#interesting how i already feel so much lighter haha

[bonus-links]

DIRECTORS COMMENTARY PLEASE I LOVE HEARING YOUR THOUGHTS AND PROCESS <3!!!!!!!!

YEAHHH lots to say for this update

there's a scene I didn't so much as cut from the beginning of this update as significantly shorten: Wolf, Loft, Wake, and Slate are changing into their lighter outfits. Loft says the same line as having the party, Wake begs them for this one day with his Gran Gran, and they all agree they can wait. I've been trying to get better about like, not putting a ton of work into unnecessary connecting scenes, which is why I cut it down. Wake sounding more cavalier also works better for the overall chapter. But i was sad to leave this joke out lol:

may I present to you, Slate's picture gallery! he was mostly on task documenting flora and fauna but he gets a little sidetracked sometimes

I love the idea that he's just, like, kind of terrible at photography. he documents stuff for Zelda and it's always weirdly cropped and kind of out of focus, but she appreciates it anyway.

Slate is also picking flowers for the party! so he is still helping out on that front lol

idk if i've mentioned this before, but beetle does still have pincers! they're just. idk what the right word is. retractable maybe? yeah. like the ancient weapon blades

the filling of the half moon pies is pineapple :-) i was. so worried about it looking like an egg HAHA.

I thought way too hard about how they were going to cook these pies. I was originally going to draw a clay oven or some other setup, but ultimately I thought the Zelda tradition of only having pots over fires to cook was a funnier nod lol. So, they're frying the pies

believe it or not, I wrote this scene before reading dungeon meshi HAHA but it certainly served as good reference for how to set up shots for it

Aryll did in fact eavesdrop on Wake telling Tetra The Situation

That's Champion's little sister in the memory! I like the headcanon that her name was also Aryll.

Champion and his sister are making meat pies instead of pineapple ones.

One again, made a bunch of layout mistakes I ended up having to fix, except this time I didn't catch them until I had already gotten to rendering :-( if you're a patron, you probably saw these versions in the WIP:

problems here: Wolf is walking the wrong away. I was sad we'd be losing his expression but alas. And for the panels with Champion's sister, the angle is too low to be an actual POV shot. I could've left it and said he's just sitting or something probably but it was really bothering me lol so I redrew everything. and then recolored all of it. woof.

as a general rule, if he has scars, that's Slate. No scars is The Other Guy

I understand the complaint about this in BOTW, but I actually kind of like that weird moment that occurs after you finish a memory cutscene, and it just abruptly goes back to Link looking blank-faced like nothing happened. It implies this kind of....distance from the memories that I find interesting. Slate has complicated feelings abt the memories of Champion's life he gets, but like. there's pies to make

shout out to peony she's a real one

[malfunctioningemi]

Hi im emi and i think way too much about sk8 the infinity part 261

COLOUR THEORY TIME i just had like, a brain blast in realisation.

Reki is yellow coded, langa is blue. Usually people would ASSUME reki is the "red" character of the show because of his hair, but i think that just helps to show off his passionate and firey personality. His colour is yellow because he is energetic, friendly and most often optimistic (especially when it comes to helping people learn how to skate or make friends)

Langa is blue coded, usually used for quiet, cold and mysterious characters, or those with lots of sadness (think inside out). BUT because he is pastel blue, his sadness is lighter because of people like reki lifting him out if it. He is still young and has time to grow.

Because they are yellow and blue coded, its different from what is the usual trope of red and blue which are most often rivals or opposites. BUT because theyre yellow and blue, theyre actually perfectly made to compliment each other. I like to see it as reki being the sun to langas moon.

Now. You know who IS red coded? Adam. He is passionate and all about love and anger, the two emotions most connected to red. Because he is red, it links into his whole idea of thinking he "belongs" with langa, but he is already fulfilled by being with reki.

Then we see adams colours slowly change from red to that dark blue we see him wearing in the finale. He comes to realise that he was chasing after langa because he thought they were the same (blue = sad and hurt. Adam being a deeper blue means his emotions and sadness runs deeper aka because he has had YEARS longer to sit with his feelings and trauma) but it takes langa, a fellow blue, being happy and excited and wanting to skate with REKI not him, to show him that he doesnt have to put on this red boisterous persona. If we look at Adam through the years, he's never really had a red-coded personality. It's always an act. How he thinks people wANT him to act.

He's a blue, just like his hair and the suit he wears.

Now. Joe and cherry.

Cherry being pink is so INTERESTING TO ME. Its seen as graceful and youthful, but is also just a toned down version of red. Cherry CAN be graceful and composed, but is also full of so much anger and emotion (especially towards adam) and the fact the two are similar in colour makes me so invested. I also think Cherry has a complex colour pallet- being not only pink, but also wearing deep blues and whites. He is elegant and complex.

THEN JOE. oh joe. My deep green giant. He is down to earth (haha get it) and is always trusting his gut with everything, AND IDK IF YOU HAVE NOTICED THIS BUT HE NEVER GIVES BAD ADVICE!! Green is usually associated with grounded and level-headed characters, but green is also the colour of jealousy. Joe doesn't seem like the jealous type, but he has this strange loneliness to him. All he has is his restaurant and Cherry. He never seems to be able to fully grasp what he wants, so finds his fufillment in other places.

Now onto the fact that pink and green ARE opposites and so are cherry and joe. Where cherry is quiet and reserved, joe is loud and energetic. Their lifestyles and jobs couldn't really be more different. They argue and bicker and always seem to know what perfectly annoys the other most.

BUT!! Pink and green (while being opposites) ARE ALSO COMPLIMENTARY!!!! they work well together beCAUSE theyre so different. And being together just seems to work out somehow.

ANYWAYS. Yeah. Sun and moon coded renga are very special to me :)

[drawnaghht]

btw, if you liked my post analysing just the magnet "holsters" in Samurai Rabbit: The Usagi Chronicles, I'm eventually gonna post more outfit description/analysis! just cuz I've already been writing some longer descriptions for a while now - that's one of my fave things to research and write about, since it can be good art reference for my own drawings, and especially since I can go through the episodes looking for anything new to write down or connect :)

Also, thank you so much for the replies on my post! LOVING the reactions I'm seeing on it, I didn't expect this to do numbers at all but I'm pleased people enjoy reading me ramble about details in a show I like haha xD I don't usually get replies on my other fandom posts, so this is very surprising, even here. I'm touched!

Replies below! :)

@ranarenee - I already replied to you on the original post, but I genuinely just wanted to feature this comment cuz I'm glad ppl are having a positive reaction to this post xD

I also think it was probably a bit easier to animate them! in addition, because it provides an interesting change of technology in the world of Usagi Chronicles, it means that it might have become more interesting to design this hypothetical descendant-world. I'm sure they might have also just thought it was an interesting and unique element of what they were making, but from Art Director Khang Le and Stan Sakai's CBCC interview, and the SDCC@ Home 2021 panel I remember it was mentioned a few times how many clever things they found to make the production spending smaller on the more trivial things.... so the magnetic holsters feels like a thing that might have hit many birds with one stone, so-to-speak. You have the easier drawing of boards and maybe a few things made lighter for the 3D crew (no extra models or rope to animate, for example), but you also have a pleasing design element to give the main fighters in the cast - Usagi, Gen and Chizu - as well as other characters who would happen to wear weapons on their person aside from Karasu-Tengu. Like mentioned in the post, Kitsune is an interesting exception here, because of course, she's based on UY Kitsune who is also not a direct fighter or anything, but also, the world of SR appears to be at peace of some sort, and it's mentioned several times that there were wars at some point, so not many ordinary citizens of Neo would even have these unless they wanted to use or carry weapons every day. Kitsune wants to blend in with this ordinary citizenry and does so quite well.

I just thought of this today and I guess my post sort of mentioned it, but this existence of the magnets also seems to imply some hierarchy of income or money flow. Kitsune doesn't have any because she doesn't need them and she wouldn't spend money she doesn't have on them anyway. Chizu is Lady Fuwa's favourite student despite how she treats her - and gets the best undercover gear, so like Gen and Usagi, custom magnets. I suspect also that Chizu deliberately somehow got herself assigned to the temple-job (headcanon for now), or perhaps hoped it would be something like that, because she didn't want to get any of the more victim-heavy missions the Neko Ninja do. Gen obviously has spent his own money on the holsters and they are there out of pure practicality - can't be a bounty-hunter without wepons, can you? So the magnets seem more like they're ordinary but custom for the outfit. And Usagi, as discussed before, possibly inherited them because of the clan mon adorning the inlay of the magnet.

