#this isn't history related but way do we have to take 4 whole years of English???

[spidernerd625]

I actually love learning history, but we barely learn any of it in school. I want to learn EVERYTHING! ESPECIALLY the crazy stuff! Teach me the things that don't make sense! Teach me the details about how people loved, what they did! What shinanigins did they get up to? Make me reenact something ridiculous and crazy!

Gods, I love history!

Got these pictures from my for you page on Tik Tok

These pictures are NOT mine.

[daemon-in-my-head]

I'm sorry in advance. Spoiler, this is my personal opinion, but it's such a hard pet peeve of mine and I see it creeping back up again so;

There is no fucking way, not in this timeline nor any other. Heck not even in another universe, that Lord Enver fucking Gortash would ever associate with Lathander or even convert to his beliefs.

Do you know Lathander? He's the guy who goes 'hey y'all let's chill, take a nap, afterwards everything's gonna be wonderful again'. Yk. The one ever optimistic god who isn't even enemies with the fucking dead three. The one guy who values creativity and arts over everything. He's a god of patience, of second chances. Of trying again. He's 'nice and happy' incarnate.

I'm genuinely confused how people can read the bratty absolutely selfish and petty tyrant into that. Like, blorbofication this that, yada yada, Lathander is genuinely the polar opposite of Gortash and anything he stands for.

Second chances? That man blows up his hidden mad scientist layer just because PC got there. Doesn't even fucking matter if u intend to save his hostages. That's his layer, he told u not to, u didn't listen, so he arrives at the very logical and patient conclusion to blow a structure thats older than himself with a fair bit of history into a million little pieces.

May I also remind you that all of the things he did down there either served to prove his point that yes, his parents are absolutely vile or just straight up cruelty for funsies. That is not a chill guy and defo not a 2nd chances man.

Also, creativity. Yeah. We saw him get a portrait done. Yk what he usually uses them for? Right! Fucking propaganda. Yk the paintings in his already scarcely decorated office? Yeah there's a safe hidden beneath all of em. That guy doesn't value art for arts or creativities sake, he views it as a tool. Even his own creations are pretty exclusively tools or to serve his purpose. Oh also, respecting the arts? Yeah that man killed multiple bards cuz it would suit his goals. How the fuck does he respect art in any way, shape or form?

So all in all, that guy is farther removed from Lathander than any other person could ever be. Goddamn Astarion is closer to that God and he's one of the coven that was nearly eradicated by that church.

But yk who he's close to? With whom he shares resemblance and who else has a sun motive?

Cyric. Also known as the Prince of Lies, the Mad God, the Dark/Black Sun, the Face behind the Mask or the Lord of Three/Four Crowns. So essentially all titles you wouldn't have a hard time associating with the tyrant that play pretends to be a devil, the mastermind behind the Absolutes Plot and the madman who aims to usurp the dead three.

Cyric schemed his way into godhood much as Gortash schemed his way into nobility. Listen I'm not the greatest fan of Abdel Adrian either, but that guy had to slay a bunch of Bhaalspawn and confront a whole ass god to become a Duke. Gortash somehow talked his way into becoming an archduke in 10 years tops while actively developing pipe bombs rather than defeating a lord of murder. He is a fucking trickster. And a perfect one at that.

Also, lord of the four Crowns? Yes. Gortash, as Archduke, does rank higher than the council of four. Yk, the 4 Dukes that rule the Gate? One may say the 4 heads of the gate, the 4 fucking crowns?

Lord of Three Crowns? Well look who it is, the man who wants to usurp and claim the dead threes portfolio for himself and ascent to godhood. The one who orchestrated the cooperation between the three chosen and kept somewhat amicable relations between all of em.

He even looks close to the mortal Cyric for goodness sake:

"As a mortal man, Cyric had a lean athletic build. His dark brown hair outlined a face of sharp angles, highlighted by crow's-feet eyes, a pointed chin, and hawkish nose."

That's Gortash. Like. That's how you'd describe that tyrant.

And yk what else? Gortash and Bane share a fuck ton of similarities too. If Bane takes possession of a mortal it usually drives said mortal absolutely mad in the end. Gortash is still relatively sane (oddly enough) so that guy probably wasn't possessed. Meaning Bane didn't screw with his looks nd shit too much yet and his parents do have some resemblance with current Gortash so yeah, that man has probably always been a carbon copy of Banes colours.

And funny bit actually, did you know Bane, yeah that Bane, is considered a saviour in some regions? A hero? Much like our lovely little tyrant is?

So anyway. I needed to get that off my chest. I wholeheartedly do not understand how anyone can look at Gortash and see anything regarding Lathander when he's the perfect hidden love child of Bane and Cyric and literally the only thing that could somewhat be associated with Lathander is the sun motif, but even so Enver Gortash is a false light, a dark sun and that's Cyric, not Lathander. That man is no hero, no matter what he says. He's using 'the good of the people' for his own selfish reasons and to justify whatever vile acts he may get called out on. A pretty standard thing not so nice people do btw.

And like. It's literally in his name, Enver = Luminous, Gürtaş = strong stone. His name translates to strong, Luminous stone. Yk those artificial glow in the dark stones. Artifical. Man made, like his robots. I want to scream-

Visual rep of what I just said:

[imaginespazzi]

Hey bestie, me again! Two asks in one day - who am I?! But I had to get this one out to you after seeing that we may be getting some big WNBA news soon 🤣

Idk if it'll be GSV-related, but either way, it got me thinking about the draft again. Now let's say they follow the Atlanta model i.e. they get the 4th pick and what that could mean.

Ok so i know it's hard to say rn and Azzi's injury history makes it even harder to truly predict where she would go (IF she declared) BUT if she does manage to stay healthy the whole season and has an amazing season - do you see her being a lottery pick next year?

For simplicity's sake, let's just go with how the standings are as of right now and let's say that the lottery teams do end up being LA, Washington, Atlanta (aka Washington), GSV - and the picks are in that order. Imma go ahead and guess that unless Kiki has a drop-off, Paige and Kiki are the locks for #1 and #2. I know a lot of people have Aneesah at #3 - do you think if Azzi has a great season, Washington may opt to take her over Aneesah with that pick and if not, then would GSV pick her at #4? 👀

Lmao sorry I know it's early days and in all likelihood, Azzi will prolly stay another year, but at the same time if there's every chance that GSV could draft her already in next year's draft (like we know Steph gon be cooking sum up behind the scenes 😂), then maybe that's another consideration for her to declare?

Anyway, just thought i'd put this out there cause like I know we all keep joking (and semi-hoping) that GSV will somehow end up with the no 1 pick and advance the PURPLE PAIGE PURPLE agenda but realistically, they prolly won't lol. BUT they could very well still draft Azzi with whatever pick they do end up getting 😌

PS: i think that's like my long ass asks quota reached for the next two weeks, sorry babes 😂

-🙋‍♀️

OMG TWO ASKS IN ONE DAY? Must be my birthday or something cause I always love seeing you here <3

I'm itching to know what it is cause my head's going overboard with idea but i'm really hoping it's something about GSV (like them getting the no.1 pick and getting Paige!) But you know this actually feels like a possibility because why not follow the Atlanta model precedent?

A lot of draft boards have her as a lottery pick without her proving anything this year and even those that don't, have her mid-level, so if she does have a fabulous season, and because this isn't the strongest draft class, I very much could see her potentially being a lottery pick if she lives up to her potential.

I know you said to keep it simple but I do think it's gonna depend on teams. If you're saying Washington specifically? Yeah I could absolutely see them picking Azzi at #3 over Aneesah because need her shooting but if it ends up being, say the Wings? Then a) I would hope not but b) they also would not because I think they need Aneesah more so it does depend on that.

I will say that if GSV gets the #4 pick, and Azzi declares for the draft after an amazing year and is still on the board at #4, I think there's a very high chance that they pick her. She's absolutely a player you can start to build a team around and they'd be lucky to have her.

No one knows how the cards will stack themselves of course but Azzi to GSV is a lot more realistic than Paige to GSV but I'mma root for purple Paige purple till I can't anymore anyways.

[sunnylolli]

So in the US we get accepted into the whole school, not just a specific program. Then everyone takes the same general classes at first (writing, science, art, etc.) before picking what they want to get a degree in later. Because you can take any classes you want, so long as you still take the ones needed to get at least one degree, we have major and minor areas of study. So your major is what you get a degree in, but you can also have a minor in something else which will be added onto your major degree. So for example, someone wanting to go into biotech can major in computer science and minor in biochem. Didn't know if you were curious about what major actually means lol

It sounds wild, but hearing other countries' systems where u start full speed in a specific program sounds wild to me! I switched from engineering to heath in my 3rd year, you're telling me that outside the US I would've been trapped in engineering????

Also, the program you're doing sounds like the equivalent to co-op programs in the US. However, by law you still have to take the same amount of classes to get a degree because working doesn't replace the credits, meaning it takes longer than 4 years to graduate 😖

Ooo, thank you for explaining!

We actually already do that in Gymnasium (Grade 10-13, high school equivalent I think)

So in "High School" we had different "Lines" you could choose; Like "Global line", "Social Science Line", "Mathematics Line" etc., each with different mandatory classes and add ons you could choose yourself.

(Note: You could choose several different kinds of Gymnasium, each specialized within a certain category. E.g. Stem, Business, General Gymnasium, etc.)

I chose the general gymnasium and I chose to "major" in Mediascience and "Minored" in Psychology, while I had a set of classes I had to take, like Math, Danish, History, etc.

So what you're explaining I already sort of did that in Gymnasium!

Then for Uni, you apply for the education you want to go for, so Psychology, Stem, Pedagogy, and so on. I would've applied for a bachelor's in Psychology but my GPA isn't high enough for it, so I'm taking a backdoor :,)

Degrees are offered like that individually at the schools, so VIA university college is what I've gotten into, but I can't mix and match like I could in high school

At least not to the same degree, I can, in the third or fourth semester, choose a specific add-on class to personalize and specialise the education to fit me personally, but it can't stray too far from the actual education.

(I remember in gymnasium how absolutely bullshit hard it was to have to put my focus on so much all at once.

Like I had so many different things I needed to study for that I seriously barely made it through.

I had to juggle social life, self discovery, partying, school life, with tons of work. So Uni giving me more space to actually dive into something specific that I'm interested in and letting me speak to likeminded people who I (sorta) know have the same interest as me is a RELIEF.

Like I understand how it can feel claustrophobic, especially when you're used to something way different - But I find it like a breath of fresh air to not have to worry about ten different subjects all at once, but have all of them, in some way, be related to one another :,)

[thefisherqueen]

Notes on Granada's Sherlock Holmes: the last vampire

This will be a tough one to follow for me! I barely remember anything about the story, except that it had something to do with blood, that a woman was wrongly and for rather racist reasons accused and that instead a young boy turned out to be the attempted murderer

Someone is burned alive in the opening scene? What? I don't remember this

"I'll stop if you let me kiss you". Wait. Isn't this her actual stepson? *a few minutes further* ok, that is not the mother, so not her stepson. Still very creepy behaviour from this boy. This comes a bit too close for comfort to me personally. People very rarely talk about it, but children can be the perpertators of sexual violence sometimes, as was the case for me

Ok, the next scene cheers me up. Laughing so hard about Holmes dressing up as a vampire and scaring the hell out of Watson

Why is everyone so scared of that grave looking man dressed in black? Don't understand that yet

Holmes, highly randomly: "This cup and saucers has been here for three days" he's so ADHD

Holmes: "Everything is better than this stagnation" *flops dramatically down in a chair* *assumes even more dramatic pose*

Poor Watson, he just wants some tea while Holmes is infodumping

Seems like Jeremy Brett and Edward Hardwicke had the time of their lives acting this whole vampire scene, I love them so much

Holmes: "The world is big enough for us, no ghosts need apply" Ah, I remember that quote!

