#sorry Caleb fans

[a-heehoo]

It’s that time again.

I have another set of playlists I made for a Otome game. If u even care….. I do

Anyways, here’s love and deepspace

(Like always these will kinda forever be a wip so I’ll be adding and removing songs as time goes on lol)

Zayne:

Rafayel:

Sylus:

Xavier:

[stardustedknuckles]

Okay but I need to know what the people who have only watched c3 think about Beau and Caleb because I've been rotating them in my head for three years too long to be objective anymore but like. Getting to see them through the eyes of a new party just reminded me that even though so much of our delight in C2 was focused around the constant indignity of the Nein, they are objectively a flickering metronome between "how the fuck are these people alive" and "this is the most hyper competent group of mercenaries I've ever seen" and I just. Do they know. Do they know that Beau is so fucking cool. Are there people who learned these two npcs have a whole campaign and want to learn more about them. I look at these two and see a montage of tiefling dicks and red eyes and promising to kill the other if something goes wrong. I see Caleb smearing mud and bat shit on Beau's face and Beau just resigned even as she makes the most aggrieved and annoyed sounds, Beau hauling Caleb's dissociated ass over her own skinny shoulder and walking him to safety. I look at them and see 500 hours and more of the empire siblings. The weeks and months they spent going from hating the parts of themselves they saw in each other to loving in the other what they still struggled with in themselves. I see chosen siblings, best friends. What do other people see?

[waywardsunlight]

These characters were chosen based off the fandom I promise. >:(

[bowl-o-queerios]

I just wanna say, I am so sorry Liam O’Brian. Rolled so poorly all night, doesn’t know what happened to Caleb and he was restrained the entire time, he got to see Vax again and he was so excited for Vax only to watch him die again in a much more painful way. 

[shadowgast-recs-weekly]

They're on a boat! A Shadowgast Reclist

This week, we have six fics that feature Caleb or Essek on a boat! Check under the cut for fics that expand upon that scene from episode 97, imagine a pirate AU, or feature some delicious oceanic melancholy. As always, don't forget to comment and kudos if you like them!

You Will Be Found by cecilantro (1920, General) Reccer's Content Notes: No Content Notes

Some more conversations on the Ball Eater, post episode 97

Reccer says: It is so soft and comforting

Feed your demon by Fragments_And_Possibilities (3386, Explicit) Reccer's Content Notes: Dubcon/Consensual Non Consent, Angry hate sex

Post Episode 97, Caleb and Essek have a talk. And more

Reccer says: It's so delicious, they're both so volatile and angry and hurt in this

oh what a tangled web we weave by Fumm95 (5362, Teen) Reccer's Content Notes: No Content Notes

Essek's point of view of the events surrounding episode 97

Reccer says: Beautifully written

Leave Her Johnny by iconigli (19758, Mature) Reccer's Content Notes: Graphic Depictions of Violence, WIP

A Pirate AU with Caleb as the pirate and Essek as a Vice Admiral

Reccer says: I liked it!

swallowed with all hope by renquise (14319, Teen) Reccer's Content Notes: No Content Notes

In Eiselcross, Essek writes reports, makes new acquaintances, tries not to die in snowstorms, and thinks of all the things he did and could have done.

Reccer says: There's only a little bit of a boat in this one, but Essek on the ship and seeing the whalefall is one of my favorite visuals from this fic, which is full of amazing moments and moods.

Where the Wall Meets the Floor by firefright (4456, Teen) Reccer's Content Notes: Omegaverse

An Omegaverse AU where Caleb and Essek sleep together before Caleb knows Essek is the traitor

Reccer says: This fic is seeping with a delicious hurt, and the omegaverse biology of scent just adds to the intimacy and feelings of betrayal

Aeor is for Lovers is an 18+ Shadowgast Discord server. The above fanfic recommendations were pulled from our community for this weekly event. All fics, unless otherwise specified, will primarily feature Shadowgast. Have any questions about what this is? Check out the FAQ! Next week, we’ll be back with fics based on books, movies, or television series!

[lesbianboyfriend]

every week on wednesday specifically i get really annoying but what you guys have to understand is that i do look through the entire f/h tag after finishing the episode and i could be so much worse. i’m honestly like one of the least annoying guys there

[yourfavisgreenmansexual]

Cornelia Hale from W.I.T.C.H. is Greenmansexual! She simps for Caleb!

[lilyminer]

Every once in a while you run into a character which evokes one single thought “someone give this poor guy a kiss rn.”