@kinokothere - thank you!! I will probably continue making posts like this even if I have no audience! why I made this blog at first was to collect my SRTUC fandom theories and drawings under a more organized platform compared to twitter, where this specific fan-account started. I now write almost explusively about SRTUC so you can bet I have way fewer notes than if I wrote about shipping or something else popular for example xD

Thank you @0yasumi-0-ya-su-mi! it's a fun little world-building detail that I really liked when I started wtaching and I hope other fans also include it more in their work x3

@umhuhwellthen x3 thank you!! i love seeing reactiong tags like this one!

[sanchoyo]

Hiiiiii, it is I again!! I just finished Cold Love and gosh!

The ending was just so nice, mostly when I thought SHIGGY WAS DYING FOR A MOMENT- 😭 Then they were just being super sweet at the beach and I ngl cried a little, they all deserved that happiness <3 I also still wanna cry (In a good way tho) BECAUSE I FINISHED THE WHOLE THING I wanna write a little note to myself, next to my bed, erase my memories about these 2 fics, then wake up next morning, read the note and reread the whole thing with as much joy as the first time! I'm gonna reread them FOR SURE, but not now as they're still fresh in my brain :3

And you know, Cold Love has opened my mind more than it already was I mean I already love heroes and villains, but you've put a lot more details that made me go: "Shit, I didn't think it was THAT much"

The way you wrote how the hero commission treats heroes made me think of what my parents always tell me about Actors and Models. "Their lives/bodies don't belong to them, it belongs to the company they work for" That sentence hit me even more when the chapters were Hawks centered. Poor guy, he was a literal lab rat. The worst is that he ISN'T THE ONLY ONE GOING THROUGH THAT

Villains, I already sympathized with a lot, in other medias and MHA too But your fic made me realize that, when they do those crimes, it's for them but mostly for OTHERS as well!! They're like heroes, in a way, because they want to make society BETTER. They do this because they know how it feels to be rejected, hated and they want to change it so NO ONE ELSE has to go through this. Also, we often see them not caring about dying if they do achieve their goal, because they know next gens will have better lives than they ever had. WHICH I THINK IS HELLA SAD BUT SO NICE OF THEM???

Though I DON'T agree with them taking lives of course, but I don't hate them anyways because, when they've been rejected by everyone and everything, how else are they supposed to get attention? Very unfortunately, crimes is often their answer…

I think, if I was in MHA, I'd also opt for the Vigilante route. Fuck the hero commission lmao

I won't tell why, but let's just say that I'm more compassionate about villains now <3

ON A MUCH LIGHTER NOTE!! Fanart for Warm Healer is on the way!! So keep an eye open? :3

Fun fact for Cold Love: When Bret asked why Dabi was in the closet, I blurted out: "BECAUSE HE'S GAY!!" Lmao

So yeah, just wanted to say your fics are great! They've inspired me into improving my own fics <3 I even started making my own Shiggy x Reader AND a Dabi x Reader too! Because most of them are smut centered and I don't want just NSFW ya kno?

Anyways, I'm done rambling lol Thanks for writing WH and CL, thanks for inspiring me, thanks for bringing me joy and sorry for rambling that much lmao

Hope you're doing well, lots of love, take care and keep being awesome!!

thank you so much for such a long, sweet message 💗💗💗

I really enjoy bnha fics where the writers closely examine the society and its problems because its SO interesting (and im kind of sad the way it went in canon, I wanted a lot more and found the school setting kind of restricting for it in general, but we'll always have fics haha) i'm glad you enjoyed me doing that just a little bit! (maybe it was kind of weird to include in a romance SI series, but also it would've felt like a huge disservice in my opinion because ALL of the villains stories are influenced by the society they live in and how heroes are treated...)

aaah again, don't feel obligated to do the fanart but if you do, definitely tag me/send it my way, I'd love to see!! 🥺 (also you're writing your own shigaraki/reader and dabi/reader!!! omg!! I hope you have fun making your own!!! they're so fun to write <3 I agree on the wanting more SFW SI fics, sometimes I just wanna go on silly adventures with my favs y'know? :"))

no need to apologize for rambling!! I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed it so much!!! your message made my day ^_^ I hope you have a good day too and your writing/art projects go well!!

[otwdfanfic]

Very random and out of pocket but!! A few weeks ago I followed some classes on designing book covers based on themes and what you want possible readers to feel when seeing the book for the first time.

So it's been a while since I did that, and I got to thinking, what if I make some little cover sketches for otwd to practise? After some thinking and rereading some of the earlier chapters, I put down a little concept;

The most important part, for me, was showing one of two main things that really jumped out to me when reading; the ocean/freedom and betrayal. So, I jotted down some things for either idea.

For the ocean/freedom, I decided to go with a bit more of a traditional cover, very balanced, very light, as Nuffink's story isn't dark from the very start. I'd combine it with lighter shades of blue (to connect it to Nuff's main colours as well) with the colours darkening in ITPN and book three (see the colour palette in the top! Would also help the cold of itpn stand out)

In the first option, I also thought it would be really cool if the ocean was parting slightly as a way to invite nuffink to its waters, real "child of the ocean" vibes (and also to keep the image more balanced). The mist in the background would be a nod back to HTTYD and RTTE, where the mists to both the Dragon Island and into the Great Beyond was a symbol for mystery and adventure. And that's what Nuff's doing! He's going on an adventure that's gonna scar him for life! I'm still contemplating if the Chicken should be drifting on the ocean in the bg, but I think it would be a very good nod to Nuffink being invited onto the open waters. This cover would be leaning towards a light blue!

The second cover I based on the theme of betrayal and, more literally translated into the image, backstabbing. This would be much darker and colder immediately, which I'm not certain is the best decision considering the first chapters of otwd aren't outright dark, but it would display the idea of betrayal very well! As for colours, again, it would be darker, but still keeping the idea of blue to connect it back to Nuff and his ocean. The knife would be hanging just above his back (which would also be pretty significant as for the most part in otwd, he's not actively being betrayed, it's more hanging above his head and hits him at the end and thus it hanging above his back instead of already being in his back would make this more clear)

Anyways, that was a bit of my thought process behind these cover ideas! I'm not entirely certain if I'll work them out (it really depends on time lmao) but just in case I won't, here are the sketches and the ideas!

Again, this might be very out of pocket but I just love thinking about these kind of things haha

That class sounds really cool omg. I love these ideas! I've brainstormed otwd covers in the past but very generic ideas like just a picture of the kids flying on their dragons lol not so much theme based like a real book cover. 

The composition of the first idea reminds me of the painting Wanderer above the Sea of Fog which is soo fitting! I like the idea of ocean/freedom/betrayal as the fundamental themes for the first one and it's interesting to think how the themes would change over time through itpn and totg. Do you know the book series Red Queen? They're sitting on my shelf rn and the covers have a similar shade of blue and each book is darker as the story becomes darker, I love the effect.

My dream would be to eventually commission a set of matching covers like these (maybe after I finish all 3 fics or at least start posting totg) and also make my own set of covers. If I ever make my own set I'd probably give each character their own cover- maybe Nuffink for otwd, Baldur for the downed dragon, Bjorn for itpn, Eret for the dancing and the dreaming, and Zephyr for totg? Gustav's prequel would be tricky lol

[kaycode1999]

Hello! I’d love to ask for an LMK matchup, but I’m not sure if you do them for anons. Would you also mind me resubmitting this ask if you don’t?

Appearance:

I have dark brown hair and dark brown eyes. Also vertically challenged coming at 5’1.

Pronouns & Sexuality:

I go by she/her and I’m heterosexual.

Aesthetic:

My actual aesthetic is casual with a preference for lighter colours. However, my favourite aesthetics are vintage and light academia.

Hobbies:

I love indoor activities, but I’m open to taking walks and going outside. I usually draw, play video games, and watch video essays about anything that catches my interest. I can’t do anything too physically taxing or I will suffer.

My Type:

Just someone who’s patient with me as I try to figure out myself, helping me whenever I get stuck, and is sorta similar to me in a way. I want someone who understands and doesn’t mind me being wishy washy with my affection. Doesn’t mind that I am not physically affectionate and can struggle with being affectionate. Someone that prefers quiet moments, doesn’t mind my occasional rants. We have a silent connection, and can usually tell what the other wants/needs. Someone who’s willing to talk and be honest with me about how they feel, and I can wait if they’re not ready. Looks wise, I prefer less muscular, taller than me (not a tall ask haha), and cute/pretty guys (I don’t mind hot/handsome though.)

