#i also wonder when we're going to be past the point of no return. like truly i don't think there's enough time for it to get better

[peniscat]

in the same vein of logan respecting kendall at the end of season 2, i think some part of gerris reaction to his soured line must relate to her respecting roman making moves for himself? like obviously she's mad but what she tried to nail into him was to serve his own interests, i think she must find some respect in that at least

i had some similar thoughts earlier too! looking out for himself is definitely something she's been trying to teach him and it is sort of looking like it's finally paying off. i've been trying to figure out what exactly goes through her head when roman brings up logan souring on her but i can't quite pinpoint it. is it disappointment? anger? i don't know, she just looks sort of uncomfortable and it's killing me. it's the first time we see roman really sort of go against her and it doesn't even make his tummy hurt visibly. the absolute audacity when logan souring on gerri is literally his fault too. the shift in roman and gerri's dynamic is fascinating to me because it seems like everything that happens is just literally making it worse </3

[tkbrokkoli]

just thought about that sherlock relapsed without his support system after being "dead". he's not wearing his sobriety pin anymore. he hasn't told watson about it. watson says he seems happy and he says that working as a detective abroad but not as himself was the best time of his life. I'm not sure if that's actually true????

[amallory]

Don't Interfere I don't want you as my enemy

PART 2

It would be a lie to say you didn't feel embarrassed after being thrown onto shadows bed as if you weigh nothing. You felt anger and confusion of your sudden kidnapping. You knew this was his way of thanking you for your short interaction with him and maria but you didn't think he would think much on it but his actions says otherwise. However you know the planet is in danger and the only way to stall whatever plan robotnik had in store was to stall time for team sonic or the usual stop them yourself. You always did find it easier solely since it meant moving on your own paste.

However it's unfortunate because your falling asleep and the half human side of your sometimes requires the basic necessity at the wrong time. And the robotic necklace hovering around your neck not helping you stay calm either. So, you decided to swipe at it only for it to enclosure closer to you sensing your desire to tear it off.

Y/n: How is this even possible I knew that man could make machines but not to this extent. Regardless I'll get out I refuse to let this be another punishment of mine. After I...after I sleep...first...damn you hedgehog-

Suddenly all the body aches caught up to you making you drift off to sleep.

Meanwhile

Robotnik: So you made your choice.

Shadow: hmp

Robotnik: Have you grown soft shadow?

Shadow: Never

Robotnik: Perhaps a change of heart then?

Shadow: hmp...I decided to take matters in my own hand and take her here. I managed to secure the necklace around her. It won't hurt her right?

Robotnik: No but it can if she tampers with it too much. She'd only end up hurting herself. Where is she?

Shadow: Safe where she will sleep.

Eggman: You kidnapped the woman? You do realize that other annoying hedgehog and his friends will also come back for her. Why did you bring her in the first place don't tell me your trying to get her on our side you know that's not going to work. So, news flash your weird woman over there has wreck my our robots before and she'll most likely wreck this place!

Shadow: Let them come and I'll deal with her if this happens.

He then turned to walk away back towards you. But unfortunately for you when you sleep it's usually for more then a day which is why you try to avoid it unless you necessary need it. Shadow had return every so often wondering why you haven't woken up yet in the pass 3 days. At one point he thought about yanking the necklace off you but he didn't. He even reported to the doctor about this but even robotnik was intrigued on your situation. So he had asked if shadow knocked you out or did something during the time on earth when he was stalling you from helping the trio but, shadow denided it saying he didn't really fight you.

Thankfully you did end up waking up 3 days later as you raised one hand towards your forehead only to feel a wet cloth on it making you grab it lightly and pull it towards your neck/collarbone as you gently rub the tattoos their closing your eyes.

Y/n: Something you want to say?

Shadow: Why did it take you 3 days to wake up? We're you already injured before?

Y/n: No

Shadow: Then why?

Y/n: Exhaustion

Shadow:...

You then slowly get up sitting on the bed as he was leaning on the wall the opposite side of his bed.

Y/n: You know we still plan on interfering right?

Shadow: I'm aware.

Y/n: Yet your here letting my friends get the upper hand from afar. Shouldn't you be down there?

Shadow: I can but I am no fool to see this is your way of talking me out of this so I can leave giving you the chance to escape.

Y/n: Ah aren't you very smart.

Shadow looked unamused at your words

Shadow: What is that suppose to mean? I am the ultimate life form I can very well acquire basic comprehension of anything.

Y/n: Yet you can't even tell if I was insulting or teasing you.

Shadow: Well?

Y/n: Which ever one pisses you off more.

He just huffed as he watched you get up and eyed the place and then suddenly you yanked the blanket towards him catching him off gaurd as he quickly yanked it away only to see you no where as he scoff at your pathetic attempt to distract him so teleported out the room only to see you walk towards a huge window where you can view the earth below. You looked relief to see it in one piece but you knew the job was no where near done yet. So you backed up looking around feeling the hedgehog gaze as he walked behind you.

Y/n: Hmm I wonder...

You continued to walk around getting familiar with the place as you made sure to make eye contact with every camera you see. Shadow began to grow suspicious but he didn't know what to make of it however you on the other hand knew by now team sonic would have managed to fet away and tails would probably hack into the system seeing as he's a tech genius when it comes to hacking you knew he has probably checked through the camera systems by now and seen you which is why you made a point to glance at every camera and even angle yourself in a way displaying the magnetic necklace around you making it visible as possible for him to see.

Of course you didn't want to make it to obvious that, that's what your doing so you continued to walk around now putting one hand on the wall as you would slowly began to leave markings on them time to time causing eggman to comment on your weirdness or rudeness as you seem to be creating a mess of the place little by little by little. You would turn to shadow ever so often to make sure he was watching hoping to throw him off which you did but he didn't say anything yet you could tell he was warning you silently to stop whatever plan you had in mind.

Y/n: This should be enough.

Shadow: What is?

Y/n: Oh who knows.

Shadow just slightly glared at you as you shrugged with a teasing smile knowing tails has probably seen you through the camera alerting the others. So you knew if they knew you were unharmed that could at least ease any worry they may have especially sonic since he tends to become irrational when a loved one is at stake and that's the last thing you want. So you continued to walk until your nose was filled with the scent of flowers making your eye twitch as you sneezed at first, looking for the flowers to find them in a vase nearby on a table.

Shadow glanced at the flowers then back at you as you let out a number of sneezes then cover your nose as you quickly walked towards a different hall trying looking for a bathroom to rid the scent of flowers from your sensitive nose. Which you did but the effects are still there despite splashing a lot of water. You just sigh again and decided to fill one of the sinks with water and dunk half your face in to fully cleanse the smell for a few minutes.

Shadow standing outside the bathroom leans on the wall waiting patiently for about 3 minutes knocks on the door after not hearing any movement after he knocks again then announces he's coming in as he teleported in seeing your head submerged in water made him quickly yanked you from the sink almost making you lose balance yet the hedgehog held you firmly before teleporting you both back into his room as he had you sit on the floor while leaning on the bed once more as he disappeared and appeared again with a towel before throwing it at your face with an angered expression.

Shadow: Are you trying to kill yourself? What were you thinking?

You just patted your face with the towel then glared at him as you scoffed offended by his actions.

Y/n: I knew what I was doing. What were YOU doing? I was simply washing my face.

Shadow: By submerging your face into the water.

Y/n: It was half my face and beside I would of been fine you just ruined it and happened to misread the situation.

Shadow: Couldn't you just splashed your face then? That would of been better then drowning yourself.

Y/n: As if you knew what I was actually doing and no it wouldn't help at all.

Shadow: Then what? What do you expect? Do expect me just stand there watch you drown in a sink?

Y/n: Take it however you like I knew what I was doing-

You sneezed once more again

Shadow:...the flowers...

Y/n: Shut up this is ... *sneeze* your fault. If you would of just left us alone on earth I wouldn't be in this situation.

Shadow: If I would of left you there you might of ended up captured by GUN as well or perish like the rest of earth will. I'm doing you a favor.

Y/n: Unecessary and you guys won't be destroying earth.

Shadow: How can you be so certain?

Suddenly the alarms start to go off as you both look up and then back at each other. You held a a told yourself look as shadow just narrow his eyes at you hands almost making a fist as you watched but he then started to approach you but, stopped midway.

Robotnik: Oh shadow looks like those 3 pesky brats are near done me a favor and get rid of them.

You just giggled quietly but shadow heard it as he held a questioning face.

Y/n: Told you your not going to destroy the earth we won't let you.

Shadow: And what role did you exactly play here?

Y/n: Looking at those cameras had another meaning to it while I was walking around you know silly.

He then put it together realizing they were hacked but that didn't bother him one bit. It was the fact that you were able to play it off and still remain calm despite the odds of this battle.

Y/n: Figured it out already? As expected from you I guess. You should probably get going now.

You then sneezed once more and shook your head as you then turned your attention towards the towel and began to fold it neatly.

Y/n: Why are you still here?

Shadow: Don't

Y/n: Don't what?

Shadow: Interfere it's pointless.

Y/n: Oh ultimate life form whats wrong for fighting for a planet with millions of people on it who have no say nor power to stand against you?

Shadow: You know why

Y/n: Then let those specific people pay the price, not the world.

Shadow: Quite, quite trying to protect everyone. They don't deserve mercy. How would you feel if they took someone who admire the one place they desire to go their whole life waiting to be greeted among their kind only to be killed by them.

You just looked at him as he came closer to you to the point where his eyes glowed waiting, searching for your answer you booped his nose breaking his harden exterior for a second as he looked at your finger waving it around to regain his attention as you took a deep breath.

Y/n: They have taken many things that caused me to punished those who had it coming. Have I wanted to kill people before? Yes have I ever wanted to kill the planet due to repetitive crimes I've heard, witness, or experienced? Yes but everytime I feel myself wanting to rid of this planet I know their are people and creatures here who have no idea what the horrors that others have experienced and if they did I'm sure many of them would of intervene to aid one another. I can't harm someone who has no relation or saying in someone else pain. Don't you see people have a choice.

Shadow: And that choice that day was to take her life and not a damn person intervene nor understand that she was completely harmless, innocent, pure...yet they...Yet THEY...

He held his hands in front of him replaying the memory in his head unaware of his power started to show as a spark managed to come in contact with y/n necklace making her quietly hiss at the sudden contact of it touching her neck. She then stand up quickly to where the glass of water was stationed and poured some of it onto the towel as she gently patted her neck between the closen distance where the necklace has started to lift up from.

You could feel his stare from behind but thankfully he didn't spur out of control again. You had to admit he had such a sharp gave and even though you may brush it off it did alarm you seeing as he stares intently but it's hard to read him most of the time. Shadow the approaches you once more holding the glass in one hand and then slowly taking the towel from you in the other as he poured the rest of the water onto it then loosely but gently wrap it around your neck but out of panic grabbed it while swatting his hand away. You took a quick breath out of panic and turned to the side and said.