Like, I’m not personally in love with him, it’s fun to watch him suffer a bit for the plot. But you just know one good kiss would fix him at least a bit.

[stage1midboss]

WHO is reblogging my old jester art

[lothcat-lothcat-lothwolf-run]

Heyyyyyy guys what if I actually write something for a change??? Yeah??? It sounds insane I know but I have no more excuses. More to come!!!!

Join us for Spectre Week!

This is a fanwork event week celebrating the Ghost Crew from Star Wars Rebels, AKA the Spectres.

May 25-31, 2024.

No prompts! Just a theme: Tales of the Spectres.

Alllll the backstories! Inspired by the Star Wars animated Tales… series, our theme will focus on the Spectres’ lives before they became a crew, a team, and, in some ways, a family.

Each day of the event will feature works about the day’s Spectre:

Day One-Spectre One (Kanan)

Day Two-Spectre Two (Hera)

Day Three-Spectre Three (Chopper)

Day Four-Spectre Four (Zeb)

Day Five-Spectre Five (Sabine)

Day Six-Spectre Six (Ezra)

Day Seven-Free

The only limitations for fanworks are these:

Character: Feature one character per day, on the appropriate day.

Timeframe: Tell any part of their backstory that you want, from birth until just before Spark of Rebellion.

NSFW: This event is open to NSFW content, but please tag it as such and place it under a cut as needed.

Other than that, the rest is up to you! We’ll send out more info soon, but we hope that’s enough to get you started. If you have any questions, Just Ask!

Please reblog to spread the news!

[thebramblewood]

Everyone say congratulations to the new uncle! Thank you @itcrescentcrow for your lovely Veronica Aurelius, whose story inspired me to have Vlad start a vampire family of his own (for entirely unspiteful reasons, I'm sure).

P.S. Join the fan club if you haven't already!

Previous / Next

Caleb: [startled] Jesus Christ!

Vlad: [wryly] Guess again. I couldn’t help noticing you’ve acquired a new… houseguest. That girl is freshly turned. She has all the grace of a newborn colt. Your sister’s latest plaything, I presume?

Caleb: How many times have I told you I’m not interested in indulging your desire for gossip? Anyone with a modicum of social grace would have taken the hint by now.

Vlad: [continues, unruffled] The curious thing is I’ve seen her before, the girl, at your insipid little gathering of hedonists in the spring. Her cheeks were much rosier then, as I recall. I’m surprised Lilith offered her the dark gift so soon — or at all. Does she not expect to grow bored of this one? Or, I wonder, did something not go precisely according to plan?

Caleb: [defensively] Lilith didn’t turn her. She nearly killed her. I did it to save her life.

Vlad: [amused] Always the humanitarian, you — though it is strange you would choose to burden another with an existence you clearly detest. But I must admit I’m impressed. I wasn’t sure you had it in you. Frankly, I rather thought you’d be dead or driven to madness by now. [sighs stagily] At any rate, I wish you luck. If you’re hoping to raise her in your image, you’ll need it. I can’t imagine Lilith will surrender her easily. Alas, I must go. There are other matters-

Veronica: [snarls aggressively]

Caleb: Who are you?

Vlad: Manners, darling.

Veronica: Sorry, Uncle Vlad. My dinner almost got away from me.

Vlad: [strangely paternalistic] Isn’t she a marvel?

Caleb: Uncle Vlad?

Vlad: This is my niece, Veronica. Well, cousin several times removed, but that’s such a mouthful. I’ve been trying to introduce her for some time.

Caleb: I must have mistaken that for your usual garden variety creeping.

Vlad: We have a common ancestor in my maker, though the bloodlines diverged centuries ago and hers was thought to be quite diluted. You see, after generations of tamping down their vampiric nature, their powers had largely grown dormant. But Veronica is special. She tells me her dreams led her to me. Can you believe it? [chuckles] I haven’t dreamed since I was mortal. At any rate, I’ve taken her under my wing. I have much to teach her, and she is an eager pupil.

Caleb: Good… for you.

Lilith, looking out on them from the window: He has a WHAT?!?

[deadbydangit]

Yo! Could I get ghostface, Wesker, deathslinger, and maybe Trickster with an S/O who just seems to accidently sneak up on them without trying.

I absolutely can. I'm sorry it took me so long to get to you. Please enjoy.

With a Unintentionally Stealthy Reader

Mastermind, Deathslinger, Trickster

Mastermind

Wesker is hard to sneak up on.

