#honestly his is the reason I made this post

[mamayura]

Adrien not knowing what he wants

Hot take about Werepapas, I guess:

I actually like that Adrien said "I don't know" when asked what he wants/ who he wants to go with at the end of "Werepapas"

Cause the people who had to learn and come around in this episode's conflict were the ADULTS, not Adrien.

Adrien has already said that he isn't alone, he's living with Nathalie,

and Milly, too, acknowledged right away that Adrien has known her for most of his life so for Adrien she should count as more much than just an employee by now.

And he has not been trying to hide it whatsoever from Nathalie how much she means to him and that he wants to keep living with her. Literally the first thing we see in the episode's present time is Adrien running to Nathalie for comfort when hes crying over his dead mom, but she's pulling back so he does too eventually.

Marinette as pretty much unrelated main character doesnt know about this when she enters the conflict. Hence why she can effectively bring about development in Nathalie by challenging her long-established mind set and dynamic with Adrien due to Marinette's perspective adding a new angle and shacking things up:

Nathalie's inner conflict is one of my favourite things about the episode (and needs its own post if I get around to it), but for the context of this post, yes, she was the one who needed to come around. Not Adrien. He was already there from the get-go as we can see by him repeating the hug he started the episode with. Just now, Nathalie hugged back:

It was nice seeing Marinette help Nathalie take on her role in the end because Nathalie did the same thing Marinette did in Illustrhater for example. Acting like and saying things that eventually made Adrien accept that they don't want to be with him because, duh, that's now interactions work.

That's why he initially didn't say that he wants to stay with Nathalie in Paris when asked in the end. Nathalie too made him feel like he has to accept that that won't be an option, so he knew he had to decide between his grandparents:

The same Grandparents who had to come around in the end, too, and allow for Adrien to stay with Nathalie in Paris, even though both pairs of Grandparents are still the ones to officially hold the legal custody of Adrien (which I'm glad about that they did it like this and didn't bullshit some reason for Nathalie to get custody cause the episode is right, Nathalie has NO right to Adrien's custody whatsoever. They went with a very reasonable way to resolve this)

Its the ADULTS who had to come around. Not Adrien. Adrien already made it clear all episode what he wanted. But because all involved adults declared the outcome he wanted as a non-option, well, he honestly says that he doesn't know what else he wants (who he wants to go with).

And I- I just really like that Adrien was taking the situation serious enough to say "I don't know". That was very mature of him. To not just go with SOMETHING or go on about how unfair the situation is. Cause it definitely was, but this is a very serious legal matter that COULDN'T stay unresolved. He's an orphaned minor currently living alone with a person who's said to neither be an option as his guardian nor does she herself treat it like an option. This day COULDN'T end without at least some kind of temporary solution where he would stay now. It just couldn't.

I LIKE that he didn't repeat his denied desire that was already known to everyone around and instead seriously thought about the options he had.

I like that he loves and respects Nathalie enough to be the one person amongst Emilie, Gabriel, and now Marinette, too, who left the decision to HER if she wants to take on the position of his new mother:

As much as he wants to be with her, Adrien was characterized to understand that this is a massive thing to ask of Nathalie. He knows he means alot to her too but Nathalie was, by all accounts, objectively forced into this:

But especially by Emilie (look, I know she was literally dying slowly and painfully, I'm not judging her for wanting Adrien to be loved and taken care of. But I gotta ackowlegde that Emilie put alot on Nathalie without giving her a choice first):

In that regard I can't fault Nathalie for not having acted on her motherly feelings for Adrien and Emilie's last wish earlier than s5 (but God DAMN Nathalie, there is a difference between not doing it and actively making everything so much fucking worse!).

Adrien is the one person in this who respected how much was asked of Nathalie, so when she continuously acted like she didn't wanted to take on the role, he respected that. But this also means that the person who's responsible for Adrien coming to this "wrong" conclusion was Nathalie. Not Adrien. He's only acting accordingly to her actions and words:

So I like that Marinette got to help her in the end, because this is passive development that's very relevant to Marinette's character too. Even if I wished the show would hold Marinette to the same standards since both in Adrinette and especially Ladynoir Adrien gets mostly blamed for coming to the logical conclusions that Maribug doesn't like him or being with him in any way doesn't mean much to her because that's how she constantly acts like in almost every conflict ever. Over and over again. So I like that it was done properly this time around even if it's obvious that that was only possible because it was Nathalie and not Marinette.

And yes, I totally get not liking that Marinette is taking over the whole moment again. I'm not much of a fan of it either, to put it nicely. But it is wrong to say that Marinette is the one making the decision here and Adrien had no agency in deciding who he's staying with. Marinette is merely repeating old news she knows are true because that's what Adrien has been saying and acting like the whole episode and even already since season 5.

The decision was long made by Adrien. It were the adults who had to come around.

And beyond that,

I LIKE that Adrien said "I don't know" to the question which grandparents he wants to go with instead of the show having him make it all about his friends, girlfriend, or Ladybug. He only brings that up when he gets to stay:

Cause the question of where he would feel more at home and what is best for his future, when he has to completely start anew, is not just about his current friends, girlfriend, or his secret hero partner (who has made every precaution and decision possible to not actually have or need him in her life and job and he was made to accept that fully because that's her "rightful professionalism" same as killing your bf Ig)

I like that it was "I don't know" instead of "but my friends!", "but my girlfriend!", or "but I can't leave!".

Adrien saying "I don't know" means he thought of himself first and foremost and not everyone else:

I even like that "I don't know" means that he took the Graham de Vanilys into consideration despite how awful Emil was. Cause when the outcome Adrien WANTED (keeping his life in Paris by living with Nathalie) isn't an option, then he's perfectly in his right to not write off the possibilities he has with the Graham de Vanilys in London (and good heavens, I'm glad nothing ever brought up "but Chloé is in London! YIKES!").

I like that Adrien didnt write anything off when the decision was possibly about to change his whole future. Yes, saying "I dont know what I want" is a perfectly valid and even mature answer for a 14 year old orphan to give when they were JUST this day confronted with this situation that denied him the option he actually wanted:

And I also like that Marinette in the end didn't wasnt made to make Adrien's answer about herself in an usual moment of panic (in general, I truly LOVED how supportive Marinette was in Werepapas, even if the akuma battle incident is forever burnt in my love square heart in a very negative way. Yes, I think being willing to kill your boyfriend without trying any other solution first is bad, sue me ig. if that's what I'll be judged for, then I can live with it).

It is a far cry from Marinette in Representation for example being mostly written to make not getting to have her boyfriend near her out to be the biggest tragedy of Adrien being send to another country for good. I'm glad she got to be the supportive girlfriend for once instead of the show forcibly trying to falsely make her out to be the most important person affected by Adrien's tragic life. It was so refreshing and wonderful to watch Marinette getting to be in the lovingly supporting role of the relationship for a change, and it does WONDERS for her characterization.

While, of course, Marinette was motivated all episode to help Adrien not having to leave, when Adrien said "I don't know" Marinette knew that he's only taking the other options this seriously now because he can't have the option he actually wants.

She wasn't written to go into panic mode the second she heard Adrien NOT saying that staying in Paris is the most important thing on his mind. She knew the problem was laying elsewhere, even if I wished she hadnt made it abuut the Grandparents, but Adrien's right to CHOOSE (and yes, I'm fully aware that people will write this whole post off as salt because I didnt ignore or handwave away Marinette's consistent CANON characterization, even though that's not how salt works. I stand to what I said. More of Marinette as supportive girlfriend please, then we wouldnt have these problems)

I don't know how to end this with a nice little bow to wrap it up. I just REALLY like that Adrien said "I don't know", and how the episode treated the custody conflict for 95% of the plot which is very good for Miraculous.

[arc-misadventures]

The Beach: Ra

Jaune: Okay... wow she was seriously repressed... She really needed that...

Jaune: That was intense...

Jaune: I hope the scratch makes have healed...

Jaune: Hmmm...?

Jaune: Well, my aura's at full, so it should have been healed by now.

Jaune: Okay...

Jaune: I wonder if that video came out alright...

Jaune: Okay... Let's get going.

Jaune: Hmm... This side of the beach is pretty empty. I wonder why?

: It's because of all of the rocks, the tend to keep people away.

Jaune: The rocks? Well there's a lot of rocks, but why is the people staying away because of the rocks?

: People want to lie down on their beach towel, and suntan. Do you think people want to lie down on a hard jagged rock, instead of soft smooth sand?

Jaune: Hmm... That's a fair point... Wait. That voice sounds feminine? That's not the sound of my inner monologue! Who is speaking to me?!

: I'm over here~!

Jaune: Ah-ha! There you... are...?!

: Hello, Jaune~!

Jaune: H-Hi, Mrs. Branwen...

Raven: Didn't I tell you, Jaune: Call me, Raven~!

Jaune: Okay... R-Raven...

Raven: That's better~!

Jaune: S-So... Y-You're looking good... very, very good...

Raven: Oh, thank you~!

Jaune: S-So... What brings you over here...?

Raven: Oh, it's quiet. You don't see any screaming kids, whiney brats, dude bros...

Jaune: Those are good reasons...

Raven: And, since no one is coming here, I have this section of the beach all to myself~!

Jaune: Oh... Oh that sounds great, you don't have to deal with anyone's bullshit, because you're all alone.

Raven: Indeed it is. Now then, care to explain those scratch marks on your back?

Jaune: S-Scratch marks... what are you talking about...?

Raven: I can see the marks on your back, Jaune. So, care to explain yourself~?

Jaune: ...

Jaune: Yeah, it's pointless to deny it...

Raven: Well~?

Jaune: Haa... Okay, I slept with, Willow Schnee in the showers back there...

Raven: You fucked, Willow Schnee?!

Jaune: We all so filmed it, because she wanted to send it to, Jacques to show how a real man does it...

Raven: You filmed it, and sent it to, Jacques?! Fuck that's hot~!

Jaune: Yeah, will asked me to live out her kinks, and honestly... she made one hell of a deal. And, well... scratch marks...

Raven: So what were, Willow's kinks?

Jaune: Young man reshaping her guts, cucking, Jacques. Stuff like that.

Raven: Damn, Willow is a nasty girl~! And, I thought I was kinky; I'm into my lover being rough with me; Pulling my hair, calling me his bitch, taking it up the ass, breeding, things like that.

Jaune: Well... Yeah... I've heard that a lot today... seems pretty common...

Raven: I do like to do it in public.

Jaune: P-Public?

Raven: Yeah, in public, some place where I could get caught being railed by some hot young sexy stud~! In a place like this for example...

Jaune: T-This place...?

Raven: Yeah, behind those rocks. I mean, how many people wouldn't like to live out the fantasy of taking a sexy piece of ass behind a boulder at the beach~!

Jaune: At the beach...