Y/n: All I want to say is even if earth was destroyed then what?

Shadow:... I don't know

Y/n:...

Shadow: But, I do know I don't want to engage in combat with you. So, just stay out of the way...I didn't mean for that to happened. Just don't interfere, I don't want you as my enemy, I've made up my mind and I'd prefer if you were here out of the way. It's like you said we have a choice right? So my choice is to keep you out of harms way and for that I won't fail this time not again y/n.

And just like that he disappeared leaving you in your own state of mind questioning his way of...protection.

Many of you seem to like the first Shadow x reader post so I was like fuck it I'll right another for ya since that ending could open up for continuation or end there. This will be officially PART 2 of " Your not leaving my side"

Bruh Keanu as shadow is just 🤌 his voice is everything as shadow zamn!

[ghsface]

I knew it, i know you - Matt Sturniolo

Sumary: You return to a place in the past, where memories and guilt haunt you as you find your ex, facing what you could never let go of.

Warnings: angst, break up, insecurities (on the part of the protagonist) guilt, no happy ending, I think that's all.

A/n: Merry Christmas super late, I've been really inactive so sorry about that but I'm back now yayy, I wrote a second part of this fic if you can call it that idk, I wasn't sure about posting this version because I wrote a happy ending in the other version, I'll probably post both as an alternate ending so enjoy this and happy holidays!!!<3

𝜗𝜚 Part one , alternative ending

⛧°。 ⋆༺ ✮ ༻⋆。 °⛧

The cold night wind hit you as you left the restaurant, sending a chill down your spine that had nothing to do with the weather. You walked down the cobblestone streets of the city that was once your refuge, your home, but now felt alien. With every step you took, you could hear the echo of your own thoughts, and the words you never said to Matt repeated in your mind like a mantra of regret.

You had decided to leave him, decided that it was best for both of you to be apart, but that decision hadn't brought the peace you'd hoped for. All it had accomplished was filling your life with awkward silences, lonely nights, and memories that seemed to torment you more with each passing day.

The night was calm, but your emotions were a whirlwind. Every corner you turned reminded you of a moment with him. There was the cafe where he knelt in the snow to tie his shoe while you laughed nonstop. There was the park where you shared your first kiss, when Matt had taken you by surprise and made you feel like the whole world had stopped for an instant.

The city lights flickered above you, and cars whizzed by, but all you could feel was the weight of his gaze on the restaurant, the way his eyes had pierced you, as if they could see every single regret you carried in your chest.

When you finally stopped, you were facing the river. The water reflected the city lights, creating a colorful spectacle you couldn’t enjoy. You just stared at your reflection, searching for answers in a version of yourself you no longer recognized.

“Why?” you wondered out loud, even though you knew there would be no answer. The reason had always been the same: fear. Fear of being happy, fear of not being enough, fear of Matt realizing he loved you more than you could love yourself.

You didn't know how long you were there, lost in your thoughts, until you heard a familiar voice behind you.

"I didn't think I'd find you here."

You turned around, and there he was. Matt. With his hands in his pockets, his hair ruffled by the wind, and that look that had always left you speechless.

"Matt..." you murmured, as if his name were a confession.

He took a step towards you, but kept his distance, as if he was afraid that getting closer might break what little remained between you.

"Why did you leave so quickly?" he asked, his voice calm but full of that intensity he'd always had.

You wanted to answer, but the words stuck in your throat. How to explain something that you yourself couldn't understand?

"I didn't want to interrupt..." you started, but he shook his head before you could finish.

"Don't lie. We're not at that point anymore, right?"

His honesty hit you like a bucket of cold water. He had always had that ability to see right through you, to decipher the emotions you didn't even know you felt.

“I didn’t want to make this harder for you,” you finally admitted, shifting your gaze back to the river.

“Make what harder?” he asked, taking a step closer. “See you? Talk to you? Because, believe me, nothing can be harder than the last few months without you.”

His confession made the air feel heavier. You looked up at him, and his eyes were filled with pain, but also something else: hope.

“Matt, I…” You tried to speak, but he cut you off.

“No, let me speak this time.” His voice shook slightly, but there was a firmness to it that you couldn’t ignore. “I don’t know what happened, I don’t know why you walked away, but I know that I haven’t stopped loving you for a second.”

The words hit you with a force you didn’t expect. Tears filled your eyes, and for a moment, all you wanted was to run to him and tell him you were sorry, that you loved him, that you never stopped.

But the fear was still there, like a shadow you couldn’t shake.

“Matt, I can’t…” you murmured, and you watched as the glimmer of hope in his eyes slowly faded.

He nodded, taking a step back, as if he understood there was nothing more to say.

“It’s okay.” His voice was soft, but the sadness was evident. “I just wanted you to know.”

And with those words, he turned and began to walk, leaving you alone once again, with the sound of the river and the echo of what could have been.

You watched him walk away, and a part of you wanted to run after him, to scream his name and ask for another chance. But your feet remained planted on the ground, unable to move.

When you finally turned around and started walking in the opposite direction, you felt like you were carrying with you not only the weight of your own regrets, but also that of his love, a love you never knew how to accept, but one you would always carry with you.

And as you walked away, the city seemed darker, emptier, as if it knew that, this time, there would be no turning back.

⛧°。 ⋆༺ ✮ ༻⋆。 °⛧

your reblogs and replies are always appreciated dearly, and feel free to leave a request ✮

Tags... @matthewsroses @sophand4n4 @strnilolover @lolastrniolo @marrykisskilled @sweetshuga

[clarkeyhill]

🔞AfterParty | Arthur Hill

Severe Smut|Fluff

Summary: you were out in a bar in London with your friend Molly when a group of boys walk in all cheery, celebrating something big; the night moves on as one of the boys approaches you to buy you a drink.

The bar was lively, drinks were flowing and your hair was officially let down. You were dancing to "agora hills" by Doja cat with your friend Molly, your hips were swaying with the music as you felt the beats through your body. Taking a sip of your vodka lemon, you feel a breeze trickle up your spine as the bar door opens. A group of boys, making their appearance known with the loud laughs they were letting out; cheery you could say they were. "Oo he's cute" Molly says pointing to a tall dark haired boy, as you turn around you catch a glimpse, you let out a soft laugh "he is, but his friend is my type for sure" you giggle as you gesture towards an also brow haired boy dressed in a green sweater, as you turn away to not let on you were eyeing them up.

"I need a drink do you want another?" Molly says, pointing to your cup "yeah sure, vodka lime" you say as she nods, walking over to the bar. You slip your phone out of your bag as you check your socials whilst waiting for Molly to return, the group of boys walk past you and the whiff of aftershave lingers up your nose as you look up, catching eyes with the boy you first saw on appearance, he looks at you with a soft smile as you smile back at him. Molly returns with the drinks as you decide to grab a table "he just smiled at me" you say to Molly "who? The boy you eyed up?" She looks at your curious "yeah, he's really handsome" you reply taking a sip of your drink, she laughs as she nods "his friend is too" she replies with a grin on her face.

You get up from the table after sipping your drinks, Pony by Ginuwine started playing and you felt the alcohol buzz through you, you had the urge to dance. "would you do me the honour of dancing with me" you say jokingly crept down slightly as you gesture to Molly, she laughs "to this? You're kidding" she replies as you shuffle over to the dance floor, ruffling your hair as you "slut drop" making her laugh "I'll dance myself then" you say, giggling as you feel your confidence soar feeling the beat through your body you let loose, dancing like nobody was watching; except someone was.

Molly grabs her phone as she starts to record you, you laugh as your put your back into it "throwing it back" as you send a wink to her camera, your dress inches off flashing the whole club you giggle as you walk back to the table "y/n, that boy was fully mesmerised by you just then" she says pointing "who?" You say "that boy you said was handsome" she says pointing as he waved at you, she waves back to him "no way" you say as you flip your head back to face her "omg he's walking over act natural" she says as your eyes widen "shit" you say with a big gulp as you turn round to face him.

"Hey" he says "hi, you okay?" You reply "I am, yourself?" He says with a smile "yeah I'm good thanks" you smile back "I'm Arthur" he says with a soft smile "I'm y/n" you say back "so, erm, I was wondering if I could buy you a drink?" He says as Molly squeals a little from the edge of her seat "sure, why not" you say as he holds out his hand, you notice his friend walking over behind Arthur "this is George" Arthur says as he waves towards you "hi George, I'm y/n, this is Molly" you say pointing backwards as she sends a soft smile towards him "hi Molly, Hi y/n" he says "we're going to the bar, you want anything?" Arthur asks George "just a pint please mate, would you like anything Molly?" George asks, cocking his head slightly "just a vodka lime if that's okay?" She says with a smile "got it, be back soon" Arthur says as you walk with him to the bar, George smiles as he walks over to sit with Molly, waiting for your return.

"So what brings you to the bar Arthur?" You ask him with a soft smile as he orders the drinks "oh we're sort of celebrating something atm, this is normally the place we come to last to end the night" he says "you?" He adds "just a girls night, a bit of time to let out hair down you know?" You say "what are you celebrating?" You add "I've just finished a tour of the uk, I'm a singer" he says as he taps his card on the card machine "that sounds amazing!" You reply "yeah it really was, the atmosphere was something I've never experienced" he said with a chuckle, Molly and George catch your eye as they're sat giggling, wondering what made Molly laugh so hard she was nearly falling off her seat. The bartender hands you the drinks as you help him carry them back over, clutching your and mollys drink.

"Thankyou" you say setting them down "yeah thanks for this" Molly replies as you all engage in conversation, talking about everything and everything, the night soon started to catch up on you all as the bar was closing "home time I guess" you say with a sigh, getting up to leave "come back to our flat if you want? We can have a few more drinks, only if you want to though no pressure" George says, Molly looks at you as if to urge you to say yes, she was eager to keep talking to George "why not" you say with a smile as you all get up to leave. Molly and George trail front as you and Arthur fall back, his hand slowly slipping round you waist to support you "just thought I'd let you know, your dancing is quite hot" he whispers "you think?" You say with a smirk "oh definitely" he says with a grin as you lower your head with a slight giggle creeping out.

