#to be clear I still think this whole interaction is hilarious

[talaok]

PostOutbreak!Joel likes reader but he tries to hide it because of the age gap. To try and put us off, he can be a bit standoffish/mean but Ellie can tell it’s a facade and tells him to drop it and the age thing doesn’t matter if you really like each other. Then a fluffy confession omggg

Pairing: PostOutbreak!Joel Miller x f!reader

Warnings: unspecified age gap, joel being a lil insecure and scared, and Ellie being a menace, but its mostly all fluff who am i kidding

a/n: this was the cutest fucking request ever, thank you anon

You know those books or movies where it's painfully clear to everyone but the two main characters that they love each other, and you keep reading or watching thinking "How could anyone not see that he likes her?" as you increasingly get more frustrated and annoyed?

Well, this is a bit like that,

not a bit actually, completely so.

And in this metaphor, you and Joel were the two oblivious main characters, while Ellie, poor Ellie, was the unfortunate witness of your blindness.

It was so incredibly clear to her that she sometimes struggled not to laugh at your interactions.

I mean the first time Joel saw you was the very first time she'd seen him blush and forget how to speak in the span of a second- it was hilarious.

And then when he'd catch him staring at you or pretend not to purposely take the longer route home just to catch a glimpse of you outside the bakery... it was hard to only chuckle underneath her breath, but she managed... 

until today

Joel slammed the door as he got it, like really loud, not like his usual slam.

"what's wrong?" Ellie asked, her brows frowning in suspicion as he kicked his boots off his feet before halfheartedly dragging them to the kitchen where she was sitting.

"nothin'" he grumbled, 

Now that made Ellie sigh with annoyance,

he was always the one to blab about how she could always confide in him, and if that was the truth, then that meant it went both ways.

"Y'know a grumpy old man once told me that it's good to share how you're feeling" She tilted her head to the side, raising her brow as Joel rolled his eyes, filling a glass with water "Would be real hypocritical of him to not take his own advice..."

Said old man, was now rolling his eyes even harder, drowning the full glass in a second

"'s nothing, don't worry 'bout it"

"Joel" Ellie only glared at him,

and as always when it was her,

he was convinced faster than he liked to admit

He sighed, before speaking "It's stupid" he said

"I don't care" Ellie shrugged, placing her elbows on the kitchen counter where she sat and using her hands to support her head, her whole focus on Joel,

who sighed, again.

"I just-" he placed the glass in the sink before turning back to her "I just saw y/n talking to I guy I-"

"Oh my god you're jealous!" she said it with such enthusiasm and with such a smile pulling at her lips that you would have guessed she'd just won the lottery

"no" Joel frowned, shaking his head "What are you on about? I'm not jealous, I just don't like the guy"

"yeah" Ellie snorted "I'm sure you just "don't like the guy"" she air quoted as she laughed 

"Why would I be jealous?" Joel went on pretending,

perhaps lying to himself together with her, the jury was still out.

"I'm just worried for her-" he argued "she's too kind and too fucking nice and Jake's an asshole"

again, Ellie only smiled as she watched him lie so blatantly

"why would you be jealous?" she pondered his question with amusement "well I don't know... maybe 'cause you have the biggest fucking crush on her"

"What!?" he spat "I don't know what's going on with you today, where did you get all these ideas? I-"

"Oh my god please shut up Joel" she groaned, rolling her eyes "That rude asshole act you do around y/n may work with her, but you don't fool me, Miller"

Ellie could swear she saw a hint of panic in his eyes

"I know you like her, just like I know she likes you" She finally said, done with this little act "I honestly don't get why you two don't just declare your love to one another and live happily ever after or some shit"

It was like he froze,

and while Ellie thought it was because he'd just been busted by a 14-year-old, it was for a wholly different reason

"she doesn't like me" he stated

And at that, at that Ellie could just groan as her palm descended dramatically down the length of her face

God, she'd always known he wasn't the brightest, but this? This is a little too much even for him

"Are you blind or something?" she threw her hands out for emphasis "She's definitely better at hiding it than you, I'll give you that, but I mean, still... it's fucking obvious dude!"

"Ellie" Joel only shook his head "you 'don't know whatcha talkin' 'bout"

Ellie was now very close to yelling at him.

"Joel I'm serious, she likes likes you!" she argued, "why do you find that so hard to believe?"

But of course, Ellie couldn't have known what was going on in Joel's mind, how certain he was that it wasn't true,

about how he knew he didn't deserve someone like you, someone so kind and beautiful and smart,

how he had spent months trying to get the thought of you to leave his tainted mind,

how he'd decided to be mean, rough, rude to you in the hopes that you would stop being so nice to him, in the hopes that you would start to avoid him, to hate him, and he'd never have to see you or that gorgeous smile again.

And finally, Ellie didn't know about how he was too incredibly, terribly old for you, for such a pretty young woman.

Half his hair was gray for god's sake, he never had a chance

"I could be her father Ellie" he finally confessed what had been eating up at him for so long "I'm too fuckin' old"

Ellie didn't even need a moment to take that it, she listened, thought about it, and immediately rolled her eyes

"SO WHAT?" 

You don't understand how long she had to pretend not to want to give the both of you a good shake, 

it was only right for her to finally shout it out

"First of all, you're not that old" she started listing, "second of all, she obviously doesn't care" she continued "and finally Joel, if you really like her, and if she really likes you, then it doesn't matter!"

But Joel was not convinced, he'd spent too long telling himself the opposite, and he couldn't even fathom the possibility of what Ellie was saying

"you just have to tell her"

she said it like it was easy, like the mere thought of it didn't give Joel a minor heart attack, like he hadn't woken up from multiple dreams where he would confess his love and you would laugh at his face, or worse, tell him you felt the same, something Joel knew not to be the truth.

Also, Joel had no idea when exactly throughout this conversation he'd admitted to liking you, but I guess it didn't matter now, it made no sense to keep the farse on.

"I can't Ellie, I-"

"oh my god you're such a chicken" she moaned "You're the one that always tells me to be brave!"

"that's different"

"how!?" she bugged her eyes, holding her palms up in show of her frustration "I get that it's scary, but what's the worst thing that could happen?"

And that, for some reason, stuck with him,

He really had nothing to lose,

It's not like you were friends or you would talk often, it's not like he would be ruining a relationship, there wasn't one,

And yet... yet it still terrified him,

"Ellie... I don't know"

"c'mon man, but your big boy pants on" she groaned "I'm telling you, she fucking likes you"

__ __ __

Joel didn't do it.

He couldn't. He just-

You were perfect, you were perfect in a way that made him feel all the more dirty,

like being close to you, talking to you, touching you... would be like plucking a flower with torn-up hands, 

And fuck him, but Joel was scared, like he'd gone back 40 years and become 16 all over again.

He couldn't do it, he couldn't, wouldn't do it, and he'd set his mind to that, made peace with his cowardness and dread.

Until of course, Ellie's twisted mind came up with a way to force his fears to life.

"Howdy"

The kid was smiling so broadly that she looked like a child with a brand-new toy,

but Joel's eyes were somewhere else,

he was looking at you

"Hi Joel" you smiled, punching a knife into his gut

You were at his front door with his kid, who was very clearly plotting something, and Joel wondered for a moment if this was what would finally make his heart give out.

"Hi," he said, his voice sounding distant

Why is she here?

"Aren't you gonna let us in?" Ellie urged, 

Us?

"Uhm, I-"

but Ellie had already sneaked inside, dragging you behind

And now the awkward scene was even more awkward, just at the entrance of his home.

"All alright" Ellie clapped her hands, watching Joel stare at you as you tried to avoid his gaze "I'm gonna go to my room," she said, shouldering him not so subtly

"Cool down dude" she mumbled, before disappearing upstairs.

What the fuc-

"I'm sorry to barge in like this" you finally spoke, a gentle smile on your lips "Ellie said you needed to tell me something, so I just... came here I guess" you finished with an awkward laugh

Fuck-fuckfuckfuckfuckfuck-

"If it's too much trouble I'll just go-"

"no," Joel said, before he could stop himself, finally realizing he was still holding the door's knob, and in a spur of bravery, deciding to use it to close the door.

"Oh, ok" you mumbled, puzzled by his demeanor "so uhm, what is it you needed to tell me?"

God damn that fucking trick-playing kid of his

"do you- do you want something to drink?"

the question took you aback, but then you did something that stunned Joel even more, you laughed,

you laughed softly, quickly, like you were letting out all this stupid awkwardness in a simple gesture

because that's how you were: Magical

"Sure" you shrugged, grinning "some water would be nice"

If Joel had to watch your face for an instant more he feared he was gonna explode, so he did all he could think of, he walked to the kitchen, only glancing at you again when he handed you your drink,

to his dismay, finding a smile still drawn on your lips.

"thank you" you said, taking a sip

god, even the way your lips wrapped around the rim made him want to drop to his knees.

He needed to get a grip.

"so... are you gonna tell me or do I have to guess?" you joked, your fingers drawing patterns on the glass

Was this really happening?

Was this hell?

"I..." he trailed off, running a hand through his hair as he glanced from the counter to you on repeat "I wanted to tell you that..."

"that?"

"that- the uhm-" he shut his eyes for a second, searching for words "the...bread you gave us this week was real good"

Goddamnit

"oh"

Even you couldn't hide your disappointment

I mean, you certainly didn't expect it. A compliment from Joel Miller? What universe were you in? 

Just like you didn't expect any of this... him actually letting you in his house or offering you water...

You had half expected him to shut the door in your face,

The most he had ever given you was a half smile at a joke you told him while he was picking up bread, the rest were all rude grumbles or just a bunch of stoic looks... 

and yet... yet a part of you couldn't help but have set expectations a little higher.

What a silly fool you'd been, 

hoping for a love confession from a man who has made it very clear he despises you,

but still- a girl can dream, right?

