#so although there is a part that knows that Flynn doesn't care

[ratboyy-withtheexistentialdread]

Nevermore Chapter 97

Spoilers ahead, lads. Skedaddle if you don't fast pass. EDIT I guess I’ve said too much in this post and need to pull it back a little. So imma gonna edit it so it doesn’t say too much about this chapter.

Alright, first my reaction cause HOLY HELL those last few panels really got me like

I really had to put my phone down and talk myself through them. Now, lets talk about what I gained from this chapter and the infamous Annabel Lee. I've noticed, at least in the comment section, the fandom really doesn't care for Annabel's character and its difficult to know where the animosity has come from. Tumblr obviously loves her but us heathens support women's rights and wrongs (Don't we gents?) Many call her a sociopath or what’s happens in the last few panels. Annabel is indeed ruthless, calculating and stone cold but she obviously cares. She cares for Lenore above everything. It can be easy to see this as obsession as we really haven't seen her care about much else or even herself. But one comment on the Webtoon brought up a very valid point which I've also picked up on.

Annabel and Lenore in life were very isolated and broken people when they met one another. Annabel, broken and then rebuilt into a prim and proper lady. Lenore, broken physically and mentally and closed off from the world.

Meeting each other saved them. They were no longer alone. There was an understanding between them at least that we know of.

Their differences though is what divides them in death.

Annabel played games, and masked her true self around her father and family connections. She now makes games of situations to retain what little control she had in life over a society she knew she could never break the rules of. A Game that was always rigged against her.

Lenore rebelled against society. She fled the estate to escape a suitor, was bound to the attic and ostracized by her family, she then faked her death and posed as man to court Annabel, the one person who cared for her.

Lenore wants to break the rules of the deans Death Game. Annabel wants to follow them.

It’s all they’ve ever known.

Before it was only them that mattered. Now Lenore has so much more to fight for and Annabel still only has Lenore. Both are right in their own way of playing the game but it pains the other to witness.

Annabel, I’m sure is aware that the Deans are not all they seem to be and won’t simply allow the students to turn the tables on them if they played how Lenore wants to.

And playing Annabel’s way means the callous death of many many people that do deserve another chance at life.

Now. I do have to agree with Annabel in the sense that Lenore forgets

This is a Death Game

Right now the “villainous” characters show their true face with pride and the “hero’s” are charming and true but as we get down to the wire, it’s going to get grey. There are no good or bad at the end of these games, only survival.

Could Annabel show some restraint and more tact when speaking strategy and making plans with Lenore? Absolutely. She’s little too giddy about sweeping some pieces off the board.

Lenore also needs to stop being so naive. She saw first hand what exactly the Deans are capable of in Dreamland, it put the fear of god in her.

In fairness to both characters though they and we are still missing big pieces of what happened between them and what their causes of death were. Which could hold big aspects of their characterization.

Maybe Lenore was originally very callous about others. In life, aside from Theo and Annabel, we’ve never really seen her interact with others. Perhaps this is the Lenore Annabel speaks of.

Anyway, I’m rambling. In conclusion, I’m a bit disappointed in Nevermores comment section. I enjoy Annabel’s character although some parts do worry me a bit but I have hope Red and Flynn have plans to curve this to a satisfying reason and conclusion.

That cliffhanger, boy howdy, what the fuck is Lenore gonna do…

[flightyalrighty]

What do you think about Shadow? What is your personal perception of him? I'm curious about your answer (I hope is spoiler free)

On his character profile, wikipedia etc... for a while he is describled in a strong negative way, like he has no positive traits, an anti-MarySue. But I remember that Shadow from SA2 to 2006, including Shadow 2005 (surprisling, watching the cut scene, I found his positive traits are still there), and then Prime Shadow, tMoStH (those two versions are a bit shy) and Archie Shadow has a good balance of positive and negative traits. In particular the first Shadow (Adventure 2) was enternaining, he seemed playful and mischievous at times, like he was sill a kid even if he was heavily burdened by his past, and there was something likeable in Shadow in Heroes, like he is nice to have around as friend although sometimes he may get difficult to deal with his stubborness, melancholy and pessimism.

Often people complain about Shadow being too expressive in Archie comics. I admit I complained too before rewatching SA2/Sheroes cutscenes, reading some old Sega description of the character, how Maekawa envisioned him (far different than what we have today and that's clear from SA2), I could see Archies' choices.

Also, Archie Shadow is still cold and gruff toward those he doesn't know/he didn't connect with (I lovd the part where he was answering to Relic's questions). He shows his softer side only to his closest friends and still has that hints of distrust, typical of those that were and are still abused and rejected in every possible way.

I like how you showed this in the early page of Infested. The Shadow in first pages is caring toward Rouge, but he is quiet, very focused, and stubborn (when he wanted to complete his mission despite the double concussion and the pain). I see the tick (the bug makes me think to a tick. I see them quite often bvecause the little b...s often attack my cats) is now neutralizing his mental shield, leaving him with his insecurities exposed and vulnerable, in order to make him panic more easily. Shadow's personality is still there for now but his defense is gone.

I think that different continuities have different takes on Shadow (as you mentioned with Archie and Prime). While I thought pretty long and hard about how to answer this, ultimately I'm not sure how. I'll try?

My personal perception of Shadow is simply how he was written before the series had its big tonal shift starting with Sonic Colors. This no-nonsense guy who strives to do the right thing in the most straightforward and efficient way possible. His character arc concluded with Sonic 06, and then he was slid backwards by a company that wanted so badly to twist the franchise to suit the whims of people who never had a real interest in Sonic to begin with. Shadow is so much more than the flat character he'd been hydraulic pressed into. He's more than

This.

