#it’s like. this isn’t a bad thing bc i think it’s well executed but it’s a pretty derivative series

[ambassadorquark]

i can’t believe i have to say this but dungeon meshi did not invent elves being assholes

[shima-draws]

OOUGHHH been thinking about Grovyle lately and how much I just *clenches fists* love him. Listen to me. Listen,

He is the character of all time. He’s introduced as a wanted criminal stealing something SO forbidden that even the worst Pokemon criminals won’t even touch. That immediately shoots his coolness factor through the ROOF. And the fact that nobody is able to catch him;; AND we see that he’s ridiculously clever and smart and can worm his way out of just about any situation with a bit of quick thinking. And he’s always surrounded in this air of mystery and intrigue and you’re set up to think well yeah he’s stealing Time Gears and stopping time everywhere OBVIOUSLY he has to be an asshole. Except during your first encounter with him he’s very calm and collected and shockingly polite, and even apologizes when he attacks you?? Basically just the opposite of what you’d expect from a criminal. And then to top it off you find out he’s from the FUTURE?? Which is SO sick. And he’s got some secret history with Dusknoir. And when he’s finally captured and being brought into Treasure Town all tied up he doesn’t even act out UNTIL Dusknoir mentions the planet’s paralysis. Which is the first hint you get that things are a leetle sus.

And when you get taken to the future and are about to be executed…he helps you? He has literally zero obligation to do so, esp since you’ve attacked him before. And there’s another subtle hint that maybe deep down he’s got a soft side, that he’s actually not a bad person. And it’s heartbreaking bc he finally knows someone else who is a common enemy of Dusknoir, and he clearly wants to team up with you, bc all this time he’d been by himself in the past and having people he can trust would make things so much easier (and it’s startling how easy he trusts others, too, especially considering everything he’s been through). But your partner isn’t having it and you can FEEL the disappointment he feels that he’s not able to convince you, that you aren’t going to work together, that he can’t have someone else to rely on besides himself. But that little spark, that glimmer of hope comes back when you catch up to him and you’re like yeah we’re going to decide for ourselves what we think about all this. And you find out from Celebi that Grovyle’s always been hasty, always hurrying ahead to try and achieve his goals, and it’s admirable but also regrettable bc he doesn’t ever have time for anything else.

And THEN you discover the truth…that he’s been your partner all along…and he speaks of you so fondly and has such faith in you that he’s totally fine leaving things to you and letting himself get captured because he trusts you SO much. And the despair right after when he finds out you’ve been traveling alongside him the entire time. His precious partner is also going to get captured and executed and the world is doomed to fall into disrepair. But then your partner ignites that spark of hope again and it’s enough, and you make it back to the past, and suddenly things are different but in a good way because Grovyle suddenly has someone to rely on again, even without a memory to go with it. But he can also tell that because of your amnesia he’s no longer important to you, not by choice of course, but you’ve found someone else, a partner suited for you that brings out the best in you. And that’s fucking heartbreaking because everything the two of you shared is gone now, and you’ve moved on, and even though you’re THERE you’re also so far away and so different from the person he once knew. But he knows he has to let you go, had to from the start anyway, because of the sacrifice you were prepared to make. That BOTH of you were prepared to make. And despite the fact that you have no memory he still. Trusts you. Completely. Enough to sacrifice himself to take Dusknoir back to the future. And believe that you’ll follow through with the vow you made and prevent the planet’s paralysis. And he KNOWS you will so he doesn’t know how much time he has left but it doesn’t matter because he’s been prepared to disappear, to die knowing that he’s saved the future, that he made his mark and was able to shine in his finest moments. He can leave this world knowing he did what he set out to do and he made a difference and things will be better for everyone he’s leaving behind. Shut up. Shut UP. I care about him so much I am GOING to explode. THE character ever. You don’t understand,

[scenetocause]

can i ask about grid boy oscar please?

ofc. grid boy oscar my beloved.

basically: the fia brings gridpeople back as a concept but they're there all season and it's an excuse to put oscar in a skimpy leotard, as well as various situations like having to participate in an FIA litterpicking initiative and endorse synthetic fuel as part of the "grid for good". all of this happens in front of a particularly half-drowned cat lando who's desperately lonely and kind of falling apart. also logan is lando's teammate (bc if no oscar he would have won f3, etc) and they are quite fun to write together.

lando basically falls in love with his hot, slightly awkward grid boy and keeps giving oscar his coat or hoodie and things when he's cold or his umbrella when it's hot and oscar's a bit bemused about it but not arguing because he only took this job to try and make contacts with teams about an engineering internship. except there's this cute, weird driver who keeps asking him to hang out and keep him company at dinner and falling asleep while oscar's sitting on his bed and lando sometimes looks so pathetically needy. oscar has no idea what he could do to help him out but he wants to.

so lando sort of staggers through the season, with oscar as more and more of a support and they're both a little bit lost but helping each other enough and then perhaps they have a lovely little snog when they realise they're going to be separated and oh, maybe they won't be, then.

snippet under the cut

“What do you think about the grid girls - well, grid people?” Lando is not expecting Ted Kravitz to ambush him, Notebook mic in hand, while he was trying to re-do his shoelace under the only bit of rain cover near McLaren’s hospitality in Suzuka.

“Uh.” He blinks, water dripping in front of his eyes. “They’re uh, they’re very nice?”

Ted gives him a look like that’s not the right answer and Lando’s mouth panics before his brain has time to catch up. 

“Nice people, you know. They clearly have lots of passion for Formula 1 and they-” there’s rain running into his mouth, off his hood. Has to pause to swallow and shake his head like a dog. “They’re here, you know, because of that.”

“Oh, right.” Ted nods. “Yes, it’s good for them, isn’t it?”

There’s a note of concern in his voice that says he’s not totally sure what they just had was a coherent conversation but it’s the Notebook so. Whatever. Lando shakes himself again, water spraying, as Ted burbles away from him and he finally gets the sopping wet lace on his team trainers into something approaching a knot that might hold to the car park, at least.

Logan catches up to him with a papaya umbrella halfway there. “Dude. You’re soaked.”

Ok, yeah, Lando probably should have thought about an umbrella himself. He’s a bit out of sorts, lately - Jon used to handle all that sort of thing for him and he’s actually fine coping on his own and it’s ok for Jon to be home for a few races and Lando’s an adult, yeah? He’s leading the team, Logan doing well enough but the points gap between them clear, Lando getting asked about executive-level decisions in the group like he’s one of the real grown ups, lately. 

So he’s doing fine, alright? Just, like, a bit wet. On this particular occasion. Sometimes he’s also thirsty and can’t find his water bottle or hungry and hasn’t remembered there’s a wrap ready in the fridge but he’s basically alright. His back hurts more but he’s fine, it’s only a few races. He can do this.

“Where’s the - team car or whatever, anyway?” Now he’s under the umbrella it’s obvious quite how bad it was, water sluicing off the spokes like it’s out of a tap. 

“I dunno.” Logan sighs, heavily. “I just figured Zak’d probably have another reason to fire me if I let you drown.”

[marblemoonstones]

stiletto 👠

main masterlist

summary: bangtan may think they’re the mafia kings, but little do they know you are the rising queen.

warnings: ❗️any characters in the story have nothing to do with their real life counterparts❗️f reader, use of ‘bitch,’ ‘ass’, ‘shit’ (still don’t know if it counts as a warning lol), mentions of killing (nothing happens), tae and kook threatened by reader (nothing happens), shooting of guns (no injuries)

a/n: sorry i haven’t posted in forever 🥲 i’ve been so busy, but i’m still working on catharsis 🩵 

this is just a silly little mafia one shot because i wanted to try something different. reader is a bad bitch bc i wanted her to beat bangtan in a fic for once ;) also pretty tame in terms of violence and such for a mafia fic. hope you enjoy!

word count: ~2.3k

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Opening my eyes, I immediately sense that someone’s watching me. I pretend to not notice it, going about my daily morning routine. The cameras are subtle, but my eyes catch them quickly. These boys may be smart but I’m always one step ahead. I knew that they were going to watch/trail me the second I turned down their business proposal. 

~ Two days ago

“Stiletto, you have a business meeting with Bangtan today,” my assistant tells me. 

“Oh, it totally slipped my mind,” I say, knowing full well about the meeting. You have to act forgetful once in a while or else people assume that you know everything and don’t tell you anything. 

“It’s in an hour in your office.” I nod at the reminder, and wave her off. Venus is a hard-working girl and not a snitch, so I’ve kept her around as my assistant. She knows the consequences of betraying me.

An hour passes by quickly, dealing with my product shipping and whatnot. I’ve been involved for a good seven years; in both the technology industry and the mafia. My technology is top notch, and this led many mafia bosses to want to buy my products. I’m happy to oblige, as this makes me a pretty penny.

A sharp knock on my door makes me smirk. 

I call out, “Come in.” 

Seven men dressed in suits enter and shut the door behind them. 

Bangtan. 

“Hello Stiletto, it’s good to finally meet you,” Kim Namjoon says cordially.

“Likewise. Now, let’s get to it. I’m a busy woman, so if you please, give me your deal.” My face is blank, eyes steely, scrutinizing them as they do the same to me. 

(a/n, I didn’t go into specifics with the deal because I’m not good with that sort of thing, so sorry for being so vague :’)) 

I listen to their proposal, knowing from the first sentence that it’s not going to happen. At least, not with me. The deal has minor holes and could easily be executed with another company. My price is also not met. 

“I’m sorry to interrupt Mr. Kim, but this isn’t going to work. Have a good day,” I dismiss them, seeing the looks of anger flash in their eyes.

“What do you mean it won’t work, Stiletto?” Min Yoongi asks, barely concealing his anger.