"thank you" you mumbled, as Joel cursed himself over and over in his head "that's very nice of you," you smiled, stalling a second to see if he was gonna say something else, interrupt you at some point,

but he remained silent

"well if that's all, I'm gonna go then, thank you for the water I-"

Until he wasn't

"no-stop- I-"

Ellie was right. 

He had to do this, he had to win his fear and try at least, or he was gonna regret it for the rest of his life, and he already had too many of those.

The problem was that you looked really beautiful today, and he'd never been good with words

Fuck it- if he was gonna make a fool of himself so be it,

He had nothing to lose and everything to win,

he had you to win.

"Yes?" you asked, trying to tame your hopes down

Think Joel, think

how the fuck do you tell a woman you like her?

"There's one other thing I've been meaning to tell ya" he cleared his throat, standing up straighter as he took a step closer to you.

"'m not great at doing this type of thing" he admitted, shaking his head slightly "but Ellie... she's right, I'm always tellin' her to be brave and everythin', so... I guess it's my turn now," he said, letting out a short, anxious laugh "I don't even know- I guess what I'm tryna say is that I'm gonna be honest now, but I want you to know that- that I know what you're gonna say and it's ok" he swallowed thickly, preparing himself from your inevitable rejection "I understand, really, I just- I thought I should try at least" 

What was going on?

What the fuck was he saying?

"Joel, what are you talking about?"

This was it.

It was now or never.

"Y/n I-"

his heart was beating out of his chest, and his legs felt like jelly, but he had to do it, he had to take a leap of faith-

"Y/n I like you" he breathed like the words longed to be out of his mouth "I like you a lot, I have for a while now"

he watched your mouth part, your whole face filling with shock as you blinked over and over, trying to make sure this was really happening.

"Y-you like me?"

"yes" he nodded "And as I said, I know you don't feel the same, I know I'm old, and I've been an asshole to you all this time, so it's ok, really I-"

"stop talking Joel" you huffed a laugh, stepping closer, and then closer again, until your hand was on his arm "please just-" you bit down a smile, and he was so confused, so fucking confused, "say it again," you asked

"I like you y/n" he murmured, trying to get his mind to start working again,

but you were leaning closer,

and who cared what his name was anyway

"you were rude to me"

"I was, I'm sorry I-"

You pretended to be thinking about it, glancing upwards as you pursed your lips together

But who were you kidding?

"you're forgiven" you smiled, looking up at him as you slowly raised yourself on your tiptoes to gently, oh so gently, press your lips to his.

Joel was certain he had just died.

But then he opened his eyes again, and you were still there, beaming up at him, and he felt such a wave of happiness that he could have started crying right there,

only he took on a different route and grabbed each side of your face with his hands, crashing his lips with yours and kissing you, kissing you like he'd been dreaming of for months

exactly how you imagined he would,

better than you imagined, actually

so much better.

"Ha! I told you, Joel!"

He groaned as he leaned away, shooting Ellie an annoyed glance

"What are you doin' here?"

"just came here to gloat" she shrugged, watching you two with a grin plastered on her face

"I think you've done enough of that" he muttered, but you could only smile

"thank you, Ellie," you grinned "Thank you for doing this"

She raised her brows, looking at Joel as if saying "See, she's thanking me, why aren't you?", but then her expression got more genuine as she shot you a smile

"you're welcome" she smiled "Better having to see you kiss than having to put up with Joel being all sad 'cause you're talking to Jack or any other guy"

You gasped with amusement as Joel shut his eyes in embarrassment, his cheeks tainting with red

"Ellie-" Joel grumbled, 

A soft giggle flowed through the room as Ellie turned away and went back up to her room, seemingly satisfied with her work

"You were jealous?" you teased him, your hands on his chest, while he'd moved one of his from your face to your waist.

"maybe I was" he fessed up

You smiled even brighter 

"And you like me?" you asked for the thousandth time

"yes, sweetheart, I really fuckin' like you" he smiled too now, his lips finding yours again in a kiss that made time stand still and the world spin around

"I like you too Joel" you finally said, giving the man an actual mini-stroke.

"say it again"

[lazyneonrabbitt]

Mr. Barnes Pt.2

Bucky Barnes x reader [pt.1] [pt.3]

The new guy at Sam's meetings is still a hot topic among the library staff, Mister Barnes finally gets a first name.

1.3k A short one this time but this was the best place to divide the story into chapters

Single dad Bucky, librarian reader, Sam still has his counceling job. Imagine John didn't absolutely fuck up and is currently being a decent Cap somewhere in the background.

You felt relieved when the day was over and you could free yourself from the endless begging. Sadly it didn't stop once you stepped back into the building the next day.

"Come on, pleeeasee!" Your coworker had her upper body hanging across the table as she pleaded with you to talk about what you heard during the meeting. Not that you were going to share. Why would you? It wasn't even planned that you caught someone speaking when you brought the food over, which was already an exception. Everyone knew the rules that were set in place during the meetings due to privacy reasons.

The whole ordeal lasted a week, all the way up to the next meeting when, as usual, all the staff was huddled and 'working' in the main area to catch a glimpse of the Sergeant walking in.

Except he never showed.

Sam had come in to start setting up, but his friend was not with him. Neither was he among the veterans that came trickling in, enjoying a fresh cup of coffee or just chat among each other before the meeting. Ten minutes after the start of it all your coworkers had disappeared back to actually doing work seeing their eyecandy wasn’t showing up today.

After the meeting ended Sam passed by to say hi and went on his way like he alwayd did, but with the object of everyone's obsession not being around, no one was near the front desk to say hi back besides you, who had taken the spot because no one else wanted to.

Of course they didn't. There was no pretty ex-soldier to drool over for all but ten seconds, so they all rather busy themselves elsewhere.

It wasn't until three weeks later that he showed up again and the whole place was in shambles over it.

It was also the first time Sergeant Barnes truly acknowledged the gaggle of women obsessively staring at him.

A look in their direction and a soft smile was all it took to have them stumbling over words, dropping books and tripping over air in his presence.

Truly, it was hilarious to see grown women turn into mush from one simple smile, but you weren’t immune to it either. The words you were so profesionally typing into the outgoing email had turned into gibberish when your eyes fell on the handsome Sergeant and his magazine cover worthy smile.

"Buck,” Sam fell into step beside him. “please do me a favor and keep the usual charm hidden. Don't give them ideas." He put a hand on his friend's shoulder when the meeting had ended and they found themselves in the main area once again. "Don't get me wrong, it's good to see you're out of the house and interacting with people. I just don't want them stalking you even more than they already do."

"They're stalking me? I think I would have noticed.." Bucky shrugged at his friend's advice as he hung his bike helmet over his forearm, giving his friend a sceptical look.

"Oh believe me.” Sam raised his brows and nodded toward the women now suddenly very busy in their respective corners. “They spent the last three weeks glued to the entrance waiting for your leather clad ass to show up and later on whining to me about where you were, like they were concerned for you instead of just missing their eye candy." He made his point clear by giving Bucky a once-over, looking him up and down.

"Really? I'm home taking care of Maxie and the librarians are asking for me?” To say Bucky was confused would have been an understatement. “They know why I'm coming to these meetings, right? I mean, they'd probably run off the second they hear me talk in there."

Sam and Bucky shared some laughs before making their way out of the building. This time Bucky listened to his friend and only nodded kindly at the women who waved them off as Sam bid them a good day with grand gestures.

You were crouched behind the front desk when the bell above you chimed, announcing a person needing your assistance stood on the other end. With a groan you made your way back up slowly and were met with the bluest eyes once you made it back to a standing position.

"Oh.” Shit. “H.. hi Sergeant. What can I help you with?" Lords, that was a dumb question to ask. He had a book laying on the counter, ready to be checked out.

A copy of The Hobbit sat before you, mocking you.

"The Hobbit, huh." You quickly mutter to distract from your previous question. "You like fantasy novels?" God that was stupid, of course he did. He’s checking out The Hobbit, for christ’s sake.

A soft hum and a nod was all you got as answer while he was busy fishing his card from a worn leather wallet attached to his belt loop by a silver chain. The wallet was a simple one, nothing fancy or fashion-forward. It was purely practical, probably because of his soldier background he felt that functionality was mkre important than looks.

"Here." Sergeant ...James, according to his library card, sighed quietly at the sight of the piece of plastic.

"Thank you, James." You tried to stay professional with the handsome soldier before you, taking the card from him and holding it to the reader. It beeped as the screen displayed his account, having you furrow your brows in confusion.

"Huh, that's strange.." Mumbling mostly to yourself as you are interrupted by James asking what was wrong, watching you with brows raised in wonder.

"I guess it must be an error. The system has your age set as one hundred and seven." The little huffed laugh at the end did nothing to mask the awkwardness, but luckily James shrugged it off.

"Oh yeah, ignore that.” His eyes didn’t meet yours as he spoke, fingers fidgeting with a loose thread on his glove. Shit, the gloves. She probably found them weird as hell. ‘Who wears gloves in summer, Buck? No one.’ “The lady who put in my account messed up so it's like that now." He hated it. He hated that when he got all his new cards they had his actual date of birth on it. He hated having to come up with lies to make it all sound normal. Luckily he was used to making up excuses about it by now, so he wouldn’t have to tell the pretty, kind librarian that he was in fact a world war two veteran slash ex-assassin.

“wait,” After a beat of silence you spoke up, a smile pulling at the corner of your mouth as you looked at James’ eyes that were still avoiding yours like the plague. "I am technically allowed to give you senior benefits now.” Bucky’s eyes caught yours at that. Senior discount? No one else had ever mentioned that before. Then again, he never really went anywhere that required cards and accounts. So he listened to what the offer included.

