#underline the black spoilers

[bitter-me]

Who is He..?

Wriothesley | M. Reader

SPOILERS FOR WRIOTHESLEY'S STORY QUEST

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"A haunting face..... Is he a lost embrace..?"

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The sound of the children laughing and playing together echoes throughout the place. Such a lovely and cheerful place. The children's joy is contagious as one couldn't help but smile as they feel the joy that radiates from them.

On this particular day, the children circles around a boy--their older brother--as he reads them a book they begged him to read. He read it to them with a warm smile on his face. The sight of his younger siblings being happy and serene faces makes him the happiest. They may not be related by blood but the bond they made, the memories they've created. That what makes them family.

The teen read the book with passion as he gave different voices for the characters, bringing out laughter from the children.

Suddenly the teen felt something or rather--someone--hugging him from the back. Turning his head to the side the teen glance behind him and saw a younger boy with short black hair.

The boy didn't look up, instead he just buried his on the other's back the teen saw the opportunity and took it to tease the younger. "The Knight, badly wounded from his battle goes to the Alchemist for help." He continues to read the book for the children with a little twist to tease the boy. "Seeing the Knight in such a bad state the Alchemist immediately got to work and start making a potion that could help the Knight get back on his feet."

Putting a hand on his head the elder ruffled the younger's hair with a grin. "Now fully healed, the Alchemist decided to help the Knight defeat the dragon and together they were victorious, saving their kingdom!"

The children cheered at the story. Overjoyed at the conclusion of the story.

After the others left to play, the two is left alone and now that they're alone, the teen let out a sigh as he run his hand through the other's hair who's still hugging him from the back. "Did mother make you clean the windows again?" He asked with a soft and gentle voice.

He waited for a reply only to be met by silence. He was about to ask again before he felt the other nod and with that the elder turns around to face the boy and hugged him, he knew for a fact that he was at the verge of tears, after all this isn't the first time he goes to the elder for comfort as he cries his eyes out. He comforts the younger as he cries on his shoulder. Holding him close, running his hand though his hair, rubbing circles on his back. After a while he decided to break the ice and asked the boy.

"What happen this time?" There's no malice or annoyance in his voice, instead his voice his soft and gentle, he's not mad--no--not even the slightest.

"I lost my temper..."

"I know that your friends and siblings can be annoying but please.. be more patient, okay? They mean well."

"And remember... but on a happy face. A smile is always a joy to see, especially yours." The teen added with a smile of his own as he put both of his hands on the younger's cheeks and making him look up. The tear streaks were obvious on his cheeks as the teen use his thumbs to wipe them.

The black haired boy sniffed as he gave the other a small nod in response as he could feel his face becoming flustered by the affection and the underline meaning behind the other's words.

"Thank you..."

"Your welcome, W--"

.

.

"Your Grace!"

Wriothesley snapped out of his thoughts as he heard someone calling for him. Turning his head to the sound he was met by Sigewinne, the girl look at him with a concern expression. "You've spaced out for a really long time and you didn't respond when I called you, is something on your mind, Your Grace?"

Letting out a sigh Wriothesley gave her a smile and said. "I'm alright, Sigewinne, there's nothing to worry about. Just... reminiscing about the past.." Sigewinne continues to look at him with a concern expression before giving him a nod as she sees it as a sign to drop the subject.

My... how time flies...

Before they knew it they've grown up to be adults and as time passes, his memory began to blur.

Shaking his head Wriothesley look at the file on his desk, a file regarding the newest prisoner in the Fortress, a file he was supposed to be reading instead of reminiscing about the past. Taking the file he opens it and is immediately stun by the photo attached to the documents.

A man with [H. Color] hair and [E. Color] eyes with a neutral expression. He looks empty almost emotionless. One could tell him that it's a photo of a statue and he would believe them. But the question now is...

Who... who is he..? He felt like.. he saw him before..

He's a misty memory. A haunting face.

The cold and indifferent expression he has doesn't ring any bells and yet..

He felt that...

The expression didn't suit him. A smile would be more fitting. It would suit him best.

After all... 'A smile is always a joy to see, especially yours.'

That too, he felt as if someone had taught him that.. but who..?

Who was that person..? And most importantly... who is the man in the photo? Who is he?

.

.

It's been a few days since the new prisoner and every time Wriothesley see him from the corner of his eye. It's almost as if a fog entered his mind as he sees a teenager instead of the indifferent, dead-like man. It's strange.. almost bizarre..

Just... who is he..? Or rather..

Who is the teenager he sees?

Wriothesley also began to hear something... a voice. A voice that echoes the words of what others said to him.

"You look stress." "Are you alright?" "Have you try drinking tea? It usually helps." "Here, I made tea for you, it usually helps calm your mind."

"Your Grace, you don't have to do this, really it's just a trivial thing!" "You don't have to act like the "Hero" every time... they may still be children but please... you don't have to exhaust yourself like this.. have more faith in them."

"The Duke, huh?"

The voice is disoriented but he could make out the care, gentle, and softness of the voice. Almost as if he heard it before. As if... someone had once told him.

.

.

"Who would have thought.... you who would come running to me.. crying whenever mother was being "too harsh.""

"Is the very same child who killed his adoptive "parents"...."

"Did you lose your temper again?"

"Hopefully you have learned how to control them now... after all you've become the most respected man in this Fortress, no?"

"Mad? No.. I'm not mad... I'm not mad that you killed them.. Why should I? We're both sinners."

"Both you and I have blood on our hands."

"You have paid the price.. and I haven't.."

"It's time for me to pay the price...."

.

.

.

.

.

"[Name] [L. Name] has been found guilty and is sentenced to death."

[sapphoswh0re]

A Kuroshitsuji theory about the emerald witch arc

I've never posted something like this and English isn't my main language but I just wanted to share some thoughts with other fans, so please let me know what you think about this :)

We are in the dream in chapters 93-95, and could these scenes hide clues about the future/role of certain characters???

Who are the pieces on the chessboard?

(Maybe a big foreshadowing about the most recent chapters????)

What pieces are present for each group?

Black: 1 king, 1 horse/knight, 1 rook*, 3 pawns

White: 1 queen, 1 horse/knight, 1 bishop, 1 rook*, 2 pawns

*I'm almost sure it's a rook because it's the only piece left and the other shapes wouldn't really fit.

First, let's include a bit of symbolism for each piece. (Full article: https://chessquestions.com/chess-pieces-symbolism-shape/)

After looking at the various characters that Yana linked to the pieces it was super interesting to re-read their role/symbolism and try to understand the reasons behind those placements.

Later two mirrored panels appear and they indicate that certain pieces represent certain characters.

Ok that was easy.

But what about the others?

And we know that Yana doesn't do things randomly, so what could be the reason for certain choices?

Let's see the theory little by little…

White:

▪︎ BISHOP -> Joker

▪︎ PAWN 1 -> Doll

▪︎ PAWN 2 -> ?

▪︎ ROOK -> ?

▪︎ HORSE -> ?

▪︎ QUEEN -> ?

▪︎ ?

Black:

▪︎ ROOK -> Vincent

▪︎ PAWN 1 -> Madame red

▪︎ KING -> ?

▪︎ HORSE -> ?

▪︎ PAWN 2 -> ?

▪︎ PAWN 3 -> ?

4 of them are revealed by Yana herself and two more are quite obvious: O!Ciel is the black king and Sebastian the black knight.

These two symbolisms are often used both in the first chapters and in the anime.

Furthermore, it is mentioned in the same chapter:

O!Ciel is frequently shown as the "black king" but in the chapter we can see him standing in front of the king, he covers part of it and it's as if he is the one wearing the crown.

R!Ciel is leaning on the horse when he says that Ciel is scared to look at the "proof of sin" which is a clear reference to Sebastian. Also, on the chessboard in the first picture, we find the horse close to O!Ciel.

Ok, perfect, now the hypotheses and spoilers for the latest released chapters begin.

I start with two characters who are shown in the chapter but not as chess pieces: Rachel and R!Ciel.

Rachel is not present in the second picture but is always shown next to Vincent (in this chapter too) so I think she could be the pawn seen in the first photo in the box G8.

For R!Ciel, however, the question is a little different because we actually know which piece he represents even if that piece is not shown on the board.

R!Ciel is the white king, this not only because he's O!Ciel's twin but because it's shown to us by Yana through the way he moves.

This picture is super helpful to understand where the characters are positioned and how they move.

We can see him (blue dot) standing on C3 in a scene, then he moves until he's on F2 (the X), standing in front of the black horse (G2, red dot).

I found it interesting how the way he moves is almost underlined with zooms and sparkles: first, a single step obliquely (in D2) and then another single step.

We don't actually know if the move was C3->D2->E2->F2 or C3->D2->E3->F2 but the important thing is that he moves in multiple directions but only one step at a time, and this is a main feature of the king in chess.

So what is the situation now?

White:

▪︎ BISHOP -> Joker

▪︎ PAWN 1 -> Doll

▪︎ PAWN 2 -> ?

▪︎ ROOK -> ?

▪︎ HORSE -> ?

▪︎ QUEEN -> ?

▪︎ (KING -> R!Ciel)

Black:

▪︎ ROOK -> Vincent

▪︎ PAWN 1 -> Madame red

▪︎ KING -> ? (O!Ciel)

▪︎ HORSE -> ? (Sebastian)

▪︎ PAWN 2 -> ? (Rachel?)

▪︎ PAWN 3 -> ?

I'm not actually interested in the black pieces at the moment so let's focus on the rest.

Looking at the situation that has been created with the return of the real Ciel and other characters recently, do we perhaps have some clues about the current factions???

Both R!Ciel and Doll returned as bizarre dolls, so could we consider the whites their side or at least a side that is O!Ciel's enemy?

Then we can now guess who the white horse is in my mind.

Why do I think that Undertaker is the white horse?

He has a somewhat similar role to that of Sebastian for O!Ciel, albeit distorted.

They're both the "knight" to their "kings", someone who stays by their side (white horse in B4, really close to the white king in C3) and provides support and strategy, I don't know but it just made sense to me.

What about the white queen?

OK, now it's going to get a bit crazy.

Let's look down again where the white queen and black knight are shown, and let's see what is said.

“Nothing will hurt you here” is referred to O!Ciel, so who could be a threat to him?

Sebastian, of course (in that same moment in the manga he was trying/considering eating him, his goal is to devour Ciel's soul at the end) but is also shown the white queen???

A queen who could hurt him?

Yeah so I think it represents Queen Victoria. Why?

My theory is that on the chessboard she is part of O!Ciel's enemy faction (she is not R!Ciel's ally at the moment and she wasn't involved with the blue cult arc since Undertaker despises her lol) because she could be connected with the events of the twins’ tenth birthday.

There are too many coincidences about 14 of December: Prince Albert's death, the twins’ birth, the attack. A lot of theories here on tumblr explain it really well.

And the other pieces? I don't think it's too crazy to assume that all 4 stars may be present on the board: Sirius, Vega, Canopus and Polaris.

2 of them are already there-> Sirius (both Ciel) and Canopus (Doll).

We now know that Vega is Layla, so she could be PAWN 2 or the ROOK based on her future role/importance(??)

Polaris has yet to be revealed but I believe it could be Joker who is already the white BISHOP, an important piece who is however not linked to the royal court but to a different master, who in his case is Baron Kelvin.

