#except I guess that I sometimes like a missing scene story

[valentinedaughtler]

Tainted Opal (Part 6)

Kaz Brekker x fem!reader

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5

T/Ws: violence, romantic feelings, blood, mild spice scenes sometimes, fem!reader and she/her pronouns, sexual abuse/trauma (not explicit)

Synopsis: Your boat has been docked in Fjerda and you forgot your coat…. (But Kaz has a coat…👀)

REQUESTS: OPEN✅

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6 - Kaz Brekker Always Had a Reason

The ship was docked on the west coast of Fjerda, frozen plains stretches over the horizon into a snowy oblivion. The ocean was deeply frigid, an innocent plunge would send you to a numbing death.

Everyone, except prepared Matthias, was painfully underdressed. Jesper reminded us all frequently through whiney griping. We teased him about it, saying his fancy hats would not even be able to warm him up. My social circle included all the Crows, but I lingered longer around Inej and Nina. We all seemed to feel a feminine connection to one another; an easy group to complain about the boys' nonsense to.

As Nina and I shivered, we huddled near one another, the long trek around the Fold just beginning. Matthias held Nina close, insuring that she would be warm, despite her heartrender abilities.

Eventually, Nina moved between the cold Crows, circulating their blood into a more rapid speed to keep their temperatures up. Thus, I was left with the massive Fjerdan man. I'd seduced many men, but only a few looked like they could snap me in half like a twig for a fire like he did.

"Do you miss Fjerda?" I asked with an inquisitive tilt of the head. Matthias's face contorted slightly, his jaw shifting and eyebrows stitching together. He stayed silent for a moment before sighing,

"I do miss my people in some ways, but sometimes you find a person who changes your values...," he replied with a thick accent. It was sharp and pronounced, I had a feeling if he yelled at you it would feel like a brick to the face. I nodded as he watched Nina. "Do you miss your life before Ketterdam swallowed it up?"

"No-...," I tried to articulate how I felt about my past, but I guess I wasn't too sure. "I miss the specifics, the small details. Though, when I think about the big picture, I don't miss any of it." I let out a shivered breath before speaking again, "I don't want to think back fondly on what my life had been, trying to write an edited version with only the good plot points. It's easier to not think about it at all, no story is better than a bad one, don't you think?" I craned my neck to look at Matthias's eyes, they looked harsh and painful, but maybe they were pained instead.

"I think you should just keep writing the story," he acknowledged my thought with a nod. "Maybe find new characters to add to it rather than making it a one-man narration." I laughed softly, an unexpected response from him.

"Nina seems to be a good influence on you," smirking at him with a knowing glint in my eye. He really loves her, I thought as I made my way to the heartrender herself. "Nina!" I waddled my way across the tundra to her and Kaz. She seemed a bit exasperated as the dark haired boy begrudgingly allowed her to use her small science on him.

"Y/n, can you tell him that I will not be stopping his heartbeat?" She huffed as Kaz squirmed away from her slightly.

"That's enough," he said, but I heard his teeth chatter a bit through that gravely voice. I laughed, asking Nina to warm me up instead. She excitedly obliged, leaving Kaz to sulk in peace.

She began to chuckle to herself as she contorted her soft fingers to work her 'majik'.

"What is it?" I inquired with growing curiosity. She turned to me with a suggestive smile and a wink.

"Kaz was watching you, earlier, when you were taking to Matthias." Her grin widened, showing her pearly, white teeth. My cheeks burned when the meaning behind her words clicked in my brain. She continued, "I may have called him out on such. He got real defense," she dragged out her words with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"He's always defensive. He's basically a human defense system; a wall." I said, attempting to use logic. He barely knew me, unless we had met somewhere before, Kaz wouldn't trust me this early on, I knew that much.

"Well, yes, but you did pay upfront, he doesn't really need you alive, so..." Nina batted her eyelashes at me, mimicking a lovestruck girl. I flushed as I looked back at Kaz, limping a few feet behind us, when he met my gaze I spun back around, tensing up. Nina leaned close to my ear, "you're blushing... and I can tell your heartbeat has fluctuated frequently when he is near you-"

"Okayy, thank you, my darling, Nina, but I should really be going-,"

"You should be discussing plans with me since we are getting closer to the main path," rasped Kaz from behind me. I stifled a startled scream. Geez, what's with me? I'm never actually flustered around people and I've... been in intimate situations during heists many a time. Nina flashed me a smile and a wink before leaving Kaz and I alone. I sighed with relief as I know her torment would be at bay, for now.

"When we get to the trail's end, we should find shelter for the night, there are abandoned cabins all over Fjerda. That's what my dad told me, atleast," my voice was still a bit shakey as I tried to slow my heart rate down. Kaz nodded.

"It's the safest gamble to set up camp at the first cabin we see that doesn't have occupants in it," his tone was somehow more formal than it generally was, his body seemed tense. Had he heard what Nina had said? I looked at the cheery woman far up ahead, her bubbly laugh echoing across the frozen wasteland we trekked.

I walked with Kaz in silence, maintaining a couple feet of distance between us, I wasn't sure why, but I felt that if I touched him that he might snap. Whether that indicated him imploding or killing me, I wasn't sure. But I respected his need for space. I felt like I yearned to be alone often, since intimate touch was an important part of my job. It often wasn't by people I wanted to touch me too. Maybe it bothered me because I was so young, but no one in Ketterdam stayed young. Instead of a slow climb to adulthood, it was a drowning process. Before, you were something, but after you plunged up for air, you weren't much anymore.

A gust of wind blew hair into my face and sent a shiver throughout my body, like hitting a metal drum and watching it vibrate. Kaz seemed to suppress the chill he felt, huffing slightly as the wind blew towards us.

"Why didn't you bring a jacket?" Kaz grumbled, his glare colder than the snow melting in my boots. "Your chattering teeth is starting to irritate me."

"I originally thought we'd be headed through Shu Han," I said through long breaths. I suddenly felt a thick jacket be placed.., no, more so dropped onto my shoulders. I turned to the Crow beside me, who refused to meet my gaze. With a breathy laugh, I slipped my arms into the jacket. It was soft and warm, but oversized on me. I dug my chilly hands into the lined pockets. "Thank you."

Kaz stayed silent, but I could tell he was cold in only his shirt and vest. "We need you in good health. The Crows, especially Matthias, need your tailoring skills to disguise us. I assume your business partner also knows of me, so that would be a problem." He explained, as if justifying his decision to himself.

We eventually reached a fork in the road, both paths leading to long, winding expanses of lifeless tundra. I indicated the correct road, but as we made our way, we saw a small shack.

The skeleton of the building was stacked logs and eroded wood was sparsticslly laying in chunks near the house. The inside had creaky wooden floors, a small kitchen area and bed rested on opposing sides. Fur hanging from the walls, for decor and warmth probably, a small fire place, and a couch were the only other things of note in the barren room.

"Oh, it reminds me of how Matthias and I had spent our first night together," Nina purred with a silly smile.

"Wylan and I are too fancy to sleep on the floor," Jesper said while sprawling out on the make-shift mattress. No one objected, but Matthias and Nina called the couch. Us single three left mutually decided we were on our own for sleeping areas.

"There's enough fur for the rest of us to just sleep on the floor separately," Inej pointed out, "but I'm okay sharing with Y/n if there is a shortage of blankets." She smiled at me and squeezed my hand. I returned her sentiment by promising to braid her hair later.

Jesper's eyes wandered around the room in observation, eventually landing on jacket-less Kaz and my body that was swallowed by said-jacket. His lips crooked into a sly grin.

"Nice jacket, Y/n," Jesper said and his eyes landed on the coat's owner, who froze.

"I'm going to collect firewood," Kaz grumbled and made his way outside the cabin quite quickly.

"I'll be right with ya', boss!" Jesper shot up from the bed and jogged after Kaz, his giggling and teasing still audible.

"Should we leave them alone in the woods?" Nina asked, "Kaz may kill the poor boy." Everyone laughed a bit, knowing looks shared between everyone besides me. I've been too casual, I've grown too close to them. Maybe... I should stay away from Kaz a bit since we aren't trapped on a boat together any longer.

✵ ♣ ✵

"He gave you his jacket?" Inej repeated the words I just spewed out nervously. I nodded in response as she turned to look at me with shock.

We sat together on the roof, which was very difficult for for me to get up to after Inej did so with grace. Stealth was not my thing. She sat in front of my crossed legs, leaning on me slightly, as I braided her hair ornately. The repetitive motions soothed me as I felt the pressure of the coming heist. "The last couple nights on the boat we've both gotten nightmares from too much time on the sea," I explained. "We've been talking from late to early, until the sunrises, or just sitting in silence."

Inej giggled a bit, I felt her shake against me as the laugh vibrated through her. "He doesn't grow fond of people quickly, I can't be sure, but I want you to stay with us after the heist," Inej said softly.

I hummed in response, "we'll see. Even if we part ways, I'll stay in touch with you and Nina." I couldn't see her face, but I could tell Inej was smiling.

We both looked down to see a babbling Jesper walking next to an exhausted looking Kaz. Inej turned to me as I had just finished braiding her long hair. Her lips were crooked into a michevious grin.

"Let's scare them," she whispered softly. I was pretty sure Kaz would have seen us by now, knowing how observant he is, but the idea was too tempting. We slid behind the slant of the roof and Inej silently leaped to a nearby tree, her wire-y figure wrapping around the limbs on it, gripping the bark. She chucked a pinecone at Jesper, knocking the eccentric hat off of his head. He squeaked as he attempted to get the snow off of his hat. Inej disappeared behind the tree as the two boys looked up at the direction the pinecone came from. As I aimed to hit Kaz with a pinecone, I slipped slightly. His keen eyes landed on the roof, but not before I hid myself from his line of vision.

"Shit. Shit. Shit." I whispered, still wearing Kaz's coat. I stayed silent for a moment before hearing the crunching of boots in the snow. I quickly hurled the pinecone at Kaz's head, but he swung his cane, hitting the pinecone perfectly. He didn't even look up. Before I realized it, the pinecone was headed straight for me. He was aiming for me. I dodged it, but in the process my grip on the roof loosened, causing me to slide down the roof towards Jesper and Kaz. They looked up at the roof, and the sharpshooter leaped to catch me. I fell into his arms with a thud.

I smiled nervously, "hey guys..." Inej shimmied down the tree and quickly came to check on me. Jesper let me down, laughing the whole time, but Kaz had an indescribable expression on his face.

"I told you we can't have you dead," his tone was serious, my smile dropping abruptly. "Stick to what you're good at; making your presence known, Seductress." He admonished my actions as he walked inside with firewood in one hand, cane in the other. Why am I so foolish when I'm around him?

Inej followed after him, sternly explaining it was her idea. I felt a warmth in my heart as she defended me.

