#this is similar to s2 pacing problems

[elibean]

also we are at the halfway point and like, nothing substantial has happened

[fulcrums501st]

I have seen some critique of peoples Caitlyn critiques cuz many people hating on Cait also like Silco. Cuz how can you hate one but like the other when they both have some similar themes about being driven to do unjust things for just reasons? And I do see the hypocrisy that comes across by disliking Cait’s character in s2 and then liking Silco. I think there is a valid critique there.

However, there is a difference between the way the narratives of s1 and s2 respectively handle these characters and their actions.

We actively see the harm Silco’s actions cause and we see the benefits (almost getting Zaun independence) and the audience is left to interpret to what extent Silco was justified or not. The narrative in s2 does let us contemplate how much of Caitlyn’s actions were justified, however we are not rlly shown the harms of her actions (gassing Zaun and hitting Vi) and these actions literally have no affect on the plot, indirectly implying that they rlly weren’t a big deal. Also, cuz of fast pacing we don’t have a lot of time to even sit with the fact that these things occurred (especially cuz they have no impact on the plot).

The most important difference tho is that s1 never tries to portray Silco as “redeemed”, or that he is even capable of redemption. His “you’re perfect” line isn’t supposed to make us think that all he did is forgiven. We see his character. We understand his logic and thinking and why he does what he does, and we are left to our own conclusions about how much of a villain he was.

But by the end of s2 we are clearly supposed to have forgiven Caitlyn because she gets with Vi in the end. Because Vi has forgiven Caitlyn the audience clearly is supposed to as well despite the narrative not doing enough to make this arc and development feel cohesive and earned.

The narrative of s2 purposely leads you to a certain opinion of Caitlyn in a way that I’d argue s2 rlly doesn’t do with Silco. Yes, they are both characters that are motivated by revenge and hatred to do unjust things for the right reasons. But s2 clearly wants us to forgive one character, while s1 never asks us to.

(And in my opinion s2 rlly doesn’t do enough for me to understand why Vi and her would reconcile, cuz they don’t let Vi rlly hold a justified grudge against Caitlyn so that their reunion and reconciliation can be simple and quick).

In the end, like most of my issues with s2, it doesn’t let us explore these nuances enough for me to feel the themes they are going for were cohesive amongst all that was happening and thus nuanced redemption arcs like Caitlyn’s feel unearned. Which is a major problem if the final happy ending of the show is a couple getting together when their resolution to their issues feels cheap, unearned, and unexplored in many ways.

[thetinygnome]

To preface, this is post is inspired by my experience watching arcane s2. I both enjoyed and disliked a lot about it, but this is not intended to be an analysis or review and will only contain the absolute vaugest of spoilers.

'That was not the story I wanted it to be' and 'That was not the story i thought it was going to be' are fair but subjective statements, and at the end of the day the story wasn't made with the goal of pleasing my specific tastes.

I generally agree with this sentiment, but something about it bugs me. Surely these expectations don't exist in a vaccum. They come from the primordial soup of me, the media in question, and everything I've ever heard about said media in question. Half the art of storytelling is manipulating, guiding, and playing with what your audience expects. So while the problem may well lie in my own tastes and biases, it could also just be a symptom of genuine lacking in or around the story.

I tried making some checklists to identify what was bugging me about it. (Bit of a longass ramble incoming)

Things outside the text itself that may have affected my expectations of the story:

If this work is in direct conversation with other media eg adaptations, continuations, sequels, prequels, same cinematic universe etc. Especially if I am very familiar with said media. Does it state its relationship to these media properties accurately?

The way the story marketed itself. Are the trailers and blurbs accurate to the tone, themes and genre of the show itself? Does it feel like its striving to be high art or something to watch over dinner?

Related to this is fandom and internet reputation of the story. Are the topics of conversation pushed to the forefront online reflective of their prominence in the story itself?

Do I have a bias regarding the persons or companies creating or distributing this work?

Do I have or lack life experiences that would make the story ressonate more / am I the target audience?

How familiar am I with the tropes and conventions of the relevant medium and genre?

Did I miss key details of storytelling due to outside factors (talking, noise, distraction, zoning out etc)

Things within the text that may have affected expectations:

Foreshadowing. Were things seemingly forshadowed only to not be followed up on? Did huge changes come seemingly out of nowhere? Is it artfully subtle or underwritten?

Exposition. Are they actually telling me (explicitly or otherwise) what I need to know in order to understand what is going on?

Consistency. Particularly with character writing. Are motivations, relationships, personality, morals etc established firmly? If so, than are changes and challenges to these given the time and reasoning required to be convincing?

Pacing. Were we given enough time to take stuff in before moving on? Was a lot of time spent on details and plotlines that ultimately ended up irrelevant while key parts of settup where restricted to a single blink-and-youll-miss-it moment? Do I find myself going "well I mean I don't exactly dissagree that we could end up here but I feel we missed a few steps along the way"?

Themes and genre. Does it follow through with and/or intentionally subvert tropes of the stories it is similar to? Does it have multiple themes and are they of equal importance? Do the pacing and foreshadowing correspondingly reflect that?

Clarity. Related to many of the above, but how many plates are spinning at once, and how many of them are we supossed to care about? On a less abstract level, can I see/hear/read what I need to in order to understand what is going on. In film ig it would be camera angles/lighting/blocking/sound design etc. Definitely elements of skill issue here but worth noting.

Im sure theres many more but

Sigh

Ig I gotta rewatch arcane to see how much of it was a skill issue on my end. Maybe this is the death of media literacy and my brainrotted ass needing to be spoonfed. Or maybe it was actually rushed, dropped key plotlines from the first season, and fastfowarded through character arcs at light speed.

[brandnewfridge]

re: the leaks, but honestly just the entirety of s2

Listen, I really liked the first season. Even though I think it had some pacing issues that could be solved by using that material for two seasons instead of craming everything into just the one, and despite the fact I found it sloppier than GoT in its prime and I disliked the way they were messing with the family trees. I have rewatched it multiple times. I have discussed it extensively with my father and my friends. I waited eagerly for s2.

And despite everything, I am feeling very disenchanted with the writing for this show. I feel like the problems it suffered last season have increased tenfold, and they added some new ones as well. I understand taking liberties from the source material, and in fact I think its part of the point of the show, since its a heavily biased history text with multiple unreliable sources, but I think there's a difference between that and whatever the hell it is that they're doing.

A good example of this, I think, presents itself very early in the season: Blood and Cheese.

I think having it come from Daemon and a "misunderstanding" is a good idea. Specially with the way it was treated after the fact: the conversation with Rhaenyra, how the other lords + Alys treat Daemon in the Riverlands, etc. It also makes sense that it would be portrayed in F&B the way that it was. However, how they adapted it pales in comparison with what actually happened in the book, which I think makes Halaena's character arc suffer in turn. I think this happened because they didn't show Maelor in the first season and they didn't want to add him in now? Even though I think he wouldnt be that difficult to introduce, and the audience would be able to accept his existence quickly, as Aegon's and Halaena's children weren't discussed that much in the first place. I'm not even sure they're mentioned by name in s1. And also, they're fine with giving a similar treatment to Daeron? Which I think it's strange, since the bulk of relevant characters in the conflict is mainly comprised of Viserys' children, and the complete absence, even in mention, even in passing, of one of them just to namedrop him in s2 is much more jarring than just, showing Jahaera playing with Maelor when Aegon comes in asking for Jahaerys. I don't know.

This is to say, it's not that I'm a book purist and dislike every single new thing they add. I like that the source material gives the adaptation room to breathe, and some of these new additions I do enjoy, at least in theory if not in practice. But they're making very strange changes, to characters, to plotlines, to family trees. The whole Rhaena/Nettles issue, for example.

A point that one of my friends has made is that oftentimes they treat the time that has passed between the airing of s1 and s2 as the time it has passed in-universe, which is very much decidedly not the same. There have been a very busy couple of weeks (as stated by Alicent in that one conversation with Larys in 02x04) in universe, and I think they're not giving the incredibly important things that have happened enough room to breathe per se. If it was time that they worried about, why shorten the season to eight episodes instead of the original ten the first season posessed? While simultaneously adding new plotlines or scenes like the Alicole affair, Daemon getting the Spirit Halloween experience at Harrenhall, or Rhaenyra going to KL to see Alicent, or Alicent frolicking in the woods. I have nothing against these things per se, I think they could add a lot to the story, the characters and their tragedy, but if I'm being honest I'd rather they used some of that runtime differently. It's like they want to stretch this show for as many seasons as they can but they also want to get to the next cool thing as soon as possible while the last one is still happening.