“Are you deaf? I mean it won’t work. Find another company. Goodbye.” I’m about to call for security, but they keep pushing on. Well. Looks like they have some bark in them. But I have more important things to be doing than entertain some boys and I know I’ll see them again soon enough.

“You’ll regret this later,” Park Jimin says, and before he can say more I interrupt. 

“I know that I won’t. Goodbye.” And with that, I have security escort them out. Granted, they don’t put up much of a fight, but instead I see them clench their fists if only for a brief second. Good. They’re mad. I hope that they learned that I can be a bitch, exactly as everyone says. 

Hence the nickname Stiletto. Stilettos may be pretty looking but they’re also powerful. I bet you’ve never seen someone walk in stilettos and not look like a bad bitch. 

Ever since this nickname was given to me, I have worn a pair every day. Why not give the people what they want? 

I had to kill everyone who knew my actual name, so now only a select few remain who know my actual name; Y/n.

~ Present Day

Bangtan is so mad that they are trailing me to try to find weaknesses to make me bend to their deal. Their attempt is almost comical. Almost. I don’t have weaknesses. Growing up in an orphanage led me to learn and figure out things by myself. 

My black suit is waiting for me, and I slip on my signature stilettos. They have red soles, an exclusive one-of-a-kind shoe made especially for me. Little does the brand know that I made some alterations to the shoes. I made the tips be steel and each shoe has a small dagger hidden inside the stiletto. 

My black purse is waiting and I check my inbox as I make my way downstairs and into my garage where my chauffeur is waiting. 

The cameras inside the house have already been disabled, courtesy of Venus’s hacking skills. That girl is shaping up to me more and more like me everyday. I smile inside at the thought of toying with Bangtan. Some say they’re the most powerful mafia, even going as far to call them the ‘mafia kings’ but I know better than that. They may be more known in the industry, but my name is still influential and slowly climbing the ranks. I blame me being a woman for the reason why I’m not on top. Most of the mafia bosses think I’m just a pretty face who can’t be taken seriously. Someday I’ll destroy all their empires and watch them burn. (she says nonchalantly lol)

I get out of the car at my office and head inside. Venus greets me, showing me my schedule of the day. I thank her, the only person I ever do, and head off to my office. It’s a peaceful workday, considering that I haven’t had to hurt/kill anyone yet. 

It’s around 2:00pm when I get a notification on my phone saying that there are two unidentifiable figures that breached our building. I dismiss getting security to investigate as I know that it’s Bangtan. Perfect. They’re coming just as I knew they would. I know it’ll take them about a half an hour to reach my office so I wait eagerly. 

Half an hour later I’m sending an email when I can feel their eyes on me. Based on my research I can guess that it’s Jungkook and Taehyung in the vents. These two are the deadly duo and also the sneakiest. 

While Yoongi and Hoseok are the best at weaponry, Namjoon and Seokjin are the best fighters (with Seokjin doubling as a doctor), Jimin is a master manipulator, and Taehyung and Jungkook are the stealthiest. Jungkook is their ace though, good at everything. 

I internally feel giddy, but on the outside I pretend that I don’t notice them.

I let this go on for another half hour, knowing that they’re watching every move. So I send boring emails and don’t do any actually work. I already shut down their hacking and can’t wait to shut down their camera that’s been in my office all day. But that comes later in my plan. 

After hitting send on another email, I start typing up an rsvp and say, “Boys, it’s time to come down now. I know you’re up there, so be good and come out.” 

There aren’t any noises but I can tell that they didn’t expect this. 

Bangtan doesn’t expect me to know their every move. I have tabs on all of them at all times, and they don’t know I know all their tricks in the book. Including trailing business owners who don’t accept their deals.

Since they aren’t responding, I decide to have some fun and use their names. 

“Kim Taehyung and Jeon Jungkook…the maknaes of Bangtan. Be good boys and come out, okay? We don’t want this getting out of hand,” I say sweetly, imagining their eyes widen at me calling them out by name. 

I count slowly in my head…three…two…one…

Bang! The vents come open and they drop down silently behind me. I turn around in my chair and see the two culprits. 

“Hello boys. Have a seat.” I say, leaving them no room for argument. They sit down and don’t speak. I know they’re searching for ways to escape, but I won’t let them. They’re not the only ones good at planning.

“Look, I’m not going to force you to talk about anything. But just know that you shouldn’t try to-“

Before I can finish Jungkook brings out a gun and fires it at me. I dodge it and pull out a gun of my own.

“Don’t even think about it buddy. I have dozens of weapons aimed at you that could fire at any moment, so sit your ass down.” This makes him slightly wary, and he lowers his gun. 

“Give me your weapons boys,” I demand next, knowing that I could still win against them in a heartbeat but don’t want to take that chance.

They get them out for me but I notice Jungkook forgot two and Taehyung forgot one.

“Jungkook, give me the dagger in your hair and behind your ear and Taehyung, give me your ankle dagger,” I sigh impatiently. 

They do as I say, surprised at my knowledge. 

“Perfect. Good boys, thank you,” I praise, knowing that this makes them uncomfortable. And it works. Jungkook looks down slightly while I see Taehyung swallow. 

I stalk over to the filing cabinet and pull out the camera recording all of this. I smirk slightly into it and place it down in front of the boys and I. 

“Hello Bangtan, thanks for sending your maknaes to me. We’ve been having a jolly good time,” I say into the camera, noticing Jungkook and Taehyung exchange glances.

“Anyways, better come get them before something happens to them…that would be horrible,” I say, my tone a hint darker than before. Then I crush and destroy the camera. 

I turn back to Jungkook and Taehyung.

“I’ll guess…thirty-four minutes until they come for you. In the meantime, do make yourselves comfortable. I have snacks and shit in the mini fridge if you’re feeling peckish. But don’t try anything!” I singsong, going back to my desk. 

They look at each other, confused at what’s going on. One second I’m threatening them the next I’m offering them food. I ignore their looks and continue typing and responding to emails.

Precisely thirty-four minutes later the rest of Bangtan comes bursting through my office door.

“Where are they?!” Namjoon booms, gun in hand.

“They are right there,” I say, pointing to the two boys who haven’t moved from their sitting positions.

I see Bangtan freeze, if only for a split second. I know that they’re shocked I didn’t harm them/tie them up somehow.

“Did you do anything to them? Because if you did, I swear to god Stiletto I’ll-“

“Calm down Hoseok, can’t you see they’re unharmed?” I state boredly, gesturing to the maknaes.

“It’s true Hobi,” Jin says, rushing over to inspect his babies. 

“Aw, such a happy reunion,” I say, then sharpen my tone. “Looks, you idiots need to learn that no means no. I don’t want your business deal, so stop trying. It’s not working.”

“You sure, Stiletto?” Jimin asks me, a calculating grin on his face, “Because it seems to me that you care a lot about our babies, not even harming them. What does that show?”

I roll my eyes. “Jimin, quit it. Your tactics don’t work on me.” 

“Ooh, feisty. I like you, Stiletto,” Jimin says, sidling up to me and putting his arm around my shoulder.

Quick as a wink I take his arm off my shoulder and twist him so we’re now face-to-face. 

“Isn’t it obvious? I like you too Jimin,” I say, staring deep into his eyes. Oh how I love toying with them.

He falters for a millisecond then regains his composure and licks his lips.

“Great, so let’s make a deal-“

“You silly boy,” I push him away much to his dismay, “I already told you, no means no. Now, get out of here before I shoot you all.” I’ve had my fun and it’s time for them to go.

“Look, Stiletto, we don’t mean to cause issues with-“

“Trailing me? Putting cameras up in my own home and office? Attempting to hack my technology? Sending your babies to spy on me? It seems that you have caused issues. While I like to mess with you, I’m done playing.” I’m dead serious as I look them each in the eye.

“Get out of my sight and don’t bother trying to contact me again. I’m done with Bangtan. Oh, and keep in mind that I know more than you think,” I warn.

“Like what?” Namjoon scoffs, not believing me.

“I know that you and the rest of the boys have feelings for each other,” I say casually, noticing their looks of shock, “What, you don’t think I noticed? It’s pretty obvious to me and honestly you’re all perfect for each other anyway.” 

“But…no one knows that…” Jin stammers, showing the first sign of weakness since their arrival.

“Look, I’m not a snitch when it comes to that topic, so I won’t tell anyone, but you best believe I know so much more,” I say, watching them all breathe a small sigh of relief.

“Okay, point made Stiletto. We’ll leave you alone.” Namjoon caves, nodding to the rest of the boys.

“Great, now get out.” I point to the door and they all file out.

Ever since my spy in Bangtan told me that they were planning on meeting with me, I planned on the outcome. 

I knew their deals were usually good at hiding the holes, so I took the liberty of finding out what deal they were going to offer to me. It wasn’t bad from the outside but I knew that in the end it would benefit them more than me. 

I knew they wouldn’t accept my ‘no’ so I planned on them following me. Taehyung and Jungkook coming wasn’t a surprise in the least and I knew that revealing their biggest secret would make them leave me alone. 

I now hold power over the ‘mafia kings.’ 

That makes me be able to control all the groups in my area. 

Perfect. 

Now I can grow my empire and slowly but surely take over and show everyone who their mafia ruler really is.