Unintentional or intentional.

He has a very sharp reflexes.

It's a product of his time in the police force.

And as the head chairman for Umbrella.

Overall, he's highly focused and highly alert at all times.

Even when he's sleeping he seems on edge.

So it's rare that you'll actually catch him off guard.

But when you do his reaction is very tame.

Sometimes he'll jerk his head back slightly.

His eyes might get a little wide.

Maybe, you'll hear a tiny gas.

But that's it really.

"Dear Heart, are you trying to sneak up on me?"

He'll ask in a teasing voice.

"You can't catch me off guard that easily. You'll have to try harder dear."

If you mention you weren't trying to sneak up on him, he'll pause.

"I see."

"You'd make an excellent assassin, you know."

"If that's what you can do when you aren't trying, imagine what you can do when you are "

His head is always in his work.

But a compliment like that isn't given to just anyone.

The great Albert Wesker does not say such things lightly.

He does give praise like that to just anyone.

In short, he's impressed.

Deathslinger

When Caleb is working on his inventions, he gets heavily invested.

I mean heavily invested.

There could be an earthquake, and he wouldn't realize it unless blueprints or material is knocked over.

So you think scaring him would be easy.

But it really isn't.

Since Caleb is so invested, he'll hardly notice you leaning over him unless you physically grab him.

Which you might have to do.

He'll work for hours on end if he isn't stopped.

When you do have to get his attention, probably to make him eat after working so hard, it's best to gently tap his shoulder then move back.

And make sure you do so quickly.

When Caleb is frightened, he'll flail his arms around and turn around quickly.

He's not very vocal about it, he might gasp though.

But you have to be careful because he's got long arms, and he might accidentally hit you.

And he'd feel awful if that happened.

"Darlin', you can't do that. I'm an old man. My heart can't take that."

"Oh Honey, give a man some warning next time, okay?"

He's not mad at you.

But he is coming down from the shock, so he might be a little out of breath.

But no matter what, he'll always give you a tight hug after.

"Aww, don't worry Sweet Pea. I ain't mad at you."

Trickster

Ji-Woon is very hard to scare.

Not because he's particularly brave.

But because he has exquisite hearing.

Which is to be expected.

This is a man who can name any note that is sung just by listening to it.

He's highly trained in singing, and therefore, highly trained and listening to singing.

He hears everything.

Things most people wouldn't normally pay attention to.

The sound of breathing.

Little food steps.

Even jewelry as it will click when a person walks.

If you ever manage to startle him, it will probably be when he's putting on his makeup.

That is when he is the most focused without making a sound.

However, when he's doing his makeup, he's always in front of a mirror.

So he'll still be able to see you.

Now, on the off chance that you are able to startle him, he takes it with great humor.

He'll start laughing almost immediately.

"Oh Darling, I'm so glad you aren't a rabid fan. I would have to kill you otherwise."

Then he'll probably pay your head or something like that.

Like threatening to kill someone and laughing about it is totally normal.

Don't worry, he's joking.

He would never lay a hand on you.

[marvel-starwarsfangirl]

The Impact of Tech's Death: Was it necessary? Was it in vain? Why did Tech have to die?

Disclaimer: This will be a very emotion fueled rant and I'm sorry if my personal feelings get in the way. I love my boys, but there are times when I just sit there and shake my head. I do my best to understand their circumstances, but sometimes the Crosshair girlie in me really can't make sense of things.

The short answer: NO, it wasn't necessary. With S3 now behind us and my rewatch of S2 at its conclusion, it hit me just how little weight Tech's death had on the overall plot.

Let's breakdown the finale a bit:

The lead up: Tech found out that his long-lost brother Crosshair was captured by the Empire and sent to a shady place where no good was to come. He also discovers that Crosshair sent a distress message, warning his brothers to hide. Realizing that Crosshair was in danger, Tech decided to rally the others on a mission to find and track Hemlock's ship, hoping it would lead him back to his brother. The mission is a complete failure, with Tech being forced to sacrifice himself in order to save his family.

The Aftermath: the Batch is discovered by Hemlock, Omega is captured, Hunter cuts his losses, and Crosshair remains a prisoner

Here's the part that really messed with me: Tech's death DID NOT affect Hemlock's capture of Omega and it DID NOT change the ability to track the ship. The only impact it had was that Hunter decided to cut his losses and pull an early retirement. And even when Hunter is like "we're going to get Omega back," he doesn't mention Crosshair once.

