#needless to say he was NOT redeemed in the end.

[perilla-leaves]

Finally finished my first Durge playthrough 🩸

[mysterylilycheeta]

ONYX STORM REVIEW:

After 2 days of catching up on all the work I had postponed for the sake of reading OS, and organising my thoughts, I'm here with my spoiler free review of Onyx Storm. Please remember that these are my personal thoughts and opinions and you're free to agree or disagree based on your views

Rating: 3.25 stars

The Good:

The absolute lack of miscommunication between Xaden and Violet: This book is a gift for all those people who were annoyed to their wit's end by the repetitive stupid fights between Xaden and Violet in Iron Flame. They trust each other, communicate with each other and don't get mad about secrets. I was so pleasantly surprised

Ridoc: Ridoc went through such amazing character development, he easily became one of my favourite characters in the story. We saw him as only the comic relief friend till now but man, he shows such badassery in this book while still being his clown self. And, let's not forget his favourite dick jokes!

The Dragons: Anyone who knows me knows my favourite part about the series is Tairn and the other dragons. Love seeing my grumpy dad dragon, he's such a mood. We also have our sassy teenager Andarna to give him grief. I love all the moments Tairn started boasting about his lineage and his feat: he's such a dork!

Dain and Cat: I never truly hated Dain because I knew from Fourth Wing itself he never intentionally wanted to harm Violet. My only gripe with him was about breaking her trust and looking through her memories without her consent. But man, does he redeem himself. Needless to say, Dain is on my "need to protect" list. I really hated Cat in Iron Flame because she was such a stereotypical cringey evil ex and the way she attacked Violet was so crass and below the belt. She still has some shitty moments in the beginning of the book but she gets a lot better so much so that I want good things to happen to her in the next books. RY did a great job writing these two

Jealous Xaden: My o my was it a treat to see Xaden so jealous. RY fed us with those entertaining af moments. Read the book and you'll find out what I mean

Aaric: I was intrigued by Aaric in book 2 but he stepped up the game so much in this book. He is an amazing character and I'll throw hands if RY even tries to harm him in any way, istg.

The Bad:

Very mediocre worldbuilding: This might be just a timing issue, but the last fantasy book I read was the Mistborn series by Brandon Sanderson, and every fantasy fan knows the kind of world-building Sanderson does. Onyx Storm tries to introduce us to new places beside the continent, but it is not well done. We spend half the book in the Isle Kingdoms, yet they're not even mentioned on the map. They talk about routes to get to the kingdoms, but how am I supposed to follow them if you won't even mention them on the maps? Every Island has a god it worships and things go according to that but I think we could've had a little more information about them beforehand instead of being presented basic info right before we arrive at the next island. "We're going to said island, this is the god they believe in, here's a five point bullet lost of their customs"- NO, THAT'S NOT HOW YOU DO IT! Like I said, it might be because my last book was by Sanderson so my expectations were higher but the world felt so lacking.

Lack of Glossary: A glossary should be a must in every fantasy book, especially if you're branching out and diving deeper into worldbuilding. We are introduced to gods, islands, uprisings and groups of people we haven't even heard of before and we get hardly one or two lines about them in a chapter and then they are mentioned again 2 chapters later and we're supposed to follow. There were so many new names in OS, it was difficult to keep track of them after a while. I still don't completely understand who the Krovlan people were and what was their deal.

Lack of Basgiath: My favourite book in the series till now has been Fourth Wing and one of the biggest reasons for that was Basgiath. I loved that place and the way it felt an actual character in the story. That Basgiath charm is missing in this book. Basgiath is the biggest strength of this series, it's the reason why FW was so successful, the war college and it's deadly atmosphere, the challenges, the interpersonal relations, it was entertaining af. However as the series is progressing, it's turning into another typical romantasy involving young adults leading revolutions, making alliances, fighting wars etc. I started reading Fourth Wing because of it's setting and yet with each new book, we spend less and less time in Basgiath and it's just dampening my mood.

No real surprises: Let me be brutally honest- this book felt like a filler. Of course there are a few shocking moments with new information but it hardly hit the mark like the previous two books. There were no moments that essentially packed a punch. It's just a bunch of random sidequests to gain alliances which didn't up feeling all that meaningful because of worldbuilding problems. It also seemed like fanservice because of a lot of reasons but I won't mention them as they can be accounted as minor spoilers. Some characters died but it didn't feel impactful at all. It seemed more like Ry was just filling up the death quota because we can't have a book where no one dies

Violet and Xaden: Okay so here's the thing, I like both of them as characters and I think they make a good pair. However, I didn't ever truly feel the romance and this has been a problem since Fourth Wing. They have a shit ton of lusty moments but hardly any soft romantic domestic moments that make the relationship feel organic. I have always been disappointed by the lack of proper romantic development between these two. The problem in this book however is the dialogue- they felt so cheesy and downright cringe at times. Maybe show more and say less?? The way they keep saying nothing else matters as much and I know people are feral for how Xaden and Violet are ready to throw off the entire rebellion for each other but it irks me so much. Xaden, you are leading these people and you have accepted that responsibility. Stop endangering the lives of people you swore to protect because Violet might be in danger. She has other people to support her. Violet, don't get mad when people tell you your needs and wants will come second to Xaden's duty towards the people. He is their leader, he has to make those sacrifices, If you think that's unfair then find someone else to fill his position. You can't have the leadership position yet be each other's top priority. It might seem unfair but that is the right thing to do. I really don't feel like the two of them are fit to lead people. Agree with @thequietesthing's review about Violet's god level power feeling over dramatic and out of character at times.

The Ending: If any of you have talked to me about the book in the last few days, you'll know I'm frustrated af with the ending. It doesn't exactly feel like a well done cliffhanger, it's just plain messy. A bunch of unanswered questions to keep the reader confused and hooked for the next book but it just ruined the whole book for me. I have no issues with cliffhangers but the book should feel complete. The way Onyx Storm ended, it feels there were at least two more chapters that got deleted. It's just all over the place.

That was the review guys. I'll still wait for the next book to get published but my excitement has gone down quite a lot. I was expecting more of a Harry Potter style story where the main still occurs in the school/college itself but it seems like that isn't gonna be the case. I honestly believe this series should've been just 3 books instead of 5 but oh well, what can we say. Really agree with @justallihere and @justascrollingghost. We have almost the same complaints with the books lol P.S: The best surprise in this book: Broccoli, the kitten

[cheolhub]

FIRST DATE — KIM MINGYU ࿐

summary. mingyu doesn’t usually fuck on the first date. emphasis on usually.

wc. 3.5k

warnings. MINGYU W/ A MASSIVE DICK, size kink, oral (m. receiving), deep throating/face fucking, shy baby!gyu (at first ;)), tears ofc, pet names (baby, angel), unprotected sex, mating press, gyu is a needy, pussydrunk boy(but reader is worse lol), slight dumbification, kinda romantic but it’s literally just needy sex— MINORS DNI 18+

note. THIS WASNT SUPPOSED TO BE THIS LONG…. um anyway!! happy birthday mingoo <3 — also @ hyuk4ngel ily dedicating this to u n gyu & thank u to my lovely lu ( @ bowmonde ) for beta reading this!! happy gyu birth to you all <3 (pls excuse typos)

“i-i don’t usually do this on the first date,” mingyu stutters as you kiss down his neck, nipping and biting at his skin. he lets out a shuddered breath because he can feel the marks you’re leaving. he swears you’re trying to spell your name and it’s making his cock throb in his already tight jeans.

you mumble into his skin, “i don’t either, but, fuck gyu… you’re so sexy, i couldn’t hold back..” your hands find their way under his shirt, feeling him up and moaning when he whimpers at the not-so-subtle touch. 

gyu. you’ve called him by his nickname and you barely know him and, for some reason, it really turns him on. 

he wanted to be a gentleman– wanted to walk you to your door, peck your cheek, and whisper goodnight– but your mutual attraction got the best of you. one thing led to another and you were kissing him outside of your door as soon as he’d agreed to your invitation to come inside. 

you parted from his neck briefly to get inside so none of your neighbors would come outside to see the two of you eating each other alive. as soon as he’d stepped inside and closed the door, though, you pressed him right against it.

“we should move to–” he tries, but he’s interrupted by your lips. you slot them into his and your hands wander down his torso, down his abdomen, down till they reach his belt. 

“what do you wanna do, mingyu~” you seductively whisper against his lips. 

he shudders again, “anything. we can do whatever you want.”

you smirk, “you’re such a gentleman, gyu… you were so sweet at dinner. you picked me up, paid for my meal, walked me all the way to my door… i just wanna make you feel good.” you tell him, unbuckling his belt, but before you move to unbutton his jeans, you ask permission. “can i do that, gyu? can i make you feel good?” 

you can’t be real.

“fuck, y-you don’t have to, i want you to feel good, too.” he replies, words breathy as he finds himself chasing your lips.

you moan just at his words, leaning in to give him what he wants.

you must’ve done something redeemable in your past life to have accidentally met mingyu in a cafe. he may or may not have been on his phone while walking out and you may or may not have bumped into him while he was leaving. needless to say, his piping hot coffee ended up all over you and him, staining his white button up and your cute new top in the process. 

he’d asked if you were okay— if you were hurt or burned— profusely apologizing with a nervous stutter. when you finally noticed how beautiful the man before you was, you couldn’t even care about the irrevocable stain made on your shirt. 

you ultimately ended the conversation with, “it’s okay, you can pay me back with a date maybe?” to which he gave you an incredulous look. when he realized you were serious, he nodded shyly and exchanged numbers with you.

and the date went swimmingly, truth be told. probably the best date you’d ever been on. he made you laugh like no other and you made him blush with your playful teasing and easygoing aura.  the chemistry was undeniable.

which brings you back to the now— his tongue shoved in your mouth and your fingers still fumbling to unbutton his jeans. 

when you finally get them undone, you break from the kiss again and mingyu hates that you keep doing that, letting out a whine every time it happens. 

