#the timeline may not show it but the drama is good and alive in the pack lol

[mariecrystalstar]

Exactly, thank you!

Also..Ben and Grace went on that trip to help their marriage in s1. Things weren’t good to begin with; and it’s fine. The initial voiceover said they’ve been together for 15 years already and though it said they were still in love, they weren’t peachy. It’s okay, it’s life. They had two kids to raise, one of them very sick. It’s draining for any relationship. Doesn’t make anyone the bad guy.

Now, after Ben “died” Grace moved on. And good for her! I actually liked that plot and it pissed me off whenever people tried to make her a villain for it. No. She had every right. She mourned her husband and son but she didn’t “die” with them. And she had to live for both herself and Olive. Let that sink in. She had a living kid, who lost just as much at a very tender age, parenting her (in case we forgot, Olive made her lunch with what hadn’t gone green in their fridge) because she was too much of a mess to even live. She connected with Danny over shared experience and eventually fell for him. It was okay she let go and loved someone else.

Similarly, when in the darkness of returning from “the dead”, Ben leaned onto Saanvi. It came naturally. She understood both what he was going through and his need to solve the mystery and help people. They are cut from the same cloth, they connected. And though it was obvious to the viewers that there were underlying feelings there, they never acted on them while Grace was around. But, after the kids, they always put each other first. And with Grace dead, Ben eventually learnt to live again, although reluctantly. And he leaned on Saanvi again and it’s okay he let himself show how he felt. Even after agreeing they couldn’t be together..the guy almost had a heart attack thinking he was losing her on the airplane; you can’t tell me he doesn’t love her openly now.

Even in the New Timeline, though they were friendly, at some point Grace was on Saanvi’s case telling her Ben had to sit out of their quest and that he didn’t need her encouraging him. Grace, though knowing what life was for them, felt the need to freeze her husband’s support system out. Note she never told that to Mick, though she was usually the one dragging him into trouble.

You can’t tell me any woman wouldn’t feel insecure with another woman being her husband’s most trusted. Especially with one that was sharing his exact experience while being the one to save his son. That’s a lot.

Imagine now, in the Original Timeline, with only the passengers knowing what went on for over 5 years of their lives in the other timeline, what would happen. And it’s normal. I think being suspicious and jealous would be normal. Ben and Saanvi supposedly spent only a few hours together on a plane, not even sitting close to each other. And if Cal was to be asked, he’d say they never even interacted, that’s what the kid knows. If I was Grace (or Alex) I’d suspect my partner had his sidepartner meet in Jamaica and was now trying to insert them in our lives. Point being..good luck finding a plausible explanation for all the heart eyes, being in each other’s space, inside jokes and all.

On another note, and most likely an unpopular opinion, Eden was the most pointless storyline in Manifest. She did nothing to further their Destiny or change it. She existed just for drama; to degrade Ben’s mental state and keep the Angelina drama going. The plot seemed invested in making Ben seem hellbent on focusing only on ONE kid, ignoring the needs of the other two scrapping his character development as a parent since s1. Also, Grace was actually heartbroken and torn having to choose between Ben and Danny. You can’t tell me otherwise, if Eden was Danny’s, Grace would have left Ben faster than he’d say “828”. And maybe it would have been better for both. They could both be happy and it would be a lesson, a moral; that your life changing may seem daunting but it can also be good for you or something. Not to mention Grace would be alive and my poor twin babies wouldn’t have to be traumatized by her loss.

Thank you for joining my somewhat irrelevant TedxTalk.

yesterday i said in a previous post i didn’t necessarily dislike the finale and that’s still somehow true, but after having slept on all of this i want to add:

the finale only works if you don’t ask yourself any questions

let’s imagine ben wants to share the whole thing with grace - the poor woman wouldn’t believe a word. she (rightfully!) struggled to understand callings in season one, and only accepted what they were when she saw they were affecting cal as well. now cal has no memories. even if grace believes ben - is she going to understand him?

when watching season one i was sure the show was going to break ben and grace up. their conflict was SO REAL, so raw. grace couldn’t fully comprehend what ben had gone through, and he couldn’t accept she had moved on from him with danny during those 5 and a half years. i never fully believed them reconciling, although i had no particular problems with them doing so

now let’s pretend for a moment ben tells grace everything and she believes him. would he tell her as well he slept with saanvi? something tells me no, and starting over your marriage with a lie doesn’t look like a great beginning

also - it’s not like saanvi is going to disappear from ben’s life. she is going to cure cal, the stones are likely to see her every day. would grace (and alex, i guess) not pick up on the fact that ben and saanvi know each other, trust each other, have a very strong bond?

something tells me ben and grace’s marriage wouldn’t actually last. which doesn’t mean they don’t love each other, but they are just different people



i’m not even going to comment on saanvi and alex’s relationship, since the only thing we know about them is that alex bailed on saanvi because she didn’t want to leave her husband. once again, not a great start



(also, just for the lolz: imagine saanvi being pregnant in the reset after the hook up with ben a couple of days prior)

[theazkapack]

Winter Timeline (1st Year)

[ID: Banner of mountains. It says Timeline, The Azka Pack: Winter.

Fall ends, Winter starts

Aursa joins the hunt party, to help out

Honsu’s pups are born

Jet and Mosra join the pack: Glawn comes across 2 lone wolves and offers them to join the pack.

Clower’s pups are born

Jet and Mosra take roles: Mosra joins the hunting party while Jet becomes a pupsitter

Honsu and Ashlen have a fight

Winter ends, Spring starts.

End ID.]

[elfsone]

Final thoughts on KP

Just want to preface this by saying that I am not one of those people who had waited for 2 years for this and had to go through all the drama of them getting shelved etc. Hence I have absolutely no emotional attachment to this show. But if you are one of those people who have waited and this is the most perfect little thing for you, you do you! God knows I have my own favorites and comfort pieces of media/music, which may not be ‘objectively’ great, but I would fight till my last breath for. 

Secondly, I am relatively new to the world of BLs. Started watching during the pandemic, probably have only watched 6-7 shows in all. So I am watching it just like any other show. I don’t have many points of references to talk about how groundbreaking this is or how they have improved upon the shortcomings or problems associated with this genre. (What I can say is that it is way better than 2gether😜)  

Phew okay! I believe that the show was carried by the great acting. Usually the side characters can break the experience but everyone in this show was a very good actor. (My personal favorite has to be build playing pete. More on that maybe sometime later). Also the cinematography, sets, lighting etc etc were really good! The show had a big budget and it showed. Most of the shots were artistic and beautiful. But I have to say the writing on the show was weak. Now that may be the problem of the source material as I have seen multiple posts saying that novel was trash and boc has done a great job in interpreting it. I have personally not read the novel (I have only read the vegaspete side stories), so I can’t comment on that. While the story can’t be changed a lot, what could be improved upon was the pacing. The pacing in the show was really off. A lot of the times things felt unnecessarily stretched out and you are left wondering what actually happened in this ep. I caught myself getting distracted one too many times especially during the later eps. This is not an american tv show with multiple seasons. They did not have the luxury of time. This is the reason, some characters or arcs could not be fleshed out very well which dampened the experience. Some eps could have done with tighter editing and better writing. Like I honestly could care less about what happened to porsche’s mom as we were not invested in that person at all. While I understand that according to the novel timeline, this arc had to come after everything happens but how am I supposed to feel sympathy for a character I met 10 mins ago! Porsche has also never really talked about his parents, so him seeing his mother alive after all this time did not hit emotionally at all. Kim crying over chay’s polaroids... when did he fall that hard? Should we cry with him? Torture scenes interspersed with people partying in a club had me reeling.

I also could not wrap my head around the extreme tonal shifts that happened out of the blue. Some comedy scenes were really good, one that comes to mind is introduction of tankhun. Khun in his pink bath robe holding his dead fish. Amazing. But most of the time comedy scenes felt contrived and jarring mostly because they occurred when you least expected them too and they really took you out of the moment. For eg, recently in ep 14, when vegas is about to shoot porsche calling him kinn’s heart, a well done emotional scene is cut by a toy car with pink balloon?! (Please tell me this does not happen in the novel! I’ll bang my head against the damn wall!). I entered this show with no background and randomly coming across the trailer made me think it was going to be a dark gritty show set in the underworld which it is absolutely not. I imagined kinn’s character living the life of kim(living a double life) or vegas (traumatised by this life). But that’s on me. Future viewers should note that this is first and foremost a sweet love story. The main hero happens to be in the mafia. 

The final point is that the main cp did not hit it off with me. A big problem for me was that they reduced these two rich characters- a mafia heir battling his demons and trying to please his father and an orphan boy working hard to survive in this world and provide for his brother- to just two boys in love. Kinn and porsche lost all personality and character except being boyfriends. Before y’all come at me for being a cynic who hates romance, I just wanna put out that cherry magic is one of my favorite shows of all time. Ok now cue the boos. For me the problem with kinnporsche is not their lovey-doveyness but their absolute lack of communication and trust. Call me a prude but problems are not solved by having sex. Kinn called porsche a slut, did not tell his plans about tawan to porsche and put him in jail, porsche spied on kinn’s meeting and did not apologize, porsche ran away with kinn’s enemy etc etc. Most of these conflicts culminated in them having sex. While those scenes were beautiful cinematographically, I couldn’t get into them as that was not the resolution I wanted. But ALL the praise to mile and apo (esp apo, his experience shines through). I firmly believe that this ship is so popular because of their great acting and phenomenal chemistry. They really looked like two men in love.

I really enjoyed the vegaspete cp. I was initially drawn to vegas’ charcater, he seemed to be a layered and complex villain. That’s why I read the vp side story after ep 6 or 7. Then pete came out to be an even more interesting and complex character and I really fell in love both of the charcaters individually before I loved them together as a couple. As I have read their story, I would say that the relationship did seem rushed. I wish we could get some of their sweet moments from the novel (I know they are just the side couple but just an extra 15-20 mins spread out over 3 eps would have done the job). Just so we could understand the depths of their love. We needed to see what pete was missing when he left and not just kinky sex. (Someday when my tears have dried up and I am tired of rewatching their scenes, I will do a bigger post on vegaspete)

Kim and chay were interesting. Whatever scenes they had they were really good. You could feel chay’s teenage love and kim’s inhibitions. I needed some more time (time again huh? one thing we didn’t have :P) to be really invested in their relationship. I really liked kim as a character. What or why was he investigating, I still have no clue.

But all in all, it was good show (I know, after all that!?). It provided good entertainment, great to binge watch. Personally not very high rewatch value for me.

Fave eps- Ep3, Ep7

Fave Character- Vegas, Tankhun

Fave Actor- Build, Apo

[mgsapphire]

My K-drama recommendation master list Part 2

You can find part 1 here

Look, you gave us relatively new recommendations, what about ones older than 10 years? I'll give you my top 5

Princess Hours (2006) Is a modern Cinderella story. It's 24 episodes long. Available on Viki.

Personal Taste (2010) Honestly, problematic plot if you put your mind into it, but entertaining nonetheless. It's 16 episodes long, each one lasting a little over an hour, available on Viki.

Cinderella's Sister (2010) You hate every character, but there's still something that makes you watch it. Available on Viki.

Thank You (2007) was ahead of its time, it's about a single mother with a daughter who has an HIV+ diagnosis. 16 episodes long, each one lasting a little over an hour. Available on Viki.

Stairway to Heaven (2003) for a good melodrama.

What about romantic fantasies involving fantastic beings?

Guardian: The lonely and Great God(2016) A classic of the genre. It tells the story of a God who was once a man, and is being punished by immortality, unless he meets his bride, who just so happens to be a high schooler centuries later. Available on viki. 16 episodes long with 3 specials, all lasting about 75 minutes.

Hotel Del Luna (2019) it would be unfair to talk about Goblin, without talking about this other masterpiece about a being cursed into immortality and granted special availabilities along with it, but a curse is still a curse, and she must run a hotel meant for ghosts, where after centuries of being, meets a young man who is alive. Availability on Viki, 16 episodes long and each one lastz about 75 minutes.

Tale of the Nine Tailed (2020) You get to see Lee Dong Wook as another mystical being, and Kim Bum is his half brother. 16 episodes long and one special, each one lasting about 65 minutes. Available on Viki.

My roommate is a Gumiho (2021) what's up with gumihos? It's still airing. The title is self explanatory. Available on Viki and Qiyi.

Angel's last mission: Love (2019) is a cute and sad story about an angel who is about to ascend and a ballerina who has a cynical view of the world. Available on Viki. Each episode averages 30 minutes, with 32 episodes.

Doom at your service (2021) About to finish airing. It tells the story of a dying woman who wishes doom upon the world, and the doom who answers her plea. Available on viki, 16 episodes long, each one lasting about an hour.

The Scholar Who walks the night (2015) another Lee Joon Gi entry, but I swear all of his works are great, it's a period drama that tells the story of a scholar who is a vampire and the young bookseller he meets. It's 20 episodes long, each one lasting about an hour. Available on viki. Also, if you've liked Lee Soo Hyuk in Doom at Your Service, I advise you check this one out.

Tale of Arang (2012) two Lee Joon Gi entries in a row? Girl, you have to stop. Anyways, this one is another period piece of a magistrate who can see ghosts and the ghost of a young woman who doesn't remember her life, nor the cause of her death. Available on viki, it's 20 episodes long, each one lasting a little over an hour.

Look, those are fine or whatever, but I started as a K-pop fan, where can I see some idol dramas? Don't worry, I came prepared

Full House (2004) with Rain as the main character is the og idol drama in my opinion. Available on Viki. 16 episodes long, each one lasting about 73 minutes.

Imitation (2021) is currently airing, and it's literally an idol drama about idols. You can find a looot of idols too: Jeong Yun Ho and Park Seong Hwa from Ateez, Chani and Hwi Young from SF9, Park Ji Yeon from T-ara, Lim Na Young from I.O.I and Pristin, and although Jeong Ji So is not an idol, she is the main lead, and I absolutely love her, she's also in Doom at your service. Available on Viki.

Miss Panda and Mr. Hedgehog (2012) features Donghae from Super Junior, and if I'm going to recommend a Super Junior drama, I would rather recommend one featuring him over Siwon.

At a Distance the Spring is Green (2021) is currently airing too, and only has four released episodes, but I've liked it so far. Featuring Park Ji Hoon, and Kwon Dun Bin. Also, I have a lot of opinions about this show. Available on Viki.

I was going to put an IU drama but, all her dramas are good, so go and watch them all, the woman has range.

Dream High (2011) is the king of idol dramas, in my opinion. It talksa about a high school for people who want to be idols. Another one with a long line up of idols, so let me start: Suzy, IU, Taecyeon, Nichkhun and Wooyoung from 2PM, Ham Eun Jung from T-ara. Leeteuk (SuJu and Chansung (2PM) make cameos. Similarly to Imitation, Kim Soo Hyun is not an idol, but he's the main lead. It's 16 episodes long, each one lasting about 65 minutes. Available on Viki.

