#we just don't know how healthy their dynamic was overall!

[deeply-unserious-fellow]

I've seen a lot of people comparing Huskerdust to a healthy version of Stolitz and it's kinda got me thinking... Staticmoth as the evil fucked up version of Fizzmodeus.

THINK ABOUT IT!!!!! The parallels between Val and Ozzie are obvious. Like that man wants to be Ozzie so bad it's insane, from the way he dresses to the way he decorates to straight up OWNING A ROBO FIZZ, Val clearly wishes he was the embodiment of Lust. But are there parallels between Vox and Fizz? Actually, surprisingly yeah. They're both showmen, like aggressively so. They're very public figures, with their face all over every product in Hell(albeit Vox is doing it a lot more purposefully then Fizz). Fizz's antagonism towards Blitzø is actually pretty reminiscent of Vox's towards Alastor(except Fizz and Blitzø have a lot more baggage lmao), and they even share some aesthetic similarities! Specifically the colors of Fizz's robotic limbs matching Vox's overall color scheme. Which speaking of robots, that's probably their biggest similarity overall: they're both partially made of technology. I hesitate to say cyborg because Idk how much that applies to Vox, since object heads aren't typically classified as cyborgs as far as I know, and we don't actually know how much of Vox is organic(also cyborg is just one of those words I have an inexplicable dislike of Idk-), but like. Think cyborg I guess. Like Vox is a LOT more of a dick and probably doesn't have a very tragic backstory? Maybe? Unclear. But the similarities are undeniable.

Okay, now that individual parallels are out of the way, how could their relationship to eachother parallel Fizzmodeus? Starting with baseline aesthetics: they got the height difference. It's not as dramatic as Fizz and Ozzie's but TO BE FAIR, Huskerdust are the same way(their height difference is obvious, but not as massive as Blitzø and Stolas'). Staticmoth is also very buisness-partners-with-benefits and some hints at deeper feelings, which is how we were introduced to Fizzmodeus. I don't think Val and Vox feel the need to hide their romantic feelings? But tbh it could go either way we haven't seen much of their dynamic yet. That's kinda where the similarities I could spot find because see previous sentence, so let's move onto the differences!

I think a good way to breakdown what makes Staticmoth toxic Fizzmodeus is actually by bringing Alastor and Blitzø back in to compare and contrast how Val handles Vox's rivalry with how Ozzie handles Fizz's. In Radio Killed the Video Star, the only reason Val tells Vox that Alastor is at the hotel is to piss him off. He clearly enjoys Vox's reaction, and keeps egging him on. Teasing him about it. Which like, friendly teasing between partners is well and good, but Val is clearly just doing it cause he wants to see a fight and doesn't care about how distressed Vox is about this. Vox goes off on his own and sings a fuckin banger, gets publically humiliated, causes a massive blackout. Val doesn't really do shit to help him out, just kinda sits there and. Idk watches? Unclear what the other Vees are actually doing because most of Stayed Gone takes place in funny TV land where Vox is capable of bending reality to his whim for the sake of visual interest. But what Val is actively doing during the musical number isn't important so who cares. What's important is that he egged Vox on, convinced him that confronting Alastor right then was a good idea, and then just sat back as Vox got so pissed off he had a meltdown. Which I SWEAR I'm not trying to dramatize this scene it just sounds really fucking bad when you write it all down from this perspective. I think it's also worth noting that all of this is DIRECTLY AFTER Vox did the exact opposite for Val, calming him down so he doesn't make a fool of himself in public.

Meanwhile compare that to how Ozzie handles Fizz and Blitzø's relationship. During House of Asmodeus, once Fizz realizes Blitzø is there, he starts publically roasting him about how shitty his love life is. Ozzie encourages him, and even gives him a little congratualtions in the background when Verosika joins in for changing the subject, but the difference here is that House of Asmodeus takes place in a much more controlled environment, so it's less likely either of them will have to face consequences for being assholes. There's also how Ozzie's encouragement is just a lot more genuine. Like "yeah babe, go insult that guy who traumatized and abandoned you whoo!" rather then "hey hey look there's that guy you hate. You should go fight with him lmao show him who's boss." Then there's the ending. At the end of both Stayed Gone and House of Asmodeus, Vox and Fizz eat shit and die. Don't worry they're both fine like immediately after, but while in House of Asmodeus Ozzie immediately rushes over to Fizz to make sure okay, we uh. Do not see Vox interact with anybody but Alastor in the direct aftermath of his eating shit and dying, which is fair because he's in his weird little gamer cave. Then we skip straight to the Vees having a meeting to decide what they're gonna do about Alastor, and we don't really know what any of them were doing in the interim between the end of Stayed Gone and the meeting, so uh this part of the comparison kinda falls flat. But again something worth noting is that Val just straight up. Does not care about Alastor during the meeting scene. He's sitting there bedazzling his fucking gun BY HAND with school glue and rhinestones, not even paying attention to the meeting, despite being the one to get Vox all riled up about Alastor IN THE FIRST PLACE.

In short: Val encourages Vox to fight Alastor without thinking it through, doesn't bother to help out during the actual fight, and then immediately stops caring the moment the fights over. Meanwhile Ozzie, while encouraging Fizz to pick on Blitzø, backs him up the whole time, and while still supportive of his boyfriend, doesn't actively encourage Fizz to do things that would get him hurt. Ozzie also supports Fizz by refusing to let Blitzø have an Asmodean crystal because he knows Fizz wouldn't like it! Which is the exact opposite of pissing your partner off on purpose so you can watch a fight!!! And if that isn't enough evidence for you, then uh. I guess you could compare how Val treats... just everybody around him, really, with how Ozzie does(but that's more individual character analysis than relationship analysis). Or you could talk about how fed up with Val's shit Vox clearly is in comparison to the mutual support of Fizzmodeus. Or how. Val throws a glass at Vox. And breaks his phone. And then Vox has to scream in his face to get him to listen-

Idk how to end this so uh. DEMON ATTACK RAH!!! 👹👹👹👹👹👹👹👹👹👹👹👹👹👹👹👹👹👹👹👹👹👹👹👹👹👹👹👹👹👹👹👹👹👹👹👹👹👹👹👹👹👹👹👹👹👹

[lurkingshan]

Love Sea Final Thoughts

I have been trying to wrap my head around my overall feelings about Love Sea, a show that is undeniably flawed but somehow charming anyway, that drops so many threads but does such a good job with a few of its core points that it's hard to be mad. I can't really say that this is a great drama, but I can say that I enjoyed it a lot and I think it's a good watch if you go in understanding some caveats.

Let's start with a few things I really loved about this show:

Mahasamut. A great character, he will be going on my shortlist of Thai bl favorites. He's smart, honest, patient, giving and forgiving but he also knows himself, his limits, and his worth. On top of all that, he actually looks like a normal person, with a healthy body weight and beautiful imperfect skin. So rare in dramas.

Smart class dynamics. I appreciated how much this show grounded Mut and Rak's relationship in their class disparity, how wealth and lack of same was a constant issue between them that was never forgotten, and how its effect on their power dynamic shifted over time as their relationship grew.

Very well-executed sex scenes. The sex in this show is tied to character development and relationship arcs, and every sex scene mattered to the story. We watched the shifting power dynamics between Mut and Rak play out via the sex they had together and by watching their intimacy we learned more about them.

Ridiculous chemistry. The main love story was supported by truly excellent emotional and sexual chemistry. I always believed in the attraction and the feelings between these two, and that helped a lot when the story didn't quite take me where it needed to.

Rak and Vie's friendship. I really loved that we spent time with these two as besties, and that they were genuinely so supportive of each other. Vie was a real MVP in kicking Rak's ass when he needed it.

Meena, the best child ever. What a delightful character who brought a lot of fun and lightness to the story. Her scenes with Mut were a true highlight.

And here are some things that didn't quite work for me:

Uneven focus for the main characters. Once we left the island to go to Bangkok, the entire show was about Rak, his backstory, his issues, his ongoing problems, and his needs, and Mut was kind of subsumed in his story instead of having one of his own. I was glad we got back to Mut's life at the end, but they really should have kept it present throughout so everything didn't feel so one-sided.

Shallow engagement with family trauma. And despite the fact that the story was so much about Rak's issues, the story never actually went deep on them. I still don't really understand a lot about his family dynamics. The show used his dad and cousin as villains and then his mom as an easy out to solve everything at the end, but we never dug into how all these people ended up this way in the first place. It was a real missed opportunity.

Rak's emotional journey. I was on board for much of it, but other parts felt a bit haphazard and all over the place. Sometimes it felt like he was suddenly progressing out of nowhere, and others it felt like he was backsliding just because the plot demanded it. I liked where the story took him a lot but the path to get there was pretty bumpy.

The side couple. WOOF. I have no idea what happened here, but that was a fail on just about every front. Mook was a hard character to love from the start, Vie felt like a completely different person with Mook than in all her other scenes, there was so much lying and manipulation for no good reason, and in the end they were left completely unresolved. If you are on the lookout for great gl pairings, you will not find that here.

So there you have it. This show is absolutely a mixed bag on its execution, so how much you end up liking it will probably depend on how strongly you connect with what it did well and where it dropped the ball. For me, it was a good experience and one I'll remember fondly. I'll definitely be watching the special when it's released and I hope to see this cast again.

