#instead of protecting them properly them are apologizing and on hiatus

[bandzboy]

Seeing the amount of hate she gets just for dating, aka a normal thing lots of people (even celebrities) do makes me so sad. I haven't seen this amount of hate in a while. I'm sorry for them because I don't want random people online to ruin what could be a beautiful relationship. I get people being surprised because they don't know what's happening in their faves' lives (and let's keep it that way) but I've seen some of the worst reactions ever when coming across an article confirm the dating news </3 Being a kpop for more than a decade, I can tell you many couples have broken up due to all the hate thrown at them. I'm just sad because these are people we're talking about. People with feelings. People who deserve happiness and love. What makes me sad is those are the same people who would bend backwards to defend their fave's cr*mes. But apparently, dating is where they draw the line...

it was genuinely wild 😭 i mean most of the things i've seen abt her dating was mostly people on twt saying they felt "betrayed" bc they projected onto her the fact that she is gay (even tho if she is that's none of our business) but yeah it's very obvious when these things come out it's usually the woman that gets the most shit for no reason! at the end of the day, this is something that should be normal for idols to do because they are humans with feelings and i honestly hate how companies still have the "dating ban" thing which is so stupid especially since these idols start so young and should have normal experiences like dating (if they want to ofc) like that should be something normal and not something they are demonized for and i think, the way these companies think, other than the fact that yes, they are sorta presented to us like they are our boyfriends and girlfriends, i think they see it as something that is gonna distract them and honestly it could be beneficial to have that in their lives regardless bc that's normal and human to want to be loved and these idols are not gonna date us it's not gonna happen and i wish people stopped thinking this fr! that's why when these news come out i support them 100%! if that person makes my fav happy i will support it at all times! but yeah when it comes to sm, it's so insane how they are debuting this man who has sa accusations and acting like nothing is happening while we don't know when seunghan is coming back we have absolutely no clue and once again he is on hiatus for dating predebut which is wild to me like god forbid he had a gf before he debuted god forbid he is human ??? and so as of late, i can't take sm seriously not that i have before but this is honestly wild to me how all of these situations are happening at the same time and are being treated SO different it's quite offputting to see it as a fan of both seunghan and karina

[nachosncheeze]

Blindspot Mid-season 3 Thoughts

There’s been a lot said about mid-season 3, but as a latecomer, this is my first real chance to dig in, so instead of doing it in dribs and drabs for individual episodes I figured I'd just do one beast of a post covering the whole thing.

I sometimes find it hard not to feel in the minority about this season because… I have no beef. I’m not mad at any characters, I'm not mad at the writers, I'm not particularly disappointed about anything. If I think about all 100 episodes of the series as a whole there are honestly only 2 things I think I would really wanna change and neither of them are here. I like season 3 - all of it, really. To be honest, when I was a new fan quietly lurking in fanfic land, I was surprised to discover that there had been much controversy. It had honestly never occurred to me to do anything but shake my head at the characters or to feel anything other than sad for them at this point. And it feels like a really weird point in the series to be a fence-sitter. I mean, do I love what these characters are doing? No, but I think that’s kind of the point. And sure, I can gripe with the best of them, roll my eyes, scoff and give a dark laugh at how stupid they're being. But I don’t have any big feelings or frustrations about any of it.

Part of that, I'm sure, is that the only character whose dumb choices I feel I can say with any confidence that I wouldn't repeat if I was in the same messed up circumstances, is Reade. The fact that he even asked anyone for an opinion about polygraphing the girl that has demonstrably conspired with gangsters and an international terrorist is Exhibit #1 on the "Reade is Middle Management Material Not A Leader" list. The fact he (and the rest of them) then left Jane holding the bag while Avery got bitchy about facing the absolute bare minimum of vetting is also... a bit rude? (Seriously guys. Someone tell the kid that every other member of Jane's family was stripped to their socks and skivvies, tied down and irradiated, yeah? A blood pressure cuff and a couple little finger sensors is the Kruger/Briggs family equivalent of a trip to the park - WITH a free ice cream cone.) The rest of them? I've been "protected" via selective sharing of info and have unfortunately done that to others; I've been cheated on but also been the person far away for far too long, and I can imagine how someone who didn't have Skype or a support network or return date might fall to temptation; I've been a dumbass kid influenced by the wrong people; and I've been sometimes unjustly angry at people I didn't realize were actually sticking their necks out for me. The circumstances are Fucked Up High Drama, but they're all just kind of idiots muddling through, and I can't really be upset with any of them because I can't say I'd do any better in their shoes.

Aside from that, I’ve said to a few people before that I think a lot of my experience of the show is probably heavily influenced by being a post-series binge watcher. I never had a week much less a whole hiatus to speculate or form theories or expectations as to what might be next, because I just pressed play and saw what was intended to be next. I think that let me make sense of so much of it in a sort of real-time retrospective based on the pieces that were there, rather than looking ahead and wondering what might be planned to address this thing or that thing, so the gaps just never really stood out for me. I believe there’s a tremendous amount that went unsaid this season, but my head just sort of filled in the blanks without really consciously thinking about it, because the next twist was already in front of me so that's all I had time for.

So if you say to me, for example, "Did Jane properly apologize; did Jeller actually work on it?" my brain says "Obviously, otherwise what happened next wouldn't make sense." But the fact it didn't happen on screen bothers me 0% and I think a big reason is that for me those midseason episodes weren't spread over 6 weeks; they took place in a single evening. For me, it was already 3x13 and Nas was walking into Jeller's flat looking at Jane like she's a wet puppy or a toddler with a skinned knee, going "aww, been a long time hasn't it pud?" And I'm thinking, 'STFU, Nas, I mean thanks for doing the team a solid on your way out but now you're coming in here with that tone? Are we just supposed to pretend you weren't previously threatening to strip this woman of her human rights while having her man check your plumbing on the daily in this very apartment?' I mean in the moment, that was more compelling for me than a conversation or a healing process that I just assumed had already happened/started off-screen, you know? I wasn't speculating or imagining how Jeller might make up or come back from this, so I didn't miss that it's not there.

Side note, I have been encouraged to imagine and write down my own version of how that conversation/process might have gone, and I've started, so there will be another fic out there on the topic at some point... probably as a few follow up scenes to that fight I made them have. xD In the meantime, there were a ton of canon divergence/coping fics written at the time and in the years since; I really recommend @indelibleevidence's Taken for Granted, which is on both AO3 and FFN, and explores Weller having a much stronger response to Jane's weak in-canon homecoming. There are a lot of beautiful and often angsty shorter ones by other folks that play with it in different ways and which you can find by looking through the 3x11 and 3x12 tags.

In retrospect, I can see the reasons for everyone's (very valid) complaints, even if I don't feel it. A lot of the blame for the inconsistencies or subject matter in this season has often been laid at the feet of the writers, and for what it's worth, the pre-season article linked here gives some interesting insight into some unique challenges they were dealing with, which mostly seems to have come down to taking the show international. Venice was shot well before they had a table read for 3x01, and judging by the bts stuff out there, some of the other locations were shot wildly out of sequence as well. It can’t have been easy to keep the story together when chunks of episodes were locked in weeks or even months in advance of the stuff around it. I wonder if they even had their guest stars locked in when they committed to some aspects of these plots. Whether whatever story missteps those challenges may have contributed were worth the locations is up to personal opinion, I suppose.

Were there other ways they could have achieved the season's main outcomes? Probably, but I personally don't mind the routes they chose. Even if I did, I think at least I would have to give huge props to them for having ticked a lot of Very Large Boxes on the series’ penchant for parallels with this season. I'll be making a separate post about that, because unlike many other parallels, a lot of them this season are more spread out and thematic, and not necessarily easy to show in gif form because they aren't readily summarized by similar shots or dialogue the way so many of the parallels between seasons 1 and 2 were.

I’m gonna take one last minute to mention something that I don't think gets nearly enough attention in all the mess and feelings around Jeller and Avery and that's PATTERSON. Others have observed the way she’s giving everyone advice this season, but I just really… good lord. In season 1 she was so fragile and unsure. In season 2 everyone was mother henning her. This season she’s not only going home to sleep at night and running an apparently VERY lucrative side-hustle with Wizardville, but she’s straight up committing felonies on FBI time with it, and lying to every single new person she reveals its back door to (“I’ve never used it before, I swear!” Yes the hell you did, it was just like two episodes ago). And she shows zero remorse. She’s out here straight up telling everyone they’re full of shit, and at times telling them how to get their houses in order and how they ought to live their lives (with her hand on their forearm of course, to convey how she's a sweet concerned lil pumpkin who's just looking out for them). It's a beautiful follow up to the ending of season 2, when she was finally like HEY JANE HEY WELLER YOU'RE BOTH CONSIDERING MOVING TO DIFFERENT CITIES HERE'S AN IDEA EITHER PUT OUT OR JUST FUCKING LEAVE I'M TIRED OF YOUR SHIT KTHXBYE. She’s almost like the team’s new Allie, without all the Allie. I love this growth. It's beautiful and hilarious to see. 😂😂

Anyway, thanks and congrats to anyone who read all of this. You get a dozen (gluten and allergen free) cookies, even if you just skimmed it because good lord I’m long-winded for stumbling into a fandom that’s said most of it before. I'm just gonna finish this gifset and go back to my WIPs. 😅👍👍

[chippokenabokura]

World Trigger Ch179 ‘Amatori Chika 7’ Translation

So apologies first for missing last month. I was out of the country and had no idea that even Tumblr is blocked in China now until way too late. Oops. I suppose I could have used that chance to finally make a blog or something like I’ve been meaning to but I think Blogspot’s banned too...

Anyway, it worked out because World Trigger had to go on a short hiatus this month because Ashihara got intestinal blockage from complications from his surgery (he’s already released from the hospital and is healing well but jeepers cripes...) so I’m posting last month’s chapter (which was only 1 chapter because Ashihara had to prepare for his surgery). Volume 20 still came out today on schedule and I’ll be translating the extras from it over the next week or so (I’m still distracted though...thanks BTS for getting me back into Kpop after 10 years of freedom...)

Panel 1

Hus: I

Hus: Think Chika can shoot people

Panel 3

Youtarou: Hm…?

Youtarou: What would happen if Chika can shoot people?

Panel 4

Hus: The premise behind our strategy will change greatly

Panel 1

Hus: Instead of

Hus: Me shooting and Chika protecting me

Panel 2

Hus: Chika shoots and the other members protect her

Hus: If we can use that in our teamwork

Panel 3

Hus: Just by devoting herself to Meteora and Hound

Hus: Chika can probably earn 5 or 6 points

Panel 4

Hus: Even if we don’t come up with specific countermeasures for the enemy

Hus: We can overwhelm them with sheer power

Panel 5

Hus: That’s why I want to clear things up here and now

Panel 1

Hus: Can you shoot people

Chika: …

Hus: Or not

Panel 2

Usami: Clear things up… Usami: It’s already clear!

Usami: Surely if Chika could shoot people she’d already be doing it!

Panel 3

Reiji: You think ‘Chika can shoot’

Reiji: What’s your proof? Reiji: Hus

Panel 4

Youtarou: Reiji!

Usami: Reiji-san

Panel 1

Hus: I have no proof Hus: But

Hus: On the battlefield, I have seen both ‘people who can shoot’ and ‘people who can’t shoot’

Panel 2

Hus: To me

Hus: Chika looks like a person on the ‘can shoot’ side

Panel 3

Hus: …on the contrary, let me ask Hus: Where is the proof that Chika is on the ‘can’t shoot side’?

Panel 4

Hus: If she can hit people with bullets of weight

Hus: Skill-wise, she should be able to hit with normal bullets too

Panel 5

Hus: Despite that, what ‘reason’ is there to say Chika can’t shoot people?

Reiji: …

Panel 1

Yuzuru: Amatori-san can shoot normally in training

Yuzuru: Maybe because you know it's not hurting the opponent

Panel 2

Chika: That’s…probably

Chika: …because I’m scared to see the opponent hurt by my hand…

Panel 3

Usami: That’s right! Even in a fight with trion bodies Usami: There are kids who associate it with damage to real bodies!

Reiji: …Hatohara was like that

Panel 4

Usami: Thinking ‘if the opponent was a human being in a real body’ Usami: And becoming scared of shooting people isn’t unbelievable, is it?

Panel 5

Hus: You mean not being able to shoot if you start thinking of the battlefield as real?

Hus: …that’s weird

Panel 1

Hus: On the actual battlefield Hus: If Chika doesn’t shoot the enemy

Hus: There’s a chance Yuuma or Osamu could die

Panel 4

*ba-dump*

Chika: …!!

Panel 1

Hus: I haven’t known her long

Hus: But Chika

Panel 2

Hus: Is someone who can use herself as a game piece for the sake of her friends

Chika: …I

Chika: Am okay with that

Hus: I know that

Panel 3

Hus: If Yuuma or Osamu get into a pinch in a real fight

Hus: Chika would shoot

Panel 4

*ba-dump*

*ba-dump*

Chika: …

Panel 1

Usami: Chika-chan, are you okay!?

Panel 2

Hus: …it seems an answer is going to be impossible for now

Panel 3

Hus: I will gather the data with Youtarou

Hus: If it’s impossible, then it’s impossible, it doesn’t matter Hus: Try to give me an answer as soon as you can

Panel 4

Reiji: …

Panel 1

Usami: How is it? Usami: Calmed down a little?

Chika: …yes

Panel 2

Usami: Ugh, Hus-kun is so outspoken Usami: It overwhelms you, doesn’t it

Reiji: It was a pretty subjective opinion

Panel 3

Usami: You don’t have to force yourself, Chika-chan Usami: Our chances of winning are pretty good as we are

Chika: …

Panel 4

Chika: …um…

Chika: Um…I…

Panel 5

Reiji: …what is it?

Usami: Whaat, Chika-chan?