Why am I not convinced by Holmes' reason for being in possesion of vampire teeth? Never heard Holmes say 'uhm' so much *mind goes wild with possibilities* I really want to know that the team's thoughts were! Watson: "Did you put them to use?" Almost convinced Watson discovers he has a vampire kink here

Client: "Thank you young man, I'm not quite in my grave yet" Haha, love a fiesty old man

I adore Brett and Hardwicke exchanging glances and trying not to laugh as the forgetful client rambles on

Ah, there's the first death. Looks quite dramatic with all the blood! And oh, that stranger really had bad timing. And he's a descendant of a hated, cruel landowner who the villagers burned alive. Plenty of reason I guess for the villagers to be suspicious

So the baby died as well (they made this so much darker). Holmes and Watson go to the village to investigate and keep the village calm. Good concept, actually. Great expantion upon the canon story

Village life has changed so little over a hunderd years that I forgot for a while that this movie takes place in the victorian age, lol, until Watson named all the young influenza victims. Yeah, that was a thing back then. Not entirely related, but I wonder now how long it took before child deaths in villages really started to go down. The installing of sewers and clean drinking water supply made a huge difference here... but I wouldn't be surprised if it took a long time before all villages had the same fascilities as the cities. Anyway, as tragic as it always has been (and I read a lot of proza and poetry written by grieving parents), a baby's death still was nothing out of the ordinary around 1900. According to this graph on child mortality, 228 out of a 1000 children died before they were five years old in the UK in 1900. (compared to 4 in 2020. That's an astonishing difference)

Ohh, bats living in the countryside with lots of old buildings, suspicious!

The writer is very relatable. I, too, have a tendency to horrify the fellow people at my table with marcabre history and uncomfortable questions

Love the way Holmes enages the whole fucking pub. Loudy: "Surely there is no crime in this part of the country!" *dead silence*

The influenza epidemic running in the background really adds to the panicked atmoshere, that was a clever choice

What was that sudden hallucination (??) at the ruin? *some time later* Oh, all right. Glad they went with actual optical effects this time

I love the scenes where we get to see Watson in his role as a doctor, visiting patients - calm, caring, competent. Such a wonderful exploration of that side of his character

Oh, the writer himself is dead now too? That was quite sudden and unexpected. Damn. I liked him. He was creepy but in a good way. Third death and counting, because of course it's not over now

I hate how realistic this whole panicked reaction of the village feels. People see causal relations where they don't exist and do wild, irrational things when they're scared, we've all seen it over the years. I can easily see a group of conspiracy theorists digging up a just burried man in the dead of night and moving him

I like how it's not necessary the Peruian artifacs and beliefs that are portrayed as in themselves creepy, but what they become in the hands of two white people. I think you can certainly argue it's a portrayal of cultural appropriation

The finale felt a bit rushed compared to the middle part. Still satisfying, but why kill the boy off? (at least I assume he's dead). I would have loved to see closure in the village, especially for the parents because holy shit they lost both their children, and a bit more reflection from Holmes and Watson

I really loved this episode, it was so well done and may become one of my favs. Nice build up, delightful characters, a good balance of fun and eerie things. The only thing I can find fault with is that the timing was just a bit off, the middle part a bit to long and the ending a bit too short. Classic period horror movie meets detective story

[moonvalecrossing]

Alright, I've asked about your thoughts on the Paldea Gym Leaders. But instead of the Elite Four (there are only 2 Elite Four members [3 if you count the Champion] that don't have another significant role, anyway), I'm gonna ask what your top 3 favorite and least favorite of the Academy teachers in Scarlet and Violet are.

Sorry for the late reply. I was taking a wee break from pokemon related things! I'll get to teachers happily in a moment, but there's something I want to say first. And, as always, POSSIBLE SPOILERS FOR SCARLET AND VIOLET THINGS AHEAD WOO WOO! Also probably unpopular opinions! Lets get this shit!

Gotta disagree about what you say about the Elite Four. Loathe as I am to view it on equal footing with any of the other established elite 4s (even freaking Alola's) because of the GODDAMN LITERAL TODDLER IN THE RANKS, it's still an elite four with 4 members. I'd argue Mrs. Topmost champion isn't exactly the best at her job running the league considering said toddler's status as well as the fact she's placed people who clearly prefer their other jobs to being a gym leader. Plus, listening to what Larry has to say she seems to be a bit of a shitty boss, too. Can't get another person for the elite four so you pick the one regular joe who sees this as his 9 to 5 and then you make him use a completely different type of pokemon than what he specializes in? Damn, Geeta I think I hate you. Top Champion, my ass. Nemona's final fight was harder than yours. There didn't turn out to be an actual villain team in this game, but god damn if I didn't spend the whole game hoping it would be Geeta so I could kick her ass and jail her. She runs a joke of a league, and is a joke of a champion.

Now then! Onto the main establishment in the Paldea region! The school and its teachers!

Favorites first!

#3. Mrs. Tyme. I adore this woman. Her makeup and fun hair style are as on point as her sister Ryme. She is a delightful woman and I loved her classes. Plus, according to Bulbapedia, she's the homeroom teacher for the STEM track at the academy. Something something women in science careers booya! I also liked her little side story as you got to know her at the school. At first I thought it was odd that she had such a strong sense that someone was watching her. I mean, I suffer from anxiety and paranoia about people around me and even I don't really notice when someone's staring at me unless I see them doing it. But, remembering her sister's basically a rapping medium (which by the way is still fucking awesome goddamn), it wouldn't be too strange for Tyme to have a bit of a sixth sense about her.

#2. Mr. Saguaro. I looked forward to his classes almost as much as the top slot's classes whenever new classes unlocked. He's an absolute delight. I love when they make tough intimidating turn out to be actual sweethearts. When I sat in on my first class I had to tell my girlfriend that I'd found her fairy trainer OC's real father. Buff scary looking man who isn't afraid of wearing pink and does presumptuously feminine things? Dead ringer, son. Now if this guy trained solely fairy types I'd be getting a paternity test ready! xD

#1. Mr. Hassel. What can I say, I'm an artist at heart. It was my favorite class in school growing up, and it will always be. Hell. My senior year schedule was 50% art classes. It was the greatest school year of my life. Anyways. Hassel. I love this man. I am in love with this man. I would marry this man, damn. He is so damn sweet and emotional and I just want to hug him. I wanted to learn so much more about his history after his side event at school. When I first saw him I thought 'oh god this guy's gonna be unfun and boring teacher man'. I could not have been more wrong. This man? This man is my favorite adult character in the game. I'd pair my player character with Arven, but me? Mr. Hassel. GIVE ME A RING, SIR. (Sorry that got kinda weird but dang this character is wonderful.)

Now here we go! To the fun part! Get your pitchforks ready kids because I'm sure someone's gonna be unhappy here!

#3. Ms. Dendra. Hoo boy. I am a fat kid and I hate gym class. So taking her class and standing in the middle of a running track gave me some bad Mile Run flashbacks. Her class was actually nice, though. Simple, I'd argue. But I have at least two decades of pokemon battling under my belt so I wouldn't expect to be challenged by the battle instructor's lessons. So why did I put Dendra down here? Well. It's not her design. I like it (even if she screams Dark Types and not Fighting Types) as simple as it is. No. She's friends with Tulip. She makes me do that fudgemuppeting ESP training gym challenge. I still don't know if I was only supposed to emote once or spam the button since my character didn't hold her pose like the rest of the people there. Dendra is getting hella hate by association, and I feel kind of bad. However, that's not hte only reason I am unimpressed at her character. Her side story is the least impressive of all the teachers. Well besides another on this list, but yeah. Ha ha tough girl character can't cook (or in this case, make a sandwich how is that a thing these crazy bastards would happily eat a pickle and cheese sandwich slathered in mayo and enjoy it). Her story is learning to make a decent sandwich. And as far as I can tell, she still didn't 100% figure out how to do that. Good lord, woman. Meat. Cheese. Lettuce. Condiment of your preference. This would at least make a little sense if she were in Galar struggling to make curry. You could burn that shit. In Paldea your cooking only screws up if you fail to stack the stupid sandwich right. (And I did often because the table liked to shake for some damn reason. And then there were hte times everything fell off when I put the top slice of bread on. My sanity is in shambles, there's bacon all over the table and I am inconsolable.)

#2. Mr. Jacq. He was almost #1. But while thinking about it I decided I dislike the other teacher more. I don't hate Jacq's class. If anything I wanted to learn more about pokemon biology. Dude's a bishie and I like staring at his face. So long as I ignore whatever that eyebrow situation he has going on. It looks like he drew it with a dry erase marker and the maker faded at the ends. Why is he so pretty. Anyway. I hate everything else about his design. Dude literally looks like he rolled out of bed and put on a lab coat and sandals. Dude is wearing pajamas and you will not convince me otherwise. Doesn't even look like he fixed his bedhead. Good lord man a little professionalism's too much to ask, apparently. I hate those sandals. His classroom looks like a science lab classroom. Put on some gosh damn shoes, sir. The only worse job he could have had with that outfit is teaching cooking. And I get it my dude. You're the pokedex guy this generation. Which is funny because you're not even the same kind of professor as the others. The actual professor's Sada/Turo and those two are [a pair of peas in a pod]. Yeah lets no spoil that one. Thanks, Spamton. He mentions that goddamn pokedex more than I care about. He even puts a damn question about it on his midterm and gets in trouble for it. My guy. My dude. This is the age of the internet just ask online. You did a good job on the pokedex design it's actually really neat to get new entries and see the pictures and the book design is really cool. I think that saved you from being #1 on this list. But the fact you can't separate your two jobs makes me more than mildly salty. They may go hand in hand but I will throw you into the bowels of the deepest volcano for wanting me to get the entire pokedex again to finish your stupid side thing at the school. You don't get a story, you just give me my least favorite challenge in the game. My guy that pokedex has entries for pokemon from the ancient past and I chose Violet. I will strangle the life out of you. How in the in-universe fuck can you expect a child to accomplish that in a timeline where we had Professor Turo as the professor? When its clear the strange pokemon are from the future? Frick off with that nonsense, Jacq give me my shiny charm.