Raven: So... what do you say, Jaune? You interested in living out this old gals fantasy~?

Jaune: ...

Jaune: Where's the best place to do this?

Raven: I found a nice place over there~!

Jaune: Okay, let's go!

Raven: Oh, and to warn you, Jaune: I'm a screamer.

Jaune: Oh, well it looks like you may get that audience like you asked for~!

Raven: If they're a sexy girl, can we invite her to join us? I love having threesomes with my wife. Having one at the beach... Oh gods, doesn't that sound so fucking hot~!

Jaune: Why don’t you call her over here, she can join us while we're at it~! She'll know where we are based on your screams~!

Raven: FUCK YES~!

///

Here's one for you @lar-mx Enjoy!

Link to Original Post.

[jaehaeryshater]

Ygritte and her daughter Bael Whitewolf

art by: @nautieval

I am so grateful that my oomfie worked on this commission for me. This is literally my fifth Ygritte commission 😭😭😭 at this point I’m her biggest fan. I think that it turned out so beautifully. It’s also the first art I’ve paid for that includes Ygritte’s daughter beyond the fashion sheet Nata made me for the entire House in December. I love Ygritte and I love Bael, I’m so happy to see them together and see Ygritte as a mom. Obviously she has many faults and is a violent person, but at least with small children she canonically does have a soft spot and I think she would have loved being a mother so long as she didn’t have to compromise who she was a person.

This is from my AU where Jon becomes King Beyond The Wall before he abandons the Freefolk. The AU predicates on the theory that the Others will only negotiate with a Stark and that all other attempts to get rid of them will fail (obviously I don’t think this is true canonically but the AU is if it’s true), based on the very first chapter of AGOT where the Others were communicating over Royce, perhaps they were wondering whether he was a Stark, which would mean they should capture him instead of killing him. It actually isn’t all that relevant if it’s true, only if the Freefolk believe it is. Mance wants the best for his people and he wants them to survive, so he passes his metaphorical crown to Jon. That’s when Jon forms House Whitewolf and he marries Ygritte since he decides he will try to negotiate with the Wall instead of going back to them entirely (his need to feel important and needed of his own volition, especially since his brother was also King, is also a factor as to why he stays). Please please please, I am begging you, don’t complain that he’s married to Ygritte instead of Val. This all occurs without the Battle of Castle Black and with who Jon is as a person, the responsibility he feels he owes, and the fact that he believes he is in love with Ygritte, is the reason that in an attempt to maintain as close of a character as he was in the books, he marries her. If you want an AU where he marries Val, I encourage you to make it because it is quite fun to do. Back to the timeline, Bael is born on the march down to the Wall, where Jon is hoping he can get the Freefolk through. They don’t stop for long for her birth, only during Ygritte’s labor, then they continue, as time is of the essence. Bael is Jon’s heir until her brother is born three years later, which is a foreign concept to the Freefolk as they previously did not pass Kingship on that way. But she shares Jon’s blood and should Jon come to pass, she would be their only hope of ever communicating with the Others. She’s also important in the negotiation with the Wall as Alliser tries to coax Jon into giving up all his demands and surrender himself for execution as long as they let Bael and Ygritte through the Wall.

Ygritte is a very good mother and protective of her daughter. She loves her with all her heart, as does Jon, but as Jon is incredibly busy, she does have a special connection with her oldest child. She raises her up like a Freefolk woman and she’s as soft with her as a quencher of the Freefolk could be expected to be. She’s so proud of the human she’s created and that she has fulfilled her ultimate person from the Old Gods. When Jon is off in battle, she serves as a regent in her daughter’s best interest.

I have a whole headcanon post for this AU and House Whitewolf, if anyone is interested. I posted it on either November or December. I cover everything from Bael to the rest of the children, the children’s hobbies that are influenced by indigenous cultures. I talk about where the Freefolk eventually settle as well as what changes Jon makes to their culture and how him being King is different than Kings of the past.

I cannot think @nautieval enough, they honestly got this out really fast for me and didn’t need a lot of references. The art is super pretty, their commissions are open as of now so I of course encourage anyone and everyone to reach out and purchase a commission from them.

[dramaticallytotal]

The Rise of Team E-Scope Headcanons: Part Eight

Idea Post Part One Last Part

I am skipping the aftermath episodes, but I might do them as a bonus after I finish the finale headcanons.

Slap Slap Revolution:

• Since Team Chris won the last challenge, they are not there in economy class to hear DJ lament about his animal curse, but Team Amazon is. This is where Eva gets worried for DJ and his mental health because the poor boy is distraught. Leshawna did nothing but tell him it was in his head, and it had Eva scowling. She believed it, too, but being friends with Noah, someone whose anxiety could get really bad, she knew it wasn't really helpful to point out the thoughts or beliefs were in their head.

Then she rolled her eyes when he tried to tell her it's wasn't that easy. It had Eva grinding her teeth. It was so disrespectful! Noah's sister, Nadia, was pretty superstitious, but no one in the family made fun of her for it and tried to respect her needs. Eva learned not to be so blunt with her thoughts because of Nadia, and she honestly really loved the woman and her kids.

• Apparently, Bridgette didn't appreciate Leshawna's response either as the girl huffed. "It's not that easy, Leshawna." Now, Eva wasn't very fond of Bridgette, but she appreciated the girl speaking up.

That got Leshawna even more annoyed, and it ended with Bridgette offering to give DJ a tarot reading to maybe help ease his mind, which he appreciated.

• Lindsay would have said something, but her, Katie, and Sadie were making the economy class people some smoothies. Katie even mentioned she would add some protein for Eva.

So it fell to Eva to be on Cody duty, not that she minded. So she had Cody sitting with her and listened to him ramble about some game he and Noah were obsessed with.

Thankfully, Sierra was distracted by Heather, but Eva still had a bad feeling about all that.

• Sierra was still talking about how she became president of her 15th Toal Drama fan club. She also still showed her statistics, which is something she's actually really good at. But instead of the statistics of Team Chris, she pulled out statistics for every team.

• Cody was just happy because Sierra couldn't get close to him, and Team Chris shared the insane amount of candy they got from the last challenge.

• Trent and Justin were the ones who were relaxing on the seat and having some bon bons. Justin didn't indulge in sweets much because of his strict diet, but first class had sugar-free ones and took advantage of the opportunity. Plus, Trent and Owen kept telling him his model diet wasn't the best for him, and technically, he wasn't under contract at the moment so he could indulge here and there.

Noah may not like the guy, but he some of his sisters and cousins had some problems with food for a while, so he knew how hard it could be to allow yourself the simple pleasure of something you crave.

So he made Justin a meal schedule to help him out with it. He would have cheat days or days where he tried something equally healthy but not on his meal plan his agent had him on so he could have some variety.

He got an almost kiss on his cheeks for his efforts, and Justin got a book to his stomach for his.

• Izzy was taking a nap, which was rare, which was why Owen was at the bar having a charcuterie board to himself. He made Noah a plate and pointedly looked at his little buddy until he started picking at it.

• Noah and Alejandro were on a couch sharing the mini charcuterie board Owen made for Noah as they discussed books they both have read and enjoyed. This is all part of Alejandro's plans to get closer to Noah and be his friend. To sus out Team E-Scope, of course! No other reason! He definitely didn't find Noah's company fun and comforting at all!

• Then being dropped from the plane was a stunt but also real as they were actually dropped a short distance into the snow. They were supposed to have their jackets on before they were dropped, but the interns forgot, and Chris is pissed about it. Apparently, it wasn't as accidental or forgetful as they claimed as Chef found out from one of the interns who had been close with Noah that the producers contacted an inside source and had them "forget" the jackets as people liked seeing people in distress.

• Alejandro still caught Leshawna.

• Noah would like to nominate Lindsay for an award with her acting because holy shit! "You must have me confused with someone else. The only guy I was ever into on this show was Tyler. And he's never coming back!"

• Also, he would like to simply cease to exist! Falling into the snow that deep was so awful. Snow got under his shirts and in his pants, thankfully not too far into his shoes, but it was still unpleasant. He was already shivering by the time Eva pulled him out and squished him between Izzy, Owen, and herself.

• But Izzy is an agent of chaos, and after cuddling a little tossed Noah to Alejandro, who was more than happy to help out his very cold friend! His very cold friend who had to stop squirming so he can help him warm up!

• Everyone hated the whisper singing.

• The reason why Lindsay finally "remembered" Tyler is because Chris told her she could before they resumed filming for the song. Yeah, he cut the cameras again so the cast could put on their coats and pulled her aside to say she could remember Tyler again, but to make it seem genuine yet funny. She delivered.

• Chris did this in revenge to the producers and made sure no interns were present when he told her. He was prepared to take out one of the producers' favorite bits. He still fully intended to pay Lindsay the agreed upon money and some bonus for her performance.

• The avalanche was another stunt/real. They were swept away by a snow wave, but it was planned. Noah still did not appreciate it, but it's okay because Alejandro held onto him the entire time, so there was no need to dig him out of the snow.

• While up the mountain, though, Noah broke off to go talk with Izzy, who was coincidentally walking by Leshawna and DJ. They made it look like they were whispering, but of course, Izzy didn't have an inside voice (sarcasm), and she loudly laughed.

"Oh definitely NoNo! It's so obvious! Maybe that's why Heather has been so rude to everyone. She's jealous!"

"Keep it down, Iz! But yeah, that's what I was thinking. Her crush on Alejandro is so obvious they could see it on the Nasa satellites."

"You're soooooo right. I feel bad for Leshawna now."

"Why's that nutso?"

"Well, Alejandro has been paying a lot of attention to her, and Heather likes him, and she's a little cray cray about things she wants. I mean, she has no problem manipulating people like the whole Trent thing, which made Leshawna talk everyone into voting him off. She also has no problem playing tricks and cheating, which we've seen before."

"Thaaaat...is a very well thought out and put point. Well, now I'm a little worried." Noah mumbled before Owen yelled something about food, and suddenly Izzy picked Noah up and carried him up the mountain, knowing fully well they just played Leshawna.

• It's not that they dislike Leshawna. They totally respect her, but at the same time, they need to keep low and go with the flow, and the flow was going against her. They knew that, what with Alejandro always flirting with her and inflating her ego a bit. They feel bad, but this is another elimination that doesn't seem like they had a hand in it at all, and they don't confess to it. Kind of like Harold's.

• When they reached the top and Noah saw the raw meat, he immediately yelled, "Code O!" Which had Eva and Izzy snapping into motion. Everyone was confused until they saw the two full-on tackle Owen to stop him from reaching the piles of raw meat.

This went on Alejandro's, Noah Isn't What He Seems List and his Team E-Scope Is Very Capable List.

• When Chris mentioned the meat grinder, Trent triumphantly held it up as Noah asked him to carry it to the cargo hold as the smaller boy had a feeling they were being called for a challenge. Trent was happy he listened to him.

