to have is there and Rolin should make the most of it. Like, I'm still a bit frustrated they didn't play a little more with Jacob and Assad's chemistry too.

So let's not do it again? I mean, this is the first show I watch where everyone has amazing chemistry and good reasons to have lots of scenes together because they live forever and need to have more than just one company, lol. I say let's explore all of it, whether something is romantic/endgame or not.

Anyway, I believe we'll see a lot of Armand in the 1700s flashbacks and that lesmand will be top 2 of Armand's dynamics on season 3. Depending on what they want to do with armandiel, they might even explore more of lesmand next season, since that's 'Lestat's' season and they can have all future seasons for armandiel? I mean, I can see something kind of like season 2, when we had loumand, but dreamstat was still a significant presence and then the big scene at the end. Plus, I'm expecting Daniel to have a lot of screen time with Louis and Lestat, respectively.

Btw, sorry I deflected so much, I just had a lot to say, lmao. Thank you for the message. :)

[amesliu]

so disclaimer: I haven't read the book yet so I don't have the full context + i'm not USAmerican so I dunno how relevant this would be to pjo

Also so sorry for the essay... do ignore this if you don't want to go into this further! I just get rambly about cultures and cultural differences haha

In my family it really depends on who the guest is on what is acceptable behaviour? I guess? Closest to percy and annabeth would probably be my sister and her long term boyfriend (5 -ish years, they're early twenties). He isn't expected to help out, but he's allowed to and does regularly help set the table. In this case he also eats at my parent's at least twice a week. Sometimes he and my sister cook, sometimes they clean etc. (he also helps us host at birthdays sometimes! like offer other guests drinks that kind of stuff) Different example: close family typically helps out in the kitchen. My grandma refuses to let us do anything without her help no matter how insistent we are that "You're our guest! Let us do the work!" she'll just tell us that it would be rude of her to let her (grand)children do all the work while she sits and watches. We also always offer our help when we're over at family. (my mom's best friend, who she has known since college, is the same way btw. She also insists on helping us and we always offer our help when we are visiting her and her family) Now, if the boyfriend's parents came over to eat dinner my parents would not let them lift a finger. Same with neighbours, colleagues and other more casual acquaintances.

If I went off of my own experiences and no further context i'd say that rr is trying to show that percy, annabeth and their friends are very close

I totally get that and I agree it’s context sensitive. HOWEVER. My issues with this scene are as follows:

1. Percy appears to be not doing much of anything in this scene? Like the page I read is just him standing there narrating the scene…….? It literally says “Grover and juniper were setting the table which is usually my job” maybe I’m wrong and I’m missing context but that’s what it read like. But this isn’t rlly my main issue with the food stuff so oh well

2. I have a huge contention with Rick’s push to make Annabeth into a character that is like. Good at and interested in cooking and food handling in general. His justification for her learning to cook appears to be “she’s smart and so ahead in her classes she just decided to” which goes back to my point that I made on my side blog about the poor representation of Annabeth as a “smart adhder”. It feels like a retroactive and lazy justification for a character trait that he has already decided for her when her upbringing and personality has given me no reason to believe she would ever need or care to learn to cook. Her doing so could be an interesting way to explore the way her priorities shift as she gets older as Jules discussed on my post about sohaes last chapter but it’s not being used that way and when he randomly starts pushing his one female character in his main trio to start cooking when both his male characters have a much better characterization for it it also feels somewhat misogynistic and “mommy-ifying” with how heavily the cooking focuses on Annabeth being so so good at cooking

I don’t want this to come off as me saying a female character who cooks is inherently misogynistic but this sudden addition to her character says nothing and does nothing when it can and should. Either she remains not good at cooking and we see food as a medium for care and affection with Percy and Sally as caretakers expecting nothing in return or we see her learn with Sally as a symbolic representation of her gaining smth she lost as a kid. But learning to cook in a class bc she’s just so smart and good at school is… not it.

And even then. What if she does learn in an academic and STRUGGLES with it. How does that interact with her pride? Her personality? Etc.

I think this is a huge issue I have with a lot of the ideas he brings up where they could be incredibly interesting things to explore but he will never take it there so it just feels random. We’re not at a point where we’re supposed to be teaching an audience about a character we’re at the exploring their depth stage and he just. Doesn’t act that way.