"Come, Y/n, let's talk," Jesper said. He had a pelt of fur draped over him, keeping him warmer. I followed him in the frosty woods behind the cabin. He smirked a bit as we made our way around trees and fallen logs, as well as other suffering vegetation.

"Is something wrong? Do you need relationship advice for Wylan?" I asked with a twinge of concern.

"Oh, no, no. It's about Kaz," his self-assured demeanor stayed strong as I attempted to keep pace with his long-limbed figure. "He's taken an unusual liking to you." He gestured to coat I was wearing.

"He was just being polite," I said, but even I had a hard time saying it without becoming skeptical.

Jesper snorted and shook his head, "Kaz isn't nice to for no reason, Y/n. Despite was people say, Kaz Brekker always has a reason."

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Word Count: 2344

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I realize this seems more like a fast paced romance, but don't worry, the girl falls first in this story. We'll get there...

-Valentine

[yakkety-yak-art]

Saw the ghost movie that I was really excited about. Was disappointing. Ultimately it was just really…okay or downright bad in the parts that weren’t concert footage. More specific comments below the cut because spoilers, I guess, but there’s really nothing that happens in this movie that matters enough to count as a spoiler.

First, if this had just been concert footage, it would have been much more enjoyable. The movie parts were not at all interesting and each cutaway made it drag on and on. I hadn’t slept well the night before the showing, so the movie itself wasn’t the reason I was dozing off at some parts…but it also wasn’t helping keep me AWAKE outside of the concert footage. No complaints about that footage (mostly, but I’ll get back to it later).

Story: whoops, Tobias Forge can’t write! Sorry, that’s a bit mean, but…I paid money to watch this, so I’ll be a little bit mean. Seriously, this thing needed at least a couple more passes with the script. Every. single. conversation. as repeating what was already brought up in the OPENING voiceover: Cardi doesn’t wanna die, doesn’t wanna stop fronting for Ghost, but everything ends eventually. Yes, we GET IT. We do not need several scenes of Cardi with his parents saying it over and over again with no additional information added to understand that. After the opening VO, we could’ve just had one scene of Cardi looking a bit forlornly at himself in the mirror, and then Sister Imperator happily telling him that “things are going to be changing in the clergy soon!” or something like that and he looks unhappy.

That’s what I thought we were getting at first, but then it just. Kept happening??? Like oh my god Tobias, I get it, Cardi doesn’t want this to end, I KNOW. The quality of the writing suggests that Tobias is one of three things: incompetent at writing anything longer than a short (maybe, but the other two are a bit more likely), had no real story to tell and this could’ve been one of the shorts so he had to pad it out to an insufferable length (definitely), or so full of himself that he thought “eh, I don’t actually have anything to say, but this way I’ll get to be on screen the whole time and the only writer credited,” (probable). It’s just so offensive considering I know there were so many resources available to make this GOOD: more time, writing assistance or hiring a real writer, etc. and yet they were not taken advantage of. If this was something just put up on YouTube I really couldn't care less about the quality, but if you're charging money for this AND are as big as Ghost is, you can't expect to slide by with mediocrity. Except he will, because apparently everyone else loved this thing. Okay. Also, the humor overall just fell super flat. There were several moments where I was like, "wait, was that a joke? was I meant to laugh there?" because they were just nothing. Also, there was a fart joke. Okay.

Acting: sorry, I’m going to be mean again. The acting in the movie parts was very. Hit or miss is what I’m gonna call it. The voice acting in the voiceovers at the beginning and the end were oddly rushed in several places? They weren’t placing words in very natural ways and it just felt like they needed to do another take for some of the lines. It’s especially noticeable in the beginning voiceover because in most of it he’s speaking at a slower pace and it’s perfect and sounds great, but then he just…speeds up sometimes? And it doesn’t feel intentional and isn’t in places that make it feel like it makes sense to speed up for dramatic effect. In Sister Imp’s voiceover at the end, she is also just speeding through it and it’s incredibly awkward, because in a lot of places it’s noticeably faster than she’s speaking in her other scenes. Like, guys, you know you can shoot more footage right??? You can put some b roll in??? You don’t have to squeeze the whole speech into the shorter shot you have if it’s going to compromise the actor’s delivery.

Tobias' acting was passable for the whole thing, though that might be partially because he's not acting with his face as much as the others, so it's less noticeable when something isn't quite working. Sister Imp did a fine job for the most part, excluding her VO and some awkwardness (and no, not intentional awkwardness) in a couple scenes with Papa Nihil. Papa was also fine; nothing to write home about but nothing terrible stood out to me. Most of the issues probably came from the special effects on him to make him ghostly, which I'm presuming involved him being on a green screen or something (I have no clue. Idk anything about making effects lmao.) I'm NOT going to really review the acting of the stagehands because that's not their main job and they already had a lot of work to do, but it wasn't so bad as to take anything away from the scenes they're in. Basically, the acting overall was okay, but not great, and it adds to how much the scenes drag on for sure.

Tiny section about the animated Mary On A Cross segment: I'm not gonna comment on the bad animation, because it's on purpose and emulating old Hanna-Barbera cartoons. My issue is that it makes zero sense and goes nowhere. Nihil chases Sister Imp around for a while looking forlorn and sad and desperate, and she runs away/beats him up while looking pissed off until they come across a graveyard and she pulls him into a kiss. Then it cuts to Nihil naked in a hotel room in the morning while she storms off angrily....okay? And? What changed her mind? Why is she still angry in the morning? Why does this matter at all? Knowing that Papa IV was the product of a one night stand is a footnote if this is all we get from it. Just weird, and didn't fit the song IMO.

Editing: super frantic and distracting in places, particularly the fast cuts in the concert footage. It's just a lot and can be disorienting. Nothing is really allowed to sit on screen for very long (which is related to another point...) but at the same time, some of the movie shots just linger for no reason. They're just awkward and clunky and repetitive. Some people disliked the crowd shots, but I thought they were fun and cute and used sparingly enough. Shout out to the dude in the nun costume!

Weird lack of concert footage: what they chose to keep and what to cut was just confusing. Most of the footage was just Tobias singing, short shots of the Ghouls rocking out, and crowd footage. Almost none of the Ghoul antics that they're known for, unless Tobias was also in shot and involved. Whenever he went backstage and a Ghoul took the spotlight (I'm sorry, I can never remember who is who, but it was usually White Guitar Ghoul if I recall correctly), it cut to a story moment which, again, were boring, repetitive, and told us nothing. It just felt disrespectful to cut out so much of the Ghouls and their performances, especially because the crowd and the fans love them a lot. They add so much to Ghost's live shows and, in my opinion, are more important to Ghost than Tobias. I don't care if that's a "controversial" Ghost opinion to have, but it really is true. I think anyone could be any of the Papas. But the Ghouls, even when they get changed out, are always so talented, so energetic, so passionate, and make Ghost what it is in a live setting. They were also missing from all but one movie scene, where one of them asks if they're doing an encore, and for a second I thought the line had been spoken by one of the stagehands. That's it.

(Okay, there's also there in the scene where Sister Imp dies, but they're just standing there.)

I can't speak for if the Ghouls themselves felt a bit sidelined or disrespected by this. I can't say for certain if they even wanted a bigger presence outside of the concert footage. But I can definitely say that, from a fan perspective, the lack of the Ghouls compared to how OFTEN Tobias is on screen, backstage, doing NOTHING when we could be watching the Ghouls was GLARINGLY obvious. It felt weird and it felt uneven. I started getting really irritated by about the third time it cut backstage when I could be watching the Ghouls! It just led to the whole thing feeling super vain and self-important considering Tobias wrote the film to be this way. Some people have defended this by saying, "well, they're the Nameless Ghouls!" but that's bullshit. They're part of Ghost canon too, so why don't we get anything from them? We can't even see a little bit about how they might be feeling regarding a Clergy mix up? Whether they care about the current Papa, or anything like that? Involving them would feel so much more interesting than just another Papa, but this one wants to KEEP singing!! Again, maybe the Ghouls didn't want to be more involved...but it felt off.

I've never seen Ghost live, so I had no frame of reference for how much was cut from the concert footage aside from the lack of Ghoul antics, which is what they're known for, but apparently several people who were at the concerts filmed for this noticed a ton of footage that was cut (again, mostly Ghouls) that they thought would have been more fun to see compared to so many backstage shots. And yet we got the sequence of him in a boxing outfit, walking through the crowd, which ended with...nothing? He just...does that? Waste of time. (AND YES, I KNOW that it is a reference. That doesn't make it good. It didn't need to be there. Replace it with something relevant.) It just exemplifies how much time is wasted in this movie.

Special effects: oh my god did anyone even look at this movie before sending it out Jesus Christ. The special effects are so bad I was genuinely shocked. When Papa IV and Papa Nihil are talking while IV is in a box (for some reason?? I actually don't know why) Nihil is weirdly sized and not lined up properly. It was odd. The greenscreen was so godawful I was honestly amazed. It's YouTuber comedy sketch levels of greenscreen quality. What the fuck? Especially compared to the amazing performance and how much work is put into their live shows, the horrid effects stood out starkly. Another comment on Nihil: his face is hard to see in some scenes. His ghostly effects make his features kind of blur together sometimes, and sometimes it doesn't, so it clearly wasn't intentional. Just another odd thing. The effect of him getting sucked into his body for his sax performance was very, very bad. I know you had the option to put more time and/or money into the effects, Tobias. Why did you not. What is your problem. Why the fuck would you put out a product of this quality for money and act like it's okay, especially considering the fact that this was marketed as a lore-heavy MOVIE and not just a concert film? If this was a smaller production I would not rag on the effects, but I know for a fact that Tobias has the resources for this to be better, and he chose to not use them. Honestly, it feels disrespectful.

That's the crux of my issues with this movie, really. It was teased as a real movie with real lore and serious effects on the canon of Ghost, and it was none of those things. The lore amounted to Sister Imp dying, which means nothing, because ghosts, and Cardi becoming Frater Imperator at the very end and then the movie ending. It's NOTHING. There's also an end credit scene apparently, which I did not stay to view, because I didn't care and I had been sitting for long enough. Basically, there are ghosts (including Sister Imp, obvi) and then another cliffhanger about meeting the new Papa, and an implication that Cardi has a twin who might be the new Papa. People are freaking out about this possibility. I have no idea why. It really doesn't seem like a big deal at this point when all the Papas have a crazy family situation. A secret twin doesn't even feel like a twist, and it's certainly not enough to count as an addition to the lore when it hasn't even been confirmed. At the risk of sounding rude, fellow Ghost fans, raise your standards. You deserve better.