#1. Ms. Raifort. Oh goddamn. This woman. Best teacher sidequest because of what it unlocks and its unsurprisingly interesting lore-wise. But I'll get to more on that later. I have some words about this woman. Bench cannot even come into class with her shirt tucked in. I don't care about that sort of thing but god damn woman either leave it untucked or fully tucked in you look as sloppy as Jacq. And this woman is obsessed with History to the point I don't want her teaching children. She's one of those asshole teachers that picks someone to answer a question if you make eye contact. God damn did I hate teachers like that. Do you want your students to disengage from your lesson? Do you want to really mess up the kids with social anxiety? That's what's gonna happen. The air she has about her reminded me of my French Teacher in Highschool and that woman was such a massive bitch that I dropped the class completely. She doesn't care about her students. Not unless they meet whatever standards she sets up for them. And boy howdy does she go about making you feel stupid if you answer wrong. And did I say this woman is obsessed with history already? Because damn I meant it. Whinges about a new addition added to the school building because its marring the ancientness of the structure. I remember her also complaining about events that occur more recently to present day because they're so recent. Even wants a time machine so she can go see things back when they were pristine and untouched history. Bitch be crazy. Now, back to that side quest. While I enjoy the side quest for the pokemon in it... this woman is completely off her damn rocker for setting it in motion. "Hey kid, remember that story I talked about where Paldea's empire was torn asunder because of pokemon that were cursed treasures or some shit? And they were sealed away afterwards? You know what would be absolutely poggers? If you went out and removed all the spikes keeping those seals shut! I bet the pokemon will be thrilled as can be to be free and I'm sure this won't have any negative effects what so ever! HISTORY! HNNNNNNN!" I didn't get to finish this side quest yet because I didn't find all the spikes before needing a break from pokemon for a bit (oops accidentally wanted to play Fire EMblem Three Houses again and then got further distracted with Deltarune Fanfiction) but if my character wasn't so gosh darn special because she's got me controlling her, I can imagine all of Paldea would once more be turned asunder by some angry chinese monsters. Because looking at the dex entries.. hoo damn are those some vengeful spirits taking the form of pokemon. And to top it all off. When you finish this sidequest and show her all the angry spirits you captured and prevented from being unleashed had someone more stupid and less powerful did it? She gives you the TM for Nasty Plot. What is it with the characters being obsessed with other time periods in this game and seeming sus as all fuck?? Someone give me Looker's phone number I need to make an anonymous report on dangerous individuals.

[musingsofabookworm1]

My Last Five Reads

Christmas break was short this year. We went to school the entire week prior to Christmas and returned on the day after New Year's (my birthday). Due to not being able to visit my parents for Thanksgiving, we spent a few days of the break up there. So I did not get as much reading done as I usually do. But I did read!

The Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley: This one's been on my list for awhile, and a friend was kind enough to let me borrow it and its sequel. I'm glad she did as I don't know when I would've finally picked it up! The title character is Daunis. Daunis is eighteen, biracial, and lives in Sault St. Marie, Michigan. (Fellow Yoopers, there is a lot of regional diction and more that you'll relate to in this book) She has a hard time fitting in in town and on the rez due to being biracial, but she is tight with her family. Her father passed away years ago, her uncle passed recently, and her grandmother is dealing with medical problems. All this is keeping Daunis at home instead of fulfilling her college dreams. But something good crops up: Jamie. He's a new hockey player in the area. Daunis plays hockey as well. Things are looking up until Daunis witnesses a murder. And that's where I will end this so as not to ruin the excitement when it appears! I think that whole hockey-player romance is what made me keep passing up this book. That was bad judgement in my part. This book really gets rolling the second half. Lots of good mystery, good dialog, and good relationships emerge. 4 strong stars!

Warrior Girl Unearthed by Angeline Boulley: The sequel to the previous book takes place a few years down the road and follows Daunis' niece: Perry. Perry is looking forward to being done with the school year and on to summer until she gets into a car accident with Daunis' Jeep forcing her to work throughout the summer to pay for the repairs. Her job leads her to learning about an ancient ancestor: Warrior Girl. Her story and the whereabouts of her bones change Perry and the summer she thought she'd have. I think I may have actually liked this one more than Firekeeper. I loved the character of Perry. She was very "real" and stuck to who she was despite the situation. Read Firekeeper first, then move on to this one! You won't be disappointed. 4 stars

Silence for the Dead by Simone St. James: I had this one on hold for a really long time. Ebook and hard copy. The ebook came in first. This one takes place in 1919 England in a mansion-turned-mental-hospital for British soldiers. Protagonist Kitty has had a rough life full of abuse and disappointment. She overhears her roommate and friends talking of their nursing jobs and positions at Portis House (aforementioned hospital). No one stays employed there long. Kitty is desperate and feels it worth a shot to lie about her job history and apply. She's hired. She realizes early on that something isn't right at Portis House. The patients are all sharing the same nightmare. Kitty teams up with a top-secret patient to find out what is exactly is going on. But who can she really trust? She will find out as things unfold in the way St. James' works usually do. Although, this was my least favorite of her work that I've read. A little drawn out and slow moving to begin. 3 stars.

The First Lades by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray: This is a novel of friendship between Eleanor Roosevelt and Mary McLeod Bethune. I didn't know much about Roosevelt, honestly, and only knew Bethune was one of the founders of Bethune-Cookman college. The former is the daughter of slaves who became an activist for civil rights long before the movement. And obviously, Roosevelt is FDR's wife. This is an unlikely friendship due the difference in race. and even when with the First Lady, Bethune was unable to enter or sit in certain places. The chapters alternate between the women, a different author writing each character. However, their voices did not sound different. I sometimes even had to go back and ensure that I was reading the narrator I thought I was. But, they were two educated women, so maybe "sounding" the same worked out after all. It's always uplifting and inspiriting to read about women who do things for the greater good. 4 stars despite the narration and some slow-moving portions.

My Darling Daughter by Jennifer McMahon: I had this one on hold since October, and it came in the morning we left for my parents'. After we left. So it is my first full book of the new year. And I read the whole thing yesterday. I needed something that moved at a good clip! Allison lives in Vermont with her husband and two daughters. She wrote a children's book about their dog that was a huge bestseller, and now the pressure is on to write a follow-up. But life intervenes when her mother is stricken with pancreatic cancer and wishes to live out her final days with Allison. However, her mother was an abusive drunk during her childhood. Allison's brother completely removed their mother from his life, and Allison isn't far behind communicating with her very little. Though she goes back and forth about what to do, she allows her mother to move in. A hospital bed is delivered, and a nurse is set up for palliative care. Soon after her mother arrives....mysterious...things start happening. Is her mother behind it? She certainly doesn't act like it in front of others, but when they're alone, she's the same mother Ali has always known. Fast, great dialog-to-prose ratio, and a little twisty. 5 stars!

[temporalreplicsimile]

its backstory week for OC-tober and im a day behind, let's go

this time, we're going to focus on a different oc of mine, Hala, who's a Shade

day 5 is relationships but this requires some backstory

alright so let's get into the basics of Shades: they're a race made of shadows and darkness, created by the god of Death when he was lonely and wanted companions. the continent they live on is pretty far north and they get a week of light and a Single day of sunlight a year, which is when a huge celebration happens that marks the new year for them.

Shades come in a variety of forms: southern and eastern oceanic, central and western volcanic, arctic, and mountain darkin. We can get into what the rest of them mean later, but Hala is a mountain Shade. Shades have two forms: "normal", as they call it, and "masked" or "glamoured". Mountain Shades' normal form is EASILY 7 feet tall, elongated limbs, sharp claws, extra joints on their fingers and toes, a mouth full of canines, because it's Hot. PLUS, they're cold blooded so they're attracted to warm, and they're usually big cats about it.

My favorite part about them is that their blood glows, and they come in a variety of colors. Mountain shades are usually in the pink/purple/blue area, but they also don't show this as openly as other Shades do. They use their blood specifically as a way to gauge how much oxygen is in the air, because their blood crystalizes when it doesn't get enough of it. No I have no medical explanation for it, it's all magic. The faster it crystalizes, the less oxygen there is in the air, but all blood will eventually crystalize even in the most oxygen rich atmosphere and those crystals glow. (Hala is purple!)

They're a mountain people, of course! they scale mountains and cliffs, they feed primarily off of their equivalent of goats (which are also carnivorous), and they exist in tribes and family units.

Ignoring the period of their history where only 4 of them were alive because of War and Slavery, mountain shades could so easily be described with the phrase "it takes a village". Kids are communally raised, every adult plays a part, everyone is family even if not blood related, and their culture has a huge emphasis on the tribe. There are different words for different relationships they have with people, from describing family to romance to friends. They have specific words for, say, a young boy that isn't their blood relative but is still being raised by them, and a word for the child of a sibling-in-law's sibling in relation to themselves. It's great.

They ALSO have names for relationships like: my boyfriend's husband who I am casually seeing as well, or my friend who I love to the degree of a spouse and therefore they're my life partner but not in a romantic way. IT'S GREAT.

Hala, specifically, is the god of Death's favorite. Despite how it may sound this is a good thing! Corvinus (the god) spent a long time away from the mortal plane and came back to find his people waning and decided to directly intervene, and Hala was a part of that. Hala would describe his relationship to his god as "that of a mentor, or a father", which they also coincidentally have a word for. He's in the aforementioned 'boyfriend and husband I'm casually seeing' relationship with Isis' husband, if you can believe it. Isis' husband doesn't belong to me and is actually the oc of a longtime RP partner I have, and his name is Phoenix. So Hala is in a relationship with Phoenix, and also Isis sort of, and there's a word for that. I fucking love it.

day 6 is symbol! And Shades as a whole do, in fact, have a symbol!

One of their holy symbols, because they have direct proof of their god's existence and actually interact with him on the reg, is a raven. This is primarily because the god's name is Corvinus, which means raven. Funnily enough though there aren't any ravens in the local wildlife.

the symbol that's on all of their...royal clothes, I guess, they don't have a monarchy but are ruled by a council of elders, basically, ANYWAY

THAT symbol, the one that's used so outsiders know that it's from the Shades or is important to them or that they're important people, is a four pointed star. You'd have a hard time finding one of these actually on the continent (which is Frgbrn, their language has no vowels), but you'll find that basically every Shade family has this symbol somewhere in their house

Hala is super special, god's little princess, and because of this he gets his own symbol. It's the four pointed star with a halo, and it marks him as being a Big Huge Massive deal, though he's too humble to admit that

[kaypeace21]

Is Mike also "going backwards" in trying to be best friends with Will again after the year of distance? Going back to someone you broke up with / grew apart from isn't always regression. Not if you've grown and changed since then. Steve's entire point was that he has grown, because of Nancy. The same way Mike is growing because of Will. Why is it terrible for Nancy to give Steve a second chance, but we're rooting for Mike to get one with Will? Sorry, but I don't see it. Looks like ship bias.

Contemplated even answering this. But, respectfully, disagree on your whole take. I don't like st*ncy nor j*ncy (no ship bias). AND If anything we see Nancy and mike going back to people they don't romantically love (el and steve), because of their own insecurities. It's just pure regression for the wheeler siblings and el & steve. They're all going backwards by trying to be couples again (st*ncy /m*leven).

El and steve have paralleled a bunch in prior seasons in terms of their ships. Both ships being called "bullshit", both wheelers not being able to say "i love you" to them privately, both gals storming from the dinner table (as steve/mike ignore it- like ted watching karen storm from the table), and many other examples .m*leven /st*ncy also paralleled karen/ted in various other ways. Mike and steve even share identical lines to ted - in relation to st*ncy and m*leven.

Did mike or el progesss in their relationship since s3 - no . S3 and 4: m*leven ignore their friends for eachother, lie to eachother, fight, say "i love you" at the end. Rinse and repeat. We see even in s3 el regressed and reversed all her progress from s2 - going from "friends don't lie' and wanting to explore the world outside of the cabin. To wanting to stay in the cabin all day to makeout with mike , and ignoring/lying to her friends about curfew to do so. Did mike's hero worship (at the begging of s4) that upset el stop - nope (mike just said she was his "superhero " at the end of s4). Mike never actually rectifies the things that el doesn't like. Just like how El never apologized for spying on mike in s2-3, and mike didn't apologize in s3 for lying to her (the reason El broke up with him initially). And than in s4 el just ends up lying to him instead. Just pure regression. Little to no positive progress . They bring out the worst in eachother.

