#my next episode is an alternate universe ep

[chronicsyd]

I'm gonna be so serious, y'all are remembering POWDER and Ekko and not JINX and Ekko when screaming about how much you "wanted Timebomb endgame over Caitvi"

shoving JINX in a relationship with her current mental state is not a good writing choice whatsoever, because Ekko literally had to keep rewinding time because she kept trying to kill herself. If Anything, That relationship would be rushed and fanservice because they would have jumped the gun in 2 episodes vs the 2 seasons it took for Caitvi and showing their ups and downs throughout their whole relationship.

The alternate universe works because Powder doesn't become Jinx and the two don't separate, unlike this universe where the two have been at odds for 7 years and almost kill each other back in Ep 7 of S1.

"But Cait never said sorry!" she didn't really have to, because Vi never stopped being in love with the girl that she Knows Cait is at heart, the Cocktail Molotov scene in Act 2 makes that VERY apparent. Cait saying that she was waiting for Vi to recover to address Jinx is the start of it because Act 1 Cait wouldn't have even Considered doing that, because she was so gung-ho about putting a bullet into Jinx that she Demanded Vi move out of the way for her to do so. She holds herself accountable with the mistakes she's made ("We can't erase our mistakes. None of us." that wasn't just a line targeted at Jinx to prove a point, there's deeper meaning behind it), and moving the guards out of the cell proving that she trusts Vi and her judgment on Jinx is that apology, Caitlyn has always been an "acts of service" kinda person over being a "verbal" kinda person; it's all over the place in S1 but Especially here in S2. But even after she takes Vi's shirt off, you could tell by her eyes and body language that she was most likely going to stop herself again to apologize for hitting her because the wound was in the same spot she initially hit, which was part of the lead up for This wound to even happen, but Vi's the one that just pulls her back in instead.

I'm also gonna add on that Vi thinks she made the wrong choice in trusting Jinx and thinking Jinx's changed because Jinx locked her in the cell and ran away again. So why in the Hell would Vi go chasing after her Again to be met with the same result time and time again? Vi isn't responsible for Jinx's mental health and y'all saying that are just weird. And I think it's apparent that Stillwater probably wasn't even in the top 10 things in her head being with Caitlyn, she was just running wild on emotions that she hasn't allowed herself to feel like-- Ever. And even if it Was Vi probably would have said she wasn't comfortable being in a jail cell of all places.

What was I talking about? Oh right, Timebomb.

Like Yes, it's shitty that Ekko doesn't get a happy ending considering he's the most unproblematic in the entire show. But people tend to forget that at the end of the day, Arcane is a TRADGEDY. It's not She-ra, it's not The Owl House, it wasn't going to be wrapped up in a neat little bow where everyone gets to smile and walk into the sunset with their loved ones, especially considering the fact that this season's being used as build ups to other stories, it's relatively clear that this isn't the last we're going to see of a lot of these characters. When they come back into play? well... who's to say?

But also, let's address that a lot of the Caitvi hate is just straight up homophobia at this point because a lot of people can understand Mel's admission to manipulating Jayce as an apology but Cait's actions we're suddenly braindead and need shit completely spelled out. like good lord I'm so tired of this. Y'all would NEVER have survived Catradora let me tell ya...

(My next post is gonna be a long winded rant about Maddie so stay tuned for that...)

[this-is-a-love-story-isnt-it]

So I’ve watched 13 eps of season 3 for a second time and season 3 is so good??!! Obviously seasons 1 and 2 were good because otherwise I wouldn’t be watching the show for a second time, but season 3 so far is top-tier. But I know I have 4 episodes of a terrible storyline coming up so… It’s so weird that season 3 is so good and then has this stain on it near the end 😂

But who knows, maybe the clone/amnesia storyline isn’t as bad the second time around.

[kazumist]

EPISODE 14 ♡ I LOVE YOU TO THE BONE

HOW YOU GET THE GIRL — A SCARAMOUCHE SMAU

masterlist / prev ep / next ep / angsty stuff ahead!

cw: drinking, alcohol, a few profanities here and there. wc: 1023.

“so?��

kazuha settles down at the table where his miserable and dear friend is brooding. “i just don't get it," his friend says.

“i’m right here, kazuha.” 

“how's your heart at this point?” kazuha asks him. “same old. would it be cheesy to say broken?”

“if that's the best term you think would describe it, then no, it isn't cheesy.”

kunikuzushi pours himself another shot and takes it down in one gulp. he isn't going to last anytime soon, kazuha thinks. “you know what the funny part is? even if i want or try to get mad at them for being selfish, i just can't. i can't do it, kazuha.”

“what am i if not theirs?”

and just in time, “the man who can't be moved” by the script started playing. how perfect for kunikuzushi’s situation.

“a huge and miserable idiot, that's what you are," kazuha replies, pouring himself a shot as well. kunikuzushi lets out a weak laugh at his response, “well, i can't certainly deny that.”

“it's okay to be selfish every once in a while, kuni. you should raise your pride higher again.” 

“i’d rather lose my pride than lose them in my life.”

“you're really stubborn; did you know that?” oh, he knew that very well. 

“you know, if the pain is starting to become more heavy than the joy, then you should let go. you're always the miserable one, kuni. the fact that you're already hesitating already says a lot about what your mind is trying to tell you.”

when those words left kazuha’s lips, kunikuzushi thought it was a nice idea to drink four consecutive shots. “i’m not taking care of you if you get drunk, idiot.”

“just take me home after.” another shot.

not too long after that, kunikuzushi was drunk.

-

when you got a text from kazuha saying that he had a gift for you, you didn't expect to see a drunk and sobbing kunikuzushi by your doorstep.

you wanted to see kunikuzushi, sure, but not in this state. definitely not in the state where he's continuously apologizing for not being enough for you to stay.

“love, come home to me. let's go home.” 

you felt like crying too, because, as much as you also wanted to go home with him, you couldn't even dare step a foot inside the front porch to kuni’s heart.

“fuck you, kazuha.” you cursed at him.

“take care of him, (name); after all, you made him get into this state.”

“kazuha, who are you talking to?” kuni asks.

“that's lyney, kuni.”

before kunikuzushi could even curse at him, kazuha already left and started up his car again. and now you were left with a drunk kuni thinking you were lyney.

“let's get you to bed, kuni.”

“fuck you, lyney. if you hadn't given them heizou’s contact, then this wouldn't have happened. i would've been the one who was with them by that tree.”

you were stunned. you didn't know he saw you two back then.

“lyney, just tell heizou to take care of them," he says again, completely convinced that he was talking to his friend and not his ex.

“tell him that they're not really a big fan of chocolates or flowers, and that they prefer quality time and physical affection over gifts. tell him that they get cold easily, that they're not a huge fan of horror, and that they're prone to sickness if their health isn't maintained.”

“just tell him to take care of them, yeah? because i won't be the one who's going to do those things anymore.”

you managed to pull kunikuzushi into your room, but you still didn't say a word. you wanted to hear what else he had to say.

“you know, i kinda wish those alternative universes were real,” he started again. “because maybe, in another universe, we would've gotten our happy ending.” you couldn't help but let the tears sting.

“it hurts, lyney. and it's unfair. whenever i feel down, if i just see them okay, then i’ll also be alright. if i had to choose where i’d go home, i would always choose to go home to them. i’m getting tired already. is this still leading anywhere?”

“why can't they just let me love them? why do they have to run away? what are they so afraid of? i know i have my own flaws too, lyney, but i’ll be willing to catch them if anything goes wrong with us.”

you finally decided to speak up. “pretend that you're talking to (name) right now; what would you say?”

“(name)?” he repeats.

“i love you, (name). i know you'd never say it back, but i love you all the same. i love you even if you push me away. i love you even if you become too much to handle. i love you even if i’m not sure if you'll ever love me back again. i love you to the bone, (name). maybe i'm still seeking something we could never have again, or maybe i’m still choosing to give you the love that you won't ever accept, but even so, i love you," he says, a sob coming in every now and then.

“in another life, i’d be your lover, and i hope you'd be mine too, even if it's not in this life if you're not ready yet. i love you so fucking much.”

“and i just want you to love me back.”

“but i’m getting tired, (name). i’m sorry if my love wasn't enough to make you stay, but now that you're happy with someone else, i have no choice but to be happy for you. he’ll get to do the things i wanted to do with you, and you'll be happy with him, and i’ll watch. because i have no other choice.”

“i love you, (name), but i can't do this anymore.”

with tear-stained cheeks, kunikuzushi fell asleep on your bed. giving him one last kiss on the forehead, you pulled the covers on him. and you cried yourself to sleep on the sofa soon after.

“i’m sorry, kuni. i’m here. i’ll come home to you now.”

extra notes.

yeah so that happened. crazy ikr haha

i told u all things were gna get messy

link to the smau playlist is here !! would reco to listen while reading

taglist (open): @yinyinggie @blue-b3rries @ryuryuryuyurboat @your-local-reblogging-kazoo @lilikags @haliyamori @diorlumx @mamafly @zuunotsane @iloveosamuu @featuredtofu @kana-de@xiaoderrrr @f1orent1ne @alhaitie @yelleloww @brain-r0tt @jamieexistss @danfelions @e0nssadrift @lovemari @kunikissr @chluuvr @lazy-sanns @lxkeeeee @swivy123 @sketcheeee @quacking-simp @tiredslepz @vxcmx @kichiy0shi @yingofthemoon @feiherp @sicut-sol @mayuumine @xiaosoneandonly @xtobefreex @bananasquash @im-the-ruler-here @hiraethhv @yumiaur @oughhhhmamamia @beriiov @cindywasneverhere @klanxii @fangygf @draclula @aromaticism @shotosjupiter @lyzisbitchingagain @lovelykrystal @riraaya @aether-darling @kochothehoe

[imgeekgirlfan]

The Curse of Cassandra [EP : IX]

Read in Ao3 : here

Pairings :  Qimir x f!reader(SEA Reader)  [The Acolyte]

Content waring : 18+ smut/nsfw, dubcon, drugged, fingering, p in v, unprotected sex, creampie

tags/themes : Alternate Universe - Dune & Star wars, Partners in Crime, Strangers to Lovers

Summary : 'The Jessica Crime'  named after Paul Atreides' mother, instructs the Bene Gesserit to 'never fall in love and always prioritize humanity over personal feelings.' Your love for Qimir is no different from Lady Jessica's love for Duke Leto—a love that will lead to great losses. You come to realize this truth as you uncover his hidden secrets and true identity.

Status: just finished writing this fic! (It will end in Episode 14)

A/N : Great news! I just wrapped up this fic, and it’ll be finished in Episode 14. I’ll need a bit of time to proofread it, but I’ll do my best to post updates frequently so you won't have to wait too long!

Also, I want you to listen to this song while reading this episode. It fits perfectly with the moment: Ciara - Paint It, Black.

Ps.If you enjoy my work, please reblog it. Just liking the post won’t help others discover it.

➡  Intro // EP : 1 // EP : 2 // EP : 3 // EP : 4 // EP : 5 // EP : 6 // EP : 7 // EP : 8 // EP : 10 // EP : 11 // EP : 12 // EP : 13 // EP : 14 (Completed)

Special OS : Phantom Thread

[Episodes 9] The Jessica Crime

"You’ve been acting strangely since you woke up. What happened to you?" 

