#he's just. so incredibly nuanced its incredible. i love him i'm picking him up by the scruff and shaking him

[boyfriendyke]

vash truly is one of the most characters ever. like. he's a normal guy. he's a gunslinger. he barely uses his gun. he's lame. he's a dork. he's the most badass character ever. there are two (2) different instances of him barking in the anime. he has an evil brother. he's cain and also abel. he's an angel. also an alien. he's good with kids. he's a staunch pacifist. he's naive. but also he's aware of how inconvenient his views can be. he's a staunch pacifist. and he's killed before. and he's everything to me <3

[mrs-monaghan]

Tbh I'm a jikooker, but I find it incredibly difficult to fit a healthy long-term relationship into the same timeline as all of jimin's solo work. It's not the pronouns or taking one lyric very literally, its the entire thing, plus comments from him and his producers. To me, you'd have to do some serious olympic level mental gymnastics to make that make sense. I don't doubt that jikook have a special bond, I've definitely seen things between them that definitely look like sexual attraction to me and things that surpass friendship boundaries, but I can't in good faith say that they're together in some official long-term way if I actually listen to jimin and his work.

I've seen some jikookers think they broke up for a while, but I have to question if those people have ever been through a breakup because the little bit of distance/separation/awkwardness we did see from them during chapter 2 is nothing compared to the type of tension that would be there if a relationship that intimate and intertwined had separated, especially considering the dark feelings jimin was feeling. He wouldn't have been cutely commenting on jungkook's lives and jungkook wouldn't have been asking to hang-out or getting excited to see jimin in his comments.

Idk, I'm sure someone could twist everything a certain way and only take certain things at face-value and then make everything else abstract, etc. to make the case that they are together, but I don't really see it. You look at face-off, alone, and just his general dark feelings during Face, then look at the creation of Muse and how him and his producers said he couldn't relate to the love-dovey beginning songs, which is how they ended up making Who (despite the fact that jikookers try to distance him from the song since he doesn't have writing credits even though he sat in the recording room telling them what he wanted and saying it felt like reading his diary). I think jimin could have very well gone through a pretty awful breakup along with the inner turmoil he was going through post-covid, but I don't think it was with jungkook if he did. I still enjoy jikook's bond either way at the end of the day, but yeah I don't really get how anyone can take an honest look at jimin's work and his words and think he was in a long-term healthy love-of-his-life relationship during that time or into chapter 2.

Not trying to change your opinion or anything, honestly I don't really see it discussed much in jikooker spaces (besides bad-faith stuff like tkkers stirring up shit over pronouns in lyrics which is just dumb) and when it is, some jikookers are pretty pick-and-choose about what they deem to be true to jimin's feelings and what isn't. Which I get being nuanced, but sometimes it does feel like a "well this fits my beliefs so clearly this is true to jimin and this doesn't so it means nothing because he didn't write it" or whatever. I honestly get annoyed with the bad-faith arguers because it prevents being able to have actual discussions about some of this stuff in our little jikooker corner of tumblr. Like "he said her, he's clearly straight! he danced with a girl, straight!" stfu.

I don't have much to say to you anon. Not really. Not anything that hasn't been said anyway. Which you've seen and decided its jkkrs doing mental gymnastics. "I'm a Jikooker but..." its never a great way to start a sentence. It just gives major insecure jkkr vibes which i just 😬😬😬😬😬😬😬 you either believe in them or you don't. There is no if, and or buts.

I will leave you with this; over the years, antis and (insecure) jkkrs alike have always found a way to conclude Jkk aren't as close anymore or they broke up or some other bullshit. But what happens everytime Jikook resurface and we see them together again?

NOTHING HAS CHANGED!!!

Nothing ever changes with these 2! They come back closer, more in sync, happier, more in love and their relationship more established than ever. This happens every👏🏽damn👏🏽time👏🏽 Everytime!

Then the insecure jkkrs will be like "jkk is real" again.

And then we will go without content for a while and once again we are back here with the jkk aren't as close argument. Once again. It is an exhausting cycle that I refuse to be a part of.

You can try and nit pick various reasons as to why Jikook aren't in an established rlship, but I will chose to focus on reasons why they are definitely 130000000% in a relationship. Like the fact that they are enlisted together rn, the fact that they could have done AYS with other members but chose eo. Or the fact that Jimin wrote his name on JK's chest with sunscreen and I dont even want to imagine how he did that. What position they were in that would justify people calling them brothers 😂

You do you anon. I'mma just be over here enjoying Jimin promote the hell out of his favourite JK song.

Tweet

Look at him so proud of his man 🥺🥺

[lizzybeeee]

the language being stripped of lore specific terms made it so much worse in retrospect. fr tho Davrin calling Eldrin "Uncle" Eldrin instead of Hahren, like it's okay Davrin you can use elvish around my Rook I won't judge :( I haven't romanced him does he at least call you vhenan??

I could get the use of 'uncle' if Davrin was trying to explain it to Rook who was not elvish (since all elves in this game seem to just instinctively know elvish) since it would make sense to make a connection between the dalish role and familial role for an outsider:

Rook - "Who are we seeing?" Davrin - "Hahren...Uncle Eldrin." Rook - "Hahren?" Davrin - "It's elvish - they're storytellers and caretakers in the clan." Rook - "So...not your uncle." Davrin - "Close enough. He raised me."

Does Davrin call you 'vhenan'? I could have sworn he did in the final love/petting over clothes scene but I did a look up because I couldn't remember...apparently its just my wishful thinking - but don't quote me, maybe it's only in a specific dialogue option? :(

That fact that I can't recall it off the top of my head is telling -> Solas calls Lavellan 'vhenan' so much its burned into my brain, the same with other endearments from other romances. I played as a shadow dragon elf so I was hoping to be able to say 'amatus' - didn't get to do that either.

Which is one reason that the romances in this game really fall flat for me. I loved how different characters had different endearments for you, it made it feel more personal! Bull with 'Kadan', Dorian with 'Amatus', Solas with 'Vhenan', Leliana with 'My Love', and Sera had a 'pick your own' that wonderfully reflected her character!

I assume they were trying to make the language more accessible for new players, but it was never a barrier for me in any of the other games? If anything it always made me more interested/curious in what was going on when I encountered a phrase that I didn't understand. It added to the idea that these characters were from different nations and cultures - they had their own languages and phrases that reflected that -> the world felt bigger because of it!

Even if I didn't understand something, the voice work was always so stellar that even if the exact meaning wasn't understood, I got the intent that it was being said with.

Best examples being Solas and the Arishok - I understand certain words and phrases of each language, but I'm not a translator like some very talented people on this website. Even if I didn't get what was being said I absolutely understood the intent from the emotion and nuances in voice work. Top tier example is Solas and Sera in DAI:

Solas: Our people used to be here. Sera: Pfft, you say that everywhere. Solas: It is more true than you want to believe. Sera: I bet, right? Who wants to think about stepping on dead elves. Solas: Din elvhen emma him? Sera: Oh, you felt that one.

