#i just self inserted my thoughts onto dia

[chiizumuuuu]

Mungkin hari ini bukanlah hari untuk dia masuk ke resto kecil.

Mungkin dia terlalu muda untuk mengerti tentang soal ini. Dirinya terlalu khawatir, seharusnya hari ini dia berpikir tentang masa-masa liburan.

Mungkin hari ini bukanlah hari untuk dia masuk ke resto kecil. Namun, hati berkenan lain. Jiwa ingin mati di tempat karena hati.

Hati akhirnya menunjuk satu gambar di atas kiri kertas. Gambarnya lucu dan simple, hanya menunjukkan sepiring nasi dan mangkuk dengan kuah coklat. Lalu, ia menunjuk satu gambar lagi di paling bawah kanan kertas. Gambarnya berupa suatu kemasan bening dengan tutup biru tua.

"Rawon ama Aqua, satu!"

Bapak di depannya teriak pesanannya layaknya dia punya karyawan, padahal ia bekerja sendiri. Suara-suara kompor, piring, dan segala itu semua menjadi suara pelengkap dari tempat yang sudah sunyi ini.

Dilihat-lihat, bapak itu masih muda, namun berjenggot tebal. Mungkin beliau baru berumur 30 atau 40-an. Kalaupun beliau tua dalam umur, semua itu disembunyikan dari topi dan kaos birunya.

Satu kata tidak keluar pun dari bapak itu saat beliau mengantarkan makanan dia. Kecuali satu tawa, "Sekolah, ya dek? Padahal masih jam berapa..."

Dikira-kira sekarang masih jam 5, azan subuh jauh tapi terdengar jelas dalam kesunyian udara pagi. Masih ada 1 jam dan 30 menit lagi untuk sekolah, ia berpikir.

Jiwa berteriak, "Aku dah bilang, ngapain kita makan di resto jam 5?! Dibilang gila ama orang-orang, tau gak?!"

Makanan di rumah terlalu dingin. Dia ingin sesuatu yang lebih hangat.

Mungkin tanpa sadar, bapak itu lanjut bicara tanpa pikir-pikir, "Orang bilang masa sekolah itu masa yang paling... apa ya, menyenangkan. Apalagi SMA, aku anak SMK sudah gak bisa ditolongkan lagi."

Tawa beliau menjadi lebih... pahit. Tak ada senang yang keluar dari mulut beliau.

Matanya terseret ke bapak tersebut. Mungkin ia merasa tertarik.

Jadi beliau lanjut, "Bapak dulu SMK masuk jurusan masak kuliner, karena dikira bapak bisa... explore passion bapak. Bapak dari dulu ampe sekarang suka masak."

Mata beliau membesar, "Jadi pada saat bapak lulus... bapak pengen kuliah, lintas jurusan ke marketing. Bapak pengen buka resto bapak sendiri yang sukses gitu! Punya skill masak, sekarang yang tertinggal hanya skill marketing dan management, kan?"

Dia menaik dan menurunkan kepalanya berkali kali. Setuju, ia bilang tanpa kata.

Tiba-tiba suara beliau mendalam, "...bapak ditolak dari semua universitas di Indonesia."

Dia tergeleng kepalanya. Semua kampus di Indonesia. Ditolak.

"Tak ada satu pun dari mereka semua mau menerima bapak, kenapa?! Karena bapak punya ijazah SMK!"

Ia makin tergeleng.

Bapak itu langsung bekerja tanpa kuliah. Banyak orang langsung kerja tanpa lulus program S1. Namun, SMK dibuat agar murid-muridnya dapat langsung bekerja. Tak papa, kan?

"Kan bapak tujuannya pengen buat resto bapak sendiri, alias bikin lapangan kerja sendiri, jadi kuliah atau gak sebenarnya sudah lewat buat bapak."

"Masalahnya itu... saat orang lain buka lowongan kerja, trus syaratnya bilang 'minimal lulusan S1', padahal kerjanya cuman ngegoreng pisang di jalanan," ia melihat bapak itu menyentuh keningnya.

Ngegoreng pisang. Lulusan S1 minimal.

Dia tahu lowongan kerja seperti itu. Banyak orang promosi di sosial media, namun syaratnya banyak yang dia tak bisa capai.

Minimal sudah kuliah

Multi skill

Good looking (bonus points)

Dia tak punya ketiganya.

Dia disini untuk sarapan, bukan untuk melanjutkan pikirannya yang buat ia tak tidur tadi malam! 