Panel 1

Chika: …I don’t know Chika: If I can say it properly…

Chika: I…

Panel 2

Usami: Uh-huh Usami: Uh-huh, it’s fine

Usami: I’ll listen

Panel 3

*inhale exhale*

Panel 4

Chika: I…when I was a grade schooler Chika: I was chased by a trion soldier

Chika: But… Chika: Border wasn’t around back then

Chika: No one knew

Panel 1

Chika: Even dad, even mum…even everyone in my class

Chika: No one believed me when I told them…

Panel 2

Chika: I had only one friend who believed me Chika: A girl called Aoba-chan…

Chika: Aoba-chan…

Panel 3

Chika: Went Chika: Missing

Chika: Probably Chika: Taken by a Neighbour

Panel 4

Chika: I…at the time, I was scared

Panel 5

Chika: Not because Aoba-chan disappeared

Chika: Or because the people around me didn’t believe me

Panel 1

Chika: But that everyone Chika: Started believing my words

Chika: That they start thinking ‘what she was saying might have been true’

Panel 2

Chika: I was more scared that they’ll say ‘it’s my fault because I got her involved’ Chika: Than the fact that Aoba-chan disappeared

Panel 3

Chika: Even when Border was set up and the idea of Neighbours became more widespread

Chika: I was thinking Chika: That everyone would think Aoba-chan was taken because she was with me

Panel 4

Chika: So I decided not to say anything to anyone…

Chika: I thought…

Panel 5

Chika: So…that is…

Usami: Uh-huh

Chika: What I’m trying to say is…

Usami: Uh-huh

Panel 1

Chika: The truth is, I’m... Chika: Not scared of hurting people…

Chika: I think what I’m scared of Chika: Is being blamed for hurting people

Panel 4

Chika: If I thought of shooting someone…I might be able to shoot

Chika: Um…s...

Chika: Sorry

Chika: But if I keep shooting people with my trion Chika: What would they think of me

Panel 1

Chika: Won’t they find me scary?

Chika: Won’t they think it’s unfair?

Chika: Will they resent me?

Chika: Will they hate me?

Chika: That’s Chika: Scary

Panel 2

Chika: But Chika: I didn’t want Osamu-kun or Yuuma-kun

Chika: To think I’m useless

Panel 3

Chika: So I do my best

Chika: But I convince myself that I can’t shoot people Chika: That I’m weaker than other people

Chika: So that they would go easy on me

Panel 4

Chika: …but Chika: When Hus-kun

Chika: Said that Osamu-kun or Yuuma-kun might die Chika: If I don’t shoot

Panel 1

Chika: If that’s true, then Chika: Even if the opponent is human Chika: I think I’d shoot too

Chika: I would want to save them, and more than that

Panel 2

Chika: ‘It’s your fault because you didn’t shoot’

Chika: I’m scared that someone would think that of me…

Panel 3

Chika: …I… Chika: I’m

Chika: In the end Chika: I only think of myself…

Panel 4

Reiji: …!

Usami: Chika-chan…!

Panel 1

Usami: That’s normal!

Usami: Anyone would be scared that people think ‘it’s your fault’! Usami: I’m the same!

Panel 2

Usami: You don’t have to act like you’re such a bad person!

Usami: If you’re a bad person then most people are bad!

Panel 3

Reiji: …even if the situation deteriorates Reiji: Because you couldn’t shoot

Panel 4

Reiji: I don’t think Osamu or Yuuma would blame you

Chika: …!

Panel 5

Reiji: And the same with me

Usami: And me!

Panel 1

Usami: Let’s just do what we can, Chika-chan

Usami: Because there are a lot of things you can do as you are…!

Panel 4

Usami: To think Chika-chan would say things like that about herself…

Panel 5

Chika: I can’t stay still

Chika: If there’s even the slightest possibility…

Usami: Did Chika-chan say she want to go on expeditions Usami: Based on this self-condemnation too?

Panel 1

Reiji: In the beginning it might have been

Reiji: But that can’t be all there is to it now

Panel 2

Reiji: She is

Reiji: Someone who can act for the sake of others

Panel 4

*step step*

Panel 5

Reiji: …even if the situation deteriorates because you couldn’t shoot

Reiji: I don’t think Osamu or Yuuma would blame you

Panel 1

Chika: I don’t think so either… Chika: Osamu-kun and Yuuma-kun would surely never blame me for not being able to shoot

Panel 2

Chika: …but that’s why…

Panel 3

Chika: I

Chika: Want to fight properly too…!

Panel 4

Tamakoma Branch Operator Room

Panel 1

Yuuma: Yuba squad

Yuuma: Feels like they’re ‘strong under the right conditions’ Yuuma: Similar to Katori squad

Konami: True, they might be like that now

Panel 2

Osamu: Yuba-san isn’t so much a Gunner

Osamu: As ‘an Attacker that fights with guns’

Konami: Yeah, that’s more or less right too

Panel 3

Yuuma: Hmmm, if the opponent leans towards Attacker

Yuuma: I want to fight them before the match

Panel 4

Yuuma: When I fought Ikoma-san Yuuma: It felt a bit like I lost because I didn’t get to

Yuuma: It feels longer than what I saw in the logs

Yuuma: That extending Kogetsu

Osamu: I see…

Panel 5

Yuuma: …oh?

Panel 1

Yuuma: Lucky

Midorikawa: My sempai is familiar with Yuba-san. Shall I get you an introduction with Yuba-san?

Yuuma: It will be a big help if you can. Recompensation is negotiable.

Midorikawa: [OK Stamp]

Yuuma: Shun says he’ll introduce me to Yuba squad people

Panel 2

Osamu: Midorikawa?

Yuuma: Uh-huh Yuuma: It seems a sempai from Shun’s team is familiar with Yuba-san

Panel 3

Osamu: Midorikawa’s team…

Osamu: A rank No.4 Kusakabe squad…!

Panel 4

Yuuma: I’ll go see them for a bit tomorrow

Yuuma: Shun’s sempai and Yuba-san

-

It feels a month too late to give my commentary on this chapter, but ahhhhhhhhh Chikaaaaaaaaaaaa!!! One of my favourite types of characters is the one who is self-centred/absorbed, is self-aware enough to realise that about themselves, and hate themselves for it. Chika was already one of my faves but now she is absolutely my favourite character. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh~

Also, some interesting reveals for Yuba squad: like why they dropped to mid tier but now is back. And they called him 'Yuba-san'! Proof that he's 18 or older?? Sad that once again we have more of an All-rounder than a Gunner, but this way it does seem likely that Yuba is a high ranking one, maybe even the most high ranking Gunner?? 

In conclusion, we should be back to two chapters per month next month but who knows how these surgery complications screwed things up? At least we have new characters to look forward to. And the new volume!

[satyrykal]

Departure Chapter 2 - Back from Hiatus!

Title: Departure

Author: Satyrykal

Pairing: Natsu x Lucy

Genre: Romance/Fantasy

Rating: M

Spoiler Warning: Not in the canon-verse, but pays homage to ideas in the Alvarez arc.

Summary: Natsu has been by her side for years - her faithful guard and the man she was never supposed to fall in love with. Lucy is bound by duty and custom, promised to another - yearning for freedom outside the confines of her grandfather’s court. So when the drums of war throw the kingdom into disarray, they make their move – consequences be damned.

Read the story here, or preview the excerpt below!

Running Chapter Timeline:

1 - 2nd July, X494: Lucy 23, Natsu 25

2 - 2nd July, X484: Lucy 13, Natsu 15

CHAPTER 2 Excerpt – The Beginning

"Once upon a time there was a boy who loved a girl, and her laughter was a question he wanted to spend his whole life answering." – Nicole Krauss, 2005

2nd July, X484

Once upon a time – not yours or mine – lived a girl spun from stars and sunshine.

This is her story.

The sun beat down from overhead as she raced across the field, wind pulling her hair free from its braid in strands of gold. Meadows of summer daisies and lupines passed by, shaded by the thick canopy above as the King's Wood gave way the high grass of the garden green. Her hands were tight and sweaty against the reins as she leaned forward, fingers digging into the fine leather as she urged the gray spotted mare onward.

"Come on Nikora, it's you and me now. Till the end." She whispered, her thighs straddling the horse, savoring the familiar burn in her quads as they galloped faster. She was answered by a thunder of hoofbeats as clots of dirt flew behind them as they tore through the tree line.

Lucy gave a whoop of laughter and charged past the crop of ancient oaks that hid the castle from view. Her eyes flashed amber as she took in the grand turrets, the palace's marbled façade imposing as it loomed ahead.

The gates grew closer as she sped through its arch, giggling at the calls of the sentries that greeted her as her pace slowed to a canter – still fast enough that some raised their voices in warning. Still, it wasn't until the stables were in sight that she reared the mare.

"Slow girl, gentle." She coaxed, lightening her hold until Nikora had geared to a trot, a gentle double beat as she wove her way past the other evening riders.

Smiling softly at the passersby, Lucy kissed her horse's mane – brushing the coarse white strands through her gloved fingers. She breathed deeply, taking in the earthen scent of grain feed and wood before wrinkling her nose at hint of manure that hit her last.

As they came up the walkway, a handler met her to lead her to the mount's stall.

"I've got it Igneel, I can get her ready and comb her down on my own." She told the older man, trying and failing to keep the reins away from him when he reached them.

Igneel cut a tall figure, with broad shoulders that stretched the leather of his jerkin. His hair was pulled sharply back, cascading down his back like liquid wildfire. Lucy had always thought the older man was handsome, though the long scar through his right eye and cheek below it gave him a menacing aura. It had taken some time for her to warm up to the former warrior.

She'd met him shortly after he'd taken over as the royal beastmaster half a decade ago, gaining his attention when the young royal continuously snuck out to the stables when she should have been minding her lessons. However, instead of returning her to her governess as was expected, he'd simply boom with laughter – allowing her to bob between the various stalls as she played hide-and-seek with some poor, harried palace guard on her protection detail.

He'd always had a soft spot for the princess, indulging her love for riding and the measure of freedom it afforded her.

When she continued to whine and fight his grip on the horse's lead, he just grinned shaking his head at her, a piece of hay anchored between his teeth.

"Off you go then Princess, not worth my time to convince you otherwise." He chuckled, patting her leg as he went back to his tack, wiping dirty hands on his stained smock. It wasn't his job to act as a common stable hand, but he'd always doted on the girl.

She beamed at his idle dismissal; teeth white and lips pulled wide as she dismounted – directing her horse back to the corner stall. Grabbing a bucket, she placed it by Nikora who dipped her muzzle into the water immediately, long tongue slurping as she drank greedily.

A few minutes later, Lucy heard a rattle on the path outside as another couple of mounts came into view.

In front was a young girl of about thirteen with a head of smooth blue locks, tied back neatly though a few wisps brushed her pale cheeks. Her legs were looped through the horn of her side saddle, covered by the folds of her sapphire skirts. The newcomer frowned, scanning the space until her gaze landed on a pair of guilty brown eyes peeking out above the corner booth.

"Lucy you promised you would stay with us this time!" The blunette called out, glaring at her friend.

The blonde smiled sheepishly when she was caught, gesturing to her mare.

"I meant to, but Nikora wanted to go faster, and I couldn't tell her no. She's wind-blown." Lucy answered, placing a sugar cube under the horse's mouth. The mare licked it up unhurriedly, tickling the girl's palm.

"Don't yell Juvia, we're already here." The third rider scolded as she too, came to a stop – expression exasperated.

The girls blushed slightly at reproach in the older woman's voice, her own aqua locks held back by a laurel braid that started at her temples, nostrils flared slightly as she peered down at her errant charges.

"Sorry Aquarius, I will keep that in mind." Juvia apologized bobbing her chin down once in respect before dismounting with a nearby page's help. Unlike her friend, she followed decorum as befit her station. She thanked the boy absently, not noticing his stuttered reply as she walked over to the young royal, lifting her skirts up so they did not drag across the mud.

"We saw you riding astride, you know your father would be upset if he found out." Juvia told the princess quietly when she reached her, resting her chin on the wooden divider of the stall as she watched her. Lucy shrugged, still brushing her horse down in broad strokes.

She found the action calming, loving the warmth radiating under her palms.

"Then don't tell him. Beside, I only ever do it on castle grounds – never when it really counts. I just love being able to fly over the hills. The whole world just blurs into colours." She breathed softly, dreamily. She fumbled with her gloves monetarily before yanking them off so she could feel Nikora's coat beneath her fingers.

Juvia nodded once, shoulders slumping.

She had expected as much. Like Igneel, she knew little changed the blonde's mind when it was set.

"You know I never do. I'm going to go back to my rooms to clean up. The representatives of the Mermaid Heel Corps will be arriving by supper. The king says we're to join them at the table." The blunette trailed off, hoping to entice the other girl to come with her.

Her words had the intended effect.

Lucy's ears perked up; her dark irises bright in the light streaming in through the rafters.

The Corps were warrior priestesses of the faith. They had guarded the Temple of Nirvana – deep within the Woodsea – for millennia. Though women were scarcely allowed to join in battle ranks within the borders of her own nation, sacred rights kept them outside the scope of the king's jurisdiction.

"I'll finish up quickly too then." Lucy promised, her cedar eyes shining as her hands indeed flew through Nikora's fur with renewed vigor.

Growing up, she adored hearing about the holy maidens – their exploits transcending fact to legend. They were named for the Nirvana of the Sea who had sent her daughters above on land, changeling sprites who created the first temple order.

Lady Aquarius, her governess, had grown up north of the great Eastern Forest in a township marking where the Clover River spilled into the ocean. When her village had been slaughtered in a raid, the priestesses had taken the older woman in until reinforcements arrived from the capital.

A childhood friend of the late duchess, the stoic blunette had shifted to the palace a decade prior, quickly settling into the role of guardian for the motherless princess. Sometimes when her charge begged, she would display some of the fighting forms she had learned whilst living in the Grand Temple for the little girl.

Lucy was torn from her musings when Juvia waved a manicured hand in front of her face, catching her attention. Eyes crinkling in laughter, the blunette twiddled her fingers in farewell before turning, petticoats still lifted carefully to keep them from the dirt. She sped up the hill to the main castle, Aquarius following at a more sedate pace.

Across the stable, some groomsmen were feeding their horses and putting away the ladies' gear – they movements practiced. Lucy preferred to do it herself, she liked the smell of the hay and the shine of her mare's coat when she was properly brushed down. She liked how this corner of the palace ground made it seem as if she were beyond its towering walls.

As she finished, she wiped her hands on a washcloth a squire had offered her, smoothing flyaways on her head the best she could – her appearance bedraggled. Still, she wasn't too worried, knowing she would be required to change her clothing once she returned to her chambers prior to dinner.