I don't envy Ian Flynn's job. He started his career a lot more free to write Shadow how he wanted to, and then found himself struggling against more and more and more restraints -- To the point that he's said on record that he doesn't like writing Shadow anymore. That's sad, especially when my favorite take on all of Team Dark came from his pen. Ian Flynn, famously, was Archie Sonic's writer until its death.

Archie's Team Dark is how I love to see them written.

Archie Shadow, in particular, had a lot more going on than game!Shadow. He was far less likely to cause friction within the Team Dark dynamic -- Not to say friction is a bad thing in fiction, quite the opposite, but when that friction happens all the time it's exhausting. If Shadow was actually allowed more moments to be an actual teammate or collaborate with someone outside of Team Dark without making the whole situation way more needlessly difficult all on his own, that could solve a lot of the issues folks have been complaining about. Like, he doesn't even need to be written nicer, just more willing to work with allies when necessary. He used to do this. Now he barrels into every situation solo.

Anyway, kvetching about Shadow's current writing concluded (on top of the actual answer for this ask).

[acetone4veins]

Quotes + Mean Girls

associating angsty quotes (and some fluffy ones) to mean girls characters and dynamics, this is definitely longer than it should be and will probably be part 1 of many but anyways. lmk which were your favorites and which ones ruined you :) also shoutout to the cautionary tale discord who saw some of these already and ramble about these characters with me <3

posting under the cut so i don't clog anyone's feeds

Regina

"what a terrible thing to wound someone you really care for - and to do it so unconsciously."

Haruki Murakami

"and when nobody wakes you up in the morning, and when nobody waits for you at night, and when you can do whatever you want. what do you call it, freedom or loneliness?"

Charles Bukowski

"i am changing. i am trying to be better. it is slow; it is rough; it is repetitive, but i swear i am."

Abdulsamad S. M.

"i did not like to be touched, but it was a strange dislike. i did not like to be touched because i craved it too much. i wanted to be held very tight so i would not break."

Marya Hornbacher

"i was not a loveable child, and i'd grown into a deeply unlovable adult. draw a picture of my soul, and it'd be a scribble with fangs."

Gillian Flynn

"if only my heart were as cold as i pretend it is, maybe i could get over this."

Jessica Katoff

"i wasn't beautiful anymore. now i looked like what i was, a raw wound."

Janet Fitch

"i'm restless and harsh and despairing. although i do have love inside me. i just don't know how to use love. sometimes it tears at my flesh, like barbs."

Clarice Lispector

"i did not mean to be cruel. i swear i am good, i am good, i am kind. i have love inside me. some place far far away."

unknown

Cady

"how much can you change and get away with it, before you turn into someone else, before its some kind of murder?"

Richard Siken

"your worst sin is that you have destroyed and betrayed yourself for nothing."

Dyodor Dosteovsky

"what and how much had i lost by trying to do only what was expected of me instead of what i myself wished to do?"

Ralph Ellison

"my god, my god, whose performance am i watching? how many people am i? who am i? what is this space between myself and myself?"

Fernando Pessoa

"it was good for a while, being empty. i didn't hurt anymore. but as time went on, it was like i could hear myself from far away, begging for permission to come back."

Myra McEntire

"is it better to out-monster the monster or to be quietly devoured?"

Friedrich Nietzsche

"who's the real you? the person who did something awful, or the one who's horrified by the awful thing you did? is one part of you allowed to forgive the other?"

Rebecca Stead

"you're a mess of good intentions gone wrong. you strike a match on yourself to keep others warm, and now the whole goddamn world's on fire. you try to put it out, and you try so hard. the dam breaks, and the waters of your sorrow pour free. you are sorry; so very, very sorrow - and you will drown everyone to prove it."

unknown

Janis

"there are times when i am convinced i am unfit for any human relationship."

Franz Kafka

"i am eternally, devastatingly romantic, and i thought people would see it because 'romantic' doesn't mean 'sugary'. it's dark and tormented - the furor of passion, the despair of an idealism that you cannot attain."

Catherine Breillat

"but whatever came, she had resolved never again to belong to another than herself."

Kate Chopin

"there were two reasons i was scared to let people in; the damage they could do, and the damage they could find."

Chris McGeown

"perhaps its good for one to suffer. can an artist do anything if he's happy? would he ever want to do anything? what is art, after all, but a protest against the horrible inclemency of life?"

Aldous Huxley

Gretchen

"i want so obviously, so desperately to be loved, and to be capable of love."

Sylvia Plath

"she wanted to say 'don't leave me', but she couldn't do it, not again. she was so tired of begging people to love her."

Kristin Hannah

"he is charmingly telling me how much he does not love me...and i, - listening to him carefully, - am approving it."

Marina Tsvetaeva

"she's gonna forever say 'i got this' even with tears in her eyes."

unknown

"still there is this terrible desire to be loved. still, there is this horror at being left behind."

Michael Cunningham

"can you understand me? someone, somewhere, can you understand me a little, love me a little?"

Sylvia Plath

"i am trying to make myself digestible. i am trying to make myself easy to love."

I.B. Vyache

"do you think it is possible that some people are born to give more love than they will ever get back in return?"

Tyler Knott Gregson

Karen

"the sensitive suffer more; but they love more, and dream more."

Augusto Cury

"a lot of people tell me i'm a bit dreamy. but i like the idea of that. of being somewhere else."

Alam

"you cannot make everyone think and feel as deeply as you do. this is your tragedy, because you understand them but they do not understand you."

Daniel Saint

Regina and Janis

"the bear loved the deer, it was obvious. it ripped the deer's throat out, and then licked the dying deer with the most passionate affection. i thought of you and me."

David Cronenberg

"can you hate someone for what they have done, but still love them for whom they had been?"

Jodi Picoult

"love isn't soft, like those poets say. love has teeth which bite and the wounds never close."

