#these characterizations take form and start so rich and quick

[erisluna35ocblog]

Characterization Across AUs: Fiona Kuznetsov

Overprotective and fiercely loyal. Especially towards Keagan. Granted, he's an idiot with no self preservation.

Her family has ahigh social status, but that's only because one of her parents worked hard to earn it. She's more of a nouveau riche.

Because of this, she can act pretty rough around the edges despite being a rich girl.

Hates dresses and overly girly things, something she's always at odds with her father about.

However she does like fashion and has an eye for aesthetics - the thing is, her taste leans towards badass (punk, skaters, edgy, suits, knights, armor, metals... it depends on the setting).

Gender noncomforming. Some AUs take this to another level and make her nonbinary. The only constant is her super feminine appearance clashing with her more stereotypically masculine preferences.

Infamous as a bully hunter at school. Also as well known for her beautiful, fae-like appearance.

Strong despite her looks and size. Will kick your ass if provoked. But under that tough guy facade, she's got a more vulnerable and sensitive and understanding side.

This is why she's so image conscious. She doesn't like being perceived as delicate or weak.

One with the highest moral grounds in the main cast. Yes, she's kinder than Shizuke. Very chivalric, cause her concept was based on a knight in shining armor.

The foe the main hero dreads to fight. She's that scary strong. Heaven help them if she gets a power up - which she most likely will get.

Whenever someone important to her is keeping secrets, she chases them down for answers. They can play dumb all they want, but she can always tell... She is a sensitive person after all.

Finding out that secret always ends in some kind of disaster. There's a reason that important person hid it form her to begin with. They didn't want to, but they know her too well. She meant well, only wanting to protect them. She won't react in the best way. They saw that coming and were trying to protect her from herself.

Has a knight and/or bird motiff. Loves blue, black and silver metals. Ice and/or metal are elements most tied to her.

She'll feel like she failed to protect people in all AUs. Especially Keagan, she can't save him from everything. This fractures her confidence in herself. This is why she is overprotective.

Her arc will always include her rebuilding herself image, and not base her entire worth on this.

Whenever Keagan is accused of committing horrible acts, she's quick to defend him and believe he's innocent.

Keagan and Shizuke are the only ones she would trust to show her more vulnerable side to. Blair and Blake eventually get there through the story.

Team work with Blair always starts off rough for the same reasons Shizuke didn't get along with the real Blair at first: clashing morals and how they do things. They always end up as good friends after that.

She gets along better with her brother Gavril's girlfriend than Gavril himself.

Her powersets lets her create weapons. Otherwise, she's considered stronger than average.

While her relationship with Shizuke can carry a lot of romance tropes (she protects him from bullies, he takes care of her, she's his motive or inspiration for his heroic arc, childhood friends who would never abandon each other etc.), they remain strictly platonic. Blair was jealous of this for a while.

Damien and Natalia always start off on her hit list and rarely get close to her, even though they're on the same side. They could get along someday but it's never on the same level as she is with the twins whom she opens up to.

She and Natalia fought over a boy at some point. Context may vary, it doesn't necessarily have to be as love rivals. Ironically, it was more mutual and actively prickly when it was over Shizuke than any other guy.

She and Damien got off on the wrong foot - she first meets him as a bully. Made worse when he picked on Shizuke. She kicked his ass over it. Damien used to have a crush on her, that's part of why he picked on Shizuke in the first place (Keagan was always out of reach).

[4q-english-aa-marasigan-yu]

Two Words: "Women. Awesome." A Feminist Critique of Two Words by Isabel Allende

Throughout the years, words have always been a powerful tool for anyone to take advantage of. Women in history under the tyranny of the patriarchy have used words as a source of power—whether it be in the form of incantation, stories, or persuasion. To silence a person is to take away all their contact with the outside world and isolate them from communication—leaving them alone with a life unlivable. Two Words is a story about words and their power, may they be “te amo”, “help me”, or “Me Too.”

At the beginning of the story, we are introduced to Belisa Crepusculario, a poor woman making her way through the world by selling words. The author of this story incorporates some characteristics of herself onto the main character such as her name—Belisa, is actually Isabel rearranged. Allende frequently fought with her words as a famous novel writer and advocate for women’s rights. 

We are treated to Belisa’s backstory where she comes from a very poor family, and she accidentally discovered reading from a page of the newspaper catching her eye. Consequently, she decides to sell words because she believes her only other options are to work as a prostitute or servant. She was probably brought up believing that this was all women were good for: their bodies or their cooking. A passing comment of hers suggests that she sees these jobs as less honorable than other jobs—than men’s jobs.

“She made a quick assessment of her situation and concluded that aside from becoming a prostitute or working as a servant in the kitchens of the rich there were few occupations she was qualified for. It seemed to her that selling words would be an honorable alternative.” (p. 2)

She went into the business of words because she was not aware of the possibility of this job—and so she had no biases on whether she could do it. She turned out to do exceptionally, as people started chasing her for her talents.

Soon after, El Mulato kidnaps her because the Colonel needs her services. Despite this, Belisa keeps the upper ground and refuses to be treated with indignity. The Colonel asks her for a speech and she gives it to him, with two secret words that later hold him captive. While she’s writing this speech, El Mulato objectifies her and splits her into parts instead of seeing one whole woman.

“Belisa Crepusculario searched her repertory for words adequate for a presidential speech, closely watched by El Mulato, who could not take his eyes from her firm wanderer's legs and virginal breasts” (p. 4)

Belisa is clearly bothered by this and she did not allow herself to be powerless. She told him to back off, her words sharp enough to stab his muck-colored, misogynistic mind, turning his desire into rage. El Mulato is a perfect characterization of the mindset that thousands of men possess: that women must give in to men’s desires, and they have the right to take it out against them when they do not.

She displays her talent with words, this time with the Colonel. Once again she breaks gender stereotypes, being able to read despite the Colonel’s illiteracy. It took a speech to captivate the city, but it took two words for Belisa to have the Colonel in the palm of her hand. Although the Colonel was deemed by the people a powerful, unwavering, and undefeatable personality, all of this was simultaneously built up and broken solely by one truly special woman.

Belisa’s talents and determination brought her a long way, and she proved herself to the world as someone special. In the end, she met a happy ending with the Colonel, being able to find the man she loves. However, despite building herself up to be her own person, she ended up falling back to a man, turning him from a lonely war-stricken man into a widely loved candidate, and being the driving force behind his success. This reflects the bitter reality that an incredibly powerful woman can still be bound by the shackles of patriarchy to serve men.

[mejomonster]

so on the progress back to getting some energy i can now read a little and have been chipping away at yukacchi’s translation of guardian (here’s yuka-cchii’s twitter and tumblr @yukacchi) and

i love the characterizations? when i have more energy i might go back and quote but just. i love how priest sets it up. the moments where zhao yunlan frightens li qian for an inexplicable reason, that god tier intimidation still there. the fact he takes the guardian rules so seriously while he makes a mess of his personal life, how he’s unabashedly bi and wants love but thinks he isn’t long term relationship material so he always is a loyal partner but just keeps being left by them and thinks shen wei is ‘a serious looking man’ and zhao yunlan doesn’t want to offer himself when he thinks he can’t be the kind of man shen wei would deserve to date. how shen wei pointedly won’t look at zhao yunlan directly, how when he touches zhao yunlan he can’t help but reveal his affection (that’s already there) and desperate urge to hold/protect. how he hears li qian want to throw her life away and takes it So Personal he gets scary. 

Because it almost killed the man he loves. Because he knows what its like to want to die to protect someone and reasons for throwing your life away are deeply personal shit to the man and stuff he’s thought about for centuries in longing and grief. How guo changcheng looks back in the hall, and shen wei who’d refused to meet zhao yunlan’s eyes is now staring like he’s been doing it 10,000 years in longing and pain and care to the point he doesn’t even notice guo changcheng watching him. the way shen wei has a gentle smile that the more you look is clearly pasted on and held tight and a mask. 

the way he immediately makes zhao yunlan think of a beautiful scholar a demon falls in love with and paints, with that touch of darkness in the art unable to be ignored. that shen wei looks just so perfect of a beauty behind the glasses and avoidance he’s using to keep his walls up and go less noticed. how shen wei speaks eloquently but dances completely around giving actual answers. the way zhao yunlan is singleminded in his work, puts on this friendly casual act to handle the SID and push Guo changcheng along but he can drop it and be frightening at a dime and when people have done something wrong or they’re sensitive wow do they feel that underlying threat no matter how relaxed and ‘friendly and casual’ he’s putting on. 

just. the masks the two put on were certainly aspects in the drama acted out well by zhu yilong and bai yu, but in the novel there’s such a noticeable undercurrent of otherworldly power/isolation in the way zhao yunlan relates to things even if he doesn’t notice or pay mind to it - its in how he acts relative to da qing, to the SID, to regular civilians. the way this dark shadow seems to seep from shen wei, not in an evil way but in a way like he fits more with the shadows and ghosts, with the things slipping in the dark, like its touched him and he can be the sweet strong level headed and kind professor but that past doesn’t go away, doesn’t leave, its just under this very nicely made up front he’s got on. and the moment no one’s looking (or shen wei thinks they aren’t), the moment zhao yunlan gets too close and shen wei feels like he’s young and vulnerable and aching with loss again, it breaks right through (and then there’s zhao yunlan’s much sharper to the point its scary perception in this novel form - he picks up on shen wei’s oddness before he even falls into the contemplating how Hot and His Type the guy is - but it also Doesn’t even put him off a man is weird because zhao yunlan is so used to seeing ghosts and dealing with shadows without even a jump or blink of shock, because he’s the guardian he doesn’t feel like he quite belongs to the world of the living even though he plays in it and protects it). 

[cutestkilla]

Tuesday Fic Recs!

Thanks for tagging me @messofthejess (and last week too)! Since you asked... I actually thought about this silly format for doing recs a while ago, so here goes.

Four recs: something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue. I am committed to reading fic, after all, so I think stealing this old wedding superstition makes sense in a way. That, and I need structure!

Something Old (aka an older fic)

The Start of Everything by Canadian Snow (Rated M, 15K)

Watford-era secret relationship as told through all the times Simon and Baz gave in to their feelings and allowed themselves to be together. The magic sharing in this is one of the things I love most about it. The descriptions of Simon's electric magic are some of the best I've ever read, and the way Simon and Baz use magic together is so cool, though a bit different from canon. But also, it's a story about intimacy and taking comfort in one another, all while secretly working together against the agenda that has cast them as mortal enemies.

Something New (aka the opposite of old)

in the Dust of Dragons by @martsonmars, with art by @nick-eyre (Rated M, WIP)

I’m reading SO MANY GREAT WIPS right now (many of which I’ve already rec’ed under my ‘fic rec’ tag) so to narrow it down I decided to recommend one here that I feel is both relatively new and a bit of an unsung hero if you go by kudos alone.

This is a brilliant fantasy AU that casts Simon and Baz as childhood friends to enemies and, eventually, to lovers. The writing is gorgeous and atmospheric, with rich descriptions and meticulous world building. So far, we’ve seen adorable flashes back to Simon and Baz’s childhood as a carefree actual dragon (with the ability to transform at will between dragon and human form) and fire mage, and in the present, Simon and Baz are very much apart and appear to be working at cross purposes as a treasure hunter and a jaded mercenary, respectively, on opposite sides of the fracture that tore them apart as children. The set up is just amazing and I encourage everyone to check it out and behold the author's genius. The art is gorgeous too!

Something Borrowed (aka an AU based on an existing story/piece of media)

A New Day (Carry On) by @technetiumai (Rated T, 38K)

This is a snowbazzed retelling of Agatha Christie’s Murder is Easy and it is SO SO GOOD. (And also highly underappreciated in the fandom, IMO.) Set post-AWTWB, Simon, Baz, Penny and Shep have decided to start a PI firm. Actual Scooby Gang vibes (Angel Investigations for my buffyverse peeps), and honestly, the vibes are perfect – blackboard walls abound – and the backstory of how they decided to go into this line of work is stellar. The characterization is so on point and incredibly insightful at every turn for all four POVs, the dialogue is brilliant (if you’ve read the the author's other work, you know to expect this from her every time), and it’s chock-full of well-thought out and totally believable worldbuilding that makes stepping into an Agatha Christie story seem like a totally logical and natural progression for the gang. (BONUS: Mordelia is their tech whiz!!) Oh yeah, and on top of all that goodness, we get a really fun murder mystery story and to meet some of Simon’s extended Salisbury family.

Something Blue (where by blue I mean risque, as in blue comedy, as in smut recs!)

When I Feel Alive by @facewithoutheart (Rated E, 3K)

This fic is one of my go-to reads when I want a quick pick-me up. The setup is: The final battle. Or is it? The tags include ‘Things aren’t always what they seem’ and ‘Honestly Dev needs a raise’, but I don’t want to give too many more hints as to what happens because the experience of reading this without reading the tags first is truly worth it. I consider this fic to be the perfect blend of dark Watford era angst and sexual tension, straight up good sex, and pure crack. Delightful in every way! Just go read it if you never have. You can thank me later. (Also definitely read the author's current rock band AU WIP This Will All Go Down In Flames (Rated E, WIP) which also promises to meet the "blue" requirement for this category, and will equally make you laugh and feel things. The smut is imminent, so now is the perfect time to start it if you haven't. And also comes with a killer playlist.)

I could go on (like I REALLY could, but this list would be so very long) so maybe I'll do this again. If anyone likes this format, feel free to join in and share yours for these categories too.

[baya-ni]

SHADOW’s Queer Coding

I first started exploring this idea of Sk8′s implicit queer rep (as in stuff other than explicit same sex intimacy) in this post.

I know we like to joke that Hiromi is the Token Straight of the protag gang, but I argue that he’s as much an example of queer rep as any of our main characters, albeit in a less conventional and fanservicey way.

So that’s what this post is gonna be, an analysis of Hiromi/SHADOW as a queer figure, how his character fits the Jekyll/Hyde archetype as a metaphor for queerness and The Closet, the similarities between SHADOW as a skatesona and early drag, and how his character represents a larger problem of exclusion within queer fandom spaces.

The 1886 Gothic novella The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson is the origin of the phrase “Jekyll and Hyde”. What I’m calling the Jekyll/Hyde archetype, refers to the same thing; it refers to duality, to a character who is “outwardly good but sometimes shockingly evil” (as described from the novella’s wiki page).

And the Jekyll/Hyde dynamic has also long been associated with Queerness. The antagonism between Jekyll and Hyde as two sides of the same person resonates with many people as similar to the experience being in the closet, and many many scholars have written about this queer reading of Jekyll and Hyde. Do a quick google search if you don’t believe me.

Hiromi experiences his own Jekyll/Hyde duality through his SHADOW persona, which seems to entirely contradict with Hiromi’s day to day personality.