Hari ini memang bukan hari untuk dia masuk ke resto kecil ini, yang orang-orang saja jarang tahu ada pun! Dirinya terlalu khawatir dengan masalah yang seharusnya ia khawatirkan beberapa tahun nanti! 

Pandangan masyarakat lemah dan kuno! Masih terpaku dengan ijazah! Ijazah lebih penting daripada pengalaman seseorang dalam bekerja! Jika masih terpaku dengan ijazah, mengapa konsep SMK masih terbentuk sampai saat ini?! Mengapa membangun sekolah SMK, kalau murid-muridnya tidak punya kesempatan yang sama untuk kuliah dan bekerja dengan murid-murid SMA?!

Ayolah, dia sudah berpikir tentang ini malam tadi. Seharusnya ia memikirkan tentang masa liburan.

Dia sudah selesai. Matahari sudah terbit. Bapak tersebut menaruh piring kotornya ke dapur.

Setelah beberapa menit, bapak tersebut membuka mulutnya, "...maaf ya tadi, adek keliatannya stress."

Dia menggeleng kepalanya. Itu bukan masalah bapak, ia berpikir. 

"Bapak sering stress mikirin masalah sekolah dulu, jadi ngelihat adek jadi... gimana ya? Bapak beneran maaf ya, masalah bapak jadi ketimpa ama adek..."

Dia menjawab, "Gak papa. Saya sebenarnya perlu itu buat... introspeksi diri."

Beliau menggeleng kepalanya, muka terkejut. Ia mengangkat topinya, merapikan rambut keritingnya, "Adek ingin masuk SMK?"

Dia itu lucu. Ditanyain serius, bahunya diangkat. Entah, ia jawab.

Tawa kembali keluar dari mulut beliau, mengangkat topinya kembali, "Bapak ngeluh tentang masa sekolah bapak, tapi gak akan bapak larang seseorang mengikuti langkah bapak dulu..."

Suara beliau mengecil, tubuh beliau mendekati tingginya, "Sukses sekarang itu tentang mengambil kesempatan. Situasi seseorang bisa buruk, tapi dengan kesempatan, ia bisa mengubah itu."

Saat dia merasa sudah siap, bapak bertopi biru tersebut bilang dengan senyum manisnya, "Ambil kesempatan itu, ya dek."

Dunia ini tidak adil, ia pikir. Mungkin dia akan menemui solusinya nanti. Mungkin pandangan masyarakat akan berubah nanti.

Sekarang dia seharusnya sudah fokus dengan ujian, hari baru jam 6. Ada waktu untuk belajar.

"Oh ya, resto ini buka cuman dari jam 9 malam ampe jam 5 pagi. Jangan ke sini kalau mau makan siang, ya dek?"

Mungkin itulah kenapa orang-orang jarang tahu resto ini. Buka hanya pada saat orang-orang sedang di alam mimpi. Lumayan, padahal.

Saat kakinya berjalan meninggalkan resto tersebut, suara bapak itu masih terdengar jelas di telinganya, "Oh ya-- maaf ya dek karena tadi lagi, hati-hati ya jalannya!"

Pfft-- Sudah dimaafin, loh. Dia suka bapak tersebut. Siapa namanya, ya? Lupa nanya tadi.

Mungkin satu saat nanti.

[sinnoman]

the lack of reaction + emotion to MC’s choices via game is bothering me so… let’s talk about it.

tw: cursing, death, talks mental health and PTSD

i know that we all know that we love our nine demons, two angels, and shady ass sorcerer. but i wish solmare allowed MC to stop being so passive all the time. it’s a self-insert game, i should be allowed to be angry at times. example one, lesson one and lesson 20+:

“Welcome to the Devildom! Here you’ll be one of our only human exchange students where you’ll be forced to go to demon college and try not to die!”

huh? i don’t remember signing up for anything like that.

don’t get me wrong, Dia, honey, i think your dream to unite all three realms is amazing and i hope you accomplish it someday but come on. i didn’t even get a notice first!

what if i was using the bathroom before he summoned me, or at my dead grandmother’s funeral? or on a date? oh i’m sorry,. i didn’t know i just had to tell my date that it wasn’t going to work out because i was going to demon school now…

and that’s another thing to! imagine you just got your diploma for undergrad and now you’re being forced to go to school AGAIN for another year. however, you’re not learning anything that your diploma can help you with; it’s a whole new world.