3. A cultural issue I guess but my partner would never be allowed to do the work at my parents house but we are sort of a fist fight for the bill type of culture so 🤷‍♂️

Side note: the tangent about Percy being like “wow I’d never think to ask if salad was okay for juniper��� followed by the immediate tangent about how hard he’s thought about the feelings of fish and whether or not he eats them was like… something. Idk what but it ticked me off LOOOL

[eithielk]

Modern!Zuko x Reader

Summary: Your best friend's brother is quite annoying, but it's okay cause hes cute

You and Azula had been friends for a while, only knowing little about her family, you thought she only had one sibling, Kiyi. But as her brother returns after 3 years of being away, you are left completely shocked.

Azula invited you to her house over the weekends, her excuse? She deserved it, of course, why should she need a reason

You've been her friend for over 3 years or so, you met with her friends around 9th grade, and ever since, you four have been inseparable.

Despite being friends for so long, you didn't know much about her family, only that her mother, wasnt really in the picture.

Also the fact that she had one other sibling. Kiyi.

She was so nice, and honestly a polar opposite of Azula. You thought Kiyi was her one and only sibling— or so you thought.

"We can watch that stupid show Ty lee has been gushing about and–"

Zuko sat on the couch and looked at the group, feeling awkward as they stared back at him.

Giving it a few more seconds before he spoke up, "Azula, you didn't tell me you had guests."

"Why should I tell you"

Earning a groan from the boy, who looked at you briefly before standing up and leaving.

"Dont mind him Y/N, hes always grumpy" Ty lee assured me, but that wasnt really what I was thinking right now.

"You have a brother?"

"Yeah, didnt I mention it" she replied too casually.

"No? Not really.." OF COURSE NOT WOMAN, you mentally cursed yourself, but knowing Azula, it was best not to cause such a scene

"I dont think its much of an issue, hes not really relevant."

"Hes also off limits" Ty lee jumped in, making sure to nudge on Mai's arm.

This action didnt go unnoticed by Azula, who then proceeded to recall childhood memories of them.

"Oh yeah, Mai's got a huge crush on him" she laughed, "Frankly I don't see the appeal."

"Remember when we were young and we had Zuko push her in the water" Ty lee jumped in.

"He didnt push me, you guys made him do that" Mai retorted in defence, a faint blush appearing on her face

"How it happened isn't important, you two looked so silly" Azula laughed.

Later that evening the four of you decided on a game of truth or dare, childish but a classic.

"Y/N, truth or dare."

"Dare duh!"

"I dare you to scare my brother" Azula replied almost too quickly, like she already knew what my choice was.

As you tiptoed across the house, going downstairs to find Zuko on the couch.

Crawling behind the chair, you waited for a moment to strike when–

"What are you doing"

A voice crept behind me as I turned to see Zuko hovering over me

"What– Ouch, the fuck?" You landed on your butt, wincing at the pain you didnt notice Zuko offer his hand to you

"Why are you hiding behind the couch?"

"Its a dare okay, I was suppose to scare you."

"It'll take more than that to scare me" Zuko replied laughing.

I took his arm and stood up, still recovering from that embarrassingly low fall.

"Did Azula put you up for this?"

"Maybe, why?"

Zuko scoffed crossing his arms, "Why are you even friends with her in the first place"

"Why are you so curious in the first place? Hm?"

"You know what– why did I even bother" he groaned about to turn walk away.

"Wait– Im sorry, I didnt mean to come off as rude, Im just curious you know."

"Right.. well whatever, moments passed go back to your friends now." Zuko waved his hand as he turned around

Jerk.

When it was time to go to sleep, everyone drifted off slowly, while you lied there, awake.

It was harder for you to fall asleep, especially since you had trouble sleeping in new places.

Deciding to go downstairs to grab yourself something to drink, opting for a glass of milk.

Turning your head, you meet with Zukos eyes staring back at you.

"I– fuck sorry, I didnt see you." I grab my chest, feeling scared by his sudden appearance.

Zuko nodded and moved past me

Feeling a bit awkward in you two standing in silence, you tried to break it.

You cleared your throat, "Sorry about earlier.. again... Azula didn't tell me she had a brother.."

"Figures, she just acts like I dont exist."

"Can I ask why?"

"Cant you just finish your milk?"

His comment made me roll my eyes, "You're her brother alright." I retort back quietly.

"What was that?"

"Nothing"

Your response was met with a glare, he definitely heard that.

[bonzos-number-1-fan]

TMAP 4 Thoughts

Spoilers for Ep 4, obviously.

So that's it? What we're some kinda...Magnus Protocol?

