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sortasirius · 4 years

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“Unity” and the Broken Boys

BOY Y’ALL BETTER SIT DOWN BECAUSE THIS IS AS LONG AS CAN BE AND I TOOK OFF WORK TOMORROW SO I’VE GOT TIME

This is....one of the best episodes in the show. Yeah, in all 325 of them, this is hands down one of the best.

First of all, stan Amara for clear skin.

That silent treatment babey, right out the gate with the Angst. Tbh Dean deserves it.

“Like I said, killing Amara, Jack dying...that’s the only way.”

“The only way. Our one shot. Our Last chance. You ever get tired of saying stuff like that?”

“We don’t have to like it, alright? But you and me, we gotta get it done.”

Amara is such a welcome energy in this whole episode. She’s warm and understanding, whip-smart and probably more powerful than Chuck. I love her.

Sam is a wonderful, understanding, loving dad. I love him eternally. He loves Jack so much, he’s trying so desperately to do what’s right for Jack but also what’s right for the world. Jack made this choice, but he can’t live with it. How do you support your child when their life is at stake?

“Come on man. Blindly following orders, lying to Amara, sending her to her death. Does any of this feel right to you??”

“It doesn’t matter how we feel! You know what? Stay. Stay. Someone has to be the grown up here.”

“Yeah well someone has to keep fighting for Jack!”

“He knows what he signed up for!”

“Last I checked, we don’t give up on family.”

“Jack’s not family.”

Y’all should have heard the noise I made. What a fucking line.

“I know how you feel about the kid, I care for him too, I do, but he’s not like you. He’s not like Cas. He’s just not.”

“I’m- I’m ready.”

You can see the regret, the heartbreak in Dean’s eyes. You can see how he wants to take those words back the moment he said them, and for Jack to hear them? It’s unthinkable.

Sam and Cas I’m just so fucking emo dude.

“Sam, you stayed behind to find another way huh? I woulda done the same.”

AMARA

First of all, LOVE this structure.

Amara and Chuck have such a fascinating dynamic. Rob and Emily do a great job (as they have all along) by clearly being siblings but...heightened. You can just tell they both exude power, and the other is the only one they consider an equal.

“You and Dean had that whole weird...thing.”

“That wasn’t you writing?”

“Ugh, not that part. Gross.”

What I took away from this is what I’ve suspected all along. They HAVE free will, just not total free will. Dean and Amara’s connection wasn’t Chuck, there are parts of the story he didn’t write. Obviously, this comes into play later.

I also have a hunch that Chuck doesn’t write romance. I also think that in particular will come into play.

“Balance. Something we’ve never tried before. Creation and destruction, light and dark, brother and sister united again, but on behalf of one world, this world. True balance. The way it was always meant to be. But you can’t. You only care about your pleasure, your story. Well, I guess that makes you the villain.”

“Villains get all the best lines.”

We see again and again this season, Chuck is irredeemable. He doesn’t care about the angels, he doesn’t care about the world, he doesn’t care about anything. He is a petulant toddler who has broken his toys. And when he realizes he’s trapped, he gets angry, he shouts and screams, completely at odds with Amara’s peace.

“You can’t hold me here forever.”

“I can hold you long enough.”

DEAN

Pain is the name of the game in this section homies. Because not only are we dealing with Dean’s pain, we’re also dealing with Jack’s. Jack says he understands why Cas and Sam mean more to Dean, but Dean clearly doesn’t, he, once again, wants to say more, but is stopped, still stopped by his fear: his fear of not beating Chuck.

Alright guys, gals, and non-binary pals. Let’s talk about Adam and Seraphina.

Adam. The first man. And Seraphina. The angel.

“My old lady. She’s the only one who could put up with me all these years.”

Yeah okay. Volume at 100 I get it lmao.

But also: Adam wants God dead not because he and Eve were kicked out of the Garden, but because he went after their sons. The theme of protecting the children strikes again.

“Killing God is your plan?”

“Yeah, Billie’s been giving us a hand but Sera and me, this is our baby.”

This juxtaposed directly with Dean’s own pain at what he has to do to kill Chuck, to gain his free will: the cost of his child.

Adam’s rib.

And who else might get his ribs hurt, only to be likely healed by an angel?

It’s fine, that’s fine. I’m fine with that.

“Jack, I don’t know how to explain it but, when I found out about Chuck, it’s like I wasn’t alive. Not really. You know like my whole life I’ve never been free, but like really free. But now? Now me and Sam, we got a shot at living a life, without all this crap on our backs. And that’s, that’s because of you. So, I want to say, I need to say...thank you, Jack. Thank you.”

I’m gonna have to do a separate post about just Dean in this episode, because there is so fucking much to talk about, but there are a couple of things that I think are important: Dean realizes how wrong he was, to say what he said. He knows that it’s not true, this is the way he’s always coped with loss, by pushing the person to be lost away, but for Jack to hear it? He can’t stand for that.

And:

Dean has finally pushed through the barrier. He won’t be quiet in the face of his doubts anymore. This is a breakthrough for him, and, of course, there are more to come.

SAM

Sam and Cas, my chaos duo.

The box, the inscription, the door.

Death’s library, filled with dead reapers.

And there it is. The Empty.

It tells Sam the plan, the plan for Billie to take God’s place. For everything to go back to the way it’s “supposed to be.”

This has always been the game, since season 13. This is the longest of long games.

Sam fuckin Winchester, lying his way out of a confrontation with the Empty like the legend that he is.

He comes back with a new purpose: to stop Billie’s plan, and here’s where we get to the heart of the episode and maybe the heart of the season.

“You hear that? Dean, brought to the edge of doubt. His sense of duty, his rage winning out in the end. And poor Sam, always gotta know everything. Can’t leave well enough alone. This is my ending, my real ending.”

The gun comes out, pointed at Sam.

Hmm...what did I say during 15x05? Oh yeah, this.

And:

Dean would never survive killing Sam, but he’s willing to do anything, anything to earn his freedom. His ending, where one brother kills the other and then kill himself.

Why, you might ask, did Sam not mention that the angels would be sent back to Heaven, why does he not mention Cas? I’ll tell you why, or rather, Becky will.

Plus, Dean looks back at Cas IMMEDIATELY when Sam says that, when he mentions Eileen, and THAT’S the first time he hesitates. He can’t lose Cas. But at the same time, he’s willing to do anything to have his freedom.

“Sam we don’t have a choice, Jack’s about to blow!”

“We always have a choice!”

You know me, just sitting here thinking about choice, the ability to choose, and how that translates to their free will.

And Sam...I don’t think there will ever be characters I love as much as these.

“I don’t care if Billie gets what she wants! I don’t man, I’d trade it all, I’d trade em all for Chuck. In a heartbeat!”

“What about me?”

“You’d trade me?”

“Chuck has to die. He has to! Otherwise he’ll keep us tap dancing forever, and I can’t live like that man, I can’t live like that, I won’t!”

“I know you feel like that right now, okay? I know you do, but you gotta trust me. My entire life, you’ve protected me. From Dad, from Lucifer, from everything. I didn’t always like it, you know? But it’s the one thing in the whole world that I could always count on. It’s the only thing I’ve ever known that was true. So please, put the gun away. Just put it away. We’ll figure it out, Dean, we’ll find another way, you and me. We always do.”

Okay I feel like this is going to be one of those scenes that I cry watching for years to come. Because fuck. After fifteen years they finally admit that not only did Dean protect Sam from Lucifer, but he protected him from John. John. On a par with Lucifer.

Dean and Sam have, for so many years, sacrificed themselves for the other. Dean’s demon deal, Sam and the trials, every season they have fought to see who can die the quickest for the other. But this? This is them fighting to stop the violence, to stop from killing the big bad. This is them growing, in our eyes, in real time. Sam has always been able to get through to Dean when no one else had a prayer, but for Dean to listen, for Dean to take his words to heart, to stop the hunt for Sam, for their family, that’s how you know they do have free will.

(Btw Chuck’s eye effect when he dusted Amara was sick as fuck but I’m emo for my boys so.)

Chuck knows it’s a loss, he knows that his story has, once again, been thwarted by the boys making their own choices. And he’s pissed, but in his anger, we get a bomb dropped on us.

“Spare me your contempt Castiel, the self-hating angel of Thursday. You know what every other version of you did after “gripping him tight and raising him from perdition”? They did what they were told. But not you. Not the one off the line with a crack in his chassis.”

Are you fucking kidding me?

Also, just worth bringing up this one as well:

Every Castiel pulled Dean out of Hell. Every one told him the same thing. And yet, immediately, with this Cas and this Dean, something was different. Because what has everyone seen about Cas, from the moment he met Dean?

And there’s our endgame people. Laid out on the line.

But we ain’t done yet, fam.

We’ve talked about the handprint, but you know:

So there you have it, our prep into the “monumental” 15x18. I have spec on that, of course, but I think a novel is long enough for this.

What to take away: Dean’s rage was always Chuck’s plan, they do have free will, their love for each other, for their family, is what will stop Chuck’s control, Death is about to come back with a vengeance, Cas’ deal is at play, and, most importantly, Castiel and Dean Winchester are a blind spot for Chuck, something he has never, not once, controlled.

#welcome to my essay lmao #supernatural #spn #spoilers #my meta #spn 15x17 #destiel #dean winchester #sam winchester #jack kline #castiel #amara #chuck shurley #lilly liveblogs supernatural

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winterscaptain · 4 years

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roots.

Aaron Hotchner x Fem!Reader a joyful future fic

a/n: another one from 2026! aaron retires from federal service this year, at 57.

words: 2.4k warnings: kids!, missing haley hotchner hours, language

summary: “Every day the increasing weight of years admonishes me more and more, that the shade of retirement is as necessary to me as it will be welcome.” ― George Washington, Farewell Address. au!october 2026

masterlist | a joyful future masterlist | ajf faq | requests closed!

SSA Mallory Kagan asks you to outline your career with the FBI - purposefully using your first name instead of using your title. It keeps the students guessing and paying attention.

Plus, the payoff when they figure out who you are is the best part of the whole lecture.

“My career at the FBI is more like a big tree than a path or a journey.”

You look out over the classroom - blue shirts abound - and take a deep breath to center yourself.

You’re used to giving this lecture with Aaron, but this is your first fall without him, which also means that this is the first academy class who won’t know him in person.

They’ll only hear tell of the legend SSA Aaron Hotchner was stabbed nine times, lost his wife to a serial killer, and kept going. You know they’ll hear stories about his severity, his general lack of sunniness, hear rumors about the way he laughs with his children, his wife, and nobody else.

You know the older agents tell stories about you, too. They say you ‘tamed’ Hotch, made him a little nicer. They might even say they’ve seen him smile at you, or they’ve seen you give him hell in public.

Aaron Hotchner is practically a myth, now, only supported by your reputation, tall tales from academy classes of yesteryear, and his own legacy.

That retired bastard currently sits in your house with your kids, right on his fine behind, very likely falling into boredom-addled insanity.

“Everything that I am - a parent, a wife, a friend, and an agent - is because of my work with the Behavioral Analysis Unit over the past nineteen years. My unit is my family, and I can’t get rid of them. Just like our own families, we love to hate each other.”

The room laughs, and you know you have them hooked.

“Jokes aside, I would encourage you to get to know your colleagues. Each relationship I built within my unit put a root into the ground, made the proverbial tree stronger - to extend the metaphor. I work with very few of the same people I started with, but I feel as steady and supported as I did back when they called us ‘The Elite Eight.’”

You chuckle a little, clicking through your introductory slide to showcase a photo of the BAU in 2012. You point to each of them as you speak.

“SSA Emily Prentiss, current unit chief of the Behavior Analysis unit and former head of the Interpol London office, responsible for taking down one of the most prolific international arms dealers in modern history.”

The room is quiet, a little awestruck, so you add, “She’s a bit of a big deal.”

They laugh.

“SSA Derek Morgan - you’ll probably hear stories about how he survived the Boston bombing with SSA Gideon in 2005, but don’t worry. He wasn’t there. He was with his momma in Chicago, celebrating her birthday.”

Another laugh.

You’ve honed this routine over the last five years, knowing what to add, when to pause, what to cut if the students lose interest.

“That said, SSA Morgan is one of the best profilers I’ve had the pleasure of working with. Today, he’s a consultant for DC Metro SWAT and is otherwise retired.”

Continuing down the line, “SSA Jennifer Jareau - JJ. Former communications liaison for the BAU, State Department, and DoD. She currently serves with the BAU as a profiler. If any of you are interested in PR or media relations, find an opportunity to speak with her about her experience. Her husband, Will, is a detective with the DC Metro Police and has plenty of stories of his own.”

A student raises a hand, and you give her the go-ahead.

“Sorry for interrupting -“

You stop her. “You didn’t interrupt. You raised your hand. Don’t apologize for taking up space.”

She smiles a little. “Okay. Um, I’m curious. How many people in your unit are married and/or have children? My understanding is that the work-life balance can be difficult in heavy-travel positions like the BAU.”

“It can absolutely be a challenge.” You look back at the photo. “In the course of my career, six of my colleagues have been or were already married and all of them went on to have children.”

“And you?”

You laugh a little, forgetting you’re alone up here. “Right.”

The class laughs, and you point yourself out on the slide.

“I still had my maiden name when this photo was taken, but now I share five children and a last name with SSA Aaron Hotchner.” You throw your thumb at Aaron’s likeness on the screen again for good measure.

You check in with SSA Kagan to make sure you can share everything you usually do with Aaron present - your marriage was often the punchline of your lectures, letting you toe the line of humor a little farther than you normally would.

She nods, a little smile on her face.

“While I wouldn’t necessarily recommend dating your unit chief or marrying your section chief -“ you pause, holding your hands up in surrender to the echo of laughter “- even if they are the same person - you can certainly find the best people without looking too hard.”

Hands shoot up into the air, but that always happens. It’s around this time people start asking the good questions. The people from their course materials and the people in front of them start to link together.

They also figure out that you’re Agent Hotchner. That Agent Hotchner - the one married to the Agent Hotchner.

You look out over the crowd again. “I know you have lots of questions, and I’m happy to confirm or deny any rumors about myself or my family, but,” you pause for dramatic effect. “Hold them for now - you’ll want to know the players before you ask the questions.”

Hands drop, but pens start moving. You continue down the line, skipping over Aaron.

“SSA David Rossi, a founding member of the BAU in the late 1980’s. He worked closely with SSA Jason Gideon, developing a database that we use to this day - one that outlines signatures, modus operandi, and victimology of modern serial killers. SSA Rossi is also well-known for his books - ten of them, in fact, that cover what we do in a kind of…”

You search for a word.

“Conversational format. He retired a couple of years ago, and is a full-time grandpa to all 16 of the BAU offspring.”

A few scattered chuckles pass through the room.

“And then we have Dr. Spencer Reid - I could enumerate his degrees, but we don’t have that kind of time. He’s the smartest person I’ve ever met, and remains an asset to the BAU in the field today.”

You click to another slide - a photo of all of you taken a few weeks ago.

“SSA Matthew Simmons - retired from the United States Army and former member of the FBI International Response Team, or IRT. He’s been with the BAU for ten years now. Like Dr. Reid and SSA Prentiss, he knows multiple languages - which comes in handy.” You look out and raise your eyebrows. “I hope all of you did well in your Spanish classes in high school - you might need it.”

Another laugh.

“SSA Luke Alvez and Technical Analyst Penelope Garcia are another pair that come from, shall we say, nontraditional backgrounds. While Garcia is no longer with the BAU, SSA Alvez is also celebrating his tenth year with us this fall.”

A student raises his hand, and you call on him.

“Isn’t Penelope Garcia the hacker known as The Black Queen? I learned about her work when I was at MIT.”

You snort. “Nice way to slip in you went to MIT, there, bud.” You pause, waiting for the ruckus to die down as the student in question turns bright red. “But yes. Her experience was invaluable to our team. Just to keep up, we stole an analyst from the NSA to replace her - nobody else could cut the mustard.”

You look back, stepping forward and pacing as you speak.”And finally, Dr. Tara Lewis. Formerly working in the FBI Counsel’s office as a forensic psychologist, she joined our team on cases where specific pathologies were in play before becoming a full-fledged member of our team.

“So, as you can see, there are so many varied qualities we look for in profilers, and your own path will be informed by the skills you develop, your temperament, and your dedication to the work itself. There’s no right way to be an agent, and when you leave the academy in five weeks, the whole world of the bureau will be open to you.”

Clicking back to your introductory slide, you turn to the front of the classroom. “I know all my colleagues well enough to take any questions you may have about their careers and paths through the bureau. For any questions I can’t answer, I am happy to direct you to them with the understanding they may not get back to you due to our caseload. I’ll take your questions now.”

Hands shoot up into the air, and you specifically call on the student in the back - the one you know has a question about Aaron.

“So, when you say SSA Aaron Hotchner, you mean the same one that worked the Boston Reaper case for ten years?”

SSA Kagan checks in with you, ready to shut him down, but you call her off.

“That’s right. SSAs Jareau, Morgan, Prentiss, Rossi, Dr. Reid, Miss Garcia, and I worked that case in its final year as well.”

“I have a follow-up if that’s okay.”

You tacitly give him leave to continue.

“How do you handle cases that get that… close? I know there were considerable...” He searches for the right word. “...challenges. How did you guys deal with that?”

Good question.

Returning to the podium, you lean heavily against it, lacing your fingers in front of you. “You’ve all read the Reaper case file, yes? It’s still included in the MCRT training courses?”

There are nods around the room, but you check in with Kagan anyway.

“The declassified version is covered,” She says. “They’re familiar with the full scope of the case.”

“Okay. So, as you all know…”

You remind them what happened, from 1998 to 2009, finally landing where the students want you. “And on November 23rd, 2009, Haley Reneé Hotchner was George Foyet’s 40th and final victim. She was thirty-nine years old. And she was my friend.”

The room is dead silent, all eyes on you, somber and attentive.

“The case was personal. It became personal because Foyet forced our hands. He attacked Agent Hotchner in his home and then targeted his family. So, the question is, how do we deal with that? Right?”

Even Kagan’s watching you closely. It’s the first time you’ve covered this case without the rest of your team. In your joint lectures with Aaron, the case is off-limits for questions. She’s never heard you tell the story in your own words.

You take a breath. “And the answer is… you don’t.”

There are some confused faces, so you elaborate. “There isn’t anything you can do to push the case away from you - that’s how people get hurt. In the meantime, you make adjustments. Agent Hotchner placed Agent Morgan in an interim unit chief position until the case was over, for the sake of his health and sanity. We chased down every lead, understanding that the faster we caught Foyet, the faster Haley and Jack, Agent Hotchner’s son, could come home.”

A young woman in front tentatively raises a hand, and you open a hand to her. “Yes?”

“What happened, you know, after?”

“We moved on as best we could. Going back to my original point -”

You leave the podium and take your place in the center of the floor again.

“- the trust you have in the people you work with can carry you through a great many things. And not all of you will see horror every day - but some of you will.”

You pause for a moment, hoping this is the part that really sinks in for them.

“Always have something to come home to. Always have something or someone that brings you peace, that can take you away from the work.”

+++

You set your things down and walk through the door, immediately accosted by two almost-eight-year-olds and their over-eager little brother.

“Momma!”

You haul Elliot onto your hip and kiss Sophia’s head as Caroline burrows into your side. “Hi, darlings! Did you already have dinner?”

Sophia moves to answer, but Aaron’s voice shoots around the corner. “Yes!”

With a smile, you seek him out, dragging the girls along with you. Lo and behold, Aaron’s at the sink, washing dishes. Isaac’s supervising - sitting on the counter, swinging his feet.

Aaron gets a kiss on the cheek from you as you pass and he turns over his shoulder, chasing you until you peck him on the lips, Elliot squished between you. Your son squirms, and you set him on the ground to chase after his sisters. Isaac hops off the counter likely off to investigate the happenings before retreating to his room for the rest of the evening.

For once, you’re left alone.

“How was your lecture?”

Your arms free, you wrap around him and rest your full weight against his chest as he backs himself into the counter. “Went well. Missed you, though.”

The corner of his mouth tips up. “Did they ask about Foyet?”

“Mhmm. It was a good segue into trusting your team and building each other up, knowing when to step back, etcetera.”

He nods. “Good way to bring it back around. How’s Kagan?”

“She’s good, loving it, as always.”

“Think she’s ever gonna retire?” He asks, tucking into your neck.

You laugh as he presses kisses to the underside of your jaw. “Probably not.”

Aaron leans back to look at you, bringing his hand to your face to brush over your cheekbone. “Are you ever gonna retire?”

“Probably not.”

“What if,” he says, his hands slipping into your back pockets, “you retired in…” He does the math in his head. “Thirteen-ish years and I make it worth your while.”

“Oh yeah? Worth my while? And you’ll be, what, a hundred years old?”

His eyes roll so hard you’re sure he could see his own brain. You pull him down for a kiss, but it doesn’t stop him from mumbling, “Give me a fuckin’ break,” against your mouth.

“Never.”