Tech died to save Crosshair. Period.

(and the others I know, but this mission wouldn't have happened if Cross wasn't in trouble)

Which brings us to S3 where Tech is hardly mentioned, Crosshair himself is never shown on-screen learning of what happened, and there is no moment where anyone (except maybe Cross) processes their feelings about it. Why kill off a beloved character when their demise has almost no impact on anything? The only thing it really impacts is the speed of which things get done and Crosshair's mental health. It makes no sense. I think there was an interview where DBB said they tried to keep Tech alive, but couldn't write a script where that was the case. Ok? Then go back and talk some more about the plot. Or if you can't avoid killing him off, then show the characters processing it or why Tech's death mattered. The cynical side of me says Tech died in vain. I'm being brutally honest here. Tech could've survived and Cid would still sell out the Batch and Saw's detonators would still destroy the ship and tracker. From a story POV, it's pretty bad when a main character's death barely leaves an impact.

In CW, Fives' death enabled Rex and Ahsoka (and Maul by extension) to all survive Order 66. Satine's death led to Mandalore being thrown into chaos, thus leading to the Siege of Mandalore.

In Rebels, Kanan's death crippled Thrawn's Tie-defender project, made Pryce look bad, and taught Ezra important lessons about sacrifice. For Hera, we got to see her grieve the loss of her lover. Kanan's death mattered. Also, the buildup to Kanan's sacrifice was him becoming Caleb Dume again after everything he went through.

The buildup to Tech's death was great too because it was about the Batch trying to find Crosshair. And while the mission is a failure, it showed that they were willing to go back for someone they lost. They hadn't given up on him. But everything after falls pretty flat and only makes Tech's death even sadder.

Why did Tech have to die? Because he probably would've found Tantiss a lot quicker than everyone else. I really think that's the case and that's pretty bad writing if you ask me. I still love TBB immensely, but I'm willing to call it out when it falls short.

It also really pisses me off as a Crosshair fan that Hunter just completely throws him under the bus. I will let my biases speak for me because it really bothers me and I'm sorry if you disagree. I value your opinion too. I don't know if Hunter subconsciously blamed Crosshair for Tech's demise, but I would've felt a whole lot better if he decided to honor Tech's wish of saving him. Hunter was always going to go after Omega, so why not add Crosshair to the mix? Was it because he still thought Crosshair could be lying? I understand cutting his losses in the moment due to the pain of losing Tech. I get that 100%. But after, he just doesn't bother to think about Crosshair. Would he even have gone after Crosshair if the original last-minute retirement plan came to fruition? Crosshair suffered immensely and who knows what would've happened if he just got left there with no one coming for him. Tech was the only one who supported Operation: Rescue Crosshair. No one else suggested that idea except him. (I know Omega also supports it, but I'm talking about the boys). Yes, I know I'm being harsh and perhaps unfair, but it hurts ok? I know Hunter has no clue what's going on with Crosshair.

But here's why it bothers me so much outside of Crosshair getting the short end of the stick again: It makes Tech's death feel even more in vain because the reason for why Tech died is just forgotten about.

Let that sink in. Tech's death doesn't leave ANY lasting impact on the plot post-incident.

It makes even more frustrated and just heartbroken because of how cruel and unfair losing Tech really was. Had we gotten more time of the Batch processing emotions or taking something meaningful away from it, then that's different. But no. That's not what we got and I am heartbroken by it. At minimum, we should've gotten one scene in S3 where Crosshair (or anyone really) talks about it in a meaningful way. (No, "CF99 died with Tech" doesn't count). Yes, Tech's legacy can be seen through Omega's actions but that's not enough.

All and all, the only real weight Tech's death had was on Crosshair's mental health. And even then, it's only implied instead of said straight out. If Tech hadn't died, then Crosshair probably wouldn't have decided to enact Plan 99. (Or he would've due to other reasons).

In conclusion: Tech never had to die nor should he have died.

[m00nchildwrites]

So as i've been playing the game for the past 15 days (yes, I'm a newer player), I have noticed that you can tell a lot about each of the guys by how they treat you and how they behave while you're playing Kitty cards.

So I am going to break it down for you for each of the 4 guys. (Sorry, Caleb fans, he doesn't count here.) I'm going to talk about their playing styles and what that says about what kind of boyfriend they would be.