Wow, quite a few, but they all seem rather popular, do you have some underrated gems? I'm going to have to go down memory lane, but I do

The Queen's Classroom (2013) This one feels like a fever dream, because I'm aware it exists, I watched it back when it first aired, but I can't find it anywhere now. It's based on a Japanese drama of the same name. It's about a strict but warm hearted teacher and her students' lives and struggles. 16 episodes long. DM me if you find anywhere to watch it.

1% of Something (2016) is a really cute drama, the chemistry is off the charts, and if you're looking for skinship, this one is the one for you, underrated arranged marriage kdrama, I'm telling you. It's 16 episodes long, averaging 45 minutes, and it's on Viki.

I'm not a Robot (2017) has a really cute plot, not underrated per se, but not hyped enough. It's 32 episodes long, each one averaging 30 minutes. Available on Viki.

Do you like Brahms? (2020) is a music themed kdrama, really cute and wholesome. If you like 2setviolin and watched their critique on their YouTube channel, let me tell you, the cast actually knows how to play violin and stuff, and there's an actual child prodigy in there. It got so much hate bc of that one yt video. It's 16 episode long, each one lasting about an hour. Available on Viki.

Solomon's Perjury (2016) a good reflection on youth and the pressure society has. 12 episodes long, lasting about 63 minutes each. Available on Viki.

The Greatest Love (2011) is a super entertaining TV show, and just supper funny and cute. 16 episodes long, each one lasting around 65 minutes. Available on Viki.

Two Cops (2017) if you like Kim Seon Ho, I think this was his TV acting debut. It's a hilarious action comedy TV show. 32 episodes long, lasting around 30 minutes. Available on viki.

Do you have any recommendations where time traveling or time is central to the story?

Alice (2020) look, I can't give you a full explanation because it's too mind bending. Let's leave it at detective meets his mother. Available on Viki.

Signal (2016) The premise is similar to that of the movie Frequency (2000) in which there's communication between the past and the present via technology. The plot is based on the real Hwaseong serial murders. Really interesting. Available on Netflix. If you like the premise of communicating with the past via technology Call (2020) is a Korean thriller movie available on Netflix.

Chicago Typewriter (2017) this one is about reincarnation but we get to see both timelines. Available on Netflix.

Tomorrow with you (2017) Time-traveling but make it ✨depressing ✨. The story of a man who time travels, and how that ability messes with his marriage. Available on Netflix.

What about historical dramas? I don't really watch those, but here are some I liked

The Moon Embracing the Sun (2012) is one of the few I've finished. It's really good, it follows the love story of a king. Available on viki. 20 episodes long, each one lasting about an hour.

Gunman in Joseon (2014) Am I recommending you this one because of Lee Joon Gi? Maybe. It has 22 episodes, each one lasting about an hour. Available on Viki.

The Crowned Clown (2019) a story of the Prince and the Pauper if I must give you a description that is relatable, but if you know the book titled Skogland, it's closer to that. It's 16 episodes long, each one lasting about 80 minutes. Available on Viki.

I'm a little ashamed to say this, but do you have any BL? I do, I do

To My Star (2021) is a story about an actor and a chef, and how they learn to cohabit after the actor is forced into hiding. You can watch either the movie version or the drama version, both available on viki.

Color Rush (2020) is a modern romance fantasy about people called Monos who can't see any color unless they meet their Probes, however this may turn dangerous as the Monos may experience obsessive behavior, so what happens when a young high schooler meets his probe?. You can either watch it on its drama or movie version. Both available on viki. By the way, if you're a long time deobi and was wandering what happened to Hwall, he's one of the main leads.

You Make Me Dance (2021) follows the story of a university dancer who is in debt and his debt collector. Available on viki in both versions. The movie is 107 minutes long.

Just Friends (2009) is a short film, but ahead of its time, if you can't tell by the year it was released on. It's a cute story about a man who visits his boyfriend in the military. I found it in dramacool.

That's all from me, if you have any specific genre or them you felt I didn't add in, do feel free to tell me.

[thewcllingtons]

Truthfully, Ryder had only invited the amount of people he did because he assumed that less than half the guest list would show up. It surprised him to see the amount of turn out. Everyone took his invitation as a means to escape from all the drama that he surrounded them. The major mourning periods were over. Their wedding seemed to be the excuse everyone needed to let loose. Chaotic would be an understatement of the night. Ryder found that many of the guests were more interconnected than he intiall anticipated. While he could complain about some things in hindsight, overall, it happened to be a night to remember in everyone's book. It would certainly make a great story to tell their children some day. Especially since everyone made out out alive.

Ryder laughed at her remark,❝ Elope? ❞ Not that he happened to be against the idea. He would have married her years ago in secret if he had the chance to. ❝ Knowing me, I feel like we may have made this promise in every lifetime, but it's in my nature to make a big deal out of everything. Even moreso for finding you in every lifetime. ❞ Playing along with the notion of past lives. He never thought of the concept, but if it happened to be the reality of their universe, he's more than positive they were both entertwined to each other's core. Evangeline is half of his being. His love for her went down to the innermost being of his soul. She is it for him. No doubt that their love would exist in every timeline. ❝ You can blame. It's fine. I think the wedding planner had a heart attack seeing all the names and addresses I handed over to her so it's really my fault. ❞ He did well by hiring someone who worked the industry to be on the safe side. ❝ I think they're using the wedding to pregame new years, to be honest with you. Not that I mind. I expect us all to start parting ways since we don't have a central hub anymore... It's a nice last hurrah. I think we did well too. ❞ The thought of everyone parted ways sadden him, but they all deserved to find the happiness and love that he had found. Ryder checked his wallet before grabbing the keys. He paused a moment to take another good look at Evangeline. She stunned him beyond belief. His wife. Taking her hand into his own while unlocking the car that awaited them outside, ❝ After you, beautiful. ❞

THEIR WEDDING HAD BEEN CHAOTIC, but Evangeline had been too wrapped in Ryder to care about everything else. It wasn’t exactly what she pictured her wedding to be like, but she was grateful nonetheless. What mattered the most was its success. They tied the knot without shedding blood or anyone dying. She was having a great time. Nevermind the tension between the guests. It was just a day. A day for all their loved ones to gather. It wasn’t often that they’d all get together like this. After this, it would just be the two of them. They’d have many peaceful moments to themselves.

       “Elope in our next lifetime? It’s a deal,” she quipped. “We’re going to have to remember that we made this promise, though. Maybe we eloped on our previous lifetime and promised that we’d have a grand one the next time.” She chuckled as she shared her theory. Evangeline was certain that they were meant to be. In whatever universe or lifetime, her heart would always find him. They would always find each other. They had proven time and time again that time and distance didn’t change their feelings. Her affection towards him remained unwavering. “I’d say it’s on you and then the wedding planner,” she teased. “Well, you didn’t expect that they’d all attend. I guess everyone didn’t have new year plans, and our wedding served to be the year opener, which I am not against. We did well going big.” She kissed him chastely one last time and pulled back. She rolled her eyes playfully at the whistling. Standing up, she waited for him to do as told. Once he did, she turned around to thank him. “Thank you.” She slipped on her heels, all ready to leave.

continued from here // @thewcllingtons

[al-hekima-madara-blog]

Twitter vs Tumblr culture 1/2

This post is inspired by @absintheanflare who write legit questions on tumblr culture radically different from twitter and tiktok

Tumblr lives through REBLOG/comments not likes as it is the case in twitter/tiktok

Coming from the twitter culture let me tell you how I end up here.

I had for 3 years a relatively big account on Twitter around 8000/9000 followers, social justice oriented, but mostly due by the fact I knew IRL some certified public figures. So people add me thinking I was "somebody" lol.

Twitter is design for promoting quick interactions, sharp answer back. It feels like watching a ping pong match. Be brief but incisive like a sniper. Literally if you are not a genius talker, if you don't master second degree, black humour you won't survive and thrive. Bad side, Twitter is as well ruthless. It's war and drama every single day. It's mean, cruel and leads often to trolling storm and harassment especially if they link with one of the worst platform internet has ever created 4chan ( may you never cross the path of those demons)

The algorithm is design to provoke drama and excitement. The more your post is like, retweet, comments, the more you're appearing on top of people's TL, creating a buzz around you. So the recipe for gaining quickly followers is easy : be as offensive as possible.

I delete my account 4 years ago. I like the thrill, the sense of humour but after a while twitter works in a closed system. People are periodically offended by the same things every 4 months, with the same arguments, a real life Izanami you can predict the end (wink to Naruto fandom). And it's also emotionally exhausting to read everyday the worst of the worst of human behaviour. Even if I learn many things about injustices around the world, it's very unhealthy in long term.

Now Tumblr. The first time I arrived here it was a cultural shock. It was so...quiet? And actually I like it(like many new people coming here I think), there is something really vintage about people taking time to write long posts, elaborate their thoughts, having extensive conversations like a never-ending river or drawing amazing work of art. But it took me a while to understand that tumblr is so... slow like in real life. In twitter and even worst with tiktok you are artificially pushed by the algorithm. but people there don't care about what you do, they care about the trend.

Here it takes time to be known and having your own space. But also it's more honest, than having half of you timeline thirsty for views and doing anything for attention. People in tumblr look for a sense of common passion and real interactions. That's why comments are so appreciated. They are often heartfelt and authentic. With time you attract people with similar mindset from all around the world. We keep the real human relationship with abolition of distance. I love receiving message from my people in the US when I wake up in the morning. Some of my posts have a pic of activity every night at 4 am😂 Europe time. It's really funny to abolish time.

Tumblr as far as I understand do not have an algorithm. It's purely organic and chronological. No one is going to push you like a baby. If what you do is good people show interest. If it's not interesting people are dead silent. It's on you to create good content. Likes is use by people for storing some posts but it doesn't have any effect on popularity. The only way to show your appreciation for your favourite artist, writer, blogger (and keep them alive in this platform) is to reblog, chat with them and if you are really shy ask them anonymous questions. So even a post who is 6 years old but still relevant won't never die (contrary to twitter where nobody remember what they tweet a month ago because being ahead of trend is more important). For me tumblr wins in term of quality.

That's it ! I hope this post help my followers to understand the culture. I'm still new myself and I'm learning slowly slowly.

Don't forget to reblog if you like it huh?👀

and also Tumblr vs Twitter part 2

[goldenkamuyhunting]

Ramblings and crazy theory time about GK chap 288 “A Pleasant Man”

So from a Watsonain perspective I’ve to praise Wilk as it turned out everything went...

yeah, just as he planned it... though Doylistically speaking let me be amazed by how Noda made this wonderful and intricate plot... but let’s start with order.

The story starts with a very useful timeline concerning the events that involved the gold.

There are little things I appreciate more than timelines so I’m extremely grateful to Noda for it.

We move back to the Russian consulate in 1902.

Irenka, one of the Ainu working with Wilk, correctly guesses the government which rules Hokkaido wouldn’t just give them the land, should they show up with the land deed.

Wilk suggests to ask Enomoto Takeaki for help at which the others correctly imply it would be a little hard for them to meet him.

As if this wasn’t difficult enough, Kimuspu informs them the Japanese government is AFTER THE LAND DEED and would steal it before they were to reach Enomoto, which is why they were forced to hide it there.

But then he suggests a Nispa might be able to help to get in touch with Enomoto.

We go back to 1869 and to a much younger Kimuspu, one that looks more like Cikapasi due to how the signs on his face are now more marked.

He explains they used to go to Goryokaku as they negotiated with Enomoto over buying the land, without even knowing the battle of Hakodate would escalate.

Early at the beginning of the story (chap 30) Hijikata lamented how their battle was hampered by the struggle to get funds...

...which seems to hint whatever agreement Enomoto managed to reach with the Ainu, was reached too late.

Anyway, while the others go take part to the negotiation Kimuspu is left behind to take care to give water to the horses and, as he does so he meets Hijikata… who basically behaves like a Sugimoto with a slightly different face...

Hijikata is curious of Kimuspu’s tattoo, he’ll help Kimuspu, is cheerful and modest, admitting all he’s good with are battles, horses and women. Okay, Sugimoto is popular with women but can’t understand them at all while Hijikata was supposedly better at this but whatever, Hijikata really feels like him to me… though I doubt they plan to have them be related.

Anyway Kimuspu doesn’t let him know why they’re there but clearly likes him and finds him a ‘Sawayakana otoko’ (爽やかな男 “pleasant/refreshing/invigorating/clear man”). Later he finds out he’s Hijikata, an Ezo republic commander.

Enomoto keeps the land deed as a secret. I wonder if, should he had won the war, he too would have tried getting it back.

Anyway the Ainu prepare the gold, though they don’t really trust Enomoto.

They’re being too slow though.

The government forces begin their all-out attack.

We’re at June 20 (lunar calendar May 11), 1869, and Hijikata, instead than being killed as history wants, is just nearly killed near the Ippongi Kanmon but manages to drag himself back despite the wounds...

...and is helped by Kimuspu, despite his comrades being against it. In order to give them a reason to care about Hijikata, Kimuspu reminds them he’s Enomoto’s comrades but it’s clear he’s not helping him just for that.

Kimuspu should have been a nice person, it fits he’s Cikapasi’s grandfather.

Anyway he brings Hijikata in one of the house left empty when its owners evacuated, so as not to let Hijikata be found by soldiers.

When Hijikata awakes, he’s reached by the news the Kaitenmaru was also destroyed by fire (always on June 20) and thinks they should protect the fortress Benten Daiba as Goryokaku  will surely fall due to the bombing of the ships, but Kimuspu tells him the day before, (June 24th) while he was unconscious, the fortress surrendered. This means we’re at the 25th. Goryokaku will surrender the 27th.

At this Hijikata likely understands they’ve no more hope to fight and asks Kimuspu to bring him to mount Hakodate, apparently to a statue of Kannon. Hijikata, dressed up as an Ainu to disguise himself, doesn’t manage to explain why he wanted to go there as the bombing on Goryokaku resumes and then they’re found by soldiers, who recognize Hijikata.

Kimuspu, gets in between them and Hijikata. He explains his action saying he was desperate because he figured the Ainu would lose the land of the republic of Ezo. Although he manages to push the rifle away from Hijikata, the soldier fires anyway and kills one of the Ain that were with Kimuspu.

At this Hijikata tells him to stop or they all would be killed and let the guards take him away. Kimuspu who had been pushed on the ground, stares at the dead Ainu in shock but he’s evidently released later on as it’s only Hijikata who’s carried away, apologizing to them and promising he won’t forget the debt he owns to them.

Kimuspu explains how, out of guilt for letting the soldiers take Hijikata, he couldn’t tell Enomoto how the latter survived. However, when he tries to find information on Hijikata’s fate no one wants to say he was caught or executed and, several years later he begins hearing rumors about Hijikata having been looked in a prison, an ex-warden even confirming this. So Kimuspu is sure Hijikata is alive.