• Alejandro had Justin on Owen duty to make sure the big guy did not eat their building material. He had Tyler on Izzy duty to make sure she didn't try to jump in the big grinder while Noah, Alejandro, and Trent worked with the electric grinder.

• Eva manned the grinding wheel while Heather was made to fill the grinder from the top, and Courtney tossed her the meat. Eva tossed Cody on top to help Heather because she did not trust Sierra. Gwen and Katie were stuffing the sausage casing while Sierra was building a disturbingly life-size Cody statue out of some of their meat.

• Leshawna took charge as she tended to do and ordered DJ to shovel the meat up, which he was fine doing. Sadie tried to tell Leshawna that she would stuff the casing as she had experience doing that since her uncle is a butcher and she used to be fascinated with his work and he taught her some of it until she lost interest when she was older. But the two still have a tradition of making sausages together for any family events. But Leshawna didn't listen and made Sadie get up on the platform to help shove the meat in the grinder. Bridgette got annoyed that Leshawna wouldn't listen, but they didn't have much time and Lindsay and Bridgette had to do the casing.

• No DJ accidentally throwing a bird into the grinder. DJ got too scared to touch the meat with the bird on top. Leshawna just kept yelling at him to hurry up, but Bridgette snapped back at Leshawna. Sadie had enough and jumped off the platform, and Lindsay snapped, too. Lindsay took charge instead and yelled out her orders but not in an angry way, just an authoritative one. She made DJ man the wheel, Sadie stuff, Leshawna shovel, and Bridgette to make sure the bird got away and not hurt.

• Chris did bring in those deadly goats. The man loves his dangerous animals.

• Team Chris was going down the mountain before everyone because of the electric grinder, so they missed the goat. Team Victory was second, and DJ did still hurt the goat. Team Amazon was last still because of Sierra and meat Cody.

• Eva was pissed and ready to throw Sierra off the mountain, but when Heather told them to jump, she realized what she was doing and said, "Do it." When Cody and Katie looked at her for guidance.

• Alejandro made Owen sit at the front of the sausage to weigh the front down more so they moved faster, and he had Noah sit in front of him. He doesn't know why, but in his head, he justified it with telling himself it was to keep Noah warm and ready for the next challenge. Owen fell off the sausage but held on to the front, which dragged Team Chris faster.

• They, of course, passed first with Alejandro only managing to hit Owen on a ledge once as he wanted to make it seem completely like an accident. When Trent started calling out directions because he thought Alejandro couldn't see where he was steering them, Alejandro had to pretend that to be true and listened to Trent.

• No dumb hat rewards because they honestly made no sense to me. The reward instead was extra training time to learn the Schuhplattler ( known as the slap dance, Schuh means shoe and plattler means slap!). The penalty was still the lederhosen for one person to wear and uncomfortable, not broken in, leather shoes for the rest of the team to wear. Team Victory just had to wear traditional dance shoes. Team Chris got the traditional Tyrolean hats that resembled Cody's penalty outfit.

• Cody was always going to wear the penalty outfit, so no having to try and get Sierra to wear it.

• Eva and Gwen sat out along with Tyler and Noah. Eva was glad Noah sat out because the guy is actually good at dancing and won against Eva and Izzy every time. They are trying to lay low, so it was a good move. Sadie was made to sit out.

• Sierra did sing her song, which disturbed not just Cody but everyone, and Trent did his best to shield the boy as they danced against each other.

• When Heather laughed at Leshawna's dancing and Alejandro started talking to her, Bridgette yelled out for Leshawna to focus. Leshawna ignored her, and Bridgette was so frustrated. That's when Heather noticed her frustration and mocked her for being jealous and started going in on Bridgette being jealous despite having a boyfriend and how it was the end of "stupid Gidgette!"

• Meanwhile, Alejandro continued on his manipulation with Leshawna. To which Justin was the one to point out the pep talk comment. He also threw in how Noah would not appreciate it given, "How smart and capable my little songbird is~."

To which Alejandro fake smiled and explained he was playing an angle but also, "He's not your anything!"

• While Bridgette stewed in her anger, Heather did try to warn Leshawna before the dance challenge started.

It was Leshawna against Owen.

Heather against Trent.

Izzy against Courtney

Bridgette against Justin

Sierra against DJ

Lindsay against Katie

Cody against Alejandro

• Heather, Leshawna, Izzy, Bridgette, Sierra, and Alejandro won the first round. Lindsay and Katie hit each other off the platform at the same time, so neither won. Then, the teams became:

Heather v Leshawna

Izzy v Bridgette

Sierra v Alejandro

• Again, Heather and Leshawna came to a tie, and the trash talking had been building the entire time. Bridgette won against Izzy, well more like Izzy got bored and pretended to fail, but only Eva and Noah saw that. Plus, Izzy didn't want to come across as too capable or like she was serious, so she pretended the light shock got to her, and she slipped off the edge. She had actually calculated when Chris would send the small shocks and made sure she was close to the edge when he next did it, which resulted in her fall. With Izzy falling and Justin's comment about Noah getting to him, Alejandro was doing his best to win but got distracted by hearing Noah's voice.

• Noah was throwing snow at Justin because the model was flirting with him again, and Noah was getting irritated. This situation distracted Alejandro enough for Sierra to knock him off. But to his team, it looked like Sierra got him out because her super strength kicked in when she saw Cody trying to help out Noah. That was a factor, but Alejandro could have dodged if he hadn't been distracted.

• Now is was:

Leshawna v Heather round 3

And

Sierra v Bridgette

• Alejandro still cheered for Leshawna once round 3 began. Which made Bridgette now suspicious because she had been noticing a lot lately and how he no longer complimented her and everything. Not that she wanted him to, but it was weird how he just shut off their communication the way he did.

• So when Heather shouted about Leshawna not being on Alejandro's team and slapped Leshawna. Bridgette yelled her agreement which made Heather mock her for being jealous.

Leshawna hit Heather off, and Bridgette jumped off the platform at the same time as Leshawna because Heather had finally pissed her to the point of snapping. Leshawna did slap Heather, but it wasn't over and over. She did it once and once was enough to snap her out of it because, man, this wasn't her. Bridgette slapped Heather once and yelled at her over all the comments about her and Geoff. She basically went off on how Heather was a sad, lonely, desperate person.

• Sierra won by default.

• No missing tooth, Heather, but she did get slapped on the same side of her face, so it was really red and going to bruise. Plus, she bit the inside of her cheek, so it was going to swell and be swollen for a short time. The bite wasn't super bad, more a nip, but she did still bleed.

• Chris then announced it was a double elimination for Team Victory. It wasn't that hard a decision for them given the growing tension between Leshawna and Bridgette. Plus, the team had gotten tired of Leshawna taking the role of leader and not listening to any of their ideas, suggestions, or input. Lindsay knew how that was, which was why she was confused about why Leshawna acted that way. You would think the girl would remember what happened to Lindsay season two, given the whole cast had a rewatch party a little while after the finale.

• Eliminated: Leshawna and Bridgette.

I think when we get closer to the merge, I won't reveal who gets eliminated as I might want to save that for the actual fic. But if you guys are okay with knowing, I don't mind sharing at all! I just thought maybe you wouldn't want me to spoil that.

Next

[starvingnarcissistmusic]

I've had this drafted forever and I'm not entirely sure why I didn't post it. Oh well, better late than never!

MAL DU PAYS (the song) fun facts:

(Like the original post, spoilers for Act 5 ((and also 2hats)))

- Originally, after finishing the game, I wanted to write a song about Loop. They're one of my favorite parts of the game and I really loved their character, but I ended up scrapping that idea very early on, as I couldn’t really find a personal tie to anchor the song to me. While I did want to write a song about the game, I didn’t want to write something that didn’t resonate with me and my musical “mythos” in some way. It's a fan song, but it's also a Starving Narcissist song, and I felt it was important to strike that balance. MAL DU PAYS (Monophobia) only got released because I felt that it was something that fit into the larger body of my works even without the context of the game. So in the end, I chose to write about Siffrin, as I found them a lot more personally relatable. The final version, lyrically, is almost like I’m using Siffrin as a vehicle to write about my own feelings. Some lyrics are his, some are mine, a few are both of us, it’s a weird sort of style I’ve never really written in before.

I do have some leftover lyrics from the scrapped Loop version, though!

“There’s a you you’ll never be, across the cosmic sea / Who has everything you wanted, now it’s everything you need; is it over yet?”

- I think originally the song had a lot more of an exhausted vibe, but with most of the stuff I write, the tempo usually gets faster the more I play it. At some point in the writing process the song channeled more of a manic energy than I had originally intended it to. Loud and shouty is kinda just my default lol.

(The first ever demo for the song, recorded September 15, 2024. Features some slightly altered lyrics!)

- The title was also subject to change! I think for a while I was going back and forth on just calling it Homesickness, mostly because I was a little nervous that my song’s name was technically a late game spoiler. Half the reason I wanted to even write the song was because I thought MAL DU PAYS would make a great song title though, so in the end I just sucked it up and went with my gut. The alternate title was also not set in stone, I think originally I was considering just calling it Mania or Paranoia, but I thought those would be a bit generic. Eventually, I settled on Monophobia, because I felt it was apt in describing the song as a whole. I write a lot about loneliness, and Siffrin is afraid of being alone, so it felt fitting to name the song after the fear of it. (And also, a bit more superficially, I thought Monophobia made a better song title.)

- The song is the only Starving Narcissist song on a nylon string guitar, and it's also the second song in a completely non-standard tuning (third if you count ITWYW?, but that's just a half step down from standard). MAL DU PAYS (Monophobia) in DADF#BD, with a capo on 1.

- THIS SONG HAD SO MANY REVISIONS. I don't think I've ever had this many versions to a song ever. It got so bad that I made a specific folder just to hold all the different variations I had for the song. They're not all too different from each other, and they're all built on the same take of the song, but I was playing around with mixing and structuring and vocal layering and its a whole mess. Honestly, the fact that it's a song about a timeloop makes it probably the funniest song this could have happened to.

- And that's about it! To end off this little fun fact post, here's a little something I wrote for Genius (where lyrics for this song and all my others are posted! plus annotations I write! <3) about the song. The response to MAL DU PAYS (Monophobia) has been pretty wild, and I'm glad it managed to resonate with people, even some who don't even know the game it's about.

That's all. While I guarantee this year will probably be slower for Starving Narcissist, rest assured that I am working on stuff, just very slowly. There's a very low chance I'll ever do something as flagrantly self indulgent as this song, but whatever I do end up doing, I hope you're around to see it.

In the meantime, stream the song on spotify! or buy it on bandcamp! or even just go watch the lyric video i made for it (please i spent like a week on this)!

