#like i said it's visually cute and surface level nice

[theloveinc]

me and bakudeku:

[katsuhera]

SPIRIT WEEK | b. katsuki, bnha ˗ˏˋ bakugou katsuki x f!reader ˗ˏˋ wc: 1671 ˗ˏˋ nsfw (18+), degradation, choking, spit, oral (m! receiving), brat taming, creampie, unprotected sex. cheerleader!reader, football player!katsuki.

hera's kinktober: day 2 of 16. taglist form here.

“so you’re my spirit week partner?” a gruff voice spooked you from behind.

you turned, startled. a bulky figure stood close in front of you, towering over your body and caging you into the door.

“why? you got a problem with it?” you spat, annoyed at his tone. of course you had to be paired with bakugou katsuki, the star of your university’s football team. tall, muscular and hot—enough to make everyone who liked sports at your school fawn over him, and you were tired of hearing his name everywhere.

you joined cheer for the competitions, not to be some arm candy for the football team—but you didn’t have a choice. apparently the captains thought it would be a great idea for some team bonding. what is this, high school all over again? you remember thinking, annoyed.

“who’d you beg in order to be partnered with me?” he scoffed, crimson eyes boring holes into your face.

are you fucking kidding me?

“i don’t hate myself enough to do something like that,” you returned coolly, dipping under his arms to escape his presence. “do you mind leaving me alone? i have to get to practice.”

“yeah, i mind, actually,” he said, grabbing your wrist and spinning you to face him. “fuck’s your problem?”

“do you even know me? you’re the one who came up to me, remember?”

“tch,” his eyes darkened, pulling you in close to him. “don’t blame me for just wanting to get to know my spirit week partner.”

“oh? you just want to know me?” you huffed. “allow me. i’m y/n, i’m on the cheerleading team, i’m a flyer, and i couldn’t give a shit about spirit week. is that good enough for you?”

he scowled, the grimace wrinkling his otherwise pretty features.

“no, it’s not.”

he started walking towards the men’s locker room, dragging you along in spite of your protests.

“what the fuck are you doing!?” you hissed, struggling to free yourself from his grasp. “where are we going?”

“somewhere nice ‘n quiet so we can have a cute conversation. you know, get to know each other, as partners.”

you could practically hear the sneer in his voice, and your heart jumped a little at what you were anticipating.

flinging the door open, he all but thrust you inside, leaving you stumbling to catch your balance as you stared at him incredulously.

“why are we here?”

“what? it’s quiet, no one’s here.”

“but still—”

he brought his hands to your shoulders, forcing you to sit down on the bench.

it was only at this moment that you realized just how much bigger he was than you, how his muscles could easily pin you to any surface of this room and you’d have no choice but to lay or stand there and take it, that he could really have his way with you—why, why now?

your mind raced with lewd thoughts, brief visuals of your body pinned beneath his, your legs atop his shoulders, his lips hot and heavy on yours—

you cursed yourself for letting your thoughts get so ahead of themselves, because now here you were, sitting at bakugou’s mercy, trying your absolute best to hide the way you squeezed your thighs together, the ache in the apex of your thighs growing with each passing second.

“i wanna get to know you, princess,” he said, kneeling down to meet your eye level. “like, what is it that makes you such a brat?”

he cupped your cheek, sliding his hand down so that he caught your chin between his thumb and index finger. “c’mon, tell me.”

you opened your mouth angrily to reply, but were immediately silenced when a gob of his spit landed in your mouth.

“gonna tame this brat outta you,” he grinned, wiping the edge of your mouth clean. “and you’re gonna take it.”

stunned, you sat staring at him, at a loss for words.

“go ahead, you can swallow.”

obediently—and against your better judgement—you swallowed.

“good girl.”

pulling down the waistband of his grey sweats, he let his cock spring free, the tip angry and red with a small pearly bead of precum sitting at the slit.

“open up, baby.”

nothing but broken thoughts and strings of curses ran through your mind as you found yourself obeying him immediately and docilely, opening your mouth for him like a damn pet. god damn it, you wanted it. needed it, even.

within a second, you were choking on his cock, your mouth and throat stuffed full. hot tears sprang to your eyes as he jutted his hips forward, forcing you to take even more.

“such a good girl already, letting me fuck your face like this,” he groaned, grabbing a fistful of your hair. “where’s that brat from earlier? c’mon, bring her back—i kinda miss her.”

you glared up at him, but your vision of him grew blurrier and blurrier as he continued to fuck your face, your tears obscuring your sight.

instinctively, you swirled your tongue around his length, flicking it over the tip, feeling a sense of pride and accomplishment wash over you as he shuddered appreciatively.

“shit,” he muttered under his breath, and yanked your head off of his cock. “get up.”

he pushed you towards the sink area, forcing your torso down so that you bent over, looking at your reflection in the mirror.

“don’t we just look so good together?” he taunted, smiling at the mirror. “what a great spirit week couple we make.”

he pulled down your spandex, dragging your panties along with it and letting them fall to your ankles. you shivered, cool air rushing to meet your dripping cunt.

“who would have thought my partner would have such a pretty pussy, too?”

lining himself up with your pussy, bakugou took a second to admire the pretty sight you made, a brat reduced to nothing more than a slut hungry for his dick.

and you both hated and loved it—the way he treated you, gave you no choice but to shut up and take what he gave you.

rooting his fingers in your hair, he pulled your neck up so that you couldn’t look anywhere but at the mirror reflection.

“want you to watch as i fuck you,” he grinned, before pushing into you without warning.

you’d never be able to forget the obscene sound that left your mouth, the half-gasp and half-moan that fell from your lips and directly into his ears, just like music.

a harsh slap landed on your ass cheek, causing you to yelp in surprise and pain. his hand stayed there, squeezing and pulling so that he could get a better view of his cock sliding into to you.

“you’re fuckin’ tight, ya know that?” bakugou groaned, taking his time to fully sheathe himself inside of you. “so fuckin’ tight.”

impatient, you pushed your hips backwards, desperate to feel entirely filled up.

“brat,” he snarled, pulling your hair again and tightening his hold on your ass. “just a fuckin’ slut, hah? can’t wait?”

“if you’re gonna fuck me, then do it right,” you spat, the words tumbling out of your mouth before you could fully think them through.

his vermillion eyes flashed, the shadow of a smirk ghosting his features.

“yeah?” he asked darkly. “that’s what you want?”

he yanked your head up so that your back was flush against his chest, letting go of your hair and instead holding you upright by your neck.

“i’ll give ya what you want, partner.”

his hold on your neck was bruising, leaving you struggling and gasping for air while he thrusted into you mercilessly, fucking both the breath and the thoughts out of you, your eyes rolling back into your head.

“that good enough for you, slut? can you even take more?”

his balls slapped against the swell of your ass with each thrust, the curve of his dick pumping right into that special, gummy spot inside of you that no one else seemed to be able to hit before.

at this point, you weren’t sure if the stars in your vision were due to the lack of oxygen flowing to your brain or from your impending orgasm, but you couldn’t find it in yourself to think too much about it. the only thing grounding you to reality was the consistent smack! of his hips bucking into yours, and soon enough, you found yourself teetering on the brink of cumming.

“gonna—” you gasped. “g’nna cum—”

“do it,” he hissed, continuing his pace. “do it. wanna feel you cream all over my cock, like the fuckin’ filthy bitch you are—”

you came with a spasm, your cunt squeezing and clamping down on his cock as waves of heat and bliss shuddered through your body, your tongue lolling out of your mouth as you succumbed fully to your orgasm.

“fuck,” he grunted, the twitching of your body pushing him closer and closer. “stop fuckin’ doing that—”

“god, bakugou,” you mewled, your body limp in his grasp.

“katsuki,” he breathed, before pressing a chaste kiss to your neck. “call me katsuki.”

relentlessly, he continued slamming his hips into yours, the soft flesh of your ass growing red and sore from the constant assault.

“mmnh—katsuki—!” you sighed, reveling in the last few waves of your high.

he came with a grunt, holding your body still and tight against his as hot spurts of cum painted your insides white, his cock twitching as it softened inside of you.

you looked a mess, catching a brief glimpse of your reflection—strands of hair strewn messily over your face, your face and neck red and swollen, each of your bodies covered in a thin sheen of sticky sweat. the two of you stood like that for a moment, still conjoined at your core, panting and recovering from your highs, a peaceful silence blanketing the room.

“so, uh,” he said awkwardly, clearing his throat. “whaddya want for spirit week? flowers, or some shit?”

you paused before answering, holding back a laugh.

“shut up, katsuki."

kinktober masterlist | general masterlist

tagging: @yvonnesky @itsgoldnsage @tsookieloopie @semisgroupie @levylovegood @alittleoaktree @chaosgremlinbrat @boosyboo9206

[ingravinoveritas]

In lights of recent reblogs, whose idea was it to have David put his head on Michael's shoulder, anyway? The photographers? Or Davids?

If it was a suggestion from the photographer (or someone else from the visual team) then what exactly was their agenda, other than making these two look even more like a married couple than they already did? Because the couple vibes radiating from these photos are immaculate and there is no way on earth that whoever directed Michael and David from behind the camera didn't know exactly what impression they were creating. There isn't a single photo from the infamous shooting that doesn't look incredibly stunning and/or just downright adorable, which is why there seems to be hardly any room for doubt about the person behind the camera low-key shipping them. You just don't create these vibes accidentally, not as a professional who's clearly amazing at their craft, since, again, the photos turned out beautiful, no matter how much annoyance there was on David's and especially on Michael's side, hiding just under the surface and coming through inbetween takes. Clearly, the people responsible picked up on their chemistry and the way it came through and could be enhanced via visuals and then proceeded to make the most of it. Having one actually cuddling up towards the other is A Choice that works as the cherry on top. And, especially when considering the clear mood Michael was in without making much of an effort to hide it, it was a bold choice as well. A choice that requires a certain amount of confidence, not only in knowing that it'll pay off with how the finished photo will look, but also in knowing that it's not a direction that'll put off the actors. It's a bit of a dare to ask them to pose like this, yet the photographer(s) did make the choice to go there. Knowing how annoyed they both were that's certaintly speaking for the chemistry they radiated and possibly also for the way the interacted with each other throughout the shoot, giving whoever was responsible the impression that it was still safe to ask this of them and get exactly the right result. You don't direct David Tennant to put his head on (grumpy) Michael Sheen's shoulder and be nice and smiley about it, without feeling safe to do so and without having a clear vision for the kind of photo that is going to come out of that pose. They clearly wanted the couple vibes and it would be fun to know if this direction of the shoot had already been established before it had even started or if it was something that developed during the actual process.

Then, as said above, there's also the second possibility of David having made the choice to cuddle up. It would certaintly be in character for him to pose like this, it's something he frequently does with people he likes, often for the purpose of pictures being taken. The pose is looking both just complicated and spontaneous enough to be very Tennant-ish. It's an impulse he seems to experience quite often, possibly because feeling safer that way in front of a camera that's trying to capture not a character but himself. Hiding behind just a bit of silliness/exaggeration, whilst being very comfortable with seeking physical contact as support. Here, the interesting aspect would be the same as above: The amount of actual trust in knowing that this is a safe thing to do that won't be off-putting. It'll delight the photographers, playing into the exact thing they are going for. More importantly, it's a natural enough thing for David to do with their dynamic, the comfort level between them is high enough, to insure that Michael will be fine with it as well. More than that, maybe, since this silly yet cute action might just be the thing to force some genuine amusement out of him. That, and some indulgence for the ridiculous situation they're in.

I absolutely love this, Anon. This is a gorgeous analysis and there is truly so much to unpack about the pictures of David with his head on Michael’s shoulder. (And hell, let’s get a visual up here again, because why not...)

The photo shoot you linked to (where the first picture is from) is still endlessly fascinating to me, especially since we know from David’s podcast how they were both just Not. Having. It. at the time. From the first moment I saw those shots, though, I also felt the couple vibes were off the charts. Like you said, it radiates off of them, not only because of the poses they’re in, but because of that connection and trust between them--a trust that I think made David feel as comfortable as he did to be that intimate with Michael, whether or not it was at the photographer’s direction.

One thing that your analysis made me think of is that in all likelihood, these photo shoots were done before the show came out, to go with the interviews that Michael and David did. It stands to reason that the issues these interviews were featured in were timed to coincide with the release of Good Omens, so the photographer most likely did not see the show ahead of time. The photographer didn’t model the shoot after the characters of Aziraphale and Crowley. The photographer took those pictures in response to the chemistry between Michael and David, and to seeing them together on the day of the shoot.

And that, to me, speaks volumes.

I would also love to know what the process was, and whether this was apparent from the start or something that gradually developed. A part of me wonders if the photographer/team initially had a more “best friends” type of vibe in mind, and maybe that’s even where the shoot started, until they really watched Michael and David together. Saw them enter each other’s spaces, the level of comfort and trust and love, and started picking that up on camera. I suspect the person behind the camera--like so many of us--didn’t even set out to start shipping Michael and David, until that chemistry smacked them right in the face.

What you said about the other possibility--that it was David who made the choice to put his head on Michael’s shoulder--is also so perfect. I’ve talked repeatedly with @thetardisisblueandroseistoo​ and @hurtslikeyourmouth about this, and how natural it seems for David to want to put Michael at ease. The idea of it being easier in front of a camera is so interesting, too, because it makes me think of the Oscar Wilde quote that Michael loves to say:

“Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth.”

I would not be at all surprised if, in the moment, David cuddled up to Michael to help relax him. That maybe David needed to feel grounded himself, but he saw Michael needed it too, and put himself out there. The giving and taking of energy between them, made possible because of their connection, and it’s the fact that it looks so natural that makes it stand out. And what better way to hide being in love than behind a bit of silliness. Indulgence, indeed...

Honestly, I could talk about these pictures forever, but you’ve said it so beautifully, Anon, that there isn’t much left for me to add. All I can say is that if this is what we got for the first season--especially given that it has continued to resonate after three years--I cannot wait to see what the photo shoots for the second season are going to be like, and what the cameras will capture. We’ll find out soon enough...

[gins-potter]

Casting Thoughts

Yes, I did a long post when the rumours first dropped but hey now it’s confirmed plus we have characters descriptions, and I’m bored so let’s do this all over again people.  Under the cut because it got long

Sisi Stringer as Rose Hathaway

I said this in my other post but I’m pretty happy with Sisi as Rose.

Visually I think she’s a great fit, I love that they casted a WoC in the main role, and I think if she can bring Rose’s humour and sarcasm to the role, she’s going to do great.

The character description mentions Rose being “fiery and outspoken”, happy to jump into the action, and the strongest fighter in her class but struggling to toe the line, which is all very Rose-esque, especially in the first book.  It sounds to me like they have a good grasp on her character.

I’m a little disappointed we didn’t hear more about Rose as a character since she is the lead - it felt like the descriptions for Lissa and Dimitri both gave us a little more to go on - but it is only a very preliminary description so I’m happy to wait for more.

Daniela Nieves as Lissa Dragomir

Daniele is another one who I was happy with straight away.

She’s probably not what I imagined for Lissa visually but that’s not a bad thing either; I will be interested to see if they dye her hair a lighter colour (like a caramel-blonde) but personally that’s not something I need to see for her to be a great fit for Lissa.

I think she has a very sweet face which works well for a character like Lissa but I think she’s also going to be able to stand up in Lissa’s more fiercer moments which is nice to see as well.

The character descriptions mentions her as being “carefree and kind-hearted” who “coasts” through life until a death in the family thrusts her into a new role.  That sounds a lot like pre-series Lissa so I wonder if we’re going to see a bit of that in the show before Andre (and her parents??) die and see that change.  

It’s curious though that she’s described as the younger sister of the heir apparent - which would be Andre - so it sounds like they’ve changed it so Andre was supposed to be King.  Obviously a deviation from the books but I don’t hate it?  I don’t think it would change Lissa’s arc all that much because obviously she was always going to grow up to be an influential royal figure, this just slightly changes the dynamics of it.

The description also specifically mentions that she’s uninterested in “political machinations” and the “hypocrisy of the moroi royal society” which sounds very accurate to book!lissa as well.

All in all I’m very happy with what they’re doing with Lissa.

Keiron Moore as Dimitri Belikov

This is one who’s really grown on me since the rumoured cast list started circulating.  At first I was kind of eh about him but I can really see him as Dimitri now.

I will be curious to see if he grows out his hair or not though.

As far as I know Keiron is not Russian, there’s not a lot about him online, but there’s some instagram activity on his account linking him to UK based companies so that would be my guess as to where he’s from.  They’ve kept Dimitri’s incredibly Russian name so I guess we’re to assume Keiron might be doing an accent and they’re keeping Dimitri’s backstory relatively the same?  I’m not gonna be super mad if they change it just because I think it’s doable for him not to be Russian (I know, I know a whole book is set in Russia but lbr here they could make him from anywhere and just send Rose there in that book).

The biggest thing for me will be his chemistry with Sisi, Danila and Zoey had great chemistry (imo anyway) which saved the move a little for me, so it’ll be important that Sisi and Keiron do as well.  They’ve interacted a few times online which is cute so I’m hoping they were able to do some chemistry reads and that will translate on screen.

The character description mentions Dimitri as being “lethal, disciplined, discreet, and totally committed” as well as living by “a deep moral code” but with more going on “beneath his stoic, watchful surface” which sounds exactly like book!Dimitri to me.

They don’t really specify what his role at St Vlad’s is going to be but they do mention that he is a guardian so I’m assuming they’re keeping some sort of age gap between him and Rose.  They also don’t mention anything about their relationship in the description, be it student/teacher, platonic, romantic, whatever, but they do say he has “an expansive spirit that could threaten to expose the underlying tension between his sense of what’s right and his formal duty to the Moroi.” which seems like a nod to their relationship.

Andre Dae-Kim as Christian Ozera

This was one of my favourite casting choices from the original rumoured cast list and I still love it.

The idea of a non-white Christian makes a lot of sense to me and I think Andre could do a great job of Christian’s aloofness (in the first book) as well as his sarcasm and growing confidence across the other books.

His character description confuses me a bit though: “Intelligent and thoughtful, Christian is the pariah of the school and royal court, due to his parents’ unforgivable societal sins.” sounds accurate enough to the book (although idk if thoughtful is quite the word I’d use for Christian - maybe they mean it in the sense that he’s quiet and keeps to himself?).

Even “Well-read and hungry for knowledge” doesn’t sound that far off, idk if he was *that* particularly studious in the books, but it doesn’t necessarily not make sense either you know?

But “he searches for faith-based answers and discovers a kindred spirit who is also looking for the truth” ??? My cynical, irreverent asshole Christian is now a man of faith? I’m assuming Lissa is the “kindred spirit” (again weird word choice but maybe they mean she’s feeling lost because of the death of her family?) but I just cannot see Christian as being particularly religious.

I’m trying to keep an open mind about these changes because you never know they might play out totally different on screen, but I really hope they didn’t make these changes, particularly that Christian is studious and religious, just because they cast an Asian actor as him (because they feel a little like Asian stereotypes).

J August Richards as Victor Dashkov

This is one that didn’t appear on the original rumoured cast list (as far as I saw) and it’s so different to his description in the books that I kind of don’t have an opinion about it as a casting choice.