“You know, longer borrowing times, extra email reminders.." You gave him a look, not believing he was convinced yet. "Free coffee whenever you're in here. Even outside of the meeting days." James nodded with raised brows, a hint of a smile on his lips. "Can't say no to free coffee." Bucky liked his coffee, more than he’d ever admit. And to be fair, the extra borrowing time would come in handy as well if he’d ever plan to read a novel to Maxie when she insisted on reading way too difficult books on her own. Maybe he’d read the Hobbit to her, share that first time reading experience with her.

"Well then, Mister Barnes.” You placed his card on the book and scooted it towards him. “You're all set, and enjoy your reading." Without thinking you gave him your best customer service smile, kicking yourself mentally once you noticed. You hoped he hadn't.

Bucky watched your little head tilt, squinting and smiling that practiced smile. Paired with that little tone shift in your voice it was clear you slipped back into friendly librarian mode.

It was cute, but he’d never admit that out loud. No, no way in hell he’d embarrass himself like that.

[canmom]

finished Carmilla. what a wonderfully silly novel that was. I need to download an ebook to count how many times Le Fanu uses the word 'languid'.

that said, reading with modern eyes, I think it's a bit of a victim of many subsequent novels elaborating on vampires, and some of the conventions of Victorian literature - in particular, the rule that the narrator has to survive in order to recount the tale, and the evil must be overthrown and tied up neatly. worse, Laura ends up an entirely passive character, with the final resolution seeing Carmilla killed by a couple of side characters, one of whom hasn't even been mentioned up to that point.

the novel is at its best when Carmilla and Laura are interacting. I would have liked to see Laura return Carmilla's affections a bit more, rather than just being like 'well that was weird' every time Carmilla lezzes it up or says something hilariously morbid. but there is definitely humour in her being very literally the straight girl.

I've seen subsequent adaptations of Carmilla, notably my friend Maki @mxmy's Dr Carmilla character, who's - at least in what is released so far - a space vampire with a habit of picking up waifs and strays and turning them into immortal pirates, something which tends to end badly for everyone. the other is (if anyone still remembers) the 2014 Carmilla web series on youtube, which is set in a college dormitory in the States, and presents Carmilla in a more positive light. in the end, I was a little surprised to find both these works take little other than the premise of 'lesbian vampire called Carmilla' and her relationship with a girl called Laura or Lorelei. the web series pulls in a few other names from the novel but completely reframes the situation, adding a new male vampire who is exploiting Carmilla to act as a villain (it was 2010s pop-feminism, you know how it goes). Dr Carmilla currently only vaguely hints at the relationship between Carmilla and Lorelei in the released songs, but involves a new apocalyptic scenario (I think that's about all I can say) - but it does at least keep Carmilla as an itinerant traveller, and keeps the tragic air of the story.

it is not entirely made clear in the novel if the waking Carmilla is aware of her vampiric excursions. it's easy to suppose while reading it that she's just a good liar who's taking them all for a ride, and I think that's still the best supported interpretation, but I think there's equally a reading where she's unaware of the whole vampire thing, and genuinely likes this daft straight girl Laura and before her, the general's daughter. if she is aware, she's really bad at covering her tracks, particularly with her disappearing act. the whole anagram schtick is explicitly named as a rule she has to operate under, but there's plenty she does to tip off her victims and their families. perhaps the point is that she's just charismatic enough to get away with it.

the character of carmilla's mother is a thread that never quite seems to get resolved. the natural assumption is that she's another vampire, dropping her daughter off in a new feeding ground - but since the ending acts like Carmilla was the only surviving vampire, I wonder if perhaps she should be taken as an illusion conjured by Carmilla, perhaps the reason she has to be sent away on a mysterious carriage ride as soon as possible in each instance?

the vampire is traditionally taken to be in part a symbol of the feudal past of cruel aristos persisting and corrupting the rational present, something that makes plenty of sense for Dracula, but in Carmilla's case, nearly every character is a castle-dwelling aristocrat of some sort, and the peasants and servants are treated as mostly beneath notice by the narrative and characters (one scene that stands out has Carmilla, feeling insulted by a trinket seller, idly talk about how in her day she'd have called for his bloody execution - a comment that seems to bother Laura very little). the main characters are even related to Carmilla's family. perhaps just a case of early iterations of an idea, not yet fully formed.

one thing I do like about Carmilla is the amount of physical affection - Carmilla is constantly touching and kissing Laura, and while Le Fanu probably didn't mean this the way we would today, it provides for strong images of sickly Carmilla draping herself all over her new object of affections, like she's acquired a new favourite doll. I can see why this is widely understood as a lesbian novel even though it's very Victorian; it's kinda dark yuri, like Carmilla is coming into the lives of these lonely girls and kind of lovebombing them with expressions of affection and devotion, and whomst among us... it would take many more decades of horny writers to really get into the eroticism of vampiric blood drinking itself though, which here largely takes place in a deniable way, while Laura is sleeping.

despite the reputation for Victorian novels to be long and rambling, this was a rather brisk book. I honestly wish it was a bit longer - a very obvious addition would be a chance for Laura to talk to Carmilla once she's finally figured out the vampire thing, instead of rushing to the ending. it seemed Le Fanu was more interested in explaining vampires (fucked up amirite), which makes sense for the time, but nowadays we all know what the deal is with vampires and instead the core relationship is the interesting part. ah well! it's worth the time to read.

[babyboywinchester]

Helloo,

I am kinda new to the supernatural fandom (i saw the show but don't interacted much with the fandom) - and i just have a few questions if you don't mind. So, were do i even start? I knew that shipping is always a part of any fandom. And i don't mind this.. i mean this is what fanfiction is for. But i am know kinda disturbed from the whole D/C... some of these people a extremly obsessive with this ship. In a really unhealthy and toxic way. Why do so many people ship this?? Like were is the chemistry, hell were are even all this moments they are talking about?! The reason why i am writing this whole long ass question (which turned out to be a rant - i'm so sorry for this) is.. i saw this video on youtube (some dest*el stuff) from the "official" spn channel and do you know if this is is even a real channel.. it has soo less follower and since this *ship* is not even close to be canon, why post then such a video? Like i said, i am new maybe i am missing some parts... but some of the few stuff i saw was that it was always clear that this ship is nowhere near canon.. so first the podcast of these extras and now the yt video on the channel... it kinda makes me sad that soo many people are always are talking about this weird ship.. and not about the beautiful relationship between the brothers.

Puhh this message really did get out of control... gosh i am so really sooo sorry!! Hope you have a nice day😊

Apologize not, dear anon! I’m more than happy to explain from my point of view.

First, know that you are not the only one, and in fact, Destiel (the diehard Hellers that is) is in the minority as far as fandom goes. They’re loud and they’re in echo chambers that occasionally escape containment and they rightly so get ridiculed and taken to task for… but I digress. They are small. They’ve made the whole show, in their minds, about this one Totally Canon Ship™️ that For Real Happened On God when… neither of those things are true.

We could try and get to the why of it, but I’m not too sure there is one definitive answer to that. They’re cry babies who think, essentially, TV shows have to cater to them because they said so.

Supernatural was never about and never will be about a “gay” angel and a “bi” hunter who are Totally Forreal Husbands Look At The (non existent) Subtext™️. The channel I’m sure was being run by a runaway heller. Go ahead and check the view counts on those videos by the way… minimal. That’s AFTER Destihellers tried to use their “influence” to get those numbers up. It’s hilarious how often they are absolutely destroyed over their delusions. It never gets better for them and never will. No matter how loud, how much they tout the “we have 1 millions fics on AO3!”, or how insistent they get with their gay lighting theories, Dean dances with a lamp which is a stand in for Casshole, etc…. They’re grasping at straws and have nothing to show for it. They are but to be pitied dear anon.

Am I any better being as I ship wincest? Yes, because wincest will never be canon, and I’m okay with that, but it’s still more canon than Destiel being as it was a American gothic horror show and one of the main themes in that genre is… fucked up family dynamics/incest.

They don’t call it LOSEcest.

Thank you for your ask and like I said do not fret and try not to feed those little beasties.

[aristaspark]

Kenlynn endgame: How can I still think they have any chance of getting back together after THAT season?

Chaos Theory Season 3: Part 1

Don't worry I'm not blind. This season was HORRENDOUS for Kenlynn. They killed them in every way you can possibly kill a ship, then burried them, then had Kash dance on their grave.

Not only did they not interact at all this season, but they have made it clear that the plane scene was Kenji's last straw with Brooklynn, he was DONE with her. Done trying to prevent her from ruining her life after she proved one to many times that she was eager to ruin it.

He was the one to run after her to that airport and she chose to push him away again, she chose her work over him once again, she chose to go off on her own again, so now he finally does the only thing that makes sense: he lets her. He has tried too many times already, and it always ended the same, with him being heartbroken. She wants to be a solo player, then he lets her, he will not give her the opportunity to break his heart again. He's given her one last chance to choose him in front of that plane, but she jerked his hand away. He's done trying to get it back.

So why in hell do I think they are endgame? Don't think that's because I'm stupid and can't see that they absolutely ruined the heck out of them.

No, that's actually because that's more or less what I predicted would happen. Sure I didn't expect it to happen exactly in that way, (a lot of my theories were made at a time when I was convinced we would only get 3 seasons) but if you look at my theory on how I thought the show would end the essence is there.

I'm putting it here to be totally transparant: a lot of it IS wrong. The first part is hilarious to look at now.

But the second part? Though I was shook at how much they were willing to destroy the bond between the characters, I knew that Kenji was finally going to set a bondarie with Brooklynn after the plane scene. And don't get me wrong, I'm not delusional enough to tell myself that he's *pretending* not to care. He has lost the ability to care. Brooklynn has simply hurt him too much, too much for someone who was supposed to love him. He can't bring himself to go out of his way and care for her anymore when all she's done is show that she didn't care about him time and time again.

