#i also loved all the adaptations of the tell me a story or you'll die folktale genre – vikram and betal

[markantonys]

i'll be interested to see if this holds true for WOT s3 since the s1 finale had so many extenuating circumstances and can't really be included in the comparison, but based off of the s2 finale, i believe that season finales tend to bear the brunt of "It's Different From The Books!" ire because they are the culmination of all the smaller changes made throughout the season.

this turned into a bigger analysis post than i expected lmao par for the course with my blog! read on for exploration of how the 2x08 conclusion of each season-long arc is the the most emotionally satisfying conclusion and/or the most thematically appropriate conclusion possible based on the show's particular version of the story, plus a bonus tangent on the nature of adaptation.

for a finale episode, the writers' prime concern 100% has to be "wrapping up all the season's arcs in a way that feels satisfying with everything that's happened in the first 7 episodes, using the book version of the finale event as the framework" rather than "recreating the book version of the finale event exactly as it is with all the same scenes and themes". the nature of storytelling inherently means that every single person who tells the same story will focus on different themes (just think of how many versions of the hades & persephone story there are), and a good adaptation knows that being internally consistent with its own Emphasized Themes is more important than copying-and-pasting scenes from the source material without making any changes to account for the specific way this adaptation is telling the story.

(but a lot of people can't even get past this first point because they don't understand that this is how adaptations - how storytelling in general - work. like, person B literally cannot tell the exact same story that person A told without putting their own spin on it. it's not possible! unless they're simply reading out the exact words that person A wrote, which can't be done when putting 14 massive books into maximum 64 hours of tv. so many readers like to meet this point with "but why does the books' version of the story need to be changed at all?" which is just a non-starter because a) medium differences require a ton of changes, and b) even if no changes were *required*, they would happen anyway because that is human nature when it comes to storytelling. when it comes to story-listening too! ask a hundred different book fans what WOT is about and you'll get a hundred different answers. rafe & co can't possibly make an adaptation that captures every single reader's idea of What WOT Is About, and nobody in the world could ever re-tell the story of WOT in the exact same way that RJ told it, not even the most die-hard book fan; all rafe & co can do is focus on making sure the show honors the core of the books' story while also telling a good story in its own right, independent of the source material.)

i was a classics major, okay? it gets to me! anyway, corralling myself back on topic.

for 2x08, it's very telling just how far Minority Reader Opinion deviates from the general audience opinion. general audiences fucking LOVED this episode (it's the highest-rated on imdb out of the entire show, currently at a 9.0; most episodes are in the 7-8 range), but a bunch of readers call it disappointing and one of the worst episodes of the show. if it was actually a poor quality episode of television, the general audience ratings would reflect that too (as they do for 1x08, currently at a 6.4 (i personally think 1x08 gets way more hate than is deserved and i thoroughly enjoy that episode, but i accept that's just me)), but they don't.

so what does that mean? to me, it means that 2x08 is objectively a very good episode of television which general audiences found satisfying, but which some readers disliked because it prioritized the emotional & thematic needs of its own version of the story over the exact nature of the falme events in the source material. which is exactly what a good adaptation should do! if you forget the books and just look at the show (which the vast majority of viewers are doing), then every resolution that happens in 2x08 is the most satisfying resolution possible and/or the only resolution that was thematically permitted for that particular season storyline.

egwene: her season arc was about learning to stand on her own two feet and not cling onto her mentor figures or compare herself unfavorably to others. thus, her freeing herself from the a'dam is the most satisfying possible conclusion to her season arc. nynaeve and elayne freeing her in the books is nice, but in the show version, thematically, it would've undercut egwene's Overcoming Impostor Syndrome arc to go "yeah actually it's true that she's not good enough on her own and when it comes down to it she does always need nynaeve to help her out". that version worked in TGH where she didn't have an Overcming Impostor Syndrome arc, but it wouldn't have worked in the show where she did. (but, yes, egwene learning in 2x08 that she doesn't have to rely on others is a double-edged sword, which nicely sets up her later-series struggles with trying to shoulder too much herself and not letting even her friends or partner help her.)

rand: his season arc was about learning to lean on others and not isolate himself or try to protect his friends by withholding his burdens from them. thus, him failing to defeat ishamael until all his friends come to lend aid in various ways is the most satisfying possible conclusion to his season arc. rand defeating ishy singlehandedly in the books is nice, but in the show version, thematically, it would've undercut his Learning That Strength Is In Numbers arc to go "yeah actually it's true that rand is capable of winning his biggest battles all by himself and thus it's no problem for him to push his friends away". given the themes that s2 emphasized for rand, the only appropriate finale outcomes were either success with his friends' help or total failure on his own, and they chose the former. (that being said, rand pushing his friends away is a continuous issue for him throughout the series, so i doubt he's perfectly learned his lesson after 2x08; we shall see!)

interesting to note that rand and egwene have inverse arcs in a way (foils!) and that some elements of their book falme climaxes were swapped, and that the way the show has done it subverts the expected gender roles. typically, men are expected to be Lone Wolves and women to be Team Players, and the WOT books absolutely play into these stereotypes throughout the series (sometimes intentionally as social commentary, sometimes unconsciously as an accepted truth of the world), but 2x08 and s2 more broadly did the opposite with our yin-and-yang co-protagonists. it's egwene who has the arc about learning to be a Lone Wolf and rand who has the arc about learning to be a Team Player. and imo these subconscious gender role expectations are a part of why some readers (esp reddit) got SO heated about "how come egwene can succeed by herself but rand can't", because it feels Wrong to them and Not How Things Are Supposed To Work (they've never questioned why rand can succeed by himself but egwene needs her friends' help in TGH, or all the other times in the books when men succeed by themselves and women succeed by relying on each other). but it's a totally apples-to-oranges comparison because egwene and rand had totally different season arcs and focal themes (but many paralleling & foiling moments within that), and so they each get a conclusion tailor-made to their individual stories.

mat: his season arc was about realizing he's a good, worthy person, finding the inner strength to overcome his worst impulses and temptations, and coming through for his friends after leaving them at the waygate. thus, him getting his Big Damn Hero moment with the horn of valere, getting validation that he is literally a hero, and overall spending the episode doing all he can to support his friends is the most satisfying possible conclusion to his season arc. (but stabbing his bff just as he was flying on a confidence high and trying to save the day was a downer note to end on, so we've complicated his relationship with heroism and set up some more internal issues for him to wrestle with next season.)

perrin: his season arc was about learning to acknowledge his inner wolf but also coming to regard it with fear and to believe that wolf & human sides can't coexist and he must Choose One (.......suddenly being struck by the bisexuality metaphor of it all. nice!) thus, him giving into violence to murder a human to avenge a wolf is.....well, it's pretty upsetting for him and serves to reinforce his growing belief that his two sides can't coexist, but thematically, it's fascinating and sets him up for some really great internal (and external) conflicts in s3. he's just gotten what he thinks is pretty strong evidence to corroborate ishy's claim that embracing his wolf side means embracing the shadow, so he's set up for a season 3 of deep-diving into his relationship with violence and his inner wolf. it's also a neat parallel with 1x08: there perrin's avoidance of violence allowed fain to escape, whereas here his embracing of violence has traumatized him (again), so our poor guy is really feeling conflicted in the pacificism-or-violence question because both sides seem wrong to him right now. huh, i guess perrin's full-series arc is about finding a middle ground rather than one extreme (pacifism/tuatha'an/human) or the other (violence/aiel/wolf). i feel like i've just had an epiphany lmao this is why i love the show! it tells the same story as the books, but tells it in a different way that makes me think about it differently and gain new insights!

nynaeve: her season arc was about learning that she, on her own, as she is today, is not enough to protect her loved ones. this is a tough pill for both her and the audience to swallow! but it's needed for her character, and we see it in the books too. nynaeve has an incredible amount of power, but she's terrified of having that much power and wants to pretend it doesn't exist. she's resistant to change, she's used to being in charge, and she's very "my way or the highway". these are all things she needs to grow out of (or moderate, at least) in order to be able to step up and do her part for tarmon gai'don. she has to learn how to embrace her power instead of being afraid of it or being too stubborn to let other people guide her and teach her, so s2 shows her what happens if she doesn't, first hypothetically in the accepted test (everyone she loves dies because she's blocked and refused channeling training) and then for real in falme (she couldn't help elayne fully or rand at all because of her block). so her 2x08 conclusion being Total Failure is not emotionally satisfying, no, but it's thematically exactly what she needed and will goad her into facing her block head-on next season. thematically, like rand, nynaeve only had 2 options for falme: break her block and succeed, or retain her block and fail, and it was too soon for the former (we gotta let her cook a while longer, plus the story will become too easy if nynaeve, or rand, reaches supernova capability too soon), so it had to be the latter. if the show had gone with a third option of her succeeding without breaking her block, then that would've taught her and the audience that it's fine to leave the block in place and she doesn't need to challenge herself to grow as a person, because when it TRULY matters she can always get around the block.

other characters get appropriate resolutions too! moiraine and lan get to work together to succeed after being at odds and failing on their own all season (rand foils!). elayne gets validation that she is an essential and trusted part of the friend group after feeling like somewhat of an outsider earlier in the season. ishamael getting vanquished and lanfear betraying him only to be betrayed by him in turn is exactly where their mutual mistrust was leading them (and it shows us why it's so important that Team Light be able to work as a team rather than as self-interested individual operators; the contrast between ishy & lanfear looking at the seals together while plotting to betray each other vs. rand standing on the tower with all his friends behind him makes me cry your honor. imagine hating that ishy's defeat was a team effort, could not be me!)

