#especially love the series 4 moments we were given so far

[owlsie-hoot]

No matter where you are in the world, you are at home when tea is served

inspired by: If I Pour Your Cup by @givesmevoice

[zinzabee]

What are some of your favorite character relationships/dynamics in TMNT, and why? Is there anything that you particularly like seeing explored with them in fan works (art, writing, comics, etc)?

I have always been drawn to April's relationship with the turtles, especially when she's older. I really enjoy the idea of this woman in her 20s with a full time job in the big city coming across a bunch of mutant teenagers and immediately just- adopting them?? And becoming part of their family. And her relationships with them individually is such a great concept to explore. I think it's very underutilized in the tmnt media.

Like- we know that Raph & Casey are close and all, that's always a given. But April's dynamic with Leo is especially dear to my heart (especially in the 2003 series bc that's the one I grew up with and the one I automatically think of). She sort of gets his 'responsible leader' ideals. She gives him room to be that person while providing a soft ego check, and being there for him to lean on when that all gets to be a bit much without any judgement.

I also really love her character and her dynamic with them in the 90s live action movies. She really doesn't feel so much like a sister/mom figure, she's really just their friend. Even when they're trashing her apartment with their silly teen antics and she scolds them a bit, it never felt like- mom-ish to me. It moreso reminds me of when I was in my early 20s hanging out with my younger cousins at the family functions. /pos

And even in the tv shows where she's a teen alongside them, I love April's dynamic with the turtles. I really dont care what fandom says, I do enjoy seeing both the crush aspect and the sister aspect explored. For as cringey as 2012's April is written, there is a part of me that feels some moments of it were believable, if you remember that she's just a teenage girl who is going through the Horrors. (and also because, ya know, I was a teenage girl once & I remember having to deal with unwanted attention from boys I was just trying to be friends with. But I do confess, I've only seen up to halfway through Season 4 rn, I'm watching through that with a friend rn but its taking a bit)

And MM April relationship with Leo, from what I've seen in the new tv show so far (I'm not quite done with the series yet, I hate binge watching things) has a really solid queerplatonic vibe to it that I'm enjoying watching play out.

And do I even need to say anything about Rise April? She's awesome and her relationship with the turtles is on a level all its own.

Overall, I do feel that every April is her own individual person and thus the dynamics with the turtles are gonna be different, and I personally love seeing those dynamics explored. Whether they're heartwarming or embarassing or unconventional or tragic or familial, its probably my favorite to see in any medium.

[highfantasy-soul]

NATLA - Episode 4: Into the Dark (3/3)

[Masterlist of my NATLA thoughts]

An explanation of what I'm doing here and my history with ATLA.

Of course, full spoilers ahead.

<previous/next>

Sokka's instincts make an appearance in this episode too as they're navigating the cave - love that Sokka is smart and figures out the stones light up in the dark - and even though his plan goes awry, just like in the animated show, sometimes his instincts are right, sometimes they're wrong - he's delving more into using his brains to help the group rather than just his battle prowess. Here is where the character beats between him and Katara in animated episodes like 'Jet' come to fruition alongside their interactions last episode.

In the animated version, they have a lot of time (ie beginning of every episode, so 20 times) to have the characters poking fun and mocking each other, but in only 8 episodes, that can feel like tonal whiplash if the characters swing from mocking to learning the lesson then back to mocking then learning the lesson then back to mocking then learning the lesson all in one episode - structurally, it just wouldn't work. Merging Katara's frustrations with Sokka always needing to be in charge and 'he knows best' into these two episodes really let that dynamic breathe, deepen, and be resolved in a satisfying way. They have a really sweet sibling moment reminiscing about home, and Sokka urges them to continue on, doing his best to be a good leader.

They both get to explain why they fell in with the people they did, how Sai helped Sokka and Jet helped Katara. The idea that we don't get through life alone, we need friends and mentors to help us along the way, is a huge part of 1) this episode with Aang and Bumi and 2) the entire series. I like how Katara reminded Sokka that when he was thrust into a leadership position, he didn't have anyone to help him through it - he was just given command and left to his own devices. It's a concept that comes up in the animated show too and I'm glad they're giving it time to breathe this season. Again, we're setting the foundation for character's core traits through the series, Sokka's being: a leader, strategist, inventor, and warrior.

I like that it's sibling love that saves the day in the caverns - I mean, first off, the power of MUSIC is what somehow got the badgermoles to guide them through the tunnels the first time, it makes sense that they'd be a bit more intellectually advanced and be able to sense emotions and follow verbal commands. And second, love the switcharoo with it not being the crystals but rather an emotional through-line. The OG was a bit eehhh for me because honestly, teasing that a KISS would light the way out (and some in the fandom STILL believing that's what got them to safety) is just….eewww to me. Very unnecessary especially since Katara and Aang are literal children. I'm more for them developing a strong platonic bond while they're this age because it really didn't feel organic to me for Aang and Katara to get together after Aang's whole crush that started from the first moment he saw her. It was a little too 'ok, you saved the world, now here's your reward: a woman' in the og for me. Not to say they can't fix that ship, but cutting it for now I think is a good move.

I do think this episode had some of the best moments and some of the most 'eh' storylines for me, so a mixed bag. I loved everything except the Bumi storyline, but again, I get what they were going for with it, I just think the execution could have been better - and by that I mean fully nix the 'crazy king' aspect of Bumi (which would have made the internet even madder than it already is) and just fully reshape his character to fit the tone of the live-action. Characters like Bumi are just SO over-the-top it's really hard to get that balance right in live-action.

But as far as criticisms go, it's pretty mild compared to a lot of plotlines I forgive in other favorite shows, so - eh *shrug* I'll live.

These past two episodes were quite annoying to analyze beside the OG because I'm rewatching the animated version to make sure I get specifics right and these episodes covered are all so late in the season! Omashu happens, then I had to go through storylines that show up later in the live-action but happen earlier in the animated. But, rewatching the OG is always good for me and I stand by the assessment that nothing got messed up plot-wise moving those later storylines up to here, rather I think it built an even stronger foundation for the heavier stuff to come like the Spirit World and the Blue Spirit storylines.

[cabeswatersedge]

Young Royals season 3 thoughts up to episode 4:

- I love that we’re de-idolizing Erik. Wille’s always felt like he couldn’t live up to his perfect brother. But there’ve been hints before that he wasn’t a saint, like the line about Erik seeing an escort. I think it’s important for Wille to realize his brother wasn’t perfect. No one is. And especially not someone who would’ve been raised to obey orders. The fact that Erik was good at being a Prince is exactly why it makes sense that he would allow terrible shit to happen around him and just go along with it, possibly participate. He saw it as his duty to honour tradition and to obey authority.

- Felice’s hair!!! I remember some people clocked it in the previous season, when the dorm master told her to tie her hair up. but it wasn’t brought to the forefront so I wasn’t sure how we were supposed to interpret it. I��m impressed that it was set up so well.

- The fucking rich kids trying to stage a protest was so funny. Walter and Henry trying to buy the lollipop. Vincent being like “I didn’t plan this far ahead.”

- “That sounds like an eating disorder.” tbh I think it would’ve made more sense for Madi to say that line, since she’s always been the blunt one, and Simon’s mostly avoided talking to August.

- I’m kind of so here for Micke actually being a good dad now. We saw hints of that in season 1 and I always thought the fandom, at least the younger people in it, were way too harsh with him given how little was actually shown to us on-screen. He fucked up raising his kids but is trying to turn things around (parallels to both Sara and August’s story). His advice to Sara about living with ADHD was really sweet.

- The camping episode had some cute moments. It made me mad about the nature of the binge-watching model for tv because I wanted to be able to talk about the cute moments and reblog some gifs of it while the episode was still relevant. But because no one can talk about a series until it’s complete, the episode kinda gets nullified by the fact that stuff gets resolved or dealt with in the episodes after. Plus I have ti keep everything blacklisted on tumblr until I’m fully done the season. I miss back in the day when an episode would air and then you could talk to people about it before the next episode came out.

[castlebyersafterdark]

you've mentioned you love upbeat pop and 80s tunes... can you speak a little more on what you'd like for musicality in the final season, soundtrack and score?

i personally think that pop culture is missing the sincerity of 90s/2000s film scores like john williams and swelling violins, and if any show could bring back unabashed sincerity (today known as cheesiness because we are still allergic to being genuine instead of ironic somehow) - its ST! the overall themes and story, the 80s ET-esque influences, and they already went there with an orchestral version of eleven's theme in s4. i really want to feel hopeful and uplifted by this story in a way that makes me feel like a kid again, even though edgier endings are seen as cooler. the score has some beautiful classics like the Eulogy motif that played when bob died, when el searched for her mother, and when mike and el broke up lmao

as for soundtrack, people seem to discuss that a lot and im up for almost anything. i think cyndi lauper will return. we know the clash will return too, and seeing as we centre around will i think more alternative and rock might be the way they go instead of mainly the new wave pop classics.

One of the things that made me fall in love with Stranger Things was that it had such a unique, distinctive score. The synths and specific motifs. Super engaging, really different than what a lot of shows were doing. It's always given the show more of a cinematic quality. I'm hoping for more super cool moments like in season 4 - the Journey revamp, Separate Ways?? So good. And listen, as cheesy as it is, I still get chills when I watch the sequence that mixes Running Up that Hill with the Main Theme, like are you kidding?? I was transfixed, hands white knuckling the couch during that whole sequence. The music just took you there, you know?? And that was just the penultimate season, can you imagine what these fucking insane composers are cooking up for the series finale? Whewwww. Because that moment felt like a series ender based on music usage and YET we get 8 more episodes. I'm so excited for the score choices almost as much for the answers to the mysteries and the shipping payoffs. I really really love movie/tv scores. ST has one of the very best. And the influence! You know how many remixes and covers of common songs have been done with synth stuff over the last decade and they're referred to as "Song Name: Stranger Things Mix" despite not having anything to do with the TV show? Her influence. Respect.

One thing that I disagree with the majority on is a reprisal of Heroes - sure, it can return! But I'd really prefer a score track than a song played whenever Byler gets together. More emotional that way. I don't know where it would fit, and I know everyone loves the lyrical connotation of Heroes, but I think this moment deserves something unique. Pinnacle of all the relationships in the show and no I am not exaggerating. Truly.

I have a playlist of potential season 5 song choices! I'll just list some highlights:

Edge of Seventeen - for the Party! When it skips to 1987. Especially for Will. These lyrics are so Will coded they make me insane.

The Breakup Song - This would be so on the nose cheesy fun, but it's a good song, it sets a mood. Mike and El break up and then some danger strike and boom, needle drop.

We need some Judas Priest for Will, since it's 80s, it's rock, and the lead singer is gay!! I never see this mentioned. He came out in the 90s but that would be so cool for future Will to learn that having known this band from his childhood. There's a lot of relevant songs of theirs to use in s5 but even some of the more obvious ones would be cool.

Love is a Battlefield was briefly in s2 but it would be perfect to get a feature in s5.

I honestly love a Billy Idol White Wedding badass moment for Nancy. It just fits her, I think.

I Ran So Far Away for something with Mike, I think this song is very necessary for him.

Only You by Yazoo for the Lucas/Max reunion!! It's so cute and so them.

A friend posted about this before so I'm not the one who came up with this idea, but they predict that Video Killed the Radio Star is going to be featured in promo, using the Radio Station hideout whenever we get the first teaser trailer and I think that's a very possible route. I see the vision so clearly, kinda can't get that out of my head. I think it also ties the 50s/Creel vibes to the present day characters with the radio vs. video imagery for both promotional stuff and the actual show itself.

Listen to Your Heart, Roxette. Again, for Mike. Introspective moments. Figuring out some heavy truths. Facing feelings.

The Man Who Sold the World for Will in some conjunction with his Henry issues. It's evocative, it's dark, it's Bowie, baby! Maybe remixed and slowed and made very creepy.

I don't think Love Will Tear Us Apart by Joy Division has been in the show yet? But, it should.

Self Control - Laura Branigan

Wake Up the Neighborhood - Holland

No One Lives Forever - Oingo Boingo

Running With the Devil - Van Halen

Beds are Burning - Midnight Oil (can be used for a scene to demonstrate the absurdity of going about life, going to school, under military lockdown, end of the world vibes etc.)

Shout - Tears for Fears

Break on Through to the Other Side - The Doors (WillEl moment or something, I've heard some great remixes of this song!)