Steve tells Nancy how he crawled " backwards" as a baby, but is moving forward, but then right after asks nancy to be with him. It is regression when steve said in s3 he was over nancy, romantically. Robin also states in s4 steve "doesn't know what he wants" romantically. Seems like he thinks he wants nancy since everyone is saying he should be with her - and because he hasn't had any luck romantically since Nancy. This same thing happened in s3. Steve in s3 says "what people tell you , you should like- it's all bullshit"- bs being a nancy phrase . But he does the opposite later in s3. He said he didn't like robin to dustin, but than dustin said he should be with robin romantically (so steve asked her out, thinking his care for her - must be romantic ).He even tells robin before the confession "dustin says I have to find my suzie"). His actions contradicted his words. He asks Robin out because others say it's best for him, not because he actually felt a romantic spark. History repeats in s4: Dustin says in s4 he must like nancy, since he won't Date robin (and steve says there's other reasons ). And he tells dustin he's not into nancy (just like he told dustin he wasn't into robin in s3) . He tells dustin he sees nancy as a "friend" . But in s4 after this, he tries asking nancy out again (just like what happened with steve /robin in s3- after dustin played matchmaker). Note nancy and robin even both romantically reject steve in a bathroom too. And again it wasn't just dustin , but Robin & eddie also telling him to be with Nancy. Everyone says he likes or should be back with nancy . And steve in s4 is described as "not knowing what he wants" romantically- making him more susceptible to peer pressure in regards to romance. And now he wants her back after saying he was over her 2x- probably because everyone is pressuring him and telling him he likes Nancy. Ok, sounds like he regressed from s3 ,doing the same thing he did with robin to nancy : he even says to 'not like things others say you should like' -> to conforming to what others say he wants (aka everyone telling him he likes and should be with nancy). So asking her to be with him. Despite earlier saying he isn't into her anymore.

Has steve changed for the better- yeah. But Nancy hasn't changed in regards to romance. If anything nancy flirting with steve while jonathan and her are fighting- is similar to what happened in s2 . S2: (steve and her are fighting so she ran to jonathan). S4:( jonathan and her are fighting so she runs back to steve). She didn't progress she's also regressed (just like mike, el, and steve). No hate to nancy. Just those relationships are pure negative regression, they're all going "backwards" in my opinion.

But nancy wants to go to Emerson for journalism. The way she initally winced at the idea of having 6 kids (steve's dream). And Her looking like she was going to reject steve during his confession. I just don't think steve and nancy want the same things in the long run. I don't think nancy will end up with either jonathan or steve tbh. J*ncy ended with an open ending of them struggling and still lying to one another. Something m*leven, and the divorced couples struggled with. Literally both divorced couples yelled "don't lie to me".

Idk ,at the end, the way she gives away the stuffed rabbit for college so "someone else can enjoy it". Could theoretically apply to steve /jonathan. Hare-ington / jonathan 's rabbit story. She'd be letting them go- so all 3 can fulfill their dreams- that aren't compatible. Something jonathan was worrying about at the beggining of s4- was taking her dream away (if they stayed a couple). Nancy letting both go romantically, would be in my opinion be the best way for all 3 to be happy in the long run (and fulfill their dreams). They could all still be friends, but romantic partners... idk . They just don't seem to be a good fit in the long run, in my opinion. The 3 all have diferent ,contradicting life goals.

And the st*ncy and byler parallel is just fairly weak comparison. Compared to st*ncy and m*leven. Because, since s1 they have paralleled those 2 ships and even heavily emphasized and paralleled it to ted/Karen's miserable marriage. Meanwhile j*ncy since at least s3 -4 is paralleled to joyce/lonnie.

[bumblesimagines]

Double Trouble

Request: Yes or No

Couldn't think of a better title lmao. This is gonna be real shitty but the intro to series are either amazing or pure shit. Gonna give (Y/N)'s mom and fam a name cause I don't wanna keep writing (M/N) or (L/N). (Y/N) isn't related to any of the characters fyi. Spot the very obvious accidental reference

~

"Why California? Out of all the places in America, California was choice you went with? Not Washington, Oregon, or fuck, I don't know, North Dakota?" (Y/N) rested his head against the window, watching the houses pass by. His mother, Tanya, glanced at him with a small frown.

"Baby, aren't you tired of Alaska? Same old cold weather?" Tanya asked, staring forward at the empty road. (Y/N) scoffed, sitting up and looking at her with a raised brow.

"You can escape the cold. You can't escape the heat." (Y/N) pointed out, leaning back and picking up his phone with a frown. He looked at the texts from his friend, sighing softly.

Yaya

U already in cali??

(Y/N)

Ya

(Y/N)

It sucks

Yaya

New school new u bby

Daniel

Whats the time difference?

(Y/N)

It's 4 here

(Y/N)

Wbu?

Yaya

3

"Baby, could you look at me?" Tanya asked, pulling into the school parking lot and parking the car. (Y/N) turned his head to look at her.

"I'm sorry I suddenly dragged us out of Alaska. I just felt like we could use a change. Alaska feels suffocating as an adult. I want you to have new experiences." Tanya explained softly. (Y/N) nodded, glancing at the students walking into school.

"Listen, if you get anxious or feel sick, text me, okay?" Tanya gave him a comforting smile, running a hand through his hair. (Y/N) nodded, opening the car door. He unbuckled his seatbelt and got out of the car.

"Have a good day, sweetie!"

"You too." (Y/N) closed the door, walking towards the school. He had lived in Seward his whole life. He was used to the cold, the sound of boats, the cold immediately hitting his face the moment he stepped outside. (Y/N) knew it wasn't about experiences. His mom just didn't want him to have the same boring life she did. (Y/N) looked at his phone, opening the group chat again. He looked through the texts, smiling at the pictures his friend sent him. (Y/N) looked at his email, sighing as he searched for his locker. He found it, opening it and glancing at the guy beside him.

"Uh, hey, I'm Ethan. You're new, right?" Ethan gave an awkward smile, clearing his throat. (Y/N) licked his lips, nodding. Ethan seemed like the typical nerdy loner.

"Yeah, I'm (Y/N)."

"Cool, cool. Where are you coming from?" Ethan tilted his head, closing his locker and leaning against it. (Y/N) didn't feel like making friends but Ethan could probably help him get familiar with everyone and everything.

"Alaska." (Y/N) replied, closing his locker and giving him a tight smile. Ethan's brows raised, letting out a small chuckle.

"Really? That's cool, I've never really left California. What's it like?"

"Cold." (Y/N) chuckled softly. Ethan laughed and nodded, licking his lips as he stuck his hands in his pockets. (Y/N) looked him over. He was small, skinny, seemed nervous and awkward. Probably a good guy.

"So, are you a junior?" Ethan asked. (Y/N) nodded, going into his phone gallery and pressing on the saved picture of his schedule. He showed him the screen, watching him lean in and smile.

"We have 1st, 3rd, and 6th together." Ethan said, motioning down the hall. "Come on, I'll show you around."

"Thanks." (Y/N) gave him a small smile, following him. His gaze flickered from student to student. Some glanced at him, knowing he was new. (Y/N) didn't like attention. He didn't like the spotlight. He hated when people stared or payed too much attention to him. He hated the way a pit formed in his stomach and he became nauseous when he was called on and people stared at him in class. (Y/N) entered the class, taking a seat beside Ethan and sighing softly.

"Thanks, by the way. I didn't expect to make a friend until like my second week here."

"No problem. I know it can feel shitty to be the new kid." (Y/N) gave Ethan a small smile, looking forward.

(Y/N) set down his lunch tray, sitting down across from Ethan. He glanced around the courtyard, picking up a french fry. Ethan finished drinking his water, humming softly.

"By the way, whatever you do, don't mess with Maddy Perez." Ethan said, wiping his mouth with his sleeve. (Y/N) furrowed his brows.

"Right, you don't know them." Ethan chuckled, turning his head. He looked around, searching for the girls.

"There, the girl with black hair besides the blonde and the girl in a jeresy." Ethan motioned towards them. Maddy seemed like your typical popular. Makeup done perfectly, perfect body, her hair was done perfectly.

"She's a cheerleader and probably the most popular girl in school. She's been with Nate Jacobs for a while. Nate is a football player and his dad has a lot of power. He's.. Terrifying. The girls beside her are her best friends. Cassie and Barbara." Ethan picked up his burger. "There's Kat too and Kat is.."

"Your crush?" (Y/N) cocked a brow, chuckling. Ethan's tone had changed the moment this 'Kat' girl had been mentioned. His eyes had softened and a smile had appeared on his face.

"U-Uhm, n-no. She's a friend, like, just a friend." Ethan gave a nervous fake smile. (Y/N) hummed, shaking his head as he chuckled softly. He looked down at his tray, poking at the wrapped burger.

"Anyways, Cassie's nudes and some videos of her got leaked by her exes. It was real shitty." Ethan told him, finishing his burger. "There's Rue and Jules. Rue overdosed over the summer and Jules is new here."

"What?" (Y/N) furrowed his brows, staring at Ethan. The biggest thing that ever happened at his school was two teachers fighting. Drugs were an issue everywhere. He just didn't expect a teenger to OD and everyone to know. Ethan looked back at him.

"Do you wanna.. Hang out?"

"I have to unpack." (Y/N) replied, picking up his phone and scrolling through his instagram.

"Oh, shit, that's the new kid." Barbara pointed out, pulling her hair back into a ponytail. Cassie and Maddy turned to look.

"Oh.. Where's he from?" Cassie asked as she twirled a strand of her blonde hair around her finger. She wanted to forget all about McKay after their argument and breakup. The new boy seemed like a good distraction.

"He seems sweet." Cassie said with a small smile. Maddy scoffed, rolling her eyes as she looked at her.

"That's what you say about every guy, Cassie." Maddy opened her backpack, taking out her makeup bag. She took out some gloss, turning when she spotted Nate. She scowled when Nate very obviously flirted with some girl. Maddy took in a deep breath, turning toward her friends.

"Is there a party tonight? I need to fuck with Nate. He's such a dick." Maddy tapped her nails against her phone case. Cassie gave her a comforting smile, shaking her head.

"You can come over and we'll have a photo shoot. You can post it and make him regret everything." Cassie grinned as Maddy's eyes lit up, nodding.

"This is why I love you, Cass." The two giggled as Maddy wrapped her arms around her.

"But, back to that new guy.. If he hangs with Ethan, he's probably a loser." Barbara said, watching the two boys. Cassie gasped softly, shooting her a look.

"BB! Ethan's actually a really sweet guy. We did a project together last year." Cassie said. Maddy nodded, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear.

"Yeah, BB, don't be a bitch. You do got a point though. He gives major school shooter vibes." Maddy said, leaning forward to look around Cassie. She watched as the two stood and threw away their trash.

"Hey, they're staring at you." Ethan said, nudging (Y/N). (Y/N) turned towards the girls, catching their eyes before he shrugged and turned away.

"Let's go to History."