(it's also worth noting that the characters who had the least individual success/victory in 2x08 (nynaeve, rand, perrin) are the ones who will have the biggest individual storylines in s3 (tanchico & moggy, waste arc, two rivers arc), whereas the characters who had the most individual success/victory (egwene, mat, moiraine, lan) are the ones who will be taking a bit more of a backseat (of course they all have their own stuff to do, but none of them is *the* lead character of their TSR/s3 traveling group). this is intentional!)

so there you have it. 2x08 is adored by the general audience, and it's because of this: it gives us some damn satisfying conclusions to all the season arcs (and some exciting and visually stunning battle sequences to boot), and all the viewers who AREN'T beleaguered by "But The Books!", which is most of them, recognize that for the good storytelling it is. i for one will always care far more about the show telling a good story within itself than the show being identical to the books, and rafe & co will too, as they should.

the only downside to the episode is that, yes, it is quite cramped for time because there are a lot of arcs to wrap up. this should be less of an issue in future seasons when the season finale isn't "every single major storyline converges in the same place at once". for example, judging by the "goldeneyes" episode title it seems s3 might split it up so that perrin's conclusion in the two rivers is in 3x07 while other conclusions in other locations are in 3x08, giving each more breathing room. whereas 2x08 had no choice but to stuff everything in that episode into that specific episode because it's not like perrin could just do his falme stuff an episode early and take a nap while everyone else was doing THEIR falme stuff in the next episode, nor could the full falme sequence have been split into 2 episodes since that would have disrupted the flow of the story. the only solution would be for 2x08 to be extra long, which is nice to imagine, but we all know that streaming shows almost never deviate from their set episode lengths and so there isn't much point sighing about "this episode should have been 90 minutes long!" because that just is not on the table, never has been, and never will be. the first step to being able to jive with an adaptation is making peace with the limits of its particular medium!

plus, the only things i might deem "missing" from 2x08 are non-essential (ingtar darkfriend reveal - that is NOT important fight me, it's only important in the books as our first example of a morally-gray shadow-aligned person but the show has already been doing that in spades) or will likely be included in 3x01 (the gang spending some time together to breathe and process and catch up). at the end of the day, the show is always going to need to be paced very very tightly with not as much breathing room as those of us accustomed to entire books dedicated to reacting to the previous book might expect. and 2x08 did manage to pack in a LOT of character work amidst all the action and did a good mix of resolving s2 arcs while leaving some unresolved to carry into s3 and introducing some new arcs/issues/conflicts, all within 70 minutes, which i find pretty impressive. in conclusion, 2x08 my fucking beloved <3

[mushroompoisoning]

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

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

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

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

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

The cast is:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

^ here are some good images for crew reference

OKAY! Now onto actual music

They have six albums and a couple singles!

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

High Noon over Camelot is a retelling of King Arthur

Ulysses Dies at Dawn is a greek mythos adaptation

and The Bifrost Incident is a norse mythos adaptation

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

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

One Eyed Jacks is Jonny's

Lucky Sevens is Ashes'

Lost In The Cosmos is Brian's

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

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

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

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

[im-a-regular-joe]

Lets talk about my favorite charater Chazwick Thurman and do what I do best

Overanalyze

I wanna do a little deep dive and some theorizing on this hot shark man. So lets go.

In the episode Exes and Oohs we are introduced to Chaz Thurman, a dumbass shark man with sex for brains. We are soon infromed that he happens to be the ex of both Millie and Moxxie and he tells the story of him and Moxxie's realationship.

he speccifically says

"But I still remember it like it was yesterday! You, a fledging mafioso; me, the dashing and extremely sexy muscle. It was like it was written in the stars!"

Remember that

okay so I have a couple throeies on my boy Chaz so

I know quite a few people hate this shark man with a burning passion, but, if you really look closely at his character, you'll see that he's actually not much of a bad guy. The whole flashback montage of Moxxie and Chaz showed that Chaz really did love Moxxie, and even when he left Moxxie behind, you can tell by the look on his face that he felt he had no other choice.

2. This is more of a question but. Did Crimson kill Chaz? Because I thought the only way for someone to die is if they are killed with an angelic weapon. So does that just mean Crimson horrifically mutilated Chaz?

And if Crimson DID use an angelic weapon, then what about all of those people Millie killed at the wedding? Are they actually dead? Because they weren’t killed with angelic weapons.

3. I don't think Chaz is an imp. We see throughout the episode different demons that are kinda shark themed. I think he was one of them. Chaz has no imp characteristics. No horns, no imp tail, no white hair. He’s a full-blooded shark demon.

Chaz is based off a shark, if you look at the other shark background characters you'll see that they seem to be a whole species. They have the swirly eyes, they can have black markings on their tails, spikes/fins, skeletal parts, and very different body types.

like these sharks from Hazbin Hotel

and some of these guys from the wedding

I think that Striker is part shark demon, part imp, because of his different coloration, unusually large size, swirly eyes, black tail markings, snout (I dont think we've ever seen an imp with a snout) and lack of red on his eyes, which is a trait that we see on most of the other imps, when their pupils shrink, a bit of red iris is shown, however Striker lacks this trait.

Also intresting point they bleed red blood

no sure if they're sinners or if its a consistansy issue but ya

4. I have this sneaking suspision that Chaz abbadoning Moxxie was a completly self centered desision.

I biased of couse but look at this man.

You see a narrcisistic shark man I see a man in love who happens to be a narrcisistic shark man.

During the heist scene lets talk about his face.

hearing the sirens

The realization. He has to make a choice.

Regret.

Hmmmmmmm.

5. I have some speculations on how Chaz reached the conclusion of "Ditch Moxxie"

The money was really that important. As we all know Chaz is flat broke. So was the money really that important to him. I feel like him and striker have simmilar situations. But stiker chooses to rage and rebel and Chaz chose to adapt and try and make the best of it.

This might be a reach but Moxxie's legs as we know where permentaly mutlated by the heist incident

Right so even though Chaz seems to be a complete dumbass there is a chance that he did recognize the damage already done and made a rash desion to let Mox be arrested because if he had tried to help him fast enoguh to get away they could risk permently severing Moxxie's leg and hurting him. Getting arrested could possibly be what saved him.

But again I'm dumb don't murder me.

[beevean]

https://gizmodo.com/castlevania-nocturne-interview-spoilers-alucard-annette-1850892875

This is an interview that for once is not only with Deats but with Clive Bradely as well, Nocturne's writer and Ellis' replacement.

Before I start, I love how they talk about *that* ending like it's the hypest thing to ever hype. They know. They know what the fans only care about.

It ends with a clear and ready indicator that team is ready to tackle arguably the most iconic Castlevania narrative of all time, Symphony of the Night, as Richter and his allies find themselves bolstered in the darkest hour by the arrival of a familiar face… well, to us, at least, even if our young heroes aren’t as up on their Castlevania lore as gamers are.

Fucking peak. I love it. The gang is ready to tackle the SoTN story because even though they were about to die badly, after losing Tera, Alucard is there to save the day. Goddamnit if you suck his dick any harder you'll vacuum it off his body.

Also lol and lmao they cannot adapt SoTN at all. Where is Richter grappling with the fear that after killing Dracula his life is now done, making him easy prey for Shaft's manipulations? None of this can happen. Dracula isn't even around!

The character of Annette, trapped in a castle, made me think of Esmeralda in The Hunchback of Notre Dame—this extraordinary woman who sweeps into France. It seemed an obvious step to make Annette a revolutionary from St. Domingue/Haiti on that sort of model.

This... sure is a train of thought. I'll just say N!Annette fucking wishes she had Esmeralda's charisma.

Later we had a Haitian adviser on board, Cècile Accilien, who helped us with aspects of the history and culture. We wanted it to be as authentic and grounded in reality as possible.

oh god no spinning i'm wheezing

If i was Mrs. Accilien I'd be offended by how the character named after me can't even be a proper wise guide without degenerating into "your entire self is rooted into being a slave" and "those stupid frenchies will never understand our pain, so don't bother expecting empathy from your boo", but what do I know

also yeah sure it's realistic how Annette uses the power of her gods to run away from slavery

I just loved the idea of Richter’s grandfather as this bitter old guy who’s been through hell, lost his magic (which at the point they meet is also true of Richter)—kind of the opposite of Richter, or an image of how Richter could end up if he doesn’t evolve into the hero he needs to be.

Fuck off. I've already ranted about this. My poor man Juste deserves better than being "that one stupid asshole that exists as a warning".

I just wanted to add that Juste is a really special inclusion in the series for me, and Clive brought him into the show in a really great way that resonates really well with the Castlevania fan in me.

"wah i'm so glad juste was included in my story as a cynical fuck to be bullied, for meeeee 🥺 i'm such a big fan guys 🥺🥺🥺"

I don't like Deats. I know it's mean of me, but the more I read him talk, the less I like him as a person, he's just so conceited. I don't know who is the bigger hack between him and Flynn now.

So there’s almost a bit of a debate about Alucard’s design and whether he has intended to have pale blonde hair or white hair in Symphony of the Night based on the artwork of him and even his character’s sprite in the game. At the time of designing him in the original series, though, I decided to lean towards the pale blonde hair in order to invoke his mother, which was appropriate to the story. His hair got more saturated during lighting/compositing than I had ever intended, though, which was a constant frustration of mine. But even back then I tinkered with the idea that if we were to jump forward in time, to show how time has passed by leaning more towards the white haired direction (this also had the added benefit of not being something we would have to worry about getting over-saturated during lighting!).

Well, there you have it. N!Alucard's hair got lighter in-universe. I wonder if he changed color naturally or he decided to change his appearance.

for Nocturne, we wanted to invoke his SOTN look while also reflecting that this is a version of him that’s been awake and fighting for 300 years

Mhh. So I was right. He did live on for 300 years and witness his friends' death, abandoning his castle and village and Trevor's descendants to fight by himself. I'll make sure to judge this decision once S2 comes out.

[stoportotouch]

(Feel free to answer publicly) I’m really interested in the terror but I have a couple friends I tend to watch shows with, they have some mixed to positive feelings on horror and creepy/spooky things as well as thrillers and prestige tv and the like (loved breaking bad and BCS) our group has some CWs around rape/roofies

Could you give me like a recommended breakdown/pitch for the show so I can get them involved and make them watch it with me (we are at a weird watch group crossroads where we have like 3-4 shows that we are watching that are only enjoyed by 2 but not all 3 members and need something for when everyone is together)

(first it did take me a moment to figure out that BCS is Better Call Saul and not, as google suggested, the british cardiovascular society, barclays bank, or the british computer society. i really am not a tv watcher other than like. a couple of highly specific shows.)

as far as the two CWs that you mentioned i can't imagine that there's anything that could be a problem. there is, though, a mention of somebody lying about coersion (and we know in canon that he's lying and the whole thing was consensual). there's also uh. the odd reference to drugs (and alcohol). but that's more because it's the 19th century, and if you went to the doctor and said "got a bit of a tummy ache, doc" he would reply "may i offer you some nice cocaine in this trying time?"

in any case! the terror is an adaptation of dan simmons' novel of the same name, which is a supernatural-ish horror story about the ultimate fates of sir john franklin's lost expedition to find the northwestern passages. (supernatural-ish in that while there are supernatural elements... there isn't much that's supernatural about the depths of human despar.)

it follows primarily not sir john franklin but captain francis crozier, the second-in-command of the expedition (and captain of erebus' sister ship hms terror). but it does also have a massive cast of men who i swear you will be able to tell apart eventually. on your first watch you will be saying "which of the three guys with prominent sideburns is this?" and getting it right... actually pretty often. subsequently, however, you will be going "THERE HE IS. THERE'S LIEUTENANT HODGSON." and pointing to a blur in the background. (i did literally do this yesterday watching the third episode.)