“So not only have I been abducted, I’m being forced to go to school? What the fuc—”

honestly, i would have been so angry but more at the fact i can’t just willingly decline. and i know that defeats the purpose of the game but still. there’s so many things wrong with it. MC’s just willing to go along with it like it’s a normal everyday thing. no, baby, we were just kidnapped! put up a fight, bargain, do something!

i think i would have gone a little paranoid and burned out at first if it were real. not only have i been thrown into a new spiritual plane, i also have to make sure my grades are satisfactory to Lucifer’s taste. (the man is scary, okay? imagine him lecturing you because you have a D in one class. he would absolutely do this and i absolutely would cry.)

and then, when we come back you make me take test like all the other demons even though they’ve been there for centuries and i only a year.

example two and three, lesson 16+:

this an on and off conversation but i’m so mad that the brothers really didn’t care about us dying or basically pretended the whole belphie situation didn’t happen afterward.

you mean to tell me after i had brought your family closer together; constantly stuck up for all of you; and even managed to prove myself to you many many times; the minute i die your only reaction is a “Oh wow! There’s two [Name]s. Lucifer, do something.”

yet, when i start talking about your sister it’s celebrations all around. suddenly, the heavens have opened up and Jesus has descended back down to the human world again. (/j) all is good and all is great. it’s not as if i just saw my dead body in Mammon’s arms was a traumatic experience.

noooo, not at all…..

it just feels like MC is a replacement for Lilith, you know? i know that the boys have been through something traumatic themselves (they all need therapy) but to force actions and ideals onto MC just because they’re a descendant of her isn’t fair.

“Why do you prefer me more now that you know that I am related to Lilith?”

it’s a question that i think should be addressed but i know will probably never be addressed. however, you can really see the change in the dynamic between MC and the boys after the whole lilith reveal. hell, Lucifer even gave us a hug.

does this man look like he gives hugs?

i know that the boys love MC unconditionally (that’s their human) but you have to admit it’s a little backhanded.

the way Belphie goes through five stages of grief in three seconds after he murders us and i’m supposed to accept that he’s changed when he proposes to give me his pact mark?

i’m a little surprised that MC’s mental health hasn’t declined at all. or at least they aren’t a little doubtful about themselves. hypothetically speaking, i think it would have been better to build Belphegor’s relationship with MC from their instead of basically time skipping it and just throwing us a party.

anyway, whether emotional or not i still love obey me. its actually the only otome game i’ve kept on my phone for a long time (even longer than Mystic Messenger, which is like one of the holy trinities of otome games) although i criticized it i still know it’s just a game and that it shouldn’t be taken quite seriously.

i wanna hear your thoughts and opinions on this too. whether you agree or disagree or simply just don’t care. let me know.

[mxvladdy]

Urgh, okay, I have to send in a love letter as well. I was the anon who prompted about the 'emotionally guarded' MC, I too am still not over how beautifully you wrote it. :') It would be fascinating if you mind telling us more about your MC, if you'd like? Do you rp when you play or is it more like a self-insert for you? What's your MC like as a person?

Awww!!!  :D I’m so glad it lived up to your expectations fam! 

Let’s see... I kinda do a mix of rp and self-insert.

I have two OC’s now. One before the undateables were- well datable, and one after Diavolo was unlocked lol. 

My OG MC is named Odessa (they/them) and I love them to bits! (I’ll have to draw them some time or like a picrew)- they have mad heart eyes for Mammon.

 I actually downloaded the game after seeing Diavolo, Mammon, and Simone bc I haven't seen an otome game with more than one black character ever and was stoked. Was kinda bummed that Mammon was the only romanceable one at first. Not that I wasn’t gonna romance him! I love the tsundere trope- but I just thought I had more choices) 

Though ngl Lucifer is growing on me something hard rn; angsty boy aura and all that.  

Back on topic though lol. Odessa is a musician like myself and have/had a job before being yanked into the Devildom. As an only child, they love the chaos of living with the brothers, it’s just new and fresh to them.

Asmo and Levi are their absolute best friends, though they treat all the brothers kinda the same and appreciate spending time with them all equally. 

Basically, just a bright chipper person all around, tries to stay calm and get all they can out of this new experience.  

