#the story of the architects is so interesting and i would love to know more about them/their home and so many people just pretend-

[bwat5-blog]

Caitlyn & Violet: A Deeper Look

**Spoilers For All Of Arcane**

Recently I reached out to the community asking for some requests on angles/ideas/topics and so on that anyone would be interested in my analysis on. A few of you amazing folks responded for which I am extremely grateful. @phoenixlionme asked me to delve into a few points I have never discussed at all, regarding Caitlyn Kiramman, and the way she connects to Vi's heritage and past.

Caitlyn as a bridge between cities

Caitlyn's similarities to Vi's loved ones

Caitlyn compared to the leaders of Zaun (for Clarity @phoenixlionme phrased it as people Sevika has followed, this is just an easier way for me to approach it in my head)

So! to that end, I will be digging into these ideas and expanding my own insight into this wonderful character. As I am so fond of saying, good stories matter. And the continued exploration and discussion of this story and it's characters will help it live on. Thank you.

Caitlyn As The Bridge Between Cities:

When the story begins, Caitlyn and Vi could not be from more different worlds. Vi's life is poisoned with violence and loss, even witnessing the deaths of her birth parents at the hands of Enforcers. In that opening scene, they are monstrous. Emerging from smoke and shadow, dealing death and pain all hidden behind cold unfeeling masks. Her childhood in Zaun has made her a hardened survivor even at such a young age.

But in the sunny streets of Piltover, where Caitlyn has been raised, the Enforcers are smiling, happy symbols of peace and safety. Caitlyn is the daughter and heir to one of the great houses of Piltover. Her name means innovation, wealth and respect. She receives shooting lessons from the sheriff of Piltover herself. She joins the enforcers when she comes of age because the reality she has known has only ever taught her to view them as a force for good.

But of course as the story commences we see these two individuals from totally different worlds come together. Their realities joined in ways both good and bad. So let's dig into this further, starting with the simple stuff.

Vi-

Well to state the obvious, Caitlyn is love with the birth daughter of one of the architects of Zaun, and the eldest adopted daughter of another. Although Vi's place in Zaun likely feels unsteady to her after all that occurs in Season 2, it seems logical to suggest that during the reconstruction efforts after the war and during the restitution efforts towards her people she and Caitlyn's relationship will help bridge the gap in general.

Sevika-

At the end of season two, Caitlyn has given the seat of house Kiramman to none other than Sevika of Zaun. People have done just about everything in their power to pretend this doesn't matter. It does. It just does. I know there were people hoping to see the Piltover elite lined up and executed by firing squad, while Jinx reigned supreme over the flames and was served tea by a chained and forcibly blinded Caitlyn, all while Vi excoriated herself with a flail and sang Jinx's praises loudly for all to hear. But for those of us who were never fitted for our tinfoil hats, this is a massive step.

The council hold the highest positions of power in the twin cities. And now because of Caitlyn, one of them belongs to the undercity. She has literally created a link between the two surrendering her own families power and giving it to the undercity who have never had that voice before. It isn't all encompassing change because that isn't real. It's a first powerful step made by someone with all the power, to start bridging the divide.

The Commander -

Alright. Now we start getting into the more complex part of her relationship with Zaun. Caitlyn's arc is immensely complex and controversial and there is a lot of depth and nuance to this part of her story. I have written about this in HEAVY.. HEAVY DETAIL. So if you would like to see that I would love for you to check it out. But for our purposes here I am going to keep to the basics. Because to discuss how I feel the aftermath of this will lead to her having more of a connection with the Undercity, we at least need to go over what happened. To begin with, lets do a very quick barebones rundown:

Born in Piltover

Entered Zaun with Vi

Reentered Zaun leading strike team. Hunting chem-barons, Jinx, and Shimmer.

Becomes The Commander

Occupation Of Zaun

The War

The Strike Team:

Now, on a logical level only, the strike team did not do anything wrong. The Chem-Barons were dangerous drug lords. Shimmer is an absolute threat to all of the Undercity. And while there is obviously so much more to be said about Jinx, for their purposes they are hunting a dangerous terrorist who just assassinated three of their leaders. Yes. For logic based purposes only this does also includes the Grey. I have beat this horse to death, kicked it while it's down, revived it, and shot it in the head. I am not doing it again here. So I will just say that on a purely logical level, using a non-lethal crowd dispersal weapon on specific targets while hunting dangerous crime lords and a terrorist who likes things that go boom.... Not the worst idea.

The real issue with the strike team's actions, can be discussed in two points:

Caitlyn's motivation-

"Can I do the right thing for the wrong reason? Is it bad that I'm making friends with my demons, and Living by a couple deadly sins Just to make sure I finish what you began And I ain't afraid to lose a life or ten If it means that I get to win in the end (woo) So I'ma do this on my own, step into the danger zone Pull the pin and watch it blow

I would rather die alone" (Hellfire Arcane)

The problem is that Caitlyn did not lead her team into the undercity to liberate it's people. She did so for revenge. Each action pushing her further and further into her rage and pain. So even though her actions were "pure" her intention was driven by hate.

2. History with Piltovan Oppression-

As stated, the goals of the strike team were pure. And on a purely logic based level, the fan reaction to the grey has been hyperbolic to say the least. The problem is in the history. Uniformed Enforcers using a weapon that no matter how overblown the reaction does make people choke and cough and possibly pass out. It's all just too reminiscent of what the Undercity has been through before.

The Occupation:

So despite this being a massive part of this story, for our purposes here there is not a terrible amount to say. As very rough overview:

Caitlyn has become commander over the two cities during a period of Martial Law.

Ambessa Medarda rules from the shadows using Caitlyn as her scape goat.

All of Zaun has been placed under full occupation until Jinx is found. Dissenters are jailed, there are checkpoints, and it seems as though the Noxian "peace keeping forces" are being as brutal as possible. Therefore driving dissent and anger to even higher levels allowing Ambessa more time to achieve her goals.

Occupation ends when Caitlyn realizes how she had lost her way, turns on Ambessa, and the occupation ends in the days leading up to the final battle.

The issue of course is that Ambessa's part in this aside, Caitlyn was the face of it. And as I have said from the beginning, I am NOT attempting to absolve Caitlyn of her responsibility in what happened. Some portion of our fandom have essentially chosen to pretend Ambessa just strolled in, and offered Caitlyn the job of despot while they held hands and skipped through the torture camps together. You and I know better. But the people of Zaun lived it. And they don't have the benefit of having seen everything we saw and understanding all of Caitlyn's story. So at the end of the day Caitlyn is the face of the oppressive regime that made their lives hell for a few months.

How They Move Forward:

Okay. So tying it all together how could "Commander Caitlyn Kiramman" possibly become a bridge between cities with everything that has happened? Because they are all moving forward. I am not pretending that it is anywhere close to over. In fact as I said earlier when discussing Sevika it is just a step. But Zaunite and Piltovan alike saw Caitlyn almost give her life to end Ambessa. And the two cities fought side by side against the threat to all life that Viktor posed. So moving forward:

Caitlyn is married to a famous Zaunite.

She has given Zaun their first real step toward equality.

Her guilt is going to drive her to keep working to make things better for the Undercity. It doesn't take deep character analysis to see that.

She is a Kiramman. Despite her perversion of her families work with the ventilation during her darkest moments, she has all of that knowledge now. I predict she will keep working alongside Vi to find ways to make things right.

I know people have felt quite strongly that the show didn't do enough to resolve Piltover VS Zaun. But I think people need to remember that as insane and epic as it was, this show was essentially a prequel to our time in this world. There is so much more to come. Caitlyn is a young woman who has made mistakes, but I predict will go on to do great things for Piltover and Zaun both. After all, if the right hand woman of the man who unleashed shimmer on their streets can become their voice in government, and the feared and insane terrorist daughter of Silco can become their hero, maybe their former oppressor can become one of their greatest allies.

Caitlyn's Similarities To Vi's Loved Ones:

This is an interesting one! I honestly had never even considered this sort of thing but when I started digging there are many qualities of those Vi loves that are all collected with Caitlyn Kiramman. I'm sure you could do a massive list for this sort of thing so this is just some ones that stuck out to me.

Jinx:

The parallels between these two characters have become quite well known at this point and for good reason. Their intertwining stories are a massive part of this show and impact both of their characters greatly. But in terms of her connection to Vi, I have one I really want to focus on.

Putting Vi First: Both Jinx and Caitlyn go through a tremendous amount of suffering over the course of this story. Their stories are so in-depth, and complex and layered. And over the course of their stories, they both hurt Vi terribly (obviously there is more to it, there is a lot of nuance to these situations and I'm not dumping on Caitlyn or Jinx. Just staying on topic). But for two characters who are at one point almost sworn enemies, when it comes to addressing the pain of one they love, they are remarkably similar.

Caitlyn- So much happens between Caitlyn and Vi. But when it comes down to it, with Vi angry over Jinx's imprisonment and Caitlyn and Vi still far from totally reconciled, how does Cait makes things right? She gives Vi the choice. She clears the way for her to free Jinx if she chooses. Even knowing that that Vi could take Jinx and vanish forever if she chose, and Caitlyn would never hold Vi in her arms again. She puts Vi first. Even though it could be the end of her.

Jinx- Good lord talk about complicated. The relationship between the sisters is beautiful and heartbreaking in equal measure. There is so much on both sides, but when the moment I want to discuss comes, Vi has come to free Jinx from prison. Jinx knows that Vi has lived a life, consumed by guilt over everything that has occurred. Vi has never allowed herself to choose her own happiness for a variety of reasons. So what does Jinx do? She forces Vi to let her go. She locks her in the cell and gives Vi the permission Vi would never have been able to give herself. She tells her she deserves to be happy, to be with Caitlyn. Because in that moment of terrible sorrow even with all that Jinx is suffering, her eyes are finally opened to how much she loves Vi, and how much Vi loves her.

2. Vander:

Much like Vi and Caitlyn, at first glance it seems almost laughable to try and find common ground between "The Hound Of The Underground", and "The Leader Of House Kiramman". But if we really dig into it, the similarities emerge. In fact far more than I ever would have guessed.

A: Both do something they regret in a moment of deep loss and pain to someone they love.

Vander- We really are never given all the specifics, but whatever Silco became, Vander completely owned his regret and remorse over trying to take Silco's life.

Caitlyn- In that horrible moment after ventilation chamber battle, Caitlyn clubs the woman she loves in the stomach with her rifle stock and abandons her crying in the dark. I could write pages on the evidence of her remorse (and have written quite a bit) but you get the idea.

B: Both can see the truth of Vi's worth.

