#prisoners read all sorts of books because guess what!

[the-modern-typewriter]

Can i get an immortal villain×mortal hero please please please🥺

I'll give you my croissants 🥐🥐🥐

"How would you like to die?" the villain asked. Their eyes were closed where they sat upon a park bench, head tipped back to the cool breeze and the clear blue sky.

The hero stopped, a little uncertain, but not exactly startled.

"I've tried every kind of death," the villain said. "I can make a recommendation if you prefer."

"I'm not going to die."

The villain's lips twisted - a smile, of sorts. "All mortals die. It is the linchpin of their condition."

"I won't die because of you."

The villain's smile broadened. "Drowning, perhaps. Or maybe suffocation. I don't want to disturb the ducks."

"Why those in particular?"

The villain finally deigned to open their eyes at the question, considering the hero where they stood. The hero couldn't quite read the villain's expression, but their voice remained casual. "Everyone always thinks they can survive those ones. If they just thrash, just fight, hard enough. Then they go very still and very quiet when they realise they can't. You have time to realise what's going to happen to you, see."

"Nice to see you at least put thought into your craft."

"What can I say, I'm a sweetheart. You only get one death."

"But you don't."

"You've done some research. Not enough," the villain added, tipping their head, "seeing as you're still standing there talking to me. But some. Kudos. I guess we'll see if you're brave or stupid."

"I'm not trying to kill you."

"Contain me. Incapacitate me." The villain waved a dismissive hand. "You might save your generation, perhaps, if you get lucky. Are you feeling lucky?"

"I'm not trying to do that either."

"Oh?" The villain sat up a little, finally tuning in properly to the conversation. "Are you not a hero? You dress like one."

"I'm hoping to find a more peaceful, effective solution."

The villain slumped, bored, again. "Mm. This should be good."

"Because I have done my research," the hero said, taking another step closer. "You're immortal. You only kill people when they attack you or are in the way of you wanting something."

"As I said, I'm a sweetheart and a saint."

The hero's jaw tightened. The villain had slaughtered thousands across the decades after all. They were many things, and had lived many lives, but in none of them had they ever been a sweetheart or a saint.

"And what you want most," the hero ploughed on, "other than your comfortable life, is not to be bored. There's no end, after all. So you need distraction. Diversion. Something to make time a little less of of a prison."

The villain was silent for a long moment, watching the hero. "I take it back," they said, finally. "I'm going to drive a knife through your ribs. Nice and slow. You know it's much harder to die from a stab wound than people think? Often it's the blood loss that gets ya."

"And then what?"

The villain shrugged. "Feed the ducks. Go back to my book. Make Christmas lights out of your bones. The possibilities are endless!"

"Sounds lonely."

"You think you're the first to try this, don't you?"

"I think you haven't met me before."

"Maybe I will entertain myself with you," the villain said. "Maybe I'll destroy your life and the live of everyone you talk to from now on. That could be fun. It's been a while since I've been so personal a devil."

Despite themselves, the hero swallowed. Despite their resolve, they considered walking away. Just for a moment.

The villain pushed to their feet, tossing their paperback carelessly aside.

The hero squared their shoulders. They felt their suddenly-fragile feeling heart begin to race. They let the villain stop in front of them, they tried not to let out a desperate shudder as the villain's fingers wrapped around their throat.

"Pick an option," the villain said, caressing their pulse. "Lose air. Lose blood. Or lose everything, but get a few more years before you go. If you ask really nicely, I might even make it quick. "

The hero shifted. They passed through the villain's fingers as if it were nothing, as if the villain were nothing. A ghost. Untouchable.

When the villain turned, the hero sat on the bench the villain had vacated. They made a show of picking up the villain's book, willing their once-more solid fingers not to tremble.

The villain raised an eyebrow. "Phasing. Cute."

"I don't age when I'm in ghost mode. Any injuries I have heal. If someone kills me, I stay dead, presumably. I'm mortal, as you say, but..."

"Hard to kill."

"Hardest you'll find. Or does the challenge scare you?"

"Determined little martyr, aren't you?"

"Not like you have anything to lose experimenting. You have all the time in the world."

"You realise I don't have to honour any deal now that you've revealed your hand? I could just hunt you and continue hurting other people, especially now I know how much it bothers me."

"I'll disappear."

"I have all the time in the world. I'd find you eventually."

"I guess then I'd just vanish again, if you don't want to play ball."

"You really are just the cutest, aren't you?"

"Is that a yes?"

"Maybe." The villain held out a hand for their book. "I haven't decided. Buy me lunch. See if you can keep my interest for more than five minutes."

"Lunch."

"There's a new cafe I haven't tried. Apparently they make their own croissants."

"You want to go to lunch with me?"

"No, I want to go to lunch. All this talk of bloodshed is giving me the munchies! But I'm assuming you're currently planning to haunt me, so you may as well pay. Unless you want me to just...kill anyone who tries to charge me."

"No! No."

"That's what I thought. Great minds."

The hero pushed to their feet, as the villain had, tentatively offering them their book back. They weren't entirely sure if that encounter had gone well or not.

The villain smiled, full of teeth, eyes gleaming.

"For your sake, little hero, do try not to be boring."

And, so, they went for lunch.

[justsigma-bsd]

A Blank Page, Torn From A Book Without Name

Well, I ended up trying to put the word salad in my head into actual, coherent words after all.

First of all, everything here is just my take on things. The theories and thoughts I've had on certain things. I don't think any of it is official, but if anything of it is, in fact, confirmed to be true or false, feel free to tell me!

Some of the panels were taken from a YouTube video, which I'll link at the bottom!

TW for: Human trafficking, dehumanization

Ok, so first things first, some of this stuff I've already written down a while back for writing reasons. I found some of my old notes, and noticed that, after rereading the panels, they make more sense than I previously thought.

Let's start here: what stands out the most to me isn't that he's in the desert, not even the ticket. No, it's the simple »[...] or even who I was«

Because who, indeed, is Sigma? Sigma does not have an identity. He has no history, no nothing. Just the clothes on his back, a ticket that seems to be useless and earrings, for some reason.

Without a name, you don't have an identity and without identity you don't have a name.

Then there is this, too:

»I gave myself a name. Sigma. A man of the casino«

I don't believe he had a name upon being created. I don't think he had one for a long time, because in the same panel that he mentions giving himself a name, he also mentions the casino- which came much, much later. Sigma existed for three years by the time the series started. However, the timeline is wonky as heck.

Because how long did he stay with the traffickers? How long was he on his own after escaping? How long ago did Fyodor find him? Questions upon questions, but since I've already mentioned the lack of a name and the traffickers, let's get to my thoughts on that, specifically:

»They captured and enslaved me« along with »And once they knew that I had a skill [...]« makes me wonder: how long did it take for them to find out?

I haven't researched anything about human trafficking, but it's basically slavery, from what I've gathered through the previous things I've heard and read. And he does say so himself, too.

Sigma, three days alive, spent his early life a slave. It's confirmed that he was shackled, seeing that he is wearing them in the panels.

(As a side note, I do believe that he has scars from the shackles around his wrist. He wears a tight, wrist-long turtleneck beneath his coat, and I think it's to hide the scars. Both from others and himself.)

His first human interaction was plain horrible. Did he know and understand that? Did he understand that this wasn't normal? I don't think he knew how wrong this was at first. I don't believe that he understood it immediately. If he didn't know who he was, why would he know that being treated like this is wrong?

I believe that he realized it at some point, but not as soon as it started. I think he lived like that for a while, thinking it was normal, before getting some sort of wake-up call. Perhaps through his ability, or a fellow prisoner. Maybe both, or neither.

He must've gotten whiplash, once people genuinely looked up to him when he was the manager at Sky Casino.

I also think that he, probably, does tend to forget that being treated like that is, in fact, not normal or okay. Our upbringing leaves some sort of mark on all of us, experiences define us, give us habits and a feeling of what's normal and what isn't.

Which means that his "normal" is skewed and he expects being used rather than kindness, probably even after learning that some people are genuinely kind. I'm guessing that his mindset is, due to that, a simple "If I'm alive I'm alright".

I don't think he'd complain about being treated wrong and or left behind, or admit when he's injured. Or at the very least attempt to keep it a secret as long as possible- especially from those he sees as authority figures.

However, I also think that he was isolated, as per this panel:

Not only the text, but also the background paint a picture that causes me to believe that.

I almost skimmed past this panel while making my analysis, before pausing and taking a closer look. I thought this was in Sky Casino at first, until I looked closer and realized three things:

1, the background does not match Sky Casino in the slightest

2, he isn't wearing shoes or his current outfit, but the old clothes he had when wandering the desert

3, the shadows aren't from the light of a window, they're bars from a cell

While I did believe before that the traffickers kept him isolated from others (due to wanting to keep him unaware of the wrongness of his situation as well as to make sure he doesn't learn things he should/other prisoners finding out things that Sigma got to know by accident), this sort of put the final nail in the coffin for me.