Thanks for everything, see you later <333

Happy one year anniversary to In Stars And Time! tldr; i wrote a song about it. if you wanna skip all the gushing and just listen to it, click here. (spoilers for act 5) If not, behold this big rambly mess of a thing i wrote:

So funny story, I kind of wasn’t planning on releasing anything for the rest of the year. The album wore me out, and the only other idea I had sort of fell through, so I was content on just letting the album be the only thing of note I would make in 2024.

… and then, in September, I played a little RPG called In Stars And Time. beat the whole thing over the course of three days, then spent the next couple weeks ravenously consuming all the fan content I could get my hands on. my friends have been forced to stare at my siffrin pfp every day for two months straight at this point and frankly i think they are tired of me talking about it.

i love the art, i love the story, i love the music, i love the characters, i love the world. siffrin sort of immediately became one of my favorite protagonists like,, ever. and it definitely did not help that i am also a scrawny forgetful person who has to regularly fight off the part of my brain that convinces myself that All My Friends Secretly Hate Me.

I’ve never really been so called out by a character before. The spiraling, the deflection, and the agony of being a stranger to yourself. the yearning for something you cant even name, because how could you? you cant even find the words on your tongue. not being able to tell anyone how you feel because its just easier to live with it, easier to let it eat you from the inside out then to bother anybody else. its easier to keep the mask on, stick to your lines, let the show go on.

all that hit just a bit too close to home. so i did what I usually do When Things Hit and wrote about it.

(like i said, spoilers for Act 5; It’s pretty devoid of context but they’re spoilers nonetheless)

MAL DU PAYS (Monophobia) is a song about cyclical burnout, self-estrangement, and homesickness. It’s half about Siffrin, half about me, but mostly it’s a rumination on loneliness and the hell that is the self.

Out now wherever you listen to music.

“How can you be homesick if nowhere is home?"

[lucysarah-c]

So abt Levi and body types, IG as a gym freak you would be hatin if a plus size girl wants commissions of their fat selfinsert w Levi? I meannnn we don't even know if he likes women 🤷🏾‍♀️ so how y'all knowing he ain't a chubby chaser!?

Hi!

You know, haha, I actually found your ask funny. There are so many assumptions packed into one paragraph that it's kind of impressive. I’ve never once talked about body types on this blog—nor in my stories—unless it’s plot-relevant (like Twiggy in HG because her illness is part of the story). So assuming I think Levi wouldn’t like chubby girls is a bit wild.

For example, I’ve mentioned multiple times that I imagine the girl from Mounting Spring as chubby—like a renaissance painting. In my mind, Omega genetics lean toward fat accumulation for pregnancy and muscle growth, so she has a soft, roundish body. And honestly? She looks like a goddess in my head. Her arms and shoulders aren’t bony, they’re cute, and I’ve made at least 2-3 posts about how much I love that visual.

Also, I’ve done art commissions for all kinds of self-inserts—POC girls, chubby girls, thick girls, skinny girls. I’ve even drawn Levi with men, or with characters I don’t personally ship him with. I’ve drawn Hange with a chubby man, Reiner with a girl who had scars. So…I really don’t know where you got the idea that I "hate" certain body types?

And last but certainly not least—just because I hit the gym doesn’t mean I’m a "gym freak." And even if I were, why assume I’d hate on someone’s body? I work out for myself, for my own reasons. Or are you assuming gym-goers can’t be chubby or thick? And more importantly—why assume I’m not? You’ve never even seen my face, lol.

And let me make this very clear: this blog will never tolerate any form of body shaming or racism. I do my best to write reader-inserts with as little physical description as possible so that anyone can feel included. In fact, I have three asks sitting in my drafts right now about Levi with a chubby girl or dealing with weight gain. I’ve been giving those extra care to make sure my responses aren’t just worth the wait, but also meaningful. I want the anons who sent them to read my replies and feel loved.

[angelsdean]

minor thing but i always kind of found amara's decision to bring mary back, without even asking mary, kind of fucked? like she brings back mary as a "gift" to dean, and mary is thrown in the middle of nowhere, with no information, specifically because amara wants to teach dean a lesson. like. what she did wasn't kind. and this isn't like when other characters are resurrected from hell or something, she's being pulled out of heaven in her nightgown without any shoes in front of dean.

Yup i just made an addition to my earlier post here, talking about Amara's decision and the issues I have with it, so I won't get into it all again, but yea, I don't think Amara was doing a kindness to anyone. She was doing what so many cosmic beings have already done throughout the show, which is "play god" with the Winchesters' lives, because she decided this is something Dean "needs." But she's wrong. Dean didn't need to confront the realities of who is mother is, because he'd already done that. And while I think sure, Mary deserved to live, since her death was also an unfair Heaven-and-Hell orchestrated plot point, dropping Mary into a strange new world with zero context, was not a kindness either.

Also she isn't even dropped right in front of Dean. I recently re-watch 11x23 because it was playing on TV, and I was shocked to realize I too had misremembered the scene. She is dropped in a clearing in the woods! Alone! And she is so confused and she is shouting "Help! Help me!" and that's what alerts Dean, and thinking someone is in trouble he goes looking for this person, and then finds Mary. Like what the hell, Amara? Bringing Mary back and leaving her scared and confused in the middle of nowhere at night for Dean to find her? Honestly it's giving "drops Dean back into his grave and makes him crawl out" vibes. Which isn't a criticism on Cas (I've stated why I think Dean was put in his grave here) but a criticism on Heaven / cosmic beings who seem to treat humans as pawns and playthings. Like it's just shows no care for Mary at all, to put her in such a scary, disorienting situation. It would have been kinder to have her materialize right in front of Dean, at least. But still, all of it was just kinda fucked on Amara's part. Her reasons for doing it make no sense and her methods were also not great.

[clementine-thedestroyer]

Finally made my decisions on which owl each of the 141 are!! Because yes, I’m still thinking about this!! I’ve been drawing this idea a bit too, mostly in the form of a hybrid AU because since before I can remember, I’ve always just loved the idea of humans with wings- so why not do a bit of well needed drawing practice to bring it to life?

John - Great Horned Owl

Why: Even from when I first started thinking of all this, I always knew Price would be a Horned Owl- mostly because I thought the ear tufts would look cute on him and Great Horned owls look eternally grumpy (just like our favorite captain), but also because to me, a Great Horned Owl is kind of the most iconic and recognizable species of owl. They’re almost like the kings of the owl world and they’re beautiful creatures (big ones too!). I felt that just fit really well for Price. It’s hard to describe but I just see the resemblance so clearly in my head.

Fun facts (included because I love owls and hopefully you do too): Great Horned Owl can take down and will even eat other large birds of prey like Peregrine Falcons!! Also, they can scream!! Just like barn owls!!

Kyle - Western Barn Owl

Why: So I actually had some trouble with Gaz. A lot of owls could have worked, but I really wanted one that captures how beautiful I find him. I could stare at his face for literal hours, and I think the reason I eventually settled on the Western Barn owl is because (like I mentioned in my earlier owl post) I think barn owls are just gorgeous. Most owls can be described as gorgeous, but barn owls just look so (almost hauntingly) beautiful to me. They look intelligent- they look deadly. What more could you ask for from a bird?

Barn owls both haunt my night mares (my father scared the shit out of me with a mask made to look like one once) and live in my day dreams. What better bird to (hopefully eventually) draw Kyle as.

Fun facts: They scream!!! Look up their calls- it really is like a scream! I believe most owls are able to scream/screech, but I love that it’s the barn owl’s call.

Also!! And this is so interesting, the Native American Newuk tribe believed that if you were a good and brave person, you became a Great Horned Owl when you died, while if you were evil, you became a Barn Owl. Technically this wouldn’t apply to the Western Barn Owl since it’s an old world species, but I still thought it was interesting- plus it talks about Prices owl too! (There’s a lot more Native American tribes that held beliefs about Great Horned Owls, but I struggled to find a consistent reputable source for those so take that with a grain of salt.)

Simon - Barred Owl

Why: Originally, I was considering the Snowy Owl, Boreal Owl, and Ural Owl. Eventually I had actually decided on the Ural owl before, while doing research on another owl I saw a picture of a Barred Owl that immediately struck me. While the Barred and Ural Owls both look relatively similar, the Barred Owl definitely has more ghostly (hehe, get it?) air to it, and I think it’s facial disk is a bit more defined, reminding me a bit of Simon’s mask. While the Barred Owl is a new world bird and the Ural Owl is an old world bird, it didn’t live in the UK so I mean yes… I *have* technically given 2/4 of the 141 American species of owls- but the Ural owl didn’t even live in the UK so it’s fine.

Fun facts: The Barred Owl’s only natural enemy is the Great Horned owl!! Make of that what you will, but personally, as a big fan of that one Ghost x Price dynamic where Price is the only thing bigger and badder than Ghost, I know what I’ll be making of it.

Johnny - Tawny Owl

Why: I mean it has a little brown mohawk. How could I not make this Johnny? These owls are quite adorable and honestly, most of the reason I chose this one was the brown stripe drown its head looking just enough like a mohawk for me to giggle about it.

Fun facts: This guy actually lives in Scotland!! Its range is pretty big and includes almost all of Europe and a bit into the Middle East, but the fact that it can be found in Scotland just makes it an extra perfect choice for Johnny.

If you’re a long time follower, you may vaguely remember how in a post I said that in hybrid AUs, I love when a character is a hybrid of a species that’s native to where they were born/where their family is from. While I do love that idea, I also unfortunately realized most of my favorite owls are American, so Johnny and Kyle are the only ones that idea really comes through with. Simon and Price’s owls are completely American ones.

(Below the cut are my honorable mention + the owl I imagine Laswell as- because this post is already super long)

Laswell - Northern Saw Whet Owl

Why: In addition to being native to North America, this owl’s color reminds me a lot of Laswell’s hair. It’s a small owl, but it’s quite fierce. It’s been known to eat only the heads of its prey if prey is plentiful, and that bit of info reminded me of laswell a bit. She’s so strong and confident- I love her.

Fun facts: There’s Native American beliefs about Saw Whet Owls too!! They’re super interesting and there’s quite a few!

Honorable mention:

Laughing Owl

The laughing owl is an adorable owl which apparently chased its prey on foot, rather than flying after it- which sounds really cute. The owl could only be found in New Zealand and unfortunately has been extinct for probably about 100 years, with its extinction being caused when European settlers arrived on the island. Really, this honorable mention section was just an excuse to tell you about them.

(Most of my info from this was gathered by browsing owlpages.com - which is a lovely website you should totally check out if you like owls!!)

[fantasybuff3186]

Werepapas

Heres the werepapas post like I promised, I dont have much to say though but I do have something to say anyway here I go.