Vander- "You have a good heart. Don't ever lose it. No matter how the world tries to break you"

Caitlyn- "Despite it all I can tell.. you have a good heart"

This is especially impactful given Vi's struggle to see the worth and value in this part of herself as her story continues.

C: "When people look up to you, you don't get to be selfish.. whatever happens. It's on you".

Vander- At the moment he is in Silco's clutches, facing death. Vander does not beg for his life. He simply asks Silco to spare the lanes. Spare the Undercity. His self sacrifice continues all through the heartbreaking series of events that follow. Attacking the shimmer mutant, taking shimmer himself to save Vi, and blocking Vi's body with own during the fall.

Caitlyn- Now of course, it would be completely out of character for Caitlyn. But thinking about in strictly what is possibly, Caitlyn had just about any other option if she did not want to stay and fight Ambessa. Let alone on the front line. She knows she played a part it everything going so wrong, and rather than using her wealth and power to escape the fighting, she plants her feet and faces down the devil who almost took her soul forever. Never-mind the fact that she rips that knife out of her own body to help finish Ambessa, knowing full well that may well be the end of her.

*Caitlyn laying down her hate for Jinx in favor of her love for Vi works here as well*

Caitlyn's Reflection Of The Leaders Of Zaun:

Each of the three here have in some way shape or form been leaders to the people of the Undercity. And for a character who became such a figure of oppression to the people of Zaun, Caitlyn Kiramman shares a lot with all three of these figures. We have discussed Vander and Jinx. But I wanted to talk about Silco for a moment:

Finding "Strength" out of pain:

Silco- In the wake of Vander's betrayal, he reinvents himself. Believing only in the strength needed to destroy those he views as his enemy. Even if it means betraying every ideal he ever had.

Caitlyn- In the wake of her mothers loss and her separation from Vi, she becomes someone the old her would have despised under Ambessa's tutelage. Becoming a better fighter, gaining "control" over two cities, and learning to be ruthless. But in fact surrendering everything about her that made her who she is.

The Difference however, is Caitlyn sees the truth. Because of a variety of factors she sees how far she is fallen and that she has betrayed her belief and her ideals. She sheds her own blood alongside those willing to fight for her to protect all people regardless of the city of their birth. She finds the true strength that Silco couldn't.

Conclusion:

Sorry for the GIF-a-palooza but every time I think about her character her story gets me more and more. She truly goes through so much, learns, changes, falls down and picks herself back up. Thank you again to @phoenixlionme for this opportunity to delve deeper into her character and get me thinking in ways I hadn't considered! I hope some of this may lend itself to peoples understanding of this incredible character and if not hopefully at least the enjoyment of the show. Thank you to anyone taking time out of your day in this mad world to read the writing of a grouchy nerd like me. You will probably never know how much I appreciate it.

Keep standing up for stories that matter. See ya next time.

[liulith]

We as a fandom need to open our hearts to the insane comedic potential of Sir Pentious being included as a background character in stories taking place in the "old days" before Vox and Alastor's falling out. AND the comedic potential of one-sided Sir Pentious -> Vox.

Why?

Canon!Sir Pentious is attached to his era's aesthetics but he also wants to be "hip and cool" (see pilot episode; Sir Pentious as the how do you do fellow kids meme) and join the "Almighty Vees". When did he start wanting that? He's not a media demon trying to keep up with his audience and be a likeable public figure. He's a mechanic trying to conquer Hell by force thanks to his machines and obviously relishes in acting like a villain (fear me! I'm so evil! I'm the architect of destruction! etc. etc).

This is very different from the Vees' approach - maintaining a perfect public image, insidious manipulation tactics... Vox threatens Alastor in the show, but the Vees clearly haven't built their power through turf wars, which is and has always been Pentious' one and only strategy. All the machines we've seen him make are war weapons (+ the Egg Boyz who do his bidding, and help him operate those very weapons). Voxtek probably sells weaponry too but that is more Camilla's domain, so it would be more logical for Pentious to try and join her.

Pentious' and the Vees agenda and interests aren't aligned, so why is Pentious so desperate to join the Vees?

there are many reasons why Pentious could want to be part of the Vees besides the one I'm gonna talk about but you know what MY agenda is:

Vox is Pentious' idol. Pentious is an inventor, an innovator. He would have loved waking up in Hell with a mechanical body he can upgrade however he wants and finds the whole concept fascinating.

He's not against new technology, as his creations clearly go beyond what people could have had invented in his time despite their "steampunk" aesthetic (see: the effing death ray). So I think his current "limitations" are more a matter of him having to stick with what he knows best because it's hard to keep up with the constant stream of new tech. This is why he's more than impressed with Vox's extraordinary ability to adapt to change and master new technologies again and again. He's a fellow innovator! That's one reason for Pentious to be obsessed with the guy.

And if you think obsessed isn't the right word, think about this: Sir Pentious repeatedly challenges Alastor to fights even though he's clearly outmatched and it's an incredible risk to take considering what Alastor does. Pentious is OLDER than Alastor, he was there when he broadcast the most powerful Overlords' scream all over Hell. Plus, losing always leaves him in a very vulnerable position (without his best weapons). Is it madness? Hubris? An obsession for Alastor? No!

Sir Pentious to Alastor: Silence! Now Cower! For when I've slain you, the Almighty Vees will finally acknowledge me!

Sir Pentious thinks defeating Alastor is the only way the Vees will finally acknowledge him. No matter how dangerous it is, he has to try, for the Vees (Vox). Just like he took the risk of angering the Princess of Hell to get in Vox's good graces. This says a lot, for someone as paranoid as him, who doesn't trust anyone who is "too nice" to him.

If Hazbin had more episodes there should have been one about Pentious struggling with the fact he disappointed his idol and told to KHS 👀

(btw this is old news but we know that one of the Hazbin episodes that Viv originally pitched was about a science contest organized by Voxtek in which Pentious and Baxter competed against each other! Pentious could have done that after ep2!)

Anyway, back to the comedic potential of it all & Vox's arrival in Hell. Can you imagine his reaction as a newly fallen Sinner, when he's hanging out with Alastor (aka following him like a lost puppy?) and he meets Sir Pentious for the first time? Like sure, Hell is full of insane people but Alastor obviously has a Reputation and no one ever challenges him. And suddenly... Hm... Alastor?? There's an airship with a giant cannon pointed right as us?? Firing a DEATH RAY?!

It's also so funny to imagine Sir Pentious being obsessed with Alastor and considering him his archnemesis back in the day, only to slowly become obsessed with Vox instead and only caring about defeating Alastor because he thinks Vox will like it. It starts with Sir Pentious trying to "gather intel" on Alastor's new "ally", spying on them or sending his Egg Boyz to do so (and we already know great he is at spying so you can guess how that goes lol), and the rest is history.

Alastor loves attention so he probably let Pentious spy on him behind bushes from time to time if only because it's very entertaining to watch him try to be discrete and make his shadow tap on his shoulder. How hilarious would it be if Alastor noticed Sir Pentious' growing crush on Vox but not Vox's crush on him? Also, Vox misunderstanding Pentious and Alastor's relationship and thinking Pentious is a weird obsessive ex... The world is a stage and the stage is a world of entertainment!

[da-janela-lateral]

MP100 S2E01 under a writer's perspective

The Emi Fukami episode in Mob Psycho 100 was a beautiful display of Mob's character development in relation to his individuality and a earnest vision of emotional vulnerability, but I want to call attention to a single detail: Emi being a writer.

Out of all the secret truths that the cast masks during the narrative, Emi's must be one of the most mundane. She is writing a book. She doesn't want people to know about it, much less read it, as Emi was led to believe this hobby of hers was embarassing.

I find it very interesting that Emi, character whose focus episode revolves around vulnerability, has writing has her main passion. In a way, writing is one of the most revealing art forms that there is. Literary choices are a reflection of the author's context, beliefs, likes and dislikes, fears and dreams, even though many of these choices cannot be perceived in a sensible level. Even if I suddenly decided to write a tale about a random theme - you say, a blue-footed booby who becomes an architect while wearing ballet shoes - it would say something about me. It could be a preferred text type, my sense of humor or even my idea of what is "random". Word choices, rhythm, figures of speech, themes, narrative structures, spins on a literary genre's expectations - all of these and more consist of conscious or unconscious decisions made by the writer. Writing as an art form serves as a mirror to the artist's very mind.

As a result, a piece of text can be a very delicate thing. Many people would only reveal their works to a exemplarily trusted someone, or to no one at all. That's the origin and end of uncountable masterpieces. It is also associated to passion. Few are the writers who characterize themselves as such and don't feel a duty to write. Yes, duty. Not all pieces are a labor of love, but it's almost universal that they're one of resolve, as little as it might be. One can unlock a fundamental will to write something in spite of it being weary work. At this point, for many writers, it's not a simple hobby. It's a need. It's a compulsory manner of expression hardwired onto our brains; thus, it's an inseparable part of who we are.

So what does any of this have to do with Emi's arc?

S2E01 is all about being vulnerable. Even though Emi had only asked out Mob because of a bet and hanged out with him for a week, she felt safe enough to show him her book. Her own friend group didn't have an idea that she was working on one, and once they discovered this, they ridiculed Emi's effort and teared it to shreds. Emi tried to alleviate this rejection by affirming she didn't care for her work, while everything shown previously on the episode proved this was wrong. In turn, Mob uses his psychic powers to put back her text together - his first public demonstration of them since he was a child. Mob was honest about himself by revealing he was an esper. Emi was honest by wanting his opinion on her book.

Emi is a fourteen year old girl going through a confusing and ever changing phase of her life. After doubting on Mob's emotions, she tells him that she too doesn't know well who she is, and her actions around her friends prove how she was prone to peer pressure. Her mind and identity were on an uncertain state, and this would also reflect on her writing. Emi uses complicated words, perhaps to make her writing sound more serious. Based on a translation of her work "Adventure", she uses more of a stream of consciousness prose and ambiguous descriptions. She immediately decides to write something different after her experiences with Mob. Emi has a personal style! She has techniques and topics she enjoys and active choices about how she will employ them! Emi has a bit of her on her story and this was why she hid it so much: a mockery of it would be synonym of a mockery of herself.

This is what makes the plotline with her book so important to express the episode's themes. Emi felt insecure to reveal such an integral part of herself to the world until someone came and not only took it seriously, but appreciated it enough to make an effort to understand it better. It tells a lot how Mob's demonstration of caring made her leave the people who destroyed her work.