GoT started to shorten the number of episodes in s7.

GRRM has stated in his blog that he will not be attending the writers room for s3.

It's just a shame. Just a damn shame.

[veifei]

LCLA: OFFICIALLY WATCHED IN FULL!!!!! I am just. wow what a ride! i can see reasons why ppl might not like the LA especially if you're expecting it to be a similar vibe to the donghua.

tonally it has its moments of Suspense but it isn't nearly as stress inducing as sgdr s2 LMAO. partially i think that's because of the slower pace allowing for more levity (a double edged sword as some of the weaker arcs suffer due to the pacing imo)

the ending especially really made it feel like lcla was written in a way that could be interpreted as Alternative shiguang origin story (they even shoehorned in and explained lg's white hair which uh 😭). its strengths for me lies in shiguang's narrative arc as a duo + the way they change eachother for the better AND the fact that they gave qiao ling a compelling character arc and a consistent role to play within the narrative.

dr he ended up being an interesting character, even if the twist villain trope can feel a little cheap/predictable at times. i enjoyed how it recontextualised some of the scenes i thought were silly at first too (argument over the trolley problem at the camping trip?? wild. wondered what goes on. ended up Very plot relevant)

ultimately tho i went into it for a fun time and to see the blorbos, and see them i did :)

[ravenadottir]

i started playing season 6, and i've got shit to say for the half of dozen people that are still following me in this cobweb infested blog (i apologize, i'll be explaining what's happening on a different post)

i'm only on day 2 of the season, right when it's announced that roberto is coming (which is so disappointing to me that he isn't brazilian but portuguese, like... WHEN ARE WE GETTING A GOOD BRAZILIAN CHARACTER????)

anyway, here are my thoughts:

WRITING:

i actually didn't see much of a problem with it so far. it feels on par with similar conversations we had in the past, except this time we're getting to know them a little deeper than, say, season 3.

knowing bella's family situation or roberto's is kind of refreshing because we barely learned bobby had a sister on a throwaway scene on s2, so... yeah, it's ok.

i like how they express themselves because as an litg player, i'm used to some eloquence, but as someone who sometimes watches the show i HAVE to suspend my disbelief since i know islanders from the show are just... NOT GOOD AT EXPRESSING THEMSELVES, to say the least.

i like the conversations we had so far, it felt fluid and fun, but then again i've only coupled up with jamal, because obviousoly i did, who would i go for, fucking ryan? WAKE UP.

the challenges piled up but because of how many dialogues we had in this little time i think it worked pretty well.

CHARACTERS:

grace - girl, it's been a day and ozzy is not even that hot. HAVE YOU SEEN YOURSELF? he's punching, not you. chill. (and i hate they're giving the intensity they gave hope here, feels bitterly familiar and they better fucking knock it off).

bella - FINALLY a girl i like who's available and slutty (affectionate) since the beginning. i absolutely think bella might be right there with talia when it comes to arc as an LI, but we'll see. if anyone dares stealing her or if fusebox even make the slight suggestion of a slowburn i'm burning their HQ idc

ivy - alright i see you bootleg marisol, but i don't give a shit, you're annoying, die in a hole.

amelia - i think she's putting a front and deflecting the negative attention to ivy but that's just me. also, the twist of the public choosing who she should couple up with before she could tell us is extremely dumb and unnecessary, but also a reason for her to say a different name later, maintaining her image of good sister. i don't trust her, i WILL step on her head to the finale, die in a pit you're also annoying.

jamal - i like the attention but everything with moderation gives me way more tingles than a crybaby that can't stop talking about how he wants to be with me again. we were coupled up for a few hours and only had one conversation, chill bitch. it's giving ted mosby and every himym fan knows how bad that is. i'm not sure if every guy that the public chooses to be with amelia on night 1 acts the same, but i'm slightly turned off. it's too much boy, calm down, i'm here to be a slut, calm down.

ryan - get a haircut or let it grow because looking twelve and the coolest lesbian at the same time is not the look for you. its giving hipster with a chemistry kit at the local café.. also, either you're the douchey musician or a bad poet, you can't be both, PICK A STRUGGLE.

lewie - the impersonation of being stuck in traffic. i don't care for you, die in the same hole as ivy and amelia.

ozzy - fucking pulling the noah, man. i've seen this before and i'm not interested. stop being such a coward and tell grace how you feel. i know for a fact you're gonna be drama and it's because you refuse to be honest. it's so embarrassing, bestie.

roberto - HOT. i only saw the preview but i'm excited.

PACING

it's great. i think it was kind of weird how fast and furious it was with some previous seasons (remember the last season i played was 3 and half of 4 {it was soooo tedious i gave up half way through}) but i think so far it's ok. it definitely has better cliffhangers than other times when they thought they tried their darnedest.

OBSERVATIONS WITH SCREENSHOTS:

there's no fucking way they thought these were worth diamonds. and 22 diamonds for that frufru purple shit??? it looks like something who doesn't sew would put together with a hot glue gun, stop.

ivy i might kill you like they kill one of those vampires at the end of the twilight saga, by opening your mouth so wide it cracks off your skull. SHUT - UP.

and amelia... you're irrelevant, get out.

BUDDY, YOU'RE THE MOUTHPIECE OF THE GROUP NOW, HOLY SHIT. grace has me on my knees, i can't.-

bitch, we did! i kissed you in the challenge. EXCUSE YOUR BEAUTIFUL SELF! (also, for the breasts appreciators, i feel you, boobs are great, really! but like, those... two... lines... coming out of the bikini???? yeah, that is actually what gets me. you didn't need to know but i told you anyway, because i'm happy bella is hot and cool and i don't know how to shut up when i'm love, leave me alone!) whoever designed her knew EXACTLY what they were doing.

I LOVE GRACE. I JUST DO.

i'll give ryan some cool points because 1, he burned ivy in front of everyone, and 2, he admitted and owned up to it. good for you, bestie, good luck when you take a trip to the hair salon and get rid of that... hair. also, STOP SKIPPING LEG DAY BUDDY. from the waist up it's giving "abs, hot, i go to the gym", from the waist down is giving "i'm twelve and there's a reason i go to the beach in pants".

bella and grace looking naked and glamorous but feeling threatened by this ugly ass dress is the funniest joke in the writing so far. truly. i've had mermaid costumes at 4 years of age less embarrassing than this atrocity. stop lying, bella and grace, YOU'RE BOTH NAKED AND PERFECT.

and that's what i have to say so far. i'll continue playing this season until they inevitably fuck up. i'm not being pessimistic, i'm just... well, i guess i am. but i have no reason to believe otherwise.

also, i keep forgetting ozzy is here even though it's been a day. idk why.

anyways, i'll come back with more litg brain rot in a bit.

[a-cloud-for-dreams]

So this is mostly a Choices blog but some of you know that I've recently started playing Romance Club as well because 1) there are some really good books on RC, 2) the art, and 3) to compare both apps. I could probably make this a series(?) to compare and contrast the two but here's one of the main things I've noticed playing both apps:

The Difference in Pacing

Background: The clear reason for this is because of how the books are set up. On Choices, each completed book is approx. 16 chapters (like a movie) while on RC, the book is typically 3 seasons with around 10-12 episodes (like a tv show). So a book like Open Heart, for instance, would be 3 seasons under one title instead of 3 separate books since they occur within a close period. This is different from a series like Heaven's Secret, which has two separate books that span ten years apart.

I bring this up because I assume this difference explains why the pacing in both apps is so different. I can use Blades II, Kindred, Theodora, and DALS as an example.

I've brought this up already, but one of my biggest gripes with Blades II was the very odd pacing. The beginning of the book (in my opinion) took longer than necessary to start the plot and there was a little too much filler with less time to focus on new lore the themes ate tho and I'm grateful we got another book.

Kindred has a similar issue. The concept of a witch book was cool and they had a good plot, but 16 chapters weren't enough to explore everything they wanted to with the book. The ending was rushed and it felt way too easy to defeat the Wraith King. Do I still love this book? Yes. Do I think the authors did well with the amount of time they were given? Also yes. But the rushed plot does make it hard to recommend it since PB is capable of handling a lot of plot (RE: Blades I).