And that's the crux of my issues with this whole thing. It's mediocre, it's boring, it's absolutely nothing outside of some fun concert footage, and yet it was billed as a must-see film and cost real, actual money to view. If they had been honest about it being a concert movie, I'd have been fine with that! I think they're fun, especially for those of us who can't go to live shows. But we were told it would be more than that, and it wasn't. It feels disrespectful, like Tobias knew he could just put out some slop and people would be okay with it, and it feels even worse because in a way, he was right. Tons of Ghost fans loved this movie, but the more positive reviews I see, the clearer it becomes that they just loved the chance to see the concerts, and love Ghost. Loving Ghost didn't make me love this movie. It just made me disappointed and sad. We could have gotten a great film, but we got something that was low effort because it's obvious that you can take advantage of the fans of something by throwing them crumbs and dressing it up to seem nicer than it is.

I appreciate that individual people on this production put tons of effort into this; the crew, the actors (excluding Tobias) who were clearly doing their best with what they had, and yes, I'm sure even the effects people did what they could with what they had. But all of the parts that were clearly Tobias' call were not high enough quality to be in a movie.

[blood-orange-juice]

The 2nd act of a certain dream in 2.2 is one of the worst if not the worst attempt of interactive storytelling I've seen. It's, frankly, impresive.

We get groups of mannequins recreating historical scenes, the moment the main character approaches them blocks of quickly-dissipating text appear and mannequins start to talk, which is a nice touch... except that the narrator also starts to talk at the same time.

Narrator's speeches are long-ish, quickly scroll down to the later segments and there's no way to scroll up or pause or replay them if you missed the beginning.

There's no way to replay any of these. Also if you are like me and scout the area for chests instead of following the quest marker they also play in the wrong order sometimes.

I learned absolutely nothing about the history of Penacony from that instance. I guess there were several families? And they were in conflict over... something? And someone killed someone?

I hope they patch it.

I would have assumed it was intentional if the played out story and the told story contradicted each other, but nope, one is supposed to illustrate the other.

[theflyindutchwoman]

Just a preemptive apology for spewing this all in your inbox lol 😅

I agree that this felt like the beginning of the larger conversation about uc. I feel like a lot of this storyline requires patience and that's why some people arent the biggest fans of it lol. It took this long just for Tim to get out of denial about his feelings. It's a pretty big issue so I feel like it would be unsatisfying and boring if all it took was one scene and one conversation to fix it.

Plus from Lucy's perspective, uc is something she's been working towards since she was a rookie (except for in season 4 cause I think the writers forgot lol). So I can imagine it would take a lot for her to drop it completely. Especially with her story before the show being her trying to find a career, it would make sense she would cling to something she likes and is good at. I mean she can still be a detective but detective and uc are probably so intertwined in her mind at this point.

I don't know I just don't think the whole thing is as cut and dry as some people think. I'm excited to see where they go with it in the rest of this season. Especially with all the bts pictures we've gotten and how they may fit into this 👀

To be fair, there's patience and there's "waiting for 3 seasons for this storyline to move forward", if you know what I mean ;) Jokes aside, I feel like I'm one of the few who actually enjoy this arc so, in my case, I'm really glad that we are finally digging into this. It has felt stagnant for quite some time, and for good reasons.

Like you said, it apparently has taken this long for Tim to realise how much in denial he has been… And my guess is, he's not the only one here. I appreciate that this is used as a way by the writers to explain why this conversation has been postponed for so long : after all, Lucy has never made a secret that this was the career she wanted and Tim has encouraged her all along (minus the hiccups at the beginning). He knew that when he said they were worth the risk. So they needed to come up with a valid reason as to why it would be a problem. One that wouldn't invalidate Tim's feelings or decision. And now that this is out in the open, we can hopefully focus on Lucy's side of the story. On whether she is in denial too. On her fears - because I refuse to believe she doesn't have any. I do believe that she loves undercover. But like she admitted herself, she has only done short ops. Ops that sometimes went wrong but without any lasting consequences. So while she probably missed her friends and all during those missions, it's entirely different from missing out on a whole year. I'm not sure she has allowed herself to be entirely honest with herself on the subject.

And that's another thing. Her life has changed quite a lot since she decided to pursue an undercover career. Back then, she was pretty much on her own. But now, she has a family. And she lost her closest friend. Things that tend to make you think differently. I don't mean that she can't have the career that she wants, just that these types of events usually makes one reconsider their plans. In a way, this dream of being a UC has been her constant through all of this. And as someone who struggled for close to a decade to find her dream job, I can understand why she doesn't really question it. Not to mention that time and time again, we have seen how Lucy needs to talk things out in order to process them… And she hasn't been able to do that here. Like when she was offered the spot at the UC Academy. She went to see Nyla but it didn't do much. She needed Tim but with all the baggage between them at the time, she barely got to open up about her feelings. He is her sounding board but in this situation, it makes things more complicated. Her feelings for UC and for Tim are so intertwined that she doesn't know how to unravel this whole web. It is so convoluted together. She always shows some concerns about how it will affect their relationship. But not how it will affect HER. Like in 5.20 when she brushed away Tim's question. That's why I like that Tim's feelings might be out of the way first, so we can dig deeper into Lucy's. She has been so focused on Tim that she has neglected herself in the process. And that's also why I loved Chastity's comment. Because it was thrown casually by someone who is on the outside, and far more objective than the team could ever be. And hopefully, this is what starts an introspection from Lucy.

I don't think the writers necessarily forgot about her wanting to do undercover in s4 : she was at the beginning of her P2 career so it made sense for her to focus on that first. But she was still behind two UC ops. The second one being the catalyst for both her relationship with Tim and her career in UC moving forward. It's also no coincidence that Tim has always been involved in her UC ops. Either on the lookout (3.06 and 5.07), as her case officer (5.21), as the one going undercover under her supervision (4.07 and 4.22) or with her (5.01). The only time he wasn't involved from the get-go was during her first solo op (3.14) and even then, he managed to convince Nyla to keep him in the loop. It gave them a sense of safety. So it would be good to see an undercover mission where they can't keep in touch at all. And IF he is really going undercover for a couple of episodes as we have speculated, it would be interesting to see how it would affect them both to be on the other side of the equation. It would offer them a perspective of what the other would go through. That said, I still hope Lucy get to experience herself what it's like to do a long-ish op before making any decision. This has been her storyline above all. But in any case, I can't wait to see where this is going. (And I'm sorry, I feel like I went off on a tangent here and hijacked your reply lol).

[justicerikai]

Charisma House - Superhuman Sharehouse Story “Charisma” - #87 The Bus Won't Come

Please read alongside listening to the drama track on Youtube.

Let me know if I missed something!

TL note:

Iori calls himself a シルバーキラー (lit. A silver killer).  It’s the same way the term “lady killer” is used in English, except it’s more versatile in Japanese by applying it to different groups of people. Such as older men (おじさんキラー lit. old man killer), or if you’re a “handsome young man who seduces married women”. (マダムキラー lit. madam killer). Basically, in this case, senior citizens fall for Iori’s wiles.

Iori: No sign of the bus, huh

Rikai: ….

Rikai: …How strange. It should’ve come already…

Iori: Aren’t you thirsty?

Rikai: ….Ah no, I’m fine.

Iori: Doesn’t your butt hurt?

Rikai: Eh?

Iori: This bench is tough. Not to mention the lack of satisfactory service.

Iori: Here, you can sit on my lap if you’d like.

Rikai: I’ll pass.

Iori: No need to hold back!

Rikai: Iori-san.

Iori: ….

Iori: Lemme know if somethings bothering you then

Rikai: ....On the same line of thought, it does bother me how the bus hasn’t come at the appointed time.

Iori: I’ll go track it down

Rikai: No no no! Iori-san, please stay here.

Rikai: We’ll ride the bus together when it comes.

Iori: ….’Kay.

Iori: Lemme know if somethings bothering you then

Rikai: What about yourself, Iori-san.

Iori: Huh?

Rikai: You’re always preoccupied with the business of others 

Rikai: Isn’t there anything that’s bothering you, Iori-san?

Iori: ….Nah, don’t mind me.

Rikai: I can’t, please tell me if there is.

Iori: Eeeh~... I dunno… 

Iori: How there’s nothing I need to do, I guess. Keep thinking if spending my time like this is any good.

Iori: Being sort of useless and all that. Or more like I end up being fidgety over it

Rikai: Please don’t think of such things. You’re always supporting us from behind the scenes, no?

Iori: Really? I’m glad

Rikai: Just remember to keep yourself in consideration too sometimes.

Iori: Yessiiiir~

(Iori gets up)

Rikai: Are you going somewhere?

Iori: Got nothing to do so I’m going to look for something to keep me busy

Rikai: Did you even listen to me!?

Rikai: Besides I would much rather prefer if you stayed here with me! Iori-sa….

(Iori leaves and Rikai sighs)

(Terra walks by)

Rikai: Terra-san, where are you headed off to?

Terra: On a walk~♪

Rikai: Selfish as always…

Rikai: Why can’t everyone sit still and wait patiently. What am I supposed to do if the bus comes and leaves them behind in the meantime? 

Terra: Terra-kun won’t be left behind that easily

Rikai: ….

(Terra sits down)

Terra: The bus sure won’t come~

Rikai: My apologies, if only I had my act more together.

Terra: ?

Rikai: I haven’t been able to preserve order at all lately. As the leader, I feel responsible for my conduct.

Terra: What are you on, all of us would’ve perished with you long time ago

Rikai: Eh?

Terra: The fact that we like, somehow got this far is thanks to you

Rikai: Terra-san! Do you mean that!?

Terra: Yup, that’s why I can take it easy and go on a walk

Rikai: I see! Of course!

Rikai: I, the perfect man of society, standing proudly in the middle allows everyone to be free as they please to!

Terra: Uh I didn’t like, say that much….

Rikai: Yet in other words, an existence such as myself has the potential to sow chaos too on the contrary.

Rikai: Terra-san, education is difficult no matter the era we’re in.

Terra: What are you yapping about?

Rikai: Alright, I’ll give it my all! Rikai-oniisan shall not falter!

Terra: Where you going?

Toilet: To the lavatory

(Rikai leaves)

(Ohse and Amahiko walk by)

Terra: Amahiko, you already good?

Amahiko: Yes, I’ve surprisingly recovered quite well. Although I do still feel slightly sleepy.

Amahiko: ….The bus isn’t coming, huh.

Terra: I give up

Ohse: …Sorry

Terra & Amahiko: ?

Terra: Ghost-kun, what’cha apologizing for?

Ohse: Eh… ah, no…

Terra: No apologizing without a reason

Ohse: Sorry

Terra: Again

Ohse: …

Ohse: Understood.

(Terra gets up)

Amahiko: Terra-san, where are you off to?

Terra: Just a lil’ walk

Amahiko: Would you like to go together?

Terra: Nah, alone’s fine

Amahiko: Very well then

(Terra leaves)

Amahiko: Sigh… 

Ohse: …Um, please go to sleep. I’ll wake you up once the bus comes.