As a writer, this detail gave a whole another layer of significance for the episode. I've felt Emi's struggle in a very intense level on the past. Storytelling is something so dear to me I can't see myself without the adjective of "writer", but the acknowledgement of my work would be the same as exposing myself to the world. It can be scary at times, to divulge something so sincere to others. However, such is the writer's role: divulging. For reasons long unknown a magical excess of words was born to me, and this coincidence can't be supressed and abandoned on the dark. There is something I can offer copiously hand in hand and its words. Words. Words. Words... And the reflection of me resonates on others.

[physalian]

Segway Characters (Or when your protagonist knows jack about the story)

This is the protagonist of a sci-fi or fantasy world, generally a nobody who gets dragged in either by circumstance or by being the long-lost-something prophesied to save the realm. They know absolutely nothing about the plot, the other characters, the magic system, or the new world, the audience proxy that asks all the questions on the audience’s behalf.

I call them Segways (read; not segue) because they look dumb and you ride their ass through the narrative.

This is a very, very broad concept for a protagonist, everybody from a superhero origin story to Harry Potter, as opposed to a character like James Bond, an expert in their craft and a *seasoned protagonist*.

Segways usually aren’t a problem… until it becomes rather painfully obvious that they only exist to be the audience proxy to ask those questions, when another character could and should be the protagonist because they’re far more interesting, usually because the protagonist is way less cool and active in the plot than their constituents. Or, they’re a perfectly fine character, but the exposition dumping to them is sloppy and unrefined.

The difference between just a protagonist and a Segway is how smoothly they integrate into that story.

So.

—

Inception

I love this movie. It has inspired so much of my writing.

Ariadne is a poster child of Segway characters. Aside from the villain, Mal, she’s the only woman in the cast, and though Dom (DiCaprio) is the hero, Ariadne is his protege, the audience vector through which all the world mechanics and important backstory stuff is told. Every other character already knows how dream heists work and who Mal is, so explaining redundant information between experts would look weird—enter the Segway, Ariadne.

For what it’s worth, she’s not useless otherwise. She’s the new ‘architect,’ she builds the mazes the rest of the team runs through and is the innocent cinnamon roll dragged into problems that Dom created. Her name could not be a more heavy-handed symbol.

She’s active in the story and her perspective foils against Dom’s well enough, but Inception is a movie with layers and an infamous amount of necessary exposition to understand the story. Someone has to be there to ask all the questions the audience has. Ariadne unfortunately gets the lion’s share, instead of the script figuring out how to weave more of it into the interactions of the other characters. They spent so much time on the complex narrative it’s like they forgot about a layman audience and threw her in too late for a seamless integration.

—

Netflix’s The Old Guard is better than it should be, given its budget. I didn’t read the comic it was based on and have no idea if Nile’s character is the same in the original, but she’s another Segway with only one reason for existing in the plot otherwise: Andy’s got to pass the torch to someone.

Yes she comes to save them in the end and yes, her advantage in the story is being unknown to the villains, but she’s there, in this version of the story, so the other four heroes can info-dump to her about all manner of things from how immortality works to their backstories to the setup for the sequel the movie never got.

I just rewatched it recently and if the script just had two or three passes to tackle the exposition problem, it could have off-loaded some of the burden onto other characters, or better told it through action, and not just info-dumpy monologues. When the movie came out I remember a critic I like commenting that it could have been a more interesting story if it had been told from the sympathetic villain’s perspective (Not Dudley’s). As in, if he was on a mission with all his conspiracy-level research and dedication to track these people down, throwing out his own theories for them to then correct or something.

Like this, the story is just waiting for Nile to ask the right questions. Nothing is volunteered freely without Nile directly asking for it, because it runs into the same problem as Inception: Every other character already knows everything, and they wouldn’t exposit to each other.

—

A lot of isekai anime also do this. I’ve tried getting into older, tentpole shows like Sailor Moon and Bleach and Yu Yu Hakusho and I don’t know what it is about anime pilot episodes, even modern ones but particularly the old ones, the exposition dumping is atrocious. To the point where it feels like they all know it and are like “listen just bear with us and we’ll get this done fast and sloppy and get to the good stuff later”.

I just can’t. I think I made it 15 minutes into Bleach before noping out of there years ago.

—

Obviously all these movies and shows have their fans, but if you’re a writer struggling with exposition or noticed this trend like me, here’s some suggestions to avoid the need to info-dump, assuming you do want to keep your Segway.

Try not to give all the exposition questions to one character, and don’t wait for that character to ask, out-of-character on behalf of the audience, what’s going on in the story. Instead, let it flow more naturally in conversation and let the more experienced characters brainstorm with each other, or let the protagonist uncover some of this information actively on their own through other means, for variety’s sake.

Figure out a reason why these questions are necessary to the story in this moment. Why is the hero asking now, as opposed to any other time? You can also let the hero draw their own conclusions and have the other characters correct their misassumptions, feeding that information in a more natural way.

Give the hero more to do in the story beyond being the exposition vehicle right from the start. I don’t care if they’re the chosen one and the plot just falls into their lap, why are they the chosen one?

Spread out the exposition to come only when it’s necessary. Front-loading it can tarnish the immersion and overwhelm the audience, especially if it’s complex, or if there’s a lot of it. You can pepper it all the way through the story if you want.

If you really want to front-load it, you can go to the extremes and slap in a prologue or meta-narrative dump that’s fun and entertaining from a third person omniscient perspective. First thing that comes to mind is the opening 2D scene from Kung Fu Panda that covers a lot of ground. Go ham.

None of these characters are bad, I just think with a few more rounds of revisions and forethought, they could have been integrated better into their stories.

[miraluscinia]

do you think you could make a list of which hero is who? sorry it’s just confusing

Yknow, i was planning on revealing them one at a time, but there's 18 characters and i feel like it's gonna take me some time to even begin drawing the next person, so why not reveal it now?

Here's a list of who is who, as well as a bit of info (this is a long one so brace yourselves);

The Architect = Grian

- as already revealed, Grian's power is psychokinesis (which is closely related to, but is not telekinesis). The first part of his poem, "Mind over matter", reveals this but there's more to it than that. His wings are also thought to be part of his powers, but whether or not that's true will be revealed in the actual story i'll write. The character introduction hinted at some things, but I'm not gonna point them out until much later.

(Since I haven't properly introduced the rest of the cast yet, I'll avoid mentioning their powers or any other info. You guys will just have to either wait for their introductions, or take a wild guess. I'll just give you guys some behind the scene of each alias and poem)

Vex = Scar

- I honestly had a hard time coming up with the alias for Scar. Eventually, I settled for Vex because some fans headcanon Scar as a vex hybrid, also because the name means "to bring trouble" or "to annoy by petty provocations", which is close to what I plan for Scar in this AU. Also, his poem "A silver tongue, a voice that sways" not only gives a nod to how he usually swindles people in the life series but it also hints at what his power is.

The Mechanic = Mumbo

- I mean... i think it's kinda obvious the person whose poem says "Where machines are present, his genius stands" is gonna be Mumbo. I think i could've thought of a better alias for Mumbo, but I just couldn't at the time, and I guess this has already stuck so... yeah, Mechanic it is for Mumbo.

Trapline = Impulse

- I haven't really watched Impulse that much so I didn't really know what power to give him. But then I watched one of his build and seek videos and I learned that he's good at redstone, so I decided to make his power have something to do with machines as well. And since we already have Mumbo as the tech guy, I just decided to have Impulse be the trap guy. Hence his poem, "A snare unseen, a trap well laid". The alias Trapline just sounded cool to me.

Scarlet Moon = Pearl

- I mean... i think the alias already gives it away. Anyways, Pearl's alias and power was one of the ones that came easy to me. I wanted her whole theme to still be tied to the moon so... Scarlet Moon it is. As for her powers, the first line of her poem, "Gravity bows to her lunar might", kinda gives it away.

Timekeeper = Bdubs

- I don't know much about Bdubs as well, nor have I watched any of his POV (i found the life series through martyn so i mainly watch his pov), but i've seen fanfics and fanart alike of him having a clock and his moss cloak thingy, so i decided to base his power on that. So the first line of his poem, "Time bends where flowers bloom", gives a nod to that, as well as hint at his powers. Bdubs' powers is one of the things I'm very proud of. His character in this AU is also one of the more complex characters. As for his alias, the public only knows about one part of his powers so I thought, "what would people call someone with that power?", and I came up with Timekeeper.

Blaze = Tango

- I actually feel bad for giving Tango a very basic alias, but i really can't think of anything else. I only really got interested in Tango during Double Life, cuz him with Jimmy is really wholesome. I noticed that fanon is that Tango is a blaze hybrid so I just took that and ran. I also loved his reaction in Double Life to the ranch burning, so the last part of his poem, "Heat and flame, in fury's daze", gives a nod to that as well as his powers. Honestly, most of the characters' poems hint at both their powers and something that reminds me of them.

Phantom = Etho

- Honestly, i don't really remember my exact thought process on why I chose Etho's alias and power to be what they are. I think it was literally because his skin is a character from Naruto, and so i guess I just thought, "Naruto... ninja... invisible, yes, yes." And i said i won't mention the characters' powers but actually, the first line of Etho's poem, "Invisible steps, shadows in tow", already gave it away. And there's more to his powers than that anyways, so I guess it's fine.

Maestro = Ren

- Ren's alias gave me a hard time cuz I couldn't think of something that sounds dramatic enough. I ended up going with Maestro since the word means "a master usually in an art", and since Ren gives such a theater kid vibe, I went with it. Now, I had a bit of trouble with his power, mainly because it's similar to another character's, but I evntually found a way to differentiate the two so it's all good now. I just love Ren and Martyn's dynamic in 3rd Life, and in any interaction they have honestly. Ren's entire poem gives a nod to his dramatic theater kid vibe, but the line "Illusions dance, a show so grand" hints at what I plan for his whole character to be in the AU. And it also parallels the other character with similar powers to Ren.

Fortress = Cleo

- Cleo was one of the harder persons to think of a power and alias for. So i went and looked through videos and fanfics alike to see what i can pick up, and I noticed that in most fanfics I read, Cleo is often depicted as a strong and reliable person, and I can get that vibe in the videos I've seen of them. What really solidified my decision for her power, though, is that one moment in Double Life where she tells Martyn that they're both survivors, and that really stuck to me. As for the alias, the word fortress already gives the impression of strong and formidable, so I went with that. It felt like a weird alias the first few times, but it eventually grew on me, and now I kinda like it. The first line of their poem, "Strong as stone, yet swift to mend", also hints at another part of their power.