But, at some point, he did realize that it was wrong. Perhaps he'd had a bad feeling from the start. Maybe he hated being treated like this. Who knows? Point is, he escaped. This brings us back to this page:

»No matter how kind someone seemed, they used me and then tried to kill me for knowing too much«

Sigma, after escaping the traffickers, after escaping the life of a slave, probably still didn't know much about living.

And I firmly believe that Sigma is smarter than even he himself thinks. There's just one issue: Sigma is naive (at least in my eyes), and it's not even his own fault. He simply tried his best to survive, and what was the reason the traffickers kept him around? His ability, most likely.

Problem is that his ability truly is something people would love to exploit, and it seems as if they did. Which makes me believe that he has a talent for running into murderers thinking they're nice people, only to get a not-so-nice surprise.

»The last one to use me [...]«, this specific line is the reason why I believe Sigma to have been used a lot. We don't know how often, exactly, his ability was taken advantage of. But we know the latest person who did.

Fyodor was the last one to use him, which means that, at that point, he was probably used to it. Used to being treated like a pawn, and used to people trying to kill for knowing too much. And I believe that he was, quite plainly, exhausted.

Imagine, your entire life consists of being forced to aid others with crimes, with being shackled. You don't know the difference between working for someone and being used by someone.

If you were offered what you wanted most, wouldn't you accept, too? Even if you know that you're once again being used? I mean... this time around, you gain something for it. Doesn't that make it worth the risk?

It's a gamble Sigma took... and lost.

This page involves two quotes that give me pause:

»Don't you wish for a home?«

We don't know why or how he knows what a home and a family is, but he does. And he wants it. He says it was never within his reach. But it is perfectly clear to us, while reading the Sky Casino Arc, that he wants it. He wants a home and a family.

He'd rather sacrifice his own life than see Sky Casino fall. »Home« and »Family« are, to him, more important than staying alive. Because it's something he never had, and something he clings to. Simply because he doesn't have anything else.

»I, who was originally 'nothing'[...]«

Is the second line that makes me pause. Because like previously mentioned, Sigma was a slave with no name or identity of his own. We don't know when he found out about being created by the book (and I firmly believe that he found out one way or another), but I believe he didn't see himself as a human before, and this "confirmed" it for him.

Think about it, would traffickers care about their victims? Would they treat them as human beings? Call them by their name? What about a person who has no name to begin with?

He wasn't treated like a human being in the beginning, and thus considered himself nothing. Considered his home and "family" to be worth more than hid own life.

He was literally created from nothing. His story doesn't have a beginning. He has no memories prior to being created, he had no name nor identity. How his story will end is unknown. We don't know what's written on his page.

I believe this, combined with being with the traffickers, makes him doubt his humanity. Not only because he was created through the book, but also because for the first (months? Year?) of his life, he wasn't treated like a human.

His sense of self-worth is probably down in the dumps.

»In the end I never did understand what I was born for...«

I don't think he knows the details of his existence. The content of his page, the words that brought him into existence. He doesn't know why he was born/created. He doesn't know what things were predetermined.

He doesn't know what's real and what's just writing on a page.

Sigma, in three years of being alive, went through hell. He was enslaved, his ability was taken advantage of over and over, he was used by multiple people who all ended up trying to kill him and when he thought that he finally found a home? A family? It was taken away from him.

Genuinely, he needs a plate of cookies, a hug and a ton of therapy.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed my little analysis and theories? I never did something like this before, so criticism is welcome!

Here's also the link to the video from which I got the screenshots: https://youtu.be/KwsSvFYAKjA?si=R_IvH-S8GYut_hrG

[donnerpartyofone]

This is from Adam Bornstein's column in Arnold Schwarzenegger's newsletter, which I feel somewhat silly about reading so faithfully but it is not infrequently interesting. Over the past few years I have been thinking about discipline, how you gain it and lose it, and what it does for you besides achieving a specific outcome. To say that the product of self-control is self-control itself may not sound very enticing, but it's pretty important. I feel like I've lost a lot of that over the last few chapters of my life, and I suspect that it is harder to gain back at my age, but I need to think about it.

I've been thinking about my entire life history with self-control. When I was a kid, I was masochistically disciplined. As early on as I can remember, I had this impression that life was essentially or even exclusively difficult and the only way to justify your existence and satisfy other people was to continuously demonstrate your ability to endure pain, boredom, frustration, deprivation, disappointment, and embarrassment, every hour of every day, forever. (Not that I always endured these things without having a fucking meltdown, but they were the entire content of my life it seemed, so I WAS enduring them) It wasn't all bad, I guess; I got good grades and, like, I remember enjoying karate classes, which are heavily predicated on repetition and endurance and delayed gratification. I had a weird fixation on the army; I didn't fantasize about war or patriotism or whatever, it was this whole thing about how I would be amazing at boot camp and getting yelled at. I also had some sort of bizarre idea about prison, like I would be the best at being a prisoner. This is because I'm a natural-born pervert.

Sometime in my 20s, I started to lose my discipline. I think there were a lot of reasons. A big reason is probably that I didn't have anything to be disciplined FOR. I'd been told my whole life that I was smart and I could be anything I wanted when I grew up, or whatever, so I thought that eventually it would start to become clear what I should do with my life, but it never did. The few things I thought would make a good career for me were things I had no practical understanding of, no idea what it took to make them into a job, so I just didn't do them. This surely means I was never going to be good at them anyway; I think when you're truly interested in something you become compelled by an affectionate curiosity about what you need to learn and do in order to participate in that thing. I may also be too intellectually deficient to have figured out the right questions about my interests, but anyway, all that youthful discipline I had built up to get good grades and satisfy adults didn't really have a purpose when I became an adult myself, so my grip on myself started to slip.

My early adult life was pretty bad. Just the basics of finding jobs and places to live eluded me; I never had the knowledge or the paperwork or the experience or the self-confidence to do the adult things, and I think this was pretty painfully obvious to other adults who were in a position to give me opportunities. I had a sense of being really stunted and way behind where I should be in my personal development, at my age, but I didn't know what to do about it. I did try; there's a perception about me that I just give up and don't try, so I often feel like no one is willing to recognize how often I try and fail, and I'm struggling to let go of my resentment about that. Anyway I continued my early childhood trend of having relationships with pushy, manipulative, abusive people who fed back to me the worst truths about myself, so they seemed very "honest" to me, a quality I admired. I spent most of my time just feeling bad and/or trying to survive social situations. It bothers me now when I think about all the years that I could have spent reading really great books that I still haven't read, trying to write and draw more, watching the movies that I'm still struggling to catch up on, seeing more art. Being in pain is a full-time job, it is incredibly time-consuming, and you will lose a lot more time if, in addition to being in pain, you are spending your evenings not reading Nabokov but watching The Jersey Shore and Mad Men and various other shows about abusive cheaters with your abusive cheating boyfriend who is shouting at the screen about how the girls force the guys to cheat, and who might start screaming at you and keeping you awake for days and chasing you into the closet if you betray the slightest hint of discomfort. All of that is extremely time-consuming.

When life got better, I think I had kind of a revenge reaction against discipline. Like in the early part of my life I had no money, and by the time I had some money I had no understanding of how it worked and no respect for it because I always had this powerful sense that everything is turning into ash before your eyes anyway and nothing is yours so who really cares. So if I got money, I'd just fucking spend it. Being so intensely disciplined as a kid had gotten me nowhere, as far as I could tell, so fuck it, I'm eating fucking candy bars, I'm having another suicidal bodega hoagie for dinner, why the fuck shouldn't I. I will sleep all goddamn day if I want, for days on end, I have a lot of self-indulgence to catch up on!

I'm not completely without discipline as a full-blown adult, I still have plenty of guilt and obligation and fear motivating me to go to the doctor and shit like that. I wish I were more motivated by optimism and a sense of building something, but I must say that doesn't often seem to work. The doctor is often frustrating and ambiguous. Sometimes I get a simple-seeming treatment for a problem, and it destroys a different part of my body and then I have to be on four new medications, and medications to control their side effects. Sometimes I pick up a new form of exercise and I feel good about myself for making an effort, and then the new routine causes problems I need to pay for treatment to fix. It seems I always have to sacrifice one part of myself for another and it's just a perpetual balancing act of barely-normal or sub-normal functioning. I wish it felt more like self-improvement. I wish I could enjoy feeling responsible without then feeling like I made a huge mistake and basically my whole being is just a lemon that does not warrant this much maintenance and concern.

But anyway.

