#this is genuinely so difficult. she's my sister and i love her but i can't let her keep treating me like this.

[postikortti]

i’m gonna go no contact w my sister. if that’s currently even possible. 

[unclewaynemunson]

“I need to tell you something.”

Shitfuckno. Eddie doesn't even know why he's still surprised. This is how it always goes, after all. He should probably just give up and stop dating altogether – again.

Steve looks at him exactly as ominously as the words I need to tell you something require. Perfect Steve. Funny Steve. Sweet Steve. Sexy Steve. Steve, who Eddie had genuinely believed to be different.

Eddie sighs, barely suppressing a dark chuckle while he turns away from that perfect face. He doesn't want to look at Steve when he'll tell him the undoubtedly messed-up shit he's about to spill.

“Lemme guess, you're married?” That was what the last guy he dated told him, seven months after they got to know each other. It can't be much worse than that, can it?

Steve grabs Eddie's hand, causing him to involuntarily jerk up his head and meet his eyes.

“How did you know?”

Jesus H. Christ. Not again.

Eddie roughly pulls his hand out of Steve's grip and laughs a joyless laugh.

“Apparently I'm a good guesser.”

He stands up from the park bench the two of them had been sharing. “Well, Steve, this has been a blast. You should go back to your wife, or husband – don't tell me, I don't even wanna know – and I should um, get going. Maybe tell the next person right away what they'll be getting themselves into. Would save them a lot of wasted time, just in case cheating and going around other people's backs isn't really their thing, y'know.”

“Eddie, wait, let me explain!”

Eddie picks up his pace, but Steve, stubborn as he is, easily keeps up with him.

“I'm really not interested, man.”

“It's not – I'm not cheating on her!”

“Okay, so you have an open marriage, good for you. Still the kind of information you could've shared with me, say, three months ago, don't you think?”

“She's a lesbian.”

And that makes Eddie freeze on the spot. It takes Steve two steps before he realizes Eddie has stopped moving; he walks backwards until he's standing right in front of Eddie.

“She's my best friend,” he says, immediately using Eddie's stunned silence to his advantage. “Robin, my roommate – I told you all about her. We wanted to buy a house together and that turned out to be very complicated when you're not... Well, when you're not romantically involved. So we got married. For the, um, practical reasons. We never – we're like siblings. I love her like a sister. But she's also my wife. Platonically.”

It takes a few seconds until Steve's words sink in. Then, Eddie leaps forward and basically collapses into Steve's arms, needing to hold onto him to prevent himself from crashing to the ground.

Steve's arms are warm, strong, and as safe as ever.

“Eddie, are you okay?” Steve asks softly. His lips brush against Eddie's ear while he speaks, and worry colors his voice.

Perfect Steve. Too-good-to-be-true Steve.

“Jesus Christ, Steve,” is the only thing Eddie manages to say.

“I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you,” Steve says. “It's just – I've gotten some, um... Less than ideal reactions, in the past, whenever I told this when I was seeing someone. So I thought it'd be better to wait until things were getting serious.” He sighs, tangling his fingers in Eddie's hair. “I didn't wanna scare you off. Are we – are you okay?”

Eddie nods. He lifts his head from where it's resting against Steve's shoulder and raises his hands to squeeze them around Steve's face.

“We're okay,” he says. “And I'm sorry I didn't want to listen to you. I–” He stops; he can't find the words right away. It's still difficult to talk about those things; to let himself be vulnerable. But Steve has been honest with him, so it's only fair to return the favor.

“I've been hurt, Steve,” he confesses. “More than once. I've had some really shitty experiences with dudes not being honest with me. I thought that that was what was happening again, and I couldn't – I couldn't go through that again. Especially not with you.”

“Jesus, Eddie, I'm so sorry.”

“It's okay,” Eddie rushes to say, pulling Steve even closer towards him. “I trust you.” And as soon as these words leave his mouth, he knows it's the truth.

“I do want to be absolutely clear about one thing, though,” Steve says.

Eddie leans back in Steve's arms to give him an expectant look.

“Robin is my wife. I'm not planning on that to change anytime soon. We've been through a lot together. She's been the most important person in my life for years. We own a house and a dog together, and I love her more than anything. I like you a lot, and I promise you I'm all-in with you, but... Robin is still my number one. And that's not gonna change overnight. I need you to be okay with that.”

Eddie swallows. He looks into Steve's eyes. All he sees is a man who is honest, who loves his friends deeply, and who refuses to make any compromises when it comes to love – whether it be the platonic or the romantic kind.

It doesn't scare Eddie off; it only makes him fonder of Steve.

He smiles, glances around to check if they're alone, and presses a quick kiss against Steve's lips.

“I think I can live with that,” he says. “As long as I'm the only one who gets to do this.” He closes his eyes and lets his lips meet Steve's again.

The sigh that Steve breathes into their tentative kiss is one filled with relief.

[livingdreams97]

Tara Carpenter -- "The lies I keep" (Part 5)

Tara Carpenter x Male reader/oc

Summary: Having a normal life is difficult after the one she considered her best friend tries to kill her and causes distrust in everyone she meets. But something or rather someone manages to enter her heart and hiding that person is the best thing that occurs to her.

Words: 5.158

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Masterlist

Tara's POV

I can notice how the atmosphere changes radically as soon as I ask my question, becoming heavier and full of uncertainty.

I can also see how my boyfriend's face changes completely, his body completely rigid and the slightly lost look he has.

I clench my jaw tightly, trying not to jump to any negative conclusions and have my mind start creating reasons for Gale to know my boyfriend's name. The guy I'm completely in love with, who's one of the few people I trust the most and have allowed myself to be vulnerable with since what happened a year ago.

A boyfriend who, even before we started dating, was friendly and understanding of my story. Someone who has given me all the time, space and support I have needed since the moment we became close.

The boy who, when I admitted that I lied to him about everything I had told him about myself, from my origins to my last name in the beginning, just smiled at me and assured me that he understood my reasons.

The same person who comforted me when, after admitting my lies and learning my true identity, allowed me to cry on his shoulder. Who wiped away my tears and made a horrible joke, causing me to laugh genuinely for the first time in a long time.

For those very reasons, I'm trying not to jump to any conclusions , giving him a chance to explain himself and clarify why the hell Gale Weathers knows him by name.

Because I don't want to think that the first person I ever fell in love with was just using me for some unknown reason and that would break my heart.

Y/n: We can talk about it somewhere private.- he whispers looking at the driver and then back at me.

I stare at him for a few moments, seeing a whirlwind of emotions flashing in his eyes and I can only nod at his question. I look at him for a few more seconds, before I can't continue with the uncertainty and turn my face towards my sister, moving away from him a little.

But I don't know if looking at my sister is better or worse, as I can see the distrust and anger reflected in her eyes as she stares at my boyfriend.

So I decide the best option is to look ahead and ignore the two people sitting on either side of me.

The rest of the trip home passes with the four travelers in complete silence and an atmosphere so tense that it could be cut with a spoon.

When we get out of the taxi, Y/n pays for the service and both my sister and I start walking towards the building.

Y/n: Tara! - I hear him call me, causing me to stop walking and look at him over my shoulder. - Can we talk at your house? The three of us . - he specifies looking at me with a pleading look.

Tara: Let's go.- I nod quietly, shaking my head towards the building and resuming my march towards the apartment.

Sam: I don't think it's a good idea for him to come into our house.- she murmurs as she stands beside me as we walk up the stairs. -I don't trust him, much less seeing as he's related to Gale in some way without you knowing.- she whispers, looking at the person walking behind us with distrust.

Tara: But I'm the one who decides whether or not I trust him.- I reproach her firmly, not wanting my sister and her opinions to dictate what I have to feel or think.

Sam: Tara...- she starts to say but I stop her immediately.

Tara: Stop.- I deny, interrupting her.

We finish climbing the stairs and Sam opens the door with some reluctance due to Y/n's presence. When he opens the door, the three of us enter and my boyfriend, being the last to enter, closes the door behind him.

Tara: Quinn? - I call, seeing that there was no one in the living room. - Quinn, are you home? - I ask, knocking on her bedroom door without receiving any answer.

Sam: Mindy sent me a text. - She tells me with her phone in her hand. - She says that they are expecting us at your university campus. - She informs me, looking up.

Tara: Is Quinn with them? - I asked her walking towards the living room.

Sam: Yes, they are all together and she sent me the location so I know where they are exactly. - she explains to me, putting her cell phone in the back pocket of her pants.

I nod tiredly, letting myself fall onto the couch and closing my eyes for a few moments. I hear someone clear their throat, causing me to open my eyes and see my boyfriend standing in the entrance of the living room, shifting uncomfortably in his spot.

Tara: Come here.- I whisper with an attempt at a smile, patting the couch beside me and watching as he walks nervously towards me . -Sam.- I call her to join me and she sits in the armchair.

Once the three of us are seated, I watch as Y/n nervously plays with his fingers and begins to dig his nails into the palms of his hands.

I slowly move one of my hands towards his and gently place it between them, preventing him from further harming himself.

Y/n: Gale has known me since I was 8 years old.- he begins to tell nervously. -What I'm going to say now can't leave the room under any circumstances.- he says connecting our gazes and then looking at my sister.

Sam: I can't promise to do something if I don't know what it's about.- she denies, crossing her arms and looking at my boyfriend with her eyes half closed.

Tara: Sam.- I scold her for her attitude. -Nothing you say will leave this room.- I assure him sincerely, watching as his shoulders relax slightly.

Y/n: Before you told me, I already knew about the Woodsboro murders and Ghostface.- he admits with some guilt in his gaze.

Sam: Everyone with a TV, computer or phone knows about the murders and even more about Ghostface - she reproaches him with a certain bite in her tone of voice.

Tara: Sam, that's enough. - I scold her again for her attitude. -Let him speak and explain himself without interrupting him. - I ask her firmly.

My sister looks at me with some anger, but just keeps her arms crossed and lets her back fall against the back of the chair.

Y/n: What I mean is that I've been through the same thing you two went through last year.- he admits and I look at him with wide eyes, surprised. -When you told me what happened to you, I wanted to tell you that I had experienced the same thing and be honest. But no one else could know.- he assures me with complete sincerity.

Tara: But that's impossible.- I deny confused. - You're from New York, you were born and raised here. Besides, the last attack was 11 years ago, at that time you would have been...- I say trying to make sense of what he's saying.

Y/n: 8 years old.- finish the sentence for me .

Sam: That's impossible.- she denies immediately. -In 2011 there was no victim or witness that young.- she argues looking at my boyfriend with suspicion.

Y/n: Not publicly.- he agrees with my sister. -Gale, Dewey, Sheriff Hicks and Sidney made sure that no one knew of my existence during the Ghostafce attacks that year.- he explains with a sigh.

Sam: And how are you related to Ghostface? - she asks, leaning forward and paying more attention to him.

Y/n: Jill Roberts was my sister.- he admits looking at the ground and I can't help but let out a sound of surprise.

Sam: That can't be, Jill was an only child. - She immediately denies, implying that my boyfriend is lying.

Y/n: She was the only daughter my father had with Kate Roberts, but she wasn't an only child.- he says and I'm increasingly surprised. -My father left Kate when Jill wasn't even born yet, because according to him, Kate always had her head somewhere else and never paid attention to her marriage. So my father asked for a divorce and moved to New York for a great job offer.- he tells us with a small grimace when he admits that his father abandoned her daughter.

Tara: But I never saw you in Woodsboro .- I say trying to remember someone named Y/n Willson .