She was latching the mare's gate when she heard neighing coming from a stall near the exit.

Until recently it had been empty.

Curious, she patted Nikora's velvet nose before making her way to the noise. Inside was a tall, beautiful creature with a rick black hide, a single white stripe dabbed its nose and pooled at its feet. Sensing her, the stallion snorted jerking its muzzle in a circle.

Lucy paced back. She pressed her lips together, rocking on the soles of her boots before shifting closer step by step.

"What a gorgeous fellow you are." She breathed, stretching out her palm so he could sniff her. He whinnied loudly in response, as if unsure whether to trust the stranger in front of him. When he didn't bite however, the girl tried to reach further, stepping up on an old crate in order to lean over the railing.

His reaction was immediate.

The stallion reared its head and pawed the ground at her approach, gnashing its teeth. Startled, she lost her footing slightly, catching her riding gear on the lumber and throwing her balance. She grabbed for the side wall, only to miss, her palms grazing the splintering wood in vain.

For a moment, it was as if time stopped.

End of Excerpt

Read the rest at Fanfiction.net!

Chapter 1, 2

[lastsonlost]

@gamergate-news @kamiyu910​   remember THAT LIST  of sexual assaulting male feminist who like to attack gamergaters?

GUESS WHAT?

Disgraced movie critic and entertainment blogger Devin Faraci has returned to public life following a supposedly 10-month long hiatus.

In 2016, the vocal progressive and male feminist stepped down from his position as editor-in-chief of the Alamo Drafthouse-owned publication Birth.Movies.Death following allegations of sexual assault and multiple instances of sexual harassment.

His return is being widely condemned, and people close to the situation claim that Faraci may not have actually left the company at all.

Loud and often vitriolic on social media, the male feminist blogger shared his views on such matters as Donald Trump’s “grab her by the pussy” comments to Billy Bush. Faraci tweeted that he was “terrified” of Trump, and described Mike Pence as an “ideological monster” in a series of tweets that went viral.

One of Faraci’s most popular articles was a complaint about geek culture, in which he decried its problem with “entitlement.” He was an often-vocal detractor of the GamerGate movement for ethics in gaming journalism, describing it as a movement of misogynists and zealots.

“I have more respect for ISIS than the anti-[Zoe] Quinn people,” he wrote.

Following his statements denouncing Trump and Pence, a woman posting under the name @spacecrone called him out for his hypocrisy and accused him of having sexually assaulted her in the past. She tweeted:

“@DevinCF quick question: do you remember grabbing me by the pussy and bragging to your friends about it, telling them to smell your fingers?

Sitting here trying to remember if a man had ever grabbed me by the vagina against my will and, well, yes, a popular Twitter feminist!

Literally stuck his hands down my pants at a bar while I told him to stop, then told our friends he had ‘fingerbanged me’ I’ve avoided making that public for over a decade but I guess my rage at trump has uncasked the Gorgon in me.

It’s not just your Trumps or your Republicans, it’s your friendly neighborhood film critics and twitter feminists. I don’t really care if he apologizes, mostly tweeting in solidarity with every person who has ever been grabbed by the pussy […]                                                                                      Or otherwise violated and then had to see that person posture as a feminist on social media or anywhere.”

Faraci didn’t deny her allegations, begging instead for her forgiveness.

Speaking to @spacecrone, Variety reported that she had spoken to Alamo Drafthouse founder and CEO Tim League about the allegations and described him as “empathetic.”

League announced Tuesday that Faraci has “entered recovery” and has been “sober” since the sexual assault allegations surfaced, and is now being welcomed back to the theater chain Alamo Drafthouse. In the letter, League claims that Faraci did not write for Birth.Movies.Death after being ordered to step down from his position.

However, multiple people close to the situation state that there was no break between Faraci’s departure from Birth.Movies.Death and his employment at Drafthouse.

A former Alamo Drafthouse staffer told The Hollywood Reporter that he found League’s statement to be “disingenuous” because “there was never any question of whether Devin would be given that opportunity. It wasn’t offered after a period of growth and change. Devin just very rapidly moved into his current copywriting/editing job after stepping down from Birth.Movies.Death.”

He added that Faraci was being CC’d in internal emails a month after he left the website. The former staffer told the website that League released an internal email similar to the one he put out Tuesday many months ago to address concerns and outrage.

“I don’t feel that a single month or less is long enough to properly reflect on, atone for and change such long standing behaviors,” the ex-staffer said.

THR also highlighted correspondence between a Vancouver-based writer named Kat Arnett, and Tim League, over allegations that Faraci sexually harassed her. She had reached out to the Alamo Drafthouse CEO shortly after the sexual assault allegations were made.

Posting screenshots of their email conversation, League asked her to keep her story private. “I’d appreciate it if you kept this dialogue between us,” he allegedly wrote. “We’re now trying to move forward with the BMD brand, but I did want to get back to your personally. Cheers.”

WELCOME TO THE WHITE KNIGHT 

home to such dishonored alumni such as mr.  Christopher ( KIDDY PORN) John Goldberg.

According to the report, Goldberg had 53 pornographic images of small children between the ages of 4 and 14 years of age on his mobile phone. Additional images and video were also found on his home computer.

MATT HICKEY

Matt Hickey was an anti-Gamergate journalist who accused the movement of being “future rapists”. In fact, here’s his exact quote:

“#GamerGate is a bunch of women-hating future rapists!”

Matt is now facing 3 rape charges from women who allege that Matt sexually assaulted them. Matt has also been sued by an attorney general for running a fake porn agency scam. He set up a fake amateur porn organization and then tricked women into having sex with him, who thought they were auditioning for a porn video:

Anti-#GamerGate journalist Matt Hickey is not only facing multiple counts of rape charges in the state of Washington, but he’s also being sued by the Attorney General’s Office in Washington on consumer protection grounds. The suit came up after the Attorney General Bob Ferguson had the case brought forward where it was discovered that Hickey had been running his fraudulent porn recruitment agency for more than a decade in order to trick women into sleeping with him.

DEVIN FARACI

Devin was an editor in chief and writer for Birth.Movies.Death who stated that “The losers in #GamerGate are mad at women because women want nothing to do with them!”. You can read his article about Gamergate HERE.

Excerpt from the article:

Arguing with these people (Gamergate) has been eye-opening. A lot of these kids – and they are, without a doubt, largely kids – are simply ignorant. They don’t understand the world, and that includes everything from how gaming websites work to how people interact as adult, sexual humans….. They’re outsiders, losers, weirdos and freaks. And most of them aren’t just male, they’re white males…… They do it because they have been raised in a world where women are not humans but prizes, and so they can’t see them as individuals…..

Matt stepped down as editor in chief of Birth.Movies.Death in October of last year, after several women came forward to accuse him of sexually assaulting them:

The accusations surfaced on Twitter after Faraci shared his views on video tapes of Donald Trump bragging to “Access Hollywood” host Billy Bush about groping women. The movie blogger tweeted that he was “terrified” of the Republican presidential nominee and labeled his running mate, Mike Pence, an “ideological monster.” Faraci’s condemnation was widely retweeted, but one woman took issue with his statements, tweeting under the handle @spacecrone, “quick question:  do you remember grabbing me by the p—y and bragging to our friends about it, telling them to smell your fingers?”Other women offered their own stories of Faraci’s inappropriate behavior. He did not deny @spacecrone‘s accusations, tweeting, “I can only believe you and beg forgiveness for having been so vile.”Alamo Drafthouse Cinemas owns Birth.Movies.Death, which offers up casting stories, reviews, and trailers for cinephiles. The company declined to comment. In an exchange with Variety, @spacecrone said that Alamo Drafthouse founder Tim League spoke with her about her allegations and was “empathetic.”

Robert Marmolejo

Robert was a member of Zoe Quinn’s “crash overide network”, which was intended to fight against Gamergate and other forms of “online harassment”- in reality, the members of this group harassed more people that they people they were supposedly fighting against.

Robert, who commented on Gamergate last year, saying “we need to take action against #GamerGate and the ideology that spawned it!”, has been accused of rape by at least 20 women:

A male feminist deeply involved in Zoe Quinn’s Twitter-partnered “anti-harassment” organization, Crash Override Network, has been accused of harassing, stalking, and abusing female victims, in a series of tweets and leaked chat logs from the organization’s supporters….. Robert Marmolejo, who is reported to have helped manage Crash Override’s social media accounts, allegedly used his position and connections to abuse around twenty women online….Marmolejo, who was previously an active anti-GamerGate activist, and had repeatedly labelled conservative actor Adam Baldwin, and YouTubers TotalBiscuit and Sargon of Akkad as “misogynistic”, “sexist”, and “anti-woman,” deactivated his Twitter account after a series of apologetic tweets confessing to having “f**ed up.”Anti-GamerGate web developer, “Internet Abuse Specialist”, and feminist Izzy Galvez, who also happened to have been a member of the secret Crash Override group, tweeted on Saturday to confirm the allegations.“If you’re catching up: Over 20 women have come forward & revealed that Rob/UnseenPerfidy had sexually harassed them over DMs, Skype, etc” announced Galvez.

Jamie Killstein

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Jamie is a male Feminist American writer, radio host, and stand up comic who accused Gamergate of being about sexism, instead of ethics in journalism.

Jamie was booted from his podcast last month, after several claims of him sexually abusing women were brought forward.

Comedian and lauded male feminist Jamie Kilstein has departed the podcast he co-hosts amid allegations of manipulation and abuse from multiple women.On Monday morning, liberal independent podcast Citizen Radio and its co-host Allison Kilkenny announced that Kilstein would be leaving the program. Later that day, however, Kilkenny clarified that Kilstein’s departure from the podcast was a result of allegations of him preying upon, manipulating, and emotionally abusing women.In a Facebook post slightly detailing the decision, Kilkenny, who is also Kilstein’s ex-wife, wrote that “murmurs” of Kilstein’s abuse lingered in the past, but because of anonymity, she was “never able to learn the full scope of what happened.”That was until a few days ago, Kilkenny wrote, when “one of the women” who came forward was someone who had worked for the podcast, though she doesn’t mention how many women came forward initially. Kilkenny wrote that she asked Kilstein to leave the show, seek therapy, and apologize publicly. She said he has declined to do the latter, so she decided to clarify the situation in the post instead.“Without making this about me, I want you all to know I’m furious, crushed, and horrified by all of this. I always believed Citizen Radio was a genuinely safe space, and I’m trying to make it that way again,” Kilkenny wrote. “I’m so, so sorry for letting anyone down.”

 Juan M. Thompson

Juan Thompson is a former writer for The Intercept who was later fired for fabricating and publishing fake stories. Juan wrote an article for the Intercept in 2015 accusing Gamergate of being a hateful group that threatens violence against “marginalized groups”.

He was later arrested by the F.B.I for making bomb threats against 8 Jewish community centers. The except below is taken from his Wikipedia page:

Thompson was arrested by the FBI in March 2017 for allegedly making bomb threats against at least eight Jewish community centers in the U.S. According to officials, Thompson phoned in and emailed many of the threats under his ex-girlfriend’s name within the preceding two months, in an effort to frame her. Thompson also allegedly made at least one threat under his own name, under the pretense that his ex-girlfriend was framing him. He had also emailed the Anti-Defamation League in his own name in late February, pointing to his ex-girlfriend as the perpetrator of all of the bomb threats.

Leland Yee

Leland is a former democratic senator of California who made a career of attacking violent video games and blaming them for youth violence. In 2005 after the Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas ‘Hot Coffee’ mod was unearthed, Yee passed two California assembly bills that restricted the sale of mature video games to those under the age of 18 and where these games could be advertised.

Leland, who accused gamers of “violence against women”, was also a big fan of Anita Sarkeesian, who he described as “courageous”.

I commend Anita Sarkeesian for her willingness and courage to take on this important issue. For far too long, the video game industry has glorified violence against women and often depicted female characters as nothing more than sex objects. Such sexism is unacceptable and teaches our kids the wrong lessons. Those who have criticized Ms. Sarkeesian with such offensive comments should be ashamed. It is time for the industry to stop perpetuating stereotypes and further demeaning women.

Leland Yee was sentenced to jail on Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2016, to five years in prison by a federal judge for weapons trafficking (ironic). Someone who dedicated his life to complaining about violent video games is literally responsible for putting deadly weapons in the hands of bad people.

Here’s an except from a Washington Post article about Leland’s sentencing.

Yee served as a state senator and was plotting a secretary of state campaign when his political visions were curtailed by a federal indictment in March 2014. The arrest swept Yee and his associate Keith Jackson, 51, up in charges alongside some of the city’s most notorious characters, notable among them Chinatown gangster Raymond “Shrimp Boy” Chow.This Wednesday, Yee received a five-year prison sentence for accepting bribes and trafficking in arms. After initially denying culpability, Yee pleaded guilty to the charges last summer. These acts were discovered by undercover federal agents investigating organized crime in San Francisco’s Chinatown. Jackson, a former school board president who helped Yee facilitate the bribes, received a nine-year sentence.

YES @dashyn​ it dose keep happening .

[forteisthebestdynamic]

The Fairy Tale of the Raincloud Princess Ch. 8

Series: Fairy Tail by Hiro Mashima

Pairing: Gruvia

Medieval/Fairy Tale AU

FF.net: Find the link to my Fanfiction page on my blog! (Sorry, I’ve been having trouble with posts with ff.net links not showing up under tags and have decided to exclude them from my posts)

Summary:  The somber Princess Juvia Lockser of the kingdom of Oakton has been betrothed to Prince Gray Fullbuster of Fiore since birth, but recent wars between Oakton and Alvarez have pushed the two kingdoms to unite much before they had intended. Can the princess save her kingdom, and perhaps find love along the way?

Other Chapters: Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7     

Author’s Note: I'm so sorry for the hiatus; I recently graduated from college and have spent the past semester applying to graduate school as well as preparing for my wedding and moving this summer! I appreciate your patience with me and, as a present, I've written an extra long chapter this time. I hope to update more frequently soon!

Trigger Warning: Blood, Violence, Wounds

Chapter 8: Of Risks and Rendezvous

Cold dread seeped into Juvia's bones at the prince's words. Immediately she scanned the panicked throng, searching desperately for Gajeel. Gray grabbed her roughly by the arm, dragging her into a side corridor before she could spot the knight. She glared at him, ready to demand to be let go, but the prince held up a hand.