The third part isn't accurate because, as I said, at the time I thought we would only have 3 seasons, so I didn't think we would get a whole season of Kenji being done with Brooklynn as well as a more progressive and far less angsty Dinostar reunion.

But my opinion hasn't change in that already at the time I knew that Brooklynn was going to be the one to have to prove that she was worthy of Kenji. That after all she's put him through, she was finally going to be the one that would have to show that she cared.

If you look closely, their roles have been reversed. I know that it's shocking to see Kenji so easily "not caring" about her, but when we think about it that was what Brooklynn had been doing to him.

I think that season 4 will be Brooklynn's redemption arc with Kenji. You could argue that it will be with Sammy too, there will absolutely be some of that, but Sammy's reaction to Brooklynn was more than anything else a puzzle piece in her arc with both Yasmina and her family that had been going on since season 1.

Because when you look at JWCT, and it's something that one of the writers confirmed on here, everything was written at once (which is why it's so good). From the beggining they knew where these characters had started and where they would end up. Each scene is made to lead up to something.

Take Yasammy for example: Their relationship was stained at the start of the show for very understandable reasons. But then the they made up. And yk, there was that thing with Sammy and her family that was mentionned in season 1 and that carried through season 2, without us ever really getting to know why it was there. And then Yazammy breaks up seemingly because of Brook, but really it's the culmination of all these story arcs that seemed kinda random and aimless at first. Sammy still resents Yasmina for the distance she put between them, and while Yasmina thinks Sammy was in the right in the conflict with her family, she doesn't understand how Sammy could shut them out so easily. We thought they were good after season 1, they were absolutely adorable in season 2, then boom, they were actually not good. Brooklynn was merely what made them realize just how much they couldn't see eye to eye anymore. THIS IS FREAKING AWESOME WRITING.

What does that have to do with Kenlynn?

As I said, these characters are not written randomly, they have arcs that have started in season 1 and that will end in season 4.

Season 3 was the absolute death of Kenlynn, even I can't argue against that. But it's part of their arc. A lot have been set up for them, and season 4 will be where all these set up will pay off.

Kenji broke up with Brooklynn because she neglected him for her work while he was still in love with her, she died a few days later leaving him regretful and heart broken, he finds out she is alive and for a moment he forgets all his rescentment and confusion because she's alive and it overpowers everything else so he runs after her despite everything she did to him, vulnerable as ever... but she chooses to leave him again. He tried everything to get her to stay, and now he has his confirmation, it will never work.

So now we have season 3 Kenji, who is a Kenji who has finally accepted that he is done trying. It really seems like there is no come back from that, even to me this season felt like the end END. But it's not, this season is part of an arc that had started in season 1 (dare I say in camp creataceous 🤣) and that will end in season 4.

But this time the roles are reversed.

I think I'm going to stop here and continue in other posts lol, but here are some points I will mention later because I can already see what some will say:

- Nothing in this season changed my opinion on Brooklynn's feelings towards Darius (on the contrary). Don't get me wrong, they are ADORABLE. But Brooklynn wasn't in love with Darius when he confessed, and she still isn't now. She loves Darius, he is her best friend. That's it.

- Nothing in this season changed my opinion on Brooklynn's feelings towards Kenji.

- I will talk more in detail about Brooklynn's story arc because many things I had predicted happened in this season

And some other things I guess

[spittyfishy]

What are your General Headcanons and Relationship Headcanons on The Bubbler?

Ooo interesting question! And good timing too, with season 6 starting to come out I can just feel the miraculous brain rot returning lol. But anyway, Bubbler!

•He’s Adrian’s ride or die, like Bubbler always has his back and hypes Adrian up whether he wants it or not.

•Like anyone who has beef with Adrian now also has beef with Bubbler because he’s not going to stand for anyone being mean to his Best Bud.

•Probably reaching Marinette levels of knowing where Adrian is and always being around him. Similarly he’s also at least a little in love with Adrian (I mean really what else is the justification for ‘my bestie doesn’t get a birthday party so I guess I’m just going to kill every adult in Paris’?)

•Would Not get along with Wayhm/Party Crasher, he’d definitely see him as both competition for Adrian and also just super annoying.

•That being said I don’t think he’d have issues with Marinette the same way since she’s just sort of part of the friend group anyway. Plus I don’t think Nino was aware of her crush on Adrian that early in season one considering one of the subplots in Animan was Nino telling Adrian HE liked Marinette.

•I think he’d get along well with the other Akumas from the class, some more then others of course. Like Stone Heart and Evillustrator probably aren’t really ‘fun’ enough for him to want to hang out with, but people like Princess Fragrance and Timebreaker would party with him.

•Lowkey would be kinda funny if Dark Cupid was the first one to pick up on the whole Bubbler being in love with Adrian thing. Like he just has a sixth sense for these things.

•Cause to be clear I don’t think Bubbler is really aware of that fact. Like he’s just like “isn’t everyone a little in love with their bros?” It just doesn’t register as an actual event.

•Cue Princess Fragrance trying to play matchmaker and get them together, likely roping in Reflekta and anyone else she can to help.

•Which then leads to an awkward and hilarious Marinette/Dark Cupid/Chloé team up to try and stop Princess Fragrance’s efforts since none of them want Adrian dating Bubbler.

•Think like the Marinette Chloé team up from Animaistro but with the added chaos of Dark Cupid having no chill.

•Unrelated to any of that but Bubbler and Miracular would be absolute besties. Like same Akuma different font almost lol. They each just have their Silly Little Guy (Adrian and Chloé respectively) and want to hang out with them all the time! Is that so wrong?

•Bubbler would still try to stay in contact with Chris a bit, but I think he’d cut their parents off entirely. Like I don’t think Bubbler interacts with any grown ups unless it’s like completely unavoidable. Which big oof for the family and definitely rough for Nino to try and fix after the fact.

•He barely tolerates the other Akuma parents, and definitely doesn’t understand why the likes of LadyWifi, Miracular, Horrificator, Gamer, and Reflekta still want theirs around. (Animan, Rodgercop, Mime, StarTrain (though I guess she really wouldn’t be around much), and Captain Hardrock and Guitar Villain respectively)

•He does not care for Lila/Volpina either, he clocks her advances towards Adrian immediately and isn’t having any of that.

•Similarly, Bubbler sword fighting Riposte. (He does not win)

•He thinks he’s great with the little kids, I mean he’s a terrible influence obviously but at least he’s fun. I think he’d use his bubbles to make a big bouncy castle for Puppeteer, Sapotis, Sandboy, Risk, Chris/Christmaster, all the little gremlins lol.

•Still has the Nino/Rocketear trait of thinking Chat Noir is a loser, but that’s more from a general Akuma dislike of the heroes then anything else. Though it would be kinda funny if since he never sees Adrian around when Chat Noir is there that he figures Adrian is the one that doesn’t like Chat and so that’s why Bubbler extra hates him. Best bro solidarity.

Hopefully this answer works, I just sort of came up with stuff as I went

[wonyrs]

fluster

enha hyungs x fmr gnr non-idol au, est. relationship warnings food wc 939 + library #

‘ enha hyung as ur 'homies' ! REQ

lee heeseung

" ayyy how u been bro?"

plays along and even replaces his normal petnames with something he'd usually call the members but NEVER you (until now)

um... hello? where is the endearing "why'd u call me that babe 😢☝️?" where is the begging for a kiss? where is the desperate attempts at pda we were hoping to see? this wasn't the plan at all (like... at ALL)

he tries to hide his laugh when u give him the stink eye and keeps up his act

even going as far to pretend like he isn't seeing ur hand inching closer to his and lifts it up to 'brush' the hair from his face

second attempt at holding his hand ended up with him fishing his phone out from his pocket and showing u an extremely!!! hilarious... insta reel.

ur plan has reversed; instead of him dying for ur affection, its now u trying to stop him from treating u like any other person before u physically cannot take it anymore

"ok man. i see how it is man. bye man." this is ur cue to stand up, run away and never look back for ur own emotional sake

if it weren't for heeseung GRIPPING onto ur shirt with the most gobsmacking laugh u've heard coming out his mouth, to the point tears were trsiling down his face from how hard he's laughing

"wait- wait [name]! you started it, come back!"

park jongseong

" how are u doing BABE? how's life BABE? "

mommm [name]'s acting weird again, i think the heat's getting to them

he acts like he can't see ur hand in the air and continues to kiss u right on the lips (but he still moves ur arm down for safety measures)

"what's good, dude?" "baby, who are u talking to? it's only us in this room lol 🤨"

u try again with dapping him up but immediately he turns around and oh so suddenly the wall is soooo interesting

for the whole hour u mess with him and call him 'bro, dude, gang' and shit like that while he just sneakily rolls his eyes and goes on with his day- while most likely wondering what on earth was wrong w u

he'd be in the kitchen washing the dishes while ure trying to hold his hand and have it dap urs up

but is he paying attention?

lmfao no

he goes on with his day since he knows u cant go another hour without his love and so he has nothing to worry about (unless u actually DO go for another hour, then he's actually going to believe something's wrong with u)

eventually u give up and go back to slumping on his back. the months u've spent together gave jay a clear understanding on ur antics and gave him some time to prepare for anything u had up ur sleeve

" tired already? an hour, new record babe. good job"

sim jaeyun

" why are u doing this to me "

the moment u refuse his hug and opt for a more... different greeting, jake malfunctions for a bit

he trys to hug u again but u extremely remain still

whines complains when u keep up the 'homeboy' act

"i swear we acted like a normal couple yesterday, did i make u mad pookie? 😥" sneaks in some of the petnames u absolutely LOATHE just for a reaction

hates when u replace the lovely kiss-and-hug interactions with dapping him up like a BRO

most likely complained to the enha gc abt ur 'unearthly' behaviour (u get his ass on that later) and cries that he might never see the old u again

the urge to drown him in all the love u've kept in since u met up is eating u alive But watching him practically cry over ur feet is helping u out a wee bit

"chat this is absolutely hilarious what are we thinking" "WOW! Hahaha so funny!! Such a kneeslapper! can u stop now 😐."