Y/n: Because I only went a couple of weeks during the summer since I was 5 years old.- he clarifies taking a deep breath. -That year my father took me to woodsboro later than usual because a work trip and that's why I was there when it happened. My father never wanted to have much of a relationship with Jill and he showed it every time he dropped me off and picked me up from Kate's house. But Jill was a good sister and I had fun with her, until she decided that being famous was more important than anything else in the world.- he tells us with some resentment in his voice and tears in his eyes.

POV You

I can see that the more I tell them, the more surprise and disbelief I see on the Carpenter sisters faces. But it is completely understandable, since what I am telling has been a secret of summary and I hope it will remain so after this.

Sam: But what happened? How .. no ..- she asks without knowing very well how to form it.

Y/n: Kirby invited my sister to watch some movies and spend the afternoon at her house, so Jill took me with her. - I begin to tell what happened that night feeling the sweat on my hands. - Charlie and Jill 's boyfriend-ex were also there when we arrived. Everything was going well, but from one moment to the next I am only aware of a strong pain in my back and head. I woke up in the hospital four days later with 3 stab wounds in the back and a mild contusion. - I explain trying to be as precise as possible.

Sam: So you already knew who Tara was when you met her.- she accuses me angrily, getting up from the chair and taking a step towards me.

Y/n: No.- I immediately deny, stepping back when I see her advancing towards me.

Tara: Sam, stop! - she yells at her sister, also getting up and standing in front of me.

Y/n: I didn't know who Tara or any of you were before last night.- I assure her with complete sincerity. -After what happened, my father and all the adults made me promise that no matter what happened, I would never get involved with anything related to Ghostface .- I defend myself. -If it weren't for what happened to Dewey, Gale wouldn't have even told me about last year's attack.- I admit, feeling the pain of last year when the reporter told me that her ex-husband had died.

Sam: And you never thought about telling your girlfriend? - she asks me angrily, pointing at her sister.

Y/n: I wanted to, but I made a promise to Dewey that no matter what happened, I wouldn't tell anyone under any circumstances.- I answer feeling a tear escape. -I promised him, i promised that i wouldn´t tell and yet I 'm breaking that promise so you guys know the truth.- I say feeling guilty for breaking the promise.

Sam: What if my sister is in danger now because of you? - she claims, starting to move from one side of the room to the other.

Tara: You know that's not true , Sam.- she denies in my defense. -Y/n didn't even know Jason or Greg, but I did and so did Mindy. It's more likely that she's in danger because of me, than I am because of him.- she reminds her sister with some logic.

The room goes silent after that, with Tara sitting back down next to me and her sister leaving the room.

After a tense silence, I decide that the sisters need time and space to process what I've told them. So I decide it's best if I leave them alone.

Y/n: I think it's better if I go.- I whisper, feeling guilty for breaking the promise and for having hidden the truth from Tara.

Tara: No, wait.- she asks me, grabbing my arm when I make a move to get up and pulling me to stay seated. -Don't go, please.- she begs me, looking me straight in the eyes.

Y/n: You're not mad at me? - I asked her a little unsure.

Tara: Were you angry with me when I told you the truth? - she asks me with another question and a slight smile on her face.

Y/n: No.- I deny in a low voice.

Tara: Then why should I be angry, when all you've done is keep a promise and protect yourself? - she answers, getting closer to me and caressing my cheek lovingly.

Y/n: But it's not the same.- I assure her, unable to take the guilt away. -When you admitted the truth, we were just friends and now we're in a relationship for more than four months.- I point out with a grimace.

Tara: I don't see any difference.- she says without removing the smile from her beautiful face. -I lied to you about my past and who I was for safety. You hid a part of your past for your safety and I will never blame you for that.- she assures me moving her hand from my cheek to the back of my neck and pulling me towards her.

Y/n: But... - I try to say but her lips interrupt me.

Her soft, plump lips feel like clouds against mine. Her hands slip into my hair and she massages it lovingly, causing any trace of stress or insecurity to immediately disappear from my body.

When air is needed, our lips part and she gently rests her forehead against mine. I feel her slightly agitated breathing hit my face, giving me complete peace.

Tara: I love you.- she admits for the first time and I pull away from her with my eyes wide open.

I look at her in complete shock, opening and closing my mouth like a fish out of water, not saying anything no matter how much my brain is giving the order.

Y/n: I ..y .. oo .- I try to admit that I love her too but my mouth doesn't let me.

Tara: You look incredibly cute.- She laughs at my attitude, pulling my neck again and bringing our lips together again in a kiss full of passion.

Y/n: I love you too.- I manage to say when we separate from the kiss.

Tara: Let's get changed before we join the others.- she whispers to me before standing up and grabbing my hand, pulling me towards her room. -And a shower wouldn't hurt either of us.- she says, looking over her shoulder at me with an amused look.

Y/n: Are you making me an indecent proposal? - I asked her raising an eyebrow with some amusement .

Tara: Separately.- she clarifies, moving her eyebrows suggestively. -What a perverted mind you have.- she shakes her head amused, entering her room and pulling me inside. -I can lend you a shirt, but you'll have to reuse the pants.- she tells me, opening her dresser and rummaging through it.

Y/n: Maybe I should go to my apartment to change.- I suggest looking at the blood stain on the side of my pants and the dirt from having dragged myself across the floor in them.

Tara: You're not leaving my side until this is all sorted out.- she tells me firmly, although it's more of an order. -So you're coming or what?- she asks, leaving the shirt against my chest and winking at me, before leaving the room.

I throw the shirt on the bed, hurrying up behind my girlfriend and picking her up as she's about to enter the bathroom. I walk into the bathroom with her in my arms as she giggles and lock the door behind us.

Tara's POV

After Y/n explained his involvement with Gale and we changed into clean clothes. At least Sam and I, since my boyfriend's pants were still a little dirty from the night before. We met up at the university campus with the rest of the group.

Quinn, Anika, and Sam are sitting on one of the benches on campus, while Chad, myself, Y/n, and Ethan are sitting on the other bench. Mindy, who has named herself as the expert on the Ghostface movies and spokesperson for the situation, is standing in front of everyone.

Mindy: Listen up, geeks.- She calls the attention of those involved. -As scary as all this is, I'm glad I can redeem myself for not having guessed the killers the last time.- she says with a slight smile on her face, while she adjusts her top.

Chad: Yep.- agrees with his sister, with a notebook and pen in his hands.

Y/n: Is this serious? - he asks me in a whisper so that only I can hear him from my left.

I respond with a nod and a light squeeze of his hand, which has been clasped together in my lap since we sat down.

Mindy: Very well.- she says, taking up the word again. -In my opinion, someone wants to make a sequel to the requel.- she begins to explain her theory to us.

Anika: What is a requel? - she asks after raising her hand with obvious confusion.

Mindy: You're so cute. The questions at the end.- she answers with a somewhat tender look, without really answering her question.

Sam: Stab 1 was in Woodsboro.- my sister comments with her arms crossed. - Stab 2 was in college.- she points to the locations from both movies.

Tara: Could it be that the killer is trying to copy the movies? - I ask at the connection between the movies and what 's happening now.

Mindy: It's a possibility.- she answers with a smile. - The heroes are at the university, Check. New mysterious characters that are introduced to fill the list of suspects and/or victims; check, check, check and check.- she comments pointing at Quinn, Anika, Ethan and my boyfriend.

Ethan: We're off to a bad start.- he comments upon being singled out as a possible suspect or victim.

Mindy: But it's not based on Stab 2. - she denies with some certainty that she doesn't like it.

Tara: Why not? - I asked confused by her assurance.

Mindy: It would make sense if this was just a sequel. But we're not in a sequel, because nobody makes normal sequels anymore.- she answers, gesturing with her hands. - We're in a franchise!- she exclaims with a somewhat worrying emotion after a few moments of silence, since we're in the sights of another killer. - And certain rules must be followed in active franchises.- she explains, moving in her place.

Sam: Here we go.- she sighs looking at his hands at what is to come.

Mindy: Rule number one: Everything is bigger than before, the budget, the cast, the number of victims. There are chases, there are shootouts, decapitations... We have to improve on what was before to attract the public - she explains with even more emotion than at the beginning.

Chad: Decapitations?- he asks with a certain tone of fear and insecurity.

Mindy: Decapitations.- she says pointing at her brother who writes something in the notebook. -Rule number two: What happened last time, now is the opposite. Franchises only survive if they subvert expectations.- she continues explaining.

Y/n: What do you mean by subvert? - he asks confused, just like the rest who haven't been through Woodsboro .

Mindy: Questions at the end.- she repeats with a hand gesture. -If the last killers were offended, whiny movie geeks with Letterboxd accounts instead of a personality, I can tell you that this time it will be the opposite.- she continues with her explanation. -And rule number three: No one is safe. Classic characters are cannon fodder at this point, they only bring them out to kill them in an attempt to pull on nostalgia. The future looks bad for Gale and Kirby.- she assures us and I can feel the body to my left tense completely.

I glance surreptitiously to my left, seeing my boyfriend's serious but worried face and I can't help but feel a little guilty for having involved him in all this.

Because even though he experienced it as a child, no one knows that he witnessed anything and that it is related to Gale or any of Ghostface 's victims in 2011. So he was safe, until he met me and we started dating.

Mindy: But that's not the worst part.- she assures, making me pay attention to her again.

Chad: Now is when she tells us the worst part.- he says confidently pointing at his sister with the pen.

Mindy: The worst part is that franchises are just a series of episodic installments designed to milk a brand, which means that the leads are now super expendable too.- she tells us, looking at us all. -Laurie Strode , Nancy Thompson, Ellen Ripley, Sally Hardesty, Jigsaw, Tony Stark, James Bond.... Even Luke Skywalker! They all died so that their franchises would live.- she exclaims with a smile on his face listing each character. -So it's not just the group of friends. Any of us could die at any moment, especially Sam and Tara.- she says with some insecurity and guilt for mentioning my sister and me.

We all fell silent at my best friend's explanation. I looked at my sister with some concern, seeing that she was looking at me the same way and that made my level of insecurity and fear increase.

I feel a squeeze on my hand, so I turn my face towards my boyfriend and see some fear reflected in his eyes as he looks at me. I offer him a small smile, trying to hide my concern and trying to reassure him.

He continues to watch me with the same worried expression, so I move closer to him and rest my head on his shoulder. I immediately feel him let go of my hand for a few seconds, before feeling his arm around my waist and his other hand intertwine with mine.

My body relaxes completely against my boyfriend's, feeling his warmth envelop me and the feeling of security invade me, while Ethan speaks.

Ethan: Am I going to die a virgin? - he asks, somewhat scared, giving us all information we didn't need to know.

Mindy: Too much information.- she answers what everyone present is thinking. -But it brings us to the current suspects. Ethan, the shy dorky one that no one suspects, because he's the shy and dorky boy.- she explains looking at the boy.

Ethan: Why am I on the suspect list? - he asks immediately. - I was assigned to share a room with Chad by lottery. - he says defensively and I can feel my boyfriend's body tense up the slightest bit.

I look up for a few seconds, catching my boyfriend's attention and asking him with my eyes if he's okay. But he shakes his head and leaves a kiss on my forehead, letting me know he'll tell me later.

Mindy: That can be rigged.- she answers with some suspicion. -It could be a strategy to get you closer to us.- she says before walking towards our roommate. - Quinn, the slutty roommate. A classic in horror movies.- she comments giving her fingers a kiss, in a way of applauding the character.

Quinn: More like sex positive.- she corrects her on her definition. -But thank you?- she asks confused, not quite sure how to take it.

Mindy: And how did you end up living with Sam and Tara? - she asks with some suspicion in her voice.

Quinn: Responding to their online ad.- she answers unsure of the situation and the question.