Ratci adds in he also hears rumors about Hijikata being alive and helping to build the convict road.

Anyway they work up in their mind that Hijikata could get their message to Enomoto. How since he’s a prisoner those survival they’re basically hiding? Well, Oskeporo suggests they could pretend to be wardens and break him out. It’s worth to mention by then Hijikata was already in Abashiri so making him escape isn’t as easy as they make it out… but, on the other side, I do wonder if this was all part of Wilk’s plan. I mean, he and the other Ainu were hiding near to where there were those ‘prison lodges’ in which Inudou kept laborers confined… and, when the other Ainu die Wilk rushes there and have himself being arrested, asking to give Inudou the message he killed 7 Ainu and knows the location to the Ainu hidden gold.

I mean, at a first glance it seemed he did it merely to escape from Tsurumi… but maybe his goal was reaching Abashiri and getting into contact with Hijikata in the first place so as to use the whole incident with the Ainut o carry on his plan.

We see him repeating Hijikata’s name with a thoughtful expression after all…

...and then Kimuspu claims he knows a good spot to hide the gold, the good spot being the well. As they place the gold inside the well, one of them guarding the group in the distance, Kimuspu explains the last time they met Enomoto he saw the well being covered with dirt, so the Meiji government might not have noticed it existed. As a result the Ainu hid the gold there and starts planning an uprising among the Ainu.

So yes, they wanted to fight with weapons the Japanese government, not just use the land deed to have the land pacifically.

Wilk also thinks if Hijikata hadn’t forgotten his debt, he should repay the Ainu of the future. Honestly I think he should repay only Kimuspu… as Kimuspu’s Ainu friends back then helped him solely because he was Enomoto’s friend and they were making business with him but whatever, we know how Wilk is, for him the Ainu’s cause is the only one that matter… though from how he speaks he seems to link ‘Ainu of the future’ to Asirpa, whose name means woman of the future. So he basically is saying Hijikata should help his daughter.

The flashback ends here and the visual is pretty good because it moves from Wilk looking down in the well to Asirpa looking up from the well, as if to give the illusion she and Wilk could see each other… but the one looking down in the well this time is Hijikata, who likely means to repay his debt anyway.

And so that’s the story of how Hijikata and Wilk connected the whole horse kanji with a well whose existence only the two of them knew.

I’ll be honest, on one side I’m not overly fond of all this background exposition as it’s just that, exposition with little personal drama (I mean, Kimuspu was clearly grief stricken when the soldiers try to arrest Hijikata and, in effort to stop them, he inadvertently cause one of his friends to get killed… but this isn’t really explored… at most it’s exploited by Wilk) but, on the other side, I’m amazed by how Noda came up with such an intricate plot.

I mean, the meeting between Nopperabou and Hijikata seemed casual, they were merely two prisoners in the same prison… and Wilk trusting Hijikata to take care of Asirpa and carrying on all that plan seemed a risky bet based on circumstances but now it turns out Hijikata was ALWAYS part of the plan and the code was made keeping not only Asirpa but he too into consideration because Wilk clearly assumed Asirpa wouldn’t accomplish anything with the land deed without Hijikata’s support and the hideout of the gold is basically a jab at Hijikata’s moral sense so as to remind him Ainu (well, ONE Ainu) helped him so he should help them as well.

So while a side of me is ‘well, I don’t really care about this little sidestory per se as it’s just exposition and not emotionally engaging…’ the other side is ‘oh my this man actually planned all those plot details so damn carefully I’m amazed! I love him! This is just great writing!’

Oh well, I hope everyone else is enjoying how the story is revealing itself as much as I’m doing because, really, I’m having lot of fun! I love to see such a well thought plot! This is such a masterful work!

Anyway, see you all to the next chapter!

[teeth-and-tea]

ANIME & MANGA I HAVE BINGED IN THE LAST MONTH: May 2021

I've Been Hunting Slimes for the Past 300 Years and Now Ive Maxed Out My Level: incredibly long name aside, cute af slice of life that suffers Same Face Syndrome. I'm still happy to watch it because of how feel good and fluffy it is though, Im probably gonna forget about it in two or three years tho. 8/10.

Don't Toy With Me, Miss Nagatoro: I found out this was a webcomic first and suddenly all the HORNINESS made so much more sense. A Femdom, Degradation, Humiliation, Dacryphilia Bullies to Lovers story disguised as a high school rom-com which, I'm not going to lie, misses SKEEVY CITY by mere inches on a regular basis. However, I'm a Dom/Switch and this entire relationship sets off my dom brain center like New York City just shy of midnight. So if you're into that sort of scene, this anime is for you. If not, it's still fascinating but you're probably gonna be a little put off by how mean the Girl!Bully is to the guy MC. Unless you find out something about yourself, in which case, congrats! Stay safe, sane, consensual, and learn about the traffic light system on top of safe words, I promise you'll have a better life in general after that. Still Ongoing, currently 10/10.

Fruits Basket: IM GONNA CRY I LOVE THIS ANIME SO MUCH???? The original anime came out when I was in... I think middle school and my parents were really strict on what I watched so I never got to experience the first wave and I never bothered to watch the show ever after I moved out of the house years later. However, now that I'm much older I honestly can say this is one of my favorite anime to date, and all the characters are charming, lovable, with their own problems that I can connect to or sympathize with, and I love the MC which is always a treat tbh. Except Akito. Akito can suck a sandpaper dick. I'm only on S2 tho so no spoilers! Anime 11/10.

Monster Girl Doctor: went in thinking it was gonna be a monster girl who's a doctor with a homoerotic assistant (her name is SAPPHY okay sue me for thinking it) and ended up watching the entire dubbed harem series. Honestly, I've seen worse and this one has consistent follow-through on interesting characters and backstory enough for me to shove aside the blatant under-monstrousness of the female monsters and the harem-ness of everything else. Dubbing is honestly really good, which is a treat, and the monster designs are not the worst and the MC is tolerable. Honestly, I don't mind having watched it! The mix of cgi and the traditional animation together work pretty strangely though, and it often doesn't flow super well. 7.5/10

So I'm a Spider, So What: Dubbed version which honestly isn't that bad. Took me a bit to get into it, but after realizing that it's got a mismatched timeline a la The Witcher, it made so much more sense. Heavily done in cgi, and you can definitely tell between the 2D and 3D animations, but not the worst in the world. I went in not expecting much but it ended up being an Issekai I can stand and even enjoy. On god has a decent story... with the spider. I'd be a liar if I didnt say I skipped some of the human parts just to get back to the best part of the show. 8/10.

Somali and the Forest Spirit: I'm so fucking nostalgic for this thing it makes me want to go and hug my dad. About a human girl under threat of being eaten with a monster-dominated world. Very obvious "humans fear what they don't understand" message but instead of the humans learning tolerance it's what happens when they get annihilated first so like, kudos for the mangaka for having the guts to do that. I cried like a baby regularly. It's really good, I watched the dub and ID WATCH IT AGAIN!!! 9/10.

To Your Eternity: Oh my god. O h my g o d. Fell in love on the first episode, ngl. About if an immortal being learned how to be a person from scratch. I love it. HOWEVER. Keep a box of tissues on you at all times because you're gonna need them. I'm only on EP7 because that's all that's out right now but just know. I love it. Not for everyone but certainly for my "what do we define as human and the human condition" ass. 12/10.

Those Snow White Notes: A sports anime without any sports. About shamisen playing which is cool because I never realized how cool this instrument was??? Its neat af. OP1&2 are by Burnout Syndrom so know theyre fire. Gonna be real, its pretty alright, but not extraordinary. You can tell they were using the characters as archetypes rather than actually characters which kinda kills a lot of the emotional value you could've had, but I'm still gonna watch it. It doesn't make me cringe as hard as other sports anime tho so I consider it toptier in that regards but if you're a big sports anime fan you might be bummed out by it. Every single musical performance is INCREDIBLE tho. A solid 8/10.

Toilet Bound Hanako-kun: THE ART OMFG IT'S SO GORGEOUS. Listen, if you took coptic markers and gave them an animation budget with some manga panel direction thrown in there, that's this anime. It's beautiful. Gorgeous. I'm in love with the aesthetic every second. Story? Really good. Characters? I love the MC and his evil little twin brother asshat. Demons? Not super imaginative but I'm carrying on happy as can be anyways. Dubbing? A bit shaky at times but I found the voices charming if a little off for some of them. I'm already waiting for the second season with popcorn at the ready. 10/10.

Prison School: I watched this directly after Hanako-kun and it was like I got slapped in the face by sweaty unwashed titties and some fedora wearing schmuck's piss kink. No character is likable or redeemable. I finished it, but at what cost? 2/10 and only because a character shit his pants and I laughed.

Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle: watched this right after Prison School and it was NECESSARY tbh. Its so CUTE and honestly, im not even kidding you, the fucking funniest anime I've seen in months. I watched the dub and the VAs are having the time of their lives working on this anime not just giving it their all but literally just going ham. Its great. If I read this im sure id be bored outta my mind but the VAs giving it a joyous performance make it an insta fave for me tbh. 9/10.

Sk8 the Infinity: i watched the dub with my bro and I can confirm that its a spectacular show because we both loved it and we have vastly different tastes. Incredibly SUSPENSFUL AND STRESSFUL for an anime about skateboarding but we finished it in a single sitting tbh. The last episode is not dubbed for some reason but we still loved it. Like if Free! was less obnoxious but the only fan-service here is Joe ♡ a beefcake who owns my lesbian heart. I think there's exactly one named female character tho and I legit couldn't tell you what it was if there was a gun to my head. So, over all, 9.5/10.

That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime: I'm going to be entirely honest, I went in thinking it was going to be a boring isekai of no value. I was right about the Isekai part. It was honestly pretty interesting and focused on nation building like you're playing civilization rather than the usual "Get Stronger" narrative or "Get Some Pussy" narrative most isekais take which is delightfully refreshing. Granted there are flavors of that in this which means it doesn't alienate the big isekai watchers out there, but it's not the whole dish and it doesn't make me want to cringe the same way others do. You've got a slime MC just vibing and building a nation of monsters nbd. Does lose points for making the female monsters more humanoid than their male counterparts but makes them back by only doing perfunctory fan-service and nothing that makes me want to cry... except the butt sumo episode but in fairness it was all a terrible dream. Literally, the MC refuses to dream anymore after that. solid animation, decent voice acting, decent story, made me realize how HUGE this is in the Light Novel community???? There's like 18 fucking novels and that's WILD. 8.5/10.

MANGA:

Spirit Photographer Saburo Kono: a one shot special by the mangaka of The Promised Neverland! Honestly a really delicate touch of both super creepy and really touching, and I'm not gonna lie I'm bummed that this isn't a bigger project but the single chapter makes it a good taste for their style. I've been wondering if I wanna read/watch The Promised Neverland and now I think I will. 10/10

Deranged Detective Ron Kamonohashi: from the mangaka of Hitman Reborn comes this Sherlock and Watson derivative! Not even 20 chapters out yet with a sort of spotty schedule, I honestly love it even thought it's exactly as you expect. HOWEVER. Kamonohashi the "Sherlock" character uses mental pressure to kill all confirmed murderers and it's up to Toto the "Watson" character to save all those people before Kamonohashi kills them! It's just recently introduced a "Moriarty" family of crime lords (not a big spoiler don't worry it was obvious) so the tension surrounding Ron's past is amping up rn. Personally, I think the art is GORGEOUS, the characters engaging, and the story quick enough to keep my interest. Most mysteries are solved within a chapter or two so you're not stuck 20 chapters into one locked room mystery which is just peachy tbh. RN, 10/10. If this gets an anime, I anticipate a legion of fangirls who ship the two main characters along with their many friends. I've been alive too long to believe otherwise.

Don't Toy with Me, Miss Nagatoro: Yeah I read the manga after I watched the show. A slower build than the anime, but it works for the format, if theyd done the same with the show then I don't think it wouldve done as well. Honestly? Cuter tbh but just as horny. You dont start really LEARNING about your character until like, chap 65 tho and no real "drama" happens until like 75. A good chunk of the chapters are like 8pgs so its a breeze to get through. I love these slow burn idiots of the century. 9.5/10 because you can DEFINITELY tell the mangaka does hentai too.

Yugen's All-Ghouls Homeroom: one-shot by the mangaka for Food Wars, it's no wonder there's this constant perviness from the MC, a guy who can see and exorcise spirits. Takes place at an all girl's finishing school with KICK ASS monsters tbh, kinda bummed its not longer. The MC? Blatant monsterfucker who is also a CONFRIMED monsterfucker???? Idk i vibe with that single emotion. Everything else is hit or miss. 7/10 for monsters and cool concept, lost points for the MC very pointedly being okay with admitting he'd wait for the teenagers to be adults tho. Creepy af. Could live without that.

Hell's Paradise: I finished the entire 127chps in 3 days and I was really enthusiastic about it 90% of the time thinking about how deep it was and then I actually thought about it and I ended up being very neutral about the whole thing tbh. The art is fantastic tho, but DEFINITELY deserving of the M rating. Tits. Tits everywhere. But not tits to be ecchi over, no, monster hermit tits on beautiful women-ish figures. Now generally I give that a pass but a huge theme in the story is that men and women are "no better than one or the other" but like, lady tits are what you see 99% of the time. Men tits are few and far between. I call bullshit on most of the "deep" themes is what I'm saying, so it's like the mangaka was trying for those deep thoughts but missed the margin a little too far for my preference. That being said, the MC is a married man who loves his wife which automatically makes him my favorite character so like... idk so many good things, so many misses, but overall really spectacular themes and imagery. Unique but classic all at once. It's getting an anime and I have NO IDEA how much censorship they're gonna be doing but they're going to be doing SO MUCH. Oh yeah, and one guy is a plant/human hybrid who fucks a 1000 year old plant-hermit which makes him a canon monster fucker. And one canon non-binary character who I, a nonbinary, actually like. So like... gosh I've got mixed feelings. 8.5/10.

Choujin X: From Sui Ishida, mangaka to the mega hit Tokyo Ghoul comes this brand new manga!... Of one chapter, lol. Not really binge-y because it's just the one chapter out right now but I'm already keeping my eye on it. The grasp on anatomy in the art is PHENOMENAL and you can see Ishida flexing his art skill which is great. Can't give a true rating but I'm giving it a tentative 9/10 because I'm excited to see more.

Shag&Scoob: technically not a manga, its an ongoing webcomic I binged an subscribed to in one day and I just think it deserves more attention. Starts off funny with "what if Scooby Doo had a gun" and has been led to "what if all cartoons are aliens that survive and receive their powers by the humans that love them in an epic war with Martians." On god, its good. I finished the current series in a couple hours so it's a breezy read, highly recommend it. 9/10.