You arrive at their flat, placing your heels next to the door you place your bag on the kitchen counter "so what would you both like to drink?" Arthur's asks "surprise us" you say with a smile, Molly and George fully engrossed in eachother at this point you shake your head in amusement. Arthur passes you both a cocktail can out the fridge "thanks Arthur" you say with a smile as Molly also thanks him, not even 10 minutes after being at the flat "just gonna show Molly my room" George says with a smile "sure you are buddy" Arthur says laughing as you send Molly a wink, letting them trail off "guess that just leaves us" you say with a giggle "I guess it does" Arthur says as he nurses his beer

"Do you go out in London often" Arthur asks taking a sip of his beer "sometimes, but this is the first weekend me and Molly have properly had a weekend to ourselves so we decided a night out was on the cards" you chuckle "you?" You add "most Saturdays, just a get together with the lads really" he says with a smile "ah I see" you reply "I can't believe used the room tour excuse" Arthur says shaking his head "it was quite funny" you say laughing "maybe I'll get a room tour too?" You say with a smirk, sliding your hand onto his thigh, menace in your eyes as Arthur's lip curls "absolutely" he says with a smirk as you lean in, your lips locks as your tongues collide, Arthur slides his hand around your waist with a tense grip. As you both pull away, Arthur stands up and offers his hand as you take it, sliding off the sofa. He leads you to his room, as your breath hitches, the alcohol making your confidence spike, you close the door behind you as he stands to admire you "you're gorgeous by the way" he says with a smile "and you're very handsome" you reply, biting your lip as you walk back over to him, placing a hand on his chest "I want you to ruin me" you whisper in his ear, you feel his heart beat quicken under your hand, his eyes light up with desire as you lock lips again, this time more passionate.

The pace quickens as Arthur's hand trail up your dress, cupping your ass cheeks as your hands trail to his trouser belt. Slipping your fingers through the buckle you release him of it, pulling his zip down. His hands tighten around your waist spinning your around, as you giggle in excitement, fumbling onto the bed as he stares down at you for a while "fuck you're so pretty" he says biting his lip as you kneel on your elbows, the strap on your dress slowly falling down as Arthur's eyes darken, the urgency was clear as you slip your fingers into the band of your thong, slipping it down to your ankles. Arthur's eyes glisten watching you like you had him under your spell, mesmerised just like he was in the bar "fuck me arthur" you smirk "fuck" he replies hovering over you as he lowers his trousers, you slip your fingers into the waistband of his boxers as you slip them down, his dick hitting his stomach as you bite your lip, you decide to take control. Moving onto your knees you form a ball of spit into your mouth, your eyes glistening in the room light you spit onto his tip as you tease it, Arthur jolts his head back at your touch, he forms your hair into a ponytail as you take him fully in your mouth, keeping eye contact with him as you show off your no gag reflex, letting him hit the back of your throat with ease "oh fuck me" he whines, fully allowing himself to be taken over by you, you feel him twitch with every move, his eyes rolling to the back of his head "fuck I'm close" he moans, you pick up the pace as you listen to his body, his grip tightens on your hair as he reaches his climax, filling your mouth. You once again, keep eye contact with him as you swallow, wiping your mouth "you're fucking amazing" he says panting as you fall back to your elbows "I know" you say with a smirk. Arthur wastes no time in reciprocating the pleasure as he throws your legs over his shoulders, teasing your entrance as you bite your lip.

He places one of his thumbs on your core as he moves in figure 8 motions as you head slams back, letting out a groan, he continues as he slips inside of you, causing your eyes to widen "oh fuck" your head jolts back as you adjust to him, Arthur's face covered with amusement watching you crumble underneath him "fuck you're so wet" he groans as he thrusts into you, moving his hands to grip onto your thighs, the alcohol pulses over you and a rush of adrenaline causes you to delv into deeper territory "choke me Arthur" you say, his eyes widen, even you weren't expecting yourself to say that "oh fuck, you really are something else" he says as he gives into your request, his rings glistening in the light as he wraps his hand around your neck, the mental from his rings creating a bigger rush of pleasure, his thumb pressing over the middle of your throat applying the right pressure as his pace quickens, you can feel yourself tightening around him as he notices "I'm so close" you whine, as you crumble under his touch, Arthur tightens his grip around your neck, sending the right amount of endorphins through your body as you give way "oh fuck, Arthur" you moan as you reach your climax, Arthur pants as beads of sweat drip from his head as he pulls out "fuck that was amazing" he says flopping next to you "yeah, you could say that again" you say laughing as you turn to face him taking in the view of his pretty face as you place a kiss on his lips, a soft gentle one this time. Even though this was a random hookup, you felt like this might progress to something more, you look up to grab your phone as you see a text from Molly "see you in the morning, also you're too loud! Night x" you shake your head "what're you laughing at?" Arthur says "Molly says I'm too loud" you giggle as he does too "oops" he says "are you staying?" He says "if you want me to" you say with a soft smile "I'd love nothing more" he says as he rubs a thumb up your cheek. What an ending to the night.

-

🫶🏻

[hailturinturambar]

Thoughts on J.D and Patrick's interview (PART II)

The year can't end without one more analysis! By the way, I want to do more analysis of the show, but I haven't decided yet, so suggestions are always welcome! This interview is from August, but that's okay. After all, there are so many interviews that I'm almost lost!

Come on, one of the best things about the show, at least to me, is always the prologue. The prologue to the first season has a very well-structured foundation of the Elder Days and the beginning of Arda.

Morgoth's introduction as the First Enemy was brief but still impactful. However, nothing could have prepared me for the breathtaking prologue to season two.

We were all curious about the beginning of Sauron's journey. But the prologue was better than I could have hoped for.

I'm glad they changed it for season 2, I don't think it would have worked very well in season 1. Would they have introduced Sauron mid-season or would the scenes have been cut?

The second season is darker, so I think the dark prologue was ideal. We know a lot about Sauron's past in the books, but not in the adaptations. In the movies, for example, he's just Sauron, the Dark Lord, there's nothing more about him than that.

Well, I couldn't agree more. In episode eight of season one, just like Galadriel, we know that Sauron is the Enemy and that's it. But what do we know about Sauron before his encounter with Galadriel and his path of evil?

I really like that in TROP Sauron is not romanticized, but we are introduced to his past, to the events that shaped him and led him to do everything he did. Only when we know someone's past are we able to understand their actions.

I started rewatching TROP on December 23rd and I'm already at the end of the second season, and they're right. When we watch the first season again, after the prologue of the second season, everything seems different. No scene seems simple or out of place, no word seems meaningless.

We look at scenes in Númenor, for example, and we're like, "Yeah, that makes sense! That's why Halbrand/Sauron behaved like that." It's really interesting. Because I never thought the show would go that way in 2022.

We started and ended the first season with the question, "Who is Sauron?" In the second season, we finally know. Because we get to follow Sauron after Morgoth's defeat and how he tried to rise again. We see how he was betrayed by Adar and spent centuries recovering. And most importantly, we find out how Halbrand ended up on the cursed raft.

Tolkien left some great passages open, didn't he? These long passages of time without information are great for piquing our curiosity. And I don't know if Tolkien thought about them, after all, he had a very long story with many characters, maybe he left that blank period aside.

And I loved how this was worked into the series. Because in the books after Morgoth's defeat and Sauron's refusal to return to Valinor, we don't have much information. I always wondered how he ended up in Eregion or when this idea came to his mind.

I try my best to pay attention to the details in the show, there is always hidden information. And it is extremely satisfying to watch the passage of time in Sauron's transformation. We know from the books that Sauron can return, but we don't know how that process works.

So it's fascinating to watch time pass, the climate change, but Sauron's form also change. From a tangle of worms emerging from a pool of blood, to Sauron's mortal form as Halbrand.

I humbly believe that Sauron does feel pain. When Morgoth fought Fingolfin, Morgoth felt pain and his pain reverberated throughout Middle-earth. Morgoth felt pain because he had been in one form for too long, just as Sauron did. Sauron spent too much time assuming many forms, so why wouldn't he feel pain if a Valar was able to feel it?

In my opinion, the key point in any show or book is the "what if?" What if Sauron felt pain? What if Sauron is capable of having feelings? The what if is the big cherry on the cake that keeps our curiosity and makes us spend hours theorizing about a character.

I think Sauron is capable of feeling everything, whether it be emotions or pain. However, I believe that this feeling is not as we imagine it. It is, as has been said, an ambiguous feeling. We will never be able to understand the extent of Sauron's honesty about what he is demonstrating or pretending to feel.

Now that's a point that keeps me awake! In case you don't remember, I commented on my opinion about the sea monster in my analysis of Sauron and Galadriel.

The sea monster and Sauron is a never-ending question. Because as Payne said, Sauron may have seized the opportunity, or it escaped his reach. Could the Valar be trying to destroy Sauron? Maybe, it would make a lot of sense.

I'll go a little further. The Valar may have sent the monster to destroy Sauron before he could do any more damage. But Sauron is a dark master and knows all beasts, so he may have influenced the monster so that he wouldn't be killed in the shipwreck. So why would the monster attack the raft?

A second attempt by the Valar? Maybe. But I like to play with the idea that Sauron summoned the monster when he recognized Galadriel. That way the humans were eliminated and he had his path clear for deception. I guess we'll never know!

The problem of writing stories as tales of legends is that we miss a lot of things. I say this from experience. Because in my book that I wrote this year, the prologue is a story about more than 200 years about the old times in the history before the first chapter. And a lot of things happened in these 200 years of history. So, if I were to rewrite each passage, a lot of new information would emerge.

This is the big difference between the show and the movies. In the trilogy (or the Hobbit trilogy) the Third Age material is all written, it just needs to be adapted. But in the First and Second Ages, a lot of things are reported, but not detailed.

Giving the Ring to Círdan could involve infinite possibilities, but we don't know them. Personally, I loved the ring story created for the show. All the depth given to the scene and the giving of the rings was a spectacle.

Yes, all adaptations have their flaws and successes. But overall, I am extremely pleased with the adaptation of TROP and the changes or additions made by those involved. An adaptation is never exactly the same as the book, we know that. But what I love about TROP is that we are presented with scenes that make us think, "Oh yeah, that's something Tolkien would have written!"

[journey-to-the-attic]

started lesson 48 and then changed my mind after the first part, so this isn't entirely up-to-date, BUT

there's a weird dissonance in nb s3 where the characters very frequently behave/talk to you with a weird disconnect as if you're still in the past, despite the fact that you returned to the present at the end of s2

like, you and lucifer have known each other for a good few years at this point. you would KNOW this about him. why is he telling you this like it's early on in an otome game and he's making his personality clear to you before you pick his route.

(and depending on your preferences, or even from a character relationship view, wouldn't it make more sense for mc to walk home with him semi-frequently at this point in the story??)

and i'm not going to shut up about it: where did the main mystery of obey me nightbringer - namely, nightbringer himself - go?? we still don't know who he is, what his motivations were, why he sent mc to the past, what barbatos's fucking deal in the opening movie is, nothing??? we're just back to silly school shenanigans with the simeon subplot lurking? and i haven't seen any posts about it so i can only assume it's not in any of the new lessons that i haven't done, though i'd love to be proven wrong

the only way i can see this working is (as i might have mentioned) simeon's subplot relating to nightbringer somehow, but even if that's the case, the execution so far has been so lacking that i'm not sure they'd see that firecracker of a plot point through to a satisfying resolution. if you want to drop something like that, you don't preface it with half a season of tensionless school competition bullshit

the dialogue has also just been.... incredibly dry? very surface level observation-of-the-plot that's the bane of many a poorly written visual novel. "we need to do this now." "i am going to explain this bit of worldbuilding to you." "wow, something is happening. i wonder what's going on." "this thing just happened??!?!"

my favourite parts of obey me aren't even the drama-heavy parts, it's when the brothers banter with each other in a way that feels genuine and fun, and those moments have been real thin on the ground as of late

[queerprayers]

i've grown up in quite a secular family, never went to church etc, and only in the past couple of years started celebrating serbian orthodox christmas with my mum where we attend part of the christmas eve mass. i want to get to know christianity a little better, and i know ur lutheran and not orthodox but i was wondering if u have any tips for just. starting somewehere? it feels very strange to sit down and think "Im Going To Pray" when ive neither done it nor seen anyone do it before, but i want to explore a bit, if that makes sense. your blog is very nice and calming i feel like you might have some insight :)

Welcome, beloved!