The mafia queen, Y/n.

a/n: sorry for kinda rushing through this. it’s not perfect but i just love the scenario! anyways, as always, thanks for reading! 🩷🫶🏼

[iridescentoracle]

okay so. potentially controversial opinion i guess but apollo justice (the game, though actually also the character) was kind of a mess. i wanted to like it, there was a ton of potential, but the execution just did not work for me at all. but it’s been haunting me for weeks and (unlike dual destinies, which also didn’t really work for me but i cannot for the life of me figure out why) i know exactly what i didn’t like about apollo justice and how i would fix it if capcom decided to remake AA4–AA6 and inexplicably put me in charge. fair warning this is at least 80% complaining by volume about what they didn’t do/what they did do that i hated though.

like, okay, here’s the thing. it’s a new story. phoenix has had his arc, we’re moving on to a new main character, he isn’t the protagonist anymore. it makes sense to move him into a mentor/boss role while our new protagonist takes over as the plucky young newbie who doesn’t really know what he’s doing. the problem is that everything about how the game does that kind of sucks.

like. AJ phoenix gets totally shafted for the sake of not letting him be a good mentor, so that apollo has to figure things out on his own, but apollo isn’t really treated right by the narrative either, because the plot is so much about phoenix that apollo is like. weirdly peripheral to the whole thing even though he’s nominally the protagonist. like it’s super obvious that the whole reason phoenix isn’t an attorney anymore and is all ✨ mysterious✨ and ✨secretive✨ is literally just so that apollo doesn’t actually like. have a good mentor who can teach him things? like the entire plot/backstory is just a post-hoc excuse bc the starting point of the game was clearly someone going “well we’re not allowed to not have phoenix in the game, but we can’t let him be someone apollo can actually rely on, so we have to find some excuse to make him weird and mysterious and uncommunicative and also not a lawyer just for good measure bc otherwise he wouldn’t leave a kid hanging like that” and everything else was built up to justify that.

but as if it’s not bad enough that it all requires shattering phoenix’s perfectly good reasonably-happy-ending from the previous game, by extension everyone else gets screwed over too?? like, maya was very explicitly traumatized by the kurain channeling legacy to the point of briefly not wanting to identify herself as a spirit medium. pearl was sheltered from some of the worst of it but was aware of enough to blame herself for bad things happening to the point of trying to run away. the credits definitely made it seem like they both bounced right back after all but frankly i was not convinced they weren’t going to both collapse as soon as the figurative camera looked away again and the most plausible short-term outcome to me was that they would wind up both moving in with phoenix for a while in the near future like maya all but said she wanted to do!! she called herself “the assistant manager at Wright & Co. Law Offices” and said she “[didn’t] want any more to do with [the Fey clan],” that is IN the TEXT i am not reading too much into things here those are her words! i’m fine with her potentially changing her mind again and resuming her training again and moving back to kurain after all when she’s had some time to recover from everything but like. when she’s had some time. she deserved more than two months and i hate so much that she didn’t get it.

on the flip side, again, i get the choice to deliberately not-include edgeworth in this one but i swear to god it should have taken him and phoenix like. maybe four months to finish getting their act together and that’s being generous and counting the month it takes him to wrap things up in europe and move back to japanifornia. i’m pretty sure edgeworth figured out how he felt when he got the phone call from larry about the bridge if he hadn’t already by then and i think phoenix simultaneously realized and refused to realize how he felt during the year he thought edgeworth is dead, bc neither of them can just be normal about feeling things ever, so give them a second for phoenix to stop repressing shit and also mention that he’s absolutely not going to get back together with iris when she gets out of jail and they Will sort themselves out and they Will kiss and i give it like a year tops before they get married. they have a courthouse wedding obviously and get the judge to officiate. 50/50 chance they wind up proposing in the middle of a trial and get married during the next recess.

and in canon there’s not time for all that to have happened bc the next game requires phoenix to have promptly turned into an arrogant asshole and then gotten royally fucked over by the universe and become a totally different person (again, at that, because he’s already a completely different person in the flashback to his last case, why does he act like the paynes that whole time i hate it), but like. this is what i’m saying. phoenix getting screwed over by the universe/writing also screws all his friends over too.

so i just. this game does such a disservice to phoenix’s entire character, and all of his friends, and also the entire first three games and anyone who loved them. it’s not all bad and the person phoenix has been turned into—“has been turned into,” not “has turned into,” because the hand of the writers is so visible, i can’t engage with this game on a fully watsonian level for the life of me because phoenix’s hoodie might as well say DOYLE CHOSE TO DO THIS TO ME. this is a fictional character being written by real people and the real people wrote him in a manner entirely incompatible with his original characterization and i cannot get past it—is fascinating but it isn’t phoenix. i love the plot but i hate the execution. i like the ingredients but the recipe sucks.

but it could have been so good. and at this point i’ve mostly worked out how.

you have the exact same scenario with the gramarye trial, is the thing, up through the point where phoenix wins the poker game and shadi enigmar/zak gramarye asks him to be his lawyer, and phoenix accepts—and then phoenix, like, gets a phone call from maya or pearl bc it turns out one of them just got hurt, or they’ve both come down with some kind of stomach bug or food poisoning or something, some temporary emergency that’s just severe enough that they need more help/care for a day or two than phoenix could give while also handling a case, but that won’t actually last all that long.

so he turns down the case apologetically bc oh my god i’m so sorry actually, family emergency, i gotta go right now, best of luck, and shadi/zak moves on to defense attorney number three: a different, brand new character, another rising star defense attorney around the same point in their career as phoenix, and that’s who winds up using the forged diary page and getting disbarred and turning into the bitter jaded inscrutable asshole mentor who years later will manipulate apollo into exposing his own boss as a murderer, and then technically hire apollo but not actually, like, teach him anything or help out in any meaningful way, etc.

but meanwhile, three facts about this series of events:

8yo trucy is still the unwitting catalyst for the lawyer defending her father using forged evidence that destroys his career, and her father still vanishes and leaves her behind

within a couple days, pearl and maya are basically fine

phoenix wright’s best friend was once a kid barely older than trucy is now who suddenly found himself with no family, and as a result was taken in by someone who had a deep and abiding grudge against both him and his father because of what they did, through no real fault of their own, to him/his career.

and since phoenix did meet shadi/zak and turned his case down, he has every reason to be curious about how the trial went, and to pick up either from the general news coverage (which, considering what a big deal phoenix’s disbarment in canon was, i assume there is A Lot Of,) or to realize bc his personal curiosity/almost-connection means he actively looks into things, that there is a kid who has been left behind and who currently has no one to take care of her. and you cannot tell me that phoenix would look at this kid whose best-case scenario is currently getting swept into the foster care system bc god forbid she actually winds up getting taken in by the only adult even vaguely associated with her at this point, bc phoenix has seen that story before, and not decide on the spot to adopt her himself

and so just like that, we have

phoenix accidentally escaping the whole gramarye trial entirely unscathed

but still adopting trucy

pearl and maya still living with phoenix a couple months post-T&T instead of immediately getting packed off back to kurain

no changes that actually significantly impact apollo for most of the game bc all that’s really different for him is the name of his inscrutable jerk mentor and the fact that he’s gotta wind up meeting/being-befriended-by trucy a little differently

so by the time the actual present-day plot of the game kicks off, phoenix and company are still out there doing their thing with phoenix getting to be his best self and living his best life. he still gets his adorable adopted daughter who he loves dearly. we still don’t actually see maya or edgeworth or pearl in this version of the game but there’s allusions to them all being very present in his-and-trucy’s lives—trucy brings us over to their apartment at some point and we see a stack of steel samurai dvds in the corner and a laundry basket with unidentifiable clothes in suspiciously familiar shades of purple/pink/magenta, details like that. we only see phoenix himself for like, maybe five minutes total over the course of the first three and a half cases and it’s a little tantalizing but he gets to be the one who bursts into the courthouse with the decisive evidence that lets our protagonist win the last case.

and meanwhile, apollo’s current boss is shady and inscrutable and used to be a lawyer and can even be involved in some ✨ secret mission ✨ that he won’t talk about that turns out to be the jurist system, so we can hypothetically keep whatever the intended message of that whole thing was (which, argh, what do you DO with the jurist system. what is the intended message. i get that it’s satire of a then-contemporary development in japan’s legal system but i can’t figure out for the life of me what the satire is actually meant to say), and then at the end of the game Apollo’s Shitty Mentor is proven to have been innocent and will be allowed to take the bar again if he wants to but he’s not entirely sure bc at this point it’s been so long that he might just prefer to move on entirely now that his actual disbarment/disgrace isn’t hanging over his head bc he honestly did used to be a pretty stand-up guy but the last seven years have been rough and he doesn’t really like the person he’s turned into and maybe it would be healthier to treat this as a fresh start and try something entirely new so he’s going to take some time away from the whole legal system first to clear his head before he figures out whether or not he actually wants to dive back in.

and apollo’s like “well that’s totally understandable and sounds great for you but goddammit do i really have to go back to the endless nightmare that is job applications, i hate this actually” and phoenix (who is also in the defense lobby where this whole conversation is taking place) is like “why don’t you come work for me?”

you could even have it end on a joke where apollo is shocked about the offer bc he applied to work for phoenix six months ago and phoenix is like ???? i never saw that?? and it turns out apollo applied via email but phoenix still sucks at computers and only checks his work email like once a year.

seriously though i do not understand what we’re supposed to think about the jurist system. is it supposed to be that fucked up? i’m not actually sure how we’re supposed to feel abt that tbh but it sounds like maybe it’s not supposed to seem like an actually better alternative? like it felt to me like it was being framed as a triumph for our belovèd hero, isn’t this great that he was able to arrange things so everything would turn out all right after all etc, but it was so obviously fucked up and unethical—like, oh, yeah, having one guy in charge of assigning the defense attorney, the judge, and the jury sounds totally fine and like it’s actually going to be more reliably ethical than the system that’s already in place, for sure, not to mention the possibility that edgeworth was pulling strings to help phoenix make it happen and be involved, because nepotism and people in law enforcement/the justice system pulling strings to put people they like in positions of authority that they probably shouldn’t have specifically so that they can do things like “rig a jury,” on purpose, is fine bc i like these guys who are doing/benefiting from the nepotism so therefore it’s not wildly unethical and an obviously terrible idea, oh my god—that it feels like it has to be on purpose?

and like in practice it just… the jurist system as it’s actually implemented is worse actually. it’s genuinely worse and less ethical than the established system where the judge was about to let kristoph gavin off scot-free for the crimes he wasn’t already convicted of.

that said it’s like. very funny on a conceptual level. yet another thing that makes sense if the games are set in japan bc sure of course fictional kinda goofy japan has a more ridiculous version of the thing that’s being implemented in real-life japan right now, but when localized the implications are buck-fucking-wild

because. okay. japanifornia exclusively has bench trials or whatever they’re called for some reason. i have questions about why that’s legal given the existence of the sixth amendment but sure fine the japanifornian legal system is deeply fucked up in many new and interesting ways and that is clearly just one of them. but you’re telling me that the entire concept of trial by jury is strange and new to a lawyer? like. did the entire country just. ditch the sixth amendment before apollo was born? why is this a brand new concept instead of, you know, how things work in every other state. i have so many questions that do not need answers. thank god these games are old enough to have gotten localized it’s so much funnier this way.