After XX years I just had so many disappointments and made so many unpleasant discoveries, I started to wonder why people say "At least you tried." Like are we SURE that "trying" is, in and of itself, virtuous? Isn't it sometimes that you should "choose your battles" or something? Isn't giving up at least sometimes the actual correct and rational thing to do, when the ROI is nonexistent? What's with the "trying" all the time, what's with the not so subtle suggestion that there's some superior moral affect of trying?

It took me a long time to figure out that making an effort, at anything, even if it doesn't pay off in the specific expected way, builds you into a more resilient and capable person. I did have some counter-examples that helped me see what was going on, of people who performatively did the absolute bare fucking minimum and expected to be showered with praise and encouragement for it, and it was like this big trap to prove that nobody was giving them the unconditional love that they believed they deserved, and being in that behavioral habit all the time eventually rendered them incapable of actually sitting down and writing the thing or making the art or shooting the shot, or whatever, just for the love of doing those things and the curiosity about what could happen if you try. I saw that happening and I did not want to be like that. It painted a very clear picture of what "character" is, what is meant by "building character". The total refusal to ever make yourself uncomfortable doesn't only have specific in-situ destructive effects, but it also makes you a person who is generally less capable of dealing with life.

I want to get back to where I can make myself do things, not only out of fear and shame and masochism, and also not only to obtain a certain result which may not ever come, but just to rebuild self-control. I know that at my age, after a lot of neglect and nihilism, it's going to be harder to get that back. But it's gotta be worth it. I'm thinking about that thing where Arnold Schwarzenegger took ballet lessons to improve his posing, which by his account made him feel totally ridiculous, and like he knew he wasn't going to become a skilled ballerina or anything--but in the short term it did improve his poses, and in the longer term it made him more capable of doing things that felt embarrassing and hard and that he wasn't necessarily cut out for. That seems like a reasonable goal for me.

[swordfright]

What do you think is your most controversial dsmp take?

I got this ask a while ago and I've been wracking my brains trying to come up with something, but honestly...I don't think I really have many hot takes? At least, not ones that I'd consider controversial. Most of my controversial takes are about fanon/how the fandom interacts with the source material, which I assume isn't what you're looking for (but BOY DO I HAVE A LOT OF THOSE.) I also have likes and dislikes when it comes to duos and shipping stuff, but that's subjective obviously and more opinion than lore interpretation.

I guess if you put a gun to my head, I might say these are my most controversial Actual Lore Takes, but they're not all that interesting imo:

The experiments in the revival lab happened AFTER c!Dream's incarceration, not before it. My understanding is that most people interpret that sequence as occurring prior to the incarceration because...why would c!Dream let himself be locked up, relying on his knowledge of the book to be his life insurance, if he hadn't tested the damn thing out yet?! This logic tracks, but I think you could also flip it to argue the opposite: that he also could have conceivably waited to fully test the book until after escaping. During the run-up to the Disc Finale, c!Dream was incredibly busy with the fallout from Dethronement + Exile + Manburg related stuff etc, as well as busy preparing for the confrontation with c!Clingys, plus arranging the staged finale with Punz. The guy was busy as hell and he was also like...still kinda in the midst of a manic episode. Also, keep in mind that while the book was his life insurance for the finale and its immediate aftermath, he had no idea that c!Sam was going to betray him. Considering all that, I don't think it's inconceivable that c!Dream may not have had time to thoroughly test the limits of the revive book beforehand, and he likely didn't realize quite how vital his knowledge of revival would become during his incarceration period. So yeah. I'm open to either interpretation, but I am partial to the possibility that the Vikk and Lazar necromancy montage happened after the prison era. And the exact date/location of the lab are never specified either, which makes me even more open to the post-prison necromancy option. Not a hill I'd be willing to die on, but a hill I like to sit on and admire the view from.

End of Las Nevadas is the weakest stream of the Las Nevadas series. I found it narratively unsatisfying, and not in a clever way. I don't hate that stream, I think it had some really interesting moments, but overall I'd say its messaging was convoluted and the tension was pretty poorly mismanaged. I'd be willing to go on about this if you want, but I think a lot of other folks have probably already articulated it better than I can. Oh, I'll add that I also have complicated thoughts about c!Slime as a character. Don't hate him, don't love him...but I am puzzled about the role he was presumably meant to play in the story vs. the role he actually ends up playing. I could go on about this in detail but it's late and I'm sleepy.

c!Quackity has very simple goals and motives, but his pursuit of those goals is oftentimes way more convoluted than necessary, which ends up making him read as a more complex and dynamic character than he really is (I like this btw!) Another way to put it would be that Q is not a terribly complex character in terms of motivations and ambitions (dr3 has rly good meta on this btw), but he does tend to needlessly complicate his own life and the lives of the people around him in pursuit of simple goals. I think one of his big failings is that he sees violence as an easy solution to his problems but in reality it just creates more problems for him. It's like he keeps failing some sort of foresight check, over and over again. Take the formation of Las Nevadas, for instance. Most of the country's members were intimidated/threatened into joining, not because they're people Q particularly wants to hang around with, but because they're people Q sees as either strong (i.e. they are capable of contributing to LN) or directionless (i.e. they're in need of an owner a leader.) Quackity doesn't really forge alliances, he just...buys people, basically? And then he's shocked when this backfires. His relationship with Purpled is the most obvious example of this, but also LN as a whole: in LN5 (?), Quackity's angry and offended and hurt that only a tiny handful of people show up to the opening ceremony, even though by all accounts the reason the turn-out isn't bigger is because the server has by this point become a chaotic and violent place where anything can happen to anyone for any reason and most inhabitants feel safer sticking to their own turf...and that atmosphere of chaos and violence is something Q has ostensibly contributed to, even before Pandora. c!Quackity creates a country that no one is truly loyal to, inhabited by people who are closer to employees than allies...and then his solution, when he realizes nobody really gives a shit, isn't to try recruiting people in a more equitable way, it's to bioengineer a slime army. That is insane. That is an insane way to solve your problems. In no way is bioengineering a slime army a normal or well-adjusted solution to any conceivable problem. This is what I mean when I say he's a relatively uncomplicated character who complicates everything - he's constantly jumping through hoops of fire to avoid changing his behavior and taking any kind of accountability whatsoever.

I have tons more takes but they're mostly about silly subjective stuff and/or fanon, so I'll leave that for another day if anyone's interested.

[howlingday]

Last human au) jaune has been stuck in a cell since he was woken up and he's gonna be honest not the worst day he's ever had but not the best either although he might have just made a new friend. A robot friend at that!

Penny is sure she's managed to ingratiate herself with her new primitive charge. Poor thing probably doesn't even realize that she's not even a real human! She'll have to keep that a secret though even when he falls in love with her. For science of course. Now to learn more about the human and move him to the study area where friend ruby is waiting.

Basically jaune might be more modern but everyone around him doesn't know that yet. In order to keep him comfortable and not be cruel to the poor primitive thing they commissioned a robot companion to befriend him and guide him back to the testing area. Surely they'll be able to account for everything on the simulated escape and jaune won't outsmart them all before wandering off to the city

Tldr: jaune out smarts everyone and now they're panicking because what they think is a caveman is wandering around the city. On the plus side ruby feels validated in her idea that just because jaune is less educated than modern faunas doesn't mean he's less intelligent. And penny is getting all sorts of interesting data

Bedrock Bottom

First/Previous

Jaune had never been to jail before. He was raised to be polite and respectful to everyone around him, or else the police would take him away from his family. However, looking back on it, the stories he'd heard about prison were distinctly different from where he was now. These tales of horror and warning scared Jaune to know end, his father terrifying him with tales of endless gang wars, violent guards, and other inmates who would view him as a plaything to do what they would with him.

Except none of this was true from his perspective. Right now, it felt more like he was a pet rat kept in a shoebox. Food was brought to him three times a day, as well as books, puzzles, and the occasional "letter from home," which was just some girl pretending to be his mom and warning him to not stay out too late or else the "dire rats would gobble him up".

Speaking of strange girls, he wasn't alone in his room, either. Delivering these items was Penny, a cute girl with red hair that curled just above her shoulders. She would ask him questions about himself, then respond with "Oh, I know about that! That's what all humans do, right?" There was usually a hiccup between these statements.

It had been a week since he'd been tossed into his cell, and six days since Penny came into his life. He would spend most of the day sitting on his bed, reading between meals, though at some points, he would forgo the reading and do some exercises instead. Penny would sit on the bed regardless and ask him questions. Questions like...

"Why are you doing pushups the wrong way?"

"It's not the wrong way." Jaune answered. "I'm just exercising different muscles."

"Oh! I know about that!" She hiccupped. "That's what all humans do, right?"

"Not all of them." Jaune lifted himself to his knees. "Can I ask you something, Penny? Human to human?"

"Sensational!" Penny's eyes widened as much as her smile. She jumped from the bed, hopping from one foot to the other in a little dance. "I've successfully integrated with the human specimen~!"