Hes dead serious when he says this btw Like full on eye contact with furrowed eyebrows, but a small pout is resting on his face

he was fine with the joke at first but then he just got more eager for ur touch as the hours went by

u stare for a bit before engulfing him in the biggest hug ever while peppering his face with an abundance of smooches

"finally! u dont know how long ive waited for this"

park sunghoon

" did u eat something funny? "

just stares. nothing else, just stares

eventually u have to drop ur arm because the silence just got too awkward

was he mad at u? (ofc not) Maybe hoonie just needed to load and take a bit to process the scene in front of him

"i dont think u should be doing this to your boyfriend, babe. it doesn't really fit the loving couple vibe yk 🤖"

even when sunghoon continues to act like everything's normal u keep on persisting with acting like close-bro-friends

... only to be met with the most baffled face ever.

he wonders if ure roleplaying as some character or just genuinely going insane

decides to go along with whatever you're doing and continue the day as normal as it can get

when u get tired of the lack of attention, u drop the act but unconsciously refer to him as bro

muscle memory(ish) fr

"dude can you at least act interested?" "um excuse me? what'd u just call me"

HELLO. where was this dumbfounded hoon when u need him?

ure actually laughing atp because he doesn't even look like he knew what was wrong

the whole time u kept up w the joke, he didn't even look like he cared UNTIL u got tired and talked in ur normal tone

"don't ever say 'dude' in a serious tone like that. scared me, babe."

@ wonyrs 2023

note sorry anon for not taking ur request after like 2 weeks... i've needed some motivation to write SORRY.. also maknae version is next :> requests open!

[my-current-obsession]

The male options in Guardians of Azuma are all SO GOOD this time. The only one I'm even "meh" on is Ikaruga. I know about the ability to "change my fate" and jump to a new timeline to experience different marriages, and I'll definitely take advantage of it when the time comes, but honestly I'm having a hard enough time just picking who to START with (and thus who my semi "canon" choice is) because they're so good. Spoilers up to just before the ending (I think?) below.

Fubuki was my initial fave based on design alone, and I still really like him. He's also the only one I've already started dating. I probably WOULD have dated Mauro by now... if I could have. Him being story-gated so late is honestly ridiculous. The game is just teasing me with his presence and the possibility of something more but no way to cash in on it for literally the entire game until right before the ending. I'm definitely excited for more content with him though. Just got the scene where Kaguya tells him she wants him to stay and they pinky promise he'll let her know if/when he decides to go. It's VERY cute.

I just finished Kai's pre-romance story, and it's fantastic. It also ends on a pretty overtly romantic (albeit gendered) note with the dynamic of his teasing going too far, thus making her cry and then him getting flustered and trying to apologize. And then the FACE REVEAL and Kaguya legit having a "wow, you're gorgeous" reaction! To be fair, I was reacting the same way. His eyes are beautiful. But the mask is nice too in its own way, so I won't mind if he insists on never taking it off again.

I really love him and probably prefer his personality and dynamic with Kaguya to Fubuki's. But I would hate to get in the middle of his situationship with Kurama...

Then there's Subaru. I tend not to like when a game pushes a specific love interest down your throat (like Sumia for Chrom in Fire Emblem Awakening), showing a clear bias in who the devs intend to be "canon", but... at least the writing really supports it this time. Childhood friends ending up on opposing sides, AND they were engaged? Consider me invested. Some players may not care about him or want to save him (or just fumble it since Woolby is screaming not to and they assume they'll get another chance later) but it was so clear that KAGUYA cared and was willing to sacrifice a lot for him. As someone who doesn't self-insert much I liked seeing her assert herself more and actively try to save him, even though I as player got final say. And then it's hilarious how the other villagers started prying into her relationship with him. Sweetie I don't think you can try to downplay something with a "that's all" when you're ENGAGED, even if your parents set it up. The flashbacks set a certain tone and I personally can't buy that there's no romantic feelings there. I also found it notable how both Kaguya and Subaru gifted each other something that you'll see them wearing for the entire game (although you can replace Kaguya's, but only outside of story scenes. Subaru's is there no matter what headgear you give him) Once you know the context behind the items it feels significant that your protag will continue to wear it for the rest of the game. I haven't finished Subaru's pre-romance story yet but just based on the actual main plot of the game I HAVE to see this one to the end. I am also very interested to see how this route will differ when playing as Subaru and interacting with an NPC Kaguya.

I still like the remaining guys but I think I'm definitely saving them for future playthroughs, or at least waiting until I've seen the full routes of the previous 4 guys. I liked Kurama's story about slowly opening up, both to you and to everyone as a whole. And I enjoy how much he likes all games. But the gamer speak. It hurts my soul. On the one hand it's wild and hilarious that that anyone in this vaguely medieval fantasy game would talk like that. On the other hand, I kind of wanted to die hearing him say things like "GG. EZ." and saying he's "goated". I enjoy a lot of things people find cringe, but maybe he's the wrong KIND of cringe for me. I dunno. But outside that context I do enjoy him in the story and when he pops up in others' routes. And I can certainly relate to being a shut-in. And as I mentioned I quite like his dynamic with Kai. Part of me hates to get between them, but if I am going to... I do admittedly like Kai much more.

Murasame is very kind and very handsome, but I thought his story was only okay. I do find it endearing how he asks to go with you into the field/dungeons because it makes me think of how Dylas is protective of you in RF4 once he's warmed up to you and he similarly asks to be brought along... but then I thought about it more and it's just as likely that Murasame just wants a challenge and excuse to train, and isn't coming along to look after you, so. :/ I will say I was surprised and happy at his continued story relevance. The writers just kept finding ways to keep him involved, and it felt good and earned. I genuinely loved him and Matsuri ambushing you for a boss fight.

Ikaruga is... fine? I think it's cute that he's a foodie, but he's very uptight and serious. And he's a bit aloof and distant for my tastes. I did enjoy that Kaguya kind of needled him a bit throughout his story. I took it as her way of getting back at him for the less-than-friendly first impression. She forgives, but doesn't forget. His route is also a prime example of a problem I have with this game's bonding/story system as a whole - every character has a full story and arc of their own... but you CAN'T finish it unless you date them. Most of them try to end on a decent note before the cutoff. But many still have lingering threads that I want to follow even if I'd rather NOT romance the character.

Like, Ikaruga's pre-romance route ends with the two of you promising to defeat a certain monster together... And then NOTHING. I assume we will track down and avenge his master if I date him. But why do I HAVE to date him to get that story satisfaction? Why should I HAVE to date Iroha to see her continued efforts at revitalizing and showing off her village?

To compare this to another series... these bonding events feel like Persona social links. But instead of reaching the full ending of the link, we're stopped partway through and can ONLY proceed if we romance them. There's no platonic way to complete their stories, and it frustrates me. I WANT more content with everyone. Even the characters I'm not super into, I enjoy their individual stories. But I'm not allowed to finish them unless I go through romances I'm not interested in.

Finally, to go back to Fubuki... he overwhelms me with cuteness. His design and soft and sweet personality are very adorable. And I'm definitely enjoying how he's more awkward and shy, though I do hope he gets over his tendency to blame himself (and be overly harsh on himself in general) for everything. I waffled for a while before pulling the trigger on dating him. Ultimately, since I was definitely going to see his route through it made sense to do him first since he WAS my initial favorite. He was also conveniently the first one of my Big Faves that I COULD date. Kai and Subaru came later, so have lower affinity, and Mauro is. Well. STILL not available to date despite being the literal first guy introduced. I have a feeling I'll eventually come to love one of the other three guys more overall when I see their complete story, but Fubuki is still great. And it hasn't even happened yet but I feel AWFUL that I'm going to break his heart when I explore the other options. But I do intend to date more than one person prior to marriage, both because I want my first MARRIAGE choice to be whoever my ultimate favorite is, and because I'm curious to see what sort of "jealousy" content this game has. But he's so sweet and he doesn't deserve that.

Ultimately I have a fair number of complaints about this game... but I do still love it a lot. I'm already looking forward to my second run where I'll have to debate which girls to date/marry instead. As a whole I definitely prefer the guys, but most of the girls are still pretty good. My frontrunner so far is Kanata, but I do also really like Matsuri. I enjoy Ulalaka's story scenes with the other gods later on WAY more than her individual story, so I don't know where to put her yet honestly. I did take notice and interest in her being blatantly into you in her "cutoff point" though. I like taking note of which characters the writers have be clearly into you BEFORE you make a move on them. In my biased opinion, all routes may or may not be good, but they're definitely all VALID. But to me any route where the romance is more emphasized even without the player actively choosing that path feels a bit more "intended" by the devs. So from what I've seen, that's Ulalaka, Fubuki (his language choice is more flowery, less obvious, but his final pre-romance event to me still reads as him definitely having a crush on you. He's also quick to blush when talking to you), and definitely Kaguya/Subaru.

[ilostthewar]

Gaz is really so fun to characterize for me. I think between all the big personalities of Captain John Price, Ghost, and Soap; Gaz being a lot more mellow really vibes with me. He’s clever and funny, good at making jabs and taking them. He has the whole pretty boy thing going on with good looks and a muted charm, no heavy hand needed. Not to mention Gaz holds his own extremely well, rarely needing to start it but always shutting that shit down quick, whether words or force is needed. He doesn’t have a lot of tolerance for bullshit and he makes that clear.

Gaz vibes well with Soap because they are both sergeants and the rules are more relaxed. Sometimes things are fucked up and the only thing you can do about it is try to look past it the way you can. Gaz and Soap are able to grow together at similar paces and their rivalry is seriously fun for them. They’re able to bounce off of each other well. Gaz thinks hyping up Soap is hilarious and Gaz is less likely to be the one to get yelled at. Though it’s not fool-proof and Gaz can be weak to a good bet if he thinks the odds are good.