Big thing up top; Tim Fearon's Augustus is fucking excellent. The Lovecraft inspiration was very on the nose in both prose and theme but it was also a really good take on that style. Not surprised this was a guest writer too given that style. Tim Fearon really nails the cadence and intonation needed for this sort of thing and I'd love to see him narrate some actual Lovecraft sometime. The Music of Erich Zann obviously would be a good place to start. Anyone that doesn't think this is Jonah at this stage is just out of their mind.

The incident is also interesting in that it's the most straight TMA Fear we've seen so far. It's just a Slaughter ep through and through really.

Creepy cursed item pedlar feels like a recurring character to me. I expect them to show up again. Which makes for 3 non-OIAR characters we can expect back.

For an additional ARG detail or two; Starkwall is a reference to Starkwall Protection Services that we know from the ARG used to be associated with the OIAR. They announced the discontinuation of this association on Jan 3rd, 2000. Before that they were affiliated with Rightforce International, formerly Diligence Security Systems, if that proves relevant down the line. More interestingly the character Lena was talking to in that very end scene was named Klaus. Klaus provided us (the ARG solvers) with an excel sheet in German that was Freddy style case numbers and DPHW's. He also seemed to have set up the whole thing in-universe too. My pet theory was that Klaus was the German name for Freddy but it's an actual dude and it could be a couple of people from the ARG. Actually, I'm sticking to that theory. Klaus isn't actually called Klaus and assumed the name from kl4-u5, or kl4-u5 is named after Klaus.

DPHW Theory continuation: I honestly don't think much needs to be said. It's a pretty clear fit here. So it's 7494 and you've got music that makes people want to kill themselves and each other, the instrument through which that's achieved requires a blood sacrifice but it needn't be yours, you are however seemingly under its control in more than just the compulsion to play it, and it's got some elements of the uncanny in how it was manifesting. Nothing exciting but more evidence that I'm correct.

CAT#R# Theory: Apart from Sam messing it up and missing out the R again I think this mostly disproves the tria prima idea. I was willing to discount the last ep's case number because of how mistaken it all looked but without more to go on it's really hard to discount this one too. More data, or thought, required to link this all together.

Header Nonsense: Nothing much to say other than that "Collection (blood) -/- musical" is a very strange header in comparison to the others.

[revoleotion]

Yeah so I will now post oc stuff because. Eh. They will be relevant in the writing I did for an advent calendar!!

And also. For any asks. Wink wink.

Dawn

My beloved. You know him. Ex Chiss sky-walker, now obsessed with a Grysk that was supposed to be his enemy. Gay and trans. Doesn't sleep enough. In bg3, he's also very normal about Emperor (totally normal). In any DND setting, he's a drow wild magic sorcerer but doesn't realize it, so he thinks he's in a warlock pact (he isn't, his Grysk friend just enhances his natural magic and makes it easier to use).

Ellana

My first Inquisitor. In any settings where I use Fen as my Inquisitor, she just worked for the Inquisition. Married to Lace Harding, chaotic as hell, proud lesbian that fucks all her friends (and non-friends) for the connection but feels no attraction to men. Is somehow the least normal about Solas.

Fen

Created to romance Solas, somehow turned something more. Childhood friend of Raven (see guest stars) who went missing at some point and who Fen is convinced was killed. After Raven's transformation, Fen is (at first) incapable of recognizing them and Raven can't tell her. No matter the AU, they reunite eventually, and start being so normal about each other. Fen is actually a fantastic liar, most of all to herself. She isn't even mad about Solas' world ending plans, she just wishes he would've been honest about it (which is in turn also very hypocritical of her because she filed down her entire personality to be more likable). In one AU, she actually dates both Solas and Raven, but all others end with her being bitter towards Solas. After losing her hand, she uses a mage hand instead.

Elxian

[On the right, art done by @angryducktimemachine !! I hope that was ok to put here, otherwise I'll link your posts directly once I figure out how!]

Economics studies alumni and bard. Constantly making jokes. Is as annoying as half-elven-ly possible in order to scare off people who would've left anyways after having enough of her. Deeply insecure but overplays it by being loud and charming. Is terrified of accepting that she is trans because she thinks she doesn't deserve it on account of her privilege and uncaring attitude (that in her eyes "ruined everything"). Janosch also has some more fanart on his account!!! She's. Wife.

Also she's suffering from a curse that she can't ever have sex. I mean other than the BWL student one.