Stephen King

"i love you as certain dark things are to be loved, in secret, between the shadow and the soul."

Pablo Neruda

"they will hook me up to a polygraph and ask me if i love you and i will say no but the needle will jump and sputter exactly how you laugh."

unknown

"there's a sickening feeling of familiarity, when the wrong person knows you too well and you know them too well. and they weren't always the wrong person."

unknown

"we don't mean to hurt each other, but we do. and perhaps no matter how right we are for each other, we'll always be a little wrong."

Beau Taplin

Regina and Cady

"i am intense darkness and you are a golden sunrise."

Arijit Singh and Pritam

"even before you touched me, i belonged to you; all you had to do was look at me."

unknown

"whether you come as a lover or an executioner, i am ready to receive you."

Agustin Gomez-Arcos

"for the longest time, i saw myself as a bad person. you don't know how much it meant to me when you looked at me and could see the good."

unknown

"but i have seen the best of you and the worst of you, and i choose both."

Sarah Kay

"i promised myself i would never fall in love with you. but it was 4 am, and we were laughing way too hard, and i felt happy for the first time in a long time, and i knew i was screwed."

unknown

Gretchen and Karen

"i would rather be with you - even the you that you seem to think is diminished - than with anyone else in the world."

Jojo Moyes

"it hurts, he realizes, to love someone who can't love themselves. like watching a work of art set itself on fire."

unknown

"how amazing it is to find someone who wants to hear about all the things that go on in your head."

Nina LaCour

"come love, make me better than i was. come teach me a kinder way to say my own name."

Andrea Gibson

"i wanted you to see a mess and still find me worthy of love, to tell me that you could still love me anyway."

Georges Bataille

"sometimes, love is as simple as watching the moon and sometimes its as difficult as counting the stars. but i love doing both for you."

unknown

Janis and Damian

"you may be born into a family, but you walk into friendships. some you'll discover you should put behind you. others are worth every risk."

Adam Silvera

Regina and Gretchen

"but i am very homesick for arms that have never held me."

unknown

"i burned so long so quiet you must have wondered if i loved you back. i did, i did, i do."

Annelyse Gelman

"so i wait for you like a lonely house till you will see me again and live in me. till then my windows ache."

Pablo Neruda

"how do you tell someone that the reason you're sad is because you love them?"

unknown

[mystiika]

@miidnighters plotted for a starter — flynn & jamie.

jamie had never really thought too hard about how to act around flynn, nor particularly cared how he presented himself beyond dressing as reasonably as he would have in any other company. from start jamie had been comfortable with him. the only thing jamie had ever really been consistent in caring about was him trying to use the same cologne whenever he met with flynn. he felt it was important that he at least comes with a familiar scent even if the time of day left his appearance hard to make out with clarity. but now jamie had been stressing needlessly about the outfit, needing to focus on something. but to finally put himself out of his misery he eventually he just video called hannah & got her to settle on something for him — what are siblings for, just as she told him in response to his thanks.

in the final hours leading up to picking flynn up, jamie seemed unable to settle between anxious & excited.  he ultimately he's still not quite sure if this was meant to be a date or not. but at this point he was far too afraid of getting it wrong to outright ask & risk ending up embarrassed for assuming that's what it was simply because flynn had expressed interest in him— enough to flush his cheeks pink at the very least which is something he'd prefer to avoid. normally, being around friends like flynn would calm him down ( relaxing is easiest among friends after all ), again, normally but this was FAR from normal for jamie, it was new & a little confusing but ultimately quite pleasant thus far. & he never minded a shifting kind of friendship, they change so much over time as you grow & jamie had every intention of taking this seriously so he can respond to flynn despite the clear insistence that there were no expectations placed on him. as far as confessions go, jamie hadn't been on the receiving end of all that many of them over the years. but he quite liked flynn's. he supposes a part of that is the comfort of flynn already knowing him as well as he does, & choosing to like him after all that. 

❝ it's really not as crowded as i thought it was going to be, ❞ jamie says to flynn; only half turning his head towards the other while distracted by the sudden ❛ winner winner winner ❜ soundbite echoing from a test of strength game directly beside them. but he's able to bring his attention back to flynn just as fast as it had been taken away ( although, aided largely in part by the slightest tug on his hand where the two had ended up with fingers laced together ). ❝ it isn't all that loud either, i mean yeah there's the sound of the rides & games & stuff but i don't think i'll really have to rely on lip reading much. ❞ it was a bit funny how they balanced each other out in that way too — with jamie able to read out the signs for flynn as needed while flynn took care of the times when something was a little too far away or a little too quiet for jamie to catch it all with absolute certainty.

it is a real date, right?

jamie certainly doesn't mind the idea & it's not much different from their usual hang outs in a way. there's still good conversation, good entertainment, & their inside jokes. they'd held hands before too. & yet it felt so different now when simply walking around holding hands was enough to make him overly concious of every way flynn seemed to near him. & near him flynn was, but discerning if it was intentional was made difficult when the environment alone seemed to have them be repeatedly ( both physically & emotionally ) pushed together without their efforts.

he wasn't even sure he knew how to date someone after so long. but he was enjoying his time with flynn & figures he can focus on that for now & make up his mind on how he feels once the night is over.

[delicatebluebirdruins]

Ethan's Diary

February 6th, 2021 Mia and I had another fight. I accidentally mentioned what happened there three years ago and she blew up at me. We finally settled down in our new life in Europe and can bring Rose up properly. But... I still feel like a part of me is trapped in that hell hole back in Louisiana.