The way that line was delivered was incredible. Didn't understand a word but you could absolutely feel the repressed fury of what Solas was saying - his disgust at what Sera said. Once again, Gareth David-Lloyd coming in with incredible voice work! <3

It's such a strange choice to just...remove that immersion - to have so little of it in-game. Does it require extra work to make certain that the characters language reflects their history and culture? Yes! But what it adds is so immense to the world. I can't imagine not having Solas call Lavellan by elven endearments or having Andrastian characters not say 'Thank the Maker!' or 'Maker's breath!' It was cool worldbuilding! Just like how we say 'oh my god' there's a Thedas equivalent that communicated the very same idea!

Hearing lore specific words and phrases makes me know that I'm playing a Dragon Age game. Playing DATV which severely lacks in those words and phrases made me realize I'm sitting on my swivel chair and looking at a computer screen.

[thoughtsonkm]

Tbh I'm a jikooker, but I find it incredibly difficult to fit a healthy long-term relationship into the same timeline as all of jimin's solo work. It's not the pronouns or taking one lyric very literally, its the entire thing, plus comments from him and his producers. To me, you'd have to do some serious olympic level mental gymnastics to make that make sense. I don't doubt that jikook have a special bond, I've definitely seen things between them that definitely look like sexual attraction to me and things that surpass friendship boundaries, but I can't in good faith say that they're together in some official long-term way if I actually listen to jimin and his work.

I've seen some jikookers think they broke up for a while, but I have to question if those people have ever been through a breakup because the little bit of distance/separation/awkwardness we did see from them during chapter 2 is nothing compared to the type of tension that would be there if a relationship that intimate and intertwined had separated, especially considering the dark feelings jimin was feeling. He wouldn't have been cutely commenting on jungkook's lives and jungkook wouldn't have been asking to hang-out or getting excited to see jimin in his comments.

Idk, I'm sure someone could twist everything a certain way and only take certain things at face-value and then make everything else abstract, etc. to make the case that they are together, but I don't really see it. You look at face-off, alone, and just his general dark feelings during Face, then look at the creation of Muse and how him and his producers said he couldn't relate to the love-dovey beginning songs, which is how they ended up making Who (despite the fact that jikookers try to distance him from the song since he doesn't have writing credits even though he sat in the recording room telling them what he wanted and saying it felt like reading his diary). I think jimin could have very well gone through a pretty awful breakup along with the inner turmoil he was going through post-covid, but I don't think it was with jungkook if he did. I still enjoy jikook's bond either way at the end of the day, but yeah I don't really get how anyone can take an honest look at jimin's work and his words and think he was in a long-term healthy love-of-his-life relationship during that time or into chapter 2.

Not trying to change your opinion or anything, honestly I don't really see it discussed much in jikooker spaces (besides bad-faith stuff like tkkers stirring up shit over pronouns in lyrics which is just dumb) and when it is, some jikookers are pretty pick-and-choose about what they deem to be true to jimin's feelings and what isn't. Which I get being nuanced, but sometimes it does feel like a "well this fits my beliefs so clearly this is true to jimin and this doesn't so it means nothing because he didn't write it" or whatever. I honestly get annoyed with the bad-faith arguers because it prevents being able to have actual discussions about some of this stuff in our little jikooker corner of tumblr. Like "he said her, he's clearly straight! he danced with a girl, straight!" stfu.

I personally think you'll never get any absolute truth from song lyrics because some of it is personal, some of it is cryptic, some of it is purely for the art and rhyme, some of it is from other people and so on and so on.

I'm in no way dismissing his story and what he conveyed in his albums but it being an indicator for what Jikook is or isn't (or that Jimin went through a breakup or period of not having a significant other), is not plausible to me especially when you compare it with everything that we saw happening with their relationship (or with Jimin) in those years.

Because at the end of the day the magic and ambiguity of lyrics is that in many ways some things are up for interpretation. Just as you think that those lyrics can't mean anything but a bad breakup and him not being in love at all, someone else will think of it as him being in love (muse) while making stylistic choices and him being in a bad place mentally (face) but with a hint of hope while also choosing to not rely on anyone around him for some time.

Points of views.

[slaaverin]

Tbh I'm a jikooker, but I find it incredibly difficult to fit a healthy long-term relationship into the same timeline as all of jimin's solo work. It's not the pronouns or taking one lyric very literally, its the entire thing, plus comments from him and his producers. To me, you'd have to do some serious olympic level mental gymnastics to make that make sense. I don't doubt that jikook have a special bond, I've definitely seen things between them that definitely look like sexual attraction to me and things that surpass friendship boundaries, but I can't in good faith say that they're together in some official long-term way if I actually listen to jimin and his work.

I've seen some jikookers think they broke up for a while, but I have to question if those people have ever been through a breakup because the little bit of distance/separation/awkwardness we did see from them during chapter 2 is nothing compared to the type of tension that would be there if a relationship that intimate and intertwined had separated, especially considering the dark feelings jimin was feeling. He wouldn't have been cutely commenting on jungkook's lives and jungkook wouldn't have been asking to hang-out or getting excited to see jimin in his comments.

Idk, I'm sure someone could twist everything a certain way and only take certain things at face-value and then make everything else abstract, etc. to make the case that they are together, but I don't really see it. You look at face-off, alone, and just his general dark feelings during Face, then look at the creation of Muse and how him and his producers said he couldn't relate to the love-dovey beginning songs, which is how they ended up making Who (despite the fact that jikookers try to distance him from the song since he doesn't have writing credits even though he sat in the recording room telling them what he wanted and saying it felt like reading his diary). I think jimin could have very well gone through a pretty awful breakup along with the inner turmoil he was going through post-covid, but I don't think it was with jungkook if he did. I still enjoy jikook's bond either way at the end of the day, but yeah I don't really get how anyone can take an honest look at jimin's work and his words and think he was in a long-term healthy love-of-his-life relationship during that time or into chapter 2.

Not trying to change your opinion or anything, honestly I don't really see it discussed much in jikooker spaces (besides bad-faith stuff like tkkers stirring up shit over pronouns in lyrics which is just dumb) and when it is, some jikookers are pretty pick-and-choose about what they deem to be true to jimin's feelings and what isn't. Which I get being nuanced, but sometimes it does feel like a "well this fits my beliefs so clearly this is true to jimin and this doesn't so it means nothing because he didn't write it" or whatever. I honestly get annoyed with the bad-faith arguers because it prevents being able to have actual discussions about some of this stuff in our little jikooker corner of tumblr. Like "he said her, he's clearly straight! he danced with a girl, straight!" stfu.

You are entitled to your opinion.

I agree that what came up with MUSE really surprised me. It was not what I anticipated at all. But some little details makes me think it's not all black and white (Like Jimin's comment about us getting it wrong). To me Face was a more personal album for sure. But both albums do not personally deviates me from my belief that jikook are a couple.