At first Ghost thinks Gaz is fine, he’s good at his job and doesn’t find ways to piss him off. They’re both good at having a low energy space, something that is hard to come by in their work. Johnny can be fidgety even in the best of times and Price fills every room he occupies whether it’s intentional or not. So the both of them tend to time watches around each other especially the worst ones. And still, he’s funny when he wants to be and clever which Ghost can unfortunately appreciate at times. Once they’re more comfortable Ghost is more obvious about catching on about the bullshit Soap and Gaz so frequently do. Thinks it’s dumb as fuck, absolutely in the betting pool. Never gets caught, Gaz and Soap know there is no situation where they snitch and live.

Price knows, of course he knows.

And of course, Kyle is John’s golden boy. Gaz is good at his job and operates in a way that John utilizes a lot. Ghost’s first instinct in a lot of interactions was be quick and effective, and soap’s favorite thing to do was cause a distraction, he’d start biting in whatever direction he’s pointed at. But sometimes something much more subtle is needed and Gaz is great at it. John can see a lot of himself in Gaz, the ambition and the unwillingness to hit the ground. So the first time that Gaz pulls some bullshit when a mission goes wrong and they’re stuck tight, he thinks he might throttle the kid if they live. And John knows this is the exact type of hero shit he would have pulled as a younger man and it irritates the hell out of him. And just to be clear, they do live, and Gaz has all of 2 seconds to breathe before John is scruffing him. And when John demands what the fuck that was and Gaz has some smooth one-liner about “Rather ask forgiveness rather than permission” and Price decides there that he’s going to conjure up something heinous as a punishment for him when they get back, but for now he just shoves Gaz ahead cause they need to be gone, and he needs a moment to fight the relief that is filling him at this moment because Gaz is alive.

[craziestfangirl98]

I would first like to start with, I get why THK team decided to refrain from releasing the episode last week and having to take an extra week's break now because if they would have done that, I wouldn't be able to function.

This episode was insane. But so so meaningful. I am enjoying this show more and more the deeper it goes and I'm really excited to see where it goes from here.

Since the beginning of the series I've been hoping that we'd see more of Fadel and Bison's interactions and I finally got it now. Can't say how happy it made me. Even with how it hurt, it felt so fulfilling to see them as brothers.

The guilt and heart break in Bison's eyes while telling Fadel the truth about bringing them into his life and 'hiring' Style made me see the side of Bison that is still young and naive but cares for his brother whole heartedly. I also love that although Fadel didn't forgive Bison and told him he'd 'deal' with him later about his betrayal, he was still there with his brother for the most part. Scared and concerned and worried about the heart break that he would experience. Even on his birthday, Fadel made sure to take care of Bison and got him a cake and a candle, which would mean a lot considering they were both adopted into this business and became brothers.

I think I deserve points for thinking it is mother who ends up hurting Bison considering Keen did bring out a gun but was beaten to the punch because Bison's impulsive ass couldn't stop himself from intervening into the situation.

Throughout the entire episode I was waiting with bated breath for the ball to drop and when it finally did in the hospital room and the bathroom for KantBison and FadelStyle respectively I had to physically let go a shudder terrified of what is to come.

I like how most of the fandom read Fadel and Bison accurately in terms of Fadel at least giving Style another chance and allowing to hear him out while Bison just blew his gasket so to speak.

I love that Style's reaction to it all was just to take it in stride and make Fadel's life more chaotic not because he hates him but because he loves him and wants to prove that 'i might have been coerced into loving you but I know nothing but loving you now and will do so forever.' I find it equal times hilarious and adorable. Something about Style continuously choosing Fadel makes me believe that the ex might have left and deceived him.

I knew when I watched the trailers and we were revealed that there would be a Kant jumping off the boat scene while he has a phobia of the water, that it would hit me hard. I was not prepared for that to happen today. Especially not the way it did. I had no doubts about Kant loving Bison but to see his heartbreak and grief about the reality of their relationship, his palpable fear towards Bison and his guilt towards ratting them out to the cops is all so clear in his face but so is the resignation and determination that he has to do this in order to convince to Bison and First is such a phenomenal actor for it all.

I do believe, in the heart of my hearts, Bison jumped straight after Kant to rescue him. I don't think he thought Kant cared enough to jump and would jump straight after. Because I don't think they will ever get to establishing trust otherwise.

Next week both the couples are going to be surviving alone, FadelStyle trying to find KantBison while they are dealing with the aftermath and the consequences of today. I don't know how I'm going to be waiting and going back to work. Sigh... Let's see.

Anyway, let me know what you all are thinking about this episode. Week by week it feels like it is going to be a tragedy instead of a comedy all though I doubt it. The angst is angsting and it hurtssssss.

[loulou-land]

Fuck it Friday

and also first lines of 2025

Thank you for the tag! ✨ @perfectlysunny02

This is a rockon fic I started recently, Deacon takes Rocker with him on one of his security jobs, things go very wrong and our boys need to keep each other alive while ignoring the elephant in the room (they haven’t gotten down and dirty yet in this fic) 👀 I was planning on it being a one shot but uh…I’m thinking it’s gonna turn into a multi-chapter 😮‍💨

Snippet

Deacon sighed, glancing around the room as if someone else might materialize and volunteer. No such luck. He already knew Hondo was busy, so no point asking him. He was about to give up when the door swung open, and Rocker strolled in whistling an off key tune, a towel hung around his shoulders.

“Everything all right?” Rocker asked, his tone casual but curious as he found himself the center of attention.

Deacon hesitated for a moment—not because he didn’t trust Rocker, he’d taken him with him on other jobs before. But, because something had been simmering between them lately, an unspoken tension in every interaction that he couldn't quite figure out. It had been driving him mad. Still, he pushed that aside and said, “Got a last-minute security detail. I need someone to ride shotgun. You interested?”

Rocker raised an eyebrow, his expression shifting into a familiar smirk. “High-profile client? Another heiress?”

“No,” Deacon answered vehemently. “I automatically veto those. One was enough, thanks.” He said, cringing at the memory of the entitled heiress who’d spent the whole drive to Vegas flirting with Rocker.

Of course, Rocker found that hilarious. He threw his head back and laughed, the sound bouncing off the walls. Deacon’s eyes were immediately drawn to the curve of Rocker’s throat, the way his neck stretched taut with the motion. It was ridiculous—he’d never thought of a neck as biteable before, but now the idea crept into his mind, unbidden and unwelcome. Before he could chase that thought, he slammed the mental door on it with a force that surprised even himself and quickly glanced away, clearing his throat.

“All right, chuckles,” he said, his voice a touch sharper than he intended. “What do you say?”

“Sounds like fun. Overnight job?” Rocker asked as he resumed shoving clothes into his backpack, still grinning like he knew exactly what had just crossed Deacon’s mind.

Uh I don’t know who to tag for this and I think a bunch of my mutuals have already done it. But if you see this and post something, feel free to tag me in it ☺️💕

[chaosandwolves]

You know what else was interesting

They have to re-introduce the characters to the new audience, right?

So they show Chim being insecure he's not enough for his romantic partner... Like in the beginning of the series

But then his whole dynamic with Maddie and just the love and adoration between them

They show Bobby and Athena and make it clear what a high stress life they have but that they did find an anchor in each other

And they show how vigilant Athena always is and how they immediately work as a team

They show Hen as the competent Captain with a side of paramedic and also her empathy and kindness

and her and Chim being hilarious best friends

They show Buck and Eddie together talking about dating first and then about Chris

The easy communication between them

That they're partners not only at work because

They show the Buckley Diaz family. They show how natural this dynamic is. Eddie is like... Hey I was hoping you'd talk to him and Buck just does and Chris doesn't even question it

They position Buck as Chris' guardian /father as if it's the most normal thing

They bring up Shannon and show how much she and what happened in the past has impacted their life and relationship to each other but they also throw some healing into this

Some kind of closure to this

Still, it's interesting that they show Buck as the link there

Chris does not only not question why Buck is talking to him about dating but he also trusts Buck enough to tell him how he really feels which is a huge thing

In general but also cause Chris is a teen now

It's also interesting they brought up Eddie's panic attacks

On the one hand they're showing that something was going on with him but that he's healed a lot and doing much better than before

On the other hand it might be foreshadowing

To the changes in his romantic life and the link to the shooting

To the upcoming trauma and triggers

(please please let it be foreshadowing)

And then.....

they told us shit about Marisol

Eddie didn't even answer Buck when he was like... Oh I thought things were going great with her

She was there, yeah, but not even as an active presence

They didn't give her any room or interaction with Chris either

And I think that's so telling!?

So yeah absolutely loving it all so far and find it very very interesting what they chose to show about the characters within the first ep

I do find it weird though that all the other kids were left out and Karen as well

[aspoonofsugar]

Do you think Adam will come back as a demon, having to redeem himself? It kind of feels like that's where the few hints at smth deeper going on with him are going.

Hi!

I mean, there is this:

As Charlie and Emily sing about amoral angels staying in the sky, the focus is on Adam and he looks very triggered. I also personally hope he comes back because I think his character offers great opportunities to explore others. Like Lucifer, Lute, Sera, Lilith and Charlie herself. That said, I am also okay if he is meant as a one-season villain tbh. In this case, I trust it is because the story has other plot-lines to follow. Also, it would be an hilarious call-back to his line:

A man only lives once, we'll see you in one month Gotta say, I can't wait to Come down and exterminate you

Adam, you're either right in how THE man only lives once, or you are so wrong and Charlie is so right, that you yourself get a second chance :P

That said, I think there is clearly more about Adam, Eve, Lilith and Lucifer's dynamic that needs to be addressed (either through Adam coming back or in other ways):

The series starts with the retelling of the myth of Eden in the form of a fairy tale. Still, it is clear that we are given only partial information.