On the other hand, Theodora has 3 seasons and the whole immortality arc (the premise of the book) wasn't explained until near the end of S2. We had an entire season to explore the character and at least half of a second season to explore her life after she realized she was immortal but without knowing why (human -> immortal -> realizing how she became immortal and starts controlling her power). As a result, it becomes easier to get attached to her since we spent more time getting to know her still one of my favorite MCs.

Dracula: A Love Story still can't believe it has 4 seasons spent an entire season before revealing Vlad's identity even though it's in the title. In comparison, PB would have done three chapters of leaving MC in the dark before revealing who Vlad is with the rest of the book being allotted to helping him. I get that we needed to see all the visions and stuff but personally, I feel like I was more invested in Lale and would have read an entire book about her, Aslan, and Vlad. I swear I don't hate DALS please don't be offended lol.

Am I saying I prefer RC to Choices? Not necessarily, I have problems with RC too mostly regarding representation, and I also know it wouldn't be fair to compare the apps since they are set up differently. I just thought this was something interesting to point out.

[zyafics]

Thanks for answering my question really enjoy hearing your opinions on the show!! 💖 also would love to know where you personally would’ve loved to see the character in season three n four like what is the storyline you would like to have seen? N I totally agree with you. I really wish we saw him crash out more. Lol 😂 unpopular opinion, but I think Rafe would’ve been a better antagonist than any other villain that we’ve had. Recently.!! But I think the creators are too scared!! I think taking the fan favorite  and making them the absolute worst character u had ever seen is so fun and writers should do that more!! not sure if you ever seen teen Wolf, but in season three they did something similar to this and it was genius!!! one of the best story lines of the show!! 

omg, i feel like @whytheylosttheirminds would have better opinions on this because her mind is gorgeous when it comes to analyzing the show, but honestly? i don't know.

a big thing about me is that i would gladly sacrifice a character for a show given that it's the right reason. like i would kill my favorite characters if that's what satisfies the arc of the book/movie/etc. so, i would've loved to make rafe descend further into his madness, but i would've carefully constructed who he was early in s1.

rafe would've been a great villain, but i also think it would've been beautiful for him to have a strong relationship with sarah before the murder of peterkin. that despite sarah being the golden child—rafe still cared about his sister. i would've developed that dynamic a lot earlier in s1.

and then when rafe spirals on the other end, while sarah's with the pogues? that would've crushed him. in addition, it would've made the impact of him wanting to kill sarah at the end of s2 so much more stronger. especially because at his core, he loves his family more than anything EVEN if they oppose him.

i think the reason why the creators didn't make rafe descend further down into madness in s3 because they needed him to be an agitator for the pogues, and they couldn't do that with him going on his own self-destruction path. this is the problem with the pacing/plotting of modern shows rn. they needed friction and conflict, and they made him more driven to make choices because ward could no longer be the primary conflict of the season. i would've probably made him descend further down into the pit of madness regarding the gold; why he felt so much ownership of it? what does it mean to have it if he doesn't have his family? how wealth can be isolating and driven him mad. i would've probably also made him explore why he wanted it in the first place—was it his own greed or because of his father's hand? did he do it to prove to the man that he could do something for himself? honestly? i would've wanted a conflict between him and sarah to go up to the point that he almost killed her (again) but HE snapped out of it. he made the willing choice to stop (not topper, not his father) and give this sort-of cain-abel dynamic. and i would then i would want him to hit rock bottom. to fail. to actually lose all of it without any safety net.

s4 i probably want him to do a lot of self-evaluation. and him making the conscious choice to help sarah because he realized that it's his sister at the end of the day. i would've actually made SARAH the primary figure the season, where she's trying to figure out her own shit and she's struggling and she had no one to turn to. this force proximity and rafe's need to bring his family together would allow them to understand and rebuild the damaged trust.

s5 i would probably want him to figure himself out. to know what he wants rather than what he was told what he wants. build up. i wouldn't want him to die—that's too easy of a redemption arc. i want him to... try? his relationship with sarah (and wheezie) would be his primary motivators for his wellbeing and i want him to make intentional efforts to protect and take care of his sister. that's how i would wrap up the series.

my mind's scrambled with this because it isn't my show, and if it was, i would do a lot more deconstruction, but that's overall the current gist i have about it!

and i have watched teen wolf, but i'm not sure what you're talking about? was this with stiles and the spirit inside him? i can't remember.

[incandescentia]

♡  people i want to get to know better!

last song i listened to: ILLIT - tick tack (honestly it's such an earworm, a lot of their discography are!)

favorite colour: I honestly think blue is my all-time favorite since it's the predominant color in my wardrobe, followed by black and white since those two go along with just about anything. if you're talking about combination, black and red will always be my favorite visual-wise.

currently watching: I'm currently watching Devil's Diner on Netflix! it's like some sort of a "be careful of what you wish for" kind of horror anthology series (each episodes are separate stories from each other) similar to Junji Ito's stories, sorta. I generally love asian horror/thriller that puts more emphasis on suspense or the vices of human nature rather than ghostly jumpscares, so this one genuinely interested me. it’s not super extraordinary or anything but it makes a nice watch in one weekend kinda stuff.

last movie / tv show i watched: if you're talking about tv series, my last major tv show I finished was Squid Game S2. if it's movie, uh, I'm pretty sure it was a horror movie called "Knock at the Cabin"

spicy / savory / sweet: why pick when you can have a combination between the three (re: korean fried chicken)

relationship status: single and loving it :9

last thing i googled: something related to leg problem with dogs... we suspect she's suffering from a leg sprain rip

current obsession: I would say wuwa is the game I'm still playing on a consistent pace...? (lel I'm saving for Brant) BSR still kinda lives in my head rent free so I'm wishing it to get a new content now that it's the franchise's 20th anni this year /finger crossed. can you say your oc is your obsession tho?

tagged by: @guhamun ( ty shi! ) tagging: if you see this on dash feel free to tag & steal from me!

[beevean]

Wanted to share some thoughts about Hazbin.

So, one of the arguments you see being mirrored by almost all of the fandom is that the show could/would have been better overall if the crew had just been given more time or more than 8 episodes. However, I think this point kinda misses the bigger issue.

Yes, it does suck that we only got 8 after such a wait, but I think on top of that it exacerbated a problem that's been in not just Hazbin but also Vivzie's previous works, which is pacing.

At this point we all know that Vivzie is very very very passionate about all her ideas and characters and she really really really wanted to show as much of them right from the start as humanly possible. And it is that passion that became a double-edged sword since it left her and the crew unable to compromise on what to focus on, what could be cut for now and saved for later. There is a reason the term "kill your darlings" exists. Who's to say that, if they were given more episodes or time, the crew wouldn't just cram even more ideas and characters, still leaving no room for any of said ideas or characters to really breathe?

Yes, it is sad that we are currently in the time where media giants seem all too happy to gut shows that haven't even realized their potential but all these outside factors are only worsening the core issue that was there from the start. I do hope Vivzie and the crew address this in the process of making S2 because otherwise I feel pretty much all of the same problems will remain.

I don't have much to add, you're spot on. Especially when it comes to Vivzie being too passionate: I could feel her enthusiasm all over the show, and it's endearing, but also it's can lead to some... amateurish mistakes, such as this.

Episode 3 of HH to me is the prime example of "too much". There is just too much! We are introduced to Overlords that do not matter in the grand scheme of things! And not just Zestial, but even Velvette ended up not being significant! She reveals the angel head, yes, but then she's like "so? are we going to fight a war? yes? war? fight?", and when the fight does happen, she's... eating popcon at home. So what was the point of all that?

Carmilla was more or less significant, but not enough to get two songs in her first appearance. Vaggie should have had the full song about wanting to protect Charlie, because as one of the main characters, she got the shaft the most. Girl tells us she believes she has no purpose if she can't help her gf? And then we learn that she was a fallen angel who is so loyal to Charlie because she was shown kindness? And it's just background information?? But the Vees and the Overlords can get whole episodes dedicated to them???

I get that the Vees are entertaining, and in a way they did set the plot in motion by sending Sir Pentious and Vee revealing the angel head... but there was a distinct lack of focus in the first half of the season and they are just another symptom.