To Your Eternity: Yeah I watched the anime and then finished all current 143 chapters in like 3 days. GOD IM WEAK. I don't buy physical manga unless I know I want to remember the story forever and I'm already budgeting for the current books out. Yeah, this is a good series. That being said, definitely not for the faint of heart or those who suffer under common triggers like suicide, molestation, death, etc. It's all framed as bad and necessary to the story don't get me wrong, but it's there and has lasting affects on the characters. Incredible story telling by the creator of A Silent Voice. Keep tissues nearby at all times. 12/10.

[bonafidehero]

You've mentioned some fics recently but haven't made a fic rec list in a long time. Could you give us one... please?

Hey! I sure can! Though I gotta warn you. I’ve mostly been reading daredevil fics recently, but I’m sure I can find some Twilight fics I’ve read since reccing last if that’s why you’re here—I also have some Twilight fics that are WIPS that I’m reading when they’re updated of course.

If anyone is interested in any HMC fics I can rec those in the future, but I don’t have time to go looking for those today.

And up first are two that blew me away most recently.

What They Wouldn’t Do by Ashevillain

“Sarah is a secretary at Orion, a shady company previously owned by Wilson Fisk. When Daredevil begins investigation Orion, Sarah accidentally discovers his true identity, and he’s not pleased. Despite her best efforts to avoid him after figuring out who he is, she quickly finds herself on the receiving end of a Daredevil interrogation in a dark Alley. Post S1, slow burn, Matt/OC.”

Fiction T, Romance/Hurt/Comfort, 42 Ch, 492,295 words, WIP.

(Matt’s pretty horrible in the beginning, a little OOC in my opinion but it’s important to the growth of their characters so just stick with it and I promise they get better. Lol)

The Red Thread by Pastafossa

“It's said that every soul is connected to another by a red thread, and that these two souls are destined to meet. The thread, though it may tangle or stretch, will never break. That's not your experience, lucky or unlucky enough as you are to see the strings that bind people together. A red thread is developed and grown, not born, and you've worked hard to weed out any semblance of crimson that might cling to you. You pay your bills, you keep your head down, and you find whatever lost people or items you're hired to sniff out.

Then the Devil of Hell's Kitchen tags along on a job, and your plan falls apart.

Starts prior to Into the Ring, and loosely follows the canon timeline. There will eventually be smut, so enter at your peril.”

Explicit, Matt/OC/Reader, 49 Ch, 353,019 words, WIP.

(I was pretty hesitant to start this one, since insert/reader fics aren’t usually my cup of tea but I promise it’s worth it. Reader has an amazing backstory and power. There is a hide and seek scene that alone makes this fic worth reading. It was equally exciting and hot. LOL)

Undertow by Edwardskhakipants

“Edward Masen has just been adopted by a young couple with a heart for orphaned teens. When he discovers life as the shiny new toy to the even shiner Cullen family may be worse than life as a faceless nobody, he finds comfort in the oddest place: in the dark eyes of a stranger, as deep and mysterious as the ocean itself. Will he find the solace he had been always searching for in this strange, quiet girl, or will he find something greater than he could ever imagine?”

Gen, romance, Edward/Bella, 13 Ch, 51,667 words, WIP.

(Super sweet story! Bella has a fun secret.)

Murdocks Never Quit by Lluvia185 & Pikkulef

“Instead of being killed, Jack Murdock ends up in a coma and he wakes up almost 20 years later.”

Gen, what-if/angst/family drama, 16 ch, 35,900 words, WIP.

(Really love this concept. Fun to watch Jack get to know his son.)

Devils Kindred by Moonlitdaze

“Iris Murdock is finally returning to Hell's Kitchen, her childhood home, after years away. Unfortunately, the city she left behind is home to memories of her father's murder and a brother who thinks she abandoned him. As she struggles to reconcile past, present, and future, her beloved little brother's own inner devils threaten to steer her life on a new, terrifying course.”

Fiction T, Family/Crime, 91,648 words.

(A really fun idea. I love Iris and Matts relationship. I read this a while ago so I can’t really remember any specifics I really liked… I just know I liked it. Lol There are more fics in the series: Devil’s Penance and Devil’s Alliance, that ones still a WIP. )

Vagary Hop by Brandywine421

"Is it true you show your face to kids so they don't get scared?" Sister Maggie asked, conversationally, but not really. Matt knew her well enough by now to tell the difference.

"Oh. A few times, yeah. If they're really scared already, I don't like making it worse. Why?"

"No reason," she lied, steering him for another circuit around the block. Longer coffee break initiated. "Just curious."

(Read this a while ago, can’t remember anything specific but I always love a Maggie and Matt fic)

A Body of Water and Bones by Littlest Cactus

‘"It was a good distinction to make. I wasn't Bella, but for the time being, I could be Isabella." Because time marches on and waking up as Bella Swan is unfortunate, but it's not the end of the world. Only the end of her's. [SI-OC]’

Romance/Drama, Edward/OC, 92,700 words, WIP.

(One of those “OC wakes up in the Twilight universes.” I always get excited when this is updated.)

Some one shots:

Lazarus Open His Eyes by BrownieFox

“Jack Murdocks wakes up in a coffin, six-feet under, very much alive.”

(Do you like torture? Read this! It’s a super fun idea and great start to what could be a fun multi-chap story but it looks like this is all the author plans to do for it. Can you tell this is a trope I love?)

Penny and Dime by Gremlinny

“"You take down druglords and do parkour, Red, but you're tellin me you can't cook?"

"Jeez, why don't you find me a measuring cup that's ADA compliant?"

OR

Frank is helpful and Matt is kinda drunk”

(God, I just really loved this one because I love soft!frank, okay?)

Carry You, Sustain You, Rescue You by Beguile

“Matt's in the hospital; Jessica is called in to babysit.”

(It’s got Jess in it… what more could you want?)

These are just some honorable mentions—authors who I generally like all of their fics and can’t rec all the ones I like because then we’d be here all day. Lol

ScreechTheMighty

Tryptorphan

Pixelbypixel

That’s all I have time for today, friend, hopefully there was something in there to tickle your fancy!

[thesaltofcarthage]

Loki takes over: Tom Hiddleston on his new TV series and a decade in the MCU

from Entertainment Weekly

Ten years after Hiddleston first chose chaos in Thor, Marvel’s fan favorite God of Mischief is going even bigger with his time-bending Disney+ show.

By Chancellor Agard May 20, 2021 

Tom Hiddleston is Loki, and he is burdened with glorious purpose: After playing Thor's puckish brother for over a decade in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, no one understands the mercurial Asgardian God of Mischief as well as the actor. He can teach an entire seminar on Loki if given the opportunity — which he actually did during pre-production on his forthcoming Disney+ show. In conversation, Hiddleston quotes lines from his MCU debut, 2011's Thor, almost verbatim, and will playfully correct you if you mistakenly refer to Asgard's Rainbow Bridge as the Bifrost, which is the portal that connects Loki and Thor's homeworld to the Nine Realms, including Midgard, a.k.a. Earth. "Well, the Bifrost technically is the energy that runs through the bridge," he says with a smile. "But nine points to Gryffindor!" And when he shows up to the photo shoot for this very digital cover, he hops on a call with our photo editor to pitch ways the concept could be even more Loki, like incorporating the flourish the trickster does whenever magically conjuring something. The lasting impression is that playing Loki isn't just a paycheck.

"Rather than ownership, it's a sense of responsibility I feel to give my best every time and do the best I can because I feel so grateful to be a part of what Marvel Studios has created," the 40-year-old Brit tells EW over Zoom a few days after the shoot and a week out from Thor's 10th anniversary. "I just want to make sure I've honored that responsibility with the best that I can give and the most care and thought and energy."

After appearing in three Thor movies and three Avengers, Hiddleston is bringing that passion to his first solo Marvel project, Loki, the House of Ideas' third Disney+ series following the sitcom pastiche WandaVision and the topical The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Led by head writer Michael Waldron (Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Heels), the six-episode drama sees Hiddleston's shapeshifting agent of chaos step out from behind his brother's shadow and into the spotlight for a timey-wimey, sci-fi adventure that aims to get to the bottom of who Loki really is. "I wanted to explore slightly more complex character questions," says Waldron. "It's not just good versus bad. Is anybody all good? Is anybody all bad? What makes a hero, a hero? A villain, a villain?"  

Even though Loki — who loves sowing mayhem with his illusion magic and shapeshifting, all with a major chip on his shoulder — has never been one for introspection, the idea of building an entire show around him was a no-brainer for Marvel. When asked why Loki was one of the studio's first Disney+ shows, Marvel president Kevin Feige replies matter-of-factly, "More Hiddleston, more Loki." First introduced as Thor's (Chris Hemsworth) envious brother in Kenneth Branagh's Thor, Loki went full Big Bad in 2012's The Avengers. That film cemented the impish rogue as one of the shared universe's fan favorites, thanks to Hiddleston's ability to make him deliciously villainous yet charismatic and, most importantly, empathetic. The character's popularity is one of the reasons he's managed to avoid death many times.

"He's been around for thousands of years. He had all sorts of adventures," says Feige. "Wanting to fill in the blanks and see much more of Loki's story [was] the initial desire [for the series]."

The Loki we meet on the show is not the one who fought the Avengers in 2012 and evolved into an antihero in Thor: The Dark World and Thor: Ragnarok before meeting his demise at the hands of the mad titan Thanos (Josh Brolin) in 2018's Avengers: Infinity War. Instead, we'll be following a Loki from a branched timeline (a variant, if you will) after he stole the Tesseract following his thwarted New York invasion and escaped S.H.I.E.L.D. custody during the time heist featured in Avengers: Endgame. In other words, this Loki hasn't gone through any sort of redemption arc. He's still the charming yet petulant god who firmly believes he's destined to rule and has never gotten his due.

Premiering June 9, Loki begins with the Time Variance Authority — a bureaucratic organization tasked with safeguarding the proper flow of time — arresting the Loki Variant seen in Endgame because they want his help fixing all of the timeline problems he caused while on the run with the Tesseract. So there will be time travel, and a lot more of it than in Endgame. As Loki makes his way through his own procedural, he'll match wits with new characters including Owen Wilson's Agent Mobius, a brilliant TVA analyst, and Gugu Mbatha-Raw's Judge Renslayer. The question in early episodes is whether Loki will help them or take over.

"One of the things Kevin Feige led on was, 'I think we should find a way of exploring the parts of Loki that are independent of his relationship with Thor,' or see him in a duality or in relationship with others, which I thought was very exciting," says Hiddleston, who also serves as an executive producer on the show. "So the Odinson saga, that trilogy of films, still has its integrity, and we don't have to reopen it and retell it."

Yet, in order to understand where Loki is going, it's important to see where he came from.

Hiddleston can't believe how long he and Loki have been connected. "I've been playing this character for 11 years," he says. "Which is the first time I have said that sentence, I realize, and it [blows] my mind. I don't know what percentage that is exactly of my 40 years of being alive, but it's substantial."

His time as Loki actually goes a bit further back, to 2009 — a year after Robert Downey Jr. big banged the MCU into existence with Iron Man — when he auditioned for Thor. It's no secret that Hiddleston initially went in for the role of the titular God of Thunder, but Feige and director Kenneth Branagh thought his natural charm and flexibility as an actor made him better suited for the movie's damaged antagonist. "Tom gave you an impression that he could be ready for anything, performance-wise," says Branagh, who had previously worked with him on a West End revival of Checkov's Ivanov and the BBC series Wallander. "Tom has a wild imagination, so does Loki. He's got a mischievous sense of humor and he was ready to play. It felt like he had a star personality, but he was a team player."

Hiddleston fully immersed himself in the character. Outside of studying Loki's history in the Marvel Comics, he also researched how Loki and the Trickster God archetype appeared across mythology and different cultures. "He understood that he was already in something special [and] it was a special character in a special part of that early moment in the life of the Marvel universe where [he] also needed to step up in other ways," says Branagh, who was impressed by the emotional depth Hiddleston brought to the part, especially when it came to how isolated Loki felt in the Asgardian royal family.  

There was a lot riding on that first Thor feature. For one, no one knew if audiences would immediately latch onto a Shakespearean superhero movie partially set on an alien planet populated by the Norse Gods of legend. Second, it was integral to Feige's plans for the shared universe. Loki was supposed to be the main villain in The Avengers, which would not only mirror how Earth's mightiest heroes joined forces in 1963's Avengers #1 but also give Thor a believable reason for teaming up with Iron Man, Captain America (Chris Evans), and the rest of the capes. Feige first clued Hiddleston into those larger plans when the actor was in L.A. before Thor started shooting.

"I was like, 'Excuse me?' Because he was already three, four steps ahead," says Hiddleston. "That took me a few minutes to process, because I didn't quite realize how it just suddenly had a scope. And being cast as Loki, I realized, was a very significant moment for me in my life, and was going to remain. The creative journey was going to be so exciting."

Hiddleston relished the opportunity to go full villain in Avengers, like in the scene where Loki ordered a crowd to kneel before him outside a German opera house: "It's the unspoken truth of humanity, that you crave subjugation," says the Machiavellian god. "The bright lure of freedom diminishes your life's joy in a mad scramble for power, for identity. You were made to be ruled. In the end, you will always kneel."

"I just knew that in the structure of that film, I had to lean into his role as a pure antagonist," Hiddleston recalls. "What I always found curious and complex about the way Loki is written in Avengers, is that his status as an antagonist comes from the same well of not belonging and being marginalized and isolated in the first Thor film. Loki now knows he has no place in Asgard."

Loki did find a place within the audience's hearts, though. Feige was "all in" on Hiddleston as his Loki from the beginning, but even he couldn't predict how much fans would love him. Feige recalls the reaction at the 2013 San Diego Comic-Con: "Did we know that after he was the villain in two movies, he would be bringing thousands of people to their feet in Hall H, in costume, chanting his name? No, that was above and beyond the plan that we were hoping for and dreaming of." It was a dream Feige first got an inkling of a year earlier during the Avengers press tour when a Russian fan slipped past security, snuck into Mark Ruffalo's car, and asked the Hulk actor to give Hiddleston a piece of fan art she created. "That was one of the early signs there was much more happening with this quote-unquote villain."  

Despite that popularity, the plan was to kill Loki off in 2013's Thor: The Dark World, but the studio reversed course after test audiences refused to believe he actually died fighting the Dark Elves. Alas, he couldn't out-illusion death forever. After returning in Taika Waititi's colorful and idiosyncratic Thor: Ragnarok, Hiddleston's character perished for real in the opening moments of Infinity War. In typical Loki fashion, before Thanos crushed his windpipe, he delivered a defiant speech that indicated he'd finally made peace with the anger he felt toward his family.  

"It felt very, very final, and I thought, 'Okay, that's it. This is Loki's final bow and a conclusive end to the Odinson saga,'" says Hiddleston, who shot that well-earned death scene in 2017.  

But, though he didn't know it yet, the actor's MCU story was far from over.