Mindy: Okay, don't tell me any more. You've blamed yourself enough already.- she assures her in a celebratory manner.

Tara: The ad was anonymous, Mindy . - I inform my friend. - And we investigated her. Plus her father is a cop. - I remind her, knowing that Sam searched everywhere for her, to make sure she was someone trustworthy.

Mindy: And that makes it more likely that she's the killer, because having a cop father is a brutal cover-up. Don't you know how these movies work? - she points at me, raising her voice when I say that her father is a cop.

Y/n: Plus his father is the one handling this case.- he shares out loud and I look at him badly, while my best friend points at him with a proud smile.

Mindy: See, that makes it even more suspicious. What 's the coincidence that your roommate's cop father is assigned to a case in which his daughter is involved. -She defends her point of view and I continue to look at my boyfriend dirty.

Tara: You're not helping.- I whisper, somewhat annoyed with him for agreeing with her and playing along with my friend.

He just shrugs in response and makes a gesture with his lips, not saying anything else. I stare at him with half-closed eyes for a couple more seconds , before turning my face and looking back at the only person standing.

Quinn: Is she always like this? - she asks out loud to us.

Mindy: Then there's Anika .- walking towards her girlfriend and receiving an air kiss from her. -Never trust the love interest.- she says looking at her seriously. -Which also brings us to Y/n. The secret love interest that nobody knew of one of the main characters and that nobody knew anything about until a day ago .- she comments after walking to be in front of us and staring at him.

Tara: He didn't even know who I was at first.- I quickly jumped to my boyfriend's defense.

Mindy: And how did you meet, if I may ask? - she asks him, completely ignoring me.

Y/n: In the introduction to production class, they made us do a project in pairs and since we sat next to each other, we had to do it together. - he answers calmly.

Mindy: And who sat next to whom? - she asks, alternating her gaze between mine and my boyfriend's.

Y/n: Me, I was the one who sat next to Tara.- he answers without giving her words much thought.

Mindy: No need to say more, what a coincidence that in the only class you have together you sat next to her. That's very suspicious. - she claps her hands concluding with her main suspects.

Tara: How do you know that this is the only class we share? - I ask my friend, crossing my arms.

Mindy: Because we share all the classes except one? - she answers with a question of her own and I nod in agreement.

Y/n: The fact that I sat next to her doesn't mean anything.- he says without much importance. - That day there was a traffic jam and I was late to class because my parents insisted on bringing me to my first day of university.- he explains with some embarrassment, with a certain blush on his cheeks and looking very cute. - Besides, it was the only free seat in the entire class.- he explains calmly.

Mindy: It's still suspicious.- she assures him, looking at him with her eyes half closed.

Sam: Okay, so we already have the rules and also the suspects.- she says tiredly, wanting to end the conversation.

Ethan: Wait, wait. What's wrong with you guys?- he asks, pointing at the rest of us who haven't been named.

Mindy: I think we can rule out all four of us, because we went through the same thing last year.- she answers sincerely.

Chad: I agree.- he says pointing at his sister with the pen again.

Quinn: I don't agree.- she denies looking at the only one still standing. -What if the trauma you experienced caused one or more of you to go crazy?- she asks looking at all of us.

Ethan: That's it. Or the fame that the murders gave you left you wanting more.- he supports the redhead of the group. -I mean, to be honest, some of the theories about Sam are...- he starts to say but I interrupt him immediately.

Tara: Don't you dare.- I threatened him pushing my boyfriend back so I could look him in the face seriously.

Anika: Okay. Quinn's right, it's something we need to address. Because if we're suspects, then you're suspects too.- she says, pointing at everyone.

We all sat in silence for a few moments, processing everything that had been said and hinted at.

Sam: You will stay at our house, it is better that we stay together and avoid any danger.- she comments getting up from the bench and starting to walk.

Mindy: Good idea, this way we can keep an eye on them in case they do something.- she points to my sister with a smile.

Y/n: I have to go get some clean clothes.- he tells me when we get up too.

Tara: I'll go with you.- I tell him, interlacing our hands. -Sam, I'm going with Y/n to his house to get some clothes and then we'll meet up with you guys.- I tell my sister, pulling my boyfriend in the other direction.

Sam: No! - she immediately exclaims angrily. -Is what happened last night not enough for you?- she asks me walking towards us.

Tara: We're in broad daylight and if something happens I have Y/n to help me.- I remind her, pointing to the boy next to me, who also helped us last night.

Sam: You can't go alone with him, isn't anything that Mindy said or what happened last year clear to you? - she tells me, somewhat upset.

Tara: Oh my god Sam!- I exclaimed tired with her attitude. -This is what I meant last night, you have to let me go and live my life.- I say trying to stay calm and not make a scene on campus.

Y/n: It's okay, Tara.- he assures me, squeezing our intertwined hands. -I can go alone and then join you guys.- he tells me with a smile.

Tara: No, you can't go alone.- I immediately deny. -I'm going with you.- I say confidently.

Sam: Taraa...- he draws out my name with a deep breath.

Y/n: If not you can come with us, Sam.- he says getting my sister's attention. -My apartment is not very far from here, 15 minutes walk and then we can go to your apartment by subway.- he says pointing with his thumb towards where his apartment is.

My sister is silent for a few seconds, thinking about what my boyfriend just told her and looking over her shoulder at the rest of the group.

Sam: Guys, I'm going with Tara and Y/n, you guys go to our apartment.- she tells them, to which they all nod and start to walk away.

The three of us stand in awkward silence for a few moments, before my boyfriend lightly tugs on my hand and we head off to his apartment. My sister stands on my other side and we walk in complete silence.

[beifong-brainrot]

in your opinion, why do you believe Ozai hated Zuko so much? He physically scarred him, while he mentally scarred Azula

Honestly, this is a very layered question, because the life of the Fire Nation royal family seems to be very much filled with intrigue, subterfuge and spite. So much spite. It also depends on how much grace we want to give Ozai, whether we want to percieve him as a character with potential redeeming qualities. Don't get me wrong, all versions of canon compliant Ozai are morally deplorable, but it is possible to interpret him as a character more fleshed out than the cartoon villain he is on the surface level.

The reasoning for Ozai's treatment of Zuko can be traced back to Ozai and Ursa's very volatile relationship. It is plain to see that Ozai was an abusive husband, from the coercion of marriage and sexual relations, holding the abuse of their children over her head to physically grabbing and yanking Ursa.

It's hard to say whether Ozai just got off on the control he had over Ursa, or whether he genuinely wanted some kind of relationship with her. It seems like the family was at least comfortable for some time, and Ozai did appear to want to at least 'act out' romance with Ursa, kissing her on the cheek, and wanting her to call him 'my love'. Whether that be another level of control, or genuine, I can't really tell.

Whatver he wants from this relationship, all that is effectively shattered when Ursa begins sending letters to Ikem. Ozai seems so insecure due to this that he hires an elite assassin just to try and take down his wife's peasant ex boyfriend.

When Ursa lies in her letter, claiming Zuko as Ikem's son, Ozai confronts her. And he seems genuinely hurt, or at least distraught that Ursa wishes Zuko weren't his son. And so it appears he became especially cruel to Zuko to spite Ursa.

I want to highlight that it is difficult to blame Ursa for her actions, as she clearly isn't in a good place mentally due to what is happening to her

Another reason could be Ozai seeing Ursa favour Zuko over Azula. I go into this more here so I don't want to repeat myself. But I believe Ursa, unintentionally, isolated Azula. Now, whether or not Ozai saw this and reacted by favouring Azula and bullying Zuko. Or he saw his daughter was in a vulnerable position, prime for manipulation and control. Again, it depends on how nice we're being to Ozai here.

Azula really is just a more convenient child for Ozai. One of the reasons Ozai cites for perfering Azula is that she is a more talented firebender.

Zuko: You're like my sister. Everything always came easy to her. She's a firebending prodigy, and everyone adores her. My father says she was born lucky. He says I was lucky to be born.

Azula is also, for all her cunning and glib, more susceptible to manipulation. Unlike Zuko, who has Ursa and Iroh, Azula lacked supportive adults in her life. I talk about how important support systems are in redemption arcs here.

I think Ozais displeasure with Zuko was that, he wasn't as easy to control as Azula. He spoke out of turn and had ideals that went against Ozai. I believe that this is why Ozai became so enraged by Zuko's behaviour and actions. Zuko unintentionally undermined him.

Iroh: Zuko had spoken out against the general's plan, but by doing so in the Fire Lord's war room, it was the Fire Lord whom he had disrespected.

Ozai, at his core, seems like a deeply insecure man. Most of his acomplishments aren't his own. His wife (who was secured for him by his father btw) is the one who masterminded the assassination of Azulon and Ozai's subsequent coronation. And while Iroh, the one whose titile Ozai essentially stole, was in disfavour for abandoning Ba Sing Se, he is still a decorated war general.

And Ozai isn't stupid, he probably knows he is pathetic. There's a reason he didn't want to share his glory on Sozin's comet with Azula. He's fucken insecure and makes it everyone else's problem.

And to some extent, I don't think Ozai really hates Zuko, at least not pre- Black Sun Day. Zuko tells us that his family was "happy once" and it's implied Ozai had been an at least passable father a t some time.

I simply think Ozai's pride, insecurity and spite towards Ursa took priority over whatever affection he had for his son.

I don't want this to seem like I'm making any excuses for Ozai, his actions towards Zuko and his entire family were deplorable. Him having his own rationale and reasonings doesn't moralise his behaviors. However, I do like to think that he isn't just a one note cartoonish villain and has his own motivations other than being a dick.

[goldenasirpa]

The thing about Ekko seeing other-timeline Powder is that, critically, she isn't all that different from Jinx.

Ekko spent his later childhood years convincing himself that Powder was gone, that Jinx had replaced her, and that she was an evil force. Of course life isn't so simple, and Ekko still can't kill Jinx when the time comes- something that is probably eating away at him even when he is thrust into another timeline.

But Ekko also knows that only Jinx can help him build the machine to send them back. As much as he was focused on how this Powder was different from his, he had to focus on their similarities in order to get home. Any incidental differences they have beyond that just proves, over and over, that Jinx is a product of circumstance, not some entity that was formed completely separate to Powder.

Because Jinx is Powder.

And that's why Ekko goes right to her when he returns to his own timeline, too. If he could believe that some part of Jinx was in (a completely different) Powder, so too he had to accept that some part of Powder was still in Jinx. It's interesting because, in a way, Vi has to come to terms with this same thing, in a different way. She also desperately wants to believe that her sister is gone, and that only Jinx remains, because it would make things easier for all of them. It would definitely make killing Jinx easier, anyway. But she can't do it. Because she knows that deep down, no matter what anyone says, they are the same person. But in accepting that, Violet is forced to confront how she contributed to creating 'Jinx' in the first place.

I don't think we talk about it quite enough; but Ekko is the reason that ALL of this happened. Ekko followed Jayce home and gave Vi and Powder the info that led to robbing him. Which led to the Hextech explosion, which led to the manhunt, which led to Vander and Milo and Claggor and Benzo's death, Vi's imprisonment, and critically, the creation of Jinx. Ekko is just as responsible for Jinx as Vi or Silco, and I truly believe that has been eating him up for years.

But when he goes to this other universe, he has to face an even more difficult reality; that these events were, in a way, also completely random. Because in this other universe, Ekko's actions were the exact same, but the outcome was different. Sure, he was guilty of Violet's death, but he also could see the direct path between that random tragedy and a significantly better future. What paved the path to this better future? What was critically different between these two worlds? Just Vi's death? No.

Forgiveness.

