#just....i can directly relate some of the things i do while on a bus to that sprcific event

[jaxanathor]

i almost got hit by a car when i was like, 10 years old (exaggeration of my age but yea, i was young)

oh plus ive been in a crash just over a year ago now

it's so weird to me that everyone on this website is a human person outside of their weird internet niche so rb this with a random bit of your lore

[kalki-tarot]

How will you meet your Future husband or wife?

Pick a pile 💕

Disclaimer — The images I use to select a pile are from Pinterest, I hope the readings will resonate with you. I'm not responsible for any decisions you make in your life from my readings. I'm just a beginner and these readings are just for fun. Tarot is not 100% accurate and does not replace medical treatment and diagnosis.

Masterlist for more!

Pile 1

Just before meeting them, you'd be having many things to do. There would be so many things or tasks in your hands just before meeting them. Your day might go very sad and weird. You'd feel a need of balance just before meeting them.

This is a very specific message for someone, but you'll have two options to select from which bus or train you wanna reach your destination by. Divine timing and intervention would take place and you'd choose that bus in which your fs might also be present. And you'll meet them in the bus or a train for the first time. Or you can also meet them at the place you reach after travelling. You can meet them while traveling to some other city or place.

You might've done a lot of shadow work and emotional healing before meeting them. You've become very strong by the time you meet your fs. I'm so proud of you pile 1.

You might randomly talk about finances or about work with them. They'd seem so rich and wealthy to you or vice versa. You'll feel an emotional connect with them on the first meet as if you both have known each other since many lifetimes.

They'd see you as someone very caring and emotional. We have the lovers card here with the tower which suggests me two things. First, They may fall in love with you at first sight. And second is they might have some bad past related to their love life.

They may not approach you directly. They're stopping themselves as they've been hurt in the past before. They are so guarded around you. But they definitely love you. They'll gather strength and release fears regarding love and approach you. Just give them some space and time. Don't rush things.

Pile 2

When you first meet them, they might wear a tuxedo or a suit. And they might also be drinking some kind of drink the time they meet you. I think it's a party where you both meet. I get strong libra placements by the justice and two of swords.

You might go to a party and you might meet them there. You probably lied to your parents about this. (I'm not judging anyone, this is what's coming.) Your friends might make you agree to come to this party. It's a fated event. For some of you, This could also be someone's wedding. For instance, you went to a wedding with your friends you didn't thought you would. But you meet them there.

This person might come across as careless or even a playboy with many girlfriends but in reality this person is a hard worker, and very career oriented. They don't get time to think about girls. But when they see you they'd think that you are a freakin' reward from god for their hard work they've been doing all this time.

This person sees you as their treasure, someone they wanna protect as you're like a prize to them. This person can be famous in whatever field they're in. They have many eyes on them online/irl.

This person will blindly fall in love with you. They may not know whether to pursue you or not. They're indecisive about you. The hierophant came, this is a confirmation that you might meet in a wedding or some ceremony.

Pile 3

You might meet them on a cruise/ship or when the timing is right. Universe will lead you both towards each other. You may also know them from childhood or past. You may even shared a past life with this person. I think you or this person will manifest your union with each other. This is a very romantic connection! This person may belong to a place where there are mountains and rivers.

This person is very caring, loyal, honest and committed. You're lucky to have them. This person can be your romantic soulmate. 22 and 66 may be significant. You may be seeing this angel number or will see before meeting them.

This person definitely had a bad past in love or family. They may come across as rude or cold at first but this world's cruelty made them like this. Very heartbroken energy from this person's side. Someone betrayed them or lied to them. They got cheated and their idea of love changed. But this person is moving moving forward and working on himself. He's slowly leaving his past behind.

This person loves you very much. No matter what this person will love you. They're so sweet and loving. They see in your deep water like eyes and wonder about a lot of things. This person is very emotionally connected to you. They see you as their wish fulfillment. You are the brightest star in their sky. They find you very nurturing and caring. They love your giving nature. I can't describe how emotional and romantic this energy is! Very beautiful and loving. Wow!

Pile 4

You can meet them near water, lake, sea or beach. Your current energy seems very indecisive about a lot of things. You can meet them when you are at crossroads in life. Or when you're emotionally detached from everything. This person will randomly appear in your life like a thunderbolt when you least expect it. This person or you may be 20-35 years old when meeting eachother. You may meet them in a few days or 6-12 months, as we have 2 of swords and 6 of pentacles here.

You'll meet them when you're going through a big transformation in your life. Cycles in your life might be ending at that moment. This person will bring happiness in your life.

This person can be your divine counterpart as we have 2 of cups and lovers card. They're very romantic and caring.

You need to work on your fears before meeting them. Do some shadow work. Be aware of what holds you back and restrains you from finding love in your life. Leave the past and move forward in life. It's time for a change.

[piratefalls]

another long list, except it's a day early because this is how i give thanks.

list one. list two. list three. list four. list five.

No Sense or Sensibility by inexplicablymine

“When and where was your first kiss.” Oh shit. The thing is… Alex actually has an answer to this one, it’s just a matter of admitting that it happened. ____________________ Kennedy’s. 7pm, Pub Quiz and Ice Cream. Every Monday ‘til death due us part. Alex liked his little routine, until Derryl got it in his head to host The goddamn Newlywed Game instead.

I'm Rememberin' I Promised (to Forget you Now) by Angelwithwingsoffire

It's been six years since Alex Claremont-Diaz graduated law school. And he's made a good life for himself, working with a firm he enjoys and making a difference in the world. Until a part of his past he'd thought he'd gotten over seven years ago walked back into his office asking for his help. To get a divorce. Which Alex has never done before. But he's never been able to say no, and he's willing to put his heart back under the bus for the chance at one more smile.

Rogue's Gallery by OrchidScript

Loathe as Alex was to admit it, Henry Fox was going to be a legend someday. He already was in the bureau depending on who was answering. Tied to art theft, jewel theft, one or two little sweet confidence schemes, and an alleged counterfeit Super Bowl ring, but caught on three counts of art forgery, the blond Brit had run circles around the Art Crimes division for six years. He was quick, smarter than the average bear, and more detail-oriented than a nuclear chemist. He had a penchant for nice suits, silk ties, and gin tonics with lime. He wrote letters to agents in taunting poetry, tucking them under windshield wipers or posting them to the office directly. Once, he managed to drop one directly into the pocket of a plainclothes officer without them seeing his face. _____________________ Henry Fox is a famous art forger, and Alex is the FBI agent who caught him three years ago. When one of Henry's aliases comes up attached to a new case, can the two put aside their cat-and-mouse past to put the copycat away?

Queer little ducks hold a special place in my heart. by anarchyat4am

Henry’s at a local Hispanic Heritage Month event browsing the art stalls when his gaze catches on a kid looking around with both purpose and nervousness. She’s fidgeting with the hem of her t-shirt with one hand while she bites the nails of the other one, eyes alert and searching. Lost, then. And oh, Henry recognises her. She’s a regular at his bookstore, even at only six years old, and is there at least weekly with her dad—Alex, who she’d introduced to Henry as her papi—or various aunties and uncles, most of whom Henry doesn’t think are actually related to her. Keeping one eye on her, he lets his gaze sweep the vicinity but doesn’t see anyone else he even remotely recognises. Shit. He has to do something. “Sirena?” he calls gently. * Henry... is more than a bit useless around hot guys. So when he finds the lost kid of the gorgeous dad who frequents his bookstore, he pulls himself together until they reunite, only to then be devastated by the revelation that the man thinks Henry hates him. And, well... courage always rises, and all that.

just say you won't let go by viciouslyqueer

After dancing around each other for months, Alex and Henry finally get together. The morning after comes with a slight misunderstanding and comforting words.

We were supposed to find this by kiwiana

Still, half an hour after shaking Prince Henry’s hand for the first time, he finds himself back in his hotel room with one shoe and sock hurriedly tugged off and his right foot resting on his left knee. Just to check. Just in case Alex is somehow, by some miracle, about to become the first documented case of Surprise! You Can Totally Have A Different Soulmate, We Fucked Up And Your One Kind Of Sucks. No such luck. The words are the same as they’ve always been, etched into his skin in a careful, calligraphic font. The kind of handwriting someone might have if, for example, they came from the sort of family that valued tradition and etiquette far higher than letting their children write like normal human beings.

Sit. Down. Please Stay. by politics_and_prose

Alex adopts a dog he found abandoned on the side of the road. She's nervous and he wants to make sure he knows how to give her the best life possible. Enter Henry Fox and his beagle David.

muscle memory by stutteringpeach

It's been ten years since Alex was in London to stage a PR friendship with Henry after ruining the royal wedding. It's also been ten years since Alex dropped to his knees in front of Henry in a Kensington Palace kitchen. But now Henry's in the Hamptons for the summer, and who should he bump into? None other than Alex Claremont-Diaz, who happens to be working in New York all summer long.

The Perils of Midsomer Residency by clottedcreamfudge

"I'm sure I don't need to tell you that care should be taken, given the Mountchristens' local influence?" Liam nods. "Sir." Luna then turns to Alex. "Do not piss anyone in that family off." Alex throws his hands in the air. "So many aspersions have been cast on my good character this morning that I could start a fucking farm. An aspersions farm." Luna narrows his eyes. "Correction," he says, "have another coffee and then do not piss anyone in that family off. Don't make me regret fast-tracking you through the ICI Development Programme." * After getting shot in the line of duty back in Texas, June forces Alex into a change of scenery. Because how much can really be going on in the quaint little English county of Midsomer?

something that feels like forever by dearestalez

“You’re crying,” she pointed out. Alex choked on a laugh, wiping his eyes. “I’m just-” he sniffed, holding her so delicately Henry felt herself melt into the touch. “I’m so happy for you, baby.” — alex and henry are so in love it makes me want to rip out my heart and stomp on it but slash pos

behind brick walls by weather_stained

After Henry and Alex move in together, it takes quite a while for them to fully adjust to their newfound freedom. Alex very much enjoys watching Henry grow more comfortable in his own skin after a lifetime of looking over his shoulder.