Lucifer: Well, your first wife didn't seem to hate what I had to offer…or the second! Bowchicka pow pow!

Sera: He was the first human soul in heaven…

It is very unclear what happened with Eve and Adam himself is judged a "virtuous soul", after his human death. Not only that, but he affirms what brought him into Heaven is:

Vaggie: reading list "Act selfless, don't steal, stick it to the man." Are you fucking serious?

Except that Adam never once acts selflessly throughout the whole season. So, I wonder if an eternity spent being spoilt in Heaven made him worse.

In short, the things I am interested in when it comes to Adam are:

If and how Heaven has changed him

His relationship with Lucifer and Lilith (Eden + his pact with Lilith)

Let's now try to analyze Adam, starting with what we have in the series.

ADAM THE ANGEL

Adam: Call me, Dickmaster.

Adam is introduced as a powerful angel and a jerkass mysoginist. Both things are important, as they tie to different conflicts:

Adam is a genocidal maniac, who mistreats everyone. Still, he is considered a virtuous soul and holds some authority in Heaven.

Adam is "the man" and is shown discriminating and dismissive towards women. According to Charlie's recount in Overture, his mysoginy might be at the very root of the conflict behind the forbidden fruit and the birth of Hell.

These two sides of Adam come together in his interactions with Charlie, who is both a demon and a woman.

1- He dismisses Charlie's ideas of redemption in his song Hell is Forever, which is full of Christian references:

'Cause it's cut and dry Fair is fair, an eye for an eye And, when all's said and done (said and done) There's the question of fun And for those of us with divine ordainment Extermination is entertainment! Guitar solo, fuck yeah!

In general, he sees himself as superior to demons because he was judged worthy of Heaven. In his mind, this makes him automatically the "good guy", while people who exhibits virtues like Charlie or Angel are still beneath him, as they are demons. In short, he has a black and white mentality:

'Cause the rules are black and white There's no use in tryin' to fight it

2- He flirts with Charlie and calls her with sexist names:

Adam: I got you again, bitch! *laughs* Fuckin' hilarious!

Not only that, but his overall characterization highligths his sexism to hilarious degrees. Some examples:

His favourite food is ribs because Eve was born from one. So, it is as if he likes "eating women up"

He leads an army of hot and lethal women, who follow his orders in battle (classical male fantasy)

He gives Vaggie the name "Vagina" and calls it "the best thing ever"

So, Adam is a combination between a zealous religious fanatic and the patriarchy. All neatly tied up with jock imagery (his tunic resembles a letterman jacket). As a result, his interactions with Charlie explore two different power dynamics:

Heaven vs Hell or to better say Hell is Forever vs A Happy Day In Hell. Is Hell a place of eternal damnation or is it a chance of redemption?

Man vs Woman - Adam is far more childish and less intelligent than Charlie, but she has to kiss his butt because he is in a role of power. As it often happens in human society.

The question is: "How can such a person be worthy of Heaven?"

SERA THE MOTHER

Sera: I thought, since I'm older It's my load to shoulder

Sera is Adam's authority figure, as she is the only one Adam shows respect for. He asks for her validation and is ashamed after disappointing her. Considering Adam was created by the angels, it is easy to infer Sera is probably the closest thing he has to a mother. This also ties with Sera's overall role in the narrative, where she is framed as a parental figure to Emily and to the other angels and souls:

Not only that, but her parenting style seems rooted in the determination to protect those in her care, no matter what:

Sera: It is my position as the head Seraphim to protect our people at all costs.

Even if she has to lie to them:

I wanted to save you, the anguish it takes to Do what was required

Or if others end up hurt in the process:

Sera: Heaven needs us, Emily. Everyone looks to us… and we can't doubt ourselves or worry about the fates of demons when we have our own souls to protect.

She keeps Emily and the rest of Heaven in a Gilded Cage and chooses to exterminate the Sinners. In a sense, she too sees the world in black and white, just like Adam. Her loved ones. All the others. This attitude is present in her relationship with Adam too, as she enables him. Some examples:

She gives Adam permission to lead the exterminations. Even if Sera thinks killing Sinners is necessary, there is no reason to entrust it to Adam, who has a very obvious grudge against Lucifer.

He lets Adam boss around the exorcists and mistreat them. Like he did with Vaggie. In general, Sera gives him no rules, if not a generic "do not embarass me" one. And even then, Adam faces no consequence after he reveals the secret.

Sera is angry at Adam's cruelty towards Charlie and reproaches him for targeting the Hazbin Hotel. Still, this is all she does. She could have stopped Adam from attacking the hotel. And yet, she only makes a single remark.

In general, Sera gives Adam free reign and even fulfills all his cruellest requests. This is made clear during Charlie and Adam's questioning.

Since the beginning, Charlie is set up to lose and the seating arrangement shows it. Sera and Emily are at the very top, as they are the judges. Below them there is the jury and then there are the two sides. Still, Charlie and Adam are not at the same level. Adam is higher, while Charlie is at the very bottom.

Sera sustains Adam's petty objection:

Adam: Objection, lame and unoriginal. Sera: Sustained. No further dictionary references please.

But she is about to refuse Charlie's request and only agrees to it because of Emily:

Charlie: Angel will make good decisions, come on! We have to keep watching! Please? Sera: sighs Yeah, I don't know. Emily: Yeah, let's give him a chance. Sera: Very well, the court will allow it.

Finally, when Adam reveals Vaggie's secret (which is irrelevant to the matter at hand), Sera allows it to happen:

She is the one projecting Vaggie's angelic shadow on the wall. Once again she enables Adam's cruelty, instead of stopping it.

in short, Adam is a person who ascends to Heaven, but once there he spends millenias without anyone questioning or disagreeing with him. All his self-serving fantasies are fulfilled and he is never punished nor called out. As a result, he clearly becomes complacent and grows worse:

Lucifer: So, this is what you been up to since Eden? Gotta say, you've really let yourself go, buddy.

Lucifer's taunt mostly references Adam's physique. Still, this is metaphorically true for Adam's soul, as well. In the end, Adam regresses in Heaven, instead of evolving. Moreover, he never addresses nor solves the key event, which defined his life.

LUCIFER AND LILITH

Adam: You judging me? You're the most hated being in all of creation!

Adam's sense of self is clearly warped by what(ever) happened in Eden. Specifically, he is hurt that both his relationships with Lilith and Eve ended up badly (apparently). This is why:

He overcompensates by being overly masculine. He insists he is THE MAN and keeps blubbering about his love adventures. And yet, he has still no wife, that we know of.

He projects his own feelings on Lilith and Lucifer, to the point that thousands of years later, he chooses "messing their home", as his hobby. Specifically, he tries to steal Lilith away (through their deal) and to make Lucifer as miserable as possible ( which is why the King of Hell sends Charlie to meet Adam at the very beginning - he doesn't want to deal with the Exorcist).

This behavior is mirrored in how he treats the Princess of Hell too.

On the one hand Adam associates what he considers Charlie's positive traits with Lilith:

Adam: To think someone as worthless as you landed Lilith's little hottie. 'Grats on that I guess.

On the other hand Adam links what he believes to be Charlie's negative traits with Lucifer:

Adam: Risking your immortal life for sinners? That's some crazy shit, even for Lucifer's brat!

So, it is implied he still wants Lilith and despises Lucifer. These emotions are mirrored in his design, specifically his horned mask:

The horns ironically show that Adam was cheated on by (both?) his wife(s)

The horns give him a demonic-like appearance, which may be just another way Adam tries to appear more badass than what he is. All while trying to look more like a demon (Lucifer) to begin with

In other words, Adam is nothing, but a man scorned. Even moreso he is a person, who deep down could never really like himself. Hence why he chooses to wear a mask 24h/24h. Adam wants to be either a Demon or a God, but deep down he is just the Man. Ironically, this is what he could never truly accept about himself.

ADAM- A MAN

In the final fight, Adam is unmasked and we get a glimpse of his real self. What is he like? His design is far more average and human-like than other angels and demons. It is even inspired by his real voice actor, apparently. Why is that so? Because deep down Adam is no-one special. He is just a dude. He is the man. Not even that. He is a man. A person.

Sadly, though, he refuses this truth and tries to be more:

Adam: I started everything on Earth! All of mankind came from these fucking nuts! You all should be worshipping me, you ungrateful, disgusting, fucking losers-

He tries to be God and in this way he becomes worse than a Demon. He dies pathetically, after refusing mercy:

Adam: No… you don't get to end this! I'm fucking Adam! I'm the fucking man, and you're just some fucking clown or something!

He sees Lucifer as his enemy, but the King of Hell barely registers his presence and only considers him in relation to Charlie. His true opponent turns out to be a small woman of low status. And even she barely considers him as someone worthy of her attention.

And yet, Adam is still a man and he shows humanity in death:

Lute: NOOOO! Sir! Sir! Stay with me sir! ADAM!

Lute is his one genuine bond and probably the only person who earnestly makes him happy.

If only he could have pursued his humanity, he might have not turned into a monster. He might have developed a healthier sense of self and could have become happier. Instead, he could never love himself for being just a man and has spent eternity trying to be someone different.

HEAVEN ISN'T MEANT TO SUCK A LOT

Adam embodies the anti-theme.

Charlie thinks that everyone can redeem themselves:

Charlie: If I can show them the dream I've dreamed That any soul can change! Then they will know everyone can be redeemed From the evil to the strange!

Adam thinks nobody truly can:

'Cause Hell is forever Whether you like it or not Had their chance to behave better Now they boil in the pot

Charlie tries to grow into her own person:

Gotta come into my own Gotta come into my throne Gotta take charge and defend my only home

Adam turns himself into an idol:

The golden exorcists bring to mind the golden calf from the Bible.