I’ve never seen him in anything before so purely on a visual level I think he could be a great fit for Victor, I just think it’ll really come down to how he plays it.

As for this character description: “Victor is a Moroi noble vampire with a heart of gold who’s highly regarded for his role as advisor and political strategist to Moroi dignitaries.” as well as mentioning that he has intelligence and influence, sounds pretty accurate to the book.  Obviously if Andre was the heir to the throne, Victor had to be shifted out of that role, but I think his book 1 arc could still work if they wanted it to.

The “heart of gold” bit obviously made me chuckle and I really hope they threw it in there as a kind of decoy to throw non-book-readers off the fact that he’s actually the villain in book 1/s1.

As for giving him a husband and two daughters, my thoughts are: why the fuck not? He didn’t have a love interest in the original books and I’m always down for more lgbtq+ rep.  My only concern is it maybe playing into the trope of evil/villain characters being queer-coded.  And as for having two daughters, well as long as one of them is Natalie I don’t mind.

Anita-Joy Uwajeh as Tatiana Vogel

Okay this is the most bizarre one imo, not because of the casting, but just the character description.

I mean “Tatiana is a Moroi vampire and political underdog who slowly takes the royal court by storm. Motivated by love and a sense of justice, Tatiana has a unique skill of making herself seem of no consequence until we realize much too late that she was always the one to watch.” sounds extremely Tasha Ozera to me, so like why not just make this character Tasha?  Nothing about this sounds like Tatiana, and Tatiana wasn’t even a Vogel anyway (well Vogel wasn’t even one of the 12 royal families), she was an Ivashkov.

In terms of Anita-Joy herself, well I mean we don’t really have a character to compare her to, is she supposed to be more like Tasha or Tatiana?  She looks fairly young, so my guess is actually on Tasha, but we’ll have to wait to see I guess.

Mia McKenna-Bruce as Mia Karp

This is another one that I was instantly a fan of.

I was so not a fan of Mia’s casting in the movie (I can’t even remember who played her tbh but I really didn’t like it) so this Mia is a lot closer to how I imagine her.

I think she’ll be able to carry Mia’s transformation from bratty social-climber to badass fighter really well.

The character description is interesting though.  “Witty, cutting, and just the right kind of ruthless when necessary, non-Royal Mia has a long-term plan to social climb her way into the ranks of royalty, with all the privilege and freedom that entails.” sound pretty bang on to Mia in the first book.

“A plan complicated by her instant chemistry with Meredith, a Guardian-in-training, as Mia struggles to reconcile her attraction to Meredith with her lowly status.” is an obvious deviation though, and one I kind of love???  Give me all the queer rep, and if we get to see Mia confront the issue of comp-het I’m so here for it.  

It’s kind of funny though because I’ve seen theories that Meredith is a replacement for Eddie and Mia/Eddie has always been my sort of rarepair ship.

The last name Karp is weird af though.  Is she supposed to be Sonya’s daughter?  And if that’s the case I wonder if we’re going to actually see Sonya turn Strigoi in the show’s first season or something and that triggers the change in Mia?  Interesting concept but I’m not sure how the timeline will work.

Rhian Blundell as Meredith

So this is another new one, and tbh I hadn’t given Meredith *that* much though in the past but she’s probably close to how I would have pictured her which is cool.

The elephant in the room with this casting is that Meredith’s role in the books was relatively minor - she was just kind of that character that got brought up whenever R.M needed a dhampir who wasn’t Rose/Dimitri/Mason/Eddie.  So clearly she’s going to have a bigger role in the tv show which I don’t mind but I do wonder if we’re going to lose a character - probably Eddie lbr - in order to have her.  They haven’t casted an Eddie yet as far as we know, but I have seen it pointed out that Eddie’s role in book 1 was pretty small so maybe they just aren’t announcing it.  But there’s also the possibility that maybe Meredith will sort of replace Eddie and be the third part of Rose and Mason’s friendship.

I’m very interested by this part of her character description though, “She has little patience for Rose’s volatility or Mia’s elitism, and regularly calls both of them out.”

Jonetta Kaiser as Sonya Karp

I don’t necessarily dislike Jonetta as Sonya but I am confused by this choice.  She looks fairly young, which tbf Sonya was young-ish I guess, but if Mia is supposed to be her daughter she doesn’t look old enough to have a teenaged daughter.  So maybe Sonya and Mia are sisters? Cousins? Just have each other’s last names for no reason? I really don’t know.  They also look nothing alike.

Other than that, I don’t really have an opinion about Jonetta as Sonya.  Obviously looks nothing like how Sonya was described but that’s not new nor a massive concern for me.  

I can’t really tell just from looking at her, and I haven’t seen her in anything, if she would play a good Sonya.  I think with a lot of the characters it’s going to come down to the personality they bring to the part and the writing.

I looooooove her character description though:  “Quiet, careful and decidedly odd, Sonya is not of royal bloodline and sits out on the fringe of Moroi society, preferring to spend her time in the library or her gardens. Not a person who likes a scene, nonetheless she has a quiet but profound power of her own. She is taken by surprise when a Dhampir Guardian named Mikhail shows interest in her, a relationship that will expose both the brightest and darkest parts of her heart.”  It’s everything I would probably want from a description of Sonya and I’m more and more convinced that we’re going to see Sonya’s descent into madness and transformation into a Strigoi play out in maybe the first season which I am so curious how they’re going to work into the timeline.

Andrew Liner as Mason Ashford

Our last one and another one who doesn’t look remotely like his description but again? Not a surprise and not a problem for me.  He looks like he could play Mason’s goofiness really well as well as be a solid contender for a love interest for Rose.

“Charming, loyal and popular, Mason is Rose’s main competition in the quest to become the No. 1 Guardian-in-training. Though their relationship is casual on her side, he is hopeful she will finally look at him and see him as something more.” His character description makes a lot of sense, maybe him being Rose’s main competition is a bit of a deviation? But I think that’s more an indication that he’s supposed to be a strong fighter which isn’t inaccurate to the books.  The rest sounds great.

Other Thoughts

Descriptions of the show specifically mention friendship and classism as major themes which I am very happy to hear about because those are the two parts of VA that I love the most.

Am a little more worried about it being described as “sexy” though, if they shove a whole bunch of meaningless sex scenes in it just because it’s a YA show I’m not gonna be happy.

Seen the show compared to “Game of Thrones” and “Bridgerton” which at first had me like oh fuck oh fuck oh fuck not good not good not good.  But thinking about it more and trying to understand where Plec’s coming from with that description I wonder if means similar to GoT as in the cut-throat nature of the Moroi/Dhampir society cause I can kind of see that.  And as for Bridgerton I wonder if she’s referring to the kind of social-climbing aspects of it, because again that makes sense and it seems like a theme she really wants to concentrate on.  I hope that’s what she means by those comparisons, or that she just wants to compare it to popular shows to get people to watch it.  The worst would be if she tries to throw in a lot of unnecessary sex scenes to make it like those shows, because I hate when they do that, especially when the characters are teenagers.

Interesting to hear that Plec has known about the series since before Twilight or TVD - not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.

Seems like it’s actually mostly (or all??) written by Marguerite MacIntyre which is interesting because I know people were worried about Julie Plec - I’ve never watched anything by either of them so I’m neutral at this point.

[lady-griffin]

I Became Engulfed by Desire...

This was a super cute episode and absolutely hilarious. Mary and Maria were the true MVPs of the episode. I loved that these two brilliant and accomplished ladies are absolute dumbasses when it comes to one specific dumbass.

Mary is just comedic gold. She is so goddamn funny and ridiculous. I love her so much.

I’m still laughing at this. Look at this desperate dork who just wants to be with her precious Lady Katarina. 

Maria was also pretty funny, but she was really more of the straight man to Mary being amazing.

Alan was also a great delight. His and Katarina’s scenes were very sweet and endearing and just made me smile. I mean really, how could anyone not smile or have their heart warmed by those two at the end.

ALSO LOOK HOW STUNNING KATARINA WAS!!!!

This episode in general had some stunning scenes. I particularly love this one image.

Beautiful.

Overall, I enjoyed the episode.

-

It is just filler episode, so I will admit a part of me wants to gets back to the actual plot and get to certain scenes. As I am a bit worried that some of favorite scenes will not get the full-attention they deserve.

And I get a bit more concerned when I notice that there is still a sleepover and possible gardening shears extra to be explored in the anime. Based off these images.

While I absolutely love the extra Manga Ch. 17.5 (it’s an absolute delight and just so adorable), I am curious and nervous to see how they will do everything that they have to do in the remaining time they have left.

Though, perhaps the anime isn’t going to adapt the whole Ch. 17.5 plot, but take the essential core of it for a future scene. Similarly, to how the anime adapted Alan’s extra chapter in Vol. 5 (LN) to the last scene of this episode.

I have confidence in the anime, but I’m still a bit nervous.

SPOILERS BELOW

Plot Heavy Future

The anime does have a decent amount to cover in the next four episodes.

Bully Accusation Scene Maria Disappearing Katarina learning about Black Magic/Nightmare Katarina confronting Raphael Infirmary Scene – Everyone upset/why they love Katarina Katarina Revisiting her old life Raphael’s backstory Confronting Raphael Raphael and Katarina talking on her farm Graduation Party

To be fair, some of these scenes won’t take that much time and some could be excluded or combined. But still, it’s a lot.

We’ll have to see how the Gardening Shears and Sleepover Scenes happen and when. But if we only had a choice between the two, I’d picked the former. I really do love Ch. 17. 5 with all my heart and would love to see it adapted into the anime.

Angst

I do hope the next four episodes will do justice for future events. I want my angst and I want it now.

I particularly want Ch. 18 to get so much attention and love from the anime.

It’s one of my favorite chapters. 

I love how everyone is thinking about how much they love Katarina while at the same time are at the horrific realization that Katarina might die and their helpless to stop it. I want that. Give me that angst and more.

I want to suffer.

Alan and Katarina 

If you ship Alan and Katarina, then this episode was a godsend. I personally really enjoyed these two here. 

I loved how the anime  included Alan’s extra POV chapter and Manga chapter from Vol.5 (LN). in this episode. It was well done. 

Their scenes were very sweet and romantic. 

There’s something I quite like about Alan and Katarina. I think it’s because their relationship is based in a genuine friendship.

Alan is really the only one I can see who would take his shoes off and join Katarina up in a tree. So, it’s just nice seeing them interact.

Also, Alan at this point, is the most normal one. And I think to a certain extent he brings that out in Katarina…particularly in this scene. Katarina was just a lovely, normal girl. It was nice.

It was lovely. Absolutely lovely.

Despite no one thinking of him being a real threat in the race for Katarina’s heart, due to him being oblivious of his own feelings, he’s made the most headway.

Also look at him blushing.

Alan x Katarina have certainly moved up in my rankings.

The colors and scenery of the last scene were really stunning. Just gorgeous.  

Katarina’s Desire

She just wants sweets and I love that. Also, she’s like legit eating the Witch’s house from Hansel and Gretel, so that was fun.

I know it’s not that kind of episode, but I would’ve also liked to see Katarina’s deepest desire – avoiding her doomed endings.

While the other characters (and sometimes the narration) believe there is nothing more to Katarina than what’s on the surface, we know that’s not true. Or at least not 100% true.

And I may be looking into this way more deeply than I should.

But since Katarina was essential to everyone else’s desire and she was actually in the book with them, that makes me wonder if Katarina wasn’t there – would they have been satisfied with a fictional Katarina?

Or would they be like Katarina and not be satisfied with their fictional sweets?

The Harem’s Desires

This might be controversial, but I didn’t think their desires for Katarina were honestly that bad as some people have made them out to be. When I had crushes, my ideal situations and fantasies were just as ridiculous and over the top.

That being said, they could’ve definitely improved on how they showed them with one simple fix.

Have Katarina blushing and eyes sparkling, more than what they showed in the episode. That would have easily worked – Katarina is a huge fan of romance. She is so into it (which is why it’s so hilarious she’s oblivious to what’s happening in her life).

I don’t think the desires were awful or even bad, but they were somewhat off-putting for me. And I did feel like they missed the mark.  

Geordo

All I can think about is the weird Matrix moves in his fantasy…what a fucking dork.

But at the core he wants to get married to Katarina and have her all to himself without anyone interrupting them (for one night)…which yeah, I get that. Every time he’s alone with Katarina for more than 3 minutes, Keith breaks down the door.

I have mixed feelings towards Geordo saying he likes the uncomfortable face of Katarina’s. On the one hand, we’re seeing that so-called sadistic side of Geordo that we keep hearing about but never really see. 

But still…bad Geordo. Very bad. I’m rooting for you, don’t make me regret it.

For me, that statement is a darker take on what Geordo’s desire are stated to be in The Light Novels.

There’s a difference between this –

And this- 

It’s the difference between a cabin in the woods vs. a cottage in the forest. Essentially the same concept, but the words make all the difference.

Changing that line from uncomfortable to embarrassed or flustered would’ve been a huge improvement. But there’s nothing we can do about that now and in the end, I did find the overall scene funny.

Though I feel like the anime is a bit of a let down when it comes to Geordo, so there is that. 

Keith

I liked Keith’s desire the least. Surprisingly enough, it really had nothing to do with the pseudo-incest.

It was just the most off-putting for me. I did not like the weird lip-licking thing he did… I wasn’t a fan at all.

Sophia

She’s very bold; I’ll give her that.

But also, poor Sophia. Katarina has no idea that Sophia (or the other gals) has any romantic intention towards her and just thinks it’s fully platonic

…because slamming your friend against a wall is super platonic Katarina…

Nicol

This one was probably the funniest fantasy to me. The sounds Nicol made when he was jumping around the city were so funny to me. It was like they were out of a video game.

Also, Nicol’s desire to be The Devilish Count means that either Katarina or Sophia (definitely Sophia) told him that Katarina sees him being similar to the Count. And I guess after he learned that, Nicol read the entire book series and wants to be that way for Katarina.

He wants to be confident around her and have the freedom (and no guilt) in romantically wooing her.

Which is nice, but also what a dork.

Also, Katarina’s dress in his fantasy is either the same as Katarina’s birthday dress, but in a different color. Or at the very least, very similar.

Possibly because Nicol got to dance with Katarina on her birthday and his fantasy did involve dancing with her. A nice bit of detail.

Mary’s reaction to his fantasy, was a gem among gems.

Alan

He wants to play a recital for Katarina. Which is just so touching. Seriously, Alan is killing me with his sweetness.

If I’m not mistaken, Katarina is wearing the same dress she wore to his recital during their summer break. So, it seems very likely he’s playing “Dedicated to You, My Beloved” to well his beloved.

I’m assuming there was more to his desire, but Mary shutting the book was hilarious.

Also, Alan got pretty damn close to his desire in the real world, so good on him.

-

I feel like it’s safe to say that Mary and Maria’s desire if they were amplified by the book, would be at the same level of everyone else’s’. 

Which is fun to imagine. Especially Mary’s desire for Katarina. 

Also, everyone realizing that not only did Mary and Maria sees their desire for Katarina, but Katarina experienced their desire was so funny. They all just stood up and left. A+ comedy.

The Study Session Growing

It was fun seeing everyone join in on Mary’s alone time with Katarina, one by one, and Mary’s frustration building up.

Evil Harem.

If we ever wanted to see the Harem as “evil,” this is not a bad reference point in terms of visuals.

 Raphael

I love the red herrings surrounding him. It appears he’s just falling for Katarina, which technically he is, but that’s just scratching the surface of what’s actually going on.

-

Overall, it was nice and cute episode and really funny and ridiculous.

We got a bit more of a look into the characters and their desires for Katarina, but really the main development was between Alan and Katarina. Who would’ve thought?

Oh, and Mary being the funniest character alive.

[tttinytrash]

Imma be real, the initial kernel of an idea came from a dream. Maybe it’s a weird mix of characters, in that Swap Pap is a normal skel and Fell Sans is a big mer. Whatever, I hope you enjoy anyways.

Papyrus (Or Stretch, as most called him) was ahead of you, casually walking toward the coast. You followed behind, curious to see what he’d wanted to show you. He was unsurprisingly cryptic about the whole thing and seemed happy to keep you in suspense. As he ambled along the unkempt path he was absently tossing a bone attack between his hands.

You path ended up being pretty winding, and he even had to shortcut you both over a few more treacherous bits of the route atop the seaside cliffs. Eventually, you did make it down to the water level to a mostly flat rock acting like a false stone dock with the waves lapping at the edges. The cliffs you’d just climbed down created a secluded cove.

Stretch hurled the bone attack he’d been fiddling with end over end out to sea. The magical construct hit the surface of the water a ways out and disappeared from sight. 

After a long moment of silence you ask “This is a pretty cool spot, especially since it’s so private. I cant even see any of the beaches around here. Is this what you meant to show me?” You can’t help but feel this trip was a tad anticlimactic.

“nah. just gotta give him a sec.” The lanky skeleton answered, still looking out to sea.

“Give who...?”

“me.” a new voice cut in.

You whirled around to the voice, finding a large skeleton lounging in the water. You could only see his bare ribs from the base of his sternum up and his arms draped on a nearby rock, but you had to figure three or so Stretches stacked atop each other would be what it took for the two to see each other at eye level if they stood next to each other. And you only came up to around Stretch’s chest, so he seemed pretty huge to you.

His build reminded you instantly of Stretch’s brother Blue, except Blue distinctly lacked a tail. The new skeleton, on the other hand, had a red fish tail cresting through the water that clearly matched his red eyelights.

You belatedly realized you’d been gaping for a few seconds and finally managed a weak “Uh... hi.”

The two skeletons chuckled, and the large newcomer said “name’s red. nice ta meet‘cha. stretch was excited for this meetup.” He offered you two fingers held out, which seemed like a handshake gesture.

You took the offer up, finding your whole hand did wrap around his two fingers in a comfortable approximation of the typical handshake given the scale difference. Damn. He was huge. Regardless, you gave him your name and chuckled “I did pick up that he was excited to bring me here, but I had no idea I’d be making a new friend today.”

That earned you a genuine smile from Red.

Stretch finally cut in “so remember when i mentioned aus awhile back?”

All the new information immediately clicked into place, and you perked up. “Oh, so he’s an alternate Sans. Good to know I’m not skeleton racist for thinking of Blue the second I saw him.”

Both skeletons seemed to find great amusement in your assessment, and you felt victory in making a good first impression.

A good first impression turned into a fast friendship, and you and Stretch came back to the cove often to hang with Red. The cove offered a prime swim spot (Stretch had to wear floaties to join but didn’t seem to mind much) or on lazier days, you’d just stay on the rocky not-actually-a-dock and Red could perch on the nearby submerged rocks. Conversations easily flowed between you three, and even if they didn’t the silences were comfortable. 

Today was one of those lazier days, your feet dangled into the water (Stretch had put your shoes into his inventory for safe keeping) and the lanky skeleton lazed lying flat on his back. Red floated belly up on the surface, talking about how the reef fish were out in force lately and that the little guys were pretty cute to watch flit about the coral.

“That sounds so gorgeous, and honestly I’m pretty jealous. I just get to see clogged traffic when I go out anywhere.” You chipped in.

“you wanna see it? i can show you guys if ya want.” Red offers casually.