[jaehyunzzmilk]

dinasty (part 2)

pairing: prince jaehyun x concubine reader

word count: 3.4 k

genre: Historical Mafia AU, smut, light angst

summary: after the perfect escape, you have to find a way to fit in your new life, leaving the past behind may seem easy when you're working for 4 princes and one of them is interested in you, right?

notes: hello again, part 2 is up and we have a new love triangle, thank you for liking the first part so much, and prepare for even more surprises

this doesn't have any relation to real facts and history, it's just pure fiction for entertainment purposes

warnings: violence, blood, cheating, unprotected sex, oral (female receiving)

main characters: jaehyun (prince), yuta (samurai, villain), ten (thai mafia, villain), kun (China's emperor warrior)

Reality - Part 2

Part 1 here

"- Nice tattoo!" the man says.

It was dark and his face was only visible through the moonlight.

You freeze, the man stays still looking at you like you were his prey.

You try to cover your body but your only reaction is to grab your stuff and run, praying he wasn't gonna come after you.

Arriving at your room, breathing heavily you try to think about what just happened. A guy like that had to be a prince or someone really important. Ms. Lee told you to be lowkey and on the first day you let a man see you naked in the bath area. "Whatever" You were just too tired to think, you didn't do anything wrong anyway, so you were gonna pretend that it didn't happen. The Korean Palace was gonna punish you for going to the wrong bath?

Suddenly you realize Kun's necklace isn't with you. "Fuck, I must have dropped there" but now it's too risky to come back and look for it so you decide to do that tomorrow. You lay down on your mattress and try to fall asleep.

-

Next morning Ms. Lee showed you the rest of the Palace, the kitchen and assigned your tasks. It was a lot of work and details, each of their meals had to be perfectly planned. They had someone even to taste the food before them so they know it's not poisoned.

"- I'm gonna be responsible for the King's meal and you're gonna be responsible for the four prince's meals."

-Four?

"- Yes, Taeil, Doyoung, Johnny and Jaehyun. Now you should prepare their tea, they always drink green tea in the morning."

While preparing the tea you wonder which one you saw at the bathing area and if you should tell Ms. Lee what happened yesterday.

You're walking with the trays to the dining place when you try to talk to her.

-Ms. Lee!

-"Yes"

-So yesterday...

You realize you still don't know much about Ms. Lee and even if Kun trusts her, you don't. Also you can't help but think that serving tea was much better than your life at the concubine's house, so you try quickly to think of something else to say.

-Well, yesterday… Before I met you… this man helped me at the harbor, he was wearing black clothes and had a samurai sword.

-"Stay away from him!" She turns at you. "They are dangerous, they will kill everything and everyone on their way, people you don't want to mess up with."

By Yuta's facial expression when you mentioned Ms. Lee's name you weren't surprised she said those words, you wonder why but she wasn't gonna be the one to give you the answers. Otherwise, you still weren't afraid of him, he was gonna be the last of your problems here.

-"Now let's get in there, first you bow and then you serve them the way I showed you, don't look at them in the eye and don't say anything." She says.

In silence, you enter the dining room along with the other servants behind you bringing the food plates and you stop in front of the tables on the floor where all the princes are. There are two on each side, the two oldest and the youngest, all of them are sitting on cushions, they all have long hair and are wearing beautiful hanboks.

-"Your highness, may I introduce you to your new servant 'y/n', she is my niece and she is gonna work with me in the kitchen from now on." Ms. Lee said while you bowed, you were still too nervous to look up and look at them. "Now, may we start with the tea." Ms. Lee turns to you and signs that you can go and serve them.

Holding the teapot you go to the first prince, the oldest, Taeil, he is very handsome, with his light brown hair, face delicate and mature at the same time. Slowly you pour the tea into the cup by his left, he doesn't do anything, just stays still looking down and you wonder if you did something wrong. On his right it's Doyoung, after you pour the tea he gives you a small nod which makes you feel calmer. He is also very handsome, shiny black long hair, perfect posture, he sure looks like a prince. On the other side, Johnny, you can feel he is looking at you, the first to say "thank you" after you pour the tea. His face is gorgeous, even if he is sitting down you can feel how tall and strong he is. And then, Jaehyun, the man from the bath. You freeze when he looks directly at your eyes, you try to stay calm and pour the tea but can't help but shake a little bit. He is the definition of perfection, he had perfect skin, perfect face, everything about him.

Jaehyun keeps staring at you even when you stand up and comes back to Ms. Lee side.

-"Seems like someone likes our new servant!" Johnny says laughing. The other boys look at him but Jaehyun remains silent and serious, still looking at you.

They give the first sip to their tea. Taeil stops and smells the cup.

-"Did someone… put ginger on the tea?" He asks.

Ms. Lee turns at you with her eyes wide open.

-"Did you put ginger when you were making the tea?" She says in a low voice. - Yes, that's how we usually drink it in China, I'm so sorry.

-"Don't..." Taeil says taking another sip "- From now on keep in that way". You see Jaehyun smirking with the corner of your eyes.

Your whole body relaxed, you felt like you were going to faint. Ms. Lee bows and tells them to excuse both of you. As soon as you enter the kitchen's door she grabs your arm.

-"You have no idea how lucky you were this time young lady, Taeil is the most picky to all the food we make, when he started speaking I thought I was gonna have a heart attack"

-Me too! But I'm so sorry, I swear I'm not doing anything again without asking you first.

-"Good! Now get back to work"

-

Later after you finish your schedule you come back to the bath area to look for Kun's necklace. You look everywhere but it's nowhere to be found.

-"Looking for this?" Jaehyun stops behind you holding your necklace.

You turn around and he comes closer to you.

-"I asked if you're looking for this?" Now he is inches from you.

-Ye- yes!

Jaehyun walks behind you and gently moves your hair to the side, putting the necklace on you.

-"Does that belong to your boyfriend?" He is so close it's almost he's whispering in your ears. You get goosebumps.

-Excuse me?

He smirks and comes back to look you in the eyes.

-"I fought in the war 2 years ago, I remember those from the chinese soldiers." He tilts his head to the side and looks at you from head to toe. "Or you did?"

-A prince fighting at the war?

-"And a very bloody one but yes... it would be a shame being a prince and let your people alone bring victory to your country"

-It does… belong to my boyfriend.

You hold your necklace in your chest.

-"And where is your precious boyfriend when a pretty face like you is talking to the enemy in another country?"

-It's complicated!

-"I have time!"

-Why? Do you want the full story to snitch on me?

-"Sweetie if I wanted to snitch you out I would have already!"

He was right.

-You wouldn't believe if I told you anyway!

-"Try me, I've seen it all"

You both sit on a stone beside the water.

-Well, when I was 9 my family was struggling, we didn't have food, money, anything… so my father sold me and my sister to a concubine's house. She went to a different house than mine so I never saw her again actually. But anyway after years of being a slave in all forms to that house I fell in love, to someone from the thai mafia, of course things got out of control, I was so dumb. When I tried to run away he found out and did this tattoo on me, I was in so much pain because I fell off the roof trying to run away that I didn't even felt the pain of the needle, I just stayed there, still. Then I met Kun, I fell in love again, he helped me to escape, and it worked.

-"And I assume that story of being Ms. Lee's niece is all lies."

-Yes! She helped to raise Kun and met his mother so it's the only reason she's doing this until he arrives.

-"Oh so he's coming."

-He works for the Emperor and he said they would kill both of us if he ran away, so he is gonna wait a little bit and ask to retire, he wants to do it the right way, then he'll join me.

-"If you allow me to say this but… I would never have let you to come alone, sometimes you don't have to do it the right way" He gets up and walks to the exit of the bath. "But I'm glad he did and we could meet"

You give a small smile with the corner of your lips.

-"Oh and by the way..." He turns at you. "The staff's bath area is on that way." He points to his left.

-I know now. Thanks.

He smiles and leaves.

-

Weeks passed and you were getting used to your new life. You were doing your job right, even making some different dishes from your hometown to the princes. Meanwhile you unexpectedly started spending time with Jaehyun. Since your conversation at the bath, you both got closer in a natural way. On every free time you had you spent time together, you mostly liked to walk on the garden because it was more private, he told you about his childhood, how he had to give up on so many things to be who the kings expected him to be, how he felt like he was on a prison his whole life and how he found joy on learning how to fight because it was the only way he had to express himself and not follow the rules. You were surprised at how wholesome he was, he made questions about your life in a way that you know he wasn't being just pity, he was interested in how other realities exist outside the Palace.

One afternoon Ms. Lee asked you to go to the flea market to buy fruit for the dinner's banquet. You went alone since now you were familiar with that.

Because of the summer there were a lot of different kinds of fruits on sale. You bought peaches because you knew Jaehyun likes it. After buying everything you needed you see some crowd gathering between the market, you approached them and notice some weird men you've never seen before. They were thieves. They were on their horses, destroying the sellers' stands, pushing everyone in their way, they even tried to put a food stand on fire. You saw a little kid who got lost from their parents and was crying right in the middle of the path where the thieves were. You run in his direction and catch him, putting him safely to the side of the road, when one of the men slaps your face "Get out of the way slut!"

The slap was hard so you fell on the ground when suddenly you see another group of men coming that way, they all had black clothes and katanas. The samurais. They were so fast, they fought the thieves in a blink of an eye. There are people running and dust everywhere, you feel a hand on you. "Let's get you out of here" you recognize the voice, Yuta holds you and takes you to a safe place.

-"Why every time I see you, you're in trouble? Didn't I tell you to not walk around alone?"

-I was just buying stuff at the market when they came out of nowhere.

-"You're bleeding, let me see your lips" Yuta takes the fabric that was covering his mouth and carefully wipes the blood on your lips.

-"You're gonna need ice if you don't want to get bruises..."

-Don't worry, I've had worse wounds! - You laugh.

-"You didn't tell me where you came from"

-You didn't either, and why are you doing this? Helping me when you told me to stay away?

-"Well you should!"

-I'm not afraid of you.

Yuta looks at you, his mysterious gaze turns into vulnerability.

-So, I will tell you my story if you tell me yours! - You say.

-"Years ago the king had a deal with Osaka’s emperor, since he traveled there and they proposed to do an alliance and protect each nation together, but when the war happened and the emperor asked for the samurais to fight on their side here in Korea. We came and it was all a trap, a lot of us died, the emperor stole our ships and made all his people be afraid of us spreading lies, that we were dangerous. Since we couldn’t come back home we settled ourselves here, but the funny thing is every time the small villages are in danger, like what you saw today, it’s us who come first to help them. You asked me why I saved you, where I came from, we take care of everyone, no matter what."

-I'm sorry!

-"Now your turn, what’s your dark pass?"

-Apparently like you I was also a victim of the war in my country, but other than having a sword and fighting I was just a concubine trapped in a house for so many years, let’s say I just involved myself with the wrong people and ran away.

-"It’s called a katana… the sword. And maybe I can teach you how to fight." He smiles.

-Me?

He gives you the sword.

-It's much lighter than I thought.

-"Careful, it's lighter but the blade is gonna be the sharpest of all swords. Here... You must hold like this!" He took your hands and taught you how to hold the sword, carefully he showed you some self defense moves.

-"Now if someone ever tries to slap your face again, you do this..." Yuta grabs your wrists and pins you agains't a tree, you can't move obviously, he is so close to you and you feel the sexual tension building.

-"Get away from her!" You hear a familiar voice screaming. It's Jaehyun.

Jaehyun gets off his horse, he was mad, you never saw him like that. You jump in front of Yuta.

-No wait! He saved my life! - You scream.

-"What? Y/n do you know who he is? He is a murderer." Jaehyun looks at you.