"But aren't you human?" Penny stopped. "I mean, you are human, right?"

"Affirmative!" Penny said, then hiccupped. "I am a human meat person, just like you!" She hiccupped again.

"Uh-huh." He let the issue go for now. "Anyways, I was wondering what you did to get locked up in here."

"What I did?" Penny repeated.

"Yeah, this is a jail, isn't it?"

"...Yes!" She hiccupped.

"And prisoners are locked up in prison for doing bad things, right?"

"Yes, that is correct."

"I, er, broke out of a hospital and pushed a girl over, so I guess I got in trouble for some kind of hospital rule."

"...Oh! I know about that!" She didn't hiccup. "That's what all humans do, right?"

"No, it isn't, Penny."

"It... isn't?"

"Penny, you're my friend, right?"

"I... Am I?" She asked. She then got really close. Almost uncomfortably close. "Do you see me as a friend?!"

"I... Yes?" Penny was quiet for a moment. Then she was quiet for a moment longer. Suddenly, she beamed with the biggest smile he'd ever seen. "Uh, Pen-"

"SENSATIONAL!" She hugged him, and she was squeezing him REAL tight. "I cannot believe I have two friends, and one of them is the human!"

"Wait, wait." Jaune groaned from his strained lungs. "Who's... Who's your other friend?"

Penny gasped, then shut and covered her mouth with her hand. She quickly ran to the door, not looking back as she pounded on the cell entrance/exit. The door hissed and slid open, and a team of four, burly guards rushed in, knocking Jaune to the ground. Looking up, he saw Penny looking back. Her eyes were the saddest he'd ever seen. And then she ran away, and he was left pinned to the floor.

As she ran, he couldn't help but notice the twin antennae extending from her hair.

[cambrioleur]

Random observations on this season (updating)

(SPOILERS, OBVIOUSLY)

Episode 1

I don't think we've ever seen Assane do a genuine fourth-wall break before

OK so Claire has a last name now

Assane really expected that he could just show up and Claire would just fall at his feet

I'm surprised Benjamin is just allowed to continue working at his shop

This feels better-edited than Parts 1 & 2

Name a more iconic duo than Belkacem and failing constantly (she really doesn't listen, does she)

Episode 2

Philippe Courbet sighting

NEVER invite Guédira to a funeral lmaooo

Hang on I'm just now realizing that Juliette is at this funeral, too (she's standing in the second row behind Benjamin and Claire and honestly doesn't seem too upset about Assane's "death")

I like how in the flashback Babakar tells Assane that he reminds him of his mother and then it turns out she was a criminal

This seems to be around the time of Raoul's birthday again; he really can't catch a break on that

Episode 3

New shipping war just dropped: Guédira/Belkacem vs Guédira/Fleur

That bit where Claire was outright begging Benjamin to tell her Assane was alive and he couldn't...that was sad

But then it was followed by Benjamin doing the "uhh my FRIEND just died" act with Belkacem which was funny

This gang of thugs is trying a little too hard tbh

Assane's disguise in this episode is fucking terrible lol

The basketball coach disguise, on the other hand, is the only time I've genuinely thought he wasn't recognizable

Episode 4

Ironically that coach persona is probably the best parenting Assane has ever done

Claire? Doing things that are vaguely cool?? That feels illegal. Also, she looked so proud of herself for swiping that book, lol

Betraying Benjamin was certainly...a choice on Assane's part ("everyone disliked that")

This episode is going to devastate the show's Tumblr fandom

Episode 5

Assane trolling the shit out of Guédira will never not be funny

These 1998 flashbacks are pretty dark actually

Honestly the way Claire got that reveal out of Benjamin was very well-played on her part

Guédira out here looking like present-day Ringo Starr with that disguise

Aww look at Assane playing the matchmaker for Guédira and Belkacem, heh heh

This is easily one of the funniest episodes

Except Benjamin is straight up not having a good time -- it looks like he got beaten up in prison

Episode 6

Actually, now that I'm thinking about it, I'm not totally sure Benjamin knows that Assane betrayed him. It's possible he just thinks that he fucked up with the bracelet and then missed a cue in the maze

"Pasta with ketchup" jesus fucking christ Claire that sounds horrendous (although I'm guessing the only reason they did that was because of the ketchup-bottle reveal)

Assane really has Claire's number because he's now seduced her twice under two different identities

IDK whether or not Raoul has figured out that the coach is his dad but it's funny that he still seemed to be shipping it either way

It's nice that we get to see Claire's more playful side in this season, like her messing with Assane by acting really flirty with "Alex" after she realizes they're the same person

INCREDIBLE casting for the younger and older versions of Keller tbh; they easily look like they could be the same person

Episode 7

What a nice family reunion...it would be a shame if something happened to it...

The flashbacks are significantly darker than the present timeline this time around

Guédira finally got to arrest Assane, good for him!

The scene at the train station with the letter from Assane to Claire sort of reminds me of the ending to A Tale of Two Cities, which I had to read for AP prep a while back

Oh look, Hubert Pellegrini is back

So they're CLEARLY setting up another season with this ending

The choice of people to show on the montage there was interesting, lol

I could see a Juliette antagonist arc happening tbh

Maybe Assane's mom isn't all she seems either

And what about Benjamin? If he turns against Assane the viewers are going to lose their minds

[rosewaterandivy]

c'mon barbie, let's go party

summary: steve harrington learns to embrace his kenergy with a little help from his friends.

a/n: in honor of barbenheimer today, please enjoy steve's newfound kenergy in the kids aren't alright cinematic universe. that being said, you can absolutely read this as a stand alone too! i'm seeing barbie later tonight, so mentions of the plot are vague and culled from the teasers and trailers - any and all mistakes are my own! feel free to yell at me in about this in my ask box et al. i'm at the tattoo shop for the foreseeable future and need some enrichment in my enclosure. Reblogs, feedback, and likes are appreciated - reposting is not. Enjoy! 💜

p.s. sneaky peak at eddie and his gf from my upcoming series notes on a scene 👀

steve had it all planned out - made the appointment himself and triple-checked that your schedule was clear for the day. circled it on the communal calendar in the kitchen double-feature: barbenheimer.

the group chat had been made aware and eddie's girlfriend, inexplicably known as princess, had taken it upon herself to buy tickets for the gang, therefore dictating the order in which the films would be seen (film teachers, am i right?). oppenheimer first, which steve would suffer through - historical films were always difficult for him to get through due to the anachronisms, and ending with the pièce de résistance: barbie.

you were swamped with grad school classes (having applied over the spring and started your courses this past summer) and steve wanted to treat you to something nice and relaxing. and a trip to the nail salon would have been just the thing, if not for eddie & princess crashing it.

luckily, you didn't seem to mind and were happily ensconced in your chair waiting on your nail tech. you'd brought your own color, because you're picky like that, and let steve, and then eddie and his girlfriend (out of necessity), sort through your collection too.

he'd settled on something called a midsummer's dream from that one brand you liked (there seemed to be a package from them every few weeks or so), thinking it would compliment your choice of arcade monster quite nicely; a little sweet and a little sour.

"manicure and pedicure?" the woman at the front desk had asked. steve clarified that the mani/pedi would be for the ladies, while eddie and himself would just get the pedicures. though the chipped black polish on ed's nails was becoming unsightly.

but despite doing so, steve somehow found himself moved from the pedi bath over to a nail table and seated right next to you. you looked up from your reading (Prisoners of Geography by Tim Marshall, steve's suggestion) and quirked a brow. "whatcha doin'?"

"sitting here, i guess."

you smirk, "sure thing, babe," and go back to your book.

so when a well-meaning woman grabs his hand and places it in a bowl of water while asking about his color choice, he doesn't know how to respond. he could've sworn he just said a pedicure for him and eds, but when he looks down the row and finds eddie in rapt conversation with his nail tech about god knows what as she removes his chipped black polish, he's no longer quite as sure.

"psst."

he looks over to you, seeing an ill-attempt to repress your laughter. "you don't have to get a polish if you don't want to." and it's sweet, you're sweet for thinking of him and his comfort when this was supposed to be all about you and yours.

steve shrugs, "might as well at this point," and hands her the bottle of pinky-blue iridescent polish.

you tuck your chin toward your chest with a grin, teeth flashing bright against the pink of your lips. "a very nice use of kenergy, steve. gosling would be proud."

💅💅💅

your nails flash green-gold in the sun, a nice contrast against the magenta base polish. you’re sipping from a s’mores milkshake from the ice cream parlor after the nail appointment, eddie having spied it a few stores down.

("it's too hot to argue, harrington," eddie groused, but not before grabbing steve's hands to examine his manicure. "dude, that color is sick on you!")