From what I know of HB, it's a very similar case: it was meant to be about this murder assassination company in Hell, but then it quickly shifted focus on the Stolitz relationship drama because it's clear that it was a more appealing concept to Vivzie.

So yeah, it sucks that the team was only given 8 episodes when the story clearly longed for at least double the time, but I also think that the season should have been reworked to give priority to what actually mattered.

[numericalbridge]

Luz, Darius, Skara for the character bingo chart

Thank you for the ask!

Luz:

I really like Luz, she is my favourite out of the main characters, although i feel like the writing, especially pacing, of her arc was sometimes uneven (which is one of my biggest problems with toh writing in general, and i don't think it's all because of the shortening) and compared to others protagonists of similar cartoons her connections to other characters could've been stronger and richer.

Scara:

I like her, wish there was more content of her, both canon and fanon. It would've been cool to see her wish during the palisman adoption ceremony.

Darius:

Yeah, he is my favourite of the toh characters. Actually his role was the thing that made me continue watching s2. For a secondary/supporting character the story that was hinted on and his connections to other characters seemed actually interesting and, for the show, complex, and the voice actor and the artists and animators did such a great job.

Obviously i wouldn't have expected any deep focus on him even if the show wasn't shortened (even just one short dialogue or scene would be enough to complete his mini-arc) but i am so bitter that other supporting characters like Alador or Eda's mother or Kikimora or Steve got to actually clearly explain their motives and thoughts, even if just in 1 episode (and not always well written), while Darius got only hints. And because of all the connections he has, before s3 it seemed like the pay-off - emotional or plot-wise - would be slighter bigger. And then the fandom is like that about him.

I don't really ship in the way fandom ships, especially with cartoons, but i can appreciate the writing potential, and dariraine is the ship i find the most interesting (tbh if the show had more seasons and was aimed at a slighter older audience so adults would be explored more, i maybe would've prefered it to be canon endgame). But i think camila-perry-darius (v-shaped or not, depending on darius's sexuality) is nice for the canon tone.

[yourethecoolestpersonhere]

how do you think this stuff with Sam is gonna effect Euphoria S3 and beyond?

OOoF. Nonny *cracks knuckles*

So in my brain the thing that makes the most logical sense is that HBO decides that Sam isn’t going to a) be able to finish a project without being called disgustingly inappropriate or worse b) bring in the same viewership with Idol as he did with euphoria S1 + S3 and c) make a project without heavy use of traumatic s*xual scenes.

I understand it’s HBO but also, considering the themes of Euphoria last year… we would only be rapidly approaching a very traumatic, high intensity, emotional rollercoaster.. that I can’t stress enough… SAM does not have the capacity to write. His character depth is not as deep as one would want to imagine , especially those outside of his lived experiences.

Meaning … women, queers, black and brown folks in white spaces , DRUG DEALERS etc etc etc May be a LITTLE CONVOLUTED.

I say all that to say; especially with the:

Levinson allegedly stopped sending scripts to HBO and certain department heads, according to two people familiar with the matter. “I got the vibe that the mood on set was, ‘What’s HBO gonna do, pull the plug? Yeah, right. If they want a third season of Euphoria, they’ll give me what I want… We’re just gonna shoot what we want and if [HBO execs] have a problem with it, that’s their problem,’” they explain. Idol set, the idea of “ what are they gonna do censor me I’ll just take euphoria away”

lol like what w bitch ..anyways

I truly believe that we could - A) see a writers ROOM of hopefully not all older cis het yt men talking about very difficult subjects outside of drugs B) SAM is nixxed.

I just don’t think he’s worth a network going down the drain form. so while good, I truly believe whatever direction we go S3 won’t live up to hype of previous seasons PURELY because we are all made aware of the absolute havoc this man has made for his cast and crew. As well as his habit of adding certain themes and situations that feel downright abusive. I’ve said before I think season 2 ended with the idea that maybe they didn’t plan to be renewed. The entire last 2 episodes pace a lot differently when you look at them as an ending and not a prelude to another season or time.we know they are probably shooting already so it’s safe to say we won’t know for a while , with taking 7 months to film + x to do post and marketing promo) but I’m curious with know how this new show being recieved in the media and if the timing makes a difference.

Here’s the Rolling Stone article that also talks about the weirdo shit he did on the Euphoria set of S2 and how they are similar ( script changes, extended deadlines, big names for buzz but barely any lines or depth, drama drama drama)

What do y’all think fexi hive?

[thethiefandtheairbender]

hopping on as someone who doesn't usually love enemies to lovers but shipped catradora throughout the show's run, and then kinda meh'd on it after, my problem isn't necessarily that there was abuse or messiness in the relationship - in a lot of ways, the more mess the better

for me, there was a lot of set up and not enough time to do the pay off, in one scenario i've never seen anyone been able to adequately dismantle my argument for (although if you can please do so! i'd be interested in reading it)

simply put: I think it's weird that there's a one-off episode in which Catra brainwashes Adora into being a weapon (S2 "White Out") and is pretty gleeful about it, and then when that plot point is repeated in the final season - Catra is brainwashed and turned into a weapon by the final big bad - the way those similar plot points are treated is very different.

I don't think it's a bad thing to have an antagonist or protagonist mirror each other - and Catra is She Ra's deuteragonist easily - and that parallels between her and Horde Prime, or even her and Shadow Weaver, are interesting and the latter are particularly well acknowledged. So my issue isn't that Catra mirrors the irredeemable big bad at one point, that's chill

My issue is that when Adora sees Catra be brainwashed, she's horrified and does everything she can to help her. The story, through Adora and Catra's lingering trauma over being chipped in the subsequent episodes, acknowledges that it was an awful and accordingly traumatic experience, that she deserves support as she navigates it, and that kind of dehumanization is just well, awful

So why doesn't Adora get that understanding and focus when she undergoes it? Especially when being forced to be a weapon, as we see in S4, is triggering and her intended Destiny as SheRa / a first one.

This was the perfect opportunity for the two to bond, and for Catra to acknowledge that she put Adora though that - maybe feel regretful and ashamed that she'd treated it so callously, refused to relinquish control, and made Adora attack her friends.

But the show doesn't do that, because the show is a lot more interested in exploring Catra's trauma concerning the shared plot point than it is with Adora's, and that was my personal breaking point with the ship.

(I actually think S5 would've been structured better if Catra and Adora had switched places for a lot of the plot points, leading to their romantic reconciliation - Adora and Glimmer get to patch things up, Adora sacrifices herself for Glimmer because that's who she is, Catra works with Best Friend Squad to save Adora, she has to fight an Adora who's not holding back at all for the first time, Adora can still unlock She Ra, Catra can acknowledge what happened in S2, they can move past it in a more developed manner, etc).

Jackie/Shauna from Yellowjackets, in which one indirectly kills and then literally cannibalizes the other, or Aaravos/Viren from The Dragon Prince (also a kids show) in which they engage in a magical blood ritual so Aaravos can manipulate Viren into dying for him, and also encouraging him to murde the child they have together, are not Sanitized in the slightest, but the fuckery is leaned into and the setup/payoff/pacing is, imo, something that She Ra was lacking in. Even Pearl/Rose from Steven Universe, and a lot of Steven Universe, goes into why good intentions or apologies is not always enough, which is an honestly messier take than "this character apologized so it's all good now".