It's a (Birth)date by Celaestis

5 times Henry is oblivious that they're dating and 1 time he isn't.

Save a Horse, Ride a Princess by affectionatelyrs

“I have to say, this is all quite literal, don’t you think?” Alex wouldn’t know literal right now if it hit him in the head. “Huh?” Henry points at Alex: “Pillow Princess,” and then to himself: “Cowboy. Ready to ride and all that.” Alex nods dumbly. “Right.” - Or, Alex and Henry dress up as the ultimate couples costume for Halloween — themselves — and they both feel some kind of way about it

baby boy by smc_27

It starts as a joke. Alex taking the piss about how much money Henry has. How he could have anything he wanted, from anyone he wanted, if only he just asked.

My Songs Know Secrets You're Sick of Keeping by ma_lark_ey, paythe_piper

"How about this," Alex offered, "If I win AOTY, I announce Henry and I in my acceptance speech. If I don't, we do it your way." OR: Alex is a world famous pop punk star, Henry is still the Prince of England, and the public is onto them.

Au Naturel by cmere

The French doors leading to the office are thrown open, so he has a moment to take in the scene in front of him: Alex, lying on his stomach on the floor, feet kicked up and crossed at the ankle, surrounded by books, papers, and two open laptops. None of that, however, catches Henry's attention as much as Alex's hair, secured in a small, messy knot on top of his head with nothing but a single wooden chopstick. Henry blinks rapidly several times. "Alex," Henry says, somehow hoarse. Alex's head whirls around. There's a single, perfectly curled tendril over the apple of his cheek; his scruff has hit the mystical, magical point where it's more soft beard than prickly shadow; his reading glasses sit atop his adorable nose; and Henry realizes with sudden gravity that he's not entirely in control of his physical responses anymore—something has to give. Alex hasn't really been bothering with some of his usual upkeep, and Henry is kind of extremely into it.

You deserve my love by whateveridk

“I’ll leave as soon as you tell me to." Henry had turned towards him, stealing himself, sticking his chin out, and said “leave.” Alex has been picking up the pieces ever since. Two years later, living with Nora and June in NYC, it still haunts him, but it's fine. Whatever, he is fine. And then... Breaking News: Prince Henry comes out as gay So it's not fine, Alex is not fine.

sex ed in 6 steps by coffeecatsme

“Please tell me you used a condom, Fox,” Alex drawls out, leaning against the wall, and Henry chokes on his next breath.“Excuse me?”“You’re gonna tell me all about this tomorrow, but for the love of God, tell me you used a condom and we won’t have mini Henrys on campus anytime soon.” Or, 5 times Alex thinks Henry's straight and 1 time he finds out the truth. Or, 5 times Alex jokes about Henry's sex life and 1 time he gets to be a part of it.

More Than A Makeover by everwitch

The Fab Five—Alex, June, Nora, Liam and Spencer—descend on a New York based shelter for disenfranchised queer youth to give the place a much needed makeover. As the week progresses, sparks start to fly between Alex, the culinary representative of the queertastic quintet, and Henry, the sweetly charming founder of the shelter. It’s a deeply emotional week full of unexpected realizations, and certainly a week that strengthens Henry’s friendship with Pez in ways that neither of them quite knew they needed. As the week comes to a close and the Queer Eye team say their goodbyes, it remains to be seen what will become of the warm connection between Alex and Henry. Will it last, or was it too much of a perfect miracle to ever grow into something real?

The Royal Wedding by DracoWillHearAboutThis

HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS PRINCE HENRY OF WALES AND MR ALEXANDER CLAREMONT-DIAZ ARE ENGAGED TO BE MARRIED HM Queen Mary is delighted to announce the engagement of Prince Henry to Mr. Alexander Claremont-Diaz. The wedding will take place in the Spring or Summer of 2025, in London. Further details about the wedding date will be announced in due course.  Prince Henry and Mr. Claremont-Diaz became engaged earlier this week during a private holiday in Paris. Prince Henry has informed The Queen and other close members of his family. Prince Henry has sought and received the blessings of Mr. Claremont-Diaz's parents.  The couple will live in Nottingham Cottage at Kensington Palace. 

A Toast to the Night by allmylovesatonce

Henry looks up from his drink and swears his jaw drops. Standing in front of him is one of the most beautiful men he’s ever seen. From his dark brown curls to the way his deep eyes gleam as he stands there, an awkward smile on his face. Henry is nearly sure this man is going to ask for his seat. He probably has some woman with him, scouring for a place to sit. “Uh, hi,” the man says. “Hi.” “Look, this is really awkward,” he says and Henry feels the confirmation in his gut — also maybe disappointment. “My ex-boyfriend just walked in and I really don’t want to talk to him. I was wondering if I could sit here with you so that he won’t talk to me.”

That's What You Get For Waking Up in Vegas by bleedingballroomfloor

The bartender slides Alex the whiskey and shot of water before turning her attention to the person behind him. He turns around at the same time as the person speaks, “Gin and tonic” in all rounded vowels, a distinct English accent shining through, and he swears his heart stops. “Holy shit,” Alex says before he can stop the words from slipping out of his mouth. “Henry?” When Alex is celebrating June and Nora's bachelorette party in Vegas, the last person he expects to see is his ex-boyfriend Henry, who moved back to London nearly a year ago. Waking up next to him the following morning, naked and sated with a marriage certificate poking out of his pocket, he starts to wonder if he's truly over Henry.

hang on 'til the chaos is through by ShyAudacity

David is lounging on his spot at the foot of the bed when Alex comes in. He opts not to turn on the light, not wanting to disturb Henry, but then quickly finds that the light is on in their bathroom. Henry must still be getting cleaned up before bed; Alex can say hello and check on Henry when he steps out. It’s weird that he’s still up. Henry was awake well before Alex was this morning and… come to think of it, Alex can’t remember him ever coming to bed last night. Alex has only made it through the top three buttons on his dress shirt when he hears a terrifying crash come from the bathroom. Clutching his chest, he steps towards their shared bathroom, afraid to see what’s on the other side. “Henry? …H, what was-.” Alex stops short in the doorway, startled to find the love of his life in a miserable heap on the bathroom floor.

Sad Again (Don't Tell My Boyfriend) by lucy_in_the_sky

After proposing to Alex, Henry writes a letter to his father reflecting on all the moments he’ll never get to share with him. AKA Alex comforts a mourning Henry and promises to be there for him, forever and always.

monster mash by matherine

None of Henry’s answers to “Who are you supposed to be?” are particularly funny to anyone but him, especially in his inebriated state, so he’s completely given up on making any sense when the latest person asks him, someone who he assumes is yet another sorority girl in a skimpy costume from the glimpse of a cheerleading skirt he gets while they brush past him to open the fridge. “George Villiers,” he offers. “Deep cut, England,” a decidedly male voice snorts, and Henry can’t help the way his head snaps up, eyes wide.

Take it Down Low / Make Me Get High by Mags (sparklepocalypse)

“Henry,” Alex rasps wonderingly, sounding almost entranced, “I want to eat your ass.” Henry’s train of thought screeches to a halt with such force that for a moment, he thinks he might’ve had a stroke.

how did a middle-class divorcé do it? by Time_Sequence

Not really concerned, Alex watched the typing bubble appear – disappear – appear again, like Henry couldn’t quite find the words to say what it was he was thinking. Most likely, he was trying to find the perfect sarcastic quip in response. What came through made him genuinely pause. HRH Prince Dickhead💩: You complete and utter moron Then, HRH Prince Dickhead💩: Royalty can’t marry divorcees If Alex had been having a good time before, he definitely wasn’t now. - When a joking interview reveals that Alex and Nora drunkenly married ten years ago, suddenly Alex's upcoming wedding to Prince Henry is jeopardised.

discreet packaging by demigodbeautiies

“Please, please, please explain to me,” Zahra says, finally, sounding more than a little bit long-suffering. “Why I had to have the head of the Secret Service sit me down and tell me to give you a talk about avoiding bomb scares with unidentifiable packaging.”

the world watched (and the world smiled) by fangirl6202

"Oh,” Alex says finally, faintly, touching one hand to his lips. Then: “Shit.”  His mind catches up then, realizing that Henry is walking away and he doesn't even think twice. He begins to quite literally chase after him, trying to get to him before he can get away or, God forbid, try to fly back to England and ghost him.   Henry is very pointedly not looking at him, stuttering apology over apology until Alex has to quite literally throw himself in front of him to get him to stop. Alex doesn’t know what to do. But the answer is simple, isn’t it? So fucking simple.   He takes Prince Fucking Charming’s lapels into his hand and kisses him back.  Or; it's New Years, and Henry stays.

Rabbit Hole by TuppingLiberty

Some sort of non-famous au, don't worry, there's not really a plot. Alex has been going down a research rabbit hole for hours and Henry comes to rescue him.

Let Loose Your Glow by athousandrooms

“Seems like my liege was caught in a situation where he’d rather the ground swallow him whole.” Pez nods towards a spot to the side, and Alex follows his gaze. He spots Henry easily – a tall lighthouse of tousled blond hair – talking to a girl who is clearly into him. His expression looks perfectly polite, but he’s subtly leaning away, and he looks tense. So, Alex makes an impulsive decision. Whatever happens, this is going to be fun. *** Or: Alex is so very definitely straight, so pretending to be Henry’s boyfriend to get him out of an awkward situation should just be a fun little pastime - except that he doesn't really want to stop, and he has no idea why. But maybe it's okay to not think too hard and let himself go with the flow, for once.

Things I Cannot Accept by SprigsofViolets

In 2016, Ellen Claremont lost the presidential election. In 2019, Alex Claremont-Diaz is not the first son of the United States, so he’s shocked when his path crosses with Prince Henry for the first time in almost four years.