I'm mad they already used Thriller in the trailer for s2 because I've heard some fantastic synth remixes and the lyrics are soooo perfect for a scene where monsters are running rampant in Hawkins or something. It would be so 80s and I eat that shit up.

Eye in the Sky - Henry inside the minds of the town, tormenting our leads. Make it creepy. Make everything with him fucked up and dark.

If we don't get a really poignant needle drop with the core four Mike Will Dustin Lucas gearing up for battle to Kids in America, what has all this been for???????

PLEASE. Will in a pivotal moment very late in the season with Should I Stay or Should I Go! Seems obvious but worth listing. Some big scene is going down. Then quiet. No score. Then those first few notes cut the silence. Willlllllll. This to me is in the same vein as the lead up to the scene in Endgame when Cap lifts the hammer?? Sorry, haha you can take the boy outta Marvel but...🤣

[maidenvault]

Why is AFFC considered to be the least well-written A Song of Ice and Fire book? I'm like 3/4 of the way through and I honestly think it might be one of my favorites.

I think it's really good, too! I mean, I've loved all the ones I've read (still haven't gotten to ADWD) and the writing in AFFC really isn't significantly weaker to me. I think it has kind of a lame and boring prologue compared to the others, which I remember concerning me from the start given the book's reputation, and Cersei is the one viewpoint character so far whose chapters really didn't do much for me.

But I think the main point of AFFC is also what made it kind of a hard sell after ADWD was the most exciting and eventful book in the series, and it's all in the title - it's about the melancholy comedown after all the action. Brienne's chapters in particular show in really moving ways the widespread devastation left by the war in all the places she travels. Septon Meribald's monologue about the "broken men" of war is such an important moment. And if you think of the entire series as one epic story, it makes sense that this book is more low-key after all the huge turning points that happen in ADWD, but it can feel pretty slow compared to the other books.

For some people that really wasn't helped by the introduction of new characters when we're thousands of pages into this series and the other characters we've followed from the beginning seem to be getting nowhere we want them to go very fast. I think in AFFC people begin to feel frustration at GRRM's seeming lack of a sense of urgency to finish the series. It's a common criticism that this is the point where he gets overly ambitious and unrealistic about introducing way more storylines than he can hope to satisfyingly resolve in a couple more books...and considering how long we've waited for TWoW that's probably fair. But as things are, I can't imagine the series without the Martells and the Greyjoys being as prominent as they are. I guess for the kind of reader who's most anticipating seeing how things resolve politically and who will end up on the thone, it's tedious spending all this time with families who probably have no real chance of gaining the power they want to because they weren't even important enough to be main characters from the start. But what I really love about the Greyjoys especially is that they are seemingly so doomed. Asha is one of my favorite characters largely because her first viewpoint chapter telegraphs in such a poignant way that she's willing to die fighting for what should be hers, it’s her identity and she can’t just let it go, and she's more fully aware than Robb or Renly ever were that it could end badly for her. She'll likely never have the seastone chair and the Ironborn are fucked for not listening to her.

Of course there's also the fact that lots of fans waited so long for another book only for fan-favorite characters like Tyrion and Dany not to be in it. I enjoy them all, for the most part, so this wasn't a problem for me. I think over time fandom has grown to appreciate AFFC more, but even for me it's not one I ever really crack open to re-read parts.

[elvenmother]

The Art of Crossed Wires - 4 - The Date/The Not Date

Pairing: Marcus Pike x Female Reader Rating: Teen. Warnings: Swearing Chapter: 4/9 Word count: 1883

Summary: It's time for a lunch date with Marcus. It is a date right?

Note: This has not been beta read, so apologies for any mistakes.

Part Three | Part One | Series Masterpost

Pulling out two outfits, you lay them across your bed and eyed both of them carefully. Which one you chose to wear today was dependent on the battle going on in your head of whether or not you had a lunch date or a date at lunch. One scenario meant lunch with a work colleague, while the other was a date at lunch, and both scenarios had vastly different dress codes.

The first outfit was your typical skirt and blouse that you wore variations of at work every day. Nice, but a little boring consisting of a plain white blouse teamed with a grey skirt and grey flats. The second was a dress, a little form-fitting but still work-appropriate. A short-sleeved pencil dress with a teal peacock feather design at the front but a plain black back with a pair of low black heels. 

“Cos, people say it’s a date as just a saying, you know?” You turned to your giant black and white cat, Sokka, who was sitting watching you from his seat on the chest of drawers. “So saying it’s a date doesn’t mean it’s a date date.”

“Mmurp.” Sokka slowly blinked at you.

“I know.” You nodded and looked back at your clothing choices. “But I don’t want to read too much into this.”

Sokka gave a massive yawn before turning to stare out of the window. You nodded at him as though he’d just given you some sage advice.