ANYWAY. SO. yeah. make apollo’s inscrutable asshole so-called mentor someone other than phoenix wright, have way less of phoenix in the game actually bc he’s off living his best life and having a thriving career with very little reason to think about how kristoph gavin exists, and meanwhile write apollo with All That Backstory in mind from the start though 95% of the actual info should still be saved for game 6, we’re just trying to write apollo so he’s not completely flat and frankly pretty forgettable at times and also including foreshadowing so the khura’in thing isn’t a very obvious retcon when we get there, and turn klavier into an actual person, and that’s like. 95% of my frustrations with the game fixed right there (the other 5% is “i still can’t tell what we’re actually supposed to think/feel about the jurist system” but like. i can’t tell what we’re supposed to think/feel so i don’t know how to fix it).

well okay also the like, pacing and focus would need to be fixed so apollo’s incrutable jerk mentor isn’t the protagonist for half the last case to the point i forgot apollo existed, etc, but like. that’s the next level down of problems you know?

AND bonus points: splitting “phoenix” and “apollo’s inscrutable jerk mentor” into two separate characters automatically fixes yet another of the worst He Would Not Fucking Do Thats of the game, i.e. phoenix just. not telling trucy and apollo that they’re siblings and their mom is alive. bc apollo’s shitty mentor is the one who actually interacts with lamiroir offscreen, this phoenix never does, so apollo’s mentor is the one who has the opportunity to figure out who she is and that trucy and apollo are half-siblings, and they’re not his kids, apollo doesn’t even work for him anymore by the end of the game so what does he care whether she tells them, and meanwhile phoenix isn’t inexplicably hiding that information because he also doesn’t know. still relies on her continuing to hide her face professionally in the meantime (instead of being deeply stupid about the fact that she is super famous, twice, and if she goes around being Very Famous And Popular Singer Lamiroir someone will notice that she is very much also Very Famous And Popular Believed-Dead Magician Thalassa Gramarye and between the existence of the news and the existence of the internet her kids will inevitably find out, jesus CHRIST parts of this game are so badly written), but that’s a given

i have a whole bunch of other thoughts—mostly about klavier gavin bc he should be such a good character but he just doesn’t work, but also i think the structure of the last case would have to be pretty significantly modified to fix the pacing/structural/focus issues where our nominal protagonist is basically irrelevant for the bulk of the case, even while the plot would remain basically the same, but i haven’t figured out how the structure would be different bc that requires figuring out how to handle the whole jurist system thing—but that’s like. the coherent parts/the bulk of it, you know?

i think (really this is just a detail, not a major plot point, but it would have a pretty major impact thematically so it feels bigger than it is? so) the other main thing i would change—and this part isn’t actually real criticism bc it’s not, like, bad that they didn’t do this, and if they were going to make any changes there are a lot of things that should be higher on the list, but listen. zak and valant should’ve been brothers.

because like, first of all, the extra complexity of the relationship if they’re not just two random guys who met bc they were functionally coworkers/fellow students, and instead you have these two brothers with the same mentor and who are both in love with the same woman, and they both know that one of them is better at magic and their mentor’s favorite, and he’s also the one who the woman they’re both in love with loves back and has a kid with, etc? a favorite/least favorite child dynamic occurring spontaneously, presumably in adulthood, in their professional lives? like. it makes everything about their relationship with each other, and with magnifi, and zak’s relationship with thalassa, and valant’s relationship with trucy, way more complex and interesting without actually having to change anything else.

but then secondly, on top of all that, suddenly this is a game about siblings. zak & valant, apollo & trucy, and kristoph & klavier. suddenly you have these three different sibling relationships that are all very different but two of them actually get to be siblings but are super fucked up, and the last pair meet entirely by chance without any idea who the other person is or should be to them but wind up with the healthiest happiest relationship of the three? like, the tragedy of it, that apollo and trucy were separated by fate and literally no one knew they both existed except their own mother, who thought apollo was dead before trucy was ever born, and if not for whatever series of coincidences resulted in apollo happening to work for the man who ruined trucy’s father’s life and getting roped into that whole mess they might never have met at all, and as it was they lost however many years they could’ve had each other, etc etc, and yet despite it all they’re the ones who actually manage to be happy and, like, unconditionally positive presences in each other’s lives, while valant spends however long resenting zak for being magnifi-and-thalassa’s favorite and more talented and all that which presumably put a strain on their relationship bc being resented that deeply by someone that close to you for things that you don’t even actually control can’t feel good, and kristoph and klavier… [gestures vaguely] idk whatever they would feel about each other if the writers remembered klavier was supposed to be a person. and aside from the klavier bits all of that is in the game already, implicitly or explicitly, just waiting for someone to rewrite like three lines of dialogue so zak and valant aren’t Just Some Guys to each other.

anyway a lot of the other thoughts i have are like. details. it probably never gets established explicitly but phoenix probably never gets to know kristoph gavin that well, and conversely kristoph doesn’t care about phoenix bc he might not even know he would’ve been passed over for phoenix before the other guy. ema is friendlier bc even though she is still upset about being a detective and does still think klavier’s annoying, she doesn’t actively resent him for getting phoenix disbarred. also she’s already good friends with trucy. the biggest plot-difference that isn’t just a natural result of phoenix not getting disbarred is that i think phoenix has to be the one who gets hit by the car in 4-2 instead of that happening to apollo’s jerk mentor bc no other human being on the planet could get thrown thirty feet by a car and hit a telephone pole with his head and still only wind up with a sprained ankle out of the deal.

[zukkaoru]

for the drabble prompts: “I always thought the choice was mine / and I was right / but I just chose wrong” from the laurel hell lyric prompt list for any character(s) you want!!

i debated which character/s to write for this for a bit but ultimately i had to go with nikolai bsd because i think this line fits him very well. uhh sorry jupiter ik you don't know bsd but i have very bad brainrot. also this isn't edited bc i don't feel like it right now

(prompt requests are still open)

warnings: heavy religious imagery & symbolism, character death/dismemberment (#just fyolai things) word count: 602

.

Fyodor’s hands have always been cold. This was true when he was alive, when Nikolai grabbed hold of him and the only thing separating skin from skin was a pair of stolen gloves, thin enough to allow the iciness of Fyodor to seep through into Nikolai. And it is true now when all that remains of Fyodor is a severed arm, when Nikolai cradles the dismembered limb to his face and each finger is a lifeless icicle caressing his cheek.

This is what he wanted.

Congratulations, Dazai told him. Fyodor is dead. You did it. You killed the unkillable, you transformed yourself into Judas by choice. You brought the thirty pieces of silver to the men who wanted him dead, placed the proper tools in Dazai’s hands, and turned your back while he was crucified. You did it.

You proved your own free will.

You chose this.

Behind him, Dazai and Chuuya murmur to one another—about their friends back in Japan, about administering the antidote, about Dazai’s injuries, about Sigma. They talk about Sigma like Dazai is the only one who has ever cared about them. Like Nikolai didn’t save them from death, like Nikolai isn’t the only reason they were here and Dazai was able to use them in this game. Thirty pieces of silver. Thirty coin bombs never detonated.

Jesus was executed with two other men, one on either side, men who actually deserved the punishment they faced. To hang on a cross and slowly bleed out, nails through their hands, nails through their feet, their suffering on display for all to see.

Fukuchi is dead in Yokohama, if Dazai’s intel is to be believed. Sigma will never wake, if Fyodor’s words were true.

Which one of them begged for forgiveness in their final moments, and which died still rotting in their sins? Does it matter? They are gone and Nikolai is still breathing and this was his choice. This was his choice. This was his choice.

But Judas took his own life after betraying the one he loved.

Fyodor’s hand is cold. If he raises in three days’ time, Nikolai will be long gone. The Savior has the power to raise the dead, but why waste your time on someone who sold you out for thirty stray coins? Nikolai knows the stories; he grew up having them carved into his flesh each Sunday. He knows who lives, who is resurrected, who is redeemed. And he knows who turns traitor, then lets his grief and shame consume him, and is never mentioned again.

But Judas didn’t have a choice. Judas was merely a pawn in God’s perfect plan. Nikolai chose this.

Nikolai wanted to be free, so he took Fyodor’s life in his own hands and he made the choice and he has proven that no cage can hold him inside. No imitation of God can control his whims. He is free by no hand besides his own, but there is something inescapable forming in his chest that calls itself grief, and Nikolai is beginning to fear escaping one cage only leads you into another.

He always believed it was his choice, to bring about Fyodor’s death. He believed in his own free will, and he saw his plan through to its end. He was right—there is such thing as the existence of choice, because Fyodor is dead and his arm is clutched in Nikolai’s hands and no one sane would choose to kill the only person who ever understood them.

The choice was always Nikolai’s.

But now that the irreversible has come to pass, he fears he chose wrong.

