#but this is really the most interactive part of the saga if you really thing about it

[catiuskaa]

SAUVAGE.

jupiter, you’re hard (to get).

sum. jupiter may not smell like woody ambery trails or smoky accents, and he may seem like just a really big planet who’s really far away, but juno will always find him.

wc. 3.2k

cw. spacecrafts, stars, and planets, roman mythology, kudos to sabrina carpenter’s juno, producer!reader x idol!han, friends2lovers, a beer (if i must content warn you, i will) smut! car! heavy on kisses with a side of unprotected piv sex (don’t!) switch!jisung x switch!reader (undefined tbh)

scent. (♡) the perfume saga.

[🔺☆ 🚀 ☆🔺]

Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the largest in the Solar System.

It is a gas giant with a mass more than two times that of all the other planets in the Solar System combined, and slightly less than one-thousandth the mass of the Sun. Its diameter is eleven times that of Earth, and a tenth that of the Sun. Its name derives from that of Jupiter, the chief deity of ancient Roman religion. Jupiter orbits the Sun at a distance of 5.20 AU (778.5 Gm), with an orbital period of 11.86 years.

However, Han Jisung isn’t quite as big or gaseous. He likes to believe he isn’t made up of metallic hydrogen, but rather stardust, he had said once —and you remembered, of course, because how couldn’t you—. He isn’t the oldest planet in the Solar System. He doesn’t run hotter than the Sun. He doesn’t have many many moons (95!) that spend ages to rotate around him.

Well. Not moons, anyways.

Juno is a NASA space probe orbiting the planet Jupiter.

It was built by Lockheed Martin and is operated by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Juno entered a polar orbit of Jupiter in 2016 to begin a scientific investigation of the planet. After completing its mission, Juno was originally planned to be intentionally deorbited into Jupiter's atmosphere, but has since been approved to continue orbiting until contact is lost with the spacecraft.

Thing is. You’re not a spacecraft either. You weren’t built by whoever Lockheed Martin is. You can’t orbit around planets. And most definitely, you don’t keep in contact with NASA. Nevertheless, a part of you can’t help but relate, because, somehow, even after your mission was ultimately done, you couldn’t stop orbiting around Jupiter.

Well. Not Jupiter, anyways.

you: let’s do some cardio next day

jisungie🎀💫: cardio, you say? 😏

jisungie🎀💫: not even a coffee before taking me to your place? 🤨📸

Jupiter couldn’t even reach to make you feel the giddiness that Han somehow could trigger and make it overcome you. You kicked your feet, but when you entered and found your reflection in the elevator mirror, you clicked your tongue.

“Don’t be such a schoolgirl”, you mumbled to yourself, pressing the button, and heading up back home.

you: tsk tsk, you’re always thinking about food

And you’re always thinking about him, a mean voice in your head snapped back at you. You cursed, damning your own mind for betraying you. But, to spare you, it wasn’t that serious, you thought. You two interacted just the right amount.

He was an idol, for god’s sake. You weren’t catching feelings. That would be dumb on your side, the least.

So of course, when your phone chimes in the specific ringtone that, of course, you hadn’t set just for his contact, of course, you didn’t almost drop your purse when you read what he replied.

jisungie🎀💫: as if, silly

jisungie🎀💫: i ain’t eating no one for free

The text made you dizzy, so you forced yourself to back off from replying the first thing that came to mind.

Hungry? Eat me.

“Think straight for once,” you cursed out loud, passing your hands through your hair. Closing the door to your apartment and knocking your shoes off while your mind went off to other, far more interesting places and memories.

You clearly remembered the moment you met quirky, loveable Han Jisung. How inevitable it had been to just start orbiting around him with the excuse of your mission— producing one of his solos for an upcoming skz-record.

Headphones. It had been such a silly first encounter, yet so fitting for you two that you couldn’t help but cherish it dearly.

Lost in thought, you hadn’t been paying attention to where you were headed. Neither had he, and, which had ended with a little crash against each other. A meteor, not quite as devastating as so to kill a couple dinosaurs, but to leave a crater in your heart and create a small moon out of the pieces that scattered away shyly.

“Sorry!” You bowed your head, then stared at him.

“Hi,” he had said in a sheepish tone, hints of panting that you attributed to how he must’ve run back in hopes of catching you. “Guess you like wave to Earth too?”

And while he giggled, you told yourself you weren’t going to fall, but both Jupiter and Juno knew.

They had said the same thing about Rome.

jisungie🎀💫: entering jyp

you: at 21:43? jeez

jisungie🎀💫: what? i ain’t afraid of success bbg 💪

jisungie🎀💫: come over if you want

What would happen with any other person was that they’d smile and turn off their phone.

Well. Not Juno.

Not you, no.

[🔺☆ 🚀 ☆🔺]

The studio smelled like bubble tea, and that’s how you knew he was still there.

“Oh, hey! I wasn’t sure if you were coming in.” Han smiled.

Sleepiness oozed off of him, and you grinned, cleaning the table from leftover crumbles as you set your bag down. Your heart twirled imaginary hairs when Jisung’s hands —hands with several rings, something that could sometimes be a lot to manage— left the keyboard and settled on his thighs, softly stroking them as he turned the chair to face you.

“Yeah. Wanted to work on a demo I owe to the girls,” you mentioned, taking your jacket and your mask off.

“Actually,” he started, and your hands tingled with the feeling that you’d help him in whatever he needed. Damnit, hands. Damn you, heart. “Could you help me with this demo? Jeonginnie asked me to go over it.”

You sipped from your own drink, as if to fake giving it a bit of a thought. You were going to say yes, of course. But instead, you scratched your arm, frowning lightly.

“Innie asked you?”

“It’s for his solo stage.” He clarified, turning back to face the computer. “We all have them for our tour.”

The way he entered the recording booth seemed distant, and a part of you couldn’t help but wonder why as you fidgeted with your necklace and settled everything on the desk comfortably. Ji turned the light off, something slightly weird. He never did that with you, after all these years, and considering you two were the only ones there, you asked.

“Is it a high register?” You wondered, pressing the button on your left so he could hear you in his headphones. You blinked when you saw his figure slightly jolt in something like surprise.

“Uh, no. It’s just the… style of the song,” he giggled, putting his beanie on and tucking in the hairs that fell over his eyes.

Oh. That’s the one you gifted him.

“Sure. Mind if I give it a listen first?”

“Go ahead,” he replied without looking at you through the window.

Helping him came off naturally. The track for the girls was an excuse, one you had already forgotten. And as he started singing, you weren’t sure you’d remember any time soon.

“T-those are some bold lyrics, huh?”

Hallucination.

Jisung covered his eyes with his beanie, giggling.

“It’s Innie’s fault. He gets it from Chan.”

“What’s Chan’s solo about?” You asked with a laugh.

You didn’t expect Jisung to stare at you and swallow dry.

“He says it’s about trains.” He shrugged, as if he had remembered suddenly that he was supposed to answer your question.

When you both were done, it was late. Really late. He insisted you two grabbed a beer in the convenience store nearby, but you took a juice, claiming you had to drive.

“I’ll uh, I’ll get the bus, seriously,” he raised his hands as you both exited the store, beer in hand.

“Ji,” you deadpanned, finishing your juice. Thank God you liked him, because sometimes you wanted to hit him. Softly. With a pillow. “Shut up. I’m taking you.”

[🔺☆ 🚀 ☆🔺]

“How come I didn’t remember you have a driver's license?” Han smiles sheepishly.

The drive to his apartment is silent, as if you two were submerged in a no-conversation. No words, no nothing, just the sound of the tires against the asphalt and the yellow lights from the streetlights that lightened your way.

It’s late enough that there are little to no cars on the driveway. But weirdly, Jisung sips from his beer and sighs.

“Actually, could to take a left here?” He says softly, his voice surprisingly low.

“That’s not the way to your apartment, is it?” You ask, as softly as him, turning anyways.

“Nah, it’s this place I found and I wanted to show you.”

Alcohol doesn’t get easy to him —not from a beer, at least—, but he’s smiling like silly, and you can’t help but smile too.

You park where he tells you, and surely enough, there’s no one there. It’s a secluded, empty area, far from the center and high enough so that the city can be seen clearly.

“Think I left my jacket here last time I came.” He snickers, and you can’t help but chuckle. His hand travels to your knee and he squeezes it gently. “I’ll come back in just a second.”

One blink. Two blinks.

Hot fucking damn.

Your head falls against the steering wheel as soon as he closes the door.

Get your shit together.

Looking up, the car tells you it’s way past midnight. Your head tells you you’re crazy, your heart giggles at the fact, guilty as charged. Sighing, you raise your face enough to look at the stars. Only to find Jisung’s silhouette, now with a dark jacket on, waving at you as he stands in front of the car.

You’re blushing, but you wave haphazardly, smiling, and still frown when instead of getting back to his seat, Jisung goes and opens your door instead.

“Hey,” he giggles, and your grin matches with his.

“What are you doing?”

Jupiter can sometimes be seen from Earth, when the Sun’s light hits it just right and the night is dark. Still, its shimmer doesn’t compare to that of Jisung’s eyes when he rests his forearms on the car’s roof and bends down to your height. You haven’t moved, your own eyes fixated on how he licks his lips.

“I think I’m being stupid,” he chuckles. You’re a goner, not even noticing how his hand slides in for a moment and turns the headlights off, leaving you two only illuminated by the shy light in the car that indicates that the door is open and by the moonlight, who cheekily shines at the both of you.

Instead, you blink. Normally you just get him, just as he gets you, but you’re almost as lost as how you feel when you stare into his dark brown eyes.

“Stupid?” You smile lightly. “Why?”

At your tender tone, Jisung lets his head fall down, shyness getting the best of him. And yet the little alcohol he’s had boosts him back.

“I, uh, had a dream. Been having these dreams for like, a bit over a month,” he swallows dry, much like he did at the studio, and his eyes suddenly feel darker than before, maybe because his gaze stops avoiding yours for longer than a minute.

A meteor shower threatens to fall over your heart.

“You were there. And I was there, too.”

For someone who composes and uses words for a living, he was struggling a lot to piece together what he wanted to say.

“This… there was… this… feeling, like, inside of me. Here.”

Not only does he not use his hand, but he takes yours from the steering wheel and settles it over his chest. His heart.

You’re frozen. Completely out of it. Is it possible that maybe you fell asleep in the studio and that none of this is real? Could that be it, you wonder, until Jisung groans and leans his forehead against the roof of the car with a thud.

“I’m being an idiot, am I?” He snickers, with an undertone that lingers in something that resembles resignation. “I just- I saw you the other day, and I was… you were with Hyunjin, and I…” he clenches his fist, and he tries to back off, rubbing his face and passing them through his hair.

“No, Ji, wait.”

He chuckles breathlessly. “I made it awkward, right?”

“Ji.”

Your hand pulls him back closer by the zipper of his jacket, and only the crunchy-like sound of the gravel beneath him as he walks echoes through the night and follows how you move your hands toward his wrists. Towards his own hands, stopping him from picking on his nails further.

“Tell me, Ji,” you mumble. “What were you saying?”

His voice threatens to tremble before he speaks. His eyes don’t move from yours, and you think you’re completely out of your mind, just as much as he thinks of himself too.

“I keep having these dreams where I see you and the ache of wanting you swells up in me, like I’m on a raft that’s sinking and I just can’t even escape thinking about you when I sleep because I-”

He’s rambling, but with a sudden move from your side, he’s not anymore.

The cold of November doesn’t hit you when you stand up bluntly and you link your arms behind his neck and kiss him like you have been wanting to do for years.

His lips crash against yours like the sea crashes against the sharp rocks against the shore, even if the coast is much further away than you think, but you don’t mind, because you can’t think.

You’re kissing him. Finally.

You’re kissing Han Jisung.

And then, just a beat after what you’ve done —what you’re doing— sinks in, he reacts. His hands travel underneath your jacket and in the blink of an eye, he’s letting you push him against the car. No words, no nothing, only the scent of his cologne that suddenly fills you.

You tremble beneath him, and he pants.

He’s not blinking, his eyes glued to you. He can’t think either.

You should say something. What should you say? ‘Me too’? That’s lame. How come your brain can’t work when you most need it?

As if to answer your question, Han kisses you this time. Of course you can’t think, not when his hands travel underneath your clothes and he twists you in a way that somehow it’s your back against the car now. He’s not breathing, and neither are you, because you’re not kissing anymore, not when your lips can feel the teasing dent of his teeth nibbling on them and when the only thing you can taste is his tongue.

You’re not against the car anymore, because he closes the driver’s door with a kick and he opens the one to the backseats while he keeps kissing you.

Crazy. You’ve gotta be, because dreaming something as wild as this and for it to feel real, as real as it gets, as real as it could ever be, it has to mean you’re crazy. And you’d die on that hill if it means you get to keep dreaming how Jisung takes his newly-found jacket off and throws it to the front seat, in the same foreign path as where he throws his shirt, or how you two barely fit in the car and so he settles his knee between your legs to help you move back enough so that he can close the door.

And now you’re there. Alone together.

He gasps against your neck, as if he remembered that he had to keep breathing to live, and you don’t lose your opportunity, taking your sweater off and throwing it towards the trunk.

You lean your head back, the car feeling heavy with only the sounds of both him and you panting.

“I… fuck, I need you to tell me you want this.” Han swallows dry. “I need you to say it. Please. I want this too much.”

A meteor shower? Scratch that. This is a meteor storm.

“I think this is a dream, but still, I want you. Please.”

No words, no nothing, just the sound of the leather against your sweaty skin when you sit up straight and kiss Jisung like you mean it. It’s all nasty, teeth and tongue and a string of saliva that lingers when you break the kiss to fumble with his zipper.

“What if it is a dream,” you gasp, out of breath, out of control, completely and irrevocably out of it as your eyes stare at his. “I want you. Even if I wake up right now.”

Your shirt is discarded as fast —if not faster— than the rest of your clothes before.

“So if it is a dream, let’s keep going until we wake up.” You swallow dry too. “Until the stars can’t be seen.”

The kiss is like a heroin kick, although it is one that seems familiar. Or maybe it’s that your lips have become used to kissing his, considering that breathing has become a second priority with how raw is the need to consume him. A wave of pleasure takes claim inside of you with each caress of his tongue, with every touch of his fingers on your back, with every eager breath next to your jaw. He pulls you closer and moans with his mouth buried in your skin unfinished phrases that drive you crazy little by little —more than you already were.

“It may end right away,” Jisung says in a hoarse voice, clinging to one of the headrests that are closest to him. “But I’ll make it up to you. With my mouth. Or with my fingers. Or both. Yes, fuck...”

It’s a mix of quick and ruthless kisses, mouths open. Wet and urgent, almost in bites, as if you’d want to eat the other alive as he takes his pants off and helps you with yours, going down to kiss your neck.

“You’re so... f-fuck, ah...” he mumbles while he runs his tongue down your throat and to your collarbone. “I never want to wake up.”

His lips taste like the feeling that overcomes you when you look at the sky on a starry night. Emotion. Ecstasy. You want to drink it whole until there’s not a single drop left. Drink him.

Jisunh squeezes your ass, while your mouths are a mess, while he bites your lip and pulls it, smiling like a cheeky bitch, while your mouths fight for the control of the kiss and your tongue caresses his, and before you can piece together that the windows are foggy because of the two of you, he’s sliding inside, his hand lacing with yours.

God, you want to moan. Moan so loud. And so you do, because there’s nothing in this dream that could stop you.

And he moans, too, because you are like a dream come true.

Juno and Jupiter.

[🔺☆ 🚀 ☆🔺]

~kats, who accidentaly went full autism, space and mythology on the meaning of ‘juno’ by Sabrina Carpenter.

catiuskaa, november 2024 ©

[anonymouscheeses]

Obvious shit I noticed part 3 (spoilers for welcome to heaven)

Look at her! "Teehee"

Also she's nervous! Foreshadowing omg 🤯

STICKERS! Two pride stickers and a cute donut. Gives me an idea to draw Chaggie at a donut shop while everything is burning down <3 (I'll probably do it but if any artist wants to as well go ahead!)

*CHOKES ON COFFEE* I LOVE THEM. I'M SORRY I GET SO GIDDY WHEN THEY HAVE EVEN THE SMALLEST INTERACTION BUT UGHHH I NEED MORE, IT WILL NEVER BE ENOUGH 🙏🙏

KISSY! MWA! *SCREAMS INTO THE VOID*

Vivzie give me more, moar now. MOAR

DAMN. SHE CAN THROW- or maybe it just exaggerates the perspective in this frame but still- ZAMNNN

Cherri x Sir Pentious fans RISE UP.

I wasn't ever really a fan of it myself but I always thought it was CUTE. Like 3 seconds before this part I was already begging for them to kiss 😭

More foreshadowing!

AAAAAA CREEPY BIRD THINGS!!!

Oh wait- Sera's hot and Emily's already adorable

If heaven don't look like what this is in the show, I DONT WANT IT! (THATS A JOKE PLEASE DON'T SMITE ME)

JEALOUS GIRLFRIEND VAGGIE!! Can I just say how much I love Vaggie's face expressions? Not just here but like all the time. She's just made to be so exaggerated, out of all of them I thought it would be Charlie who would have the most dramatic faces but Vaggie wins it for me. I JUST GIGGLE SO HARD WHEN SHE LOOKS LIKE THIS BAHAHAH

Okay yeah. It's very obvious now. Vaggie is definitely an ex-exterminator. They don't close in on Charlie here so it's made to subtly nudge the attention to Vaggie. HOW DID THEY IMMEDIATELY NOTICE IT WAS HER THO??

Hot-

That's it.

SHARE THAT MOTHUSSY GIRL-

YOU'RE TELLING ME SHE GREW OUT ALL OF THAT HAIR?!? YEAH ITS BEEN A LONG TIME SINCE THEN BUT STILL AJJSJD.

But overall the design is pretty meh. I always loved the idea of short hair Vaggie and even have seen art of it but it's just yknow, alright. Reminds me of Cassandra from Tangled: the series. IM LISTENING TO ONE OF THE SONGS RIGHT NOW HELPPP

THIS SCENE HERE! WOOOOO! SO GLAD WE KNOW WHEN AND WHERE THEY FIRST MET!! Wish we got it extended tho. And also probably push it to next episode so it would have a better impact(atleast I think thats when they'll have the duet). BUT WHATEVER SOMETHING IS BETTER THAN NOTHING! or uh whatever

Vaggie must've been a bit terrified at first. The only sinner she ever sent mercy to was a child. Then to see someone who to her is an adult sinner who just looks really human, that must be crazy. BUT THEN IF SHE WAS TOLD THAT CHARLIE WAS ACTUALLY THE PRINCESS OF HELL? HOOOO, LOCK IN AND STEAL HER. THAT'S SOME WATTPAD SHIT. Also, I wonder how long Charlie thought of redeeming sinners. It would make sense to be after meeting Vaggie, since it could have been a wake up call to the fact not all sinners are bad people. Even though Vaggie isn't a sinner technically, Charlie didn't know that at the time. But maybe Charlie was always like this but just needed to meet someone who could start her dream with her. Long rant uhhh

Haha penis 🫵

SCRAP WHATEVER I SAID IN THE FIRST PART. THEY PROBABLY DO FUCK- OR DONT?? I DONT KNOW- ANYWAY LESBIAN SEX (BOTTOM TEXT). WHY DO I CARE SO MUCH??? SOMEONE PULL THE TRIGGER.

Lute looks like a basic asf anime gorl. Adam doesn't ever take his helmet off, or maybe he just can't. OH HE'S DOING THE GAY SIGN 💅💅 Very appropriate for what he's saying

Mentor, apprentice. I love that Husk is just trying to help Angel grow but isn't going to force him into it if he doesn't want to.

Im not a fan of huskerdust and think they'd be better friends as I can't imagine a relationship with them at all. But it's still nice and they are supportive of eachother so that's like- yknow. Basic rules. Or something like that. (HELP. I ruined it all at the last part)

I- girl- WHY IS SHE GROWLING?? GRR GRR RR (INSERT TWILIGHT SAGA HERE)

VAGGIE'S FACE. SENDS ME. WHO GAVE HER THESE OVERDRAMATIC EXPRESSIONS, I APPLAUD YOU RGAGAGA

Ooo... I didnt like this part at all... Instead of making the choice she just runs off. Then because the plot demands it, Adam says nothing. Kinda whish she atleast avoided the question, maybe in some way that would require actual thinking? For a character like Vaggie, she could choose either way and it feel like it's still her. If she chose to protect Charlie's dream, she would still be perfectly loyal to her but in the act of so would reveal a secret that could harm their relationship(which does happen at the end but that's because the plot wanted it like that). If she chose to side with Adam, she'd be hurting Charlie emotionally, sure, but it would keep a secret that could make Charlie see Vaggie less than who she is to her already(atleast what Vaggie might think would happen). Imo it should've been her deciding to protect Charlie, since it would mean she's devoted to her at all times.

ANOTHER THING! IF SHE COULDN'T MAKE THE CHOICE, THAT IS SOMETHING INTERESTING TO GO INTO. Maybe it could go deeper into how Vaggie doesn't know who she is without Charlie. So when she has a choice to make, like here, she can't do it without feeling the need to ask Charlie. BUT NOOO, YA HAD TO GO WITH THIS!! Wow. That was a long ass rant. Wtf 😭

Maybe I'm a dumbass. Maybe they'll talk about that next episode, but still, atleast touch on it a bit to not seem rushed?

Angel looking out for his kids like a mom. We always did need the motherly figure, the one closest to that being Charlie but girl needs a mother in her life too(damn, wait, I did her so dirty).

Huh, so why does it work here then? 🤨🤨 if it was said in the contract that Valentino can do whatever he wants only in the studio, then why is this the exception? 🤨🤨

Yes I'm stupid. Why do you ask? (No genuinely what's happening here)

OH ITS THE IMAGE! I really like Sera so far, hope we get more of her soon or in season 2.

Now that we know the context of this, yeah, that's fucking insane. And badass. WOMEN.

HMM. THATS STRANGE. DID YOU NOT FOR ONCE THINK THERE COULD BE A POSSIBILITY SHE MIGHT HAVE BEEN AN ANGEL? Okay I probably wouldn't either but I have an excuse, I'm an idiot. Some girl with a standing out outfit, with one eye, looks unusually human, right after/during the extermination... that's pretty solid ass proof. But I'm dumb so don't take anything i say seriously :D

Imagine this. No- shit. Just-

JUST LOOK! THEY ARE SO CUTE! EVEN THOUGH CRAZY SHIT IS HAPPENING.

*SWEATS*

Vaggie is DESPERATE. PLEADING. That's obvious yeah, but don't mind me I had nothing to say for the last 3 images I just thought they were cool

I mean. Slay I guess. 😍💅

Do all the exterminators look similar or is it just Lute and Vaggie? 🤨

Even though Vaggie and Charlie may be going through this horrible thing with a hard punch in the gut, but Vaggie is always going to comfort her and I just think that's so adorable.

Also Adam looks like a chicken hah.

Everyone fears to be like Lucifer. If they don't do bad things they believe are for the greater good and make sacrifices that put them higher than those in hell, they could themselves be fallen. It's really interesting but I don't know if it's going to be fleshed out enough with the amount of episodes left. Which also worries me about everything else that still hasn't be concluded. There's gonna be loose strings I just know it. Hopefully though they rather do that then rush everything out y'know?

I want the next episode to be mostly focused on Vaggie and Charlie's relationship and the healing of what happened. Not for the entire episode of course, it would feel drawn out if it did, but atleast address the problem for the first like I would say 10 minutes? Then the rest would focus on one or two loose threads while also having Vaggie and Charlie acting upon moving on. That's just my idea but yeah-

[savethecolytecampaign]

Acolyte fandom, today we’re going to talk about Qimir!! What were your favorite moments? 😍😍😍

Qimir is fascinating. I love every scene with him. We first see him as a clumsy yet kind-hearted man, then as a strong, cold, and calculating one, and later as a vulnerable and charming lover. But what I want to see the most is his role as a mentor with Osha. He's an incredibly complex and multifaceted character!

The quotes he delivers, his personalities—everything about him is captivating. Qimir is a great character, very interesting. Leslye really did an incredible job assembling the entire cast of The Acolyte.

One of the things that impresses me the most about Manny is the chemistry he has with Amandla. Just watching the way Qimir interacts with Mae and Osha, you can immediately notice the difference. It's impressive! It's fantastic! Their performances are incredible, and it only highlights their dynamic even more.

As The Stranger, he's so intimidating, so strong, and always spitting out the truth. It was the first time I truly felt a strong connection with someone from the dark side. And that’s the point—because not everyone is evil for no reason, we’re all shades of gray. Giving that depth to both the Jedi and to him was really well done and exciting.

Manny trained for such a long time for his role as Qimir, and you can tell. His skill is amazing, and watching him do almost all his scenes, portraying this villain who, even though we knew it was him, the way they present him is really what matters. It was so impactful!

I especially love the dual choreography in his fight scenes, something that's rarely done well, especially when one fights against two at once. And the fight between Qimir and Master Sol in the last episode was incredible!! Manny’s performance was outstanding, as was the entire cast's. What an incredible job!

Something I want to emphasize is that, while this man is physically attractive, what really captivates women is how he understands Osha, how he listens to her and understands her. He’s a vulnerable man who talks to her, who’s kind, who gives her choices, and who considers her at all times. One of my favorite scenes is the entire episode 6 (because there are so many reasons I love this episode!). Every interaction between Qimir and Osha in that episode is amazing. He always gives her a choice. He makes her face herself, heals her wounds, sets her free, and sees her. He understands her because he has lost everything too. In contrast, to talk Sol and Mae, he has to knock them out and tie them up. Although I won’t deny it, that scene is chilling, especially when Sol tells him she won’t hurt him, but the first thing she does when she runs away is to chase her and try to take her down.

I love Qimir, and I want to see more of him in that role, but I also want to see more of his vulnerable side, to understand what led him to the dark side. I’m curious to know how he found Mae and how his training began. I want to see more of this magnificent duo. I also want to see more of the relationship between Osha and Qimir, both as master and pupil, and in their lovers’ role.

Qimir is a character full of nuances, and I love how Leslye did such a great job, a role only Manny could have played so perfectly. The whole cast did amazing work. What I love most is how Manny and Amandla would get excited every day to be on Star Wars. You can clearly see the passion and love they have for the saga!

It’s very important to mention that there is no Qimir without Osha or Mae, because his life is deeply connected to theirs since Qimir decided to train Mae. There is still a part of his story we don’t know, but once we learn about his past with Vernestra and Sol, we’ll truly see that his journey revolves around training Mae and then Osha. This relationship is crucial to the development of all their stories, and it's a key element we want to explore—the important bond between them.

[rin-sith]

Now that Jorge posted the trailer, let's talk about my hopes for the Ithaca saga

I didn't really do this for the Vengeance saga, despite that being the first saga I actually watched on release day. But for that saga, my expectations were a lot vaguer; I kind of just went into it expecting nothing and everything ... and honestly, by this point enough time has passed that I can confidently and without recency bias say that the Vengeance saga is my favorite saga to date.

Honestly, I could sit here and talk about expectations such as "let Athena reappear and reconcile with Odysseus", "flesh out Penelope and give us insight in her yearning for Odysseus", or "give us more background and characterization on Antinous and the suitors" but honestly, that feels a bit superfluous because I trust Jorge to do those things anyway (especially the last two.)

So, I'm going to talk about some expectations that are a lot vaguer and bolder instead ... Which is why I call them "hopes" in the title, rather than expectations.

Before anything else, I'll talk about my thematic expectations here. Namely how, if I were to guess the theme for the Ithaca saga, I would guess "the necessity of forgiveness and acceptance", contrasting the Vengeance saga's "the unnecessity of vengeance and resentment."

This would make the last two sagas two sides of the same coin, in the same way that Thunder and Wisdom are (one explores a formerly merciful character trying out ruthlessness, the other a formerly ruthless character trying out mercy.)

There is also so much room to explore this theme, not just in terms of how Odysseus' family receives him. In the way he might have to accept the changes in his family and his life since he left, in how he might start showing signs of accepting himself and his own changes, and also in the way he might interact with the suitors.

First, I actually want to talk about a character from the Odyssey who I, against all odds, really hope shows up because his inclusion would be so perfect for EPIC's themes and exploring the complexity of Odysseus' character: Amphinomus.

Disclaimer: I haven't read the Odyssey in ages and while I did some research for this post, please correct me if anything I say is wrong.

Now, in case you don't know, in the Odyssey, Amphinomus was one of the suitors, and specifically described as the most decent man among them. He would occasionally try to restrain the other suitors from their more aggressive or inappropriate behavior, showed kindness to Odysseus when he was disguised as a beggar, and demonstrated better judgment and more respectful behavior compared to the other suitors.

Because of this, Homer's Odysseus actually tries to warn him, and convince him to leave while still disguised, so that he wouldn't get caught up in the slaughter. However, he does not heed this warning and stays ... because of divine intervention: Homer apparently specifically mentions that Athena had "bound him to death".

It is ultimately Telemachus, fighting at his father's side, who kills him along with all of the others.

Now, again, if any of that recount was wrong, please correct me, but also ultimately it doesn't matter that much because EPIC isn't the Odyssey. I don't expect or want it to play out the exact same way in EPIC ... Actually, I'd be pretty disappointed if it does. I want him to be included in EPIC for a completely different reason, on which I will elaborate shortly.

For the Odyssey, it makes perfect sense for it to end badly for him. From what I know, in the moral framework of the ancient Greek world, his participation in the suitor's actions and his being part of their group, regardless of his personal character, made him culpable along with them. Individual accountability wasn't a focus of ancient Greek stories the way that it is in modern stories.

In EPIC, however, he could be such a great example specifically to portray individual accountability and complexity. Now, in terms of how it plays out for him, it could go a couple of different ways.

He could straight up survive, either by being warned or spared in the end by Odysseus, to show Odysseus' dual nature as both merciful and ruthless. For EPIC's Athena it would make no sense to condemn him to death since she has embraced mercy, and for EPIC's Odysseus it would make no sense to kill him if he conveys that ruthlessness isn't required to deal with him.

I'd personally be very much for this route since it provides a great opportunity to show Odysseus showing mercy in a moment otherwise dominated by ruthlessness (the suitor slaughter); this is probably how I would write it.

He could be killed by the other suitors instead of Odysseus and Telemachus. This route falls more in line with the tragedy, but it could be a great way to escalate the dynamic among the suitors and portray them as individuals as opposed to just a unanimous group with one mind. Honestly, his sheer inclusion would already do this, but an outcome like this even more.

He could be killed by Odysseus or Telemachus for a justifiable reason, as opposed to divine intervention. Maybe it would be self-defense, or maybe Amphinomus himself is portrayed as more morally gray. While having some decency he still does something that makes it clear that ruthlessness is necessary to deal with him ... such as, for example, not heed Odysseus' warning of his own accord and instead of begging for mercy, insist on wanting his throne and Penelope's hand either way.

He could be killed by Odysseus or Telemachus because of divine intervention from another god. This is honestly my least favorite option because it takes agency away from the characters, when we seem to have reached a point in the story where agency has seemingly been reclaimed. It could probably be made to work, but at that point it would almost be a wasted opportunity.

Honestly, I could probably come up with a few more of these scenarios, all of which depend on how exactly he would be portrayed in EPIC. But ultimately, these are the main few that I can think of. We'll just have to wait and see.

Overall, I'd just think not including him in a story as heavily focused on moral complexity and nuance as EPIC would be a missed opportunity since his entire existence is kind of an expression of complexity—specifically among the group of suitors who are, in my opinion, in great need of more nuance.

Amphinomus and the suitors aside, something else I am hoping to see very much is a nuanced and satisfying portrayal of Odysseus' newfound dual nature.

Something that makes it absolutely clear that Odysseus is neither "just a man" nor "a monster" anymore, but rather something in between. A being capable of both ruthlessness and mercy. For example, a scene showing him be merciful in one moment and ruthless in the next, both being entirely justified and correct approaches to two separate cases.

At least a hint toward a beginning of a self-acceptance arc. So far, we've only seen Odysseus blame himself, demonize himself, judge himself more than he has ever judged anyone else (I talked about this a little in my "Monster" analysis essay, if you're interested.) It feels like a natural final step in his character arc to at least attempt giving himself more leeway, maybe with the help of his family and their acceptance (also oddly in line with the "Next to my wife" line, if you think about it.)

A callback to "I am neither man nor mythical", the line first brought up by @glisten-inthedark as likely having been foreshadowing (I agree with this heavily.) You might even adjust this slightly, to be "I am neither man nor monster" and it gives us exactly what he has become now. Don't give me another "Just a man" reprise, and don't give me a "No longer you" or "Monster" reprise either. Give me a "Remember them" reprise instead.

If you have to give me a "Just a man" or "Monster" reprise, make it clear that he is neither anymore. He's not the man who would use "I am just a man" as an excuse in act 1, and he is not the monster who would act ruthlessly in every situation. Similarly, if you have to give me a "No longer you" reprise, please make it finally clear that Odysseus is most certainly still "himself". He may no longer be the same man he was when he met Tiresias but putting it like that is highly misleading and I just have a personal problem with "No longer you" for this reason. Objectively, it's a great song. Subjectively, I can actually not stand it.

Alright, I think that's enough setting up expectations that can now be disappointed for myself for one essay 😂😂 I hope you enjoyed! And if any of these won't happen, well I might be disappointed, but Jorge might also give us something entirely different that will be surprising in a good way as well, so I'm definitely open for anything.

Please feel free to share your thoughts down below through a reblog or comment and see you all in Ithaca saga!

[epicthemusical]

Hi I am very new to the Epic fandom and I'm curious to know what all the big ships are (if there are any. Tbh I've had enough of shipping wars for a while), or if there's anything else I need to know for interacting in the fandom space

okay phew this is gonna be a lot and i have enlisted my EPIC friends to make this is accurate i can. first off nicknames we use a lot. Eurylochus us Eury, Odysseus is Ody, Perimedes is often called Peri of course Penelope is often called Pen. you might see mention of Diomedes which is based more in the original Illiad which we call Dio. hmm think thats about all now onto ships

odypen (Odysseus x Penelope) ofc self explanatory applies to both EPIC and original sources

eurymene (Eurylochus x Ctimene) they are not mentioned in EPIC but yeah Ctimene is also Ody sister making Eury and Ody brothers in law

diodypen (Diomedes x Odysseus x Penelope) based more on the original source of The Odyssey/Illiad but will be mentioned in EPIC communities

odydio (Odysseus x Diomedes) again based more on original source but could be mentioned

telestratus (Telemachus x Peseistratus) again based on original source but will be mentioned at times

odypoli (Odysseus x Polites) EPIC based one of my personal favorites and a pretty popular ship not much else to say Perenor, Perinorpoli, Peripoli, ect (Perimedes x Elpenor, Perimedes x Elpenor x Polites, Perimedes x Polites) basically any combination of these three is a ship. this is caused by some cut song snippets Jorge has shared specifically Cope with That and a mention that originally Polites x Perimedes were supposed to be a thing

antimachus (Telemachus x Antinous) This is a toxic ship when it comes to EPIC cannon

Another big fandom thing that isnt really everybody cup of tea is something called the Manwore AU started by Anniflamma a big animator/artist within EPIC were basically Ody sleeps with everyone as a way to make it through his journey. I will mention that Ody does NOT cheat on Penelope in either EPIC or the original sources.

Polites Eury and Ody are childhood friends

people will often mention pancakes and Polites together that is from the Cyclops saga.

One of the problems in the fandom is a lot of people bashing Eury for his actions i personally dont like bashing characters since i believe every character made mistakes and messed up so no one character deserves to be blamed but you can form your own opinions on this.

Fans of EPIC are called winions which is short for wind minions shown in the Ocean Saga and is often related to the Lotus eater creatures

Big artists/animators for EPIC include Gigi, Aniflamma, Mircsy (prounounced merchy), Gwendy, Wolfythewitch, and a newer one called Neal

Playlist of EPIC animatics/animations in order (Vengeance saga is the livestream since its so new and not all the songs have animations yet)

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGNbMhyzUajd-DZadE_QzvBwpYr2J8_J2&si=nXBZSJQPXBnW-DnF

overall this community is actually one of the better to exist and for the most part except for a minority everyone is open and supportive so feel free to share your thoughts and creations. We have a ton of very creative and talented people and we welcome you to the EPIC community UwU

[agoodroughandtumble]

Do You Think They Know? - Roronoa Zoro x Reader Part 4

Do You Think They Know? - Roronoa Zoro x Reader Status: Complete (4 of 5) Summary: A culmination of oneshots ascertaining Reader & Zoro’s relationship Warning: 18+, Language, implied smut

“Oh, fuck off!” You gave Zoro an incredulous look whilst taking a sip of your beer. “You honestly want me to believe you haven’t thought about doing the nasty without anyone on the crew?”

Your drinking partner was as infuriatingly hard to gage as ever. “I haven’t.”

You rolled your eyes. “Oh, of course – too busy with your swords to be thinking about,” you paused for the sake of innuendo, “Your sword.”

Zoro raised an eyebrow, hint of a smirk giving away his otherwise stoic expression. He shifted slightly, turning in the booth to face you full on. “If I say “no” you won’t believe me; if I say “yes” you’ll keep pestering me until I tell you who.”

You eyed him up and down. “Is it Nami? I’d fuck Nami.”

“I’ll let her know.” He took a swig of his beer.

You let out a groan, shifting to turn towards the rest of the bar. “You’re no fun.” Your gaze wandered towards the rest of the crew – Nami, Chopper and Usopp were dancing, well, Chopper was moving at least. Luffy was more than happy sat at the bar ordering meat dish after meat dish – seemingly monologuing at a very patient Robin in between mouthfuls. And Sanji was probably about to get a drink thrown in his face. Everyone seemed to having fun and you were sat here with the most boring man in the entire Grand Line. Honestly, if his smile didn’t make your heart skip a beat and his voice didn’t reverberate directly between your legs there would be no way you’d waste your time humouring him.

Bewilderingly you seemed to have an infuriating urge to forego all desires to enjoy yourself in the bar in order to spend time with him. Maybe it was some sort of subconscious penance. You indulged yourself a little too well with the pirate life so being stuck with a very uninterested Zoro, or, more accurately, very uninterested in you, was your repentance. Either way. It sucked.

The only thing that sucked more would be leaving the table and not spending time with him. Fuck. You took another sip of your drink which of course only led you to thinking about him again because of the bloody stupid bandage on your bloody stupid hand that he’d done and you’d internalised and made a whole saga about. He probably didn’t remember the interaction.

He really should fuck off. But, like, not fuck Nami. Just fuck off and be as weird and confused as you were. Away. Very away.

“Do you want another drink?”

“Er, yeah, sure.” You didn’t look at him – too absorbed in thoughts about him and trying not to scrunch your face at the irony to be somewhat composed.

“You have to answer the question too, then.”

You looked at him with furrowed eyebrows. “Question?”

“You honestly want me to believe you haven’t thought about anyone on the crew?”

If there was a glint in his eye you didn’t register it. “Oh that.” You shrugged, “Sanji.” You downed your drink.

Zoro didn’t say anything else as he headed to the bar.

Your eyes followed him, hand playing absent-mindedly with your empty bottle as he ducked and weaved around the dancers. He seemed a little stiff but then when didn’t he – well, maybe when he was too tired after a work out. That was the only time he seemed to resemble a human. Too tired and drained to keep up the façade – just dropping his entire body weight onto you and passing out. When you had both been training it was fine but when he went out of his way to find you, just to sleep on you that was fucking annoying an- oh. Your back stiffened. No. That was the bar. And the alcohol. You ran a hand through your hair, as if that would run the thoughts out of your head too. Still, you couldn’t help but keep an eye on him. Just to make sure nothing happened. Just to make sure neither of you were too drunk and about to make any bad decisions. You were just being a good friend. That was all.

So what if you might have been possibly, potentially, a little in your cups. And you might possibly, potentially be being a complete idiot (either way – that wasn’t clear yet). And you were certainly, definitely going to regret this in the morning but some, some fucking harpy at the bar had latched herself onto Zoro. Because yes, obviously everything he said was hilarious. He wasn’t saying anything hilarious. He was Zoro. The bitch.

Your teeth clenched, back up. Which wasn’t entirely your fault. It was entirely hers. She was being obnoxious. Head tilted back and showing off her fangs. Your eyes narrowed. Oh, touching his arm. Yeah, we can all touch his arm. Fuck you. But no, we’re going with giggling like a schoolgirl again. Get some fucking dignity. His biceps aren’t that huge. And the way he smiles with his dimples and canines on display isn’t that endearing. He was just a guy. Just a guy that always smelt like sweat because God forbid he had a shower. And just a guy that never cleaned up after himself because “love cook” would do it. And just a guy who bandaged your hand and slung his legs all over you when he wanted a post work-out nap even though you wanted a shower because he would always want you stay a little bit longer. And. And. And just the guy. And fuck.

*

“Sanji.”

Of course it would be him. He was always flirting with you so it was only a matter of time before you started flirting back. Zoro was fully aware that the time in the kitchen he had walked into wasn’t the first time. Something was obviously going on and he he just kept inadvertently kept getting in the way. Which was pissing him off. It was obvious to anyone possessing eyes that there was something going on with you and Sanji, and yet Zoro was always the one picking up the pieces. He had assumed Sanji would have looked after you better.

Zoro shouldn’t be the one tending to your wounds; Zoro shouldn’t be the one trying to keep you occupied whilst Sanji was too busy flirting with all and sundry. Zoro shouldn’t be the one thinking about you when there was no other way to alleviate the ever-growing fire within him, the fire that only thoughts of you could relieve.

So fuck it. Someone was flirting with him at the bar. He could use the distraction and it wasn’t like you were interested anyway. Why shouldn’t he be wanted for once? So he laughed and indulged when she was so obviously interested in his muscles. He allowed himself once glance in your direction – you seemed more concerned with playing with the empty bottle than anything he was doing.. Again. Annoying. It would be nice if you could be annoyed – for you to care that he was flirting with someone else. Fuck, his feelings for you were so tightly wound around your hand as that bandage was. But you… you were so nonchalant. Unaware. Uncaring. He ordered some shots.

“Hey stranger.”

Zoro downed his shot and turned to the smiling redhead in front of him, “Drinking game?”

Nami gave him a confused look for a second before shrugging, “What do you have in mind?”

“Anything that doesn’t involve her.”

Zoro didn’t notice Nami’s raised eyebrow towards Robin.

[laurentidal]

Ice Core Report ❄️ August 2024

Decided to do a little editorial check in at the end of each month. Most of you probably don't know that, while Lauren is my real first name, that my blog is actually named for a massive ice sheet that once lay over the place where I live (the Laurentide Ice Sheet). Thus, this is a report from my ice core.

#1 Story: Suggestion Box

This one was a huge surprise for me. It took off immediately, and I had not seen that coming. I'd had this image saved in my "had potential" folder for probably three weeks before I decided on how to tell the story. It went through an iteration where this was an ice skating rink, then it was a sandwich shop. I think one draft had a "five dollar footlong" joke in it. But ultimately I liked "arcade" the best.

#2 Story: Enjoy Your Stay

This was based on fun joking conversation I had with @hypno-potion and as the scaffolding we were joking about kept getting more elaborate I was like "No there is definitely something here." I'm glad you all agreed.

#3 Story: Kitty Pet Saga

I saw this picture and immediately knew what the story was going to be. Sometimes I see an image and think "There's something here if I look hard enough" and sometimes I see an image and a fully formed idea just jumps right out of it.

#4 Story: Oh My

This is a story I actually wrote quite some time ago for an old defunct website that never really got any foot traffic. I'm glad I brought it over, because it's one of my personal favorites. The only fauxcest story in the top five this month. That's one of those kinks I think I'm just going to have to accept that you guys aren't as into as I am (and I have the data to validate that claim).

#5 Story: Daughters and Suns

The only true repost from my old blog and the only part of a series in the top five this month. This series is my favorite thing I'm writing right now (though this entry isn't my favorite in the series). There's a lot more coming so I hope you're enjoying as much as I am.

Sunda Systems

We're half way through Season 1 of my Sunda Systems investigative mind control conspiracy story. Our investigator has made several contacts and visited the campus first-hand. She also might be starting to feel some effects from her various encounters, and her keen eye for detail is missing a few clues that are staring her right in the face. But I'm sure the date she's got lined up will give her some much needed relaxation.

Please please please share this story and feel free to get interactive with it! I've put some real effort into it and I've never written such a slow burn before. I'm enjoying the ride, and I've got some GOOD (I think) twists and turns coming. I think this format could be fun to play around with as an audience. Post your theories! I love seeing that folks are engaging with more than just the like button.

Update of Magics & Mesmerism

Some of you are aware that I'm working on an erotic mind control TTRPG called Magics & Mesmerism. I'm still plugging away. As we speak, I'm writing skills for the Innovator character class. As a treat, I'd like to share with you an except from the page on Hypnotic Foci:

General Thoughts

Every story in the top five this month is a FEMALE SUB story. Noted. I tend to favor that in my writing, too, which is interesting because I think Female Over Male stories are hotter, probably because of the subversion of expectations. I'm a slut for subversion of expectations.

I think that's everything. Love you all and I'm very excited for you to see what's coming in September. One of my favorites that I wrote comes out tomorrow, and on the 13th you'll be introduced to your first Force of Nature.

Till then, keep reading, keep messaging, keep asking, and if you're feeling generous, keep donating.

[gregoriaofnyssa]

Demystifying Female Romance

The basis of female romantic interest is relation-- it is autoerastisphillia. Love of oneself as the lover. This is the true explanation behind the tendency for “female centered” romantic media to have a bland female protagonist and a dynamic, interesting, and often pained male romantic interest. The typical explanation of this is that the female protagonist is supposed to be a blank slate for the female reader to relate to; the female fantasy is to be loved by a dynamic, interesting, rich, and pained man. I am sure there are some women who interact with romantic media in this way, but I am also sure this is not typical, at least not subconsciously. Instead, the bland as bread female protagonist is a conduit for the female reader to relate to and romantically embody the male love interest. 

I experienced this recently when I started playing BG3 recently. I’ve never felt like this about a fictional character before. My heart is inflamed. I think about Astarion, and I giggle like a child. But what is my real interest here? My interest is in myself. I realized I do not so much as have affection for Astarion, but rather I have a great deal in common with him. Our traumas could not be more similar unless I was kidnapped by something supernatural. I was abused; Astarion was abused. I had my body taken from me; Astarion had his body taken away from him. Horrible things were done and said to me; horrible things were done to Astarion. Astarion had his flesh cut into; I had my flesh cut into. 

I always thought fictional crushes were weird, especially when I was a child and my abuse was happening. But now I understand it. The great quality of art is that it allows you to be seen. Really seen. Validated. Only, this art had abs and a lovely voice. This art, and all art I love, makes me want to be a part of it. I love the art because I want to be it.

Autoastarionphillia. Love of oneself as Astarion. It is extremely strange, like much of the rest of female psychology. Masculinized female psychology is even weirded. Reflecting upon this, I recall when I was younger and my abuse was happening, I connected greatly to the character Killian Jones from the ABC show Once Upon a Time. I was enthralled by the relationship between him and Emma Swan, but I really had no interest in Emma. I have always related more to male characters in general, actually. I relate to many male characters more than most real women in my real life. As far as Killian goes, I related to his anger, his pain, and his hunger for vengeance. At the time, I almost didn’t know why I related so. It took me some reflection to realize what was being done to me.

My desire wasn’t so much for the character (it was especially not for the actor), but to be loved like he was, and redeemed like he was. The same is true for Astarion. I relate to his pain, intimately, and I relate to his anger. I wish I could’ve brought vengeance like Astarion will in this (and every) playthrough. I wish there would’ve been someone to pluck me from the horror of what was happening to me. I wish someone would’ve defended me. I wish someone was there to be my mirror. 

This is why the woman in virtually every romance novel (or movie, TV show, or videogame), is a dishwater blonde or brunette with a meek, unknowable personality. (Emma Swan was not like this by any means, but we should still consider why I still related to Hook more than her). This is so prominent that I can’t actually decide if I find Twilight so memorable because of Bella Swan the character, because of Kristin Stwert’s acting, or because of the zeitgeist around the saga in general. The very fact I’m having this debate in my head I take as proof she is not memorable.

There is no question, however, that Edward Cullen is memorable. He spawned more discourse and fandom than I can even imagine (Twilight is slightly before my day). Just think, a pained, superpowered vampire who sparkles. The men in these novels (Twilight is not the first and shall not be the last) are dangerous, powerful, emotional, eccentric, and relatable, and the women are self-described insecure and frumpy, and nothing else described. This is not a fault of the genre, but a feature. 

Male love-interests in romance fiction are, furthermore, usually pained in a feminine way. They are violated, abused, degraded, raped, beaten, and so on. These are means of suffering most common to women. Further, they often inflict self-wounds of hatred, vengeance-seeking, self-hatred, and self-blame. In women especially, these wounds fester. Women believe they are unlovable, and so does the love interest. Their psychologies, as love interests, are also more similar to women. 

Astarion is strong, funny, and capable in a way I wish I could be, but never will be. I wish I could be loved as I love him --as my character loves him. I wish I could be supported and corrected and held, I wish my shame could be refuted, I wish my ugliness could be seen as beauty. 

No matter how much I am loved, I will never feel it. I will never really feel my shame refuted, or my ugliness turned to beauty. So, I possess it vicariously, through someone who will. 

All this is to say I am Astarion’s juice box. Because I wish I could drink the beloved’s blood.

[lavenderchqn]

𝐶𝛨𝛢𝑃𝑇𝛦𝑅 𝟎𝟏𝟐 — GENESIS - PT. 1 (1,4K WORDS) 𝑅𝐸𝐷 𝐿𝐼𝑁𝐸𝑆 — lyney x f!reader smau

𝑆𝑌𝑁𝑂𝑃𝑆𝐼𝑆 —

Second year of university should've been everything you thought of it - more studying with human interaction sprinkled throught... What it definitely wasn't supposed to be was an investigation saga where one of your friends goes missing out of nowhere

𝑃𝑅𝐸𝑉𝐼𝑂𝑈𝑆 — 𝑀𝐴𝑆𝑇𝐸𝑅𝐿𝐼𝑆𝑇 — 𝑁𝐸𝑋𝑇 𝐸𝑃𝐼𝑆𝑂𝐷𝐸 CONTENT WARNING: ALCOHOL

The evening passes in a whirlwind of laughter, clinking glasses and occasional sounds of some guests almost losing their balance. The energy in the room had been electric, with everyone gathered in front of the TV, watching the recording Furina managed to get. With the quality of [Y/N]’s camera, the video’s quality is stunning.

“You did such a good job capturing the performance!” Navia says, her face next to Furina’s. 

“Thank you!” She smiles, sparkles of excitement in her eyes. “I’m quite shocked at how good it looks!” 

“That’s a good camera for you~” Charlotte remarks, sipping her drink.  

As soon as the screening ends, the room gets filled with ovations. Everyone’s clapping and commenting on the siblings’ performance.

“Oh, stop it you guys—“ Lyney’s covering his face with his hands. It’s red, from both embarrassment and the alcohol in his body. 

His glass has been getting filled almost the entire evening. No matter how many times Furina or Wriothesley tried to argue with him to lower his alcohol intake, they got brushed off each and every time. 

“Good job out there, you two!” Wriothesley pats Lyney on his shoulder. “Shame you didn’t fall on your face, Lyney.”

“Oh, fuck you.” The teasing gets cut short with an elbow jab into Wriothesley’s chest. 

“I really liked it,” [Y/N] perks up. “Both the execution and aesthetic of it was spectacular.” 

“You can tell that the two of you have put immense care into this project,” Neuvillette adds. 

“I know we’re all excited about the thing… but no more mentions of projects please…” Charlotte’s meek voice says, tired with the week’s adrenaline ending. “Just... let’s not mention the word ‘project’ at all.” 

She's sitting right next to the open door to the back garden. Since getting to the party, she’s been nursing her glass. She didn’t have as much compared to the man of the evening, and yet she was getting a little bit drunk already. From the entirety of the Table Troupe Cuties group, her past week had been most challenging by a large margin. 

“Just… don’t spend your next finals’ prep on stalking twitter…” Lynette sighs, patting her back. 

“But the masses need to knowwww…

When her words start slurring together, it’s decided that Charlotte gets cut off for the rest of the night. By the time the toast comes, she’s forced to cheer with a glass of water.

She’s matching Neuvillette, who jokingly talks about needing to prosper on his housewarming gift from when he visited the sibling’s house for the first time. He’s keeping his tradition of having very little alcohol whenever being a guest. 

Lynette and Clorinde opt to have non-alcoholic wine, knowing they’re willingly volunteering to be caretakers for the rest of the group.  For the most part, that's going to be an easy job… with a few exceptions. At the very least, they don’t have to worry about [Y/N], Navia or Wriothesley, who manage their alcohol intake quite well… 

Either that or their tolerance is quite strong. 

The same can’t be said about another person.

A few minutes after the toast, Furina fell asleep after having a singular drink. She’s taking a nap in one of the chairs, her position curled almost like a kitten. Her sudden quietness doesn’t go unnoticed by others. 

“Gotta get her somewhere… comfy…” Lyney stumbles in her direction, stubbing his toe on the coffee table. “— Fucking hell…”

“Alright, you’re also getting cut off,” Wriothesley says coldly, gently moving him away from the sleeping girl. “Go home. You’re drunk.” 

“I’m home, you… dick.” 

With guidance from Lynette, the taller man moves Furina to a more comfortable spot to get her rest. At least she won’t complain about back pains once the morning comes.  

Lynette mentions she’s also gonna retire to bed, justifying her choice by her social battery getting low. Nobody has it against her — the performance must’ve taken quite a toll on her body. The group wishes her good night as she leaves the room. 

Charlotte follows Furina soon after, complaining about getting a headache… Unfortunately, nobody can get Lyney to take a nap of his own. He’s seemingly getting more and more energy with each and every drink he’s having. His behaviour makes him look like a tiny puppy excited by having company rather than a grown man slowly entering his 3rd year of university. 

“Does he always get like that?” Navia asks, swirling water inside her glass. At some point in the night, she switched her drink of choice to not get unnecessarily drunk and hungover.

“Like a five-year-old that just got his ass grounded?” Wriothesley counter-asks, taking a sip of his own drink. “Hard to say, to be honest.” 

“I’m unsure what you mean by ‘hard to say’, Wriothesley.” Neuvillette comments. “Lyney always has a hard time managing his alcohol intake whenever in the company of new people.” 

Now that [Y/N] thinks about it, it does make a lot of sense. People of similar personality to his often have the tendency to go overboard. Well, it’s not like she has a psychology degree to make those statements. They are much better kept as a thought to herself. 

All of a sudden, Lyney goes quiet. He takes a seat next to Neuvillette, spacing out. Perhaps his body finally decided to give him a break? 

“I don’t know if we should be talking about him… especially when he’s right here with us.” [Y/N] points out, her voice laced with guilt. 

“Should be fine,” Wriothesley takes a good look at Lyney. “Although he’s here with us in body, his soul is probably off somewhere in dreamland…” 

“I think it’s a good time we head to sleep,” Clorinde states, yawning a little. “I’d rather not be barely alive once the morning comes.” 

With that, the nightly discussion comes to an end. 

Neuvillette and Wriothesley help Lyney get to bed and wish the ladies good night. 

By the time [Y/N] gets up, the air feels different. A thunderstorm must’ve happened at night since the air had a note of sulfur and noticing the streets covered in puddles. 

Judging by the time on her phone — indicating a lovely 7 am — not many people have awoken from their slumber yet. The house feels quite empty… weirdly so. Charlotte and Navia are still asleep in the room they’ve all graciously stayed at. 

Maybe Clorinde and Lynette are already up? 

She decides to head down to the kitchen to hopefully find another awoken soul. The closer she gets there, the more noises she hears.

From what [Y/N] can gather, it's some idle chatter about Furina's plans for getting her apartment clear.

"I can't wait to get my pillows clean!" The short girl exclaims. "Due to uni, I haven't had the time to wash them last month." 

"ehhh?" A slurred voice of Lyney's comments. "Do you have to wash... your pillows that often?" 

"Should happen at least twice a year. C'mon, don't tell me you don't wash your sheets." 

An outburst of annoyed cries comes from the short male. "What did you flick my forehead for?!" 

"Wriothesley's justified." 

"Not you too, Neuvi!" 

Soon enough, she's standing at the doorway to the room. 

“Good morning, [Y/N]!” Furina greets her as soon as she notices [Y/N] enter. “Did you sleep well?” 

“Surprisingly, yeah.” 

There’s no sight of either Clorinde or Lynette in here. There are only members of the Beverage Gang here… although it’s debatable if Lyney counts as present.

“I’m so fucking jealous of you…” He whines over his cup of black coffee, hungover out of his mind. He doesn’t even have the energy to look at [Y/N], keeping his forehead against the table. 

On the other hand, Neuvillette and Wriothesley look better than ever. They’re helping Furina prepare the breakfast. They’ve already cooked some eggs and got bread and pastries on the plates.

Soon enough, Clorinde also gets to her kitchen — her wet hair explaining her absence. They quietly greet each other, both finding a place to sit. 

A cup of tea gets passed to the girls alongside some breakfast foods… And yet, [Y/N] isn't able to get anything into her system. Her body clearly states that something is wrong. She’s unable to figure out why she’s feeling like that. 

Minutes spent sitting there feel like hours. Perhaps her... unexplainable instincts are simply effects of paranoia? Charlotte and her investigative work must've rubbed off on her. 

“Has anyone seen Lynette today?” She asks, looking around the room. 

𝑇𝐴𝐺𝐿𝐼𝑆𝑇 — OPEN

@state-of-grac3 @santaluna @meigalaxy @romyoia

@meurtreofcrows @charles-braindump @floweringanna @moonjellyfishie @vavrin

date of posting — august 24th 2024

[moodymisty]

So I had these sitting around for a bit and didn't have any use for them, so i just decided to clean it a bit and then post it. So here, two snippets of a nailsremoved!AU to be balm on the wound of the inevitable tragedy that is Angron. Apologies about any incohesiveness due to it's rough nature. I'm trying to get more confidence in my own writing and posting more of the ideas that I don't spend 80 years on.

Relationships: Angron/Fem!Reader (an AU of my 'stolen historitor' saga)

Warnings: None really apart from typical 40k talk and Angron's general existence

Snippet 1

The only word you can use to possibly describe it, is euphoric.

Never in a million years, in all of your hopes and prayers and desperate pleas, did you ever think it would even be possible. Even he hadn't; Though as with much of his life, he'd accepted his inevitable fate with the same despondent anger as with much else.

You shouldn't be awake, but you can't help but watch him for a moment.

Angron sleeps sitting. Perhaps its a remnant of his time in the gladiator pits. That would make the most logical sense to you, watching as his chin presses against his collarbone. He has one leg bent and one straight out, his left elbow resting on the bent one. He's prepared to fight, even in his sleep. Even his chainaxes are still within reach. You know if you even shifted towards them, they'd be in his hands within the blink of an eye.

But it's still odd to you, not seeing them. The nails were such a poignant, overt part of Angron's silhouette, that their removal has been an adjustment. It feels like a part of him is missing; In an odd sort of way.

You accidentally shift, and he opens his eyes. You smile at him.

He grunts. You snuffle closer to him and lay against his side, content to stay there for the time being. He doesn't remove you, so you assume it's fine.

You’re happy, but it’s bittersweet.

You know that while Angron no longer feels the full punishment of the nails against every other emotion but rage, that portions of the nails that couldn’t be removed; The pieces that replaced parts of his brain will always give him pain. To say that he is cured is laughable as like some sort of sick curse, he can have no relief in his life. A more accurate description would be that they neutered the Butcher’s Nails to give Angron some breathing room.

"Does it still hurt?"

You say softly, feeling his massive hand flop on your hip.

While there is no longer any nails for you to soothe, he does still feel as if your company gives him relief. Perhaps that's just another human emotion he's only just now been able to taste.

“No.”

You don’t know if he says it because it’s true, or he merely mistakes the neutering of pain as full relief it would make sense, given how long he’s lived with the nails; The pain becoming part of him and even its slight removal could feel like it was gone.

He could also just be lying. Though perhaps it would be more accurate to say refusing to show weakness. Someone like him won't simply admit that pain is affecting him. He'll never show his stomach to anyone, now matter how close you may be to him.

He stares at you. Hard. It’s always impossible to tell what he’s thinking until he inevitably says it.

“You worry too much.”

Your lips purse, and Angron grips your face not too hard, but hard enough to make your cheeks empty of air.

"I'm not the only one. I'm just the only one who admits it." The gladiator makes a disgruntled, irritated face and looks away.

Snippet 2

What an odd moment in time, Sanguinius thinks.

To imagine that out of all of his brothers, the one hailing from Nuceria would be the one to change so drastically. And to think they'd almost thought him lost.

Such is the nature of life, he guesses. For things to change so quickly. Even in their long lives it doesn't seem to slow down in the slightest.

Sanguinius looks across the massive room, watching the World Eater's Primarch interact with the only human he's given time of day. A question must've been asked, as they look up to him with a curiosity and Angron glances down to give an amused scoff.

It's barely there, but he sees it. It's just barely noticeable in the slightly softened look in his eyes. But the angel is keen, and catches it. He speaks up to either of the men in his presence, to neither in particular.

"I've never seen that man crack even the smallest smile. And it's been, what, three hundred years?"

Sanguinius' wings are fluffed, comfortable in the presence of two of his closest brothers. They've even seen Konrad smile; Though context proves to be a valuable marker in regards to him in particular. Magnus crosses his arms and looks towards Horus, not having heard him when the two of them exchanged an amused chuckle at Sanguinus' observation. Odd, for the Warmaster. Normally whenever he's in the Angel's company on Terra, it's hard to keep a laugh off of his lips.

"Have you, brother?"

Horus looks towards his brothers with a soft, charming smirk, one that fades ever so slightly as he looks to Angron. He thinks back, trying to remember a moment where the man hailing from Nuceria had ever shown anything but rage boiling just beneath the surface.

He lets out a soft chuckle when he comes up completely empty, and shakes his head.

"No, I don't think I have."

With all three in agreement Sanguinus makes some sort of lighthearted jest to Magnus at Angron's expense, looking away from the Warmaster for a moment. He doesn't let his perfect veneer drop, as he sees the old gladiator speak words not audible to him at you.

Horus watches for a moment longer, and then walks away.

[icantbelieveitsnotwormstm]

Here it is, my final thoughts on Midnight Sun. I will be breaking this up into two parts within this post. My feelings about Stephenie Meyer's writing. Then my feelings on Edward Cullen as a character.

When I started reading this book, I didn't have high hopes. I was very aware that the general consensus was that the books for The Twilight Saga got worse as the series went on. This, combined with the Twilight critical YouTube videos I half watched back in 2021, and how I felt when I started reading this book, then gave up around that time, lead me to the assumption that reading this book would have to be a labor of love. This wasn't a full hate read, though. I love Twilight and the inspiration to give this book another try was inspired, in part, by re-watching the Twilight movies with my friends. I'll admit, it was a bit rough at first, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that the further in I got, the better.

I had a sincerely fun time reading this piece of Meyer's work. I adore how she writes banter. In the beginning of the book, when Edward interacts with Tanya, she is so charming that I thought they had some chemistry. Every time Bella speaks with Edward, I can't help but find her to be completely adorable. Honestly, there are few characters in this book that don't gain my admiration when they speak.

Then there's the way Meyer writes action. During the chapters where James is the main focus, Meyer did such a good job of making it interesting that I didn't even want to take a moment to annotate anything. I was completely captured. She even managed to make the scene where they are actively doing what they can to create a pile up on the freeway equal parts funny and exciting. What do you mean they busted the side mirrors of the car, and Edward used Emmett and Jasper as replacements!?

Another thing I noticed is, Meyer's writing got better as the book went on. I'm not certain if it's because she started to enjoy the process for this one, or if her technical skill improved. For me, it seemed like she was really trying hard to make Edward come across as an asshole in the beginning of the book, but by the end he seemed like an alright guy. Plus, in the acknowledgment section, she does note that Midnight Sun was her nemesis for years. However, it is a known fact that she began work on this installment in the saga shortly after finishing Twilight, so it could be either or both.

Onto the things I don't like about Meyer's writing. The first point that I'd like to touch on is far more lighthearted and simply a personal preference. She almost never gives any description of a given scene. There are so many scenes that take place in the Cullen house, but I don't even have an inkling of an idea what that house looks like. Sure, I have imagination enough to picture how a rich person's house could look, but I doubt that I could picture exactly what Meyer had in mind. Especially because Edward mentions that Esme always makes sure the house looks welcoming. I want to know what Esme's personal touch looks like. Is it doilies? Is it all the coolest and most expensive things from a 2000s house decor catalog? Does it look like a time capsule from the era Esme was raised in? Idk, do you?

I'll be brief with my next critique because I already made a long rant post when he made his first appearance in the book, and has less to do with Midnight Sun and more to do with The Twilight Saga as a whole. Jacob's character assassination is so disappointing. I just wish there was an alternate timeline where Jacob is always a good guy, and Bella still wants Edward and still wants to be a vampire. Meyer simply did not need to make Jacob assault Bella, imprint on her baby, and give up everything for the Cullens to make the story worth it. The story wouldn't even need to be completely altered.

My last point against her writing is her metaphors are ham-handed. It's not a super big deal. It just doesn't leave anything to the imagination. Every time that I had a moment where I wondered if the sentence I had read was a metaphor, reference, or anything in that realm, the following sentence would confirm my thoughts. It's nice to see that I'm picking up what she's putting down, but speculation is just so much more engaging to me.

Onto my next thought. I'm not sure how intentional this was, but Stephenie Meyer is great at creating an illusion of choice for Bella and Edward. Bella gets what she wants by the end of the series, whether she likes it or not. It's been a while since I've read New Moon, but I think I remember the vibe was the Volturi only let Bella and/or the Cullens live because Alice was so sure that Bella would become a vampire. Bella already wanted to be a vampire, but even if she didn't, I feel that Bella is the kind of person who would become a vampire even if it was only to save them. Also, throughout Midnight Sun and the rest of the saga, Edward vehemently hates the idea of Bella becoming a vampire. Everyone knows this. It's super big in the movies. However, Meyer gives him a single hope. A single future that Alice sees where Bella doesn't turn. Gotta admire the guy, honestly. He is well aware that there are WAY more futures where Bella either dies prematurely or changes, but he wants to do everything in his power to make that one chance of her living a normal life a reality. He is so set on her remaining human that he would rather risk killing her himself when he sucks James's venom out. He would rather wait until she is on her deathbed after labor. OMG and Bella kept negotiating with him, too! She wished he'd let James turn her. She holds Alice's willingness to turn Bella over his head. Then it's, turn me after graduation. Okay, after the wedding. Okay, after our honeymoon. This timeline is literally THE MOST traumatic timeline for Bella! She could have had an unpleasant but planned change, but Edward kept that from her. IDEC that he thinks that you become a soulless evil monster and that Bella will change her mind if she just has enough time. He was so deluded that he was willing to make his family sit on the edges of their seats over the Volutri until Bella eventually died of old age or whatever. Her pregnancy depleted her, her baby broke her back, Rosalie almost ate her, Edward had to bite through Bella's abdomen to get Renesmee out. My wife actually pointed out that Jacob imprinting on Renesmee wouldn't have happened if Edward had just respected Bella's wishes in the first place. Maybe that's where Meyer's team making her write four books rather than the three she intended comes in, though. Either way, nearly everything bad that happens in the saga happens because of Edward. I don't wanna hear, well, Bella could have just gotten an abortion, she shouldn't have negotiated if she didn't want it to go this way. Bella keeping the baby is arguably the ONLY choice she actually gets to make on her own. Her being turned by Edward is in the same vein, though there does have to be another person involved. And yeah it's also Edward's wish for her to not become a vampire, but she is in danger every fucking day she is around these guys, and she was showing no signs of getting tired of it. She is the only one of the Cullens that would have been able to willingly consent to being turned, and still, she is denied until that consent is nearly null because she is literally dying! FUCK I digress.

Let's back up a bit and get back on topic. Midnight Sun when we first meet Edward. I find him hard to like in the beginning. There is a clear as day lack of care for the people around him. Obviously he cares enough that he's vegetarian, but, based on his inner monologue, I feel that he takes that stance more for his own peace of mind than for the benefit of the people around him. Over and over again, we are reminded of how shallow he finds people to be, how bored he is by them. It is less speculation and more so fact that the reason why he is interested in Bella initially is his physiological draw to her and the fact that he can not read her mind. He even acknowledges this in passing. Then, he becomes so obsessed that he starts to stalk her. It's so strange that even his family comments on it. Edward is self-aware enough to recognize he shouldn't do it, but he still successfully rationalizes it. He doesn't consider himself a peeping tom because he's not doing it to see her. To him, it's better to sit outside her house in a tree and/or a chair in her room all night long than let a meteor fall on her in the middle of the night. It makes sense that Edward would justify this kind of behavior, though. Thanks to his telepathy, he can bypass boundaries and privacy without even wanting to. When this is your reality for a little over a century, it's easy to see how this isn't a huge line for him to cross. This anxiety and obsession almost possesses him. In fact, the only time he isn't thinking about Bella or using the minds of other people to hear the conversations she's having when he isn't in the room is... well... never. There is, however, a notable change in his thoughts about Bella and the world after he nearly overcomes his thirst for her blood in the meadow. She is like a salve for his overactive mind and gives meaning to the things that were mundane to him. This is a very good representation of being mentally ill and finding a new love. You love them so much, and you're just so stoked to have them around that everything bad pales in comparison, and all things beautiful and fun brighten. With Bella around, maybe he isn't a monster. Maybe he's even likable.

Not to me though. Overall, this work turned me into an Edward hater. Being so completely exposed to the way his mind works, I don't think I'd want to be friends with Edward, let alone have a romantic affair with him. See all the points I made in my previous paragraph. There was even a highly questionable section where he recounted killing a pedophile right before they committed a crime, and Edward said it was his "only technically innocent victim." IDK dude, the guy spent days planning to kidnap this little girl, have his way with her, and then murder her after. Doesn't sound innocent to me but whatever I guess. Really the only moments that allowed me to be an Edward tolerater were the moments where he was yearning over Bella and being a good guy for her benefit. I understand that Bella is 17 and Edward is effectively the same age. You do weird shit when you're young, unwell, and in love. Doesn't change my thoughts about the guy. I still love the Twilight franchise, and I'd probably reread this book in a few years, but I think that, for now, I'm going to choose to ignore Midnight Sun and regard Edward the way everyone should. As a rich, hot, and moody vampire. Keep in mind, my disliking him isn't a bad thing for me. I love to read books with problematic main characters. It's engaging and fun, and I adore the amount of annotations I can go back and read and think about.

my rating for the book overall: 6/10

Meyer's ability to write an angsty teenage vampire while being silly about it: 10/10

I will read it again. I will tell hardcore fans, like myself, to read it.

[queerwritersingerdramaqueen]

TUMBLR, I WILL MAKE YOU POST THIS

PREVIEW: 

AKA-NO-KEN YOU ACTUAL PHSCHIC HOW THE FUCK DID YOU GUESS ALL MY GOD CASTINGS CORRECTLY???

AGAIN, WISDOM SAGA SPOILERS SO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK. ALSO MAYBE A TRIGGER WARNING FOR LOVE IN PARADISE CAUSE THAT WAS MORE THAN I WAS FUCKING EXPECTING.

THIS IS SHERLOCK AND BILL'S FUCKING SAGA NOW BITCHES BROS AND NON-BINARY HOES. AND AGAIN, I'M FANGIRLING AS I GO.

So, with where we left off, William's having a minor relapse in his mental state but it won't become too much of a plot point/serious thing. He and Moran are on funky terms but if there is no "reconciliation" in later sagas then We'll figure that out when we get there. Anyway, this saga ain't about him.

(ALSO, I MISSED A FUCKING OPPOURTUNITY

VON HERDER AS TIRESIAS, IM A FOOL)

Anyway, lets get started.

The Wisdom Saga:

Legendary - BILL IS HERE FUCKERS. SHERLIAM'S ADPOTED SON IS GONNA BE LEGENDARY. I really like how this parallels with Canon when Bill only knew William as a genius professor and Sherlock's actually the one who introduces them in a way. It'll set up nicely for when we get to "I can't help but wonder" and Telemachus/Bill has to toss up with the fact that his Dad just removed the twenty year problem but he did also kill a bunch of people (you know, like in canon.). So this starts out with the lights slowly coming in and Bill's "room" has a chair and a few other easily moveable props. This is a very dancey number I'm finding so these props are probably gonna get taken off stage so there can be actors milling around for Telemachus to interact with, I think he'd be mostly weaving between them trying to avoid them while they keep swiping at him. The majority of suitors can be off the stage but Antinous and a few others are up there ready for the "Whatcha gonna do about it, champ?" The lights would change on Boy to a red colour. It would be so cute seeing Billy fight for Sherlock's Honour. I think something really cool that could happen is when Telemachus sings "somebody help me" the lights flash blue for a second like Athena has heard his plea. and at the very end of the song, he punches Milverton square on the nose (in the fake way of course).

Little Wolf - My big idea for this that would absolutely not transfer over to a regular production of Epic the musical would be that Antinous/Milverton is not the one fighting Telemachus/Bill. I cannot really see Milverton fighting for himself and would definitely have lackey's doing it for him; but outside of this AU Antinous absolutely fights for himself. But yeah, Milverton mocks the shit out of Bill while he's fighting somebody. The lights stay red while the suitors and Milverton are doing their thing. When Athena appears the lights turn blue like fighting of the panic of being in a fight. I think this is one of those moments where its so fun having Sherlock as Athena and Penelope cause it's like "Don't worry baby, Mama's here to help." But, onto the super cool crossover intertexuality talk I can't seem to do right now, Sherlock as Athena fits very nicely cause he, alongside William, helps Bill get into the university; so Sherlock being the one helping in this fight reminds me of that. And Athena's "I've no respect for bullies" reminds me of his disdain for Milverton and his methods of blackmail. ALSO, HER PIANO IN THAT PART IS SO FUCKING GOOD I FUCKING ASCENDED. PAIRING IT WITHT HE DRUMS THAT WAY, WHO DOES JORGE THINK HE IS. In a way, this is like showing how Penelope would like to react to her suitors beating up her son (it just popped into my head but kind of like a batman meme, Penelope dressing up as the goddess of wisdom to fuck up her son's bullies). Athena's whole solo there sounds a lot like Sherlock when he was talking to Irene. And when the fight ends and Antinous says Penelope needs to pick a suitor, Athena/Sherlock is very disturbed before he helps Bill up.

We'll be Fine - The thing I love the absolute most about this musical is exploring Sherlock's side of this whole fiasco they were in and giving him a chance to vent some of this frustrations. Because it wasn't easy on him either and he might blame himself a little bit for not being able to help more. Bill knows a little bit about it from gossip and rumour and being a part of the Epic cast for a little while, not too much but between the two of them, Bill understands that Sherlock is letting out a bit of his frustration with the previous problem and the repeat that seems to be occurring, because he's super smart like that (I say seems because in real life, it won't last that long and William is probably gonna be ok and reconciled with Moran by the time we get there. It'll hopefully make sense once we get to the next saga but I just can't keep knocking this dude over he needs to start healing and giving him a less self-jeopardising problem to fight). Even though he and William have worked through a fair bit of what happened and their still going really strong, Sherlock is still worried. Sherlock's super soft on Bill because he's so similar to William. Bill, while sticking to the script, is just subtly reassuring him that it's ok, they'll get through this rough patch and they'll be fine. Sherlock doesn't need to be the first responder. A little bit of it probably comes out as Bill saying "William wouldn't want you to beat yourself up over this," especially when he mentions Athena's friend (William and Bill are also probably really close friends at this point, don't tell me William wouldn't take him under his wing immediately after they're introduced). When Athena calls him a good kid, Sherlock ruffles his hair and then Bill makes a move like someone's calling him and runs off, leaving him for the next part.

ALRIGHT I'M HAVING FUCKING ISSUES WITH TUMBLR RIGHT NOW SO STAY TUNED FOR PART TWO BECAUSE ANYTHING LONGER THAN THIS WONT FUCKING POST OR SAVE AS A DRAFT.

@aka-no-ken I'M COMING SWEETIE AND I'M BRINGING MY WORK WITH ME JUST BEAR WITH ME

[conflictofthemind]

Don't you find it ironic how some ST fans and Bylers were so into boycotting and defaming Noah yet they eat up the content he posts

They don't even know the difference btw Noah and Will content cos they even posted the ones with Jacob and the photo of Noah posing with his trailer

The only post which they did ignore was his selfie with Chloe prob cos it does not fit their "Noah is so ugly and balding" agenda

Note: I was not here in the fandom before March 2024 so I don't know what happened at the peak of the cancellation saga. This will not be an inflammatory post but I'm getting out a lot of opinions here and if you don't like any forms of nuance, don't read / don't complain

I think as time goes on, peoples' opinions change (for better or for worse sometimes) and usually tend to cool down. I'll try to comment the least on the political situation as I can because I am not an expert on geopolitical conflicts. I do think some of the hypocrisy you are talking about is people changing their opinion but they do not want to admit it openly. A lot of people initially underestimated the impact of their actions and didn't know what would happen in the future (re: the severity of the harassment), just like in my opinion Noah underestimated the impact his actions would have and what would happen in the future (re: the escalation of the war on Gaza and ongoing death toll). So they changed their opinion afterward.

I don't like how people online haplessly defend him against any criticism though that's probably due to their own position because this is an actual political thing. Let's put aside who's 'right' or 'wrong', I have my own opinions which are pretty obvious, but people are allowed to criticize xyz in a civil manner. Where it toes into targeted harassment and bigotry is another thing that I don't support unless you are a genuine danger-to-society heinous individual.

The pop culture accounts who are obsessed with him in a very homophobic way are insane and the fans on here who felt like they needed to erase Noah from the show / from Will and make WASP Will (someone told me about this I'll assume it happened) are insane and antisemitic in that last part. And they've also been preformative as hell because these are the same people who were praising his acting and performance before any of this came out, so it's not surprising to see a reversion once they feel the need to be less performative.

My 'relationship' with Noah Schnapp is also completely parasocial. "I don't know who this man is". I prefer to just stay # neutral because I don't think you can form a full opinion on someone from a few videos, photos, interviews, and IG stories. And most of what I'm seeing is giving # neutral.

I also don't like the vast majority of celebrities. Not in an active hate way I just don't LIKE them as individuals because I literally do not know them. But even celebrities I actively don't like, I don't need to erase or constantly talk shit about if they've done good work and I enjoy their art. Ariana Grande - I almost actively dislike both her work and personal character - but what she's done for Wicked and Glinda was really solid and I've been gassing that up at the same time. Coming from a perspective of someone who is so critical - there's hardly ever media projects coming out that are fully clean and pure. If I had to support everyone in the cast and production I would almost never watch or play anything. There is very little stink about Squid Games right now even though at least two cast members have literal criminal charges for sexual harassment or assault

Trying to get back to topic.... yes the people who are actively waxing on about how much they hate Noah and need to remind you of that often yet also interact with him as just himself has been ironic. Also the people who cannot differentiate appearance and performance from a personal support of someone's views and actions. If I put my manhating tendencies aside I think he's looked really good recently.

[suratan-zir]

Skritch saga - part three. The last one?

I tried introducing Skritch to two of my sweetest, calmest rats. Yeah... it's as bad as I thought it would be. Even worse, actually.

Skritch attacks on sight. He throws himself onto the opponent and blindly bites anything he can reach without stopping. He doesn't try to sniff, to intimidate, sent warnings, dominate or submit. He just snaps. Afterwards Skritch was trembling so badly that for a moment I was afraid he might get a heart attack from such intence fear.

I had plenty of difficult rats in the past. Usually there's some kind of method you can use, if the "carrier method" doesn't work, then joint daily walks in neutral territory, even just for a couple of minutes or seconds. Usually all it takes is a lot of time and patience. The whole process can take months but eventually ends in success. Only one time (for Bambook, how ironic) I had to get a new baby rat, a "personal" companion only for him, because other boys I had at the time were very agressive towards Bambook. But this time is different. No one was agressive towards Skritch. No one even had a time to react to him in any way. He attacks immediately. He is so fearful. And because he's already neutered, there's nothing more I can do to lessen his aggression, that's it.

He is so unpredictable and unstable that I won't risk getting another rat for him, not even a girl. A baby rat he can kill with one bite, it's too risky. An older rat he will most certainly attack, so I will end up with three cages instead of two, it's too much. Ugh…I was so optimistic at first. I've been swapping objects from cages for a while, "used" paper towels and such. He didn't react agressively to the scent of other rats, he got used to it really quickly. But it is a part of the problem. He doesn't react to their smell because it's not the hierarchy that is the problem. He's not territorial, he's not dominant, not hormonal. He is just very VERY scared. Of people, of rats, of everyone.

I'm giving up for the first time. He will live alone and I will keep him company. (rats are social animals and they have to be kept in same-sex groups, human can't replace interaction with other rats, don't take this as an example, this is an exceptional situation that has not happened to me in many years of keeping rats)

As it stands now, I'm the only living thing in the house whom Skritch is no longer afraid of. Therefore, he's not aggressive towards me. Actually, he's the sweetest rat I've had in years, like a plush toy. He is so playful, goofy, and a little needy. He spends most of the day with me. I even took him for a walk (which I never do, because it's stressful and can be dangerous for a rat. But because he lives alone, I decided to make his life as full and fun as possible). Of course, he was in my hands during the walk, but I let him sniff everything around. Although he wasn't much into sniffing, he wanted to eat every leaf and every blade of grass, lol.

I will try the last resort, I will put the cages next to each other. I never do that, for various reasons. It can make things worse, make rats more angry and territorial. (it's also dangerous if the cages are too close, rats can bite each other's tails and fingers) But right now the situation can't be worse, so I'm not risking anything. Maybe in a few months of living right next to other rats, Skritch would become less fearful of them. Although I'm not too optimistic.

[king-paimon]

Houseki no Kuni Chapter 104 Thoughts: "My Way" By Frank Sinatra

Hello everyone! I hope your month had gone by well. Mine had been...eventful, to say the least, though I suppose things could have turned out much worse.

Anyways, that's not what this is about. I just finished going through the latest chapter and... wow. That last image. Many fans have pointed out the signs, and I think it's safe to say that those last few pages confirm how this long saga is finally going to end...

BUT before I get into that, as always, I'll share some of my thoughts in this post. This will be long and ramble-y as usual (I truly meant to keep it short this time, I swear! It just kept getting longer and longer...) and I may come back to update some things. And as always, please feel free to share your own thoughts!

BTW: After reading this chapter a few more times and struggling with a title for the post, "My Way" by Frank Sinatra kept popping up in my head. It's honestly pretty fitting. That's why it's my title now. Please look up the song and lyrics when you get the chance and you'll hopefully see what I mean.

View of Humanity Through Untainted Eyes (Or lack thereof...)

Like the last couple of chapters, this chapter was dialogue heavy and it was admittedly hard to pick which parts I liked the most. Eyeball's (Or should I address him as "Brother"?... I'm sticking with "Eyeball") dramatic performance at the beginning was very funny and informative. It really showed how much he not only hated humanity and yet valued the professor during her final moments. And his talk with Phos at the end of the chapter was engrossing. But for this section, I'll mostly focus on Phos's interactions with the pebbles; I'll focus more on the first pebble in the following section.

Phos has truly become a teacher/mentor-like figure ( and dare I say even parental figure) for these pebbles, especially because of how they spoke to them. Phos literally reminded me of a thoughtful pre-school teacher with how patient they are with each of the pebbles and giving them the chance to express their differing opinions and giving what I think were appropriate responses. In some ways, Phos's mannerisms in this chapter reminded me of Adamant, though Phos's approach with these pebbles seems more gently, at least to me.

Hmm...You know what's funny? As I was writing this portion, a little thought popped into my head claiming that Phos may have inadvertently adopted more of Adamant's habits than I first realized. I'll try to explain more on this in the next portion.

But let me first go back to another thing that I liked about Phos's interaction with the pebbles: their individual responses. It could have been so easy to have the pebbles all be likeminded after hearing the history of humans, but that's not what we got. Each pebble had their own opinion; some were curious, some were scared, some were right in the middle, and a few seemingly blasé. I don't know why but I like how these varying responses further emphasize that the pebbles individuality goes deeper than their varying appearances and mannerisms. And I'm also thankful that Phos and Eyeball weren't seemingly perturbed by their responses... at least Eyeball wasn't.

"I want everyone to be happy": Naivety or Profound Point of View?

Now let's focus on the main pebble, because of course, out of all the responses, their response to Phos and Eyeball had the most weight despite how simple it sounds on the surface.

You can argue that the pebble's response was due to their naiveté, but I think this pebble has repeatedly shown that their nuanced view of the world around them is sophisticated and mindful. After being told by Phos and Eyeball about how fascinating and yet awful humans were and even acknowledging humanities good and bad qualities, the pebble still believed that everyone deserves happiness, even those considered "bad".

I couldn't agree more with Eyeball and Phos on this page:

At first, I thought that these innocent and yet wise responses reminded me of old Phos, but the more I thought about it, this couldn't be further from the truth. While Phos was also very naïve at the beginning of the story, I think they were to lost in their own heads to truly think outside of their own unrealized desires, even when they claim their actions were to help everyone. So if you were to tell old Phos the stories of humanity and ask them the same questions, I don't think we would have gotten the same answers the pebble gave. And the more I think about, I doubt Phos would have ever made the same conclusion at any point in their story. There's nothing wrong with that, but that just has me thinking... It's interesting how this small pebbles seem more empathy for others than the previous human descendants, from the Lunarians, Admirabilis, and the even the Lustrous, even though they looked more human.

Tell me what you think! This was weird character analysis tangent and I'm curious to know if anyone has feels similarly or differently. But speaking of Phos's character... Onto the next section!

Friend to Closed Off Guardian: The barrier between Phos and the pebbles

While I was typing the paragraph that focused on Phos's mentor-like persona, I made a small realization. Is it just me or doesn't Phos's interactions with the pebbles feel different now? Yes, I pointed out that Phos is acting like a kind teacher in this chapter and I could be overanalyzing this, but while this interaction is cute on the surface, I can't help but feel there is more to this interaction. This is why I brought up Adamant, for Phos's interactions with the pebbles in this chapter reminded me of a certain aspect of Adamant's old relationship with the Lustrous.

As you may recall, Adamant assumed a leader/guardian role with the Lustrous over time. He had many reasons of doing so, including for their protection, but assuming this role came at a price; Adamant ended up keeping the Lustrous at an emotion distance. With the exception of Antarctictite and eventually Phos and Euclase, Adamant closed himself off from forming true close relationships to the gems, for their sake and his, effectively creating a barrier between them. This barrier only became obsolete after Adamant finally relented and opened up to the Earth gems after Phos's first attack on them, and even if it were just for a short time, Adamant and the Lustrous interacted on a somewhat equal footing.

Now lets go back to how Phos initially interacted with the pebbles. Not long after Phos found the first pebble, they didn't interact like how Adamant used to with the Lustrous. The two talked freely and sang together without a care in the world. Though Phos and this pebble are vastly different in many ways, it was clear that Phos saw them as a friend. An equal. And Phos was happy.

But now look at how Phos interacts with the pebbles now. I don't see Phos's interaction with the first pebble or any of the pebbles the same way anymore. Yes, Phos encourages the pebbles to speak freely, but to me, it feels like the same can't be said about Phos now. Phos isn't speaking as freely as they did before. They are selective in how they address the pebbles, kind of like Adamant. Phos is acting more like their guardian rather than their friend... like Adamant used to. Phos is fully embodying Adamants old role now and it's a little sad the more I think about.

After being alone for so long in more ways than one, Phos had finally found beings who treated them like a real friend. But because something in them changed, Phos is now slowly but surely assuming their role as the pebbles guardian and in doing so, that friendship connection is being replaced by a similar barrier that Adamant once donned.

Like I said, I'm probably overthinking this and giving Haruko Ichikawa more credit than what's due, but I just can't help but think about the parallels here. What do you think?

Acceptance: The End is Near

The last thing I'll touch on are the last few pages because...wow.

If I remember correctly from posts made by some keen eyed fans, the story had been hinting that the main sun is about to die. And one of the final stages of a star's death is that it would expand into either a red giant or a red super-giant, which was being depicted in that last image.

And if I'm interpreting those last few pages correctly, it seems that both Phos and Eyeball are aware that the sun will eventually consume the Earth. It will take a couple more thousand of years, but as we've seen here and in the previous chapters, time doesn't matter. The real end of everything is coming and those two are accepting it.

Yup. It looks like we have true confirmation for how this saga is going to finally end. And just like those two, I'm ready for it. Not out hatred or anything truly negative towards this series... I just feel like I'm ready for that final curtain call for this unique, thought provoking, and strenuous story.

I just hope the end will be a worthy end.

WHEW. This post ended up being even longer than I originally intended! Sorry about that. Regardless, I hope you liked it. Please don't hesitate to share your thoughts, even if you don't agree with me!

Until next time!

[codajaiden]

I don't get the gist of Nightbow (Rainbow Steve x Nightmare) like, how does that work??

(warning I might rant so much y'all would explode, correct me if I'm wrong tho)

"enemies to lovers!" No. Lemme clear this up for you

Nightmare and Rainbow were created to kill each other, hate each other's guts, there is no conversation or part in SS or RQ where they went and be normal people talking to each other and stuff (not that I can think of anyways)

"for fun" I don't care if it's for fun, sure it's funny but like????? How is it y'all's favourite????

I'm someone who likes to go insane just watching plot, WHILE YES, STEVE SAGA WAS JUST A RANDOM STEVE SERIES AND WAS VERY RANDOM WHEN IT COMES TO PLOT, ITS SILLY, ITS RANDOM

But y'all are like "I can fix them", there is nothing to fix???? they are literally people wanting to kill each other and that is their goal.

Oh and let's not forget, I have my eyes on the people who write in Wattpad, don't think I have not seen their "freaky" writing at all.

It's not only Nightbow at least, I see the people here who ship Rainbow and Void together, same thing, but if we're talking SS then there was still no good interaction of them both to be on the level of actually being good friends. Still, Wattpad people are freaky about them too.

This can be implied to Favremyrainbow ig, but to me it's very bland and boring. I admit I did in fact ship them, but as time passed I just stopped because it was so cringe 💀💀

I don't want to be mean and rude when it comes to this but it bugs me every time.

Okay the only thing I can counter this is Alux x Petro.

Petro and Alux are basically Anna and Hanz in Frozen, gaslighting and manipulation exist but dynamic and trust are important. There is communication towards the two that leads into something in the plot.

Nightbow has none of that, they hate each other's guts. People say they can fix them, nah, with Palux you can make them worse (/j) HEJWJEJWJSJA

"Petro and Alux's entire dynamic is mainly built off of manipulation" YES but thats on Petro's side. Most people ship it due to it being tragic on Alux's side because everyone in this fandom likes doomed mlm i guess (I'm one of those people but again the plot reasons goes on for both of their dynamic)

"But he stabbed him" YES. I have not seen a single person who ships them currently its mainly a one sided ship. For alux its built off genuine love and care for Petro, knowing he's the only REAL connection in his life. The people who ship them (from what I've seen) mainly do it for tragedy and narrative purposes. no one is actually here WANTING alux to be stabbed and abused

And for Petro it adds much more conflict to his character if you add like any romance to him. like, loving the person your meant to kill and killing them anyways is a really interesting narrative plot idea. Its also really funny tbh but oh well.

Narratively it adds more to their characters as long as you dont romantize it and treat it like it'd be healthy especially at this point in the story.

This is literally doomed Yaoi (it's funny I wanna say that) and it works so well because of how they were narratively written this way towards each other. This cooked better than some enemy wanting to, excuse my language, have freaky SHIZ going on with the Hero 💀

Okay I'm done with my ranting I'm sorry for the people who like Nightbow but I'm sharing what I'm saying and y'all are gonna respect it and not be problematic. I feel like I should not be on the internet for a good while late and night this is how freaky I get when it's past midnight lmao