+++

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#aaron hotchner x reader #hotch x reader #aaron hotchner imagine #criminal minds imagine #criminal minds x reader #criminal minds fanfiction #aaron hotchner #criminal minds #tali talks cm #tali writes fanfiction #a joyful future #a joyful future fanfic

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femalechibiblogger · 4 years

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My Top 10 Underrated Anime Series

1. Welcome to the NHK

Plot: The main protagonist is Tatsuhiro Satō, a university dropout entering his fourth year of unemployment. He leads a reclusive life as a hikikomori, ultimately coming to the conclusion that this happened due to some sort of conspiracy. One day just when his life seems entirely unchanging, he meets Misaki Nakahara, a mysterious girl who claims to be able to cure Tatsuhiro of his hikikomori ways. She presents him with a contract basically outlining that once a day they would meet in the evening in a local park where Misaki would lecture to Tatsuhiro in an effort to rid him of his lifestyle. During these outings, many subjects are discussed, though they almost always pertain in some way to psychology or psychoanalysis. One of their first meetings in fact deals with interpreting Tatsuhiro's recent dreams. Both Tatsuhiro and Misaki, however, have a tendency of over-doing things, such as hiding the truth, especially from each other and themselves. Despite Misaki's offer and pressing attempts at salvation, it is Tatsuhiro's neighbor and high school friend, Kaoru Yamazaki, whom Tatsuhiro often turns to in moments of need and support. Despite his own idiosyncrasies, Yamazaki is one of the more stable characters in the story.

While many may not know about this series, those who do know of its existence can see it’s appeal. This anime shows that some people, like the main character, are shut-in’s due to social anxiety holding them back from living a regular life. The anime deals with subjects such as social anxiety, hiding depression from loved ones, paranoia, and a crippling fear of never being accepted by the outside world.

Throughout the series, Sato tries to go outside more often and is pushed to do this by a high school girl, Misaki, and his old classmate now neighbor, Kaoru. All the while, Sato meets some people from his past who cause him to go down a different path, such as becoming part of a ponzi scheme or joining a suicide group, because they themselves have problems that he unknowingly becomes a part of. This goes to show that if you have struggles with batting depression or have family problems...seek proper help before bringing others down with you.

2. Tiger & Bunny

Plot: The series takes place in "NC 1978" in a fictional, re-imagined version of New York City called Stern Bild City, where 45 years before, superpowered individuals known as "NEXT" (an acronym standing for Noted Entities with eXtraordinary Talents) started appearing and some of them became superheroes. Each of the city's most famous superheroes work for a sponsor company and their uniforms also contain advertising for real-life companies. Their heroic activity is broadcast on the popular television show "Hero TV", where they accumulate points for each heroic feat accomplished (arresting criminals or saving civilians, for example) and the best ranked hero of the season is crowned "King of Heroes". The story mainly focuses on veteran hero Kotetsu T. Kaburagi, a.k.a. Wild Tiger, who is assigned a new partner: a young man named Barnaby Brooks, Jr. However, Barnaby and Kotetsu have trouble working together, as they have conflicting opinions on how a superhero should act, while at the same time they are trying to crack the mystery of the murder of Barnaby's parents. In addition, the appearance of a homicidal vigilante NEXT named "Lunatic" stirs up the public and makes them question the place of heroes in the city.

The main heroes, Kotetsu and Barnaby, do not like each other at first...but a strong bond grows between them as they protect the city and help each other from the tragic moments of their pasts. They even help each other with the problems that they face within the series’ current timeline: Kotetsu slowly losing his powers, and Barnaby being manipulated by someone who he thought of like family.

While not as big as My Hero Academia, this series still has lots of good moments, terrific super heroes, and powerful storylines. Tiger & Bunny is definitely worth watching for anyone who loves superheroes and anime.

3. My Roommate Is A Cat

Plot: Novelist Subaru Mikazuki, who is shy and not good with other people, and Haru, the cat that has been living a severe stray life. This is a story of them suddenly living together and describes the happiness of living together from both point of views.

This series is definitely underrated. My Roommate is a Cat is filled shows how much of an impact a person...or in this case a cat...can have on a person who has lived a life of solitude and books. The main character, Subaru Mikazuki, begins to slowly open up to those around him thanks to the help of a stray cat: Haru. From Haru’s point of view, Subaru is someone whom she desires to protect and take care of, as she fears that he cannot survive without her. Subaru also comes to term with his parents’ deaths and learns to move past his guilt, and realizes that there are many people who love and care for him.

This series shows that it’s ok to open up to the people around you, and that no one is truly alone.

4. And Yet The Town Moves

Plot: Hotori Arashiyama loves mysteries, but there’s one she just can’t solve: why does the solution to one problem inevitably seem to lead to another? Like how when Hotori has to start working at the Seaside Maid Cafe after school to pay off a debt and her friend Toshiko fortunately knows exactly how a Maid Cafe should be run. Which is fortunate since Hotori has no clue. Except that, unfortunately, Toshiko has no interest in working at the cafe—until she discovers that Hotori’s childhood friend Hiroyuki is a regular. Which SEEMS fortunate. Except that Hotori doesn’t know that, while Toshiko likes Hiroyuki, Hiroyuki secretly likes Hotori, while Hotori secretly has a crush on… No, no more spoilers!But if that’s not enough drama, there’s work, angst with a certain math teacher, table tennis between her classmates, her younger brother versus the school’s bad girl… And yet, even though everything seems like it’s going to crash at any moment, somehow Hotori’s life keeps going hilariously forward.

Sure...it doesn’t have sexy and cute maids that most maid-theme anime has... But And Yet The Town Moves is still a series worth watching. The series features cute, slice-of-life storylines filled with antics by the mystery-loving Hotori Arashiyama. Because of her crazy antics and goofy nature, Hotori brings laughter and new experiences to those around her.

If you want an anime featuring klutzy maids and funny slice of life, then And Yet The Town Moves is definitely the right choice.

5. Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!

Plot: Midori Asakusa wants to create an anime, but she's too disheartened to make that first step by herself. By pure chance, she meets Tsubame Mizusaki, an up-and-coming socialite secretly dreaming of becoming an animator. Together with Midori's money-loving best friend Sayaka Kanamori, the energetic trio start the "Eizouken" club and slowly work towards making their "greatest world" a reality.

This anime is truly a one-of-a-kind masterpiece. Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! has animation that is truly breathtaking and filled with the imaginations of aspiring animators. Throughout the series, our three protagonists: Midori, Sayaki, Tsubame experience the hardships of running their own studio, all the while dealing with the Student Council and School Board who wish to shut down Eizouken. But no matter how hard they try, there is no stopping these three girls from making anime and running their studio.

Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! has such brilliant animation, creative storylines, and normal looking characters who viewers can relate to. If your dream is to become an animator, than you certainly learn a lot from this series.

6. Angels of Death

Plot: 13-year old Rachel awakens to find herself trapped in the basement of an abandoned building. Without any memories, or even a clue as to where she could be, she wanders the building, lost and dizzy. In her search, she comes across a man covered in bandages. He introduces himself as Zack and he wields a grim-reaper like sickle.A strange bond is struck between them, strengthened by strange, crazy promises…These two, trapped in this strange building, don’t know why fate has placed them there. But they will work together desperately to find a way out…

Rachel and Zack are quite an unlikely duo...yet their skills and personalities are what complete each other: Rachel is calm and calculating, while Zack is aggressive and strong. But they have something in common: They both suffered their whole lives, became killers, and being killers is what got them trapped in the mysterious building in the first place. Together, they face various serial killers who want to keep them from escaping: A doctor with an eye fetish, a pumpkin-headed child who wants to bury Rachel in his graveyard, a female-prison warden who’s obsessed with punishing ‘sinners’, and a faithless priest whose goal is to test the faith of those who fall victim to the killers within the building.

Angels of Death is filled with such mystery and psychological thrills. While it is not for the faint of heart...it is definitely for those who wish to find a good psychological thriller to watch.

7. Zombieland Saga

Plot: In the year 2008, high school student Sakura Minamoto is abruptly killed by a truck on the morning she plans to submit an idol application. Ten years later, Sakura, along with six "legendary" girls from various eras of Japan's history, are brought back as zombies by a man named Kotaro Tatsumi, who seeks to revitalize Saga Prefecture by putting together an all-zombie idol group known as Franchouchou.

Unlike most ‘pop idol’ anime series, that feature cute girls whose music can save the world...this one features cute girls who are zombies who were brought back to life to save a city as a pop idol group. While it seems unusual, Zombieland Saga shows the viewers all the things that Saga has to offer...because it basically advertises the entire prefecture. The members of Franchouchou: Sakura, Saki, Ai, Junko, Lily, Yugiri, and Tae...are determined to become a great idol group while keeping their true identities a secret. Thanks to their mysterious manager, Kotaro Tatsumi, they are given a second chance at life and learn more about each other...but they also help each other move on from their deaths and give closure to the loved ones that they had to leave behind.

If you are looking for a ‘pop idol girl’ anime that is different from others...then Zombieland Saga is definitely a good choice, as it does differ from the usual plots that anime featuring pop idol groups has.

8. Mitsuboshi Colors

Plot: Set in Ueno. The series follows three elementary school girls, Yui, Sat-chan, and Kotoha, who together form an organization known as "Colors". Together, they perform various deeds and errands to protect the peace in their town.

This series is very adorable and is filled with a lot of hilarity. What makes it hilarious, are the crazy antics of the crybaby Yui, the rambunctious Sat-chan, and the dark-humored Kotoha as they try to help others and maintain the peace in the town that they love so much. They recieve help from local shop owner, Pops, who gives them clues to solve, and are often coming into conflict with police officer Saito, who sees them as nothing but trouble while dealing with their childish antics.

Mitsuboshi Colors really does make you want to go to the real Ueno in Japan, and see all the shops featured within this series.

9. Lovely Muco

Plot: The series depicts the life of the pet dog Muco and his owner Komatsu, who lives in his glass-making workshop in the mountains.

Lovely Muco shows life through the eyes of Muco, a shiba inu who lives in a mountain town with her owner, Komatsu, who works as a glass blower. Muco is an energetic dog who finds everything around her fascinating. Muco loves Komatsu more than anything in the world, who gives her lots of love in return. Muco also interacts with other people such as Komatsu’s long-time friend, Ushikou-san, bar owner Bouda and his energetic daughter Rena.

Lovely Muco shows the viewer how the world looks through the eyes of a dog, and what goes through their curious minds.

10. Chi’s Sweet Home

Plot: A grey and white kitten with black stripes wanders away from her mother and siblings one day while enjoying a walk outside with her family. Lost in her surroundings, the kitten struggles to find her family and instead is found by a young boy, Youhei, and his mother. They take the kitten home, but, as pets are not allowed in their housing complex, they try to find her a new home. This proves to be difficult, and the family decides to keep the kitten. While being housebroken, the kitten mistakenly answers to "Chi" (as in shi- from shikko, the Japanese word for "urine") and this becomes her name. Chi then lives with her new family, learning about different things and meeting new people and animals.

This series is filled with so much love and cuteness that it could give you diabetes. Chi’s New Home shows viewers how the world looks through the eyes young kitten ‘Chi’, as she grows to love her human family and makes new friends along the way. Chi and her family love each other greatly, and cannot imagine living without each other.

Chi’s Sweet Home shows us just how important family is, and how a new member of one’s family can bring so much love and joy into one’s life.

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grelleswife · 3 years

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How about 3, 4,6, 7, 12, 13, 14, 17, 19, 20, 25,27,28, 29, and 30 foooor Sebagrelle ;3

Sure thing!

3. Most common argument?

Every few years, they'll have a dispute over getting a dog. Grelle would love a little white froo-froo dog to carry around in her purse; Sebastian will not allow a wretched cur in their house under any circumstances, thank you very much. D:< The demon and reaper also occasionally squabble over clothes if they both want to wear the same outfit or pair of heels on a particular day. And, of course, there's the decades-old argument over whether their meeting was mere coincidence (as Sebastian insists) or fate (as Grelle adamantly maintains).

4. Favorite non-sexual activity?

Dancing! In public, this appeals to their exhibitionist tendencies, since the graceful pair inevitably dominate the venue, whether it's a ballroom or a club. Grelle loves the romance and spectacle, while Sebastian views dancing as an opportunity to flaunt the fact that this incredible woman is his mate.

6. What is their favorite feature of their partner's?

(I'm assuming this means physical features?)

Grelle firmly maintains that Sebastian's eyes are his best feature. They're her favorite color, and burn with a hellfire that never grows dim. Her acceptance of his demonic nature made Sebastian fall even deeper in love with her when they were first courting. >w<

Sebastian utterly adores Miss Sutcliff's hair. Sensory demon cannot get enough of how lush and silky it is, and he'll often pamper Grelle by combing and styling her locks. He also considers her teeth extremely sexy, because they're a reflection of her wild, ferocious side. >:3

7. What's the first thing that changes when they realize they have feelings for the other?

Sebastian's instinct upon realizing (to his horror) that he's falling for Grelle is to deny, deny, deny. H-he has a crush on Sutcliff, of all people?! What insanity is this? The Phantomhive butler would never stoop to such things...even though Grelle is gorgeous and one of the most powerful reapers he's ever met and...oh, dammit...

Grelle is so accustomed to rejection that she tries not to put too much sincerity behind her flirtations; a lady's heart can only be trampled upon so many times. Therefore, when she realizes that her feelings for Sebastian go beyond a mere crush, she's caught off guard. Grelle's not stupid, and she's aware of how potentially dangerous demons are, not to mention the punishment she'd face for dallying with one in earnest. She needs to withdraw and do some serious soul-searching before deciding to see this relationship through. After all, the heart cannot be denied...

12. Who initiates kisses?

Sebastian! This may seem counterintuitive since Grelle is more impulsive, but initiating kisses is a tacit way for the demon to tell her "I want you, I choose you, I'm continuing to chase after you just as you chase after me." >w<

13. Who reaches for the other's hand first?

Grelle, by a slight margin. My headcanon is that Sebastian loves holding hands with his romantic partner(s), but Grelle tends to beat him to the punch; she's the type who will walk hand-in-hand or arm-in-arm with her s/o literally anywhere.

14. Who kisses the hardest?

Maybe Grelle? I feel like her legendary teef give her an advantage in this area. XD Sometimes she'll inadvertently (or accidentally-on-purpose) nick the demon's lips, but Sebastian doesn't mind. >:3

17. Who says I love you first?

Grelle. One night, she and Sebastian are sitting on the roof of the Phantomhive manor, hanging out after a playful sparring match. Grelle abruptly goes silent before quietly admitting that she loves him. "I'm afraid it's the genuine article, darling...though who's to say whether we're players in a comedy or a tragedy," she adds, glancing down.

The demon takes a moment to process this (sweet hell, she actually loves him!!!), but takes her hand and tenderly kisses it.

"Then let us see how it ends, rufina."

19. Who tells their family/friends about their relationship first?

Technically, Sebastian doesn't tell the other Phantomhive servants about his courtship with Grelle (and for obvious reasons, he daren't give the young master cause for suspicion), but it doesn't take long for Bard and Mey Rin to realize the dork is in love. Bard notices how dreamy and flustered the butler is these days, as well as the long red hairs that occasionally cling to his tailcoat (Miss Grelle has a tendency to shed). Mey Rin could've sworn she caught a trace of woman's perfume the last couple times she walked past Mr. Sebastian, yes she did! Mey is initially crestfallen but later gets together with Paula, so all's well that ends well, while Bard mercilessly teases Sebastian about his "new gal."

"I don't know what on earth you are talking about," the trash demon mutters. Sebastian also ends up discretely discussing the relationship with Agni. When he and Grelle have their first big fight, he asks the khansama for advice on how to make up with her.

20. What do their family/friends think of their relationship?

For a long time, Ronald is the only reaper aware of Grelle's relationship with Sebastian. Knox disapproves because he's worried that the butler is using his senpai to obtain information or gain her support as another of the Phantomhive brat's pawns. However, he later develops a grudging respect for Sebastian when he realizes that the demon truly loves her.

The servants never learn exactly who Sebastian's lady love is, but they're very supportive!

25. Who needs more assurance?

Grelle. She's grown accustomed to being misunderstood and pushed away, so she needs affirmation that Sebastian is loyal and won't ever desert her. Of course, in happy fanon land, Sebastian is unequivocally devoted to his wife.

27. Who would sing their child back to sleep?

Both of them! Their kids have fond memories of their parents harmonizing together when they needed to be soothed after a nightmare.

28. What do they do when they're away from each other?

In the canon timeline, Grelle is focused on reaping during business hours. In addition to her beauty appointments (hair and nails must be maintained at all cost!), she also enjoys going out to cafes or hitting the pub with Ronald, Eric, and other people from her small group of work friends. Sebastian's butler duties keep him busy, and he tries to distract himself by playing with his cat or reading in his small amount of leisure time (he still ends up pining for Miss Sutcliff, though).

29. One headcanon about this OTP that breaks your heart?

A constant terror that lurks in the back of Sebastian's mind is the fear that O!Ciel will learn of his relationship with Grelle and command the demon to harm or kill her.

30. One headcanon about this OTP that mends it?

I headcanon that Grelle is somewhat touch-starved, which is why she makes her little dollies to sleep with. After Sebastian finds out about this, he surprises her on their first Valentine's Day as a couple with a special Funtom rabbit in a red dress. When she has to go for long periods of time without seeing him (they have to exercise extreme caution when planning their trysts) Grelle will cuddle the bunny, which serves as a tangible reminder of Sebas's love for her.

#thanks for the ask!#kuroshitsuji #sebagrelle #sebagrell #sebastian michaelis #grelle sutcliff #you reap what you sow #yrwys

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recurring-polynya · 4 years

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I think Orihime was Rukia’s first close friend who was a girl. I mean was she really that close in the past other fellow lady soul reapers? Other then Miyako Shiba.

I definitely agree! And I think that’s something that makes Bleach really cool-- in so many stories, two girls in the group means they automatically hate each other. This is becoming a less common trope than it was in my youth (and good riddance!!), but it was so refreshing to see in an early aughts shonen, and I love it so, so much.

I think that she was close with both Kaien and Miyako, but that her relationship to them was more of a younger sib -> older sib sort of thing where she looked up to them, and they provided a lot of support for her. I think they were a model for her of the sort of person she wanted to be, and probably the sort of romantic relationship she would like to have. I’ve always assumed she had a bit of a crush on both of them, except she also loved how much they loved each other. In other words, they were her OTP. 😂 Those were good and healthy relationships for her, but they weren’t really a replacement for the friendship-between-equals that she had with Renji and the guys in Rukongai.

I think Rukia has friends at this time, it’s just, as you say, they aren’t close friends. She’s definitely friends with Kiyone, but Kiyone is her superior, and is sort of a classic friend-from-work. I’m sure she has has a lot of noble social obligations as well, and while one might imagine that she was roundly rejected and looked down upon, a) there are going to be social climbers who will be determined to be polite to her, b) I feel like she surely must have found a few weirdos she could have a good conversation with at a party, even if they weren’t her lifelong best friends. Rukia is a very good actress, and I feel like she’s eventually able to learn the proper way to act around others. In some ways, this makes her even lonelier, because she performs all the motions of friendship and family, without having any of the rewards of it penetrate her shell.

I got to thinking about why Orihime in particular-- we see Rukia hanging out with the girls in her class as a group. Why does Orihime come to be so important to her, rather than Tatsuki, or Mahana who seems to be the most outgoing, or Ryou, who seems the most like Rukia.

The fundamental metaphor of Bleach is, in fact, masks. The villains of the series lose their hearts and form hardened masks over their face. It’s not that subtle. But one of the reasons that Rukia hasn’t had friends over many years is because she is constantly masking herself. As I mentioned above, she plays the role of a noble, even though it causes her to be rejected by commoners, and the many nobles don’t accept her anyway. She must play-act the role of a sister to a brother who doesn’t love her. From what we see of her childhood, I imagine that the strict gender-segregated behavior of the nobility (or really just the Seireitei in general) must feel very foreign and performative to her. When she starts attending Ichigo’s high school, she just throws on another persona and expects that to be that.

The thing about both Orihime and Ichigo, though, is that they reject masks. One of the first things Rukia tells Ichigo is that he must hit Hollows in the back of the head so he doesn’t find out who they are. Ichigo consistently refuses to follow this advice, and instead, gazes longingly into the eyes of his enemies, beats them up by understanding their souls, and then makes them his bestie.

In Rukia’s earliest interactions with Orihime, Orihime hugs it out with her Hollow brother and Ichigo lectures him on being a bad brother while Rukia is “wtf wtf WTF WTF?!”

But this is just standard Orihime. The very scene were we meet her, she is laughing with Tatsuki about how she finds Ichigo’s grumpy scowl to be charming. She can tell when Kon is in Ichigo’s body. Later on, she freaks various Arrancar out by refusing to accept that they are monsters.

Orihime takes one look at Rukia, ignores her weird fake-high schooler act, and says “That’s shaped like a friend!” The only friends Rukia has made before are grumpy boys who try to never be impressed by anything, except that Orihime is impressed by everything Rukia does.