-"If you arrived 10 minutes earlier you could have joined us but the little prince was busy at his Palace right?" Yuta provokes him.

-"That's enough!" Jaehyun comes closer but Yuta doesn't even flinch.

-Please Jaehyun, let's go!

You grab his arm and take him away from Yuta.

- "This doesn't end here bastard!" - Jaehyun spits at Yuta's direction.

-

You come back to the Palace with Jaehyun and he takes you to the bath area.

He is sweating, you could see his veins popping because of how mad he was.

- Jaehyun please, everything is alright, you need to calm down!

- "No it's not, look at you, you're hurt" he grabs your face and touches your lip with his thumb.

- It's ok now, I was at the market when some thieves arrived, I was protecting a little kid who was gonna get hit by their horses, they got mad because I was in the way but I swear it was nothing and Yuta helped me and everyone in there!

- "What? How do you know his name?"

- When I arrived from China he saw me at the harbor, I was so weak from the trip he helped me and even took me to Ms. Lee! I don't care about your old family issues, he helped me and that's all.

- "I'm sorry I'm just… the Palace guards heard the thieves were at the market and when I knew you were there I got my horse and went after you, I just couldn't let anything bad happen to you y/n!"

He grabs your face with both of his hands and kisses you. You try to push him but still can't open your eyes and break the kiss completely "Jaehyun we shouldn't..."

- "If you don't want it then tell me to stop" your heart is beating so fast, you swallow hard and look up at Jaehyun, "I know I'm not the only one feeling this" He says kissing you hard again.

He is right. "Touch me" you say, grabbing his hands and placing them on your breasts. When he is caressing his hands on your breast he removes your necklace, dropping it on the ground. He unties your dress and slides the fabric until your lower body, he is on his knees in front of you and he passes his hands on the back of your thighs until your butt and kisses your thighs slowly. He keeps eye contact with you and licks your clit, you moan and grabs his hair in response to his tongue going faster.

In your head it felt so wrong because you were in love with Kun, but Jaehyun made you feel so needy, mind and body.

Jaehyun gives a hard lick on your clit and makes his way up to your stomach leaving a tray of kisses until your breasts, he sucks one nipple while his other hand and flicks the other one. He gets up and kisses you, the kiss was so wet, for a moment you forget that anything else exists while he kisses you hard, licking and sucking your bottom lip. He takes off his clothes, his hard dick slaps on his toned abs, pre cum leaking over his tip. Jaehyun lifts you up "Let's go inside" taking you to one of the hot tubs.

When you felt the heat of the water on your body, the feeling of pleasure and lust took over you, Jaehyun pulled you down onto his lap and gave you another kiss, you wrapped your arms around his neck when you feel his tip on your core. "Oh my god" you scream while his hands holding your waist puts you down until his whole length was inside of you. The feeling was so different, you got a harder friction because of the water and you start moving up and down to get used to his size. Jaehyun's shoulders and biceps tense while his cock is stretching you out. You bounce on him screaming in pleasure, body trembling as he helps you to move faster.

He was pushing all the way into you, hitting your g-spot. You arch your back and moan his name, clenching every time he enters you. You're almost out of breath when he sucks your neck and presses his thumb against your clit. "Jae, I'm gonna..." you can see he is close as well as he sucks your neck even harder and moves his finger faster. You scream when you feel your orgasm, your arching pussy made his cock tighter while he couldn't hold it anymore and released into you as well.

You both stay in the water for a bit recovering from the climax, he pulls you to his chest and you close your eyes.

-Am I dreaming?

-"I think the reality right now is better than your dreams."

"Reality" you thought, back at your own senses you couldn't help but be disappointed at yourself. Because of you Kun was risking his own life to help you to run away and now you're with the prince of the place he arranged you to work for. Maybe you were just a filthy concubine, maybe you deserved everything they did to you, even your tattoo. You roll your body and rest your head at the border of the hot tub, a tear coming out of your eye.

-

Part 3 coming soon

[zyzix]

I definitely get not liking the idea of Joshua being an angel or him being like 300 yrs old. Tho I can't really articulate my feelings beyond a "me no likey" kinda vibe, so I'm wondering what your reasons are, if you want to share them? No pressure if not tho!

i am actually quite happy to share my reasons anon!

So, first things first, is that while the secret reports of NEO seem to implicitly make joshua an angel, this is basically contradictory to the original secret reports. (i'm not gonna go into what neo's reports say because i want this to be readable without spoilers for now tho)

See, in the original secret reports hanekoma functionally sets the composer apart from angels. He says "Angel vibes are extremely high-frequency; not even the Composer can catch them all. In actuality, he can pick up only that of the Producer" which absolutely sets composers or at least This composer apart from the angels. This also relates to Mr. H saying "Additionally, as the being in the Underground with the highest vibe, some lesser Reapers are incapable of perceiving [the Composer]." How is joshua natively an angel if he cannot physically see most angels??

There's also the fact that hanekoma explicitly states that the only way to take the place of the composer is to defeat the current one. Why would an angel do that if its such a lower position? Or, if it's not *usually* a lower position like the text above would indicate, then for what reason would *Joshua* be less powerful than most composers if not because he was once human? So he had to be *human*. Combining that with the *other* ways hanekoma details humans becoming higher beings for us (like he explains how players can be reapers and then maybe even angels) why would we Assume joshua did not go through a transition like that? So yeah, despite what neo might be implying joshua was always once *human.* And i would hope so because otherwise it would suck all the purpose out of the little backstory we have for him.

And with regards to Joshua not being like. 300 years old. Maybe he could be 300 by some logic, but not by the logic of good story telling. Twewy is written for teenagers and as one of neku's 3 partners it is better thematically if joshua is also a teenager. I think some people like to interpret him going off about shibuya's history as a sign he's way old but frankly i think it just makes him sound like a nerd. the whole "just think! you're walking through the pages of history!" line does not scream "i was there" to me. Also hanekoma calls him "kid" at some point which i guess he could Always do as an angel but thats not something i think he ever does with anyone who isn't a kid by our human standards. I guess overall my reasoning here is "sure you COULD headcanon josh as way older than any living human but why would you WANT to?"

And as far as wondering how the timeline of him being composer and a teenager in the story works, its not impossible either, just kind of depressingly unthinkable in a way that is still in line with the backstory hanekoma gave us of joshua's. He killed himself when he was really young! i'm thinking like 10 or 11, because Uzuki has been a reaper for 2 years, Koki calls her a "spring chicken" which- depending on how much of a joke that was- means its possible he's only been a reaper for 3 or 4 years. Whhhhhhich relates to how Koki didn't recognize joshua as a previous player (though it's not impossible for there to be a magical reason for this. thats headcanon though.) So the timeline works out within possibility.

So yeah.

[mr-walkingrainbow]

Lets talk about the many oddities and inaccuracies about Robecca Steams body?

heh heh heh, whos ready for another monster high rant???

Ok firstly, let's state the most obvious and weirdest thing.

ROBECCA APPARENTLY JUST DOESNT WEAR A SHIRT???

yeah, that tank top we all thought she wore was actually just her upper torso, painted and crafted to give the illusion of a shirt.

so besides that mini black short sleeve vest/jacket thing (Which CONVIENENTLY disapears when she takes Elissabats hand) Robecca just wears no clothing on her upper torso.

which considering how hypersensitive the monster high creators were, is the closest thing to a scandel we've got.

Technically though, she's not flashing anyone, as she doesn't have breasts. Which you can tell as she just OPENS HERSELF UP and shows her chest it hallowed out. Hexiciah was also kind enough not to carve nipples, which contributed to the whole "I'm wearing a tank top" illusion.

Aka Robecca is canonly Agender. As she literally has no human organs. She was just crafted to look like a female.

ok now on to the Inacuracies and oddities

#1, DIDNT GHOULIA LITERALLY PUT ROBECCA TOGETHER?

Wouldn't that mean she would have SEEN and PICKED UP and PUT TOGETHER the Vampires heart into Robeccas chest cavity?

and didn't literally everyone see her do that???

So did they all somehow just completely forget that happened? Cause I find it next to impossible that Ghoulia managed to pick up the Vampires heart, place it in, and then completely forgot she ever used it/was in Robeccas body.

like in Friday night frights they show her picking up a piece that looks similar to the VH, but it's not the same.

So does that mean Robecca just has two hearts????

#2. on to the major inaccuracies.

Wasnt Robecca crafter out of a steam boiler?

in all her diaries and the books, Robecca mentions numerous times, that she both has a water boiler, and a Firebox, inside of her.

and it's most likely in her torso cause literally where else would they go.

she also mentions opening herself up and pouring more water to said boiler. confirming its in her torso.

And those two things seem pretty huge and important.

SO WHERE THE HELL ARE THEY???

When she opens herself up all we see is a hunk of glowing rock, rib like protectors, and a bucketfull of intricate gears and cogs.

Like where the hell are her Boiler and Firebox????

#4. The fact that she constants talks and shows herself steaming from both the Ears, Nose, and when she's crying, Eyes. But yet she never show that on screen once???

idk that bugs me.

#5, the literal time and distance inacuracies of the movies and the diarie.

ok this isn't exactly body related, but it seems extremely important.

So robeccas first diary, she is with her father in one place.

Then her father leaves on a train to go on a exbadition with his buddies in the catacombs.

Which he promptly gets lost in.

By the way, it is said and show that Hexiciah got lost in the MONSTER HIGH catacombs ok?

So Robecca, in a clearly different area as she doesn't make the train in time, plays some SKRM, which is wear she's dismantled.

...AT MONSTER HIGH.

so what happened??? Are their two monster highs? Did they just mistakenly not notice this?

their both lost and dismantled at the same place,

Except Hexiciah took a super long train ride to get where he went to, and Robecca didn't.

so how does it end up their in the same place???

not to mention the insane amount of History rewriting they do in freaky fusion.

Cause, as they show, Hexiciah Steam was teaching at Monster high when it was being built.

and in FF it is the 100 year anniversary.

Robecca is 116 years old. And she'd been knocked out for 100 years.

but in Freaky Fusion Hexiciah had not Built Robecca yet.

so the math would have to mean Robecca was dismantled the first year of monster high.

but again, she wasn't even built then.

Also not to mention that in the diaries Robecca never mentions Her father teaching at monster high.

So somehow, their is 16 years that are just never explained for being lost????

Idk. This all confused me deeply.

[night-unfurls-its-splendour]

I'm watching the entire series of Game of Thrones for the first time. I've made my way to season 3, making sure to watch as many commentaries as I can. Last night I listened  to the Set Design / Costume Design commentary for S3 Ep 4: "And Now His Watch is Ended".

I know most historical costume Enthusiasts / Critics either don't touch, or make exceptions for Fantasy productions and on the whole I agree with that. But something about the Game of Thrones costumes (and how the show's popularity has impacted costume design on productions actually set in the medieval / Renaissance time period) has just really been bothering me.

(Perhaps you see what I mean here with Contessina De Bardi in Medici: Master's of Florence and her sneaky mini structured neckline)

It may be a couple of things, but lots of the ... insights from Michele Clapton shed some light on this for me. I have a few questions.

First: North of the Wall, we spend some time in this episode with The Night's Watch at Craster's Keep. Of Craster's wives, Clapton said [Disclaimer this is not an *exact* quote because I couldn't find a transcript anywhere and my sister sent back the Netflix DVD and I do not have an idetic memory - but the important parts of the comment are, in my own estimation, accurate] : "With Craster's wives I got this idea of them just having bits of rabbit, whatever they can get, woven with grass..." this raises in my mind, SO many questions.