Whilst Hiromi is sweet, romantic, and generally very cutesy, SHADOW is mean-spirited, sadistic, described as “the anti-hero of the S community.”  And though these two personalities seem entirely at odds, SHADOW doesn’t exist in a vacuum, he’s very much a part of Hiromi. In the show, this manifests as SHADOW’s sabotage moves being all flower themed, as Hiromi works in a flower shop, and how he’ll “step out” of character when playing babysitter to the kids.

Below is passage from an essay titled, “The Homoerotic Architectures of Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” which reminds me a lot of Hiromi’s character, such that I think his character arc can be read as an allegory for coming out and self acceptance.

The closet, here, is a space not only for secrecy and repression, but also for becoming; it is the space in which queer identities build themselves up from “disused pieces” and attempt to discover the strength needed for presentation to the world. The closet is both a space of profound fear and profound courage—of potentiality and actualization. (Prologue)

Unlike the kid/teen characters, the show’s adult characters all lead double lives. When they aren’t skating, they have day jobs. Kaoru is a calligrapher, Kojiro is a restaurant owner, Ainosuke is a politician/businessman (but tbh his job is just being some rich dude), and Hiromi works in a flower shop.

But of the adult protagonists (so not Ainosuke), Hiromi compartmentalizes the most.

Kojiro leaves his face totally exposed such that he can be recognized both on and off the skate scene. Kaoru at least covers his face, but his trademark pink hair and constant use of Carla doesn’t make it very hard to connect the dots between him and CHERRY. He’s also always with Kojiro in the evenings, so if you don’t recognize him as CHERRY when he’s on his own, you certainly will when you see him interacting with Kojiro/JOE.

Next to these two, Hiromi seems the more adamant at separating his Work from Play.

Even when he’s been clearly found it, he still tries to deny that he and SHADOW are the same person. Miya even uses this to coerce Hiromi into helping him and the boys:

I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that the separation between Hiromi and SHADOW can be interpreted as a metaphor for being in The Closet. As SHADOW, he leads a secret life, one characterized by an tight-knit underground community with a vibrant night scene, where he behaves in ways typically frowned upon by larger society. He worries about being found out and judged by the people close to him.

But in Ep 4, the walls of his Closet begins to come down, or in this case is literally imposed upon by other members of his community, by its younger members, who don’t feel the same need to hide their passion for skateboarding or lead the same kind of double life.

We then see the line between Hiromi and SHADOW begin to blur.

He becomes less of an antagonist, and instead the audience sees him become a mentor and “mother hen” figure for the younger skaters. Later on in Ep 4, we see him casually interacting with the other protags in full SHADOW mode, not as an “anti-hero” but as a friend.  In Ep 6, he acts as a babysitter for the kids, and we see him totally comfortable appearing both in an out of his SHADOW persona throughout their vacation.

And I think that this gradual convergence of Hiromi and SHADOW will culminate in this tournament arc.

There’s something more personal that’s driving SHADOW to do well in this tournament. It’s not just for bragging rights or his pride as a skater, but the results of this tournament is going to have some kind of greater impact on Hiromi’s personal life. Personally, my theory is that Hiromi is using this tournament to prove to himself that he’s worthy enough to ask his manager out on a date.

Hiromi is no longer compartmentalizing, his two lives are overlapping and influencing each other. Recall the essay quote I cited earlier:

The closet... is the space in which queer identities build themselves up from “disused pieces” and attempt to discover the strength needed for presentation to the world... of potentiality and actualization.

This is exactly the case for Hiromi. Through skating, he is piecing together the disparate parts of him such that he can present himself to the world as a more unified and confident being.

And the show presents the very skating community that Hiromi has been working so hard to keep separated from his personal life- Reki, Langa, Miya, Kaoru, and Kojiro- as the catalyst for that becoming.

That, my dear readers, is queer coding if I ever saw it.

But there’s probably gonna be people claiming something along the lines of “But SHADOW can’t be queer rep because he’s Straight!” And I assume that’s because he shows romantic interest in his female manager.

First of all, Bisexuality. Also Ace/aro-spec people. And second of all, SHADOW is Hiromi’s drag persona.

And before anyone can say anything about how Hiromi can’t do drag because he’s straight (assumption) and cis (also an assumption) uhhhh no, fuck you.

Drag didn’t start with RuPaul’s Drag Race, that’s just how it got mainstream. And it’s also how it got so gentrified and transphobic. You heard me. But anyway.

Drag is, and has always been, first and foremost about exaggerated, and oftentimes satirical, gender presentation and performance. It’s about playing with gender norms through artistic dress and theater, not so much to do with sexuality or gender identity.

Literally, what’s the difference here?

SHADOW is a persona of exaggerated masculinity with a punk aesthetic. Regardless of his sexuality or gender identity, Hiromi’s gender performance as SHADOW is drag- that makes him queer representation, change my fucking mind.

Queerness is more than same-sex romance, and by extension, good queer representation is not limited to canonized gay ships. The very word Queer, in it’s ambiguity, is meant to encompass the richly unique experiences of everyone within the LGBTQ+ community.

In my opinion, Queer =/= Gay. I mean, they’re colloquially the same yes and even I use them interchangeably. But for the purpose of this post, they’re not the same, and that’s to argue that Hiromi/SHADOW’s lack of acknowledgement as queer rep illustrates a larger issue of exclusion within fandom.

I mean, this is something we all kinda been knew, but in the case of Sk8 specifically, there are a two main reasons why I think Hiromi is rarely acknowledged as queer rep.

1. He’s not shippable with another male character

Fandom favors mlm ships when it comes to what’s considered good queer rep. And the ultimate mark of good queer rep is explicit acts of romance or intimacy between two male characters. Unlike with any of the other characters in the show, we can’t point to Hiromi and automatically clock him as gay, especially because he expresses romantic interest in a woman.

So by default, he’s less popular, because “Ew Straight People” amirite /s.

2. He’s not attractive

This is really interesting, because like JOE, Hiromi is a beefcake.

But fans don’t thirst over him the same way they do over JOE. Granted, the show really plays up JOE’s muscles in a very strip-teasey way that literally encourages viewers to find him attractive. By contrast, Hiromi is pretty much covered head to toe and he paints his face in theatrical makeup- the point is to look scary, not attractive.

In essence, even though Hiromi engages in “queer behavior” through his SHADOW persona, his queerness isn’t palatable.

But I also think there’s some pretty insidious undercurrents of fetishization going on here, of both Asian people AND gay men. Which is... a whole other thing I really don’t have the capacity to unpack completely.

But basically, Hiromi doesn’t fit into any of the popular BL archetypes so he’s less likely to recognized as Queer. Relatedly, he’s also less often subjected to a fetishistic gaze as other characters. I mean...

So again, fans just don’t find him as appealing. Attractive characters are always more popular than ugly ones.

And I’m sure there are a lot of people who just don’t care for Hiromi’s personality, that’s fine, he does act like an asshole sometimes. But this post is meant to illustrate that queer rep takes multiple forms, and unfortunately I think a lot of media just tends to fall back on stereotypical portrayals of queer people for the sake of broader appeal. And by consequence, the fandom’s idea of what constitutes queer rep narrows to same-sex romance, usually between two cis gay men.

With the release of Ep 9, I know a lot of people queer people are going to find representation in the Kojiro’s whole “unrequited love” thing. But personally, I feel more represented by Hiromi, his journey of self-acceptance and subversive relationship with gender- that’s what resonates with me as a trans person.

And I think it’s important to see that kind of less palatable type of queer representation more acknowledged in fandom, and in Sk8′s fandom especially, because I know the demographics of this fandom lean heavily queer.

But that’s all for now, lemme know what you guys think :)

[jalebi-weds-bluetooth]

10 Times Arnav Singh Raizada Crossed The Line (Part 1)

Arnav Singh Raizada is our perfect, tortured Mills & Boons hero. Sometimes it’s unfortunate when recent shows have aped his behavior and not the layered characterization that he had. However, sometimes (according to my own opinion) I felt that his character might have crossed the line. 

It’s moments where no explanations justify his behavior. 

Please remember this is all my crazy opinion so feel free to add your own in notes! Oh and don’t worry, a similar list is coming for Khushi as well as they’re truly made for each other. After all, aren’t they our favorite ‘will-they-won’t-they’ idiots?

Tearing the dori.

Arnav Singh Raizada does not apologize.

Blasting at Khushi for pranking, PRANKING him.

Telling Khushi her anklet, their almost kiss & she, does not matter.

Arnav Hypocrite Raizada - forcing an engaged Khushi to confess her feelings when he’s unable to do so.

Reminding Khushi of her broken engagement cause he can’t handle jealousy.

Manipulating & frightening Khushi with Akash & Payal’s divorce papers.

Telling Khushi he ‘faked’ his sickness to get rid of the ‘Swami’ tag.

Refusing to believe Khushi’s version of events.

Becoming Khushi’s landlord and blackmailing her (emotionally and financially) to get her to come back home.

Bonus

Telling Khushi that she does not have the brains, courage nor talent to face the real world.  

#1 “Badtameezi toh maine abhi shuru bhi nahi ki.” (S1, E2)

“I haven’t even started misbehaving.”

First Reaction: No Arnav bitwa, no. That dialogue never has and never will make sense.

What’s wrong with it: 

Almost everything. First of all when someone is in a position to abuse his/her/their position of power and authority, they don’t get to make rules on what counts as misbehavior. Secondly, just because one hasn’t sexually harassed a person does not mean one’s harassment hasn’t been “bad enough”. 

Arnav’s behavior crossed the line the minute you tell Khushi that she and her sister are the kind of women who can easily get another man - and none of us are kids here to know what the thinly veiled insult meant to Khushi & Payal’s character. 

What makes this entire situation problematic is that he accuses her with certainty based on assumptions and Khushi, really, has not warranted any sort of behavior from his end - she actually makes a compelling argument. This kind of a situation, unfortunately, keeps happening in the future where Arnav accuses her based on half truths/assumptions.

Of course there’s a part of me that always wonders what idiots as staff does Arnav have because they; (1) let a newbie go on the ramp (can’t imagine that happening at a Sabyasachi / Manish Malhotra fashion show), (2) are incompetent enough to not be able to procure and verify any information about Khushi.

Track Rewrite: 

First of all, this is perhaps the only terrible moment that I want to leave untouched. It’s perfect. It sounds ludicrous but this level of animosity was required to create a hatred the two had for each other until love and lust suddenly stormed into their thoughts. 

Khushi looks perfectly devastated and Arnav’s anger rises because his fashion show in Lucknow (out of all cities) has been ruined. The less can be said about recent shows where there’s very little logic to the hatred shared between characters.

It establishes that Arnav has been very aware, right from the start, how beautiful Khushi is. And not just the delicate beauty like Payal, but the beauty that can make one lose their path, their calm, their temper and tempt them out of their stupor. 

It’s this opinion that he forms about Khushi that he subconsciously carries for the longest time - (it’s what makes it easier for him to believe Shyam’s version of events because this assumption of a tempting, young, poor woman out to seduce the rich never really leaves his mind).

Head-canon: 

This was the only time Aman Mathur took a vacation. Poor Arnav, he really needed efficient staff. 

Public Service Announcement: 

Ladies and gentlemen, this does not mean that hate, pain and misbehavior is necessary for love to bloom. No, love does not have a template and this is a love story that happens despite the hate, not because of it. 

Also, just so you know that Khushi - or any person - is not responsible for the things that happen to them. If a person’s self respect, dignity or agency is threatened - you go ahead and bash the attacker and not blame the person! *phew*

#2 “Arnav Singh Raizada kabhi kisise maafi nahi maangta.” (S2, E19)

“Arnav Singh Raizada does not apologize to anyone.”

First Reaction: Screw you Raizada! How dare you? Buaji - throw your infamous damned belan over his head! Raizada, do you realise you’re saying this while standing on someone else’s property?

And…

Why do I find it hot that Khushi opens the door to an impatient Arnav who’s dressed as dark as the sky, his temper matching the thunder in the background while they lock eyes? *i need help* when I watched this show for the first time I totally expected another scene like this would occur where Arnav asks her back or confesses his love. Yeah I trusted him enough to make another mistake where Khushi’s left home and he needs to get her back.

What’s wrong with it: 

The things he said to her before he came to her house. The insults he levied on her are based on an accusation which is baseless. We get to know that until Akash’s public proposal to Payal that Arnav never bothered on learning the truth about what happened that night. 

Hence it reveals another trait that Arnav never double checks his assumption until he’s faced with a confronting reality. But, in the length of time he’s gotten to know Khushi until that point - the things he tells her is way out of line. 

And when he reaches her home, slapping that money on her table and insulting her in front of her family… yeah it’s difficult to watch that. Especially after all the Rabba Ve’s they’ve had and his difficulty & helplessness on learning that this same woman was going to leave for Lucknow forever.

Track Rewrite: 

Arnav’s anger is really a projection of his frustration on himself for hurting Anjali and a terrible act of him confirming to himself that money can get him everything - even his sister’s happiness, which he attributes to his ability to get Khushi back into the house using money because he only knows the language of money. 

So my problem isn’t much with him… it’s with Khushi’s inaction. This is one of my least favourite scenes in the show because once Khushi stops (mostly) retaliating to Arnav from this point - she never really retaliates ever again. It’s like they kill that intellectual and mature aspect of Khushi who really knew how to debate (ah, don’t I love the resignation scene and her moment with Lavanya, Sim & Pam in the office).

Of course, Arnav and Khushi argue bucket lots in the future but from this moment on they really amp up Khushi’s silent crying and reduce her logical arguments to her emotions. Hence, if there’s anything I would have changed then I would always give Khushi the final word - the logical final word because who doesn’t like a solid rebuttal.

Quick note; Arnav does amend from saying “women like you” to “people like you”. So there’s a shift from his belief of her being a gold digger (and hence, lack of character) to a middle class greedy person (like his uncle).

Head-canon: 

I believe she doesn’t give Arnav a chance to gloat that he got her back with his money. Hence, the following exchange takes place in my head…

--

Arnav: “Mujhe pata tha tum paise ke liye kuch bhi karogi.”

Khushi: “Hum aap se ek baat kahe? Aap ghalat hai.”

Arnav: “No, main tum jaiso ko achi tarah se jaanta hai.”

Khushi: “Haan, shayad aap hum jaiso ko jaante hai. Par humein nahi. Aur rahi baat humara yaha aake kaam karne ka, toh humein nahi lagta ki humein kisi ko bhi safai deni ki zaroorat hai. Khaas kar ki aapko.”

- -

Arnav: “I knew you’d do anything for money,”

Khushi: “You know what? You’re wrong.”

Arnav: “I’m not. I know people like you.”

Khushi: “You may know people like me, but not me. And as far as me choosing to work here, I don’t find it necessary to give anyone any explanation. Especially you.”

--

Public Service Announcement/Crazy thought: 

The old 500 rupee notes are banned post demonetization. So don’t use those notes.

Check out my crazy version of this episode. 

#3 “Di isse sorry bolne ki koi zaruri nahi hai. Yeh aapki naukar hai.” (S3, E1/E2)

“Di you don’t have to apologise to her. She’s your servant.”

First Reaction: Oh no you didn’t… you didn’t!