Prayer is quite strange sometimes and Sitting Down and Doing It does not come easily to most, especially if you didn't grow up doing that. I'm honored to be asked and I have a few thoughts.

At some point as a kid I was taught the acronym ACTS—Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication. I was told a prayer should contain these elements. And I don't technically disagree; I think those are all good necessary things. If you want a formula, there's a formula. But I always found "I pray because I can't help myself. I pray because I'm helpless. I pray because the need flows out of me all the time- waking and sleeping" a much more real description of prayer.

We're told to pray always, without ceasing—prayer is something to bring with us. It is to be in relation with the God who is Love, who knows our suffering, and who hears. To pray is to be heard—and to listen in return, even if what we receive may be holy silence. 

Mass is a prayer, one the Church does together. Liturgy is where I learned most of the prayers I say, where I first chanted the psalms. I learned to read in church. Even once a year, it shows us many parts of prayer—it fulfills the acronym, sure, but attending services has shown me that prayer can be somber, joyful, certain, wondering, penitent, musical, silent. We can also think of things prayer can be that we don't want to replicate—Jesus talks about hypocritical ways of praying, of calling attention to oneself, of "heaping up empty phrases."

It doesn't always look like Sitting Down. There are not always words. I sit down (or lie down, depending) and pray at certain times—this was a hard-won habit, that still doesn't come easy—but it's easier for me to use my own words in the woods.. You can be anywhere, and be doing anything. You don't have to commit to a form—do it a little bit differently each time. Ask a question. Confess something. Picture someone you love in your mind, and feel that love. Look at each person on the subway and wish something for them. Set a timer on your phone to spend five minutes tentatively thinking about God—this is a prayer that can be more deeply felt than all the books in the world.

Whatever strangeness or embarrassment there is in addressing an unseen being, in coming to the Universe with your one quiet voice, it is the strange embarrassment of caring, of attempting what seems impossible, of being earnest about this whole being alive thing. The uncertainty of a new relationship, the doubt of whether it all matters, the unfamiliarity of learning a new skill. But you can do strange things, new things, vulnerable things. Love is continuing movement, and each step takes more bravery. You need communication with Love to live in it. 

Of course there are countless people who do not purposefully pray and yet show more love than I could ever hope to. God has met many, and sustained many, without their ever asking, sometimes without them ever knowing his name. But the asking is another kind of love, and I am one of the many who devote myself to even slight knowledge of his face. You have all you need to join me—because you have God.

The need that flows out of you, all the time—the draw you feel to start—is a prayer already. Really, there is no start—only a joining of a current already in motion. A dipping into a well that never runs dry. Others have the words, if you don't. I learn the psalms because, for all my poetry, I can't say it all, and never as perfectly as they do—and because it's a connection with centuries of voices. The practicing of the divine hours is another connection.

But really, putting aside the walks in the woods and the going to church more and the acronyms and the metaphors—how do you pray on purpose? Ultimately, there is no better answer than the one Jesus gave: Go into your room, shut the door, and (without an earthly audience, without looking a certain way or believing a certain thing) pray to the secret, listening God, in whatever language/version you have,

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever, Amen.

You've never done it or seen it before, sure, but it's built into you, to need this. Once you've done it, you will have seen it. Once you've seen it, I expect you'll realize you have done it before, without noticing. You don't have the words, so they have been given to you. You don't have to believe wholeheartedly each word—that comes later for those of us who grow up in it, and it can come later for you, too. Start in the somewhere you have been placed. 

The first thing we learn how to ask for as babies is the result of every prayer: being heard. So cry out.

<3 Johanna

[misc-obeyme]

You know the drill.

Spoilers for Lesson 40 below, including locked and hard lessons.

Just to clarify: when I say that it’s “the end” in my rantings, I am referring to season two, not the entire game. ☺️

Hmm.

I'm confused. And... underwhelmed? What even just happened?

I mean, we had lovely moments with the side characters and we got to kiss them all and of course I'm incredibly pleased I got to kiss Barbatos and Solomon, but aside from that we just... went back?

Most of the lesson was about the RAD founding ceremony. We say good bye to the side characters and they even address how we told Solomon his cooking was bad (more on this later).

But just as the ceremony is about to start, a dark rift opens in the sky. It's a rift in space and time. Barbatos straight up asks Solomon if he did it. Solomon says he didn't, but that he wasn't expecting it to show up so soon. (So who did create it? Nightbringer? And if so, doesn't this prove Solomon at the very least knows enough to know when Nightbringer is going to open a portal back through time??)

We miss the ceremony because we have to go through that rift if we wanna get back. The brothers come with us because we need their power. Just like when we summoned the white dragon, we call upon each brother for his power. Then Solomon adds his. Then there's a bright light and..

...roll credits.

Yeah. That's it. That's the end.

There's a locked lesson where Diavolo gives a speech at the ceremony.

And then the HARD lesson... is us returning to the House of Lamentation in our time. The brothers are all like oh hey MC good morning like nothing even happened. They say it's weird because it feels like it's been a long time since they've seen MC but that can't be right because it hasn't been that long at all.

AND THAT'S IT.

No Nightbringer. No further insight from Solomon or Barbatos. Not even sad angsty brothers who have been missing us.

It was like they didn't know we were gone.

So either we went back a little further in time or there was never a point where they decided as a group to send Solomon back to help us.

We didn't even get a Michael appearance!

THAT WAS VERY ANTICLIMACTIC.

I am confused because it wasn't bad, it was kinda cheesy, there were some sweet lines and like I mentioned previously I got to kiss my malewives but WHAT THE JUNK.

I'm not suffering, more like I'm just left hanging???

My one consolation is that we're back in our timeline now. So maybe NEXT SEASON we can FINALLY get some ANSWERS.

I really thought they couldn't drag it out any further and yet...

I didn't take a whole lot of screenshots this time because again, it was kinda just... underwhelming. Overall this lesson was just me going that's it?! And being baffled.

First I'd like to present you with these lovely Barbatos moments.

As sweet as this is, the man knows. Not that I ever thought anything else, but he's so subtle about it. I'm onto you, Barb.

My HEART. If I wasn't going back to another version of him, I would just be like nope staying by your side forever the end I don't care about anybody else.

But before all that, there was also this:

I'm glaring at you because you let Solomon into the kitchen.

I DIDN'T WANT TO.

OF COURSE I DIDN'T.

GOOD. SOMEONE ELSE CAN SUFFER WITH ME.

OHHhhhh Barb I love when you get all threatening and smile like that 💕

But seriously, then Barbatos and Luke help Solomon make a lunch that's actually delicious and we eat it with everybody and they're all amazed. I was like OKAY WELL I do feel a bit better about that whole fiasco now. But still, was it even necessary to begin with? No amount of sweet kitchen buffoonery with these guys is going to make me forget the pain.

At least we had a cute Solomon moment, too.

Yeah but I'm still wondering about the past version of you, Sol. I'm just saying, where is that guy?

I mean you don't have to look so sad about it.

Ah. Your jealousy is showing, Solomon. (I don't mind.)

Hard Lesson bits because I'm still just ????

YEAH BECAUSE YOU HAVEN'T.

YEAH IT'S BEEN TWO WHOLE SEASONS.

Once again, I am left with more questions than what I started with. Will MC tell the brothers what happened? Will we just never see the past brothers again? Will we return to the past in the next season? Will we ever see Nightbringer again, the being for whom this game was named?

At the very least, we still have Mephisto being himself and man I can't believe I ever disliked this guy.

THAT'S MY BOY.

I'm feeling extremely unsatisfied but it isn't like that's anything new.

I will say that it wasn't as bad as I expected. I was expecting them to do some really terrible things that made me freak out and scream and scare my cat. But no, I was mostly just ?? the whole time. And confusion is preferable to suffering in this case.

But I am also ANNOYED. We have waited long enough for the Nightbringer reveal, please give it to us now Solmare!!!

I fear we only have a short time before we are dragged further into this game that has truly become a hell of its own when season three is upon us... (I'm being deliberately melodramatic but still...)

[hollowed-theory-hall]

Hi ! I hope I'm not bothering you. I tried looking through your blog and I didn't find an answer to this question, though I'm à bit new to Tumblr so I hope I didn't just miss it! But I was wondering if you had a headcanon/idea on Harry's reaction if he were to meet his parents/Sirius back in time. You know, like these stories where he is sent back after the war/when he dies and wake up in the 70s/80s ? (Also, your blog is just sooo interesting! I love your ideas)

Hello 👋

And no, i dont think i talked about this before.

Like, this is fic territory, so you can go a lot of ways with this, honestly. It also highly depends on when in the 70s/80s he goes back to. Like, is James still the bully from SWM? Are we going for later in the period toward his death and are generous in his character interpretation? Is the war raging full force already, or is it the first years when no one really knows what it's going to become yet? Is Lily still friends with Snape? After or before Sirius ran away from home?

There are just a lot of details regarding the exact point in the timeline we chose that can really affect Harry's reaction. Similarly, when Harry goes back in time, it can be just as important. During OotP, Harry stops idolizing his father as much, so it would definitely affect how he sees him. Also, if say, it's a Harry in early PoA who goes back in time, he'd be sympathetic to Peter and think Sirius is the traitor. After GoF, I think Harry would react really badly to Peter, etc.

But we're talking post-war Harry (as you mentioned), who, let's say, meets his parents and Sirius at the same age he is, so all of them are recent Hogwarts graduates and full-time Order members who live on James' money in his house. Peter and Remus are also part of the Order, but not living with the Potters and Sirius trio.

I mentioned in the past I think Harry looks like a decent mix of his parents, but the combination of his hair + glasses makes everyone see him more as James. Point is, he looks very obviously like James and Lily's kid. And James, Lily, and Sirius aren't stupid. They're gonna be able to tell it's weird. Especially if Harry appears out of nowhere in front of them.

Honestly, I think Harry would cry a little seeing them alive and well. Post-war Harry would have some concerns about messing with time, but then he'd look at them again and go "to hell with it" and warn them about everything, I think. Like, I think he would just tell them. Especially if it's not post-war Harry, but one at the moment of his death. If he just appears next to a living James, Lily, and Sirius I think he'd have a little breakdown.