Firstly - we ARE north of the Wall, yes? Where,  as we have seen, the ground is just about ALWAYS covered in snow, or 90% mud. So where is the grass coming from? And also what they are wearing is so clearly not grass?

This also provides a segue into my second question.

Do sheep exist in Westeros?

Why is it that this show has such an aversion to wool? Every man wearing protective clothing is wearing Leather (or rather I should perhaps say "vegan leather"). Every Hearty Weave (TM) appears to be an attempt at Linen; and every Fine Lady is wearing Silk satin, or if you're Olenna, silk brocade (in obviously hot weather, because naturally elderly ladies benefit from heat stroke).

I've not seen one woollen cloak. Not. One wool... anything really. I ask myself "Why?"

100% natural wool is wondeful. It's naturally flame retardant; it keeps you warm; it breathes well; it's soft in a light weave; it's strong in a heavy one; its water repellent. So what is with this endemic erasure of wool? Even productions like 2018's Mary Queen of Scots have had costume designers like Alexandra Byrne who, when searching for a durable fabric for cold and rainy Scotland, came out with a wardrobe comprised entirely of DENIM. Which,  as we all know is the WARMEST AND MOST COMFORTABLE of fabrics when damp. Now we all know Byrne's real reason for using denim is because it's cheap. The problem is Byrne tried to justify it by saying all of that guff about wanting a fabric that wears well in rain (Which,  I cannot stress this enough- denim does not) and, of course because denim would be "ReLaTaBLe". But I digress.

All that aside, perhaps the things that bother me most are components and composition. Which is where we get into the wooly (heh) area of me being a person with interest in HISTORICAL costume, critiquing a FANTASY series.

So let's just get this out of the way: I'm not saying that anything that the costume Department did with this series was "Wrong" [with one exception, but we'll get to that when we get to it]. I'm just going to say that I don't like the way it was approached, and my reasons on WHY. 

I think I have a modicum of justification for my opinions here because, fantasy is fantasy, yes but the concepts of "Fantasy" and "Medieval" have become so strongly connected that the line between them has become so blurred in the modern mind as to be almost non-existent anymore. We're in a strange cycle here. "Fantasy" was directly inspired by Medieval and over the years took more and more creative wiggle room because, the great thing about fantasy is, you can make it whatever you want it to be aesthetically. But as Fantasy and Medieval have become so intertwined, more and more creative license has been taken with the latter, so that the original inspiration has become beholden to imitate the art it inspired.

But I'll save my pontification on the modern eye and Medieval fashion for another post, and try to keep on track only as far as this affects my feelings on Game of Thrones.

My justification is that GoT is not just inspired by Medieval England/Europe in the broad sense that most Fantasy of the Sword and Sorcery variety is; it was SPECIFICALLY inspired by ONE ERA of English History, The Wars of the Roses [15th century] (with character inspiration from other eras, as recent as the 16th century).

The thing about being interested in Historical Fashion is, once you know it, you can't UN-KNOW it. For example, my understanding of the medieval approach to clothing composition is "Cut as little as you need to because sewing is tedious". You don't want to have to sew more than you have to because what's the point of that? Practically no clothing in the medieval period was tailored because why bother doing that when you can just sinch it with a belt, or lace it up the sides? Is any of that applied here? Nah. Because when we look at Sansa's dresses, look at those obviously machine stitched, perfectly pristine seams. ~whistles~.

I'll never throw shade at a costume department for using sewing machines, but I will shade them for not bothering at all to make clothing for a universe that has no sewing machines look like it was made in a universe that has no sewing machines.

  I can agree with not holding Fantasy series to historical standards - to a point. To wit: as long as it's believable IN-UNIVERSE.

AS FAR AS WE KNOW, the GoT universe doesn't yet have Mechanized looms. Now I know that they make some pretty unreal lace in Myr, but I just can't think of any in-universe justification for the texture of Danny's blue number in season 3.

Another thing that bothers me is the proliferation of corsets and how those corsets are approached.

Here are some historical corset facts.

• the term 'corset' wasn't widely used to refer to structured undergarments outside of France until the late 18th century (1700's). Before tart they were called "stays" (16th-17th century) or "a pair of bodies" (15th-16th century)

• structured undergarments first appeared in the 15th century, as the bodice of under-dresses(kirtles) were lined with reed or Buckram to provide back and breast support and provide a smooth surface for the gown worn over it. It also provided a foundation for multiple layers of petticoats, so the waistbands wouldn't dig into your sides.

• Structured undergarments that existed independent of a kirtle or petticoat aren't in evidence until the 16th century (Elizabethan/Renaissance) and aren't widely used by all classes until the late 17th century.

• Most 16th-17th century boned foundation garments had straps, since they didn't reach down much farther than the natural waist,  unless they were designed with a high back.

• Corsets, stays and other structured undergarments were never worn without a shift/chemise/slip underneath because...

• Corsets chafe.

• Corsets are difficult to clean, but shifts are easy to launder. Shifts protect your skin from chafing and protect your very expensive corset from the oils produced by your skin

(Reproduction example of 15th century style kirtle, from Prior Attire. Source video here)

(Sansa's... corset here has this bizarre low back and 18th century style tabs on the bottom? It also seems to lace only down to her navel. Not quite sure what's going on here, it really doesn't seem to be supporting her at all.)

The reason I hate, hate, hate the way Sansa is costumed under her...  very suit-like gowns is  because she never ever is shown (so far) wearing anything under her corset; her gowns are all long-lined, flowing and loose fitting; and show only wears (usually) one petticoat under them. So in short, I dislike that Sansa wears a corset because Sansa has NO REASON to be wearing one.

◇◇◇◇Another Thing◇◇◇◇

I want to spotlight on a little thing from the commentary that really hits on one of my larger problems with the aesthetic interpretation of this show in general.

During one of the scenes with Stannis and Melisandre, Clapton mentions that they made Melisandre's hair a darker shade of red in season 3 than it was previously. She says the phrase "sort of makes her more earthy".

Yes. Let's make the FIRE priestess more EARTHY. LET'S JUST DO THAT. AS OF THIS SHOW ISN'T "EARTHY" enough.

There's this fantastic quote I read somewhere by GRRM about how he loves fantasy because it's colorful, where real life is gray and brown and olive and dull. Melisandre is arguably the most colourful character in the show/series. In the books, EVERYTHING about her is Red. And not just red. She's scarlet and crimson. When she's introduced there's this fantastic description of her wearing flowing robes of scarlet silk with slashes in it revealing a darker, blood red fabric underneath.

That was passed up for a monotone, very simply cut red gown and I can't stop asking myself why a designer would scrap something like that without even trying to pay homage to it.

This show just sort of takes everything colourful in Martin's world and MAKES it gray and dark for the sake of Gritty Realism (TM). I suppose that's part of trying to appeal to a wider audience, but I just find it increadibly visually uninteresting.

◇◇◇◇ONE MORE LITTLE THING◇◇◇◇

Is this the sofa from the Study in Clue?

???

[heroicadventurists]

Batgirls: The Legacy and Discord among fans

My journey into comics started in the 90s, thanks in large part to the X-Men cartoon. I loved everything about The X-Men; their powers, their fight for equality and their strong female characters. I started reading X-Men comics religiously until I graduated from college and started working at a bank.

Fast forward 9 years, and I go to my first comic book convention and I'm sucked in again. This time around, I'm interested in the Batfamily. I start buying bat related comics and my favorite character changes from Gambit to Red Hood. I actually love all of the Robins; and of course the only Batgirl I have ever known, Barbara Gordon, from the 90s cartoon.

I joined Tumblr to engage with the fandom and to my surprise, there is discord among Batgirl fans (specifically Babs, Cass and Steph). Some fans refuse to call the current Batgirl, Barbara Gordon, her vigilante name; and instead refer to her as Babsgirl?!?! Some Cass fans think Stephanie didn't deserve the mantle; and Stephanie fans don't think she gets the respect she deserves. I'm blown away, and slightly entertained by all of this. The rivalry is real among the Batgirls, moreso than what I've seen with the Robins. Let's talk about it.

Transitions of Power

When I think of Batgirls, I think of Robins. They are both equally important to the Batman mythos. At some point, for whatever reason, a Robin or Batgirl has transitioned out of the role. The transitions between the two groups have been slightly different.

Robins do not give up their mantle readily. They become jealous, angry and downright scary when they are "replaced".

Dick wrestling Robin Jason after a mission; Tim defeating Robin Damian in a fight; Damian defeating Robin Duke and the entire We are Robin crew; Jason defeating Robin Tim.

Now let's compare the Batgirl transitions.

In both Batgirl situations, the predecessor supports the transition of power (even if begrudgingly). There is no violence. The Batgirls handle the situation with more dignity and respect than the Robins. In the Robin's defense, their mantles were either forcibly taken from them or they were not aware they were replaced. The bitterness with The Robins is real.

You Deserve It 👏🏽..👏🏼.. 👏🏻👏🏾 ..👏🏿

I have been seeing several posts lately saying Stephanie didn't deserve the Batgirl mantle, and I wholeheartedly disagree. Again, let's compare the Batgirls to their male counterparts. Robin was created by Dick Grayson, however he outgrew the mantle and Batman's control. Missing Dick, Bruce made Jason his Robin after catching him trying to steal the tires off the Batmobile. That's all it took.

Tim truly put in the work to get the mantle of Robin, so it was probably a slap in the face when Dick took it from him and gave it to Damian. At this point in Damian's arc, he was insufferable. He was violent, arrogant and full of rage (not his fault). He did not deserve Robin; but to stop him from leaving Gotham, Dick handed it to him.

So we have 2 Robins who deserved it and 2 who did not, but by the end of their runs, all 4 made the mantle their own and are dynamic characters to this day.

Stephanie 100% deserved Batgirl. Before becoming Batgirl, Stephanie was already in the batfamily and operated as Spoiler. She even had a brief (and disastrous) stint as Robin. Stephanie was an ally to the bats, and "promoting" her to Batgirl was Bruce's way of saying he recognized her efforts and growth. This was a way to show Stephanie that she truly belonged in their ranks. It was well deserved.

The Batgirls love each other

Another difference between the Batgirls and Robins is their love for one another. These girls support each other, which cannot be said for the Robins. While the relationships with the Robins has vastly approved in New 52 and Rebirth, they still have their moments of discord. I say this because it's ironic that the Batgirl characters get along extremely well and have a sisterhood but the different fandoms have issues.

Babsgirl

When I first saw the phrase "Babsgirl", I didn't understand what it meant. It was only recently that I discovered it was a way to not acknowledge Barbara as the current Batgirl. What a slap in the face to her legacy and history. That's like calling Batman "Bruceman" because you preferred Dick's run better.

Barbara first appeared on the 1960s show Batman and eventually made her way into comics in 1967 (52 years). Barbara helped popularize Batgirl in mainstream media by appearing in animated movies, cartoons, live action shows and video games.

Barbara may not have been the first Batgirl to have a solo series but she laid the foundation for the modern day Batgirl (respect also to Bette Kane).

The Real Issue

The real issue isn't who carries the Batgirl mantle but what they are doing with Barbara, Cassandra and Stephanie. Again let's take it back to the Robins. All of the Robins have had their mantles removed but they continued to utilize Dick, Jason, Tim and Damian very strongly in comics and across media platforms.