Qimir's voice echoes faintly from outside your consciousness. You can’t even tell from which point in time it’s coming—past, present, or maybe it’s all just a future that hasn't happened yet.

Loss of temporal footing.  Another voice fills your head, but this time it is the voice within your mind. The brief explanation brings you instant clarity. This is one of the symptoms experienced by those gifted with the ability to perceive across the dimensions of time. The flood of vast information overwhelms your mind, making it impossible to process in an orderly manner, intertwining the past, present, and future into a chaotic blend that is nearly impossible to separate.

You must find your anchor point, a point that makes you aware you are standing in the present.

The familiar voice urges you, guiding you on your next steps.

You recall the taste of spice in your tea cup—that peculiar blend of sweetness and fiery heat lingering on your tongue. You commit these sensations to memory, anchoring yourself in the present moment, while everything else beyond this remains as visions of what has been or what is yet to come.

"I think you’re taking too much spice." 

This is the present, you remind yourself, as Qimir pulls the tea cup from your grasp. At the mention of spice, your thoughts momentarily drift to Arrakis, the planet you once saw in your dreams. Arrakis used to be the primary source of spice, which was once the most valuable substance in the universe. But now, it’s merely a rare, costly drug, dismissed as useless by most.[1]

Few know that spice isn’t just a hallucinogen; it also enhances the ability to see into the future. That is why you need to consume it, despite the many side effects it has on your body.

You need to stay alert tonight to anticipate and prepare for what is coming next.

There’s a sedative in the food. 

You quietly review your plan in your mind. You have learned extensively about medicines from Qimir—how to identify herbs and concoct various potions with precision. Crafting a sedative isn't difficult; the challenge lies in administering it seamlessly so that even someone as sharp as Qimir won’t suspect a thing.

I used a method from the Suk School[2], you think, letting your mind drift back to the memories of your ancestors, back to a time before Paul Atreides became the Lisan al-Gaib.

You travel back to a pivotal moment in the galaxy's brutal history when House Harkonnen ruthlessly annihilated House Atreides. They initiated their plan by sedating everyone present before storming in to slaughter soldiers and servants, saving the key figures for last.

Your consciousness remains anchored in that moment, hearing the deep, mocking voice of Baron Vladimir Harkonnen as he taunts Lady Jessica, the Bene Gesserit and mother of Paul Atreides: “The sedative's effects were precisely calculated. We even know the exact second you will awaken.”

The method was simple: by knowing only height and weight, the Suk doctors could concoct the sedative in the precise dosage needed to control both the onset of drowsiness and the moment of awakening. Using this technique makes everything appear seamless and natural, as if the drowsiness were merely a result of natural fatigue rather than the effect of a drug. Qimir wouldn’t suspect he had been drugged—not until he woke up the next morning.

And by then, you’re certain you’ll be long gone from him.

He might harbor a slight suspicion now. you think, watching Qimir across the dinner table as he takes a bite of the Bocha[3] you prepared. But because he loves me, he chooses to trust me rather than doubt. And that will be his mistake.

“You’re awfully quiet,” Qimir remarks. You notice he’s finished eating and is now pouring you a glass of plain water—no spice. “What’s on your mind?”

You sense the growing suspicion in his eyes, sparked by your own lethargic and distant demeanor—a side effect of the spice and the temporal disorientation swirling in your mind. You know that Qimir's questioning isn't a good sign. If his doubts continue to deepen, the whole plan could easily unravel.

Clenching your fists, you deliberately press your nails into the soft skin of your palms, using the pain to anchor your mind in the present before responding in a calm voice: “I was just thinking of Arrakis. I dreamed of it a few nights ago.”

Arrakis. Qimir's brows furrow as he recalls how he’s heard you mutter the name of the ancient planet many times in your sleep.

He knows only that Arrakis was once the home planet of the Fremen, but beyond that, he knows little else. After the Holy Jihad ended, the stories of the Fremen became forbidden tales, lost to the sands of time. No records remain to testify to their existence. If Qimir hadn’t met you, he would have never believed that any Fremen still existed in this galaxy.

“Tell me,” he says softly. “About what you saw—about your home planet.”

You freeze for a moment, your mind pulled back into the past once more. Someone asked me this same question long ago.

How long? A thousand years, perhaps.

Deep in your consciousness, you find yourself sitting at the mouth of a sealed stone cave on Arrakis. Your gaze drifts over the distant rock formations and stretches of sand, a sense of peace settling over you. Cradled in your arms is a young Fremen woman of your age. As the night remains still, your lips meet in a silent kiss. She looks at you with eyes full of love, gently placing her hand on your cheek and whispering softly, “Usul, my beloved, tell me about your home planet.”

You blink, and the image shifts back to the present. The Fremen woman is replaced by Qimir. They share nothing in common except for those same eyes filled with love looking back at you.

Your heart wavers with confusion, a momentary urge to abandon your plan and confess the truth surging within you. But you can’t—there's no turning back now, only the choice to move forward.

“Arrakis was a desolate and arid planet, harsher than any other in the universe,” you say, setting your glass down on the table. “Water was so precious that we had to wear stillsuits at all times. These suits were designed to reclaim the body’s sweat and moisture, turning it into drinkable water.”

Qimir stares at you in amazement, a hint of apprehension creeping into his expression. “Are you saying that the Fremen used to drink their own sweat and... pee?”

You nod, almost smiling at his reaction. “We reclaimed even the water from corpses.”

“How did it taste?”

"Much worse than regular water," you reply, even though you've never actually tasted water from a stillsuit yourself. The memories of others make you feel as if you had. That warm, bland liquid was disgusting and bitter. "It was stale and unpleasant, but it was drinkable. We didn’t have much choice."

“That kind of life must’ve been incredibly hard.”

“Harder than anyone could imagine.” You hear a haunting wail deep within your mind as memories of brutal, unforgiving times resurface: stories of the Fremen fighting against ruthless rulers who came to exploit and plunder this planet, just to survive each day.

You take a deep breath before continuing, “But those hardships made us strong. We did whatever was necessary to survive.”

Qimir senses the bitterness in your words—the coldness laced with an undercurrent of isolation and pain hidden beneath those brief sentences.

He studies you for a moment, taking in your face and the deep blue eyes unique to the Fremen. The longer he looks, the more he senses a change within you. It’s as if you are no longer the person he once knew but someone from a distant, ancient world—a world he could never truly reach or understand, no matter how hard he tried.

Qimir moves closer, his hand reaching for yours. That's when he notices the small crescent-shaped marks from your nails on your palm. He stares at them for a moment before lifting your hand to his lips and pressing a soft kiss on the wound. “You’re not alone anymore, Hara.”

You know that whenever Qimir calls you by your Fremen name, it’s his way of expressing love and comfort. It always makes your heart soften, even though you know, deep down, that these feelings should never have existed in the first place.

The Bene Gesserit learned a harsh lesson from this long ago. They called it ‘The Jessica Crime,’[4] named after the mother of Paul Atreides. 

It is said that her love for Duke Leto led her to follow her heart rather than obey the Sisterhood's orders, giving birth to a son when she was supposed to bear a daughter. This act altered the fate of the universe by bringing forth the Kwisatz Haderach prematurely, sparking a galactic war that ultimately led to unimaginable losses.

Since then, the Bene Gesserit established an inviolable rule—a warning passed down to every sister of every generation: never fall in love and always place the greater good of humanity above personal feelings.

You alone truly understand Jessica's thoughts, even though you exist in different times. 

For to forbid someone from loving is like forbidding them from dying. As long as humanity has a heart, that rule will always remain impossible to follow.

Under the intoxicating influence of the spice that still clouds your senses, the world around you feels like a mirage. Even as Qimir's lips trail up to your mouth and neck, lingering in a slow, tender kiss, and his large hands caress your body, sending shivers of electricity through your skin, 

This is real. All of this is real. You remind yourself as you surrender your body and being to his embrace.

You are fully aware that you're making the same mistake Jessica did. You grasp this truth with perfect clarity, knowing the consequences that will follow. Yet you allow it to happen because denying it would only arouse suspicion. Besides, deep down, you don’t want to deny your own feelings. This might be the last moment you and he share together before your fragile bond shatters beyond repair.

Your fading consciousness returns briefly as Qimir guides you to the bed. His hands deftly undo the knots of your clothes, just as he does with his own, leaving both your bodies and souls exposed.

Qimir pulls you onto his lap, your bare skin pressing against his, every soft curve and firm muscle meeting in intimate contact. You feel his growing arousal beneath your thighs.

For the first time, he lets you touch the cross-shaped scar on his back. You trace it gently, unable to stop yourself from asking, “Did it hurt much when you got this scar?”

“More than words can express,” he replies with a faint smile, though his eyes shine with anger at the memory. “I’ve never forgotten what happened that day.”

You don’t press him further; you know when to ask and when to remain silent. Besides, curiosity is unnecessary for you, as you've already glimpsed some of what he's faced and the terrible things he's done. Qimir may be gentle with you, but he's not a good man. His hands are stained with the blood of countless lives, and yet you still allow those hands to roughly explore every part of your body, fully aware of who he is and what he's done.

Your breath hitches as Qimir's fingers pinch and knead your nipple, sending a jolt of heat that spreads across your face. His other hand slowly glides down your stomach, lower and lower, until it reaches your most sensitive area. His fingertips explore your folds, circling your clit before sliding inside. He moves with a steady rhythm—neither too slow nor too fast—just enough to awaken your arousal. It wasn’t long before your desire soared, and the slickness between your legs made you ready for what comes next.

You lean over Qimir, carefully lowering yourself onto him, taking your time. A wave of desire washes over you as the tip of his cock gradually enters you. You exhale shakily, resting your forehead upon his shoulder, savoring the feeling as every vein of his length drags against your gummy walls. filling and stretching you in all the right ways. The sensation is overwhelming, a mix of intimacy and longing as your bodies merge completely.

Qimir's arms wrapped around your waist, holding you firmly as you begin to move your hips, riding his cock with a slow rhythm. He presses wet kisses along your jaw, trailing down to your neck, where he bites and sucks, leaving marks as if to claim you. Meanwhile, your nails dig into his back, uncaring that it might hurt him—you're certain he enjoys it.

A moan escapes your lips as Qimir thrusts up into you, his hips smacking sloppily against wet lips between your legs. bullying his cock deeper inside you. He begins to rut into you with increasing force, making your entire body tremble with pleasure, the intensity building as he swiftly took control. guiding your hips to move in sync with his, alternating between slow and quick thrusts. 

The rhythm of desire is as tangled and complex as the threads of time. He knows exactly what you need, and you know what he desires, as if you've known each other for an eternity.

As your bodies move in perfect synchrony, chasing the orgasm that coils tight in your stomach, your thoughts and emotions begin to merge into one. While making love with Qimir, you catch glimpses of fragmented memories hidden within him, each flashing before your eyes like a rapidly playing video. You see the deaths of Jedi, the twisted desires, and the ominous shadow of a man wearing a cracked metal helmet, its surface etched with a twisted smile—the Sith who tried to kill you in your dreams.

They’re all the same person—each one is him.

“Qimir!”

You cry out, your voice breaking as your eyes widen in shock. Your entire body quakes with an indescribable sensation, torn between the bliss of your orgasm and the terror buried deep within your mind. You hear Qimir's low growl in your ear as he drives into you harder, relentless thrusts, until his movements begin to slow. His cock throbs inside you as he finally releases, painting your insides white with his cum, filling you to the brim and overflowing.