I know Mia doesn't like to talk about it, but can we really just forget everything and pretend it didn't happen? Shouldn't we face what happened there so we can live our lives with Rose without it hanging over our heads? We owe her that much at least... I know Mia knows this too. She wouldn't have exploded like that at the hospital if she didn't care.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

emphasis mine: Mia feels a tremendous level of guilt for a) joining the connections b) starting with Evie at what ever point she did c) letting Evie get away whilst getting Alan away from when the incident took place d) trying to keep Ethan away but failing i have already said why the message wouldn't have fucking gone through and that is because storm and evie made her lose a door idk what to tell you e) Ethan gets hurt by her first of all under the influence of Evie

Mia in the bakers incident report (obligitory it should have been part of basic game and it should have had a moment of BSAA confirming they got all information about the connections she could give them) says she wants "to forget everything"

its normal to shy away from something painful, she spent 3 years in padded cell thinking of everything (when not in Evie La La Land). there is also a element of how her mold infection affected her after being treated by the BSAA. I got asked by @mushroomwithsomeink some time ago if Mia has abanonment issues and to an extent she does (the answer was not very good). Mia was part of a hive mind for years she knew where Jack was and was probably aware of everything else happening around her (all because of her not being able to convince Evie to stop or have the guts to break out the murder kit). The thought that the BSAA apparently let them live but without setting them up with therapists? (though the BSAA are the same people who let Chris still recovering from amnesia and binge drinking into the field- also plugging the fanfic catch me floating circles in fish bowl)

random thing as I was tying "forget everything" I had a thought about Riley Flynn from Midnight Mass (and ended up looking for quotes from the show and interesting ones will be under the read more- give them a look and see why i thought of Mia when i reread these)

Both Mia and Ethan have CPTSD I have no real thoughts what i shared is honestly explanation enough

from the NHS website

Complex PTSD - Post-traumatic stress disorder

You may have complex post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) if you have some of the symptoms of PTSD, and also have problems with managing your emotions and having relationships.

Symptoms of complex PTSD

The symptoms of complex PTSD are similar to symptoms of PTSD, but may also include:

feelings of worthlessness, shame and guilt

problems controlling your emotions

finding it hard to feel connected with other people

relationship problems, like having trouble keeping friends and partners

Causes of complex PTSD

Complex PTSD may be caused by experiencing recurring or long-term traumatic events, for example:

childhood abuse or neglect; domestic violence; sexual abuse

torture, sex trafficking, or slavery; war

You may also be more likely to develop complex PTSD if:

you experienced trauma at a young age

you were harmed by someone close to you who you trusted

you were unable to escape the trauma

treatment for PTSD and CPTSD is hard and when the other person your primary support is also dealing with it? that is even worse honestly there is a thing called secondary trauma

from mind: 'Secondary' means that although the original (primary) trauma happened to someone else, the impact it's having in your life is traumatic for you. It doesn't mean it's any less significant than any other kind of PTSD, or any easier to deal with. Our page for friends and family has some tips on looking after yourself.

both Mia and Ethan are dealing with the primary trauma from the baker estates and secondary trauma from each other

from PTSD UK

"Anyone who cares for a person living with PTSD can reduce the impact secondary trauma has on them if they carefully approach the situation. The first step is to learn the signs of secondary trauma:

– Emotional exhaustion – Increasingly negative perception of self – Depression – Anxiety – Difficulty eating or sleeping – Feelings of hopelessness"

ETA1 Speaking about it would be a way to make it all real again to acknowledge this horrible shit that Mia is partially responsible for (i know its not part of RE universe but the fic bruise won't heal the stain stays put from the numbers show is pretty much the thought i had with this addition for sure)

Riley: I don't know. That's kind of the whole thing. I don't know. I have no idea. I mean, in prison, it was easy. I had things to do, you know? Count the days. Count down the sentence. Eat, sleep, read. It's all pretty spelled out for you. Regimented. But here? Here I have nothing. What, am I going to get a job? Go to school? I have no money, no prospects. I just exist now. That's it. I have absolutely no purpose at all. I'm just sitting in my parents' house, breathing, and serving no purpose to anyone whatsoever. I'm just living. [long pause] And that's the worst part. Because I shouldn't be alive, Erin. So I don't know. What do I do here? I eat. Sleep. Shit. I don't know. Walk home now, eat dinner, wait out this fucking storm.

-i think the debrief and everything directly after might have been anywhere between six months and a year for Ethan and Mia

Riley: No, alcohol isn't good or bad. But the version of me that would come out when I had enough to drink, he was bad. He was selfish and careless and he ruined my life. There is a saboteur inside of me, and I always thought, you know, we'd work it out. We'd learn to live with each other, because he wouldn't really hurt me. Not me. I fed him, so he wouldn't hurt me. And then one morning I woke up and found out he killed someone. I had killed someone. So who's to blame there? I am to blame there. And God? He just kind of let it happen, didn't he? See, that's the part I cannot square. Because you're right, there is so much suffering in the world. So much. And then there's this higher power. This higher power who could erase all that pain, just wave his hand and make it all go away, but doesn't? No. No thank you. The worst part is that it lets all the rest of us off the hook. We can watch so many people just slip into these bottomless pits of awful and we can stand it. We can tolerate it because we say things like, "God works in mysterious ways." Like there's a plan? Like something good's going to come out of it? Nothing good came out of my drinking. Nothing good came out of me killing that poor girl. Nothing good came out of Joe Collie's drinking. And not a single good thing comes out of Leeza never being able to walk again. Nothing good came out of a metric ton of crude oil filling up the bay. And the only thing, the only fucking things that lets people stand by, watching all this suffering, doing nothing, doing fucking nothing, is the idea that suffering can be a gift from God. What a monstrous idea, Father.

"No Pain. No Memory, No Awareness That I Ever Was. That I Ever Hurt Someone."

eta 1 I mentioned their fics in this post so it makes sense in my head to plug them @screechthemighty @talistheintrovert

[izayoichan]

Emil: Don't look! I am shameful.