“wanna suck you off.” you tell him bluntly and his eyes widen in shock, puffy lips parting a bit. “can i?”

“are you sure?” he asks, meekly– a bit too shy for a man of his caliber. “i can eat you out instead…”

your core pulses at the words because, fuck, that sounds good too. you have no doubt in your mind that mingyu is a god at eating pussy if it’s anything like the way he kisses you.

but, no, you’re adamant on getting his dick in your mouth, so you shake your head. “you can do that for me another time… i really wanna do this. you’ll let me, won’t you?”

and how the fuck could he say no to that? he nods his head letting out a shaky, “ok.”

you nearly squeal, excitedly dropping to your knees and as you hit the ground, your eyes are leveled with his alarmingly large bulge. you unzip his jeans, pulling the denim and cotton boxers down his thick thighs till his cock pops out, slapping against his clothed abdomen. mingyu hisses as his length is free from the confinement and met with the cool air circulating in your home. 

and, honestly, you think you start drooling because holy. fucking. shit. he’s intimidatingly big. 

no, big is an understatement. he’s huge. massive. likely to split your body right in half if he tried to put it inside of you. but, really, what did you expect? mingyu himself is big. you’ve dated many men who were bigger than you, some even bigger than him— but none of their dicks compared to the one currently twitching in front of you. 

his leaky tip was flushed red and the veins running through his length were prominent. you could nearly feel the weight on your tongue and you hadn’t even touched him. 

“you’re so big,” you whisper looking up at him and he swears he’s gone bright red at the comment. 

“‘m not that big…” he mumbles, eyes averting from yours. if he looks at you on your knees any longer, he may cum untouched. “is it too much? i really don’t mind taking—“

you shake your head vigorously . if anything, you wanna take him down your throat even more. “it’s not… it’s not too much— i can take it.” you tell him and he inhales sharply because he’s fucking sure you could take it. “do girls not tell you you're big, though? why are you so humble about it?” you ask, hands slowly coming to wrap around his girth. 

he gasps at the unexpected contact, eyes finally coming back to you to find what may be a faux pout etched into your lips.“t-they do… i just- i don’t think it’s that big.” he reiterates.

“well it is. you probably wouldn’t even fit inside me,” you admit, voice hushed. your mouth hovers over his tip, letting a trail of spit out to lubricate him.

he curses, cock twitching in your light grip. “fuck, really?” the thought of not fitting in your cunt because he’s just that big has his mind reeling– has him excited. he wants to see if what you’re saying is any true (it is). 

you hum, nodding your head, slick hand effectively moving up and down his cock. “mmh, might break me without any prep– but you’ll make it fit, right, gyu? you’ll fuck me well?”

he lets out a gaspy moan, throwing his head back. “yeah, baby, i’ll make it fit– i’ll fuck you so well. shit, i’ll do anything you want.” his parroted words come out breathy once again. 

you exhale sharply, cunt clenching around nothing at his words and the thought of taking his cock. your hands quicken their pace before you move to wrap your lips around his blushing tip.

this man will give you anything you want and you’re willing to do the same for him. men like mingyu are nearly impossible to come by and you want to keep him all to yourself, so if that means choking on his dick till you can’t breathe, so be it.

you move your mouth down his cock and before you can reach the base, he’s already hitting the back of your throat. 

right above you, mingyu is losing it. he feels the way you constrict around him and it’s already taking him out. he hadn’t expected to be so sensitive, but he just can’t handle how warm and wet your mouth is and he definitely can’t handle how tight your throat is. he can only imagine how much tighter your cunt must be. 

“fuuuck,” he groans, hands flying to your head, tangling his fingers into your hair. “you’re so good.” 

the subtle praise heads straight to your core and you can’t stop the moan that vibrates his entirety. a pitchy whine rips from his throat and he fortuitously thrusts into yours causing tears to prick at your eyes as you let out a strident gag. 

he gasps out an apology, “‘m sorry.” he panting relentlessly and if you didn’t know better, you’d think he was about to release into your mouth. when you look up at him with your mouth full and tears clouding your vision, you see that he isn’t really sorry. “‘m so sorry, angel, fuck, ‘m sorry.” he echos over and over with his face pinched in pleasure, yet his hips won’t stop bucking into your mouth. 

you try your best to breathe, but his massive cock makes it hard as it fills your mouth and throat completely. his hands holding your head in place makes it impossible to move, but he sounds so pretty whining and desperately moaning out your name– you don’t even want to back off of him. 

your hands find his bare thighs and you grip them for dear life, fingernails digging into the flesh, sure to draw blood if he doesn't ease up any second now. he hisses at the feeling, ripping you off him with a tug on your locks. 

“need to fuck you now,” he groans, his cock throbbing angrily at the loss of contact. “can’t cum like that, ‘s too embarrassing.” he picks you up, making you stand on your feet. he notices how your mascara runs and your lipstick is smudged, but somehow, you’re still the prettiest thing in the world.

your ego naturally inflates at the comment and you smile cheekily. “i would’ve been flattered if you came that quick.” the words come out raspy thanks to the way his cock bruised your throat. 

he chuckles breathily while pulling up his pants, “i‘m sure you get guys that cum too fast a lot. especially with a mouth like that. ”

you shrug, taking his hand and dragging him to your bedroom on the opposite side of the main entrance. “sometimes, but none are as pretty as you.” you tell him truthfully as you guide him inside quickly, shutting the door behind you. “or as big.”

your face to face with him and he whispers, “yeah?” 

you tug him close to you by his sweater. “yeah,” you whisper against his lips. “dunno how you haven’t been locked down yet, you’re so attractive ‘n sweet– and… y’know, you’re huge.”

“just waiting for the right person to come along, i guess.” he whispers back, hands finding purchase on your waist. “think i’ve found them, though.”

your heart skips a beat and your breathing picks up, “yeah?” you echo breathily back at him. 

“fuck yes,” his grip tightens, pulling your body flush to his. you feel his cock pressing into your abdomen and you let out a whimper at both the coded confession and the way your pussy throbs at his touch. “c’mere, baby.”

you melt at the pet name, closing the gap between the two of you. you count back to how many times you’ve kissed him tonight and you’re almost scared that you’re addicted to the feeling of his lips on yours. the thought quickly dissipates when mingyu begins to pull your dress up by the hem, though. the two of you walk towards the bed, mouths still attached till you fall on the plush comforter, mingyu toppling over you. 

you giggle into his mouth at his body crushing yours. “gyu.”

“sorry.” he scrambles, standing up so you can get your dress over your head. you throw the fabric to the ground, leaving your body adorned in a pretty, white set. typically, you wouldn’t dare pull out one of your favorite sets for anyone– especially not for a first date– but you think mingyu is the most beautiful– most deserving– man to exist. he should get to see the set. 

and he does see it. he can’t stop the way his eyes ogle your lace covered body. “you’re so beautiful.” he pants out much like he’s in heat. 

and he just might be. he quickly and clumsily kicks off his shoes and pulls his pants back down, revealing his aching cock to you again. you curse to yourself when his shirt comes off shortly after, his big chest and toned abdomen on full display. 

god really took his time with kim mingyu. 

he doesn’t waste any time, practically lunging at you and hovering over you with blown out pupils. “look like an angel– fuck, you’re so pretty.” 

you pout, feeling your brain turn to mush at the endless compliments that seem to flow past his swollen lips. the dull ache and sporadic pulse in your cunt remind you how needy you are, though, so you express that to him by bucking your hips up. 

“gyu…” you whimper. “want it so bad.”

he groans, hands pinning your hips down and grounding you to the bed, “i have to prep you, baby– you said it yourself, ‘m not gonna fit.”

you shake your head ceaselessly while squirming in his grip, “no, i don’t care, just give it to me or else i might die.”

“but you said–”

you interrupt him before he can say anymore. “give it to me… please.” the plea comes out hushed and your words are laced with the utmost desire. so much so that it’s almost impossible for mingyu to deny you. you can see some doubt lingering on his face so you tell him exactly what he needs to hear. “‘m so fucking wet for you, mingyu… i’m sure it’ll just slip in– it’s okay. you won’t hurt me.”

he shakily exhales before nodding. “o-okay…” his fingers nimbly tug at the soaked panties, signaling you to raise your hips so he can roll them off your legs. 

mingyu’s pulse thumps erratically in his ears as soon as he sees just how wet you are. your pussy glistens under the soft lamp light and he wants a taste– to drown in your pussy– because he just knows you’re fucking delicious. 

“wanna taste you…” he moans and your walls clench around nothing, a fresh wave of arousal trickling out of you. 

you teeth catch your bottom lip to stop the whine bubbling in the back of your throat.“next time…” you croak. “just need your cock inside of me right now.”

he nods his head at the promise of a next time– he’ll hold you to that. “condom?” 

“iud and ‘m clean,” you confirm, knees knocking against your chest as you pull them up. 