“s’nice color honey,” steve says, pausing to drink from the milkshake when you passed it over to him. the cool blend of chocolate and marshmallows with graham cracker chunks hits his tongue as you send a deilvish wink his way.

“thanks baby,” your tongue glides against the full of your bottom lip, collecting a bit of chocolate. checking to see that eddie and princess are out of earshot, you pull him in by the belt loops.

“think they’ll look as nice wrapped around your cock later?” you rasp, voice dropping to a low whisper.

steve shudders at the husky sound of your voice and nearly chokes on the milkshake in response, flustered and blushing. your laughter rings out in the afternoon heat, as bright as the sun shining above.

you kiss him for good measure, lips cool and sweet, before catching up to eddie and his girlfriend a few paces ahead. and all steve can do is watch after you, struck dumb by his girl with her quick tongue and wicked words.

he gets it later that evening seeing barbie when they say: “she’s barbie, and he’s just ken.”

you did not tell a lie when you said to princess all those months ago, that ken would end up being steve’s ‘literally me’ character. truthfully, he’s just glad to end up with his dreamgirl.

and yeah, your nails looked just as pretty later that night. as did his when you fell apart on his fingers. a flash of blue in the dim light when his hands dug into the soft flesh of your hips— you coming with a ragged cry on his cock, face buried against the pillows of your bed.

steve may be “just ken” but he wouldn’t trade it for the world. not when he’s got a barbie like you.

[hyperfixatedoncrimminalminds]

Spencer Reid x prisoner teen male reader

Set during season 12 (I'm on it at the minute)

Summary: While in Prison Spencer Reid meets a young prisoner who is in for the murder of his parents, who abused him his whole life. The former FBI Agent becomes his sort-of brother figure to the 18 year old.

Tw: abuse, child abuse, abusive parents, talk of abuse,

Third person pov...

On the way in to the Prison Spencer sat next to a boy who looked more like a kid than a young adult, from looks he had long H/C hair, a round young looking face, innocent eyes which screamed

abused.

What confused Spencer the most was why a kid like him was in prison for, intrigued by the boy Spencer started a conversation with him. "Hi there" he whispers, his words made the young scared boy look up at him.

His body language tells Spencer he wasn't treated right most of his life. 'Hunched shoulders, not making eye contact, submissive behaviour, this boy has been abused his whole life and knowone ever knew' thought the Former FBI Agent and Dr.

"Y-yes Dr" came the young boy picking at his nails as he spoke to the man next to him. Spencer eyes widened as he heard the boy call him 'Dr' he hadn't been called Dr since before he was arrested.

The boys eyes widened in horror as he realises what he said, hime begins hyperventilating. "I-im s-sorry I m-meant Sir" he said in a hushed whisper apologising again and again until Spencer stopped him.

The older man smiled at thw young boy making him relax. "It's okay, I guess you know me already, but I'm Spencer Reid" said the Dr his voice calm and inviting.

This made the boy stop shaking, he unhunched his shoulders, and looked at Spencer. "What's your name?" Asked the Dr, wanting to get to know the scared boy next to him.

The boy straightens up and manages a small smile, he was happy about meeting his idol Dr Spencer Reid. "I'm Y/N L/N, sir" he said quietly, before going back go fiddling with his hands.

"I guess you've heard of me?" Asks Spencer, he was hoping to distract thr boy from his nerves by keeping him talking.

The boy nods his head. "Yes sir, I have read everything and seen every news report about you and your team all my life, since you started" Exclaimed the boy before trying to hide his excitement.

Spencer laughs slightly at the blushing boy, who smiled back. "I see so you've been following my team, what do you like about it?" Asks the man

Y/N continues to tell the Dr about how he was interested in profiling and working for the FBI since he came across one of David Rossis books in his town library.

Time skip...

Soon they arrive at the Prison, the Prisoners are forced put of the transport and outside, Y/N stands close next to Spencer and the man stands close to him ready to protect him, lucky them they are put together in a group.

As they walk the young boy follows Spencer through the prison, he had never been in or too one before. As they walk the arrive at a room where they will sleep.

One of the guard come forward. "I will call your name, if I do grab a bed" he yells, as he yells Y/N flinches making Spencer instantly reach out to comfort him.

The guard calls put names he then gets to Y/Ns. "L/N, Reid... ... ... ..." Soon everyone gets a bed, lucky for Spencer and Y/N they managed to get theirs next to each other.

As the day goes on its soon time for food, Y/N and Spencer make their way to The lunch hall and grab a tray of disgusting looking food, and finding a table to sit at. As they sit Spencer starts up a conversation. "So why are you in here?" He asks the kid in front of him.

His casual question makes Y/N freeze in place, his spoon centimetres from his lips, the boy puts it back and once again hunches over himself. "I killed my parents on my 18th birthday, in our home" he says quietly.

His answer made Spencer almost choke on his food, he watches as the boy taps his spoon on the tray. "Why did you do that?" He asks the 18 year old.

Y/N takes a breath before speaking. "Because they beat me my whole life and knowone was able to help me, not the police, not the school, not even social services because they were excellent liars and could get away with anything. Ever since I can remember they hated me they didn't even want me alive, so many times I had to live woth those monsters that once I turned 18 I would kill them I would make them experience what I experiences my whole life, and i did i killed them, i stabbed them until i felt safe enough around them for once in my lif ei was free, free of the hurt, free from thise mosnters and i dont regret it!" Exclaimed the boy his hands trembling as he held his spoon so tightly that Spencer had to take it from him so he didn't do anything to himself with it.

"Y/N! Hey can you hear me, they aren't here okay, your parents are here to hurt you anymore" spoke Soencer firmly to the boy, Y/N snapped out of hid big tears streamed down his face at Soencers words.

Spencer looks at the boy dead in the eyes. "I've only knowne you a couple hours but I can tell that all you ever wanted was someone to care about you, someone who loves you, so I ask let me be that for you, let me be the person to protect you" Says the Dr.

His words make the boys tears fall even faster as the boy reached out a hand to his brother amthe curly haired man reached for the hand and held it tightly he would never let this boy be alone again he swears to protect him.

The end!

Hope you liked this oneshot, as usual sorry for the grammar and Spelling mistakes!

Request are open!

Word count: 1064

[crescentpaws]

ok wait my dream last night was kinda crazy

so it just started out as a normal school dream right. i was in my high school and i was stressed out because it was the first day and i didn’t know where my classes were blah blah blah. but then i checked my schedule and was like “oh yeah i forgot my next class is telepathy in the elite towers” ??

so basically it was still my high school but the elite towers from foxfire were tacked on for some reason.

so i took the elevator up to where the class was (yeah we have elevators, checkmate lost cities) and i met my teacher (random ass lady). she showed me around my dorm room which i was so excited about because it had a bunch of secret rooms and i was all “woah it’s just like sophie foster.” my teacher kinda paused then though and she was like. “you know about sophie foster?” and i thought oh shit sophie foster is canon here??

apparently sophie foster is fucking dead. which of course i didn’t know since i’d only read up to book 9. but i recapped what i did know to my teacher, basically just “everyone is still alive and they’re fighting the neverseen and fintan is still in prison.”

then my teacher checked my schedule and was like “hmm i see you have an inflicting class scheduled for tomorrow. well that might be difficult because bronte is also dead so we have no inflictors to teach you.” and i was like ???? how did he die? wait. “fintan killed him didn’t he.” and my teacher was like yeah… they sort of killed each other actually. (gay asf)

so obviously that was a bummer but guess what my teacher’s grand solution was!!! go to where sophie is buried and dig up her fucking organs!!!!! that way we can rebuild her and she can teach me!!! the dream ended as we were reconstructing her but i am still shocked at the fact that we were so ready to pull a frankenstein

[seekers-who-are-lovers]

Wakamiya, Yukiya and the lady ravens

So far, I’d like to commend the series composition writer Yukiko Yamamuro for reinterpreting Chisato Abe’s novel and patching up the first two volumes of the book series (and the others maybe) into one cohesive narrative while altering some things to make it more comprehensible.

If you haven’t seen the 12th episode, beware of spoilers from here on:

Yukiya

In the manga, he only showed up when Wakamiya asked him to assist him on how to demonstrate the utility of the Ue, their raven suit, concerning Samomo’s death. (Of course, it is given that he might just be in the background the whole time.) While in the anime, he’s become the stand-in for Hamayu. The writer altered the dialogue and scenes to fit to Yukiya, a sort of Jiminy Cricket to Wakamiya. His assistant through and through.

The barriers

Instead of setting up a screen between the Prince and the princesses, Anime*Wakamiya has once again broken the protocol that he can see them and talk to them without the bamboo curtains. (He is allowed to break the rules, but the candidates cannot.)