For my first post, it got waaay too long, so maybe I should explain in different posts all my theories on the queen's role, Polaris' identity, etc.

I hope it wasn't too chaotic 😅

[lunarriviera]

another thrilling spirealm update

henlo my friends yes it's that time once again where i tell you what is happening on the bizarrely named drama "the spirealm," i am at episode 25 having shotgunned it all weekend and i have thoughts, opinions, and a gabillion screencaps of ruan nanzhu looking stricken, i finally had to stop taking them because he has the exact same face of devastated yearning in all of them and i was filling up my cloud drive. spoilers ahoy! [parts one and two are here if you even care]

as just mentioned, ruan nanzhu spends his time looking either 1) icily indifferent (when people who aren't qiushi are talking to him and/or dying in front of him, to his vast annoyance) or 2) torn asunder by pangs of desire (whenever he's staring at qiushi, who's babbling obliviously about science or clues or absolutely nothing of any importance whatsoever). here is a representative screencap but he has this look on his face pretty much continually, like he's just been hit by a car. a car of love.

it makes me put my head in my hands and scream quietly, i haven't seen a BL actor who understood the assignment this well since zhang xincheng or maybe even z1l. (who all clearly not only read the novel but underlined it, highlighted it, and stuck in colored post-it notes.) when not busy with adoration, he swans around being magnificent in a frockcoat like he's edward rochester, while lin qiushi trails behind him wearing a fit he got out of the goodwill box in his college dorm.

in spite of being besties with a literal fashion icon, at no point does it ever seem to occur to lingling "hm maybe i should dress a bit more formally for my imminent demise inside the doors"—no, instead he proudly wears his ratty sweatshirt with holes in it. which i sort of think might belong to huang junjie. idk maybe qiushi trusts it, and feels safe in it, hey look at that i made it sad.

massive power couple energy. also notice how their outfits are exact black-and-white negatives of each other, the harper's bazaar wedding photoshoot would have been so goddamn lit.

taking a brief moment for a shoutout to this guy. chen fei i don't even know what your fate will be but i already know you deserved better. not only do you patch everyone up with your veterinary knowledge, but i have seen your unrequited love. it did not go unobserved. you would have been a great partner, you're unimpressed by everything and drink your soy milk with chilling apathy. i'm real sorry the theatre gay didn't love you back. you're too similar i guess.

back to lin qiushi who has the worst case of main character energy since harry freaking potter. somehow the game is about him??? he has trauma??? none of this was in the novel and i'm just pretending it's not happening until it becomes impossible to ignore. in the meantime he continues to sympathize with door ghosts because he's just that nice of a guy. (EXCEPTION: nanzhu literally murdered two competitors bc they threatened his darling, and lin qiushi helped him cover it up. i was appalled for like 5 minutes then i shrugged. it's a cutthroat game, the doors change people. also it's like captain mal used to say: if someone tries to kill you, you kill 'em right back.) i have big Theories about what is fixing to happen but for now i will end by relating that lin qiushi has gone into a door alone, because he wants to butch up and be a better partner for ruan nanzhu. and that would be a great idea and super helpful except that nanzhu IMMEDIATELY WENT OUT OF HIS MIND WITH BLIND TERROR. outwardly of course he gives no signs of this (other than hiring someone to protect his fragile boyfriend, which, if lingling figures this out, ruan nanzhu will be sleeping on the sofa forever).

here he is pushing food around his plate miserably at lingling's funeral pre-solo-door party. everyone is having such a fun time.

and here he is standing in front of the door waiting like a dumb wounded animal. i have a feeling if lin qiushi doesn't emerge at 15 minutes on the dot, nanzhu will simply expire on the spot, like a wolf separated from its mate. maybe that's the end of the spirealm JUST KIDDING, we still haven't gotten to the part where they're on either side of a different door wailing at each other. i really need lin qiushi to stop being such a cheery equanimous little frat boy and START SUFFERING, can we get some mutual pining up in this bitch. (also i need his hair to change in the traditional BL post-wedding hairstyle alteration because i can't remember at this point if huang junjie even HAS a forehead under that vast curtain of bangs)

to sum up, we've had a) sexy handfeeding of lychees b) tender cat fur removal from face and c) stalking your pretty boyfriend aggressively against the wall so you can…offer him a packet of disinfectant. in the novel of course nanzhu bites him and yes xia zhiguang absolutely knows that's what he's supposed to be doing here, we love to see it.

oh and also d) "i'll protect you. i'll protect you forever."

SOON: THE THRILLING CONCLUSION. IT'LL BE SO FUCKING SAD. PS unrelated to any of this but the OST SLAPS and i sing along every time now, that opening song is an unskippable cut scene of a banger

PS gonna be sad when [redacted] dies, he's a real card. and that other person dies too. and that third person. shit it's about to get messy

[revel-inbluehues]

Oh my goodness gracious, I am several different types of broken rn. I just watched episode 7, and I NEED TO RANT AND I'M PROBABLY GOING TO LEAK A SPOILER OR TWO.

Okay, firstly, the first half was hilarious, just FX and MQ being absolute comedic gold. I completely forgot that FX was afraid of women since I read the novels a long time ago, but it was hilarious. He looked so disgusted. Them getting in funny situation is good as it is, but the animators did a fantastic job at the facial expressions of FX, MQ and the background heavenly officials who were hearing all of this play out. I laughed at it all, and poor SQX being embarrassed, tired, and exasperated at the dice shenanigans that he had to deal with earlier.

But, funny as it was, the second part was my favourite bit.

I literally froze when I saw Fang Xin. It was beautiful and terrifying at the same time. Knowing what that blade had done, the history it has made it so much more impactful since this is the first time since this is the first time XL is seeing it in 600 years or so while this is the first time HC is seeing it in around 800 years if I remember it correctly. It is such a metaphorically heavy blade, and seeing its design and animation is so very beautiful.

Meanwhile, LQQ commented on how different XL seemed, and XL responded on how this is how he always was, just that LQQ never knew it. Even still, XL felt like a teacher to LQQ, so I feel like no matter how separate XL tried to be, he did very much care for LQQ as I'm sure the next episode will show.

But I think the major part that got me was LQQ's speech about not becoming full of resentment or like XL, which is one hell of a gut punch. Once again, bravo to the animators for that little cut to XL's eyes widening. I always knew LQQ was a parallel to XL, and it is most clearest here. In that moment, XL knew that he was LQQ's White No Face, and that, in LQQ's perspective, where he started the worst moments of his life in a twisted attempt to make LQQ just as resentful as him. It was a fantastic comparison and a terrible irony to XL, something he clearly acknowledged as he laughed and tried so hard not to cry. XL's comparison to the White No Face is something that will probably hurt every time, since to XL, only he and JW know about it, and he's unable to share the burden of what happened, which probably just hurts even more. The parallel between LQQ's words to XL and XL's words to White No-Face is so painful, especially to XL, who thinks that it's his burden to bare, and it probably hurts more when you consider that he literally just got Fang Xin back.

And throughout all of this, the one other person who knew all of this, and wanted to share the burden was standing right next to him, looking hurt and about to cry as he watch his most loved hurt. HC knew the significance of it all, and it was a stark reminder of all the times he failed to protect the one he loved the most, and since this right after he accidently hurt XL as well, this must be painful for him too. There is so much foreshadowing for all the donghua-watchers only and so much tragedy underlining this scene.

The part where XL hesitated to hold Fangxin, when you know everything, hurts so much. It caused him so much trauma, wielding it would have just been such a painful reminder.

Let me move onto fangirling before I cry.

Firstly, I was waiting for the daruma doll bit for a while. He looks so cute and angry at the same time. It's adorable, and I laughed when LQQ side-eyed HC in the daruma form.

Secondly, why do HC and XL still look so HOT EVEN AS THE WEIRD CANDLE DEMONS, OMG???? HC with horns, blue skins, and black sclera is going to haunt me for DAYS, and XL looks so good with it as well. The candles on their heads look so funny though.

The next episode is for the Qi Rong simps, and I would like to remind everyone that Qi Rong, heathen that he is, is still physically hot, even if I have the visceral desire to punch him.

[zorasink]

hornet man,,, (spoilers for Hollow Knight Endings)

like okay I’ve been thinking about hornet for a while and it’s because

how fucking

lonely she is

like I’m the “hollow knight” ending— her half sibling will never know the truth and as her will she will protect Hallownest herself

or in the “sealed siblings”, not only we betray her during the fight and continue fighting PV instead of Radiance, but after that she becomes a dreamer and she is the only dreamer in that realm now

or in the “dream no more” ending, she passes out when ghost dream nails PV and only is awake after the fight of Radiance, the cutscene where she looks over and sees ghost’s mask shattered too 😭, and now her duty in that ending is over and she can leave Hallownest

or like in the “embrace the void” ending like BRO she’s waiting for us in the black temple, next thing she sees is the infection fading away and sees PV out of its chains and she— by herself— is prepared to fight PV

and now with Silksong? She’s alone in a entire different kingdom, yes she will make friends, foes, rivals, will get to know her past as well, etc.

But no matter what her path is lonely and I hope that in Silksong there’s this moment of reflection in her loneliness, I get that in the “Bonebottom” song that Larkin did how like there’s people living their lives but smth is underlining and there’s that loneliness in the melody

anyway yeah I love hornet a lot man and I don’t want her to be lonely 👍🏽

[pawl3ss]

New episode of ghost eyes dropped I just wanna share some shit I found out today

This js like, all over the place and so shitty, basically just my thoughts so jm sorry for that ToT

Uh, tl/dr: the little mirror guy in the new ep is prince or broderick. Also ernest is probably the very beginning of the whole ghost eyes thing

Numero uno: Ernest actually appeared way more often than I thought??? Maybe it's just me ik but I didn't look at the details so I didn't remember him that much

Ex. When Wolfe (is that his name? I rlly hope so) goes down to the basement or whereever tf he went, Ernest appears on the pictures + his father

This little blue fucker looks like ernest? Or I'm just blind

And here, when he pulls wolfes shirt and like. I cut the pic to see Mattias too because ITS IMPORTANT FOR LATER OK

So second of all, the new mirror kid that appeared in the new episode looks like prince and there aint no way it isn't

(Spoiler alert: later in this post I realize it might not be him)

And now listen, I might be onto smt or nothing, but first of all prince took over ernest thats why his eyes are neon blue when he meets Wolfe bc prince also had them I think? Or it's just a coincidence I hope not :V

So uh that might or might not explain tobias's neon blue eyes I guess like. Ernest and tobi both got black hair and neon fucking blue eyes and is that a coincidence? I hope the fuck not bc if it is ill look like an absolute idiot

OR the guy that ernest saw in the mirror was broderick that tobias saw in the mirror

Oh shit wait now that I look at it it's even the same mirror. Yeah they are the same person, ANYWAY-

Also below, on the notes about Mattias its underlined "she's done something to him" which I'm guessing is talking about kiraba??? Idk I don't see no other option so far

Also to the Mattias pic I mentioned before that might be a sign or just some indication that he got "taken over" by some ghost spirit shit too, especially that after that ep Mattias starts to act weird and unusual, but idk. (Edit: I just read the text next to his pic above and realized that yes he will be taken over by some shit. Sorry for my blindness)

Oh also the fact that in a meme remake/redraw kiraba is the one pointing the gun at (most likely) young ernest. Yeah.