Mirage = Martyn

- I love his and Ren's theater kids vibe, and it's one of the reasons why I made their powers to be so similar. The reason for Martyn's power and alias is mostly because he's well known for always sneaking around without being seen most of the time, and being able to get away unseen as well. It's also that one line from Skizz during Secret Life that really cemented the power and alias. Skizz was complementing Martyn's ability to sneak around unnoticed and commented, "I'm honestly only 50% certain that you're standing in front of me." Also, aside from the powers, Ren and Martyn's poems are also very similar in the first part. Whereas Ren's is "Illusions dance", Martyn's first line, "Illusions twist, reality bends", not only hints at what differentiates his powers from Ren, but also references how Martyn likes to gaslight people, especially during Secret Life.

Sanguine = Skizz

- Skizz's alias and power are ones I'm most proud of. Every character's powers mostly have more than one part to it, and Skizz's is one i really like. One part of his power, I got inspiration from a fanfic I read in AO3 called "Wake the Dead" by Kiki_the_kiwi. The other part, i got inspiration from the way I noticed Skizz usually becomes in the life series (which martyn also pointed out during his interview in the Imp & Skizz Podcast). The first line of Skizz's poem, "Blood and battle, strength reborn", references this. As for his alias, it took me a long time to pick. I wanted something that suited his power and his character, and I eventually ended up on Sanguine. While it's not the most cool-sounding name, its meaning actually suits Skizz's character in this AU. Sanguine has two meanings, the first being "someone who is cheery" and the other being "blood" or "bloodthirsty", so... you can probably guess why I chose this alias for Skizz, and it also suits the way his power works.

Fenrir = Joel

- Actually, Joel was the hardest to think of a power for because his chaotic nature in the life series doesn't really leave me with a solid idea. Eventually, I just stuck to his 3rd Life vibe, which involves wolves. Hence the alias Fenrir, which is some sort of wolf Norse god, I'm not really sure, I didn’t research it that much (i also just really like the name). As for his powers, the same with every other character's powers in this AU, there's more to it than the surface level. The last part of his poem, "Strength in the pack, yet prone to fall", hints at this.

Starstrike = Scott

- For Scott, i mostly stuck to the most common winner symbol for him, which is stars. His powers isn't as complicated as the others, and the last part of his poem, "A shield, a blade, a step so sure", hints at what he can do with his powers. As for his alias, I guess it just sounded cool to me. I wanted something that relates to his star theme, but also gives the impression of someone not to be messed with, so I went with Starstrike.

The Canary = Jimmy

- Honestly, do I even have to explain? Lol! Jimmy's powers also got inspiration from the same fic I got for Skizz, which is "Wake the Dead" by Kiki_the_kiwi on AO3 (you should really check it out). And his poem, "The first to fall when danger is near", also references his Canary Curse.

Quake = BigB

- i honestly didn't know much about BigB as well, but from what I remember of him, mostly in 3rd and Secret Life, he was mostly mining/digging underground while stuff happens on the surface. His poem, "A rumble deep, the earth obeys", kinda also hints at this, as well as reminds me of his backrooms shtick in Secret Life.

Flora = Gem

- I kinda feel bad, but I honestly gave up with Gem, since I know less about her than others members since she's still a bit new to the life series, and I didn't really watch any of her stuff before. But the vibe I got from her is that she's sweet, but also kinda dangerous. So i thought, the alias Flora sounds sweet, but since it refers to plants and the like, it could also mean danger since there are dangerous plants. Her powers, though, isn't what you would initially think. Like I said, there's more to the characters' powers than what is on the surface level. And Gem's poem, "Nature's strength in her entwines", not only hints at another part of her powers, but also references where I got the inspiration for her powers, which is a certain character from the anime/manga called "Bungou Stray Dogs".

Nightshade = Lizzie

- Lizzie's power was one of the easiest to think of, but of course, there's more to her powers. The name Nightshade is something I really like, and with it being a beautiful plant usually associated with darkness and mystery, I thought that it suits Lizzie well, especially in the AU. Her poem, "In darkness she dwells with deadly grace", further insinuates this.

Aaaand, that's all of them! Sorry for the long post, but I also wanted to share my thought process in picking the alias for each character. And while I don't want to reveal too much of their powers until they get properly introduced, i figured it's fine to touch on the behind the scenes of it for a bit.

What do you guys think? Also, for the anon who asked, I hope this clears things up! :)

[robins-egg-bindery]

ever in your favor by @iron--spider

Peter startles awake when someone shakes him. 

“Sorry, honey,” May says. Peter blinks a couple times and she comes into focus, her hair pulled back from her face. She’s trying not to look a certain way, but he can see it in her eyes anyway. She clears her throat, keeps talking. “But it’s…” She glances away, wets her lips. “You gotta get ready.”

He remembers what day it is, and his heart beats like a drum at someone’s execution. But he tries to put on a mask, make it all seem normal. It’s everything but, despite the fact that he’s been dealing with reaping day since he was born, between himself, Ben and May. That fear that one of them could be taken away. Sent to surefire slaughter. But now Ben is gone, taken despite never having his name drawn from a bowl, and May’s finally safe. Now Peter’s name is in there alone. The last Parker sitting on the chopping block. He doesn’t know how to be. He doesn’t know what normal is, when the Hunger Games are looming on the horizon.

fic by @iron--spider

art by @angel-gidget

624 pages / 153,984 words

Title Font: PP Hatton, Rustic Printed

Body Fonts: Californian FB, Moonglade, Bebas Neue, War Is Over, Architects Daughter

More on the process below the cut!

I have...SO much to say about this project! This fic was one that I've wanted to do ever since I started fanbinding, and it was one I saved until my technical skills caught up with my vision for the book. @iron--spider is my favorite author and a wonderful friend, and I wanted to be able to do this masterwork justice!

Given that it's a Hunger Games AU, I wanted to touch on the Hunger Games aesthetic while still being unique. I started with the cover; I knew I wanted red and yellow, something bold and evocative of the Iron Man, Spiderman vibe. It also doubles as an implication of the blood spilt during the games, especially in volume II - when Peter actually enters the games. I chose the spider for the cover, and painted it on the cover paper with inky black paint; I cut a stencil, and while the images did have some drippy areas, I don't mind it so much. It's meant to look like graffiti, Peter's symbol that the people of the Districts scrawl everywhere they can get away with it.

In turn, I also experimented with a paint pen on this one of the titling, done on the spine piece, which is black Better Than Goat leather! Again, I went in with a stencil, and opted for blockier letters, like something you might see spray painted onto a wall.

The endpapers are custom; I messed around with a weird cityscape I found and came out with the image you see above. The setting for the games is a futuristic city, much like MCU NYC would be, complete with an Avengers Stane tower.

And then of course, there's the typeset itself! The Hunger Games books don't have particularly striking typesets, but I did go for the dystopian vibe with the Rustic Printed font on the chapter numbers, and Moonglade for the chapter titles, giving it a very industrial feel.

It was also a pleasure to include the art that @angel-gidget did for the fic as well! Her book covers are so gorgeous and I love her manip style so much <3 I also included the short drabble @iron--spider did on her Tumblr, a post-story snack-sized fic, as well as a meta question she answered via her asks that I thought was particularly interesting. The District guide at the back, including what Districts each character belongs to and whether or not they are deceased was interesting to put together, and I hope I didn't make any mistakes!

Last, but certainly not least, this book was the first one I was able to do really nice headbands on. Shoutout to @morningstarbindery who helped me learn how! They look phenomenal and I never would have figured it out on my own <3

I'm excited for everyone to see these books! One day I'll have all your works on my shelf ;)

[transhoverfish]

OK SO IM LATE BUT. MORE SUB3 NEWS!!!

so a few days ago, krafton (their publisher), apparently had this like presentation of their plans over the next like 2 years. and during that they talked a bit about sub 3!

and this obviously creates a LOT of questions. not to worry, though, because unknown worlds added on to this:

im honestly not surprised by this. iirc, when below zero released they said it would be a WHILE before the next game, and they only announced this back in like... january? now, the first game's release was in january, and bz was in may, so it's definitely possible early access with be in spring of 2025. those games did not have multiplayer aspections tho! its possible we'll wait until mid 2025, and full release will likely not be until 2026. but who knows? the first game took like ten to be fully finished!!

and honestly. THANK GOD. i can't imagine any subnautica game having BATTLE PASSES or LOOT BOXES. i would have just straight up ignored this game 😭

i do wonder what these updates will entail! "many years to come" is definitely something interesting to me, because other than bug fixes... i dont remember sub or bz getting many updates post full release. is this referring to bug fixes, or is it implying that it will be in a state of early access for much longer? are they going to just keep adding new things (like the building update for sub1) and taking fandom suggestions? very interested!!

maybe this is an unpopular opinion, but i actually,,,, dont want multiplayer. now i do like bz, and these games arent really intended to be horror games, but also bz is very noticeablely less scary than sub1. and some of it i think definitely has to do with all the extra characters and dialogue. its hard to feel isolated when you know al-an and marg are nearby. so im very happy that it's optional, bc i know i will probably enjoy single player a lot more enjoyable!!

so now... SPECULATION.

so the first thing im curious about that the development team didnt mention:

"uncover the mysteries on an entirely new alien planet"

apprently we are NOT returning to 4546b. which im kind of sad about!! ik the story is very obviously done there, but it feels weird that its going to be some other planet this time around. THERE WONT BE PEEPERS!!!! (well there could be but it would be weird if some other random planet had the exact same lifeforms)

now my next immediate thought is: is this a direct continuation of below zero? my opinion is: no. probably not.

mostly because it mentions up to four players, and robin and alan are, if you look very closely, only two people. now they COULD just create two new characters to go alongside them (my fanfic brain loves the au idea of marg and ryley 🥺) but im just going to assume that with the addition of a new planet, we're going to drop the old storylines. which means no more degasi, sunbeam, aurora, or ayou sisters. we might move away from architects/precursors altogether! (my basis on this is absolutely nothing and i could be wrong, this is 100% just theorizing)

also, i imagine that it would be difficult to keep the plot the exact same with two established characters and then two new ones, depending on how this multiplayer aspect works. if its another crash, it would be a lot easier to just have the extra players die/survive, then try to work in a balancing act of one guy playing al-an.

(also i like keeping the ending of bz vauge. if they show up again, they would have to mention what happened to the rest of the architects, and i think it's much more fun if thats a mystery!)

((also also, im gonna drop a bomb on u all for a second. i actually,,, dont like al-an. i have a deeper connection to probably every single other character in bz. i think they really fumbled al's character and story and he is so incredibly bland to me. it feels like they go nowhere with how he was responsible for the kharra outbreak because the game ends immediately after he confesses! it would be nice to give him another chance, sure, but i personally dread the idea of even more al-an. sorry everyone for this horrible news))

HERE'S A CONCEPT IMAGE

i hope they bring back some cut content creatures for this!! i noticed this new area looks VERY similar to the safe shallows, and several of the fish seem to be variations of ones we've already seen (im already seeing bladderfish and hoopfish color pallettes, and the shark resmbles some early concept art for the shadow leviathan, but with the ice worm's colors...)

will there be more land areas?? is it going to entirely underwater?? more kharra?? NO DISEASE AT ALL?? AAAAAA!!!!