What’s wrong with it: 

I think it gets on my nerves how rude he is and that he constantly measures her to her financial and societal status. And all of this is because she pranked him. Like she literally put sugar crystals in his petrol tank, changed his phone ringtone to a silly item number and put juice in his shoes. And he responds to that with some pretty damaging words. He literally tells her that lying and cheating is in her blood. 

Yikes! Flashback time Arnav - when she just alluded how he would feel if his sister’s marriage broke he tore her strings, and he legit just insulted her parents. All because she played some childish pranks. 

I have to say Khushi does put up a good fight, for most of it, and I love Anjali trying her best to intervene but yes… the way Arnav just flares up here - he crosses quite a few lines (hence I am not at all sorry when Khushi flings the hot tea on him, sorry I’m a sadist). I think his continuous push to show his authority, superiority over her is not really healthy. 

And that last Rabba Ve (although the tune is beautiful) which is evoked by her tears, and previously evoked by the impressions of his fingers around her wrist, gives a very wrong message to the public.

Track Rewrite: 

I never, ever want to change their essential characteristic. I’m pretty satisfied when he’s literally burned after he’s burned her with his words. Karma always gets him...

But, I really wouldn’t mind a strong, confident, and angry “ENOUGH” from Khushi as well. Or even a quiet, deadly, whisper of an “enough” that would stop his nonsensical tirade. It’s important for him to know when he’s crossed the line, before Khushi starts crying.

Really, it wouldn’t hurt if he was taken aback by her burst of anger or the threat of anger instead of tears (remember the Guesthouse incident… he was turned on by her fury, and then he simmered down and felt guilty - that’s a good cycle to follow when there’s an argument. No, not always the turn on side but the ability to give both the parties anger).

Because of late there seems to be an obsession of male heroes getting the ability to insult their “soulmates” and then stopping because of her tears and then never following it up with an apology. There’s a lot of context in the case of Arnav and Khushi… but I always relish when he’s flabbergasted and silenced by her retaliated anger more than anything else (cue, the resignation scene again).

Head-canon:

Arnav: “Di you don’t have to apologise to her, she’s your servant-”

Khushi: “-enough.” / or / “ENOUGH!”

Arnav and Anjali stand, silenced by Khushi’s anger.

Khushi (to Arnav): “Do yourself and your status a favour. Don’t open your mouth. Especially in front of me. I may fall before your eyes, but you dig yourself a grave.”

Khushi walks away, leaving Arnav stunned.

---

Arnav: “Di isse sorry bolne ki koi zaruri nahi hai. Yeh aapki naukar hai-”

Khushi: “-bas.” / or / “BAS!”

Arnav and Anjali stand, silenced by Khushi’s anger.

Khushi (to Arnav): “Aap apne aap aur apne aukaad pe ek ehsaan kijiye. Apna muh mat kholiye. Khaas karke humare saamne. Shayad hum aapke nazro main gir jaate hai, par aap toh khai khodke apne aap ko giraate hai.”

Khushi walks away, leaving Arnav stunned.

--

Too harsh? Too unlike Khushi? Sorry, I’ve been watching that scene on repeat way too many times and I may have vented out a bit - it gets crazier when I list out Khushi’s antics!

Public Service Announcement: 

Don’t break laptops or play pranks on people who might explode on you. Also, don’t waste mango juice on pranks - it’s delicious consumed. Probably that’s why Arnav was angry - one, he cannot drink mango juice due to his diabetes, and two, she wasted it on shoes!

#4 “Mere liye uss baat ki, ya tumhari, koi ehmiyat nahi hai.” (S3, E40)

“For me, that [the almost kiss], or you, don’t mean a thing to me.”

First Reaction: YES THAT’S WHY YOU KEEP ON THINKING ABOUT IT! LIKE OF COURSE BABUA ALWAYS SAYS THE TRUTH AND SAYS THE THINGS HE MEANS. LIKE OF COURSE YOU DID NOT INITIATE THE KISS OR PRESERVE HER ANKLET IN THE KHUSHI SHRINE OF YOURS! What the fu-dge Babua, literally?

What’s wrong with it:

Actually nothing. I just want to mentally slap him, that’s it. This needs to happen. Because honestly at this point of their relationship if this hadn’t happened - if they had kissed, chosen to break up with their partners (more like Khushi absolutely refusing to get engaged and even end up giving an ultimatum to her family) - then they would technically end up together and the most unhealthy point of their relationship.

Arnav is not at all ready for marriage but he would say yes because it’s the only way Khushi would be with him? Khushi, although in love with Arnav, still really has no actual reach to his depth and emotions. 

And really all her fantasies of Arnav are really fantasies, she loves him for what he evokes in her more than what he truly is. He is unable to get her out of his system. It would be a bad place to begin a relationship.

So although nothing is wrong with this scene and it’s like a bitter pill that needs to be swallowed, I still want to say he crossed a line by reinstating that she means nothing to him even though he led her on the entire foreplay of a Diwali. And like… wow, he’s asking what he means to her after he just declared that he’s going to get engaged to his longtime girlfriend who is also now Khushi’s closest friend? Like why… why would Khushi tell you what you mean to her?

Track Rewrite: 

I would rewrite Buaji’s pressure on Khushi. It’s regressive, painful and terrible to watch. I know it’s necessary… and if not rewrite this scene then I would just add a scene in the future where Buaji truly apologises for ruining her dearest Sanka Devi’s life. She owed this at least and it would be nice to see elders recognize their own mistakes at times.

Head-canon: 

Lavanya is in a happy relationship with NK <3.

Public Service Announcement: 

If you have a difficulty in saying what you want to say, enroll in Jalebi Teaches Feelz Expression classes.

#5 “I hope tumhe koi farak nahi padta.” (S4, E8 - S4, E14)

“I hope it means nothing to you / I hope it doesn’t affect you / I hope it doesn’t make a difference to you.” It = me, Arnav, our relationship (or whatever it is).

First Reaction: wherefore art thou asking questions yond thee cannot answ'r?

What’s wrong with it: 

This is where Arnav’s moralities really turn grey. Over here any affection, concern or committment to Lavanya is literally forgotten. Almost possessed, Arnav has three goals; 

(1) Make Khushi admit what he himself cannot admit - that he, them, everything matters to her (2) Prove to Khushi she won’t find a better match than him, that he’s her equal and he’s the only one who can provide for her and give her everything she desires (3) Make her breakup with her undesirable and unworthy fiance (he hasn’t met him but he just knows that her fiance does not deserve Khushi and I have to agree with Arnav, he’s right) and probably end up getting engaged with him.

The epic part of the Raizada plan is - he doesn’t have an idea what would happen if Khushi actually gives a farak. It’s not that Arnav is right or justified, he just stands the way he has always been - in all his fifty thousands shades of grey (not I’m not a fan of that book, pleej no).

Track Rewrite: 

A bit more time for Arnav, Lavanya, his apology and their break up. I love it that he does it instantly, but I also wish he spent more time talking to Lavanya. Just some more Arnav/Lavanya scenes, we really never got to see more of their friendship and her understanding.  

As far as everything else, Khushi’s inner battles and silence is really amazing - it’s what gives her dignity and it’s her self preservation. Arnav is redeemed by the fact that he genuinely is Khushi’s soulmate and he can feel her distress and is the only one who accurately senses that Khushi might have been pressured to agree to this marriage. Who knows Khushi cannot live in a loveless marriage. It’s something he can now guarantee, after a whirlwind of denial.

Although his actions are dubious, he’s the only one who senses the lack of joy and passion. So, rather terribly, he tries to put it across that he can fulfill her needs.

This comes to a halt when Payal refuses Akash in the first proposal. It sheds light on his earlier mistake and he realises that he has been wrong about Khushi all along (so he does not bring up her financial/societal status in insults post the event because Khushi really did end up in fashion show by mistake and more than that - her sister’s marriage did break because of him - not until the hate marriage).

And he realises his error with Lavanya that brings him out of this “I need to possess Khushi” phase.  

So I liked that we saw the ugliest side of their love, the irrational jealousy and demand of possession. And I love that Khushi did not budge in, no matter how much it hurt.

Head-canon: 

Lavanya knew all about it. Hence, she never holds Khushi responsible and instead guides Arnav to making better decisions. 

Also, Khushi went through a similar, crazed phase. Except we never see it because Khushi grows increasingly quiet when her heart is suffering. She uses words to express and choses silence when she does not want to acknowledge.

Public Service Announcement: 

Remember, it’s a good thing that they show us the unhealthy and healthy phase of a relationship between two people who love each other. This phase was decidedly toxic between Arnav and Khushi - when love is jealous, causes pain, is insensitive, is madness - see the signs and don’t go in deep when it’s at this phase. Every love has its time to mature and grow. Thank you for coming to my TED talk.

Read Part 2

[lurafita]

SIM Tony / Peter, Part 4

Read part 1 here

Read part 2 here

Read part 3 here

I hadn’t planned on updating this so soon after the last part, but I got inspired.

Alright people, things are going to start getting real from here on out. Tony’s new ‘Superior’ mode makes an entrance. I don’t know exactly how many parts I’m gonna do for this before I find a point at which I can call it finished, but just know that from here on out, the plot is gonna spice up.

From here on out, Tony will be Superior Iron Man, and while I will probably deviate in his characterization from most other stories that feature SIM Tony (mostly in the way he treats Peter), he will get dark. He will be manipulative, possessive and ruthless. Violent (never to Peter though, I can’t write physically abusive relationships and don’t want to), dominant and dismissive to other people (aside from Peter, because as you must know by now, I just can’t be too mean to Peter).

Tony Stark had had his insecurities over the years, but he had never realized just how truly lacking he had been before.

Before his transformation, before his new suit, before his new.... him. Everything was so much better now. So much stronger. So much more.

It was as if he had awoken from a life long sleep. Truly alive for the first time ever. And it felt glorious. He wondered if it was the same for Peter, after the spider bite had changed his DNA. This feeling of rightness.

He was reborn.

He was...

Superior.

He admired his reflection in the floor to ceiling windows of his laboratory. His hair, that had been peppered with grey spots before, was a rich black now. While he had always been fit, his physique had changed slightly as well, making him stronger, broader. No more wrinkles on his handsome face. Extremis had knocked off what felt like a good twenty years from his body. He was in the prime of his life.

Another thing that was new was his eye color. Instead of the previous dark brown, his eyes now bore a cold but fierce blue. It wasn’t like he minded the change, but he had always been a bit partial to his brown eyes. They had reminded him of his mother. Though to be honest, hers had been a little lighter than his. More of a honey brown, than his previous dark coffee tone. It didn’t matter though. The icy blue was very becoming, and there was someone else whose honey brown eyes he would be able to stare into very soon.

A low groan had his gaze drift to the ground some feet behind him, where Curt Conner and Otto Octavious were currently lying in their containment cells.

Breaking the two former scientists out of the Raft had been easy, but taken a lot longer than Tony had liked. Timing had been crucial, and so the planning had been meticulous and followed down to the very second.

Acquiring Venom had been just slightly more tricky, but nothing was impossible for a man like Tony Stark. (Even his previous, inferior, self.)

Then the experimentation had started. Each of the villains had unique strengths and abilities, that the billionaire wanted for himself. The perfect melding of two species and regenerative factor from Conners, though preferably without the monster make-over. The harmonic symbiosis of the human body and machine from Octavious, though Tony had no desire for the frankly gaudy looking appendages. And the fluidity and shapeability of Venom’s armor and other perks, but without the alien taking over the genius’ mind.

Two days of panning for the acquisition of the three villains, followed by four days of experimentation on his subjects to find out how it all worked. Tony could only smirk derisively when remembering how much his previous self had loathed the process. Tony had never been as much of a believer in second chances as Peter was, but he had been against human experimentation and torture. In the beginning, Tony had tried to keep any pain to an absolute minimum, had tried to be as respectful to whatever remained of his subjects humanity as possible, even though he would never forgive them for the torment they had inflicted upon his love.

But when things had reached the finish line, as he had extracted and recreated what he needed from them, as Extremis had absorbed and subjugated Venom and combined everything together to mold it all to Tony’s body, he had known that his previous reservations had been needless. These creatures didn’t deserve any consideration or mercy from him. Whatever pain had been inflicted on them had been warranted. So what if extracting the genetic code to their mutations had fried their pathetic little minds? It was nothing that Tony Stark should need to concern himself with.

Foolish sentimentality and redundant human morals might be cute for Peter, but they should never limit him.

Speaking of Peter, it was time that the new and improved Tony went to fetch his sweetheart. Six days, though unfortunately necessary, had been far too long to be separated from his love.

“Jarvis, take two suits and transport the garbage to the warehouse I have prepared. Then send an anonymous tip to Shield, so that they can collect them.”

“Yes, Sir.”

The monotone, taciturn answer of his A.I. brought another grin to Tony’s face. Jarvis attempts to caution and dissuade him from his plans to improve himself had not sat well with him. After all, the A.I. was just that, an artificial intelligence programmed by him (well, his former and weaker self), to assist and serve him. He had appreciated neither the sarcasm, nor the way that Jarvis tried to lecture him about the possible dangers his transformation might bring.

It was yet another piece of evidence that showed how fucking weak he had been before. The old Tony had programmed his A.I. specifically to back talk and supervise him, to make sure he wouldn’t cross a line he couldn’t un-cross. To keep himself humble.

Pathetic.

The only kind of sassy mannerisms he would tolerate in his life came from a certain spidery hero.

As the two suits now carrying the all but brain dead men inside them flew away from the tower, Tony let his Endo-Sym armor encase his body. He watched with smug satisfaction as the silver cells flowed like water over his form and solidified into a nearly unbreakable shell. No verbal or manual commands required. The armor was a part of him now, reacting to his will alone.

“Find my sweetheart, Jarvis.”

Six days since they had last spoken, and Peter had left the tower in tears. But Tony would rectify it all now. He was better now.

The window in front of him opened and he lifted off the floor, his new suit capable of storing and using electric and psionic energy for flight easily.

A miniature map of the city appeared on the transparent shield in front of his eyes (why deprive the people of his handsome face with a helmet, after all. Also, the silver armor complimented his blue eyes marvelously). A little dot blinked rapidly right at the docks.

“Camera footage and public reports indicate that Spiderman is currently engaged in a fight with the Green Goblin at this location, Sir.”

Tony’s eyes narrowed. He hadn’t expected to be dealing with the Goblin this soon, but he was not about to let Harry fucking Osborn hurt his love any more. Feeding more power into his thrusters, he sped to the harbor.

-

Peter hadn’t managed to dodge the last bomb his former best friend had thrown completely, and was knocked out of the sky from the explosion. The noise and flash of it was hell on his enhanced senses, disorienting him as he fell to the ground, unable to catch himself with his webs.

The hard impact punched the breath out of him, and he felt his ribs crack.

Possibly broken, but he couldn’t worry about that right now, he needed all his concentration to be fixed on Harry if he wanted to win this.

Ignore the pain.

Danger!