Amahiko: ...Ohse-san, you shouldn't overdo it yourself. You're tired too, no.

(Ohse running off on the road)

Ohse: You better show up soon… Bus…

Amahiko: Hmm~ ....To come… or not to come…

Ohse: Eh?

Amahiko: What would you prefer, Ohse-san?

Ohse: I’d… like to be alone.

Amahiko: Eh?

Ohse: Ah, no not like that! I didn’t imply a-anything else with being alone!

Amahiko: Fufu

Ohse: I messed up! I’m really just a piece of shit! I’m so sorry!

(Ohse runs away)

Amahiko: Ohse-san!?

Amahiko: …He ran away

Amahiko: ….

Sarukawa: Oi  Amahiko, you seen Fumiya ‘round?

Amahiko: I haven’t

Sarukawa: Where did that bastard run off to

Sarukawa: Came up to me like, let’s hitchhike so I stuck with him and then he poofed into thin air

Sarukawa: Forreal gotta get his ass at least once

Amahiko: Haha…

(Sarukawa sits down)

Sarukawa: When’s this damn bus coming. And why we gotta wait for sumn’ that won’t show up

(Sarukawa stands up)

Sarukawa: I’m gon’ run off on my own y’know!

Amahiko: …..

(Sarukawa sits back down)

(Amahiko smiles)

Sarukawa: ….Your ma all good?

Amahiko: …Yes, she made a full recovery one way or another

Sarukawa: Really, that’s good news

Amahiko: However…

Sarukawa: ?

Amahiko: Father ended up bed ridden instead.

Sarukawa: Puh- hahahaha! Hahahaha!!

Sarukawa: Forreal!? That old man’s got his shit fucked!? Amazing!

Amahiko: Eeh!?

Sarukawa: Fuckers that mess with ya deserve to get their asses beat!

Sarukawa: Now that’s what I’m talkin’ bout, hahaha, hahahaha!!!

Amahiko: Aha… Ahahaha…!

(Amahiko gets up)

Sarukawa: Mh, where you off to?

Amahiko: I’m going to search for Ohse-san

(Amahiko leaves)

Sarukawa:  ….

Sarukawa:  Fufu…

Fumiya: Kei

Sarukawa: Fumiya! Where the hell were ya!?

Fumiya: I finally got it

Sarukawa: Hah?

Sarukawa: Ah! Someone to hitchhike us!? Ya finally got them to stop!

Fumiya: Nah, got this giant stag beetle

Sarukawa: Hah?

(Fumiya shoves it in Sarukawa’s face)

Fumiya: Isn’t it cool? Look, a giant stag beetle.

Sarukawa: Stopstopstop

Fumiya: Looook, very big. So cool. Jealous, aren’t you.

Fumiya: A giant stag beetle, look, looook

Sarukawa: Aaah! And the hitchhiking then!? The fuck you playing around for!

Sarukawa: Owowowow! It’s pinching me! Bastard!

Fumiya: Hahaha

Sarukawa: ….!

Sarukawa: Wait all ya want, s’not coming

Sarukawa: I’m gon’ run off on my own, y'know! 

Fumiya: …I wonder if Ryuu’s fine

Sarukawa: Hell if I know, what’s gotten into ya

Fumiya: Would be nice if he was.

Sarukawa: Shuddup, ain’t nothing for you to worry ‘bout. Be quiet.

Sarukawa: ….It’s his problem to deal with. Ain’t nothing we can do ‘bout it.

Fumiya: ….

(Sarukawa stands up)

Sarukawa: ….! Where they at!

Fumiya: Eh? How should I know? You’re the one that knows about Ryuu-

Sarukawa: The giant stag beetles!

Fumiya: Eeeeh!?

Sarukawa: I’m so gonna find a way bigger one than yours, just watch!

(Sarukawa runs off)

Fumiya: Hahaha…

(Iori walks by)

Iori: Ah, Fumiya-san. Huh? Where’s everyone?

Fumiya: Dunno

(Iori puts down the bag of drinks)

Fumiya: Ah, water, where from?

Iori: Asked some people in the neighborhood and I received these.

Iori: Who knew I had the charms to woo over the elderly.

(Iori opens a bottle)

Iori: Okay, here you go

Fumiya: ….

Iori: …Hm? It’s fine to drink?

Fumiya: …Yeah, but let’s wait for everyone. We’ll drink together

Iori: …

Iori: ….Roger wilco!

Iori: Still no sign of the bus

Fumiya: ….Mhm

Iori: Wonder what’s gonna happen from now on

Fumiya: ….Mhm

Iori: Fumiya-san, what are you planning to do?

Fumiya: …Eh? Uh, nothing, haven’t decided on anything.

Iori: Really now~?

Fumiya: Being with a bunch of like-minded people, and passing the time away together is more than enough for me. 

Iori: Liar!

Iori: What just happened!? Eeeeh!?

Iori: Actually, where are we even going when we get on the bus?

Fumiya: Ah, about our next destination. Just so you know--

Rikai: Ah Iori-san, you came back, I was searching for you.

Iori: Oh, sorry sorry

Amahiko: Catched myself an Ohse-san~

Terra: You’re like, the worst!

Sarukawa: Your damn fault!

(Everyone’s being noisy)

Iori: Guuuys, there’s water. Please have a drink.

(Everyone sits down and drinks water)

Rikai: What… do we do…

Rikai: Should we walk?

Terra: Eeeeh~

Sarukawa: See? It’s gon’ be that after all, stupid

Fumiya: Lame

Ohse: Amahiko-san, will you be fine?

Amahiko: Yes

(Rikai stands up)

Terra: Eh! Are we seriously walking???

Iori: Not like we have much choice, it didn’t come despite us waiting.

Terra: Geez!

(Everyone standing up slowly)

Fumiya: …Then, we’re off?

Rikai: Guess we’ll depart

(Everyone sighs and starts dragging their feet)

Ohse: ….?

Ohse: Ah! A car’s coming!

The six of them: Wuh!?

(Everyone gets frantic)

(The car speeds by without stopping)

The seven of them: AAAAAAAAH!!!

Rikai: HELP US!

The seven of them: ASSHOLEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!

[sonkitty]

The Sideburns Scheme Post #9 - LINK - Update

Behold, the grand knowledge bestowed upon me for trying to study retying of the Tied Hands and the activation of the Belt Head.

In the private room scene in episode 1, you never see Crowley's belt...except...this one time...this tiny little bit of it...right...here:

Yup, those are the silly treasures I find with thorough examination, that may or may not lead to understanding things better later.

Anyway, so here is the update for Sideburns Scheme Post #9.

I updated the following from:

There are a number of places where I think the hair is more red and hesitate. In my previous version of this post, I noted more examples than I will in this version. The main place where I think there is a streak, it actually moved to the right side of Crowley's head, like it did when he was driving. It's from the cut when he says, "So did I."

to:

There are a number of places where I think the hair is more red and hesitate, at this point thinking it is largely absent. If it is there, it may have moved to the right side of Crowley's head. Here is an image of what I mean:

Here is the image noted:

...

I updated the following from:

As stated in the last post, my initial streak theory was that the missing streak in that particular cut is a clue that part is Draft #1. It could still be, but I don't know why the streak disappears when it does in other scenes that I don't think are from Draft #1. The pieces don't line up in a way I understand.

to:

My theory goes that the streak is an after-effect of a Big Miracle performed either on Sunday at midnight or a previous timeline. So, this scene could be a mix of both Saturday and Monday or it could be that previous timeline. I still can't quite get the pieces to line up in a way I understand, but that's still my general guess from the story's clues.

And then a whole bunch of stuff was added to the Earthly Objects section.

Here is the stuff:

Edit, addition as of 09/05/2024:

As an addendum some months after making post, I have tried to study retying and the activation of the Belt Head. This scene is well beyond me in that regard, but I have picked up on a few other details I would like to add for the overall log.

Overhead Lights tend to go that left-side Overhead Lights are for demons, and right-side Overhead Lights are for angels. When Crowley and Aziraphale enter, their heads pocket the lights that reverse this understanding. The lights are to Crowley's right and Aziraphale's left. After passing these lights, Aziraphale's hand reflection can be found in the push plate of the door.

Then, during the scene, Overhead Lights for actual heads are avoided. However, there is partially open door with a push plate that sometimes gets visual touches over it during the scene, including the heads sometimes. It's not an Overhead Light, but it seems to serve some function in the mechanics with the lacking Overhead Lights, especially for Crowley's actual head.

Meanwhile, Crowley's belt is hidden for almost the entire scene. The top of the Belt Head can be found early in this one particular cut:

It's easy to miss. I only caught it because of how thorough I am being overall in my notes.

That cut is also the first of when the unlit lamp to Crowley's left is showing its pole stand that has a mildly reflective surface.

This lamp seems to act as the Belt Head's Overhead Light in a scene that very much avoids Overhead Lights for Crowley's actual head.

For the part where I said I thought Crowley's left hand and watch were up to something, I suspect that is a retying. I'm a little unsure due to how the thumb joints are managed, but various little clues still suggest that to be the case, especially with the watch and left index finger being so overt in action.

[mostlymaudlin]

Twenty Questions for Fic Writers 💫

thank you @decaflondonfog for the tag !! ill tag @sillyunicorn @starwarned @urban-sith @tea-brigade

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

98!! (woah) plus an unrevealed t&n fest fic, so 99. wow i need to do something rly crazy for 100 lol. what if i do a ridiculous crossover of all my fandoms and everyone in the fandom tags will hate me. 

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

544,914. (again. woagh)

3. What fandoms do you write for?

mostly all for the game and simon snow series, have dabbled in & posted even less for check please, captain america, and one direction! i feel like i’m missing something but regardless my fixations are hardcore, so all except like 4k of that posted wc is for either aftg or ss hahahha

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

all are andreil! boyfriend privileges (4k, T) / Trigger (62k, E) / flashes of intimacy (10k, t) / Would you still love me if I was a worm? (6k, T) / Inside Thoughts (1k,T)

man this is long, rest is going under the cut lol

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

not very often, but i wish i did. i am stricken with a combination of being really awkward when people are nice to me & being bad at interacting with anyone in ways i fear could be perceived as ingenuine. im not sure if that makes sense LMAO. and sometimes when i put a story out, i kind of feel like i’ve said my piece — i’ve put so much into it that i don’t really know what else to say!

anyway, i always reply to questions, because that’s got clear social boundaries hahaha, and i DO love talking abt my stories!! and sometimes i’ll reply to comments that really get me thinking. but yeah, i know i reply less than i could, and i want to like double down on the fact that i am endlessly grateful for everyone who has ever left a comment on my work <3

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

i have killed simon snow twice lmfao. i’d actually classify icarus as rather hopeful — it’s about grief & healing. but legacies is just fucked up lmfao

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

oh man, i write a lot of happy endings haha. i feel like even when my story is tonally darker (rare), it still has a happy or at least hopeful ending. this is probably not the correct answer, but i think sing of the moon has a really vividly happy ending. like — the sun rises for the first time in the whole fic! amazing. or maybe my high school au, We Can Live Forever, which is just the happiest thing i’ve ever written. 