Silco forgiving Vander, sure- but also, presumably, Powder forgiving Ekko for the part he played in Violets death. To me, this is what their 'romance' story is about beyond any genuine feelings that Ekko may have for Powder. Ekko receives unconditional forgiveness, something he isn't expecting. And he goes back to his home timeline with the truth sitting right in front of him; that only forgiveness can save them now. And he knows that it must start where he is hurting the most, so of course, he goes straight to Jinx.

It's less that Ekko forgives Jinx, more that he forgives himself the responsibility for all that death. He let's go of his guilt, his anger, and he embraces... Well, love is the wrong word. Ekko embraces duty, and knows now that this duty includes compassion for those at the very fringes of society; in this case, Jinx (who represents the most mentally ill and traumatized among us, but my essay about how every character in Arcane is actually just a social archetype is an essay for another day).

But it literally saves everyone. Ekko, and his huge heart, spares their future.

[fruity-fruition]

My thoughts on Tenma Parents!

I am the Tenma parents' number #1 defender in a way. I still think they fucked up Tsukasa, but not intentionally.

(fyi, Tsukasa is definitely a mama's boy and I don't accept criticism. Saki's on the contrary)

I think Tsukasa's parents loved both him and Saki equally, unlimitedly, and wholeheartedly. The sad reality is that life handed the entire family a shitty deck of cards. And while love is unlimited, time and attention isn't.

They try their best, they genuinely do, but it's difficult juggling their job AND an ill child AND another child.

Due to Saki's (uncontrollable!! Remember!!) condition, one of the parents has to be with her nearly at all times and the other one has to work for the additional hospital bills (since the government can't cover some surgeries or procedures. Idk how it works in Japan but)

They try to be there for Saki and Tsukasa a lot but they do notice growing concerns abt both of them.

Saki's getting quiet, nearly bursting into tears every time Tsukasa or any of them leaves the hospital room. She clings on to people a lot to the point of where it hurts.

Tsukasa's getting quiet too. He thinks they don't notice, since he's trying to act upbeat and cheery in front of Saki to cheer her up, but they can't ignore... that. Whatever is happening to him.

They both don't know what to do.

Despite their best efforts, Tsukasa was still left home alone most of his late childhood and early teens.

They don't have favourites, but after a while, they can't say they know their son anymore. They saw him grow up without them, and it's the most heartbreaking thing to not be there.

--

They had to miss his middle school graduation. They tried to take time off work, but neither of them got off fast enough to reach the ceremony. Both only saw him that day at the hospital.

But Tsukasa lied. Lied to Saki's face, because he didn't want to upset her.

Tsukasa's mom: "Sweetheart, we're so sorry-"

Tsukasa: "-that you had to leave the ceremony early? It's okay!"

Their parents look at him confused because the issue is that they weren't even there. But Tsukasa gave them eyes, begging them to play along.

Tsukasa's mom: "...yeah. y-yeah, work called in and we really couldn't avoid it much longer"

Tsukasa lets out a sigh of relief before nodding and smiling "really! It's okay!"

When leaving Saki's ward, his mom asked him why he lied, and he just looked at her and shook his head.

Tsukasa: "...Saki does this thing, where she blames herself for stuff she can't control. I-I don't know how I know it, but I'm sure she'll do the same if she found out you weren't there. I don't want to see her doing that."

Outside, his mom pulls him into a hug, whispering apology after apology as she holds him. He kept insisting, it's fine! Really! He's a future star, with loads of celebration to come! Who cares if they missed one?

His mom looks at him, with genuine sadness, and asks him to be honest with her. Is he upset?

She noticed him froze, before shaking his head.

Tsukasa: "Not at all, mom! I understand why you both couldn't make it"

Tsukasa's mom: "...You can understand and still be upset. You're allowed to be"

But despite her best efforts to make her son open up, he still shakes his head and tells her it's alright.

She thinks he doesn't know that she knows. She knows that he wants them to worry less about him, which made them worry more.

--

She learned from Saki that Tsukasa doesn't have a lot of friends. He never mentions it a lot to Saki, but every time Saki asks him if he'd be hanging out with people, he just looks at her confused.

Tsukasa: "Why would I hang out with other people when I have the most incredible sister in the world!"

When he started to open up to her again, later in the future, when everything had settled down and life was beginning to move steady, she'll learn that his classmates think he's overbearing.

He wasn't getting bullied, nor was he actually disliked. But in terms of friends? They think he's a bit too loud, too tiring to deal with. Some even think he's a bit too selfish.

She would argue about that final point with her life. Because if anything, she wishes Tsukasa thought of himself more.

--

They learned more about him when he was 17. They learned about his friends, his troupe, his work, and how close he's gotten towards achieving his dreams. They're so unbelievably proud of him. He's grown into such an incredible person.

They just wished they could've taken the credit.

--

They loved their children equally. Even when Toya was pulled into the frame and they unknowingly gained a third, they loved him all the same.

But there's a difference in loving and knowing, because their son felt far more distant to them than their daughter. And they're trying their absolute best to fix that rift before it's too late

--

Both Tsukasa and Saki suffered majorly in their life, both in vastly different ways. But in terms of parents, I think Tsukasa got the short end. But not intentionally, y'know? It's like. Accidental child neglect.

[moonfang256]

My thoughts about Deltarune, Chapters 3 & 4 (Part 2)

For the context, see the first post:

https://moonfang256.tumblr.com/post/785929128021000192/my-thoughts-about-chapters-3-4-part-1

--------

Before continuing, let's talk about the weather couple subplot:

❤️ <( Man, this brought back memories of one of the long distance relationships I had with someone that didn't work out:

The guy wanted to maintain a good reputation online and didn't want to deal with my past issues. I somewhat overwhelmed him because I didn't know how to control my freakness, my explosive emotions and feelings back then, and no matter how hard he tried to comfort me, there was no way. He simply got tired and gave up, didn't want to see me anymore, we argued a couple of times, we broke up peacefully, and then I ended pretty devastated for it. That's why I can't love romantically anymore...

This also reminded me that Toriel and Asgore's relationship is too far beyond to be repaired. It's sad, really, but it can't be helped…

Back to the topic: I chose Elnina's attacks because I really like the rain at times and obviously her idiot boyfriend got upset, so they had a fight and he left. Then they tried to reconcile peacefully and this degenerate bastard came in to do his nonsense.

❤️ <(No, seriously, the heck is wrong with this guy?! The weather couple won't be able to shake off this trauma for a while…

Also what happened with Spamton…

❤️ <( Despite how he scammed us in the previous chapter, I genuinely asked "Are you okay…?" and then Spamton came back like "Yeah, we're not talking about this anymore, carry on..."

Well, back to what's relevant, I picked up the egg and finally reached the final stretch.

❤️ <(It was here when, after the fight and stuff, I realized the horrible degree of depression Tenna had, and even though he wanted to have a good time with everyone, he was simply overshadowed by the family fights, losses, and everything related to the Dreemurr and the Holidays. The dude you just wanted to being watch and have fun with the families again, but it won't happen anymore...

❤️ <( Damn, that was so messed up and true at the same time...

Over time, as we grow up, we leave many things behind and no longer do the same things we used to do with those objects, so we end up keeping them, selling them, or giving them to someone to do something else with them...

It's like in Toy Story when Andy grows up and leaves his toys with Bonnie… pretty sad, but nothing can be done…

❤️ <(And when Susie started talking I got pretty emotional…

❤️ <(It was like, "Oh sister, I feel you... I've been in that horrible situation too, and I can tell it literally sucks a lot".

Seriously, let me show you something I wrote in a past post about what my past was like…

❤️ <( But unlike Susie, I was... and I am now a little more like Kris.

❤️ <( Or rather... I'm a combination of Kris and Susie, with a touch of Noelle in between. That's why I empathize and understand what these children are going through.

These wounds aren't easy to heal…

Sad feelings aside, what happened next left me speechless:

❤️ <( It was here that I scream "DESS!!!"

It's definitely her because she was crying, she has a giant bat that can turn into a katana, and when her theme song comes in it sounds like someone playing an electric guitar.

She was always the "Roaring Knight"

❤️ <( I don't know what happened to her, but it seems she was completely consumed by the darkness and lost control over it.

You know the craziest part? A year ago, I had a dream about her where she was corrupted by something and was getting close to me.

❤️ <( What a terrible coincidence that what I dreamed of has become a reality here, don't you think? If you want to know more about this dream, I'll leave the link here:

https://moonfang256.tumblr.com/post/761200370618941440/dreams-about-deltarune-part-7

This battle was very difficult because I needed to get the Shadow Crystal, but I died and reloaded the game so many times until I couldn't take it anymore and pulled the Kris's move of "cheating the game by increasing the defense and HP stats " to get through her.

Once it was over, I watched as she hit the kids and Kris just got on their knees and didn't do anything to stop her.

❤️ <( Honestly, what else could they've done? This is about Dess, and one of the times I was defeated, when I ordered Kris to perform a second act, they smiled...

❤️ <( I'm not sure if they were smiling at Dess or at me, like saying: "You can't do anything, it's out of your control", or if they were just really excited about having this fight, pretending or accepting the fact that there's not much they can do here, but it was weird...

Then Undyne came to help, but she was immediately kidnapped and it all ended with this shelter.

❤️ <( Kris already knew the code, which is why they opened the door, but I'll talk more about it in the next post.

--------

For now I'll leave this part as it is, we're done with Chapter 3.

[dragonaboni-blog]

Brushing Expert. (Friede x Murdock)

After seeing this gorgeous fanart by @cheekyowldraws I just couldn't help myself and decided to write something about it. I hope you like it. I really love writing these super fluff things. <3

Series: Pokemon Horizons

Characters: Murdock, Friede and Cap.

Part two: Pratice Braids.

---

Cooking was not the only talent in which Murdock was quite skilled, in fact, he liked to collect all kinds of hobbies, most of them quite calm or requiring a delicate attitude, which the cook loved with all his heart even if people looked at him strangely, he did not care, he simply obeyed the whims of his heart.

And sometimes, they could be quite useful.

As he walked along one of the ship's corridors, ready to cook the day's lunch, he heard a series of groans.

"I hate this. Ouch… I hate it so much. Ouch. This is horri- OW! Ugh, for Arceus' sake!"

Hearing Friede so stressed was definitely a once-in-a-century occurrence: usually, his beloved was quite optimistic and humorous, always greeting life with a gigantic smile. It was rare that he got seriously angry.

Genuinely curious, Murdock pushed open the door to his room.

There he was: his head leaning against his desk, his white hair completely matted and a comb stuck in the hair on the back of his neck. Cap was at his side, patting his back with his small yellow paw, his gesture split between laughing out loud and being there for his partner. It seemed like Friede had lost a battle without even starting it.

"Are you okay?"

"No." Friede replied irritably, then raised his hand toward him. "Do me a favor and get some scissors. I'm done dealing with this."

Murdock knew perfectly well what his partner was capable of if he let him embrace that impulsive thought. Instead of obeying, he walked over to him, taking the comb.

"Do you need help?"

Friede snorted a bitter laugh.

"If you know how to tame this mane, go ahead."

"I have some experience." he replied, gently taking the comb, freeing the locks of his hair, noticing Cap's rather curious look.

"Experience? No offense, darling, but I've never seen you with long hair."

"I don't like long hair, but I used to help my sister brush her hair. Come on, get up, I can't brush you like that."

The young professor let out a long complaint, but listened to the cook. For his part, the Pikachu gently moved away, as Friede stood up completely, and Murdock then began to brush him. Of course, untangling the first tangles in his hair was always the hardest part, with Friede uttering a pained complaint every now and then, accompanied by a soft apology from Murdock, promising to be more gentle. Slowly, the young professor's hair softened with each stroke, letting the comb glide smoothly, something the cook always found to be a rather satisfying sensation.

