#it's honestly the most effective scene we've had so far

[kingedmundsroyalmurder]

Kilmeny will not marry Eric because she is mute, so Eric starts thinking about if there is a way to cure her muteness. He asks Janet Gordon if they have ever taken Kilmeny to a doctor. She says no, Margaret wouldn't hear of it. Thomas wanted to, when Kilmeny was young, but it was forbidden and everyone bowed to Margaret's every whim.

Margaret Gordon sounds like she terrorized the entire household, to be honest. Janet said a couple chapters ago that she did her best to shield her from sorrow, but I think perhaps the result was that Margaret was simultaneously smothered and spoiled and made it everyone's problem. No wonder Kilmeny is so good at reading shifting moods.

We then learn that there is more to the story of Margaret Gordon than Mrs. Williamson (hey, remember her? Been a hot minute since we heard about her, now that Janet has taken on the role of kindly elderly female dispenser of plot and wisdom. Her name is Elizabeth, by the way.) Anyway, there is more to the story than Mrs. Williamson knew. When Margaret came home after her marriage fell apart, her father was terribly angry. He hadn't wanted her to marry Ronald Fraser, but she did anyway. And her father "called her a hard name".

There's been some discussion about what that name was -- I saw suggestions of whore, harlot, and jezabel, all of which seem plausible. And Margaret refused to say a word in response to this, even after he realized he had been cruel and apologized and asked her forgiveness. And Margaret refused to speak another word to anyone from that moment until after Kilmeny was born. She also spent all her time sitting in her room staring at the wall.

So, you know, doing well!

When her father is dying, he begs her to come to him one last time. She refuses, and so he has Thomas and Janet bring him to her. He says he cannot go meet his dead wife (her mother) until their daughter has forgiven him for calling her such a dreadful name. He begs and pleads and prays and she refuses to speak a single word to him. Her stubbornness has become a curse, forcing her to stay silent even when -- as she tells Janet later -- she wanted to speak. But she did not. And he died, unforgiven.

Kilmeny was born soon after, and the love and magic of motherhood melted the curse and Margaret spoke again. But it was too late, she could never forgive her father now, and when she realized Kilmeny wasn't going to talk she went half mad thinking this divine retribution for her sin of silence. As Janet puts it, "Kilmeny can't speak because Margaret wouldn't."

So there's a lot to unpack here. Most obviously, this is the culmination of the whole 'Kilmeny has only ever existed as an extension of her mother' theme we've been working. It's also another example of the way that women are only ever supporting characters to the men in their lives -- Margaret's sin was specifically that she wouldn't forgive her father. That stubbornness then cursed her daughter.

But we move on swiftly from that to Eric's favorite activity: not taking no for an answer. He says they will send for David Baker anyway, and will have him examine Kilmeny and also tell him an edited version of the story so that he has all the facts. Janet agrees -- again, we aren't asking Kilmeny's permission here -- presumably because she's realized that arguing with Eric will only lead to more tedious arguing with Eric and that he, unlike you, has nothing better to do with his day than argue this point.

Eric does, at least, tell Kilmeny of his plan, and we end the chapter with the following exchange:

But a rosy glow of hope flashed over Kilmeny’s face when Eric told her what he meant to do.

“Oh, do you think he can make me speak?” she wrote eagerly.

“I don’t know, Kilmeny. I hope that he can, and I know he will do all that mortal skill can do. If he can remove your defect will you promise to marry me, dearest?”

She nodded. The grave little motion had the solemnity of a sacred promise.

“Yes,” she wrote, “when I can speak like other women I will marry you.”

Four chapters left. Let's see how much more ridiculousness we can cram into four chapters before our inevitable ending point!

[definitelynotshouting]

I want to know more about the hiding the cat thing, how’s you manage that?

okay so in december of 2018 me and my cousin, who had moved in with me earlier that year, heard a knock on our door about two minutes after a house guest had left. On the other side is said house guest, who eagerly informs us that there is a VERY sweet and friendly kitten roaming around out in the parking lot

To quickly set the scene here: it is 45°F out and the sun is going down. We are in pajamas. Neither of us are even wearing shoes

Both of us, avid cat lovers, charge down the stairs to pet this cat, who is indeed very friendly and INCREDIBLY sweet, trotting right up to us and purring up a storm. My cousin looks at me. I look at him. "Absolutely not," I tell him, because our apartment has a strict $300 pet deposit policy and neither of us have that kind of pocket money lying around.

"But TJ," my cousin says, in a voice i have come to recognize as a precursor to the world's most obvious yet effective attempts at emotional manipulation, "it's cold outside. And the highway is right there. Wouldn't you feel so terrible if you woke up tomorrow and–"

"OH MY GODS," I say, very loudly, "GO. JUST TAKE HIM INSIDE, GO GO GO."

My cousin scoops the kitten up (who doesnt protest even a little), runs up all three flights of stairs so fast he fucking blurs, and now we have a cat. in our apartment. and no pet deposit.

Ofc we did make the obligatory attempt at finding his original owner. He was far too sweet and friendly to be a proper stray, and while he was very thin he still had soft fur and wasnt super scruffy. We very quietly asked around, put up some carefully worded signs in the neighborhood, checked in with the local shelters-- nada. Nothing. Not a single peep about this cat. And after a full week of bonding, both of us were 100% set on keeping him.

Honestly, hiding him from our apartment wasnt anything spectacular. We're indoor-only owners, and our friends pitched in to help us get him neutered, get his shots, and essential supplies. We had two inspections during the 3 month period we saved up for a pet deposit, and both times we just hid his stuff in our cabinets, put him in his cat carrier, and took him to someone else's house for the day. Once we had the money we needed and could actually spare it, we went to our leasing office and informed them we wanted to adopt a cat.

"Oh thank god," I distinctly remember hearing the woman who handed me the appropriate paperwork say. "We're so grateful you went through the proper channels for this. Nobody ever does that, and it's such a hassle for us. What's your new cat's name?"

"Oh, of course," I replied, with what i think was frankly admirable composure. "I'm always happy to be helpful. And we've decided to name him Anarchy."

[andbrokenmemories]

So it's weird how like. The Kennet girls are good at everything, aren't they? [pale spoilers ahead]

Like that's obvious, it's textual -- it's very textual, other characters being in something like awe over it over and over and over across the story. The girls are very good at this, and they have a deep well of power. This comes up continuously.

what's weird is thaaat a lot of the fanbase seem to like, enjoy that. Enjoy having protagonists who can play around with magic in a way Blake never ever could have. I kind of get that, I won't like shit-talk it too hard. (I do like Verona, y'know?)

But it's an interesting fact. Because Wildbow's the underdog protagonist guy! At least in action scenes, that's his whole thing! Taylor and Blake have to eat shit and die to claw their way to victory, and often those scenes work for me. And it's one of the things I think WB gets the most praise for? Like, from his established base. It's a conscious choice to not do that for Pale. He like, introduced the idea that this kind of wild practitioner would be especially powerful. He made that up for this book.

I wonder what that decision looks like -- after Ward, and Ward's issues, especially, since that seemed to be the first break from this. Underdog protagonists seem to be the default, for him; the thing he has most experience with. I've seen posts from him describing his process -- put characters against the wall without having a pre-planned out for them, so WB himself has to puzzle out exactly what they can use to make it out alive -- and he seemed to derive like... An actual enjoyment, out of it?

Yeah, there are fights in Pale where they're up against the wall... even one where, with Dire Consequences for us all, Wildbow had them lose because he couldn't see a way for them to win!

But it's not the same. I'd honestly say they usually lose because of their like, lack of full maturity -- their child soldier-y emotional rawness and uncertainty -- their lack of cohesion, as the book usually plays it. Lucy cannot stop John from joining the Contest because she can't hold her nerve against him. The girls cannot stop the murder plot from coming to fruition because they lack unity, aren't working together as a team. Emotional stuff. The girls have more tools in their box than any Wildbow protagonist before them, by far, but they can't always use them properly to get the W, for emotional reasons, for character reasons.

In theory, that's an interesting direction (maybe, possibly), and I should be relieved that Wildbow is trying something fresh. In practice... I've said I don't like Pale's fight scenes. I think Wildbow is plainly worse at this than the content of his previous works.

Part of this is seen in the Contest. Or, at least, how Wildbow Posts about it. If you can't tell, a specific WoG lives in my brain: Wildbow said once that he kept the story going past Break because he genuinely did not believe the trio could beat Maricica. I can imagine him doing his typical calculus for this, and what led him to that conclusion, maybe. For example, we've heard a lot about the ability of the Fae to manipulate stuff, aaaand to have the girls come along and undo all of that with minimal information to begin with wouuld sort of. Damage our belief in Faerie significance. Still, though -- cards on the table, here -- I think this was a Dumb and Bad choice. (It's a sidenote to this post, but I think it's very strange that, in-story the straw that breaks the camel's back is shown to be the Alabaster allowing shit to go on rather than throwing in with John, effectively a betrayer revealed moment -- a thing that, even if sorta his intention from the start, he could simply say 'aw beans i never really planned this out far enough' and just drop. for the sake of wrapping up a better story. and naturally i believe this would have been better also because it means we never would have fucking gotten White Woman Animus!! i digress. i digress.)

Maricica had weaknesses the story gave us to nibble on, and those weaknesses... are just kind of dangling threads, now? As of where I hopped off? like, guess she can't be that inexperienced with people if she became a goddess and started a cult and helped with all that red heron shit lol

So it's that thing I said, about fight scenes being more character driven. But then also, he's clearly thinking about this the same way as ever! As shown by his weird logic with framing the story going past Break as a thing he Had To Do, for Logical Reasons, or at least that weighing on the decision. a thing that is silly and i disagree with on it's face. right?

And then this shows in the sheer quantity of fight scenes -- if the girl's main limiter is internal emotional context and stuff........... uh... why are there so many fights? Why wouldnt the story naturally curve towards. having fewer fight scenes when theres no other way to square things away. that progress character arcs. whyyy do i care about fight scene 129 when i know how strong these girls are. whyyy are we fighting so many random others, and dedicating genuinely long segments of story to them, rather than montaging that shit? Getting it over with? If it has to be there at all? (for reference -- I just tried to think of a Random Pale Fight i fully don't think mattered. i selected the random like. angel summoner guy? with the fortnite constructor angel. that's a part of the musser invasion or whatever. this is a character with literally no substance, just a musser-side goon. From him entering the ongoing! fight to Lucy getting out of dodge is 4.6k words. Plague 12.7, the Mannequin fight, up to Mannequin leaving -- that's almost the entire chapter -- is 6.9k words. on the worm wiki, i saw there's a brief 'major events' summary of that chapter. i couldnt tell you the major events of the Pale chapter, of which that section of fight is like a third, maybe. lucy gets a bit more upset. lucy gets in a few quips against musser-side characters that actually matter but actually dont matter much to how that broader conflict is resolved. i guess.)

Wildbow writes any random fight the girls get into as being worth as many words as his fights in the past! the scrappy, pay-offy ones. bleh. My point in all this: you cannot simply set your protags up in the way I'm positing, here, and then continue to use the same vocabulary of every other serial anyway. it straight up doesn't work. it's exhausting. The Future is An Eternal Slaughterhouse 9000 Arc. Look, thats a criticism that boils down to 'web serials are too long'. And I'm not sure I care too much about web serials being too long! I have read longer web serials with longer fight scenes! I have written fiction with a longer average word count per chapter than Wildbow, at least during Worm! its a real criticism, but its not one im amazingly interested in personally. But the Kennet three could've had weaknesses to play around -- or at least, more weaknesses. We are in a Post-Pact world, and in this Post-Pact world, the magic in Pale really barely feels like it, uh, relies on discourse and presentation. like at all. And that seems like an option to give these characters obstacles! An option Wildbow gestures at during the Musser meta-arc!

but what struck me getting that word count comparison earlier, skimming that fight? The girls just aren't operating in that world. There's never a thought for presentation -- maybe sometimes, for a slight edge. But it never really matters, certainly not after the blue heron. They're using glamour as a workhorse tool, covering goblins in it for brief misdirects to get an edge in a fight; they're calling on the same shrine spirits over and over. They don't build up tools over a portion of story then cash them out for a satisfying win, they're just... strong. They have more items in their bags than Wildbow probably knows what to do with. Strong enough for just Lucy to dunk on any random set of practitioners, but not strong enough for the story to just skip that part, and not strong enough to just solve the plot until it's time to go fuck up Charles and end the story.