My second is Fabian (they/them) and is kinda what I wish I could be/ do in my own life. I also like to explore my own conflicted relationship with the Christian mythos and religion as a whole with this character (pretty much with the whole game too tbh). I have always wanted to be a concept artist and studio musician (one is more attainable to me than the other right now lol) so that’s what they do. But ye- they are self-employed and spend their time outside of the classroom, and brotherly shenanigans working hard on just “making it”. Much more relaxed and sporadic than Odessa. Fabian kinda latches onto Diavolo out of curiosity on his views of Christian and Aberhamic religious philosophy and just his role in it all. 

I find the political aspects that Diavolo could portray just really cool lol... also that royal aesthetic. 

But anyway, yeh- Dia and them just kinda vibe. They aren’t afraid of him and like to sneak him out of the castle when they know he needs a break. Also, he just seems kinda genuine, and kinda human compared to all the others (I have my own hc of his origins I could go into a whole ted talk on lmaoo)

But ye! That’s all I can think of on the top of my head. Ima be real with ya, I haven’t been playing much anymore bc it is just so hard for me to get good luck on the card drawing and leveling up just to pass levels. But I hop on for the text messages bc they are great!

Thanks so much for askin’!

Do you rp or self insert? I always like reading about other peps play styles and preferences! 

[arcticdementor]

I’ve lived through a few coups. They’re insane, random, and terrifying, like watching sports, except your political future depends on the score.

The kickoff begins when a key official decides to buck the executive. From that moment, government becomes a high-speed head-counting exercise. Who’s got the power plant, the airport, the police in the capital? How many department chiefs are answering their phones? Who’s writing tonight’s newscast?

…

On Thursday, news broke that two businessmen said to have “peddled supposedly explosive information about corruption involving Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden” were arrested at Dulles airport on “campaign finance violations.” The two figures are alleged to be bagmen bearing “dirt” on Democrats, solicited by Trump and his personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani.

Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman will be asked to give depositions to impeachment investigators. They’re reportedly going to refuse. Their lawyer John Dowd also says they will “refuse to appear before House Committees investigating President Donald Trump.” Fruman and Parnas meanwhile claim they had real derogatory information about Biden and other politicians, but “the U.S. government had shown little interest in receiving it through official channels.”

For Americans not familiar with the language of the Third World, that’s two contrasting denials of political legitimacy.

The men who are the proxies for Donald Trump and Rudy Giuliani in this story are asserting that “official channels” have been corrupted. The forces backing impeachment, meanwhile, are telling us those same defendants are obstructing a lawful impeachment inquiry.

This latest incident, set against the impeachment mania and the reportedly “expanding” Russiagate investigation of U.S. Attorney John Durham, accelerates our timeline to chaos. We are speeding toward a situation when someone in one of these camps refuses to obey a major decree, arrest order, or court decision, at which point Americans will get to experience the joys of their political futures being decided by phone calls to generals and police chiefs.

My discomfort in the last few years, first with Russiagate and now with Ukrainegate and impeachment, stems from the belief that the people pushing hardest for Trump’s early removal are more dangerous than Trump. Many Americans don’t see this because they’re not used to waking up in a country where you’re not sure who the president will be by nightfall. They don’t understand that this predicament is worse than having a bad president.  

…

Imagine if a similar situation had taken place in January of 2009, involving president-elect Barack Obama. Picture a meeting between Obama and the heads of the CIA, NSA, and FBI, along with the DIA, in which the newly-elected president is presented with a report complied by, say, Judicial Watch, accusing him of links to al-Qaeda. Imagine further that they tell Obama they are presenting him with this information to make him aware of a blackmail threat, and to reassure him they won’t give news agencies a “hook” to publish the news.

Now imagine if that news came out on Fox days later. Imagine further that within a year, one of the four officials became a paid Fox contributor. Democrats would lose their minds in this set of circumstances.

…

Leaks from the intelligence community most often pertain to foreign policy. The leak of the January, 2017 “meeting” between the four chiefs and Trump – which without question damaged both the presidency and America’s standing abroad – was an unprecedented act of insubordination.

It was also a bold new foray into domestic politics by intelligence agencies that in recent decades began asserting all sorts of frightening new authority. They were kidnapping foreigners, assassinating by drone, conducting paramilitary operations without congressional notice, building an international archipelago of secret prisons, and engaging in mass warrantless surveillance of Americans. We found out in a court case just last week how extensive the illegal domestic surveillance has been, with the FBI engaging in tens of thousands of warrantless searches involving American emails and phone numbers under the guise of combating foreign subversion.

The agencies’ new trick is inserting themselves into domestic politics using leaks and media pressure. The “intel chiefs” meeting was just the first in a series of similar stories, many following the pattern in which a document was created, passed from department from department, and leaked.

