#i thought i'd at least get a cut scene with the character afterwards

[flowerofenigmas]

Maskless Mark x black male reader

An: Not a lot of black reader fics for Invincible, especially not male ones, so I thought I'd do it myself. The next post will most likely be either an Invincible X Tamaranean reader or a self-indulgent Genshin Self insert post. Or the secret THIRD option: an invincible self-insert post.

CW for major character death (reader), angst, and mild gore.

"Where's Mark, Y/N? You were supposed to drop him off an hour ago."

It was a simple question, one you could've answered easily. Amber and Mark had a bit of a falling out, you two talked for a bit after, and then he went to see Eve. An easy sequence of events to relay.

But the real question was if you wanted to.

You had never seen Omni-man so pissed, especially towards Mark. If you told him where Mark went, would he be safe afterward? You could do that to someone.

Especially not someone you love.

Omni-man's finger gripped the side of your car door, threatening to dent it. "Answer the question, Y/N. Where is Mark?" The words came more impatient and stern than the last, with the 'hero' leaning closer to you and maintaining firm eye contact. Your heart was beating so hard you swore it would just leap out. It raced faster when you noticed the blood on his fingers.

Even still, you couldn't betray Mark.

"He and Amber had a bit of a falling out...?" You murmured, voice small as you gently tugged on a loc. "And uh- he went to the mall to cool off and, um..."

Thunk.

There was now a hand shaped indent in the roof of your car. Omni-man knew you were lying, and his patience with you was near gone.

"One last chance, Y/N. Where. Is. Mark?"

You panicked.

Without a second thought, you slammed your foot down against the pedal and sped off. The roof of your car was now beyond repair and the side was now heavily scratched. You didn't care, though.

You didn't get far.

You were violently dragged out of your car, one side now cut from glass and metal and your neck held in a tight grip.

You were given a chance.

And you wasted it.

But at least it was on love.

The last thing you saw was Omni-man's fist pulling back to punch you.

Crunch.

The scene Mark had returned to was gruesome, to say the least.

Not much in the traditional sense, as it was one person, but to him, it was.

One person lay dead on the street, neck nearly twisted off and face caved in beyond recognition, but Mark knew who it was.

Brown skin. Long black locs. A Seance Dog hoodie that once belonged to him.

It was you.

"I know how much he meant to you, Mark, but you have to understand that our mission is much more important than the life of one person."

Mark didn't look back to his father; he didn't even acknowledge him. Right now, he was focused on you. The life you could've had. The gifts he had wanted to give you. Your plans to go 'hang out' later. He could've had everything with you, but it was taken from him.

You were dead, gone, and yet still he raised a hand to reach out to you.

Omni-man flew closer to Mark, placing a hand on his shoulder. "He was holding you back, son. With him around, you would've never helped me conquer Earth. He needed to go. If you're so distraught, then you can get another pet later. Right now, you need to-"

"You're right, Dad. I wouldn't have ever conquered Earth for Viltrum with him around." Mark interrupted as he finally stopped reaching out. "But after what you did? I don't want you here."

Mark finally turned back to face his father, eyes hollow and numb. "I can see the future, and you don't live to see tomorrow."

It was quiet.

He was finally quiet.

He was heartless, so Mark made sure that he fit that descriptor.

A giant hole in the chest of his 'father.'

He'd never have to listen to him again.

His mother had been killed not that long ago by his 'father.' His friend- no, not friend, you were more than that to him. His everything was killed by him, too. And now his 'father' was dead, leaving poor Mark alone.

He had gotten revenge. Revenge for his mother, revenge for you. But he didn't feel any better.

You were gone.

And he didn't feel any better.

Just empty.

Empty and angry.

Why did everyone else get to live so carefree while you had to die? It wasn't fair.

He'd make it fair.

Tell me if anything is off with the tags or if there are any spelling mistakes.

[penny-the-pissed-poltergeist]

This is it, RWBY volume 3 finale, The end of the beginning rewatch thoughts, RWDE/Critical opinions ahead

.The fight between Cinder and Ozpin is really cool, I just wish it lasted longer and didn't cut away from Oz losing. (Also why didn't Oz use the cane nuke he used on the whale here? Not like anyone else could get caught in the blast)

.Kinda weird that we can still see red on Yang's stump, does nobody have medical supplies to at least bandage it? I'd assume not doing that's a bad idea

.Weiss is not just going to let Ruby throw her life away like that

.Jaune is trying to let Pyrrha do that too but Pyrrha thinks she has to...

.I've decided I only like Jaune when they aren't trying to make him a main character

.And then he destroys the one thing he could use to do the one thing he was told to, god damn it

.Something tells me Cinder knew Pyrrha was coming

.I feel like both me earlier and the FNDM in general overstate how well Pyrrha did against Cinder, Don't pretend like she's not getting her shit rocked here

.The way it's cut makes it look like Pyrrha turned her back to Cinder after throwing her shield for no reason

.Pyrrha's death scene is really haunting and effective regardless of how I feel about how her death was handled afterward

.And now we get to the deus ex machina that is the first Silver Eyes activation. I KNOW they were set up before.... with one line 2/33 episodes ago without any other real hint after that if I'm remembering right? (Do correct me if I'm wrong)

.I really don't like bringing up Monty's name because a lot of the time it's either really tacky or being used a weapon against whatever side of the FNDM/HTDM you don't like, but both Silver eyes and everything to do with Raven are the two things I'm 100% sure would have been very different under Monty. I doubt he would've put in what amounts to a "skip cool fight" button.

.Also really cool how they set up a fucking awesome grimm dragon and then have it do almost nothing then half die

.The Doylist reason for the CCT working the way it does is literally just so nobody on the main cast can call Blake or Weiss post split up. I have no idea why else they would set it up that way.

.Seeing them next to each other again really shows how Ruby looks nothing like her dad, Summer might as well have reproduced via budding

.Why does Tai have to leave, personal beef or some shit?

.Qrow, how the fuck did you know that?

.Cinders trail "Leads back to Haven" sounds like a good way to get the heroes to go to the next kingdom but it's not like they do anything in regards to looking into it when they get there

.Why is Ruby so shocked by Weiss's dad taking her home, Jacques is a shitty dad but what dad wouldn't rush to get their kid out of war zone full of death monsters?

.You might try to justify the CCT thing with these line about people not trusting atlas but that doesn't really go anywhere.

.Yang reacting to... everything that happened to her is handled really well

.I really wish they didn't just skip past everyone else's reactions to Pyrrha's death and their recoveries.

.Why are RNJR going on foot? Cars and Trains and Ships all exist, why not use one of those.

.Tai can never avoid woman leaving him, can he? First both of his wives and now his daughter.

.Raven, please talk to your Daughter like a normal person

.Weiss: Why is my father 2D (Jacques hits her with his infinitely sharp hand, killing her instantly)

.On one hand, the narrator being the main villain the whole time and her whole speech goes so fucking hard, on the other... How is Salem talking to Ozpin? Was she just talking to herself here, then what was the volume 1 chapter 1 narration? Does this mean she canonically the one talking in multiple world of remnant episodes? Am I thinking about this to hard... the answer to the last one is yes.

.Holy shit... the guy called Qrow... can turn into a crow

[sugar-grigri]

"Sorry, but I didn't want denji's first time to be in an alley after being afraid of having his dick cut off" to be honest, most people's first sexual experiences aren't ideal either.

Also everyone thinks that Yoru jacked him off when...I'm pretty sure she just had her hand down there, and that contact + the kissing made Denji cum? I don't know, I think Fujimoto would've shown some movement down there to indicate masturbation, but there was none.

I also think that while, yes, the scene was awful for everyone involved (Denji, Yoru *and* Asa) I...don't believe it was non-consensual, at least on Yoru's and Denji's part. Like, Denji even reciprocated at some points. (There is a conversation to be had about that people sometimes DO reciprocate under the pressure in some rape scenarios but...i don't feel this is one of those cases). I think Denji was just confused about Yoru going from "I'm going to cut off your dick" to tenderly kissing him. As a final thought, I seriously don't think Fujimoto did this for the lulz or to be edgy. You do not devote 7 pages of your 16 page issue just to shitpost. This is a very serious chapter, that will have lasting repercussions on Yoru's, Asa's, and especially Denji's character arcs

I'll get back to you Anon but I think I'll stop talking about it afterwards, not that it's not exciting but there's no point in confronting two interpretations to make them agree, we have the right to disagree

- I agree that first times aren't ideal, and I didn't expect Denji to have the best sex session of his life. I wanted him to experience it under the right conditions. These are not good conditions. I'd like him to understand that sex can be a consensual act, between two equal parties.

- The chapter is long, the title is super smoochy, which indicates that it's not a kiss, a hand rub, we have a strong number of pages where they kiss, it lasted a while. And whether it's masturbation or not, it has no impact on my interpretation. In fact, it's quite subsidiary. It's still a sex scene, no matter what we decide about what they're doing.

- I’m sorry but I don't understand how this scene can be interpreted as consensual. You've developed your own reasons, but I'm sorry, Asa wasn't even able to express her will, and I don't think it was really her will. She may have desire, which affects Yoru. But she didn't want to help Denji in this way.

- As for the last point, I've analyzed this chapter like all the others, and I take it seriously. When I talk about subversiveness, it's because there is one, and Fujimoto isn't a smooth author or a genius on every level, constantly. I don't know what he's going to do with this scene, and even if I'm confident, I hope for a good exploitation, I didn't give him my life, I'm waiting to see and hope he didn't do it to be edgy

But you know, I think Fujimoto is well aware of how to get people talking about his work, and he also likes to attract attention with wtf pages. WTF moments that make sense and can be analyzed. And that's what I like about him. But he also knows how to disturb. And he rather likes it.

If anyone knows what his work looks like and what people will say about it, it's him. His OS are the answers!

Denji is him. Denji loves the attention. And he likes people to fight for him.

Fujimoto likes to refuse to give us what we want to see. It's candid. I like that about him.

[alicepao13]

Hudson and Rex S02E02 - Over Ice

Eh, yes that definitely needs to be under the cut because it's long.

It feels wrong that this show had an ice skating episode before a hockey episode lol

"You should keep your dog on the carpet. It's slippier than it looks". He has four legs. And claws.

Charlie and Sarah are flirting over the body again. This is unacceptable (please continue). And we learn about Sarah's figure skating past.

"Who's afraid of little old me?"

The mom was so annoying for most of the episode.

"Enjoying" figure skating.

In the first couple of seasons there must have been about a dozen references about Jesse never going home.

I remember I had a lot of trouble finding the killer in this one. They all seemed very suspicious.

So it's not illegal to be in possessions of steroids, you just get in trouble if you use one while competing for stuff?

Julia's confession to Sarah is a nice scene. And I like Sarah's subtle reaction and support. It's not anything too dramatic, or shallow, and I honestly don't understand why some of the audience react the way they did (imdb reviews can give a hint). Not to mention that this episode gets "wokeness warning" (I can't think of any other way to put it) in backwards countries like... the US. Do you know how ridiculous it is for an episode with a minor trans character to be treated like that in the US while in countries that are a hundred years back in social issues like Greece no one bats an eye? Eh, a lot. (In Greece it aired in a major free broadcasting network and was a bit before legislation protecting trans people had passed, so I thought that we'd be the ones to cut it or we'd remove stuff in the subtitles. We didn't cut it and the subtitles were normal, plus that season was repeated like 3-4 times.)

