#does this mean we will see him in series 15/season 2

[wincheskka]

Oh Ncuti, you know us so well!!! so when does he come back?

[no-144444]

my girl- (o.piastri no.81)

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summary: fans made an edit of oscar and you being in love since your prema days.

pairing: oscar piastri (no.81) x fem! driver! reader (no.28)

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Oscar Piastri being in love with Y/n Y/l/n for 15 minutes straight, and vice versa  (F2 -> F1)

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Clip 1: Prema video 

Bahrain Airport, F2 season beginning, March. 

“And here we have the 3 year reigning champion of the Indycar Junior series, making her F2 pivot, Y/n Y/l/n!” Rob cheered as he woke you from your nap on the plane. 

“Shut up,” you groaned, pushing the camera away with a chuckle. “I'm tired, leave me be.”

“The plane is landing, idiot!”

“Hush!” you laughed. “That means ages until we get off, get your camera away Rob!”

Rob and you had gotten the same flight from London, and you’d become fast friends. He was eccentric and overtop, but a good laugh. You were sure you looked crazy. 6 hour flights do that to a person. You and Rob chatted to the camera about the weekend, and you introduced yourself to the Prema fans. Not many people gave a shit about Indycar, and even less cared about Indycar junior. 

As you disembarked the plane and got through security, people stopped you and Rob for photos and whatnot, then you finally got out of the airport. Angelina was standing there with a camera and a big ‘welcome’ sign, and another two very tired teenage boys beside her. 

“Y/n!” she cheered, pulling you both into a hug. “Rob!” 

Little did you know, Rob’s camera was pointed at Oscar, who turned to Fred with a shocked expression and whispered: “She’s gorgeous.” 

Beside him, Fred chuckled. “Go for her.”

“No way I have any chance with her, I-”

“I can hear you, y’know?” you cut in, coming over to introduce yourself. 

He went redder than a tomato, and you all just laughed. 

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Clip 2: Sky Sports channel

Bahrain International Circuit, 27th of March 

“And it’s No. 28 who sees the chequered flag first, the rookie, and the only girl on the grid, Y/n Y/l/n! Pole position in her first race!” 

“That’s P1 Y/n, congratulations,” your race engineer, Pedro, beamed as you crossed the finish line. 

“Motherfuck Guanyu is fast mate, we need to watch out for him- oh, and the other Alpine boy that was trying to flirt with me, what’s his name?” you answered. The Prema garage was full of laughter as you outed Oscar. 

“Oscar Piastri? No.2,” Pedro chuckled. “He failed to flirt with you?”

“Well, bless him, he tried to,” you chuckled as you parked the car. “He’s cute though.”

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“That’s P6 Oscar, and just to let you know, Y/n Y/l/n has outed you on the radio and on live television saying that you tried and failed to flirt with her,” his race engineer said. 

Oscar laughed, finding the situation funny. “My mum’s going to tweet about that.”

“She also called you ‘cute’, if that helps with any bruised ego?”

Oscar’s face lit up under his helmet. “It definitely does,” he chuckled. “Thanks mate.”

“I’d wingman you any time,” he chuckled. 

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Clip 3: Prema video

Prema Headquarters, Grisignano di Zocco, Italy, April.

“Hello everyone,” Robert smiled at the camera. “Today we will be going for a drive, I’d better call Oscar in.”

Oscar sat in the passenger seat and did his belt as they caught up and told the viewers what they’d be watching. 

“So, today, you will be joining us for a drive around the Italian countryside,” Rob smiled. “And we will be answering your questions.”

“Let the questions begin,” Oscar added. He pulled one out of the bowl and read it aloud. “Who’s your favourite Prema team member?”

Rob smiled. “That’s hard, I love the whole Prema team so much, but… yeah, that’s hard. Maybe my race engineer, Fred? I get along quite well with him,” Rob giggled as Oscar nodded.

“What?” Oscar laughed.

“I know your favourite,” Rob smirked. 

Oscar looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “Who?”

“La tua ragazza,” Rob chuckled as Oscar rolled his eyes. “What? It is true! You love her!” (La tua ragazza = your girl in Italian)

“I’ve met her once, mate!” Oscar laughed. 

“So you don’t like her? I can ask her out?” Rob deadpanned. 

“Well, no, you can't-” Oscar was cut off by Rob’s laughter and he decided to stop trying to fight him about it. Everyone on the team knew that Oscar Piastri was infatuated with you. 

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Clip 4: Georgie O’Hara’s deleted youtube video. 

Haileybury and Imperial Service College, England. 

“Ok, that’s an awful idea!” Oscar yelled over his friends. “They already know you’re the ones doing it!”

“It’s fine! It’ll be fine!” Elijah, a good friend of his, smiled. They wanted to set off the fire alarms again, for the third time that week. Deodorant and stupid teenage boys did not mix, especially when they refused to put it on themselves and waste it on fire drills instead. 

Georgie turned to his phone, addressing the viewers "Oscar's a goody-two-shoes, if you couldn't tell."

Suddenly his phone rang from an unknown number, and before he could leave it ring, Anthony (another friend of his) answered. “Oscar Piastri, incoming F2 champion’s phone, how may I help you?”

Oscar laughed, but suddenly stopped when he heard you. 

“Not if I have anything to do with it,” you chuckled at his friend. “Anyways, can you just ask him to ask Elijah not to do the fire alarm thing between 11pm and 2am? The girls in my room and I are sneaking downstairs to watch a film and we don’t really want to get caught.”

Oscar covered his face and groaned, then took the phone off Georgie. “Hey-hi, Y/n. Yes, of course, we won’t do the fire alarm thing, ever again. Sorry.”

He turned his back as his friends made kissing noises and certain gestures at him. 

“All good, thanks Osc,” you smiled. “You and your friends are welcome to join us if you want.”

Oscar could’ve sworn his heart stopped beating. “I’ll ask them,” he smiled. He turned to his friends. “Y/n’s inviting us all to a movie, we’re sneaking out tonight,” he informed them. 

“I don’t want to-” Anthony started, but Georgie silenced him with a kick to the shin. 

“Mate, this is Oscar’s one fucking chance with his girl, shut up,” He scoffed.

“Is that a yes?” You asked over the phone.

“Yes!” they all answered. 

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As the night went on, you found yourself getting more and more tired. Oscar was beside you and you could tell how he was trying to play it cool, but failing miserably. You could practically see the way his heart leapt out of his chest when you held his hand. As ‘The Empire Strikes Back’ ended, you squeezed his hand before getting up and letting go. 

“Alright, I’ll clean up, everyone else go back upstairs before you get caught,” you whispered. The ‘movie room’ as the students called it (it was technically the staff room but no one really cared) was a mess. Blankets, cups, wrappers and pillows were everywhere. The group slowly shuffled out as you were left with only Oscar. Georgie had forgotten about his camera and it was still recording where he’d put it down to get some shots of everyone watching the film. 

“I can help,” Oscar whispered. 

You shook your head. “Seriously, you go ahead. They already hate me at this school anyways,” you chuckled. 

“Please let me help?” he asked again. You couldn’t exactly say ‘no’ to his puppy dog eyes, could you?

“Fine,” you smiled. 

You two chatted quietly as you cleaned up the room, and finally met at the door to leave. 

“I really enjoyed tonight-” You started, but you were cut off by Oscar kissing you. His arms wrapped around your waist and your arms wrapped around his neck once the initial shock wore off. You both pulled away after a few seconds. You stared up at him as his usually-blank face turned to one of panic.

“Sorry if that was forward, or-or weird- or-” He started, but now it was your turn to cut him off with a kiss. 

He pulled back smiling, and he didn’t move his hands, or try to move away from you. There was a moment of silence. “Can I take you on a date?”

You chuckled. “Yes.”

Oscar was elated. 

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Clip 5: Sky sports channel and Prema footage

Circuit de Monaco, Monaco, Monaco, May 22nd. 

You were excited as you stepped onto the podium, victorious. It had been a difficult few laps at the end, Guanyu overtaking, then you overtaking, and over and over, but you got the chequered flag first. You were breaking records, breaking barriers as a woman in motorsports. You’d won Monaco, your first time racing there. In the Sprint, and the feature race. You were on top of the world. As you raised your trophy, the crowd cheered and Oscar was cheering the loudest. 

You looked to your left, him standing on the podium for the first time this season, and you smiled. 

“Feels good, huh?” you smirked. 

“Feels great, but I’ll be coming for your step next,” he smirked.

“You wish Piastri,” you scoffed, then uncorked your champagne bottle and sprayed it on him and Zhou.

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Clip 6: Sky Sports channel, Prema footage

 Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Monza, 17th of July, Sprint Race. 

“And it’s Y/n Y/l/n into the wall in a bad collision with Liam Lawson, only 2 laps till the end!” 

Everything was in slow motion, one second you were in control, the next you were flipping into the wall. 

“Red flag, red flag Oscar, huge crash in sector 3, come in, come in,” his race engineer said. 

“Who was it?” He asked, slowing his pace. 

“Y/l/n and Lawson, straight into the wall.”

“Is she ok? Is she out of the car?” he asked calmly. 

“Not yet,” he answered grimly. The Prema garage was eerily silent as they watched the stewards struggle to get you out of the car. 

As he came up on sector 3, he saw you. The car was upside down leaning against the barrier, they were putting out the fire. Shit. Shit. Shit.

You and Oscar had been dating for a few months now, and he really liked you. He passed by in horror as he saw that you weren’t out of the car yet. He was getting more and more nervous as the moments went on. He caught sight of Liam. He was out of the car. He beckoned Oscar over and he obliged, letting him hitch a ride back to the pitlane with him as he drove slowly. As they got back to the pitlane, they both jumped out as the race was finally deemed as cancelled, and the boys walked off, waiting for news. 

“What happened?” he asked. 

“It was a total mistake, my car had mad fucking oversteer and I just hit the throttle too hard, and then she was in the wall,” he answered. “She’s not even out yet.”

“She’ll be ok,” Oscar said, trying to convince himself as well as Liam. “She’s strong.”

Liam nodded, and went off to the RedBull garage with his head held low. Oscar walked into the Prema garage and his mom immediately pulled him in for a hug. Beside her was your parents, looking terrified. 

“You’re ok, thank god,” she whispered. She didn’t care about the multiple cameras pointing at them, her son was alright. 

“Is there any news yet?”

“They’ve pulled her out of the car,” your dad answered, eyes glued to the screen. 

“Is she responsive?” Nicole asked. 

“Yes!” You race engineer answered, happy that you were alive. There was a collective sigh of relief throughout the garage. “Complaining about lower back and leg pain, as well as a definite broken arm. She won’t be racing for a while,” he added, his tone becoming more and more sombre. Oscar watched as your mother broke down in your father’s arms, and he felt like throwing up. You wouldn’t be racing, you wouldn’t get to do the thing you loved. 

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Clip 6: Prema video

ASST Brianza - Vimercate Hospital, 18th of July.

You woke up in blinding pain a few hours earlier. Everyone had worked so hard to make everything ok, to make you comfortable, but all night all you did was sob. The pain was unbearable in the car, you thought you were going to die, you thought you weren’t getting out of the car. 5 fractured vertebrae, 3 broken ribs, a fractured hip bone, and a broken arm apparently wasn’t a joke. No racing for the rest of the year. Your life was over. 

“Fuck,” you whispered as you sat up and pain shot up your back. 

“Hey,” Oscar’s soft voice brought you out of your upset, and back into the room. He took your hand. You felt bad, he’d been there the entire time, and honestly, he should probably be at the track already, ahead of today’s race. You’d tried to shoo him but he wasn’t having it, much more in favour of being with you and cluing you in on how your parents reacted to him being your boyfriend. Awkward. “Take your time.”

You nodded, grateful that he was there, then turned your attention to the camera Angelina had brought with her and set up to take a ‘statement’ video. “Hi Prema fans, and my fans. Yesterday was pretty rough, and with a heavy heart I have to tell you that I won’t be able to continue this season in F2. My back was badly damaged yesterday in my collision with Liam, which was a complete accident and not anyone's fault, and I definitely don’t blame Liam. I love racing, and I’ll still be at the majority of the races to support my teammates, and my boyfriend. This is just a very unfortunate event that pulls me out of the game for a while, but I’ll be back. I hope you miss me on track, and just know that I’m alright. Thank you for the support, bye for now, Prema family.”

Oscar wrapped his arms around you and smiled. “I’m the boyfriend,” he added, making you laugh. 

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Clip 7: Prema footage

Jeddah Corniche Circuit, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, 4th of December

“And Oscar Piastri sees the chequered flag first! Winning a sprint race and the feature race this weekend!” 

You jumped up and down beside Chris, his father, as he came into the pitlane. He was the lead of the championship. He was going to win F2. No doubt about it. 

The past 5 months had been difficult. You’d been back at school for a while, only now cleared to travel again, but you were happy to be back at the tracks. It felt good to watch Oscar win in person. 

Chris wrapped his arms around you as you both celebrated. Oscar’s radio came on. 

“God guys, good drive. Looks like Y/n is my lucky charm,” he laughed over the radio. The last races hadn’t gone so well for him, but he was straight back to winning with you here.  

You were smiling the whole way to the barricade, but that ended when about 50 people were against your back, pushing violently. Chris and Mark were trying desperately to get them to back off, but they couldn’t stop them. You promised them you’d be ok, but the pain was getting unbearable, and Oscar hadn’t come over yet. 

“Guys, move back!” He shouted as he ran over, just finished taking off his helmet. “Make some space!” The team obliged, but he still decided to be dramatic and lift you over the barrier. “You alright?” he asked, but you just wrapped your arms around him.

“You’re incredible Osc,” you smiled. “I love you so much.”

And there it was, out in the open for the first time. Too bad you forgot you both had microphones on. 

He smiled wider than you ever thought possible for his face. “I love you too. So much baby,” he pressed a kiss to your cheek. “You should be up here with me,” he added and you nodded, it still being a sore subject. “And you will be. Next year.”

You nodded, grateful for the hope and support he offered you. “Go! Go to your team!” you laughed, pushing him on. Before he let you out of his grasp, he grabbed your waist and stole a sweet, quick kiss. 