I know you could argue that I'm making this up, or that it's what some people prefer to what Pact was doing. But I just think it's not even what wildbow is good at! (and i always theorize that when wildbow is writing kind of bad, it's probably because he's not actually engaged or happy with what he's putting himself through. did he read a specific thing that made him personally excited to make the girls so versatile? I don't really know, but I don't get that vibe.)

And I have a couple of specific things I want to point out to try and prove this is like. a thing at all, to wrap up on: First, Glamour is used as this very, uh, soft magic thing, this very basic narrative tool. A pure mechanic of, like, mental states. If you're shaken, if you're uncertain, your glamour gives out on you -- if you shake your opponents, make them skittish, your glamour is better at misdirecting them. This is fiiine? But too vague for what Glamour is. Wildbow simply failed to properly present tradeoffs to one of his character's main action verbs, one that literally had those tradeoffs in Pact. And one last example to try and prove this: they dont even wear the hats and cloaks anymore duuude. Like, in my eyes: there was a very simple to read gambit being made, with the hats and masks and cloaks? You are awakening early, you will always have awoken early: You accepted an early shield against what that meant. A constructed image in place of the image of a fully-fledged adult, masking that youth; Whimsical and inherently magical, inherently wild. It's a very basic tradeoff, and one the story promises you it knows: even if they really would rather not have to go through the whole song and dance of suiting up, if it's tactically suboptimal or else they mature out of it and realise it's not for them, they will never be able to escape it -- not without giving up power. A mark accepted that cannot be given up. A mechanical restriction on their powersets to make up for some of their advantages, that also has some character relevancy. The Good Stuff.

except yeah it can. be taken off. it doesn't super matter. not really. they do plenty of magic without all the stuff on or even any of the stuff on -- it's rarely presented as an obstacle. it doesnt really matter. Because then, you see, they couldnt mature out of it and do cool stuff! it'd be. annoying. frustrating. they'd have to like. deal with changing past the natures they made for themselves. they'd have to. be characters. with character issues. that present themselves in fight scenes. you know?? what are we doing.

[kienava]

Question about Bumbleby for you (ignore the earlier ask pls)

In one of my favorite analyses of the ship, you wrote:

“yang and blake admitting, finally, all of the things they see in each other, all of the things the other does to make them feel loved. you do what you say. you know what matters to you.”

How does Yang saying “You never gave up on people even when they hurt you. You never give up. You know what matters to you.” Relate to how Blake makes Yang feel loved? Not a dig at the ship, I just don’t get it, to me it seems just like things she sees in Blake.

hey, glad you liked my analysis! <3

to me, those lines ultimately come down to an acknowledgement of deep mutual trust. longer, more elaborate response incoming lmao

as far as "you never gave up on people, even when they hurt you. you never give up" is concerned, i think that's a reflection of how yang respects blake's ideological commitment to making the world better one person at a time. we've seen her give chances to people who have hurt her before, notably weiss and ilia. this actually goes for yang too, since blake chose to trust yang after the tournament fight where she broke mercury's leg and swore she didn't mean to. blake was triggered by that event because it reminded her of adam and how he would have violent outbursts (she says as much in different words), and so blake choosing to trust yang in that moment meant a lot. we literally see tears in yang's eyes over the fear that she might have lost blake's trust. she cares a whole about what blake thinks of her.

there's also the fact that blake came back after the fall of beacon - another iteration of "you never give up." blake left out of fear, but the most important thing to yang is that blake came back. they faced adam together. they protected each other even though they were scared. blake stood by yang's side and didn't give up. that sounds a whole like love to me.

i think "you know what matters to you" is an important inclusion for two big reasons, the first being related to the conflict between blake and yang in v7-8. it's about mutual respect. during the atlas arc, they figured out how to navigate the fact that they had different priorities, what with yang focusing on direct, concrete action by helping people in mantle and blake staying in atlas to help with the more abstract, ideological side of the situation. ultimately, they're able to reconcile their differences in viewpoints and come to an effective compromise in how to handle the situation. this is best exhibited in their conversation in the van before they go talk to robyn, which i frankly think is a massively underrated bumbleby scene.

essentially, their v7-8 conflict is a microcosmic counterpoint to the broader overarching political upheaval and eventual war in mantle and atlas. because yang and blake have that mutual respect for one another, they're able to express their different priorities - and acknowledge that one isn't necessarily more important than the other - and come to a consensus. yang knows she can trust her partner not to judge her unfairly if they have a difference of opinion.

i think there's also an angle here regarding blake's past with adam. she wasn't necessarily allowed to express her own beliefs for fear of retaliation. we've seen how he acts when anyone, especially blake, disagrees with him. when yang says "you know what matters to you" to blake, she's also acknowledging the fact that blake trusts her enough to express her beliefs confidently and honestly. the fact that blake sees yang as a safe person to talk to is a big deal for yang - she outright says she likes that blake has never been intimidated by her.

so, in conclusion, i think the lines you mentioned are an essential part of why yang trusts, loves, and feels so comfortable with blake. she's not just saying "i think it's cool that you have opinions," she's saying "thank you for telling me what you believe. i respect what you believe, and i know you respect what i believe. while we often agree on important things, i trust that we can navigate any differences that arise because we already have. and i know you'll be here to do that."

[kessielrg]

Beside Me, Naked

Summary: In which Michel and Forsynthia share a shower. Rated T for nudity, but nothing really sexy or graphic happens; mostly practice for myself on more intimate scenes and flirtations. Started in 2019 as a fanfic that ended up getting names changed for the sake of giving the characters a new life.

Rating: T

Word Count: 1,928 words

-

It didn't quite dawn on Michel what he and Forsynthia were about to do until after he shut the bathroom door.

“A-are you sure about this?” he asked her, despite the young woman already in the process of taking off her bolero jacket.

She turned to look at him with an inquisitive eyebrow raise. “We've already seen each other naked.” she pointed out as if it wasn't a big deal. “Are you sure about this?”

Michel swallowed back dry saliva as he honestly considered backpedaling. Forsynthia hadn't been wrong, they have seen each other unclothed on several, very mundane reasons since she moved in with him. But for the first time in their relationship, they were going to share a shower. It was going to be (tight? close?) far more intimate than what the two have done so far. Sex didn't particularly appeal to either of them, and their kisses were always light gestures that lasted only a moment.

While Michel weighed his options, Forsynthia only stared at him with her brilliant blue eyes. They held no judgment (she knew full well how he was raised) but to him they seemed to sheer themselves into the back of his head. That was the thing about Forsynthia- she trusted him enough to have followed him to the bathroom, and she loved him enough that if he didn't want to share a shower, she would let him walk back out. It was in her gaze that Michel started to undo his jeans and slide them down his hips.

“Is it because of Winthel?” Forsynthia asked as she started to take off her tank top. For a moment, Michel had to flinch. Of course his overbearing mother would be brought up when both he and his girlfriend were half naked, about to wash each other's bodies in incredibly close quarters.

“No.” he said, more to remind himself than to answer her. “I'm just afraid of… of…?”

What was he afraid of again? He loved her, and trusted her. So why was he so afraid?

“You don't even have genitals.” the young woman brazenly pointed out- she had been in the process of taking off her skirt and was now staring right at his crotch. She came back up with a teasing smirk. “I think we're good on that front.”

A deep red flush shown through Michel's fur as he turned his body from her- as if it would prevent her from seeing the body parts that clearly were not there. He then stuck her tongue out at her to show that her comment had no effect on him. Forsynthia laughed as she made her way to the shower's faucet handle.

“How hot do you want the water to be?”

“What ever you want it to be.” he replied, unbuttoning his shirt, “My fur can handle most extremes- I usually have it on cold so I don't run up the heating bill.”

“Gotcha.” came the agreeing nod.

By the time Forsynthia had gotten the shower up and running, Michel had fully been unclothed. She turned back to him and moved a bit closer before requesting, “Can you help me take my bra off?”

For a moment, everything in Michel's body froze. “S-sure.” he agreed. With shaking hands, the goat monster removed the bra from the clasps and gently removed the bra off of Forsynthia. Free from the garment, Forsynthia turned around to face him once again. She almost laughed at him.

“You look like your mother caught you in her sock drawer!” the young woman teased. So he did, with his face red hot, his eyes staring at her in a milky daze, and her bra straps laced in between his finger tips. But he hadn't quite registered her for a moment- he was too in awe of her tiny form. Forsynthia stood a whole head and some shorter than he was- some days it felt like she was a little fairy compared to a massive giant. Most of the time he was afraid of hurting her because of how small she seemed. Maybe that was what he was most afraid of; hurting her.

Michel unceremoniously dropped the bra on the ground and took Forsynthia by the face, kissing her lips with impulsive lust. A moment of shock passed through the both of them, but Forsynthia did not pull away from the embrace. When she did pull away, it was only to tell him, “The water's getting cold Shell.” And for a moment, he could have cared less.

Forsynthia gave a small laughter as she left his arms. She stepped into the shower and immediately started to get her hair wet.

“Can you hand me the shampoo?” she asked him, despite the bottle being only four steps away from her. It was his cue to either get out or join her. Michel looked at her for a moment, drinking in her shameless display while she made sure her hair was completely wet. Holding in his breath, Michel picked up the shampoo bottle and entered the shower with Forsynthia.

There was a bit more room in the shower than what Michel had anticipated, but it was still close. If neither of them were careful, it would have been easy to brush against the other's leg. Or worse.

“Turn around.” he told her, the request sounding more like a nervous squeak. “I'll wash your hair for you.”

Giving a little shrug (how was she so calm about this? He was practically shaking!), Forsynthia turned around. Michel almost dropped the shampoo bottle as he tried to squirt a bit of the shampoo in his hand. After gently setting the bottle down, Michel started to massage the shampoo onto the top of her scalp. Forsynthia let out a small hum of approval as he worked. Michel’s claws did well to get the shampoo to her roots without scratching Forsynthia’s head.

“Done,” he said after a minute or so.

“Great.” Forsynthia nodded. She stepped under the stream of water and let the soap wash away. Michel didn’t know what to do other than watch.

When she was done, Forsynthia turned around to reach for the shower head. She pulled the detachable head off and, with the water still pouring out, tried to present it to Michel.

“Now it’s your turn.” she grinned at him.

Anxiety came back at full force.

“O-okay.” he nervously agreed. “Start… Just do where you can reach. Okay?”

Forsynthia let out a small giggle. “Okay.”

She got down to her knees to have a better view of his furry legs. Using the detachable shower head, she worked to wet his legs down like an expert dog groomer. When it was time for soap, she didn’t bother to place any in her hands. Instead Forsynthia squirted a single line against the outside of his leg. From there she rigorously scrubbed with all the force her thin arms could muster.

It reminded Michel of how ticklish he was underneath all that fur.

Still, he did his best to stay still as she worked. He didn’t expect her small hands to start working upwards toward his crotch. The motions she made became a bit more gentle then. With it came the increasing awareness of just where her hands were. Sure, he might not have had genitals like humans did, but there was still a sense of sensitivity regardless.

Time passed far too slowly before Forsynthia stood up again.

“There.” she proclaimed, rather proudly. “Now for the top half of you.”

Michel found himself nodding a bit too quickly.

This part hadn’t been as bad as the others, considering Forsynthia’s small stature. She could just barely get to his armpits. That didn’t mean that she didn’t try to keep scrubbing with fervor. It was incredibly ticklish. By the time Michel was completely clean, the hot water had completely run out.

“It's so cold.” Forsynthia shivered.

“We should get out.” Michel suggested as he reached over to turn the water off.

His girlfriend nodded. “Good idea.”

Michel let Forsynthia out first. He patiently waited as she took a towel from the rack and started to dry herself off. Each movement was so careful- as if even she was afraid of hurting herself by being so thin and small. Michel tilted his head. Forsynthia caressed her body as she got every part of her dry.

When she turned to give him a sneaky grin, Michel felt his heart race. If he wasn't a wet dog right now, he would probably take her by the face again for another kiss.

The tricky, confusing woman left him in the bathroom when she had dried herself off enough. Michel had to use a blow dryer to get himself dry. He went over every inch of his body- going in between his toes and fingers, even to his armpits because when THOSE stayed wet, he'd have to take another shower in an hour. Even with his careful drying, parts of him were still damp when he decided that it was time to call it quits.

As Michel entered the bedroom he and Forsynthia shared, he found in startling revelation that his girlfriend was still nude. Michel opened his mouth to say... something, but his thoughts were put off when she tossed his phone over.

“Your mom sent a text while we were bathing.” she said, quite simply.