He propped himself up and off just in time to avoid the knife aimed at his jugular, but not quick enough to escape it all together, as the blade sliced a small gash along his arm.

Since when does Harry use throwing knifes?!

“What’s the matter, Spiderman? A little on the slow side today?” Harry cackled above him, spinning around on his glider and readying himself for his next attack.

Harry was right, though. Their fight had dragged on too long already, with Peter having to lure his nemesis out to the docks to avoid civilian causalities. As the adrenaline that had kept him on his toes at first was ebbing away, the exhaustion of the last few days started catching up to the young hero anew. Even with the help of his spider-sense, Peter’s movements were starting to get sluggish.

Ignore it.

The number of hits he had taken was rising at a rapid count.

Ignore it.

The constant explosions from Harry’s bombs was playing havoc on his senses.

Ignore it.

“No funny little quips today, Spiderman? No ‘You don’t want to do this, Harry.’?”

His breaths came in harsh pants, he had no air to spare for words.

Danger!

A jump to the right saved him from the full force of another small bomb, but brought him closer to the water, and away from any buildings to climb or attach his webs to.

If there even was any left in his shooters.

Ignore it.

Harry’s mutated, twisted face grinned down at him. “Tired already, Pete? But we are just getting started!”

Danger! Danger! Danger!

This time it wasn’t just one, but five of the miniature bombs that the Goblin threw down at him. Peter let instincts and spidey-sense take control as his body weaved through the explosions. But it was too much.

There were too many. Too close.

He was too hurt. Too exhausted.

Ignore it!

He couldn’t.

DangerDangerDANGER!

Too slow.

The bomb detonated right at his feet, throwing him back through the air, weightless for an endless second, before he was swallowed up by the cold embrace of the ocean’s water.

Move. Move, dammit! Swim up! You still have a job to do! Fucking fight!

He tried. But his limbs felt cold and numb, and the water kept dragging him down.

I’m sorry.

Just as the darkness was starting to creep in around the edges, he heard some kind of big splash. He tried turning to the sound, but moving hurt. Everything hurt.

So this is it, then.

Just as they had constantly during the last six days, Peter’s thoughts turned to the man he loved.

I’m so sorry, Tony.

The last thing he saw before unconsciousness set in, was a pair of ice blue eyes.

_____________________________________________________________

Hui.

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frenchfrostpudding

  alanaaw88

[mexicancat-girl]

Still Waters Run Deep

A birthday fic for @chadsuke ​ / @ftcoye ​! 

The last time I've written serious Naruto fanfiction was 2015, so I blame them for this.

I wanted to write something as a thank-you​ for them being one of the best writers for the Naruto fandom. Their fics always bring me joy. Their characterizations are amazing. Their wlw fics are galaxy brain. 

AO3 Link (here)

.

...

Mei Terumi could feel a headache coming on.

It was not over the current war effort, thankfully. Mostly because said war effort had managed to defeat their opponents, ie: a snake-possessed necromancer, a thought-to-be-dead megalomaniac, an impossibly hard-to-kill plant man, a self-made Jinchuriki, and a literal rabbit Goddess.

Truth be told, anyone should be having a headache from such an insane repertoire of God-like beings managing to cripple five nations worth of forces. Or, well, any sane person—and Mei likes to think herself as rightfully sane, thank you very much.

She is, after all, the person who stopped a tyrannical Kage from furthering destroying her home nation from the inside out. And, you know, committing even more genocide. So, there was that.

Thankfully, she is the current Mizukage. The Fourth Shinobi World War is done and over with. They have won. They are alive.

But Mei hasn’t survived this long without being able to see the big picture or think a few steps ahead. She wouldn’t have been able to dismantle Yagura’s forces and managed to beat him down and kill him, otherwise.

Every nation has suffered great losses from this war. They’d nearly been fighting an unwinnable battle ten times over. All the current survivors were no doubt suffering from massive psychological if not physical damage, having had to watch their comrades fall before them in variously gruesome ways.

That’s without accounting for the people who watched as their dead comrades and family were raised from the dead to fight against them. Then with them. Then having their bodies crumble as the jutsu keeping them going burned out, the stolen minutes with loved ones lost making things either healing or unbearable, depending on the person.

Quite frankly, it was an exhausting debacle for all involved, in ways that most of them had not—could not—have accounted for. They were all pushed to their limits physically, mentally, and emotionally.

And while the threats were finally vanquished, it’s not over yet. Not by a long shot.

Because after this, they must bury the dead. Heal their wounded.

Then after that, they have to figure out where the hell to go from here. How to just…move on.

Sure, the shinobi nations all teamed up together against this major threat. But what comes after…?

How will they deal with war criminals like Orochimaru of the Sannin? Like Kabuto Yakushi? Like Sasuke Uchiha?

How will they go about making a peace treaty? Will there be a peace treaty? They’ve come together to fight in this war, yes, but that was out of necessity. So that the entire world did not fall into chaos. This rare show of unity can hardly erase decades of bloodshed and ill will and complicated history between the Elemental Nations.

It’s all a rather nerves-inducing line of questioning that, sadly, they must consider. Especially those in positions of power and authority. Since Mei is Mizukage, she’ll no doubt have to weather all of that.

For any and all possible talks of peace, the Kage will be involved, of course, because that’s a no-brainer. But who else will be pulled into the discussions? The war tacticians? The Nations’ daimyo? The very teenagers that felled a God and saved them all? Probably. Most likely.

Mei Terumi can barely stand talking to Water Country’s daimyo on a good day. Add in the daimyo of the other Nations—all ridiculously spoiled, ludicrously rich, greedy old men—will eat away at her will to live. No doubt they’ll bicker over who will cover the costs of reparations, and about how much aid should be granted to their shinobi villages, and blah blah blah.

Kill her now…

Mei likes to think that she is perfectly reasonable. That she can keep a level head, and bullshit with the best of them. That she is strong enough to get her point across without being callously cruel—and that just because she has compassion, it shouldn’t be considered a weakness.

Her nation has lived under tyranny and pain and tumultuously bloody waters for far too long. She does not want to rule with an iron fist, but still wants to be strong and cutthroat enough to protect her people and keep others in check. She’s sure she can lead her village—her country, her home—to a better tomorrow.

She’s sure that not everyone else thinks that. Many people see what they like to see, and they see a beautiful woman who acts coquettishly and dresses up. They see a woman who happens to have two powerful kekkei genkai. She must have gotten lucky, right? She must have seduced and swayed enough men to her side to do her bidding, for her to be Mizukage. She must have gotten in a good shot with her two bloodlines, to take out the previous Mizukage.

Mei is a perfectly reasonable person, and she is competent, and she is strong, and she happens to be quite a good leader thank you very much.

She’s also fairly certain that no matter how hard she tries, she will not be held in the same regard simply because she is a woman in a world of men.

Case in point: even if the daimyo don’t get involved with the peace treaties, there’s the other Kage to worry about. Mei would like to think that she’s got the patience to deal with them and the coy poker-face to back it up, but they’re all rather…hm. Eclectic is the most diplomatic word she can think of.

Onoki is an old coot who wouldn’t know innovation and progressiveness if it bit him on his fat red nose. Ā is, quite frankly, a bullheaded asshole who has negative tact and is constantly grandstanding to compensate for his probably small dick. Two patronizing, utterly misogynistic bastards that would rather butt heads and yell for an entire meeting than take any form of suggestions because they had sticks shoved that far up their own asses.

They were downright incorrigible.

There was also the third male of the group to worry about, though admittedly in a completely different sense.

Gaara speaks carefully and is perfectly polite, very willing to listen to others on top of that. He’s proven himself to be a good leader and oddly fantastic motivational speaker—kid could probably move an entire mountain range if he asked the ground nicely enough— strong in his own right. But there’s still the fact that he’s just a teenager.

He’s only been Kazekage for about, what, two years? Sure, that’s longer than Mei’s been Mizukage by double, but she’s been spearheading the Kiri Rebellion for a solid number of years before-hand. She’s led squadrons and held the lives of hundreds in her hands while Gaara was still stuck in school or private lessons. Suna scrambled in the time it took to train up a replacement after their Kage was assassinated by Orochimaru, lucky enough to find someone as strong as Gaara to take the mantel. But that doesn’t hide the fact that he’s the most inexperienced of them, made a Kage all at sixteen, barely seventeen now.

Despite everything he’s done to prove himself in the war—and having proven himself at least a good five times over, at that— Gaara’s age will always be an obstacle he has to overcome. Onoki and Ā certainly didn’t consider him a threat to their grandstanding and bullshit for just that reason, using seniority as to why they considered their own peon brains to be greater than Gaara’s.

Gaara is someone who’s willing to listen to reason, but Mei cannot count on him to be her main support. To act as a tiebreaker, possibly. But Onoki and Ā look down on him nearly the same amount as they look down on Mei herself. The fact that he is young puts him on the same level of Mei being a woman, in their misogynistic views.

The only person she can count on to have any Gods-forsaken sense is Tsunade Senju, and for good reason.

Tsunade is older than all of them but Onoki, and she certainly has the strength and experience to back herself up. She hasn’t been a Kage for as long as Onoki and Ā, but her strength is literally legendary and she’s well-travelled and intelligent, which is more than either man can claim. She’s one of the Sanin, and she revolutionized Medic Ninjutsu across the entirety of the Elemental Nations, for Gods’ sakes.

If not for Tsunade being temporarily incapacitated during her tenure, she’d have a spotless record.

As it is, she cuts through bullshit like a sharpened kunai through butter. Nothing cows her. No men will get her to back down, and certainly not men she could crush with her bare hands.

Tsunade is so competent and amazing, Mei’s possibly even a little in love. But that’s natural, isn’t it? It’s Tsunade Senju, after all. Mei’s sure everyone is a little starstruck when in the presence of such a force of nature.

In fact, Mei quickly finds that the first post-war meeting with Tsunade is probably the smoothest and most productive meeting between the Kage yet, no doubt since the founding of the Hidden Villages themselves!

And it’s all because Tsunade Senju takes no prisoners. When she sets out to do something, she gets it done.

Onoki and Ā are quick to start bickering about reparation costs and whining about treaties like the utterly braindead, paranoid bastards they are.

But, oh no. That doesn’t long very long with Tsunade around.

The blonde woman slams her palm on her desk with careful restraint, as the wood doesn’t shatter on impact. She leans over it, stares straight into Onoki and Ā’s eyes with an intensity that would make lesser men shit their pants.

And then, speaking in a tone that brooked no argument, “My grandfather, Hashirama Senju, God of Shinobi, could tame the Tailed Beasts. He first created the Ninja Villages for peace. He was literally re-animated to fight by our side, in the flesh. Alongside my student, one of the teenagers that helped kill a God because the world couldn’t shut the fuck up for two seconds and stop fighting. We. Are. Going. To. Have. Peace.”

Both men closed their mouths, in-synch, with audible clicks of their teeth.

For once, they are silent, and it’s utterly delightful.

“As someone who stopped a bloody civil war and the massacre of bloodlines, in order to bring peace to their own Village, I concur,” Mei agrees calmly, flashing a sweet smile with a hint more teeth than polite. Normally, she would have more constraint, but she is so damn giddy, she can’t help herself but jumping at the weakness like a shark smelling blood.

(She may be kinder than the past Mizukage by leagues, but she is still the leader of the Bloody Mist. She’ll find a way to reform her Village so it’s no longer known as the Bloody Mist, but they are still the most ruthless of the Ninja Villages by far.

That is to say: when Mei sees an obvious weak point, a chance to sink her teeth it, well. She’ll take it. She’s not all looks, after all. She’s as ruthless as the rest of them.)

Onoki and Ā narrow their eyes at Mei, their lips thinned as they frown disapprovingly and grumpily at her—no doubt for her daring to speak.

But before they can protest, Gaara comes in clutch, as the tiebreaker that Mei had been hoping for.

Hands clasped in front of himself and looking much older than his seventeen years, the Kazekage nods solemnly. “I agree.”

One meeting.

One meeting is all it takes to make the peace talks officially under way, and Mei cannot be more relieved.

She might just have to send Tsunade a complimentary fruit basket or something, as a thank-you. The Sanin has managed to nearly singlehandedly dismantle the bullshit of grandstanding and dick-measuring that the meetings would have devolved into, if not for her directness.

Besides, it was impossible for Onoki and Ā to ever compare, anyways.

After all, Tsunade very obviously had the biggest dick out of them all, just by proxy of how she conducted herself alone.

It’s also helpful to have someone that the saviors of the world so clearly respect and look up to. Sakura Haruno was literally Tsunade’s student. Naruto Uzumaki calls her ‘granny’. Sasuke Uchiha is wary around her and stands as far as possible from the woman that he can— without both appearing rude and leaving the side of his friends.

So yes, it was an absolute blessing to have Tsunade as the Hokage, if only because it made everything so much easier for Mei to handle as the Mizukage in political meetings.

Women have to stick together, after all, in a world of men.

But hopefully, they’ll help usher in a future where women are given the opportunities to be able to be equals with men. Being female Kage certainly helps start that.

The future is looking bright to Mei already.

...

[lovelylogans]

I don’t know if you’re still doing director’s commentary, but I would love to know about the before and after affects of Virgil’s diagnosis with his family in the sideshire verse. I really love how you handle his anxiety and I’d love to hear more about it in relation to his family, all of whom I love a lot and I’m really interested in their dynamics

i’m always down for director’s commentary!!!

as for the anxiety (asking about relation to family and family dynamics was very exciting because i put a lot of thought into certain easter eggs and characterization choices when it came to virgil’s siblings) i think that the danes’... well, for the most part, they didn’t understand him very well, barring maybe essie and mark, the two most sensitive/emotionally intelligent members of the family.

but certainly at the start of virgil’s lean toward “fight” in “fight or flight,” there was a lot of frustration on both sides of that. 

you may have noticed that the danes’ are very enthusiastic, prone to bickering, and tend to bug each other, in a “we love you but we must show it through fighting” kind of way, as well as, well, the cain instinct. so virgil was used to fighting with his siblings, but as he started to get more and more anxious, he started to read more and more meaning into these fights, whether or not that was there, and would snap back, which would, well. blow up.

and then, as has been mentioned in canon, virgil started to feel more and more ostracized (his parents did have five kids to look after, he and silas were getting more and more angry with each other, and, as virgil was tending to be the instigator more often than not, he got into trouble with his parents more often than not) it ended up with him identifying with outsiders and then, well, in strolls remus duke.

who his family, as has been mentioned, did not like. in their eyes, virgil was starting to fall into bad habits and remus duke sure was doing a whole lot to encourage him. which they tried to confront virgil about, in a variety of ways, which virgil did not appreciate, which led to more fights (especially, especially! with silas!)

like, a lot of virgil’s teenage “character arc” is “mental illness may provide the reasoning behind your actions, but it doesn’t mean you have a free pass to be a dick.” so, as virgil gets his diagnosis, and starts therapy, and kind of starts scaling back for a variety of reasons: diagnosis, therapy, remus found his niche in writing horror novels and therefore had a more productive outlet as virgil started to redirect his emotions into cooking and baking, so on, and his siblings start realizing ah, okay, and see him start to better himself and they mend things with relatively little impact on the rest of their relationship, excepting silas. 

i am kind of planning on writing more about virgil’s teenage years, though, so we’ll see how i write that one out.

also! now! time for family dynamics!

you may have noticed,,,,, that virgil’s family,,,,, have some Common Traits,,,,,, with Others,,,,,, for example,,,,,,

wyatt: very smart, if not particularly good at connecting with people; very interested in his line of work/study; takes his work seriously, but still clearly cares about his siblings/those in his family, even if it takes some work to see esther: very family oriented; loves love, the idea of love and being in love; protective of her younger siblings; tries her very best to see the light side of people silas: prickly and not particularly inclined toward new people; tends to see the worst in others and suspects they have ulterior motives; clearly going Through It; has a ways to go on Character Development winifred: very outgoing, very bombastic, very dramatic; a bit of a showoff; creative and strives to work within her creative field; has a bit of a joking rivalry going with virgil.

and, of course, virgil, who you know all about.

honestly, i hope that i made them “individual” enough that it’s not Super Obvious that the danes’ siblings characterizations come from “the four og sides but slightly to the left.” so, in birth order, the siblings and their stand-ins are: wyatt as logan, esther as patton, silas as virgil, and winifred as roman. 