Flynn walked closer to Emil, a side of him wanting to just hug the dragon, and never let go, but the way he just turned around told him not no. To know more before he did so.

Flynn: Shameful? -he tilted his head.- You gave your horns away to save my family.. There is nothing shameful in that.

Was it perhaps that he was hiding his wings and his tail? He did remember Emil once telling them that he would never do that, he was a proud dragon. Eventually, he gently put a hand on the dragon's shoulder. 

Flynn: Please turn around.

Emil flinched at the touch and looked back at Flynn, being met by those confused and sad eyes. They slowly turned around, taking Flynn's hand in theirs, just feeling the warmth of his fingers on theirs. Then they looked down at them, wondering how Flynn would feel and would think once they showed them their scarred back and missing wings.

Beginning - Previous - Next

[beevean]

I heavily disagree on the forces story thing lmao even in japanese especially with infinite being treated like garbage I’m glad the new character this time in frontiers had a lot more moments/interactions with the main than with infinite and his reasons/interactions with an OC tho I respect your opinion.

Okay? Thank you for being respectful, but I don't understand why you sent me this.

Forces' story ain't gonna win any award, I know that. It's full of missing parts, the extended cast doesn't do much in the end, the Avatar gets a suspicious amount of shilling, Infinite's official backstory in the Shadow DLC is blatantly contraddicted by the information in the proper game, Classic was a pointless addition. I don't like it all that much, except for its very cool concept of Eggman conquering the world, and for Infinite who is hilarious, intentionally or not :P

But Frontiers' writing almost insulted me, with its constant "HEY REMEMEBER THE GOOD GAMES YEAH REMEMBER THOSE THOSE WERE THE GOOD GAMES" (I resent Mania for this reason, Frontiers isn't going to get any slack just because I'm an Adventure era fan), its literally meta writing when it comes to Tails, the truncated plotline of Sonic being corrupted, the baffling character arc of Eggman developing fatherly feelings for an OC that doesn't deserve it (not to mention him being less proactive than in Heroes, the game where he infamously spent all his time sitting in a cell), the unmemorable antagonist, and just how pretentious the tone is when at the end of the day it doesn't do anything substantial.

I would call it Adventure 2.0, except that at least in that game I can play as Tails, Amy and Knuckles, so I feel Tails growing out of Sonic's shadow, I feel Amy protecting an innocent creature by herself, and I feel Knuckles discovering more about his ancestry and purpose in life (even though in the end he decides that he doesn't care, SA1 isn't perfect either, but no Sonic game has a 100% good story). Oh, Sage develops feelings that go beyond her programming and she sacrifices herself out of love? Okay, but Gamma did it ten times better, his story is still one of the highest points in the series' narrative. And his spirit being represented by the pink Flickie in the Last Story impacted me much more than Frontiers' stinger that nullified all the emotional impact of Sage's death. And Eggman wasn't warped to faciliate his arc.

I don't want to hate on Frontiers' writing all that much, because it's clear as day that something went wrong in its development, much like with Forces. It's disappointing, but whatever, I never had much hope for it as soon as I heard that Flynn would write the dialogue - although, tbf, Frontiers' writing problems run much deeper than Flynn's writing, it's not his fault as I feared. But after 5 years of straight Forces bashing, that somehow turned from a rather mediocre game to the worst thing happening to the series, and now the endless gushing for Frontiers for reasons I do not understand... yeah. I'm a little salty.

At the very least, I'd like for people to acknowledge that Forces and Frontiers have similar problems regarding the writing.

[kenny-writes]

ENOUGH FOR YOU

Now that the Avengers have invented time travel, Steve Rogers is suddenly feeling like he needs to be elsewhere.

steve rogers x female oc

Warnings: i don't think there's any, it's just kind of sad💔

yes, this is based off of the song by olivia rodrigo :)

CHLOE, NATASHA, AND TONY WERE

talking, away from the other Avengers.

They weren't talking about anything important or secretive, they just wanted to get away from the others for a bit.

"I think the first thing I'm going to do when everyone gets back is slap that Peter in the face for getting off of that bus." Chloe explains, her stern mom voice on.

"Will that be before or after you hug him to death?" Tony queries.

Chloe plays with the ring on her finger, a nervous trait she's picked up over the years. "After." She mumbles, getting a laugh from Natasha and Tony.

"I'm sure you're not going to say anything to Peter about getting off of that bus. You know why?" Natasha raises her eyebrows.

"Why?" Chloe laughs a bit.

"Because, you would've done the same thing. In fact, you did do the same thing, which is how you ended up stuck with us in the first place." Natasha reminds her.

She could only sigh in defeat, because Natasha was right.

Chloe Flynn was eighteen when she joined the Avengers, but she already knew Natasha Romanoff and Nick Fury prior to that. Nick was her legal guardian, so, when Nick met Natasha, Chloe did too.

Seeing as Chloe didn't have any women role models in her life for her to look up to, she instantly found that comfort in Natasha when they met.

They both bonded over their rough pasts, Natasha actually made Chloe feel better about some of the things she did. Assuring her every step of the way that, she isn't a monster.

Chloe doing the same for Natasha.

Now, Chloe was twenty-nine. Part of her wishes she was blipped away so she'd still be twenty-four, but she knows she was lucky enough to have stayed.

"I wouldn't exactly say stuck with you guys. I like being here. You guys are my family." Chloe says to them.

Natasha smiles a little, Tony pretends to be disgusted as he rolls his eyes.

"You know you love me, Stark." She points an accusing finger at him.

"Yeah, whatever helps you sleep at night." He jokes. "You and Rogers set a date for the wedding yet?" He asks, glancing down at her ring.