[breckstonevailskier]

Key takeaways:

Walton Goggins was kept in the dark regarding the twist that Barb Howard was going to advocate dropping the bombs in the name of furthering Vault-Tec's agenda.

“Frances Turner plays my wife and she is just an extraordinary actor. I so enjoyed their relationship as it was revealed to me over time. We didn’t get all the scripts at once. I think we got the first three or four. There were conversations about where that relationship was headed, but I didn’t see it going there. I had an idea that something nefarious was afoot, but I didn’t realize that my wife was going to be the one who architected the ending of the world.” Howard learned of the plot while spying on his wife through a listening device planted on her Pip Boy. Barb suggested dropping the nuke while meeting with Robert House, Frederick Sinclair, Bud Askins, Julia Masters and Leon Von Felden in a flashback shown in the Season 1 finale. “If you really listen to what she says and the conversation in that room, as diabolical and Machiavellian as it is, it does make sense on some level from their strange, demented, capitalistic point of view. Let’s just wipe out the competition. And it was so horrific to hear the woman that you love, that is the mother of your child, your keeper of secrets, speak about destruction and in terms of winning. I still am wrapping my head around it. I’ve seen it a few times just because I wanted to see what Frances was doing and what Ella [Purnell] was doing, what everybody was doing, but specifically that moment between the two of them.”

Moreover, he's interested in season 2 giving us more flashbacks to explicitly show what happened to Cooper Howard between that meeting and October 23, 2077. We already know for a fact that his acting career took a nosedive after divorcing Barb to the point he had to perform at kids' birthday parties for alimony reasons, and Vault-Tec got him branded as a "communist" in order to discredit him. But the finer details are a mystery.

“I love how complicated their relationship was. I’m so curious where that relationship picks up [in Season 2] and how you begin to talk about the elephant in the room and, subsequently, what that means for the world that we’re living in,” Goggins continued. “The first scene in episode one of Season 1 takes place after he hears that conversation. I have my version of how much earlier that conversation took place, but I’m curious what happens between that conversation and when Cooper is at the children’s birthday party. I want to know that story. I mean – I know what happened – but I would think the audience would want to know that story.”

He's also interested in exploring Cooper Howard's dynamic with Lee Moldaver (or "Kate Williams", as she called herself back then), suggesting that perhaps Cooper was involved in some of Moldaver's activism, of the kind that would eventually lead to the formation of the NCR.

Another relationship Goggins also enjoyed getting to explore in “Fallout” was the dynamic between Howard and Lee Moldaver (Sarita Choudhury), a scientist working on cold fusion before the nuclear apocalypse who pushes back against Howard’s ideology who later leads the raider attack that ends in the kidnapping of Hank MacLean. “I had such a great time telling that story with her. I liked the dynamic between two competing ideologies about the world and I like to be proven wrong,” he said of working with Choudhury. “Personally, I like to have my beliefs shook up from time to time. And that’s exactly what Moldaver does for Cooper Howard.” “I don’t know how that story is going to unfold, but I would imagine that the layers will be peeled, and you will understand the origins of that relationship,” he said of the two characters’ relationship. “That’s all I can say.”

On the subject of the Ghoul's interactions with Lucy, and what's in the future for these two characters going into season 2:

In addition to being on his own journey to find his family, The Ghoul became a major influence on the series’ protagonist, Lucy MacLean, pushing her from a naive Vault Dweller who has ventured to the surface to rescue her father and Vault 33 Overseer, Hank MacLean, to a hardened survivor. “In some ways, The Ghoul to Lucy is just the person who delivers her on the other side of the Rubicon, the person who just bursts her bubble,” Goggins said of the pair’s relationship. “The Ghoul is a person that takes no prisoners. He’s not there to teach her a lesson until he’s there to teach her a lesson. He didn’t see her as a human being until he saw her as a human being. So in some ways, she has brought the Ghoul back, redeemed him on a human level. And in some ways, he has radically and fundamentally changed her view of the world and the way that she moves through the world. So, in some ways, they’re helping each other to survive life the way that it exists. It’s a three-dimensional relationship, and I really don’t know where it’s going to go, but I have my own ideas about where I hope it goes.” The end of Season 1 sees Lucy MacLean teaming up with the Ghoul to go after her father, who escapes Griffith Observatory in Power Armor and is headed to New Vegas. Shortly before his escape, Lucy learned that Hank was responsible for the bombing of Shady Sands, which turned her mother Rose into a ghoul. “Lucy and The Ghoul are — I don’t know if they’re a team — but I think they’re beginning to understand each other and whenever anyone sets out to define the truth, it’s never going to be easy, is it?,” Goggins said. “It’s going to be difficult, but it’s going to be a lot of fun and it’s going to resonate with people. I certainly hope so.”

[nalyra-dreaming]

hello, i apologize if this question has alreaby been asked. i usually dont lurk into fandoms because i fail at navigating them, i just stick with interviews and bts, but for this adaptation i needed to peek a second to ask this. my understanding of vampire chronicles is that from start to finish its a huge messy romantic polycule, i never felt the need or even tried to pick couples because instead i loved to see how these romantic dynamics differ while being equally important and therefore show us the layers of these characters. even the supposed wedding still doesnt make me feel that they all wont still be a polycule in the full sense till the end. but here comes the confusion about the adaptation. from the interviews and the show itself i dont understand if i have to forget the polyamory that we have in the books or not. rolin (and cast too) i understood wants to be loyal to the material and anne but also big changes have been made and will be made. if they want to get rid of the polyamorous nature of these vampires would be a real pity, a lot of richness of this story would be lost i think. this is what im sensing.

Hmmm.

So... it's not as if the vampires are all living in a poly-happy-relationship-knot in the books?

I know that it may come across as that, maybe, especially through fanfiction, I guess, but... in the books a lot of them live at Lestat's court (only) when the chronicles leave them.

And of those a lot of them love others of them. A lot of them hate others, too.

Living together does not necessarily equate romantic polycule. There are established pairings. Lestat & Louis, Armand & Daniel. Sevraine & Gabrielle. Seth & Fareed. And so on.

There surely are... lets say "excursions", and I wouldn't exactly say that with the show canon of sex added to the mix that there wouldn't be wild orgies... but... I wouldn't call it a "romantic polycule" per se. Or polyamory in the sense you seem to mean it.

The emotions are a complicated beast, and though there are interesting speeches wrt Armand and Lestat (for example) in the last book these are an expression of pain because of Louis (at that particular event).

I mean, these vampires have eternity, and the capacity to love more than one person. But it does not mean that (for example) Louis and Lestat live with Daniel and Armand then. That is not the case. Or Marius and Armand and Daniel. Though he was with Daniel for a while that is not the case either. You know?

It is complicated. And it does transcend typical human relationship standards.

But they're not "a huge messy romantic polycule" from start to finish, it is more an ever-shifting mess of relationships. An up and down, would be more appropriate to describe it, maybe.

As such I believe Rolin has built the show on two f the most solid ones there. Loustand and DM are endgame relationships. Which does not mean that they won't love others, too, but "love" and "in love" are different things. Lestat loves his mother, and will love her... but he doesn't live in a relationship with her later on, she is with Sevraine. Louis certainly feels some kind of love for Armand, but he doesn't continue to live with him, he leaves and chooses Lestat. Daniel chooses Armand again. Lestat loves his architect enough to bring him over, but Alain is not added to the relationship he has with Louis. There are vampires who support them, share blood with them, but they are not in a romantic relationship. And so on.

The court (in the later books, it is very different in the first ones?!) is the implementation of finally accepting themselves and what they are... and to live as such, with each other. But that does not mean that they're all romantically involved.

We'll see what the show does with it, but personally I did not expect them to go "messy romantic polycule"... what I do expect them to do is not shy away from the messy interconnections that exist because of history... and they don't.

I mean... Louis and Armand having shared a boyfriend is true (well, if you believe Armand^^) - but it's apart by a hundred years.

[your-resident-boat-person]

A BOAT PERSON YEEEEEES BOATS BOATS BOATS BOATS BOATS DO YOU HAVE A REASON FOR LOVING THEM? YOU HAVE A LIST OF FAVS AND THEY ARE GREAT ARE THERE ANY YOUD RECOMMEND PEOPLE LEARN ABOUT OR THAT YOU WANT TO INFODUMP ON SPECIFICALLY SORRY FOR THE CAPS I AM VERY VERY EXCITED

Okay, so, if I had to give a reason for liking ocean liners, the answer is probably that I'm a mega-autist. However, it started in the 5th grade. Like everyone else, Titanic was my gateway drug. That eventually expanded into other ocean liners.

If I had to recommend one to learn more about, it would easily be the SS America.

She had a long and storied 55-year-long career. I highly recommend the documentary by Oceanliner Designs on YouTube. However, I will give an abridged version of her story beneath the cut. It's a thrilling story, so if you're interested, don't read this; go watch his video. Its better:

Designed by the famous naval architect William Francis Gibbs, she was launched on August 31st, 1939. The day before World War II began. She was actually part of FDRs new deal program, meant to help the United States recover from the great depression. Her construction employed thousands of people, and nearly every state contributed to her in some way. She was built to a 3 compartment standard, meaning with 3 of her 14 watertight compartments flooded, shed stay afloat. This is actually better than most modern cruise ships, I might add. She was completed on April 16th, 1940, but given all the U-Boats everywhere, she couldn't exactly serve as a transatlantic liner. So the maiden voyage of this ocean liner was actually a Mediterranean cruise. United States Lines actually painted two giant American flags on each side of her hull, with the text “AMERICA UNITED STATES LINES” in big, bold letters, just in case they somehow did encounter a U-Boat.

America was a neutral country at the time, so that kind of thing was important to advertise. Eventually, the US got pulled into the war, and the SS America was requisitioned as a troopship and renamed the USS West Point. I don't know if this is confirmed, but I suspect that it's because if she were lost in the war, announcing that a ship bearing the name of our country had been lost to enemy action would be a huge blow to morale. When her running mate, the SS United States, was constructed, the US government tried to pressure William Francis Gibbs into giving her a different name for this exact reason. It didn't work. I love him. Anyway, here's a picture of her during her service.