Ik this is so messy but I had to spill my thoughts somewhere 😭

[ladymisteria]

AMAZON PRIME'S ZORRO PROS & CONS.

After days of watching and re-watching the episodes of the new Zorro adaptation, I decided to share what - obviously only in my opinion - are its main pros & cons.

(For fairness, since I will mention spoiler elements, I thought I'd insert my reflections below the cut).

PROS:

MORE POV. It is impossible to start mentioning the pros of this series without mentioning the very obvious - and extremely right - decision to "broaden" the points of view. Perhaps for the first time, in fact, the story is not narrated almost completely by Diego alone, but also by the various other characters who are part of it (be they the Chinese, the natives, etc.).

REALITY. As already said by @aragarna, this new Zorro gets rid of the "we are all friends/we sit at the same table" contours to show - finally! - the tense and highly classist climate of a sadly very particular historical period. We see the hatred and distrust towards the natives, with the enormous difference - compared to other products that focus on this particular "feud" between colonizers and colonized - of knowing "both bells" (I don't know if there is a similar expression, in English, I apologize) and therefore being able to realize how different things are, depending on who tells the stories. This makes the series refreshingly "real" (yes, even if it includes elements like the Spirits of Native American culture).

NOT CLEARLY GOOD/BAD CHARACTERS. Monasterio is no longer the Commander, absolutely "black", devoid of scruples and good sides. Indeed, as the season continues, he increasingly demonstrates that he is an individual who well understands the absolute injustice of what he does - while nevertheless not shying away from doing it because he is faithful to his position. He is in conflict between what his principles and his role impose on him, effectively making him a magnificent "grey" character. Diego and Nah-Lin themselves are wonderful examples of "well-rounded" characters, because even in their most wrong actions, they maintain a sincerely credible and even - at certain points - justifiable motivation.

TECHNICAL VISUAL ASPECT. The scenes are masterfully shot, the soundtrack is not intrusive but rather an excellent way to underline the various thoughts/feelings of the characters, etc..

ZORRO'S LEGACY. The idea of a "generational change" of Zorro, in a choice that potentially makes it possible to see more sides of the same character - trivially because more people interpret him. A fact demonstrated in this same first season, where we had three Zorros, all three with their "characteristic side".

THE DECISION OF DEPRIVE DIEGO OF HIS MOST RECOGNIZABLE TRAIT. Depriving him - and so soon! - of his father (and consequently of the only person who knows him perfectly), the series allows Diego to always act as himself (within the limits desired by the situation of the moment), without having to resort to that supposed inability to defend himself/laziness/cowardice which is renowned as one of the particular signs of his character.

DIEGO IS NOT INVINCIBLE. It might seem stupid, but in many adaptations, Diego is seen as practically infallible. His plans always come to fruition, he never gets hurt, he makes almost no mistakes... This "new" Diego doesn't; here Diego is young (according to my calculations he is just 21/22 years old), he becomes Zorro not because of his choice but because - literally! - the spirits give him (via Night Crow) the costume and send him home with a lapidary: "You are the new Zorro, whether you want it or not", he still acts like a daredevil boy (complete with Bernardo-Mother Hen)... And this translates into some - very justifiable - errors and just as many choices that are not exactly well thought out.

CONS:

TOO MANY IRONS IN THE FIRE. To be clear: the various plot threads are all (well, almost: Samael and Guadalupe and their "inheritance hunt" have not managed to involve me at all, for the moment) interesting and well structured; but they are objectively many, for a single season. We have the Bear Clan, the Russian-American Company that wishes to "take over Los Angeles", Guadalupe's aforementioned inheritance hunt, Nah Lin's desire for revenge, the search for the truth about his father's murder on Diego's part... And of these very few - if not almost none - had an effective conclusion. The feeling I got was that the producers wanted to "play their cards" all at once, in the hope that this would secure them a renewal for a second season. Something along the lines of: "Hey, we need the renewal! Look at all the unresolved things we left!".

LOLITA. I'm sorry to say this, but I just can't understand what the producers had in mind when they created her character. Or rather, to be more precise, when they created her relationship with Diego. She is initially shown to us as angry at Diego for going to Spain (I think?), in an attitude that could even be understood - if only that same attitude didn't remain as if petrified throughout the rest of the season. Why, exactly, does Lolita remain so resentful towards Diego all the time? Because, despite knowing that he loves her (he himself tells her this, when she helps him with his wound, and even in the very first episode), she constantly pretends not to know what feelings bind him to her, and indeed continually acts in such a way as to hurt him on purpose? Mha! It remains meaningless to me.

Here it is. I have indicated, I repeat, what for me are the main pros and cons of the season (you will probably have found others, or even none).

[madi-konrad]

My book's cover art: Flowers!

So, I am still incredibly ecstatic about the cover art I was able to commission from @queenzora for my book, A Demon's Name Upon Your Lips (see my pinned post for links to buy!).

But what might not be immediately obvious is that I worked with her to choose which flowers would appear around the border, using an online almanac (this one in fact) to pick which ones would appear. I thought it was appropriate, as the book takes place in a secondary world loosely inspired by the British Victorian era.

I thought it might be neat to share why we picked these particular flowers! (and, do note, we worked with easily found information, as I am certainly not an expert in Victorian-era flower symbolism!)

We made them in three batches; each side reflects the characterization and journey of their respective characters, and the center (top and bottom) features flowers that represent their relationship as it develops.

(I'll keep detailed spoilers out of the following explanation with only a few vague allusions to events that happen in the novel, but those who want to go in completely unspoilered should give this a miss.)

Explanations beneath the break:

First, on Talia's side (left):

Amaryllis (amaryllis belladonna). This stands for Pride, which is, to put it lightly, one of Talia's defining characteristics.

Black Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia Hirta). This stands for Justice. Talia is, of course, on the warpath to avenge the death of her father on those who conspired to frame him sixteen years ago.

Butterfly Weed (Asclepias Tuberosa). "Let me go." This one is hard to talk about without getting into spoilers, but is a defining moment in Talia's character arc.

Yellow Carnation (Dianthus Caryophyllus). Carnations can have several meanings, but the yellow in particular stands for rejection, disdain and disappointment -- another defining moment in Talia's romantic arc with Lucia.

Second, on Lucia's side (right):

Purple Hyacinth (Hyacinthus genus). The purple stands for sorrow. This is in direct response to Talia's Yellow Carnation.

Dark Crimson Rose (Rosa genus). This one complements and strengthens the meaning of the Purple Hyacinth, as the dark crimson variant in particular stands for mourning.

Yellow Carnation (Dianthus Caryophyllus). Again, mirroring Talia's own. Geez, it's hard to talk about these without getting into spoilers!

Red Camellia (Camellia genus). "You're a flame in my heart." Finally, something positive! Lucia definitely yearns for Talia with a fiery passion.

Finally, in the center arch (and center-bottom for the carnations):

Iris (Iris genus). This stands for faith, trust, wisdom, hope and valor. All of these are qualities (well, less so for wisdom perhaps…) both Talia and Lucia need to develop in order for their relationship to survive.

Yellow Lily (Lilium genus). Yeah, I just picked this one 'cause it's Gay. These bitches gay! (Gay as in happy? No, gay as in gay).

Lesbian-colored Carnations (Dianthus Caryophyllus). In general, without getting into specific colors, Carnations stand for female love (in addition to fascination, which is definitely going on too -- and Mother's love which is… not). We decided to underline the WLW of it all by casting this one in the colors of the Lesbian flag!

[minenatlove]

Okay so much was learned in the new update. So once again if you haven't seen it just ignore this for now if you don't want spoilers.

This is probably the biggest info we gain in this update and it's found in the audio of the new Halloween book. With everyone trying to tell scary stories and most failing, Sally steps up to show them a truly scary story. And scary indeed. Why is it the neighbors stay inside every night? It's because of visitors from far away come and eat any neighbors still outside. Or at least that's how Sally puts it. But still, I can't put into words how many ideas this new info gives us. Especially in how aware Sally is about the whole thing, not only its existence and how it's the reason there are so few neighbors but also in that she has heard it, listened for it so clearly. What's more, it's searching for something. At the part where the audio starts to skip and repeat on the word searching, there seems to be an underlining sound. As for what it actually says I'm not sure, but it vaguely sounds like Wally. Of course, this may be incorrect, but if it's not? Then a whole new curiosity appears. Because at first, I think of these visitors from afar who take those out at night to be the people who work on the set but the fact they are supposedly eating things up doesn't seem right. If you've seen my other post you'd know that I have a theory that at some point something a little more eldritch was brought to Welcome Home and that it connects to Wally's presence on the website despite the lack of his original puppet. I bring this up because if it is Wally the supposed "visitor" is searching for then perhaps this is before the "corruption" I suppose. The black goo. Of course, this is all just speculation, but it seriously gives some new thoughts. Especially in that maybe this awakening wasn't an accident but an unexpected turn of events if its aim was Wally.

[saint-starflicker]

The Last Man by Mary Shelley

Last month @spacecasehobbit asked for an allusion to put into a writing project, and I recommended the book in the title…without ever having read it myself, which I then began to think this would not do. That's why I started reading it, and can now report that it took me about one month to finish. The website How Long To Read dot Com estimates the length of this book to be about 180,000 words, that makes it about two and a half Frankensteins, and very slightly shorter than either Jane Eyre or Notre-Dame de Paris.

Apparently assigned reading for most universities now require literature students to read a novel of this length once a week? I would not be able to keep up that pace, penetrate the 19th-century language, and appreciate what I'm reading.

On the one hand, I can understand why Frankenstein became the book that Mary Shelley was best-known for: shorter, intense, iconic. The Last Man is such a florid bummer, but I also think is the better showcase of both Mary Shelley's imagination and her observations of the human condition.

Both narrator and author have such a humane worldview and everybody is characterized with an almost Kids Gloves compassion...even as the clearly-positioned antagonists are Muslims, Irish, and/or immigrants (except, of course, when it's 1,400 British people doing the immigration through France and Switzerland.) The text and central cast and the plot events keep going "oh poor things" but except for the black hole sun, the pestilential plague, and climate change—it's always the other that started conflicts with stalwart proper English ex-royals who are only trying to survive the apocalypse just the same as everybody else. /s Spoilers under cut:

One notable exception is the cult-leader Englishman in Volume III, he is depicted as so evil that it's jarring. The Marie Antoinette Expy who married into English monarchy wasn't written as evil. The homewrecking romantic rival of all the homegirls and gays, Princess Evadne, was never written as evil. Lucy Clayton-Martin's abusive husband is told/shown to be so, but not as overtly condemned in text. The random Black man in England who breathed directly into Lionel's mouth for no-homo reasons before vanishing from the story was a little weird but not highlighted as a bad person, just a random person. The elected Protectorate of England, Ryland, who quit when the apocalypse was only just starting to make his job difficult, he died alone pathetically but the narrator/story didn't underline Ryland as an evil person. Fuck that cultist Englishman, though!

Readers might be frustrated by every initiative of the narrating character takes getting rendered futile two seconds later: Lionel the Narrator wants to avenge his father on Adrian's life? Adrian's just so darn sweet that Lionel changes his religion to the touch of his hand; Lionel roofies his sister to try to get her back to England from Greece where she wants to bury herself in her deceased husband's grave? She drowns herself the moment she wakes up so Lionel might as well just not roofied his sister. Lionel makes a power-grab to protect the far more qualified and experienced Adrian from getting elected Protectorate of England during a global pandemic? Adrian wins by popular vote anyway and then doesn't even hold it against Lionel after one stern and curt hallway chat, they're besties again.