Sarah: "I'm not a cop". You're not a cop now. In S4 you will be carrying a badge and gun.

Ah, the freezer, finally.

I am simultaneously happy and sad that this shipper moment happened so early. Happy because it was well made and if you don't put crumbs early enough, then who's going to ship it? And sad because, well, imagine this happening in S4 for example. It would have been so good and it would have been laced with an extra layer of angst.

No but Charlie was very quick to panic.

Charlie: Rex, open the door buddy! || Rex: Once again, Charlie, I don't have thumbs.

I love Charlie's detailed instructions to Rex. Sir, he's a dog. You're lucky he actually knew where to go for help. And I have to note that the most helpful suggestion came from Sarah.

Work never ends, not even when you're trapped in a freezer.

Getting to the good stuff. Couples whump, yes please.

How can anyone claim that they weren't meant to be a couple like???

"I guess I peaked early." "Hardly".

Meanwhile, Rex is trying to find the right people who will understand that when he's without Charlie, Charlie is in trouble.

Sharing body heat (and coat).

Jesse: Rex, wait up! || Rex: No, my humans are in danger! Can't those two legs of yours go any faster?

Oh, you know, just chilling.

And then Charlie asks Rex what took so long? I'd have left and locked the door again. Joking, Charlie thanks him afterwards. Just globber him in saliva, Rex, that will show him.

Random thoughts: Charlie's arm around Sarah. Also Jesse dying from all the running in the back, and no one paying attention to him lol

S4!Charlie would have at least knocked Lucas unconscious for locking him and Sarah in the freezer. At least Rex bit him and threw him on the ground.

The following interrogation scene is lookwarm and they don't mention the fact that Lucas tried to kill two more people after that. The jury is not going to like the fact that he moved the body afterwards? What about trying to kill two cops?

I like the ending scene. It ends on a high note. As for the "wokeness", just as I remembered, it doesn't present anything other than that trans people exist. It doesn't make any statements. So, I'm confused by people's reactions yet again.

[cacklingskeleton]

Alien Romulus Nitpicks

ok so I've now seen Romulus twice and have been able to get my thoughts together

overall I'd say Romulus is a good movie, and might be the best movie in the series since Aliens (or at least the first AvP movie)

but has some problems that hold it back from being as good of a modern sci-fi horror movie as something like Nope or Prey

Really I think the movie has three main problem

The Cast:

So I think the characters are fine but aren't super memorable compared to some of the other movies outside of maybe Andy.

One problem is that having Andy being the only black person in the main cast creates an uncomfortable racial tension that im going to assume was somewhat unintentional. With the way Andy is treated in the film it makes the dynamic a little uncomfortable, and i think this would have been negated by casting another black person as at least one of the other characters.

The other thing is that everyone is too young, I think with the story they were trying to tell about people being stuck on a dead end mining planet, having the main cast be all young and conventionally attractive kinda undercuts that a bit. I don't think they all should have been older, but I do think aging some of the characters up or adding an older character would have helped. It would have given the sense that multiple generations have been stuck in this colony.

Rook:

So if I could just change one thing about this movie, I would cut Rook out of most of the movie. His inclusion feels really clunky and unnecessary, and most of his dialogue could have just been inferred naturally. Really feels like a "show don't tell" situation to me. Also the facial cgi doesn't look good and I really wish hollywood would stop using it to portray dead actors.

I would have made his last appearance be the scene where they activate him to ask about the facehugger, but I would have not shown his face and only imply he's the same model as Bishop. I also would have cut a little bit of his exposition in that scene. Afterwards the audience would figure out slowly that Andy has changed along with the characters.

The References:

There's way too many references to the older movies. Some of them are cute but after a while they get a little cringey and keep the movie from feeling like its own film. I'd cut the "stay away from her you bitch" and the final message references at least. I liked how they used the black goo in this movie, I'd just cut Rook's lines like I mentioned earlier. I also like how the Offspring is somewhat of a reference to the Newborn from Resurrections.

Just as the film is, I think a director's cut would help the film a lot, as even though its a two hour movie it doesn't feel like it. Hopefully since most of the other films got one, Romulus will when released on dvd.

[missizzy]

A Game Novice's Baldur's Gate 3 Log, 3 1/2 Hours In: I would like to rage; is that really so complicated?

(Note: this will definitely contain spoilers for all I've played through, and probably quite a bit of the later stuff I've also seen.)

It has now been two weeks since I purchased Baldur's Gate 3 and started a playthrough attempt, despite my not really having enough experience for that. Previously, I had struggled to get the game, and then struggled with lag, but actually not with the gameplay all that much. I spent the week attempting more things to reduce the lag. Friday night, I found myself thinking they might have all helped a little, but two days later I'm no longer so sure.

It may have not helped that after a week and a half of not playing, I had lost track of where the helm of the nautoloid ship was, and so wandered a little more around the ship before realizing the entrance had been right behind us. That did at least result in my looting a few more things I'd missed earlier.

I had already watched one streamer reach the helm. He had chosen to linger to fight Commander Zhalk in order to get Lae'zel his sword, and I had watched him fight and struggle, but hadn't seen the end of that scene. So I actually didn't know the combat would end-as would all activity on the ship-as soon as someone reached the transponder.

I would have played through it differently if I had known. At the very least, I would've done more looting! But instead, especially with Lae'zel urging it, after an initial turn of them killing imps, I just sent her and Shadowheart running for the transponder as fast as dashing would take them.

Sara, on the other hand, I tried to activate rage for. There was a visual effect when I click for it, the effect didn't seem to stay up, leaving me unsure if it had stuck. She'd done it at the end of her turn, and while in D&D, it would've stayed had someone attacked her, I fear that here, it dropped before the imps could. Just in case it had, I had her lingering to attack whoever came into her range. She also did loot an onyx stone while she was at it.

When the sequence of cut scenes was far enough underway for me to realize my error, I briefly thought I should reload. But as I watched that truly spectacular sequence, even the lag not affecting it too much, I found myself feeling like I shouldn't. By the time I had passed over shots of characters vaguely familiar from other people's streams and watched Sara fall to earth, I felt like that part of the story had now happened to her, and it wouldn't be right to go back and try and rewrite it.

Also, I realized afterwards, I didn't know what key to press to reload anyway. Homework before I resumed yesterday included looking that up. Also looking up how rage worked in the game, but that didn't help me as much.

I resumed to more lag. It made the scene where Sara woke up Shadowheart borderline painful. We lingered around the beach to try to loot the various corpses, though they didn't have much on them. When I read the letter on the fisher from his sweetheart with their plans to run together, I left it on him. It would've been too sad to take it away.

I tried to make Sara rage again when we ran into more imps, and this time made sure to do it right before she attacked. I figured that would have to make it stick. The battle didn't last long enough for me to be sure it had, though. After meeting Astarion and leveling up, I decided to call it for the day.

When I resumed this morning, my first thought was to find Gale. I'd seen his first being found, but the speedrunning streamer I was watching then accidentally killed him instead of freeing him. Also, I hadn't paid close enough attention to know which direction to go in. And I went in the wrong one, and instead came to the entrance of the Emerald Grove, requiring me to do the goblin fight with only three people in my party.

I may have bungled it during that fight, too. The three of us did at least take down the bugbear, but Wyll and the NPCs killed most of the rest on their own. I never even got Sara in melee with anyone, which meant she couldn't rage without losing her needed ability to throw firebolts.

It still felt awkward to then use the waypoint to effectively go backwards to where we'd started, but while I'm willing to let loot go, I was very determined to at least get Gale. But I was tired enough of it I cheated and looked up exactly where he was. Even then, I fumbled trying to get to said coordinates, initially getting convinced we had to break through the locked door. And then I couldn't figure out how to get Astarion to pick the lock. I walked him right up to him, clicked multiple times, even went into his inventory, right-clicked on his thieves tools, and selected "Use." No result. Then I consulted the map for a way around, clicked on the trail above the rocks to get the party to go there, and watched Sara stride right past the telltale sigil on her way to where I'd clicked.

Knowing Gale could get killed at this point, I was tempted to further cheat and look at how to safely extricate him. But ultimately, I didn't have to, at least once Sara critted on her strength check and pulled him out easily. The dice roll lag wasn't even too painful. The ensuing interaction lag, on the other hand, was very annoying. Though it did give me time to admire Gale's looks, and also Sara's reaction to him. It might be my imagination, but I swear she looked flustered. She might be feeling a little something for two of her party members so far.

Except I've got the uneasy feeling I should've retrieved Lae'zel already, and by then I was genuinely tempted to go back to the Emerald Grove without doing so. Which I took as a sign I was done for the day again, so I continued only long enough to level Gale up. For his two new spells, I took burning hands and Tasha's hideous laughter. I don't know if the latter was the most prudent choice, but I want the amusement factor.

Homework will include looking up how to pick locks in the game, exactly, and probably also where Lae'zel is. I want to get back to the Grove, especially now that I know Wyll's there. He was the one companion where I had no idea when he was going to show up, and the entrance he made into the game was really quite dashing.

[punklorde-hunter]

Well, since i finished the main story Penacony's first half (still need to do the Companion Mission + finding all those chests), and I took a few screenshots, and I thought I'd show them while also having commentary on the main quest's story beats.

**SPOILERS and a LOTS of words Under the Cut

While I am kinda sad Dan Heng didn't get to join us for Penacony, at least this means he gets a rest. Man was going through it on the Luofu let him have a chance to breathe and relax for once in his life.

This is more of a nitpick for me but I missed the easter egg at the beginning where you could've seen Silver Wolf & Sam chatting and I'm sad i missed it! I can go back in someone's playthrough to see it but man :(

Gotta love not at all ominous red text with Acheron. I'm sure this has nothing to do with anything in the foreseeable future.

That being said, I am kinda intrigued on what's the relationship between the Trailblazer & Acheron. I didn't get to play Honkai Impact 3rd, but I have read the comics Hoyoverse have online. And as the Star Rail's Raiden Mei of course they're going to give her an important role. It's also nice (and depressing) that she sees what I assume is the HSR Kiana of this universe, or someone else entirely. Plus she just seems like a character with a lot of regret. Hard to tell right now, but I also saw the red text does change depending on who you chose & the choices you make when talking to her so cool details!

Also Penacony is HUGE. I spent so much time getting lost in the Golden Hour area alone and i still haven't found every chest & puzzle. they really wanted this area to feel like the Roaring 20's and it shows

Aventurine is a grade-A asshat and good for him. He's very punch-able in a positivity way. Man's scheming something and i don't trust him one bit, but I am intrigued by him. Also his banter with Dr. Ratio was defiantly charged with something. Whether that was sexual tension or them wanting to kill each other, it's anyone's guess. He's also a really good contrast to Topaz as an IPC official whose not above using shady methods to win so I'm intrigued. Still wanna punch him tho.

I hope Misha & Gallagher get more time to shine in later patches, their appearances were so brief I NEED MORE! I do have a working theory on Misha but that's for a later time :)

Despite not being a character I would usually like, I kinda enjoy Sparkle in a "i would hate you irl but i find you fascinating in game' way. Masked Fools always struck me as an cool faction since their Aeon is a trickster god in a way. SO it makes sense of of their most notable Fool being a shapeshifting trickster who loves pushing people's buttons for fun. I'm pulling for her for having more DHIL ultity but man is she a piece of work.