“same.” he says mindlessly as he grips the back of your thighs and spreads you open. “well, i don’t have an iud, but i’m clean, too.” 

he’s cute, you think before you remind yourself that this cute, big man is about to absolutely wreck you. 

you smile, “good,”

one of his hand wraps around his throbbing length, running his flushed tip between your soaked folds to collect wetness. you whine at the contact, praying that he finally stops this unintentional teasing.  

when he drags his cock to your drooling hole, he asks, “are you sure?”

your eyes squeeze shut and nod, “uh-huh, please.”

he lets out a wobbly sigh before pushing his fat tip into you, biting his lip as he watches the way your cunt stretches open to swallow him up. you gasp, back arching at the burning sensation in your core. you really have never taken anyone so big. 

he stops only half way when he’s met with strong resistance. “talk to me, angel,” he whispers to mask his wavering voice. “are you okay?”

you mewl, “g-gyu…” 

“baby, do you need me to pull out? you’re so fucking tight,” he grunts, his cock twitching between the gummy walls that suffocate him. 

your hands grip the sheets under you and you shake your head, letting out the most incoherent sentence ever. “n-no, just– slow, go slow.” 

but you’re completely coherent to mingyu. “relax, pretty. ease up for me– i want it to feel good.” he coaxes, voice soft.

his attempt in helping you relax proves to be futile when you clamp tighter around him. the action elicits a moan from the both of you. 

“j-just fuck me– please, just move.” 

he gives you a weary look, but does what you ask for anyway. he pushes past the resistance, sheathing himself further inside of you. and, fuck, you swear you’re just about to cum when he’s finally bottomed out, both of your hips flushed against each other. you’re impaled on his fat cock, stretched open and completely full of him. 

he’s very hyper-aware of how you're squeezing him while he’s balls deep inside of you and his mind can’t stop reeling. he moans out your name and a few curses, holding himself there till you adjust to his size. 

and you’ve gone dumb at this point, unable to make a comprehensible thought about anything other than the cock you’re split open on. “s-so big. oh my, god, mingyu– you’re so big.” you almost sound like you’re overexaggerating, but it’s true. you can feel him everywhere. 

he can’t stop the way he jolts at the comment, inadvertently driving himself into you. you sob at the doing, wrapping your legs around his waist. 

“shit, sorry. still good?”

“mhm, ‘s good– ‘m good.” you tell him as the uncomfortable burn slowly melts to pleasure. “you can move, baby.”

mingyu groans, hands coming back to grip the backs of your knees pushing them against your chest before he slowly pulls out and pushes back in.

you let out the prettiest moan, his name tumbling past your pouty lip and, now, he thinks he’s lost it. 

no, he’s definitely lost it because his speed quickens without a second thought. he drives his cock in and out of you, listening to the way you cry and mewl mixed with the sound of his balls slapping against your wet cunt. 

“Y/N, you’re so fucking good. pussy’s so fucking good– takin’ me so well,” he nearly cries, gripping your flesh tighter. “god, you’re mine now.”

his?

it shouldn’t turn you on as much as it does, but the way your stomach flips and walls tighten verifies that it does. 

“and you’re mine.” you moan in response. 

and the reassurance that you want him to be yours has him lurching in to sloppily kiss you, moaning into your mouth while he keeps a rapid tempo. you let him swallow your whines and your arms envelope him, pulling him closer. 

his cock finds your sweet spot and when you gasp, he knows to keep hitting it with precision. 

“gyu! gyu, i’m gonna cum.” you warn against his lips.

he growls, thrusts increasing in pace as he’s adamant on getting you to your high. “cum for me, baby– cum all over my fucking cock.” 

his words and impressive speed trigger your orgasm. the tightness in your tummy dissolves as you completely unravel under his big, buff body. you seize, back arched and head thrown to the pillow as you cum and clench around him uncontrollably. 

“that’s it, fuck,” he moans, continuing his assault on your poor pussy.  “you’re gorgeous, angel, so fucking pretty when you cum.”

the onslaught of pleasure is almost too much, body beginning to shake in overstimulation. “w-wan’ you to cum,” you slur, a cry following the words. “please please please, cum on me!” you beg. 

and mingyu is at your beck and call. he knows he’s  just met you, but he’d do anything you asked of him because the grip you (and your pussy) have him in is nothing short of insane. 

that’s why he’s quick to pull out, releasing you from his bruising grip to fist his arousal-drenched cock up and down. he throws his head back and moans out your name again as he releases hot, white ribbons of cum onto your stomach. 

after a few minutes of panting and coming down from his high, he chuckles airly. “i’m so glad i spilled my coffee on you, if i’m being completely honest.” 

you giggle, hiding your face in your hands, “it was a cute top, though.”

“well, you look cute without it on.” he smiles, leaning down to pepper your face with soft pecks. 

“mingyu!” you blush, playfully slapping his bare chest. “be serious!”

“i am!” he laughs. “speaking of being serious… when’s our next date?”

you hum, “well, it depends. when are you free and what do you wanna do?”

there’s a playful glint in his eyes when he looks at you, “i’m free now… and y’know how you said i can eat you out next time?”

your breath gets caught in your throat, but you nod your head remembering the promise you’d made. 

“well… what do you say? can i treat you to a second date? say… right now?”

“i’d love nothing more.”

© cheolhub — all rights reserved, please refrain from copying, reposting, modifying or translating my work on any platform.

taglist 🔖: @roe-sinning @hyuk4ngel @bowmonde @rckwithyou

[evilbihan]

I'm not going to acknowledge that person by name because I have no wish to interact further with her, nor to have others find her and give her any attention. But with Noob Saibot being brought back, I remembered this rancid take they had, quote: "Bi-Han is a man who has time and time again become Noob Saibot, a man whose endings have shown the Netherrealm is where he wanted to be" which is wild af to say.

Because Bi-Han doesn't just 'become" Noob, he is literally made into Noob. Quan Chi resurrected him as a wraith that turned him into Noob Saibot and now Titan Havik tortures him and uses some insane magic even Liu Kang doesn't know, to turn him into Noob. It's not like some magical girl transformation. We're talking awful evil stuff being done to Bi-Han against his will, to warp him into this being known as Noob Saobot, who is stripped of his humanity and almost everything that made Bi-Han who he was.

And Bi-Han never wanted to end up in the Neatherrealm. In the previous timelines he literally had no choice. He was forced into the role of assassin. He was molded into one practically from birth. In Mythologies when he goes into the Neatherrealm he's informed that his soul is already tainted with evil, which is why he can exist there. That's not because he simply woke up one day and decided to kill some Gods for shits and gigs. He had to do what he was ordered to do or be a traitor to the clan and marked for death anyway. It was a lose lose situation. If anything this shows that Bi-Han was never where he wanted to be. His strings were always being pulled by someone else. History is repeating itself now. And leaks even say that Liu Kang doesn't fault him for his desires, but only the ways he goes about achieving his ends. Which further proves Bi-Han doesn't have some nefarious plots in mind with the deliberate intention of landing himself in the Neatherrealm.

She said she doesn't hate Bi-Han, but then this reads as a deep missunderstanding of his character. And at that point, if you can misinterpret his character to that degree, you probably don't like him much either.

Another day, another take so stupid it makes me want to never interact with anything MK related ever again.

Oh, who am I kidding? The trailer already achieved that.

Needless to say, you're 100% correct and this person, whoever they are, is obviously not the sharpest tool in the shed. People who think Bi-Han wanted any of this are either being ignorant on purpose and want to misunderstand his character because they hate him or they're so blatantly stupid they don't understand the very simple fact that Bi-Han being turned into Noob Saibot always happened against his will in every damn timeline.

Does it look like Bi-Han tied himself to that damn wheel we see in the trailer? Does this person have the attention span of a goldfish and just missed the part where he looks terrified out of his mind when those drills/needles approach him?

For goodness' sake, I didn't want to talk about the trailer because watching it made me want to gauge my own eyeballs out. I never felt this sick looking at something in my life (that's coming from someone who plays horror and fighting games on the regular) and yet here we are and I'm talking about it regardless now. I hate it here.

But anyway, you're right. What more can I say? Anyone with even an ounce of common sense would know that. Anyone who has ever played any of the Mortal Kombat games should know that Bi-Han was forcefully turned into Noob Saibot. He was never evil. He was always a neutral character and he's still a neutral character in the New Era.

What more confirmation do you need outside of Liu Kang himself admitting that there's nothing wrong with Bi-Han's ambitions, only with his methods of achieving them? Ashrah says Bi-Han can be redeemed, Bi-Han said only people who don't understand him would mistake him for evil, the Lin Kuei all stand behind Bi-Han and support him... He isn't evil and he never was.

He literally saves Liu Kang's entire stupid trainwreck of a timeline single-handedly in this DLC and people still have the audacity to say he's evil?

I wish he was.

I wish Bi-Han would just sit back and watch Havik destroy Liu Kang's timeline along with all the pitiful hypocrites in it. I wish he'd let all of the fandom's pathetic favorites get torn to shreds and laugh.

But he won't. Because Bi-Han is a good and honorable man deep down.

Disagree and be wrong. It's as simple as that.

PS: Wasn't MK:Mythologies Sub-Zero all about Bi-Han trying to avoid ending up in the Netherrealm? He reacted with shock and concern to being told his soul is tainted with evil by Raiden and he was trying to turn his life around. There's even an ending in one of the older games where he kills Shang Tsung and leaves the Lin Kuei with the prize money from the tournament. Bi-Han never wanted to end up in the Netherrealm. Claiming anything else would be ignoring canon lore.