☆Disclaimer, a lot of this is going to be my interpretation and how they're words and actions make me feel so if this resonates with you cool, if it doesn't respect it and move on.☆

That said, let's do this.

~~~~~~~

Sylus:

• So when I first met this man, I thought he was going to be a super controlling toxic sort of guy. And to be fair, first, impressions weren't great, okay, bud.

•HOWEVER this man is so whipped and not in a ew Gross, give me space kinda way, but in a yummy, Yes, please let me sink my teeth into you kind of way.... just me? Oh ok. ANYWAY~

• He is a big softy when it comes to MC. And it is so sweet, I actually really adore Sylus. Let me explain.

• while you guys are playing the kitty card game, if you pay attention, Sylas will intentionally throw the game in your favor.

• at first I thought that it was just a fluke, but it's not. He does it all the time, so if you pay attention, he will purposely put kitty cards in cups where he does not get the double points where all the other players in the game would put they're kitty cards in the matching color cups because the points are doubled.

• this intentional action is even recognized by our character, MC, because Sylas responds to- what I'm guessing is maybe a face expression that she gives him like: What are you doing? And he says, a comment along the lines of basically, "don't worry about it. I've got a plan."

• ordinarily, somebody purposely losing, just so that I can win to try to impress me, or something would actually like piss me off. It's kind of like you don't think that I have a capability of winning on my own, or you don't respect me enough to play fairly with me and give me a chance to learn?? Like I wouldn't like that kind of thing. However, the way that he goes about it is actually insanely sweet.

• i had to really pay attention because this kept happening, and I'm an avid card player in real life...So I was like, why are they making this character do this? None of the other ones do this, like he does?...It took some time, but I also picked up him making other comments that alluded to the fact that he's doing this intentionally. Just so that we can win, and he even tells us why.

• so other than purposely, putting cards into cups to give himself less points. He also throughout the game, is constantly reassuring us and trying to motivate us and cheer us up. He's basically acting like a super subtle Hype man the whole time.

• And at one point, he even makes a comment about how, basically, his favorite part is seeing our face light up when we win.

• And that's just- don't you just want to squeeze him?¿!?!

• my heart is aching in my chest because this man is not real.

• so yes, he intentionally throws the game most of the time.

• again- I've only been playing this game for 15 days, but I have played Kitty cards with all of the players, All 3 times per week, and it's been 3 weeks now because of the way that my days landed. So that's 9 times that I've played the cards with each character, and this is a pattern that has emerged with him. I have only lost against him by a large margin One time. Every other time that I have lost, it's been by less than five points and most of the time by one or two points.

•He will lose to you, but it's going to be a close match, and he's going to do it in a very subtle way that you will not catch if you don't pay attention. because he respects us, but he also is madly in love with us, and that is the cutest thing on the freaking planet, and we must protect this man.

~~~~~~~

Xavier:

• so I want to preface this to say that I think Xavier is an absolutely adorable teddy bear of a character, and I adore him.

•HOWEVER he would absolutely piss me off if I was actually playing cards with him in real life, and I would probably end up breaking up with him. That's how bad this is. So let me just explain why.

• first of all, other characters kind of allude to the fact that the idea of playing Kitty cards is probably not their idea of fun but they're doing it because we want to play, okay? And I get that, however, the other guys humor us genuinely and actually play the game. Xavier is humoring us by like the thread of tiniest threads. And he's not even trying to act like he's enjoying himself.

• i get that a major thing about his character is that he's super tired all the time and probably has Narcolepsy and needs some serious medication. Like i'm genuinely glad that this guy doesn't seem to drive and just takes public transportation because he'd probably kill somebody falling asleep behind the wheel, let's be honest. I am concerned for this man's health.

• that said, if he is trying to spend time with his girlfriend, which we're supposed to be, or a love interest at the very least, and he is humoring us through playing this game that we really want to play with him, and clearly our character is taking it seriously- the dude's not even going to try to not fall asleep? What?! Dude, I can understand like every once in a while...It's really late and you've been up working or whatever it is that you're doing in your life and you nod off in a game, but he nods off like 2 or 3 times a round. Like it's excessive. Wtf bro drink some coffee. Get some meds!

• on top of that, his overall word choice in how he talks to us during the game. Clearly, the guy can't even be bothered to pretend to care about the game.

• i mean, every time you play with him. He says that we should go first because he can't even remember the rules.