Qimir leans back on the bed, his breathing noticeably slowing, his eyelids heavy with exhaustion. He looks more drained than usual but still has the strength to pull you into his arms. You barely dare to breathe, lying stiffly under his hold, watching him as he drifts off to sleep in mere moments.

You remain still for a while, waiting until you’re sure Qimir is in a deep sleep before carefully untangling yourself from his hold. Slipping out of bed, you dress quietly, your mind already knowing what you must do next. But when you glance back at Qimir one last time, hesitation grips you.

You bite your lip, knowing that the wisest thing to do right now is to gather your belongings, escape this place, and contact Sol immediately. Yet your mind refuses to settle until you confirm the truth with your own eyes, even though you already know deep down that the vision couldn’t possibly be wrong.

Moving with quiet precision, you find yourself in front of Qimir’s office—a place you were never allowed to enter. The door, locked with a digital passcode, is something you don’t know; however, the images from your vision guide your fingers as you type the code accurately. The door slides open.

Inside, the room is large and spacious, a blend of an office and a workshop. One corner holds a cluttered desk, while another is filled with tools and equipment, and shelves and crates are haphazardly cluttered around. 

But what draws your attention most is a metal chest on the lowest shelf. Something within seems to beckon to you, like a faint whisper, urging you toward the secret waiting to be uncovered.

Kneeling on the floor, your hand trembles as you reach out to touch the chest. The cold metal startles you slightly, and a sudden fear wells up within you, making you hesitate to open it. I must not fear. Fear is the mindkiller. You recite the Bene Gesserit litany in your mind to calm your nerves before finally deciding to open the chest with a swift motion.

What you find inside makes you cover your mouth in shock. The truth Qimir had been hiding all along now unfolds before you. 

Inside the chest lies a helmet made of cortosis, its dark, tarnished metal streaked with dull gold. The helmet is cracked in several places, though it has been mended. Its most distinct feature remains intact—the grotesque smile carved into the lower half of the helmet—the same smile you’ve seen countless times in your dreams

You think back to the events on the Trade Federation ship, where Qimir had appeared instead of the Sith. His face superimposes over the helmet in the chest, and in that instant, everything becomes crystal clear.

The man you've lived with all these years, the only one you've let into your life, is the very source of the darkness that haunts your dreams. Beneath the facade of a freelance trader and gentle lover lurks a terrifying truth—He is the Sith Lord, the threat to the galaxy, the ruthless Jedi killer, and possibly the one who may take your life.

Footnotes:

[1] This fic tweaks canon a bit—In canon, stopping spice use means losing prescient vision forever, but in this fic, you can quit without issue.

[2] Suk Doctors, trained at the Suk School, are elite physicians in the Dune universe, usually serving only wealthy families.

[3] Bocha is a crispy, delicious dish from The High Republic era, often served hot.

[4] According to the Dune novels, Lady Jessica’s defiance of the Bene Gesserit by having Paul Atreides is called 'The Jessica Crime,' a lesson for future generations to always control their emotions for humanity's sake."

[ourflagmeansgayrights]

ofmd s2e3 rewatch where i pause to jot down my thoughts and other random shit

squeezing this one in riiiiight before the next two eps drop lol. anyway these posts are about me processing these episodes and if you want to read them then that's cool too. but fair warning this is gonna be a fucking mess.

s2e1, s2e2, s2e3, s2e4, s2e5, s2e6, s2e7, s2e8

show opens on zheng leading a raid and INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH. this might be the first time we've seen a raid where like. the background music is kinda moody. and what's odd is that it has like the same level of comedically over-the-top violence and characters just having a casual conversation as like, the e5 cold open. but there's sad piano and strings doing tremolo in the background. i have no idea what this means.

god. zheng is so fucking hot.

i love olu's "no, no, sorry, bruv." and the FACE HE MAKES AFTER!!! so good

olu's a feminist

ZHENG IS SO FUCKING HOT

~champers?~ stede you are such a dork. i need to pinch ur cheeks.

yeah fuck the english!!

zheng saying "everyone's cracking down on the little guy" makes me wonder if the show is gonna do anything abt how the end of the golden age of piracy was like. a year off. which i only know from reading a few fics where the authors incorporated that into the plot. and there was the one trailer where we see zheng in jackie's bar while stede's giving everyone a speech so yknow what that might be where all this is going. big pirate battle at the end of the season, right?

another thing ive been wondering abt tho is just how much is this show gonna completely fuck with history. because like. is zheng yi sao gonna conquer the fucking caribbean. are we just going completely off the rails re: historical accuracy and inventing entire major historical events?? like crocs and pinocchio and pirates from different historical periods all existing at the same time and in the same place is one thing but if the characters like. overthrow england. then ofmd just straight-up exists in an alternate timeline at that point.

stede "the gentleman pirate kills with kindness" bonnet being so impressed with zheng is so cute to me tho

fhsjkgdhfushl oh my god when zheng snaps her fingers and stede hurries to refill drinks the other captain guy grins and flashes finger guns at stede and this is SO fucking funny to me

zheng being like "noooo it's stupid teehee" tucking her hair behind her ears ALSO very funny to me

whose job was it to make the letter N out of caviar for the title card in this episode bc it looks fantastic. got little serifs and everything

stede taking his towel duties VERY seriously and just. dropping them on zheng's desk for no reason. even olu is like "stede what the fuck are you doing"

obsessed with the running gag of stede being like "i always say that!" and other characters being like "no you fucking dont"

stede having zero impulse control and seeing the abacus and just being like "hey what the hell is this thing" and shaking it around. me too, king.

i wont lie tho part of me wonders if stede like. going overboard with towel duty and messing shit up is on purpose. like is he playing dumb so zheng lets her guard down just in case he needs her to think he's completely helpless?? bc at the end of the episode he does get one over on her and i assume it's partly bc she underestimated him. or am i just reading too much into it lol.

but idk it's weird that olu's like "ok stede zheng is busy" and stede's just like "im gonna shake this thing now teehee"

WAIT ALSO backtracking a bit. why were stede and olu shadowing zheng at the beginning of the episode. i mean olu i get, it's bc she has a crush on him (who can blame her) but what's the in-universe justification for zheng being like "yeah alright white boy u can come too"

stede's gay little run out of the room. GO GET YOUR MAN!!!!

awww the crew all look so sad at how messed up the ship is :( THAT'S THEIR HOME!!!

I KNEW THE GNOSSIENNE NO. 5 WAS GONNA KILL ME WHEN IT SHOWED UP IN S2 BUT THIS WAS TOO FUCKING MUCH. THE WAY IT TRAILS OFF AND WE JUST HEAR THE WIND ECHOING. FUCKINGGGGG CLAWING AT MY EYES

i love that there's knife stuck in the painting guy's dick. stupid gags like that never get old. also if that was izzy it's extra funny like what the fuck did he even do that for

also have we ever actually seen the outside of the door to stede's cabin like this before??? we saw those dutch guys get chased down this hallway but idk about. the door.

the crew is too busy feasting on raw bird like they're extras in a zombie film to hear stede calling for ed. love that.

the two people that the camera focuses on individually are jim and izzy. makes sense bc these are the characters who i think are gonna have the most important shit going on re: the fact that they all tried to kill ed.

stede's painfully awkward smile after "um... hi." i mean honestly tho what the fuck else do you say to walking in on this

oh shit jim was totally about to tell stede what happened tho. and then archie interrupted with "oh shit, you're stede?????"

this must be so fucking funny from archie's perspective tho. must've heard so much abt this guy and now she finally gets to meet the main character of the story she stumbled into about a third of the way through. and he's kinda just some blond guy.

stede sounds so defensive too tho when archie's like "i thought you'd be taller, charismatic, muscly" bc god that's exactly what he thinks he should be. i mean ok stede is charismatic in a very unique way but his whole e1 fantasy of having a beard and being all macho and badass was just putting all his insecurities on blast. and now archie is like "this is the guy blackbeard was so fucked up over?? really????"

shoutout to archie saying "got tired" when theyre all saying ed retired

also why was wee john in this shot. like not even just in the shot he's just sitting RIGHT behind stede listening to the whole thing. he doesn't have a single line.

stede rolling his eyes and ignoring izzy is so good. yes king dont take the bait

oh ok wee john was there so that we can see frenchie go over to him and give him a fist bump in the background while stede walks away to stare off into the distance

eddie on tha beach

piggie!

cave! remember when we were all like "CAVE KISS???? ARE THEY GONNA KISS IN THE CAVE??????" it would be funny if this is it for the cave. just off in the distance for one shot. cant actually tell if this is the cave they were posting pictures of last fall tho and idrc enough to try and figure it out

pig's name is ruthie. ed why did your subconscious name the pig ruthie.

why did ed's subconscious make hornigold tell him "open up for the cargo ship" ed your daddy issues are fucking insane

hornigold fully like rubs ed's chest for a second there. kinda a weird choice there.

"last time i saw you, you said you were gonna flay my skin and feed it back to me" man what is it with these pirates and forced autocannibalism, huh? i think getting flayed would hurt more but skin's probably easier to eat than toes so idk which i'd prefer. no i dont know why im pondering this either

smthng abt how this is ed hallucinating this whole bit where hornigold pinches his nose and force-feeds him soup is so funny to me. it's a metaphor for ed dragging himself kicking and screaming to therapy.

frenchie telling fang to stfu scjgdfchjxgk

fucking incredible line delivery from joel fry through the whole "it's quite hot, im burnin up here! should we go and get some coolin' bevvies?" bit. love it.

uhh line break

also bro auntie is dead-on about the guilt. i dont blame the crew at all for what they did but this + the whole bird-eating sequence bro. they all liked ed. they cared abt him. other than archie, they all knew him as a pretty cool person. like BRO im gonna have to make another post abt this but the trauma of like, someone you liked becoming so suicidal that he puts you in increasingly miserable situations hoping you'll snap and kill him and he keeps escalating it until you have no choice but to kill him for your own safety. but you know he was a funny and chill person before this. and you know he only did this bc he wanted to die. dude this shit is fucking heavy.

anyway cut to jimolu lol

bro what IS going on in towels. i love how stede just passes around towels for smelling. is this something people have done literally ever or is this just so we can have chloroform towels at the end of the episode

sorry i know in the last post i was sort of squinting at the bit where olu forgot how to pronounce china but the was he mispronounces eucalyptus is just so satisfying to hear i cant even be mad abt it

awwwwgh u can tell jim was scared to tell olu abt kissing archie

lmaoooo when jim says "i saw her boobs" olu's head WHIPS around and he's like "oh??" all wide-eyed dbhjgkhdfyjsk

naw im sorry this is cute. this is a cute tealoranges scene. yes it's jim telling olu abt how they hooked up with someone else but bro i LOVE relationships with this kind of comfortable discussion abt sex and abt relationships in general. i mean there's a lot more for them to talk about still but in a worse show this wouldve been a whole screaming match. instead we got jim saying "you're kinda the best friend i tell everything to" and joking about boobs and UGH. it's so cute!!!!

it's also so fucking funny tho. "i saw her boobs" "oh?? okay, nice" "both of them" "nope, too much" WHY IS THAT WHERE HE DRAWS THE LINE HFKHSGJKFKKJFHK

also when did jim see archie's boobs tho. like ok realistically they've seen each other in varying stages of undress just bc it's not that big of a ship and there's only so much privacy. but the funnier answer is that after ed kicked them out of the secret room and a few minutes later a gunshot went off (who did the rest of the crew think pulled the trigger, i wonder) and they think izzy's dead probably. and then jim and archie decided this was a good time to hook up.

wait i forgot abt the nebulous amount of time between the mutiny and stede walking in on them all eating a dead bird. who fucking knows how much time that was tho. but they could've hooked up then i guess

GNOSSIENNE NO. 5 PART 2 ELECTRIC BOOGALOO. IM SOBBING.

the song gets to play out more in this scene and ohhhh baby i missed this piano piece. also stede looks more annoyed than upset. he's just casually yoinking things out of the wall. and then he sees the ones on the ceiling and is like "really, ed?"

i think i said this in the tags of a gifset but izzy says "don't cry, bonnet" when stede's back is to him and i just think it's funny bc stede literally wasnt crying. he just looked kinda pissed off. izzy continues to not understand ed or stede even a little bit.

also i love how the music changes by just playing a minor chord and then there's like a spooky echo and then. no more background music.

i just realized izzy's crutch is literally just a mop he's holding upside down. this is funny to me for some reason

"he was a wild dog and we dealt with him like one" izzy hands racism moments

why does izzy even lie about this. why does he say "no i could never do that" when literally he did. he looked right at ed's face as jim hit it with a fucking cannonball. like. what fucking purpose does lying about this even serve. in what way does that benefit izzy. idgi

also ive heard that apparently ppl think he did this to spare stede or something but 1. why would he not want to specifically torture stede as much as possible 2. this is literally not sparing stede bc stede would spend the rest of his life scouring the entire caribbean hoping to find the island where they dropped ed.