Face was very introspective and made with a very strong creative vision. To me this is Jimin's masterpiece. I'm sure he put a lot of himself in this album. But what did he put in the end of the album, as a HIDDEN track? Jungkook. It wasn't for public eye, yet he still put a bit of him in it. To me, this is very telling.

Jimin is not the type to reveal his private relationship to the world. It's simply not his style. But as Face was very personal, Letter featuring Jungkook sits at the end, hidden, yet apparent. It shows his connexion with Jungkook is VERY close to his heart.

But he didn't have to scream it everywhere in his album, or any other album for that matter. Even if Jungkook is very important to Jimin, that's not all he has in his life. Like everyone he has his own struggles and such. I think it can be very difficult to interpret art "correctly" when we don't have all the information. Jimin had a vision for both Face and Muse, but creating art does not mean leaning on reality 100%. Art does not come only from personal experience. People can write songs as concepts that have nothing to do with them. Of course there's always something from the creator, but personally I wouldn't feel confident basing my belief in jikook's relationship on a few songs. Because the interpretation can be so vastly different from a person to the next, we'll never know what Jimin's true intentions were at the end of the day. We can guess but that's it.

What I am very confident in, is what we have actually observed and heard from their own mouth; conversations and attitudes and body language and many proofs of a very deep connexion that jikook have. That's reliable. Art is not.

The little doubts that one can infere doesn't take away my feelings about the thousands other things we know. One is about not knowing and one is about witnessing and observing and understanding not with the mind but with our hearts.

AYS was once again a very apparent confirmation of everything we knew.

I do not think jikook broke up at any point in chapter 2 despite being maybe separated a little more physically for a while.

So I understand your point anon, but personally a few songs won't change 10 years worth of moments, of life they spent together for me. Actions always speak way louder than words. But of course it's always interesting to talk about each other's interpretations.

Thank you for sharing your view and take care 💜

[yellowocaballero]

hi! i've been reading some of your older fics and was wondering if there's any merit in watching buffy for the first time in the year 2024

This may not be obvious, but this is actually an extremely complicated and highly subjective question. I'll try to go on for too long.

As background: my mother loved Buffy and its spin-off Angel growing up. It was our Bible (besides the actual Bible). Not kidding, she was on the forums and fan groups and wrote fanfiction for it and everything (These days, she's really into kdramas and Asian dramas, and calls me about how the Thai seem like big fans of gay people). So I'm quite biased.

BTVS is both a product of its times and ahead of its times. It was a show about feminism and the struggle of living in this world as a woman, when very few shows were doing that. It was the first show to have a long-lasting lesbian couple, and the first show to depict a kiss between them. For better or for worse, it was one of the codifiers of broody vampire boyfriend. It was pretty unafraid to be experimental in a lot of what it did. It had incredibly complex and nuanced character work and growth that I still aspire to. Spike's arc is still matched in quality only by Avatar's Zuko. Angel's long term arc, from Buffy to his spin-off series, still makes him one of the most complex characters on TV. It had the most complex depiction of depression on TV at the time and I still think it's one of the best. I think the show had very high highs.

It also had very low lows. Some of the feminism is problematic in retrospect. The sapphic couple has a rather famous element that was severely problematic. There are, overall, some deeply atrocious arcs that I can appreciate objectively but not in practice. Xander: a whole-ass character aged awfully. On a meta level, the workplace conditions were bad (thanks, Whedon.) There are no people of color. The spoiler's sake I won't go into detail on this, but in general the good stuff was so influential and the bad stuff was just awful.

I think these days people tend to brush off the entire thing because it's Whedon. That is more than fair. But I'd also say that Whedon & Buffy is extremely similar to Brian Michael Bendis & Ultimate Spider-Man. Bendis was fantastic at writing sassy, bouncy, permanently stressed-out teens - issue was, he wrote entirely different serious adult characters the way he wrote these sassy teens. Same with Whedon: the annoyingly constant quips are perfect for Buffy, because that's who the characters are. They're awful in Marvel, because Steve Rogers is not Xander. Kinda similarly, Buffy was genuinely feminist for 90s TV - issue is, Whedon has not grown or developed his views, and now his works feel so sexist (oh my fucking god why did you treat Natasha like that). After a certain point it's egotistical: you're writing like that because you're Joss Whedon and it's how you write, not because it's what's best for the characters and story. But it was really important to me to get the character voices right, and it's freaking difficult to endlessly write dialogue that distinct, full of voice, witty, and clever.

I think BTVS & Angel TV's greatest influence on my writing is how intensely character-driven both of those shows were, and how intricate the characters were. What every character did was something they would do, if that made sense. Even the stuff I hated to watch, that made me uncomfortable, was the culmination of so much (usually). I think I also picked up the constant wit and humor lol. On a personal level, the conversations I would have with my mother where she broke down the character motivations and composition of the story was my first exposure to looking at storytelling from an analytical perspective and a framework of critical analysis, which was an approach I carried into the rest of the media I consumed and that was the primary reason I was able to become a decent writer. Thanks, Mom. Have fun with your kdramas.

TL:DR: There is merit, especially if you care about good character work. There are things about it that may make you want to drop it, which is extremely valid. Season 1 is rough but interesting, Season 2 and 5 are the best, Season 3 is pretty good, Season 4 and 7 skippable, and Season 6 is........epic highs, epic lows......

[akookminsupporter]

Tbh I'm a jikooker, but I find it incredibly difficult to fit a healthy long-term relationship into the same timeline as all of jimin's solo work. It's not the pronouns or taking one lyric very literally, its the entire thing, plus comments from him and his producers. To me, you'd have to do some serious olympic level mental gymnastics to make that make sense. I don't doubt that jikook have a special bond, I've definitely seen things between them that definitely look like sexual attraction to me and things that surpass friendship boundaries, but I can't in good faith say that they're together in some official long-term way if I actually listen to jimin and his work.

I've seen some jikookers think they broke up for a while, but I have to question if those people have ever been through a breakup because the little bit of distance/separation/awkwardness we did see from them during chapter 2 is nothing compared to the type of tension that would be there if a relationship that intimate and intertwined had separated, especially considering the dark feelings jimin was feeling. He wouldn't have been cutely commenting on jungkook's lives and jungkook wouldn't have been asking to hang-out or getting excited to see jimin in his comments.

Idk, I'm sure someone could twist everything a certain way and only take certain things at face-value and then make everything else abstract, etc. to make the case that they are together, but I don't really see it. You look at face-off, alone, and just his general dark feelings during Face, then look at the creation of Muse and how him and his producers said he couldn't relate to the love-dovey beginning songs, which is how they ended up making Who (despite the fact that jikookers try to distance him from the song since he doesn't have writing credits even though he sat in the recording room telling them what he wanted and saying it felt like reading his diary). I think jimin could have very well gone through a pretty awful breakup along with the inner turmoil he was going through post-covid, but I don't think it was with jungkook if he did. I still enjoy jikook's bond either way at the end of the day, but yeah I don't really get how anyone can take an honest look at jimin's work and his words and think he was in a long-term healthy love-of-his-life relationship during that time or into chapter 2.

