#of an earlier mostly unrelated scene

[thelonelyshore-if]

The absolute strangest part of writing an IF is writing routes so obscure and dependent on other choices that you have no idea if anyone will ever see them. Like, you write an entire mini scene that may never see the light of day and bury it in with the more common routes and hope for the best.

[candy-red-river]

Luther is beauty, style, and grace (an analysis again)

ok ive wanted to talk about this guy for a while after finishing the comics lately and oh my god his deal is the most obvious of all the characters compared to others when you think about it.

Starting off, his most obvious feature is his manners. He is very polite and "reasonable" but often forces it onto others and seems somewhat superficial. Like he's trying to hide something about himself. One of my mutuals earlier called him "repressed which I find very interesting as I never saw him that way before.

But after reading the comic I said to myself, "Yeah he's definitely repressed".

Specifically in the camping arc he has HUGE BEEF with the hitchhiker calling them a narcissist for seemingly being themselves, albeit a bit morbid and tries to poke through his skin like he does with others (whether to sedate them or not) but restrains himself when randal comes around, later attempting to call his doctor about it, implying that he doesn't want or like doing that to begin with.

There was also the scene with the pancakes where he just unhinges his jaw but implies that he doesn't do that often in front of guests for the sake of their comfort.

Other than that, Luther absolutely INSISTS that he's human and the weird "family" dynamic that he's made for the ivory household (which consists mostly of brainwashed people forced to play a pet role and randal who I'm pretty sure isn't even related to luther) and generally tries to put down anything he does not like in a sort of fancy royal manner.

From all this and the speech he made about choosing his own destiny and being so assertive about manners to others I think it's safe to say that luther is an absolute monster, but is very self aware and almost insecure about being non human, which he also enforces on others in order to "fix" them or to make himself seem perfect with the "ideal" family.

I think he's aware of how messed up everything is but is either in denial or trying to tone it down.

Other things to note:

Captain howdie said they had a crush for luther from an ask which I think is funny and unexpected. (Also true)

He has canonically dated women (epic)

The eyes on top of his eyes aren't just eyelids since they have been shown to come out before. He literally has two sets of eyes.

I also think it's funny that nyon and nana have an implied crush on him (I'll get to them later)

He's scared of mice apparently

he has a LOT of pets, none of them are normal animals

He seems to have sympathy of some kind but it's definitely half baked.

(Unrelated note: the current most mysterious characters are Sebastian, Nana, and the hitchiker)

[mud-castle]

What would your Lion King prequel be like?

Funny you ask that considering I was actually thinking about it in the shower earlier. Girl, buckle up, cause I have soooo many thoughts.

I had some personal rules that was mostly to adhere to the story they were trying to tell, not the story I personally would've wanted. So that includes keeping Mufasa and Scar as unrelated, Kiros as the villain, the whole Milele plotline, etc. So let's get to it

Spoilers Obviously:

First thing I'd do is change Taka's name. Taka means "trash" which is a fucked up name first of all but second of all doesn't make sense since both of his parents love him. I'd name him either Askari, as a mild nod to The Lion Guard and because Scar could easily come as a nickname from it; Inkosi which also means "king"; or Takasa meaning "to purify."

Secondly, I'd make Taka worse. Not evil yet, but a very spoiled, manipulative brat with a soft spot for Mufasa. Taka suddenly becoming a master deceiver because his father once told him that kings have to lie sometimes makes no sense. So he's just like that. I actually imagine he gets it from his mother since she needs more character than just being good. I'd show him getting into trouble with the animals within his father's territory because of his entitlement with Mufasa often having to act as a mediator.

Taka desires and expects to be king. Full Stop. No "oh I wish I was normal and could hunt with my mother." Would he be an atrocious king? Absolutely, but that doesn't matter since it's what he's owed for being a prince. There would have to be a balancing act between Taka's better and worse traits to keep him somewhat sympathetic.

With that in mind, he never falls in love with Sarabi. He honestly doesn't care much for her. But he wants her as his queen since he's a prince and she's a princess so that's just kind of how it goes. I imagine a scene where Mufasa is trying to see his logic and he's like "but don't you think you should...idk...love... her?" And Taka just raises an eyebrow. Sarabi genuinely can't stand his ass.

Speaking of Sarabi, I'd give her some actual character. I want her to be Mufasa's opposite but also compliment him. So I'd make him very open towards new things and other animals from his experiences wandering with his parents as a cub and push Sarabi's pride and pragmatism up to 11. Sometimes he's right, sometimes she's right, but they learn from each other. I'd like a scene of them together near the end plotting and putting together everything they've learned from each other, working as a unit. I'm removing the weird super senses Mufasa had.

Mufasa dearly needs a character arc, so i'm just gonna go the simple route of him learning to stand up for himself and against Taka sometimes. he's very submissive considering he's lived most of his life under Obasi and tends to be very lenient as a result. He still acts as mediator even after the two have to run and often ends up in the middle of arguments while trying to keep the peace. Keeping his head down has kept him alive. He learns that that will not fly sometimes and someone needs to take a stand and that someone has to be him.

Also I'd keep Kiros as a cannibal, cause God knows he needs something interesting going on. He's a character who loves to play with his food. Instead of being frustrated, he's having the time of his life tracking them down to take care of loose ends (Taka and later Sarabi too). I'd move his son's death to later in the film so we have some time to see their dynamic and really understand why he's so enraged by his death.

Most major change I'd have though is adding more lions to the traveling group:

I don't like how there were already lions at the Pridelands when the whole point was that it was a fairy tale story to give hope. It's kind of weird that there were lions already chilling there, makes the end of the journey feel less impactful.

So I'm taking those lions and making them refugees of Kiros's destruction (he also has a LOT more lions than in the movie) found along the way. This includes Sarafina cause why not. Taka is fully against taking them along as some of them are injured and will slow them down. Sarabi, hating to agree with Taka, is also hesitant, especially since they're being tracked, but she's sympathetic. Mufasa says he'll take the blame if anything happens and helps them, showing his compassion and leadership.

Rafiki joins them as a healer. He's still completely unconcerned with being eaten when they meet, but he has enough of an initial use for them to be given an actual reason to spare him. I imagine Sarafina was one of the injured lions picked up and he simply says she won't make it if they eat him. Her wound is infected and she's growing slower and weaker by the day. Mufasa decides to believe the questionably sane baboon and Rafiki helps her which cements his place in the group.

Taka needs something to do too, so I'm gonna let him be the brains of the outfit. He has 0 leadership skills, but he does have a lot of good ideas. But he often needs Mufasa to actually execute it. Or worse, he needs the other lions which means he needs Mufasa to convince them on his behalf since he cannot ask nicely to save his life.

He doesn't turn into an incel when Sarabi chooses Mufasa cause wtf, but he does feel his authority slipping day by day as Mufasa shows himself to be more of a leader. He sort of "allows" Mufasa to have Sarabi and tells him as much in a bid for some control.

He doesn't betray them to Kiros cause wtf. Instead Mufasa, for the first time, gives him a firm no about something. Taka is stricken, then gets angry and careless and storms off in a blizzard where he trips and falls down a snowdrift near where Kiros is. He panics and runs, unable to cover his tracks as the snowstorm ends and leading them to where the group is heading. Taka knows it's most likely his fault they got caught but like hell he'll admit that.

Throughout the movie, Taka gets worse. More argumentative, more irritated, more angry, more insecure. He loves Mufasa, but that love only seems to be present so long as he's subservient to him. There are moments where Mufasa breaks through to him briefly, showing that he could change, but he just doesn't want to. Taka never really sees Mufasa as an equal, even if he never calls him a stray or anything like Obasi did.

Taka also gets the unfortunate experience of being pummeled and toyed with by Kiros in the battle for the Pridelands until Mufasa slams in, allowing Taka to run. Then it's Mufasa's turn to get beaten. It's up to Sarabi, with her having to convince Taka to help her, to save him. This is the singular time the two manage to work together. Putting their heads together, they manage to save Mufasa.

After the fight, Mufasa sees Taka, there's relief and gratitude in his eyes as he starts to limp to him. We see Taka's eyes soften just a bit and it seems like maybe he'll close the distance. Then the rest of the lions come to praise Mufasa for leading them this whole time and convincing them to get rid of Kiros. Taka slips off somewhere unnoticed, his pride more wounded than ever.

Mufasa shakes off the group as quick as he can, but not quick enough to see where Taka went. He finds him eventually in a cave and is wary about the whole king thing and confides in him. Taka never quite faces him, but in a nutshell he tells him that he might as well accept the title (it goes unsaid that they wouldn't give the position to Taka anyway, but it's very implied). Mufasa moves to make another attempt to connect with his brother. Taka promptly shoots him down, saying something like "you should run along, you wouldn't keep your subjects waiting."

Mufasa reluctantly takes the dismissal and leaves. Taka stares after him in the dark, his eyes brighter and greener than ever with pure envy. Then Mufasa roars and all is good.

Also Mufasa's mom is dead dead. I don't see the point in her being alive.

Also also, take out Timon, Pumbaa, and Zazu. I could not stand them.

[frangipanilove]

“…Like A Rolling Stone…?”

It might still be considered a spoiler which song Daryl sings in TBOC season 2, so I won’t reveal that above the cut. It’s not Bob Dylan’s “Like A Rolling Stone”, like the headline of this post could possibly allude to. That’s just shameless misdirection, and I apologize.

However, enjoy this completely unrelated fake Rolling Stone magazine cover that was released in a Skybound article back in July 2017:

Obviously, massive spoilers for TBOC 2x6 under the cut, proceed with caution…

This is mostly @wdway’s brain child, I have a few thoughts of my own to add, but nothing nearly as exciting as her stuff.

So, the song Daryl sings is "You Can't Always Get What You Want" by The Rolling Stones, which is super intriguing, concidering Skybound made sure to create an inextricable link between Beth and Rolling Stone Magazine with the fake magazine cover back in 2017. You could successfully agrue that any reference containing the phrase "rolling stone" at least on some level could be tied to her.

Now that we’re safely out of spoiler free territory, let’s have a look at the opening minutes of TBOC season finale 2x6. We find the scene TD’ers have been eagerly anticipating ever since we heard that Daryl was going to fulfill another one of the “I never’s” from 4x12 Still, namely the “I never sang out loud in public, like everything was fun”.

The episode starts with a close up of Laurent blowing the seeds off a dandelion:

Daryl approaches Laurent, explaining how where he’s from, people blow on those to set their wishes free:

This reminded @wdway of Beth’s monologue from 4x10 Inmates about writing down your wishes to make them come true:

Then Daryl goes on to explain how he found the guitar in the trunk of a car. I explained in a post earlier this week (read here) how trunks of cars are used as metaphors for tombs in TWDU, and how those tombs sometimes have “emergency exits”, so that it’s possible to “escape” them, meaning tomb symbolism means "death and resurrection". I've previously written about how green(e)houses represent the same type of symbolism here. We see an excellent exemple of this in the previous episode 2x5, where TPTB quite literally gave us a retelling of how Beth could have been saved after 5x8 Coda.

Famously known for escaping tombs was Jesus Christ himself. According to Luke 24:1-6, some women visited his tomb, only to find it empty, “the stone rolled away from the tomb”:

A bit of a biblical “rolling stone” reference there, in other words, and it’s about as synonymous with “resurrection” as it can possibly get. With that in mind, do you see the fake Rolling Stone cover with Beth in a different light now? The "rolling stone" reference represents the "emergency exit" in the "tomb/trunk" symbolism, it is what allows the "resurrection" to take place. Resurrection; Like A Rolling Stone…

Then Laurent proceeds to sing “You Can’t Always Get What You Want”, by The Rolling Stones, which is what my stupid little Dylan-esque misdirection in the headline alluded to.

Daryl joins in, and gets emotional. His voice start breaking and he gets teary eyed.

I was officially ugly crying.

@wdway also remembered a different fake magazine cover from back in the day, more specifically at the beginning of 5x8 Coda, and in the beginning of the coda of 5x8 Coda, meaning we saw it before Beth “died” and immediately after. The magazine was “Rattle & Roll” which, judging from the aesthetic of the cover design, we can plausibly interpret as a nod to the actual Rolling Stone magazine, which we now know is a resurrection reference.