I think that, at least at first, Orihime looks up to Rukia so much that Rukia gets to play the role of big sister that she’s never gotten to be before, and it makes her heart feel so, so full. But I think very rapidly, Rukia is equally impressed by everything Orihime does-- the hard decisions she makes, the way she stands by her values, the way she loves without restraint, that the relationship slides into the egalitarianism of Two Girls Who Stan Each Other Super Hard.

Rukia has been hurt a lot in her life, and she’s very reluctant to trust her true self with other people, but there’s no one in Bleach who’s better at keeping things safe than Orihime.

#rukia kuchiki #orihime inoue #rukihime brotp #oh it's just me screaming about rukia and orihime yet again #the two best girls #i love them

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prince-of-elsinore · 4 years

Text

More reasons to enjoy Season 12

Part 2 to this post

These are just my (mostly) not too serious thoughts on things I enjoyed about season 12 (which believe me, I do have criticism of, but not for this post) now that I have finished my re-watch of it.

- they unfridged the original fridged woman. bold move, good course correction

- Mick as a foil to Sam, Ketch as a foil to Dean. That's all.

- it's goddamn refreshing to have Sam and Dean on the same page most of the time! Like in 12x15 Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell, Sam has been keeping the secret that he's working with the BMOL. But the secret only lasts one episode, and when Sam realizes he needs to come clean, Dean doesn't blow up at him. Sam being honest and Dean being accepting of Sam's decision: both evidence of growth! And in 15x20 The Future, they're on the same page about not wanting to let Cass go with Kelly. They both think he's been brainwashed (b/c that is definitely what it looks like). I just like seeing them agree on stuff, ok?

- Sam embracing his life and feeling comfortable with himself!! I see this season as a turning point, especially for Sam. I don't believe he's simply been brow-beaten into accepting a life he hates; I think he's consciously choosing to embrace the good of what he does and to take pride in it. His relationship with hunting will never be the same as Dean's, but, like I said: they're on the same page. As he tells Mary in 12x14 The Raid--"I chose this life." This is mostly due to choosing Dean, more than choosing hunting, but in any case, it is a conscious choice and Sam is making the one that is worth it to him, the choice that brings him fulfillment. And he even sees new worth in hunting itself, in a way that is very much in line with his character, as he expresses in 12x18 The Memory Remains (which I talk about more here).

- and that newfound confidence and comfort with who he is allows Sam to take a huge step in 12x22 Who We Are. I was so proud of him when he says "I called you here" instead of "We called you here." Sam has always had an independent streak, and he's stepping out from Dean's shadow in a healthy way here. He's allowing himself to be an individual agent. I always felt that in the end, he needed something of his own to be fulfilled, more than hunting with Dean--either a mentorship or leadership position (both of which he gets in the late seasons). This is his first step towards that, and he's so capable of it! He is a badass and he leads the hunters to victory over the BMOL on his own.

- and Dean lets him!! This is a huge step for Dean too! Of course he's still worried about Sam (the "you come back" gets me every time), but he's not insisting on being there to protect him. He believes in Sam. He tells Sam he's ready for this, and when Sam hears it from Dean, he knows it's true. They need each other, but here we're seeing need of a healthier type--the way no one is an island, and we all need the love and support of our friends/family. They offer each other that, and it gives them the strength they need. I was so proud of Dean in that moment.

- ALSO so proud of Dean for, for once, acknowledging his own needs. Trying to save Mary is the right task for Dean--he'll never give up on family. But in the process, he speaks some truths that needed speaking. Admitting that he was set up to fail in raising Sam, that his whole life has been so unfair. Letting himself feel resentment towards the family whose hold is so tight on him. But, at the end of the day, still choosing love. "I hate you. And I love you. 'Cause I can't – I can't help it. You're my Mom. And I understand... 'cause I have made deals to save the ones I love more than once." Dean understands better than anyone that sometimes love causes harm, but it's still love and who can blame a person who acts out of love? And the thing is, love can also redeem. And here, Mary and Dean, both of whom have made some terrible choices in the name of love, find their way back to each other through love. Dean gives Mary the forgiveness he seeks for himself. This is Dean at his best.

- and even Sam gets in on the action. He, too, chooses love, and forgiveness. The family hug at the end of Who We Are is EVERYTHING.

- ok Who We Are isn't the only good episode so I'm gonna backtrack to talk about some others, like 12x11 Regarding Dean--it's funny! It's sad! Carrying on a great spn tradition of episodes like Mystery Spot and Yellow Fever. The sticky notes are wonderful. Sam knowing Dean well enough to leave them in the trunk of the Impala, with a big "NO" over the grenade launcher. Dean holding up "Witch Killing Bullets" without saying a word. Pointing his gun in confusion at Sam, who yells and points, "Brother! Witch!" :)

- 12x12 Stuck in the Middle (With You)—who doesn’t love a Tarantino tribute? (Having just watched Kill Bill, I can certainly say I love it). And the return of the Colt! Crowley's "It’s amazing what some people just leave laying about." Snark king.

- 12x13 Family Feud—I want to write a longer meta about the theme of family and love and sacrifice in this episode, so I won't go into it here. But another nice thing is how united the brothers are in their anger when Mary reveals she's been working with the BMOL. It's the closest we get to addressing Sam's torture and violation at the beginning of the season. I get the feeling Dean isn't so angry b/c of what Lady Bevell did to him, but b/c of what she did to Sam, which makes me think he knows it was bad, and Dean supported Sam in whatever he needed after that, whether it was talking about it or just giving some space, etc. Love some defensive big brother Dean.

- 12x14 The Raid—Actually a pretty tense action episode. And Mick is cool.

- 12x16 Ladies Drink Free—The Mick team-up is fun (I like changing up the dynamics), as is seeing them stay in a 3 star hotel lol. Dean has some good moments that highlight his growth, too. His "I used to think the same thing, too" to Mick, as if it weren't already obvious that he's taken "saving people" more to heart than "hunting things." He's done a lot of work to evolve beyond who he was with the Mark of Cain and even before. He also makes it perfectly clear what he thinks of guys skeeving on underage girls, and it's nice the writers finally emphasize that Dean does not like that behavior. He's past the point in his life where he'd make a joke about cheerleaders being legal (back in season 4. Quick digression: that's definitely a gross thing to say, but I always saw it as performative more than a declaration of intent. He puts on what he thinks macho guys would say. Not that Dean doesn't oggle what he likes, but one thing has always been very clear to me about Dean--he's a fan of enthusiastic consent. Anyway this should probably be a longer post b/c I could talk about Dean and performative masculinity and sexual attraction ad nauseam so I'll leave it there)

- 12x18 The Memory Remains—I've already gone over in my previous meta what this ep says about legacy, but there are other fun things about it. Like a Goat-headed monster! Man, how long has it been since the bros took on an urban legend like this? Like... any since freakin' Bloody Mary? Also Dean being cool with the kid smoking weed. You just know he likes to light up sometimes. Man, I need more weed-smoking Dean in my life

- 12x20 Twigs and Twine and Tasha Banes--this is a good fuckin ep. Finally, someone else on this goddamn show is allowed to be as codependent and unwise as Sam and Dean, and isn't punished for it. Let Max keep his wood-puppet sister! (Wow I KNOW it's really fucked up b/c I guess he can control her, too, but damn if it isn't fascinating. And sad. I hope they figure out some way to restore her autonomy) I stan two (2) codependent witch twins

- 12x21 Something About Mary--I'm a sucker for the silent communication and flawless telepathy as Sam and Dean find the bug and lay the trap for the BMOL. And that letter from Eileen :C (Even if her thing with Sam leaves me cold, I'm glad she got to come back to life b/c she sure didn't deserve to go like that)

- Ok one more thing about Who We Are--I'm a sucker for the angst of them thinking they're gonna die trapped in the bunker. And then Dean comes through with the grenade launcher, AND gets out the hole before it caves in. BAMF. I love that they saved themselves rather than some deus ex machina. No Supernatural interference necessary. Not even any deals with reapers, etc.

- I lied, one MORE thing about Who We Are--Sam doesn't take the bad deal Hess offers him (to help with Lucifer)! Once upon a time, I believe that Sam would have been so scared that he'd take the deal with the snake, masking his fear and foolishness as pragmatism. But he knows his own worth now. He knows he doesn't need the BMOL, terrified as he is.

- Finally, it was sad to say goodbye to Crowley in the finale, but it was a worthy end. You'll be missed, Fergus MacLeod.

#spn meta #spn season 12 #my meta #spn

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axemetaphor · 3 years

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im definitely not ripping off my friend by making a list of au ideas i have no siree //gonna slap this under a readmore cause i. well i say a lot. all of the time. i tried so hard to format this Good but tumblr fucked me up i am so sorry

so first-off i know i already have one WIP AU (Auckland) on ao3 so i wont talk about That one cause like. spoilers. i actualyl have it like 80% created so its likely gonna truly get finished for once and i dont wanna ruin shit

the other one ive posted about is something me and ben (catgirlrepublic) have worked on together its not at all close to done or anything but it's. a fun little crossover. Between jdate and my fuckinuhm. Original characters story “Untitled Villains Project”. the sketches of the comic version ive started is actually my pinned post 👉👈 its like the first chunk of the story, i think half of part 1? yea.

Tldr john fucking Somehow is able t oget into contact with a certain curious scientist from another reality who’d just love to study the Soy Sauce, most certainly not for her own nefarious purposes

John and Dave meet up with the scientist, her name is Boss, and her lab assistant, Toxic, and after a bit of a preliminary Vibe Check where john determines her trustworthy (which Dave doesnt agree with,) the two agree to be taken to the world UVP is set in. from there they stay in Boss’s lab (big old fucking abandoned military lab). John and Toxic are fast friends due to mutual love-of-chaos. John n Dave get to fuckin, camp out on an air mattress.

The day after they arrive, the two get split up, not exactly intentionally; big plot points of UVP are liek. Fueled by Boss sending Toxic to go fetch her “research materials,” which are usually important artifacts

Fuckin side note i guess i have to explain my dumb bullshit: Boss’s, uh, field of expertise so to speak is actually fckin, basically the scientific study of magic and superpowers n shit like that. This shit’s all real in that world. Toxic’s got fuckin superpowers, so do 4 other main characters, whatever. It’s got a bit to do with spirituality, iss Boss’s hypothesis. So she has Toxic fetch important artifacts that might have “energies” to them. The thing is actually way more fuckin complictated than that, this is just Boss’s initial hypothesis.

Motherfucking anyways. So Boss gives Toxic a job to do, and John get excited about how Cool that sounds, and ends up going with Toxic, leaving Boss and Dave alone. Neither is thrilled about this. But Dave and Boss get to have a bit of conversation (while Toxic and John are off bonding and having a good time) and come to a… mutual grudging understanding of some kind. They still dont like each other though lmao

Theres gonna be deeper shit going on but we havent sorted it out yet/tbh havent like Written For It in a while but i still like thinking about it a lot lol

Also pretty sure our endgame is john and dave steal toxic and bring them back with em lmao boss is kind of not nice and toxic would most certainly be better off in Undisclosed. Actually theyd fucking love it. Theyd become a local cryptid im sure. Undisclosed’s mothman is a teleporting spike baby.

I have. Another crossover AU that i might. Post something about for halloween? Maybe? If i have it finished?

Crosses over into, you guessed it, another one of my original-character projects. God, am i vain or something?

I promise this is just because i think blue and dave should get to team up to beat up some monsters

Quick briefing on my fuckinuh. Original character story, this one doesnt have a name (yet? Idk lol my work never actually goes anywhere sso who gives a shit). It centers around two grim reapers, Red (26, bi woman) and Blue (22, aroace agender asshole). In this reality or whatever, grim reapers function kind of like low-level office workers. They get told who’s going to die + when by some middle-management types, and upper management only involve themselves when punishment needs to be doled out. These Higher-Ups can be seen as analogous to Korrok; they’re decidedly not human, never were, and fucking terrifyingly powerful. Additionally, grim reapers are sort of .. designed to be “background noise” people. In reality theyre supernatural beings and, uh, look Real Fuckin Weird (the whole deal has a neon aesthetic im terrible at drawing uwu) but most humans just perceive them like extras in a movie. A body’s there but the camera’s not focused on it.

To the narrative: the shit starts when Red n Blue get relocated to Undisclosed. Relocation is something that just happens every now and then to reapers; they usually work in teams, but they get split up into different cities to avoid any strong bonds forming (a counter-union strategy from the Higher-Ups).

Red, Blue, John and Dave end up running into each other for the first time in a McDonalds where John n Dave are getting some 4am “hey, we just survived another horrific monster fight” celebration burgers. John and Dave are the only two people who can see how… strange Red and Blue are. Nobody else notices.

John unintentionally pisses Blue off, leading to Blue whacking him upside the head with a dildo bat. They all four get kicked out of McDonald’s. Dave and Red both are less than thrilled

Blue and John end up resolving their differences, somehow. Red and Dave briefly bond over their dumbass best friends being, well, dumbasses. They all part ways amicably.

somehow-or-other (idk yet) they end up running into each other a few more times, and eventually john invites them over to his place, and the four (plus Amy now!) get to know each other a little better

while there, Blue gets a text about some guy who's gonna die and John offers to drive them to where that's gonna go down. they take him up on the offer and get to have a bit of one-on-one conversation

after that ordeal though Blue has had Enough of people and bails, leaving John to head home alone

theres a sort of mirror-development going on with the five of em. Red, John, and Amy would all like everyone to get along, though theyre a bit tentative about it (John moreso than the other two, actually, jsut cause. well Red n Blue could still be Sauce Monsters). Dave and Blue on the other hand do Not like people enough for this shit, and Dave's not unconvinced theyre Sauce Monsters. he will not trust them until proven he should

the story's kinda nebulous but i got an idea for some Shit going down that involves both Sauce Monsters and also the Higher-Ups to have some fuckin absolute chaos go down.

Oops! All Trans

Everybody is transgender. Everyone

Ive actually workshopped this one both with ben (catgirlrepublic) and ghost (ghost-wannabe) lmao its a fun lil concept ive had from the get-go cause i mean. What’s an internet tran gonna do other than hit all their favourite media with the Everyone’s Trans beam

Dave transitioned post-high school and faked his death for it. People go missing in Undisclosed all the damned time, after all. He moved to the next city over, transitioned fully, then came back as a completely new man. Yes i know this doesnt exactly fit with the “everyone knows David from high school” thing alright, hush.

Anytime anyone brings up John’s old best friend (pre-transition Dave) John throws an entire fit like an overdramatic grieving widow. Full-on sobbing “why would you bring her up?! I miss her so much—” to the point that people just stop bringing up because Jesus Christ That Sure Is Uncomfortable KJHGFDS.

This is a scheme he and Dave came up with prior to Dave leaving, though Dave hadnt exactly anticipated John putting on this much of a performance about it— but it’s stopped Dave from ever having tto hear his deadname again, so hey.

Amy transitioned sometime in middle school/early high school. Her family was super supportive and loved her a ton and most people just know her as Amy. she was super shy her whole life really so. Yeah. people just dont think to bring it up lmao also i Feel Like big jim would absolutely wallop anyone who gave her trouble of any kind

John’s nonbinary (genderfluid specifically) and not exactly Interested in transitioning ? like hes fine with how he is. mostly.

he came out to Dave in high school but hes not out to anyone else exactly. Maybe his bandmates. Probably any other trans person in Undisclosed knows, too, cause theyre safe to tell lmao. Johns mostly a “he/him out of convenience” kinda nb who’s cool with any pronouns but does prefer they/them most. Dave and Amy use they/them when the trio are alone

Also this is a totally self-indulgent caveat that i think would be great, Dave’s actually agender but because he's transmasc and transitioned when he thought there were really only two options, and being Boy at least felt less weird than being Girl, he just kind of assumed he was a dude. It’s only through a lot of (like fucking years and years hes probably in his 30s/40s when he puts 2 and 2 together on this one) talks about gender with John that he realizes he actually feels like No Gender. Masc aesthetic with none gender.

I Just Think It’d Be Neat Is All Okay

Also Amy came out to Dave about being trans early on in them seeing each other and his response was to get very nervous before blurting out “me too” and then just being too embarrassed to talk about it for the rest of the day. Hes got a lot of hangups on talking about it actually it takes years for him to get comfortable in that

by contrast when Amy comes out to John about it his response is to yell “EYYY ME TOO” and give her a big ol hug lmao

I think itd be neatt if Amy ran a like. Transfem help/advice blog on tumblr. Kind of helped-with by John who can give her transfem nb insight for certain asks. I also just think that would be neat.

Cowboy AU - i put this one last cause its got drawings to it actually. Theyll be at the bottom

Basically just. Hey you ever watched a western. I think they look neat

This is another one me n ben have come up with lol

The soy sauce and all that shit still exist, im not sure where korrok fits in yet but ill figure it out

Theres no real like solid narrative yet ? but heres the barebones of everybody’s arcs.

John

Johns an absolute troublemaker, Of Course. Hes wanted in several towns for absolutely stupid shit. Hes a loner who shows up, causes chaos, gets drunk, does some drugs, runs away if people get too mad at him

He definitely had the same kind of deal with the soy sauce as in canon— he was at some kind of party, somebody offered it, he took it cause why the fuck wouldnt he, now he can see monsters and shit

Hes kind of a mooch also. Like. dont let him stay in your barn man he’ll never fucking leave and drink all your booze.

He runs into Dave when they happen to just, cross paths in the same town. the bullshit John stirs up ends up involving Dave in a way that makes it seem like it's his fault too, and they both get run out of town

after that he just tags along after Dave. hes decided this guy's Cool he wants to stick around. Dave is pissed at first, but not enough to shoot him or anything, and eventually, John grows on him

Dave

Dave also is a loner but unlike John hes simply so fucking awkward and bad with people. He doesnt feel like he belongs anywhere so he just travels

He’s the stereotypical Lone Ranger tbh. He wanders from town to town, solving their problems, though hed deny its out of any moral obligation (it kinda is, a little bit, tbh. He does like feeling useful). He shows up, fixes things, leaves. He's kind of a legend but most people think he's hiding something dark. other people jsut know him as that guy who farted real loud in the middle of the saloon and promptly skipped town out of sheer embarrassment. you know how it goes with Dave

He ends up involved with the Soy Sauce when a snake (not Actually a snake,) bites him. The snake’s more like the wig-monsters, really. Anyway, it injects him with the soy sauce, he fucking trips balls in the middle of the desert, he can see monsters now

He runs into John and shit goes tits-up, as said, but they become traveling buddies after that. he'd never say so, but he's glad for the company, actually. it's nice. hes not used to companionship but he feels a strange kind of easiness hanging out with John....

not sure how the Monster Dave concept will like fit in to this reality but like. trust me i want it in here. I'll Figure It Out.

Amy

Amy’s been living in a town John and Dave end up passing through and she is very curious about these two new Handsome Strangers who claim to fight monsters and just kinda. Persistently tags along til they let her join for real

Her family’s all dead, unfortunately, just like in canon, and she’s been living alone for a few years before meeting John n Dave. she had nothing left in that town to stay for, she'd been fantasizing about escaping on wild adventures for a long time and this felt a little like a dream come true. (Dave still gives her a spiel about how Difficult it is, but really, her fantasies were pretty grounded-in-reality already. i jsut think thats how she is, yknow?)

Shes the first person to react to the whole “we see monsters” shit with a kind of “oh, okay. neat” kind of response lmao

John and Dave fix whatever the fuck is up with her town (maybe that’s where the Korrok shit can fit, who knows) and Amy ends up being integral to that. After, she insists they take her with them because “they need her now” and Dave just cant really say no. John too is very much "the more the merrier!" and hes actually glad to have another person along he loves people lmao

At the start she has long hair but after she joins them she chops it short with a knife for convenience

also she still is an amputee. justt. idk. it was a wagon/stagecoach accident rather than a car accident lmao. just to clarify since i hadnt mentioned it, i wouldnt rob her of her ghost hand or yknow. all of the significance to her character that Missing A Hand has. although also now im going to have to research what was used as painkillers way-back-when, but im betting shes still got, like, her pain pills, they probably had those, maybe i wouldnt have to try too hard there. old timey medicine could be WACK though,

Shitload

Yeah hes in tthis shit mostly cause i liked designing his cowboy self lmao

Hes a kid (like 16, 17, technically i think in those days that was more Young Man than Kid but whatever. Hes Young i mean.) who got possessed by the Worms out in the desert and, by his family’s perception, just went missing!

Hes also a wanderer, but he ended up at the same town john and dave met in, at that same time, and starts following them after, already aware of who/what they are.