8. Do you get hate on fics?

not really, thankfully! people are smartasses sometimes but overall ive been lucky. there have been a couple of fics where ive winced before hitting post, but it usually ends up fine

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

yessss. i guess i mostly write tender smut, bc i write tender things in general. i think my smut tends to be rather exploratory/playful as well? intentionally sloppy and awkward choreography hahaha

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

sort of LOL. once upon a time i was betaing @tea-brigade's medieval snowbaz au, Reliquary of an Arsonist, and there’s this part where three highway bandits mug simon and baz and then get blasted by simon’s chosen one magic. i am sick in the head so im in the google doc like “lol what if its kandreil.” and then i was like… what if it was kandreil….. and so i wrote Reliquary of a Bandit

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

i don’t think so

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

yes!!! and i’m really thankful for everyone who has done so <3333 shoutout to russian aftg translators, yall go HARD

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

i recently collaborated with @thewholelemon on our episode of Star Trek: Redemption, Heart-Shaped Box. by which i mean: i wrote the outline & a few scenes, got really overwhelmed, and jenny turned it into something worth reading! 

i also wrote Good Boy in the snowbaz stoner verse with @starwarned, which was rly fun — we sat in the google doc for like, 5 hours trading back and forth on POVs as we wrote pure porn together LOL. it’s funny to think about this, because lauren knows like everything abt me now but we did not know each other as well back then!!! and we were just like “yeah lets write porn together” hahahahha 

14. What’s your all-time favourite ship?

right now it is deeefinitely andreil… they are everything to me for reasons i just cannot possibly be brief about LOL so ill just leave it at that

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

i have a postcanon snowbaz time travel/time loop wip that i was going to try to write for COBB this year but i fucked up the deadlines then the brainrot was like “guess that means more andreil !”. i did SO MUCH research for it and i think it’s rather clever and smutty and fun bc they are yeeted back to watford era! but it’s also dealing with snowbaz, who are in their late 20s and are like in a relationship low point/actively fighting when they end up in the loop… so they are dealing with that tension at the same time as they are trying to get out of the loop. and also fucking around watford to fulfill fantasies HAHAHA

16. What are your writing strengths?

characterization is the thing i care most about! and i think that’s the draw of fanfic in particular to me — i love getting such a grasp on a character that i can translate them into endless situations while still making them feel true to self. i rarely let myself publish anything until i can read through the whole thing without any he would not fucking say that moments hahahha. this is of course pertaining to my own interpretations of the characters, which is the only thing i care abt lmfao

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

i rely a lot on body language because im always writing abt reticent fuckers who cant use their words. but i think i sometimes overcompensate, or describe actions that don't actually fit the scene. i've seen this described as "cheek-biting" -- like, throwing in action during a conversation just to delay the pacing/further the tone, but when you really look at it, it's not necessary. (cheek-biting being like, "character bites at their cheek" in the middle of a tense conversation)

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

i don’t really know any other languages! i think i’ve put a little bit of french in neil/kevin/baz POVs before, but my french knowledge is elementary at best. love the idea of it though.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

one direction babyyyyyyyy !! i wrote quite a bit of it in like 2012-2015 but published very little. there’s 1 on my ao3, some lost somewhere on fanfiction.net (i dont rmr my username lol), and tons in my folders from my old laptop lol.

20. Favourite fic you’ve written?

hmmmmm. im gonna cheat bc i cant pick a single favorite. i always say i think No Turning Back is some of my best writing from a craft standpoint, and it also includes my favorite type of conflict (andrew self-destructing lol). however, i reread both that fic & We Can Live Forever on a plane trip recently after not having touched either for 6+ months — and the solidness of We Can Live Forever actually surprised me, especially because i wrote the majority of that fic while i was stoned and also view it as just exceedingly silly. the world of it is just very rich, and also very very different from the typical character backstories, and i’m very proud of how much that reread played with my heartstrings.  

ok last one — there are several installments of my flashes of intimacy series that i come back to a lot, because i’m proud of what they each accomplish in 500 words. especially because i often turn to those when im trying to express my own emotions lol. specifically, my favorites are picking fights, i don’t mind, swimming lessons, and practicing gratitude.

that was such a bullshit and cocky way to answer this lmfaooooo. but tbh i am my own biggest fan and that is by design — i write stuff so that i can reread it months later and have it be perfectly catered to my tastes. i love all my fics <3

[theatrevelyan]

Ok, I’ve binged the new ATLA live action and I have feelings about it so here are my incoherent thoughts! (SPOILERS btw!!)

I’m a fan of the original show and I approached this show with low expectations (namely the only expectation I had was “this can’t be worse than the movie, right??”) but I have to say I was pleasantly surprised!!

I mean sure some details have been changed to flow better in this rendition of the story but I’m fine with that so long as the heart that made the original special is still there and I know some people didn’t felt like it did but I had the feeling that it was.

Do I love absolutely everything about the show?

Nope.

I have some issues with the first episode being too stiff and some shots were outright weird?? Like the tilted camera when Grangran was speaking was a really odd choice??? Was it to signal that the world changed when the fire nation attacked? If so it missed the mark, it just felt weird… to be honest Grangran in general felt weird. Idk man, she felt like an exposition dump made flesh. Also I did like it better when it was Katara’s unchecked emotions that led them to Aang.

In general, the dialogues were… uhm, how to put it…? Too rigid? Not the acting mind you, but the actual script felt a bit stilted, I felt it more in the first few episodes but to me, the first episode is by far the weakest of the season in this regard which is odd since it’s your hook and most of the time you want to make sure the hook is if not the best at least a really solid opening.

I did not like Bumi, like at all. He was never a favorite of mine even in the original but still I found him annoying in this version and the fight in that episode was not the best to say the least but the rest of Omashu was good even if they changed it to include both Sai’s and Jet’s storylines. Too bad they didn’t include the loss of culture subplot for Aang but I get there was no time/place for it in this version of events and the rest was handled well… except for Bumi lol

On the more serious complaints… they butchered my boi HeiBai!!! That episode was all over the place in sense of scripting. I didn’t mind putting Koh and the owl there but we just forgot about the HeiBai plot along the way and we never got a resolution about it???? Like just two lines about healing the forest would have been enough, not good mind you, but enough.

Also I did not get why they changed the motivation for going to the North Pole from going there to train to go there bc of Kyoshi weird premonition thing or why Roku didn’t tell Aang about the comet????

Like ok the Kyoshi thing I can just wave it away like a minor change to flow better with the new structure of the episodes but I can’t ignore the fucking comet!!! That’s like a really important timeframe for the gaang to follow and maybe they will get to it next season since it was addressed on Ozai’s side of things but it felt still like a weird change.

Oh and why didn’t Aang learn water bending??? I mean I guess they probably wanted to elevate Katara’s skill level and have her be recognized as a master before she started teaching him besides him having still to come to terms with having to accept that he is the avatar and that he has to fight sometimes something that he doesn’t really do until the season finale and I can get behind that, I really can… but man… let him water bend just a little. Maybe in just one scene to show that he is picking up something from Katara even if she’s not his teacher yet. To show that despite all the doubts he’s actually trying to do what he’s supposed to. I guess this is a “wait and see” kind of change though so I’ll let it go… for now.

All that said, do I think the show is a good adaptation of the original?

Fucking yes.

It has its flaws for sure but there is also a lot of good things in it.

Sokka was the highlight for me. I really liked him in the original but i feel like he’s been elevated in this version of the story and the actor did a really remarkable job with him, despite my worry with the changes in his initial story arch they managed to give him another layer that I liked.

Actually all the actors did a very good job! Aang was spot on and Zuko had a lot more humanity in him from the start without losing his rough edges. And while I stand by that Sokka’s actor is the one that surprised me the most, Zuko’s was the one I had more fun watching. A really great performance in my opinion.

Iroh was a fucking delight and an emotional gut punch as always and while he was a bit more somber I really liked this version of the character.

They did Azula and Ozai justice showing how cunningly terrifying and utterly toxic they can be and I really liked that we got to see more of them in season 1.

Hell, even Zhao felt the right balance of unhinged cartoony villain and actual threat for the pov characters.

Katara was more of mixed bag for me. She’s my favorite character in the original (with Zuko being a close second) so I have higher standards for her and overall all she still feels like the Katara that I know and love but idk sometimes she felt too poised?? It’s more evident in the first few episodes to be fair and I don’t think it was the acting, the actress was great! Maybe it was the direction or the writing?? Idk man I still loved her, mind you, but in the original, Katara, while being kind and loving, was still a force of nature that you do not want to anger exactly like a raging river that can both be a source of life or a force of destruction. In this it felt like they softened her edges a bit too much. That might be a me problem though, as I said she’s my favorite so I have higher standards for her.

Ti be honest though, it seems that they softened everyone’s less palatable traits. Zuko isn’t as ruthless, Sokka isn’t sexist at the start of the season, Aang isn’t as goofy and so on. I didn’t mind it actually and most of the time it works really well in showing us new sides of these characters without losing who the are but idk man… while I still loved Katara it felt like she was missing something. And same with Suki! She looked fantastic and she was fierce as I expected her to be but she also felt more naive and love struck that she should have. Nothing terrible but enough to notice.

The bending was fantastic and it really felt… well real. Especially air bending! Appa and Momo were really well animated too! Big win for the VFX team!

The music too! It just felt right. And I’m still not over those scenes when you faintly hear leaves from the vines play in the background. Curse you and your great choices that made me actually cry my eyes out like a baby!

In the end I’d give it a solid 7/10. It was a nice watch and it brought me back to my childhood and I can see it’s potential to be something special on its own.

Mind you, this could still turn into a dumpster fire along the way. It wouldn’t be the first time it happened to a really promising Netflix show (I’m looking at you Voltron and the Witcher) but I have to say, I’m gladly surprised and mildly optimistic about this show!

[sisterofficerlucychen]

1, 2, 8, 23, 30, 35, 42, 45, 49

1. What fic of yours would you recommend to someone who had never read any of your work? (In other words, what do you think is the best introduction to your fics?)

probably time, curious time that is specifically lighthearted and fluff

2. Go to your AO3 “Works” page, to the sidebar with all the filters, and click the drop-down arrow for “Additional Tags.” What are your top 3-5 most used tags? Do you think they accurately represent your writing habits?

angst, fluff, idiots in love — lmao, yes. i think for the most part i’ll either write about angst or fluff or both. and the idiots in love well they were idiots in love for a hot sec there lol.