also i genuinely think the terror is like. one of the best written shows i've ever seen. partly because it has The Gumption to essentially start the show with "ready to find out how all the people you're about to meet are going to Fucking Die?", partly because of how much rewatch value it has. even knowing all The Twists and basically being able to quite vast chunks of the show, there's always something new.

also the writers and actors have. what i can only describe as a remarkable ability to take somebody who is not on paper particularly sympathetic but really make you understand them. like there is probably at least one character who you will initially look at and say "...eurgh. don't like that." but either come to Sympathise With or just want to take out of the show and let him sleep for about sixteen hours in a very comfortable bed.

and to be a bit pretentious for a second, which is only fair in a show like the terror, i think one of my favourite things about it is the synergy between setting and story/storytelling. on a naval ship most spaces have multiple purposes and there's nothing on board that isn't there for a reason. so even if a scene or a shot or a character (or a line -- i had a sudden moment of "billy? BILLY????" during my most recent rewatch of the first episode) doesn't seem to be there for a purpose... you'll see! maybe not for a couple of episodes but you'll see.

also pretty much all of the relationships between the characters are very much more complicated than "just friends" or "hate each other" or "lovers" or "captain and lieutenant" (or whatever). it's very interesting to watch and essentially keep track of "they're this but also this" or a slightly more straightforward "he literally just needs him and he will fall apart if they're separated". (then they get separated. this is two separate relationships that i'm thinking of.)

finally, if you like men... there's men. since we're in the royal navy in the 19th century there very much are men in this show. great numbers of them! at times the 19th-century-accurate facial hair Looks are a bit much (especially when there's one guy who conspicuously just has a completely normal 21st century beard), but if you can look past that there's truly something for everybody in amc's the terror.

actually finally, because i just thought of it: warning for gore and violence and... i can't quite explain it better than just "really, really overwhelming bleakness". (including some fairly understandable but still disturbing and quite difficult to watch responses to violence.) there are a couple of scenes that it might be better to spoil in advance to give yourself a pep talk before. (you will get warning for it -- there aren't any jumpscares but the waiting almost makes it worse.)

[stardust-in-my-mind-blog]

something something enigma

sometimes I wondered how often in his mind

he repeated sherlock's monologue to an infant

like a video you save to look at

a favorite scene that always inspires in you

a feeling you desperately want to feel again

but you'll die before you admit to it

that dialogue and energy between two beloved characters

humans making mistakes in states of passion

and somehow saving at least one world in the end

humans may not need gods but they do need

stories and characters that saw the world

a little bit through their eyes and experience

and since there are so many of us

we need so many different kinds of stories

we all have our own little worlds in our own imaginations

and sometimes we don't like the roles we end up playing

in someone else's theatre but it happens

and you get to write the script to make amends

"to you the world remains an impenetrable mystery

whereas to me it is an open book

hard logic verses romantic whimsy

that is your choice

you fail to connect actions to their consequences"

when he talked to me back then

and it took me a long time to realize

it's not that I didn't see the actions or the consequences

I just didn't understand that

it mattered that the consequences hurt me

I'd somehow forgotten that along the way

and the road that got there had been sad and lonely

but I was going to get off that road

if I had to build the fucking road myself

with nothing but a damned shovel

and not only was I going to build a road

with a shovel but I'd be singing while I did it

I'd forgotten how to romanticize love

but I could tell you a really pretty story

about nature because nature is innately sad

the wild daughters of nature are raised to survive

and the lost boys of night are raised to fight

and nature cries when they fall to fate

often sooner then those who wait patiently for death

instead I think he waited patiently for me

to remember how to live and like myself doing it

he knew how hurt and vulnerable I was

and knew just how to make me laugh

or encourage me without having to know anything

just remind me how he recognized me in things

that reminded him of me or adventures we had

there was so much thought and care put into his efforts

and there really wasn't much specifically said

and for an overthinker like me that was so frustrating

somehow it was easier for us to speak using art and words

and other multimedia form

other minds we enjoyed and respected

and felt the other would agree with

I'd never known that kind of consistent friendship before

sometimes it was overwhelming and uncomfortable

and he took great great pains to make sure

I knew our relationship to be platonic

and I really tried to test him a few times

I think when you get love starved

sometimes you can make yourself sick

the first time you get a taste of love again

kind of makes you realize why things get toxic

he'd been there too and knew how to handle it

and it made me smile to realize how much

we loved les miserables and how

often our stages reflected each others

it was a very protective kind of affection

warm and safe and unexpecting

with firm boundaries and limits

it was something I'd never experienced before

because I'd never learned any different

like the older brother an elder sister

never really gets to have but imagines

just to have someone in her corner who gets it

I've always felt really lucky to have gotten to meet him

and have him in my life throughout our wild stages

no matter what role we tried to play for each other

we tried to be adaptable even if feelings got hurt

not that either of us did a great job communicating them

or when we tried we just overwhelmed each other

by speaking completely different languages

logic verses whimsy though we also had this

real weird way of inspiring the opposite out of each other

which it doesn't seem like either of us ever

really figured out the mechanics of

which always kept things at least interesting

he knew me and he saw me enough

to remind me when I forgot myself

and that's really cool

that he did all that

isn't it?

[traincoded]

hi rhu! 1, 7, & 17 for the book asks pls (´▽`ʃ♡ƪ)

1. book you’ve reread the most times?

probably the lord of the rings? when i was a teen i never reread anything till i realised as an adult that i don't actually have much of a memory. so i probably reread every 2 years.

7. already answered, but i was also really into winnie the pooh when i was younger. i was a really slow reader so i loved illustrated books.

17. top 5 children’s books?

not in any particular order, bridge to terabithia by katherine paterson, the phantom tollbooth by norton juster, the blue umbrella by ruskin bond, i'm not sure if alice in wonderland is actually a children's book but it's jumps between whimsy and terror was so important to me and i read it as a child, charlie and the great glass elevator by roald dahl is my sleeper fave i just love aliens im sorry.

[interact-if]

Day 5 of the Game Jam Winners Months Featured Author Interviews, starting with Khairika!

Khairika (KhairikaSinani), author of Chloe is Home

A flatmate group chat unknowingly welcomes an uninvited guest into their midst.

Read more about Chloe is Home [here]

Demo | Website

Tags: Thriller, Slice-of-life

[INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT UNDER THE CUT!]

Q1 . Tell us about the story you made for the Jam!

Chloe is Home is about a seemingly harmless interaction that could potentially lead to a very dangerous and unpredictable result. A group chat between four flatmates (Meghane, Sam, Kayleigh and Yourself) are expecting Meghane's cousin, Chloe, to be added to the group chat as she's on her way to spend the weekend with them. But Meghane accidentally adds the wrong number, and you're left alone to interact with Chloe unsure of whether or not there's an actual threat looming.

Q2. What was the biggest challenge in creating a game in such a short time span? How did you manage it?

I think the biggest challenge for me was to not only try to make everything flow smoothly between player choices, but to also make Chloe sit right between creepy and overly friendly.

Adding to that, keeping up with alll the changes I had to make! Gosh, that was mind boggling. Especially since I unfortunately left it all to almost the last second. At some point I got a bit lazy, but that was the tricky part. Game flow, and the touch of creep-factor in Chloe's interactions with the player.

Q3. What was your inspiration for your entry?

Long story short, it started off with a mindmap with 'cliffhanger' smack dab in the middle. Other ideas included:

- A guy called Cliff who gets turned into a hanger.

- Chatting with a person from the past/future on a computer.

- 'This chat room could literally kill you' (A Mr. Ballen video on Youtube, but a reversed POV).

* Fraternity/sorority chat room.

I liked the chat room idea, so I stuck with it. I was intrigued by the experience of being in a chat room and talking with someone who isn't who you think they are, and the different roads that could lead you down.

Regarding Chloe's character and behaviourisms, my partner suggested the movie Creep, which was really great. It perfectly balanced that bizarre-friendliness that I wanted to capture for Chloe.

(If you do decide to look at my inspo/references, be warned, they're a bit shocking)

Q4. Is this your first time working on a game like this? What do you like (or not like) about working in this format?

I've done CYOA before. Not many, probably only like 2-3 others before. I've always loved CYOA, especially those Goosebumps books as a kid? I loved finding different ways to die!

It's such an intricate and detailed format that requires a lot of planning, and that's the part that overwhelms me, but honestly, I think with practice I'll eventually get the hang of it. It's just that sometimes if the scope gets too big, and you have all these tiny little details sprinkled in between, it's really daunting and tedious to have to go through everything to make sure it all lines up smoothly.

Q5. What is your favorite part about your entry? What have you enjoyed most doing during the Jam?

I really enjoyed working with Brushmen, he was so insightful and really patient. It was really great having an extra set of eyes and he had the technical skills that I don't posses. So everytime we'd touch base and he'd input the text it was so exciting to see it all slowly come to life!

But overall favourite part of the entry is the knocks at the end. Silly, I know. It's just the one thing that gets you, cause the whole game is silent. Then suddenly, knock knock knock.

Hehe.

Q6. What is your advice for sprint projects like this one?

Don't stress. Take it easy and be ready to ADAPT. Especially if you're collaborating with others, sometimes you'll have to let your ideas go to make space for time, and even sometimes, better ideas. Trust me, we don't always know all the answers, and that's great! Stay open, stay curious and flexible. Communicate like never before and just have fun with it!

Q7. Do you have any other works you’d like to promote?

This was my first game jam ever, but I do have a few other projects that I've worked on. I guess I'll link my website here? I'm not very good with self-promo... I'm still learning, and tyring out new things. Process, process, process.

[flyingthesky]

Before I get into, like, specific proshots, I feel like I should mention BroadwayHD, where you can watch a slightly rotating number of professionally filmed productions. Many of them are PBS Great Performances filmings, but others are not. There's also Broadway On Demand, but I find their ticketing system annoying. YMMV.

Shoving aside everything recent and readily available on streaming (Come From Away, Hamilton, Miss Saigon, Falsettos, Spongebob, Heathers, etc), here's a selection of professional filmings of theatre productions you can purchase for legal tender or stream in English:

The Sweeney Todd concert was mentioned, but there is also a filmed version of the cast with Angela Lansbury. It aired as a Great Performances thing, but was technically not filmed for that, which is why you can find it on DVD.