"My duty is to fight for my people, but I cannot do that properly if I do not know that you are somewhere safe. Stay here; I will send your guard to you as soon as I can." His voice was tight with fear, and Juvia couldn't find it in herself to argue with him. She simply nodded, which the prince returned before running back into the hall, brandishing his sword.

Juvia pressed herself against the wall of the corridor, silently cursing the bulkiness of her ballgown that made hiding difficult at best and impossible at worst. She could run, but where would she go? She had yet to learn her way around the castle well, and there was no telling where enemy soldiers may have infiltrated. With no weapon and no guard, she could easily be killed in a back corridor somewhere where no one would find her for days. The thought was enough to make her retch. She thought wistfully of the rapier in her rooms, a weapon she'd learned to use almost immediately after her father had forbade it. She had forgone wearing it since coming to Fiore in order to avoid coming off as aggressive or distrusting, but she deeply regretted that decision now. All she could do now was wait and pray.

It seemed that an eon had passed before Gajeel slipped into the corridor, his face and costume covered in flecks of blood and sweat. Juvia's chest flooded with relief, which quickly turned to fear as she noticed the knight was bleeding fairly heavily from a wound in his sword arm. Her face must have betrayed her fear, as Gajeel grimaced when he saw her looking and quickly covered the wound with his other hand.

"Are ya alright?" he asked in a low voice, keeping a wary eye on the corridor entrance. Juvia nodded quickly, stepping towards him and trying to lift his hand from his arm. He pulled away from her, grumbling, "I'm fine, don't worry yerself about it." The princess huffed in annoyance but backed away.

"Can you still fight?" she asked, still eyeing the wound cautiously. The knight cast her a withering look.

"Come now, Yer Highness, have a little faith," he said, letting his hand drop from the wound now that she was at a respectable distance. "I've gotten worse scrapes than this wrestling with chickens." Juvia doubted that, but decided not to contend it. Instead she squared her jaw, giving her guard the "royal" look that usually earned her an eye roll.

"Then you need to go out there and continue to fight," she ordered, trying not to let her trepidation show. Though she longed to keep the knight by her side, the Fiorian troops were badly unprepared for the attack, and every man counted. Gajeel shook his head, meeting her iron gaze with one just as strong.

"Absolutely not. I need to stay here to protect you. My orders, first and foremost, are to keep you safe," he insisted.

"Would we not all be safer, myself included, if Alvarez is defeated quickly?" Juvia countered.

Gajeel glared at her. "I prefer to take a more direct route in your protection."

"Then give me your dagger and return to the fray. I command you to do so."

The two fell silent as they stared at each other for a long moment, the princess's defiant gaze meeting her knight's conflicted one. Gajeel's hand moved to the dagger hidden beneath his tunic. He pulled it out slowly, turning it to offer the hilt to Juvia. She took it, but he did not let go. She glanced back up at his face to find his brow furrowed in worry.

"I don't like this, Juvia. I'll never forgive myself if you get hurt," he grumbled, looking away. He loosened his grip, and Juvia gently took the weapon from him.

"I'll be fine. I was taught how to use it by the finest knight in Oakton," she replied. Gajeel gave a half-hearted grunt of a laugh in response.

"Fine, but stay here. Don't you go sneakin' off now," he demanded. Juvia nodded, feeling bad for lying but hoping her knight would buy it. He gave her a brusque nod back before peering out of the corridor entrance. Once he'd determined no one was watching, he slipped back out, tightening his grip on his sword. Juvia watched him go, her chest tight with anxiety.

The princess edged her way to the hall entrance, peering around the room beyond to assess her escape options. Most of the fighting was near the entrance of the hall, while the area around the throne was mostly deserted. The corridor she'd come from was directly across the Great Hall from where she was now, around 50 meters away. The way from that corridor and her rooms was the only path she knew she'd be able to navigate. Between her and that corridor was the throne dais, perhaps 10 meters away from her. Juvia cast a wary glance at the group fighting near the entrance. They seemed far away now, but if one of the Alvarez soldiers managed to break free... She tightened her grip on the dagger, swallowing hard. She couldn't think about that now. If she slipped behind the dais, she could easily make it to the other side without being seen. However, the enormous ballgown was hard enough just to walk in, let alone run. She'd have to lose it somehow. Juvia weighed her options. Simply taking it off wasn't feasible - it had taken a team of two just to get her into the dress, and the intricate lacing pattern Lisanna had used made it impossible to undo by oneself, especially without being able to see what one was doing. Which meant the dress would have to come off another way.

Juvia gathered up the dress's skirt, pulling it up to reveal her petticoat. Tucking the dress's skirt under one arm and holding on to her petticoat, she slashed at the fabric with the dagger, moving slowly around her waist to avoid cutting herself. The petticoat and its hoops fell around her feet, making Juvia feel much lighter. She dropped her dress's skirt, the once-grand ballgown now looking quite deflated. The princess frowned at her dress. No longer held up by the hoops of the petticoat, the gown was far too long; she would most certainly trip trying to run in it. Whispering an apology to Lisanna, Juvia began to cut off the dress at the knee, the knife sliding through the rich silk much easier than it had through the thick fabric of the petticoat. She stepped out of the tattered skirts, looking wryly back at the pile of cloth. She looked like a peasant girl, which she supposed was a good thing. If an Alvarez soldier was to spot her, they'd likely think her to be a frightened scullery maid and wouldn't give chase. No one would expect the princess to look like this. She pulled off her henin and set it with the skirts for good measure, her hair spilling down her shoulders.

Tucking the dagger into her girdle, Juvia gave a final glance around the hall, checking to see if the coast was clear before dashing behind the throne dais. The fighting had moved closer as the Fiorian soldiers were pushed back from the entrance, but the fighters still seemed preoccupied. The princess crouched down, making her way slowly along the back of the dais, peering over the edge to keep an eye on the fighting as she moved. The throng was moving slowly but steadily closer, and Juvia began to move faster, hurrying her way to the edge of the dais.

She stopped at the corner of the dais, breathing deeply to try to calm her pounding heart. She cast a furtive glance at the fighting mass, now only a few meters from the dais. All she had to do was make a mad dash to the corridor, and then she could make her way to her rooms and her rapier. As she was about to leap up and make her run, an ornate sword skittered across the floor at Juvia's feet. Looking for its source, she found the prince had been knocked on his back, his weapon swatted out of his hands. He parried his assailant's attacks with his dagger as he struggled to get back on his feet, but it was clear he was losing. Juvia snatched up the sword, looking around desperately for someone to the help the prince, but no one had seemed to notice his fall. Gajeel was nearby, but his back was turned, and calling to him to help would only give away her position. The Alvarez soldier knocked the dagger from Gray's hands, and the prince scrabbled backwards until his back was pressed against the dais. His attacker laughed as he lifted his blade to make the final blow.

"NO!" The shout tore through Juvia's lips as she dashed forward with the prince's sword, all other thoughts falling from her mind. Her cry startled the soldier long enough for her to reach them and slash at the man. The sword was far heavier than her rapier and it made her attack clumsy, the blade falling too low and throwing her off-balance. But she had caught the soldier off-guard, which gave Gray enough time to clamber to his feet. The enemy soldier gritted his teeth, slashing at Juvia. She dodged as best she could but felt the blade's hot sting as it grazed her shoulder, the cloth tearing like paper.

"Outta my way, you lowborn doxy!" the soldier growled, ramming the hilt of his sword against her temple. Juvia staggered backwards, stars bursting in her vision.

"Juvia!" A voice called out as strong arms broke her fall. Someone lifted the sword from her hands as she was dragged away. Squinting hard, the princess just barely made out an image of the prince slashing at the Alvarez soldier before her world faded to black.

Fire. Juvia's arm was on fire. Her eyes flew open to find herself in her chambers, propped into a sitting position by several pillows. She'd been changed out of her ruined dress into a loose fitting linen gown and a young lady with dark blue hair was dabbing at her arm with a wet cloth. Gajeel sat beside her, arms crossed and a concerned expression on his face. The woman smiled kindly at her.

"Ah, Your Highness, you are awake!" she commented cheerfully, picking up a bowl and beginning to slather a strange cream on Juvia's arm. The burning sensation flared again. The princess squeezed her eyes shut as the pain was accompanied by a even stronger pounding in her head.

"Yes, ah... What are you doing?" She asked the lady, her eyes still shut tight.

"I'm applying a healing balm to your wound to keep it clean," came the reply.

"Why is it on fire?"

The girl's soft responding chuckle sounded strangely like Gajeel's. "The balm does tend to sting for a while, especially if you are not used to it."

Juvia nodded, remembering seeing the healers work on soldiers in Oakton. They, too, had complained that the healing balm burned. Which reminded her... "The prince! Is he-"

"His Highness is fine. His wounds are fairly minor, and he is probably resting in his chambers right now. Or at least he ought to be." The healer smiled at Juvia. "What you did out there... You are very brave." Juvia felt her ears warm at the compliment.

"Very stupid is what she is." Both women turned to Gajeel. His concerned expression had faded and was replaced by one of pure anger. Juvia opened her mouth to speak, but the knight cut her off. "What were you thinking? You've never been trained with a broadsword, what made you think you could take on a trained soldier by yourself?" He demanded, those dark red eyes boring into Juvia's. She wasn't sure she had ever seen Gajeel this angry before, not even when his new squire had spilled ink all over his favorite tunic. She swallowed hard.

"I had to, he was-"

"The only thing you HAD to do, Your Highness," the man snarled, "was stay put until I came back for you. You promised me you would stay there, out of harm's way. Why on earth would I believe that?! I should never have let you out of my sight!" He slammed his fist on the bed, his voice cracking on his final words. Juvia flinched at his outburst, which caused a bolt of pain to shoot through her temple. The healer woman stood, fists on her hips.

"You are disturbing my patient. I suggest you leave until you are properly calm," she ordered, her voice quiet but firm. The knight stood and nodded, turning to leave.

"Gajeel, I... I'm sorry, I did not mean to enter the fighting, I was trying to escape, but when I saw the prince..." Juvia trailed off, not sure what more she could say. He was right, she had told him she wouldn't leave. No matter what her reason was, she'd still lied to him.

Gajeel stopped, his back still turned to her. "You have an instinct to protect those you care about. You always have. But you are not invincible. You need to remember that." His voice was strangely thick. The door shut hard behind him as he left. The healer watched him go, then sighed as she sat back down beside the bed. She began to wind a cloth bandage around the princess's shoulder as a heavy silence fell over the room like a blanket. Juvia closed her eyes, feeling the burning in her arm fade to a dull ache.

"I would not take Gajeel's anger too personally, Your Highness," the woman said as she finished bandaging Juvia's arm and began to pack up her things. "He is simply worried about you. If I know anything about my cousin, he is most angry at himself for allowing this to happen."

"Cousin?" Juvia asked incredulously. The healer laughed.

"You do not remember me? I suppose it is to be expected, I have not visited Oakton since my mother passed," she explained. The princess's eyes widened in recognition.

"Wendy?"

The woman nodded, smiling brightly. "So you do remember me!"

"But of course!" Juvia exclaimed, returning the smile. "It has been so long, you have grown up so much! We were all still children when I last saw you."

"Indeed, it has been too long. But here we are, all together again," Wendy commented, standing and picking up her bag of supplies. "I will return in a few hours to see how the wound is doing. Until then, avoid jarring your arm much. The cut was not too deep, and you should be able to use your arm. Just be careful and if it starts to hurt too much, stop using it. If you need me before I return, ring for MiraJane and send her to find me." She started as if to leave, then paused, picking up a paper-wrapped package near the door. She placed the parcel on Juvia's lap. "Oh, and one of the squires brought this here for you. I think you will find it interesting."

After Wendy had left, Juvia sat up more, moving her arm experimentally. She was pleased to find that the motion didn't hurt overmuch, as long as she moved slowly. She examined the package on her lap, carefully pulling the string that bound the paper together. Inside she found a set of men's clothing - a pair of dark brown breeches, a white undershirt, a long brown tunic, and a pair of soft leather boots. She ran her fingers over the cloth. The clothes were plain, almost like a peasant's, but the material was of the highest quality and clearly sewn together by a master seamstress. A strange pattern like a wing was embroidered on the left thigh of the breeches in a thread the same color as the fabric; it was barely noticeable without looking for it. The princess picked up the garment, hoping to investigate the pattern further, but the movement caused a piece of paper hidden in the fabric to flutter to the ground. Juvia slipped out of bed, retrieving the paper. A note was scrawled on it in a messy handwriting she didn't recognize.

I have something I need to show you. Someone will come to escort you at midnight. Wear these.

Juvia turned the note over, looking for a name or more information, but that was all the paper said. She looked dubiously at the clothing, unsure of whether to trust its sender, but she supposed she had no choice at the moment. All she could do now was wait for nightfall and see who would come for her at midnight.

The princess paced around her room, the soft leather boots barely making a sound on the stone floor. She started when a knock came from the door, the sound offensively loud in the silence of the night. Juvia swung the door open, rapier at the ready. She was surprised to find Gajeel there, who looked equally surprised to find himself at sword point. The princess lowered her rapier, giving her knight an incredulous look.

"He supposed you would feel more comfortable if I brought ya," he said in a low voice. After a brief pause he added, "And I feel better bein' the one to bring ya, too. I meant it when I said I wasn't going to let you out of my sight again."

"Who's 'he'?" Juvia asked, but Gajeel just shook his head.

"Come on, move quickly. And bring that rapier with you, if ya think it will make you feel better."

The two moved swiftly through the castle, going far deeper underground than Juvia had ever been. They paused before a massive stone dragon, much like the others that lined the hallway. The only distinguishing mark was that one of the dragon's horns had been broken off. Gajeel pressed up against the wall, motioning for Juvia to follow him. The pair squeezed behind the statue to find a large hole in the stone wall behind it, about as high as a tall man and about half as wide.

"It's a tight fit," Gajeel muttered as he pushed his way inside. The princess glanced back at the dragon, spotting in the dim light a carving of the same wing-like design as was on her breeches. "This way!" Gajeel's stern whisper tore her away from the strange design and she followed him inside the hole.