John & Sunny

Part of OG projects, so I will stay vague. Imagine goddess turning someone immortal and having no way to undo it, and guy (now immortal) who's not handling it well. I also mentioned them in Alliance, if anyone remembers!!!

Fleur

An NPC and part of Love's (see guest stars) backstory! Imagine Misono Servamp if he became the God of Spite after escaping his home. Fleur used to be a wizard and was terminally ill, so in order to actually live, he took a shot at being immortal. Has a habit of punching people. Including Mystra and God!Gale.

Elsa-Mathilda Westwater

Author and Devotion Paladin. Thinks the author part is obviously more important. Obsessed with ansurbalduran and is writing the dnd schoete (Schiller/Goethe) equivalent of that. Always looks grumpy but trying her best. Sunny is actually her goddess!

Guest stars

Raven

Where do I even start. Raven is... a Death Cleric. Also, somehow, Withers' weed dealer and his chosen (because of the weed, not the death cleric stuff). In bg3, Withers saved them from transforming into an illithid but in turn hat to craft them a new body (which turned out to be a tiefling). Unfortunately, this resulted in them losing their memory of him.

In any other universes, Withers saved them from another event that killed them. They used to be elven before.

Love

Paladin of Fleur, great ignorer of his own grief and loneliness, and even better liar. Think Snow Lily if Misono became a God somehow.

[pessimisticpigeonsworld]

I agree with your latest rant, and would also like to add that I absolutely do not understand this heavy urge to present a full blown rapist (Aegon II) as a poor suffering creature. In fact, I remember someone, perhaps one of the writers, openly describing Aegon as a "tortured/tormented soul" in an interview (the reasoning/excuse here being something along the lines of "we wanted to flesh him out more").

You want greyness? You want to play with the audience and it's perspective? Be my guest. But why exactly do this by making (trying to make) the audience pity a raging fucking rapist? In a show where the ugliness of misogyny is the main theme?? Really now???

Condal's obsession with making TG more sympathetic is probably one of the biggest red flags from a showrunner I've seen since D&D. He sacrifices aspects of TB in the name of making them look better. Whether it's giving Jace's interests (swordplay, history, the fucking Valyrian language) to Aemond or swapping Alicent and Rhaenyra's ages upon marriage (Alicent was 18-19 in the book and Rhaenyra was 16).

Condal even made Rhaenys into Rhaenyra's political opponent, when in the book she supported her and even claimed the Velaryon boys inherited her Baratheon hair (her hair was also black in the book not Valyrian silver). He did this in order to make the Blacks look worse.

With Laena, Condal removed pretty much all plot relevance she had other than being Daemon's wife and Baela and Rhaena's mother. In the book, she and Rhaenyra were such close friends (maybe even closer than friends btw) that they betrothed their children (no, the betrothal wasn't a last ditch effort to win over Rhaenys) when they were infants/toddlers. Yet in the show, Condal sacrificed Rhaenyra and Laena's relationship to make room for Alicent.

His choice to make Aegon a "poor baby with daddy/mommy issues" is completely disturbing though. It's one thing to try to give Aemond and Alicent tragic backstories, but trying to make a rapist into a sympathetic character is outright disgusting. Even when we come face to face with one of his victims right after the act, Condal expects us to give a shit about that monster? Well it worked for a part of the fandom apparently, and isn't that just disturbing.

[noridal]

I was just going to reply to @sunshine-herricane under the original post, but I figured why not make a longer infodump. So, mind your spoilers and get ready to click a read more link, because it's time to enjoy my personal

Harvey lore rant

Harvey is one of the first two characters to be introduced to us in Cube Escape: Seasons along with Laura. It is known to us that he's a relevant character because otherwise Rusty Lake wouldn't bother to make Cube Escape: Harvey's Box, in which you play as him; plus, if he wasn't relevant you wouldn't need him alive to complete Seasons.

The thing is, I think it's easy to forget about him, or brush him off as a secondary character, since we only see him as a sort of "sidekick". Apart from Harvey's Box, he just makes minor appearances and gets nearly killed by Laura on various occasions (Think of the scene in Cube Escape: The Mill in which Laura, as a corrupted soul, almost chokes him to death).

Things change with Rusty Lake Hotel, where, if you manage to give Owl the Rusty Lake Cigars, it's revealed you're playing as Harvey. This is huge, because at this point you find out that Harvey isn't just a pet, but a character that can be compared to Mr Owl or Mr Crow, which up to this point are the people playing puppeteer with the other characters of the plot.