How well you play...that's up to you by happinessofthepursuit

Treacherous (adjective) guilty of or involving betrayal or deception; (of ground, water, conditions, etc.) hazardous because of presenting hidden or unpredictable dangers. Or, how to describe surgical residency in a single word. A Grey's Anatomy inspired AU.

In Accord by absoluteaudacity

Pursuant to the establishment of an ongoing relationship between The Crown and the Office of the President of the United States, the representatives of the The Queen and Her interests are authorised to establish a contract of marriage between His Royal Highness Prince Henry of Wales and Alexander Claremont-Diaz.

A Heart Even More Your Own by chaa_kiao

“Guess you’ll be writing those poems after all.” He swallows. "I should go." Henry’s mind— every part of him, really— his heart, his body, his fucking soul— is screaming at him to take it all back. To hell with the monarchy, the American presidency, damn it all. This is the man he’s spent his entire life loving and he’s throwing it away for a legacy he doesn’t give a single fuck about. He forces out a rough “I think so,” but he can’t hear it over the ringing in his ears. “I love you.” “Alex—” “I know,” Alex says. “I just had to say it.” _______ Or: Alex and Henry getting back together takes a little bit longer this time.

you are my mountain (you are my sea) by alasse

Five times Alex and Henry have important conversations in houses, and one time they have a very important conversation in a castle.

Down For the Count by LolaLand (Lola_di_Penates)

Alex came to Las Vegas to count cards, not feelings. Henry came to win it all. Is it possible to find something real in Sin City, where nearly everything isn’t as it seems? OR Goodbye reality, hello Vegas (the blackjack/poker AU).

Let Them Eat Cake by rohruh

“I wanna eat you out,” Alex’s voice comes out raspy and intrepid through the phone pressed against Henry’s ear. Henry lets out a soft whine at the admission, his breath up-ticking in synchrony with his hips as he thrusts up into his hand. “I’d like that,” he tells Alex eagerly, cradling the phone in his palm as though he could materialize Alex right there in front of him if he presses it against his ear firmly enough. “I’ve never done it to a guy before,” Alex confesses. “Is it… different from eating out a girl? I bet you’d taste so good, baby. Fuck.”

A Thousand Words by Thunder_Cakes

After that Han/Leia mural both their accounts go silent for a while. For months, actually. They’re both in therapy after Alex tried to post a selfie with June after election night and had a panic attack before he could hit “Share.” Suddenly the thought of sharing the details of his life and loved ones with the world is paralyzing. Wonder why. or: Alex, Henry and what they choose to share of their life

All for a Taste of the Honey by chamel

“So you’re telling me you’re not in favor of this plan,” Henry says eventually. “No, I’m fucking not,” Alex huffs, glaring at him. “It’s stupid and dangerous and unnecessary.” Henry cocks one perfect eyebrow at him. “You have another idea for how to get access to the room where he does his deals? The one that only ever admits Vega, his associates, and the strippers who entertain them?” (Or, an FBI agent!Stripper!Henry fic. Henry goes undercover at a strip club, and Alex has a lot of feelings about that.)

in the mood for... by carzla

Henry knows that he’s the one who said “casual”, and it had been a reminder to himself that that was all it could ever be between him and Alex. So, telling Alex that they should “make love” is probably a mistake in syntax bigger than he could safely afford. But they’re in Paris and Henry is feeling terribly, terribly maudlin.

something good and right and real by HypnosTheory

“This is pretty expensive for a high school trinket.” “Everything is bigger in Texas,” Alex jokes. Henry looks up at Alex, who’s standing with his shoulders relaxed for the first time since October. The relief of his mother’s victory has made him loose-limbed and calm, his smile easy and lovely. Henry looks down at the crown in his hands and back at Alex. He imagines the gold half-buried in Alex’s hair, heavy on the man’s brow, decadent and royal. Henry swallows, face heating, and holds the crown out to Alex. “Put it on.” -- After the election, Henry explores Alex’s childhood room. He finds trinkets of a young Alex that intrigue him, including a crown that gives him some ideas.

In His Wildest Dreams by myheartalive

Once Alex has pulled out, Henry turns over to face him. He strokes the hair softly away from his face and Alex smiles at him. “So… that happened again.” Henry leans forward and kisses him on the forehead. “Indeed.” There’s a sort of thoughtful pause, where Henry can see Alex working to pull together the right words. “I’m not sure I’ve ever seen you that… thirsty?” “Oh, bugger off,” Henry says, but he’s laughing. It’s a fair description. “No, but I mean it. You were like… urgent. It was hot.” “It felt hot. I liked waking up like that. With you up against me, trying to have your way with me.” — Set in and around the Henry bonus chapter, this is a story about Henry and Alex’s hectic schedules, family appearances etc. pulling them apart, and about what starts to happen between them, in the quiet of night: their sleeping bodies turning to each other, finding their sweet spots and opening up. And Alex and Henry learning a lot about each other in the process — Mind the tags, y'all. That particular tag features prominently and it’s a major plot point, so if that’s not your jam, just hit the back button.

until next time!

[hoziersmilligan]

rolling with the idea that every one of john winchester's kids are fated vessels for the archangels, i would like to propose adam being raphael's vessel.

based on true religion, raphael is an angel of healing and protection. his name means "god has healed", and he is the patron saint of medical workers. he is rooted in health and healing, and so is adam. beyond the obvious connection of raphael being a patron saint of medical workers and adam wanting to become a doctor, adam to his core is a healer. he healed himself; a human who has the strength to survive being locked in a cage in hell for 1200 years is not one who rests in self-destruction. he also healed michael. not physically, but mentally. an archangel like michael, who for his whole life has had immeasurable amount of control over heaven and earth, being locked away for millennia with absolutely nothing to do is bound to break mentally. and you could argue michael did in some ways, but in no ways specifically negative. adam kept michael sane, grounded, in the cage by his presence alone. they clearly communicated in the cage, as they came to an "agreement" about who can control their body, and i think the humanity adam brought into the cage is what kept michael from cracking, whether intentional or not.

also, in regard to the "protection" that raphael reins over, adam seems to resemble this. while we get few canonical goals and traits for adam, one is that he cares and is protective of his mother. he wants to become a doctor to pay back and care for his mom just like she did him. he hates his dad, john winchester, not just because of what john did to him, but for how john treated his mother. adam even shows some protection over michael when he takes over the body in 15x08 when michael starts becoming erratic and angry. he tells the winchesters to "give it a rest" when they upset michael, and while he phrases it in a way that seems to protect the winchesters from michael, i think the opposite is true as well. adam doesn't want michael lashing out for his own benefit and safety as much as for the winchesters.

and in a more canon sense, raphael's devotion to michael is representative to adam's. while never explicitly said, raphael stayed with michael in heaven even when raphael ceased to have faith in their father. he believed in his brother even when he didn't believe in his goal. adam treats michael a similar way. it’s clear in 15x08 that michael and adam have talked about michael’s father a few times before, judging by adam’s exasperation and the lack of overall anger michael expresses towards adam's opinions about god (while yes michael shows anger, he's an archangel. if michael was truly that angry adam would not be able to express his opinion like that). adam is willing to stand by michael's side, defend him, heal him, be "his guide", even though he doesn't believe in the same goals as michael. adam is devoted to michael, much like raphael was, not because of michael's endgame or unchecked loyalty, but simply because he is michael. he's someone they both love.

and one thing less michael-related and more in line with how sam, dean, and adam are all fated vessels for lucifer, michael, and raphael. in relation to their father, dean, like michael, was devoted to his dad. unending loyalty and a willingness to look over any mistake. they both are lost without their fathers, for better or for worse. sam, like lucifer, once had faith in his dad. there was a time for both of them where they were just as devoted to their fathers as their brothers were, but they both lost it along the way. they both started questioning their dads and opening themselves up to new viewpoints that directly disobeyed their dads' wishes. and in doing so, they both were disowned. adam, like raphael, was an easily forgettable child. they both were never the main focus of their fathers' plans, and because of this they both lost faith in their dads. maybe they didn't completely despise their fathers, but they had no reason to really care for them.

this topic also opens up a can of worms. does michael see raphael in adam? is that why he was more accepting towards him in the cage then he would've been towards most other humans, especially sam or dean? did he find normality in adam in the early days of the cage because of how his soul seemed to resemble his brother's?

[purplink8]

Naomi is one of my favorite characters so I decided to compile my thoughts on her in this post! :D

(Disclaimer: I do not particularly like the fanon version of Naomi & while I do dislike Raye, I still believe without a doubt that he cared for Naomi (enough to go along with Light when he threatened to kill his loved ones, and the first one to pop up in his head was Naomi) and had his (however misguided (by sexism ofc)) best interests at heart for her. That does not absolve him for being, frankly, really really rude + sexist to Naomi and I will forever be annoyed with him for that.

tl;dr I'm neither a fanon!Naomi stan nor a Raye apologist. Anywho-)

Before I talk about Naomi, I want you to take a look at this panel directly above the one in which she first appears.

Before Naomi's first appearance, Ryuk says "I guess women being tough in crisis goes for humans, too." This is said in reference to Yuri being unphased with the bus-hijacking and dragging our fave sexist murderer to Space Land haha.

But I think it's significant that the above quote was said by Ryuk for all women (maybe the real feminism was the Shinigami we found all along!) JUST BEFORE Naomi's first appearance.

Even before Naomi is introduced, the canon has (however jokingly (side-eyeing you Light-o)) established that women are tough in crisis. I do think that's saying something- especially when you'll see (which will be discussed in length in this post) that this statement holds true ESPECIALLY for Naomi.

But we'll come back to this later; let's move on to Naomi actual appearance in canon.

We're introduced to her as Raye's loving fiancé who is also attentive (receptive) towards him as she asks him why he's tired to which he mentions the bus-hijack.