Here’s a close-up of Rattle and Roll, compare it to the fake Rolling Stone cover:

I had already started overthinking this scene in 2x5 because of the incredible dialogue between Laurent and Daryl. Daryl talks about how he found a guitar in a trunk, Laurent is worried that Daryl will be alone in France while he, Carol and Ash travel to America (because there’s not enough room for four people on the plane).

Daryl explains that he’s been alone before, a lot. That’s a reference to 4x13 Alone. Daryl says it’s only temporary, while Laurent worries it might be for eternity. Again, basically describing the plot of Alone. Then Daryl goes on and says “go ahead, play something, which of course is exactly what he said to Beth in 4x13 Alone:

The entire season is full of these types of dialogue parallels and Beth callbacks.

Because the whole scene opened with the image of Laurent blowing seeds off a dandelion, I was already in the process of researching that, and as always, etymology is my go-to method for initial searches:

Upon learning that dandelion is a reference to a lion’s teeth, I googled that to see what came up, and well…what a tremendous coincidence it is that…

…The Mountain Goats, the same band that sang the song “Up The Wolves” that played at the end of 4x12 Still, happens to have a song called “Lions Teeth”!!! A tremendous coincidence indeed!

I’ve highlighted some of the lyrics that seem particularly pertinent for TD, such as mentions of sleeping in cars and “Hold On” which is a theme we’ve seen throughout the years, not least in season 3 when Beth sang Tom Waits’ “Hold On” in the prison.

And the coincidence gets even more impressive when you learn that these two songs are actually from the same album, The Sunset Tree from 2005! And as if that’s not enough, the two songs follow each other directly on the album. It’s almost as though they’re linked…?

So, to my knowledge, songs from the Mountain Goats have been referenced three times in TWDU. First, "Up The Wolves" was used in Still, as we all know. Second, a song called "Love Love Love", from the same album (The Sunset Tree) was used in FTWD 4x8 No One’s Gone. It’s a very “death and resurrection” oriented episode, in that it is the episode when Madison “died” only to later “resurrect”.

And now, with Laurent and the dandelion/Lion’s teeth flower, we have a roundabout reference to the song that directly follows “Up The Wolves” on the album The Sunset Tree, "Lion’s Teeth". This might not in and of itself be a massive deal, but together with everything else, it’s seems like it definitely could be part of a pattern. It seems like no matter what goes on on the surface of this show this season, there’s a multitude of Beth callbacks and dialogue parallels (and in this case musical references) tied to Beth lurking right beneath the surface.

So I’m thinking, when Daryl sings “You can’t always get what you want” and it seems to be breaking his heart, the subtext is about Beth.

[inolienkiki]

Was rewatching lord of the rings with my (also aroace) friend, while I'm visiting, and we came to the realization that every situation Éowyn is in makes way more sense if you don't consider it as romantic. Her relationship with Aragorn in the second movie really reads to me like he's a role model that she comes to be friends with. When she first meets him, she's impressed with his swordfighting skills and the way he treats her cousin's horse, but their first really impactful conversation is about her deepest fears and the person she wishes she'd become. Her conversation topics on the road to Helm's Deep include, "will you try this terrible food I made", "how old are you", and "who's your girlfriend" (she asked him this, so far as I can tell, immediately after asking Gimli the same question.)

When Aragorn falls off that cliff and everyone thinks he's dead, she's unduly distraught for someone she just met last week, BUT it makes a lot more sense if she's thinking about her own future instead. A great warrior she's just met, who represented everything she could become, has just "died" in a tiny skirmish in the dumbest way possible-- after the same thing had just happened to her cousin weeks earlier. That has to be pretty disheartening for her, considering she's planning to devote her whole life to fighting. It doesn't help that she wasn't even there, due to being pressured into yet another leadership role she clearly didn't feel comfortable with.

And then, when Aragorn returns to Helm's Deep mostly okay, Éowyn is unusually overjoyed-- because she feels like she still has the chance to fight. If he had really been dead, I'm not sure she would have gone to war later on. But, with his return, she felt that path once more open to her.

There's barely anything that could be interpreted as romance in the third movie. While they're having an unrelated conversation about his dumb idea to go through the paths of the dead, Aragorn suggests that he can't return her love. She backs away-- in what really, really looks to me like surprise and discomfort-- and starts crying in the exact embarrassed way that I have when people much older than me have asked me out.

Oh, and there's also the scene where her dad is looking at the two of them, and tells her, "I'm happy for you. He's a good man." With no apparent self awareness she says "yea you too" and then leaves.

At the end, when Éowyn is in recovery with Faramir, I know from the book that they eventually get together-- but we never see that in the movie. They don't even hug, she just rests her head on his shoulder. They have a lot to commiserate about, and neither of them has shown interest in a relationship... and, man, it's really intriguing that their relationship in the book specifically does not happen in the movie.

Sure, tell me they're good ships. I know they are, because good people beget good ships. Sure, dig up interviews or storyboards saying this was all meant to be romance... go ahead, because I'm sure it was. Aaaaaand.... let me have my headcanon. It's not a bad one.

[put-them-thangs-away]

how is this only about one single episode,,,, i have GOT to stop doing this,,,,,

starting this off by saying i am making the extremely questionable choice yet again to start this rant in my notes app so there is a Very Large chance that this episode ramble analysis is going to become another monologue,,,,, sorry bout that. if it’s more than like three paragraphs i’ll stick it under the cut. anyways,,, Y’ALL READY FOR ME TO TAKE AN EPISODE’S WONDERFUL HAPPY ATMOSPHERE AND OVERTHINK IT INTO PAIN???

spoiler alert: i had to come back and add this. it was not less than 3 paragraphs. it’s a significantly longer essay this time. 🫠

i was gonna start with the hierophant card now that i’m rewatching since it’s early in the episode (and i love milfs nang) but i think imma go make that as a separate add on to my previous post about the tarot cards instead. i also still need to go back and watch the bit with boss’s card from that earlier episode so i can add that on as well.

i know the episode technically starts with jack & joker goofing off and once again making ad placement gayer which is very cute but i don’t actually have much to say about that (yet) except that it’s really funny that joke’s reflexes and ability to fight are lowkey garbage unless it’s to mess with jack. also there is that little foreshadowing nugget in there from jack reminding joke again about his promise not to do anything stupid but my take on that will make more sense with my rant about the final scenes. lmfao don’t worry,,,,,, i have plenty to say about them later.

so INSTEAD bc i love to suffer imma start with arun and tattoo’s scene. yippee! so we’ve got these two bonding over creative ventures,,,, and by bonding i mean arun being supportive and pouring his heart out and tattoo being deeply uncomfortable with any display of human emotions lol. i saw that tiny little smile to yourself when your back was turned to arun tho tattoo,,,, im onto u buddy. 🏳️‍🌈❔🫵🤨

and then we’ve got arun’s line about missing his shithead garbage father at the beginning of his breakdown, which at the time, did not mean much to me bc in the moment i got immediately distracted by the comedic factor of tattoo having the emotional range of a thimble. (which i now am like,,, 75% sure was an intentional diversion on the writer’s part.) and also that little crumb of tattoo smushing himself in between hoy and arun by physically pushing them apart when they were half cuddling so that he could impart some Tough Love™️ lmaoooo,,; once again sir,,,, im onto u,,,

anyways the reason that little comment from arun came back to haunt me is related to the tarot cards. i went more in depth about the card meanings in my previous post, but short version for this exact moment: arun gets The Moon as his card which is often considered to be symbolic of deception or things not being what they appear��. and also truths that you have not (or cannot) accept about yourself. haha! neat! i’m sure that’s definitely not the reading they went for and definitely absolutely will not have anything to do with arun not having accepted what kind of person his father truly is, and possibly making some poor choices relating to that in the future! and i’m sure if that is the reading, there is not a more in depth reading for tattoo’s The World card as well since they are in many ways narrative foils of each other! lol! anyways! 🤪

mostly unrelated sidenote: when did nang draw the star on the back of the cards? bc it wasn’t there when she was originally laying the cards out for hoy. continuity issue or Important Tiny Detail?

skipping the rosé jack scene here because imo it didn’t have much purpose other than to kind of make you pissed at her manipulation tactic. (and probably to mislead us into thinking that she was gonna handle the rejection scene really poorly. she didn’t thoooo come thru bb girl! so proud of u) also skipping the teeth rottingly adorable found family meal for similar reasons. (joke adopting ama’s little “aiyah!” tho had me In My Feelings)

surprisingly i don’t actually have that much to say about the flashback to boss and joker’s interaction. i might be missing some subtext, but generally it just kind of gave me the vibe of being there solely to show boss being menacing and remind you that joke’s lovesick self-sacrificing ass is, in fact, about to Do Something Stupid. imminently. (can’t tell if i am also supposed to have like? an ounce of sympathy for boss because he’s “never been free” or whatever the fuck that’s about. don’t know don’t care i wish him a very nice die painfully at the hands of his son. adopted or otherwise, i’m not picky.)

brief shout out to the security goon who is literally a brick wall what the fuck like i know they’re our resident idiots but FOUR ON ONE AND THERE’S BLUNT WEAPONS INVOLVED HELLO????? king shit tbh rip in peace my guy

also lmfao joke saying “how did you find me?!” and arun just being like “what like it’s hard? we already know you’re gay AND stupid.” 😂😭💀 read for FILTH,,,,

[insert Four Men, None Braincells heist montage]

the absolute unmatched level of shenanigans. whatever was going on with the choice of fish. the botched directions. the inability to open a bottle of champagne.

(i love them)

also WAIT HOLD UPI JUST NOTICED AND IDK IF I’M READING INTO THIS TOO MUCH BUT WHAT’S WITH THE LITTLE LOOK BETWEEN NANG AND ROSÉ WHEN SHE GOES OFF TO CHANGE AND ROSÉ IMMEDIATELY MOVES TO LIGHTEN THE MOOD AND CHANGE THE SUBJECT?? like we know that nang had a hand in this plan but does rosé know something? and if she does, does that have any significance to her bringing jack to the ring room or is that just about the romance? also getting a better look at jack’s face through all of this (during the dinner especially) makes me wonder how much HE knows about the heist bc he clearly has clocked some weird shit happening (and also i feel like there’s no way at this point he has not managed to recognize disguised joke) which like,,,, god it is sending me on a whole other level of spiral bc like on the one hand that makes one of my takes on the final scene less painful but also makes the other part of it even more ouch??? many thoughts,,,, head full,,,, which works out bc we’re closing on the end of the episode which is where my overthinking ass brain went into overdrive the first during the first watch.

first of all i was obviously in my feelings about jack’s whole speech about how lying doesn’t help relationships. shout out to ama’s Great Value Family Therapy Sesh, as always, she is the real mvp.

also ok now i am Thinking bc if jack does know something about the heist that would def have an even deeper meaning to this speech? bc like if they actually communicated beforehand for once then it’s not lying and breaking a promise? and if he doesn’t know anything about it then i feel like he could be more upset about joke doing this exact same thing again? (hELP MY BRAIN HURTS) and joke’s reaction from his cozy little spot deep in the closet isn’t helping at all like,,, maybe it’s the guilt of lying and breaking a promise again?? is it just the crippling lack of self-worth???? and then the surprise specifically when rosé actually took the rejection well? HOW AM I EVEN MORE STRESSED THE SECOND TIME AROUND WHAT THE FUCK 😭

i am also having more thoughts on hoy’s assignment of The Star card, not necessarily about the card’s actual meaning (positivity, optimism, all around good boy golden retriever energy etc) but more how it relates to his whole [handwaves] Thing with nang,,,, and also her plan. hm. idk how to really like. put those thoughts into words tho. i can’t put my finger on what it is that is making me flag that, but it is there.

also like idk if i’m misremembering but were we ever told specifically what nang’s relationship to rosé is? like she’s not her mom for sure so??? older sister??? or????