I also really enjoyed Firefly as a character. Even tho I feel we didn't get to explore more of her character before you know what, I liked what we got. She was very cryptic about why she was a stowaway, and a lot of dialogue during her heart-to-heart definitely means something. Even what Clockie said about people being able to see him by being pure of heart probably holds more weight, but i guess will have to wait to see where that goes in future patches.

Nothing much, I just really liked this shot in the Dream's Edge area, and I think generally I enjoy Dream Edge the most out of all the Penacony 2.0 maps. The shooting stars are a nice touch too!

What a cute pic, surely this means only good things for them :)

On that matter, I can't believe Star Rail introduced a sweet cute young girl, had us bond the majority of the quest-line with, ONLY to rip her from us in the most GRAPHIC WAY POSSIBLE!? ALL WHILE PLAYING "If I Can Stop One Heart From Breaking" AFTERWARDS?! WHAT THE HELL

what a way to show Penacony isn't playing games, and that the writers being from Honkai Impact 3rd show they aren't afraid to show that things in Penacony are taking LIVES!!

I also like Acheron in this scene after Firefly passed on and giving some funerary rites. A nice quiet moment after we got are hearts crushed by the Something onto Death entity. I also like how Black Swan has beein a patient guide after all this, trying to get the Trailblazer to a goal but because she can foresee events through Arcana and can see memories, shes been the most helpful on Penacony as of right now despite being an enigma

I also loved Sam's first introduction as he's always been mentioned by the other Stellaron Hunters as 'not picky' with his prey, doesn't play mind games and goes straight for the kill type. And man did he make an impression in the short amount of time he got.

And the end scene with Aventurine, there's a lot going on. While i don't completely agree with him on Acheron, he does have a point on her being suspicious. Especially if she killed Duke Inferno ALONE (rip Ifrit mains) and her Emanator powers truly do come from one of the destructive Aeons. Most likely Finality since KiaMei is as consistant as with BronSeele/lh

Also on a side not I hope Sunday gets to go apeshit soon, dude deserves it since his dear sister is dead too. Otherwise yeah I'm VERY invested in what Penacony has in store later on.

And with that, I leave this post with the MOST EVIL ACHIEVEMENT PT 1 (there's more of them dw)

[dialbforbethany]

WCM - Test Shoot Complete

The final export of Where Currents Meet has just been complete. This shoot was my first time directing alone so I was most worried about how to best work with an actor, thankfully we had Claire as our actor who I had met before whilst working on Longboard Nights before summer. I sat down with her and went through the script, talked about my intentions and what things were most important for her to bring out of this character. For example that Iris is struggling to fall asleep, but this isn't something that is only happening in this scene, she struggles with this everyday and is used to it/fed up with it rather than sad about it. Afterwards I walked her through the choreography of the scene, as someone that also edits a lot I had this in my mind throughout the entire shoot so I advised her to choose a way to do an action and stick to it so every shot would be the same. Whilst we were shooting I also said she could do a couple takes where she takes her time with the actions, leaving lots of gaps in-between as well as takes where she did things at a more natural pace so that we had the freedom in the edit to cut around these gaps and fill them with well-timed action.

As we got into the picture edit, Tom and I had struggled with getting the film down to three minutes as even though I had shortened the script it still seemed too long. I was also impossible to cut out any scenes/actions as her location in the room wouldn't make sense if something had been missing and this is the main thing I wish I'd seen earlier however if we hadn't been constrained to 3 minutes then we would've been able to include everything we had wanted to without having to mess up the pacing or atmosphere in the film.

As for the sound and colour edit, I gave both Alex and Peer my notes and feedback on their work throughout the process. The main things we discussed changing were:

the warmth of the image, some shots looked a little too warm so we added more blue/cool tones into it

the music at the beginning of the film is really nice but I thought it should've started earlier at the very beginning and should also fade out a little gentler.

the meditation track could start not as the shot of her putting the headphones on begins but when she adjusts the phone to 'play' the video/sound

Overall I'm happy with the outcome of this test shoot. I think the film does everything we wanted it to; explore a character in all aspects of filmmaking, and I am also happy with the fact that the film is almost like a prequel or ends on a cliffhanger for what is to happen next in the full film as we end on the character grabbing the surfboard as if she's about to head to the beach.

I also think it was very beneficial for us to be able practice as a crew and with an actor for the first time, working with the least stressful scene possible. I believe we chose the right scene to film as now we can also use the footage almost as a teaser/trailer on our socials and crowdfunder.

[robot-roadtrip-rants]

@ajcope12 you've triggered my Media Analysis button! Apologies for the long rant.

Season 1's production was incredibly cursed (in the original sense). You could tell me that the creators ticked off the Fair Folk and I'd go, "Yeah, checks out." I was spitting mad at all the cuts when I first started, but then I thought about all the insane restrictions the crew got slammed with and calmed down a lot. One really obvious example of this would be Rand and Moiraine going alone into the Blight rather than taking the whole party. It doesn't make sense much storywise, but the poor bastards were filming in the middle of a goddamn pandemic. Better a fictional story take a hit rather than a real life person get sick with the horrible new bug ruining everyone's lungs!

But for all the damage done by the pandemic and the short season and poor Barney Harris needing to leave, there are some terrible flaws that just can't be explained away. Let's do some role reversal here:

Say you're watching a fantasy TV show with an apocalypse plotline, complete with a prophecized Chosen One who beats up Fantasy Satan with kickass Chosen One powers. The cast is a group of young folks, and the driving mystery in the first season is which one of them is the Chosen One. At the climax of the season, one of the young women realizes that she's the Chosen One and confronts Fantasy Satan for the first time.

Take a moment and think about what this moment means in the rhythm of the story. This is the first time the Chosen One steps up as the Chosen One and it's the climax of the season. Or to put it another way, it's the creators' first chance to really wow the audience with how powerful and extraordinary the Chosen One is. So you'd expect the Chosen One to manifest her cool Chosen One powers, or make a thrilling speech about how she'll always resist Fantasy Satan, or outwit Fantasy Satan. It's her debut! It's her time to shine!

But the Chosen One doesn't do anything like that. Instead she...talks about her boyfriend's dreams and aspirations. Not even about their mutual dreams, or she's able to stand up to Satan because he's got her back, or how their love can overcome anything. No, she just talks about what a wonderful guy her boyfriend is, how he dreams of being so much more than just a farm boy, how she'll always support his dreams even to the detriment of her own. And y'know, the boyfriend is a pretty great guy, and you are invested in his plotline, and you do want to see more of their romance...but this is the Chosen One's debut! Why is her big moment about her boyfriend, and not about HER?!

If you saw this TV show, you'd probably walk away thinking that this was a super-misogynistic scene. And you'd be right! But this is what happens at the climax of Season 1, only with the genders reversed.

If that fucking scene had been a onetime incident, I'd...well, I'd probably screech my way through it, but afterwards I'd go, "Well, the writers had to rewrite the last two episodes at the last minute to be quarantine-friendly, of course they've got some real stinkers. Shit happens, at least no one got sick." But it wasn't an isolated incident. Throughout the show the plot is rewritten in bizarre ways that don't make much sense, and somehow the male characters always seem to get pushed to the side to make way for the women.

It reeks of shallow feminism to me. See, there's a lot of feminist retellings of older stories where the focus is put on the female characters. Since so many old stories reduce their women to accessories, it's a great technique for making space for women's stories and perspectives where there used to be none. Having watched the TV series, I'm pretty sure the writers were trying to do something similar.

But the Wheel of Time never had this specific problem. Don't get me wrong, the books have their Issues with gender. However, the series is packed with complicated women with their own agency, and they come in all kinds of roles. They have their own plotlines and character arcs independent of the men, or interacting with them on an equal ground. And those plotlines are great! As a teen thirsting for powerful heroines in the aughts, following the adventures of Egwene, Nynaeve, Elayne, Birgitte, and Aviendha was like mana in the desert. It's definitely one of the reasons why I latched onto the series so hard.

So when the show alters the plot to give more spotlight to women, it's trying to fix a problem that isn't there. Instead, it does a disservice to the male characters, who also have compelling, complicated stories to tell, but get fewer and fewer chances to tell them. And these changes are applied so carelessly that they hurt the story rather than helping it. We don't start the series with a short, visceral scene depicting the madness of Lews Therin--we start with Moiraine giving a vague monologue that fucking victimblames the Hundred Companions for thinking they could seal the Dark One. But they did seal the Dark One! And Moiraine would know that! And why is she so hostile and dismissive?? This woman has spent her entire career searching for the Dragon Reborn, and will go on to become one of his first mentors and allies. Don't you think she'd have a better understanding of the attack on Shayol Ghul? Or even just some fucking empathy?

What makes this hurt so much is that the series did need some changes. Honestly, I was kinda glad when I heard that the TV adaptation was going to tweak the story a bit--like I said, the books have their Issues. The Red Ajah are so frequently reduced to queer-coded manhaters--wouldn't it be great if they got more complex characterization? Ebou Dari society is supposed to be matriarchal, but it's a pretty cringey version that was obviously written by a kinky dude--let's change that (and rewrite Tylin from scratch, yuck)! Why do we only see Aiel sworn sisters and not Aiel sworn brothers? And so on and so forth.

But we don't get any of that. Instead, we get one-size-fits-all feminism. Give more of the story to the women, and boom, your story is progressive! But that's not how feminism works and that's not how writing works. If you're going to rewrite a flawed-but-wonderful story, you need to think about how that story works, what makes it great, and what makes it flawed. Blindly copying what other people have done is just laziness.

I have heard season 2 was better. I was actually looking forward to it. But at this point I'm so depressed by what I've seen that I'm not sure that I can continue. Do the boys get the attention they deserve? Do the writers stop dumbing down the lore into nonsense? Do characters get to be flawed without having some dark, brooding past like a CW character? God don't get me started on all the dark and brooding pasts, that's a whole other rant. But yeah, if season 2 can meet those standards, I'll keep watching.

Those last two episodes in Season One were so bad they drove my boyfriend insane. And honestly, I'm halfway there myself. Not sure I have it in me to keep watching, and the boyfriend's definitely out.

On the brighter side of things, he's picked up The Eye of the World out of pure rage.

..........Is there a reason why this show is so bizarrely misandrist? That's not a term I use lightly, but uhhhhh I don't know how else to describe some of the shit I've seen.

[dancegender]

You wanna know something I wish was talked about more? The possibility of Sammy HATING the Ink Demon. (Spoilers for BatDR)

The Ink Demon was his lord! He told Sammy he'd set the studio free! Sammy devoted so much to the Ink Demon, even going so far as to get a LIVE SACRIFICE, and what happened? He DIED! His lord, the being he thought would save him, that PROMISED to save him, was the first one in the loop to END HIS LIFE!

Sammy must've been LIVID. And he was! He comes back in chapter 5 and he's PISSED! The song that plays during his boss fight is literally called "A Songwriter Scorned". If you listen to what he's saying during the battle, he sounds MAD.

Ex. "I'm going to cut that smile right off your face!" - "He said he'd save me! He said I'd be free! Now I have nothing! NOTHING!"