Personality:

I can be slightly withdrawn and anxious at first meeting, opting to be accommodating and generally nice. But once I open up, I can be energetic and talkative. I’m very open-minded to everything and everyone (logically, there’s no reason for me to hate!), but I have trouble opening up and talking about my emotions, and can only do that comfortably under some form of anonymity (online friends for example) or if someone has prior experience with me venting. I will jump to defend people close to me if they’re being disrespected, and I can get pretty heated in the process. My friends tell me I can be brutally honest, borderline mean sometimes, but I really don’t mean to be (I have a different perception of what is rude.) Slightly touch-averse, but I won’t mind if you ask. I don’t like myself, but I don’t actively put myself down either. Finally, I am clueless about pop culture, and I can come off as pretty boring because of that.

Characters I don’t want:

I don’t want to be matched with Peng, The Mayor, or any character similar because I don’t like their personalities. Also Pigsy, Tang and Sandy, because I genuinely cannot see them in a romantic light.

Thank you! And I’m sorry for this long ask.

I match you with

Ao Lie

You two are like Yin and Yang or the sun and the moon ( Yes I did that on purpose😂). You are both so alike, yet different.

Where one person struggles, the other excels and just ends up lifting the other person up. For example, he struggles to stand up for himself or express when he doesn't like something whereas you're blunt yet honest

In that way you both learn and grow with each other and make each better

His personality is much like yours. He's also energetic and talkative and nice, but he also struggles with self-confidence and liking himself. He also knows you're a lot like him so he makes sure that even if you don't like yourself that you know he does- you do the same for him too

He kind of has to stick with indoor activities or something not too taxing because bless him he's so clumsy he might actually accidentally hurt himself so he tends to stick with you in whatever activity you are doing

Draw him something and he will keep it on his person at all times. Its so dear to him.

He will of course respect any physical boundaries and/or be understanding of your level of affection.

You two are actually so close, you just get each other. You don't have to tell each other to know what the other needs, so he will likely already know what you need at the moment before you say it.

Whatever you need he's there just like you're there for him .

[randomravager]

2 3 9 24 25 48 53 54 55 56 66 74 79 80 96 111 148 haha have fun i hope this isn’t too many <3 (you can skip any of them if you want except the last one)

2: What’s your dream pet? (Real or not)

I want rats. a cat maybe? I need a nice sized fluffy animal with some amount of intelligence. if we’re thinking about not-real pets, I’d want something that shapeshifts so that I can have all assortments of pets (this shapeshifter will be smart, can fly, can become pocket-sized, can swim, etc.)

3: Do you have a favorite clothing style?

uhhh I like a lot of clothes. ive had my style described as somewhat fae-like? I like colorful graphic tees and solid tank tops and maxi skirts and dresses with pockets and jeans (💗) and the occasional brown or blue eyeliner. idk ill add the fav outfit photos from raes ask and you guys can see (all the asks are tagged “asks”

9: Are you ticklish?

yes, quite a good bit.

24: Favorite constellation?

I don’t know a lot of constellations? but im a Leo ig (August 14!)

25: Favorite star?

okay the marauders fan in me wants to say Sirius but tbh I really like Pollux! it’s the brightest star in Gemini and I like its name and the fact that it has a planet circling it and it’s a red star. but tbh I mostly like the fact that it is pretty and has a cool name (story of my life)

48: A sound you really love?

I already answered this with birds, but also rain and thunder!

53: How are you feeling right now?

better since I woke up. can’t really get upset or else my mother will get mad at me for being a drama queen. uh idk.

54: What color would you like your hair to be right now?

I want to keep it natural, but also green streaks in it would be really fun! right now it’s brown, but a little lighter.

55: When did you feel happiest?

this summer! it’s really weird to be constantly invited to do things with your friends and to actually have a life without having to be shoved in summer programs. also from a more nostalgic outlook, elementary school.

56: Something that calms you down?

you. sometimes music but that’s riskier because sometimes music makes me feel things that I don’t want to feel. distraction is good too. and hugs. and after I get all the panic out im kinda a shell so ig it calms me down.

66: Favorite emoticon:

<3

74: What is one random but interesting fact about yourself?

uhhh im trying to find something you don’t know. I was a really big dystopian novel fan in 4th/5th grade until Covid times where I watched a dystopian short film on YouTube that freaked me out so much I didn’t want to be in the dark alone for the whole night. I like dystopians though! just a fun little anecdote.

79: Something you wish didn’t exist:

climate change, war, discrimination, extinction, beauty standards, cheap polyester clothing industry (please I need good clothes)

80: Some thing you wish did exist:

teleportation machine

96: Winter or summer?

summer (duh)

111: A question you hate being asked?

favourite book, because that fluctuates depending on what ive read recently and I read too much to have an ultimate favourite book. there are books for different moods and situations! you can’t just make me choose one! oh also question 148 on this ask game (how dare you qua)

148: Favorite physical thing about yourself:

uh. I guess my hair is finally at a pretty cute length.

[m4ndysk4nkovich]

100% what you said about Debbie and Fiona being women written by men; theres definitely a lot of times where I get weird vibes from certain scenes and it usually boils down to misogyny - but like that subtle misogyny that you can just tell the writers don't think they're being misogynistic at all because it's not overt in anyway. I think you can see this in other female characters that deserved better (Mandy and Svetlana both deserved better too); but if you look at the way the writing tends to treat the women who are introduced as the love interests of the male characters, you can see that too. and I can see why other people don't see it because aside from it not being overt, to some extent some of the misogyny is just from the characters themselves--i can't fully explain all of it in words yet but I have a lot of feelings about this haha

On a lighter note - thoughts on Debbie's + Carl's relationship? And if you have any head cannons? I love whenever they're together and I feel like their relationship totally got underused/under explored in the show, especially considering how close in age they are; and they both had such complex feelings toward Frank!!

yeah… i think that season 6 was one of the best examples of all of the misogyny just with the whole abortion thing. personally, i’m pro-choice, so i think that debbie and fiona both should’ve gotten a say in what they wanted to do with their bodies, but i’m not sure what the writers were, because the way they wrote fiona and debbie in that season wasn’t normal.

another example of the misogyny is the way they write the body language, which i already talked about. whether it’s lip and ian screaming at fiona in a way that sent a 🚩 to most women, or frank literally hitting debbie, it sent a lot of women, like myself, very bad vibes.

and i don’t even know how to fully explain what i’m trying to say, but the way that the women vs the men act in shameless makes it truly obvious who wrote this show.

as for debbie and carl, i fucking LOVE their relationship and i’m soooo pissed we didn’t get more of it, i have multiple unfinished fics in my drafts that include those two because ❤️❤️❤️

personally, one thing i would’ve liked for the writers to do would be make them twins. ethan and emma are the same age, and idk… it would add so much. especially since they’d be twins in different grades because carl got held back. idk. definite missed opportunity, in the us one debbie’s older and in the uk one carl is so it’s not like they weren’t willing to change their ages.

i do have headcanons about them, and now that i’m thinking about those two, i’ll post them and tag you!

♥️

[addictedtostorytelling]

hi! first of all, i love your stories :) and second, last year i started watching csi from beggining and i just finished season 7 and i wanted to ask if it's in my head or sara appeared less on the episodes? i liked s7 more than the previous ones, the cases were more interesting imo (apart from the first seasons) but like in half of the episodes i got the impression that she barely shows? anyway i'm already bummed that jorja's leaving haha she was always my favorite

hi, @lamprey-savage!

thank you for your kind words! i'm glad you love my stories. <3

as for your question:

though jorja fox was negotiating her contract throughout parts of s7's production, she was still technically under contract as a regular cast member for its full run. accordingly, sara does appear in every episode of s7 and generally has about as much screen time as she has had in previous seasons. while there are some episodes of s7 where she is noticeably sparse (such as episode 07x08 "happenstance," where she only appears in one scene near the end), these "low visibility" episodes generally balance out with episodes where she is a major focus character (such as episode 07x18 "empty eyes").

that said, the sense you're getting that you're not seeing as much of her in s7 as you have in previous seasons may be because she really doesn't have a "front and center" personal storyline for most of the season.

whereas previous seasons—like, say, s4, which contains her depression arc, or s5, which reveals and expounds her backstory—provided her with consistent, dynamic mainline development, in s7, much of what happens with her happens on a "between the lines" level.

jorja fox has talked before about how early s7 was essentially a "romcom" period for sara, so a lot of her scenes then were on the lighter, more comedic side, with her playing off of grissom.

however, as the season went on and grissom eventually left on his sabbatical (coincident to billy petersen taking a break from the show to take part in a rhode island stage production in real life), the focus with her eventually shifted—just not to a more prominent storyline.