…

Russiagate birthed a whole brand of politics, a government-in-exile, which prosecuted its case against Trump via a constant stream of “approved” leaks, partisans in congress, and an increasingly unified and thematically consistent set of commercial news outlets.

These mechanisms have been transplanted now onto the Ukrainegate drama. It’s the same people beating the public drums, with the messaging run out of the same congressional committees, through the same Nadlers, Schiffs, and Swalwells. The same news outlets are on full alert.

…

Trump stands accused of using the office of the presidency to advance political aims, in particular pressuring Ukraine to investigate potential campaign rival Joe Biden. He’s guilty, but the issue is how guilty, in comparison to his accusers.

Trump, at least insofar as we know, has not used section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act to monitor political rivals. He hasn’t deployed human counterintelligence “informants” to follow the likes of Hunter Biden. He hasn’t maneuvered to secure Special Counsel probes of Democrats.

And while Donald Trump conducting foreign policy based on what he sees on Fox and Friends is troubling, it’s not in the same ballpark as CNN, MSNBC, the Washington Post and the New York Times engaging in de facto coverage partnerships with the FBI and CIA to push highly politicized, phony narratives like Russiagate.

…

I don’t believe most Americans have thought through what a successful campaign to oust Donald Trump would look like. Most casual news consumers can only think of it in terms of Mike Pence becoming president. The real problem would be the precedent of a de facto intelligence community veto over elections, using the lunatic spookworld brand of politics that has dominated the last three years of anti-Trump agitation.

CIA/FBI-backed impeachment could also be a self-fulfilling prophecy. If Donald Trump thinks he’s going to be jailed upon leaving office, he’ll sooner or later figure out that his only real move is to start acting like the “dictator” MSNBC and CNN keep insisting he is. Why give up the White House and wait to be arrested, when he still has theoretical authority to send Special Forces troops rappelling through the windows of every last Russiagate/Ukrainegate leaker? That would be the endgame in a third world country, and it’s where we’re headed, unless someone calls off this craziness. Welcome to the Permanent Power Struggle.

[1358456]

Review Response, June 9-15, 2019

Once again, I wasn’t at home yesterday so this got delayed, and once again that 1 day delay doesn’t change anything whatsoever.

... And whatever the hell happened to the horizontal line breaks?! Now I’m just manually making those lines with - like a sucker...

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Destiny #006

1) Oh shit I finished the chapter so quickly it felt like it only lasted a couple minutes (though I know it’s a lot longer, I just got too eager). In any case, I was super excited to see White in this chap! I can’t wait to have her and Black interact, I absolutely love the way you write them (just like with Ruby and Sapphire kek). Speaking of Ruby and Sapphire: the jealousy from Sapphire’s side was on point! And I cannot wait for Sapphire’s reaction to Ruby’s answer. Btw nice sort of cliff hanger on that one. And tbh I have no idea what Ruby would say. I feel like he might say no because of Sapphire and the whole mega stone or keystone thing whatchamacallit, but again I’m not sure. Also, no? Blue answer your calls from Red? He’s worrying about you, love. All you need to do is answer and boom! On your way to happiness! Well. Sort of. I guess. Baby steps. But anyways, Dia’s (and Pearl’s no kidding) was adorable. And it made my little shipper heart happy, so kudos to you for that. And also I think it was great how you wrote Platinum as still polite yet attached; regal even when literally lying unconscious a couple minutes prior. It was so like her, and it still amazes me how on point you write these characters. Though admittedly Blue is not how she is in the manga (but that’s sort of the whole point, so like that’s what’s ideal). And so although you stay true to their personalities, it’s also great that you kept in mind how things would affect certain people and changes they way they behave in accordance to that. So kudos to you for that too. Also, definitely NOT going to be happy meeting Peter again in this story. I know it’s going to happen, but I can only hope that the guy spying on Blue (whom I assume is Peter) will not do anything to her, and if so isn’t revealed as Peter. Simply because I just don’t want to put up with his douchebaggery. Oof my reviews are long, but I get so caught up in it that I can’t help myself. Thank you again.

I do like writing with Black and White. But unfortunately, they are just 2 of MANY Dex Holders, so they won’t be getting as much focus as you’d like, especially since they’re particularly high on my Preference List. Damn. That said, when there’s one, there’s always the other with these two. Inseparable!