The other side opened into a narrow hallway, nearly pitch black but for a single torch several meters ahead of them. The two moved down the hallway, Gajeel snatching up the torch as they passed it. The corridor twisted and turned, getting narrower and shorter as they went. Although it had been silent when they had entered, Juvia swore that she had begun to hear people talking, and occasionally thunking as they moved down the hall. Finally they came to the end of the corridor, the back of a huge, thick tapestry covering the entry. Beyond the tapestry the princess could clearly hear voices. She gripped the hilt of her rapier as Gajeel pushed the fabric aside and motioned her through.

Juvia's jaw dropped as she took in the scene before her. She stood in a large room, about half the size of the Grand Hall. It was lined with lit torches and wooden tables littered one end, with people sitting at talking. She spotted Levy at one table, pointing out positions on a large map to Erza and Jellal. Near the other end of the room, several men and women were practicing sword fighting with wooden swords. Between each torch hung a red banner edged with gold, the wing-like emblem she had seen before embroidered in white across it proudly. Gajeel stepped out beside her, giving a low chuckle at her astonished expression.

"Have you been here before?" she asked in disbelief. Gajeel shrugged.

"A few times."

At the table nearest to them, Natsu sat talking with Lucy and Cana, all three dressed in similar clothing to Juvia. He had his sleeve rolled up, seemingly showing off the bandage that covered his forearm. When he spotted her, the duke leaped up and hurried over.

"Juvia! You came!" he beamed, clearly thrilled to see her.

"Are you the one that called me here?" she asked him. The duke chuckled and shook his head.

"No, but I can take you to the one who did," he said mysteriously. Without another word, he made his way to the sparring area, where a shirtless man with wild black hair stood overseeing the training, his back to the newcomers. Natsu tapped his shoulder. "Your guest is here. I told you she would come."

The man turned around, and Juvia swallowed hard when she registered she was face to face with a half-naked Prince Gray. The prince grinned at her, his expression far less guarded than she had seen it before. With his chest uncovered, the princess could now see that the mark she had seen previously was, in fact, a tattoo of the wing-like symbol from before. Realizing she was staring at his chest, Juvia's eyes snapped back up to meet the prince's gaze, her cheeks heating at his knowing smirk.

"I am glad that you made it. I was not sure you would come," he commented. Juvia nodded, tearing her eyes away from him to gaze around the room.

"Well, I did... But what exactly have I come to?" she questioned, motioning around the room.

"Ah yes, where are my manners?" Gray swept an arm out, gesturing to the whole hall. "Your Highness, welcome to Fairy Tail!"

[hoshidanroyal-moved-blog]

happy (late) birthday to nina!

(i.) I promised the lovely Nessa that that my Takumi was going to give the best gift in the universe to her Nina ( @aim--and--reload ), which was Takumi smooching some fine dudes. I was originally only going to have him kiss his ship-mates in threads or asks, but I wanted to take on the challenge and write her a bunch of drabbles of Takumi kissing almost every male in Fates. (ii.) To anyone who plays these characters, please do not take this is as me being interested in a ship with you or somehow forcing one. I really couldn’t care less. Like I said, it’s just a challenge/gift for a friend because I knew it would make her and her character happy, and I wanted to write at least something while on my brief hiatus. (iii.) There’s a good mixture of angst and fluff below (and also a whole lot of cheese). Some of these are a bit risque, but not heavily so. Characters that are NOT here are: Ryouma, underage characters, second gens, capturable characters, and non-playable characters (excluding two). I did, however, include the Amiibo friends (Ike, Marth, Robin), Allie’s wonderful OC named Veles ( @nesufuratu ) makes an appearance, and I’m going to be safe and include a trigger tag since Corrin is in here. (iv.) Please DON’T reblog unless you’re Nessa ( @royal-botanist / @aim--and--reload ).

▌ 💠 • • • ► VELES ▌

The stress of war aggrandized the closer to the end it became. But the end of whom would it dictate? One move made in err could bring the collapse of everyone they’d come to know; come to consider a friend. Whenever emotions swelled within Takumi, he’d always come crashing into the one who provided strength and guidance; something solid to lean against. Completing his transfiguration into a monstrous beast, Veles swooped the prince up and flew far, far away where little to no people knew of. Just for the night, it could all be forgotten, curled up close on a vacant hilltop beneath the luminous full moon. ❝ Thank you... ❞ ❝ Anything for you, my little prince. ❞ A fair hand cupped the younger’s cheek, frigid lips shocking warm ones tenderly. Every thing would be alright.

▌ 💠 • • • ► CORRIN ▌

They had won. The waves of victory washed over every last soldier in the army, the tension between Nohrian and Hoshidan alike suddenly uplifted like a heavy curse broken. Yet the hex seemed to still weigh over one, clouding their judgement, befuddling their mind... ❝ It’s not easy... ❞ The Hoshidan prince uttered breathlessly, stunned that Corrin would question so soon if trust had been earned. It was Takumi’s volition alone that could make or break them. ❝ Years can’t be brushed aside in moments. You know that. ❞ A grimace settled onto Corrin’s visage as he apologized for what must have been the millionth time since they’d met again, feeling as if the air had been beat from his lungs, easing back and wanting to give the younger space—but he was met with resistance. Slowly, bit by bit, he was pulled back into the warmth of open arms. ❝ That doesn’t mean I don’t want to try for you. ❞ Hesitantly, Takumi leaned up, placing a light kiss to the elder’s lips. A flush rose as he quickly jerked away, his words caught in his throat before a flustered exhale set them free. ❝ I promise, for you. I won’t give up on that. ❞

▌ 💠 • • • ► JOKER ▌

(inspired by this image) The usually pristine image had worn down, suddenly unkempt—the perfectly straight posture now hunched, hair loosening from its tie, shirt open and sleeves rolled up like a worker of the land instead of a contemptuous butler. Focus was solely on the blades before him, sharpening and cleaning meticulously. And Takumi found it utterly bewitching. As soon as the prince approached he was met with violet fire, eyes narrowed in vexation; the typical severity that only one such as Joker could ever produce. ❝ If you’re here to deliver another one of your unnecessary quips, by the Gods, I’ll— ❞ ❝ Calm down,❞ the younger chortled, brushing off the potential threat while sauntering behind the chair. ❝ I’m just checking on you.❞ Skilled hands squeezed at the butler’s shoulders to ease the built-up tension, a gentle peck planting itself at the top of his silver locks. With a weary sigh, Joker relaxed, leaning back into the touch and tilting his head back, all the while pulling the other down for a quick kiss—then another, and another, and another. ❝ You do look like a mess, though...❞ Takumi murmured, a mischievous grin rising. ❝ Why, you little— ❞ Before the elder could land a solid smack, the prince had already rushed away, his laughter infectious.

▌ 💠 • • • ► SILAS ▌

❝ You’re Corrin’s brother. I’ll always protect you. It’s my duty as a knight and friend to serve you. ❞ In the beginning, Takumi utterly despised Silas, just like the rest of the Nohrian army that he had been so suddenly forced to call allies. The commitment pledged felt false; something told to calm any animosity; possibly coerced to do so by Corrin himself. The knight never learned to keep his distance, always pushing his company onto the little prince; always checking on his well-being at any given opportunity. Despite the internal protest, the younger’s walls began to crumble, and suddenly he relished the warm presence. ❝ I’ll always protect you, ❞ Silas repeated as he’d done so often before, ❝ as my husband; my life. Mine. ❞ ❝ And I’ll always protect you, in this life and the next. ❞ Timid smiles graced their cheeks, noses nudging delicately before lips met, melding perfectly with one another; made for one another. And, wrapped up tight within each other’s arms, they both felt safe.

▌ 💠 • • • ► KAZE ▌

(inspired by the Birthrights Drama CD where Kaze was a lowkey turd)   ❝ My prince... I must wholeheartedly confess that I still feel guilty... ❞ ❝ For what? ❞ There wasn’t any need to ask, knowing full well what Kaze’s self-reproach referred to. Hearing it out in the open, though, would hopefully and finally bring some semblance of closure for them once and for all. Corrin’s first appearance in Hoshido had rankled the younger prince, enmity roiling off him in toxic waves. And the ninja had remained wholly unaware of the matter, of those heated emotions, continuing to ignorantly rub it in Takumi’s face that he was suddenly third in rank; that the true second prince had returned in all his glory. While it was truly a build up of many different things that had affected him and caused his run-away attempt, Kaze’s words had been the dominant catalyst. Even after rescuing the younger that very same night from a rogue Faceless, he still hadn’t seemed to understand what it was that had hurt the royal so deeply until it was much too late to formally apologize face-to-face. Surprise enveloped the ninja as Takumi ushered forth for a squeezing embrace, his own arms immediately wrapping tight around the prince. That alone seemed to free his mind from any worries, but the words that followed placated him fully. ❝ It was a simple mistake. You don’t have to be sorry about any of it. What happened is on me, not you. ❞  Unable to find a response, Kaze only pulled the prince closer and pressed a tender kiss to his forehead. Promptly the younger leaned up, returning the affection properly. ❝ No more thinking about it. Let’s move on, huh? ❞

▌ 💠 • • • ► SHURA ▌

❝ You don’t want to be with me, kid. ❞ Words betrayed actions. Regardless of what had been said, Shura tugged the other closer by the fabric of his yukata, so tired of constantly pushing away. Opening up can’t be hard anymore, not with a band of people to call allies (and suddenly even more than). ❝ I’m here, though, aren’t I? ❞ The prince comforted the elder with a smile, hands reaching to cup a rugged jaw and place a gentle kiss to his cheek. No matter the other’s apprehension, he still met Takumi’s criterion in every way. One day Shura would come to comprehend that he was wanted, needed—but the prince would settle for silence in the warmth of his arms until the day came he could prove it.

▌ 💠 • • • ► SAIZO ▌

(inspired by Saizo’s stupid MyRoom line about being ticklish)   ❝ There’s something I wanted to tell you. My one and only weakness. ❞ Saizo muttered, only to receive no answer. The younger had curled up at his side, almost drifting to sleep as the ninja’s fingers leisurely stroked his waist. ❝ I’m ticklish. ❞ Suddenly Takumi perked, muscles stiff and breath still. Tension rose, settling thick. ❝ Don’t. You. Dare.❞ Faster than the eye could catch, the prince’s hands flew as he sat up to straddle the elder’s waist, lithe fingers digging into every sensitive spot with ease and precision. Trying to snatch Takumi’s wrists proved futile, always met with surprisingly muscled resistance and a swift flick granting freedom. Breathy laughter merged, the younger’s growing louder as he advanced on what felt like victory. Enough was enough. Feeling as if his lungs would burst, Saizo wildly flipped them over, pinning the other’s wrists to the bed in a bruising grip. Laughter dwindled to light chuckling to the mere sound of heavily collecting breath. Still riled, Takumi couldn’t help but lean up, stealing a heated kiss as his thighs shifted and tightened around the ninja’s waist to draw him closer.

▌ 💠 • • • ► AZAMA ▌

❝ Lord Takumi, must you really ruin my mood with that sour look on your face? ❞ An ill-placed joke. In public, the prince could only cast vehement glances and strut past. Uttered beneath his breath, only he and Azama could hear his brusque retort, ❝ Must Hinoka continue sparing your life? ❞ — ❝ My prince, must you ruin the mood by— ❞ In private, the prince could do as he pleased. Lips bruised as they heatedly crushed together, each kiss fervent, angry, needy. Teeth clashed and tore skin, producing mixed groans of protest and urgency. If there was anything that could get the priest to shut up, it was certainly this.

▌ 💠 • • • ► HINATA ▌

A night filled with drinking shochu only brought on inebriated stumbling, rambunctious laughter ringing through the empty corridor leading to Takumi’s room. One misstep brought the pair careening into the nearest wall, the prince grumbling in dull pain while he held onto Hinata tightly for support. The retainer only grinned and nuzzled against the younger’s shoulder, his voice muffled and slurred, ❝ I like to watch your ponytail bounce... ❞ At the bizarre outburst, Takumi’s body wracked violently with silent laughter. Before his mind could settle on a sarcastic counter, everything stopped—breath, suddenly hot and heavy in his ear, and then a husky addition— ❝ I like to watch your body bounce... ❞ A shiver encapsulated the prince’s core; hips instinctively shifted forward to meet warmth. Instantly his lips were stolen, reluctant to part even as Takumi gripped onto the other’s arms to swiftly tug him away to his private quarters.

▌ 💠 • • • ► SUBAKI ▌

Repeated pecks landed on the sky-knight’s perfect grin, a scowl etching onto the prince’s features in return. The more the elder spoke, the more irritated Takumi became. Some similar form of ❝ Not quite perfect. Try again. ❞ was issued after every single kiss. Obviously Subaki was having a tremendous laugh at the other’s expense, but after an innumerable amount of teases, he’d managed to cross the line. Irritably, the younger tried to walk away, shoving past with his shoulder. With a chuckle, Subaki quickly reached for the prince’s wrist to drag him back into his embrace.  ❝ I’m joking... ❞ Another—gentle—kiss was shared, lingering for just a moment longer for Takumi to settle. ❝ You’re perfect. We’re perfect, together. ❞

▌ 💠 • • • ► KADEN ▌

(totally inspired by Kaden calling Takumi beautiful in Festival of Bonds) ❝ Well, aren’t you adorable! ❞ Takumi instantly bristled at the compliment, cheeks furiously blazing red as his jaw clenched. Circling the prince, Kaden laughed with glee while snaking his tail loosely around the other’s frame. ❝ Stop calling me that. ❞ The younger hissed through his teeth, eyes narrowed malignly. Never had someone paid such close attention to his appearance, and the kitsune’s roguish gaze only served to heighten his insecurities. ❝ Only if you give me something... ❞ Almost stealthily Kaden leaned in, and despite the protests from before, the little prince felt a growing urge to let it happen—a kiss, delicate yet playful all the same, leaving a desire for more when it was done. ❝ I win! ❞ The elder’s voice rang out and instantly shattered the atmosphere. Without warning, he ran off, continuing to yell about the ❛ beautiful boy brigade ❜ and leaving Takumi to groan in irritation.