When Hiddleston returned to film two scenes in Avengers: Endgame in 2017, he had no idea where Loki portaled off to after snatching the Tesseract. "Where'd he go? When does he go? How does he get there? These are all questions I remember asking on the day, and then not being given any answers," Hiddleston recalls. To be fair, it's likely the Powers That Be didn't necessarily have answers then. While Feige can't exactly recall when the writers' room for Endgame first devised Loki's escape sequence, he does know that setting up a future show wasn't the primary goal — because a Loki series wasn't on the horizon just yet.

"[That scene] was really more of a wrinkle so that one of the missions that the Avengers went on in Endgame could get screwed up and not go well, which is what required Cap and Tony to go further back in time to the '70s," says Feige. Soon after that, though, former Disney CEO Bob Iger approached Feige about producing content for the studio's forthcoming streaming service. "I think the notion that we had left this hanging loose end with Loki gave us the in for what a Loki series could be. So by the time [Endgame] came out, we did know where it was going."

As for Hiddleston, he didn't find out about the plans for a Loki show until spring 2018, a few weeks before Infinity War hit theaters. "I probably should not have been surprised, but I was," says the actor. "But only because Infinity War had felt so final."

Nevertheless, Hiddleston was excited about returning for his show. He was eager to explore Loki's powers, especially the shapeshifting, and what it meant that this disruptive figure still managed to find a seat beside the gods in mythology. "I love this idea [of] Loki's chaotic energy somehow being something we need. Even though, for all sorts of reasons, you don't know whether you can trust him. You don't know whether he's going to betray you. You don't why he's doing what he's doing," says Hiddleston. "If he's shapeshifting so often, does he even know who he is? And is he even interested in understanding who he is? Underneath all those masks, underneath the charm and the wit, which is kind of a defense anyway, does Loki have an authentic self? Is he introspective enough or brave enough to find out? I think all of those ideas are all in the series — ideas about identity, ideas about self-knowledge, self-acceptance, and the difficulty of it."

“The series will explore Loki's powers in a way they have not yet been explored, which is very, very exciting.”

The thing that truly sold Hiddleston on the show was Marvel's decision to include the Time Variance Authority, a move he describes as "the best idea that anybody had pertaining to the series." Feige and Loki executive producer Stephen Broussard had hoped to find a place for the TVA — an organization that debuted in 1986's Thor #372 and has appeared in She-Hulk and Fantastic Four stories — in the MCU for years, but the right opportunity never presented itself until Loki came along. "Putting Loki into his own procedural series became the eureka moment for the show," says Feige.  

The TVA's perspective on time and reality also tied into the themes that Waldron, Loki's head writer, was hoping to explore. "Loki is a character that's always reckoning with his own identity, and the TVA, by virtue of what they do, is uniquely suited to hold up a mirror to Loki and make him really confront who he is and who he was supposed to be," says Waldron. Hiddleston adds: "[That] was very exciting because in the other films, there was always something about Loki that was very controlled. He seemed to know exactly what the cards in his hand were and how he was going to play them…. And Loki versus the TVA is Loki out of control immediately, and in an environment in which he's completely behind the pace, out of his comfort zone, destabilized, and acting out."

To truly dig into who Loki is, the creative team had to learn from the man who knows him best: Hiddleston. "I got him to do a thing called Loki School when we first started," says director Kate Herron. "I asked him to basically talk through his 10 years of the MCU — from costumes to stunts, to emotionally how he felt in each movie. It was fantastic."

Hiddleston got something out of the Loki school, too. Owen Wilson both attended the class and interviewed Hiddleston afterward so that he could better understand Loki, as his character Mobius is supposed to be an expert on him. During their conversation, Wilson pointedly asked Hiddleston what he loved about playing the character.

"And I said, 'I think it's because he has so much range,'" says Hiddleston. "I remember saying this to him: 'On the 88 keys on the piano, he can play the twinkly light keys at the top. He can keep it witty and light, and he's the God of Mischief, but he can also go down to the other side and play the heavy keys. And he can play some really profound chords down there, which are about grief and betrayal and loss and heartbreak and jealousy and pride.'" Hiddleston recalls Wilson being moved by the description: "He said, 'I think I might say that in the show.' And it was such a brilliant insight for me into how open Owen is as an artist and a performer.'"

Everyone involved is particularly excited for audiences to see Hiddleston and Wilson's on-screen chemistry. "Mobius is not unlike Owen Wilson in that he's sort of nonplussed by the MCU," says Feige. "[Loki] is used to getting a reaction out of people, whether it's his brother or his father, or the other Avengers. He likes to be very flamboyant and theatrical. Mobius doesn't give him the reaction he's looking for. That leads to a very unique relationship that Loki's not used to."

As for the rest of the series, we know that Loki will be jumping around time and reality, but the creative team isn't keen on revealing when and where. "Every episode, we tried to take inspiration from different things," says Waldron, citing Blade Runner's noir aesthetic as one example.

"Part of the fun of the multiverse and playing with time is seeing other versions of characters, and other versions of the titular character in particular," says Feige, who also declined to confirm if Loki ties into Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and/or other upcoming projects.

Making Loki was especially meaningful to Hiddleston because they shot most of it during the pandemic, in late 2020. "It will remain one of the absolute most intense, most rewarding experiences of my life," he says. "It's a series about time, and the value of time, and what time is worth, and I suppose what the experience of being alive is worth. And I don't quite know yet, and maybe I don't have perspective on it, if all the thinking and the reflecting that we did during the lockdown ended up in the series. But in some way, it must have because everything we make is a snapshot of where we were in our lives at that time."

While it remains to be seen what the future holds for Loki beyond this initial season, Hiddleston isn't preparing to put the character to bed yet. "I'm open to everything," he says. "I have said goodbye to the character. I've said hello to the character. I said goodbye to the character [again]. I've learned not to make assumptions, I suppose. I'm just grateful that I'm still here, and there are still new roads to explore."

Additional reporting by Jessica Derschowitz

[discoveringmiraculouswriters]

@tsuki-chibi​ / SailorChibi(AO3)

Ok, so after several months of radio silence, it was time for me to come back to work and post one of my “fic of the month”, but since I literally read everything Miraculous Ladybug written by Sailor/TsukiChibi, I decided to make an author special. This is my first one; the template may change with time.

As I’m writing this, Chibi has 76 works on her AO3 for the Miraculous Ladybug fandom. She has also many fics related to the MCU, Sherlock TV series and Supernatural. Kudos for so much inspiration!

Warning: Long post ahead!

Her fics are ALL worth reading, but here are some of my favorites:

Duststorm: Words:2960 - Chapters:1/1 Summary: Sandboy shows Ladybug one of her worst nightmares. It affects Ladybug far more than she would've expected, and Chat Noir is doing no better.

What I liked: The emotional comfort, The way Ladybug’s resolution to keep their identities secret is just thrown through the window

Black and White and Red All Over: Words:5222 - Chapters:1/1 Summary: Ladybug didn't know that Chat Noir had a sibling. She finds out in the worst way possible.

What I liked: Chat Noir not being Chat Blanc, Adrien having a sibling, Bridgette’s cameo, an akuma with enough control to team up with Ladybug

Shared Characteristics: Words:2895 - Chapters:1/1 Summary :Out of all the things Nino and Alya could've inherited from their kwamis, it would be a heat.

What I liked: DJWifi and the fun factor, really. Imagining them in heat and how they deal with it is just hilarious.

Miraculous Online:  Words:2619 - Chapters:1/1 Summary: What do you do when you're freed after having been trapped inside of an online game for over two years? Adrien finds his partner.

What I liked: It made me watch Sword Art Online and, re-reading it after, I could even more appreciate the fic!

Tripped at Fencing:  Words:5326 - Chapters:1/1 Summary: Of the all the ways for Ladybug to figure out his identity, Adrien never thought it would be because his father had slapped him.

What I liked: The hurt to comfort and Gabriel A+ parenting. Seriously, this is a sweet fic where you just want to give Adrien a hug or adopt him.

Kitten-ing Around: Words:959 - Chapters:1/1 Summary: Chat had a bad habit of making too many puns. Ladybug had a bad habit of pushing him off rooftops. Technically, that meant they were both to blame.

What I liked: the easy reveal. There’s no drama, no fight, just kids kitten-ing around and messing up their secret identities.

Miraculous Hive (series):  Works:5 - Complete: No Summary:  Following Chameleon, Chloe figures out who Ladybug and Chat Noir. Her bee instincts then set off a chain of events that change everything.

What I liked: Chloe POV (I haven’t read a lot of fics written from another POV outside of Adrien’s and Marinette’s) and Chloe’s redemption. I’m pro Chloe’s redemption. She’s just a kid who does what she does because of the way she has been brought to see the world (contrarily to Lila who’s genuinely bad imo)

And I’d give up Forever: Words:26829 - Chapters:13/13 Summary: Marinette and Adrien were hiding out in a motel room. Paris knew they were Ladybug and Chat Noir and hated them, and they in turn knew that Gabriel was Hawkmoth. This is one situation that they can't fix alone.

What I liked: I actually dreaded to read this one. I was trying to avoid angsty fics, but the summary about “Paris hating them” made me think they hated them for, idk, being bad at what they do. I was relieved when I understood this was caused by an akuma. The hurt to comfort, the fight against Hakwmoth and how Marinette and Adrien end up so attached to each other made me love this fic.

The Butterfly Effect:  Words:22632 - Chapters:8/8 Summary: When Hawkmoth wins and wishes for a new timeline where Emilie Agreste is alive, Marinette and Adrien are the only other ones who remember everything about the old timeline. But Ladybug and Chat Noir don't know each other's identities, and coming together to beat Hawkmoth once and for all may not be as easy as it seems.

What I liked: Adrien seeing his mother again (and finally having the chance to say properly goodbye to her), Marinette’s proof of love for Adrien by giving him the chance to keep his mother, and when Marinette and Adrien find each other. Reading Adrien snapping at his overworked life was nice too :) He needs vacations...

Guess Who:  Words:13142 - Chapters:31/31 Summary: Marinette thought a Halloween party with her friends would be fun. That was before someone died. In this choose your own ending story, can you help Marinette make it to the end alive? Reader beware... you’re in for a scare!

What I liked: Where do I actually start?! This fic is a crack and is so fun to read. It’s in the format “Choose Your Own Adventure”. I read it on my phone, set on “Chapter by Chapter” and the links from a chapter to another makes it like a RPG. I was reading it during my breaks at work and just couldn’t stop thinking about it, about who was guilty. I actually guessed right and couldn’t stop laughing.

Fruitful (series):  Works:3 - Complete: Yes Summary:  Adrien and Marinette are telepathic soulmates. That’s not always a good thing, but neither of them would give up their deep bond for anything.

What I liked: I love soulmate AUs, Marinette being there for Adrien when he’s alone, how losing the other affects them, Chloe playing the game for their sake

By my Side (When the Rain Comes Pouring in): Words:81938 - Chapters:28/28 Summary: Two years after Marinette got her miraculous, she meets Adrien Agreste for the first time. In spite of an initial gum-related bump in the road, they become fast friends thanks to their shared interest in fashion and design. But there's something funny about Adrien. He seems to suffer from terminal clumsiness just like Marinette, frequently sporting sprained wrists and ankles, new bruises, and other injuries. Injuries which look suspiciously similar to the ones that Ladybug's beloved partner has...

What I liked: Adrien’s heartbreaking situation at home, Hawkmoth’s reveal, Marinette and Plagg’s complicity

Honorable mentions:

Lovesquare Ficlet Collection 2019 (Works:8 - Complete: Yes) and Lovesquare 2019 Ficlet Expansions (Works:5 - Complete: No)

2020 Lovesquare Prompt Months (Works:7 - Complete: No)

aro-ace Valentine fics (Works:17 - Complete: No)

Cat in the Night (Words:1926 - Chapters:1/1 )

Lap Pillow:  (Words:1496 - Chapters:1/1)

Trolling Alya:  (Words:14502 - Chapters:12/12)  

Arctique: (Words:19714 - Chapters:9/9)

With that, I’m done! 

Thank you so much Chibi for all the work you’ve done and for all fluff and comfort you put in your fics! 

Please read, share and leave kudos on her works!

-----

If you know ML writers you’d like to shout out, or are a ML writer yourself, please contact me!! @clawsout83​

[icharchivist]

Perhaps random but I think it would have been neat if the kid survived and Siegfried had to figure out how to be the main parental figure to a newly orphaned child (and the kid having found family with all the Knights and chickadees)

oH i lOVe the idea actually????

ok actually this. this inspired me a lot so, under the cut some thoughts about it.

Like, especially with the guilt... I think the thing with SIEGFRIED event is that since everyone was dead, he couldn't let the guilt weight on him and he had to move on yaknow? but seeing that Gunther was alive brought all the guilt back.

so i feel like if Licht had survived, Siegfried probably would have to wrestle even more with his guilt. There's also the fact that it means that right after his parents got brutally murdered, Siegfried would have taken Licht on the battlefield to finish it up, protecting the kid... could even see perhaps putting him in Vane's care (since he was the one who didn't have a responsibility to fight and Siegfried already trusted him at that point) for the end of the battle.

Meaning, that the Knights would have probably set themselves as close to Licht as early as that point. Lancelot and Percival would ask questions to Siegfried, which would be painful to answer about, but all of them would probably immediately have involved themselves with Licht to lighten up the burden on their captain's shoulders.

And Siegfried would have done as much as possible for that kid. Making sure he grew up well. With also the constant crisis of "i don't know how to raise a CHILD i grew up in the WILDs", and at this point he wasn't close enough from the Knights to really just, turn to them.

But i could see especially the vice captains notice his turmoil even if Siegfried isn't ready to tell them he doesn't know what he's doing, and both would start to involve themselves, pick up the little details Siegfried let through showing he's in distress and would work with it.

i'm not making a tangente i refuse but the idea of Percival knowing that this kid basically had his mother bleed out next to him because of a rebel civil war he was next to?? great now he worked his way from triggered to dotting uncle thank you very much for your time

to make it fair with the other two: Lancelot would also try to help out as much as possible and honestly i feel like Vane would have been around much more because Lancelot would talk about Licht to him in their downtime and i can see Vane force his way in in the captain's office because he made cookies and he thinks the kid needs it. (and well honestly with the fact Vane's parents ALSO died in front of him, he'd probably also be extremely dotting on top of his usual "good with kids" attitude)

Lancelot is the only one i don't have a clear idea of what he'd do as a babysitter type tbh (he’d give the kid a blade and probably propose to train him i think, to let out his feelings, which... works but probably would have to happen slowly, like. in a few months.) but i think out of the 3 he'd probably be the one especially seeking to know Siegfried's feelings and how he's holding up.

And i think Siegfried would probably open up earlier to them, and learn from them as he can, while also seeking guidance with King Josef and reading up a lot of books about it.

I also think there will be a conversation with Josef about how Siegfried mentioned that he expected he'd die any day so he didn't use to build a future, right? I think this is the sort of things that it's something Siegfried would reflect on again with Josef having Licht around, because now it is becoming clear to Siegfried that his life isn't just his own to live and die for now, but that he can't afford to die and let this kid alone again.