This is why it's logical to imagine that Harvey's role, in this situation, is to act as a butler for Mr Owl, and one can easily assume that it was Owl's idea to kill the hotel guests. In other words, Owl is the boss, and Harvey is just following orders, whether he likes killing those animal-people or not.

Before getting to Paradise, I think it's important to make a quick stop through Cube Escape: Birthday, in which we see him with his humanoid form for the first time:

And we also get to see an interesting piece of lore about the corrupted souls of the hotel guests breaking free from their containers and attacking both Harvey and Mr Owl. This way we learn that Harvey is also a shapeshifter, and contrary to Owl or Crow, who have a human and a hybrid form, Harvey seems to be naturally a bird that somehow achieved this (I'm assuming) "enlightened" state of half bird, half human.

This is important information because it indicates that Harvey is likely immortal. This is in line with Rusty Lake Roots: judging from that level in the Emma storyline, Harvey is around the lake in 1891, and is also around Laura's death (1971 according to Cube Escape: Case 23). Now, I know nothing about parrots, but 80+ years is a pretty long life for a parrot that seems suspiciously to never age.

One could argue that this could be just a similar parrot or whatever, but we also know that Hotel takes place in 1893, and Harvey is definitely in that game at least.

Now we get to the infamous Paradise Easter Egg: it's fairly missable, but you can find Harvey sitting on the window sill during the third plague

This happens in 1796. And being Paradise Mr Owl's origin story, well, this is clearly evidence that Harvey has been around longer than him. This is a theory of mine- but he probably was Caroline's pet, or the one that sparked her research around the lake and immortality.

Point is, this is a huge turn on the Harvey-Owl dynamic: where at first Harvey seemed to be a servant, now he feels a lot more like an equal. At this point of the story I thought that Harvey could've been the one to suggest to Owl to take revenge on his family/hotel guests, and Owl could've been the one saying "let's go for murder".

Except that underground blossom came out.

I won't share screenshots of it because it's another stance of the Rusty Lake franchise being weird about nipples, plus I don't want to spoil much of that game, but to cut it short: toward the last few stations, Harvey decides to torture a pickpocketer for stealing Rose's timepiece.

This is another strong statement about Harvey's personality, since it's clear that he really had no problem killing the various people during Hotel. This puts a bunch of things into perspective, because I mean, c'mon, he deliberately hurts unaware bystanders who just steal shit and aren't really involved (so far) in the plot. One could've said that the Hotel guests "deserved" it (since it's clear they aren't really pleasant or good people either, even before Paradise came out), or again, Harvey was just doing what he's told. But this one scene screams "Harvey is a sadistic bitch" and at this point I'm not even mad about it.

Now the only thing left to find out is when he actually gains his human form- but by the looks of it, the clues are pointing towards him being the oldest immortal bird-person in the lore, and probably the one who knows the real secret to reach ascension and enlightenment.

[adamsvanrhijn]

I wonder if Thomas is travelling with Guy as his servant and therefore if there is a servant's quarters Thomas would go there. I didn't think about it but someone brought it up in a post. Personally I interpreted the job as a PA type thing.

Is this just in the context of DA3 or like, in general? I'm curious what their reasoning was, because I don't think that makes sense with what we know!

Context + canon refresher since I just saw the movie and it's fresh in my mind...

First of all, "servants' quarters" isn't even a universal concept—especially by this point in the 20th century, especially outside of the UK.

By 1928 and especially by 1930, the vast majority of people do not have servants, let alone live-in servants who travel with them. Domestic workers like cooks and cleaners are likely to not live where they work and to have more than one client. Some services a lady's maid or a valet might have provided, like mending or planning travel or personal shopping, are outsourced; some, like dressing a person, are simply not relevant anymore.

Such that, if you're traveling with your same-sex companion/partner/lover who is not your servant, you don't gain any safety or security by falsely claiming that they are your servant — if anything, you're shooting yourselves in the foot when it comes to being able to interact normally in front of others & inconveniencing your host who probably isn't prepared for this scenario.

When you & your lover already present to strangers as, & are in fact also in, a lateral professional relationship, there isn't really a reason to claim otherwise. Way easier to tell the truth, including that you both have identical accommodation needs. With hosts who don't have all the details, this would most likely look like adjacent rooms, adjoining rooms, a suite or room with multiple beds, etc. Obviously for familiar hosts who do have the details it can be whatever the host & guests would like.