(mark and meredith danes are meant to be reflective of both luke and lorelai, in gg canon, and emily and richard, both in canon and this fic; mark, because the first lukes i think of in fiction are “luke danes,” from gilmore girls, and “luke skywalker,” from star wars, and when i was choosing a name i preferred mark as in mark hamill to scott as in scott patterson; meredith, because her name has a very similar meaning to lorelai, in canon. however, their characterizations are essentially “richard and emily if they had been “good” people and better parents:” mark as richard, fairly quiet, devoted to his work, relatively mild-mannered, but ready for a fight if he needs to and devoted to his wife; meredith as emily, quick-tempered, easy to make snap, cares about her family and family’s reputation/wellbeing, and also prone to not quite playing well with others, ie taylor. i really wanted to underline the similarities in a way that were subtle enough but still showed that virgil and patton have similar backgrounds, in terms of parenting, but whereas patton was rich and fairly neglected, virgil was... i don’t want to say poor, but definitely more working class than the sanders’, but loved and cherished and appreciated.)

so a lot of his family’s help with his anxiety comes in the form that we’ve seen via fanon/canon! wyatt provides medical reasons, essie is very supportive and loving, silas is... silas (he’ll get better eventually), and winifred provides a lot of distraction, with her just being Her. but!!! yeah!!! thank!!! i love the danes family and i’m really excited to write more of them!!!!

[hms-chill]

RWRB Study Guide: Chapter 7

Hi y’all! I’m going through Casey McQuiston’s Red, White & Royal Blue and defining/explaining references! Feel free to follow along, or block the tag #rwrbStudyGuide if you’re not interested!

Crêpe-eating tourists (157): Crepes are a thin, flat pancake traditionally filled with sugar, but commonly filled with other toppings. They are an iconic French dish and are popular with tourists both for this reason and because they are typically inexpensive.

Place du Tertre (157): A square in Paris, it is in the Montmarte district, which is known for its art history.

Crusty baguettes (157): Baguettes are a French bread that is meant to be crusty on the outside and soft on the inside.

Le Monde (158): The most popular French newspaper.

Fromagerie Nicole Barthélémy (158): A famously wonderful cheese shop in Paris.

Parisian cheese shop (158): French cheese are known for being fancy and especially good.

Pisces (159): A zodiac sign known for being compassionate, artistic, and intuitive. (more)

NYU (159): New York University.

The Met (159): The Metropolitan Museum of Art, a famous art museum in New York.

Joanne (160): JK Rowling, who wrote the Harry Potter books, and has been pretty consistently homophobic and transphobic on twitter. 

Freddie Mercury (161): Lead singer of the band Queen, Mercury never officially came out, but he had long-term relationships with both men and women and was known for his camp performances, and there are claims that he was “openly gay”. His flamboyance and camp performances, as well as his relationship with partner Jim Hutton, essentially demanded that people simply take him as he was. He died of complications from AIDS in 1991, one day after admitting openly that he had been diagnosed four years earlier. (More)

For context within the book, he wrote “Don’t Stop Me Now”

Elton John (161): A famous British musician. He came out as bisexual in 1976, then as gay in 1992. He and his husband, David Furnish, became civil partners in 2005, the day they became legal in the UK. They were officially married on the ninth anniversary of their civil partnership, the year that gay marriage was legalized within the UK. (More)

Bowie (161): David Bowie, who was a bi British musician and actor who, in 1976, described his bisexuality as “the best thing that ever happened to me”. His wife (who was also bi, and with whom he often shared partners) claimed that he had a relationship with Mick Jagger, though his bisexuality has been consistently erased, both during his life and since his death. (More)

Again for book context, Henry’s dog is named for David Bowie

Jagger (161): Mick Jagger, an English singer/songwriter and member of the Rolling Stones, known for his promiscuity. As mentioned above, he and Bowie pretty clearly had a relationship, though his Wikipedia makes no mention of queerness. (More)

Oakley Street (161): A street that runs through an affluent borough of London.

Stonewall (161): The Stonewall Inn in New York City is a gay bar. The riots against police brutality there in July of 1969 are heralded as the beginning of the gay rights movement.

SCOTUS decision in 2015 (161): The Supreme Court ruling that legalized gay marriage across the US.

Walt Whitman (161): An American poet who wanted to become The American Poet and saw himself as the quintessential American. His poetry often deals with his queerness, and he absolutely slept with Oscar Wilde in the late 1800s. 

Fun fact; he is celebrated in the movie The Dead Poets Society, which is incredibly popular with Sad Gay English Majors and which Henry would definitely have seen.

Laws of Illinois 1961 (161): In 1961, Illinois became the first state in the US to repeal its sodomy laws.

White Night Riot (161): A series of riots in San Francisco protesting the lenient sentencing of the man who killed Harvey Milk, the first openly queer politician. The riots were the most violent queer uprising since the events at the Stonewall.

Paris is Burning (161): A 1990s movie celebrating drag ball culture in New York. It celebrates in particular queer communities of color in the late 1980s, when the AIDS epidemic was at its peak.

“If I die of AIDS...” (161): This is a real photo; you can find it here. The man’s jacket could refer to a form of protest called “die-ins”, where people with AIDS would go to a homophobic politician’s office or another public place where they were refused treatment and simply not leave until after they died. (see it here)

Chop my own tit off (162): Fun mythology fact; the Amazons (warrior women from Greek mythology) actually did this to make themselves better archers.

H fucking W (162): George HW Bush, a former US president.

George (163): George Villers was the boyfriend of King James the I/VI, and Prince George, Duke of Kent, was rumored to be in a polyamorous relationship in the 1920s. 

Edward (162): Edward II was a famously gay king. He was may have been "wedded brothers" with Piers Gaveston and may have also had a relationship with Hugh le Despenser the younger following Gaveston's death. (More)

James (162): The British king known for translating the Bible and being just... indescribably gay and very deeply horny. He promoted his boyfriend, George Villers, to the highest non-royal position in the UK within a few years of starting to date him. James’s friends actively tried to set him up with hot guys for their own political gain.

Alexander (163): Alexander Hamilton was an incredibly bi founding father. He’s remembered for founding our current national banking system, having the first ever American sex scandal, and for literally never shutting up or knowing how to stop being A Lot All The Time. 

Catalina (164): Catalina is an island near Los Angeles. On a more meta level, St. Catalina was a respected writer.

June (164): June Carter Cash was an American singer/songwriter/director/comedian.

Tricky Dick (164): Richard Nixon, a president remembered for wiretapping his opponent.

Taft (165): 27th president of the United States.

Eisenhower (165): 34th president of the US.

Baby (166): this is what Henry’s mom calls him; I wrote a thing about it here.

Daily Mail (166): A trashy British tabloid.

Lollapalooza (167): A music festival in Chicago known for setting fashion trends and having lots of drugs.

Joni Mitchell (167): A singer/songwriter known for her innovative use of the guitar, including unique tunings, chords, and a unique fingerpicking/strumming style. (Listen here)

Cocaine (168): A highly addictive drug. It is snorted, smoked, or injected, and while it makes people feel more confident or forget their problems, the highs from it last only up to about 30 minutes, which often drives people to take it more frequently. Side effects (aside from addiction) include a loss of appetite, irritability, and increased mental health issues. 

Spitfire (168): Someone with a quick temper or willingness to fight.

High as a kite (169): Someone who’s “high as a kite” is on a lot of drugs and is still enjoying the high.

Clean (169): Drug/alcohol free.

Stiff upper lip (170): Ability to seem determined or hold it together in the face of hard times.

A levels (170): A UK test taken for admittance to college, similar to the ACT/SAT in the US

Henry V at RSC (171): Henry V is a Shakespearean history play about the life of Henry V, especially focused on the events of the Hundred Years’ War. RSC, or the Royal Shakespeare Company, is a Shakespeare theater company in London.

Travis County (171): The Texan county where Austin is located.

Surfside (171): A beach in Texas.

Adderall (172): A prescription drug taken for ADHD but commonly abused by students to help them stay awake for all-nighters or focused for unhealthily long study sessions. However, given McQuinston’s claim that Alex has undiagnosed ADHD, it likely helped him to be able to focus and helped his brain work the way it was expected to.

Almond milk (vs. dairy) (173): Texas has a huge dairy industry, and almond milk is not great for the environment.

The Gun File (173): American gun law is so deeply broken.

WASPy Hunter’s Harvard pencil cup (175): Harvard is a prestigious college in Boston; it has a reputation for being mostly rich white folks.

Iron curtains of gerrymandering (175): Gerrymandering is a form of drawing lines for voting districts to disenfranchise marginalized voters. It is a form of skewing elections to keep power in the hands of the powerful that divides marginalized votes, making people of color or poor folks the minority in their districts, therefore erasing their votes on a broader scale.

Vision-boarding his funeral (175): a vision board is typically made to inspire someone to pursue a goal.

Parks & Recreation (175): A popular American sit-com focused on the parks and recreation department in a small town in Indiana. 

Leslie Knope (176): a Parks & Rec character. One of her defining traits is an aggressive, overwhelming love for the people in her life.

Mid-century rug (177): Mid-century furniture and style is characterized by lots of color and playful patterns (following the more reserved WWII period in the 1940s); it is rising in popularity again as a classy yet fashionable look.

J14 (178): A teen fashion/celebrity magazine.

Sacramento Bee (178): The largest newspaper in Sacramento, CA.

Southerness (180): In positive lights, the American South is known for its genuine, warm, unselfish hospitality.

Jane Austen my life (180): Jane Austen is a British author whose novels star lower/middle class women who fall in love with rich men. They typically try to avoid these men for large portions of the book, or at least have rather negative feelings about them due to a misunderstanding or other failure to communicate.

LSAT (181): the test taken for admittance to law school.

Carmarthenshire (183): A largely agricultural county in South Wales. As a tourist destination, it is known for its wide range of outdoor activities.

Llwynywermod (184): A royal estate in Carmarthenshire, the biggest building of which is a renovated three-bedroom farmhouse. It is surrounded by the rolling green hills common to south Wales.

Finals (in the US) (185): At US colleges, a semester’s final tests (typically worth up to 30-40% of a final grade) take place the week after classes end.

Stamp on his forehead at The Tombs (185): Tombs is a bar near Georgetown. According to reviews, and “Tombs Night” parties, where students celebrate their 21st birthday and get their foreheads stamped at the end of the night, are a Georgetown tradition.

Jumped in Dalhgren Fountain (185): Dalhgren Fountain is in the center of Georgetown’s campus. Swimming in it is a Georgetown tradition.

Summa cum laude (186): “with greatest honor”.

Ceviche (186): A seafood dish native to Peru that spread to Mexico, where it contains lime, avocado, chili peppers, onions, and cilantro.

Palm Room (187): The gateway to the West Wing, the area of the White House where most politics happen.

Hoe Dameron (190): A reference to Star Wars character Poe Dameron, a rebel pilot and the first Latino main character in the series.

Prince Buttercup (190): Princess Buttercup is the heroine/love interest in The Princess Bride, 

West Hollywood (190): One of the most prominent gay neighborhoods in the US.

“Call Me” (191): The most popular song of 1980; it was originally written for the film American Gigolo and inspired by the film’s opening sequence of a character driving along the coast of California. (Listen here)

“So Emotional” (191): An absolute bop about enjoying being in love. (Listen here)

“Don’t Stop Me Now” (193): A Queen song where Mercury sings to both a man and a woman; it’s a huge bop. (Listen here)

In-N-Out (194): A fast food restaurant/burger chain native to California and unavailable in other states.

Animal style (195): Animal style burgers are an In-N-Out staple; it includes the typical burger toppings, along with mustard fried into the patty, pickles, onions, and extra spread.

French-fries-dipped-in-milkshake (195): a truly god-tier American dessert tradition.

“O captain, my captain” (196): A reference both to the idea of a lacrosse team captain and to Whitman’s poem, “O Captain, My Captain” (as mentioned above, Whitman was a deeply gay American poet).

Burberry (200): A posh British brand of clothing known for its classy, traditional pieces.

Cats that caught the canaries (200): A cat that caught a canary is a person who looks smug or satisfied.

Mother hen (201): A “mom friend” or someone who will do everything they can to look out for people they care about, sometimes to the point of it being annoying.

—-

If there’s anything I missed or that you’d like more on, please let me know! And if you’d like to/are able, please consider buying me a ko-fi? I know not everyone can, and that’s fine, but these things take a lot of time/work and I’d really appreciate it!

—–

Chapter 1 // Chapter 6 // Chapter 8 

[carlatsukinamistolemyhamsandwich]

A Brief Outline of the Diabolik Lovers Timeline

This post contains spoilers for Dark Fate and Lost Eden. However it is free of Chaos Lineage spoilers. Also note the spellings of some of the names here vary between translations. 

First of all I’m just going to give a quick outline of the world in which DL is set as of Lost Eden for anyone who hasn’t played the games. In the DL universe, there exists the human world and the demon world. In the demon world there are four different clans of demons, with links to four different animals; vampires (who are associated with bats), the Vibora (who are associated with snakes), the Adler (who are associated with eagles) and the wolf clan.

And then there are the founders (or originators depending on how the name is translated) who are also referred to as first bloods. The founders were the original demon race, and they are the ancestors of the four demon clans mentioned above. Because of this they possess abilities from all four clans and can transform into a bat, snake, eagle or wolf, as well as generally being considered stronger than the other demon races (with some exceptions).

On top of these races you also have the ghouls, who are first introduced in Lost Eden and are separate to the other demon races. Ghouls are very similar to humans in terms of abilities, although they can turn into crows. The main demon races mistreat the ghouls quite badly due to the distinct difference in their power levels. Humans who spend too long in the demon world become ghouls but ghouls can be conceived naturally between two ghoul parents as well. They have been forced to live in an area known as Rotigenberg, which is an unpleasant part of the demon world.