Charlie thinks happiness and beauty can be found even in Hell:

I can hear all their stories The lost and displaced And I know that they're more of an acquired taste But if I open the door and I give them a place At my Hazbin Hotel It'll be a happy day in Hell!

Adam can't find happiness and beauty in Heaven and his only source of joy is knowing others suffer more than him:

Fuckin' Hell is forever And it's meant to suck a lot!

And yet, Hell might be meant to suck a lot, but Heaven shouldn't:

St. Peter and Emily: 'Cause every single day in Heaven is a happy day Welcome to Heaven

Still, Heaven could not make Adam happy. And if Heaven can't make its own people happy, then what is the point of such a Kingdom?

Sera: It's your position to keep them happy and joyful. Emily: How can I bring joy when I now know we are bringing misery to thousands of innocent people?

Adam is a character that embodies Heaven's problems, not only because he is an evil monster, but even moreso because he is an unhappy and unsatisfied man.

Here are my two cents on him :D We'll see if he comes back and manages to get some development!

Thank you for the ask!

[oddlittlestories]

I love Monk. I’m not really recommending it because, well, it IS about police and it DOES have some fairly ableist content. But I love it.

Monk is an interesting character. He’s introduced as having an “anxiety disorder” that occurred from the traumatic event of his wife being murdered. Over the course of the show, it becomes pretty clear that he was neurodivergent his whole life, but had a serious spike in support needs after his wife’s death. He has one nurse, but he should pretty clearly have two—even if one is a part-time respite nurse. Many of his “boundary violations” obviously come from seeking needed support at inappropriate times. This man should not really be left alone, at least not at the start of the show. He can’t cope. But also getting a new nurse / assistant / I forget the specific word is very very difficult for him.

He’s billed, I believe, as having OCD. But if you just look at his behavior, there are several labels that could fit. Autism would probably be one of them.

A lot of the humor in the show revolves around his disability, which could and may to some feel like the show makes his disability the butt of the joke. With some notable exceptions (fuck you medication episode) I don’t really think this is the case.

Let’s look at the pilot. Sharona, his nurse, goes on a date and leaves him alone on “chicken pot pie night.” She tells him, you’ll be fine! Even my son could cook a chicken pot pie. He cannot cook a chicken pot pie. He is counting out individual peas. To me, this is funny because of how obvious it is that he needs more support.

He literally calls her son for help. This is hilarious because it obviously wasn’t her intention, but her son is actually walking Monk through how to make a chicken pot pie. The literalism - that Benjy really CAN help him cook a chicken pot pie - is funny to me.

I’m also very interested in how the show interacts with both work and the police. Monk is not capable of working full-time, and although he desperately wants to go back at first, eventually he accepts that as a consultant, he can have the flexibility he needs to still find murderers.

The police officers he works with often feel threatened and embarrassed by him, but at the same time need his talents. Jealousy comes up often. And since the main officers are at least duly sympathetic, this gets explored as awful instead of brushed off as campy villainy from antagonists.

I also really like the way gaze is used in the show. Monk comes onto a crime scene and others watch as he makes a bunch of pronouncements, struggles with one anxiety or another, gets support from his nurse, and then explains his pronouncements. I like that it seems like folks are disturbed by his need for support, but that the show frames the support as a positive thing and the anxiety itself as a struggle.

Monk is also a person. He loved his wife. He plays the clarinet. He doesn’t have much time to pursue hobbies or interests outside of managing his disability and doing the work which he loves and seems compelled to do in equal measure. But he IS a person.

Anyways I’m not necessarily saying go out and watch it. It has many flaws and it is ableist at times, and it doesn’t bother to fully unpack how the people in Monk’s life respond to him, nor always to explore his agency and individuality. He is a fussy and fastidious detective, which is a common archetype, but they don’t always go as far beyond that as they should.

Like I said, it’s not House. But I’m gonna probably rewatch all of it now that it’s on Netflix.

[mrslittletall]

Here are my thoughts for Deltarune chapter 3 and 4 since I finished them outside of secret boss chapter 3:

I had a lot of fun with chapter 3, especially because I streamed the first part to my friend and it was a delight to voice act Tenna to her. The chapter clearly goes the more light hearted route, with Tenna as the main antagonist who only is lonely, as he is an unused TV, and tbh. how many of you are still watching Free TV? So yeah, I felt him. The chapter was chuck full of references to the 90ies. 90ies TV shows, 90ies games, 90ies everything, so for my age group it was an absolute DELIGHT. I laughed a lot and also felt sorry for Tenna at the end, especially when he said "The family is fighting again..." It really puts into perspective that if you give a thing a consciousness, there is much that they will notice. My gripe with chapter 3 is how absolutely convoluted and impossible it is to fight the secret boss properly without a guide AND that it is very much possible to fuck it up in the first hour of gameplay, as the game is a massive troll and tells you that you don't need to get a S-Rank ONLY for you to show you the S-Rank door probably after you've already saved... Imo, there should be a method to replay the boards without having to restart the whole chapter, because that is completely antitethical to the secret boss route and screwed a lot of players over. At least it is possible to delete your save in chapter 3, reload a chapter 2 save and start again, but... I was not happy about it and I still think this is a dick move from Toby. The chapter ended with a big reveal and then we already got chucked into chapter 4. Like, chapter 3 didn't even have a light world section or let you visit Castle Town, so that chapter 4's beginning felt a bit like it had the chapter 3 epilogue in it as well.

On to chapter 4! While chapter 3 was more light-hearted outside the end, chapter 4 takes itself a lot more seriously and has many many character interactions and development as well as some big lore reveals. As it is around the halfway point, it was about time, you cannot reveal everything at the end, so I am satisfied with what we got. The light world section got really really meta, but I am glad they gave us save points as it was pretty long. Fun fact: I accidentally triggered Noelle opening the gate, but haven't been to Castle Town yet, so I went there. When I came back, Noelle asked where we've been and Susie answered with tea party. GLORIOUS! Love these little details. The whole thing in the Holiday house... I loved how meta it got. And yes, I sat there and listened to Kris' whole concert. And once again, it made me feel that I wish that Kris wouldn't hate the player and instead we could be a team and play our own strengths. (Though the player's inability to play piano must be hilarious stupid for anyone who can play the piano). So, for the lore reveal, full stop, I don't think Carol is the roaring knight. I think it is Dess. The knight clearly has antlers, so it has to be a holiday. Dess makes the most sense and is also the one who gets foreshadowed as having vanished. For why Carol is working with Kris? Well, just a little theory, but I think Carol wants her daughter back but cannot go into the dark world, so she asked Kris to do it. It is obviously clear from chapter 1 that Kris has been in the Dark World before (we literally overwrite their save), so I think the idea that Carol might be the knight is a red herring and it shall be Dess instead. Why not Rudy or Noelle? Noelle would be a BIG stretch in my book as she was in the second chapter and she would have to be a REALLY good actor to act as clueless and scary as she did there. And Rudy... well, I don't think his health would allow it. Okay, but back to the chapter. The dark world section here I loved because of all the lore and character interactions we got. I loved when Gerson came in as the old man and all the character development Susie got. I got really mad at Ralsei for being a jerk to her when her healing didn't work though and instead of teaching her, he just took it upon himself, which made her really self conscious. Though, Ralsei also got some great character development at the end, when Susie screamed at him and he admitted to carry the burden of knowing and not wanting the others to carry it too. That was one of the first times where he truly showed emotion. (And pretty much did disprove the "Ralsei is evil" theory, I think). I loved the music and the battles, especially the secret boss which was Susie only and you HAD to either play perfectly or use her heal to stand a chance. I had some trouble with the battle in the dark but mostly because I kept confusing the noises (only when I told myself that the left side noise sounded like someone being digusted did I figure it out). And then the final battle. Was wondering what it could be as the church didn't have a clear antagonist. And it was so eldritch! I found the final battle to be really hard as well (please explain the hand attack to me, PLEASE). You fight the fear of the dark... I thought that was genius! I saw some people being mad at the climbing mini game, but I had no troubles with it. I don't know if they patched it to make it easier, but it was all just timing. I did them all first try even the last climb where I almost died as I was too slow. I will replay chapter 3 for the secret boss, but overall, I am very satisfied outside of the massive troll move that chapter 3 secret boss is missable.

[yudrein-aile]

Keilusa giving Kishiar a hero welcome from the return to the west... reminded of that meta you wrote about him settings things up so that Kishi can be next emperor instead of Katchian...

I am vibrating out of my skin. Yes!!! Keilusa is SO setting Kishiar up for it. Like I’m still waiting for that one meta on Inella to properly jot down my thoughts but

Kishiar received the same education as Keilusa for at least the first decade of his life

It is commonly known that the Emperor dotes on his little brother

Kishiar went “I want to start a new military organization” and Keilusa was like “okay” and didn’t even fucking ask why and just have him supreme authority over all Awakeners (!!!) in the empire

Every time the Cavalry/Kishiar does something great Keilusa is like “we must celebrate this even tho I am dying”

Keilusa giving last names to everyone in the Cavalry who didn’t have them and bestowing the title of “Sir” on the Red Stone Retrieval gang

And a couple more things that would be spoilers for you so I’m not gonna put them under spoilers at the bottom!

But like yeah. Damn. Keilusa is really out here using every resource to make it clear to everyone that his baby brother is the most perfect candidate actually and they should endorse that. But yeah that’s actually also why I love Keilusa so much. Beyond the fact that I think his interactions with Yuder are also hilarious, my guy just really loves his family

The way they deal with the whole divine sword announcement

The point where Faria straight up says “yeah Keilusa has been trying to make him crown prince”

Chapter Thousand motherfucking thirty. Giving him a title of the first emperor. Formally re establishing his right to inherit. Granting him a residence in the capital,,,, Keilusa was SO smug and happy in that moment