[emiimagination]

What’s the Archangels’ thoughts on Adam, Lute and the Exterminations?

That's an interesting question ^^ thanks for asking ^^

In my headcanons,

Michael is rather neutral about Adam. He has a hard time putting up with his pretentious behavior once he ascended to Heaven but he can understand the resentment he has towards Lilith. He himself holds a huge grudge against the Queen of Hell for seducing his brother and dragging him into her fall. But Adam has no interest in saying bad things about Lucifer in front of him and he knows it very well. Michael didn't agree with the Exterminations, always fearing a slip-up and that Lucifer would be harmed, but as most of the Elders agreed with this, he accepted on the condition of never hurting Lucifer. He trained Lute and Adam himself but Lute ends up making him very uncomfortable because she takes too much pleasure in the massacre. Many times he wondered if he should not send his own Celestial Militia soldiers rather than those bloodthirsty Exorcists who seem more like they belong to Hell than Heaven.

Raphael has distanced himself from the life of Heaven, becoming more of a hermit, but when he returns, he tries to avoid Adam and his Exorcists as much as possible. The presence of the First Man reminds him of what happened to Lucifer and these Exorcist Angels are only a reminder of what Heaven is doing to his brother's people. Although he agrees that Sinners must be punished and that they must protect Winners, he finds the Exterminations far too extreme. And the behavior of Angels such as Lute disgusts him!

Azrael doesn't care about anything related to Adam and the Exterminations. All he knows is that once a year many Sinful souls disappear into Limbo and their screams give him a headache. Lute tried to talk to him once, thinking that as the Angel of Death he would support the Exorcists… but the look he gave her made her blood run cold enough that she never tried again.

Uriel blames himself for not having been able to protect Adam and Eve from Lilith's scheme with the Apple (he refuses to accept that Lucifer had anything to do with it) so he is rather tolerant towards the First Man. The only times Adam comes to see him is to talk about the rare moments in his past when he was happy and Uriel is happy to remind him of these good times. He saw that the Exterminations had to take place so he resigned himself… but Lute and the other Exorcists make him uncomfortable. He is the one who insisted on containing Adam and only doing an Extermination once a year. According to him, if the time between two Exterminations happened to be shorter, great upheavals would take place!

Gabriel has great difficulty tolerating Adam and his Exorcists. He was too young to have seen him in Eden since he was still an Apprentice Archangel at the time so he doesn't really know what the First Man was like before. He respects him for his status as Father of Humanity and is very friendly with Abel but he can't stand his pretentious behavior and the fact that he constantly denigrates Lucifer or brags about his "masculine attributes" (Dickmaster, etc.) Gabriel was the first to question the possibility of redeeming Sinners when Sera and Adam proposed the Exterminations since he is a pacifist and hates War but the Rules are black or white!… even if the Exorcists are not white and they can stay in Heaven. The only Exorcist he liked was Vaggie.

The Archangels may be the five Pillars of Heaven, but they are still constantly monitored by the Elders who maintain that Hell and Heaven are two completely different worlds that cannot mix. This is why they cannot prevent the Exterminations as long as they are effective in keeping Hell under control. Needless to say, everything changes after the Extermination that killed Adam!

[koji-haru]

In Heaven or Hell

[Happy holidays @twost3ps!! Super duper late present, and I'm pretty sure it's not what you asked for, AND I might have butchered your characters, but I hope you'll still enjoy it 🥲]

Bright sparkling lights of green and red, a gigantic tree adorned with red and gold baubles topped with a golden apple, a wreath with mistletoes and pine cones hanging by the hotel main entrance, they even had fake snow decorating parts of the lobby with some oddly designed snowmen here and there. Yup, it was December 25th, or Christmas for those of earthly origins. 

While the rest of Hell’s ring celebrated ‘Sinsmas’, the hellish counterpart to Christmas, where they indulged in the sin of the ring they were born into, the citizens of pride, sinners, celebrated Christmas. Or at least some did. A teeny tiny portion of the sinner population. It made sense, Adam supposed, for sinners not to celebrate such a holy event, they were, after all, in Hell which was exactly the opposite of holy. The streets of Pride remained mostly the same, blood stained with guts of all kinds thrown all about like garbage, maybe a christmas decoration every tenth street, though most of them ended up being desecrated anyway. Needless to say, Charlie’s hotel stuck out like a sore thumb in Pride with its happy-go-lucky, exaggerated Christmas decorations, of which covered not only the entire building, but also the small area around it. 

Something about embracing and learning about heavenly traditions, and assimilating into Heaven once they do get redeemed, and now Adam and the rest of the hotel’s residents were decorating their own baubles to hang onto the, quite frankly, overly large and tall Christmas tree in the hotel lobby. 

Almost as if a certain prideful shorty was overcompensating for something. Adam subtly eyed Lucifer, who was happily making duck shaped baubles, each resembling someone in the hotel. And while Adam didn’t need to take part in this activity, having been in Heaven for most of his afterlife, he did want to celebrate Christmas, no matter how synthetic this one felt. Though, if anything, it just made him wish they were also here to celebrate with him. He understood if they couldn’t make it though, Christmas was a big thing in Heaven, something one shouldn’t ever miss. 

“Hey duckie, you okay?” asked Lucifer as he walked over towards Adam, an Adam looking duck bauble in hand. 

If there was a present that Adam was very much grateful for this year, it was the fact that he and Lucifer had reconciled and even rekindled the affections they once had for each other back in Eden. And an even greater gift was the fact that, despite the months of turmoil and distrust, Adam had also managed to reconnect Lucifer with his brothers and the archangels. The fact that they all relatively got along now was a miracle in itself, but even more baffling was how, in the end, they all agreed to having to share Adam with Lucifer. Adam supposed they all really loved him, huh? But perhaps not enough to skip Christmas in Heaven to celebrate with him instead. 

Adam’s shoulders sagged, a gloomy sigh leaving his lips, “Yeah, I’m fine. Just…a little tired.”

Yes, Charlie had requested for the residents to limit the lying, but Adam wasn’t lying, not fully anyway. It was true, he now understood precisely why he had been revived as a sinner and he had been dutifully bettering himself, well as much as one could improve perfection anyway, but he was getting sick of it; tired of all the red and all the chaos and all the filth and sin that Pride was drowning under. Really, he missed Heaven. Or at least the daily life he lived there with the people who cared for him. Yes, they all visited him frequently, but it wasn’t the same. The time they spent together was now somewhat limited.

“Here,” Lucifer handed Adam the duck bauble, the yellow glass shining so prettily in his clawed hands. “I wish they were here too.”

Of course Lucifer would see through his, admittedly half-assed, lie what with being the ‘King of Lies’. Regardless, Adam accepted the duck bauble, its cutesy, albeit intricate, design and appearance lightening up the heavy gloom that was forming in his chest. At the very least, he had Lucifer with him this Christmas. He would see the others soon anyway, there was no need for him to sour everyone’s mood. 

“Hey, look at me, I’m being considerate and not being whiny,” Adam chuckled to himself. Maybe Charlie was starting to rub off on him a little. 

“Okay!” With the bauble duckie in one hand, slapping his knee with the other, Adam pushed himself up brighter than ever. Today was Christmas, and he was going to enjoy the day no matter how shitty Hell was! “Let’s decorate this fucking tree so we can finally get to the presents!”

And just like that, as if summoned by Adam’s voice, the door’s to the hotel slammed open with a black boot connected to bright red pants sticking out of it. 

“Did someone say presents?!”

Emerging from the door, wearing a complete Santa costume including the fake white beard and the large sack of presumably gifts, was undoubtedly, one hundred percent Gabriel. There he stood loud and proud, almost shining in his Santa costume, the hinges of the door barely hanging on the sides. 

For a brief moment there, the hotel was in pure silence, too shocked to react to what had just happened and far too confused about their guest’s sudden appearance. 

“Gabriel?!” exclaimed both Adam and Lucifer once they finally got their bearings. 

“W-what are you doing here?” asked Adam as he made his way towards the angel, the happiness of Gabriel’s visit evident in the inflection of his voice, in the small smile that crept on his lips. 

“It’s not just him, you know.”

And from behind Gabriel emerged Michael, followed by Raphael and then by Uriel. However, as soon as Adam finally got a good look at all of them, a snort escaped from him followed by full on uncontrollable laughter. In front of him was Michael, Raphael and Uriel dressed in a brown furry onesie, a golden bell around their necks and antler headbands with fluffy ears on their heads. 

Lucifer followed behind Adam, curious what all the laughter was about. Sure, Gabriel looked a little silly in his Santa costume, but it couldn’t be that funny, right? Well, for once he could admit he was wrong. The sight in front of him wasn’t just funny, it was absolutely hilarious! And just like Adam, Lucifer bursted out laughing at the ridiculousness in front of him.

“Oh, what’s Santa and his reindeers doing here?” asked Lucifer in between laughter with tears in his eyes. 

If looks could kill, Lucifer was sure both him and Gabriel would’ve turned to ashes by now from Uriel’s silent but heated glare. Though thankfully, Uriel’s bubbling fury seemed to have been calmed down by Raphael’s swift thinking and action; where with a snap of his fingers, Lucifer suddenly found himself wearing the very same costume as the archangels, furry onesie and all. 

“Wha–”

“There, now the set is complete,” announced Raphael as he crouched under the door frame to enter the hotel and gave Adam, who was still in chuckles, a gentle pat on the head. “Hey little one, didn’t think we’d miss Christmas with you, did you?”