[tanadrin]

You're good at sober analyses of political situations. Exactly how bad is the wave of anti-trans legislation and executive action going through red US states? AIUI there's several different things they are doing like restricting trans healthcare and banning LGBT books from schools. But we've yet to see how maximally prosecutors will try to enforce them, what the courts will say and how this will go down amongst the electorate?

The electorate is the easy part: if I understand the polling on this issue, they mostly don’t give a shit. This isn’t much comfort for trans people atm, but at least nobody is looking to ride a wave of anti trans bigotry into sweeping electoral success. It wasn’t always like this with lgbt issues—gay marriage bans used to be pretty successful at helping conservatives win elections.

Book bans are part of the perennial low-grade churn of American moral panics, and they’re bad, sure, but first amendment protections are strong in the US; banning books in schools is ultimately kind of a feckless move, because more severe bans just aren’t in the cards.

Missouri dropped its adult trans healthcare ban iirc bc it thought it couldn’t defend it in court; but bans on youth trans healthcare worry me more, bc teenagers having civil rights is well outside the overton window for some segments of the US population, and it bothers me when kids kill themselves. I do not know nearly enough about the legal landscape around this issue to say whether these actions will hold up to court challenges—certainly I cannot imagine SCOTUS coming to the rescue, but state courts matter a ton here.

All in al, I gotta say, the current wave of anti trans bigotry feels pretty bad! It sucks! Especially if you’re trans. Like gay people in the 90s and 00s, trans people are at least in the position of being randomly distributed throughout the population, making it more likely that, as more people come out, acceptance will grow broadly (and it has been growing, in line with LGBT acceptance generally). But trans people are fewer in number than gay, lesbian, or bisexual people, and as the example of the UK provides, the anti-trans backlash can be super toxic, and it’s already making ground in some supposedly liberal bastions like the New York Times, as many commentators have noted.

In the long run, I’m pretty sanguine—attitudes on these issues are heavily generational, and much more positive among Gen Z and millennials. But that’s not super useful in the short term, and I worry about the harm that will be done while this backlash is peaking. I am glad a lot of people have been pushing back, both against outright conservatives and also against mealy-mouthed concern trolling by supposed liberals on trans issues. Like gay rights, I think this can be partially settled as a political issue by demonstrating it is an electoral loser, because hope that this is (another) culture war issue that can stave off the decline of the Republican Party in its current form seems to be a major component of anti-trans state policy.

[lyranova]

If you're still doing the salty ask game, can you do 4, 9, 12, and 19

Hiya Luce! Yep i’m still accepting requests for the salty ask game, and I apologize this took me a bit, I kind of went on a rant for number 19! Also I answered two of these for Black Clover and two for FFVII! I hope you enjoy!

4 Do you have a NoTP in your fandom? Are they a popular OTP?*

I’ve answered this a couple of times for BC already and I don’t feel like repeating myself again so I’m going with FFVII this time 😆; and my biggest NoTP is Cloud x Aerith, and yes they are a very popular OTP 😅. I just really like them as friends, family, or platonic soulmates whose love is different then that of romantic partners love! Also right behind that is Zack x Tifa and thats because it feels like people are just “pairing the spares” 😔.

(As I always say; if you ship these ships then good for you, and I fully support you in loving these ships!)

9 Most disliked character(s)? Why?

Hmm…in Black Clover? I guess aside from the usual suspects (Sekke, Auggie, Alecdora, etc) it would have to be; Jester, Sally, and Damnatio.

Jester…I like him in fanon, but dislike him in canon. In canon he’s annoying to me and not in a fun and “gremlin” way like in fanon (or at least, in mine and my mutuals fanon 😆). I really just didn’t vibe with him in the movie and couldn’t wait for him to disappear 😔.

Sally is also more of a “i don’t vibe with them”. She’s just very…extra? But not in a good way. And imo she takes things too far and comes off as annoying like Jester. I’ve tried to like her, i really have, but she just doesn’t vibe with me at all.

Damnatio is amazing in fanon! But in canon? He comes across as a bit…boring when compared to other characters in the series, at least to me. Maybe it’s intentional on Tabs part, or maybe its because we don’t see him very much, but to me he is very blah and uninteresting as a character (even tho his magic is kind of cool)!

12 Is there an unpopular arc that you like that the fandom doesn’t? Why?

Hmm…I guess the Devil Believer arc in BC? Thats really the only unpopular arc i can think of 😅. To me the concepts and ideas it introduces are interesting (such as showing us what happened on the ground during the elf invasion, showing us directly how those with very low mana are treated in the country, etc;) even tho they weren’t executed very well. I feel like that arc had/has a lot of potential in it, so I do enjoy it despite its many…many, many faults!

19 What is the one thing you hate most about your fandom?

Since there isn’t anything in the BC fandom that I hate, I’ll go with another fandom that I lurk in which is FFVII! The thing I hate most about it is the toxicity, ship wars, and character hate!

My poor mutuals have had to hear me complain about it many times recently, but its just…so freaking bad rn! I’m trying to find cute art, fics, and headcanons but instead all I see are people arguing about song lyrics, words and meanings and context in scenes, and even going as far as to threaten and argue with the writers and developers of the game (hell and even some going as far as to argue and threaten streamers and gamers over their freaking fan theories)😭! Like I get it, this happens in every big fandom, but maybe its because I’ve been in a small one for so long…but this is just a bit much and kind of took a lot of the joy I had for the game away (There is a lot of good and fun in the fandom too, its just a little harder to find these days)!

And the ship wars are just, really, really terrible (it doesn’t help that they’ve been going on for nearly 30 years!)! Again, I understand this is in every big fandom with a bunch of popular ships, but really is it that hard to scroll past or block and ignore 😭?? I just don’t see the point in arguing about them; you like what you like, i like what I like, and let’s just agree to disagree! This is another one of those “I’ve been in a small fandom too long” because most of the mutuals and people I follow either scroll past when they see a ship they don’t like, or they go “I may not like it, but I see how much you do, and I support you in that!”.

The character hate…*sigh* again, I get it and I know not everyone is going to like the same characters…but there comes a point where its too much! When you have to mischaracterize them completely, or point to scenes that the writers have gone back and changed/retconned/removed in order to “prove how much of a terrible character they are”, or you have to focus on this one “terrible thing” that particular character did while ignoring the terrible things that other characters did…just shows me that you’re willing to make up whatever you want in order to excuse your useless hate for that character! (You can literally just go; “eh I don’t vibe with them/they’re not my cup of tea” and leave it at that 😭!!)!

[kivaember]

me writing some young jupiter... i enjoy it bc walt and mich are just dumb 20 year olds fighting over such dumb things before The Horrors start... (well the horrors have already started for walter but this is like a beach episode for him).

hrngh i wanna do some mindless low energy drabbles with these two...

Speak of the devil.  

Walter grunted as he peeled himself off his bed and zombie shuffled to his bedroom door. He only opened it by a crack, glowering at the intruder with a distinctly unimpressed look. 

As always, Michigan’s chest was too fucking big. It was the first damn thing he saw. 

“Kohler! Good, you’re still awake!” Michigan said, as always a master of the obvious.

“I’m sleepwalking, actually,” Walter deadpanned. 

Michigan guffawed, planting his hands on his hips like he thought he was some big shot superhero on a Saturday morning cartoon. “Always quick on the draw with those jokes of yours! Anyway, I’m glad I caught you-”

“You knocked on my bedroom door. I wouldn’t call that ‘catching’.” 

Michigan ignored him. “I was thinking, since tomorrow’s our rest day, why don’t we get to know each other a bit better? We’ve been roommates for a week, and we’ve barely talked!”

you make that sound like a bad thing, Walter almost said, physically biting his tongue to restrain his instinctive anti-social tendencies. This was fortuitous for him, he tried to convince himself. Michigan was doing all the heavy lifting here, making the first move. Walter just had to keep the momentum going. 

But he’d wanted to sleep tomorrow. He was exhausted. Just where did Michigan get all this energy? Maybe he was genetically engineered in a lab somewhere, designed to be as annoying and exhausting as possible, a true social menace to introverts like himself. 

He wanted to refuse so badly, but…

The mission. 

Walter heaved a quiet sigh. “...why?”

“Why what?”

“Why do you care if we’ve barely talked?” Walter grunted. “I’m working class scum. A sewer rat. Though, I think the upper class calls us… drones, right? Like we’re mindless ants in a nest?”

Michigan’s open friendliness faltered a little, his expression tightening into a grimace. “Well…”

“Isn’t it a bad look for you to be willingly mingling with a person like me?” Walter drawled. 

“Like I give a damn!” Michigan snorted, crossing his arms over his chest. He scowled fiercely. “I told you on that shitty obstacle course: my old man’s washed his hands of me. My rep’s already in the gutter, and that’s just how I like it. In fact, if my old man hears I’m running around with a dro- working class recruit, he’d probably have a meltdown. It’s win/win, in my eyes.”

“Hm.”

“C’mon, Kohler.” Michigan’s mouth curved into a far too knowing smirk. “You’ll stand to gain too.”

“Really.” Walter mimicked him, crossing his arms over his chest and cocking his head to the side. “Alright, I’ll bite. What’ll be in it for me?” 

“Money,” Michigan said immediately. 

“Money,” Walter repeated flatly. 

“Money.” Michigan’s smirk widened. “I mean, as a rentboy, you’d be-”

Walter started to shut his door. 

“Wait! Wait, wait! Joke! Joking!” Michigan hastily wedged his foot in the door, and stoically endured Walter closing the door on it a few times before he stopped. “Ow! You little- you’re a feral little bitch, you know that?”

“It’s one of my charm points,” Walter huffed. “That’s one strike, by the way.”

“I’m on a strike system?!”

“Yeah.”