Changing that up just because you happen to visit a rich person who has live-in servants with dedicated servant accommodations doesn't really make sense and is very inconvenient and complicated. In addition to being a bad move where your relationship's longevity is concerned.

Anyway, on top of all that, Guy says out loud on screen that he doesn't even see value in the social role associated with servants when he speaks with Thomas in the butler's pantry:

THOMAS: Suppose someone comes in. What would they say?

GUY: I don't care. I've lived in America for ten years now. I don't believe in that stuff anymore.

We see him demonstrate this with how he treats and speaks to others while he's at Downton. With Thomas specifically, a couple examples of this are, when he insists that he and Thomas address one another as equals, and in an even more revealing way, in their first 1:1 interaction, when he doesn't seem to be thinking about it and speaks to Thomas with more familiarity —light-hearted teasing — than most would find appropriate in context between a guest and a servant, which he seems to then realize after the fact (based at least in part on Thomas's reaction) and immediately explain and apologize for. It's giving season 1 episode 2 Matthew Crawley but way more thoughtful. Some characters could never!!!! 👀

HOWEVER, none of the above context even matters...

...because Guy also says out loud that he expects as part of what he is proposing that Thomas will be comfortable on his own terms with however much involvement or meaning he wants, making the choice to clarify this out loud rather than leave it ambiguous (emphasis mine)—

GUY: Hollywood gets some bad publicity, but I live in a place called Hancock Park, and it's... it's pretty nice.

THOMAS: I can believe it.

GUY: Well, why don't you come and see for yourself?

THOMAS: What.

GUY: I mean it. I travel a lot for my work, and I don't have a wife to look after me, so... [pause] ...you could do it.

THOMAS: I'd be your valet?

GUY: More than that. You'd run the house and organize our journeys, make me comfortable. [beat] Make us both comfortable. ...Of course, if my career folds, then we'd have to think again, but...

THOMAS: Your career won't fold.

and

THOMAS: Tell me, did your offer mean what I think it did?

GUY: It can mean as much or as little as you like.

THOMAS: I'd like it to mean a great deal.

GUY: Then you're in luck.

So like, Thomas being the one responsible for figuring out the travel in the first place and making BOTH of them comfortable... He is the one who gets to make that choice!!

& I personally don't think that's at all what Guy would hope Thomas would choose... or that he [Guy] would let it go undiscussed if he [Thomas] did make that choice. That does not appear to be at all what Guy has in mind. Even if they're keeping things strictly professional, I think his expectation on traveling arrangements would be what I describe above for two professionals traveling together—same exact level of accommodation, near enough for work coordination & collaboration, but they're not stepping on each other's toes and can lock the door on each other if they so wish.

My personal interpretation, supported by Dominic West saying Thomas is Guy's lover in that interview recently, is that Actually when they are traveling together they are simply not going to lock the door on each other though 😌💅🏻 They have their reasons 😌💅🏻

[ggren-mainz]

Umineko - question arcs playthrough -> ep 1 - 6

last part - All parts and episodes - next part

Big things are happening, both happy and sad.

*Looks at promo images *... I think 19 is a bit of an understatement.

'Why would they need a messenger" ummm cause it's dope asf, next question?

NOOOOO I BELIEVE YOU MARIA!! I DOOO...

Maria deserves so much better, she's like my favorite rn, pls don't turn evil like you look like in the steam card.

HUUUUUHHH?????!! Noooo he was like one of the funnier and more entertaining siblings... But what? Him? Why him? like I'd get Klaus, but i don't get why he would be the one to be murdered. Also how does he know? What did he say? What did he do? Pls question arc, less questions more answers.

Now I believe him when he said he's fixing his make-up, with this woman ass expectations (I am not misogynistic, the joke is just referring to the usual stereotypes attributed to women when they're mad, nor do i make-up is only for women)

pls don't die with him.

great theory, unfortunately

.

.

.

No way if he pulls out the hidden gold... Silly billy.

😦

Holly shit i'll try to put less screenshots cause I'm not really saying anything but this is so shocking i literally put one hand at my mouth. I will not be able to handle the answer arc lmao.

I propose we kill this guy. Everyone will miss him way less.

Is it too fast to headcanon her as having a chronic illness/chronic pain? Will it turn out that her headaches are plot relevant?