Out of the corner of your eye, you see Stretch no longer looks like he’s on the edge of sleep, sockets open and looking at Red in the water. The smaller skeleton had a more mild version of an “oh shit” expression going, much to your confusion.

“How? Do you have scuba gear on hand or something?” You asked of the mer.

“wha? nah, the hell else is this thing good for?” Red pointed at the part of his belly that poked up out of the water where he still floated lazily.

You felt like you were trying to put together two and two and coming up with five. You felt your face twist in utter confusion.

Your expression seemed to convey that, as Red reoriented in the water and grabbed the side of the stone “dock” you and Stretch were sat on. He seemed to find this whole thing hilarious for some reason, gaze flicking between your baffled face and Stretch’s embarrassed one as he asked “Stretch, have you not done it yet?”

Stretch looked put out and embarrassed, but played it off. “nah.”

“hah! first alternate and first to take em in.” Red was clearly enjoying this.

You turned to Stretch, hoping he might be able to enlighten you without all but giggling over it. “Take what in where?”

Stretch finally sat up, facing you. “taking someone in is a skeleton thing. basically, we can safely swallow people.”

You straightened up yourself, leaning away from the two before you.

Stretch made a “calm down” motion with his hands. “safely. for us it’s kinda an all-over hug. we just use our magic rather than our arms. our bodies can’t process physical matter attached to a soul.”

“in this case, i’d be the glass bottom boat for you two. obviously, i’ll bring you back and let you out after.” Red added, humor gone as soon as he’d seen you get nervous.

“I-I don’t know, guys. How can you be sure it’s safe?” you ask, gaze flitting between both of their faces.

“easy, we’ve been doing it as a species since forever.” Stretch said. “here, would it help if i went first?”

Clearly this is merely cultural clash, but your adrenaline-addled brain doesn’t want to accept this. Now you’re guilty on top of terrified, great. You do end up giving the two a reluctant nod. Maybe visual proof will help your heart stop pounding.

“alright. you sure you can fit us both, red?” Stretch asked as he stood up and approached the edge of the stone dock.

“yeah. you two will be close, but it’ll work.” Red said, propping his elbows on the rock on either side of the smaller skeleton and putting his hands behind the smaller monster’s torso, but not touching yet.

Then Red opened his mouth.

You felt your breath hitch as Stretch leaned down, bracing his hands on Red’s lower jaw. The mer gently ducked the smaller skeleton’s skull down, avoiding scraping his cranium on his upper teeth. Chest now laid atop a glowing red tongue, Stretch visibly went mostly limp, just keeping his legs raised. Red swallowed.

You breathed in sharply when that dragged Stretch’s head out of sight, but you forced yourself to relax when you saw Stretch giving you a thumbs up. Another gulp and most of the lanky skeleton’s torso was gone, Red supporting Stretch’s dangling legs with one hand. Red’s other hand was placed at his throat, where you could see distinct lumps in the red tubing that had manifested. A last swallow left you to watch in fixated horror as the lumps moved and slid out of sight. The tube was gone as soon as the bumps indicating Stretch inside slid down past Red’s clavicles, so you looked up to see Red’s reaction to the ordeal.

Red meanwhile sighed, and a hand disappeared below the surface of the water, possibly to touch his submerged belly. He looked calm, a stark contrast to yourself.

You trusted him, of course. But the adrenaline still rampant in your system was still begging you to run. Instead, you edged closer to the skeleton and asked shakily “Y-you both are ok?”

“yep. you wanna see him?” Red’s tone was surprisingly soft for him. 

You nodded emphatically.

Red motioned for you to move, so you scooted back. This allowed him the room to haul himself up onto the rock. Surprisingly, he honestly didn’t look any different bulk wise than he did any of the other times you’d gotten a more full view of his body. The red membrane between his ribs and pelvis went transparent before your eyes, revealing a lounging Stretch.

“Stretch!” you called his name and scuttled forward, before realizing your overeagerness and backing off.

They both chuckled (you assumed, unable to hear Stretch but seeing his shoulders move), and the contained skeleton maneuvered until he was able to put a hand to the front wall and press out.

You put your own hand over where his metacarpals laid and pressed in. You found the opposing pressure was surprisingly grounding. You took this moment to take in the situation.

Stretch was utterly calm. He was looking at you with amusement, now that you weren’t so panicked. Red had made no move to stop your interaction through him, arms casually propping up his torso and tail lazily swinging in the water. 

You felt the fear simply roll off you, its hold was gone from over you. You were being ridiculous, there was no way these guys would hurt you to begin with. Besides, they’d even said this was a skeletal tradition. You cycled a deep breath and saw the responding relief from both monsters.

You were good.

“feeling ok?” Red asked.

“Yeah. Yeah, I am.” You smiled up at him.

“it’s your turn if you’re up for it, then.”

“Yeah, I’m up for it.”

Red’s smile could almost be described as proud, and Stretch gave you one last thumbs up before the red barrier between you two went opaque. You stepped back again, and Red took the opening to slide back into the water.

Red put his elbows up on the rock, arms open for you to approach. You stood and shuffled forward, seeing his hands loop behind you just like he’d done to Stretch.

“easiest way in is hands clasped over your head. think of it like diving position, actually. if you let yourself fall forward like a dive, i can catch ya and guide ya in. alright?” Red had that soft tone still, and you couldn’t help but think you liked that rare softer side of him.

“Ok, I trust you.” you nod resolutely, pressing your palms flat together.

“good. ok, just go ahead when you’re ready. no pressure.”

His maw opens before you, and you feel yourself waver. His tongue comes forward, folding over his bottom teeth as a cushion. You appreciate that.

You take the moment to look at what you’re getting into, and end up using the reflection of yourself in his gold tooth as your point of focus for the moment it takes to cycle another breath and regain your determination.

You close you eyes, and let go.

You instinctively tense at the sensation of falling of course, but Red’s fingers adeptly guide you into place. Your landing is squishy but that’s honestly the worst you can say.

You hands and arms up to the elbow have ended up squished into his throat already, which is a bizarre sensation you don’t get to contemplate too long before the first swallow drags your entire torso in to join your hands. 

It’s tight for sure. But not crushing since the material around you is highly pliable. The warm tubing presses in around you with a wet sound and you feel the sunlight no longer on your legs. You sprawl into a more open space in moments, landing mildly hampered as you are reunited with the boney form of Stretch.

“heya, thanks for joining me.” he greets, amused.

You laugh “Hey yourself.”

You two are in quite the tangle, and you’re trying to extricate your limbs from Stretch’s without pushing too much against Red. After a moment Stretch takes pity on you and offers a simple “c’mere” before bundling you to his chest. Stretch’s finagling leaves you both in a quite comfortable position, but you are essentially in his lap, his sternum acting as your backrest.

You blush, but thank him as this was the optimal arrangement given the space available.

“you two done in there? everyone ok?” Red asks. His voice is all around you and sounds simultaneously very close and sort of muffled.

“All good, sorry for the squirming.”

“nah, it’s fine. expected it. no panic, yeah?”

“No panic.”

“just cuddles.” Stretch added, wrapping his arms around you.

You felt your face heat as Red laughed “hey, no canoodling in there.”

You groaned in mortification, leading the boys to outright laugh at you suffering. The laugher made the stomach around you move, which got you laughing too.

When the chuckling died down, Stretch released you and you took a look around. There was some folding in the bright red walls around you, and if you looked you could make out the shadows of his ribs moving as he breathed. The air was warm, but not stale. You also got the sensation of floating, but that was probably the water outside doing it rather than your current container.

You felt pressure on your side, and realized quickly that Red must be rubbing at you and Stretch, which pulled your lips into a fond smile.

Red’s voice brought your focus back to the original task, however. “alright, i’ll let you guys see and we can get going. reef aint that far.”

The wall on the same side Red’s hand had been went clear, and you gasped. The view was slightly red tinted, but so clear. The sunlight beaming through the water was gorgeous even on its own.

“alright, let’s scoot if ya don’t mind.” Stretch suggested, gesturing for you to rotate.

“Right.” you agree, and you two begin an awkward shuffle as Red sets off.

You’re not getting much traction on the slick walls, and can’t figure out how Stretch is doing it.

“you can push as much as you need, don’t worry. big guy loves squirming.” said skeleton advises.

“Really?” you ask.

“oh yeah, squirming, pushing, rubbing, all of it.” Stretch’s tone took on a healthy dose of teasing.

“shut up, stretch.” Red groused.

By now you’d managed to face forward and resettle into your comfy position, so you were free to focus on the brewing banter.

“what? you tellin’ me i’m wrong?” Stretch said, hands out and rubbing at the walls.

Red was pretty obviously suppressing purrs, and the glow in the material around you ramped up. It reminded you of how their cheekbones could take on color like a human blush, which caused you to laugh.

“you’re lucky y/n is in there with you or i’d be dumping you out.” Red threatened, pressing in firmly, squishing the two of you pretty thoroughly. Both you and stretch were giggling, happy little “nyeh heh”s coming from behind you. 

“fine, i’m hands off.” Stretch finally managed.

“good. y/n, you can do whatever since this is all new for you. handsy, however, has to behave.” Red relented, going back to swimming and stopping the pushing in at you two.

You were in fact curious, so you reached out and lightly pressed at the walls. They were pliable to pressure, and your fingers sunk in. The surface was slick without being wet, somehow. Stretch started to play with your hair and you let him, just as Red didn’t complain about your exploration. 

You were brought back to the present when Red called “we’re here.”

He settled on the ocean floor a bit off from the reef, which was indeed gorgeous and vivid. No fish, though.

“Where are all the fish?” You ask, confused.

“they got scared into hiding when i showed up, give em a minute to forget i’m here.” Red said.

He was right, and after a few minutes the fish seemed to materialize out of the nooks and crannies in the coral.

You three made quiet observations to each other, and eventually Red actually dozed off. Stretch didn’t last much longer, and you shook your head in resignation to the fact that you’d be here awhile. The barrier in front of you slowly shifted to be opaque again now that Red was no longer aware, but just before you totally lost sight of the outside world you saw Red fold his hands protectively over his belly. You smiled, what a dork.

Well, you may as well join these two dorks for a nap.

And that’s exactly what you did.

[corvidry]

All About RP Icons For Beginners by Birdy

Hi OP, I’m not sure how experienced you are with all the nonsense surrounding the making and using of RP icons, so I’m gonna come at it as though you don’t have any experience with it at all and I’m sorry if that’s too simplified for you, but also if I’m gonna write many paragraphs about one topic I may as well make it accessible for as many people as possible ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

This post goes into what tools are out there for the popular methods of finding/making RP icons in the first half and my personal methodology for choosing and using them in my RP for the second half. This is a very surface level answer to the question and is not meant to be an in depth tutorial for the more labor intensive aspects of the process, but if you guys want more information and can’t find it elsewhere, please ask and I'll know what I should be talking about next. 

Also I’m also contractually obligated to mention to the masses that I do take commissions both for the drawing of RP icons and the service of capping, cutting, recoloring, and framing canon icons. Sometimes I even post batches of canon character icons for free on this blog so like,,,,, hit me up if you want. But!! You don’t need me, you can absolutely do all of it yourself!!  I go into the broad strokes below.

Question 1: “How do you get icons?” 

This is kind of a broad question and the answer depends on what your needs are. The right answer for you is gonna live in one of two camps 

Find some that already exist that are free to use

Make them yourself / commission somebody else to make them for you. 

What you'll choose is gonna depend a lot on your character first and foremost.  The big determining factor in most cases is whether or not the face you want has been in anything you can take pictures of. 

If you have a canon character who exists in visible media--

--you're in luck! The chances of you finding some resources that exist already is higher when you have a canon character who is in at least a few pieces of media. OP asked about Pearl from Steven Universe, and she's a great example of a character with a lot of resources. Searching for rp icons of a popular character will often yield packs of icons on Tumblr, Dreamwidth, Livejournal, etc. Most of these will be completely free to use or have very reasonable conditions for use (like credit the person who made them for example.)  It's often a good first step to see what preexisting resources are available to you even if you still plan on making your own icons. 

If you have an OC or a character that's not all that popular--

--you're gonna fall into the second camp. If you want icons, you have to have them made. So what are your options?

Help! My character appears in no media! What are my options?

If your character appears in no media you're in a tough spot. Different people approach this problem in different ways. 

Face Claims

One option you have is to choose a face claim to represent your character. In roleplay a face claim or ‘FC’ is a person or character whose appearance you use for the physical description of your character. I personally am not big on doing this, I prefer drawn icons and I tend to RP as animated characters, but some people really like using celebrities and stuff to represent their characters.  When I was playing Angus McDonald he hadn't appeared in any visual media yet, so I sometimes used Bryce Clyde Jenkins as the face claim for certain types of threads.  

If you're somebody who likes to use face claims there are loads of resources out there for finding the perfect one, including here on tumblr. Try searching up RP Faceclaim Directory and playing around with some of the ones that pop up.

DIY RP Icons

The other option you have is to create those icons from scratch. Draw them yourself based on icons you like or commission an artist to draw some for you.   If you can't draw yourself, I've seen some people get really creative with this. Some people create their character in the sims, dollmakers, or their favorite RPG and then take screenshots of that to use for icons.  There's also no law that says every icon you use has to be your character's face. When I was writing a trashy mermaid AU I got a lot of mileage out of icons that depicted harbor and oceanic scenes with no actual faces. Get creative, go nuts, have fun.

Icons Aren’t That Important

The other thing to remember that icons are not a must in many RP circles. It's perfectly possible to have a great time and write cool stuff without any pictures at all. Depending on your platform of choice there are probably also other interesting ways you can make your posts unique to you by formatting the text or using symbols or emojis or otherwise denoting your personal style in text.

Help! My character appears in lots of media! How do I make icons?

Again, there are a million and one answers to this question and it really depends on what tools are available to you and what your preferences are. This section is not a tutorial but it will outline some of the options you can look into.

The icon making process is typically in 2 stages-- stage 1: get all your images of your character, and stage 2: edit all of those images into icons.  

If you have access to the source material, any version of Photoshop, and software that automates the collection screencaps from video (KM Player, VLC, etc) you're pretty much gucci. You're gonna have no problem getting loads of nice icons in a reasonably short amount of time and there are a million different tutorials on how to use those things whichever way you prefer. 

If you don't have access to those things you still have options. 

You can still screencap things manually, and you can screencap in batches by holding down the windows key and pressing PrtSc any time you want to save an image. They should be saving to >pictures>screenshots unless you’ve set things up differently. It’s a good way to take a lot of screenshots without stopping in between.

( EDIT / UPDATE: to say that if you use automation for taking screencaps remember to turn that shit off when you’re not using because it oh mylanta it WILL continue to take images without you realizing. Figured out where all my disk space has been going with this rookie mistake, thanks OP)

Additionally, PhotoScape X is a really great little tool for windows and mac that I've never seen anybody talk about, but I use it sometimes and it's totally free with the exception of a few paid features I’ve never once needed or wanted. This program is not as efficient as using Photoshop but it has presets for cropping images easily as well as batch editing options for some basic borders and color retouching.  While it’s not as powerful as Photoshop, you can get a lot done with it reasonably quickly compared to other choices. You can also take and edit snips of anything on your screen with it, which is really really useful if you don’t have access to the video or image files you would need on your hard drive for other version of this process.  The program looks like this:

Also, not to be like a minimalist about it, but you can also just fucken use Microsoft Paint or whatever you have. Like, whatever, there’s no law. You graphics dont have to be comlpex or deep fried. Half of my icons have been made or edited in paint at some point. It wont be as fast as some of these other methods but a lot of us aren't out here making icons in batches of 100 at a time. 

Anything that you can use to make smallish images of your characters face will work to make icons.

If you want more information about any of these methods of icon creation let me know and I’ll talk about them.

Question 2: “How do you make your icons ‘work’ in posts?”

I'm a little confused on what you mean by "make them work" so I'm gonna cover my bases here. I'm assuming what you're getting at is a sort of sense of cohesion in the icons I use, or having the "right" expression for the scene I'm writing. Either that or them not stretching and looking weird thanks to tumblr. I’ll get to both of those.

And before I go into my own rationale for icon choices I feel I should point out that a lot of people who aren't me do successfully manufacture cohesion out of their images by doing fun stylistic things like recoloring their images all the same way or putting cute borders and stuff around them or making them fun shapes, and that's totally something you can learn how to do if it interests you.  I do this for icons commissioned by other people and I’m not against talking about how to do those things, but I don’t really bother with them for my own icons all that much. That stuff is all fun and it’s a neat thing you could get into that can make your icons all look really nice together.

BUT ANYWAY --

Since the character you asked about is Pearl, I’m going to focus on her. Nearly all of my Pearl icons are completely unedited and a lot of the credit I would have to give regarding icon quality goes to Pearl herself and the consistently good lighting that the show uses. I don’t have a huge need for editing or color retouching beyond making memes or whatever other goofy things I might be getting up to. Pearl is extremely expressive compared to other characters I have written and since she's in nearly every episode, I've managed to collect…

...oh god, that’s too many icons.

Pearl is a main character and I've been RPing as her for over 6 years now so I have a fuckload of images to choose from and I'm not gonna pretend that doesn't help when I wanna “make things work”. She gives me a lot of options.

That said, you absolutely don't need 3000 images to make a good post. The way I've collected and organized these images may be of use to you even if you dont have as many icons. I've done a lot with my setup to make finding the right icon very easy. 

For starters, a minor subset of my Pearl icons are grouped by a particular defining feature. I have one large Pearly folder full of icons and then a few smaller folders inside for icons I thought worth grouping separately. For example, all icons of SUF Pearl in her new jacket are in the same folder. All icons of Pearl in short term alternate outfits are in the same folder. Anything I sourced from Attack the Light is in its own folder. I do this with anything that has a very specific use, such as writing AU content or flashbacks to specific time periods. If I can picture an icon in my head, I usually know where in my ridiculous hell collection to go to find it. 

This folder was originally just for her pre-canon outfit but now all of her outfits that only appeared temporarily are in there.

Perhaps more important for the sake of cohesion is that nearly all of my icons that aren’t squirreled away in some smaller folder are loosely arranged by episode. What that means is that most of the time I have icons from the same scene right next to one another. It makes it incredibly easy to make my RP replies appear as though it's all one cohesive scene even if I use more than one icon. When you do it this way it becomes very easy to choose icons that have the same lighting or that appear to lead from one expression seamlessly into another. Exhibit A:

While the vast majority of my icons are numbered, I do take the time to name ones I find myself using a lot or that have particularly unique expressions. Usually I'll choose names that I'll find descriptive or easy to remember based on the context of the icon. You can have a lot of fun with that and never lose your favorites.

Also don't be afraid to lean on icons you got from weird places if you like them.  The icons of Pearl from the official comics run don’t look like most of what I have. I think them being different would turn a lot of RPers off, but I use them a lot because I like the style and I almost never see other Pearl RPers using them.  It either makes me stand out or it makes me tacky, one of the two, haven’t figured out which, but also I’m not stopping.

And just to reiterate, you can use icons that aren’t your character if they’re thematically relevant or vague enough to look like them. When I’m capping I’ve started saving a folder of miscellaneous environments of interests, hands, and other everyday types of scenery that appear in the thing I’m taking screencaps of.