"Nope. Not yet." She shakes her head. "He wants to wait until after we officially get rid of Thanos. He wants everyone there. So do I. I couldn't imagine getting married without Wanda there as one of my bridesmaids." Chloe explains.

Although that was true, she didn't want to get married without everyone else there to watch. But, she couldn't help but worry about the fact that Steve didn't even seem interested in planning this wedding.

Everytime she'd bring it up with him, he'd change the subject, or he'd completely ignore her and tell her, 'it'll have to wait, I'm busy right now, Chlo.' She knew he was stressed, but it wasn't sitting with her correctly.

Natasha nods, understanding where they're coming from, but Chloe knew Natasha had doubts too.

She's always had doubts about their relationship. She only wants what beats for Chloe, and most of the time it doesn't seem like Steve can give that to her.

But Chloe would insist to Natasha that they were fine. And they were.

To an extent.

"Well, as long as I'm your maid of honor, I don't care how long you wait." The redhead perks up, which puts a smile on Chloe's face.

"God, I can't wait to go dress shopping!" Chloe squeals with excitement.

"Kill me now, please." Tony says, as he squeezes his eyes shut.

Chloe waves a dismissive hand at him. "Don't be dramatic all of your life." She teases him.

"If I wasn't dramatic, you'd all be so bored." He shrugs.

Before anyone could say anything, the door opened. It was Steve.

"Hey, hope I'm not interrupting anything important." He says, debating on whether he should come in or not.

"No, you're fine." Chloe assures him, motioning him to come in.

Steve walks into the room. "Um, Chloe can I talk to you?" He asks.

"Sure. What's up?" She asks.

Steve doesn't say anything. He looks at Tony and Natasha.

"Oh, carry on. You're not interrupting." Tony says sarcastically.

Chloe holds back a laugh.

"We'll be right out there if you need anything." Natasha smiles at Chloe as she pulls Tony out of the room.

Once the door closes, Steve turns to look at Chloe, a smile that she's never been too fond of was on his face.

"What's wrong?" She asks.

"Nothing's wrong... I just, I wanted to inform you of this so you don't feel blindsided." He sighs.

He was avoiding eye contact with her, which worried her even more.

"Steve, you're scaring me. Can you please tell me what happened?" She gently grabs his face, making him look at her.

His eyes were watering. He puts his hands on hers and brings one of them to his lips, placing a kiss on her knuckles.

"I talked to Bruce." He begins. "After everyone is back, and Thanos is dead. I'm leaving." He informs her.

She felt like all the air was knocked out of her.

"L- leaving?" She questions in confusion.

"I'm going back to be with Peggy. Bruce said it'd work and that I'd be fine. And everything here would be fine too. Nothing would change." He explains.

Chloe was at a loss for words. She didn't know what to say. The love of her life has just told her he was leaving to be with another woman.

The woman she's been worried about since they got together. The woman he told her not to worry about.

"A- and you're serious about this? This is something that you for sure want to do?" She questions.

"I've never been more sure of anything in my entire life." He confesses.

Chloe takes a shaky breath as she sits down in one of the nearest chairs.

Steve kneels down in front of her. "I know this is really inconvenient, and sudden..." he starts.

"You think?" She looks at him, nothing but hurt in her eyes. "Steve, you and I are supposed to get married." She reminds him, trying to keep the tears in.

He puts his head down. "I know."

"Then why are you doing this to us?" The first tear slides down her face.

"Because, Chloe, I can't stay here if I'm not 100% over Peggy. I thought being with you would help me in some way, but it hasn't. I'm still miserable." He explains, sadness in his tone.

Chloe stands up and walks to the other side of the room as she shakes her head.

"Eight years, Steve. That's how long we've been together. We've been engaged for three. You decide to tell me now that you're miserable?" She raises her voice, not meaning to.

Steve looks at her in disbelief. "Aren't you happy that I even told you? I- i didn't want until the day of to tell you this. You could at least give me props for that." He tells her.

"Give you props for what? For wasting my time? For confirming every worry I had? For proving Natasha right?" She shouts.

But she wasn't angry. She was sad— no, she was disappointed.

Steve didn't say anything, he knew she had a point.

Chloe stares at him, realization slowly setting in on her. "How long have you been thinking about this?" She asks him.

"Well, we just discoverers time travel so—,"

"Don't bullshit me, Steve." She folds her arms.

"A couple of years." He confesses quietly.

That was her breaking point. A sob left her mouth.

"Are kidding me? A couple of years, Steve?" She raises her eyebrows. She really doesn't want to believe this.

She runs her fingers through her hair in frustration.

"Chloe I'm—,"

"Why would you leave now? We're about to get everyone that we lost back! What about Sam? Or Bucky? Or any of your fucking friends?!" She cries.

Steve doesn't say anything. Chloe is holding back on what she wants to say, and he can tell.

"What about me?" That's the straw that breaks the camel's back.

Chloe begins to cry. She feels like her heart has been ripped out of her chest and stomped on.

"Chlo, believe me when I tell you, I'm doing this for you." He grabs her hand.

She snatches it away.

"No. Don't. Don't do that. Don't act like this is some heroic thing, steve. This is selfish. You're being selfish. And you have been for leading me on for eight fucking years!" She argues.

"I didn't lead you on! I love you, Chloe. I do, please believe me when I tell you that. Just—," he cuts himself off with a deep breath.

"Just not enough to stay?" She finishes the sentence for him.

Since this conversation has started, neither of them have looked each other in the eyes, until now.

Now, it was evident to Steve how much pain he caused her by doing this. It was also now evident to Chloe that Steve meant every word he told her.

He puts his hands on her shoulders.

"Deep down, you always knew this was never going to work." He speaks gently to her.

She shakes her head in disbelief.

"Yes, Chloe. No matter what happened, you and I were just never going to happily end up together. I think it's better that we realized this now rather than later." Steve moves his hands to the base of her neck.