At the start of this timeline, Giesbach, Shin and Carla’s father, ruled over the founders and, although Karl Heinz was the vampire king around the same time, the founders were the ones effectively in charge of the demon world. They all lived in a castle known as Banmaden (the translation of which is Pandemonium, and you’ll often see it referenced using either of these names). I’m going to list the key events as bullet points because I think that makes it a little easier to read.

- Carla is born to Giesbach and his wife Krone.

- Endzeit first appears and begins to affect the founders. Endzeit is a fatal disease that is contracted through contact with infected blood, however it is completely unique to the founders and none of the other demon races can catch it. The illness presents with dark bruises on the skin sometime after infection, and later progresses to tuberculous-like symptoms, with the final stages involving a sort of paralysis.

- Karl visits Rotigenburg for unknown reasons and leaves some trace of his DNA behind. This fuses with the miasma present in the air to form Kino, who is later taken in by the ghouls. *

- Shin is born.*  

- Krone asks Karl Heinz for his help with Endzeit, as he was friends with her and Giesbach at the time. Karl asks Krone to send him a founder in order to conduct his research. Krone manages to get Menae, Shin and Carla’s aunt, to agree to this but they are not yet able to get her to Karl Heinz.

- Jealous of Karl’s power, Giesbach decides to wage war upon him and the demon lord Burai (who was one of the Vibora). Krone pleads with him not to but Giesbach locks her in dungeons.

- More founders are affected by Endzeit and confined to the dungeons, leading to Krone contracting the disease. As Carla visits her but remains fine, she realizes that it must be spread through blood.

- Krone gives a knife with her blood on it to Carla so that he can kill Giesbach and stop the war. Carla confronts his father and successfully infects him with Endzeit but becomes infected himself in the process. Unfortunately he is too late to save the founders and Karl Heinz seals them all in Banmaden using his magic.

- Menae receives instructions from Karl on how to slip through the barrier surrounding the castle and leaves (presumably after being infected with Endzeit). Magic is used to erase any memories of her possessed by the founders remaining in the castle but it does not work properly on Carla.

- Menae conceives Cordelia with Burai (the demon lord of the Vibora), due to Karl’s influence, making Cordelia Shin and Carla’s first cousin (while the triplets are their second cousins). Now as for Cordelia’s race, it’s a little vague but as far as I can tell, only one parent needs to be a full first blood in order for their offspring to inherent founder blood. So although Cordelia is part Vibora, her race would be classified as first blood because she draws on the blood of all four demon clans through Menae.

- Menae passes away after Cordelia is born and as she grows up, Karl Heinz starts to court her. Cordelia falls in love with him and then marries him.

- In order to push Cordelia to have children with him, Karl takes Beatrix as his wife and he also proceeds to marry Christa, his cousin. Now depending on which game you go on, this is either because he wants to have an incest child for his experiments (DF) or because he actually has some feelings for her but I’d take the last one with a pinch of salt given Karl’s overall characterization throughout the series.

- Shuu is born to Beatrix and Karl, which incites Cordelia’s fury as this makes Shuu his heir, even though Beatrix is Karl’s second wife.

- Reiji is born.

- Cordelia gives birth to the triplets. Despite Cordelia having founder blood, the triplets are vampires. I can only conclude that this is because Cordelia was not a full founder while Karl was a pure blood vampire. 

- Christa has Subaru and subsequently starts to descend into madness.

- While Shuu is still a child he encounters Yuma, known then as Edgar, and the two are friends until Reiji burns down Edgar’s village. This leaves Edgar with amnesia. He runs into a boy named Lucks, and joins his gang, however Lucks is later killed and Yuma is sent to an orphanage.

- Around this time Kou and Azusa are living on the streets and they are sent to the same orphanage as Yuma. -Also around this time, Ruki’s once rich father loses all of their money and commits suicide. Ruki’s mother runs off with a lover and Ruki is beaten by the household servants until he runs and takes to living on the streets. Ruki is then also sent to the orphanage.

- The Mukami brothers meet at the orphanage and work together to form an escape plan. It fails and Ruki is branded by the people running the orphanage. Karl Heinz then appears before him and offers to make the Mukami brothers vampires in exchange for their loyalty and help with his plan. They accept and Karl takes them in.

- Reiji hires Seiji, a vampire hunter who later becomes Yui’s adoptive father, to kill Beatrix.

- Cordelia is killed by the triplets but her heart is taken from her body by Richter, Karl’s brother, and implanted into an infant Yui who is then given to Seiji Komori. 

- Yui grows up and is sent to live with the Sakamaki brothers.

- While all this is happening the founders are still trapped in Banmaden, however they are killed off by Endzeit. Giesbach finally dies, leaving only Carla and Shin and making Carla the first blood ruler. Carla recalls that they had an aunt and they find her brooch which is imbued with some type of magic. Using that they deduce she escaped on the night of a lunar eclipse, as during lunar eclipses, a vampire’s power will weaken while a founder’s grows stronger.

- Carla and Shin break the barrier on Banmaden, freeing them and this is where Dark Fate starts. They seek out Menae as they need a woman with founder blood to restore their race, however they encounter a poorly disguised Richter who tells them that although Menae is dead, the heart of her daughter resides inside a human woman.

- The Tsukinami brothers seek out Yui and from here things diverge depending on which route you play.

- Although it is not stated exactly when, at some point Kino ascertains that he is related to Karl Heinz, although he mistakenly thinks that he is Karl’s son and it is only revealed that this is not the case in the Manservant Ending of his LE route.

And that should cover it. I’ve gone into more details with the founders because I know more about them and that seems to be the part that people find confusing.  In terms of a timescale, it’s a little hard to discern. I’ve seen various theories on the ages of the Sakamaki and Mukami brothers but I personally I am unsure. One thing I will say is that the Tsukinami brothers are definitely a lot older than all of the other diaboys, as they were trapped in Banmaden before Cordelia was even born. It does confuse me as to why their physical ages are listed as being younger than some of the Sakamaki brothers, but I’ve decided to put this down to them having to say they’re a certain age when applying to school. 

*Regarding the order of Shin and Kino’s birth, I do not believe that the canon material gives enough information to determine which of the two of them is actually older and personally I think I could argue it either way. The reason I have listed them in the order above, is that this gives perhaps the simplest overview of the timeline and groups a bunch of the founder-centric events together. But yeah, keep this in mind and I find anything more on this I’ll update this post.

[george67611-blog]

Heroes of the Enlightenment – Time Journal

Introduction

What is stuff we value a lot about in the modern world? freedom, to enjoy ourselves, to argue and discuss, to express our view, to find things out, to read and write, and the science and technology that made these possible. I’d like to share the amazing trips I took to visit some of the heroes of the enlightenment who changed how we live life now. None of this happened by accident these freedoms were one from courage and vision, in an extraordinary period of human history. It began in 17th century Europe which was called the Age of Enlightenment. A little more than a century, religious faith yielded to reasoned argument and the power of aristocracy gave way to the power of knowledge. In this journal, we will talk about the trips I took to the 3 great enlightenment innovators. Isaac Newton, who opened up the knowledge to everybody by inventing modern science. Voltaire who had been known for his writings that completely inspired literacy and the different forms of historical writings. And Erasmus Darwin whose discoveries deep underground mantid a direct challenge to the church's claim to truth.

 Isaac Newton (December 25, 1642 – March 31, 1727)

In 1661, I visited a very good friend of mine in England, Isaac Newton. The founder of modern science which was to become the greatest challenge to the power of the church. When I met him at his Woolsthorpe Manor, he was very mad and furious. I didn’t understand why. He later told me that most of the people’s lives were based on obedience and belief. He never agreed on that, he felt that the information was procured not by daze confidence however by perception. He set down widespread principles for what we currently call science and one of those guidelines was that it was available to everyone. I was amazed to see how knowledgeable he was, I picked up a few concepts while at it. He later told me about the many theories he has including lights and color. “In the letter, it contained theories that light consists of deform rays, some of which are more than others: And Colors are affirmed to be not qualifications of light, derived from refractions of natural bodies” (A Letter of Mr. Isaac Newton, 2003). Newton’s method was to see things most people wouldn’t be able to see. One day we were sitting beneath this apple tree and a sudden thought was triggered. He watched an apple fall off the tree to the ground something he’s seen hundreds of times before, but this time was different. He questioned himself and was furious about why the apple always falls. I didn’t know how to help him since I was only majoring in cybersecurity. He was seeing things most people wouldn’t be able to see even if they tried. His brain was like no one else’s, quick at discovering things. He told me that instead of an empty space between the apple and the ground; he saw an active force pulling things towards the earth, the force of gravity. At the time, I didn’t understand any scientific thing he said, but once I left and visited my good friend Voltaire he had come up with the law of universal gravitation.

 Voltaire (November 21, 1694 – May 30, 1778)

I started traveling again in the 1700s. I had visited Paris, France in 1718 to see the best-known play, the Sophocles' tragedy Oedipus. That’s where I first met Voltaire. I was amazed by his approach to tracing the movement of world human advancement by concentrating on social history and expressions of the human experience. Voltaire was a critic about the Bible and establish religions believing them to be the source of animosity between people. He had a lifetime passion for religious liberty and strongly believed that no one should be penalized by the government for their disposition. There was a multitude of economic and civic barriers against non-Catholics who also faced religious persecution and injustice. Voltaire had always come to me for advice since he hated fighting vigorously with society because they never listened to him. On a bright sunny day, we went for a walk in Toulouse. On the way we found a guy named Jean Calas getting tortured. This brought interest to Voltaire since he was all about criminal law reforms. “The panel reversed Calas’s conviction on March 9, 1765, and the government paid the family an indemnity” (The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica). Voltaire valued the free flow of ideas and especially the ability to dissent. His published works often put them in the crosshairs of government sensors, and he risked his life on several occasions to disseminate his controversial works. “Voltaire was a prolific writer, producing more than 20,000 letters and over 2,000 books and pamphlets. Despite strict censorship laws, he frequently risked large penalties by breaking them and questioning the establishment” (Pettinger). I decided to stay with him until a major problem came his way. He was banished to England after being associated with a fight with a French aristocrat. The man utilized his riches to have him captured, and this would make Voltaire attempt and change the judicial system.

 Erasmus Darwin (December 12, 1731 – April 18, 1802)

To finish up my trip I visited my dad’s friend, Darwin. He was one of the few people who were determined to do about anything. He was a doctor, poet, philosopher, and inventor. Darwin’s wide-raging interests would inspire him to mount the enlightenment ‘s ultimate challenge to the authority of the church. When I went over to Lichfield, England in 1778, he was trying to create a machine that can possibly copy from paper to paper. It didn’t take him long because he had other inventions in mind. I had lived with him for couple years because I was amazed to see the inventions that came to his mind! He was intrigued by enlightenment thinking and its application to reality. For Darwin, the key was to comprehend, oversee, and direct the quickly changing world. Inspired by his friends he recorded his ideas and inventions in a book called Common Place Book. A couple of ideas he drew out were new weaving machines which completely transformed the English textile industry. A new kind of toilet, one which Darwin notes won’t be annoying because it won’t smell. He was the first Briton to explicitly write about evolution. “His main prose on the topic appears in the first volume of Zoonomia in 1794” (Plant Morphology). In the book, he intended to characterize realities about creatures, to set out laws depicting natural life, and to catalog diseases with their medicines. In contrast to some contemporary doctors, Darwin supported dynamic mediation with drugs and mechanical devices. However, he later passed away due to Dysentery a serious illness. I couldn’t stand enduring all this pain, so I headed home to Gainesville, Virginia. I had an amazing trip and plan to go on another soon. Everyone should be able to learn more about these important people who has impacted our life completely.

WORK CITED

“A Letter of Mr. Isaac Newton ... Containing His New Theory about Light and Colors.” A Letter of Mr. Isaac Newton ... Containing His New Theory about Light and Colors (Diplomatic), Jan. 2003, www.newtonproject.ox.ac.uk/view/texts/diplomatic/NATP00006.

“Erasmus Darwin (1731-1802).” Plant Morphology, plantmorphology.org/portfolio-item/erasmus-darwin/.

Pettinger, Tejvan. “Voltaire Autobiography:  .” Biography Online, 7 Feb. 2018, www.biographyonline.net/writers/voltaire.html.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Jean Calas.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 15 Mar. 2020, www.britannica.com/biography/Jean-Calas.

[criticallyalexandrite]