as i talk about in this post, "there is a subtle storyline that plays out for gsr over the course of s7, which sees sara wondering if grissom views their relationship in the same way she does and if he feels as deeply for her as she does for him. she is insecure because while grissom most often demonstrates devotion to her, there are occasions when he behaves carelessly regarding her and/or their relationship; sometimes she can’t help but wonder just exactly how he feels, particularly as he seldom verbalizes his feelings to her."

they keyword in the above paragraph is subtle, because the thing is, for the most part, this storyline does not really get a lot of direct attention throughout the season. only a handful of episodes—such as episodes 07x11 "leaving las vegas" and 07x23 "the good, the bad, & the dominatrix"—really broach the subject of sara questioning how grissom feels about her/their relationship and his level of commitment to her directly. the rest of the time, her anxieties are much more subtly implied.

since sara feels she can't really talk about her insecurities with anyone (including grissom himself), exploration of what she's feeling is limited to how she's shown to react to him. there's not a lot of dialogue where she expresses her emotions outright; more just facial expressions and body language.

the storyline is there if you look for it, but you do have to squint a bit to see it, particularly as the miniature killer storyline so dominates the s7 landscape otherwise, and sara plays a central role in that investigation, meaning that nine times out of ten when you see her on screen, the focus will be on what she's doing in relation to the case rather than what may be going on with her personally and/or in her relationship.

so tl;dr? sara isn't actually scarce in s7 in terms of how much screen time she gets; her personal development just isn't really spotlighted in the same ways it might have been in previous seasons. there's never actually a point in s7 where the show comes out and says, "here's what's going on with her!" for the most part, her development is much more subtextual/sublimated.

thanks for the question! please feel welcome to send another any time.

and good luck with s8! it's a heartbreaker, especially as a sara fan.

[chromochaotic]

Reads of 2023 (so far)

I had fun doing my little write ups for the books I read in 2022 so I thought I'd do one for '23! update as of 4/19!

thoughts:

Book of Night

I got this book as a gift from a friend who I think really wanted someone else to talk about it with... 😂 So it was a very fun read! I've heard mixed things about this author, haha, but I do agree that she's SO GOOD at setting a scene—the same friend called her "the queen of ambiance." I think that extends to getting into her characters' heads, too, like she makes the psychology behind the characters' actions another very interesting part of the story.

I think I, personally, found the constant bad fortune raining down on the main character a little overwhelming. It does help emphasize what a survivor Charlie is, but it's interesting comparing it to something like Ninth House, where the MC is both a survivor but also someone who can put her trust in others & has moments of friendship, bonding, and protection to offset some of the doom and gloom.

Still, I was really into the emotional beats of the story... Holly Black had a few lines about longing for someone who's in front of you as if they're already gone that, like, oof. The characters really do shine in their moments (I esp. loved Balthazar and Odette, haha). Plus the prestige reveals of some of the cons that Charlie pulled off? Chef's kiss. (retroactively rating this based solely on my personal enjoyment: 3.5/5)

Ninth House

I already know I love this author's recent stuff, so it was exciting seeing how she handled a more modern setting and tone! One thing I appreciated was how she tackled themes on privilege in a way that felt more nuanced—like, the way magic in this world is just another form of power over others really came across, from a lot of different angles.

There were a few parts where it felt like the author (and editor) knew the setting and world so well, that they might have forgotten the reader is coming into this completely blind, and some of the logical leaps in mystery-solving feel sort of abrupt, haha. (Spoilers) I was also a little disappointed that the "big" mystery and "little" mystery of the story were only like, tangentially related?

But honestly, this world-building was a treat. I actively wanted to be where the characters were, exploring weird rituals and old libraries with them. I think having a main character who's an outsider the way Alex is, makes the dark academia more accessible—I would have been pretty uncomfortable if the story started out from Darlington's perspective right at the start. Also, like I said before, I appreciated the bonds that are featured in this story—Alex's scenes with Mercy and Dawes were maybe my favorite parts to read. (4/5)

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters

Still working my way through these via B&N audio book credits! My thoughts are pretty much the same as the first book—cute story, lots of fun antics and adaptations of old myths for a younger crowd.

Not too much to complain about with this story, since it does what it sets out to do. I guess, there are some parts that didn't age great... There's a character who starts the story homeless and there's one tiny line about that being "good" for him, but that's me like digging for issues.

I will say, I liked how this book added some depth that we didn't get in book 1, with the idea of Hermes wanting to redeem his kid, and Clarisse getting a moment to shine. I'm probably overly-biased toward liking Clarisse, but, let her have her own book! Let her be the key to the whole story! It's what she deserves.

Working my way through Ninth House book 2 right now, and then I think the next TLT book, and maybe a lighter art book somewhere in between. 😅 Done w/ Hellbent & did two art books, one of which was especially short! lmao (3/5)

Hell Bent

On the plus side, this sequel felt like it didn't have to spend as much time on setup as the first book, and got to just dive into the juicy cliffhanger from Ninth House. The strong points are just like before—the captivating setting and shifting relationships between the characters.

Like with the first one, something about the pacing felt rushed now and then. Maybe I've forgotten how action-packed college was! I was also thinking about how like, even though I'm enjoying these stories, the cast of characters won't stick with me quite like the gang from SoC did. That's probably just an effect of SoC being a much more ensemble-based story, while Alex has to "carry" a lot more of this on her own...

So a lot rides on Alex as a character, I guess, and... it's hard to pin down if I like her, honestly! I definitely sympathize with her, and appreciate how the author explores questions around justice and... power dynamics (?) through her. I ATE UP the backstory we got of Dawes, Turner, and Tripp, though—would've loved even more of them getting to shine, instead of it seeming like they were sort of useless. Ohh, the last thing I'll say is, the imagery set up right at the end, between Alex and Darlington? MMMMM chef's KISS (3.5/5)

Chris Schweizer's Drawings & Other Art 2017 - 2021

I'm trying to piece together my thoughts on this art book, other than being intimidated out of my mind by this guy's life and knowledge and skill. Haha. I bought this last year at Dragon Con; I always like seeing what this artist has at his booth, and really love his sense of design. It was cool trying to pick out patterns in how he handles different things, like textures and facial features.

All this book was meant to be was a collection of art... But I would be super interested in something that was more of a deep-dive on a single piece he did, like seeing what references he uses, maybe notes on how he chooses what to simplify and what to render in detail. I guess that's probably on his socials...?

Anyway, I want to like, shrivel up and die with envy over every technique he's honed to perfection, but like... really I just gotta get back into practice! (he's also apparently a huge history buff, and great musician, and I'm just like........... how...... but maybe I could be that way in a decade or two, who knows) (4/5)

Naomi Vandoren's Light through the Pages

Another art book from dragon con! This one was shorter than Chris', but still a nice read. Naomi's work and little write-ups are very soothing to just page through. Since this was the 2020-based collection of art (I also bought the one for 2021, which I'll probably read soon...), it was interesting to read the page about staying inspired in the midst of the ol' Panny Devito.

Again, this book was just meant to be a selection of pieces, and did its job... I'd always like more process exploration, though, haha—I was sort of surprised at how much of this book was just finished pieces. It also kind of felt a little too advertise-y to me.

In any case, love this artist's work, especially her color palettes and way of doing backgrounds/landscapes. Oh, to have the patience to do watercolors... (3/5)

Nona the Ninth

Back at it again with the most heart-breakingly romantic necromancers alive (and dead). I think what I love most about this series and this particular installment is how well it captures that haunting, ephemeral feeling of old, old tragedies and ancient, powerful beings that are still human. I keep thinking of the moment Nona is so gratefully happy to be alive because of the magnanimous love she has for her family, while hunched in the ruins of a decaying city on a polluted, arid planet... and the slow horror of reading the John chapters.

I think my toothpick-sized bone to pick with the series is still the show-don't-tell balance—I heard NtN's simplicity (in the beginning) was possibly due to feedback that the first 2 installments were too hard to follow. I almost ended up thinking this veered too much in the other direction, until the last few chapters hit and everything goes off the rails again. I don't know, they're wild books, and in the end I've enjoyed that aspect of them... plus, there's such a perfect curl of dread whenever you spot an offhand detail that doesn't sit quite right so now you have to Think About it. But also, I'm So Tired All The Time, and when I finally have time to read, I know I'm missing things but just don't have the energy to go back and forth checking details and looking up meta analysis. There's something to be said for books that you don't have to be experienced with graduate level research to enjoy, haha.