I don't think he'd just forget about it, either. I mean, Henry obviously remembers at least most of the cycles. We know Allison remembers some things too, albeit less clearly, because in Dark Revival she gets deja vu when she kills Susie the same way she did in Ink Machine. So although Sammy might not remember everything from previous cycles, I'd say his lord's betrayal would be the one thing that sticks in his mind.

But he wouldn't know WHY. He starts to go about worshipping the Ink Demon again, and he gets a feeling in his gut telling him it's WRONG. That this is gonna fail, that it ALWAYS fails. And he'd be confused, just like Allison was after killing Susie the second time. He had no reason to feel that way, right? The Ink Demon had promised him freedom! So where was the sudden, strong distrust coming from?

I dunno though. I just wish people talked about this a little more, because it's definitely present in canon.

(Under the cut is a little bit off topic.)

And that makes me think. What if, In one of the cycles, Sammy was able to get out? What if that twisting, scorned feeling in his gut was strong enough that, upon the first signs of his ritual with Henry going awry, he has enough sense to just book it? He finds a hiding spot and waits it out.

And what if he was ON OUR SIDE afterwards? Maybe not in Ink Machine, his boss fight's pretty cool in my opinion, but in Dark Revival! He could've taught Audrey to do that thing where he walks through walls! And doesn't Allison, at some point in Ink Machine, mention that Sammy has some sort of control over the Searchers? That could've been useful!

I mean, think about it! That scene where Audrey's fighting off all the Searchers (the only scene with Searchers in the game, I think). They just keep coming, she's getting overwhelmed, and then Sammy shows up! All the Searchers just go back to their puddles, and then Audrey doesn't have to worry about Searchers for the rest of the game! That would be the PERFECT way to introduce him as a companion! Hey, he could even help in combat, if he still has his axe.

Again, I dunno. There was so much potential for Sammy to play a role in Dark Revival, and I guess I'm just salty at what actually ended up happening to his character.

[jiangchengneedstherapy]

Canon Jiang Cheng tag, well as stated multiple times, was made for his character discussion based on things he did in the novel as close as possible. So 'but jc did xyz in CQL/Donghua' that were adaptational changes aren't really a source/point of talk, because he never did those things in the novel (such as the cliff scene that didn't happen in the first place and is CQL exclusive) but even then? CQL made sure to highlight he was at least going to injure/cut off LWJ's hand to make WWX fall so seeing that WWX let go. The entire scene afterwards focuses on LWJ's horror and JC's smirk. (maybe other adaptations decide to somewhat go softer on his character but they still carried some novel points in them too) That aside, did JC successfully kill WWX in the novel? Did he land the killing blow? No, but not because of lack of trying on his part, he did his best to kill him. And your point JC not killing WWX in the next life? Dude went around killing anyone who reminded him/he suspected was WWX (who if it were in fact WWX who he thought was possessing those people zidian's strike would've yeeted him back out of life) and even after zidian confirmed it wasnt wwx he would still take them back to torture them. Didn't LWJ take WWX under his protection though? And you know Wei Wuxian never calls Jiang Cheng his shidi/brother even once after resurrection? Much less hold love for him (why would he when jc was the first and foremost force in killing him in his first life.?) And I'd like to ask you for source on the "And most of dc are either up to no good or they lost their minds, how do you know they won’t harm other ppl if you don’t capture them" because novel absolutely does not specify the people he tortured were causing trouble like that but it did specify he'd 'caught the wrong guy again.' And someone else covered Jin Ling and Jiang Cheng already so I'm not going to go into detail, its here. But also, loving someone and hurting them aren't always exclusive, I agree that Jc loves JL and JL loves him, but that doesn't mean JC never hurt him either *(for one there are scenes of him hitting JL in anger in the novel) So you’re not gonna mention that JC tried to save WWX from the wens despite it’s the moment he’s supposed to hate WWX the most. I mean, its just like the time he promised to keep the dogs away, its the tragedy of their relationship, jc cared once about wwx a lot, but then? he declared him an enemy to the entire sects even though he and wwx only agreed to defect, he led the siege and supplied the most disciples to kill wwx, like the reason people dont bring up 'oh but he promised to keep the dogs away or how he rushed out to distract the guards once' is because it stops being relevant when he intentionally brings the dog, and he intentionally leads a siege to kill wei wuxian. Or he still kept WWX’s chenquing clean after 16 years? As a guarantee 'if wwx comes back he'll come for his flute and i'll know' so he can kill him again, alot of your points are explained the novel. Or how he still tried to save WWX at Guanyin Temple? Can you tell me the source/quote for this one too? Or how many dialogues of him telling WWX “Don’t be too reckless, you’re gonna get hurt”?? During their younger days before jc grew to hate wwx

canon tag was made specially because people mentioning his more negative actions/things he did in the novel that were terrible were called anti and harassed to keep the content out of the jc tag, even though novel quotes were provided with the text or even when the post was only novel text. So if you're going to do a repeat of that at least provide source with your interpretation too because it seems like you're just talking about CQL, because just saying 'jc secretly loves wwx because he kept the flute' doesn't make sense when he killed him (yea so what if he didnt deal the final blow? he was sulky about that in the novel too because he wanted to, he was the active leader of 'lets kill wwx' siege) and he continued on to killing ppl who reminded him of wwx? (Highlighted in chap 10 of novel)

And this is a whole separate tag made for all the negative things he did, which you can just, y'know block if you don't want to read them?

.JC antis, you can’t just pick every flaw a character has and leave out anything that makes that character “good”/”morally gray” and claim “This is canon”. This is very one sided view of a character. Your shallow interpretation of a character is not superior.

Every character gets uwu-fied by some parts of the fandom, it’s nothing new, it’s all for fun. Stop trying to act like you have big brain and “THe fANdOM ruINs tHiS ChARActER”. WWX in canon is not a uwu character like the fandom potrays either. JC is not a special girl.

 Just use “anti JC” tag. Sincerely, what’s stopping you from doing this??

[headspacedad]

Do you think it's safe to say that the majority of people treat the last two seasons of VLD as non-canon? (Or depending on who you ask, anything after season two?)

I don't know if I'd say 'majority'. First off I feel like there were a lot of casual viewers who probably just dropped the series and never gave it any thought afterward (lucky them). And second I would like to add the disclaimer that this is my opinion only, I don't keep a tight grip on the pulse of the general VLD fandom and that I cultivate my dash very strongly so I really only hear a very small part of it that generally tends to ring the same notes I do myself. From what I've gathered though I would feel safe saying the majority of fans who were invested seem to have rejected the last season for sure. Personally? I use how fans feel about season seven to measure whether they're Shiro fans or not. Because the second to last season was - yes, okay, it was shit and illogical writing with a lot of 'boy are we wasting time or what with this episode' and a huge dose of 'why is no one acting IC?' as well as a very firm sprinkling of 'boy, the paladins really all do hate each other, don't they?' - but despite that there were some interesting and intriguing concepts in the second to last season. They were jarring and poorly introduced, they weren't explored or explained but the interesting concepts and hints that It Could Have Been More were all over that second half of season seven. In fact there's a really solid fan theory that season seven WAS written with different characters in parts that other ones ended up playing and when viewed that way, the second half of the season would have made a lot of sense and been a very satisfying story (which makes it that much more frustrating because the story was Right There and the EPs refused to take it). So season seven at least had potential.

Except.

Except for the way Shiro was treated right from the very beginning when he suddenly wasn't piloting Black and no explanation was ever given why - -and all the way through to the end of it where he either sat out fights his team needed him during, was rendered helpless by being handcuffed to his fucking belt, wasn't even drawn into group scenes, was taken out of commission despite the fact 'our paladin armor must have protected us' while he was wearing paladin armor, was left out of that horrible 'we all hate each other' 'game show' only Great Heroes were allowed to play (and frankly, we can all just be glad he wasn't included because - wow, that episode was baaaaad) all the way through to dying two more times, going into screaming torture two more times, not having any family OR friends show up (because the EPs said it would be 'boring'), losing the fight that should have been his resolution fight and otherwise being reduced to a helpless, useless, exposition spouting sudden expert on how Voltron works set-piece. He was given no resolution to any of his issues introduced in the first few seasons and handed a giant robot that wasn't even allowed to be useful because that would eclipse how super special Voltron was supposed to be. Oh, and he's got a boyfriend for rep points but the boyfriend dumped him because Shiro wouldn't give up his long term dream so that he could become a stay at home house husband instead and then, multiple years after the breakup in which he is never mentioned or even vagued about, he dies so Shiro can get a sad. Ah, yeah, and let's not forget that Shiro is also suddenly dying of some disease that was never mentioned before or after or even given a name or resolution for. And finally lets include the fact that at one point the writers literally had Keith actually stand there in front of Shiro and tell him to his face that the team (without him in it anymore) was stronger than ever. So - yeah.

Did I mention they cut off even more of his arm too and gave him an ugly hoverboard there instead?

Basically what I'm saying is that I think the majority of active fans are rightfully upset with season eight (which was a whole other shit show ball of 'we don't know what we're doing' writing) but probably pretty content with season seven or at least don't reject it outright. There were intriguing concepts in it, most of the other characters got to do interesting things in season seven, most of them got moments to shine, they were still the 'heroes' (oh boy at that can of worms) of the story. Lance took some hard hits in season seven and so did Allura - and poor Lotor fans. How dirty Lotor fans were done, though mostly that was season six's ending. Same with Jiro/Kuron fans - that main beef was season six's ending and the lack of acknowledgment during season seven. So absolutely there are a lot of fans out there that are upset with seasons seven (and six). But I suspect, from my limited experience only, that most general fans are probably okay with season seven. (The show was hemorrhaging viewers and fans by that point anyway at an alarming rate). I also suspect that a lot of those fans that got disgusted with seasons six and seven went over to the 'there's no canon after season two' boat and frankly, I tend to paddle along next to it from time to time myself (except I hate to lose Jiro and Sven and Slav).

tl;dr: I think the majority of Shiro fans would like to treat the last two seasons (or everything past season two) as non-canon. I suspect there are several other character's fan bases that feel the same way. But I suspect, and could be completely wrong, that the majority of general fans only reject season eight and are okay with season seven (beyond the regular hiccups of disliking certain parts but still accepting the canon as a whole).

[ofmermaidstories]

Spoilers for the latest chapter of Something!

I'm gonna go ahead and apologize now because this is long; please feel free to ignore my wordy ass, I just have a lot of feelings about a certain someone that showed up in the new chapter lol.

I am still trying to get my shit together enough to write a proper review, but I did want to come yell at you for making the grape boy somewhat likeable, like...

Firstly, how??? Secondly, why?????!?!

Lmao, in all seriousness tho, it's nice to see him have a personality that isn't just "Mmmm, tits" *drools* I like to think that everyone in the series grows up and (mostly) out of the worst of their habits, and while Mineta is still a bit of a lecher here he isn't nearly as offensive/creepy as he comes off in show. In fact he's actually sympathetic in a lot way. The bit about seeing his first dead body before "getting laid" hit different like... He tries to play it off like a joke, but dude has to have just as much PTSD as the rest of them, maybe even more given that he wasn't able to fight back in the same way as someone like Bkg or Deku would be able to with their super powerful offensive quirks. They were all just kids, but they had to face hell full on from jump, and let me stop before I get too in my feelings lol.

In a lot of ways, he reminds of you the boys from school — crude. Taking for granted the safety from being in a pack, unchallenged. Leering at posters, saying off-colour things because no one corrects them.