▌ 💠 • • • ► XANDER ▌

While the royals of both countries were expected to show reverence to one another, it was still considerably astonishing that the Crown Prince of Nohr would develop a flourishing friendship with the second prince of Hoshido, despite it always feeling like something more roiling beneath the surface.  Neither were the type to physically reach out to make their hidden affections known, but glances stolen and smiles shared were more than enough. Even if physicality had come easy to them, neither would risk it. The war was confusing enough, two enemies now joined as allies. Mixing royalty with affairs of the heart during harsh times would be a mistake. Despite it all, they both feigned ignorance, continuing to seek each other’s company when camp had been set. While different at first glance, both princes were more alike than anyone else cared to notice. Even if their first encounters were tumultuous, walls came down, laughter and grins rising to take their place; a rarity for the both of them. False rules be damned. Feeling the other so close, Takumi couldn’t contain himself. Bronze gaze drifted to perfectly formed lips before he leaned in, the kiss a gentle interruption to a story Xander had been sharing, meeting no resistance. His fingers curled behind the elder’s neck, golden curls wrapped loosely around. Warmth flooded his mind, a fire growing and burning away all thought—until the movement of lips tightened his focus tenfold, causing him to flinch in shock at what he’d done. The kiss had been eagerly returned, the Nohrian prince reaching for the other’s waist and causing what could only be described as a thousand frigid jolts rushing toward his core. Immediately Takumi pulled away, only to give a hard shove to Xander’s chest in turn. Fright filled his voice, strikingly loud in the placid mood built. ❝ I'm sorry—! ❞

▌ 💠 • • • ► LEO ▌

Royal banquets and feasts; something that had always been entirely odious and irritating to Takumi. Each one only served to heighten his anxiety, making him wish he had the power to turn invisible so no one would strike up conversation or ask for a dance. Usually he’d hide away with Sakura somewhere after they’d stacked a few plates high with food, but she seemed to be having an unusually grand time with both of the Nohrian princesses. Lucky her. Pressure suddenly weighed heavier than before, ribs crushing lungs. Lightheaded, the Hoshidan prince slunk away to an empty balcony to catch his breath. Almost immediately a presence sauntered from behind, giving a small ❛ hmph ❜ of amusement. ❝ And here I thought you could make it for just one night. ❞ Leo facetiously stated, the ice behind his tone lacking its usual sharpened edged. His arms circled around the younger to hold him close, and Takumi immediately welcomed the comfort, eyes closing and leaning into the warmth. ❝ Need I find a more suitable dance partner? ❞ ❝ Shut up... ❞ The younger gave a derisive snort; exhaustion had made it difficult to bite back. ❝ Come here... ❞ Deft fingers found themselves curled beneath the Hoshidan’s chin to lift his head up with care, a supple kiss placed upon his lips soon after. Delicately, Leo’s thumb grazed along the other’s jaw as he murmured, ❝ We’ll stay here until you’re ready to go back. But you owe me many more kisses than that. ❞

▌ 💠 • • • ► LASLOW ▌

❝ Why don’t you have tea with me, little prince? ❞ Laslow questioned, his dalliant smile beginning to irk the other. ❝ You can’t always be in a bad mood, and tea certainly cheers me right up, especially with the right company. ❞ ❝ Just this once... ❞ Takumi irritably sighed, trying his hardest not to roll his eyes at the retainer’s persistence. ❝ And then you’ll leave me alone, right? ❞ ❛ Just this once ❜ turned into a routine—once a week, then twice, then thrice.  Without realizing, the prince was able to take comfort in the other’s presence, responding with a smile at nearly every approach instead of his usual snark. And, with Laslow’s constant need to stroke his own ego, it didn’t go unnoticed. ❝ You seem to be enjoying yourself. ❞ ❝ Hard to believe it myself, but I am. And I have you to thank for that. ❞ ❝ Then what say we make this official? ❞ Suddenly Takumi choked on the pastry he’d been savoring, little flakes spattering the table. Frantically he looked about, eyes wide as he took in everyone else, couples seated at nearly every table. Had it always been like this? Trying to accept what had been asked of him, he swallowed hard, the little turnover suddenly tasteless. The other’s brows furrowed, betraying his usual confident demeanor.  ❝ I wouldn’t force— ❞ ❝ YES! ❞ Laslow was suddenly back in high spirits. With a cheeky grin, he nearly threw himself at the younger to pepper smacking kisses all over his cheeks, finally landing a solid one to his lips. Red furiously climbed from neck to face, leaving Takumi speechless and the elder laughing as he climbed off. ❝ That’s adorable! ❞

▌ 💠 • • • ► ODIN ▌

❝ Oh, my beloved prince! Spending time with you is a joy greater than the sweet warmth of Heaven! ❞ Pink suddenly bloomed over Takumi’s cheeks at the other’s over-embellished  and honeyed words, but not due to returning the sentiment or feeling complimented (though that played a small part). No, it mostly stemmed from second-hand embarrassment, rapidly glancing around to make sure no one else was in hearing range to make any wisecracks. ❝ Seriously, we’re alone. ❞ The younger sighed, shoulders drooping.  ❝ Why do you have to talk to me that way? ❞ ❝ Oh, is my little lover shy? There is no need, for I, Odin Da— ❞ A roaring groan of discomfort emanated from Takumi, dispelling all the mage had to say. As if that wasn’t enough, the elder had been harshly pulled down, their lips crashing in a rushed kiss, producing a wonderful silence and leaving him utterly stunned. All bravado and theatrics had died away. All Odin could manage to fumblingly articulate was,  ❝ That—that was nice... ❞ Mirth replaced irritability as the little prince only laughed, stealing pecks from the now rosey-cheeked elder.

▌ 💠 • • • ► ARTHUR ▌

Justice. It was a well-known fact throughout camp that Arthur lacked good fortune in all aspects of life, but what others didn’t know was that his poor luck had the ability to extend to anyone who could possibly be deemed as a lover. Takumi had come to learn that the hard way. The war combined with their occupations and allegiances left them little time to be together, only catching each other briefly throughout the day, tired eyes mirroring one another. ❝ We will have our justice, Prince Takumi! ❞ The Nohrian spouted off during a rare meeting, their hands clasped tight as they leaned against one another in their momentary respite. ❝ Come Hell or high water, we will have our justice! ❞ Victory—a war over, Garon and Anankos defeated, Nohr and Hoshido fully aligned. As soon as the news made its way down through the soldiers, the little prince scrambled to find Arthur, all but slamming into him with the tightest bone-crushing hug imaginable. Scattered jocular cheers came from the surrounding soldiers as the pair gave each other repeated kisses and pecks, ignoring their surroundings. Chuckling through the loving onslaught, Takumi had to add, ❝ Looks like justice has been served. ❞ Justice.

▌ 💠 • • • ► BENNY ▌

❝ You don’t talk much, do you? ❞ ❝ No... ❞ A gentle hum in response; Takumi could respect that, knowing how similar he could be when approached. Both men sat beside each other in the deepest chill of night, breath fogged over and watching the moon. A hellish nightmare had awoken the prince yet again; the same as always—his family brutally slaughtered before he could reach to provide help. Benny only stayed awake due to having the night shift, but finding solace in the other’s company stemmed from what felt like impervious solitude. Every night was exactly the same; find each other in the dark, sit in silence, and enjoy the presence the other provided. Even when the nightmares gradually dissipated, the younger always appeared in the same spot, at the same time, every night. ❝ I feel at ease with you. ❞ ❝ It’s the same for me. ❞ ❝ And I don’t feel as lonely as before. ❞ ❝ Yep... ❞ Even in the dark, the gentle dusting of red could be seen spreading across Benny’s cheeks. His silence stretched for several moments before he added, ❝ Same for me. ❞ Inching closer, Takumi carefully leaned in to place a tender kiss to the elder’s blush, all of his thanks and budding affection placed into one simple action. A breathy laugh of surprise found its escape as the gentle giant wrapped him up in a tight, protective embrace.

▌ 💠 • • • ► KEATON ▌

❝ AWOO! ❞ Takumi immediately edged away from the impertinent wolfskin, his nostrils infiltrated by the pungent smell of week-old sweat and dirt. What had he done to deserve this curse? If he couldn’t escape, soon enough the odor would begin to settle into his own armor. Disgusting. ❝ You helped me out there when you didn’t even have to. I should replay you, shouldn’t I? For helping me? ❞ Keaton’s ears impishly perked up before launching himself on the prince, opting not to wait for an answer. Lips crushed together, the elder’s clawed grasp tight on the other’s head to keep him in place, despite all the squirming. A rumbling growl emanated from the wolfskin’s chest before he bared jagged fangs, suddenly piercing Takumi’s bottom lip, drawing blood and a frightened howl of pain. Through laughter, Keaton playfully teased, ❝ I had to take a little something too. ❞

▌ 💠 • • • ► GUNTER ▌

War sometimes had funny effects on people. After the loss of his late wife, Gunter had never expected to find someone again, but to deny that Prince Corrin’s youngest brother was a rough delight would be an outright lie. Ambivalence rose about the age difference, the clashing of cultures—but once the shell had been cracked, Takumi proved to be more matured than he’d realized. A quick shake of his head brought him out of his thoughts, realizing the younger had come near to ask if anything was the matter. Another shake of the head, a denial; it was truly the opposite, finally feeling a semblance of joy. A kiss dispelled all worries, both enjoying the quiet closeness that only the other could bring.

▌ 💠 • • • ► YUKIMURA ▌

Meeting in the corridor, Takumi shifted uncomfortably. It couldn’t last forever. Nothing could, despite desperately wanting it to. Their stations and expectations placed upon them were so vastly different, keeping them apart. Yukimura could always read him like a book; always knew, good or bad, what was coming. ❝ It’s not fair... ❞ the prince uttered, breaking the silence. All the elder could do was pull him close, finding no warmth in their final kiss.

▌ 💠 • • • ► IZANA ▌

A post-war party had been held in Izumo for all Hoshidan soliders to rejoice in the defeat of Nohr. Foreign delicacies and bubbling champagne lined the tables, overflowing. While everyone else reveled in the display, Takumi just found it aggravating. Like a petulant child, he stayed back from the celebration, but once his gaze landed on Izana, stunning as ever, he was at a sudden loss as to what had annoyed him in the first place. ❝ Enjoy yourself! Don’t be such a party pooper standing over here by your lonesome! ❞ A quick peck fluttered over the prince’s lips, leaving him paralyzed. Mind running faster than could be kept up with, he watched Izana sashay away, the desire to follow taking root and beginning to grow. Boldly he pursued, craving the company and hoping it came with more than just a kiss.

▌ 💠 • • • ► FUGA ▌

Silence enveloped the pair as they laid beside each other, evening settling around them. They’d spent so much time talking—about the past, who they were, the future, any little thing of interest—that their voices had gone hoarse. There was never a lull in conversation; only comfort in being able to open up and be wrapped in each other’s presence. Nearly half asleep, Takumi’s head rested on the elder’s chest, tightly curled at his side. Fuga could have sworn he felt his heart flutter, a sensation he thought he would never be able to experience again in this lifetime. A kiss settled onto silken locks, only causing the boy to stir and look up through heavy lids. Before the elder could apologize for waking him, the prince leaned up to close the distance between their lips, humming contently at suddenly being pulled closer.

▌ 💠 • • • ► IKE ▌

Mercenaries were never reliable. One day they worked for you, then the next against; a reason why Takumi was so hesitant to befriend one, more than any Nohrian he’d encountered within camp. But it was hard to hate someone who proved time and time again to be so honorable and trustworthy, even more so when their hands are gripping your waist and their lips are on yours. ❝ When the war’s through, you’re leaving. ❞ Not a question, a statement.  The mood suddenly weighed down around them, the silence heavy. ❝ Is that what you want me to do? ❞ ❝ Of course not... ❞ ❝ Then why bring it up at all? ❞ A shaking breath, and Takumi’s fingers trembled as they found purchase on the elder.  Hesitantly, he asked, ❝ What can I do to make you stay? ❞ ❝ I was always going to stay. ❞ A kiss landed on the prince’s forehead, the very tip of his nose, and finally his lips—again, again, and again—until he understood. ❝ I’m not going to leave you alone. ❞ ❝ Good, because I would have chased you down and brought you back anyway. ❞

▌ 💠 • • • ► ROBIN ▌

Examine  → Robin. A tactician who says he’s from another world; Ylisse, to be exact. Despite an odd entrance, he was immediately welcomed, even by the irritable Hoshidan prince. His curiosity and eagerness to learn of the new world he’d fallen into made him incredibly easy for Takumi to get along with, as they had come to share information of each other’s cultures, exchange various novels and scrolls, taught their language to each other. Absorbed in a book he’d snagged from the archer, Robin hadn’t heard him near. Gingerly Takumi pushed the tome away, climbing into the other’s lap and chuckling at the way he’d jumped in surprise. Needily he stole affection, claiming kisses and sensitive skin, tugging at robes—just another thing they’d learned to share with one another.

▌ 💠 • • • ► MARTH ▌

Trying to stay away from one another failed, despite knowing full well that the elder would one day leave. Princes of different worlds... it would have never worked, with each having their own expectations placed upon them and loyalties tied to their own lands. That didn’t make their parting any less painful. All Takumi had been left with as a kiss and a note that read, ❝ In another life, in another world, we’ll find one another. ❞ How little they knew that their wishes would come true, even if it meant bending to the will of a wicked queen from a distant world.

▌ 💠 • • • ►IAGO ▌

Glowing heat engulfed the prince’s broken body, mending and snapping and shoving everything into place. Moans of discomfort echoed in Iago’s ears, only to be met with a grandiloquent laugh. So easy it was to physically toy with another; to bend and break or to build and shape. Taking pride in his new possession, he gently caressed the younger’s cheek and leaned down to faintly press their lips together in a chaste kiss... only to feel the warmth surge from within the undead body, the soul still hidden there, reacting to whatever affection it could find as Takumi’s lips willingly responded. With another nefarious chuckle, Iago pulled away, cracking bones within the younger to teach him of what would happen if he did anything outside of what was commanded of him. ❝ Pathetic. ❞

▌ 💠 • • • ► ANANKOS ▌

A volcanic increase in volume shattered everything within the prince’s head, unable to hold the pieces together and slipping into darkness. ❝ You belong to me... And only me. ❞ The voice slithered from the ether, settling into the crevices of Takumi’s mind. From behind, a hand settled over his eyes. Searing white heat encompassed every inch of his frame, skin burning, images of destruction implanting themselves in his brain. Regardless of how much he tried to hold it in, he wasn’t strong enough. Tears leaked between clawed fingers and stained his cheeks, a scream tearing itself free from his throat. Anankos only bent the prince back so he could silence him with their lips pressed tightly together, swallowing every sound. His. Only his...