So for a start, I actually watched this episode before daddycop even though I should have done the opposite but I was pretty excited to see his grandparents so I bit and I wasnt disappointed. From the get go this was clearly very Adrinette heavy which I always love so I liked that part and well it was pretty cute. For a start I love how Marinette is still Marinetting and still has those plans for marriage so it was a nice call back to season 1 marinette with her complex plans and future but this time it was more satisfying because she has hope and is pretty secure in her relationship with Adrien. It was also nice to see Tom's parents together and their wholesome family breakfast where everyone except Sabine were very hyped for. Speaking of Sabine, she's still a wonderful mother and I enjoyed that she was telling rest of the family to calm down. Then it was really cute how excited Tom and his parents were for Marinette bringing him over. I just love seeing supportive relationships.

That aside it was pretty nice when Marinette offered to accompany Adrien and I love that Nathalie was just okay with it, it honestly feels like they're all family at this point and I love that so much. Nathalie and Marinette interact a lot more and thats so sweet. Also Marinette's trust in Nathalie is wonderful. Like Nathalie is definitely becoming my favourite character, it was only made better in that flashback in the post credit scene. Even then Nathalie was so attentive to Adrien whilst Gabriel was just trash. It was a little satisfying to see that he was an absent father even then for some reason. Makes hating Gabriel so much easier. Honestly given the kind of parents Gabriel has it is a little surprising he was like that but then again what do we really know about Gabe's past? Maybe his parents were absent too because they do seem rather careless, maybe thats why he became strict, trying to make up for the lack of stability he had? Now I want to psychoanalyse Gabe like damnn but to be fair maybe it makes sense why he fell for Emilie, she seems pretty stable and maybe he always craved that? Shes the opposite of him, of his family.

Speaking of flashbacks, I loved seeing Emilie and Adrien's past, it was nice to know more about Nathalie and Adrien and I love the focus Adrien got this episode which usually doesnt happen. Miraculous really is seeming more like well everyone's show other than just Marinette what with the focus on Sabrina and Zoe. I love that they're splitting the focus now, it just makes me happy.

Also the parallels were epic! Adrien stuck in a tower for instance mirrors the time marinette was stuck in a tower also for protection by her dad in weredad. Like I loved tha parallels so much like its pretty cool! We got an Adrien version of weredad and that just makes me so happy. Its like nostalgia hits yk. Like I can go on about the parallels for a while. Family meal? check, taking place in a house? check. There may be more parallels but for that I need to watch the episode.

Also I love how Marinette was hyperaware of the ring, despite the new atmosphere of the show, the hints of the season 5 finale remain. They didnt forget about it even as she tried to break it which was pretty cool. Miraculous is definitely stepping up its game.

I also really adore how normal it is that they're together now, like its so easy and just fits and seems so natural. Its almost like they've always been together at the same time I can hardly believe that they're together like that really hits hard like damn. LIKE MY BABIES ARE ACTUALLY TOGETHER! He called Marinette his girlfriend and thats just so surreal. 2-3yrs of waiting and it paid of!

Also I really hated Emilie's father the entire time and wanted to punch him so so much like why is he such a jerk? I guess he improved a little but I still dont like him, he treated his wife horribly. Also Adrien in a trophy while it makes sense literally, I kind of want to do english literature style analysis for some reason. How hes objectified and stuff which was the point of the episode but still.

Then there was Plagg, he was such a menace this episode and I loved Adrien's expressions. It was funny seeing him trying to hide his secret from Marinette and Nathalie though I kind of want Nathalie to know his identity at least.

[ringsofpowerconfessions]

It’s disappointing to see how your account has shifted from being a space for all Rings of Power fans to something that seems… much more selective. You present yourself as ‘open’ and ‘okay with different opinions’, but when actual concerns are raised, especially about the harassment and hate certain fans have been sending, or confessions about ships different from Haladriel/Saurondriel, you go silent or dismiss it, or even allow opposite takes to be shared (such as some absolutely borderlining hate).

You used to share a broader range of thoughts, call out racism in the fandom, and now it feels like only certain perspectives are truly welcome (is that because the main antis share the same ship as you?...). If this is a space primarily for Haladriel fans or those who want to focus on Annatar/Sauron/Galadriel discourse, that’s fine! But at this point, I think it would be more honest to rename the blog to something like ‘Haladriel Confessions’ or ‘Annatar Discourse Central’ instead of pretending it’s a neutral space?....

I genuinely hope you’ll reflect on this and consider if your blog is truly welcoming to all Rings of Power fans, or just the ones who align with your own preferences.

Hi Anon,

Thanks for your message. I only started this blog for something to do in my spare time and to take my mind off some life changing events happening in my life right now which has been having a negative impact on me. I'm autistic/ADHD so big change can throw me sideways and the show/fandom has been helpful and distracting on my bad days and I've made a few close friends through it on other platforms.

I used to run a confessions blog here years ago in The Hobbit fandom and never experienced such negative backlash back then, even when I posted opinions on ships like Tauriel/Legolas or Bilbo/Thorin. 

I'm sorry you're disappointed with what I post, you're right, I should be more open to people's opinions (within reason of course). I'll sometimes read a submission and won't know if it'll hurt someone's feelings or not and I'll struggle to decide whether to post something or not. I obviously don't want to hurt people's feelings but I guess they can also block the blog?

I do support Haladriel yes but that doesn't mean I'm biased at all, I respect all thoughts in regards to the ship and definitely not the type to attack someone for having different views, like some people do I've seen. Maybe I'm too soft idk. I guess I just don't want to receive the hate or slander. I've had some nasty anons which I delete and don't respond to.

I don't know what to do any more, honestly. Of course I want to welcome all RoP fans and opinions, I'm just trying to keep everyone happy without being called a bigot. I'm also a mixed race person so I'll call out racism all day every day. <3

[pixiedurango]

If you wouldn't mind, I'd appreciate a letter from Illario to Lucanis that is basically him wondering how the hell his awkward cousin managed to attract a hottie like Rook De Riva. (Bonus points for it being my Rook, Adava. I've posted a couple screenshot archives of her.) Thank you very much! This is such a wonderful and fun thing you're doing for the community!

Ding Dong. Another special delivery from the Antivan Postal Service.

We all know Illario is a yapper... this may be the reason why this letter is so crazy long. It's a bit more than just the one requested topic, I hope you don't mind, but I felt, that even Illario would not just kick down the door and starts asking awkward questions about his cousin's love-life. I honestly can't figure, how Lucanis would even answer this letter... Anyway, enjoy!

Transcript:

Cousin, I hope you don’t mind me, bothering you. I know the new First Talon is still saving the world and has probably not the time and even less patience to read from a despicable criminal anyway. Even (or rather because) said criminal is your blood and the closest thing to family you’ll ever have. Beside of course our dear Caterina, who naturally sends her regards (because this way she’s excused to write a letter to you herself. Which of course she would never confirm, and I would NEVER even think. Huh, who wrote that?)

I spend my time doing paperwork for the Diamond recently, since Viago could not be bothered to supervise me all day and night (which I don’t take offensive, I would not want to be my watchdog, either.) Of course no one gives me a contract anymore, maybe there are some with my name on it, but I fear, you’ll find that name in an unfamiliar spot there. No wonder, Viago is paranoid, that something might get out of hand. Which would make him fail his first ever contract from the new First Talon by losing his ward (that would be me).

Not that I wish for this to happen, but then, what is life without the roofs of Treviso in the moonlight, its markets and cafés. The canals and gondolas and the beautiful people in the streets. While I am stuck in the belly of the Diamond. Copying inventory lists.

Anyway, how’s your days? And I mean the parts we don’t get to read in the gazettes or war reports. Allow me to live a little through your new life. I want to know about hat Lighthouse you’re residing in. Living in the Fade is such a weird concept on its own – but being there stuck with a bunch of non-Antivans who are each so different and unique, but you’re still all on the same contract - that sounds like an interesting experience. And they are all so stunningly beautiful and exciting personalities.

Speaking of exciting: Send my kindest regards to that divine but harsh Tevinter detective if you don’t mind, my brother. I’d be very intrigued to get to know other Tevinter people. For a wider perspective, maybe if you want to call it that?

And no, I’m not trying to make a joke here. Or try to push a shady agenda. I just feel that my choices of people from the Imperium was not the… most educated one.

You know what? Never mind, you shouldn’t have to bother with such silly requests and why I feel to ask them from you.

Better we hold onto our words about the things past until we can exchange them in person.

But, you are aware that I simply could have made up a story to make you introduce me to her, right? Or, even better, I just could have written to your Tevinter friend right away, instead of asking you to give my regards…

Speaking of friends. Must be all new and awkward for you, cousin. I can’t remember you having any close acquaintances ever, at all, when we grew up. I would never have thought, you’d have that in you.

Of course now, this all new YOU will not have any more use for your poor cousin - who’s fallen from grace, to do all the nasty ice breaking and socializing for you. And we were such a successful double like that.

Remember that wigmaker job? Vyranthium, I guess. It got you your, moniker, right? Demon of Vyranthium. Just like a creepy foreshadowing, don’t you think? Anyway, what was I talking about? Ah!

You did all the bloody work back then, I happily give you that, but without me? Way more complicated it would have been, I dare say. And even more dangerous as it was already.

Cousin, just think about it. We could rule Antiva together. Or just retire and be the rulers of our own court, whereever that may be - and do what ever we please.

Or did you eventually make peace with being the one in charge? First Talon! So much responsibility. And so large boots to fill.

May Caterina continue to live and rule on for many many more years to come. So you don’t have to step up entirely. Letting her continue to draw strings in the shadows, while you being the representative and handsome young face of the Antivan Crows. That was a clever move from the old girl. Or was it yours? Either way. She could have all that with less drama and an even prettier face, far more willing, to put up with her and her attics. But, well, here we are.

Sorry, I fell back into ramblings about things again, that should be topic for us talking in person. Forgive me. How did I get there in the first place… I have no idea. Maybe this gives you a hint, of just HOW boring the paperwork is, I get to do here. I start yapping. In a letter.

Before I end this pointless lament, cousin, brother! I want to congratulate you. Honestly. Of course, only if it's true, what’s going round within the Diamond and probably the salons of Treviso’s nobility, too. That the new First Talon, known to be the chastest of all Crows, finally decided to seriously court someone. And not only that. It’s even reciprocated this time, as we hear.

A strategic bond with the House of the 5th Talon? I hear that not few people are taking it this way.

But I know you better, cousin. You’d never engage into such an endeavor, when it’s not playing out like in your silly romance novels. (Yes, of course I know what you always hid between your textbooks and under the mattress. Kitsch!) But well, to each their own, I guess. You the books and me the real experience. But you seem to finally getting there, as it seems. Tell me everything, brother! I’ve witnessed you yapping about coffee and kisses goodbye and smarmy stuff like that. You were really into that de Riva girl, right from the start. There goes my last hope, that Adava had, or would ever discover, a soft spot for me behind her wall of professionalism and all business. Just joking, of course, I’m happy for you both. I mean it.