The only time there are serious lasting consequences of a character decision (trying to sail to Greece at his 15-year-old niece Clara's request to visit her parents' graves) it seems in service to a purposely dissatisfying ending.

And for those who are into the apocalyptic fiction side of things: None of that weird stuff with the five suns or rapid climate change ever gets explained, even when they eventually get Merrival the astrology expert. That didn't bother me at all, because it's set somewhere between the years 2073 and the 2098 or so, but typhus and tuberculosis are still apparently incurable mysterious diseases in addition to the worldwide plague…because this was published in 1826 so my suspension of disbelief go nyooooom until the very end.

Aside from that warning

—that overall this epic novel is just, such a bummer (and yeah that one part where an unnamed Black man character just kisses Lionel on the mouth or breathes into his mouth and then Lionel pushes him away so he goes away…what…Lionel didn't even catch plague from that like he was afraid of, why did Mary Shelley write that happen? random vertical mouth-to-mouth from side characters never seen again)—

I think that vibe is the point of such a long book: that there's love and frustration and wars and politicking, long-held grudges get redeemed only by Apocalyptic pressure, and then opportunistic cult leaders are really very annoying. Right now I am into reading how human joy and agony and human life and politicking just sucks but the best thing we do is witness and testify to it anyway because it all still matters beyond reason. and also five suns in the sky sometimes because, nobody knows.

Mary Shelley might not have predicted the invention of airplanes, advanced medical treatments for tuberculosis or typhus, or the true abolition of monarchies…but this apocalyptic novel is very 21st century in mood.

[not-poignant]

“'I'm using onion encryption,' Temsen said casually. 'There's nothing I love more than making peak alphas who have had the run of things, realise they're not the only peak alpha in existence. It's the loveliest feeling.'”

PLEASE let him have the opportunity to make Crielle thunderstruck and just absolutely routed!

Anon this may have been foreshadowing! :D

I love that Temsen and Faber just like, 150k ago started investigating Crielle and the An Fnwy estate and have stayed quiet about it but like, we know Faber, no way has he stopped looking into them.

This in no way will cause hell to rain down on Hillview at all

[bossboudicca]

Symbiotic SWTOR Reference Guide

Just something I'm putting together for my Maul x OC fic. There's a few references to the Sith Warrior story line, so I made a little cheat sheet for those who may want to read but haven't played the game or this specific class. If you have read it and I missed something, let me know! Links to the Wookieepedia are underlined if you want to know more or see pictures. (there may be some SWTOR spoilers below if you haven't finished Knights of the Fallen Empire)

Places:

Tokmia- a small ice planet in the Anoat sector (where Hoth is); home to minimal mining operations and a negligible sentient population.

Odessen – A neutral force nexus planet in Wild Space, home to the Eternal Alliance base around 3630 BBY.

Nar Shaddaa – A moon of the planet Nal Hutta; known for lots of crime, gambling, prostitution, etc. (basically the stuff you find in any Hutt-occupied area)

Stygeon Prime – Planet home to the Spire, a separatist prison where Maul was held and tortured in the Son of Dathomir comics.

Korriban – Home planet of the Sith pureblood species, also known for its ancient tombs and the Sith Temple/Academy

Dromund Kaas – The Sith Empire capital planet, equivalent of Coruscant. Humid and rainy, it is covered in jungle-type terrain.

People:

Sith Warrior – the player character/class title in the relevant SWTOR (Star Wars: The Old Republic) story line.

The Emperor’s Wrath/The Empire’s Wrath – Title/station given to the Sith Warrior player character at the end of the main story line; an enforcer/executioner type position, they have the freedom to work on whatever projects they want (for the most part) and report to the Dark Council and formerly, the Emperor himself.

2V-R8 – A ship/protocol/factotum droid stationed on the Sith Warrior’s ship (Fury-class Imperial Interceptor)

Malavai Quinn – One of the main romance options in the Sith Warrior story. A male human officer in the Imperial Military, he is recruited to join the Sith Warrior as the ship’s captain. Later on, the player character and Quinn have the option to marry, and potential future children are briefly discussed.

Tenebrae – The original name given to the Sith Emperor Vitiate, and later Valkorian. Tenebrae appears as a male Sith pureblood with red skin and numerous carved markings on his body. His eyes, iris and sclera both, are pitch black. He has the ability to inhabit numerous host bodies, sometimes simultaneously possessing them to carry out his will and indirectly provide him with eternal life. He is seemingly vanquished by the player character around 3626 BBY after influencing galactic events for nearly 1,300 years.

Mandalore the Avenger – The title given to Shae Vizla after she becomes Mandalore. Vizla and the player character have numerous interactions.

Darth Baras – The Sith Warrior’s master, who was eventually killed by their hand

Darth So’lin/So’lin Quinn – the name I chose for the Sith Warrior player character, who is married to Quinn in this universe.

Here's the link to the work itself on Ao3 (18+)

[vivi-wtz]

If u haven't noticed yet, i am a woman of many opinions. And guess what i have a new theory/ opinion that i need to share. It's about criminal minds to be more specific about the relationship between Spencer Reid and Maeve in season 8 (SPOILER WARNING).

So in 8x10 of criminal minds, spencer said that Maeve wanted to meet him and that he doesn't care what she looks like because she is already the most beautiful girl to him. Here the clip from youtube:

And folks when I tell u this boy got me blushing by saying this, because its so uncommon that guys think u r beautiful no matter what... especially as a chubby girl who's been bullied most of her life, stuff like what spencer said just does things to u. And believe me i know what i'm talking about.

Anyway back on track. The line from spencer made me blush and mad at the same time, because this and the relationship with maeve had been so much more meaningful when it really didn't matter what maeve looks like. And don't get me wrong, i like maeve and i love the relationship between spencer and her but look a her.

she is a very beautiful and in fact very skinny white girl. and this is not meant in any body shaming way, i think she played the role of maeve very well. But folks as a chubby girl i am hurt whenever a show gives the opportunity for a female character to be not conventionally beautiful but still chooses the saves option. With the sentence from spencer "I don't care what she looks like, she is already the most beautiful girl to me" the show Producers had the opportunity to create an unconventionally beautiful maeve. Do i make sense? Like instead of choosing a skinny, white woman with long hair, they could have chosen and chubby, black woman with short hair (for example). This would just underline the sentence from spencer in 8x10 and it would show how much spencer doesn't care about the looks of women. But now it's like "No wonder genius boy doesn't care about her looks when she is that pretty even in society's eyes" yk? This ist just something i can't stop thinking about... i would have like it more, especially since the opportunity was given and different body types/ black representation is very important (at least in my eyes). In my opinion this would've make the relationship even more special and so uncommon and beautiful... idk just a thought. Could be wrong though.

Let me know that you think about this and whether or not my rambling made any sense.

ANYWAY i wish y'all a marvelous day, kissies!

BYE <3 <3

[falling-from-dawn-au]

INTRODUCTION + AU INFORMATION MASTERPOST

Hi! Welcome to my AU Sideblog. Call me Splatsy, or just Splat if you'd prefer! My main is @turtles-that-are-mutant-ninjas!

They/He and plural pronouns

Minor

If you recognize my art style, hi, no you don't /lh

Falling From Dawn AU Base Info

The Falling From Dawn (or FFD) AU is an AU comic I'm making. It takes place after the ROTTMNT Movie, so heads up for spoilers about that!

At some points, this blog will function as an ask FFD![character] blog! It'll be a good way for me to keep up motivation.

My main goal is to post at least 3 pages a month; one arc per month, basically, but my motivation fluctuates a LOT. I'm also still in school, so this schedule will probably not be stuck to very well, but I'll do my best!

PLEASE feel free to send asks and/or writing requests for the AU! I'd be glad to write things when I'm low on motivation to draw for the comic.

MAIN TAGS:

#Splatsy Splashes - Unrelated to the AU/Just Talking type posts!

#Splatsy Responds - Asks and submissions tag!

#🔃 - Reblog Tag, filter this if you want only AU stuff, but I try not to reblog things often!! (This tag doesn't apply to important reblogs or competition reblogs!!!)

#falling from dawn au / #fallling from dawn rottmnt au / #ffd au - Posts talking about the au!!

#ffd canon - Canon AU things, couples with other tags

#ffd noncanon - Noncanon AU things, couples with other tags

#ffd art - Art for the AU!

#ffd writing - If I do any standalone writing for the AU, it'll be here!

#ffd panels / #ffd pages - Official panels/pages for the comic!

Below the cut are the chronological arcs and character info. Anything underlined links to its respective page.

ARCS (In chronological order)

I've added the titles and numbers for every main series page! Links will be added as pages are posted. A spider mutant is present in Arc 3. I have arachnophobia myself, so I'll try to make them look Not Terrifying, but here's a warning just in case.

Arc 0 - Prequel Pages -2 - War is Over (HEAVY GORE WARNING) | -1 - Recovery Takes Time | 0 - Rising Powers Arc 1 - Grasping at Stars 1 - Waves of Flight | 2 - Dusk at Dawn | 3 - Telekinetic Shadows (BODY HORROR, EYE CONTACT) Arc 2 - Swooping Eagle 4 - Fall to Fly | 5 - Skycrash | 6 - Mystery Webs Arc 3 - Arachnofoe 7 - Heliophobic | 8 - Bound by the Strings | 9 - Hisses of Rain Arc 4 - Storming Scales 10 - Carnivorous Risks | 11 - Hurricane's Cry | 12 - Venomous Dreaming Arc 5 - Dawnfall Dreams 13 - Dreaded Dreamweaver | 14 - Nearsighted Nightmares | 15 - Sunset Showdown Arc 6 - Tears of the Sky 16 - Cryocrier | 17 - Nexica Hex | 18 - Cryptic Calling Arc 7 - Midnight Madness 19 - Total Eclipse | 20 - Shattered Stars | 21 - Polluted Shadows Arc 8 - Hope is a Weapon 22 - Howling Ghosts | 23 - Lionheart | 24 - Fall Away Arc 9 - Skies Painted Black 25 - Hellicite Hopes | 26 - Wavewinged Wishes | 27 - Lunar Eclipse Arc 10 - Falling From Dawn 28 - Duskrise | 29 - Noon of Night | 30 - Dawnfall Arc 11 - Lightsky Saviors 31 - Rises the Moon | 32 - Take Back the Light | 33 - Hope for Dawn Arc 12 - Saved by Sunrise 34 - Grasping at Stars | 35 - Tears of the Sky | 36 - Rising from Dusk

AU Drabbles/Short Stories

I'm starting to write short stories corresponding to each page of Falling From Dawn! They will be linked here as they are written, and will have the same name as the page they correspond to.

-2 - War is Over

Character "Files!"

Raphael/Raph - 17 - He/It. His ref sheet is here! Second in command. The big brother. His powers here are: The same as the show (I'll be honest i forgot what it's called) - Plant and Ground Manipulation - Lunar Phase Embodiment.

Leonardo/Leo/Leon/Nardo - 16 and a half, according to him. Physically just 16. - He/Him. His ref sheet is here! The main AU plotline follows him. Leader of the group. His powers here are: Advanced portalmaking - Water Manipulation - Speed.