Have you ever wanted to watch David Hasselhoff struggle to sing a Frank Wildhorn musical? Great news! You should watch Jekyll & Hyde: Direct from Broadway.

Did you watch Greatest Showman and get extremely flabbergasted with its tenuous grasp on history? Have I got a musical for you: Barnum! It's on Freevee right now, apparently. It's even got Michael Crawford in it.

Please watch Pippin. The filmed version is, frankly, the best way to experience it besides going to see it live, as every cast recording sounds like hot garbage.

Were you obsessed with Adam Lambert in 2008 when he was on American Idol and also Prince of Egypt? Yeah, you should watch The Ten Commandments: The Musical.

Also there's this ministry called Sight&Sound that does incredible musicals based on Bible stories if you, like me, have the incredibly niche special interest of "musicals based on religious texts."

If you want to know why Tom Holland dances like that and why Zendaya's face falls when she remembers he's a classically trained dancer, watch Billy Elliot. The filmed version doesn't have him in it (he left the cast before then) but you'll understand what it would take for that to be your first professional role.

Are you wondering why people get really annoyed when Hugh Jackman getting cast in The Music Man is called "stunt casting"? Go watch the 1999 Oklahoma! proshot.

Do you want to get familiar with Merrily We Roll Along before that version the director will probably die before releasing starring Ben Platt gets made? You're in luck! There's a 2013 filming of it.

You guys mentioned the Phantom concert, but like. Love Never Dies has a proshot. Torture all your friends! Watch as the blood pack doesn't go off at the final climax! Also the 25th Anniversary "concert" is just the regular show slightly adapted to Royal Albert Hall rather than people standing at microphones like the Les Mis concerts (1995, 2010, or 2019), if you've never seen it.

Watch Allegiance. Watch it. I'm not asking. It's available on both BroadwayHD and Broadway On Demand.

"Yes, but why did you say 'English' up there?" Well, because I'm about to tell you something that may hurt your wallet but enrich your life: English speaking countries are actively the worst at filming their productions, but other places (Japan) are way better. Do you like anime? Chances are, that anime has a 2.5D musical and for the sweet, sweet price of around $80USD you can import that 2.5D musical and force all your friends to watch it in the original Japanese.

Don't speak Japanese and/or don't have hundreds of dollars to drop on blu-rays? That's okay! Europe's filming their musicals too. You can get a copy of Mozart l'opera rock for like. $30USD and most of that i shipping. There's also Mozart! das musical, which is pretty easy to find. "I want one that's not about Mozart!" Fine, fine. Everyone's doing Dracula Daily, right? Dracula: L'amour plus fort que la mort has a proshot. There's also Dracula: Entre l'amour et la mort, if you're Canadian and don't want to watch a musical in French-French. There's also a proshot of the Vienna Elisabeth, but last I checked it was kind of difficult to obtain because it's from 2005 and super popular because Elisabeth is THE European musical.

After all the talk of slime tutorials on here, I have been reminded of the general consensus that there should be more professional recordings of shows. So I would like to ask what shows actually do have proshots?

As for proshots that come to my mind now, I know Hamilton and Legally Blonde have somewhat well known proshots, Heathers got one not too long ago, and quite a few classics have recordings that were aired on PBS way back when (PBS ought to do that more often these days). I also think Cats has one and Les Mis and Phantom have those staged concerts that kind of fit the bill.

Hmm, good question! First, what counts as a proshot? 🤔 Are we only talking films of staged shows, and not movies/adaptations? So, for example, the Producers movie wouldn't be considered a proshot even though it's got the two Broadway stars and was overall quite faithful to the show? And are we not talking something like Encanto Live?

The ones I can think of offhand not on your list are Spongebob Squarepants, Newsies, By Jeeves, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolored Dreamcoat, whatever else ALW released during the pandemic to watch that I don't recall, and Into the Woods. If we're talking concerts, there's Sweeney Todd and Chess.

After that, I'd have to start cheating by looking up PBS's Great Performances episode list or things like Live from Lincoln Center.

Anyone got any other recs?

Note: As a personal ask, as y'all answer this please don't get too in depth on where you might find these to watch these days. This blog is meant to be about musical recommendations, not piracy recs. And it's nice to support theater with actual money when you can.

[hilarychuff]

5, 9, 17?

5. Do you have any writing superstitions? What are they and why are they 100% true?

hmmmmm do i have any writing superstitions

i mean i don't think it is like bad luck to write out of chronological order but i do think like... fat chance you'll be writing the same exact story you anticipated by the time you get to the part you were writing in advance. i talked about that a lil here too

maybe that is not true for others though like maybe if you have a really clear idea of what you want to happen you can do that but for me it is just a recipe for having to kill your darlings probably

that said again i do like to jot down notes for what i'm working towards so that i can do a lot of plotting/potential problem solving/sketching out chapter lengths (specific to i carry it in mine really bc of the perspective swap) at once and the way i write my notes is p entertaining to me

9. Do you believe in ghosts? This isn’t about writing I just wanna know

i answered that one before too!! here it is

????¿¿¿¿ i don’t know tbh!!!! i believe some things are def unexplainable and i don’t like to think that when you die you are just dead. personally, i have never had any kind of ghost encounter that wasn’t probably just some like sleep paralysis nightmare. i have friends who have their OWN ghost encounters and not just in a one-off kind of way, but then you also read all those things that are like “old haunted houses actually plagued by carbon monoxide leaks probably” and it’s like well that makes a lot of sense lmao.

reading an article about the original/real conjuring house with the perrons was v fascinating though, i’ll say that. not that they couldn’t have all collaborated on that together but i am certainly of the mind that we do not know all there is to know or all there ever will be to know about the world around us!! we’re still learning! regardless though i love a ghost story or piece of ghost media.

to add: i did also recently meet a 10 year old who told me in the middle of a VERY serious conversation that she can talk to ghosts and later in a serious follow up conversation she told me that her mom can too and whatever my take on the supernatural may be, i definitely believe that she believes it

17. Talk to me about the minutiae of your current WIP. Tell me about the lore, the history, the detail, the things that won’t make it in the text.

hmmmm ok i have a couple things in the pipeline right now 

i haaaaave 

1) ideas brewing for howl 3. as far as i’ve gotten, can’t decide if i want to tell any of it from jon’s perspective. that feels very breaking dawn in the twilight saga to me lmao but also sidney is not in so much of scream 3 that it feels like it might be a good narrative adaptation??? but haven’t committed to anything yet. i have an idea of the basics of who is ghostface/why but haven’t figure out yet a) how to make it not super obvious (tricky for howl 2 and i managed by mostly keeping things off page which worked imo only because it was a faithful adaptation if you only stick closely to sansa/sidney’s perspective) b) the actual details of like..... how it would work in practice 

2) i carry it in mine. i’ve started writing the next chapter!!!! which is a jon chapter. and which maybe had like one particularly worthwhile moment in it but i decided to split a sansa chapter into two chapters which meant i needed a jon chapter to go in between. and he’s got thoughts brewing!! but i didn’t necessarily have a lot of action steps for him. and he just had a mainly thoughts chapter. so for a long time i was like.... idk what to write here i’ll come back to it later. and now i have revisited it more and i’m like.... wait what about THIS. something that felt obvious but i hadn’t considered it before. and now i’m like???? does that change the potential narrative??? do i want to update what happens next to accommodate that potential change? is there a way to have that update while also neutering it so it doesn’t have a larger impact??? the next jon chapter is also potentially more thinky and reacty. idk i want to give them equal weight and not do jon a disservice just bc i am a sansa gal at heart but also it just so happens that right now sansa is at a more action packed part of the story!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ugh

3) i have some finished au graphics that don’t have blurbs written for them yet for various reasons one i haven’t figured out the like surrounding cast of characters necessarily for the “ft. a as x, b as y, c as z” part at the bottom of them. i also haven’t gotten around to writing the blurb at all but i don’t think that’ll be the tricky part. 

i am always like hesitant to say what they are in advance bc i am a lil gremlin hoarding ideas lmfao look at me being so cautious literally why and for what 

anyway i also have another that was fully done but i had two final versions i couldn’t pick between and @loulanorth very sweetly let me bounce some ideas around and i think after much Contemplation™️ i finally decided which one is THE final one but now i have to write the blurb

i have another one where honestly the finished version of the graphic has been in my drafts for fully seven months. it’s one where i think i really want to actually write something for it, and i started the other day. but then i was like “idk if this is how arya would actually respond” and it threw me for a loop. idk i find myself like... i was telling @chdarling yesterday that i think when writing my obstacle is not with getting the words on paper so much as it is with knowing what the characters would do. i want to find the objectively correct answer but also sometimes there isn’t a single objectively correct answer. but what if there is!!! i want to find it!!!!!! and then sometimes it’s just like. ok sigh. maybe you can wait until it comes to you. wait out the contemplation percolation stage. but then other times.... does it really matter???? what if you just picked one that suited the story you are trying to tell and then fleshed out why they feel that way. doesn’t that work??? idk. letting it percolate a lil longer just to see

and then then i have another finished graphic but again some of the background casting/mechanics haven’t been fleshed out yet so i can’t write the blurb until i figure out all the moving parts

ALSO not jonsa or sansa related at all, i also have a marauders era mediator au that i started back in like 2015 that i started rewriting in maybe like 2020 that i don’t want to publish any of until i am at least caught up to where i was but also have no incentive to work on really because nobody is waiting for it so lmao. but that one is fun and i like to think about it when i’m feeling marauders vibes. but in adapting the mediator series framework i just have ideas for a larger overarching character arc/romance and it would take SO LONG TO WRITE!!!! that it’s almost like. anyway!!!!! maybe it’s just fun to have ideas!!!! lmfao 

[scrtxai]

BOKURA NO MONOGATARI (BLACKPINK X FEMALE READER)

Blackpink members : Roseanne Park x Fem reader

Genre: Angst, Hanahaki Au, Adapted from Anonymous by Kaito (Vocaloid)

Grammar mistakes ahead

_____________________________________________

                         STORY #1: ANONYMOUS 

credit to the owner

I'm on my knees, getting the papers that scattered on the floor. It's not just a paper...

I was standing alone in the room, papers everywhere and still waiting for someone.

It was a letter from me to her

My crush...

Roseanne Park

I knew she never notice my existant. I'm just an anonymous. An anonymous fell in love with a blonde tall girl. The popular girl in my school but I'm scared that she will say I'm such a creep if she knows that I'm watching her from a far.

As I trying to get the letter, the wind gushing making the letter fly away and getting myself struggle until my body on the floor with huffed comes out from my mouth, annoyed with wind.

After done I collected all the letters...

My final letters...