8. What song would make a great fic (to either write or read)?

the archer, taylor swift — so you actually put this idea in my head ♡ you answered a question a few weeks back about what song you associated with tim and it just fits so perfectly??? i can just picture each line being different points in his life from childhood, marriage falling apart, pushing everyone away, lucy breaking down those walls, etc. and his mind frame during these periods in time.   

23. What’s a trope, AU, or concept you’ve never written, but would like to?

an actual multi-chaptered story lmao. i’ve technically successfully finished one but it was a 5+1 so i don’t count it as a multi-chapter. i just want to write a story from start to finish because the idea are in my head, words are just hard to get out sometimes (most times) 😭 

30. Have you ever written something that was out of your comfort zone? If so, what was it, and how did it affect your approach to writing fic thereafter?   

smut!!!!!!!!!!!!!! my goodness this is a freaking art. i’ve dabbled~~ but i haven’t fully written out a smut scene because it’s so hard??? i literally have a wip that is the last chapter to a fic that i’m struggling to finish because i’ll write, read it over, and then second guess myself lol. it’s affected my approach to writing in being conscious of the balance that a spicy scene needs? like when i think of the ones that i enjoy reading the most, they’re ones where feelings and emotions support the technicality of the action written.  

35. What aspects of your writing are completely unlike your real life?

any that deal with engagement/marriage/kids. i haven’t experienced any of that yet so writing it sometimes is a bit out of my element because i don’t really have a frame of reference for it except what i’ve seen with others and what i hope for. 

42. Have you ever received a comment that particularly stood out to you for whatever reason?

i think any comment that has something quoted back and why it stood out to the person reading or how it made them feel is just ♡♡♡ part of what i’ve always loved about storytelling is seeing what resonates with others, it's always really cool to see.

45. What’s something you’ve improved on since you started writing fic?

dialogue. i’m looking back at what i’ve written and it wasn’t until the fourth fic i posted that i included a conversation between two characters haha. it’s still something that at times does feel challenging especially trying to capture different voices with the right cadence but i think i’ve gotten better at maintaining the pacing of a conversation and how it ties into the general flow of the fic. 

49. What are you currently working on? Share a few lines if you’re up for it!

this will be for hold onto me 'cause i'm a little unsteady from lucy’s perspective with thinking about her own parental trauma and the fears that come from it

She hates how much of her life they’re missing out on because they can’t be proud of the daughter they have. Something she ultimately learned to accept upon finally having someone wholeheartedly believe in her. While every move and decision she makes is seen as a failure in their eyes, Tim sees the opposite; he taught her what it was to be believed in, provides the reassurance that she could never disappoint him, reminds her that she’s enough just by being who she is and how he loves her for it. 

[lightandfellowship]

A detail in the Vidar and Odin cutscene that might tell us exactly when it takes place

I really should've thought about this sooner.

Before I get into the meat of this observation and what it means for the timeline, I need to explain something: the three ways KHDR handles flashbacks and flashforwards.

Flashbacks and flashforwards come in three visual styles:

(1. Timestamp at the beginning of the cutscene in a bold, black font. This indicates a flashback/flashforward that only the audience can see. And it goes without saying that this type of flashback/flashforward is used when the writers don't want any ambiguity about when the scene takes place. Example:

(2. Blurry black letterbox/vignette at the top and bottom of the screen. This indicates a memory that a character is actively recalling; both the audience and the character are "seeing" it. Here's an example from Eraqus' memory:

(3. Character's narration in the middle of the screen while the cutscene behind the text has a low-opacity black overlay on top of it. This can sometimes indicate present reality in some circumstances (such as a disembodied voice speaking or someone narrating their inner thoughts as they occur) but most of the time it indicates that the background cutscene is just a visual to go along with the character's statements, and isn't necessarily something that is actively being remembered or seen by any character in the story. An example of Xehanort retroactively narrating over a scene from the past:

In some cases the game may use a combination of any of these three to create unique effects, but that's not important for this post, the point is: if a cutscene is showing an event from the past or future, there will be a clear visual indication of that.

Why is this relevant? Do you wanna guess which one of these the Vidar and Odin cutscene initially uses?

None of them. (Further explanation under the read more).

Which under normal circumstances would indicate that the scene is taking place in the present and isn't a flashback at all (the second half of this cutscene has the flashback letterboxing, but there's a reason for that I'll explain in a bit).

For context, up until this point I was always of the belief that this scene was a flashback that took place sometime after the events of Enchanted Dominion but before the present events of KHDR, and that the lack of a timestamp was simply to avoid spoilers or to create mystery. However, after realizing how consistent the game is about visually marking flashbacks/flashforwards, I can no longer believe with any certainty that this is just "the one exception" in the entire game.

And at first glance, I'd be tempted to say that this scene taking place in the present actually makes sense. Right before this cutscene, Hermod goes looking for Odin in order to inform him about Vor's departure, but fails to locate him. If Odin is truly in the tower talking to Vidar at this very moment, then it explains why Hermod couldn't find him in his usual places, because we know from Vidar that Odin's meditation spot in the tower isn't common knowledge amongst the underclassmen (presumably).

In addition, this would finally explain (1. why Odin greets Vidar with "You've returned." and (2. why Vidar tries to say goodbye. In Episode 1, Odin claims that the upperclassmen are missing, and we just saw Vidar in Dwarf Woodlands the episode before this, so surely this moment must be Vidar returning to Scala after finding out that he's been declared missing and informing Odin that he's leaving indefinitely to pursue his goals (whatever they are).

However, I feel things start to get a little messy when you think about it harder.

I've explained in the past in this reblog chain how it seems extremely likely that the Vidar + Odin discussion in Episode 5, and the Vidar + Odin discussion in Episode 7, are not two separate instances of them talking, but rather two halves of the same discussion, and I think this still applies.

(Aside: I realize now looking back at this post that OP was super onto something here and totally right and I can't believe I didn't latch onto it sooner).

(Aside 2.0: the reason why the second half of the cutscene has flashback letterboxing while the first doesn't is because in Episode 7, Odin is actively remembering the second half of this discussion, a discussion that I'm arguing potentially took place in Episode 5. In other words, Odin is remembering Episode 5 while in Episode 7.)

If these two cutcenes are in fact the same discussion just split in half, then that means that this cutscene is the moment when Vidar first learns about True Darkness, what needs to be done about Baldr, and Kingdom Hearts.

But...wouldn't it be really weird if Vidar only learned about Kingdom Hearts in Episode 5? He, Vala, and Vali were already traveling the outside worlds and considered missing during Episodes 1-4, and at the end of Episode 4 Vidar makes a point to recruit Vor to help him and the other upperclassmen with some unspecified goal of theirs, so clearly he had SOME plan already in mind—one that he knew would require the underclassmen's assistance, at that. (Xehanort also claims that the only reason why they were running into the upperclassmen at all was because the upperclassmen were keeping tabs on the underclassmen, further suggesting that the upperclassmen already had plans for them in mind.)

At the end of Episode 4 Vidar also says that he wouldn't return to Scala until he accomplished said goal, and wouldn't talking to Odin in the tower constitute "returning to Scala"? Maybe I'm being nitpicky here and Vidar simply visiting briefly to say goodbye isn't the same thing as returning, but still. Vor is also absent from this cutscene despite being newly recruited by Vidar the episode prior, but I think you could make the argument that she was waiting somewhere else for Vidar to finish his business with Odin.

You would also have to reconcile the fact that Vala and Vali had already stolen the rose from Beast's Castle sometime before or during Episode 5. So, in a very short amount of time, Vidar would have had to discover the existence of the items of world order (which, remember, as far as we know Odin never told him about that part), discover their usefulness in finding true light and summoning Kingdom Hearts, relay this information to Vala and Vali, and then have them correctly locate and steal the rose in record time. Even if you assume that the upperclassmen were taught about the items of world order beforehand while the underclassmen weren't (due to age/schooling), this still seems very fast to me.

Remember, if the Vidar + Odin discussion does indeed happen concurrently/approximately alongside Hermod failing to find Odin, then that means that the underclassmen visit Beast's Castle and find out that the rose was stolen shortly after Odin and Vidar have their discussion at the tower. In Scala time, the upperclassmen's plans pivoting and them succesfully locating and stealing an item of world order would happen within the span of...what, hours at most? Not to mention the Beast's servants claim that the rose was stolen "a short while ago", which, while admittedly open-ended wording, seems to suggest a longer time span than a day (because otherwise wouldn't they have just said "earlier today" or "yesterday"?), and sure time flows differently in each world, but it's still pretty hard to believe that, by the time the underclassmen caught up with the upperclassmen in Beast's Castle, only maybe an hour or less had passed in Scala, but potentially several days had passed in Beast's Castle.

Not to mention this would also mean that Odin met a missing upperclassmen and (1. didn't stop him from leaving again and (2. didn't inform the underclassmen about this meeting (underclassmen who were still acting on orders to find the missing upperclassmen). Which, you know, typical secretive-ulterior-motives-Odin-stuff, so it's not really even an inconsistency or anything, but still.

This scene taking place in Episode 5...it's possible! It's certainly possible! But...I feel like this just makes things needlessly more confusing and strange. Why would you have Vidar and company initially pursuing a vague and directionless plan for the first half of the game, only to discover their real plan at the midway point? (Especially when we know that Darkness had planned for Vidar to pursue Kingdom Hearts from the very beginning? Why let Vidar meander aimlessly for who knows how long?) Why have Vidar go through the effort of recruiting Vor before he even knows what the hell he's doing? Why have Vidar talk mysteriously about his ambitions in Episode 4 like he was foreshadowing his plan when it turns out he wasn't even talking about the plan he would actually end up with?

Now, could it be a mistake/oversight that this cutscene doesn't look like a flashback? I mean, maybe? But it seems really unlikely to me that (1. this was a mistake at all considering that all the other flashbacks/flashforwards are perfectly fine including the second half of the Vidar + Odin discussion which correctly has letterboxing and (2. that the devs didn't notice it when they updated the game to version 5.0.1 and fixed a bunch of stuff. Which makes me believe that this is perfectly intentional and that this scene does in fact take place in Episode 5. But like. Why. Why would you do this to me.

[surely-galena]

ToT Main Story 10 Thoughts/Commentary (Part 3)

[1] [2] [3] [4]

Whoa MC!! It's really easy to forget that she's got experience in drama/theater because it's mostly in the card stories (Artem's 1st birthday, SSR Por Una Cabeza), but she definitely hasn't lost her touch because she's still a good actress!

(Actually, more about acting later. That's why there are four parts to this HAHA.)