RANDOM fucking idea tho but what if they did maroon him but it was on the island from 1x02. that wouldve been great for ed probably. get therapy from the old guy. have some coconut rum drink. chill out. oh well instead they shoved ed into a secret closet and left him there to die from a traumatic head injury.

hornigold calling ed "bro" was such a dead giveaway for me that this was a dream sequence or whatever. like from trailers and stuff i had already figured that this guy was hornigold and that he was probably a ghost or something but i think i mightve been questioning it a little bit at this point. but yeah anyway ed says "bro" and while obviously we dont know exactly what hornigold was like, he didnt sound like the kind of guy to say "bro"

i do love how hornigold's like "you worried you're insane?" and ed's just like "yeah a little bit!"

hornighost: you gotta move on or blow your brains out. or... we can make some soup. ed: yeah let's do soup.

wait stede told zheng that they marooned ed. and then zheng is like "well it's at least mutiny-adjacent" like no im pretty sure that's literally just a regular mutiny

bro rubio qian is so good at making faces

i love how ed's like "you ever thought about selling these shoes?" like who the fuck is hornigold going to sell them to. where does ed think they are.

OUGH RETURN OF ED'S HAIR ALL UP IN A BUN!!!!

ough... return of ed's trauma :(

ughughghuhguhughughgffffff every time i hear ed's voice in the bathtub scene i want to cryyyyy SOMEONE HUG THIS MAN I SWEAR TO GOD

also hornigold's mouth definitely moves in this shot where ed climbs off his body lol

hnnng... ed arm

oughuhgu and a strand of the wig came out of the bun WHY IS HE SO PRETTYYYYYYYYY

i cant believe for months i had my fingers crossed for the "person A thinks person B is dead" trope with ed hearing about the fuckery but instead i got it THE OTHER WAY AROUND. AAAAAAAAAAAHH

yo is hornigold wearing like. a flag. idk why i just noticed this but there's like a giant metal rung with rope tied through it holding his whole robe-ish situation together. is that a flag

very random thought but i love how tv shows just cut back and forth btwn plots and one plot might basically be one conversation but every time we cut back theyre in a different setting and we dont see how they got there. like the cut from stede walking in on the crew eating a bird to all of them back on zheng's ship eating soup. and now we went from ed yelling "WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON" at hornighost's hut and now they're on a beach talking abt what the fuck is going on. why did they go there. who knows. doesnt matter.

ed is so fucking stressed abt being in the gravy basket. poor man is nervously playing with the big stick and trying so hard not to lose his cool.

damn he threw that stick really far tho. good arm.

im sorry but it's SO fucking funny how zheng is trying to seduce olu in this scene and she's like "whats the status of your boatmance is it... ongoing?" *unsheathes sword* like girl that's not seduction that's a full-on threat. i mean it's still hot dgmw but it's unclear what exactly you're going for here

YES STEDEY-BOY

loving the jaunty little escape music

archie and jim holding haaands

stede: you always say you have perfect aim black pete: ive never said that roach: you always say that lucius, throwing his beloved boyfriend under the bus: you said it today

buttons is so fucking loud fhjkhgyejkthfjkhg. ngl i relate tho

obsessed with the noise button makes when he slides across to the Revenge

and they use tea towels to slide over!! god stede really made the most out of his time in towels

~~

LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE how olu is the one sitting on the desk with his legs dangling and kicking during this makeout session

also obsessed with how theoretically olu could've seduced zheng out of killing the crew and it's possible that none of this was necessary

wait i literally just realized that they stole the wheel not just so that zheng couldn't follow them but bc the Revenge didnt have one lol

ugh ed's tits look so good what the hell

ed in his head instantly associates the phrase "calico jack" with someone going "WHOOHOO" at the top of their lungs

oughu FUCK i did not fucking realize this but ed is taking hornigold's presence here as confirmation that he's not loveable. earlier hornighost said "you're afraid you're unlovable" but then when he's on the cliff and he's like "you brought me here because you hate yourself" ed is like "im not loveable." ohhhhhh fuck

and then hornigold is like "and you're afraid to do anything about it. but im not" and then throws the rock off the cliff. this is the shittiest part of ed's brain calling him a pussy for not killing himself and telling him he deserves to die. fuuuuuuuuck me.

oh boy okay. ed got yanked off the cliff. stede is heading into the secret room. idk if i even have anything to say about the mermaid sequence like i cant believe this shit is real. fuck. this is a fever dream. they really just... wrote this. filmed it. put rhys darby in a fish tail. FUCK

ok the two things i have to say about this. first: the fucking flashback montage in this sequence makes me stop breathing like every single fucking time. secondly: when theyre face-to-face in ed's mermaid fantasy there's a split second where ed sort of jolts forward a tiny tiny tiny half of an inch. and i have no idea if it's intentional. but it makes me think of how in the "you wear fine things well" scene ed TOTALLY STEPS IN THINKING STEDE'S ABOUT TO KISS HIM.

WRITTEN BY ALYSSA LANE AND ALEX SHERMAN. SHOUTOUT TO THOSE GUYS.

[taegularities]

heyy rid!! hope your week's going well

okay hear me out , have you watched modern family? cause I was (re)watching it and I couldn't help but wish that c&f couple dealt with the problem the way cam and mitch (a couple on the show) did in season 2 episode 12 I mean it's so hilarious at first but then it becomes so pure 🥺

mitch thinks he has a baby with another woman (spoiler: he doesn't) from highschool and cam reacts hilariously to it

time stamp: 6:02 ep 12 szn 2

And then next day cam finally tells Mitch "you and Lily are the best thing to have happened to me and if you're telling me there's another kid , how can it be anything but good?" 🥺

time stamp: 9:30

and I KNOW that's not what's gonna happen, they have so much history but i pray that in some alternate universe our babies didn't have to suffer so much and just had an easy happy life 😭💌💌

thankyou for coming to my ted talk.

hey!! hope your week is going well, too 🥰

omfg, i haven't seen modern family (except snippets and reels of it) but i do know the cam/mitch couple!! this is the sweetest thing ever 😭 i think it takes so much to deal with such a thing. on one hand, oc wasn't part of jk's past in a romantic way, as little as cam was part of mitch's past. but then again, there's so much to think about bc it does affect your current relationship and mentality… it's so beautiful how the modern family couple handled it.

the situation in c&f is definitely different bc of, as you said, the history jk has with the OW, but let's hope he and oc find a solution just as well and are able to live an easy and happy life soon… <3

[marginaletchings]

Personally I feel like the rushed pace of Hazbin is more of an indictment of The Industry of making shows, especially animated ones, rather than of Vivzie and the crew.

There are also some issues I have with some interpretations and expectations people are having, like… Media also has its logistical limitations, especially “alternative” (subversive) media and media spearheaded by women. I personally would much rather they use their time wisely, even if payoff and key character moments aren’t always earned, than waste multiple episodes doing slice of life in an 8-episode season. (Looking at you, Steven Universe.)

I also don’t think y’all understand the limitations of the process of animating (in terms of time, manpower, budget, etc) —but also of how they may not have been able to get signed on with A24 and Amazon if they didn’t have big name actors going with it.

Y’all act like this is just Vivienne stomping around being a mean old Karen, when in reality, that is not how creative productions work. There is so much we don’t know but everyone is content to condemn the series largely based on emotional reactions, assumptions and too often, bad faith. It’s not even done airing yet.

Hazbin Hotel has its flaws—cram packed pacing being the main one—but as a huge fan of animated shows, who grew up in the 90s, to me it is a damn breath of fresh air. Do I wish they’d stop and just let us feel something more often? Sure! I’m sure Viv and the crew do too, if Helluva Boss is anything to go by.

Criticism of a creative work is valid, but only when it takes into account how that thing is actually made and most importantly, the context in which it exists. If you ignore those two things, your criticism is always going to ring hollow and come off as shallow and uninformed.

Shockingly, opinions aren’t always constructive criticism, and some folks seem to have missed that distinction.

EDIT: Would also kindly like to add that as a survivor of SA, abuse, depression, Husk and Angel’s song in ep 4 did not come across as victim blaming to me. Self pity and self hatred lie at the root of self destruction, and no matter how much you’ve earned the right to sit in that mire, admitting that you’re in a fucked up place is the first step toward acceptance and the path to healing. When you’ve been hurt, you grieve, and Angel was in a stage of denial and depression.

Sometimes, the only way to break through that powerful fog is for someone to tell you, yeah, shit is fucked up and you’re an absolute disaster, but you are not alone and I am here with you. I personally would rather have someone just be honest with me instead of spouting some saccharine nonsense. People always talk about how there’s a better place beyond what I’ve walked through, but I hated that, because it offered no honest assessment or comfort for me while I was still in the thick of it.

You can be so hurt that you’re lost in the pain and misery and you lose the perspective you need to hold onto any kind of hope. Husk offered him that hope, and without engaging in the Suffering Olympics. He was open and straightforward and genuine. No more bullshit.

And Angel doesn’t need bullshit, he needs honesty and people that care about him, who will be there through whatever comes next.

But that? That’s just my opinion.

[drawnaghht]

Yuichi Usagi - what's in a name?

I read "Senso" over the end of March and the last week and reviewed a bunch of interviews again and man i dunno how to post abt it but it seems that Yuichi Usagi is actually intentional as naming? And yes, Yuichi can be a last name also, but is still mainly read as a first name.

Like specifically it seems that it’s a reference to the ending of “Usagi Yojimbo: Senso” in a similar way to how the rest of the show is also intentionally an homage to that story as it’s main source of inspiration.