Ah fuck it. To make up for me grieving over Scott Cawthon turning out to be a nasty rule 64 artist I’ll just remake that old post about my AU Diamonds right now.. My AU is now officially called Crystal Rebel Nora. I saw another SU crit propose the title of Crystal Rebels for the Crystal Gems and I really liked it. So my AU’s plot uses it. I also came up with the title Crystal Rebel Nora cuz it sounds like it could be a magical girl title. My version of Nora Universe is very much a magical girl. Even if her magic comes from being half alien. Here’s a basic rundown of what to expect from my WIP AU’s version of the Diamonds. The Diamonds are very much slaveowners and space nazis in my AU. This is not toned down even a little bit. Even though my AU Diamonds will have fleshed out personalities, their abusive nature will be made very clear. Their motive in this AU  is me attempting to rewrite White’s interesting motive in Change Your Mind.  But I plan to take it even further and not use her mindset for her motive of forcing everyone to be like her as a way to garner sympathy. It'll instead be used to show how evil and scary she really is. The Diamonds’ origins in this AU is that they are Gods that come from another plane of existence. Think of the spirit realm because that describes pretty well what their home origin is like. They’re malicious spirits that wanted more power than they started off with. So they found a way to use their powers to transcend out of the spirit realm and become the Diamond Authority/Godhood. All the Diamonds are the same age in this AU so Pink will not be coded as the other Diamonds’ child. Think of their behavior as being like the original folklore for sirens. They have pretty humanoid appearances as a way of luring other species’ into giving up their autonomy and resources. They know how to manipulate their new colonization victims into a false sense of security. Their victims often won’t realize what’s going on until it’s too late. And by that point White will have been able to program them into being robots that repeat whatever she wants. White did this for eons without any remorse. In her mind she justifies it by claiming her actions are driven by the darwinist survival of the fittest mindset. She craves the energy she gets from brainwashing and enslaving new victims. To her that is more immediately beneficial than trying to consider the well beings of her victims. So thus she does not care and if say Nora tried to redeem her the effort would be pointless. The other Diamonds don’t secretly disagree with her plans/methods. They have the same amount of carelessness for “lesser life forms” as her. Think of the Diamonds being almost hivemind-like in nature. To the extent that incubators in Madoka Magica all seem to think just like Kyuubey himself. In fact that’s a good comparison for how White’s mindset works. She sees compassion as a disease that needs to be wiped out because it gets in the way of efficiency. Thus why she labels any gems who her brainwashing efforts don’t work on immediately as defects. Defects that must be either shattered or harvested. And she will just see Nora as another defect once she can stop seeing Nora as a “weird looking Rose Quartz.” Nora will be treated by her like White would treat any other defect gem even if the defect gem was raised on Earth. Since the Diamond Authority in this AU have troops on Earth like the Sea Spire gems and the kindergarten gems and all the other parts of Earth they’ve taken over that have Quartzes/Topazes/Angelites/Lapises/etc guarding them. Here’s a quick summary of my plans for how the CRN AU Diamonds will be characterized. White Diamond the main and first Diamond could represent famine. What happens when a leader focuses too much on gathering resources for the sake of it at the expense of their people. White Diamond is the real reason Homeworld is running low on resources. She uses them for materialistic reasons. Like gem harvesting and making huge impractically designed monuments for “aesthetic.” She also calls for them to be used to colonize every single planet in existence. White Diamond is like that mom that spends over a hundred dollars on her favorite chic designs because they look cool to her. And then remembers last second that she forgot to buy food for her kids. Or that capitalist rich person who steals savings from poor people on the verge of poverty so she can buy a yacht that costs a billion dollars. Yellow Diamond, the second Diamond, represents what happens when military is supported more than is needed. When they essentially get power hungry and start doing inhuman things with their experiments and weapons. To establish this aspect of her, she created things like the cluster, forced fusions and the geodes out of petty revenge reasons against Earth gem rebels. However in this AU she actually makes sure to send out gems regularly to monitor them. Though she seems like a blowhard she genuinely enjoys being an authoritarian military commander. She wouldn’t trade her position for anything else. Yellow Diamond also takes in Jasper after Pink Diamond dies because Jasper’s a soldier. Blue Diamond is the political diplomat that tries to act centrist to make herself seem more emotionally sophisticated to a dangerous fault. When she’s in court sessions she’s harsh and unforgiving with her subjects always. Blue Diamond only shows a bit of lenience to the upper class lower gems. Mainly to make sure to uphold the false idea they’ve made that upper class gems have any power. But aside how mindlessly horrible she seems, she’s a master manipulator. Blue Diamond’s favorite weapon is guilt tripping people into thinking she’s the victim. It’s how she easily gets so many gems to her side. Like in canon she’s obsessed with Pink Diamond but it’s NOT portrayed as a romance to any degree. Pink Diamond is the youngest and last Diamond. Only sadly for the other Diamonds and their still brainwashed slaves, she was the first to die. Though she doesn’t look it, she’s the most violent out of all the Diamonds. In fact that could even be said to be apart of her methods of keeping her subjects in check. She acts like a sugary sweet princess when things are going her way but when they’re not she acts like the christianized version of Satan. The main thing she handles in the Homeworld caste system is adapting their new colonies. She embodies the part of politics that intentionally offensively alters another civilization’s culture. Pink Diamond loves to manipulate her fellow colleague Blue Diamond the most. She sees life as a game and everyone beneath her as toys that can just be tossed away when she breaks them too much. She was the one who came up with the idea of harvesting. Mainly for when even when she learns some of her gems are defective she’s not bored of playing with them yet.. She’ll be portrayed as a deliberate foil to Nora’s optimistic and friendly personality. What happens when you take those traits that could be otherwise good but use them for evli. The parallels between them won’t be used to show Pink is “redeemable” but to show the lesson that just cuz someone is friendly doesn’t mean they’re not abusive. What’s funny is that in terms of design concept her appearance is very similar to what Becky ended up going with for pre evil Spinel. Def not saying Becky was intentionally copying me there though. Just a really weird coincidence. This is everything I feel like sharing about the Diamonds in my AU so far. The post has already gotten pretty long. Feedback is welcome so long as it’s not feedback of people being butthurt that i’m not fixing the Diamond redemption. There’s so many other AU’s to go to that cater to the Diamond redemption. Go to those if you wanna see that so badly.

[samsonet]

Silver Dreaming (1/6)

It’s 2015. Professor Kukui is forming a league, and he wants Raihan to be its champion.

Raihan… considers it.

~

Raihan doesn’t know what this meeting is about.

The challenge season is over for the year. It went well, so there’s no reason to have a private meeting about it. Raihan hasn’t done anything inappropriate on social media, so it can’t be that. It might be about the project Rose is starting in the energy plant, but if that were the case, why hold the meeting in Rose Tower instead of Hammerlocke?

He steps in the conference room with just the tiniest bit of anxiety in his stomach.

Rose is there, of course, sitting at the other side of the table. Oleana is at his right hand, a pad of paper before her.

On the side nearest to Raihan, a man in a lab coat sits with his back to the door. He turns around.

And. Wow. His abs. Raihan was not expecting to see that today, but he’s not complaining. This guy works out. He’s even got a sexy scar right on his waist.

Focus, Rai, his eyes are up there.

The man has attractive eyes. He’s got a handsome face in general, actually, which makes it hard for Raihan to find a place to direct his gaze. He looks all over, from the man’s eyes to his arms to the tiny box in his hand to —

— to the wedding ring on his finger. Well. That solves that problem, at least.

“Thanks for your patience,” Raihan says, purely out of politeness. He takes a seat halfway between Rose and the man.

Rose smiles. “Now that we’re all here, allow me to introduce you. Professor, this is Raihan, Hammerlocke’s gym leader. Raihan, this is Professor Kukui. He’s Alola’s leading researcher, but today he’s here representing the Alola League.”

“The… what?”

Kukui laughs. “That’s what most people say. It’s a work in progress! But it’s coming along, yeah, like a Solarbeam!”

“...if I may. Raihan, the Alola region is a beautiful place. I’m sure you’ve seen many pictures of it online. It has many natural resources, as well as a rich culture that produces many strong trainers. Unfortunately, those trainers are often overlooked by the rest of the world. Professor Kukui is aiming to change that, and you might be able to help him.”

“How?”

“Let me ask you something first, cousin,” Kukui says, leaning forward. “You’re of Alolan descent, right?”

Raihan is mildly confused at the word ‘cousin.’ He’s pretty sure they’re not related. Is it the Alolan version of ‘mate,’ maybe? And it’s kind of rude to just ask about someone’s ethnicity, too...

Regardless, he answers: “My mum’s Alolan, but she’s been living in Galar for the past thirty years. Why?”

The professor grins. There’s a gleam in his eye. “It’s like this. Alola’s a pretty traditional place. We’re setting up a league, but there’s a lot of politics, you know? We have the trial captains, and I’ve got the Elite Four planned out, but there’s still one more spot that needs to be filled. The most important one.”

The most important one… Raihan has no clue what a trial captain is, and he’s only vaguely familiar with the concept of the Elite Four, but there’s no doubt what the last position is.

“Raihan, I would like to formally ask you to become Alola’s first Champion.”

He really just said that. He really did.

Raihan knows he’s good. He’s the eighth gym leader in one of the most competitive leagues in the world. He’s got a win-loss ratio better than almost any trainer of the past twenty years. People tell him all the time that he could be champion of another region.

He didn’t expect anyone to straight up offer it.

Kukui seems to take his silence as a bad sign, because he speaks quickly: “Alola is a paradise, yeah! It’s summer all year round, and everywhere is full of amazing Pok��mon and people. I know it’ll be a bit of a culture shock, coming from Galar, but I know you’ll be great there.”

“I’m not saying no. It’s just — I have contracts. The league has me for another two years, and my sponsors—”

“None of that will be any problem at all,” Rose says. He explains to Kukui, “In addition to running the league, I happen to own the company that sponsors Hammerlocke Stadium. If Raihan wants to leave, it will be no trouble to release him.”

“So… that’s good, right?”

They both look at Raihan expectantly.

There’s more going on here than what they’re telling him. There has to be. Why else would Rose be so agreeable to sending away his strongest gym leader? What could Professor Kukui possibly be offering that would make a deal like that make sense?

“Can I have some time to think about it?”

“Of course! I’m in Galar for the rest of the week. Of course, I’ll give you my number, so you can call me when you decide. Oh! You should have this, too.”

He hands over the box. Inside is… a bracelet. It has several blue beads on a thick wire. The centerpiece is a white stone, thick and flat, with a glittering blue crystal on top. The band closes with a hook-and-eye clasp. Raihan expects it to be too small, but to his surprise, it fits comfortably on his wrist.

“That’s a Z-Ring, yeah. It’s how we in Alola use our Z-Moves! I can teach you how to use them, so just give me a call when you’re ready, okay?”

Z-Ring. Z-Moves. Dynamax band. Gigantamaxing. Every region has their twists on battle, right?

He wonders how long it’ll take to learn Alola’s style. He wonders if he’ll have to unlearn everything he’s learned about Galar in order to do it.

“Well, I believe that’s all we needed to discuss with you, Raihan. Oleana will walk you out.” And without waiting for them to actually leave, Rose turns back to Kukui. “Professor, have you considered the blueprints I sent you? What do you think?”

Oh, so this is what the deal’s about? Raihan wants to wait here, listen in, have a say in all this.

Oleana taps his shoulder.

She is silent as they walk down the hallway. It’s only when they enter the lift that she speaks.

“The chairman meant it when he said he would allow you to go,” she says. “He sees opportunities in Alola. Having you there would be helpful in establishing Galar as the region’s foremost ally.”

“Yeah, I got that. But it’s not as easy as just packing up and flying out, right? What about the stadium? What about… you know.”

“We can find another gym leader. They may not be as good as you, but they will be enough. And as for ‘you know’... Well, Nessa was one of your rivals during your gym challenge, wasn’t she? With you gone, she’ll most likely be the one victorious during the finals. She’ll be the champion’s greatest rival, then. It won’t take much to rewrite that story.”

The lift makes a soft noise as it descends.

“It sounds like Rose really wants me to go, then. Do I have a choice here?”

“You do. You’re equally valuable if you stay, you know. As long as you give the offer serious consideration, the chairman will be satisfied.” She looks at him out of the corner of her eye. “If I may offer some advice… please take your time before giving the professor an answer.”

In other words: string him along until the last moment, so he’ll be willing to give Rose whatever he wants.

But Raihan knows that’s not a fair way to characterize it. It’s not Rose’s fault his secretary is so damn creepy. The guy is probably just excited at the idea of starting another league, at having one of his leaders at its beginning. There’s nothing malicious about that.

“I understand.”

*

There’s only one place he can go: back to the gym.

The place seems so normal, considering where he’d just come from. The league staff greet him the same way as always; his gym trainers are practicing, the same as always.

“Camilla, Aria, Sebastian. Let’s have a huddle real quick, okay? There’s something I have to tell you.”

The three of them look concerned, but they follow him into the small conference room without protest.

“So, I had a meeting with the chairman this morning.”

Sebastian blurts, “Is this about what we did to the Circhester Stadium?”

Camilla and Aria glare at him, the universal sisterly expression of shut your damn mouth.

“...no, this is not about the Circhester Stadium, and I am going to pretend you did not say that because I do not want to know what you guys did to the Circhester Stadium. Nah, this was a… Well, a job offer.” He takes a deep breath, shoving his hands in his pockets. “Alola’s setting up a league. They want me to be its champion.”

They all stare, wordless. Raihan hates it. Do they not think he’s good enough? Or worse — do they think he’ll take the offer and hop over to Alola without a second thought?

“Talk to me.”

Camilla takes off her glasses, wiping them with her shirt. It’s a nervous habit of hers. “That’s… that’s wonderful. You deserve it.”

Good. That’s good. “But…?”

Sebastian frowns. “But what about us, Rai?”

“Yes, Leader Raihan,” Aria says, “Of course we are happy for you, but there’s so much to consider. If Hammerlocke gets a new gym leader, there’s no guarantee they will keep us around.”

“Oh, don’t be like that. I’ve got some pull with Rose; if I leave, I’ll make sure he guarantees you guys get to stay as long as you need. And it’s still an ‘if.’ I haven’t decided whether I’m actually going.”

His trainers nod, but say nothing.

He sighs. “That was all I needed to say. You can go back to what you were doing.”

They leave, all of them giving him one last look before stepping out. Raihan closes the door behind them and locks it. Then he sits down and leans back, putting his legs up on the table.

Hey, his gym, his rules.

The only thing on his schedule for the next month is an exhibition match with Nessa, so he can afford to slack off for an hour. Especially if he’s doing research.

He googles famous Alolan trainers.

The first non-paid result is a listing of the top ten trainers of Alolan descent. Raihan is surprised to find himself listed as number two, right behind an Elite Four member from Hoenn. Number three is Professor Kukui, which is also surprising, then some golfer named Kahili and several other trainers from different regions.

As he reads what each trainer has been doing recently, Raihan realizes that, besides Kukui, none of the people listed actually lives in Alola. Some of them are like him, children of Alolan parents, but a lot of them were born in Alola and just… left.

He wonders why.

Searching Professor Kukui brings up some academic articles on various types of moves. Most of them are about Z-Moves, but he’s also written one on moves that are only effective in double- or triple-battles. Raihan adds that to his reading list.

The Images tab shows a lot of pictures of Kukui’s abs. Which. Is understandable. But not relevant right now, much as Raihan would love to take some time to fully appreciate them.

He scrolls through, quickly.

Hang on, is that…

It’s a picture of a younger-looking Kukui next to fricking dragon master Lance.

The picture links to an article in Kantonian, but there’s a convenient “translate page” button.

Kukui, a trainer from the carefree Alola region, defeated Champion Lance in a fierce battle Tuesday…

It goes on about Kukui’s team, his studies, his journey through Kanto.

When asked why someone from Alola would travel so far just to participate in the gym challenge, Kukui says, “Alola doesn’t have a league of its own, so a lot of trainers don’t feel like they can get stronger there. But Alola’s trainers are the strongest in the world… I want to prove that. That’s my dream, you know?”

Heh. He sounds almost like —

Nevermind who. Raihan thinks about that interview.

There’s a lot that a Champion does. Winning battles is just the foundation. They have to protect their region. They have to be experts in their region’s culture and history. And above all, they have to inspire pride. They have to be the kind of person that their region’s citizens will brag about, will trust completely, will love.

Would Alola’s people be proud of a Galarian import? Professor Kukui seems to imply so, but at this point he could just be desperate. Even so…

Being the eighth gym leader is nice. It gives Raihan a place to call his own, keeps him busy, keeps him from growing bored. He gets fanatic adoration every day, both in person and online. If he left, it wouldn’t be for the ego boost.

If he left, it would be because he truly believed he could represent Alola. He could master their battle style, show it off to the world, work with the professor and help raise a generation of young trainers who would reach even farther than he could.

The more he thinks about it, the more appealing it is.

He runs his fingers on the Z-Ring. Every stone is irregularly shaped, like the designer chose them for how they would feel rather than how they’d look. Somehow that makes the bracelet seem even more stylish. It’s comfortable around his wrist, like he was meant to wear it.

His Dynamax band never felt like that.

He pulls out the card with Kukui’s number on it and sends a text: Hey, it’s Raihan. I’d like to learn how to use a z move. I have some time tomorrow morning at 9. Can u meet me at Hammerlocke stadium?

The reply comes immediately: Of course!