There's also the fact that i think Siegfried lives in the castle? as Josef's bodyguard, it's more handy, it's not like he has a house from his before-knights time and i don't really see him getting a special house when he can carry his duty in the castle. So it would be also a question of adjusting for a life for Licht in the castle as well, one that i can see Josef accept. Otherwise, Siegfried could wonder if it wouldn't be better for the kid to grow up in an actual house and probably plan moving out (which could set up a lot of guilt for later when Josef died)

But also there's the question of leaving Licht alone. because in the trauma of watching his parents die in front of him, i think Licht would also have a period of coping that would be difficult to adjust for. Even with Siegfried's best attempt to learn how to raise a child, nothing is really preparing him as how to raise a child with trauma. And i think that would be more complicated while Siegfried would also grow extremely dotting and probably hyperalert to the kid's reactions.

And Mainly i feel like in the first few months it would be difficult to leave Licht completely alone, so Siegfried would delegate as many missions he can to the vice captain in the first few months in order to stay with Licht. Eventually when Licht would have got used to the knights Siegfried would trust, there will be a rotation of taking care of him.

But i also wonder if keeping the child in the barracks is a good idea, i think the child should avoid places where fighting happens a lot in the first few months at least, lest it triggers him again.

So there would be a delicate situation to deal with in that specific period.

Overall though while it would be clumsy, Siegfried would learn how to help as much as possible. I don't think Licht would especially think that Sieg could have done anything to stop the drama from happening, but also we don't know Licht's personality at all so it's free game. Licht could initially had held a grudge against Sieg that Sieg would have to work with as well while he's helping Licht heal... so i feel like the kid would be really non verbal and sometimes a bit rebellious against Sieg early on, as a coping mechanism, until the two of them manage to communicate more. On the long run, Licht would no longer have any grudge and come to accept Sieg as a father figure.

I think eventually i could see Licht grow to want to be a knight as well, like his father and his new father were. Perhaps also in the hopes to not have the sort of things that happened to his family happen again.

NOW the other problem however lies in the fact that there's the whole "Siegfried being framed for the murder of King Josef" incident where Siegfried had to disappear on the run.

imo it's implied Sieg didn't have the time to adjust around that, since he was found on top of the corpse and had to run away immediately.

and it raises the question of what would have happened with Licht in that meantime.

So also for starter i think it would have added guilt on Sieg's conscious to think that maybe, if he didn't have to focus as much on Licht, he could have been there for the King... I mean WE know that wouldn't have changed anything, but Sieg doesn't.

Then, there's the fact Sieg really would have difficulties coming back for Licht. I'm sure people would already have told the kid of his crime, or would watch the kid closely in the hope to catch Sieg. As a result, Siegfried probably could not approach Licht at all.

if he could have, would have he taken Licht along with him on his exile...? Mhmm. I think if Licht came to find him on his own, perhaps, with a lot of protest from Sieg about making the kid a criminal with him, if Licht manages to follow his tracks.

Else if not... I could see Licht staying in the castle for a while. Percival would be gone but Vane and Lancelot would still both visit the kid i think. Both would still be aching from Sieg's betrayal but they are both mature enough to not project it on the kid after all. But both also do believe in Sieg's guilt so i feel like it would be tricky.

Like i think Licht may hold on to thinking Sieg was framed, but it would be difficult to make it through Lancelot and Vane. Lancelot was extremely stubborn on this topic and i feel like Lancelot would avoid the topic at all cost and perhaps even leave the room when it's brought up. He wouldn't want to be rude to the kid, maybe he'd lie with a smile that perhaps so, but i feel like this is the one topic he would have been able to budge from, even with Licht insisting.

So Vane would be the one trying to ease the situation with Licht, listening to him, saying that he wants to believe Sieg didn't do that either... everything is against Sieg though and he can't ignore that. But he wants to believe he's wrong.

And i think Vane's position especially, as he's not sure, would be really helpful for Licht because else everyone else would probably try to drive in his mind that Sieg is the worst and all.

I could especially see Isabella usually ignoring the kid as something that's none of her concerns, until she starts to realize what a threat he can be by thinking Sieg is innocent and talking about it loudly, or what a tool he could be against Siegfried if she plays her cards right. Thus i could see her try to manipulate Licht, drill in his head that after all, he let his parents to die, why is that surprising that he'd kill the king?

It'd be a lot for the kid to deal with, but i'd like to think that even if he became unsure, he'd stand by Siegfried. If only because, as his Dad:tm: Sieg would have talked to him about how close he was to Josef so this wouldn't add up.

In those years growing, if apart, Licht would focus even more to learn how to fight in order to find Siegfried again and get his answers.

Since Gunther and Siegfried both were knights i'm sure he would be taken into the order without problem, in a pre-Lancelot-allowing-everyone-in era of the Order. As an apprentice of course because he's still young in that timeline, but he'd work it out.

by the time of Defender's Oath, i'd picture Licht, hearing about Sieg having been seen, starting to insist to Lancelot to be let to join the patrols with them. Lancelot would probably refuse... and I think Licht would have learnt very well from Siegfried for the little time they spent together to completely disobey that order and start to tally them. He'd get his answers no matter what.

I can see Defender's Oath happening the same way, without Licht meeting with Siegfried until the end of the story, or him meeting him halfway through and learning the truth from Sieg and being relaxed. He knew it! He always believed in him he knew it!

After those events though mhmmm i don't think Siefried would like to leave the kid alone again but he did have a problem where he felt he didn't belong in the country anymore, which is why he joined the crew. I think he would have a hard time just staying in the country and would probably ask Licht if he wants to come with him. And i think we can have it in a way where Licht wants to continue his training as a knight, but also come to join the crew and visit once in a while to stay with Siegfried.

When the chickadee's crew get formed, i think Licht would be about their age wouldn't he? I think he'll probably join this special group, and kind of be the senpai of them all since he has good relationships with the knights.

I could see him not saying outright that he's linked to Siegfried: probably reminders of the time Siegfried was a parriah and Licht would have not disclosed that he was his adoptive son to try to keep a low profile. The moment the kids learn it though? especially Arthur and Mordred? Man the starry eyes are real! they'd be asking about it all the time!

Overall growing up i feel like Licht would stay more with the order than with Siegfried, in the hope to grow up as a good knight, someone who can protect others and all of that, focusing more on himself than on his family

but he'd always be grateful and loving to Siegfried and Siegfried would still be a dotting father. I can see Sieg bringing back so many things to Licht from his travels, like he does to MC in his birthday lines, especially good luck charms. They'd be really right.

And if Gunther reappears like in the event, it would be under the assumption he believes Licht died that day. Licht probably wouldn't get involved with the story of that event until the moment Siegfried goes missing, in which he starts to insist with the knights that he wants to join the mission. But hearing his own father is alive and is responsible for all of this? Would make it so conflucting for the kid to deal with.

I could see Licht staying restless but going with the Chickadee on their missions to find the alma, and come back in time to see Gunther basically torture and mind control Siegfried into a beast. I think it would cement him on Siegfried's side no matter what Gunther would say, and when he appears on the battlefield, would probably confront Gunther himself.

and there i feel like the events would be a little different as Gunther have to face the fact not only his kid is alive, but he disapproves of his actions, and refuse to believe in the guilt Gunther puts on Siegfried.

but ultimately i think Gunther would still be stubborn on his end... Unless?

that's about where i'm running out of imagination here ahah but hooooly shit 2k words on all of this.

I think it'd be interesting to see Siegfried grow to be a dad and see how Licht would grow as well. I think there's a lot of room for it to happen smoothly.

that was fun to think about at least! thanks for the ask nonny :3c

[bombshellsandbluebells]

B*b may want me to forget it but Bellamy actually hardly knew Clarke. A few months before he spent YEARS in space with his family. Then to return to her and spend a few more weeks (max) in her company on and off where half the time they didn’t seem to particularly get on. Sure there were some moments that could be seen as romantic if you’re into them but where is this epic love story? He had more of an epic love with Murphy if we’re being truly honest.

Sorry totally meant to answer this ages ago when the drama actually came out haha.

I strongly agree. I think there’s a big disconnect between what fans seem to think of relationships in the show - what they want and then support in headcanons, fic, fanon-interpreted meta - and what the show ACTUALLY shows us. This doesn’t JUST happen for Bellarke (like....the delinquents as a whole group really were not a group or a found family for all that long compared to the show’s whole run) but it does happen THE MOST or at least the most strongly with Bellarke it seems.

I’ve referred to Bellamy and Clarke was work husband and wife in the past. Like they know each other in a professional kind of way in that in the first few seasons they’re co-leaders trying to keep the 100 alive and clashing before finally coming to work together. 

But they never TRULY seem to know each other on a personal level. Like, they don’t ever really even feel like friends to me. They don’t know who each other are outside of war and fighting. Does Clarke even know Bellamy’s mother’s name? Or that he’s a history geek? Does Bellamy know anything about Clarke’s father or her hobbies and interests outside of pulling levers and drawing?

When you look at the actual timelines of the show, Bellamy and Clarke BARELY know each other. And the brief time they did know each other was very characterized by the fact that they were trying to survive and fighting in wars. Which is why even though I buy that Bellamy had a thing for Clarke in early seasons, it’s very hard for me to believe that he would still be mooning after her after being separated for 6 years.

I can believe he’d be shocked and relieved to know she’s alive because it means he DIDN’T leave her to die. But this is a woman he barely knew for a couple of months, mostly fought with and disagreed with during that time, and then was separated for 6 years, which is a long time for them BOTH to grow into different people.

And yes I agree. There ARE moments that feel romantic between them. There’s a couple where I can see that reading. But OVERALL there is no great love story between them. A few moments do not make a good romance arc. And it’s never enough for me to buy that these two people actually know or care about each other all that much.

[askdespairnagito]

ooc: why i stopped using this blog

(( i recently saw a close friend of mine (@ultimate-waifu-bait) mention this blog, only to have a few discussions ensue about the effect that its disappearance had on the community. and honestly, as much as i'm flattered that anyone would think i had that much influence, you give me too much credit while also inadvertently blaming me for a lot of the problems i still struggle with on my existing, active blogs. i'll try to keep this short and sweet, so here we go. ))

(( in truth, many of zetsuko's important relationships dissolved. one of them due to a personal conflict that i, to this day, don't completely understand and won't discuss with anyone who wasn't involved. another was haru. i think everyone is aware that the relationship between haru and zet had been building for a while, and while that was not something i initially had planned for the blog, i liked the way it was developing, and i got to know the mod of that blog and we agreed to feel it out and go for it. i built my next major event on those two relationships. both of them disappeared over the next few months, making it pretty much impossible to go forward with the event without the end result being a pretty sure death for zet. i tried to push through it anyway without the assistance of the people who were supposed to be involved, but it fell flat. i disliked it a lot, nobody took any interest in it, it was rushed and unexciting, and it was extremely discouraging. ))

(( at that point, the community had already been struggling. i say this because someone attributed the "death" of the community-- which is alive but trying desperately to get people to participate again may i add-- to my blog going inactive. that timeline is wrong. the community had already started to go inactive, which was part of the reason running this blog was so discouraging. with no relationships and no anons sending asks, it was impossible to be active. i would've had to make update post after update post, every single day, in order to even keep him alive, which at that point didn't seem worth it. ))

(( now moving on to the primary reason. i stopped liking him. when i started his blog, i had an idea of how i wanted his character to progress, and there's been a lot of adjustment over time, but the more certain relationships pulled him one way or another, the more i disliked the direction he was being taken. quite honestly, the moment the first seance occurred, it was the beginning of the end, though i had no idea at the time. his blog was around for so, so long after that, but at that point he was dragged away from the more grounded-if-absurd world of danganronpa toward the supernatural, a world he doesn't fit in or operate out of. he doesn't have powers, unless you count his luck, and that's no match for angels and demons and ghosts and all of the other forces he had to interact with. and i enjoyed the people i interacted with, but i didn't enjoy the story i was creating. by the time i stopped using this blog, he was hardly recognizable to me. i tried, in a last stitch attempt, to reset him and take him back to a more familiar place, but i realized that even then he wasn't familiar anymore-- i'd moved so far past where he started and so far away from what i wanted him to be that being him was almost jarring and uncomfortable. combined with the lack of interest from anons and the lack of impactful relationships to motivate me to care about him, especially the dissolution of two primary relationships, there was no good motive for me to stay here. ))

(( i loved this blog, and i still do, as well as all the memories i have of it. the relationships he had with people like haru, nagito, chieko, kihiro, ed, even mukuro/ash at the time, were a major part of my life, and extremely formative for me. this was my first dip into roleplay, and since then it has become one of my primary hobbies. hence why i'm still in the community, just operating in a place where i feel more comfortable and in control of the story i'm telling. ))

(( if you cared about this blog, you should care about the blogs that are still around, oc and canon and au. you should care about chieko and nagito, aditi, hajime, fay, hibiki, miyako, miu. you should care about the new blogs that are struggling to exist and dying out within days. you should care about not just witnessing the stories that we are telling, but participating in them and progressing them, sending asks, stirring drama between characters. us mods love it when you snitch to other characters, or lie to our characters, or start fights or play devil's advocate. think of the relationship between zet and nagito. it was entirely confrontational, but some of my fondest memories of roleplay are of the infamous love potion m!a, the killing game, and the two of them fighting together to save izuru and hajime from the future foundation. seeing other people mention your blog to others in the community is so encouraging, and seeing other mods care about and nurture the relationships you are interested in is incredible. the relationship between zet and nagito might not have developed if that hadn't been the case. i was terrified of nagito's mod, but they took an interest in zet and anons constantly bugged him about what zet was doing, but in a way that not only progressed the relationship but progressed both of their stories rather than ignoring them. meanwhile it's depressing to see mods have to put out update after update begging for asks and struggling to maintain relationships. the stakes in a relationship are what make it fun for the mods, and if no one cares about the relationship, there aren't any stakes, and they probably are going to either stop nurturing it or lose interest in it altogether. i'm here, saying all of this now, because i'm begging you to care about the people who are here. stop reminiscing about the people you miss and leaving everyone else out in the cold. as much as i appreciate being missed, i'm still in the community and struggling, and i don't want the hard work of the people who came before me and the continuing work of the people who came after me to be completely ignored for the sake of broken nostalgia. i appreciate being loved, but the way to respect me and show that you genuinely cared about the story i was telling is to care about the stories that people are still telling with a lot less support than i got. ))

[inevitably-johnlocked]

Hello lovely!! I’m a sucker for Sherlock comforting John after nightmares or just ptsd episodes, and was curious if you know of any? And/or any fics where johns old shoulder injury is bothering him and Sherlock helps :) I just need all the caring fluff ☺️

Hey Nonny!