Michigan looked like he was going to say a lot about that, but he wisely swallowed it down at the last second. “Ugh, well, worthwhile things don’t come easily…”

“You have anything else to offer me, or was money the only card you had to play?” Walter asked, genuinely a little curious. He supposed if you grew up amongst the privileged ranks of the executives, there probably was little money couldn’t buy you.

“Erugh… shoulda known you wouldn’t be that easy,” Michigan bemoaned. “You did say you were expensive. Well, let’s see… hmm… uh… food?”

“You already make me food.”

“More food?”

Walter started closing the door again. 

[cheap-pack-of-cigarettes]

my top 10 bl drama’s of 2022 🥳

1. KinnPorsche The Series (I mean, what can I say?she’s in a league of her own like.. she’s really that bitch!! Everything about this series is just.. incredible!! all of it!! I can even count how many times i’ve rewatched tbh highly highly highly recommend you watch it!!)

2. Bad Buddy (yes ik this technically came out in 2021, but!!! it didn’t end till 2022 so it still counts!!! I will not shut up about them especially now knowing my patpran are coming back! tyvm!)

3. Cutie Pie The Series (ngl I did not think watching ep1 that i’d love this series as much as I did but I throughly enjoyed every ep and fell in love with all the characters too.. & we’re getting more?! we love it)

4. Love In The Air (I like to pretend this show isn’t from the likes of m*me but.. what really pulled me in was the immense chemistry between the four leads like.. you can’t make that up!! I enjoyed both storylines too but the raw chemistry really sold it so well)

5. Between Us (waited so long for this series and for my winteam to come home and its giving me everything I ever wanted! I’m so in love with this series and getting a deeper look into win and team individually & together also all the uwma references?? amazing)

6. Blueming (wow wow wow!! this series!! its so beautiful and touching and just feels so grounded & real if that makes sense? Idk I think it’ll make sense if you do yourself a favor and watch this incredible series, I really can’t recommend it enough)

7. Semantic Error (this has to be one of the best kbl’s I’ve ever seen no joke. I can’t even put it into the right words to express how good this series is, you just have to experience it.. if you haven’t yet, watch it rn!!)

8. To My Star 2 (tho i’m not a huge fan of miscommunication being the central problem of a story, I really think it was executed beautifully here while staying true & in character to the two leads)

9. Not Me Series (ik you’re probably wondering why this isn’t higher on the list and it has nothing to do with the actual series bc I honestly loved it but more to do with the fandom. I won’t get into it detail but the experiences I’ve had and things I’ve seen said really put a bad taste in my mouth.. so much so that this is the only series on the list I haven’t rewatched.)

10. Kissable Lips (we are in desperate need of more vampire bl’s and they really delivered what they needed to & you know what? I ate this one up so so much)

[namtanlovesfilm]

Why do you think cooking crush kinda flopped? OG are still pretty popular no? Or is it that the show is kinda basic, like something we’ve seen before? I also don’t remember seeing too much promotion but maybe I just missed it.

Also did u see off and gun saying they want to be doing what they’re doing now 10 years from now? I think that’s a good indicator that a “break up” isn’t on the way :)

I'm actually thinking of making a video on the topic on my channel lol, but to summarize I think there's so many elements:

1) cooking crush is a more basic show, and those tend to gather success only if they have a new ship attached to them that gathered attention (ex: 2gether, msp, etc.) also I think the trailers & promos did a bad job hooking people onto it.

2) the bl genre is now saturated. if cooking crush was released in 2019 or 2020 it would've been huge simply for having offgun's name attached to it. but now there's 100+ bl shows released every year, and statistically only like 5-10% will be a huge success.

3) offgun were never a "viral" ship. off mentioned it himself in an interview, and it's definitely what has kept them together for 8+ years, but it also means they've never had the kind of hype attached to them brightwin, fourthgemini or even kristsingto have had.

4) offgun are the oldest thai bl ship still together, so in this highly saturated bl market where there's a new ship popping up quite literally every week, they're likely seen as old & has-been by many. bc of their age they're also unlikely to touch new younger audiences of bl, which are the most outspoken & passionate types of fans. 14 years old are more likely to stan the 18/19 years old at gmmtv instead of the 30+ grown ass men for sure. also, even if that seems sad & mean to say, in this current bl economy, I feel like fans get tired of seeing the same faces for so long, which is why now the lasting of ships is shorter & shorter and just used to launch a solo career.

5) the marketing. imo the biggest issue is the show in itself that doesn't meet the demands of the bl fandom at the moment (either innovative or at least hypersexual shows, apart for the new ships having basic shows exception that I talked about (and that works only at gmmtv too)), but the marketing could've definitely helped. imo they should've added a lot more fanservice in the trailer to hook the fetishizing fans in if they wanted more viewers. the social media marketing was also quite poor but not the actual worst.

however, even though cooking crush "flopped" in terms of being a gmmtv show & an offgun show, imo it was successful in its own way. it still trended number 1 on X every week if that still means anything, and it was also a very good show. like... not every show can be life-changing, in fact romcoms very rarely are. the show did what it set out to do & was well executed until the end, which for me is a success in itself. so flop? maybe not. success? maybe not either lol.

and yes, off has been talking about babiis sticking with him for 30 more years back in 2019, so we still have a good few decades ahead :) what I do really want to see from offgun is a new innovative show from them bc atp this is the only thing that will be a success (and their age & experience will still likely be a baggage in our hyperconsumerist bl market). I'm even less confident that the trainee will even get as much attention as cooking crush did, so what I want to see is a show where offgun are dads navigating being queer parents, or as I said before a dark psychological thriller. not only could they pull it off, but they would absolutely BODY a more heavy show with more innovative aspects. bc atm cooking crush & the trainee are only catering to their fanbase, gmmtv's & the rare ones who enjoy more basic romcoms. they need something so uncommon & original it will rally the bl fandom behind them, bc sadly atp their name alone will not do it. however, I'm not confident in gmmtv at all, especially since they have 15 other ships they gotta give shows to. the dad show, though? if it ever happens, it NEEDS to be offgun 100000%!!!

xxx

[brazilnt]

I’m new and trying to catch up. If it’s not too much trouble could you do a quick recap of the neybappe drama? I’m so lost! They seemed so close

a very quick and short summary is that when ky came to psg he quickly got on well with ney. ney had only just transferred there from barca himself (causing the biggest heartache of my whole life) and he’d basically taken ky under his wing. ky looked up to ney they had great chemistry and had such a cute lil bro big bro relationship and this continued for years. idk i personally expected a neymessi type relationship between the two, esp bc they had similar age gaps and were all on top of their games etc. like it was set up so perfect. some may say their relationship started to fall apart bc ky got a big head or wanted ney’s position or had even outgrown him but personally i think it’s because they are both cut from the same cloth, there can be issues when you’re too alike yk?. like they’re literally the same person and have the same responsibilities but whereas for ney it’s coming towards the final curve of his career so he obviously wants to do everything that’ll solidify him as a legend, whereas ky is at the beginning and wants to prove himself. they’re both super competitive and can be childish and immature at times but and the end of the day they just both wanna win. now bringing messi into the fold did add another layer of drama bc neymessi are really close and have like 10+ years history so naturally they’d gravitate together and the same happened when achraf came, he and kylian became besties with quickness. they just clicked, like they’re the same age with the same interests etc. this might be a controversial take but personally i think ky works well with hakimi bc he doesn’t question his authority. not saying that he’s looking for a yes man or something but neymar or messi wouldn’t fill that role for him like they’re too talented and they’re too grown. hakimi just looks up to him and i think he likes that about him. not that there’s anything wrong with that, i believe their friendship is real and i adore kykimi down! 

notable mentions in the drama: ney liking tweets shading ky. him not wanting to talk about him at an after match interview. ky basically having to be begged to stay at psg and his new “executive decision maker” contract. another thing that people love to use as drama fodder within MNM is that kyks lovesssssss ronaldo. like idk why messi would care but the people seem to care.

just realised this isn’t quick nor short so im sorry. this is all that i can think of from the top of my head. but don’t worry these two are always hot and cold and their drama has never reached a point where it’s horrifically effected their teamwork or ability on the field. they’ll be alright dw. i also think the fans and media in general take things wayyy too far. like on one hand you have every media outlet reporting that ky is big headed and thinks he’s important to the team and trying to frame it like it’s a bad thing but it’s the honest truth. he really is indispensable. if you have the president of the mfing country basically begging you to stay in paris and not move to rm you’re a pretty big deal. (also don’t get me started on macron the fucking wasteman)

anyway if you have any more questions feel free to ask!

[zzencat]

Hello, I hope you’re doing well 💕 I saw you were giving free mini readings and I was hoping that I could get one?

I’ve been feeling very confused on what to do lately since there’s so many things I want to do or achieve but I don’t know where to start. Like I have an idea of how I want my life to be but I don’t know how to get there. I don’t know if I just have bad intuition or whatever.

So I guess my first question is how do I achieve my goals or how do I clear the confusion I have currently regarding how to achieve my goals? (For example some of my goals include learning how to connect with my spirit guides, getting a job/deciding on a career, etc.)

What is my future spouse like?

Does anybody have a crush on me currently?

My initials are E.O.H, I’m a Cancer Sun, and my emojis are 💕😜🕺. Thank you so much!

Boy oh boy EOH, get ready to read your morning newspaper 🤧

(1) Right off the bat, EOH, I should ask you: what do you think intuition is? What does it mean to you? I think a part of your fears your own intuition, maybe you think it’s a weak point of yours, or maybe you just don’t trust it. That’s the hard part and inevitably the one you’ll have to learn to trust: your gut feeling. I think you have a lot of distrust in yourself and there’s a disconnection between you, your body, and your mind. Learn to tap into your intuition slowly, sit by yourself and let your thoughts flow. Let them say whatever they want. Eventually, you’d have to learn how to recalibrate yourself and think about what you really want and need in this lifetime. I think there’s a large disconnection with your inner self that we couldn’t begin to see where to start. If you don’t already journal, I suggest that for ya!! Sometimes journaling is too slow for me so I’ll record voice memos for myself, just whatever I’m thinking or feeling, or if I’m bored. These outlets give you a voice and a chance to hear yourself out. You should recognize your efforts and give credit when and where it’s due!!