Not trying to change your opinion or anything, honestly I don't really see it discussed much in jikooker spaces (besides bad-faith stuff like tkkers stirring up shit over pronouns in lyrics which is just dumb) and when it is, some jikookers are pretty pick-and-choose about what they deem to be true to jimin's feelings and what isn't. Which I get being nuanced, but sometimes it does feel like a "well this fits my beliefs so clearly this is true to jimin and this doesn't so it means nothing because he didn't write it" or whatever. I honestly get annoyed with the bad-faith arguers because it prevents being able to have actual discussions about some of this stuff in our little jikooker corner of tumblr. Like "he said her, he's clearly straight! he danced with a girl, straight!" stfu.

Everyone is entitled to their own opinions.

[reflections-in-a-critical-eye]

The way k-dramas have this opposite side showing to people than what goes on k-side is really something. Not saying like that's not how the world goes but the way i see everyone on other sns have this mindset towards Koreans as how it goes in k-dramas. My own country fans think that's what korea is about.....U know how men in there are, just a few months ago we saw them getting exposed with those telegram groups, them bullying their Olympics female participants over short hair n all. Saw 2 days ago the men victimizing themselves because a korean female writer won an award. She's actually the first female from Asia but here those men being "You can imagine what men in Korea have to go through daily".

Then you have this 21 year old idol having to leave his group because korean fans are mad he had gf and smoked before debut like??? Saw a video of him seeing all those funeral wraths with his own eyes because he walked passed through all of them like nothing is more fked than that shit. And I for a fact know that most of those fans are female fans. There's one picture of the "fans" sitting with those protests all seemed female (if I'm not mistaking what that picture and those banners mean). So these fans and more especially here these female fans (i know male fans for gg would be the same) acting like they own these idols is crazy. Put every single one of them in jail or in a mental hospital cause that mentality is harmful. Him going through this shit at the age of 21 is fked. This is gonna leave a big scar on his life forever but hopefully he'll heal.

I think a lot of damage is being done on the international community side, especially in fandom spaces, due to lack of education. It boils down to that. But of course, the issue is more nuanced. The average age has to be taken into account, but it's the lack of knowledge, critical thinking, mixed in with xenophobia that leads not only to a distorted image of a country and its cultural/social/political aspects, but not knowing how to properly differentiate between real life and advertisement.

Should we expect that anyone who is now interested in Korean entertainment to pick up some articles and read a few things here and there? What lead to the investment in culture and entertainment and how the state was involved? What is the purpose? To what end and for whom is it being promoted and how? No, although it would be ideal. But at the same time, you would think that anyone can understand the difference between an idealized and promoted image to be consumed and the real life. Unfortunately, it is not the case.

It is also not fundamentally wrong that the majority of people rely on k-dramas and kpop to get a glimpse or immerse themselves into another culture. A K-drama or any other type of media product is a narrative fiction that contributes to the creation of imagined, national communities. The mainstream Korean imaginary is created through the help of these mediated audio-visual fictions (this is applicable to other countries, as I myself took the terms from an analysis of American culture and its effects on Europe. Don't take my interpretation as a rule of thumb though, I haven't done any research into my response).

Popular Korean entertainment is meant to create a very specific image of national identities and values, but it clashes with other realities (which are also represented through fiction, but that's more marginalized). It is on us to be able to navigate between all these aspects, but my god, there's a lot of stupid people out there.

(It's interesting how my introduction to SK as an adult was through Kim Ki-Duk's films. I was hit with extreme levels of representation of violence and mysogyny, but also an incredible beauty in a controversial filmography. Nothing near the fantasy of the "CEO falls in love with the poor young girl in an environment that screams advertisement").

As to the idol who was pressured to leave the group, unfortunately SM set a very dangerous precedent with their decision and it has been pointed out a lot in the past 24h. The company is telling so-called fans that their strategies work and that they have power over idols.

For them, idols are a commodity, hence why they become enraged and talk about their time and money which they have invested in them. It's a really dark way to think of these entertainers through this capitalist lense. Which is not particular to k-pop, it happens in any entertainment industry. But it slowly leads more and more to the dehumanization of idols. And that's a consequence of companies and fans. They are at fault for creating and perpetuating such a system.

[mushroompoisoning]

Good friend, I ask of you because I trust you, what are these "The Mechanisms" you are so fond of?

Okay I tried to type out an incredibly long summary but tumblr deleted it so you're getting a semi-sane version instead

The Mechanisms are a band of immortal, space-faring pirates travelling the universe singing about the tragedies they witness for our entertainment!

There are nine main members you'll hear about, with the tenth - Dr Carmilla - having left much earlier and making her own music 👍 ( there is technically an eleventh but they're more of a mystery easter egg than anyone we know things about )

Quick lore thing: the mechanisms immortality works from the mechanical part(s) they each have. They can die and get injured, but they'll revive whenever the narrative wants them too. All logic in this universe functions off of Would It Be Good For The Story

The cast is:

Jonny D'Ville (he/him) is the ship's first mate ( don't let him tell you otherwise ) and he's got a mechanical heart

Nastya Rasputina (she/her) is the ship's engineer and girlfriend! Yea the ship - Aurora - is alive btw. She's got me hanical blood

Ashes O'Reily (they/them) is the ship's quartermaster and best arsonist! they've got mechanical lungs

Drumbot Brian (he/him) is the ship's pilot and the only one with a moral code. It's controlled by a switch which flips between Means Justify Ends and Ends Justify Means with no nuance. everything is mechanical except for his heart

Ivy Alexandria (she/her) is the ship's archivist! Pretty chill, cares more for books than violence but that doesn't mean she disapproves of the latter. she's got a mechanical brain

The Toy Soldier (it/its) is the mascot and whatever else they tell it to be! it just wants to be involved. will follow anything you tell it if you ask nicely ( or with enough force ). it's not actually mechanized, and is instead a sentient wooden man

Gunpowder Tim (he/him) is the ship's master at arms! madman war veteran who I love dearly. he blew up the moon. he's great. I pick favourites. he's got mechanical eyes

Raphaella La Cognizi (she/her) is the ship's unethical scientist! nothing is off the table when it comes to research. nothing. theory is she mechanized her, but iirc that unconfirmed. she's got a mechanical spine and wings!

and Baron Marius Von Raum (he/him) who is neither the ships baron nor doctor. he claims to be both, though. Deeply unserious fella. he's got a mechanical arm

^ here are some good images for crew reference

OKAY! Now onto actual music

They have six albums and a couple singles!

Once Upon a Time (In Space) is an unconventional retelling of classic fairytales

High Noon over Camelot is a retelling of King Arthur

Ulysses Dies at Dawn is a greek mythos adaptation

and The Bifrost Incident is a norse mythos adaptation

there's also Tales To Be Told volumes I and II, and the two single Frankenstein and Death To The Mechanisms ( technically that one is part of an album but the album is just a bunch of their other songs from already existing albums )

The tales to be told albums contain some of the mechanisms origins!