god i have so many questions after this episode especially because i feel like there were a lot of little foreshadowing hints that were immediately followed by HEY LOOK OVER THERE! shiny distraction moments and u kno what,,, fair,,,, i was and wld continue to be distracted by naked nang if i wasn’t picking this apart scene by scene rn like her calling hoy to pick things up from her when joke clearly didn’t know that Most of this was part of her plan??? i need to know RIGHT NOW WHO IS IN ON WHICH PARTS AAGHHHH

also once again unrelated aside bc at this point i’m already neck deep in not shutting the fuck up but tattoo fulfilling The Pyrotechnics Guy™️ heist trope with the spy music overlay brings me so much joy acshually,,,, it’s giving oceans eleven and i love that for them

JACK’S FACE AT THE FIREWORKS THO JACK WHAT AND HOW MUCH DO YOU KNOWWWWWWWWWW like now there’s this whole phone conversation that will ALSO TAKE ON A WHOLE OTHER MEANING IF HE’S IN ON ANY PART OF THIS??? originally i was just like “damn this will really suck if he thinks he did this and got out of this situation all by himself and then gets mad at joker all over again and they fight and (temporarily obvs) break up” but now im like OH MY GOD????? WHAT IF IT’S NOT THEM COMMUNICATING AHEAD OF TIME???? WHAT IF HE’S BEATING JOKE AT HIS OWN GAME???? WHAT IF THERE ARE TWO FUCKING HEIST PLOTS/TEAMS??? HAPPENING??? SIMULTANEOUSLY?? these writers have proven to be absolutely insane (affectionate) so far, so the only thing i’m actually sure of is that i can’t trust NONE of my first gut reactions ajdkdkd

and now we have reached The Scene™️ ,,, the culmination of everything,,, the yearning the pining the tension the misunderstandings,,,,, it’s just so [clenches fist] why are they so good

and i am once again spiraling bc if there were two different plots going on in this heist, this whole “did you work hard” conversation has even more double meanings aaaagghhh AM I READING TOO MUCH INTO THIS?????? if i am this 5000 word essay is about to be real embarrassing. anyways.

like originally i was just lasered in on the double meanings behind every fucking moment (and word and expression and body language augh) from joke’s side of the conversation and the pain it was bringing me even tho on the surface this is a super happy moment and they’re finally getting together etc,,, bc like from joke’s perspective this could very well be the end of them? he knows he’s done exactly what he did last time to snap their budding relationship in half, but this time there’s a million more promises in between for him to have broken.

like listen i know the yearning and the infamous microexpressions could just be because he’s been being crushed by the weight of his feelings for over five years, but idk man,,,, i was getting major bottling up The Sad™️ vibes from joke in this scene, even in it’s most tender moments (that soft little “together?” which was absolutely just in relation to candles and nothing else will haunt my dreams) and i don’t think it was Just his guilty conscience about lying even tho that is also obviously eating him alive right now. (him knocking back that drink when jack’s telling him about rosé and he’s gotta keep up the act and pretend he doesn’t already know what was said? all of it? and like it didn’t have him connecting the dots finally about the feelings being mutual? big fucking oof.) which brings us back to joke’s ever present ✨crippling lack of self-worth✨,,,,, i think he genuinely thinks this is the last time he’s going to have jack. because now on top of the guilt of What He’s Done, he thinks he’s upped the betrayal factor now that he has confirmation that jack likes him back. like based on jack’s reaction to the situation when they were barely just becoming friends, it’s understandable to assume that this broken promise would cut deeper.

and y’know in case that didn’t already deal me enough psychic damage, i think at the beginning of this conversation he just thinks it’s the last time he’s going to have jack from an emotional standpoint. and then jack is being brave and playful and straightforward (just like that first confession, which he also DIDN’T BELIEVE WAS POSSIBLE IN THE MOMENT goddddd im so emo) and he’s just like welp might as well have this last moment where he loves me for real to keep close to my chest for the rest of forever. and he’s ecstatic to have it like this boy is straight up glowing. the slow smiles, like he can’t believe he gets to have this. (which like. again. i think that he thinks he doesn’t which obviously i am feeling Very Normal about hahahaha)

then to round this all out we have That Kiss,,,,, like. whew. the absolute explosion of pent up feelings is seriously unmatched by any other bl (and possibly just like,,,, every drama) i have ever watched. but of course even with that i’m not done overthinking things because these mfs make me truly unhinged. like there is that fucking feral face joke makes when they pause for their forehead touch and instead of enjoying this beautiful and satisfying moment for more than five seconds, my brain would not let me live and was like “oh,,,, is this the moment where it hits him like a sack of bricks that this is maybe also the last time he gets to have jack from a physical as well as the originally presumed emotional standpoint? and maybe he should just choose to be selfish and let himself have this for once, if it’s going to be the last time?” bc hnnnn idk something about him in that tender moment just projected underlying grief to me and perhaps i am overthinking that! perhaps it’s just grief for time lost with a little dash of guilty conscience!

anyways then there’s,,,, the possibility of jack’s perspective on this also gaining a lot more nuance which i only even thought of as a concept in the middle of writing this insane manifesto for licherally over 3hrs so frankly! i am not even remotely emotionally or mentally equipped to handle The Implications of that! that is officially too many layers and changes my entire viewpoint of the microexpressions on jack’s face also and i simply cannot deal with it! i am already eating glass about them!! i am Looking Away!!!!

in conclusion, i am so so so so so so normal about them thank you for coming to my ted talk.

(if you sat through this, i’m so fucking sorry.)

[eldritch-elrics]

happy new year everyone! to celebrate the beginning of the new year at midnight, i.... did not do anything, because i didn't notice at all. i was too busy playing sh2r.........

anyway. i did the labyrinth today. as i may have mentioned, the labyrinth is my favorite level in og silent hill 2. this means that i have a lot of opinions about this segment. sh2r's labyrinth.... is hit or miss. that is to say, when it hits, it hits hard, but when it misses, it also misses hard.

first up, a surprise appearance! abstract daddy! holy shit! holy shit!!!! that was one intense boss fight, oh my god. the other bosses in the game so far have been pretty standard, not any more exciting than their og counterparts, but abstract daddy ramped it up a notch. for the most part, i loved all the changes they made. it felt like the dip into angela's otherworld was not just one little tangent in an otherwise unrelated segment, but a whole area in its own right. the environmental design was a highlight here: the fleshy, breathing walls, the huge pistons and machinery, the televisions projecting abuse, the artifacts that suggest domestic violence (smashed plates etc). the way that you're half running from abstract daddy and half fighting back! it felt like we got a better look into angela's psyche through this expanded vision of her otherworld, and that was great.

i think that the cutscene with angela was mostly the same as in the og? i'd have to look back at both side by side. i think this cutscene hit really differently for me this time around because i already know the game's twist - i was watching it and going "damn, that's a bit on the nose, angela," only to look at the og's script afterwards and discover that the line was the same in both versions, lmao.

it was a really, really interesting decision to put this scene before the maria jail cell scene. it completely changes both scenes in ways that i have complicated feelings about. i'll try to explain...

so, to me, the post-abstract-daddy cutscene kind of hinges on angela's accusation that james is only interested in one thing: that is, sex. (idk if this is really the most "important" part of the scene, but it's the one that i find most interesting in the greater labyrinths context.) both games give us a reason why it makes some sense for angela to make this accusation - a reason, that is, beyond the obvious fact that her trauma has caused her to see james's friendliness in a different light. in the remake, it feels like the whole thing is framed as a misunderstanding - james had that line in the park where he told angela he was looking for a little girl, angela took it the wrong way, and now she has fully built up a version of james in her mind where he's a sexual predator of some flavor. as players, we know that this is probably not true, but it still casts some doubt on james & his seeming good nature. was his relationship with mary really all it seems...? (spoiler alert: nope!)

in the original game, there is a layer beyond "trauma-informed misunderstanding" to angela's accusation that all james wants is sex. and that is the fact that, earlier in the level, maria says essentially the exact same thing. maria and angela make the same assumption about james, with extremely different tones.

i promise i have more to say about angela, but let me segue into the maria jail cell scene here for a moment. this was the only cutscene from the remake i'd seen before playing it! my out-of-context thoughts on that scene are posted here. anyway, as i've probably talked about before, one of the reasons why i like the cell scene so much is that it works as the setup for an elaborate joke that the game is playing on the player.

the joke basically goes like this:

james finds maria again, yay

maria tells james in no uncertain terms that they are going to fuck when he comes to find her again

james's reaction to this information is kind of ambiguous

the player, assuming they have bought into the sexiness of maria, goes through the whole grueling labyrinth segment determined to see maria again asap

this momentum is completely interrupted by abstract daddy, and especially by angela accusing james of being a sexual predator

if the player has bought into the idea that james is attracted to maria - or if they themself are attracted to maria - this is a "wait, what??" moment. it's a "making the gooners self-conscious" moment (sorry). "joke" is perhaps not the right word, but it's a rug pull. you thought you were getting sex? nope! you're getting Feeling Uncomfortable About Sex! and i think that is just great.

going back to angela, this is the second layer to her assumption that james wants sex. in the original game, to the player, angela seems like she's hit on something that might very well be true. regardless of what james thinks about all this - and i think the game deliberately suggests very little about what james thinks about all this! - he's gotten himself into a sexually charged situation with maria. this, perhaps, causes the player to rethink some things about angela. if her instincts are right, and james is pretty sex-driven, should we take her more seriously when she accuses james of infidelity and (indirectly) murder? this whole thing with maria sure resonates with angela's accusation that "you probably found someone else."

and i just think that that part of the scene hits harder if we've already seen james have this semi-sexual moment with maria. it's surprising! it's a bait and switch!

consider, then, what's different if james is mentally carrying all of angela's accusations - you only care about sex, you probably left your wife for someone else - into his interactions with maria in the labyrinth. of course he's going to deny that he wants to touch her, even if his face tells us he's conflicted! of course he's going to catch himself when he's "too" emotional over her death! it paints the whole thing in a different light. and it's an emotionally nuanced and realistic light, certainly. but man... the overall emotional arc of james here is a bit flatter & darker because of this change. and i do like how the original is a bit more ambiguous about james's feelings for maria, even if i completely accept this version as well.

to sum up, you could say that the placement of the scenes in the original gives players both more of a surprise, and more doubt about james's character thanks to angela's instincts seeming more immediately on-point. in the remake, however, the scene order feels like it moreso makes james doubt himself.

my other big question is about how to read maria's line change in this scene in this new context - from "Come and get me. I can't do anything through these bars" to "Well, if you happen to make up your mind… I'll be waiting." in the remake's version of the scene in general, she seems much less flirty & assured of his attention, and i think that is sad - i like how she comes off as totally manipulative in the original (and imo for reasons that are very sympathetic!). but it's interesting to see her more subdued & harder to read in this reworking. i take the line change as an indication of her stronger, more equal relationship with james in the remake: even though she needs him to like her, she's been doing that by building a legitimate relationship with him. she doesn't feel as strong a need to play the sex card as forcefully as possible... if that makes sense.

it kind of makes me wonder what the remake team would do if they were given the opportunity to completely rewrite the jail cell scene. now of course they can't do that, as it's possibly the most iconic scene in the game, but... i'm curious! would maria be warmer? less completely inscrutable/mysterious? would they be able to do more story-wise with the scene switch?

of course, an extremely plausible answer for why the scene order is switched around is so that players don't have to do two bosses back to back. but that switch creates some interesting story implications!

anyway. i sure do start talking a lot when maria is involved...

all that being said... let me talk about the actual content of the labyrinths!

so i think that... the nicest way i can put this is that i & the remake devs have different opinions about what the labyrinth's core gimmick is. to me, the most important thing about the labyrinth is the way it represents a complete break from the design of the levels that have come before. you are now in a lawless place. there is no map. apart from the one required to open up maria's room, there are no puzzles. this is silent hill 2 stripped of all flourishes and signifiers. you don't know where you are, or what's going on. you just have to get out and find maria.

the remake adds puzzles. worse, it adds multiple sections to the labyrinth!