You can use any size you want for RP icons but the most common is 100x100 or 150x150 pixels.  Any smaller than that and the image gets to be difficult to read and work with in my opinion. That doesn’t stop people, of course, but I’m elderly and need glasses now, so no tiny icons for me.  On that note, I rarely see RP icons larger than 300x300. Any larger than that it tends to get bulky and be in the way of other people’s comfortable internet browsing experience, especially on mobile.  Of course, these are just my suggestions. What you choose will ultimately be up to you, but somewhere in that 100 to 300 px range is pretty safe.

A very tumblr specific thing to know is that any image that is wider than 300 pixels will be stretched to hell, so you probably want to keep it smaller than that.

Thanks, Tumblr, I hate it!

Also, don’t be afraid to make trash images for fun if you’re so inclined. People love that, or at least I do. Not having the right icon can be fun and lead to a very silly solution. Lean into being a shitposter if that’s what you’re called to do. 

So yeah, that’s basically what my suggestions are. Collect your images in a way that helps cohesion and ease of use. Keep them a good size. Don’t be afraid to get unconventional with your choices or make memes or whatever. It’s all for a fun time.

Anyway, that’s all I can think of right now, but more info on any of this can be obtained at the price of one ask, I know it was a lot of different moving parts.

[vaguely-concerned]

Some more mass effect andromeda thinky thoughts as I run around heleus getting some achievements! 

- the murderous angaran ai is genuinely so fucking funny. “How are you feeling here on Aya?” “I hope you die” “Is there anything we could do to make you more comfortable?” “BURY THIS PLANET UNDER FIRE AND ASH” “o.oookay. Goodbye then.” “I HATE you.”

- I hope I never become irresistibly moved to write mass effect andromeda fic b/c there really is no other description for a good 70% of the expressions reyes makes than :> and how could one capture that in words

- as mentioned I’ve been doing a bit of achievement hunting and in the process I’ve been switching up a lot of gameplay stuff from how I handled it the first few times around and let me tell you it’s baller as fuuuuuuuuuck -- it just looks so awesome and is so satisfying between the maneuverability of the jetpack and biotic charge and the effects. special shoutout to what happens if you biotic charge a frozen victim enemy and the biotic pull/push combination. (throwing people around like ragdolls is actually so much fun I’ve kept doing it even after I unlocked the achievement lol)

- lol lol when you get meridian online there’s the montage of every planet coming back to life, right? well the one on kadara is from inside kralla’s song, with umi looking out at everything that’s happening. and all I can imagine is her jaded-ass voice going ‘what the fUCK did that asshole kid do now I only just cleaned up after the bar brawl he started with his krogan grandpa and now he’s rearranging the entire fucking planet right from under us goddess I need a drink’ 

- the implication that reyes ‘cards so close to my chest you won’t even know I’m playing’ vidal just does not shut up about how amazing ryder is to anyone who’ll listen gives me so much life. when you try to be mysterious and laidback but the human pathfinder is so fucking cute tho Y____Y (also go watch his scenes if you’re being standoffish with him the entire time -- he clearly wants ryder to like him so much right from the beginning, he’s doing so much work to no avail and I feel sort of bad for how funny I find it haha. interesting that it really does seem to be an emotional thing as well as y’know the practical/tactical benefits of having the pathfinder on his side. methinks the charlatan might be a bit lonely there behind all his masks lol) 

I think this is why I’m willing to give him some benefit of the doubt too, despite all the cloak and dagger stuff -- he’s so immediately drawn to ryder, who you can never make a bad person, really. something in him must respond to that, if potentially only in the ‘attracted to traits I do not possess myself’ way hahaha

- I love sam. so so much. some of the open world implementation is still grating (yes sam. yes I know I can mine this area for resources through my mining interface. we’ve been doing this for a hundred hours sam. you’ve been right here with me the entire time sam. please sam), but he’s SUCH a good and I’d argue underutilized concept (emotionally at least) and the best boy. the fact that he can get SARCASTIC on you fsdhfjsadh he’s growing and learning! he’s doing so from inside your brain which is kind of unsettling but also SO COOL! there’s something about that level of intimacy, of always knowing there will be someone there with you in your head that is super interesting and deserves to be examined more fully -- both how it could be comforting and how it’s  r e a l l y  not how people or ai are generally designed to work lol. 

he also gives us a unique link with our dad and I wonder if the writers would have explored that in more depth if there’d been more development time -- it practically SCREAMS out an invitation to get to play/see things from alec’s POV in short bursts, like the memories you unlock except you could go through playing it as him since sam is common to both of us. (see my ‘our dad comes back through either kett or remnant nonsense in the sequel and we need to find some way to connect with him’ idea. it would be. amazing. listen alec already looked at the ethical guidelines involved in creating ai and went ‘huh interesting ideas but not for me thanks!’, don’t tell me he wouldn’t have left some loophole in so this could happen)  

- reyes literally says ‘the cavalry’s here’ when we get to meridian and I for one love him more than words can express (he also asks us if we’re okay in sort of a sweet/worried way right before we get to the control room. aw buddy) 

- like we don’t think of them like that because we’re in control of them and see all the stumbles and awkwardness and how young they are all the time, but damn the ryder twins must look like something else to everyone in andromeda haha. they literally stride around like demigods restoring entire planets. on voeld spring non-metaphorically follows in their footsteps. shit dude if we’re talking realpolitik here the angara must feel  p r e t t y nervous about this -- there’s no one saying they can’t turn off the vaults as easily as they turned them on. I hope we get them somehow teaching the angara how to do it too, on a smaller scale at least, as a show of good faith or something in a sequel, because that power imbalance is disconcerting  

- I’m glad sam and I have such similar priorities whenever we’re on kadara. ‘maybe mr vidal would know. perhaps we should ask mr vidal about this. mr vidal said something relating to this pathfinder maybe we should speak to him’ . yeah sam i know the feeling, same (it does undeniably read as sam having a bit of a crush which is. hilarious?) 

- the fact that alec ryder thought ellen responded to his bad boy act in any way when what really charmed her was that he was a great big nerd <3 it’s kind of nice to see a fictional marriage that seems to have just been. nice and stable and chill? just two intellectual equals who like and respect each other very much and not a lot of drama until alec went full alec and started developing rogue ai instead of watching his wife die lol. again I would love for the sequel to involve ellen finally waking up and being like ‘death? trying to claim MY husband? I do not think so, I can die he can’t he’s not leaving me behind’ and helping out and you realize that the reason they were soulmates was that under the relatively rational and unemotional surface they’re both, at heart, batshit crazy mad scientists who are insanely devoted to each other. imagine it tho! the people of andromeda realize alec ryder is back from the dead somehow and doing some Shit out there, they put a ton of resources into curing ellen’s disease because their best shot is something to do with the implants she made, hey presto we’ve got all ryders on the board and in play. 

- just want to make it clear that I’m still sad about avitus rix and hope he’s having a good day

- do you think ryder ever asks sam to read something to him ‘aloud’ in his head if he’s anxious and can’t sleep. or just to talk at him about something boring until he nods off. again the possibilities inherent in the concept!!! he has someone who’s closer to him than any other person could be, what’s that like? 

- *me sticking to my sidewinder pistol the whole playthrough even though it’s laughably inefficient* I just wanna feel like a cowboy bioware please work with me here

- the male ryder voice actor has such amazing comedic timing, there’s a lot of reaction stuff out in the field he absolutely nails. I enjoy the female voice too and I like how much emotion she manages to convey towards the end of the game especially, but there’s a casual comedy in male ryder’s voice that can’t be beat. (well, it’s not hawke levels, but then nothing ever is, that’s too much to ask)

- I love vorn and kesh so much. nerd krogans unite & make out

- I still want to sit peebee down and have a long serious talk with her about emotional abuse, maybe give her a hug :( fuck kalinda 

- this game does not get enough credit for how stunningly beautiful it is, it all got buried under criticism about the animations and it’s a fucking shame. the last few vaults you go through are just mindboggling in scale and visual uh striking-ness. it makes me so sad to think there won’t be any more of it D: 

- I really like this mainly casual + logical dialogue options ryder I’ve found; it makes him sound like a younger and more irreverent version of his father, but also softer and less closed off and much more willing to show affection for his family especially. 

- i wonder if different people’s individual SAMs will take on a certain tone/unique pattern when they’ve coexisted long enough. have I mentioned. how much I want a sequel to this game 

- one last reyes note because don’t look at me okay -- I wonder how much we’re meant to read into ‘being honorable never got me anywhere’. on the one hand I’m fully prepared to believe he’s never even tried doing anything the honorable way in his entire life lol but on the other there’s also some interesting potential in the interplay of that sentence and ‘to be someone’. (there seems to be a deep fear in him both of powerlessness and of being truly seen/recognized -- he equates secrecy with safety pretty explicitly -- which seems... telling? of what I don’t know but telling all the same hahaha) like he might be saying he’s tried doing things the ‘right’ way and it didn’t work and the price was too high, so he just went for this instead with the ends low-key justifying the means. hmmm. :Ia (this is what happens when I get Attached to a character with like an hour of screentime my friends, and I’m already primed to give my entire heart away at the sound of nicholas boulton’s voice)

[ambitionsource]

Can you rank the a class from most to least changeable in hairstyles like who changes their hair the most? Sorry idk where I come up with this stuff

yesss fun question! to clarify, esther and i took this as you said like who changes their hair the most often, and it’s not at all an indication of how good someone’s hair looks. like, for example, asher is way over on the non-versatile side of the spectrum, but he’s one of the characters known for having some of the best hair. he’s just incredibly consistent. the way we also thought about it is that of course, from season to season, there will always be a change so this doesn’t account for that -- it’s mostly in general (one of my favorite things about watching shows is when you come back after a hiatus and everyone looks a little older and has new hairstyles + styles etc... it just emphasizes that lovely feeling of seeing your faves again but they’ve grown up a bit too and. idk i just love the aesthetic changes of it. there’s a whole other question there of how i think each character generally presents between seasons lmao but another time!)

the funniest thing about this is how absolutely boring and redundant boys are LMAO like... have some variety y’all. farkle is only as far over as he is because of how he ranges from like windswept disaster to coiff to buzzcut depending on his emotional state -- this doesn’t happen in s3, but in the future the buzzcut will return whenever farkle is feeling particularly erratic (it’s kind of a healthy coping mechanism for him). nate and dylan just scratch the surface of variety -- nate usually has curls but will experiment with shaving the sides, straightening it occasionally, and he wears a lot of beanies and stuff. dylan doesn’t care much about his hair and so will let like, dave and jade put it in little pigtails for fun while the performers are being performers, and he throws in beanies and headbands for flavor here and there. particularly in s3, when dylan has longer hair (bordering on 80s fluffy steve-harringtonesque vibes altho not QUITE steve level), he pulls the harry styles bandana thing semi-frequently, like this:

even still, zay puts all of them to shame. now there’s a man who understands versatility!

for girls, jade is definitely the least experimental with her hair, partially because she doesn’t know how, partially because she can’t be bothered (spending so much time with all the above boys who don’t care could also be a factor -- none of them are offering to braid her hair for fun, after all). it’s usually down for her, maybe with a couple of barrettes, and when she’s deep into costuming it’s pulled back in a lazy ponytail. clarissa is similar. isa either just pulls it half up, all the way up in a little puff, or keeps it down (since its usually short above her shoulders). maya is known for her long blonde locks and thus keeps it as such, but she’ll do variation in terms of wavy versus pin straight, etc. and will pull it up for rehearsals if needed. same for chai in terms of pulling it back. haley and darbs have a little more variety, a few updos or a spare braid here and there. darby is usually a high ponytail girl. sarah has even more so bc she fluctuates between curly and straight.

and then riles and yindra... these are the queens of hair. truly, no one is doing it like them. i wish there were gifsets of all of riley’s adorable hairstyles -- i have thought about this often, especially in regards to s1 (as i imagine it more typically down with small detail braids in s3 and of course in s2, she chops it short for half the season -- another dramatic change though). s3 would have cute variations too, though. natalia made an insp board for it one time that i think skims the tip of the riley hair iceberg quite nicely:

so cute! so you get the idea. love visuals!!!

-- Maggie & Es

[butterflydm]

The Untamed Rewatch (ep 10)

Previous Episode | Index | Next Episode

There's a lot of plot movement in this episode! Plus not one, not two, but THREE of WWX's antagonist parallels feature in it, in addition to the partnership parallel of SongXiao. Very exciting for me. ❤️

Xue Yang is revealed on a roof. There are… there are a lot of important roof moments in CQL. I also just straight-up love the composition of this shot, it has a lot of depth. There's Xue Yang on the roof, the hanging bodies in bright red under him, then Lan Zhan and Wei Ying in the foreground.

So… Xue Yang is a terrible person but a really great character. Here, though… ah. The man in black waits on a roof, standing elevated over the bodies of his victims and ready to challenge the people who are here to call him to task for his crimes, then a hero dressed all in white flies in to challenge him. From the point of view of the cultivation world, that's the story that started to (was supposed to) happen during the fight in eps 31-32.

Xue Yang and Wei Wuxian are only superficially alike. Their hearts are very different. But that's one of the themes that I enjoy — how differently things look when you only see them from the outside. Visually and on the surface, WWX & LWJ match up to either Xue Yang and Xiao Xingchen or Song Zichen and Xiao Xingchen. But once you scratch the surface, it becomes more clear that WWX's heart is nothing like Xue Yang's.

I love that WWX wants to stand back and observe before acting, here. Contrary to what might be assumed about his impulsive nature, he's very perceptive and strategic, and it's enjoyable to watch that here. He acts to level the playing field, then stays out of the fight to assess the fighters and when he does act, it's very calculated. This is one of the things that makes him a good teacher way later on, I think.

I also like that we see Xue Yang appreciates WWX's skills and more whimsical approach to things. So, one of the things that separates WWX from Xue Yang is that WWX has a sense of perspective and proportion (...actually, now that I think about it, this is also one of the things that separates WWX from MY/JGY, though in a different way). Like, one of the reasons XY is fun to watch is that he's generally always having a good time even in situations when it's extremely inappropriate. Whereas that may be what LWJ thought about WWX when he first met him, but he realized there are things (moral and ethical things) that WWX is quite serious about and doesn't joke over.

I also love the mutual admiration society that goes on after Xue Yang is captured, and Xiao Xingchen says nice things about our kiddos and then Lan Wangji turns it around and says nice things about him back. It's polite but it's also very sweet.

Xue Yang laughing over the hypocrisy of the honored cultivators — another WWX/Yiling Patriarch parallel moment there.

We also get another early moment of Lan Zhan currently refusing to do a thing that he will do with all his heart in the future, which is hold Suibian for WWX.

And then we get more detective work from WWX & LWJ — searching Xue Yang, realizing that the evidence no longer points to Xue Yang still having the Yin Metal, WWX working through his thoughts about it out loud. I really do love the partnership vibe.

I also have feelings about Jiang Cheng on one side of WWX, LWJ on the other side. They're in pale blue outer robes of slightly different shades, but the color underneath is very different and matches their clan. The color choices for the clothes on this show feel very deliberate, so while I might read the wrong things into it, I don't think I'm wrong for reading into it at all.

Xue Yang and WWX's outfits are so similar. Really, the main differences are WWX having red accents and Xue Yang having gold ones. But the main colors and silhouettes just… yes. The conversation here, about personal vs the wider picture, is a reoccuring theme as well. Because those things are hard to separate — the personal grudges affect the world as a whole when people with power are the ones with the grudges (again, a theme that will come up with JGY). Xue Yang doesn't have political power, but he has a skill and knowledge set that are useful to people in power, so he has more freedom to do terrible things and get away with it than something without those skills and knowledge would.

Meng Yao and Nie Huaisang are here! 

I do love this for Nie Huaisang's characterization — he was hesitant to come when it was just him and just a few young cultivators his own age, but once he has some serious backup, he immediately came to help. He does want to be helpful but he knows his own strengths.

We get the second mention here of Nie Mingjue being known for being forthright and honest with his judgements (Lan Xichen had mentioned it previously). It's something he's widely known for, it seems.

...I hadn't remembered that Wei Wuxian had said his bit about himself and Lan Zhan working together out of like-mindedness in front of Nie Huaisang and Meng Yao. I remembered Jiang Cheng, of course, but I hadn't remembered the other plot-important people who heard that said. The show really does set up this specific dynamic where the people who are involved in the main plot are all very aware that there's a special bond between WWX and LWJ. And Jiang Cheng's reaction is also in front of Meng Yao — I'm sure that he remembered this moment in the future, when he was poking at Jiang Cheng's ego-related issues about WWX. Because just like he did in front of Nie Huaisang in the earlier episode, here WWX separates himself out with Lan Wangji specifically, excluding everyone else from their partnership.

I love this lovely moment of validation that WWX gets from XXC, where XXC says that Baoshan would be happy to know him if she had the chance to meet him. And, again, I love that the person connected to WWX is the LWJ parallel. This is one of the moments when CQL just feels like a show that… even though many sad or terrible things happen in the story… the show wants to give these characters moments of kindness and absolution. It just feels very… affectionate. The show feels like it was made with real, genuine love and sympathy for the characters. That's one of the things that I like best about it, honestly. It feels tender, even in the hard parts. It wants to be kind.

Nie Huaisang really does admire regal gentleman. He was all admiring over LWJ, and now he's the same over XXC and Song Zichen. And I also absolutely love how much this meeting affects both WWX and LWJ. WWX is the talker, so he gets the lines about how he wants to have that kind of life, but we can tell LWJ is just as deeply affected by how he watches them leave. And I assume the show already knew it couldn't actually show WWX and LWJ as full-on cultivation partners in the end, so they used this as a way of showing us that this is the path (being partners together) that they're both starting to desire, and they trust us to do the math at the end of episode 50.

Meng Yao is the one who passes along the information about the Wen Clan demanding every great clan to send at least one 'direct disciple' (important? full-fledged? family? I'm not certain of what it means exactly, though Nie Huaisang says he's the only one for the Nie clan, so family seems likely) for training. I love how WWX immediately takes this opportunity to say nice things about the Lans. He whined when he was there, but now that he's not in Gusu anymore, he's already nostalgic over it. Oh, honey. 

So, Meng Yao must already be formulating his plan to… hmm, go undercover? Play both sides? He's always looking for opportunities to advance himself. I feel like we can safely assume that. He's already been rejected by his father and is probably trying to think of ways to prove himself in order to get the public recognition that he wants. Those are the assumptions I'm currently making.

WWX is so thrilled to addressed directly by NMJ, wow! Look at that smile. Then NMJ says nice things about him and Jiang Cheng, and WWX is just over the moon. Cute, cute, cute! Meanwhile, NMJ addresses LWJ just as 'Wangji' like LXC does, so they know each other a lot better. Yeah, unless I get contradictory info, I am on the 'NMJ went to the Cloud Recesses and he and LXC became good friends and this is part of why LXC thought to suggest a similar idea to his brother' train of thought.

Then we have the sentencing of Xue Yang. It's interesting that we see both WWX and Meng Yao react similarly to Nie Mingjue wanting to immediately kill Xue Yang, though I'm not sure if Meng Yao would have spoken up if WWX hadn't — he might not consider his position secure enough to do that. Once WWX makes the initial argument, Meng Yao backs him up, but, yeah. I'm not sure if he would have made the initial argument himself.