One Eyed Jacks is Jonny's

Lucky Sevens is Ashes'

Lost In The Cosmos is Brian's

and Gunpowder Tim vs The Moon Kaiser I don't think I have to say

Nastya has an origin song, but it was never officially put on anything. You can find it on the @mechanismslorearchive ( you can get any lore you want on there )

They also have a number of live shows ( you can find those on youtube ) and written stories on their website! I recommend these if you wanna get to know the mechanisms as characters better

that is the basic rundown. I'm not an expert on the mechs so if you're looking to talk to a metaphorical seasoned nurse instead of a med student I'd go to @bugsinthebayou or @gunpowderdtim (sorry for tagging yall)

[electrosweaters-arts]

PLEASE- PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD GIVE ME YOUR HYDE X ADAM HEADCANONS! I HAVE BEEN OBSESSED WOTH THIS WEIRD CRACKSHIP FOREVER SO PLZ GIVE ME YOUR HEADCANONS

FINALLY THE PEOPLE UNDERSTAND HOW PERFECT THEY ARE FOR EACH OTHER <3 GAHHH I TALK ABOUT THEM SO MUCH ITS HARD TO EVEN THINK OF WHAT HEADCANONS TO TALK ABOUT

Fucked up that you can get banned from tumblr for saying what Adam and Hyde are doing to each other but I will try

First of all, their ship name is Creationshipping <3 @lonely-space-egg came up with it and I'm obsessed with it thank you Peri

They're in an open/polyamorous relationship and Hyde is also dating Utterson, hi Utterson \O. Adam and Utterson are very good friends <3

Hyde loves when Adam holds him but usually he won't ask to be and will instead just start trying to climb up Adam until he picks him up.

Adam is incredibly encouraging of all Hyde's indulgences, they both encourage each other to act without worrying what others think and to Adam? Hyde can commit a few felonies, as a treat. It's cute

Hyde initially avoided telling Adam that he was a scientist since he was afraid Adam would take it badly due to his relationship with Victor

Adam loves animals but animals HATE Hyde so he makes sure to keep them away from him for both their safety. He tried to keep a pet rabbit once and Hyde had to get 30 stitches

Adam is one of the only people Hyde has spilled his entire life story to, along with all the trauma of his childhood has Jekyll and nuances of his relationships with his family and friends, and all the pressure and stress and guilt that lead up to him creating Hyde in the first place. He actually surprised himself with how quickly he opened up to Adam but he just seemed like he could understand on a level no one else could, and he did <3

Hyde has a constant fear of abandonment and sneaks some of Adam's clothing out with him whenever he leaves so he can sniff it if he's feeling lonely. Adam noticed and started leaving out gym clothes for him.

Adam sometimes bends down to Hyde's level in public and whispers something that makes Hyde burst out laughing, falling on the ground and everything, making a scene.

Hyde has trouble sleeping because his form causes him to have a ton of increased adrenaline at all times, but Adam's tired he lets him hold him while he sleeps and Hyde spends pretty much the entire time awake and wide-eyed staring at the wall.

When Hyde does sleep he is a BED HOG, he somehow takes up more space than an 8 foot tall man and sleeps with all of his limbs out. He also takes all the blankets only to then ball them up underneath his feet.

Sometimes Hyde just wordlessly plops his entire body weight onto Adam and they lay like that for hours not saying a word

Hyde was a bit uneasy at first finding out about Adam's interest in religion but he actually ended up being an incredibly good source of comfort whenever Hyde would spiral due to his religious trauma

Adam likes to sing little songs to Hyde when they're alone <3

Usually when they fight it's a result of Hyde getting too riled up or overwhelmed and he storms off somewhere, only to come back later once he's calmed down and plonk down like this so they can actually talk about it (doodle by @internetwerewolf )

More specific to CC but Hyde buys all of Adam's clothes for him and pays for pretty much anything he needs, partly just to treat him right and partly just because he doesn't want him leaving to go work all the time

And some for Jekyll-sided Creationshipping <3

Jekyll likes to trace his fingers along Adam's stitching, usually he does it absentmindedly while theyre just cuddling/talking but sometimes he gets completely lost in thought studying them. He finds them beautiful and they're one of Adam's biggest insecurities but he's allowed to touch them <3

Adam teases Jekyll way more than he does Hyde, he likes how overblown his reactions get to it

Jekyll really likes the deep pressure stim Adam holding him gives when he's having a meltdown. they are so autism4autism

^ also Hyde does this.

[johaerys-writes]

Thoughts on the different Patrochilles dynamics in the Iliad/ tsoa/ Hades/ aristos the musical? Do you have a favourite between those

Oh man what a tough question!!! I honestly love any and all different patrochilles portrayals, I feel like they all have a unique twist that makes their dynamics fresh and interesting and touches upon a different aspect of their characters.

TSOA, as the first patrochilles work that gave me severe brainrot (and still does), has a special place in my heart ngl. I really love how playful they both are and how you can like, feel the love and the intensity of their bond and how they're best friends and also lovers and just, everything to each other. (And I also feel like my own version of Patroclus that I write is very much TSOA inspired for the most part, it's the blueprint for a lot of my works.)

Aristos the musical patrochilles is sooo good, I feel like it's also close to the TSOA characterisation but with its own unique twist. I freaking love how playful they are, how much they keep joking around and laughing even until the end, like that's the essence of patrochilles for me, they're so silly your honour 🥹

Iliad Achilles is a lot more abrasive and bossier than the previous two versions, but it’s also a side of him I love a lot. Like he’s a force of nature and you can see that with every word he says and everything he does (as MM wrote, he is such a flood). Iliad Patroclus is also straight up the biggest trash talker among the Achaeans lmao he absolutely roasted Hector and we love to see it 👏👏 I am deeply inspired by their OG Iliad versions and I often go back and reread their interactions and the scenes they appear in, like all of Homer's work they are incredibly nuanced and there are so many new elements to pick up on every reread.

Hades patrochilles also has a lot of elements that I like. I adore soft spoken depresso Achilles, and also sharp tongued depresso Patroclus haha. Their portrayals are both very interesting, even though I don't think I have been as inspired by Hades as by the other versions mentioned, sadly. Nothing against Hades at all, I just haven't gotten any specifically Hades-universe story ideas or anything yet and I'm not sure if I will? But I still enjoy their dynamics a lot, as well as their chemistry with the rest of the Hades cast, and their relationship is one of the reasons why Hades is one of my favourite games.

[aphroditelovesu]

Chapter 12 was freaking incredible 😍 🥹! Things are really picking up! Anywho, I have more thoughts. I'll break it down into a few bits/messages again. It'll probably be over the next few days just fyi..