i'll start by acknowledging that, visual design wise, all of these elements are extremely fucking cool. the redesign of the turning box puzzle is legitimately fantastic - the escher vibes are perfect, and i love how it's scaled up to a terrifying size. the remake certainly understands that a core part of the labyrinths' horror is how they look manmade, but don't correspond to any sort of building you might find in reality - a contrast to the rest of the game, which is set in extremely mundane, recognizable locations turned horrific by what has been added to or subtracted from them.

but... puzzles? the "rotten" section of the new labyrinth (sorry i keep switching between singular and plural for "labyrinth;" either feels like it fits wrt the remake) is just kind of... bad, in my opinion. like, taken out of context it's fine. visually it's great - i loved the dead body thing (??) wrapped in bandages where you never actually get to see what it is. and the fridge filled with guts!! and so many new things for james to stick his hand in! (really funny that this is like, a running joke in the remake now?) but having to collect items, collect keys, use them all in a centralized location to move on to the next segment... that's the sort of gameplay we've been doing all game. that's standard shit. this absolutely should not be part of the one level that is defined by how it completely does away with all of the "standard shit."

i think there's also a more psychological reason why the labyrinth should not be a long, puzzle-filled level. this is the same reason why i think i'm ultimately okay with the remake moving the position of the prisoner puzzle. that is: i believe that the labyrinth gets rid of (most) of the thinky stuff because the game wants you to focus on the fact that you have to get to maria. and it's a trek to get there, but there's not too much to distract you... until you get to abstract daddy, that is.

anyway... the "desolate" section was pretty good. felt like the og labyrinth! except with a sort of blue filter over everything? idk about that choice. it's interesting how pyramid head's lair isn't optional this time - there's something to be said about the power of making the coolest things missable, and it seems like the remake is often pretty scared to keep the missable things missable. and speaking of missing things, i really missed this james commentary:

i really liked how you can just see pyramid head standing and watching you from behind the bars here though.

finally, the "ruined" section. the visuals in this bit were really awesome, but overall i think this part sucks ass. as i've said, i do like the combat in the remake, but having a forced enemy gauntlet kind of area (or any moment outside of boss fights in which you have to kill the enemies) is simply not in the spirit of silent hill. thumbs down!

which brings us to the end of the labyrinth, and fortunately two really great moments. the first one is: james holding (dead) maria's hand!!!

my heart!!

as opposed to the original scene, where he just kind of says "mary..." out of nowhere, the remake gives a little context to that line: he stops crying, and sobers up a little, and turns away before going "mary." it extremely reads like him accepting maria's death (or rather... telling himself that he shouldn't be so sad over maria's death) because his ultimate objective is still to find mary. another james repression win...

this is an interesting interpretation! even though it gives james a clearer (and also more nuanced) emotional progression in this scene, it also still leaves open the avenues for both the "in water" and "maria" endings - your actions as a player decide whether or not james ends up repressing/rejecting his feelings about maria or not.

(also: i wonder why the door leading to maria says "208" on it? gotta think about that another time)

finally (yes this is the last thing for real this time) - continuing from the remake's tendency to make previously missable/optional weapons/areas required... pyramid head's sword is now required for one final puzzle!

i thought this whole bit was GREAT. i don't really mind that you don't get to keep the sword (it's a cheese option anyway, lol), and moreover i fucking love the symbolism of james dragging pyramid head's sword through the sea of monstrous hands. as a figment of james's psyche, pyramid head's role is to cut down distractions in james's path - whether that means dispatching other monsters, or killing maria over and over. to have james be the one to take the sword and cut a path forward shows that he is on his way to, you could say, being his own pyramid head. moving forward without maria. literally cutting himself out of the abyss of his mind. and of course... the next stop is literally into his own grave... so i think that is a really fun symbolic progression!

[snowangeldotmp3]

idk when babylon became a comfort movie for me but. here we are.

anyways. did you guys know that babylon comes from the akkadian word “babilu” meaning “gate of god.” however in the biblical narrative of babylon, it’s a center of sin and evil. hence, the name of the movie being babylon. losangeles is the “city of stars” and “city of dreams”but here, even in its excess, it’s presented as this twisted, evil city where your dreams can come true, but there will always, always be a price. truly i will never understand people who watch this movie for a semi-truthful narrative about hollywood before sound. because that’s not what it is. this is nowhere near what it is! sure, these characters are based on real people and there are real world movies used and referenced in this film, but during no part of this movie does it claim to be like, actually historical. this is historical fiction, this is a story with something to say. idk like. i know a lot of people turned away from this movie because it's gross and beyond disgusting and a distorted look at hollywood pre-talking movies but like. that is the point. it's to show you the evil. why do you think it opens up with that wild party???

do you know two other things the historical/biblical babylon is famous for? the tower of babel and the figure, hammurabi. the tower of babel, of course, is where the babylonians were trying to build a tower so they could reach god & the heavens, only for god to destroy the tower and scramble the languages so nobody spoke the same language after. this time around while watching i couldn’t help but wonder if that part was here in the film, too. because around that halfway mark is when the downfall begins, talking pictures are introduced, after we’ve spent this last hour and a half or so in the grandeur of the stars and their silent movies, trying to reach the heavens—their godhood; their fame—only for it to all come crashing down once talking pictures come onto the scene. talking pictures and the public here being our metaphorical “god” that will tear these silent movie stars down. 

hammurabi, of course, created hammurabi’s code. you know, “an eye for an eye, tooth for tooth,” that guy. i think this movie has traces of that, too. mostly in terms of everyone in this movie has to give something—some part of themselves—up or away. they give, the movies take. an eye (the actor) for an eye (the viewer, the audience) 

(this is also a bit of a stretch, but the animal of historical babylon was a lion. “the lion of babylon.”  and MGM makes quite a few appearances throughout the movie. their logo, quite famously, is the roaring lion.) 

there are some other things too, completely unrelated to the historical babylon, that i can’t help but notice. and one of these things is that: there’s a musical motif here that sounds incredibly similar to a few notes of “someone in the crowd” from la la land. i don’t know if this was intentional on justin hurwitz’s part, or completely accidental, but i think that the musical motif accidentally connects la la land and babylon to one another. that, and the fact that mia and sebastian’s theme and nellie and manny’s theme also sound similar. there’s a connection there that i haven’t been able to make just yet, other than the fact that both couples end, and both couples are kind of doomed. both themes are short and sweet, lively and melancholic at the same time; they know they can’t last, but they’ll always love each other. hell, the ending of babylon is manny reminiscing on his time with nellie, because watching singin in the rain brings back all of these memories of her, and of the work they put in all those years ago. (it does, also, call to memory elinor st. john’s speech from a bit earlier—how a child in 50 years will remember them, and how their ghosts will dine together. i think it’s important to remember that 1.) by the end of the film, we know that jack, elinor, and nellie have died. sidney and lady fay have not, but we don’t see them, either. 2.) there was, famously, a lot fire—quite a few, actually, because it was nitrate film—which destroyed like, most of all silent films.) either way. if mia and sebastian’s theme is melancholy and nostalgic, nellie and manny’s theme could be considered a ghost, as it’s played frequently throughout the film. perhaps it’s nellie haunting manny even before she dances off in the night, just like she said she would. 

sorry this got kind of long….i could pick apart this movie forever <3

[red-dyed-sarumane]

can you tell me about your oc cats 🥺

THE CATS MY BELOVEDS

technically i have like 7 cat ocs but i think everyone knows "the cats" specifically refers to these two. white/brown is feisha calico is fushia.

they are unrelated by blood!!!!!!! entirely!!!!!!!!!!

feisha's originally from the north west of the country fushia's from the south east. feisha ran away from home fushia went on a journey with their family's support. they met somewhere in the middle when they were around 12. feisha was really hesitant to open up at first but fushia's pretty warm & persistent & they ended up becoming friends.

they both may have had regional accents at the time but otherwise their speech patterns were what u'd expect from someone their age. that gradually changed over time they both have a rather odd manner of speaking now. which started as either of them saying phrases to entertain themself & the other picking it up & bc they spend so much time together it just evolved into this whole thing. they come across as rather formal at first until u really listen to what theyre saying & then u realize its the most casual statements ever in the most bizarre word choice for the situation. in eng this is mostly like what u'd expect from an incorrect period drama tea party scene. but its not act theyre just like that. as i was saying earlier im not sure how i want to handle it in jpn but i think having them use formal typically only written phrases might work. maybe. they're very playful tho despite seeming formal they'll both sneak in a meow or nya every once in a while. in eng they add "dear" before each other's names when they address or speak about each other. have not decided what jpn term i want to use yet.

i said they became friends as kids but their current relationship is undefined. up to interpretation. if u as the audience think theyre dating or married or should be ur free to feel so. if u think theyre just really good friends thats just as fine. the only term they claim is "partners" and thats not in a romantic way thats in an oc world specific way to describe the person u trust deeply & work well with on long journeys & during fights. the term is completely removed from romantic or sexual connotations. all that matters is knowing they are, at this point, so close to each other & find each other so important they would sacrifice their own morals if it meant saving the other. they are exceptionally close.

despite many of the kemonomimi ocs in oc world being deities or demigods neither of the cats are! theyre just normal people. that said a lot of the locals in their area dont believe that and call them the forest trickster gods. they both find that amusing.

they dont actually live in town they built a house in a tree below canopy level in one of the forests where the canopy is essentially a second ground. the nearest town(city?) it literally built on top of the tree canopy.

they have the white interior aesthetic going on. i cannot say minimalistic bc these two love to collect things. they have so many plushies in their room. so many. but white & silver is the main color scheme.

having opposite abilities is a coincidence but they both love that. they love to use it to trick & play pranks on people. feisha can control light & fushia can control darkness (not really shadow so much as the absence of light). scares the absolute shit out of anyone not expecting it but they dont mean any real harm unless u threaten them first. they just like playing.

fushia is naturally heterochromatic feisha is not. they wear one brown contact so they match with fushia.

i said their house's color scheme is white & silver but their fave colors are green (feisha) & pink (fushia). this is reflected more in their clothes then their other things however.

speaking of their clothes they both wear & look good in nearly anything but in particular fushia's black sweater they tie around their shoulders is a gift from feisha. likewise feisha's star necklace is a gift from fushia. neither Always have them on but they frequently do

they arent always together they're fine doing errands or outings separately but they like being together to meet up with friends and especially if they're going on a long trip. its fine to treat them as a package deal but they dont have codependency issues (boring)

related to the first point feisha is not in contact with their family since they left but fushia's checks in with them from time to time. feisha doesnt necessarily get along with fushia's family. usually its not a problem but prolonged stays will have them unusually moody. that said they still maintain the same odd speaking habit. IF feisha had to deal with their own family again that would probably be the only time they get so upset they drop the usual speaking habits and use more normal language. it would shock fushia so much to see they wouldnt know how to react in the moment.

theyre both good friends with viridia. feisha in particular sympathizes with her family problems. the three of them get together decently often

they are perhaps the most put together & functional of any of my ocs

[tellurian-in-aristasia]

What I Used To Know

It's been a few days over a year since I started this blog, to archive my obsessive research about the girls from Aristasia. Just before I started this blog, I thought I knew a lot about Aristasia, and I most certainly knew more than most, but most probably know nothing or next to nothing about that world. I was under the impression that Aristasia was something of a nebulous online subculture. Something like otherkin, otakukin, and people who claim to be actual vampires. A loose group of people of varying degrees of true believer, coming together to roleplay a fantasy world that they may or may not believe in. I knew about The Pit and The Void and the Provinces and Blondes and Brunettes.