Just don’t let your heart and your… midsection get into the way of a contract. Which in your case would very much unfortunate for all of Thedas. But who am I to give you advice of matters of the heart… (or the midsection) My latest choices weren’t the smartest, either.

Before I end up filling a journal here, I’ll end now. If you want, write me back, I really want to hear about your life and could use any distraction. We’re family, after all. - Illario

Find the other letters here

[kt-the-lee]

A Moment Of Silly - a Criminal Minds Tickle Fic

hello my lovely community! it has been brought to my attention that there is a serious lack of Criminal Minds tickle fic, so i thought i would rectify this situation! i actually wrote this one a few months ago and i legitimately just forgot to post it, but honestly i have no idea why because think it's my favourite ticfic I've ever written and i am still very proud of it :D

A/N: this was initially just meant to be a lee!hotch fic at first - but i couldn't NOT write a bit of lee!reid because THAT MEAN NEEDS TO BE WRECKED AT EVERY OPPORTUNITY OKAY I DON'T MAKE THE RULES

Word Count: 3678

Lees: Aaron Hotchner (mainly) and Spencer Reid (i couldn't resist)

Lers: Emily Prentiss, Jennifer Jareau, Derek Morgan and Spencer Reid

The jet was mostly silent as the team settled into hour 2 of their 5 hour flight. Hotch slept across two seats with Derek also deep in slumber across from him. Spencer and Emily were completely engrossed in an intense round of chess, complete with glares and sighs as they routinely outsmarted each other. JJ had tucked herself in a corner, going over some requests for the BAU and quietly ranking them in importance in her brain.

This comfortable silence did not last, however, as a low giggle filled the plane. Everyone conscious whipped their heads around, making confused eye contact and trying to decipher who the hell had just made that noise.

“Spence, that MUST’VE been you,” said JJ, not entirely sounding sure herself on her own conclusion.

“Nuh uh, I’m sat opposite him!” said Emily. “He didn’t make a sound!”

“Maybe it was a ghost!” grinned Spencer. “I’ve had a growing theory that this jet is haunted, and this just proves-“

He was cut off by the giggle again, but this time the three awake were conscious enough to trace the sound back to its origin. The origin being a fast asleep, brunette man with a grin etched upon his face in his slumber.

The three couldn’t help but giggle in return, trying to stifle their volume so as to not awaken their fellow sleeping agents, but this was becoming all the more difficult as their own giggles mixing with Hotch’s unconscious chuckles led them into a moment of pure silly.

“Y’know what,” pondered Emily as she managed to compose herself from her giggles. “I don’t actually think I’ve heard Hotch genuinely laugh before. That might just be because I haven’t known him as long as you guys, but I do think that’s the closest I’ve heard.”

Spencer and JJ locked eyes, both thinking back on the time they’d known Hotch. They both thought long and hard, trying to sift through memories of mirth in the BAU and trying to recall whether Hotch shared in their joy. They both came to the same conclusion.

“I haven’t actually heard him properly laugh before either.” said JJ, a hint of sadness to her voice.

“Well, there could be plenty of reasons for this!” said Spencer, emitting a groan from the others as they felt an infodump coming. “Laughter is inherently vulnerable, and Hotch tries to keep a shield up as much as he can. As well as this, laughter is a purely social activity, proven in the fact that you are 40x more likely to laugh when in a social setti-HEHEHEY!”

Spencer’s infodump was cut short as he felt Emily reach under the table and squeeze the muscles above his knee a few times. His knee shot up, trying desperately to curl and wriggle away but the table above his legs entirely blocked him from doing so. Instead, all he managed to achieve was knocking over the entire chessboard.

“Now THAT was uncalled for!” protested Spencer, still giggling.

“I think it was fully called for!” chuckled Emily, giving his knee another squeeze for good measure. It was then that JJ had a lightbulb moment, the idea growing on her face in the form of a devious grin so obvious that both Spencer and Emily enquired to what was going on in her brain.

“I think I have an idea on how to hear more of Hotch’s laugh!” grinned JJ, ambling over to take the seat next to Spencer.

Emily caught on instantly, glancing over at their slumbering superior and chuckling to herself at the thought of Hotch being made to giggle like Spencer had done previously. Spencer, however, still looked confused and had somehow missed the cues between the girls. “What are you two on about?”

JJ and Emily both rolled their eyes.

“Care to help me clarify?” asked the brunette to the blonde, reaching back under the table to resume her squeezing motions on Spencer’s knee as the man let out yet another stifled yelp. JJ’s grin somehow widened further, her hands finding home under Spencer’s arms, scribbling and poking at his underarms through his shirt.

Spencer squealed and fell backwards, shooting his arms down and knees up into the table, again. JJ and Emily couldn’t help but tease the poor boy:

 “Well, you’ve trapped my hands under your arms now! I guess they’ll just have to stay here tickling until you lift them again!”

“Shhhh, you have to be quiet Spencer! Hotch and Morgan are asleep! This is so inconsiderate of you to laugh this loudly”

“What’s wrong Spence? You’ll definitely end up injuring yourself if you keep wriggling like this, just keep still!”

“Tickle tickle tickleeeeeee~”

Upon that last remark from Emily, Spencer’s shrieks and squeals got to a volume that stirred Derek from his slumber. The duo immediately clocked that he had woken up, but made no move to stop their attack as Derek immediately smiled at the scene unfolding in front of him.

“Get his belly, the poor boy’s like a puppy dog really” encouraged Morgan, earning a string of curses from the victim.

“Hehehehehey! We’ve detracted from the original point of this discUSSION-” Spencer’s laugh jumped an octave as JJ’s hand slipped under his shirt and fingers danced patterns all over his stomach. This, coupled with Emily’s hands now sneaking behind his knee, sent Spencer’s brain into overdrive as his endearing laughter filled the plane.

“He does have a point” said JJ. “And we probably shouldn’t carry this on for too much longer as this idiot is incapable of not overreacting, we don’t want to wake Hotch before we’re ready!”

Emily nodded in agreement, and both girls retracted their attack on the youngest member of the team. Spencer immediately curled in on himself and pouted, muttering under his breath

“I wasn’t OVERREACTING.” He grumbled. “There’s plenty of theories why some people are more ticklish than others, all of which are conflicting, but regardless I cannot help that I ended up on the more unfortunate end of the spectrum.”

“’Unfortunate’ my ASS!” retorted Derek, finally awake enough to amble over and take the seat next to Emily. He then reached underneath the table to squeeze at Spencer’s knees once more, earning a yelp and a flinch. “We all know you love it, genius. You give yourself away.”

This earned a kick and a glare from Spencer, but he couldn’t mask the smile that lingered on his face. The three others just chuckled; they all knew Spencer loved the attention and the silliness, and they loved how embarrassed he was by it.

“Anyway, we’ll leave you be now. What WAS the original point of the discussion?” pondered Morgan, remembering what Spencer had touched upon earlier. “And why was Reid getting his ass handed to him? Not that he doesn’t usually deserve it.”

Another kick from Spencer made Derek laugh as JJ explained about Hotch laughing in his sleep, how they’d drawn the conclusion that they’d never heard Hotch laugh properly, how they’d come to tickle Spencer in the first place, and the plan that they were hatching before they got distracted with the former point. Derek grinned, mischief flooding his face as he excitedly nodded his head at the beginnings of this plan.

“Oh it’ll 100% work.” He smiled, a fond memory filling his brain. “I have actually heard Hotch laugh before – I visited him for whatever reason one Sunday afternoon, Haley answered the door and led me through to the living room where him and Jack were playing tickle monster. Obviously it was more of Jack getting tickled by his dad, but occasionally he would get him back, and his reactions did seem pretty genuine!”

JJ and Emily’s eyes lit up at this, grinning with fondness over at the (somehow) still-sleeping Hotch.

“So… we’re absolutely doing this, right?” said Emily.

“Oh, 100%” smirked JJ.

As JJ said this, the quartet all whipped their heads around as they heard Hotch shuffle on the sofa. He had gone from curled up on his side, mimicking the position of a foetus, to fully spread out on his back like a stretching cat. He appeared to still be fast asleep, although now, the position he laid in drew immediate attention to his torso. The four burst into giggles once more at this.

“Oh, it’s like he’s ASKING for it.” chuckled Morgan. “He’s literally left himself wide open for us.”

This statement from Morgan was more ironic than any of them realised, as that was exactly what Hotch had done.

Truth be told, Hotch had woken up to the same squeal from Reid that caused Morgan to rise. However, he had initially just tried to go back to sleep as, as much as he knew the team needed those playful moments of silly between them, he didn’t feel the need to get involved himself. It wasn’t until he overheard the conversation that followed from Reid’s attack that his interest piqued. Clearly, the fact that he’d inadvertently giggled in his sleep was fascinating to the rest of his team, and he decided in that moment to have a little bit of fun with them. Hotch wasn’t actually all that ticklish himself, so he knew he could fend off his team of FBI children very easily. It was this conclusion that led him to roll onto his back “in his sleep”, just to enhance the game for the others.

He felt the presence of four people surround him as he worked to keep his breathing mimicking that of an asleep person. Endeared by the childish whispers and giggles of the team, he enjoyed how much fun they were having, like a group of children ganging up on a very patient dad.

“So what do we do first?”

“You’re meant to be the genius, pretty boy!”

“Yes well I’m usually on the receiving end, aren’t I!”

“Don’t grumble, we all know how much you love it”

“Oh shut up, JJ”

“All of you shut up or you’ll blow this for us!”

Their petty squabbling was silenced by Emily. She brought a finger to her mouth, indicating utmost silence from the rest of the team as they obliged. She then leant over and began to trace very gentle patterns into Hotch’s shirt, just about where the front of his ribs met the top of his stomach. She slowly increased the intensity, trying not to wake him too suddenly but at the same time trying to eek out any reaction from the man.

Nothing.

“Oh come ON” she grumbled under her breath, walking her fingers down to spider at his entire torso through his shirt. She covered all bases; stomach, sides, every indent of his ribs.

Still, nothing.

“You have got to be kidding me. That would’ve had Reid absolutely convulsing if I’d pulled that move on him!”

Spencer glared and reached over to poke Emily’s side, earning a squeak from her and an elbow into his arm. “Clearly not just me, then.” He smirked.

Emily looked ready to unleash hell on Spencer once again before JJ separated them both. “Task at hand, people! You two had better behave before I ground you both.”

JJ signalled to Morgan to up the ante. He sat on the floor at the lower half of Hotch, trying every tickly method he could think of on his knee to try and irk even a smile out of him. JJ settled at the other end, using her nails to scritch all the way around Hotch’s neck.

Once again, nothing.

JJ huffed in disappointment and Morgan let out a stream of curses at their failed attempts to tickle their superior.