Shiratama

Honestly, this is the most heartwarming scene in the 12th episode. It is not a big smile, but Wakamiya has done so, perhaps relieved, seeing that Shiratama has finally listened to her heart, while Yukiya is beaming watching his cousin reunited with her lover Kazumi. The bluffing has worked, even though Yukiya thinks it is an overkill while Wakamiya insists they haven’t done the deed yet. Anyway, he has done the scrutiny with so much care and respect. He was not as brutal as in the manga where calling her out was actually a push for her to think of her own mind.

He is exercising his right to be a just ruler here, which he at first was not so sure of how would it turn out.

Yukiya: What are you trying to get out of this choice?

Wakamiya: I wonder. Heaven knows how this will go.

But in the end, he’s begun to weigh both sides, give advices, tell it what it is, and encourage Shiratama and Masuho no Susuki to see what are their other opportunities other than marrying him.

It is true that he also doesn’t have a good opinion on Sakura Blossom Palace due to what transpired and/or is transpiring there. For him it stands for prison, of human follies, a snake pit, of the way humans drag each other down to the point of wishing the other harm, powerful men using young women as mere tools to advance power and influence. He knows it because his own mother had been one.

From the novel:

The wind was fluttering the young master's black hair. His face was white in the moonlight. A handsome, unpleasant person. But affectionate. Yukiya looked at the prince for a long time and spoke cautiously a little later.

“I know that my words will sound cowardly now. But Shiratama from the North House is my cousin... When I found out that Your Highness cares about the hearts of the daughters of the four houses, I felt lighter in my heart. After all, you don't consider them as tools in the political struggle.”

He's wilful, no doubt. Sharp, often misunderstood. But being with him turned out to be not bad at all.

(Note: this isn’t an official EN translation)

Masuho no Susuki

Because they changed so much from the manga, I guess we have to wait what will happen in the upcoming episodes concerning Masuho no Susuki.

(In the novel, she wrote to Wakamiya to personally come to the Sakura Blossom Palace, asked Sumio to find Hamayū and when he did Masuho kept her in her entourage secretly.)

The way Wakamiya asks the candidates if they can foresee a future with him as his empress is devoid of romanticism. He doesn’t mince words nor let them expect heaven when it is not.

One gets the impression that he really doesn’t want to get married. It is just a stupid rule that he must have a consort when he ascends the throne.

Did I say that I love Masuho’s hairstyle? Yes, I do!

Asebi

It is amusing to read the shocked comments from the Team Asebi fans. (Sorry!) The Girl has fooled many with her demure and innocent, yet naive, face.

From Asebi’s VA, Rina Honnizumi:

Asebi is very lovely, and it makes you think, “This kind of child is called a princess,” and has a charm that makes you want to protect her. But when I auditioned, I read the original work and said, “I see, this kind of girl!” The way she looks is quite different at the beginning and at the end.

Many people still don’t want to believe that she is not what everyone thinks she is. Behind this face is a wily young woman ready to crush everyone who is on her way. And we all thought it was Shiratama.

On the other hand, her half sister, Futaba, has entered the list of characters officially. Poor girl, who suffered in the hands of her own sister.

The way Asebi answers Wakamiya, “no matter what the cost,” her cunningness, and her clear discrimination between the court ravens and hill ravens, you cannot simply excuse her ignorance. Neither Wakamiya. He hates her from the bottom of his heart. We will find out more next week the reasons he does. And it seems that it is ominous as the sound director posted on X that they “deliberately left out the music for the preview of the next episode.”

Hamayu

I am curious how will they reintroduce her to the story. Are they preparing for her mini-arc? Will they follow the novel/manga but with a different twist?

The fluttering cherry blossoms

They symbolise two different things and always in tune with the music. They can be flying softly, dancing around the characters (a positive realisation) or hitting them harshly when the wind blows (signals danger, distress).

What a nice touch.

[freyjas-musings]

People seem to think because Sarah has been posting about spring court on her insta stories that means the next book will be in spring. But when she was in the mountains that seemed more Illyria to me. What do you think about it all?

Hi Anon,

First and foremost you got to understand how marketing , investors and book stocks work. With the next book soon to be announced the push would certainly be on promoting the boxed sets and putting the books on sale to clear up existing inventory to the best of their ability. Do you think people will buy "boxed sets" if the next book is announced to be months away ? They are waiting for end of year sales ... from US and UK , their larger buyer pockets ... So, the entire promoting ACOTAR is in part to get new readers in , new readers dont come with prior attachments 🤭. Have you seen how actors and well known people on social media are suddenly reading that? That's a planned thing. It's about sales of existing books. The post about spring was... well because it was spring.

As far as the next book is concerned, here are the things you need to pay attention to based on HOFAS for plot points :

As of HOFAS , Nesta's story isn't complete. The author deliberately showed a turbulence in her relationships, things that she seemed to still be figuring out and more importantly Gwydion being given to her... A clear indication there is atleast a part of Nestas story that still needs to be told.

This then gets tied in with the history of Prythian that was established. Illyrians their connection to Daglan, what affect would it have now that the last Daglan on prythian died? The hidden pockets of magic and weapons hidden. What happened to Fionn? What happened to priestess Oleana? Who were the two shadowed figures who watched Fionn get dragged into the bog. We know Fionn and Enalius were friends but there is more ? Fionn ruled from Ramiel ... the Cauldron was kept on Ramiel who moved it? When and why? ....which leads us to Azriel, him carrying Enalius's dagger , his ability to carry both the sword and dagger.... the hidden made weapons and what they could possibly do... they can't fall into the wrong hands ? As a spymaster he will be in the thick of things .....

Then comes the prison, what happened once the magic poisoning the prison land was destroyed? We don't know yet ... we don't know if the pegasi came back there similar to the Avallen... what happened to the wards ? To the monsters within? All of that will need to be sorted in the next book as well. Who is most related to it? Rhys, Nesta and Azriel( read ACOMAF you will know Az is involved there as well)

From ACOSF it's clear Autumn is getting heated and as much as I would love to indulge my elucien friends the fact logically remains Beron doesn't give a fuck about Lucien living or dying (thats established clearly in ACOWAR) and by the looks of it nor does Lucien ... since he is the one who gives all the info he already knows about Autumn to...... YOU GUESSED IT RIGHT .... AZRIEL. If anything it will be Az who will be fully involved with Autumn plot.

Lucien may be involved in "some" form ... but it won't be in some major capacity when it comes to Autumn plot.

Even when Eris gets caught its Az and Cass that go .... Not Lucien , Lucien isn't even informed .... So Lucien and Autumn are not plot points that will be connected. Eris and Mor .... Now, we did see a connection between Keir and Eris and what Eris did for her Mor .... Mor is the other person who has more history and link to Autumn.

Gwyn comes in with three angles .... one as a Carynthian who won the bloodrite along with Emerie ... an Illyrian tradition one that Illyrians would be pissed about and that's been established... two Gywn to be given such an elaborate Autumn connection... whether it's her mum living briefly in the forest house where Beron and his sons live or the parallels that were established between Eris and Gwyn .... its deliberate and careful... she is related to that family so she automatically gets connected to the plot ... third as Azriels LI and Mate.... the fact that she is tired of living in the library but goes back is indicative her story isn't over yet and that her story will be given prominence in the next book in which Az takes centre stage.

Mor saying she wanted to train with the Valkyries helps in establishing the Emorie romance and also giving the opportunity to repair the relationship between Az and Mor and create some closure there.

All of this will need to first be sorted in order to move to the big bad .... KOSCHEI and by extension the human queens and Spring .... the end of Beron could also lead to the revelation that Lucien isnt Berons son ... he is Helions ... thereby kicking off the Elucien story ... Elain and Luciens interactions maybe given some page time to set them up for their book.

This is simply going by logic and the latest books and the information contained in it. To me it was obvious at ACOSF that it was Azriels book... add all the info from HOFAS and that second bonus which also included Azriels mums topic ... it became more and more obvious ... not to mention that special emphasis on his shadows reaction and musical reference to the entire chapter.

I basically only go by my inference of the books and my conclusions are based on the info in the books .... outside of that while I enjoy the teasers and lives etc I will never make a judgement on the plot points based on anything i see as promotions.

I know its a Long Long Long answer but I have been meaning to deep dive into this for a while ....

[sarascamander]

If you love Kit and Ty, you HAVE to read the Adventure of Holloway Holmes — it gives the EXACT VIBE of KitTy. I'm not even kidding. We have two wannabe sleuths absolutely pining for each other, crimes to solve, amazing banters, and just so much more! One of the similarities:

1. The main character is Jack Moreno who Kit wished he was. I LOVE KIT but Jack stole my heart in a way he didn't lmao. They both are sarcastic, hilarious, independent and undeniably in love with their partner in crime. Honestly, being in Jack's head is one of the best experiences of my love. It's so fun!