• Like my dude, you're falling asleep on yourself and drooling on your sweater, and you can't remember the rules of a game, though we play three times every single week. Are you 80 and possibly suffering from dementia??? Or are we just that damn boring to you? And if that's the case, why the heck are you with us? *eyebrow twitch*

• and before everybody who adores Xavier starts coming from my neck, okay. In a real relationship, this would not fly. In a real relationship, you would want to show interest in your significant others' interests, even if those interests are not your interests, that's what you do. That's how you behave in a healthy relationship.

• so as far as the writing goes for Xavier's character in this particular instance, I don't know if they're just riding the the guy has narcolepsy train a little too hard or writing the whole dude is super laid back and passive thing too hard, but it's like way too much of all of it together, and it ends up equalling a whole big lot of negative.

• like I adore Xavier and I really, really, really want to like him because I think he's a sweet pea, but this particular thing makes me not like him. Kinda turned me off his whole in game story tbh. (Fandom Xavier could get it any day of the week btw)

• and because of that, if this was the real world situation, I would absolutely dump Xavier.

• and then he would cry, and I would feel like a terrible person, but it is what it is.

• (please don't cry, Xavier. You'll break my heart.)

~~~~~~~

Zayne:

• Zayne Zayne Zayne. What can I say about Zayne? In the real world, Zayne is probably my ideal type. (And this is coming from a Rafayel fangirl. Ugh, tbh they may be tied. It's too hard to choose, tbh.)

• Zayne's character here while playing Kitty cards is the perfect example of how you would want your boyfriend to act when you asked him to do an activity with you. That very clearly is probably not his usual cup of tea, and not something that he would ever do on his own, but he's doing it. He's humoring you and he's enjoying himself because you are enjoying yourself. Zayne is perfect.

• I also love Zayne because he's actually playing the game. He doesn't throw the game completely. Like Sylas does, which would probably get on my nerves a little bit even though the way he does, it is good.

• Zayne is not going to disrespect you by not giving his all. He's gonna play the game and if he beats you, it's gonna be fairly and if you beat him, it's going to be fairly.

• However, throughout the whole thing, he is still going to be playfully teasing you.

• He will also be motivating you to do well, and if you get upset, he's going to comfort you in all the right ways. With that gentle guiding hand that is so very Zayne.

• this man is seriously a treasure.

• however, like Sylus, he's also super whipped for us. All that we have to do is get MC to bat her pretty eyelashes and to pout about how her cards are bad and just like that, he offers to trade you. He offers 2 cards from his hand for 1 card from your hand.

• in fact, he's so whipped that if we pout good enough, he will do this trade even when we have no cards in our hand and literally just give us his two cards. Any two cards from his hand that we want. And there seems to be no limit to the amount of times that you can do this in a round with him. He literally gives you the opportunity to do it almost every single turn.

• in that regard, I feel like he would be an excellent boyfriend type to play cards with because for those of us who are competitive like myself- He's going to play against you fairly and respectfully.

• and for those of us who hate losing or are excellent pouty brats, you know who you are, he will let you pick any 2 cards from his hand at the drop of a hat. Because he is that much of a sweetheart and just wants us happy no matter what.

• let me repeat. I freakin love Zayne.

~~~~~~~

Rafayel:

• I saved my favorite for last because, in my opinion, Rafayel is the type of boyfriend that I would have the most fun playing games with, and here's why.

• the man absolutely hates cats. First of all, which makes some pretty hilarious commentary throughout the game. I am a cat person. I've always said that I don't trust people who don't like cats, but he is a fish and that shit's hilarious, so we will let it slide.

• he is going to play the game and he is going to take that shit seriously.

• the man doesn't even like playing Kitty cards and literally says that kitty cards haunt his nightmares at different points in the game café and in messages, BUT-

• That don't matter 'cause when you get this man sat down to play this kitty card game, he is going to pull out all of the stops to absolutely whip our asses and I love him for it.

• this man is bratty. He is pouty. And when it comes to card games, this man is out for blood.

• in fact, if you don't pay attention, he will try to cheat right under your nose. He has 0 shame. He is in it to win it, so be ready.

• when you catch him, it is Flippin' Hilarious. He's so pouty that he didn't get away with it, but that doesn't matter cuz his head is in the game and you're going down.

• no way in hell is he is going to trade any of his cards for yours. You get what you get.

• he will just dust himself off change tactics and go for blood.

•He will still pout about you catching him even in the café, which is a favorite interaction of mine. He is too funny. I feel like I'd always be laughing with him. ANYWAY-

• absolutely, not, not, no. Pouting is not gonna make him go easier on you. You asked him to play this game, and now you're going to play it FOR REAL.

• Fall asleep playing a game that you asked him to play to spend time with him?¿ Are you insane? He is offended at even the suggestion.

• if you play the version of the game that has the specialty cards, expect absolute god of war mentality. He's gonna be throwing down special cards after special card and your butt's gonna be so frozen. You won't be able to lay down a single number card or specialty card, and he is going to be preening like a peacock the whole time.

• purposely, lose a game just so that you can win. Absolutely. Freaking, not, are you kidding me? How dare you suggest it?! if this man gets a card and it matches the color of one of those cups, and he can get him some double points, you best believe that he is playing it. And he is maniacally cackling at your pouty face when he does.

•Our fishie is so eager to win that he actually plays...not that well. (I'm sorry Rafy) But the man will literally put a wrong color card into the wrong color cups, get 0 pts for it just so you can't use the cup. The first time he did that I thought, "weird move but ok, maybe the game is random" but no. He did it again and then smuggly said "It's all part of my plan." I was floored. I was flabbergasted. And then I died laughing. He is such a competitive brat. Mom, I love him.

• this game might not be his cup of tea, but he's gonna damn well be the best at it.

• you want him to go easy on you? Absolutely, not that is laughable. You are a perfectly strong woman capable of whooping his ass, and he's going to prove it to you by making you do so when he's trying his best.

• to not do so would be to disrespect you outright in this man's eyes and he is not about that game. He thinks you are a badass. He knows you are a badass, and he's going to show YOU that you're a badass, because you're going to beat him whenever he is trying his hardest and he's going to prove it to you.

• if he wins, he is going to be playfully and teasingly braggie about it, but at the same time, he is going to comfort, you and tell you that you'll do better next time. Why will you do better next time? Because he is going to give you no choice but to improve your skills each time you'll play.

• if you beat him, he's going to be convinced that the cats are out to get him in a playful, funny way... maybe, maybe he's serious. And he is going to pout, and trick you into agreeing to go out to dinner with him in order to make him feel better. Once you agree, He immediately shows the poutiness was all on act, and he actually enjoyed himself and just wants to spend more time with you.

• because in the end, as ruthless of a player as Rafayel, is he actually really doesn't care if he wins or loses in the end.

• that is probably the biggest surprise hidden thing about his character thay I learned from him playing cards with us. In all of the interactions with him in the kitty card game is the hidden reality that he doesn't really care if he wins or loses.

•he's going to go the extra 10000 percent and be the most competitive player for you to play against so that you can actually truly play the game, test your skills, and get better at a game you love. And not just have it handed to you or be stuck obviously playing with somebody who is just humoring you and not even enjoying themselves. Raphael would place a hand on his chest in shock at the suggestion, or the idea that somebody would do that to you, this man would never disrespect you in that way.

• he's just putting on the act of taking it super seriously, because you love the game and he's not just going to just humor you. No, you deserve more rhan to just be humored. You deswrve the best. You deserve his best.

• you love this game. You wanna play this game? He's going to give you the best possible competitor that you could ever have and ever dream for.

• this man deserves an oscar in the best way.