[scftizuku]

Anti-Endhawks takes to debunk

"Endeavor is 46, and Hawks is 23; why do you ship them?"

That's all on personal preference, tbh. It's cool if you find the age gap to be uncomfortable. It's important to point out that both characters met when Hawks was a pro-hero (meaning he was already an adult when they first started working together as a duo). Endeavor himself did not know of Hawks when he was younger. If Endeavor knew Hawks as a child and the relationship was formed due to that, then I would also have an issue with the ship itself and understand this saying for argument purposes.

There is already a canon age gap between Gentle and La Brava, and no one talks about how the age gap is bothersome for them, with Gentle being in his early 30s and La Brava in her early 20s. I think from what I've been seeing that people just don't like Endeavor as a character (which is fair if that's the case. You don't have to love his character or anything). Still, it would be good if some antis were honest about using this take as a reason to shun the ship in general.

"Endeavor is still married to Rei; therefore, he is still connected to his family that they had."

Yes, Endeavor is a part of the Todoroki storyline since his perspective alongside Touya and Shoto's is very important for readers to pay attention to. His relationship with Rei Horikoshi has shown that it quickly changed despite their relationship starting out as wholesome and healthy in the early stages. We see very fast that the love that Rei and Endeavor once had turned sour once they began having children, and Endeavor tried to push his goal of having that perfect child with the ideal quirk. Now, whether the two reconcile and come back together is anyone's guess; I'm assuming that Horikoshi won't have Rei and Endeavor get back together, and they will most likely separate due to everything that has happened in their relationship and family in general.

This reasoning, out of all the anti-endhawk ones, is probably the most reasonable if I'm being honest, since the Todorokis are shown still having some connection back to each other. We are still determining how the aftermath of it all will play out.

For story purposes, he is very much connected to Rei since they both are responsible for saving Touya. But it's good to note that when it comes to Endhawk's relationship, they don't display the typical power imbalance that most people would expect from out-of-age gap ships. In fact, when it comes to their overall dynamic, both characters respect each other as equals and have this bickering/bantering dynamic, especially during their early interactions; they both care for one another, as seen in the panels below.

"Hawks would hate Endeavor if he knew his past."

This take has been a common argument circling around the fandom before Dabi broadcasts his reveal to the world. I have to say, I was curious what Hawk's thoughts would have been if he found out Endeavor's past, but after he explained that despite the wrongs Endeavor has done in his life, he still would support him and do his best to help him out whenever he needed him. To me, it showed how much he trusted him; he views Endeavor as the person who is trying to atone for everything he has done to those around him rather than the person he once was; and this trust that the two of them have extends into the final arc as well.

If there are other takes I should probably tackle; I'll make a separate thread for those. But I am also working on a Bakudeku version of this as well (so look forward to that one 😊❤️)

[talknerdytome18]

Ranking All Books by Holly Jackson

Since I've read all of Holly's books, I'm going to rank them! Disclaimer: This is my opinion. If we don't have the same opinion, then respect that. Let's go!

Warning: this may contain spoilers for all books published by Holly Jackson. If you don't want to be spoiled, then scroll away.

6. Killjoy (2021)

I found this story cute! Very fun and fast-paced. I loved seeing how it all started and loved seeing the friend group's dynamic again. I just found this to not be the best out of all of Holly's books (granted this is a novella, but it's not my fave). Also, too much Ant Lowe in my opinion. I would have preferred more Jamie Reynolds. Also, I personally think Connor and Zach should've kissed but oh well.

Overall, fun book! If you wanna go back to where it all started, then this novella is worth it.

5. Five Survive (2022)

Guys... I have a reason why this book is ranked so low. I'm going to start by saying that I did not hate this book. I found the story intriguing and was engaged once the action started. For her first standalone, this book was really good and exceeded my expectations. My main problem with this book was that I found that I could care less about the characters. Personally, I found Red Kenny to be a weak protagonist in comparison to Pip and Bel and, not to mention how I could care less about Red and Arthur. Red and Arthur are cute, but honestly, I could care less if they got together or not.

Again, I don't hate this book. For Holly's first standalone, it was really good. However, I found that I didn't really care for any of the characters.

Overall, good book! Wish I connected more to the characters because the premise is incredible.

4. Good Girl, Bad Blood (2020)

All books in the AGGGTM series are five star reads in my opinion, but I find this the weakest book in the trilogy. Honestly, I love this book with my whole heart. Coming from being Connor Reynolds's biggest fan, I love how much he appeared in this book and how he aided in finding Jamie.

I think this book suffers from what I've dubbed "Sequel Slump" - meaning that the first book is so good that the sequel "slumps" in comparison. In this case, A Good Girl's Guide to Murder is so good that this book just "slumps" in comparison, and I think it's because it takes a while for the mystery to officially begin, since we're taken through a quick recap over the previous book's events and then the memorial.

Also, I personally think that Connor and Zach should've kissed. Connor going to Zach's house to play Fortnite after the memorial? Very fruity to me (joking... or am I?)

Overall, love this book. Wish it got more recognition in the fandom.

3. A Good Girl's Guide to Murder (2019)

LOVE THIS BOOK. This book is fast-paced, thrilling and mysterious. It has a healthy dose of mystery and romance, along with characters I truly felt interested in. Pip's an amazing protagonist who fought hard to prove Sal innocent and find the real killer under the guise of her EPQ, all as she got the guy (Ravi Singh) in the end.

I loved that this book kept me guessing until the very end. I was suspecting everyone (Max, Jason, Naomi, Elliot, etc) and was genuinely surprised finding out Elliot killed Sal. Holly had written him to be such a likeable person that I couldn't believe he would kill Sal just so he could frame him as Andie's killer. AND BECCA? Never would've guessed it. Holly Jackson knows how to write compelling thrillers and I love that for her.

My only real complaint is again, Zach and Connor should've kissed. Connor honey I get that you liked Pip, but Zach Chen is literally right there. You boys are soulmates and I pray that the show recognises that (along with LauCara).

Overall, AMAZING BOOK. Deserves all the hype!

2. As Good as Dead (2021)

AHHHHH I LOVE THIS BOOK SO MUCH. THIS BOOK IS HOW YOU END A TRILOGY GUYS. From the beginning, I was hooked by the mystery of Pip's stalker. This book broke my heart with Andie's email - poor girl was so scared of her father and died trying to escape him. I really like how this book doesn't give Andie a full redemption arc, rather it explains her actions. It really humanises Andie - a girl who grew up in a toxic environment and died trying to save herself and her sister.

My heart shattered when Pip broke up with Ravi. AND HIS SUGGESTION WAS TO MARRY SO THEY COULD GET SPOUSAL PRIVILEDGE??? RAVI FUCKING SINGH WHY DO YOU DO THIS TO ME???

The ending? EVIL. FUCKING EVILLLL BUT I LOVE HOLLY EITHER WAY. In my heart, I believe Pip got back together with him and they married. They also got another golden retriever in my mind after they got married.

Only complaint was WHERE WAS ZACH CHEN? CONNOR AND HIM SHOULD'VE KISSED WTF. Not to mention Lauren and Cara... Love my girl Steph though. Hoping that Lauren and Cara are a thing in the show though since we don't know much about Steph.

Overall, BEST BOOK IN THE TRILOGY GUYS.

The Reappearance of Rachel Price (2024)

HOLY FUCKING SHIT.

THIS BOOK... I WILL ONLY SAY ONE WORD: BRILLIANT.

When Holly Jackson said that this book was her favourite, I can see why it is. While I struggled to get into it from the beginning, once I read past 100 pages, I was hooked. Bel Price is such a complex protagonist that I could find myself relating to. All the characters were just so complex and you truly don't know who's lying until the very end, when we find out (spoiler alert) that Charlie (Bel's dad) had ordered his father to kill Rachel.

Not to mention how insane the sibling plotline was??? I NEVER WOULD HAVE SUSPECTED THAT CARTER WAS RACHEL'S BIOLOGICAL DAUGHTER. My heart broke when Rachel spoke about how Patrick took Carter away from her when Carter was only two weeks old. The Price family are truly disgusting - Rachel, Bel and Carter deserved so much better.

Also, I preferred the romance between Ash and Bel over Arthur and Red. Ash is such a fun character and I was genuinely sad when him and Bel weren't endgame. I believe that one day, in the near future, they reunite and get together officially.