He keeps his face covered 24/7. actually he covers a Majority of his self for reasons. kinda want him to be a slightly more horrifying Worm Entity rather than human idk,

I kinda dont have much for this boy yet sorry Shitload

images !

with some editing notes for me cause im doing a very specific aesthetic with this lmao. i might change some lil details/colours though ...... idk

im also kinda 🤔 about shitload's colour palette. i want things assoicated w the sauce to be black'n'red predominantly but i think his palette might mirror dave's too closely. also im working on a korrok design i jsut am too busy to draw it now

#jdate #john dies at the end #aus #erh. tthe hell do i tag this as #rambles.txt #long post #well let me know if youd wanna hear more or. or something #send an ask. or whatever #yaknow #:jazz hands:

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coweggomelet · 3 years

Text

volume 6 lads

from what i remember this one is similar to 4 in that it gives us a bit of an emotional break

don’t get me wrong i know there’s some stuff but i think overall it’s a little less intense

- ahhhh they’re all fighting together againnn it feels so right

- hey. hey yang and blake. i’m gonna need you to stop. cause my little heart can’t take it

- this dude really was challenged once and had a full blown murder tantrum. that’s fragility my guy

- ruby is SO CUTE look at her little happy face

- oh yeah. take a train. you guys have a great track record with trains

- i also keep getting like three versions of the same ad about getting vaccinated and it’s got all these workers from tv & movie sets and it’s so awkward this one guy looks so annoyed during his whole part

- it’s not just the turrets y’all oz is withholding shit once again

- don’t fuckin shove my boy!!

- i love that qrow immediately steps back when ruby comes forward. like he 100% respects not only her authority as a team leader but also her ability to solve situations and talk to people. he knows man. he knows his niece is something else

- MARIAAAAA MY GIRLL YES

- uh oh the train crashed. who could’ve seen that coming

- cinder really is just too angry and spite filled to die isn’t she

- hehe maria you’re funny

- it’s so funny that oz is still refusing to tell them everything knowing that everything is revealed in the next episode

- oh oz. i know he was your friend. but all these kids saw was the insane amount of harm and death he caused. trying to defend him to them is not gonna go well

- oscaarrr i love you!! you’re so good!!

- oooo chills

- uuugghh i love jinn she’s so cool

- oz. my dude. the ship has sailed. you can’t stop this anymore

- this, my friends, is what we call a lore episode

- this whole sequence gives me chills it’s so gooood

- eurgh i hate how the god of darkness moves like i get it it’s part of the aesthetic but you really don’t need to do that it’s creepy

- salem was so smart to use a super powerful sibling rivalry to get what she wanted

- she really didn’t deserve to watch the love of her live just get revived and killed over and over again

- jeez the gods are assholes. they’re all oooohh maintain balance and then they torture a woman who just wanted her husband back by making her live forever. for what??? for daring to be smart?? ugh

- c’mon gods you gotta respect the hustle

- you think that making someone immortal will make them realize the importance of life and death?? idiots

- god her face

- she’s so smart what the FUCK

- “the hearts of men are easily swayed” really reminds me of galadriel’s “the hearts of men are easily corrupted” in lotr

- a couple hundred humans attack them and the god of darkness decides “you know what? i’m gonna eliminate all of humanity. that feels like the right choice. yeah. i feel good about this.”

- the fact that salem wasn’t even like… a real villain until she tried to kill herself in order to escape her torture and suffering and the grimm juice made her Big Mad

- like it wasn’t even her, it was the grimm juice. i really do believe that without that she wouldn’t have become salem the Villain

- i’m sorry i don’t know a ‘deathly hallows’ i only know the relics

- ohhh fuck i forgot about this!!! oh rwby’s totally gonna end with the gods judging humanity when the relics are brought together. maybe not end end but it’s definitely gonna be close to the end and it’ll be a Big Thing where they strategize about how to convince the gods that humanity is good

- obviously the first maidens weren’t their kids but boy is there a theme going on here. and maybe even something plot relevant cause their kids could do magic

- all the main characters being able to witness this and us seeing their reactions is such a good touch like god, the impact of this reality is so much heavier because we get to see the characters actually affected by it react to watching it unfold before them

- ohhh my boy. you didn’t deserve this burden before but now that you know fully what it means you really don’t deserve it. i mean look at him!!!

- oh qrow!!! you are doing good! i mean i get it, your whole world’s been shattered and the man you gave your life to lied to you about a lot of important shit but you are doing good i promise!!

- fuck yeah maria use your sassy wise old lady authority

- oh god emerald you poor thing you’re just a babey— oh god i felt salem’s hand on emerald’s shoulder fuck dude this show is so effective

- truly, this is a master class in manipulation

- uh oh salem your ex is back

- UH OH ITS THE FARM RUN YALL

- i like that weiss is wearing what looks like very thin tights, a strapless dress, a lil jacket thing, and the animators said “here she’s got a scarf she’s warm now”

- ruby didn’t kill torchwood y’all, he got chomped. like a lil bitch

- oh god this episode

- yaaaayyy

- before this episode my friend went “you ready for some horror?” and was grinning

- oh yeeeaaah the corpses. lovely

- god as soon as they opened the door to where the cellar entrance is it immediately started affecting weiss

- oh the DOOR nope no thank you get the fuck OUT

- watching this show with my friend was also the origin of me being sad cause this shit is sad and her going “oh i’m having a great time” and this episode in particular she was enjoying herself WAY TOO MUCH if you ask me

- little jump scares kept getting me and she LAUGHED and said “that got you?!?” YES it DID i’m a WUSS

- oh the journals!!! the way they incorporated that was so interesting and added SUCH good creepiness and suspense without giving it all away or ramping it up too fast

- ruby’s so good i love her!!

- uuugghh it’s getting them already how haven’t they noticed???

- the eyes got me good the first time

- their weird fuckin attitudes were the creepiest part of this episode

- ruby said not my friends you bitches

- mariaaaa i love you you’re so smart

- god when they’re reading from the journal at the very end…

- neo’s so tiny!!

- talk about some girlbosses

- MARIAAAAA YOURE SUCH A BADASS i love her backstory

- love her outfit too

- OOOO THE FUCKIN CROCODILE CLOCK LADY ooooo this is so cooooool

- the ticking!!!!

- oh maria you poor thing. but also you’re so smart like that was such a good move

- aww haha qrow’s a fan. awww he based his weapon off hers!! we love a fanboy

- “i wanted to be as good as the grimm reaper.” “well, im nothing but a disappointment, so you’re well on your way” DAMN MARIA SAVAGE

- oh nice they made to argus! NOW SHOW ME THE BABY

- “CUTE BOY OZ” me too nora

- THE BAAAABBYYYY

- and jaune’s sister and her wife!! I LOVE THEIR GAY LIL FAMILY

- yang is good with kids. marry me

- YOURE GODDAMN RIGHT THATS A BABY AND I LOVE HIM

- HUN!! god i love saph and terra

- “shut up there’s food!” heh me too ruby

- aahhh cordo

- she and maria are totally exes who had a bad breakup and now they hate each other. a tenzin/lin situation if you will

- jaune… my boy… i know you’re angry but oscar is really trying his best

- “i don’t know anything” me neither ruby

- wait cinder didn’t have her grimm arm yet so how did ruby’s ability trigger?

- uh oh my boy’s missing

- remember when you were having fun being the bad guy emerald. remember that. it’s almost like… it was only fun for you cause cinder was there

- it makes me so sad that not only did emerald actually believe that cinder cared about her, but she actually considered cinder family and her emotional health was so connected to cinder being there

- “all you ever learned was pain and violence and now you’re too afraid to leave it” tyrian excuse me i’m the one with the commentary and analysis that’s rude stay in your lane

- oh god oh fuck. the pyrrha statue is comin up isn’t it

- AH FUCK THE LEAF

- oh there she is. my love

- i still wanna know who this lady is. like she’s even the same voice actor as pyrrha. and she’s got red hair. i don’t think pyrrha ever talked about family members, but my money’s on her mom

- this moment fuckin got me dude. i was doing the full tearing up, lil sniffles, choked up thing. uuuuggghh

- god they love each other so much

- i am NOT gonna cry again

- oh qrow. you poor thing

- THE BABYYYY HI ADRIAN DO YOU KNOW I LOVE YOU

- young man!! you scared us half to death! do you know what time it is??

- his lil outfit i i looovveee hiiimm

- oscarrr!! you’re so sweet!!

- THE CASSEROLE

- FUCK YEAH RUBY TELL HIM

- qrow’s like… damn. ruby’s right

- here we goooo infiltration time

- oh FUCK yeah they kill adam soon

- adrian what a smart babyyyy i love youu

- hehehehehe maria is luggage

- honestly this is such a good plan it just goes to shit cause these kids can’t catch a fuckin break

- y’all need. to stop. looking. at each other. like that.

- qrow stop being emo

- mariaaaa i love youuuu you’re such a great old lady

- uh ohhhh problems with blake

- i would love it if they used qrow’s semblance strategically. like in some sort of heist/infiltration situation, sending him behind enemy lines to fuck up their luck

- ruby’s so good at speeches

- depressed? feeling bad about yourself? feeling emo and riddled with guilt? just get a Ruby Speech(TM) and you'll be cured!

- qrow’s face

- oh yeaaaahhh big metal guy

- cordo

- hey cordo

- are you uh

- maybe takin it a lil too far

- why are so many atlas military people so fuckin intense with maintaining order and big shows of power and controlling other people???

- ADAM YOU BITCH YOURE GONNA DIE

- yeah you’re a source of trauma for her but GUESS WHAT SHE HAS A SUPPORT SYSTEM

- at this point dude it’s real pathetic how obsessed with blake you are

- thank god for auras or falling damage would be a much bigger problem

- cordo can you maybe chill

- weiss earthbended!!

- jaune you’re so smart

- ren said things may be complicated but boy oh boy do i care about that strong lightning lady

- “rightfully in charge??” shut up cordo and go be gay with maria

- noooo her fun coat!!

- oooo Dramatic waterfalls

- YES BITCH IM SO PROUD OF YOU YOUVE LEARNED SO MUCH

- adam i’ll kill you

- YEEEAHHHH WHAT AN ENTRANCE YANG MARRY MEEEE

- aaaaggghh the music holy shit

- i love how the fight scenes progress through the volumes it’s so cool

- the parallels between yang and adam are also really interesting. like their semblances, their tendency to lead with strong emotions. interesting

- ooooo he doesn’t like when they look at each other hehehehehe SHE HAS A GIRLFRIEND NOW BITCH HAHA

- HOLDING HAANDSSS THEYRE SO GAY

- he’s so basic too. like he looks like a frat boy.

- y’all do your jobs. there’s a big water boy coming but you don’t know cause you’re too busy being goddamn bootlickers

- oscar is so smart and ruby is so brave i love themmm

- uh oh cordo it’s a ruby speech watch out

- ya she is nuts

- THEYRE GONNA WIN CAUSE THEYRE IN LOVE

- ya but you’re a bitch adam and yang is fuckin amazing

- I LOVE THIS FIGHTTTT

- yeet the blake

- FUCK YEAH YANG GET HIM

- i fucking love that they killl him with the pieces of blake’s weapon. like there’s something to that. they kill him with the pieces of a thing he destroyed

- if he wasn’t dead enough he got crunched too

- I LOVE THEM

- hahahahaaaaa cordo they got you

- yeah cordo!!! argus is danger cause you were more worried about fucking “proving the might of atlas” or whatever against some teenagers you fool

- ohhhh shiiiittt cinder’s atlas outfit!! they’re going to a super cold snowy place and cinder said you know what i should wear short shorts and a sleeveless top with super tall boots and a lil cape. that’ll work. and she’s right. it does. have i mentioned i love cinder?

- uh oh big boy swims watch out

- cordo shut up this your own fuckin hubris

- god cordo’s desperation is so heartbreaking

- when are people gonna learn to trust ruby and her friends man

- their willingness to keep fighting and risk their lives and also a Ruby Speech(TM) made cordo believe in them which i love

- i love jinn she likes lil ruby and her friends

- hi summerrrr

- cordoooo i’m so proud of you. she gave up part of this insane symbol of atlas’s power to help ruby and her friends. like she put aside her own ego and i’m so proud of her

- fuck yeah!!!

- awww such a good uncle

- damnnn atlas is gorgeous

- even mercury is terrified by salem’s weird grimm shit

- the fuckin wicked witch with her flying gorillas

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gemsofgreece · 4 years

Note

Hello, may I request some comedy/light drama etc. recs from the golden age of Greek TV?

Okay, then *cracks knuckles*

(For anyone who didn’t read the first answered ask, the “golden age” of Greek TV is 1990 - 2010)

I don’t know if you are the Anon who had asked the 2010 onward shows because they didn’t mind the subtitles. If you definitely need subtitles, I am afraid there are only two shows you can watch right now:

Είσαι το Ταίρι Μου (You’re My Soulmate)

Romantic comedy / light drama (2001 - 2002). Vicky and Stella are two very different friends who are Greek immigrants in Australia. Vicky is stunning and men go crazy for her but she has many insecurities. Stella is not conventionally attractive but she allows nothing to bring her down. They both fall for the same handsome rich Greek, Nikos. It’s no brainer who wins - Nikos is a womanizer and falls immediately for Vicky. The interesting part is what happens next - when Vicky’s insecurities make her come up with a crazy plan / prank that will unleash hell over these three, Nikos’ entire family and a couple of friends living in Athens and change their lives forever...and everyone will then get what they deserve... or what they are brave enough to claim. Overall just a hilarious and clever comedy, with great acting and memorable characters you end up loving and an ending that isn’t a cliche. Here’s the link to watch with english subtitles.

Στο Παρά Πέντε (In the Nick of Time)

Mystery / Crime Comedy / Light drama (2005 - 2007) One of the two most famous Greek comedies. Five totally different people happen to be witnesses to the murder of a politician. Before he dies, the politician asks them to find who did it and take revenge for this and other crimes they have committed. These five unassuming people become friends and start solving the mystery together like hilariously amateur detectives. In time, they will find out that there’s something more that unites them besides their friendship...and maybe not everything happens accidentally. Here’s the link to watch with english subtitles. This one is being subtitled right now.

So bad news: only two shows with English subtitles. Good news: They are the best of the best, so no problem.

But if subtitles are not necessary, let’s proceed with the rest I love in no particular order:

10 Λεπτά Κήρυγμα (10 Minutes of Scolding)

Comedy (2000 - 2003). The life of Leonidas Alivizatos, an untamed only child with divorced parents. The story is basically the endless ways Leonidas find to escape the limitations his parents put to him and the shenanigans he does with his best friend Telis and his girlfriend Marilena that drive his family crazy. Fun fact: My generation, we all had at some point a crush on Leonidas...right?

Singles

Romantic Dramedy (2004 - 2008). The show has four seasons although it’s the first one that mostly had a lasting impression on me. The story revolves around the social, professional and romantic lives of six young single people: Maro, a sensitive hopeless romantic, Rania, an angry cynic who hates relationships, Lila, a sex crazed cheerful woman, Orestes, an average I’d say young man who has his eyes on Maro though, Arthuros, Orestes’ best friend and a socially awkward man with a dark family past and Loukas, a divorced father who seems to be quite the catch. There’s something special about the first season, it had an atmosphere, a style that I loved. The music was great too. I still remember the episode with the Reaper nightmares and that green light. In the following seasons, half of the cast changed. Y’all Greeks here do you remember the title song? I love it.

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Δεληγιάννειο Παρθεναγωγείο (Deligiannis School for Girls)

Comedy, Drama (2007 - 2008). Summer 1939. The events of the series evolve at the last period of the Greek Regime, the Greco-Italian War and the Nazi Invasion of Greece. Mimis Metaxas in the headmaster of the School and trapped in a miserable marriage. His father-in-law invites Agape, his niece, to teach at the school. Mimis falls desperately in love with Agape but of course he keeps it a secret. Agape is a free-spirited woman and it is soon clear that she is a Communist (or at least leaning toward left ideals) and Mimis tries to balance his job as the Headmaster of the school, his sad marriage, his love and the historical events happening in the country with his need to keep Agape protected at all costs and under full secrecy.

Κωνσταντίνου και Ελένης (Constantine and Helen’s)

Comedy (1998 - 2000). Okay, this is officially the best Greek comedy to date. After it ended in 2000, it has been on TV repeatedly and continuously to this day. For twenty years non-stop. It still has bigger viewership than new current shows. An old aristocratic childless man writes two wills right before his death in which he gives his big residence. The one will is for Constantine, his aloof and conservative nephew who is a professor of Byzantine History in the University. The other will is for Helen, the only daughter of his beloved poor gardener who is a potty mouthed waitress. Constantine and Helen arrive at the house the same day and they are both determined to inherit the house and they can’t wait until the court date. The story revolves around everything they do to get rid of each other and their friends who are just as crazy as they are. There’s an interesting story about this show: they had done some tests and pilots and they were convinced that nobody was going to watch their show so the show became low budget and the actors were free to go batshit crazy. This ended up creating this hilarious masterpiece that is being rewatched by million Greeks to this day.

Οι Μεν και οι Δε (Them and the others)

Comedy (1993 - 1996). Dionysis Dagas, a famous lawyer who defends criminals lives with his wife Vana, an aristocratic lazy woman, in their apartment in Kolonaki. In the apartment right next to them Timos and Nana Stamatis come to live, unemployed and a jewelry artist respectively. Timos and Nana attempt numerous times to take money from frugal Dionysis and in general a big war starts between them as snobby Dagas are the exact opposite of the hippy Stamatis.

Σαββατογεννημένες (Born on Saturday)

Comedy (2003 - 2004). A sexist and all around horrible man named Savvas wins 7 million Euros at the lottery and as he learns it he has a car crash and loses his memory. His three ex-wives, the Greek language teacher Keti, the actress Bia and the tourist shop owner Soula, all very different and hating the guts of each other and Savvas, team up to find the lottery ticket before Savvas' memory recovers. But in order to achieve that, they have to act a lot and they have to take care of incapacitated Savvas themselves.

Το Καφέ της Χαράς (Chara's cafe)

Romantic comedy (2003 - 2006 and 2019 - now). Chara Chaska, an Athenian unmarried mother decides to start anew and takes her daughter with her to go live somewhere close to nature. They go to a village in Mountainous Arcadia, named Kolokotronitsi. What Chara doesn't know is that the village is extremely traditional and backwards and governed by the conservative and misogynist mayor Periandros Popotas. Popotas and the villagers will start a big war against the newcomer, especially when they find out she wants to open a modern lounge cafe and is not married. Chara has only few supporters there but soon she will also have the interest of her biggest enemy. The show has been revived since last year, as the continuation of what happens many years later but I haven't been watching.

Dolce Vita

Romantic comedy (1995 - 1997). Christina Markatou is the mature rich widow of a tomato factory owner and now she runs it on her own. Christina visits her daughter Dorita in Italy where she studies and upon her return to Greece she unexpectedly has a one night stand with young Antonis Kaloudis. What they both don't know is that Antonis is Dorita's fiance and travels to Greece to meet her family. After the initial shock, Antonis realises he prefers the mother but Christina tries to resist. The love though is too strong. Christina begins seeing Antonis, full of regrets and self-loathing, and tries to hide the affair from her daughter, the nosy housemaid Aspasia and the absolute terror that her mother-in-law is, Olga Markatou. Is there any chance for happiness?

Εγκλήματα (Crimes)

Black comedy (1998 - 2000). Alekos and Flora have always been in love but never got together and got married to evil Soso and kindly Achilles respectively instead. Alekos finds Flora and they start an affair. Soso finds out about the affair quickly and tries repeatedly to kill Alekos. All the crazy things that happen start from all of Soso's murderous attempts and affect the lives of the aforementioned as well as their close relatives who are as crazy as the main characters. Will Soso achieve her biggest ambition to become utterly evil and kill Alekos and whomever else stands in her way?

Σ' αγαπώ, μ' αγαπάς (I love you, you love me)

Domestic comedy (2000 - 2002). The hilariously realistic life of a couple, Dimitra and Thodoris (the actors play with their real names). The actors had such great chemistry that they were chosen as the voice actors for Greek Marlin and Dory in Finding Nemo (also with great success).

So, these are my favourites but there are many others I like or that are very popular but not my cup of tea. Any other Greek is welcome to recommend their own faves.