Still, these are for sure going to end up being some of my favorite reads. I was wrong before, what I actually love most about the series are the characters. Nona is so right for finding every little mannerism of her friends endearing—I love every little no-nonsense bit of affection from Camilla and humble, brilliant quip from Palamedes, and freaky twin love hate Thing between Corona and Ianthe, and Gideon, Gideon with the "get in line, thou big slut." Queen. King. Perfection. Adoration. I'm a Gideon apologist I guess, oops. (5/5)

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Titan's Curse

lmao after that long review... Another PJO down! The cross-country/sea travel in each of these is a delight, I'm glad that's stayed consistent. I've actually been to some of the places in this one, like the Smithsonian and Hoover Dam, although we didn't do the whole tour there and now I want to.

My only baby complaint this time is I feel like Dionysus gets done so dirty... It's a creative take, I guess, compared to the more recent trend of making him Chaotic Good Wine Uncle, but stillllllll. On the upside, Apollo in this book? I yelled at his "wait I feel a haiku coming on". King.

I'm kind of excited to see where the author goes with whether or not Percy will be able to forgive/empathize with Luke in the end. The author's done a good job making Percy just a good ol all-american teenage boy, and the jealousy he feels when it comes to Annabeth and Luke, in a normal rom-com, seems like it would just result in some epic feel-good victory for Percy... I'm hoping things go a little differently with this. Also, I was a sucker for the bit with Zoe and the constellation. (3/5)

McMullen Circle

Picked up this book from one of those "blind date with a book" shelves at a cute store in Asheville. The blurb described it as a collection of short stories, set in the late 60s, and "boarding school in the North Georgia Mountains", and I was sold. It turned out a little different than expected... I enjoyed the nature-focused writing, which was very serene and bittersweet. The variety of stories and straightforward way they handle each character's flaws was also refreshing, in a way. There're no perfect characters in this, but that's kind of the point.

I was a little disappointed the collection wasn't the romantic little mix of Appalachia and Dark Academia I was hoping for, but that's more the blind-date-blurb's fault. The only other thing that kind of skeeved me out was that sexuality only got portrayed negatively, and that happens right out of the gate in the first short story, but it only comes up briefly after that.

My favorite piece was "Twilight Song"—literally broke into tears at the final few lines. It's about an elderly lesbian couple caring for each other in their old age, and how they got through dark times to have a sweet life together. A few stories touch on other hardships, like poverty, PTSD, and racism, and always handle it in a way that feels pretty sensitive. (4/5)

Taking a break for work and fanfic for a bit now, I think.

Manywhere

Trying to come up with a good Positive-Negative-Positive sandwich... except I didn't particularly like this one. It was another short story collection, and it focused on queer characters generally in the US south, but only the first one really compelled me thematically. It examined the relationship between presentation and privacy and packed a lot dynamism in that short format.

Most of the stories just felt repetitive, though, even with all the variety in setting and character—like generally dour, mean-spirited takes on people's character, and I probably sound naive in that, but hey this is my review and I am quite unfortunately an optimist at heart. I'm not one to dismiss unpleasant stories outright, but so many of the chapters seemed to make pain and regret and rejection the whole point.

Thinking about it a little more, I guess it could lead to some interesting discussion of the desperation for acceptance that comes with being queer in the communities the book focused on. And I'll give it to the author, again, for including some well-researched, incredible variety in terms of characters and setting. Gave this book away to a friend who might have more skill at parsing meaning from it, and we'll see if that leads to a change of heart on my side. (2/5)

American Born Chinese

I first read this when I bought it back in... high school? This impulse re-read happened after seeing the trailer for a show coming out based on the story (and also, right after the EEAAO Oscars sweep). I've aged out of the target audience, haha, but I still like the balance the author strikes between complex storytelling/themes, and an appealing simplicity.

It'll be interesting to see how the story is adapted... Some of the stereotypes the book tackles were so intentionally offensive, I could totally see the satire being misunderstood if it's not handled carefully.

Anyway, nothing bad to say about this one! Like the other YA stuff I'm reading, it's stood the test of time for a reason. Plus, you can tell how personal this story is to the author, and it means a lot that he's shared it with the world in this way. (4/5, but just bc the YA simplicity keeps it from 5/5)

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Battle of the Labyrinth

Still chugging through these... Same pros and cons as before! I do feel like, as the tone gets darker with each of these, the quirky modern twists (Dedalus using a laptop! Sphinxes giving standardized tests!) make the serious moments a little too stark, haha. Like, geez, the stuff with Pan was... sure something.

This book did some odd stuff with the romance plot(s)... It felt to me like Annabeth was done dirty for the sake of keeping Percy/the character dynamics clean. Nothing worse than other YA stories from this time, but, maybe typical of it. Also, while all the PJO books break that Pixar rule of "coincidence can get you into trouble but not out of it" (and again, for this genre it's fine), this installment felt like the worst culprit of it so far.

I did enjoy keeping tabs on my fav characters, though. I've ofc added Nico to my roster of poor little meow meow boys, balancing out Clarisse being added to my Angry Power Fantasy Daughters, and each of them got scenes I really enjoyed this time around. Also, props to these stories for pulling out mythical monsters that seem like very deep cuts—the series started with references I mostly caught, like harpies and the fates, but now we're getting to telekhinese (???) and empusai...?? Hell yeah! (3/5)

Anyway. Thought it'd be fun to note, too, that I caught up on The Lackadaisy Cats comic at this point, which has been a delight. Very tempted to buy some sort of art book or patreon tier, bc that style is to die for.

continued in a part 2 post... to be linked?

[fizzingwizard]

lupin zero ep 4 dethrones ep 3 as my favorite! spoilers

This was the sort of episode I was hoping for! Finally Lupin and Jigen feel like children. Finally Lupin doesn't already know everything, but still manages to be cool and silly and utterly Extra. His motivations for wanting to a build a "secret hideout" are both child-like and indicative of who he will become (though... did he really... drill through a roof??)

He's frustrated with his family's control and like any 13-year-old finds freedom and acceptance in his friend. So later he feels betrayed when Jigen, in his Jigen way, isn't 100% on board with his ridiculous plan, and so he scratches his name out on the pipe... but still writes it on the sign in the hideout, because like a kid, his anger doesn't necessarily last long.

I... am just NOT going to get used to Jigen's deeeeeep voice x'D The drunk scene in particular just sounded sooo weird. But Jigen's role in this episode, while predictable, was really good to see. It was good to see him push back, and good to see how much he really enjoys Lupin's company despite/because of how extra he is. The symbolism with the lighter... I actually expected something different, but I like how they went with it. I just hope he remembered to put his cigarette out before he fell asleep too haha

One thing I forgot to mention last time: I'm really enjoying the aesthetic, I think they said it's 70s Japan, although to me it seems a little before that. 50s-60s-70s all blended together perhaps. In episode 3 when they visited the radio bar... I have forgotten the term for them but they used to be a big thing, bars where you went and there were speakers and records playing. It's hard to imagine just going to a narrow little bar to sit and listen to recorded music, but when records were a new thing it was really in. There have been a few really cool nods like that, I rather wish they would gone much further and really dug into the mid-century vibes.

Jigen lives in a house boat of some kind? Supposedly with his dad who we never see. I'm not sure about the history of house boats in Japan. It looks like a proper home inside, not fancy, but there's furniture and a raised floor with tatami I think.

Details like that are so cool which makes me sad that we've only got two episodes left. It sounds like next episode will kick off the finale, which is a relief on the one hand because fitting it all into one episode would probably mean a repeat of episode one in terms of just flying through interesting bits. But on the other hand, wow, this series is so short, it just whets your appetite and leaves you hungry... The fact that I'm disappointed at least means I've liked it (the last two episodes in particular I thought were really great).

But I would not say the story of this series feels like it's reached an ending point. That's my one worry. The question is, how long does the series really need to be? As long as it accomplishes the goal of showing how a young boy decided to chose his path, it doesn't need to keep running, we already know where he goes from that point on. So whether or not that happens will be decided by what goes down in the last two episodes. I could definitely watch a full series just of Lupin and Jigen dumbass hijinks at school, though hahaha.

Basically I think I will be disappointed in a few areas, but my hope is to be overall satisfied. Really wondering if Shinobu will be more relevant in the finale (Lupin II is a given), and if there will be a more pointed reference to Youko being an influence on Lupin's type of girl... Which maybe isn't necessary lol he obviously likes her, but it's just so WEIRD not to somehow reference Fujiko when Youko's clearly filling in for her in this series... I would really love like a 2-second cameo of young Fujiko somehow seeing Lupin on the news or something? show just feels weird without her.

sorry goemon zenigata it feels weird without you too <3 I had hoped to see young zenigata at least, who knows, two episodes left...!