“I wouldn’t have forgiven any of you if you did!” Adam huffed in mock anger, a happy grin plastered on his face. “But, uh, what about the celebrations in Heaven?”

“It gets stale after a while,” answered Uriel, who soon followed after Raphael. “At least Hell might provide some new perspectives. You being here is just an added bonus.”

Gabriel pulled Adam closer, one hand cupping towards Adam’s ears as he whispered without much subtlety, “He was totally all mopey before we decided to come here, you know.”

“Okay, that’s enough,” intervened Michael as he placed a hand on Gabriel’s shoulder, trying to gently pull him away from Adam. 

As he was being pulled away, however, Gabriel whisper-shouted at Adam, “Oh! And Mike was totally crying cuz he thought he would miss Christmas with you. It was just hard to tell because, well, he’s got no eyes– Ow!”

The gentle grip on Gabriel’s shoulder suddenly turned a little more firm, more stern as Michael decidedly dragged him further into the lobby, with the others following suit with amusement on their faces. As he was being dragged into the lobby, Gabriel waved by the hotel’s residents, who remained quietly flabbergasted by the Christmas tree. Suddenly, his sights zoned in on a particular sinner. Someone who was very much a Christmas red all over, with furry ears seemingly attached to his odd hairdo and small dark antlers atop his head. The sharp yellowed smile seemed rather sinister, but this was Hell so that was probably in theme. 

“Oh, I didn’t know you guys already had a reindeer,” Gabriel said loud enough for said ‘reindeer’ to hear and react with a tight smile at the perceived affront directed at him. “Maybe you guys should change into my helper elves instead?”

“Nope! No more costume changes!” Uriel immediately cut in, unwilling to indulge any more of Gabriel’s silly ideas. 

“More costume changes?” queried Adam, his curiosity piqued by the implication of Uriel’s words. 

“We had to try out a couple, just to see which one was the best,” answered Michael, who now had one hand over Gabriel’s mouth in an attempt to stop the blabbermouth from saying anything possibly more offensive. Though, seeing such happy curiosity shine in the golds of Adam’s eyes, he couldn’t help but humour and indulge his love. With a whisper that was actually quite discreet, unlike Gabriel’s, Michael told Adam, “I can share the pictures with you later, if you’d like.”

However, observant as ever, Uriel didn’t miss the ‘shady’ exchange between Michael and Adam, though he kept his thoughts to himself this time. Involvement with the three brothers and Adam had only ever led him down into an unpredictable rabbit hole of discomfort and headaches, with the occasionally, admittedly, pleasant fluttering warmth in his chest. He would never admit to that of course, at least not so openly. It was also thanks to that pleasant feeling that he was even willing to be dragged into Hell wearing a reindeer costume, as well looking the other way from Adam and Michael’s exchange. Something he was sure he would regret in the foreseeable future. For now, however, he was just going to enjoy Christmas with Adam.

—-

Needless to say, the addition of four more unexpected guests turned the somewhat homely and peaceful Christmas celebration at the hotel into a much more rowdy and chaotic one. Gabriel’s loudly obnoxious and excitable nature alone was enough to considerably liven up the place, but then he, of course, had to also taunt Lucifer into joining him in his shenanigans. From which colours and decorations looked better on the Christmas tree, to which foods were best accompanied by certain drinks, though both Alastor and Uriel had them beaten in that debate. 

Currently, everyone was participating in, or more precisely dragged into, a singing competition. What started as a simple, cute idea suggested by Charlie to bring everyone together by singing a song together, had become a serious competition amongst everyone. Well, everyone that hadn’t passed out drunk yet like Husk, who was draped over the couch. They even had a mini stage complete with dry ice and colourful spotlights for everyone to perform on. From soft soothing ballads that wrung the tears out of everyone’s hearts, to raw energetic beats that rekindled that rebellious spirit that everyone once had, everyone, from sinners to archangels, sang their hearts out, though it probably wasn’t in the spirit of Christmas. 

Their merry-making lasted way past midnight, leaving most of them exhausted but content with the day’s celebrations. After some gift exchanges, and a quick clean up of the place, everyone eventually returned to their respective rooms, with the archangels being given rooms to stay the night by Charlie. 

“Why are you guys here?” asked Lucifer the group of angels, or reindeers plus Santa, huddled all around Adam on the bed, in the room he shared with the first man. 

“Uh, to spend some quality time with our boyfriend? What else?” Gabriel responded, one hand digging into the bag of crisps on his lap. 

“Besides, you have plenty of space,” shrugged Raphael as he idly switched between movies, unsure of which movie to start. 

“Oh, I heard that movie is good,” Uriel pointed out, completely ignoring Lucifer’s bewildered presence at the door. 

“You all have your own rooms, and it’s already late,” Lucifer argued, mild irritation starting to take root within him. “Plus, this is MY room? I’d like to sleep, like, right now.”

“Since when did we ever need sleep anyway?” Michael asked Lucifer before turning to Gabriel to ask for some of the snacks as Raphael finally settled on a movie for everyone to watch.

“That’s not a good outlook, Michael,” Raphael gently reminded Michael. “Rest is good for the mind, though I’m sure no one is particularly tired right now.”

“I’M TIRED!!” shouted Lucifer, frustrated at their nonchalant disrespect towards him, and even worse was the fact he couldn’t do anything about it. 

“There’s plenty of rooms, Lucifer,” Uriel added, “You can rest in one of them.”

Without much to do, Lucifer simply stomped his foot on the carpeted floor, his dark tail swishing rapidly from side to side in agitation, though it looked far from intimidating especially with the reindeer costume he was still wearing. 

“Or you can join movie night with us?” offered Adam with a small smile, one hand patting the space beside him. “We’ve got space.”

Without a second of hesitation, Lucifer swiftly made his way towards Adam’s side, his small form ensuring that he could weasel his way closer to Adam despite the hurdles in front of him. Though he did have to shove and struggle against Michael for the most comfortable spot on Adam’s lap, of which he had to begrudgingly yield. 

“So, what are we watching?”

The last remnants of Christmas were spent in comfortable peace watching movies and eating snacks, with the occasional need to shush Gabriel here and there. What Adam thought was going to be a more quiet and slightly downcast Christmas, where he would miss those he had spent them with for over a millennia, turned out to be one of the more memorable Christmases he ever had in his extremely long life. Adam may be stuck in Hell for the time being, but his angels and the Devil, funnily enough, ensured that his heart remained in paradise, forever and always.

[scaryanneee]

VEILPUNK 9:52 ⚡️

Narrative parallels between [and MAJOR SPOILERS for] Dragon Age: The Veilguard and Cyberpunk 2077

Wake up, Samurai, we have a Thedas to burn. Let’s play a game:

Meet [V]/[Rook]. She is living her life as a [nomad/streetkid/corpo]/[Dragon/Crow/Lord/Watcher/Warden] when circumstances (aka, some kind of fuck-up) lead her to begin a new adventure with her friend [Jackie Welles]/[Varric Tethras]. 

The pair embark on a mission that involves a history lesson about a mercurial and rebellious [rockerboy]/[ancient elven mage] who made a questionable choice [50]/[8000] years ago when he [detonated a nuclear bomb]/[created the Veil]. That decision had dire consequences, but was done with good intentions: to take down a corrupt and powerful group – the [Arasakas]/[Evanuris]. 

Anyway, the job that [V]/[Rook] is on goes really, really bad: needless to say, we won't be working with [Jackie]/[Varric] anymore. [V]/[Rook] finds herself injured but alive… and the previously mentioned grumpy old [rockerboy]/[elven god] is now living in her head, somehow?! 

[Jackie]/[Varric]’s fate is not the only consequence of [V]/[Rook]’s actions. In fact, the clock is ticking: if [V]/[Rook] does not find a way to fix her mistake soon, she faces certain death. Not to mention, she promised [Jackie]/[Varric] that she would take care of the [biochip]/[team] for him. 

As she works to undo what she has done, [V]/[Rook] either bonds with the [Johnny Silverhand]/[Solas] living in her head, or hates him, or something in between. There’s lots of snarky jabs traded between mind-resident and host, but also moments of genuine understanding that build over time. 

It is kind of weird walking around the world, though, because you see symbols of [Johnny]/[Solas]’s legacy in the form of [Samurai memorabilia]/[Fen’Harel statues] pretty much everywhere... anyway.

In an optional questline, [V]/[Rook] can watch some of [Johnny]/[Solas]’s memories. She learns that his [nuclear bomb]/[creating the Veil] was about more than just fighting [corpo]/[godly] corruption. It was also about avenging the death of a woman he cared for deeply: [Alt]/[Mythal], who was killed by the [Arasakas]/[Evanuris]. [Alt]/[Mythal] and [Johnny]/[Solas] may have had a complicated and at times turbulent relationship, but there was no doubt he loved her. There’s also no doubt that [Johnny]/[Solas] feels, in part, personally responsible for her death.

[V]/[Rook] also gets to meet some of [Johnny]/[Solas]’s old friends: [Kerry]/[Dorian] and [Nancy]/[Morrigan], who both worked alongside him in [Samurai]/[the Inquisition], and [Rogue]/[Inquisitor Lavellan], a highly competent woman who [Johnny]/[Solas] had a romantic relationship with at one point (and who [Johnny]/[Solas] regrets not having treated better). [V]/[Rook] also meets some of [Johnny]/[Solas]’s greatest enemies from his past – like [Adam Smasher]/[Elgar’nan] – and gets to make [Johnny]/[Solas] proud by kicking their asses on his behalf. 