The SS America carries the honor of being one of the few ships to never have a single death occur on board during the war. She might have actually been the only one. Anyway, in 1946, she was returned to United States Lines and renamed back to SS America. This time, when they repainted her back to her civilian colors, they ditched the name and flags on the sides of her hull. (Thank god.) Her career with USL was successful, if uneventful. In 1952, the SS United States was introduced. The Big U was about 267 feet longer, twice the size, and twice the speed. Given that the SS United States is still, to this day, the fastest passenger ship of all time, America had a little bit of trouble keeping up. America's passenger numbers fell after this, but she still had many loyal passengers who preferred her. The SS United States’ interior design was a tad lackluster compared to the SS America.

With rising operating costs and competition from air travel, she was deemed an unnecessary part of the USL fleet. In 1964, they put America up for sale. She was bought by Chandrice Line, which serviced the postwar emigrant run from Europe to Australia and New Zealand.

America was renamed Australis and served them until 1977, when, faced with ever-increasing fuel costs, could no longer compete with air travel. She is remembered to this day by many of the emigrants as being a very happy ship, but Chandrice didn't exactly maintain her very well. On one voyage, part of her hull opened up, and a compartment partially flooded. The crew was unable to fix it, and for the rest of the 3 week voyage, she had an awful list over to one side.

Now comes the most shameful part of her career. In 1978, she was bought by Venture Cruise Lines for 5 million dollars. Seeking to capitalize on nostalgia, they offered 5 day cruises to nowhere. To prepare her for this new role, they repainted her in what was definitely her second-ugliest configuration, and they gave her her old name back.

And then they kinda… stopped. They made no effort to modernize her (a ship constructed in the 1930s), and her interiors were, for lack of a better word, a dump. The swimming pool was full of garbage bags, toilets were overflowing, and there were rats and bugs everywhere. It was a nightmare. Truly, a predecessor to the poop cruise from hell. The passengers on her first cruise actually mutinied, and the ship barely made it past the Statue of Liberty before the captain turned her around. The health inspection board was called in, and they examined the ship. They gave her a score of 6.

Out of a possible 100.

Venture went bust, and America was put up for sale again.

Shockingly, the ones who bought her were Chandrice Line again, for 1 million dollars. Meaning they profited 4 million dollars while also getting their ship back in the process. She was renamed AGAIN to Italis, and her forward funnel was so corroded that it had to be cut off, giving her an extremely ugly and unbalanced profile. Even to the lay person, most can tell at this point that she looked very sad.

Her final years with Chandrice were short and uneventful, only lasting 2 years. Chandrice wanted to completely modernize her and have her serve as a modern cruise ship, but this never happened. She then bounced around from owner to owner. First, she was the Noga, intended to become a prison ship. Then she was the Alferdoss, but only the port bow was the Alferdoss, because they only put the name on one side of the hull. So the starboard bow and the stern were still the Noga. She was nearly sold for scrap, but after they scrapped the lifeboats, they defaulted on their payment and pulled out. Then, she was bought by a Thai investment firm, which intended to completely restore her and convert her into a 5-star hotel, much like the Queen Mary had in the 1970s. After a short period of drydocking, it was found that, despite the neglect, her hull was in remarkably good condition. The trip from New Zealand to Phuket, Thailand, was a long and dangerous one. Approximately 100 days. A Ukrainian tug won the contract, and in 1994, they set off…

only to immediately turn around due to the weather. They tried again, and again the weather turned against them. The tow line snapped, and they sent crew aboard to try to reattach it, but it was no use. They were airlifted off by helicopter, and the SS America, now named SS American Star, was set adrift. There was no one aboard, and the ship had no power. Seemingly tired of the years of neglect and mistreatment, the SS America decided to go out on her own terms. She went aground at Playa de Garcey, off the west coast of Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands. Within 48 hours, the pounding waves broke her in two.

She was declared a total loss and promptly abandoned. The waves quickly ate through the stern, causing it to deteriorate very quickly. The bow, however, remained standing, up until about 2008, when it began collapsing into the sea.

It's difficult to imagine that at one point, this was the grand old lady of the seas.

By 2013, nothing of her was left standing above the surface.

Along with her eye-achingly beautiful appearance, she had an extremely long and storied career. So that's why she's my favorite liner of all time. Most liners only last 25 to 35 years. Hell, the SS United States was only in service for 17 years. The SS America had a 55-year-long career. 74 if you count the time she spent wrecked, as she frequently got visitors. She was a truly outstanding ship, and I'm devastated that she couldn't be preserved. If it's any consolation, Phuket was struck by a major typhoon in 2004, so America was probably doomed regardless. If I could pick one liner from history to undo the fate of and magically preserve, it would EASILY be her.

[soodalgwayeou]

Veilguard spoilers ahead but I have to get this out of my system

the good:

it's still good to go back to Thedas and see old characters

if this is your first Dragon Age game, it's interesting and good enough to make you interested in the other stuff

ASSAN

the griffon quests and the Weisshaupt mission are insane, heart attack upon heart attack

the villains are much better than Coripheus ever was

Emmrich Volkarin my beloved, there is nothing bad I can say about you

Mannfred (especially knowing that all those hissings are just Mr. Matthew Mercer having the time of his life and getting paid for it)

most of the locations have really unique vibes that make you invested in their storylines (especially the Anderfels), even though they are much smaller than in Inquisition

the completely useless tradition of gathering stuff during the final combat persists and I absolutely adore it

you can have a fatty Rook (and since my Rook was much like Hawke in personality, I made Varric's story of a fat hero rolling in gravy a reality)

coffee culture is canon

a coffin fuck in the Grand Necropolis that would make Cassandra crawl out of her skin

the bad:

everybody talks like they were in therapy for years. you don't talk like that in real life unless you want to sound real pretentious and dishonest. you don't thank Solas for sharing his feelings. you chuck him in the head with a stone over the abyss for talking shit.

everybody is so polite and understanding it hurts. even the characters in conflict talk it out pretty quickly. I miss Fenris and Anders trying not to murder each other behind my back in a random Hightown alley.

no choice matters. not the ones from previous games, nor the ones you make in this game. things will work out. everyone will love you. you can't upset anyone so much they'd rather leave or go behind your back.

not to talk about whatever they're claiming about the ruin of Ferelden, Orlais and the Free Marches

since nothing matters, except whether your Inquisitor smooched Solas or not, seeing Morrigan without Kieran and knowing that it could have been different...

no mention of the Architect who could've changed things

the characters are... I don't know. I don't feel much for them (except for Emmrich. Emmrich can stay forever.) it feels like after playing Awakening - you like these people, but not that much. Anders only hurt because you saw how cheerful he was and what happened after. but even after Tevinter Nights, after Vows and Vengeance, after tens of hours of playing, I did not shed a tear for loosing anyone. I was so concentrating on the survival of griffons I was ready to sacrifice most of them. honestly, that small war table quest where Sebastian is ready to attack Kirkwall and you know Aveline is there devastated me more than almost anything in this game.

the ugly:

since everybody is so polite and nothing matters, there are no real conflicts that matter, no real hard choices

nothing about mages or templars

nothing about slavery - you are standing in the middle of Minrathous and you see none of this. you can be a breaker of chains and it's just a backstory for you to make you a righteous person, but no quest about liberating slaves. Fenris would've burn this place down in a minute and leave nothing for the dragon.

nothing about racism - you've played 3,5 games where it is really important, with slums and jokes about elvhen ears and fear of the Qun and a linching of a priest in Orzammar just for his faith and now the world is a multicultural bonanza. you can live in a city under Qunari occupation and still have a friendly Tal-Vashoth merchant. In DA2 he'd be a quest to save from angry locals just because he has horns.

nothing about exploiting orphans - the Crows are all about FAMIGLIA and yes, they are assassins, but they are good guys. they definitely don't buy and train children from brothels to brainwash them and kill them if they try to leave. Zevran would poison Rook for helping them.

Isabela, who caused two acts of utter chaos in DA2 took the lesson to heart and now she runs an ethical pirate gang which - and I try not to laugh - give back stolen cultural items to their owners. honey, we both know you're lying. I love you, but you're lying.

nothing about Nevarran culture reveling their dead so much they forget to live - some point out they are creepy for being around corpses, but nothing about freaking out about spirits. characters in Jaws of Hakkon grabbed their pearls for less, not to mention Rivaini culture and all of these had potential to unravel and get conflicted about.

still, knowing there are griffons and a magical skeleton boy running around makes me sleep better and wait for the next chapter of this story (hopefully going back to its roots)

[jetwhenitsmidnight]

Private Rites by Julia Armfield

Release date: 3 December 2024

Genre: adult literary/speculative/horror fiction

From the award-winning author of Our Wives Under the Sea, a speculative reimagining of King Lear, centering three sisters navigating queer love and loss in a drowning world

It’s been raining for a long time now, so long that the land has reshaped itself and arcane rituals and religions are creeping back into practice. Sisters Isla, Irene, and Agnes have not spoken in some time when their father dies. An architect as cruel as he was revered, his death offers an opportunity for the sisters to come together in a new way. In the grand glass house they grew up in, their father’s most famous creation, the sisters sort through the secrets and memories he left behind, until their fragile bond is shattered by a revelation in his will.

More estranged than ever, the sisters’ lives spin out of control: Irene’s relationship is straining at the seams; Isla’s ex-wife keeps calling; and cynical Agnes is falling in love for the first time. But something even more sinister might be unfolding, something related to their mother’s long-ago disappearance and the strangers who have always seemed unusually interested in the sisters’ lives. Soon, it becomes clear that the sisters have been chosen for a very particular purpose, one with shattering implications for their family and their imperiled world.

Content warnings: death, parental death, grief, child abuse, emotional/verbal, abandonment, violence, blood, suicide, lesbophobia, divorce, alcoholism, eating disorder, vomit, self harm, stalking, gaslighting

Disclaimer: I know nothing about King Lear, other than the fact that the guy has three daughters, so my review will be written without taking into consideration the source material.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC!

Not gonna lie, I sort of struggled with this one. This is a relatively short read, a little under 300 pages, but it took me nearly a week to complete this book. ( I typically finish 300 pages in 2 or 3 days.) I think the main reason for this is that the pacing is slow. Like, really slow. There's not a lot of plot going on, and for the most part, we follow our three main characters going about their day to day lives.

A large focus is on the relationship between the sisters and their parents (or lack thereof). I really resonated with the portrayal of their sibling relationship; there were moments that felt like the author had written down the exact thoughts and feelings I've had about my own siblings. (Although me and my siblings definitely get along better.) The trio's relationship with their parents is less focused upon, but impossible to ignore, especially with the tension caused by their father's death.