▌ 💠 • • • ► ZERO ▌

(inspired by Nessa asking me NOT to write Zero/Takumi) The archery field was left abandoned, opting to duck into the dark wood nearby for more rigorous practice. Pinned to a tree, the Hoshidan archer writhed in a mixture of discomfort and delight as Zero’s lips attacked his own, his jaw, his neck; teeth marring pale skin with splotches of purple and red. Before his knees could buckle, Takumi was hurriedly flipped, chest against the trunk as the elder’s hip rocked forward. As breath hitched tight in the prince’s throat, the other teased heavily in his ear, words procuring a shiver, ❝ If you want the arrow to hit the mark, you can’t shoot from so far away. ❞

[componentplanet]

The Misinformation About Coronavirus Coming From the White House Must Cease

Public Domain: NIAID Rocky Mountain Laboratories (RML), U.S. NIH

On Friday, President Trump declared an emergency over the outbreak of Covid-19 sweeping across the United States and the world. One of the major points of his speech was to emphasize that the United States government is working with major corporations to quickly deploy testing capabilities across the United States. To that end, Trump said:

Google is going to develop a website — it’s going to be very quickly done, unlike websites of the past — to determine if a test is warranted and to facilitate testing at a nearby convenient location,” Trump said. “We have many, many locations behind us, by the way. We cover this country and large parts of the world, by the way. We’re not gonna be talking about the world right now, but we cover very, very strongly our country. Stores in virtually every location. Google has 1,700 engineers working on this right now. They have made tremendous progress.

Trump’s comments were backed up by Dr. Deborah Birx, described by Ars Technica as “a key official in the administration’s Coronavirus Response Coordinator.” According to Birx, “We wanted to also announce this new approach to testing,” she said, “which will start in this screening website facilitated by Google.” The only problem was, as of Friday, basically none of this was true. Google released a statement saying as much at the time, shown below:

Statement from Verily: "We are developing a tool to help triage individuals for Covid-19 testing. Verily is in the early stages of development, and planning to roll testing out in the Bay Area, with the hope of expanding more broadly over time.

— Google Communications (@Google_Comms) March 13, 2020

The app portal that President Trump told Americans would be “very quickly done,” is only in the early stage of development. It’s only intended to be tested in the Bay Area. The Google engineers assisting with the project are doing so voluntarily and no Google or Alphabet employees actually spoke at the unveiling.

Later, on Sunday, Google and Verily did make additional announcements — but they aren’t exactly shipping the programs that the White House said they would be. Verily has issued a press release confirming its limited Bay Area testing setup, while Google is working with the government to provide a clearing-house information site, but not the app portal that was described on Friday.

Having been caught with his pants down on the topic, the President is trying to claim that the news media lied. This is bullshit. The press — including this story, as written in its original form, properly and accurately informed citizens that Google isn’t building a nationwide portal to evaluate whether or not you have coronavirus and that Verily’s project was only in the testing stages. Ars Technica’s own writeup, linked above, confirms these points. The President denies them. This is so normal as to barely be worth mentioning, except for the fact that we are in the middle of a true international pandemic, and POTUS can’t resist a little branded messaging.

The Fake and Corrupt News never called Google. They said this was not true. Even in times such as these, they are not truthful. Watch for their apology, it won’t happen. More importantly, thank you to Google! https://t.co/AuvpbXNouW

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 15, 2020

The reason the press will not be apologizing is that the press was not wrong to inform Americans that, as of Friday, Google had no such program and Verily was launching a trial in the Bay Area. The only thing that has changed on Monday is that Google is launching some new information portals.

Accurate Information in an Emergency Is Essential

I am not here today to re-litigate every statement President Trump has made or the appropriateness of any given comment. I am speaking solely to the pandemic we face today.

When security issues arise — and a global pandemic is a security issue — corporations and governments have an ironclad responsibility to communicate in a neutral, calm, and truthful manner. If this were the first time the Trump Administration had misinformed the American people during the coronavirus crisis, we could chalk it up to chaos and miscommunication. But it isn’t.

At multiple points, the President has claimed we would have a vaccine in a matter of months when the effort is expected to take at least a year. He has claimed that testing is readily available to anyone who wants it. According to The Atlantic, they’ve only been able to confirm about 14,500 Americans had been tested as of Friday. For comparison, South Korea has been capable of testing up to 20,000 people per day.

Trump has told the American people that insurers would pay for testing and treatment for coronavirus when insurers have actually stated they would only pay for testing. Given the size of medical bills in the United States, that’s no small difference. He has told the nation that SARS-CoV-2 cannot live in warm weather and will die off as summer approaches. That could be true, but the WHO disagrees:

From the evidence so far, the COVID-19 virus can be transmitted in ALL AREAS, including areas with hot and humid weather.

He has repeatedly declared that the coronavirus is “under control” in the United States, while test kit orders go unfilled and likely-infected people are refused testing and sent home to self-quarantine instead.

The Coronavirus is very much under control in the USA. We are in contact with everyone and all relevant countries. CDC & World Health have been working hard and very smart. Stock Market starting to look very good to me!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 24, 2020

Epidemiologists have begun emphasizing the need to “flatten the curve” of infection because, with only 2.8 hospital beds per 1,000 people and 65,000 full ventilators across the entire nation, we literally can’t triage the impact of a massive infection wave quickly enough to save everyone.

Slowing down the spread is critical to minimizing the damage. Image by Wikipedia

For three and a half years, liberals and conservatives across America have battled over the meaning of Trump’s language and how his statements should be interpreted. There is, however, no room for ambiguity here. Testing is either happening or it is not. Google is either building a massive testing portal with 1700 engineers or Verily is in the early stages of a test program in a single city with no plans for near-term national deployment. These are not the same thing. They are never going to be the same thing.

It is one thing to make allowances for a person’s style of communication. It is another thing altogether to excuse the dispensation of inaccurate information simply because it comes out of the mouth of the most powerful leader on Earth.

This Is Absolutely Political, Just Not the Way You Think

Having written the above, I realize a certain type of Trump supporter will likely Have Some Things To Say About Me. Allow me to preempt them: Yes, I’m talking about politics — specifically, the question of what the state owes to its citizens.

One of those obligations — one of the most fundamental and important reasons for individuals to form a government in the first place — is for mutual defense and protection. Part of providing mutual defense and protection, in the context of disease or imminent disaster, is to ensure that accurate information can be gathered, processed, and quickly distributed to the citizenry. From weather reports and hurricane forecasting to quarterly job reports, the government produces an enormous amount of data and critical decisions get made on the basis of those reports.

Does the government release reports that favor its own interpretation of the data? Of course they do. Do governments sometimes lie to their own citizens? Of course they do. Does that excuse the unclear, half-baked, and downright false verbiage that has come spewing from the White House regarding Covid-19 to-date? It does not. At a time when the need for accurate, unified communication is the largest, the Trump White House has dropped the ball — followed by Trump completely disclaiming all responsibility for the problem of limited test kit production.

Harry Truman: “The buck stops here.” Donald Trump: “I don’t take responsibility at all.”

There is no justification for the misinformation barrage that has characterized the White House’s response to the coronavirus to date, but there is a way for the Administration to recover, and even some tentative reasons to hope it will improve its disaster response. It’s called “Start dealing with the problem in an honest way.”

The announcement of a national emergency on Friday and the declaration that an additional $50B in funds would be used for disaster relief are both good steps. The next step should be to pass specific legislation mandating various types of relief for those most affected by the coronavirus. Paid leave for all and mortgage relief would be two excellent steps. Late on Friday, Trump reached an agreement with House Democrats on a disaster relief bill. Fox News even had the minimal good grace to put Trish Reagan, who declared coronavirus was a scam by Democrats to harm President Trump’s re-election, on indefinite hiatus from the network.

But no matter what happens, and no matter how terrible or mild the Covid-19 outbreak in the United States is, it is essential that the White House speak with one voice. The data it dispenses must be accurate and truthful to the greatest standard humans can reasonably achieve. This is no time for spin, regardless of who is doing the spinning. We, the citizens of the United States, deserve to be able to trust the words coming out of our elected leaders’ mouths, regardless of who they are or what party they belong to, and we need to be able to trust them now more than ever.

Could Covid-19 still turn out to have a relatively mild effect on the United States? Absolutely. But the best — and according to epidemiologists the only — way to make that happen is to treat the reality of the pandemic seriously. Wash your hands. Practice social distancing. Don’t panic. Coronavirus is not the Black Death 2.0. It doesn’t have to be, in order to cause tremendous damage.

The combined economic impact of all of the canceled conferences across the world is already well into the billions, in terms of expected economic activity that now will not occur. Airlines are calling this even worse than 9/11, in terms of reduced flight bookings. The question isn’t whether we’re going to see significant economic damage, but how much and for how long.

Every single American deserves accurate, factual, and trustworthy data from the government (even if we don’t always get it), but we especially deserve it during a time of uncertainty and crisis. Thus far, the White House has botched the job. Now that we have a formal declaration of a national emergency under the Stafford Act, hopefully, we will see a more coordinated response and an increased focus on dispensing accurate information.

I reject, completely and disdainfully, the idea that demanding accurate, factual, and honest data from my government represents some kind of liberal plot or sneak attack on Donald Trump. I don’t care if we’re talking about Barack Obama, Zombie Reagan, or an unusually ambitious philodendron. I expect government messaging on the pandemic to focus on saving as many human lives as possible and to communicate both failures and successes whether they paint the President and his party in a positive light. I expect the President to put the value of American lives above his own tendency towards self-aggrandizement and to speak honestly about the condition of the country, the impact of coronavirus, the specific steps the government is taking to address it, and the realistic likelihood that any treatments will emerge in the short term.

I don’t call that being liberal. I call it demanding accountability. Whether you are a Democrat, Republican,  Independent, Green, anarchist, or.. .whatever Marianne Williamson is, you deserve accurate information. You deserve it even if you disagree with everything I just wrote. You deserve it if you plan to vote for Trump in November. This isn’t about partisan politics. You — we — deserve accurate messaging and factual data and we haven’t been getting it. I hope Friday was the beginning of a major shift in what has, to date, been an absolutely appalling trend.

On Sunday, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Anthony Fauci, told Americans they should expect to “hunker down significantly more than we as a country are doing.” There were also reports that the United States was trying to buy access to a German company’s in-development Covid-19 vaccine, with the requirement that the medicine is deployed solely in the United States. As a reminder, an effective Covid-19 vaccine is still expected to be 12-18 months away, best-case, and our allies would take an exceptionally dim view to any attempt America might make to hold back such a vaccine to its own advantage.

Now Read:

How to Help the Fight Against Coronavirus From the Safety of Your Own Home

The Fastest Supercomputer on Earth Is Being Deployed Against Coronavirus

World Health Organization Declares COVID-19 a Pandemic

from ExtremeTechExtremeTech https://www.extremetech.com/internet/307605-trump-said-google-was-building-a-national-coronavirus-portal-it-isnt from Blogger http://componentplanet.blogspot.com/2020/03/the-misinformation-about-coronavirus.html

[roadswewalk]

T6T - my full reaction

Right I know this is super late (work project overload, apology posted preemptively), but here, finally, are my actual thoughts on second watch of T6T.  This is my first new episode since joining the fandom, so I really indulged.  This is like a live-blog meets rewatch review meets spaghetti meta.  Almost all of this is uninfluenced by others, since I missed the majority of what’s been written, but I’ve called out a few cases where popular opinion filtered through.  It probably goes without saying that to be able to write functionally about any of it, I have to make a baseline assumption that what I’m seeing has enough relationship to reality to be worth reacting to.  Doesn’t mean I believe that overall, but I’m not interested (not here, anyway) in playing mistake-lie-or-clue for every detail, so.  Grain of fish food.

Under the cut because LONG.

The hearing - uh oh.  Retcon technique crashes through the fourth wall into the fictional universe.  Or, I’m all up in ur fictional universe, redefining fiction.  Meta.  I get it: Don’t believe everything we’re about to show you, nor everything we’ve shown you before.  Or, at least, don’t take it too seriously.   And THAT is actually problematic

For starters, some of the people who abandoned ship last series complained that consequences aren’t real enough on this show.  For me, shooting Magnussen looks awfully gimmicky now that they’ve resolved it in this way; they'd never have got away with this if there hadn’t been a three-year hiatus.  Mycroft’s “oh Sherlock, what have you done?” is one of my favorite lines in the series.  Every.  Time.  Watery eyes to sobbing in 6 words.  It is utterly cheapened by not making the consequences real.  A little resistance, an impassioned appeal on the strength of Sherlock’s record of service - these would not have been out of place.  “My brother is a murderer”, sardonically, as the episode’s opening line should have been the first clue, I guess.

@ Sir Edwin shutting down the Moriarty discussion quickly and single-handedly: Has following TJLCers made me better at watching television, or was this disappointingly obvious?  @ Sherlock in this entire scene: I love it too, baby.

So the scene leaked via KBS dubbing was at the beginning, after all.  And completely not serious spoiler material, thanks for the slap on the wrist!

I like this tango they’re playing during the case montage!

Birth scene, :/  cliché.  Baby jokes - okay actually really cute.  Loving these boys with the baby, and apparently I could go for parentlock if it’s always just side-plots and comic relief.  John’s little flirtation - not so much, hope this is going somewhere plotty.  John’s backbend to ask about being godfather, though.  How flexible is that back, Dr. Watson?

Welsboroughs are pretty adorable.  Why does Mr. W. wear his ring on the pinky, though? - asked about this separately and never got a reply.  Mirror / magnifier next to Sherlock’s head - I guess this is Meaningful but it escapes me.

Noticing the Thatcher bust / pricking of my thumbs, a little difficult to accept.  But, “intuitions are not to be ignored” OKAY DADS.  A lot different from previously, though, with “dangerous to theorize without data“ etc.  “OCD - my respects”, lol.