That's exactly the way I view him, just a crude little thing that refuses to be put in his place for long lol. Still, with his being a hero I would hope that he keeps a cap on it while he's on the job--in fact I'm sure he does; if he didn't I'm sure that Aizawa would've yanked his licence by now, the likes of Deku and Kiri wouldn't continue to associate with him, and that's saying nothing of the shit that would get posted to social mead and such. I feel like the only reason he says what he says to the Reader is b/c she's a little gremlin herself and he knows he's got a bit more leeway, yanno?

The little hangout session that they had at the end of the chapter was weirdly heartwarming?? I want a friend(???) that I can be a surly little shit with and draw on and that will call my bf that's not really my bf but should be my bf because he's (that is Mineta) got more emotional intelligence than me lmao. Never thought I'd see the day when the grape would make for such an excellent wingman--tho I gotta wonder what that text he sent to Deku said. Probably something along the lines of "come get yo girl, she must be bored/lonely af because she asked to hang out with me" followed by "are you ever gonna close the deal or not? or have you already hit it??? >:)" just to give the guy an extra push (or maybe he's got a better sense of self-preservation than what I give him credit for, idk lmfaooo...)

Okay, this is WAY too long, I just had to get it out of my system lol. I loved the new chapter lots and I cannot wait to see how things play out in the next one!!

LOL, oh Puck, i adore you sdlkfjsdlkfjsdlkfj

me being a shit-stirrer/asking myself questions i don’t have answers for under the cut

Cat asked me this question earlier today, actually — why Mineta. And honestly? Part of it is the challenge he represents — like, how do you write him into a fic and mature him up so that he’s at the very least, tolerable, but also keep the backbone of his character (which is being a little degenerate). Like, is it possible? One of the most popular tags on ao3 for mineta minoru is something along the lines of “mineta minoru is replaced with shinsou hitoshi” LOL so…….. why didn’t I just use Shinsou? Or Aoyama or Iida, as Cat suggested? And beyond the part of me that delights in giving myself perceived challenges, there were two stark reasons that stuck out to me, when i was first mulling over his inclusion.

1) the fact that he can draw. it’s literally as simple as that. ever since the BNHA exhibition opened up in Japan and it was revealed that there was a scene in there with a class blackboard and the kids having their little drawing competition — and that Mineta was objectively the most skilled — i was like, “i have to include that”. LOL. it’s like you say, Puck, our Reader is a little gremlin herself — i thought if I was going to write a Reader that could handle interacting with him (ie, be in a position to pay him out) it was going to be this one. I think being in the manga industry and starting out on this journey of creating and drawing a Shonen manga sort of put Reader in this unique position of… being in what seems like a boys’ club? So she’d be used to the male gaze within her field. I follow Horikoshi’s assistant (former assistant?) on twitter and let me tell you, that man is not shy about the things that he likes to draw LOL.

the 2) thing was the philosophy i’ve sort of accidentally given myself LOL and that’s the fact that — as a Bakugou stan, if i’m giving grace to a character who was a literal violent bully then………. i can use my magic powers and hand it around to the other characters, too, LOL. and like, i would argue that with Bakugou it’s different, like we’re currently seeing in the manga how he has grown and learnt and is actively changing, which is the key to any kind of redemption. do i think Mineta will ever undergo that in cannon? absolutely not lmao, i see him as being being Hori’s idea of comedic relief, he’s always going to be a horrible little degen. but i want it for him…… if only to justify why the boys of Class-A collectively ignore his bullshit, for the most part? Like, none of them actively call him out on it?? i think of the time he tried to climb the wall to spy on the girls in the onsen — and how it was literally only Iida scolding him and how it took a child to stop him. Or the one when he found the stupid hole into the girl’s changing room and while the boys all looked grossed out….. Jirou’s the one that point an end to that?????? I saw a TikTok (derogatory) suggesting how like, none of the girls of Class-A would trust Aizawa, as adults, because he didn’t do anything to put an end to Mineta’s bullshit, and it was a devastating suggesting. None of us want to believe that our favourites would be passively okay with this kind of behaviour, right?? Which means……. Mineta’s gotta change LMAO. And if Hori isn’t going to do it then imma borrow him and do it myself. Does it work? I have no idea LMAO i can’t judge anymore, my meter is broken. but i’m gonna work with what i’ve given myself and it either will, or it won’t LMAOOOO kldsfjlksdjflkdj fic is about having fun at the end of the day. :’)

But it’s like you point out, Puck — Mineta is also a child, when these kids get trotted out to their first War. And he’s also not as offensively built as the hard-hitters like Deku and Bakugou and Shouto are. Even if it’s not explored in the manga, that War is going to change them all somehow.

So, my gameplan for Mineta was to grab ahold of the tiny things about him — the talent for drawing, the like one [1] observation he has about the wreckage of the war/pro heroes during the war arc, his tears for Bakugou when B wakes up afterwards and how he tells Deku how cool he was and how much he admires him, in the current Bring Deku Home chapters — and try to envision a sleaze bag who learns that the bullshit he pulls won’t be tolerated, even if he’s still ultimately a skeeze LOL. i mean, he’s never going to drop that er…. appreciation for the female form. and i mean, hey, live your best life King, i’ve distinctly noticed a hand-fetish floating around on this site lately so i’m not gonna be like “NO men can’t like ANYTHING”. But the thing with him being a sleaze and open with his leering is like, he’s actively made the girls of his class uncomfortable with that in the past — how do you write it so that he’s not doing that in a position of power with the women he works with (and saves!), as an adult?? Maturity only goes so far. How much can I bank on the war and the subsequent bullshit they’re gonna face from it on…. transforming him??? It shouldn’t be up to the girls he’s learning with to police him, they’re just children. I have a vague gameplan for it — whether or not it works will be one thing; whether i can naturally shove it into the fic is another, LOL. Guess we’ll see. 🧐

SAYING ALL THAT,,,,, i’m actually really glad you liked (???) the ending scene with him because it’s my favourite LMAO lkdjflkdsjflkdjfkldsjf. 😭😭 Reader is by no means perfect, and she and Mineta both need to start treating each other with more respect, but her bullying of him was fun to write and I like imagining a Mineta who considers himself to be close with Deku (whether or not Deku thinks the same is up for debate) going along with it. i could see this version of Mineta being enough of a shit-stirrer to say something like, “gotta lock that shit down” to Deku LMAO kdfjlkdsjflkdsfjdklsfj and then getting left on a skyscraper somewhere…. RIP short King.

[lizzybeth1986]

Quick Thoughts on The Royal Heir, Book 1 Chapter 1

• We're back! Hopefully with a better series this time, but I'm not going to keep my hopes too high.

• If my QTs are clogging up your dash, I recommend you block these particular tags: #trh quick thoughts, #trh qts, and optionally #long post.

• Much like my Book 3 QTs, I will be exploring as many playthroughs as I possibly can to see how each LI's route is being written. Last book, this experiment definitely helped me figure out that they were putting more effort into some characters and less into others, and I'd still like to keep an eye out for these things as much as possible.

• I feel this QT might be shorter than my usual (edit: joke's on me - it's not!! 🙈), mostly because the opening chapter itself is...pretty light, and is mostly meant for us to spend time and have fun with our chosen LI. Plus a tiny smidgen of buildup to the premise, which is having a child in Cordonia. But I do have a theory about the overall theme that I'm going to be expanding on towards the end of the chapter.

• Okay that's it for preliminary explanations, it's time for me to start with the chapter! XD

• Ooh. Oooooooh. This loading page now has tidbits about Cordonian society!! Interesting.

• Title: Happily Ever Afterwards

Alternative Title: Be Grateful We're Letting You Have This Much Sex For Free This Week, Because That's The Last Time It's Happening.

• I'm extremely offended they're making me wear that Pepto Bismol outfit again.

•

...thanks so much for reminding me you still don't care about Hana, PB! 🙄 Everyone else remains to be some version of "loyal", but Hana is still considered more for her skills than for her own steadfastness, even though she was the most hardcore-loyal of the four (SHE LEFT HER FREAKING HOME. HER FREAKING FAMILY. FOR YOU. While the other three were certainly loyal and honorable to the MC, they definitely didn't have to completely cut ties with their families to do right by the MC).

• The "fairytale" aesthetics of the frame story were what drew people into TRR in the first place, so it's not too surprising that the LIs and MC give a nod to the flagship series with a "once upon a time". If you're with Liam, it goes straight from "falling in love with the Prince" to what his relationship with her taught him, before the happily ever after. If you're with one of the other three LIs, it specifies that she came there for Liam but fell for someone else. Sounds a lot like Maxwell's book 😄 In Maxwell's playthrough, in fact, there is a reference to it when the MC calls him a "famous author".

•

(Screenshots organized as follows: 1 - Liam, 2 - Drake, 3 - Maxwell, 4 - Hana. Liam's and Hana's are my own. Drake's from @thefirstcourtesan, and Maxwell's from Kaitlyn Walker's YouTube channel).

The other interesting thing to note is that in Liam's playthrough, he leads the narration. While in everyone else's the MC is the one who steers it. One reason I can think of is that the narrative still treats this story as Liam's story as much as it is the MC's (if I'm right about the theme) - which...has honestly always been a sore point with the fanbase in TRR. That would depend on how us and our baby are now further involved with Cordonia in the story. Another factor for why she leads the narration...could be that essentially, the MC took initiative in the other three relationships, while in Liam's case it was he who took a more active role by proposing to her.

• The little story ends with this question from the MC:

Question: But what happens after Happily Ever After?

Answer: Mess. In Cordonia it's always mess.

• Cordonians (specifically the upper classes, since I don't know enough about the common populace to tell, since they're, yknow, practically invisible) are addicted to tea, apples and fucking shit up where they don't even need to.

• ANYWAY. What (literally) happens after 'happily ever after' is a tropical honeymoon on Liam's private island. In the case of the other three, he allows them access to the place and gives the staff instructions on making the stay comfortable for them.

• Now, since Liam owns the island and has probably visited it a could times, he shows more familiarity with it. He tells his wife that on previous trips the island had more rustic accommodations, but the villa they're now staying in was prepared recently. Additionally, the butler welcomes Hana, Maxwell and Drake as newcomers to the island, considering it's their first time. With Liam, there is an air of familiarity - he calls the butler by his name (Javier) and enquires about him and his wife (Mariana) - to show us perhaps how familiar he is with this holiday spot.

• Why the hell does everyone call Liam "Your Highness"? It's been two whole books since he became King, and the proper title for a monarch is "Your Majesty". How is it that Constantine gets to rake the MC over the coals for calling him Your Highness, yet Liam has to hear this from practically everyone. From Javier to freakin' Protocol-Monitor-Madeleine! The disrespect, I tell you!

• Okay so we're having a candlelit dinner by the ocean, and we get our first OOTD. Cute beach dress, has bright flowers and some crochet work on the bodice. I bought it because I couldn't bear to have Esther stay another minute in that Pepto Bismol of a dress.

• LOL @ all the LI responses to "this spot is right where the sharks are!"

• Tuna sashimi and pineapple aioli, huh? I have never had either so idek what that's supposed to taste like (someone on this writing team likes pineapples). I remember having to cut down on tuna during pregnancy, which meant no more Subway sandwiches since the tuna sub was the only one I liked at the time. IIRC most of my family were also cautioning me against pineapples and papaya during my first trimester!