“Literally, how.” pondered Morgan. “I know we all bully Reid here, but I think all four of us would’ve at least had SOME reaction to that, I mean come ON”

“Well, he could still be ticklish!” said Spencer. “The nerve cells that produce the tickle response, although often found in the same places across most human beings, can be found in unorthodox places sometimes! That being said, we haven’t even covered all bases with the obvious spots yet, like there’s the feet-“

“I wouldn’t waste your time.” a low, fifth voice joined the conversation.

The four whipped their heads back around to stare at Hotch, eyes open and grinning up at them. They all looked absolutely outraged, and the expressions of their faces alone was enough to earn a small chuckle from the man.

“It was a nice try, guys. But clearly you just profiled me wrong.” He smirked. “I’ve been awake for awhile, I just thought it’d be a little bit funny to see you hatch your devious plans like that for it to not come to fruition.”

He chuckled again as his team couldn’t seem to find any words, only disgruntled grumbles and glares of apparent defeat.

“You can carry on tickling me if you want! I can laugh and wriggle and do a full Reid on you, I do that with Jack sometimes to let him when we play!”

This did not appease the team as Derek let out a grumble of “No, it wouldn’t be the same.”

Hotch chuckled again and settled his arms behind his head, closing his eyes once more. “Nice try anyway, team. It was a good effort.”

And he thought that would be the end of it.

In fact, it almost was. Emily and Morgan had begun to shuffle to their original seats, but JJ and Spencer stood still, eyes glancing between Hotch and each other. They both recounted the attack from earlier, JJ’s tease about Spencer trapping her hands under his arms replaying in both of their minds as they glanced at Hotch’s now-exposed underarms.

“Hey, Reid, you know what you were saying earlier about covering all bases?” JJ whispered in a hushed tone.

Spencer nodded. “You’ve read my mind, actually.”

The pair quickly caught Emily and Morgan and relayed their theory to them, hatching a far quieter plan between the four of them as to avoid Hotch’s listening ears.

Hotch felt their presence around him once more, and jumped slightly as Derek spoke to him far closer to his ear than he was expecting.

“Actually, Hotch, we’re bored.” he said. “And also don’t believe you. At all. So we’re going to take you up on your previous offer.”

“Oh? Go ahead.” said Hotch, not making any movement from the position he was in.

Emily dove in again immediately, repeating the motions she had previously crafted on his torso once more, far more determined this time. Hotch just shrugged, a slight grin forming on his face from the sensations, but nothing more.

JJ and Morgan also resumed their motions from earlier, this time switched in roles. JJ used the squeezing technique on Hotch’s knees that had driven Spencer up the wall previously, and Morgan tantalisingly tracing every nerve cell on his neck, digging in at the odd pressure point. Hotch shuffled slightly and chuckled in surprise, not expecting all three of them to coordinate like this. It didn’t tickle enough for him to outwardly react more than the single surprised chuckle, and was ignorable enough to remain still and smug.

That was, until, Spencer joined the fray.

A pair of hands crept from where Morgan was sat, resting in a claw shape on Hotch’s underarms. Spencer curled and uncurled his fingers a single time, the quartet watching Hotch stiffen at the sensation, this simple movement alone sending a zap of panic through him. His eyes widened along with his smile and, even though Spencer hadn’t made any further movement yet, instinctively snapped down his arms.

Well, he tried to, anyway.

Morgan was quicker than Hotch, immediately stopping the onslaught on his neck and quickly catching his wrists, preventing him from putting his arms down. Hotch tried desperately to fight Morgan’s grip, but he was simply not strong enough. The grip around his wrists and arms left his underarms fully exposed, and this realisation alone was enough for Hotch to lose his cool demeanour.

“He’s all yours, pretty boy.” chuckled Morgan as Hotch struggled in his grip, trying and failing to bring his arms down and protect the spot that had been so cruelly exposed.

“JJ, Emily, stop a sec.” ordered Spencer. “I want to see if this is gonna get him as bad as I think it will.”

The girls grinned and ceased their motions. Hotch protested, counting on the fact that he could distract himself from the one spot that would light him on fire by focussing on the duller sensations. The quartet simply ignored him, all four watching with shit-eating grins on their faces as Spencer started to repeat the curling motions from earlier, this time not stopping and slowly increasing in intensity.

Hotch screwed up his face, trying desperately to ignore how much it fucking TICKLED. He couldn’t stop the corners of his mouth turning upwards as Reid persisted, the chuckling from the four of them not helping the situation in any way.

“He looks about ready to explode!”

“What’s wrong, Hotch? Thought you weren’t ticklish?”

“Seems we profiled you correctly after all!”

“C’mon Reid, you can try harder than that!”

Spencer glared at Emily. “What more could I be doing right now! I am tickling him, am I not?”

“Not PROPERLY. You’re literally just spidering.” huffed Emily. “You’d think someone as ticklish as you would know exactly how to tickle someone else!”

“Well, funnily enough, I don’t really pay much attention to your technique when you get me!” said Spencer, an embarrassed flush returning to his cheeks. He tried to think scientifically about the attack from earlier, and how JJ had been tickling his underarms. He switched up his movements, digging in more circular motions as opposed to the spider-like movements before.

Suddenly, they all heard it again. The same noise that had started this whole debacle.

The dam had broken. Hotch had spent such an effort beforehand to stifle his reactions that all of them just came at once. Low giggles very quickly turned to howling laughs as Reid abused this new technique, finding every tiny ticklish spot and making mental notes as to where his laugh changed in volume and pitch. He squirmed in Morgan’s grip, trying desperately and failing to get some relief from the onslaught. He then tried to bring his legs up, but a very determined Emily sat her entire weight on Hotch’s legs so he was fully immobile. All he could do was laugh.

And honestly? He didn’t mind it as much as he thought it would. It reminded him of playfights with Jack, except it was his four adult children. His four adult children who were getting incredible amounts of satisfaction from this, and his four adult children who could overpower him far more easily than his three-year-old son could.

Emily and JJ decided to resume their attacks from earlier, the brunette tweaking and poking at his sides whilst the blonde tormented his knees. Since the dam had been broken, these spots also seemed to get a decent reaction from Hotch as the combination of all three of them tickling him silly was enough for him to let out a squeal that was most unlike him. His four attackers erupted into laughter.

“Hotch, what was THAT.” howled Morgan, using what wiggle room he had to find sensitive pressure points around Hotch’s neck as he still held him tightly.

“I almost feel bad for him.” chuckled Spencer, shuddering as he imagined how dead he would be if this attack turned onto him.

“I don’t! He lied to us!” cried Emily, not in the slightest bit feeling any guilt. “He told us he wasn’t ticklish, but he is! He’s tickle tickle tickleeeeeeish-”

“Oh Emily that’s just CRUEL” grinned JJ. She herself had been on the receiving end when Emily had been full-tilt tickle monster, and she knew how much her words and teases made everything tickle so much worse.

Hotch could only laugh. He would get tired of this soon, he knew. He was never the biggest fan of being tickled, but life had been so intense lately that this moment of carefree, childlike silliness had benefited him more than he’d realised. He concluded that this couldn’t be a fix too often as it would just become repetitive and irritating, he had a certain image to maintain as their superior, after all. However, it was perfect for this moment, and the four could sense it. They knew him well enough to not tease him about how much he was visibly enjoying himself, however, as they knew it would ruin the moment immediately. So the quartet simply laughed along with him and poked fun at every noise and reaction he made.

Eventually, Hotch called it off. He lay back, catching his breath, residual chuckles still draining from his mouth like the last drops from a closed fountain. He looked up at the rest of his team, all four grinning like children, clearly beyond proud of their antics. He couldn’t help but feel proud of them.

“If any of you attempt that again, best believe I’m sending you straight to Strauss.” he said in a mock-serious tone. “But, I supposed that’s what I had coming for me when I lied to four very persistent behaviour analysts.”

He shuffled himself to standing and began to make his way to the bathroom on the jet.

“Oh, and by the way. I’ve seen the way Morgan reacts when Garcia gets too close to his neck.” Hotch grinned. “Thought the three of you should know this!”

As he disappeared into the bathroom, all he heard was a “FUCK YOU, HOTCH!” and an “EMILY, DON’T YOU DARE!” before the sounds of Morgan’s muffled cackles filled the plane. Hotch smiled. He had gotten his fill of the playfulness, but he knew his team needed more than him. They were young, they were so smart and so good at their jobs, and if this was the way they unwound and found joy then Hotch could do nothing but encourage it.

[lostsyren]

The first point I think I should make is most the characters in obx don’t have a particularly distinct characterisation, that’s why ig there’s so many different interpretations– especially side characters like Barry and topper. And even s1 rafe, who didn’t have a lot of screentime. But that’s where headcanons and fanfic come in. To completely hold Sofia in contempt based on purely canon is unfair, and a lot of her character is implied– they’re not going to fully flesh her out in an ensemble cast. And a lot of what you said is not necessarily true– it’s assuming Rafe’s intentions and internal state which we can’t be sure about. And that’s fine since it’s your opinion, but it doesn’t make it fact or canon, even if fact and canon is used to substantiate the points.

And your counter arguments which revolve around the deal make sense, but imo, when I think about the reason I like Sofia/rafesofia, the deal/why rafe agreed to the deal is not really in my mind. I agree with you that Rafe’s primary motivation is greed but I also think classifying their relationship as Sofia existing as material for him to show off is reductive. Like why wouldn’t he choose a kook girl then? And I don’t think his “disrespect” towards her is this intentional, cruel thing. Oftentimes when he’s being a dick, it’s usually a joke, or something he doesn’t even clock. In their private moments, I think the softness and respect he has for her is evident. (Like it’s undeniable he treats her differently/more nicely than he does with others).

And no one is really looking at Sofia as the main reason for Rafe’s change. I think we can all agree as a fandom that the Cameron family dynamic/Ward & Rafe relationship and rafe & sarah relationship is probably the most salient/engrossing aspects of the show. But Sofia does slot into Rafe’s character arc in a cogent way.

Like in s3 when he saved ward after soliciting Sofia for advice on the balcony or in s4 with the whole Sarah thing, Sofia nudged him, but she didn’t necessarily change his psyche to that much of a degree. You used the word “catalyst”, which I do think she is. She’s not the main reason for Rafe’s changes of heart, but she nudges him in the right direction, catalysing the process. That’s the point of her character imo– her kindness towards rafe encourages him to do the right thing. She offers an alternative path for Rafe and she’s the first person who offers him grace and pure love which thusly paints him in a different light. And that’s the alluring bit of their relationship (to me)– the potential of a future they have together which is ultimately hindered by the narrative (Rafe’s dark past and many issues).

And I honestly don’t understand the forgettable/unremarkable comments– she’s objectively likeable. But ofc people can think whatever, I just don’t see how the love towards her can be construed as confusing. I made a post about this here if you wanna check it out!