#greece #tv shows #tv series #greek #greek tv #greek shows #greek language #anon #ask #mail

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peonypearls-muddled-musings · 4 years

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Main characters of PDatSK (more or less)

Dagney - Crown Princess of Olthandrynn (formerly Denmark), aged 14, patient and benevolent, she has chosen to add ambassador to her title of future queen; however, when old tempers flare from those who seek to harm her family, she must learn that peace isn’t always kind. (DoB: October 22nd)

Dargon - King of Olthandrynn, age unknown, former resident of Hell; The Seahorse King; Dargon is a man who thinks little of himself, but everything about his family and friends. He is wise, but admits his intelligence lacks due to years of just getting by on his own and having no formal education. (DoB unknown; chosen DoB April 7th)

Gwinletta - Queen of Olthandrynn, aged 47, former queen of Aubrelle (formerly southern France). Gwin lived a lonely childhood, something she promised no child of hers would ever face. She is a woman of resolve and determination, warm and jovial when she’s not overthinking. (DoB: July 29th)

Bensith - Prince of Olthandrynn, aged 9, Dagney’s witty, dry humored little brother is her best friend and confidant. A musical prodigy, Bensith prefers to stay indoors while his sisters enjoy running about in the fields; but often finds himself lonely, although he won’t admit it. (DoB: January 1st)

Miske - The youngest (soon to be second youngest) Olthandriann heir at age 4, Miske was born during a tornado warning, but many jest she was actually the tornado. A whirlwind of tulle and mud, Miske’s only priorities are her own whims, which can change by the second. (DoB: March 11th)

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Rinwey - The king of Gelleshire (formerly Wales), aged 55, Rinwey is spiteful, intelligent, and cold; but a doting husband and father. He won’t be fully content until the world is rid of Shapeshifters, and he is proud that his father’s side of the family has been guarding the Gates of Hell for generations. (DoB: October 23rd)

Pellnique - Queen of Gelleshire, aged 42. Pellnique put Rinwey in his place once, and it immediately had an impact on his stone hearted nature. They were wed within the year, and have only become closer over the past two decades. Sporty and charming, Pellnique is often the more sociable when she and her spouse are traveling. (DoB February 14th)

Colme - Twin of Olerqus, aged 17, the crown prince of Gelleshire is quiet, focused, and steely, although he is not cold and brash like Rinwey. While he will continue his father’s tradition of being a technological scientist, it’s been rumored that Colme may discontinue Shapeshifter hunts due to his very obvious disdain for them; but Rinwey will not comment on the possibility when asked about it; as it’s obviously not something he wants to think about. This has put a strain on the father and son’s relationship despite how well they often work together. (DoB: June 12th

Olerqus - The second in line for Gelleshire’s crown, aged 17, Olerqus is very much his mother’s son. Sociable, comedic, and light hearted, Olerqus is the first artist in his family for quite some years, not only creating his own pieces, but learning how to restore art from the years before the Shapeshifters’ rule. He is his brother’s other half, as their differences only strengthen each other. (DoB: June 12th)

Vuniper - the only princess of Gelleshire, aged 13, Vuniper is a well meaning spark of energy who looks up to her brothers and parents, although sometimes she may come off as disrespectful due to her spontaneity and eagerness. She is, however, worried about the fact that she is facing her Vocation choice soon, and she’s fighting to find what she wants to do. (DoB: August 14th)

Hadleinn - The youngest Gelleshire royal, aged 8, Hadleinn was born nearly 3 months premature, and has grown up with all of his parents’ precautions. He is pampered and loved, and often the most spoiled of the children. However, he’s been known to use this to spoil his own siblings at times, sneaking them treats when they’re supposed to be studying. (DoB: November 30th)

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Grennt - King of Karntherin (formerly Greece), aged 43. Grennt is a tender-hearted man who values his loved ones. Currently married to his husband, Veluthe, Grennt is still friends with his ex-wife, Desta, with whom he welcomed his firstborne, Prince Branndt. Grennt is also on good terms with Desta’s husband, Bardeth. Grennt was Dargon’s first true ally, the two of them finding common ground during the Usurper War when it came to forging friendships, and they have been steadfast friends for some twenty years. (DoB: April 1st)

Veluthe - Former Captain of the Guard of Culpernathe (formerly Norway), a 53 year old trans man, Veluthe is a decorated warrior who is still held in high esteem with those who have served with him. Reserved and wry, but supportive and welcoming, Veluthe never imagined that retirement to Karntherin would land him in the eyes of the king. After an intimate courtship, Veluthe accepted Grennt’s proposal of marriage, and three years later, after much planning, they welcomed their daughter, Olympia. Veluthe is often called ‘the shoulder’, as when there’s strife, he’s often there to help alleviate that pain with a hug and as much support as he can offer. (DoB: September 19th)

Branndt - the 20 year old crown prince of Karntherin, Branndt is a beaming, sociable young man. At nearly 6′5′’, Branndt towers above all of his parents. He has a close relationship with his father, who he has lived with since his parents’ divorce, and played an integral part in convincing Grennt to ask Veluthe on a date. Branndt loves and respects his mother, who he always looks forward to seeing, and he communicates with her, his stepfather, and his little brothers regularly. (DoB: May 27th)

Olympia - the 5 year old princess of Karntherin, Olympia is quiet, but excitable. Her favorite method of transportation is sitting on top of her big brother’s shoulders. (Dob: December 21st)

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Desta - The 43 year old Queen of Takev (formerly Morocco), Desta hails from Kivne (which was once Egypt), where her older sister rules. Desta met Grennt during a social event when they were both 19, and the two clicked immediately. Enamored and romantic, the two married quickly, and welcomed their son Branndt by the time they were 23. However, after several more years, they realized they were growing apart. In order to preserve their friendship, they divorced amicably. Desta is the definition of a queen; regal, fair, and hard working. She would soon meet and marry her now-husband, Bardeth, and welcome two more sons. (DoB: November 13th)

Bardeth - the 47 year old King of Takev, Bardeth is a gentle soul. A medicine man at heart, Bardeth values science, nature and humanity. He has met much of his extended family before during wartime, having aided Grennt in patching up warriors, and meeting Veluthe after a grenade explosion caused the amputation of his lower leg, which led to his early retirement. Bardeth also met Dargon during the Usurper War, and the two often shared a quiet campfire as they decompressed from the stressors of war. Bardeth adores his wife, and is proud of his two boys, even if at times they’re a bit too rambunctious for him to handle. (DoB: June 1st)

Mig’Hail - the 7 year old crown prince of Takev, Mig’Hail is contemplative, but often uses that for a bit of mischief with his younger brother. Regardless, Mig’Hail is a friendly boy, and often just needs an outlet to talk about his favorite things with. (DoB: August 7th)

Coloye - the 6 year old prince of Takev, Coloye is his big brother’s shadow, often following him around wherever he goes; except when it has to do with his royal lessons, then the little prince is often finding his parents to see if they’re up to anything exciting (spoiler alert, they’re not) (DoB: July 7th)

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Thanoelle - the 73 year old queen of Kluyagal (which sits in the territory once known as southern California) and older half sister of Rinwey, Thanoelle is proud to call herself one of the gatekeepers of Hell. Following in her father’s footsteps, she performs monthly purges without mercy, She remains in excellent health, even as a new great-grandmother. She is maternal to her family, but to a Shapeshifter, she acts as the grim reaper. (DoB June 20th)

#PDatSK #writeblr #original story

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punchdrunkdoc · 4 years

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Updated K-drama list (4)

This list is getting looooong, because I’m well and truly addicted to these shows and can’t stop watching them.

I think its because each show is so self-contained - one series, 16-20 episodes and its done. A clear beginning, middle and a satisfying end. That, together with all the tropes in play (SO MANY TROPES!!) makes each show feel like a novel come to life. And when I start a good novel, I have to finish it in one go. This usually results in me staying up till 2am because I NEED TO KNOW HOW IT ENDS. And it’s the same with these shows. I’m getting very little sleep, but I’m having a hell of a good time!

FAVOURITES

1. Crash Landing on You

He’s from North Korea. She’s from South Korea. They never should have met, but they’ll change each other’s lives.

This was my first K-drama, and its still my favourite. The full cast of characters is great, the lead romance is ANGSTALICIOUS and its genuinely, laugh out loud funny (when its not making you cry or swoon).

Male lead: Officially the best boyfriend ever. With added dimples.

Tear-jerk factor: 4/5

2. Healer

The lives, and pasts, of a hot shot reporter, a spunky young tabloid journalist and a mysterious thief-for-hire intersect.

This was so addictive - the plot was tight and engaging, and this is one of the few shows I’ve watched where there didn’t seem to be a lot of filler. I loved the central 3 characters, and the romance was amazing. I especially loved that the male lead started off such a brooding loner, but he became super-affectionate as soon as he admitted his feelings. So many good hugs and lots of face-cradling in this one.

Male lead: Effortlessly beats up 2 henchmen while comforting his girl over the phone. What more do you need?

Tear-jerk factor: 1/5

3. Itaewon Class

A young man’s life is forever altered when he runs afoul of a powerful family.

This felt like a big step up in quality from everything else in this list, in terms of the production, soundtrack (which was brilliant), the lack of annoying sound effects, and just the overall ‘real world’ feel of the show. All of the characters were fleshed out and 3-dimensional, and they all had their ‘moment’ to shine. The story itself was gripping and so well done - some of the twists and reveals had me gasping! And what can I say about the 2 leads? I love them, both separately, and together. He is so wise beyond his years, and his journey will break your heart and inspire you. She is borderline sociopathic, but I adore her.

Male lead: Tenacious, principled, kind, innocent, caring, driven, loyal…and he can cook!

Tear-jerk factor: 2/5

4. Descendants of the Sun

A special forces Captain meets a capable and beautiful trauma surgeon. They feel an instant bond, but their jobs and philosophy on life get in the way, threatening to tear them apart.

Halfway through this show, I seriously thought this might overtake CLOY as my No. 1 fav. I absolutely LOVE the male lead character, and the romance was beautiful…but it didn’t quite nail the angst and the last minute was a bit twee which dropped it down the rankings a bit.

Male lead: A cocky, charming, absolute BADASS with the most adorable, cheeky smile.

Tear-jerk factor: 2/5

5. Love in the Moonlight / Moonlight Drawn by Clouds

A young woman poses as a eunuch in the Royal Palace and falls in love with the Crown Prince

I wanted to try something different so I opted for this period piece and OH MY GOD am I glad I did. The start had a really light comedic tone (and a lot of modern anachronisms - high fives everywhere!) and I loved all the identity-concealing hi-jinks. But then the romance kicked into gear and the DELICIOUS angst started flowing, and I became obsessed with it. It's like loads of bits of my favourite regency historical romances were mashed up and transported to the Joseon Dynasty. I loved it so much!

Male lead: Manages to look amazingly handsome despite all the period headgear, kicks ass with a sword, and doesn't allow himself to be manipulated by the corrupt officials surrounding him, which was refreshing. Also acts like an adorable goofball when he's in love.

Tear-jerk factor: 2/5

6. My Holo Love

A lonely woman falls for a holographic AI and then meets his creator...

I love the concept of this show (I’m a big sci-fi nerd), and it was beautifully shot. The lead relationship is well developed and it doesnt fall into a typical love triangle. I’ve come to realise it utilises a lot of K-drama tropes (face-blindness! shared childhood trauma!), but it does it really well, imho.

Male lead: Tortured loner genius. My catnip.

Tear-jerk factor: 2/5

7. Goblin

A 900yr old immortal guardian finally meets the ‘bride’ who will end his existence

Once I got over the slight ick-factor of the age difference between the two characters at the beginning, I really fell for this show and it’s world. It had me in tears. And I especially loved the secondary character of the Grim Reaper.

Male lead: Surprising innocent and funny for a 900 year old

Tear-Jerk factor: 5/5

8. What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim

An personal assistant decides to quits her job in order to get a life. Her boss has other ideas.

I loved the female lead in this - I’m a sucker for uber-competent people, and the actress is STUNNING. Her boss is self-centred, entitled and vain...but over time, somehow that just becomes endearing! Possibly because he’s played by Park Seo Joon, who can do no wrong in my book! The central romance is super cute - I can rewatch their scenes again and again.

Male lead: Like I said, somehow makes vanity and narcissism endearing. Also not afraid to get his shirt off and flash his 6-pack. Bonus.

Tear-Jerk factor: 0/5

9. Legend of the Blue Sea

A mermaid comes onto land to find the man she loves

The (literal) fish-out-of-water scenes in the first half of this show were hilarious - the actress is a comic genius! The romance was nicely done, and there wasn’t a lot of extraneous plot or too many characters. I couldn’t stop watching this one!

Male lead: Cocky, arrogant conman with a soft mushy centre

Tear-Jerk factor: 1/5

10. Fight for my Way

Two life-long friends decide to go after their dreams

I fast-forwarded large chunks of this (I wasn’t interested in the secondary couple at all), but it still made my favourite list because I love the leads - both as separate characters and as a couple. This is one of the best friends-to-lovers stories I’ve seen, mainly because you truly buy that these 2 have known each other their entire lives (their bickering and teasing feels so natural). And then when they take the next step, they’re so affectionate and refreshingly open with their feelings.

Male lead: The third Park Seo Joon character on this list! I love his contradictions. He’s goofy and childish…but can really turn on the sexy charm; he’s a badass MMA fighter…who loves when his girlfriend sticks up for him and protects him.

Tear-jerk factor: 0.5/5

11. Suspicious Partner

A young, hardworking lawyer has her life turned upside down when she is put on trial for murder.

This has been officially bumped up to my favourites list - partly because I’m now a massive Ji Chang Wook fan, and partly because I’ve rewatched scenes with better subtitles and its made it 10x better. Its still overly long, but the serial killer plot had some nice twists and it was central to the story, so it didn’t feel extraneous like some of these types of plots do. I really enjoyed the central romance - the 2 characters sparked off each other well and I loved their evolution from sort-of enemies to lovers. This is another show where I can endlessly rewatch their scenes together.

Male lead: Its Ji Chang Wook! He’s so good at playing serious guys who are secretly big dorks.

Tear Jerk factor: 0.5/5

NOTABLE MENTIONS

These are shows which I completed and really enjoyed but they had flaws which kept them out of the favourites list.

1. The K2

An ex-mercenary takes a job as a bodyguard protecting the illegitimate daughter of a politician. A sort-of Snow White retelling.

This started off really well, with some amazing fight sequences (hello, shower room scene!). However, the back half became too bogged down in double crosses and manipulations, and it focussed too much on the politicians. The writers did well to give these characters some layers, but they were all essentially doing bad things for the wrong reasons, and I just didn’t care about them. The show was much better when it was following K2’s journey. The romance also started off well, but was a bit underdeveloped (mainly because they barely interacted).

2. I Am Not a Robot

A man who is allergic to human contact finds companionship with a robot…or does he?

I honestly thought I wouldn’t make it passed a couple of episodes of this - the concept was just too ridiculous. But I’m glad I persevered, because it developed some real depth and some proper good angst towards the end and I LOVED the central relationship.

3. Extraordinary You

A high school student discovers she's a supporting character in a comic book

The plot of this was so unique, and the way the comic story played out interspersed with the characters 'real lives' was really well done. Plus the central couple were so adorable. It dragged in the middle section (several versions of the same conversations were had, and the same exposition was spelled out multiple ways for no apparent reason) which kept it out of my favourite list, but it redeemed itself with some good angst at the end, and it had a really lovely ‘epilogue'.

4. My Love from the Star

Alien stranded on earth meets an actress soon before he’s due to be rescued.

I finally gave this another chance, and I’m glad I did. The female lead got a LOT less irritating, and I enjoyed the present-day romance and all the flashes back to the past. However, the ending was really abrupt and disappointing (which kept it out of my favourite list). There should have been 1 less filler episode in the middle, and a decent, fleshed out finale instead.

5. Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-Joo

A young talented weightlifter experiences first love

Honestly, I wasn’t sold on this at first; the female lead was a bit much (lot of gurning and over-acting) and there was a weird disconnect between how she was described (big, overweight, manly, unfeminine) and how she actually looked (thin and beautiful!). But the back half of this show saved it; her relationship with Joon-Hyung was sooooo cute. He is adorable, and they were both so supportive of each other’s dreams. I finished this with a big smile on my face.

6. Because this is my First Life

A rational-to-a-fault software designer and an aspiring screenwriter come up with an unconventional way to solve their housing problem

When I started this, I thought it was going to be all light and fluffy (the main character's job in the beginning was to insert the product placement in Korean dramas - hello, Red Ginseng! - which I found hilarious and meta) but it had a surprisingly melancholic tone throughout and touched on issues of workplace harassment and gender roles. I didn't warm to the male lead until right at the end (which was probably partly intentional - he's very remote and closed off) but overall I found the story quite lovely. Plus it had a really great central female friendship and their conversations actually passed the Bechdel test!

7. Strong Girl Bong-Soon

A woman with inherited super-strength gets a job as a bodyguard for an eccentric young CEO

The lead couple in this are AD-OR-ABLE and I loved their relationship. But there was a weird tone issue in this show. The romance is super cute...but there’s a whole dark sub plot involving multiple women being held captive by a psychopath. I ended up fast forwarding most of that, and just concentrated on the romance.

THE OTHERS...

I finished these shows and liked parts of them, but they ultimately didn’t set my world on fire.

1. Her Private Life

A talented art curator tries to keep her professional persona separate from her fangirl obsession with a pop idol.

This was cute and I loved the central relationship - he was so supportive of her, and their interactions were refreshingly mature and their banter felt really natural. Ultimately, it was a bit forgettable (I’m not dying to rewatch any of it), and the last minute tacked-on childhood trauma subplot was really unnecessary.

2. Touch Your Heart

Star actress rocked by scandal works at a law firm to prepare for her comeback role

This starred the secondary couple from Goblin and I really like them, even though they are playing very different characters in this (more opposites attract, than doomed lovers). At first I found this too ‘cutesy’, but I’ve since realised the sound effects/graphics are a K-drama thing and not unique to this show, so I’m not as down on it as I was. I still had to fast forward a lot of the secondary romances which I wasn’t invested in.

3. Hyde, Jekyll and Me

A woman becomes involved in the lives of 2 men, who share one body

This stars Hyun Bin from CLOY and he is sooo watchable, especially as the slick-haired, glasses-wearing, uptight Seo-Jin. And the show started well...but quickly went off the rails into a convoluted, dragged-out revenge plot.

4. Melting Me Softly

Two people are accidentally cryogenically frozen for 20 years. They have to navigate the modern world and their new lives together.

Another good concept, but it ultimately descended into little more than a light work-place romance. Had a couple of good kissing scenes, but it was overall a bit forgettable.

And the DNF:

My Secret Romance

I started watching this because I was looking for something a little less PG - the characters have a one night stand in the first episode! But I couldn’t get passed the bad acting and cheap production.

Master’s Sun

I liked the premise but the 2 leads weren’t very attractive (at least in comparison to the insanely beautiful actors/actresses in the shows listed above). Call me superficial, but I couldn’t see myself spending 17 hours watching them and willing them to kiss.

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i-dream-of-twilight-sparkle · 4 years

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Chapter 31: The Sands of Time & Family

The next morning, with one more day left to go until the wedding. Twilight and Spike wake up to once again deactivate all their security measures. Before getting to doing something they mutually agreed was best for the day: More spirit summons for friends who’d like to see any deceased that they miss dearly. Pear Butter, Bright Mac, and Sunset had all returned to the soul shield last night. Though they will be summoned back down for the Wedding tomorrow.

Spike gets the idea of finding Fluttershy to let her see many of the deceased spirits of her many pets over the years. They in fact find Fluttershy at the cottage, and kinda suspecting she knows what they’re visiting for. She grins and gets Twilight and Spike to follow her to her pet cemetery. Soon, Fluttershy surrounds herself with many of the small spirits of her beloved pets from the years as an animal caretaker. Pets of all kinds that are more then happy to see the pony that took care of them, in some cases, their entire lives.

Fluttershy quickly in deep bliss as she gets nuzzles, and affection from the spirits of the animals she’s had to bury. Even Mr. Mousey gets to have a reunion with his family. As a spirit he’s even standing up again rather then be in his wheelchair-bound state, as he hugs his wife and grown-up son. She even brings many of them back to see her currently living animals. Both living and spirit animals come across and each other, both kinda confused when some of them can’t touch the others. Though there are some that recognize each other, as well as of course other animal families that Fluttershy’s taken care of aside from Mr. Mousey’s that can.

Twilight and Spike tell Fluttershy they can let Fluttershy spend time with her many animal spirits for the rest of the day while they head elsewhere. Fluttershy does express a little concern about what she was told about the shield having less protection with too many spirits summoned. Though Twilight assures her by saying the size of the spirit matters more then the number of spirits summoned. So it’s actually pretty safe to summon down many of the smaller animals where is it’s summoning full-grown dragons that brings out the most risk. So as long as the collective size of the spirits aren’t bigger then 2 full grown dragons. It should be relatively safe to have the many spirits down here (Though just for the sake of safety they may also try to not make sure it the amount isn’t bigger then one dragon spirit too)

They bid adieu to Fluttershy to spend the day with animals both living and the deceased brought back as spirits. Their next stop is to see Pinkie and her Family to see Granny Pie.

Pinkie hasn’t really mentioned Granny Pie a lot since mentioning her while they were walking through the everfree to confront Nightmare Moon. But Granny Pie had died sometime before the Elements all collectively met.

Once Granny Pie was summoned down it became pretty obvious now where Pinkie got her personality and probably even somewhat color. Granny Pie was of a bit duller Pink then Pinkie was, but even as the old timer she was pretty bouncy. Pinkie’s Parents as well as Maud, Marble all welcome back their grandmother. Limestone at first tries to pretend she didn’t miss Granny Pie, but moments later she loses composure and it turns out she missed Granny Pie the most of all the Pie sisters. Outright tearing heavily as she hugs her grandmother.

Granny Pie also gets to meet Maud and Pinkie’s special someponies Mud Briar and Cheese Sandwich. Quickly seeing how each are much like the granddaughters they’re dating.

Pinkie Pie and Granny then do a sort of reprise of Giggle at the Ghostly, but this time around change the lyrics around a bit.

((To the tune of the Giggle at the Ghostly/Laughter Song))

Pinkie Pie & Granny Pie: Giggle with the ghostly!

Guffaw with your granny!

Clap with the cemetery!

Whoop it up with the wispy!

Laughing at the Reaper!

Snortle with the spiritually!

As with Fluttershy and her animals, Twilight & Spike let Pinkie and her family spend much of the rest of the day with Granny Pie as she moves on to the next ponies she wants to help.