[thezolblade]

Question! So, what will the extent of the abuse be when it isn't sexual in nature? It's been established that Jon here, at least in his worst forms, seems like he'll be pretty controlling and possessive (along with the fact that his base form of communication with Martin appears to be emotional abuse -_-) how bad will that get? Does he ever get physically abusive when he isn't 'in the bedroom' or attempting to initiate a sexual interaction? If so then to what extent?

I'm super excited to see this become a series and think the things you've posted about it seem super interesting! I have a bunch of other questions, but I don't want to send them all at once since that *might* be a tad much haha.

Hm, sometimes in a nonsexual argument Jon might shove or slap him again if he's already done that a few times before, but only if the emotional dynamic is similar enough that he feels like he can still get away with it. If Martin's in an indignant mood, he wouldn't dare escalate that to a physical fight. (Like, he'd never be scared of Martin getting violent unprovoked, but... he would notice if he genuinely seemed like he wasn't going to take any more shit, as Martin's fighty moods aren't subtle, and then it'd be a matter of trying to talk about misunderstanding and compromise for a good long time. But he'd probably pick up on the early signals if a verbal argument was heading in that direction instead of submission.)

Jon would only (successfully) pick a fight with other people in front of Martin if he could rely on his compulsion to freeze people in place while talking/listening, and at a certain point he'd make it clear to Martin that leaving with him was the easiest route to ending the violence. And then if he had to derail a bad reaction from Martin with any urgency, he could compel him with a question about his guiltiest memory, or about what it would take to get him to give up and leave, etc. If he really wanted to kill someone, or feed on them for his own sake, he'd try to avoid doing that in front of Martin, knowing he'd hold it against him.

(Unsuccessfully... he may try picking up a conventional weapon and threatening people other than Martin, but that would not go well for him.)

Jon will sometimes manage better than his absolute worst, but if he keeps up good habits consistently, that'll lead to a better end. If he's inconsistent... well, reading about abuse, it's pretty common for relationships to have good patches that keep people invested, making them think it's worth sticking around to deal with the problems, even if those issues keep recurring, so some bits of the story will reflect that. Jon only got as far he did in the first part thanks to having shown Martin enough kindness to position himself as a lifeline in a crisis, and he'll have to keep working to maintain that, in the stretches before they land on a good end or bad end.

As for how broad the extent of the abuse is, uh, as well as the stuff above, even when Jon's not outright trying to be hurtful, he'll be very prone to invasions of privacy. (If Martin moves his stuff into Jon's apartment, then he'll rifle through pretty much any of it, whether not it occurs to him that he should have asked first.)

Something that might show up, if it ends up fitting with the flow of at least one route, is the type of damage to property that could be framed as more petty than it really is. E.g., if Jon gets angry and they've talked enough that he doesn't think it'll be read as a more direct threat, he might smash a glass and storm off. At which point Martin might be exasperated enough to just... not deal with that. And then Jon might feel guilty enough to clear it up later.

I'm glad there's food for thought! Working on this, I kinda hope the lighter routes don't feel too tame compared to the heavy ones, or the bad ends too bleak compared to the parts where things stay complicated... but however it turns out, it feels like being able to explore all outcomes is the most freeing approach.

[ivorydice]

Got the house completely to myself until Monday. Just me and the animals and the demons let's gooooooo bbyyysss

[imagine-lcorp]

Lost & Found (One Shot)

Request

Could you maybe do something where Lena meets single parent reader at the store when she loses her kid and Lena helps her back to her mom. Her finding a home with them and all that fluffy stuff?

A/N: Hey, my dears, hope you are doing alright. It’s good to be back to present you with another lovely request. This one was particularly good, I really don’t know anything about children but it’s always fun to figure out how to write the haha. Also, did ya know there’s actUally a Superman ice cream flavor? Kudos to the anon that sent this one! Pls enjoy and let me know what you think!! 

- (Y/D/N). Your Dauther’s Name

Lena Luthor x Single Mother!R // Word Count: 2,891 -------------------------------------------------------

There was a time when Lena Luthor used to wonder what made a family a family.

Was it having a mother and a father? She had a mother and a father, although not at the same time. She had a mother, then she had a father... and another mother, but she wasn't quite like the first mother she had. Was it having a brother or a sister? She had only known one brother but even when they shared the same father, he showed her the many ways it didn't matter.

Was it the blood relationship? She had friends that almost feel like family to her even when they didn't share the same blood, but those relationships withered the same way her relationships with her blood family did. Was it sharing a house with someone? She had lived in many houses and apartments. A small house near the ocean, a mansion in the countryside, a little apartment near the university, a penthouse in the city. She had shared each one with some others and yet she could not call them family, not really and not anymore.

So, what made a family a family? Lena had wondered for so long until one day she found you, or rather, found her.

"Have you seen my mommy?" A little voice startled her from her evening thoughts.

It had been one of those rare days when Lena needed to feel less like herself and indulge in some mundane chores. She would give her chauffeur the night off, take her car and drive around the city for a while before going into whatever store or supermarket she could find open. She would take some time to check aisles and products, enjoying the quiet and the fact that most people around didn't put much attention to her. She would ponder about buying a few items just to imagine herself as everybody else.

The little girl standing beside her, however, didn't seem to care about Lena's self-pity.

She looked around, in the detergent aisle of the supermarket she was in, to see if there was any sign of a mother looking for her lost child but the few people near the two of them didn't even bother to notice. She didn't look older than five or six and, fortunately, she also didn't look scared.

"No, sorry." Lena replied, kneeling in front of her. "Do you remember where you last saw her?"

"She was looking for ice cream." The girl said with a glimmer in her eyes. The idea of dessert making her excited.

"Ice cream?" Lena asked with raised eyebrows. "You were buying ice cream?"

"Yeah." She said, showing her big smile with a couple of baby teeth already missing.

She thought it was a cute gesture and even when she didn't know what to do, Lena couldn't leave her.

"Maybe I can help you find your mom but you need to help me too, alright?" The little girl nodded. "What's your name?"

"(Y/D/N). What's yours?"

"I'm Lena." She smiled.

Lena asked her a few more questions about you, your name, the way you looked like, what were you wearing and where was the last place she had seen you. Your daughter was a pretty smart girl, she answered every question as best as she could, with short but very precise words, giving Lena a pretty good idea of who she needed to look for.

She took your daughter's hand in hers and started walking around each aisle, heading particularly towards the freezer section, where Lena supposed she could find the ice cream. The girl kept looking around and would sometimes squeeze Lena's hand every time she found something interesting to look at. She was a pretty carefree child, considering her current situation. It reminded Lena a bit of herself so long ago, when there was no more world to worry about but her own.

However, she worried that, if they couldn't find you, she would have to take her to security and let them deal with a case of a missing child. Lena found that plan less than ideal.

"(Y/D/N)!" You both suddenly heard.

"Mommy?" The little girl turned around, searching for your voice with wide eyes. She held Lena's hand even tighter and in a moment they were both running along the cereal aisle.

Lena was about to tell her to slow down when they heard your voice once again behind their backs.

"(Y/D/N)!"

Lena and your daughter turned around and saw you slid on the floor as you tried to run towards them.

You felt an instant wave of relief once your eyes locked on your daughter. Your little girl came running towards you in a second and you didn't even care she was pulling someone along with her. (Y/D/N) only let go of Lena's hand once she was close enough to jump into your arms.

"Oh, thank goodness, you're alright." You said with a heavy sigh, wrapping your daughter into a hug. "You scared me, love. You know you don't have to leave my side when we're out."

"But I was looking for the ice cream." You heard her say, and you had a sudden urge to throw your child into a bin.

"Ice cre-? Ice cream? I-" Instead you took a deep breath, closed your eyes and hugged her even tighter. You let go of her a moment later, making sure she was alright. "Yes, sweetheart. We're getting you your ice cream."

"Can Lena come with us?" She asked and you finally looked up to catch a glimpse of the stranger your daughter had dragged along.

The woman was standing a few steps behind you, fidgeting with her hands as she observed the scene in front of her.

Lena had felt a wave of relief herself when she saw mother and daughter reunite, and she felt happy she had helped, but she had to admit she felt quite out of place. It was a family moment and she didn't want to interrupt.

"Well, first you have to introduce me to your new friend." You said then and Lena had to raise a brow in surprise.

(Y/D/N) did a little jump in excitement and grabbed your hand. You got up while your daughter pulled you towards Lena. "Lena, this is my mommy."

"It is nice to meet you, Lena. I'm (Y/N)." You looked at her with a smile appearing at the corner of your lips and she felt, without knowing why, so much lighter.