He stares at her, hoping to find some sort of validation that he's doing the right thing. 

"Chloe, please say something." He whispers sadly.

"If you knew this was never going to work, why'd you let me believe it would?" She asks him.

"I—,"

"Whatever the shit excuse is, I don't think I'll be able to handle it right now." She shakes her head as she moves his hands away from her.

Chloe backs away from Steve, avoiding looking at him at all costs.

"You know, I really hope this works out the way you want it to Steve. Fingers crossed you'll be put out of your misery." She comments, wiping the tear off of her cheek.

"Chloe, I'm—,"

The door closing is what made him cut his sentence short. She was gone. There was no use.

Chloe sees Natasha and instantly goes over to her. "Finally. That was a long— what happened?" Natasha questions once she notices Chloe's tears.

"He's leaving." She says, instantly hugging the older woman, sobbing onto her shoulder.

[daintyduck99]

for the first sentence thing: Rulie + "'You have to do it,' Reggie stammers, the only thing keeping him from hiding behind Julie being the little dignity he has left, 'Please, Jules, I can't do it!'"

"You have to do it," Reggie stammers, the only thing keeping him from hiding behind Julie being the little dignity he has left, "Please, Jules, I can't do it!" 

"You know I can't do it by myself," she murmurs, squeezing his shoulders before turning her attention to his rumpled tie, calmly undoing it and fixing the knot with far more patience than he deserves, "and I don't want to. We'll do it together. Okay?" 

"Okay," Reggie croaks, unable to keep his eyes from roaming back to the crowd of parents and other students, but a sharp tug on the tie pulls his attention back to Julie. 

"Just focus on me, and it'll be alright. You might even have fun, you know? You're not a bad dancer. Besides, the graded part is over. Who cares if we stumble a little? My dad's going to clap for us, anyway. And if anyone has something rude to say, I'll—I'll—" 

"What? You'll stutter at them? Oh no, I'm quaking in my stilettos," a very unwelcome voice breaks in, and Julie whirls around, practically bristling. 

"Screw off, Carrie," she snaps, and Reggie has to bite his lip so he doesn't gape at her, although Carrie seems unfazed by Julie's outburst, simply raising her eyebrows at the display. 

"Wow, your comebacks are worse than usual. Ugh, whatever. Try not to get lost in your dorky boyfriend's eyes and freeze up, I don't think the poor janitor has enough cleaning supplies for the amount of vomit it would induce." 

With that, Carrie flounces off, dragging Nick with her. He gives an awkward little shrug as she steers him away, and Julie lets out an angry little "ooh" under her breath as she turns back to Reggie, which is much cuter than it has any right to be. 

Words tumble out of their mouths hastily as the end of Luke and Alex’s performance draws near, but confusion manages to cut straight through Reggie's mild panic. 

"Sorry—" 

"I should apologize—" 

"Why are you sorry?" 

"Wh—why are you?" 

"I asked you first," Julie says stubbornly, pouting slightly, and it's a little embarrassing how quickly he caves, but then again, time isn't exactly on their side. 

"Just—that you're stuck with me. You should've asked Flynn to be your partner. No one would think that they were—" 

"Reggie," Julie sighs, grasping his shoulders again, "I wanted to be your partner. Dancing with you is fun. I'm sorry for getting so aggressive with Carrie, I hate how she treats you. And—" 

She looks away, biting the inside of her cheek, only to squeak as applause erupts from the stands. Taking a deep breath, she returns his gaze and plunges ahead. 

"I'd like it if you were my boyfriend. I know this isn't the time but—" 

"Yes," he says breathlessly, distantly aware of Mrs. Harrison calling their names, "Julie—" 

She yanks him forward by the tie and the kiss is clumsy, but gentle, and he's never felt lighter on his feet when they finally take the floor. 

[mistwraiths]

3 stars

This is going to be REALLY FULL OF SPOILERS so read at your own risk.

House of Sky and Breath is the sequel to House of Earth and Blood, better known as Crescent City as everyone calls it. This book picks up a few months after the events of the first one, with Bryce and Hunt together but not together, and laying low because of the Asteri's threat.

I am such a fan of Sarah J. Maas's books so it does pain me to admit that I think Crescent City series is my LEAST favorite of hers. Ultimately, it comes down to the fact that I was honest to god BORED reading this at times. Looking back on to my review of the first one, I actually said the same thing as I'm about to say here. I was bored up until the last 100 pages when everything becomes a wild rush to the end. Having to slog mostly through 700 pages to get to the good part doesn't make a book good in my opinion.

Her writing is perfectly enjoyable and SJM has a way with side characters snagging my attention and heart. I enjoyed learning more of Tharion in this book, he's one of my favorites and I hope he manages to gain his freedom back and get happiness he deserves. Ruhn is my other favorite and I loved whenever he was on the page. While the whole mind-link, spy connection thing was a bit insta-lovey, I do like the predicament and tension it causes. Flynn and Declan are always a treat, as well as Juniper and Fury (although we know nothing about her still). Cormac was an absolute delight of a character and honestly I stand by the fact that he was constantly wronged and treated pretty terribly by the group when he seemed to be the only one who cared about a better world enough to do something. And don't come at me about Hunt's tragic past, I'm aware and honestly he's the only one I give a pass to when it comes down to that.

This whole book actually is a giant sausage fest which is also disappointing. Other than the prolouge, was there a single POV that was a woman besides Bryce?? I can't remember. There's Fury and Juniper and Hypaxia mentioned, but I don't think anyone other female has a POV. Also, I wish SJM would stop with titles and give us names. Autumn King, River Queen, the River Queen's daughter (in Tharion's own POV lol), Viper Queen, etc. Titles are fine but I'd like to know names too.