Donatello/Donnie/Don - 16 and a half, according to him. Physically only 16. - He/They/Code|Code's|Codeself. Code's ref sheet is here! Secondary plotlines follow him. Tech nerd. His powers here are: Telekinesis - Object + Weapon Synthesis - Shadow Manipulation.

Michelangelo/Mikey/Angelo/Angela - 15 - He/She. Her ref sheet is here! The real funny one. Little brother/sister. His powers here are: Fire and Metal Manipulation - Chain Synthesis - Solar Embodiment.

[charthanry]

Liberating the Talented Mr. Gu

This is my first non-Bad Buddy post so feel free to scroll past. For I’m about to wax poetic (at length) on my latest obsession. Will attempt to keep this relatively spoiler free.

I just finished binge-watching My Liberation Notes and my ladies and my misters, this drama made me feel big, ginormous emotions. Feelings so large that they’re threatening to burst out of me if I don’t let them out. 

You know that feeling of consuming media and already missing it even though you’re still in the middle of experiencing it? Like, your heart is subconsciously preparing you for being without it. You want the episodes to both slow down so that you can savor while also wanting to find out what happens next. How seeing the opening credits envelops you like a warm embrace signaling that you’ve arrived home. This was one of those dramas for me. I haven’t felt this way since Bad Buddy ended, over a year ago. And not for nothing, but BBS inspired this entire Tumblr into existence so…. yeah.

This slice-of-life, character-driven, nearly-plotless drama was scripted for introverts like me. It trudges on at a snail’s pace with its audience urging it to hurry along and do something (insert meme of stick person poking at that thing to c’mon and do something interesting already). It puts the slow in slow burn, making all other slow burns feel like you were hit over the head at first impact. It’s sloooooowww. The characters walk slowly, they eat slowly, pour shots of soju slowly. Slow is the name of the game. Why hurry when you have no where else to be? Having said all this, what fueled my obsession was the show’s execution. Because oh boy, did this show execute.

I’ve never watched a drama quite like this one. Where the director lets a scene simply exist and breathe. Where the silence between characters is more revealing than the dialogue itself. The loudest parts in this drama were the quiet moments where the characters aren’t even looking at each other. How brave of the director to let the silence exist rather than fill it just because. The direction here is both evident yet clearly understated.

Bravo also to the incredible cinematography. Dull colors and muted tones set the atmosphere because this drama was an entire MOOD. We have close ups of subway hand hold straps, we see condensation sweating off of glassware, we feel the seasonal changes as the chill of impending winter seeps into the bones of the characters. We hear the gravel underneath plodding feet and the sliding of doors open and shut when a character reaches their destination. Who knew that the sound of two bottles of soju clinking against each other while inside a black plastic bag can be both deafening and most welcoming. How characters come together for a meal and all that can be heard is the scraping of utensils and chewing. The silence is palpable as everyone is just trying to get through a meal while fighting individual battles of brokenness.

This drama is a visual and audio feast.

The scenery is its own, living and breathing entity. We have a countryside village with fields of greens and uneven pathways of dirt that take our characters away and back home again. Rinse and repeat. We have strong gusts of wind rustling through the trees and ruffling the sheets and garments hanging dry on makeshift clotheslines. The sounds of cloyingly humid nights where you can just hear how muggy and hot it is—all of this juxtaposed by the noise and brightness of Seoul, the supposed defining mecca for success in life. 

The countless unpacking of delicious metaphors left to viewer interpretation. Underlining that the best stories are still ones that are shown and not told. How a pack of wild, roaming dogs are metaphors for freedom and imprisonment. How the subway serves as the division between the land of the living and those merely surviving. How the buzzing of an incoming text is a long held lifeline.

But more than any of this? This drama gave us the talented Mr. Gu portrayed by the incomparable Son Soek Koo.

I first discovered SSK years ago in the Korean adaptation of Suits where he played David Kim, an extremely intelligent rival lawyer and antagonist for the main lead. Think Moriarty to Sherlock but in the legal field. His guest role arc was only three episodes long but he was so magnetic and spoke perfect, impeccable English (kinda rare in kdrama-land, at least enough so that it's noticeable when it's spoken well). Fluent English that was delivered with such swagger that I quickly became a fan. It didn't hurt that the man knew how to don a fitted suit.

I next watched him in Designated Survivor: 60 Days where he played Cha Young Jin, senior advisor to the designated acting president, a meatier role that saw him on the good side of the fight. And in watching him passionately urge and support President Park's will to run the country, I learned how versatile SSK could be. Magnetic enough to take over the screen while also willingly staying in the background for others to shine.

And then along came Mr. Gu.

Mr. Gu, the neighborhood alcoholic who is shrouded in mystery. A man of very few words, but with an expressive face that conveys tomes of meaning you can’t wait to decipher. He portrays a lonely soul with hints of a dark and dangerous past. He never apologizes for who he is and even tells people: I’m a bad guy, you won’t like me when you find out what kind of person I am. Only to be met with: I don’t care. I accept you entirely.

He’s not a pretty boy by Korean standards, but there’s no denying the charisma and swagger that SSK (and Mr. Gu by portrayal) reeks. Honestly, everything about SSK is pretty average. Average height, average build, average looks—let’s be real. BUT the way he carries himself in this role… he dials the sexiness to a boiling point. Looks are fleeting…but presence? Presence can’t be denied. Both scruffy and clean shaven, Mr. Gu oozes presence. 

How does he make dirt and sweat look so damn delectable? How does he look so sexy in a sweat-soaked, oversized shirt that desperately needs laundering and an immediate introduction to an ironing board, while also filling out a cable knit sweater and an overcoat like nobody’s business? How does one look so desirable dressed like a homeless man (actual words a character on the show used to describe Mr. Gu). And damn, can this man lean on things—against a subway railing, beside a car, against a building, walking up a dark, hilly path. Body language that is an entire character, one that tells its own story. The lean while delivering his rare, lopsided smile is a true sight to behold. It’s beautiful.

And why did I watch this show hoping for glimpses of Mr. Gu in Pat’s sleeveless tees and jean short cut offs? Because arms. And calves. And a face so delicious that I yearn to slap the confident smirk right off of it. I could make a home for myself inside his cheek dimple. Dimples that rival only Nanon’s. Excuse me as I find a tissue to wipe my drool.

Make no mistake about it—when Mr. Gu is on the screen it’s impossible for me to look anywhere else. He is that mesmerizing. I grew so attached to his character that when Mr. Gu’s past indeed catches up to him, I fervently watched with bated breath hoping he comes out of the other side unscathed.

This show is not perfect. No show ever is. But for me, it does come close. I give it a resounding 9.5/10. The same rating I gave BBS, coincidentally.

I know I talked at length about SSK and his Mr. Gu, but this show features an ensemble cast of massively talented folks who all excel at micro-expressions. It’s Kim Ji Won’s most mature and impressive role to date. It’s Lee Min Ki in his least Lee Min-Ki-est role. It’s Lee El churning out a sympathetic and realistic character who yearns for love while realizing she's her own obstacle at obtaining it. It’s about the entire Yeom family existing alongside each other without ever truly talking or listening to one another. And still yet, it's in seeing each other for who we are and less of who we want the other to be. It's the idea of escaping and running from a past that we can never truly leave behind.

As much as I’ve touted the show, I understand that it’s not for everyone. The slow pacing can be off putting. There are parts that can be a slog to get through (it never was for me for what that’s worth). Some may even drop it for lack of moving plot, but man…. the journey is so wholly satisfying simply because it’s entirely relatable. These people are my people, my fellow introverts who are trudging through life one day at a time, piecing together small moments of happiness to offset their loneliness. It’s in the measurement of self-worth and finding your place in society. It’s discovering and accepting that you’re lovable.

It all speaks to me so much that after the end credits rolled, I immediately clicked replay on episode one. I never do that. Not even for Bad Buddy did I do that with such immediacy and need.

In an interview, SSK referred to playing Mr. Gu as possibly his role of a lifetime. He urged viewers to pay attention when watching, for it might just change their life. It certainly did mine. I'm jealous of any of you who are still reading that have yet to experience this extraordinary drama. If you decide to give My Liberation Notes a go, consider yourself warned, you might just catch some very big feelings along the way.

[keiyaku-tako]

About

Preface: This may include spoilers and also includes headcanons that I have of Azul. Warnings: Bullying, fatphobia, body image issues, mentions of eating disorders Note to self: add stuff from voiced lines Side note that this is a very long post as it has all the canon information that I could find on him (it took me like two or three days on the Wiki </3) as well as multiple headcanons (which are in purple, things that haven't been directly stated (to my knowledge) are also in purple). This is also not very well organized at the end. Feel free to use this as a general information list about Azul and ignore the purple bits if you just want the canonical information.

Name: Azul Ashengrotto Nicknames: Roi d’Effort (Rook), Tako-yarou (Leona)

Date of Birth: February 24 (Pisces) Age: 17 (2nd year at Night Raven College)

Dorm: Octavinelle Class: Class C (No. 3) Club: Board Game Club Best Subject: Alchemy

Gender: Male Pronouns: He/Him Orientation: Panromantic & Demiromantic

Homeland: Coral Sea (specifically, the far northern reaches of the Coral Sea where the water is cold enough for icebergs) Species: Octopus mer

Languages: English (fluent), Japanese (fluent), Spanish (learning) Height: 176 cm (5'9) Dominant Hand: Right

Hobbies: Coin collecting Pet peeves: Leaving things to luck Favorite Food: Japanese-style Fried Chicken (kara-age) Least Favorite Food: Healthy foods Talent: Mental Arithmetic

Overview:

Azul is a merperson from the Coral Sea attending Night Raven College. He is a second year and is the dorm leader of Octavinelle. There are rumors floating around him that he is able to fulfil any wish that a person may want in exchange for their most prided quality.

Appearance:

Azul has fair skin and is of average height. He has short, wavy hair that is layered and light-gray in color, with one strand spiraling down on his left side (not unlike a tentacle). The back of his hair is shaved into an undercut in the back. His eyes are a slightly darker shade than his hair. He has a mole under the left side of his lip. He is usually seen with thin, rectangular, silver half-rimmed glasses (he's nearsighted). He is most often seen wearing his dorm uniform. It is slightly different from the other Octavinelle students, the most notable feature being the long, lavender-gray coat (that has a purple underlining) over his shoulders (he is always struggling to make it stay in place, but he has just practiced enough so that the coat won't fall when he walks). He is known for this coat. He wears makeup (sharp and thin eyeliner under the eye, with a deep purple color) every time he wears his dorm uniform (this comes from his respect for the Sea Witch and how she paid attention on how she looked). He has a white button up undershirt, a black double breasted suit with a purple underlining (that he keeps unbuttoned, a lavender-gray scarf with fringed ends (with the Octavinelle logo on one end) (the scarf drapes over both of his shoulders and under the suit's lapels), and a purple bowtie. The uniform also comes with a black cummerbund and slacks, white gloves which are buttoned at the wrist, long purple socks with a pattern consisting of wavy lines and circles (which symbolize the ocean waves and air bubbles) and a black fedora with a lavender-gray hat band which is tied with a neat bow. He has a purple pin in the shape of a spiral seashell over the bow. He wears black dress shoes with block heels and silver buckles on the sides. In his ceremonial robes, he wears thick black eyeliner. He only wears eyeliner in his ceremonial robes and dorm uniform. He carries a black cane with him, which has a silver handle that represents an octopus. He walks with his chin up, chest out, and back straight; he makes sure to look dignified and smart, and to not look like a slob. He takes great care in dressing properly; he makes sure to wear classy and stylish clothes where he can, even if the situation doesn't really call for it. He loves styling himself after all, especially since merfolk don't usually wear clothes or dress up. He is most often seen with a faint smirk (which is practiced to the point where you can't tell if he's faking it or not). His smile is often pleasant but is also forced. He prefers to have a well-defined/accentuated figure, and tightens his belt often. He uses a transformation potion to maintain his human form. Transformation potions require government authorization and specialist supervision, and only medical mages can issue prescriptions for them. Licensed potion pharmacists are the only ones who can formulate them. Overall, it is a very highly regulated field which Azul takes great interest in (which is fitting, as it has to deal with him). To add to this, those who take these types of potions can undergo major physiological changes, which causes the treatment of their injuries to require more care - this is why it is illegal to practice medicine on them without a specialist license. He has to take it as prescribed. At first, it only lasted for three days max with one dose, but with recent advancements, one dose lasts for 7-10 days. He doesn't like the taste (because it's not very good in general) so he's happy that he can take fewer doses. In his mer form, he is bigger than Jade and Floyd; he has ashen gray skin, as well as eight tentacles arms where there should be legs. He seems more mature than the other second years. His voice is a practiced lilt, and he makes sure to sound as pleasant as possible. However, this sometimes makes others think that he is being "fake."