• because in truth, the game doesn't matter to him, He's just happy to be around you like a golden retriever, and taking him to dinner afterwards, if he loses is really him winning anyways. Seeing you smiling and happy is a win.

~~~~~~~

•Protect this adorable fishy, please.

•(*slams hand on Kitty card table* Marry me Rafayel.)

I hope you guys enjoyed my observations and head cannons and interpretations of the lovely guys from Love and Deep Space.

Let me know what you think in the Reblogs, in the tags or on a comment. I'm curious to know if anyone else has been as observant to the scripted interactions as I have been, or am I just that obsessed.

[bakuhatsufallinlove]

since the general fanbase seems to find calebs translations questionable, is there any translators you'd recommend instead? (if you answered this before i couldnt find it, so sorry if its an FAQ)

The general fanbase does not speak Japanese, so first I would recommend you not take their opinion into account.

I am not trying to be combative, I’m serious. About 85% of the hatred for the official translator stems from things that have absolutely nothing to do with the quality of his work. 10% of the hatred claims to be about the quality of his work, but comes from people who do not actually speak Japanese and therefore have no place judging it. Only 5% of the negativity I've seen has any real merit as translation criticism.

For the record, I’m not going to address the source of that 85%, because the quality of a person’s character is objectively irrelevant to assessing whether their translations are accurate or effective. What you or I think about the official translator is of no importance. Shitty people can be good at their job. That’s just a fact.

The official translations are overall accurate, effective, and of high quality. Viz obviously has in-house standards for tone and aesthetic in translation; they have an existing “shonen” branding adapted for American audiences. It is about marketing. This is evident in all of their published works. Some people find the tone and aesthetic off-putting—this is totally understandable, I’m not particularly a fan myself.

Generally, the worst you tend to get with the official translations is somewhat weird or exaggerated characterizations and the occasional missed thematic callback. The worst you get with the fan translations that are popular is them being factually wrong at times—as in, their translator simply did not know the meaning of the words they tried to translate. It's not that mistakes never happen in the official, but the Viz translator is fluent in Japanese and translates as his full-time occupation. He works with Japanese fluidly and constantly. He knows what he’s doing. When fan translators falter, it is usually because they are clearly not fluent, and this is something they do out of passion or for fun in their free time.

I typically avoid criticizing the fan translations for this reason, despite their issues. I myself translate out of love and enjoyment; I don't want to harsh on anyone's good time or discourage fan activity. I bring this up only because many people put the fan translations on a pedestal while promoting scorn and distrust of the officials.

But you asked me for recommendations.

So, I will tell you what I would do if I were in your shoes: if I loved a series that was written in Spanish, I would read the official English translation. If someone told me some important things are glossed over in the official release, I would surely look into those—but only take the perspectives of Spanish speakers into account, because how are English speakers supposed to know what’s what? I would compare those perspectives (because there is no way everyone will have the same opinion) and see if there are any other translations, while looking to understand what the rationale is for the differences therein.

And then I would come to my own conclusions about the characters and the story, because in the end our relationship to media is personal. What the story means to me and what I think the creator was trying to do is fundamentally up to me to decide.

I grew up in the era of bootleg anime and manga with nigh-incomprehensible translations and official releases with butchered, thoughtless dubbing, released seven years after the series already ended. By comparison, what we have today—cheap or even free releases available simultaneously or within two weeks of the Japanese release—is fucking magnificent. It is the result of many people working incredibly hard all the time. I don't think we should take that for granted.

No translation will ever be perfect. Human beings are not perfect, we all have biases and our own interpretations and reactions to media. Our relationships to stories are personal. This includes translators.

I disagree with the official translator on a few things, particularly in regards to characterization. But I don’t think that ruins the official release, and I don’t think anyone should shun or scorn it on the whole. We should engage curiously and thoughtfully about why it is the way it is, and what else can be gleaned from the original text.

Having said all that, you actually inspired me to do a little series examining the wins and losses of the official release, so please look forward to that.

[sepublic]

And can I also add what a relief it was that when they did the finale, the writers didn’t go the easy route and reframe Luz’s story as just an extension/resolution of the Wittebanes’? They specified it was her story, that Luz had her own wholly independent narrative and life starting with her parents that sometimes intersected with those white guys’, but in the end they were here to serve Luz’s narrative, not the other way around!

And having her meet the Titan instead of a Caleb flashback makes so much more sense because that’s her fellow MC’s father, that’s the setting, that’s a character Luz has been learning from since S1! And by emphasizing the Titan as existing well before the Wittebanes, and the conflict with the intergalactic Archivists, it just reiterates that there’s so much more to this world and story than those white guys.

This is relevant when one of them believes it’s all about him, only for Luz to say with silence she’s not here for him, wants nothing to do with him! Especially when you remember how the first special of S3 had two students talk to Luz and dismiss the constant focus on crusty white guys and suggest a focus on women instead. How nice is it to say that while those white dudes factor on some level into her story, that Luz can be fully appreciated and complete without them!

Like sorry Hunter didn’t really play a role in this finale but this isn’t about him, and given the fandom’s obnoxious obsession with those Wittebanes (this includes Hunter, he’s still related too), it’s refreshing to say the least. Because Wittebane fans like to treat Luz as just another Evelyn, a female character meant to show their white boy the way; They push for Lunter so they can talk about parallels to those white colonizers while ignoring and devaluing Willow over that cardboard cutout. Luz and Hunter intersect but in the end they’re not that important to each other, Luz’s arc works without Hunter!!!

And I’m grateful S3 was about Luz’s relationship with her actual parents and friends who she knows and cares about, not these dead white people. She’s not just here to discuss Caleb or Evelyn’s baggage, Luz doesn’t need to be Evelyn when Edalyn is there and takes over during that white guy’s death scene! Like it’s just SO good that Luz can maintain this independence and distance and even choose it on an in-universe level.