#to interact with other characters and not each other for at least the next 5 years

[wall-maria-around-ba-sing-se]

🎉✨Baby Chrobin!!!!!!! 💜💙🎉

[endless-ineffabilities]

chemical override

Ewan Mitchell x actress!reader

a/n: i caved and did an actual Ewan fic! Given that the lad is more of a public persona nowadays, I reckon it's fine (?) This is pure self-indulgence for all my Ewan loves. May have a continuation but idk for now, enjoy!!

series masterlist ▪︎ main masterlist

The reader and Ewan are paired for press interviews. Despite barely having any scenes together and only knowing each other in passing on set, the chemistry they share cannot be denied...

Your first round of press takes place in a primped up hotel suite in Paris, thanks to the team at HBO.

You are an up and coming actress, much like some of your costars in the show, but the pressure is heavier on you because you were entering in season two, whereas everyone was already well-acquainted with one another.

Your few scenes were mostly with Jace and Baela, so you grew close to Harry and Bethany.

However, the media team decided to pair you up with Ewan for the day. A little fun initiative was set by the team that a character from the Blacks would be do press with a counterpart from the Greens - hence, yourself and Ewan.

You're nervous as you walk down the hallway, unable to fully pay attention to the instructions your lovely assistant gives you.

She tells you about the different interviewers for the day, bloggers and magazine writers from all over the world. She reminds you that each one will only be for a maximum of 5 minutes, so it shouldn't be too complicated. She smiles and eagerly says, "Take a deep breath, you got this!", as you reach the suite doors.

But in your mind, all you can recall is your first interaction with Ewan, almost a year ago right after the table read. You had nervously blurted out to him that Aemond is your favourite character, after he just asked, "How are you?". He laughed, said thank you, before he was pulled away in conversation by Tom.

You pray to the fictional Westerosi gods that things will fare better today. That you won't get all tongue-tied when those steel blue eyes land on you.

Upon entering the room, the team is quick to fuss over you. Sometimes you forget that you're actually an actress now. A celebrity, some might say. It all feels surreal and you have a inkling it won't ever stop being this way.

Ewan is already seated in front of the camera, and he stands to give you a hug as you finally walk over.

"Hey there, how are you?" he smiles widely, smelling like cigarettes and something muskier as he wraps his arms around you.

Unroll your tongue. Rework your brain. Calm down.

"Hey, Ewan!" you respond. "I'm doing great, happy to see you again."

"Well, I only wish we could have had more time together on set." Ever the gentleman, he gestures for you to take your seat before he does the same. "But next season perhaps? Who knows?"

"Oh, sure." You settle in, pleased by the fact that your chairs are only about a foot apart. "We can both look forward to my character giving Aemond the arse kicking he deserves."

He laughs, eyes glinting with mischief. "Come on now, I was thinking our characters are actually quite compatible, no?"

"Well, I sure wouldn't want to step on Alys' shoes. She'd probably curse my character all the way to Yi Ti."

"Hmm," he hums, biting his lip. You can't help but hear Aemond when he does that. "I say you can always count on Aemond and Vhagar to come to the rescue of a beautiful maiden such as yourself."

Well, you'll be damned. Ewan, while still an introvert of his own sort, is as charming as can be. If he's turning it on to get himself hyped for the press, it's working.

It's definitely working on you, to say the least.

The media manager gives the signal for the first interview to begin, and a reporter walks in, all ready with prepared script in hand.

"Here we go," you mutter, facing forward.

"Good luck," Ewan replies.

You both shake the reporter's hand, and he introduces himself as Jared.

"So guys," Jared begins. "Why don't we start with you telling me a little bit about what we can expect from your characters this season?"

The question is easy, and it doesn't take long for you and Ewan to think it through. Jared asks a few more basic questions, before drawing the attention more to you.

"When you watched season one, did you have a favourite character?" he asks you.

You smile, "Oh, I mean, I have to say - and Ewan already knows this, by the way - that Aemond was my favourite character."

"Was?" Ewan says, feigning shock. "Unacceptable."

"Was... Is... " you shrug, rolling your eyes playfully, earning a laugh from Jared. "I think I might be more a Daemon girl now."

"Oh!" Jared exclaims happily. "Does Matt know about this?"

"I'll be sure to tell him - "

Ewan interjects, shaking his head at you, "There's no need to tell him, because I'll convert her back to Team Aemond in no time, trust me."

"Daemon is awesome, though," you say to him, smiling.

"Sure." Ewan makes a face like that fact doesn't matter. Wasn't he the one who said that Daemon would be the character he would most like to play if not Aemond?

"And Caraxes is my favourite dragon." You share a look with Jared, hoping he would agree.

"Yes!" Jared says. "Caraxes is the best dragon in the show, in my opinion."

"Ah, you're both wrong," Ewan says. "My Vhagar is the oldest and baddest dragon in all of the land."

"My Vhagar, he says," you joke. "Seems like someone still hasn't shed Aemond for this press tour."

"And I never will, darling." His gaze is intense when he turns to you, and you clear your throat to fight the warmth rushing to your cheeks.

"Alright, they're giving me the wrap-up," Jared thankfully breaks the tension. "It was a pleasure talking to you guys, congratulations on the new season!"

One interview down, and your nerves have already considerably subsided. Ewan tapping your arm to start up a conversation once more surely helps in distracting you.

In the best damn way possible.

"How do you think we did? That wasn't too bad, was it?"

"I think we did quite well," you casually offer a high five, but your heart skips a beat when Ewan interlaces your suspended hands for just a moment.

"I'm glad they paired me with you," Ewan says, after releasing your hand. You hold on to the armrests to keep your fingers from twitching.

"I am, too," you admit. "I am a fan of you, after all, but I think you already know that."

He blushes, "Well, that's not a bad thing. I think you're a fantastic actress. I must have seen your first film a good ten times."

"You mean my first and only film," you add humbly. "But thank you."

"Only film for now," he affirms. "No doubt this is only the beginning for you, darling. With your talent and your charisma, I'm sure you have potential scripts piled up already."

"I could say the same for you! Have you seen what your fans say about you online? You're the internet's new boyfriend, Ewan Mitchell."

The media manager announces the next interview, but Ewan follows up with a response for you under his breath, "I have seen some things. But when I have a girlfriend, I'll make sure she won't have to share me at all."

Oh, so apparently he is single. But wait - why is he telling you this?

You don't get to mull over that thought. For the time being, the next interview starts and you make sure you do a good job at what you're paid to do - promoting the series.

Not daydreaming about getting with a costar, for heaven's sake. Stay professional.

▪︎ ▪︎ ▪︎ ▪︎ ▪︎ ▪︎ ▪︎

You feel lightheaded after finishing the seventh - or had it been the eighth? - interview.

Your assistant delivers a coffee to you during the twenty-minute break. Ewan had stepped out to the balcony to have a smoke, leaving you alone with your thoughts.

He certainly is everything you expected him to be, and so much more. Insightful, cheeky, dedicated. An artist, through and through. He was in the business for all the right reasons, passion and respect for the craft.

If he had any flaws, you weren't privy to them yet. If there are any reasons for you not to be attracted to him, you didn't know what those were yet.

And with every flirtatious remark and pointed smile, you can't deny the hope blooming in you.

"Hey," he reappears, pulling you out of your musings. "I hope you don't mind that I smell of smoke."

No, you didn't, not when it's him.

"Don't worry about it," you reassure him. You tilt your head forward to take a sip of your coffee, but a lock of your hair falls in front of your face. Annoyed, you think to reach for it, but Ewan beats you to it, tucking it back in place.

"There you go, darling," he croons, gesturing for you to proceed in drinking.

"Th-thanks." His eyes don't leave yours as you take a slow sip.

"So," you say, desperate to break the silence, "which interview did you enjoy the most so far?"

"How can I possibly choose? I mean, I really liked the one with ComicSociety, the guy that said our characters have a lot of chemistry and should get together next season. He's right, I already told you!"

"Ohhh, sure, that will go down really well with the Blacks and Greens."

He smirks, "I don't see why not?"

"For one, Aemond is ensnared by Alys, and my character will never give up fighting for Rhaenyra. I just don't see it happening, Ewan."

"Right," he mutters thoughtfully, "there is still Alys in the picture."

"Still in the picture? With the amount of steamy scenes you two have lined up for season three, I'd say she will be Aemond's entire picture in and of herself."

"Hmm," he glances at you once, then looks down. Dare you think it, does he look disappointed?

"But hey," you add lightly, "maybe we can talk to Ryan and he can flip the entire script just for our characters."

"Yeah," his cheeky smile resurfaces, "maybe you can take Alys' place."

Take the place of Alys? Of Alys. Is he insinuating...

"Next round of interviews, guys!" The media manager announces to the room.

"Here we go again, darling," Ewan squeezes your hand once, before putting on his professional face once more.

▪︎ ▪︎ ▪︎ ▪︎ ▪︎ ▪︎ ▪︎

By the end of it all, not even caffeine can perk you up. You were exhausted, you and Ewan having finished four full hours of press.

Your assistant comes to your aid, ready to direct you back to your own hotel room.

"This has been such a pleasure, Ewan, really." You stand, this time initiating the hug.

He squeezes you gently, humming in your ear. When you pull apart, he says, "I honestly wouldn't mind trudging through hours and hours of press with you."

That's sweet of him. You're too tired to mask the warmth that rises to your cheeks. "And I feel the same. Today couldn't have gone any better."

"Truly, and listen, maybe we could - "

"Ewan!" The manager approaches. "I'm so sorry to rush with this, but we need to film just a quick soundbite with you for Aemond. Just two to three questions for the Max Tiktok account?"

"Oh, okay - " Ewan is reluctant to turn away from you.

"Perfect! If you could just stand there by the windows please..." The manager already has him by the arm, directing where he has to go.

"We have to go," your assistant says. "Still have to prep for tomorrow."

"I'll see you soon, Ewan!" you call out to him. "Thanks again."

He gives a half-hearted wave, dejected as he watches you walk out of the room.

"That wasn't too bad," you share with your assistant as you enter the elevators. "Not bad at all, actually."

"Oh, you did so well," she compliments. "It definitely helps with the press that you and Mr. Mitchell have such insane natural chemistry."

▪︎ ▪︎ ▪︎ ▪︎ ▪︎ ▪︎ ▪︎

In the calm of your hotel room, you get ready for bed.

Just when you're about to finish with your nightly routine, your phone rings from your bedside table. You're quick to rush over, thinking it could be your assistant or your manager, with an urgent update about work.

But no - it's an unknown number. A UK number, as it appears.

Confused, you click answer anyway, putting it to your ear with a tentative, "Hello, who is this?"

"Hi, darling."

"Ewan?"