I wanted to close my eyes. I wanted to smack my head against the steering wheel. Off the top of my head, I could make a list: some fairly good weed, a lot of addies, condoms (not that those were illegal), unopened vapes (those were), this rare tentacle porn manga that Ty Bryce had paid me for but asked me to hold on to. After I got out of prison in thirty years, I already knew, Dad was going to make me have a super awkward sex talk.

2. And Holmes aka H (as Jack fondly nicknamed because Holloway Holmes is such a posh name in his humble opinion) is so precious!!!! I want to wrap him in a blanket burrito even though he is actually capable of breaking my arm without blinking. But god! Someone needs to take care of him. Although it's never been specified in the book, I'm 80% sure he's autistic. Either that or he was badly abused (which he was). He reminded me of Ty by the way he speaks and acts.

I examined his face. Then I gave him a smile. He was doing a Holmes thing, not looking me in the eye, so I moved my head until he was. This was something we’d been working on.

3. You know how Kit will suddenly drift to a paragraph of how beautiful Ty is? Well, Jack Moreno might give Kit a run for his money (he's so obsessed with H's knuckles and the thousands of shades of gold in his hair, it's embarrassing)

He made a frustrated noise. Then he smiled. The expression was a little stiff; he wasn’t used to doing it, and it was another of those things that he was self-conscious about. I’d read about people who get up at two or three in the morning—on vacation, no less, when they’re in Hawaii—and then they drive hours and hours, and all of it is to see the sunrise from this one specific spot, and I thought, Come to Utah if you want something worth your time

Context: they're in Utah. Jack basically said that Holmes' smile is prettier than the sunrise!! 😩

4. Their relationship is literally so pure and one of the things that get me insane about them is their communication!! They always worked hard to communicate with each other and sort things out it's so satisfying to read!!

“I lied,” Holmes said, but he still wasn’t looking me in the eye. “I am angry with you.” “I guessed.” “I don’t want to do this right now.” “It’s good practice."

5. Their banter is *chef kiss*

“I’ll tell him it’s a sex thing.” “Good,” Holmes said. “He’ll be pleased that all your hours of mindless pornography are finally paying dividends.” My jaw legit dropped. “H!” “Desk, please.” “That was so amazingly bitchy.” “Desk.” “And, like, also kind of evil. Which I loved.”

And there are literally hundreds of reasons to read this trilogy if you are craving for Kit and Ty. And although their vibes are similar, they are also their own people. And words can't say how much I adore them. The story and relationship is really beautifully written. I honestly don't care much about the crime but I'm obsessed with these two

Some of my favourites quotes:

He sat there in silhouette, head down. I knew the curve of his spine. I knew the span of his shoulders. Anywhere, I thought. I could be anywhere and know you

“You are my soul, Jack Moreno. I do not know why John Watson wrote his stories that way, why he wrote himself so small, when he was so much more. I do not think I will ever understand. But I do not want to know what I would be without you.”

I knew that he was something more than me, something vast and wonderful that I could only touch the edges of. But for someone like me, the edge was enough—just a glimpse was enough. And, more importantly for right now, I knew what he sounded like when he’d been hurt, the quality of his breathing, because I’d hurt him in a way few people ever had. Which was why, in those rare midnight hours when I could be honest with myself, I knew it was better this way, as friends. Because I didn’t deserve him

“But he was so much more. Sherlock Holmes was a brilliant detective, Jack. He would have been that regardless of other circumstances. But he was a good man—he was a happy man—because of John Watson.”

“What do you say to that, I wanted to know. What am I supposed to say? What do you want me to say? But what I was really asking was, How am I supposed to do this again? I barely survived the first time; what am I supposed to do when you leave me again?”

I had seen, this spring, jacaranda blossoms so pale they were almost blue, trembling with the breath of the mountains. I had seen, when I'd been twelve, a foil of goldfinches flocking against the crushed dusk. I had seen a shooting star once, thinning across the sky like combed silver. And I had seen Holloway Holmes smile.

There's so much but I don't want to spam so I really hope you give it a try!!

[black-rabbit-razumikhin]

Raz Reads Les Mis (V)

Fantine - The Descent

I know the title of this book should have prepared me for the misfortune of everyone in here but so far this has been nearly 200 pages of so much hurt

And it makes the small rays of hope so much more powerful

In the same breath that we're introduced to our Monsieur Madeline, bishop Charlie dies

Which I understand from a literary point of view makes sense because they're basically the same character

But why did bishop Charlie have to die??

Madeline, though, also the sort of good, kind, just, upright man that's meant to give us some hope for The Establishment

And we find out how he's so good and just in the same place that we meet Javert

Technically we meet Javert a little earlier, we find out he works for the police

I think it's interesting that he comes across as very similar to Valjean, with them both being described as stern and driven towards a particular goal that overtakes them

But one's a convict (for bread, I'm still mad) and the other's the guy who put him there apparently

Anyway! Why is Madeline so wonderful?

He saves his arch nemesis - arch nemesis being just some petty lad - from being crushed by a carriage because nobody else is willing to risk their lives for it

The whole time Madeline is looking for volunteers to do this before he helps, Javert is squawking in his ear about this prisoner he knew and ooh he was so strong and manly and ooh he could have picked up that carriage so easily

Sure Javert, but your prisoner isn't here right now is he? You're not helping

The prisoner being Valjean of course. Though no mention of his name is made

But the carriage scene (I guess Madeline also makes a little town flourish because of some patent he made and whatever, but the most dramatic scene is with the carriage and the crushed enemy) sets up nicely the juxtaposition that Fantine has to face

Fantine is honestly such an incredible woman. Her extreme devotion to her daughter and complete selflessnes to her own position is not given enough respect in this chapter

She's working for pittance in a factory, spending something like 80% of her wages on her daughter

Which the people she's left Cosette with swindle and demand more at every step

Fantine's been hiding the fact that she's a mom from the rest of the women who work in the factory, for fear that it will compromise her position

But they find out

They gossip, office gossip spreads

Fantine, beautiful Fantine, is fired

And she blames the mayor (Madeline. Madeline's the mayor) because she's given pittance and nobody else will offer her work

She makes shirts for soldiers for 17 hours a day, every day, until price cuts at the factories make that impossible

She sells all her furniture, she sells her clothes, she cuts her hair

Her hair! Her beautiful, long hair and the whole act makes Hugo calling her hair "gold" and her teeth "pearls" that much more sinister

Guess what happens to her teeth by the way

All of this to ensure Cosette is healthy and warm and safe, except all the money she sends gets used by the couple and none to the wellbeing of the Lark

As her final desperate attempt to protect her daughter, Fantine turns to prostitution

And that, after fighting back at a man who insults her - and throws snow at her while she's walking past - is where Fantine meets Javert

He detains her and wants to throw her in jail for 6 months for her attacks on a citizen

What about all the attacks on her?!

She explains her position to him, begs him for mercy and compassion and to let her protect her daughter

Who to show up at this time than our Mayor Madeline?

This throws Fantine into a rage. And why not? To her, this is the man that cost her her job and left her on the street to rot

She goes so far as to spit in his face, which I'm taking as a win for her show of agency

But it is not Javert that listens to her wanting to be free and her situation, it is Madeline that advocates on her behalf

Fantine cannot understand this, she's too shocked that her villain is starting to look a lot more like her hero

Madeline goes so far as to say that he'll pay for her, for Cosette; he'll bring Cosette to see Fantine

The news of which, along with Madeline's kind gestures, makes Fantine faint

I hate Tholomyes. Have I mentioned how much I hate Tholomyes? He wasn't even in this chapter but Mr Rolling-In-It Attorney could have stopped all of this by simply not being an absent father. Aaah!! And bishop Charlie is gone! Who is going to look at Valjean and go "I can fix him" now?? Also I really hope Fantine is fine. Please let Fantine be okay. Please let there be some mother-daughter love and bonding and reunion. I can't believe when I first met Fantine I didn't like her and I thought her agentless. She's done so much, she's been so strong. She deserves love and kindness and happiness.

But that isn't what happens next is it?

[ranlien]

"What are you?" (Theory)

(Chapter 107 spoilers)

Theory: the Fydor we see is actually the ability "Crime and Punishment".

(also, first time making a post; please pat gently and tell me if I break any tumblr etiquette roles or something)

First off, we know that it is possible for abilities to gain human form/take over their wielders.

There is Jules Gabriel Verne from 55 minutes, where his ability consumes him and walks around in his body as Gab for most of the novel,

and also how Arthur Rimbaud lived on as his ability (or programmed his ability to act as him? Uncertain, because I did not read the source material for this part)

so it is possible for abilities to be 'alive', or human-like.

There are a couple things that I am drawing from for this theory, but it feels like it all comes together nicely? So here it is:

Dead Apple, when Fydors ability appears it acts differently from other abilities in many ways.