I'm really glad kids and queer kids have She Ra growing up; I would've liked a lot more queer media when I was growing up. And queer media is absolutely held to a stricter standard then non queer media, for sure. But that also doesn't mean we can't take issue with how a queer story, 'sanitized' or not (which is loaded for the aspec community as a concept as well), doesn't always work for us as individuals, and that means learning to accept that some people are gonna have different breaking points with the Mess than you do - case in point

I also think She Ra has a deeper message than just "big lady with sword" - it does have meaningful things to say about breaking cycles, and growing past old behaviours, and second chances (things that were, I believe, not as much of a thing in the 80s cartoon, but I never watched it so I wouldn't know). How well it executes those themes is subjective, but that's always gonna be the trade off when a work takes on messier ideas/concepts to begin with, I guess

"we need less sanitized queer stories" yall keep saying fucking she-ra romanticizes abuse. you couldnt possibly handle less sanitized queer stories

[notesofarichlycolorednight]

s1ep1 stormy weather

man the creator really should have never said he was heavily inspired by magical girl anime (read: sailor moon) bc now all i do is making comparisons as i rewatch

the pacing felt better until the very end, when the writers started to have to wrap things up. like the fact that either of them can just look at someone and go, "huh they look pretty similar, they must be the akumatized person" and "and the akuma must be in her umbrella" is ASTOUNDING

it's too contrived. it doesn't make sense! how did they logic that out in 0.2 seconds? bc the plot needed them too?

again it's a symptom of the creator taking elements he liked from sailor moon and not knowing what to do with them or how to incorporate them into something original. if he was going to have the concept of akuma that infect an object that's special to the victim, then he should have spent more time coming up with a way for ladybug and chat noir to figure out what the object is when they encounter an akuma.

in sailor moon they completely skipped past that problem by not having the evil eggs infect an object, just the person. and the creator/writers should have done something similar or, again, thought longer and harder about how ladybug and chat noir would logic that out.

another thing i thought about at the end is the fact that s1 and s3 are interchangeable.

the other issue i have with ml that i've stated before is the fact that the writers treat it like a serialized show when the structure is episodic and don't even attempt to strike a balance between the two, which has been done time and time again, so we know it's possible with competent writers.

specifically, i was thinking about power-ups bc again, you could pick out most episodes from s2 or even s3 and place them into s1 and someone who's never watched the show wouldn't bat an eye.

and what i mean by power-ups is that every new season of sailor moon, her heart crystal that powers her make-up pouch (i forgot what they call it laksdjf) gets damaged and she has to do a little soul-searching before getting a power-up/upgrade. not only does she get a new look, but the heart crystal evolves and gives her new powers to face their new enemy, and gets character growth with it.

and what facilitates this is often them facing a new, more powerful enemy! it's a really good set-up for a new season and a really good way to raise the stakes! what's more is that sailor moon is often worn out or can't use her powers to their full ability, which i feel like really grounds her character.

the problem with ml is it never does that. sure, they have magic food that helps them adapt to different environs when needed, but neither ladybug nor chat noir ever get a permanent costume change/upgrade. their powers never fail them at a critical moment, forcing them into a character growth arc. and likewise, hawkmoth never really becomes more powerful than he already is.

i know in later seasons, they try and pretend he's growing more powerful by revealing the peakcock miraculous, and at one point obtains all, or most of, the miraculous and wears them. but that's a false and forced raised stakes.

we already know ladybug is going to think of a way out of it. bc she always does. she's never faltered. there's never really a moment in the show where we feel like she's actually in danger of not beating the bad guy.

but in sailor moon? god i can still remember how i felt after that first season, watching sailor moon's crystal lose its power and shine, and her detransforming. it was terrifying!!

and we never get anything like that in all 3 (i say 3 even tho there are 5 bc i haven't watched any episodes from 4 or 5 and am giving it the benefit of the doubt even tho i shouldn't and honestly don't) seasons.

everything is stagnate. the writers treat the show like it's both serialized and episodic, but only write for it as if it's episodic. and it's a worse show for it.

[stardustandash]

Through Darkness Unknown - The Bad Batch

Tags: Post s2, hurt/comfort, whump, medical procedures

Chapter 3 - A Gift

“I’ve always thought that one of the greatest thing about having a mentor is that one day you can be better than them. Improve the galaxy a little more and all that. Nala Se has told me that she cannot help me fix something Now, my gift to you, Omega, is that if you can help me, you can keep it. Does that sound fair to you?”

Previous Chapter                     AO3

The next few cycles passed much in the same manner. Omega would be taken away for tests sometime in the first few hours of the day and returned in the afternoon. The tests had been different every day so far. Once a scientist asked her pointless questions about everything from the cloning process to the formation of stars to the engine workings of a Venator. The next rotation they tested her endurance and reflexes, then the next they took tissue samples. Sometimes it was Dr. Karr present, or Dr. Hemlock, or neither. Once they took Crosshair after leaving her back at their cell. Omega spent the hours pacing and wondering what they could be doing to him. Then she wondered if that was what Crosshair was doing when she was gone.

Crosshair had been angry about the port left in her arm. He hadn’t said anything, but the pinch of his brows and the hard look in his eyes gave it away. They hadn’t talked much since that first day. The others had told her Crosshair tended to be quiet, but somehow she was not quite expecting how committed the man could be to silence. She had no qualms about talking, and regaled Crosshair with stories of the adventures she had gone on with their brothers, though she avoided the ones that featured Tech and always made sure to emphasize that no matter what they were doing, there was a Crosshair-sized shape missing. Occasionally He would ask a question, or throw out some scathing commentary about the decision making skills of their brothers, but for the most part he remained silent and angry.

As the cycles began to form a routine Omega found herself almost bored with her predicament. It was similar enough to how she had grown up in the lab, though she had far less freedoms and AZ had been a more chatty companion than Crosshair. She hated herself for the thought but it was true.

It was in the late hours of the rotation, sometime after evening rations but before lights out, that Omega found she just couldn’t stand both the silence and the boredom. With a huff she flopped onto her back on the ground and sighed.

“What do they even want with us?”

“Nothing good I imagine,” said Crosshair drily in the way that said he didn’t want to have a conversation.

“But why bother keeping us around, keeping the other clones around. If the Empire wanted to get rid of clones they could’ve just sent everyone here to be executed.”

Crosshair gave her a funny look. “That’s a little morbid coming from a child.”

“I’m not a child” Omega shot back, indignant. “It’s just, something Doctor Karr said to me, the first time they took me away.”

“Oh, did she tell you that you’re useless? Let me guess, you took it to heart.”

Omega rolled her eyes at Crosshair’s sarcasm. After a few days locked in close quarters with him she was starting to understand his mannerisms.

“No, sort of the opposite, maybe? She said that she was some kind of failed clone experiment, but implied that I might be the successful version. But I’m just one of the two pure Jango Fett clones. And they only made two because they promised one to Jango and they gave him Alpha,” said Omega.

“I have no idea what you’re trying to get at,” said Crosshair.

“Neither do I! That’s the problem,” said Omega, letting out a huff of frustration. “I can’t make any of it make sense.”

“Then stop trying, thinking is Tech’s job,” said Crosshair snidely before they both froze.

The moment only lasted a few seconds, but the mood shifted. Guilt rushed through Omega once again. She ground her teeth together and stared determinedly at the ceiling.

“I miss him,” said Omega after a few minutes.

Crosshair sighed from across the room. “He was one of the more tolerable ones.”

Omega sat up and glared at him. “Don’t say it like that.”

“Would you rather me mope about and cry like you?”

There was a challenge in Crosshair’s eyes. Like he was itching for a fight, for something to scream and rage about just to get it out of his system. Omega flopped back down. She’d rather not bear the brunt of his rage.

“No, I guess not.”

Omega found herself poking at her broken finger just for something to do. At least the pain was a reaction. Crosshair was back to brooding in an instant, this time leaning against the back wall of the cell.

There wasn’t much else to do before lights out, and Omega was debating just going to sleep with the lights still on when heavy footsteps approached the containment wall. It was too early for the shift rotation for the guards in the hall and the footsteps too heavy. Omega picked herself up from the floor and found herself looking into the glowing visor of a clone commando. She scrambled to her feet and took a step backwards into the cell as the red glow vanished and the commando stepped into the cell. Two others stood behind him with blasters trained on Crosshair.

“Doctor Hemlock wishes to speak with you,” said the Commando in the toneless words of a clone fully under the spell of the inhibitor chip.

“It’s not the usual time,” said Crosshair from somewhere behind her. “What does he want with her.”

“I am not at liberty to discuss that, CT-9904,” replied the commando.

Crosshair stepped up behind Omega. She looked up at him and even from the odd angle she could see the truly burning glare that Crosshair had fixed on the commando. The two other commandos clicked the safety off their blasters and adjusted their grip on the weapons. Fingers from the side of the weapon to the trigger. Omega felt her heart leap to her throat at the clear threat.

“It’s okay, Crosshair. It’s okay,” she said, stepping forward with both hands raised. “I’ll come with you, Crosshair was just asking, right?”

Crosshair chewed at his lip, glare still firmly in place. “That’s right. I was just asking.”

Omega could hear the roughness of his words and see the way his hands balled into fists, the dark bruising of his broken finger standing out starkly against bloodless knuckles. Omega glanced back at him as the commandos took her from the cell. The glare had softened to something sadder and Omega recognized the face of hopelessness.