I take my coat and scarf, get ready to send all of these letters to her. I walk to the park beside Han river, the leaves started to fall knowing this month will be in autumn season. The wind became a bit cold and I looking around, taking a chance for the last time I saw all of this beautiful environment.

But she is more beautiful than this...

I walk again and I remember how joyful she is here, enjoying the beauty scenery of Han river with her best friend. I decided to put my first letter on the branch then I walk away.

I went to the playground, sitting on the playground swing alone. This is the place where the first time I saw her. The first eyesights of hers which make my heart started to fluttered. The playground swing also her favourite place she likes to play. I sigh as I knew she is barely here. I had waiting for her about years but she never notice about me. I get up from the swing and put my second letter at the chain, tying it up and leave the playground.

I was standing alone on the pedestrian bridge. This is the place where Rosé loves enjoying the beautiful scenery of the house and the vehicles passing by below her. The pedestrian bridge were above the road and she loves to watching it without knowing the reasons why.

I coughing badly as the disease taking over me once again and yes I forgot to say something... But I don't want to tell it. I ignore something in my hand and make it fly away. I make the paper plane and the wind hitting my pale face, the cold makes my muscle face numb and a bit pain. My hair waving and I think it's a good time to let my third letter fly in the sky and hopefully she will notice it.

"Right now..."

I was standing at the house. Which it's her house. I knew it's creepy when I standing here but I just want to send final letter to her. I feel my breath hitched and short. My heartbeat fastened feeling something piercing. My eyes started blurring but I must to endure the pain. I put my final letter into her mailbox and walk away leaving alone. I know she's not home yet because she hangout with her friends and her boyfriend, Chanyeol.

Well... I feel my time is near...

I look into the sky with tears on my cheeks. My love actually were unrequited and I hate the fact this disease of mine cannot be cured.

I let it taking over me and I'm gladly to be gone...

Who am I to force her to love me?

Did you forgot?

I'm just an anonymous to her?

She will never know my name at all

No... She will never know my name...

-----------

"Hey, I found something!" Thai girl saw a letter on the branch. The blonde look and she take the letter from her best friend. Rosé open the letter and read it.

"It's been running through my mind

I wanna say it one more time

But when I try to speak the words just fly away from me"

- An Anonymous

"Wow, this person must have a hard time" Lisa said to her. Rosé felt something unpleasant but sometimes it's make the blonde determined. "It must have something behind this letter" Rosé said. Lisa shrugged off as she lazy to thunk about it.

They went to the playground and wanted to play swing, Rosé saw a paper tied on the chain. She take it and she look it was another letter.

"So I'm taking the chance to write it down

And send it out into this lonely town

And hope that you'll see it somehow"

- An Anonymous

"Another letter? What the heck?" Lisa look at the letter and obviously it from the unknown person. Rosé take the first letter and she read both of it, trying to solve those mysterious letter.

They walk along the street on their way to going home after buying the foods for dinner, Rosé saw a paper plane flying through her and fell on the floor. She taking it and open it.

Again... Another letter from an anonymous.

"I know that I could never hide

The little things I felt inside

And like the days grew long it just kept growing stronger

So if one day it finally reaches you

And you can feel what I was feeling too

Remember what I said to you"

- An Anonymous

Another letter makes Rosé felt so determined. What is the meaning behind this letter? A lot of questions pop out inside her mind like fireworks.

"Can you just throw that letter and let's go home in happily?" Lisa irritated with Rosé as the blonde busy with the letters. Lisa sigh as blonde become addicted to the unknown letters.

As they come home The Ambulance passing by then stopped about three house gap away from theirs. The employees rushing and they went inside the house. Rosé felt something went wrong. She ever knew that house. It was a lonely girl in her school. She don't know her name at all but she felt something strange about that lonely girl. She walk towards that house and she saw that lonely girl on the stretch, taking away by the employees in rushing. The mother crying a lot as the ambulance started driving away.

"That girl must be sick" Lisa said standing beside Rosé. Rosé just sigh and she asking Lisa to come inside her house now because it's getting dark outside.

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

The time went fast and the news spread like wildfire. What the news about?

Well the lonely girl, Kwon Y/N, died because of disease.

They felt sympathy with the mother. Y/N was the best student in the high school and she's the one and only child. The hope of the school and now there is no more best student. No one could beat Y/N's geniuses but the fate are cruel as Y/N were no longer to lived.

Rosé says sorry to the mother. The mother just sadly smiles and she told Rosé that she accept her child's gone.

As Rosé reach her home, she open her mailbox and saw an unknown letter. Her eyebrow raising in determination. She take that letter and going inside her house.

The night comes, Rosé take out the envelope and she read the letter. As she read the letter, her hand covered her mouth and her eyes started glossy.

"Dear Rosé,

I know it's a bit stupid letter I ever made knowing myself that you will never read it at all.

I wanted to say that I like you. I fell in love with you at the first sights. I saw your beautiful smile happily playing together with your friend at the play ground make my heart fluttered. At first, I try question myself if I have feelings on you. I tried to deny but it failed.

The more you appeared, the more my feelings on you grower. Every single day, I waited for you at the play ground but it seems you barely there, I saw you at the park near Han River. You loves to enjoy the freshness of air at the park.

I thought I can get to know you at the park so I try waiting for you at the park and unfortunately, you were never seen at all.

It does not mean I will giving up. I remember the time you always standing alone at the pedestrian bridge above the road. You always been there every evening, watching the vehicles passing by. I don't know why you did that but who am I to judge people?

Then I thought you will be there to the next day but yeah it's still the same thing.

You were never seen over and over again.

I always put the chocolates and sweet letter inside your locker. I feel happy as your smiles created on your face as you read that letter I gave to you. I think it maybe my chance to make you notice me so I did it everyday.

But the things turned...

The day where you and the popular basketball player guy started dating. You thought all this day, it was him who gave those chocolates and sweet letters. But you don't know...

He just did that only once...

My heart broken into pieces knowing you were straight. I huffed in lose but my feelings on you still strong.

And it hurts me.

The day by day, disease started to taking over me. It comes out of nowhere and it's funny that when I coughing, it have flower petals? I laughed myself that I cough the beautiful flower petals.

It's rose petals.

And it so painful

The thorn, the roots and the flower started growing leaving me coughing. I can't deny it. This is because my feelings on you still inside my heart. This disease appeared as my love for you unrequited.

I can't blame you because you don't know me at all.

I'm just an anonymous to you.

Every single day the flowers blooming, making me cried in pain but I didn't mind at all. I deserves to have this rather than get humiliate by people.

I rather die in bloom than die in human's harsh words.

Yes I'm gay for you and I secret it. Only myself know about my sexuality. I better kept it because people are cruel in other way.

For the last words I write this letter to you, I wanted to say that I love you more than anything. I hope you be happy with him and always be.

If you find this message that I left behind. You'll know that time has pulled me away from you and though I know who you are and I am far away, I love you all the same.

Even though you will never know my name..

If you find this world is leaving you behind and feel like time is pulling away from you, Just believe in who you are and know that far away...

I love you all the same.

- Y/N (An Anonymous)

She finally realise something, All these days, Rosé always thought that Chanyeol gave sweet letters and chocolates to her everyday but her thought was wrong.

She finally knows that an anonymous who gave the letter to her is from Y/N. All of these things that she had was from Y/N herself. She cried more and mistakes taking over her. She felt guilt the she was the cause of Y/N's death. Rosé look at the night sky and closing her eyes. Her heart started to feel the pain and her breath hitched.

"I finally know your name"

Rosè smiles with eyes closed knowing Y/N looking at her from above smiling at her.

She once again opened her eyes, smiling at the sky.

"I finally know your name, Y/N"

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

[obsessionsposts]

Tw: toxic relationship / emotional manipulation at the end / non-con use of drugs.

In the harsh forests of Siberia, there lays a forlorned man kneeling in the ground ; as he observed his sole friend being eaten by the serrated teeth of the snow.

He didn't know which is worse the icy winds that threatens to graze his skin, or the empty void that keeps on growing gradually to enrapture him in a spectral of sorrow; leaving him without a light and any shred of hope.

Not that it mattered anyways, Vladimir was born alone; lived his life alone and probably will die alone.

When the hamster drowned completely ; the man grumbled and stood up to make away to his estranged family whom visits him scarcely in his shack of solitude.

●◉◎◈◎◉●

" приве́т, брат. как дела? ", a familiar care-free voice echoed through the Siberian larch shack.

" Здравствуйте, младшая сестра.Я в поря́дке", replied Vladimir in a monotone tone.

A few minutes have passed, yet the situation kept on getting awkward between the estranged siblings. Until, Dunya abruptly disturbed the silence with her sugary voice.

" Brother, l may not visit you frequently. However, I fret alot about how negligent you've recently become not only toward us, but also toward yourself. So, I have an idea to remedy your desolation. ," the Belarusian suggeted awaiting the response of the reticent male.

"What that may be ? It won't work. No matter any attempt I've conducted to burn the memory. At best it haunts me, at worst, it depletes me.", came the cynical voice of the large man who is huddled beside the fireplace.

"Please understand that I give you my word that this time you'll- , she was cut off by Vladimir.

"No! You lack understandment. If you did understand me back then, why did abandon me? Now, don't try to manipulate me with your sugar-coated words,dear sister", his voice filled with loathe and disregard toward his traitor of a sister. Not that she was of his own blood, which proves his point people are discrenibly not to be trusted.

At one point, they'll take what they want from you; and then they will abandon you at any chance they get. He wont let it happen to him again. Never again.

As he ignored the wailing of his pathetic sister to stay and consider ; he left his shack and decided to go to the nearest town to meet one of the few people he came to trust. (Y/n).

His beloved snowflake.

His latest hope, that he'll make sure to persevere this time.

It's his turn to be selfish and take his reward for all the years of agony and loneliness.

●◉◎◈◎◉●

A jingle was heard notifying you that a customer came. Only to be pleasantly surprised, that it was the the russian regular customer; Vladimir.

Well,at first he intimidated you; with his structure,lack of expression,and his nihilistic attitude. With time, as you got to know him better he is such a fascinating and kind man despite the rumors spread about him.

The enormous brunette approached you with a stoic expression decorating his visage, however you knew better that he was glum.

"What seems to trouble you,Vlad? You appear to be out of it today, more than the usual?", you asked concerned about him; considering Vlad repress his emotion which isn't a healthy outlet as of you red about.

Another thing, he cherishes about you that your concerns and frets are genuine. Alongside, your intellect that sparked both his mind and heart alike.

" Нет, just stressed. I want to talk to you,if you're not busy.", he huffed as he inserted his large hands inside the pockets of his overcoat.