Indeed. All Blue has to do is answer Red’s call and everything becomes just fine. Another parallel to Legacy, if you will. In Destiny, Blue ignored the calls out of her fears and thus sh*t happens. In Legacy, Blue answered the call, and thus she was able to attain true happiness! But Destiny is the “mid-point” between SA and Legacy. The “mid-point” of the pairing shift. Blue’s progression towards Red has to be a gradual one.

Oh, Platinum. She must always retain her elegance, even if she had just gotten absolutely stomped a minute prior. That’s what makes her... her, you know?

Blue’s character traits of melancholy and depression (when alone) is mostly canon, but her steps towards rampancy is a... personality extrapolation given the canon. If she was to be pushed a certain way, how would she react? That kind of thing.

I’m loving your long reviews! But I do notice that it’s been a month since you started Destiny, and this is chapter 6. Out of 43. ... Hmm...

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Wings #001

1) Hello, hello! Right from the start, this story was surprising to see since I remembered that you said that you didn't like these sorts of high school AU things. I've only seen bits and pieces of this story being mentioned, but I didn't expect this sort of thing! The start was amusing; I found it funny how Y was paying attention to the way she looked, but by the end, I understand y now, and I feel sorry for the poor chap that ruined her reputation already.

Hey, you started on Wings! Yay!

Yep, I absolutely detest high school AU stories. But only because they’re all mostly the same thematically. Wings aims to avoid every single one of those common themes.

1) Self insert: I am not putting in “myself” with a disguise of the main character in a high school AU to “relive” high school but with my desired outcomes. No. Y in Wings is nothing like me. In fact, I’m basing Y’s aggression based on a web comic series I’ve seen years ago. And my high school “outcomes” were mostly identical to my desires anyways, so... meh.

2) Unpopular girl main character: My understanding of the main characters in “those high school AUs” is that the girls are always like timid and unpopular and gets bullied by the “pretty and popular” mean girls until the main character eventually triumphs once the “popular guy” falls in love and... blech. ... What do you think will happen in Wings if the “pretty and popular” mean girls were to bully Y? Yeah. Wings is nothing like those types of stories.

3) Romance: Y doesn’t give a f*ck about love in Wings. Some “cute popular” boy makes a move on her, she gives him the finger and then walks away. The end.

4) “(Name) is a normal girl attending high school and-”: ... Y is not normal. Yes, she wants a normal high school life, but literally right off the bat, I smashed that wish because Wings cannot be remotely similar to any of “those high school AUs”.

And on and on.

I’m glad you thought it was amusing! Wings is intended to be purely for fun. Especially later on as more shenanigans happens.

... But I’m curious that you’re leaving a GUEST review, instead of the signed one, currently with the ID of... er... ... keyboard mashing. Hmm...

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Wings #002

1) It's nice to see the Kalos group coming together! I still haven't finished reading the XY arc of the manga, but it's nice to see Y and Shauna's interactions. I like how you gave a brief insight to Shauna's life in her middle school years; getting bullied sucks, and it must have been hard for her if she prefers to be friends with someone who is viewed negatively and lowers her own reputation down, rather than increasing the chances of getting bullied again. Maybe I'm just overthinking this, but it's still nice! And for X...dang, I feel sorry for him...salt and pepper in his eyes and mouth? That was extreme. Overall, a pretty great chapter! It was amusing from the way X and Shauna unintentionally contributed to lowering Y's reputation in her classroom, and to watch Y beat up intimidating students was funny to imagine.

Yep. Y and Shauna will be one of those “BFFs”, but... not really like those. I have to retain Shauna’s canon personality, which is a bit... sarcastic? So she’ll have a more “cool” friendship with Y instead of those “omg hug” types or whatever. F*ck those.

Hmm... Shauna having a bad middle school experience is not really intentional, but it does make sense, if you think about it like that. But it could also be that Shauna just finds hanging out with Y to be amusing.

X getting salt and pepper poured into his face is LOOSELY based on what I went through in high school, where some prick randomly poured a packet’s worth of salt on my head (getting all that damn salt out of my hair took absolutely forever), and so I took revenge by emptying at least 30 packets of salt and pepper into a sheet of paper and then pouring all that into his hair the next day. So... poor me, poor that kid, and poor X. Hehe.

Oh, there will be more instances of Shauna inadvertently worsening Y’s reputation, with real and fake stories. But Y won’t really mind since it’ll already be too late. There’s no turning back with her reputation now.