Michel had to hold back a curse as he picked up his phone. Had Forsynthia seen whatever his mom had sent? The poor old woman didn't take kindly to when other girls were in his vicinity, let alone living in the same room. One of these days he was going to slip up and reveal the truth. But for now? Ignorance was bliss.

'How is my flower doing? I'm hoping that you'll be able to join us for our festival next week!'

Michel let out a sigh of relief. So it was just a normal check-in. He could handle that.

'Just got out of the shower. Been a bit too hot to handle out here recently.'

Michel looked up to see Forsynthia. She was finding clothes to get dressed in now, humming to herself. Michel wondered if his mother would ever scare her- assuming she even did already. He wondered if his mom would ever accept her as his partner. This world wasn't always kind when the partners didn't match. Especially if one of you was a monster.

'I don't think I'll be able to make it to the festival.' he added to his text. 'Work is holding me back. You know how it goes.'

Without thinking twice, he hit send. He looked up to find Forsynthia carefully deciding on her nightgown choices; a cotton T-shirt dress, or a little number that Michel knew would show more skin than what she was normally comfortable with. The idea she was even entertaining that particular nightgown made him laugh.

Forsynthia gave two blinks before turning to him.

“What's wrong?” she asked. Her face was blank, but her tone indicated some confusion.

“Nothing.” Michel assured her. “You're perfect.”

Forsynthia stared at him, not quite understanding his meaning for a moment. When it hit, she blushed.

“You're... really fluffy.” she sheepishly said back. Michel laughed as Forsynthia's face got even more red. It was such a welcome glow against her pale features.

Michel's phone chose that time to beep at him. Apparently his mom had texted back, but he could have cared less. This moment belonged to him and Forsynthia- as did many others. His mom could wait.

For now.

[blink-blank-bliss]

Hey Blissy your turn. I hear you are: "Neural Nets and Pretty Patterns owned voice actress and pleasure puppet"

Some odd questions for you:

Would you desrcibe yourself as being in a bdsm relationship that uses hypnosis as a tool like a Dom-sub relationship + hypno, Or a Hypno-Domination H-D/s relationship? Just curious how you'd define it - because you seem happy and you guys are still going strong, or is it a Hypno relationship +D/s?

Could you say please what the most important part of the hypnotic relationship is - like the thing that makes the hypnosis most effective for you?

Could you also please say what submission means to you, what are the core components for submission to be happening?

Thank you in advance x x x

Hi Doll! It's always a pleasure to hear from you and I'd be happy to answer your questions, I apologize to any reader who actually plows through this whole thing for what may be a little too much of a glimpse behind the curtain at Actual Me and not the public face of Bliss, but oh well, I don't really get a lot of serious questions and I am delighted that you've asked me, so buckle up here we go.

I don't think I would use any of those terms to describe my relationship with Neural. We are primarily romantic partners and best friends, and we work together to create weird kinky artsy audio porn stuff. He's the creator, but I do a lot behind the scenes to help keep the content coming and I take my job as Cunt Muse seriously. Yes, we have kinky sex and it's fucking great, but it's just a small part of a relationship between equals. He has, however, spent a lot of time inside my mind, as I have in his. It's given our relationship something that I guess I would call ...mental intimacy? haha that sounds gross idfk. But I've never really had this before and can't imagine having it with someone else. The content is a part of it, I love acting and he just writes me the most fun roles to play. haha in the one we are working on now I play the most sadistic nun ever, it's so cathartic, I swear I'm healing generational trauma doing it haha. Getting to explore all of that together is really sexual and really hot but it's not like ... hypnosis. I love having wild kinky trancey scenes with him and he is a wonderful dom, knows how to push my buttons just the right way to take me apart and always makes sure to put me back together after, but it's not as important to me as it is that he has made me laugh every day for over 5 years without fail or that he can write me a part to play in a script that will both highlight my talent and turn me on.

I think the most important part of the hypnotic relationship is trust. I trust him and he trusts me. I know he is committed to being good to me and good for me, as I am for him. He's proven it to me through haha some honestly insane shit storms of life and I know I have proven it to him. And we've been at it long enough that we've seen the proof, both of us are better stronger people than we were before we met. This is what makes us equals, but it's also what makes it possible for him to slide inside my mind like he's coming home and make me into nothing but his. For a time at least.

ok so this is a two-parter. Part 1. What does submission mean to me? So ok I am old. I came out as queer and kinky in a world where to be kinky you had to put on a latex dress and go in person to what they called an "S & M Club". It was terrifying but thrilling. But as far as kink goes, I'm a little jaded at this point. I feel like I've literally seen it all. I've been to at least 50 kink conventions of all varieties. I've taught classes, hosted infamous dungeon parties, demo dollied, bootblacked, partied with all manner of kinky people. but like.... I'm fucking old and I did it already. Now yes, I am still submissive, I am still a masochist, but I just don't have anything left to prove to myself or anyone else about it. Submission has been a part of who I am for more than half my life now, but at this point, it's pretty much just a sex thing for me. I mean yeah I call Neural Owner or Daddy when we play, and yeah it was hot as hell when I asked him to choose my new hair color, but it's for fun and a sex thing. Part 2 is pretty cut and dried. I'm jumping over the safety speech part here and just say that I'm only talking about power exchange that I would consider RACK. But for submission to occur there has to be some kind of agreement that you are going to give up your power to another for a period of time in some agreed upon way. That's what we mean when we talk about consent really. it's what makes healthy power exchange possible, without that it's all various degrees of abuse and codependency and people making each other into less than they are. Gross. I'm also going to answer a question that you didn't ask, but my advice to any submissive but especially those getting into it: -sit down with yourself and really decide what your values are, what your limits are, what your needs are, physically emotionally mentally before you go giving your precious self away to a dom. - Sub frenzy is a thing, it's crazy, I've been there, but it is Not Real and it will fade, take your time in establishing relationships and making commitments no matter how hot the scenes are. -No matter how much you worship them, your doms will remain human. Humans have limits on their time and their energy. Humans are not all-knowing. Humans get sick. Humans make mistakes. Don't put divinity level expectations on your human partner. It's a set up, no one can live up to it.

[fatalism-and-villainy]

1899 spoilers -

Hmm, yeah, this show was a bit disappointing. Engaging enough in its mystery box twists and turns that I wanted to keep watching, but a bit lacking in concept and follow through.

I really like a good simulated reality plot! I'm a big fan of a Philip K. Dick style plot. But in this case.... I honestly think it was one of the least interesting possible explanations for what was happening? I was initially leaning towards purgatory, given the way most of these people had a troubled past in which they killed someone or did something otherwise morally questionable, or else something like an alternate dimension, given the triangle imagery and the way it recalled the Bermuda triangle. Simulation - and especially the reveal that they're on a spaceship called the Prometheus - just felt kind of rote as far as sci fi twists go.

And the thing that Odar and Friese did really well with Dark was put a fresh twist on a familiar sci fi concept - in that case, time travel. In that show, the stable time loop, and the notion of making something happen via trying to prevent it from happening, perpetuating the loop while trying to break it, were imagined as a cycle of trauma that the character were trapped in. It dug into the emotional ramifications of that scenario, and gestured at philosophically engaging questions, like the nature of free will, as well as entirely mundane themes, like growing up to be the worst iteration of yourself, despite all attempts to do otherwise.

But here, the philosophical inquiry that they mined from the simulation scenario was.... kind of the definition of fake-deep, like with Daniel's overly sentimental and content-less line about how reality isn't about what's inside our minds, but what's outside of us. Otherwise, I felt like Odar and Friese were retreading a lot of the same territory they covered in Dark, and in a way that didn't fit as well with the premise of this show. Once again, we had characters stuck in a perpetuating loop - this is why the purgatory theory would have worked so well! - but the emotional effects of that don't come through for the viewer on a storytelling level, because we only get the barest hints of the repetitive nature of the events. In Dark, having multiple perspectives from different versions of each character really made me feel the oppressive weight of the time loop cycles, but here that aspect was underutilized. I think part of what makes a simulated reality scenario effective is actually showing the multiple loops, leaning into the uncanny effect of seeing the same scenes starting to happen again, feeling the pain of one of the characters not remembering the emotional development they've gone through before. Devoting an entire season to just one loop was a waste, in my opinion, especially since the early episodes were so slow - restarting things partway through would have been more effective, I think.

Like Dark, this show also gestured towards people's emotional tendencies keeping them trapped in the same loops over and over, but I think that sentiment in Dark - that we can't escape our fate because we can't escape our desires - landed much better and felt more earned. Here, it's unclear exactly what the constraints for the simulation scenario, and the desired outcome, were supposed to be, so it's hard to understand exactly how this concept comes to play. Again, this is why showing multiple loops would have worked better.

(It's possible that they're going to expand more on the emotional stakes in this way in later seasons, as certainly worldbuilding and character motivations will be revealed more, and the finale implies there's a lot we still don't know. But.... as a season in and of itself, I'm a bit under-satisfied with a finale that effectively undoes the characterization and emotional context we've had built up for us all season.)

Also, to be honest, I just found the protagonist kind of dull. And the reveal that the emotional centre of her motivations was her child.... yeah, kind of a cliché.

[izzythehutt]

hey, i was wondering how you were hoping kreese’s arc goes in s6 in regards to his relationships with johnny and tory. i love reading your cobra kai metas and would love to hear your thoughts on this!

There's like........what I want, what Martin Kove, insane John Kreese actor/apologist wants, and what we can reasonably expect the Big Three to actually give us, given what they've alluded to in interviews about where we left the characters at the end of S5. These are all kind of different things, though.

I think we've officially left that character in the darkest place he's ever been, because he's un-tethered from any pretense of following rules (he's a fugitive) and he "hates everyone" (per Josh Heald.) Up until now Kreese has always operated within a system, part of his whole game is hiding his ruthless, Darwinian nature under a veneer of respectability—playing up the retired Vietnam vet who just wants to help kids shtick. No more! He's faked his own death and assaulted people to escape from jail. This is full-on, willing to kill Captain Turner to survive Kreese. I fully expect their to be some guerilla warfare motif in S6 with how he operates from the shadows.

Season 5 kind of played with him realizing his mistakes and the ways he's hurt people but also dismissed the notion of him changing his ways and reaffirmed him as the Big Bad of this universe (even worse than Terry, because he can do what he does without the benefit of money or power.)

So, I see him starting S6 as the most menacing version of himself. I fully expect him to go full-on Hannibal Lecter, weird creepy phone calls to Johnny, showing up at Terry's place like a slasher film villain, etc. I really hope that Thomas Ian Griffith decides to come back for S6 because I feel like the Kreese and Terry relationship is one of the major unresolved plot threads of the show (and the fact that they had no scenes together in S5 felt like they were saving that confrontation for S6.) I would like Kreese to get a giant "I told you so" speech to Silver. He earned that. And then idk, they fight to the death over a snake pit.

As far as Johnny goes...well, I think in Martin Kove's perfect world Kreese would straight up kidnap him until he agreed to come back to Cobra Kai, lol. TB3 basically said that Kreese feels rejected by Johnny, someone he's always held out hope of reconciling with, so I expect some lashing out....though I do wonder if it will be directly or if he'll redirect his anger at someone like, say, Daniel—because it would be easy to blame Larusso since Kreese hates him anyway and blames him for their relationship going south in the first place.

I honestly believe that Kreese's ideal endgame would be dying at Johnny's hand, tbh. I think doesn't want to hurt Johnny, but he wants Johnny to be "tough" and to affirm the rightness of the CK ideology and carry it on. So while I've never really thought that him "attacking" Johnny directly would be an in-character thing for him to do, I could see some provocation (particularly if S6 is the last.)

We're definitely not going to see a "reconciliation" between them, but I do think Johnny has been in denial about the effect of the relationship on his life and the degree to which he's still deeply wounded by it. I think Kreese is kind of his last "monster" he has to slay—that is, coming to terms with that relationship and eventually forgiving him. And idk, maybe Kreese gets a Vader death. I would be down for him going out like a champ, like body slamming Terry into a snake pit because he's about to kill Johnny or something cray cray like that.

(Sidenote—I can't wait for Kreese to find out about the Lawrence Baby and be super weird about it.)

As for Tory...that's a big question I'm on the fence about. A lot of people think she's "done" with CK/Kreese after her awful experiences in S5, which would make sense, but also seems unlikely because at this point her character is his character's only major link to the younger cast. I could see her attempting to be the voice of reason with him if he gives her some of his weird fugitive Hannibal calls (maybe suggesting he turn himself in?) Obviously Robby won't want her to have anything to do with him, but Tory, for all she felt disillusioned with him "giving up" on their plan in S5, is a very loyal kid, and I would like to see her having some mixed feelings about him or a conflict around that relationship. Kreese kind of let her go at the end of S5, so maybe he'll try to stay away. If he gets CK back he's going to want her back as a student, though.