"Yeah, uhm, I hope I didn't disturb you - "

"Not at all," your answer comes out in a rushed breath.

"I also hope you don't mind that I got my assistant to ask your assistant to give me your number? It's what I wanted to ask you before you left today."

"Oh." You feel fully awake now, by some miracle, butterflies finding home in your stomach. "I don't mind. I... I should have given you my number, anyway. I have most of the cast's, in case I need to get a hold of you guys."

"Hmm, right," he says from the other end. You hear him calmly breathing, the sound strangely comforting, and wonder if he can hear the same from you.

He says, "I just wanted to keep hearing your voice. Didn't get enough of it today," and your heart just about stops.

"Oh. Okay," is all you are able to respond with.

"What are you doing?"

"Just... just getting ready for bed." Phone pressed to your ear, you shuffle around the room, putting some things back in place.

He says nothing for a few seconds, but you still hear his breathing, and some shuffling in the background. It occurs to you that he might just be as nervous as you are now.

Maybe.

"Listen," he finally says, "do you want to hear my pitch to Ryan about why our characters should get together next season?"

A genuine laugh escapes you. He sure is persistent. Playful, sure, but you're definitely willing to play along.

"Let's hear it."

"First," he says, "you have to renounce Daemon as your favourite character - "

"Not a chance."

" - and swear your love for Aemond."

"Keep dreaming."

He laughs, and you can only picture the corners of his eyes crinkling.

"Aww darling," he teases, "don't you love me?"

💌 part two - part three

The OGs will know that the final line is a nod to my first ever Aemond fic! 🖤

Did this slightly delay my series works? Yes, yes it did. Do I regret it? For Ewan frickin Mitchell, I would never ~

[yuikomorii]

In your opinion, how would you rank the games from best to worst written?

// As much as I love DL, I feel like a lot of the games were somewhat unnecessary, since they added very little to the story. That said, I’m sure there are people who genuinely love every single one of them and I totally respect that!

1. Dark Fate

Each route featured plot, character development, and romance. The introduction of the Founders was interesting, and they made for some really compelling villains too! It’s not a flawless game, but definitely the coolest one of the franchise.

WALL

2. Lunatic Parade

I know it’s just a fanservice game, but the concept of Yui’s heart being replaced with a Kleinod and her needing to reclaim it with the help of the Diaboy of her choice was really touching. You could clearly see how desperate everyone was to save the person they loved, proving that their feelings were pure.

3. Chaos Lineage

It’s frustrating how much potential this game had, only for it to be so poorly executed. But, no one can deny that it showed character growth not just in terms of their own personality, but also in how the characters’ relationships evolved. I didn’t like it at first, but then I started paying more attention to the dialogue, and realized that the interactions were really engaging.

4. More Blood

I agree that the Sakamaki routes were boring and downright frustrating, but the Mukami lore was so entertaining! I also liked how even the Sakamakis were shown to be capable of genuine love by the end of their routes. They weren’t completely softened, but there was visible development, which was nice to see.

5. Vandead Carnival

Overall, it was a cute game, though the writing was dumb at times. I only ranked it this “high” because at least the routes were less repetitive than what’s next.

6. First game/ unofficially called HDB

Did it have funny scenes? Yes. Did it have fanservice? Absolutely. But did it have an actual plot? Not really. The closest thing to a storyline was in Reiji’s route, and even then, it only showed up in the last section. The whole game is basically just fetish content for masochists, with repetitive chapters, which is fine if you’re into that, but there wasn’t any development that could be called real development. In the book, it’s literally confirmed that there was no true love between Yui and any Diaboy, so in the end, it all felt kinda pointless.

7. Lost Eden

What’s worse than having no plot? Having a bad plot. This game had no reason to exist, especially since DF already gave the franchise a perfect ending. Not only that, but it unnecessarily ruined so many relationships between the characters. At least with HDB, you knew what you were getting into with its S&M themes. But here? The bad events weren’t even the fanservice type—they were straight-up torture p0rn. This game was so dark that it was boycotted in some countries and remains the lowest-rated Diabolik Lovers game to date for a good reason. It’s just that, for me, the other games delivered a better experience.

[interact-if]

Hi everyone!

In the spirit of celebrating things that spark joy and build community^, @interact-if will be running a mini-series “Writing Spotlight”, which will feature beloved IFs in 5 main categories:

Best story/narrative (Epic/Exciting)

Best story/narrative (Cozy/contemplative)

Best world/setting

Best character

Most memorable choice/branch

How this works

Under each of these categories, vote for an IF (can be completed/WIP), either by: leaving a comment on this post, sending in an ask, or filling out this form.*

*Do include at least a sentence on why you’re voting for that IF / things you loved that made you vote for it). These lines will be compiled and I’m sure they’ll bring a little ray of sunshine to these authors.

If you’re leaving a comment or ask, do clearly state which category you’re casting a vote for (you can vote in multiple categories, but try to stick to 1-2 IFs in each category if possible)!

Do refrain from voting twice in the same category please, this is done in good fun :)

After voting closes

Do send in your by 27 April, and I will be tallying the votes and reaching out to winning authors** in each category to do a small interview feature, in the hopes of uncovering some tips/tricks/advice on their techniques and writing process (especially in relation to their strengths e.g. world-building, character arcs etc.)

**I might have to see how this works out, some authors are a little more difficult to contact, but I’ll try.

Again, I hope this will generate some positivity and love, plus maybe uncover some of the behind-the-scenes techniques/process behind the wonderful IFs that we love and talk about a lot! <3

^Especially in this turbulent time of Trump fuckery…

Last but not least, if you’d like to see any other categories featured in the next iteration, or if you have ideas for specific questions to include in the interviews with these authors, feel free to drop a message or a comment!

Looking forward to the responses, and hopefully this will be fun for everyone! :)

[oursweetescape]

Thought and Ramblings

Been thinking about the Damirae fandom lately and just how nice of a fandom it is. Like it's small but it was received well for casual fans and DC fans. The community is usually positive, encouraging and sweet for such an unexpected pairing that developed in an interesting fashion.

I have to say that I'm glad that the pairing happened but, at least for me, it's definitely got some nuances. For instance, I like the DCAMU characters together but as a favorite elseworlds pairing. Which is interesting because for an elseworld pairing that ended 5 years ago we are still getting acknowledgements.

1. Apokolips War (Pairing become official/DC released preview where Damian confesses) 2020

2. Sam L. confirms with a fan on Twitter that Judas Contract had small interactions between Damian and Raven in the background. Can't find the screenshot but if someone does remember it then def attach. (This was before 2020 I believe)

2. The DCAMU gets referenced and a goofy scene redraw in 2024 Crisis on Infinite Earths Movie pt. 3

3. Raven's skin in the Multiverse game is similar to the DCAMU even though Fortnite uses the Raven YA book's design. 2024

4. DC posts about pairings and Damirae is featured against BBrae. i always thought this was surprising considering one is a main canon pairing and the other is a doomed/tragic elseworld pairing. Also DC liked more Damirae comments than the BBrae ones? 2024/5

5. DC: Dark Legion (mobile game) app. included Raven and Damian on promo art. The two in comics haven't interacted in years and they could have easily swapped the other characters. I know Raven and Damian are popular characters but DC had to have known what they were doing by having them be next to each other. They also went with the early rebirth Raven design where she was 16. 2025

6. Harley Quinn Show. In s5 it's revealed Damian's girlfriend from previous seasons was in fact Raven. The last season had them breaking up (looks like Bruce was aware) and Damian immediately rebounded to a new girl. 2025

7. I've noticed an increase in the number of reaction creators watching the DCAMU movies the last year and many thought the pairing was cute.

Overall I've been thinking about this fandom way too much and have been wanting to update a fic I wrote a while back. Unfortunately trying to find motivation to complete it plunged me into the DCAMU (and what could have been) all over again.

[johanna-swann]

Am I the only one really pissed Tommy will probably not be in 8x18, not because of the ship, but because of the story line? I think the chances of Tommy being in season 9 are still fairly good, we might still get Bucktommy back, but it'll feel like too little too late for me because it just doesn't make sense.

They keep putting the Bucktommy plot on ice like time passes differently for them, like it doesn't matter that weeks or months pass between their interactions. "We can take care of that later, it won't turn bad in the freezer, right?"

First they didn't show us anything relevant about their relationship after 7x06. They flirted a little at the medal ceremony and had dinner in 7x10, that was it. They only really put him in one episode of 8a before the break-up and it was kinda cute, but again we didn't find out much about their relationship. We barely got the confirmation that they are indeed boyfriends and then the next episode the Bucktommy plot was suddenly over - or so we were lead to believe.

Even then Minear could've said something like: "This is going to continue to affect Buck and we will see this thread continue after the midseason hiatus." Instead we got: "Well, it isn't impossible that we'll see Tommy again, he is a character in that universe and a firefighter at that, so they could technically run into each other at work." The first one sounds like: "At least for Buck this story line isn't over, but that doesn't mean we'll see Tommy again soon." The second one sound a lot like: "The story line is pretty much over, we haven't really thought about it much."

Tommy does reappear though about 5-6 months later (in universe). And okay, Tommy initiated the break-up and probably thought Buck wouldn't want to hear from him after that, Buck likely assumed Tommy was sure about the break-up and reaching out wouldn't change anything. Also the show was on hiatus, so they get a pass for this one. But then we get confirmation that they still have feelings for each other and we get confirmation that Buck wants to reach out and apologise.

And then they put the Bucktommy plot on ice again for 3 episodes and (in universe) another month or longer go by and they don't even mention Tommy in the meantime. How does that make sense. Are we supposed to believe that Buck just forgot to reach out to Tommy? They even bothered to confirm in an interview that this doesn't happen off screen. Otherwise we could at least assume that Buck reached out, but Tommy didn't answer because he was still hurt or something like that.

Side note and this is something I noticed very early on in season 7: Either Tommy is in the episode or he ceases to exist. He is barely ever mentioned by anyone, even Buck. Bobby brings him up once in 7x09 and Buck says how he misses Tommy in the two episodes right after the break-up and that's it. There are ways to make characters appear more present than they are by having the other characters talk about them. They never did that with Tommy. Nobody except Bobby ever asks about their relationship or Tommy individually even though Eddie, Hen and Chimney are all friends with Tommy as well. It's strange.

Anyway, then Tommy does come back for the helicopter chase in 8x15, but this doesn't move the Bucktommy plot anywhere at all. They have that very short maybe flirty interaction in the helicopter which sort of indicates that they still have feelings for each other, but the show already told us as much in 8x11.