Overall, LOVE THIS BOOK. If you haven't picked this up yet, then do so now!

~~~~

That's it! If you wanna talk, then my inbox is open :) - Em

[nisiedrawsstuff]

Nisie's Year in Books | 2024

books i read this year (its pretty much all queer romance)

Top 5 Reads of 2024

Limited to books released in 2024 only (otherwise how the fuck do i choose???).

Prince of Agony (Perilous Courts #6), Tavia Lark

Swordcrossed, Freya Marsk

What Feasts at Night (Sworn Soldier, #2), TJ Kingfisher

Don't Want You Like a Best Friend (Mischief & Matchmaking #1), Emma Alban

The Captive's Curse (Twilight Mages Book 2), Eliot Grayson  

Full review list under cut

Purple are queer romance books I would recommend! Pink are other books I would recommend!

Captain's Surrender, Alex Beecroft ★★★☆☆ Jan 2024 I feel sure that i have read this before but it's not in my good reads history so I'm adding it now. Overall an enjoyable book but there was a bit too much gay angsting for my tastes, I don't care for stories with moral or religious dilemmas over being queer. Naval bits were fun and exciting. Not sure how their Happy Ending is supposed to work with them both being captains but my best wishes to them  

Hunting the Spy, Tyler Flynn ★★★☆☆ Jan 10, 2024 Didn't really like this book until the last 20% or so. Nathan is really unlikeable and mean to his beloved, Peter, who is precious and sweet and never did anything wrong. It wasn't until Nathan realized he loved and trusted Peter and begrudgingly accepted his help that story became interesting.  

On a Lee Shore, Elin Gregory ★★★☆☆ Jan 25, 2024 Very slow burn. Main character is slightly annoying but he comes around eventually.  

Twisted Tome, Vanora Lawless ★★★★☆ Jan 29, 2024 Fun plot, likeable characters, but I feel like it could have done with more editing. There were many parts that felt too long.  

Slippery Creatures (The Will Darling Adventures, #1), K.J. Charles ★★★★☆ Feb 08, 2024 ok so i will never like Kim and Will as much as Daniel and Archie, but they are similarly shaped hot messes so I love them anyways, and this was probably my 3rd reread of this book.  

The Stablemaster's Heart (Tales of Lilleforth #2), Sarah Honey ★★★☆☆ Feb 11, 2024 Characters were likeable but the writing felt strangely YA for a book with constant and detailed sex scenes.  

The Sugared Game (The Will Darling Adventures, #2), K.J. Charles ★★★★★ Feb 24, 2024 I absolutely love how messy these guys are!! and the cameos by some characters from Think of England/Proper English !!!!! (also a reread)  

Subtle Blood (The Will Darling Adventures, #3), K.J. Charles ★★★★★ Feb 28, 2024 KIMMMMMMM WHY ARE YOU YOU????  

The Larks Still Bravely Singing, Aster Glenn Gray ★★★★☆ Mar 02, 2024 I mostly enjoyed this book but the ending was a bit underwhelming and it felt like there wasn't really any closure or character growth. But they did end up together so that was good.  

Ghost Star Night (Sea of Stars, #1), Nicole Kimberling ★★★☆☆ Mar 11, 2024 Didn't enjoy as much as last time. It's still batshit crazy and the mcs are likeable but the plot is so fucking wild???  

Tramps and Vagabonds, Aster Glenn Gray ★☆☆☆☆ Mar 12, 2024 DNF at 50%. Honestly I thought it was boring and didn't seem like the plot was going anywhere  

Heir of Starlight (Sea of Stars, #2), Nicole Kimberling ★★★★★ Mar 24, 2024 This is a wierd ass book, and I don't know why I like it as much as I do, but here we are - I enjoyed this book where the love interest is trapped in the body of an orangutan.  

King's Man (Outlawed #1), Sally Malcolm ★★★★�� Mar 29, 2024 Good tension happy ending, likeable characters and side characters.  

A Botanical Daughter, Noah Medlock ★★☆☆☆ Apr 05, 2024 DNF after part 1 of 3. Simon and Gregor just didn't feel like good or likeable people and I just didn't feel interested in following them on their journey. Their relationship dynamic didn't feel happy or healthy either since Gregor seems to constantly bully Simon and ignore his feelings and concerns. Lastly, I'm sorry but digging up the corpse of your housekeeper's bff without consent and experimenting on it in the basement is a line I don't think protagonists should cross. Personally I would give this a 1 star but it gets an extra because it has potential. I think the story would have worked better and been more interesting if it was entirely told from Jenny's perspective, since she's the only likeable character (as far as I read)..  

The Royal Curse (Twilight Mages, #1), Eliot Grayson ★★★★☆ Apr 08, 2024 I enjoyed this way more than I thought I would  

What Feasts at Night (Sworn Soldier, #2), T. Kingfisher ★★★★☆ Apr 28, 2024 LET ALEX EASTON FUCK A MONSTER!  

The Scottish Boy, Alex de Campi ★★★☆☆ May 2024 This started off strong and it was shaping up to be one of my favorite books. Then it turned sideways and the plot stopped making sense. Still have very mixed feelings about this.  

Finding You, Finding Me, Bailey Queen ★★☆☆☆ May 04, 2024 The romance between Henry and Will felt forced. It felt like Henry had more romantic tension with his friend/superior Giordano than Will.  

Knight of Nights, Karin Kallmaker ★★☆☆☆ May 10, 2024 Plot didn't really seem to go anywhere and it ended surprisingly abruptly. Didn't like the coin's melodramatic and mysterious comments. Skyra and Kirstine were likeable characters but their romance felt a bit forced. I wanted to like this but there was too much that wasn't to my taste  

Crowns and Swords (Royalty & Romance, #1), J.L. Meyrick ★★☆☆☆ May 22, 2024 i don't remember this at all  

A Nobleman's Guide to Seducing a Scoundrel (The Doomsday Books, #2), K.J. Charles ★★★★★ May 28, 2024 The spicy sequel I have been waiting for!! Luke is absolutely hands down one of my favorite characters.  

The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen (The Doomsday Books, #1), K.J. Charles ★★★★★ May 30, 2024 this is the good stuff  

Wine and War: The French, the Nazis, and the Battle for France's Greatest Treasure, Don Kladstrup ★★★★★ May 31, 2024 A NON FICTION BOOK!!! IT IS GOOD  

A Rulebook for Restless Rogues (Lucky Lovers of London, #2), Jess Everlee ★★★★☆ Jun 02, 2024 This book had a lot going on, possibly too much?  

The Gentleman's Book of Vices (Lucky Lovers of London, #1), Jess Everlee ★★★★☆ Jun 06, 2024 First time I tried this book I quit in the first chapter. (The scenes in the molly house were annoying) Second time I held on and made it through to the actual plot which was entertaining and the couple was delightful.  

The Oak and the Ash (The Old Bridge Inn #3), Annick Trent ★★★★★ Jun 17, 2024 Absolutely loved this book!!! Just average working folks trying pursue their dreams and build a relationship while earning a living and avoiding the trouble the aristocracy creates! A wonderful blend of realism, hopefulness and cosy.  

Harvest Season (The Old Bridge Inn series), Annick Trent ★★★★☆ Jun 19, 2024 hell yeah lesbians! workers!  

Bound to the Wild Fae (Fortune Favors the Fae, #3), Tavia Lark ★★★★★ Jun 21, 2024 Absolutely adorable romance!!! Love Yarrow's immediate need to protect his small human!!!  

Silk & Sand (Seth & Raider #1), Katherine Diane ★★★☆☆ Jul 2024 i can't even begin to describe how wacky this series is.  

Hothouse Bloom (Ramsbury Estate, #1), Hannah Morse ★★★★☆ Jul 06, 2024 Overall a perfectly fine little story but could have used finer proofreading  

Don't Want You Like a Best Friend (Mischief & Matchmaking #1), Emma R. Alban ★★★★☆ Jul 11, 2024 Generally I liked this, the characters were likeable, their relationships with their parents were wonderful, and their friendships with cousins and such was sweet. There were a few spots I felt the characters did unlikely things to advance the plot but overall a fun read.  

A Bluestocking's Guide to Decadence (Lucky Lovers of London, #3), Jess Everlee ★★★☆☆ Jul 15, 2024 Overall pretty good but there were some moments where it felt like "eating your vegetables". I love Jo but Emily's perspective was a bit tedious at times.  

The Lighthouse Keeper, Liv Rancourt ★★☆☆☆ Jul 20, 2024 It felt like there were too many plot threads that didn't always make sense. The romance between Rafe and Vincent felt a bit forced.  

The Duke at Hazard (Gentlemen of Uncertain Fortune, #2), K.J. Charles ★★★☆☆ Jul 24, 2024 I didn't particularly enjoy this book. Cassian wasn't likeable until a good way through the book and the villain was too mustache twirling and over the top bad guy. Meanwhile Daizell was perfect and did nothing wrong!!!  

The Captive's Curse (Twilight Mages Book 2), Eliot Grayson ★★★★☆ Jul 26, 2024 Highly entertaining and spicy! Cyril was incredibly annoying and I have no idea how Enzo puts up with him but to each their own.  

Silver & Gold (Seth & Raider #2), Katherine Diane ★★☆☆☆ Aug 03, 2024 I r really wanted to like this book, but the ratio of action to romance was off. 90% of this book was sex or talking through trauma. It got to the point where I would skip over sex scenes and dialogue, because how many times do you need to know that raider and Seth have hot sex, and that they love each other enough to work through trauma. It's fine, we don't need to know all the details!!! The last 10% of the book was enjoyable, because that's when the plot finally kicked in.  

Never Darling (Fortune Favors the Fae, #6), Sam Burns ★★★☆☆ Aug 06, 2024 It was a bit strange that this story was set almost entirely in the human world with fairies just kind of being there at the end. I think the concept for the story was interesting but the slow burn over 3-4 years was implausible. A lot happens in 3 years and you're just not going to remember someone who stopped by once! Meanwhile the background story with Everett and Peter actually seemed more interesting than the main story. I also just don't like stories with hot rich nice guys who just swoop in and solve all of a poor person's problems. Not my kind of fantasy. I think overall it was a taste mismatch for me, and people with different tastes than me will probably enjoy it.  

Prince of Poison (Fortune Favors the Fae, #7), Alice Winters ★★☆☆☆ Aug 08, 2024 This felt like 2 books smashed into one - there wasn't enough clues for the reader to understand the layers until 60% through. The plot was convoluted and relied too much on characters explaining it. Lastly the language and dialogue felt really off, they all sounded like teenagers instead of fantasy characters. I'm not exactly expecting Tolkien, but am expecting significantly less "like"s and "I guess" es. Overall I think this had the potential to be a great story but could have used stronger editing.  

The Queer Principles of Kit Webb (London Highwaymen, #1), Cat Sebastian ★★★★★ Aug 11, 2024 BE GAY DO CRIME THE NOVEL  