She goes to gather the Pillars of Equestria to see many of their friends from before they went into Limbo. Somnambula having already seen the miracle of spirit summoning when they were seeing Jinn backs up that Twilight’s spirit summoning is real. Starswirl seeing his old apprentice Clover the Clever, Mistmane sees Sable Spirit, Meadowbrook sees her mother, Flash Magnus sees all his squad, while Somnambula and Rockhoof meet friends from their villages. Twilight herself being kind of excited herself for being able to talk to those from more then 1000 years ago to get some more personal account of what it was like then aside from the many times she’s already asked the pillars themselves about then. Though most of all the pillars of Equestria are just thankful to Twilight and Spike for discovering this.

Next, Twilight and Spike meet up with Celestia and Luna and give them a chance to many ponies that were staffers or guards that became so loyal and trusted that they became personal friends with the sisters. Luna seeing many of her friends that been left behind when she turned to the darkside when she became Nightmare Moon and got sent to the moon. Luna showing she’s back to normal, with her old friends thankful for it.

In some time, all the spirits hear that Celestia and Luna are retiring soon to make way for Twilight. And all of them have grateful words for the sisters to wish them well in their retirement. Both Celestia and Luna can hardly hold back tears as they smile with the words they receive from the support of those who dedicated their lives to supporting one or both of the two sisters. Some of them also wish luck on Twilight as she succeeds into their role. Unlike the others though, Twilight and Spike send them back sometime later as Celestia and Luna do a few more royal duties that day. Though they tell their former staffers and guards there will be much more time to see them if they happen to come by or go see Spike in their retirement. All of them understand and let Spike send them back to the soul shield.

From there, only one more was on Twilight and Spike’s mind: Malakhar & Kubuya, so they can summon Hisan Minat, Malakhar’s grandfather. They quickly get back to Saddle Arabia through the gum portal and the couple getting married having both seen spirit summoning early in the day yesterday understand what Twilight and Spike are here to do. They go into Malakhar’s and Kubuya’s room in the palace.

Twilight: You ready to see your Grandfather again, Malakhar?

Malakhar: Of course

Twilight: Sorry if me and Spike didn’t get here sooner. We had… a lot happen in regards to seeing Applejack’s parents for the first time… and Starlight’s Mother as well.

Malakhar: Oh, Starlight Glimmer’s mother is deceased too?

Twilight: Yeah, but finding out that was only the tip of the iceberg of the twists given she was also Sunset Shimmer. who was Princess Celestia’s protege before me.

Malakhar: Sunset Shimmer… I feel like I’ve heard that name before. But I must of only been a little colt at the time. Maybe it was during a random visit from Celestia. Don’t think I saw Sunset herself, just passing mention that she and Celestia were at the palace.

Twilight: Another part of it is that Sunset went missing about 2 weeks after she gave birth to Starlight and thus Starlight never found out who she was. As it turned out she died not anymore then 3 weeks after the birth of Starlight.

Kubuya: That’s so sad…

Malakhar: I definitely understand summoning both Applejack’s parents and Starlight’s mother first. I had my Grandfather for a good portion of my life. Applejack lost both of her parents when she was only a filly, and as you just said Starlight never got to meet her mother until yesterday. Both very noble uses of spirit summoning.

Twilight: I can tell you everything that happened with both Applejack’s parents and Sunset later, as it’s probably best we get to seeing your grandfather soon. Besides, they will probably be summoned to attend your wedding so you two will get to meet them yourselves!

Kubuya: Wow, we’re getting spirit guests, ay?

Malakhar: That will be really cool, heck… if he says yes, we can get my Grandfather there too to see us getting wed.

Twilight: Mmhmm, now how about we get going. Malakhar, we only need your hoof to make this work. You know what to do from there.

Malakhar: Got it!

Malakhar approaches close to Spike to touch the Dragon’s Tear, closes his eyes, takes a deep breath, and begins to mentally message his grandfather.

Malakhar: (Hello Grandpa, this is your grandson Malakhar. I have seen Princess Twilight’s son Spike summon down spirits more then once by now. And now it’s your turn. I can’t wait to see you again. You should see that I accomplished your dying wish with your own eyes, and I would like you to meet the mare who will be my beautiful wife starting tomorrow…)

Malakhar finishes, and now it was up to Spike to complete it. Focusing one more time, the Dragon Tear once again starts glowing. And within a few moments, another pony-sized comet comes into the room from the open window. Everyone in the room has seen it at least more then once, so no more surprised looks just awaiting for the comet to shift into a glowing sphere and forming into the shape of Malakhar’s grandfather.

Hisan Manat fully fades in, and he looks around.

Hisan Manat: Say, this is the palace isn’t it?

Malakhar just walks up and hugs his old grandfather.

Hisan: Whoa! You’ve grown so big, Malakhar! If I weren’t a spirit, I’d be afraid of you cracking some bones!

Both Malakhar and Hisan just laugh.

Malakhar: I’ve missed you so much, Grandpa...

Hisan: I’ve missed you from up there as well…

Hisan turns toward Twilight, noticing of course the genie attire and of course she was Twilight Sparkle, the Element of Magic that he asked Malakhar to genify.

Hisan: Greetings, Princess Twilight. It’s nice to personally meet you, I’m well aware that Malakhar succeeded in genifying you even from up there. Giving many of us spirits usually get at least some of the bigger current events told. But it is nice to see the attire up close to be absolutely sure it happened. Thank you Malakhar for fulfilling my last wish. Though back to you, Twilight… you feeling good about being a genie thus far?

Twilight: Well… by now I’ve generally accepted being a genie as part of my identity by now. After all, there are a few major parts of my identity that are younger then being a genie. Such as being a princess, and Spike’s mother. Though I will admit, it is a little awkward seeing you now.

Hisan: Awkward? In what way?

Twilight: You were the one who made Malakhar’s mission to specifically genify me, correct?

Hisan: Yes… my very last words were “Please, genify the Element of Magic” before my soul left my body

Twilight: I don’t want to concern you too much, as I know how important it was given it was your dying wish and all… at the same time though it doesn’t feel right to really… thank you for it… given I was sort of tricked into being a genie…

Hisan: t-t-Tricked?!

Malakhar suddenly has a very nervous face

Twilight: Malakhar told me to do the instructions requiring to genify a pony… but without informing me what would happen if I did…

Hisan gives his grandson a stern face

Hisan: Malakhar… what were you thinking?! You could of blown the one shot you had with that Dragon’s Tear!

Malakhar: I’m… sorry… Grandpa… I didn’t think Twilight was going to agree easily, if I had just went up and said “Hey Twilight, would you like to be a genie?”

Twilight: To be fair, Hisan… if Malakhar had said something akin to that... I might of thought he was insane and walked out. As at the time, I thought Genies were only myths.

Hisan calms down a bit, though still has a suggestion to Malakhar that might of made getting Twilight to try being a genie a little smoother then.

Hisan: I guess you might of been more aware that Twilight’s more logically thinking, so perhaps you’re right that saying you can transform her into a genie would of left her skeptical.

But perhaps you could have also at the same time told Twilight about the 3 day time limit to get freed immediately… before you genified her anyway. You also could have warned that part of the process is the bottle is the entire body slowly funneled into the bottle. Even if Twilight was skeptical, at least she was forewarned, and told that it would be easily reversible if it didn’t work out.

Twilight puts a hoof under her chin

Twilight: Heh, I guess I might of been still skeptical, yet curious if that’s how it went down. I might of even joked by saying something like “You seriously think that bottle’s going to fit me in?” and I might of chosen to humor the notion by giving it a try.

And then it would be sort of my fault that I had that somewhat terrifying moment of being sucked in the bottle for the first time. I’d be humbled by being proven wrong and not angry as I was.... or well maybe I would of still been a little peeved... but more at myself then at Malakhar.

Maybe I even wouldn’t have immediately asked to get wished out of it to try out being a genie for a little while thanks to knowing about the time limit. I don’t know if I would of stayed a genie in that scenario… but it would of at least been a better first impression...

Malakhar: Yeah… that does sound like that probably would of been a smarter plan in hindsight. If only you had lived long enough to see Twilight on her first time here. You might of gotten Twilight to potentially stay a genie whether or not Spike was there.

Spike: I don’t know if she would of said stayed one if I wasn’t there. After all, it was I who turned her opinion around despite her being angry at Malakhar the time. Though to be fair, it probably would of been a lot easier for me to convince her to stay one… if she had a better first impression of becoming a genie.

Hisan is rather intrigued.

Hisan: You convinced Twilight to stay a genie despite her being angry? Tell me more!

((Story continues after the break))

Spike: I guess first of all Malakhar in part didn’t tell Twilight how to get back to normal as otherwise if he did… Twilight would of surely done so immediately. He told us to find a book at a nearby library to explain how being a genie works. We eventually got to reading the book, but not before Twilight discovered the first perk of being a genie... that being getting out of her bottle is always an enjoyable feeling. Sort of cheering her up, as we learned more and more about how genies worked... Twilight actually started to get curious about the kind of things she can do now as a genie that would of been impossible as a unicorn and quite frankly impossible as an Alicorn too. Enough so as to actually decide to try it a little longer even after hearing how to get back to normal.

Learning about the time limit brought back some tension however, as Twilight couldn’t have known at the time she was going to become an Alicorn that can’t die from aging… I really wanted Twilight to stay a genie myself since it would mean she would be around for at least a good amount of my life, though I understood that outliving her friends and family was still a big con. I told Twilight that I’d respect her decision even if obviously one might of saddened me more then the other. Obviously in retrospect even if she had said no, then the whole Alicorn thing would of still made it possible… though then it would have overrided Twilight’s decision to remain mortal. Becoming a genie just turned out to be the time where Twilight was first asked if she wanted to be there for me longer then for a normal pony’s lifespan.

Perhaps… this is when my birth mother’s desire for the perfect mother started to accelerate being granted as it subtly influenced Twilight’s mind. As the desire was dormant within Twilight’s mind the moment she hatched me. The desire wanted just the right conditions that would result in Twilight to be a good mother for me, and making Twilight wanting to be my mother as early as a filly would of been way too early. So it waited, occasionally picking up at moments that would grow our relationship slowly into a motherly bond. Such as telling me that she’d never send me away when that was the fear I had when we faced Sombra’s fear door...

Twilight: Huh… could a desire from a Dragon’s Tear really work like that… at the very least it did do it in a way where it felt earnest, I could not tell at all if it was something dormant in my mind… I never felt like I was ever going to say or do something otherwise before something changed my mind… I don’t feel like I was slowly hypnotized into eventually considering myself your mother.

Hisan smiles

Hisan: When a Dragon’s Tear is not being used to make genies, a desire said into one mostly waits and looks for the nearest living being that’ll best either help get the desire done or even grant it entirely. Spike’s actually wrong that it just laid dormant and picked up every now and then. That was actual honest feelings you felt as you spent time with Spike. It didn’t make you choose to stay a genie, that was still your decision in the end. You ultimately became Spike’s mother on your own will. The desire just knew ahead of time you would agree to get a longer lifespan or even become immortal if it meant you could take care of Spike longer somehow. I don’t know how, but it did.

Twilight: That’s actually a pretty big relief… I was scared for a moment hearing that last part of what Spike said that this might have implied my motherly bond was never genuine...

I imagine though it makes sense that it was still my decision because I don’t think me becoming a genie was what the desire was accounting for… because another part of it was the Perfect Mother desire wasn’t the only desire connected to me... as it was entwined with Celestia’s own desires in looking for a successor. It was accounting for the fact that I would one day become an Alicorn.

Hisan: Perhaps, though given you didn’t know at the time you’d become an Alicorn. Becoming a genie sort of started granting the desire early. You would of probably ending up adopting Spike either way, but being faced with the choice to become a genie accelerated you and Spike’s realization, cause at that point it was the only thing you knew that would allow you to live longer.

So it was ultimately your special bond that saved my dream of at least having one genie around. So thanks both of you, and probably Celestia, as well as Spike’s birth mother too. The threads of life all connecting like this is most amazing.

Twilight: You’re welco… or well, I don’t know if your welcome is the right words. As it’s not like our direction our lives took was all for you. But I guess it still managed to conveniently fulfill your dying wish.

Speaking of dying though, a good thing about discovering Spirit summoning is it really nerfs the biggest concern I had about becoming a genie. I’ll be able to see and talk with friends and family even long after they’re gone just like how we’re seeing you now.

Hisan: That is true, not even the genies of old had that luxury, so it was always a reason why it was a bit of a tough sell. As there were often plenty of ponies that many of me and Malakhar’s ancestors thought would make good genies, but due to being modest as part of the criteria many of them so modest to ever accept the idea of far outliving their friends and/or family. They’d usually need more of an actual reason to live so long,

Twilight: And I guess… having a dragon that would become my adopted son was mine.

Hisan: Indeed! It’s also true that one day if we get a good amount of Dragon Tears around, the existence of spirit summoning will lessen the concerns about that. So perhaps some day soon even if that’s still decades or centuries from happening. We’ll have genies back in a big way. Of course, you’re capable of genifying others if they wish for it too, Twilight. Though I assume you have a good reason why you haven’t

Twilight: Yeah… I’m being careful. I at least like using something like the genie simulation where they feel what it’s like to be genies but have none of the magical power. And most who would want to wish be a real genie is kind of suspicious, because they might have an ulterior motive.

Which is why I’d rather trust Malakhar if he ever decided to try to find the next genie. After all, it’s your family that’s been vetting potential genies for generations.

Hisan just claps

Hisan: I knew you’d be careful, I did right by telling Malakhar to genify you, you were the best choice out of the elements just because I knew you’d think before making your wishes. In the right setting, some of you other friends might of made good genies. But there was at least one big concern about each of them.

Twilight: I myself have kind of figured that myself too. Applejack is a little bit magic-averse, Rainbow Dash couldn’t be a Wonderbolt and a Genie, while Rarity would be a consideration… she has a career, plus I’m unsure if she’d like the whole bottle thing. Fluttershy at least early on might of come with fears of her kindness granting wishes when she doesn’t even know if she’s being used by someone with ulterior motives, and Pinkie Pie… is Pinkie Pie.

Hisan nods

Hisan: I agree maybe Rarity might have been the next best choice. But I had only one Dragon Tear, and it felt appropriate to genify you as you’re known to be a fair bit more modest then Rarity is. Not that Rarity would be too vain, but she probably would of used some of her power for some degree of personal luxury where as I suspected you would put more thought into all you do as a genie.

Twilight nods herself, and smiles

Twilight: Thank you, Hisan. It’s been quite an interesting conversation. Glad I got a little insight into all this genie stuff from you. It probably would have been more valuable to me if you there when I was first genified. I would of certainly gotten a quicker understanding. I now know why Malakhar always held you in such high regard.

Hisan: I want to give some thanks myself in return, I’m glad I got to see that I did right with asking Malakhar to genify you in more ways then one. You’re exactly the genie I hoped you would be.

Hisan looks around the room and takes a look at Kubuya who’s been generally silent the whole time.

Hisan: Hey, Malakhar. Who’s the other mare here?

Malakhar: Oh that’s right… ahem… Grandpa… I’d like you to meet Kubuya Atka. Who will be my lovely wife starting tomorrow.

Hisan gasps, but quickly smiles for his grandson.

Hisan: That’s great news Malakhar, congratulations on your coming wedding!

As Hisan looks closer at Malakhar’s soon-to-be wife. As Kubuya just gently waves with a sheepish grin.

Hisan: Say… I feel like I’ve seen you before actually… you were a lot younger then likely, and I don’t think I ever got your name before today… but I definitely feel like I recognize you…

Kubuya: Really? I must admit… I’m not sure I remember ever meeting you…

Hisan: It’s understandable, you were only in your teens. But I remember seeing a young mare of your color scheme working at the library while I was there. We likely never met because I was just a random occasional customer.

Kubuya: Ah yeah, I didn’t quite start getting check-out desk duties there until real close to adulthood. I just sorted books or assisted my boss until I eventually got promoted.

Hasan: I also remember you, because of your cutie mark

Kubuya: Huh, my cutie Mark? Surely you just thought it was just a bookmark, right?

Kubuya looks at her flank

Hisan: It is a bookmark. But the flower on said mark is distinct in your family’s lineage isn’t it?

Kubuya: Well, yeah… it is… since I’m a descendent of Jinn’s. But why are you mentioning this.

Hisan: Because… say I had never thought about genifying an Element of Harmony. And if I had lived sometime longer then I did, I may have tried to recruit you as the one genie.

Kubuya: Wait… really?!

Hisan: It would of been a decent amount of years before I did it, and I would of still had to make sure you had the temperament and were willing to become one but yes. I had thought at one point that perhaps a descendent of Jinn may be the best choice to have the first genie in so long. But you were too young, and I heard of the news of the Elements of Harmony that would make Twilight Plan A, and shortly afterward I died before it could happen. Plus, I never told Malakhar about you beforehand because I wanted him to focus on Twilight as soon as it became obvious I wasn’t going to live much longer.

Kubuya: Well… I’m kind of flattered you considered to make me a genie at some point. I’m not sure if I would of made the criteria, or how exactly I would of felt about being asked… but I probably would of at least considered it. Though I’m getting married tomorrow, so it’s definitely a little too late.

I’m aware that some genies in the distant past have wedded mortals long in the past. Though if they wanted children, they had to magically switch genders with their special somepony, or find some other way to incubate the foal since the foal is never born a genie.

Hisan: Don’t worry, I wasn’t going to ask if you’d like to be a genie now as I’m aware it’s best you stay as you are if you do indeed plan to be wedded tomorrow and have children.

Malakhar: Speaking of having children, Me and Kubuya did talk at one point of possibly having a child of ours become a genie. Though we agreed we’d make sure we raise them well and see if they find interest in being one themselves when they grow up to adulthood.

Twilight: You two want your child to be the next genie?

Kubuya: We’d be proud to be the parents of the next genie. But we do want make sure that’s what they want first. There’s so many intricacies that we have to think about it in regards to both our future child’s personality, how well we take care of them, and/or if they find themselves with goals in which becoming a genie might be detrimental to.

Malakhar: We’d need either another Dragon’s Tear… in which the only one we have on hoof is Spike’s, but its found a better use in summoning spirits. Or we could ask you to genify the next one through a wish should we not have another Dragon’s Tear show up within the time.

Twilight: I’d be willing to help out if you truly believe you found a good choice for the next Genie whether it’s a grown-up child of yours or somepony else here. As it’d probably be nice to have a fellow genie friend here and living in Saddle Arabia. Though either way, we might be speaking too soon.

Hisan: We have lots of time before we get anywhere near there. Just focus on the wedding tomorrow, and go from there.

Malakhar: Oh right… Grandpa, we actually wanted to ask if you’d be willing to be summoned back down tomorrow to see us getting wed. It’d be great to have you there.

Hisan smiles

Hisan: Nothing would make happier, I would love to be there.

Malakhar: Thank you, Grandpa.

Hisan: Will your mother and my son/your father be there too?

Malakhar: Yeah

Hisan: Probably would be good to see them myself again too

Twilight: Huh, I don’t think I ever met your parents Malakhar. Hope there wasn’t a big reason for that…

Malakhar: Nah, I still love my parents. I’m just not quite as close with them as I was with my Grandfather. My father wasn’t as much into pottery or the whole genies thing, since my grandfather’s obsession was a little much for him growing up. But I got interested enough that I sort of became the son that he hoped my father would be. My mother’s really nice, but there wasn’t really ever a reason to mention her In the time I’ve seen you, there just was never a relevant time to talk about them.

Twilight: Ah, I see. Well, regardless I can’t wait for the wedding. It’ll be nice to end this roller coaster of emotions these past few days with a happy matrimony.

The rest of the room nods, as they continue talking. Elsewhere in the palace though, the Sultana has taken today as an opportunity to get to know Moondancer and has been giving her a tour of the palace similar to the one she gave the Elements while Twilight had a meeting. Both the Sultan and Sultana first met with Moondancer as Twilight and the others spent time in Equestria seeing Applejack’s Parents and/or Sunset Shimmer, the royals quickly embracing her as their son’s special somepony.

Moondancer: Thank you so much for this wonderful tour, miss Sultana.

Sultana Elona: Please, call me Elona.

Moondancer: Oh! Then… thank you… Elona. You have some excellent displays in the Palace. When I’m living here, I can’t wait to be able to take my time and examine everything here.

Sultana Elona: And we can’t wait to have you around the palace, both me and the Sultan have already taken a liking to you. And seeing how happy you and our son is very heartwarming.

Moondancer: I’m glad to know all of you are so nice, I was sort of scared before the ball that like Rarity before one of the Grand Galloping Galas that Twilight went to, I’d have my hopes up meeting a prince only for them to be too stuck up or his parents were going to disapprove of me being a commoner. and a foreign one at that...

The Sultana smiles

Sultana Elona: I assure you that we have no such problems with either. I’m native here, but I was once myself only a commoner here in Saddle Arabia. I was a nurse that healed my husband, who was the Prince at the time, from a near-fatal stab wound in the chest. Once he had recovered, he asked me out. And well… the rest is history, as you can see where I am now.

Moondancer: D’awww, that’s so cute… no wonder you referred to the medical section as your favorite part of this tour.