Since then we haven't seen Buck and Tommy interact and fair enough, we had a main character death. Maybe the romance plot doesn't take priority right now. But are you honestly telling me that Tommy once again came when Buck called, confirmed Buck still matters to him and then witnesses how Buck completely breaks down over Bobby's death and then Tommy just doesn't talk to Buck till September? Buck at some point will start to move on from Bobby's death, will think about the other things in his life and he doesn't check in with Tommy? Even though he's been meaning to talk to him and Tommy also lost Bobby?

Fuck still having a shot at Bucktommy canon (2.0), I want their story line well written. I want their time line to make sense. Them actually going canon again is very low on my list of priorities tbh.

[crystalrabbit246912]

Group Dynamics in NRC

I think that Group Dynamics in Twisted Wonderland are the funniest things ever.

Spoilers for the Stitch Event, Glorious Masquerade, Book 5, and Book 6 under the cut.

There's the obvious ones, like the first-year crew and their friendship, with them constantly making quips and having fun at each other's expense, and the dorm groups, like Azul, Jade, and Floyd, who are hilarious to watch together, or Kalim and his tired babysitter Jamil.

But then you get to the events, which introduces dynamics that we haven't seen before simply because there's so many characters and each pairing has so much potential together.

Like in the Stitch Event, where we see Floyd and Lilia being chaos buddies together. I think that if they were left alone with Stitch, they could have blown up the whole island and laughed while doing it, and we hadn't seen that before because Floyd has had no reason to interact with Lilia prior.

In Glorious Masquerade, we first see a bunch of different groupings, such as Azul with Deuce and Epel, which is hilarious because we have the two innocent freshmen and Azul, who's trying to say things with subtext that goes completely over the duo's heads. Of course, we already know that Deuce and Epel are cute together, but seeing Azul frustrated at their naivety is something new.

The other groups contain Idia, Ruggie, Silver, and Rook for one, which means that Idia's always-fun dialogue paired with Ruggie's desire to get a good deal paired with two sunshine children, a.k.a two of the light magic users.

The third group is made up of Riddle, Jamil, Malleus, and Sebek. The first three possess a certain maturity that the other first-years, not counting Jack, don't have. Sebek being the shouty crocodile that we all love adds some excitement to them. We've already seen a bit of Riddle and Jamil interaction with Book 6 and Riddle and Malleus are both Housewardens even if the latter doesn't get invited to meetings much.

Yuu, Grim, and Rollo drift among the groups, which adds some extra spice as Grim is... Grim and Yuu is friendly with basically everyone so there's not much animosity there. The friendship is something that would be boring anywhere else, but the amount of animosity between most NRC students makes it refreshing instead.

Later, the group has to split up to deal with the firelotuses and get at least one of their members to the top of the tower to ring the Bell of Solace. They drop their members in groups of two, leaving fascinating pairings, with Idia, Malleus, and Azul making it to the top.

The first pair to drop is Riddle and Epel. The two of them are somewhat commonly shipped in this fandom, but we don't actually see them together much in the actual game. Riddle is immensely talented with magic and Epel has good flying skills, so the two of them act as a diversion so the rest of the group can make it past.

Riddle obviously wants to be a good upperclassman and protect his junior, Epel, but Epel also wants to protect Riddle, which leads to a spirited conversation between them, at the end of which Epel uses his UM on Riddle to protect him and manages to divert the firelotuses until the main group rings the Bell.

Next are Jamil and Ruggie, who get separated from the main group and are forced to be left behind so the Bell can be reached. The two of them share a common willingness to dirty their hands so they can survive, which means that they're willing to use other students as bait so they can survive the night. Their UMs make this possible, and Jamil states that he's glad that he ended up with Ruggie, since the hyena beastman was the only one he could pull the trick off with.

Beyond that, Deuce gets injured in the ballroom and Rook stays behind with him so the group can progress forwards without them. The two of them interacted a little in Book 5, but it was mainly Vil speaking and I don't think they had any individual interactions, though I may be forgetting something.

This is another upperclassman wants to protect their underclassman situation. There's a cute scene where Rook is on the verge of giving up, but Deuce keeps going and Rook says that Deuce's inspired him, in the classic Rook way.

Sebek and Silver clear the way so that Malleus, Idia, and Azul can make their way up the tower. These two are together a rather lot, both in the actual game and in the fandom, either as a sibling relationship or ship, but Silver feeds into the competitiveness between them, whereas it was previously assumed that it was a one-sided thing from Sebek.

Malleus, Idia, and Azul are hilarious together.

Malleus, despite being a Housewarden like the other two, isn't seen much with them. Idia and Azul are seen together often, as members of the Board Game Club, but Malleus not so much.

Malleus' manner of speech and unique quirks are new to the other two, though Azul is quite used to Idia's social anxiety and dialogue while Idia has had plenty of time to get used to Azul and his way of working. When both Rollo and Malleus think that Azul sacrificed himself, Idia is the one that knew that the Octavinelle Housewarden had something up his sleeve.

Idia and Azul both struggle with physical activity, so while the physically and magically powerful Malleus can climb the tower with ease, the other two are struggling immensely. There's a line of dialogue that says that he couldn't carry the two up the tower because there wasn't enough room for him to carry them under his arms, which I found really funny.

I think I derailed this post somewhat, but my conclusion is that group dynamics are funny here, and if you put two people who would never in normal circumstances be near each other in the same room, I think the result would be great.

(Example: Deuce and Idia. Idia is terrified of Deuce, as he is of most people, yet shocked by his determination and also a bit thankful towards him for being Ortho's friend. Deuce initially has a high impression of Idia because of Ortho's praise, though the impression just downrails into confusion.)

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - I guess Korea is supporting us now?

Organized, in each category, with ones I'm enjoying most at the top.

April 2025 Week 3

Ongoing Series - Thai

Top Form (Thurs WeTV) ep 5 of 10 - I know (but also I keep forgetting until the credits roll) that this show is based on a yaoi. The Japanese feel of all of the characters and their interactions that keeps hitting me broadside. For example the whole smoking sequence in this episode. Then I’m reminded that this is Japanese IP at the end, and then I retroactively forgive it startling behavior in each episode. I think I would enjoy this more if I reminded myself as it starts that this is Japanese sensibilities Thai style. This is an authentic adaptation, more so than anything GMMTV has ever given us. (Much as I loved Cherry Magic it was a very VERY GMMTV Thai BL take.)

Sweet Tooth Good Dentist (Fri iQIYI) ep 4 of 12 - It was fine. They are cute enough. But I’m over the moon that Jimmy comes in next episode. That’s all I really care about right now. Honestly I wish I liked this show more, I want to like it. It should be me cup of tea teeth.

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

Heesu in Class 2 (Korea Fri Viki) eps 7-8 of 10 - I am so glad and relieved that Heesu’s bestie crush has finally ended. Thank you. Could we please get on with the BL portion of this narrative now? Honestly, I adore Heesu because he is both honest and earnest (I think that's why the people around him do too). What an utterly charming main character to get to spend time with. I cant wait until next week. I honesly don't mind that the crush swung so swiftly and easily because frankly, that's high school for you, and also we get VO of Heesu's thoughts, so we are kind with him... at least I am.

PS On a complete aside. I cant believe how long this BL is... from Korea! 

PPS I have to confess that I too love carrot juice.

Business as Usual (Korea Thurs Viki) Ep 3 of 7 - ep 3 and we got a confrontation already! And a reverse pov? Excellent. i’m not wild about the reason for the split being miscommunication and fear and running away, I feel like it would be nice we got something different from Korea this time. But I’m still enjoying the show = good kisses, heart-beak et al.

Secret Relationships (Korea iQIYI) ep 8 end - very exciting final episode. Quite thrilling, actually. If you're into, ya know, soap operas and melodrama. Which I absolutely am. As is customary with these kinds of BLs, I spent a good portion of it saying "this boy needs a therapist not a boyfriend!" But they did make a cute couple, with good kisses, even with the ubiquitous year gap at the end.

Summary 

An entirely unhinged story about a very troubled office worker and the three men who are passionately in love with him. Two of whom are very warped and unhinged about it. This is an unadulterated melodrama, and extreme in always including domestic violence, kidnapping for love, and some light stabbing. As ya do. It’s a wild ride, but enjoyable. The visuals are excellent, the acting is fun if chewy, and the chemistry is good all round. However this kind of BL has a low rewatch potential and too much violence for me personally. 8/10

Something Is Not Right (Korea Weds Viki) ep 1 of 8 - Interesting start. Unusual and I kind of like it. They are so cute and so in love and so teen crush. Tsundere is VERY tsundere. It's a very manwha piece, much more so than Blueming ever felt. I'm not in love with it, but I'm not upset with it either.

Fight for You (Taiwan Fri Gaga) ep 5 of 12 - Aw he has such sad eyes. The conceits of this show are increasingly ridiculous and yet I’m enjoying it immensely. Especially when they’re kissing. Thank you Taiwan. Also, how could he not fall in love with the sunshine, when the sunshine is essentially being the perfect boyfriend? That said, I never high rank a show where one of them is lying to the other one essentially the whole time - so that is tempering my enjoyment. But I am still enjoying it despite that one big worry. 

Exclusive Love (Taiwan Fri Gaga) ep 11 of 12 - pocky game with your quasi-ex-bestie when he's getting married the next day? That’s a wild idea honeychild. I do like that we got a lot of the sides this time around. And kidnapping and some self sacrifice stabbing. The usual.

It's airing but......

Sashes and Hearts (Pinoy YT) 13 eps - Philippines is doing Drop Dead Gorgeous only all gay boys queening their asses off. Doesn't interest me, not sure if it's BL.

Last Meal Universe (Thai ????) 8 eps - An alien who has come to destroy earth instead falls in love with Thai food and then the Thai boy who cooks it - realistic, actually. I got a link to watch but it still wouldn't work for me, so I guess I'm waiting to see what happens.

Lost in the Woods (Weds Gaga) 7 eps - Not my thing, dropped at ep 2.

Secret Ghost (Thai Sat Viu) ?? eps - The trailer dropped and it looks so bad.

My Golden Blood (Weds iQIYI) 12 eps - dropped at ep 5. I just can't. It's too awful. I did try. 

Next Week Looks Like This:

COMING IN APRIL

4/20 Boys in Love (Thai Sun iQIYI ) 12 eps - Our only true high school BL from GMMTV this year and it's fresh faces for the youths and old favs for the teachers. It's milk teeth Make it Right and fine with me! I like lotte milk. Also DIMPLES! Yay! I suspect they are using this one to test some fresh pairs for future seasons. Like a Project 101 Thai BL. (Honestly I just invented an amazing reality TV for you GMMTV, you're welcome.) Like My School President in 2023, this could be a major sleeper hit for me.

4/20 My Stubborn (Thai Sun iQIYI) 10 eps - trailer Mflow's next high heat office romance involving best friend's younger brother, boss meets intern, bit of a love triangle, GL crumbs, and few other tropes.