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Clip 8: Prema footage

Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi, 12th of December 

He’d done it. He was the F2 champion. Sadly next year he would only get to be the Alpine F1 reserve driver, which meant no consistent racing, but that was still incredible. 

You waited by the barricade as he came in, and he went straight over to you. He pulled his helmet off, then his bandana, and pulled you in for a kiss. The rest of the team ‘ohh’ed and ‘aww’ed but neither of you cared at all. He’d won. 

“Congratulations F2 winner,” you smirked, pulling away. 

“Thanks baby,” he smiled. 

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Post-race interview

“So, how does this feel, Oscar?” she asked. 

“It feels amazing, y’know, we’ve all worked so hard at this for the whole year and it’s just really special to have everyone here, especially my girlfriend Y/n. I’m missing her on track, so it’s good to still at least have her in the paddock,” he smiled, and the camera cut to you, beaming up at him.

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Clip 9: Prema footage and Sky Sports channel 

Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir, 19th of March, Sprint 1. 

“We’re in the Prema garage,” Oscar explained to the camera in front of him. He was in full Alpine gear, being a reserve driver meant being a marketing machine, but this wasn’t for Alpine, this was for you. “And my girlfriend is about to go and do her first race back since the accident last season. Let’s go interview her about it!” He walked through the garage, searching for you, and finally found you. “Y/n! Any time for an interview?”

You turned to him and smiled. “I always have time for you,” you wrapped your arms around him, hugging him close. His grip on you was tight but you didn’t mind. You pulled away and turned to the camera.

“So, how does it feel to be back?” He asked.

“Amazing. I thought my life was over when I was told I wasn’t allowed to race for half a year.”

“And who helped nurse you back to health?” He smirked, batting his eyelashes at you. 

“Your mom mostly,” you chuckled. You’d spent the entire off-season in Australia with Oscar and his family, and Nicole had been so considerate and careful about your healing injuries. 

Oscar rolled his eyes. “Yeah… that’s probably true,” he chuckled. “How do you feel being on Pole?”

“It feels good. We just have to stay quick this season. I didn’t rush my healing just to lose,” you smiled then pressed a kiss to his cheek. “I’ve to get in the car now, love you,” you smiled. He wrapped an arm around your waist and pressed his lips to yours with a ‘good luck’, then let you go. 

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“And can she do it? Yes she can! Y/n Y/l/n is coming in with a bang! A Sprint Pole and a Sprint win! That is a statement, ‘I never left’!” 

“That’s P1 Y/n, well done!” Pedro called over the radio as the Prema garage went crazy. 

“Thanks for everything guys, great car, great drive-”

“Great driver,” he added. 

You pulled into the pitlane and got out of the car, celebrating as they got the photo of you on the car. You ran over to Oscar at the barricade as you pulled off your helmet and balaclava.

“That’s my girl!” he cheered as you pulled him in for a hug. “See? Nothing's changed.”

You pressed your lips to his. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” he smiled and pressed his lips to your cheek. “I’m loving this WAG lifestyle,” he chuckled. 

You laughed. “It suits you.”

He chuckled. “Alright, you’re being called for the interview. Love you,” he smiled as you walked off, giving your hand a squeeze. You blew him a kiss back. 

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Clip 10: Prema video 

Prema Headquarters, Grisignano di Zocco, Italy. 

You were laughing with Logan, doing a ‘Who knows who best’ challenge and both of you were failing miserably. 

You put the headphones on and the music started, making it impossible to hear him. You watched as the room erupted in laughter, then Logan nudged you to take the headphones off. 

“What is the most annoying thing about you?” He asked, holding back giggles. 

“I know what you’d say,” you chuckled. “Me and Oscar.”

The room erupted in laughter as he nodded. “Exactly!” 

“You’re just jealous,” you chuckled. 

“Why? ‘Cause I don’t have a girlfriend?”

“No, because I have Oscar and you don’t,” you shot back, and everyone started laughing again. 

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Clip 11: Sky Sports Channel

Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi, 20th of November 

“And after a season of domination from the woman in red, Y/n  Y/l/n sees the chequered flag first with a staggering 425 points! This F2 season will go down in history!”

You’d done it. You’d done it. You were an F2 champion, and next season you’d be in an F1 car fulltime, racing alongside Oscar, Logan, and Nick. You’d made it. 

You jumped out of the car, amazed at your season. It’d been win after win, fastest lap after fastest lap, pole position after pole position. You’d worked so hard. 

“You did it baby!” Oscar shouted as you ran over. You jumped into his arms, and let him hold you up. He looked at you like you held the sky up, like you were the greatest thing on the planet. “You’re incredible.”

“I couldn’t have done it without you,” you smiled. “ I love you so much.”

“I love you so much more,” he pressed kisses to any inch of skin he could, more than proud to be yours. 

You chuckled as he tickled you with his kisses, before you realised that you needed to go fulfil your duties. He put you down, but before you could leave, he grabbed your waist again. “I love you.”

“I love you too, Osc.”

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Clip 12: Sky Sports channel, McLaren footage, and RedBull footage

Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir, 2023. 

“A disappointing result for Oscar Piastri, but an incredible run for Y/n Y/l/n, P1 in her first race! I’m sure he’ll be pleased with that for his long-time girlfriend!” 

 Oscar was pissed off, but his mood was lifted by your result. You were incredible. He cheered in his own garage, happy for your win. You’d won your first race. Who else did that? The first woman to ever do so. 

He was in awe of you. 

He exited his garage, ready to see you after your win. He saw you getting out of the car and running straight into the arms of your team and he smiled. He finally caught your eye after some time, and you ran over, wrapping your arms around him. 

“I’m so sorry,” were the first words out of your mouth. “If I could trade our cars, I would Osc, I really would,” you sighed.

“Don’t even joke about that. Don’t make your first win about me. This is about you, my brilliant, incredible, winner,” he pressed his lips to yours in a short, victory kiss. “I love you, yeah?” “I love you too,” you smiled. 

“You were amazing out there,” he smiled. 

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Clip 13: McLaren video 

Jeddah Corniche Circuit, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia 

“Who is your teammate's favourite person?” Lando asked, then looked at the camera and rolled his eyes. “Oscar’s is Y/n because he’s a traitor.”

Oscar burst into laughter and looked at Lando. “That’s not fair! We started dating as teammates!”

“Oh sure Osc!” Lando sighed, playing up the drama. “That’s what they all say.”

“But it’s the truth!”

“Anyways, moving on from Oscar and his traitor girlfriend, who’s my favourite person Oscar?” 

“Max Fewtrell?” 

Lando thought about it for a moment, then nodded. “Him or my parents or siblings.”

Oscar took another question out of the bowl and chuckled. “What’s the other person’s red flag?”

Little did he know, you’d come in to visit him and were actively sneaking up behind him. 

“Yours is your refusal to ever use a hairbrush,” you answered for Lando, and Oscar jumped, making everyone laugh, especially Lando, who fell off his chair. You chuckled and wrapped your arms around Oscar's neck from behind, pressing a kiss to the top of his head. “Came to say hi,” you smiled, kissing his cheek. 

“Came to air out my business online?” He questioned, laughing. He took your hands and led you around his chair, sitting you on his lap. “When did you get in?” he asked, resting his head on your shoulder as Lando tried to compose himself. 

“Just now, came straight from the airport,” you nodded, leaning back against him. 

“Bad flight?”

“Nah, I was on Max’s jet. He’s offered me to ask you two if you want to go back to Monaco after this weekend with him. I am,” you answered. He nodded, gently playing with your hands as he listened to you. 

“Sounds good to me,” he smiled. “Tell him ‘thanks’, yeah?” 

You nodded. “‘Course,” you got up to leave but he pulled you down by the arm and pressed your lips together quickly, then let you go. “Love you,” you called after yourself. 

“Love you too,” he called back, ready to get back to the interview. 

“Can we keep that in?” Ellie, their marketing manager asked. 

He shrugged. “Sure, why not.”

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Clip 14: Hattie Piastri’s tiktok vlog

Piastri residence, Melbourne, 2023 

“Y/n’s over there with Oscar, and Addie is with May and mum and dad are with Tim over there,” she explained to the camera pointing everything out. In the video you and Oscar were laying on the grass in the setting sun, utterly exhausted from your weekend of racing where you’d gotten p2 and Oscar had gotten p8. His arms were wrapped around you as you lay on top of him, smiling. 

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Clip 15: Sky Sports channel, RedBull footage and Nicole Piastri’s instagram

Circuit Zandvoort, Zandvoort, Holland

“And can she do it? Yes she can! Y/n Y/l/n beats teammate Max Verstappen to first place, and she sees the chequered flag first! What an incredible season this has been for the rookie!”

As you crossed the finish line, you almost felt sick. You’d beaten Max, giving you a lead in the Driver’s Championship. He’d been 10 points ahead. Now, you were 15 points ahead of him. 

“That’s P1, P1 Y/n congratulations,” Pedro smiled. 

“Thanks Pedro, and thanks everyone, really well done. Car is perfect, thank you all so much!” 

“And Oscar’s P9, if you're wondering.”

“When I get my fucking hands on Zak Brown I will rip his fake fucking toupée off for giving him such a shit car,” You groaned. “Great drive guys, thanks.”

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You walked into the paddock as they all cheered both you and Max on. Max had gotten P2, unhappy with not winning, but not mad that you’d won. He saw what you were doing for motorsports all around the world, how much pressure you were under as the first female driver in a long time, and how hard you were working. He wasn’t going to make your life harder by being an asshole off the track too. He gave you a celebratory hug and moved onto his driver’s room, as you stayed out with the engineers, chatting and celebrating with them. 

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Nicole Piatri’s instagram live 

“Hi everyone, Osc and I are right now, trying to sneak into the RedBull garage to see Y/n,” Nicole explained and behind her, Oscar smiled and put both thumbs up. 

“I’m going to be told off for this by Zak, so, sorry Zak. I want to see my girlfriend, my bad,” he chuckled, his apology only half-assed. 

Nicole and him continued faffing around the paddock for a while, until Nicole caught your eye through the window. You ran over to the door beside them and let them in, pulling Nicole in for a huge hug as Oscar waited behind her with a wide smile. 

He spoke to the live. “Apparently my girlfriend likes my mum better than me-" 

You cut him off with a kiss as you laughed at his antics. “Shut the fuck up,” you chuckled. “You’re such a baby.”

“I missed seeing you in the conference,” he shrugged, holding you close as his mum took the phone and documented this moment between the two of you. “I love you,” he smiled. 

“I love you too,” you chuckled, kissing his cheek. “P9? Not bad.”

He rolled his eyes and smiled. “P1? Not bad,” he lifted you into his arms making you squeal. 

“Osc! Put me down!” You squealed. 

“Let me win next time,” he chuckled. “Then I’ll put you down.”

“What do you want me to do? Switch our cars?”

“Ideally,” he chuckled, kissing your cheek and putting you down. “But I guess I’ll settle for watching you be gorgeous on the podium every week.”

“The fans are loving this!” Christian joked as he watched over Nicole’s shoulder, seeing how the chat was going crazy.

You both turned to Nicole with confused faces. 

“You’re still filming mum?!” 

This live has now been ended by the host. 

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Clip 16: Sky sports channel

​​Lusail International Circuit, Lusail, Qatar 

“Oscar Piastri has done the job brilliantly, the Australian driver will see the chequered flag first! Oscar Piastri wins the sprint to take McLaren to the top step once again!” 

“That’s P2 Y/n, Oscar P1,” Pedro announced. 

“WOOOOO!” You screamed, elated for him. “Fucking legend!” 

“I said P2 for you,” he reminded. 

“Shut up and be happy for him, just once,” you chuckled, pulling into the pit lane to park. You watched as Oscar got out of the car as you got out of your own car. Immediately, he ran over to you, wrapping you up in his arms as you celebrated together. 

“You did it!” You shouted, jumped around in each other's arms. “You’re fucking incredible.”

“You put up a good fucking fight,” he chuckled, smiling like a kid. 

“You’re going to look so sexy at the top of the podium,” you smirked and he blushed hard. 

“I wish you wouldn’t say stuff like that in public,” he chuckled, then hid his face in your neck as you laughed. 

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Post-sprint conference 

“So, this is a question for Y/n and Oscar,” an interviewer started. Both of you looked up, exhausted from the late night race. “Does your relationship prohibit you from racing to your full potential? I believe Y/n, you could’ve caught up. Did you give him this win?”

You scoffed, appalled that anyone would have the audacity to ask such a thing. “For fuck’s sake,” you sighed. “No. I couldn’t have. You know how you know that? Because I would’ve if I could’ve. I love Oscar, and I’ve loved him since I was about 14 years old, but that doesn’t mean that I let him win. He’s a ridiculously talented driver, and a fucking genius with strategy. His car is great too. But out there today? That was pure talent. I can love him, and wholeheartedly race him too,” you answered, getting annoyed at the comments like these you two constantly got. “And another thing, I’m getting really fucking sick of the questions about our relationship. Do you really think we’d be together if we couldn’t race each other and not come back to each other and be proud of each other? Seriously? Where is your critical thinking?”

The room was full of whispered conversation as you dropped the last diss, and beside you Oscar was looking at you with huge heart eyes. Anyone could see it from a mile away, he loved you. He chuckled, wanting to add his two cents as well. “Yeah, exactly. The only thing she lets me win in is chess, right?” He looked at you with a smirk and you rolled your eyes. 

“You won once, asshole,” you chuckled, pushing his hand off your thigh. 

“Then we stopped playing,” he shrugged, a cocky smirk very-present on his face. 

“We ran out of time,” you shrugged, feigning innocence. 

He cocked an eyebrow. “Sure.”

The tension in the room had been dissolved in the comedic moment, and you were thankful for Oscar’s calm exterior. You moved closer to him on the couch, and he wrapped an arm around you, smiling wide as you pressed a kiss to his hand, the one closest to your face. 

---------------------

Clip 17: Drive to Survive 

Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi

“How are you feeling?” Oscar asked, sitting in your driver’s room with you before the race. He knew how worried you were, how much you wanted this. You had to win. You and Max were neck and neck. You just had to get more points than him, starting from P2. 

You sighed, standing between his legs and messing with his hair, favouring trying not to think about it rather than talking about it. He grabbed ahold of your waist and pressed his face into your torso, pressing kisses to wherever he could reach, trying to make you laugh. 

You chuckled and pushed him away, pressing a kiss to his cheek. “I’m alright, I promise. Just stressed.”

“You won’t be stressed in a week,” he smiled. “We’ll be in Melbourne.”

You smiled, and kissed him again. “We will. Waves and relaxing. Nothing else.”

“Well, and Logan,” he chuckled. “So… ‘Merica and all that,” he smiled as you laughed at his bad joke. He got you down to his lap and he pressed a kiss to your cheek. “You’ve got this, don’t worry.”

“Wow, anxiety cured,” you replied sarcastically, making him laugh. 

---------------------

Clip 18: Sky Sports Channel

Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi

“And it is an incredible season for the first female in modern F1, Y/n Y/l/n sees the chequered flag first, with a Driver’s Championship 1-2 with her teammate Max Verstappen! This makes her the first female ever to win the F1 Driver’s Championship title! What an inspiration!” 

You’d done it. You won your rookie season. You were World Champion. You were a legend. 

“WOOOOO!” You screamed as tears rolled down beneath your hemet. “We did it! We did it!”

“We did it!” Pedro screamed. You knew the entire RedBull garage was going crazy right now. “You did it Y/n!”

“Thank you, everyone! This would’ve been impossible without you all! Amazing year! Incredible work!” you beamed. 

---------------------

“That’s P6, P6 Oscar,” his race engineer announced. 

“Did Y/n get it? Did she win?” 

“Yes, your girl is a World Champion,” he smiled. 

“YES! YES! THAT’S MY FUCKING GIRL!” he screamed, elated at the news. He knew you could do it. He’d always known you could do it. 

He rushed to get to the pit lane, ready to celebrate with you. He jumped out of the car and pulled off his helmet as fast as he could, watching as you ran over to him. 

“You did it!” He cheered. “My fucking girl.”

“I did it!” You cried, over the moon. “I couldn’t have done it without you,” you smiled. 

His eyes filled with tears as his heart swelled with pride. “You’re amazing. I love you so much Y/n.”

Neither of you cared about the cameras around you as you went in for a kiss. You didn’t care about how sweaty and gross you both were, you didn’t care about the grief that the pr team would give you, you didn’t care. 

You were a World Champion. He was your everything. You were his everything.

---------------------

navigation for my blog :) (masterlist)

[dalliancekay]

I'm just gonna write out what I think cos if someone sends me this again for the 113th time, I'm gonna snap. Look. Interviews (months!) before a premiere of something are tricky. You gotta be careful and VAGUE with what you say and what you want people to expect. Mostly creators focus on the themes in the first, maybe second episodes or so too trying not to give away much. Just the bare bones, what is already expected anyway. After all, they want you to watch it and go: "Ahhhh...." It was the same in S2 as well. (David describing in interviews how unmoored Crowley was in S2, how kind of disappointed etc and Michael how Az is also a bit disconcerted by not having a job, something big to belong to). But that's a description of - how we find the Ineffables in ep1, rather than describing the whole of Season 2. And there was a book first before the series and you must admit Aziraphale and Crowley are a bit different in the series than they are in the book. So caution was needed. PLUS their story has evolved again. It doesn't now end in the Ritz (I know it never really did for Neil and Terry who clearly wanted them to deal with the whole system somehow). The husbands have more trouble ahead. More details were added. We got more of their story, their journeys. Crowley doesn't change and is just waiting for Aziraphale to catch up with him is not much of a story, don't you think? Aziraphale is a naïve goody two shoes angel who has to realise Heaven is bad - is just so simple I'd be angry if I was Neil and read that. Well, okay, I AM angry.

And I'm sorry but Aziraphale has not lived a guarded life. He has lived a life of fear and anxiety with bosses who underestimate, belittle and laugh at him and think he's soft and rather pointless. Does anyone know what the question was Neil answers?

Yeah, Aziraphale changes a lot in S1 (esp first 2 eps, he's kind of forced to think about the stuff that was always kinda there but swept under a rug a bit in is mind). Crowley throws out - we should do something. This whole Armageddon thing, I don't like it. He is so much a questioner of everything, isn't he. Why does it have to be tis way. Makes no sense, what if... And generally, he doesn't have much to lose. If Hell wins, well, he knows what it's like. If Heaven wins, well, it'd be marginally better? Just about? If he survives to see it? Still sucks balls tho. So yes, David is right that Crowley NEEDS Aziraphale to see things his way and quickly. Cos EARTH.

Aziraphale knows the Earth came with a manual and an expiry date. He even told this to Angel!Crowley aeons ago.

So Aziraphale's journey (is not stopping believing Heaven is good and truth and light) is believing that he has choices. That the Plan might be Ineffable but it doesn't have to follow what he was told it must follow.

Crowley says, look, let's try, what do we have to lose. You like Earth as much as I do. And he gets Aziraphale to agree, they hatch a plan.

We watch Crowley come to love and trust Aziraphale through the ages after all he has been through. We watch Aziraphale to guard their little existence and carefully push at boundaries of what he thinks he can get away with. He wonders at what things are really like. What do they mean.

Their journey, is towards each other.

I don't know how they will smash the System before they fall into a tight embrace and never let go, but I know they will. Even if they have no idea yet that that is even possible. How could they.

And if I see one more post about how Aziraphale was backsliding and choosing his ‘faith’ over Crowley in the Final 15, I will set the internet on fire.

I can never decide if Heaven and Hell are more like mafia or like a dictatorship. Maybe a mix of both. Just cos they couldn't be killed, they were left alone for a bit. Didn't last long though, did it. They needed to be separated so they don't stop another go at destroying the little Universe project God started. I guess the Archangels are quite fed up with it.

Remember. Aziraphale and Crowley have nowhere to go. They never had. The best they could do was keep their little places on Earth. For themselves. For each other. Until they couldn't.

If you thought Aziraphale won't take the chance to have a tiny glimmer of an opportunity to destroy the fucking system in whatever way he can come up with (instead of what, being downmoted, having his memory erased too?), than you don't get him at all. Did he want to stay? You heard him say it. Was he allowed to? (No, really Metatron, nice chat but do fuck off for real now, I have a date with my demon). If you think Metatron wouldn't be back with a punishment for helping Gabriel than I don't know what to tell you.

Remember this?

And then they threatened the demon he loves.

ALSO Why do people keep bringing this back to justify their vague (or not so vague) dislike of Az (but but Neil said "I think Aziraphale needs to learn") cos they think Az betrayed Crowley by leaving or something. The angel is just so stubborn. And he just won't listen to Crowley... right? /s And they ignore all the other wonderful things Neil says about Aziraphale. Especially pointing out again and again and again how smart Aziraphale is. And you can see this. In canon. On screen. In the words and scenes of what Neil wrote. You can see Aziraphale's struggles - he is a part of something he disagrees with and has no way out (Hell is not a way out btw) and tries to live in his existence in the little bubble with Crowley while being extremely careful not to have it burst. Until it inevitably does. Just as he always knew it would. But okay, if you want to have Good Omens be about a demon who figured everything out and is now waiting for his fluffy little angel to catch up and apologise to him (a million times) for being stupid so they can finally ride into the sunset, have at it. TL;DR - Heaven is good and Heaven should/could be good are two different things - Aziraphale is not an idiot; whether he still believes God is good/neutral/whatever and just the management bad or not is up in the air, we can't know unless we ask him, but it's definitely not so simple as he needs to see it's bad, like Crowley did, end of story - The Ineffables HAVE NOWHERE TO GO. There isn't a secret third option where they can leave for and be happy if only Aziraphale opened his eyes - it's what the story is about - Crowley left Heaven for an even worse place. It would make zero sense for Aziraphale to follow his journey. Crowley is not free and doesn't have all the answers - I bet it has never occurred to either of them the whole System can be ever changed (we don't even know if it can be. The System is bigger than the UNIVERSE) - But I think that's what they'll do in S3

[genericpuff]

The Mishandling of LO’s S3 Mi(n)season Hiatus - Part 3 2/2

ALRIGHT. THIS IS THE LAST PART. I MEAN IT THIS TIME.

I had completely forgotten how long the mi(n)season finale for S3 was, but I suppose it makes sense considering it was operating as the true cliffhanger before the 4 month break.

If you haven't read the first 3 parts of this episodic breakdown, please go check these ones out first:

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3 1/2

Alright, let's get this show on the road!

CAUTION: THIS IS PART 2 OF THE THIRD PART OF A 3 + 1 PART SERIES IN WHICH I WILL BE SPOILING MUCH OF EPISODES 251-253. THIS EPISODE CONTAINS TOPICS SURROUNDING SEXUAL ASSAULT. THIS WILL BE A LONG POST. BRACE YOURSELF.

We've gotten delusional Leuce. We've gotten erasure of the SA. We've gotten a complete bastardization of the original myths that this story got its claim to fame on. The dread has set in, and all I want to do is get off Mr Bones' Wild Ride. But we have one more stretch of mind-numbing track to go, because the reveal of Persephone starting winter was not the end, oh no. The true cliffhanger of this episode - upon which the fans and critics alike have sat on for 4 months - proves that when we think Rachel has gotten crazy enough in this circus she calls a "retelling", she manages to prove that yes, she can make things even crazier, and no, you will not have a good time.

Ironically, despite that opening, I actually have a lot less to say about this last part of Episode 253 than I did about the first part. Obviously there's no feasible way to top "Persephone causes winter", but this episode does come rather close in its absurdity. Ultimately, if these essays have proven anything, it's just how much Rachel retcons things, to such an extent now that she seems to be retconning or outright forgetting information that she established just a handful of episodes prior. You'll see what I mean here as we go along in this.

As soon as it's hinted at that Persephone has started winter, we cut away to Apollo. Because, as per LO tradition, we can't spend longer than 10-15 panels on a single scene.

Already this seems like... really odd framing.

This is Apollo. A character who has been a villain since basically the beginning of the comic, when he sexually assaulted Persephone. This is not something that's up for debate. This is not something that can be refuted, as much as the comic may try to erase it or twist it into something else.

And yet, the vibe I get from this is, "Misled but good-deep-down character being taken advantage of by a sinister being." This isn't the type of framing we should be seeing around a character like Apollo.

I mentioned it ages ago in my post about the SA erasure that it really feels like Rachel is slyly trying to make Apollo empathetic, from giving us an entire episode in his perspective to adding extra panels into the books to making Persephone weirdly reminiscent of feelings for Apollo that she never had.

One thing I also touch on in that post is how Apollo is framed against Zeus. Zeus is also a villain character for much of the series, and even after he's "redeemed", the fanbase still considers him largely to be an antagonistic force. So to have Apollo be trying to take down Zeus comes across as very "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" and I really don't like seeing that framing when it's regarding a rapist.

And this scene largely feels the same. It feels like Rachel's trying to sway the audience into believing Apollo is like Draco Malfoy - a misled boy who "didn't know any better" and was being manipulated by a greater evil. If you haven't guessed by now, that "greater evil" is Ouranos.

Why is it Ouranos? In my opinion (so take this with grains of salt) this is because they need to somehow "one up" Kronos and give Persephone and Hades a tangible force to fight against, to draw a clean line in the sand between "good" and "evil" so that we, the audience, will be forced to categorize Persephone and Hades as "good" and someone else as "evil".

But really, why Ouranos? We're told that he manipulated Gaia to use her powers in an attempt to create "hierarchy" (whatever the FUCK that means, I don't think Rachel really understands how societal hierarchies are created) but there's NOTHING to imply that he was tyrannical or "evil" in the same way that Kronos has been depicted. Rachel's basically submitting this whole plotline to "well it's in the prophecy" but there was NOTHING dictating that she had to try and write a "prophecy" storyline to begin with. So as a result, it feels very tacked on and it's hard to tell what the point is, it really just seems like Rachel watched too much Marvel one week and decided that Lore Olympus - a fantasy romance - needed a big bad.

And by extension it feels like Apollo is being used as a pawn in this dynamic. By making him subservient to an "evil" force, it means he can labelled as definitively "evil", and thus it gives Rachel a vehicle to have Apollo taken down - or even perhaps empathized with much like in the Draco Malfoy sense - without having to touch the SA plot that she set up and never resolved.

He was evil before, but he wasn't the kind of evil that Rachel could write around. Because she doesn't know how to write SA or give her female characters any sense of retribution or agency. We've seen that already with her robbing Demeter of winter and Persephone of her feelings regarding the SA. There was never going to be a chance in hell she was going to be able to write herself out of a plotline she's been procrastinating for 4+ years.

That said, this is just a vibe I get, so I'm not gonna speak on it much more. This is one of those "we're really not gonna know until the comic returns" situations.

Once again, Rachel's trying to make Apollo seem like a "master manipulator", but she's also trying to make him seem like he's the one being manipulated, but she's ALSO trying to write him as a big dumb idiot who literally can't grasp consent. Apollo has to be one of the most inconsistently written characters in the entire comic, and yes, that includes Persephone. Again, it just goes to show she hasn't been able to fully commit to the SA plotline because Apollo's motivations and intelligence levels change with each passing episode. Sometimes he's being nefarious and plotting to overthrow the King, other times he's literally asking a nymph if she'd be willing to cut her hair to look like Persephone. The comic can't choose and so we, the audience, can't tell why Apollo is even still here.

Again, this is SUCH bizarre framing. If we're to believe that Persephone has been "cursed" by no longer being able to create Spring, only Winter, then does that make Ouranos and Apollo the heroes here? Because Ouranos is right, if Persephone is causing winter, that's going to kill the mortals, which is the complete OPPOSITE of what she's trying to do. So what are we left with? A plotline where Apollo and Ouranos might actually have a point about how she rushed into a marriage with the King of the Underworld and sacrificed everything that gave her agency and power - both metaphorically and literally - in the process?