I mean, he is tired. He is traumatized, in pain, he just got the courage to walk to his death to save everyone, and here are the people who should've been there to protect him and make sure none of it would happen. The people who died so he wouldn't, and then he had to die anyway.

Like, that's gonna be emotional. It's gonna be painful and joyous. I think he'd think he's dead at first, that this is the afterlife, but when none of them really knows him or what's going on, that would be a pretty big clue he traveled in time (unless he knew he was traveling in time, of course, but that really depends on the fic).

Now, this Harry knows about the Horcruxes, and he knows exactly where all of them are. He's gonna speed run this killing Voldemort business, that would be like, a high priority of his. But I think he'd hesitate about walking to his death again after getting to know his parents and Sirius. At the same time, he'd wonder if he does it, if he dies again, he would return to his own time and Ron and Hermione. Becouse he loves his parents and Sirius, but he also loves his friends from his own time he left behind. The living ones who might now have a better life for what he changed in the past.

Basically, plenty of space for this sort of angst if you want it.

I think he'd end up really weirded out by James, in a way. Becouse, while James would treat him like family (therefore great, James was clearly loyal and treated the people he cared about really well), he would probably not act how Harry always imagined him to. Not that they wouldn't get along, but I feel like they'd have more tension in their dynamic. Becouse Harry knows about the bullying that he even lied to Lily about, but he also just really wants to love his dad. I think, if James really did grow up and become a little less arrogant with war and loss, they would get along better. I think though, even with a younger James, Harry would find him funny when he isn't being too obnoxious.

Lily would also not be who Harry imagined her as, not exactly, but I think they'd get along great. I think they just operate on a similar wavelength and have a similar sense of humor. Harry’s definitely gonna ask her about Snape, too (because he saw his memories already), and I think Lily would really not know what to think of Snape with what Harry tells her (though, you know Harry's gonna sugarcoat it becouse it's his mom and he doesn't want her to be upset).

And I low-key think a time-traveling Harry who meets a 19-year-old (he was born in 1979, he's a November baby) Sirius would have a little crush on Sirius. Like, the fic doesn't have to go that way, but Harry is likley going to be waxing poetic about Sirius Black’s haughty looks, silver eyes, and elegant black hair throughout the whole story becouse that's just realistic and how Harry is.

Sirius is also the one in this group Harry is closest to (yes, he knows Remus, but he wasn't as close to him as to Sirius, and if Harry met 18-year-old Peter he just might kill him on impulse or ensure he can't betray them again some other way). So Harry would probably still feel closest to him. I also think he misses him the most. I mean, he missed James and Lily all his life, he never really knew them — missing the concept of them is par for the course for him. Sirius and Remus, on the other hand, these griefs are new and so much more painful.

Personally, I like sending Harry back when the Mauraders (and him) are still at school. For more tension with James and so he wouldn't have the solution for the war already in his hands. Also, it could be really fun if he goes back in HBP, so it's after Sirius dies and after SWM. Also, he'd get to meet Snape (the prince) as he writes in the potions book and have a little breakdown over that too, so like, that could be fun.

It's not the most organized, becouse you can take this premise in many ways, but these are some of my thoughts. Obviously, Harry's reactions really depend on the exact circumstances and what kind of story you want to write.

[moonspirit]

The possibilities of certain story elements of AOT going differently if Annie never crystalised herself? Of course, it would still lead her to be arrested and questioned, making Armin worried (etc.) Though, what about other storyline segments? Like, what if she was there when Reiner & Bert revealed themselves? Helping to stop Rod Reiss with Eren? Or fighting Reiner along with Eren again, while taking back Sina? ..To also witness Armin's burnt body. Man, that'd be tragic, huh?

But - hey! At least Armin's and Annie's relationship could grow with them together! Plus, gives him a reason to be held by Annie, in her Titan Form. All of this sparked out of.. nowhere, really... I just really like Aruani. Have a wonderful day, Moon!

Hiii anon!!!! I'm sorry this took so long to respond (in case you thought I ignored you, that's totally not it T^T) - I just needed some time to process this!

This is actually very interesting to think about, especially since we often acknowledge the magnitude of the impact Aruani's Female Titan arc had on the story as a whole. There's many posts about that, about how the rest of AoT literally wouldn't have existed if not for Stohess. It was Armin's cornering of Annie and her crystallization that set everything in motion.

Now, let's get to your questions! (tho I'm very bad at AU and canon-divergence stuff so I'm sorry in advance and bear with me 🥲)

Considering that for the most part we are given the impression that Annie was the only one in RBA actually doing any serious work in ref to their mission (ie she wasn't losing herself in living a false reality like Reiner nor hesitating to act like Bertholdt), it kind strikes me that she would NOT have been impressed when Reiner and Bertholdt... revealed their identities. As aloof and disliking of her companions as she may have seemed, Annie's loyalty to them and the secrets they were keeping cannot be ignored - the whole reason she crystallized was so nobody would get a word out of her and that those two would remain safe. So imagine her horror when those two just waltz up to Eren and go "Heyyyy we're the chunky titan and the big titan, what's good?" 🙃

Tho before all this, we have to step back a bit and wonder - how much would she have given away while being questioned? Not much of her volition imo, but perhaps someone smart (say Armin, Hange, etc) would piece together little bits of info she lets slip, or her interrogation is purposely set up to exhaust and drive her to the point of near-madness until she gives up. Perhaps a combination of the two too.

It's also pertinent to note that tho loyal, Annie's also selfishly driven to her own cause - that of returning to her father, so we should also probably underline the possibility that she co-operates with the enemy (in this case Paradis) if it means she can find an escape back home along the way. It cannot be stressed enough that doing this is not too out of line for Annie's character, but it will load her with a massive tonne of guilt she'll never talk to anyone about, especially if it means leaving Reiner and Bertholdt's fate in their own hands. Annie was taught by her father to rely on herself and trust nobody else. There's only so much of leeway she can allow her emotions to have before she steels herself again.

Back to your questions! Assuming a scenario exists where Annie doesn't give away Rei-Bert's identities, instead striking a deal with Erwin, let's say, to keep some of her secrets while co-operating with the Scouts (this is a ticking time-bomb Erwin's planning to take control of, but mind you, Annie wants to escape before it comes to that). Rei-bert expose themselves on the wall and take off with Eren.

What will Annie do? Will she stay with the Scouts to get Eren back, or follow those two hoping they'll somehow make it past Shiganshina where the others can't follow? A chance to return home?

It's hard to say, given she's still loyal to her cause and Reibert, and coldly realistic in her approach that just because she's cooperating with the Scouts doesn't mean she switches sides - acting is only a temporary gig to get what she wants and to where she wants. If she stays with the Scouts, it's probably only to hit a milestone of an escape plan she's got; but if she goes off with Reibert, then it's because she sees her chance and takes it.

What then? We again have two possibilities forking out of this one scenario alone. Will she escape successfully with Reiner, Bert and Ymir? Or will she be caught by the Scouts and stay in Paradis; what becomes of her trustworthiness then? (nothing good. For aruani, add more angst)

With Rod Reiss, you know I honestly think it'd be REALLY interesting for Annie to meet with Kenny again xD I honestly love how every single one of the three Ackermans managed to get Annie at one point in time or the other (it's funny lmao) - it would be SO intriguing to see her come face to face with him. I'm not sure what thematic/symbolic significance this could have (I'm typing this out while sleepy xD), but I think something about Kenny being a slave to his ideals and desires could lead Annie to question her own beliefs or rather, mirror hers albeit in a different light. Kenny's "love" is shown to us in a very twisted shape - ie his relationship with Kuchel, his "raising" of Levi (with violence and purpose. reminds you of another father, maybe?), his pursuit of impossible dreams vis a vis Annie's very simple ones. I don't really know what I'm trying to say here except that I'm now picturing Annie being in the frame (perhaps hidden or not) when Levi finds out that the dying Kenny is his uncle - it seems important in a way I can't quite put to words xD?

About Shiganshina... oh we can't talk about Shiganshina 🥲🥲🥲🥲 I only know for certain that Aruani's relationship would most likely have progressed into a solid relationship, maybe? by this point (or not, given the speed at which things were happening left and right...), so... I can't even begin to imagine the devastation that Armin's "death" and the subsequent Serum Debacle would wreak on Annie. Tho the latter is honestly a PRIME opportunity for her feelings to become obvious to everyone that was blind to it hehe xD

But the angst... not only will it be Annie's guilt about battling Rei-Bert again (whether or not she's still playing actor or has legimiately switched sides is irrelevant)........ but also.... what would a struggle among Ackerman and Leonhart vs Ackerman have come to? God. You know, I actually wanna see that T^T Levi's just gonna lie there and be like "I hate these 104th girls. Always whining about some idiot boy, fuck my life. Erwin, haul me up man."

God. We'd never run out of possibilities to talk about xD You could draw a flowchart or a scenario-tree and it'd just keep going.

Anyway, I'm sorry that this is ALL over the place, really, I couldn't find a way to logically talk about all these things without diving into pages and pages worth of hyper specific possibilities (and that will bore everybody to death) T___T all the same it's very messy and incoherent imo, so I apologise if this isn't what you wanted! We can talk about this more tho, send me your thoughts :3!

[i-heart-hxh]

This might be a silly question, but is Togashi's current manga inking process the most that he's made in a long time? I know that he has long hiatuses due to his back problems, and that he implied that he felt a bit better when he resumed the manga a few months ago, but I wonder how optimistic I should feel about HxH having somewhat regular updates. Of course, health can be unpredictable and as long as Togashi is okay then that's the most important thing, but what are your thoughts on the matter?

Hi! We seem to be at a very promising point for HxH's future right now!

The past few times Togashi returned from hiatus and continued the series, he finished 10 chapters (1 volume) and then stopped. The fact that this time he continued on even after he finished inking chapter 410 is very encouraging. I don't know if he intends to stop at chapter 420, or if he's just going to keep at it for as long as he feels up to it, but some of the messages he's posted along with his progress have seemed upbeat and determined.

His pace is also much faster this time than it was the last time he was actively posting updates to Twitter in 2022. This person calculated out his progress and discovered that he's literally tripled his pace! This and his incredible consistency these past two months make me think he must be doing better.

I personally treat every page, chapter, and illustration we get as a gift, though, and in my opinion it's best not to form strong expectations around what his release schedule might be going forward. There's just too much uncertainty with his health and whatever else might be going on in his life, so it's best to enjoy and appreciate the times where we're getting regular updates like this. But I'm VERY excited to see what he's already finished when the time comes, and VERY excited to see his updates for as long as he continues to post them! It's definitely possible he'll keep it up for a good while still.

Of course, his health and happiness come first, and so I hope he takes all the breaks he needs and only works at a pace that's sustainable and manageable for him. Lately he certainly seems to have found a pattern he can stick with, and I'm happy he seems to be in good spirits from the little bits and pieces he shares with us. ❤️

[bookwyrminspiration]

in-depth opinions on keefe (trying to return you to your roots: getting asks about kotlc characters)?