Sweet. I’ll tell my ppl to let you in.

Raihan stands, sliding his phone in his pocket.

So this is it, then.

[josy72]

Adèle Haenel ✨ Noémie Merlant ✨

‘Portrait of a Lady on Fire’ Review: This Is Céline Sciamma’s Masterpiece

Portrait Of A Lady On Fire

Céline Sciamma’s Portrait of a Lady on Fire will probably draw comparison to two recent films, Lucrecia Martel’s Zama and Luca Guadagnino’s Call Me by Your Name, for completely different reasons. As a deliberately unhurried, gorgeously shot, eerily still, nearly flawless period piece with a heavy beach presence, it brings Zama to mind. And as a totally engrossing, heartbreaking, and transitory queer romance, it’s hard not to think about Call Me by Your Name. However, as is the case with both films mentioned and any great film in their company, Portrait is a wholly unique treasure all its own.

It traces the romantic encounter of two women on an island off the French coast of Brittany, one an angry daughter trapped in a remote manor, soon to be married and shipped off to a Milanese man she’s never met, and the other a painter. In defiance of the nuptial arrangement, Héloïse (Adèle Haenel) refuses to have her wedding portrait painted. Marianne (Noémie Merlant), the painter, is hired by The Countess (Valeria Golino) to pose as an outing companion to Héloïse, the daughter, while secretly painting her portrait. Marianne is expected to mentally soak up Héloïse’s features during their walks along the towering cliffs and rocky beaches below in order to paint her when they’re not together.

However, much to The Countess’s surprise, Héloïse takes fondly to Marianne and the two develop a formal, understated friendship. They start spending more time together and, in the process, reach new depths of understanding with one another, though still in a muted sense. Soon, Marianne finishes the portrait. She feels compelled to show Héloïse and tell her the truth. The Countess allows it, recognizing the bond that’s formed quickly between the two. Héloïse isn’t too upset about it, but she and The Countess both think the painting is subpar, inaccurate, and ultimately dissatisfying. Trusting Marianne as she does, Héloïse submits to posing if The Countess will allow Marianne another chance. The Countess commissions the second round and goes into the city, leaving the two women and Sophie (Luàna Bajrami), the estate maid, alone for five days to wrap up the portrait.

For this first hour or so, the film moves along at a snail’s pace, inching ever closer to the sensual tension that brews beneath the surface with stark tonal precision. Every small, quiet, seemingly trivial moment works wonders, drawing you deeper into the swelling ambiance of forbidden love. You feel it bubbling up in the tacit moments between Marianne and Héloïse. They fixate their unblinking eyes on each other with unremittent desire, emit stolid nervous ticks, and speak only in quick bursts of conversation, as if expressing too much would expose the vulnerability they crave from one another.

Merlant and Haenel’s performances are remarkable. It’s difficult to imagine the film, so reliant on discrete expression and hidden movement, working with any other actresses. Both have incredibly robust visages, as strong as they are passionate—sharp jaw lines, high cheekbones, velvet lips, regal noses, piercing eyes, bushy dark brows. They both have a thick and luscious head of hair that’s usually pulled back into a neat bun or braid, an outward symbol of the inner restraint that cages them both romantically and culturally (as women in a staunchly patriarchal world). They wear period-appropriate dresses of solid colors, Marianne’s a rich russet and Héloïse a shadowy blue-grey, except when she’s posing, in which case she wears the plainest, most majestic emerald dress you’ve laid eyes on. The dresses are cut low at the collar to reveal smooth, elegant necks which lead down to sharply accentuated collar bones, every aspect of their appearance causing the other to ooze unspoken envy.

Sciamma wields their appearances brilliantly with an abundance of close-ups on face and body. Their faces communicate the mental and emotional gravity at stake and the relational evolution that accompanies it, while the bodies communicate a visceral yearning for intimacy, a carnal longing for love. It doesn’t matter how pronounced or still their movements are, Sciamma makes you feel everything they feel like you’re in a waking dream. When Marianne is frozen with a brush in her hand, her eyes darting back and forth between Héloïse and the canvas, the atmosphere is dense with ardor. And when Héloïse sprints fervently toward the edge of a cliff, a spliff of adrenaline and empathy invades your lungs and rushes through your veins. The mood is palpable every step of the way.

The sound and color alone achieve astounding singularity. Sciamma uses textural sound to score the film, from the smooth scratch of a paintbrush on canvas to the crunch of stiff dresses in silent rooms to the hushed smack of readied lips to the roar of the waves to the creaks and groans of the human body to the crackle of a fire. Likewise, she accentuates color to create an unparalleled tone. The baby blue walls in the house, the varied vibrance of the dresses, the true blackness of night around a bonfire, the golden skin of the women in a warm yellow hue. Even on the beach, the colors are stunningly pronounced—khaki sands, cerulean skies, and an ocean made up of at least ten shades of hazy greens and blues. The cinematography is magnificent, too, as DP Claire Mathon never lets up in her pursuit of exquisite shot composition. Keep your eyes peeled for the nude pipe-smoking shot in front of the fire, the whack-a-mole shot in grassy dunes, the bird’s eye procedure shot with a baby, the armpit-confused-as-ass-hole shot (you certainly won’t miss this one), and the opening canvas and paint shot.

Sciamma’s screenwriting and direction deserve the credit from which every other aspect flows. Her characterization of Héloïse as the titular subject of the film is a magnificent example. She constantly adds little things to her story that make a world of difference in how we understand Héloïse as opposed to leaving her to the trappings of archetypal Hollywood damsels. She’s built as an exiled, angry, yet open woman, but through paint, she’s portrayed as a headless woman in an old failed portrait attempt, and, most noticeably, a calm woman on fire in another. Adding more layers, Sciamma depicts her as a recurring ghost, a masked escapist, a common philosopher, and a sweet, gentle soul.

She is the enigma Marianne unravels throughout the film, at first bitter and lonely, but eventually, undone by the lawlessness of love, soft and kind. Even in her allowance to run out the doors unattended, she recognizes the loneliness that accompanies freedom, what she sarcastically calls the “charms of exile.” Marianne, on the other hand, is quiet and observant, like us. Her spectatorial and inquisitive nature is the lens through which we come to know the depths of Héloïse beyond what imagery can convey.

They share keen debates on art philosophy, rules, ideals, presence, sincerity, truth, loneliness, love, memory, and music, the latter three forming the holy trinity of the film’s thematic core. Lines like “Do all lovers feel like they’re inventing something?” are whispered softly in the dead of night and tiptoe into your psyche where you ask yourself the same question. Others like “Don’t regret, remember,” possess the film like an impassioned forlorn spirit and give way to poetic conversations about what it means to choose memory over love, and the romantic (or professional) agency of a woman.

But perhaps the most noteworthy aspect of Sciamma’s fourth film, among everything already mentioned, is the scant but titanic use of music. If it weren’t for every little phenomenal detail of the film, it would be worth watching for the two music scenes alone. If anyone is quick to dismiss the lack of score, they merely don’t understand the power of music as Sciamma intends to use it. The explosive, emotionally-packed moments—one with instrumentation and no voice and the other inversed—are utterly unforgettable. They’ll occupy your thoughts, your dreams, your fantasies, and, ultimately, the mass cultural lexicon of film history’s greatest moments.

Portrait begins as a still, stoic friendship and blossoms into a tender, compassionate romance, even a gushing romance at times. However, be warned that this is a poet’s romance, not a lover’s, as the film recognizes through some meta-commentary. And there’s a major difference between the two.

[ckret2]

Knowing what a florpus is now, how would you have done the IZ special?

Well, first off, I would’ve given the Florpus a LOT more character development. Where was its pathos? Its depth?? And I don’t mean the depth of its black hole like portal, I mean its emotions. What were its motivations? Why does it throw people into alternate universes? Is it, somehow, trying to escape its present universe—trying to escape its tragic existence? Does it long to flee to a new life, but can only fling others into those new lives instead? Does it experience a longing? Does it yearn for that freedom? Does it—

No but seriously.

I’m gonna be nitpicky because there’s no point in answering a question like “how would YOU have done it??�� with “oh I would have done it, like, the same, in all these areas,” so I’m focusing on the things I feel coulda used tweaking, with a few mentions of things I thought were particularly good additions.

With a few days’ distance? I still think the moments I’m iffiest about are the moments around Dib that get some, like, emotional depth/kindness—although at this point more because they stick out and feel a little shoehorned in.

- His moment of “wow, we’re the same” with Zim feels absolutely unnecessary, when it didn’t really lead to anything—not a later “HOW COULD YOU BETRAY ME WHEN YOU KNOW WE HAVE THE SAME STRUGGLES?!” “BECAUSE I DON’T CARE ABOUT YOUR HUMAN STRUGGLES, LOL”; not a moment where Dib reconsiders his actions based on this new empathy; not even a joke about how Dib’s totally willing to use Zim for his own purposes anyway. It’s pointless. it goes away immediately. Either do something with a comment that big and heavy or leave it out, what’s the point of Dib having a moment of groundbreaking status-quo-shattering empathy with Zim if 1) it doesn’t effect anything, and 2) the movie doesn’t even bother to lampshade that it doesn’t effect anything?

- Gaz’s comment about how she’s only mean to Dib because she knows he can take it, while nice to have confirmed, also feels a little under-justified. Like it’s really pretty obvious that the line was in there because they wanted to establish that new characterization for her. Dib said “Why aren’t you saying I told you so?” and she could’ve left it at “because making fun of you is no fun when you’re this sad” and it would’ve felt more natural. If they wanted her to get in the “I’m only mean because you can take it” line, it would’ve worked better if like, Dib had been going “go on! beat me up! kick me in the head! tell me how terrible i am! i deserve it!” in an actual excessive display of looking-for-punishment; and then it would be more natural for her to feel like she had to step back and explain their whole relationship dynamic to him. What we got form Dib was... okay, it was excessive by normal standards, but not by Invader Zim standards.

- And the part that felt the most off to me was Prof Membrane telling Dib he was always proud of him. In a movie where he demonstrated no pride in him at any point, unless you count the rather backhanded “this is a very impressive fake space ship.” And in which Dib’s greatest achievements—his rescue of his father, his efforts to fight Zim, his demonstrating abundantly over and over that aliens are really real—are all dismissed by Membrane as hallucinations. It really... really doesn’t feel like Membrane is proud of Dib, in the slightest, about anything. Because there’s no evidence backing up the statement in the movie. (Or, for that matter, in the show that the movie follows.) It honestly feels like Membrane, who thinks all this is fake, is playing along with the fantasy idea that he’s got a son to be proud of, the way he plays along with the fantasy robot invasion by fighting it off.

And that would be a fair way to play that line. It would throw the whole “let’s give Dib a little more love and kindness” thing out the window completely—but yeah, deliberately playing Membrane’s “I’m proud of u” as a lie he trots out in a world that he thinks is imaginary would be a very interesting take—an exquisitely painful dagger in Dib’s heart, hearing the words but only in a context where he knows that they can’t possibly be true. From the framing of the scene, though, I’m p sure we’re supposed to consider his words 1) touching, and 2) sincere.

On the other hand, to make it actually sound sincere? We’d need something, somewhere, anywhere, to point to to show that he actually is proud of Dib. The “this is a great not-real ship” line edges close. It would take something like that, where he shows he’s proud of the things that Dib achieves that Membrane DOES believe in—the impressive surveillance equipment array in his room, the inventions he’s made in the past while chasing around Zim, etc etc. Something like that, earlier in the movie, where he shows that there are indeed things he’s seen out of Dib that he’s proud of.

A thing the movie did get right with Membrane: it actually does feel like Membrane loves Dib, even when he doesn’t believe a word he says—which is a big shift from the show. In the movie he’s just oblivious rather than neglectful. It wouldn’t be hard to jump from “love” to also including “pride,” but it doesn’t quite make that leap. Still, though, the love is there, and that’s important.

So: either make it really clear that Membrane is lying because he doesn’t think any of this is real and would like to imagine that in this fantasy world he can be proud of his son, so that it’s extra painful and we can wallow in that pain; or establish that he actually is proud of Dib and give us enough evidence that we can see that even if Dib can’t as long as he’s hanging all of his hopes on being believed about aliens; OR, hell, just have Membrane acknowledge that this is reality, accept that this will be one thing where the status-quo doesn’t snap back at the end of the movie, and have him go forth and believe in Dib in whatever hypothetical future Invader Zim projects might come to be. He shouldn’t need to believe in Dib about aliens to still be a parent who’s proud of his child—and I do like that message, even if it feels unjustified by the script in its current form—but if he did believe Dib, there would be no “... wait, really? that ain’t true” when he tells Dib he’s proud of him.

Other little things I would’ve altered: it felt sorta cheap to have this “GO TO OTHER UNIVERSES!” portal and then they didn’t go through it. they went halfway through it and jumped through some art styles but, like... When Star Wars introduces the Death Star you wanna see it blow up a planet, and then it does. When ETF introduces the Florpus you wanna see it spit Earth into another reality, but we don’t get to see that. Just a quick shot of puppet Tallest who went there instead of our main characters.

And the last: Dib hauling Zim in to show him off and then that NOT happening was sorta... hm. Someone once pointed out to me that Simpsons episodes are completely and utterly unpredictable because the plot that the episode starts on is about a million plots away from where the episode ends up; the episodes’ set-ups and the punchlines have nothing to do with each other, it’s just One Thing After Another that veers in new directions. And it sorta felt like that. We were setup for this thing and then it veered into a new direction. It didn’t feel like a twist, it didn’t feel like a subversion, it felt like we were set up to do one thing but only half-assed our way into setting up that thing before going in another direction. The plot sorta steadies out once Zim seizes control of Membrane’s lab.

Things I wanna make a note of praising though because I feel they’re particularly worth keeping:

In the show, it sorta felt like all the characters lived in their own emotional bubbles and took turns saying their own thoughts without really, like, absorbing each other’s words. It feels like they don’t acknowledge each other’s personhood/inner lives. Like, to every individual character, they are the only person who exists, and everyone else is an automaton or an NPC to them. Whereas in this movie they actually talk to each other and process each other’s words and thoughts. They converse, they don’t just take turns monologuing. That was nice. It was shockingly different—and it’s amazing, how different the movie feels from the show just from how it handled the dialogue!—but it gave their character relationships a richness that the show didn’t have.

Gir’s song is flawless. It had exactly the right tone. It was the perfect mix of banal, cheesy, catchy, and weird. I was delighted.

The characterization of the Tallest—especially their bullying that poor navigator—was also utterly flawless. Spectacular, delightful stupidity.

The computer, I think, had more personality in the movie than in the show. It had a good deal in the show, but the sass and resentment is oozing here. I love everything about it.

Foodio 3000, Clembrane, and the robot army were all wonderful characters, and I adore each and every one of them. Especially Foodio 3000, whom I would like to adopt, and not just because I can’t cook. Clembrane, I think, could still use a little polish—his character is still a little bit rough around the edges to me, I woulda worked on him a tad more—but he’s still a fine addition to the Membrane household.