“Yuichi” commonly has the meaning "heroic first (son)" (雄一) and in the japanese subtitles, Yuichi is spelled as both 雄一 and ユウイチ - Yūichi. So let's take the japanese subtitling as additional canon as that’s how the character’s introduce themselves. (I'll link this Japanese-Names website as an online source for now since I'm not fluent in it myself.) The subtitles are based on the english dub of course, but it seems the japanese dub is similar on the name introductions for the most part (not a native speaker myself so I can only guess).

Spoilers for Senso if you haven't read it. I recommend you do, if really nothing else. It’s a really nice mashup of sci fi in Usagi Yojimbo, in a very “War of the Worlds” type clash. I really loved the foreword comic and the illustrations before the story. It's a really good story. Here’s a nice spoilerless review of it.

So from interviews we know that the Samurai Rabbit crew was inspired by and drew influences from six-issue book Usagi Yojimbo: Senso - you can see it in how the Makkine were designed and episode references (S2, ep 9 "Eggs!" - the falling martian ships are called eggs in “Senso”) and mainly the story outline of aliens invading edo-period japan.

So why give Yuichi Usagi a first name as a last name?

We see this backstory in "Willow Branch" in season 2.

The sword was lost. That is a storyline they included to make an interesting story out of it but to also connect the show and og comic in a different way. A "passing of the torch" in some sense, but also literally what the comic tells us about og Usagi and his swords. In Senso: "They are my soul. Pass them down to your firstborn… then to his [...] then down the line…” And in the show we see that Willow Branch is found and recovered by Yuichi and the sword accepts him as the next in line. The firstborn son.

So from this we can make the fan-theory that perhaps in the show canon, Miyamoto Usagi’s family maybe named their next firstborn in line Yuichi, to honor their forebear Miyamoto Usagi's last wish, again if we're going by the thought that this was inspired by "Senso". (Jotaro being his last surviving member in this verse possibly, we don't know here bc it's intentionally left vague to not spoil series-only viewers + keep the mystery open for anyone who decides to read the comic after the series for the first time). It could even be a possibility that they just kept that as a surname for sentimental reasons, because the family had women as first-born children for so long (if we assume based on Usagi's auntie and missing parents), but they wanted to keep that memory going for as long as possible, since the sword was lost shortly after Miyamoto saved Edo from Kagehito’s plan a 1000 years before Yuichi’s time. But that’s already just speculation from me as a fan of the cartoon.

And before die-hard comic readers swoop in, yes, in Senso the swords are not lost, but again, it’s an alternative universe story situation for the people making the show, and I find what they did was interesting.

The comic’s ending is tied into the world of “Space Usagi” as well, without spoiling it too much, which is a storyline Stan did in a space opera setting. The connection between being inspired by Senso which is tied to this story may also be why so many interviews and articles call Usagi Chronicles as inspired by Space Usagi directly, since both are spin-offs that take place in a distant future.

Or you know, it could also just be that they wanted an easy-sounding name for their main character to call that wasn't only Usagi, since they have two in the series: their own and the original.

But all in all, whether the name comes as a reference to the original comic, or from simple use of a common name, it can’t be ignored that this is just how the show calls it’s main character.

But you can still call him Yuichi, as that is what both the crew (his creators) and Stan Sakai call him when talking of both tbe Usagis. (Or, in the case of Stan, "my Usagi" and "Their/Samurai Rabbit/the show's Usagi") It could be that out of respect for the work the crew put into his series, Stan didn’t suggest more naming conventions for the character because he already liked the work and story the crew did. It could be that they put a pin in it at first and then got used to it as pre-production continued. Could even just be that he loled it right away. But I don’t find it that useful to speculate on that as much, because the cartoon we have is already made and finished how it is and well, we don’t know the exact authorial reasonings from the show crew side much, so Yuichi Usagi it is.

Though also, the way that his names are used in the show (Auntie mainly calls him Usagi and family usually adress via 1st name, Yuichi is never used mich beyond introductions) and how it's used in the interviews when talking about Miyamoto Usagi as well, it feels like they meant to give him two first names, and couldn’t decide on a surname-sounding last name so, Yuichi Usagi was left in the final script. But that's just my guess as a fan and viewer again.

Maybe other fans have had similar or better discussions about it? It would be interesting to know if the show has more japanese fans and how they find this, for example. What they think about how the show introduces him as Surname-Given Name, but then every other character switches to just calling him Usagi right away. In japan, people usually use last name+ honorifics when they have just met. But both Usagi's new friends and Usagi himself switch to first-name basis after their first day meeting each other and going through a few fights. Is it just because the show has a mostly western audience(my assumption), and we're meant to use his given name as an audience to be more familiar with him... or is it only because he's a rabbit and some of the characters (like Lord Kogane) don't really care more? Perhaps a 1000 years into the future, they've partially lost the use of some traditions?

In any case, it doesn’t feel like the show made that big of a faux pas naming Yuichi the way they did. Ould be that my guess is wrong and it wasn't as deliberate a reference to Senso. It seems a much higher possibility that they thought of that, thought it sounded nice and then kept it because it was an easy way to call him differently from comics-Usagi during production itself, but still getting to call him Usagi in the show-proper.

This is just me basing this on official interviews and the Senso book, but this just seems more likely than them picking a random name with no meaning to it. Of course, I could also be wrong, but based on interviews along, the showrunners and creative team seem so genuine in wanting to give the comic a good show that it doesn't make sense that they wouldn't research it. Or at the very least, ask about it from Stan himself or even just get a note from him about it, since he reviewed everything else. Candie and Doug (showrunners) even mention (in Comic Book Couple's Counceling podcast interview) how they really wanted to go deeper with research this time and art director Khang Le mentioned how they took a lot of cues from modern japan as well, from their research trips there.

I know this probably won't put any future discussions/rambling about this to rest among other fans, but well, just some thoughts on this. While I think it's probably kind of silly of me to be writing long essays abt a cartoon show I like, I do think it sort of warrants more discussion abt how we talk about characters and how we refer to them. For another show i'm a fan of for example, the character has an official name and a nickname, but the show itself consistently only used the nickname to let the reader be familiar with her. While characters like teachers and enemies might refer to them with their given name, even her full name, their family and friends mainly use the easier nickname. But it seemed that the reverse happened with that show's fandom, as the more unique given name became more used than the nickname the show itself gave us. And this was sorta the same thoughtprocess I had here with Usagi Chronicles.

Anyway, this has been a post x3 I meant to make this shorter and just about Senso, but I sorta started rambling more after the auntie and generations of female Usagi descendants theory x3

edit 5.05: fixed some grammar and sentence logic mistakes! added clarifications where ref was missing (CCBC podcast)

edit 13.06: I looked up the spellings for Yuichi as a last name and while it's similar, based on how it's written in the show, this supports my previous reading still. It still seems like it's meant more as a title almost, the same way naming would have been in old norse for example "Ivan's son" would become "Ivanson" or in english-language names, "Miller's son" would become "Millerson" (patronymic). So again, maybe Yuichi is meant as "first son" as the first name, but Usagi is his namesake because the family still wanted to honor their common ancestor, Miyamoto Usagi. That's the possible in-world reasoning, but with how much this crew put into the show, I wouldn't be surprised that they thought the same thing, that it's a nice way to reference the book Senso they were insired by, but also Miyamoto Usagi the character, who they were inspired by.

[bookgeekgrrl]

My media this week (31 Dec 2023-6 Jan 2024)

📚 STUFF I READ 📚

😊 The PostScript Murders (Harbinder Kaur #2) (Elly Griffiths, author; Nina Wadia, narrator) - entertaining cozy mystery (even tho Harbinder is an actualfax police officer). Though it's nominally Harbinder's series, she's just one of the characters, not the main character per se. Anyway, I enjoyed!

💖💖 +366K of shorter fic so shout out to these I really loved (YULETIDE, BABEY!) 💖💖

Put to Their Books (ribbons) - Sotherans twitter acct; KJ Charles' England & WDA series: archie/daniel, fen/pat, 2K - v clever modern social media AU feat Southerns, cameo by AZ Fell

A Particular Force (TwoWeevils) - The Will Darling Adventures (KJ Charles): will/kim, 5K - Yuletide 2023

It was of this that he had been dreaming (ExceptMaybeYou) - We Could Be So Good (Cat Sebastian): andy/nick, 4K - Yuletide 2023

Permanent Residence (Nabielka) - The Cabots (Cat Sebastian): peter/caleb, 1.7K - Yuletide 2023, 'on staying in California'

Finest of the Flavors (whetherwoman) - Lilywhite Boys Series (KJ Charles): jerry/alec, 5K - Yuletide 2023

I love you--all I can (goseaward) - England Series (KJ Charles): bill/jimmy, 5K - Yuletide 2023, Bill & Jimmy across 30 years

The Alternatives of Summer (iberiandoctor (jehane)) - Call Me By Your Name: oliver/elio, 8K - Yuletide 2023, 8 yrs later Elio & Oliver meet at Fire Island

The Matrimonial State (beautifulduckweed) - The Cabots (Cat Sebastian): tommy/everett, 4K - Yuletide 2023, "Being a short account of three different weddings in Massachusetts attended by Thomas Cabot and Everett Sloane."

📺 STUFF I WATCHED 📺

Zarna Garg: One in a Billion

Midsomer Murders - s24, e3-4

Dirty Laundry - s3, e9

D20: Escape From The Bloodkeep - e1-5

🎧 PODCASTS 🎧

Hit Parade - The Bridge: Moguls Can’t Be Choosers

Desert Island Discs - Marina Abramović, performance artist

Overinvested - Ep. 291: Doctor Who 2023 specials

Welcome to Night Vale - The Haunting of Night Vale

Vibe Check - My Spiritual Finger Is Wagging

Today, Explained - Israel’s next move

Films To Be Buried With - Chelsea Peretti

Pop Culture Happy Hour - Books We Love: No Biz Like Showbiz

What Next: TBD - Why the New York Times Sued OpenAI

Up First - Trump's Pardon Promise, The Islamic State's Iran Attack, Jeffrey Epstein Conspiracies

Endless Thread - This episode is a sign from the universe

Dear Prudence - I Don’t Want to Cancel My Retirement Plans to Babysit. Help!

Cautionary Tales - DANGER: Rocks Ahead!

Our Opinions Are Correct - New mini episode! All about our cats

You're Dead to Me - Catherine the Great

What Next: TBD - Tesla's Cybertruck Problem

Wait Wait… Don't Tell Me! - WWDTM: Now With Real Journalists!

Up First - Jan. 6 Insurrection Revisited, Blinken to Israel, COVID Resurgence.

Under the Influence with Terry O'Reilly - Disappearing Acts: When Popular Brands Are Discontinued

🎶 MUSIC 🎶

The Essential REO Speedwagon {2004}

I Wanna Know What Love Is

Soft Rock Ballads

Relaxing '80s Rock

Merengue Mix

AM In The A.M.: '70s Pop Morning

"Beach Baby" [First Class] radio

'70s Mellow Gold

'80s Slow Dance

[laura-the-yellow-cat]

MSA X Pop AU Crossover: Survival Chapter/Episode 2: Hook, Line, and Sinker

They're hungrier to look find fish. They are noticing that books and find survival books called: Practical Ice Fishing: How To Eat to Live. They got survival books again like last Chapter 1/Episode 1. They got to pages collected the same matched. We need to get different fish foods bugs, and worms can get fish

Sarah (You): Hmm… I need to get the fishing poles and lines of fishing poles

Sapphire: Right, it’s lines of shoelaces as lines of fishing poles.