Prince of Agony (Perilous Courts #6), Tavia Lark ★★★★★ Aug 16, 2024 WOW OH WOW this is SO GOOD!!!!! KAZIA IS MY BESTEST BABY BOY SO SAD, SO TRAGIC SO PURPLE!! (and yes i have read it 3 times already) .

The Necromancer's Light, Tavia Lark ★★★★★ Aug 18, 2024 Charming romance! Love an opposites attract! They're an adorable couple - what else do I need to say?  

These Old Lies, Larrie Barton ★★★☆☆ Aug 24, 2024 Feels weird giving this a 3/5 because I loved AND hated this book. I think it had so much potential and mostly a good plot, it's the timeline of events that makes it unbearably slow and full of needless suffering. I think the arc of the story, which takes almost 30 years to resolve, really could have been resolved within 6 years. I think it would have been a tighter storyline and more hopeful story if the author had compressed the timeline and reduced the characters suffering and pining.  

Prince and Assassin (Perilous Courts, #1), Tavia Lark ★★★★★ Aug 28, 2024 Absolutely loved this book! Both Julien and Whisper are absolutely loveable and have a great dynamic. Assassin falling for target is a classic trope for a reason!!!  

The Forgotten Dead (OutFoxing the Paranormal, #1), Jordan L. Hawk ★★★★☆ Aug 30, 2024 This was somewhere between a 3 and 4 for me. I can't put my finger on anything that bad or that I particularly disliked but I wasn't feral over it either  

Hunter Omega: M/M Paranormal Romance, Liv Rider ★★★☆☆ Sep 2024 A perfectly fine popcorn romance.  

You're the Problem, It's You (Mischief & Matchmaking #2), Emma R. Alban ★★☆☆☆ Sep 02, 2024 UPDATE: the book improved significantly literally on the next page after i quit. I did go back and finish the story. so maybe its a 3/5? DNF at 40% it was just too annoying and stressful to keep reading. Bobby Mason was mostly delightful, but Demeroven was whiny, rude and annoying in every scene he was in. Raverson and the evil Stepfather were both too obviously moustache twirling villains and also unnecessary plot points. I didn't believe the attraction between Bobby and Demeroven one bit it was just exhausting to see them continuously arguing and in fact arguing in circles, until they end up on opposite sides but still arguing.  

A Thief in the Night, K.J. Charles ★★★★☆ Sep 30, 2024 Great story! Wished it was longer!! Love a happy ending that involves stealing from the rich!!  

Liar City (Sugar & Vice #1), Allie Therin ★★★★★ Oct 05, 2024 I really wasn't expecting to love this as much as I do!! I'm not a fan of contemporary fiction but I love Allie Therin's other books so I thought I'd give it a try. I ended up staying up until 3 AM to finish this book in a day  

Peacemaker (Sharps & Springfield, #1), Morgan Brice ★☆☆☆☆ Oct 08, 2024 This is one of the most frustrating books I ever read. I should have put it down but it was so close to what I wanted. This book is like going to the freezer for a rich creamy ice cream and only finding a ice encrusted popsicle with freeze burn. The romance between the main characters felt forced and unappealing. They were both incredibly bad at giving and receiving "I want to fuck you" cues and they're also just bad at their jobs? Most of this book was dialogue, with other characters telling them what they had already discovered. The "evil plot" was unnecessarily convoluted and I have no idea how any of the characters reached the conclusions they did. I wish I could have liked this book  

You Should Be So Lucky, Cat Sebastian ★★★★☆ Nov 30, 2024 I won't say this book made me care about baseball, but it made me not mind the fact that baseball was here. The romance was charming and the slow burn addictive, although it was probably too slow for my tastes. I think what really kept this from being a 5 star book for me is that it didn't really feel like Romance - it felt like a mid-century period piece about 2 gay men finding a life together. WHich is good, don't get me wrong, but not what I was expecting.  

Twisted Shadows (Sugar & Vice, #2), Allie Therin ★★★★★ Dec 19, 2024 Oh my God!!! The most delicious and horny of slow burns!!!!!! It was so good i immediately re-read as soon as i finished it.  

One Night in Hartswood, Emma Denny ★★★★☆ Dec 22, 2024 There were a lot of things that annoyed me, including a whole lot of unnecessary misunderstandings, but it had such a delightful ending that overall I did really like this book  

Swordcrossed, Freya Marske ★★★★☆ Dec 25, 2024 I'm glad I stuck this one through, though the beginning was rough. I feel like there was too many details of this fantasy world introduced too quickly, and the writing style felt a bit -hm- like it was trying too hard to be high brow? Eventually though the tension between the characters kicked in and the world started to make sense and then it became a whirlwind to the dramatic finish!! (Although I'm a little sad we didn't get DOUBLE WEDDING) The setting is very much like Swordspoint, or the Astreiant series or Daughter of Mystery, but less white, which is great. Would love to see more books in this universe.  

Boyfriend Material (London Calling, #1), Alexis Hall ★☆☆☆☆ Dec 25, 2024 DNF at 5% - i just couldn't get into it - I don't really like first-person perspective, and I especially don't like it when the narrator just goes on and on about what a disaster they are, and how HARD their life is, and BOO HOO all anyone cares about is his famous dad. I suppose this makes the character relatable for some people, but doesn't do it for me.

[aihoshiino]

It was obvious Ai loved him…but seeing it said on screen still makes it tragic…i almost felt i had a lump in my stomach Hikaru could've been alright if they just had a happy family together but no 😭😭 with the dvd now revealed, do you think Ai would've gotten back together with Hikaru if she knew that "I can't love you" was a lie? Even as a family i feel like that's a possibility now

I've been thinking about this a lot lately, ngl… now we have the full context of the HKAI breakup and a better overall understanding of their r/s dynamic, I've actually been thinking about their first on-scree conversation in episode/volume 1 - where Ai speaks to him on the payphone. I'd always kind of zeroed in on it as important because it was the one and only time pre-flashback that we'd gotten an actual exchange between the two of them, one sided as it was. And I was especially always really curious about the "No, I'm not trying to get back together" line because it implies A Lot even when we just hear Ai's words.

And now that we know that the HKAI relationship was 1) so unhealthily codependent that Earth's Most Autistic Creature, Ai Hoshino noticed and went mmm i gotta get the fuck outta here 2) ended by Ai herself and 3) Hikaru met that breakup attempt with LET'S GET MARRIED I think it makes it clear that the moment Ai reached out to him he immediately leapt to thinking there was a chance of them getting back together, probably out of pure wishful thinking. And Ai, realizing that he hadn't moved on or been able to grow past her, had to gently but firmly turn him down. And keeping in with that theme of miscommunication tragedies, they were probably both having a VERY different conversation:

What Ai meant: "[I know I'd just be a burden to you, especially with the twins and I don't want to put that weight back on you so] I'm not trying to get back together." What Hikaru heard: "[You're a burden and I can't bear the weight of putting up with you so of course] I'm not trying to get back together."

Minor sidebar, but Takahashi actually highlights that moment in particular during her interview in First Report, the anime guidebook (I promise I'll get it translated soon… I promise…!!!), noting that Akasaka actually gave her the full details as to the HKAI dynamic so she knew how to properly convey Ai's feelings for him at that moment (then noted that as a fan of the original manga she has very mixed feelings about getting spoilers… bless her LOL). So Ai's vocal delivery in that scene can also be considered a pretty big clue…

ANYWAY UH. My point is that I don't think they'd ever get back together unless Hikaru got his shit together and was more stable & less prone to clinging onto Ai at the first opening. She herself even says that they broke up because his obsession with her was consuming him and she wanted him to be able to stand on his own without her, because she thought that was better for him. It's possible that him and Ai being in each other's lives vis-a-vis the twins and Ai being more able to set boundaries (in hindsight, her turning him down is actually really good progress for her!) he could've developed a more healthy relationship with her, but his fixation on her then and in the present day is so all consuming I guess it's hard for me to imagine.

[areallycoolanduniqueusername]

Laurie Strode and Annie Brackett Evidence

Seeing as how I'm hyperfocusing on Halloween right now and no-one else online ships this (especially 1978 Laurnie) except for me and a handful of other people (shout out to this amazing edit on tiktok) I thought I'd give my pitch for it here.

First of all since I know a lot of you don't care about "canon evidence" and like ships more for the vibes I'll go over their dynamic for anyone who's uninitiated or hasn't seen Halloween in a while.

Laurie Strode in 1978 is a shy, sweet, probably autistic but that's a post for another day, 17-year-old girl. She likes babysitting, reading, knitting, and hanging out with her friends. She spends most of her time babysitting because she can never find a date (and apparently teenage girls in the 70s had no other hobbies XD).

Annie Brackett is one of Laurie's two best friends. She lives a few houses down from Laurie and they seem to spend a lot of time together. Annie is snarky, sarcastic, and witty. In the novelization she's said to always be in a rush for no discernable reason and she was apparently the first among her peers to lose her virginity.

Annie and Laurie have a lot of teasing banter throughout the film.

For my more concrete evidence, I have a few points I can make:

In the novelization, after making one of her jokes, Annie calls Laurie "cute" and ruffles her hair

Also in the novelization, when asking Laurie why she never goes out, Annie says "do you prefer girls? I'll try anything once"

When Annie calls her on the phone, Laurie laughs at one of her jokes while twirling her hair (although this is a stim Laurie has throughout the movie)

At one point, Annie feeds a piece of popcorn to Laurie in a vaguely homoerotic way

Now for some counterevidence:

Annie tends to poke fun at Laurie for never going out in most of their conversations. While these jabs do occasionally feel a bit mean-spirited, she does try to set Laurie up with Ben Tramer in what seems to be a genuine attempt to help her, but her refusing to back down from the arrangement is also a bit dickish.

Overall, because of what little screentime they get in the 1978 movie, it's hard to tell how seriously Laurie's friend group's teasing is. In the novelization the jokes and jabs are a bit more evenly spread throughout the group, whereas the movie tends to have a lot of jokes at Laurie's expense. I feel like "Oh great I have three options: watch the kid sleep, listen to Lynda screw around or talk to you" (a line from Annie) gives the impression that Annie doesn't like Laurie's company, which isn't great for the ship, or their friendship in general, but we do have to keep in mind she is in a particularly bad mood during this scene because her boyfriend Paul has just told her he's grounded and can't see her tonight. It's quite possible she's usually nicer to Laurie, particularly given their other scenes together.

The not-quite-picture-perfect friendship isn't a deal-breaker for the ship, though. In fact, the fact Laurie puts up with Annie's shortcomings might be a sign of a crush (although that's obviously not healthy, girl you can do better) and Annie is shown to genuinely care about Laurie.

Sashanne from Amphibia comes to mind when thinking of similar ships with toxic friend dynamics. I could see Annie going on a similar redemption arc (though obviously her behavior is not nearly as cruel or manipulative as Sasha's) and learning to appreciate Laurie more.

That isn't necessary though, as I could also see their interactions in the movie being perfectly harmless if given enough context (How long have they been friends? How often is Annie actually a GOOD friend to Laurie? Does Laurie tease Annie like this too? (we do see a little bit of this in the movie))

Now I bet you're wondering: But Mx Coolandunique, what about when Laurie tells Annie she wants to go out with Ben Tramer? Or Annie's boyfriend Paul? They're clearly interested in boys! To that I say: bisexual until proven straight, and honey, there ain't no proving these girls straight.

Annie and El Jerko are more casual than anything and Laurie might have mentioned Tramer to cover her much stronger, more embarrassing, and less socially acceptable crush (who she could NEVER ask to the dance in a million years unlessyouwanttowriteafanficaboutthatguyspleaseineedlaurniefanficitdoesn'thavetobethedancejustsomemore78laurnieimeanilike07laurniebutplease)

Overall, Laurie and Annie have an intriguing friendship dynamic with some homoerotic undertones, and would make a very interesting friends-to-lovers dynamic with lots of interesting bumps along the way. This is my pitch please someone write or draw these two they're such a rarepair it's a crime.

[cosmics-beings]

Honestly? Yeah. I don't see Starscream being close to the chaos Terrans. Tbh I predict we're gonna get a compare/contrast between them and the main maltosbots in regards to their support systems and emotional needs. I mean Starscreams interactions with the Terrans has been limited and he has no knowledge of their initial development, and besides Spitfire and Aftermaths creation will likely be different from the other Terrans.

Also there's just no way Starscream is in a place mentally or emotionally to be a good dad right off the bat. I mean maybe that'll change. Maybe it won't. Maybe dealing with these new Terrans will continue his development as a character for better or worse.

Who knows.

I see this, and I kinda don’t want his narrative to be centered around Hashtag or the Terrans at all? This may be an unpopular opinion, but I don’t really want Hashtag to be an integral part of his character or vice versa. A lot of this has to do with the fact that  in general, a lot of fans overly pacified Starscream when it came to his discussion with Hashtag and also reduced/limited Hashtag’s character to Starscream. I liked the episode, but seeing a lot of reactions to Starscream being evil, it became very evident to me that many people just did not grasp the point of the Hashtag episode, which is what I inevibtly feared would happen.

Aside from that tho, yes, I am excited to see the emphasis on support systems in TF ES. I think it’s clear the autobots/maltobots and Terrans and maltose in general have very healthy ways of supporting one another. They are very oriented.

From what we know of the Decepticons, especially while Megatron was their leader…that just isn’t the case. Megatron is soft to the Terrans and Maltos, but from multiple Decepticons and himself as well, we have heard that he is violent to them, and truly there really is no form of positive support or coping.

So I honestly think that the Decepticons are going to redefined what they mean by family, and what it means to cope and be vulnerable/lovable with one another. Because they didn’t have that, and for many reasons none of them knew how to do that. Their circumstances and lives during and before they were deceptions made them all cold. So seeing how they actually form a family dynamic —without Megatron—is going to be increasingly interesting. 

And I also wanna highlight something else you said about Starscream not being in the place to be a good dad, mentally and emotionally. I agree- because he is also working on himself, and healing from a lot of his own trauma. But I also disagree, because I don’t think his character is going to exist to be a dad or parental figure to the Terrans or the maltos. I don’t think that is the direction for his character because imo, It doesn’t make sense? Like I mentioned before, I do see the appeal of connecting the Maltos/Terrans and Starscream, but imo, he just isn’t meant to be that closely tied to their life? I also hope he isn’t.

But overall Yass I agree with a lot of what you are saying. Especially when it comes to support systems and coping mechanisms. 

[yakuzabrainrotlive]

I have had NO time to play lately fr. And when I have played, I've been growing Ichiban's social network, picking stuff off the ground and taking pictures. AND killing hundreds of evil santas at the mall because their money yield levels are nuts and I want good gear.

But. I HAVE also made progress with the main plot too. And have had time to... process it a bit.

Yeah, I got to The Reveal :) I am Suffering :) Got to the beginning of chapter 5.

So. What witty lil' thing am I supposed to say here? Like... fuck. Just. Fuck. It shattered my heart to see him break the news with this smile I can't interpret. I mostly see a man who's accepted his fate and made his peace with it, which would be in-character considering... well... *gestures at this man's entire life and then the way he was in Gaiden*. I feel like I'm sadder and more bitter than Kiryu himself is about the whole situation. Or maybe he's just hiding his true feelings very well.

I hate the fact that Kiryu's disadvantaged position in society as an orphan keeps hurting him even this late in life. It feels so unfair, it hurts, it's... incredible writing.

....yeah. Not even remotely surprised. This is just Kiryu in a nutshell. Always looking for people in need of help, a job that needs to be done, a cog he can help turn. He's always looking for a purpose; something to keep him going. And while that's something most people want, I feel like Kiryu is always living to be able to benefit other people. Very noble, but not healthy.

The start of Y3 felt like the closest we'll ever get to him properly settling down and BREATHING for once. I can never go back to that game without breaking down, huh.

THANK YOUUUU ICHIBAN WE'LL BE DOING EXACTLY THAT ❤️ we'll drag that old man into the hospital kicking and screaming if we have to ❤️❤️

Ichiban's overall reaction to the reveal surprised me. I know he's VERY compassionate and caring, but he felt so genuinely distressed it was almost shocking to me. I know they had like... mutual respect and trust going on in LAD, but I didn't get the vibe that they were THIS close. Maybe I have to go back to their shared cutscenes from LAD again. Or maybe Ichiban just feels that strongly, especially after this brief... thing they've had here in Hawaii. Nothing wrong with that at all. We love and respect Ichiban in this house.

Ichiban and Tomizawa... hmu. I will give you soup and warm cinnamon rolls. No questions asked, no need to pay.

Kiryu... please, for the LOVE OF GOD, let them help you. Let someone help you. No, don't just let them help you help others, LEAN ON THEM.

Love to see how effectively Ichiban brings out the sass in Kiryu. This dynamic is peak. They're so silly together.

*banging on my apartment walls* LET ME OUT!! LET ME OUT OF HERE!! PLEASE!! HAVE MERCY 😭😭 I don't wanna see Kiryu like this!! I'm gonna throw up!!

We're in chapter 4 and I wanna crawl into a hole to cry. I am NOT going to survive this game.

:)

ANYWAY YAYYYY!! New party member ^_^ she's SOOO cool, she's STAYING.

Okay so I already kinda have a team I really like and everyone works well together?? How the hell am I supposed to pick 3 people when the old squad (besides Eri, RIP my MVP queen 😔) is definitely coming back as well? Tomizawa and Chitose have grown on me so I don't wanna bench 'em, and I will literally be 6 feet under before Kiryu even looks at the bench, so... I'm in trouble 😭

I'm gonna have to see if Tomizawa and Chitose can be built around Ichiban and Kiryu, or if others will fill roles better. If anything's gonna make me bench 'em, it's going to be my hyper-optimizing, excel-sheet making brain that loves to make my teams as BROKEN balanced as possible.

OKAY ALSO. That better not have been it for the Barracudas. Like, for real. They were portrayed as SOOO spooky and dangerous and they honestly felt like The Threat to me. Are they really folding this early? I hope not.

THE SQUAD HAS ASSEMBLED! So pleased to have a full team ^_^

[delululover]

I just love how the "Only Friends" team gave us so many spoilers but still managed to clown us and keep us in the dark.

I mean from the so many contents we got during the filming time we all had an idea in mind about each couple's dynamic

For instance I myself thought

TopMew are gonna be the sweet boyfriends going on dates, having fun, having healthy conversations when in reality they are barely talking, Top sees Mew mostly as a prize/challenge, Both are fighting for the power dominance in the relationship, they don't have any trust on eo, Mew is determined to do the "right thing" by offering his affection as a reward for quitting addiction which we all know never works. Their relationship in overall is a mess with just a "boyfriends" tag which is kind of blinding both them and the people around them from seeing how not good for eo they are