And it seemed he wasn't the only one who thought so.

Friede leaned back a little more, eyes closed and letting out a soft sigh of relaxation.

"Feels good…"

"That means I'm doing a good job."

"You say you have experience because of your sister?"

Murdock laughed with some nostalgia.

"Yes, Franka had a pretty similar attitude to yours: she liked her hair long, but didn't take proper care of it. It became a mass of knots that was quite dreadful to fix, and our mother hated dealing with it, so I stepped up, offering my help. It was a little difficult at first, but little by little I got used to it. Before I knew it, I was an expert."

Friede relaxed a little more, and Murdock let out a small, loving sigh. He genuinely adored such sweet expressions from his partner. He didn't hesitate to lean in and place a soft kiss on her cheek. The professor laughed softly, opening one eye.

"You're so sweet."

"I can't help it when you make those cute gestures."

Cap wrinkled his nose in disgust, possibly due to how sweet they were getting. He didn't hesitate to jump off the desk and quickly leave, eliciting a few laughs from the lovers.

After a while, Murdock finished with the brushing, tying his partner's hair with that classic ponytail he always wore.

"There, you're all set. How are you feeling?"

Friede stood up from his seat, smoothing down his bangs as he ran his fingers through the hair, smiling as they glided easily.

"It's perfect!" He quickly approached the cook, stealing a tender kiss on his lips. "I really appreciate it."

Murdock smiled, hugging him and rubbing his nose against Friede's.

"Don't hesitate to ask me for help if you need it, okay?"

"Help?" Friede asked, laughing. "Oh no, none of that. From now on, you'll be in charge of doing my hair."

"In that case, would you like me to braid your hair too?"

His lover puffed out his cheeks in that adorable way that he loved so much.

"Don't get too excited, either, okay?"

"It's too late, I'm already excited."

Friede tried to escape his grasp, but Murdock hugged him tightly and began peppering kisses along his neck and cheeks. The young professor began to laugh as he struggled to free himself.

"Let go now, you clingy! You're going to ruin my hair!"

[unma]

I'm not going to be able to write my typical long rambles for a bit (need to catch up on important work), but here's a short list of things I wanna talk about with the latest canto.

Spoilers, of course.

The entire Canto taking place after the ending of Don Quixote (the first Don, I will not call him the Actual Don because our Don is as much Don Quixote as he is) is not something I expected, but makes so much sense and made for a wonderful story. There are themes of identity, struggling to live under a broken system and GOD THE FAMILIAL TIES. THE FIGHT AGAINST THE TWO MIDBOSSES + THE PRIEST HAD SUCH MAGNIFICENT STORY BUILD UP. AND THE PRIEST'S ENTIRE MOVESET. UGGGH I WANNA TALK ABOTU IT

Hey. Outis. What did you mean by that. We all know what I'm talking about, right? This is the first time I know of that she's actually given even a smidge of info about herself somewhat directly. Somewhat. Everything else is just in how she knows things and acts. Here she is asking a very specific question and god, I need to know more about her now.

Good job Sinclair. And everyone else. But good job Sinclair.

Vergilius with Sanson's face/mask is cursed.

I continue to feel so so bad for the Bloodfiends. They did the best they could in a world that gave them only two horrible options. I couldn't help but compare La Manchaland to the Tokyo Ghoul:RE ending, because the hemobars reminded me of the artificial meat, except in TG:RE it worked and here, well. We saw how that went. I think it's a great idea to start with the after of their solution; this isn't a situation with a possible solution, they tried that and failed. Who knows if there is one that works? Does it matter now that they're all dead?

I'm going to be very weird about Camille once this is all said and done, but I do want to note that the pretty boy being turned into a flower and having a name very clearly gotten from Carmilla the flower (and maybe the book? Haven't read it yet so idk if he's taken from there) is very cheeky. I still wish I could've besting him up myself. This isn't me critiquing the writing, this is me being weird.

The QTE in the ending cutscene of the boss fight was cool and really added to the feeling of fighting against and overcoming a clearly superior foe.

I wanna hug Don Quixote the First. He's such a ray of sunshine and deserved better. Even if he was somewhat delusional, at least he genuinely cared for his family.

What happened to Hong Lu's sister? Did she just vanish? I didn't notice until later on, so I'll probably need to go back and check myself.

Bari is the Librarian of Death (edit: Nameless Bookhunter, thanks for the correction AE)? Idfk and idc for now. If Bari ends up showing up again or a moot of mine decides they wanna talk about it, maybe I'll look into it.

The familial themes here are most certainly also going to be related to Hong Lu's story, which once more is a reason I really should get to reading all the books for this game.

Ryoshu accepting death from the possibility of fighting Don Qui the second was really funny.

The abno fights here are really good, and I love how Limbus is making unbreakable coins the standard from now on. Makes it so you can't just blaze through fights taking no damage, and these battles genuinely feel difficult. That's good. Their designs and mechanics are also pretty easy to understand and match with their ego gifts pretty well. God I wish we had more Rupture ids that could stack as much count as the Lasso abno.

Sancho fight was cool as hell. The clashable 10 speed skill was so good and made it feel like a massive improvement on the Cassetti fight. So good. On use coin power did mess me up a little given it doesn't show up in the clash numbers, but that was on me for not reading tbh.

Fun fact: final boss can be Meatlantern soloed really easily. So easy in fact that that's how I cleared it. Doing it with a full team didn't end well for me. The solo's also really consistent, which is nice.

Mili song is really good. As usual. I need to go listen to it again. I need an in-game mix. I need it. The childishness of Sancho's side of the tune compared with the seriousness of first Don's side is lovely.

Also. Please, in the final clash where you use Don's base ego. I hope you looked at the name of the ego and the name of Don the First's attack. Please. It's such a good detail. And it's so much better when you remember that Sancho was always the one making weapons for Don. He calls Sancho's lances much more graceful than his. It's so lovely. You can tell these two genuinely love each other. It's so good.

Also the fact that basically every fixer we went in with got wiped out by weakened Bloodfiends really shows just how powerful these bloodfiends are. Camille had to resort to using ego gear to survive. Sheesh.

That'll be all for now. Expect a long ramble on any of these points when I'm more free, aka never.

[discordiansamba]

thinking! even more about the blue exorcist changeling au bc why not:

fae, even powerful ones, can't really use the Name Thing effectively on demons- some of them simply have so many names that its difficult to truly determine what is a true name. theoretically this gives them the upper hand, but of course it's not necessarily that simple.

local unseelie prince still associated with fire.

gedoin gets tricked into giving his name to rin. as a treat. for rin. it's only fair! he hurt izumo, after all.

if shiemi's true form is a cute typical fairy, rin's true form should be two steps away from being an eldritch horror. as a treat.

rin: i don't like showing it to people cause it's embarrassing though!

shima, who saw exactly what he did to gedoin and what he looked like while doing it: i don't think embarrassing is the right word for it.

(characters who have seen rin's true form: yuri and shiro, yukio, shiemi, izumo, shima, mephisto.

everyone else just assumes the white haired glamour fully off rin is his true form. except lewin, who knows better.)

extremely funny running gag of rin glaring at shima with just a tiny bit of his true self showing through but only when no one else is looking at him. STOP hitting on my brother already.

shima: hahaha. no.

rin: i would be fine with people showing interest in yukio. just not shima.

(he does this to lewin too sometimes, for different reasons. HEY. suguro's my friend. stop making him wash your damn socks.

lewin: your friend whose name you own?

rin: yeah????

he will also do this to mephisto but it's entirely ineffective.)

rin looking at the chimera zombies: huh. fucked up.

(shima just looks at him like. you of all people have no right to say that. rin's very offended when he says this to his face later.)

a few fae are mistaken for demons. sylphs are absolutely fae. lewin just happens to be a master of contracting both demons and fae. unstoppable man.

lewin, looking at rin: hm. quick question. what the fuck is that.

shiro: that is my son whom i love very much. no more questions.

yukio deciding to become an exorcist on his own terms, but somehow ending up with his fae brother in class with him. nii-san. what are you doing here.

rin: izumo's here! also I don't like the fact that shima is here.

i don't know how The (Shima) Reveal happens, but the absolute mindfuck of finding out that your childhood friend was replaced a year ago... except your childhood friend was actually a fae that replaced the original shima renzou. it's a lot to take in.

and that's before you find out two of your cram school classmates are actually fae. and one of them is of the malevolent variety.

rin is still just a genuinely cheerful and friendly guy. he likes humans a lot! he just like some humans more than others. and will do anything in his power to protect them.

shiemi's true form might be that of a cute little fairy, but she's actually quite powerful herself.

greenmen and flower fairies tend to just be two peas in a pod, which is how shiemi manages to summon nee despite not actually being human.

shiro, looking at rin's report card: yuri. can the fae have ADHD.

izumo gradually understands that her fae mother does actually love her in her own right and that she might not get what she wants even if she does sever her and her sister's bond to her. please refrain from kidnapping anymore kids though please.

[clownery-and-fuckery]

As promised, my commentary on Hunter.... to the people that like him, im sorry.

Spoiler warnings and the like, this is pretty negative aside from like maybe three sentences?? Feel free to leave you're own opinions on this too ofc !!! >:)

I dont like Hunter.

Actually, that's not entirely true, I liked him in TCW season 7, when he was that silly man who fucked droids around the place, took no shit, and loved his brothers. I like the Hunter who, not putting this nicely, had a personality.

This is not a dig on him as a character, it's a dig on how he was handled, writing wise

Listen, I totally get that the "rugged-man-adopts-a-star-child" trope is popular, and I do LOVE that trope, really I do- I just don't really think it was done that well here? It's bothered me since s1 of the Bad Batch, and I don't think it's going to get any better this season....

My only real problem with the writing inconsistency of Hunter being an older brother of three to "Omega this, Omega that" and while I agree childcare is SUPER difficult at the best of times, Hunter had four brothers who were equally capable of taking care of Omega, too. It just never sat right with me that taking care of her became his ENTIRE personality

Hes a soldier, who despite being completely out of his element, had a routine he strictly followed for the whole war. Yet he seemed to completely forget about that ?? Stressed or not stressed, that worn in routines and LIFELONG LESSONS should not have left his head as quickly as they seemed to.

The most obvious and frustrating example of the oversimplification of Hunter's character is with Crosshair. I cannot even BEGIN to describe my anger when it comes to Hunter and Crosshair. It mainly stems from the way he just FORGETS his brother is with the Empire. Conveniently never bringing it up unless someone else did it first.

As the oldest sibling and squad leader, I personally think Hunter should have been the one to bring him up. It should not have had to be specifically mentioned by another character for Hunter to discuss it. He loves his brothers, he loved Crosshair, broody or not, he should have brought it up AT LEAST once, imo.

We also see this complete disregard for Crosshair AGAIN in s3, now that we have seen Hunter looking for Omega and not ONCE mentioning Crosshair. Has he forgotten that they were originally going to find Crosshair??? That they never actually FOUND their brother ??????? Annoyed me so much, tbh.

What else annoyed me was the singular language he used during the whole episode. "She's part of our squad." "Hemlock took SOMEONE from us." He's completely and utterly disregarding the OTHER TWO SIBLINGS that the Empire took away from him !!!!! It genuinely frustrates me so much.

I know I'm DEFINITELY nit-picking here, but even when Hunter looked to Tech's goggles, it was in a "He should've been here to do this." Way, not a "He should be here." Way. That's his brother, who died looking for another that Hunter has forgotten.

Hunter's tunnel vision is probably one my least favourite things about the Bad Batch, if I dare even MENTION that- and I love this show. It means so much to me, but I just can't handle this particular part of it...