Samantha use a large rock to break the ice lake

Samantha: Careful! Not going to catch a cold! They stay away bit back next to the lake. Used to fishing with poles

They gonna find some fish in the water, and they finally some many fishes and back to make a fire to cook fish like in the same last Ch/Ep pt 1

Then they eating some all fishes

Laura (Me): Man, i'm stuffed

Sardonyx: **eats fish**

**later in night**

They are asleeping in woods, but they notices the strange walking noises

Arthur: Eep! what was that?

Sarah is suspicious that not seeing them in hidden cameras in the woods

In Shadow of mystery cabin Mansions with shadowy figures hunters are spying on them

For @sfcabanasstarcgs and @mysteryideasgroup

AUs Alternate Universes Crossovers belongs to @mysteryideasgroup and @sfcabanasstarcgs

Mystery Teams/Groups/Gangs belongs to @sfcabanasstarcgs and @mysteryideasgroup Teams/Groups/Gangs 

Mystery Teams/Groups/Gangs belongs to my msa ocs sonas Teams/Groups/Gangs 

Mystery Skulls Animated belongs to Ben and MysteryBen27 of YT Series 

Poptropica Survival belongs to Games of Poptropica

[xsoulxsilencex]

So the spoiler summaries for ep 38-39 + ep 40 title dropped...

I’ve already seen some reactions to those spoilers and well... let me say, I’m probably in the minority by not being that thrilled about them.

First of all, the ep 39 spoiler: This is probably the most interesting since it’s titled The Boy from the Future and said boy is the one who gave Yudias his duel disk and some packs. That title and the summary heavily imply now that it’s really Ohdo Yuga who will show up to help Yudias to defeat Luge since him being from the future would make sense considering how outdated lots of things seem in Mutsuba Town and instead of landing in an alternate universe, he actually managed to time travel after his final duel with Otes. But would that mean that all the characters people initially thought to be descendants of the Sevens cast and later simply variants are actually ancestors now?

If Future Boy is truly Ohdo Yuga (there’s still a little bit of doubt in me about that) then I’m kinda annoyed. Don’t get me wrong, I love Yuga but him being in Go Rush and even dueling Luge is just making everyone focus on him now. I was already rather meh about how Go Rush has so many characters sort of based on Sevens characters so it felt like it’s not really standing on its own feet but has to rely on its predecessor somehow. Now if Yuga is there and not some variant of him, it’s even worse imo. I know we were all curious where Yuga was in those two years and maybe Go Rush is really gonna explain that. But now, most people will just care what’s happening with him next and how he will find a way going back home. Maybe arc 4 will be all about Yudias and co. getting to know Yuga better and helping him return to his time. Tbh, I do hope that Yuga is gone after arc 4 because I wished we would focus more on the actual Go Rush main cast for once and not someone who “looks related” to a Sevens character. We still have no idea about who attacks Velgear. My guess is that those people (or maybe it’s just one mighty being) are maybe revealed as silhouettes at the end of ep 52, similar to how the Goha Siblings were introduced at the end of Sevens ep 52. The last thing I would want is them introduced in the very last arc of Go Rush.

Btw: I feel bad for Yuna considering what’s happening in episode 39. I wasn’t a huge fan of her during arc 2 because of her attitude and her fangirl behaviour whenever Rovian was around. But in the current arc, she kinda redeemed herself in my eyes since not only the fangirl behaviour was done less (maybe because Rovian is iced rn *cough*) but she actually tried to find a way to defeat Luge. She first asked Yuga to make a card that is powerful enough to do that, went to Asaka to ask her to make a new Fusion since Nyandestar had the first one and when Asaka refused, she decided to make Fusion herself. Even when her first attempt failed, she wanted to continue until she’s successful instead of just giving up already and that’s admirable. She also showed concern for Mbembe when she saw that Luge is gonna show him what’s in the box and that will freeze him like Rovian.

Yuna tag dueling with Yudias against Luge and not Yudias doing that alone is pretty cool so it hurts me more to read how something weird will happen with her so Yuga has not only to save her but also take her place in the duel. Come on, we have a relevant girl character dueling with the main protag against the current main antag and then she gets replaced because the writers rather want the Sevens main protag next to the Go Rush main protag? Why couldn’t they just wait until Yudias and Yuna defeated Luge to properly introduce Yuga? Why do they have to make Yuna suddenly unable to duel so Yuga jumps in to help Yudias? Idk how many people will even care since a lot are probably more excited to see Yuga duel but I just feel bad for Yuna.

Episode 40 seems to be something dojo-related based on the title? Looks like another easy start for a new arc. I just hope we are done with Sevens variants/ancestors/whatever and don’t introduce more of them.

And I just noticed how none of the spoilers mention Zwijo (or Yuhi) so whether he won or lost is still a mystery. But I doubt he just stands there and watches the arc final duel so he likely is gone after ep 37.

[imgeekgirlfan]

The Curse of Cassandra [EP : XIII]

Read in Ao3 : here

Pairings :  Qimir x f!reader(SEA Reader)  [The Acolyte]

Content Rating : Mature 18+ Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warning (AT YOUR OWN RISK)

tags/themes : Alternate Universe - Dune & Star wars, Partners in Crime, Strangers to Lovers

Summary : The last bloodline of House Atreides is about to reach its own conclusion. Both Yord and you understand what lies ahead and are ready to do whatever it takes to protect each other, even if it means one of you may have to sacrifice their life.

Status: just finished writing this fic! (It will end in Episode 14)

A/N : Just one chapter left until the end, and I'm feeling sad to see that many have stopped reading my fic. It's been tough to stay motivated to continue, but I want to finish what I've started. I hope those who are still following along are enjoying the story. Thank you for sticking with me

Ps.If you enjoy my work, please reblog it. Just liking the post won’t help others discover it.

➡  Intro // EP : 1 // EP : 2 // EP : 3 // EP : 4 // EP : 5 // EP : 6 // EP : 7 // EP : 8 // EP : 9 // EP : 10 // EP : 11 // EP : 12 // EP : 14 (Completed)

Special OS : Phantom Thread

[Episodes 13] Here I am, here I remain.

"Run away with me."

You aren't particularly surprised to find Yord standing at your doorstep in the early evening; however, his sudden plea still manages to catch you off guard.

Yord is still panting, one hand gripping the doorframe tightly. His face glistens with sweat dripping from his forehead, a sign of how hard he must have pushed himself to rush here. His wide eyes looking at you reflect a whirlwind of emotions—anxiety, concern, and anger.

"You don't have to do this," Yord says, his voice serious as he continues when you remain silent. "Those plans are complete nonsense! How desperate do they have to be to drag you into such madness?"

Ah, so he knows everything, you think to yourself, assuming it was likely Jackie or Sol who told him.

The plan Yord refers to is Sol’s secret scheme, a final attempt after repeated failures to capture the new Sith Lord. It involves using you as both bait and a means to force Qimir into revealing himself.

Qimir is an unparalleled assassin known for his perfection, having never left any evidence or shown any vulnerability that could lead to his capture. The Jedi call him ‘The Stranger,’ a faceless phantom, an identity-less shadow. No one knows who he is, when he will appear, or who his next victim will be.

Until now, only you and Sol know about Qimir's past, but even that hasn’t helped solve the case. All records of his time as a Padawan were erased long ago, and Vernestra, who could have confirmed everything, is dead.

The final solution comes down to you. Your visions and the deep connection you share with Qimir are the only keys Sol believes can stop him.

You remember when Sol came to you personally to discuss the plan. You sensed the weight of his desperation and the pressure he was under to make this choice, despite the warnings you had already given him.

In your vision, Sol wasn’t even a match for Qimir. The chances of him throwing his life away in this plan were dangerously high.

Yet, despite knowing this, Sol remained determined.

"Perhaps this is the only way I can atone for what I did at Brendok," he told you in a calm voice, his eyes reflecting his weariness. "We all have sins to repay and fates we cannot escape. Let me face mine as a Jedi."

His words took root in your heart. You knew that fate wasn't just pursuing Sol—it was after you as well.

Your thoughts return to the present. You turn away, unable to meet Yord’s eyes. "It’s impossible," you finally reply, trying to keep your voice steady, but the words come out in a trembling whisper. "You're a Jedi Knight, Yord. You can't throw everything away for me."

"Fuck the Jedi and the Sith! They don’t even care if you live or die!"

You flinch. You’ve never seen Yord explode with such rage before.

Noticing your reaction, Yord realizes he's let his emotions spiral out of control. He wipes a hand over his face, taking a deep breath to calm the fury still simmering within.

“Please, I’m begging you... just come with me,” his tone softens, shifting from anger to a plea. “There’s still time for us to run. I’ll make sure no one finds you. You’ll be safe with me. I swear.”

Yord grips your hand tightly, and you can feel the tremor in his hold. The Bene Gesserit training tells you immediately what’s behind it—he’s afraid. But afraid of what?

“This has nothing to do with you, Yord,” you say, feeling a pang of sympathy but not knowing how to comfort him. “But I’ve seen clearly… it’s impossible.”

You know that facing Qimir again is inevitable. Even if you fled with Yord now, it would only delay the inevitable. Eventually, Qimir will find you, and this path would lead Yord to a cruel, tragic end—something you would never allow to happen to your only living relative.

“But I’ve seen it too!” Yord blurts, still refusing to accept your decision. “I dreamt of you... of your death, at his hands. I won’t let that happen.” 

His words don’t surprise you. Instead, you offer him a soft smile. The bond inherited from Paul Atreides stirs within your heart, prompting you to instinctively caress his cheek with loving concern.

"You may have just seen it for the first time, but I've seen it a thousand times," you say, weariness lacing your voice.

You’ve seen every choice, every possible outcome, and every death of your own—both in dreams and while awake. It feels as if you’ve lived through countless deaths, and the fear you once held has long faded into numb acceptance.

This is the torment of one doomed to see everything—a suffering no ordinary person could ever understand or endure.

"But death isn't the only path," you continue. "There are still many futures that can be changed, even if just slightly. But even a slight change can make all the difference. That's why I have to follow this plan."

"Then I’m coming with you," Yord insists.

You study the determination in his eyes under the temple’s dim light, realizing just how serious he is. "Yord, I’m not sure if..."

“You can’t stop me,” he interrupts, cutting you off as if he already knows what you’re thinking. “If you won’t go with me, then I’ll go with you.”

You want to argue, but you choose silence instead. You don't want him to come, yet you know that trying to stop him would be futile. Yord will do anything to stay by your side, to make sure you’re safe from every danger—even if it costs him his life.

And deep down, you know you’d do the same for him.

In that moment, both of you feel an unbreakable bond woven from a shared consciousness through the memories of your ancestors. The sibling love between Paul and Alia from the past intermingles with your own memories, merging into a blood bond that binds you both to your very souls.

Every path of fate and coincidence has intertwined to lead to this moment, where the last remnants of the Atreides bloodline stand before each other, waiting to take the final step toward the end of everything, together.

You press your lips tightly, your heart trembling with emotions too complex to name. Finally, you throw yourself into his arms. “I love you,” you whisper before pulling away.

Your unexpected action catches Yord off guard. He looks at you in surprise, noticing the silent fear in your eyes—the fear you refuse to voice and the fear he chooses not to ask about.