I understood that this particular online subculture had it's roots before the internet, with the 1996 Miss Martindale documentary, and I was aware of their connection to an earlier "pagan" sect that was related to the mother-god website, as well as their connections to Romantia, which I mostly understood involved dressing like a Victorian and disliking modern pop culture. I knew about the St. Bride's School and their 1980s computer game company. I knew about the whips and canes, everyone knows about the whips and canes. I knew that Miss Martindale was something of a spokestress or celebrity in the community since the early days, and was aware that she was still working behind the scenes even in the Chelouranya days, in some capacity. But I really had no idea how the different eras connected to each other. I assumed the 1980s endeavors where all just something Miss Martindale, and perhaps some long-time members, did, unrelated to modern day Aristasia. Just a past chapter in their lives that got wrapped up under the header: "Interesting facts about Aristasia". I didn't know about the underlying philosophy of Lux Madriana that tied all of these things together. I didn't know that the X-rated 1980s Jack the Ripper computer game speaks at length about the concept of The Age of Iron and The Golden Chain. I didn't know that the population of Aristasia was significantly smaller than it appeared at first. I didn't really know about the masked woman previously named Priscilla Langridge (although I'd undoubtedly read her name in conjunction with the St. Bride's School) who was their spiritual leaderess and perhaps authoress of nearly everything ever written by the Aristasians. I didn't know that Cure Dolly wasn't actually a very young girl who was just enthusiastic about teaching Japanese, but a nearly 70 year old Priscilla Langridge under, yet another, mask. There are many things I still don't know, and many things I'll never know. And I change my opinion on what I do and do not know quite frequently. But it seems like there are always things to learn.

[tortoisesshells]

if you were in control of a dark shadows adaption (or, hypothetically, could alter the original; whichever you find more interesting to think about!) what does your ideal version of 1795 look like? are there things you would change? things you’d want to keep?

Let me preface this by saying I do genuinely like or appreciate a lot of the 1795 arc! When it's at its best, it's a tragedy born out of hubris and the terrible things we'll do for the people we love (or the terrible things we'll do to hold on to love. or the problem of love without respect). I'm up to episode 741, and the confrontation between Joshua and Barnabas over the latter's coffin is still one of the best scenes in the show, for my money. That said; Broadly speaking, most of my problems with 1795 either have to do with characterization, or with historical context: that DS's unwillingness to delve into historical realities undercuts its ability to talk about monsters, and that it completely mishandles Vicki to the point of functionally ruining the nominal main character (who, to be fair, was already being pushed out).

Historical Context: DS loves the past, conceptually, but it really doesn't deal in historical conditions, and that's on full display in 1795 - witchcraft trials? zippers? claiming a house built in the early 20th century, with the attendant architectural style, was actually built in the years leading up to 1795? okay. I forgive that, because we do live, narratively, in a world with witches and vampires and curses and passenger rail service north of Portland, ME after 1965 - and in a make-believe world where the costumes are as good as a budget of a crisp single and a pb&j can make 'em. I say this mostly lovingly: DS simply is not the kind of show that cares about historical plausibility, let alone accuracy. Plus, Reverend Trask was great, and on the basis of giving Jerry Lacy scenery to chew on, the witchcraft trial plotline is excused.

More seriously and damningly, I do think it's a glaring omission on a show being made and aired in the late 1960s to have three characters said to be from the (fictional) wealthiest family of planters and enslavers on Martinique and have that go unexamined and unpacked, especially when commentary on class in Collinsport has been a constant undercurrent (sometimes more of an under-trickle, or under-vague-breeze) since episode one - and because Joshua Collins is very explicit about how beneficial the connection between the two families will be for the Collinses, who always need cargo for their ships. [Since David Ford's here, you'll forgive the reference to 1776: "Molasses to Rum" playing vaguely in the background] But that's the problem with Post-Barnabas DS. Since there's a Collins running around befanged and literally drinking the blood of others, the show's lost interest in discussing how, exactly, the Collinses became wealthy and powerful, beyond the odd occasional reference to the fishing fleet and cannery or, in 1795, the shipyards. We've got a real vampire, what do we need all that metaphorical monstrosity and class/race/gender analysis for?

As a choice the show's made, I think it fundamentally undercuts one of the show's most reliable and interesting points of commentary: how charming and human some monsters are, or that humanity and monstrosity are not entirely mutually exclusive conditions.

also speaking of monstrosity. the show excuses Barnabas for so much outright evil because he preys on sex workers, primarily, and other assorted poor men and women of Collinsport, who the show ... doesn't really see as people. but that's a separate but not unrelated rant.

Characterization: really, this is about Vicki. So much of what I dislike about 1795 has to do with Vicki's characterization changing for the worse (granted, I think this problem starts much earlier, but see digression a below) once she hits the ground in 1795, AND that the 1795 arc continuously insulates her from the important parts of DS's narrative. If the whole point of Vicki landing in the past was to explain how it all began (whether that's Barnabas's vampirism, or the opening of the great house at Collinwood - Sarah's ghostly goals are unclear here), she's party to neither: Vicki spends very little time in Collinwood, and is kept completely apart from even a hint of knowledge that Barnabas is a vampire. In effect: Vicki, as nominal main character, gets sent into the past, but not as a character - she's just a windowpane, or a magic mirror as far as her importance to the narrative goes. Which is unfortunate for her, because as a character taking up space, she's given screen-time without agency, intelligence, or inner life. The only change that being dragged by her puppet strings through 1795 effects in Vicki Winters is a rope-burn from a failed hanging, an infected gunshot wound, and a I-wish-he-were-more-permanently-dead rebound boyfriend whose response to Vicki panicking about being hanged was to slap her for being hysterical.

Forgive me for being unimpressed.

As far as fixing it goes - there's where I've been striking out. She's fatally passive in 1795 as written. Why doesn't Vicki try to figure out how to get back to her present? (and if she doesn't, perhaps ... gesture at why Vicki might feel like there's not a lot to return to in the present? She nearly jumped from Widows' Hill about 10 episodes before 1795 started.) Why does Vicki persist in making herself suspicious, when she was introduced as a character hampered more by inexperience than true ignorance? In the idea 1795 that lives in my head, why wouldn't Vicki try to figure out who the real witch was, because - given her experiences with the supernatural! - surely a witch might be any help in getting her out of the 18th century and back into the present? End of day, she needs a real plot which doesn't end with her in prison unconnected to the Collinses. Whether that's searching for an escape hatch back to the Swinging Sixties, or Sarah's ghost giving her clear instructions - some kind of a goal! - Vicki either shouldn't exist in 1795 (recycle Moltke as another Collins sibling? that would add a wrinkle to the question of Vicki's antecedents) or she has to be given something to do.

&, finally ...

Digression A: In fairness to the 1795 arc, I think the arc was only following a pattern of characterization and plot involvement that started with Barnabas's arrival: first, that Vicki initially wasn't really involved in the Barnabas plot because she was more involved with the Liz & Jason plot, and, unfortunately for Vicki, everyone still talks about Barnabas, where no one (alas for Patrick and Bennett!) talks up the blackmail thing; second, I think, that the one-two punch of the definitive end of the era of metaphorical monsters & the Burke recast meant that a lot of the dramatic tension that Vicki was carrying either got dismissed or dissipated. We're not playing Jane Eyre any more, we're doing Dracula: Vicki's relationship with Roger and David no longer bears any dramatic weight. We've completely sidelined the question of Vicki's origins, so whether or not Liz is her mother doesn't matter (and the revelation and dismissal of Liz's not-actually-monstrous conduct sort of defangs that relationship, too? oh, Liz isn't actually a murderer? so mother or not, there's no strain on her relationship with the conspicuously virtuous Vicki.). Burke's no longer threatening to burn down Collinsport for revenge, and all of his various relationships with the Collinses or Collinsport denizens have gotten abruptly normalized, so there's no tension to his relationship with Vicki any more: he's rich (don't ask where the money came from), he's in love with her, and now he's chummy with all her friends/stand-in family members. He doesn't even have conversations that are totally just about pens or guns with Roger, for god's sake. The show kicked out all the pillars Victoria Winters as a character had been built on, and it only gets worse after 1795. No wonder Moltke left.

[shiorihyugawrites]

Tides of Fate

In a world where powerful creatures known as sirens come to the shores of Paradis, the scouts are thrust into an unexpected alliance—one that is sealed through an ancient and seductive bonding ritual. Each siren has chosen a mate, and through their connection, the scouts are granted extraordinary powers.

As the bonds grow Mikasa’s jealousy threatens to unravel her. But the real danger lies not just in broken hearts, but in the lurking threat of Marley and those who seek to capture the sirens for their gain.

Power, desire, and duty collide, forcing the Scouts to navigate new emotions and alliances in ways they never imagined. Through danger, love, and sacrifice, the tides of fate will decide if their world will rise or fall. (Eren, Levi, Floch, Jean, Armin, Connie, Bertholdt, Reiner x OCs)

Chapter 10: The Night the Bonds Deepened

As the night deepened, the waves crashed softly against the shore, the salty air growing cooler as the moon began to rise higher into the sky. The scouts had set up a small camp on the beach, the flicker of firelight casting long shadows over the sand. The earlier tension from Mikasa’s outburst had mostly dissipated, but the weight of what had happened still lingered in the air.

The sirens, now resting comfortably alongside their chosen mates, had grown quieter as the night wore on. Even their usual playfulness was subdued as the rhythmic sound of the ocean seemed to lull them into a more relaxed state. Still, their connection to the sea pulled at them. The ocean was where they drew their strength, where they would need to return to rest. For now, the moonpool awaited them.

Luna, standing tall beside Eren, glanced out at the water, her gaze calm and thoughtful. “It’s getting late,” she said, her voice steady. “We need to return to the sea. The ocean is where we rest and gather our strength.”

Eren didn’t say much, but he gave a subtle nod, his expression unreadable as always.

Aria, lounging nearby with her usual flirty smirk, gave a soft sigh. “Do we really have to go now?” she asked, glancing at Levi with a playful gleam in her eyes. “I was just getting comfortable.”

Levi raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. “You need the sea to recharge, don’t you? You’ll be useless otherwise.”

Aria pouted, though there was still that teasing light in her eyes. “Oh, Captain, you’re always so practical. But I suppose you’re right… I do need my beauty sleep.” She batted her eyelashes at him one last time before stretching lazily, though she clearly wasn’t in any rush to leave.

Meanwhile, Bria was in a very different mood. She was still sprawled across Floch’s lap, her arms wrapped around his neck, refusing to let him go. Her lips were locked against his, her hands tangled in his hair, and she didn’t seem to care that the other sirens had begun to talk about heading back to the sea.

Floch, despite his usual cocky attitude, looked completely overwhelmed. His face was flushed, and he was clearly struggling to keep up with Bria’s unrelenting affection. Every time he tried to pull back to catch his breath, Bria pulled him right back in, her kisses growing more passionate by the second.

Jean and Connie exchanged glances, trying not to laugh at the sight. “Man, Floch really doesn’t stand a chance,” Jean muttered under his breath, shaking his head.

Connie snickered. “She’s not letting him go anytime soon, huh?”

Bria, between kisses, whispered against Floch’s lips, her voice sultry and filled with playful affection. “I’m not ready to say goodnight yet, Floch. I want more…”

Floch, barely managing to catch his breath, stammered, “I-I don’t… I mean—”

Before he could finish, Luna sighed softly and glanced at the other sirens. “Bria, we need to return to the sea. It’s time to rest.”

Bria, clearly reluctant, groaned in frustration but didn’t stop kissing Floch. “Just a little longer,” she muttered, her hands still roaming over him. “I’m not done yet.”

Aria chuckled, watching the scene unfold with amusement. “You’re insatiable, Bria. You know you’ll see him again tomorrow.”

Bria pouted, her lips still brushing against Floch’s as she reluctantly pulled away, just a fraction. “But I don’t want to wait until tomorrow,” she whined, her voice dripping with playful frustration.

Floch, his face still bright red, tried to speak, but Bria kissed him again, her lips soft but demanding. He let out a muffled sound, clearly unsure of what to do as the other scouts looked on in varying degrees of disbelief and amusement.

Finally, Luna stepped forward, her voice firm but not unkind. “Bria, that’s enough. You’ll have plenty of time with him later. For now, we need to rest.”

Bria sighed dramatically, her eyes filled with longing as she finally pulled back from Floch, though her hands remained firmly around his neck. “Fine,” she muttered, clearly unhappy about it. “But I’m coming back for more tomorrow, Floch.”