I think the set-up for Kreese and Sensei Kim reconnecting and forming the latest iteration of CK was a pretty obvious foreshadow, so I assume they'll do something with that. It could be interesting to see him work with a woman. If the Sekai Takai is at the end of S6 then I expect it to be in some country without extradition laws to the US so Kreese can emerge from the shadows again to menace our heroes.

[starlight-phantom]

Thoughts on Sonic Prime, the Netflix series? ^^

I binged it yesterday bc I got curious from seeing from the gifsets you were reblogging (oh, messed up alternate timelines my beloveds) and I really enjoyed it! :D

So, any notes? Anything in particular that caught your eye or that you'd like to see in future episodes? 👀

Well, I mean, I haven't really thought about it too much since we've only got eight episodes so far so I'm gonna wait till we've got the whole thing before I judge the series. But from what we've got so far:

I really like it.

It's not my favourite Sonic series, that's still Sonic X but nostalgia and the fact that it has a lot more episodes probably plays a big part in that so I'm not gonna hold that against Prime.

This personality for Sonic is a little bit different than what I'm used to but I still think it works really well and he manages to carry the show with his little comments.

I adore the alternate universe versions of the characters and how they take one aspect of them and change it, i.e Tails is a genius but if he never met Sonic and learned to have confidence in what makes him different so he becomes Nine, Amy is extremely kind and empathetic but if she couldn't talk about her feelings they go out of control and she becomes Thorn, etc. It's a simple concept but it works so well and they do it in a way where you don't need prior knowledge about the characters but if you do, you get some more enjoyment from it.

The worlds are all really interesting, my personal favourite so far is the pirate one, probably because there's no "We can't trust you!" Kinda thing going on like the other worlds 'cause that kinda conflict just irritates me after a while. And also just... Pirates are fun and the voices they have in that world are fun.

Speaking of voices, the voice acting is really, really good. I was a little nervous when they said the cast was gonna be different from the games because like... The voices have changed so many times... And it always starts arguments... But I really like this cast, especially Devan Mack as Sonic. Like he's not copying anyone, it's his own version of the character and he's got the cockiness, the cheekiness, the awkwardness, everything works perfectly. Not to mention, he nails the more serious scenes too like when Nine shows him the Grim and he has to turn him down. Apparently a lot of the cast were in MLP but I never saw that series, it wasn't on any channels I had growing up so I can't really comment, but they sound great in this series!

Another thing I love is the animation. I love the sheer amount of squash and stretch they use, it really gives Sonic's speed this zippy quality and just gives off this really fun vibe. And the fight coordination is really good, like that fight between Sonic and Shadow in Green Hill was great to watch. Not to mention, the effects they use for the prism powers look great. And my absolute favourite thing: They animate Sonic's ears to convey emotion. Instantly won me over with that.

Although, the thing I'm most looking forward to seeing more of has to be Shadow. Ngl it's been quite a while since he was written this well. I like the IDW comic version but even that has its problems sometimes. But I like how he is working towards what's best, he just sucks at communication and butts heads with Sonic because they both think they're doing the right thing. And while I don't like the characterisation of Shadow fighting Sonic on sight every time he sees him that most modern Sonic stuff does, I will say in Prime it's completely justified. I still find it funny that the first thing Shadow does when Sonic joins him in the void is punch him in the face.

Honestly, the only thing I'm not enjoying about Prime at the moment is the Chaos Council. I just don't find them funny or threatening. It's literally "oh here's five weird versions of Eggman with their own gimmick" like... Cool. Can we have just plain Eggman back please? The only thing I like about the Chaos Council is Rusty Rose. They might get better in the new episodes but I'm not holding my breath. They just really don't appeal to me.

But honestly on the whole, I'm really enjoying the series so far and I love all the small details they put into it like the aforementioned ear movements, how Rouge sleeps upside down, how Tails' tails are a lot thicker than Nine's tails because he actually uses them, the fact that the story ties back to the original Sonic game's themes of anti-industrialism in different ways, etc. Not to mention the little easter eggs like Tails' passcode being 1992, the year he debuted in Sonic 2, and Big's New Yoke identification code being 1998, the year he debuted in Sonic Adventure. I hope we get to see more things like that because they put a smile on my face.

Honestly, I hope the new episodes put more focus on Shadow now that he's finally got Sonic to come pick him up but I think he really has a lot of potential. And I'm really, really curious to see what Rouge's world is gonna be like. A lot of people are saying they'd like to see a Western style place which I agree would be pretty cool. And I hope more of the alternate universe characters interact with each other like how Rusty Rose and Black Rose did because that could lead to some interesting dialogue.

I didn't mean for this to become an entire goddamn essay but apparently I had some Opinions. Also none of my mutuals are really into Sonic so I don't get to talk it often so I guess it all just kinda exploded here.

[italeteller]

Ok, so you've told us what you think the best anime were last year. What are the anime you've been most disappointed by the last few years then, if you don't mind me asking?

Oooh a spicy ask, and a chance to complain about anime? Don't mind if I do!

This got long so I'm gonna put it under a readmore

First of all, gotta kill my darlings and go for Undead Unluck. Because like. The animation, the voice acting, the soundtrack, the sound effects, the little anime original things they add to filler some episodes, they're all amazing, and as someone who deeply loves the manga I am genuinely So Glad we've gotten an adaptation, even if it hasn't boosted the manga sales

But!

THAT. FUCKING. PACING! IS DRIVING ME NUTS!

WE HAVE COVERED 28 AND A HALF MANGA CHAPTERS IN 14 ANIME EPISODES! THAT'S 2 MANGA CHAPTERS PER EPISODE! THAT'S "ANIME'S CURRENTLY RELEASING AND WE NEED TO FILLER THIS BITCH UP TO BURST LEST WE CATCH UP" PACING, NOT "WE HAVE LITERALLY MORE THAN 150 CHAPTERS LEFT TO COVER" PACING!

THERE'S SO MANY FLASHBACKS! WHY'S THERE SO MANY FLASHBACKS!? SHIT'S WAY TOO SLOW, WHICH MEANS SEASON 1'S LIKELY GONNA END ON CHAPTER 53 WHICH MEANS CHAPTER 132 IS LIKELY NOT GONNA COME UNTIL SEASON 3 WHICH MEANS THE MOMENT WHERE UU GOES FROM GOOD TO TOP 3 CURRENTLY AIRING SHONEN IS LIKELY TWO WHOLE ASS SEASONS AWAY!!! WHAT THE FUCK!!!

I have a theory about why they're doing the pacing so slow, but honestly at this point I wish the season had been 20 episodes like To Your Eternity instead of 24, because this pacing's unbearable

Anyways, enough complaining on a full stomach, time to shit on My Hero Academia. The manga's gone to shit, and the anime's following the story which means it's also gone to shit, but additionally the anime feels less quality than it used to be. While there are some impressive battle scenes and high-speed movement scenes every now and then, there's also some noticeable lower quality moments, characters speaking facing away from the camera so they don't have to animate their mouths, repetitive scenes with moving camerawork to disguise the lack of animation... maybe it's because BONES has been doing the mha movies at the same time as the series, but you compare stuff from seasons 2 and 3 with stuff from seasons 5 and 6 and it's a really bad difference. I used to be really hype about this series, and it breaks my heart to see how far it's fallen

Kimetsu no Yaiba's secret village arc was also pretty meh. It might be the only time the manga's better than the anime, which felt unnecessarily padded and killed a lot of the tension of the fight scenes

The second season of My Next Life as the Villainess was pretty mediocre, flanderizing characters and bouncing aimlessly around with the plot. Here's hoping the movie raises the quality back up

Beastars season 2 was. Not as good as season 1. I don't remember exactly what ticked me off, but I remember I didn't like how Haru got sidelines, and I found Legosi very annoying this time around

The second season of Reincarnated as a Slime was also pretty mediocre. The first half was full of filler which killed the pacing, and when the main character's village was raided and some important characters killed, he conveniently met an elven princess who knew the secret to unlock resurrection magic, which meant that from there on out there are no stakes. Honestly a shame, I loved the first season, tho I gotta admit it peaked at the Orc Disaster arc

Sakugan began with incredible promise and a super straightforward plot premise, and then meandered away on meaningless, boring sidequests from episode 3 onwards, wasting a perfectly good plot, setting and characters

A very similar thing happened with Giant Beasts of Ars, which looked like a great fantasy series and then just... did nothing with anything

And the same with Synduality: Noir, a really high value tie in anime to an upcoming game with a postapocalyptic setting and the most insufferably boring main duo I've ever seen in anime. I gave it like 8 episodes and it's like that shit was allergic to moving the plot or the characters forward. It dedicated a whole episode to the obligatory tsundere character working up the courage to confess, and then she didn't

Tomo-chan wa Onnanoko could've been great if it had been 24 episodes, instead of hypercondensing the whole ass series into 13. I had to stop watching because I was getting mad with all the stuff they were skipping

Cells at Work Black was a pretty good drama until literally the last moment where the main cells, whose host body has finally started improving his health, thus giving them a better work and life environment, are sucked into a blood transfussion and taken to a body that's in an even worse state. So like, fuck you and abandon all hopes of things getting better I guess

And speaking of saying "fuck you!" to your audience, we can't forget about Science Fell in Love, the romcom that decided to end it's season 2 with an attempted gang rape of one of the main girls, intercut with the main guy putting on a powerpoint presentation on why she didn't deserve it. I would like to know what the fuck the mangaka was thinking

And if we're speaking about disasters, we can't not talk about the absolute trash fire clusterfuck that was Wonder Egg Priority

WEP, for those who don't know, was a delightfully dark original series about four girls who lost someone to suicide, entering their dreams to fight monsters to save the souls of girls who killed themselves, with the promise that one day they'd find those they'd lost and bring them to life. Lots of action, lots of kickass animation, very interesting character drama and mystery both human and magical

In the last three episodes (this was a 13 episode series btw), the series added the concepts of the multiverse, multiversal travel, syntetic humans, none of which it could do justice. And then the final episode breaks off the main group. All their goals are revived, but they're girls from other universes which means they had no bonds with the main characters. One of the girls dissappears into another dimension, another gets traumatized and leaves, another is implied to be looking for excuses to kill herself, and the MC spirals into depression before ending the series with a hopeful scene of her going back into the dreamworld, which would never happen because the series ended there and then, and there were never any plans to continue. A dissappointment on all fronts the likes you had to see to believe

Another series that shat the bed during the last three episodes was Takt Op Destiny. It wasn't as dramatic because the series wasn't as good as WEP, but still. Absolute disaster of an ending

Annnnd yeah, I think that's it for the last five years. Sure have been a lot of disappointments huh

[swordofsun]

Writing a post about how great the Wheel of Time adaptation is so I can continue my pledge to not make any ~☆☆but~in~the~books☆☆☆~~ posts until after the first season finishes up.

So back when we knew the adaptation was 100% happening and everyone was slightly concerned about it Rafe made a post about how they would be focusing the adaption on the story as a whole instead of a 1 season=1 book sort of deal. This confused many and most people seem to have taken it as having 2-3 books per season. Which, based on what we've seen, isn't right either. Because what they're doing is so much more interesting than that and is why the TV show is working.

When he said they were adapting it as the complete story that's what he meant. Everyone working on the show and in the writers room is a fan of the series. They have someone whose job is to track book canon and how it's effected by the TV show. They love this story and, more importantly, they understand it. They really seem to get a lot of the deeper themes of the books. They're looking at what the core of the story is and figuring out how to write that. While at the same time updating it for a modern audience.

(I'm of the opinion that RJ tried to be progressive, but was held back. Both by his own hangups (dude had trauma from Vietnam) and by the times. We went from no mention of queerness to oblique side notes of "pillow friends" to just saying that that guy likes guys not girls. The world has changed so much when it comes to accepting and celebrating queerness over the last 30 years I'm not even sure how to describe it. I think he'd be happy with the changes in this regard and apparently Harriet is okay with them, so.)

The show's writing room clearly went back to highschool English and sat down to figure out the key themes and character arcs. They also seem to have torn apart the storylines and figured out which pieces were essential to which characters and plots. This is a joyful reimagining of all of this. It's taking the pieces and rearranging them into a new picture.

Weaving a new tapestry with the same threads.

What they've created as a result is so much fun so far. Even scenes lifted almost wholesale from the books are given a new spin and some fresh thread. For the most part if you did a beat-for-beat/scene-for-scene recounting there is very little that is the same between books and show. But the heart and the essence of the characters and story is still there. Beating strongly.