SandRay are gonna be the friends to lovera type of couples where one is totally sure about his feelings and the other ia clueless but refuses to let go of their "friendship" and acts like a possessive cat whenever someone tries to get with his "friend" (I may even be correct with this prediction)

BostonNick I thought will be the couple we will see the least of, won't have much plot to their relationship except sex and Boston will totally ignore Nick out of bed which (Idc if anyone disagrees) he is not, Boston is totally leading Nick on emotionally and we are seeing fair share of their scenes, infact if anything they are the creators of most of the drama in the series and their mess is probably gonna take the longest to solve. Definitely not a short running pair and has a lot of things going on in their "situationship" or whatever.

So as the episodes are coming out I am eventually realising that what we saw/the source of our assumptions were all based on the first few episodes. They gave nothing away and spoiled next to nothing. I am totally clueless about what is going to happen after episode 5.

And yeah don't say that "well your fault for thinking they will give everything away before the original episodes release" I am not saying that they will or they should. But the amount of "ongoing shoot" content we were getting I was a biiiit confident that I have figured out the show. Ik very arrogant of me but that's the thing the Western film industry is so secretive about their projects that it makes us think that getting some behind the scenes will be able to spoil the fun for us.

Anyways kudos to the team for this amazing marketing. They are literally keeping me on the edge of my seat.

Ps I am quite new in this bl fandom and ofts is the first show I have fully been invested in so that's why is amazes me. Most of you probably find this post stupid and old news. Please ignore if you do thanku.

[shirolian]

Star Crossed Myth - Review of Zyglavis, Hue and Scorpio

My current Star Crossed Myth career is at its peak - I wholly finished three routes (yes, that much, envious?) and now I need to unleash my brainrot. The finished routes: Zyglavis, Hue, Scorpio - in this order. 2:1 for Punishments but I suppose that is not surprise given that this game subverts the expectations of how gods should be and Punishments gods are mostly mewling kittens.

Zyglavis route as whole was, how to put it, felt like I dated a man who is older than me by 20 years. Comforting, reliable but also very lonesome and sometimes distant experience. His later parts of story were frustrating but this time the meme "my life is living hell and I have nobody but myself to blame" applies. The King shockingly is not the antagonist in this route, Zyglavis rigidity is. As much as I love strict meganes who are kind souls inside, I couldn't feel the real love and connection between him and his MC. Favorite scene in his route: The realization in his main story, where he finally acknowledged that he loves MC. The tenderness was palapable as he wiped her tears and whispered "you cry for others?" - it was very defining moment that rekindled his faith in humanity Favorite scene with Zyglavis overall: His infamous arrival in Hue's route where he breaks through window 😂 Route rating: 7,5/10

Hue... I kind of regret that I did his second. I should definitely do him last. So if you plan to play, don't do the same stupid mistake like I did. His route is full of lore and background about MC. The background especially will cause you LOTS of pain if you do his route early and then proceed to other gods. Relationship with Hue felt just right. Like two halves of one soul united and in a sense, it's true. Two halves of stars reunited 😭 I mean how much more of "their love is destiny" vibes can this get? Their banter was entertaining and witty, ocassionaly MC really flipped the tables back on Hue and it was amusing to see his reaction. Hue is definitely the brain in this relationship but his MC is not stupid either - rather, she is jealous and insecure. If you read my previous post where I ranted about this, you will understand what I mean. The ending of whole route was very unsatisfactory and the jelaousy plot of MC's was dominant arc, which annoyed the hell out of me. You know what would be absolutely perfect ending for Hue? If he got Scorpio's ending. Here, I said it. Favorite scene in his route: When MC travels back in time and is Clotho. Then she dies and we can see the aftermath - Hue, standing in the darkness of his room and MC clinging to his lifeless, breathing body. He just pulled out his eye for her, effectively crippling himself in the name of love even if the result was uncertain. The sheer rawness of the moment, the despair and mourning - it all deeply resonated with me. Favorite scene with Hue overall: The sequel (?) ending where Hue and MC talk their feelings and MC admits that she thought the source of Hue's uneasiness was his dissatisfaction with their lovemaking. Hue is literally speechless for a moment because it would never ever occur to him that THIS was one of MC's concerns. The aftermath to this scene is 🌶️🌶️🌶️

Rating: 9,5/10 - I blame overused jelaousy plot. Once, it was nice. Using it all the time was rather tiresome.

Scorpio, the local tsundere god from Wish- ahem, Heavens. He definitely is the most rude LI that I had the honor to date 😂 I don't really like tsundere types and at first, I really couldn't warm up to Scorpio. But his scene with train tickets won me over - man was extremely cute 😂 However, in terms of relationship, his and MC's reminds me of italian couple - they argue, loudly and violently, and then they probably hate-fuck or make up. Not the most healthy dynamic on the market but hey, it's otome, red flags are welcome. Needless to say, that Scorpio became green flag in disguise. His explosive vocabulary and prickliness won't go ever away but he softens significantly and opens up to MC. It was very heartwarming to see the progress fromt he begining, where he couldn't read MC's emotions at all to the end, where one look at her face was enough for him to deduce what she is thinking. The constant source of comedy in this route was Scorpio's mind reading ability and his open defiance to the King. Yes, the King. If I thought that the King was extremely tame in Hue's route, in Scorpio's the King is main antagonist and the biggest dick in universe. "Sparkly bastard. Sorry excuse for a king. That bitch." - Scorpio, circa 2015 This route had absolutely the best ending of all three - literally the ideal outcome that I wished would happen in Hue's. The real promise of Infinity together. I don't know what I expected but it really was not the most romantic rendition of Sleeping Beauty. Favorite scene in this route: Rabbit. Apples. The first time when they come up, the scene is SO darn cute. Then the apples become the staple of the route and source of comfort between MC and Scorpio. CUTE. Favorite scene with Scorpio overall: My knees went weak from that CG and moment where Scorpio and MC couldn't touch each other. They were in MC's apartment and Scorpio was about to leave. The longing, the love, the passion when they touched and kissed as the glass window separated them... *slaps seal of forbbiden longing* This is how it should be done. Rating: 10/10, no regrets. They said fuck the King and really did it.

[shamrock313]

Stockings in a Bland Room (December 10th)

This reading is for entertainment purposes only. Take everything you read with a grain of salt.

--------------------------------------------------------

Update (1/05/2025): Okay, so rereading over this, if they were over between Oct-Nov, this is how this reading can be looked at. Evan is starting over as a single man. Making changes to his life. I'm sure reconciliation could have been optional, but I don't think he wanted it and Nat was fine with that. Something they both knew was time a part or ending things.

Looking at the negative oracles in Evan reading, I would say he's freeing himself from the situation. This could have been a mutual ending or one that Natalie had to agree too. No way of stopping it from happening. We'll never know the truth.

--------------------------------------------

Evan POV: Judgement: Self-reflection. Making adjustments. Trying to see the clarification and values that may or may not fit. Time to make some changes. Time to start over and try again.

OC: Together, it's mutual, laughter, You're Hot, Incompatible, Using You, Toxic + Law of Attraction, Pay Attention to the Signs, Free Yourself = So, we have positives, them still being active, they might have a mutual understanding of where they stand, physical attraction yet there's still some red flags. I think he's hoping this is the relationship for him. Law of A is about attracting what you're manifesting so he may think he and Nat have that. I've said in past readings she checks the boxes for what he's look for. She might not have everything. Just enough.

Evan has hopes this is going to turn better. Free Yourself is asking him to let go of control or maybe whoever is control this situationship. I don't know if he's controlling. He cannot force things to be going accordingly in a relationship. Let things flow naturally.

Nat POV: 2oP + 2oW + 4oC = Juggling if she wants this or not. Dissatisfaction and emotionally withdrawn. Not showing her true emotions. Think of it as swallowing the truth. Got a visual of her on a couch looking sad while on her phone. Hoping things can change.

OC: Chemistry, unconditional love, different paths, letting go = They have chemistry and her love/infatuation with him will never go away. They have different paths in life. They are meant for other people or other outcomes. Time to let go of what you can no longer control.

Overall Dynamic: Queen of Cups (Up and Rev) + Hierophant = This is sad. I don't like this. I feel like they're together to prove a point. No one or atleast Nat isn't truly happy in this. It's pass its prime. Someone (we think Evan) is trying to show that they can maintain a healthy relationship. Its possible that its backfiring. Sometime does or doesn't fit the role of it's value or expectations. A facade. I hoping to be wrong about this.

Oralce: Spiritual, confession + Spy, Patience + Engagement, Soul Mate = There's potential for a soulmate connection, it will take time. Someone needs to speak up and seems someone is keeping tabs on the other or is asking to learning more about their situation before going in too deep.