But in the moment, even in the stress, she's still able to believably act as if she's turning on Vyn, as if she doesn't know him, as if she is perfectly capable of killing him. Even if she was just in a near-death situation, she's really good at keeping her cool. MC/Rosa is definitely not to be underestimated.

Ah, the NSB is coming up again. I'm still not really sure how I feel about their involvement (I'm still suspicious), but I guess they're probably the best people for this sort of task.

Okay, this last line really struck me.

"Truths may not only be exposed in the light. Sometimes, the truths in the shadows will have greater value."

As the main story has progressed, we have slowly edged closer and closer into darker territory -- the shadows, if you will.

I always come back to main story 6 when I think about this because that was our first ever episode without a trial at the end. That was also the first one where MC was directly involved in a near-death experience with the main villain and one where it was difficult to truly bring the truth "in the light" because everything was just so messy. It was difficult to salvage the pieces of main story 6 and bring it to justice, because there wasn't anyone left to bring to justice at that stage.

So it makes sense that MC and the NXX Investigation Team are probably going to go into even darker areas, not necessarily for justice, because that's not quite the point here, but for truth. When they play it safe, it's harder to get the full story. Only when they step into the shadows can they really unravel everything that is going on.

Right, okay. I'm... kind of confused by Jerome's mixed signals. We know he's not to be trusted (especially with the scene near the end where he's reaching out to Brigid), but he also seems to be... dropping hints?

Does he want MC to figure out the truth? Is he deliberately setting a trap for the NXX by baiting them with information, like some kind of setup or long con? Jerome is still very much a mystery to me, but if there is one thing I can be certain of, it's that he's been gradually appearing more and more throughout the main story. I don't doubt we're going to be seeing more of him as the mystery continues to unravel.

It's been a while since I've seen her sprite, but Matthew bears a very strong resemblance to Jill/Reina Richter (I think it's Reina now, right?). It's cool seeing the artist incorporate common details between biologically-related characters (e.g. Marius & Giann & Austin, Artem & Kimberly).

Ohh. The Richters are getting involved? Okay, so maybe Vyn does have more stakes in the situation than the missing NXX members.

-

Truth and Heroism

A mini segment about some themes I've been mulling over (in relation to ToT).

I feel like a lot of the VNs I've been thinking about lately have been talking about truth and apparently ToT main story 10 is no exception to that. I think it's important that in MC's pursuit of the truth, she does stop and remind herself that truth can be cruel in the moment. There may be even more horrifying things in store for her and the NXX Investigation Team. But even as they edge closer and closer to painful answers, they have to see everything through to the end. Even if it hurts. Even if things turn out to be worse than they ever imagined.

And then this last bit struck me because in a way, the NXX Investigation Team are heroes. They're a little glorified because MC is part of that team and also all the guys are love interests, but with MC, they've been helping to bring justice to Stellis or learn more about the greater plot.

But Brad Gries is different, because he's just some guy who doesn't even have a sprite, who thought that something had to be done in order to avoid a worse thing happening. And he's dead, and it wasn't a pretty way to go, and that's apparently case closed on main story 10 (final scene aside). There's something tragic about that. Maybe, in a way, Brad is somewhat of a microcosm of the people of Stellis. People who are fighters -- people who hope for things to happen or not happen, people who MC tries so hard to help and bring justice to. People who aren't always saved. People who don't get to see justice in their lifetime.

[hualianisms]

✦ what was your easiest fic to write & your hardest?

☉ what do you do when you get stuck writing?

✄ what’s your editing process?

✎ how do you think readers would guess a fic was yours if you posted anonymously?

tysm for the ask!! 🩵🩵 be prepared for a lot of yapping

✦ what was your easiest fic to write & your hardest?

easiest fic: this is a bit of a hard qn bc ive written 58 fics so far through the years and i forgot half the things i wrote kfjjfj but id say, the easiest was probably my first ever real fic, i.e. this hualian hurt/comfort fic where hc has a nightmare of the 100 swords scene. it was the first thing i wrote right after finishing reading tgcf and i wrote it all in one go and the dialogue & actions & characterization flowed so easily, i could picture the scene so easily in my head (which doesn't always happen for me). and writing hualian felt like the easiest thing in the world bc back in 2020 every little detail about them as characters and as a ship was imprinted in my mind so vividly... i miss those days 😔 my memory abilities have deteriorated since then

otherwise, iirc my first ever fengqing fic and my fenglian poem were also very easy to write

hardest fic: 😭😭 this could be so many of my fics tbh, there's so many i struggle so much with.. especially the unfinished wips, bc everything i actually posted means it wasn't the hardest, since i actually managed to finish them

but among my posted wips, i definitely struggled with the earlier chapters of my hualian fake dating au very badly at the earlier chapters and almost gave up on it which was why there was a 1-2 year gap btwn updates 😭😭 i actually went into a 1-2 year long burnout right after posting chap 1. luckily though, the most recent chapters got much better for me, finally reached a part of the story that's much easier and more fun to write (except that i wrote myself into a bit of a corner so ive been brainstorming how to get out of it). i just struggle a lot with multichaps bc my executive dysfunction issues make it very overwhelming for me to plot things. but im very determined to see this fic through to the end and finish my first ever multichap!

there's a lot more i struggled with - usually longer fics, fics for a new fandom (especially visual media fandoms. book/text-based fandoms are much easier bc you already have a canon peek into their character voice and narration style), non-canon ships that need a lot of wrangling to be believable, fics where i worry a lot about being ooc, fics that need action scenes or a real plot

the rest of the qns answered under the cut:

☉ what do you do when you get stuck writing?:

😭 it depends on why im stuck. i might ask someone for help w characterization. sometimes i just go for a jog/walk to clear my head and it works, otherwise if im rly stuck, especially plot-wise, I'll procrastinate and put the fic off for weeks/months

✄ what’s your editing process?

just rereading my own draft and rewriting or filling in the blanks where i feel like it can be better or is missing smth. i don't cut scenes often unless they're really bad. sometimes i rearrange entire paragraphs around to make them flow better

✎ how do you think readers would guess a fic was yours if you posted anonymously?

this is an apt question bc i have 2 anon fics rn and had a few in the past that i took off anon a couple of years later.. i think the easiest way to tell is my authors' notes. in both start & end notes i tend to yap + i usually apologize a lot in the start notes

besides that maybe fic titles (mitski). i think the genres and writing tone/vibe through my 50+ fics have varied a lot so i don't think that would be distinctive.. id be interested to hear if my writing style is distinctive bc i have no idea myself 🤔 i know i have some phrases i reuse across fics though (trying to work on that issue), and a bad habit of having long sentences sometimes (ive really been working on reducing this issue)

(send me an ask from the fic ask game part 1 or the fic ask game part 2)

[castielmoriarty]

I feel the whole conversion therapy story had underwhelming end, we got no show down between John Paul and Declan. also Declan to been exposed but no he just died and become a murder cover up and no one even knows except Kitty and now Beau. Carter being a victim been completely ignored in favour of Lucas and by having him doing ott things and just tossed over as a lost cause and irredeemable. I also feel JP and Carter love story then was dropped in favour of Lucas and Dillon like screw you Hollyoaks, i take JP and Carter over them any day. I really am pissed at Hollyoaks, i seen people defending the ending but I think Carter did deserve a redemption arc. But guess we suppose see case with Carter there no fixing someone who doesn't want to be/ sees their views as right and refuses to change/accept himself and he punished for the things he done but yeah.... why isn't he allowed therapy, help and support when likes of ste, sienna etc get forgiven etc.

a lot of things about the storyline was weird. no scene between Declan and JP, just very odd, they seemed to hint at that happening and it then really felt like it was missing. not including James who has personal experience with conversion therapy ffs, which JP knew, it would have made so much sense for him to ask James to talk to Carter. no revelation about Declan, just having him die and disappear... like sure, the truth about him still can/probably will come out, but with him gone it will be very different from the kind of showdown a lot of us had imagined.

(James and Carter could have had a great dynamic and interactions btw, and them talking about their past trauma would have been gold.) it would also have been very typical and fitting for James to go talk to Carter without telling Ste, knowing how angry Ste would be about it. I fully expected that to happen, it's exactly the kind of drama that James has had repeatedly in the past. dropping the aspect of Carter's character that he's a victim, a very relevant and important part, seemingly forgetting about it. having him exit without having any important connection left, i.e., having lost Freya, JP, and what other friends he had. not sure that McShep was dropped for Lucas and Dillon though, I think that was just a separate story that didn't necessarily affect Carter's or McShep's stories at all. and then all the talk about him not being able to be redeemed when Ste got redeemed despite abusing Amy, Brendan got redeemed despite abusing Ste, and I'm sure this is true for A LOT of characters in Ho... I know David wasn't meant to stay longer but Carter's story could have played out very differently during this time. sure there are characters not meant to be redeemed, not meant to see the error of their ways, but Carter was so close so many times, leaving at least me with this really weird feeling of like, there having been no proper conclusion, no sense of catharsis, just being left hanging as a viewer somehow. the story doesn't feel DONE, which is really my main issue with it. I'm glad he didn't die, but this just sucks. if I had watched this not knowing anything, I would have said that it felt like the actor needed to exit sort of in a hurry, as we know happens sometimes with soaps. that's how the end of the storyline feels to me and a storyline really should not end with that kind of vibe, it's not good storytelling.

[josefavomjaaga]

Napoleonic daily soap, episode 1

Scene: Paris. A small, rather shabby room. Napoleon writing a letter to his brother Joseph. Voiceover.

"You would not believe how women behave here. Deciding about every goddamn thing, all preposterous and stuff. Reading and writing and becoming educated and having an opinion on everything, even politics. About time somebody puts them in their place. Good thing Desirée is not like that. By the way, had an encounter with a prostitute, went okay-ish, I guess. Love, Napoleon."

Marmont's voice from the next room:

"Hey, Naps - Junot, Bourrienne and I are off to the Palais Royal, watching the wenches. You coming?"

Napoleon [takes a new sheet of paper]

"Give me ten more minutes. Gotta write to my fiancée."

[writes]

"Dearest Désirée, I received your letter. It's very sweet and all. But you really ought to try and become a little more sophisticated. More like the Eugénie I was fantasizing about in that story I never finished. Maybe read more? And have somebody check your spelling. Thinking about you often. Love, your sweetheart Napoleon."

[puts quill down, grabs his uniform coat]

"Okay, guys, I'm coming!"

CUT to the Clary livingroom in Marseille. Aura of somewhat old-fashioned wealth.

Desirée [puts Napoleon's letter down]

"I can't help it, Julie. Sometimes Napoleon seems a bit weird. And annoying. Actually, he sometimes comes across like an arsehole. Do you have similar problems with his brother Joseph?"

Julie [shrugs]

"Oh, not at all. Joseph is a selfish, cheating bastard who finds about every woman in France more attractive than me. But other than that, he's the perfect husband."