You can sit and complain that various scenes are missing or that the show is just making shit up. But that misses the point. I never feel like what I'm watching isn't the Wheel of Time. The parts that have had me coming back to the story for 20 years are still there. Some are even getting a brighter spotlight shown on them. The story is the rereadable part, not the individual scenes. I can watch these characters and know that I'm seeing Rand and Nyneave and Moiraine. Egwene is the same Egg I've had a very tumultuous relationship with over the years. They may not be walking the exact same path, but they are the same characters.

Which is just so lovely. I was one of the people who was hesitant to belive it was even possible to adapt the series. I'm so glad Rafe and Co are proving me wrong. They've taken the core of the story, like any good AU writer, and found a new way to share it. They love the story as much as I do. It's pretty great.

Honestly this is an approach I hope more adaptations take in the future. Understand the story being told and adapt that to the medium rather then trying for the 1:1 transfer. Find what people love and what makes it tick and build from there.

(Also it's fun to have knowledge of the world and still not know exactly what's going to happen. I could lay out what I think each character's major plot points will be and how they'll happen, but I don't know. It's so much fun.)

As Rafe said once: This is a new turning of the Wheel. A new Third Age to explore and see the story of. It's pretty neat.

[abybweisse]

I'd be interested in your thoughts on something that isn't adding up for me wrt BDs: Despite being low on blood & "hungry" for a while, Layla was able to infiltrate Athena, fight w Lau, and run full tilt through the woods after being shot through the heart. Polaris fought Agni easily, yet became weak after freaking out & slashing a few drapes, all while having no shortage of blood. Meanwhile R!C collapses into a veiny heap nightly, even as early as Ch115. Do these inconsistencies mean anything?

Inconsistent depiction of these latest bizarre dolls?

I'm not sure there's any real inconsistency here, honestly, it's just that we are only seeing snippets of their activities. Let's look at each of the most advanced bizarre dolls we've witnessed.

1. Layla says she came to the sanatorium to find out why they weren't making their quota. While she's been there, she's quite possibly been secretly getting transfusions; kind of depends on who Al is and whether he has the know-how to help her with the equipment. Maybe she even knows how to load the machine with blood and hook herself up to it. If she's Canopus, her specific blood type supply is indeed low (assuming she doesn't know she can also use Vega blood). If she's (part of) Vega, the blood supply shouldn't be nearly so low (but still affected by ruined blood collection facilities elsewhere), but if Vega really is two people, that effectively cuts the supply in half for each of them. Also, she could have a large "appetite" and never feels satisfied. It's particularly weird that she keeps trying to ingest the blood, despite knowing it can't be used that way. She seems like an advanced bizarre doll at the very verge of resorting back to the mindless version that bites anything that's alive (with a soul). Any moment, she could act like Agares near the end of the Midnight Tea Party scene. Still, despite feeling "hungry", she's got enough blood in her to fight with speed, agility, etc. I'm not sure how physically strong she is, but she might not need to rely on physical strength. Of course, she's bleeding freely now, and I expect that energy to run out as she travels back from Wiltshire to wherever Lord Ciel is currently stationed (might still be Phantomhive Manor, on the outskirts or just outside of Greater London). If she even makes it back to Lord Ciel, then she might barely have the energy left by then to make a full report.

2. Polaris probably had a transfusion right before being transported to the Phantomhive townhouse in London, so he would have been at or near full energy levels when he fought Agni. By the time we see Polaris making his report about the Yorkshire facility, he's been to Yorkshire, seen the state of the operations there, done who knows what else, and then used whatever transportation to get back to Lord Ciel (apparently at Phantomhive Manor, far away from Yorkshire) to make his report. Then, like you say, during his report he goes into a tantrum of sorts, slashing the curtains and stabbing the floor. That might have just about used up his dwindling reserves of energy, and yet even then, he's not passing out, like Lord Ciel was earlier. He's on the floor, but it's not necessarily because he's out of energy. And he's not the one complaining of too little blood supply, feeling "hungry", or even feeling weak, for that matter. It's Lord Ciel who says Polaris probably needs a transfusion and rest. I mean, Polaris is visibly weakened and panting at this point but not complaining about weakness or hunger.

3. Lord Ciel, formerly going by Lord Sirius, technically has the largest blood supply. But--! Either he doesn't realize he can accept any whole blood for transfusion, or he knows but doesn't want anything accept his own specific blood type. He's either uninformed or an elitist. Either way, Sirius is the rarest blood type, and he's not getting nearly enough blood to keep him going as well or as long as someone like Polaris. However, like Polaris, Lord Ciel was probably given a transfusion just before their trip to encounter Soma and Agni. Take note that Lord Ciel/Sirius backs away (probably back to the carriage) soon after shooting Agni, as Polaris says he will finish up the work. This is probably an early indication that Lord Sirius doesn't have nearly as much energy or stamina as Lord Polaris.

To me, the biggest inconsistency (or just something we don't understand... yet) is how these highly advanced bizarre dolls run out of energy when their blood runs out/gets old/whatever while the bizarre dolls that never received a drop of blood seem to go on and on like the freaking Energizer bunny. Perhaps that's not true, and the event on the Campania just didn't last long enough for those bizarre dolls to wear out and collapse. 🤔

[nellie-elizabeth]

The Legend of Vox Machina: Spark of Rebellion (1x06)

Archibald... I'm a little bit in love...

Cons:

This episode was the strongest we've had since episode three, which is no surprise since it's got all that creepy angsty goodness with Percy and the Briarwoods and all that. But I have basically the same "cons" as the other two episodes carrying through, which I'll highlight briefly:

Unfortunately the Pike stuff is where the weakness comes for me. I don't want it to be true, but it is. We see her wandering around trying to connect to the Everlight, and then when she remarks that it's not working because of Delilah, the priestess says: "No curse, no spell could sever her connection to your light..." and something like "whatever is keeping you apart, it's inside of you." And then Pike says: "You're saying... it's not a curse, it's... me?" Just... what an awful line. No offense but yikes. It's just a blunt, repetitive restating of what the priestess just said, and once again everything with the Pike subplot feels like it's treading water. I'm not sure why they've structured it this way at all. I really wish Pike had gone with them on the road to Whitestone, and maybe further character beats could have shown that she's losing her connection gradually, tying directly in with her choices and behavior... then she could peel off for her own subplot for an episode or two. But as it stands, I just don't feel like her absence from the group was earned or justified, and despite what they're telling me, the sequence of events is still: Pike's magic worked fine, then a bad guy broke her necklace, now her magic is on the fritz. That's not an interesting development. I need to understand where Pike's doubt is coming from in order to connect with why we're spending time on this.

A few script awkwardnesses, like I've brought up before. One is in the really funny door scene with Vax, Percy, and Scanlan. Everything about the scene was great, except at one point Scanlan says out lout "ugh... fucking doors!" That's the kind of small detail I'm talking about. That line could have been cut, it's implied by everything around it. I also really liked Keeper Yennen, but the line "oh, but you're not the same. Little Percival, what have you become?" was such an in-your-face statement, as was Percy's response: "I am what they made me." This is the kind of thing you can imply with a lot more subtlety and make the moment hit harder, instead of just coming out and directly saying the thing.

Honestly, though, this episode truly did kick ass, and I'd like to talk directly about that!

Pros:

I haven't paused to talk too much about the animation because I've been focusing on story and character, the area I feel more comfortable speaking to, but I'll just say that I love all the atmospheric detail in Whitestone. The dreary atmosphere, the oppressive muted tones, the giants stomping around, but how you see glimpses of them and don't ever zoom out to get the full effect... obviously the shot of the Sun Tree there at the beginning, setting an immediately bleak tone... I just think it's working so well to show how far we are into the depths, and it should feel really rewarding when they manage to eke victories out of this dreary place.

We get a number of new characters here, the most important being:

Stonefell. I like that he's something of a one-note villain, because we already know the Briarwoods are our Big Bads of the season, and we have various minions that they will need to fight their way through first. This one is a huge beefy dude who loves torture and killing, and as Percy says, "you were the one I was least looking forward to" so we know this guy isn't going to be the most groundbreaking.

And then Archibald Desnay! What a great change from the stream. It's been a while, but I recall Archie was an old man who had been a mentor/advisor to the de Rolos... and here we have him changed to a childhood friend of Percy... god, I can't help myself from shipping Percy/Archie a little bit? Probably thanks to Taliesin Jaffe's and Dominic Monaghan's amazing voice talent, I was immediately swept up in how much these two clearly care for each other. Percy's return home, so many people recognizing him, and having this connection, this affinity for someone... god, what great moments with Percy slamming against the cell and yelling for Vax to free him, and Percy supporting Archie on their escape attempt, Archie going back to cause a distraction... Archie wondering if he's dead when he sees Percy, because of course he'd think his friend was dead all this time... I loved all of it.

We also get a sense of the arc of the Whitestone story more completely, as Vox Machina somewhat unexpectedly connects with a rebellion group and realizes that one way forward from the current travesties of the Briarwoods is to stage a revolt and help the town to rise up. Percy is not there to be a leader, but maybe he might learn to be one along the way... great stuff with Keeper Yennen, played beautifully by the incomparable Gina Torres. And I liked the rebels, we got little moments to flesh them out slightly as characters, before watching most of them get cut down by Stonefell and his crew. Effective way of making things feel personal for the rest of our crew, while of course everything is already very, very personal for Percy.

I also felt like this might have been the strongest episode for comedy beats that we've gotten so far... in past episodes, so many of the jokes failed to land for me, even if they weren't awful, they just didn't grab my attention or actually make me laugh. But here, I can find several examples of funny moments that got a chuckle from me! I liked Keyleth, Scanlan, and Grog each having a different break-in plan, the silly animation showing them on the map, and then Vax deadpanning: "those are all bad plans and you should feel bad." Scanlan gets his beret, Grog's utter devastation at the empty kegs of ale, and then his reluctant sacrifice of the ale at the end as Vex does a Fluffernutter on it to kill the guards. Great stuff. Of course, the comedic highlight is the doors sequence. I loved Vax struggling, they got in the part of Scanlan hurting himself, and then Percy climbing up to the window and then falling on the other two, his delivery of "I fell out the window"... all so funny. And then of course later Vax picks the lock on Archie's cell in two seconds flat, proving that the back door thing was a fluke.

Lots of great smaller character beats to discuss. I love that Keyleth has the instinct to cut down the bodies from the Sun Tree, which is compassionate but also impractical, as Percy says when he points out that the area is clearly being watched. A great setup of the dichotomy between these two. We also have Grog and Scanlan sniping about the giants, we have Vex taking charge on planning their rescue mission and Scanlan pushing back against her but ultimately following her lead. We have Keyleth wanting to rescue the prisoners, and Vex agreeing even though she knows it makes things harder on them. It's hard for me to separate how well I already know these characters from the stream, but I do feel for the most part like they're managing to get in enough moments to establish what their individual personalities and priorities are.

Let's talk about my boy Percy, though... he gets another creepy mask moment, with another one of those epic Taliesin improv lines directly adapted, as he takes off the mask so Stonefell can see who has come to avenge the de Rolos, and then insults him by saying he's the one he was looking forward to the least. Percy gets great one-liners with his other big adversaries this season too, and I love that each one of them has been lovingly adapted for the screen, complete with freaky Percy mask and smoke and then the full on monstrous look on his face when he takes the mask off... shooting again and again when the man is clearly already dead...

And then swinging the gun on Vax when he rounds the corner, and Vax getting pissed off at him, and Percy saying "no one will stand in my way"... this kind of thing is one of my favorite aspects of the show thus far, that they're really taking the time to emphasize all sorts of different relationship dynamics. They could have swapped Vax with Vex for this scene for the inherent drama, since we know Vex/Percy's relationship is a big focus. But they left it with Vax and Percy, developing their particular friendship and the tension there, which, if they adapt certain things about the story moving forward, is going to be a pretty big aspect of these two men.

And then there's the Cassandra reveal! Hell to the yes! Percy's "I have a sister" moment was so touching, and then we immediately swing in on Cassandra and see that she is possibly working with Delilah... I love that Cassandra doesn't speak here, that the full extend of her allegiance isn't made clear to the audience. Does Sylas have her under his thrall? Is she playing double agent? Who knows! (I mean... I know, and everyone who watched Campaign One knows, but that doesn't count).