I may be putting several additional feet in several additional fandoms but I promise y'all have me prisoner and can send me as many keeper asks as you want <3

I will say these are my personal, subjective opinions! Which do include a bit of bias (TLDR at bottom)

For years I was perfectly fine with Keefe; he's never been my favorite, but he had some funny lines and an engaging presence. Never failed to liven things up. This changed around end of Legacy/Stellarlune.

It's not because I don't ship sokeefe, but because I felt sokeefe's execution was rushed and overshadowing the rest of the story. Wasn't even a full book since Sophie broke up with Fitz and said she wasn't ready for a relationship, yet there they are. I think they, and we, deserved more time. (and yes, Keefe exists beyond shipping, but given how HUGE of a role it plays in his in-text and fandom presence, i find it relevant)

Of course that's not Keefe's fault, but seeing all the adoration for what I found lackluster kinda pavloved me into a general distaste. Especially when done at the expense at Fitz, one of my favorites. Which is unfair, but I did say there's bias. That's not to say I'm mid on Keefe because I love Fitz or that you can't love both, just that personally I'm a Fitz fan, and seeing Keefe used as a direct comparison to shoot him down doesn't endear him to me (and no, not everybody does this, but I've seen it enough to be impacted)

As for Keefe independently, he's following the path of Ro. Too many traits are staying stagnant and becoming repetitive, which is adulterating what I used to enjoy. The way he steamrolls everything--forcing hands to go to Ravagog in Neverseen, running away in Lodestar and refusing to listen, the mercadir incident in Nightfall, the going behind everyone's back thing in Legacy, the running away again, etc. At first it was annoying but interesting, but at this point it's like...we're still doing this?

The amount of time and effort Sophie has to expend managing Keefe is ridiculous. if we could just knock him out for like 2 months I think she could fix everything. it's gone from a facet of the plot's challenges to straight up nuisance like get tf out of her way !!

Others have mentioned this, but the privacy invasion and making others uncomfortable is another thing that I didn't mind at first but became annoying. A joke or overstep here or there is fine; no one's perfect, and if it moves the story forward, sure. But he's constantly pushing and isn't sorry. And the more it happens, the less I can stand the earlier instances. I do my pagethroughs and just get annoyed where I used to laugh

Is there an understandable explanation for several of these points? yes. how the hell would he know how to have healthy relationships and boundaries when he's been set such bad examples? However, he's also being consistently corrected and ignoring that advice. He's given pep talk after pep talk, has fight after fight, and yet nothing's changed.

Do I think he's beyond saving? No. I've spoken with a few people about this, but I think a key thing holding him back is Sophie's "I could never hate you" promise she keeps making. Because Sophie is the main (if not only) thing that matters to him, he's got a built in safety net for whatever stupid shit he pulls, and never faces the consequences he's really afraid of.

If we took that net away, if he faced her genuine distrust and anger and upset and her exclusion and her hatred--without the "but not really just give me some time" vibe. I think that'd do wonders and we'd actually get somewhere. And also it'd be vindicating to see; the nightfall healing center fight is one of my favorite scenes

TL;DR: In summary, I don't hate Keefe. He has potential and I've enjoyed him in the past. But currently the combination of him being used against Fitz, the lackluster execution of sokeefe (imo), the privacy invasion, and stagnation don't do it for me. His kind of character already isn't my niche, and that doesn't help. Does he have potential to become less annoying? yes! i hope he does for everyone's sakes. until then, mild distaste for him.

i will be taking Fitz, Tam, Cadence, and Luzia and playing in the corner, thanks <3

(this is in no way against Keefe fans. kudos to y'all! i'm simply not one of you atm)

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

book 7 part 4 thoughts!!

***THIS POST CONTAINS MASSIVE SPOILERS FOR BOOK 7, PART 4 OF THE MAIN STORY!!***

Usually I would put this in bullet points, but I have so many thoughts that I have to format it as paragraphs. (If you’d like to watch a rough part-by-part summarized translation, please check out this archived stream!)

Please note: this is NOT meant to be a summary or a translation; these are only my initial thoughts on the events that unfold. There may be details overlooked or misunderstood in this post, so PLEASE do not use this as a translation.

LILIA'S SO DIFFERENT 🤡 His voice is deeper, and he speaks more gruffly. He definitely comes off as more combative and having disdain for humans. HE'S POPPING OFF ABOUT HOW BAD SILVER/SEBEK/GRIM ARE AT MAGIC??? Damn, what happened in the following years to make him change????

The contrast between current Lilia telling Silver "there's nothing left for me to teach you" and past Lilia being like, "there's nothing for me to teach you, are you trying to make fun of me?"

The human faction they're fighting at the moment are the Silver Owls!! There are also people who dress in iron (a metal which harms fae in irl mythology), I'm not sure if they are synonymous with the Silver Owls or not.

IHBFIOASBFIAADSI LORD, THE FAE SOLDIERS ARE ALL MIDDLE SCHOOL NEKO GIRLS HISSING AT US

AYO, SEBEK GRANDPA REVEAL????? ??? ? ? ????? BAL/BAAL/BAUL REAL, I CAN SEE WHERE SEBEK GETS HIS LOOKS AND HIS PERSONALITY FROM

Silver's asking to team up with Lilia and his group (Lilia was about to just leave them there because he's concerned with the Silver Owls setting up camp at the base of the mountain)? Bruh, book 1 we're calming down an angry classmate and book 7 is like, HEY KIDS LET'S TAKE A FIELD TRIP INTO AN ACTIVE WAR ZONE.

Silver's hoping to shock him awake via a fight, here comes a Sebek and Silver tag team battle!! RIP Lilia beats them up a little :v (Sebek. Don't fanboy over his strength, WE ARE FIGHTING FOR OUR LIVES HERE)

Oop, they disorient him with light and Lilia's mask off!! It's treated like a big reveal????? Sorry, but how does Yuu not notice this is Lilia automatically 😅

Lilia voice) you are not my son (and here you can hear Silver's heart breaking/j)

Oh boy, we get to be prisoners of war/j

NOT LILIA ASKING SILVER AND SEBEK HOW THEY KNOW HOW TO FIGHT SO WELL WHEN IT WAS LILIA WHO TRAINED THEM TO BEGIN WITH

"Fae don't go back on their word" AH SO THEY LIKE TO KEEP PROMISES EH

"May the night bless you" seems to be some kind of salute for nocturnal fae?

LOL Lilia's against being called a father OTL THE IRONY HERE IS SO STRONG

Not Sebek's grandpa telling them off for not showing Lilia respect and saying how great he is... Fanboy genes run in the family/j

DOES YUU STILL THINK THIS IS A PERIOD DRAMA OR SOMETHING

BAAL IS CALLING SEBEK A HUMAN KEK

BAL/BAAL/BAUL REAL DROPS THE CROC MASK???? ?? ?? ?? ? He's got SCALES instead of facial hair???? ???? ? ? Oh man, he reminds me so much of Seteth FE3H OTL The scales are a signature trait of the Zigvolt line! Sebek says his mom has the same scales.

NO NOT SEBEK HAVING TO CONFESS THAT HIS DAD BEING HUMAN, IS THIS THE START OF HIS CHARACTER ARC

LILIA TOLD BAAL TO BABYSIT US...

AW Sebek's so excited about seeing his grandpa in his prime... I'm happy seeing Sebek happy OTL

Lilia's dreaming about the past... I wonder if it's because he was thinking about his life and what he has achieved before leaving his loved ones with his legacy...

Lilia first got the invite to NRC 500 years ago??? So NRC has been around much longer than we expected.

Ahhhh, crap 🤡 The return of book 6 limited battles but now with a battle map. There is a new mechanic where HP carries over from each battle; if a card's HP gets knocked to 0, you cannot use them. (5 cards be restored at random if you get to a heart space on the battle map.)

SEBEK'S ACTING AS OUR OLD FAE SPEECH TRANSLATOR (He's throwing his own angry commentary in, which is hilarious)

The humans arrived on a boat ~100 years ago. Now they have a settlement in the east and are mining around Briar Valley + taking the fae's natural resources. (I think this is why Mystium, that shape-shifting magic green ore that Lilia's weapon is made of, is no longer as plentiful; it was likely mined into obscurity.)

Magical creatures are now coming down from the mountain and causing trouble in Briar villages; the fairies cannot handle all of this. Damn, this is just the plot to the first Shrek movie 😂 They're invading Shrek's swamp--

Oh, interesting! So there are different kinds of fae language (depending on the type of fae they are; think of the diurnal fae from Fairy Gala speaking in bell tinkles), but they infuse their voices with magic so they can understand one another. In modern Briar Valley, there is a common tongue. Omg, Sebek speaks it with his mom and grandma! BILINGUAL KING, HE'S SO PROUD OF HIMSELF... Silver tried to learn from Lilia, but he struggled with it; Sebek's dad had the same issue so the problem must be that human ears cannot pick up on the same range of sounds as fae ears can. This is true of real life as well; different creatures have different auditory thresholds and auditory detection ranges.

Bruh, not Lilia sending out literal children to fight for him on the battlefield...

Eh, new character named??? Some human soldiers are talking about Henrich?? Henrik??? Henric??? He's a commander of the Silver Owls who is conceited and dumps his work onto his subordinates. Errrr he apparently also has a little sister named Leia? Lea??? Leah???? Who is rumored to be in a relationship with someone called the Dawn Knight.

More interesting lore????? Kind of???? Some pixies (small fae) come and warn Lilia about something up ahead, then heal them too. This is notable since in Fairy Gala: What If, we learn that diurnal fae (which I believe pixies are) and nocturnal fae (which Lilia and Sebek appear to be) do not like each other. It seems they got along well enough in the past to confront a common enemy?

They reach a Silver Owl camp!! ... Aaand Lilia tells his soldiers to boot them out so they can take over the camp. I mean, it IS technically the fae's land to begin with, so. Uhhhh, yeah I think I'm with Lilia on this one 💦

I don't think iron affects fae negatively in Twisted Wonderland?? Lilia and co. are having no trouble fighting them even when the humans are clad in iron armor.

HMMMM they've named dropped a formidable person on the human side called the Dawn Knight (Lilia mentions them once, then the human soldiers do). The Dawn Knight is the captain of the Silver Owls and even Lilia considers them a strong opponent. Methinks they'll become a key player later...

OH NOOOO 😭 Sebek’s like, “let’s change this fate!!” but since it’s just a dream, reality won’t be altered at all… Then Sebek suggests just. Staying in the dream???? Which makes darkness spawn… The light from Silver’s ring thing (the trinket he got from Lilia as a sign that he is now a full fledged adult) protects them???