Personality:

At first, Azul seems friendly and willing to help others. However, this is all an act to lure people in to create a deal with him. He is well known around Night Raven College for these deals and his rumored abilities that allow him to grant any wish. He can convince almost anyone to sign a contract with him, as his deals seem to be completely in the other party's favor. However, he only makes deals with those that make him gain a benefit in the long run.

He is skilled in every aspect in the classroom. In addition, he can create study guides that accumulate test knowledge from the past 100 years, resulting in a study guide that can help people get really high grades with just one night of studying. He also has plenty of knowledge on study ideas for different types of people, so people who often struggle with their studying can always come to him for help. He also tutors Kalim from time to time and would be willing to help tutor others as well (for the right price).

He runs Mostro Lounge, which is a cafe/dining establishment at Night Raven College. Azul is often searching for ways to expand Mostro Lounge and/or ways to improve it (such as adding items to the menu). He loves thinking of ways to entice customers, and currently his point-card system is making him very pleased (with the system, you get one point for a 6-Madol drink special and 3 points for ordering something off the 15-Madol limited menu; once a person earns fifty points, they get a free consultation with Azul (the same as he did for his contracts - they can get more things by filling three point cards). He was able to open it after making a deal with Crowley in his first year to release all the students he had controlled then and give back all their powers.

He puts on a composed and polite facade, but his politeness does slip every once in a while if he is taken by surprise. However, he is quick to go back to being polite and composed.

He tends to play on other people's sympathies to get what he wants, especially when making deals... This helps him get what he desires easier.

He may seem extroverted, but he is truly introverted. Not many people know many deep things about him (and truly, the people who know the most are Floyd and Jade). Other than that, he always enjoys relaxing in the Mostro Lounge or VIP Room if there are no people around, and his own dorm room if there are. A long day of socializing and making deals with others can wear a person down, after all. Part of his introversion comes from his cautiousness in forming attachments with others, especially considering his backstory.

He definitely has moments of severe doubt and anxiety, as well as insecurity. However, he does his best to hide all of this, only showing it to the people he trusts most (read: basically only his family); he's a businessman, after all, and has to put up a good front. He still gets insecure over himself, but he's trying hard to ignore his insecurities and doubts. He has to be strong in order to survive in this society.

He enjoys thinking with his head, and even the games he plays mostly deal with strategy and thinking in general. Mindless games that rely on luck or nothing at all irritate him as they can be unpredictable. However, this in turn makes him want to make the game as predictable as possible (which, according to Idia, is very annoying during club meetings). He first joined the board game club due to Ortho introducing him to to a game that mimicked business strategies.

He analyzes everything carefully, and makes sure to think of all possible outcomes, which makes him enjoy games of strategy such as developing land, managing a business, or making a trade deal, or ones like chess. No doubt he almost always wins. These games also helped him have a greater nerve when taking risks, and helped grow his business skills.

Although he doesn't seem like he gets competitive, he can and will be if pushed there (mostly if Idia riles him up (especially if Azul loses in a game), but one simply needs to be condescending to him to make him competitive). This competitiveness can also make him stubborn, and focused on whatever he wants to do.

At Mostro Lounge, he generally spends him time in the VIP Room, only coming out if there is trouble. He gives orders to Jade and Floyd, but mostly trusts them (well, trusts Jade the most, anyway) to do their work. He does scold Floyd often, whether for being too rash or laying on the tables. He has forced Floyd to sit perfectly upright (in a seiza) for hours as punishment (and wouldn't hesitate to do it again)

He also spends some of his time trying to make his dishes and drinks look more presentable, whether by adjusting the ingredients or adjusting the plates that they are on. Sometimes he even adjusts lighting to fit in with the time of day.

He prides himself on having top grades in every subject, maintaining a rank in the top 10. He always puts an overwhelming amount of effort in whatever he does as he believes that there is no harm in putting forth effort, especially as it can leave a good impression on others. He loves Alchemy the best - especially since one can make gems or gold in that class. He loves that as long as you follow the procedure, nothing unexpected will happen. He enjoys learning high-level potions. (On that note, he is always wanting to get a higher score than Riddle, which he has not achieved yet). He is a really hard and diligent worker (though sometimes one might struggle to see that...)

He also takes pride on being a housewarden in his second year - he's in a position of power in a prestigious school, having control over a historic dorm. Now wouldn't that impress some people?

Due to him being an octo-mer, he's sensitive and wary by nature; this makes him unable to sleep in unknown locations. He's much more comfortable staying guard, even if that means losing sleep. However, he still wants to keep a good sleep schedule (it is failing haha-)

Powers:

Azul is a relatively slow spell caster, but he has precision and control. He's a pretty good person that can analyze situations and play support. He's calm and efficient, and prefers to assist those around him. He sometimes takes too much time in thinking, which could be a negative trait. He keeps a cool head when faced with curveballs, and makes sure not to overuse his magic (as his magic pool isn't large enough to sustain them, even though he utilizes a wide range of spells). He relies on his quick thinking, and is always cautious with his magic. He likes efficiency over speed. He has excellent control over his magic. He personally prefers using ice magic.

"I can grant any wish, no matter how far-fetched. Isn't that what the rumors say, and why you came here to me?"

Signature Spell:

Azul's signature spell, "It's a Deal," allows him to use a golden contract to grant a wish to the person who wants it in exchange for something they have, most often their prided quality or ability (either magical or physical). He mastered this spell at a very young age. The other person has to sign the contract for it to come into effect. If the person fails to fulfil the contract's conditions, they will be bound to work under Azul. Although he can take a person's power directly without using his contracts, he doesn't normally do this; doing so would cause rapid blot accumulation and cause him to overblot. In addition, doing this would cause the other person immense pain. The contract works as a limiter and basically helps Azul from overusing his magic. Also, absorbing power indiscriminately is designated as a forbidden class of magic; however, mers chosen by the mirror receive special allowances to grant them a human form in which they can attend classes comfortably. To fulfil a person's wishes, Azul can only do so much - he is limited by his knowledge, and can only fulfil terms that involve things he knows (as his signature spell doesn't automatically grant said wish). Therefore, he makes sure to grant wishes that take little to no effort on his part to do, such as making potions. Additionally, he makes sure to have the other person give something of high value to him. He is currently forbidden from taking anyone's powers again (even under contract) by Crowley.

Physical Power:

Physically, Azul doesn't have much power. He dislikes classes that involve Physical Education, and although he will try his best, he still is near the bottom. Flying classes are the worst for him as he cannot get used to nothing being under him except for the broom. In the water, there were more ways to maneuver himself... He is definitely thinking of creating a potion or something of the sort to help fly easier, but that's not high on his list of priorities right now. He is the one who struggles most with flight in his class (unsurprisingly, since it's only been little over a year since he started walking on land). His broom always flies off whenever he loses focus, so he needs to focus extra hard. In addition, he can barely fly straight - he's the only housewarden that can't fly. Despite all of this, he puts in an extremely high amount of effort and is able to get grades that are enough to pass the class. He claims that he does not dislike flight classes, and if you say he's not showing any effort, he'll get mad.

Background:

Being an octopus mer, Azul was a rare subspecies of mer. His limbs were in stark contrast to the pretty fins that all the other mers had, and add in him being chubby and a crybaby? There were loads of things that the little elementary schoolers had to bully him about.

Azul used to be very happy as a child before the words of the other people around him got to him. He was a sweet child, many teachers would describe him as "angelic."

However, around when he was seven years old, the little mers started seeing all the differences between them and Azul. "He's a slow swimmer." "He has ugly limbs, look at all the suckers he has! Haha!" "He's fat." "He spits out ink! Gross."

All these words weighed down on Azul and gave him many insecurities (that he still has to this day).

He gradually started to not go out and play (not that he had many friends to begin with), instead focusing all of his energy on studying and trying to be better than the other mers intellectually. He knew he couldn't catch up to the faster, stronger mers, but he thought that working hard on intelligence would be more beneficial to him. This worked as he was able to find his Signature Spell much earlier than anyone else his age. This spell was crafted specifically so he could get his revenge from his bullies.

He met Jade and Floyd while they were still in elementary school - they had always been in the same class as there weren't enough small mers their age to fill another class, but neither Floyd nor Jade had taken much interest in him. However, in the later years of elementary school, they had gotten to know each other a bit more and became friends.

It was also during the later years in elementary school where he developed his eating disorder. He started to force himself to eat healthier foods, even asking his mother for healthier recipes. He also counted his calories and weighed himself almost obsessively, always working for his "ideal" body type. It worked somewhat, as he did get thinner, but it caused his mental health and physical health to plunge, and that was a time when very few people saw his genuine smile.

Azul started using his signature spell in middle school, which was almost immediately found out by Jade and Floyd (much to Azul's disappointment). He wanted it to be a secret for a bit longer, after all. But it couldn't be helped; those two knew him best, after all.

He worked hard to erase all memories of his past, such as graduation photos with his "old self" in it. He also never forgot any of the remarks that the people at his elementary school told him, making sure to observe them before creating a contract with them. This allowed him to press on their weak points to get what he wanted (which was, most often, their prided quality). As there are not as many merfolk as there are humans, it was quite easy to keep track of everyone who had hurt him.

After coming to Night Raven College, he studied harder than ever. This was the first time he started making study guides for tests for others and creating contracts in exchange for them, and that went over successfully. He got a surprising number of guests considering it was his first time - they must have been pretty desperate.

Being at Night Raven College made him have an obsession with staying human. He's always working to see if he can figure out a way to change a transformation potion so that he can maintain his human form for longer periods of time, or one that can help him take less of the potion with still as large of an effect... (It's illegal but he doesn't really care as he's not actually making anything - though he wants to, of course). He's not sure what he should do, but he loves how he looks as a human. He thinks he looks slimmer this way, and this is making him feel more unhappy whenever he has to be in his octopus form.

Overall, he enjoys Night Raven College and can't wait to learn more things and make more money.