The Sultana just nods

Sultana Elona: Now follow me Moondancer, there is one more stop before our tour is finished.

Moondancer: Okay

The Sultana bring Elona to an end of a hallway, where eventually they come across a large Dragon’s Tear replica

Moondancer: Whoa… this… is this… a full-sized Dragon’s Tear…

Sultana Elona: It’s the full size, though it’s not a real one. Otherwise we certainly would have used it ages ago.

Moondancer: Twilight’s told me a few times about the Dragon’s Tear. I’ve heard how amazing they can be, though I’ve been hearing that just yesterday they have discovered something entirely new about them.

Sultana Elona: Indeed they have, my husband told me all about it. Apparently, Twilight and Spike has learned they’re capable of summoning down spirits of the deceased. They come down in transparent ghostly forms, and we’re free to talk to them and everything.

Moondancer: Say WHAAAAAAAAT?! That’s incredible! I have to catch up with Twilight to hear about all this sometime...

Sultana Elona: Perhaps during Malakhar and Kubuya’s wedding?

Moondancer: Yeah, that sounds like it’d be the perfect time to see her then. If I know Twilight, she’s probably been using the past two days to use the newfound spirit summoning to help out needy friends with those they miss or see any deceased historical figures she can possibly get.

Sultana Elona: Probably! But by the way, this Dragon Tear replica isn’t actually what the last stop is.

Moondancer: Huh? But there’s nothing else here. It’s an entirely dead end…

The Sultana raises an eyebrow and grins

Sultana Elona: Is it really?

The Sultana presses a hidden button. The replica starts moving as the part of the wall with the Dragon Tear replica shifts forward and then starts rotating high up in the air. Revealing a long stair case behind it. Smaller Dragon Tear replicas slowly light up the staircase walls that serve as lights to lead the way.

Moondancer: Whooooooa! A secret passage! Are we going down there?

Sultana Elona: Of course! Follow me!

The Sultana and Moondancer go down the long flight of stands. Once they’ve reached the end, Moondancer looks around and sees… a motherload of bookcases and shelves. She goes wide eyed, with her mouth agape, her glasses nearly slipping off her snoot before she uses a hoof to put them back up.

Moondancer: I… I…. Is… is this… is this the….

Sultana Elona: Royal Library? Yes, yes it is.

Moondancer beams a huge grin and barely can contain her excitement. She starts trotting around making a high-pitched squeal of excitement

Moondancer: EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHEHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

Moondancer: This is amazing! I don’t think I’ve ever seen books like this in Canterlot before! I could spend decades… if not my whole lifetime with all of these books here…

Sultana Elona: Many of these books are from the many generation of Royals that lived here. This library was first built by the Sultana that started my husband’s dynasty generations ago. Part of the job of being Sultana is actually to keep this library running, and add whatever the Sultana wishes to do so, as well as pass along knowledge to the next one.

Moondancer: But wait… shouldn’t you have waited… untill at least when me and the Prince got engaged? We only started dating two days ago…

Sultana Elona: Maybe, but I thought it was important to show you this place anyway. We know you’re a bookworm much like Twilight is, and we want you to be as happy as possible here once you have moved. Heck, not even Twilight knows about this room because she’s never here long enough. She can’t stay here long enough to read most of these books, cause she has duties in Equestria.

Obviously she’d be bummed if she saw this place but knows she won’t be able to stay too long to see what’s in here. But if there’s something in here that you’d think would interest Twilight. It’ll be something to tell her personally yourself the next time he comes to Saddle Arabia or at least through the mail.

Moondancer: Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh… Elona… you’re the best… er… potential mother-in-law ever!

Moondancer embraces the Sultana in a big hug

Sultana Elona: You’re very welcome, Moondancer. By the way, this place also has more dancing books that have never been shared to the public. Since they were specific to some Sultanas who were great dancers. I can already tell you’re a better dancer then me, just based of what I saw during the ball. So you’ll certainly get some good use out of them.

Moondancer: Oh yes! That’ll be great to see too! Thank you so much! Is… it ok if I find a few books I want to read for the rest of the day? I promise I won’t stay up all night reading books, as I do intend on being there for Malakhar and Kubuya’s wedding. But I’m eager to see which books I’ll want to check out first.

Sultana Elona: Of course, Moondancer Feel free to explore to your heart’s content. I have to go though, and I’ll be closing the door, but there will be a button to open the wall again from the other side when you decide you’re done. Ok?

Moondancer: Yes, again… thank you so much. I’ll see you in the morning for the wedding!

Sultana Elona: Seeya at the wedding, Moondancer.

The Sultana goes back up the stairs to leave Moondancer to explore the library. Meanwhile, Twilight and Spike have finished talking with Malakhar and Kubuya. They actually decided to send Hisan back to the soul shield as it was getting late anyhow.

Spike: Soooooo… off to bed before the wedding?

Twilight: Yeah, but first… I have something serious to take care of shortly before we have our happy day at the wedding.

Spike: Cozy Glow’s statue, I take it?

Twilight: Yes… though actually... make that two things…

Spike: Oh… you also mean… him… don’t you…

Spike briefly closes his right eye and places his hand on his eye scar. While Twilight nods.

Twilight: I’ll be right back, Spike. Here take this piece of gum so you can get back to Ponyville.

Spike himself nods and proceeds to himself to Ponyville. Twilight herself goes to Ponyville but close to what Starlight did, specifically went to where the statue of Cozy Glow, Queen Chrysalis, and Lord Tirek are currently petrified. She flies up to the top of the statue where Cozy Glow’s forever frightened face.

Before she met Sunset and learned of Cozy’s past, that face admittedly sort of haunted her. Not much was known about Cozy before her petrification. Cozy Glow at that point was known only as one of Twilight’s students at the Friendship School that seems to have taken the word that Friendship is Magic too literal in that it’s powerful. And there was some sort of feeling that maybe one day they’d let Cozy out soon to attempt to reform her much like they did with Discord.

But after learning about Cozy’s true nature, along with having a huge role in Sunset’s death, being much of the reason Starlight’s life was so hard early on, and how her goal would of ended up in the extinction of all life on the planet. Twilight now looks at Cozy with more contempt then either Chrysalis or Tirek. Twilight carefully takes the petrified Cozy off, and makes a completely separate pocket dimension to carefully place her in. Only Twilight herself will have access to it.

Now Twilight makes another portal, but this time in the Saddle Arabian dungeon. Where former Vicegerent Zathir, the psychopathic pony that hijacked Twilight and her friend’s last visit. There’s a heavy amount of guards here, the captain of which bows before the approaching Twilight though he does wonder why I’m here.

Royal Captain: It is a pleasure to be in your presence, Princess Twilight. But… what are you doing here?

Twilight: I need to make a “special” visit to a certain pony here. Let’s just say, once I’m done you won’t have to worry about feeding him anymore

Royal Captain: Wait… you aren’t going to execute him… are you…?

Twilight: No, I’m not executing him. I understand that would probably be disastrous, given it’d likely release some consequential dark magic onto Saddle Arabia. But you should recall Equestria has had ways to deal mostly permanently with threats that aren’t likely to be reformed soon.

I will also be taking him to a pocket dimension where no one will ever reach him ever again.

The Captain nods

Royal Captain: Allow me to take you to his cell

Twilight follows the captain to where Zathir is being held. Even the guards themselves have been kind of gotten tired of having to force-feed each day Zathir so that he stays alive. His entire room confinement is too soft in all parts of the room for him to try to kill himself by banging his head, and his hooves are tied down by a straight jacket.. He’s also muzzled. When the guards need to feed him, their strongest hold him down, so he can’t bite to tear the wall until finding a hard enough surface.

Royal Captain: Here it is, do what you will.

Twilight: Thank you, Captain.

Twilight teleports into Zathir’s cell. Startling the disgraced criminal. Zathir’s voice can still be heard though it’s still somewhat muffled by the muzzle

Zathir: Wha… Twilight… what do you think you’re doing here? Are you going to join in on the guards constant torture of reminding me of my failure…

Twilight: Not really, I’m actually here to… let’s just say… change your sentence…

Zathir raises an eyebrow

Zathir: I’d be most grateful to a genie for the first time in my life if it was the sweet release of death… but I have a feeling you’re not going to be that merciful… are you…

Twilight: Actually, I’m sort of… getting you out of here…

Zathir goes wide-eyed

Zathir: Wait… you’re… pardoning me?

Twilight: Nah, it’s not a pardon either.

Zathir is utterly confused

Zathir: Just what in the world are you planning…

Twilight smugly grins

Twilight: You could say… I’m granting you immortality… the once proud Vicegerent Zathir’s legacy... completely... set... in... stone...

Zathir: Wait… no… please…

Twilight zaps Zathir with magic that petrifies him from the hind hooves reflexively making him stand as the stone petrifies more of his body

Zathir: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooommmppppppppphhhh!

Zathir now’s affixed in stone with his look of horror as he realized Twilight’s making it so he can never die. Twilight once again pulls up the pocket dimension where she put Cozy, and levitates Zathir’s petrified body into it. She then teleports out of the cell with a satisfied face, where the Royal Guard captain is waiting.

Royal Captain: Has the deed been done?

Twilight nods

Twilight: Mmhmm, the guards here no longer need to worry about keeping Zathir alive. And you’ll have no need to fear a death with consequences of dark magic toward Saddle Arabia.

Royal Captain: Thank you, Princess

The Royal Captain and Twilight salute each other before Twilight heads back to Ponyville. Even with Zathir all taken care of, she puts up the protection spells in the castle once again. So they can rest easily before Malakhar and Kubuya’s wedding tomorrow.

UP NEXT: Epilogue: The Wedding

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cynwritess · 4 years

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My Outlining Technique As A Pantser

I despise outlining with every fiber of my soul. I don’t care how much people persist you need an outline, I will put it off to the very last minute and do it very half-assed. Even in school, its straight to the first draft. Outlining requires a very precise skill of breaking things down as small as possible and my mind simply does not function that way. It’s literally all or nothing. Unfortunately while this may work for writing school essays, it’s not exactly a good idea when it comes to a book. Writing a book requires structure and precision because you need to carefully place information, have an idea where your characters are going, tedious yet necessary things. Fortunately, I’ve come up with a way to outline without completely frying my brain.

Characters.

I almost always start with the characters first and build the world, other characters, and plot around them. If you have a name in mine, perfect! Go ahead and use it! If you don’t have a name, don’t dread scouring through dozens of baby name websites. Give them a place holder name or better yet, give them a role/title. I’m going to use one of my current characters (steal anything about her and I’ll send demons after you). When I first created Selina I only had a vague aesthetic and the idea that I wanted her to somehow be attached to spirits. Her name didn’t come to me until 25k into the story, but I had to refer to her as something so I used a conjunction of a place holder name and calling her “Reaper of Souls”. This way I know exactly who I’m referring to. Also, this helps me know what path my character needs to go down. Reaper of Souls is who she’ll become, but its definitely not who she is when the story begins. It makes me thing: What steps do I need to take to get her there? This is where you can start brainstorming character arcs and give them trauma.

Another essential part of creating characters in my opinion is giving them “role models”. Personally, if this is a brand new character I’m creating off the top of my head its hard to write them because I know nothing about them. I don’t know their sense of humor, who they would and wouldn’t get along with, their inner monologue, etc. Now you have to be careful with this and make sure to mold them into their own unique characters at the end of the day, but you can use other already existing characters to help begin the process. When creating Selina I knew vaguely she needed to be connected to spirits. What characters do I know like that? Jodie from Beyond Two Souls is a good one and Zelie is a bit of a different twist to it but still the same general idea. But wait! Selina’s vibe doesn’t match either of them. So in this case I might look at Jude Duarte for inspiration for her personality. Nitpick all your favorite things about different characters and use that to your advantage! It gives you the jolt you need to really begin to explore who your character is.

Always do the main character first, then follow with the supporting character or villain. In my opinion, the main supporting character and villain should be foils of the main character in order to get the most out of each one, because you’ll be able to see different aspects and different arcs they could’ve/will have. Once you have those three characters you can create the others as you progress with your story.

Setting.

This can either be really simple or your worst fucking nightmare. For me, it’s a mixture of both. If your story is taking place in the real world then this can be relatively simple even if you’re creating your own town/city. If your town has a very specific location like a town square or maybe there’s a river running through it, then just google “towns with a river going through it” for a start. If you have a specific town in mind you can also google the map and start dissecting different aspects of the town and incorporating it into your own. You can even use your own town for inspiration! The town my story takes place in is made up, but my hometown actually resembles it quite a bit so I’ve been using it for references. So far, its been working out pretty good.

Now if you have a high fantasy setting... I wish you the best of luck. I’ve only written one high fantasy story when I was twelve and... well clearly its never seen the light of day for a reason (partially because I deleted it, partially because there was absolutely zero world-building). I’m sorry to say my skills have no improved much since then. I’ve dabbled with the idea of high fantasy worlds and honestly my only advice is to look at other fantasy maps and draw inspiration from that. Narnia, Ravka, the ACOTAR world, the shifting isles of Elfhame, the Avatar universe, Orisha, to name a few. You’ll also have to look at some basic geographical stuff like the climate, but overall you have pretty much free reign over how your world looks. This is the one part I feel like you can’t bullshit if you don’t want your story to seem halfway. Really go in with the details even if its just for you. The more fleshed out your world is, even if its set here in the normal world, the better.

The main issue.

This is pretty much a given but you do need to have some sort of idea who the main antagonist is/what is the big issue your characters are fighting. If you’re writing a series then chances are book one will probably focus on an entirely different issue before the big one is revealed. There’s not really much advice I can give for this because it’ll be tailored specifically to your story. I don’t think your antagonist has to be fully fleshed out if you’re going to be introducing them very late, but do have a general idea who or what it is, their goal, and why your character feels the need to stop them.

Usually you’ll notice the problem in the beginning of the story isn’t the ultimate problem, its just a gateway to it. I wouldn’t necessarily call it a subplot but I guess technically that’s what it is. Think of Percy Jackson. The main issue of book one is him being accused of stealing the lightning bolt, but the ultimate issue was the war with the titans. Or The Cruel Prince. The main issue was Jude feeling helpless and wanting to create a place for herself in the faery world, but the ultimate issue was those attempting overthrowing the entire Greenbriar family from the thrown.

This kind of goes without saying, but there has to be a strong motivation for the character to stop them or it just won’t work. You don’t see characters going after the antagonist because nothing in their life isn’t threatened. There’s always a motivation, something to fuel them even if done so reluctantly. For example, Zelie from Children of Blood and Bone was sick and tired of constantly fighting and being the hero, but she did it anyways because she was the only one who could truly help the maji. Or you can take a slightly antagonistic approach and look at Kaz from Six of Crows who did what he did out of greed for money, power, and revenge. Usually when I begin my stories, I only have a vague idea as to why my main character is joining the fight, which is perfectly fine. As long as you have some sort of idea and begin to build on it as you write, you’ll be probably be fine.

Brainstorm.

I cannot for the life of me sit in front of my computer and write a bland summary of what it is that is going to happen in my book. Sorry, but I am simply not built that way but it also makes writing your books ten times harder as well. I’ve found a bit of a cheat. For one, brainstorm. Get a general idea what some of the main events you want to happen are. Do you want a character death? Does a specific location need to be mentioned? Is there subplots or character arcs you would like to explore? Is there any themes you’d like to explore? Jot them all down, along with your word count goal. You probably won’t be able to incorporate all of them in one book, but at least you’ll have an idea what path you’re going to head down in terms of your story.

And now onto my actual cheat. Because I’m a pantser who hates outlining, I usually jump into my stories without knowing what direction they are going. Recently I’ve discovered that I can outline the first five chapters, write them out, and give myself complete free reign. I’ll explore all sorts of character personalities, different beginnings, different writing styles, different scenarios, different relationships, anything I can realistically include in the first five chapters of my story. Then I’ll go back and edit it. Don’t completely delete anything, always save it in a separate file! I’ll go back and decide which characters are unnecessary at this point, what plot points can be introduced later on, what writing style suits this story, things like that. Then from there, I’ll go back to my outline and make any appropriate changes before proceeding to write the rest of the draft as normal (WITHOUT GOING BACK TO EDIT). The reason why I do this is because I need a solid base to begin my story, otherwise its so easy for me to go off track and begin to tell a completely different story. This way I’ll know exactly what I’m going after, I’ll be able to explore and get to know my characters and setting, and it’s enough chapters that I can even begin to incorporate the main issue at hand.

#creative writing #creativewriters #author #writing inspiration #writing #writers on tumblr #writing prompt #fiction #fantasy #writing tips #storytelling #my writing #character inspiration

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shellyb04 · 4 years

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After watching kdramas on the streaming services I had, I kept seeing recommendations for weightlifting fairy, Kim Bok Joo. So I found Viki. Where I have been trapped, falling in love with a new show after new show ever since.

Shows and my ratings are below the cut.

Weightlifting Fairy, Kim Bok Joo Kim Bok Joo is a weightlifter who is finally realizing there’s more to life than just sports. This features crushes, sweet sweet boys, wholesome ladies, and fluffiness. 10/10 This was SO GOOD! IT still gives me the happiest of feels to even think about it. I just fell head first into this drama. If I had one, teeny tiny nitpick, it would be that I think the 2nd lead is a bit wooden in his acting. I could never get a good read on him. Marriage not dating Fake dating-Plastic surgeon wants his mom off his back and to stay single. He falls into real feelings. 10/10 I straight up love this one. There's drama (the hair pulling in the mall made me shout with happiness). I love fake relationship dramas and that is what this is, until it's not. I just seriously adore this one. Princess Hours AU History, Girl finds out she’s engaged to crown prince in an arranged marriage. She marries him and DRAMA ensues. 3/10 I liked parts of this one a lot, but I just felt like it dragged way too long and kept repeating itself. Plus the 2nd leads Mom was horrible and I felt no pity for her ever. The kiss in the middle between the leads was extra good though.

Goblin First supernatural kdrama. An immortal can only die when his “bride” comes along to pull the sword from his chest. He meets his bride and the Grim Reaper moves in with him. 9/10 It took me a bit to get use to this one as it was my first supernatural drama. I had to look up some history for it, which I love doing so that was cool. Once I was in though, the main couple HAD ME! The Grim Reaper was also fantastic and I wanted more of his friendship with the leads. Super big BROMANCE in this one. I liked all the supporting cast members as well and the last few episodes had me legitimately sobbing.

What's Wrong With secretary Kim Secretary Kim is the perfect secretary until she quits and her boss will do anything to keep her (cause he loves her, but shh, don’t tell him that.) 10/10 The chemistry is on fire, the leads are amazing and I like the secondary and tertiary stories that are going on all around. This just lit me up from within. The only problem was I felt like the reveal of the flashback plot took a bit too long toward the end.

Full House (2004 version) Girls house is accidentally sold to famous actor. Contract marriage ensues. MORE FAKE DATING!! 9/10 I'm a SUCKER for fake married, so they had an easy lead. (Also a sucker for couples who fight to cover their feelings so add another check mark there) Once again, it took me a few eps to get into it, but once I did, the Main Couple were my jam. Fighting to cover feelings is something that I understand and these characters do it in spades. The family dynamic made me super happy as well. My only complaint is I HATE HATE HATE the female leads “best friends.”

Fated to Love You Accidental pregnancy becomes marriage of convenience becomes so much more. 7/10 While a bunch of the side plots in this are super cringey, I bump it massive points for the middle to the end of the show. Now do I think some of the stupidity went on a bit too long? Yes. Just tell the woman you bought her painting and why! Could have cut most of an episode out. But the scenes with the Main Character talking to the baby…just ugh!!! And when I realized he had taken the baby furniture into his room….and eating cake with the baby!! I was a mess for a few of those eps. Also the main guys laugh freaked me out. But be prepared to CRY in a few places.

All I want for Love is You Follows a couple who go to school together and she follows him to medical school (even though she is scared of blood). She’s a dumb jock, he’s a smart sweetie and both are crushing on each other, but hiding it. (He had REASONS, but bleh) 9.5/10 I love almost everything about this Cdrama except the last episode. They cram months and years of stuff into like 5 seconds. We don't have time to process that the lead character may be dead before oops nope he's back. Now kiss and run off camera…what?? But everything leading up to that episode was so good. The horrible were horrible, but ultimately slightly redeemable. The main guys stole my heart. It was everything, (just wish the last ep stuck the landing)

1% of Anything Girl saves an old man, not knowing who he is. The old man without her knowing makes her a condition of his will. His grandson has to marry her to inherit. 9/10 Fake RELATIONSHIPS GIVE ME LIFE! But seriously this one is pretty sweet, once again it does bog down in a couple of places, but overall, super sweet experience

Oh My Venus Girl who was super hot in high school gains weight and then gets dumped by her bf (of like 15 years). She decides to lose weight. Her trainer and she fall for each other in the process. 7/10-the Main relationship was great once it got going, but I struggled with the family/company drama. I got slightly annoyed at the very end of the show when she was bigger again because of her pregnancy and the man wasn't cool with it.