4/25 My Sweetheart Jom (Thai Fri YouTube) 12 eps - trailer Saint is back in a BL, but this is what he chose? When he gets int rouble, Yothin needs to find a safe place. Instead of sending him overseas, his father sends him to the countryside. There, he is under the watchful eye of the village headman Jomkhwan.

4/26 The BangkokBoy AKA Bangkok Boys AKA The Bangkok Boy (Thai Sat ????) ?? eps trailer - Action, crime and revenge meets gangs, mafia, and more. Oh my.

2025 Line Up

BL Announced for 2025 - PART 1

BL Announced for 2025 - PART 2

20 BLs Announced for 2025 That I'm Really Excited About

GMMTV 2025 Line Up - My Totally Biased and Wildly Flawed Feels

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENT

Not a great week actually, no pulls.

(last week)

The tag BLigade: @doorajar @solitaryandwandering @my-rose-tinted-glasses @babymbbatinygirl @babymbbatinygirl @isisanna-blog @mmastertheone @pickletrip @aliceisathome @urikawa-miyuki @tokillamonger @sunflower-positiiivity @rocketturtle4 @blglplus @anythinggoesintheshire @everlightly @renafire @mestizashinrin @bl-bam-beyond @small-dark-and-delicious @saezurumurmurs

[minimooberry]

Main Character Syndrome: A Sims 4 Legacy Challenge ˚ ༘ ೀ⋆｡˚

Hi guys !! I've had this legacy in mind for a pretty long time, and am currently in the process of play testing it (so if you run into problems or notice something weird, please do tell me!!) and my friends convinced me to share it to the rest of y'all 💗 I tried to make it as unique as possible so that I could play the game in a diff way, but I'm aware it mighttt be sort of similar to others. Anyway, here's the challenge!!

Do you love drama? Is a good a trope your guilty pleasure? Well, it's mine too, soooo welcome to the Main Character Syndrome Legacy Challenge where every generation lives out their very own run through character trope. From wide-eyed dreamers and golden children to misunderstood outcasts and scream queans, each heir embodies a classic character trope—complete with twists, secrets, and high-stakes drama. Over ten generations, you’ll explore love, fame, family, justice, horror, and everything in between.

Rules: 

Each sim moves out with at most 1000 dollars after buying a house

Every sim must finish their generation challenges and goals before moving on (you can work on both when they live in the same house though)

You can add as many side plots and characters as you like, but try to keep it realistic to the sim you’re playing with

Cheats are allowed for storytelling purposes but NOT to complete the generational challenges (ex. cheating away a life aspiration goal)

Rules marked with asterisks** are optional 

This challenge uses: City Living, Get to Work, Get Famous, Horse Ranch, Werewolves, Cats and Dogs, Island Living, Parenthood, Discover University, Paranormal Stuff 

GEN 1 : MANIC PIXIE DREAM GIRL

You start off young adulthood with being kicked out onto the streets and losing all sense of family… you might as well not even know them! In the midst of hitting rock bottom, something shifts. You realize there's a whole world out there waiting to be explored. So you make a choice: to live life on your own terms, to be unapologetically yourself, and to discover everything—and everyone—the world has to offer.

Pack: Base Game Aspiration: The Curator Traits: Goofball, Cheerful, Erratic Career: Odd Jobs Skills: Gardening, Mischief, Fishing

Start off with no house and no money

Complete at least 4 collections

Enter all secret lots

Never replace broken items

Have 5 good friends and 5 enemies

Marry a sim with the perfectionist trait

Host weekly parties with as many friends as possible!

GEN 2: GOLDEN CHILD

You grew up tagging along on your parents’ many adventures, constantly meeting their eclectic mix of friends. Despite being total opposites, your parents were completely in love, and watching them together taught you early on that Sims aren’t as different from one another as they seem. While they were off exploring their latest hobby or spending time with a friend they probably met skydiving, you were watching the news—and you knew, even then, that you wanted to make a real difference in the world.

Pack: City Living Aspiration: Neighborhood Confidante Traits: Ambitious, Good, Jealous Career: Politician Skills: Charisma, Violin, Painting 

Have a part time job all of your teenage life

Volunteer and donate to charity weekly

Live in every district of San Myshuno

Go to every festival and spread your cause via social interactions

Complete the Snowglobe collection

Become enemies with three sims with the mean/evil trait 

Have a strained relationship with the next heir 

GEN 3 - THE BLACK SHEEP

You're not even sure when things started to go wrong—maybe they were never right to begin with. You were never as close to your parent as your siblings were. While they excelled in school and effortlessly won people over, you always seemed to miss the mark—getting the answers wrong, fumbling the punchlines. Deep down, you know your family loves you, but sometimes it feels like you'd be doing them a favor by not tarnishing their perfect image. Maybe you fit in better with your own creations than real people.

Pack: Get to Work Aspiration: Soulmate Traits: Genius, Loner, Practice Makes Perfect Career: Scientist Skills: Handiness, Baking, Writing

Fall out with your family in your teen years but make up as an adult

Stay below a B grade for all of school

Write books/screenplays in your teenage years 

Complete the Geode collection

Create a clone of yourself (temporarily or permanent!)

Date and marry only one person your entire life

GEN 4 - LITTLE MISS PERFECT

You have the perfect life! Your family adores you, you have more friends than you can count, and you’re good at, like, everything! Something about you just sparkles. You’re already the darling of your hometown, so why not aim for the world? Sure, you’ve never been away from your city for more than a few hours, but how bad can Del Sol Valley really be? 

Pack: Get Famous Aspiration: World Famous Celebrity Traits: Childish, Self Absorbed, Creative Career: Actor Skills: Acting, Guitar, Media Production

Complete the social butterfly aspiration as a child

Join the drama club**

Never have a negative relationship until you move out 

Never leave your world alone until you move out

Have four epically failed relationships each with a different coworker (one of which results in a child)

Have a pristine reputation by the end of your life

Complete the postcard collection

GEN 5 - THE BIMBO

Despite being wildly misunderstood by almost everyone, you're not some stuck-up little brat! You've been stuck playing peacemaker between your parents since before you could talk—shuffled between glamorous socialite parties and designer clothes one day, and the smell of horse manure and sheep breath the next. That kind of whiplash has to leave a mark, right? Not that you let it show. Or care. At least… not until a scandal—one you maybe, sort of caused—gets you kicked out of high society entirely.

Pack: Horse Ranch Aspiration: Expert Nectar Maker Skills: Nectar Making, Logic, Photography Career: Rancher Traits: Mean, Horse Lover, Perfectionist

Have a bad reputation as a teenager

Have a strained/toxic relationship with your best friend (can be temporary or permanent)

Move into your ranching parent’s house as a young adult after a public scandal and begin to help around (willingly or not)

Raise a horse from a foal to an adult

End up at least friends with all animals on the farm 

Become enemies with a sim… the one you’ll eventually marry!

Complete the fossil collection

GEN 6 - THE BEAST

Just your luck that you had to be turned into a freaking werewolf in the hottest, sunniest place in the world. One day, you were a normal kid with a completely normal sheep bleet filled life, then you’re a bloodthirsty creature of the night. Whatever, this cannot ruin your chances of being a world-famous football player. 

Pack: Werewolves Aspiration: Bodybuilder and Cure Seeker Skills: Fitness, Video Gaming, Horse Riding Career: Athlete Traits: Active, Loves Outdoors, Geek

Complete the Rambunctious Scamp aspiration as a child

Join the soccer team in school**

Be turned into a werewolf as a teenager and hide it from your parents (and the rest of the public) your whole life

Switch aspiration to Cure Seeker once turned, but switch back to Bodybuilder once human again.

Become best friends with an aggressive werewolf 

GEN 7 - THE OUTLAW

Your parents are a little weird—but then again, whose aren’t? Maybe it has something to do with the fact that you’re basically part animal. Still, you’ve always known that your true calling in life leans a little… outside the law. Your family was too busy hunting for cures and stopping werewolves from tearing up the living room to notice that you weren’t exactly following the straight and narrow. But hey, what’s wrong with having a little fun—so long as it doesn’t interfere with your perfect little angels, obviously.

Pack: Cats and Dogs, Parenting Aspiration: Friend of the Animals Skills: Veterinary, Mischief, Parenting Career: Criminal + Veterinarian  Traits: Evil, Family Orientated, Dog Lover

Max the mischief skill before young adulthood

Always have at least two pets 

Become a parent at a young age and always have a high relationship with your children

Run a veterinary clinic when you’re not working as a criminal 

Your children must max at least one skill before young adulthood

Retire from the criminal career once you’ve reached the top to take care of your family and pets 

GEN 8 - THE IDEALIST

You were raised in a very strange household by a very strange parent. Your sense of right and wrong had been properly screwed up in your childhood, and so, determined to be completely incapable of evil, you decide to save the planet! And maybe kiss a mermaid or two while you’re at it.

Pack: Island Living  Aspiration: Beach Life Skills: Fishing, Mixology, Singing Career: Conservationist Traits: Child of the Islands, Kleptomaniac, Good

Move to Sulani but always accept invites from your parent to hang out

Steal one object every time you’re at a new lot

Perform Karaoke at the bar weekly

Break up a marriage (accidentally or on purpose… who knows) but don’t get married to that sim

Swear off of relationships until you fall in love with a mermaid

Don’t get married until Sulani is restored to its former glory!

Complete the Fish collection

GEN 9 - STONE HEART

Growing up, your grandparent was always around, taking care of you. But even as a kid, you could tell that most of what they said just didn’t sit right—it was wrong, and you knew it. And then there was your parent—so loving and adoring—yet even they couldn’t resist the impulse to slip a cute pen into their bag during parent-teacher interviews. Watching that happen stirred something in you. Not anger exactly, but something deeper, sharper. A sense of… justice? Yeah. That feels right.

Pack: Discover University Aspiration: Academic + Renaissance Sim Skills: Research and Debate, Logic, Piano Career: Law Traits: Unflirty, Neat, Outgoing

Get into arguments with your family whenever they do something immoral 

Major in Language and Literature

Become a Detective but quit the first time you arrest an innocent person

Break at least two hearts (and yes, you are totally the villain each time) before deciding to just stick to yourself

Live in an apartment for your entire young adult life

Have your closest relationship be a pet

Adopt/Have science baby as an Adult 

Complete the Elements collection

GEN 10 - THE FINAL GIRL

You don’t know why strange things keep happening to you. Maybe it’s because your house was built on cursed land. Maybe it's because you did a little too much digging in the library as a kid and you subconsciously gravitate towards danger. Whatever the reason, one thing’s for sure: it always comes for you. Still, no matter what you lose, no matter what you face… you’re the last one standing. And if it’s the last thing you do, you’ll end the cycle of horror once and for all.