Lena couldn't say no to your daughter's invitation after that. She was curious to find out why little (Y/D/N) was so adamant about buying ice cream. Apparently, she was looking for a very special flavor, the Superscoop Sundae, which was said to be Supergirl's favorite kind of flavor.

You took your daughter's hand in yours this time and while you walked it seemed like you couldn't thank Lena enough for helping your daughter find its way back to you. You assured her this wasn't  a common occurrence. You always tried to keep a close eye on your daughter but she would sometimes get too excited to even wait for you.

"She's chaos compressed in the form of a five year old." You joked. "All this trouble for some dessert, can you believe?"

You started a friendly conversation as you walked to the freezer section and, for a moment, Lena felt like a child again making friends in the playground. You didn't have your guard up, and you certainly weren't suspicious about her. You only knew she had helped you find your daughter and in return you had wanted to share this moment with her as a gesture of gratitude. No hidden intentions behind it.

"I'd like you to have this." You said after deciding it was time for you and your daughter to head home.

(Y/D/N) was finally holding a pint of the Superscoop Sundae in her hands and she was standing near you, waiting for your conversation to be over. You pulled a tiny card out of your wallet and handed it to Lena.

"This is my card, if you ever need it."

You wanted to return the favor and if there was something you could do for Lena you were going to do it with no hesitation. It was the least you could do, you assured her. Then you parted ways, with (Y/D/N) waving Lena goodbye and leaving her with a smile in her face and warm sensation in her heart.

Little did you know that Lena was going to need that favor, more sooner than later.

After another attempt against her life, Lena Luthor was in need of a place to hide.

The DEO and Supergirl had suggested some safe houses for her to use for a few days but since the database of the DEO had been hacked, most of those facilities could have been already compromised. She needed a place no one knew about, a place no one would expect her to be. So, even against her better judgement, she pulled a tiny card out of her own purse.

"So, let me get this straight." You said pacing around the living room of your apartment. "You want me to hide you here for let's say, around a week, right? And, by doing so, I may or may not be in danger? Is that what you're saying?"

"I'm afraid so."

"Yeah, essentially."

Lena and Supergirl spoke at the same time. They were standing there with you in the middle of the room, looking apologetical and waiting for your answer. However, you looked back and forth between the two of them, not believing what was happening.

When Lena called you to ask for that favor, you didn't think too much of it. Instead, you remembered that day at the supermarket, where she helped you and your daughter reunite again. You wouldn't have known what to do if anything had happened to your her that evening and you felt like you owned it to Lena. But this was a whole new thing for you, starting for the fact that there was no way your daughter wouldn't get involved in this. Besides, it was Lena's life, Lena Luthor's life, the life of a multibillionaire genius, in your hands.

"(Y/N), please, don't worry. I know we may be asking too much." Lena said as she fidgeted with her hands.

You looked at her with worry and were about to answer, still not sure about what to say, when you heard a knock on the door. After a second of hesitation, you shook your head and went to answer. As you opened the door, a tiny figure appeared.

Your neighbor next door was dropping (Y/D/N) after the play date she had had with their own daughter. You thanked them and hurried (Y/D/N) inside, not wanting to draw anyone else's attention to your guests.

An excited gasp followed next as your daughter realized who was in her home.

"Mommy! It's Supergirl!" She jumped and ran towards the superhero.

"Hello, little one." Supergirl said as she kneeled in front of her.

"And Lena's here too!"

It surprised everyone in the room when your daughter, instead of reaching for Supergirl, ran past her, headed towards Lena and hugged her legs.

Supergirl looked startled by that, as she was usually the popular one around children, and Lena was a bit taken aback by the gesture. You smiled as you watched Lena pat (Y/D/N)'s head, asking her how she had been since the last time she had seen her and if she still had some ice cream left to share. It surprised you how easy it was for Lena to talk to your kid and it surprised you even more when you found yourself answering Lena's call for help.

"So...I guess I need to figure out what's for dinner tonight, if you're staying." You crossed your arms with a little frown in your face. You really had no idea what to cook for the night.

Three pairs of eyes turned suddenly to look at you and your daughter's eyes were as big as they had been on her last birthday when she got the exact bunny plushie she had asked for.

Dinner had never been as entertaining as it have been that first night. When (Y/D/N) found out Lena was a scientist she kept firing question after question. You were fairly impressed at the way Lena tried to answer all of them and you did your best to keep your daughter from asking anything too inappropriate. Lena was more than thrilled about it all.

"I have a question of my own, Miss Luthor." You said after you had put (Y/D/N) in bed.

"Do you?" Lena said raising a brow. "What is it?"

"Do millionaires know how to wash their own dinner plates?" You heard Lena laugh as you headed for the kitchen, and somehow it was one of the most wonderful things you had ever heard.

You found yourselves falling into a comfortable routine during the days she spent at your house. If at first you had been a bit hesitant about how to treat Lena, after finding out who she really was, you soon found out that millionaires did know how to wash plates and help with the daily chores in the house.

Your daughter was more than happy to have her new friend around the house. For her, Lena was someone else she could play with and the person who knew all the answers because she was a scientist. You felt a little jealous about that but, just like your daughter, you felt happy to have Lena with you. It certainly helped you forget your lives were in dire danger.

"Is she asleep?" Lena asked you one night.

"Yeah, sleeping like the dead." You took a seat on the kitchen table, where Lena had been revising some company documents. "Thank you for the tip."

"You're welcome." She rose from her own seat to pour you a cup of tea. "Reading Greek tragedies never fails to put people to sleep."

You chuckled. "Oh, I believe you. I was about to grab a blanket too. Thanks."

You grabbed the cup of tea from her hands, your fingers brushing against each other. You smiled at her and watched as she took her seat again. She asked you about your day at work, and you asked how things were going with her company. Conversation flowed easily as you moved to different topics.

It amazed Lena how easy she had fit within your lives, so naturally that she almost couldn't believe you had meet the week before. It was for her as if she had known you and (Y/D/N) since the beginning of time.

During those days you had learned so many things about each other. About (Y/D/N)'s collection of rocks and her hopes to get a bunny pet for her next birthday. Lena got used to the melodies of your favorite music and the way you arranged your books. You got to know the many ways Lena's facial expressions could tell you more about her state of mind than her assuring you she was alright.

When it was time for Lena to go back to her life, it felt like she was leaving her heart behind.

"Do you have to go?" Your daughter had asked as she watched Lena stand near the door with her suitcase.

"I'm sorry, honey, but I have to." Lena said with a pang of sadness as she took your daughter into her arms.

"But mommy said you were going to stay." She said with a pout, wrapping her little arms around Lena's neck.

"You know, if you need, you could stay a little longer." You approached them, reaching to stroke your daughter's back, and looking at Lena with hopeful eyes.

"Thank you, but I don't want to cause you anymore trouble. You have already done so much with letting me stay this long."

"No trouble at all." You assured her. "We protect our family. Right, (Y/D/N)?"

"Yeah! Just like Supergirl!" Your daughter cheered.

Lena was speechless for a moment, and you could tell she was having some trouble processing your words. However, it was true. A kind of familiarity had settled among you, and you had to admit it felt as if things were supposed to be this way. You were, without doubt, a little family.

"But I understand you have things to do in the outside world. Come on, sweetie." You took your daughter into your own arms, freeing Lena of her grasp. "Just remember, this Friday is pizza Friday, and someone has to bring the apple juice."

"I want grape juice." (Y/D/N) said.

"Or grape juice, yes, whichever you like." You winked at Lena, who couldn't hide her smile.

With those simple words, you had offered Lena not only your house but a place to stay every time she needed and wanted.

At that moment, Lena found the true meaning of family. It wasn't just a home but the people you got to chose to always come back to. And she had chosen, maybe from the beginning, to come back to you.

[blueteller]

“Trash of the Count’s Family” Review Series: Chapter 7

Trash of the Count’s Family Manhwa: Chapter 7

We're back with the "man-eating tree" – which is still not old-looking or scary at all (sorry, it's the truth!!) – and Cale continues to feed it bread. A voice keeps asking for more, which is "driving him crazy". It's the voice of a woman mentioned in "the Birth of a Hero" (TBOAH), who was once a priestess that starved to death.

Then Cale remembers he must return home before dinner, as he promised to visit Deruth in the study. He needs to hurry up, as he has planned to satisfy half the tree's gluttony by today. He sees the two silver and red haired kids again, eating the bread he gave them. Cale "tsks" as if he doesn't care, but I think we all know better by now. When's the adoption happening, darling? 😏

Cale walks the streets, thinking of finding another bakery as he already swept all of the previous one's stock for today. Then a woman approaches him, telling him that they have plenty of bread at their bakery. Cale thinks how "now this is a woman who knows how to do business" and pays her a gold coin (aka. overpays her a lot it seems), much to her joy. She quickly delivers him a bag full of bread and Cale is impressed with how quickly she did it. (She probably had it prepared already after a rumor spread about Cale's bread buying spree. He's right, she really is a good sales-woman, haha!) She also offers to prepare him some more later. Another baker approaches Cale right after her. Cale is pleased with how fast things are advancing.