Finally, at the very end of the game, [V]/[Rook] can choose to either redeem [Johnny]/[Solas] or condemn him. They can even get help from a version of [Alt]/[Mythal] to do so!

Roll credits.

This is all to say: I love both of these franchises very much and, so it is very delightful to find all of these parallels between them. To be very clear, this is not an accusation of stealing or anything – stories echo, history rhymes, etc. – just an affectionate observation.

BUT.

It also highlights, for me at least, a few things Cyberpunk did well that Veilguard would have benefitted from incorporating. Namely:

A prologue based on character origin, where Rook meets/bonds with Varric, like V does with Jackie

More interaction between Protagonist and Guy Living in the Protagonist’s Head

Deeper engagement with the universe’s lore, particularly the setting and its impact on our protagonist. Night City feels like another character in Cyberpunk in a way that Veilguard's Thedas really does not.

The protagonist having a smaller scale, more personal investment in the outcome of events – V’s race against the biochip is instantly understandable, and her tenacity and strong will to survive make her very easy to relate to and like. I never quite felt the same level of investment in Rook, and I think that’s in part because her fight against the gods is so enormous in scale that it feels quite impersonal at times. 

Story parallels aside, these two games are also both examples of games that were rushed through development and suffered for it. For Cyberpunk, that meant infamous technical failures; for Veilguard, that apparently means writing that is inconsistent at best and baffling at worst.

Fortunately, CD Projekt Red was able to add tons of post-release updates (and the excellent Phantom Liberty DLC) to Cyberpunk, that really helped it ultimately evolve into the game it was intended to be. 

Unfortunately, I think it is extremely unlikely that EA/Bioware will ever give Veilguard the same treatment.

But if I’m looking for something to hope for about this franchise (despite the long odds)... I think that would be it. 

Anyway, if you read this far: thanks, [chooms]/[lethallen]! 🖤

[icedragonlizard]

As you may have seen on my Kirby therapy tier list, I put Kirby himself in the "needs therapy" tier.

I've seen people argue that Kirby doesn't need therapy or that he could even be the one playing therapist to others in the series. I don't disagree with these sentiments, although it's just a matter of interpretation more than anything.

There are actual reasons as to why I put Kirby himself in the tier where he is. I'll make it clear that it's based on my personal interpretation of him, but here's why:

I get the sense that Kirby must be really feeling the weight on his non-existent shoulders to be playing the hero all the time. He's been through so much, has confronted so many eldritch horrors, and have saved so many people, and it definitely has to be affecting him mentally. Even if he attempts to repress it, that doesn't mean the stress isn't there.

And the thing is that Kirby, at least in my interpretation, is a bleeding heart. He cares about people so much. He's always been wanting to help others that need it. He feels like it's an obligation for him. If he ends up failing to save someone, it hurts him. It would hurt him and break his heart if one of his friends were to die, or if a loved one of one of his friends were to die.

I'll mention two incidents where he feels like he failed: the deaths of Sectonia and Max Haltmann.

Kirby wishes that he helped save them, and it really hurt him that he didn't. When he was informed by Taranza and Susie that they were trying to save their respective loved ones, and told him about their backstories and how Sectonia and Haltmann weren't always evil and that they were corrupted by outside forces, it broke his heart. Both situations broke his heart. He wishes he could've helped Taranza and Susie get the happy endings that he believes they deserved, and the fact that it didn't happen makes him feel like he failed them.

Taranza and Susie aren't mad at Kirby over it, though. They understand that he was just protecting his home, and they feel more responsible for their loved ones' death than he is. They're friends with him, and although the process of them becoming his friends was admittedly a little awkward, in the end they don't hold a grudge against him despite the initial bad starts they had with him.

(Note that I headcanon that Susie is generally pretty guarded, as she hasn't opened up about her backstory to most people. But Kirby is one of the people that she did disclose her backstory to, although it was a little while after becoming friends when she did so, and he promised not to tell anyone when she said to keep it secret. Needless to say, learning about the Haltmanns' backstory was really horrifying and upsetting for Kirby)

I've seen people come up with the interpretation that Kirby saved everyone in the Switch games (including saving Hyness and Leongar) because of the guilt that he has over the 3DS tragedies, and I think that's a great interpretation. Enough to make me want to adapt it for my headcanons. And when it makes him look back at those previous incidents, it makes him upset. Kirby still wishes he could've helped save Sectonia and Haltmann like he did for Hyness and Leongar.

And so this is something that my interpretation of Kirby could use therapy over. He feels guilty and that he failed in those two situations. That, and alongside whatever stress he could (secretly?) be having over the weight on his shoulders of playing hero all the time.

I'll mention another thing for my interp's Kirby: After the events of Milky Way Wishes, he didn't see Marx for a long time, and it made him believe that he killed him. It made him sad, because even though Marx did turn out to be evil at the time, Kirby had the feeling he could've been redeemed and that they could've been friends. He would've loved to see Marx survive and do better, but there was a time where he thought that he died, and it admittedly upsetted him.

But Marx came back. It turns out he survived Nova's explosion, and crossed paths with Kirby again a long time after. Kirby was very happy to see that he survived and they became friends. The same also goes for Magolor, because Kirby didn't see him for a while after RTDL and was worried, but he was happy to see him come back and become a friend as well.

At least Marx and Magolor came back and became Kirby's friends, but sadly Sectonia and Haltmann did not and will not. Kirby will always feel the weight of those tragedies.

That sums up my thoughts on the matter and as to why I put Kirby in the "needs therapy" tier on that list. I do believe he can handle his problems a lot better than most of the others in the cast, but there are legitimately stuff he'd need therapy over. Of course, if you're one of those who believe he doesn't need it or that he himself is the therapist, bravo to you. Funny enough, the latter is also somewhat existent in my verse's Kirby too, on top of him also needing it.

[thesoftboiledegg]

"Mort: Ragnarick" was pure fun, but a different kind of fun than "Rickfending Your Mort" and "Rise of the Numbericons: The Movie."

"Rickfending Your Mort" was a laid-back clip show that gave the viewer a break after the insanity of "Unmortricken"--a smart decision but not one with a lot of substance. "Rise of the Numbericons: The Movie" has been controversial. I thought it was entertaining, but it would've worked better as a YouTube short.

If "Unmortricken" represented lore episodes at their best, "Mort: Ragnarick" was the best of classic Rick and Morty adventures: a wildly imaginative plot, goofy satire, fantasy science and Rick and Morty working together as a duo, reminding us how much they need each other.

Rick's the driving force behind these adventures, but without Morty, he's just a miserable old man trying to distract himself. Morty's the heart and voice of reason. He also gives Rick something to live for. Without him, Beth, Jerry or Summer, why do anything?

Rick pretends to live for science, but "science" just caused decades of grief and isolation. His family isn't a concept; it's an entity that loves him back.

Bigfoot, an evil pope, Pokeballs, Valhalla, clone bodies, infinite energy sources, zombie Summer, Rick screaming "PO-O-O-O-OPE!": only Rick and Morty could combine all those concepts into one cohesive episode. I never thought "Wow, that took me out of the story." The Pokeball came close, but the end credits scene tied it all together.

Jerry's scene was a standout, too. Chris Parnell's reading of "Nana!" was genuinely sweet. It seems like Jerry's becoming a (mostly) willing participant in Rick's schemes instead of a helpless guinea pig. Is Rick learning that releasing his iron grip on his family makes them more attached to him, not less?

I also loved it when the Vikings called Rick a witch. He loves crystals, plays with magic, has two crows as familiars: damn right, he is!

You have to suspend your disbelief a couple of times, mainly when Bigfoot attacks Rick in the kitchen (he crushed Rick earlier like it was nothing, but now Rick walks away with a few scratches?) Still, the little character moments overshadow these flaws.

Judging by old posts that I've seen floating around, I think Rick and Morty's relationship is finally becoming what fans wanted it to be in seasons 1-3. Rick's still mean, but he's less dominant and more of Morty's mischievous co-conspirator. An alien mobster freaking out in "The Jerrick Trap" because of Rick's "touch my grandson and die" policy is straight out of fanon.

Rick's more physically gentle, and Morty responds in kind. He grabs and supports him when Bigfoot attacks him at home and touches his arm during their weird, overdramatic Bigfoot send-off. His pained cry of "Rick!" when Bigfoot nearly crushes him is heart-wrenching. Operation Phoenix is back online, but Morty's tired of watching him die!

Season five is when Rick started showing emotions on his face besides that cold, pissed-off glare--we all know the one--and in season seven, it's accelerated to Rick crying in front of others. He matches Morty's feelings instead of pretending that he's above human emotions.

Needless to say, dudebros have been flooding Adult Swim's Instagram comments and Twitter replies with "Rick and Morty is shit now!" "Rick's too nice!" "Rick and Morty has gone woke!" Justin Roiland's firing gave them more fuel, but they started even while he was still on the payroll.

Their favorite line is "Rick isn't Rick anymore!" And they're right. Rick's not the asshole from seasons 1-2 who had a couple of redeeming qualities. He's not the monster that he was in season three and parts of season four. He's not the defeated man in season five who started to realize that he's hurting people but still wanted Morty to look after him like a child.

Season six is when he started to grow up--not a lot, but enough that he began taking on adult responsibilities instead of thinking he's a teenage boy who sees another teenager as his peer. I wish we saw more therapy appointments, but while they're mostly off-screen, we're definitely seeing the effects.