Ah, it makes me quite sad, honestly, to see Nie Huaisang, Wie Wuxian, and Jiang Cheng being so admiring of Meng Yao's arguments. Because Meng Yao really did screw himself over. He was talented and smart and capable of winning admiration from others, but he was so focused on what he didn't have that he couldn't see what he'd already achieved. He threw away a good position with a good family in hopes of winning recognition from someone who didn't even deserve an ounce of admiration.

But I do… understand why he felt like it wasn't enough? Because even though he had won admiration from strong cultivators, many people still looked down on him for being a "prostitute's son" and he didn't have enough power to make that stop (as we see in the next scene). And I do think that's… I mean, that's what it was about for him (I mean, that and his incredible ability to hold onto a grudge no matter what. that's also a factor). Just trying to get enough power and enough reputation to make the whispers stop. And there's never enough power for that. No matter how much power he amassed, it would never be enough. Becoming the actual leader of the entire cultivation world still didn't give him the power to make people not judge him for his parentage, and he wasn't, for whatever reason, capable of being like LWJ or WWX and saying 'screw reputation, I want to do what's right'. And so he trapped himself into a doomed cycle that elevated him up higher and higher but then inevitably led to his own destruction. A tragedy, yes, but one built by his own hands.

Still, you know, I watch that scene with Meng Yao and the guard captain and I'm like. okay, yeah. I get why he killed the guy and tried to frame him for Xue Yang's escape. It was awful and he shouldn't have, but I understand the motivations. Just having to be polite and give out a customer-service smile, over and over, to people who are disrespecting you (and your mom)… it's exhausting and soul-killing.

Hmm, when WWX first crosses over to stand next to LWJ, the timing felt a little random, but then I realized it's connected to the whole thing he's been stressing since the Yin Metal trip started.

He sees himself and LWJ as the partners on this, and everyone else is a little bit on the outside.

I like Nie Mingjue's facial hair — it does a good job, I think, of displacing him forward in time compared to the rest of the cast, and making them all seem like agemates compared to the slightly older NMJ. I like his whole character design, tbh.

Oh my god! WWX suggests here turning a piece of Yin Metal into a weapon. Which is. Exactly what he does later on. He literally suggests right here the thing that he does later on that wins the war. Huh.

Another important rooftop scene — WWX goes to sleep on the roof over LWJ's quarters, instead of sleeping in an actual bed. These ridiculous boys with their ridiculous crushes, I swear. And LWJ is already falling hopelessly in love with him. My heart overflows. They are so incredibly, ridiculously romantic and I will never recover emotionally.

I like the confrontation between Wen Chao and Nie Mingjue. There's a lot of tension in the scene. In terms of the antagonist characters, Wen Chao isn't my favorite but he is very sharply defined and I feel like I get a good sense of who he is as a person. And we get the introduction of Wen Zhuliu here, as someone who can go toe-to-toe with this Sect Leader that our protagonist characters are all impressed by and respectful towards. So that setup works for me really well. And it's very telling of Wen Chao again as someone who talks big but likes to send in other people to fight his battles for him.

Most of the Wen sect wear black and red in equal amounts, while Wen Zhuliu is mostly black with just a hint of red accents… like WWX does in this episode. I've talked about this character comparison briefly, I think, and it'll come back later but — Wen Zhuliu plays the second fiddle to the direct son of the sect leader, despite being clearly far more powerful a cultivator, but he believes he owes a debt to the family for taking him in so he suppresses his own potential ambition or choices for the sake of the sect. Now, this is not what WWX does, but it's the situation that WWX is in, or very similar. But WWX chooses to act against the interests or orders of his sect when it conflicts with his ethics.

And I note —  in this time of crisis, WWX instinctively gives Jiang Cheng an order and it's followed. And WWX is his head discipline, it makes sense! But that's also a habit that can be hard to transition out of once Jiang Cheng becomes Sect Leader in the future. Like, even if everything with the Wens hadn't shaken out this way, they still might have come into conflict due to WWX being a natural leader.

The mess of Meng Yao getting caught killing the guards and trying to lie his way out of it, then throwing himself in front of Wen Zhuliu's sword, then WWX challenging Wen Chao and everyone hearing that his brother, Wen Xu, is off to destroy the Cloud Recesses… it is a lot, though the pacing of the scene works for me. It's just that a lot of things are piling over and over on the characters (oh, and we get Meng Yao noticing and being concerned about Lan Xichen after he hears about Gusu).

Hmm, so the final scene with Meng Yao and Nie Mingjue. It does… ah, echo for me with how Meng Yao ultimately dies, with regards to how he acts with Lan Xichen in their final scene. Here, he tells Nie Mingjue that meeting him means he has no regrets. At the end, he will tell Lan Xichen that LXC being willing to die for him is 'enough'. In both cases, there's a sense of… Meng Yao knows there's a good chance he might actually die here, so I feel like he's doing his best make to try to make it so that at least this person will carry him with them the rest of their life, that he will impact them by his death. Which ties into his deep, deep desire to matter. Nie Mingjue dismisses it as — the viki translation says 'this little vanity' — but. I mean, it's easy for a sect leader to dismiss someone else's desire to be seen as important? Nie Mingjue has never been unimportant a day in his life. This doesn't excuse Meng Yao's actions, of course, but, I do think dismissing something that is clearly the cornerstone of someone's life doesn't lead to understanding. And Nie Mingjue does want to understand why, but I think his and Meng Yao's lives are just so different that the gap was just too wide to bridge with the tools that he had at his disposal.

I do think that both Nie Mingjue and Meng Yao are clearly emotionally marked by this confrontation/breakdown of their previous relationship. I didn't know either of the characters very well in my first viewing, so I'm just… I'm a lot more emotional about this scene now than I was the first time.

Next time: Lotus Pier! Excited to be seeing it again for the first time in the rewatch. And all the painful/fascinating family dynamics.

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[lucastheunlucky]

iridescence. Otto&Luke

Location: Otto’s place Time/Date: Late night, about weekend of the 15th Summary: Luke fills Otto in on things. @gravityfissure

The water was warm enough to pinken the tips of his ears. Steam swirled when it struck the air and filled the room with its sweet scents. Lucas hadn’t settled into a tub in such a long time. He’s forgotten how it even felt to relax in such a way. His entire forearm of his left arm was draped over the edge of the tub, wrapped up in plastic, so it didn’t get wet, and layers of thick bandages under it gave it a bulky shape. His hair was buzzed short right now, but he did have a fabric cap on to keep it dry. For a second, he just appreciatively looked at the other. Taking in the entire visual intensely, like a blink, could change the scene and put it back to the hell he’s been living. Exhaustion bit at his heels in threat to put him asleep, making him pliable right now. He was thankful this was enough. Luke wasn’t expecting to define anything, but he couldn’t deny that it was nice for a change, to not lie about what he was. To dance around details, and explain with lies stacked with fake smiles. He could be honest most of the time, and he could learn so much from Otto that it was a bit mesmerizing. “Why are you so distractingly beautiful,” Luke hummed in tease, closing his eyes with a faint, small smile. “Can’t give an injured guy a break. Making my heart flutter too fast-- don’t kill me.” Probably too soon for that joke, but Luke said it anyway. 

A bath hadn’t been what Otto had been expecting to be asked for, but it was hardly the strangest request to be made. It was strange, this pattern of habits and things he found himself acquiescing to without a second thought whenever Lucas asked them of him. But the last thing he’d been anticipating when he opened the door was the state the other man turned up in; worn and weary, barely able to stand straight under the weight of his world crashing down on his shoulders. It stirred an immediate sense of discord and worry in his stomach, an unfamiliar and unpleasant sensation that he wasn’t all that accustomed to feeling around anyone. He wanted to ask what had happened, but common sense and general decency had him holding his tongue as he ushered Lucas in. Otto had gotten him to sit while he ran a bath; laden with bubbles and a few tinctures of lavender oil to help him relax - it seemed he needed all the help he could get in that department right now. Only then did he let Luke get in, while he perched on a small brick alcove his mildly amused expression thinly veiling the underlying concern that warbled about in his mind. Narratives constructing upon narratives to try and explain to himself what had done this much harm to a man so undeserving of such harm. It stoked a low-boiling anger, the intent and wish to see whoever was responsible for this punished to the deepest depths of hell and then some. “Rich coming from you good-lookin’,” Otto huffed in amusement leaning on the edge of the tub and flicking some bubbles in Lucas’ direction.

"Heyyy, come on," he pouted, offering up a hurt puppy expression that was god-tier in level as the bubbles dotted his cheeks and landed on his nose. Luke was exceptionally good at masking his pain with playfulness. Otto feeding into it was a relief in opposition to everyone else asking him a hundred times if he was okay when he so very clearly wasn't. He shifted up, pulling his shoulders from the water with a lap of scented water and leaned over where if he went a little more, he could almost lay his head in his lap if he wanted. "Just-- mmm," he displayed a tired but amused face for Otto to deal with, bubbles and all. Clearly content with letting them pop one at a time as they were exposed to the air of the room. "Thanks. For letting me escape a bit. Didn't want to put that on you-- since we've really not talked about things seriously between us. It seemed a lot to bring to your door. My issues, that is."

“Nope,” he answered, popping the p of the word for deliberate effect, Luke might’ve looked extremely cute right now but it didn’t detract from the current worry over his well-being. Otto had his questions, but he was versed in navigating people’s trauma well enough to know that it was a matter of giving them the space to open up in their own time. That was when you could delve in with the fine tooth comb and wheedle out the finer details. Still, he smiled fondly at Luke reaching out to lightly poke his nose “hey now don’t get water all over my floor,” he tsked as Luke leaned over the edge of the tub. He was quiet for a second before he tipped a shoulder, “s’alright, I get being fed up of people poking their noses in your business when you don’t want them to…” he looked at Luke for a long moment before he leaned back against the wall “you’re welcome to bring your issues and anything else to my door. It’s always open for you.”

Lucas settled, tucking his head on the edge. The bubbles popping loud to his sensitive ears but not annoying with the smell and company. Otto was open to letting him bring his mess here? Having another place to come made his chest warm in affection, glancing over to meet his eye in faint surprise. “Always?” He asked, but knew it to be already true. How lucky. That never, ever happens to him. Happiness blossomed in him and he mentally prepared himself to admit at least the rough issue he was being here today. “You know about hunters right? And I mean the ones born a certain way? Well, this one—“ he paused, wrinkling his brow gently. “It’s embarrassing admitting it, cause it feels like my fault most of the time, but he’s hurt me for a decade more now. Sorta, like a catch and release thing. I just found out how desensitized I am to all of it. I mean, I let him almost take my arm? I don’t even remember clearly, but I didn’t fight back. That is why my pack is handling it. He wants to take me— so I’m not allowed to be alone. Just in case he calls me or something and I leave without realizing it.”

Otto sat in silence for a little while, content simply to soak in the company and ambiance of the occasional pop of bubbles in the bath. His fingers drifted idly up and down the length of the side of the bath, slow and rhythmic in their action back and forth and back again. “If you need it or me, I’ll be there.” It was rare to get an assurance like that out of him, but something about Luke intrigued him in such a way it left him feeling somewhat compelled to agree. Even with the dangers. “I do,” he shifted to sit a little more upright then looking to Lucas as he started to recount what had happened. Briefly, his eyes drifted to the wrap of bandages that were secured around his arm. Well, that explained that he thought to himself. But the thought there was someone that could just… Make Luke leave without a single word or inclination to fight to stay? The thought stirred a churning worry in his gut, he found himself asking before he could even think “what are they doing to handle it?” There were ideas already rolling around his mind, potential solutions and things he could do to help. A gift perhaps. No one needed to know… Not even Lucas that way if this hunter got into his mind… He wouldn’t even think of getting rid of it. But perhaps the more pressing question that came to Otto’s mind was “what are you going to do about him?”

Luke lifted his injured arm onto the edge of the tub, and reached for the teasing trail of fingers. He spoke quietly about the pack, “yeah, they are trying to get him arrested. They might actually make it happen. As long as I don’t mess it up, or a surprise catches us off guard like last time.” The real question surfaced, and Lucas sat forward, the water lapping gently as to not spill it and kissed Otto’s knuckles, scenting the skin there, before resting his chin on his hand to pin it to the tub. Eyes shifting to warm honey yellow as he looked at the other, mind distant and fuzzy. “Hmm,” the sound came out as a slow exhale, but it was rumbled in his chest as a low growl. His lip twitched in a faint snarl, but it was reserved, controlled-- clearly Lucas has had this question on his mind for days. “I’m conflicted on that. Greatly conflicted, Otto. Sometimes-- there isn’t a right answer. It’s why I’m so troubled and tired.” He could see Otto’s mind reeling in subtle ways, and he was curious what his thoughts on it were. Maybe, he had a better idea. “You can tell me no if you don’t want to answer. But have you ever lived with regret? Regret not dealing with someone who wronged you? Or regret in causing something that you can’t take back?”

Somehow, Otto wasn’t sure that getting someone like this arrested was going to work. “And what’s to say he’ll actually stay there? That he won’t get released in five… ten… However many years and just be an even bigger issue?” If there was one thing he didn’t have faith in it was the justice system, he’d known more than enough people who had learned how to play the system and if this man was as conniving as he seemed Otto wasn’t sure typical means would keep him in place. The kiss was nice, but his mind was already working over contingencies. But Luke didn’t answer his question, only gave another in its place which didn’t satisfy what Otto wanted to know. “Yes, but what are they doing to catch him? And what are they doing to keep you safe?” What more could he do to help? For a moment, Otto chewed on his lip seeming to wrestle with himself over something unspoken, something that he didn’t wish to dredge up. “Not wronged, no. I’ve always... adjusted situations to suit me so that I’m not in a position to be wronged or double-crossed.” But regret? “That’s something wholly different…” he continued after a moment, looking down to where his fingers were pinned by Luke’s chin “we all have regrets and actions we want to take back… It’s how we learn to come to terms with them that I think is what matters the most…” He looked back to Luke, “what is it you regret? If it isn’t too much to ask?”

Luke was watching Otto in an all encompassing way, noticing those twitches of muscles, the chew on his lip, the change in his heart beat. His warm gaze darted over his face, listening carefully to his words, and still Luke found himself lucky to have another who cared about him. Hearing the unspoken because others have said the same thing. He didn’t speak right away. Digesting everything, the scope of the situation not lost on Luke, and how difficult it was to explain without admitting so much about him. “You see my point of view so clearly. Say, what I keep saying to my family and friends,” he admitted quietly, “even with this little information, you are so brilliant.” His complement wasn’t to distract, but in honest awe. “Mhm,” he sat up, resting both arms on the tub edge. The dull ache in his arm a frustrating reminder. “I regret I lost so much of myself, so much time, because I was so alone, but no more--” he shook his head, his features subtly shifted, little hair on his knuckles, his cheekbones denser. “No more. I know what I need to do, I’ll take care of him.” Lucas said, glancing up in a show of trust to said information knowing he could be reading it very wrong and Otto could tell him to get the fuck out. He couldn’t help it though. He wanted to go all in with Otto. “You want to help me with it?”

When there were things in your past you didn’t want to dredge up it was sometimes a matter of working to talk around a subject rather than directly referencing it. Or so he’d found over the last couple of months. It didn’t bear thinking about the amount of sleepless nights he still had thinking about the look on that man’s face, confusion, horror, shock as he collapsed back in the flickering darkness as red blossomed over the front of his uniform. He’d been here for a job, and he’d died by his own gun all because Otto had panicked. Even the memory was enough to leave him feeling vaguely nauseated. “Probably because they’re all trying to view you through a rose tinted lens. It’s not their fault, they want to only see the good in you… But there’s a shadow to every self and some of  our shadows cast larger than others.” That wasn’t to say people were inherently bad, but it was simply a point to recognise that sometimes there was darkness in people that would never fully be shifted. It was something you had to learn how to live and eventually make peace with. “But what they probably don’t consider is the feeling of losing control by someone else’s hand and wanting to re-establish that.. Else you live in fear of your life falling out of your control again if you don’t do something to get it back.” He could see the different stances on it, objectively uninvolved it was simply taking a step back to look at the larger framework and see where the pieces fell into place. “I’m just being realistic… Nothing brilliant about that.” The sudden shift in Luke might’ve been concerning, but Otto simply saw it as him taking up the decision to take back his life that had been so violently ripped from him. If anyone deserved to have their life back, their peace of mind and security it was Luke and Otto would do whatever was necessary to give that back to him. His eyes hardened a little at the question but no rebuttal came only a nod. “Of course. But we have to be smart about it. No rushing headfirst into this. We take our time and plan out every possible eventuality.”

“Yes, that’s exactly it,” he threaded fingers, tugging gently towards the tub. Not wanting to make it seem like he wasn’t taking it seriously, but he also felt content with everything enough to sigh in relief. Otto really did understand his dilemma. Mercy has as well, and though Luke hadn’t told anyone else, not even Miles yet; he felt validated in this difficult decision. Not that it was the best to contemplate killing someone, but there were other options that left Gotch forgetting Lucas Washington forever and if not. Well. Salva had said he’d keep Gotch away from him, maybe, the wolf could even scare him away. Give them more time. While the rest of the pack, Adam, and Sargent Roland worked on the evidence, in trying to build a case, Luke had a few others to cover him in the other direction. The one that wasn’t lined with uncertainty to his own well being, but could finally end his suffering. “Only you and one other person know I’ve been thinking differently. My brother will eventually, when I can face him over it,” he pulled a little more, thumb rubbing his wrist. “Get undressed-- come sit with me?” he asked quietly, “I know, this will have your mind spinning. It’s been mine for days now. I’m glad I told you, thank you for hearing me out.”

Otto tended to take the stance that the hardest decisions needed a fair bit of contemplation before being acted upon. He also knew that while there was magic that could certainly make someone forget - every magic had its limits and every spell could be unpicked if a person cared enough to try. Out of all their options, Otto only saw one way that would genuinely put an end to this once and for all. Not a path easily walked, but in the grand scheme of things you had to sometimes take the pill that was hardest to swallow for the best possible outcome. “Who else is involved so far?” he asked, moving his thumb to lightly rub over Luke’s skin. He rolled his eyes at Luke’s insistence that he undress and join him, “this bath is not big enough for the both of us and you’re not healed enough for that to not end in disaster… But you’re welcome,” though it didn’t dissuade his mind from lingering over possible reasons for what he could do to help Luke with this hunter that was apparently making his life a nightmare. “You’re going to turn into a prune if you stay in there for much longer anyways.”