Silver fears the dream will tempt him to stay too 😭 He asks Yuu to snap him “awake” if it ever comes to that… Silver, sweet boy… OTL

NOT SILVER AND SEBEK JUMPING IN TO STOP LILIA FROM COOKING FOR THEM (Come to think of it, how have Lilia's soldiers survive this far with him cooking for them???? ?? ??? ?? ?? )

LILIA THINKING THEY'RE GOING TO POISON THEM, THAT'S SO JAMIL ENERGY

Omg... They're acknowledging their Master Chef training (this is the only time they've referenced events in the main story, if I recall correctly)... Silver even prepares a risotto for them all~ (His own favorite food is mushroom risotto, so I like to think of it as he's sharing a piece of himself with the fae.)

asldiuhaodasidba Lilia complaining about the tiny portions in fine dining...

SEBEK PREPARING A ROAST CHICKEN FOR THEM, they're going all out for this one meal??? ? ? ??? ? ?? Poor Sebek though 😭Baal refuses to eat anything Sebek made, he'd rather starve or eat rations than a human's cooking...

AW BAAL BOUGHT SEBEK BOOKS????? And encouraged his love for reading... 😭

Grim taking Baal's portion of food... (Of course... Did we really have any doubts about that?) Sebek really did get his attitude from Baal... Now Baal's going, "Gimme my food back!" after Grim started digging into it... And then Baal has three entire helpings of risotto... THEY HAVE THE SAME INTIMIDATING-YET-ALSO-PATHETIC VIBES

AYO SILHOUETTE FOR MALLEUS'S MOM????? Her name is (Princess) Mallenoa, the only daughter of Maleficia (Malleus's grandma). She lives at a separate palace and commands the military. Lilia also describes her as being extremely powerful, fickle, stubborn, selfish, and easy to anger. He's just tossing out allllllll the adjectives ahdbayodqdq

Ah, so it sounds like humans greatly outnumber the fae??? So they're at a disadvantage. Normally a royal would handle diplomatic stuff like this but for some reason Lilia is being sent? They're traveling on foot to deliver a message to the human encampment to the east; the last messenger (that travelled there via magic?) did not return. Ominous...

Fae nobility are repulsed by the smell of iron? I'm confused, are fae in TWST impacted by iron or not????

Aww, Silver... He's asking his dad to come to school not to learn, but to make special memories there 🥺 Back to "our Night Raven College"...

NOOO NOW THEY'RE FLASHING THROUGH ALL THE DORMS... while Silver and Sebek monologue about how everyone at NRC is very different, but despite how weird they all are, there is a lot that can be learned from their differences. Silver's spreading what he learned from his dad... and the fact that even Sebek pitched in... 😭

Lilia voice) let's make these high school students our pack mules and unpaid chefs and if they fuck up we leave them for dead in these woods where there are monsters lurking about

Man, he's so ruthless????? Lilia will use anyone he can to succeed in his mission... But then the next second he lays into his princess with a smile www

Lilia knew the princess since they were kids ~300 years ago, which puts the current conflict at ~400 years ago from modern day (since present Lilia is ~700 years old).

asdjbasbldbasdi Gotta love the lowkey jabs at classic fairy tales... Lilia says that human princesses may need protecting but not theirs???? (Yet Mallenoa still stays in her castle all day like she's waiting for a prince.)

THE PRINCESS HAS AN EGG... MALLEUS????? IS THAT YOU???? ???? ????? ? ?? ? ? (LOL at Sebek calling it Tamago-sama asghdyqovywqdwp9qbpacpasb) JAHAJAAH BAAL SUS OF THEM BEING INTERESTED IN THE EGG????

Oooh, so dragon eggs only hatch after receiving enough love and magic from the parents??? (Otherwise the egg will not mature and hatch.) The "power of love" is real, you guys 🥺

ANOTHER new character name drop?????? Levan/Revan??? It's a fae that went missing (probably the messenger from earlier??) I-Is that. Is that Malleus's dad???????? (Lilia says that both the princess and Levan/Revan have been pushing their tasks onto him; he has known them both for a long ass time.)

Baal voice) I still don't trust you

Fandom, back at Baal: Sorry (grand)daddy. Sorry. (Grand)daddy? Sorry. (Grand)daddy? Sorry.

Malleus is 178 years old in current day even though his egg existed 400 years ago, so it seems there was a few hundred years of delay before he actually hatched (normally the egg would hatch in 2-3 years). That means Lilia was ~522 when Malleus hatched and ~683 when he found Silver as a newborn (Malleus was ~161). Silver and Sebek think it’s weird that the timeline does not add up; it means Malleus was dormant for quite a while?? Or is the dream world wonky to accommodate for a “happy ending”? Or maybe the history they know is not correct (since earlier in book 7 Lilia mentions how true history can be distorted over time.)

Very sus, apparently there is not a lot known about Briar Valley's history??? Lilia never talked about the past around Silver, and Baal did the same with Sebek. None of the books Sebek read really goes into that history either. In current day, the palace where Malleus's mom resided isn't even there anymore, it's just land. It suddenly became a mystery...

MAN, I've been wondering this whole time why Lilia's happy ending is wartime but maybe. This is the period where Malleus's parents both died???? Maybe his happy ending is saving them??? Instead of them dying and him having to live with the guilt of not being there to protect his friends and his future prince's parents???? (I previously thought it was during war that Malleus hatched and/or Lilia found Silver, but I guess the timeline doesn't make sense there.)

According to Silver, they cannot stray too far from dreamers or else the darkness will return and try to drag them into a deeper sleep.

asdhbasdobasdbas Sebek is SUPER hype to see baby Tamago-sama Malleus...

Sebek points out that Silver is not nodding off (good catch, I actually did not notice this because I was too busy screaming about the lore); sooo when Silver is dream walking, he's consistently alert. It looks like Silver's narcolepsy is an important detail??? (Lilia took him to lots of doctors that didn't know how to help him, Silver does whatever he can to sleep well and to have a sleep schedule.)

OH MY GOD, I DIDN'T REALIZE THAT YUU AND GRIM STILL DIDN'T KNOW LILIA IS SILVER'S DAD. They thought it was a friendly nickname this entire time??? Kind of late to get to that, but alright 😅 We have acquired the Forbidden Knowledge... (SEBEK'S MOM IS WAY OLDER THAN HIS DAD BUT LOOKS WAY YOUNGER?? I mean, I kind of expected that but to have it confirmed just hits different.)

One of the soldiers tells the kids to stfu so they can sleep and so Sebek yells at everyone to stop disturbing them (you know, in his LOUD AS HECK voice).

Water in the Briar Country is cold because it is located up north (it snows a lot!). The lake water usually comes from melted snow. Checks out, I guess?

They're packing up to leave the camp... Reminds me of Mulan!

[Insert boring trek to the Silver Owls' base. Interesting tidbit: some soldiers we run into comment that Silver resembles the Dawn Knight/they didn't know the Dawn Knight had a lover?????? So... that's obviously gotta be an ancestor of Silver's, right??? Also??? The Dawn Knight apparently never removes their helmet, even around subordinates... VERY SUS, SIR

NAYUUURx NOT SeBEK CAViNG TO THE DATKNESS 😭 I feel like??? This is a really big character development moment for him?? He’s always been pretty blindly loyal to Malleus and hateful of humans, but this marks the first time he willingly does something against Malleus’s will and he calls Yuu and Grim by name… Sebek, sweetie… 😭 (Side note: Silver’s been so strong-willed through all of this, but I’m glad that TWST showed he isn’t perfect and infallible; he, too, was tempted to stay in the dream when Sebek started to consider it too.)

bchsheoxndle Something else I enjoy is Baul being so… tsun?? He complains about the kids but keeps an eye out for them anyway (and Sebek in particular)… The paternal vibes are too immaculate to completely squash 😎]

They made it!! Finally!!

UHHHHH THEY'RE FIGHTING A BIG MACHINE AND. LILIA INSTINCTIVELY BLOCKS SILVER?? (He’ll be fine, he’s in his prime 😌)

Oop, Heinrich and the Dawn Knight were supposed to be in the eastern base but they aren't??? Oh no, it looks like. It was a diversion?????? While Lilia and co. are busy at the base, Heinrich launched an attack on the palace where Malleus's mom is???????

AND OF CORUSE THAT'S WHERE WE CUT OFF?????????? BRUH.

OKAY, so this entire update was focused just on Lilia's dream. We have no clue what's happening in Idia's dream or the real world with Ortho??? Which I'm totally fine with; I feel like we learned SO much about Briar Valley's history and important figures in it. That's a very fair trade-off. I loved getting to learn about the conflict between humans and fae, fae culture, and about how Briar Valley (or Country) works. I'm surprised that the characters themselves know so little about the history, but that just makes me worried that that's because it's a dark part of history that was purposefully censored from the textbooks...

There were a lot of new characters introduced in this part, most of them just mentioned by name or silhouette. It really feels like we walked right into the most dire part of a history textbook... So much tragedy has been set up, so many key players put into place... But being that this is Lilia's promised happy ending, surely he must reverse fate and save the day in the end????? Right? Right??? ?????? ?? ??? ? ? ? ? ? ?????? I have my eyes glued to the Draconia family lore and history, I'm READY to absorb it!

Something else I found really fascinating was learning more about Sebek this update! He still has a very arrogant attitude about him (that much hasn't changed), but I loved seeing how he acts different around his grandfather and how excited he gets over little things like seeing Malleus's egg. I think this part also marks the start to his character arc; he is constantly put down time and time again by his grandpa, someone whom he really loves. Sebek is used to his grandpa accepting him for who he is, but now his grandpa is shouting hateful rhetoric and discriminating against him for being half human. It's the same ugly behavior that Sebek slings to other people, but now the shoe's on the other foot and HE'S the victim in these situations. It must no doubt be extremely uncomfortable for Sebek, but it's also forcing him into a situation where he has to look at his own bigotry head-on, and it gives him a chance to reevaluate himself. It's similar to how Vil had to challenge Epel's outdated gender views even when Epel kicked up a fuss every time Vil did. asdhbsaisdbabdil I'm just really invested in Sebek's character arc!!

I think there's a high probability we'll see all of the silhouetted figures in full in a future update, it's clear that we'll eventually be rushing back to check on Malleus's mom at some point. I'm super interested in seeing how Malleus's parents, the Dawn Knight, Lilia, Baal, and Henrik tie together. (And, of course, we NEED to check in with the Shrouds as well.)

I have heard people say that Henrik may be a reference to King Henry from the live action Maleficent? Then that means that the Dawn Knight may be TWST's equivalent to Stefan/Stephan (Aurora's dad) and Henrik/Henric's little sister is Leah/Leia (Aurora's mom)??? Then I've heard other theories that since Malleus's dad vanished, we have no corpse to confirm he is for real dead and maybe he's actually Crowley who went off to buy some milk and never came back???? (Because “Levan” sounds like “raven” and you know who else is a black bird? CROWLEY. Is he. Is he really going to be the Ultimate Absentee Dad by pulling off his mask in front of Malleus and go, “Luke, I am your father” at him????) And then there's those of us who are drooling over new character designs and screaming about how hot Sebek's grandpappy is. Point is, there are so many wild parallels, theories, ideas, and thirst posts flying around right now. I love how this wild update reinvigorated the whole fandom into a new period of theory crafting and other creative works. asdhabsdasdbasdi Every new book 7 update gets more and more hype... I just hope we get part 5 in July!!! Super intrigued by the history of the Briar Valley~

[selfpositiveundertale]

Long sad post. My husband and I are in mourning and it's rough.