Floch, still too flustered to respond coherently, nodded quickly, his voice barely a whisper. “Y-yeah… sure…”

The other sirens, already preparing to return to the water, exchanged knowing glances, clearly entertained by Bria’s antics. Caspia and Solara giggled softly, while Melody and Sera shared a quiet smile.

“Come on, Bria,” Aria teased, her voice light and playful. “We all need to rest. The ocean’s calling.”

Reluctantly, Bria finally stood up, though not without giving Floch one last, lingering kiss. “Goodnight, Floch,” she whispered, her lips brushing against his ear. “Dream about me.”

Floch nodded, still looking utterly dazed as Bria sauntered back toward the water, joining the other sirens as they began to wade into the sea.

The scouts, now left to themselves, watched as the sirens disappeared beneath the waves, their shimmering tails flashing briefly in the moonlight before they were gone.

Jean let out a long breath, shaking his head. “Well, that was… something.”

Connie grinned, clearly still amused by the whole scene. “Floch didn’t know what hit him.”

Armin, though quieter, couldn’t help but smile. “They’re… different. But I guess that’s what makes them so interesting.”

Levi, ever the pragmatist, gave a small sigh, already turning his attention back to more practical matters. “We should get some rest too. Tomorrow’s not going to be any easier.”

The scouts, still reeling from the day’s events, slowly began to settle into their camp for the night, the sound of the waves lapping at the shore lulling them into a tentative calm. The fire crackled softly as they gathered around it, each of them still processing everything that had happened. 

The moon hung high in the sky, casting a pale glow over the beach, while the gentle sound of the waves provided a backdrop to their thoughts. The sirens had disappeared back into the sea for the night, but their presence still weighed heavily on everyone’s minds.

Jean, always one to break the silence first, let out a long breath, leaning back on his hands as he stared into the flames. “So… are we all just going to pretend none of this is weird? Because I’m still trying to wrap my head around the fact that we’re supposed to ‘bond’ with sirens.” He shot a glance over at Floch, who was still red in the face, clearly not over the intensity of Bria’s affections.

Connie snickered, nudging Floch with his elbow. “Yeah, Floch’s already well on his way. You’ve got it bad, man.”

Floch groaned, running a hand through his hair, clearly flustered but also trying to maintain some semblance of composure. “Look, I didn’t ask for this,” he muttered, though his voice wavered. “Bria’s… she’s just a lot.”

“A lot?” Connie laughed, his grin wide. “She’s all over you, man. I’ve never seen you like this.”

Jean leaned forward, his expression serious, though there was a hint of amusement in his eyes. “Yeah, but are you okay with it? I mean, it’s not just about her being into you. We’re talking about bonding with sirens, becoming stronger… becoming different.”

Floch hesitated, his eyes flickering toward the sea before returning to the fire. “I don’t know,” he admitted quietly. “I mean, the idea of getting stronger, of becoming better—it sounds good. But it’s… a lot to take in.” He shifted awkwardly. “Bria’s intense. She knows what she wants, and she doesn’t hold back. It’s kind of overwhelming.”

Jean nodded, thoughtful. “Yeah, that’s what I’m worried about too. Solara’s… well, she’s something. But this whole bonding thing, it’s more than just physical. It’s a lifetime connection, right? I’m not sure if any of us really understand what that means.”

Connie, who had been unusually quiet for a moment, glanced at Jean, his grin fading slightly. “Yeah, Caspia’s been flirty and fun, but… I don’t know, man. There’s something more to it. I’m just not sure what that is yet. It’s like they know something we don’t.”

Armin, always the voice of reason, sat with his knees drawn up to his chest, his brow furrowed in deep thought. “The sirens aren’t just picking us randomly. They see something in each of us—something that makes us the right choice for them. But we’re still learning about what that bond really means.”

Jean crossed his arms, his face tight with concern. “And that’s the part that’s hard to figure out. What do they see in us? And why now? I mean, we’re in the middle of a war. How are we even certain that bonding with these sirens will help us win in the long run?”

Armin shook his head. “From what we know, the bond makes us stronger, faster, and more capable in battle. The sirens want protection, and in return, they make us into better warriors. It’s a symbiotic relationship. But it’s not just about the physical power—we’d be connected to them emotionally too. We can’t forget that.”

Levi, who had been sitting in silence throughout the conversation, finally spoke up, his voice low and calm. “It’s a commitment. You bond with them, and you’re tied to them for life. It’s not something you can walk away from.”

Aria’s flirtations clearly hadn’t gone unnoticed by him, but Levi’s practical nature kept him grounded. He didn’t get swept up in emotions easily, and that made him a harder target for Aria’s charms. Still, even Levi seemed to recognize the gravity of what they were being asked to do.

“So, Captain,” Connie asked with a grin, “what’s it like being chased by Aria? She’s been all over you.”

Levi shot him a look that could have cut through stone. “It’s annoying.”

Connie laughed, but quickly sobered. “But seriously, what do we do? Are we supposed to just go along with it? It feels like we’re walking into something big, and we don’t even know the full story.”

Eren, who had been quiet for most of the night, finally spoke, his voice flat and devoid of emotion. “It’s not about what we want anymore. The sirens picked us for a reason. We’re stronger with them. That’s the reality.”

Jean frowned, looking over at Eren. “You sound pretty sure about this.”

“I am,” Eren replied, his eyes cold. “Luna isn’t lying. She sees strength in me, and she’ll make me stronger. I don’t need to know more than that. What we’re doing now, what’s coming next—it’s all that matters.”

Armin glanced at Eren, concern flickering in his eyes. “But Eren, this isn’t just about becoming stronger. There’s more to this bond than just power.”

Eren didn’t respond, his gaze fixed on the fire, his mind clearly elsewhere.

Jean sighed, leaning back again. “This is all happening so fast. One minute we’re just trying to fight Titans, the next we’re being told we’re supposed to bond with sirens and become some kind of super soldiers.”

Connie grinned, trying to lighten the mood. “Hey, at least we’ve got some of the most beautiful women in the world picking us, right?”

Floch groaned. “That’s not making this any easier, Connie.”

The group fell into a comfortable silence after that, each of them staring into the fire, lost in their own thoughts. The night had brought more questions than answers, and though they had agreed to the sirens’ proposal, the weight of that decision was only just beginning to settle in.

The bonds they were about to form would change them—forever. And none of them could say for sure what that would mean in the long run.

As the scouts sat in their contemplative silence, the flickering fire casting shadows over their faces, Jean happened to glance at Floch who was fixing his collar. He did a double take, his eyes widening in disbelief.

“Uh… Floch,” Jean said, trying to stifle a laugh, “are you aware that your neck is… red?”

Connie turned to look, then burst out laughing, his voice echoing across the beach. “Oh man! You’ve got hickies all over your neck! She really went to town on you, didn’t she?”

Floch’s face flushed deep red as he instinctively reached up to touch his neck. His fingers brushed over the marks Bria had left behind, and he winced slightly, his lips still feeling sore from the onslaught of kisses. “I… it’s not like I had a choice,” he muttered defensively, trying to pull the collar of his jacket up to hide the evidence. “She’s… intense.”

Jean shook his head in disbelief, leaning forward to get a better look. “Intense? That’s one way to put it. It looks like you barely made it out alive.”

Connie was practically doubled over in laughter at this point. “Bro, she ate you up! Look at those marks! You’re like a chew toy!”

Floch groaned, his face still beet red as he tried to shrink into himself, clearly embarrassed by the attention. “It’s not funny, okay? She’s… persistent.”

Armin, ever the more thoughtful one, raised an eyebrow but couldn’t hide the hint of amusement in his voice. “I’ve never seen someone leave so many… uh, marks in one night.”

Jean couldn’t hold back his grin as he continued to poke fun. “Man, if this is what ‘bonding’ is like with the sirens, I don’t know if I’m ready for it.”

Floch shot him a glare, though his flustered expression made it hard for anyone to take him seriously. “You’re laughing now, but just wait until your siren starts getting that clingy.”

“Yeah, but none of us are wearing our battle scars like you are,” Connie added, wiping a tear from the corner of his eye.

Even Levi, sitting quietly to the side, couldn’t entirely suppress the brief flicker of amusement in his eyes. “Next time, try to defend yourself better.”

Floch let out a sigh, rubbing the back of his neck where Bria’s marks were most prominent. “I tried. Believe me. But when she gets going, there’s no stopping her.”

Jean chuckled again, shaking his head. “Well, if this is what we’re in for, maybe we should be worried. Bria looks like she could take on a Titan with how she’s handling you.”

Floch mumbled something under his breath, clearly too embarrassed to respond.

Despite the teasing, the scouts couldn’t deny that Floch’s experience with Bria had given them all a glimpse into just how intense their relationships with the sirens might become. The playful banter was a welcome distraction, but underlying it all was the realization that the bonds they were forming went far deeper than mere attraction.

Armin, always one to bring the conversation back to a serious note, glanced around at the others, his voice soft but thoughtful. “You know, what Floch’s going through… it’s more than just physical. The sirens are attaching themselves to us emotionally too. This bond we’re talking about isn’t just about what happens on the surface.”

Jean nodded, his earlier grin fading as he considered Armin’s words. “Yeah. And once the bond is formed, we’re in it for life, right? We’re not just getting stronger—we’re getting tied to them in ways we don’t fully understand yet.”

Connie, finally calming down from his fit of laughter, nodded in agreement. “It’s not just Bria and Floch. They all seem… really invested. Like they’ve chosen us for something more.”

Floch, still rubbing at his neck, sighed. “I’m starting to realize that.” His tone was a mixture of awe and nervousness. “She’s not just interested in me. She’s serious.”

Levi’s gaze sharpened as he looked at each of them, his voice low but commanding. “You should all be prepared for what’s coming. These sirens aren’t just playing games. They’re after something real. And once you bond, there’s no going back.”

The gravity of Levi’s words settled over the group, and the fire crackled softly in the background as they all fell into a more somber mood. The bonds they were forming with the sirens would change them—not just physically, but emotionally, and perhaps in ways they couldn’t yet foresee.

As they sat in the firelight, the marks on Floch’s neck and the swollen state of his lips served as a reminder that their lives were about to be altered in ways they hadn’t anticipated.

The fire continued to crackle and the scouts exchanged banter, Connie’s eyes wandered across the group, his grin widening when he spotted something that made him snort with laughter again. “Oh no way… Reiner!” he exclaimed, leaning forward, his voice filled with mock disbelief. “Don’t tell me Rue’s been all over you too!”

Reiner, who had been sitting quietly off to the side, stiffened visibly at Connie’s comment. His usually stoic expression betrayed a hint of embarrassment as he shifted awkwardly, rubbing his neck with one hand. The glow from the firelight revealed it all—swollen lips and a few faint, but unmistakable, hickies along his collarbone and neck. 

Jean, catching on to Connie’s discovery, raised an eyebrow and leaned in. “Reiner too? Man, I didn’t think Rue was that intense.”

Connie burst out laughing, pointing at Reiner’s neck. “Looks like Floch’s not the only chew toy around here! Rue’s been working you over, huh?”

Reiner’s face flushed a deep shade of red, though he tried to keep his expression neutral. “It’s… nothing,” he muttered, his voice low and gruff. “She’s just… persistent.”

Jean’s laughter bubbled up again. “Persistent? Dude, she’s a firecracker! She’s been all over you since the second she laid eyes on you. Looks like you didn’t stand a chance.”

Reiner shifted uncomfortably, glancing down at the sand as if he could avoid the attention. “She’s… intense,” he finally admitted, his voice quiet. “She knows what she wants.”

Connie grinned wide, leaning back with his hands behind his head. “Yeah, and apparently she wanted to leave her mark on you. You’re practically glowing with those hickies.”

Reiner winced slightly, rubbing the back of his neck where Rue had left the most obvious marks. “I didn’t think she’d be that… forceful.”

Floch, still dealing with the aftermath of his own encounter with Bria, gave Reiner a sympathetic nod. “Trust me, I know the feeling. They don’t hold back.”

Levi, who had been listening quietly, glanced over at Reiner with a critical eye. “Rue’s small, but she clearly knows how to get what she wants. Looks like she’s already decided you’re hers.”