The overblot incident was an unfortunate thing to happen... But it had barely any effect on his record. So it doesn't bother him at all. It won't mess up his future plans. So he's totally not concerned about it (he is).

Family:

Azul has a very good relationship with all members of his family. Although his biological parents are divorced, the divorce didn't actually affect him very much; he still manages to spend time with everyone as much as he can.

He is very proud of how smart and resourceful his family is, and would most likely pick his family over his business (he might cry and be heartbroken while doing it, but still).

With his biological father, he doesn't get to see him much (they live in different parts of the Coral Sea) but he still enjoys talking to him every so often when they find the time in their schedules. However, his biological father also has a new family now (he started meeting someone while Azul was in his last year of middle school) so now he doesn't see his father that much as he doesn't want to mess with his father's relationship.

Azul loves his mother? She's one of his biggest inspirations. She manages a family restaurant, after all - it was one of the inspirations for the Mostro Lounge. However, the restaurant was more cute and for little kids than the refined Mostro Lounge. He has tons of respect for her, and she in turn loves seeing her son's achievements, and she invests in Mostro Lounge, giving Azul a bit of money if need be to cover costs. For the most part, though, Azu can handle himself, so that's not needed.

The restaurant was originally a small location owned and operated by her alone, but has now grown into the most famous restaurant in the Coral Sea. She is considering maybe branching off onto land to get more customers (and hopes Azul could help a bit if she ever does go with this plan).

Azul's mother loves him so much, she has a pile of baby pictures that Azul doesn't even know about (she never shows them) but she would show them to company if anyone ever came. (If Azul somehow finds out, he wouldn't even be able to edit them because Azul's mother would go on a rampage if she found out. And she will find out because while her son is out enjoying his dorm life, she takes out those baby pictures and cries seeing how cute he was when he was little and dependent on her.) She calls him her precious little pearl sometimes. Azul has tried to get her to stop calling him that (to no avail).

One of the major things that she gets mad about with Azul is the fact that he's obsessed with wanting to become human. She's a very practical woman, and she knows that whatever effort he tries will most likely be in vain. And, he has similar traits to one of the Great Sevens (and herself, as she is an octo-mer too)! Why should he want to change himself? She does get it, at least partly - but she still gets kind of annoyed when he brings it up. She just wants what's best for her son, after all.

Azul also used to help out at his mother's restaurant, whether it was helping prepare foods when he was little or giving ideas to his mother to help expand her business. It was here that he got a talent for analyzing ingredients in foods, mostly due to the fact that he would go with his mother to popular restaurants and cafes to test their foods and see if they could use those ideas to create new and better products. This is an instinct that has carried over to his management of Mostro Lounge, and he does check out any new food item in Sam's shop or the kitchen (if it is a food item that would appear in a cafe, of course). In general, he's pretty good at recognizing items by sight (like what basic type of drink something is, for example) but his abilities are even more showcased when he has a taste of the item, as he can list the various ingredients.

In addition, she would close down the restaurant on his birthday to have a special celebration. His family along with all of the staff were welcome to come (he didn't have many friends, and even Jade and Floyd never did get to go to the restaurant much, mostly because he still has pictures of his younger self there (which he's not certain if his mother will show or not) and he doesn't like that). The staff all love him like he's another child of theirs (he basically grew up surrounded by them) and many of them send him gifts. Obviously, the staff loves Azul's mother as well, and they have a fairly casual relationship with each other. At the parties, there was fancy decor and music, and his mother made sure to make a delicious meal for him with all of his favorite foods, making a bit more than was necessary. But it's for her sweet son, so who can judge? (Lately, Azul never finishes off everything, and it's been a worry of hers that he isn't getting enough to eat or that he's getting bullied again)

Azul's step-father is also another person that he respects a lot. Azul is not related by blood to him, but he thinks of him more as a father than his actual father. He and Azul's mother got acquainted during her divorce proceedings as he was the lawyer. Being a lawyer, Azul got taught all sorts of things from him about making contracts, the little pieces of information you should add to nudge toward a result that you want… All that. They spend lots of time together reading over contracts - Azul even suggests things that his step-father should add from time to time now that he's getting used to creating them. Azul's step-father is surprisingly nice and sincere, but he is quite the businessman and nothing slips by him. He wishes that Azul would follow in his footsteps and be a bit nicer to others (oh, but Azul is nice to others. Wouldn't you agree?)

Azul was an only-sibling, so he was kind of pampered while he was growing up. He loves his family a lot, but he still kind of wants a younger sibling. But he knows that that would cause him to lose the precious time he has with his parents about discussing business, so he also doesn't want siblings.

Azul's grandmother is a powerful mage (said to be one of the greatest mages in the world), and he can't even try to go against her. Azul always says "yes ma'am" to her just because she has really powerful magic and he respects her immensely. Of course, she would never use it on her darling grandson... But you could never be too careful. Although she did help out the less fortunate and the poor, often helping out her neighbors whenever they needed it, that didn't mean that she didn't have a temper. Better to be safe than sorry.

She was often the caretaker for Azul since Azul's mother was so busy, and she usually tended to spoil Azul, especially when he was younger. However, as he got older and she started to help him with his magic, he started to see more of her stricter side. Being with her was where he grew his love for Alchemy.

There are also rumors flying around that she's related to the great Sea Witch... But she denies everything. No one knows for sure whether she's telling the truth or not, though.

He doesn't open up about his family very often because he doesn't want them to be used in his contracts/otherwise taken advantage of. This is why he always speaks formally about his parents, and offers very little information about his backstory.

Likes:

Money, having power, fried chicken/kara-age (as well as other fried foods), looking at shipwrecks and old architecture, strategizing, going thrift shopping, affectionate gestures.

Dislikes:

Being indebted to someone, turning back into his octopus form, rude remarks, eating healthy foods, feeling helpless, useless, or dumb.

Extra:

He probably has memorized the Periodic Table (since he likes Alchemy? Idk)

He's probably a Choleric or a Melancholic

MBTI: ISTJ

He has undiagnosed anxiety, and has an eating disorder of some kind.

He used to hole up in an octopus pot whenever he was feeling sad so he didn't have to show anyone his tears.

He probably practices swimming better in his human form so he doesn't have to rely on his octopus form to get around in the water.

He and Sam are always fighting for customers. Sam is usually on the losing side when it comes to items similar to Mostro Lounge's, so he tends to try harder with the other items, such as regular supplies. Still, Azul is always looking for ways to expand, so Sam can never be too careful. Azul is always impressed by Sam's ability to stock up on expensive, rare, and nearly impossible to require items, though.

He has blackmail and secrets about most people in the school, especially those who had made deals with him. However, he wouldn't blab so openly about them... If you'd like to know, you need to have an adequate payment. (This blackmail can and will be used to force others into making deals with him.)

He can produce ink, but he mostly uses it to write contracts and spells (although he used to cry ink in the form of tears when he was younger - one could always tell when he had been crying due to the black streaks running down his face).

He also has venom, but it's not lethal enough in a bite to harm regular humans... However, with a high enough concentration, it could work. (He is not working on making something like this, where would you even get that kind of idea?)

He cannot camouflage himself, though he wished he had that ability when he was younger and trying to hide from the other merfolk. His octopus pot had to do, though.

He gets really annoyed when people use "octopi" instead of "octopuses" and it's an easy way for a person to get dragged into a lecture. Which is, you know, fun. (Also, he does not have tentacles. You are mistaken if you call his limbs that. They are called arms, limbs, or appendages.)

He enjoys reading to relax; mostly, he reads autobiographies from entrepreneurs - he borrows them from the school library and reads with the lights turned down low. He usually tends to read before he goes to bed. He also sometimes looks at his coin collection or decor to relax - it's needless to say that he finds his dorm room very comforting.

Coin collecting in particular has become fun for him, finding coins that are worth much more than their face value? It's so exciting. He has started visiting shipwrecks to try to find more of the coins - all in all, it is fascinating to him. He has around 200 coins in all, and he thinks of them as a sound investment if he ever gets bored of coin collecting. Although finding them is exciting, he also regularly sees if he can buy coins.

Similarly, he sometimes goes to thrift shops/second hand stores to see if there are any items of high value listed for a cheap price. He oftentimes resells items that he got (because he needs to make a profit) but sometimes he does buy items from those stores just for decoration or for him to have. It's rare, though.

Beds were another thing that was interesting to him when he first came onto land. They were really soft - a stark contrast to the hollows of shells and conches that he had slept in before. He doesn't really need a pillow (he uses whatever is recommended by the store), but he enjoys how soft they are.

If he could choose anyone for a brother, he'd pick Ortho. He's really sweet, cute, would care for his brother and he can do calculations, help with Mostro Lounge (as well as any other businesses he may create)... The list goes on.

If he could go to another dorm, he would choose Scarabia; the different culture and climate and such of the Scalding Sands interests him, as it is completely different than the Coral Sea (and the part he is from is particularly frigid, while Scarabia is known to be quite hot). Also, he would love to make connections to people from there so he can get high-quality products.

Every time they play a game in P.E., Azul tries to strategize. Especially if it's a sport (such as basketball, volleyball, football, etc), he knows he can direct others so his team can win without him getting in the way too much. He has a keen eye, he just isn't cut out for actually doing sports.

He rarely praises others honestly, so being praised by him is a great honor (or so he thinks - he would never say this out loud though).

Every time he goes on a trip, he has to research extensively beforehand. Every trip. But if he's been there multiple times, he doesn't research as much, just checks up on any new things that might have arrived.

He enjoys singing, and doesn't really care if he's in the spotlight or not. He doesn't do well when he gets a lot of praise about it though. He has obtained this power from one of his contracts.

He loves traveling by different modes of transportation! Public trains are not his favorite, but shinkansen (bullet trains) and airplanes are always enjoyed!

Time efficiency is key for him. So whether it be working on a plane, listening to an audiobook while walking, or immediately doing other tasks after finishing his work in class, he never has free time. Even if he seems like he has free time, that is all just carefully planned out according to his plan to entice customers.

When he has no specific plans, he does self-care for his mind and body. For his self-care of the mind, he tends to wake up early in the morning, grab a cup of whatever he's in the mood for at the moment, and read a business book or an economic newspaper, check the news, or see what is currently trending. He finds it intriguing and is an ingrained habit in him that he can't break. If someone told him to stay in bed and relax, he'd just get more and more anxious and feel like he needs to do something. For his self-care of the body, he does circuit training, alternating between weight training and aerobic exercises for his exercise. This is (hopefully) helping him improve his physical skills. He really hopes it is.

He used to dance a bit under the sea (in secret); he doesn't have the endurance to do it on land, though.

He didn't wear glasses while he lived under the sea, but after he came on land, he made a conscious decision to get them (both for seeing better and to make himself look smarter). He wants to get a different pair of glasses sometime for fashion's sake. (Every time he does any type of physical activity, his glasses slip and he is so close to just buying a pair of sports glasses to combat that. So close. (It's really comical)). He wouldn't usually choose round-framed glasses.

He's good at getting gifts; he will observe and think logically about what a person would like the most, and use his information network as well to help get a suitable item. Not that he gives gifts often, but still.