“Hmm, I am pretty tall. Get a bigger tub for the future?” Lucas winked. He knew he was definitely oversized for it, but he also really wanted to pretend that he wasn’t injured and exhausted and could humor them squeezing in as proof. He conceded and pulled himself up out of the water, grabbing a soft towel to press into his skin and tie around his waist before stepping out. He took a minute to take the plastic off from his bandage, trying to wiggle his fingers with a stiffness and much difficulty before speaking. “All the wolves because I howled when I got attacked,” he admitted, “There’s quite a few of us. Sergeant Roland is looking into the police corruption bit. There’s hacking, cameras and wards from someone else. I think it’s eight or so people working the evidence angle.” He peered over, rubbing his arm. Lucas’ eye went a little distant then. Looking at Otto but not really focused on him as that piece of darkness in him swirled that Ivor Gotch will never stop. “I have probably a month. I’ll be healed up by the next full moon. He will know this. I’ll have to know then what I’m going to do. He’ll be coming-- he won’t quit this, and the next time I can’t imagine it will be just him and I. If he brings more beast hunters, more of his family, more violence period, we’re going to have a major werewolf vs hunter battle on our hands. There could be crossbows, guns, silvered weapons, it will be bad.” He paused again, a soft chuckle. “I’ll take any help though. Especially if it doesn’t have to end in that fight. If I can find him first, or anything but that.”

“You expect me to get a bigger tub just so I can join you? Presumptuous you’re worth that much effort hm?” A light needle all things considered, and a bath really wasn’t the sort of thing Otto ever thought to spend excessive amounts on. There were better things in life than a big bath. He listened making mental notes of what Luke said and noting anything that seemed important. “What wards?” There was no helping the fact that he’d probably come over and triple check everything was secure at Luke’s, the more secure it was the less chance there was of anyone tampering anything. There was also the fact Otto didn’t have any real trust or faith in anyone in this little hellmouth, everyone had a price they’d be willing to turn for. No matter how “good” intentioned they might appear. Plus from what little he knew of the police department, who knew what use they would be. “I can probably expedite that,” Otto said in regard to the healing and getting him in better shape. “And maybe I can help you train… Mentally, I’m good with illusions… If you can get me an image I can probably make something that looks like him…” it might not be the real thing, but learning to confront him might just help Luke not pause in the moment it would truly count.

“I’m joking,” Lucas shook his head, noticing that the other wasn’t letting him play as much since it was a more serious topic between them. “You can check them, I don’t know anything about it. I’ll give you my address.” Luke walked out to grab his bag and put on clean lounge pants. Sitting on the edge of the bed he was surprised at the offer. Different worries met his mind about it, but nothing overly against it. Lucas wondered if he could stay present while seeing Gotch in such a way. “It’s his voice that gets me, more than his face. It triggers something in my head, I just shut down. But I don’t feel like that’s a bad idea. I might be able to handle seeing him better than I think. After this last attack-- I think he’s finally pushed me too far. Hopefully the sickness attached over him torturing me for so long can be swallowed down with practice.” He leaned across the bed towards the dresser and grabbed his phone, and flipped to an email between him and Miles. The snapshot of the man came into view making his chest tightened immediately challenging his words. He flipped the phone over so Otto could see that he was a decorated cop as well. “So I have physical therapy soon, and training back on the football field to get back in shape how I like to go about it. It will take a little bit of work, but I’d like to heal on my own. Let my mind remember this one-- cause in the past I didn’t so much.” 

“I know you are doofus,” Otto poked him in the shoulder before pushing up to his feet and pulling the plug to drain the water out. “Alright, I’ll stop by later to check them and make sure they’re up to scratch.” He didn’t know whether Luke would take up the offer he laid out, it was a potentially dangerous thing to toy around with but if it helped him to confront this man then Otto would work on figuring it out. “I’m not sure I could do anything about the voice since i haven’t heard him…” he admitted, taking the phone when Luke offered it out to peer at the image. He made a sound under his breath, “mind if I send this to myself?” Though he was already tapping through the options to share it to himself via Luke’s texts, he’d have to work on it and see what he could come up with. Still, he glanced over at Luke when he mentioned wanting to get better naturally. “If you’re sure… But if you’re serious about taking this dude on about ending this once and for all… You need to be in top form - physically and mentally.”

“I was already in peak shape when he attacked me and it didn’t matter,” Luke said, nodding about him taking the photo and information from the email. “I am technically, still in the best shape I’ve been in minus my arm being useless right now. As long as I rest and eat enough, I’ll heal up faster and get back on my regimen. It’s just the nerves and tendons that seem to be struggling. If I can heal up on my own from a headshot--” he winced a little, the two starburst scars on his chest ached lightly. After everything this last time-- he almost forgot this guy put him in the ground once, the urgency to ending this blaring just by looking at him. “Well, then I was alone. I’m not now.” Luke nodded again, and gave a fond smile towards Otto. “I’m sure, we can call him too. If I’m not alone with it-- it should be okay. If you need that. He will pick up, he won’t be able to help himself. If you think, it’s safe too. Don’t want him tracing it back to you.”

“Physically yes, what about mentally?” Otto asked but from what Luke had already told him he already knew the answer to his question, this man had subjected Luke to a highly extended period of suffering and conditioning. To elicit a fear response out of him and that was something that Luke would need to grow familiar and comfortable with enough to fight back against its grip. “Have you thought about therapy?” while he wanted to help with these things, Otto wondered whether professional input would actually be a good idea. As they left the bathroom, Otto rubbed his hands together the hum of his magic warm and familiar at his fingertips just waiting to be used. “No. I don’t think that’s a good idea. The less he knows the better… We’ll make do with what we have.”

“I have actually went already, I plan on going again. It’s hard, but the work would be worth it,” Luke said about the therapy, he didn’t like it, but he knew he needed help to get over things. His gaze went on Otto’s hands while he rubbed them together, and it was still something else to see him so eager. Even more so with magic which wasn’t a topic they spoke much about. “I know, you want to help me right away, and it’s kinda incredible,” he reached out with his good arm, wanting to touch him. “But I’m on a strict no stress diet for like two weeks. I’m down for the idea though. It would be invaluable to me.” He huffed a little, he was already quite tired after the warm water and nice atmosphere. “For now, tonight at least. Just being here is helping me more than you know. You okay with letting me crash?”

“Okay good,” that was good, wasn’t it? The fact that Luke was taking the time to work on those things as well as the physical because this battle wasn’t just as simple as fighting a man and being done with it. It was fighting the years of demons and trauma as well. Right now there were several things on his mind, magic and helping Luke being one of several moving parts within his life. That said, Otto mentally paused when Luke mentioned staying, this was becoming a bit regular… And while he didn’t mind it per se a part of him was keenly aware that there had to be some distance reinstated. “Yeah, uh- ‘course… I guess you can stay if you want, I’ve got a few things I need to stay up and finish first.”

“Yeah?” Lucas knew he was intruding, he knew he was being needy with someone that didn’t have to humor him, but Lucas really did enjoy Otto’s presence. Even in the lowest acquaintance level of capacity in chatting. Luke unfortunately to some, got attached quickly with anyone he enjoyed time with. It was always a problem for him and caused high levels of disappointment when he ultimately ruined things. “I know, I came with weird requests. You don’t have to say yes to me. I can handle a no. I’m grateful for the relaxation, even if just for a moment. Everyone else around me is on high alert, and it's a tiring emotion, even if they are worried for a good reason.” Taking his phone back, he glanced down at the image still there before closing it and texting one of the wolves to keep them on the know. It was still strange having people worry over him, or checking in on his schedule, or whereabouts.  

Otto wasn’t entirely sure what the best response to this situation was, Luke was still recovering but equally he seemed to be latching on in any way possible and Otto wasn’t all too keen with the idea of becoming a damn wolf whisperer. He had enough issues in his own life to warrant taking on too many belonging to other people. He didn’t want other people’s burdens. No matter how nice the person they belonged to seemed to be. In all honesty, the speed with which Luke moved was far too much for his mind to process and catch up to. He’d only been interested in a bit of fun, and somehow had landed himself in a position he was definitely neither equipped for both mentally and emotionally. “I mean…” he stalled trying to process the best way to say this without hurting Luke’s feelings “I get that must be tiring but they’re doing it to keep you safe. If you need to crash here… You can but…  honestly, I uh, wasn’t expecting it…”

Luke suspected, and he was easy going enough to not let it be weird. “It’s seriously fine,” he reassured. “I’m sorry if I bothered you though. Guess I was being a little selfish, trying to grasp at anything that wasn’t--” the word painful lingering there but he didn’t say it. He grabbed his stuff, “maybe if you still have interest in the illusion bit with Gotch-- well. I’d appreciate the help, but no pressure. I’m working on it, it’s been--” He didn’t know how to word it exactly, not sure if it was important enough to explain. “Alright-- I’m out. See ya,” he offered a tired grin, though it wasn’t at the vibrant capacity it was weeks prior. 

Otto flexed his fingers and uncurled them for a moment, watching Luke’s expression to try and gauge his reaction. Not the worst thing in the world. “It isn’t a bother, I just...” what? What did he want? “I guess I just don’t want you to become too dependent on other people is all… I’m happy to help, but at the end of the day this is your path to walk, you know?” And that was the truth as far as Otto could speak it. “I’ll work on something for the illusions though..” he trailed off, but gave a small nod moving to open the door and see Luke out. As the other’s form vanished down the stairs, Otto let out a sigh through his nose, why was this all so complicated?

[dbh-is-a-crime]

All Dbh Chapters

@kaydel your reply to my ask has inspired me to give my thoughts on each of the chapters.

Chapter 1: The Hostage

Is honestly a good first chapter, the tension and stakes are high, it pulls you in. There's a reason people who played the demo were hyped for the game. And regardless of what I think of Cage's writing, it's not the first time he's done a solid intro to a game. (Swiftly followed by garbage but I digress..)

We learn something about deviancy and how it starts, we get a sequence of dialogue based gameplay to set up how important it is to the story, and we get a taste of Connor’s somewhat underdeveloped investigation gameplay. 

I will admit that there are several lines I kind of like in this scene (’You can’t kill me, I’m not alive’ I’d like this even better if Bryan didn’t love it so much) And most of the outcomes are very cool! 

Chapter 2: Opening

Is not a chapter, it's the opening credits. It's not really interesting, but it's not as bad as Heavy Rain's, only because it's about half as long. Kara was robbed.

Chapter 3: Shades of Color

What a title am I right! And no, it's not just because of the paints. This chapter, title aside, isn't bad! We don't learn anything about Markus but it sets the world up nicely. It's one of the cooler open areas. It shows off the graphics nicely. 

And all of that is promptly ruined by the overly heavy-handed scene with the protesters. With the follow up of the back of the bus! Also the preacher guy is weird what was the point of that.

Chapter 4: A New Home

Easily one of the most (if not The Most) boring chapters in the game. Mundane QTEs? We all looooooove those! At the end of the chapter you get some exposition to a very nice composition (this game really would be nothing without the music) and that part is actually ok. But the mundane housework gameplay doesn’t get a pass, even if it is to give context for what the life of an android is like. Would be 100% better if there was 40% less housework.

Chapter 5: The Painter

A solid chapter! Learning about Markus through his interactions with Carl? An actual good narrative device? Unbelievable. At surface level their relationship is sweet and Carl is so supportive of Markus growing beyond his programming. Though there is a darker undertone that mirrors the caged android birds. And that it’s all a gilded cage. And I like both of those interpretations, they’re interesting. 

The music mini game is interesting the first time you do it but after that I’m never picking it again, chess it is from now on.

Chapter 6: Partners

Connor’s return after 5 chapters. I think that might be the longest break between appearances for any of them. Anyway this chapter is mostly fine. It sets up Hank and Connor’s troubled partnership and shows us what most of Connor’s gameplay is going to be. (Detective work and trying to reason with Hank) It would be interesting if there was an option to let Ortiz’ android go, seeing as there if a version of the scene where you don’t find him. But I guess it’s too early for Connor to be disobeying.

Chapter 7: Stormy Night

Classic David Cage has women being abused by men! Unfortunately this is one of Kara’s best chapters. The tension from the very first moment if real, and as soon as Alice runs up stairs, you just know what’s going to happen. Without fail, every person I’ve ever watched, immediately tries to follow her. Honestly? Solid way to make me care about the kid. 

I know some folks have problems with showing child abuse on screen, but my opinion is that they kept the worst of it as implied, like in the failed ending of the chapter, you don’t see it actually happen. So I’m personally okay with it, but I can understand why some may disagree.

10/10 for the chase/escape scene. It’s stressful as hell but honestly the music just makes it...like idk the moment Kara deviates? I nearly, literally screamed the first time. The build up to it is so good, and you as the player are determined to protect Alice and will fight through the programming to do it.

Chapter 8: Broken

Gonna be honest, Markus’ deviating scene falls a little flatter for me. I’ve watched several people play for the first time and actively not want to break programming and retaliate. Which makes the fact that its a scripted event you can’t avoid frustrating to them. I guess we just haven’t seen any anger from him yet so it doesn’t feel like the reaction you expect? (I get that it’s supposed to be him finally cracking, the story just...doesn’t convey that very well.)

Also the fact that you get punished for staying silent with Carl dying is shitty.

Chapter 9: The Interrogation 

Talk about fucking tense! This scene is a real challenge, in either difficulty. Unless you don’t care about the android self-destructing? 

I don’t have much else to say, it’s not a bad scene but there’s not a lot of substance to it. The ‘the day will come when we will no longer be slaves’ line is...the start of the truly terrible writing choices in this game.

Chapter 10: Fugitives

Not a bad scene. Getting to choose to steal a bunch of stuff is fun, and the fact that you can steal all this shit and then go and sleep in the car is pretty funny. I don’t like the house or Ralph, just because it’s another chance to put a female character at risk from a male character. 7/10 I’m never picking the house. (Also did you know you can fail to steal from that guy in the laundromat and he wakes up lmao)

Chapter 11: From The Dead

Ok this is going to be kind of a controversial opinion...but I’m tired of this scene. While it’s true that no scene in the game holds up on the 20th watch/play, this scene lost most of it’s shock value on the 3rd watch. Now that being said, the sound design in the scene is brilliant. And putting the audio processor back in does still give me chills, but the rest of the scene? I mean, I guess cannibalising other androids is a pretty powerful story action. But the fact that you can take all of the things you need from dead androids if you search hard enough kind of ruins that for me. 

Also idk why but everyone collectively thinks that Markus screams when he reaches the top of the slope and I have no idea why.

Chapter 12: Waiting For Hank

Boooooooring. Ok, getting beat up by Gavin after refusing to make him coffee is mildly interesting. But the fact that Hank just hates you in the scene is honestly quite tiring. Like, his opinion of Connor will inevitably go down at least once, you can’t avoid that. Also there’s nothing to explore in the office so...

Chapter 13: On The Run

Both versions of this scene are very tense. And not in...a super fun way. Like ok, Kara has that empowering woman moment where she cuts her hair, great, but the rest of the scene isn’t that good. (And the version with Ralph is downright disturbing.) 

Chapter 14: Jericho

Oh god let’s players cannot do this part. And the amount of time I’ve spent watching people run around clueless because they weren’t paying even the slightest attention or follow the obvious path, makes me hate this chapter. I also hate it because the gameplay isn’t very interesting. Markus’ precog is mildly interesting, but that’s really it. (The end of this chapter has some pretty stunning visuals tho)

Chapter 15: The Nest

Ok, the opening conversation with Hank is cute if Connor is trying to be nice. Though the actual chase is pretty tense. The music is on point as always, because the composers for this game were very overqualified for the job. Also the fact that you get punished for not saving Hank both amuses and vexes me. You don’t catch the guy because you were a shitty partner. But what was the point of taking the risk with Hank if there’s no reward? (Yes I know he still ends up in evidence lock up but that’s hardly reward enough for risking your partner’s life)

I mean okay the pigeons flying through the roof is pretty funny, but the investigation in the apartment isn’t all that interesting. Also I’ve just realised I haven’t mentioned the Zen Garden once but honestly most of the scenes there aren’t that interesting anyway.

Chapter 16: Time To Decide

Wow where do I start on how uninteresting this chapter is. You learn very little about Markus’ companions, you get to have a conversation with a magical minority, and you get a line about an android being dragged behind the back of a car. (After reading the wiki about James Byrd I feel genuinely sick and could not be more disgusted that this was used so clumsily in the game.)

Chapter 17: Zlatko

His name sounds like a brand. Also this is my least favourite Kara chapter. They go to his place for almost no reason (just so they can get caught) and we get a 20 minute scene of Zlatko being a cartoonish monster of a man. Also this has been pointed out and now I can’t stop thinking about it. Why is Kara scared of Luther when she sees him? Like...??? Anyway re-finding her memories is boring, finding Alice is also boring, and hiding from Zlatko is just stressful. Nothing interesting to the story happens here, except that Luther joins Kara and Alice.

Chapter 18: Russian Roulette 

Perhaps the shortest chapter in the game. It’s not like...super boring, but it’s not interesting either. Also don’t forget to notice the picture on the table or you’ll have no chance of getting the good ending later! Seriously, they should have made it a requirement for the scene to move on if it’s going to be that important.

Chapter 19: Spare Parts

The whole freerunning thing at the start is lame. And the fact that you have to grab the android and then release him to get the best outcome is confusing as hell. (I have seen many folks fuck this up.) The part where you sneak around in the guard house is actually kind of cool. Also North go down if you’re nice to people....I love this game.

Chapter 20: The Eden Club

Pity the lesbian sexworker androids!!! In all seriousness though this is a chapter I do not like. The endings are unfulfilling, the whole storyline is gross, poorly written and very Cage-esque. (Also why would you make the two android lovers the same model?! Just make one of them one of the other 8 female WR800 models you have!) I mean I guess I can say that the glowly design of the sexclub is nice or whatever.

Chapter 21: Pirate’s Cove

Ok this is a personal one but I don’t like this chapter. Something about the family dynamic between the three falls flat for me and so the whole scene being about them makes it...ehh. Also Kara under threat again! Woohoo! The scene on the carousel is kind of cute and the scene composition is nice, but the fact that all the Jerrys are standing around watching is a little weird. Also bait us with rA9 crap why don’t you! we’ll just never learn anything about this i guess

Chapter 22: The Bridge

I like this chapter to be honest. I know Pirate’s Cove is meant to be relaxed but I find this chapter more relaxing. Even if it ends with a gun to Connor’s head. I mean it’s not that hard to not get shot really. And seeing Hank start to care and question their mission is interesting. I don’t know, I guess I just like the visuals of the snow and the bridge. (Anyone notices that it goes from raining to snowing like three days later, wtf)

Chapter 23: The Stratford Tower

Now this one is complicated. Because I like the breaking in and getting up to the broadcast department part, I even like the pre-speech tension. Markus carrying the weight of history and knowing his words will shape what people across the world think of androids. 

The music as he gets ready to start the speech is....just so good. But then he starts talking and.....mmmmm press x for civil right yes please! Press square to end slavery? Absolutely! God...the writing in this scene is Bad. Which is a shame! Because it squanders the carefully crafted tension built up until this point. I like the energy going into this scene, the idea that they’re about to take a stand, make history. But it is unfortunately ruined for the sake of a poorly executed racism allegory.

Chapter 24: Public Enemy

Ok, going to investigate the crime scene of what you just did as Markus is pretty good. Its not an original idea, that was the opening sequence for Indigo Prophecy, but it still works I’m not going to lie. Also the cop from the Hostage showing up to thank you if you saved him is cute. The fact that Hank is starting to question Connor and look for signs of deviancy in him is also nice! Also I hate it but going after Simon gives you a more cohesive storyline if you’re going for a deviant Connor route. (Can I get an F for Simon? He can die so many different ways)

Chapter 25: Midnight Train

Can’t believe that the chapter about the underground railroad is literally called Midnight Train. Yeah the dialogue in this? Shocking, terrible, absolutely unforgivable. Rose I am so sorry this happened to you. Also a cop arrives to....put Kara in peril at the hands of a male character again! Can’t go a chapter without that!