I have so SO much anger directed towards the treatment of Hunter by the writers. I want the Hunter who was devoted to his WHOLE family, who fought for ALL of them, who would have NEVER allowed Crosshair to leave in the first place. Give me that Hunter back.

(Saying this- I do not mind Hunter and Omega's father/daughter and brother/sister relationship !!! I do really enjoy it- in small amounts. The fact that Hunter became nearly an extention of Omega really just- threw me off his whole character, really)

I specifically pick to ignore this when I'm making anything. Hunter has been a sergeant of three idiots(named endearingly) for the entirety of the war. One child who wanders around should not have taken up 100% of Hunter's attention, ESPECIALLY when he was surrounded and supported. It just bothers me, idk

Anyway, thats my rant !!! Back to some positives soon, promise !! I just had to get this off my chest, it's been BOTHERING me.

[lostuntothisworld]

lukadrien: Adrien comforting Luka about his dad when he finds out about Jagged Stone. In front of everyone he acts ok. But later maybe Adrien finds him angry and crying and keeps him from getting akumatized. I just love more of Adrien comforting Luka.

Listen, I have some SERIOUS headcanons on the Couffaine's past and Jagged's influence on Luka and Juleka's life before his identity was revealed... Buckle in.

My headcanon is that the Anarka Couffaine is Romani and an immigrant from Croatia... or rather, the part of Yugoslavia that becomes Croatia. You see, for many years, several very polarized countries were fused. The horrific Yugoslav Wars happened, and now they are separate. But even before that, World War 2 was not kind to the Romani people, especially in the Balkans, and Anarka's mother and father are the sole survivors of their families due to those horrors.

Anarka's original name before she changed it was Nevenka, and she had a loving mother (named Julika) and father (named Lucijan), several older brothers (named Apolon, Alarik, Andronik, Aristid, and Aleksije), and an older twin sister (named Jasminka).

Their surname was Knežević, and while they didn't have much, and faced prejudice due to their Romani heritage, they were a tight knit and loving family.

And then everything changed when the Yugoslav Wars started. At the time, it was considered the worst conflict in Europe since World War 2. It was especially difficult for certain populations, such as the Romani people, who were targeted.

Over the course of the early to mid-90's Nevenka slowly lost her entire family. Then, she miraculously managed to escape the country. It was not easy being an immigrant, especially as a Romani individual, but then she met Jagged.

Jagged was a wayward son of a foreign upper middle class family. He was an only child, and a bit spoiled at that, but he was genuine and sweet. He was also a talented pianist, which complimented Nevenka's excellent guitar prowess.

The duo wrote a song together and somehow managed to attract a producer to create a full album. The duo called their partnership Crocoduo, and went to work.

But when you mix work with feelings, things get muddy. It created a stunning album, but also broken hearts. Neither Jagged nor Nevenka would tell the Truth of what actually happened, but Crocoduo split up.

Nevenka moved to Paris, rented a decent flat with royalty money, and quietly gave birth to a set of twins. Nevenka named her eldest son Luka, and her younger daughter Juleka, as a tribute to her late parents.

Nevenka's new quieter life was nice. She wasn't a perfect mother, but she loved her unexpected, yet not unwanted children unconditionally, and they loved her back. All was perfect until the twins were about 11-12 years old.

Someone started a rumor that Luka and Juleka weren't actually Nevenka's children, a horrific stereotype of Romani women kidnapping children. The horrible rumor snowballed until Luka and Juleka were forcefully taken from Nevenka.

Luka and Juleka went to a group home, and Nevenka was deported to Romania. She isn't even Romanian, but that's where they sent her, because of racism. It took months, but with the help of the twins' mysterious father, Nevenka returned to France and regained custody of her children.

The state-ordained kidnapping of the twins traumatized Juleka so much she developed selective mutism, and she had to repeat a school year due to absences from her PTSD.

Nevenka's midnight black hair became fully gray due to the stress of losing her children.

Luka already put too much on his shoulders, before he was taken from his mother, and it only exaggerated it afterwards. He developed a very strong Atlas complex. He insisted his mother tell him how she managed to get him back, and she accidentally lets it slip that it was because of his mysterious father. Luka begged his mother to tell him who his father was, but Anarka tells him that "The Truth is the one thing I can't tell you." Luka was devastated, but buried his feelings down unhealthily.

All of this is what culminates in the season 4 episode Truth, and everything comes full circle.

Nevenka decided her twins deserved a better future, so she painfully changed their last name from Knežević to Couffaine (something more French, to hide their origins), and her first name from Nevenka to Anarka. (An "A" name to remember her brothers, and a "Ka" ending to remember her origins and twin sister). She split her twins up to two different new schools in order to protect them further.

The newly named Anarka also purchased a barge, and with the help of her children, renovated it into their new home. The trio christened it The Liberty. Anarka promised they would always be free.

Despite her disability, being held back, and starting a new school, Juleka made friends, and her grades improved.

Luka, while renovating The Liberty discovered he enjoyed creating, and excelled at being a luthier while attending his school.

Then season 1-5 happens.

In season 6+ it is discovered by the main cast that Sabrina is the reason Luka and Juleka are taken away from their mother. She was the one that reported the false kidnapping to her father, and Officer Roger, actually ended up getting a promotion to Police Chief of Paris due to this. Roger and Sabrina had to move closer to city hall, and Sabrina now attends the same school Juleka transferred to.

I'm still working out the finer details, but I think that Sabrina's former friend Cleo, was involved, or Cleo was framed. Chloe was also involved, too, or was also framed. Not sure what the motive would be yet, for Sabrina's actions but it could be due to jealousy.

In the present day, after Luka and Juleka's trauma is brought to light, Officer Roger gets akumatized because while his daughter did horrible things, she's still innocent! Sabrina tries to return the Dog Miraculous to Ladybug, but Ladybug insists that if she truly wants to prove she's changed, she has to be proactive. Miss Hound helps Ladybug and co. defeat the villain, and Sabrina manages to redeem herself (this is a kid's show after all).

Afterwards, Sabrina tearfully apologizes to the Couffaine twins. She truly didn't mean to have them removed from their home, but just play a silly prank, but in the end, good things happened. Juleka met her true love, Rose, because of it.

Juleka steps forward. She stutters and mutters for a bit. Then with conviction, she tells Sabrina that it was not Sabrina that created a new wonderful life for the Couffaines that created it. Sabrina was just the trigger. She will forgive her if she sees change, but Sabrina hurt her family incredibly. Juleka says she wants to forgive, but it will take time, and work on Sabrina's part, and to understand if she needs space, but she will be cordial to her otherwise. Sabrina bursts into tears, happy that she has a second chance, and promises to fight for all of her friend's liberties.

Later on, a mysterious woman is akumatized because a junkyard dealer won't sell to her because of her Romani heritage. Ladybug and co. save the day, and Anarka discovers that her older twin sister Jasminka is still alive. The sisters share a heartfelt reunion, and Jasminka moves in with the Couffaines. She also starts a business: a food truck. The original junkyard dealer finally agreed to sell Jasminka something and she gets a good deal on an abandoned old beat up food truck trailer with a rusted signs that say "Fritirie Grassette". The signs are removed and the trailer is renovated.

Jasminka's business is to sell fries (or chips, if you're from the U.K.). She has various fry cuts, some potato alternatives, and of course, dozens of toppings. Customers can CHOOSE whatever kind of fries and topping combination they want. It's sort of the antithesis of Andre's ice cream cart, where he chooses what flavors and how many you get. And of course, Jasminka is properly permitted to sell her food.

Anarka is proud of her older twin sister. She was always the rambunctious rebel of the family, and now she found a purpose: to allow people the freedom to choose their destiny... or at least their next meal.

I've written a post [linked here] of how I think Jagged and Penny's story should go if I had a say in the story. A summary of it is that Penny and her sister grew up in foster care. Penny was able rise from her circumstances and be successful, but her sister did not cope as well. Her sister also has a young daughter named Rythm (remember the little girl in the black cat onesie from Kuro Neko?) Penny's sister became ill with a mysterious illness and passes away, and Penny gains custody of her niece. Jagged becomes the step dad that stepped up, and the trio become a family. Adrien, who never properly grieved his mother and still reeling from his father's "sacrifice", was able to come to terms with her passing while helping Rythm process her grief.

Of course, Gabriel's Wish transferred Nathalie's illness to Rythm's mother, and the new character Sublime lost her legs due to him wishing to transfer his Cataclysm wound to her, and Gabe's alive and waiting in the shadows for the perfect time to strike.

Ah, but you wanted a Lukadrien reply with Adrien comforting Luka, and not this... thing I just wrote over the course of 2 nights...

I think Adrien comforting Luka after the Truth of Jagged's identity is a sound premise. Will it happen in canon? I think that ship has sailed for the most part, unfortunately. Canon seems to want to paint the picture that Luka is coping very well with all of this. That's not to say it can't pop up in the future, I just don't think it's likely.

But you know what I do think is likely? That Bob Roth is going to make good on his promise to make Luka sing for him or else there will be hell to pay. After a short arc of Luka fighting back against stardom, but only succumbing because he doesn't want his sister and former bandmates to suffer Bob Roth's horrible schemes to manipulate him to signing a contract with him anymore.

You can't tell me the boy who was raised by Anarka would enjoy the pompous and restricted life of being a celebrity. And you know what? We could have a storyline of Adrien helping Luka adjusting to being famous. With all the glorious angst and bonding that can be expressed in 25 minute episodes.

And I think it would go both ways. It's basically text that Tom Dupain is going to try and get Adrien to take over the bakery. The only problem is that I don't think Adrien wants to be a baker. He certainly didn't seem keen on the idea in Weredad.

I think Adrien could intern at the bakery, and absolutely hate it. It's monotonous work, and he's a terrible baker. You can't have the best bakery in Paris with a pastry chef who can't even make macarons. It's unheard of! And of course everything has to be perfect. You can't sell something that's not perfect. Something Adrien knows very well.

Of course, Luka swoops in and saves the day, and helps Adrien learn to stand up for himself and put his foot down. To try and find what he is truly passionate about. To tell Marinette he thinks it's weird the hamster they share custody with has the same name as him: Adrien.

Adrien has to jump off the tedious hamster wheel and escapes his cage eventually...

My personal headcaonon is that Adrien becomes an astrophysicist, and also discovers the mysterious Planet Nine, which he names Hyperion, after his beloved Viperion. And in the future, he wins a Nobel Prize or two for his research.

Luka also discovers his true calling: Producing. It's a bit like his original dream of helping people create and enjoy music by being a luthier, but instead of working with materials, he's working with people. And Luka knows people. And naturally, he's a much more kind and just producer than Bob Roth ever could hope to be.

Thank you for reading my longwinded post of where I'd go with the story!

[fraeuleintaka]

Now a villain ranking would be the only one missing... :3

I have a few other rankings planned but a villain ranking is a great idea! I hadn't thought of doing one because I can't properly rank those from the later seasons and with just three sets of main villains ranking them isn't as interesting. BUT then I thought about it again and including the secondary villains actually gives a decent number to rank. So without further ado:

Ranking the Winx Club Villains (from S1-3)

1. Darkar

Darkar is the best villain in the series to me because he's truly scary and powerful for the entirety of his screentime. The shadow monsters he creates and controls are amazing and provide a great variety of foes for the Winx and Co to fight. He's not only strong but also cunning and has several surprisingly clever plans that earn him some of the most decided wins. So many plots involving him are executed wonderfully (shadow Avalon, Dark Bloom, his betrayal of the Trix) and his backstory/origin - combined with this amazing design - adds some really interesting stuff to the lore of the Magic Dimension. We rarely see Darkar directly fight with any of the Winx but I don't think this hurts him much because he's still involved in everything main plot related that's going on (reacting, giving orders, etc.). Apart from that we have a truly epic final battle against him which easily makes up for any lack of previous fights and includes all of the Winx, the specialists, the headmasters, the Trix and a number of side and background characters! It takes a joined effort from all of our major characters to defeat him and only him and I think that says it all!