Dick as Nightwing, Jason as Red Hood, Tim with Young Justice and Damian with the Teen Titans

All of the boys, except Damian right now, actually have personas that are better than Robin. The Robins have been allowed to headline their own comics, lead teams and interact with the larger DC Universe as a whole.

The only Batgirl who has been afforded this luxury is Barbara, which I attitribute to the strong foundation she has built in mainstream media. She has her own comic, she has created and led her own team, and she participates in DC crossover events as a main player.

I believe the divide between Batgirl fans is because the same is not afforded to Cassandra and Stephanie.

After Stephanie stopped being Batgirl, she became Spoiler once again (which is a great character) but she took a supporting role. As far as I know, she has not been on a team outside of a Bat related group. She just showed up in 2 episodes of Young Justice Outsiders that were cameos at best. I haven't seen any plans for her character at the moment, with Tim (her only storyline) being lost in the multiverse.

After Cassandra stopped being Batgirl, she took up the Black Bat mantle (awesome name) but due to legal reasons, DC couldn't continue using the name. Cass dissappeared for a while and returned as Orphan. This name is truly disrespectful because her adoption has been retconned, so it's a constant reminder, in my opinion, that she is not truly family. Things are looking up for Cassandra as she is on a new Bat sanctioned team and is getting a graphic novel. Her live action movie debut is also around the corner.

I think if Spoiler and Black Bat had been priority characters and participated in DC events, and joined teams outside of the batfamily, the discussion of who should be Batgirl wouldn't be a topic. Cass not getting a push isn't a Stephanie or Barbara issue and vice versa. Sometimes characters, no matter how great, don't get the pushes they deserve. There are tons of characters who fit this mold (Stargirl, Vixen, Booster Gold, Blue Beetle, Firestorm etc...). And this is not to minimize the situation. I can't imagine how it would feel to have your favorite character missued (Wally West, Roy Harper).

The Batgirl mantle has been held by 5 amazing women. The three in discussion have all brought something unique and special to the mantle. They have all deserved that mantle and represented it with dignity and respect. When I think of the Batgirls, I think of strong women who support one another. Role Models. Instead of creating dissension, fans of the Batgirls need to unite and push for better opportunities for both Stephanie and Cassandra outside of that mantle. Batgirl does not have to be the highlight of their career.

**I know this does not apply to all Batgirl fans

Much respect to the Batgirls

[punkscowardschampions]

Jesse & Jac

Jesse: 👍? Jac: 💃🥂! Jesse: Talk so I know you can Jac: 'course I can Jac: if I was in any way prohibited rn, I wouldn't be sending you emojis at the same time, rest assured Jesse: alright Jac: come on then Jac: what is it? Jesse: my question that is Jesse: ❤️ or 💔? Jac: 💔 the drinks are so expensive Jac: that's a pisstake Jesse: get one of the princes to get 'em in Jesse: or your 👸🏾 Jac: we're out with our course, the proper posh kids do bullshit pretentious non-subjects so everyone is pretty tolerable, thank god Jesse: 🎨 history, werent it? Jac: 🙄 for the girls Jac: some business shit so the lads can be less of a financial drain more of an asset to daddy Jesse: gutted for dad then, he'd love a bit of that Jesse: he'd probably love being the only lad on a course an' all though Jac: did not need that visual Jac: ew Jesse: it'll calm you down Jac: I've barely had any Jesse: weren't what I meant Jac: You're well subtle, I'd have no idea Jesse: don't have to be Jesse: not at the club with the girl I love Jac: shut up Jac: I just told you how many other people are here too Jesse: that only matters if you care Jesse: or she does Jac: I can't ignore her, can I Jesse: I don't reckon so Jac: you know what I mean Jesse: all the ✨ makes her hard to miss Jesse: I get it Jac: you are such a stalker, honestly Jesse: you weren't fuming when I told you about her ma Jesse: ain't turning it off and on Jac: well that was handy Jac: this, less so Jesse: 🔧🔨 🔩 ⚙️🧱 Jesse: not my 9-5 Jac: hush Jac: you'd like freshers Jesse: nah, I heard drinks prices are a pisstake Jac: you'd probably get some freebies as entertainment, duh Jac: I've barely been to sleep, like Jesse: dreams are gonna be a headfuck Jac: you've yet to convince me this isn't one big fever dream so Jac: if I go to 😴 do I 💀? Jesse: don't smack girls about even if I am related to 'em Jesse: you're on your own there Jac: s'noble of you Jac: considering the females you are related to Jesse: 🏆 Jac: yes, I hear they do give awards out for that Jac: congrats Jac: how is everyone Jesse: they're still everyone Jesse: same shit Jac: your predictability is appreciated at this time Jesse: she's unpredictable? Jac: yeah Jac: well Jac: she either isn't, and I just don't wanna admit Jac: or she is, and I can do something about it Jac: it's confusing, either way Jesse: go on Jac: well last night, we talked for ages and she said loads of stuff and then I came over for a sleepover, not that kind though Jac: but we were both drunk and now I don't know how much she meant or would say if she weren't, you know Jesse: stop sleeping in her bed Jac: I'm not right now Jac: [picture of the clerb like see] Jesse: so funny you Jac: she asked me Jesse: and you can't ignore her, I heard Jac: she did beg so Jac: it'd be rude Jesse: what? Jac: what do you mean what? Jac: she all but said I had to Jesse: for you or anyone Jac: I don't know Jac: [sends relevant chunk/ Jac: what do you think? Jesse: she always like that? Jac: is that a Q or are you telling me? Jesse: it's got a ? Jac: until yesterday, I hadn't spoken to her for 2 years, if you recall Jac: but we were always like that, kinda Jac: it feels different somehow but that could be wishful thinking on my part Jesse: Yeah Jesse: I dunno, you told me she was drunk so when I read it she sounds drunk Jac: yeah Jac: think so Jac: she was pretty wasted Jesse: & I dunno how girls talk to each other Jac: me either Jesse: when you were mates with Is what was her 🗨 like? Jesse: ever beg you to do owt? Jac: No Jac: maybe be nice to her but who wouldn't given Jac: it was nothing like that Jesse: what's Sav like with dickheads who ain't you? Jac: there weren't no one but us Jac: when she was in Dubo Jac: that was the whole thing Jesse: tonight then Jac: she's not going that hard with strangers Jac: you saw the ✨ Jac: obviously she's more social than I am Jac: but like, no it's not totally the same, even if I'm being brutally honest with myself on it, still think it's different Jesse: there you go Jac: what if she's a friendly drunk Jesse: you've been drunk with her before Jac: I also misread it last time Jac: that's why this is so fucking confusing Jac: 'cos I thought it was more last time 'cos of how she was, how we were, I didn't just get that from nowhere Jac: so I can't just go with my gut or common sense on it now either Jesse: Talk to her Jac: 🥺 Jesse: leave it til after freshers Jesse: give her a chance to be sober Jac: works for me Jac: I can find another excuse before then Jesse: You need to know Jesse: this course is how many years Jac: this part is 4 years Jesse: we ain't doing this back and forth for 4 fucking years Jac: come on Jac: I'm not forcing you to talk to me about it Jesse: you Jesse: will they, won't they is played out Jac: fuck off Jac: this isn't a tv trope it's my life Jesse: I know Jac: then quit being a dick about it Jesse: sorry Jac: it's alright Jac: let's forget it and I won't bring it up again Jesse: bollocks to that Jac: I ain't gonna resolve this any time soon, Jess Jac: unless she does which is as unlikely, I reckon Jesse: I'm going nowhere Jac: 👍 Jesse: thrilled, yeah? Jac: resigned to not getting rid, more like Jac: but sure Jesse: I reckon she might Jesse: you can have that be thrilled about Jac: [the bit about forever and not wanting to lose her] Jac: unless she straight up chats the opposite when she's pissed Jac: or I fuck it all up majorly, I know, like Jesse: 💕 Jesse: the ✨ make loads more sense now Jesse: she's gayer than you Jac: 😏 Jac: or less emotionally stunted Jac: but I'll take it Jesse: can't all inherit the poet's soul Jac: 💔 Jac: really, so devastated Jesse: sounds like Jac: if Jame starts writing poetry for his girlfriend, you have to send it to me so I can critique it Jesse: pay me to do it for him if he's got any sense Jac: you're not such a starving artist that you need to scam our little brother like that Jesse: no scam Jac: debatable Jesse: piss off Jac: ❤ Jesse: do one for you if you don't overspend at the club Jac: she don't like you, I been said Jac: she'll feel the 🤢 rising at your style Jesse: don't like her either Jesse: don't matter Jac: you're so rude Jesse: 💔 Jac: why not Jesse: why would I? Jac: there's nothing not to like Jesse: 1st I heard of her, she fucked you up Jesse: there's that Jac: it weren't her fault though Jac: it was just about her Jesse: how she handled it were her fault Jac: I don't think we can police that Jac: I certainly can't Jesse: like you said, didn't come out of nowhere Jac: if we go down the 'she led me on' path, we ain't ending up nowhere good Jesse: Alright Jac: just have no opinion Jesse: bit rude Jesse: but I get what you're saying Jac: blank slate, would be a better way to put it Jesse: 👍 Jac: I already said I'd sleep over tonight though Jesse: get out of it Jesse: you're 🤢🤮 or something Jac: in the head? Jac: obvs Jesse: well yeah Jesse: but like you're a lightweight Jesse: she ain't been drunk with you for ages either Jac: we planned this one last night too Jac: she's serially monogamous Jac: you don't think she's gonna wanna take a random home? Jac: she's not like that Jesse: you can't go home with her so she don't take a lad back instead Jac: that's not why Jac: that's what you think though Jesse: I think you need to stop sleeping together Jesse: I said Jac: but why Jesse: you don't spoon your mates Jesse: or watch 'em sleep Jac: so I'm a creep Jac: fine Jac: I'll go home Jesse: So she can't use you as a stand in boyfriend Jac: stop it Jesse: either she wants to be mates and she can't do none of that with you or she wants to be your girlfriend and she needs to let you know Jac: who says? Jac: we can do it if we want to Jesse: go on then, crack on Jesse: nowt can go wrong Jac: I'll decide for myself Jac: you don't need to tell me, you can't tell me anything I don't know Jesse: she'll decide for you Jesse: like before Jac: Whatever Jac: I'm going to carry on with my night now Jesse: Jac Jac: I'll talk to you later Jesse: just steady on Jesse: you know her, I don't Jesse: might be talking bollocks, probably am Jac: you don't need to go back on it Jac: I don't care Jesse: it don't sit right how quick and easy she's back where she were, that's what I was trying to say Jac: Okay Jac: I've heard you Jesse: it don't mean it'll go how it did before Jac: maybe it will Jac: I can't do anything about it Jesse: keep your guard up for a bit Jac: yeah Jesse: if I sound like I'm the one going back and forth on this, I am Jac: I'm powerless to it whatever Jac: there's no winning or outrunning or playing it cool or whatever the fuck you could suggest Jac: it's happening and it'll play out how it's going to Jac: it's fate Jesse: but 👎 from me that I'm powerless an' all Jesse: that's shit Jac: you'll live Jesse: will you? Jac: don't be a drama queen Jesse: or what? Jac: ❌🚫 you Jesse: reckon I'll live Jac: yeah right Jac: you live for this bullshit, clearly Jesse: 🖕 Jac: later loser Jesse: 👌