My issue is that it takes far too long for anything to really happen. The whole find Emile and the rebel cause didn't really seem to matter in the long run of this book. It was about more secret information that was linked to surprise, Danika, and information regarding the Asteri. Danika has to be the BUSIEST, MOST SECRETIVE, BUSYBODY on the planet, my god. This girl had time for partying, secret sleuthing, mingling with the rebels, having a secret mate, secret keeping, working for the Aux, uncovering Synth, and tattooing some ancient thing on her friend, hang out, and keep everything straight and not tip anyone off. It's a bit ridiculous. If I learn one more thing Danika did secretly, I might scream.

Anyways, Bryce and company don't like how the rebels do things which is understandable, but they kind of just dump them all in a group. Killing innocents and people who are helping you isn't good and won't help in the long run for the rebels. But all that happened was they destroyed a bunch of weapons the rebels had and then used them to cover their own mission, and yell at Cormac for being involved in the rebel cause. The twist on Emile was a pleasant surprise but again, other than being another new character out of the new bunch we're given, there's really nothing else except him being the reason everyone comes together because everyone is searching for him. I think it was majorly shitty to keep Cormac from knowing until the very end. Sophie clearly trusted him enough to keep him safe and I think it's insulting to her memory in a way. Not once does anyone give Cormac an actual chance, if he learned from Emile what he was well he probably would have kept him safe still due to the love of Sophie. Also, Bryce somehow sneaking around everyone with this nearly Aelin level plot and secrecy was a bit far-fetched in my opinion, especially since she had no idea that the deadly and dangerous Viper Queen would actually kill people when Bryce said "find him by any means necessary". Please.

What really matters at the end is Danika's secrets and the Asteri, the truth of them and everything. The truth is not quite as shocking since the Under-King practically hinted at it since he was born similarly. The Asteri DO remind me a bit of the Valg in a way and I think they're an interesting villain group. I really would like to learn more about them. I also really liked learning about Hel and find it interesting that they might be actual good guys this time. So I definitely want to learn more there.

Another few problems I had with this book was I don't connect or particularly like Bryce or Hunt, and especially them together as mates. I feel personally like I can't ever make sense of Bryce's reactions or actions to her personality and mood shifts. She's SO hot and cold, and then she's super selfless and then she's bitching someone out and acting selfish, and then she's like we're a team he gets me we get each other and then she's like keeping secrets because they wouldn't understand then demanding to know everything and mad when other people keep things from her, and etc. I have whiplash trying to keep up. On top of that, you think if you wanted to stay away from your father and the position that would give him access to you, you would arm yourself with knowledge on how to avoid it. I just struggle trying to connect with her.

Hunt is absolutely boring to me. I'm sorry, I said it. I love a tortured boy but my god, he's not the least bit interesting to me and mostly because it feels like he doesn't have a personality. Maybe it because he's finally free and he needs to figure himself out. But take Bryce away from Hunt and take away what we know about his past and slavery, and what's left????? Lightning and um.... he watches Sunball?? He doesn't seem be funny or grouchy or clever or sad or depressed. Like.. there's just nothing there that isn't there because of Bryce in my opinion.

Because I don't like them individually, I don't really care about them being together and I don't like that their mates. But, romances are interesting when there is tension and a will-they-get-together question surrounding them. Complications and struggle and feelings make romances fun reading. Characters already being together forever lose my attention fast. I'm fine if SJM wants to make the first relationship actually be the one that lasts but at least make it worth the reading and waiting. Honestly, even though at the end of the book, Hunt is probably back in servitude and who knows maybe lost all his memory or something because it isn't quite clear what happens, I'm not worried about them not getting together if they're "mates". Also, I'm gonna talk about that gym sex scene. I was so grossed out. Like "her leggings and panties were soaked with sweat". Hunt is mentioned that he's dripping with sweat multiple times. As Bryce is. GO HAVE SEX IN THE SHOWER not an accessible gym in an apartment complex that probably isn't cleaned. Imagine the body odor. I JUST WANTED TO BARF. Also, why are they having sex in public so fucking much???

Something that REALLY bothered me was the rape situation in this book. I know Pollux is a bad awful character. There is so many awful things you could come up with to show us as readers. So why was this chosen??? It's 2022! YOU DON'T HAVE TO HAVE IT IN YOUR BOOK! I don't care if Baxian stopped it before it went too far or if he only stopped it in the middle or only fought Pollux after the fact. It's unnecessary. And how is it handled? Pollux gets AWAY with it with a very light slap on the wrist, but BUT!!!!!!!! Because it's embarrassing to the Asteri, one of the very few actual black characters is FORCED into a mating situation with another archangel. EXCUSE ME???? For a distraction????? To be a reason to bring the Hind and the Harpy and the dreadwolves to the city? I just found the ENTIRE situation distasteful. It doesn't get any better either because Celestina loves a woman that she clearly is not allowed to be with. So, on top of all that, we're making the lesbians be forced into mating and marriage bonds with men. It just makes me really disappointed.

Lastly, the moment we met the Astronomer and starting mentioning planets, I had a feeling that we might get a jump from a gate on one! I was excited for Bryce to jump to Hel. So imagine my shock when instead Bryce lands in ACOTAR land. Like, I really am deeply unsure how I feel about this. Rhys and Feyre deserve a fucking break. They also are busy dealing with their own stuff like whatever that Koschei or whatever his name is?????? I'm just STARTLED. BUT, maybe Amren will actually have a use now????

All in all, this book really just felt really stuffed with filler information about characters and more world information. It wasn't necessarily bad despite all my complaining above but it was ultimately boring until the end. I do think perhaps the next book will be better. Maybe things will be far faster paced and just interesting now.

If you made it this far, my apologies for reading this HUGE whine fest.