" No, not all. Considering I am about to close the shop now. I don't mind accompany you. Just give me a momento~ and I'll be ready.", as you left to close the shop; you didn't notice the ghost of a smile contorting through the face of the brunette russian.

●◉◎◈◎◉●

"So, what are up to,Vlady? and care to share why were you upset? I don't want to be pushy, but If you'd like to share then I am all ears", you remarked and poked the towering man inflicting a warm feeling inside his heart. Just like the sun he rarely saw.

Sighing, as he began to retell about what happened a month ago along with recent happenings.

The way, he spoke about his best friend passing hurt your heart- reflecting your true nature as an empath- and the cold anger of his when he spoke about his family.

You wondered what happened to represent such hate. No matter, what matters now is to bring Vladimir spirits up.

"Say, what would you like me to do to bring your hopes up? Anything you'd like!", as you encircled your arms around his waist or in your case below his stomach.

The warmth of your bodice and it softness clashed against his rough and cold ones made him realize, how much of an important factor you represent in his wretched life with his wretched family and wretched luck.

In addition, if anyone did what you did he will forcefully push them aside. But, you! you are his everything as much as he will be your everything soon enough.

Now, the door of opportunities had granted him this chance to enrapture you in his grasp forevermore; thus he will take it with an iron firm hands.

"да,please. Follow me to my lodge,маленький", offering his hands to you.

Grasping his hands, you began to walk aside him to his abode.

●◉◎◈◎◉●

Nothing,but the howling of the wind was heard ; as the both of you strolled toward his domicile. Vladimir reached his pockets to grab the keys and open the inky door.

"Such an interesting and intricate place you got,Vlad. Did you buy it?", stepping inside of the well-decorated abode. Said abode, was built upon black wood, and everything here are made of either wood or rarely metal.

Yet, it captured your interest as you are a fan of vintage architecture such as this.

"Glad you like it. However, I hadn't bought it. If, anything I built from scratch as I have an interest in building structures."

"My, that's amazing!,Vlad. You're such a talented man", you complimented his craftsmanship as you laid your hand at a woman in bridal clothes made from various type of wood.

Meanwhile, as you were immersed in the details of the house ; Vladimir brewed some tea for both him and his wife-to-be.

' It seems that you took my den to your liking. Good, adapt. Because, from on you'll be living here ;you'll become one with me and won't have the chance to leave me.'

" (Y/n)? May you come and chatter with me over a cup of tea?", Vladimir beckoned you as he sat in an umber chair; which is in front of a circular chocolate brown table.

"Sure thing.", trotting toward him with a sparkle of interest residing in your eyes. On the other hand, your guts is telling you otherwise. However, you ignored it. That was the last strike, before your fall down.

" Remember our first meeting? Nostalgic as it may be,but it always have a special place in my dormant heart", the brunette sipped his tea as he awaited your response.

" Indeed, I do !. Infact, I do too cherished and it is very sweet of you to say that. Considering, you're a grumpy bear usually", you remarked playfully,sipped your tea, and watched him glare at you halfheartedly.

" V-vlady, what's happening all of sudden. Why is everything so dizzy?", you spoke as you watch the world around you swirl and black spots began hazing your mind. Before you plummeted to the ground, a large arms had caught you in their arms. It wasn't warm this time,it was deathly cold similar to the embrace of death himself.

The last thing you saw were; Vlad's bloody irises and a cold smile gracing his visage.

●◉◎◈◎◉●

Once you awakened from your stupor, you were met directly with the bloody orbs of the person whom took advantage of you.

" Ah! маленький. You've awaken; its seems the drug didn't last long. No matter, what truly matters is that you're with me now." ,Vladmir crawled closer to you. Thus, you started to take a step from your former friend.

"Why are you doing this Vladimir? Why? after all we've been through; you do this", your eyes began to drip in tears as you screamed at your fr- No! at the strange man that possessed your friend.

"Because, you are the only one who cares authentically about me and isn't afraid of me. You painted my grey world with your light. You're the sunshine that I never had, this why I have to keep you away. So, no one would taint you. Can't you see I am a merely broken man shunned and forsakened by his own family?. Yet, you want to take away my chance of happiness,маленький?", Vladimir remarked bitterly,staring intently through your eyes with desolate engraved in his cold dead eyes.

"Just give into me,love. If you won't I might do something we both will regret."

Finally, in the end he have gotten something good out of this pointless life! and he'll will ensure her safety with him as he'll drown her with the love that he never had.

This is a story of man who lost everything,yet he gained something better than everything; eternal love.

●◉◎◈◎◉●

A/n: Hope you like it. Sorry if it took so long and thank you for requesting!

Translations:

приве́т, брат. как дела? - Hello,brother. How are you?

Здравствуйте, младшая сестра.Я в поря́дке. - Hello, little sister. I'm fine.

да - Yes.

маленький - little one.

[intrepidmare]

JAIME x BRIENNE FIC EXCHANGE RECOMMENDATIONS

Well, I have read about half of the fics in the @jaime-brienne-fic-exchange and these are my favorites so far. Seriously, guys, if you haven't read any of these stories already, you must! It's incredible how much talent is in this fandom. 

PS: I don't know/couldn't find everyone's Tumblr, either because they have a different username than on ao3 or don't have a blog here. If you recognize someone else's or your own work that I didn't @, please let me know and I'll edit it 😊

Let me begin with the fics with a love that transcends time and death.

(The first is the story that was written for me!! Please, guys, go, read it, and give some love to the extremely talented writer that came up with it! Words fail me to explain how amazing this fic is. Go read it and then you'll thank me for the rec.)

This is where we start again by @forbiddenfantasies1    

Explicit | chapters 8/8 | 40.7k words | past life au, modern setting, canon compliant

Brienne and Jaime had never met, but when they come together to work on a new project, they realize their connection may have been generations in the making.

Or in which Jaime and Brienne meet, begin having flashbacks to their ancestors lives, and are forced to figure out where they went wrong before they can determine how to make it right.

This life and the next by atomsandfairies    

Teen and up | chapters 6/6 | 8.2k words | historical setting, modern au

“Do you ever wonder how old our souls are? How many times we have missed and met? How many times we have come together?”

The questions have turned themselves over in her again and again, as long as they’ve been together, before he’s asked, before they’d even found each other.

There is a familiarity between them that seems too old for their time together.

Angstfest addicts, these are for you. Get ready to get beaten with feels. Don't worry, despite heartbreak along the way, all ends well.

My honor in your hands by @aviss    

General | one-shot | 2.8k words | hurt/comfort, missing scene, book canon

Jaime lasts the better part of a day before the silence gets to him.

By hearts and hands made fast by anonymous  

Mature | chapters 4/? | 10.1k words | 8x04 canon divergence, secret marriage 

»But he’d held her wrist even then, thumb stroking, Marry me, he’d said, marry me and never acknowledge it if you do not wish, but marry me as I should have married you that night and every other. If I’m to die, he’d said (with her, he had not), let me die as your husband.«

A grand romantic gesture has repercussions neither Jaime nor Brienne had foreseen.

Lies in the darkness by aleighcarlisle    

Mature | one-shot | 4.4k words | angst, hurt/comfort

"Hurt me with the truth, but never comfort me with a lie."

Man With a heartbeat by @sigilbroken        

Explicit | chapters 5/5 | 25.5k words | modern au

Angst is not your cup of tea? No problem. You should try the following. Only laughter, happy feelings ahead.

This one last thing by @aliveanddrunkonsunlight

Mature | One-shot | 13.3k words | Canon compliant, Post-ADWD, bed-sharing

Most tasks needed of a knight, he has been able to adapt to with only one hand, but he struggles with striking flint in order to start a fire. It would be easier if she was here.

Jaime and Brienne journey to the Vale.

What loves you back by @bookishpower    

Teen and up | one-shot | 11k words | fairytale-ish, post-canon

A retelling, and a continuation. Jaime learns the great lesson of his life.

That Would Be Enough by forpeaches (bluecarrots)

Mature | One-shot | 2.2k words | Canon compliant, Post-ADWD

Jaime, pining.

The unwitting third wheel by @nightreaderenigma (I should've known this was you!)  

Mature | chapters 4/4 | 17.8 k words | post-ADWD, canon compliant

Whilst recovering on the Quiet Isle, Podrick develops a crush on his mentor and heroine, Lady Brienne. The only hiccup in his bubble of infatuation is their new travelling companion – Ser Jaime Lannister. Because even though M’Lady Ser and the Golden Knight argue, there seems to be a bond between them he can’t quite place…

Warm by @angel-deux-writes      

Teen and up | one-shot | 13.5k words | canon divergence

Before the battle against the dead, Jaime volunteers for a routine patrol with Brienne to try and get some time to talk with her about why she has been avoiding him since he arrived at Winterfell. When a storm catches them unexpectedly when they're still far from the castle, they find a cave to hole up in for the night.

Way enough by laihiriel

Mature | chapters 3/5 | 10.8k words | modern setting, sports au

Brienne had forgotten how much she loved being out on the water. Joining the local boathouse and sitting in a scull again after her accident was the best thing she could have done for herself.

Because of you (i took my time to come around) by Weboury 

Teen and up | chapters 4/4 | 14.7k words | Modern setting, road trip, bed-sharing

Jaime, curator at the Tully Museum, wants to spend more time with Brienne, and maybe finally work around telling her how he feels about her. When Brienne, a historian, is tasked with retrieving the legendary sword Widow’s Wail from King’s Landing, Jaime thinks it’s the perfect time to put a plan in motion, only to find himself with Brienne and his cousin Cleos on an awkward road trip across the Riverlands. And then a goat shows up.

Kaleidoscope sky by allison_wonderland      

General | one-shot | 1k | modern au, carnivals

A terrible day, an unexpected stop, and drifting closer together.

Backpfeifengesicht by @samirant        

Explicit | one-shot  | 18.8 k words | modern au, enemies to friends to lovers

Backpfeifengesicht

(German) n. a face badly in need of a fist

See pictured: Jaime Lannister.

Brienne, Jaime and the Accidental marriage by @angel-deux-writes  

Teen and up | One-shot | 10k words | modern setting, reporter au 

Best friends, co-workers, and roommates Brienne and Jaime were supposed to head to Greywater Watch to cover a local festival for the newspaper at which they both work. They were NOT supposed to get married while they were there.  

Those who seek to find by @ice-connoisseur  

Teen and up | one-shot | 22.3k words | Jumanji au

But anyway, that was how it started: Arya found the game, and Sansa rolled the dice.