Reiner let out a low sigh, rubbing his swollen lips. “She’s... relentless,” he muttered, his voice filled with a mix of exhaustion and confusion. “She’s been after me since the first time we saw her. I didn’t know she’d be like this.”

Connie, never one to let an opportunity for a joke pass, chuckled. “Come on, Reiner, it’s not so bad. You’ve been fighting Titans your whole life. You can handle one sassy siren, right?”

Reiner gave him a tired look, his usual stoic demeanor cracking just a little. “It’s different.”

“Different?” Jean grinned. “That’s one way to put it. She’s practically got you wrapped around her little finger.”

Floch, still trying to cover his own embarrassment, chimed in, “At least Rue’s, uh, not shy about what she wants. Bria’s like that too. I guess we’re all in the same boat.”

Connie was clearly enjoying the teasing, but Armin, always more thoughtful, tilted his head as he considered Reiner’s situation. “It’s not just about the physical side of it. Rue chose you for a reason, Reiner. There’s something in you that she’s drawn to.”

Reiner frowned, clearly conflicted. “Yeah… I get that. But it’s just—”

Before he could finish, Connie interrupted with a wide grin. “Just what? Too much to handle?”

Reiner sighed heavily, running a hand through his hair. “It’s not that. She’s just… different from what I expected. I didn’t think she’d be this forward.”

Jean smirked. “Well, she’s a siren. They’re not exactly subtle.”

Reiner shifted uncomfortably, his eyes narrowing as he thought about Rue’s boldness. “Yeah, she doesn’t let up. She knows exactly what she’s doing, and she doesn’t care who sees it.”

Levi, leaning against a nearby rock, crossed his arms. “That’s the thing about them—they don’t hesitate. They’re not playing around. If Rue’s decided you’re hers, you need to be ready for that commitment.”

Reiner gave a small nod, though his expression remained conflicted. “I know. It’s just a lot to process.”

Jean chuckled, giving Reiner a playful nudge with his elbow. “Well, looks like you’re going to be processing it with a few hickies to remind you.”

Connie couldn’t resist getting one last dig in. “Maybe Rue’s just making sure everyone knows you’re off the market, huh?”

Reiner rolled his eyes, clearly done with the teasing, but even he couldn’t completely hide the small, reluctant smile tugging at the corner of his lips. Despite everything, there was a part of him that seemed to appreciate Rue’s fiery determination—even if it had left him with swollen lips and marks all over his neck.

While the other scouts continued to laugh and banter about Floch’s and Reiner’s respective situations, Bertholdt sat quietly off to the side, staring at the fire with a blank, almost dazed expression on his face. His tall frame was hunched over slightly, hands clasped together as he tried to process everything that had happened with Sera earlier.

The siren had been the quietest of them all, so shy that she barely spoke above a whisper. But when she did, her voice was soft and warm, pulling Bertholdt in like the gentle lull of the ocean. Her presence had been comforting in a way he didn’t expect, but there was one thing about Sera that had left Bertholdt completely unprepared—the way she looked.

Sera’s shyness was almost disarming, but her body was something else entirely. Curves that seemed to defy reality—wide hips, thick thighs, and a figure that made it impossible for Bertholdt to know where to look without feeling guilty. The whole time they had been together, he’d been a flustered mess, unable to focus on anything she was saying because all he could think about was how close she was standing and how embarrassed he was for noticing.

Sera, for her part, had been incredibly sweet, her teal hair falling over her shoulders as she spoke to him in soft, careful tones. She didn’t pressure him like some of the other sirens seemed to do with their chosen mates. But even with her shyness, Bertholdt had felt the intensity of her presence, the way her large eyes always seemed to study him with a quiet curiosity. And whenever she’d shift slightly, or her hips would sway just the tiniest bit as she moved closer, Bertholdt had to practically fight the urge to look away. 

“Bertholdt!” Connie’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts, the teasing grin on his face making it clear he wasn’t going to let Bertholdt sit quietly on the sidelines any longer. “You’ve been awfully quiet over there. Sera got you all flustered or what?”

Bertholdt immediately stiffened, his face flushing bright red as his eyes darted up from the fire. “N-no, it’s not like that,” he stammered, his voice shaking as he tried to find the words to explain. “She’s just… really… um…”

Jean, catching on to Bertholdt’s discomfort, smirked. “Shy? Sure, I get that. But man, she’s not just shy, right? You looked like you didn’t know where to put your eyes the entire time.”

Connie leaned in with a wide grin. “Yeah, Bertholdt, I noticed you were having a hard time making eye contact. She’s got you all twisted up, huh?”

Bertholdt’s face went from red to crimson in an instant, and he struggled to find a response. “I… she’s really… nice. She’s quiet. It’s just—”

“Nice?” Jean snorted, shaking his head. “Come on, man. You couldn’t stop staring at her! And not because of her personality.”

Connie nudged Bertholdt with his elbow, clearly enjoying how flustered the normally stoic soldier had become. “Hey, I get it. Sera’s got those curves. Don’t worry, it’s not like any of us didn’t notice.”

Bertholdt’s embarrassment deepened, and he looked down at the sand, his long frame tense as he muttered, “I wasn’t… I wasn’t trying to… It’s just…”

Jean chuckled, leaning back. “Don’t worry, Bertholdt, we’re just messing with you. But seriously, Sera’s, uh, something. She might be shy, but I think she’s got her eye on you for sure.”

Connie grinned wider. “Yeah, I mean, with a body like that, and the way she keeps glancing at you? You’re in trouble, man.”

Bertholdt rubbed the back of his neck, still too flustered to form a proper response. It wasn’t just Sera’s appearance that had caught him off guard—it was how her presence seemed to completely unnerve him in ways he hadn’t expected. She had been so kind, so gentle, but at the same time, there was something about her that made him feel like he was under a spotlight.

Levi, who had been sitting quietly but listening in on the conversation, finally spoke up. “You’re overthinking it,” he said flatly, his voice cutting through the teasing. “Sera picked you for a reason. If she wanted to push you, she would. But it sounds like she’s letting you figure it out. Don’t make it more complicated than it is.”

Bertholdt nodded, though he still couldn’t quite shake his awkwardness. “I… I just didn’t expect her to be like that. She’s so… quiet.”

Jean grinned. “Yeah, but once she gets comfortable, I bet she’s going to open up. She might be shy now, but those sirens—none of them are shy about what they want.”

Connie laughed, nudging Bertholdt again. “And it looks like Sera knows exactly what she wants from you.”

Bertholdt let out a nervous laugh, still blushing as he thought about how close Sera had been earlier. “Yeah… I guess so.”

The group continued to chuckle and joke, but Bertholdt’s mind kept drifting back to Sera—her soft voice, her shy glances, and the way her curves had made him feel more flustered than he’d ever been in his life. There was something about her that left him completely off-balance, and he wasn’t sure how to handle it.

As the conversation continued, Bertholdt glanced out at the sea, wondering what tomorrow would bring—and how he was going to manage the next encounter with Sera without turning into a complete mess again.

As the scouts continued their banter around the fire, Levi sat quietly on the edge of the group, his sharp eyes flickering toward the sea where the sirens had disappeared for the night. The others were still reeling from their encounters, sharing laughs, and teasing each other about swollen lips and hickies. But Levi’s mind was elsewhere, focused on the siren who had made it her life’s mission to invade his personal space—Aria.

She was nothing like the others. At least, that’s what Levi told himself. Where the other sirens seemed to bond through quiet moments or intense physicality, Aria had a different approach. She was relentless. From the moment she’d locked eyes on him, she had been determined to get under his skin—and despite his best efforts, she had succeeded in more ways than Levi cared to admit.

Aria was bold, with her lavender hair, glittering iridescent eyes, and teasing smirk, always lingering a little too close, batting her eyes with that mischievous gleam. Every chance she got, she’d throw in a flirtatious comment or slide into his personal space, acting like she belonged there. Levi had never been one to let others get too close, especially not women who seemed to enjoy toying with him. But Aria? She had ignored every single one of his cold responses, every icy stare. She was undeterred, always coming back with a witty remark or a flirty gesture, like the constant wave of the sea against an unyielding shore.

And somehow, that frustrated him more than anything.

Levi was used to people respecting his boundaries—he commanded that respect, and most gave it without question. Aria, though, seemed to take his cold demeanor as a challenge. She smiled every time he shut her down, as if it was a game to her. Levi hated games, but there was something about the way she carried herself, so unbothered by his dismissals, that made him pause. He hadn’t met anyone who could push his buttons so deliberately, yet without seeming malicious.

He thought back to earlier that day when Aria had been watching him train, that smirk on her face as she observed every one of his movements with that same relentless focus. She hadn’t said much at first—just stood there with her arms crossed, tilting her head like she was enjoying a show. It had annoyed him, the way she stared, that playful glint in her eyes, like she was waiting for him to slip up. But no matter how sharp his words had been, no matter how cold his responses, she hadn’t backed down.

He could still hear her voice in his head, light and teasing. “You’re tough, Captain. I like that.”

Levi frowned, his fingers tightening slightly around the handle of the cup he was holding. He didn’t like that Aria seemed to know exactly what to say to get a reaction from him. It wasn’t that he was interested in her—no, it wasn’t like that. But she had a way of pushing him out of his comfort zone, out of the rigid control he had built around himself. And that, more than anything, bothered him.

Aria wasn’t just a flirt. She was smart, too. He could tell by the way she watched him, how her eyes followed his every move, always calculating, always studying. She was reading him in ways that no one else had dared to try. And that made Levi uneasy.

He didn’t have time for distractions. Not with everything that was happening—the war, the Jaegerists, Marley. Levi is fine with the others forming their siren bonds to gain power, but he doesn’t need it. There was no room in his life for whatever game Aria thought she was playing. But as much as Levi wanted to believe that, a small part of him couldn’t ignore how persistent she was. She had already gotten under his skin, whether he liked it or not.

As the other scouts continued their conversations, Levi’s mind wandered back to the moment Aria had brushed up against him, her lavender eyes sparkling as she teased him. “You don’t scare me, Captain. I’ve decided you’re mine.”

Levi had brushed her off, of course. He wasn’t the type to fall for playful banter or flirtation. He had faced far worse than a flirty siren. But the way she had said it, with such confidence and certainty, had stuck with him. Aria wasn’t just playing a game—she had made her choice. And Levi knew that when she made up her mind, there was little he could do to change it.

He let out a quiet sigh, his gaze still fixed on the dark waters beyond the campfire. He wasn’t sure what Aria’s endgame was, but he wasn’t going to let her—or anyone—distract him from what needed to be done. He was a soldier, and he had a mission. The sirens, with their powers and their seductive nature, were just another complication in a long line of problems he needed to deal with.

But as the night wore on, Levi couldn’t shake the feeling that Aria wasn’t just a complication. She was something else entirely. And whether he wanted to admit it or not, she was slowly chipping away at the walls he had spent years building.

Levi scowled at the thought, his fingers tightening around the cup in his hand. He wasn’t going to let her win. Not that easily. But the question remained—how long could he keep her at bay?

Because if there was one thing Levi knew for certain, it was that Aria wasn’t going to give up. Not now. Not ever.