Did Nat decorate his/her apartment to show fans they are still together: Knight and 5oC + Hermit + 4oS = 5oC is about lost and regret. This was done out of sadness or someone was upset while decorating. May have had an idea of what she wanted it to be like and her emotions got in the way. Since she posted this, maybe she's receives messages about how his fans feel about it and it made her upset. 4oS time is a recharge. Time to reflect. Not much effort being put in.

[reverse-falls-stan]

Just another night

Aka: Stanley is very much not a healthy person in any sense of the word (and I struggle with conflict scalation)

Tw: Child abandonment, manipulation, alcohol drinking, overall toxic marriage dynamics

Ship: Fiddlestan

He thumbed idly across the records, choosing one more on feeling than the title of the vinyl. The whiskey was already opened by the counter. There was no one to complain about leaving alcohol out in the open, his brother had locked himself in his study hours ago and the children- lord knows where they went.

The disc slided swiftly into the player, the resonance of the room being perfect to make the old ballad eco through out. Humming to the tune in an attempt to fully remember it, Stanley served himself the glass and ice. His eyes slipped closed as his body swayed to the soft rhythm, taking his sweet time of enjoying the music before asking the first bitter-sweet sip. It goes down easy, and with it all the worries of the day, the week, the month.

Like many times in his life, there was nothing but a bottle and some music to keep hin company-

"That's... Sinatra, right?"

- until now.

Then again, it was the only interruption he could ever ask for

"Ah, sorry doll. I didn't mean to bother you"

"Not at all" Fiddleford laughed softly- and oh how that laugh still made him feel dizzy still

Stanley opened his arms and his husband walked up to him, kissing his hand before taking it, pulling him in. Both of them struggled to get on track, tripping and stepping onto each other until almost out of nowhere they found themselves in complete synchronization with one another and the tune. Once they realized, they just chuckled, kissed softly, and Stanley took another sip

"Do you remember this song...?"

"I think so? Is... yes, one of our first dates, right?"

"Mhm. I had gotten a record player so you and Sixer would have something while you worked..."

"And you just hijacked it at some point for the date- wait, no, there was a- a band right?"

"I got both. You deserved it after all"

"Still the same flatterer as then, hun"

"And we danced the night away..."

As they swayed softly at the rhythm of the fading song, Stan sighed and left his head rest on the crook his darling's neck

"You really get me acting all stupid..."

"Is that an insult, doll?"

"You know is not. Just... when we dance like this, I get dumb ideas. The kind that only make sense when you're young and sick with love"

"Such as what?"

"... Running away"

The record finally went silent, along with the rest of the room

"I wanna pick you up, run to the car, and ditch this town. Maybe get new names. Leave all this business nonsense and never look back"

After a few moments, Fiddleford hummed and paced a soft kiss to his temple "That really is a love sick idea"

Stanley sighed again and, never letting go, made his way backwards until dropping on his armchair, his husband idly sitting on top of him

"Are you not happy here?"

"Of course I am. We got everything we could want"

"Then...?"

"I dunno. I just got stupid, I told you. But don't you think it'd be nice?"

"Hm... yeah, I guess it is nice to think about. We could try to move out... but we'd be forgettin' sumthing, don'tcha think?"

"Hm? What?"

He he'd his cheek so he'd look up at him "The kids, Stanley"

"Oh."

Of course. It was always those kids. For the last 6 years it has always been those kids.

"I mean, we could always just leave 'em with Ford-"

"Oh please, ya know that man would leave 'em in the garbage dump if he had the chance"

"He wouldn't do that. He's not getting near enough to a dump to do it"

"Ya know what I mean! Those kids got nothin' but us. But you"

It took all of his will power to not groan in response, deciding to instead finish off what was left of his drink in a few gulps to have something else to think about.

"Look, I know it's pro'lly not what you expect to be doin' at this age, but they're still our family"

"Yeah, cuz Sherman decided to fuck off with my nephew to lord know where"

"And that was their mistake. It don't gotta be yours too"

Stanely focused only on the ice that remained om the glass, swirling it around just see them crash and clink, completely useless without its companion.

"... you weren't actually thinking about it, right?"

"... I need to refill my drink. You want one?"

"Hon."

"I'm sure we're got some nice rum arond-"

"Stanley."

Finally, he turned around to meet with those strange eyes. That odd look somewhere between anger, confusion and betrayal. One he couldn't for the life of him remember ever having seen in his husband's face yet the dread that made a home in his stomach as a result felt so familiar.

"Are you actually mad? Really?"

"You honestly think I'm gonna be ok with the idea of just abandonin' them?"

"It's not abandoning. They'd still have Ford, they'd still have all of this mansion, hell they'd have the town!"

"That ain't what a kid wants, they want you! A parent, or- or at least a guardian!"

"Like you would know anything about that!"

Fiddleford suddenly got up, holding the side of his head "ack- just- God you're impossible sometimes! Why- why- why do ya always get like this when ya drink?"

"Fidds- please-"

"Just- Just forget about it! I'm gettin' a headache. I'm going ta da bedroom. Ya can come when ya pull your head out your glass and ass"

Stanley looked from his seat as he walked away, muttering something under his breath. He kept staring until his figure could no longer bee seen down the corridor. Then, he calmly got up to serve himself again, drinking half of it in one go, and walked down that same corridor already with quite the struggle. The alcohol in his system, however, didn't seem to be a problem when he took the memory gun out of his jacket and pointed straight to the back of the head. He rushed to catch him, now both of them in a daze in front of their dorm

"Uh- wha..."

"Geez, I swear ya become more of a lightweight with every year doll"

"Really? I.. ugh..." he held his head, and Stanley kissed his temple

"C'mon, let's get ya to bed before you pass out"

"... a- alright, yeah, thanks..."

After laying him down on the bed and spoiling him with a few more kisses until he was fully knocked out, Stanley took out the gun once more, forcing his foggy mind to think about something

He only had to change a few characters of the prompt before shooting himself

After the shock was gone, he got up with a blank expression, returning the device to the hiding spot it should've been in from the begging, and dragged himself back to the living room

[takerfoxx]

Okay, about halfway through my Evangelion rewatch, and I swear to God this show has taken over my life. Like, even though I've seen it before and recently watched the Rebuild films, it's just clicked with me in a way that hasn't happened in a very long time, and I am loving it.

Anyway.

One thing that I noticed is that while the show gets off on a very depressing note that shines a spotlight on Shinji's problems, from the agony he experiences while piloting the Eva to his crippling depression and everything, once he makes the decision to stay, the tone shifts. Like, all those issues don't really go away fully, but for a little bit, the show gets a lot more lighthearted, becoming almost a traditional giant robots fighting aliens-type show. Shinji's mental health improves exponentially, he forms several healthy relationships, he actually does rather well as a pilot, and things seem to be on the upswing for him.

And then Asuka shows up and...actually, things sort of get better?

Okay, let me explain. The first time I watched this show like fifteen years ago, I couldn't stand Asuka. I thought that she was an entitled, insecure brat, and her treatment of Shinji and Rei was totally uncalled for. However, now that I've experienced this story in both of its entireties, processed all the characters and the complexities of their portrayals, and experienced various interpretations of them through various fanfics, doujins, spin-offs, etc., revisiting the original Asuka that spawned all of these reactions is...honestly, it's not nearly as bad as I remember. Yeah, she's still an insecure brat, but I get it now. And her beef with Shinji and Rei comes from her literally being groomed to be the best Eva pilot imaginable while being traumatized by her mother's suicide, leading her to see the other two pilots as both a threat to her position as well as disappointments for not living up to her standards, hence her hostile treatment of them. Even still, we see that facade crack and she does display moments of genuine kindness and comradery with them.

Also, later events have caused people to view Shinji as something of the most extreme of doormats, but for now, he actually isn't? Like, okay, he's still kind of a pushover, but he does get frustrated, he does push back against Asuka, he does snap and start arguing. At the same time, you can also seem them trying to connect in their highly damaged, kind of awkward ways. It's not working, but you see the attempt, and overall, their dynamic does get played more for laughs and slapstick, at least in the early stages.

Of course, all of that goes out the window later on when everyone gets SOOOO much worse, but for now, it's nice to see these kids' relationship in it's healthiest stage. That scene where they all sit on the hill watching the stars together was honestly adorable, as well as Asuka deliberately eschewing a fancy steak dinner in favor of a trip to a ramen shack so Rei could participate.

As for me being ride or die for a poly ending for this trio, was it at all changed by revisiting the source material? Haha, NOPE! If anything, it was strengthened, given that all three have their unique dynamics with each other instead of the tired cliche of two people fighting over a third and it's all like, "Oh, who will they choose?" Y'ALL HAVE TWO HANDS APIECE!

Though on a more deeply personal side, I think that's why I've had Evangelion infest my mind like it has as of late. I just sort of relate to Shinji, Rei, and Asuka a whole bunch and see aspects of myself in all three, and I just kind of want them to be happy together, but, in this timeline at least, I know that that's not meant to be.