"I love you too," Yord replies, entwining his fingers with yours. In that instant, he feels as if the past and future have collapsed into one, compressing and enveloping both of you. His mind suddenly understands, without the need for explanation, that fate has already changed its course.

And though Yord can’t see visions as clearly as you do, he can still feel it…

...feel that this might be the last time he will ever see your face.

Eiram

Most of this planet is covered by vast oceans, with only a few forests deep within the islands. Scattered remnants of past disasters still litter the landscape—derelict houses crumbled by violent storms, massive trees left in unnatural positions, and the decaying remains of the Starlight Beacon, now completely covered in moss.

The ship lands silently on the beach of a deserted island. The ocean stretches behind them, dense forest lies ahead. It is peaceful and beautiful—an ideal spot for a tourist destination. Yet, Yord can’t shake the unease that gripped him the moment they arrived. Something feels wrong, but he can’t put his finger on why.

Yord tells himself it’s just the stress of the mission, but deep down, he knows it’s more. He’s sure you sense it too—the worry on your face confirms it.

“Are you all right?” Yord asks, his voice full of concern as he notices you dabbing a handkerchief to your bleeding nose.

He’s only recently learned that this always happens when you use your visions. You’ve told him it’s the price of defying nature—that each time you dive into heightened awareness, you pay the toll with your body. Yord feels sympathy for you, but there’s nothing he can do. He doesn’t have the power you do, and he has no idea how to ease the pain you endure.

“Not great, but I’ll manage,” you reply, your voice unusually cold as you nod at him. “Let’s keep going. We have a lot to deal with.��

Your gaze is steady as you look toward the wild forest ahead, the place where you told the Jedi The Stranger was hiding.

At that moment, Yord doesn’t catch the underlying meaning in your words or actions.

He doesn’t realize... until after it has already happened.

Why?

This thought races in Yord’s mind during his final moments of consciousness. His body slumps against a tree, completely immobile. Pain radiates in his head and back, and his vision slowly darkens. Yet he can still see you clearly. You stand above him with an expressionless face, holding the stun blaster—the very one he gave you for protection. It’s the same weapon you just used to shoot him from behind.

He furrows his brow, desperately trying to understand what just happened. What mistake led him to this situation?

His recent memories flash back to when the Jedi group, led by Sol and Jackie, ventured into the forest on your guidance. Yord had chosen to stay behind with you, ensuring your safety in case anything went wrong.

But they had unknowingly walked into the trap of a Sith Lord. None of them had suspected they were being watched the entire time—until the attack came suddenly when a tall man in a dark cloak lunged at them with a red lightsaber in hand. Though the man’s face was concealed beneath a strange helmet, Yord had known immediately who he was—The Stranger, the Sith Lord they had been chasing all along.

The battle erupted in a chaotic frenzy. Yord quickly realized how skilled Qimir was. His skills were no less than a master's, perhaps even beyond that. Despite being attacked simultaneously by multiple Jedi, Qimir maintained his defense steadily without flinching, countering with swift and powerful strikes. The brilliant red beam cut through the air with deadly precision. He moved too fast for anyone to keep up, and one by one, the Jedi fell before him, as if killing Jedi was no more than a simple task for him.

Yord could only watch in horror. Fear gripped his heart as he tightened his hold on his own lightsaber. In all his years as a Jedi Knight, he had never faced an opponent this terrifying.

“Yord! Get her out of here! Master and I will handle him!" 

Jackie's shout snapped Yord back to his senses. He quickly grabbed your hand, taking advantage of the chaos to escape immediately. He wasn’t even sure which direction the ship was in—all he knew was that he had to get you as far away from Qimir as possible.

A deep instinct told him that if Qimir reached you, something terrible would happen.

Yord stopped running when you suddenly pulled your hand away from his. At first, he thought you were just exhausted from running, but before he could turn to check on you, an immense force slammed into him. His body was thrown violently and crashed hard against a tree, the impact knocking the wind out of him.

And now, here he is—helpless, barely conscious, and fading fast.

His mind races, but no answers come. His blurry eyes focus on you, filled with confusion. Gathering the last bit of strength he can muster, he manages to ask, “Why?”

You slowly kneel before him. For a brief moment, Yord sees guilt in your eyes, but it quickly fades back into cold indifference.

“Because of love,” you answer him. "That's why I had to do this. Please forgive me."

Your voice sounds distant and faint. Yord wants to ask more, but the darkness spreads too quickly, swallowing him whole and completely overtaking his consciousness.

[sunnydaleherald]

The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Sunday, June 25

WILLOW: Hi, um, Tara, how are you? W-well, I-I was wondering, maybe, you would wanna go out sometime? For coffee ... food ... kisses and gay love?

~~Normal Again~~

The Sunnydale Herald is looking for at least one new editor. Contributing to the Herald is a great way to get your Buffy on! Find out more here.

[Drabbles & Short Fiction]

Little Vampire (Xander, Spike, M) by RebeccaHaskell

Checking In (Giles/Ethan, G) by sillybeagle

Seemed Easy At the Time (Giles/Etha, T) by sillybeagle

Trick or Treat (Buffy/Angel, M) by Scribes1015

It's Angel and Spike, nuff said (Angel, Spike, T) by Bl4ckHunter

Missing (Xander/Spike, M) by RebeccaHaskell

Faith's night in (Faith/multi, T) by JamesTheIceQueen

Firsts (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by EllieRose101

[Chaptered Fiction]

Epitaph, Chapter 4 (Buffy/Giles, G) by thisismyplayground

Heaven's Help., Chapter 13 (Ensemble, T) by IAmMattis

Gemini, Chapter 14 (Buffy/Angel, T) by BuildMeUpButtercup-x

Best Wishes, Chapter 30 (Buffy/Spike, PG-13) by Kanita

Spiderwebs, Chapter 28 (Buffy/Spike, R) by Willow25

Inner Demon = Literal Cat, Chapter 20 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by Desicat

Aspectus, Chapter 23 (Buffy/Spike, PG-13) by Kirinin

The Suite, Chapter 10 (Buffy/Spike, AO) by hulettwyo

A Slayer's Fortune, Chapter 5 (Buffy/Spike, R) by VoronaFiernan

Xanderpocalypse, Chapter 7 (Multiple crossings, FR15) by AxelBlade

Seeing Clearly, Chapter 189 (Multiple crossings, FR13) by JoeB

The Littlest Bit, Chapter 1 (Buffy/Spike, R) by violettathepiratequeen

The Grapevine, Chapter 9 (Buffy/Spike, PG-13) by ClowniestLivEver

[Images, Audio & Video]

Artwork:Sunnydale After Dark First Anniversary Collaborative Banner by Various Artists

Artwork:more dru fit inspo by spikedru

Video: RAPPER REACTS to "Let Me Rest in Peace" from Buffy Musical by Rob Robbie

Video: Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Wrath of the Darkhul King (GBA) Longplay [536] by Diamond Longplays

[Reviews & Recaps]

GILES IS FINE!!!! - Buffy the Vampire Slayer Reaction - 7x8 - Sleeper by TheLexiCrowd

BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER 4X03 REACTION I First Time Watching by EvilQK

Buffy the Vampire Slayer S1 E12, Fezzelwhig's Reaction by Fezzelwhig's Forum

Buffy The Vampire Slayer | S01 E11 Out of Mind, Out of Sight | Blind Reaction by Vic

Buffy the Vampire Slayer | Season 7 Review and Analysis by your cult boyfriend

BUFFY vs ANGEL: WHICH IS THE BETTER SERIES!? by Elie Moses

PODCAST: The I in Team by Buffy the Vampire Straya

PUBLICATION: Best Buffy The Vampire Slayer Fight Scenes via Giant Freakin Robot

[Community Announcements]

August Fic A Day Challenge Discussion by Twisting the Hellmouth

[Fandom Discussions]

Question What if? Hybrid creatures by multiple authors

What If: Hank Summers? by multiple authors

Unpopular Opinion: s6 is the best season by multiple authors

Why didn't Cordelia retain her previous memories in the alternate universe she went to in "Birthday"? by multiple authors

Rewatch, Season 7... god I hate Kennedy by multiple authors

What is your favorite Buffy episode? by multiple authors

Anyas death by multiple authors

Do you think Buffy wants her cake and eat too with regard to Spike by multiple authors

Disussion: What's My Line? (PART 2 - ep 10, s2) - next disussion will be the 2nd of July. Watch ep 11, s2: Ted by multiple authors

Submit a link to be included in the newsletter!

Join the editor team :)

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - I'm sorry but The Sign just WINS

Organized, in each category, by ones I'm enjoying most at the top.

Dec 2023 Wk 3

Ongoing Series - Thai

The Sign (Sat YT) ep 5 of 10 - Fun fun fun. I feel sorry for Yai dealing with these two doomed lovers fated mate drama queens. He got a queen of his own to look after, cut the poor boy some slack.

Meanwhile, if evil... why so shirtless?

Hold on peeps, gotta rip my shirt off in a v stripper way, might get blood on it. Not that I’m complaining. Also, a strap? Man after my own heart. 

Awe. Baby boy has magic sparkle punch!! Yay! 

Meanwhile Phaya is my current fav himbo. These two are beyond pretty together. I love the stark contrast in their fantasies about each other. Phaya's is a way more romantic. Normally I don’t like a white towel sponge bath, but that was the most effective one ever deployed by any BL plot since Love Sick. Well done writer's room. This show is FANTASTIC.

Last Twilight (Fri YT) ep 7 of 12 - I say this every week but I truly love this show. Another pair of great communicators, I love that BL is giving us this right now (rather than the usual run of plot driven by willful miscommunication). I’m sad D was mean to M but I see where they’re coming from (for the purpose of story & plot). And the boys did a great job. Jimmy’s so lovely in this role.

But seriously people: Where did those old shoes come from in the middle of a marathon?

Random park shoes! 

For Him (Thurs iQIYI) ep 4 of 10 - One of the most endearing things about these two is what good communicators they are. The sides are kinda cute: puppy+cat hyung romance. Love that for them (and me).

Twins the series (Fri GaGa) ep 8 of 10 - Sprite & First are so crush confession confused first-time tentative adorable. First got himself such a sweet troubled little puppy. What’s gonna happen when he finds out the big lie? 

Pit Babe (Fri iQIYI) ep 6 of 14 - Jeff and Alan are best boys, i see a glimmer of hope for Way. Omegaverse mpreg possibility confirmed. Trash watch happening here.

Cooking Crush (Sun YT) ep 4 of 12 - I finally figured out that it’s the alternating voiceovers that bother me with this show. It gives it a Japanese manga feel, but I’m not wild about that in my Thai BL. Doc being jelly was fun, tho. Tiny confessions and secret smiles do make me happy. It’s sweet. I’m liking it better this week. 

Bake Me Please (Mon Gaga) ep 5 of 6 - The conflict seems very manufactured. Okay, yes that's normal in BL, but you know what I mean... more than normal. Honestly? I’m on Guy’s side. Screw Shin, and not in a good way. 

Middleman’s Love (Fri YT & iQIYI ep 7 of 8 - I really don’t like it that Jade has to be cruel to Mai. And Mai cruel back. ButJade is sweet when he’s a calm and smiley and shy. Boyfriend ep next week  

My Universe (Sun iQIYI) Pisces of Me ep 18 of 24 - I just found this one extremely boring, I didn’t really enjoy any of the characters. And I think it might be incest? Ugh. 4/10

Night Dream (Sat YT) ep 2 of 6 - It’s a pain to track down and I really didn’t like the first episode so… DNF  

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

VIP Only (Taiwan Fri Gaga) ep 6 of 10 - It’s slow and sweet and fine but not great. Lovely little kitchen back hug. Not sure about the boy from the past. The mom character gave me serious PTSD. 