Pack: Paranormal Stuff Aspiration: Paranormal Proficiency Skills: Medium, Logic, Gardening Career: Paranormal Investigator  Traits: Gloomy, Bookworm, Self Assured

Lose a loved one in your formative years

Move into a haunted house as a young adult and live there the rest of your life

Befriend Bonehilda 

Summon and banish every kind of ghost at least once

Befriend one sim descended from Gen 1, but isn’t a part of the main bloodline you’ve been following

Please tag me in any of your gameplay if you decide to give this a go and HAVE FUN !!! If you don't mess with a rule, just ignore it LOL this is litt just to have fun and explore packs that you may not have seen all the features of. LET ME KNOW IF SOMETHING'S NOT WORKING PLSSS 🙏

love yaaa, bye !!

[fallloverfic]

Thoughts on To Be Hero X Episode 12: Fall of the Star

This was a neat episode :3

Deeply annoyed the Chinese dub on Crunchyroll at least as of about 1.5 hours after premiere, does not have English subs, despite saying it does. I hope this will change as all the other episodes have English subs for the Chinese dub, most at premiere, but this is extremely frustrating that it's happened again and unlike last time, it wasn't fixed within 5-10 minutes. I want to watch the donghua dubbed in Chinese, not Japanese or English :/

I still think it is hilarious that this show is not escaping the Liu Zhen/Mickey allegations and even maybe embracing them lol Liu Zhen continues to have terrible taste in men and TBHX is like YES SIR XD

I'm still glad that Queen stuck by her friendship with Lucky Cyan. From the perspective of this arc being focused on feminism, this episode really emphasized that the goal of patriarchy is to keep people - particularly women - divided, which weakens them. When women turn on each other (particularly due to the actions of a man), that keeps them from focusing their ire, united, against the problematic man, and allows patriarchies to retain power. When women work together, they are truly powerful, and that's when the patriarchy can be toppled.

Bowa originally being a cop is... interesting. I really love female melee fighters, so it's sad to see her fall like this. But her being a cop makes sense for why she's so mistrusting and arrogant.

This is fun, though.

Yes, I'm wondering who the hero next to Rock is, and I'm excited to learn about Nine. But Wreck and X fought??? When???? Why? I think a lot of us assumed Wreck primarily focused on Nice as his nemesis, but this makes his interaction with other heroes canon. He could still have focused on Nice, and maybe X interfered or something. Maybe Treeman engineered the conflict. But that Wreck survived, despite being cast as a villain??? Maybe X realized he's an actor??? I know X tends to win in a snap but we've seen him in combat, the fights tend to take some time. And given the giant scope of Wreck's attacks...

Also, given what we've seen of Wreck and X, it's not surprising X is an SSS-rank. This does however make me kind of terrified of what Nine is, because Nine is S- ??? So a bit stronger than Wreck?

Just amazing. I'm so curious alkdjalj I wanna see the fight!!!

The fight between Queen and Bowa was really great. A lot of incredible animation and it was just overall cool to watch. I was however deeply distracted by the reminder of another chaotic superhero fight scene at a port at night, involving a purple female hero who focuses a lot on melee combat: Huntress in Justice League: Unlimited Season 2, Episode 6: Double Date.

That scene also involved someone letting vengeance take over their logical reasoning, and the end result was that the purple character has to give up her vengeance (though Helena at least got a date out of it).

Watching these two destroy the port, I was reminded of Queen's comments about the issues heroes bring. None of this is heroic: they aren't saving anyone. They're likely costing some business or perhaps even the government tons of money in the destruction, let alone the cost of replacing the goods and cargo containers, and the boat. They'll be lucky if no one was injured, and this is likely bad for the local water ecosystem. There are port workers who will likely be out of work for who knows how long. What if any of those containers had medical supplies or food or something?

And all of this over who could be X. Because Bowa couldn't just go after the guy who's at issue. Still not a great solution, but better than whatever this is. Even just I don't know, being a hero, even in small ways, would be better.

I was however a little validated by Bowa swinging the giant axe around so easily having just finished a Moonstone Axe run on Hades II. So aggravating.

I feel like Little Johnny probably wanted to join Queen and Lucky Cyan on the trip, or maybe to inspire Queen or something with her abilities, but I guess we'll see (maybe) where that goes in future (I guess maybe in Episode 17-19?).

Overall great episode :D I'll be sad if we lose the nice OP next week, but given the quality of the music and animation we've gotten so far, I have high hopes. And if nothing else, the OP and the music are still there. Episode 13's preview for Loli's arc looks interesting, anyway.

More thoughts:

Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3, Episode 4, Episode 5, Episode 6, Episode 7, Episode 8, Episode 9, Episode 10, Episode 11, Episode 12 (You are here), Episode 13, Episode 14, Episode 15

[robocatfan]

An angry summary of Speak the Ocean by Rebecca Enzor -Part 2

Part 1 , Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8

Chapter 2- Erie

This chapter introduces us to Erie, our magenta- haired mermaid protagonist and the youngest daughter of the king of the underwater Seadom - yes that’s its name. At least it doesn't go by Atlantis like many other stories do.

As stated before, she’s the youngest of seven siblings (only two of which we see in the story and learn the names of. The other five meanwhile don’t even get a mention) - just like Ariel - and also the one who’s been neglected the most due to resembling their disappeared mother, Queen Manistique. We learn that she was the first mer captured by humans - which the mers and dolphins call “landfolk” - and that her dad’s still wallowing about his dead wife. Just like Ariel’s dad.

Erie’s been trying to find a pattern and reason for the abductions of her people, each one represented by a shell which she’s tasked to stain with squid ink when they get taken, with the most recent victim being one of her older siblings, Clair. However, the events are so irregular that she’s unable to find any answers.

As she ponders her sister’s shell, she’s visited by a blue-haired mer called Huron, who’d just snuck past a surfacing Niku - her dolphin guard - and immediately suggests they go out hunting despite the danger of the landfolk. Also it’s pretty apparent by the way he’s interacting with her that he wants to do way more than just get food.

While Erie is tempted to go out, especially since none of them have been hunting much due to the fear of boats, she has doubts about it… for just a brief moment since of course, it doesn’t take long for her to agree to come with him.

In the next two paragraphs as they sneak away, the text gives us a look (or rather, a sort of broad description- and the only one we ever get at that!) of their home, which is essentially a big underwater city surrounded by a dead sunken forest that is somehow enough to hide them from modern human technology, because none of the human characters have any idea of its existence.

There are also other sea creatures living within it like fish and crabs, but Erie notes that they are illegal to eat… Even though it’s also noted that everyone is starving due to being unable to hunt as frequently as they used to, so why prevent them from consuming these very accessible meals? It’s like placing a bowl of food just out of the reach of a chained dog!

Anyway instead of doing… Whatever they are intending to do, in a hidden corner of their home, these two fools decide to go past the dead forest to do it in what’s essentially a danger zone just so they can have their “fun”. Brilliant!

After getting to the open ocean (aka the danger zone), Erie feels a sense of freedom due to the vastness of her surroundings, something she hasn’t really felt since her sister got snatched.

When she thinks about her fate however, she starts having second thoughts about venturing this far due to the danger… which are immediately dispelled when Huron brushes his tail fin against her stomach and it becomes very apparent that they are both thinking with their second head.

But just as they are making out and in the middle of justifying why this book has an adult age rating (again, while in a danger zone. Oh and its also noted that female mer have breasts) they are interrupted when they both notice the rumbling of an approaching boat. We don’t get to have a moment where it dawns on them that one of the main tools the landfolk use to capture them is coming in their direction, or even get a glimpse of its shape. Erie just hears it, and bolts.

A literal sentence later, a net is thrown and hits Erie’s tail, bearing her down against the ocean floor. Which makes me wonder just how shallow their part of the ocean is for the net to get there so quickly. Actually, how long are those nets to be able to do that in the first place?

In any case, her trapped state only lasts two sentences before she “easily” (due to the text barely showing her struggle) gets free - ripping her tail fin in the process. Which should be painful af, but the text barely dwells into how it affects her mobility and later presents it more like a minor inconvenience later on.

Huron on the other hand, isn’t so lucky as he ends up getting - surprisingly easily - trapped in the net, and his companion’s attempts to free him last for about ten words before it becomes apparent that there’s nothing she can do to free him. Like, girl, you and the rest of your kind are human sized, and while these nets are strong, they are for fish way smaller than you. And since it’s your boyfriend that’s trapped, at least try a little harder!

So Huron tells her to get help, and even though she knows she won't be able to find aid in time, Erie still tries. A sentence later, the narration destroys any tension by telling us that he’s essentially a lost cause now.

(I still can’t believe all of this happened because these two idiots wanted to have mermaid se-)

And it becomes very apparent in moments like these that the writing style is one of the greatest weaknesses of the book - as well as the reason that just reading it feels like an exhausting chore to me. Because what’s supposed to be a tense and terrifying scene for both the readers and the characters….

Ends up falling very flat due to how quickly everything happens (seriously this scene takes just one page to finish) and due to how matter of factly everything is written.

When Erie reaches the dead forest, she has a miniscule flare of hope upon noticing the shadow of a dolphin before she sees its back scars and realizes that said dolphin is a rightfully pissed Niku.

Still, she tells him where Huron got captured and that she has yet to find a pattern for the boat’s appearances - and Niku oh so helpfully tells her that “perhaps staining the next shell may enlighten her”. So much for a scolding or comfort.

Two days later, Erie feels guilt for causing her boyfriend’s abduction, even though he was the one who suggested they go out in the first place. And what does her father do about this recent kidnapping? NOTHING.

We are not told if he punished her for going out, nor if he has increased security because one of his remaining children nearly got taken. He just doesn’t do - and hasn’t done for these past six years - anything to help his subjects even though they and his very own family are being constantly kidnapped. And you would think his inaction as well as their current situation would cause civil unrest or make them more eager to fight back against the landfolk (like that unseen mer who attacked a tourist in the previous chapter), but nope. Everything goes on as usual I guess.

While she stares at her ink stained fingers so she doesn't stare at Huron’s and Clair’s shells, her grandmother Dowager (which is the name used for widows who hold the titles or properties derived from their deceased partners), comes to visit her, and Erie notes that her scale colors have dissipated with age and that she has a few string of sea glass around her neck which her sister declared would never be hers due to being the youngest.

Anyway, the grandma isn’t that important to the story.

And instead of coming to comfort her granddaughter, she warns her that she may have to stain another shell soon since there have been recent sightings of boats.