“You’re right.” You reached over, gathering up the blouse and skirt and putting them back in the wardrobe. “Fuck it. Even if it’s not a date date, there’s no harm in looking awesome today.”

~~~~~

The morning passed by with little excitement. Marcus was back leading the morning briefing, much to the delight of all the female team members, including yourself. And as he stood talking through the next stage of the task force's current operation, you couldn’t help noticing he appeared to be wearing a new suit. Instead of the usual greys or even browns you’d seen in him before, this was a well-fitted black suit with a crisp white shirt and deep purple tie with a delicate gold swirling pattern. This was one point in the “actual date” column. 

After the briefing, everyone had gotten on with their assignments, and you had only seen Marcus twice after that. Once when he had been chatting with your manager Bob where he had caught your eye and smiled at you. The second time was shortly before lunch when he and another agent, Fenton, had brought through a pack of files for your team. 

Finally, lunch rolled around, and just as you were logging out of your computer, you heard his voice behind you.

“Hey.” You turned to see Marcus approaching your desk with a big smile on his face. “Ready to go?”

“Sure.” You smiled back, grabbing your bag and following him out towards the elevators.

“You look lovely today.” Marcus looked over at you as the two of you entered the elevator. 

“Thank you.”

“Not that you don’t look lovely every day.” He quickly added, looking a little flustered. “You do. You just look especially lovely today. Erm…” He gulped, trailing off.

“Thanks.” You let your smile grow into a grin. “You look great too. Is that new?”

Marcus ran his hands over his tie to smooth it. “Yeah, I… yeah.”

“Looks good on you.”

You watched as he ducked his head down a little at the compliment and you wondered for a moment if you’d crossed a line. But after a moment, he lifted his face to look at you again and you would see that, while he was blushing, his eyes were dancing at the compliment. 

“So, where shall we go?” You asked as the two of you left the building, looking around for a nearby spot to eat.

“I actually know a great little place not too far from here.” Marcus held out an arm for you to follow him. “It’s only a short walk, and they serve fantastic homemade soups… if… if that’s your thing. If it’s not, we can-”

“Sounds great.” You nodded as you set off.

“So, how long have you lived in D.C.?” Marcus glanced over at you while the two of you walked. 

“Not long.” You quickly counted mentally. “Around six months, almost seven. You?”

“Almost eight years now.” Marcus laughed, shaking his head. “I moved here when the task force was formed. Can’t believe it’s been that long. Wow.”

“And before that, you lived in Austin?”

“Yeah.” Marcus continued to direct you off to the right. “Yeah, I worked for the art squad there for almost twelve years before I got offered the job here. Obviously.” He left out another nervous laugh. “Did you move here for the job?”

“Yeah.” You followed him as he took another right, then a left. “My friend convinced me to apply along with her. We’d both done work for our local PD before, as well as a few local government departments. I got the job and moved here. She didn’t.”

“Oh.” Marcus glanced over at you again. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s ok. She got a great job offer abroad a few weeks after I moved. She’s living in Spain now.” You laughed. “Are we here?”

“Yeah.” Marcus smiled down at you, the sunlight hitting his eyes, turning them from their usual dark chocolate to warm amber. “Told you it wasn’t far.”

Heading inside, you were greeted with a surprisingly cosy oasis in the middle of D.C. Almost as though it had been transported from the main street of a small town somewhere, the cafe was filled with different shaped tables and mismatched chairs. At the back of the space was a counter filled with dozens of different cakes, probably homemade, while to the right of the door, a small stand held a stack of neatly printed menus.

“Shall we?” Marcus grabbed a couple of menus and headed towards one of the free smaller tables. As you approached, he pulled out one of the chairs for you to sit.

“Thank you.” You smiled up at him as you sat, and he helped push the chair in slightly. “Such a gentleman.”

You watched as Marcus’ cheeks turned pink again as he sat. “Well, this is about starting over and making a good first impression, right?” He chuckled. “And my mom drilled into me how to treat a lady on a, um…”

“Well, we’re doing much better this time around.” You piped up as he trailed off, stopping short of officially calling it a date. 

“Oh yeah.” Marcus’ smile quickly returned. “We’re nailing it this time.”

“We’ve chatted about moving here a little. We’ve thrown a few compliments out there.” You started to count off on your fingers. “We already know what the other does for a living… hmmm… what’s next?”

“Hmmm.” Marcus smirked, handing you a menu. “Hobbies? Is that too cliché? Favourite things?”

The two of you sat giggling for a few moments at your own jokes as you scanned the menu. Finally deciding on both having the soup of the day, Marcus signalled for the waiter and after giving your order, you settled in for the short wait.

“Hobbies might be a fun one.” You mused. “Not too personal, but not too serious.”

Marcus suddenly put on a very serious face. “So Miss.” He steepled his fingers in front of him. “Where do you see yourself in five years?” His composure broke on the last word as he set off laughing again.

“Sounds like a job interview.” You threw your head back laughing, knocking it slightly on the high back of your chair. “Ouch.”

“I actually had someone ask me that on a date.” Marcus managed to get out between giggles. “You ok?”

“I’m ok.” You continued to chuckle. “Really? Someone asked you that on a date?” 

“Yeah.” He wiped a tear from his eye before calming. “It was kinda a weird date all round. Anyway, seriously. Only no, not serious serious, but what do you like to do for fun?”

“Well, there's the usual stuff everyone says, like reading and listening to music.” You watched Marcus nod along with everything you said, leaning forward slightly on the table as his eyes met yours. “But I really like to write. Short stories mostly.”

“Really?” His eyes lit up. “Wow. What kind of stuff do you write? Genres, I mean.”

“I’ve been trying a few different ones, but recently I’ve been writing a few more horror-based ones. Trying to keep to a theme at the moment.”

“So the short stories could go into a collection?” Marcus’ eyes never left yours. “That’s cool. Huh, smart and beautiful. What a combo.”

You knew from the immediate heat that your cheeks were bright red and you let out a shy laugh, ducking your head down as Marcus had done earlier in the elevator. “No one has ever called me cool before.” You said finally. Looking up, you found his eyes still locked onto you. Those big chocolate pools looking into your very soul.

“Well, you are.” He gave you a lopsided smile. “I think so anyway. But then again, I am a massive art nerd, so that might not actually be a compliment.”

“You paint?” You both paused as the waiter brought over your soups, and you thanked him.

“A little.” Marcus blew on his soup before taking a mouthful. “Hmmm, that’s so good. Not as much as I used to. Not felt very inspired, I guess.”

“Yeah, I get that.” You said between mouthfuls. “I had a break of almost ten years before I started writing again. Just couldn’t find the time and when I could, I had nothing.”

The rest of lunch passed with talk of creativity, finding inspiration and a promise to go with Marcus to a gallery that weekend. By the time the two of you fell out of the elevator back at the FBI building, you were both grinning from ear to ear.

“Wow, we were gone way over an hour.” You pointed at the clock mounted on the office wall. “Crap.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Marcus shook his head, stepping away from you as he headed to his office. “I happen to know your boss, and he’s cool with it.” He gave you a cheeky wink as he disappeared through his door.

Grinning, you turned to go to the main office area but found yourself face-to-face with one of your colleagues, Louise.

“Agent Pike, huh?” She smirked, eyeing you knowingly. 

“We had lunch.” You walked with her back to your desk. “That’s all.”

“Uh-huh.” She gave you a sly wink. “I can’t say I blame you. He is a snack. And dating the boss has its perks, right?”

Louise chuckled softly as she went back to work, but you couldn’t help feeling a little colder. Is that what people would be thinking? That you were dating Marcus because he was your boss? And were you even dating now?

Sure, it had been a date. At lunch. During work hours. Sinking your head into your hands, you stared at your reflection in your monitor. Damn it. What if it hadn’t even been a real date? What if this was all in your head?

Taglist: @jxvipike, @miraclesabound, @littlemisspascal, @galaxyofmando, @pintsizemama, @athalien, @zanzann, @furiousmushroom, @ghostofaboy, @thebestrouge, @janebby

[moonsprings]

ccir episode 15 thoughts (it's long)

admittedly i'm mildly surprised at some folks saying ccir is a great critique on the educational system - imo i personally found it poorly handled mostly due to pacing issues and i don't really find the way they wrapped up the mr ji plot to be satisfying. if people want a show that critiques the extreme culture surrounding the asian educational system i think sky castle is a far better drama. despite some of the qualms i have with the last episode of sky castle it was well written overall and didn't suffer from so many of these issues like ccir does. i stand by this serial killer plot not really adding much to ccir's story - i think it would have been better if they went a more realistic route exploring what someone in that situation would do, especially in regards to ji dong hui being a victim of an abusive parent and a witness to his sibling's suicide. i think even just expanding upon the murder of his parent would have been enough of a mystery without adding in this whole serial killer plot if they really wanted the thriller mystery. i'm not against having a murder plot line (again, see sky castle) but i don't think the way it was executed worked here. a lot of plot lines seem poorly resolved. i can think of several b-plots that were wildly rushed or never mentioned again: - they never mention the female student stalker who got shot in the very beginning of the show ever again. honestly i only found out she was dead this week because the news in the story says 3 dead, multiple injured - but the drama never said she was dead explicitly before or acknowledged it with any additional scene of her family/friends asking why she's missing, especially given that ccy was accused of dating this particular underaged student. it's weird they never mention it or show an investigation of her death unlike the other student who was also killed on screen. - what happened to ccy's piano date? not even a short text msg from her on screen to finish out their short relationship and they act like she never existed. - sua's onset mental illness issues - likely will be mentioned in the last episode? but i find the way sua's story's been paced really awkward - in the beginning she got significant screen time, and now she's dropped off so much i forgot she existed for most of the last 3-4 episodes. they also never elaborate why she's obsessed with haeyi either. - jaewoo and yeongju's rapid 2 episode romance was badly paced. they should have set it up from the beginning so it didn't feel so last minute. - haeyi's bio mom suddenly appearing and dominating the last 3 episodes of the series completely overtaking the focus on the serial killer plot, which ended up giving the murder mystery a rather lackluster ending. - haeyi unaware? of mr ji's death as there was no scene connecting the two despite her being attacked and kidnapped by him, and in general mr ji's death feels like it's glossed over quickly - we don't see the impact of his suicide on his coworkers or the police or the victims's family/friends. it also feels like ccy also gets over it really fast. like... i feel like they needed short scenes or even just a line to acknowledge these things happened in order resolve these story points more completely. there were parts i also enjoyed about this ep like the smaller moments - sunjae and geonhu's hilariously wholesome back and forth outside the hospital. i liked that haeyi didn't pick either of them and that the love triangle isn't so combative or typical, and that they're all genuinely good friends with each other. ccy and nhs's short interaction to show he has a support network now and someone who cares for him as much as he cares for her was nice, as well as haeyi's teacher's gentle banter with nhs about ccy. idk how the last episode's gonna go but eh 😔 jeon doyeon does dramas so rarely that i know i'm gonna watch it to the end anyways... and i enjoy jung kyungho's acting as well so... only one episode left so i really do hope they can wrap this up enough to be an ok ending.

[acourtofthought]

The whole 4 book buildup is such a reach, I feel like some Elriel with a big following made the claim and they all went along with it, because, no one else agrees. Even friends of mine who are casual readers and don't care who ends up with who are genuinely confused when I tell them about the fandom drama.

Book 1: 0 points. Azriel wasn't even introduced

Book 2: 0 points. Elain and Lucien were mated in ACOMAF. At this time, SJM goes on record to explain why she mated them and we can expect to see tension and growth, TOGETHER. Clearly, Elriel isn't anywhere on her radar or mind, especially if she's openly talking about Elucien. My favorite game is sharing this interview with Elriels and watching them spiral.And, let's not even get into Mor and Azriel. If only SJM had made them endgame; we wouldn't be in this mess. But as far as Azriel is concerned, Elain who? He's all about Mor.

Book3: 0 points. The series ended here, as planned, Elain is by Lucien's side. There is enough clues indicating they will find a way to one another. There was so much buildup between them? From Elain needing sunshine, to taking a step towards him, to smiling at him after the war. Asking him if he is ok. Besides all that, she is still, as far as we know in love with Grayson. Her heart is broken. It made sense why SJM didn't push Lucien on Elain there and left it open ended to a future if the series ended. BUT, it didn't and this is the time she's interviewed and teased future books, this is also the time she includes Elucien in headcanon vacations and when she said Elriel had a sibling bond. The Twitter meltdown was epic to watch.

Book 4: 0 points, Azriel is looking at Mor with so much heat that is makes Feyre uncomfortable and in the same book, he looks at Elain with pity, sighs with relief that he didn't have to get her or Nesta a gift. Yeah, real romantic. I do think this js when Elain started developing her crush, or interest in Azriel, but as we don't have her POV, we can't for sure say why she likes Az, if it was purely physical, if it was to prove she could get over Grayson, if it was to prove to herself the bond with Lucien doesn't have a strong grasp on her. We don't know yet. That's what elriels don't get. Without Elains POV. It's all assumptions. But who's POV we do have? Oh that's right Azriel

Book 5: 0 points, because NOTHING ultimately happened, Azriels POV, per canon, showed us he never thought about a future with Elain, he refuses to answer a question about Mor. Azriel and Elain aren't a couple, the aren't in love, Azriel says she hardly knows him. There is no real foundation for anything when it comes to endgame couples from SJM. She never even let these two off the dock. Elries love to say nesta know his secrets, did they even watch SJMs interview? She said Nesta can relate to Azriel, because she knows what's it's like to hold in pain and not be ready, that's the secrets imo she comments about in Azriel. And if Feyre knows about Mor, it's safe to assume nesta does too as Mor is the one by the fire.like I don't think it's a secret Az is in love with Mor to anyone, yes, cassian noted a change, but he still isn't over her.

So my point is, when you look at the BIG picture of things and also take into account the context, Elriel really had nothing more than a few cute moments, all the theories I see from them constantly change, or use text taken out of context, like they see notorious for that shit. Like, oh let's pick a random word and make it a  parallel and use a bunch of words to sound convincing, not to mention the lies they spread. 😂

Eluciens and Gwynriels don't argue and say they are in love, or make some far fetched off page theories, we aren't stupid. We are aware there is no romance between them right now, it's the pontential, given SJM patterns and her interviews, she's buildt a romance on a lot less. Besides, eluciens have what elriels wish they did, a mating bond. ☺️ and gwnriels have strong evidence of one, but we aren't naive enough to think Azriel is in a good place to jump into a ship, which is why a friends to lovers works for them.

That's what I think E/riels miss, the big picture. Yes, there are definitely times where you can point to the text and say, "this was a cute E/riel moment!" but when you pull back and look at everything surrounding that moment, it ruins it's authenticity and everything combined doesn't look good for an E/riel endgame.

And no, Gwynriel isn't in love yet but that's a good thing. Because Az isn't fully over Mor and no one wants him falling for Gwyn while he's still conflicted over Mor. But any moments Gwynriel share, even as friends, isn't ruined by the bigger picture in the way E/riels were. Gwynriel moments still stand up as being positive, healthy, and fun interactions versus E/riels which are surrounding by negativity, hiding who they are from one another, and a mismatch in interests and personality's.

[uhhhyaenbyjade]

Ninjago Tierlist

My new and updated Ninjago Season/Special ranking! I just wanna start off by saying that Ninjago is my favorite piece of media - ever. Nothing will make me hate this show, and while I definitely see the flaws in a lot of the show, it still brings me more joy than anything. Also this is all opinion based, so if you disagree, keep it civil and polite Written ranking and explanation under the cut!

S Tier: - Hunted: My favorite season of all time. I love the focus that was given to the OG 4, and Wu’s development. Also the fight against Garmadon was great, and I felt it was a more ‘intense’ season that still kept the childlike nature it was supposed to have. My only gripe is how they treated Nya - Seabound: Basically tied for favorite season of all time. Nya is my favorite character, so I really liked this season. Exploring her relationship with her family and the team, while also showing her anger issues really vibed with me. Also, Kalmaar is one of my favorite villains too A Tier: - Master of the Mountain: Another banger of a season. Seeing Cole’s past and how he took those lessons from his mother was something I very much loved. The Skull Sorcerer was kinda basic, but I enjoyed the fight scenes, the jokes, and especially Adam the Spider. - Skybound: This season had Jay at his best. The character growth in how he treats Nya and becomes a real badass, I love it. Nadakhan is also a boss, I hope we see him again one day. - Rise of the Snakes: In my opinion, this is the most memorable Ninjago season. The Serpentine were a really awesome group of bad guys, and Pythor especially was great. Having to team up with Garmadon is really great too. - Prime Empire: I really liked the animation in this season, and how the ninja explored the digital world. Unagami’s story was really cool too! Detective Zane stole his scenes, and of course we have to talk about the badass dance competition scene. I love how this delved more into Jaya - Posession: *chef’s kiss* I legitimatley cannot think of anything bad about this season. I can’t. Morro is great, Ronin is great, Kai being a big brother is great. The only reason it isn’t much higher is because I just like the others more B Tier: - Sons of Garmadon: The animation and design changes aren’t too jarring for me, and I actually like them. The opening season to the absolutely awesome Oni Trilogy. Had really good lore moments, and I feel they treated everyone awesomely. Also, the prison fight will always be iconic - Secrets of Forbidden Spinjitzu (Ice Chapter): More realms is always a plus in my book. Zane was freaking fantastic, and I loved Kai’s growth here. I do wish Lloyd didn’t have as big of a focus, but I understand that he is supposed to be the most “main character” of all the main characters - Legacy of the Green Ninja: A very good season, but I really haven’t watched it in a while. Its good, and has great moments, but it is just kinda forgettable to me. Except for the Final Battle, that part is burned into my head - Crystalized: While I do see that it has a lot of issues, it never really bothered me while watching it. They did the best with what they had, and I enjoyed watching it. I do wish that the villains were more intimidating here, but oh well. Oni Lloyd was cool for the 30 seconds he was around, but Garmadon being badass & loving Christofern stole the season for me. Also the Wu v. Overlord fight is top three fight scenes, ever. - Dragon’s Rising Part 1: It was a good start to the new series. I do miss the OG ninja, but Arin and Sora have good development so far! The new lore is pretty cool, and I’m excited to see where it is going! C Tier: - Pilots: A good first couple of episodes. Doesn’t get too big, but does a good job with what it has. A good middle of the road ‘season’. Do love the nostalgia too - Rebooted: A decent season; I liked what they did with Pythor and the Overlord too. The whole love triangle thing was cringe though. - March of the Oni: Could have been so much better, could have been so much worse. Garmadon’s Oni form was hideous, but his interactions with Lloyd were cool. Cole’s ‘death’ was emotional, and the reforging of the Golden Weapons was nice too - Secrets of Forbidden Spinjitzu (Fire Chapter): Eh... it was alright. My favorite part is mainly REVENGE! REVENGE! REVEEEEEEENGE! Will always get a laugh out of me. Loved seeing the Ninjago citizens kinda just going about their day while everything around them gets destroyed too, lol - Hands of Time: Honestly I watched this season only once, and I never really liked the animation stuff. It had a good story and I loved that stuff, but it never stood out to me - Tournament of Elements: I honestly forget this exists when I think of Ninjago stuff. A decent season, but the parts that stick out are Chen’s hilariousness and Skylor D Tier: - The Island: Meh. It was alright. The lore it introduced was cool, but I wish Ronin’s character development hadn’t been shot down - Day of the Departed: Laughable in my opinion. Yang was great and Cole was great. It could have been better if they had made it a season, but oh well. The villains were kinda a joke too 

[gretasworld]

Lets bust a confusion. About these two incestuous minors and Alucard’s stupidity and portrayal by Fucking Netflix,the champion of woke messages and FITNAA of the devil.

1. First of all, if we look at history, Japan and Romania ( country where Castlevania takes place ) never knew each other until 18th century. Japan was a closed nation to the entire world and totally isolated. So these bastards crossing thousands of miles to visit Eastern Europe in 15th century is nonsensical and nothing but promotion of gay agenda nonsense and other shit that goes with it. That too for killing a dude ? Same goes for Cho. But because its Netflix/Fuckflix so their diversity, inclusivity, equity, genderbending and race swapping identity politics quota is more important than writing good literature with sensible racial,geographical and historical accuracy. The show kept no respect for either the culture of Romania or the games and made the whole show look like modern day America teeming with immigrants interacting instead. LOL.

2. These two were brother and sister that were shown to have incestuous habits as gross as it gets. The proof lies in the episode where we get to see them touch each other while teasing a drunk Alucard in his bed naked. There it is confirmed how bullshit Netflix can get with their shows and pushing envelope especially in a kid's show.

3. These Japanese don't exist in the games,they been added to fill diversity quota. When the Japanese bastards arrive, they start with trying to kill Alucard. Later, they get caught and act like his friends. Sumi in particular acts all touchy feely and flirty with Alucard right from the get go and Alucard instantly reciprocates. ( Alucard is shown throughout entire Castlevania series to have big appetite for women, falls easily for women,their touch and attention of women. ) while the boy Taka stays as he is. However, they want to learn vampire killing stuff and present themselves as orphans. Sympathising with them naively, Alucard agrees to mentor them and let's them into the castle. If it was some other naive guy instead of Alucard, he or she would have done the same out of respect and courtesy. Its nothing to do with romantic love for two people at the same time for fucks sake.

4. These freaks are younger than the dumbass dhampir as he is made out to be in the series and are treated like children by him while he holds an older brother and mentor.

If you have siblings, you will relate. Nothing romantic or sexual in the castle from Alucard’s side. Simple platonic friendship builds among them as time passes which is very normal as humans are social creatures. Now the lgbt kids speculate that these bastards are Alucard’s lovers. Where ? Did they propose to him ? Did he propose? No. There is no confirmation in the series. Yes we can agree that Sumi was flirty and touchy with Alucard and he seemed to like the girl's attention too and we can guess they may have had some harmless flirty moments but Taka was not into any of that. He was like a little brother to Alucard minding his own. So please stop speculating that this was a bi poly bullshit. Socialisation between humans automatically doesn't mean something romantic or sexual for God's sake.

5. The twins decide to kill Alucard and the night they will kill him is the night they have a lot of wine especially Alucard who is shown to be a heavy drinker, has his guard down and unsteady emotionally. He goes to bed but some uneasiness come over him. He cannot sleep. The bastards get in his room and he worrily asks them if anything is wrong. This act of worrying itself shows how paternal or big brotherly Alucard had been to these two so far looking after them and cooking for them as the adult one among the three. Nothing sexual or romantic on his side at all so far. So lgbt kids,teens and tweens stop speculating and jumping to conclusions. The lgbt promoting websites such as Lgbt Fandom and Wikia have written garbage about this episode and given Alucard and some others a queer but also perverse identity all to promote the rainbow. Netflix is part of that far left politics. And now we see kids repeat what they have seen on those websites calling it cannon.

6. The twins get in his bed. Alucard fails to understand what's happening at first. He never had sex before and is quite surprised when they push him to lie down and kiss him much to his shock. This WTF reaction from Alucard that we see is another clear indication that he never saw these two as lovers initially,had no romantic feelings nor had any three way poly relation with them right from the bat and certainly expected no sex. This is all unexpected behaviour to him.

If poly was the case, Alucard would be all comfy and sharing the bed with both in laughter already instead of going WTF. 😄We also get to see Alucard being physically intimate for the first time and not having clear ideas on what to do ? 😖

7. The twins touch him all over body to arouse and tease him. He is aroused but notice how uncomfortable as well. Its interesting to notice that in this scene, he is more inclined towards Sumi,.kissing her, turning towards her, playing with her legs,hips,neck and boobs away from the boy on other side. 😶 For a while the touching continues from both sides. The boy does his part to keep arousing him. Then we see Taka licks Alucard’s leg and Sumi plays with Alucard’s dick. He is highly horny and crying from severe horniness. Now here is another point. Either of the twins might have given Alucard a blow job but the show doesn't show that or which twin doing it. We only see Alucard tossing his head. Therefore,you cannot jump to conclusion that it was Taka. It may have been that girl too. No surety. Then again, it looks like a joke more than sex.

Let's focus on yet another detail. In the presence of Sumi, why didnot the dumbass Alucard turn her over and penetrate her ? Is it not the natural instinct for a dude attracted to women to want to penetrate during sex ? What kind of a dude lays like a log during sex 🤔 ?

8. Now we see the boy attempts to penetrate Alucard as he pulls his legs to his shoulders but right then, the twins move back to two sides of Alucard while he is still tossing his head God knows why and immediately they put rings around both his hands to tie him to the bed. The " sex " ends there. Gay people argue and lgbt websites say that Taka was queer and had sexual intercourse anally with Alucard but if you look closely in the episode, that never happened. He did lift his legs up and pulled him close but no penetration or such sort could take place. Because they went for the killing right there. 🤔 Watch the episode carefully again and match my analysis.

Another point- why did Alucard lay there the whole time just tossing his head left and right instead of getting up and putting his dick inside Sumi or Taka ? Its very confusing actually what was going on in the scene. Also, him just laying there is another clear indication that his body was too heavy to move from all the drinking 🤐. He lay like a log coz he was too drowned in alcohol or maybe just maybe "drugs" 🤨. He didn't move around actively which is strange for a man to do during sex. Unless he is too intoxicated to move, it is not like a man to just passively lay there when sex happens. Even faggots that bottom move around in bed.

So it's safe to say, his drunkenness could be also a reason he didn't say a proper " yes " or a " no " when they forced themselves on him. He just stared like drunks do at hoes in bars. They knew he was down with alcohol,his vision not as clear,his mind completely insane and heart a big mess from disaster in his life and he would be easy to manipulate by means of sexual arousal. We see this in real life when people hit rock bottom,are lost and cannot make proper judgements, they drink too much booze or do drugs,their libido gets too high and they get taken advantage of or many have sexual encounters that they are not very proud of later. Same was Alucard's case. Being a lonely horny mess, he got aroused real fast.His boundary was down to zero. Courtesy of the booze. Courtesy of being a virgin for too long. Courtesy of depression. Courtesy of loneliness. A cocktail 🍸.

Here is another point to prove Alucard never had romantic inclinations or "relationship" with the weirdos - after He kills them out of defence and puts them on stakes and pees near their stake rods. He is pissed as fuck at these two and is seen crying in physical pain,betrayal and guilt after the kill because he cannot believe one bullshit after another taking place in his pathetic life. You don't hate people to the extend of killing and impaling them if you so loved them romantically. It's pure disgust and hate from Alucard we get to see for the sudden debauchery and murder attempt on him. We see Alucard is feeling torn by people he stupidly allowed in his house and thought them as his siblings and children until the "sex" moment arrived if you call it sex that is. He is blaming himself for his stupidity as well.

9. Now many lgbt crazies can argue this act was to show Alucard is bisexual and so is Taka coz its all about representation and relating for them right ? HELL TO THE NO. NOTHING WILL CHANGE THE ALUCARD KONAMI GAVE US. We people understand very well what has been going on for years in the movies,shows and songs and we don't buy it no matter how many websites they put up to confuse young people and encourage them into these things.

So, does this so called sex act confirm bisexuality or queerness for Taka ? NOPE. Taka is a villain, clearly acted with an agenda and did what he needed to do and that is to kill Alucard according to their plan from the start. Also,you will notice most of the sex work done on Alucard was done by Sumi and Taka played along doing just enough to show he was engaged until the right time to kill came. We are certain from the episode that Taka is more an deceiver, not a bi or poly and he played his act well. But the siblings surely are INCESTUOUS if anything. Plus, Taka and the girl never had any romantic feelings for stupid Alucard unlike how some people with meaningless fanfics and especially websites would conclude. Sumi might have had a crush maybe,nothing serious enough like love but Taka clearly never had any feelings or real attraction. If Sumi atleast had feelings for the stupid Alucard, she would not join in the killing. She is another villain after all. Simple logic.

Despite what those Lgbt websites and toxic fandoms say, the simple logic is this - you don't kill someone you love while having sex at someone's vulnerable state. Only enemies with agenda do that. Logic pointed. If the twins did love him they wouldn't try to kill him.

10. People may ask why did Taka get involved sexually ? He must have been attracted to Alucard ! Sumi could easily do the job of killing herself? Unless the Japanese dude is pan or queer, why would he.... and why kill by using sex in the first place ?

Answer 1 = Because Netflix has to show its diversity inclusivity and woke identity politics,push polyamory agenda in all of its original creations,click all its check boxes and ruin many beloved video games characters and cartoon characters like the original straight and dignified Alucard. That's why. Oh and season 3 flopped for these obvious reasons. 🤣 Warren Ellis went to jail. Yet Netflix continues on with woke shit. They do it with every other show as well.

Answer 2 = Because Sumi might not have been able to handle Alucard who is very powerful, all by herself as a human girl so Taka, a guy and her own brother got in the room with her to assist her in killing him and to ensure his sister's safety lest anything should happen to her. Easy math.

People may ask is Sumi queer or poly ?

Answer is She is an deciever and villain with an agenda and incestuous like her brother. Nothing more.

Second Last question - Was Alucard ever attracted to Taka to allow sex ? Well, he never was. Only during the sex as they call it when it came to him by surprise, he might have thought when they both approached him by force, "well this is new ." In real life, you will find many people of both genders have had same sex encounters but that tells nothing about their real identities or inclinations. ( This is where Netflix confuses everyone and divides the fans into two groups by not staying true to the Games and manga Lore. )

Final question - Is Alucard really bisexual even in the blasted series unlike the canon ? All answers from observations and series itself say NO. Proof lies in his one sided crush on Sypha and jealousy with Trevor over having her, reciprocating overt flirtiness from Sumi and leaning towards Sumi more during sex and finally falling in love with Greta and trying hard to impress her, being protective of her in danger,bowing to Greta as she enters his castle just like his dad and immediately accepting her when she asks him out " I think I might like you. " Not to mention how happy he becomes when Greta tells him the orphan children look at him like a father.

Plus, his idolizing the relationship of his parents Dracula and Lisa as shown in season 1 when he talks about his parents.

Watch the pictures below,play the video and match my words. And don't buy into those lgbtq fandom websites, new websites that pop up everyday to express flawed opinion run by Sjws or follow weird ships by 12 years old, people. It will ruin your mind's sanity.

Pictures and screenshots of posts collected.

[luxaryllis]

Is it okay to ask for a part 2 of the Vil sibling angst, I would prefer if it were more fluff cause the angst tore my heart into two and it desperately needs mending lmao 😭😭

Also it seems that you were kind of setting up for a part two with the Apple farm and all that, does that mean that if we do get a part 2 then Epel will be in it?

You don’t need to answer this ask if you aren’t comfortable answering it, please take your time and your writing is amazing like omg I don’t know how to put it into words lmao sorry if this part feels random I need to vocalize(??) this

Younger Sibling!Reader Who Doesn't Want To Be Like Him with Vil Schoenheit: Part 2

Note: HELLO!! And yes, you may request for Part 2!!

And yes, this will have fluff in it!! Fluff AND comfort, actually! But there still will be some angst, especially the end portion-

And I'm glad you liked my fics hehe

I really didn’t expect that people would want a part 2 and continuations and stuff, but here we are haha

Also, please note that Reader (in this series) is 4 years younger than Vil; so they’re 14 as Vil is 18. And Reader does NOT attend NRC (they attend another separate school, whose name will not be mentioned). Also, Rook’s nickname for Reader includes the term, “prince” (because as far as I know, French doesn’t have any gender-neutral royalty terms), but [Name] is still gender-neutral, though!

Part 1 | Part 2 (here) | Alternate Endings

Anyway, let’s get to it!!

Editor: @madasme-luxary

Beta-Reader(?): 🐍 anon

Warning/s: Chapter 5 Spoliers, Reader is given a vague appearance description (having similar face shape/eye shape as Vil), Reader is called/referred to as 'prince' (still interpreted as gender-neutral, though), Cussing, Possible OOC, Use of Japanese honorifics, Use of French nicknames, Tell me if I missed anything

---

After a while of crying and slightly calming down, [Name] slowly looks around.

Where were they?

…

How far are they from the shooting site?

…do they even want to go back?

They take a deep breath and shakily stand up.

Crack!

They suddenly hear a branch crack right behind them. [Name] jumps and looks at the source of the sound.

“Shit”, they hear a voice mutter.

“... Who’s there..?” They reluctantly call out, smoothing out and fixing their appearance.

A person slowly moves out from behind a tree and [Name] gets a good look at them.

The person had beautiful, slightly wavy purple hair and blue eyes. He had a short stature, and seemed to have a more feminine appearance. He was beyond beautiful. Vil would definitely have loved to meet him.

“Uhh.. sorry if I interrupted you but uhh… who are ya? Never seen you 'round here before.” The stranger asks. He had a strange country accent, though then again, the movie was shooting on the outskirts of the Land of Pyroxene.

Other than the stranger's accent, [Name] was also quite..intrigued. This was the first time someone hadn’t known them.

Though it did feel a bit relaxing; this person didn’t recognize them.

Perhaps it was the smudged and messy look they had?

Whatever it was, at least it was a slight moment of relief that the stranger didn't know them.

“My name is [Name]. And you are…?” [Name] asks the stranger after a while.

"Epel. Epel Felmier. Uhh... you okay? I... don't really know what 'appened, but ya don't look so good"

"Oh it's... nothing... my older brother and I just... got into an arguement... That’s all,'' You reply back.

"...ya wanna talk 'bout it?", Epel reluctantly asks. He really wanted to mind his own business, but something about this “[Name]” made him mind himself more than usual. 

"I... don't know... you're probably busy, aren't you?", [Name] asks. Though deep inside, they truly, truly wanted to talk to someone about it.

But they couldn't. Well, they shouldn't. It would ruin the public image of the Schoenheit family, especially Vil's.

"Nah, I'm not so busy", Epel replies as he lightly chuckles, walking up to [Name] and sitting down in front of the trees.

Hesitantly, [Name] does the same. They suppose doing this wouldn't hurt.

"You see.. my older brother is this world famous actor and model.. and nearly my entire life, he's been getting me to attend a bunch of harsh trainings and classes to 'mold me into a better version of myself! He's always forcing those kinds of things onto me, and I've always wanted to tell him off, but never did. “Today, I have had enough of his horrible treatment of me, so I... lashed out at him..." [Name] started to ramble on and on about their older brother, hands moving around in random gestures to emphasize their words.

Epel sat there, silently listening. He could relate. A lot. Vil Schoenheit, the dorm leader of Pomefiore (the dorm Epel was SOMEHOW sorted into), would ALWAYS get Epel to do some beauty stuff like etiquette and makeup, etc. He'd also always make Epel act all nice and prince-like and elegant. It's so annoying.

...

Now that he thinks about it, while listening to [Name] rant and ramble on about their older brother, Epel can't help but notice the similarities between [Name]'s older brother and his Dorm Leader.

[Name]'s older brother seems very similar to Vil; even the obsession with being the most beautiful matches. Not to mention the fact that [Name] seems to be quite identical to Vil. When compared, both their face and eye shape looked so alike with one another.

Also, [Name]'s mannerisms were eerily similar with Vil’s …

Epel's eyes widened. No way- Is... is [Name]...

VIL'S SIBLING?!?!

Epel had also heard Rook talking about a ‘Prince des Douleurs’, who was the one and only younger sibling of 'Roi du Poison' -  Vil.

He doesn't know much about French, but when he searched the title up, he was confused as to what it translated to.

‘Prince des Douleurs’ translates to Prince of Sorrows.

Rather a strange thing to call someone, aye?

But, looking at [Name], Epel starts to understand where Rook was coming from with the nickname. He was still a tad weirded out that Rook might know about this, though.

As [Name] finally stops talking and takes a deep breath to calm down, Epel snaps out of his thoughts and back into reality.

"Man... that sure is a tough life, huh?"

"Yeah..."

"Say.... does your brother happen to be Vil Schoenheit?"

Needless to say, [Name] was surprised. How did Epel know? Will he tell the public about this?!

“Please... don't tell anyone..." they pleaded to Epel. 

They didn't want the public knowing more than they already do.

Some things are meant to be kept away from the eyes and ears of outsiders.

‘Crap…’

‘They shouldn't have trusted Epel, afte-’

"Nah, don't worry. No offense, but I don't like Vil-senpai anyway."

[Name]'s thoughts were interrupted by Epel's words.

'E-eh...?'

"Y-you what...?"

"Yeah, I study at NRC with Vil-senpai. He's also my dorm leader. I don't really like him. He forces me to do all this training and etiquette stuff and it's annoying!! I wanna be a man and grow muscles and be all buff!! Not be some little weakling princess! Not only that- but he's always...", Epel goes on and on and on about Vil, leaving [Name] to listen carefully, just as he did for them.

While listening, [Name] notices how common both of them saw Vil. Along with their experiences with him. It makes them feel... not so alone as they thought.

After all, who would dare speak aloud, their distaste for someone like Vil Schoenheit, especially in front of his sibling.

But Epel... not only did he listen to [Name], he even shared his own feelings about Vil and  though he probably didn't know about it, it made [Name] feel very relieved to be understood.

After a while, [Name] and Epel continued to converse with each other. Moving from topic to topic. Never really staying on one for too long.

Epel invited [Name] to stay over when they noticed that the sun was setting. Reluctantly, [Name] agreed.

[Name] met Epel's grandparents and they welcomed [Name] with open arms. They allowed them to stay the night and even prepared food for them.

It made [Name] feel... at home. Which, to them, is quite strange. They don't know these people at all, and they didn’t know [Name] either. But they were still welcomed with open arms. 

It also gave them a lot of perspective. [Name] never really had an opinion on apples, but with the amount of apples around the place, especially those being served to them, they couldn’t help but find apples as a symbolism for the hospitality they received.

---

Meanwhile,  Vil is running around the place, calling out for his sibling.

He's been looking around for them since they ran away. Sweat messing up his hair and makeup.

But good looks be damned. He would care less about it all, if it meant he could find his sibling.

Vil wanted to talk to them and apologize. He wanted to make sure that they were doing okay. Who knows what could have happened to them?

Vil slows down as he pants and wipes away his sweat with a handkerchief.

Vil looks around to see if [Name] is anywhere near, but sees no sign of them. He sighs in exhaustion and worry.

His mind goes back to what they said to him.

"Okay, alright?! I get it!! You don't have to keep telling me this a million times! Don't you understand that I DON'T WANT TO BE LIKE YOU"

“Acting isn't what I want to do in life if it's YOU in there! Modelling is a 'no' for me if YOU are there. I'm sick and TIRED of having to put up with how you act! My life is NOT about you! It is NOT! Why can't you understand...?"

...

'I messed up... I really messed up... I... I truly THOUGHT that what I was doing was for [Name]'s good... but... look at where we are now…’

'Damn it... you strive to be like the Beautiful Queen, and to be the most beautiful of all. But you have shown such an unsightly and ugly side of you...'

'You strive to be the hero for once... but paint yourself as the villain in your own sibling's eyes in the process...'

'So ugly... so horrifying... so disgusting...'

Vil berates himself in his thoughts, guilt and shame breaking him apart.

He wishes that he could just turn back time to stop his past self from doing all of this. If he had, his sibling wouldn't have been hating him like this.

Vil continues berating and cursing himself as he continues to look for his sibling, even asking other people if they have seen them.

Vil didn't care that the public saw him like this. If his sibling could be in possible danger, everything, even his image, can be damned.

---

It's been a few weeks and days, and the Schoenheit family has asked the public to help find their youngest. The days go by, and no one seems to have any good news on where [Name] could be.

Everyone (including the Schoenheit family and their fans) have been actively searching for [Name], being very worried for the young teen.

All to no avail; no one has seen even a sign of them.

It's only a few days until the end of Winter break and Vil is currently pacing around worried.

Mr. Schoenheit is seated on one of the couches in the living room, his knee bouncing in anticipation.

Both men have worried frowns on their faces, thinking about the well-being of their child/sibling.

Vil has already told his father about what had happened. Vil received a scolding, but it didn't last long, as Mr. Schoenheit let it go quite easily. That doesn't mean he isn’t disappointed at Vil about it, but he decides to focus on his youngest child before dwelling on the past.

They both suddenly hear the doorbell and both rush to the door in a hurry.

Vil opens the door and the sight in front of him makes his eyes widen.

There stands his dear younger sibling, [Name], with Epel Felmier and an older woman next to them.

Vil doesn't mind the two, and focuses solely on his younger sibling.

Words move to his mouth, but no matter how much he wants to say it, it's as if something is keeping his mouth shut.

Vil opens the door wider and the moment Mr. Schoenheit sees [Name], he gasps and moves past Vil to embrace them.

[Name] softly yelps at the sudden embrace, but hugs their father back, finding his hug comforting.

"You're safe. Oh, thank the Sevens, you're safe. We were so, so worried about you, [Nickname].", Mr. Schoenheit says softly, burying his head to the crook of his child's neck, already crying.

"My grandson, Epel had found the child in our apple orchard and brought them to our home. We’ve been housing them ever since and they decided that it was about time they came home.”

“I’m truly sorry for not giving you any notice and potentially worrying you. [Name] said not to just yet and they still seemed pretty shaken up at the time so I refrained from contacting you.”

“No, it’s alright. I’m just glad that my child is alright. Thank you so much for taking care of them. Please, take this as compensation.”

“Oh dear, no, we can’t possibly take so much money!”

“Please, I insist. It’s the least I could do.”

---

Vil stands there, his hands slightly twitching, staring at [Name] after the father-child duo pull away from the hug.

He has so much he wants to say to them...

He truly, truly wants to hug them, but is afraid they might be uncomfortable with that.

The words exchanged by the other people go through one ear and out the other for both Vil and [Name] as they silently (and awkwardly) stare at each other.

[Name] takes a deep breath, oh dear... this will be one long day...

---

The family of three sit at the dinner table, silently eating dinner.

No one knows what to say, and if they do, they don't know how to say it.

[Name] takes another deep breath, and opens their mouth. It's now or never, they suppose.

"I... I am very sorry for running away and causing such a commotion. I... hope you can accept my apology...", [Name] says, catching the other two's attention.

"Oh... oh no, my child... your brother and I should be the ones apologizing."

"W-wha... but I-"

"No, [Name]. Dad is right. I forced so much on you, and neither of us noticed how much you were suffering. I hope you can allow us to try to be better."

[Name] was surprised at what Vil and their father said.

They take a deep breath, the two other at the table also taking a deep breath of anticipation.

'Am I ready to let it go, though...? I... I want to be on better terms with them but...'

"I... I... need some... time to uhh... think about that... I just... need some space and time to myself... if that’s... okay.. with you..."

[Name] slowly says to their dad and older brother.

Vil and Mr. Schoenheit nod in understanding. While they were quite saddened that [Name] didn’t want to try immediately, but they understood that it would take some time for them to come around.

The duo mentally decided to give the child some space and time for themselves, not without reminding them that they’re here for them, though.

The Winter Break ended like that.

Unfortunately, [Name] hasn’t gotten around to open up to Vil or their dad, but both are patient and are willing to wait however long.

Both [Name] and Vil leave for their respective schools, this time, with no hard feelings or anything.

---

Vil looks at his phone in contemplation. His group’s song, Absolutely Beautiful playing in the background as some members of the NRC Tribe continue practicing on their own.

“Roi du Poison? May I ask what on your phone has you looking so tentative?”, Rook’s voice calls out to him, making Vil look up at his vice.

“Hmm? Oh, it’s nothing. I was simply thinking if I should invite [Name] to the VDC or not.”, Vil replies as he looks back down on his phone, fingers hovering over the keyboard and eyes silently checking his message.

“Ah! I’m sure Prince des Douleurs would LOVE to watch their cher frère perform with his group!”, Rook encourages.

“Oh yeah!! My siblings are coming over to watch the VDC and they’re really excited to watch Jamil and I perform, right Jamil?”, Kalim speaks up from where he stood in the room.

“Kalim, please don’t barge into conversations you aren’t a part of; and don’t bring me into them either. *sigh* But I agree; Najma, my sister, is coming over to watch and she seemed pretty excited. Although you and your sibling’s relationship might not be the same as ours or Kalim’s with his.”, Jamil says, scolding Kalim before turning back to Vil as he continues dancing.

“...”, Epel stays quiet. He does know that [Name] might want to see their older brother as they still kept in contact through texting.

While he wants Vil to know that [Name] would gladly watch his performance, he wants to see what Vil would do.

During the time Epel has known [Name], he’s grown quite attached to them. Epel started to see them as a younger sibling figure for him. He wants to see them happy. Before, he thought Vil was being very unreasonable (with his treatment to both him and [Name]), but now that he sort of knows more and can vaguely see Vil’s point of view, Epel supposes that [Name] could try giving Vil a chance to explain.

While Epel doesn’t purely agree with Vil, Epel can see how much Vil cares about the wellbeing of others, especially [Name]. Though Epel does have a hard time still seeing Vil’s care for others sometimes; he does know that Vil really does. Vil has a sort of ‘tough love’ kind of attitude, and is really strict and harsh on others. Vil gives credit where credit is due, and will give criticism where criticism is due. And Epel respects that about Vil; he isn’t overly hard on everyone, but isn’t overly soft either.

“Not to mention, I would LOVE to see the Prince des Douleurs again. It’s been a while since I have seen them, after all.”

Rook knew about what had happened between the Schoenheit siblings; Epel even told him about it. While Rook sees the beauty in Vil’s work to try making [Name] the best self they can, he also sees the beauty in [Name]’s willingness to forgo their comfort and happiness for their older brother’s.

Nevertheless, he is aware that it isn’t very healthy for [Name], and is glad that Vil is trying to come to terms with [Name]. He is also very happy that the two aren’t making such a big fuss over it.

As the Chasseur d'Amour, Rook wants to find a way for his queen, Vil Schoenheit, to get the “happy ending” he deserves. Not to mention, the prince of sorrows, [Name] Schoenheit, has been suffering and in sorrow for quite a while.

So, Rook will try the best he can do to bring the Schoenheit family back together.

Vil hums and nods after a while. He takes Kalim’s, Jamil’s and Rook’s words into consideration and decides to send the message to his sibling.

---

A few days later, it's the date of the VDC, also known as the Vocal and Dance Competition.

[Name] looks at the entrance to the VDC venue.

The VDC is a world-famous tournament where each school’s best singers partake in. The performers usually come in groups, and have the audience vote for the winner. It’s also known for usually being a good place for a “debut” for aspiring singers and dancers.

They take a deep breath and walk towards the entrance.

Looking around they notice that the place does look pretty similar as it was last year, and the year before.

Nothing much is new, [Name] thinks to themselves as they walk around.

Their phone goes off and they take out the phone from their bag and check it.

A call from Vil.

They answer it and put their phone next to their ear.

"Hello?"

"[Name], hi."

"Hi."

[Name] tightens their lips together at their awkward response.

"Do you think it's alright if you can come visit us on the site? Rook, Epel and I would like to see how you are faring."

"Hmm? Oh. Yeah, sure. I'm heading towards the stage anyway."

"Ah, I see. Very well, you're free to come in at the dry run. We’d be happy to have you."

"Alright. Thank you, Vil."

"Of course. Stay safe, and enjoy the VDC."

Beep.

[Name] puts their phone back in their bag and continues their way over to the stage where the dry run will happen in hopes of getting a little glimpse.

They've done this the past 2 years and have been let in, so [Name] doesn't expect much disturbances.

---

As Vil looks around the stage, he sees the judges, the staff, and other contestants.

He looks back to the NRC Tribe, who are all preparing for the dry run, and takes a deep breath.

Then, at the corner of his eyes, he sees his younger sibling entering the venue.

[Name] nods at him and Vil nods back, and goes back to warming up.

"Whoa!! It's THE [Name] Schoenheit!!", a preppy voice shouts out, startling everyone in the vicinity.

Looking to the source, Vil is annoyed to see his "enemy" and "rival", Neige LeBlanche.

Neige smiles widely and moves to where [Name] is, gently grabbing their hand and shaking it quite rapidly.

"I am SUCH a big fan of you and your work!! I know we've both been on the same works multiple times, but I've never been able to actually approach you. But do you think I could get an autograph? A picture too! Waaa, this is a dream come true for me!", Neige excitedly says, still shaking [Name]'s hand.

[Name] blinks once. And twice. Then they snap back into reality. "A-ah. Yes, I am [Name] Schoenheit. And uhh... thank you, your works are also quite remarkable as well. And yes, you may have an autograph and picture."

Vil's eyes narrow at the sight before him. His sibling and enemy taking pictures and exchanging phone numbers, and even talking very well.

“Hmph... you can only smile for now. I will defeat you with my perfect performance, Neige.”, Vil says to himself.

Rook and Epel notice Vil's expression and look at each other in worry.

Kalim also jumps up and runs to [Name], also asking for a picture and autograph, which [Name] gladly does.

In Vil's head, there's a small seed of thought planted inside him. The thought saying, 'Even [Name] likes Neige more than me, their own brother...'

---

During the dry-run, Vil can't help but watch his sibling's reaction quite intently as Neige's group performs.

Vil is quite appalled to have seen his sibling gently bobbing their head to Neige and his little friends singing 'Heigh Ho'.

And while they did seem to enjoy the NRC Tribe's performance, Vil can't help but focus on that positive reaction they had to Neige.

The seed of thought and doubt quickly sprouts to even more.

And watching [Name] join in on the standing ovation that Neige's group was given made it grow faster.

"The familiarity of Neige-san's song makes for a good way to have everyone else enjoy and even bring up nostalgia for some.", [Name] says, voicing out their thoughts about the performance.

That was it.

Something in Vil snapped.

So...

Even his sibling preferred Neige over him, huh?

Well then...

So be it.

---

As they were drinking some water, [Name] suddenly felt that something was wrong.

They look around but see nothing wrong, except...

Vil and Neige were both gone...

[Name]'s eyes widen and think back to how much Vil dislikes (and possibly even hates) Neige.

Taking into account Vil’s expertise in poisons and potions, not to mention his Unique Magic, [Name] feels that something bad is going to happen.

Especially to Vil.

They quickly pack their bags and excuse themselves, trying to get backstage.

A staff worker blocks them from entering, however, “I’m so sorry, however only performers are allowed in the backstage halls.”

“A-ah... alright then... apologies...”, [Name] says, slowly backing away and bowing.

They turn around and leave. They look around for a secluded place and find a small corner nearby. They quickly close their eyes and envision one of the staff members working on stage.

“What you fear, I fear. What you like, I like. What you hate, I hate. We are both one and one in total. Now... {I Am You}.”, [Name] chants, taking a deep breath as their appearance slowly shifts into the staff member on their mind.

---

Yes, this was [Name]’s Unique Magic, {I Am You} allows [Name] to turn into someone else.

It allowed [Name] to be originally unoriginal. Shapeshifting seems like an important and useful skill and ability to have.

And [Name] would have agreed.

If it weren’t for the fact that it constantly reminded them how useless they are. How they only have to use their Unique Magic to be someone else.

Perhaps, they were being themselves, by being someone else.

A “copycat”, through and through.

Using their Unique Magic for longer than a certain amount of time was very taxing, though. Sometimes, it would accumulate more blot, other times, it would cause some other form of pain (sometimes even physical pain). Going past a certain time limit can cause pressure being exerted on [Name] or exhaustion, getting sick, etc..

After all, pain is beauty, and beauty is pain.

---

They open their eyes, taking in their new appearance, before quickly going back to the entrance of the backstage waiting room.

The staff member looks at them and lets them in. [Name] brisk walks and looks around for their older brother.

“I came here because I wanted to have a proper conversation with you.”

[Name] stops at the familiar voice, recognizing it as Vil.

“Yeah! I was thinking the same too!”

[Name]’s eyes widen at the sound of Neige.

Oh no...

They quickly deactivate their Unique Magic, as it was already going past the 2 minute mark they set for themselves. Their appearance slowly shifts back to their original one.

Silently sighing in relief of not having the pressure on them anymore, [Name] goes back to the conversation, peeking through a pillar to listen in.

“I wanted to give you a delicious apple juice. It’s my current favorite...”, Vil says, holding up a small bottle of those apple juices from Epel’s hometown, Harveston.

Oh right, Vil recently promoted Harveston’s apple juice on Magicam, didn’t he?

“Oh! It’s the one you uploaded on Magicam, right? I’ve always wanted to try it once, I’m so happy! Thank you, Vi-kun!!”, Neige excitedly thanked Vil for the apple juice.

[Name] looks closer at the bottle of apple juice. They silently mutter a spell that allows them to check any traces of magic on something or someone.

Focusing even more at the bottle, they notice some magic on it. Magic that was obviously Vil’s Unique Magic, {Fairest One Of All}.

[Name]’s eyes widened. Oh no. It’s poisoned!

“Here, please enjoy your drink.”, Vil says as he holds out the apple juice to Neige, a strangely smug and twisted smile on his face. Vil’s expression unfortunately goes unnoticed by Neige.

‘No! Neige don’t!’, [Name] shouts to Neige in their head, silently moving out of their hiding place.

“I will. Thanks!”, Neige says, about to take a sip.

[Name] opens their mouth to call for Vil, or Neige, but was interrupted by someone who seemed to have similar intentions.

“Neige-kun!”

[Name] stops at where they stood, silently hiding back behind the pillar, looking at who called out to Neige.

[Name] could barely hear the conversation, only little bits and pieces. From what they’re seeing, Rook is... GETTING THE APPLE JUICE FROM NEIGE?!

Oh.. okay... he’s... Rook is going to dispose of it, won’t he?

Yeah... phew. [Name] mentally sighs in relief at the Pomefiore Vice Dorm Leader’s intervention.

They still couldn’t hear much, but Rook’s expression seemed to be getting a bit more firm and harder.

Suddenly, Rook shouted, “NOW GO! HURRY UP!!”

[Name] flinches at the sudden increase in volume but quickly recovers.

They see Neige running away.

Okay... so now, Rook should get rid of that apple juice immediately!

[Name] sees Rook bringing the poisoned apple juice to his lips, about to take a sip.

"NO! ROOK!!"

“NO!”

[Name] doesn’t know what they did, but their body suddenly moved and then the apple juice is on the ground. And they're suddenly between Vil and Rook.

They look right next to them and see Kalim Al-Asim. The other boy who had asked for their autograph and stuff.

"Ah! Roi D-Or!! Prince des Douleurs!! And Grim and the prefect are here too!", Rook exclaims.

"Kalim, [Name], why did you both knock off the bottle Rook was holdin' just now?!"

Kalim pants, "I...made it on time..!"

[Name] looks at Kalim confused.

"What are you doing...?", Vil asks. To Rook, to Kalim, or to [Name], not even Vil himself knows.

Suddenly, a dark green, toxic substance starts bubbling and emitting gas. It was coming from the apple juice Vil poisoned.

"Fgnya!?! The apple juice that spilled on the ground is turning into a bubbly poisonous-looking green liquid!!", the monster shouts.

'Yeah... way to point out the obvious', [Name] silently sasses the monster in their head, bringing out a handkerchief and placing it to their mouth.

"This is the juice that you cast your Unique Magic on, right?", the white-haired boy asks, strangely serious.

Shouts of confusion and shock come from the managers of the NRC Tribe.

[Name] tunes out the conversation, opting to rummaging around their bag for something to cover up everyone else's mouths and noses.

Hearing Vil's rampage makes [Name] want to cry and get angry again. But they hold it in.

They finally find clean handkerchiefs and hand it to the others, not uttering a single word.

"Why? I wanted to become the most beautiful one in the world, but why am I so... ugly, ugly, ugly!?", Vil shouts, anguish in his voice.

[Name] flinches but steels themselves.

"Vil!! Please! You know what could happen if you go any further!! No one's hurt, everyone's okay! But if you go any further than this, we can't say the same anymore!!", [Name] shouts to their brother, making all attention snap back at them.

"I understand that you want to be beautiful, I really do!! But what you're doing right now isn't something a truly beautiful person would do!!", they continue, mouth slightly muffled from the handkerchief covering their mouth.

"No... that's right... that's what I want. If there is no one else in the world, I WILL BE THE MOST BEAUTIFUL ONE!!"

Ink gushes around Vil and [Name] is at a loss of what to do.

The ink slightly clears up and [Name] sees Vil in a different appearance.

No... Vil has actually gone into overblot...

"The pain won't last for a very long time. Your life is going to end soon. Your blood will freeze. And you won't wake up again. AHAHAHAHA!", Vil says, voice distorted and insane.

[Name] feels their body frozen from the shock, fear, and stress they're experiencing.

After all, overblots are a rare and dangerous phenomenon. There isn't a guarantee anyone would be alive at this point...

No... no, no, no...

'I'm scared... someone... anyone... please...'

[Name] was only 14 years old. Far too young to have been experiencing this much pain. Far too young to have to be experiencing so much at once.

There's too much going on. Everything and everyone's so loud.

Stop it, stop it please.

'Someone... someone help me...'

Everything goes black for [Name].

---

END!

Alright then!! Did I end in another cliffhanger? Yes, yes I did.

Like my other Younger Sibling!Reader fic, there will be alternative endings. 2 of which will be happy and 2 will be sad.

Apologies for the long wait!!

Thank you for all the support so far!

Comments and feedback are very much appreciated!! 💙

Also, thanks so much to my best friend, @madasme-luxary, who helped edit my work hehe. Also to 🐍 anon for helping me out! Thanks you guys!! ���💙

[giveamadeuschohisownmovie]

This is gonna be the hottest take I’ve written in a long while, so here we go:

“Falcon and the Winter Soldier” was the more conservative-leaning show when compared to “The Punisher”

It feels weird writing that out since, at the surface level, it feels like it should be the other way around. Remember back in 2017 when there was a lot of pushback on the Punisher TV series because it was seen as right-wing propaganda? A lot of people just saw “ex-military guy with machine gun” and immediately made the connection to the alt-right movement. It didn’t help that the alt-right loved the Punisher symbolism, especially the military and police.

Meanwhile, there’s “Falcon and the Winter Soldier”, which technically should’ve been the more anti-conservative series. MCU Steve Rogers was set up as being anti-authoritarian and we were getting a black Captain America, something that closed-minded people would classify as “woke-pandering”. 

But if you go past that and actually look at both series’ content, it feels like there’s a clear divide between what people are seeing at the surface level versus what actually happens in the shows.

Yes, the Punisher features an ex-military guy who uses guns because he wants to take the law into his own hands. But the show also features:

1) The military industrial complex as the main villain of season 1 and Christian extremism as the main villain of season 2

2) The whole show was centered on criticism of the Iraq War/War on Terror and how the military treats its veterans. In fact, the criticism wasn’t even subtle since the main plot of season 1 was about how the corrupt CIA officer used the Iraq War for his own corrupt goals. Just switch out “drugs” with “oil” in the plot and you’ll get a good chunk of the anti-Bush criticisms during his presidency. (EDIT: I know he served in Afghanistan as well, I just wanted to focus on Iraq)

3)  The secondary villain of season 1 was a far-right domestic terrorist (they even called him out as a terrorist). The secondary villain of season 2 was an Aryan Brotherhood white supremacist. 

4) When you think about it, the Punisher only exists because he’s anti-U.S. government. He feels that the systems of America have failed the people by letting criminals and corruption run rampant, so he’s taking matters into his own hands. I’m just saying, it’s weird to characterize the Punisher as a conservative-friendly character when the character is basically saying, “Fuck America and all of its corruption”.

Now, let’s take a look at “Falcon and the Winter Soldier”:

1) Very pro-U.S. military. I mean, that’s a given since Sam and Bucky served in the military, but there’s a clear sense of jingoism throughout the series. Especially the opening fight scene. 

2) Tried to redeem John Walker at the end (or at least, tried to show that he’s not that bad of a guy). Remember, Walker is supposed to be the dark, far-right version of Captain America. They deliberately changed that for the show for...reasons. It’s like Marvel was skittish to actually portray John like how he is in the comics. Or at least, they were skittish to portray a version of Captain America as a villain.

3) Despite all the bad things America did, the series’ ending message was that we could do better as a nation. That even though our history is unclean, we can do better because that’s what America does. Just saying, the show’s message that America is still awesome even with its flaws and wrongdoing feels like a conservative talking point. 

4) The villains are anti-government anarchists that want a world without borders. Unlike Walker, they don’t get a chance at redemption. Out of all the Captain America villains that the series could’ve gone with, they went with the explicitly left-wing one.

5) Probably the most anti-American moment in the series would be Isaiah Bradley’s story since that was a direct criticism of the U.S. military. But everything turns out okay because Sam put Isaiah’s statue in the museum. No one is held accountable because that would mean the U.S. government would have to face accountability and we can’t have that in our patriotic TV series.

Okay, I’ll stop there. Just as a disclaimer, I’m not trying to change anyone’s minds about these shows, nor am I trying to say you should like or hate them. I just wanted to discuss how these shows and characters are perceived by the fandom.

[sneverussape]

What kind of person do you think lily was? There's a lot said about her in the series, but i have trouble reconciling pure, shining paragon lily with someone who would marry someone that spent years tormenting her friend, 4 on 1.

ooh boy this will be a LOT. i can't even promise it will be coherent but i'll make an attempt to be. (going under a cut to save us all the grief).

first off, i think it's fair to state that one of the biggest drawbacks of lily's character is how she was written. she is a plot device. she exists to boost other characters’ narratives: she's simultaneously the Rich Boy's trophy wife, the self-sacrificing mother of the Boy Who Lived, the best friend slash lost love of the Fallen Hero, and, at the same time, also no one at all. lily is a character with little to no background and character development that she can barely stand on her own two feet without any of the associated (usually male) characters to prop her up. it absolutely sucks but that's how it is. that's how jk wrote her.

given that and working with the scraps that we do have, my opinion of lily is...complex. i try to give her justice by trying to understand her context, the workings of her mind, and the possible pressures she was subjected to, but it can be challenging especially since lack of canon pushes you into a space where you have to put them in Either/Or situations. my opinion of her has also changed as i got older. when i was younger (i read the books waaaay back, as they were getting released in fact) i only saw her as an extra character (i was most interested in snape, if that's not obvious enough, but neither did i think snape was 'obsessed' with her as a lot of hp fans now think). i saw her and snape as good friends who had had a falling out, and that he'd probably had a crush on her at some point, and it got naturally overtaken by guilt etc when she died. then when i reread some chapters containing her, i was quick to put her in the Bad Friend camp. i don't think that now. i think that she, like snape, was a complex human being who made a lot of questionable decisions but shouldn't be entirely vilified for them.

my main thoughts of her that are kind of built on material from canon as well as what jkr has said herself:

- she was not posh. she grew up in cokeworth, in the same town as severus. i don't think she was middle class as a lot of fics portray her. i think the evanses were slightly better off than the snapes but they were all working-class, and living was a day-to-day struggle. the kids spoke in the local accent, their clothes were all worn and patched over, there were no green spaces or public infrastructure for kids to safely play in, and they were all mostly running wild about the town since all their parents had to work. food was something to be thankful for because there was never enough, and sometimes they had to share with their neighbors. that's the kind of setting i think lily and severus grew up in, although severus suffered abuse on top of it all. it's possible that lily did too because of the setting (post-world war 2, poverty, adults dealing with repressed trauma from the war, etc) and it wouldn't even be that surprising if she had been;

- she and petunia got along fairly well up until the point lily found out she was a witch and, as a result, became friends with severus. it's stated in canon that petunia had also wanted to attend hogwarts with them, going as far as writing to dumbledore to allow her admittance. her jealousy upon his rejection had festered and grown into outright hate that she projected onto harry as an adult, but i don't doubt that she continued to love lily even after her death and despite how she treated harry. i think as kids they had stuck together and were very close, but magic had torn them apart. suddenly lily had a world of her own that petunia wasn't welcome in, and that would have hurt. pottermore stated lily attended vernon and petunia's wedding or engagement party but james made a right mess of it. i think lily TRIED to maintain their relationship but external factors always got in the way. i don't doubt she had also loved her sister very much;

- i don't think she had any other friends. she may have had a lot of acquaintances but i think her only real friend, the one who saw her for who she really was, was severus, and i think, at a certain point in their lives, she saw that as a weakness and resented it;

- i think, from the interactions we saw in canon of lily with other people, that lily had a penchant to please people, especially the ones who ranked higher than her in terms of power dynamics - petunia (who was the older sister), professors (sluggy comes to mind, the head of slytherin with a lot of connections), even the marauders whose actions she defended. it's not necessarily a bad thing, but i've always seen it as her being borderline manipulative. i noted that she wasn't the same with severus (based on their conversations, especially the ones in 5th year, before SWM) because he's lower than her in a lot of aspects, being a slytherin and quite likely of a lower social standing. she could boss him around and tell him to piss off and he probably wouldn't have minded. she actually strikes me as someone who could have been in slytherin; a perfect arrangement, save for the fact that she was a muggleborn. i think lily knew her place and the cards she was dealt with more than anyone, but she was also determined not to stay there;

- this brings me to the point as to why she ever went out with james potter in the first place. i think her friendship breakup with severus was inevitable because they were in the middle of a burgeoning war and both of them were being pulled to opposite and opposing ends. as an added complexity, i think she also wanted to be better than being muggleborn lily evans of cokeworth, best friend of the evil greasy slytherin git, and her way out was to associate with housemates who were in the upper echelons of power. like, we don't even know what her life was like in gryffindor tower. ron was poor, but he was also a pureblood, so that may have saved him from ridicule. but what if you were a poor muggleborn, with a northern accent to boot? in the same way severus trained himself to be more posh, lily could have done the same and could have furiously tried to blend in. maintaining a friendship with severus would have ended in heartbreak as there were too many risks and it likely outweighed the gains. this was the wizarding world too which is much much smaller than the muggle world and relied on connections more than anything. openly siding with the marauders would have saved her skin and secured her a future (which, as we all know, was forfeit anyway but whatever);

- jumping to the jily relationship, i honestly think it was also not one that was meant to last. iirc jkr projected a lot onto lily, so i'm surmising jily reflected a lot of her own failed relationships. i think james and lily had a less-than-ideal relationship, one that involved abuse (verbal, emotional, mental, physical, take your pick, but at least one form of it), and i think she may have been unhappy in the last year of her life, living in hiding with none of her own friends (if they even existed) and seeing no one else but james' pals. her only light in that darkness was likely harry as she couldn't even see her own family. i think, during those times, she thought a lot about the home she left behind and, as a consequence, her lost friendship with severus. she probably missed him, and i'm sure she must have been very lonely.

in sum, i don't think she was the Virgin Mary figure a lot of hp fans paint her to be. imho she had her own questionable but utterly human moments, and i just tried to fill in the blanks as to why she would have acted the way she did. i don't think it was easy to be lily evans at all, and majority of the 21 years of her life was likely a struggle.

[antiloreolympus]

10 Anti LO Asks

1. i literally do not get how LO fans HATE PJO when the whole point of the first book was calling out the preconceived notion hades must be the bad guy and instead showing hes actually fine and later hes actually one of the best parents in the whole series?? like is it only because hxp isnt perfect in it and he slept around to have bianca and nico? because its legit myth canon persephone had a boytoy in adonis and minthe was hades' mistress while married so?? idk i think they should love it :/