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Wings #003

1) Like a bolt from the blue, it's time for a (ratherlatethanintended) review! I really missed the way you write and how you describe everything in detail. Really helps me visualize everything! I know that's the point of writing, but your writing style is effective since I tend to zone out whenever I read something too long. Plus, the way you have each chapter structured keeps things interesting. My interest in piqued with each passing chapter! I'm thoroughly enjoying this story so far.

Okay onto the chapter itself! I like how Grace is supportive of Y's choices even when her daughter's being really violent in school, though perhaps it's because Grace was a delinquent herself when she was younger? Maybe?

And the way X behaves and reacts whenever Y is around is both amusing and sad. Very traumatic for him I'm sure. I do hope that his and Y's relationship as friends improve as chapters go by.

Faitsu and Crystal finally appears so I'm happy about that! I hope more familiar faces appear soon! Speaking of which, I felt like the teacher at the end of chapter 1 could turn out to be someone we know, but I don't know if that's just me. (It's not at all possible due to your preferences, but I keep thinking it's Green, even though he's in the void of nonexistence.)

Getting decked in the face by a soccer ball...hah. What a way to meet your future teammate! ...assuming she ends up joining the soccer club that is.

Overall, a great chapter! I like how lively everyone is, even the nameless students!

Ehehe... thank you! I’m glad you’re enjoying this deviation of a story of mine. After all, I’d never make another high school AU, ever, and this is the only one, so... it’s quite the deviant.

My thoughts on Grace is that she’s kind of a cool mother. ... Though I think that’s more... er... non XY arc. Hmm... Well, like mother like daughter... right?? Hehehe...

Oh, X and Y will be GOOD friends as time passes! Can’t have Y stressing out the poor boy, now can I? He will certainly prove to be a good supportive friend, though... not physically supporting (later on).

Faitsu and Crystal (and Black, technically) have appeared! More and more familiar faces will appear and be mentioned as time passes, of course. In fact, most everyone will be in Wings. Red, Blue, Gold, Crystal, Diamond, Pearl, Platinum, Black, White, Faitsu, X, Y, Sun, and Moon! ... Even Sword and Shield, if Wings lasts long enough. ... So... no, Green is not in Wings, since he has been banished into the void for eternity.

Yep. Decked in the face. And bloodshed. Real hard to get by ONE day without bloodshed, eh? Hehehe.

I look forward to seeing your review for the 4th chapter!

[geneshaven]

Arrow, Season 6 (Threads of Discord)

The following breakdown of Season 6 has been churning around in my addled brain since 623 ended two weeks ago, and today I felt compelled to bring it out into the light of day.  I am not agreeing or disagreeing with anybody else’s take on the season. I’m only putting it down in black and white, because quite frankly, it’s a way for me to make sense of what was served up to us this season. I was left with some discombobulated thoughts and feelings when 623 was over, so much so that the next night I felt an immediate need to write a fic, (The Distance Between Two Hearts, *plug, plug*) to give everything  a happy ending and to help it all go down smoother. So, here is my final take on the Season as a whole.

When Lian Yu blew up at the end of Season 5, the writers of Arrow left a few storylines up in the air; mainly, Oliver and Felicity and their momentum of getting back together. A lot of fans just assumed it was a done deal. They kissed. They hugged. They made a promise to one another that after the smoke cleared; they would talk about being in each other’s lives again. (I’ve thought recently that the visual of Lian Yu exploding into larger fireballs could be a great summation of Season 6.)

So, hiatus came upon us in the summer of 2017 and the writers tried to pull a fast one, leaving all our beloved characters fates up in the air via a lame cliffhanger. Oliver saved William from Chase’s clutches. Samantha was killed, giving life to one of the plot lines for Season 6. Thea was caught in the explosions, blasted into a coma; a colossal waste of her character and of Willa’s acting abilities. John was injured, setting up yet another ill-conceived plot line for Dig. The Newbies---well, they survived, but a lot of fans might have wished they were blown up. Quentin survived, only to be killed off after stringing him and us along with a lunatic fringe thing with Black Siren---another waste of a good character and actor. And Felicity? Of course she would survive. But how did she survive? A really great potential scene was wasted by the writers not having Oliver searching for and finding the love of his life safe and in need of a hug. She was last seen running for cover; then after five months of hiatus, she reappeared at the Bunker with food orders from Big Belly Burger for the guys. There was a brief scene with her and Oliver alone in the Bunker, with UST hovering over them like an image of the salmon ladder calling out to them. Instead, they danced around each other and gave us an ever briefer talk about William, how they had agreed to stay apart in order for the boy to adjust to his new life. “Not tonight, another night,” Felicity promised Oliver. Had that been going on for five months? Were cold showers to be the norm for them in the unforeseeable future?