When you play the game of Jumanji, you win or you die.

In better light by winterkill   

Mature | one-shot | 17.7k words | canon divergence, post-ASOS

Perhaps Cersei was right, and every ounce of sense and bravery Jaime possessed was lost with his hand. Sansa Stark is my last chance for honor. He really said that to her? Brienne latched onto the sentiment like a hunting hound to the scent of its quarry. 

Before dawn, Jaime rises from his bed, wide awake and with a sense of renewed purpose.

I’m going to go with her.

If you're looking for adventures a little outside of the law, check these out  

Codename: kingslayer by libkat 

Mature | one-shot | 2.4k words | modern au, thief au

The world's greatest jewel thief is after his biggest score when he encounters his toughest opponent, who might also be the love of his life.

The Knight and the thief By @ddagent (this is the only one I guessed the author right. I knew it was you, Kelly) 

Teen and up | one-shot | 3.6k words | Modern au, burglar au, hurt/comfort

Jaime Lannister is rich, handsome – and a jewel thief. His next target is the home of Brienne Tarth, where he might finally find something worth stealing.

Last but not least, for those who like to hang out with creatures of the night, this one is for you

Into the spider's web by @jailynnW   

Teen and up | one-shot | 4.5k words | vampire au

Jaime has been a Vampire for centuries, dancing in and out of the grasp of his hunter. Brienne is tasked with taking down the Kingslayer. A mission that brings her more than she bargained for...

Hmm, it doesn't look bad that I'm going to do shameless self-promotion now that I've recommended the work of others, right? You know what? I don't care if it does. So here it is the one I wrote 😊

Made for you by me (Mare9548 on Ao3)

Teen and up | chapters 4/4 | 9.6k words | modern setting, arranged marriage

Despite his reluctance to get married, Jaime Lannister is having dinner with his future wife tonight. Quite a surprise he gets when he meets the woman that his father has chosen for him.

I'll come back later with more recs once I've gone through the rest of the amazing stories in the collection.

+

More recs

[song-of-kalinaw]

BASIC INFORMATION

Human Host

Name: Lilith Selene Lair

DOB: October 16, 1996

Ethnicity: Korean-American

Eye color: Dark Brown

Hair: Black, waist length

Occupation: Socialite, Empire Heiress

Current Location: Seoul, South Korea

Demoness

Name: Lilith

DOB: [information redacted]

Origin: Garden of Eden

Entity type: Original Succubus

Eye Color: Black Onyx

Hair: Black, waist length; morphs to preference

Current Location: Seoul, South Korea; Interuniverse travel

PERSONALITY

Human Host

Lilith Selene Lair, the mute heiress to the Lair Group of Companies, has her life planned out for her even before she was conceived. But after being born with a heart problem and spending most of her childhood in the hospital with only her brother as company-- she was known in their circle as the quiet princess, not just because of her mysterious mutism but because of the timid personality she adapted after her stay in the hospital.

She can be seen mostly keeping to herself but come forums or parties organized by her family or their friends, Lilith can play quite the host with her handy tablet always ready with a funny retort or an interesting inquiry. The heiress is also fond of kids and pets, which is why on warm afternoons or in the early mornings, she'll visit the park in their gated community to watch the toddlers play or pet a dog or two.

In her free time, she mostly stays indoors in the estate library poring over books or in her sunroom, just painting landscapes or abstract art she wishes to share with her brother in the slim chance he'd remember her.

Demoness

Lilith, the mother of demons and Adam's first wife, has learned to love partying. She would internally roll her eyes and offer snide remarks at her human host whenever the latter would attend functions and formal dinners-- the elegance wasn't lost on her, but after centuries of holding court at Pandemonium, the formal parties has simply grown to bore her.

On the chance that her host would slip and unleash her, the demoness always finds her way to bars and clubs, just taking her fill of alcohol and sex; creating an underground image for the heiress. Reckless and determined to have her moments of fun, Lilith would sometimes even alter her host's appearance so she can disappear to some random country or hop in a lover's yacht and not show up for days or weeks at a time, feigning sickness with the help of her human doctor friend.

BACKSTORY

trigger warning: description of rape, cursing, violence, death disclaimer: this story was written in the point of view of lilith (the human host) and lilith (the first woman, mother of demons). God and adam was depicted here as what the writer assumes is how lilith (the first woman) saw them. please don't take offense in the story Her first memory came in a flash of light before her eyes, mere moments before she heard the beeping of machines and the antiseptic in the air fills her nostrils. She's back on her hospital bedㅡ and it feels wrong, like she shouldn't be there. Wearily, Lilith opened her eyes to adjust to the dim lighting of her hospital room. The familiar surrounding easing her worries, which if she takes time to think about is actually sad on her part. She's spent more time in this ward than on her wing in their estate. A depressing thought considering it's not something any teenager can normally stay. Unfortunately for her, normal has never been part of her upbringing, which also could be the reason why its her brother, Lucien, standing by her bedside with... wait, is that blood? She reached out, earning herself a smile from her beloved brother, but when she tried to speakㅡ panic came over her body, her lips were forming words but only incoherent sounds seem to slip out. I can't speak. What's happening to me? Her panicked gaze find Lucien's, frantic tears already rolling down her cheeks. Brother, help! was what she wanted to scream but no words escaped her mouth. And amidst her confusion and panic, a voice at the back of her mind demands her to shut up. Whose subconscious tells them to shut up? Her confusion at this new development was enough to abate her tears and panic. But instead of getting an answer, not that she was expecting one, a wave of new memories washed over her. In quick succession, flashes of memories flooded her mind resulting to a terrible headache coupled with the erratic beeping of her heart monitor. It felt wrong, as if they are a memory of someone ancient and yet she's looking at them from their perspective. She saw a blazing warm light together with the sound of birds chirping and the smell of crisp summer air. There was a man with her, holding her a hand... and another, who felt like he could be their Father. Came the next memory, it was of her and their Father. Somehow they were talking about Adam and how he wanted to sleep with her. She came to their father because it felt wrong somehow. She was happy just helping around, caring for the animals and plants. But now... The memory faded into black but the unsettling feeling at the pit of her stomach remains. Who owns these memories? The next memory filled her with dread. It was her Adam on top of her, forcing her to submit, telling her it was their father's wishes. They needed to reproduce, he said. The Garden needs more caretakers and it is their duty to care for all that was created by the Father. Lilith was sobbing now, feeling her skull about to crack open from the sudden tsunami of memories. Is this a dream? She couldn't quite tell. Next came another memory, this time it was of her refusing Adam's advances. It felt as if some time has passed and she's now known how to stand for herself. And there on her periphery, children. The sight of them makes her heart full right before the memory fades. Lilith's feeling all the emotions associated with the memories even when they are not her own, but she somehow feels a connection with whoever is projecting them on her. Keep watching. You'll understand. Now she's hearing voices on top of the dreams but the sense of doom in the pit of her stomach and her growing hatred for the man she knows as Adam has kept her sobbing silently on her bed. She feels Lucien give her hand a squeeze, grounding her as another wave pulls her under. This time it was Adam pushing her down and forcing her legs open with his knees. She spat at him in disgust, mustering enough force to push him off their bed while she stands over him, foot pressing on the inside of the man's thighs. "Lilith,

you witch!", he grunted as she pressed the heel of her foot harder on his thighs. Who gave this man the idea that he can control everything? They were made from the same soil, the Father gave them life as equals and yet... Another memory surfaced, this one felt heavier than all the other that came before it. She's barely aware of Lucien shaking her awake, his voice laced with worry as her heart monitor gives a series of beeps. She heard a booming voice ordering the archangels after her as she fled through the dessert, towards the only salvation she's heard of: The Red Sea. No angel of the Father will dare cross the shallow waters without fear of falling from His grace. Adam has been using her children to keep her in The Garden and do his bidding, forcing himself upon her and expecting her to just bite her tongue and part her legs like a mindless whore. But she's grown tired of protecting his ego and the children she so dearly loved. Enough is enough. She'll come back for her children just as soon as she finds them a safe place to live, away from the judging eyes of the Father and the self-centered ways of Adam. But luck was really not on her side. As soon as her feet landed on the wet loam bordering her promised salvation, three archangels loomed over her-- all of them pointed spears of heavenly fire at her tired body, ordering her to go back and serve her husband. All will be forgiven, they said. But she's no fool to believe any of their words especially when its the Father that sent them after her. The same Father that she first ran to when Adam suggested they sleep together. The same Father she expected would protect her. No. She will not turn back now and have Adam control her life for the rest of their days in The Garden. She would rather die than serve an egomaniac who sees her not as an equal but as an object created for his own wanton needs. "We'll ask one last time. Come back with us to The Garden or the Father will kill a hundred of your children for each day you spend out of Adam's sights." At this, Lilith choked on a sob. She spent years taking all she could of Adam's and the Father's demands... would it be so wrong to choose herself this one time? With a heavy heart, she turned towards the cold and calculating gaze of the archangels. If she goes back, she will suffer by Adam's side and with him as role model, it won't be long until their children start to follow him by example- and that's the last thing Lilith would want for her children. "Tell your Father that I will never take a single step inside The Garden again, nor would I like to set my eyes on Adam. My children would be better off dead than be raised by someone more obnoxious than filth.", and with this, she felt her heart broke knowing the Father heard. The memory faded into darkness but the heaviness in Lilith's heart stayed, leaving her sobbing on the bed with that sense of impending doom. She knows that wasn't the end, for whoever was showing her the memories has only grown more aggrieved. Feel my pain, pet. That voice- filled with resentment and hate. She knows she should be familiar with the story unfolding in her head but somehow she can't recall who it was about. She finds herself gasping for air in between her sobs. Lucien cradling her in his arms. "You'll be okay, Lili." But somehow she can't find comfort in his words. Not this time. With these thoughts ringing in her mind, she was once again pulled under- a crushing feeling of hatred and need for revenge pressing in around her. She was standing on the same wet loam, The Read Sea a sprawling landscape before her. But this time no angels can be seen on the horizon. It has been years since her heart broke for her children, and she mourned their deaths. She still does. But no amount of mourning can ever get the pain of a mother losing her child off her chest. She will not rest until both Adam and the Father suffer from the things they've put her through. One thing she learned from denouncing the Father was that her original protection is gone. And that The Red Sea