Part 1: Perdiccas (again)

So, I'm begging to think Perdiccas is either, stupid, crazy or both. He was there for the whole Cleitus incident, so he should know just how angry Alexander will be livid and act accordingly. He also knows that the soldiers have taken the shine to her, so they'll probably be more than willing to help Alexander in any way he sees fit to get her back. It's also bad news for the Persians, but I digress. And he isn't at all suspicious that a messenger just appears with an offer of what/who he wants most?! And they say women are the irrational ones 🙄. Someone needs to slap him and tell him that no one woman is worth all that effort.

There's also how little empathy and understanding he has for our girl. She's told him that she didn't particularly want to marry Alexander, and that she was "choosing herself" and her safety. And he's not mad that she's been forced, oh no! He's mad that Alexander is the one who gets to marry her, have sex with her and impregnate her, instead of him. Its all about him! Like I said before, it's not unlike how some 21st century men act. Some things never change I guess 🙃...

The way he reacted to her being pregnant was honestly kinda disturbing. But I have zero doubts he won't consider what she wants to do with the pregnancy of that she may want to keep her baby. Lovely...

On a lighter note, I love what you've done with Perdiccas and his characterization. I was kinda expecting that it would be a Perdiccas = good and Alexander = bad dichotomy. I clearly underestimated you! This gives the story a lot of nuance, and makes you question who (Alexander or Perdiccas) is worse. I also think it reflects well on who Perdiccas was IRL. Towards the end of his life, he became a ruthless tyrant, which led to his own officers turning on him. I love it all!

That's all I have right now. I have more thoughts, but I'll share them later.

--O-

I guess you can say Perdiccas is all of that. He didn't handle our girl's rejection well and basically lost his mind. Truly a yandere.

He is fully aware of what he is doing, however. He knows the consequences for what he did will be catastrophic but Perdiccas is too consumed by his desire to have our girl that he simply doesn't care. If to have her, even just once, he has to die, then so be it.

Really, he shows no empathy for her and is more upset about the fact that she slept with another man than with him. I'd say he even hates her for it, in a way. Massive drama is coming, anon.

Her pregnancy... I won't say much but I will say this: Perdiccas won't take it very well, as you can see.

Thanks! I debated whether to villainize Perdiccas but ended up choosing to do so because I want to give Alexander more prominence eventually. You only got a glimpse of Alexander's yandere side but this will be explored further, especially in chapter 13 👀.

I will respond to your comments little by little! But I always love reading them! ❤️

[husbandogoddess]

Hello! I know you must get a bunch of questions, I hope this isn't a bother. I've gotten into visual novels a year ago, & well a few have caught my eye. Your demo game Candied Hearts was wonderful! I have always loved fictional men, lol.

Peppermint is SOOO cute! His flustered face after saying he was looking for someone's lost honey bunny was precious! (The fact that he believes in the Holiday Gnome is adorable!) It's so sweet when he removes the cotton candy from your hair! I love his voice so much. Peppermint doesn't have much confidence in himself & despite being a captain, no one takes him seriously. But, I know this sweet prince could be a wonderful ruler. Even as he defends his abusive father, it's realistic...Peppermint is clinging onto a past memory of who his father once was. But part of me doubts that his father was ever like that...(Who exiles their 13 year's old son?) I believe it's an image that Peppermint created himself to help cope with the abuse.

I will admit, Lakritz is fine, he is an interesting & mysterious character. Reginald's route has me curious as well, will we find out why he picks on Peppermint? Probably not. But! I'm sure it will be an entertaining route. I love Candice as a female protagonist, Its so refreshing to see a female character stand up for herself! The dialogue was so much fun & I couldn't help but laugh 😊 Peppermint is such a darling! When he gives you chocolate coins & pats your head, my heart. (God, this man really is a prince.) I can't wait for his route, I just want to hold his hand, tell him no matter what happens..he'll be okay & that he is enough.

(One last thing, I swear!)

I saw a video from the visual novel corner it was about an early idea of Peppermint being a yandere? I do think it was for the better that it was scraped because he's perfect as is. 🩷

But part of me wonders what Peppermint would be like as a yandere in some alternate universe. (Good on paper, but I would literally cry if I got isekaied into a game with a yandere.😭) However, I can't get this thought out of my head. Would it start out how we originally met the kind caption? Once he develops feelings, what would he be cable of? Sorry about the long ramble...I just really want to know what he would be like.

Thank you for making such a wonderful game! I have always loved art and creative storytelling! This story was a delight & so immersive! (I just got Tumblr a few days ago, so I'm still trying to figure this out!) I got it because of passionate creators like you! Thank you so much for your time. I hope you & your team are doing well! 😊

Hey Anon! First of all, no need to apologize for the long message! I actually love receiving messages like yours, they give me an excuse to ramble LMAO. Before addressing what you wrote, I wanted to thank you for sending me your kind words and gratitude for the game. As a game developer, I often get lost in development and lose faith in myself, so receiving such kindhearted support from fans like you warms my soul, and helps not only rejuvenate me, but the team as well. So once again, thank you! I'm incredibly glad you love the main cast so far and that you were able to pick up on the nuances of their characters. Like you said, Peppermint is indeed a victim of abuse, so like many in his predicament who feel trapped, he excuses his abuser's behavior by creating a false reality for himself or using small remnants of the "good" King Karamel's done to show that he isn't all that bad. I'm sure you can guess what some of those morsels of good are though if not, they are talked about in his route! Like you said, it's all a way for him to cope. At such a young age, the only person's love he knew was Lakritz', and then he was exiled. All he had left was his cold-hearted father who could care less for him. Though, I'm sure with your help, you'll be able to remind him what love really looks like (platonic and romantic). Lakritz is definitely a mysterious character, though you'll find out more about him and his reason for wanting revenge on his route. I also want to flesh him out more in the common route in the revamped demo, since he didn't get as much screentime as his brother.

You'll actually get to know why Reginald picks on Peppermint! And trust me, Reginald's route will be an entertaining, sweet treat. ;)

Candice is such a fun protagonist to write, so I'm glad you enjoy her as well! I told the team from the jump I wanted her to be a strong character who isn't afraid to stand up against injustice.

YES, YANDERE PEPPERMINT! So, because the characters are heavily inspired by characters from Candyland (i.e. Mr. Mint -> Peppermint, Lord Licorice -> Lakritz), Peppermint was originally going to have an axe like Mr Mint and we played with the idea of that weapon being for more...sinister purposes. However, once we actually got to outlining and fleshing out these characters' backstories, the less sense it made for Peppermint to have this secret, dark and obsessive personality.

I can't say how your interactions with Peppermint would've played out if we went the yandere personality since we scrapped the idea early on in the writing process. HOWEVER, I will say that we joked about him handcuffing you somewhere in castle dungeon LMAO

Thank you AGAIN for the kind words, glad you love the story and the art! I hope you play the revamped demo and full release when they both launch soon!

[antigonewinchester]

hiya, since you said you were watching You... what do you think of it? i'm a big fan of the books, but haven't seen the show. not sure i trust them to adapt it with any kind of nuance, but i was intrigued to see that sera is involved. how is it?