~

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[transflynnscifo]

new dnk translation thoughts to ramble about under the cut!

i was already somewhat aware of it based on my vague read-throughs of the manga version of these scenes, but i still think the process of flynn and yuris friendship budding is cute to read about

mostly because yuri ultimately didnt do anything too significant to warrant flynns attention. when they had the kerfuffle in chapter 1, yuri operated neutrally towards flynn just because he thought theres no reason to be rude to the new boy

and with chapter 2, he went with the intent of helping flynn because he didnt think flynn would manage. on the other hand, flynn memorized the path and was able to adapt because he himself operated on the assumption he needed to be self-sufficient. yuris rash decision to go look for him definitely cemented itself in flynns mind. meanwhile, the act came as second nature to yuri, and he only really started to question why he did it when he realized flynn wasnt in any actual trouble. you notice this kind of thing happen even when theyre adults in tov (most notable example is yuri trading places with flynn in dahngrest prison, but is not exclusive to that)

when flynn decides to go with the other boys, he mostly goes for the sake of the herbs his mother needs, but still considers yuris action prior a "debt to be repayed". and even as they conversed then, yuri himself notes that flynn wasnt really talking to anyone else but yuri then. flynn at that point already considered yuri to be worthwhile enough for conversation, even if he found yuris actions strange (he notes it multiple times!) (all the while yuri thinks hes also strange in turn. lol)

and the fight with the wolves is the first time they are able to operate on the same wavelength, with no misunderstandings and words being misspoken. this is especially apparent once the situation calms down. you can note how quickly flynn takes yuris genuine words as sarcasm afterwards (for the second time), or how yuri has to redirect the topic of conversation instantly, because he accidentally brought up flynns father again. fighting together with weapons is already a big deal to them in game, mostly because they are able to convey their feelings into their swords without a need to exchange words. but its still fascinating that such a thing starts to take root even before they were formally friends.

and speaking of yuri accidentally invoking flynns dad as a topic (this is unrelated to my prior point). while flynn only stills in place when yuri brings up his dad, he doesnt have rage overtake him like it did in ch1. i have determined that this happens for 3 reasons all combined into one

1. yuri quickly switches the topic (easy as that. how nice of him)

2. adults were present, so it would have been troublesome to act out (note that yuri narrates flynns expression changing as if its a mask he was putting on in an instant)

3. flynn probably felt no reason to lash out against yuri, even if he wasnt comfortable with the question. this due to the fact he already started to consider him in higher regard than what he had started with (note earlier points of the post again)

anyway thanks for reading! theres not much of a conclusion to all this yet. one of my favorite bits from the manga and yuris narration then is coming up, so im eager to see it in full detail directly from the novel. shoutout to delicate for doing all this work 🙌

[anaxandria-writes]

20 questions for fic writers!

Thanks for the tag @lumosatnight [see here]!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

Technically 50 (I think) because one of them is in an anonymous collection so AO3 is telling me 49. I’m considering putting some more earlier works as anonymous so that number might change soon.

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

245,593… but I haven’t written at least 100k of that because they’re collabs where I did art (such as WLW Big Bang 2022).

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling (44)

Teen Wolf (3)

Marvel (3)

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Three Days, Three Perspectives [Drarry, E, 6.5k]

An Expensive Courtship [Drarry, E, 10.9k]

Petrichor [Steter, T, 2.5k]

Snapshots of a Pregnancy [Drarry, T, 3.8k]

🙀 ➡ 😻 ➡ 😽 [Stony, T, 5.2k]

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I’m terrible about doing this, so I’m very sporadic about it, but every comment means so much to me! I just see it and if I don’t respond immediately, they just pile up and then I never get to it? 100% getting better at replying with my ongoing WIP, What Large Hands You Have (The Better to Embrace You With) [Steter, M, 14.7k so far], since I’m posting as I write and the encouragement means SO much!

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Half Past One [Drarry, M, 2.5k] which was a horror fic (my one and only one) that I wrote for a Wheel of Drarry mini exchange. There’s MCD. And gore.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

I almost never not write happy endings, BUT I’m going to go with Pinocchio [Neville/Harry, E, 3.9k] because it’s crack-y, fun, and Harry gets off a ton of times. (Mostly unintentionally).

8. Do you get hate on fics?

I’ve had a couple rude-ish comments? Someone said that it would be better if it were longer, which was kind of ??? It was one of my first works and the mods reached out to me about it and they were super supportive and kind. (This is also the fic that is now anonymous, for unrelated reasons.)

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

I’ve written some PWPs. A little of everything, really… and a fair number of my longer works include some sex scenes. I probably read more kinky content than I write (beyond the watersports fics because apparently I have multiple?), but yeah. Pro-smut here.

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

Nope. I’ve read a few, but it’s mostly not my thing.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Yes! And I only found out because the person didn’t realize that it was stealing to repost on Wattpad and then apologized and asked how I felt about it…

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

My tango fic, The Cabeceo [Drarry, E, 1.9k], was translated into Spanish by @stargazing-enby last year for HD Owl Post. Which was such an amazing and wonderful gift to receive, especially because *tango*. I definitely feel like I’ve grown a lot as a writer since I first wrote it, but it’s very near and dear to me and having a translation (which I can read!) even more so. If it gives anyone any ideas… I can read Portuguese and Spanish!

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Co-written? No. I’ve done art for various people before and participated in several big bangs/reverse big bangs as both an author and an artist. (ETA: 100% have co-written multiple fics no idea how I forgot those when I first answered)

14. What’s your all time favourite ship?

Flintwood. (And yes, I’ve had full on spreads in my journal dedicated to Flintwood.) Don’t ask me why, but those are my athletic rivals to lovers absolute hands down favorite. For Teen Wolf, I started in Steter (so it remains my #1) and one of my all-time top comfort reads is a Steter fic, This Time Around by Green (and someone else who no longer is associated with the work), which I received a bound copy of last year as part of the Renegade Bookbinding Exchange.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

“Green Glows and Ginger Greens” is a Flintwood WIP that I have 20k written of, edited and posted chapter one and it’s been… 2 years. I hope to get back to it (and my other unposted Flintwood hanahaki I’ve been talking about for about as long), but it’s just… not happened.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Idea generation, maybe? I think I tend to be really good at coming up with ideas and starting writing projects that have the potential to be really interesting. I love kind of crack-y ideas, and I’ve been trying to be better at actually delving into those instead of going “this is too weird, no one will read it.” (Example: I wrote a fic from a bathroom’s POV and it still makes me laugh.)

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

I tend to come up with ideas that spiral out of control, but I’m terrible at finishing things so I procrastinate and then it gets rushed and not as strong as it could be. Also not using betas that often because of said procrastination. And feeling awkward about it because I never leave enough time for editing.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I love it, especially when it’s a language I speak and am like “Yes! This adds some cultural context”, etc. But also, such an important thing to get people to double check that before just throwing it in.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Back when I was a wee bb in high school? Either Protector of the Small or Harry Potter. As an adult? Also Harry Potter.

20. Favourite fic you’ve written?

Completed on AO3? Herbology_Neville and DragonKeeperCW [Neville/Charlie, E, 11k] which was the fic I worked on whenever I was procrastinating on other fics. I’ve always wanted to go back to that universe and just haven’t had a chance, but… Neville and Charlie are adorable and I love them. I’m also loving the fic I’m posting now, as mentioned it’s What Large Hands You Have (The Better To Embrace You With), which was for Steter Bang because it really is reflective a lot of me as a person. Otherwise, I really loved the Green Glows/Snuggling, Smoothies, and Sons-in-Law universe (just need to finish both of those…)

Tagging (i never know who to tag!): @sugareey-makes-stuff (again, even though I know you were already tagged), @drwhoisginnyholmes, @makeitp1nk

[just-a-carrot]

Re: the line about other side stuff you want to do in the future. Honestly that's so fair and I relate sijdiasdji, I'm always personally conflicted about how much more I should do because if I could I would make an infinite number of side games asaisdsad BUT OBVIOUSLY I can't I am but one Creature. I will be waving my little flags of support for you, the potato, and the possible Many Other Carrots™️, because whatever direction you decide to take your work in I'm sure will be-- and is-- worth it. Your skills keep on growing and while telling all stories one may wish to tell is impossible, the ones you're able to tell will be worth it. OW let me feel seen in a way that no other media has. It's up there as one of my top favorite VNs, and for good reason. MANY good reasons. Anyyyyywaaays that's all to say ✨you're doing great✨ and keep on keeping on. Whatever comes of it will be amazing.

OH I MOSTLY JUST MEANT DIFFERENT TYPES OF OW SIDE GAMES THAT AREN'T RELATED TO OFW. like, i feel like i don't think i'll ever actually make another OFW side game because it's kind of self-contained and though i love thinking about it, i don't know if i'd have enough ideas to make another complete game. however, i'd still love to make other OW side games in general dkjfadsf unsure at this moment what they would be... but i have various Idea Kernels bumping and bopping about in the noggin. i also plan to do some sort of remaster of OW once it's complete -- there are CGs in the early arcs i want to go back and redo because they Pain Me now. also even some sprites kind of grate on me... guhh... at the very least, i want to make sure char designs and stuff are just made more consistent, as you can see where some of the early designs look a bit different to how i draw them now (mostly small details, though it's more apparent on some chars than others lkdjfads). coupled with that i'd love to do things like add some livelier scripting to some of the earlier arcs, as well as maybe even draw a few more CGs here and there. who can say. i also did that poll a while back about potentially adding optional iggy side images. i'm still thinking about that.

i think if i did return to OFW it would end up being something similar -- maybe a remaster type thing where i go back in and add some of the CGs that i didn't have time to do in the time restrictions but that i would have loved to add. then giving it the feature treatment like with OW by adding a gallery and other stuff. if i did that, maybe i would add some other little extra, like some extra scenes or hidden scenes. that could be a way to do a little bit more with the story without committing to a whole new game lakdjfad COMPLETELY UNSURE THO AND NO ACTUAL PLANS RIGHT NOW. i still need to finish the main game before any of this can happen LOL

as far as stuff completely unrelated to OW / future different games, i do have one idea i've been cultivating for a long time i'd love to potentially make into a game eventually. but i think it needs a bit more stewing time in the brain first. and i still have a lot i want to do with the OW world beforehand

HHHHHHH THANK YOU THO. FOR ALL THESE LOVELY WORDS AND THOUGHTS. i am really happy and touched if people can enjoy these characters and world... 🥺💕

[discordantwords]

Hi! I was going through the entire "Alternate Universe — X-Files Fusion" tag and I read your JohnLock fic "Out There." I don't know anything about Sherlock or the pairing itself, but I found your fic to be extremely well-written, and I wanted to express my admiration for your writing through this ask.

Can I ask a few questions related to your writing process? I'm super curious about the behind-the-scenes of your story. How long did it take to write and revise each chapter? What was the most challenging part of writing "Out There"? What POV did you enjoy writing more: John's or Sherlock's? Oh, also, slightly unrelated questions: How long have you been writing fics? What was your first ever fandom? And what are some favorite fics / published novels that left a significant influence on your work?

Sorry in advance for this lengthy ask! I really enjoyed your fic.

Oh, thank you so much! I'm delighted to hear that you enjoyed Out There. It's one of the fics that's nearest and dearest to my heart. X-Files was my first fandom love, and I had a lot of fun merging elements of it with Sherlock.

Out There is sort of an outlier when it comes to my usual writing style. It's by far the longest fic I've ever written, though it only took me about two months to complete. I wrote it as part of the 2016 Sherlock Fall TV Season Challenge (@falltvseasonsherlock), where writers committed to posting "episodes" on a set schedule. Each chapter of Out There was an episode, and I posted once a week. It was a lot of writing on a very tight schedule, I was averaging about 10k words each week (mostly squeezed in in the early mornings before I left for work), which left very little time for revisions.

It was exhausting, if I'm being honest. I'm not normally a fast writer. It can take me years to pick at a story until I think it's in good enough shape to post. But having to pull together something complicated and plotty and long in such a short time period was also a fantastic challenge, and I'm very proud of the end result.

I had pretty thorough outline of the story I wanted to tell, and which elements of the X-Files and Sherlock I wanted to bring in and tie together. Once I realized how long the story was shaping up to be, I immediately cut that outline in half. If I ever get around to writing a sequel, those discarded elements will be the plot threads I pick up.

I liked writing both Sherlock and John for this story, but I've always loved writing Sherlock's POV the most. It's fun to get inside his head a little bit.

I think I mentioned earlier that X-Files was my first fandom, or at least the first fandom I sought out online. It was the late 90s, I was young and shy and didn't really interact much in fandom spaces, but I dove headfirst into fic. I read everything I could get my hands on. My enthusiasm waned in the later seasons, though I tried my hand at writing a few X-Files fics long after the show had gone off the air. Finding Sherlock reignited my passion for fic and fandom in general and I've been playing in this sandbox ever since.

Thanks for reaching out. I'm always happy to talk about the behind-the-scenes stuff. I hope I answered your questions! :)