• My gosh this butler doesn't waste much time jumping into assumptions huh?

• Also Javier, why is Cordonia's future so dependent on the well-being of my foetus even if I'm not ruling the country?

• Does Cordonia have sex ed? My money is on no. (esp in the Hana route).

• So there are two parts to the way the premise of wanting to have kids is built up in this sequence. In the first part, the LI impresses upon the MC the need to have children soon after the wedding. The second part addresses the urgency - the "why right now?" factor, and explores the LI's personal emotions towards having children. This bit also feels a bit like a follow-up to the Valtoria balcony scene in Chapter 15.

• The first part is pretty similar for Drake, Hana and Maxwell - all three of whom are now married to a Duchess and are aware that securing the duchy is important. They word it in their own distinctive styles, but the gist is pretty much the same. In Liam's case, since he is the king of the country, he speaks more about Cordonia and its tensions with neighbouring countries.

Take note of this because I'll be returning to this point later. (also who are the writers trying to convince about Cordonia's size. "Small kingdom" my ass).

• I'll be going by the LIs' personal reasons to have a baby now, one by one, along with a summary of their views on children in the Valtoria balcony scene last book (since this scene clearly references that diamond scene if you've bought it last book).

(Screenshots: Liam's and Hana's screenshots are mine, Drake's is from @thefirstcourtesan and Maxwell's is from Kaitlyn Walker's YouTube channel)

- Liam: Liam's love for family and need for children is well-known throughout the series. In Book 1, he's dropped hints about wanting to have a different kind of family dynamic from the one he'd experienced as a child, and in Book 2 there were multiple references to wanting to not be Constantine - both as a King and as a father. In the balcony scene in Book 3, Chapter 15, Liam tells us a number of things - about the value of having more heirs for succession, of him always dreaming of having at least 3 children, about Kenna, Cordonia's most legendary warrior queen which leads to an interesting factoid about how the rules of successions for both the throne and duchies are not gender-specific (he also cites Olivia and Penelope as being in line to inherit their duchies). In this sequence Liam undoubtedly has more to say about the political aspect of having an heir than the personal, but his statement about "someone missing" in their lives is of no surprise when he's been enthusiastic about kids for three books straight.

- Drake: Drake perhaps gets the lengthiest 'personal' bit of all, revolving around his eagerness to be a father and his own family history. This scene has Drake speaking of wanting a child with "your eyes and my hair", but most of all of Savannah and her little family, and wanting the happiness his sister is experiencing now. The writing often manages to tie Drake's thoughts about his future family with his past: in the Valtoria balcony scene, his memories of his father and his desire to bring up his own kids the way Jackson did are dominant in the conversation on children. He speaks at length about the absence of a proper 'home' so far in his life (stating that his room at the palace always felt like "a room in someone else's house") and how high on his priority list the prospect of having children is. The Valtoria scene shows him eager to have kids asap, and this scene builds up the same urgency. You're left in no doubt that he wants those kids now.

• Maxwell: Maxwell's route of this scene soundly pretty sudden, tbh. In his Valtoria scene, Maxwell expressed doubt and nervousness when it came to children, citing the example of Bartie ("I love palling around with little Bartie and everything, but if he bonks his head or something, I can just hand him back to Savannah. When it's your kid, you're the one people hand him to."). While this is referenced in TRH's dialogue when Maxwell jokes about forgetting diapers and baby socks - it's a pretty big jump from the man who didn't exactly feel ready to have children yet, and not enough work was done to justify that shift. This could be somewhat excused in the beginning of Book 3, when the narrative had just begun to treat him like an LI, but they've had an entire damn book and several months after to reflect on how to write him properly. That is...if they actually gave a damn.

- Hana: They don't even have the excuse of "relatively new LI" in Hana's case. Because she is the lone female LI married to a female MC, her scene should have been a lot more extensive and explored her urgency to have children so soon after their wedding, a whole lot more. There are tiny changes, like the one where she hints at the "logistical concerns" that come with two women considering a family, and where she speaks of giving her child the childhood she never had (which, frankly, is an extremely vague statement and could be applicable to more than one character in Cordonia). But there is urgency that, again, isn't properly explained in the scene. Even Hana's Valtoria scene doesn't have much that would explain why she would want a child barely weeks after her wedding. The Valtoria scene does have her outlining her dreams for the duchy (along with a joke about her enacting "Beauty and the Beast") and her happiness at the thought of being a mother (she maintains that out of the things expected of her, motherhood is the one she looked forward to). They could have spent some time thinking up a reason for why Hana would rush this, even before anything has happened, or outlined something personal and not ultra-generic. Both Maxwell and Hana deserved a lot better than this.

• Maxwell speaks about possibly forgetting diapers (PLS NO MAXWELL NO) and baby socks (um okay not as bad but depends on the climate), and one of the MC's dialogue options is to say..."diapers and socks are overrated". Guys your kid won't care how much fun you are when they have a bum rash.

• A-ha! Diamond scene. First-chapter diamond love scenes always come cheap in these series' (12 diamonds) and are usually quite a steal.

• ESTHER HAS NEW LINGERIE OMG I'M SO HAPPY I'D BEEN WAITING FOR THIS MOMENT FOR SO LOOOOONG 😭😭😭😭

• ...and it is also matches Liam's underwear. Maxwell's too 😅

• The scene is nice, there are variations between the ways the LIs work up their appetite before they finally roll in the...well, sand 😅 Maxwell has what they call an "ocean duel", Hana's fulfills her lifelong dream of carrying and spinning around her wife on a secluded beach, Drake chases the MC through the water...and Liam just enjoys being a huuuge tease, okay? 😂

• Oh God, why are they still using the old LoveHacks sexytimes music. That "DHUM-boom-ta-doom-DHUM" beat drives me nuts, and not in a good way. You have better music now, PB! Like the sexytimes tunes from RCD and PM. Use those!

• My gosh this entire group is quite horny for dominant duchesses, aren't they. Every last one of them. Each playthrough has these four gazing at the MC in wonder and telling her some variation of "I think you ordering me around is hot". Olivia could trample over them all with spiked heels and they would thank her!

• As always, when something suspicious happens, my dumbass MC goes ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ and never thinks about it again until shit actually goes down. This woman will never learn, will she.

• Anyway! We now move on to the rest of the honeymoon, summed up in three-four varying scenes per LI:

(Screenshots: Liam's and Hana's screenshots are mine, Drakes is HIMEME's YouTube channel, and Maxwell's is from Kaitlyn Walker's YouTube channel).

- Liam: Focused and dedicated. And insatiable as hell. Sex on a bed (SHOCKING!), sex after his wife points out what could be an apple constellation during stargazing (the MC effectively killed Liam's boner for Cordonia, I see), sex after having chocolate strawberries at a sunlit pond, sex again on a bed (Why is he getting four? 🤔). While the staff is still around somewhere on the island. This is a man with a mission.

- Maxwell: Fun and playful - kind of a "let's live wild and do daredevilry while we can!" vibe. In one Maxwell and the MC cliff dive into the ocean, debating over the wisdom of such risky adventuring when they may possibly be having a baby. In another, the MC watches, concerned, as Maxwell eats a raw squid appetizer. There is a nice callback to Maxwell's House sigil - the kraken - when he tells her that a squid would never hurt a fellow squid. The third shows them playing Strip Monopoly in the comfort of their bedroom.

- Hana: Adorable, caring and looking through every detail. Hana's three scenes involve her showing the MC the sights around the sunlit pond (which Hana and the MC lovingly call the "Hana Lee Honeymoon Itinerary"), watching the sunset under blankets, and this little scene of them choosing sperm donors for their baby:

It's a nice addition, but it still doesn't explain why they couldn't have waited a few more months. Nothing has happened yet in the timeline of the story, the women are (they believe) finally safe and happy, and while Javier seems to believe that babies born to a couple that consists of two women pop out of nowhere, I'm hoping the denizens of their duchy will have at least a little more common sense (this is Cordonia, so "hope" is the operative word).

- Drake: Langorous, relaxed and contented. Stargazing on the beach (I wonder whether this was a nod to the meteor shower scene in Book 1), whiskey on a patio/balcony/whatever in the afternoon, and eating roasted pork by the fire. Plenty of sex but also lots of outdoors, which means lots of the stuff Drake enjoys doing.

• Aaaaaand it's time for sexy scene 2! The couple are now relaxing in bed on the last day of their honeymoon, and the LI proposes a momento in the form of a sensual photoshoot (which comes with artwork of the LI in their underwear, posing for the MC) The male LIs pose with their hands at the back of their heads, smirking at the camera, while Hana strikes a coy pose, leaning against her hand. It's a quick, fun scene that's supposed to squeeze as much alone-time out of the couple as possible, because from here on the focus may shift to other things. Basically this chapter is meant to be one giant (but largely safe for readers) smutfest. I like the artwork - it's different and I guess meant to be a little more realistic than the usual full-page art in the books (like the engagement and wedding photos with your LIs last book), which is why I think it takes a little getting used to. I know it took me some time!

• Maxwell got an underwear upgrade too!

• We've now come to the end of our honeymoon, our bags packed and ready for our return to Cordonia. The chapter ends with us seeing a "familiar face", who could either be Liam (if you married someone else, and he doesn't show any expression) or an unspecified person (if you married Liam, and he looks ultra happy). Now that could either be related to some paparazzi-related stuff, if the flash of light was paparazzi-related, or it could be a fake-out and he's actually brought along the rest of the gang to surprise you. Idk and I don't want to speculate too much on this, mostly because something more interesting caught my eye.

• So that's it for my thoughts on the scenes themselves! On to the "general thoughts" section.

• General Thoughts and Potential Theories:

- As a first chapter for a new series that is still tied to an older one, it worked. It mirrors the light feel and sensibility of TRR's very first chapter, in that both chapters build an illusion of a fairytale-like place, with hints of the darkness within emerging the next chapter onwards (in this series though - since we're already familiar with Cordonia - the darkness is lightly hinted at this chapter itself). In a lot of ways I think we're going to see a lot of parallels between TRR and this new series.

- Unfortunately, one of those similarities also includes the imbalance in the writing for the LIs. Specifically with Maxwell and Hana. It's the most glaring in the dinner scene, which builds for us the premise on which this entire book stands (the topic of pregnancy). There are ways you could have them make the jump from nervous about having kids to excited, if you tried - there are elements in their storyline that could have helped us understand their urgency.

- I played Liam's route first, and was happy overall with it but I still have my misgivings. The good in terms of Liam's story is that he gets importance because the story is also about him and his country, where we are staying. He gives us some very important details in his route, and personally I like that his role as Guide To The Intricacies And Nuances of Cordonian Society still exists...but you can't deny that there were things in his storyline which should have been addressed and never were. I hope those are addressed this book. If they do the same this time around, it will only be to their detriment.

- Also, I find it highly ironic that Drake is the one to mention Savannah and Bartie when it was MAXWELL who was more involved in helping her with the child. Sure, he was - as he confessed in that Valtoria scene - more the "fun uncle" type, but he was still pretty heavily involved. Still keeping track of what Savannah needed and what Bartie would want. In his own final Book 3 scene, Maxwell is shown having an amazing rapport with little Bartie, playing peekaboo with his nose. I can barely count scenes involving Drake and Bartie with the fingers of one hand. Why couldn't Maxwell reference that last moment in Book 3, drawing up some inspirational moment from it? Like spending more and more time with Bartie changed the way he felt about kids? Or maybe that Savannah or Bertrand said something regarding the joy children bring to him. Anything that gives us some idea of when this shift happened.