This episode made me especially curious as to how it would come across to a new viewer. I had a lot of fun with it, I felt like the things that happened at this point on the stream were represented in a new and fresh way, pushing the story forward narratively, but I wonder how it's all landing for someone who isn't eagerly awaiting certain iconic moments and lines! In any case, I'm greatly enjoying myself and can't believe I have to wait a whole week for the next part of the adventure...

9/10

[ordinaryschmuck]

What I Thought About "Eda's Requiem" from The Owl House

Salutations, random people on the internet who certainly won’t read this! I am an Ordinary Schmuck. I write stories and reviews and draw comics and cartoons.

...

...

...HOW IS SEASON TWO SO GOOD?! WE'VE HAD SEVEN EPISODES SO FAR, AND EACH ONE OF THEM WAS A HIT!

Take "Eda's Requiem," for example. It's yet another episode where I have NOTHING bad to say about it! That's two weeks in a row where that happened! HOW DOES THIS HAPPEN?!

HOW!

HOW!

...But anyways, "Eda's Requiem." It's another fantastic episode, and I'm about to dive into explaining how and why. Just keep in mind, it's gonna require spoilers to do so, so be wary of that as you keep reading.

Now, let's review, shall we?

WHAT I LIKED

Eda’s Checklist and Grom Photo: Within the first second, "Eda's Requiem" perfectly sets up Eda's central conflict in the episode. Despite spending years being on her own and looking after herself, she now has two kids that she's constantly caring over. Eda can try all she wants to say that she doesn't care, and I bet she has in the past. But given the hard work she's putting into getting King and Luz what they need and having a grom photo of the three of them together pinned in her mirror, it's pretty clear that those two knuckleheads wormed their way into her heart and are never getting out.

Eda’s Worried About King and Luz Leaving: And thus, that's precisely why something like this bothers her so much. Eda inadvertently adopted two rambunctious rapscallions (Yeah, I know. I'll get to it), so the idea of them not being around her anymore is going to be terrifying. That is a situation most parents, especially mothers, can identify with. It’s called empty nest syndrome and it proves just how much Eda loves Luz and King that she can't stand the thought of her babies leaving the nest. It's yet another well-made, wholesome, found-family moment that this series continues to excel at each week, making me extra excited for more like it to come...while also readying myself for heartbreak when one of them eventually does leave Eda.

Eda and Raine’s Music: Ok, I don't know the exact instruments that were played during this episode, but I also don't care because it was all (for lack of a better term) music to my ears. Every time Eda and Raine played resulted in melodies that are so beautiful and filled with so much emotion and feeling that I'm honestly tempted to listen to them again, multiple times, on repeat. Shows rarely do that for me, as background music doesn't always draw me in as much as lyrical songs do. Usually, it takes something so extraordinarily composed to give me the desire to listen again, and that's the case here. So huge congrats to Brad Breek for doing so. Seriously, the man's been killing it this season.

Eda’s Bard Magic Causing Things to Turn to Ash: This was assuredly a surprise side-effect of the curse. The fact that Eda can sort of do magic at all was its own shock. To then reveal that a specific type can do dangerous things to people and environments is...Well, it definitely brings up its own fair share of questions. Like, how can she do this? Will she do it again, one day? And are there other types of spells that can be negatively affected by Eda's curse? We don't get answers for any of these questions, and odds are, we never will. But that's alright with me. Because if a show makes me consider these many possibilities after a brief amount of time, it is a show that has to be doing something right. Even if I don't get the answers I want, the fact that it caused such a reaction makes me less willing to care.

Raine Whispers: Hey, would you look at that. Another fun, interesting, and compelling character added to the list of this shows' other fun, interesting, and compelling characters...how is this series so good at this!?

Joking aside, Raine's pretty good. I like Raine. They could have been this super serious leader who lost all their fun after years apart from Eda, but I'm glad that they're not. There are moments when Raine takes their job as leader of the BATs seriously, as one would, but I still prefer the fact that they kept a jovial nature despite how grim their situation is. It's an admirable trait to have, and it avoids the trope of making leader characters boring just because they're the ones who have to take things seriously.

Oh, and also, Raine's Disney's first non-binary character who has a stake in the plot. This is a tremendous deal, as you don't usually see that many non-binary characters in children's animation, let alone ones that hold importance to the story. So it's pretty cool for the writers to feature Raine, as it helps several kids feel as though they're finally seen and respected. And the fact that Disney of all companies gave the thumbs up is even more impressive. I hear people say that Dana Terrace should have pitched The Owl House to more progressive networks to avoid pushback, and while I absolutely see your point, I'll have to respectfully disagree. Disney is the largest entertainment industry of all time, so if you want to make LGBTQA+ representation normalized, you gotta stop making splashes and start making waves. Because if the same company that made three racist cats in the span of a few years manages to say that being gay is a-ok, then you know there's something wrong with you. Yes, Disney ended up screwing over the show anyway. But for that one moment, when kids felt pride after seeing a character like Raine, then, in the end, it's kind of worth it.

Also, if you're still having issues with more representation like this popping up in kids' shows, then allow me to redirect you to the complaint department.

...I made that post earlier today for this bit. YOU HAVE BETTER APPRECIATED IT!

Day of Unity is meant to be a Secret: At least, that's what I got when Raine stumbled over their own words. So if it's true, then I wonder why? Why does Belos want to keep the most critical change in the Boiling Isles a secret? Does he want to make it a surprise for his grateful subjects, or does he not want to spread worry and fear amongst the wild witches? It has to be something big if he doesn't want his followers to even say the words "Day of Unity." Whatever reason he has, we most likely won't know until the future. A future that I grow more and more afraid of each week.

Hooty Eating Echo Mouse: My heart sank in that brief moment when I thought that Hooty intensely screwed Luz over in getting back home. But looking back...it is pretty funny.

Just the suddenness of Hooty eating the poor creature that Luz desperately tried to earn its trust is priceless in how shocking it was. And also, Luz's expression.

That was the look of a young girl who immediately shoved her hand down an owl demon's throat the second the scene cut away. The Owl House may not always be a hit in the comedy department, but scenes like this prove that when it's funny, it is hilarious.

Luz and King Entering the Grand Prix: Not much to discuss here. It's just a cute subplot that adds frivolity to the intensity of what's going on through Eda and Raine's story. But I will say that I love how both stories occasionally interconnect with each other through the many moments of Eda being worried about King wanting to leave to find his father and avoiding any conversation about it. It helps both plotlines feel like they belong together, without being something like "Through the Looking Glass Ruins," whereas both stories could have been in their own episode. Which is neat.

How Bard Magic Works: I really love how this season is diving into how the other magic types work. More specifically, the ones that seem a little vague. I mean, stuff like healing, potions, and plants are easy to figure out, but what does it mean when a witch's talents are construction, beast keeping, and bard magic? We've been getting a lot of clearing up lately, with bard magic looking like a witch can control their environments and enemies through the power of music. Which is fair. Music is pretty powerful in the metaphorical sense, and I actually love that it's powerful in the literal sense when in the Boiling Isles.

The BATs: Not much to comment on these three either. The BATs have the potential to have an entertaining dynamic, but they do very little in this episode that I can't say much other than I hope they make a return in the future. But I will make this claim: Amber is my favorite. I'm sorry, but her screaming "You're not our mom!" to then go, "Bye, mommy Eda" is just too precious for me not to love.

I'm a simple man who falls for cute s**t. Leave me alone.

Raeda (RainexEda): Well, EdaxCamila, you were a fun crack ship while it lasted, but I'm afraid that this is now goodbye. The current canon has provided an incredibly adorable and believable relationship that I would be a monster not to support with my whole bi-heart. It's been real.

Ok, back in serious mode: I love these two together. Eda and Raine are grown-ups, and they still act all flustered near each other as if they were still Luz and Amity's age. It's definitive proof that you're never too old to get flustered near a crush, and seeing them interact adds a sense of wholesomeness when seeing them together as well as heartbreak when they're forced apart. Plus, we get confirmation that Eda's LGBTQA+! Whether she's bi, pan, or whatever, now that we know Eda can catch feelings for someone like Raine, it's yet another case that The Owl House is the most important series to the community. Because having the main character be queer is fantastic in its own right. But having the same apply to the motherly mentor figure? That's is an extra bit of normalization that anybody would be willing to appreciate.

Unique Guard Designs: Not many fans are going to appreciate this, primarily compared to everything else this episode does perfectly. For me, I actually like that you see a few Coven Guards looking differently from the others, as it helps make them less like clones and makes it seem like anybody of any body type could be a part of the coven.

Gus Looking Uninterested when Presenting Grand Prix with his Dad: I am positive that you didn't notice this (I didn't even notice it until someone else pointed it out), but there's something to dissect here. It hints that perhaps Gus isn't as interested in his father's field of work as one might think. If he did, he would look a lot less bored and much more excited to be helping Perry Porter present the race. It could just be the race itself, but judging from Gus' expression, it really seems like the kid would prefer to be anywhere but there. And why would he have that reaction to a race that his best friend is competing in? To me, this seems like an inkling of what Gus' relationship with Perry could be, which may not actually get time to shine, what with how little wiggle room the series has now (Thanks Disney). Regardless, it is interesting to notice, and it will certainly have fans thinking for a while.

Bump Being Smug of Luz Being in the Lead: That's it. Principal Bump looking smug as his human student is beating the students of his rivals is yet another moment that proves why Bump is easily the best cartoon principal.

Darius: First of all, this guy is f**king fabulous, and I love him. *Snaps*

Second, he is definitive proof that you do NOT want to f**k around with Coven Leaders. Lilith may have had her intimidating moments, but none of them compare to the guy who can turn himself into an abomination monster where only magic that hasn't existed before can take him down. It's genuinely scary to see Darius lose control, and I fear for the day when Luz inevitably ends up in his crosshairs.

With that said, Darius' still a ton of fun! He may be threatening, but he's just a flamboyant guy that hates the idea of getting his outfit the tiniest bit dirty. And I love that. I love that these Coven Heads have actual personalities instead of being generically evil. I consider it preferable to make villains entertaining rather than blatantly scary as I'll remember the personalities first and the villainous acts last.

Eberwolf: But this one's my favorite. I told you: I'm a simple man who gets easily swayed by cute s**t. And Eber? I mean, just look at her:

She's just a cute widdle rascal! I just want to pinch her cheeks, give her a belly rub, and--

...Eberwolf is not a cute widdle rascal. She is a strong, independent woman, and I will respect her as such from this moment forward...lest I feel her wrath.

That is all. Let's move on.

Eda and Raine Attempting a Final Performance: This was the best scene of the episode. It looked gorgeous, it shows the dedication Eda and Raine have for stopping Belos, and it says so much through so little. Go back and look at how Eda and Raine regard one another when performing Eda's requiem. Through their expressions and a few short words, you know they understand that if they complete the song/spell, they probably won't make it in the end. And yet, they don't care. They both know bad stuff will happen if Belos wins, so Eda and Raine put everything to the side, both their feelings for one another and the people they leave behind if it means putting an end to a tyrant. That level of dedication...Words can't fully describe how powerful that is.

Raine Sacrificing Themselves Instead: But in the end, Raine can't do it. Not when they know the life that Eda has and the people she'll be leaving behind. It's an extra bit of nobleness to the character seeing that Raine refuses to take away a woman from two kids who need her the most. A tad bit selfish, sure, knowing what Belos has planned. But when it comes to love, the romantic, familial, or platonic, the best decisions aren't always the logical ones.

Eda Crying: Luz crying tears me up, but seeing Eda cry is a whole different level of heartbreak. Like Lilith, Eda has her emotions locked up tight, with the closest she came to weeping were those two tears in "Young Blood, Old Souls." In "Eda's Requiem," she cries but almost quickly stops herself. As if she knows that doing so isn't going to save Raine. That is...even worse than seeing Luz break down after losing Eda. The fact that Eda refuses to give herself time to mourn losing someone she loved is tragic because crying is the most natural way of showing grief. Turning that off isn't healthy, and seeing her do it with little resistance is sad to me. It's sad to see a character I love can easily shut off all emotions despite how badly she may want to embrace them. It's one of those moments that, again, by doing so little, it shows so much.

“No one watches Crystal Balls anymore. It’s all about streaming.”: Oof. Even I felt that burn towards cable.

King’s Message: King's message was the pick-me-up I needed after the heart-wrenching sadness this episode put me through a few minutes ago. Seeing King say who he is and listing all the things he loves is nothing short of adorable. On top of that, I adore that Eda willingly recorded the whole thing. She may not want King to leave, but that doesn't mean she'll sabotage the one thing he wants. Especially not after Raine gave up everything so Eda could be with her kids. The opening scene may prove how much Eda cares about a rascal like King, but this heartwarmingly sweet moment reveals just how far she'll go to make him happy.

King’s Dad Reveal: ...ok, I'll be honest, I did not think we'd get that reveal this soon. Dumb of me to say, considering the number of times I've said that these writers don't waste time getting to the s**t, I know. But still, it's pretty cool knowing that King's dad is alive and well, added with the fact that we've got a fair idea of what he looks like. At this point, it's only a matter of time before we see him figure out where the Clawthorne residence is and witness the tear-jerking moments that will follow.

King Changing his Name to King Clawthorne: Not the official adoption I was expecting Eda to make...but DANG IT, is it still diabetes-inducing levels of sweetness!

Personally, I feel like the main reason why Eda breaks down this time is not only because she shouldn't be worried about King leaving her life, but also because Raine's sacrifice wasn't in vain. Her kids really do need Eda because no matter how far apart they'll be, she will always be a part of their life...dang it, I'm going to cry too!

What those Coven patches really do: Well...that was horrifying to see.

...Writers, if you kill off the best non-binary character in animation (it's a short list, I know), we are going to have PROBLEMS!

IN CONCLUSION

"Eda's Requiem" is--surprise surprise--another A+. The emotions hit hard, the representation hits harder, Raine is a fantastic addition to the cast, and it was all surprisingly cute at times. Season Two is currently on a hot streak, constantly winning with every episode that's come out so far. When a bad episode does eventually show up (IT'S GONNA HAPPEN!), I'll be sure to sing my requiem then. For now, I'm just gonna enjoy the ride.

[sanchoyo]

danny phantom, season 3 episodes 3-6 thoughts!

see prev episode thoughts in this tag <3

-johnny was actually pretty civil with danny and left when he asked! thats nice. also, SKULKER?? HAD A FRAMED PICTURE OF EMBER?? oooo fuck wait had they established they were a Thing Before?? I dont think so. thats weird. its like that country boy/goth girl meme lmfao. I think i am going to choose to ignore this new info and pretend I didnt hear it. 100% unrelated to the jazz/ember fanart I already drew and posted....😳

-LADIES NIGHT EPISODE THIS IS WHAT ITS ALL ABOUT. wish it didnt really center around the guys or them being pissed at them, but. willing to bet this was written by men lol

-THEY ERASED ALL THE MEN??? meanwhile, jack and danny are fishing at. silent hill or something. im glad jack is trying to read a parenting book and making an Attempt. (theyre at lake erie, but, they made it actually eerie...thats fun)

-the girls alt outfits...cute. EMBER MADE A NEW SONG TOO!!! kinda. jazz being one of the backup singers and being AWFUL. NOOOO

-'how are we going to get kitty to blow a kiss?' 'she'll have to think there are still some males in town!' ...i dont know how to break it to you, but I dont know that a 100% het girl would wish for all men to Begone. I think. I mean im not a het or a girl so I dont really know for sure. she Is probably Bi tho. esp having the other ladies in town chanting NO MEN!!! excitedly............(then again, the kiss is to get Rid of men, so, she probably would have blown it at the ladies only if they were actively trying to attack/stop them, so...I MEAN. THE DRESSING LIKE DANNY BIT WAS SO EXTRA)

-I feel like an all female cast ep couldve been way way way way cooler than that was. like. why was it still somehow all about Men. ...anyway. (where was valerie...)

-next ep opens with the observants, and, way way more of them than I expected...existed? I mean I guess them being a council/jury of some kind is what I expected from their first appearance (bc at that time they were basically TELLING clockwork to kill danny, not asking,, so I figured they had SOME kind of authority) but. there were so many. anyway, here goes vlad! letting his own hubris go brrrr. releasing a weather ghost for political gain! #justvladthings

-okay say what you will about him (he IS an asshole) but having an umbrella with his own face on it and more prepared to share is SUPER FUNNY. and him being fanned by huge wads of money by his bodyguards. SO ineffective but so Dramatic. He UNDERSTANDS that if youre rich you need to be. you know. obnoxious and kinda eccentric about it! fuckign hate when rich people are boring about it. I would trust vlad with nothing except to not be a boring rich asshole who wears...fucking khaki or some shit. man knows his Presentation Skills. and that 'V' chair in his mayoral office. is that fucking embroidered?

-maddie get your MAN PLEEEEASSSE. IM SO EMBARRASSED FOR HER. the way jack stays simping for this man. in FRONT OF HIS WIFE!!!! ...my god its like a love triangle. jack clearly loves vlad, who loves maddie, who loves jack. jack fenton is at the very least bi, right................. this is an OBSESSION . 'THE V MAN COMETH'???? i...my god. (also, on a serious note, to have a friend THIS SUPPORTIVE...and still be SUCH A DICK TO HIM (TRYING TO KILL HIM AND STEAL HIS WIFE??) NOT COOL VLAD. JACK IS YOUR 1 AND /ONLY/ HYPE MAN. if someone loved and supported me THIS HARD...LIKE. CMON DUDE.

-STOMP the fucking GAS, JACK

-this would make a great shirt design, looks like a metal band design! we love The Maelstrom

-oh, so vlad did in fact get a mansion in amity park. and its purple! good color choice! not as flashy as a CASTLE or MURDER CABIN, but still pretty eccentric, which I appreciate.

-...vlad knows the difference between picasso and da vinci? in the ep last post where we were watching him fail at conquering every historical time ever he didnt seem to know history well enough to like. be effective...was vlad taking art history at college?? (was he an art MAJOR??? we never DID KNOW WHAT HE WENT TO SCHOOL FOR. I kinda assumed business because in the masters of time ep he was still rich without ghost powers so he had to have..known something about business or something, right...but also, art and or theater FITS HIS PERSONALITY. possibly also something science-y, I guess, but I always felt like he got roped into that, esp how pessimistic he was about the ghost portal in the flashbacks to college, like, i felt like he was just there for maddie and was uninterested/un-invested at the time...)

-THIS GHOST JUST ELECTROCUTED MADDIE (THE CAT) BITCH!! THATS MY FAVORITE MADDIE!!! vlad going after vortex and being ~shocked~ .....WHEN. WHEN WILL YOU LEARN. THAT YOUR ACTIONS. HAVE CONSEQUENCES!!!

-the way this random man with a camera sees the mayor laying in an alley covered in TRASH AND DECIDES TO TAKE A PICTURE HAHAH

*snap* this ones going in my cringe compilation!

-vlad 'if we're going to defeat vortex, we're going to have to do it together!' *immediately dips after dropping danny off in front of vortex* JKASDFHKJHJKN

-DANNY CAN DUPLICATE!!! ...he couldnt even attack with it, but he DID IT!!! INTO (4) OF HIMSELF!!! SO PROUD!!!!!!!!!!

-'THE ROLLER COASTER EMOTIONS OF A TEENAGER THREATEN MY PLANS!' ...0 self awareness of his own dramatic moodiness. incredible, how dumb this man is. its very close to circling around to endearing, if he was less of an asshole. at least its very very funny to see danny shooting him with tiny lightning bolts anytime he's even slightly irritated! vlad you should be nice to danny anyway. this is what you GET

-...making sandwiches and ice cream and playing video games with your nephew is a totally normal thing. WHY is vlad acting like this is the end of the world. if you were a GOOD UNCLE YOU WOULD ALREADY BE DOING THESE THINGS!!! bitch I make my nephew food all the time and dont forget what he does and doesnt like. if u didnt know danny didnt want tomatoes, thats on u. if u, a grown adult, are gonna piss of the 14 yr old by not letting him win, u deserve to have to pay for the arcade machines he ruins because he now has uncontrollable storm powers because YOU THREW HIM INTO A FIGHT WITH THE STORM GHOST. fuck u vlad. paypal me $400,000 while ur at it tho. (also, gamer vlad confirmed)

-VLAD CAN COOK THOUGH???! I assumed he had...people working for him that did that. I mean. billionaires usually dont do that. then again, we've only seen those vultures working for him (and I guess the dairy king was AT his old mansion, but it was never really clarified if he worked there...I think he probably just Hung Out and they Enjoyed Cheeses Together. thats what I think, I dont think a KING would be working for anyone and also the dairy king was nice <3) but then again he would be a private person and we cant have anyone accidentally finding Ghostly Things, so...still, that's hilarious. pour one out for that really cute banana split that got ruined 2 seconds later

-vlad just fucking picking danny up and THROWING HIM AT VORTEX TWICE WITHIN LIKE A MINUTE. JUST ABSOLUTELY LAUNCHING HIM. BITCH THATS MY SON BE CAREFUL!!! HES GOT ORGANS AND THINGS!!!!

-danny seeing those animal commercials and feeling sad is the biggest 2000s throwback so far. i legitimately had to change the channel or walk out of the room when those came on bc id CRY AND BE SAD ABOUT THEM FOR DAYS AFTER. fuck those commercials and fuck that IN THE ARMMMS OF AN ANGELLLL song 😭

-'vlads ego almost got the town destroyed!' yes danny thats the entire episode. the entire series anytime vlad shows up honestly. this episode was just him being really embarrassing the entire time, and, me laughing about it. 10/10 would laugh at him again

-NEXT EP WE HAVE A SHAPESHIFTING GHOST?? I've said it before but shapeshifting is the power I would want when asked those 'what superpower do you want' questions...its the Best power! this guy looks like a homestuck character. ive never read homestuck but thats the vibe

-I love every time we see tuckers family, they are by far the most functional family. and dash has a lil chihuahua!!! named pookie!!! i am crying (I've had 3 chihuahuas, so I am very biased, but...) AND HE WATCHES THE ROMANCE CHANNEL WITH POOKIE. POOKIE I WILL DIE FOR YOU YOU SWEET LITTLE BABY.

-danny can lift a bus! I shouldn't be surprised, but i am proud of my son. hes got lil kid fans. i am going to cry about this

-JAZZ KEEPS A SCRAPBOOK WITH DANNY'S LIL HEROICS AND NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS!!! we've actually seen it on her floor before, but I didnt realize it was a scrapbook!! thats sooo cute.

-...and danny has to stand there listening to his parents saying danny phantom sucks and is a 'filthy ghost' and calling him egotistical...i am once again stealing their kids!

-THIS GHOST RIPPING JAZZ'S SCRAPBOOK!!! ILL KILL YOU. SHE WORKED HARD ON THAT!!! BITCH

-yes, maddie, the one with red eyes is For Sure Actually Your Son. ignore the, red eyes... (CLEARLY she hasnt watched the other 2 eps where danny has been evil, she doesnt know red eyes= evil!!!)

-'billy fenton'.......................

-danny being stuck as phantom in his own house, no way out is a fucking NIGHTMARE. his parents pointing giant weapons against him and SHOOTING AT HIM. THIS IS A HORROR MOVIE.

-NINE INCH NAILS POSTER.

-this is the most screenshot of all time

-amorpho turning into mr. lancer because hes 'someone no one will want to be around' BUT HES WRONG, I WOULD BEFRIEND AND HANG OUT WITH MR LANCER SO FAST.

-tucker dressing as danny, now I have the full Tucker set of him being sam and also being danny. also saying 'the ghost...uh...RIPPED MY FACE OFF.' and then running. SMOOTH. NOT AT ALL CONCERNING TO ANY PARENTS.

-sam accepts the toast from jack. and then 2 seconds later is like 'why am i eating this.' THIS SHOWS HUMOR IS SO UNEXPECTED SOMETIMES ITS REALLY GOOD. and then the scene after, mr lancer running into his ghost doppelganger and being like 'YOURE GORGOUS' THEN FAINTING. I AM CRYING. AND DASH FAINTING TOO.

-sam disguising herself as danny again to help tucker run from the fentons. but leaving him shirtless in the streets. incredible. 'plEASE DOnt NOTice MY FACELessNESS I MUST LIVE IN EXILE' this episode is destroying me the humor in this show is exactly my brand of corny and cheesy

-the impromtu story made up by danny and amorpho to explain stuff to the fentons. my god they are both such bad liars. but amorpho is a good egg. wish danny wouldnt have said he didnt wanna see him in town again!! I want him to be reoccurring. not that thats gonna matter since I'm almost done with the series, but the idea of this being the Only Time We See him is :(

-NEXT EP SAYS STARRING MARK HAMILL??????!!! hello ! mr . joker....mr. star wars.... I feel like I should be. idk. taking off a hat im not wearing in respect. I shouldnt be surprised tho bc hes in a lot of cartoons as a very good voice actor, and dp has already had a lot of talented ones so I've been looking out for ones I might know, but....mr. hamill....