I also would recommend that you learn to focus on the good instead of the bad. Pessimism and throwing yourself and your perceptions into a negative loop isn’t healthy for your intuition either, bc it automatically creates a biased view of things and stunts you from strengthening your intuition. And you’re obviously very harsh on yourself, constantly being in a beat-up mentality, but we’re in charge of it, yeah? So recognize it and condition your mind to let go of that negativity, and naturally you will. Your intuition begins with “I” right, so “I” would have responsibility over it, in growing and nurturing it. I suggest you be more gentle with yourself and try to look at things with a more unbiased or optimistic perspective! Even when things aren’t so bright. Don’t trap yourself in the minefield of the self. Acknowledging a bad situation or circumstance doesn’t mean staying in it forever :)

I think you’re smart and you can be a bit rough with your words, so better communication skills are recommended!! Growing up with adhd and broken ass parents who fought every second, I know how it feels to sound like a socially inept rat (not saying you are one btw, ive just been there 😂😂) and because of this, I always watched YouTubers like Ryan higa (who also has adhd) or other YouTubers with their friends to see how to…talk to people, essentially. How to interact properly and not sound like an asshole or a mess or say things that would get my ass knocked down. Observation is great yk? You get to see how people talk to each other amongst their groups and see how their ways of speaking affect each other and ultimately, keep each other together. So I do recommend honing them communication skills, bc what else can humans do if they’d lost everything else but their heads? 😂🤔

I also think you’d be great in some kind of logical or leadership-ish role. Like a secretary, or someone who looks over things and make sure the delivery is executed well- ORRRR someone who mediates and plays a hand in regulating things!! But first, work on that mindset and intuition as I’d mentioned above!

As for connecting with spirit guides, you can look for messages in angel numbers like repeating numbers or specific combinations!! I usually randomly check the time, minutes on Spotify when playing songs, or license plates lmfao 😂 With time, if I randomly check it, and it’s like 4:44, I read that quickly as alignment or “yeah you’re doin something right” from my spirit guides. Now, I relay on tarot cards more than ever to talk to em. In order to establish that communication tho, start slow and something that doesn’t require much thinking. You can even say out loud, “yeah I see you guys hell yeah” when you see repeating or angel numbers somewhere. It helps you take the first step towards communication with your guides because you’re assigning definitions to things, and naturally your guides will catch on, bc they know how your subconsciousness works. Trust bro you’ll get there. At first, I was like “nah it’s all just a coincidence” but I still had a grain of believing, and later on, angel/repeating/combos of numbers became a way to foreshadow events ahead of time, which is…pretty fucking insane if you ask me.

(2) Your future spouse is emotionally mature and nurturing. They’re pretty protective of their family and balance of emotions. I think they’ve been doing a lot of reflection lately, thinking about the past, maybe visiting it physically or mentally. I think they’re someone who is creative by nature but they could be hesitant to push it out there. They’re courageous enough, but still cautious, tryin to be ready for anything. They look for stability in people and money, but sometimes they could play it too safe, be too kind, and bc of that, their own lives are put on hold or they can’t accomplish the things that they want bc they’re too busy prioritizing other people. Pretty nice person, pretty vanilla. I’d say they’re very kind and they’re learning to set up their own boundaries, esp when people try to take advantage of their heart.

I think they’ve recently gone thru something a bit sad, but they’re not letting that get them down. It was a hit and stab, and but they’re getting up and not giving up, even when the wound hasn’t fully healed yet. They’re not letting themselves go down the rabbit hole of stagnancy, and they’re using it as fuel to begin something else 🥹🥹

(3) I’m not to sure about who it is, but if it’s gonna be anyone who might be interested in you romantically, it could be someone who’s more action oriented, has mentor or leader vibes, and probably a fire sign (or has very prominent fire sign placements and a lot of them). Also a piece of advice, don’t just be accepting of anyone who might confess. Keep your standards up and clean 🫡

PHEWWW long read but I hope this gives you some clarity EOH!! Thank you for waiting 😊

[antiloreolympus]

10 Anti LO Asks

(Note: All of these asks are before episode 206 (Season 2 finale) so some may be dated.) 1. I can't even trustt this "cute" moment between zeus and artemis bc rachel is just way too anti zeus and too big of a fan of "twist" villains that I just have the feeling she's going to use this as a stepping stone to set up artemis the next villain because idk she doesnt like hades still and be like oh what BETRAYAL of persephone! now both of the twins should be punished now! or w/e.

2. It's not just that a time skip is lazy and out of place, if you're just going to flashback to explain what happened anyway, then don't do a time skip? Just show the progression as you already have done? Why skip ahead only to jump back? She's basically trying to do too many things at once and none of it is done well.

3. the wild part to me is has rachel ACTUALLY read the old texts? because they're way more progressive than her work. demeter's hymn praised her and persephone while calling out the abuse of men, women like aphrodite (who has a ton of sex with many partners) or artemis who didnt have sex were all held to high respect and never shamed for their choices, and stories like the odyssey/Iliad explicitly called out slavery, yet rachel is here in 2022 being ore conservative than men from 800 BC. like???

4. A time skip in LO isn’t a bad idea in and of itself. We’ve been complaining about RS’s slow pacing for years and she’s finally taking a different approach, which is good! The only problem is that her execution of the time skip ends up leaving out integral and interesting details about how the characters’ relationships with each other have changed in the decade since we’ve seen them. I was looking forwards to Minthe and Perse reconciliation arc but we don’t even know how they grew to that point

5. I love the her current look is a "turn off" line tho bc it's both persephone being aware hades is a gross old man who only dates under 25 years olds but doesnt seem to linger on this realization (P is legit so stupid) but also that rachel has zero self awareness that shes not a very good artist bc persephone still looks exactly the same despite being ten years older. like rachel will just say whatever lie she thinks up despite direct contradiction in comic and be like wow im such a good writer

6. Out of all things wrong with LO, I don't think I mind the switch from serious to silly in the mid-season premiere chapter? The part where Zeus gets threatened with ConSEqueNCEs for punishing Persephone is dumb as hell, but the transition to her speaking to the screen like she's talking to the audience before revealing something ridiculous is a tried and tested way of moving to a new scene, so I kinda like it. It's marred by her talk of pierced ears and green hands, but it's not bad.

7. How did you get into  Lore Olympus  in  the first place?

From OP: I found LO after seeing a lot of ads for it. I already knew of its existence but decided to try it because why not (I think I got into it around episode 70ish). I was obsessed with it, not solely because of the romance but because of the art. However, I started to question a lot of the stuff in the story and looked through youtube and tumblr to see if I was the only one feeling this way. Surprise surprise, I wasn’t and now I’m here lol.

8. I'm confused with the whole Artemis being called protector of women. You'd think she would do something to earn that title, but all she did was ask to be with Persephone in the mortal realm? It makes zero sense.

9. I know changing your physical appearance is sometimes an external sign that a change is going on internally but... did RS really have Persephone pierce her ears as the ONLY sign of her taking her life into her hands? I don't mind it as a heavy-handed metaphor but girl has done the bare minimum in ten years (a punishment she was happy with until they actually sentenced her with it) and you're telling me it's #girlboss because she pierced her ears???

10. What's so annoying about the timeskip too is it's not just lazy, it makes the last FOUR YEARS be for nothing. HxP relationship is exactly the same and their characterization is stagnant, big deals like Leto and Kronos are just swept to the side, Eros and Psyche was dropped I guess? Minthe and Daphne is resolved off scrteen, and the now the actual myth is supposed to start after FOUR YEARS of nothing happening? It's just a waste of everyone's time, but Rachel gets rich off of it at least 🤨

[delvalentine]

rip to your files you lost... i'm sorry i hvnt replied yet but thank you for being patient! balancing a lot of things on my plate and i'm confident you can sort of understand that feeling since we're both working with a hobby that takes up so much time (writing). at least, for me anyways. i take a lot of time to daydream the idea and execute the story. in fact, how long do you take to write stories? have you been well? i hope you're resting enough! -- @anonymilk

MILK 😭 I THOUGHT I LOST YOU FOREVER.. so happy to hear from you again 🫂 🫶🏼

Luckily I had backed all my files onto the cloud so I can still access everything that was important to me 😮‍💨! My partner had a spare laptop before he upgraded and since I’m not a student anymore I don’t need to drop another 1000+ on a Mac so a Dell will do just fine 🫡

Sometimes I can get in a flow and finish in a day, and those rushed ones are when I’m the most creative and feel the best about my writing lol. Other fics with heavy plot would still take months to years to complete. I said I’d finish a fic before graduating highschool (I am working full time in my career as a registered nurse now and it’s still not done, yet still on my mind 😗). On that note I reread my own old fics regularly and I enjoy my writing style. There’s a comfort to reading your own stories without having an ego about it. It feels like somebody else wrote them; to the point where I don’t remember or know how to continue old fics that I left incomplete 💀 I just have the feeling that all other creatives have felt/will feel: that my craft isn’t good enough. These days my drafts frustrate me so much because they don’t feel witty, romantic, unique, new, realistic, abstract, emotional, deep, smart, good enough etc etc etc… I always want to feel proud of something before putting it up. I think there’s value in saying “fuck it” and publishing whatever you want online without editing—and for writing/creating and not sharing it at all—but honestly I’m so burnt out from work and adulthood that it’s hard to even find the energy to enjoy something I used to love so so so much 🥲 not to say that I’m quitting fic writing entirely… just the bittersweet sentiment that time changes everything in both good and bad ways.

Wish I could say I was well but I’m fighting a cold (again bcs I had some sort of bug last week) and just really hoping it isn’t another round of COVID since I have a flight for a short trip in Asia very soon 😭 thank you for the wishes though (crawls back to my bed melodramatically like a miserable bubonic plague victim)

🥛 @anonymilk

[charlotte-of-wales]

H&M Documentary Review: Episode 3

(my commentary is in italics)

LAST ONE LFG

- starting off with the engagement interview. Meghan calls it an orchastrated reality show. Oh, the irony

- They say the interview was scripted and they were told ahead of time which questions were going to be asked. 

- She said they (assuming it’s the palace) didn’t want them sharing their real story during the interview? I mean, was she looking for an Oprah style interview orrr

- little History lesson now. Long talk about slavery in the British empire than cuts to a child singing God save the King.

- James Holt (Executive Director of Archewell) telling the world he doesn’t know how google works and never bothered doing further research on things he never learned at school. Such scholar!

- David Olusoga, made a point about how with time London started to look like the capital of an Empire composed of non-white people with more and more black and brown people moving there; how there was an attempt to redefine British institutions and stuff. He says the moment he realized things were changing was when the engagement was announced (which is funny to me because that would make sense if Meghan was from the Commonwealth....she isn’t).

- ms. I’ve always been known for my brains didn’t know what a walkabout was

- Harry said he tried to help Meghan as much as he could but there wasn’t much he could do in terms of fashion (it was funny because Meghan was talking about these earrings she bought online, she still had the tags on some of her clothes, her zipper broke, she wanted to wear British designers and how quickly did that relatability change when she had access to that Duchy of Cornwall money)(ALSO this plays into the “she never got help narrative” but didn’t she have one of Queen Elizabeth II’s former aides helping her?)

- they showed a picture of her trying on an outfit which I think it was for the engagement photo call and thank god she changed bc that was not cute

- “someone can just call themselves a royal expert” idk babes ask scoobie

- Harry says a royal expert is the same as a royal correspondent.....no

- Harry goes on a rant about the invisible contract between the Royals and the press and is just not true. So far this has been the episode with the most lies yet. A couple quotes:

- “Anyone can be a royal expert. The whole of it is to try and lend legitimacy to media articles, and they get paid for it. That press pack of royal correspondents is essentially just an extended PR arm of the Royal Family”. 

- “There’s been an agreement that’s been there for over 30 years”

- UGH. First time watching I actually got mad. This idea that the Royals somehow control the media is bs and Harry’s insistance on it will only encourage sugars to run with their narrative that negative stories about the Royals (mainly William) are burried and bad stories about Sussexes were planted by the palace. Doesn’t work that way, buddy. Royals and the media (especially royal reporters who have been on the job for decades) do have a closer relationship but to say they’re an extended PR arm of the family is insane. They’re still journalists. 

- More explanation of the Royal Rota and this one didn’t come from Harry so it was actually accurate. Cut back to Harry saying BS again tho. 

- Harry: “it all comes out to control us. Like, this family is ours to exploit. That trauma is our story and our narrative to control” BABES THAT WHAT YOU’RE DOING AS WELL!!!! you’re exploiting your family and their traumas and YOU ARE controlling the narrative because your family can’t say anything and YOU KNOW THATTTTT

- gosh this is so repetitive. They are even reusing footage of Diana being chased. WE GET IT. Move on. 

- random but they’re showing footage of old Charles and his eyes are deep blue. Never noticed that. Thought William’s eyes were all Diana, guess not. Moving on. 

- James Holt saying the whole family had an obligation to perform and if they don’t, they fall out of favor with the papers. WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEAN JAMES? You mean to do their jobs and shake hands? Get their picture taken? Share pictures of their kids a couple times a year? Gosh, making it sound like they’re circus monkeys. This man is annoying. 

- I can’t help but roll my eyes. These are two of the most privileged people in the world and I’m sure it sucked to be chased by the paps but some people struggle with putting food on the table like???? have some common sense. 

- Meghan’s friends saying there were paps staying outside their houses (MOST of which were in the US btw, keep that in mind)....I mean, sure Jane. I did not know the names of any of you before this but whatever floats your boat.

- damn Meghan’s friend throwing her mom under the bus to defend her wow these people have the best family dynamics ever

- Doria talking about being chased by the paps....in LA. Not the British media then. 

- Meghan talks about Samantha Markle. Says the media wanted Doria’s side of the family to be the messy one but Doria was too classy and it was the Markles creating issues. Said her and Samantha barely had a relationship.

- Oh wow, they brought Samantha’s daughter Ashley to talk. Meghan said “Ash” was dragged into the drama by the media but this is the first I’m hearing about this niece?

- Anyway, Ashley was not raised by Samantha but they reconnected and eventually feel out again over Samantha’s opinion on Meghan. Meghan and Ashley are quite close. 

- interestengly enough, although Meghan found Windsor to be medieval and the Royal Family too formal she loved Christmas at Sandrigham? Even if it’s known to be very formal

- She says it was amazing and it was like this big family she always wanted and it’s fun....so I guess they did welcome her after all?

- They talk about Princess Michael of Kent and the brooch

- the white dude who thought it was okay to wear a n*zi costume and use racial slurs lecturing me on unconscious bias. 

- oh so they are addressing the n*zi thing. Alright.

- Harry claims it was one of the biggest mistakes of his life and he just wanted to make things right. He met with a Rabbi and a Holocast survivor. (imo you shouldn’t have to do any of these to know you’re not supposed to wear a n*zi costume but  ya know, H is clearly not the sharpest tool in the shed). 

- Interestingly enough.....it was one of Harry’s biggest regrets in life and yet I’ve never seen a proper apology from him? And he didn’t talk about his use of racial slurs in the army?

- “I could’ve ignored it but I learned from that’. congrats you want a cookie for doing the bare minimum, sir?

- mr. and mrs. equality being introduced by their titles in a country where titles do not exist. lovely. (ps they walk into a room full of military people and the way none of them give a single fuck lmfao)

- this man talking about his experiences in the army RIGHT after talking about the n*zi controversy and DOES NOT address his use of racial slurs. He doesn’t care. If he did, he would have apologized. 

- “Jeez, I went to war twice” LOTS of opinions surrounding this statement, but I;d rather not share them. Just *eye roll*

- they made a POINT to show Meghan talking about Me Too and female empowerment and a reporter saying Kate didn’t wear black to the BAFTAs and Camila never talked about Me Too. Because nothing screams women supporting women like bringing down women in the family to make yourself look superior. 

- Tim Burt - strategic advisor to Archewell - saying the causes the Royal Family champions are strictly non-controversial. Not true. 

- Meghan saying there’s no class on how to act like a princess. Girl......

- Harry saying the press invents a lot of protocols which might be the only true statement he has given in this whole doc!

- they really are showing her getting fittings for the Carolina Herrera dress only for it to fit her the way it did. I can’t even. (I’m pretty sure the guy is the creative director for Carolina Herrera, he was there and that was the best they could do> Gosh)

- Meghan saying she could never wear the same color as the Queen but also not the same color as the other senior members of the family. BS. The family usually color coordinates. 

- She says ^ that is why she usually never wore color in family events and stuck to camel and white which is funny since Camila and Catherine wear white quite often. Plus, she did not choose a neutral color for Louis’ christening, did she? When everyone else in the family was in neutral colors. 

- Again, she said the neutral tones was so she could blend in. She certainly was not blending in at Louis’ christening. 

- Ashley (Meghan’s niece) implies her relationships were being managed (aka controlled) by the Palace. Sure, Jane version 294958583849.

- They immediately start talking about their comms team making it seem like every phone call they make has to go through someone else. BS. Ashley babes, Meghan had her own phone. If she didn’t text you, she didn’t want to. 

- They keep using Jason’s pictures. I would sue.

- Meghan saying she had compassion for their comms team (aka Jason) for dealing with the shitshow that was the PR before the wedding. Interesting version of compassion you have since they are all accusing you of bullying. 

- Meghan says the guidance at the time was not to have Ashley come to the wedding. That makes zero sense; it would be better press to have more of her family members there. Maybe her invite was sent to one of the celebrities Meghan never talked to before but who, for some reason, were at Windsor.

- now onto the Commonwealth talk.........

- listen, saying wealth was extracted from the colonies and flow into the British Empire is true. Saying the British elites benefited from it is true. I just it VERY interesting that neither Harry nor Meghan seemed to have an issue with that previously. In fact, they don’t talk about it themselves, they let other people do it. Both of them benefited from that wealth inequality through their associations with their royal family. 

- to say things are the same in the Commonwealth countries today as they were 100 years ago may be true, but these countries have their own governments who played a role in that. 

- girly is now praising Harry for educating himself into becoming “anti-racist” if you refuse to apologize for your mistakes then you aren’t anti-racist. Harry hasn’t. All he does is lecture people on things he actually does not understand. 

- I’m sorry James Holt sounds incredibly naive and good riddance that he is no longer working with the Palace. This man genuinely couldn’t tell those pictures of Thomas were staged at first??? Be for real

- Also, I truly did not know Thomas was supposed to fly to the UK and walk Meghan down the aisle until like 10 days before the wedding. 

- more about Thomas. I do wish they went a little deeper on their relationship because Meghan used to be a daddy’s girl and they were close and yet Thomas never got to meet Harry and next thing you know he’s doing pap walks?

- doc ends right before the wedding.

Oof. The other two were boring but this one made me mad lol. This doc is all over the place and I’m interested to see what the general public will think of it.  

Next 3 episodes coming out in a week.....