They did not go to Dr. Hemlock’s office. Neither were they heading in the direction of the labs that Omega had gone to for testing. Instead the commandos led her on a long walk deep into the bowels of the facility. Though Omega knew it was just a trick of her mind, the air down here seemed colder, the grey of the walls darker. She shivered and rubbed at her arms. Something wasn’t right, and not just the fact that the routine had been broken.

The feeling increased when she saw the small crowd outside a door. Hemlock at the front, as unreadable as ever. Behind him were Nala Se, Dr. Karr, and four more commandos. Omega wanted to turn and run more than anything in the galaxy but the sound of bone snapping echoed through her mind. If she even showed any sign of running she had no doubt they would kill Crosshair. So she forced herself to march ahead even as dread spread through her limbs and weighed her down.

“Ah, Omega. I’m glad you could join us,” said Dr. Hemlock in his smooth, gentle voice.

Omega just stared back at him, not trusting her voice. Sweat gathered in her palms and her heart was beating a tattoo against her throat. Something was going on. Her eyes flit between the other two at the door. Though Nala Se was a hard read, Omega had spent most of her life with the kaminoan as her only point of contact. The thin set of Nala Se’s mouth and the hard set to her eyes told Omega she was both nervous and angry. Dr. Karr was frowning slightly.

“I have heard that you have been behaving yourself, Omega. Is that true?” asked Dr. Hemlock.

Omega could only nod.

“Wonderful. And in my experience, good behaviour should always be rewarded. Do you think you should get a reward for how good you’ve been?”

Omega could only stare at him. This was leading somewhere. And from the tense air building in the corridor, it was leading nowhere good.

“Well, Omega, do you deserve a reward?” Dr. Hemlock asked again.

Omega nodded hesitantly.

“Then you shall have it,” said Dr. Hemlock, a soft smile tugging at his lips. “Now, Nala Se has told me that you used to be her medical assistant, is that correct?”

Omega glanced at Nala Se. The kaminoan’s eyes were glaring somewhere a foot above Omega’s head. She looked back at Dr. Hemlock. There was something about him that did not match the tense air that was gathered around the group. A victorious light played in his eyes, like he had won a prize and was now getting to bask in it.

Once again, Omega nodded.

“I’ve always thought that one of the greatest thing about having a mentor is that one day you can be better than them. Improve the galaxy a little more and all that. Nala Se has told me that she cannot help me fix something Now, my gift to you, Omega, is that if you can help me, you can keep it. Does that sound fair to you?”

A thousand scenarios flew into Omega’s mind. Most involving Hunter, Wrecker, or Echo. She hadn’t seen them since they had been with Dr. Hemlock in manacles. Omega wanted so badly to be somewhere else, anywhere else, with her family. She wanted to be safe, to be held by Wrecker, to have Echo soothe this away like the worst nightmares. She wanted Hunter to pat her head and give her that look she knew was reserved for her. She wanted Tech -Her heart lurched in her chest- to teach her how to hack and code and fly the Marauder.

“I said, does that sound fair to you?” said Dr. Hemlock. The softness of his voice felt far more threatening than if he had yelled at her.

Omega nodded.

Hemlock smiled at her, an expression full of smug victory. “Emerie, you may assist Omega.”

“Yes, Sir.”

Dr. Hemlock stepped aside and at a gesture the commandos backed up Nala Se as well. Without much of a choice Omega walked through the door, Dr. Karr following at her heels.

They passed through a sterilizing sonic before walking into the room. The smell made Omega’s stomach roll. It always had, despite Nala Se once telling her otherwise.

For a moment the room was dark, lit only by the dim red glow of various readout screens. When the lights went up Omega had to blink out the spots in her vision before taking in the room. They were in some kind of medbay crossed with a laboratory. There were several machines and tools ready to use, an open cabinet filled with bacta in all different forms, and a gurney-type bed.

It was the figure in the bed made Omega’s stomach drop into a black hole.

“Tech?” said Omega softly, trying her best to make her way over on legs that no longer seemed to function. “Tech!”

Somehow she made her way to the edge of the bed. Tech was still, without his blacks or goggles for the first time in Omega’s memory. Someone had already done a patch-job on him. They would have had to in order to keep him alive so long after his fall. Yet the damage was still utterly evident.

Bruising covered Tech from head to where his body vanished under the thin sheet that covered him for modesty. Cuts littered the areas around the edges of where his armour would sit. But that was not what drew Omega’s eye. She was fixed staring at the ruin of the right side of Tech’s face. Though someone had wiped the blood away they had not closed the wounds. There was a deep gash across his eye with something yellow that caught the light sticking partially out of it. The side of his head had been, for lack of a better term, cracked open. To Omega it was sort of like she was seeing Wrecker’s scars when it had been a fresh wound. The damage radiated out from Tech’s temple, spreading from just behind his ear all the way down to the curve of his jaw.

Omega tentatively pressed shaking fingers under his jaw. A pulse thrummed gently against her fingertips, not as strong and steady as it should have been, but far better than none. Omega didn’t know what to do. Her mind was trying to coincide the ideas that Tech was dead, he was here and breathing, and that he was dying. That’s what Hemlock had said. That he was broken, and only if Omega “fixed” him would he be saved.

A hand came down and gripped Omega’s shoulder. She jumped, slamming back into the present and realized she was breathing far too fast and far too shallow. She looked up to see Dr. Karr standing beside her. There was a worried twist to her lips that seemed out of place. She could hear a ghost of Echo’s voice telling her to breathe, to count the seconds between in and out.

“I-I need gloves. And a scanner,” said Omega with a shaking voice.

Dr. Karr handed her them wordlessly. Omega pulled on the gloves with trembling hands and started with the scanner. It had plenty to show her. Broken ribs flared against the screen, the leg that he’d fractured on Serenno had rebroken more significantly along the same lines, most of his right arm was shattered. The worst was his head. There was significant trauma to the eye itself, but the most upsetting was that the scanner was reading damage and bleeding in Tech’s brain underneath the damage at his temple.

Her hands were shaking as she put down the scanner. There was no AZ here to help her, the only thing that could help Tech was if she could stop the shaking and get herself under control. He was just another soldier, Omega tried to rationalize. Just another clone, and she had worked with Nala Se on plenty of clones on Kamino. She took a deep breath in as her hand closed around a scalpel and with it banished the part of herself that wanted to scream and cry and vomit. She had a job to do. And she would not accept failure.

The night cycle had long since run its course by the time Omega was returned to the shared cell. She did not register the red light of the barrier reactivating behind her. Nor did she notice Crosshair saying her name, or the bony hand that gripped her arm. She could only smell the blood still clinging to her skin, the feel of Tech’s insides beneath her hands, see the glint of light as she removed a piece of his own goggles from his unseeing brown eye.

Omega did not feel her knees hit the durasteel floor of the cell nor the arms that caught her as her eyes slipped closed and she went limp. The last thought she had was the barest relief that she had succeeded, then she thought nothing at all.  

Next Chapter 

[farahtissaiamyloves]

Lady of night

A Farah Dowling x fem!reader story

I wrote this a while ago but decided to wait for s2 in order to publish it. We should have had more Farah, so here's a one-shot for her !!!

Enjoy.

You had been doing your daily duties when Luna called for you.

You sighed. Luna had just returned from Alfea and the first thing she did was to send a servant to you to request your presence.

This wasn't going to be good.

You were very well aware of Stella's slow progress and chaotic magic, so was Luna, even if she was unwilling to acknowledge it and take responsibility for it.

But Luna couldn't blame Stella for being 'weak', that would mean calling her own self weak, calling the crown and the most powerful realm of the fairy world weak.

Meaning, that the easiest person to blame - because Luna loved accusing other powerful people of being weak - was Farah Dowling, headmistress of Alfea.

Farah Dowling, one of the most - if not the most - powerful fairy of her generation, was the unfortunate victim of Luna's unwillingness to take the blame.

The problem was, that Farah wasn't only an experienced, powerful, graceful fairy, but also your former fiance.

You, younger twin of the leader of the bigger and more prominent realm currently was to be the headmistress' wife.

Twins in Solaria's royal family was extremely rare. However, they existed.

One of the twins would be completely normal, just like all of the children, unlike the other one.

The other twin was doomed to be allergic to the very thing that was Solaria's symbol.

The light.