Chapter 26: Capitol Park

Hmmmmmmmmm. ‘We have a dream’? ‘I can’t breathe, but I’m still alive’? Hi, yes, hello? David Cage is doing it again, yeah he’s co-opting black history for his story about androids, somebody needs to stop him. Why did no one stop him.  

Ok, most of this chapter other than that is ok. It’s not particularly good, but it’s ok. (wiLL yOu bE gOoD oR eViL?!?!1)

Chapter 27: Meet Kamski

Ok this man is so creepy and emotionally manipulative and as a narrative tool I’ve actually come to love it. Like the tone of this chapter is such a breath of fresh air. Maybe it’s just the fact that they added a new character after such a long time and that he knows more than he ever lets on. rA9 baited again...

Also this is Connor’s turning point in a way. You can still choose to change your path later on, but this is the real moment of truth where a character pushes him to reveal where he’s at. (Also the fucking MUSIC)

Chapter 28: Freedom March

Oh no. I’m so sorry Markus you deserve better. I hate this chapter if you can’t tell. The combo of the black history slogans and the jesus music is too much for me. Also the good ending is locked behind Simon being alive/Spare Parts success route??? Also F for that random android who’s name is John that we hear about twice.

Chapter 29: Last Chance, Connor

I usually keep a low profile with Gavin so I miss out on the beatdown unfortunately. But having the option is hilarious. If you don’t sacrifice at the march, Simon is alive, interrogation bad end, Rupert and the Tracis escape....can you even find Jericho?

Just a thought, anyway this is short but tense chapter. Don’t hate it.

Chapter 30: Crossroads

Kara’s part of this is dumb as hell. The Alice twist literally destroys the storyline but anyway...

Markus has very little to do until the end. His version is ok, but Jesse’s line delivery leaves something to be desired. (You’re one of us....)

Connor’s is easily the most interesting of the three concurrent stories at this point. Going in to capture Markus/North, chasing them through the hold if ur a machine..very good. 

And....going deviant. Okay yes that still gets me, I did actually shout YES!! out loud the first time I witnessed it. The music’s slow build in the scene, and most of the dialogue (if you choose carefully) swells to this point and...and..it happens!! 

Like idk I’ve only been slowly building up to this for 9 hours, sue me.

Chapter 31: Night Of The Soul

I like this chapter! Or Markus’ version anyway. Connor’s...well the Hank version is just sad. The Jericho version is fine.

But Markus? Visiting Carl’s grave or the man himself is such an emotional moment for the character. And the single humanising moment he’s had in several chapters. The conversation is so weighted with his doubts and fears and Jesse Williams gives a beautiful performance! (Also as I’ve said, the alarm system saying ‘welcome home markus’ kills me on impact)

Chapter 32: Battle For Detroit

Is a good chapter. What, did you expect me to say it isn’t? Cause it is. Or some versions of it are.

The tension in all three characters stories, regardless of which version, is perfectly hit at this point.

Kara’s....ah fuck idk I mean the border version is ok? The others....kind of suck? The guy letting them through with high public opinion and Markus doing a peaceful demonstration is kind of cute and sort of makes sense in a way.

Markus’ versions (both in which he is alive) are pretty cool. The revolution is hard, and I do like that it ends with him saying that they haven’t won, they’ve only started a war. The demonstration is kind of dumb, and I actually prefer them getting shot and then the news anchors suggesting that maybe androids are people in their own right that humans refused to acknowledge. (Feels more real, ya know?) Also black folk song!! Why??

Gonna be real, most of Connor’s versions of this scene are pretty good. Cyberlife tower is tense as hell but he’s a fucking badass. Machine Connor on the roof gives us the best line in the game. ‘What’s up lieutenant, ran out of whiskey so you came here looking for trouble?’  

So that’s some of my thoughts on each of the chapters of dbh, I could go into more depth but my eyes hurt and I’ll probably hit post limit soon.

[collegehillfanfic]

Season 1 Episode 5

Just as Bad As You

Previously on College Hill: 

“No sign of Panda, can’t say I found a fuck to give” Cece laughed as Tae playfully slapped Cece’s thigh as they laughed. “Damn who are y’all the mean girls?” Drake asked as Russ and him popped up on them. They laughed and threw back their flavored shots. “Come and dance with me short ass” Russ said pulling Cece up from the chair. Tae playfully side eyed Cece as they left to dance. “Your beautiful ass ain't exempt either, get up” Drake said as Tae received chills on her body.

Drake smirked and instead sat down, pulling Tae down into his lap as she grind on his lap. Drake leaned back and gripped her waist as Tae worked every single muscle in her body. “Why you tryna tease a nigga though” Drake whispered in Tae’s ear as he body moved to the beat of the music. “Sweetie LaShonte Heckard doesn't tease” Tae said as she got up and straddled his lap. “Is that right? Well It looks like to me your teasing the fuck out of me” Drake said matter-o-factually. 

“Maybe I am because you want it just as bad as I do” Tae whispered in Drake’s ear as she rubbed up and down on his chest. Drake wasn't even planning on going to that level with Tae without really getting to know her, but what man wouldn't turn down a woman like Tae. 

Don’t Hide It Say it to My Face.

~~~

Back at the College Hill House

Everybody was tired and on the verge of passing out from all the liquor in their systems. The only ones that were still up were Drake and Tae, they stumbled into the confessional as they swapped saliva from their lips. "Aubrey I'm so fucked up though" Tae said then bust up in laughter. Drake nodded and chuckled at the obvious, he just knew if she threw the pussy at him he wasn't going to deny it. 

"C'mon sit your drunk ass down" He said as she plopped down in his lap and slowly closed her eyes. "Aye open them eyes up" Drake said as Tae tried fighting the urge to close her tired eyes. "But..Dri..Drizzy I'm sooo tired" She whined poking her bottom lip out. He couldn't resist the cuteness she was throwing at him. "Alright c'mon big baby" He teased as Tae attempted to stand up but slowing falling. "Shit! I got you" Drake mumbled as her ear brushed against his scruffy face. Drake smiled to himself knowing he was enjoying the current situation at hand, nothing really could interrupt this moment. "You gonna tuck me in?" Tae sheepishly asked struggling to look up at him. Drake shoot her his classic smile and nodded, something in him knew he couldn't just have her just yet. There's levels to this game. 

~~~

The Next Morning

"Turn that shit down!" Panda mumbled through her pillow as the sounds of Hip Hop music blasted throughout the house. "Girl it's 10, don't you have class in 20 minutes?" LaTonya asked while smirking towards her. Panda immediately shot up from her bed, running out to the hallway. LaTonya quickly fell out as she flipped her hair and checked out her outfit. Pleased with herself, she grabbed her bag and notepad. As she stepped into the hall she was met by Trey and the girls, "Morning beautiful ladies". The three girls blushed and smiled at the handsome chocolate man in front of them. Tonya could feel Cece and Tae's eyes burning on her, all Tonya could do was blush. "You look nice today Tee" Trey complimented as Tonya smiled harder than before. "Ya'll done eye raping each other? We tryna go to class" Cece said teasing and arcing her eyebrows high. "What's stopping you though?" Tonya teased backed as her accent drawl came out and teased Trey's ears. Trey smiled and licked his lips. "Alright we're leaving, see ya'll later" Tae yelled as she dragged Cece towards the stairs. "Bye Heffa!" Tonya yelled after Cece. "So I was wondering if you wanted to come to a showcase I'm performing at?" Trey asked Tonya as her smile got bigger. "Sure" She simply said looking up towards Trey. The thing Tonya didn't know, Trey wasn't that open about he's feelings; like the females on campus portrait him as. He was slowly catching feelings for Tonya and wasn't sure if that was a good thing. Tonya quickly shook herself of this tiny moment that was surfacing between them, "Anyways let me know what's up, I gotta go to class" She said flashing Trey a smile. 

"Alright T, I'll see ya later ma" He said hugging her. "Bye Trey" She said hugging him back and proceeding to the staircase. With that confirmation that Tonya could be feeling Trey he was feeling this morning's start. "Okay bro! I see you" Laith smirked peeking his head out the boy's room. "It's nothing man" Trey simply stated even though he knew it was turning into more. "Whatever man, I feel you though" Laith said he noticed steam coming from the bathroom door. "Who's in there man? It better not be one of those girls, I have class in an hour and I need to shower and piss like a bitch" Laith complained as he was gonna bang on the door but stopped in his tracks. A highly irritated Panda swung the door open with a pissed off expression grazed on her face. "Finally-" Laith was fixing to complain but Trey graciously stopped him. "Bruh" Trey said motioning to him in a way to make him realize he could possibly be in a danger zone. "Never mind, are you finished?" Laith asked as Panda rolled her eyes and pushed her way towards her room. Both of the boys just shook their heads in unison, "Man I ain't even gonna say shit" Trey said throwing his hands up in defeat. 

~~~

On Campus, In The Mighty Bills Arena

"Hustle men! Hustle!" Coach Rogers yelled out to his team as he blew his whistle for the different drills. "Damn coach is on some shit" one of the boys complained as the team did back to back suicides drills. "Man one of the locker room assistance got caught messing with Reggie" Russell breathed as they jogged back and forth, up and down the court. "Word?" Russell's teammate asked as his sweaty brows ruffled. "Word" Russell confirmed. The whistle sounded once again, "Great practice, hit the showers" Assistant Coach Brown yelled. All the players stopped running and attempted to catch their breaths. "Man, I bet it was that new girl with the colored yes bruh" Russ' team said as Russ was already picturing it was Panda. "Man, I hope coach gets a handle on this shit, we got a game coming up. I don't need this drama man" Russ said unfazed that his teammates were worried about some girl stirring up shit.  "Great job on the floor guys!" A familiar voice spoke out as all the guys we're whistling and causing a big noise as their towels were being passed out. "Why yall niggas getting all hyped off Suzy?" Russell asked as his questions was soon answered when his eyes met up with Panda. "Bruh! She's hella bad, ain't that one of your roommates yo?" Drew asked as Russell shook his head out of disbelief. "Man I guess it is her" Russ simply said as he tried not to make any type of eye contact with her. "Russell!" Panda's voice called out as he dreaded this conversation that was bound to take place. "My nigga, I know you hear her fine ass" Drew said as he visually scanned her body. "What's up" Russ said nonchalantly. "Nothing, just in training currently. I'm the one taking Suzy's place!" She beamed smiling extra hard. 

"That's coo, congrats man" Russ said lightly taking the towel and heading into the locker room with his other teammates. "Oh Russell, I hope you don't mind but I invited the team over for a party I'm throwing in my honor of landing this job" Panda said as Russell's irritation grew. "I guess, I don't care" Russ simply said and walked passed her. In Panda's mind, she knew she made improvement with Russell. Panda happily collected all the dirty towels the players left her to pick up after. Tonight was the night where she was going to tell Russ how she felt.

[redsunsetxiii]

**Please do not repost without credit** [TRANS] 2019.10.31 SONE NOTE LIVE vol. 24 with Hyoyeon

Staff: You tried making wood burned clocks this time! Do you usually wear a favorite wristwatch, or do you have any memories related to clocks, like being given one?

Hyoyeon: I like wristwatches as a fashion item, but I never imagined that I would make a clock myself (laughs). A clock is something that tells time and schedules. I do have a memorable incident; I don’t use my phone’s alarm and instead I use an alarm clock. However, the battery died and didn’t ring on a day that I had work of all days! At that time, I realized once again how important clocks are. Clocks need to run 24 hours a day! (laughs)

Staff: Why don’t you use your phone’s alarm?

Hyoyeon: I like the classic feel of an alarm clock. Instead of a phone alarm that everyone uses recently, I think it’s kind of nice to set an alarm clock before going to bed! Also, that alarm clock would get louder and louder the longer I didn’t get up (laughs). Ever since that incident I set three alarm clocks. (laughs)

Staff: Is there a clock that you want?

Hyoyeon: I want a really big clock. There are people who hang large pictures in their homes. So I would like to hang a large clock as interior decoration like that! Of course it has actual use of telling time, but I think it would be wonderful visually as well. I wonder if it will also suggest that I be on time, too? (laughs) Antique designs are nice for table clocks. I think a vintage birdcage design is also nice.

Staff: Did you know about the art of wood burning? How was trying it out?

Hyoyeon: The phrase ‘wood burning’ is new to me. Once this project was set, I searched on the web, etc., but today is the first time I’ve seen the actual art!

As I thought, this work is for someone who has nimble hands. I like these kinds of activities, but I’m not dexterous at all (laughs). So this kind of activity is always a repetition of trial and error! That’s why I usually practice a lot before actually attempting it, so I was really worried about failing as I was trying it out on camera (laughs).

Staff: Do you think this is an activity that suits your personality?

Hyoyeon: This might seem surprising to everyone, but my hobbies to relieve stress are opposite of my personality, like doing puzzles or writing in my diary! I also color. It’s nice to quietly concentrate by myself and really get absorbed in one thing without thinking of anything else. I also play simple games!

I believe wood burning would be a hobby like that. It seems fun if I was alone at home and can concentrate a lot of time on it! However, after actually trying it out, I found that it needs a lot of strength. Also, since I don’t have the know-how, I also don’t know the degree of strength to use… The color gets darker or lighter depending on the level of strength, but since I continuously put in a lot of power my hands are trembling a little now (laughs).

Staff: You started with drawing the design, so what kind of image or concept did you draw?

Hyoyeon: The design that I actually liked the most out of the ones provided by the instructor was the gradient forest image. I personally love nature like flowers and forests, but no matter how I thought about it, it was an impossible design with my ability (laughs). I was drawn to the flower and tree designs as well, but I thought that I definitely could not express those details. So that’s why I thought to do a simple, easy to do design that I could not fail at, and chose a design with letters and simple lines! There were circle and oval boards for the clock base, but I went with a square board that is said to be best for beginners (laughs). If I went with what I liked then it would probably be a catastrophe (laughs). So today I went with a modest design like a beginner! 

Staff: Is there a reason why you didn’t add color after doing the wood burning?

Hyoyeon: I thought that there was enough of a vintage feel without adding colors. I’m glad I was able to express the natural feel of wood! 

Staff: If you were to do this again, what would you make?

Hyoyeon: I would like to make a half circle stand. I would add letters to the bottom part, add pictures, and stick photos to complete it simply and stylishly. 

Staff: Please share what you were particular about with the design and your favorite part.

Hyoyeon: The instructor said that it is better to draw the rough sketch without hesitation, but that is really difficult for a beginner, so the lines are a little off on the board surface. However, that surprisingly has a charm to it and it’s wonderful how it naturally expresses the wood pattern!

Staff: How was burning pictures onto wood, which is the true charm of wood burning? Was it difficult to draw lines and add shading using the hot iron? Please share what was fun about wood burning.

Hyoyeon: At first because I was nervous, I tried with my whole body (laughs). As I did it more, I was able to control my fingers a little and could add shading. If I relaxed my fingers, it got softer and it was easier to do the work. I concentrated so much that those around me asked, “you’re not breathing, right?”, and I realized that I was holding my breath while doing it (laughs). 

The funnest part was the burning part. It might be a little different, but when I was a student, I liked the wood printing class the most and I recalled those prints with today’s wood burning. The way to do it may be different, but there are some parts that are similar!

Also the scent was nice. I like camping and open fires, so while working on the wood burning, I felt that the scents were similar and somehow calmed down (laughs).

Staff: Which member do you think would be the best at wood burning?

Hyoyeon: I guess Sunny? She seems to be attending a leather workshop and she’s really dexterous. I believe that she definitely would have talent with wood burning!

Staff: How was your workmanship? How many points would you give it out of 5?

Hyoyeon: It’s too vintage and surely would not suit everyone, so I’ll take it home (laughs). I guess I’ll give it 2-3 points (laughs). But it was the first thing I made, and it is pretty cute when seen from afar, so I’ll raise it to 3.5 points (laughs).

If I had more ability I would have liked to have drawn pictures, but I couldn’t so I thought instead of a poor drawing, I would write a message and wrote “I LOVE SONE”. A clock is something that is always seen throughout daily life, so I wrote it to always feel SONE everytime I see it. I couldn’t draw a pretty picture, but I properly put my feelings into the message!!

Staff: If you were to decorate your home with that clock, where would you put it? Please share why as well.

Hyoyeon: I’d put it in my own room (laughs). Today’s experience was really enjoyable and I want to take that feeling back home with me. I want to try wood burning again and make something that’s even better!

Staff: If you were to give a wood burned clock that you designed and made to a member as a present, who would you give it to?

Hyoyeon: I would like to give a clock with a special meaning to Yoona. It would be a special clock with my art on it (laughs). Write a letter...ah, that seems to be very difficult. I would have to burn the contents of that letter in one by one… How much time would that take? (laughs) But I would like give a clock with a letter on it for a birthday or something! A tabletop clock might be nice, too. Ah, but that would be even harder (laughs).

Staff: Besides wood burning, is there an art or craft that you would like to try? Or what would you like to make if wood craft is next?

Hyoyeon: I want to try making a cutting board! I have a great interest in kitchen supplies and if given the chance, I would like to try making them. Ceramics like plates would definitely be difficult, so I would like to try making them with wood. Something like a cutting board or wooden ladle. Wooden kitchen supplies are cute♪

Staff: You released your 3rd digital single, “Badster” in July. You participated in making the song, but how would you like SONE JAPAN to listen to it?

Hyoyeon: I wanted to try releasing a song with an even deeper style as a DJ. The song’s genre, trance, is my recent favorite genre and I personally have the most confidence in. It might be quite a maniac genre, but I believe that the song can properly show me as a DJ. It’s a song that expresses the professional DJ Hyoyeon, and I would like them to hear it from that side. Also, it has gotten a better response than I thought from around the world and I’m very happy and having fun with it.

Staff: You’ve been visiting a lot of different countries recently, so please tell us if you have a favorite country or place! Also, how do you spend your time abroad?

Hyoyeon: I visited Southeast Asia after releasing “Badster” and I’m thankful that the reaction was very good and that everyone was giving me a lot of support. Because of that, I’m really in high spirits now! I’m going to have more and more fun like this! And I’m generally busy abroad and don’t really have the feeling of spending time on anything. I’ve gone to many countries and just moving between them takes a lot of time. That’s why I fervently listen to music. This year has especially been like this! 

Staff: This SONE NOTE LIVE will be released in October. In Japan in recent years, people have been dressing up and getting excited for Halloween, but how do you spend your Halloween?

Hyoyeon: Last year and the year before last, I had a Halloween party with my company. It’s really hard because everyone competes to see who has the best and most interesting costume… They all dress up to the point where you don’t know who’s who (laughs). But I think this year I probably have a schedule as a DJ. It would also be nice to have fun in costume with all the fans! 

Staff: Please let us know if there’s something you would like to try for the next SONE NOTE LIVE.

Hyoyeon: I’d like to try making something like a lamp. Something like an illumination lamp? A lamp for the outdoors like camping would be nice too. It’s because I’m a romantic (laughs). Ah, that’s it! I want to try minimal camping. I want to camp in Hangang Park that’s nearby. I can’t go far (laughs). I would camp modestly at a nearby place. Flower viewing with everyone would be nice, too. That would absolutely be fun ^^

Staff: Finally, a message for SONE JAPAN please!

Hyoyeon: Hello everyone~ I’m really thankful for all the support from the many fans in Japan for DJ HYO. I receive new power from everyone’s support and I will be able to make more songs with that energy so please continue to give your support! I’ll try my hardest to show everyone my best self. Please look forward to it <3

Translation by RedSunsetXIII source: SONE JAPAN website **Please do not repost without credit**

[destiny-smasher]

Off the Hook

(copied from my Twitter thread here) So, yea! @SplatoonNA 2 has ended its run of content! A solid two year run! At this point it's possible I've played it as much as I played the original game, maybe even a bit more. But compared to a lot of people I've known since it's release, I'm definitely more of a casual fan. It's a fun game oozing with aesthetic and has one of the most solid gameplay foundations I've ever seen -- EVERYTHING about the game's mechanics culminates into a multi-layered experience where single, co-op, AND versus are designed to facilitate fresh shooting gameplay. EVERY single second of playing Splatoon multiplayer entails making choices. The story/Octo exp. have so many great level designs. Multiplayer and its ranked modes require different strategies. Salmon Run is THE most hardcore co-op I've ever seen. It's such wonderful game design. With that being said, now that #FInalFest #Splatpocalypse is over and the 2nd #Splatfest cycle has come to a close, I want to talk a bit about the single most important aspect that has impacted my life regarding the game: #OfftheHook

Rewind back to when these two were first introduced: I was unconvinced that I would enjoy or care about them as much as the Squid Sisters (who are actually, like, cousins? I think? nvmd) But two years later and these two warm my heart in a way VERY few fictional duos do. What's most interesting to me about this is that while there IS a decent amount of in-game banter between the pair over the course of the past two years, they have SO MUCH less actual character development/narrative than other couples (they are a couple don't at me)

Honestly, a lot of my affection for them has grown from the way the in-game presentation leaves enough context for us to read inbetween the lines regarding how well they know each other, how much they care about each other, how much they respect each other despite competitions. Seeing their interactions both before and after the #FinalFest, brief as they were, really solidified how these two VERY opposite personalities have had a positive influence on each other, even if we haven't necessarily witnessed it firsthand. I think this is part of what makes them so valuable in the mainstream (?) media -- they are a power couple who is ALREADY happy, proud, living their best lives for and with one another. In the current climate of the world, that's inspiring to see, whether you're 15 or 33. We still don't know much on the details of their backstories but we definitely know that Marine comes from a very bad place and Hime comes from a very privileged one, and their relationship seems to have helped them both grow into better people. Everything about their designs, their personalities, their CONCEPT as a BAND and how they function/perform their roles within it, everything about them embraces that sort of "opposites attract" aesthetic and I am all about it. While Callie and Marie are cute and great and I like them, I ADORE Pearl and Marina, because they went the extra mile to not only flesh them out as characters but ensure everything about their presentations, personalities, etc. embraces that "opposites attract" concept. 'well cool that's great and inspiring but yea lots of things do this so whatevs' Yea, you're right, but lots of media do not do this while also basing their entire core visual, gameplay, audio design SPECIFICALLY AROUND two sides battling against each other. EVERYTHING about Splatoon is about ___ vs ___ From the hosts welcoming you when you boot up the game, to the different modes you play, to the way everything is presented, to the AUDIO stylings of Off the Hook, to the core concept of the Splatfests themselves. And at the end of the day, it is fucking NICE to see the end result of ALL OF THIS ___ vs ___ be embodied by two characters who represent that who LOVE EACH OTHER no matter what and who make each other better because of those differences and not despite them. Yea, the Squid Sisters did this but to such a simpler, more surface level degree. They were the beta. Off the Hook is the fully realized version of it. If you don't believe me just LISTEN to Squid Sister songs versus Off the Hook. LOOK at the character designs. Read the dialogue. The fact that Off the Hook has hosted actual real life concerts - IN THE REAL WORLD - isn't just some indication of "people be horny for pop idols" (I mean that IS a thing, separate discussion I ain't educated enough on to get into), it's because they KNOW they have a good thing

Splatoon isn't just for kids, it's also for adults who are nostalgic for the aesthetic of BEING a kid, and the fact that Hime (20) and Marine (18) are young adults -- INBETWEEN kids and adults -- cannot be a fucking mistake, either. Anyway, this is all to say, I am so impressed in a way I rarely am in that the Squid Research Lab was able to take the mechanical design philosophy of Splatoon 1 and EXPAND upon it, fucking OWN IT 100%, make sure that everything about Splatoon 2 embodied the concept. Green versus Pink, Pink versus Blue, Gold versus Silver, Ketchup versus Mayo, Chaos versus Order, we can have fun arguing over the most mundane preferences or the most basic, broad-sweeping aspects of existence, but at the end of the day we CAN be better for it. We CAN be made better, we CAN grow, not despite those differences but BECAUSE we hash them out, because we argue, make our cases, see the other side's passion, etc etc. It's my favorite message/theme any piece of media can discuss and Splatoon 2 causes such an emotional reaction from me because the CRAFT of it is so passionately detailed and embraces this theme in every. fucking. layer. of itself. So yea, #Pearlina is a goddessdamn inspiration to me that I will probably carry with me for a very long time, and Splatoon as a franchise is so fucking impressive for how young it is. I hope the years to come incite as much warm fuzzies as other long-time Nintendo series have. The fact that the final artwork we got shows the pair swapping the iconic components of their attire -- their headgear -- is just such a beautiful and fitting sendoff that wraps a lovely bow on the whole thing. As far as I'm concerned, they are now engaged, will happily wed.

[fortunatelylori]

JONSA: The infamous “undermine me” scene

About a week ago @jonsa101 posted a meta regarding the “undermine me” scene in season 7 (episode 1).

She discusses this particular exchange between Jon and Sansa:

Jon: You are my sister but I am king now.

Sansa: Will you start wearing a crown? (Sansa Snark is in the house, guys!)

Jon: When you question my decisions in front of the other lords and ladies, you undermine me.

 In the meta she identifies the “undermine me” line as a romantic trope that she’s seen play out in many different contexts. If you guys haven’t read the meta yet, please go and read it. @jonsa101 always has some very interesting interpretations and theories regarding the show and I really enjoy her meta work. 

 I was already planning on discussing this scene in detail as part of my upcoming series on all the Jonsa scenes but since she tagged me in the meta, I thought I’d discuss it now.

I have to say that after reading her post, I had a look at lists of romantic tropes as well as my favorite research source – youtube – in order to try and find similar examples of the “undermine me” line. I’m afraid I came out empty on this one.

 However, the more I thought about it, the more I realized that whether or not you identify this particular line as a trope, the whole exchange between them ticks a lot of romantic tropes off the list as I’ll show below.

 This is one of the things that always bothers me about people calling Jonsa shippers delusional. Even if Jonsa never becomes canon, it’s very much a fact that the writers are playing with romantic expectations in all of their scenes. You can’t swing a stick in the direction of these two without one trope or another hitting you smack in the face. So at the very least, Jonsa shippers are responding to these visual and storytelling devices. Hardly a delusion.

 For the interests of this meta I will focus strictly on the tropes used in this particular scene, which considering that it’s only 3 minutes long, I was shocked to find out is more than 1. For reference, I’m working off the list of romantic tropes found here as well as use the explanation they give for each of them. When you have the time, check it out. It’s like an Easter Egg Hunt for Jonsas.

 Like an Old Married Couple: These two people are very close and tend to bicker with each other.

 This is where I would actually place the “undermine me” line. In fact this is where I would put this entire exchange:

Jon: You are my sister but I am king now.

Sansa: Will you start wearing a crown?

Jon: When you question my decisions in front of the other lords and ladies, you undermine me.

Sansa: I can’t question your decisions anymore?

Jon: Of course you can but …

Sansa: Joffery never let anyone question his authority. Do you think he was a good king?

 Ahem … guys, I reeeally don’t think you’re fighting over what you think you’re fighting over. Also can you air your dirty married laundry in private? You’re making everyone uncomfortable!

 Now, Like an Old Married Couple is usually served with a generous helping of the Belligerent Sexual Tension and/or Unresolved Sexual Tension tropes on the side. Which would explain the seemingly random insert of Joffery in this whole conversation (there’s more to it than that but more on that later). I mean doesn’t every girl compare her brother to her ex-boyfriend? Isn’t that a thing that people do all the time?

 The thing that is very interesting here is the way these two are operating. There’s nothing really sibling-like about this interaction. This is two partners having a fight.

 But this is where it gets interesting. Because this exchange is followed by another trope:

 Aww, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other: No matter how much they fight, they really do care about each other very much.

Jon: You think I’m Joffery?

Sansa: You’re as far from Joffery as anyone I’ve ever met.

Jon: Thank you!

 Throughout my series on the Jon/D*ny romance (X) (X) (X) (X) (X), I kept talking about how Jon and Dany never seem to reach a consensus or resolve anything in any of their fights. Every Jonsa scene comes in direct contrast to that. It isn’t the absence of fighting that makes a couple work, it’s them being able to resolve and move on from a fight that does. And this is where this trope comes in. No matter how hard Jon and Sansa have a go at each other, you are never left in any doubt that they care about one another.

 But there’s more …

 Dismissing a Compliment: A character doesn't believe something nice their Love Interest tells them.

Sansa: You’re good at this, you know.

Jon: At what?

Sansa: At ruling.

Jon: No …

Sansa: You are. (beat) You are.

 Why don’t you say it again, Sans? I don’t think he heard you the last two times …

 Sansa: They respect you. They really do …

 Ok, ok. Sheesh! Are we also going to talk about how cute his hair looks today and how dreamy his eyes are?

 This is followed by the hyper-analyzed “but” lines:

 Sansa: … but you have to … Why are you laughing?

Jon: What did father used to say? Everything before the word but is horseshit.

 This may or may not have plot implications later on but for the purposes of what we’re analyzing here, the point I’m trying to make is that Jon is dismissing every nice thing Sansa has said about him and focuses only on the word “but”. Because he’s Jon Snow … You can’t pin a compliment on this guy to save your life.

Also …

 Laugh of Love: The tendency to laugh when in the presence of your Love Interest.

 (no idea who made this. sorry but thank you!)

As well as pretty much every other scene he has with her. Either Sansa is a proficient stand-up comedian or Jon is just really, really happy whenever he’s around her, even when he’s angry at her. Totally platonic, guys! Nothing to see here!

 Caught the Heart on His Sleeve: Ship Tease moment where one partner grabs the other partner's arm/sleeve.

(gif credit to @baelerion)

Complete with Jon looking down to see Sansa touching him either because his senses are overloaded or because he can’t feel anything through the thick sleeve of the jacket Sansa most likely made for him. Also notice that this is described as a ship tease. We’re teased all right …

 Sigh of Love: Sighing dreamily when in the presence of or thinking about your Love Interest.

And because Jon can’t let Sansa steal the spotlight on this one:

(gif credit to @baelerion​)

This is not a competition but if it were, Jon would win. Sorry, Sans! His is longer and deeper. Still love you though!

 And lastly ….

 Like Parent, Like Spouse: A character's Love Interest is similar to one of their parents, be it in looks or personality.

 In every god damn episode they have together and also here:

In conclusion, for those at home not keeping count, that’s 7 tropes used in a 3 minute scene. Is it any small wonder this might seem familiar to people? Either way you want to slice it, you have seen these visual and narrative cues in other stories. Tropes don’t become tropes because no one ever used them.

 Now I did title this meta “the infamous undermine me scene” for a reason. That’s because this scene, as almost all Jonsa scenes, has three layers that are all thrown at the audience simultaneously. Two of these layers are good, one of these layers is BAD. Let’s see if you guess which is which:

 What the characters are fighting about

 This is where the whole text vs. subtext analysis comes in. Ideally, any scene in any story you ever read or watch, should have both a surface level as well as subtext. Now and again you will get scenes, out of necessity, that are simply what they say on the tin but writers are actively dissuaded from doing this on the whole. It would be very boring and frankly poor storytelling if subtext was non-existent and people simply talked at each other, complete with an accurate, objective narrative on what they’re saying and why they’re saying it. To put it simply, it wouldn’t be a satisfying journey for the audience.

 So what is the surface level? Well, this is a direct follow-up to the preceding scene where Jon pardons Alice and Ned and Sansa argues against it. The argument got pretty heated between the two of them so now we’re given a scene where we can see the resolution of said argument.

 What you should keep in mind at this stage is how that argument ended:

Sansa: They died fighting for Ramsay. Give the castles to the families of the men who died fighting for you.

Jon: […] I will not punish a son for his father’s sins and I will not take a family home away from a family it has belonged to for centuries. That is my decision and my decision is final.

 Check-mate, as they say. Jon won that argument. He is the king and he made his decision. Case closed. On a purely surface level, that argument was finalized. We didn’t really need the “undermine me” scene unless we attempt to infer things that are no presented to us directly.

 Which brings us to …

 What the characters are really fighting about

Jon: You are my sister but I am king now.

Sansa: Will you start wearing a crown?

Jon: When you question my decisions in front of the other lords and ladies, you undermine me.

 The question here is why does Jon feel undermined? I think the answer is not because he doesn’t want Sansa questioning his decisions, as she seems to believe. Nor is it because he suspects some sort of nefarious ulterior motive (we’ll leave that for that pesky 3rd layer we’ll talk about shortly).

 We all know Jon values dialogue and collaboration. What we also know is that whatever Sansa says affects him very deeply. You can deduce this from their scenes but, for confirmation, we also have Kit saying that Sansa “twists” Jon. So we can assume that their argument hurts him in some way and even though he put his foot down during the meeting, he still feels the need to clarify the issue with her which is why they’re having the conversation.

 Now people have pointed out that, as one of his vassals, Sansa has every right to question him publicly. The problem is that’s not how Jon sees her. He very distinctly separates Sansa from the rest of his court. And since we already had the “we need to trust each other” scene at the end of season 6, I think it’s safe to assume that he sees the two of them as a unit that is supposed to be on the same page so the fact that Sansa speaks out against him in public, instead of privately, feels like a betrayal.

 There’s also his character and history to consider. Jon has never been the kind of person to take criticism very well, mostly because he’s felt unworthy and rejected all his life. And now he’s gone from the Bastard of Winterfell to King in the North in the span of a few months. That would leave just about anyone feeling uncertain of how much people truly trust their judgement.

 However, if there’s one thing you learn sooner or later, is that there are two sides to every story. That’s why it’s never a good idea to side with one party whenever couples fight.

 Because if we look at things from Sansa’s perspective, you can see how she might feel dismissed. The fact of the matter is Jon isn’t the world’s greatest communicator and failed to talk his decision over with Sansa before announcing it to the Council, which in turn makes Sansa feel sidelined, hence her aggressive snark and Joffrey digs. And we get an explanation of that here:

Sansa: He [Ned] was trying to protect us. He never wanted us to see how dirty the world really is but father couldn’t protect me and neither can you. So stop trying.

 Sansa is operating under a false assumption as well. Jon looks at their argument and feels undermined. Sansa looks at Jon avoiding her counsel and thinks that he does it because he sees her as his little sister that is in need of protection.

 Now Jon, bless his heart, does try to put Sansa in the little sister box at times but he fails at it miserably, partly because Sansa doesn’t let him and partly because what he needs from her is very far removed from what sisters usually provide.

 So there they are … two “siblings” stuck on a balcony having a lovers quarrel. Just another day at Winterfell.

 Which brings us to what I like to call …

 The “D&D screwing with us” layer

 Why do I say that the writers are screwing with us in this scene? Well, because of this:

Sansa: Joffery never let anyone question his authority. Do you think he was a good king?

 There is absolutely no reasonable explanation for why they felt the need to bring Joffery, one of the worst people this show has ever inflicted on us, in this conversation. Firstly, because there is no parallel to be drawn between Jon and Joffery in this situation. For one, if Joffrey was the king here, Alice and Ned’s heads would be decorating the walls. They would certainly not have been brought back into the fold which is what Jon has done for them. Secondly, since Jon is very much talking his head off to Sansa at the moment, it’s pretty obvious that he isn’t above explaining his reactions.

 What she says is, honestly, incredibly insulting which is why she backtracks out of it as quickly as the writers would allow:

Jon: Do you think I’m Joffrey?

Sansa: You’re as far from Joffrey as anyone I’ve ever met. (all the while looking extremely guilty)

 If the mention is here in order to clue us in on the fact that Sansa views Jon as something other than her brother, by comparing him to the only person she’s ever had romantic feelings for, there’s again no need for that. Seven romantic tropes in one 3-minute scene is more than enough to get that point across.

 So why do the writers have her say this? I would argue that this mention is in here in order to advance the “darkSansa” agenda, particularly since this is a scene where Jon says he feels undermined by her twice.

It doesn’t matter that Sansa backtracks on the Joffrey fiasco, it doesn’t matter that she tells him she doesn’t want to undermine him, while desperately sighing with loving eyes that she wants him to listen to her.  The “darkSansa” idea sticks.

 And that’s because the audience support is very much skewed  in  Jon’s favor. Being on tumblr, sometimes you forget that the Jonsa fam is very much the minority and that exclusive Sansa fans are the unicorns of this fandom (#love4unicorns). The vast majority of this audience will not look at Jon as an unreliable narrator, as every character in this show is, but as the ultimate authority on how this scene should be viewed.

 If he says he feels undermined, then it must be because he’s being undermined, which by extension means that Sansa will betray him. And her mentioning Joffery only helps to further antagonize the audience against her.

 Does that mean the Ds want us to hate Sansa for no particular reason? Not really. What they really, really want is to, yet again, beat the “Starkbowl” horse until it expires from exhaustion. And they’re willing to compromise emotional development and cut off the audience from essential POVs to achieve that.

 In season 6, when they first teased Starkbowl, they did it for emotional turmoil. They gave us that beautiful, heart breaking reunion scene only to immediately have Sansa start to be seemingly duplicitous. Because wouldn’t it be just so tragic that after Jon found new purpose in life through Sansa and she finally found safety and comfort with someone that actually cared for her, she would turn everything on its head and betray him?

 In season 7, they wanted to resurrect it because of the Littlefinger twist ending. This little “Joffrey” titbit and the “undermining” conversation helped plant the seeds for it so when Arya (another fan favorite) began accusing her of plotting against Jon, the audience would have this early scene to fall back on, despite the fact that Sansa continuously supports Jon’s policy while he’s away and constantly talks about him, to the point where she almost sounds like Sam talking about Gilly.

 What I’m trying to get at with this example is that the writers are not operating in good faith when telling this story. They will constantly throw things in to tease plot points that never come to pass. I don’t like this narrative choice at all, because it requires being cut off from certain characters POVs (Jon and Sansa are champions of this in season 7) which in turn puts distance between the audience and them, when the core of good storytelling to me is seeing characters wrestle with decisions and emotions not off-screen, but right before our eyes.

However, at the very least, what all of this should tell you, is that you should never simply relay on what the ‘explicit’ meaning of a scene is because there’s far more lurking beneath the surface.