Sahara-sensei to Toki-kun (Japan Fri Gaga) ep 4 of 8 - No ep this week for JBL reasons. 

It's Airing But...

Playboyy (Thurs Gaga) 14 eps - Dear Playboyy, it's not you, it’s me… I hate you. You’re about as deep (and as palatable) as a shot glass of cum. While I'm sure you’re someone’s kink, you're my weakest link. I DNFed this at ep 5, and frnakly I'm impressed with myself for getting that far.

The Whisperer (Sun ????) 10 eps - Thai horror BL that ALSO involves cheating (what joy is mine). I don't think even the perfect single dimple can motivate me to watch. Word is... it's terrible.

7 Days Before Valentine (Weds WeTV) 10 eps - Giving me Luminous Solution vibes. I'm waiting to binge if safe.

Beyond The Star (Weds iQIYI) 8 eps - House of Stars meets Boyband. I was NOT impressed with ep 1. Been told I shouldn't bother.

What Did You Eat Yesterday Season 2 AKA Kinou Nani Tabeta? Season 2 (Japan Gaga) 10 eps - I find this series more fun to binge, so I'll be doing that when I have a spare day. Crazy work load right now so no idea when that will be. (End of year is a bear for me.)

Behind the Shadows (Korea movie) - This is a historical I was interested in, but I've been told they kill the gay so I'm OUT.

Dead Friend Forever (Thai Sat iQIYI) - horror, meh, tell me if it's worth my time?

IT'S NO LONGER AIRING INTERNATIONAL

Cherry Magic (Sat YouTube) ep 3 of 12 - yeah Japan put the smack down on our boys. Sadness. You can use a VPN if you like.

Next Week Looks Like This

I Became the Main Pole of a BL (Japan Gaga) ep 1 of 3 - AKA BL Drama no Shuen ni Narimashita: Crank Up Hen starts tomorrow.

Original 2023 forthcoming BL master post (see comments, some are inaccurate, NOT KEPT UPDATED). With the end of the year upon us I'll do an "announced for 2023 but never happened list" soon.

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS

I think this EVERY SINGLE TIME someone blows on a wound in an Asian drama.

Only Billy has the guts to give us an O face from a cuddle. (The Sign)

I do love it when a show calls out a trope. (Cooking Crush)

 A/b/o and sometimes e! The scene that broke tumblr. (Pit Babe)

(Last week)

[underwaterbanshee]

I read your post but got too excited so I had to drop it and come back to it later! I’m so flattered and excited that I’m your first ask!! I’m glad to know you can’t be normal about this because there is no way I can be either 😂

I think you’re totally on to something about the lie being mundane, since it’s true - adults lie to children all the time.

but I also think Brennan has something sneaky up his sleeve.

Brennan is good at playing the long game with these short episodes, especially when it comes to his characters having layers. What I can’t stop thinking about, is why did he choose the Tula to be a ‘oath of redemption’ paladin? It’s so on brand for her character, ‘the bleeding heart’ type of character, the tender mother that’s doing her best, etc.

What does Tula need redemption from? What made it so engraved in her core being, that redemption is that important to her?

And yes!! Aabria mentioned about a lie of omission, so what didn’t Tula say? Or imply? A lie of omission that is fundamentally important to Tula? It’s CONNECTED I just don’t know how. I feel like that conspiracy board meme guy with the red string. 😂

And I totally agree with you that Lila is in that teenager stage where you start to see through the cracks, the one where your world view is starting to shake. But her IMPLICIT trust in her mom is gonna crush me at some point, there’s some kind of heart break that’s gonna happen and I don’t know if I can handle it 😭

I think there’s some kind of parallel, what I want to fully say is at the tip of my tongue , but I don’t know the words to say it. It’s something about growing up as the eldest daughter, it’s a parallel from Tula and Viola, between Lila and Jaysohn. But the words are lost on me rn 😅

And oh MY I forgot about secrets of NIMH! I think it was stated before that’s who Tula was based off, I completely missed that. My memories from NIHM is kinda blurry, but going off the vibes from my memory, yea I do think Last Bast is more like the secret society than a secret cult, but I don’t know if it’s as good as a society as the rats were? I still get a sinister vibe. I think once we meet the First Stoats, it’ll really clarify what kinda place Last Bast is.

(Also also, would love love to see Tula and Bennet- but what I’d love more is to see Ava and Bennet. Not romantically or anything, their dynamic so funny to me, I can’t wait for the next ep.)

(Little martin also wanted love to win, the CHEMISTRY between these rodents)

I really can’t wait to see how it’ll all turn out, but with that said I also never want it to end.

Aside from Burrows end, what’s your fav D20 campaign? I alway go back and watch the seven for noise in the background, but Metropolis is up there for me, and Neverafter!

Full disclosure, I meant to answer this four episodes ago but real life decided to be rude. So all of my answers at the time are no longer relevant and I wish we could've gone back and forth on thoughts and theories because so much cool shit has happened.

But I can answer your last question!

I started watching d20 live during A Court of Fey and Flowers so it has a special place in my heart. I started watching d20 in general because I missed Lou, Aabria, and Brennan after EXU: Calamity. I immediately watched MisMag, followed by The Seven, (having seen exactly 0 episodes of Fantasy High), before eventually making my way through most of what d20 has to offer. There are just a few that I couldn't get into ^^;;

If I had to pick a favorite, it would be NeverAfter. I love faery tales and their retellings so much, that when they were coupled with another love of mine, alternate universes, those twenty weeks were my comfort actual play show and I want a second season yesterday ^^;;

Anyway, I really want Tula and Bennet to smash. There is one more episode left and maybe it isn't too much to hope for >.>

[chainedupgirlsblog]

Masterlist | 2024-2025

⚡Currently working on: ⚡

➥ October Challenge:

➥ The Loyal Pin Commentary:

➥ I’m currently writing:

It wasn't over for me ~ Multi Chapters Story | 36,613 current words | 9/? | Link to AO3

main tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence | Break Up | Post-Break Up | Years Later | Aged-Up Character(s) | Mutual Pining | Doctor Tinn | Singer Gun

summary:

Gun and Tinn’s relationship was the topic everyone talked about by the end of their senior year and the years that followed too. It seemed like the young couple always was a great topic to gossip about for those surrounding them. Always commenting about every new step they took, either praising them or criticizing them, with no in-between. With all this much attention upon them, it was kinda expected from the couple to at some point break apart. People were even betting on when this was going to happen. They were too young, too naive, too in love to last, everyone was sure they were going to break up at some point. But it didn’t happen, or at least not when it was expected. They did break up, but it took more time than people bet on. Or, Where they break up after years of relationship and are unable to move on

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➥ My Fics in AO3:

TinnGun ~ My School President Fics (5) :

Descent into chaos ~ Short-Story | 4,170 current words | 1/8

main tags: Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse | Crushes | Secret Crush | Teen Crush | Idiots in Love | Focused on TinnGun | any other couple is just slightly mentioned | Major Character Injury | Not Really Character Death

summary:

“What is going on?” Tinn is the one who asks this time. Both Tinn and Gun are extremely confused and scared. The sound of the alarm is now a background sound not as terrifying as the next thing the instructor says. “There’s a high possibility that the damn zombies are back…” Right after that, their entire school descent into full chaos. Or, The TinnGun version of All of Us Are Dead where all the 'bromance' becomes romance, as it should've been! lol

Five Study Sessions Plus One Photoshoot ~ Short-Story | 11,134 current words | 3/6

main tags: College Boyfriends | Post-Canon | Leaving Together | Singer Gun | Med Student Tinn | 5 + 1 thing type of fic | Domestic Fluff | Established Relationships | Jealous Gun | Protective Gun

Part 1 of College Boyfriends TinnGun Series

summary:

Gun doesn’t understand how accepting to help his med-student boyfriend has bound him to lie flat on their shared bed with just his underwear on. Or, Five times Gun wants to help Tinn study for his med classes plus one time Tinn helps Gun.

May I have this dance? ~ One-Shot | 4,503 words | ☑️

main tags: College Boyfriends | Post-Canon | Leaving Together | learning how to dance | Singer Gun | Med Student Tinn | dancing together

Part 2 of College Boyfriends TinnGun Series

summary:

A silly little fic about Tinn learning how to dance bachata and Gun going pretty much crazy about it. Works the other way around too, they’re equally crazy for each other lol

Keep flirting with me, I’ll keep falling ~ One-Shot | 2,838 words | ☑️

main tags: College Boyfriends | Post-Canon | Established Relationship | Going out to a bar with friends | Hand Job in a public space (nothing explicit) | Rated Mature

Part 3 of College Boyfriends TinnGun Series

summary:

Tinn uses his cheesy pick-up lines again. And Gun hates to admit they’re working on him, again... but they are. Things might escalate a little along the night, they might even get heated, watch out!

MorkDay ~ Last Twilight Fics (1) :

No more loneliness, Little Day ~ One-Shot | 1,337 words | ☑️

main tags: Canon Compliant | Mork’s POV | last scene from ep 2 | fluff

summary:

Mork takes Day back to his house with a new friend in hand. There he realizes of some new things. That one last scene from episode 2 but told by Mork's POV. That's it. That's the fic.

SandRay ~ Only Friends Fics (2) :

priceless night (smoke rings, smokey kisses) ~ One-Shot | 3,675 words | ☑️

main tags: Canon Compliant | Sand's POV of episode 02 | First kiss and first night together (is a combo) | canon tattoo kissing

Part 1 of Do you dare to be mine? Series

summary:

“Some friendships can start with sex…” says Ray. Making it clear that what they have won’t go further than ‘friendship’. Good, Sand thinks. This just makes things easier, right? RIGHT? It has to. “Sure…” says Sand accepting the rules of Ray’s game. “But when you want more there won’t be more. We’re just friends, no matter what” he adds, setting his own rules of the game. Or, A much-needed Sand's POV of episode 2 (SandRay last scene).

nothing feels better than this ~ One-Shot | 4,714 words | ☑️

main tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence | Ray's POV of that first scene of episode 8 | jealous Ray

Part 2 of Do you dare to be mine? Series

summary:

“Let him undress you and pick a new style for you…” Sand whispers as a hand starts wandering over Ray’s shirt. “Mine doesn’t fit you anymore, does it?” Sand asks in another low whisper, his gaze fixed on Ray’s expression through the mirror, while the hand now wanders over Ray’s chest unbuttoning the first two buttons of his shirt. Or, Ray's POV of that first scene of episode 8. Plus a missing scene that occurs after that one. Missing, as just happened in my imagination.

VegasPete ~ Kinnporsche Fic (1) :

I'm All Yours ~ One-Shot | 13,355 words | ☑️

main tags: Post-Canon | Canon Compliant | Light Bondage | blindfolding | Light BDSM | Spanking | Masochist Vegas | Dominant Pete | Switchers

summary:

After the confrontation between the two families, Vegas finds peace and comfort only in his boyfriend's arms, Pete is there to support Vegas in all ways possible. Or, Where they fuck and they're switchers, so be aware of bottom Vegas! and top Pete!