Skin as pale as snow. Hair as black as the starless night sky. Eyes green like two stars sparkling during the night.

The rest of your characteristics were similar to Luna's.

The two of you were of those twins that were looking exactly alike, if someone ignored the differences of your allergy, then you would look like the same person.

Luna was the Solaria's sun and you were its moon. 

Unfortunately, when the two of you were born, Luna's skin was paler than yours so she was the one named after the moon.

This was never a problem for the two of you, though. The name was pretty and both you and Luna were fond of your respective names.

You and Farah had broken up a couple of months before Astrer Dell.

After plenty arguments about Rosalind's mysterious and suspicious motives, you couldn't stand Farah's blind royalty to her.

You were a tiny jealous of Rosalind. Farah was literally running to do Rosalind's biding.

But then again, it was obvious that Rosalind was manipulating Farah and the rest of her four.

Eventually, after a very frustrating argument, where for the millionth time you tried to talk some sense into her, you left.

Farah didn't dare to pursue you afterward, you assumed that Rosalind forbade it.

And after what happened in Aster Dell... Farah was too ashamed and depressed to face you.

So you both let go.

Or that was what you were saying to yourselves.

None of you had any relationships after this one.

Neither you nor Farah could imagine yourselves with an other partner.

You shake off the feeling of uneasiness in your gut. Luna's your teen. You had nothing to be afraid of.

There was no need for you to knock, so you quietly entered her study. 

Luna had been pacing around, clearly deep in thought. 

You didn't interrupt her, just walked toward the chair in front of her desk and sat.

A glass of whiskey was already placed in front of the chair, waiting for you. You smiled faintly at your sister's action.

You took it in your hands and waited for her to break the silence.

" She's not progressing. " Luna said, her pacing finally coming to a halt as she abruptly turned to look at you.

You looked back at her. " She's a first year. Progress is slow and nearly non-existent in the beginning. Just give her time. "

Luna glanced sharply at you. " But she's also a princess and the heir of Solaria's throne ! She is depicting Solaria's power ! She is Solaria ! "

You raised an eyebrow. " However, she's a sixteen-year-old teenager and she needs to live her life ! Luna, should I remind you how were we back then ? " 

Luna bit her lip trying to hide a smile. " Please, don't. " She shook her head taking a sip from her own glass of whiskey.

There was a comfortable silence for a while. Luna walked to her window and stood facing it, staring at the night sky.

" I need you there. " Luna suddenly spoke.

You choke on your drink. " What ? "

Luna turned to lock eye contact with you. " I need someone to be my eyes, ears and mind there. Stella may feel better with a familiar face and you have already teaching experience. "

You couldn't believe what you just heard her saying. Luna wanted to send you at Alfea. 

Luna wanted to send you to Farah.

You gazed at her for a second. " You don't mean it. " You said unable to believe what she just stated with so much certainty.

" I know that it will be awkward, but you are single, she's single and if you go there, Stella will finally have a true professor. See ? All of us win. " Luna explained with a pleased smile.

You froze. Normally, you would be offended after such a bad and wrong implication for Farah but you were frozen and mainly focused on Luna's previous sentence.

She thought that the two of you could go back together ?

" And you can also keep an eye on her, even though I'm sure you are going to do this without my special request. " Luna continued.

Your eyes widened. " There's no way I'm spying on Farah for you. "

The twin let out a low chuckle. " Of course you aren't. "

" Soooo, do I have a choice on this matter ? " You asked already knowing the answer.

" No. "

꧁☾︎❥︎☽︎꧂

Farah's throat burned due to the shot she just drank.

The woman had sad on a chair in front of her bed seeking the alcohol's comfort.

She didn't have any choice but to accept the Great Princess of Solaria who wished to return back to teaching.

You were going to start in two weeks, Farah had two more weeks to decide how she should act around you.

She knew that she needed to apologize. She learned her lesson, she saw where blind loyalty led.

But it was never a loyalty, it was more of obsession. Obsession to be the best, Rosalind's first and most trusted.

Farah gulped an other shot.

She still loved you. After all of these years, she wanted to see you, touch you, talk to you.

However, she dreaded the moment as well. 

She hurt you while you tried to protect her from the inevitable.

You had every right to despise her.

Farah had obviously thought of apologizing but preferred not to.

Not because she didn't want to or chickened out, but due to Luna's coldness.

Something she and all of your friends learned through the time was that if one of the teens didn't like a person, so did the other one.

However, Luna decided to bring you here. What did this mean ?

Did you come here only for Stella or Stella was only a pretense ?

Farah didn't know. She didn't know what to do.

She wanted to apologize, try the relationship thing again.

People change in 16 years, she knew that but she wasn't one to give up easily.

The problem was that she was, apparently, afraid of rejection.

You deserved more than just a stubborn as hell killer who also happened to be a former soldier.

Farah got drunk that day. Luckily, the next day was Sunday and she didn't have any classes or meetings to attend to.

She closed the curtains not baring to look at the night sky.

Everything related to it reminded her of you.

꧁☾︎❥︎☽︎꧂

" Miss Dowling, I'm so sorry. I tried to talk them out of it but they did not listen. " Stella apologized.

Farah smiled at her, Stella run to her office first thing in the morning.

She had probably informed, just like Farah, of your new career late at the evening.

Farah had a terrible headache but pushed it away. If someone was to be affected from such news, it would obviously be Stella.

" It's alright, dear. You have nothing to apologize for. I'm sure that the school would only benefit by accomodating two royals and powerful fairies. " Farah assured the young princess.

" Yes, but... you and her are not in the best conditions... It must be so difficult for you... and it's all my fault. I have no progress and- " Stella was cut off by the headmistress.

" You have progress and you know that. "

" Well, yes. But- "

" There are no buts ! " Farah slightly raised her voice inadvertently accelerating the pain caused by the hungover. " Now, off you go. It's Sunday. Enjoy this great... "

Farah made a pause. " Sunny day. "

Stella shook her head. " There will be many sunny days, miss Dowling, but only one- "

" Some of us, dear Stella, don't have this opportunity. You are dismissed. " Farah couldn't do this anymore. She crossed her hands and stared at Stella expectantly.

Stella who was shocked by Farah's implication just nodded and left the office.

Farah sat on her chair and held her face in her hands.

Where had she put that bottle of vodka ?

꧁☾︎❥︎☽︎꧂

Everyone was dressed formerly waiting in the entrance for your arrival.

Your convey finally made it to Alfea. The driver came out and opened the door for you.

You stepped out of the car and Farah's jaw almost dropped.

Even if she couldn't see your face, you were stunning.

You were wearing a long black dress paired with black heels, black gloves to protect your hands from the sky and a black hat which had a veil to hide your face and neck.

" Stella, dear, you look lovely ! " You greeted and gave her a quick hug.

" Thank you, auntie. " Stella replied awkwardly.

Stella noticed your polite smile from behind the veil due to the close proximity.

" Y/N ! " Saul called before embracing you.

You wrapped your hands around your old friend. " Oh Saul ! I'm so happy to see you ! "

Both of you pulled away but you were still a tiny too close for Farah's liking.

" 15 years ! Long time no see ! " Saul spoke placing his hands on your arms. 

With a small and an awkward pat on the shoulder, you pulled away to greet Ben.

He preferred a handshake instead which you were more than happy to reciprocate.

And then Farah. You had never seen her so tense.

She was wearing concealer, probably had to sleep for a little while. 

She wasn't the only one, however, unlike her, you were very capable of hiding your lack of sleep.

Farah, like Stella, payed a lot attention of how she would look today.

And she was pretty. Hell of pretty. Aging only gave her that authoritative face that made her look even hotter than she always was.

You checked her out thanking the gods that she can't see you through the veil.

You approached her carefully before stopping in front of her.

You hesitated to exchange a handshake, you wanted to touch her but that's not the way to greet your ex.

So, stepping closer to her, you lightly patted her shoulder. " Nice to see you again. " 

Farah understanding your awkwardness nodded. " Yes, I missed you. "

You both froze. Both hers and yours cheeks reddened.

Realizing the bullshit she said, Farah run to cover it. " Saul's right, long time no see, we should have kept contact. You know, as friends. "

You nodded slowly. " Yes... "

After a minute of extremely uncomfortable silence Farah broke it. " It's better if we went inside. For obvious reasons. Tea at my office ? " 

Everybody agreed saying that they had catching up to do.