2. if another writer wanted to create their own retelling of hellenic mythology, what would be some ways to connect with people actually practicing hellenism so as to not make the same mistakes as rachel ? i’m asking because i’ve seen people like that frequenting this blog at times.

3. i honestly hate LOs random injects of comedy, especially during what should be serious moments. how are we supposed to feel the gravity of the situation, the tension, the fear, the anger, etc when itll immediately be undercut by some quippy one liner? it feels like RS saw how "funny" people thought mcu movies were and thought "i can do that too!". i get its not as "lighthearted" as she wants, but she cant try to be a "deep social commentary" when she cant let any of it be taken seriously.

4. WHAT. DID RACHEL JUST. COMPLETELY REWRITE THE ASCLEPIUS MYTH TO DRAG APOLLO??? I AM SCREECHING

5. Your discord must have a lot of anti-lo art, are there members with a tumblr account? If so, would you tell us?

From OP: There are a good number of people with tumblrs there but I’m not going to share any yet. The last time I shared accounts of people I was associated with or just enjoyed, they got harassed. I will ask if I could share some of their accounts though.

-----FP Spoilers/Mention-----

6. FP spoiler 189: How could you do my girl, Eris, so bad like that Smythe? Good lord her design is atrocious, and wouldn’t it be better if she was the daughter of Nyx and Erebus given her design? How tf did Zeus and Hera have a child with wings?? Eris, honey, I’m so sorry you’ve been done so dirty, you deserve better than being a bald version of Hera

7. FP spoiler Episode 189: Oof, I have a lot to say about Eris.

First of all: Why is her design so freaking ugly? She looks like an apple with some limbs and wings. This is such an uncreative way to hint at her mythos. (Get it? She has an apple-head because she used an apple to cause chaos once, isn't that clever???)

Second, why is she here??? Legit, why did we need to bring her into the story??? Why did we need yet another plot-twist??? How much longer are we going to drag this trial out???? What, is Kronos going to take the stand next???

Third of all, why exactly is everyone so intimidated by her? She doesn't seem that strong and the only thing she's done so far is glare at people and demand everyone say what she wants them to say like a spoiled brat. Hades says they're afraid she'll air out the gods' dirty laundry, but it looks like she's doing that right now, even when they try and appease her? If you're so scared of her running her mouth, why not gag her or something and lock her away in Tartarus? You did it to Kronos and he's a freaking titan, you cannot tell me locking this snot-nosed apple-bird up would be more difficult.

Fouthly, are we seriously gonna blame Eris for Persephone's AOW now? Rachel noooo, the AOW is the only thing that made this version of Persephone interesting, don't take it away from her and make it another woman's fault!

Side note: Demeter being allowed to go off on dirtbag Zeus and his brothers was the only good thing in this chapter. In fact, Demeter was the only good thing about this chapter. She deserves so much better.

From OP: So true, Demeter! Plus, imagine having the potential to be queen of the mortal realm but couldn’t because Hades wanted the volcanoes?

8. FP SPOILERS

///

PLEASE SDKWJBWBSBZKWNWS CHAPTER 189 IS SO FUNNY ERIS LOOKS LIKE GOD-DAMNED CHICKEN I CRIED OUT LOUD WHEN I SAW HER HHSJWJQBWJQJQHHQ

Rachel never disappoints with her designs they're so hilarious

From OP: B A L D

9. Fp/ SERIOUSLY?! P just has to be perfect now even the aow is not her fault. Flawless uwu self insert. She owns nothing now, not even her body or feelings. Eris is much better fitted for dreadful queen. P has no agency on her own... She does nothing by herself of course she is queen perfect you can't have faults if you don't do bad abd you don't do bad things if you don't do anything at all....

From OP: No because this made me mad. I knew the feeling was going to be blamed but I didn’t expect a whole ass goddess to be behind it.

10. Fast Pass Mention //

.

.

.Oh wow turns out that Persephone is so perfect and special that she's been blessed with beauty twice and that's why she's so beautiful and every single male character loves her and wants her

From OP: That part made me cringe. Like bro, we get it. She’s beautiful. You don’t have to justify everyone simping for her by saying she got double blessed with beauty.

[qandnoablog]

Train (Marvel Imagine)

Title: Secrets

Pairing: Loki x TVA!Reader

Warnings: This is a spin-off based on my previous work Discovered (Marvel Imagine) and the TV series - Loki Please be sure to read my previous work (link below) as well as watch the show before continuing to both understand the story and not be spoiled!

Discovered (Marvel Imagine) - Part: [18], [17], [16], [15], [14], [13], [12], [11], [10], [9], [8], [7], [6], [5], [4], [3], [2], [1] Short story: [3], [2], [1]

Part: 9, [8], [7], [6], [5], [4], [3], [2], [1]

Key: Y/N - Your Name Y/A - Your (TVA) Alias

Word Count: - 1,901

Summary: [Y/N], who has centered her whole life around the TVA, now encounters a man who proclaims himself to be a god. Her whole life as she knows it crumbles after meeting Loki. How is he so different from all the others the TVA had succeeded in erasing? And why? Why did [Y/N]’s heart stir every time he looked at her, as if peering into her very soul?

Note From Author: Thank goodness this part didn’t take as long as Part 8, am I right? I did say I’ll try to post by every other week! Well, here is Part 9! Enjoy :)

Part 9 - Train

Idiots. Absolute idiots!

[Y/N] cursed at them internally as she watched the two get blasted right outside the stranger’s door.

“What do you devils want with me?” The woman asked as she readied her weapon.

[Y/N] rubbed her temples as she thought back to the mess they created.

All they needed were simple directions towards the evacuation vessel, the one thing that might have enough juice to power the TemPad. Their only hope of escape. This information was easily accessible, thankfully, since they had a full-fledged member of the TVA by their side. [Y/N], as mandated by all TVA members, studied up on most timelines and especially apocalypses. Lamentis-1 was no exception.

But when these two block-heads finally found the one person that stayed behind in this ghost-of-a-town, Sylvie had to kick open the door while the other paraded around as one of their long-lost loved ones. What else could they be if not complete and utter-

“-idiots,” [Y/N] grumbled before clearing her throat and appearing at the woman’s door. “I apologize for these two. One is hot-headed while the other is… Well, let’s just say he’s a tricky one.”

“Are you a devil like them?” She questioned, her weapon slowly turning towards [Y/N].

“God, I hope not,” [Y/N] answered as she put her hands up. “Could you please just point us towards the Ark?”

“You’ll never get a ticket,” the woman flatly stated.

“We just need directions. That’s all,” [Y/N] replied with a reassuring smile.

The woman’s stern eyes changed, as if to look at [Y/N] with pity. And [Y/N] could guess what thoughts must be running through this woman’s head. She was probably thinking that these three strangers were pitiful fools, hoping like the rest of the town to see a glimmer of humanity beaming down on them and maybe, just maybe, get a ticket to salvation.

“Train station’s the edge of town,” the woman finally said as she put down her weapon.

“Thank you.”

[Y/N] jumped down from the small platform and carried on walking. She couldn’t even be bothered to look behind at the two idiots that trailed behind. It was such an easy task, and yet they nearly got themselves injured just trying to ask the woman a question. And… That wasn’t the only reason [Y/N] was angry.

Though the three hadn’t walked that far, [Y/N] still couldn’t help but turn back. And what she saw made her quickly turn away. There, in that short distance, the woman was watching the three leave. And in that brief moment, the two had made eye contact.

[Y/N] frowned with a click of her tongue and quickened her pace.

She had made a stupid mistake, one she hadn’t made in years. She couldn’t help it. For so long, [Y/N] had avoided going to apocalypses. There weren’t many opportunities, and she made it a point not to go. Even when it was just a test mission, to make sure that everything was in order, she refused to set foot onto them if she was given the choice.

That woman’s fate is sealed, [Y/N] reminded herself as she clenched her fists, digging her nail into her palms. There’s no way for her to live past this point in time. The Sacred Timeline takes precedence over all else, especially over these irrational emotions. Accept it. It’ll make it easier. Even she’s accepted it.

[Y/N] repeated these words like a mantra over and over in her head, but still she felt horrible inside.

The eyes of that woman were a very familiar sight. There was always someone with that same look in their eyes in these types of situations. The ones that had already lost everything and were just biding their time. Waiting for the moment that death would finally appear on their doorstep. Someone who had accepted that it was the end.

At times like these, she wished more than anything that she could set aside her duty as part of the TVA, as just a Minuteman, and be more. To act on her own desire to save others, no matter the risk to the timeline. To help those who had lost all hope, and to bring light back into their lives. To… To not have been made at all if the TVA was going to burden her with these useless consciences. But, alas…

[Y/N] couldn’t do it. She couldn’t act on her will alone. She couldn’t go against her destiny. Not when the greater-good was at risk.

Of all the places the TVA could travel to, throughout space and time, this was one of the places she despised the most. Not just Lamentis, but all apocalypses. A place so bleak that the spark of hope could send someone toppling further into despair. To grant someone kindness in times like these… Well, that’s like giving a dehydrated man the ocean. An endless sea of water, and yet something he can’t drink.

Torture. Being alive and well, then leaving such a place… Leaving everyone here to die, even though you have the power, equipment, and resources to help… To abandon hundreds - if not millions - of lives, just because it was predestined. Set in stone… To sacrifice so many for the lives of many more. The greater good.

If that isn’t torture, then what is?

~

It was noisy.

Many people had been standing in the same line, in the same place, for hours. They were all people hoping to get a ticket onto the train, the only vessel that could take them to the Ark. The train for the rich. The train for the powerful. The train to stay alive.

“Well, this looks fun.”

While the two variants continued their endless banter, [Y/N] examined their surroundings, quickly skimming past the weary eyes still clinging to the hope for salvation, to those with their faces covered and dressed in blue. They were the ones holding weapons. They should be where [Y/N] focused her attention on to find a way onto the train.

“All your plans involve fighting.”

[Y/N] slowly re-focused on the two’s conversation. It seemed they were also brainstorming on how they should handle the situation.

“Not this one,” Sylvie replied. “I’m going to enchant a guard, have him lead us through the crowd, and if anyone gives us any trouble…”

“Too risky,” [Y/N] shot down the suggestion as she continued to survey the guards posted around the station. “We don’t have enough information. What if people start asking questions?”

“Make him start shooting?” Loki sarcastically quipped back as he side-eyed Sylvie. “And then what? Kill every guard and hijack the train?”

“Whether or not there’s a fight is entirely up to them.” Sylvie shrugged.

“Again, too risky,” [Y/N] repeated.

“[Y/N]-” Loki began, but he was quickly interrupted.

“Not [Y/N],” [Y/N] warned as she finally turned away from the surroundings and shot Loki a glare. “I already told you. My name is [Y/A].”

During their walk towards the train, [Y/N] couldn’t take it anymore and had told Loki several times to stop calling her “[Y/N].”

She clearly told him that she wasn’t who he thought she was, and that her name was [Y/A], but no matter how many times she reminded him, this god always seemed to call her by that same name. Every time he did, her heart trembled in a confusing way and her head slightly throbbed. It was as if she was trying to recall something that she just couldn’t place her finger on and the feeling itself was frustrating. Besides, it wasn’t rational! What could she possibly have forgotten that she was so desperately trying to recall? That wasn’t even her name!

“Why don’t you make us invisible and we can all just get onto the train with no one the wiser?” Loki asked as he brushed past her stern tone.

“What?”

[Y/N] froze, her face instantly going from frustrated to baffled in the blink of an eye. She took a moment to register what was asked, and for a second, she thought she may have misheard him, even with their close proximity.

“You want me to do what?”

Now it was Loki’s turn to stop. He turned to her, his face mirroring her confusion.

“Turn us invisible,” Loki explained as he thought back to his past brief encounter with [Y/N] at the Stark Tower lobby and his “future” experiences with her. “From what I gather, you appear to wrap yourself in air - almost like a cloak - to veil yourself from sight.”

[Y/N] continued to stare at him, trying to wrap her head around what he was saying, until something finally clicked. Her eyebrows furrowed together as her jaw clenched in frustration.

“I told you,” she began, almost growling out the words. “I’m. Not. [Y/N]!”

Finally, it dawned on her why Loki thought she could do something so impossible. He was still considering her to be this “[Y/N]” person! He refused to call her by her name and insisted she was the same as the one he kept calling her by. And now look! He was even making it so they had the same powers.

It seemed this “[Y/N]” girl could turn herself invisible. What else she could do was beyond [Y/N]. But, while invisibility would be extremely useful right now, [Y/N] couldn’t do that! She had only just grasped her powers a bit more these past few hours, but all she could do was push and pull. Turn invisible? What was he expecting from her?!

Sylvie glanced at the two before taking the moment to examine [Y/N] a bit more closely. Her eyes narrowed in thought, but she blinked once and the look vanished.

“Then we’ll go with my idea,” Sylvie announced as she started walking forward again.

“No,” Loki denied, though he never looked away from [Y/N]’s eyes.

She was still glaring daggers at him, so he tried to reach for [Y/N]’s hand. Seeing this, her scowl only grew and she quickly turned away from his outreached hand and caught up with Sylvie, who proceeded to walk further away.

“We’re doing this one my way,” Loki continued, grabbing onto Sylvie’s shoulder and squeezing in between her and [Y/N].

Then, he quickly took her hand in his. Before [Y/N] could protest, her vision went green for a fraction of a second. Blinking away the sudden change, her eyes re-adjusting, she looked up to see Loki adorned in completely different attire. The same blue attire, in fact, with the train’s security.

“How do we look?”

We? [Y/N] thought before glancing down at herself. That’s when she realized her clothes had changed. She was no longer dressed in her usual uniform. Now, she was matching clothes with Loki.

“This is a shit plan,” [Y/N] immediately shot down before Sylvie had a chance to reply.

“It’s a great plan,” Loki countered, but [Y/N] only graced him with putting down her face covering that came with their new, blue uniforms in response.

Sylvie agreed with [Y/N] with a slight hum, looking the two up and down, as Loki resigned to their displeasure and proceeded to guide the two towards the entrance.

“Just follow my lead.”

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Author’s Side Note: Hope you enjoyed Part 9! Part 10 should be out at the same time (ever other week) <3