Their brother Etienne François Clary [enters the room, exclaims already on the doorstep]

"Except that Joseph like his brother is a pennyless nobody and lives off our money. Really Desirée, I'm not sure we should go through with your engagement to Napoleon. One Bonaparte in our family seems expensive enough."

Desirée [pretends to cry silently into her handkerchief]

Maid [curtsies on the doorstep]

"Your brother-in-law Monsieur Joseph Bonaparte, sir."

Everybody rises, smiling and cheering. Joseph enters, beaming, hugs Etienne, kisses Julie on the cheek.

Etienne:

"So, how is my favourite brother-in-law today? Any news from your brother in Paris?"

Joseph:

"Indeed. Napoleon has just written to me how much he misses his little Desirée, and how happy he is she's not like those horrible, arrogant women in Paris."

Desirée [beaming]:

"Oh, he's such a sweetheart!"

CUT to new scene: A public festivity somewhere in Paris. Music, dancing. Napoleon, Marmont and Junot [watch as Madame Tallien and Josephine, in almost transparent dresses, walk by without noticing them]

Junot [whistles]

Napoleon [stares]: 

“What the ...”

Bourrienne [returns with drinks for all four]

“What’s up with you guys?”

Napoleon:

“You can see the legs of some of these women up to their armpits.”

CUT to new scene: Next morning. Josephine's bedroom, Josephine sleeping soundly. Small room, furniture rather ramshackle. A clock shows the time: 11.50 AM

Euphemie [enters with a small, darkened silver tray]

"Yeyette, time to get your lazy ass out of bed."

Josephine [muffled sounds]

"Why?"

Euphemie [puts the tray on the nightstand]

"Because your children have written from boarding school. Both of them. When have you written to them last? Or visited? It's only an hour's trip, Yeyette."

Josephine [sits up all of a sudden, hastily reaches for the letters on the tray]

"Oh, my Hortense, my Eugène! Such sweet children, always thinking of their mother ... [reads] Listen to this, Mimi, Hortense writes that she's taking piano lessons. And Eugène needs more books and thinks that the roads are very fine and that the weather today would be perfect for a trip to their schools in Saint-Germain-en-Laye. [sniffles] Oh, they are so sweet, and I'm such a bad mother for not taking better care of them!" [starts crying]

Euphémie [after watching Josephine cry for some time]

"So, shall I get a carriage, do you want to visit?"

Josephine [puts the letters back on the nightstand]

"Heck, no. You know I have to help out at Barras' party tonight; Teresa will be totally out of her depth if I'm not with her. We'll visit some other day. But do bring me some paper and quill so I can write to Teresa and ask if she's already decided what she's going to wear tonight. We want to have matching outfits."

[respectthepetty]

Hi! While watching the new episode of 609 Bedtime Story on Friday, I noticed something cinematographic in the background that I’m not sure how to interpret, so I was wondering if you might be able to explain to me what it could mean? (I’m still fairly new to this whole ‘The colors and lines and angles all have a meaning!’ thing, so I often do notice things but don’t know what to do with them.)

I’m talking about the dividing line in the background that appears in the scene at the café, where Mum meets Dew while returning Mint’s phone. It’s not super distinct, but it’s there. And Mum is clearly on his side of the divide, almost maintaining too much distance—maybe because he’s feeling estranged from Dew because he’s not his Dew? Or because he’s consciously trying to stay away from him to avoid making things awkward or to prevent himself from reaching out to him?

Meanwhile, Dew is standing much closer to the dividing line and kind of ... shifting around right at the border, sometimes just barely crossing it. I guess it’s like he’s trying to cross it, but doesn’t know how or can’t? I don’t know, that’s just my interpretation. The question to me is why, if he doesn’t remember who Mum is.

And then, when Dew crashes into the waiter behind him and falls right into Mum’s arms (I was feeling so sorry for Mum, because he gets to hold his boy but said boy doesn’t even remember him), they briefly meet in the middle, thereby crossing the divide for the duration of their hug. Although, really it’s just Dew who has crossed it, Mum remains on his side the entire time, with the exception of his hands that are around Dew.

But as soon as their hug ends, they’re both back on their respective sides, with Mum as far away from the line as he was before, and with Dew closer to it, once again, but still firmly on his side and not quite as close to it as he was before the hug.

I guess my question from all of this is: why? What’s happening here? I understand that their hug brought them together for a moment and that’s how they were able to cross the divide, because they were no longer separated in that moment and they were having a connection, but why does it seem to be Dew who’s always trying to cross over to Mum’s side? Especially if he doesn’t remember him?

(As a side note: do you think the horizontal line spanning the glass wall behind them is doing anything? Is there any meaning to it?)

I don’t know, maybe I’m misinterpreting or over-interpreting some stuff or overlooking something, but I thought maybe you’d have an idea, since you always seem to be able to pick up on these things and actually understand how they work (for which I greatly admire you, and I’m working on getting there too). Also, I’m sorry this got so long and convoluted. I hope you don’t mind me basically using you as a way to rant and vent my spinning thoughts and asking you about this. I’m really trying to learn how this stuff works because it’s a joy to notice and understand, so I’m using every chance I get to learn.

I hope you have an amazing day (and a great time watching the last episode of Between Us later today, fingers crossed it’ll be as good as it gets)!

@annamusic125-blog - I'm so happy you invited me to this conversation, but don't EVER apologize for big brain energy like this! You did amazing with your analysis and provided great visuals to support your claims. I am thrilled that you saw the lines too and that you noticed who crossed them! It's tough for people to acknowledge the background noise, so your observation skills are exceptional!

*This GIF comes from Parasite which did a fantastic job of using lines to show class divides and demonstrate people "crossing the lines" as well as utilizing stairs and building floors to show class status and wealth. AKA the movie helps people see the lines they may miss in other media.

Lines can be so subtle that we may not even realize they are there, like the line that divides Nueng and Palm in the beginning of Never Let Me Go.

Or the subtle lines that Wang always crosses with Inthawut in 180 Degree Longitude Passes Through Us (lines and barriers are significant in this show and integrated into the narrative extremely well).

But this is something that Golf and Suthipong, the director and cinematographer of both 609 Bedtime Story and The Eclipse, love to use - the subtle divides

But it's not just the divides they enjoy; it's the crossing of those divides

And it's the connection that runs through the divides. A strong line that is not vertical tends to be used for connecting characters.

When Akk started this argument with Ayan, Ayan was below the horizontal line and on his side of the wall.

But when the argument ends, Ayan is equal with Akk and the horizontal line that runs through Akk ends at Ayan. The line that once divided them is now used to connect them. Note: Ayan is always the one to cross the line in the beginning.

The lines don't have to be horizontal either. They can be diagonal, but normally, a diagonal line also builds balance.

All of this is to support exactly what you are thinking - the horizontal line is connecting Mum and Dew.

As you noted, Dew is so close to crossing the vertical line, but you asked why if he doesn't know this Mum? Because the show is proving that any version of Dew wants to be with any version of Mum regardless of the universe. This is reinforced by the vertical lines that divide Dew and Mint.

No matter the universe, there is always a line or object that divides Mint and Dew. It even appears in Mum's original universe between them.

But you might be thinking, they have the horizontal line too. Yes, because an each universe they are connected (at the head, not the body or the heart), but the barrier exists here too with much more space than what Dew gives Mum. With Mint, Dew always leaves plenty of space.

But he crosses the line or barrier with Mum each time

Which is why fate has him cross the line here

Mum is maintaining so much space between them because he doesn't want to ruin his sister's happiness. He knows if he gets too close to Dew, he will give in, so fate pushes them together and does what Mum can't. Dew is so close to the line because he doesn't know the information that Mum does. He is physically reacting to Mum's presence, unaware of what draws him to Mum, but willing to cross the line to see.

Don't forget the colors!

P'Golf established the colors in an introduction video to the series: Mum's original world is green, yellow, and red. Dew's world is blue. Their 609 fantasy world is purple. Mum, as much as he is distancing himself from his world's Dew, he is still very much connected to his 609 fantasy world Dew -

He makes this Dew a purple drink, with a purple lily (fantasy world Dew's favorite), in his purple shirt, a color he hasn't worn before. The Dew he gives it to is not the 609 fantasy world Dew, but the transference of the color is another link between any version of Mum and any version of Dew because later on, this Dew enters the fantasy world and sleeps with Mum.

Golf and Suthipong are visually showing us that Mum and Dew are connected no matter what and will continue to cross the lines because regardless of the universe, they are drawn to each other.

Good eye! I hope you are proud of yourself for your remarkable attention to detail and thanks for the ask.

[foxymoxynoona]

Just a curious question. I'm reading Amended and currently at the scene about Isabella talking to Taehyung about H Mart. Random thoughts really, and I'm pretty sure I've read the majority of your JK fics except The Secret Song Series and Sugar Fairy. I was wondering if you have asian oc or maybe planning on writing asian oc ^^; just a thought really. What inspires you to write your oc, if I can ask that? I like your characters so far and just realised that, it'll be nice to read fics like yours (of your caliber really cause your fics are amazing) with an asian oc as well or even a reader insert if you can still write that (I understand if it's hard or maybe you just don't feel like writing reader-insert like The Indigo). I'm not korean, but I'm asian and somehow (after reading and rereading your fics for hours) I missed reading asian oc (or reader-insert because I always imagine my character an asian as well). I was surprised after looking up what an H Mart is (and then I wondered if BTS visited that during their bon voyage because I remember them visiting a korean market). I hope my ask is not offensive. Just really curious and I guess I missed having a good read like yours on hours (especially because I like reading long fics like yours in one sitting. And just noticed that you uploaded a new chapter of Over the Falls so I'm gonna go read that first before continuing Amended).

It's not offensive at all! My story Tell Me What Changed has Alex who is Chinese American. My single dad After the Applause Jimin story has Hanbyul who is Korean. One of my next stories also has an Asian OC, though I have to wrap at least sone story up before I start another one haha.🤞 My idol story The Secret Song Series has a white main character but as I explore more of the other guy's stories, there are many Asian OC women who will get their moment to shine in those. I have shorts with Taehyung and Namjoon which both feature Asian women (Michele and Sua, both Korean.)

I'm sure any time the guys are somehwere near an H-Mart they are finding it haha. My husband is Korean and introduced me to the chain, we take monthly pilgramages to stock up since the Asian Markets near us don't have many of the Korean ingredients we want.

As for inspiration, it really is sort of a back and forth as think of a really loose premise, and then think about the specifi characters I want to put in that situation. Sometimes I will intentionally inject a trait or background or something because it's something new I'm wanting to explore, other times I think about the things I want that character to do or be in the story and what background could get them there --not just race of course but also family, their relationship to their heritage or culture (or lack thereof!), their upbringing etc etc.

Thank you for enjoying so many of my stories!