When Erie asks her why they are still out there - since normally they just take one mer at a time - she responds that according to the king’s landfolk advisor ( who doesn’t seem to do his job well because six years have passed and nothing to help improve their situation has been done. Oh and he’s gonna be important - for one chapter only.), it might be for research, and none of them have any clue as to what it means.

To seemingly provide some sort of levity though, her grandmother tells her that her father has declared a hunt to restock their fish pens in spite of the danger, and that the dolphins and all able bodied merfolk (which doesn’t include her because rip her tail fin - but doesn’t amount to anything as you will see a few chapters later) participate.

Erie then asks her if she knows if there will be any boats nearby since she’s one of the wisest mers she’s known. and she replies that while that is impossible to tell, the area they are planning to hunt in has clear waters as of now.

And as she reassures her that Niku will keep her safe during the trip (pretty much saying that her dad’s restrictions mean shit even though her grandkid is injured), Erie grabs one of the few clear shells and swears that she will do whatever it takes to figure out the schedule of the boats and the reason for the kidnappings.

…. Don’t expect her to take the route most characters go through after making such a bow.

Chapter 3- Finn

We are back to Finn’s perspective as he immediately enters Delmara’s office to proclaim himself the trainer of the new mer - aka Huron - who was caught while he and Serge were disobeying the doctor’s orders in chapter one.

When he enters, Delmara introduces him to a red-haired woman called Jennifer/Jen, who’s been recently hired as a new employee in Oceanica and who greets him warmly but also warily, and is also notable for being the sanest character in the story and the one that, frankly, should have been the human main character instead of Finn.

Speaking of him, while he happily shakes her hand, he’s caught off guard when his boss says that not only will he be her guide for the week, but they will also have to clean the tanks that used to belong to Bismuth and the twins.

When he asks why that’s the case, since she previously promised him that the next mer in line will be his to train, Delmara reminds him that the doctors have forbidden him from interacting with the mer until his next checkup, and that the new arrival will be placed under the care of Mia and Laz, the trainers of their current stars Radon/ Ray and Potassium/ K.

Speaking of her, according to Finn she’s probably going to kill the new mer (the reasons for that? we are never told about it), and it took weeks with the electroshocker™ to get her to behave. And as we later learn, she’s actually Clair, Erie’s sister.

However, and despite the fact that she’s essentially the murderous mermaid this book oh so claims to have, not only is she underutilized, but her tank companion and trainers matter so little to the story that they essentially vanish without reason later on (and you’ll later see that I’m not joking.)

Finn is aghast at her decision. But while he’s worried that the new boy won’t last more than a day thanks to K/Clair, he’s more pissed over the fact that he’s not allowed to interact with the same creatures who nearly sent him to the next life a few days ago for his own safety. As well as the fact that he has yet to train one in spite of his long time helping Delmara.

So he essentially throws a tantrum - in front of a new hire, no less! - and tries to throw Maddy under the bus by blaming her for the fact that he tripped (like a fool) and fell into the tank due to his own clumsiness and stating that due to this, she should be the one on cleaning duty instead of him.

Ultimately his boss makes him stand down and dismisses him and Jen, not before telling them that she will be sending the fishermen out to find another mer soon - which seems to be her only response to the financial loss that the death of their previous stars certainly caused.

Finn is far from happy about this, but knows her enough to know he won’t win this argument. So without having the decency to at least hide some of his current frustration, he goes to give Jen a tour of the place.

What could have been a way to also show the reader how the main setting of the story looks like only consists of a sentence where Finn points to the break and locker rooms before they arrive to the room where they hold the tanks, which the text does bother to describe.

It has four sets of double tanks - each one about thirty meters in diameter and connected by tubes to the point that Finn compares the place to a giant hamster room. All of them connect to the practice tank we saw in the first chapter, as well as the “arena” - an outdoor tank where they hold their shows and that is colored way more aesthetically than the room they are in.

Still bitter about being put in his place, he points to the empty tanks and explains that they’ll scrub them over with diluted bleach, fill them back and then let them cycle over a couple of days before putting a new mer in.

BUT according to a friend (and a quick google search) these sorts of tanks should be cycled for, at the very least , 2 or 8 weeks! Which means that either the author got information wrong, or they are intentionally cutting corners! Either way, Finn hopes that by the time the process ends he will be allowed to train a mer.

Jen is unsettled by the tank sizes, but he tells her that they are actually three times bigger than the previous ones, in which the creatures could barely stretch… It doesn’t help much.

And instead of thinking that maybe the new employee is concerned about the mers’ welfare, this guy assumes that she - like previous new employees- is disappointed by the fact that dealing with these creatures isn’t as glamorous as they first thought. And still, he admits that nothing would make him quit the job.

They walk up to the next set of tanks and Finn introduces her to Ray and K/ Clair, who are floating in the middle of the tank while their trainers check the water parameters with long poles - which is the only time we see those being used to keep the mandated distance from the creatures.

Huron meanwhile is huddled in the second tank, and while Ray is indifferent to everything (which is the only trait we learn about him), K/Clair glares at him - most likely due to recognizing him as her younger sister’s boyfriend, and Finn does admit that his blue accents will go well with the orange and bright red of the pair.

Jen is fascinated at first by K/Clair due to her colors reminding her of Ariel, but Finn stops her by telling her that K/Clair is a lethal predator. And due to feeling that she needs a healthy dose of fear to work with the mers, he tells her that the first thing she did on her first night in the tank was rip the gills out of her current tank companion -something that, as stated before, we never get an explanation for.

And just to hammer it further, he goes on to remind her in the most dramatic way ever that while “one can cage, shock, and teach the mer tricks, they are still clever as shit and will always look for a way out, a weakness they can exploit”, before warning her to not become said weakness.

Which is ominous and all, but-

It presents them as more dangerous than they actually are - regardless of him overdramatizing stuff.

To my utter disappointment, just like with the “perfect predator” statement, we never get any scenes that give credence to his words.

Later Finn, Serge, Maddy and Nat go to a place called The Porch, an establishment they frequent to drink and in this occasion, bet on how long Huron will survive being with K/ Clair. You would think they would take his potential fate more seriously considering they - again - recently lost two of their most important stars.

On their second round, Jen joins them, wearing an Oceanica polo and a dolphin- shaped sea glass necklace that will be important later. After everyone introduces themselves (we actually don’t get to see it), Finn takes her over to order a drink for her, but as they do he notices Maddy scowling at the two of them, which confuses him since the two are only friends with benefits.

Btw this jealousy and attempts to get closer to him are the only personality traits Maddy shows for most of the story, and the fact that she attempts to get closer to Finn - who constantly diminishes her feelings and who paragraphs before blamed her for his own clumsiness almost getting him killed - is presented as her being in the wrong for some reason.

And if his thoughts on her didn’t make him sus enough, when he calls one of the bartenders over to serve Jen and she gets flustered around him, his first thought is that of course she’s acting like this, since he thinks that the other guy looks more attractive than he is, and when Jen tries to tell him that he doesn’t have to pay the tab for her, he compares her to the mer and “gets the sense that she’s a predator hidden in sheep’s clothing, storing everything away to use against them later.”

… Dude. You two have interacted for a day! What on earth made you reach such conclusions?!

And as he’s amused at the fact that she’s also a lightweight, for some reason we get a scene where Maddy takes Jen’s phone (since when did she pull it out?!) and laughs at the fact that Finn looks like… Colin Morgan?

Finn is offended by this comparison and attempts to make a joke about guys with big ears but no one listens (as they should).

That and the fact that he recognizes a Merlin actor due to his sister watching the show ain’t important. What is somewhat important is him complaining to Serge about Aunt D not giving him a mer for the millionth time… before Maddy makes a joke about him using idk what to get a tourist to sleep with him, then Finn makes it clear that tonight he will get in bed with her, and Natalie calls them both “pity fucks” for it.

… deep sigh.

[shoot-i-messed-up]

Halsinestro for the ship ask

ahhhh a classic.

Ship It/Don’t Ship It

What made you ship it?

Just about every interaction they have in Johns era and forward. They're so tragic, and there is such a complicated history implied behind why they act Like That. They're also so goddamn funny.

*cue disney channel laughter as upbeat jazzy outro plays so we can transition to the next scene*

Also the fic Lodestar was probably what made me go up from "I really enjoy their doomed yaoi dynamic but I almost feel like the romance detracts from the tragedy" to "hooooly shit I see it and I love them."

I don't see them as endgame, but I definitely think they had something while Sin was still a GL and Hal was his protege.

2. What are your favorite things about the ship?

Do I even have to answer? The tragedy of it all. Both my favorite and my least favorite part tbh because I'm a sucker for happy endings, and I don't think sinhal would ever get one, barring possibly some very drastic events.

Also, I'm very much a person who likes my ships to balance each other out and also I love my ships to be character foils to each other, and sinhal very much does both of those. Hal's reckless, fearless, follows his instincts, self-sacrificing, and unpredictable; Sinestro is manipulative, scheming, and self-controlled.

And as I've talked about in my bruhal ask, Hal throughout his GL-Parallax-Spectre-GL journey has had a very, very complicated relationship to both fear and control, both of which are things that Sinestro is the thematical represenative of. Sinestro is kind of a precursor to Parallax!Hal but also kind of a "better" version of it at the same time? Sinestro wants to bring order to the universe, just like Parallax!Hal did, but he doesn't go batshit crazy over it either. He's measured, in control of himself, and knows his limits in a way that Zero Hour Hal wasn't able to. hell, the entirety of Sinestro 2014 issue #5 is Hal projecting onto Sinestro that he wouldn't be able to control Parallax like Hal couldn't, and Sinesto proving him wrong.

3. Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship?

Hmmmm. I still lowkey think that focusing too much on the romance detracts from the tragedy, but that's less to do with the ship itself. Maybe my unpopular opinion is that I don't think these two would actually ever hook up after Sinestro becomes a Yellow Lantern? Like, I do think the love is always there, but I don't think it would have an outlet after Sin is ousted from the GLC. Like, Hal testified against him. I think Hal is too attached to his sense of morality and Sin too unwilling to be vulnerable again for anything like that again. I very much see this ship as a lovers-to-enemies situation, not a lovers-while-enemies, which I think some people do.

in conclusion: them </3

[coralcryptid]

So I've just recently finished the chapters 3 & 4 of Deltarune and I absolutely adore everything about this game, but I keep noticing this one detail that I'm not sure means anything but I wanna ramble about it! Obviously, big spoiler warning, though I'll try not to say too many, but here's my big thought:

Why are so many siblings missing?