This doesn't make Rick a great person or atone for what he's done. Some of his crimes are beyond atonement, and not just the obvious ones like blowing up planets. This is a universe where everyone has a body count and events that should've destroyed Earth have no effect on civilization. Death and destruction don't mean that much.

His worst crimes are the personal ones: destroying Morty's psyche in "The Vat of Acid Episode," treating his family like garbage for most of season three. You can't atone for that. You can't apologize for that.

However, I don't only judge characters by their past. I judge them by their capacity to change.

Walter White is a brilliant character, but he's not a personal favorite because his arc is a slow descent into hell. Rick's slowly climbing out of his crater, and while it doesn't erase the past, it's still happening. For me, that's more satisfying than watching a monster become a bigger monster.

Of course, he's still not above cosplaying as Odin while wearing a golden crown that literally says "GOD." But the former "no girls allowed" alpha male has become a dedicated therapy patient who's also a thirst object that would make bros cry about double standards. Sure, Rick, you're a god, now put on that weird half-shirt and prance around a little.

[liannelara-dracula]

Hi love,

Thanks for asking this so obviously this pertains to the S bros so that’s where I’m sticking w this. Not including Kino bc he’s not really involved in this whole S bride thing anyway.

-Liannelara

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

Prompt

Requests are open

Rules

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

Who is capable of falling in love with their S bride? (MTL) + how much they value their S bride?

Subaru—He’s very vulnerable and he’s with this woman 24/7 and if she’s nice to him/gives him attention he’s roped in. But would never admit it. It might just be puppy love even but he’d end up liking her weather or not he does anything about it.

Value: he’d value her if she was tolerable and likable in the sense that she didn’t bother him. If she was gentle He’d especially value that. On a scale of 1-10 it’s have to be a 6.

Reiji—this may come as a shock because he is very head strong and a perfectionist but he his capable and we see this in the game routes numerous times. Even if Reiji has a different way of expressing his care or love, when he loves he treats his partner very well. And it takes a while for him to gain feelings but it’s through all the trouble and pain that he’s caused you but it’s mostly through getting to know you emotionally that he is able to love. But feels quiet guilty.

Value: 8 or 9/10, if you bare his kids, your a respectable lady and you got it all down he’s appreciative that you’ve brought his kids into the world but what doesn’t give you 10/10 is that he’d doesn’t value nor care for you as a partner. He may see you as his wife and mother of his child but not as a romantic partner. If you don’t have redeeming qualities you are just worthless to him. 3/10 or lower.

Shu—gosh, he seems like he could but also might not. Either way he’s lazy about it. In the game routes he is seen to fall in love sometimes but I think it’s quiet dry. There’s not much to it and he doesn’t seem all that into it. He’s just there and it’s comfortable to him. I would say it’s a practical convient love not a deep love unlike Reiji.

Value: 5/10 not too bad because it’s free s3x. He is annoyed but also amused at the same time. Not interested to know much and doesn’t know half of what you do bc he’s doesn’t care. If you don’t bug him often you get the 5/10 you won’t get more because he wants little do with you and since your not annoying there’s a flip side to it.

Kanato—he loves women, and that can mean many different things. But as deranged he may be he isn’t as complicated as his other two brothers, well may be just as complicated—but differently! Though if it’s about love this changed his behavior and he may drop the psychotic behavior altogether especially if there was character development but it’s hard to say. But he seems like he’d have feelings even if they are not the healthiest, he’s more capable of loving and liking than the other two.

Value: you could have 0/10 where he’s just going to m*rder you. Or you could have 11/10 were he is opposed and will not give you to others and protects you at all costs. There is no inbetween.

Laito—he’s to damaged to be capable of understanding his feelings. So while he may feel something he can’t distinguish it nor how he feels about it. All he knows is that it’s different and he’s not going to go further than that. I also believe he has a lot of trust issues with women so loving one is just not practical needless to say he’s a damn mess.

Value: 3/10 if not 0/10. You are like every other woman, why should you be different? Amuse him but also don’t get involved and he won’t be mad, but it doesn’t mean he likes not trust you at all so 3/10. You are merely convenience.

Ayato—he doesn’t really love and I got to say if he did he’s not sure what is going on. He’s quiet selfish and might confusion attraction and convince as love. In fact, he thinks that his S bride loves him so therefore he has a mutal feeling of love for her. He’s okay with having her love him but not that he loves her. He’s too narcissistic to fall in love.

Value: 3/10 or 7/10. 3 is your stubborn and boring to him and you’ve given him nothing. 7 is you give him what he wants and are obedient for the most part.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

˗ˏˋ 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑚𝑦 𝑤𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑖𝑠 ����𝑟𝑖𝑔𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝐼 𝑑𝑜 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑜𝑤𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑠 ˎˊ˗ ©𝟐𝟎𝟏𝟔~Present

[annabthesolitarywriter]

Maiar in 'The Lady of Ithilien'

(to be updated with new information as the story progresses. As such, things may change)

Eönwë

Herald and banner-bearer of Manwë, the High King of Arda. He's among the most powerful Maiar in Valinor and the mightiest in arms. Military leader and High Commander of the Host of the Valar, he was one of the key fighters during the War of Wrath, which marked the end of the First Age of the Sun.

Birth: he entered Arda shortly after it was created.

Married to Elenna of the House of Húrin.

Fancast: Daniel Sharman

Ilmarë

Eönwë's younger sister and handmaiden of Varda, Queen of the Valar and Manwë's wife. Along with her brother, she's one of the chiefs of the Maiar.

Birth: she entered Arda shortly after it was created.

Eventually married to Eldarion, Crown Prince of Gondor and Arnor.

Fancast: Matilda Lutz

Olórin

Also known as Gandalf (one of his many aliases), he has served several Valar throughout the various ages of Arda. He's mainly associated with Manwë and Varda, but he also served Nienna, Valië of sorrow and compassion and Irmo, Vala of dreams and visions. (Olórin is a Quenya name and its meaning is something along the lines of "dream of mind")

Birth: he entered Arda shortly after it was created.

Fancast: Sir Ian McKellen (as Gandalf during the War of the Ring. He sticks to this form for a little while longer before switching back to his usual one); Bradley James (as Olórin)

(they give the same vibe tbh)

Wilwarin

Maia serving Irmo and occasionally Nienna. She's had a major crush on Olórin ever since she met him. She's not the sharpest tool in the box (sorry girl, I still love you), but she's kind-hearted and keeps to herself because no one wants to befriend her due to her perceived stupidity. SHE NEEDS LOVE AND AFFECTION, which no one has ever given her because most Maiar are stuck up and arrogant. Extremely naïve and completely clueless at times, she's been nicknamed "Wilya" (meaning airhead) by her fellow Maiar. She's obsessed with Olórin because he's the only one who's ever actually interacted with her.

Birth: She entered Arda at the beginning of the Second Age of the Sun, following the War of Wrath.

Fancast: Tuğba Melis Türk

Isilmë

Maia of Vayanna. Considered among the most beautiful Maiarin women to ever enter Arda, she has been obsessed with Eönwë ever since she first saw him. They had a brief fling following the War of Wrath, which, needless to say, ended very quickly (and badly). She's firmly convinced he's still in love with her and will do anything to get him back. Her name is Quenya for "moonlight".

Birth: she entered Arda following the War of Wrath (around the same time as Wilwarin)

Fancast: Beste Kökdemir

Isilya

Maia of Yavanna. She's Isilmë's close friend (or so she believes). She fails to realize Isilmë doesn't really love her or value their friendship, but simply uses her for her own purposes. She blindly follows her "friend" and indistinctly agrees with everything the latter says or does, as she's been brainwashed into thinking she's perfect. She doesn't seem to have a mind of her own, modeling her own behavior after Isilmë, as she's afraid to lose the connection they share. She's petty and very annoying, but not inherently evil and might even redeem herself eventually. Who knows. Her name is Quenya for "the third day of the week" according to the Númenórean calendar.

(It might sound odd, but I picked the name purely because it sounds similar to Isilmë and because I like the sound of it, not necessarily because I had a specific idea. I'm terrible at naming characters, I know. Please don't be mean)

Birth: she entered Arda following the War of Wrath.

Fancast: Dilara Aksüyek

Elenna's household

Four Maiarin ladies enter her service after her marriage to the Herald.

Handalimë

Originally a Maia of Vána, she is thoughtful, level-headed, smart and highly practical. Elenna is entrusted to her and she quickly grows fond of her new lady, becoming one of her most trusted servants and her main confidante. She's usually calm and collected and makes it her mission to protect her lady from anyone who might wish her harm—namely her sister Isilmë and a few of the Noldorin elves— and constantly worries about her. Her lady's well-being is her utmost priority.

Birth: she entered Arda sometime before the end of the First Age.

Fancast: Gülcan Arslan

Naráel

A Maia of Aulë, she's spunky and crafty but also naive and shy. She loves making rings and necklaces and will be gifting many jewels to her new lady. She can often be found chatting with Gimli, as she's never seen a dwarf before and wants to know all about dwarf customs and traditions (for fairly obvious reasons, I'd say). Kind-hearted and wiser than she lets on, she loves sitting by fireplaces (and lighting them).

Birth: she entered Arda at the beginning of the Third Age.