It was not to be, and plot took the lead over character for the bulk of the season. As a result, the stories were paper thin and patience thin.

To be fair, not all the episodes were terrible. There were a handful that had glimmers of promise. 603 and Olicity finally coming back together with one big kiss was pretty okay. 604 is a front-runner for me, coming in as a favorite episode. It was a rare example of character over plot, which is why it worked so well. Having Oliver and Felicity switch places, (due to another plot driven story line of Oliver giving up being the Green Arrow and passing the torch on to John) with Felicity out in the field and Oliver taking up the Overwatch mantle---it was inspired writing. Yet, having John in the Green Arrow suit and leading the charge, as well as turning him into a drug addict; it was so out of tune, sending the fandom into a tail-spin. And the Newbies? Didn’t they get blown up?

So after 604, we got some filler episodes, giving the writers more time to strengthen their plots. Slade Wilson and his mission to save his son, and dragging Oliver along with him was not a good idea, story wise. I always liked Slade Wilson’s character; the good and the bad. But the writers missed another chance to send him out with a good and final story.

We got a very brief look at Oliver getting arrested in 607, on Thanksgiving no less. It would come back to haunt everybody in 623.

The Crossover. Nazi’s. Doppelgangers. Evil Oliver as the Fuhrer. Supergirl as Eva Braun. Felicity as a victimized Jew. Quentin as the Gestapo.  The WestAllen wedding ceremony and the destruction it suffered. Whoever paid for the event probably felt the economic hurt more than the invasion. It would have been more believable than the racist crap MG and AK came up with.

Then at the end, it was a shout-out to Oliver telling Barry guys like them don’t get the girl. They were married to their loves, side by side in an impromptu ceremony. Okay, because I am an Olicity shipper, it was good to see them happy and all in with their love for one another. No rings, no wedding apparel and no vows. Just a beautiful fall day by a lake. It worked for some and was a travesty for others.

Olicity’s reception in 609 took some of the sting away from their unconceivable double wedding. We got a lot of pretty, (Oliver and Felicity dressing up) an ill-advised toast from Rene, (Rene, really? If I were John, I would have been pissed by that demotion) music and dancing, cake-cutting and bouquet-throwing---and god help us; the Hoffman’s.

So 610, to the end of the season, was nothing short of the worst writing to ever find its way onto the show. It was a flight of fancy and preference for Marc and Wendy. The whole civil war thing between OTA and NTA---how could they think that would be entertaining? And killing off Cayden James, who had the potential of being a good villain and replacing him with Ricardo Diaz---it was the writers shooting themselves in the foot and the fans in the back. Rene shooting at Felicity and taking an axe to Oliver, Curtis intentionally hurting John to get intel and Dinah just generally pissed at everyone---it was all a swirling, nauseating mess of WTF.

Then John and Oliver throwing each other around the Bunker like kids in a schoolyard? John brings out some pent-up resentments and disapprovals over Oliver’s leadership abilities. Really? It was just more piling on on Oliver to keep the plot going. Oliver is now a husband and a father, and maybe even a role model. He has earned all that makes his life full, through blood, sweat and tears. He has virtually erased the angry, violent juggernaut we all met in Season 1. He doesn’t deserve to be blamed for everyone else’s short-comings and issues. It was just backwards writing all around.

Diaz. One big yawn. A non-threatening blow-hard who’s only real menace was being a big whiner and killing you with annoyance. I’m still shaking my head that he is coming back for Season 7.

About Season 7. Marc, Wendy and a large part of their toxic writing staff are gone. A new showrunner (Beth) is in place, along with a new, mostly female writer’s room. Do we get more character and less plot? Can they do enough damage control to salvage the mess they inherited? I hope so. Will Diaz meet an early demise; say in the first act of 701? Will Oliver be released from prison by some lawyerly trickery? Will the Newbies get blown up? Okay, I didn’t want to push things too far.

Thea and Lance are gone (insert tears here.) But Roy is coming back, and there are rumors of an Olicity baby. The Big Bad? Well, a litter of kittens would be scarier than Dias. And cuter too.

Five months. Damn. Maybe I will rewatch Season 6, you know, to pass the time.

Just kidding. I’m not into self-torture.  

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