#completely unrelated thing lol isn’t that so funny’

[jasper-dracona-art]

.

[katsukiizmoon]

♡ Sparring , dry humping, degradation, you’re in public?, the use of the word ‘bitch’, you cum on his thigh lol, unedited

♡ k.bkg + f!reader

Sparring with Katsuki takes a turn. You call him a bitch, tell him you’ll beat the brakes off him and wipe the floor with his smug face. And you do it just to watch his crumble.

It’s just fun to rile him up. Especially when there’s people around. He gets so worked up it’s funny.

His face heats as his eyes narrow and his chest puffs up with air. Pops fly from his palms and it doesn’t take long before he’s launching himself at you. A big hand grips your wrist. The other wrapping in your hair and pushing you down.

In seconds, you’re cheek is squished against the floor with your arms behind your back. Your wrists sit directly above your ass, meeting in the middle. A thick thigh slots between your thighs as the air is forced out of you all at once.

And you can hear his breathing, feel his thigh against your clothed pussy. Because you’re an idiot and didn’t let yourself fall. Your hips still high in the air, flimsy workout shorts doing nothing but making it worse.

Katsuki’s cock throbs in his pants at the sight and feel of you. The heat of your folds is squished up against his thigh and it’s his own damn fault.

You wiggle in his hold and it makes things worse. So, so much worse. Your core slides against his thigh and it makes your clit beg for more. Your workout shorts feel sticky.

“Who’s the bitch again?” He pants, determined to make a point.

Your pussy squeezes around nothing and your clit throbs. He slides his thigh back momentarily. There’s a damp area over your shorts when he looks down. A low groan leaves his lips and he, still determined, pushes his thigh back.

“Me—“ you breathe, hips shifting on instinct to get more friction, thighs trying to squeeze together. You fight it but it feels good. The heat in your belly pools and feels thick.

“Again.” Katsuki is unrelenting, but his grip in your hair relaxes. He quickly adjusts himself and prays to every god under the sun that you didn’t feel the weight of him against the back of your thigh.

“I— fuck- I am.” You grit, wiggling more and only making it worse. There’s a voice in your head telling you to stop moving before you cum. You ignore it, stupidly. Thinking he doesn’t notice.

He leans forward, right near your ear. The drag of your wet, sticky, covered pussy over his sweatpants isn’t nearly as subtle as you think it is. While you’re moving your arms a little to feign an attempt to escape, he knows you’re stronger than that. If you wanted out of his hold you would have lifted your back leg to kick him in the balls.

“You’re about to cum on my thigh, aren’t you?” Katsuki purrs, low and slow. Your hips freeze and your eyes widen.

“No.” A lie. You squeeze around nothing again and soak through your workout bottoms completely. You’re so close it hurts.

“Oh, I think you are.” His massive thigh pushes forward, sliding against your clit.

Your eyes roll back and you squirm in his grip. His hands around your wrists tighten, free hand pressing against your mouth so you aren’t to loud. His dick is so hard it fucking hurts. You finish with what feels like a heartbeat against his thigh, making the inside of your shorts even stickier than before.

Someone comes into the practice room— Eijirou. Saying something about a new game he bought, inviting the two of you over.

Katsuki grunts in response.

“Try again later, loser.” He pretends, ignoring the persistent matter in his sweats leaking precum.

He releases you and rolls you over, throwing his hoodie on top of your hips and thighs. You are a sight to behold. With Puffy lips, you try to catch your breath.

“Put it on, hurry the fuck up.” He grits, trying to cover the very obvious proof of your previous arousal before someone else sees

Eijirou approaches with a quirked brow “your… hoodie?”

“Loser hit her period.” He lies. You thank him in the back of your head a million times over and run off to the bathroom to change.

[j0kers-light]

Can you tell us a bit about yourself? I'm a Pisces girl too!

About me!

Hi anon— sorry for the late reply there’s not much to tell (I am so boring) but here we go! 🖤✨

I’m going twenty six years around the sun & my pronouns are she/her. Fun fact despite my genre of writing.. I identify as Asexual in real life. 🖤💜🩶🤍

When I’m not reading and writing, I’m cooking/baking with my headphones on. I’m rarely seen without them granted music is an essential component of my life. I have withdraws if I don’t hear tunes after a long period of time.

I had a dog for 14 years, lost him on my birthday (2023) and now I have so much time on my hands, ion know what to do. So I’m writing almost daily now after work. Writing is purely a hobby, I had an editor send me an offer contract; wayy too strict for my liking. If it wasn’t obvious, I’m an African American female, using myself as a model for Y/n ninety percent of the time!

I wanted to break the stigmatism with black!fem!readers with my story. We’re not always loud and aggressive. We can be soft and demure and we deserve love that isn’t toxic and/or abusive. Moving on before I start ranting lol.

Based on the recent flood of asks I requested, majority of you all are international, whereas I’m stuck in the states 🇺🇸 le sigh. Y’all are so lucky omg.. I love learning about different cultures and traditions and it’s a secret wish of mine to learn a new language.

Edit: I've taken up learning Greek! Γειά σου 👋🏾

I’m not into astrology but yeah I’m a Pisces who suffers from insomnia and a hyperactive brain. Funny how being called gifted as a child morphed into a learning deficit as I grew older.. but I embrace my special. Stay weird my friends.

Completely unrelated, I’m terrified of butterflies and I can’t smell. I taste things instead. My fav color is blue and I can’t stand anything pink.

Wow that was a lot of info dumping. Okay. Um. Someone please change the subject. I probably didn’t share enough but that’s that’s for the time being 🤫 oh and that’s my favorite emoji

[m1ckeyb3rry]

I wish there were a more standardized rules for the romanization because the differences are so wild that I go back and read and I’m like what who tf is this…like atp it’d be easier for me to just read it in korean instead if I have to think this hard to figure out who is being referred to…and yes the webcomic def isn’t as deep LOL im ngl I was never like super SUPER into orv like that so I didn’t mind it just being a more surface level easy quick read maybe someday I’ll actually get the willpower to fully read the novel…

Wait you’re so right LOL I totally forgot….also on that note iirc I think yukis bday is late April, I wanna say 26/27….but I could be wrong because I (regretfully) have not paid as much attention to yuki as some others (KARASU cough) but I’m actually laughing so hard sidekick Niko is actually gold I love the dynamic

Oh yeah there’s definitely Kaiser glazers LOL I feel like most of them are also the ones calling ness a glazer which is ironically funny (classic dude bro activity)

I just saw your side by side post and I was gonna say why do they look so similar in those panels LOL ok but hak too >>>>> I also remember seeing scenes of him and being like omg…actually he does kinda remind me of the closeted pining loser..lowk maybe I should go back to reading this again

LMAOO yeah you could never catch me pampering someone like Reo does to Nagi but OOOOOH guys im getting an exclusive sneak peek to peregrine hehe ok but reading this YOU CANNOT DROP A BOMB LILE THAT OMG??? Guys….guys?????!!!! Heavily agree that nagi being with her DESPITE the hassle >>>>>> Nagi being with her because she’s the only one who isn’t a hassle….it makes it feel more meaningful because we all know how much he hates hassles and instead of her just conveniently fitting with his lifestyle in that sense he’s actively willing to actually go out of his comfort zone for her….its the active part fr…I’m crying him biking all the way to meet her is giving me white butterfly hiori and willow tree rin add him into the losers with wild signs of affection club…ok but him actively failing to give the opportunity to her SHSGSHSH Lowk I can imagine her being pissed when/if she finds out but also OHHH ok it’s been a bit since I last read it but the pieces are here so that’s why Nagi’s always been kinda looked down upon because of his soccer career decline…that sounds like a big peregrine installment though LOL excited for whenever you decide to put that out!! I’m all for the tidbits and spoilers though

I was also going to say I remember first reading peregrine and getting sidetracked by chigiri because of the way you wrote him as the bff too LMAOOOO I definitely see the chigiri bff trope used here and there and I haven’t seen any characterizations of him here that are as bad/wild as other characters (like the Itoshis) but yours is def one of my favs miraverse characters on top!!!

LMAOOO “did I miss a tag was this supposed to be some cucking fic” no dw they’ll turn around once they realize it’s not aiku (like me reading Karasu bfb part 2 instead of 1 smh) OR they’ll just convert to (whoever it is) nation from your writing

OOOOOH ok actually that makes it easier for the fyp to do its thing then manifesting some top tier audio!! On a slightly unrelated note whenever I see anything using that audio from the Barou one you showed me I think about the Barou edit and lose it…truly living in my head rent free

Omg so I sent in the reply and went to go look at the source material to translate but got side tracked and completely forgot about it until I read this so umm!!! Going now!!! LMAO luckily they’re pretty short so it won’t take me long as long as my brain has the capacity to remember to actually do it shshjensjs

- Karasu anon

i think i started reading it because of an edit on tik tok (at this point what DON’T i do because of edits on tik tok…) and found out the webcomic wasn’t finished so i just went straight for the novel instead!! and honestly i’m glad i did because it was a much better experience imo…honestly i was lucky in that i had literally nothing else to do so it was easy for me to keep reading which meant i could get to the really exciting parts quicker!! since at first it’s kind of confusing 😰 but i do want to reread at some point because i think it’s one of those stories that’ll be even better when you know the ending?? or like you pick up on things you missed the first time around 🙂‍↕️ however it’s so long that rereading would be such a time commitment idk if i could do it 😭

okay wait yeah he does have an april birthday i was thinking of nagi when i said may!! LMAO agreed the yukimiya facts are not at the forefront of my mind as compared to nagi karasu and barou’s (also barou and i have almost the same birthday this basically makes us soulmates i think)

kaiser glazers are so interesting because 99% of kaiser fans fundamentally misunderstand his character to the point that it’s like…just create an oc…LMAOAOA he’s definitely interesting but i think he has to be viewed in a very particular lens to even make sense as a person 🤔 he’s not solely “evil abusive meanie villain” but he’s also definitely NOT a sweetheart who would be perfect and flirty in a relationship…many layers to that man but i will leave the exploring of them to someone who actually gaf abt him

NO BECAUSE THE RESEMBLANCE IS UNCANNY TBH LIKE WHY DO THEY LOOK SOSOSO SIMILAR?? dare i say nagi might pull up and steal shinah’s story that i always wanted to write but never did…DARE I SAY 🤫 jkjk we will see if i can even make it work because to be honest it might be too dependent on yona lore HOWEVER the crossover could be insane 😨 especially because hak was the second lead so i could EASILY give rin that spot and fulfill my rin second lead dreams 🤩

LMAOOO I NEEDEDDDD TO GO ON THE PEREGRINE RANT WITH SOMEBODY!!! oh 100% it’s like one of the main three fights they have (the first is after he becomes friends with reo and asks her why she hates him so much so she tells him she hates him for not trying and still being better than her because she’ll be stuck in their hometown forever [they secretly become friends and then start dating afterwards], the second is when she finds out he failed on purpose because she’s all like “oh you didn’t trust me now i didn’t even earn it” and nagi’s like “bro what do you want from me 😰”, and the third is when he bikes to her house and asks her to stay and she tells him she has to leave and then literally gets in the taxi and leaves him standing there in the rain watching her go 😭) okay wait more peregrine lore: the reason why she gets with kira is deadass because chigiri reo and may convince her to go to a college party in their freshman year with them for the underage drinking experience and when she’s drunk she sees a tall pale haired soccer player and is like omg nagi??? and goes over to cry and hug him because she misses him sm…meanwhile kira is like WTF but finds her hot so he decides he needs to snatch and that’s why he knows who nagi is even though she doesn’t remember it happening because reo may chigiri were NOT responsible friends and she had a bitttt too much 😓 she says no because she still loves nagi and wants to be with him once she graduates but a week or so later nagi goes viral on social media for mentioning he’s in love with a girl from their hometown — orie watanabe (reader’s best friend from when she was a kid who sold her out to her mother) so she calls kira and is like “ok ig i’ll date you i have no other options” BUT plot twist there’s an interlude which shows the actual interview and all nagi said (in response to the interviewer asking why he’s single) is that he’s still in love with this girl he knew from when he was younger (implied to be reader) it’s just that the gossip sites went crazy trying to find the girl and orie being a clout chaser is like “oh he’s talking abt me” LMAOAOA and ofc as chigiri mentioned nagi doesn’t have any social media so he had 0 clue what was even HAPPENING but that’s why reader thinks he moved on first!!

also wait number one peregrine moment that is yet to come is during reo and may’s wedding…the date of reader’s wedding has been set and she’s dancing w nagi as the best man and maid of honor usually do and she starts crying because talking to may made her realize she actually still loves nagi but she doesn’t know how to escape the hole she’s dug for herself so nagi’s like “wow guys she’s so emotional her best friends are getting married 🙂‍↕️” and they go sit in the corner and he’s like ok why are you ACTUALLY crying and she’s like i wish we were the ones getting married which ofc makes nagi be like 😮 UNFORTUNATELY kira is there and he overhears and starts crashing out but then the goat himself HYOMA CHIGIRI pulls up and diffuses things by dumping a glass of red wine on kira’s head and saying “you’ve always wanted to be like me at least now you’ve got the hair color down 🥱” JFNDJSKS then kira fucks off back to america but chigiri gets home first and he + niko + kunigami get all of reader’s stuff out of their house before kira can do anything…then nagi gets back into soccer but the only team that’ll take him is a really shitty one that’s supposed to be kicked out of the league because they don’t even have a coach and reader is like “yo if you take nagi as a player i’ll get you a coach” and then she calls chigiri so he + kunigami + niko (who still has reader’s cat for some reason) pull up and chigiri gets the job as their coach and he + nagi lead them to victory that season even though chigiri had to quit playing soccer in college because of his leg (hence why kira replaced him) 🤩

YESSS THE AUDIOS GO CRAZY i never know when inspo will strike because it’ll be the most random videos fr but at this point i trust my for you page to lead me to greatness it hasn’t let me down yet!! also omg the barou effect…so real though that edit was PERFECT like the clips they used and everything…lowkey after sae i might do barou’s edition of the oaeu because i cannot wait to write him and also because it’ll introduce niko as aiku’s sidekick which is a must

LMAOOO no worries i will go respond to them now!! hehe you are always on the translating grind my goat fr 😩

[miekasa]

bestie this is completely unrelated except it sorta is bc doctorxdoctor is scrumptious except i cannot with med school so my go to is professors at the same uni who are married

i think you drabbled a bit about this before??? correct me if i'm wrong lol 😭

Oh that’s hot, too and I’m on board. I probably have 😭😭 but it’s a fantastic au, so I love it when ppl wanna talk about it. Some quick ideas for both that have been in my rotation lately

Some cocky new resident bursts through the doors to the office space where you, Levi, your residents, and a few co-workers typically reside, frantic, and  demanding to speak to Dr. Ackerman. Levi only looks up from his notebook with a blank expression in his eyes to question, “Which one?” All of the kid’s confidence wavers, “Um... aren’t you Dr. Ackerman, sir?” Levi only shrugs, and points a weighted pen in the student’s direction, to an office door barely open wide enough to see a sliver of your profile as you type away on your computer, “Yes, I am, but so is she.” 

You should have known better, or at least been a little more thorough—for someone completing their MD-PhD, you’d think you’d do a quick Google search on the guy you’re seeing at least once to see if anything important pops up—because Jaeger really isn’t that common of a last name. Because not only is your boyfriend of nearly a year the younger brother your least favorite TA/supervisor, he’s also the son of the medical director of the hospital you’ll be working at next semester; and word on the street is Dr. Carla Jaeger doesn’t take lightly to her baby getting hurt. 

After taking residences in facilities nearly four thousand miles apart, Jean couldn’t care less about being a fully fledged doctor—the only thing on his mind is getting home to you, and never leaving. So, when he finally gets to your place, there’s not a single doubt in his mind when he drops his bags, cups your face between your hands, and asks you to move in with him. 

Connie really needs to stop calling you down to his office for “urgent” matters concerning the x-rays and images of your patients, when his only urgent concern is that he misses you. And that the x-ray table was freshly sterilized, so if you wanna... relieve some stress, he knows a place. 

Mikasa always had a soft spot for kids, and at one point considered pediatrics as a specialty. Even though she went down another route, she’s reminded of her love for children when Sasha asks for her to cover at her clinic for last few hours of the day. It reminds her that while doesn’t regret her speciality, but she does envy Sasha sometimes. So much so, that when she comes home to you later that evening, she can’t stop herself before she blurts out, “What do you think about adopting a kid?”

And for the professor/university side of things: 

Hange can’t help but cackle in the corner of the classroom as Levi’s student finish their presentation—a fourty-four slide powerpoint defending their belief that you and him are 100% dating—because while they compiled some pretty convincing arguments, Hange thinks it’s hilarious because Levi’s only reply is, “We’re very close with each other, as roommates should be.” 

You and Levi have a very special end-of-semester ritual. After all the exams and final papers and projects have been turned in, you like to sit on the touch with a glass of wine, and look through your course evaluations together; and they’re anonymous, but you two like to place bets on which students wrote which review. Most are positive, and you think it’s funny that 90% of Levi’s follow the general vibe of “Prof Ackerman is kind of cold-hearted on the outside and not an easy grader but he’s a good teacher.”

It’s only like the freshman think they have a chance with you—for one, you’re a senior, and secondly, you’re their lab TA and you can very easily fail them if they tick you off—but they have to admit to feeling a little crushed when they find out that not only are you not single, but you’re dating Armin, the other lab TA everyone has a crush on.

A rare au in which Levi does admit that he is married, but doesn’t disclose any information about you until the very last day of the semester. His students are practically bouncing off the walls on the last day of lecture before exams, ready for the big reveal. Imagine how dumb they feel when Levi finally tells them your name, and they realize that he’s been talking about you all the time, because your name is listed well over twelve times in the citations for the articles they’ve been reading all semester. (Eren has you sign his syllabus and his first midterm of the year, because you’re basically a celebrity at that point).  

[makeste]

BnHA Chapter 320: Deku vs. Class 1-A

Previously on BnHA: Flashback!Kacchan was all “fuck Deku and fuck his stupid goodbye letters, I need to speak to somebody in charge.” Endeavor was all “hello, I am Somebody In Charge.” Kacchan was all “listen up asshole, you need to let us go out and collect our wayward nerd because you stupidly left him alone with All Might and that’s a fast track to disaster right there.” Endeavor was all, “[self-incriminating silence].” Rat Principal was all, “okay sure, have fun kids.” Back in the present, class 1-A was all “hi Deku” and Deku was all “I’M FINE!!!!!” and Kacchan was all “THAT’S WHAT I THOUGHT YOU’D SAY YOU DUMB FUCKING NERD” and so the kids all got ready to fight, because OF COURSE they’re gonna fight. Sorry guys, but yeah it’s happening.

Today on BnHA: Kacchan is all “what’s up Deku you look like a possessed Rorschach test, so anyway how are the new quirks coming along.” Deku is all “they’re coming along like THIS” and uses Smokescreen to try and get away. Kacchan is all “PHASE ONE COMMENCE”, and Kouda, Sero, Jirou, and Ojiro leap into the fray to shower Deku with heaps of love and violence, because this is a shounen manga and kicking someone’s ass while simultaneously proclaiming your undying admiration for them is just how it’s done in these parts. The KoudaSeroOJirou squad then passes the baton to Satou, Momo, Tokoyami, Kaminari, and Shouji, who are all “fuck this mask” and do a bunch of stuff to tear Deku’s mask off because they’re the real heroes. Shouto is all “LOOK AT THE LITTLE CRYBABY, THAT’S RIGHT, GO AHEAD AND FUCKING CRY and by the way let us share your burden please,” and once again I swear this is all very deeply moving and touching within the actual context. The chapter ends with Tsuyu being all “look at me. I’m the cliffhanger now,” and damn.

lol what

I don’t think anyone was expecting that. I mean, not that I’ve got anything against Tsuyu or anything. anyways it’s a very nice cover and I love the colors and I hope this means Tsuyu’s gonna do something badass

also, “Deku vs Class A” -- pretty much the expected title, but it’s still got me hyped nonetheless fuck yeah let’s go

IIDA ANGST

Iida Tenya really said “fuck the uniform code, we’re leaving the helmet at home today.” sorry kids, prim and proper C-3PO Comic Relief Iida has left the building. can I interest you in some Serious Iida

meanwhile Kacchan is all “sup Deku, I heard you got a few more quirks, and might I just add that you look like the Snyder Cut of Detective Pikachu”

“you look like a tarred and feathered squid” okay easy there Kacchan. I mean it’s all true of course, but still

“thank you all for coming” OH EXCUSE ME SON, WERE YOU PLANNING ON GOING SOMEWHERE. LET’S JUST SEE HOW THAT PLAYS OUT

yep and there’s Smokescreen, right on cue

okay Horikoshi, I leave it in your hands. hopefully you can come up with some more interesting combos than my dumbass predictions lol

LOL THIS ISN’T A COMBO AT ALL

“explosions solve everything” -- Horikoshi Kouhei, 2021. something something shockwave, something something handwave ta-da no more smoke. lol okay then

oh, ouch

he would know, wouldn’t he. nice application of one of your many hard-earned life lessons, Kacchan

by the way you guys, just as an experiment, I’m going to try to anticipate some of the discourse this week in the hopes of preemptively addressing it and thus saving myself some time later on lol. so here’s our first test run!

ANTICIPATED DISCOURSE: “oh my god what a fucking hypocrite can you believe this fucking guy”

PREEMPTIVE REBUTTAL: it’s precisely because Kacchan has been in this exact situation himself that he’s able to recognize his past self in Deku now and call him out on it. just because it took him sixteen years to get it through his head that he can’t accomplish every single thing completely by himself doesn’t mean Deku has to go down that same path. so yeah, maybe it is a bit hypocritical, but if you insist that the only people qualified to call out stupid shit are people who have never done a single stupid thing in their own lives, then what you’re basically saying is that absolutely no one on earth is qualified lol. so yeah, I’d have to disagree

and one last unrelated note, I’m willing to bet the whole “you didn’t even say a word before you ran off” thing is possibly the first thing Kacchan’s said in this whole encounter that actually does stem from genuine hurt rather than his tough-love-harsh-truths strategy. I’M TAKING NOTES HERE HORIKOSHI. at this rate it’ll take twice as many chapters as DvK2 for them to hash out all the stuff between them, geez

anyway so I gotta say, so far Deku vs. Class A is looking an awful lot like a DvK3 wearing a hat, trenchcoat, and sunglasses lol

OH SHIT I TAKE IT BACK??

FUCK YEAH, YOU GO KOUDA. and I guess he ditched his mask as well! excellent

so far the strategy here seems to be “Kacchan says all the mean tough love shit while the rest of 1-A balances it out with warmth and kindness”, which actually works pretty well imo. Deku is one of those people that doesn’t usually need a Kacchan Translator anyway, but just in case, this is very efficient

mm but of course Deku is slingshotting himself away with Blackwhip. all right then, who’s up next!

FUCK YEAH

okay but seriously you guys, what is going on with Sero’s face in these last couple of chapters though, it’s really starting to unnerve me. is he trying to emulate Kacchan’s whole asymmetrical facial expressions thing?

in fact let me just quickly hit pause here because,

ANTICIPATED DISCOURSE: “SERO IS TOGA??!”

PREEMPTIVE REBUTTAL: no

oh snap looks like Jirou’s getting in on the action too!

poor Jirou probably spent days racking her brain trying to think of something she could bond with Deku over. is Horikoshi doing these in reverse order of the kids who have had the most interaction with him? that would explain why poor Kouda didn’t get a flashback lol

omg. well that answers that

so by my count, Satou and Hagakure are the only ones remaining in this first tier of kids who Still Appreciate Midoriya even though they’ve barely ever spoken two words to him in their lives lol. so they’ll probably be next, and then we’ll get to the next tier of kids who are pretty good friends with him but not quite besties. and then we’ll move on to the IidaRokiRaka trio, and then lastly, to the boy who is in a tier all his own

BUT FIRST, A WORD FROM OUR SPONSOR

and by “sponsor” I mean the Dekuangst. just in case that wasn’t clear. indeed, many thanks to the Dekuangst for making this all possible

(ETA: okay so this whole “take me away” line seemed pretty weird to me, and sure enough it’s yet another one of those cases where only the verb is specified, and the object is left to the reader’s interpretation. so even though the translation says “take me away”, I’m pretty sure that what Deku’s actually saying is “take you away” -- as in, his loved ones will be taken away by AFO.

and that is literally the way he phrases it, though -- the verb used is “奪う” (ubau), meaning “to snatch away; to dispossess; to steal.” which, god, that hurts my whole goddamn heart though, because for him to say it like that?? not “AFO will kill you”, but “AFO will take you away from me.” he can’t have nice things anymore because of AFO. he can’t be around the people he loves because AFO will hurt them. he can’t have happiness because AFO will take it away from him. anyway so where the fuck is AFO right now, motherfucker I just want to talk.)

by the way can Ojiro just extend his tail to whatever fucking length he wants or what because it’s like twelve feet long in this panel lol

WOOO FUCK YEAH TOKOYAMI

YOU LOVE TO SEE IT!! BUT WHERE’S YOUR FLASHBACK? YOU’VE HAD A BUNCH OF INTERACTIONS WITH HIM, THAT’S NOT FAIR

okay so now Satou’s stepping in which is back to my anticipated order, so maybe Toko will finish his little moment afterward

dskfjfkk

“REMEMBER THAT TIME DEKU BORROWED SATOU’S FOOD COLORING” Horikoshi says, sweating. “AND REMEMBER THAT TIME HE, UM, SMILED IN HAGAKURE’S GENERAL DIRECTION”

actually I am curious about what Hagakure’s part will be because, you know, the whole traitor thing lol

(ETA: funny how we just skipped right over it huh. can we get a traitor reveal countdown started here? definitely getting close to that time.)

whoa lol wtf

MOMO??? THIS HAS MOMO WRITTEN ALL OVER IT DAMMIT

-- SWEET MOTHER OF FUCK

“SORRY MIDORIYA-SAN, I LEFT MY FUCKING CHILL AT HOME IN THE LOCKER NEXT TO IIDA’S HELMET” holy shit lmao

and here I thought she’d get a flashback to her time on the Baku Rescue Squad or something. but nope, no flashbacks from Momo, only terrifying sci-fi torture devices

poor Dark Shadow is such a trooper omg

“why am I the only one who has to make prolonged contact with his smelly disgusting self” taking one for the team there DS

FUCK YEAH KAMINARI NO JUTSU

THE PRICKLY BASTARD WHISPERER STRIKES AGAIN!! don’t suppose you brought any clean clothes you could sneakily force him into huh Kami

okay here we go, so now Shouji and Tokoyami are joining forces

um excuse me this is fucking awesome

wonder how he’ll break free? don’t think he’ll reveal Fa Jin until the end of the chapter, so maybe Air Force or something? idk

TOKO GETS AN EXTENDED MOMENT BECAUSE HE IS A TIER TWO PATREON REWARD LEVEL FRIEND YAY

WHY IS MOMO MAKING THIS FACE LOL YOUR THING WAS WAY WORSE

and Shouji just casually hitting him with what is easily the best comment from anyone yet. too bad Deku’s just gonna ignore it. you deserve better Shouji

KAMINARI OMFG

it only just occurred to me that Kami is currently trapped inside Dark Shadow right along with him lmao omg. realest one in the entirety of BnHA, right here. we will never forget your sacrifice

aaaaaaand Deku’s yeeting himself

do you really hate the thought of taking a bath that much my dude

oh shit the mask!!

-- oh shit the feels

o(TヘTo)

fuck. and I mean, we knew he was crying, that was a done deal. but still, to see him in this much pain is just...

and the acknowledgement that he knows they’re worried about him, but that it doesn’t change his mind one bit. this, right here, is why they have to be a bit harsh with him, you guys. because they’re up against the full, unbridled stubbornness of Midoriya fucking Izuku, and if they don’t match that stubbornness with an equal stubbornness of their own, they basically don’t stand a chance

(ETA: quick note that there is apparently another mistranslation here -- rather than saying that his friends are oblivious to the danger, what Deku is actually saying is that none of his friends have activated his Danger Sense once throughout this entire fight. which I had been wondering about, and it turns out Horikoshi actually confirmed it. so basically none of the kids bears any ill intent toward him, and there’s literal proof right there.

incidentally, as @class1akids​ pointed out, this also casts an interesting light on this chapter in terms of who hasn’t fought Deku yet. not to play the Hagakure Traitor Music for the billionth time you guys, but I’M JUST SAYING lol.)

anyway, but the good news is that they all seem to understand that. and the even better news is that we have reached the tier 3 friends!!

“OR ELSE” lol, great to see Shouto wielding his friendship just as aggressively as Deku once did towards him. I do love a good role reversal

p.s., ANTICIPATED DISCOURSE: “why is Shouto being so cruel to Deku can’t he see how hard this is on him”

PREEMPTIVE REBUTTAL: this is a callback to the classic “even heroes cry when they have to” Shouto line from chapter 137. Shouto is clearly following Kacchan’s lead here and going for the more ruthless approach, knowing that the gentle approach isn’t getting through to him (if anything it’s only making him more stubborn as we saw on the previous page). basically it’s his way of pointing out that even heroes are still only human, and so is Deku last time he checked

ah okay, and there Tsuyu is at last

okay real talk, I get why Tsuyu is included in the tier 3 friends, because she was one of the first people to team up with Deku going all the way back to USJ. but that said, this probably would have had more impact if their most recent interaction hadn’t been like 150 chapters ago

but anyway though it’s still a good speech. maybe not quite a cliffhanger-level speech, but a good speech nonetheless. in a way though, I’m glad to see that Horikoshi seemingly didn’t give a fuck whether he ended this on an actual cliffhanger or not for once

and that “headed toward the climax” part has me excited too, ngl. because if we really are getting to the so-called climax this soon, that makes me even more certain that there is indeed a DvK3 in the forecast. so I presume that next week (or I guess two weeks from now) will be the tier 3s along with the remaining tier 2s like Kirishima and Aoyama

and then after that, well... [orange and green banners being hoisted] [sound of screeching airhorns and vuvuzelas in the distance] [sound of All Might approaching in his car which I didn’t notice until I looked back at this page a second time whoops] THE PROPHECY WILL NOT BE DENIED

[jean-kayak]

Falling Back Into Your Bed

Summary: One night was enough to have you crawling back to him

Pairing: Eren Jaeger x black!fem!reader

Warnings: college!au, (smut 18+!!), fingering, oral sex, unprotected sex, degradation, Eren's a little shit, little bit of ass smacking, mentions of sex under the influence (consensual), enemies to lovers sort of?

Word Count: 3120

A/N: This is has been in the drafts for a while, and it wasn't supposed to take the turn it was supposed to but I'm happy with it lmaoo. Completely unrelated, but I like making headers lol

It happened one time. To say you weren't really in the straightest mindset, but it happened once and now you're hooked. Your brain only filled with those images from that night. You groan as you pull at your hair, no matter how hard you try, you can't focus on studying. Your brain completely occupied.

"You seem troubled? Need some help?" The snarky comment comes from your right, and you scoff as you rub your forehead.

"Shut the fuck up," you spit with a little more aggression than you intended as you try to focus on anything but that amazing night.

"You thinking about that night? It could always happen again." The words whispered against your skin makes the images flash fully in your head, and you push him away from you, which only gets a chuckle in return.

"Fuck off, Jaeger," you groan as you close your textbook.

"You alright?" Sasha asks you, and you sigh as you nod.

"Yeah, it's just been a long day. I think I'm gonna head back to my dorm." You end your study session with your friends, stuffing your books in your bag, giving them a wave of goodbye as you walk out of the library, sighing in content when the sun rays hit your skin.

You slept with Eren. The only person who can get on your nerves to the nth degree. You woke up in horror realizing what you did, but the horror was that you liked it. It was amazing, the best sex you've ever had. Of course, it has to come from the person you despise the most.

It was a party that Jean wanted you to go to, and he happened to be there, annoying you to no end as he usually is, and then he was kissing you, and then you're walking up to his room and the rest is history. The memories of that night flood your head again.

The way his hands felt hot against your skin, branding a path all over your body. The way his lips brushed all over your skin, stopping to show some parts of your body some love by sucking dark marks onto the skin that took you forever to cover up.

The way his d--

Wait, stop! What am I doing?

You shake your head as you take another deep breath. This is not how you thought your week was going to go.

"I don't know if you have mind-blowing sex what's the big deal? I'm failing to see the problem," Hitch says, and you roll your eyes as you fall back on your bed.

"The problem is that I don't like him. He gets on my last nerve. Why can't I have amazing sex with a guy that I don't wanna stab on a daily basis?" you argue, and Hitch scoffs as she rolls her eyes.

"Well, maybe it's the fact that you don't like each other that's making the sex great."

"I just wanna stop thinking about it," you admit.

"Well, it doesn't seem to be bothering him as much as it is you," she responds, and that part is what makes you the most irritated and confused.

You were sure you weren't that bad,  but it's like he isn't even fazed by it, only teasing you about it in the best way possible. You groan as you roll over, burying your face in your pillow.

The only reason why you're forced to interact with him is that you're friends with Armin who's best friends with Eren. If that wasn't the case, you probably would never see him again, let alone be in the same room as him where he can annoy you.

"Whatever. Maybe I just need to get laid again, get him off my mind," you mumble into the pillow, and you know Hitch is giving you a look without even turning your head.

"Yeah, okay. Whatever you say," she muses. "Speaking of getting laid, there's another party tonight if you want to go."

You turn your head to the side to face her. "Weren't you just a party last weekend?" you comment, and she shrugs.

"You only live once." You raise your eyebrows at her answer but shrug anyway.

"If I don't have anything to do, then I'll go."

~

You should've stayed the fuck home because this party is not it. You don't know if it's because you really don't want to be here or the fact that you're sober, but you can't help but sigh in annoyance as you walk through the crowd until you find a corner where anyone isn't making out.

You nurse your drink, but the taste of the beer is slowly making you sick after two sips, so you just hold it to give you something to do. "You look like you're having fun."

You roll your eyes at the familiar voice, tilting your head to the side as you look at him. "I should've known you'd be here." You knew that you should've listened to that weird feeling in the back of your head the moment you stepped into the room. "I'm not really feeling it," you say, and he steps closer to you.

"Well, we could always go somewhere else, and I can make you scream while I split you open on my dick again." You clench your jaw as you find something else to look at, trying and failing to ignore the way his words make your body hot all over.

You scoff. "Yeah, in your dreams."

"Really? You don't miss this?" he asks, pulling you into him, and you can't help when your mouth falls open slightly your breath hitching. "Cause I sure miss the way your tight pussy clamped around me."

Your thighs squeeze together subconsciously as you let out a small moan, luckily it's muffled by the music, but he doesn't miss your reaction. "Yeah, I'll pass," you muster, and he smirks as he chuckles.

"Fine, have it your way. The offer still stands," he says before he walks away, and you sigh heavily as you drink from your cup. You have to get out of here.

Eren can't take his eyes off of you as you walk around the room. You've filled your cup back up, but you haven't drank from it, the only thing on your face is that you want to get out of here. Even as you talk to some blond guy, Reiner he thinks his name is, your face is very evident in showing that you're tired of this conversation, but you're too nice to leave.

He walked over to talk to you just to tease you but ended up doing the same thing to himself. He finds it funny that you seem to deny what happened between you two even though you reacted the way you did. If he could take you in front of all these people, he would.

Well, he can, but he's better than that.

He doesn't tell you this, he doesn't think he will, but you're the only thing that's been on his mind, but he's just better at hiding it. He can't count how many times he's thought about your body, the noises you made, how fucked out you looked as you took his dick. Every time he touches himself, those are the only things he thinks about.

And every single time he finishes, he declares that he's going to get you back into his bed.

Which is why he decided to come to this party even though he didn't want to. He knew Hitch would drag you out here, and he knew that there was no way he was letting you go.

He almost feels bad for the guy. Even though he can't hear the conversation, he knows Reiner is trying and failing to woo you with his awful flirting tactics. He can recognize your fake laugh from a mile away.

He decides that he can't stand to watch this horror show any longer, and he moves over to where you are, rolling his eyes at a lame pick-up line he hears come from him. "Hey, I need to talk to you," he buds in, and you give him a look.

"I'm in the middle of a conversation." You state the obvious, and he gives you a lazy look.

"Yeah, not really," he responds, and you squint at him. "Come on, it'll take a second."

You sigh, giving in before turning to the buff guy next to you. "I'll be right back," you tell him, and only Eren knows that that's not true.

He eyes Eren before giving you a smile and a nod, and you follow Eren as you walk the too familiar walk to his room. He closes the door behind him when you walk in, and you cross your arms. "What was so important that you had to pull me from my conversation?" you question, annoyed, and he smiles at you.

"Yeah, it totally looked like you were enjoying that little chat." You roll your eyes as he takes your cup out of your hand, setting it on his dresser. "How much have you had?"

You frown at him. "To drink? Not enough because it's difficult to have a conversation with you sober."

He chuckles lightly as he walks closer to you until your knees hit the bed. "Can I say something?" he asks, and you try to act like his close proximity isn't bothering you.

"If it'll make this end sooner."

"All I've thought about is that night," he tells you, and he moves closer, making you fall down onto the bed as you look up at him with wide eyes. He hovers over you, one hand on the mattress next to you, the other trailing down your body, making goosebumps break out over your skin.

"How good you felt, how loud you were, how fucking soaked you were." His lips brush against yours as he runs a hand down your tube top, biting your lip when he rolls his finger over your nipple.

"What does this have to do with me being sober?" you ask breathlessly, and he smirks as his hand moves down to your shorts, and he doesn't miss the way your thighs tense like you don't know whether to close them or not.

"Because I want to see if I can make you scream just as loud." He crashes his lips down on yours, making you squeak in surprise before you finally let him in, moaning when his tongue rubs over the roof of your mouth.

You thought your thoughts about Eren would change if you were sober, but he's just as addicting as he was that night, and you find it difficult to object to anything he's doing.

He crawls with you as you move up further on the bed, your body flushing hot all over. He works your shirt off, throwing it somewhere off to the side before trailing hot, wet kisses down your neck before moving to your chest.

Your hand makes its way into his hair, messing up the bun that it was in as he mouths at your nipples, pulling the taut bud with his teeth and his fingers before switching. "Did I ever tell you that you have nice tits?" he tells you with a playful smile on his face as he fondles them, and you scoff at his childish comment as you shift on the bed, the rough abrasion of your shorts against your crotch becoming extremely uncomfortable.

He works his shirt off as he slides down your body, his lips just grazing your skin to be teasing, and he unbuttons your shorts, peeling them off your legs, letting out a huff when his eyes land on your panties.

"You're so fucking wet," he mumbles, and you hiss at the cool air hitting your sensitive core when he pulls the fabric down and off your legs. You start to say something when he doesn't move, but you let out a low moan in surprise when he licks a broad stripe up your folds.

Your back arches off the bed at the sudden stimulation, and he lays an arm over your hips to keep you still, his other hand digging into the flesh of your thighs as he keeps you spread open. "And you taste so fucking good," he groans as he moves from licking between your folds to flicking at your clit.

"Fuck, Eren," you whine, pulling at the roots when his tongue prods at your hole.

"Come on, baby, I know you can be louder than that," he challenges, pushing one of your legs over to give him more room. His tongue prods at your hole before he replaces it with his fingers, his mouth going back to focus on your clit.

He's already curling two fingers inside of you as he sucks on the bundles of nerves, pulling it into his mouth, before circling his tongue around the bud. What you definitely didn't forget was how amazing his head game was. Your toes curl as the grip on his hair tightens, and it takes a few more pumps on his fingers hitting that sensitive spot inside of you to make you cum, moaning loudly as your orgasm hits.

"There we go. That's better," Eren says before moving his tongue to your hole to lap up your release. You're panting as he moves back up towards your face, his covered in your release. "But I still think you can be louder."

"You sound like you're all talk," you challenge even though you're still breathless.

He chuckles darkly before getting rid of the rest of his clothes, putting himself right back over you. "Sounds like you're undermining my skills," he jabs back as he lines himself up.

"Sounds like you're overestimating yourself," you counter, but you trail off before you can finish the last word as he pushes himself in, and you both moan at the feeling.

"Shit, I'll never get over how amazing you feel," he breathes once he bottoms out, and you're urging him to move, which he quickly obliges, your mouth falling open at the feeling of being stretched out with every stroke.

He moves himself so that he's on his knees, your hips angled upwards as he thrusts into you way too slowly for your liking. "Come on, Eren," you whine, knowing he can make you feel way better than he is right now. "Fuck me harder," you plead, and he coos at you.

"Aww, but I'm trying to make love to you, princess," he drawls, and you groan in frustration as you try to move, but he holds you down, making sure he's the only one moving.

"I don't want you to make love to me," you whine, desperate to have him fuck you until you see stars.

"But I like seeing you beg for me, seeing you so desperate, it's cute, keep going," he says, and you roll your eyes.

"Fuck--" He cuts you off with a sharp thrust, nailing your g-spot with ease.

"Me? Well, you're already doing that, sweetheart." You scrunch your nose at the stupid pet name, and you scoff before you smirk at him.

"As I said, you're all talk," you taunt. "Pretty sure Reiner could make me scream louder than you ever could." The playful demeanor in his face drops and his eyes are going dark, and suddenly he's pulling out of you, and rolling you onto your stomach.

He pulls you up to your knees, and he slams into you, making you cry out at the sudden intrusion as your eyes roll back. "You think you're funny, huh?" he spits before pulling you to his chest by your shoulder. "You wanted to get a rise out of me so that I could fuck you like a filthy whore."

You can barely respond, your body feeling like it's being shocked every time he rams that spot, and you jolt when he pushes on your clit. "Already going stupid? I haven't even done anything yet."

He pushes you back down, pushing your back until your chest is flush against his bed. "You're such a needy slut, aren't you?" A smack to your ass, the sting snapping you out of your daze. "Answer me."

"Fuck yes!" You can barely get it out, your knuckles starting to hurt from how hard you're gripping the sheets.

"Who's fucking you this good?" You don't answer quick enough, it's not like you can, but that only makes him fuck you harder. "Who?!"

"You! God, Eren, you," you moan, and you release your grip on the sheets as you feel yourself starting to drool.

"Who owns this fucking cunt? Fuck." His head falls back on his shoulders as you clamp around him, and he pushes on your clit again when you don't respond.

"You, oh fuck, 's all yours." You buck your hips back, meeting his, and he smacks your ass again.

"Come on, baby, you can say my name." He sounds just as wrecked as you, and his name is the only thing you're coherent enough to say, and you know that you're loud and that anyone walking past the door or on the other side of the walls can hear you.

"Shit, your pussy is so," he cuts himself off with a groan, his body curling as he feels his high building up as you suck him back in.

"Eren, I'm--" You try to tell him that you're close, so close, but you can't, tears running down your face from the constant stimulation on that spot inside of you.

He responds with a groan, and you know he's close too, and the next thing you know, you're cumming hard, your body going rigid. Your orgasm triggers his, and he cums with a moan of your name, his climax hitting him so hard, he falls on top of you.

Both of you fall down on the bed, his ragged breathing fanning against your neck, and he rolls the both of you over before rubbing up and down your top half softly. "You okay?" he asks against your neck, and you can feel the smirk on your skin.

You respond with a content whine, and his grip on your waist tightens when you try to move. "Stop moving. I'm trying to cuddle you."

You scoff before chuckling lightly. "Since when you do cuddle?"

"Since now. Now, shut up, I'm trying to go to sleep."

You roll your eyes at the words, but there's no heat behind them, and you feel sleep catching up to you as well.

Eren Jaeger might annoy to no end, but maybe this isn't so bad.

[i-am-trying-my-best-okay]

A Very Short Summary That I Think Kinda Represents All The Heartless Ships (That I Know Of): A Saga (It’s not)

THE JURY SQUAD (VILLIANS GOTTA VILLIAN) SHIPS

Dock x Alastor: A couple that acts like an old married couple before they’re even old. They probably acted like an old married couple upon their first meeting.

Alastor x Lorelei: Alastor is so confused but just kinda goes along with it. Lorelei be like ‘pls notice me senpai or else I’ll completely lose it. Ha ha jk jk lol...unless-’

Lance x Bandy: The embodiment of be gay and do crime. Can’t be in the same room without something going wrong in the best possible way. Make it their personal mission to ruin Alastor’s day.

Diana x Lorelei: Thought the other would be useless but then they weren’t. They really don’t want to like the other but then they do.

Lance x Alastor: Would probably hate each other at first, but even when they start liking each other they would pretend to hate each other, even though they both know they don’t.

Lorelei x Lance: He would come to all of Lorelei’s performances and cheer so loudly before she would even begin, and he would boo at everyone else that performs and try to ruin their performance. Lorelei pretends to be annoyed.

Lance x Dock: Lance would so be down with injuring someone for the sake of Dock’s experiments. Neither have a moral code so they can bond over that.

Bandy x Dock: Bandy constantly making jokes that Dock tries way to hard to understand. Sometimes they throws in jokes that don’t make sense on purpose just to see what conclusion Dock will come to.

Diana x Lance: Lance would try to goad Diana into fighting, and she would act like she’s too good for that, but then they both fight and have a great time.

Dock x Diana: Kinda ignored each other until Dock decided to make a cool looking gun for Diana. To which Diana didn’t like feeling like she owed a favor and helped with some experiment Dock was doing. Thus began the dynamic duo.

Alastor x Diana: They’re basically the only ones doing the mission for the sake of doing the mission. They would sit and talk for hours about deep topics.

Bandy x Alastor: Bandy listens to everything Alastor says, he just doesn’t do as he says. Alastor probably doesn’t completely trusts them, so always keeps tabs on them, so at this point Alastor knows everything about Bandy.

Bandy x Lorelei: Would use each other for personal reasons, and grow almost dependent on each other without realizing it. Slowly start seeing the other as a deeper person then a tool.

Diana x Bandy: She probably thought Bandy was annoying but they kept talking to her so she eventually grew to like them. They make a surprisingly good team when fighting.

Dock x Lorelei: I feel like Dock would really feed into Lorelei’s dark side to observe it, making her feel comfortable, like she could do anything and it wouldn’t phase Dock.

THE HEARTLESS SQUAD (WE PURE BRUH) SHIPS

Flint x Eira: Probably didn’t really like each other at first, but then grew to like each other. Flint really likes how Eira fights fair and gets really upset whenever Eira seems insecure and immediately tries to cheer him up.

Eira x Heartless: Eira thinks Heartless is hopelessly naïve and comments on it frequently, but if anyone else dared to say it Eira would be at their throats all like, “I’m sorry he’s not a cynical asshole like you.” Heartless would be constantly hugging Eira.

Flint x River: Flint teaching River how to fight, and River would try to use her medical expertise to help with his overheating. Constantly helping the other one out.

Doppel x Alchemy: Doppel would love being their assistant, and Alchemy would absolutely play him up during the performance. Alchemy would scold him for stealing customers money, but also they would keep it.

Doppel 2 x Alchemy: Alchemy would try so hard to give this poor man some confidence, constantly complimenting him. 

Alchemy x River: Wholesome. That’s it. That’s all that comes to mind when I think of these two. Brian empty, only wholesome.

Flint x Heartless: If Flint overheated Heartless would try so hard to carry him, ending up exhausted after carrying him a distance and Flint is over his overheating. To return the favor Flint carries Heartless basically at all times.

Flint x Doppel: Flint probably thinks of him as underhanded, but then comes to realize that this was how he survived on the streets. Doppel would try so hard to rope Flint into his schemes, to which Flint occasionally will.

Flint x Doppel 2: Would probably at first treat Doppel 2 the same way he treats Doppel, until he realizes he needs to be a lot more softer around Doppel 2. Flint gives so many head pats. Doppel 2 will sob whenever Flint overheats.

Eira x Doppel: Eira would constantly stop Doppel from his fun, basically babysitting him, and Doppel would try to get Eira to loosen up a bit. Sometimes Eira does, and it’s such a rush but he would never admit it.

Eira x Doppel 2: Eira would just protect Doppel 2 all the time, and then there was one time when he was down and Doppel 2 stepped up to protect him and he was just so touched.

Alchemy x Heartless: The positive reinforcement radiating off these two is insane. They literally just go around making people feel good about themselves while holding hands.

Eira x Alchemy: Really enjoys flustering Eira, and if Eira ever gets the courage to flirt back, even if it’s something small and doesn’t really make sense, Alchemy would just be more flustered then they’ve ever been in their life.

River x Heartless: Both of them would try and tell the other how they felt but then chicken out and talk about something completely unrelated while blushing like crazy, and the rest of the gang just looks at them like bruh.

Doppel x Heartless: Thinks Heartless being undead is the coolest thing ever. Honestly considers being undead with him, with Heartless always having to talk him out of it.

Doppel 2 x Heartless: The. Encouragement. Heartless’s constant reassurance to Doppel 2 makes him feel very comfortable around Heartless and he opens up a bit to him.

Alchemy x Flint: Flint would be so in awe of all the stage performances Alchemy does, and Alchemy kinda shows off a bit when Flint is watching.

River x Doppel: Literally the only person who could rein in Doppel, get him to calm down and just play some cards, and no, that doesn’t mean gambling.

River x Doppel 2: River would kinda train Doppel 2 as her apprentice since fighting isn’t really his thing, and they would heal the crew together.

JURY/HEARTLESS (ROMEO AND JUILET STYLE) SHIPS

Lance x Eira: Sword fights. So many sword fights of the homoerotic variety. Neither of them expected Lance’s flirting to turn serious, oop. Also potential meeting in childhood head cannons. 

Diana x Alchemy: They would say something about how Diana’s outfit was cool, and Diana would begrudgingly say something nice about Alchemy. They’ve caught themselves in a compliment war.

Dock x Flint: Actually fascinated with Flint’s low tolerance to heat, keeps trying to figure out why, and Flint is all like, ‘It ain’t that deep’.

Lance x Flint: Flint be like ‘could you at least TRY to fight honorably and fairly?’ and Lance be like ‘lamo what does that even mean?’ Lance thinks it’s so funny when Flint gets mad when he fights dirty.

Diana x Doppel: Shoots him on sight but he always dodges; it’s almost like a game for them at this point.

Diana x Doppel 2: Would have soft moments together that Diana would viciously deny to anyone that dared ask. So what if you walked in on them watching a movie together, it’s a new killing tactic shut up Alastor.

Bandy x River: Her nice nature throws them off a bit, unsure of how to respond to such sincerity, and they would teach her so many jokes that River would go around telling everyone, making Bandy so proud.

Alchemy x Lance: The flirting would never end. Ever. It doesn’t matter what situation their in, it doesn’t matter if they’re in the middle of a very serious fight to the death. Flirting. And nobody knows that it’s serious but them.

Alastor x Heartless: Alastor was trying to act like they were the ultimate enemies, but Heartless is all like, ‘why don’t we sit down and talk about this?’

Bandy x Alchemy: Could you imagine them up on stage together? They would be constantly trying to out do the other, making a game out of who could dazzle the crowd more.

Alchemy x Lorelei: Both performers but in different areas, they would understand the stress of it, and talk about it frequently.

Dock x Doppel: Doppel would be such a little shit to Dock, and sometimes he tires to help Dock with an experiment for fun but messed up everything, but somehow Dock still had a good time.

Dock x Doppel 2: Just so much of Dock obsessed with trying to figure out what the hell Doppel 2 even is, and Doppel 2 apologizing when he doesn’t get clear answers.

Lorelei x River: A secretly not a soft girl and an actual soft girl that could still destroy you. This is a power couple if I’ve ever seen one.

Lance x Heartless: Lance would do everything in his power to try and make Heartless angry. Heartless’s constant positivity makes Lance want to see how far it could go.

Diana x Heartless: Whenever Diana goes to kill someone, the person she’s trying to kill is usually never nice to her, so this is confusing. 

Alastor x Flint: What if in the middle of the fight Flint just straight up picks him up, and it looks weirdly suggestive, and now they’re both flustered.

Bandy x Heartless: They would just go around and have fun to be honest. I feel like they would share a sense of humor.

Lance x River: Didn’t expect her to be good at fighting, but when she shows that she is, he is absolutely ecstatic. If they dated he would go around and brag about how his girlfriend could take him and the person he was bragging to down in a fight.

Alastor x Eira: Both kinda have that I-look-like-a-twink-but-I-will-mess-you-up energy. Both of them would just sit there denying their feelings so hard.

Dock x Eira: Their both stoic most of the time, viewing this fighting as impersonal and just a means to their own end. This kinda forms a comradery.

Lance x Doppel: Lance is interested in Doppel’s really weird street fighting tactics. Would actually stop fighting to teach each other tactics, which can get very handsy.

Lance x Doppel 2: He would keep trying to make Doppel 2 fight him, and if Doppel 2 throws the lightest punch ever, Lance acts like Doppel 2 just took over the world and is cheering him on.

Diana x Flint: Why can I imagine them both constantly suggesting to the other person that they could join their side at any time?

Bandy x Eira: Eira is so serious and Bandy thinks it’s hilarious. They would probably debate about their morals often, neither ever accepting the other’s morals but begrudgingly admitting the other has a point.

Lorelei x Heartless: Lorelei had put up this nice front but accidently lets Heartless see a different side, to which Heartless is all like, woah neat. Lorelei feels a bit unsure of how to handle acceptance.

Bandy x Doppel: Would absolutely hit the town solely to mess with people. Bandy would be really useful to steal stuff, so Doppel would just goad them into stealing things and then steals them from Bandy, which Bandy thinks is so funny.

Bandy x Doppel 2: They would mess with Doppel 2 so hard, his anxious reactions were funny to him. But also, he doesn’t like it if other people mess with Doppel 2 too much. Like, that’s his job and his job only.

Dock x Alchemy: The way Alchemy can switch their appearance fascinates Dock, and Alchemy would just flirt with Dock so hard but he wouldn’t understand any of which, which they think is hilarious. 

Alastor x Alchemy: Alastor is not happy that Alchemy flirts with him at every given opportunity. Like, he’s very busy being enemies and trying to kill all magic users, stop making him feel things right now.

Dock x Heartless: Dock would be practically frothing at the mouth thinking of how Heartless actually functions, seeing as he’s undead and all. And since Heartless wants to know his origins as well, maybe they’d find out together.

Lorelei x Doppel: She thinks of him as a ‘ruffian’ or something like that. He thinks she’s stuck up. They want to absolutely murder each other. So what’s with this weird sexual tension?

Lorelei x Doppel 2: Would be so sugary sweet to him as she tries to make him do her biding or something.

River x Dock: Two very different doctors, yelling at each other their ideals on what a doctor is. Can and will annoy the other one while they work. Dock will make improvements to River’s prosthetics. 

Alastor x River: Once Alastor would be injured and alone, and River would find him and heal him and get him back to the Jury before leaving immediately. Alastor is going crazy trying to figure out why.

Flint x Lorelei: Why do I feel like they probably had a one night stand and then when they met on opposite sides of the battlefield they were like ‘oh. shit.’

Alastor x Doppel: When a rude little gremlin meets a terrifying librarian. Alastor is trying to get Doppel to stop doing what he’s doing which only fuels his desire to keep doing what he’s doing.

Alastor x Doppel 2: Thinks Doppel 2 shouldn’t exist but then when Doppel 2 is crying about it he sort of becomes sympathetic about it. Like, together they try find a way to get Doppel 2 to not exist, which turns weirdly intimate? 

Diana x River: Diana probably caught feelings first when River drop kicked Dock. If either of them got kidnapped by the other side they other would always go visit the prisoner all like ‘I just want to go check on them, god guys.’

Bandy x Flint: “Fights are a serious thing. Don’t take it as a joke!” “Yeah, Yeah, that’s what I’m doing.” “THEN STOP SWITCHING ME WITH YOUR WEAPON SO YOU CAN HOLD ME!”

Me realizing that for most of these they could just be read as how they interact with each other rather than a ship. Also me ignoring that.

This was basically an excuse for me to decide who I want to ship.

Characters belong to @abd-illustrates​

[charnelhouse]

I know it isn’t canon and there’s literally a zero percent chance of anybody else not related to the readers father having the last name “Faire” in the city they’re in, but while I was reading the last chapter the idea popped into my head of the reader just coincidentally having the same last name of this terrifying, powerful man, and the boys reaction of when they find out they really just assumed things and kidnapped this completely unrelated girl and it was SO funny to me 😭😭😭 (btw your writing is AMAZING and PHENOMENAL and BEAUTIFUL 🥺 thank you for blessing us with it!!)

Lol that would be awful!!

They’re like “well we like you anyway”

[adhd-ahamilton]

I got to see Hamilton in Sydney!!

It was a seriously, seriously amazing time – I was always worried that by the time I finally got to see Hamilton on stage (I was even supposed to see it in America last year lmfao) it wouldn’t mean the same anymore. And like, obviously it’s not my hyperfixation anymore. But even like this, it was still an incredible experience! I always figured that the recording would focus more on close-ups and the like because you can’t really see that on stage, but you really can see so much of what’s going on when you see it live and the whole stage is full of things to notice!

I have a lot of thoughts about it (mainly about the Australian cast, though some of these things could just be live performance things)!

Firstly, only two lines had their wordings changed:

* ‘John Adams doesn’t have a real job, anyway’ → ‘Vice president is not a real job, anyway.’ This got a good laugh from the audience; obviously it was changed to preserve the joke, since most Aussies wouldn’t have a good idea of who John Adams was. (I explained the joke when I watched the recording with my parents.)

* ‘Weehawken. Dawn.’ → ‘Jersey. Dawn.’ This was a bit of a surprise, but the more I think about it the more it makes sense. Aussies also wouldn’t know Weehawken (I didn’t even get that he was referring to a place when I first heard it), while Jersey is very clear because they already made a joke about it. (That one didn’t get much of a laugh though, ofc lol) And it’s actually more consistent because later they do say ‘we were near the same spot my son died, is that why’ so they drive that connection even deeper.

I don’t think there were any other music/staging/choreography differences from the recording – just the acting. But ooh, this really was differently-acted!

Hamilton

I love Lin-Manuel Miranda. I love his energy and enthusiasm and intelligence and his optimism. But while I loved his dorky version of Hamiton, I have to admit, I didn’t always think it matched up with even the musical’s script, let alone the real person. This Hamilton, though? I kept thinking about all the ways he felt different from the original, and almost every time, it was like ��yeah, this feels more like what I know of the real Hamilton.’ (Or at least, the Hamilton we wrote about in fic.)

This Hamilton is aggressive and prickly. Up until Helpless, we don’t really see him smile – which makes sense, y’know, with ‘talk less, smile more.’ When he confronts Burr at the beginning of the play, he doesn’t have Miranda’s overly energetic and talkative air, he’s more pushy and too intense. You really feel like, oh, yeah, he’s just walking up to someone on the street and badgering them into telling him about their life story. When he says ‘God, I wish there was a war’ he’s less naive and more so hyperfocused on his goal he doesn’t notice he’s said something super insensitive. When Burr says ‘You wanna get ahead?’ his ‘Yes’ isn’t quiet and firm, it’s more ‘yes obviously, nobody would not want to get ahead, so just hurry up and tell me already.’

And that’s just in the first couple of songs! He continues on like this, with that kind of burning intensity and hot temper, through the musical, though ofc it softens at important times. Importantly, his relationship with Burr is largely based in frustration. When he does ‘My Shot’, it honestly feels less like he’s singing to impress the guys and more like he’s challenging Burr and everything he just told him; I’m sure I saw him glancing back at Burr several times. Likewise, when he tells Burr to go get Theodosia, it’s not questioning – he’s outright saying that if he really loved her, he’d take any risk for her. And in Schuyler Defeated, his ‘Burr?’ isn’t questioning there, either – he’s already angry, he’s just demanding his attention. He genuinely seems to like Burr in a weird way that even he might not understand at times, but for the most part he just seems to find him really frustrating and is always trying to incite him to do more.

This Hamilton also feels very independent, and even aloof. In The Story of Tonight, while the other guys are totally sincere and moved by it all, Hamilton feels sorta… distant. At one point he half walks off until Laurens brings him back, which I think happens in the recording as well, but here I especially felt like that was how he was ‘really’ feeling. Not that he was being manipulative or lying in any way, just that he couldn’t be in the moment because he was still stuck in his head thinking about the future. And the whole way through, he very rarely seems to properly open up – my friend said afterwards that Hurricane hits so much harder when it’s the first time he’s really vulnerable in the entire musical. Which is basically how it happens.

It’s funny – you think of Hamilton and Burr as being contrasting this way, with Burr keeping his cards close to his chest and not revealing what he really wants until The Room Where It Happens, but this Hamilton doesn’t feel far off. But rather than keeping a secret per se, it’s more… he has such an incredibly strong, intense drive, and you’re never super certain where it comes from. And in Hurricane, it suddenly becomes clear – all this time, he’s still caught up in that trauma, and still feels like he needs to fight and scrape just to survive, even when it turns into this self-destructive impulse. Honestly, Hurricane has always been kind of a weird song – he’s been corrupted and is not the most sympathetic beforehand, but then you get this grand slow inspiring song talking about how he suffered in the past and overcame it, but THEN you cut to an almost comedic number about how he fucked everything up for himself and his family. In Miranda’s version, that mood up-and-down always felt a little too jarring. Here it made perfect sense – it was so shocking to see how vulnerable he was at the beginning, and then the song isn’t just repeating what we learned in the beginning, it’s explaining what he’s been keeping deep down all along, but also making it clear that this is manic and awful and destructive.

Part of that is the singing, too. This Hamilton can rap really well, but his singing voice is startlingly gentle and beautiful. It really helps to get across the sincerity of his feelings in Helpless, Dear Theodosia, and as I said Hurricane. On the other hand, there are also times his voice just goes flat, like there are so many emotions he can’t process them – you see that a bit in My Shot when he gets worried (‘I never had a group of friends before’), but it REALLY stings when he says ‘I have so much work to do.’ That hit me way harder than Miranda’s version :(

However, when you combine this Hamilton’s aloofness with that certainty and intelligence, you also get a version of him that is particularly… ironic? He’s always crossing his arms (when he’s not rubbing his face with a palm; those two gestures repeat constantly through the play), and kinda stepping back and Watching people, with a bit of a sense of self-important and even patronising judgement. This is very much ‘So quick-witted!’ ‘Alas, I admit it.’ He definitely does come across like a dude who thinks he is ‘smartest in the room,’ and puts way too much stock in his own opinion. Particularly with Burr whenever they were getting along there was a distinct sense of ‘You know what? I actually think you’re pretty interesting. And my positive judgement is hard to come by, so that’s a big compliment.’ (Burr does not seem to get this weirdly condescending vibe though, lol.) Honestly…. I gotta admit: I really don’t like people like that, haha – though I can’t say it’s entirely inappropriate for Hamilton characterisation. This Hamilton genuinely feels difficult, and that matches up to what happens in the script.

But, the consequence is that after Hurricane, some of the later songs didn’t have quite as much of an impact on me as in the original. In It’s Quite Uptown, I could somehow never quite lose that vision of Hamilton as a bit sarcastic and superior – the way he rubs at his face in grief still just felt a little… put-on and theatrical, like you can hear the frustrated sigh underneath. And this is a song that demands complete, total, unrelenting vulnerability – Miranda’s Hamilton sounds like he’s dying the whole time and that makes the emotional stakes really felt. Maybe it’s that his voice was TOO gentle in this song – Miranda’s more awkward voice actually adds to the exhausted brokenness of the situation?

And finally, when we got to The World Was Wide Enough… Miranda’s speech there in the silence might just be my favourite sequence in the entire musical, so I think anyone else would have struggled to match up to that. It doesn’t help that I was distracted trying to figure out Burr in this scene (which I’ll get to later). It was still beautiful, of course, but ‘What is a legacy?’ just feels so so very Lin-Manuel Miranda and anyone else singing that just doesn’t feel the same.

Overall, I really really enjoyed this version of Alexander Hamilton – as I said, he felt much closer to the actual characterisation I always imagined for him. And this one showed some really fascinating vulnerability in unexpected places, even if the ending didn’t quite land as well for me.

Burr

This Burr was really, really fascinating as well – an interpretation that feels different all the way through, but really pays off at the end with something very striking.

So, something the group of us all agreed was that this Burr felt a lot more like the ‘trust fund baby’ he calls himself. There’s something elegant and refined about him, a rich person who is used to moving through the world as a person to be admired. He’s actually quite graceful, somehow, even though he barely dances? But that also really brings to the fore one particular element – entitlement. (Seriously, my mum is physically incapable of bringing up Burr without mentioning the word ‘entitled’, lol.)

This is a Burr who is used to not having to work for things. He just sort of expects things to fall into his lap, eventually, in contrast to Hamilton. The world will eventually shape to match his desires – that’s how things work. Even in the latter part of the musical, it doesn’t so much feel like he needs to fight and scrape like Hamilton to get ahead, but more like… getting ahead is his birthright, and he just needs to effect that inevitable change into the world. But I’ll get to all that later.

The other thing my friend said was that this Burr feels very much like a preacher’s son, and the more I thought about that the more I agree. There’s something almost… toxically positive about him – the smiles don’t feel two-faced and manipulative so much as maybe like, wilfully ignorant? There’s a very ‘Don’t fret, God will work things out in the end :)’ feel about him, actually. But there’s also something deeply naive in him. Leslie Odom Junior’s version also had some of that genuine lack of understanding – when he muses in confusion over Hamilton in Wait For It, or when his face scrunches in confusion when he says ‘I don’t see why that has to end’ in Schuyler Defeated, and this one does all that, but it feels like an even more inescapable part of his character.

Like, there’s something about this Burr that is just a bit… lame. A bit ‘Hello Fellow Kids.’ But, intentionally!! As I said, he’s a preacher’s son. When he tries to act kinda cool or badass, it just doesn’t quite work. When he interacts with the other guys, even as he smiles wanly and shakes it off when they insult him, you feel like he does still want to be – or even think he is? - part of that group of cool young men. He’s just too… nice, almost. I felt a little more bad during The Story Of Tonight (Reprise) and all. And he seems to take it really earnestly that Hamilton likes him, even if, like I said, there’s a sorta superior quality coming from Hamilton.

He just comes across more naive. Rather than a manipulator, this Burr comes across as more of a shameless Yes Man, who doesn’t think there’s anything wrong with what he’s doing. But I also sort of felt like other characters easily saw through him, and Burr didn’t quite realise that. Like with Jefferson, it sorta felt like he thought he was being really strategic but Jefferson was just like ‘sure, this guy works as an ally, even if he’s kinda annoying.’

And when it comes to Wait For It… the song makes it clear that bad things have happened to him – he hasn’t gone through life without suffering – but he hasn’t had the same reaction Hamilton has had. While Hamilton learned nothing will come to him unless he takes it, it feels like Burr learned that things will just… happen to him, good or bad, and he can’t control it. Nothing that has ever really affected Burr has been of his choice – he inherited his position, and then his parents died, and  all of that was just the uncontrollable whim of the universe. Leslie Odom Junior’s version emphasised the ‘I am the one thing I can control’ aspect a bit more – you feel that that version really had worked hard and struggled for the sake of his studies and job, but this Wait For It gave me a very uncomfortable feeling of being trapped. It’s as though everything about him is already decided, and even his efforts aren’t personal decisions so much as just what was natural and expected of him to do.

And that makes the second half of the story feel very different for him. In Leslie Odom Junior’s version, we see him take that self-control to new levels – that realisation that there is something that means as much to him as all of that drive and intensity Hamilton puts out, and it’s his own ambition. That he does want that, and he will have to fight and get his hand dirty to make it happen. As the story goes on, he becomes increasingly desperate and fearful, understanding more and more what it was to be that kid in the hurricane, becoming viscerally aware that terrible things can and will happen to him unless he stops them.

This Burr doesn’t feel like that. His downfall isn’t frantic. It’s very very cold.

In The Room Where It Happens, yes, his ambition crystallises and he changes strategy. But it feels less like an electric jolt, or an earthquake, and more of an epiphany. It’s okay for him to do these things. It’s right. He belongs in the room where it happens. Whatever he does to bring him there is by definition right and good.

He honestly seems to be feeling good through much of it. He’s so smiley when he comes up to Jefferson. He seems even more confused than Leslie’s Burr when Hamilton is actually mad at him for unseating Schuyler. And in The Election of 1800, there’s nothing of the original’s tired, manic energy, like he’s pushing himself to the brink and plastering on a smile to get through it. When this Burr campaigns, he’s energized and charismatic and friendly and filled with almost a kind of serenity. Like this is what he was born to do. His future is almost here – he just needs to reach out a little and it will be in his grasp.

Which, brief aside here while I analyse this haha – so, in Australia, a big part of our culture is what is called Tall Poppy Syndrome. i.e., an instinctive bitterness and hostility towards those who are perceived to stand above others. It’s often described as an aggression towards successful people, but I think that’s only part of it. Australians would describe their culture as breezy and casual and relaxed, but there’s also something disaffected about it, IMO. You’re not meant to ever take anything too seriously. Yes, we all take the piss out of politicians, but it’s sorta ‘lame’ to really seriously oppose them, too. It’s like our culture is stuck in the mindset of a self-conscious fifteen year old, where we’re all sorta lazily cynical and ‘bluntly honest’, but you’re not supposed to ever actually do anything about it all. Caring too much is kinda embarrassing. You’re just supposed to make fun of people and keep living your life. We don’t get the same fundamentalist groups intent on forcing their viewpoint on society like America does, but we also don’t get the same idealists who fervently believe that if we work hard we can make things better. They exist, for sure. But… well, it’s hard for me to imagine an Australian Leslie Knope, you know? (Who, btw, is one of my favourite fictional characters of all time, for reference.)

Watching Burr in The Election of 1800, I was struck by a memory. It was an Australian season of The Amazing Race, and on top of all of the typical relaxed Australian reality show contenders (seriously, I don’t know what the fuck Drag Race Down Under is on, that is the most un-Australian reality show I have ever SEEN), there was one couple that were I suppose Go-Getters. The type who eat healthily (probably vegan) and get up every morning in their athleisure to work out at the gym or go for runs. They were peppy and enthusiastic and they announced with huge smiles that they were going to WIN this! And the other contestants absolutely despised them. At one point, they did something to attract specific ire – honestly, it was probably nothing more than just not helping another duo who were going the wrong way, because in Australian reality shows everyone helps. But after that, multiple groups all ganged up to sabotage them. They took such delight in watching these two cheery people’s optimism flag, so very self-assured in having taught them to ‘not take yourself too seriously.’ Burr, as he was campaigning, reminded me of them.

It’s really telling, I think, that Burr is the one who reminded me a little of Leslie Knope, here – albeit obviously a much darker version. The kind of person who dorkily believes in the system and puts himself out there unselfconsciously, whose wide smiles are unironic and unmocking. In the original, Lin Manuel Miranda actually compared Hamilton to Leslie Knope at one point, with Hamilton’s ‘thirty years of disagreements.’ It’s a very Australian thing, to make Hamilton less earnest and more aloof and sarcastic, to make his anger as much about frustration with other people as about believing in something himself, and to make Burr, by comparison, sincere. Australians don’t really trust sincerity. Honesty is to be framed as an insulting joke, and Burr is just too polite to do that.

When the results come, Burr’s serene smile only very very slowly fades. Before his expression really drops, he turns away. When Your Obedient Servant starts, he’s quiet. The whole time he sings, he’s measured and controlled and entirely certain of himself. He doesn’t have LOJ’s grit or spikes in volume on ‘just to keep me from winning.’ He’s unnervingly quiet.

Even into The World Was Wide Enough this continues. In the original, Burr is outright frantic. He’s desperate and shaking with anger and fear, and when he points at Hamilton’s glasses and the like, you can feel that he actually isn’t sure of himself – that he’s trying to justify this to himself and knows he sounds crazy, but he just can’t pull back now. His voice shakes and goes up and down. When he says ‘we were near the same spot his son died, is that way?’ it rises and when he says ‘this man will not make an orphan of my daughter’ he cracks in real tears, like the mention of Philip reminded him of what’s at stake here, like that really is the reason he’ll kill him. This Burr stays quiet and cold. He doesn’t waver.

If that Burr was desperate, this one feels… and I hope this doesn’t sound like a joke: like a thwarted rich nice guy. The other Burr learned from Hamilton too well, and is replicating his self-destructive energy. This Burr hasn’t learned anything at all. Winning is still his birthright, and Hamilton has stolen that from him. Burr deserves it, and he deserves to punish Hamilton for this. It’s not an explosion of shock, a scrabbling for purchase in this new chaotic world that will doom them both. It’s vindictive. Burr knows what he is doing and he wants to hurt Hamilton for all Hamilton has hurt him.

After the shot, I was surprised to find myself not tearing up as I expected (usually, these two last songs always get me). With the original Burr, his singing is laced with pain as much as regret. When he repeats ‘death doesn’t discriminate’, we feel his sorrow as he fits Hamilton into the same kind of category as his parents and wife, as someone important to him who died. When he says ‘he may have been the first one who died, but I’m the one who paid for it,’ we understand that he’s referring to the depth of his grief. That having to live with knowing he killed Hamilton feels, in this moment, worse than death.

This Burr is still cold. And when he finally gets to it, and says ‘I’m the one who paid for it,’ he looks away. He almost spits. His face is contorted in bitterness. It’s rough and gritty, for the first time in the entire musical.

I can remember it vividly – it was shocking to see, and sends shivers through me to remember. I’d been waiting for that cathartic sadness, but it wasn’t here. This Burr, deep down, didn’t feel for Hamilton, at least in the end. He was pissed off because for once in his life his actions had consequences. Because of Hamilton, he had fucked up his life forever. His worldview had been shattered. And at that moment, that was all he could think about – that resignation and bitterness and anger. All along, maybe, he had been nice only because he’d had no reason not to be. Once it didn’t benefit him, and his pride and entitlement were damaged, he showed who he truly was.

It… was an experience, lol. Honestly I think it was partly lost on me because I so loved the original version and was like working myself up ready for a good cry here, so I didn’t get to just sit and take the full impact – I kept searching for a grief or fear that wasn’t there. But I don’t think this version is bad! It’s a very valid interpretation of Burr, and it was extremely fascinating to see unfold.

If I have one critique, it’s that one kind of problem with the whole Australian show is that the performances lacked grit. I really wanted more edge, more aggression, more intensity of those emotions – something more sharp and shocking. Hamilton delivers this kind of thing at times, especially early on, but ofc it fades away in the end. Jefferson, as I’ll get to, is too smooth-talking while also having that cold serene kind of anger. When we lack both Hamilton’s broken It’s Quiet Uptown and Burr’s frantic ‘this man will not make an orphan of my daughter’, we don’t get those life and death stakes quite as highly. By focusing all of Burr’s anger in one line, I think the rest of the songs didn’t have as much of an impact as I’d like.

But!! I really enjoyed this interpretation, and I’d love to see it again knowing what’s coming!

Eliza

OKAY nobody else is going to get those huge walls of text lmaoooo

Anyway this Eliza wasn’t a super different interpretation than Phillipa Soo’s, but I think she pulled it off at least as well, if not even better?

So, the really big obvious thing about this Eliza is her smile. Her actress has this amazing, big toothy grin that feels so lacking in guile, but also still so comforting. It’s so attention-grabbing and almost impossible not to be affected by. It just screams ‘hey, things will turn out okay, so cheer up! :)’ And it’s something that just comes out on Eliza as if on instinct – she’s wearing it through most of That Would Be Enough, and at the end of Take A Break when she escorts Angelica away, and even in Blow You All Away when she’s comforting Phillip or in flickers when describing Hamilton’s old letters in Burn.

The thing about Eliza as a character is that she’s basically defined by her emotional intelligence. She feels as strongly as Hamilton, but where he is uncontrolled and reckless and both self and other destructive, she is the opposite of all of those things. She’s measured and practical and knows exactly who she is and what she wants at all times. She will sacrifice for others, but it’s because she decides to, and if she is hurt, she will not keep herself in harm’s way. It’s an interesting kind of competence and I can understand in theory why it’s cool to have a female character like that even if I, as a neurodivergent mentally ill woman cannot relate in the slightest and feel sorta awkward to be judged against.

This Eliza nails all of that perfectly. She’s effortlessly charming and soothing whenever she wants to be – in That Would Be Enough, when Hamilton is turned away and putting up all of his sharpest bristles, you can feel her become something soft and liquid and find her way up against him regardless without getting hurt. It’s that strength of character that makes their relationship really work – it’s not necessarily that she completely understands him or is good at ‘handling’ him, but that her certainty of purpose and deliberate, skilful compassion make her perfectly suited to calm Hamilton’s deep down insecurities. She loves him entirely and makes him believe that. And when Hamilton responds with his own intensity, she loves that, and believes in that.

And all of that makes it mean so much more when she steps out of that natural mediator role for a moment. In Helpless she’s adorable, so giddy and excited and so clearly crushing on Hamilton with a youthful energy that somehow doesn’t feel all that naive. As she sings she’s constantly glancing back over at him, it’s really cute haha. But she does feel a bit more vulnerable here – it does feel like she’s silently asking for help from Angelica when they talk. More startlingly, there’s Non-Stop – when she calls out ‘Alexander’, it is SHARP. It’s the same kind of tone Hamilton takes when he calls out to Burr in Schuyler Defeated. It’s a bit startling actually, but in a good way.

That tone, I think, foreshadows Burn. Again, I think this Eliza takes the same tone as Philippa Soo, but this version (maybe just because I saw it live!) embodied it even more – she talks about her own desperation to understand, re-reading their old letters, and cites Angelica as back-up, but when she reaches the mid-point, she stops and seems to think. She weighs up the situation and her emotions. And when she says ‘I’m erasing myself from the narrative,’ it is very deliberate and conscious. She is in control of her fate and she can see herself objectively and this is what is just. Her moral core is impenetrable. She sees long arc of the future that Hamilton and Burr are so obsessed with and she says, yes, this is what should be done.

And then in It’s Quiet Uptown, that same self-certainty is there from the very first word. This whole musical, even at her lowest, Eliza has instinctively brought out that comforting, wide smile. Here, her face is expressionless. If Hamilton’s acting here didn’t quite hit my mark, Eliza’s was spot on. The withdrawal of that earlier warmth is all the colder when there is no doubt within her about it, and nobody can argue she’s wrong in that. When she takes Hamilton’s hand, she still doesn’t smile. It’s sad :(

Of all of the final songs, Who Lives Who Dies Who Tells Your Story hit me closest to the original. It’s actually almost jarring to see Eliza ask ‘have I done enough?’ This whole song, we hear a hasty energy to her she’s lacked all musical – the first sign that Hamilton has rubbed off on her, too. But when she asks ‘Will they tell your story?’ it’s still Eliza – this isn’t about a legacy, it’s because she’s still that giddy girl from Helpless who loves him and wants to do everything she can for the people she loves.

(Whenever she and Hamilton see each other but appear to walk past one another, only to circle around and meet in the middle again, I cry lmao;;)

Her gasp at the end is soft and quiet and delighted, as though she just spotted someone in the crowd who she hasn’t seen in years and can’t wait to catch up.

If I have one critique, it’s the lack of grit again. Her scream at Philip’s death wasn’t as wild and destroyed as Phillipa Soo’s, and while I like her gasp, I prefer the original’s shocked, overwhelming joy.

Overall though, she was extremely good! Her charisma was just blinding, but it was in that perfectly ‘mundane’ way you’d expect from Eliza. But that solid, immovable core always shone through. They really sold her relationship with Hamilton, too!

Angelica

This is the one I feel like I have the least to say about. My mum said she was the only character who just couldn’t quite match up to the original, and I don’t really agree, but I don’t have a huge amount to say, either.

This Angelica felt a bit older and more mature than Goldsberry. The original Angelica has a bit of brashness and vivid emotion to her – a bit more out there and exaggerated in her actions and expressions. More bold but also more chaotic. This one was a bit more quiet and considering. Diplomatic, maybe?

I actually worried when I first saw her that she wouldn’t be able to carry Satisfied because she was too confident and capable I wouldn’t be able to believe her vulnerability, but no, she pulled that off perfectly. When she was standing in the dark there in the end, the sadness radiated from her.

I actually got a lot more chemistry between her and Hamilton this time; I always thought I disliked the relationship in that canon because of my grudge against how LMM wrote it, but maybe it’s just that LMM was too old for her lmao. You’d think her quietness would contrast with Hamilton’s pushiness, but if anything it feels like she can just eyebrow-arch off his usual way of getting under people’s skin – when she says ‘you forget yourself’ it’s subtly disapproving, then when he delivers the punchline, it’s like he proves himself enough to earn her respect. Indeed, their mutual aloofness actually suits them both really well. You can just imagine them working together, quietly sharing their judgements on everyone else in the room around them. They’d be a terrifying power couple, and that really connects up to her advice in Take a Break.

I don’t have as much to say about the rest of the musical though. (actually IDK if that’s all partly just because by the end my ADHD brain had to work a lot harder to keep up, lol.) Her piece in The Reynalds Pamphlet did the job, and her singing in It’s Quiet Uptown was beautiful.

I guess, if I had to contrast them, the original Angelica felt more spirited and aggressive – very ‘you want a revolution? I want a revelation!’ - while this one felt more like the settled head of the family who already had her place but understood the world perfectly and knew she’d have to pick and choose what she wanted most. (...spoken like that she sounds like a big contrast to Burr, funnily enough?)

Lafayette/Jefferson

So not too much to say about Lafayette – the guy pretty much did him the same as Daveed Diggs, and pulling that off is very impressive but there isn’t too much to analyse here. If anything the Lafayette felt slightly less bright and cheery than the original, which may have been done to contrast with Jefferson.

Jefferson, on the other hand, was quite different. Diggs’ version is very loud and kinda abrasive and arrogant – always smiling and bouncing but with something clearly malicious lying behind all of that. He’s got a harshness to him, deliberately intimidating and surprisingly authentic in what he reveals of himself. He’s a villain character who’s fun to watch because he’s having fun himself and you gotta admire his balls.

This Jefferson is much more smooth and manipulative – maybe taking over from what Burr sometimes delves into? When he first appears, he plays to the crowd, encouraging the cheers, but it’s less arrogance and more like, he’s a celebrity putting on a show. He’s friendly and cheerful all through What’d I Miss?, disarmingly enjoyable to watch. He’s someone who knows the crowd and likes the crowd and is very very good and getting what he wants from the crowd without making it obvious he’s doing that. He’s definitely the type of #relatable celebrity fans would really want to defend.

But Hamilton represents a very clear change to his status quo. He starts off singing What’d I Miss? just in a fun, conversation-starting way as a rhetorical question, but after Hamilton introduces himself, he seems genuinely taken-aback. His last ‘What’d I miss?’ sounds like a genuine question, like, ‘wait wtf what’s going on here all of a sudden?’

And then we get the Cabinet Battles. Despite the above, Jefferson starts off his argument oozing with relaxed confidence. He doesn’t need to take any of this seriously – it’s already in the bag! Everyone loves him and as long as he makes some nice jokes and smiles disarmingly enough, he’ll always get what he want. And then Hamilton starts talking. And he’s pushy and hostile and sarcastic and mocking and angry and superior. And the whole time, Jefferson stands straight and Stares at him. We get none of Diggs’ ‘Haha, this guy is a riot! :D’ type of energy – this Jefferson is deeply displeased, and he is watching very, very carefully to take stock of the situation so he can put an end to it.

It’s actually really well done IMO – when the crowd oohed and ahhed, it felt like a 50/50 of ‘what the hell, people aren’t supposed to DISAGREE with Jefferson!’ and also ‘holy shit this guy is acting like an actual obnoxious child who needs to stfu right now.’ Both Jefferson’s easy entitlement and Hamilton’s unhelpful abrasiveness really got across.

In the second battle, Jefferson is much more careful. Whether it’s because he isn’t underestimating Hamilton anymore or because he cares much more about this, there’s an unamused urgency underlying everything he says. He still tries to be friendly and charming and diplomatic, but his smile drops often. This issue is important and he is not going to back down on it. It’s actually still not quite as immaturely insulting as Hamilton – more like, ‘can we stop humoring this asshole kid already and do something we very much need to be doing?’

(Also fun fact: in The Room Where It Happens, when we get to Jefferson’s version of events, Hamilton’s ‘I had nowhere else to turn’ is SO fake and sarcastic it was really funny, like even the Hamilton in Jefferson’s head can’t bring himself to actually say that sincerely.)

So, when we get to Washington On Your Side, he’s cold. At the time, he contrasts well with Burr, who is all smiles and surprisingly relaxed. This Jefferson is more like Angelica, quietly analysing the situation and slowly coming to a plan. The difference between cold, planning Jefferson and smooth-talking Jefferson is also great.

Because of all this, he has less of the really comedic stuff the original Jefferson got, with the exaggerated expressions and movements – in We Know, he’s more struck dumb by everything than the more over the top reactions Diggs did. But the controlled coldness contrasts with Hamilton better – it makes sense that he was the one who successfully connived himself to the top. And we get much more of that contrast between public and private Jefferson that is one of the interesting real-world meta statements, where who is was to the people and who he actually was were very different.

…….I think I had some kind of impression of ‘because I’m the president’ but I can’t remember what it was anymore. Hrm.

Anyway: enjoyed!!

Mulligan/Madison

So, how I’ve been saying the show lacked grit? I honestly think it might’ve all just collected in Hercules Mulligan lmao – obviously his parts are meant to be bold and brash and powerful, but these ones hit even harder than usual. His part in The World Turned Upside Down was just so Loud I could feel it in my chest! Great performance, I loved it!

Madison was very very different naturally, but also very different from the original version? While the original Madison felt tired and a bit disgruntled, like he was exhausted by Jefferson’s in-your-faceness and just wanted to get this done so he could get back to his work, his one felt much happier to be there. This Madison felt like he actually saw himself as Jefferson’s teammate, like he considered himself part of the show and was happy (even smug) to be helping out. When Jefferson passes him the microphone, rather than say ‘France’ with an irritated expression as if to say ‘everyone already knows this, just get on with it already’, it feels more like this Madison already rehearsed this with Jefferson deliberately. He calls out ‘France,’ as though it is some incredible zinger, like he’s been given the mic drop here. It’s pretty cute haha!

Overall this Madison felt a lot younger. Talking afterwards my mum mentioned that Mulligan’s role is hard because he has to switch to playing ‘an old man’, and was pretty surprised when I said Madison was actually the same age as Hamilton. This version felt a lot more age-appropriate. He still gets sick and starts coughing (and it feels a lot meaner when Hamilton makes fun of him! The dude was just so happy to be here – let him have his zingers!!), but aside from that he thrums with nervous energy behind Jefferson, like he’s ready to help out anytime he’s needed.

In all, he kinda feels like he fulfils that certain comedic henchman trope a bit? It really comes together with the ‘Can we get back to politics?’ ‘:’( please!!’ exchange. Madison isn’t made fun of, per se – it’s not like he really does enough in the script to get that kind of attention. But he’s just a bit funnier and more sympathetic, while also strangely feeling more like he and Jefferson are an actual team. (I mean, Jefferson hands him the mic as though he’s setting up a zinger, too. They’re both a bit ridiculous!)

Laurens/Phillip

Okay, this was one I was really curious about, for obvious reasons – LMM always sorta made it out that since he never included any of the Hamilton/Laurens stuff in the script, he kinda tried to act it in there more. In Story of Tonight or Ten Duel Commandments, or even briefly in the opening song, there’s meant to be a closeness that hints, however subtle, at that relationship.

Unfortunately, I didn’t get that at all here.

Laurens’ casting surprised me at first – he’s super short and extremely baby-faced, to the point that I wondered if he wasn’t played by a cis man. (His actor is a man, though, though ofc I wouldn’t know if he’s cis or not.) I was kinda confused about that all through the first act… until I got to the second act and, uh, remembered. But despite this – perhaps because of it? - he is an absolute firecracker. He’s hot-headed and rough and determined and every bit the young impassioned soldier.

He’s a bit more naive in the early songs – he seems genuinely friendly with Hamilton in The Story of Tonight, and you feel like he really does just like him from the moment he hears Non-Stop – but like I said, Hamilton is still pretty closed-off through all of that, so… it doesn’t really feel mutual. Hamilton likes him fine, but it doesn’t feel like he cares as much as Laurens does.

In Satisfied, he indeed seems super drunk, but it’s more like he’s just too young and drinking too much at a party than anything. The only time I really felt any particular chemistry between him and Hamilton actually comes from Story of Tonight Reprise – when Hamilton wanders off to speak with Burr, in sincere friendship, and Laurens comes over and starts ribbing Burr about his girl with almost malicious energy, it did sort of feel a little like he was jealous, if only that Hamilton and he had been talking so easily.

Finally, we get to Stay Alive. There, Hamilton and Laurens are just so angry and disgusted with Lee that they don’t really have room for anything else. It’s all very focused and determined and Manly, without any time for something softer or close between them. And I’m not sure how to feel about that. Laurens’ revulsion for Lee is historical record, and it says a lot about him and his values that that was so important to him. But there are other important parts of Laurens – that worry and fear and insecurity inside him, that ended up being so damaging to him. In such a limited script for him, ‘Alexander, you’re the closest friend I’ve got’ is really his one chance to show some of those emotions before he dies. Instead, Laurens never really gets to show that vulnerability, and I worry that it makes him feel too much like a ‘generic soldier character.’

I wonder if it’s because this Laurens looked so youthful that they sort of overcompensated, and felt the need to make him extra manly to make it clear he belonged there despite his appearance. But it sort of felt a bit too… macho for me. Nowhere to be found is that 18th century romantic friendship. Instead, it’s been replaced by a more WWI era Comrade and Comrade type deal. They’d die for each other, but would they write romantic letters to one another? And I think this is also unfortunately pretty Australian – real emotion is lame!! The only acceptable emotion is fucking hating your boss, and challenging him to a duel with your squadmate to get him what he deserves.

Well, I’m reading too much into it all, lol. But I always felt like the original Laurens barely got to show much of himself as it was, and this one felt even less so, unfortunately.

His final scene – is it We May Not Live To See Your Glory? - is done well, though. Again, Laurens just sorta feels like a generic young soldier, but ‘idealistic soldier who died too young’ is moving enough on its own. And in one of those rare moments, Hamilton really does feel shaken and vulnerable. ‘I have so much work to do,’ as I said, hurts – so lifeless and unlike him. Like nothing could process those emotions in him now, or express them.

Philip, on the other hand, is the exact opposite. First of all, yeah – having a shorter, younger-looking actor makes that Take a Break scene WAY less awkward, haha. It wasn’t even funny, it was just like ‘oh huh this just kinda looks all right?’ And the actor did really well playing a kid! He looked like a completely different person there, which is really good.

And then we get to Blow You All Away, and hoo boyy. If Laurens had been excessively confident, Phillip oozes uncertainty with everything he does. When he flirts with the girls ‘when I come back we’ll all strip down to our socks’ he manages to pull off the cocky act but in basically every other line you can see and hear the ‘a-am I doing this right? I’m not screwing this up, am I?’ radiating off of him. He definitely believes he’s doing the right thing – when he says ‘you talk about my father I will not let it slide’ there’s no hesitation – it’s just that he very clearly isn’t sure if he’s up to the task of doing it.

It was sorta interesting, actually – I think the original Phillip was more naively overconfident and reckless, and only had an attack of the nerves after he got himself into the duel. But – and this might just be me projecting here, lol – when this Philip confronts Eacker in the theatre, I got a real sense of like… ‘??? can I do this here? Where are you meant to threaten duels???’ and when Eacker is like ‘piss off, I’m watching this show now’ he seemed to wilt a lot, and straight up froze for a second or two, like he really didn’t know what to do at that point. And then of course when he talks to Hamilton he’s really worried…

And then his death. Somehow, I never used to cry much when this happened – it’s obviously very sad, but it didn’t manage to hit the right heartstrings to make crying, even in the recording. But oh god, this one was just awful… Even as he’s dying, Philip is still just so desperate for approval, like he’s so scared his parents will be mad at him for screwing it up, and Eliza is trying so hard to reassure him before he dies… I cried a lot :(

So overall, I really liked this Phillip, even if I don’t necessarily think it’s an improvement to the original. Laurens I kinda preferred the original, though this was still an interesting interpretation that gave me a lot to think about!

Washington

The guy did well! He has what Washington needs, and that’s a stature. When he’s on stage, your eyes are just naturally drawn to him. Even when he’s not doing much, he’s still a little intimidating. He has presence!

And in fact, this actor had an interesting quirk where the whites of his eyes could be seen easily? In Right-Hand Man, as he’s striding around at the center of the stage, his eyes just looked white, and it drilled in that slightly manic, crazed intensity underlying his strict, rigid rapping and self-control. It have the whole thing a really great effect.

But this Washington also had a sort of almost… slight fem-ness to him, that I didn’t get as much from the initial? It’s funny how during One Last Time, I suddenly got this vivid though, ‘oh, it’s like he’s a cool supportive teacher.’ Which… obviously?? Haha. Like he’s clearly a mentor to Hamilton all the way through! But it’s that specifically teacher description I really felt all of a sudden, that he was warm and approachable and gentle at heart, despite everything I said above lol.

Like, I feel like this Washington was just a bit less stoic than the original? Slightly more expressive and less stern. When he says ‘I’m from Virginia, so watch your mouth,’ in the original, it sounded like he was genuinely kinda offended? It was ‘watch your mouth’ as in ‘don’t disrespect my home state.’ But in this one, Washington sorta grimaces a little theatrically and says it more incredulously, like he’s actually saying ‘you wanna maybe try thinking about who you’re talking to before you say that shit, son?’ It’s more of a warning – less that he’s upset and more that other people would be, so he should really try thinking before he speaks.

He also still does the part in Who Lives Who Dies Who Tells Your Story when Eliza says she spoke out against slavery and he kinda stumbles and stares and then looks down in shame, given the real Washington’s actions.

I liked him! I felt a little more warmly to him in the end than the original, but that might just be a product of seeing it live.

Peggy/Maria

Okay so I don’t really have anything to say about Peggy, which had basically always been the case, hah. :’) I mean, I think this version made the transformation between her initial wariness vs her later excitement more clear? But that is very likely a live show thing.

Maria, though!! Honestly? I was never really a fan of the original Maria’s performance. She just feels too much like a cliched seductress archetype, and while you can argue that that’s the role she plays in the story, especially since there’s the uncertainty over whether or not she was deliberately setting Hamilton up, it just feels too on the nose. It makes it harder to believe Hamilton didn’t know what was up the moment he saw her, which I don’t think is intentional. And it makes me feel bad for the real Maria Reynolds.

But this one was very different – much more vulnerable. When she first talks to Hamilton, she’s not doing a sexy pout and throaty singing, she’s just sorta… quiet and monotone and lost, much like Hamilton gets when he’s too emotional as well. Like she’s in shock and truly has nowhere to go is just sort of crumpling as a person. And when she propositions Hamilton, again it feels sincere – she just wants him to stay.

And after he talks to James Reynolds (just as perfectly, theatrically assholish as in the original), that continues. When he confronts her, she genuinely seems desperate and scared and upset. I felt so, so sorry for her that I was yelling in my head right then ‘you can’t just leave her now!’ at Hamilton – and then immediately remembered what that’d mean… it’s a much more gripping situation.

And then in the end, James Reynolds walks off and claps, and Maria just stops, face and body entirely stoic, and follows after him in silence… Is that an indication it was all an act from her? Or is it that she’s so scared of him that she totally closes up and can’t cry, can’t show any kind of emotion or weakness around him, and just has to try and be a silent and flawless wife? No matter how you interpret it, it’s chilling.

Oh, and IDK if this is done in the recording, but in The Reynolds Pamphlet, she gets given one, too, and her look of just… upset/disgust is also really painful. At the end they say ‘his poor wife’, but who thinks about poor Maria?? :(

I still wouldn’t say that this is an accurate adaptation of the real events, since I think that gets right into the script and structure of Hamilton in ways that a regional performance just can’t really make better. But this version is at least better. It plays Maria with more dignity, I think, than making her into a sexy bombshell, even if that bombshell act does get subverted in the original as well. This one feels significantly more sympathetic.

King George

He was great!! He was played by an older actor who seems to have done a lot of serious Shakespearian plays, which of course makes him absolutely perfect – both in that he could flawlessly depict that pompous old privileged Brit, but also in that he probably has a good backing in comedy and political satire :P He was clearly having the time of his life playing to the crowd – throughout all his time on stage he was constantly alternating between doing one or two lines very serious and mostly straight, before doing something absolutely hilarious. That back and forth worked extremely well!

Also I never saw it properly on the recording but when he gets up and dances in the middle of the stage during the Reynolds Pamphlet?? AMAZING.

Obviously, Johnathon Groff is his own personality and is friends with LMM and brings all of that unique stuff to the table that nobody could replicate. But this actor was just as much fun to watch, and does have the added benefit of really looking and sounding the part.

Final Thoughts

I’d really love to hear other people’s thoughts on this run, especially from the perspective of it being an Australian cast/audience – I really hoped the booklet would include at least a piece or two from someone who worked on this run, but it did not. (In fact, it was one of the scantest musical books I’ve seen? I don’t regret buying it as a souvenir of course but usually they have at least one or two interesting pieces of new content aside from just backstage pics…)

What really sticks out to me is the structure of it all. Hamilton is definitely the central character that brings everything together through the first ¾, but around The Room Where it Happens Burr starts to take over bit by bit, allowing him to keep up the energy as Hamilton falls back further and further into becoming both less of a hero but also more quiet and passive. By The Election of 1800, Burr is giving us all the energy – until the end of The World Was Wide Enough, when he too falls back and Eliza takes over.

Given this, this Hamilton did an incredible job throughout most of the performance – he had amazing chemistry with every other character and really exemplified that scrappy, intelligent, driven, but aggressive and difficult character that never quite shined through in LMM’s performance for me. Burr’s more subtle performance complements that well, and he even arguably outdoes Leslie Odom Junior in The Election of 1800. However, after that I think his quieter acting and singing sort of fails to fill the hole Hamilton left behind, reducing the climax a bit of its energy. Thankfully, Eliza was able to bring that all back for her final number.

It also strikes me that this performance is a bit less teary, at least from the men. Eliza, Angelica, and Maria all bring out that vulnerability and the sadness of their positions wonderfully – a great improvement in Maria’s case, for me. However, Burr’s The World Was Wide Enough severely downplays the sincere regret angle, while Hamilton never quite hits the right notes on It’s Quiet Uptown. However, Hurricane and Phillip’s performance in Blow You All Away definitely hit that fear and panic leading to self-destruction. (Interesting I guess that Burr doesn’t also seem more fearful in The World Was Wide Enough?) Is that also a gendered expectations thing, perhaps?

Either way, I’m extremely glad I was able to see it if only for Hamilton’s performance – honestly, maybe the reason it seemed to lose a lil steam was just that Hurricane was so good everything else failed to follow it, haha. Burr also absolutely fascinated me here, too, and that was so much fun to see play out in real time!

Hamilton will be coming to Melbourne next, and I’m not sure yet if I’ll be able to go there but I’d really like to! It’d be really fun to test out these expectations/conclusions of mine with a fresh viewing, as well as see any other new cast changes/interpretations…!

[marukrawler]

bakugan battle brawlers liveblogging episode 42

- im too hyped so i might as well watch it lmao

- omg its these two

- need to have comedic relief antagonists to balance off the two murder-hungry ones we just met

- omg droa-tan has such a cute bby voice 😭😭😭 the way she just repeats everything her sister says

- uppercase confusion lmao

- love to hear tigress still refer to phoenix as ane-san uwu

- THE WAY DAN SOLELY GOT YOINKED INTO THE NEXT WORLD, IM CRYING

- i would die for her

- god i wish this was canon

- DONT BE FCKING RUDE

- ma’am he’s 12

- everyone say thanks julie

- tigress is a mood and a half lmaoo LOOK AT HIM

- thanks for the distinction op

- the girls are bondiiiing

- we need to use windows restore on this dude and return him to the last save point bc this ain’t it

- the girls miiiight fight again, who knows

- would runo stake her claim on dan in this ep?? stay tuned

- damn things got dark real quick lmao

- lmaoo they’re kinda fcked up but its completely unrelated to any of naga’s doing

- HE DIDN’T WANT HER MUDBALL UNTIL SHE MADE IT INTO A HEART-SHAPE IM DYING

- it might come in handy later tho

- what is even happening rn

- idk if drago is perplexed or just completely done w these two lmaooo

- the fact that julie didn’t need to take runo’s hands in hers but she did so anyway. we love to see it

- love how op keeps stating that golem is in fact. power walking

- he’s trying

- thanks drago 🤷‍♀️

- am i just now noticing how golem’s voice just RUMBLES, its so deep

- the praise!

- no julie this is the power of an ability card

- hnnnnnghhhhh

- ok i’d still die for you

- she really tried to punch him in his rock hard abs

- he said no ma’am i work out my core on the daily

- SAVE HIM

omgg

- OMG?? SHE SNAPPED

- THWARTED BY GRAND IMPACT, WE LOVE TO SEE IT

- how did droa catch up to dan and drago just like that when runo and julie spent actual time stalling these two

- this ep isn’t quite as girl power-esque as the writers might think it is

- also this ep gets less funny when you realize that it’s essentially all of dan’s (female) love interests duking it out

- that makes sense

- it came back!! fr thought he’d use it to win the race (which ig uhh he kinda did) but this is cute

- WAIT IT CONTAINED A KEY????

- also um??? did runo and julie leave w dan?? shire and droa said everyone left so i assume so??? also they lied about not knowing naga lol

[dreaming-of-assclass]

Do you have any science project group headcanons like for groups like Nagisa, Kayano, Maehara, and Kataoka that were grouped for science class like in season 1 episode 5 (Assembly Time)

Oooooh! Love asks like these!!! 💚

And thanks to this post by the awesome @/greengargouille, we know all the canon groups!

Itona and Ritsu aren’t in official groups, so I put them in where I thought they’d fit in best!

1. Isogai, Mimura, Nakamura, Okano

Wow...I forgot that Nakamura and Okano were ever in the same group

But I love it because I HC their friendship to be a casual but hella fun one

Isogai and Mimura are old friends from last year! I imagine there’s slight awkwardness on Mimura’s side given that they’re in different friend groups now. But Isogai is very friendly and aware, so it passes pretty soon

Nakamura is one of the biggest causes of Isogai’s headaches lmao. But hey, at least they’re on the same wavelength academically.

POOR OKANO. SHE IS A JOCK SURROUNDED BY ACADEMICS.

Well at least she’s interested in science and it’s her best subject. She still feels bored unless they’re dealing with physics, then she’s completely on top of her game.

Nakamura and Okano are the chaotic half. Isogai and Mimura are the ones who wanna get shit done. Unless the girls manage to drag poor Mimura into doing dumb stuff

Have I ever told you guys that once in my Chemistry lab, one of my friends and I managed to break the sink faucet? Like we destroyed it lmfao

That is Nakamura and Mimura friendship energy ngl

Okano is one of Isogai’s most dependable close friends, but she also loves to annoy him for no reason sometimes.

So she’ll ask obvious questions with a smug smile, trying to watch his patience explode. But jokes on her because Isogai has an infinite amount of patience sadly

2. Kurahashi, Yada, Takebayashi, Kimura

They’re a...fairly productive group lmao

Tbh I don’t think Kurahashi is the type to really pay attention to any science outside of biology like me

So she’ll be a BEAST when it comes to that and get 100′s on everything. But like in chem and physics, she’s not as great

Yada is the best at design and organization, so she always takes that job. Making colorful presentation slides? She got it. Need to type up the final report in a google doc? Yep, she’s your girl

Kimura is a gremlin, like I always say. He’s the clown of the group lmfao and will spend more time stalling and messing around than doing actual work

He also tends to lowkey distract Kurahashi with unrelated convos. He tries to talk to Yada too, but she goes into girlboss mode and ignores him

Guys, everyone give it up for Takebayashi. King is hard carrying this entire group

He’s the one who stays the most focused but on occasion can be distracted by Kimura bringing up topics they’re both into, like certain comics or something.

Kurahashi and Yada also can get caught up in their own conversations since they’re besties. Also they will roast the boys all they want, if they feel like it.

All around, they’re kind of a mediocre group haha

3. Nagisa, Kayano, Maehara, Kataoka, Ritsu

Woah I LOVE this combination of students

I couldn’t help but add Ritsu here hehe. I also like the idea that she’s kind of attached to Kataoka in the beginning, considering all their moments together in canon.

Nagisa and Kataoka act like parent friends, as usual. They’re the ones who wanna work diligently and just get things done.

Maehara and Kayano are the more lenient ones haha. They’ll claim that they have low attention spans. Both Kayano and Maehara much prefer labs and getting to do cool science stuff, at least. 

Also!! It’s good that they’re in this group because they’re social types who can reach out to other groups and get help/answers from them ^^

Kataoka, sighing: “Well, Maehara, at least you have a talent for networking, I guess.”

Ritsu is in between the lenient side and the diligent side. She’s very good at science and can do her work very well!! But sometimes she gets swayed by Maehara and Kayano’s fun attitudes and doesn’t concentrate haha

Kayano keeps getting flustered whenever she’s sitting right besides Kataoka haha. Bonus points if their arms brush or she has to lean over her or something.

Also best believe there’s lots of Big-brother-Maehara and Little-brother-Nagisa moments

4. Kanzaki, Hazama, Yoshida, Muramatsu, Terasaka

So...this is basically just AU where Kanzaki joins the Disaster Squad lmfao

Hazama, Yoshida, Muramatsu, and Terasaka are already besties, we know this. They’re probably totally used to working together.

Enter Kanzaki. A newcomer.

Lmao I don’t think she’d be totally friendly at first. I think she’d be polite but distant, and barely speak up unless they were discussing.

Sgsjhakdj who thought putting the squad together was gonna lead to productivity, they’re probably gonna create so much chaos lmao

Something definitely explodes at least once.

They’re dealing with an acidic chemical and literally the whole class manages to not get burned, except for Terasaka. 

Yoshida voice: “dude you had ONE job”

After a couple classes, Kanzaki breaks out of her shell more and more, and she gets pretty chill with them.

She’s closest with Hazama, and they like to roast the boys at times. Also have random literature discussions that drive Terasaka crazy. “Can y’all not? Like this is literally physics class?”

The squad teasing Yoshida about his crush on Kanzaki whenever he blushes or stutters talking to her

Idk why but I really like the idea of a Kanzaki and Muramatsu friendship

5. Hayami, Okuda, Karma, Chiba, Okajima

AWKWARD

THIS IS SUCH AN ODD GROUP LMAO

My bestie Nao made a post on them before which I love

And yeah...I don’t have much to add lol.

Chiba and Karma definitely join forces to insult Okajima at some point

Okajima kind of constantly digs himself into a grave with stupid comments. He almost dies after pointing out how Karma and Hayami act like cats

Okuda doesn’t have to carry the group that much since they’re all fairly smart for the most part. But if you want verified answers, then yeah definitely check in with her

6. Sugino, Fuwa, Hara, Sugaya, Itona

I think this is a really cute and funny group

Sorry, couldn’t resist adding Itona mainly because Hara is in it, and I would love their interactions in a schoolwork-group setting

Tbh?? None of them are very sciency lmao, so they’re that one group you always see in irl class that are very lost. And they’re super vocal about how confused they are adjkhjda

Sugaya, yelling across the room: “Can someone help us? Please?”

Hara takes the reins as leader but more in like a “getting everyone organized and harmonious” way

Sugino takes the charge in the actual lesson work and lab stuff, but he really shouldn’t lmao. I love the boy, he’s a talented genius in so many ways, but he leads them to chaos

Fuwa surprisingly isn’t as vocal in these groups as she usually is. In fact, it’s a little concerning how quiet she- WAIT FUWA ARE YOU REALLY WRITING FANFICTION IN THE MIDDLE OF OUR LAB

#fuwagotexposed

Itona, as usual, is around to make blunt and sarcastic comments that are in no way helpful. If you voice this to him, he will insult your intelligence even more while still looking adorable

He especially comes at Sugino and Sugaya, who feel very attacked. Like?? WHAT DID I DO TO YOU ITONA?

I feel like...while the group descends into confused chaos, Itona just watches with blunt criticisms. Then in the very last seven minutes of class, he takes over and finishes the assignment with 100% accuracy

Sugaya: “YOU LITTLE BASTARD GENIUS-”

Sugino: “WHY DIDN’T YOU DO THIS EARLIER?”

[hopevalley]

Season 8, Episode 5: What the Heart Wants

I was going to try to follow my scene-by-scene format for the entire season, but I’ve been getting a lot of migraines recently, presumably from staring at the computer too long, so I don’t want to spend all morning working on typing up the play-by-play for this episode.

Also, for what it’s worth I think this episode lends itself to plot discussion better than some of the previous episodes...at least in some sense.

And as another head’s up, it’s back to being critical for me. ;P

Storylines:

School Ends/Graduation/Parent-Teacher Conferences

The Dress Shop/Rachel

Postal Service, Ned

Bill’s Uniform, Nathan’s Vacation

Carson and Faith

Henry

Elizabeth and Lucas

Clara’s Dilemma

--

School Ends/Graduation/Parent-Teacher Conferences

This plot felt a little scattered, but for once it wasn’t the kind of storyline they foisted too much drama upon. After years of every single function possible being besieged by bullshittery, it’s a relief to see one go off without a real hitch.

The beginning scene with Robert hugging Elizabeth was sweet. I enjoyed the Canfields immensely and am intrigued by Angela’s role in the story long-term (PLEASE let her befriend Allie!). Nathan...eh, I have thoughts—but I’ll talk about that a bit soon. The actual ceremony was cute and kind of fun with the kids singing. 

Neat Thing I Noticed:

Continuity? Cat Montgomery is still listed as Emily’s mother. ♥♥♥ I don’t know why but this made me really happy???

-

Complaint Corner:

Parent-teacher conferences should have been in this show from a much earlier point, and so should graduation have been. If there was a point to this celebration (the first year in a while anyone was old enough to graduate) that would have been a nice touch, too. It just managed to feel sliiiightly out of place.

I’ll forgive the “everyone in town goes to the graduation” thing because this is 1918...something like this would be a whole-town affair IMO. Invite everyone and have a nice get-together/party, probably on a Sunday afternoon after church but Hope Valley does whatever it wants, so...eh.

The threat of merging Hope Valley with other schools doesn’t fit in this scenario and it feels like they ripped it directly out of Tales from Avonlea which was almost rage-inducing to me.

Look, school mergers happened a lot in the early 1900s, especially around the WWI mark, but it wouldn’t be hitting a rural western town just yet. They don’t have any way of getting these kids to other towns for schooling. Where would the next closest school be? It would have to be pretty large and modern to merge multiple schools together.

*Adjusts nerd glasses* This felt forced and completely unnecessary. If anything this guy could be telling Elizabeth that they’re working on building a modern school somewhat close by, and could even have her involved in some decision-making regarding layout. Then they could bring in a “merger” storyline next season without it feeling out of place.

It mostly just felt dramatic for the hell of it, and it was boring, as was this man’s threat that Elizabeth had no right to teach a blind student. As if they’d accept Angela at a better school? As if her parents could afford top tier education for her? PLEASE.

Now it’s time for Nathan. The man chose to go fishing instead of to the parent-teacher conference? It makes him look like a tool. This isn’t about him or about Elizabeth; it’s about Allie. I understand why he didn’t want to go, but he should have done it anyway. It would have taken five minutes of his time. 

His flippant attitude annoyed me because it went completely against his character as we know it, but Elizabeth’s lecturing was irritating, too. For a moment I thought we had Lorigail back on the show...

I think Elizabeth was well within her rights to warn Nathan about the effect his work has on his ward, but that inquiry took like a week AT MOST. Heck, let’s be generous and say TWO WEEKS. Allie’s concentration suffered for two weeks. There was no need to say more than, “Hey she worries about you and her work suffered for a bit during that time frame, just so you’re aware.” 

I think what annoyed me about the math program thing is that...Elizabeth being a teacher would probably be VERY WELL AWARE that MOST of the parents to her students aren’t good enough at schooling to assist their kids with their homework. I dunno, it just feels out of place for her to tell Nathan that she wants to put Allie in an accelerated “program” and that Allie might need his help with her homework. It’s even more out of place when he admits he used to bribe his sister to do his work for him. Like. It’s very possible he’s not that good at math and isn’t capable of helping. (But maybe that will be a plot down the road...?)

“Or a tutor...” BITCH WHERE IS HE GONNA FIND A TUTOR IN THIS TOWN?! It’s super annoying to see dialogue like this that feels completely out of touch with the reality these people would be living in...lol. But also if she needs a tutor to stay caught up in an advanced program, she probably...shouldn’t be in the advanced program.

I don’t know how to feel about this whole thing here: “Nathan, you are Allie’s world. You’re the only father she’s ever known, and as she grows up you will always be the measure of the quality she’ll look for in a man as she chooses who to marry.” 

On one hand, it does fit the situation (he seems to think everything is behind him but Elizabeth’s words are kind of a caution that 1) his actions still have an effect on Allie, and 2) every day he’s teaching her by example). On the other hand, it seems almost wildly inappropriate to bring up? At the same time, it’s probably not wrong that Allie will measure other men (friends, acquaintances, potential future romantic interests) against Nathan’s example.

I dunno. The conversation felt disjointed. 

I think what they were going for was Nathan just feeling too awkward and weird about being with Elizabeth to want to be there for the conference, but...he interacted with her quite normally after the inquiry and stuff (even after she’d broken things off with him), so...it feels out of place. Like maybe this should have taken place right after the breakup and not weeks later?

Anyone else have thoughts on this and why it doesn’t feel quite right?

--

The Dress Shop/Rachel

This plot wasn’t what I would call a waste of time (rather, it’s worth having it mentioned now), but part of it was completely pointless and stupid. The whole Rachel getting lost thing was tacked into the promos to stir up drama, but nothing happened and there was nothing worrisome even going on. YAWN.

Rosemary’s desire to do something meaningful and different with her life is super interesting. I’m very curious to see what they decide to do with her if Dottie does sell the dress shop.

Also, Rosemary finding the book under Rachel’s bed was pretty funny.

But yeah, I didn’t really find much in this plotline to care deeply about. I guess I am pretty interested in knowing who might be purchasing the dress shop and/or if this decision is to bring someone else onto the show (a female love interest for the man who doesn’t win Elizabeth’s heart in the end, or even to bring back an old character*) or to take the dress shop out of the equation entirely... It’s also just as possible that Rosemary/Lee or Clara/Jesse end up buying it themselves down the line... Thoughts?

*I can’t begin to imagine who would be the best fit for this in this case, though. Who would have the money to buy her out?

--

Postal Service, Ned

Ned is just honestly so cute and fun. I love him. He’s really been doing well this season and seeing him wander around town delivering mail door to door was kind of nice.

Also, he’s one SMOOTH operator! Look at him, talking about putting a bell on the door so that he and Florence won’t be caught off-guard if they’re in the middle of...something. 

Oh my, Ned. What might customers be...interrupting? :3

Continuity? Not only was the ulcer from last season brought up, but the horrid cabbage juice was, too. :’) It was a nice touch. And these two had just enough screentime to be kind of fun/interesting without also taking up too much time.

--

Bill’s Uniform, Nathan’s Vacation

Nathan got his vacation and Bill is in charge...again. This happens an awful lot. I wonder if it’ll actually impact the next few episodes or if it’s just here for the hell of it.

I love Bill a lot and I want to brag up his character in this episode a bit. I’ve complained many times in the past about him being written like a Grumpy Old Man Yelling at Clouds but this episode was super respectful. He got his scene with his uniform. Nobody interrupted it. There weren’t even any words. I quite liked it.

But it also felt kind of...pointless? I don’t want to judge it too harshly yet. Like the dress shop plotline, this could actually be going somewhere in the next couple of episodes. 

Plus, unrelated to the uniform, it was nice to see Bill acting fatherly toward Clara. While it sort of came out of nowhere for the wedding, I appreciate the attempt at continuity there. Plus, so far this season, I’ve felt like Bill’s almost been a father-figure to Clara, Fiona, and even Nathan, so I’m enjoying that a lot.

--

Carson and Faith

CONTINUITY? The show finally remembered that not only is Carson actually a surgeon, but that was his original passion. It’s not that they completely forgot (S5 had him performing surgery on his sister-in-law, after all), but giving Carson a PASSION makes him a way more interesting character to me. 

And also, finally, this feels like a REAL high-stakes plotline for him and for Faith.

I really liked Faith’s take on things. I know, I know, I’ve been rooting at them to break up, but the reason is mostly because they’re just so BORING together. I’d rather watch Henry twirl around in a chair for an hour than suffer through date scenes with these two.

It’s not that I’m against a doctor wife/husband team. I’m not. I just think Faith was a much more interesting and cool character on the show before Carson showed up and usurped her place (and completely overshadowed her for literal seasons). This plotline for Carson might actually be interesting. Like, a fellowship? For modern surgery? IN BALTIMORE?!

I hope this is Faith’s way of saying she wants a break and/or a break would be good for them. I can’t picture her leaving Hope Valley without any trained medical staff, let alone long enough for a fellowship... 

But if this goes through, what will they do with it? Would they really write Carson off the show? To be perfectly honest with y’all, I’d be fine with that. At least it’s the type of write-off that makes a lot of good sense (unlike some of the other ones we got). I guess this is just another “wait and see” plotline which is uhh...the theme of this episode, huh? Anyone have thoughts on this?

--

Henry

Henry barely had any screentime, but I do want to say he is #relateable. The man is back at work for ten seconds and already exhausted. SAME.

Also, I appreciate that he’s ready to be back in the oil business. At what cost? I know people were worried they were gonna kill him off, and I really doubted it, but now I’m starting to wonder where they’re going with this exactly. Yet another wait and see moment LOL!

--

Elizabeth and Lucas

Some damn fine scenes for Lucas and Elizabeth in this episode. Mostly the scenic ones. :P

I enjoyed the agreement to a date. The horseback riding stuff was pretty cute. 

Complaint corner? I don’t know. I have petty complaints. Even though the celebration for the kids was a town-wide event, and therefore Lucas was invited, it still felt out of place to see it brought up. Maybe it should have been mentioned as a town celebration from the start?

Then Lucas’s comment about not wanting to make things awkward for Nathan (who is actually a parent and there) makes a liiiittle more sense. I do think it was good of him to not go, even though he wanted to spend more time with Elizabeth, but it gave off a weird vibe, like, “Look at how good and wholesome Lucas is!” Is that intentional? I’m not...sure...?

For what it’s worth I already felt like Lucas was an honorable person in this regard. He loaned Nathan money, after all. Maybe he should have told Elizabeth he views Nathan as a friend and doesn’t want to hurt his feelings unnecessarily and/or if he was there he’d want to hog her all to himself or something cheesy. Hm.

My other complaints are:

Elizabeth running to the saloon would be WAY faster than all this getting set up at her house...?? Who thought this made sense?

Elizabeth’s dress looked like a nightie she bought at Kohls.

Too many damn candles.

Characters Do What Plot Dictates Even Though Plot Makes No Sense. More at 11:00!!

I have no further comments on the dress. It needed sleeves or something so it looked more like a dress and not like a nightgown/piece of lingerie.

I think the candles might have been on purpose to parallel Jack...but I hated it lol. Fire hazard? HAVEN’T ENOUGH THINGS IN TOWN BURNED DOWN/EXPLODED?!

I didn’t hate the date scene! But I never feel like Elizabeth has any meaningful conversations with Lucas and it’s starting to drive me batty. 

Could we get uhhh something of substance please? It has to be surface-level nonsense on purpose. Right? RIGHT?

(And no, discussing a book for ten seconds on-screen is not “intelligent conversation” okay...?)

It’s really a shame because I’m starting to actually warm up to Lucas a little bit in this season but it feels like the conversations are just...kind of stilted and she’s not really into dating him—just agreeing to it because he’s the only option. 

And I can’t believe I’m saying this, but...he deserves better than that. 

Don’t get me wrong, by the way. If it’s part of the story and it’s revealed as such down the road, I’ll be fine with it...but I always worry they’ll just skip important relationship milestones and/or important conversations and expect us all to just accept it.

Kiiiiiind of looking forward to the rainy date scene in the next episode, though. I’m Team Nathan mostly but I’m keeping an open mind and I think I might actually enjoy it. Hopefully they’ll get some good scenes together that don’t feel like this one did.

--

Clara's Dilemma

Clara’s fears about running the salon without Fiona...are legit. LOL.

Also, this little bit was funny (between Mike and Jesse and Bill):

Anyway, if Clara was that worried about it, she should have just...told Fiona no? I hope it comes up down the road. Poor Molly??

I genuinely don’t know how I feel about Clara and Jesse’s involvement in this episode. I guess it was okay. I liked Clara’s scenes with Bill. I thought the idea of Clara and Jesse buying into the cafe was a nice one. Jesse having “invested” their money and lost it all, though... They did a similar plot with other people in what...Season 5 was it? Or was that the start of S6? He didn’t even say what he invested it in? But he admits the money is all gone? 

I think that’s what was missing from that scene. “I invested it in X, hoping to make us more money, but it didn’t work out and we lost everything.”

I’m not going to criticize Jesse’s characterization, only because sometimes character "growth” doesn’t happen for the better of anyone involved. My biggest worry here is that it’ll be solved by the end of next episode....but I hope that’s not it.

Like, I think they did better with Frank and Abigail if we’re going to talk about a man who didn’t know how to live like he was in a committed relationship. It made more sense with Frank, too, being older and single most of his life. His bouts of selfishness felt realistic.

Jesse feels like he’s somehow getting worse and worse as a person as the show goes on. I’m kind of at a point where I hope he and Clara divorce, because he’s so damn selfish it’s embarrassing. He’s off having a beer while his wife works multiple jobs? And then he has the audacity to act like they should save money when he just blew all their savings? 

I’m sure it’ll work out fine but I hope Clara puts herself in charge of the finances at the very least.

As to investing failures, I liked how they did that with Henry and Abigail. That was the kind of tension and worry that felt natural to me—like she trusted him with her money after he’d proven himself untrustworthy ten million times throughout the years, and he failed and had to uhh admit that. 

Jesse straight up betrayed Clara. Which, if it’s dealt with in a satisfying way...I think can be a good plotline. I just worry about it actually being dealt with properly. That’s a huge stumbling block in a relationship. And why is he continually getting worse as a person? There doesn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason to it. 

Gasp... it’s almost like it’s just plot because they feel like they have to give someone something every damn episode.

--

Which brings me to THE FINAL

COMPLAINT CORNER (The Big Boy™ Complaints)

The show has really struggled with finding its footing. I wish they’d take notes from better shows with ensemble casts (cough cough Road to Avonlea cough) without also ripping off their storylines (cough school merges cough).

My #1 complaint at this point in Season 8 is the SHEER AMOUNT OF THINGS GOING ON EVERY EPISODE.

I want continuity, so I want to see things happen naturally over a season, but my God do we not need to have mindless pointless crap in the episode. Rachel getting “lost” for ten seconds wasted literal MINUTES of screen time that would have been MUCH better allocated to basically anyone else in this episode.

And I don’t think it would bother me so much if it wasn’t also shoved into the promo like it was supposed to matter. It didn’t matter. Nobody cares. Why was it allowed to stay in the episode alongside stuff like Clara and Bill’s conversation?

Or Lucas and Carson’s?

I think they want to appease all the fans in every episode by giving them scenes of their favorites, but what did Henry sitting in his chair accomplish in this episode? Rachel getting lost? Jack not sleeping well/missing his mom? The school superintendent?

Did Bill trying on his uniform have to be in this episode? Did Jesse and Clara’s problems have to come fully to light right now?

When every episode is formatted like this, with 10 plotlines all interconnected slightly and going on at the same time, I feel like...nobody gets the spotlight they deserve when they deserve it.

I cANNOT believe I’m saying this, but this plotline for Carson, especially if it will end with him leaving the show for a while or permanently should get the focus it deserves. But it won’t if we get tiny snips of it here and there and then BOOM decision made because Reasons.

And again, I know I’ve said before that I want more continuity throughout the season, but... the best way to do that is to tighten up the plots. Have fewer of them per season and give more screentime to the ones you choose to pursue. 

--

Anyway, I’m still enjoying the season, but I hope they keep some of this kind of stuff in mind for next season. They don’t need plotlines for everyone in every episode. They need the plotlines they choose to write to be worth their screentime.

Sorry this was sloppily written and all that. Hopefully it makes sense. Very curious to see y’alls thoughts. Feel free to make your own posts and @ me, or reblog this or comment!

[m1ckeyb3rry]

“Does she think her brother’s a freak?” Is CRAZY HAHAHA I LAUGHED SO HARD but fr!! I’ve seen some people draw what they think she’d look like and honestly some are great!! Some just kinda slap his hair shape plus some like extension looking long hair on LMAOO I feel like she’d look really stylish tho?? Not sure if she’d have the whole right angle but maybe her hair looks like feathers?? Maybe someday I’ll try drawing her LOL Kaneshiro please just sneak in a panel with her watching the game orz

And REAL!! There’s so many different avenues to love I sometimes hate that a lot of culture rn is like…if two people are really close and have a deep connection they MUST want to get into each others pants and it must be romantic and that’s it and I’m like…what about loving your friends or family etc T-T

First selection Barou is trauma inducing sometimes LOL I’m so glad he developed the way he did!!

HAHA yeah the color version is a liiiittle off but you’re so right Karasu can pull anything off <3 I wanna imagine that maybe it’s supposed to be more of a navy color that isn’t so bright but conceptually I’m living for it!! Love the trench coat turtleneck fit. I’m NGL when I read his egoist bible entry I had to stop and think like…wtf is an index in this context….but it’s so funny LOL (oh my god Reo’s outfits are atrocious…you’d think with such a large wallet he’d be exposed to some taste but apparently not)

ANGST!! So true I’m ngl though I think my fav is usually a sort of middle ground…angst and then fluff or comfort because sometimes I’ll lose my mind if it just ends on a sad note and my thoughts will spiral HAHA but also I LOVE the fluff in fwtkac….so good…sometimes I need something without heart wrenching drama LOL white butterfly I feel like was a perfect mix….i feel like the angst was so developed in that way because it explores the emotions more…? I don’t think I’m articulating this perfectly but sometimes I feel the angst trope will ONLY jump to just character death (not that it’s bad! I love a good ultra angsty piece from time to time) but like theres different ways to developed and make something heartbreaking without killing someone off (and in a way being able to do that just shows the skills of a writer!!) but the way you wrote wb…like building up the relationship and then cruelly ripping them apart right as y/n sorts out her feelings…..too good…

Naive little freak Hiori <333 I can’t with him it’s too funny like he really believed all that between the fake backstory and the honey and all that LOL

HAHAH I LOVE OUR BESTIE!!! She’s so funny and a real one fr I can’t wait to read that Otoya slander is always so funny

SMALL HORSE NAGI so true LOLL I was originally shocked but I can definitely see it now….reminds me of maybe a lazy samoyed hehe

The globe emoji eyes have me dying HAHA but fr!! Honestly he’s def no smooth talker and wouldn’t really participate in friendly banter I feel…the most I can imagine is him being like the tsundere trope that people love using…otherwise it’s just “lukewarm” for everyone LOL

HORSE RIDING WAITT THATS SO COOL!!!! I’ve had friends who did equestrian and honestly it looks so cool but def a lot of hard work!! Do you have horses yourself? Or what breeds do you work with omg I’m kinda curious but yess living it up at the parties!! I’m crying honestly that would be me just whipping out my phone and opening tumblr when things get boring HAHAHA

Kinda unrelated but all this talk about the novel and bible content made me crack open the Bible again and look….i almost completely forgot about his lore with Marisa?? I’m ngl I feel like that could make for an interesting drama thought (just wanna preface no pressure for anything at all I’m just rambling on about some thoughts I had LOL)….maybe I got brainwashed by kdramas but I sometimes find well-done jealousy or miscommunication to be really entertaining…like idk imagine he runs in Marisa with y/n (obviously like the mature dude he is he’s over her but I’d bet it’d make for some fun drama LOL) or maybe Marisa’s still hung up over him OR if he used that moment to get back at y/n for the insults in fwtkac?? Anyways

The scene in the car where he passes y/n the aux in fwtdac made me curious abt his music taste to see if maybe it is atrocious and the Bible says his favorite song is “Fly” by Grapevine?? I’m listening to it now and um..well…I mean it’s not my style per se but it could be worse?? At least it’s not like some jojo siwa song I guess but uh…I’ll let you listen to it first. I mean. It’s very Karasu, I think. I won’t hate on it! I’ll just say it’s not going into my playlist LOL

Also seeing fanart Lowk makes me think…this is just a general random thought but I feel like Karasu owning a pet bird (or birds) would be so funny LOL I know his motif is a crow and some people in Japan have crows as pets?? But imagine him having like a goofy little parrot that talks and sings (I’m not sure if you’ve ever seen on tiktok or anywhere but some parrots love singing “bacon pancakes” LOL or goofy little songs and they’re SOO CUTE)!! I’m a little bit of a bird nerd and I feel like he’d train like one of the really smart birds like an African Grey or an Ringneck to do fancy tricks and talk and all that…or he could have a funky like Quaker parrot that likes to sing and dance or one of those larger macaws that leave nut shells everywhere LMAO Like you imagine him having maybe some really scary or sharp looking pet based off his first impression like a Doberman or German shepherd maybe but instead he pulls out a goofy looking bird that’s his pride and joy

- Karasu anon

(With each ask my word count increases LMAO)

soooo many of the bllk boys have sisters that i bet are so gorgeous!! apparently OTOYA has two?? i bet they are so disappointed in him LDDKSNSNS if my brother was acting the way eita does w girls i’d beat his ass 😭 actually funny story one of the bllk sisters makes an appearance in the next part of fwtkac (and it’s not karasu’s!! although she is also mentioned a couple of times)

yesss i think it’s a symptom of western society’s emphasis on the nuclear family!! i think that’s also why a lot of friendships in animanga tend to be seemingly romantic-coded — as someone who is the daughter of immigrants from india, i know that familial relationships and friendships are thought of as much more important over there and people are more openly affectionate with their friends!! my brother and i always joke that our dad and his bff are actually a couple just because of how close they are but it’s really because they’re from a culture where it’s normal to be like that w your friends which i’ve always found interesting but also super healthy (not that those societies don’t have their problems hehe just smth i’ve noticed)

HELP because first selection barou looked so weird like his proportions were so interesting in a negative way?? and honestly in the first match when he was w naruhaya…joining isagi made him glow up physically as well as mentally 😫 him in bm vs ubers holy shit 😳 sooooo fine

JFKSJSJA in reo’s defense i do think a lot of designer clothing is so ugly so honestly i bet his clothes are actually super expensive but because of that they look goofy asf 😓 also yeah karasu being into stocks and whatnot is so random but also fitting?? the way he canonically plays like city management games and whatnot is so funny he is such a loser pretending to be cool

oh i agree i think angst is harder to write than anything else!! it’s very hard to strike a balance between actual sadness/emotional impact and just gratuitous violence where you’re killing everyone off for no reason. even in my saddest stories i sprinkle in funny/light moments because they actually make the angst hit harder than if it’s straight depression all of the way through.

the high quality honey bruh karasu was just pulling stuff out of his ass he is so evil i love him 😔 to be honest i think he and otoya truly are the best representation of teenage boys like some of these soccer dudes are way too serious but tabieita keep it real 😭 like yes they love soccer and they’re really good at it but out of all of the characters they feel like the only ones who would not gaf if they got kicked out of bllk because they have other interests and things to do. like barou or bachira without soccer for example would probably crash out and live miserable lives but i think karasu and otoya would be like “okay 👍” and move on which i love abt them!!

FWTKAC BESTIE IS SO FUNNY to me i love writing her which is why she’s slowly becoming more and more prominent w each part 😭 she’s also the perfect vehicle for otoya slander because as sassy as y/n is she’s going to be too busy hanging out w karasu during the bllk break to waste her energy beefing w his new bestie

i’ve always seen nagi as a great pyrenees!! they just have that fluffy white bear vibe to them that he gives off. but samoyed is also so real!!

there’s no teal circle emoji so i figured a mix of blue and green was my best bet 😫 but yeah in rin’s eyes a compliment is like “you’re less lulewarm than most people” and then he walks away and you’re like 😟 because what does that even mean?? i think he as a character would work much better as a second lead/unrequited love…one day perhaps i’ll write it but who knows i don’t want the rin fans to be sad because he gets passed over for someone else

THANK YOUUU i’ve dabbled in a lot of types of riding but i’ve settled on dressage for the past few years because jumping is too stressful for me. i had my own horse for a while!! he was an off-track thoroughbred so he used to be a racehorse and i retrained him to jump and do dressage and whatnot. i did have to sell him unfortunately because of school 😕 atm i ride other people’s horses so it’s basically whatever i can get a hold of!! it’s definitely so much fun but a lot of work for sure. the worst is when it’s summer and blazing hot but you’re in full pants, knee high boots, and gloves because that’s just what you wear when riding 😪

PLEASEEE my friends finding guys to hookup with vs me writing fanfiction on my phone and ignoring anyone who approaches me…sorry but y’all do NOT bear an uncanny resemblance to a crow so i’m going to have to pass 🙄 /j

I AM SUCH A KDRAMA FIEND HAHAHA omg i’m going to add marisa into the next part of fwtkac (which is already getting to be long…i think it might end up being close to fwtkac in length HAHA it’s already at 6k words and reader is still watching the bllk vs u20 match we haven’t even reunited w karasu yet)

that is such a random song for him to like 😭 i think the author probably chose it as a pun (“fly” because he’s a bird HAHA) but honestly he gives the vibes of someone who listens to podcasts HELP like when he drives in the car it’s just some finance bro bullshit and he listens w the UTMOST sincerity…the real reason he doesn’t tell y/n his music taste is because he doesn’t have one 😔💔

fun fact i actually have an ringneck!! but it doesn’t live w me it’s at my grandparents’ back in india 😓 i got him one summer when i was young and they said they would take care of him so he just chills over there!! he’s a good boy although he does not talk 🙁 karasu gives me such cat energy like i know in my heart and soul that his family owns a cat…but i could also see him having like a pair of budgies (one green and one blue because he’s basic) or a cockatiel!! or maybe like a green cheek conure hehe i love conures (also a big bird fan here). imagine pulling up to his house and he’s just standing there with one budgie on his left index finger and the other on his right PLSSS and he’s so excited to show them to you too 😭😭😭 he’s so cringe i love him

i’m hoping to post the next part of fwtkac soon anon so i will get to work on that 🫡 until next time…as always i love reading your asks!!

[anderfels]

*sits down*

TELL ME ABOUT YOUR WARDEN AND ZEV PLS

*puts down projector and pulls down screen* INDEED.

Julien is 2 inches taller than Zevran. He enjoys that little fact very much (to him, he may as well be a foot taller). On a completely unrelated note, he is the big spoon most of the time*. *He only ever allows himself to be the little spoon if Zevran pesters him endlessly about it.

Julien redos the braids in Zevran's hair whenever they become undone for whatever reasons. He fumbled with it the first few times--maybe one side was a tiny bit higher than the other or maybe he didn't pull tight enough--but he's comfortable enough now that he can basically do it in a blink of an eye. Basically. He makes no promises if Zevran asks him to do it right after he wakes up.

Spices do exist in Ferelden despite popular belief, but growing up as an alienage elf meant that Julien and his family didn't exactly have the monetary means to get anything other than salt, ground pepper, and maybe some bay leaves. Any of the more expensive imported things? Nope. It's the last thing they should be worrying about, honestly, but Zevran manages to get his hands on a few small jars of Antivan spices. Something about how, if Julien were to die tomorrow, it would be a shame if his last meal was whatever that bland mess bubbling over the fire was. (Alistair tried his best, please.) He is apprehensive at first to try whatever it is that Zevran made. It's... new... and what if he doesn't like it? He can't force himself to enjoy it. That would be unfair to both himself and Zevran. He is, however, assured that if he doesn't like it, Zevran himself will finish it with no hard feelings. So, he tries it. And he comes to the conclusion that it is one of the best things he's ever tasted. Zevran looks insufferably smug about it all.

Sometimes they end up on watch together. The others make jokes about how they shouldn't "fool around," but honestly most of the time is spent regaling each other about absurdities that happened in their past. Julien tells Zevran about how he once accidentally spiked Valendrian's soup with a laxative. Zevran tells Julien about a job that involved a turkey, an Orlesian silk scarf, and some Tevinter ring that numbed the extremities. Julien still doesn't know if that story was bullshit or not. They don't get ~*serious*~ with their stories until after their encounter with Taliesen wherein their relationship is confirmed.

Julien doesn't laugh much. He'll smile in response to a joke, sure, but he doesn't laugh. Zevran is the only one who can make him laugh consistently, even if it is just a quick burst. They share similar styles of humor.

When Zevran first offered his earring, Julien declined. It wasn't because he knew what was going on in Zevran's head and wanted him to come to terms with his feelings or whatnot, it was the entire "you could sell it" comment that rubbed him the wrong way. His entire thought process was, "Well, Zevran doesn't seem to care what happens to this earring, so why should I accept it? Does it even mean anything to him?" sort of like if you offered your S/O a crumpled up Twinkie wrapper as a gift, lol. He was kind of offended, honestly. Julien didn't understand that Zevran was having trouble trying to voice his emotions about their relationship. He wasn't trying to slight Julien or anything. On the next day, after they've both cooled down, Zevran explained everything. He wasn't raised in a place where he was told that he'd be able to find a romance that would sweep him off his feet and carry him into the sunset, and, well... after what happened with Rinna... yeah. It's easy to see why he would be... reluctant. Hesitant. To explain how he was feeling and the intended meaning being the earring. Julien apologized and accepted the earring afterwards. He does what he can to assure Zevran that they'll be fine. He wears the earring as a necklace. If anyone asks about it, he says it's a good luck charm.

Julien isn't too fond of PDA--outside of the camp, at least. When they're in camp, he doesn't care much. He'll let Zevran rest a hand on his knee. He'll wrap an arm around Zevran's shoulders. He'll kiss Zevran while he's making dinner. When they're elsewhere, though, he won't do anything. He's... shy. The others in camp are his friends, but the people outside? They are most definitely not. He isn't... comfortable doing that kind of stuff in front of people he doesn't know. Zevran understands and he doesn't push him, but he does like teasing him when no one is paying attention. They're fleeting touches that are never enough to make Julien upset, but they are enough to make him blush which is both funny and cute. Mostly funny. A while later, while discussing prices with Gorim, Julien takes Zevran's hand in his own and Zevran is like, "A-ha. You finally broke, did you?" And Julien responds, "Just let me hold your hand >:░("

They both steal the blankets. It's a coin toss between who's keeping warm that night and who's going to be freezing in the Frostback Mountains. Zevran, however, allows Julien to take all the pillows he desires.

Julien Very Much Enjoys it when Zevran lies down and has his head in his lap (he likes playing with Zevran's hair, so what?). Zevran enjoys the more conventional sit-down-so-close-next-to-each-other-on-this-log-near-the-campfire-that-we've-basically-fused-into-one-person way of sitting.

Sometimes Julien chooses to leave Zevran at camp instead of bringing him along to wherever he has to go that day. Before he leaves, he always tells Zevran to behave himself to which Zevran replies that he'll do his best, lol. Zevran'll also admit to becoming a bit anxious if the party has been away for more than a week, especially when Julien told him that they were about to venture further into the Deep Roads than most people have ever been. When the party comes back with a few new scars--and a brand new addition to their party--Zevran doesn't ask, but he does let Julien hold him a bit tighter when they're sleeping.

Zevran taught Julien how to pick locks and for some Maker-damned reason, Julien became better than him at it. But, hey, Zevran has one up on him in the way that he's actually good at stealth.

[advernia]

What do you think would happen if Alice had fallen into Cradle with her child? I’m particularly curious about Sirius and Luka OwO

in general i’d say the presence of the mother-child combination in cradle would (rather, should) raise the tension higher because two people from the land of reason = two people who can repel magic, yeehaw. i think that gives the magic tower more incentive to be aggressive point blank bc 1) two magic repellers = greater chances of world domination plans being thwarted, 2) on the other hand they will make excellent test subjects, 3) them being blood-related + different ages (and possibly genders) opens more avenues for varied forms of experimentation, and 4) more ways to enter the land of reason, hella rad.

there’s probably more but morbid thoughts aside... here’s some general scenarios!

sirius:

he grew up having lotsa siblings + if you count the black army as the whole he’s raised a lot of brats lmao, so alice having a kid doesn’t faze him the slightest!

in the prologue where ray ends up catching alice, sirius ends up catching her kid instead. thinks the kid’s five years old or something. sirius is about to ask the child some basic questions, but the kid suddenly points to a running blanc so whoops. before the strange pair go rushing after blanc, kid says a thank you, mister! and that earns immediate brownie points because the! kid! called! me! mister! and sirius proceeds to make that veeeery clear to ray lol. maybe to fenrir and seth too, later.

so after all the prologue drama, alice & the kid formally introduce themselves as mother & child to the black army. there’s a few murmurs of reallys and awwws because tbh alice looked rather young to be a mother but oh well. it doesn’t change sirius’ welcoming and accommodating approach, though he keeps more tabs on the child because honestly...

a young child in the barracks... where there’s a stocked armory + shiny magic crystals... ridiculous brats - ehem, grown men prone to showing off + creating trouble... yeah. though it’s really not a hassle on sirius’ part to somewhat act like a babysitter, he gets to suffer being teased about nonsense like paternal instincts coming to life in full force lol!

though seriously speaking, he’s very careful not to ask / bring up the biggest subject of them all: alice’s husband (if there’s even one to speak of, ooh). on the kiddo’s side of course, it’s already hard enough that someone so young suddenly ends up in a strange place + gets their mother and themselves threatened by a whole goddamn army (sirius, to lancelot: i stg what are u doing???) + has to live out a whole month in a new environment all of a sudden, so he believes the least that he & the black army can do is keep the child comfortable enough so that the feeling of fear would be lessened, get a sense of comfort going on. sirius definitely can’t blame the kiddo if they start crying out for their father/home though - though he knows it’s not his fault + can’t do anything much, he’ll feel bad about the fact that he can’t do much for the child’s homesickness.

he’s not going to broach the topic on alice either - if alice wanted to talk, then he’d do his best to listen. if she didn’t then he wouldn’t dare ask, it’s a very personal topic after all. who was he to pry into her personal matters when she + her child would be leaving in a month???

so picture this: he did say he’ll help watching over the kid, but there’s not much to do bc her child is good enough. what a little angel, polite and curious and quiet. maybe a little too quiet, withdrawn??? hmmm. either way, the child didn’t seem too (pro)active. or was playful the term sirius was looking for?

like sure, there’s the loud laughs for stupid antics, answers when talked to, smiles and walks around the barracks on their own but... more often than not, the child keeps close to alice or is just around her general line of sight. separation anxiety, maybe??? that’s natural, so okay. or maybe it’s alice who’s always hovering around her child??? either way, there’s nothing odd about that, but upon longer observation...

the kid is just... really responsible / really loves their mom??? alice watering the plants??? quickly looks for another watering can / gets a bucket of water to refill the can with. general cleaning or laundry??? puts a hold on whatever they were doing, rolls up sleeves, gets ready to do some work. prep work for dinner??? peeling’s a bit wonky, but they’re doing their best while trying not to cut themselves...

this strikes off as a bit funny to sirius, because wow, they really are related. where alice is quick to offer her help on all sorts of tasks in the barracks, her child is just a step behind her, little hands willing to do some work. on some tasks, alice does tell her kid that she’ll be alright doing it on her own, but her kid insists doing it alongside her anyway. and that there, that’s a very alice thing to do, too. sirius - heck, maybe the black army would know that by now as well, lol, considering how alice flutters around the barracks looking for something to do if she’s not having some alone time + private time with her child.

though, as much as the help was appreciated... it doesn’t sit well with sirius that the mother & child are spending most of their hours working rather than enjoying themselves in cradle. he thinks it’s a shame, especially for the kid. back when sirius was younger, he would...... then he’d go to....... and then sometimes he’d.............

.... right. if the guests wouldn’t relax themselves, then sirius would take it upon himself to show them a good time. it doesn’t have to be through big events, it doesn’t have to be everyday, it doesn’t need to be through fancy or expensive gifts either...... if only just to see both of them smile more often, then it’s definitely worth the time thinking about.

more bonus points if he’d get to see alice’s kid start acting like... well, a child! while there’s nothing wrong with being responsible or wanting to help, a kid should definitely experience all sorts of things, explore what they can, and most of all, enjoy themselves.

that’s what it means to be young, and alice should do the same as well... being in cradle is their adventure, after all! they’re not completely unrelated to the war but..... if anything else, sirius wants to fulfill the black army’s promise of precting them until the full moon comes around, and when that day comes.... he hopes the two have made a ton of good memories of their stay in cradle.

......... funny that this guy’s thinking about how make the two relax when he can’t even stop and do that for himself lmaooooo 

luka:

lol he starts off the same as he’s always been in most routes: shying away + nothing much to say to the parent/child combo now suddenly under their wing.

though, he does keep watch of their eating habits on the first days of their stay: alice eats anything + everything so that’s a relief, she’s adjusting. now if only he can say the same for her child....

imagine alice’s kid still being uncomfortable & cranky a few days in cradle + black army company, refuses to eat much even though his mom’s urging him to. breaks into a tantrum one day, saying that i wanna eat mama’s cooking instead! or something similar for everyone in the dining room to hear before storming out. ooh. there’s a brief silence - most stares land on luka, who isn’t really offended.

..... well, okay, so maybe it did sting a little bit. alice apologizes to luka before going away to calm her kid down. fenrir + ray tell him not to worry about it, seth + sirius muse about the kid feeling all homesick / sensitive. cue other soldiers saying something about puberty (whut lol). or y’know, kids being kids.

luka tries thinking about the kid’s situation for a bit. away from home, living in a whole new environment, surrounded by a whole lot of other people with attitudes and faces way different from those around at home... huh. that kinda sounds like himself in a way, except that the away from home bit on luka’s part was a voluntary choice.

having realized that, luka has a better guess of what the kid might be feeling. overwhelmed, definitely. from a very hostile welcome with handcuffs + the red army carrying the threat of death, suddenly being surrounded by the kindness of the black army is a total 360. must feel unreal, suspicious, even. the sight of real weapons around, the existence of magic and all that, unknowingly having a power so strong the whole country fears it. sounds like too much too process for a child.

..... alright, but looking at alice’s kid being unfriendly + clingy to alice 24/7 + being such a crybaby also reminds luka of... uh, himself, when he was younger. not to his own mother, but to... well, jonah, ugh. it’s not an easy pill to swallow (it takes grudging acceptance), but at least luka gets to know why he always felt some pang of irritation looking at the child.

so the next time the kid starts crying over something/causes trouble for alice, luka surprises everyone in the room by taking the initiative to scold the kid for acting so selfish. tough call, by the way - the child is wow, stubborn as hell + likes to keep the waterworks going while screaming; luka’s got a pretty good idea of what he wants to say but is having trouble getting it across properly and in a less menancing manner, so in short its a mess. witnesses ray blackwell + fenrir godspeed find the whole scene sorta funny though, much support lol.

alice wants to cut in, but sirius + seth tell her to leave it to luka, who seems to be winning since her kid’s running out of energy from crying & shouting at the same time. luka seems to be calming down too, because his tone + volume + facial expression is getting less stern. this seemed like a good time to mosey out of the scene so sirius ushers the audience to go away lmao, even the worried mother (who, decides to eavesdrop instead. no one has the heart to pull her away... so they hover around the doorway with her too.)

not arguing with luka anymore, the upset kid starts to babble of nightmares about the scary men in red with their sharp swords, not wanting to sleep because maybe when they close their eyes mama might suddenly be gone and they’re all alone, the scary feeling of losing mama to strangers, and the list goes on and on. its a collection of fears + worries of a child, and luka’s patient enough to listen. in fact, he smiles wryly when there’s mentions of monsters under the bed: it’s embarrasing, but luka used to cry over that too.

... seeing the kid bawl their eyes out like this, luka really is reminded of his younger self. the clinginess, sudden outbursts, the fear of maybe one day, they’ll be left behind and will be all alone. luka might be speculating the kid’s feelings, but more than anyone else, luka would be the closest one who could relate to what the kid was going through because.......... he acted that way towards jonah, back when they were younger.

he wonders if they’ve mentioned any of this to alice, even if just the smallest of their fears. he wonders how long they’ve been bothered over those fears, if they’ve been sleeping well at night. with all those questions in his mind, luka’s not so sure what to say; how to comfort the child.

he still tries though, even if his words come out a bit clumsy, even if the kid’s still sniffling all the way through the process. it’s a quiet moment, one that lasts till the child has cried themselves to sleep. they just stay that way for awhile, the kid resting their head on luka’s arm, until luka decides to carry the child back to their room........ alice must be worried.

..... she is, actually. when she and luka talk, she keeps quiet of her eavesdropping. luka doesn’t tell her everything either, because he believed that some of the things they talked about are better said by the kid themselves rather than him relaying the message to alice.

there’s nothing much to say after that, so luka goes on his way. alice says a very sincere thank you before he goes. she... has a lot of other things to say other than just that, but.... maybe another time. maybe when she’s plucked up the courage.

anyway, after all that alice’s kid seems to have gotten off their... spoiled phase, lol. still a little clingy to alice, but is getting less prickly + talking to others now. most notable development though, is if the child isn’t around their mother......... they could be seen hanging around luka.

.......... cue comments on how heartwarming it is to see a young child tottering around luka like a little duckling. luka does not appreciate the teasing. especially when it comes from seth + fenrir because why are their grins so big??????? but he doesn’t say anything against the kid following him around lol.