His ability does not attack him and instead there is the kinda famous proclamation of "I am crime" and "I am punishment". Crime and punishment are cause and effect/result, and the person it is associated with can just as easily be reversed. In that scene, it always struck me that Fydor and his ability looked like mirror images and the proclamation could just as easily be reversed

the manifested ability under the fog has distinct facial features, unlike the other abilities

gemstone on hand rather than forehand like everyone else

From Dead Apple, his ability seems to be very 'human' (and for the sake of consistency, I will just be referring to Fydor as the one we see in canon and his ability as "Crime and Punishment" instead of inverting it and confusing everyone and myself).

The other main point I guess was how Sigma phrased his question; he hesitates and then something causes him to ask "what are you?" instead of "what is your ability".

while far-fetched, maybe its Sigma's origins speaking to him as something created from the book. In physical terms, he is as human as everyone else (and probably the sanest and most mentally stable person in the prison)

but he is created from the book, completely out of nothing. I was always curious whether his origins would have further repercussions other than trama (wanting a home and trust) but it would be very interesting if he could sense, when he really looked, that something was off with Fydor as well.

and given how the question switched, it does seem like there. is the very natural implication that rather than directing the question about the nature of Fydor's ability, what he is is in doubt.

From the above, I propose: what we have been seeing in the manga is actually "Crime and Punishment" puppeting Fydor's body (also possible that they can switch, cause otherwise I don't know how they would be able to stand being in the same room as Dazai) while actual Fydor maybe sleeps inside the body???? Or helps along with the plans??? (maybe where the "help me" comes from)

The above is mainly what I was going off of when I thought of this theory, but there are some other miscellaneous notes as well.

Fydors 'ability' seems to kill through touch but the exact mechanics aren't really explained and its been so long (please asagiri we want to know). There are a lot of theories going around but I do like the one where it is some sort of judgement cause-and-effect death penalty. anyways.

If the actual Fydor and his ability is switched, I am curious as to how it plays out with his ideology of abilities being a sin that he seeks to erase from the world.

Now, onto really off the rails rambling that has almost no basis in canon, but just some cool theories that I have.

Assuming that the "Fydor" we see is actually "Crime and Punishment":

I am more inclined to believe that it was a conscious or at least meaningful decision to let "Crime and Punishment" take over, which could be for several reasons

first of all, his personality. Abilities do reflect the person, and Fydor seems to be someone who would gladly calculate and weigh his own death if it will bring enough benefits, and

given the age range, Fydor was probably fairly young but still around when the great ability war happened, which may contribute to their desire to eradicate abilities

given the nature of the ability, would it be interesting if original Fydor's ability granted him the ability to judge anyone who has committed more crimes than he has

but that wouldn't let him get too far, cause the road with good intentions is paved to hell, so maybe when "Crime and Punishment" takes over it becomes an inversion

and he can judge anyone who has committed less crimes than he has (which is a lot easier to control; he just has to ensure he is the only sinner around) and so he can instant-touch-kill almost anyone (save maybe Dazai actually, assuming there isn't the nullification that would be funny)

Well, thank you for reading my theory. First time posting, I really love bungou stray dogs and am looking to get into the fandom more, so I might post more (or lurk around).

Good day.

[ninja-muse]

Another month, another last-minute book review, but don't let that fool you. Infinity Gate is a winner! It's also pure Carey—compelling characters, smart world-building, themes that drive at the heart of human experience, writing and story that just don't stop.

First of all, if you've seen the blurb for this book, you probably think it's about the potential benefits of parallel worlds to one devastated by climate change, or possibly that it's about people fighting sinister AI. This is, in fact, what hooked me. It's also fairly inaccurate.

This is a story about how we define "human", that gets more into the discussions we're having about fascism and dehumanization and xenophobia, than the discussions we're having about AI, algorithms, and where "tool" becomes "crutch" or "means for layoffs". Does a person have to look like you to be seen as an equal? Do they have to act like you? Think like you? If they don't, is it okay to oppress, enslave, or murder them? If you say no but your society or government says yes, what then?

(Unsurprisingly, this is also a novel about control—who has it, who doesn't, who wants it, and why.)

But! The parallel worlds and the fights about AI are no less interesting, exciting, inventive, or important. It's clear that Carey's thought through the usual parallel-world-story premise of "if every turning point sparks a new world, then anything could happen" with more creativity and more clarity than most other authors. Yes, there's a world of civilized rabbits, but it's not a happy, cute world because no matter the species, people still have wants and fears and assumptions. Yes, an interdimensional empire would be pretty great in a lot of ways, but it's also run by, you guessed it, people.

I'm making this sound like a thinking book, not one where things happen. So let me clarify: THINGS HAPPEN. So many things. A lot of happening. There's a physicist who cracks interdimensional travel, which doesn't go as she planned. There's a guy on the fringes of society who's faced with hard choices. There's a schoolgirl, and a government bureaucrat, and a military unit, and meaningful friendships, and a prison planet. There's a conspiracy that maybe isn't, and a conspiracy that definitely is, and a questionable war, and all sorts of AIs. It's frankly surprising how much Carey manages to fit in 500 pages, and how he gets it all flowing and making sense and never once losing track of his story and message.

Which is also not to say I thought this book was perfect. It's sometimes a bit too messagey. The characters, while rounded and believable, sometimes fit the themes a little too neatly. There were bits I read faster less because I wanted to know what happened and more because I didn't quite care about what was happening just then. I am, however, perfectly willing to believe a lot of that's because I can't divorce "reading-me" from "literary critic/editor-me" and that other readers will not have these problems, or these levels of them.

The important thing is, though, that this book was fun. Fun and smart and full of SF coolness and unpredictable and well-written—and pointed, angry, punchy, thought-provoking. Everything good science fiction should be, in other words, and I don't know if anyone could've done it better. The sequel went on my TBR as soon as I saw it announced.

[dominustempori]

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire - my takes, thoughts and stuff I kinda got wrong

SPOILERS IF YOU HAVEN’T WATCHED THE MOVIE!!!

1) First off: things I definitely got wrong after thoroughly enjoying the teaser trailer…

James Acaster = NOT OSCAR BARRETT. Snarky scientist employed by Mr Zeddemore? Yes, absolutely. Anyone else get a slight Alan Tudyk vibe from his character?

Secret Society? Well, kind of? Not late 1890s but STILL Victorian era. And, why exactly would these “Adventurers” want to release a revenge-bent ancient deity? Because they can? For that matter, did they maybe kidnap Nadeem’s grandmother, or steal the orb from her? There’s so much more to her story (and presumably her family/predecessors in regard to keeping Garraka’s prison safe and hidden) we don’t know about…

On that note, Garakka wasn’t trying to escape the containment unit, he wanted to release all the ghosts within it (that the guys had caught AFTER 1984? after Peck originally turned it off? Gil, more details and context please!)

But I DID get Patton Oswalt’s character right! Li-freaking-brarian! And the whole “under-library?”Totally borrowed from the Video Game (Special Archives level!)

2) Couldn’t help these ideas, they just popped in there…and sort of in order of the movie’s chronology:

-How EXACTLY did Walter “Dickless” Peck go from the EPA to MAYOR OF NYC?!

-Darn that final edit! I liked the bit with “overruled! sustained!” from Paul and Finn.

-Couldn’t Winston have helped fix up the firehouse a LITTLE more over the last, what 2 years? I mean, it’s a business AND a single family home now!

-Also guessing they hauled as much of Egon’s equipment, tech and books as they could from Summerville to Manhattan, right?

-Love Janine being back and as sassy as ever…but mainly throwing in one-liners for the sake of exposition? Which I got a kick out of, don’t get me wrong, but they could’ve gone a little deeper with her character, possibly? Guess I’m still not happy with how much of Annie’s scenes got cut in “Afterlife…”

-Glad Callie’s embraced her Ghostbuster heritage. And look at her piloting that drone trap! Boom!

-OMG Phoebe. I have ALL the feels for her moreso than before. 15, frustrated, feeling isolated…and upping the acerbic sarcasm to 11…then doing something that very well could be read as, maybe more than purely experimental?, at least in my mind (look closely…when she gets into that extractor, her heart rate drops to 42 bpm). And what if something went wrong with the timer?

-And OMG when Melody double crossed her…was I the only one who thought they’d kiss, maybe? Anyone else think of that plot device from the newer DuckTales first season? Just me?

-Or did the orb and wax cylinder give anyone Venture Brothers season 3 vibes?

-Or how the “open rift over the firehouse to the spirit world” idea totally made me think of new Doctor Who, season 1?

-Oh yeah, Kumail is a fire MASTER, and NOT a Fire BENDER!

-One more: NARNIA AND MIDDLE EARTH JOKES!!!

Damn, I need a part 2 after all these pop culture mentions. I’ll pick this up tomorrow.

Peace out, Ghostheads!