So throughout the game so far, we're introduced to several different characters and their families, and I've noticed that there's at least three cases where we're told about someone's sibling but we never get to see them generally outside of brief dialogue mentions or maybe someone/something which has a design calling back to them

The most obvious of course is Asriel, who's said to be off to college by the time Kris and Susie first end up in the Dark World. It's mentioned time and time again how he's off to college, or how people miss him, or the hope he'll be back in time for the festival we'll end up seeing in chapter 5 next year. We've yet to see him in game beyond little references or other characters mentioning him, but we do meet and adventure with Ralsei who obviously looks like him, or at least another addition to the Dreemurr family. Even Noelle and Susie talk about this fact while Kris and the player are hiding in the closet in chapter 4

Then there's Dess, Noelle's sister, who's also repeatedly mentioned throughout the story starting in chapter 2, but the tone is always more grim and serious compared to Asriel being mentioned, as if she's gone missing, died, or something akin to that. We've seen her entire family and her room, but we've only ever seen a single silhouette during Tenna's speech towards the end of chapter 3, and if you believe the theory that perhaps Dess is in some way the Knight then perhaps we've only seen a corrupted, silent, and deadly version. At the very least, the Knight certainly has horns very similar to the Holidays'

And finally there's everyone's favorite silly guy, Papyrus. I don't believe his name is specifically said, but he's referenced by Sans who in the first two chapters brings up the possibility of you two meeting. But in each and every chapter so far where we can interact with the skeleton bros' house it's explicitly said the sounds in the house that are clearly supposed to be him are getting more distant until it's just totally silent during chapter 4 where interacting with the house says "You hear nary a bone... No rattle, nor trousle, nor xylophone tickle"

While the last one is certainly more silly than the other two, there's at least three siblings repeatedly mentioned, related to characters that are in some form important to the story, who are completely missing in one way or another, and I feel like that's gotta mean something right?? Maybe I'm overthinking it, but three siblings related to major or beloved characters completely out of the picture feels like one too many! Someone else could probably tie it all together better than me but I just really wanted to talk about the game and throw this out there

[heathensimmer]

Roaring Heights 3T2 - A Little ... err ... A LOT Less Glamorous

So yes, my Roaring Heights is glitzy and glam as ever.

But I thought to myself: Wouldn't a beach city like this have a bit of a rougher crowd SOMEWHERE amongst the rays of sun and flowery dresses?

I mean, the mayor (He's a Judge (Lvl 8 of Politics) in Sims 2 rendition) of Roaring Heights is a Kleptomaniac for Simoleon's sake!

I wanted a bit more seediness.

And of course, this character just HAD to live in the crappiest rattiest house in Roaring Heights. A premade house that was already there when you load Roaring Heights in the Sims 3! A house much different from the ones I just showed you.

Consort Capp's mother is literally ruining my shot ... technically she dies soon in the timeline so you know what, have a nice long walk, girl. She is FAR from home.

I made a man named Melvin Presley from my own mind. Not from Sims 3. This is an unoccupied house in Sims 3.

The residents have started just referring to him by a simple phrase ... "I suppose every city or town needs its crazy old men..."

And yes, Roaring Heights definitely needs it! Another technophobe, but much more bitter and caustic.

Melvin's 3t2 traits are Grumpy, Neurotic, Technophobe, Mooch and Eccentric.

His personality I set to generally match his 3t2 traits. I do this so they behave like the traits just a little bit more.

His bio reads: (And yes, I put a grumpy neurotic Technophobe right next to the amusement park XD)

Well, Melvin, as your Creator and guide here, and as, essentially, the manager/caretaker of your scrambled Sim mind, I personally suggest getting out of the house. Lots of Sims in Roaring Heights feel just like you!

I mean WOW y'all ... I recreated this house as faithfully as I could from the Sims 3, and ... lol EA said "let's make a bunch of elegant multi-story mansions in Roaring Heights, and then one clown-car sized trailer" ... I mean ... guys just look at this

Dude can't breathe. I had to squeeze in counter space on the other side of the fridge but that's weird for the living room door. It's cool, I think it's funny when Sims's routes fail. Besides, judging from Melvin's current relationships (he's been in my hood since the beginning) he won't be having people over all that often ...

Melvin is furious with an NPC cop and I don't even remember how or why, and it's H I L A R I O U S

At least he has room for the clothing rack thing. He also is thinking about his rage at the cop.

Melvin has the "Neurotic" trait so I give him 4 fears instead of 3 with SimBlender. All of my adult/elders get default 5 want slots, unless they are Genius/Perceptive or Absent Minded.

Um... he wants violence currently. He's a technophobe, also, I didn't give him PickNMix's driver's license because I feel like he would be afraid of driving. Let's literally just have him wander around town all day and all night like the kooky dude he is! Nope, we ain't staying at home and mindlessly keeping up our needs, cleaning, paying bills, watching tons of TV, nope.

This back room is about all the fun he has in his house anyway :P

I have a mod (link here) where the Mooch trait from Sims 3 allows your Sim in the Sims 2 to be able to "Beg for Money" ! I believe the Interaction also happens when Fortune Sims go into aspiration failure.

OK, I just heard the "Crush Developed" sound effect and got excited, but it's just Consort and Contessa Capp lol they fell out of love at the pool the other day :(

gravelly voice* Well...*incoherent grumbling* thank ya... thank ya very much for your kind contribution ...

Oh wow! He's getting lots of help!

Fifteen dollars? All three of those Sims that you see gave him money, and it evidently added up to 15 dollars??!! Melvin is absolutely LIVID.

Melvin has the Grumpy Sims 3 trait, so he can "Nag" Sims, which is one of the autonomous parent lecture animations. I directed him to nag each of the three donors individually for their pitiful contributions!

He nagged mostly about Crime, Money, and Work lol

I took Melvin to the diner nearby. This is the "Clean Your Plate Diner", the more affordable of the two main restaraunts in town.

This is a rabbithole in Sims 3, pretty much the same size in the Sims 2, or at least I tried my best to recreate it and just winged it with the interior.

It's pretty cramped lol but surprisingly it works. And definitely not because it's, ya know, a relatively well-routed game for the characters. (Ok, you can argue me on this, but Sims in the Sims 2 can actually fare pretty well with rooms as tiny and seemingly hopeless as a 3 tiles wide 5 tiles long dining room (3 tile table, barely enough room for two end chairs to slide in) I've seen it happen. They just route around the other side of the table if they're blocked off) or maybe I am thinking of four tiles wide with setquartertileplacement on....Idk never mind

Well, Melvin is seated. And clearly, he won't be able to skip out on paying the bill because the hostess stand is right near his table! If he had only been seated by the back door...

Oh, look there's Consort's dad on the left. So many icons out today!

There's the woman who barely gave us any money. We should nag her again.

Also, the three Sims that you see besides the waitress were literally moseying around and loitering in the staff's kitchen.

I used Simlogical's targetable doors to keep them out!

Nighttime fell, and Melvin made a few bucks tending the bar after I directed him to chat about "Work" with the NPC bartender and the chat succeeded.

Then, I had him Beg for Money again. The Same woman tipped us ... again...

She literally gave him 5 Simoleons.

Who does she think she is?

Melvin, I think, has a new enemy.... What will become of him?!

Do you create any ... unusual characters?

[markantonys]

I know we've talked before about the unlikelihood of the show changing up any of the major endgame romances, specifically Mat/Tuon, but I'm wondering: at this point do you think Min's still in the polycule? Considering both the show's insistence on triads and the fact that she's barely interacted with Rand, Elayne, or Aviendha? Of course I don't understand a lot of the (lack of) relationship setup in the current season generally. At the very least they're acting like they're still planning for 8 seasons. Stretching Randgwene (and to a lesser extent Randfear) this long makes some sense if we're a little over a quarter of the way through, but not in the context of 5-6 seasons.

i agree that it's a bold choice for them to pace out the relationships as if they're fully confident of 8 seasons rather than being a little more practical/cautious about getting endgame stuff set up, and not a choice i personally would've made in their shoes! because yeah, if we get 8 seasons, then randgwene lasting for 3 of them is okay (even then still a bit excessive to me), but if we only get 5-6 (which is a very real possibility because 8 seasons is a HUGE ask in today's TV landscape), randgwene will have lasted the same amount of time or LONGER than their actual endgame relationships. of course rand & egwene is one of the most important dynamics in the series and will be particularly key in the final season, but spending THIS much time on it *as a romance* before shifting into the platonic narrative foils era just isn't the wisest move imo. i get rafe's point that if rand and egwene have to spend a whole season-long roadtrip together anyway they might as well use the time to make a proper story arc out of their breakup, but i think it would've worked just as well if not better to have them break up in 3x01 and then spend the season on a proper story arc of recovering from the breakup and working on finding a new platonic equilibrium with each other.

moving on to your main question! at this point, i do not think min is still in the polycule. i will make my lengthy case below!

LACK OF SETUP

while you're right to say they're not doing as much as they could or perhaps should with relationship setup this season, they did make sure to do some between rand-elayne-avi. each duo got at least one meaningful one-on-one scene in the first episode, and on top of that, there was an emotional thread tying all the relationships together by elayne going between rand and avi mediating their conflict with each other. avilayne have hooked up already, randlayne got a very romance-coded meetcute moment last season, and avirand are spending the season together with plenty of subtle (but clear if you know it's coming) hints that romance is in store. these three characters are clearly linked together and it won't be too difficult to build a romance upon these foundations next season.

contrast that to min. she has never met aviendha and won't anytime soon. she had one conversation with rand in s1, but that was 4 years ago for viewers and at least 1 year ago for the characters. she's just met elayne, and i'll keep my eye on their tanchico interactions, but at least as of the first meeting, there was no attention drawn to them as a duo and neither of them took particular notice of or interest in each other.

and the thing is, they easily could have brought min into greater contact with the other 3! they could've had her run into rand in cairhien in s2. they could've had her run into the gang in tar valon in 3x01 and have a chance to meet avi and share a scene with rand before they headed off to the waste. heck, they could've had her join the falme outing in s2 so that she would be included in the gang who spent a month bonding on a boat offscreen and then an episode bonding in tar valon onscreen - she WAS at falme in the books! they actively altered her book story to make her NOT be at falme with everybody! heck heck, if they were going to change her entire TSR storyline anyway for s3, they could've dropped her into the waste plotline instead of the tanchico plotline to have her spend time with rand & avi. even as is, they could've had her spend time with elayne at the tower in the first half of the season instead of solely mat. but none of this happened. they've had so many avenues for facilitating connections between min and the other polycule members but haven't taken any of them.

BLUEPRINT POLYCULES

as you mentioned, the show has exclusively portrayed polyamory as balanced triads. 3 people where every person is dating every other person, the love between all 3 sub-pairs is equal, and the 3 people are a closed committed unit together. basically, as close to a monogamous relationship as a poly relationship could be, just with 3 people instead of 2.

if they wanted to have main characters be involved in a 4-person polycule where not every sub-pair is dating each other, then surely they would've chosen at least one of the Blueprint Polycules to portray this more complicated type of poly shape (for example, alanna could've had 3 warders, or 2 warders and an aes sedai girlfriend) and get audiences ready for it. especially since this is a poly shape that's much more difficult for the mono-normative audience to wrap their heads around than a throuple is; they would need some practice on smaller characters to be able to accept it with bigger ones.