Anyway quite interesting the dynamics between the spouses in the family. Battler's parents seem to rely on each other a lot (as it is also said in the tips) and in a way know each other, while Klaus and Natsuhi's relationship is almost completely one-sided. I feel bad for her, but I have a feeling it won't get better.

AGHH the conversation between Jessica and Natsuhi aaahhh. I love her so much, and I truly hope things get better between them. fingers crossed.

could this be because Gohda is the least involved with the entire family, and the one all the siblings are sure isn't a spy for their father? I mean that's probably it now that I'm writing it out. (yeah i was right)

OI OI OI!! guest?? as in one?? also what's with the bold!? huh huh huh???

*looks at the steam bg called 'the lovers' and raises one eyebrow*. Aso i am quite curious where this entire furniture thing comes from, and in what it will evolve

😳

This is so sweet but wait...if Sayo doesn't return to the guesthouse...? I mean it's probably just an excuse but like what will she do in the main house... she's not allowed there....

Anyways finaaalyyyy end of chapter, i love this story but this chapter felt so long lol. I'll probably continue playing tho lmao. Bye bye ;P

next part

[rjschoicesstuff]

2, 27, 35, 59 for the poly asks for Rippy Gabe Cas

Thank uuu!!

Link to the ask game

Answers under the cut

2. Did the relationship start polyamorous, or was it a monogamous relationship that eventually opened?

Cas and Gabe were in a mono relationship back when they were human (+ a bit as vampires). This somehow feels relevant LOL. This is just specific 2 my version btw @ ppl who never read ID lol 💀.

When it's made Official they're in a vee relationship, but also before that there's definitely already Stuff going on obviously, with Cas DEFINITELY not being open to it and Gabriela also preferring to keep it between them (tho definitely is more like Ripley is free to choose and I would be okay as long as I fit in that picture). I think right before Gabriela went feral and almost kills Ripley they were very close to making it official between them, I think. 2 bad for Gabe That happens and Ripley actually starts looking at Cas differently and he becomes an Option.

27. Of the members who live together, do they all sleep in one bed too? All separate bedrooms? Something in-between?

Right Now none of them live together, Cas and Gabe live with fake families (as do all teen vampires who are currently in school) and Ripley stays at the Nexus until she gets a GRIP lol. I think her bed there is definitely too small for it but Cas still sleeps over a lot. Partly because it's easier to skip school when there's no one to get pissed when you don't get up in the morning. I feel like sometimes she's just like pls no n makes him sleep in her beanbag instead, or they both stay up all night.

Once Ripley moves back in with her mom Cas and Gabe will be staying over there a lot but Ripley's bed there definitely doesn't fit 3 people so one of them always has to go on a mattress on the floor next to her bed.

Im not sure about the future yet but I do like the idea of Gabriela going to university in a big city on a leyline with an allied coven and Cas and Ripley following her and Ripley going to trade school + working part time, while Cas actually gets a job too (everyone is surprised) so they can afford an apartment/a studio, while Gabriela stays in the dorms at her university. And she'd stay with Cas and Ripley often because their bed is big enough for the 3 of them. And otherwise Cas and Ripley just share the bed when Gabe stays at her dorm.

I think after that they'd NOT want to live with parents, real or fake, again, at least for this life. So they'd hire an apartment in Crimson Beech. I think they'd all sleep together but they'd have a guest room where people can retreat to if needed, it def isn't big enough for all of them to have their own room. + also with how vampire sleep works (I hc that they do sleep but they don't really need it, like it serves more to give the brain a break than for rest) some days someone just skips sleeping anyway.

35. Were any of the members raised in a polyamorous family?

None of them were. I think Ripley got the closest experience to it with her mom's friends helping a lot in raising her to the point where it felt like having many parental figures, but in the end her mom was her only parent + never dated anymore at all after her last girlfriend passed away (a few years before Ripley was born).

59. How does the polycule celebrate birthdays?

Not in any super special ways, like the other two will generally buy presents separately + beforehand they tend to decide on if the birthday person wants to plan the day or have the others surprise them with something. + they spoil the bday person all day ofc lol. I think for Cas and Gabe it's all pretty new because I think neither of them really celebrated their birthdays the past decades aside from Gabe with her human friends the past few years. I think a lot of vampires don't but I can see them keeping it up because it's just nice for everyone to have Their Day.