She's quiet in noting down her observations in her head as she asks Raye for more info regarding the bus hijack:

Look at the '...' she has before asking Raye for details. We can read it as hesitation to voice her suspicions before they sound strong enough or as the pause to think it all through OR more likely as we'll see in the panels below, she perhaps hesitates due to the conditions she agreed to with Raye. The pause may also be due to her analytical mind starting to work, she has to mull over the details she's just been given before reaching to a conclusion.

She does speak out on her misgivings as she clearly cares about Raye and thinks (& correctly at that!) that he met Kira.

Only to get shut down by him. Raye is, obviously, sexist and rude here but we have to remember that Raye thinks he's doing the right thing (according to his sexist 'i have to protect her from danger' attitude anyway). He does admit that she was an excellent fbi agent but still, he's not respecting her opinions.

Now this is where my hate for Raye shines through like

"once you pop up some of my babies, that habit won't pop up anymore" ~Raye Penber, probably, i wish i was exaggerating

Raye is unbelievably dismissive of Naomi here. Not only does he not take her concerns seriously, he also follows it up with a 'joke' about directing her intelligence towards being his future wife. Now, I do believe that Naomi wanted to quit her job too but that doesn't make it okay for Raye to y'know treat Naomi like this. And Naomi (being genuinely apologetic) politely chuckles it off.

I think this brings us to an important aspect of her character: she has a sort of passive attitude. She is not that assertive imo instead preferring to be compliant and yielding. She values harmony in her relationships & avoids conflicts by being agreeable (at least with Raye).

Then Kira happens to Raye Penbar and other FBI agents. I find it interesting how these panels are placed next to each other:

These panels are juxtaposed to each other to perhaps show us that while killing the FBI agents may be like a game to Kira & L, there are real stakes involved for those related to Kira's victims- they become pawns in Kira & L's game-: Naomi being the prime example, who is shown grieving Raye's death.

She is intelligent enough to deduce that Raye was murdered by Kira.

Now instead of wallowing in her misery (remember what Ryuk said about women being tough in crisis? yeah this is what's happening here), the former FBI agent picks herself up, gathers her wits + composure, and gets ready to investigate.

We're then shown panels of Naomi travelling alone. I want you to remember that the emotional wound of losing her fiancé is still fresh & forefront in her mind (trying to catch Kira is a very close second). Even if her thoughts are not depicted (her ride to Shinjuku is deathly silent: with neither dialogue nor thoughts- meant to express how she deals with her grief- Naomi takes action and does so quietly), we get an idea of how she feels.

Alone. Torn between feeling lonely/helpless yet determined to catch the murderer who killed the man she loved. Still, she perseveres.

And she gets info from the bus conductor, that there were six passengers other than Raye during the bus-hijack. She figures that since Kira must've been someone out of those six people, Kira may be living somewhere near that bus route. It's a small lead but a lead nonetheless.

Naomi also infers that Kira is able to kill people by causes other than heart attacks too. More importantly, she is of utmost confidence that her finding IS a fact which means she wouldn't be shook off that belief any time soon. Which is really, really bad for Kira as it narrows down the list of Kira suspects considerably well.

I'm gonna focus on Naomi's POV (you'll know why later):

_____________________________________________________________

She enters the NPA building and the receptionists are being much help: saying that there's nobody on the task force here despite her appointment with them, which was made the previous day + asking her to just leave a message when she insists on meeting the task force personally.

This is important to her. Why are they being so difficult? She'd had an incredibly long day, her fiancé is dead and only she seems to have a clue of Kira's powers extend to killing people by causes other than heart attacks. She absolutely needs to tell this clue to the Task Force. If only somebody actually listened to her. (Even Raye, when he was alive, refused to do that).

Then a young guy, who introduces himself as the son of the task force Chief, comes in and talks with the receptionists about a case he had helped solve in the past. Whatever. That information does not help her in the slightest. She came here for one purpose and one purpose only: speak to the Task Force. Why are the receptionists so warm towards him while being so useless to her? And then the boy says something interesting:

He (if she heard correctly) may be able to beat L in solving the Kira case. He's definitely got her attention now. Either he's way too confident or there may be a degree of truth in his statement (well, they did just say how he helped them solve a case when he was a high schooler). Still, it's not like this guy can help her catch Kira when he's not even in the task force, right?

She's just about to mentally dismiss him when:

...he shares valuable information with her- something which the receptionists haven't (even if they had their reasons) and even better, offers to help her (he's the first person to do so ever since Raye died). He chooses to trust her (he had no reason to do that but does so anyway maybe due to the goodness of his heart? (she doesn't know- still he has helped her out a great deal already)).

It feels weird accepting his help but the boy is very polite + willing to help so she does. And offers him her sincerest thanks.

He also seems to think that Kira has greater powers than people think. That surprises her.

To think this young guy has deduced something which she had too...she chooses to confide in him a little (not so much, just a little without details, just as vague as his statement was) that that's why she's here.

The stranger tells his name. Light Yagami. And asks for hers. She's not taking any chances. Raye died because of giving his ID to someone in the bus (who, she's sure, was Kira) and while this kid seems relatively harmless, she's cautious. She has prepared for this. So she gives him an alias. Shoko Maki.

It seems she hadn't heard the end of his deductions. According to him, Kira can also control people's actions before they die- and she finally has someone intelligent enough, trustworthy enough (he trusts her AND has helped her out a lot) who is willing to listen that she cracks, offering him the final piece of the info she has puzzled out: that Kira can kill by causes other than heart attacks.

More information trickles out her (the kid, Light Yagami- she reminds herself- is surprisingly great at putting her at ease)...she tells him about her fiancé meeting Kira before his death. He's silent. When asked about it, he tells her it is due to the shock of hearing that.

Light is a patient listener, asking her details, offering his views on the matter so she doesn't mind telling him everything she has concluded thus far with utter conviction:

He's initially skeptical of course:

Still, he agrees that it's worth investigating into and that's what matters to her.

After thinking about it for a while, he informs her that he's convinced of her theory. Not only does he take her seriously, he also takes notes of the details of the incident.

Light has been as useful as a person in his position could have been and she's really grateful. She wishes to tell the task force herself so she heads back to the NPA.

He's still following her. Maybe he's doing this out of politeness? She tells him that she'll be fine on her own and thanks him for all his help. She turns. The kid approaches her again.

Only to tell her why the members of the task force were said to be absent.

Now she's suspicious. Why does this kid know so much about this investigation which ought to be kept secret from the general public? So she asks him. Only to get hit by this bombshell:

He is, if he's telling the truth, a member of the task force. Well, that explains a lot.

He tells us that all the members of the task force have been hand-picked by L.

Then she doesn't need to go back to the NPA, as she has already spoken to Light who, by his own admission, is a member of the task force which means her insights will be passed on to L.

Now that she knows that L selected Light himself, she allows herself to trust the kid enough (as she completely trusts L) to tell him that she worked with L on a case 2 years ago when she was in the FBI.

Naomi reveals that she'd been reluctant to trust the police and even the task force compared to L who has her complete trust (her plan was to ask them to let her speak to L directly, i.e., she didn't even want the task force to know her insights). Light asks her then why did she tell him something which should've been for L's ears only.

She gives him her reason.

She feels that Light & L are similar somehow (I think it's her gut feeling) and since she trusts L, she also, kind of, trusts this kid as he reminds him of L.

Then, something crazy happens. He asks her if she would like to join the investigation... She is flabbergasted, to say the least. She had come thinking that she'd be lucky if she got to talk to L directly but joining the task force herself?

Still, she has to admit the kid is nothing if not convincing. She feels indecisive. She doesn't know what to do; she's been feeling lost since Raye died. They were in Japan for a short while only. Hell, they were going to get married & get settled permanently in the USA. And now none of it was possible.

Raye was dead. She had to accept that.

What should she do?

But when the kid brings up how she's still a young beautiful woman for this dangerous investigation, she finds her doubts shattering and her resolve hardening. She realizes that she has gotten a new purpose now.

With her fiancé gone, she's got nothing left to lose anymore. Getting Kira (who was responsible for his death) is the only thing that matters to her anymore, as she says in her outburst. She'd do anything, regardless of risks to her life, to make sure that Kira is caught.

She's very determined now to join the investigation and requests Light for the same. He asks her some proof of her identification.

She hesitates, but feels this can't be helped: she reasons to herself, as she apologizes for giving out a fake name earlier. He praises her carefulness. And she gives him her driving license. He asks her some details about the time she was in the FBI. And keeps glancing at his watch strangely often enough to prompt her to ask him why:

He, once again, looks down at his watch as he replies.

He is Kira.

Light Yagami is Kira.

She is horrified, with realization dawning at her eyes that she has already given him her real name, and is filled with dread of what is to come.

And just an instant later, she turns sharply (not unlike clockwork) away from him. She feels as if she's in a trance. He is speaking something to her.

What's the matter?

An answer comes unbidden to her lips, as if that's what she's been supposed to say all along, like she has practiced this chat with him before,

"There's something I have to do."

The words feel foreign to her, and yet she feels that that's what she was destined to say anyway.

Didn't you want to talk to my father?

The words are a blur as she replies mindlessly.

"No. I have nothing to say to him."

_____________________________________________________________

...well, that. was. Dark.

No, really, it's so fucked up how Light taunts Naomi in her final moments that's why I hate him during this scene.

But anyway, I wrote those 1.4k words talking from only Naomi's POV so that we may understand why she allows herself to trust Light.

I think the argument of her trusting Light "that easily" is uh... debatable? If you pay attention to the plot, it's not that hard to believe that Naomi comes eventually to trust Light.

I think people take this panel at its face value...

...which is just Light self-congratulating himself AFTER he got Naomi's real name (only to think 'that was a close call...' in the next panel itself) like? You guys, don't fall into his trap thinking that Naomi trusted him way too easily.