Thanks for asking anon! :)

You're the opposite of me, in that I've only seen the show (just finished season 1; I'm a slow watcher) and never read the books. I found S1 to be pretty good overall, with a few minor quibbles.

I'm fond of stories picking apart The Ideals of Romance, so Gamble describing S1 as needing to be both a love and a horror story in every scene rang true. It's a cliche but a ton of romantic tropes are, if taken more realistically, pretty creepy, and I'm right there with the show in terms of noble fairy-tale princes hiding secret horrors underneath. The use of voice-over for what Joe says versus what he was actually thinks worked very well, could've been cheesy but it's not. Joe's voice is very strong thru the whole season. The show walks a tough line with Joe as the main character, because he's such an unreliable narrator, but imo they did a great job. In the last ep, Beck screams at Joe and calls him a sociopath but, at least in S1, he really didn't read that way to me; it's much more than Joe's understanding of love and what love means is very very messed up. He's an incredibly self-deluding character with very warped perceptions, so while I never bought into his charm, he and that dissonance remained compelling to me throughout the show, who Joe thinks he is vs. what he actually does (and then how much he judges other people too, like he's so much better). It's also his humor, and the show's humor, that's the final ingredient, I think. The show can be quite funny! Then quite horrifying, and sometimes funnily horrifying. The writing uses bathos particularly well, which is a form of humor I don't always like (thanks Marvel movies...) but the undercutting of Joe's obsessions or idealizations or the romantic moments really works. Overall, its balancing of tones from lighthearted to horrifying to funny is quite deft, and I enjoyed its range.

For what worked less well, I found some of the social media stuff a bit dated (altho Facebook stalking and all that was more relevant at the time). While I think the writing of the various female characters was better than what I've seen of Gamble's past shows (particularly SPN), her bias towards male characters was definitely still at play. Say, it took me a bit to figure out what the writing was doing with Peach, but eventually Peach as Joe's female foil -- the woman who's secretly in love and obsessed with Beck, who will manipulate and gaslight her, and who's implied to also have grown up in an emotionally abusive and homophobic household -- worked... except it felt like it came pretty late in the season, and I would've liked more hints earlier on. Maybe it’s more obvious on rewatch, tho.

The other part is a bit tricky, because I'm still not quite sure how I feel about it. As far as I can tell, both of these elements are unique to the TV show: first, Mr. Mooney being physically abusive in raising Joe; and second, Claudia and her son Paco as Joe's neighbors and her boyfriend, Ron, being emotionally and physically abusive. Thru flashbacks over the season, we see Mooney abuse Joe, including locking him in the book cage as a kid and manipulating him into thinking he was doing it for Joe’s own good, out of love, and Joe then reenacting that hurt on later people, most obviously Beck: in the last ep, there's literally a match cut from Joe as a kid in the book cage to Beck as an adult. We also see Ron's abuse of Claudia and Paco thru the season, with Joe's care for Paco clearly connected to his own hurt and trauma, and ultimately leading up to Joe killing Ron to protect Paco. If, as I understand, none of this is in the books, I could see someone not liking these additions, or seeing them as a way to humanize Joe and make him more sympathetic in light his stalking, kidnapping, murder, etc.

In terms of Gamble as a creator, it was striking to see her return to such distinct ideas around men, masculinity, and violence -- she's talked about how she likes writing male characters because she can get into their heads and figure out what makes them tick, but it seems to me she's particularly interested in men who've been abused/traumatized (esp by fathers/father figures) and how they react to, and reenact, that violence. Do Gamble & her writers use nuance and thoughtfulness in dealing with abuse & its consequences? That's a tougher question to answer, and depends on the person watching, tbh. I've read some pretty harsh critiques of Gamble’s writing around this topic, and understand where it's coming from, but what makes me a little more generous with Gamble is how it feels she wants to understand, and that she's working through something in continually returning to these ideas in her work.

[enchiibean]

Now I'm curious about what Narumitsu things you go "he would not fucking say that" about :0 Alternatively go ahead and give out the Narumitsu/Tasutsumu thoughts >:3

HELP OKAY. These will both be sooo incoherent and will contains spoilers so I will put this all under a read more just in case.

I will admit that I haven’t read any Narumitsu fics in a hot minute but I feel like a lot of the ones I TRIED to read back in the summer felt kinda like they were. Like. Stripped of the things that I personally like about them like the complexity and the admiration and how much they CARE for and will support each other despite being “rivals” on opposite sides of the court. And I’m not saying that every depiction of them has to be super complicated or emotionally life-changing or anything because I love reading just. Fluff or silly stuff. But I feel like they were being replaced by some generic yaoi pair where one of them is super dominant and possessive while the other one is super woobified, if that makes sense? And I would just stare and be like that is NOT them!!!! I feel like this happens to a lot of mlm ships though, especially when they’re popular. The nuance is taken away and the yaoi effect takes its place. Have you also seen this. Is this only in my imagination. Was I just bad at picking out fics (probably).

ANYWAY Narumitsu/Tasutsumu comparisons I am taking out my notes. This isn’t even necessarily romantic/from a shipping point of view, I just think they’re very similar!! First of all, they’re both pairs of childhood friends who had shared dreams. For Narumitsu, as children, they both wanted to become defence attorneys to protect truth and justice, while Tasutsumu wanted to become actors together. However, as they grow up, one of them changes paths, without warning, and not necessarily because they wanted to. Edgeworth ends up as a prosecutor instead of a defence attorney after being raised by Von Karma, while Tsumugi becomes a tutor instead of an actor. Meanwhile, Phoenix and Tasuku are both still working towards defence and acting but they both want to know what changed (although Tasuku has a lot better of an idea on that) and have no way of knowing.

Another thing is they both have a “divorced” arc where one of them had what they saw as a HUGE failure and then left to somewhere the other couldn’t follow. For Tasutsumu, this is the same situation above because Tsumugi abruptly changed paths BECAUSE this failure and Reni’s words affected him so much that he didn’t think he could act anymore. For Narumitsu, you could say that similarly, this aligns with the situation outlined before because Phoenix couldn’t contact Edgeworth in any way until they were on opposite ends of the court, but I was thinking more of the post-AA1 “PROSECUTOR MILES EDGEWORTH CHOOSES DEATH” era where Edgeworth got up and left to Europe. And I think these situations are more similar because in these, there’s more anger. Tasuku is angry that Tsumugi abandoned their dream, while Phoenix is angry at Edgeworth because he thinks that he’s quit being a prosecutor. I think that they both perceive this as selfish. For Tasuku, it feels like a betrayal to him because he thought that acting was so incredibly important to both of them and Tsumugi being able to quit after one failure is proof to him that it wasn’t as important to Tsumugi as it was to Tasuku. Plus, they’d been friends all their lives and he just leaves without a word!