The speculative setting feels ever more timely; the city they live in is being gradually submerged by rising waters, which has become so normal that the constant rain and ferry rides is just another aspect of their lives. I loved the sections in between the main story entitled The City; it shows what is going on outside of the main characters and gives the story a different perspective.

This book really captures how boring it is living through the end times. (I hate that this is relatable.) There is a underlying tension caused by the ever-present rain and gradually increasing flooding, but the characters still have to go to work and do chores.

The story isn't entirely miserable; Agnes finds love amidst all the mundanity, and it is ordinary and extraordinary at the same time. In Everything Everywhere All At Once, Ke Huy Quan's character says "In another life, I would have loved doing laundry and taxes with you." I think this sentiment captures Agnes's relationship with Stephanie completely.

I sort of forgot that this is supposed to be a horror novel; aside from a few weird moments plus the overall creepy vibe, this book read more as lit fic than horror. Towards the end, however, the horror elements kick into full gear. There is a huge tonal shift that I am not sure I like? It felt out of place with the rest of the narrative. Maybe I am missing something, but I don't see how the ending fits in with the overall/rest of the book.

Other than the ending, this book as a whole is gorgeous and lyrical and relatable, and will definitely be staying with me for some time.

[c0zyrainfall]

Psychoanalyzing the Spy x Family covers: beginning with Volume 1

In the later volumes, there tends to be a lot of clutter on the ground. In 1-4, only Loid has a mess to speak of. This could be because Endo came up with the idea later, or simply because Anya, Yor, and Bond weren't characterized enough yet. He does say that he tends to come up with the story as he goes. For instance, I feel like if we got Anya and Your on the covers now, Yor would have cooking utensils scattered about and Anya could have stellas or something. But I digress.

The designer chair in volume 1 is the Le Corbusier LC2, created by Swiss-French architect and designer Le Cobusier in 1928. Even replicas retail for thousands of dollars. Jeez.

This chair is often used in "office lounges and other professional environments" (Anime Network), and it was mathematically crafted for ideal proportions using the golden ratio, Fibbonaci numbers, and Cobusier's studies on human posture.

So yeah, this makes total sense for Loid. He would sit in a mathematically perfect chair. He prefers when things are rational. This is a logical chair, and he is a logical person.

Compared to other designer chairs, this one is simple. Minimal. If you saw it in the workplace, you probably wouldn't give it a second glance. This could symbolize his"Loid Forger" persona. Not bad to look at, but doesn't want to stand out in a crowd.

The metal bars give off a sense of rigidity. Yes, it's a chair, but it's not necessarily a cozy one. You probably wouldn't take a nap here if you had a choice. He hasn't yet grown accustomed to family life. He's still very much in spy mode. I think, even if he were to be on the cover now, this chair would be a good pick for him. There might be more clutter on the floor, like Anya's toys or something. But this logical, rigid chair would still be his top choice.

As for the clutter on the ground, there's not much to speak of. Like I said, we'll get more into that in later volumes. But he's got some bullets, (night vision goggles?), papers, and a briefcase. What's very interesting to me is the pictures on the ground. We can't really see what they are. I'm going to assume that they're just blackmail pictures/photos of people he needs to know about. But one of them looks like two, young black-haired siblings... Yor and Yuri??? Who knows.

I love the newspaper how the newspaper says, "Watch Out For Spies". Watch out for spies indeed.

[wojtekaneko]

Oh asks huh? Tell me more about your OCs, I'm curious! Please :)

Ooh! *looks nervously at my 20+ ocs* Which ones (⁠•⁠ ⁠▽⁠ ⁠•⁠;⁠)

I'm not going to talk about all of them obviously, it would take forever xd but I will introduce a few main characters (or duos, trios) from some of my many stories c:

(this may be a bit long so beware)

So here's Renu, an OC I made in middle school.

He's 'the edgy' protagonist >:] Isolated from people and creating meaningful connections with them due to much bigger things out of his control. He's the sufferer amongst my ocs. He wants to be an architect in the future. He's been living in the orphanage his whole life (he's like 15) and he's a great brother to every kid there. Knowing no one will adopt him, he accepts that his purpose for now is being one stable thing for other kids at the facility. His story, though one I've been working on for so long now, is far faaar from being finished! The story itself is about stories, about preserving them, helping them grow and the complicated relationship between authors, artists and their creation. (It's a big concept so actually I'm not surprised it's not fully realised) Renu finds himself in an organisation that operates in between all existing stories from our world. They help to keep the balance and preserve stories that are being forgotten and not finished by their authors. They also fight with mysterious dark energy that dwells within those forgotten stories. Renu makes many friends within the organisation and begins to unravel some mysteries regarding the place as well as his own past and possibly destiny. I love him very much!!!

Next are my dearest MSS (magical school shounen) trio!! :D They are Wojtek (yes, my username is because of him), Leon and Shiro.

They are in high school that specializes in teaching magic. In this world, at the and of wwII there was discovered a new energy source in form of natural crystals emitting unknown radiation. After a generation or two the children able to withstand and conduct that radiation were being born. And those are the mages :> Obviously as soon as the mages could control and study those new powers, there were people wanting to use them in war. Fast forward to now, when the story takes place, kids are basically learning how to be living weapons in a country where this is the most common path a mage can make in life. Fun!

Wojtek is the most main character out of the three, he's very unsure and stressed out most of the time and has like internalised everything c: (later he gets a guy inside his head that will take over his body and yay woohoo self discovery arc!!)

Leon is kind of the opposite, he's very blunt and open and doesn't care what other people think, but their expectations and ideas about who he should be still weight on him a lot. His role in the story and character development are very interesting to me! He's not very outwardly expressive so a lot of people think he's mean or doesn't care (he's autistic leave him alone)

And Shiro. Shiro is a haha :D character that turned tragic real fast. They are very loud and all over the place, super passionate and kind of quirky. It makes others not take them seriously most of the time, but that's kind of what they want. They don't have real family or any memories of growing up and with each month studying with others it becomes clearer that there's something wrong with them 👍👍👍 There is a bit of romance between Leon and Wojtek and from there it just gets more and more complicated. Theres also going to be a war and the end of the world possibly.

Those two are I think the main stories and ocs that take most of my brainpower xd. There is also a story I'm actually working on rn, partially as a school project, about Marcin, a goth teenager that accidentally summoned a ghost and trapped him in a camera. Now they both have to work together to undo this mess and take some ghost photos on the way >:]

I like them and it's a fun story to write. I'll probably post more about it!

Thank you so much for the ask! Love to ramble about my OCs and stories so it made my happy c: I hope you had fun reading about some of my little guys! ^^ I rarely post anything about my ocs here, but I do have a sideblog just for this stuff! So if you're interested you can go to @nanna-art to catch me ramble about the lore etc :]

[becauseimanicequeen]

Pride Month Watch: Light On Me

I'm currently going through my Pride Month Watch List.

Light on Me hasn't been on my radar very long, but I've heard about it from various sources recently, so I figured I would watch it this month. I don't know anything about it, but I've heard it's good. So, let's dive in!

I'm about halfway through the first episode and realized one of the actors has one of the main roles in Black Knight (a dystopian k-drama, which I enjoyed when I watched it last year).

So, the first episode is over, and I feel like Shinwoo (the guy who was against Taekyung joining the student council) is Taekyung's first love. Or, perhaps I've seen too many enemies-to-lovers stories and this trope might just be messing with my head...

I'm near the end of episode 2 and must say that Daon is really sweet. He's my favorite character at this point. I get the feeling that he might remember Taekyung for other reasons than just having a good memory. But, please don't tell me we're getting a love triangle...

I love that the moody brooder Shinwoo wears dark (black/gray) clothes every time I've seen him so far.

Namgoong is ridiculous, so I love him (obviously).

Oh, lord. The date in episode 3 is so awkward. But I love how completely honest Taekyung is, he just says what's on his mind.

I have a feeling that Daon being nice to everyone will become a bigger problem in the coming episodes.

I’ve just started episode 4, and I’ve decided that every time Shinwoo says he doesn’t like Taekyung from now on, he’s actually saying that he likes Taekyung.

This is starting to look like a love... what's the next thing after a triangle? Love square? Love quadrangle? Well, you get the point, it's a mess, lol.

I’m on episode 8 and the girl (whom I can never remember the name of, lol) is using Daon being nice to everyone against Taekyung to say that he’s not anyone special to Daon. And, at the same time, Shinwoo is stepping up his own game to get closer to Taekyung, which Daon is seeing. This is getting delicious.

I'm halfway into episode 9 and this series is starting to lose points from me. Honestly, the BL screenwriters who write female characters to be the wedge between the queer boys who like each other, just because she likes one of them too, need to develop their repertoire...

This is obviously a me-problem because I know that Korea is a very different country than where I'm from (I'm from northern Europe, btw) and their view of girls/women is very different from where I was born and raised. But I can't help but get annoyed at it.

Sohee (yes, I remember her name now) is so stereotypically written and boring at this point. Hopefully, it will change in an episode or two. Hopefully, Daon will be upfront with her that he has zero interest in her so she humbly backs off. His dilly-dallying with her isn't exactly helping either.

Anyway...

Thank every higher power Namgoong is here to be ridiculous. I love him so much. So, whatever points this series is losing because of Sohee (and Daon not telling her what's up), Namgoong makes up for it. And Shinwoo's longing stares at Taekyung. I love those too.

So, Shinwoo's way to get closer to Taekyung was to physically bump into him?

No wonder Taekyung ignored him, lmao!

Daon taking off the bracelet he got from Taekyung physically hurt me. It's understandable considering the conversation that led up to it (and that conversation in itself was annoying to watch even though it felt more than realistic). It still hurt me. And that Taekyung noticed Daon wasn't wearing the bracelet anymore hurt me too.

I'm nearing the end of the 10th episode and Taekyung feel like he has been rejected by Daon because of the bracelet, Daon's reaction when the dudes interrupted them, and Daon not being able to find the words to say anything. Then they showed that Daon has one of those tubes you store papers in (commonly used by architects and artists), where he (most likely) has a drawing of Taekyung (which Taekyung asked for in a previous episode).

Daon clearly likes Taekyung. I get the feeling that he's holding back because of what those two dudes said to him earlier. There could be something more behind it as well. The family is often a reason, but they haven't been mentioned all that much (just that they practically ignore Daon).

Namgoong just stood up to Sohee for Daon and Taekyung, and I love him even more than I did before.

I'm on episode 11 and it seems like the family might be another reason Daon holds back and that potential rumors could hurt their reputation or status. I hope this doesn't turn into one of those stories where the parents transfer him to another school just because of rumors...

This is getting really painful to watch. Painful for the characters, I mean (because I love the pain it's giving me, lol).

I'm glad that at least Taekyung has someone there for him when he's falling apart.

I hope Daon has someone to be there for him too. I'm sure the other three (Shinwoo, Namgoong, and Taekyung) will stand up for him against the idiots at school, but he seemed so lonely at home. It breaks my heart.

I love how Shinwoo took on the role of Daon's friend and then Taekyung's friend to share the different perspectives on what happened so that Taekyung could understand things from Daon's perspective but also feel like he had Shinwoo in his corner. I love friends like this.

I've got so much respect for Shinwoo after his conversation with Daon in the 12th episode. He knows that both he and Daon like Taekyung, but he doesn't take advantage of Taekyung now that he's heartbroken and vulnerable. Instead, he told Daon to stop avoiding Taekyung and to fix things with him.

I love this. It's not a competition or about who gets the boy by playing dirty tricks. It's about two long-time friends who respect each other and just want what's best for the boy they like. It's such a big contrast to the whole Sohee and Daon situation, and I fucking love it.

I love Namgoong so fucking much!

I’m at the beginning of episode 13 and I’m glad Daon got pissed at Sohee. He had every right to be considering she outed him and Taekyung to the whole school. I like the way he handled it and how he told her he never wanted to see her again. I mean, she betrayed his trust. Let’s see how long it lasts (I hope it lasts until the end of time, but that’s just me being petty as fuck when it comes to people who betray my trust, lol).

I’m glad Sohee apologized to Taekyung, as she should. That doesn’t mean I would want her as a friend, though. Taekyung is clearly not as petty as me, lol.

It’s near the end of episode 14 and Daon has practically forgiven Sohee, so that didn’t last long. But I’m glad he said they might not be able to be good friends right now.

It was a drawing of Taekyung in that tube. Too bad Daon's declaration of love comes now, though, because I feel like Taekyung is already moving on. Timing is everything.

Have I said that I love Namgoong? No? I fucking love Namgoong. He’s so sweet and funny and ridiculous that I can’t help but smile like an idiot when I see him on my screen. I love him so much.

The way I cheered for Shinwoo when he asked Taekyung at the end of episode 15 if Taekyung was going to keep him waiting… Shinwoo has waited for a long time to get closer to Taekyung.

And then the way I cheered for Daon when they showed the flashback of him kissing Taekyung’s forehead… These boys...

I have no idea how this is going to end (probably enemies to lovers since that’s so common), and I’m not really leaning more toward one rather than the other. (Normally I would be loud about poly at this point, but I don’t think these boys are ready for that.) So, let’s see what happens.

The way I laughed when Taekyung said he was thankful that Shinwoo had honest ears!

Look at these boys linking arms!

And holding hands!

I’m so happy for them!

Overall, this was a great show. I really liked the friendship between the four boys. I haven’t written anything about the teacher but I loved his role in the series. He was always so kind and gave great advice to all of them. A guiding light in the murky waters of being a young queer kid.

Obviously, my favorite character was Namgoong. He was ridiculous, funny, sweet, and an amazing friend who stood up for the people he cared about.

Seriously, I love Namgoong!

This is definitely one of the better QLs I’ve seen from Korea, and I’m happy I watched it.

[caffernnn]

Free! Anniversary Fic Recs 🦋🐋🐬🦈🐧 Can you share your fav fics from each year (2013-2023) Free! has been around?

This is a very fun ask!! Lemme root through my bookmarks and see what I can find 😅

2013 - A lot of the stories I have saved from this time are shorter lil one-shots like “Never Leave” by Shimegami (classic mh hug-it-out interlude fic) and “The Sound of Settling” by teke (feelings realization stuff), but one other one I liked was “The Ocean You Gave My Heart” by miaoujones. Smut warning for that one (if that’s not your thing), but something about desert-bound Makoto learning to swim and indulge in water with Haru, thinking upon meeting him that he’s a wonder whether he’s really a mermaid or not, that’s neat!!

2014 - starting to realize the ones I kept any note of from the early years are some of the popular mh fics probably already recommended 10 times over, but there’s a reason why people sing their praises. If you haven’t checked out fics from tide tothemoon like 2/13189000 (mhtokyo my beloved), their writing is *chef’s kiss* delightful. Another AU I haven’t been able to bring myself to revisit was orihime’s reincarnation stories from “I cannot be without you, matter of fact.” There are two different stories, one where Makoto remembers their past lives and a follow up where Haru remembers, and oh that made me ache dude.

2015 - Speaking of suffering, have y’all checked out Heart’s Departure yet? I think we’ve referenced and talked about that story enough for it to speak for itself 🥴 heartbreaking circumstances but still cosmic and so so beautiful. Then, once you’re done crying about that story, hop over to “Shake the Heavens” by Ad_Astra to break down over (what I described in my ao3 bookmark) Makoto and Haru’s “inherently cataclysmic devotion.” I guess 2015 was the year of shoving the boys into tragic AUs and seeing how much they were willing to give up to get back to each other. A whole vibe

2016 - let’s goooo gamers, more AUs!! “I’d Create Oceans For You” by trashness is a fun fantasy adventure that has both tender moments and interesting action (and some banger art from donguris omggg). If you want something more future-fish-flavored that shows that happily-ever-after doesn’t save you from your grief, “Sublimation” by RedScribbler was great. You can find more of my thoughts on that one if you scroll back a bit in my “fic recs” tag — one of y’all sent it in and yeeees it was so up my alley!

2017 - Alright fellas, there are so many to choose from, because now we’re getting into the macbetha years! Who would I be if I didn’t mention “Eyes Wide Open All The Time” tbh?? It’s a long one with its own hard-hitting involved lore and world-building, but Beth builds this unique story in a way that pulls from the characters we know and love so effectively. I’ve sung the praises for this story multiple times (and could so do it again bro don’t tempt me) but I’ll end off with saying that if you’re fascinated in watching deeply-wounded people who’ve been put through hell learn how to make a life in the aftermath, there’s something special for you here. Aaaand, if you want something about 1/10 the length and not as heavy, “159 (Architect/Interior Designer AU)” by intoxicatedcinnamon has some fun moments 😌 that’s another one where you can find more of my thoughts somewhere in the fic recs tag (love when y’all send me stories 💚💙)

2018 - “Coral and Bone” by Macbetha my beloved!!!! Wanna play mermaids and fight the gods? Maybe try to find that summer magic that makes you want to keep going and accidentally fall in love on the way? I am puuushing you toward this story bestie. Everyone’s here and everyone’s having fun! OH ALSO I’m throwing in “Night Changes” by SEMellark because I love stories where Makoto and Haru actually figure out how to talk to each other. (Side note — a lot of these are probably gonna be things I’ve rec’d in the past, so feel free to scroll my tag for more details and consider this list an extra endorsement 😅)

2019 - (drops basket full of love for mutuals) OOPS OOPS OOPS!!! Don’t mind me, just popping in with some “Let’s Get Married” by sagesprouts and “Anthropocene” by testosterogna, nothing to see here but some classic natsunao shenanigans and one of the sickest elemental bender AUs out there 😌✨ I also have some fics from Svana saved from this year, but I’ll be mentioning her again later so hold on okay!!

2020 - alright, now the list is getting longer with everyone jumping back in during the early pandemic days 🏃🏻‍♀️SO FIRST OFF “green eyes, you’re the one I wanted to find” by infinite_always is an absolute FLUFF FEST of a soulmate AU! Unbearably tender moments but who doesn’t love that every so often? OH AND we have another one of my all-time ultimate fic recs here!! “Reaching” by CupNoodles55 has shaped and reshaped how I look back at Eternal Summer in the way I’d want any great canon-compliant fic to. Big love for interlude scenes and extra bits that help recontextualize or deepen what a moment could’ve meant in the show. Gonna end off 2020 with “The Sea Aflame” by Dizzydodo because even though this urban fantasy story is unfinished, I was super drawn in by the prospects of dragon!Makoto and whatever god stuff was going on with Sousuke. An interesting universe I love thinking about again from time to time.

2021 - Starting off strong with “love on the water, love underwater (and so on)” by rudimentaryflair because we love introspection here!!! Lovely writing style with lines that make me want to scale the walls. This take on Makoto is so so special. Also gonna rec “To Clear Away Today” by suhmayzooka (omg hiiii) if you want to be thrown into another hard-hitting intricate AU with loads of potential. Love exploring what we’ve got to see of the world so far 💞 and OOOH IT’S TIME!! “Extraordinary” by Svana_Vrika is basically canon to me at this point. Svana has a lot of sweet shorter stories with Makoto and Haru (look here, look here), but this one is everythinggg my guy. Similar appeal to “Reaching” mentioned earlier: a story of interludes that bring the story we already know to life in a delightful new way. Required reading for mhtokyo fans forreal. ONE LAST ONE OKAY!! “Teacher” by VeloxVoid is a great future fic with teacher!Makoto and artist!Haru (and I’m not biased just bc it was a gift exchange for me with details fit to my specific tastes wdym🧍🏻). Domestic blisssss

2022 - Ooh we’ve almost caught up y’all ☺️ gonna start with “All This and Heaven Too” by SocksAreArgyle because sometimes the bestie crafts a smorgasbord of smut with a delicious throughline of character/relationship development baked in. If you want your choice of spicy makoharus or some character exploration, you’re SET with this one. Next is “I Let My Heart Go” by martincrieff because sometimes the bestie looks at poor pining Makoto and goes “you know what would be messed up?” AND I JUST !!! So full of love and now full of flower petals. Hanahaki!Makoto my dearest boy!! Aaaand ending off the year with some tender mh (to Ikuya’s detriment) in “The Night Train” by Lizzyboo. They’re so softtt with each other and UGH this story is so nice. Love watching people take the crumbs from FS/FS2 and make a meal 💜

2023 - The year is young! And old! So here’s some more, with who knows how many bangers yet to come 🎉 First going to throw in the Makoharu Week 2023 collection for your perusal because I saw some fantastic stories emerge from that event. If you have twitter, I’d recommend also seeing some of the threadfics posted over there from the event as well 💚💙 and I thiiink I’m gonna close off for now with “just like it was always meant to be” by tonfea because they’ve been putting out banger stories that deserve all the love. Haru introspection is one of those things that isn’t always done very well (which is especially hard to reckon with in older fics) but tonfea’s stories all have an intimate understanding about Haru’s mind and journey that just makes sense.

Alright hello we made it to the end!!! Might’ve thrown in more than expected but I hope makoharu enjoyers find something on this list that fits their fancy 🥲 (and if anyone wants to rec something or ramble about a story here that they loved I’m all ears)