Again, this is why Rachel fundamentally misunderstands the original purpose of The Hymn to Demeter and how she's, by and large, made her retelling worse in an attempt to be "subversive". It puts the plot and character motivations in a place where it's hard to tell what the story is trying to say, I can understand if maybe Rachel's trying to write a conflict where Apollo uses this information to manipulate her, but it doesn't help that knowing EVERYTHING we know about the H x P relationship within the context of this comic, Ouranos has a point that Persephone's union with the King of the Dead is problematic. It might not be the same "problematic" that we're all thinking of, but it really just reinforces the criticisms of this relationship. Is the comic really asking us to say "fuck the human race, they're in love" ??? Because that's NOT what the point of the original myth was in the slightest and it's just a really weird place to put your audience in.

It's 4:45 AM right now as I'm typing this so my thoughts are a little scattered, but all this really feels like is an attempt on Rachel's part to create a new "big bad" for her to use as a distraction from the SA plot and to give Persephone a "flaw", but that "flaw" really only takes away the strength of another character.

Oh, and by the way? This whole "you need the fertility goddess" thing? THE COMIC HAS ALREADY TOLD US THIS WON'T WORK BECAUSE SHE HAS TO BE IN LOVE WITH APOLLO FOR HIM TO BE ABLE TO USE HER POWERS. SO RACHEL'S ALREADY WRITTEN HERSELF INTO A CORNER THAT SHE'LL EITHER HAVE TO SOLVE OR RETCON ENTIRELY. DO YOU SEE WHY THIS IS SO ABSURD???

This line is kind of jarring because we had the Kassandra prophecy at the beginning that talked about the herb, but the prophecy Ouranos is talking about is the one about the sons of kings overthrowing their fathers. I definitely forgot about that one for a hot second reading this, I didn't get how this sequence related to the poisonous plant thing because they're framed as completely separate prophecies. It's not like Kassandra said in her initial prophecy that this plant would be used to overthrow a King again, she just said that the plant still existed and Psyche figured it out on her own that Apollo was gonna use it on Zeus. IDK that's just something that bugged me (also again, why are they believing her prophecies when we literally just had it established an episode ago that no one believes her prophecies LMAO)

Because if it wasn't enough for LO to have one Evil Robot Jeff Bridges villain, it had to throw in another one for good measure. It's just a line of dads and grandpas going back centuries waiting for their turn in the ring with Persephone.

lmao I love this 'hint' at Apollo being the one to write the note from Hebe and leave the cupcake for Zeus. Like... duh? We already put that together as SOON as Psyche said gasp "Zeus!" and then it showed Zeus eating the cupcake while Psyche called him on the phone telling him Apollo was gonna try and harm him. This sequence of 'revealing what really happened' doesn't work here because we've already been told what happened.

Except we know he won't. There's no tension to this whatsoever.

That's Hebe by the way.

It's odd that Apollo is embracing this prophecy when he has a kid himself. He literally has a fully grown son in this comic. I guess Apollo forgot about that, just like Rachel.

And that's it. That's the midseason finale. Ouranos is the new twist villain and Apollo is... whatever the fuck Rachel plans on doing with him.

Now, this leads me to my original motivation to create this series of reviews. It spawned from a conversation we were having in the Discord, discussing what it must be like to be a free reader who hasn't paid for the FP episodes that are still behind a paywall. This is not standard for LO, it hasn't kept FP episodes behind paywalls in the past during long hiatuses like this. I can even prove this with screenshots from the Wayback Machine, during the last midseason hiatus:

(whoof, that rating has dropped. I know it doesn't seem like much but for a series with millions of readers, by law of averages it takes a LOT of poor ratings to pull that number down compared to a series that only has a few readers)

Point is, this is the first time Rachel/WT have done this. Now, I will make this perfectly clear, I don't think this was a decision that was purely on Rachel. WT controls much of the backend like paywall costs, release dates, etc. so I'm not gonna go pinning this on her.

However, I do think this is a completely bungled attempt at trying to get people to pay up. LO has been dropping in views steadily but surely since the midseason break for S2. It's not pulling in the peak numbers that it used to, while it does still pull in a lot more views and money than other series on the platform, it's nowhere near the juggernaut that it once was in terms of record-breaking numbers, and I think WT knows that. So this really comes across as a stunt to get readers to FP, assuming that people will HAVE to pay if they're left waiting for 4 months.

But here's the flaw in that logic - people are still going to have to wait 4 months anyways. Reading those 3 locked episodes, especially all at once, will still leave you in the same place as you were beforehand.

And it shows in the numbers that people aren't falling for the bait.

Again, 17k likes still isn't anything to sneeze at for a FP episode, but it's still just barely above the new average that LO has gained over the past two years. I remember a time when those like counts would be 30k+. And now, despite being on break 4 months with these episodes still locked behind a wall, it's barely able to scrap by its new average of roughly 14-15k, and that average is when episodes are actually updating.

Obviously like counts = / = viewcounts but when they fluctuate, we know that the views have to be as well by extension, at least to some extent, and that's still engagement that's dropped of in and of itself. And we can also see a rough look at how the views have dropped off through the comic's landing page. Now, it's hard to compare data because there was a time when WT actually didn't give follower/view counts on the landing page (this was also when the like count capped at 99k) but we can still see a downslide in growth very visibly in the view count, sub count, and most of all, the rating, which has been steadily dropping for years now.

August 2020:

May 2021:

November 2021:

March 2022 (don't get confused by the 995 million, this is where view count comes in):

September 2022:

March 2023:

Today (October 24th, 2023):

Again, there's no way to get a true clear picture of LO's stats beyond this surface level data, but it does show that LO is just not getting the rapid growth it used to. People are moving on from it. And while its view and sub count are steadily increasing (albeit slowly for a webtoon that gets as much marketing as it does) the average rating is going down. It's clear that the majority of LO's growth happened between 2018 and 2020, which would make sense as the series was still relatively new compared to how it's become old news today, and Webtoons experienced a boom in 2020 due to the COVID-19 lockdowns - a boom that they think still applies in the year 2023, judging by their attempts to import as many series onto the platform as possible and capitalize on an audience that just isn't there anymore.

All of this leads me to wonder - what's in it for free readers after all this? Because if you recall from where we started, the cliffhanger they started on was Hades - possessed by Kronos - attempting to strangle Persephone, a cliffhanger that was resolved within seconds for FastPass readers. If they don't FastPass after that, they'll be met with numerous reveals that don't even make sense for the plot as a whole (such as Leuce making up the text messages).

Again, I don't want to claim that this was a decision on Rachel's part, but it really seems like either she didn't plan this hiatus, or her inability to write naturally without the need for addictive-style formatting as a crutch made it so that the free readers would be given the worst midseason premiere ever.

And what are we, the FastPass readers, going to return to? There are still so many plot threads that have been left unresolved, multiple villains being setup, and as far as Webtoons and Rachel have revealed during NYCC, LO is supposed to end by the spring. That's 20-30 weeks TOPS, which isn't exactly a whole lot of wiggle room for a writer like Rachel who's chronically bad at pacing and getting to the point of the plots she's established.

I know there are so many readers right now anticipating the return of this comic, some of whom genuinely believe this comic is "better than ever" and others who are critical of it but hope that the comic will come back in a better state after the hiatus. But right now there's so much evidence to support the contrary - that LO is about to come back in as bad, if not worse, condition than it was in when it left.

And through all this, for a comic that's finally ending after 5 years, I have to ask - where is the hype? Why are Webtoons and Rachel keeping the finale of this comic behind closed doors? Where's the promotional art, the hinting at what's to come, the attempts to generate any semblance of excitement for the readers who are still left after clinging onto this ride for 5 years? Why were the fans themselves barred out of their own communities during the majority of the hiatus?

And that just leads me to an even more discouraging thought. This is not meant to accuse Rachel or make assumptions. It's simply a thought that I had while thinking about what the series could possibly pull upon its return, so please, take this with MOUNTAINS of salt. It's one thing I hadn't considered with the knowledge that LO will be returning with 3 episodes still behind a paywall, a 'buffer' in and of itself for Rachel to work off of.

Rachel only technically needs one episode ready for the release. Not three as she normally would if the episodes had been unlocked like in previous hiatuses. That's not including whatever buffer episodes she would need beyond the upload schedule, but she's proven to be chronically bad at maintaining a buffer as well since day one.

We haven't seen any promotional art. No hinting. No hyping beyond what's been seen for her "Rachel Smythe Presents" series.

With all that in mind, I have one question to leave this on:

Has Rachel even started working on Episode 254 yet?

[neoclassic-sonic]

Fang the Hunter Miniseries Thoughts

I really like these panels from Fang the Hunter #1, it's a neat callback to their appearances related to Fighters Megamix.

Referencing Bean, a 15 year old duck who's into sports (particularly soccer! which in itself is a reference to his cameo in Virtua Striker 2) and Bark who has had a history of cooling problems as shown in his Fighters Megamix comic

In general I really like how the Fang the Hunter mini-series works as a soft-reboot for the Hooligans (or a return to form). Seeing as the Hooligans as a unit was an Archie-original thing, I /did/ felt kinda off seeing them as a unit in Mania and subsequently Seasons of Chaos. While Bean was written moreso morally gray with a penchant for chaos and Bark was written as ''hanging with a bad crowd'', (imo) it didn't really honor (admittedly what little) they had with their original StF appearances and Fighters Megamix profiles as non-villains.

Don't get me wrong I loved the hooligans, Fang and his mooks worked really well cohesively as a design and as a unit. I just really welcome their return to form, especially in preparation for Fang's Big Break and Sonic Superstars where Fang is back more than ever as a villain for Classic Sonic.

And I felt that the energies and dynamics they established in Fang the Hunter adds more depth to them as characters. Re-establishing the unique bond Bark and Bean have with each other.

There's always been this underlying question of ''why does Bark hangout with the Hooligans when he's not really inclined for misdeeds?'' and it's nice to know the answer is ''to keep Bean in check.'' Bark is there for a reason. (btw I don't mean to imply Bark only sticks around for Bean, he also loves to fight and use his fists as shown in Seasons of Chaos when he squares off against Knuckles and Mighty (Which I think is nice, out of everyone from StF, I like that the fighting aspect is carried through with Bark.) and when he was about to use his fist on Eggman's doors.)

''What about Bean then?'' also answered in the same panel, ''because it's been fun!'' which is authentic to this chaotic streak they've got for Bean which I love! But their involvement with Fang is called into question when... it's not fun anymore. As Bean said ''you need us more for backup than we do you for inspiration.''

Bean says he likes the wacky jobs, which come to him via Fang who is a merc for hire, but he calls in to complaint the fact Fang keeps getting jobs from Eggman. Ergo his (and Bark's) companionship to Fang is dependent on whether Fang can keep Bean entertained.

(I know this is a gag panel but I want to bring attention to Bark's expressions here, we've consistently seen since Seasons of Chaos and Amy's 30th Anni, Bark holds Amy's opinion of him in high regard, and is visibly ashamed when he has to do her wrong. Fang also regrets it but that's more of having to deal with Amy's hammer I think.)

It leads into this interesting balance they have this tension and are knowingly... well I don't want to say ''fake'' but they have their reservations about each other. Bean outright calls out that Fang is ''pretending to like them'' and there is sarcasm dripping from ''So Happy you're sticking with me''. This relationship is business!

I don't mean to say Fang doesn't care about Bean and Bark, while they're under his leadership he sees them as ''his'', teammates he's responsible for.

It's a consistent trait he's had since Amy's 30th.

And I do want to point out that Bean and Bark /do/ like Fang as well, it's just the history of being let down over and over again that's burnt them out from partnering with him.

These panels also shed some insight on how Fang values his relationships. He's a ''you scratch my back I'll scratch yours'' kinda guy. He HATES being crossed and is willing to turn his back on something that will bite him in the ass and he's shown this off before.

He doesn't have loyalty with Eggman necessarily, it's moreso a loyalty to himself, his bike, money and people he's contracted with (Bean and Bark, Eggman). He's loyal to you as long as you don't stab him in the back. The slightest hint that you're a burden to him? He'll cut you off. Which I think really works for him as a selfish mercenary character.

This selfishness is what ultimately rubs Bean and Bark the wrong way.

Bean cares about Bark and Bark cares about Bean, Bean is especially disappointed when Fang implies leaving without Bark.

After seeing that their search amounted to nothing? Especially after almost getting KILLED? Bean cuts thins off with Fang and takes Bark with him.

And as for Fang?

After losing Bean and Bark, things lead to Fang's Big Break and he appreciates not having to share his rewards anymore.

Overall I felt this was a very natural way of explaining why Bean and Bark are no longer with him and also allowing Fang to be more villainous in Superstars. Especially his treatment/apathy towards Trip the Sungazer.

[mformarsala]

ok long-ish post with my thoughts on how tbb might end

Kinda of a fixed point we have is that Hemlock's research should be successful to a certain degree and lay foundation for cloning Palpatine.

My understanding is that Omega's blood function as a medium, substrate that allows to clone force sensitives while maintaining M-count. So you need Omega's blood and someone force sensitive.

Therefore, either Omega stays at the Tantiss (and tbb all die) or she stays just long enough for them to get enough blood (and than gets rescued by tbb)

While tbb casually kills a lot of characters it does not feel in the tone of the series to go the first glum route (and it does not really fit into overall plot).

I think there will be another time skip where they get enough data of Omega before she is rescued and it will serve to explain why after s3 the empire is no longer after Omega or tbb.

Plus partial success would explain why remnants of the empire are after Grogu in the Mandalorian. Say tbb rescues the force sensitive children and Omega, than the empire has enough of Omega's blood but needs more force sensitive children for experiments. And Hemlock is demoted because of the fiasco and it creates the delay till the Mandalorian in the program.

In s1e2 Cut says "You wanna know how to dissapear? Put being a soldier behind you and make a new life for yourself." so it seems likely to me that the ending of tbb is going to be akin the ending of the Mandalorian and they'll settle as farmers somewhere out of the way.

Maybe with the force sensitive kids, maybe they'll offload them onto someone "who can train them".

Emerie is probably going to defect and stay with the kids.

I hope clones imprisoned on Tantiss will be rescued by tbb. Omega keeps bringing it up for a reason, right?

Comandos... Tbb does not seem to be too focused on forcefully removing chips/programming so they'll probably be reassigned to other projects (in assumption that Tantiss closes at the end of tbb) or disposed off screen.

As I'm writing this I'm realizing that i see tbb ending either with a small farm just for tbb and Omega or a big farm for tbb and all the kids accumulated on the way. My money on the small farm though.

There is a possibility I suppose that Omega IS force sensitive and she goes with the other fs kids and tbb goes to live somewhere else.. But like the only thing that suggests that ending is that one line from Ventress. And I think the whole obsession with Omega's blood works differently. It's not confirmed high M-count, it's confirmed high M-count replication.

With how little Echo was in this season it does seem likely that the rumors are true and there will be another animated series. The story of Emerie, comandos, and freed clones might continue there.

Big question of course is the identity of CX-2.

Narratively I think the only option that makes sense is Tech. Plus observations I have seen online regarding speech patterns and fighting moves do seem convincing. However, I do have some reservations here. CX-2 is almost.. too good to be Tech? Absolutely no shade to Tech but he was always part of a team and not a sole operative and focused on technical aspects and his weapon of choice were pistols rather than a rifle. Idk if time skip was enough to retrain him.

CX-2's distorted voice is different from CX's distorted voice. On one hand Tech's voice is different from reg's so it's a point for team Tech. On the other CX's voice sounds nothing like clone's and it was a bit of a reveal in s2 that the operative was a clone so maybe it's neither here nor there.

The second obvious option that comes to mind is Cody. Rampart knows about CX program; a clone that expresses doubts regarding empire is send to a secret reconditioning program and if anyone asks "he went AWOL". I mean it sounds plausible. Plus Cody is usually depicted wielding DC-15 either carbine or rifle so it's perhaps an easier switch to the CX's rifle. Though this season noone is mentioning Cody so it does seem far fetched. Unless face reveal is like the final frame of s3 and is used to pivot into the new series.

[themattress]

A lookback at “Enter the Florpus”

It still kind of amazes me that this movie pulled off the dual accomplishments of providing pay-off to a set-up from 18 years earlier (see also: Hey Arnold!: The Jungle Movie, which did the same for a 15 year old set-up) and providing genuine depth and meaning to both itself and the series it’s a finale to in spite of the absurdist “Lol, random!” seeming surface level.

In “The Nightmare Begins”, we see the Almighty Tallest have their eyes set on expanding the Irken Empire, but don’t want Zim to take part of it because they hate him, which leads them to send him on what they believe to be a fool’s errand to the farthest edges of the universe. But of course, Zim ended up persevering and continuing to annoy the Tallest with his belief that he’s a legitimate Invader in Operation Impending Doom II. “Enter the Florpus” gives us the ultimate breaking point, where the Tallest actually end up destroying their entire operation and empire because they are consumed by their hatred of Zim and desire to flat-out kill him.

In “The Nightmare Begins”, the fool’s errand Zim is sent on is to conquer a planet the Almighty Tallest don’t even believe to exist...which, of course, it does: it’s Earth. The following series is all about Zim’s trying and failing to conquer Earth for the Irken Empire’s sake, and in “Enter the Florpus” Zim finally realizes the futility of his efforts when he learns the Tallest have no interest in coming to Earth (although he believes it to be the direct result of all his failures rather than it being the way the Tallest have always felt) and sinks into a depression. 

In “The Nightmare Begins”, Zim is firmly established as an incompetent buffoon who will inevitably screw up his plans for conquering Earth. But after shaking off his depression in “Enter the Florpus”, Zim actually becomes so laser-focused on the goal he now sees finally within his reach that he becomes a successful threat. Of course, even at his most competent Zim is still a screw-up, as carrying out his plan ends up creating a Florpus that threatens to destroy Earth, which would leave the Tallest with no planet to conquer even if they wanted to.

In “The Nightmare Begins”, there is a climactic chase, with Dib in pursuit of Zim. Here, your sympathies are with Zim, who has just gotten to Earth and is at a disadvantage, not to mention Dib is motivated purely by his ego. The climax of “Enter the Florpus” also features Dib chasing Zim, but now the sympathies are reversed: Dib, fresh off seemingly losing his father, is motivated by the genuine desire to save Earth, while Zim holds the advantage.

In “The Nightmare Begins”, Gaz is established through swearing her older brother Dib will pay for drinking the last soda, showing that she has a fairly contentious relationship with him. In “Enter the Florpus”, Gaz ends up being the one to encourage Dib when he’s at his lowest point, expressing that no matter how much he annoys her and how often they clash, he’s still her brother whom she cares for (much needed after Season 2 flanderized her so badly).

In “The Nightmare Begins”, Professor Membrane is established by not listening to what Dib has to say since he’s busy with something, flat-out dismissing him when he tries. He keeps this up throughout the series, naturally giving Dib the impression that his father isn’t proud of his weirdo son and that exposing Zim will rectify that. In “Enter the Florpus”, in a dramatic moment Professor Membrane reveals that Dib doesn’t have to prove anything because he’s always proud of him - he genuinely never considered that his dismissiveness when busy would give Dib the impression it did because he took it as a given that his children knew he loved them and was proud of them. Now that he realizes his mistake, he showcases his development by spending the rest of the movie more attentive and openly caring toward Dib.

Speaking of Professor Membrane’s development, I feel this moment in the climax deserves more attention. Professor Membrane spends the movie thinking the whole fantastical scenario he’s in is just a dream, since everything going on is so unscientific and he can’t grasp that it could possibly be real. However, when it comes time to save Earth through a literal Yes or No selection, we see him hesitate and almost press No before then pressing Yes. So much said here without any dialogue: Professor Membrane realizes that if he presses Yes, then he’s lending this whole crisis legitimacy...he’s practically admitting that it’s not a dream and is really happening. Pressing No to not save Earth since, hey, it’s all a dream anyway...that’s more in line with what he wishes to believe. However, he still presses Yes. Why? Because even if it is a dream, he couldn’t bring himself to let his children perish. If it’s a dream and he has total control, then there’s no excuse for him to condemn even dream versions of his children to their doom along with the rest of the planet. When it mattered most, the man’s love for his kids overcame his rational scientific mind. And that’s just beautiful.

I also want to mention how wonderfully the movie solidified Dib and Zim as foils of one another. Both of them are the same but different. They are the same in that their egomania and desire to protect or conquer Earth conceals a fragile core: deep down they are insecure losers who just want to receive validation from someone they look up to - for Dib, his father, and for Zim, the Almighty Tallest. It’s what leads to Dib empathizing with Zim, and trying to help him even though it backfires horribly. But they are different in that not only does Dib start to evolve past his delusions while Zim only sinks further into them, but also their efforts are proven futile for entirely opposite reasons. Dib can never make his father proud of him because his father loves him and is already proud of him...he doesn’t need to accomplish any grand feat to prove himself to him. Zim, on the other hand, can never make the Tallest proud of him because the Tallest hate him and anything he does, even successfully, will only piss them off more as they just want to be rid of him. It really is two sides of a single coin.

Finally, the ending of the movie - and series - is just perfect, with the “lol, random!” veneer concluding the main characters in a random religious allegory. The Membrane family are left off in a state of Heaven: they love each other and are happily seated at the table for dinner. They even have a new member in Clembrane, whose existence confirms the prior ordeal to have not been a dream but Professor Membrane hilariously sticks to that story anyway because he’ll be damned if he ever admits something so unscientific out loud. The Almighty Tallest are left off in a state of Hell, literally trapped in a fiery inferno within the Florpus (and for added karma, they’re puppets now). And Zim, with GIR and Minimoose still at his side, is left off in a state of Purgatory. Never the model of sanity to begin with, Zim’s biggest and most competently executed plan failing and dooming the Irken Empire in the process has caused him to fully retreat from reality - he now claims stealing a clown doll from Dib’s house was the plan all along, makes outrageous false statements like “Zim always wins!”, and takes the Tallest’s screaming as they dance in the Florpus’ flames as a “yes” when asking if they are pleased with him as an Invader. He’s never going to stop making screwball plans to conquer Earth for the Irken Empire even when there is no more Irken Empire. The good news is that Dib will doubtlessly be all too willing to humor him, so it is kind of a happy ending for him too.

Invader ZIM: Enter the Florpus - it truly is one of the smartest dumbest movies ever.

[autism0fadown]

Spoilers for season 2 ep 49 - Halo Reach //////below the cut///////

(In case anyone is worried, none of this is negative)

Im sorry but i genuinely could not take this ep seriously-

I went into this ep nervous af bc i thought it was gonna be angsty n shit and i thought Normal would just break down COMPLETELY because he JUST learned that he was the reason why they had to enact code purple, and now he let Willy into heaven, leading him RIGHT where he needed to be. BUT NO-

YOU WANNA KNOW WHAT THE EP WAS LIKE???

Link names a heaven dolphin Grillmaster

We find out that one of the dolphins named Chester has a wife named Julia who has a friend with benefits named Porpy

Anthony asks if Link or Normal have Speak With Animals amd Matthew says “I mean, i have speak with these animals… they’re my boys”

The cast goes on a two minute spiel on whether or not Henry floated into space

Beth makes a joke about Mercedes Oak Garcia dying bc she drank charged lemonade (the Panera lemonade that “allegedly” killed 2 ppl bc it has so much caffeine)

Taylor breaks Lark’s ankle because he tried to do a fucking flip when trying to grab onto Lark

We get this amazing interaction with Anthony and Beth:

“I roll 15 d6, ok… 44 damage”

“ok cool, so what does that do to you?”

“It damage me 44…”

The last thing they hear from Taylor is “Did you guys see my flip!?” As he gets taken to heaven by a giant eyeball

Link goes to catch Taylor from falling because he wants to “catch him like a sweet prince” then he turns and walks away as Lark plummets to the floor (im not that much of a swiftli shipper, but u guys stay winning)

We learn that Normal was the one who was commenting “you should put more feet” and “you should put feet in ice cream” on Links foot/soccer drawings

Link, Normal, and Lark spend like 4 minutes trying to make a human-levitation boot ladder to reach scary but it ends up failing

Scary disguises herself as a kid from her school and convinces Willy, who is LITERALLY GOD, that she is in fact a boy named Larry the Science Kid who is on his side

And thats just what i REMEMBER (or bothered to go back and listen to). And i remember hearing people talk about how unserious this season is or how it feels like this season is completely unhinged, and i didn’t get it. But i recently started re-listening to the first season while i was waiting for this episode to come out, and when it finally did i felt like i was completely thrown for a loop. This season is so insane compared to season one, and i don’t mean this as a bad thing, but the series has changed so much.

And I now am beginning to see the absolute absurd shit that happens in this season and how put together s1 was. But i honestly think its funny how weird this season was and its nice just seeing the group get to do fun goofy shit as teens

[happilyhertale]

Long Last Love - Aemond Targaryen x female!reader, Part 6

Summary: You are finally engaged to Aemond Targaryen. As the daughter of Daemon and Rhaenyra, you will now live in King's Landing and no longer on Dragonstone. Your marriage to Aemond is imminent, as is your life together. The relationship between Aemond and your family has never been particularly easy, but the future will show whether your love will withstand this and subsequent tensions.

Pairing: Aemond Targaryen x fem!reader

Warnings: In some parts Smut (uncle/niece) as well as violence

Author’s note: Hey you (:

This is the follow-up story to "Long Lost Love".

The story starts just before the wedding of Aemond and y/n and goes over the events of the first season hotd. However, the events are not quite similar to those in the series. English is my second language, please forgive me if I made any mistakes (: Word count: 3.3k

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13, Part 14, Part 15

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

You enjoy Aemond letting his fingers wander over your tired legs. But after a while a servant appears at your door and informs you that your presence is now desired in the small hall. You sigh and Aemond helps you up from the sofa.

"You know we can stay in our chambers".

You shake your head, "No. I see my family so rarely. At least one dinner I want to enjoy with them."

Aemond nods at you as he puts his arm around your waist.

"And that means you have to behave," you grin at him.

"I think I've done quite well so far," he winks almost unobtrusively as he leads you out of your chambers. Slowly Aemond walks with you into the small hall. You walk more slowly than usual and Aemond does his best to adapt to your pace. You also find it difficult to breathe in a relaxed manner, which manifests itself in a few heavy breaths. At some point Aemond looks at you with a grin, "If you want me to carry you, you'll give me a sign, right?"

You look at him and don't dignify that with a response. Instead, he gets your elbow in his side again. "Ouch, one day my ribs will be all blue."

"Perhaps that should be a sign for you not to annoy me so much."

He chuckles lightly.

You arrive at the hall and thanks to your speed, the rest of your families are already gathered.

Aemond leads you to one end of the table where your family is standing. He greets your family and nods to them. He gently kisses the inside of your wrist before walking to the other end of the table and joining Aegon. Aegon, of course, is already busily emptying his wine cup. But you don't care about that today. Tonight you don't want to bother with Aegon, because you finally see your family again and have a chance to talk to them. Your mother hugs you warmly, as far as your belly will allow, and doesn't want to let you go. But your father gently pushes her aside and takes you into his arms. You could enjoy this for hours. Being safe in your father's arms. And today you feel like you need it. First the accusations by Vaemond, then the loss of his head and now a dinner with your family. And when the whole family is gathered, it rarely ends peacefully.

"If you don't want Aemond to be the father of your children, we can always deny it. We simply say that the baby's hair and eye colour is inherited from you."

You look up indignantly and hit your father when Jace adds, " I will also teach him sword fighting!"

Your gaze now wanders to him, "Him? Sorry, but perhaps it'll be a girl?"

He shrugs, "Well she has to know how to fight as well."

You laugh out, "And Aemond will teach her that, or him!"

"I'd still be there for that too," your father interjects again.

You give him an annoyed look as he puts his arm around you again and lightly kisses your head.

Your conversation is interrupted when your grandfather enters the hall. He walks weakened, the guard at his side but he smiles at you as he slowly passes you. His gaze looks more alert somehow. He still looks weakened, but it seems as if he really sees you now. He stops for a moment as he stands next to you, Y/n.... You are with child...?"

You nod happily, "Yes, your Grace."

He smiles and breathes heavily, "How long have you been with child?"

"Well according to the Maesters it won't be long now and we'll have another child running around here."

His smile widens, "And... And Aemond is the father?"

When his name comes up, Aemond interrupts his conversation with Aegon and looks over at you. Out of the corner of your eye you see his gaze fall on you.

"Of course Aemond is the father," you smile softly.

Your grandsire nods, "I'm missing too much..." he mutters. You gently stroke his arm and he places his free hand on yours.

"Well then, let's dine and drink and enjoy the evening" Slowly he continues on his way and walks towards his seat. You look at your father and see the worry on his face. When he notices you looking at him, he smiles at you, but his smile does not reach his eyes.

You walk over to Aemond and he holds out his hand to you. You accept it gratefully and he leads you to your seats at the end of the table. He helps you to sit down and sits next to you, to your left. To Amond's left sit his grandsire Otto as well as his mother Alicent. To your right sits Helaena and next to her follows Aegon. Across from you at the other end of the table sits Luke with Rhaena. To Luke's left sit Baela and Jace. Opposite them sit your parents. You don't think it's ideal that Luke is sitting right in Aemon's line of sight. But you are certainly not going to bring that up. You want to enjoy tonight and don't want to create unnecessary tension.

All eyes are on your grandsire, who sits between Alicent and Rhaenyra, until he speaks up, "How good it is.... to see you all tonight... together."

Alicent suggests a prayer before dinner. And so you pray briefly.

When Alicent mentions Vaemond, you briefly open your eyes. You can't quite believe that Alicent mentions Vaemon in her prayer. Vaemond has been wildly throwing accusations around, someone had to intervene, but Alicent is surely just trying to do the right thing. Your father catches your eye, staring angrily at the ceiling. You have to suppress a giggle as he shakes his head also. His eyes fall on you and he smiles at you.

Your grandsire speaks up again, "This is an occasion for celebration, it seems. My grandsons, Jace and Luke, will marry their cousins, Baela and Rhaena, further strenghtening the bond between our houses. A toast to the young Princes... and their betrothed."

Your father calls out almost pleasingly, "Hear, hear!"

You see Aegon lean over to Jace, and suspect no good as you notice how annoyed Jace puts down his cup of wine.

"Let us toast as well Prince Lucerys.... the future Lord of the Tides," your grandsire chimes in again.

This time it is your mother who answers with a "Hear, hear". Luke smiles sheepishly.

You notice Aemond staring over at Luke and you take his hand. He lets his gaze slide over to you, he smiles. "You wanted to behave," you whisper.

He grins and nods briefly.

Suddenly your grandsire rises and your eyes go to him. He breathes heavily and stands up.

As he stands, he takes the floor again, "It both gladdens my heart and fills me with sorrow to see these faces around the tables. The faces most dear to me in all the world... yet grown so distant from each other..."

Aemond takes your hand, which is lying on the table. As you look to him, his gaze goes directly in Luke's direction. You shake your head briefly, not wanting to be drawn into the squabbles between them tonight, and look at your grandsire.

"...in the years past. But tonight... I wish you to see me... as I am. Not just as a king... but your father. Your brother. Your husband... and your grandsire. Who may not, it seems... walk for much longer among you. Let us no longer hold ill feelings in our hearts. The crown cannot stand strong if the House of the Dragon remains devided. But set aside your grievances. If not for the sake of the crown... then for the sake of this old man who loves you all so dearly."

Aemond grips your hand tighter as your mother rises. You look at her, "I wish to raise my cup to Her Grace, the Queen."

Your eyes fall on Alicent, she pauses in her motion to help your grandsire sit down, and looks to your mother, "I love my father. But I must admit that no one has stood... more loyally by his side than his good wife. She has tended to him with... unfailing devotion, love, and honour. And for that, she has my gratitude... and my apology."

A brief silence follows as Alicent replies to her, "Your graciousness moves me deeply, Princess."

You see your father lean over and watch her closely.

"We are both mothers... and we love our children. We have more in common than we sometimes allow."

Your mother smiles briefly at her as Alicent stands up and raises her cup, "I raise my cup to you and to your house. You will make a fine queen."

As Alicent sits back down, you see your mother smile quietly down at her belly.

Light conversation begins to fill the room. You are eating a little when you notice Aegon getting up and walking over to Baela. You are quite annoyed with him today.

But you also notice that Aemond is somehow unrelaxed, you look at him worriedly, "Is everything alright?"

He looks at you and smiles, "Of course, my Love," he gently kisses your hand.

Like the others at the table you talk a little, as you do you keep putting your hand on your belly, the baby is still really restless. You exhale stressed and Aemond looks at you worriedly, "Is everything alright with you then?"

You try to smile, "Of course."

He leans forward and lets his lips slide gently onto yours for an almost passionate kiss.

Your gaze falls on Jace, Aemond's face still close to yours, when Jace suddenly slams his fists on the table and stands up. He raises his hand briefly and wants to make a speech. Your father looks quite amused, but you don't find it amusing at all.

When Aemond suddenly stands up too. You look at him, startled, but he and Jace simply stare into each other's eyes.

You grab Aemond's arm, "Aemond..." you whisper, but his gaze wanders back and forth between Jace and Aegon, who is just sitting down again. Jace playfully slams his fist against Aegon's shoulder, then takes a deep breath and raises his cup of wine, "To Prince Aegon and Prince Aemond. We have not seen each other since Aemond's and y/n wedding.... But I have fond memories of our shared youth..."

Aemond is still standing next to you, your hand remains on his arm and Aegon looks slightly bored.

"...And as men and because Aemond is now married to my beloved sister and they are expecting their first child, I hope we may yet be friends and allies. To you and your family's good health, dear uncles," Jace raises his cup and smiles at you. You look at him warningly. Again he playfully slams Aegon's shoulder and sits down. Aegon replies, "To you as well."

Aemond is still standing and you address him again, "Aemond. Please sit down..."

He looks at you for a moment and then sighs and sits down. He smiles briefly at you.

Helaena murmurs something beside you, but you are distracted because your grandsire speaks up again, "Well done my boy." You try to smile, but this whole situation seems awkward. And when suddenly Helaena stands up, you are a little speechless. What is going on here today. You begin to doubt that it will be a quiet, relaxed dinner.

"I would like to toast to Baela and Rhaena. They'll be married soon. It isn't so bad. Mostly he ignores you..."

Aegon must be uncomfortable too, he sighs loudly and rubs his hands together.

"...except sometimes when he's drunk."

Oh yes... that was the information you were waiting for. You would very much like to drink wine now.

Helaena laughs briefly and when you thought it was over, she turns to you, "Except Jace and Luke are as affectionate as Aemond! He is always very caring with y/n"

She smiles at you and Aegon rolls his eyes.

As she sits back down, you smile at her and squeeze her hand lightly.

You hear Otto talking to her and a "good" comes from his lips. Your grandsire asks for music and the musicians in the corner begin to play softly.

As Jace stands up again, you groan softly, expecting trouble. Aemond looks at you, but you just shake your head. When all of a sudden you see Jace come over to you and stop in front of Helaena. Jace asks Helaena to dance. That makes you a little happy. Helaena deserves to dance with a nice, funny man at a dinner party and not sit by Aegon's side all the time. You smile. That calms you down a bit.

But still, the evening is exhausting for you. The hall is filled with quiet conversation and laughter again, but you can hardly enjoy it. Your lower back aches like the seven hells. If your family were not here, you would already be sitting in your beloved bathtub. Aemond would certainly be sitting in the bath with you. Pressed close to you, he would whisper sweet nothings in your ear from behind, while you let your head fall back against his shoulder and he gently caresses your belly. But you're sitting here having dinner. You're happy that your family is here, but it's getting more uncomfortable by the second. On top of that, the baby kicks hard again. Aemond hears you gasp.

"May I please take you to our chambers? I will also make sure that a warm bath awaits us," he looks at you almost pleadingly.

You have to smile briefly because of your previous thoughts, but you want to stay, "No... I would like to stay. It's really nothing, he's just kicking".

He smiles at you, "Maybe she's just upset because the whole family is gathered.... After all, that's always a stress factor" You hit him lightly.

He takes your hand and kisses it gently. You stroke his cheek with your other hand, "You're lucky you're so sweet. Otherwise I'd hit you even harder".

He laughs up and kisses your lips this time.

The servants start carrying in various dishes, but your attention is drawn to your grandsire as he groans repeatedly. He slumps in his chair and seems to be in great pain. Alicent calls the guards over and asks them to take your grandsire to his chambers. You look worried and Aemond gently puts his hand on your thigh and strokes you gently.

When suddenly a suckling pig is brought in and placed right in front of you.

Barely audibly, you notice Luke starting to giggle, and as you look up, you see Luke's challenging gaze go in Aemond's direction. But before you can say anything to Luke, Aemond's fist hits the table. You flinch and Aemond stands up and raises his cup for another toast. The music stops and everyone looks at Aemond. Now you are really nervous and almost certain that it won't end well.

"Please Aemond... sit down again," you urge him, still startled. Alicent also looks at him, horrified.

Aemond looks briefly in your direction and smiles before looking back in Luke's direction, cup still raised, "Final Tribute."

Out of the corner of your eye you notice Jace turning to Aemond. His gaze briefly moves to Jace, "To the health of my nephews, Jace..."

"...and Luke. Each of them handsome, wise.... strong."

"Aemond!" you hiss. Now you are on the verge of your first outburst of anger, which is not unjustified.

"Come! Let us drain our cups to these two Strong Boys"

Aegon, of course, ready for a battle and immediately on Aemond's side, eagerly raises his cup and looks expectantly into the round. You would love to knock the cup out of his hand.

As you turn your attention back to Aemond, "Aemond enough!" you almost shout.

"I dare you to say that again," Jace suddenly interjects.

"Why? 'Twas only a compliment."

As Aemond suddenly walks around the table, you stand up too, a hand resting on your belly. The baby doesn't seem pleased either.

"Aemond, what are you doing?" you clutch at his arm. But he is so angry that he doesn't notice how hard you are breathing and claws at his arm.

"I was merely expressing how proud I am of my family, my Love. Mh... though it seems my nephews aren't quite as proud of theirs."

He pulls away from your arm as Jace suddenly approaches him menacingly. You stand next to Aemond, "Jace, please stop."

As Jace lunges at Aemond, you scream "No!" and reflexively push Aemond aside. Aemond did not expect a shove from you, he staggers a step to the side. Still, he grabs your arm and tries to pull you aside to prevent you from taking the hit, but Jace hits you hard on the shoulder. You lose your balance, stumble backwards and land on the floor. You groan loudly and hold your belly. Your mother cries out. Aemond sees you lying on the floor, breathing heavily and holding your belly. He can't help it, anger grips him.

He grabs Jace by the collar and aggressively pushes him across the room. He pushes him against the opposite wall and lifts him up by the collar so that Jace's feet leave the floor and dangle in the air. Alicent is the first at your side, she carefully helps you up, "Y/n are you all right??"

You nod and hold your belly. Your father is now at your side, closely followed by your mother, making sure you are okay.

In the distance you hear Aemond screaming, "I will kill you!!! Lay a hand on my wife!!! She is heavily with child!!!"

Jace just retorts, gasping, "I was going to hit you, you imbecile! I would never hurt her!!!"

Daemon strides away from you, over to Aemond and Jace. "Okay, there will be no more deaths here today", and he tries to pull Aemond away from Jace.

With great effort, he manages to pry Aemond off Jace as the guards hold Jace back.

You see Aemond trying to free himself from your father's arms when suddenly a sharp pain runs through your abdomen. It is stronger than anything you have ever felt. Your breath catches in your throat and you slump down. Alicent and Rhaenyra are quickly at your side, holding you. But then the pain is followed by a snap in your lower abdomen. Suddenly you feel that your legs are wet and you are standing in a puddle, and you are sure that you have not peed yourself.

"Aemond...", you whisper shocked. But you don't get any reaction from him. Alicent and your mother just look at you in shock.

You try again, "Aemond..." a little louder, but not loud enough. Aemond doesn't hear you. You look up and see your father still struggling to keep Aemond away from Jace. He and Jace are still busy insulting each other.

When a loud "AEMOND!!!" fills the hall. A long yell follows his name as you sink to your knees. Alicent and Rhaenyra go down with you and hold you.

Aemond looks at you, startled. He tears himself away from Daemon and is immediately at your side, "My Love, My Love! What's wrong???"

Alicent calms him down, "The baby is coming Aemond. We need to get her into a bed!"

Aemond nods.

He turns back to you, "My Love, can you walk? Do you want me to carry you??"

You shake your head slightly, "No.... No... I can do that, I just want to lie down."

He nods again and helps you up. You whisper another, "Aemond... don't leave me..." as he puts his arm tighter around your waist and carefully leads you out of the hall. Alicent, meanwhile, asks the servants to inform the maesters and midwives that the baby is coming and to prepare everything for the birth.

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

Tag list

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[ginger-snap-talkin-nonsense]

Why do the writers at King of the Hill expect us to see Cotton Hill as anything other than evil (and not in a "funny"/"love to hate him" way) when he sexually abuses Luanne and almost sexually abuses Bobby in the first episode that he's formally introduced? Shouldn't it reflect badly on Hank as a guardian that he allows Bobby to be alone with his abuser after that?

This can't even be blamed on the better writers leaving the show in the later seasons. This was in the first season, and Cotton never gets better considering that he tortures Bobby by putting him in solitary confinement for three days in season 7.

Okay, so just to clarify off the bat, the sexual abuse anon is referring to is in Cottons debut where he smacks Luanne's ass and then is immediately responded to with a threat if he tries it again, and a failed attempt at taking him to a place he remembers being a brothel, but I think this anon is getting at the heart of a bigger issue regarding how people think critically about character writing.

Cotton Hill is a bad person. Full stop. He was an abusive husband and father when Hank was a child and even in his shallowed love of his new wife and kid, he's still repugnant, misogynistic, bigoted, etc.

But that's a feature, not a bug because Cotton exists in relation to Hank.

You see, King of the Hill has a running theme (at least in the pre flash era) of change and how we confront trauma in the face of that change. Cotton as a character was abused himself-first by his military boarding school which the mere thought of puts him in the only tears we see him in in the series, then by enlisting in World War 2 at age 15 where he was physically disabled, watched his friends die, was ripped from the woman who he fell in love with, and then discharged and left broken and impoverished.

And Cotton does anything he can to run from accepting that he was traumatized by all of that. He treats it like it's made him strong and better, he wears his misery like a badge of honor and refuses kindness and sympathy as a result.

Thanks to this idea of what iteams to hurt, he turned those ideas onto Hank growing up. Cotton was a lot of things but he wasn't (as far as we know in the show) physically abusive, but he was mentally and emotionally abusive and that led to Hank believing a lot of negative things about sharing feelings or gender roles.

And then he meets Peggy who starts dismantling the stigmas about the gender binary and has Bobby who dismantles his feelings about feelings. A lot of Cotton episodes are in relation to how Hank is raising Bobby right by unpacking the unhealthy environment he grew up in with his wife and striving to be better. This happens with Peggy and her mother as well but to a far lesser extent.

Beyond that, Cotton represents how complicated emotions can be in regards to bad people you have sympathy for. Hank, despite learning to see the many flaws with his father, still wants a healthy and positive relationship with his dad. The show never knocks for wanting this or continuing to strive for it, rather it tells Hank that he can't force anyone else into his shit like his wife or son.

Meanwhile Peggy despises Cotton for all he's done to Hank and how he treats women, and the show never knocks her either. Peggy is entirely within her rights to hate him and the closest they ever get a mutual respect for how strong they've been while getting past their hardest moments.

Cotton may deserve sympathy for what he's been through, but does that mean you can forgive him for all the terrible things he did as a result of his unchecked trauma and the time he grew up in? The show doesn't have an answer, it's up to each individual person, and no answer is wrong.

That's why Cotton is a strong character. There's nuance to him and how he interacts with the other characters. He furthers the shows central theme and introduces his own.

A written bad person does not equate to bad character writing

[xerith-42]

Minecraft Diaries Stoner Headcanons

Part 2 in the Aphverse Stoner Series!

Disclaimer: I haven't watched Season 3! I mean, I have, but I don't remember any of it other than that Blaze was in it-- And I just checked the wiki and he's a villain? Uhm. No, he isn't. Hatsune help me I'm going to have to make a whole post about that now... anyways, pretend Blaze is just like another guard Irena gathered because she just collects them like they're pokemon.

Blaze our beloved to start us off. Uh, pipe weed is really common in Ru'aun, it's actually a primary export. And well, Blaze is a pretty big fan of it. Once when he's smoking weed with his friend, he comes to a realization.

"Listen, listen. We use earth with the plant, fire by lighting it, and air to inhale it. What we're missing is water." I am saying that Blaze made the first bong in the MCD universe. Or that he at least came up with it and was credited for the original idea. These two are very proud of their idea and want to spread it everywhere.

Pipe weed is not allowed at the guard academy, and guards are expected to remain sober, even though alcohol is okay?? Doesn't really make sense to a lot of new cadets, including Laurance, who's able to smuggle it in, and hide it from Garroth.

Vylad does actually smoke pipe weed, particularly while on his own during those 15 years. It helps relax their muscles, and causes a sort of numbness that helps keep the calling quiet.

When he tells Laurance of this, both of them share it together at some point.

Dante used to smoke weed with Laurance on slow nights in Phoenix Drop, and even smoked it with Nicole a few times. He quit when he found out Nana was pregnant.

The number one smoker is Travis. His mom had a stock pile of it he found, enough to last years, and it's one of the main things he brings with him to Ru'aun.

When Travis and Blaze meet, they are instant friends. I don't know what happens in Season 3, but this is all that matters to me. They would be BESTIES!!

Despite being banned by the church, Zane is in a position of power so the rules don't apply to him. He never does it when he has something serious going on, but when Zane has some downtime, he'll light up a bowl to take the strain out of his shoulders.

A downside of being a Shadow Knight is that your lungs are much more used to inhaling smoke and dealing with heat thanks to the Nether, so they have some insane tolerance. Like, Vylad was smoking so much, and Laurance is never not frustrated at how much he has to go through in a single sitting just to feel something.

And Aaron? When he was a father? And a Lord?? Of course he was smoking. He was very careful about it, and kept it away from Jacob. And as he traveled with the rest of the cast, he was always careful to hide it from the kids. He didn't quite mind if anyone else saw, as long as they were smart enough not to ask for it.

Travis is not smart enough.

Also Aaron likes wearing the bandana when he accidentally gets a little too high so no one can see how bloodshot his eyes are. Irena can tell by the way he stumbles a little more than usual.

Zoey? Pot head. She's literally an immortal elf, she has tried every drug Ru'aun has ever had and then some. She stops smoking it as much when she's taking care of the kids, but after the group is gone for a few years and she spends more nights searching for a way to bring them back, she picks it back up to try and seem less stressed when people talk to her.

I feel like all Lords smoke just a little. Like, it's such a stressful job. You're constantly having to care for so many people, be a master of subjects you might not have studied, and who knows when one day you wake up to the news that you have to ready yourself for war. People need a way to relieve the stress.

Except Irena. She tried it once when she caught Aaron smoking and it tasted so bad and she did not enjoy the feeling at all. When she becomes friends with Blaze he tries to coax her into it, but she never caves, and he backs off.

LUCINDA on the other hand!! She's a witch! She's a bit of an herbalist! Does she know the perfect growing conditions for the plant of origin and how to cultivate it's harvest for maximum output?? You bet your ass she does!

Blaze x Lucinda x Travis polycule when?

The first time Lucinda and Blaze meet each other he tells her about his innovation of using glass devices to create water vapor that you can smoke, and Lucinda very eagerly drags him into her brewing room and just proudly goes "I have a cauldron!! >:)" And Blaze gets so excited!! He's already trying to figure out what he would have to custom order to work with this, but he needs to try it.

Wait why is that adorable I need to write that now.

[whimsicallyenchantedrose]

Season 3 Rewatch Drabble: 3x15 Quiet Minds

Summary:  A series of 100-500 word drabbles to accompany my    rewatch of season 3 of Once Upon a Time.  There will be a drabble–either a deleted scene, a “fix it” fic or a character musing for each episode of the season.  Focus will be on Emma, Henry, the Charmings and Killian–with an emphasis on Captain Swan’s epic love story.

Word Count: 674

Other Chapters: (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) (10) (11) (12) (13) (14) (15) (16) (18) (19) (20) (21) (22) (23) (24) (25) (26) (27) (28)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Okay, so what’s the plan?” Emma asked as she stepped out of Baelfire’s hospital room and rejoined her parents and Hook.

Killian saw the hints of agitation on her face and wondered just what had transpired between her and Bae after he’d asked for a moment of privacy with her.

Nothing pleasant, that was for sure.

The selfish part of him felt a kind of sick satisfaction at the fact, but his better nature–blessedly the part that was firmly in control at the moment–felt only concern for her, and even some manner of concern for Bae.

“Is everything alright, Swan?” he asked gently.

She looked at him, and for the briefest of seconds, she let him see her agitation and discomfort before firmly shutting it down.  “It’s fine,” she bit out, “but time’s wasting.  We need to find Gold. Now.  So again, what’s the plan?”

Killian wanted to argue, knowing everything clearly wasn’t alright, but he knew Swan well enough by now to realize any further insistence would be met with intractable denial.

“Well, your mom and I figured the best place to start the search would be the woods,” David said.  “No real reason to think he’s there, but we know he didn’t go to his shop or his house, and the last place we know he was was in Zelena’s cellar, so…” He shrugged.

“Great,” Emma said.  “Dad, you and I will head there.  Mom?”

Snow White sighed.  “I know,” she said. “I’ll be no help on the search in my very pregnant state.  I guess I’ll…stay with Belle and watch over the homefront.  I can still wield my bow and arrow.”

“Sounds good, and Hook?” She said turning to him.

“I’ll accompany you,” he said, his look encompassing both Swan and the prince.  “After all, we can’t be too careful with the witch about.”

Snow and David shared a look.  “Actually, Hook,” David said, “we were thinking it might be better if you stayed here.”

He protested vehemently at the suggestion, but Swan stopped him with a gentle hand to his arm.  “He’s right,” she said. “We need someone here with Neal.”

“You think he needs protection?”

She snorted.  “Well that, and there’s also the fact that he needs someone to stop him in case he does something stupid. Not like that’s unusual for him.”

“Emma!” her mother chided.

“I just mean something like leaving the hospital against medical advice,” she said. “You know, trying to come after his dad himself.”

“Aye,” Killian agreed, as a new possibility occurred to him, “not to mention the fact that we don’t know how much we can trust him.”

Snow White gave him a look that was so reminiscent of his own mother rebuking him when he was a small lad that he nearly squirmed.

“Consider what little we know thus far,” he said. “I’ve no doubt Bae is sincere in his allegiance to the side of the heroes, but we’ve yet to learn what precisely he did to resurrect his father.  It is a safe bet that it was both exceedingly reckless and at least marginally unsavory.  It would not hurt to have someone about to protect him when the price he undoubtedly owes for such dark magic comes due.”

“Okay, sounds good,” Swan said after a moment.  “Let’s get to it, then.”

“Swan,”he called after her as she and her parents started toward the hospital entrance.  She turned back to look at him. “Be safe,” he answered, unable to stop the slight hint of concern for her welfare from his voice.

Her eyes softened, and she smiled slightly at him.  “Always am.”

With that, they were off, and Killian was left standing alone in the hospital corridor.  He took a step toward the cafeteria in search of that “jell-o” he’d been served.  It had been far too sweet for his taste and the texture was…unusual to say the least, but he gathered it had great medicinal properties and as such it would be as good an offering to Bae as anything.

NEXT CHAPTER->

[brittababbles]

House of the Dragon S2e1: blow by blow reaction on second watch

Spoilers beyond this point

1. I love the tapestry opening. Very reminiscent of GoT’s maps.

1a. Matt Smith gets top billing, huh? Interesting choice.

2. Ah Winterfell, and the Wall. And a nice thick northern accent doing voiceover. Is it weird that I can smell Winterfell? I’ve missed this place.

3. :( sweet Jace seems to be having a nice time in the North. Enjoy while you can, sweet boy. Though he’s got to be freezing at the Wall.

4. What does it keep out? Don’t worry about it, Jace. It doesn’t matter right now. That’s a different series entirely.

5. Jace looks hauntingly like Jon Snow when he’s standing on the wall and I Don’t Like It

6. Rhaenys not taking Daemon’s shit makes my soul less unhappy. She’s all “hey daemon remember how you let my daughter die? This is like that.”

7. In fairness, Daemon isn’t wrong.

8. “Would that you were the king” gods be good, Rhaenys. We’d all be dead

9. I have nothing to add about Rhaenyra in the Stormlands. The entirety of it is just beautiful and sorrowful.

9. Why are we still talking about the Stepstones? That was soooo last season, Corlys.

10. Who is this burly handsome fellow chatting with Corlys? He’s delightful. Dragging bodies out of the sea! Wowweee 😍

11. Dude if you can see her from that far out, that dragon is Vhagar. Chill.

12. Aegon seems to at least like his children. And Helaena, at least on some level.

13. “The rats” oh my sweet girl.

14. So. How long have you and Cole been doing this, Alicient? More than once? Is he your whore, perhaps?

15. But also why do you have to stop? You’re a widow. You can do what you want.

16. CHEESE?!

16a. And Cheese’s dog, whom I adore.

17. Aegon is… so bad at this being king thing. Just so bad at it and it’s weirdly endearing. Also little Jaehaerys? So sweet. Poor thing.

18. I love how nobody likes Tyland Lannister. I don’t like Tyland Lannister.

19. Aemond!

19a. Does Aemond straighten his hair or is it just like that?

20. I forgot about Otto Hightower. And Larys Strong. I am happier having forgotten them and shall continue to do so.

21. Larys knows you been fucking the lord commander, Alicent. And he’s spying on you. And he’s still the creepiest guy in a series that casually accepts incest as the norm.

22. Syrax is my second, maybe third favorite of the dragons and I have missed her.

23. Rhaenyra my Queen. My gods this was tragic. Daemon is right: she shouldn’t have done this alone. I’m glad at least Syrax is with her

24. “Aegon the Magnanimous” wh wh what 😂

25. You’re so bad at this Aegon. But I guess at least you’re earnest about it. Aegon the Frat Boy is too on point, I suppose.

26. You know, I don’t like Otto, but honestly. Bless his heart for herding his grandson through King-hood is painful to watch.

27. In retrospect, the odd shots of the castle make sense. This whole episode foreshadows the end of it with these weird, creeping shots of the Red Keep, particularly in the halls and through the railways.

28. I see that nobody in Aemond’s family understands him at all. Except maybe Daemon.

29. Oh that’s not someone knocking on the door. That’s the drums of the soundtrack. Heh.

30. Baby goats!

31. Mysyria is… not my favorite. But she does have a thorough understanding of Daemon that Rhaenyra seems to sometimes lack.

32. Whoa. Damn, Daemon. Easy now. Don’t break the table.

33. Syrax is back! Hi Syrax!

34. Aw, that Targaryen forehead touch.

35. “I want Aemond Targaryen” I feel like that’s a common feeling toward him, for better or worse, Rhaenyra. Just based on fanfic results alone.

36. Daemon I know where this plan ends and I don’t like it.

37. Jace! Mama Rhaenyra! Oh Jace is trying so hard to be brave for his Queen.

38. I’ve seen a lot of people raving against this sequence in the Sept but I really liked it. Alicent did not mean for Luke to die and I do think she still cares for Rhaenyra. Her childhood friend lost a son, and to pray for peace for a dead child is not something that should be shamed. Also on a cinematography level, the candlelight vs the pyre flames was gorgeous.

39. Little Joffrey is breaking my heart.

40. I spent a solid ten seconds trying to work out why Aemond was screwing around in Blackwater Bay because I assumed he had taken over the Cloak of Crime. But no! It’s Daemon! Again!

41. Ehhhh Blood and Cheese and I just don’t like it. Cheese is just gross.

42. Interesting departure. Daemon orders Aemond’s death.

43. Speaking of whom. Aemond is… odd. He isn’t wrong, but he overestimates himself. But then he’s not entirely wrong. His mother’s fondness for Rhaenyra could be seen as a weakness. Though he certainly is playing his own hand here.

44. Ah the “cunning spider” line from Cole that is just a hilarious projection.

45. Does Aemond not have to get up when Otto walks in the room?

46. No Otto. Vhagar is the greatest single power in the realm. Aemond is but a fly on her back.

47. Cheese’s dog looks so much like my dog and I am so upset about it.

48. So… y’all are just going to waltz across the throne room and nobody will notice? That’s… fine?

49. Loyal as a hound, eh?

50. I hold with Aegon the Frat Boy as his title.

51 Uh, you go up the stairs to get upstairs, Blood. That’s how upstairs usually works.

52. DON’T KICK THE DOG!!! 😫😫😫

53. So… Daemon told them that if they can’t find Aemond they should just… improvise? Any male’s head will do? That’s not what Rhaenyra said at all.

54. Why are they just wandering around the castle unchecked? This just doesn’t make sense

55. I really wanted to see a bit more from Helaena here. Some pleading, some begging, some bargaining, maybe. I know she’s probably shutting down emotionally, and Phia’s face shows terror - and guilt - very well. But this whole scene is just so odd. But, I do think there is something genuine about this performance

56. “They killed the boy” she’s in shock. This part didn’t feel at all out of place for the Helaena we’ve seen on screen.

57. And that’s it. What a strange episode.

[cosmicjoke]

I found another analysis, which, I think, is even better, they all come to same conclusion though:

Eren & Armin are the same age and Mikasa is a year older than them. Levi is around 15 years older than Eren. So, At the start of the series when Wall Maria was breached, Eren and Armin were 10 years while Mikasa was 11. Levi was probably around 25 at this time… 2 years later, they started their training, so Eren and Armin were 12 years old while Mikasa was 13. In that way, Levi was 27 at this point. As soldiers, Eren and Armin were 15 years old and Mikasa was 16… This is when Levi meets them and he's 30 at this point … At the end of S3 when they discover the open sea beyond the walls, Eren and Armin are 16 and Mikasa is 17 which makes Levi 31… In Season 4, the story continues 3 years later, so Eren and Armin are 19 years old with Mikasa being 20 and Levi 34 years respectively…

Also, friendly reminder that the whole chaos from Season 1 to 3 actually happened in just 4 months — people (not you) tend to forget this.

One other thing I just noticed: that person on Twitter (from screenshots) said that Isayama said Levi is probably 30. That’s not true. In that interview he said that he’s in his late 30s, which was later admitted to be a mistake and was corrected, but I already mentioned this in my previous ask so no need to repeat all that lol. Anyway, I’ve read many analyses and they all come to the same conclusion, which is 35 years in s4.

beside the point: I read those two post you linked in my previous ask and your theory actually made me cry; I never looked at Kuchel & Levi’s, or Kenny & Levi’s relationship for that matter with rose tinted glasses, but once you take all this into consideration it gets even more heartbreaking. And that despite all of that Levi turned out to be the way he is is just admiring.

Yeah, that sounds about right, haha. I always put Levi at about 34 or 35 after the time skip. Which means at the very, very end of the manga, when we see him with Gabi, Falco and Onyankopon, he'd be about 38 or 39. He's YOUNG, lol. But people always talk about him like he's this ancient geezer. I guess because Levi is such a serious man. There's nothing childish about him. He's very mature and reliable and staunch. But he's not old.

And thank you so much for your kind words regarding my analysis posts. Indeed, Levi's life has been truly heartbreaking and tragic, especially when you stop to really think about it, what he went through, the things that shaped him, etc... I don't think people ever give enough consideration to just how awful his life has been. I always say it's really a miracle that Levi turned out the way he did. He ended up being the kindest, most compassionate person in the whole series, not because of his upbringing, but in SPITE of it. If that doesn't show Levi's courage and heroism, I don't know what does. Everything in his life should have twisted him into the kind of monster we see Zeke is, or Eren is, or Kenny is, but instead, he ended up being the most humane and empathetic person of all. It's pretty amazing. Levi's amazing. He deserves more credit for beating the odds and being a good person.

[khruschevshoe]

OFMD (fic) analysis: The Power of Names, Agency, and Creating Yourself

So, this is going to be Part 1 out of who knows how many analyzing different aspects of @aletterinthenameofsanity 's magnum opus OFMD fic series "made a promise when I left for the coast (made a life out of chasing a ghost)." Now, the series is divided into three sections, "Season 2," "Season 3," and "Extras" (which includes missing scenes, AUs, and post-canon "special episodes"). This first essay will be addressing the symbolic/thematic meaning of characters choosing their own names in this series throughout all parts (some of these metas will only tackle one section/season/ or even fic).

It is clear in this series that names take on a particular meaning, due to the multiple times it is emphasized, such as in part 15 of the series (the "pilot" of "Season 3"), when Captain Olu says, "Everyone's entitled to choose their own name on my ship." Names, when taken on a ship, allow someone to both shed their precious life and claim one for their own. I'm going to go through the various ways this is presented in series and how letting characters choose their names on the Revenge allows them to gain agency within their lives and world.

1): Name as Gender: Jim and Pete

Early on in the series, Jim and Pete's friendship is established from Jim's POV, where we discover that before the Blackbeard-Kraken-era, Jim and Pete bonded when Pete revealed that Pete is also trans, which in the series is often referred to as "the power of creation" (there's an essay analyzing the religious implications in the works, I swear). This is a point of connection and pride between them, and is the foundation to a great and enduring friendship and place of trust that often gets both of them through low points.

This friendship is further emphasized in part 13, Pete's internal monologue echoes previous assertions by Jim's internal monologue that "they have things in common that go beneath everything, a connection that threads itself across the sea, through razors and potential top scars and names left buried on land."

2) Name as Family: The Jimenezes and the Spriggs

A) The Jimenez Matelots

During their wedding reception in part 9 of the series, Olu and Archie both make it clear that they are going to take Jim's last name due to the importance of becoming Jim's family. Olu will trade in his last name, and Archie will take on a last name for the first time, as a sign of loyalty, loved, and comfort, because for Olu and Archie, "What price is a last name when it comes to making Jim feel comfortable and loved?"

B) The Spriggs Siblings

The choice of the last name "Spriggs" by Mel and Lucius has almost the opposite backstory of the Jimenez matelots- rather than keeping a last name to honor a family, the Spriggs siblings keep their last name to spite their abusive father. When Mel is asked by Roach in part 18 of the series as to why she keeps her last name when, as a pirate, she could have easily dropped it entirely when starting a new life, she tells him that she kept it because it connected it to her brother. Her internal monologue explains that "She stayed Mel Spriggs, damn the consequences, not because the last name gave her protection, but because it connected her to the one person who, at any point in her life, had protected her." It has nothing to do with "the lily-livered douche" that was her father; it as to do with her connection to Lucius. And as the series progresses, even after Lucius gets married to Izzy and Pete, we see that he keeps his last name while Pete picks up the last name "Hands-Spriggs." As much as his matelots mean to him, shown by the rings they share (objects as symbolism will be another analysis), his relationship with his sister is just as important to him.

3) Name as Intimacy: Frenchie and Zheng Yi Sao | Ching Shih

So, this one is not as startling or connected to character agency as the others, but I really like what this relationship does with language. Zheng Yi Sao literally translates as "wife of Zheng Yi" and is used almost as both name and title, the name of the Pirate Queen and Emperor of China, while Ching Shih is her Cantonese name, within the language she grew up speaking. Historically, Zheng Yi Sao had to learn Mandarin to fit in with upper crust society, and it makes sense that the name she rules the seas with (even in OFMD) is within that more "elevated" language.

But here's the kicker: Frenchie doesn't call her Zheng. He calls her Ching Shih, honoring where she came from, acknowledging that he gets a far more intimate side of her than the rest of the world do. In part 40, in the moment of their engagement (which comes after years of a really fun half friends-with-benefits, half-long-distance-relationship that they have going on), Frenchie accepts Zheng's proposal with the line "I’d love to be yours, Ching Shih, as long as you- not your title, or your power, or whatever, just you - would be mine.”

4) Name as Agency: Mel and Roach

When Mel first joins the crew of the Revenge, Olu calls her "Miss Spriggs" and she asks to be called Mel instead. It is made clear that to her, her first name is a gesture of identity and agency as she begins a new life, a fact that is emphasized in part 39, which covers Mel's life leading up to the moment she murders her parents and leaves home. This part refers to Mel exclusively by the name "Melanie" until the moment she leaves Anguilla and takes her agency back into her own hands, paralleling the death of "Blackbeard" and the freedom of the crew with the line "Melanie Spriggs dies along with her parents; Blackbeard dies along with Izzy’s love for Edward Teach."

In part 18 of the series, we see Roach explain that his choice of name was a similar act of agency, a moment when he chose the name thar embodied his own survival instinct with the lines ""Being a pirate is about creating a life for yourself. A name, a family, a home. I picked Roach because I refuse to let anyone kill me.” He gives her a toothy grin that she can’t help but return. “I’m an invincible little fucker.”"

5) Name as Family (Part 2): Femi Boodhari and the Jimenez Matelots

Finally, we return to the theme of names being used for chosen family. When the Jimenez matelots visit Femi, Olu’s mother, in part 41 of the series, at first Jim is worried that Femi will be disappointed that her son traded away his name for theirs, Femi gives Jim and Archie a way to honor and carry both the Jimenez and Boodhari names and legacies: as a blacksmith, she makes Jim a knife and Archie a new axehead with the Boodhari name in the side so that way the family, their culture, and her own legacy of escaping slavery and starting her own business and family can be honored. Though it's not as straightforward an example of "choosing a name" as the others, I think it is a nice endcap in this series for the theme.

(Also, as a note: these metas/analysises take a lot longer to write than it took me to make moodboards. So they'll probably come out a little less frequently, even if they are just as much fun to do!)

@blue-b-bro @possumsmushroom @yuenity @bricksbloggyplace @cosmicquill @a-pessimistic-swiftie @polikate

[warriornunusa]

Additional INFO from the Warrior Nun Substack Newsletter (link below so YOU can verify it yourself)

Anticipated questions:

What is the news?

+We were not told what the news is, just asked to share it.

Sounds like a leak to us!

Who told you?

+We have promised not to disclose that information.

No one want's to get sued. Fr fr

When will we get more info?

+At or around the 15 million announcement from Simon, in whatever form that takes. (which will likely be in the days after the actual goal is reached, as a reminder)

Does this mean Simon knows? What if Simon is the source and he is just waiting to get permission from AppleTV's legal department to tell us?! Delusional, maybe... but.... At this point anything is possible.

Is this just leading the fandom on?

+No. The party that disclosed this information is a credible source.

And they know they would be at the mercy of an unhinged fandom.

Who is it?

+See #2.

Being sued is bad. noted.

Why is this news coming from here instead of Simon or someone else?

+The nature of our work, in partnership with the OCS Newsletter, means that we communicate daily with fans, cast, crew, and other interested parties. As part of that process, we are one point of contact for those folks to reach out to when there's news to share.

Okay now, this actually makes sense. If you are a whistleblower you don't share the leak on your own personal pages or make a new one just to spill tea with zero followers. Not if you are serious about your info. You get people with a network to do the work for you. (sounds familiar) At the very least one with an email list.

Overall this is cautious optimism because who knows what the news could be. Some theories we have:

Comic/Graphic Novels: plausible, given the history of WN. Would be good to align the current creators with the NF series.

Novel Series: very plausible, Dean English was on the OCS Conclave with a WRITER next to him. People. 💥💥💥

Expanded Universe: very plausible, in the same panel with Dean English and the WRITER, they revealed they were working on the long-term story of Warrior Nun. That's not just a movie or a final season of WN.

Movie: plausible, while disappointing, look at ALOTO... Final 4 episodes, which works out to be a long movie. Other cancelled series have also gotten wrap up movies. So long as it's Avatrice focused we can live with this.

Podcast: unlikely, this would be a huge slap in the face of the fans and one would think the source would not be dumb enough to hype up a podcast. While great for the Doctor Who fandom, WN fans only want one thing.

Literally Nothing: very unlikely, as mentioned above the source is not willing to risk their own flesh by pissing off a very angry audience. Also, the person in charge of the Substack is not some random fan. You can see on the tweets that link to the newsletter the name Trust Insights (because tw hates Substack links so they had to reroute the click.) See Trust Insight's case study clients... https://www.trustinsights.ai/expertise/case-studies/

Netflix Repentance: plausible, but very skeptical about this one. Even with NF recent "change of heart" around their viewing metrics (as of 3rd week of June) they have shown a consistent ignorance of audience demand. But who knows, maybe they are just broke enough and need the money to pay some overdue bills.

AppleTV/Streamer Pick-Up: plausible, now this would be one impressive shake-up during the WGA strike that is still ongoing. And unprecedented because, as we all know, NF doesn't sell the rights. (But then... how can Dean talk about books... and how can Simon say Dean is the person to ask about Video Games... And why would Simon say "the people who own the rights" but not name NF in Empire Magazine... while being very clear that he (Simon) can't get the season 2 bloopers because NF owns the footage... nah, must not be important.) Complicated legal things. But doesn't mean NF couldn't lease out WN to another platform and that platform could make more content... hello HBO/NF deals. Again more delusions.

So all that to say... Something is happening. We don't know what, but you don't send a fandom into hype unless you have something really good.

Because if it's nothing - you will lose that audience

Note: all of the above can be verified via Twitter search, www.warriornun.com press releases, AngeChat's and BeMoreSuper's interviews on YouTube, OCS Conclave Videos on YouTube, the OCS Newsletter, and of course the DAILY released Substack Newsletter.

https://savewarriornun.substack.com/p/savewarriornun-news-and-data-2023-023?sd=pf