is where all the lascivious beings gather- a vast majority of them giving her what she needs and satiating her hunger for the pleasures of the flesh. She'd have to thank the Father for her gift to procreate as more of her children grew from the seeds these monsters produce every time they bed her. It was on one of those nights, hundreds of her children sprung out from the seed her lovers released on the earth, that he came. She heard news of his fall- the brightest angel stripped of his rank: Lucifer Morningstar. Fate has brought them together, it seems. They spent nights creating more Children of the Lilim, hushed promises exchanged in the heat of passion. He promised her revenge and delivered, getting Adam and his new wife out of The Garden after one too many tricks to go against the Father. She enjoyed her time with him, even spent millennia ruling the pits by his side. But she got bored. Thinking of new ways to punish the damned has started to grow stale. And that's when Lucien has made a summoning. Her brother summoned a demon. But why? She felt chills run through her body. She wasn't sure she wanted to hear an answer. But of course, the entity responsible for the memories have other ideas. She's suddenly aware of herself instantly stopping from sobbing, an amused smile spreading over her lips as she pushes Lucien off her. She's aware of the motions but couldn't control any of them. Hush now, pet. I'll play nice with you, just don't do anything stupid. Without meaning to, she suddenly became aware that she's now a prisoner in her own mind. Or what used to be her mind. "Hello, Lucien." The voice that came out of her mouth was melodic, lilting in a way that makes it sound like she's about to sing a lullaby- and this made her brother smile. But I couldn't speak when I woke up. "That's right, pet. You can't. But I can." Her brother's eyes widened, "Lili... who are you talking to? Are you feeling alright?" He attempted to take her hand. "Should I call your doctor?" She wanted to scream yes- do anything to let him know of her presence. "Oh stop with your acting, boy. Don't pretend you're really concerned now when you've thought about her death countless times before." A childish giggle escapes her lips while she pulls his shirt open, displaying the pattern of blood on his pale skin. She finds his gaze then, understanding of the situation finally dawning on him. "What were you thinking summoning someone you have no idea of containing? Creative choice using your sister as host. I kind of like this youthful body." Lucien, what is she saying? You wouldn't... "Oh but he did, pet. That's why I'm here." Lucien's shoulders slumped, silent sobs wracking his body as the gravity of what he's done caught up to him. "Now, where were we? Oh right. The price for your stupidity." She claps her hands, like a child getting ready to unwrap her presents on Christmas morning. "First, your sister's voice. I'm not as heartless as you think so I'd let her play once in awhile but without her voice." She adjusts her body on the bed, mindlessly pulling at the tubes connecting her to the machines. "No soul shall hear her voice again, unless of course when it's my time to have fun with her body. A good deal, don't you think?" "Next Lucien, is the memory of something or someone you most treasure. We both know who that is." She means me. Lucien began to protest but was met with nothing bad a dismissive wave of her hand, "Now boy, who said this was a negotiation?" "You will lose her. But you will forever have the feeling of losing something you hold dear- that empty feeling in your chest that will only grow as time passes. It will consume you, dear boy. And the pits will be there once it does." And it was with these words and Lucien's pleading and guilt-stricken face, did her gaze start to darken- her consciousness getting lulled once again into slumber. You'll always look for him. And she knows she will. The worst kind of mourning after all, is when the one you lost is still alive but will never be back in your life again

no matter how much you wish for them to be.

[iamnightduchess]

Afterthoughts

(SnK 128)

To the Yeagerists thinking that they can take down both the Armored Titan & the Female Titan, well, hate to reiterate this BUT the last time someone managed to deal the final incapacitating blow to either one of them had been only one person:

Mikasa "BAMF" Ackerman

She, who was worth a hundred soldiers when she was a fresh graduate, at this point would have been worth more than several hundreds of Yeagerists and also fighting together WITH both titans.

"Boo... she's a slave. xx is better than her."

"She's an ice-cold bitch. How dare she treated Louise, a dying girl, like that?"

"How can she feel empathy for people of the world she doesn't even know of personally compared to a girl who worships her & somewhat 'emotionally blackmailed' her dedication towards Eren?"

"How could she work with the same group of people who tried to murder her days before?"

Bashing Mikasa herself as a character is one thing, comparing her to another character is a low blow. She grieved & mourned for Sasha, she's compassionate towards Gabi & Falco. She has compassion and mercy towards people that needs it. Louise is anything but.

Back to the Yeagerists, the trigger-happy bunch needs to hide behind guns & gears they're not even well-adapt on to instil fear, while homegirl need no more than her freaking bare hands to defend herself and fight for what she believes in.

"She's a traitor. She betrayed her own comrades and the people on the island."

Paradis is her home but do you think she'd rather sit quietly, turn a blind eye towards the Yeagerists' drunkenness towards power, ascension towards madness & live with bloods of the many innocents (related or non-related to Eldian history) on her hands? She would rather die fighting for what she believes in, just like how her parents have taught her. Her childhood was first destroyed when selfish, violent humans imposed into her family's home. She's been there at nine years old. Like hell she'll be okay with the Yeagerists' stand. If someone comes into your house to fuck with your freedom/rights, you have the right to defend BUT not to go on a killing spree of all potential criminals out there and take justice into your own hands unless you're Batman. Isn't that what Mikasa & co did when Marley's battalion came days before? Guess what? The battalion left the Warriors and Magath behind & that does not mean JCAM should kill the leftover Marleyans and watch passively as Eren released not a group but ALL of the CTs inside the walls to fuck with the rest of the world.

Chapter 127 & 128 are displaying the courage Mikasa needed to fight for her own ideals for the first time - even if that means going against Eren's will.

Just saying, some people can go on and on about the tasteless, exhausting slave memes/jokes or their neverending barrage of vitriol against the 'cringevengers' just because they believe in a will that is different than their 'genocidal overlord'.

At this point of his story, Isayama has clearly place both sides on the scale: there are no rights or wrongs, good guys or bad guys as we were initially introduced to. We have seen both perspectives.

If you think because it's fictional, therefore genocide is alright, go on ahead. Though that does not justify the hatred you've been displaying towards the MarleyParadis Alliance.

I understand Eren's drive & actions BUT it does not mean I accept his will. However, that does not justify that I should hate on & attack his character. If you want to project your personal ideals on either side's characters, you are more than welcomed to do so but please have more class than that.

I believe that is the series' creator's intention.

"If Isayama lets the cringevengers win, that is bad writing."

"I hope the cringevengers lose. They're ungrateful for what Eren's doing for them."

"The alliance are a bunch of idiots with no plan."

"Yes it's his series, but as a fan, I deserved the right to express my unhappiness with the way he wrote this and this."

So, you'd rather JCAM just sit on their asses & do nothing?

Eren wins. Freedom for Paradis achieved. Rest of cringevengers settle down & have kids while the rest of the world retaliates in 50 years. Magath, Warriors & co. can die. Ok, The End.

What kind of values do you think Isayama wants to deliver through HIS story?

Reiner & Annie understood that the Warriors have no right to ask JCAM of anything. Reiner even suggested they stay behind in safety so they won't be forced to make that difficult decision like they did. (Look at how far the kids have grown?)

Interesting theme to note: Mercy. Sasha showed Gabi mercy but the same girl that she spared shot her to death. Gabi didn't understand then. Second round, Mikasa showed her mercy and Gabi finally understood. It finally humbled her.

Hate on Hajime Isayama all you want, as everyone can see on BSM's latest cover, the man's filthy rich enough to open his own sustainable business after SnK wraps with the royalty he gets from merchandise, prints and all. His 'bad writing' got him published & he has set his mind on an ending that would hurt some of us. If the alliance loses, Eren perseveres & millions die, it would hurt me so much but I would respect that because that is the route Isayama has chosen. I am already grateful for the opportunity & the experience he had blessed us all with.

Isayama doesn't owe anyone shit. He's a content creator, he is telling HIS story, not yours. As fans, shouldn't you take his material and learn something from it instead of making fun of or hating his decisions? Debate constructively please but stop spreading the hate.

You can choose to opt out of the series, moan all you want but in the end, you'll be the first group of people who would be obsessing with any ounce of spoilers at the beginning of a new month. Stop attacking or provoking people who is 'on the other side' of the ideal you believe in.

I am just someone who wants to share. As fans, we have the right to disagree with some of Isayama's stance/direction but there are always lesson(s) to be learnt:

Respect & Love.

You can love someone & still disagree with their ideals and be on the opposite side. In the end, Mikasa loves herself enough to decide on her own to stop Eren. As fans, stop projecting your hate towards the characters. Learn from them instead.

[c0ffeebee]

I know you said you are now (finally) going to bed (congrats! I say, at 6AM still awake myself xD), buuut I am like legally obligated to ask Jace Herondale for the ask game. So do that when you are awake again, dear, and I hope you'll get a few hours sleep!

we need to do something about those sleep habits, i did get a lot of sleep, and yet i still feel dead inside lol

about jace tho, i've answered him the last time i did this ask game, not much changed to be honest, but i can try again

how I feel about this character:

it's still complicated ok? i think i will forever have conflicted opinion about him, i hate him at one point of the story and love him the next, like... he's developing and changing a lot and my opinion about him changes with him, i know i love him when he's around lightwoods, simon or sebastian, but when he's on his clary bullshit good god i want to smack some sense into him empty head

all the people I ship romantically with this character:

sebastian of course, then also alec, and simon, oh and jordan when it's in the poly with him and simon, oh and i kinda love the concept of alec x jace x sebastian, but not even in the ship way? more of like... sort of love triangle way? or not even that it's like... a triad in which jace loves them both but they don't necessary love each other? because they kind of are two sides of his own personality? alec and their bond pulls him to the light, sebastian and their bond pulls him to the dark? hope this makes sense

my non-romantic OTP for this character:

alec, because i love it as platonic too, alec x jace x izzy (x max), because lightwoods kicking ass, and jace x simon x jordan, because again it's also good as platonic

my unpopular opinion about this character:

i have no idea what's popular and what's not but i hate this whole "book club" sh joke, because book jace fucking reads all the goddamn time, he does, jace can behave like a fucking annoying dumbass, but he's really really smart, book smart at least, him and seb both are, they were raised like this, and again probably unpopular, but jace has a certain amount of darkness in him that was never really explored but it's there, it didn't disappear when his and sebastian's bond was ruined, it didn't die with valentine or sebastian either, it couldn't have

one thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon:

one fucking good on screen adaptation when the character gets to be himself and go through his entire book arc? too much to ask, i know

but also in the books i kinda wish his dark side was explored more, or even now when we have (SPOILER!!) two jaces i wish cassie gave janus an opportunity to have complicated feelings about sebastian, not just blind hatred, i mean they've spent like 10 years together, they've raised their son together... in the tmi canon part of jace desperately wanted sebastian and their connection back after just two-three weeks, you can't tell me his feelings are less complicated after a decade of it in a world where they had no one else to love but each other