Fight My Way Four best friends (2 girls, 2 boys) live in a apartment block. Main leads are stuck in dead in jobs, missing out on their dreams. But not for long. Also they realize they are stupid in love with each other along the way. 10/10 A bit of a slower start, but after the like second episode I was in love with it. I wish the girl's plot had been moved a bit faster earlier on, but overall, SO SO GOOD. Although the ex-girlfriend in this one serves little purpose.

The World Owes Me a First Love CDrama, Mobile gaming company CEO and his first employee fall in love while dealing with a new dungeon release for their game. 8/10 Perfectly lovely story with sweet people. I was pleasantly diverted

Love in the Moonlight Historical Drama-Woman poses as man for plot reasons and accidentally becomes a eunich in the palace. The Crown Prince falls for her anyway. 8/10 Apparently I really struggle with the historical dramas. I liked most of this one, until the end when it got bogged down in its own plot.

Coffee Prince Girl poses as a guy to get a job. The boss is super confused, but falling in love anyway. 9/10 A ton of sweet moments with some fake relationship and gender misunderstandings. I really liked this one over all. The moment that the main guy kisses the main girl (thinking she's a guy) is one of my favorite moments. Also a later kissing scene is in my top five favorite kdrama kisses.

You're Beautiful Once again, Girl poses as boy, this time as her twin brother, to help him get into a kpop group. And while there...falls for one of the members. The boys do figure it out fairly quickly and decide to help her. 6/10 Okay, but nothing special. The main girl is good, but probably good she never played the brother. But that was part of what made it weird. We heard about the brother for the whole series, but we never saw any personality from him, just sort of heard about it. And the 2nd female was super evil!

Drunken to love you My first Taiwanese drama. Leads get drunk and married. They stay that way for the plot. 8/10 Stupid in all the best way. It did drag a bit and the introduction of the character Daniel felt super forced. Seriously just super campy and I loved it.

Master Devil Do Not Kiss Me Season 1 Cdrama. Poor girl moves into rich house and Rich boy falls for her (with mother rooting for it all) 1/10 The dubbing was bad, the music was bad, the acting was atrocious and I barely made it though and could not do the second season.

My Princess 9/10 Normal girl finds out she's the Princess of Korea. Love the main couple. A few confusing plot bits in the middle and the two politicians add very little to the story. Ending was a bit confusing, is she still the princess or not? Mask 7/10 Woman is forced to take the place of her doppelganger and falls in love with her new husband. melodrama Main couple is too precious for words. Their romance is wonderful. The 2nd leads (and villain couple) are delicious. The sister is layered and understandable while the man takes moustache twirling to a new meaning. Suspicious Partner 10/10 Law student accused of murdering exbf, works with Prosecutor who loses his job over her case. They fall in love and solve murders. Also Super Adorable and ridiculously attractive. A few slow moments made up for by some really intense ones. Could have probably been tightened up into fewer eps, but all bad points made up for by supporting office characters (Investigator Bang and the CEO are the BESTEST) Bromance!

And that’s what I’ve seen so far. Currently watching Touch your heart. Will let you know how it goes!

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razorblade180 · 5 years

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Rosebud Prep 10

Healing, it’s much harder than must people think. Yet somehow not a complicated process. Ruby had healed before plenty of times. The loss of Pyrrha, the disasters that came from failed missions, the merge of Oscar and Oz; Ruby managed time and time again to learn from these scars. Dustin was different. It felt like she hadn’t learn anything. All this time she refused to look ahead like Oz had been trying to tell her calmly before things got physical. It was bitter pill to swallow but one she needed to take. Things needed to change before it was too late. She needed to start making steps. No one would blame her if they were small steps but that’s not how Ruby Rose operated. Where most people walk, she runs. They run, then Ruby sprints. Ozpin had just help her “sprint” all the way to Menagerie and has feet planted on the first steps leading to Blake’s house.

Ozpin:You sure you don’t want me to walk up with you?

Ruby:I’m sure. This is one of things you have to do alone ya know? It’s just my sister....and her new wife.....that have helped me through think and thin. Including my wedding, which is more than what I can say I did for them. I really hope they yell at me.

Ozpin:Feeling like you need to be punished and deserving punishment are two different things. The guilt you feel is proof enough that the ladder isn’t needed.

Ruby:Or maybe my guilt is the ladder...

So began her very long walk on the average sized stairway. In truth she felt like running away. Yang had a way of always making her feel like a little kid despite their age. Ruby have had to own up to mistakes countless times to her big sister and it never got easier. Apologizing out loud to anyone always made her more emotional than she probably should be. Ruby mentally kicked herself for not practicing what she’d say on the boat ride to Menagerie. Even as the final stone step was conquered, not a thing came to mind.

Ruby:(Sigh, guess I’m winging it. Probably not the best move coming from a leader but oh well.)

“Well look who the cat dragged in? The right family tree but the wrong branch.” Said the elderly voice that immediately caught Ruby’s attention. Her gaze was directed to the front entrance and of Yang’s new home. On the porch was a rocking chair that instantly was recognized; as well as the person in it..

Ruby:Maria?!

Maria:What’s with confused look? I say all you kids are still as sporadic as ever. What are the odds I’d meet you here of all places after all this time and not around Vacou? I only live one town over you know.

Ruby:That’s why I’m confused. Why are in front of Blake’s home? Why are in you in Menagerie in the first place?

Maria:What does it look like I’m doing? House sitting of course! The love birds asked me to keep an eye on it while they went on their honeymoon. They should be back today.

Ruby:(Wow, I really am out of the loop.)

Maria:Didn’t notice I was even gone did you?

Ruby:*scratches head* Well.....

Maria:I suppose it’s only natural. A bag of bones like myself doesn’t believe I’d be at the top of any list of relevance. Especially when more important things like weddings are also being skipped.

Ruby:*frowning*Is that your way of telling me I’ve been dropping the ball? Trust me, I’ve noticed...

Maria:Of course. Why else would you be here? Unless one of your many missions has brought The Storyteller to these pleasant shores? You’ve been busy. Too busy.

Ruby:Oz already told me. I really could do without another lecture. Besides, at least innocent lives are safe.

Maria:Sigh, still a kid I see. Wet behind the ears and all.

Ruby:I’m twenty three and I don’t think I get exactly what you’re implying. If anything I’ve gotten pretty good at being an huntsman.

Maria:For a normal perhaps, but that does not apply to you now does it? When was the last time you looked in a mirror? It’s alarming how dim your eyes have gotten.

Ruby:My eyes?

Maria:See for yourself.

Ruby reaches for her scroll and pulls out the camera. Maria was right. It was faint but the iris of her eyes were different. What once was piercing silver now looked a bit clouded and gray. She didn’t know what to make of it but it was hard not to be concerned now.

Ruby:I had no idea.

Maria:Yeah that’s obvious. I know you’ve never been much of a prissy girl but I would’ve thought you looked in the mirror every so often. Anyway idea why it’s happening.

Ruby:Are you actually asking me or are you quizzing me?

Maria:*smiles* Well it looks like you’ve learned at least one thing from your time with me. I suppose that’s worth a straight forward answer. It’s-

Ruby:My will to preserve life? Yeah, haven’t really had that mindset in awhile. I know that isn’t exactly good but believe me, not like I didn’t try to stay positive. I just.....hoping and being positive has been on short supply.

Maria:.....

Maria:You know it’s rude to call me out and cut me off mid explanation?

Ruby:Was my answer wrong?

Maria:Sigh, no you are right. Your headspace isn’t what it used to be. Sure you’re killing grimm but are you aren’t simply doing it to protect people. You’re venting all the pent up anger and hate inside you. It’s a far cry from what the silver eyes powers are based off of. Though I can’t really blame you for falling off course. Losing a kid harbors more than enough pain to change anyone.

Ruby:Yeah, it is. *holds her chest*

Maria:What’s eating away at you.

Ruby:I want to move forward. To smile like I used to be able to but I can’t see it happening. The pain I experienced isn’t something that will actually go away and I shouldn’t think it will; I understand that. But how am I supposed to laugh and be contempt with life if it doesn’t? Living in a world where I’m happy after all of this seems like a fantasy.

Maria:It really does. Overcoming such turmoil with a smile in the very end sounds like something straight out of a fairytale book. Sounds like your specialty, or did I end up spreading around an inappropriate nickname for you?

Ruby:*Eyes widen* Nickname? Wait, The Storyteller? That was your doing!?

Maria:Why so surprised? Who else could’ve come up with such a brilliant nickname. If it was left up to you then you’d be call the The Grimm Reaper number two.

Ruby:I...*red* I would not.....

Maria:*smiles* Twenty three huh? So young to have done so much already; way more than what I did at that age. Guess that leaves you room to do even more impressive stuff. A name like The Grimm Reaper was always too small for the scope of work you do. Making miracles out of nothing, now that has you written all over it. It’s happened before and it’ll happen again. Those eyes of yours will shine brighter than ever. They believe so too.

“Damn right we do. Right Blake?” “I call her purity for a reason.” Both voices sent a chill down Ruby’s spine. Her ears burning from hearing the two people she waited for standing behind her. There was no time wasted turning around to see Blake and Yang in holding luggage in one hand while the other two held each other’s. The sun had a way of bouncing off their rings and shining broken light around them.

Ruby’s eye marveled at it for a second. It was beautiful. She wondered what it looked like during the exchange. The sour thought made her wince a little before looking at Blake. Her friend smiled at her softly before making Ruby notice Yang by bending her left cat ear up and down. Ruby was scared but eventually looked at Yang. There wasn’t a smile; just a simple stare right at her. Any expression carefully hidden. Ruby’s throat ran dry as silver eyes met lilac. Her mouth opened before immediately closing. Tears started to well up and it began increasingly impossible to maintain eye contact.

Her body shook slightly and Ruby found herself looking away from both of them. The entire time her mind racing in frustration about her behavior and actions. Before she knew it, Yang was right in front of her and cuffed the right side of Ruby’s red face. There eyes met again but it was different this time. A visible look of comfort yet concern was on the blondes face. A dam inside Ruby finally gave way and she started audibly crying. Yang pulled her baby sister into a tight embrace and rubbed the girl’s head.

Ruby:I’m sorry......I’m so sorry.....

Yang:Ssssshhhhh it’s okay. We’re okay; we’ve always been okay.

Ruby:You should be angry with me! Furious even! I....I cut you out. Ignored you during the happiest times of your life because I was angry mine were gone. What kind of little sister does that!?

She was running out of breath yet continued to cry her heart out. Her arm wrapping around Yang like her life depended on it. Wanting to never let go again. Yang did nothing but continued to comfort the girl. Happy to finally see her again.

Yang:How could I be mad at my little sister who was grieving. I was just scared. Scared that I’d never see you try to bounce back from something like this. I’ve always known how to help you with things but with this it was different. I ran out of ideas and all I could do was hope one day something will change; that time itself could heal a problem I had no clue how. That it could give you back to me. *crying* I never lost hope your strength. Ruby I love you.

Ruby:I....I love you too.

Blake:*sniffles* I guess I should tell Weiss the team is all here. She’d be mad if she missed a reunion.

Yang:Hehe *sniffles* No kidding. You are staying for awhile right?

Ruby:*wipping her face* Actually...I was hoping... all of you can come with me to Vale. I think I’ll need the moral support....

Yang:Do you even have to ask? Also....ummm, what’s with your eyes? They are all cloudy or something?

Maria:Wow, noticed it in no time flat. Maybe she should have them.

Ruby:*groans in defeat*

xxxx

First step achieved, or at least half of it. The other half was waiting in Patch under a tree; rubbing a very happy corgi’s belly while his handler tended to the sunflower garden under the evening sun.

Tai:So, any plans for the rest of day while you still have some daylight left? Or are you gonna turn in early like you’ve been doing since you got here.

Jaune:I stay up late sometimes.

Tai:And proceed to watch tv and eat before going back to sleep or rubbing Zwei’s belly. He’s never gonna let you leave if you keep showing him this much attention.

Jaune:It’s calming and what else exactly am I supposed to do?

Tai:Go to a restaurant. A park maybe? I didn’t force you to shave your stubble just so you can watch reruns all day. Take it from me, you only feel worse staying in one place.

Jaune:I know. That’s why I’m not home remember?

Tai:A very good step, but you do know technically you’re still not seeing anything. You just chose to stew in your thoughts with a friend. It’s flattering but the point is to stop stewing all together. Best way to do that, occupy your brain. There’s a movie in town we can go see if you like.

Jaune:....Zwei bark twice if you want me to stay here. Bark once if I should see a movie.

Arf arf!!!!

Jaune:You heard the man.

Tai:He always barks twice. That’s why his name is Zwei.

Jaune:What? No way.

Tai:Zwei bark once if we should feed you table scraps or bark twice if we should start another great war.

Arf Arf!!!!!

Tai:See?

Jaune:Maybe he just craves destruction. Like a war dog, or a hell hound. Are you an agent of chaos little guy?

Zwei gets back on all fours and gives a puppy face that would either tell Jaune that he was completely wrong or an act to cover up sinister intent. The corgi ran onto the knights lap and licked his face before scampering off down the dirt path. Both blonde men looking puzzled for a moment before hearing a shriek of excitement and seeing Zwei raised up by a familiar figure. Jaune stood up and looked closely to see Weiss happily loving the dog.

Weiss:Oh how is my favorite guy in the whole wide world!? Yes you are! Yes you are!

Jaune:Weiss? What is she doing here?

Tai:(I swear that dog has better lady luck than anyone. Even Raven likes him.) I guess his number one fan wanted to drop by and see him. I certainly didn’t call her.

Weiss:*happily humming*

Jaune:Uhh Weiss?

Weiss:Hmm? Oh! *clears throat* Sorry, didn’t see you there hehe. Nice to see as always.

She promptly puts Zwei down and opens up her arms to Jaune. Maybe it was current situation or her mind playing tricks but her friend seemed to move a little faster than normal to share a hug. Weiss couldn’t help but remember how fast she moved at Haven’s inn when Ruby and Yang invited her into a hug a few years ago. This held a similar energy to it. The poor was really going through it right now and she had no problem making the embrace last until he decided to end it.

Weiss:Look at that. You’ve shaved since the wedding. Glad to see you look more rested. I’m gonna be honest though, your hair is getting a bit long don’t you think.

Jaune:I could go back to the crew cut....

Weiss:I will personally destroy every episode pair of scissors if you do that.

Tai:I’ll help! Shaggy looks good on you.

Jaune:No one appreciates experimentation.

Weiss:People do when it works.

Jaune:Did you fly all the way here to judge my looks? I already have Tai trying to take away my jeans and black t-shirts

Tai:Change of clothes help state of mind. I’m trying to get him to brighter colors.

Weiss:First of all, Tai we should talk sometime about colors. Second, Jaune I am here to bring you Beacon. That is all the information I can give you. *grabs his hands* Do you trust me?

Jaune:Even if I didn’t, you’d just drag me there.

Weiss:Yep. Tai you should come along too. I think it might make things even better.

Tai gave a look of integument at the tiny girl that gave the same look back. He needed no convincing or explanation. Call it fatherly instinct but he had a feeling in his gut he knew what might be happening. The man patted the dirt off his hands and stood up ready.

Tai:Looks like we have afternoon plans Jaune. Bark twice if you wanna come too Zwei.

Arf Arf!!!

Jaune:Unbelievable....

Weiss started to pull her friend down the path towards the airship she had arrived in. In a matter of minutes they were inside and taking of. Jaune wasn’t exactly thrilled with how fast he went from enjoying outside to going on an adventure. He wasn’t going to complain though. In truth, after that faithful day, sunsets were something he could live without.

His head swiveled to the cockpit to look outside all the same. He was caught off gaurd to notice the pilot was sporting a pair of black cat ears.

Jaune:Blake?

Blake:Hey Jaune. Nice hair. Needs a slight trim though.

Jaune:Why is everyone- I’ll get around to it...

He felt Tai pat his shoulder in comfort. All those years in a house filled with women and yet even he could hold out for so long before bowing out of any debate. Jaune chose to close his eyes and rest instead. He hadn’t done anything straining for a few weeks yet more often than not he was drained of stamina. It wasn’t a mystery why but it was still shocking to say the least.

This surprise had just started and it was already sapping what energy he had. It didn’t go unnoticed by the others on board. A tired Jaune was a rare sight to see; they wished to keep it that way. Weiss tugged on his arm and the two of them began to lean on each other lightly. She smiled to herself as she felt his body slightly let go of tension.

Jaune:Thanks...

Weiss:No problem. Just rest for now. I’ll tell you when we’re there.

xxxx

The ride was short but nice. Blake hadn’t flown the airship too fast for Jaune to handle and even took a longer route to give him more rest time. It was thoughtful but also a bit wasteful as they all found out when finally landed. Yes he rested, but Jaune never really went to sleep. A moment of reprieve was more accurate. Jaune was the first one to leave the ship and started heading up the street. One by one his friends and family caught up to him and enjoyed the comfortable silence.

Traffic was non existent. There was no clutter of trash or people on the streets. The entire area seemed to be bathed in an orange light for miles. A gust of autumn wind gave slight goosebumps and a familiar feeling of grief. How long would it be before this season once again brought him happiness and not the sight of a helicopter fading away? He doubt he’d find a decent answer. Instead he kept walking towards the giant gate he’d seen so many times with some of the people he still had. That number only grew with each step.

The familiar stone road still sported light posts on each side every few feet. About three fourths of the way there sat his teammates on each side; patently awaiting his arrival. Ren and Nora waited for Jaune to be completely parallel with them before walking along side him. Still nothing was said. Nothing had to be. Jaune could see up ahead was Yang leaning on the gate entrance. Her hands rested in her pocket and a sense of ease radiated from the place she stood. The gap between them closed as they met eye to eye. Jaune’s eyebrow raised in curiosity about this unexpected gathering. They had all met not too long ago for the wedding. Yang gave him a playful punch in the arm along with a smile that could warm the coldest of nights.

Both gates opened behind her and she moved out the way. What came next was something he wanted to hope for but didn’t out of fear of disappointing himself. Pass the gate sat Ruby in the middle of one of the stone walkway openings. She was staring at the statue a little ways away. Jaune tried to open his mouth to finally speak but was denied that immediately. Multiple hands found their way to his back and gently nudged him forward; everyone else stayed behind. He gave one final look at all of them before nodding and walking towards his wife. It only took a seconds before he realized he stood right next to her. Silence broken at last.

Jaune:Why here?

Ruby:This spot. It holds a lot of weight for me. You know why don’t you?

Jaune:Of course I do. We first met here.

Ruby:Did you know this ground was mostly intact after the fall? Barely any of it had to be replaced. I bet I could turn one of these slabs over and still find the tiniest bit of Weiss’s dust from that day.

Jaune:Pretty sure you sneezed it all away.

Ruby:Heh. I really thought that was going to be one of the miserable days of my life. Then I met you. You offered me your hand and then your friendship when I needed it the most. Jaune you turned that day from bleak to dazzling and I’ve never forgotten it; you were there when I felt lonely. *shaking* So when I say I’m truly disgusted that I have not shown the same level of compassion, I meant it.

Jaune:Ru-

Ruby:*crying* Please, I have to say this....

Jaune:....

Ruby:I made a vow to you on our wedding day to be by your side through any adventure because it was our adventure. The two of us are a packaged deal. Best friends, co leaders, husband and wife....yet the moment all hell broke loose, I left you alone. I broke our vow and there will never be a valid excuse for that in my eyes. Both of us lost Dustin yet I didn’t act like it. In no way have I been a good wife.

Her voice started cracking. Ruby rose to her feet and stood facing Jaune. There was no part of hey that was still. Her chest was heavy as she tried to breathe.

Ruby:You deserve better than what I have given you and that’s a fact. I’ve seen first hand what a husband, a father can go through after so much loss with my dad but that didn’t stop me from making a similar mistake. If you could possibly find inside yourself to forgive an idiot like me, then I swear that things will be different or so help me, my name as a huntress might as well burn! First and for most I stand by you as your wife and I-

A gasp escapes her lips as Jaune touches her face. Her tears run down the palm of his hand while his own finally roll down to his chin. Ruby’s hands raise up to meet the one on her face. Her nimble fingers trace it until they feel his wedding band.

Jaune:Can you please stop talking bad about the woman I love? She’s been through enough and I just want to kiss her. My love, is something she’ll never have to doubt. It wouldn’t be much of an adventure of it was easy right?

Her eyes widened before a sudden burst of tears flowed out again. Ruby jumped into his arms like her very soul depended on it. Jaune hoisted her up slightly and together shared a kissed that could only be described as the embodiment of love as they know it. Every bit of pain in them could be felt through it but so could their love. A love that mended the vow Jaune never saw truly broken but merely tested.

Ruby:Don’t ever doubt my love either okay? You’ll always be my home. My knight.

Jaune:As will you. My rose.

Their hands interlocked as shared another embrace. Finally she’d done it. The first step was taken, and she took it with everyone on a simple day. Where the wind felt crisp and the world was bathed in sunset.

Part 9

#rwby #rwby rosebud #ruby rose #jaune arc #maria calavera #weiss schnee #blake belladonna #yang xiao long #rwby ozpin #taiyang xiao long #nora valkyrie #lie ren #rwby lancaster #bmblb

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