Phoenix feels similarly betrayed because he went through SO MUCH to be reunited with Edgeworth and save him, to become his friend again, just for Edgeworth to disappear at the end of it all. In his eyes, Edgeworth is still operating on the basis that he needs to be perfect, and if he isn’t perfect at prosecution, then he might as well not be a prosecutor at all. To Phoenix, “Prosecutor Miles Edgeworth’s death” is him quitting prosecution for what he sees as a petty reason. By the end of Justice for All, we learn that for Edgeworth, this was not the case; “Prosecutor Miles Edgeworth’s death” was him abandoning his previous ways and becoming a new type of lawyer. He’d already been saved by Phoenix, and he was trying to learn how to become closer to that lawyer he dreamed of being as a child who fought for justice (rather than the ruthless prosecutor he’d been who was willing to do anything for a win and he also had to deal with the fact that he probably got innocent people convicted), which is what Phoenix had wanted. But can you blame Phoenix for thinking this? I mean, Edgeworth was vague as hell in that note and disappeared without a trace. Both him AND Tsumugi disappear without a trace, knowing where Phoenix and Tasuku are (Edgeworth reads about Phoenix’s cases in the news and Tsumugi goes to see Tasuku’s plays), but not letting them know where THEY are. Anyway, Tasuku and Edgeworth both thought that their respective friends were willing to give up on not only their dreams, their work, but also THEM because they were no longer perfect and were upset by this.

Also, this has less to do with their relationships, but a similarity between Tasuku and Edgeworth is that they were forced into “perfection” by their mentors. The ways their mentors made them act led them to becoming hated by their peers and also distanced them from why they were pursuing acting/law in the first place. Reni kept pushing Tasuku into the prince box and put him on a pedestal as the top actor, which painted a target on his back in God Troupe's competitive environment. This took away a lot of what Tasuku loved about acting; trying all types of new roles, doing it with people who share that passion, and just. Acting for the sake of acting!! And the way Reni had one idea of what “good” acting is and thought that he could only do princely roles, as well as his peers’ opinions on him and the way he couldn’t show weakness in front of them which furthered their opinion that he was cold and thought he was above them, when really he felt isolated and alone.

Von Karma hammered into Edgeworth since he was young that he has to be PERFECT, and that means a perfect win streak. I’m almost certain that he switched from defence to prosecution because of him (I just can’t remember if or where this was Actually Confirmed). He wants a perfect streak because of him. And similar to Tasuku, he’s kind of alienated by his peers because of it with the “demon prosecutor” image who’s willing to do ANYTHING to maintain that perfect win streak. And the fact that he’s been taught to care more about wins than anything else in his profession made him lose focus of his ideals and why he wanted to become a (defence) lawyer in the first place, which was to find out the truth behind a case and to bring justice and protect people!!

Also, they both eventually break away from those mentors!! Tasuku left Reni and God Troupe because he saw what he did with Taichi and Mankai in episode 3 and he couldn’t stay with a troupe that would be willing to sabotage others like this to stay on top of them. And after 1-4, after being on the defence podium, Edgeworth gets to see how Von Karma REALLY is and what he’s willing to do to maintain that streak and stay as the “best” prosecutor!! It puts things into perspective for him because he’s been taught to try to emulate Von Karma for most of his life but he realizes that if that means doing all of THIS then he doesn’t want to. They both decide they want to change. Perfection wasn’t either of their goals in the first place, they just wanted to improve and this is how they were taught to do that. And their morals lead them to changing for the better :)

[collectionoftulips]

OMG, OMG!!!!! You did it again! The last chapter just kept me on the edge of my seat. I have so many feelings and incoherent thoughts.

I love how you write their internal dialogues. Your writing is full of beautiful nuance and finesse. The SMUT is flawless. You brilliantly capture their deep connection and vulnerabilities. Even though they don't communicate with their words, their body cannot hide how they feel.

Bringing Dorset in was genius. He is such a supportive friend for Kate and I love how our dear Anthony reacted to him :P

I just love that Anthony know that Kate's heart is with Ballet.

How is the relationship between Kate and Mary? Are they close?

Will Anthony meet Mary and Edwina before they end-up together?

Did Dorset had romantic feelings for Kate in the course of their friendship but it was one-side or they were always just super close friends + colleagues?

Thank you for sharing this world with us. I love this fic so much.

❤️❤️❤️❤️

This is such an incredibly nice ask, thank you so much 🥰

The idea that their bodies can't hide what they feel and what them hide from themselves is such a key theme/inspiration for this story so the fact that you picked it up in these chapters really means a lot 🥰 It's such a relief that one of the things that I tried to convey comes across ❤️

I loooove a jealous Anthony. I particularly adore Anthony losing his shit in relation to Dorset, for some reason. It's my drug. It will never be boring to me. I adore it. Therefore I always want to include it in my stories (I'm a simple person with simple tastes at the end of the day). Love that you love that too. Jealousy in real life is such a turn off - in fiction it's a completely different story (at least with this character who spends so much time cultivating this perfect facade that just completely crumbles from the sheer force of his feelings for Kate that almost seems to have a life of its own that he cannot control. I think someone once put it like it's the whole tension between who he thinks he is versus who he actually is deep down coming to the surface and I think that's very true).

Anthony loves watching Kate dance ballet, because it feels special and personal and the way I write it is that they are moments when he truly sees her, but he doesn't know it and neither does she.

We will delve into a little bit more detail regarding Kate's relationship to her family (I keep moving around when/where some aspects will be explored a little bit, and this has been one of them, as is my attempt at a background Simon/Daphne, for example). But the general gist is that in this AU they are close but Kate feels a bit of tension because she feels like Mary doesn't quite fully understand why Kate kept with dancing and decided to pursue it professionally. It's not nearly as dysfunctional as the Bridgertons, but it's one of those subtle background tensions that families can have. Plus, Kate feels a need to prove herself and justify her choice to her family, so she has a lot of insecurities around that (which is why in an earlier chapter she talked about dance feeling selfish etc). (somehow I also notice that the beginning of my really long fics tend to have a structure that is initially very Anthony-heavy, and then a much more Kate-centric focus towards the end, so we'll see if that structure is maintained in this)

As for when/if Anthony will meet Mary and Edwina in the story proper, I can't fully commit to a clear answer because a lot of different family dynamics keep being pushed towards later in the story, but it certainly my intention to have them meet. Whether/when that happens will be less clear (turns out even a fictional Strictly schedule is time-consuming and makes anything outside of the competition difficult haha, especially with the hours of training Kate and Anthony put in).

Dorset and Kate's relationship will definitely be explored in more detail later in the story, so I don't wanna say too much, but I will say that Dorset did definitely have romantic feelings towards Kate, but all of that (as you might imagine) will be a later issue in the story.

Truly, thank you so much for this ask and I'm so so so so happy that you're enjoying the fic. I have been very nervous that I was like wrecking my fic by making it more smutty (since I haven't written a lot of smut and I feel very self-conscious about it), but you taking away from it what I wanted to convey is such a wonderful piece of reassurance for me ❤️ Thank you