Stella found a believable enough excuse to be dismissed and vanished out of sight.

You sat at the one corner of the couch with Farah sitting on the other edge. Ben was leaning against the window while Saul was seated on Farah's desk.

You looked at your hot tea, you needed to drink it in order to be polite but you had never been a tea lover.

You hesitantly took a sip and then placed the tea cup on the coffee table.

You looked at Farah to see whether she would be offended if you didn't touch your tea again.

The headmistress gave you a tiny smile understanding your unwillingness to drink your tea.

" Tell us everything. How boring had life been without us ? I want only honest answers. " Saul mocked.

You laughed at that. " Pretty boring but peaceful. You need peace when you have a baby around. "

" That's what me and Farah had been telling him for the last 16 years. " Ben agreed.

After that the three of you - You, Ben and Saul - started talking about your children.

You told them about Stella's childhood, Saul spoke about Sky's and Ben told you about Sam amd Terra.

In the beginning both you and Farah were tense because of each other's presence but you soon lost yourselves in the conversation.

Minutes became hours and the conversation reached the inevitable end.

Saul and Ben excused themselves with the pretense of having work to do.

So, it was just you. And Farah.

You sat awkwardly for a while; neither of you knowing what to say.

Taking a deep breath Farah looked at you. " I'm sorry. "

You, who had found the floor to be extremely interesting, turned to gaze at her. 

" I'm sorry. You were right. Rosalind had been using me for her ill wishes. I should have heard you long ago. You wanted the best for me, for us and I pushed you away. And for that I apologize... Can we at least be friends ? " Farah elaborated.

You gazed at her for a second. Farah had teared up, so had you.

You took a deep breath before approaching her and pulling her into a hug.

Farah embraced you like there was no tomorrow, she rested her head on the crook of your neck.

One of your hands found its way into her soft hair as you inhaled her sent.

And you couldn't help it but make a silly comment at the most serious moment of your entire life. " Still that same shampoo ? "

Farah laughed. Truly laughed. " Always. " Came her response.

You smiled, smelling her hair again. " Nice. I really like it. "

Farah shifted to look at you. " I know. "

You raised an eyebrow. " So that was your plan ? Make me refall for you with your shampoo ? "

She shook her head. " No. But I wouldn't complain if that happened. " 

You chuckled playing with her hair. You always loved her hair.

" It's longer now, you know. I don't have to cut it shorter because of the lack of time to wash it or for the whole betallion thing. " Farah told you referring to her hair.

You hummed. Your focus left her hair to fall on her eyes. 

She was so close. So close. Just like the old good times...

You unintentionally leaned toward her, she leaned too decreasing the distance between you.

Your lips almost touched when you abruptly came to a halt.

Farah stopped too feeling your hesitation.

" Darling ? " The headmistress called.

Her eyes looking at you with a lot of feelings.

You opened your mouth to reply but you felt it too dry.

Closing your mouth, you turned your head both pulling and looking away.

Farah sighed before giving you your space. " I- I'm sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable. Your trip here must have been exhausting, especially under so much sunlight. You should probably go and rest. I will have Callum to send you your teaching schedule. "

" Thanks. " You said and stormed off Farah's office.

꧁☾︎❥︎☽︎꧂

You had been avoiding her ever since. She had been avoiding you as well.

Different meal times, patrol times, teaching schedules, everything.

There had been two months since you had returned to your old home.

It was a sunny, happy Sunday.

Without any classes both students and faculty were having their fun outside.

Farah finished her paperwork early to have time to join Saul and Ben at the training grounds to spar.

The headmistress stopped suddenly on her way outside, eyes wide opened and mind blank.

There you were, standing in front of the window of the highway, staring at the students playing and having picknics in the huge Alfean grounds.

Guilt, pity and sadness washed over Farah.

Of course, you couldn't go outside to enjoy the nice weather unless you wanted to become a bacon.

She took a deep breath trying to come up with something to do.

She couldn't leave you like that; she had never done that in the past, even before your relationship.

Farah took a second to reminisce her first year at Alfea. When she was sitting with you at the living room of the Winx's suit playing either cards or a random boarding game while the rest of your friends were happily playing football outside.

She slowly approached you, it didn't come as a surprise when she saw your teary eyes locked on a laughing Stella accompanied by her friend Ricki.

Farah hesitantly placed a hand on your shoulder. " I'm here if you need me. "

Your eyes widened. You didn't know from where she had appeared.

You slowly turned to face her. Her face was saying it all. You gazed at the brown eyes you grown to love.

She was so beautiful, even after all of those years. 

You would give everything in the world to see her happy and innocent as she had once been.

Unable to hold her gaze, you looked at her feet.

A tear run down your cheek.

Farah didn't know whether you were crying because of the weather or due to her presence, but she wiped your tear with her thump nevertheless.

Her thump stayed on your cheek tracing soothing patterns on it. 

You closed your eyes and sighed. Farah's touch relaxing and comforting you.

After some moments you leaned into her, Farah instinctively wrapped her hands around you in a tight hug.

You rested your head at her chest as your hands were wrapped around you. 

Your nostrils filled with her smell, her lovely shampoo in particular.

You smiled at that, calming even more.

Farah who had been watching you slowly smiled at your thought too.

She was always entering your mind when you were having those 'crisis' as the two of you had been calling it. Her magic was helping you relax.

" Farah, I'm fine now. Get out. " You told her implicating your mind.

Farah did as she was told to but didn't break the embrace.

You were thankful for some seconds but found the position too awkward afterwards so you pulled away.

" Thanks. I needed that. " You commented with a sad smile.

Farah reciprocated your smile. " Of course. I'll always be here whenever you need me. "

You froze. Why had she to be so kind, pretty, amazing, wonderful...

But then was when you noticed that she had been wearing her coat. 

She had been going outside.

" I like your coat. But you are probably going to be late to whatever rendezvous you have. " You stated pointing at her light blue coat.

Farah grimaced remembering why she was walking down the aisle in first place.

" Oh no worries. I was just to pay a visit to Saul and Ben but I can always arrange it an other time. " Farah immediately dismissed it.

" But. But they are your friends. " You reasoned.

Farah smiled at you. " And they have each other's company. You are my friend too and you are alone, you obviously need someone to pass such a wonderful day with. "

You shook your head. " This day is everything but wonderful. "

" No, don't say that ! Every day with you is wonderful. " Farah retorted.

Your cheeks flushed at that. Farah blushed too but flattery was always a way to fix your mood.

A smile found its way into your lips. " You think ? "

Something shone in Farah's eyes at your reply. Were you flirting with her ?

" Think ? I know. " Farah corrected you stepping closer to you.

This time you didn't move away, you didn't even blink. Instead, you raised your head to meet her gaze ( because Farah is higher than you ).

Her eyes left yours to fall on your lips. " Why now ? We could have spent two great months together if you hadn't pulled away. "

You sucked on a breath. You wouldn't lie, you were waiting for this question. " I- it felt too soon. You just apologized, it would feel like we were rushing things and... "

You paused for a second. " We had to see each other for sixteen years and I needed... time to feel comfortable around... Rosalind's school. "

Farah grasped your hands in hers. " I am the headmistress of Alfea. That's my school, not hers. "

You sighed. " I know, I know. It's just... it feels weird, ya know ? "

" No, it doesn't. I had been doing her paperwork for years before her capture. Remember ? I had been more headmistress than her for all of those years I passed in her battalion. " Farah pointed out.

You smiled sadly, stepping on your tiptoes you kissed her cheek leaving her breathless. " I do remember. Especially the nights when you were staying awake solving Alfea's economic problems leaving me alone on our bed. "

Farah mimicked your facial expression. " I'm still sleeping on our bed. And kept your favorite red silky sheets. "

Such a teaser.

Farah Dowling was the biggest teaser in the history of teasing.

Instead of slapping her playfully, like you used to, you gave in.

You crashed your lips into hers, kissing her passionately. Farah kissed you back with the same passion.

The headmistress pushed you against the nearest surface, the window so we could deepen the kiss.

You moaned into her mouth; you missed her so much and Farah took the chance to taste you by invading your mouth with her tongue.

When you pulled away, you were both out of breath. You rested your foreheads together.

" When did you learn to do your hair like that ? " You asked out of curiosity.

Farah giggled. " YouTube. "