Maxwell may have been new last book. It may have been a struggle to know what to do with him last book. But that isn't the case right now. By now they should have settled in their writing of him and figured out ways to make his story make sense? To give him more depth rather than simply reducing the man to the court jester? Maxwell's story was supposed to be about him growing, the scene in Valtoria was supposed to be about wanting to be a good father for his future children but fearing he might fail...yet the writers have the same man say the exact opposite. Maxwell's family history was thrown away for no good reason last book, and was replaced by Savannah drama. There was more space given to Savannah's love story with Bertrand (which didn't NEED the entire book to gain fruition) and Drake (optionally) enjoying humiliating Bertrand. That time, energy and effort could have gone in building up Maxwell, getting an insight into what happened to the Beaumonts that they became so poor...but no. The only Beaumont that mattered seems to be Savannah (and we know exactly why). And going by the fact that they're going to force an entire wedding storyline involving Bertrand and Savannah down our throats, that still seems to be the case.

- Hana's is even more worrying considering that it was poles apart from the rest of the playthroughs and therefore SHOULD have had more thought. Yes Hana loves the idea of being a mother. Yes Hana loves children and has a nurturing nature. But the urgency is still the same as the others' in her playthrough, and it made absolutely no sense. There was a clear dissonance between their current situation and the rush these two were in.

Hana's deserved at least some more time in her dinner scene. Maybe one where she could speak about growing up an only child, with no companions and not even toys. She could explain the loneliness involved in having a small family with parents who gave her more duties than affection, and then speak about giving her kid a better childhood. There isn't even any discussion about which of them should be the person carrying (we know it will be the MC, but why it has to be her in their case is anyone's guess).

What the team have done here is give Hana the bare minimum, after an entire two books of giving her even less than that. I know I'll probably be judged for thinking negatively rather than being cautiously optimistic, but the fact is that the moment this team feels they can get away with tossing scraps or less than that, they can and will do it. It's not stopped them before: not from botching up Hana's storyline, not from giving Hana fans a reception full of goof-ups and shoddy writing, not from pairing her with her bully. Perhaps last year I would have been happy and grateful to see Hana and the MC calling each other "my wife". This time...I refuse to settle for just mere scraps. If you can give thought and care to Liam and Drake's storylines, you'd better be able to do the same for Hana and Maxwell, otherwise what's the point of reviving this book? What's the point of using Hana specifically in two of your ads as bait for your lesbian/bi/wlw fans?? Might as well let the entire series rot in the trash where it belongs in that case.

- I've heard theories about our child becoming heir to the throne, thanks to a possible future arc that may make Liam unable to have children. I personally hate this possible plot line for two reasons:

1. As it is the MC gets more importance than she deserves, whether or not she actually puts in the work. She becomes a front-runner during the social season even if she fails. She becomes a Duchess even if she lacks even the most basic skills, while Hana who has done way more than she ever had for the country gets nothing, not even a needle-point's worth of land. She becomes Champion of the Realm even if she is literal garbage throughout that book, when that title could have easily gone to Olivia or Hana instead if she didn't earn enough to get it. And now to have her kid be made an heir to the throne? For no good reason? Get outta here.

2. Forcing Liam into yet another storyline that is tragic and painful (and I'm pretty sure the writers will find yet another excuse to write a thesis on Drake Walker in the time they could be using to let Liam actually break down, or vent. If they couldn't be bothered to explore the man's feelings when his own father died, do you really think they will bother with him in this??) on top of whatever else he's had to experience so far? At this point I can do with less of that. I'm honestly sick of storylines that put Liam in very uncomfortable, painful situations with very little space for him to air out his grief. Give the man a fucking break. Let him have some breathing space to rule his goddamned kingdom, get him a fantastic therapist and get him better friends while he's at it. Pushing him into yet another messed-up situation when you've barely even scratched the surface with what his experiences have done to him, is really just drama for the sake of drama, nothing else.

- Nonetheless, since this is about a pregnancy and a future heir, I believe there will be plenty talk about succession, and about the importance given to fertility and children in Cordonian society. But as with the social season in Book 1, the engagement tour in Book 2, and the wedding + Unity Tour in Book 3, I believe the pregnancy itself is a frame story. The kind of story that justifies the glitz, the glitter, and the glamorous events...that can serve as a temporary gloss to cover the conflicts within. All while the inner stories reveals those conflicts, layer by layer (again, if it's done right. Book 3 is a good example of a great premise ruined by bad writing. I sincerely hope this book does not go in that direction).

- Remember those screenshots I put up in that dinner scene from Liam's route? About Cordonia's tensions with its neighbouring countries, and how the country may be viewed as vulnerable? I think that's where the actual theme of the story lies.

Books 1 and 2 mostly revolved around the illusion of Cordonia - the fairytale kingdom - before the MC herself is confronted with the tensions brewing within. Book 3 was about strengthening Cordonia through resolution of internal conflict. It was about learning about the intricacies of the country, its most powerful duchies, their histories and identities, Cordonia's messy, complicated history - to tackle the problems that lay within.

I feel like Book 4 would be taking a natural progression from resolving internal conflict to finally standing united as a nation against outside forces. Constantine - in his conversation with the MC in Shanghai - hints not only at groups within Cordonia that wanted to destroy the monarchy, but also foreign powers ("suffice to say there are those who envy Cordonia's prosperity...". Not the royal family's - but "Cordonia's").

Keeping a united front and showcasing strength through pride in the country - ergo 'patriotism', or perhaps 'national integration' since Cordonia is home to many different cultures and geographical locations (I originally wrote 'nationalism here, but now realize there may be negative connotations attached to that word in today's times: thanks @musicallisto!) is often viewed as an asset against alien forces. The MC is now a part of the monarchy/nobility, and will be irrevocably tied to the country's future - so it makes sense that she will now dig into the deepest and most intimate parts of Cordonia's history, and go several steps further in helping to unite the nation.

- Why do I theorize 'patriotism' or 'national integration' as being a theme? There are several reasons for this:

The Unresolved Storylines: We still have a ways to go in understanding Cordonian history. We don't know which other forces were involved in previous assassinations, and we don't have a clue what happened to Liam's mother. All we do know is that other people and groups that we have probably not even seen yet, may have been involved. Francesco (who also knew Liam's mother) and Xinghai, the only foreign delegates/visitors that we got to network with in Book 2, have minimal roles so far but SEEM to have had some influence when they were introduced earlier. Francesco particularly could have some sort of role to play, given what we were told about him in Book 2. Now would be a good time to explore why he needed contacts with these people (other than the fact that Xinghai is Hana's dad). It's possible that nothing will happen and we may not even see these two, or exchange any important information, but I'd still hope that there is some importance to their appearances in Book 2.

The Connections We Made In The Engagement Tour: Meeting Francesco in Capri was related to getting access to EU markets for Cordonian products. The engagement tour itself revolved around grabbing international attention towards Cordonian problems - one of which was the tsunami that hit Portavira, which we learn more about in Book 3. There is a possibility that these threads may be picked up in the future.

Both the above points hint at possible threats, or allies. At this point we can't exactly determine who is friend and who is foe, but it is clear that neighbouring countries - and indeed countries we have associated with in the past - will play a pretty big role in the way we view Cordonia, and in the way we direct the narrative of this country.

The Artwork: I love this part of my theory because it is the most based on actual evidence rather than guesswork. The idea of a nation depends as much on items of familiarity and symbols, as it does on history. It's why countries have national animals, anthems, fruits. Why art depicting national and local legends can often be considered almost sacred. The book has barely even begun yet, and already it is FILLED with all kinds of things symbolic to Cordonia.

Let's first take a peek at the cover art:

Now let's ignore Liam's and Drake's (busted) faces in this cover and focus on what the three are holding.

The MC holds a rattle in her hand, and the jewel within the rattle looks similar to a ruby, which has been associated more than once with apples in the story (Cordonia's most valued variety of apple is the Cordonian Ruby, Liam's wedding gift to the MC is a ruby in the shape of an apple. The same rattle shows up in the second cover [on the left] as well. It's a stretch, I know, but I've got better evidence. Stick with me).

Liam holds a onesie with a crown design on the front - and we know that "for crown and country" is a popular phrase, especially for toasts, in Cordonia. Drake holds out a toy lion: the lion is the national animal, and holds a place of pride in the national Coat-of-Arms. The throne on which the MC herself sits, is blue and gold - both considered national colours. That's at least 4 symbols related to Cordonia vying for our attention on the same cover!

I mean, even Book 3 had just two major symbols - the apple (related to Cordonia) and the phoenix gown (related to Valtoria) - featuring on its cover.

The biggest proof to me, however, is not the cover, but the loading page. To be more precise - what is written above that loading page. A number of Choices books (BB, for instance) write little factoids about the world they are building above the loading bar, which players can read while they're waiting for the chapter to load. This wasn't a common practice with TRR, but they've definitely started it now! Some of the commentary is usual stuff - about gaining advantages through outfits, welcoming you back to Cordonia, etc...but THIS TIME there are tidbits of information given to us as well. And 80% of those involve apples!

Here are a few I managed to catch. One fact on the importance of apples in Cordonian culture, two specifically on the Cordonian Ruby itself including a rare recipe, and two old proverbs (this isn't the only time we've heard apple-related proverbs in the books - in Book 3 for instance, Bertrand refers to their trip to Fydelia as 'slicing two apples with one knife'). Proverbs in general often give us an idea of what people within a region hold up as important, as so connected to their life experiences that they can use those familiar objects as motifs for things that they see in daily life (eg. proverbs in my home state, Kerala, often refer to things/animals we find locally: jasmines, coconuts, jackfruit, dogs, elephants).

The fact that the apple features so often and with such emphasis in the loading page itself - and we have already seen what this simple fruit means to Cordonia - indicates to me that this national symbol - and the idea of the nation itself - will be of great importance. Not only will we be exploring foreign relations, IMO, but we'll also be learning how to build a national narrative that will benefit and strengthen Cordonia.

What's also interesting is that the apple symbolizes fertility to the Cordonian people as well - the apple cutting ceremony during a wedding (as explained by Regina to Leo's fiancée in RoE) is "a symbol of the fruit the tree will bear - you being the tree, of course", and there are chances that the fruit may feature often within the context of pregnancy/having children as well.

• That's all for now, guys. I hope to write more and theorize more as the chapters progress! Until then, I hope you enjoy this one, and I'd love to hear what you have to say.

• I did the Hana screenshots for this chapter, since the first chapter allows me to play repeatedly within losing keys, but I won't be able to do so from Chapter 2 onwards. If there are any Hana fans out there who keep screenshots of scenes in their route and are interested in sharing, I'd love to hear from you and will definitely credit you for the screenshots I put up!

• If you'd like to be tagged in future QTs, please let me know! Tagging @nikkisha16 for now since she asked xD

• Until Saturday, folks!