2. The Trix

The Trix are the main staple villains of Winx Club, the very first ones introduced and the ones with the most amount of screentime and battles against the Winx. I love how they develop from school bullies/mean rivals to waging war against all of the schools over the course of S1 and that finale, the entire final fight against them, is absolutely legendary. They're definitely at their peak in S1 while only playing the secondary villains to a major villain in S2 and S3 but I still love (most) of their involvement in those seasons. They have a great dynamic with Darkar, still pose a major threat against the Winx and the twist of them joining the fight against Darkar with their own convergence after he betrays them is epic. They lose some of this epicness in S3 as Valtor manipulates them for the majority of it and despite leaving him in the end of their own accord they don't really do anything afterwards to make up for it making them feel somewhat weaker than before. Still, I love their dynamic with each other, their powers and the challenge they give the Winx. They're not overused to the point of annoying yet and still (mostly) formidable foes that I enjoy seeing the Winx go up against. Ranking the Trix individually my favourite of them has to be Stormy because I love how unapologetically aggressive and chaotic she is. Her sisters are more cunning than her, she's all about the direct and brutal approach and even has a certain naivety without being portrayed as dumb which is really interesting to have in a villain. The decision between Darcy and Icy is more difficult because I find them both "only" moderately interesting personality-wise. Darcy gets a slight edge because her abusive relationship with Riven and her conflict with Musa are really interesting while Icy doesn't really have any kind of subplot that doesn't involve Bloom. She's still a great villain though and a very fitting leader for the Trix. In general, my favourite thing about these three is their sibling bond and how despite their cruelty and occasional fights they genuinely care about each other and always have each other's backs when it really counts.

3. Cassandra & Chimera

I'm combining these two as they mostly act as one unit and share the same goals (like the Trix). Two power-hungry nobles from the royal court of Solaria make for amazing villains and I love how they're a mother-daughter-duo who care about each other and are equally crual and power-hungry. On top of that, they're specifically villains for Stella which is a breath of fresh air compared to every other villain focusing on Bloom instead. (I wish the other Winx had their own villains like this tbh.) Chimera is a wonderfully dark version of Stella and a great contrast to her. The way Cassandra whipsers horrible things into Radius' ear and makes him reject his own daughter is wonderfully chilling as is how she just leaves him behind to save herself. The entire Solaria arc is one of my favourite parts of S3 and Cassandra and Chimera contribute a lot to that. Seeing Stella defeat them in the end, Chimera with her own dark copy of her staff and Cassandra when she finally gets through to her father and breaks the spell, is absolutely epic! If there's one thing I'd criticize about them, it's that we should've seen a little more of Cassandra before Valtor makes his offer as Radius meant to marry her even before the spell but we can't glean much of a reason why he would do that. (Was it a political move? Did he misguidedly want to give Stella a new mother? Did he genuinely think he loved her?) Speaking of, Luna should also have played a role in that entire Solaria arc, it's weird to have her completely missing from it, though that's not an issue with Cassandra or Chimera specifically.

4. Valtor

Valtor is a great villain. He has a fascinating backstory, an interesting connection to our main character that justifies him targeting her, a talent for manipulation that he uses very successfully and throughout the season he's portrayed as scary, powerful and tough to defeat. He only has one major issue that brings him down in comparison to the villains above: The way he ends up being defeated is really disappointing. Suddenly he's not scary or powerful at all, just kinda weak and pathetic. That's certainly an option for writing a villain arc but the way it's done with Valtor just doesn't work properly. There are too many different plots and ideas thrown together and none of them are really followed through to a satisfying conclusion. He could easily have been just as great as the Trix in S1 or Darkar in S2 but the finale ruins quite a bit of what the rest of the season build up with him. He's still great but he can't quite match the other (main) villains of S1-3.

5. Diaspro

I quite like Diaspro's character but she's easily the lowest in this ranking because I don't think she should've been a villain in the first place. When we first meet her she's condescending, rude and arrogant but the entire conflict with her is completely Sky's and Bloom's fault, she did nothing wrong. Yet the story acts like she doesn't deserve any sympathy just because she's not a particularly nice person. She's not really a villain in S1 and S2 (and the rescue mission for her in S2 is a nice moment) but then S3 turns her into a full-blown villain by having her drug Sky with a love potion to force him to marry her. How she's suddenly fine with resorting to these drastic measures is not explained. She's supposed to be Sky's childhood friend but she doesn't seem to care about him at all and it makes no sense how Sky would've ever liked her given her personality. You could definitely write a character like her developing like this but that development has to actually be shown.

[theresa-draws]

veilguard spoilers review

Part 1 of review (up to mid Act 2)

6.5/10 - it'll be a fine, even fun, game for newcomers but for old dragon age players who want some actual dragon age in their veilguard? if you squint a bit at some codex entries, and only focus on the dread wolf part of the story.

and i AM LOOKING (then the artbook killed me thanks matt rhodes)

so any way......

1/ Rook and Companions

i really wanted to love the new cast but the characters were not clicking for me (or my rook). idk if it's because we can't initiate convos like we could in dai but it really felt like rook was looking in at the companions from outside. everyone else is having fun existing in thedas but rook is an outsider (unless that's the writer's intent? parallels with how solas COULDN'T MAKE FRIENDS FOR 1000s OF YEARS.............

In DAI, we could argue and banter when quizzy initiate convo about various topics back in haven or skyhold. the companions banter and argue about things they disagree with. In VG, WE DON'T. the closest i felt we could get a bit of that was when my rook told neve to get off my back about minrathous (because they did not regret a thing but i couldn't tell her that). Or certain sass/pragmatic dialogue options with solas, e.g. my rook consistently shared nothing with solas (or as much as i could avoid), and solas dropped the line about oh but you have varric WHICH KILLED ME.

2/ Evanuris & Titans

We had some world-shattering revelations in this game, that I wanted yes, but the companions or the world don't.......... really........ react to it. No POV of the chantry(s) imploding at the lore implications, no civilians going we must raze the chantry to the ground, no elves looking at Elgar'nan and going yes that's our All-father coming to burn you humans for everything you did. (Although the party did ask the elves, Bellara + Davrin + Rook, about the spirit revelation.)

I know Isen (my city elf/veil jumper rook) was shaken during Blood of Arlathan, they would be genuinely tempted by offers of uplifting elves to greatness because the alternative is slavery or alienages. But nada.

Blood of Arlathan Elgar'nan you will always be my fav!!! Because if you were expecting more after that, I'm sorry, man's on a downward spiral since he lost his sister. We had to put old peepaw down.

BTW Maybe check out the tree in the crossroads to eavesdrop on Ghilly and Elgar, because the game doesn't give us any other way to find out who the remaining two Evanuris are besides codex entries. :(

---

The Titans were covered only in Solas' murals and Harding's personal quest, which takes us to a corner of Kal-Sharok once then never letting us visit again. I had to read the artbook for the actual genesis of the world stuff about the Titans and what that was about. That was only alluded to in the game itself.

3/ Combat Scaling

Combat took a bit to take to, but it was fun. I played a Spellblade because that was the closest to Knight Enchanter/melee mage. The mini-bosses were difficult since you can run into them severely under-levelled on the regular maps. The high dragons were easy because they ALL had the same attack pattern, just had a lot of health to chip away at. Even Mythal Dragon. Which made the fight with Ghilain'nain and Elgar'nan underwhelming as hell, when they took less time to kill than the mini-bosses.

4/ Romance (Bellara)

i can only talk about Bellara's romance since i've only finished hers, even though I flirted with Davrin and Lucanis all through act 2. she's a very awkward character, and her response to the flirt options reads as ACE to me, but the romance culminates in sex.

okay so, most of the flirt options are quite platonic in tone like encouraging her to talk about her research or telling her you like to spend time with her. things like "i trust you know what you're doing" makes her...... fall in love..... with rook.......... even though rook's the mediator and therapist of the whole veilguard. i don't understand but i went with it, although i was having more fun watching rook banter and flirt with Davrin.

she's had past (failed) relationships but her reference for sex/romantic relationships is fiction/serials to be exact. you see where i'm going here???

then the romance scene after rook comes back from the fade plays out and i'm like??????????? i love her vow of love in elven, nice touch, but ummm i don't have the option to not want sex? i didn't even think she was interested in any of that in the first place!

Then that was it, we don't get a proper send-off to the veilguard romance just one line in the credits scene. Even BG3 gets an afterparty set up by Withers, buggy as it is, but still a nice touching wrap to the entire adventure.

5/ Bugs & Glitches

I was lucky I didn't get any major game-breaking stuff, just a couple of clipping issues through the game.

then, I reached the FINAL SCENE OF THE ENTIRE GAME for the first time. my inquisitor arrived with the wrong face model and vallaslin that was not supposed to be there.............. at least they got her hair colour right? By the time I finished the game, and the marvel-esque credits rolled, I wanted to murder. Then I loaded the game to fight Solas just to feel something. Adios Asshole.

6/ Factions

What else can I say about factions that everyone else have already touched upon? They're very shallow insights into the world of Thedas for returning players, there aren't enough of Dragon Age in Dragon Age.

I do like Arlathan, very Annihilation-Shimmer kind of horror happening in there. I have some questions about the Veil Jumpers taking in non-elves and them being around Arlathan/elven history though............. we're just letting anyone join the Dalish now or???

Also Hossberg became my fav when I finished Davrin's quest. There was a despair demon that I ran into in the Ice/Fire dragon area, and it became a spirit of compassion/hope (?) again after the Isseya quest and the flowers return. The small things that turn utter despair into hope and will to keep going got me..........

AND THEN the Treviso/Minrathous choice. It was too easy playing as a Elf Mage, because the venatori-run Minrathous was more aligned to the Tevinter that I know it was from past games. In fact, I was actively sabotaging Minrathous every chance I got RPing my elf rook who was a Tevinter slave before joining the dalish.............. Not that it matters, since Elgar'nan obliterated the magisterium and the venatori and probably the entire city with blight by the end.

7/ Identity Crisis

You can tell from the writing and breadth of the game, Veilguard has been through development hell and back. Looking at the stuff from the artbook only confirms that for me. Ideas were played around for Veilguard to be an actual sequel to Inquisition, since the hook for this game was Trespasser. But now, there's some disconnect.

The Inquisitor's (disbanded or not) presence and relevance is severely diminished in-game, it's especially glaring during the final battle sequence. All the factions + Morrigan are fighting but Quizzy is nowhere to be found. A romanced Lavellan even less so, since the Mythal option is the same with a friendly Inquisitor, and the only thing that change is whether Solas is alone in the end. (Love that for my Miha but ummm..... she's a cameo in a story that she's heavily involved in.)

There's barely any substantial connective tissue between Veilguard and the rest of Dragon Age and this is how they're sending off this storyline that started in DAO? Before trying to move on beyond towards the Devouring Storm and Executors bullshit? I'm mentally exhausted just trying to connect the pieces we actually got to the rest of Thedas and you're telling me this shit doesn't matter anyway............................ could have given me the Tear Down the Veil option since we're doing that with the writing.

So when the marvel style credits scene started playing, like woah look at the dreadwolf vs lusacan over some modern song/music, i just about died. Solas and Elgar'nan was barely in the game about them, a huge chunk of the quests were about the companions and factions. The most interesting part of the game was Blood of Arlathan when the gorls were fighting in my head, because it was fun trying to figure out what were lies and what really happened with Solas & the Evanuris. They were both appealing to Rook to see their POV and join their side, throwing allies into the blender when it suits them, it's so fascinating they have the same methods and the same goal: bringing back Elvhenan. Just different motivations for doing so. Elgar'nan saw Solas as the hypocrite he is (I love him, he's fascinating) and Solas sees Elgar'nan as a dark mirror. I'm on board! Where's the rest of it???????

Because there's no rest of it. The next time they meet, Solas kills the Archdemon >> goes haha elgar you're mortal now pls die >>> Elgar dies, leaving Solas the actual last standing Evanuris.

(I'll leave the Mythal stuff for later, I've drafted another post talking about her.)

In Conclusion/

There were some great moments that survived the development hell like Solas' inevitable betrayal(s), some companion questlines, bits of Evanuris lore, the actual Dread Wolf, and.... the regret theme surrounding all the companions, Rook, Solas and to some extent, the Evanuris. You'll have a better and fun time crying going through the artbook, but none of those are technically canon since they're just concepts during the development phase.

The combat was fun, but Dragon Age was an RPG not an action-RPG. The writing is more important, even if this game has beautiful locales and hair physics. Music was boring, but did appreciate the return of the Lost Elf motif for the ending. Makes me want to go back and play Inquisition instead :Db

P.S. Tearstone Island was so mind-numbingly boring, but was redeemed by the Fade Prison Betrayal that followed. (My Rook doesn't regret all those choices though, sorry I thought we all knew the risks when we signed up for this :T) I endured the boring act 3 to give my daughter her ending, and the inquisitor doesn't even react to the DREAD WOLF outside her window................ I HAVE TO DO EVERYTHING MYSELF AROUND HERE.

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for using my moms money to buy games?

The title sounds bad, but I'm not sure how else to word it. This is also going to be a weird one as, in advance, I know the other party isn't an asshole, however I think it's a similar situation im tone and I really need some feedback on this.

I'm 22 and live with my mom and cat. I've lived with her my whole life, and continue to due to disability. My mom has 2 jobs that she mainly works on weekends, and I'm unemployed. Ever since covid it's been incredibly difficult for me to find work because it is still very much a thing despite what people want to believe, and I can't be in contact with random people physically due to immune issues and the chance of getting sick. Online jobs are apparently very hard to find (my mom has tried) and many ask for a payment beforehand. I do however get social security income that pays most of our bills/utilities, and we're also on foodstamps for groceries.

My family has never been well off. I wouldn't call us dirt poor, we've never had to go hungry, and I always had toys to play with/clothes as a kid. But my mom has had to manage funds well and we've never had a lot of money for leisure or frivolous purchases. My mom will buy herself things like some new clothes, a phone charger, roku set, etc smaller things like that when she gets her paycheck but extra expenses such as furniture have to be planned out probably weeks/months ahead of time. We also moved recently and ever since then our budget has been more difficult, the down payment really screwed with my moms expenses.

Because of our situation, I never really had games growing up. I remember we had maybe 3 big family consoles during me and my sisters whole childhood (with like 3-6 games on them each, most of which were guitar hero which my mom and sister loved to play), and I would get a new handheld for myself every few years. I never got to play the new exciting games people were always talking about, and my gaming experience has really been limited to like. Animal crossing, the sims, and cooking mama.

I played a bunch of roms as a kid so that helped, but I was always kinda sad and felt left out that I never got to experience gaming the way other people did. I really wanted to try the "classics" people talked about but didn't have any way to. People (especially as I got into my 20s and started following streamers + nintendo direct for example) would always talk about the New Thing coming out and playing it the day it dropped, all the excitement and community people had around that, but if I really wanted that kind of game, I'd have to wait a few years before getting it and trying it out, and by then no one was playing it anymore anyways.

As time went on things got a little better. Especially because of my moms new jobs, both of which she genuinely loves doing, though it's still work, we have been a bit better off. It's only been recently we started struggling more again.

Recently I've been kind of asking for things from my mom. Mostly it's steam games. I found I've gotten much more into gaming as a hobby as I've gotten older, and I have a long wishlist of games that I really want to get into, but of course have no money to myself. I should also clarify that NONE of these are those big triple A $60 titles, as I still can't ever justify paying something so expensive for one game. So sometimes lately I've been asking my mom "hey, can I get this/these games?" And use her money/card to purchase them. I don't do it constantly, or even super often, but I feel like it's becoming more often and it makes me feel really guilty.

I have done this before, around high school I started asking my mom for certain things I wanted around the house, and usually she had no problem buying them for me. This also wasn't large stuff, nothing ever over $30 and usually only up to $20. But when I'd find something I *really* wanted, especially if it was a time limited thing like merch drops from a favorite content creator, often yarn for my knitting or art supplies I wanted to try, I would ask her.

I've pretty much always felt guilty about this. I would ask for something despite my better judgement, and for the most part my mom would say yes, and that it was okay, whereas I was the one apologizing and asking if it was "really alright". She has told me she has no issues buying things for me as long as I ask her. She says the social security I get is "technichally my money", and that she wants me to be able to use it. (Obviously we don't use the actual ssi to buy random shit, but her giving me spending money is the next best thing).

Every time I've asked my mom for something like this, I've told myself that it would be the last time, that I would get my own job and own money and not mooch on my mom anymore, but both with the stress of chronic illness and depression I never seem to get around to it. I try to do dishes and keep my room clean, take care of the cat etc as ways I can help without working, but for some reason the money really weighs on me. I know that it's really my fault, I haven't even been looking for jobs and I could always take art commissions again, but somehow a mental block always stops me.

I feel like I have a bit of an impulsivity problem when it comes to spending. The money I got from my one summer job and commissions would never last long, and honestly I couldn't even tell you what I spent it on for the weeks I had it. I have issues taking money from people, but when I realized that I may not have had the stuff I wanted as a kid simply because I never asked for/communicated that I wanted it, it made me more bold to actually ask my mom for things.

I never pester my mother about this. I'll ask once and if she says no I'll be dissapointed but won't continue. Sometimes she says that we don't have the money for it then, or that I'll have to wait until xyz thing is paid for, which is always fine. I also have *never* bought anything with her money without asking first. I get pretty much all the steam games I buy on sale (usually that's what prompts me to ask about them, actually) as personally I can't justify getting games for their asking price for the experience I'm going to get.

I feel bad as I feel like I'm wasting our money, mooching off my mom and not putting in the work to have spending money myself. I also worry that sometimes when she says it's fine, it's untrue and she's really just trying to make me feel better. I also sometimes don't play the games as soon as I get them, I have a sizeable backlog of games I have gotten but haven't "got around" to playing as I was excited to get them at a low price at the time, but then haven't felt like I'm in the right mood. This also makes me feel worse because I feel like I'm not being appreciative enough of her buying for me.

So am I the asshole?

What are these acronyms?

[elcor-thespian]

Even more answers to questions no one asked! This time from Thematic Headcanons.

I have 7 Rooks so for each of these that sounded interesting I just used a random number generator.

Family Themed Headcanon: Konstantin Ingellvar does not have any idea who his actual family is, but they were raised communally but Senior Watchers, and would say they were primarily raised by Vorgoth. Emmrich very much treats him as a son, which Konstantin doesn't really realize.

Friendship Themed Headcanon: Nasreen Aldwir has had exactly one friend in their life up until the beginning on Veilguard, and it's Aleksei (my Laidir). At the beginning on the game she would say she has no friends. Bellara does not know that and absolutely thinks they are friends (eventually Nasreen agrees).

Romance Themed Headcanon: Konstantin (rolled the same number again!) develops crushes so easily. He's always got like 8 active crushes. He never acts on them beyond being super nice to them and pining for them. Poetry writing is involved. The second he meets Neve Gallus he immediately forgets all other crushes that have ever existed and fills up multiple notebooks with doodles and poems about her. His greatest fear is someone (coughAlekseicough) discovering these journals.

Love Themed Headcanon: Aleksei will sleep with just about any consenting adult, but he's never been in love. Lots of people have been in love with him, and it often takes a 3rd party pointing it out for him to notice. He's very quick to break it off at that point because he genuinely doesn't want to hurt anyone's feelings. The VG has to have an intervention with him at some point because he's openly flirting with everyone all the time, not realizing that Bellara has caught actual feelings and is getting her heart broken. When told he needs to either commit to Bellara or stop giving her false hope he realizes he like ACTUALLY likes her and then gets very very nervous around her.

Sad Headcanon: Brenna Thorne's family cut off ties to her after she joined the Wardens. She's the oldest of six, and she's only six years older than her youngest sibling, so they were all very close. Her and her sisters used to talk about being in each other's weddings and she kind of always held out hope that one of her siblings would invite them to their wedding. A month before the events of the game she found out that her youngest sister was finally engaged, and that she isn't invited to this one either.

Lie Themed Headcanon: I rolled a 1, which is Nephele Mercar, my canon Rook, which almost feels like cheating. She lies about so much shit, especially to cover up her biggest lie, which is that she isn't from Tevinter and her whole backstory is made up.

Here is a list of my Rooks in order of best liar to worst liar: Nephele Mercar, Brenna Thorne, Elspeth de Riva, Nasreen Aldwir, Aleksei Laidir, Paloma, Konstantin Ingellvar (bless his heart)

Headcanon about a secret they keep: Aleksei literally hasn't told anyone about the fact that he was a slave for a period of time after becoming a sailor, or that he can barely read (the only person that knows that is Nasreen because they grew up together). Aleksei actually isn't a very good liar, but he is good at deflecting and redirecting. If you do manage to corner him he will fold immediately.

Sleep Themed Headcanon: This is the last one I'm going to do tonight, so let me fire a little bit for each of them:

Nephele: Has a lot of routines established around sleep, because she has a lot of anxiety and nightmares that can make sleep difficult. She has special incense, an herbal supplement, a warm beverage, a specific configuration of pillows. If she can't do all her steps she almost certainly has nightmares, if she can fall asleep at all.

Aleksei: One of these obnoxious people who can function perfectly off of 3-4 hours of sleep. But when he's tired he just sort of drops wherever. It's not uncommon to find him on the floor of someone's room, or curled in a chair in the dining room, or literally on top of Assan.

Nasreen: Sleeps best outside, due to growing up Dalish. When she first moved in to a permanent house, she would go days without sleeping. Her adopted mother noticed and started staying up with her to bake, talk, do mending, etc until she got comfortable enough in the home to be able to go to sleep with everyone else. She still has trouble sleeping inside new buildings and had trouble adjusting to the Lighthouse at first.

Brenna: After years bunking with the Wardens, Brenna can't sleep if it's too quiet. She also has a lot of trouble sleeping at first at the Lighthouse because everyone is so far away from each other. It reminds her of being a kid, growing up as a noble, where everyone of her sibling's rooms were down another hall, but they would often sneak in to each other's rooms at night.

Elspeth: Being a Crow, Elspeth has been trained to be nocturnal. The constant light at the Lighthouse actually makes her tired, because her brain thinks it's always day time. It's very confusing. She also drinks a lot of coffee.

Paloma: Paloma finds it very hard to fall asleep, but when she does she is the heaviest sleeper in the group. There is simply no waking her until she wants to get up. People have tried shouting at her, sitting on her, splashing water on her. No use. She will not be moved.

Konstantin: Konstantin is very sensitive to light since he grew up underground. The second he senses light he'll wake up, so he has a room in the Lighthouse with no windows. Once he starts sharing a space with Neve he learns what blackout curtains are.