Ahhhh!! Yes, I have quite a few Nightmares/PTSD fics, and I’m going to use this opportunity to update my past lists since I have a nice collection of more! As for the shoulder injury, I believe Maintenance and Repair by patternofdefiance has Sherlock doing that, but I can’t recall. I’ll start a separate list offline for Shoulder Injuries perhaps. Hmm. Actually, you might find some good Caring Sherlock fics on these lists:

John Whump / Sherlock Takes Care of John

John Whump / Sherlock Takes Care of John Pt. 2

John Whump / Sherlock Takes Care of John Pt. 3

Scars

Scars Pt. 2

Now, for the main event!! Hope you enjoy, and as always, Loves, add your own!

NIGHTMARES, PTSD, PANIC ATTACKS & MENTAL/EMOTIONAL TURMOIL Pt. 3

See also:

Nightmares, PTSD, Panic Attack, & Mental / Emotional Turmoil

Nightmares, PTSD, Panic Attack, & Mental / Emotional Turmoil Pt. 2

NIGHTMARES

Study in John by chappysmom (K+, 2,158 w., 1 Ch. || Post-ASiP, POV John, Introspection, Friendship, Nightmares, Caring Sherlock, John’s Limp) – After the events of "A Study in Pink," John lies on the couch in Baker Street and thinks about the whirlwind events of the day. What is he getting himself into?

Sleepless nights by El loopy (T, 5,467 w., 3 Ch. || Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Nightmares/Insomnia, Panic Attack, Worried Sherlock) – Sherlock has a nightmare and John wants to know what it was about. Set during season 1. Three-shot.

What Did I Do Wrong? by Starlight05 (T, 7,880 w. || Hurt Comfort, Angst, John Whump, Hospitalization, Worried Sherlock, Emotional Turmoil, Nightmares, Sherlock Being Dumb) - After John almost dies on a case, Sherlock disappears. So John is left to figure out what he can do to get his best friend back. Meanwhile Sherlock, guilt-ridden and willingly alone, is doing everything he can to stay away.

Lunar Landscapes by J_Baillier (M, 57,046 w., 21 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || S3/TAB Fix-It, Slow Burn Angst, Drama, Hurt/Comfort, Confessions, Drugs, Pain, Medical, Injury, Sherlock Whump, Mental Health Issues, Panic Attacks, Romance, Secrets, Tragedy, Trauma, BAMF John, Doctor!John, Drug Addict Sherlock, Injured Sherlock, Grieving John, Idiots In Love, Protective John, POV John Watson, PTSD Sherlock, Sherlock is a Mess, Medical Realism) – An accident forces John to face the fact that Sherlock's downward spiral had started long before his flight to exile even left the tarmac.

Just To Hold You Close by sussexbound (E, 70,841 w., 18 Ch. || Alternate First Meeting, Sherlock POV, ASD Sherlock, PTSD John, Demisexual Sherlock, Bisexual John, Cuddling/Snuggling, Platonic Cuddling, Enthusiastic Consent, Bed Sharing, Love Confessions, First Kiss/Time, Sexual Tension, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Cuddle Negotiations, For a Case Until It Isn’t, Hair Petting, Sexual Negotiation, Anxiety, Trust Issues, Slow Burn, Panic Attacks, Frottage, Hand/Blow Jobs, Referenced Self Harm / Abuse / Suicidal Ideation, First Kiss/Time, Anal) – When a woman is murdered and the last person to see her alive is recently invalided army vet turned reluctant (and prickly) professional cuddler, John Watson, Sherlock Holmes is pulled into a world of intimacy and intrigue he never could have imagined. John is a conundrum and mystery: frank yet reserved, tender yet angry, open yet afraid. Sherlock is instantly drawn into his orbit, and begins to feel and desire things he never has before.

Not Broken, Just Bent by Schmiezi (E, 87,585 w., 43 Ch. || Pining, Love Confessions, Rape/Sexual Assault, Torture, Hurt/Comfort, Heavy Angst, Villain!Mary, Suicidal Ideations, Main Character Death, Sherlock First Person POV, Parentlock, Sherlock’s Mind Palace, Grief/Mourning, Emotional Love Making, Possessiveness, Depression, PTSD, Kidnapping, Virgin Sherlock, Eventual Happy Ending) – "For a second, I allow myself to remember teaching John how to waltz. There is a special room in my mind palace for it. A big one, with a proper parquet dance floor. For a second, I go there. I remember holding him, closer than the World Dance Council asks for, excusing it with the fact that we are training for a wedding, not for a competition. For a second, I feel his hand on mine again, smell his sweat, hear the song we used. For a second, I allow myself to love him deeply. For a second, only a second, that love reflects on my face." Fix-it for S3, starting at the end of TSoT. Evil Mary.

The Summer Boy by khorazir (T, 94,706 w., 6 Ch. || Post S3/Post TAB/Alternate S4, Friends to Lovers, Asexual Sherlock, POV Sherlock, Flashbacks, Bullying, 1980′s Kid Sherlock, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Inexperienced Sherlock, Grief/Mourning, Pining Sherlock, Case Fic, Sherlock’s Past, Awkward Conversations, Anxious Sherlock) – About half a year after the fateful events at Appledore, Sherlock and John embark on a private case in Sussex. For Sherlock, it’s a journey into his past, bringing up memories both happy and sad that he has locked away for almost thirty years. For John, it means coming to terms with the present – and a potential future with Sherlock. Part 1 of the The Summer Boy series

Against the Rest of the World by SilentAuror (E, 151,714 w., 20 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Post-TRF, Hiatus Fic, POV First Person Sherlock, Present Tense, First Kiss/Time, Big Brother Mycroft, Escaping from Capture, Soft Sherlock, Toplock, Insecurity, Infidelity, Travelling, Introspection, Pining Sherlock, Depression, Fantasies, Yearning for the Past, PTSD Sherlock, Suicidal Ideation) – Sherlock has been away from London for nine hundred and twelve days and counting, and has no idea what sort of reception to expect when he finally returns.

Proving A Point by elldotsee & J_Baillier (E, 186,270 w., 28 Ch. || Me Before You Fusion || Medical Realism, Insecure John, Depression, Romance, Angst, POV John, Sherlock Whump, Serious Illness, Doctor John, Injury Recovery, Assisted Suicide, Sherlock’s Violin, Awkward Sexual Situations, Alcoholism, Drugs, Idiots in Love, Slow Burn, Body Image, Friends to Lovers, Hurt / Comfort, Pain, Big Brother Mycroft, Intimacy, Anxiety, PTSD, Family Issues, Psychological Trauma, John Whump, Case Fics, Loneliness, Pain) – Invalided home from Afghanistan, running out of funds and convinced that his surgical career is over, John Watson accepts a mysterious job offer to provide care and companionship for a disabled person. Little does he know how much hangs in the balance of his performance as he settles into his new life at Musgrave Court.

PTSD / EMOTIONAL TURMOIL

A Room of One's Own by whitchry9 (K+, 2,174 w., 5 Ch. || S2 Timeline, Hurt/Comfort, Supernatural, Sherlock’s Mind Palace, Coma, John Whump, Worried Sherlock, POV John, Angst, Friendship/Bromance, Hospital) – When a severe head injury lands John in a coma, somehow he ends up in Sherlock's mind palace. It's actually pretty nice there, and John is entertaining the notion of staying there, rather than returning to his broken body. But Sherlock isn't taking it as well, and John can feel him breaking around him.

Museums and Laboratories by RhododendronPonticum (T, 3,004 w., 1 Ch. || Romance, Angst, Obsessive Sherlock, Anxious Sherlock, Anxiety/Panic Attack, Separation Anxiety, Doctor John, Co-Dependent Sherlock) – If Sherlock's kitchen was his laboratory, then his bedroom was his museum.

A Home for Us by sussexbound (M, 30,581 w., 12 Ch. || Scars, Bedsharing, Grief, Doctor John, Hurt/Comfort, Post-TRF, Implied/Referenced Torture, Sherlock POV, Pining Sherlock, Suicidal Ideation, Heavy Emotions, Clingy Sherlock, Hallucinations, Disassociation, Emotional Turmoil) – He has been on the road for two years, and he is exhausted. He’s almost accepted that he will never see London (John) again—almost. But then there are nights like tonight, where he is weak, and all he can think of is the warmth of the flat they once shared, the crackle of the fire in the hearth, the teasing smile playing at the corner of John’s lips, the boxes of half-eaten Chinese takeaway balanced precariously in their laps. He aches at the memory of it, at the realisation that it is something he may never experience again.

Impossible to Feign by achray (M, 49,204 w., 12 Ch. || TRF Rewrite / Reverse Reichenbach, Suicidal Ideations / Discussions, Drug Use/Abuse, Mutual Pining, Friends With Benefits, John Accepts his Sexuality, Anxious Sherlock, Meddling Mycroft, Depression, Hallucinations, Secret Agent John, BAMF John, Reunion, Make-Up Sex, Ambiguous Ending) – Sherlock leant forward, his long fingers curving round to grip John’s.“I won’t let him win,” he said, eyes hard. “I will do whatever it takes to get you out.”

Anchor Point by trickybonmot (E, 49,856 w., 80 Ch. || Truman Show AU || Psychological Drama, Suspense, Slow Burn, Dark Characters / Fic, Alternating First/Third Person, Protective John, Anxious/Worried Sherlock, Tender Moments, Love Confessions, Hand/Blow Jobs, Cuddling, Jealous John, First Kiss/Time) – The world tunes in nightly for Sherlock, the ultimate in reality TV: Sherlock Holmes, a real person with a legendary name, unknowingly lives out his life in a staged setting contrived by his brother. Things get complicated when a retired army doctor joins the show to play the part of Sherlock's closest friend. This fic borrows its concept from the 1998 film, the Truman Show. However, you don't need to have any knowledge of the movie to enjoy this story.

Lunar Landscapes by J_Baillier (M, 57,046 w., 21 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || S3/TAB Fix-It, Slow Burn Angst, Drama, Hurt/Comfort, Confessions, Drugs, Pain, Medical, Injury, Sherlock Whump, Mental Health Issues, Panic Attacks, Romance, Secrets,  Tragedy, Trauma, BAMF John, Doctor!John, Drug Addict Sherlock, Injured Sherlock, Grieving John, Idiots In Love, Protective John, POV John Watson, PTSD Sherlock, Sherlock is a Mess, Medical Realism) – An accident forces John to face the fact that Sherlock's downward spiral had started long before his flight to exile even left the tarmac.

Repairing the Broken Things by BakerTumblings (M, 75,252 w., 15 Ch. || S4 Compliant, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Medical Trauma, Hospitals, Big Brother Mycroft, Misunderstandings, Realizations, Severe Accident, John Whump, Pneumonia, Medical Procedures, Bed Sharing, First Time, Healing, Happy Ending) – "I'm calling today to notify you that there's been an accident."

Not Broken, Just Bent by Schmiezi (E, 87,585 w., 43 Ch. || Pining, Love Confessions, Rape/Sexual Assault, Torture, Hurt/Comfort, Heavy Angst, Villain!Mary, Suicidal Ideations, Main Character Death, Sherlock First Person POV, Parentlock, Sherlock’s Mind Palace, Grief/Mourning, Emotional Love Making, Possessiveness, Depression, PTSD, Kidnapping, Virgin Sherlock, Eventual Happy Ending) – "For a second, I allow myself to remember teaching John how to waltz. There is a special room in my mind palace for it. A big one, with a proper parquet dance floor. For a second, I go there. I remember holding him, closer than the World Dance Council asks for, excusing it with the fact that we are training for a wedding, not for a competition. For a second, I feel his hand on mine again, smell his sweat, hear the song we used. For a second, I allow myself to love him deeply. For a second, only a second, that love reflects on my face." Fix-it for S3, starting at the end of TSoT. Evil Mary.

Just To Hold You Close by sussexbound (E, 70,841 w., 18 Ch. || Alternate First Meeting, Sherlock POV, ASD Sherlock, PTSD John, Demisexual Sherlock, Bisexual John, Cuddling/Snuggling, Platonic Cuddling, Enthusiastic Consent, Bed Sharing, Love Confessions, First Kiss/Time, Sexual Tension, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Cuddle Negotiations, For a Case Until It Isn’t, Hair Petting, Sexual Negotiation, Anxiety, Trust Issues, Slow Burn, Panic Attacks, Frottage, Hand/Blow Jobs, Referenced Self Harm / Abuse / Suicidal Ideation, First Kiss/Time, Anal) – When a woman is murdered and the last person to see her alive is recently invalided army vet turned reluctant (and prickly) professional cuddler, John Watson, Sherlock Holmes is pulled into a world of intimacy and intrigue he never could have imagined. John is a conundrum and mystery: frank yet reserved, tender yet angry, open yet afraid. Sherlock is instantly drawn into his orbit, and begins to feel and desire things he never has before.

The Summer Boy by khorazir (T, 94,706 w., 6 Ch. || Post S3/Post TAB/Alternate S4, Friends to Lovers, Asexual Sherlock, POV Sherlock, Flashbacks, Bullying, 1980′s Kid Sherlock, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Inexperienced Sherlock, Grief/Mourning, Pining Sherlock, Case Fic, Sherlock’s Past, Awkward Conversations, Anxious Sherlock) – About half a year after the fateful events at Appledore, Sherlock and John embark on a private case in Sussex. For Sherlock, it’s a journey into his past, bringing up memories both happy and sad that he has locked away for almost thirty years. For John, it means coming to terms with the present – and a potential future with Sherlock. Part 1 of the The Summer Boy series

Northwest Passage by Kryptaria (E, 95,157 w., 27 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Canadian AU ||  BAMF!John, Canadian John, PTSD, Anal / Oral Sex, Rimming, Emotional Hurt / Comfort, Drug Rehab, Falling in Love, Pining Sherlock, Love Confessions, Sherlock’s Violin, Panic Attacks, Switching, Anxious / Protective Sherlock, Hugs for Comfort, Suicide Mentions, Healing Each Other) – Seven years ago, Captain John Watson of the Canadian Forces Medical Service withdrew from society, seeking a simple, isolated life in the distant northern wilderness of Canada. Though he survives from one day to the next, he doesn't truly live until someone from his dark past calls in a favor and turns his world upside-down with the introduction of Sherlock Holmes." Part 1 of Tales from the Northwest

Against the Rest of the World by SilentAuror (E, 151,714 w., 20 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Post-TRF, Hiatus Fic, POV First Person Sherlock, Present Tense, First Kiss/Time, Big Brother Mycroft, Escaping from Capture, Soft Sherlock, Toplock, Insecurity, Infidelity, Travelling, Introspection, Pining Sherlock, Depression, Fantasies, Yearning for the Past, PTSD Sherlock, Suicidal Ideation) – Sherlock has been away from London for nine hundred and twelve days and counting, and has no idea what sort of reception to expect when he finally returns.