[fenrislorsrai]

I Know Where I'm Going

Season 2 is just Neil Gaiman attempting to get us to read and watch all his favs while looking for Clues.

so got "I Know Where I'm Going" from the library.

as a mundane note on the DVD, the subtitles are incredibly hard to find on the menus for some reason. I finally gave up using the onscreen menu and forced it through opening a track direct on my player. So if you get the DVD, there ARE subtitles, you just gotta work for 'em.

also there's several points where they just subtitle it as "speaking Gaelic". It's effectively shot from a non-Gaelic speaker's POV so I'm okay with it not being translated but it would have been nice is there were subtitles, in Gaelic, for those sections.

This movie rates an enormous HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM from me. Many interesting coincidences.

Free fic title for folks: "may your pulse beat as your heart would wish"

Rest under the cut in case you want to watch this.

You can read the plot on WIkipedia so I'm not gonna focus on the relevant bits for Good Omens cause that's why you're reading this.

First up you get the female lead meeting with her father for dinner, who specifically mentions coming from Eccleshall to see her off. This is a different town than Eccles of the Eccles cake, but did make me go look that up.

The tartan hills sequence really is direct from this movie as part of a dream sequence. Joan's father had warned her she was marrying a man, not his company, but the dream sequence does involve actually marrying the company as shown off by some large industrial machinery. big HMM there on theme.

She's clearly marrying this guy for safety and financial security but you never really learn much else about him. She seems to have worked for him and then climbed into position of getting married. You hear this guy's voice on a shortwave radio but never actually see him. He's also described with general disdain by the locals as an imposter. He's not the real lord, he's just the guy with the money.

Which is something that comes up repeatedly thematically as New Money vs Old Money. even the Old Money doesn't have much and that's why they're renting out to the New Money because they're land rich, cash poor as are post of the people that are in the area.

There's a bit where the rich new folks go call on one of the old nobles and comment on how she's only got three servants on a quite big house and she comments on "don't need them when I have guests" and then you get to see Torquil, who actually is a lord (and the love interest here) getting told to set the table for the elderly noblewoman he's visiting. Which he does. and for the rich New Money folks who do nothing to help.

You also have a conversation with some of the locals making fun of the rich industrialist paying money to import salmon, when he's got salmon swimming in the stream of the land he's renting, but isn't catching. He's also having a swimming pool built... on an inland, which they all think he's mad for. (considering the ocean murdering people is a plot point, wanting to swim in warmer non-murderous water seems pretty reasonable)

But there's an overall Vibe of the new money having MONEY but not class.

Torquil has class but also responsibilities. He's only here because he's been serving in the Navy and is home on shore leave. Catriona, who provides Torquil and Joan somewhere to stay while waiting out the stormy weatehr has been providing housing a unit of soldiers up until about a week ago. So you get that clear "they're doing their part for the war, the New Rich aren't".

You also get Joan attempting to pay a local fisherman quite a lot of cash to take her to the nearby island in heavy weather. It's really too much cash for him to refuse. That could buy him ability to marry and buy a boat of his own. Torquil is Pissed Offabout it though because he considers it thoughtless. You could wait and not risk that man's life over this. He eventually gets talked around but goes with on the boat trip since he actually IS in the Navy and can manage to help get engine restarted in boat when they get swapped.

So a lot of themes in common, but lets get back to the real meat here: THE CURSE.

Torquil has never been in the nearby castle, which is basically just a standing square tower. Not have any of his immediate ancestors because everybody knows about the curse and that he can't set foot in the castle of Something Terrible Will Happen.

This gets called back to several times but without any indication of the exact nature of the curse.

This IS a romance so the whole point is this delay in the travel makes Joan reconsider marrying the rich guy. but before that, you have Joan and Torquil split up. They have a farewell kiss and then part ways. Torquil wishes her well and suggests since some pipers got hired for this delayed wedding, she should have them play a tune they heard earlier in a dance scene.

meanwhile, he's been delayed so many times getting to the same island (which is his home), his shore leave is now over, he has to go back to the Navy. So is walking off to catch a ride and goes past the castle.

Stares at it and is "okay, Joan's right, this is stupid I've been scared by this curse the whole time" so goes into castle to climb the tower actually see the curse carved in stone.

OH HEY, THAT CURSE AIN'T WHAT YOU THOUGHT. It's one of those written in such a way it can be read several ways. One of which is "you can never leave this place without the person you love." oh hey, are those bagpipers playing Our Song???

Happy reunion had, Joan wants to be with Torquil nevermind marrying the company for riches. what they do about Torquil's leave being over, IDK, movie over, this is a romance, off we go.