Meanwhile, someone is Cale from the shadows. Turns out it's Beacrox, Ron's son. He wonders if Cale went crazy. His father told him that Cale was "an interesting kid" and at first he didn't care. But the more he's observing him, the more he's starting to agree. He thinks it'll be as much fun watching him as Choi Han. Beacrox comes off as quite cold and sinister here, I'm not gonna lie... but the reader doesn't get the sense that Cale is in danger quite yet. It leaves the audience with an interesting feeling; not quite anticipation, not quite tension, but something in between.

Next we see Cale giving the silver-haired girl some herbs in a jar. She's confused why it isn't bread. The red haired boy – whose legs seem bruised/injured – says how "it isn't cake either". It seems there was a skipped scene from the novel, where Cale had given them meat and cake aside from bread. Cale wants to go over to the tree, but the kids block his way again, insisting that he can't die (I don't blame them, I certainly wouldn't want my food provider to get killed by an evil tree).

Then we get an interesting glimpse of Kim Rok Soo's past. Once again, we're reminded that he was an orphan. He also "didn't have anything to his name", so a lot of people showed him sympathy. Cale reflects on how he misunderstood that sympathy in the past. Only after growing up he realized that there didn't need to be a reason for it; now that he detests seeing children in pain and misery.

It's funny how in the novel, Cale repeatedly tells himself how he "doesn't want to concern himself with others", that he "hates people meddling in other people's business" and that he "won't console the children". Except, he does ALL of those things: he feeds the children, gives them medicine (the herbs) and consoles them that he won't die. Cale is an absolute hypocrite... and I love it, haha!

...I'm giving him 2 more chapters before he's adopting those kids ❤️

Cale keeps feeding the tree, which keeps asking for more. He notices how the darkness in the hole is getting lighter, so he considers the money he's been using to be paying off. He looks around and the children are gone, thinking that "he feels better now that he doesn't see the injured one" (sir, then why were you looking for them in the first place?? LOL). A moment later, a pair of familiar kittens approach him.

I'm sorry, I know the kittens being the kids is extremely obvious, considering their perfectly matching hair and eye colors, especially with how they appear right there the moment the children have disappeared... however, I do have to confess: when I first read it, I haven't figure it out by this point. So does that count as a spoiler...? Nah. Even though I'm silly, I have more faith in you guys. So yeah, the children reappear as kittens again; a pair of very adorable kittens. I adore them.

Cale recognizes them as the cats from yesterday (when he met Choi Han for the first time) and thinks how they shouldn't remember him. I love how Cale's constantly assuming that he's not memorable. Honey, you are one of the most memorable people in the world, no matter what you're doing... 😂 Just accept it already!

"Let's not get involved in troublesome affairs" – says the protagonist of an isekai manhwa. Sure thing, Cale... 🤣

Then Cale is back at the Henituse estate, asking the Count to repeat himself. Deruth tells him to go to the capital as the family representative, much to Cale's displeasure. Apparently, Basen was originally supposed to go. However, Cale is the first born of the family. There will be a royal event where sons of noble families have been invited. Basen has been acting as a successor since 2 years, but he hasn't been to a royal event. Deruth wants Cale to go instead, even though he doesn't specify the exact reason.

(It's just my theory, but I think Deruth is trying to mend bonds between them as a father, despite the distance developed between them over the years... perhaps seeing Cale smile brought him some hope again?)

Cale realizes the event Deruth is talking about is where the "Plaza Terror Incident" from TBOAH will soon take place. The same secret organization which destroyed Choi Han's village will commit a terrorist attack. Choi Han would be only able to stop about half of it, saving countless citizens gathered there. As a result, the Crown Prince would take notice of him and befriend him, turning him into a public hero figure.

Cale is getting chills at the thought of being there for the Incident. He doesn't want to go. However, looking at Basen, he can't bring himself to tell him to go instead. (Awww, Cale... you're such a good guy! ❤️) When he hears how he's supposed to depart in 5 days, he realizes there is no way OG Cale would have gone in TBOAH, since he got beat up by Choi Han and would be still recovering at that time.

Seeing this clear divergence from the story he read in TBOAH, Cale asks for time to think about it. Deruth agrees, but before he can leave, Basen speaks to him how "there is no reason for him not to go". Despite his rather distant-looking expression, we can tell that Basen is hiding his emotions, refusing to look at Cale. It's interesting how Basen is portrayed here, since I imagined this scene would picture him more shy-looking. But perhaps that IS what his shy expression looks like...? Either way, Cale sighs, and considers the situation between them.

Cale is about to be pushed out of the successor position. However, Basen doesn't seem to mind him acting as a family representative; in fact, he seems supportive. Clearly, he's a good kid with a kind heart. Cale thinks how this is "getting really troublesome" and decides it's worth a shot to go and try preventing the Terror Incident. He excuses it to himself that "he can't let Basen die because then he won't be able to become the Lord of the Territory", but considering how hesitant he was moments before about going, his true feelings about this are rather obvious.

So, "for the sake of his own peaceful life" (aka. because he's a good person who won't endanger an innocent kid – not that he'd ever admit it to himself), Cale makes up his mind. He will go to the capital. But he will do everything he can to make himself comfortable and safe. He tells Hans bring in Choi Han, and tell him that an oppurtunity for payment has come up. He's planning on using Choi Han to his own benefit – despite claiming a mere chapter ago that no sane person would do such a thing.

Haha, ah, Cale, you ridiculous potato... 😂

And that's the whole chapter! No awkward shots in this one! I'm impressed. The plot is finally unfolding: Cale has changed his first meeting with Choi Han and thus, the story is slowly but surely changing its course. Will Cale be able to achieve his dream of a peaceful life? We shall see!

Feel free to leave comments!

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[i-would-die-for-ahsoka]

I wish there were more fics where Luke is as dark as Din gets in some stories. I understand there’s AU’s where Luke is a sith and tells a story of how he is no longer using the lighter side of the Force, but often times it would show his personal conflict with using the dark side of the Force. I rarely stumble across a fic where Luke doesn’t have those struggles and goes all in to a story where Luke doesn’t fight against his own selfish desires. I can imagine Luke would compare to Vader’s level of brute destruction and power. It’s fun to see how Luke would bring his own reign of terror, and additionally I would find it a lot more interesting how Din and Grogu would play into that. Does he fall to the dark side to not lose them, leaving a path of utter destruction like his father before? Or has he already fallen, and treats their affection as something to be conquered instead of earnest connection. Or see more non-Force au’s where Luke takes the antagonistic role. I know it might seem a little ooc for Luke because he is seen as profoundly good natured, but that’s all the more fun to find a story where he is frivolous and burning with passion. Sorry for the long speech and no sense of a real plot. I just really love your work with Din and I thought just how amazing your Luke can be. It’s fun the watch your Din do whatever it takes and I guess it’s my own selfishness to see Luke’s pov.

Also sorry if I sounded like I completely went off the rails with you haha have a good day!! And again I’m a big fan of your work!

Hey! These are super great ideas. I kinda had one too, bare with me okay?

Imagine Luke kinda has an infatuation with Din and Grogu, because how did Din get ahold of that little gremlin?

He’d kind of pop up everywhere, and Din would go from annoyed to worried as Luke becomes a menace to him, chasing after him and no matter what, nothing could stop him. Din knocks a bunch of rocks on his head? Luke waves them off.

He’d definitely be as much of a threat as Vader—maybe even more because Luke isn’t confined to an uncomfortable suit. Where as Vader was a brute, Luke would be an agile angel of the Dark side.

He’d be an unstoppable object essentially.

Luke would constantly be arrogant and confident, standing high over people, his entire aura dripping with danger. He’d live and feed off the constant fear, enjoy the way crowds split for him.

Luke would be out on a mission when he feels Grogu, tracks him, and finds him with this handsome man in beskar, and that’s where it would start. Popping up at random places, teasing Din, antagonizing him, even tapping him with his lightsaber just for the fun of it.

Then, one day, he’d just get bored of the chase and knock Din out and kidnap them both, keeping them locked up apart from each other, until they both accepted that this was their lives now.

Thank you so much! You have a great day too and thank you for reading my stories!

I hope this was good enough! :)