[bunny-banana]

I'd love to hear a director's commentary on La leggenda di Niccolo please :D Have a star as well ⭐

HA! Okay well, I’ll talk about the sections that I actually wrote so here it comes:

Chap 1

Engulfed in the never ending masses of water, he reckoned one should feel intimidated. No ground under his feet, only limited amounts of air to his disposal, and the uncertainty of what lies within the darker corners of the ocean should normally frighten you. And yet, he never felt more at peace than when he was floating so freely in the sea, almost as if gravity and the world outside didn’t exist

the fucking IRONY of me writing this while being deadly afraid of deep water. its honestly like “yeah,,,,, lemme list all the things i personally hate about deep sea…. and lets add ‘well, but theres something good too about that for sure,,,i guess,,,, ”

But what was more important for me was this contrast to what Ermal dreams about, his lowkey fantasy - and where he is irl, the icy south pole. I’m rather fond of opposing things/contrasts. 

The soldier breathed heavily in and out, but there was no time to rest as the next blaze of fire was aimed at him.He countered and evaded but his opponent was more forceful, his flames harsher, faster until the soldier’s back hit the cold railing. He was caught, and when his opponent mercilessly stroke once more, he knew he had to save himself by escaping into the cold water.The man remaining on the top deck smirked. Ah yes, he’d almost assume those new soldiers were just too easy to take on even if only for practice reasons, but it pleased him more to say that he still got it.

i really hope this introduction just tells you everything you need to know about Renga’s character.

How much sooner the war could have been won had it not been for the Poles!

While actually reflecting on the universe, i realised, it must be incredibly difficult for firebenders on the poles. like, I just assume they really, really arent fit for the cold which would make invading incredibly difficult for them. also lol, renga hates it at the poles obviously.

  Shaking so hard that kids ran towards their mothers and the watchtower fell over and when the fog cleared up, Ermal felt his stomach drop. ”No.”

Nothing, absolutely, nothing in that universe is more frightening than seeing the Fire Nation military pull up to your doorstep.  

Also, lmao, love to imagine Rinald quietly going “oh nooo my watchtower D:” 

Ermal pushed himself through the crowd until he was right in front of everyone, until he was the last barrier between the Fire Nation soldiers and the village.

Ermal has Strong Opinions™ about the Fire Nation, with reasons of course, and seeing them here is the absolute nightmare to him.

  “You mean the Avatar that disappeared off the face of the Earth? The one that nobody has ever seen and that was probably never even reborn? That Avatar?”And if his cockiness gave off a certain invitation to smash his face in, then this was perhaps a little bit Ermal’s fault.

to quote the Smiths: Bigmouth Strikes Again!

“B-but he’s- he’s so young? I swear to the Fire Lord, if this is yet another trick then-”

Chap 2

Niccolò had always been in awe of the Fire Nation’s advanced industrial sector. The machinery that originated from the Nation had always had cutting edge quality which no one in the world could quite imitate nor match. This ship however was beyond anything Niccolò had ever seen. This ship was fully steam-driven with the powerful motors roaring under his feet. And those weren’t the only novelties.Steel processed so professionally that it makes impenetrable walls and doors which opened and closed only through quite sophisticated lock mechanisms. It all looked so modern, it all looked so futuristic.

so the idea was, since Nic had missed an entire century, the ship looked super modern to him. while its a canon fact that the FN is quite advanced with machinery, the ship itself is just to an up-to-date standard. But to Niccolo personally it seemed futuristic.  i like the idea of him being amazed at things he has never seen in his life just to find out they’re pretty common in the current timeline. 

There was not much time left, Niccolò had to think quickly. Extremely convenient how his nose started tickling right in that moment.The powerful sneeze that followed had two consequences: One, the guard in front of him was catapulted straight into the metal door of the cell, rendering him unconscious.Two, Niccolò and the guard behind him were also forcefully pushed back to the other end of the corridor, crashing into the hard wall.Well, at least the guard did. The young airbender was spared that fate, by that nice pillow the guard turned out to be, so he quickly got onto his feet and ran as fast as he could with his hands tied behind his back.

so yeah ngl, this was just copied from the OG ep

Now that his hands were freed, he opened the first door that presented itself to him, but in front of him, he simply saw the quarters of General Renga who stared at his now roaming prisoner in shock. Okay, time to turn around, it seems.

listen, i just love the thought of overconfident General Renga being so shellshocked to see his prisoner escaping that he just gapes at him. And ofc Nic slamming the door shut immediately jsfkld

“Fuck, fuck, fuck!” Niccolò cursed as he evaded a burst of fire that was aimed at him before taking the next corner “Where’s the exit?! Where’s the goddamn exi- AH!! A DOOR!!” He pulled it open to reveal a startled guy sitting there just minding his own business. An unexpected sight, with an even more unexpected odor following. “Oh? uhm- Sorry man! Just- just take your time! Also, perhaps light a candle when you’re done. Bye!” The young Avatar swiftly apologised as he closed the door of what was most definitely not an exit.

Fav OC so far!  That simple FN dude was just trying to take a dump in peace but who would have known that all hell would break lose and the goddamn Avatar of all people would walk into him smh.  Also, I really enjoyed the thought of while this is all hectic and dangerous, Nic still being human enough to go like “oh, my bad! sorry dude!” at this random soldier. Who knows, maybe we should bring that one back some time later. And i kinda wanted the whole escape to be funny, since its Nic’s POV, and it just wouldnt suit his carefree spirit to make this super serious (yet). 

“I’ll give you that, hiding for so long was sort of impressive.” Niccolò heard Renga’s voice behind him as the General had caught up with him. 

almost wrote “century” there but then remembered  nah omg he can’t know yet 

A piece of ice may or may not have also hit Renga straight into the face but nobody would complain about that anyway. 

yeah i just love the thought of this super dramatic scene of Nic entering the Avatar State and then theres a chunk of ice knocking Renga unconscious lmao get fucked, dude 

“Nic!” Ermal ran towards the slowly decreasing water pillar to catch the unconscious airbender in the last second, dropping to his knees in the process.<…> That was beyond anything anybody of that age should normally be capable of. That was beyond what any waterbender could ever be capable of. And yet, lying in his arms, Niccolò looked so exhausted, so weak. Just like any other kid. Not a trace from the sheer force that was unleashed moments earlier.

I think this was really the moment Ermal started feeling real responsibility over Niccolo. Just seeing him do all these crazy things and yet being reminded that this huge burden of being the Avatar is literally thrusted upon a simple kid.  Also, this is the first time he called him “Nic” <3 

Various noises and sounds buzzed through the air that afternoon: The loud shoveling of snow from the bow, the quieter crackling emerging from the hands of the firebenders who were melting their frozen compatriots, the fast steps rushing left and right over the ship. All these different sounds were heard, but none of them were chattering. Nobody dared to chat. Not after this disastrous defeat. What a disgrace that had been, General Renga thought grinding his teeth.

Everybody on this goddman ship is just scared shitless that Renga will roast them if they so much like whisper. they know he moody, they know he’ll blame them for the avatar’s escape. so lets all just work and repair shit and keep quite. 

When he found consciousness again, he was left with not only one horrendous purple bruise on his face, but also with a half destroyed ship. 

jdsfksajfklf OK SO YEAH, my first intention was “lmao let a piece of ice hit him” but then i realised “oh wait he’d have a bruise afterwards”  and then “LMAOOOO he’d be like Zuko, how perfect is that”   ok so granted, unlike our dear fire prince, Renga’s bruise is only temporary, but i really hoped someone would pick up the connection to Zuko

Whatever had happened to the Avatar earlier, it left a colossal mark on the ship, and secretly, on Renga personally too. He might have gotten fooled once, but he wouldn’t get fooled again.

basically, he feels personally insulted about being beaten by a kid. what a loser lmao

“Martino!”

“Y-yes, General?” stuttered the lanky assistant with the askew glasses, clenching his hands around his writing board. One would think you’d get used to Renga’s harsh tone over time, but that was simply not the case..

rip martino but renga absolutely needed a poor anxious assistant whom he could terrorise

“We need the best of the best to defeat him. And I just know the right choice for that job…”

heeeeheeee ….. no comment ..for now.  but im curious to what you guys think about that 

Thank you so much! this was a lot of fun to do ! :) <3

[lizacstuff]

Hey Liza, I'm curious if you watched the episode tonight? I know you haven't been watching so much, but since this is the "big episode" I didn't know if you'd decide to tune in and watch the trainwreck. If you did, I'd love to hear your thoughts. I read a few comments under the THR article that Lana retweeted that this is definitely the episode that'll win her her long overdo Emmy. Seems legit.

Yes. I decided to watch a) because I was home and @counttotwenty was available to watch at the same time b) Regina/Lana snarking material c) the ep seemed safe in regards to Rogers and potential love interests (it was)

Comments under the cut (be warned, there be negative opinions down below)

This was one of the slowest episodes of television I’ve ever watched. It was molasses.  At one point it felt like it had been on for about 84 years, I assumed we had to be at least past the 45 minute mark. I checked the time... nope! Only 19 minutes in. As Shelley said to me afterwards, “Can you even imagine a 2 hour episode???” No... no I can not imagine sitting through that.

Regina looked even more ridiculous in her warrior wannabe getup on screen than she did in the stills. What was the point? She didn’t do any fighting, any stunts, or really anything that would require a one-shouldered cape. (Her actions in no way put her in the league of Robin Wright’s character in Wonder Women, Lana is smoking crack with that one.) Also I find the whole EF set up where they call themselves the resistance and go on recon missions and patrols a little silly.  I swear, to A&E, Henry and company in the “EF” are the rebels on the forest moon of Endor getting ready to fight the Empire. They’re slipping and forgetting they’re not writing an OUAT/Star Wars AU.

Then we find out that Ivy is the big bad. And apparently the curse caster.  How original! The daughter of an abusive mother doesn’t know how to channel her feelings and destroys everyone’s lives... oh wait. That feels familiar. Where have we seen something like that before?  It’s almost like they can’t deviate from the prototypes of S1 at all.  The great news is that Regina teaches big bad Ivy everything she needs to know to wield her dark magic!  As it turns out everyone would have been better off if Regina had not stayed with Henry.  At least they got one thing right, Regina continually ruins everyone’s lives.  All I can say is thank goodness she is in that realm fucking up things and not in Storybrooke. 

One thing I liked, was the line from Regina to Rumple that went something like: "You lived a lifetime with Belle, for us it was the blink of an eye. It's difficult to comprehend."  Finally, the show acknowledges how convoluted it all is.  It certainly is difficult to comprehend, show.

Regal Believer. Gross. Not loving the “First person to ever love me.”  Glad the show is still pretending that Regina didn’t abuse and gaslight him for the first 10 years of his life and that’s why he ran away to find Emma. Emma who loved him from birth and loved him so much she gave him his best chance. Jane and Jerome pretty much erased every good thing they’ve ever done with that one line. 

Especially since in the adjacent scene we see Roni/Regina  start to manipulate and sabotage Henry (once again) so he doesn’t break the curse (once again) with a TLK with Jacinda.  First... lets back up, because they have done nothing to convince me that Shoe Believer has earned true love status. They have zero chemistry and are not working on any level for me. Second... Regina strikes again. Anyone close to her gets manipulated and hurt. At least the hero facade has started to fade. 

Lastly, poor Colin. This one pains me. A lot. But as Shelley said to me, the material is not doing him any favors. It feels like they’re giving him nothing and he’s ardently trying to turn garbage to gold, and it’s rough to watch.