Using riara as an example, I personally don’t ship it and can’t see it happening, but I understand where riara shippers are coming from with their interpretations of the scenes (which I don’t necessarily agree with). With rafe and Sofia’s scenes, the same thing can be said. If you project an interpretation on to them, it can hold true (whether that interpretation be they’re in love or if it’s just rafe fulfilling a role and using Sofia to do that).

Another point– I think when rafe is disrespecting someone purposefully or when he’s using someone for his own gain, his insouciance is stark (like with limbery, topper, kiara, sarah, barry…I can’t think of anymore but there’s probably more). With Sofia, he’s never clearly contemptuous of her– you can presume his disrespect/dismissal because of the situation, but it’s never purposeful, which I think is significant.

Ig how you see her is dependent on how you see rafe and there’s sm wildly different interpretations of him in this fandom. But at the end of the day I think she’s just a character in an ensemble cast that people enjoy, and develop her further, which isn’t unheard of. Like when people do it with male characters it’s the norm. And it’s not like she’s this complete blank slate– Fiona Palomo does a lot with what she was given (which admittedly was scarce) and ig that charm is what makes sm people enjoy her character.

(Also regarding what the original ask said which I just noticed– the point of her character isn’t to help rafe reconcile with Sarah, idk where that came from. And she wasn’t doing nothing with the Hollis side plot– her morals and loyalty to rafe were tested and she was allowed to exist outsdie the confines of Rafe’s character)

Omg hi! I feel like I’m the only sofia hater out there bc all i see are people loving her character is so boring to me and her and rafe relationship seems so forced to me like she is supposed to help him reconcile with his sister but instead, she spent all season doing nothing apart from the hollis plot

being called a sofia hater cracks me up because i feel like i never talk about her, in fact i usually forget she exists 😭 but i’ll accept it, because i really do hate the way her character (which had a great premise) was totally wasted

a youtuber i really love once described pansy parkinson from harry potter as “an original character wearing the skin of a minor character” and i think that perfectly encapsulates sofia. they make these moodboards, these stories, these elaborate headcanons about a character we know little to nothing about. do i respect it? hell yes. it takes a lot of work. but to have these intense convictions and arguments about a 0.5-dimensional character… WHY?

i went and rewatched every scene in s4 where she even just appears and wrote down my thoughts on them (despite how tedious this was… the action really does rely on the pogues) and like… wow. where do i start

her s4 introduction is the scene where rafe scatters ward’s ashes on the boat, and it’s awkward but in a fair way. i wouldn’t really know what to do either. in the same episode, she’s at the enduro cheering for rafe, but she is inexplicably standing TOTALLY by herself. i still have no idea if this was just filmed oddly or if it was deliberate but this photo kills me… girl why are you alone? at no other point is she physically excluded from the kooks like this. wtf

and after that? nearly every single moment she and rafe share the screen? he’s awful to her. he verbally mocks her in the bar when she tries to calm him down. he flirts with hollis right in sofia’s face and abases her for feeling hurt. he dismisses her every time she tries to express her opinion. rafe does not respect his girlfriend, nor does he care about her thoughts and values. how do i know?

because she knows. how exactly did she convince him to take the deal, again? well, first she says she thinks it’s a good idea, which merely amuses him. then, she makes up a lie about other club members denigrating rafe and how this deal could improve his social status—i believe this to be a fabrication because it easily could’ve and should’ve been explicit on screen if true— and this causes him make up his mind. she knows rafe’s insecurities. she knows what does and doesn’t entice him. and yeah, i’ll be honest, sometimes it makes me sick to think about how deeply she knows this man, and how little he knows/cares about her

rafe brings up marriage, living together, a future with sofia. but do you notice anything about his big grand speeches? ever notice how, when he’s describing his fantasy, it revolves around material things he can own and show off— and sofia has always been one of them? rafe never has anything to say about what she specifically does for him, what he likes about her. bc… what does he like about her? rafe is unfortunately, at the end of the day, selfish. he focuses on what he’ll be able to give her, and what having a pretty wife says about him. the occupant of that role is, well, interchangeable

when rafe “proposed” to her and she did not confess the scam, i knew it was over. this is rafe cameron we’re talking about, a man who values loyalty more than anything in the world, and that was her last shot at coming clean before it was too late. committing a betrayal (well…in the eyes of the narrative…more on that in a sec) and hiding it from him? guys there was zero chance of him learning the truth and forgiving her. i watched the premier with my mother and i even turned to her and said we just watched the final nail go into the coffin. and it did!

(also, not to beat a dead horse, but even after he gives her the ring and he leaves to morocco, he dismissively excludes her again! “i have to go” “what are you doing?” “don’t worry about it, bye!” and she just takes it?! STAND UP!)

fundamentally, sofia’s “betrayal” plotline was weak or, at the very least, not very well thought-out. it’s like the idea of sofia going behind rafe’s back was pitched, but they were unsure how to integrate that into the season. the explosive reaction that rafe had when groff revealed the plot seemed contrived, like the show wanted to put more of the blame on sofia than was warranted. rafe had all but made up his mind by the time sofia had been paid off; to claim that she was the big catalyst in his decision is unfair and literally just wrong. sure, he liked her giving her blessing (because he already wanted to say yes), but i have a really, really genuine question for all of you.

if she had said no, would he have called off the deal?

(spoiler, no. because when she changed her mind after learning of the scam, he dismissed her yet again. the show has countless opportunities for rafe to just care about his girlfriend, and he never takes them!)

while i’m nitpicking, she also never learns any information via her own efforts. every single time she uncovers a new detail, it’s because she’s working around a loud-mouth kook who coincidentally says the right thing at the right moment as she refills their ewers. fuck, can we give her a CRUMB of agency? please?

and yeah, i don’t even engage in any theory that sofia helped rafe reunite with his family. did she ever give any meaningful advice to him? she didn’t even have context—was he ever planning on telling her exactly what he’d done to sarah and her friends? could sarah even pick this girl out of a lineup?! ya, she really is the glue in the cameron dynamic. lol

counter arguments i’m ready to address:

“he takes the deal for her!” funny because,,, he really doesn’t. we even watch the reason he takes the deal— his family. rafe likes the opportunity from the jump but is hesitant because of the investment, and a dreamy montage of him, ward, and sarah is what cements his decision. sofia canonically had nothing to do with it

“but he says he’s taking the deal for him and sofia when he’s alone with hollis!” correct! but you’ll notice he literally only brings her up when hollis starts hitting on him. he’s not attracted to hollis, and her advances make him visibly uncomfortable. bringing up sofia was a way to shut down hollis without explicitly telling a business partner to get off his ass

“rafe brings up sofia’s opinion of the deal with groff!” true, but i actually see this as a display of rafe’s tact and emotional intelligence. rafe is suspicious that he’s been scammed, but it’s genuinely not wise to barge into the office of the man who has $400k of your money and your testicles in his fist to start threatening him— even when he’s not a murderer. “hey… so my gf thinks you’re scamming me… thoughts?” he’s being coy. he’s being smart. he’s not bringing up sofia in a loverboy context. cmon

***

deep inhale. okay, i’m done. i’m sorry i always forget about her. but it’s so much better than the alternative

[moominpopzz]

Southern Wiwi and subconsciously giving the rest of PD their own little southern petnames,,,

Dakota gets Hon/Honey, both because of his eyes and his habit to get into ‘sticky’ situations trying to help as many people as he can

Vyncent gets Sugar/Sweetie, the first ones only an itty bit to make fun of Vyncent’s probably visceral reaction to having sweet tea made by Will and almost keeling over cause of the amount of sugar

Ashe I think would get like.. Dear/Darlin [if he’s rly tired] and he’d only ever use them otherwise when pointing something out and being like “oh ashe, dear, can you go get that for me” and he’d literally never ever catch himself saying it

[mohntilyet]

illario + lucanis growing up together means a lot for obvious reasons ofc like the fact they did not have to go through the dellamorte villa torment nexus alone really helps. immediately from the moment they are taken to that house, lucanis has had something to protect and love. the snark and jokes that they share in wigmaker job finally having a chance to shine outside of the only person lucanis is socialised with and he learns that wow, he's actually likable. because up until this point everyone around him calls him a demon and is freaked out by him but ofc the veilguard only know him as lucanis "he banished harding from the kitchen" dellamorte. sure he's a big bad crow assassin but his reputation simply does not carry that much weight with people who are just equally deranged (maybe a de riva rook but that's also a little different) . and then he's able to share and extend that love with his new friends, and able to try being something that he's not had the chance to before, and his goodness is actively encouraged rather than being an unfortunate sidequest that is tolerated. and i fondly think also of how much of that humor is copied and mirrored off illario ("shoulders....... feeling tight...... need a ..... MASSAGE!") and it's his best experiences with illario that turned him into the man he is. wish the game explored this just a little more because the betrayal would have been made a lot more intense if they had just bothered to show any of illario's redeeming qualities. he has them!!!!! nobody is just born a traitor. you have to love someone before they can become that.

[gingermintpepper]

One of my biggest pet peeves is the assumption that something has to be sad for it to be tragic.

I've always been a big believer of the 'Apollo has an awful love life'/'Apollo is plain unlucky with love' line of thinking but it does bother me that the general reasoning for that statement is given to the concept of 'Apollo is somehow undesireable and thus rejected' (Cassandra/Daphne/Marpessa) or 'his lovers die young and thus their love is unfulfilled' (Cyparissus/Hyacinthus/Coronis). I personally think that's a very unfortunate way of looking at things - not only because it neglects the many perfectly cordial entanglements and affairs Apollo has had, both mortal and divine - but because it presents a very shallow interpretation of the concepts of love and loss and how loss affects people.

Apollo can still grieve lovers that have a long, healthy life. The inherent tragedy of an immortal who knows his lovers and children will die and cannot stop it does not stop being tragic simply because those lovers and children live long, fulfilled lives. The inherent tragedy of loss does not stop being tragic simply because someone knows better than to mourn something that was always going to end.

What is tragic is not that Apollo loves and loses but that loss itself follows him. Apollo does not love with the distance of an immortal, he does not have affairs and then leaves never to listen to their prayers again. He does not have offspring and then abandon them to their trials only to appear when it is time to lead them to their destinies. He raises his young, he protects the mothers of his children, he blesses the households that have his favour and multiplies their flocks that they may never go hungry. He educates his sons, he adorns his daughters and even in wrath he is quick to come to his senses and regret the punishments he doles out.

Apollo loves. And like mortals, there will always be some part of him that wishes to protect the objects of his affections. Apollo, however, is also an emissary of Fate. He knows that the fate of all mortal things is death. He knows that to love a mortal is to accept that eventually he will have to bury them. There is no illusion of forever, there is no fantasy where he fights against the nature of living things and shields his beloveds from death. Apollo loves and because of that love, he also accepts.

And that, while beautiful, is also tragic.