Proving A Point by elldotsee & J_Baillier (E, 186,270 w., 28 Ch. || Me Before You Fusion || Medical Realism, Insecure John, Depression, Romance, Angst, POV John, Sherlock Whump, Serious Illness, Doctor John, Injury Recovery, Assisted Suicide, Sherlock’s Violin, Awkward Sexual Situations, Alcoholism, Drugs, Idiots in Love, Slow Burn, Body Image, Friends to Lovers, Hurt / Comfort, Pain, Big Brother Mycroft, Intimacy, Anxiety, PTSD, Family Issues, Psychological Trauma, John Whump, Case Fics, Loneliness, Pain) – Invalided home from Afghanistan, running out of funds and convinced that his surgical career is over, John Watson accepts a mysterious job offer to provide care and companionship for a disabled person. Little does he know how much hangs in the balance of his performance as he settles into his new life at Musgrave Court.

[b-rainlet]

Just want to say I love your blog. Your TUA content is lovely and I can't say what a breath of fresh air it is to find another Luther champion. The fandoms treatment of him, istg, some of the most ludacris nonsense I've ever had to read. Especially love how you point out he's ALWAYS been so sweet and selfless when it comes to Allison and her personal happiness. Anyway I saw you say you seem confident alluther will actually happen. I sure hope so, but why do you figure? The antis are so loud.

Awwwww, thank you anon, you’re so sweet! Yeah, this blog is on 24/7 loving Luther lockdown! I feel like the antis are easing up a little bit after S2 aired because most of Luther’s scenes were used as comedic relief and the faves he was clashing with (Diego and Vanya) seem to have a better relationship with him now, so it’s not as bad anymore, but I have to admit I never ever go into the main tag so I can’t be 100% sure. 

Maybe you should try looking through the ‘Luther Protection Squad’ tag to find some more like-minded people? I swear there are more of us out there!

But to come to the Alluther question: 

I know that the antis are loud and I’ve noticed that most of them have counted S2 as a win for them, talking about how Allison ‘moved on’ and how Alluther won’t happen but I disagree (and I will now launch into a rambly post about why lmao).

WARNING: CONTAINS S2 SALT. PROCEED WITH CAUTION

All of this is based on the assumption though that they will be somewhat consistent in their writing regarding Alluther and S2 taught me that that isn’t very likely, so maybe I’m completely wrong and Alluther will never ever be mentioned in S3, but based on what happened so far, I could see them as an endgame couple. 

I mean in S1 they were a pretty big plot point so I don’t think I have to say anything about that but even though the Alluther scenes have been toned down in S2 they were there. 

Let’s see what antis would say about why Alluther won’t happen: 

Allison is married

And? Allison has been married before and still mentioned comparing every man she ever loved/dated to Luther. Allison has been married and she has had a kid with another guy and still Alluther was going strong. 

Not to mention that the end of this season has made it very clear we won’t see Raymond again.

Raymond (and Sissy) are temporary love interests for this particular season and both of them cannot leave their timeline without majorly fucking things up - at least according to Five, but the whole timetravel rules can change at the drop of a hat - but more importantly, both of them had a talk with their respective lovers about wanting to stay in their timeline. 

So unless Allison will return to the 60s (which doesn’t seem likely tbh), Raymond is gone for good. 

 Raymond was her true love tho! Like Klave!

I don’t think antis actually word it like this but I’ve noticed how all of them hopped onto the Almond train immediately and keep gushing about how good and cute they are and that’s great! You can ship what you wanna ship! But I think a lot of the love for this ship has to do with how it prevents Alluther from happening. If Allison is deeply in love with this wholesome man, she can’t ever like her brother. 

But tbh….I didn’t buy Almond. For two people who are happily married they crumble and burn awfully fast. 

And tbh, I was thinking about making a post about this so I’m gonna add this rant here but I just wanna preface this with the fact that I don’t hate them and I don’t hate people who ship them, I’m just….using this opportunity to poke some hole into their relationship. 

I think it would’ve been more believable if Raymond and Allison would be in the early stages of dating while all of S2 goes down. Think about it.

They are married? After one year? I mean, as far as I know, Allison has been in the 60s for about two years - since Luther was the first one who arrived and he spent 3 years there??? But I am not fact-checking this, so correct me if I’m wrong - so she had time to get used to being there, adjust to having no voice, meet Raymond, fall in love with him and get married to him. 

And considering she could already talk again it must’ve have been a while before she started talking to/dating Raymond? I don’t think a wound like that wouldn’t take a while to heal but with this show’s consistency, maybe it did. 

I was actually hoping Allison would stay mute for a while longer but alas

So, they got married pretty fast imo, and you could argue that it’s the 60s but 

Allison isn’t from the 60s

Allison just got out of a bad marriage. There’s like, a year?? maybe?? between her first marriage and her second one and tbh, I don’t think Allison would get married again so fast, tying herself to someone again almost immediately, especially if you consider what getting married in the 60s means for a woman and her personal freedom (it’s hinted at with Sissy but not with Allison and even though Raymond was probably a good husband who let her have her freedom and her say in things - as we can see with their movement - it’s still the 60s. Women couldn’t earn their own money. They couldn’t even spend any money without having to ask their husband. They were basically property of their husband and I can’t believe Allison would immediately jump back into being married, no matter how nice and good the guy is). 

“That just means it’s true love! That’s why their marriage may seem rushed!”

Yeah true love. I also keep secrets from my true love.

I mean, I understand that Allison couldn’t start talking about time travel or Raymond would’ve started thinking she’s crazy or something - and maybe would’ve sent her to a mental institution as is his right as a husband, so good idea getting married! - but she didn’t mention stuff like “I had a child.” or “I lost my family.” either and those are vague enough to not raise questions.

I mean, she could’ve lied! She could’ve said Claire is dead, which considering the apocalypse was what they were escaping is true!

She could’ve talked about how she had a family, but they kinda lost each other - maybe talking about how they all moved away and she doesn’t know where they are now, even though she misses them terribly. 

I mean, I simply can’t believe that she had to grief for her own child all on her own and she didn’t even tell her husband (and she couldn’t even properly be sad about it since Raymond and her lived together, so she probably didn’t have many moments where she could think about the future and the things she lost without the possibility of being walked in on). 

And how much it would’ve meant if there would’ve been a scene of her crying over Claire when she thinks she’s alone, but alas.

Then there’s also the whole added drama to their relationship. Which was btw, so unnecessary.

@showwriters: Why do you establish a relationship you obviously want to be viewed as full of love and instead of letting it be the steady rock the character can lean on during all the already ongoing chaos, you add drama to it and let it fall apart as a side plot which immensely suffers from not being shown/explored enough. 

I mean, we already have relationship drama with Vanya/Sissy and that relationship feels more natural because their obstacles are outside forces and not...one of them distrusting the other. 

You know, I get why Raymond is suspicious, I totally do! I just don’t think it makes the relationship believable. 

Once again, if they would’ve been in the early stages of dating and suddenly Allison’s weird brothers appear and she seems to be in cahoots with the cops, I would also think ‘???’ and it would’ve made perfect sense for Raymond to be confused and distrustful and not want to talk to Allison. 

But they’re married. They’re married and they vowed to love each other in sickness and in health and yet Raymond immediately jumps to ‘Allison is a spy’.

The woman you love enough to marry. That’s your first thought. Okay. 

(And if you wanna compare that to Vissy...Vanya suddenly drives off in the night to meet her family and disappears for a while and she apparently did something to Harlan and now he’s behaving weirdly and has powers….and she’s talking about taking Sissy and him to the future…..and yet….Sissy trusted Vanya). 

And tbh, I was done with their whole relationship the moment Allison spent the whole night calling every single hospital, trying to find out whether her husband was in one of them - was even alive - in tears and close to breaking down because the last time she saw him they were both involved in a riot and the possibility of him being in jail or hurt is very high only to find out…..

…..he had a meeting with their group without telling her because he doesn’t trust her. 

And what? He couldn’t have called her to at least tell her he’s okay and he’s gonna stay somewhere else overnight because shady shit did just go down that they need to discuss but he wants to be alone for now? That’s the bare minimum and yet he doesn’t do that. He doesn’t even call to make sure she is okay since running away doesn’t mean she couldn’t have accidentally been dragged into a brawl and hurt. 

Once again: They are married. 

So tbh, all I got from this relationship is the feeling that Allison simply didn’t wanna be alone in this new timeline and that isn’t an explicit point against Alluther. 

Okay, but….Allison moved on! So she still won’t get with Luther!

Did she? Did she really? I don’t think so. I mean, one of the first things we get from Allison aside from ‘She’s married’ is ‘She looks at the moon so often, her husband notices and gets her a book related to that’. 

That’s one of the most blatant ways they could’ve said: ‘She misses Luther.’

And Luther only. Not the whole family, Luther. If they wanted to somehow make this platonic or familial, they wouldn’t have taken the character she is canonly interested in romantically (which she is and has been since S1, no matter what antis say). 

I mean, if they only wanted to show ‘She misses her family’ they could’ve added a scene where she listens to the kid next door playing the violin or sees a boy in schoolboy shorts or maybe mistakes someone for Diego or whatever, endless possibilities. But they didn’t. 

They made it very clear she misses Luther and I don’t think she had a scene that shows her missing any of her other siblings in such a way (which is btw paralleled by the scene where Luther mistakes someone for Allison, which is also the only scene where he’s shown thinking about one of his siblings to the point he thinks he sees them - as far as I remember). 

But that’s probably only a coincidence, right?

Then there’s them meeting for the first time. I mean, they hug and the rest of the world disappears.

They took the time to shoot/cut this scene in a way that, when Allison and Luther hug after years of not seeing each other, everyone else isn’t in the shot anymore and it’s just them. Because they tried to make this as platonic as possible. 

(In comparison, Allison and Diego don’t even hug. And Klaus and Allison do hug and it’s a happy moment but there is no romantic music and it’s more focused on them being happy to see each other and not framed as a romantic scene. I mean, I have no clue regarding things like ‘motifs’ and ‘scenery’ but just watch those two hug scenes back to back and you know what I mean). 

Then the scene proceeds and they talk and sit down and Luther mentions her marriage and Allison tries to apologize. 

Just think about that. She doesn’t outright apologize but she does try to explain why she got married by saying how hard it was and is only stopped by Luther telling her he’s glad she wasn’t alone. 

How….how can you read that as a platonic convo between brother and sister? Just replace Luther with Klaus. Why would she feel the need to explain herself and seems guilty about being married? Is it because it implies she gave up on finding her family? If so, that would be her reaction with every sibling but she is explicitly like this with Luther. She tells Klaus she’s married too, and in that scene it’s definitely a ‘siblings catching up’ moment and it’s a happy moment and she doesn’t seem apologetic about being married. 

She is with Luther. 

Because they both know that there’s something between them and has been for a long time, to the point that Allison is visibly jealous when Luther has other relationships (his one-night-stand in S1) and this is the second time Allison has turned towards another man instead of waiting for Luther. And that’s why she tries to apologize. That’s why she tries to explain that she couldn’t know whether they - whether Luther - would ever show up, so she tried her best to move on - but she didn’t really, hence the moon scene. 

(This is also the scene where Luther could’ve been angry with her - and she probably would’ve thought he’s in the right - since during the days leading up to the apocalypse it seemed like they were slowly working towards being together - even if the kiss never happened, there’s still the phone booth scene which is basically Luther confessing his feelings - and now she once again leaves him standing alone, waiting for her to possibly return to him. 

But he isn’t, he just tells her he’s glad that she wasn’t alone. Because he is the actual embodiment of a gentleman and this world doesn’t deserve him). 

And this is just what I remember from watching the season once and then not really engaging with it, I can’t understand how antis can see those scenes and come to entirely different conclusions. But I guess, you really only see what you wanna see, huh?

But, but…...Incest is disguting! Even their siblings think so!

They don’t. They really don’t. There’s a gifset on tumblr somewhere compiling the scenes in S1 that show how chill the sibs are with Alluther, but let’s disregard those and just focus on S2 since they changed up a lot from the prior season and antis seem to think S2 was them finally saying ‘No Alluther’. 

I guess there’s the hair salon scene where Vanya, Klaus and Allison talk about relationships and Klaus lightly teases Allison for liking Luther. 

Now, he mentions Allison crushing on their brother in the same sentence where he talks about Vanya and her ‘Farmfrau’ and unless I missed it, he doesn’t change his voice. He doesn’t suddenly sound completely disgusted, or like he wants to vomit or whatever people think, so either, he thinks Vissy is as ‘disgusting’ as Alluther, or, he thinks both are simply relationships his sibs are interested in pursuing and he teases them about them like a sibling may do. 

And then you have Allison’s reaction. 

She doesn’t go: ‘Oh yeah, that was gross, what was I thinking’, she doesn’t make a face or disgusted noises or what, no, she tries to defend herself and her feelings. 

Which tells us: 

Despite popular belief to disregard Allison’s say in the Alluther relationship, she wants the relationship and she is obvious enough about it their siblings know (and Klaus makes it a point to say ‘Allison is into Luther’ and not ‘Luther likes Allison and Allison tolerates it). 

Alluther is brought up while they talk about current relationships, implying Allison still feels this way (especially because the way she reacts doesn’t make it seem like it’s a long over relationship with no longer relevant feelings. But again, I watched the season once and I don’t remember everything that was said. I think this is telling enough though). 

So..tell me again how everyone thinks Alluther is disgusting?

By now anon is thinking: ‘What is the point of all this rambling?’ 

And yeah, I am sorry for going way too into detail but I just wanted to make it clear that if the writers were intend on killing Alluther off in S2 - like antis believe - then everything I just mentioned wouldn’t have happened.

(And that’s without even mentioning the cpr scene). 

Alluther did get reduced but it didn’t vanish even though they decided to completely erase other things (like Claire and Eudora who are barely or not at all mentioned or things like Kliego being very close). 

This would’ve been the best opportunity! They re-meet in the 60s and Allison is happily married and takes the time to tell Luther he should move on. Or both are single and Luther tries to ask where they’re standing and whether she would like to try with him and she goes ‘This would be a mistake’ and that’s it.

(I am making Allison the one who ends things because it would be ooc for Luther to just end the possible relationship after waiting for Allison for years and there needs to be some consistency even in the mess that was S2). 

But! This didn’t happen!

Alluther is more or less back where it was in S1. Allison isn’t in a relationship anymore and won’t get back with the guy and Luther loves her no matter what. And the cheek kiss seems to leave them both on a hopeful note of finally getting together. 

So unless they use S3 to once again redo the show, it feels like Alluther is set up to be endgame. Like, I am getting ‘star-crossed lovers’ vibes where you’re just waiting for them to finally get together - because they just belong - but things keep getting in the way.  

You could compare it Diego/Lila in that regard, I think it’s pretty obvious those two are gonna end up together too. 

I have another ask about how they could get together, where I will definitely ramble more, but this shall be it for now. I hope it was halfway consistent. (And doesn’t have too many typos, I’m too lazy to check).

Also the formatting is shit but idc, I spent like two hours on this