It is with a heavy and broken heart I must announce that the other night we had to say goodbye to our kitten Sterling Cowboy. He was named after Sterling Archer from the TV show Archer since my husband loves that show and Cowboy Absher from the podcast Old Gods Of Appalachia since I'm obsessed with it and listen to the stories over and over.

Sterling had something really wrong with his brain and it had suddenly gotten worse despite our best efforts. We rushed him to the ER vet but there wasn't really anything they could do that would let him have a good quality of life even if he could have survived the weekend, so we said goodbye. We are having him cremated and the remains returned to us in a nice wooden box.

My husband and I are both absolutely heartbroken about it. I've seen him cry many times over the 15 years we've been together, but I've never seen him cry as hard as he did over losing Sterling. It really hit him hard, even harder than when his beloved cat he had for 6 years that loved him more than most dogs love their humans passed away. We've spent a lot of time crying into each other's arms since Friday night. We're going to miss our precious little demon kitty baby and all his tiny violence and his pretty brown eyes. We'd never seen a kitty with brown eyes before this wonderful, unique little baby.

He was never even guaranteed to make it past the first day my husband found him, the vet I first took him to wasn't expecting him to last the night with how malnourished and dehydrated he was, not to mention he had a heart murmur, but he had nearly four months of love and comfort and food and safety in our home. He never wanted to bottle feed, which was strange considering he had to be maybe 3 weeks old at the most when my husband found him, he wanted wet food immediately(though we mixed kitten milk replacement into it) and turned out to be a messy eater until he learned how to eat without getting his food all over his face and paws. We had to help him go to the bathroom at first, until he learned to do it on his own, and he figured out the litter box immediately. He grew so much, going from just .4 lbs that first day to 3.5 lbs on the last.

He spent his first and last moments in our lives being held by my husband, in his shirt pocket in the beginning and in his arms swaddled in a towel at the end, and some of his early days being carried around in a crochet pouch around my neck so I wouldn't have to leave him unattended when he was too little to be alone.

We loved that baby so so much and he knew it and he loved us too. Even when he was being rambunctious and chaotic and biting and scratching in his playfulness, he would still be purring and blinking slowly at us, and he loved to be held and cradled like a baby or held in anything resembling a pocket or pouch, such as the hood of a hoodie worn backwards. He would literally climb both me and my husband, latching on with his little claws whether we had clothes on or not, so he could scale our frames because he wanted to be held. We are both scratched up from the neck down as a result of his climbing and playful scratching, but those will heal much quicker than our hearts.

Enjoy some of my favorite pics of him. We will have the last one printed out and put inside the paw print keepsake we were given and it is also my lock screen now on my phone. I'm also considering doing an artist rendition of it and getting it tattooed on me at some point. It's our favorite of all of them, he's just like

ʘ⁠👅ʘ

and it's so precious. We love it. It makes us smile through our tears to see it.

Good vibes, thoughts, prayers, whatever you got, is appreciated. We had such a short time with Sterling but it was so full of love and memories and it hurts so much now that he's gone. If I can think of a meme to make, I'll make one. It might help me feel better if I can do what I've done before and write a kind message of words I need to hear and put them on an image of a beloved character.

Sterling was a feisty fighter from the very beginning up until he couldn't anymore. Even through recovering from malnourishment, the time he sprained his paw, the time he bruised his chest, and the first time his brain issues surfaced and made us rush him to the ER vet, he fought and had so much attitude and spark packed into his little body like dynamite that he recovered every time. But this time he just couldn't.

Stay determined. I'm trying to. It hurts, but I'm trying.

❤️🧡💛💚🩵💙💜🩶🩶🩶

[pollymorgan]

Ex-Husband Negan Part 11

It was naturally impossible to keep the renewed relationship with my ex-husband a secret from our daughters. How could I? After all, we're talking about Negan, whom I had once again gotten involved with.

At some point, he showed up at our doorstep to surprise us. And it was with a trip to Mexico for the four of us. I had no idea where he got the money from again. But our girls were thrilled, and I knew we would never be able to hide our relationship for 10 days. So I was honest with them and hoped that this time it would really work, even though I was more than skeptical myself.

The hotel was stunning, a beautiful property with a huge spa area, and even the flight there was incredible fun. There's just nothing better than watching Negan make our daughters laugh. So I decided not to be a party pooper anymore and just enjoy this vacation with my family.

The first two days were spent soaking up the sun, enjoying the pool and the beach, and eating delicious food. Everything was perfect, and life felt so easy after everything that had happened in the past few weeks. The breakup with my ex-partner, the dispute over our shared house, the terrible atmosphere at work because Steve and I are colleagues on top of everything else, and finally the self-doubt I had for getting involved with Negan again. I often wondered, shouldn't I know better by now? But right now, those thoughts and worries were blown away, and it did wonders for my soul.

On the third day of our vacation, Negan wanted to go diving with Lizzie and Gracie. The mere thought of being dependent on a small oxygen device underwater terrified me. So I decided to stay at the hotel and treat myself to a day of wellness. My family tried to convince me to at least come along. After all, the trip was planned for the whole day, and they wanted me to overcome my fears. But all their coaxing didn't help. I was determined that nobody could get me to put my head underwater.

So I bid farewell to the three in the morning when they were picked up in front of the hotel, feeling a bit uneasy. But I knew Negan would take good care of our girls. He always had, without fail.

I made full use of all the spa offerings at the hotel throughout the day: massages, pedicures, manicures, facials... the whole shebang. It felt heavenly. When I got ready for dinner in the evening, I felt completely comfortable in my skin. I slipped into a short blue dress with white stripes, one shoulder bare. I styled my long dark hair slightly wavy, even though I knew it was probably futile due to the humidity and they would probably not look the same after five minutes.

After dinner, I decided to sit in the beach bar for a while and end my "me-day" there until my family returned.

I sat directly at the bar on a stool because I didn't want to occupy a whole table by myself. As I took a sip of my admittedly strong Caipirinha, I was glad I had eaten well beforehand. Otherwise, the drink would probably have gone to my head even faster than it already had. I took out my phone from my bag to sort through some vacation photos. I felt like I had already taken 1000 photos in the first two days. So I edited, deleted, and moved the pictures on my screen while enjoying my cocktail, lost in thought. When I came across a candid shot, I swiped as quickly as I could. Still, I glanced around quickly to see if anyone had just looked at my phone. Luckily, no one did, but my cheeks still heated up even more, from the alcohol and the heat.

Negan had taken a photo of me last night, giving him a blowjob. And I was so sure he had deleted it again. This guy! What was he thinking? After all, it was not unlikely that our daughters would also look at the pictures. Still, I couldn't help but smile.

Next to me at the bar sat a very elegantly dressed couple around my age. They caught my eye from the start, just like probably everyone else. Their light-colored clothes were perfectly coordinated and looked like they were from a fashion magazine. It wasn't over the top, just elegant and stylish. At some point, the lady left her place, and I looked up in surprise when I noticed the man moved a stool over after a few minutes and now sat next to me.

When I looked at him, his bright blue eyes met mine directly, surrounded by small laugh lines on his tanned skin. He raised his glass and toasted me. What a damn jerk! His wife had just left, and he was already flirting with the next person, and I thought, only one could be so bold...

So I tried to ignore him and focus back on my phone.

"So grumpy in such a beautiful place?" he suddenly asked, his voice sounding like that of an audiobook narrator. Was he actually one? An audiobook narrator? It somehow seemed fitting, but what do audiobook narrators typically look like? You don't see them often... Stop, why was I even thinking about this random stranger, about whom I knew nothing, except that his eyes resembled the ocean and he seemed like quite the jerk...

As a light breeze passed by, I caught a whiff of a woody, exotic scent of patchouli. The man not only had a great sense of style but also knew his perfumes.

"If the drinks weren't all-inclusive, I would have liked to invite you for one. Maybe..." I quickly interrupted him, "Sorry, I think you should find someone else or go back to your wife..."

He looked completely baffled. "My wife? I don't understand... Oh, you mean my sister Claire?! Who was just sitting here..."

I shook my head in annoyance. Sister? What a bold lie. Had Negan ever pulled something like that too? Passing me off as his sister...? The thought didn't seem too far-fetched.

The man beside me immediately sensed that I didn't believe him. "Claire and I are twins. We're here in Mexico because her daughter is getting married... My wife, well I mean... I've been a widower for almost a year. That's probably why my flirting skills are so rusty. Please excuse me!"

I saw his clear eyes slightly mist up in an instant. Oh man, how insensitive had I been? Had Negan's behavior already damaged me to the point where I saw the worst in every man? Feeling embarrassed, I turned to the stranger and apologized meekly. But luckily, the man didn't seem to hold it against me and grinned at me. I noticed how he subtly scanned me from head to toe in seconds. He did it skillfully, but I didn't miss it. However, it wasn't uncomfortable, on the contrary, it even boosted my ego a bit.

He introduced himself as Jacob, and after ordering another drink, we decided to take a seat at one of the tables to have a better conversation. What did I hope to gain from this? Nothing! Honestly, I hadn't thought about it. He just seemed like an interesting, open person, and I wanted to know more about him. After he had shared a bit about himself, without sounding arrogant, he asked me if I was here alone. I don't know why I hesitated for a moment before answering, but then I said, "No, here with my family..."

His face momentarily hardened, but then he smiled again, albeit not as naturally as before. "So, married...?" he inquired, leaning back in his chair to create more distance between us.

I looked at him thoughtfully and truthfully replied, "Well, it's complicated..."

He nodded as if he understood what I was trying to convey, even though I didn't quite get it myself. "Kids?" he asked instead.

"Two wonderful daughters and you?“ I grinned.

"A not always so wonderful son..." he laughed honestly and told me about some escapades of his offspring, which were all more or less harmless but damn funny.

Suddenly, I felt a hand on my shoulder that grabbed me somewhat roughly. Startled, I looked up and met Negan's dark eyes, which were glaring at me.

I felt caught, but caught at what exactly? After all, I was just having a conversation. Still, I automatically held my breath.

"Wow, looks like you're having a lot of fun... What's so funny here, my love? I want to laugh too..." he said, and his voice sounded even deeper than usual, sending a slight shiver down my body.

Jacob tried to say something to defuse the situation, but Negan immediately cut him off. "I'm talking to my wife, not with a George Clooney Double for the visually impaired..."

"Negan!" I scolded him sternly, although I had little hope that it would do any good.

Unfazed, he took a seat at the empty chair at our table, and I knew this whole situation was not going to end well...

I have a question. In what situations or flashbacks would you still like to see the two of them? Please give me some inspirations. Thank you for your feedback!🥰🤗