Fancast: Sophie Turner

Aranwen

A Maia of Nessa, she loves dancing, nature and poetry. She's not a great conversationalist, but when she does speak, one had better stop and listen. She loves reading and will spend many hours discussing books and history with her lady. She enjoys needlework and she's quite a good painter as well. She respects Elena greatly and often reassures her. Even though they get on each other's nerves quite often, she's great friends with Naráel. She too will spend a bit of time with Gimli, but only to try and convince him that ripping down trees is inherently bad. Nevertheless, she grows fond of the lord of the Glittering Caves- she and Legolas will try and teach him how to dance. Whether they will succeed is still unknown.

Birth: she entered Arda at the beginning of the Third Age.

Fancast: Rose Williams

Elenya

Maia of Varda (the name is kind of a giveaway).

She's sweet, kind and very protective of Elenna. She often likes to remark how similar their names are and loves to recount stories that most have forgotten (star-related, of course). She was lady-in-waiting to Ilmarë before she volunteered to join Elenna's household.

Birth: she entered Arda during the Years of the Trees.

Fancast: Yasemin Allen

[factorygirlsstuff]

Finished Fight For My Way! I haven’t binged anything that quickly in a while. It took me a day 😂. Needless to say, I loved it! Although the SML annoyed me somewhat, I guess he redeemed himself by the end.

The main couple was super cute, I loved how natural they seemed & they were affectionate after they got together, which sometimes isn’t the case lol.

I honestly didn’t realize “Fight For My Way” would have fighting 🙈 I thought it was like fight for your dreams kinda thing lol, but it makes sense. Also this was cute and dramatic.

So anyway I liked it 5/5 would recommend. Friends to lovers is really so good.

[ask-blitzka]

What do you think of princess Charlie's idea to redeem sinners?

Blitz: I think....I think it's time for us to come clean.

Verosika: Y'see, when we first began this blog, we thought this was the same living world as ours.

Blitz: That was until we saw art about Her Majesty.

Verosika: Here's the thing. Whatever technology Vox used for his VPN, it caused us to access another time.

Blitz: A time where Her Majesty's Idea didn't result in destruction and death.

Verosika: The reason we are so sensitive about The Exterminations and anything about The Hotel is, well....

Blitz: I can handle this Ver. *Clears throat* You see, in this timeline, things seemed to follow a near similar path. Then, the Battle at the Hotel. What you people know as a victory for Her Majesty ended in a massacre. Adam, he took everything. The Hotel, The Sinners, and took the Only Light hell ever had.

Verosika: After that, Lucifer finally snapped and demanded that the Exterminations be done. Apparently, neither God, St. Michael, or The Prophets, knew about The Exterminations.

Blitz: Needless to say, Adam was no longer able to commit crimes like that ever again. But the damage was already done. It was like Hell lost its spirit. After the judgment, Lucifer shut himself inside his palace for a year. This wouldn't be so bad until The Overlords found a way out of Pride and spread.

Verosika: Then, suddenly, this year, he left the palace and acted like business as usual.

Blitz: It's almost as if he saw his daughter again. Maybe he has finally lost it.

Verosika: As for the idea itself, maybe it was wishful think, but I thought it would work.

Blitz: Yeah, then I would lose clientele.

[thesebitchesrgay]

1 and 10 for the salty ask game?

im gonna do supergirl and LOK for this one bc they're my current brainrot

What OTPs in your fandom(s) do you just not get?

supergirl: pls dont come at me for this but i cannot see agent reign, i get the appeal, ive read fics with agentreign in them and they're super cute, but ive never personally been invested in them.

also, while i definitely think kara's had a crush on cat, i like them too much as a mentor/mentee to ever go near a supercat fic. (but i understand the appeal of both those ships)

legend of korra: mako x wu, i dont rly ship them but i think their dynamic is FUCKING hilarious. also ik its technically a:tla and not lok but i dont ship zukka, i love sukka too much, but i do prefer zukka over zutara. (fight me)

10. Most disliked arc? Why?

supergirl: guardiancorp. it felt so needless. i can come up with ten better ways they could've done the harun-el storyline without them getting into a relationship. i shipped pretty much anything the writers threw at us but i could NOT get behind lena x james at all. actually here's one i just thought of: james reveals he's guardian, lena starts helping him be a vigilante = lena and james form a bond and she uses the harun-el to save him bc shes a hero - OH imagine lena being overwatch!

actually, all of season 4 makes my blood boil - not bc i think it was a bad season, it was just too good at its job and i hated it for making me wanna rip my hair out every second. xenophobes taking over? lex luthor manipulating linda? alex loses her memories? the episode right after? the supercorp angst? oh my god the REVEAL?

10/10 would recommend, but you couldn't pay me to rewatch it.

legend of korra: no notes, just make more of it.

wait no if theres one thing i could change - its not the show its in the comics - kuvira's "redemption" arc. ma'am. you were literally a dictator and you tortured people. go on a year long trip to restore your honor. actually, scratch that, go on a meaningful road trip with each member of the beifong family (the apology tour). i do believe you can change but the rote arc felt too rushed - maybe end on a more open note instead of saying "thats it, she's redeemed!"

this one is also more a:tla: please PLEASE give my girl azula a redemption arc

thanks for the ask!

[spiltmusings]

Daiya No Ace Scenarios: Meeting at University

Kuramochi Youichi

You meet in the campus center while waiting for your food. They call the order and you're surprised when some random guy is practically running to the counter to pick up your order.

You speed up to meet him at the counter and give him a piece of your mind when you both check the number. It was actually his but ironically you both get the same order. He says you have great taste and invites you to sit with him. You talk about classes and turns out he's in one of your main Sociology lectures.

You both fall into a rhythm of grabbing your favorite meal together before heading to lecture. Occasionally, you attend his games and it isn't long until he speeds his way into your heart.

"I didn't know you were that fast, Cheetah." "Of course you did. I had to be faster than you to grab my food the first time we met right? Ahahaha!" "You know what?" *Chaos ensues*

Miyuki Kazuya

He is a peer tutor in your Statistics class. Miyuki learned the material early and it works well with his baseball talents.

Despite his snarky attitude, he's actually pretty helpful and takes the time to really explain the chapters breaking it down in a way you understand. Your convinced he's your saving grace (even though you would never tell him that, his head would get too big if you did).

At the end of the semester, you make him a nice thank you card with a gift card to a local coffee shop. You hand it to him after your final, thinking you won't see him again. But he finds you around campus and makes sure to thank you in his own way by proposing to redeem the gift card together.

"No I can't spend it with you! It's a gift for you." "Well since it's my gift, I can spend it how I want. And I want us to grab a coffee so stop complaining and let's go."

Chris Takigawa Yuu

You meet Chris in your Anatomy and Physiology class when you're paired together for a research project. After meeting up after class to discuss potential topics, you both discover you have a love of sports which makes it much easier to pick something sports related.

You put together a research project about the anatomy of different athletes based on their respective sports. It helped that Chris knew a lot of athletes since he played baseball.

It was great to study athletes from various sports and it was clear Chris was very thoughtful and diligent. He smiles at how personable you are with the athlete you interview and how you thank them with ideas that'll help them (recipes/workouts).

Needless to say, you both get an A for the paper and the class and decide to celebrate a job well done.

"I'm glad we were partners. You're really cool, Chris." "Thank you, that's very kind of you. Likewise. It would be great to see you at the next game. If you'd like, I can get you a ticket." "Already way ahead of you."

Hope you enjoyed this! It was fun to put something together for my latest obsession 💕

[scorbleeo]

Drama Gossip: Queen of Tears

Source: Google Images

The queen of department stores and her small-town husband weather a marital crisis —until love miraculously begins to bloom again.

Source: Netflix (2024)

This Did Not Go As Plan

What I meant by that, every time I thought the show was going to go a certain way, it does not. This may sound like a complain but it cannot be further than that. Queen of Tears kept surprising me by proving me wrong and that made me like this drama even more than I initially thought I would. I haven't enjoyed a romantic k-drama in so long yet because of how different the romance aspect was in Queen of Tears, it is definitely one of the better romantic k-dramas I've watched in recent years.

I originally watched this drama because of that drunk scene. I wondered what kind of romance this show has to film a scene like that. Imagine my surprise when Queen of Tears began with a severely unhappy marriage. Although the first few episodes were nothing fantastic apart from those comedic scenes, courtesy of Baek Hyun Woo, it was different enough to keep me watching. The romance constantly broke my heart, the drama might have been unoriginal but the way it played out kept me on the edge of my seat all the time. Last but not least, needless to say, the acting was perfection. Honestly, the acting was probably one of the reasons I was captivated by this drama.

All that being said, I simply cannot end my thoughts without a brief discussion on Yoon Eun Sung. I may be in the minority here but I never hated this man. He was annoying most of the time, frustrating some of the time, but he never made me hate him. If I wasn't annoyed or frustrated, I was pitying him. This man is really collateral damage from his mother's schemes. If for once, his mother placed her wants and needs after his, Eunsung could have been in a better place mentally, even if it was for a short while. Unfortunately, he never had the chance with the way he was brought up. Comparing him to his mother, this poor man was not evil, he just...misconstrued his own intentions and act on them in some of the worst ways. I wasn't glad he was killed because he's the villain, I was glad because he finally gets to rest.

To end this off, during the earlier days of Queen of Tears's broadcast, I do believe the show deserves all that hype. Unfortunately, the storyline did fall off near the end. It became a rushed event that we've seen happened in multiple other Korean dramas. The only redeeming factor was the emotions portrayed by the cast. I've never cried so much throughout a 16-episode drama before.

Rating: ★★★★☆

P.S.: Lets be real, Grace was the actual MVP in Queen of Tears.

More production from South Korea here: The Good Bad Mother