AUDIENCE RECEPTION

most audiences have a very very hard time understanding and accepting poly romances. for the rand polycule, even in the Enlightened Queer Spaces of the fandom, it's pretty much UNIVERSALLY claimed that the show needs to have min date at least one of elayne/avi in addition to rand or else it will feel like a harem. if min only has one partner and everyone else has multiple, that's not fair. it makes it look like she's an outsider. it makes it look like they don't love her as much as they love each other. it's misogynistic that she only has one partner while rand has 3. etc etc.

of course, none of this is true of actual polyamory. plenty of real-life poly situations involve people having "uneven" numbers of partners, and as long as everybody involved is happy with it, it's completely fine! but good fucking luck convincing the mono-normative audience of this. i 100% guarantee that most viewers would throw hissy fits over Unfairness if min only dates rand and not also elayne and/or avi and/or another person outside the three of them. ESPECIALLY with the gender makeup; even in Enlightened Queer Spaces, polyships with majority men are adored, but polyships with majority women are decried as misogynistic, as harems, as straight male power fantasies. i have a feeling that certain segments of the queer fandom are going to have a lot more criticisms for MFF rand/elayne/avi than they did for MMF alanna/maksim/ihvon, and their criticisms for MFFF would be exponentially worse.

TIME EFFICIENCY

the show could try to combat this by giving min more love interests than just rand. but that would be SO time-consuming, and for what gain? developing avirandlayne is relatively easy; it's only 3 different relationship dynamics. if you add a fourth person into that mix, that DOUBLES the amount of sub-duos that need attention - even if min is platonic with elayne & avi, the audience would still expect her to have meaningful relationships with them so that she feels like a true part of the polycule and not just an awkward hanger-on (again, min only dating rand and having minimal contact with his other partners would be 100% fine and normal for IRL polyamory, but audiences of a story wouldn't like it), so we now have a polycule with 6 sub-dynamics instead of just 3. that's a really tall order for a show with such a huge story to get through and such a huge cast of characters and array of relationship dynamics to give time to.

i believe rafe said something once about how cutting rand's polycule would feel like gutting the story. obviously, maintaining that poly core is important to him, and rightfully so. but he can do that successfully with avirandlayne; avirandlayne alone is enough to maintain the poly core and honor rand's book canonical poly nature. does tacking min onto it too add that much more value, either representation value or narrative value? maybe a little bit more, but not so much more that it's worth the amount of time and effort needed to make it work, since that 4-person polycule would require so much more work than a relatively straightforward throuple would.

THE ENDGAME

in the books, the endgames are these: elayne will spend her life in caemlyn ruling andor and raising her twins. avi's ending isn't explicit, but most readers assume she will spend her life with elayne and the kids in caemlyn. rand heads off to wander the world alone for a while, with the freedom to spend his life however he might choose; his long-term plans aren't specified. min is firmly entrenched with the seanchan as the top advisor to the empress.

one of these things is not like the other!

in the show, i will eat my hat if rand doesn't explicitly end up in the happy family caemlyn endgame along with elayne and avi. they have put in so so so much work to show that rand's greatest heart's desire is to live a quiet life with his family, to be a husband, to be a father. they have shown that he is responsible, that he is a natural caregiver, that his greatest calling in life is to protect and care for other people. they have shown that even if he tries to wander off alone and cut himself off from his old life, he is unsuccessful because he can't stop caring about the loved ones he left behind and wanting to help them when he learns they're in danger, and they've shown him learning a lesson that his loved ones get hurt if he tries to disappear from their lives. all of this feels like a pretty strong thesis statement to me about who the show thinks rand is and where they see him ending up post-canon.

so, we have happy avirandlayne family at the end of the series, and min off with the seanchan. if min is in a relationship with rand, it feels like a pretty cruel ending to ship her off to a dangerous continent all by herself while the other 3 get to kick back and enjoy their lives together.

the show could've avoided this by simply cutting min's seanchan involvement. in the books, it happens so last-minute and nothing about her story prior to AMOL sets up for it. the show would've been 100% justified in cutting min's seanchan involvement and sending her to join the happy family caemlyn endgame after the last battle.

but instead, they have been investing a TON of time in setting up min's connection to mat and therefore that seanchan endgame, and they have been doing this at the expense of setting up her connections to rand, elayne, and avi and their stories. it feels to me like they took a look at the two major areas where min could be involved and chose which one to prioritize - and it wasn't the polycule that they chose.

WORD OF RAFE

+ also, i don't have a screenshot offhand, but the first part of his famous "polyamory over polygamy" quote is that when somebody asked if rand's love life at the end of the series would look the same as it does in the books, rafe simply replied "no" (and then followed up with the quote about assuring people he didn't plan to gut the story and that he was more interested in exploring polyamory than polygamy). of course, he could have simply meant that it would look different because some of the women would be dating each other too, but it's also very possible he meant it would look different because it would only be avirandlayne and no min.

granted, screenshot #2 was in response to a question that specifically asked about rand-elayne-aviendha as a throuple, so it could be that he just didn't mention min because the interviewer didn't. still, screenshot #1 where he specifically calls them a throuple rather than a polycule definitely implies to me that the plan is for the relationship to only ever contain 3 people.

sure, they could be planning avirandlayne throuple + rand/min offshoot, but again, the mono-normative audience would struggle with that and find it weird, i think, and rafe & co are surely aware of that.

especially given the timing with elayne & avi already being together. back in the day, i'd figured they would do avirand & randlayne first circa s4 and have elayne & avi give signoff for the other to date rand, and then in s5, there would be dual storylines of elayne/avi and rand/min falling for each other (since geographically it would be likely for elayne & avi to be in the same place in s5 and rand & min to be in a different place together). but now that avilayne has already hooked up, it's much more likely that s4 will see all 3 sub-romances within avirandlayne coming together at the same time and reaching full throuple formation already at that early stage. so then if rand goes off to get a whole nother girlfriend in the following season, that feels less like the polycule is expanding on both sides at the same time and more like rand just got bored while separated from his GFs and wanted to find a new person to fuck. (on that note, even with just egwene and lanfear, plenty of viewers are grumbling about Rand Getting All The Women, so i think having him date THREE women all at the same time would push a lot of people over the edge, which circles back to my above points on audience reception and harem accusations.)

SO WHAT WILL BECOME OF MIN IF NO POLYCULE?

the entire time i was reading the books, i kept thinking that rand & min's stuff would've worked so much better for me if their relationship was platonic. perhaps rafe agrees! the idea of prophecy-obsessed & increasingly-paranoid rand having a personal seer by his side unintentionally stoking his paranoia further with her viewings during his downward spiral could be really interesting to play with, but imo there also being an intimate romantic relationship between them muddied that dynamic in the books and it would work better if it was kept platonic/professional.

plus, rand's downward spiral arc of pushing away his loved ones and moping around about how isolated and lonely he feels is just absolutely SILLY if he has a live-in girlfriend plastered to his side and cuddling in bed with him every single night, not to mention it makes no sense that rand takes an opposing attitude towards her vs. elayne & avi i.e. he's firm about keeping away from elayne & avi and keeping their relationships hidden to protect them, but flaunts min around as his public mistress and brings her into active warzones with him. however many partners rand has, he should give himself the same behavioral rules towards all of them during his downward spiral! so the only ways to fix all this are either to yeet min out of rand's storyline during this time, or to let her remain in the storyline but give their relationship a little more distance and have her be a platonic advisor-friend rather than a lover-partner he's deeply emotionally and physically intimate with and deeply afraid of his enemies uncovering his love for.

and the latter approach allows them to honor the heart of min's alleged book story (being rand's philosopher-seer and helping support him during his darkest days), so in terms of keeping the broad strokes of the books intact, i'd argue that having min as rand's platonic advisor during the downward spiral is closer to her book story than having her as his lover but being off in a different storyline during his downward spiral (because as i mentioned, being his lover AND being by his side throughout his downward spiral kind of have to be mutually exclusive, they just don't make sense together, so we have to choose only one, and the latter is a bigger part of what her character & story is supposed to be).

CONCLUSION

after s1 and the 3 beautiful women viewing, i thought the polycule members would be the same as in the books. after s2 when there was a romance-coded randlayne meetcute and yet no effort was made to connect min & rand in cairhien or to make reference to min knowing her own romantic fate, i thought they might be focusing on avirandlayne for now and saving min/rand as an optional addon if they were to get enough seasons. but now that s3 is over halfway done and min's storyline has once again been fully focused on mat (and therefore that seanchan endgame) with no attempts at all to connect her to rand's story, i'm feeling pretty sure that min/rand isn't in the cards at all.

at this point, all that's left to do is keep a careful eye on min & elayne in tanchico. if there's any type of moment that makes me feel like they actually ARE setting up for min to join the polycule, i will have to take back this entire post. but if there isn't, i will consider that the final nail in the coffin, because if they were planning to have her join, it would be insane to waste a whole shared min-elayne storyline and not do even a tiny lick of setup for min-in-the-polycule.

[bichietozier-s]

🕷️Catch You On The Web!!🕸️

An Itafushi spiderman socmed au ❤️

In which Yuuji Itadori, newly a sophomore in college who still has not a clue what he wants to do with his life, gets bitten by a radioactive spider and gains new abilities, stats and powers. He's coasting on his raw athletic ability, a full-ride scholarship handed to him despite his less-than-perfect grades, when he realizes he's got way more ahead of him than he'd ever imagined. Including, but not limited to, a newfound crush that also throws him for a loop.

you are reading: Prologue | Part 1 | Part 1.5 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 5.5 | Part 6 | Part 7 (coming soon!)

notes:

Established nobamaki, inuokko, a smidge one-sided itajun :') + other background ships here n there. Non curse au, only some know each other prior! Timestamps do NOT matter (unless specified), nobara and junpei go to a different college from everyone else, and this starts from the VERY beginning (so, no spidey yet). It's a mainly twt-based au bc this is my favorite way to see characters interacting 😋

That should do it! I hope everyone enjoys 🥹

Accounts!

OKAYY everything's set up!! i have learned tumblr formatting ommmmg. I have the first 4 and a half parts or so written already (active over on twt but i find myself over here more lately!) so part 1 should not be far behind this post!

Last but not least, pls pls pls lmk if you'd like to be on a taglist!!! :3c don't be afraid to ask, i'd be happy to start one 🤗

Thanks for reading + interest all 🫶🏻🥰

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