Is Mr. Welsborough a John mirror here?  They’re wearing turquoise and defending Mrs. T’s existence together.  (Is this the same day that John goes home and texts E back?  He’s wearing the turquoise jumper?)  Wonder where Gatiss picked up this horrific story of Charlie’s death, I was in slight tears.  Relatedly (or not), Mycroft is GOLD in this episode.

On the established subject of the client-with-a-spy-wife being a John mirror: Note also, his line “I thought you’d done something clever.  But now you’ve explained it, it’s dead simple, inn’t it?” is directly from Watson on multiple occasions in ACD canon.  Also, at first I was like, “Why is Sherlock spending so much time impressing this man with his deductions?  He doesn’t know yet whether Lestrade (and arguably Hopkins) have brought him anything more interesting.“  Then I realized - he thinks John is sitting there watching him, apparently stunned into silence and charmed head-waving.  Awww. 

Lestrade saying “straße”, John saying “idée fixe”... it’s clearly Sherlock narrating.  Reliably or not, that is the question.  Sherlock noticing the scent of formaldehyde mixed with Lestrade’s usual cologne. <3 Sherstrade moment.  But why do people think Lestrade is going on a date with Hopkins?  He’s not? Sherlock said someone new from forensics; Hopkins is a DI working with Interpol.

“Slow, but sure, John.  Not dissimilar to yourself...  Well, I like you.”  I wasn’t sure I heard this right the first time!  Gratuitous compliments why.  John’s face does a nice journey after this but unfortunately Mary speaks right away.  Lovely on slo-mo.  “Having fun while I can” / “a noose for me to put my neck into” - awww, cheer up Sherlock, honey; you can’t die, you’re the star of the show.

When Craig first tells Sherlock the busts are from Tbilisi, he’s already looking up with his eyes doing their deduction dance.  The next scene implies it’s because of the Black Pearl of the Borgias case, but is it?  Lestrade’s reaction when Sherlock already knows the name of his victim - priceless.

Why does “luxury 1, 2 & 3 bed apartments” scroll across the screen when Sherlock is searching his phone about the pearl?  Graphics team: “well ads are unavoidable, it adds to the realism” lol what.  Man, it makes me a bit salty that they’re mentioning the blog so much even though we don’t get updates anymore, boo.

Sherlock: “They’re not destroying them, that’s not what’s happening.”  Lestrade: “Yes it is.”  Sherlock: “Well it *is* what’s happening but that’s not the point.  [Okay, thanks AGAIN, dads.]

Floor-to-ceiling Hokusai “Great Wave” print behind the pool - I am in lo<3!  Wearing leggings printed with Hokusai’s Phoenix as I type this and I just.  Guh.  That entire location is beautiful, thank you scouts!

All the ‘hand-waving” instead of proper switches in this house - again, I get it, thanks.

19:00 ... 22:00 flashing on screen.... so Sherlock waited 3 hours.  Am I supposed to get something from this?  (I hate not trusting anything I see on this show, nor my own ability to interpret art.  I take back one of those ‘thanks’, dads.)

Fight scene: gratuitous, fun, hard to accept.  Boys will be boys.  The people living in the house didn’t wake up?

 Why does Sherlock know what John said to forgive Mary?  Also, biggest mistake of the episode is right here, revealing he knows what that flash drive is and who had it.

The ambassador says she’s got something they would dearly love if they could get out - amo/ammo...  I’m still not sure how she fits in?  The flash drive is dangling around Ajay’s neck during the op?  So if the rescue goes wrong, AGRA are supposed to kill themselves, and what - hope the hostages are allowed to survive in captivity thereafter?

Lestrade knows about Mary’s past, seriously?  Once again the blog and the Internet fame make Sherlock & friends easy targets - though I don’t doubt Ajay could have found them easily enough without that.  Wow, shooting up the plaster bust studio must have been a good time ;)  Sherlock’s hidey-hole is... epic.  He even has a travel chemistry set and microwave (for the real experiments~), all that’s missing is a John Watson balloon, gods.  “That was quite a text you sent me” - what did it SAY?  At least he’s not giving her an easy time here. And is a different accent coming out?

“We were family.”  “Families fall out.”  [later, paraphrase] “I don’t know anything about them - happy families.”  Break my heart.  Sherlock, your mum and dad and big brother love you.  Don’t they?  Don’t they, Moftiss~?

Mary’s little smirk when Sherlock reminds her of his vow pretty much mirrors mine.  Like what can Sherlock Holmes do to protect her family better than a trained assassin?  (As we find out, nothing.)  The hubris here... it’s a huge part of what goes wrong in this episode, too.  Making the vow in the first pace was problematic and one of my least favorite things that Sherlock did, because it’s out-of-order, ridiculous, and impossible to maintain even before we knew anything about Mary and just.  Did anyone except Sherlock EVER believe that vow was worth something in reality, as opposed to some sad devotion he pledged to his best friend for wont of any more suitably dramatic exit from said friend’s wedding?  This brings me back to the awful angst-fest of a head-canon wherein Sherlock no longer places any value on his life alone, and he’s secretly longing for an excuse to start on a path that will secure his own death.  I’ve been there in depression and I’m not sure the writers realize they’re invoking it, nor that I trust them to handle it properly if they do.

Aw, PLEASE give us more of baby Holmes boys playing pirates.  Also, again, Mycroft <3.  But, Sherlock’s got a cracked rib here and he won’t go to John to get it wrapped.  “You don’t have many favors left” - apparently the only real consequence so far.  Mycroft: “What then?” - YES, THANK YOU, VOICE OF REASON!  “Not on my watch” - first from Mycroft, then from Sherlock.  But only Mycroft turns out to be able to back it up.  Score one for ice.

Why do the country names include U.S.S.R?  LMAO at Gatiss coming up with this sequence, like oh then she’ll grab a passport out of a rock in Norway, then how about a motorcycle in America?  I hope alcohol was involved, let everyone have fun with it.

She covers her head but shows her ankles?  Sherlock’s game with Karim, again, love.  It’s easy to forget why I love this show when I can’t follow the plot, but in the end, I do love it.  Sherlock’s little speech that he’s been preparing for ages to rattle off to Mary.  And then John walks in and wow, I can feel the smile slide off my face faster than Sherlock’s.  Definitely a hell of a lot faster than Mary’s!  It’s so awkward that Sherlock is there for the following conversation, especially the point he joins in, literl chills at the creep factor.  But - “couples are supposed to stay together and work things through” - as in, what John and Sherlock did while she was away?

And sorry to break in again here, but the “love” connection (lol) is tenuous enough.  Who would believe that an intelligence committee member would use a variation of her own code name as a sabotage code word?  Trying too hard to be clever, Mark, sorry.  Lady S under pressure is pretty hot, though.

Wow, John is so smooth when he’s being hit on.  Like the plot or no, really makes me want to try it, hehe.  Vampire... this screams foreshadowing but I won’t know of what until I see it, derp.

John’s bus number is 59 (159 return).  Another reference to that sonnet?

“How many more times?”  Lady S calling Mycroft on putting his brother before his other obligations.  Ouch.  When this dries up it’s going to be even more painful...  And, “you had better be right about this”, 'cept he wasn’t.  No wonder Sherlock is ready to die later.  There’s no pretty escape at this point.

“The curtain rises” - third time we’ve heard that.  He does love a touch of the dramatic.  Does it mean something else too?  The different text styles, poetry to one, usual demands to the other - I love it but i don’t know why.  Does it mean we won’t get poetry anymore from Sherlock?

Ballsy to film up in there.  I was expecting the aquarium walls to get shot up at some point.  Pity.  Well, maybe not.  Is this the entire shark analogy - “we’re like them, ghostly, living in the shadows, predators, we have to keep moving or we die”?  I guess the last one pretty well clinches it.  But it rubs up the wrong way to use the same symbol as for Magnussen, but for different reasons.

So she got involved for money, then she set up both sides of the rescue operation to get the ambassador assassinated to protect the fact that she was ever involved and hopefully make her exit?  Why didn’t she retire at that point?!

Hmm, does John call Mycroft or Lestrade from the cab?

So Sherlock going on about the wedding ring relocation here, when John is still wearing his ring on his left ring finger in the chess promo photo from TFP... I blogged some crack about it but now I’m wondering if it’s legit significant.  But anyway, Sherlock, shut up about single old ladies, alright.

Mystrade on screen together.  Maybe eye contact!  And Lestrade putting his brave on when Mrs. Norbury raises her gun.  Sherlock staring down the bullet like “I give in, I am yours” - not sure why people wondered at him not jumping out of the way, seems clear he’s ready and willing to die at this point, because he thinks it’s a solution to something.  Well, living on borrowed time, now, and with all favors called in, that’ll make for some good drama, can’t wait!

Wow, so, a woman has been on the edge of a dangerous lifestyle, but eventually she just wants a little peace.  A man with uncanny knowledge and mysterious connections to the government is on her trail.  She tries to confront him, but there are inconvenient witnesses.  Eventually she does fire her gun, but someone else gets shot, and it resolves nothing.  ...Am I describing Vivienne or Mary?

Pausing between Mary’s moment and John’s so I can appreciate the scene properly.  Oh god, I hate myself for this.   But really, Martin’s acting in TRF was perfect.  I know real primal grief is not pretty and that was probably very accurate, but I don’t come to television to see that much of reality.  You’re breaking our contract here a little by shocking me so much in a moment like this.  First watch, my tears dried right up.  This time I let them fall for awhile, and it was nice.  :/

They’re talking about proper portrayal of grief, but isn’t this transition to the anger stage a bit quick?  Mystrade and Sherlock facing off above the Watsons - this is very iconic-looking, though for the life of me I couldn’t say why Lestrade is there.  Hope it’s a backstory thing that we get to hear about later.  So many white men on this show, always coming out on top.  How can I adore them all?  Feel like I have to take a few punches out of my various identity cards for this weakness.

Roll call, who knew almost instantly that Ella was talking to Sherlock? How did you know?  I can’t decide what clued me in - I guess it was the camera angle, the transition from John to her on the same side of the frame?  By her second or third line it was obvious, but I swear I knew before that...

It just bugs me when Ella speaks in platitudes.  When my therapists weren’t as clever as me, they would do this.  It solves nothing.  Also I’m pretty sure she would have to recuse herself from Sherlock’s case if he mainly wants to talk about John, another client.  They’ve shown in THoB that they understand doctor-patient privilege, so, not sure what to make of this.

Mycroft at home is my severe kink.  Him with his lack of furniture in his kitchen, brolly has to lean against his case on the floor.  Still wearing his coat and waistcoat when he gets to the fridge (suits are cut much better this season, damn Mark), rubbing his sore neck, takeout menus, cuff links, pocket watch.

It’s hard to express the strength of my yearning to see inside Mycroft’s fridge.  Like I love that it’s mostly empty, but not seeing pitiful gaping immaculate interior is still one of the biggest disappointments of the episode, tbh.  And frankly that yearning extends a bit further, into slithering up behind and offering a neck rub territory.  People who read him as queer, are we talking zero exceptions?  Mind if I test that?   Antarctica, darling, give me a call.  That empty, listless feeling… I can help.  I hear you’re the Ice Man.  Well it may interest you to know that in certain circles, I’m known as the Ice Queen.  I realize you have incredible power and influence - probably enough to stop global warming.  Don’t do it, baby, I don’t care about that stuff.  I wanna melt with you.  (Heh, might send  that one to bbcsherlockpickuplines.)

13th in a post-it note, prompting a call to Sherrinford - at this point my money’s on drug rehab facility.  That Sherlock burns down.  Won’t that be fun.  And like season 2, I’m guessing this is setup for a plot arc that will be fully revealed in episode 3.  And that’s about the extent of my non-crack predictions for the next few episodes!

John’s balloon drooping off the table, oof.  “Work is the best antidote to sorrow” - like sorrow is poison, oh Sherlock, what would Ella say?  Not it’s not, it’s normal and it’s a thing you work through.  “Norbury” - she doesn’t know the details but she can see the significance, poor Hudders.

Mary making Moriarty jokes on the level of sensitivity that I often display (and which never fails to earn me zero notes)...   LOVE IT DON’T STOP BITCH!

“Nothing’s certain, nothing’s written” - the words that overlay John and Mary holding hands in that teaser of all teasers - a throw-away line picked up by marketers or a sign of things to come~?

“The danger was the fun part but you can’t outrun that.  You need to remember that so I’m giving you a case.”  What, retire to Sussex and stop putting John Watson in danger?  This is getting ‘danger’ously close to some of my crack theories for why a longer hiatus should follow.  MAYBE I’ll accept but only if they actually film us three episodes of retirementlock - with some quaint flashbacks or something - alright?

I’m glad Molly only says sorry the one time.  It’s not her apology to make.  Maybe best scene in the episode right here.  Reading the letter in the cab... brave.

Path locking around your feet, the demons under the street and the sharks in the river (sharks in a river?   really?), etc. - this seems to be confirmation that Sherlock is still awaiting his consequences; okay, good.  But “can Samarra be avoided?” - learned nothing, have you?  Or is it that your survival is necessary to save John Watson?

Go to Hell - not speculating, too little information.  I already know Sherlock’s going to Hell, that he takes John with him, and that they come back - my dad told me.

Summary things:

So live-Tweeting didn’t happen.  That was disappointing.  What is Joe Lidster’s new project, then?

I already knew the Samarra story really well from childhood and then a brief study in Arabic class once.  So the communication of it here felt really heavy handed.  Wish I hadn’t brushed up on it (thanks to NYT reviewer, I believe) beforehand.  I feel like Benedict’s retelling with the sharks would have been chill-inducing.

Contrasting with my complaint about weak consequences for the Magnussen incident, perhaps I’m supposed to take it that this episode was Mary’s consequences.  I wonder if we’ll see Sherlock’s consequences in episode 2 and John’s in episode 3 (or vice versa)?  Or, the ensembles (Hudders & co) in 2, and Sherlock & John’s in episode 3?  I know it’s a three-part story arc so I hope we’ll see something.  Sharks in the river, I’ll get my fishing pole!

Lastly, the “NO WAY” moment that the press reported - which even was it?

- Vivian "Ice Lolly” Norbury as the double agent?

- Mary jumping in?

- Sherlock at therapy?

I seriously couldn’t tell.  Again, does that me good at watching television, or bad?!