This guy cognitive-restructures his way out of every setback. Just because Light wants to convince himself that it was that easy to overcome this setback of a woman, doesn't mean you have to be fooled into thinking the same as Light too. This is just his hindsight-bias talking.

We know how hard it was for him to figure out a way to get Naomi's real name after she gave him an alias (while being as cool as a cucumber too). Do not forget that before you chide Naomi for being too naive (yes she IS a little naive (y'know the trusting L a 100 percent? after working with him through a computer screen?) but we shouldn't blame her for giving Light her real name). She was being careful all along.

Until Light, with his genius social skills (remember he's exceedingly polite & helpful + just. a. Kid in Naomi's eyes), focused all his intelligence to achieve his goal of getting Naomi reveal her real name and succeeded as he's an excellent manipulator and got luck on his side while Naomi's degree of luck is exceedingly low.

Also remember that Naomi is freshly grief-stricken and this polite kid is the first one to stop and listen to her (+ agree with her respectfully). And then too she gave him an alias. But was forced to give out her real name because the situation called for it.

(I don't put much stock in htr13 stats but I think we can safely conclude that it's correct about Naomi lack of good luck. Also, she dislikes stalkers and Raye stalked Light (yes he was just doing his job but still you have to admit it's a lil funny that she was gonna marry a stalker- ok I'm done now with the htr13 discussion)). Moving on!

After Naomi's death (she was only 28 at that time), L accepts the phone call from her parents reporting her as missing and comes to know that she's Raye Penber's fiancé. L finds her name familiar and has Watari look her up, to find that she arrested the preparator of the LABB case, which reminds him that he worked with her on that case.

When Aizawa & Matsuda suggest that she may have killed herself after hearing news about her fiancé, L disagrees with them saying that the Naomi Misora he knew had great inner strength and was an excellent FBI agent. He thinks that she's try to go after Kira (and he's not wrong).

And that's all the info about her that the manga canon offers us.

In conclusion, I think Naomi is very intelligent yet a little gullible/trusting of people (she chooses to believe in the good of the people methinks), polite, quiet, introverted, a tad passive, and tremendously emotionally tough (seriously tho, she's in grief sure, and that makes her vulnerable to Light's tactics to get her to trust him & all that but it takes guts to go after a killer who can kill just by knowing your name & face just after he killed your future husband).

Canon!Naomi is far more complex than the girlbossified fanon version of her and I love her <3

[stareyedsheeple]

hello!! im doing this as part of the social media storm for the icj hearing on january 11th-january 12th, and also because i generally feel as though i haven't done as much posts about palestine as i would have liked to. more under the cut.

the violence committed against the palestinian people by israel has been going on for nearly 100 days at the time of writing– although it has been going on, truthfully, for roughly 75 years. the death toll has risen to 23,000+ and counting. palestinians again and again have been chased from their homes, with the amount reaching 1.9 million palestinians with their houses forcibly taken away (x), and some fully destroyed. they have been brutalised and treated as less than human for existing on land that the israeli government deemed theirs. the streets of palestine smell of rot and flood with sewage; the palestinian people have held their dead infants for the camera for the camera to see, recorded their children dying, far more than anyone should ever have to do, just to gain enough compassion from the world to stop israel's bombardment, just to make sure their lives and their entire existence isn't lost to bombs and false statements from israel about whats currently going on, and yet again and again western governments have continued to turn a blind eye and in the us' case, assist in the genocide of the palestinian people while preaching peace and unity. 97% of water in gaza is unfit for consumption, and "[...] famine is right around the corner."

in this case, it also falls upon us, people outside palestine, to spread the word about palestine and hope enough pressure falls upon our politicians to make real change for palestinians, who have undergone unimaginable amounts of pain and deserve to see a world where they can live freely and without suffering. moreover, in motaz's words (who everyone should definitely follow, he is a good journalist and is extremely resilient in the face of what has happened to him), (edit: he has now left gaza, but nonetheless, i believe it is important to uplift palestinian voices regardless of where they are) we cannot call ourselves a free people if we can be so against such an awful thing happening and see no yield from our presidents and governors past a shrug of the shoulders and a vague statement about not liking the death of innocents. we cannot call ourselves a free people if israel can so blatantly bypass several laws, killing hundreds of journalists and health workers (one more journalist was killed recently, hamza al-dahdouh. i would feel wrong to not mention him during this portion. his father is staying strong even in the face of it, and i wish him a dignified funeral when this is all over and a proper time for his surrounding family to grieve.) trying to ease the strain in gaza, who have done far more good than i could ever hope to do in my lifetime, along with many more innocent civilians, because what does that say about the effectiveness and application of these laws? what does that say about our actual safety at the end of the day, that if, in the eyes of western governments, the right person is behind the trigger, they can shoot whoever they want with no consequence? the genocide of the palestinian people by israel is directly related to everyone on this planet, and until we have them and everyone else under the boot of a genocidal regime freed, we are not free either.

we MUST call for a free palestine, for every palestinian within it, for those who were killed calling it, so that maybe in this lifetime we see real change for palestinians, so that maybe everything gets a little better in the world. it won't be a fast change, it'll require a lot of yelling and stomping and pushing against israel and the us and everyone else who benefits from whats happening to the palestinian people, it'll take the disassembling of a country built on the corpses of palestinian people and planning to take far more away with its bombings of lebanon and syria, but that does not mean its impossible, just hard. i do truly believe change can be made with enough people dedicated to the cause and enough pressure placed upon governments who can intervene via protests, boycotts, educating one's self about the genocide via literature and documentaries, and calling + emailing representatives about the genocide. below is an assembly of links talking about whats going on and also statements by palestinians, i'll stop rambling on. free palestine. and FUCK ISRAEL!

info on the sde teimen concentration camp (couldnt find a non-paywalled vers of the article linked in post)

decolonise palestine

gaza is starving

wael al-dahdouh's statement on his son (and general family)'s death

south africa's statement submitted to the international court of justice

palestinian hostage says he was sent into a hamas tunnel strapped with bombs

article + video of idf soldiers detaining dozens of palestinian civilians (including elderly people and children) half naked into a stadium

reporting of attacks on refugee camps and hospitals, of which there are many, so heres a few (x) (x) (x)

more than 10 kids per day on average lose one or two limbs in gaza

several amputations done on palestinian children without anaesthesia

the brutality of israeli prisons && camps

house to house executions in gaza by israeli soldiers

coverage of palestine in the media and bias towards israel

and, finally, what you can do to help. do not roll over and lie still under the weight of all this suffering. you must continue fighting, you must shape that weight into a weapon, and yes, it will hurt, and yes, you will get tired and worn out (in which case, you rest. you working yourself to the bone is of use to no one) but eventually, something will happen, and until then you hold that weight like a fire in your chest and direct it towards helping those who need help. never forget that weight. never forget palestine. nothing lasts forever, and neither will this. there will be a free palestine.

i'd advise tuning into the icj hearing if you have time– i personally will not be available, but i'm sure whatever goes on over there will be of some value to whats going on. follow palestinian journalists (motaz, hind, bisan, plestia, and many others, who are risking their lives to deliver the news to outsiders, who have done more than anyone should be obligated to in a thousand lifetimes, who deserve safe families and good lives and a long rest and a thousand years in a free palestine, on their beautiful homeland) if you have the linked platforms and can, continue talking about palestine along with them. treat yourself kindly. for the fourth time i've said this in this post, and however many more times it needs to be said, free palestine!

[stomach-rental]

this is a very silly question, but what is endosoma? i've seen it tossed around here and there but i haven't seen an explanation

also, why do some character names have slashes (the /) in them?

Hi! It's okay, it gets a little confusing around here sometimes.

Endosoma is a concept similar to vore, but not quite as specific. It's about being inside of another person's body, but includes all Kinds of parts of the body, not just the digestive system-- heart, lungs, nerves, muscles, you name it! All vore is endosoma, but not all endosoma is vore, sort of like the rectangle/square type deal. It's very popular in "vore-type" media, especially from the late 1990s and 2000s, to use endosoma instead of vore since endosoma can be more exploratory, alien, and strange. It's also definitely less close to sexual-- after all, usually people are much smaller in endosoma and are inside of ships or similar things, so it's not as easy to push into the whole person on person dynamic. Think Innerspace, Magic School Bus, Fantastic Voyage, etc.! But there are types of endosoma where it Is just someone in the body instead of utilizing some ship, more popular with non-human anthropomorphized settings where parts of the body are actually little people running things, and those parts can be really cool too.

Endosoma is hard to come by due to the mass popularization of using endosoma as a catch-all term for safe vore, despite safe vore having its own terms already. This means that actually finding real endosoma content that isn't Just Vore is super hard to come by, and that's part of why I've been advocating so hard for people to separate the tags and only tag endosoma if it's beyond just the stomach/mouth situation (even though vore Does count as endo). It just makes it so hopefully we'll not be trying to find a needle in a hay stack anytime anyone wants to talk about endosoma specifically, AND ensures that people that might be triggered by this more body-horror-accommodating concept don't accidentally come across it while trying to go through their usual interests.

Some people use slashes or other things to break up names of characters directly from outside media that is not vore related, because Tumblr will automatically group those in with the *normal tags for that show/game/etc.*, leading to people finding the vore who were NOT wanting to see it. By putting the dashes and other separations in the way, Tumblr doesn't screw up the search system, and it's safer! Of course, I don't typically do that with my stuff because Getting In Deep is a vore centered story, and anyone looking for it is obviously going to be comfortable with vore to some extent that they will Expect it to show up. Same with OCs-- not that my OCs are usually vore centric, but. You know. Nobody's gonna be searching for them so they won't get surprised by it, which means there's no need to break up the names.

I hope that answers your questions!!

[deni-means-flor]

Stardew Valley but you're at a Mexican Rancho

The Playlist

And here you have it friends, the cursed playlist that started it all. Every time I played the game during my first playthrough, there were some character plotlines or in-game events that reminded me of ranchero, regional mexicano, or banda songs from my country, and the fact that all those songs are linked to the idealized culture of rural areas of my country, and that Stardew is basically a farming game, made sense to my weird neurodivergent brain. So here you go, the playlist and which songs I relate to each character.

The list is ordered as follows:

Song title - Artist

Character/Event I relate the song to and why.

If you have any questions/comments, feel free to jump to the end of this playlist for my Author's Note

WARNING: THIS PLAYLIST DESCRIPTION CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR IN-GAME / HEART EVENTS.

Los Agachados - Maldita Vecindad y los Hijos del 5to Patio

Character/Event: You know when we meet our main character and they are stuck in their routine, in a crowded city working a job that they don't like, 9 to 5? Well that happens too often down here, but in Mexico, for as long as we can remember, all that tediousness is alleviated by hanging out with our buddies and eating with our families or friends. The golden age of Mexican cinema reflects that enduring part of our history. This song is a homage to Tin-Tán Valdez's movies.

2. Mi Ciudad - Guadalupe Trigo

Character/Event: After our MC gets the letter from their Grandpa and has the opportunity to move to Pelican Town, during their bus ride they start to say goodbye to their city, looking forward to the possibilities that the new location offers. It's not that they hate the city, they just needed to grow their roots somewhere else, so the journey is filled with gratitude.

3. Recuérdame - Carlos Rivera

Character/Event: Grandpa's message. Ah, the favorite singer of Mexican moms and abuelas, it was only natural that this song helps MC reminisce about their summers in Pelican Town and their late grandpa. Do I hate that Disney tried to trademark a national tradition? absolutely, but the soundtrack from Coco slaps, especially in Spanish.

4. Árboles de la Barranca - Antonio Aguilar

Character/Event: The Farm. This one is self-explanatory for Spanish speakers. After MC's (now Farmer) arrival on the farm, they look at the condition of everything. "Árboles de la barranca, ¿Por qué no han enverdecido?" (Translation: Trees of the ravine, why haven't you gone green again?) and look at all the work they have ahead of them.

5. Soy de Rancho - El Komander

Character/Event: This is when MC becomes the Farmer. Maybe after their first Spring in Pelican Town or selling their first successful crops, the Farmer is getting the hang of things and are fully taking pride in the progress they've made.

6. La Granja - Los Tigres del Norte

Character/Event: The Community Center / The Barn / Lewis / Joja Co. Los Tigres del Norte are almost ubiquitous in representing Mexican culture all over the world, and it's only natural that this song (one of their hardest critiques to corruption) appears here. After managing to get a barn and their first animals through their hard effort, meeting the Junimos at the community center, and getting tasked by Lewis with the repair of the building, the Farmer begins to think that maybe the city and Pelican Town aren't so different in terms of the lack of care from their representatives. Lewis isn't necessarily bad, he's a nice man who cares about his community... but he has enough money to buy truffle oil and create a golden statue of himself while the community center has been abandoned and JojaMart is messing with local businesses. The problem isn't the lack of resources, but the greed and hunger of a few (which the Tigres del Norte song addresses directly)

Author's Note: Thanks for reading this first part of the playlist and feel free to leave me your comments/questions/asks. In the next post, due to the length of this one, I'll talk more about the other songs in the playlist and what they mean for the universe in my playthrough, especially, the ones I gave to the romanceable characters.

[subwaytostardew]

Oh hey! Maybe if the player sides with Morris a good point to be made is how Mayor Lewis hasn't really done much for the town, like the bus being unable to transport people, or the golden Lewis statue?

Oh, that's a good suggestion! The Joja route would definately have to play into how everybody in the valley is kind of awful (I do love how much things suck in stardew). I had the farmer's distaste for Pierre in mind as a reason to shop at Joja instead but was stuck on the community center side of things... Lewis being an awful mayor is an interesting angle. We haven't thought about their personal relations with Mayor Lewis too much since submas toss the mayoral side of things to Drayden (and even then... Lewis doesn't want to do much. Which is fine for them since they don't want to get stuck in meetings together. They try to stay out of each other's way...) Lewis doesn't help out at all with the bus so he wouldn't do anything for the railroad.

As for the station, it's basically a second community center that Morris plans to take over. While the twins have their qualms about the other townspeople, Morris directly antagonized them from the beginning so their hatred for him takes precedence (even if he is probably the best at what he does in my opinion). A Joja route would take some reworking if the player were to side with Morris and we would have to consider the possibility of them taking the station from the twins too (red flag!).

Thinking about it... It's somewhat fair since the twins aren't exactly the best either... They have dependency issues and are dying from overwork because of the station. ;;>.> Taking the station from them might be for their own good (they did mention giving up in the intro events...). I don't think actually having the option to work with Morris and take the station for Joja would make much sense though since realistically, they would just head back to Nimbasa. Not sure how a friendship with them can happen like that but well... we'll figure it out eventually! Thank you for the suggestion!

▷ Station Steward Thylak

[glitchyk]

Hey uh… I hope you guys won’t mind me randomly dumping this here

Basically— I think you four are really cool people and I’m happy that I unintentionally inspired the mafia au, because it gave me an excuse to get to know y’all, which I’d wanted to do.. for a while. Quite a while, since you all seemed so nice, but I kinda felt like it was overstepping to try and talk to you directly, which is why I never did. I could send the message directly but I uh… yeah this is more confident space wise. Aka Discord will not let me write a Glitchyk-sized writing.

…Fuck this feels awkward.

Moshieee: I’ve said this probably too much, but uh.. I really appreciate you, you inspire me to do more stuff, as I’ve said before, you inspired that one AU I made, and you’re just so sweet in general. You remind me of a really caring older sibling, you’re not just some goof ball, but it’s nice to have serious talks, sometimes. Maybe it’s because I feel like I relate to you, also I think you’re really awesome. You’re the first person I saw on here that was doing traditional art and not online art, and you were so fun and creative that it inspired me to do things.

Bun: Hey! I didn’t know you much at the start, I just saw you around, and I thought you were interesting, especially since you were nice and for some reason followed me after moshieee did??? It’s fun to talk to someone who’s openly goofy, as all of you are, and it’s just nice. I dunno why, I just really like talking to you, maybe because we give off the same chaotic vibes at times. Also maybe bc you make the art of a character you like, I make the edit for it, which makes you wanna make more art, and it’s a cycle/silly

Dia: Online punching bag🫵/silly. You may not think you’re cool, but I think you’re really awesome, and amazing human being, your art is good and I find your story interesting for tadc and you’re just— fucking awesome overall. I’m happy that I have unintentionally inspired stuff with you, because I’m happy that I could give someone a good idea, and that someone be a good artist, so an idea isn’t wasted on my shitty art. I like just dumping random lil prompts on you, and also we vibe, I feel like we’re a bit similar (plus happy birday ✨)

Rabid: Amazing. Fucking awesome human being. Your art is amazing, your personality is chaotic and I feel like mostly matches mine, you literally inspire me every day with your awesome art, characters, storytelling, and I feel so fucking proud when I see you do your art. I didn’t know you personally when I started feeling proud, but I guess it’s because (as I’ve said various times) that it’s so cool seeing someone around my age doing such good art, I have similar feelings for Neptune since their art is awesome, but I dunno them well and so I will not write a paragraph about them (yet/j). I love randomly annoying you, since you seem fine with it (if you’re not please tell me—) and it’s just so cool to be able to see someone around my age, who’s so damn amazing. It inspires me a lot, makes me wanna do stuff. Oh! Also something I almost forgot to add, I saw your corruption AU for tadc and that also just made me so much more interested in you, since I had a sort of ‘corrupted’ AU that I made before I even came on tumblr. Is basically all this stuff added up made me really wanna interact with you!

I’m happy I unintentionally inspired the mafia au, because it gave me a reason to comfortably interact with y’all. In all, all of you are awesome, in art, personality, and story wise, in all different amazing ways. Sometimes I sometimes feel like I can never compare to all of you in art, and I don’t know why you all willingly became acquaintances with me, but it mostly inspires me to try harder. Y’all are awesome… that’s my mini positivity dump for now, had to restrain myself from writing a whole fucking thing on every detail of this subject, since I know I have to eat food and I will not type and eat at the same time.

@dia-smthidk @rabid-mercenary15 @moshieee @bunnybunnsowo

[yesimadeanotherblogfuckoff]

GO S2 OPENING ANALYSIS PT 1 (also Potential GO spoilers idk)

I haven't really seen anyone go in depth on the opening for season two yet so I'm making to this to point out all the things i spotted and some theories this is SUPER LONG POST SO BE WARNED

Crowley crawls up while Aziraphale floats down which is fitting but there's also storm clouds in the distance so there might be a scene after the flood or it's a sign of impending doom

right after crowley and aziraphale go through that dark tunnel Gabriel(?) can be spotted with that infamous box

they're in the middle of a scorched village and crowley sets goats on fire which pretty much confirms that they are somehow going to be involved with the story of Job if not directly involved

here we have that Gabriel statue from the trailer and a gravestone with "EVERYDAY" written on it, the reoccurring song that somehow related to the mystery

here's another gravestone with something written on it, this was the best photo i could get and i tried lightening it but i can't figure out what it says so if anyone has any ideas feel free to share

gravestone with jane austen on it, this author has been referenced quite a bit from the info we have about s2 so far and is on the cover for the episode "The Ball" so looking forward to that

"HERE LIES THE FORMER SHELL OF BEELZLEBUB" so i guess that's Neil's explanation for them having a different actor? Beelzebub molted? gross but very creative

also im pretty sure that bottom one says "Here Lies ADAM" as in antichrist Adam? oh man i hope he isn't dead he was such a sweet kid

there's a guillotine in the far back during their walk through hell hope that isn't foreshadowing anything 0-0

they also have this office on a pillar above the fiery pit of hell which i find very funny but this could also maybe be related to Shax? where she used to work maybe??

a sign for an underground train station so i guess we'll be expecting a train station scene of some kind?

the group walks through this gate with "GENTS" at the top no idea what that implys but i'll put it here anyways

there's a "WINGS FOR VICTORY" sign on the side of this bus which is a reference to British saving campaigns during WWII so confirms more WWII era stuff with aziraphale and crowley

there is this poster for STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN and my first thought was the LED ZEPPLIN song but actually it's a reference this 1946 movie

in which a British wartime aviator who cheats death must argue for his life before a celestial court, hoping to prolong his fledgling romance with an American girl

so thats INTERESTING and COOL and totally doesn't imply ANYTHING about aziraphale and crowley's relationship or (potentially) maggie and nina's

but there is also a Zeppelin (it looks more like a blimp but whatever) and later on they go into a theater which looks very similar to the album cover for Stairway to Heaven

so I'm not gonna rule it out

there's a poster that says "THE FABULOUS LADIES OF CAMELOT" which is probably the group name of the show girls we saw in the trailer it says they are performing at the Windmill Theatre in London which is real and very famous for its Windmill girls who performed as nude living statues

i think this box is part of that saw a person in half trick and i can't wait to see Aziraphale attempt this trick and miserably fail like he always does, lot of laughs for sure

here's aziraphale on stage in his magician's outfit from the trailer but crowley is there as well so maybe he's his assistant? if so thats super funny and explains why crowley is not a fan of his magic act later on

very cute moment of crowley and aziraphale twirling around each other in the stars (this could be a nod to that moment that people spoiled for the first two episodes will know what im talking about )

this bridge they're walking on could potentially be the Humber Bridge near Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England (?)

or just a random ass bridge lol i do love to theorize tho

this airplane has "THY KINGDOM AIRWAYS" on its side very funny gag

these cotton candy hearts appear to be raining from the sky which im not sure what that implies but this season is focusing more on romance so it fits (also crowley and azira sitting together on the roof cute <3)

here we have maggie's record shop and nina's cafe right next to each other with record banners on the street, maybe a promotional party for the store? there's also a jukebox with records stacked in front of it. there's a promotional image of aziraphale holding everyday on vinyl (that i can't find sorry) so maybe he's gonna use this jukebox to play it?

i believe this is Gabriel(?) holding the package and going down an elevator from Heaven so he wasn't lying about needing to deliver something to Aziraphale something must've happened to him on his way over

one of the group is holding a sign for the "The 2nd Coming" as in the second coming of Jesus Christ?

A bar called The Dirty Donkey, new location for aziraphale and crowley to dine at? there's a smaller sign there but it's impossible to read HOWEVER

it looks like a holy figure standing in front of the opening of a cave, maybe an angel? considering the clothing maybe Jesus Christ?

I'm at my limit for photos so I will continue this in my next post!

(edit: here's the link for pt 2)

[rei-caldombra]

Uramichi Onii-San- The Woes of the Working Adult - Anime Review

This is a very low spoiler review for anyone reading this who has not seen the show. There is just one section that has direct spoilers, outside of that it’s just general premise and thematic stuff that I talk about. This show is also a slice of life comedy with no proper plot so I would not be concerned about the spoiler I bring up there ruining your viewing experience. 

I’d call this a pretty straightforward comedy with flavoring of adult suffering. Quick synopsis-- this show is about a group of adults who work on a children’s tv program where kids are present on set. Most of the actors are very mentally unwell due to the daily stresses of life, to the point where they can’t even keep their masks on completely for their job. Which leads to very funny outbursts of depressing reality. 

It's really nice having a show about working adults and the mid 20s-early 30s age group that I think of as the earlier proper adult range. This is an age group that is usually just segmented to a few side characters in most anime and manga. As someone who has entered this age group in recent years, I relate a lot to what's going on here and, in a way, fear my approach to the age of the adults on screen lol. There are so many issues of adult suffering that get brought up here. To mention some of them- Numbness to emotions, not wanting to get out of bed, not having confidence that you will be willing to get up in the morning, that urge to go to a random place just to avoid going to work (I directly relate to his experience of his urge to get on a random bus rather than his work bus, but for me its been wanting to get on a random train). Feeling lost and directionless. Stuck in the day to day. Feeling unsatisfied with what your life is making out to be. Thinking you are dull. Pushing through difficult times for a specific goal. Having something you were passionate and successful at before that did not translate into a job in that field. Feeling despair over not being in a relationship, pressure to get married. Not having many friends. Relying on little moments of happiness. Needing to do your job no matter how terrible you feel. Feeling suppressed by society. Annoying unreasonable bosses. Considering a few days off in a row is a momentous occasion. Even if you are not as mentally unwell as many of the characters in this show, if you are a working adult you will have lots of moments that you can relate to. 

While it does bring up these very real and depressing things, don’t misconstrued it as the tone being genuinely depressing or heavy. They really are played as jokes despite the truth to them both irl and for the characters in universe. This is not a show that will bring down your mood. The comedy works super well for me, I think the show is very funny. When it comes to shows that are primarily comedies, it's hard to say much more than that. Directly describing jokes takes away part of their punch for anyone who hasn't seen them already, and loses the context that helps make them funny, so I'm going to avoid bringing up specific segments I really liked, as much as I really want to talk about some of them. All I will say is the main bit of the show is the adult characters reacting to positive/innocent things with a jaded adult perspective. 

You can empathize very easily with the characters through their very relatable and real issues. This does a great job of getting you invested in the characters. I really like the inner monologues we get from Uramichi that show his thought process. The characters largely do feel like they could be real people. 

Having a character voiced by Mamoru Miyano is always a plus, I actually first came across this show because of clips of his character. There’s a lot of famous Japanese voice actors here- the previously mentioned legend, Hiroshi Kamiya, Sugita Tomokazu and Yuuichi Nakamura. I knew I recognized most of the main character’s voices when I first heard them. As such the voice acting is super good. 

I don’t know much about being a children’s programming actor so it is interesting to get a glimpse into that. Such as the detail that the costumed characters' lines during a live show are pre recorded and played through speakers. It's also interesting seeing them adapt scenes to random things happening, like the kids asking certain questions. The characters needing to act and follow a script while also reacting to the chaotic element that is children makes for an interesting setting. I do feel I got a good glimpse into this space from Uramichi San. I tend to really like slices of life that focus on niche subjects. I like getting a glimpse into a space I know nothing about through something more interesting than documentaries or articles. And to me the mark of a good niche subject show is not successfully appealing to people already in that niche, it is being able to interest people who aren’t. If a show can keep someone with no knowledge or interest in that niche entertained, it’s got great writing and execution. And Uramichi San certainly does keep me interested.

I do have one talking point that does require bringing up some examples directly. One criticism I do have is that there's a bit of dissonance between whether you can take what the characters are saying as real or not. There are times when Uramichi will say something depressing while performing on the show and other characters would react as you would expect if someone said something they shouldn’t around kids. But then other times where he does and the characters don’t react as if he did. Sometimes you can assume the camera or audio is not going in these moments but there are moments where you can’t justify that. When they put on the concert is one place you see this. The jokes of the songs going from positive to depressing while continuing to have the energy of a kids song are genuinely really funny. But it does take you out of it a bit because in context that implies the song was actually written that way. Which doesn’t make sense for the in-universe shows writers to do. And it doesn’t make sense for the characters to suddenly not follow the song’s actual lyrics and not have anyone react weirdly to it, including the audience. It tends to leave you thinking something along the lines of “wait, are they just gonna leave that in?”.There is some internal consistency with the children reacting properly at least, as the show goes on the kids replicate the depressing ideas more often. Which is funny and makes sense. This doesn’t ruin things completely, but it does kinda hurt your desire to think about what the characters are doing more deeply due to the lax internal consistency. I think you just have to accept it's loose with these things and that the priority is telling jokes over having a 100% consistent view. It's a bit awkward but I can accept it because the jokes we get out of this are generally quite funny. 

When it comes to art and animation, it’s pretty good. There is extra fluidity during more high movement scenes which are nice to see. There are a lot of great expressions that manage to portray the impression of someone smiling through suffering. The overall presentation of colors, character designs, etc. are good too and fit with the setting of a children's program. I like the variety of hairstyles we get from all the characters. I have no complaints in the presentation department. 

I’ve been enjoying this show a lot! I love these barely functional adults whose hinges are largely broken. It’s very funny and I like the adult themes it brings up. It’s not perfect in its execution at times, which can break your immersion a bit, but what you get from that loose attitude still works. Despite frequently bringing up depressing subject matter that any adult out there will find something to heavily relate to, it manages to keep a very silly and positive tone. This show comes very highly recommended! I hope you are properly taking care of yourselves my fellow working adults. Stay strong and thanks for reading!

Also Kumatani is best boy.

[mssophiesthirdaidmysterybiscuits]

What the Fuck, Berlin?

Warning: Rant, with a couple explanations at the end, if I can be bothered. Maybe in another post.

Berlin, what the ACTUAL F U C K ?

Are you seriously FUCKING kidding me? After two pandemic-ridden, luckily fairly quiet years, this new years night just completely busted all charts of reasonability. Everyone expected the "old, normal, pre-covid" amount of firework related injuries, fires and other shit. The Berlin Fire Departement was prepared for that. NOBODY expect the absolute hellscape parts of this city turned into for some of the firefighters last night.

Let me paint just a small part of the picture, just three of the MANY, M A N Y incidents that happened:

One: While driving with activated emergency signals and carrying a patient an ambulance was not only shot at with firework and had firecrackers thrown at it, some thought it funny or wise or what the hell ever to throw a WHOLE ASS FIRE EXTINGUISHER onto the hood of the vehicle.

Two: Firefighters were called to put out a bus that had caught fire (or possibly was set on fire, I dont know, fact is, it was burning) and were REPEATEDLY targeted by deliberately thrown pieces or fireworks, prohibiting them from doing their job. Police in full fucking RIOT GEAR hat to step in, so that the firefighters could do what they were there for. Oh, and did I mention that said on-fire-bus was directly under an overpass and the fire could have very easily AND NEARLY DID spread onto the building(s) right above?

Three: A firetruck had to stop because of a literal burning ROADBLOCK, whereafter it as A M B U S H E D by as many as 25 masked individuals who ripped open the compartments, trying to grab and steal gear from said truck while apparently waving some kind of weapons (I dont know what exactly, so might have been guns, might not) arround in an attempt to threaten the crew.

Now, you have to know that one of the ways Berlin prepares for these nights is by calling in / relying on many of its volunteer firefighters. Now, I give you one single bloody guess, as to who manned this particular truck that night. Now, admittedly, having a truck manned by career firefighters in such a situation would obviously be just as bad, but please imagine the following: you have VOLUTARILY given up new years eve with family and / or friends to spend your time helping others and the "Thank you" you get for that is being ambushed in your own city, having the literal crap scared out of you, having weapons waved around in you face while your truck gets looted by a masked mob.

Over the wole night multiple firefighters / first responders were injured, as far as I know one is still in hospital.

In conclusion, the people who did shit like that can to straight to non-existant hell, for all I care. As a volunteer firefighter myself (even though I am not from Berlin) crap like this gets me pissed off beyond anything else.

I might link a couple things, either later on or in another post, right now I need to find a way to cool down.

Take care, stay safe and to all the first responders out there: thanks and come back home safely!

[noro-noro-noro]

the dreams I had got mixed up also.

taking the bus 1.5 they changed refinery missions in drg

big party with my relatives 2.5. some people noisy outside my window

some drunk girl takes my boots & teleports away

fantasy world crusade

i have to find hentai with the tags "bearded dragon"

why are the half dreams that i added in later indented. this is annoying

1. taking the bus home from highschool again & that guy was there but the bus stop was now at the bottom of my driveway instead of the bottom of his driveway. my sister was also on the bus and she was telling me the bus stop was at our driveway instead of Alex's but I didn't believe her until it actually stopped. then I was like jaylene when did it become this bus stop!??? when??? also there were lotuses growing next to the driveway so I was cheerful wbout that bc I like them, but then my mom yelled at me for eating lotus root and scattering the seeds around the yard last year bc now she has to dig up all the lotuses & I was like why :( I like these... then there was likr a little hole under the house with blue lighting that looked just like a picture I drew, down to the shitty lineart that I started overpainting instead. I overpainted some of the water in the pond. it was purple.

1.5 something drg related. they changed how pipes in refining worked. scout couf build his own pipes they were blue and placed faster. and also there were 6 geysers now so 6 pipes.

2. a big party with my dad's side of the family, but it happened again in my mom's house. that's always the house I see in my dreams so whatever. one of my smaller cousins C was trying to play piano. i was surprised at how they got such a nice piano onto the driveway and was worried it was gonna rain. everybody was drinking a bit & being a little rowdy , so I decided to keep at eye on my little cousins instead. she tried playing the middle part of a famous waltz that had been simplified down to child level, but then part of it was also just in the hall of the mountain king. which I should look back into playing again bc it was a lot of fun. anyway!! I was trying to help her out but I only had a shitty light blue colored pencil to make notes with. then as people were leaving I heard shouting from inside, a dude named Zach was being a pain in the ass. my brain immediately was like "do you know rhis guy? he's a white gsmer mustve been one of your ex's friends that you forgot to remove on social media" even though he was literally a dude I saw 10-15 times on campus bc he was in Industrial Design which was the huilding next to ours. anyway idk his crimes but he was just chilling in the living room and I kind of wanted him to leave.

2.5. just remembered this, it was also in my mom's house. I was sleeping in my old room when I heard people yelling from the patio (directly under my old room) & it was 8am so I turned the light on & peeked out & there was some family down there who lookrd up a me a bit sheepishly. I like gestured at them & then turbed my light back off.

3. this kinda takes place in the post party zone. it was a similar vibe to the last day of thing I volunteered for in Taiwan, where all the rules went out the window bc half the people "leading" the groups were younger than the college students, and everybody wanted to be drinking, and we were 7 to a room & one of the girls I was with kicked us all out bc she wanted to get with a guy so I was just wandering around the area like :-/ I want to go to bed.... the night market is already closed by now.....anyway it was like that vibe. we were in a similar hotel now, if slightly nicer. some drunk girl in a white fur coat and very fancy strappy heeled sandals showed up with her friend & they sat next to me & talked really loudly for a while, and then the girl was like um. hey. can I borrow your boots to go to the bathroom I don't wanna walk in these heels. so I was like ok sure just bring them back.... & she was like omg thanks babe :D & then as she was taking her sandals off I noticed she had abnormally small feet. whatever. she took my.boots & then like teleported away.

4. there was some kind of sci Fi fantasy aspect leaking in now. like fantasy where the magic is old abandoned scifi stuff like sword of shannara. I was on some quest to do something. there was a machine of some sort? some kind of thing I had. I downloaded something that turned me invisible Just in time since some mafia guys were about to walk up. their girls were also wearing strappy heels. cut to the rest of my stupid stupid party seeing the girl who took my boots also hanging onto MY dimensional gate bow that we were LOOKING FOR. and they were just like oh cool! & let her g on her way

5. it was really vital that I accurately typed in tags to look for some kind of hentai that had a bearded dragon in it..not participating or anything, just that the main girl had one & you got to see her feed it before she went off to get railed or whatever. unfortunately I couldn't spell bearded properly.

[idontwanttospoiltheparty]

I definitely agree that the exchange rate thing is there in each song. But, for me anyway, I think combining them into a triplet points to a larger theme across the body of work. (Interestingly, presumably two Paul lines and one John line). Maybe alienation isn't quite the right word. But there's something to the idea of that gulf between effort and outcome coming up in relation to money more than once and in such desperate circumstances. That makes me want to more directly engage with the relationship of the writer's/speaker's relationship with the concept of wealth

Honestly, I didn't mean to discount your reading; I think just seeing your idea helped me peace together what I had originally been thinking while typing it out.

Anyways, thank you for sharing your thoughts and yeah I can see that!

Junk especially, you can read it very metaphorically (which I think Paul's specific choice of objects does highly suggest) but you can also read it quite literally.

As a guy known for having a bit of a lifelong distaste for material excess (though obviously Paul is also a Very Rich Guy™) and also someone who seems to assign a lot of sentimental value to seemingly innocuous things, it's very poignant of him to ask "why do you need to get rid of these things? why do you need to extort everything for some profit?"

I'm actually reminded of Paul saying he misses taking the bus from his pre-fame days and John questioning him. Seriously? You miss taking the bus? I imagine he may have oftentimes felt a bit alienated from his old money friends in that respect, with his decidedly different relationship to his possessions.

And when you look at She's Leaving Home, there's this idea in it that money can't replace a loving and accepting home.

Hmmmmmm

[rohirric-hunter]

I don't know if I agree that escalation is important. Another series that did this well is the Redwall series by Brian Jacques. The first book written in the series had a protagonist, Matthias. A later book focused on his son, Mattimeo. The stakes in Mattimeo's book are, if we're quite honest, noticeably lower than in Matthias'. There are still stakes -- one of the villains kidnaps Mattimeo and a bunch of other children and another one threatens their home while they are away from it, but neither villain is as threatening as the main villain of Matthias' story, and both of their evil plots are fairly localized. If they both got away with it then far fewer people would be negatively affected than in the first book.

In fact, both villains are villains that Matthias, as the hero of the first book, would easily have been able to deal with if he had just happened to be in the right place at the right time, but he's not. Matthias' failing as a parent isn't that he is bad at it. It's that his greatest strengths are also his greatest weaknesses. He's a very kind character, and this results in him letting Mattimeo get away with far more than he should, and one instance of him choosing to be kind rather than cautious kicks off the plot and all the ensuing conflicts. (Note that this is not presented as the wrong choice, per se, just an example of how unfortunately bad people can often use people's good qualities against them.)

Matthias then spends the entire book being restrained from being involved directly in either plot (which, again, he would have sorted in about ten minutes most likely) by time, distance, or cave-ins. Getting thrown into a bottomless pit. That sort of thing. There's almost a third plot where Matthias struggles against himself, TBH. His actions only indirectly and distantly affect the downfall of either villain. (This is thematically appropriate for the character, something something themes and motifs, but only tangentially related to this discussion.)

Some of the things that make this sequel succeed where others fail are these:

Matthias is present and active in the story. He is not put on a bus or killed early on; lesser writers use this tactic when they fear the new characters won't hold their own against the old ones. He is present and active; the story is simply not about him. He also passively influences the story through his past actions from the first book (kind of) and who he is as a person.

Matthias is a good parent, albeit not a perfect one. This works to the story's advantage, as Mattimeo ends up sharing many of his good traits that endeared readers to him in the first place by virtue of having been raised by him. Now they endear readers to the new protagonist as well.

Matthias has his own proper role in the story and a satisfying character arc. Matthias enjoyers still have something to be excited about in the story even though he is not the protagonist: here the writer neatly sidestepped the pitfall of alienating readers who are primarily reading the sequel in the hopes of new stuff about their faves.

Stakes really have little to do with it -- if anything the story is helped by the fact that the stakes are all deeply personal to the protagonists and not an Even Bigger Threat that will Destroy the World Even Harder than the first time.

In the case of Tolkien also doing this well, I think the most important takeaway is this: The parent figure must in some clear and important way influence and direct the child figure's story. You cannot write a sequel about a beloved character's kid where things just happen just because. There must be a clear line of narrative that makes sense between the parent and child's story.

But it takes a really talented writer to pull that off (especially if they weren't planning the sequel when writing the first book) and well a lot of people aren't really talented writers.

Generational spin-off media is like “okay, what would be the most in-character way for the previous show’s protagonist to comprehensively fail as a parent?”