-sam has her own greenhouse, names all the plants, and says thank you to them (in the languages from where the plants are from) whenever she harvests from them. thats SO cute. and her lil gothy lunch box...

-and danny's lil red fuzzy lined jacket!!! ive said it before but every time the characters get alt outfits im like :D

-danny has ice powers now!!! THATS WHAT FROSTBITE MEANT. HE KNEW SOMEHOW WAY BACK THEN

-THIS SHOW NEVER LETS YOU FORGET VLAD IS A BILLIONAIRE, HUH.

-danny's lil 'holy hibiscus!' first off the 50s batman swearing is hilarious. 2nd. my username is from the flower sanchoyo hibiscus, so, shoutout to ME this ep. hi :)

-EURGH UNDERGROWTH MAKING EVERYONE PLANT ZOMBIES. HIVEMIND PLOTS SCARE THE SHIT OUT OF ME. and this dude made the city SO overtaken so quickly like how long was danny asleep?? oh god

-evil fucked up sam! now the whole trio has gone evil at some point! the voice actress did a really, really good job with making her sound like a zombie...

-frostbite's paws are so so so big compared to danny. oh my god. i want to hug the snow dog...

-the far frozen has an advanced medical stuff!!! very cool. very smart snow dogs

-im so glad danny has a friendly ghost snow dad to explain this new power and teach him!!! this is so sweet. DANNY'S GHOST SENSE WAS A PART OF HIS ICE POWER?? OOOH. COOL. we love a training montage!!!

-danny saying if he cant defeat overgrowth, that he'd want to stay with frostbite...oh my god...do you think this is the first real supportive adult figure in his life (I am NOT counting his parents because they threaten him on the daily even if they dont realize it.) I mean mr lancer is a Teacher, but he was also nice but this is different, but this is a GHOST WHO IS WILLING TO HELP HIM with his powers and also will help him when hes injured and is so so nice and comparatively so much more mature than 90% of the adults in this show!!!! god. dad frostbite is my everything.

-the framing and lighting this episode, and all the angles...they went all OUT and it looks really really good. this is my nightmare scenario, tho. like, FUCK zombies and dead city zones and hivemind shit. and using the humans as 'nutrients for the children' i am going to THROW UP.

-MALEFICENT VIBES WITH THE HORNS AND GREEN EYES! this costume kicks so much ass. sam is now mark hamills daughter, I guess.

-danny's ice powers making his eyes blue!!! thats neat. and him going for the roots underground was SO SMART. i will not stand for danny ever thinking hes stupid, hes SO smart.

almost done with the show... :"( thats a sad thought!!!

[5-falsehoods-phonated]

Overgrown Metal

Chapter 2: Camping

Summary of fic:

Almost two decades ago, the fae rose up from beyond the realm with technology far surpassing the human race, quickly taking over after laying waste to nearly everything in their wake. Virgil and Roman, Society escapees and hunters, run into an uncertain future while fleeing from their pasts. Remy and Remus stare their only chance straight in the face as they teeter on the edge of reluctant adventure. Emile is left his cousins engineering palace and is given the tools to change the world. Logan, a lone researcher and outcast is found by an old friend who offers him a chance of the century. Hyden (deciet), can shift into anything he so chooses, but staying true to his form as his heritage slaps him sideways proves harder than he thought. Patton mourns the loss of his son as he slowly uncovers secrets he wishes aren't related.

Or less wordy:

Eight idiots with trust issues fumble around each other and try to save the world from killer mechanical beasts and fairies that will snap your neck without taking their hands from their wine glasses.

Warnings: Violence, fight scenes, dark fantasy, apocalypse setting, some gore, blood

TW for this chapter: spiraling thoughts, mentions of anxiety. If you see more you want mentioned, please say something.

Ships: Remy (sleep) x Remus. Brotherly Roman and Virgil. Platonic Logan and Hyden (Deciet)

Wrapping his cloak tighter around himself, the young man grumbled quietly to himself as he scooted closer to the small fire. Two cans of mini raviolis sat nearby, cracked open slightly and heating up just a foot away from the flames. He let out a quiet curse as his stomach grumbled loudly, making more noise in a couple seconds than he had in a week.

'What the hell is taking you so long?' he thought at his still absent companion. The water of the nearby river was freezing, it shouldn't be taking this long to clean. He would had heard if the other was attacked. Even if the attacker was silent Roman typically wasn't, their overly dramatic battle cries carrying over fields if they so chose them too. Maybe they fell in? Again, he would have heard the yell...unless the shock from the cold rendered them nonverbal. Or something had dragged them in. Maybe while cleaning off their weapons their hand had slipped and they had sliced themself open and was currently bleeding out and he wouldn't know because he was being too stubborn to leave the warmth of the fire. What if they fell and cracked their head open on a rock? What if-

Cruching footsteps interrupting his racing thoughts and he breathed a quiet sigh of relief. While he was getting better at not having to check on Roman every few minutes to make sure they were still around, it didn't stop his thoughts from quickly spiraling when the thought of him being alone again filled his head. Roman plopped down beside him having deposited their pack with their other belongings nearby, leaning forward to carefully take the cans away from the fire and depositing one in front of each of them before procuring spoons from God-knows-where but he was hungry so it didn't matter.

He growled low as he snatched the utensil, ripping the lid the rest of the way off and shoveling the ravioli with essence of tin in his mouth regardless of the heat.

"Slow down, dark and stormy gremlin, you're gonna choke!" He didn't even spare a glance at the scandalized face as the last of the sauce was scraped up and eaten in less than a minute.

"Was hungry." He mumbled out, hands disappearing back into the cloak as he burrowed further into its warmth.

The other eyed him fondly. "Honestly, Virgil I can't take you anywhere. I get a spot at the nicest pasta joint in town and this is how you behave? I really can't take you anywhere."

They frowned as they only recieved a soft huff in response. "Are you alright? I'm sorry I was gone for so long, that oil takes a while to work out in cold water."

Virgil shook his head. "....that."

Catching only half the mumble, Roman set their own empty can down and scooted closer. "Can I ask you to repeat that or is it a signing day?"

Virgil squeezed himself tighter in the fabric and lifted his head up towards the other. Roman's eyes shone with concern even in the dim light of their small campfire, the effect only slightly ruined by the dark curls drying in the humid air making them puff out in a fluffy halo around their head. The image made him smile lightly and duck his head back down to suppress his giggles.

"Hairs messy."

He only giggled harder at the offended gasp. "I'm offering you a damn heart to heart here and I get insulted!" Roman grimaced as they felt what state their hair was in, ruing their days as a traveler if only for the fact that hairstyles were rendered useless on an adventure. They were still bitter over The Great Hairspray Debacle of 2015, having to give the space up in their pack for "actual necessary supplies, Roman".

Virgils laughter died down as the nervous feeling began to creep back into his thoughts. Roman noticed the sobering mood and sat back slightly, willing to wait for the young nervous wreck to gather his thoughts.

"Town's coming up."

Roman nodded. They knew there was a town with an underground market a few days travel away from the last time they had come through this way. They hadn't had time to stop before, but this time around they needed to empty out their packs of the items that had been piling up for a few weeks now and their supplies were getting low enough that they would have needed to stop to stock up anyway. They gestured for Virgil to continue even though they knew what the source of anxiety was going to be.

"What if..." Virgil growled in frustration as the words stuck in his throat, the rolling anxiety in his stomach and mind making him struggle to not shut down. Long, pale fingers twisted and bunched the fabric around him until with a frustrated huff they darted out and flipped out a quick gesture.

"Recognized?"

Roman nodded in understanding and he sighed in relief. He knew not being able to speak most of the time had to be annoying for his companion but thankfully they never seemed to mind, only waiting patiently for either words to be forced out or hands to jerkedly spell out what little bit of sign language he knew. He made up a lot along the way and most of the time he was able to be understood. With no internet to look up the language, books being a Society priviledge and a general distrust of people making it difficult to ask anyone for lessons, even though they never stayed in one place for long, official sign wasn't something either of them were good at.

"That's why we have the cloaks and hoods and even the masks if we feel like we need them. We're pretty far away though, I doubt anyone we would know would be around." Roman took up a stick and poked around the fire a bit, stirring it as the embers began to die down for the night. "Nothing has ever happened at any of the towns we've been in, and I've heard this one is particularly...underground, so to speak. No one who would recognize us would be caught dead near there. We'll go in, sell our parts, grab supplies and get out. Next stop after that will be that abandoned city-town-place wherever that we heard about a while back. It'll be fine, Anx."

Virgil smiled at the old nickname, something Roman had taken to calling him when he refused to reveal his name the first few months they began traveling together. His shoulders relaxed the tiniest bit as the name ironically released some of the pent up anxiety, fingers releasing the cloak and instead splaying on his ripped black jeans to try and wipe off the accumulated sweat.

They both sat in silence for a while after that, watching the fire die down completely as the late evening faded into complete darkness, the clear sky allowing the stars to be on full display with no threat of light pollution to obscure their giddy twinkling. Crickets chirped quietly in the long grass, fireflies answering back their call with lazy winks of light. Even the river was hushed, water seeming to lap quieter at the shore for fear of breaking the rare tranquility the nearby travelers were soaking in.

With the world this soft and still, Virgil could pretend for a moment that this was merely an extended camping trip. Maybe they were on their summer break and were hiking for the fun of it. Tomorrow they could trek through a forest like it was nothing, sunlight streaming through normal tree branches as untouched wildlife teemed around them. All of their gear and supplies could be innocent in nature, the heaviest thing in their packs could be a small camping stove rather than their extensive collection of foreign trading parts. Their supplies were running low, so they'd soon start heading back the way they came, finding their car and laughing at some dumb play argument they had on the way back while they reloaded everything and climbed in the front, laughter turning to more bickering as they fought over what music they'd listen to first. Roman would drive first since Virgil only had his permit and wouldn't feel comfortable taking the wheel until he recognized the roads they were on. They'd get to Virgils house and it would be coming onto late evening so he'd let Roman stay the night, knowing his dad-

Virgil furiously scrubbed at his eyes, snapping back from his thoughts. His dad wouldn't care of a friend stayed over. He didn't care about anything. He didn't even care when - no. Nope, not tonight. Rubbing absentmindedly at his arms he scooted backwards away from the now dead fire and laid back to watch the sky, Roman following soon after. They didn't say anything as he turned and wrapped himself around the other tightly, for which he was grateful. He smiled as he felt lips touch the top of his head and careful arms lay themselves across his back. Surrounded by safety and warmth it wasn't hard for sleep to find him.

-------

".....an."

"Come on, Ro....."

"Princey, get up!"

Roman shot up, blinking rapidly to clear the lingering sleep from their eyes and shaking their head to try and whip the tangled curls away. Glaring in response to their brothers shit-eating grin, they settled for flipping him off while they rubbed at their eyes, getting a water bottle thrown at them in retaliation.

"Too early." They mumbled as they fumbled with the lid.

Virgil laughed. "Try again, Sleeping Ugly, it's almost noon. I've had camp packed up for hours now."

Offended at the nickname but grinning nonetheless, they downed half the bottle in one go and dragged their pack over lazily. Virgil was always the early riser in their party of two, despite the late nights he often kept as a sleeping schedule. Roman however, was happy to spend the day hitting the metaphorical snooze button unless they had actual plans. Which, unless another Mech Beast was spotted this close to a town, which was highly unlikely, this was supposed to be a day of resting.

Looking over at the other however, their irritation softened as the ball of anxious energy went from task to already done task trying to keep himself busy. Though it seemed he'd be more talkative today than he had been that didn't mean his nerves weren't soaring to the sky with how close they were to people again. They knew they should both take a break today, but if moving would help...

Mind made up they stood, swinging the pack around to rest on their shoulder and picking up another to carry first for the time being. Different peices of metal and containers holding strange substances clanked together inside, securely wrapped in paper and fabric to prevent them from breaking or getting scratched. They'd make Virgil carry it later on but they figured since they got extra sleep it would only be fair to carry the heavier pack first.

Trying one last time to fix their hair back into a reasonable shape Roman turned towards Virgil with a smile.

"Ready?"

Hoisting up his own pack he nodded and kicked at the already severely scuffed dirt, rising up on his tip toes as he began to walk.

"As I'll ever be."

--------

This is also available on AO3 if you're interested. I can't promise regular updates but I really like this story so I'll be picking at it for a while.

And we're another chapter in! I didnt think about this before, but if you'd like to be tagged for story updated feel free to ask. If you want to read it on here but can't find the first chapter, search overgrown metal in the tags and it'll come up.