Halloween in the Coral Sea was a very... Interesting event. Unlike regular Halloween, there were no costumes. Every so often, merfolk disappeared due to ghosts or whatnot. To fend against this, there was music to prevent the ghosts from getting lonely and bioluminescent algae lanterns to stop mers from wandering into the spiritual realm. Unlike on land, Halloween with mers is less of a fun event and more of a thrilling one. However, there were some fun parts; Azul always enjoyed collecting shells and starfish for decoration, and still does; he loves finding rare types. He also made a craft for Halloween once when he was younger that his mother still has; she puts it out every year without fail. (Azul also loved the bottles of bioluminescent algae that were a staple for Halloween in the Coral Sea - he thought they were beautiful. Now, he's wondering if he can make something similar that's more vibrant and profitable... But as it is a seasonal item, he isn't fully certain if he should try to go for it.)

He used to enjoy mushrooms but now every time he eats them, he is reminded of the two weeks of nonstop mushroom cuisine (due to Jade).

He knows how to play the piano, and has played in a band with Jade and Floyd (with Floyd on the drums and Jade on the bass). The eventual reason why they stopped was both because Floyd kept speeding up the tempo or doing his own thing without warning, and Azul and Jade found it difficult when rehearsals were nothing like the real event (Azul got really annoyed with Floyd, but Jade just went with it - Azul half-jokingly thinks that this is due to "twin telepathy"), as well as Azul getting busy with writing his contracts. Despite all the trouble, both Jade and Azul were able to change their music to fit with Floyd's. They did have a lot of fun in the band. Azul does admit that Floyd is exceptional on the drums, as well as the other instruments that he can play. Azul sometimes records himself playing the piano to create original music for the Mostro Lounge to play (and to suit the ambience he wants to create). Overall, the experience with improvising from the band has helped him play better pieces. He has also studied Music Theory extensively, also seeing if people on land listen to different types of music. He used to use the music as a form of escapism when he was younger, playing melodies and writing lyrics.

Azul hates wasting food (coming from his business sense, perhaps?) and he tries to waste as little as possible, having compost bins (Jade may have pressured him into having them, but hey, it helps). He has also made a little garden of sorts to grow some ingredients that they use frequently.

He often gets put on planning committees at NRC; he enjoys this and always is trying to make the highest profit possible for Mostro Lounge and himself.

He follows by the saying "haste makes waste."

He's always cautious and wary of traps.

He has stock investments, which he checks on regularly; he enjoys reading the morning and evening papers that focus on world and economic news.

On his days off, he often leaves campus under the pretense of market research.

He hates getting protected because that would mean that he's seen as weak.

When taking tests, he always looks through the whole thing and starts with the problems that are worth the most points.

He has played some video games before (due to Floyd's insisting that he should do so) but he never took much interest in them unless they were dealing with business (which the type of games that Floyd chose weren't like that, so...)

He is currently abstaining from fried foods, but every time anyone offers him anything fried... He's half-drooling (not that he will show that) and hates himself every time he doesn't accept the offer.

He sighs a lot ("oh, the woes/struggles of a benevolent person")

He would rather not have candles on his cake as it ruins the presentation when you go to eat it (although he admits the candlelit flames can be pretty).

He doesn't understand pie-throwing for a birthday ritual; he wants to learn more about terrestrial customs, but he finds that many of them simply puzzle him.

He finds that many students become very reasonable once he puts on his dorm uniform... He finds this pretty amusing.

He always puts his right shoe on before his left shoe on the mornings he needs to be his best - it's mostly superstition, but one can never be too careful.

All of the furniture in Mostro Lounge is suited to Azul's tastes; saying they look bad would be akin to calling his taste in furniture bad.

Another interesting thing on land is cologne; he has a liking to it and enjoys researching different types to find even better ones.

He has studied how people on land dress (for quite some time), and the thing is - he usually loves formal and professional clothes. So you rarely find him in anything like a plain-colored t-shirt.

He still counts his calories, although not as obsessively as his middle school days. It bothers him that there are no calorie labels in the school cafeteria.

He hates the feeling of sweat on his skin - it makes him want to dive into the ocean to cool off.

He eats a proper diet, and makes sure that he gets all the nutrients he needs.

He was against camping in tents at first, but now he finds tents oddly soothing; they're similar to being in an octopus pot with how dark and snug inside they are.

He dressed up as a mummy for Halloween at Night Raven College mostly because he was unfamiliar with them (as it is impossible to be mummified underwater). He has accidentally tripped over the bandages.

He has sold off excess candy that he got at Halloween. It was a win-win situation.

He references dishes from his mother's restaurant for the limited-time menu for Mostro Lounge during holidays and other events.

He keeps his favorite coin in his pocket for good luck. It's not the one with the most value - it's the one he finds prettiest to look at. He takes great care not to misplace it.

He enjoys clothes with hoods, as he likes dark and confined spaces. He has also hidden in boxes as a child.

He enjoys intellectual work more than ceremony prepwork.

He enjoys the ceremony robes as more people take an interest in him when he is wearing them outside of school grounds.

He delivers lectures on efficient studying methods, and the sign-up sheet always gets filled.

He got prescription goggles for Alchemy (so he could see better and have eye protection).

He rarely uses writing instruments that make it hard to write a signature - after all, one never knows when one needs to make a contract.

He is absolutely amazing at making homemade medicine. Though it comes at a steep price.

He hates classes that are vague (such as Language Arts and art classes in general). He enjoys getting results that are clearly defined (such as classes in the science and math field). However, he still excels either way.

He thinks Alchemy is wonderful here because he can get so many different ingredients. (And add to that his access to private channels... He has so many experiments that he can try).

He usually uses parties as business opportunities.

He is often inspired by the Sea Witch and even has a snail shell badge on his hat after what she used to store her magic; he often wonders if he should store his own magic in the badge as well.

He often gets annoyed by Lucius (Trein's cat) because he won't be quiet. It's a waste of lecture time.

He hates stairs. He has tripped off of them multiple times when he started walking on land. And it always hurts painfully once he falls. At least his wind magic is good enough so he can right himself quickly, but still. It is such a pain.

He can use all of his limbs (eight arms + human arms) to write.

He's still trying to get Jamil to be friends with him. (Unfortunately, it isn't working.)

He has given a fancy cup to Idia for his birthday; on Azul's birthday, Idia has given him a board game that he's always wanted and played it with him.

He gave a shoeshine kit to Floyd for his birthday, and a large water tank (for use as a terrarium) to Jade; on Azul's birthday, Floyd and Jade pranked him (which happens every year). On a different occasion, they burst into his room and gave him a cake at midnight. Jade has also made a special brew of tea and given it to Azul (though he apparently looked very suspicious when he did that).

Ace has given a pillow (made of viscoelastic polyurethane foam) covered with a silk pillowcase to Azul on his birthday.

Azul gave some seasonings to Jamil for his birthday (that Jamil had wanted but never told anyone about)

Silver has offered to do anything for him on Azul's birthday because Azul lent him a textbook.

He's not good at dealing with the unexpected.

He dislikes Vargas because he does not perform well with tasks involving physical endurance, and Vargas is all about exercise/muscles.

10% of the profits from Mostro Lounge go to Crowley/the school.

Jade says that Azul can be "easily misunderstood" by those around him.

Azul has forbidden Jade from wearing a cute eel-motif T-shirt that Floyd got for him.

Drying up is fatal for mers.

He occasionally lends rare books to Sebek.

He gets along well with Ruggie as they both dislike losing money and insist on being compensated for anything they do, and dislike feeling indebted to anyone.

He enjoys having a room to himself; although he didn't mind sharing a room with the tweels as a first-year, he had to admit the pranks were tiring.

He is wary of gestures of goodwill and unconditional kindness, believing that people are kind to just get something they want from him.

He can talk with animals; this power was one he had obtained via contract.

He is quite strong in his octopus form, as octopi are pure muscle (according to Floyd).

Azul has multiple hobbies and serves on many school committees; he hopes that this will help him make more connections and find new avenues that could lead to new business.

All mers who want to live on land go on a "land boot camp" which is a month-long course where they are taught the basics of living on land such as the types of food, what fire is, the importance of clothes, how to breathe and how to walk. Most mers don't actually end up living on the surface even though many want to. (This boot camp was founded by a mermaid princess from the Coral Sea who married a land prince (from the Sunshine Lands) and wanted to prevent the culture shock that she had suffered - the Sunshine Lands and mers have maintained friendly relations ever since the marriage). It is an excellent volunteer-run organization that accepts mers from all ways of life, and if asked for, can provide transformation potions for free (but that is only for "promising youth"). Azul thought the offer was too good to be true, but he eventually realized that the founder did it out of the goodness of their heart. (There aren't many mers who want to go on land anyway, so they can cover the high cost without going bankrupt - still, they want more mers to use their services to spread kindness (as kindness leads to more kindness)). He put in an application there as soon as he got accepted into Night Raven College.

He memorizes both the revenue and gross profit from Mostro Lounge for each day.

He sometimes gets put into despair when he has only a few customers.

He and Jade share a healthy rivalry.

Jade helps inform Azul of what is going on in the school so he can keep track of everybody.

Floyd has hydrodipped one of Azul's hats before, and Azul was definitely not pleased about it; he magically returned it to its original state without even putting it on.

Rook has said that Azul has the makings of a fine hunter.

He would take any opportunity to get ahead of others.

He is not embarrassed to admit that he does not excel at exercising. However, this is a sensitive subject for him, as he often snaps at naturally athletic people and says things like "what would you know of my suffering."

He is good at bluffing.

He would never willingly do something to devalue the information he has, preferring to not do more than what is necessary.

He enjoys gathering intel.

He can be bribed fairly easily.

He wants to extend his business into Briar Valley, but he finds himself struggling to make connections with anyone in Diasomnia.

He loves making connections with others for future business, and he often tries to do this by doing favors for others.

Azul rarely lets people touch his contracts, if ever - he only entrusts them to Jade from time to time and panics if it seems like they will get damaged.

He runs the website for Mostro Lounge.

He sees the struggles he went through when adapting to life on land as a strength.

Azul often encourages Idia to take pride in himself as a dorm leader - he has a friendly & competitive relationship with him.

He became a housewarden around 6-7 months after the school year had started.

He will not give up on his dreams. Period. Some of his dreams include being valedictorian, opening a second Mostro Lounge branch, starting a delivery business, selling tableware, running a hotel, and getting into the leisure industry.

He's good at math, specifically Algebra. More specifically, Systems of Equations. He has to be good at them to calculate sales and whatnot, after all.

He dominates class discussions. It's not his fault, he has a lot of ideas and enjoys analyzing things.

He does tend to make fun of his underclassmen, especially if they tease him first.

He’s not super good at romantic stuff? He isn’t really used to it, after all, and social interaction was something that he sorely lacked during his childhood (including having crushes, obviously, because he was bullied and then focused on his studies). After getting a romantic partner (or before he confessed, or when he got a crush, etc), he watched a lot of romantic movies and read romantic novels to see how people would act with their romantic partner. He’s seen how his mother & step-father acts with each other, but he wanted to know more (for “research purposes”).

During the relationship, he’s a very very sweet partner, and he tries his best to take care of his partner and treat them well. He’s not big on PDA; he’s more affectionate when he’s alone with the person he loves. (His main love languages are acts of service and quality time, he’ll give gifts but he wants them to appear more thoughtful (so on special occasions, unless it’s like free drinks from the Mostro Lounge), and he does give some words of affirmation. Physical touch isn’t something he does often (his partner will most likely be more physically affectionate with him than he is)).

Character playlist: