#it was simply destiny for me to love the show and especially her

[chimchiri]

@adorablefloof replied to your post “Some ideas for names! ❤️ -> Butch: Augustina, Ada...”:

Are you a Dragon Prince fan lol

[aixeko]

✧.* " Feels like we had matching wounds but mine's still black and bruised and yours is perfectly fine now. " *.✧

| Starring |  Heartless-Husband!Arlecchino x Wife!Reader

| Setting | Genshin universe

| Scenario | [ DRABBLE ] ANGST! Hurt no comfort. One sided love. Toxic relationship. Pronouns are not used, only the title “wife” is used. 

► RADIO CHANNEL [Author note] | Art credit: 雨睡 / ojiusa on Twitter

× 1/4 drabble for Arle, will span in the course of the next 3 days for her birthday. × The fic accidentally became so similar to the song by the name of "The Exit" by Conan Gray. Good grief, I love it.

[ Word count: 915 ]

Imagine how frustrating it is to fall in love with someone as emotionally detached as Arlecchino—especially considering the circumstances surrounding her past wounds and the fractured void where her heart should lie.

Not only that, Arlecchino, in no way shape or form, is an ordinary mortal; no, the woman possesses feats that still remain unbeknownst to the common folks, the fourth of the Fatui Harbinger—a woman whose power is near god-like scaling and a mastermind in the art of psychological subterfuge. To even fantasize about her reciprocating your feelings, even on the platonic spectrum, is beyond preposterous. And for one's possession of such thoughts as a commoner too? It is practically shaming the esteemed legacy of her name and the reputation she holds. It is absurdly outside the unceasing versatility of the imaginative mind; to even achieve a feat like this is not even praisable; it's pathetic. Because why would the great and infamous Arlecchino, a Harbinger feared by many, show her presence to the likes of you?

Unfortunately, for the one cold star that is the destiny your heart has followed, your relationship does have a label. A husband and a wife, but in actuality, it is simply just that, a label. The dawning reality hidden under the layers of falsehood is but a one-sided beneficial connection.

To Arlecchino, you are a mere pawn, insignificant in value and easily replaceable, to be maneuvered around the vast field of her intricately thought-out chessboard, where every single move is foreseen by her convoluted calculations to achieve her ultimate goal. She is the king with the mastery to dictate the game's outcome to her desire, and you are just one of the many disposable pieces to be sacrificed for her victory.

So why must you stay longer with the very same being that shatters your heart like breathing? Why must your heart desire her so much? Had you fallen so far that your heart dare not let her go?

"Your grace and acquiescence enchant me, rare as they are lovely. Truly, you are an obedient angel, a treasure beyond measure, a diamond among the sea of glass."

Her heavenly lies ensnare you ever so effortlessly. Was it this rare showcase of affection of "true love" that blinded you so completely?

"A Harbinger's life leaves little to no room for love. Be a dear and use that pretty little head of yours solely on obeying my orders."

Ensnared by Arlecchino's siren song, her words detain you in a state of imprisonment, alluring you into a fictitious world where each promise adds another bar and each whispers another stone. In this fabricated reality, only Arlecchino exists as the true player, leaving you with a love that never was. Was it your infatuation and utter attachment to her that blinded you to the point of abandoning your freedom ever so easily in exchange for this nonexistent, one-sided relationship?

"There are desires that you lack in fulfillment; is it wrong to seek an external party for such a minuscule problem? Your fatigue is clouding your judgment; seek your chamber; you must be tired."

How can one love be so enticing and manipulative that its power warps the mind, blinding the blatant betrayal right before your very eyes? Was it the fragility of your heart that's effortlessly puppeteered that made you forgive her?

August 22nd. Your husband's birthday has arrived. Your heart aches as you clutch the divorce in your hands. You are torn between love and sacrifice; the paper—gift holds freedom for the both of you, but despite the toxicity of it all, you can't help but be reluctant to let it all go.

You can't help but admit that it felt amazing. A part of you prayed that she would decline your proposal, that she would devote your love to you, that she would assure you of all the troubles in your relationship, and that she would make you stay.

Despite all the deeds that she has done to you, your heart still desires a delusional fantasy that chases after the farthest side of the ever-expanding cosmic, never in range for your hand to grasp.

When you settled down in her office and handed the divorce paper with a shaking hand, the words that left her mouth were so cold, so cold that you felt the temperature in your body decrease in real time.

"That noggin of yours finally concluded a proper notion, I see. Any longer, and I ought to have done the deed myself, it was about time we ended this little game of ours."

Those very words sink to the deepest part of your soul and will be anchored there for as long as you live. It was those words that dawned on you about the harsh reality that you had gotten yourself stuck in.

As if it couldn't have gone worse, shortly after you handed her the divorce papers, she announced to the world her "first" official relationship with another one who isn't you.

The truth has struck you, one with a speed faster than light. The truth of it all is that you are merely a background character, playing the role of fulfillment to make the true main character of the story shine.

The truth is that to Arlecchino, you are only one of the countless blurred encounters of passing scenes in her story.

The truth is, you are simply an invisible backdrop in the vast scenery, a pawn in a world full of kings.

[raayllum]

You think I've done awful things, and I have. But I'm not evil. It's me. You know me. I'm still the same person.

I actually think these lines / scene from Claudia is one of her most interesting in the entire show, so let's talk about it, beat by beat.

You think I've done some awful things, and I have.

This line, along with others from Viren (his "I had to" is another form of justification, and what's to justify if you done nothing 'wrong' or nothing to be blamed for?), i.e. "In the name of love, you will perform acts so unforgivable, you will never forgive yourself" as well as Claudia's explanation in 4x01 ("I had to do things... I never imagined I would be able to do" with tears in her eyes) and Terry's assertion ("I've seen you do a lot of awful things, dark magic things") is like... while Claudia still doesn't see the error, I'm willing to bet, with the bulk of her actions (elves and dragons are still clearly not wholly people to her), she's still done things that she considers awful. Things that crossed her previous moral lines, beginning, I'd bet, with the deer in 2x09, and that which only escalated from there.

Claudia still thinks she's a good person (which we will get to in a second, believe me) but she doesn't think she's squeaky clean. She knows, just as Viren knows (and just as Callum knows/believes) that she's done genuinely awful, terrible things.

A character feeling bad about doing something, or a character recognizing that something they've done is terrible ("It's horrific, Viren" "We have no other choice"), is not a get off scot free card in this show, and it never has been. Not for Claudia, and not for anyone else.

While Claudia has been manipulated by Aaravos, everything she's done is of her free will, and without lying to herself about the exact nature of them (even if there's still plenty she's in denial of like the plague, but I digress).

Claudia is like 5 different cognitive dissonances in a trenchcoat, but she's not stupid, either.

But I'm not evil. It's me.

This to me shows the mask slipping the post, because if there wasn't even a hint of possibility at being evil, you would feel no need to declare otherwise. I forget where I've said this before but Claudia cares (esp in arc 1, less so in arc 2 but it's not nonexistent) about being a good person. It's kinda like how Viren doesn't really care if he's good or not, but he wants to be important (matter). Bonus points for Claudia's hypocrisy/shields being worn down over time ("She kidnapped you and Prince Ezran, how can she be good?" -> attempting to do the exact same thing an episode later). She's cracking, but desperately trying to convince them (for mostly manipulation reasons) and herself (genuinely) that she's not, that instead...

You know me. I'm still the same person. I am.

TDP has always been very interested in identity, most notably for characters like Callum, Rayla, and Soren in arc 1, but it's fun to see it be expanded and interrogated further by looping Claudia in during arc 2. S5 and arc 2 places a lot of emphasis in particular on the idea of knowing yourself ("That's not my name. I am Elmer") or knowing others ("She's not the elf, she's Rayla") / preserving your sense of self in the face of change or hard circumstances ("But violence tests us" "Callum, you're the 'destiny is a book you write yourself' guy").

Claudia highlights this twofold. She asks the boys to know her, despite how much time and bad blood has gone by. She appeals to the many years of friendship they had in contrast to their few months turned years of being foes. It's barking up the wrong tree (Callum's Spellbook asserts that even as of s2/s3, "I feel like I don't know who she is anymore" on his end) but I am actually inclined to believe her.

This may be a misread, simply because from S1 but especially S2 onwards I always figured Claudia would end up precisely where she is now, so I don't know if it's the consistency influencing my judgement call possibly clouding more intense changes (she refused to use Harrow against the boys in 2x02, to a degree) but... I don't think almost anything Claudia does in S5 is something she wouldn't have done the bulk of in S1, other than threatening the boys, and she's done that multiple times by the time the end of S2 and S3 rolls around, most notably towards Ezran.

She's still the same person, but her circumstances and therefore her responses have gotten steadily, consistently worse. But this has always lived inside her. She's the same person (but worse), they know her and see her more clearly than they ever did before, and both of those things are precisely the problem.

[hyperfixated-fan]

Here is some of those wonderfully nostalgic girly-girl shows in vague order in which I watched/discovered them that no one asked for but I’m giving to you anyways.

1. First up, we’ve got the Horseland

Back in the day, I was a major horse girl (a part of me still is), but this show was so awesome and adorable. It’s just a bunch of gals riding their horses and hanging out at the barn. And their horses and other animals talk amongst themselves. It is all an animal lover like me could want. It’s just so cute and gives sweet life lessons. And occasionally, I found it interesting that they do touch upon some serious topics such as eating disorders and loss. The episode “Mosey” always makes me cry. All the episodes are on YouTube.

Overall, I have to say my favorite character is Alma Rodriguez.

2. LEGO Friends

The first generation of LEGO Friends is nostalgic, but I also seriously love the LEGO Friends: Girls on a Mission. It’s just a bunch of teenage girls getting up to shenanigans and being besties (Oddly, though they are high school age, we barely see them in school XD). I particularly enjoy Girls on a Mission (the episodes are on YouTube) because the episodes were so well put together and it fleshes out each girl a bit more uniquely. It’s a genuinely fun show though I generally am partial to LEGO shows. I am personally not a fan of latest generation of LEGO Friends. I’ve watched a few episodes and it’s just blegh. It might be the nostalgia talking but I just can’t get into it.

My fave character has always been Emma (she’s so adorable) and my fave ship is Emma x Ethan in the Girls on a Mission iteration.

3. Barbie Movies

Not sure if all the movies are pictured above, but there’s a good portion of them. I admit, I haven’t seen all of the Barbie movies (especially the good old classics mainly due to animation that did not age well so sorry) and did not really become a fan until later than most little girls. However, I still find the movies to be very enjoyable and cute. I think a lot of my affinity comes from many familiar Canadian voice actors being in most of the movies and I find it fun trying to pick out familiar voices.

A few of my personal favorite movies are “Princess Charm School” (it’s the first Barbie movie I ever watched with one of my best friends), “The Twelve Dancing Princesses” (so many voices and characters to listen to and try and remember), and “Mariposa” (I am rather partial to the voice of Chiara Zanni and loved her playing Barbie).

4. Ever After High

It is so sad that Ever After High ended after Epic Winter. I really wish we got to see more. I loved the imaginative twist on fairytale characters and the whole “facing your destiny” storyline. The princesses, knights, dragons, and wonderland were all great components as a lover of fantasy. Disney Descendants ain’t got nothing on Ever After. It was a very creative show and it was interesting to see all the characters that would pop up.

A few of my favorite characters are Rosabella Beauty, Ginger Breadhouse, and Lizzie Hearts. Call me basic but I really do like the ship Darabella (obviously the execution of it could’ve been better but I still like it.)

5. Miraculous Ladybug

Simply put, this show is a mess. Miraculous Ladybug barely made the list only because I have fond memories of it. I’m not caught up on any recent events and admittedly quit watching it after season 3 or 4 (I don’t exactly remember). The show had potential and many amazing fanworks, but after a while, the episodes just get repetitive. I still like the earlier seasons before things got too messy. As a lover of side characters, I also wish they fleshed out the side characters a bit more instead of keeping on creating more and more side characters. I still occasionally pop in to see what is going on and apparently Nathalie is dead?! Idk what’s going on and I love looking at spoilers with no context because it makes the show all the more funny.

My fave character list includes Alya Césaire, Nathalie Sancoeur, and Juleka Couffaine and I’m partial to the ship DJWifi.

6. Monster High

Since I was a fan of Ever After High, it was only inevitable that I would eventually become a fan of Monster High. It took a while but I eventually did fall in love with the show. And I fell hard. All the characters are so unique and while I absolutely love all the generation 1 content, I do not completely hate the g3 series. I loved the message of standing out yet belonging at Monster High, freaky flaws and all. The animation is very dated yet endearingly nostalgic at the same time. I love all the different twists on various monster creatures.

My favorite characters list gets pretty extensive, as I love g1 and g3 Abbey Bominable (I always love an ice queen), along with g1/g3 Cleo De Nile (bc she’s your typical mean girl/diva but truly cares for her friends), Robecca Steam (her steampunk aesthetic and little accent are adorable), Deuce Gorgon (a kind yet popular jockish character is rare), Jinafire Long (Chinese dragon is always a win), and Rochelle Goyle (she’s just neat).

Fave ships = Cleuce (CleoxDeuce) and AbbeyxHeath. I just love them okay!

7. Lolirock

I believe I discovered this show coming off of Storm Hawks and Steven Universe so the crystal motif and everything was already an intriguing concept for me (plus familiar Canadian voice actors drew me in). I just love the trio of girls trying to “secretly” protect earth with sparkles and spells while putting up the front of being a girl band (the songs are very catchy by the way if you can get past an ungodly amount of auto tune). The episodes gave me vibes similar to Miraculous Ladybug but somewhat better with less convoluted characters. Overall, it’s a very bright energetic show and I wish they would’ve delved into the backstories of the other princesses a bit more instead of focusing on Iris all the time. Here’s to hoping they eventually do come out with season 3. All the current episodes are on YouTube.

My favorite characters are the sisters Izira and Talia. They have so much power and the show needs to actually do them justice.

8. Mysticons

This one is definitely lesser known than most on this list. I found it shortly after LoliRock since it has similar features and characters. It’s a very simple show with simple characters but I am fond of it still (and I’m pretty sure it made me cry at one point. I don’t remember when but I remember something about it made me emotional). The fantasy magic of the world was definitely a big win for me. I think the creators did a decent job at world building. It’s your typical prophesied heroes must save the world from certain destruction but I found the show overall enjoyable and cute with a nice dose of found family thrown in.

My top favorite characters are Zarya Moonwolf and Emerald Goldenbraid.

9. DC Super Hero Girls

I started out as a G1 fan when it was still coming out and became a fan of the reboot as well. It was interesting to all these wonderful kickbutt superheroes placed in a high school -esque setting. The original series was very average with their shorts but it was such fun to see what characters would pop up to help (I even will tolerate and enjoy the LEGO specials). The reboot had better design and animation. I am sad it didn’t get a chance to run longer. My only qualm was that some characters had such a drastic change from their backstory and original character development that it moved from being whimsical and imaginative to simply keeping the name and having an entirely different character. *cough* Jessica *cough* They don’t get that she was such a powerful Green Lantern because she was bold but because most of the time she was scared out of mind due to her past trauma but still acted and pushed through the fear to save people.

Rant aside, my fave character is Jessica Cruz despite the reboot overhauling her character and erasing her backstory.

10. She-Ra and the Princesses of Power

Not necessarily my favorite glittery girly series I’ve watched but definitely an enjoyable series. True to my usual form, I unfortunately did not end up caring for most of the main plot and characters. However, the idea of this show was fun nonetheless and it had its nice moments, so I’m glad it got a decent number of seasons. The magic, weaponry, and elemental powers drew me to this show. I wish they delved a bit deeper into the true effects and trauma that fighting a war would have on all of the characters as they are leaders of their respective kingdoms.

My favorite characters include Entrapta (little nerdy characters are almost always a win for me), Mermista (Vella Lovell was perfect for voicing her and her character design is nice), Netossa (another awesome blue character; if anyone’s seen Six: The Musical, does she vaguely remind you of Catherine Parr?)

Bonus: Rainbow High

An interesting premise though it ultimately falls flat for me because I am not a fashion-oriented person in the slightest. However, I still like the show and all the drama that comes with it. I just overall find it hilarious to watch the squabbles that happen because everyone is just so high strung. (Why do all the guy characters literally look the exact same with that same stupid little hairstyle?) XD

Fave characters are Ainsley Slater and Jade Hunter.

Bonus: God’s School

Greek mythology! Need I say more? This is such an imaginative show. It is even more amazing considering one guy does all the animation. The webisodes that are out are great and I definitely recommend watching them on YouTube. Zeus looks like Disney Hercules and I find that hilarious. All the character designs for the gods are so awesome and I love the details that help indicate who they are. Ignore the fact that over half of them are related in some form or another and everything is fine.

Fave definitely has to be Athena! (…bad*** in the arena. Unmatched witty and queen of the best strategies we’ve seen.)

Bonus: Tinkerbell

These are just cute adventures. I wish the series could’ve continued so we could’ve gotten movies highlighting each of the fairies.

My fave is Silvermist.

Bonus: Steven Universe

I personally enjoyed this show and know it had a large fan base so I don’t get why so many people are going back and hating on it so fervently. It’s a flawed show like any but it still has it fine points and I have a soft spot for it. I heavily debated on whether this qualified for a magical girl show but I think it does. It’s nice seeing Steven grow alongside the gems and it’s a good show to put on in the background.

My favorites have to be Garnet and Sapphire.

Honorable mentions that I never fully watched but seem nice:

My Little Pony - I’m disappointed in myself for never getting into this show because it has all the right points for me to like it, including great Canadian voice actors and magic and ponies. I have watched some episodes and enjoyed them but I don’t think I’ll ever be able to sit through and binge the entire show.

LEGO Elves - watched some but I never got truly immersed.

Totally Spies! - never really gave it a go but it seems okay.

Winx Club - I tried to like it but the characters just didn’t hit for me.

W.I.T.C.H. - watched the first few episodes but nothing made me want to continue.

[snowblack-charcoalwhite]

I really loved them making Helaena a dragon dreamer in s1 because i thought it would give her more relevance in the story since her arc in the book was too depressing and passive. Boy, was I wrong. Not only she has zero relevance and her screentime is reduced to minimum, but her dreams led to nothing. I mean, what's the point of that gift if she doesn't use it? Daenys saved targaryens thanks to the same gift so that's the proof destiny isn't always set in stone. However, with Helaena it's just frustrating. First there were riddles so I thought fine, maybe she can't interpret them correctly yet (the beast beneath the boards, the rats...) but that balcony scene with Aemond left me confused. I don't know how to interpret her behavior and thoughts in there. Aside from spoiling the God's Eye (lmao, condal is a moron) what were fer intentions? Was she angry on Aegon's behalf? I doubt it it since there was no deep connection or love between the two. Was she rejoicing at the notion of Aemond's death? Why would she just let him go to his death and do nothing? Does she hate him? Is she just too apathetic like Bran in s8 to care? Was she sad and defeated because she is aware of what Aemond has become (what Alicent also repeats over and over) but she still loves him? I seriously don't know what to think. Also ffs, , she appears in Daemon's vision to tell him about him fulfilling his destiny?? I can't express how disgusted I am that they chose her to do that. So, what's the point? And no, the explanation that she is this tragic cassandra figure who can't do anything to prevent certain events doesn't sit well with me because it seems lazy, overused and, like I mentioned before, there is Daenys' example. Do you have some other theories and interpretations of her character in general, but especially the balcony scene?

Good day/night to you!

I can't even express just how much I agree with everything you said. And I really wish I could come up with some clever and intricate theory about the role Helaena is supposed to play in HotD (by the way, anyone who has thoughts on that matter and is willing to share them is more than welcome to join the discussion).

But as of now it seems like the writers did - and most likely will contunue to do - to her the same thing they are doing to the absolute majority of other characters (if not to all of them), namely using her as a tool to get across a certain point. The point in this case being, apparently, that men (and women supporting them) are evil, to put it simply (actually, I just got a wonderful ask regarding misandry in HotD and I can't wait to get to it later today).

And the lack of actual care about the characters is even more evident and striking with regards to Helaena due to the pathetic amount of screentime she got. It feels like the entire meaning of her character has been reduced to showing up for a few minutes to either gain some pity from the audience for the purpose of capitalizing on it later or to give the viewers a heads up on some future events (often in quite a dumb and out-of-the-blue way).

To be clear: just like in Aegon's case, I do not disregard Helaena's suffering, I just resent the way it's being used within the story. Like can you believe it? Her baby son was murdered practically in front of her - but apparently she feels no anger or hatred towards either two scumbags who actually did it or her dearest TB relatives because of whose actions it happened (even if we buy the "unclear instructions" thing). Moreover, she is showing Daemon, basically the murderer of her child, the way to fulfilll his destiny. But apparently she feels psychologically violated by Otto and Alicent making her endure the public funeral (which has been turned into nothing more than a propaganda show) and supposedly despises her younger brother to the point of wanting him dead, the reasons for it being... what?

Him starting the war by killing Lucerys? Are we supposed to believe, even after what Rhaenyra says to Alicent, that if not for Luke's death the Greens would be safe? Him burning Aegon? She does mention that - but just in the scene before she smiles approvingly at Alicent's proposal of leaving KL without giving a second thought to the fate of her brotherhusband and neither has she been shown visiting him - not once. Does she care for Aegon or not? Apparently, she does but only in the moments when it's necessary to explain her treatment of Aemond. Him wanting her to join the fight? Is she that pacifistic?

It really feels like the writers just needed to throw together a bunch of reasons for Helaena's behavior - and that's what they did. And as far as I am concerned, what the show did to Helaena is a character assasination - just probably not as brutal as one of Alicent, but the result is the same.

[hyukassubi]

🍪06 | The Letter Tucked Under The Bonsai Tree/ This Shade of Green

♡𓂃 Pairing -> (Former) Knight! Huening Kai x Seamstress! Reader

♡𓂃 Synopsis -> Growing up, you never believed in purpose, nor destiny. Simply following the path of life, becoming a royal seamstress didn't at all seem like a bad idea. Only thing is, it wasn't your idea.

Your best friend who just so happens to be the crowned prince knows what it's like to grow up having limited choices, and Prince Kang Taehyun doesn't want the same happening to you. The commander knight, in turn, has other plans for the future. After Huening Kai closes a profound chapter of his life, he seeks refuge from the chaos of his past, opting for a cozier lifestyle instead.

... And it just so seems that those plans wouldn't be fulfilled without you.

♡𓂃 Wc -> 1,789

Half of the village flooded into the ballroom.

A five-tiered lemon cake stands tall in the middle of the buffet tables spanning the length of an outstretched rice field, guards stationed at every entrance and every windowsill, the royal family in the middle of it all.

What’s the occassion? A royal wedding? Young prince Taehyun’s coronation day? A special notice for war and drought because winter is six months away and the kingdom must take special precautions to ensure another safe Christmas?

No. None of that.

Above the cake sits a white banner with green paint spelling out the words: ‘MY BESTIE IS HALFWAY TO 24 SHOW HER SOME LOVE !!!!!'

It was your 12th birthday, and this time, the king and queen went above and beyond to celebrate it, as they always do.

Your fourth birthday was also celebrated in the castle, not that you or your family wanted it but the king and queen and especially their young son did.

No outsiders, no kindergarten friends or Taehyun’s extended family. Just your small family and the royal family in the throne room with some rich creamy chocolate cake and perhaps a present or two.

No pressure, for sure.

Your parents bowed at their feet while your best friend’s parents called up popes and a mariachi band to bless the birth of the child (only the popes gave your blessings, not the mariachi band. They played ten different catchy trumpet beats to get your four year old feet kicking up in the air).

From that birthday onward, there was no more bowing or negotiating with the king and queen anymore. Your birthdays were celebrated like national holidays, only thing’s left is to start marking it on calendars for all villagers to see. Anything you want, the royal family’s got you.

And they must’ve really meant that, because the current state of the ballroom was pure fulfillment and chaos: The buffet tables almost wiped clean, every piñata exploding open, the gift stash as tall as a pine tree.

“Remind me why you invited half of the human race to my party again?” Not that you were opposed to the idea but inviting three hundred kids to a party at age twelve is just. Beyond you.

“What? No. It’s just your classmates, and my classmates, and my equestrian coach, and your cousins, and all the knights we met two years ago who didn’t make it to the finale.” Taehyun crossed his legs beneath a bonsai tree— the bonsai tree, full of small notes and letters hanging off its branches to wish you a happy birthday.

The sassy little prince had apple cider in a wine glass to make himself look more ‘elegant’.

You jabbed your fork into your slice of lemon cake, wolfing down another heavenly spoonful of that zesty goodness.

Elegance be damned.

“Huh. Okay… And why isn’t Bangchan on stage yet?”

“Ahh, my father says he’s got a sore throat. That’s why his whole show got cancelled, and his band got bummed out.” He took a sip of his twinkling apple cider. “Too bad, I was really looking forward to his performances.”

“Right? I really wanted to see his bandmates too, but that’s besides the point. Your father’s going back to hiring the mariachi band, then?”

“No, some underground pop singer. I forgot her name… Baby Rexha?”

You practically spat his drink out. “Bebe Rexha?”

“Oh yeah, her. Kai told me a friend of his was really into her music, and I thought you’d like it too, so, yeah, I told my father about that, too.”

You couldn’t have asked for a better best friend. You stood up, ignoring your lemon cake for a second, spilling out the most genuine loving way of saying the next couple of words, “Get your ass over here.”

Taehyun beamed.

He got his ass over there, and the prince embraced his platonic soulmate in his arms.

And after that wholesome moment ended, he got back to picking out letters from the bonsai tree. “Wanna start reading these again?”

Hanging birthday wishes on a bonsai tree was your father’s idea, having the little sapling grow with you, the letters adding up as more branches spiraled out of the trunks… your mother’s eyes puddle up just looking at how much it has grown, how much you have grown.

“Let’s get this thing over with.” Is your honest response after jetting through thirty seven short but sincere wishes and a couple bittersweet three-paragraphed birthday notes. (From your two loving parents, of course, and Taehyun).

Taehyun nods, reaching for the deeper ends of the tree, “Alright... Let's see what's left of this.”

Ten birthday notes left.

Ten wishes left.

The ballroom and its occupants have ran out of energy after the main events of the birthday party, some having conversations over circular tables, some lounging around the buffet tables, the entire place looking more like an italian restaurant than a ballroom birthday party.

It didn’t matter that you finally read the king’s birthday wish, you went over that piece of paper the way girlbosses do when they see their ex.

"Y/n, don't do my father like that,” Taehyun retorted, having his third cup of apple cider. “I'm sure he has some nice things to say."

"He scribbled up a 'wish you a blessed day' and the rest is smudged in cake frosting."

“Wow, okay I guess he just really loves your mother's cakes." Taehyun turns to reach for another letter. "Okay, how about this one?"

You sighed as your hand slugs its way to the fighteningly thick rectangular piece of paper that genuinely looked like a typical letter instead of a purple piece of cardstock folded into two.

You opened it.

Your eyes stretched wider.

It's from Kai.

Dear Y/n,

Happy birthday, I hope you're doing well and having fun at this party, because even though I didn't get to spend time with you (I didn't get to see you, hehe) I did have fun. Um... anyways I bought you a present but the present stash is too high up for me to add mine so... I'll place it in Taehyun's room for now if that's okay? (please tell him the gift is NOT for him and is only for you)

Okay, I hope you keep smelling like sunflowers and cookies in the future and stay happy and healthy but mostly happy because I can never get tired of looking at your precious smile and rosey cheeks and enchanting beauty.

Um, pretend I didn't write any of that. I don't want to scribble on the page because guards are telling me to speed up because I'm hogging up the feather-pens and-

Hyuka<3

You both sat there, quiet for a good chunk of a minute.

You spoke first. "See, Taehyun, I told you not to invite the entire kingdom! Now Kai feels left out!"

Taehyun sets his fancy cup aside. "Yeah no you're right. Where did he say he'll go? My bedroom?"

You grab his hand and book it up the staircase. "Yes he is, now come on! I wanna see what present he's got for me!"

He clutched your hand back right. "As we should!"

The last thing you wanted to do on your birthday was to make anyone feel left out, let alone Huening Kai.

Huening Kai, feeble and stiff as he was, stood pensively in front of Taehyun’s bedroom door.

Going to parties with such forgettable people isn’t his go to way of having fun, and a part of his soul did wish the party was limited to, perhaps, a dozen people maximum instead of hundreds of guests…

At least you had fun.

Clutching onto the teal box wrapped in a glossy emerald bow, that’s all he hoped for today, that you remained happy.

A soft trail of footsteps pitter-pattered in the distance.

He looked to the side, eyes widening when he sees a girl with bows in her hair, the crowned prince trailing just behind her.

“Kai! I’m so sorry—” You blurted.

“Both of us are!” Taehyun cuts in, breathless.

“Yeah, no, both of us are sorry. We didn’t mean to make you feel left out. The party was just so huge and there was so much going on and I guess we were all just caught up messing around with the piñatas and bull rides and mini concerts and food.”

“Especially the food. It was my fault for not tagging you along with us, honestly.”

Kai went back and forth making eye contact between the prince and the girl, his eyes finally landing on the prince. “It’s okay, I had fun with my other friends.” He couldn’t tell why and it took him a while to even be aware of it, but his insides were all soft and fluffy, especially around his chest, at his heart. And. Huening Kai liked the feeling.

The feeling of being safe around you two.

It was not Taehyun who answered, but you. “Your village friends? Was it the Bebe Rexha fanatic you’ve been rambling about to me recently? I kinda forgot his name… as well as the others. My bad.”

Huening Kai blinked. He released the box that was previously clutched by his small hands glued to his chest, bringing it forth. “Here.” a little while later, “For you.”

… Purple was your favourite colour, but perhaps you’re starting to like this shade of green, too.

Huening Kai cleared his throat. “Open it, please?” The question sounded more like a plea rather than a demand, but it didn’t matter how demanding Huening Kai tried to sound, he’d never be feared by you because to you, not a single bone in his body screamed ‘if you don’t do this for me, I will eat you alive.’

So, of course, you ripped opened the box (not literally) for the two boys to see, but mostly Huening Kai since he was the gift-giver after all

Taehyun looked over your shoulder, eyes wide, smiling, giggling here and there; Huening Kai remained quiet the whole time, simply watching, and once the lid of the box lifted up?… You gaped.

It's a crochet set, with wool in pastel shades and hooks of all different sizes.

“I noticed you liked doing crafty stuff and.” Huening Kai visibly gulped. “You picked up on embroidering some time ago, did you not?” An awkward chuckle. “I mean, I could’ve totally bought you an embroidery set but my friend- I mean, my gut told me you probably already had everything you needed for embroidering so—”

You attacked Kai.

With a throat-clenching embrace.

And it took him a good minute to hug you back.

Not so long after, it was Taehyun that wrapped his arms around the both of you.

Previous| Masterlist | Next

♡𓂃A/n: Tyunning and the reader having their bittersweet bestie trio moment:

‧₊˚ ⋅ —U_U— \^_^/ —>3•— ‧₊˚ ⋅

Soobin and Yeonjun enjoying a Bebe Rexha concert in a literal ballroom:

(JUST IN CASE YALL DIDN'T CATCH THAT OR NEED CONFIRMATION, YES. KAI'S VILLAGE FRIENDS ARE YEONJUN AND SOOBIN)

♡𓂃Tags: @sweetheartsaku @imcringebutimfree @i-like-to-read-at-4am @pengningie @marloree @stormy1408 @blossommi @flaminghotyourmom

Reblog & review if you like my work !!

[mirageofadesert]

"Out of time" - Appreciation post for Li Susu portrayed by Bai Lu

Out of time: Traumatized Time Traveler

Li Susu is chosen by fate, time and birthright to fight the Devil God. She has bravely faced him to protect her family, her sect and her world - and lost them all in the blink of a (red, sexy) eye. Travelling 500 years into the past to prevent the rise of the Devil God has left her traumatised and overwhelmed. On top of that, she has to find her way into Ye Xiwu's life, which has left her a mess.

Through it all, Li Susu never loses her distinctive personality. She has a strong moral compass, cares and loves easily. Within a few weeks, she reciprocates the love of Ye Xiwu's family and, according to Bai Lu, develops feelings for Tantai Jin's relative early on. She is also cheerful, cheeky and stubborn, but also smart and modest. This is where Bai Lu's charisma, chemistry and comic timing really shine.

As an audience, we see the world through her eyes. I have seen complaints about her early behaviour - described as cruel and contradictory towards Tantai Jin. It seems that one thing that divides the audience of Till The End Of The Moon isn't simply their opinion of Ye Xiwu early on, but rather the ability to emphasize with her character and behaviour. It seems that some people fail to understand her complexity. She is not mean or vengeful, she is overwhelmed and traumatised. Li Susu struggles to find the right path between her own morality, her developing feelings for Tantai Jin and her mission. I find this inner conflict fascinating and well portrayed by Bai Lu. She doesn't act in a logical way - but how could she do such a thing given the extraordinary circumstances she faces? I think the inner logic of her character is coherent.

Her introduction as the main character is well done, both in terms of writing and acting. We meet her at one of the worst moments of her life, which gives Bai Lu a chance to show off her acting skills right away. For me, a lot of dramas lack compelling female leads, especially before the character development unfolds, so seeing Li Susu's emotional turmoil in the first episode gave her depth and range from the start.

Out of time with the society around her

There is another meaning of the phrase "out of time" which I think fits Li Susu quite well: In the musical sense, it means "not in accordance with the appropriate musical rhythm or tempo". It refers to her not dancing to the same beat as everyone else around her. This is not only because of the time travel, but also because of her upbringing as an immortal "pure spirit body" in an isolated sect. This position as an outsider makes her a more relatable character to modern audiences.

Li Susu doesn't fit into the social and gender roles of her new era. Like the century-old demon Pianran, she defies these norms. She is free-spirited but righteous, conflicted but persevering.

The show challenges us to root for more multiple characters whose goals are at odds with each other. And if the audience is able to keep track of these different perspectives, and keep up with the tension of the resulting contradictions, the plot becomes a nuanced and complex story about the greater good of the world as well as the struggle to control one's own destiny.

I found Li Susu very likeable and enjoyed her journey through three arcs. However, I regret that the last arc was cut and that her character development was not allowed to fully unfold.

Out of time in her relationship with Tantai Jin

Li Susu and Tantai Jin are out of time in every sense of the phrase. As they travel through three arcs, three worlds and two lifetimes, they are never quite on the same page, never quite in sync.

In the first arc, Li Susu hides her true intentions and can therefore never fully reciprocate Tantai Jin's feelings. Tantai Jin then spends 500 years desperately searching for a spirit whose real name he doesn't even know.

In the final arc, Li Susu tries to move on from Tantai Jin while he still tries to resurrect Ye Xiwu. Once reunited, she tries to peruse the Heartless Way to seal the evil bone, while he tries to win her back.

They only get into rhythm for a brief moment after their betrothal before they are separated in preparation for their wedding.

In the final episodes, their initial roles are reversed, with Tantai Jin hiding his true intentions for the greater good and lying to Li Susu. He is running out of time to let her ascend to godhood and stop the All-in-Distress Way before it destroys everything. Even as gods, they are still not on the same page, as Tantai Jin denies her the choice to follow him into death and rebirth, instead tricking her into living on alone.

Nothing symbolises this theme better than the final scenes at their graves: visiting them and mourning each other at different times, never to be reunited again. This scene is so heartbreaking that even after watching the show four times, I still can't make GIFs of it because it makes me cry.

Never out of place: Bai Lu's acting

Bai Lu's acting is another highlight of the show. While her chemistry with Luo Yunxi is well documented, she actually manages to have great (non-romantic) chemistry with the entire cast. Their relationships always feel ingenious and alive. Between Luo Yunxi and Bai Lu, the showrunners have managed to hire four very impressive and emotional eyebrows!

Bai Lu's facial expressions are always on point and elevate her scenes. While her approach to comedy involves exaggerated facial expressions, in more serious moments she is able to portray many different emotions at once without it feeling out of place.

I have talked a lot about Luo Yunxi's acting in the show, but I think Bai Lu deserves a lot of credit for her role beyond their chemistry. She is such a joy to watch on screen! From funny to heart-wrenchingly sad, she made me go through so many emotions and tissues. To be able to touch the audience in such a profound way is the highest compliment I can give her!

Behind the scenes, Bai Lu is a vibrant and dedicated person who gives her best to every scene: Be it immersing herself in mentally demanding or physically exhausting scenes. I'm looking forward to getting to know more of her acting.

Edit: Spelling!

[sarasade]

On Claudia, Viren, Aaravos & Claudia's Character Arc

This post is mostly about Claudia's character development or should I say character deterioration.

It's highly likely that Callum will be the one to take down Aaravos- like it all goes back to Harrow's letter in s2 and chains of history and the themes of free will vs destiny and such. Aaravos possessing Callum is all about that. He's literally taking control of Callum's faith. There is clear antagonism there that's in a direct conflict with who Callum is.

But at the same time Claudia is the one who's got the biggest personal beef with Aaravos. He exploited her grief, manipulated her and used her father to accomplish his own goals. If Aaravos didn't exist Claudia wouldn't have spent two years of her life in a complete stagnation waiting for her dad to come back from the dead instead of moving on. It seems like Aaravos has been molding Claudia into his personal minion through dark magic during the time skip as well.

Taking this into account it would be really satisfying to see Claudia snap out of it and take her revenge. Characters having a personal connection to the villain always makes a story's climax more gripping. More personal the better! And everything between Aaravos and Claudia is VERY personal.

That's why Viren worked so well as a foil to Callum and Ezran in s 1-3. Especially Ezran whose rightful place as the king he tried to take. He was basically their shitty, power hungry uncle who turned against them. Side note but if Viren is still alive I hope he makes a return as Ezran's foil.

Claudia helping to take down Aaravos would be emotionally satisfying. All the elements for that are already there. Of course Claudia should come to some kind of realisation about the way she's been used by Aaravos before she can take that turn. I doubt the show's got the time for that but it's an interesting possibility to think about.

I really like how the plot around Aaravos manipulating Claudia is done. Even Claudia's own father didn't do anything to prevent it from happening although all the signs of Aaravos having sinister plans for Claudia were there from the beginning: Aaravos calling Claudia "an asset" and encouraging Viren to lie to her in s3 therefore enabling Viren's worst impulses while also using them to his benefit. It's SO EVIL (and I love it). Viren isn't that much better since he always had some kind of excuse to ignore the red flags. At this point of TDP's run I'm convinced that Runaan's "Faith worse than death" line about Aaravos' mirror is finally paying off. It means that the consequences of Viren's actions have hurt Claudia, the only person Viren loves unconditionally, in an unfathomable way.

I think Claudia's arc is relatively subtle and very well done. It balances between Claudia being a victim of manipulation and neglect while also giving her agency to influence the plot as a whole. My only complaint is that Lost Child short story should have been implemented in the show itself and not just be extra material. I have some other grievances but those are mostly fandom related.

How some fans, especially in YouTube reviews, talk about Claudia's downfall like it was inevitable because she's always been fucked up or talking about how "trauma isn't an excuse for bad behaviour" is strange to me. Like, yeah, it isn't an excuse but it's simply just bad media analysis to instantly jump into condemning Claudia's actions, like she's a real person who uses trauma as an excuse to hurt other real people, instead of seeing it in the terms of a character study. Claudia clearly uses trauma to convince herself that what she's doing is right but never tries to manipulate anyone else by using it as an excuse. Think about her and Terry for example: she usually refuses Terry's help instead of trying to garner sympathy from him. This character trait is one of the many reasons why she felt obligated to keep her family together as well. She's extremely stubborn and not very self-conscious about her trauma brain but she does understand why others would see her actions as objectionable. I think this character type (usually a woman) has been given the playful nickname "trauma bitch" in the internet lexicon. Anyway god forbid if we actually empathise, reflect on and engage with unpleasant or problematic characters instead of instantly condemning them.

TDP is about how people can always CHOOSE a different path. Viren's dark magic hallucination in season 5 stated this very clearly.

In Claudia's case it's more interesting to think about WHY she DOESN'T choose differently. That's where all the meat of her character writing lies.

Claudia's arc is what happens when the desperate actions of someone motivated by trauma around abandonment are taken to their logical conclusion in this fantasy setting. It's a fictional story, it has metaphors and shit. Fantasy genre has used necromancy and extending one's life by magical means as a story element to explore humanity's relationship to death many times. The metaphor for loss and regret basically writes itself. Ursula Le Guin has used this trope in The Earthsea books, Peter S. Beagle's The Last Unicorn has done it etc. Everything can't be a one to one comparison to real life (trauma rarely makes you want to kill your friends with dark magic irl. idk that's just me though) and there needs to be a level of abstraction involved in a fantasy story. Abstraction and metaphor, paradoxically, can reveal a greater truth about the world. (I'm probably accidentally quoting someone here but can't remember who.)

Anyway the rest is great. When you think of it all for a moment it's pretty fucked up how Claudia has been used by Aaravos. It's not some tiny part of Caludia's story. It IS her story. And Viren set that norm for her. Viren too has abused Claudia's trust. It's a complex subject and probably requires its own post since Viren, Soren and Claudia's situation reflects some pretty realistic dynamics real life troubled families have. That's why the characters compliment each other's stories so well. Viren is a more realistic character after all when Aaravos is more over the top and symbolic and less of a real person. Aaravos is one of those villains who embodies the opposing ideology of the heros. We (still) don't know almost anything personal about him so he matters mostly in relation to other characters.

Thanks for reading this Claudia propaganda! I've had so many of these in the drafts. Anyway TL;DR

[deeptrashwitch]

A Haunting Past (Part 15)

Tw: Mention of death

Enjoy this part of the story! We're getting near to the juicy part of this >:3 soon...SOON!!

Also, shout out to Taro as usual 💖 love you, dear! You're amazing 🥰

Taglist (just to show :3): @alypink @snootlestheangel @islandtarochips @hollywood-is-bleeding

@cynicvice @midnight193 @mutantthedark @justasmolbard @welldonekhushi

@tapioca-milktea1978 @imagoddamnonionmason @stargazing-sapphire2 @milkteaarttime @blacktacmopsi

@maymaylyn @thatonesillyducko @seraphiixiao @me-is-confused @gunnrblze

The hours passed in silence, at least until the phone rang and distracted Alicia from what she was doing. She answered the phone as she started to figure it was from her workplace. Especially when she knows it was Wraith to call her with such urgency.

“Dominique, what happened?” Alicia asked while she cleaned part of the stables.

“You need to come back.”

“What? But I'm still on my leave-”

“Something arrived here and you need to see it yourself.” Wraith suddenly sounded nervous, which it tensed Alicia immediately.

“...How bad?”

“Honestly? This explains things and the reason why it puts you in danger.”

“I'm on my way.”

“Bring the badge.”

“Um…why?”

“Just trust me.”

Alicia had already spoken with her parents and Alejandro as soon as she ended the call. While she didn't explain a lot, the Colonel noticed the nervousness that she’s trying to hide. Then he offered to take Andrea and Jack back to Las Almas with him while she figured out everything. In less than two hours, Alicia was driving back to Killeen while the other three packed everything.

As soon as she arrived at the base, Wraith signaled her to follow her. In silence, they arrived at the main comms office, where all the team was. Over the desk, a single box awaited her. Already opened.

“Did you-?” Alicia asked.

“It’s not a bomb or anything like that, we made sure.” Wraith said with a sigh. “But it has the date of the operation written on the tape. And well, you need to see.”

Alicia was just dead silent before taking a deep breath. “Guess we'll learn what this shit is.”

They all stared at the box while Alicia took a look inside. As soon as she noticed what was inside, she had to close the box and sigh deeply. For a second the Captain didn't move and simply stayed in silence. Then she opened it again, staring at the things inside.

“I get what you mean now.”

Wraith sighed. “So you recognize it too.”

“It’d be weird if I didn't.”

Alicia looked at her team before starting to speak. “Go to rest, all of you. Blackwell, Jackson, bring your badges and then go with the rest.”

“Ma’am…” Luke tried to intervene.

“It's an order, this is something only Station Chief Wright and I will be looking after.”

All the Specters shared a worried and surprised look when Alicia mentioned Wraith’s formal title. In the end they obeyed and only Jackson and Edward left their badges and went. As the two started to talk.

Wraith raised an eyebrow while they compared the badges. “They’re original, so this isn’t some kind of knock off or distraction.”

“Now I'm not sure who we should go after first.” Alicia said with a sigh.

Wraith crossed her arms over her chest. “This is getting more dangerous.”

Alicia took out a blood-stained name tag from inside the box. “You managed to speak with him?”

“Taylor Smith? No, and seeing what was inside that box? It's fair to assume his destiny.”

Alicia started to unpack the things from the box. The stained name tag with the last name ”Smith” on it, broken pieces of glass and five badges given to the soldiers who were involved in Operación Firewall. Both Dominique and Alicia looked at the five badges, burning medieval tower over the laurels, but these were stained with ashes.

“Any of-?”

“None. No fires around the last place they all were living.” Wraith answered with a frown.

“Do you think they’re going after everyone involved?”

“No. It's unproductive, too many people, too many variables.”

“Then?”

“They go after the ones that survived Carabalí himself or are near to know the truth.”

“That’d explain why William was the first, he was the easiest target and the more dangerous at the moment. Mostly considering the state we were in after what happened.”

For a minute the two of them just looked at the things over the desk, feeling both disgusted and angry. Then Wraith patted Alicia's shoulder and made a sign towards the main computer. In a second, some archives and folders opened on the screen.

Dominique didn't say anything while she opened a personal folder protected with a password. Inside there was text with just a few lines, but with enough key words to make sense.

“What the WTF found inside Maroon Salamander’s ship wasn't only a report about the SEAL 3.” Wraith said, serious and even uncertain. “The code in it, Nicholas managed to break past the first two or three code lines while you were out.”

Alicia scoffed and managed to smile sarcastically. “And the rest?”

“Favors, of course.”

“Wow.”

“Shut up. Anyway, the important thing is what was hidden inside that code.” Wraith said with a frown again. “It was some kind of agenda.”

“Agenda? How come? Like appointments or something?”

“The schedules are about the ship's cargo, the last ones at least.”

Alicia sat down and pinched her nose bridge. “Great, just great. How that shit ended in a report like that? And how the fuck did no one notice?”

“Well, about that, how can I say this…? The traitor is Red Dragon.”

“Ex-fucking-cuse me?”

“Trust me, I hated to know about this. But I confirmed with other data we have.” Wraith said with a heavy sigh. “Red Dragon is the traitor.”

Alicia laughed sarcastically and bitterly. “Are you telling me that we have a traitor AND the head of the biggest crime web we encountered so far…inside one of the Marine Corps bases?”

Wraith nodded and Alicia sighed, letting herself fall over a chair, exhausted.

“Anything else?”

“Something inside Artemis’ journals.”

“Just say it.”

Dominique gave her a paper and waited. It had a number written, ten numbers with MC in the beginning. As she read it, Alicia sighed deeply and left the paper over the table.

“Well, fuck.”

“Do you recognize it?” Wraith asked calmly.

Alicia shook her head. “Marines ID number. But if you ask me who has this number, I'm blank.” Then she sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Even if I worked a year with the records. I still won't recognize the number. And I doubt I have permission to investigate it, considering that this bastard is probably a higher ranked Marine.”

“So what now?”

“Can't you do anything as a Station Chief?”

“I don't think so.” Wraith said with a sigh, taking off her glasses. “Even I have limits at some point.”

“...Really?”

“I mean, legally I can't do anything.”

“And since when do you do things the legal way?” The Captain had said with a small teasing smile on her lips.

“Touchè.” Wraith rolled her eyes at the Captain. “You’ll owe me a big one for this, Alicia.”

“I know, but at this point, I’ll go for all or nothing.”

“That’s what worries me the most.” Wraith whispered to herself.

“What was that?” Alicia asked curiously.

“Nothing, forget it.”

[acourtofthought]

I think the moment WE all found out the whoever runs Elain week was banning ships we knew the week would not really be about Elain.

And it is now an even bigger shit show watching how they are ignoring the problematic and racially insensitive comments the artist made. The art ITSELF was fine, but what she said and how she's doubled down is NOT, and then for the mods to support her and allow other elriels do encourage those comments should honestly be called out. I know they don't care, they are already refusing accountability and trying to make it about Gwynriel, when Gwynriel is not even a part of this fucking shit show. The truly can't help themselves in finding ways to turn this on Gwyn stans.

Anyways, here is what I think, El/riels are paranoid that the fandom will perceive their ship as the minority and that is why they make everything about Elriel, they can't even celebrate Elain as ELAIN without some passive aggressive, OUT OF CONTEXT cheesy caption that reads like a school girl writing in her diary for the first time about a crush on a boy who only thinks you are hot but could care less about your personality, and because you have no standards for yourself or too naive, find that attraction is all it takes to win you over. Even if the boy never bothered to ask you once, how your day was, or bothered to get to know you, because like who cares, he is a cute boy right?

They are shallow and their lack of depth and understanding to how SJM actually wishes for her couples to be equals, and fully themselves is their downfall. But jokes on them, it does not matter how much they push Elriel, Sarah does not give a fuck.

We don't have just one book of contextually evidence of the type of romance Sarah prefers, not even two, three of even 10, we have 16 books of fated mates as endgame, because that IS THE TROPE. Have they ever read any other books? You read enough romance books, it is easy to pick up on basic set up like this:

Character A is not wholly herself around Character B. Boy wants to only protect fragile FMC, they hold back who they truly are, especially their ugly side, maybe they trauma bonded when FMC was too scared and fearful of her destiny, but eventually when the FMC starts to embrace her fate, the relationship is doomed because the boy can't handle who she is becoming.... like where have I read that before? oh in several other popular series, from Fourth Wing, Shatter Me, The Mortal Instruments, like babes, the writing is on the wall, it's the most basic set up there is, Tamlin and Chaol also fit the bill of this archetype doomed romance, and they refuse to see it.

I bet good money if they read other books they would be team jacob, team adam, team stefan, team simon, team dain...I can go on and on. I bet they were team tamlin and chaol before the next books if they were even around then. They lack depth and understanding of the most basic romance types in a vast majority of books.

Az wanting to keep Elain away from danger is not romantic. It is sniffling her. Just like Dain did not want Voilet to train. Just like Tamlin did not want Feyre to train. Just like Adam wanted to keep Juliette from fighting. Stefan refusing to accept Elena for who she was becoming, wanting her to be the girl he first met, to Simon wishing things would have been what they once were, only to realize Claire never would be and learning their love was never meant to be romantic.

Like this is not hard.

I'll see your thoughts and raise you one.

I think even before the banning of ships we knew this wasn't actually going to be a true Elain week based on the history of Elain Weeks. Most character weeks reserve a day for relationship prompts but instead, this week has always been E/riel Week 2.0 run by E/riels who limit the amount of other content that's featured.

And I agree, it is sad to see that the sum total of many of these posts are simply fanart of e/riel with a quote from the book (i.e., how handsome they would be together) and that's the entire thing. Because Feyre thinking what she did back in book 2 (though she clearly was encouraging Elain to get to know Lucien in the novella) somehow is important to the ELAIN Home Prompt. Because Feyre's words should somehow dictate where Elain will be most at home, not Elain herself when the text in SF (the most recent book) clearly shows that despite Elain's attempts at doing her best to fit in, she really doesn't.

I was talking to Luna earlier and we had discussed how Sarah set up Nesta's story like this:

Nesta was in the NC but she refused to try to acclimate to the NC. She hid herself away, would not interact with the IC, would not engage with Velaris outside of the bars and taverns she visited, did not want to participate in the NCs holidays such as Solstice (and the exchanging of gifts). She was in the NC but kept herself removed from what made it the NC. It wasn't until her book that she began to try fitting in with the things around her she found her home.

In comparison Elain is in the NC and she's trying to fit in. She's trying to interact with Feyre's found family, trying to show interest in an available NC male within Feyre's circle, participating in the holidays and traditions of the NC, trying to make friends and find a purpose there. But despite Elain doing everything she possibly can to fit in, the text supports that something still isn't working. Cruelty still bothers her, the others still don't rely on her for anything, nobody is asking her about her trauma, nobody is asking her to train her powers, she's constantly sitting by the sunniest windows and losing her color in the winter, she barely laughed in SF. Elain is doing her best but no matter how much she gives, it's not going to be enough because she's NOT where she belongs. Versus Nesta, who finally gave in and began trying and realized she was where she belonged all this time.

But as you said, they are so fixated on such surface level things (they wanted to kiss!! Feyre said they'd be handsome together!) that they forget about the deeper, more meaningful aspects of Sarah's endgame pairings. And you're right, it will not matter how many fanarts they make, how loud they are within the fandom, it's not going to change what Sarah writes. Sarah has spoken time and again about what a toxic relationship looks like to her (Tamlin / Feyre), what a true connection for her looks like since she feels she has that with Josh, and she set E/riel up to look exactly like the Feyre / Tamlin romance did. Ignoring what kind of author she is and what relationships she prefers isn't going to help them. I think I'd have more respect if they said, "yes, I see where Az's behavior with Elain is problematic but I believe Sarah will have him made amends". But instead, they insist Az is so romantic towards Elain, that they share in true love. ?!$!$%#% WHERE????? You said it above but he does not have faith in her, he does not give her credit for anything she did in the war, he was not there for her during any of her arguments with Nesta in the last year. That is not love, not in any of the books you mentioned above and definitely not in a Sarah J Maas book. It's even more noticeable because of how she wrote Az reacting to Gwyn through the book, thinking on how far she's come, showing pride and admiration for her, believing in her. He isn't in love with Gwyn yet but those traits are a much more beautiful and solid foundation to build a real relationship on than talking about seeds, appearances and wanting to eat her out after avoiding her for a year.

Side note, I know you were saying Az is "stifling" her but the typo reads Az is sniffling her and I can't stop smiling because it's so funny when you read it that way.

[shadowshrike]

One of the things I find so interesting about Miyuki's path to Seido is that, in the anime, it seems like he's never talked about it with anyone on the team. This adds some interesting layers to Chris and Miyuki's relationship, which is already characterized by a ton of implied off-screen interaction and unspoken connection. During Miyuki's flashback episode, one of the most-overlooked parts is the bus scene which acts as a framing device. It's filled with fascinating mico-interactions and hints of character dynamics.

We start with Sawamura making a racket about Miyuki talking to Mei. Chris (almost always seen as Miyuki's bus partner), after confirming that Narumiya was there, doesn't question Miyuki's loyalty or ask what they discussed. Instead, he makes a comment that he had heard Miyuki was invited to the same school as Mei. Judging by Miyuki's intense reaction, he's never talked about that with anyone at Seido, especially not Chris.

They seem like they're in their own world as they have a long-overdue silent discussion, with both of them and Rei ignoring Sawamura's screaming. Kuramochi, ever-observant and in charge of keeping Sawamura in line, tells him to shut up despite neither catcher saying a word out loud.

Miyuki's eyes are hidden by his glasses as he calls Chris and Rei's names, something usually seen when he wants to hide his true feelings. Both react with surprise as he mentions them.

However, when he expresses why he said their names, Chris is the only one who still seems shocked, while Rei gives a warm, knowing smile. It appears as though Miyuki has never expressed to Chris how much influence he had over Miyuki's decision, and Chris never figured it out through all his research on other players.

It makes me wonder if Chris was unaware simply due to his injury or if Miyuki hid it from him to protect both himself from showing that vulnerability and Chris from the added guilt of disappointing a kohai. It also makes me wonder, both from this interaction and the one on Miyuki's birthday when Rei takes him to see Chris at PT, whether she knowingly used Chris' importance to Miyuki to guide him to Seido. It feels like, from her expression here, she has been fully aware of their connection since she scouted Miyuki.

Finally, it's worth noting that Miyuki's smiles in this section are consistently softer than usual. Private, almost. Both before his flashback and afterward, when he looks at Chris and contemplates if being here was destiny, he smiles in a way that he never does when he speaks to his teammates. We really only see that genuine emotion from Miyuki in the story when no one's looking at him and he's contemplating how much he loves baseball, his team, or he looks at Chris.

[burstofastar]

Tekken — Random thoughts

Okay, but Nina and Jin in Tekken 6? I simply love them. Tekken 6 gave (not just me but some other people too) the foundation for an amazing ship.

A respectful relationship that started with work, and the Scenario Campaign showed their closeness and confidence, without losing their professionalism and focus on Jin's goal.

Story-wise, Tekken 6 is… interesting, to say the least. I don't know, I still have mixed feelings about the direction they gave Jin's development and what he was like since Tekken 3.

I can't say that I like that in Tekken 6 he became a war criminal and did such aberrations, when Azazel's problem could have been addressed in another way; because actually, I don't like it at all.

But on the other hand, I don't totally hate the concept itself. I just find it a little hard to digest.

What I can save (or at least try to) is that, from a personal opinion, I don't think he did it because it's the destiny of bearers of Mishima blood to be corrupted. Because, in fact, I don't think Jin was corrupted by having Mishima blood or by the influence of the Devil Gene.

I think he did everything out of his conscience. A twisted, fucked up and terrible way of doing things, but by conscience at the end. Because if we go to the fact, he always struggled and fought against the influence of the curse, and tried to keep it at bay as much as he could (in despite of his T3 and T4 endings, in T5 vs. Hwoarang, in T7 in the desert)… well, in the end of Scenario Campaign we could see how Jin consciously used the power of the Devil Gene (without turning into Devil) to defeat Azazel.

It's a bummer that they "ruined" Jin like that, but it was an interesting chapter in Tekken history.

Anyway, before starting to wander more than necessary… I know that Tekken: Blood Vengeance and the Tekken Comic by Titan Comics aren't canon either, but Nina and Jin roles in each one are a good addition for this dreamy ship (especially in the comics).

And no, my point isn't that the base of the ship has to be that the woman has to do the whole work and being his support 24/7 (a thing that usually happens in the Japanese culture: the female character being just a bland sidekick with no depth and the protagonist's love interest; just as in mostly of shonens, for example), or because it's just the job she was hired for… But because both of them could relate to each other: both suffering child abuse from a close family member, both having family members they dislike, both having lost a family member they loved, both having suffered and survived Ogre's attack, and both having a mostly lonely path in life… because they know they're not the best company and their methods are very questionable.

Feelings aren't part of their lifestyle and not allowing themselves to open their hearts (because having feelings means their goals be compromised), is a fact. And it's a fact that a ship like this will never happen in canon, yet I always loved their genuine mutual trust and respect. It's far away from the Japanese culture's typical cliché of the badass lonely boy and the cute submissive girl who has a huge crush on him, is ghosted during most of the series and wants to "save" him but just meddles, resulting annoying most of times. It reminds me to someone… Wait!!

Alright, speaking more seriously now… Tekken 6 turned 14 years some days ago (especifically for PS3 and XBox, on October 30th), and this was a good opportunity to talk about an underestimated and unapreciated OTP.

I'm very intrigued about what's going to happen in Tekken 8, and the path of both of them when Bamco already revealed the roster's bios. Nina working for Kazuya doesn't make sense if we take into account her relationship with Jin during Tekken 6, the fact that she failed on purpose for Lars and Lee to protect Jin from Heihachi and... taking as bonus the non-canonical comics and BV.

Possibly developers will take the path of Street Fighter x Tekken's story? Nina working with Kazuya but undercover, for Jin's instructions? Because no one can deny how amazing was Jin trusting someone since the beginning, spending time with that someone and being able to share thoughts... even if it's just professionaly.

P.s.: I feel the luckiest guy alive, since I have the privilege of writing this wonderful ship on Twitter... I mean, X. My dearest friend @carade0jete and I roleplay as Nina and Jin, respectively, since almost five years. An amazing journey that still goes on and will last until that app is either ruined or closed by El*n M*sk. Love you, bb. ♥️✨

[valorxdrive]

❝ Just like that, we're going to put it into a mold after so it needs to be flexible. ❞ Aqua explains, as he helps her knead the dough they'd just prepared.

When she heard that Sora had become something of an exceptional cook she saw it as an opportunity to have a helping hand within the kitchen. Ven and Kairi had a big sweet tooth after all, and both were... well... they left much to be desired when it came to baking.

To this day Aqua doesn't know how Kairi managed to set a pudding recipe on fire.

Sora, however, was a lot more at ease, being as laid back as he was. And it makes for the moment as relaxing as baking should be.

Aqua steps aside to begin washing some strawberries in the sink. ❝ Thank you for collecting so many ingredients for me. We can make plenty of strawberry tarts with all these. I know Ven will want seconds, he loves them. ❞ Her smile goes a little distant when she adds, ❝ Master Eraqus did, too. ❞ Embarrassed by her sentimentality, especially knowing how their... former conversations regarding herm aster went, Aqua quickly moves on.

❝ Something tells me you didn't learn your way around a kitchen from a book. How'd you do it, Sora? ❞

[ u rang for some cute >:U ]

Finding himself in the rhythm of the kitchen was more peaceful than given credit for. Pressure was an element he thrived in, mastering multi-tasking was pivotal (and life-saving mind you), so to have this transform into an act where he can make delicacies felt too tempting to pass up.

That is, once he got past the idea of his master's particular methods of teaching him.

So to see how it has Aqua practically beaming as they got to work simply felt gratifying. Even without looking, his end of preparations were done with hands that practically baked the basics into them. "Flexible, got it." Somehow the thought sprung an unintended chuckle from him. "Normally that's a keyblade wielder's MO to begin with. Is this dough gonna have an initiation soon itself?" The idea of some superpowered tarts was an appeasing one!

After all, somehow mythical ice cream managed to be an ability, there's little doubt that someone might've mastered magical cooking.

Sora's hands found themselves dangerously effective in getting that dough in the required state. No knots, bumps or anything of the sort, the texture found itself smooth and prepared by the time Aqua would finish up with those strawberries.

For a moment he pauses, capturing the way her tone referred to her boys with such a level of Heart. Unconsciously it prompted Sora to move a bit closer to her, that dough soon finished as he began to wash up the last lingering share of those strawberries. "Then you'll have to double down to make sure he can get a good whiff of them too. Aqua-- If you'd like too, why don't leave a share there for Master Eraqus too?"

They may no longer be able to see them, by no means does that mean they're lost. It was a belief that Sora would never allow to be wrenched from his hands. The suggestion would be left up in the air, and entirely in her ballpark to either accept or ignore altogether. Instead he'd bring his attention to the question that seemed to capture many. (Oh, the reactions on Destiny Islands were priceless.) A thoughtful hum brewed within his chest.

"An apprenticeship from Twilight Town. A pretty legendary Master found themselves the captain of a Bistro there. They decided to show me the ropes after we hit it off, eheh, much of a challenge that was to start with." By NO means did she need to know the more 'controlling' details of this!

"Let's just say they have a knack for bringing out people's cooking thumbs."

@piousolus

[sadsoftserve]

Hope y'all like angst. Bonnie angst to be exact. 😋

She's my stinky little gal. I love her, even though I give her trauma. (Small fanfic below? Can I even call it that? It's more of a convo tbh. Tw, mentions of Self harm ig)

Bonnie was covered in scars, all from multiple events and reasons. Some came from the fights she had been in, some came from her past, but the most prevalent ones came from herself. It was a bad habit. One she had kept at bay forever; almost going on three years now, all broken by a razor.

It hurt. It always did, yet she found some sort of release from it. That release she was heavily ashamed of. She covered her arms with layers, making sure no one was able to see, and it usually played out in her favor. Sweet Jazz being cold year round made it easy. The annual heat wave did not.

"Bonnie. Take off the flannel." Ramsey said as her turned down the AC more. "You're probably burnin' up in that thing." He was right, she was sweating buckets, but she didn't want him of all people to see her scars, especially the recent ones.

"I'm fine." She replied as she tied up her hair. She was dead set on keeping them secret, her pride, and what little reputation she had left was at risk.

Ramsey sighed at his niece's stubborn attitude. "Fine, don't come to me when you're on her verge of passin' out. I will say I told you so." He sat on the couch next to her and placed his head on his hands. Taiga Country was a cold place, but that didn't mean heat waves didn't happen. And when they did everyone was in misery. He looked over to Bonnie who was in a heat induced misery as well. "Kid. I can see the heat waves emmitting from you. Take off the damn flannel before you sweat through it."

Bonnie sighed. "What if I don't want to?" She asked, trying to keep it on, but Ramseys professional manipulative nature knew what she was playing at, and he was going to beat her at her own game.

"What are you hiding?" He got really serious about that sentence. "Why don't you wanna take it off?" He asked. Ramsey wouldn't say it out loud, but Bonnie was his world, and he knew what she's been through. If she was going to these lengths to keep her arms covered, he could guess what was up.

"..." Bonnie stayed silent. "I'm sure you can figure it out, old man."

"Show me." He held out his hand, waiting for Bonnie to show him exactly how bad they were. She took off her flannel and gave him her arm. Most of the cuts above her elbow were old and had healed by now, but the ones below looked fresher. Some looked so recent that they were swelling around the cut. He had dealt with this before with her, but that was three years ago. "Why'd you relapse? You were three years clean, kid." He asked his voice soft and caring.

"Because.. I-" Bonnie shrugged. "It got hard again, they know... Everything." Bonnie's own face got softer and more solem.

"Who knows everything?" He asked.

"Everybody." She said. "It's, Destiny's little group of friends have been telling everyone about everything. Not just this." Bonnie admitted, as she took her arm back.

Ramsey sighed. "So that's the reason? You're only feeding into what they're speadin', kid." He put it simply. "And how'd she even find out about all that?"

Bonnie shrugged. "I don't know. I didn't tell anyone not even my closest friends."

"Damn." He said. "You shouldn't be worrying about stuff like that, Bonnie. You're fifteen. And I know you've had it hard most of your life, but you gotta let the past go. It's over with." He said, giving her the best advice he could. "You gotta look ahead, past all that. And that bitch of a teammate." He pat her on the back. "Listen. Please don't hide stuff like that from me, I know I'm an old conman, but I care about you."

Bonnie nodded. "Yeah. You are pretty old aren't you?"

"Yup. I'm older than the earth itself." He chuckled trying to lift the mood. "Are those cuts clean?" He asked, trying to make sure her cuts won't get infected.

Bonnie shook her head. "I don't think so."

"Well then, let's get that taken care of." He said.

[curryfury13]

Hello!

Welcome to my first retrospective post. This one should be fun, huh? We're going to go through the first chapter of my very first fan-fiction. Not word for word, mind you, but as commentary. I'll provide the link if you're interested in reading the chapter itself, but otherwise I'll be talking about where I was at as a creator when I wrote it.

Think of this as the special features! Ever wonder what the heck that creator was thinking when they made that dumb decision? Well now's your chance to find out! Or something like that.

Storytelling in general was a new concept for me.

Something I've only recently opened up about publicly is that growing up, I struggled with reading books. I'd reread the same paragraph over and over again, never really absorbing anything I actually read. I could do some audio-books occasionally—which helped immensely when it came to schooling—but proper grammar, pacing, actual writing, I hadn't a clue. Turns out it was due to a fun load of disassociation. Well, I mean as much fun as swallowing a tortilla chip the wrong way at a party, which really isn't much fun at all.

This is all to say, I went into writing this story not knowing how to write a story. And you might be asking yourself, then why, oh why, did I write this story? The answer to that is because I wanted to. Go swallow a tortilla chip!

All I really knew was that I loved Kingdom Hearts and it brought me a lot of comfort when I wasn't feeling great. Those were roughly my words when my husband asked me what I wanted to write about and it's still true to this day. He also asked me what I would want to add to the story, because while I could simply novelize the games, that's already been done. What did I want to add?

That's when Hinata was born.

And I mean born. She was genuinely, just barely made up when I started True Friends. I believe I decided her name as I was in the process of writing. No pre-planning, no outline, just opened the laptop and typed away. For better or worse.

Seeing the person she is now compared to how she started is mind boggling to me. She isn't the same girl Riku pulled out of the water.

I kid, I kid. This was the humble beginning. I can still feel my giddy excitement when I reread this chapter.

I also like to refer to this chapter as, Not Interesting At All Really

There was so much I wanted to get to, so many rampant ideas that I needed to thread together without the slightest idea of how I'd do it. My first goal was, let's make sure everyone knows the characters. Mention Riku's yearning for the outside world, Kairi being from another world, and Sora's general, Sora-ness. It was quick, vague, and all a bit awkward, especially since a majority of my readers would be Kingdom Hearts fans in the first place. They didn't need those needless explanations!

Reading it now, you can still feel that awkward tension. The feeling of, I just need to get this out of the way and get to the good stuff.

One detail I tried to get into on Destiny Islands was diving into Kairi's emotions about her fall and loss of memories. It's never really explored in the games, spare for Memory of Melodies, I suppose, and it was something I wanted to try and explore more.

While I do think it's an interesting concept, if I ever try and rewrite this story, I don't think this thread will carry over. It doesn't really go anywhere in the end, and I feel like it drives Kairi to act out of character in True Friends. It may be something that does eat at her, but it's not something she would act out about. She's content with her life on Destiny Islands.

Overall, it's not a horrible start! It's something that still makes me smile when I read it. A lot of heart and love went into it. And I still have to give myself a small pat on the back that Hinata did show up rather quickly. Something happened right off the bat and the story didn't drag its feet.

In the first chapter anyway... Later on. That's a different story.

[incorrecttowerofgodquotes]

Gundam: The Witch From Mercury Season 2 Episode 6 Review

- Suletta needs to learn proper coping techniques fast. Just ignoring the problem doesn’t make it go away. All that does is let it build up inside you until you snap. However, since the very beginning, Suletta has acted as a doormat, letting people walk all over her without speaking up for herself. She deserves to be sad, she deserves to be angry. Being a people-pleaser will only just tear her apart more. Luckily, both Chuchu and Eri realized this, and while Chuchu went about it the healthier way, it was good of Eri to finally cut off Suletta. She needs to establish a life outside of being Aerial’s pilot. It might have been what she was made for, but fuck destiny and parental expectations! Live your own life tanuki!

- Earth House claiming the best supporting character spots simply by recognizing what’s wrong with Suletta and actually acting on it, especially Chuchu. She pushes Suletta to express her true feelings and makes the plan to go see Miorine so she can explain herself. She’s grown up from the violent little doggy she was before. She uses her anger to push her forward, but she isn’t letting it take over her like Norea

- Poor Lauda is projecting his insecurities onto Suletta (though he isn’t really wrong.) He’s dedicated his life and self worth into supporting his brother, much like Suletta with Aerial, and now that Miorine’s the one by his side, he feels empty. He needs to come into his own as person and separate himself from his brother. I can only hope his adorable girlfriend Petra can help him through these times.

- Lauda and Felsi thanking Chuchu made me weak. They’re so honorable. But what shot me in the heart was Felsi’s smile and look back at Chuchu before she ran off. She loves that poofy girl so much. I’d love to see the two go to Earth and fight together

- I feel so bad for Martin. He did the right thing in reporting Nika because she never explained herself despite him giving her multiple chances, and he wanted to protect the rest of his friends. Dude’s carrying a heavy weight on his shoulders, but his little therapy session just made it worse.

- WHAT THE FUCK SECELIA!

- Girl created a whole catholic confession booth on the school to figure out the student’s dirty secrets. Interesting thing though, is that it’s Rouji’s Haro instead of the normal ones. The normal Haro’s are connected to the authorities and report everything but since Rouji’s is custom, it probably doesn’t have that feature. And is Secelia doing this just because she likes gossip or because she’s now taking her job seriously and wants to weed out any dangerous individuals? Or is the Burion House sort of like a secret police that monitors everyone?

- Shaddiq ONCE AGAIN is a total snake, but he’s definitely bit off more than he could chew by meeting with Prospera. If Shaddiq is two steps ahead of our main cast, Prospera is at the top of the stairs ready to push him down

- Peil House is the worst group of people I’ve ever seen in my life. They literally just let a computer decide the fates of orphaned children and pick out which ones they’ll experiment on. Elan Prime was lucky. He could have ended up another Enhanced Person if fate decided to be a dick. Which probably only makes El5n even more pissed. Like, he could have been the special one, but instead some computer decided he wasn’t important enough

- Speaking of El5n, my beloved, tight lips my ass. Bro just spilled the whole tea on Peil to two random fugitives. Shows just how much he hates them. But poor Nika wasn’t expecting to have to deal with all that and now she’s floundering. Maybe she’ll start working on Gundams that don’t kill people. Also El5n calling out Norea and pointing out the similarities between each other all while she’s trying to stab him is hot and I ship them so hard. Nika should ask Sabina for a separate room or she’ll be witness to their hatefucking

- Finally we see the Schwarzette! There’s been so much discussion about this suit, what it was or who would pilot it, and now we get to see it in all its glory. We’ll have to see if the AI will take on the Permet strain or if it’ll hurt the pilot.

- If this anime wasn’t political already, then we’re about to get sooooo political. Miorine is gonna have a hard time connecting with the rioters considering her position and personality. Maybe Guel will be able to help her navigate, and maybe even use his Dawn of Fold connections. Personally, if they want to help, I think setting up field hospitals would be the first best step but that’s just me

- The swole chad Kenanji has now joined the group and I’m so excited. Bro was hyped up in the prologue and then dropped off the face of the earth. But considering he’s on the same spaceship as Prospera, I don’t think he’ll be getting out of it alive

- Eri’s a savage. She allowed Suletta to come to her just to tell her she’s ditching her. Like, I know she’s trying to help, but she could have been gentler. And activating the Permet really didn’t help either.

- Prospera actually does something nice and stops using Suletta for her revenge. But she still doesn’t explain anything and this leaves Suletta a sobbing broken mess out in space. Truly the mother of the year. But the way she defers to Eri shows that ultimately, she’s a broken woman who just wants her daughter back. Everything she’s done is all so she can be with Eri again, ignoring the thousands of people she’s trampled

Next episode is gonna be painful as well. I don’t expect good things to happen on Earth, especially not since karma magnet Guel and warcrime MILF Prospera are there. Also since Shaddiq was the title vocalist, maybe we’ll get more of his backstory?