Speaking of complicated characters, Touji and Kensuke certainly are that, because on the one hand, they are kind of best boys in how ride or die they are for Shinji, basically becoming the close friends that he definitely needed and going out of their way to check in on him and support him and stick up for him.

On the other hand, they are also selling creep shots of Asuka and their other female classmates. Like, okay, 90's Japan culture and how that gets played for laughs back then, I get it. Still, not cool, guys. But I guess it just goes with the theme of how these are all messy individuals kind of stumbling their way through their messy lives, and everyone has their good and bad qualities.

Another observations. The virus takeover episode was one of the series' finest, as the whole bottle episode thing where the adults have to solve a unique problem while the pilots were otherwise out of the picture made for a great change of pace and was tense as hell. The dancing episode is a fan favorite for a reason and must've made the AsuShin ship explode early on.

Also, I know that we're supposed to hate the JSSDF because their rep was kind of a jerk to Misato and put down NERV and all (plus the later massacre in the movie), but to be honest, now knowing what we know about NERV and the Evangelions, he was kind of right in everything he was criticizing them about? And the fact that Jet Alone was deliberately sabotaged by NERV in a sort of petty dick-waving contest only puts them in a worse light. Honestly, if the two organizations had actually behaved like adults and cooperated, things might've gone so much better.

But then again, Gendo's got to Gendo, what with SEELE and their whole agenda and everything.

And on a more critical side!

Okay, I've said my piece about all of the weird creep shots in the Rebuild movies and how distracting and, well, uncomfortable they were. Like, okay, I know this whole series is low-key horny, and using Misato for some cheesecake shots, that's fine. But, like I said about Toji and Kensuke's creepy photo business...yeah. It's not as bad as it was in the Rebuild movies, which really took things way over the top, but it's still there.

And honestly, some of it you can get away with. Like, I don't have an issue with the scene between Shinji and Rei in the apartment, or Shinji ogling the girls in their swimsuits, or overhearing Asuka and Misato in the hotspring and having a reaction, because he's a repressed kid full of hormones in a very stressful situation. It makes sense that he would be like that. Same with Asuka's flirty side and how she hangs off of Kaji in a very inappropriate manner. Or Rei's lack of inhibitions. All of these make sense for their characters. I don't even have a problem with how Misato teases Shinji, because she's portrayed as somewhat of an emotionally stunted womanchild.

But when it's not from his or anyone else's point of view and you're just showing fanservice shots of your explicitly underaged characters, it gets kind of, well...

Okay, the point I'm making is...was there like a specific reason for the nude sync test? At all? Did it serve the plot in any way? Yeah, you need them in the plugs to get them out of the way so that the grown-ups could have an episode, but c'mon. Was it really necessary other than to get shots of them naked in their cockpits? Even from a character standpoint, I think Asuka at the very least would have protested more!

I dunno, I know it's a rampant problem in anime and always has been and you kind of need some level of tolerance, but that scene in particular did stand out as a great big, "Why is this happening?" Maybe if it had actually led to something it'd be better, but it didn't.

But Evangelion has always been messy and complicated, and that little bug aside, it's easy to see why it captured so many people's attention when it first came out and still does to this day. Hell, it's definitely consumed my every waking moment as of late.

However, Rei's little existential crisis is any indication, I'm approaching the part where things get really weird, so, that'll be...interesting.

[dicenote]

12, 13, 14, 15, 21 & 22 for the character ask for Matsuda. :)

Yayyyy thank you for the ask!! :D

Get ready because I feel like I'm gonna write an essay and a half about The Guy

12. What's a headcanon you have for this character?

Oh geez, I feel like I have so many. How can I pick one?

A random one is that Matsu is the kind of guy to like lying on his bedroom floor. Like, if he had a rough day? Floor Time. He's contemplated so many things while staring at his ceiling. It really helps him feel grounded; when his brain is screaming at him to Do Something, it can help to just lay down and think through stuff.

13. What's an emoji, an emoticon and/or any symbol that reminds you of this character or you think the character would use a lot?

@lawlietscaramels sometimes uses 🦆 for Matsuda, so that emoji now reminds me of him. I keep forgetting to ask lei why they chose a duck, but it feels weirdly fitting haha. Matsuda's just a duck kind of guy, I suppose.

Matsuda seems like he'd use emoticons as punctuation. Stuff like :D and :'( help get his point across in messages when his tone might be read incorrectly (especially when he's messaging someone who can't read sarcasm in an email, Ide). If he's feeling a little extra (and/or texting Misa) he'll use over-the-top emoticons like ☆*: .｡. o(≧▽≦)o .｡.:*☆ because he finds them fun and silly! Also, I think he'd do 😔 a lot, both irl and over the internet.

14. Assign a fashion aesthetic to this character.

I don't know the right word for it, but you know the aesthetic of, like, a bowling alley carpet? That's how his vibes are too me. Like, he's casual and fun, and I associate him with dark tones offset by bright neons.

As far as how he'd actually dress (outside of what we see in canon, where he's wearing a suit 99% of the time), I feel like it'd be kinda close to goblincore? This is kinda based on me googling and poking around sites, so I might be off with this 😅 I do think he'd love a chunky earth-tone sweater and corduroys, though. Something cozy and casual, you know?

15. What's your favorite ship for this character? (Doesn't matter if it's canon or not.)

hnnnngh why do you have to do this to me /lh I'm gonna talk about a few of them because I can't help myself they're all so good.

I love so many for different reasons! I think my favorite right now is probably MatsuIde, because I really enjoy their dynamic and banter. Also there's so much hurt/comfort potential with these two post-Kira. I feel like, after everything's happened, they have this connection to each other because they feel like no one else can really understand what those 5 years were like. This is true for the entire Task Force (and I like AizaMatsu for similar reasons), but with MatsuIde it just hits different, you know? Maybe it's because they spend so much time together onscreen (on panel?).

LawTsuda is probably my favorite ship for the first half of the manga/anime. Emotional intelligence vs. Logical intelligence is a ship dynamic that I fall for every single time, and Matsu and L have those respective traits in spades.

I also am a Canon One-Sided MatsuLight truther, lmao. Matsuda having a crush on Light feels so right but so wrong, and it really helps put parts of the second half into context. Like, Matsuda shooting Light hits so much harder that way, idk. Imagining a world where this ship is healthy is difficult but I find their dynamic so so interesting. Matsuda you deserve so much better but I can't help myself sorry.

TL;DR- MatsuIde is probably my fav overall, LawTsuda is my fav for the first half, MatsuLight is the crunchiest.

21. If you're a fic writer and have written for this character, what's your favorite thing to do when you're writing for this character? What's something you don't like?

My answer to both questions has to do with writing his impulsivity. His priorities differ a lot from other characters, and that changes what details he pays attention to and how he reacts to information. It also means that he's going to act irrationally in the name of Doing Something. Which is fun to play with! In chapters 9 and 10 of Weekend At Ryuzaki's, for example, I was trying to give off the idea that Matsuda is being quickly backed into a corner, which causes him to make a lot more mistakes and hasty decisions.

But on the other hand, writing an unpredictable character acting unpredictably while also making it satisfying and interesting to read is really hard. Like, I don't want him to seem like he's randomly bullshitting his way to answers that move the plot along. He has reasons for doing things in the heat of the moment, even if his reasons aren't exactly logical.

22. If you're a fic reader, what's something you like in fics when it comes to ths character? Something you don't like?

I like to read just about anything with the "Matsuda Touta is Not an Idiot" tag, lol. Because he's not, really. Sure, he acts without thinking sometimes, and his thought process is very different from L's and Light's, but he's not an idiot. I like fics where he solves or helps solve the Kira murders, but his line of logic is different than the one used by L/Near in canon.

It's really hard to think of things in fic I don't like, to be honest! I guess one would be the Matsuda/Sayu pairing. I just find it kinda icky given that one scene in canon with them together. If they are both older, and it's a small part of an otherwise compelling fic, I can usually forgive it, though.

[egg-emperor]

I love how Eggman actually exhibits all the opposite behaviors and actions of being a good caring father in Frontiers in literally every way possible. Like everything he does with his selfish self centered approach and reasonings for coming around to Sage as a person and seeing her as his "daughter" is how not to be a father.

THAT'S the type of figure he is if any at all, the opposite of all the healthy and expected ways because that's how Dr. Egoman "I deserve the whole world and all the attention, power, and control and everything should be all about me" rolls! He's incapable of changing that mindset for anyone or anything and we don't see him develop out of this here.

I've gone over many times now about how he only praises Sage for her efficiency, only says he's proud of her when she does something for him, only praises her in ways that can praise himself as her creator/father, and how I love how Ian Flynn confirmed this shallow way of embracing the idea of the dynamic and valuing her to be the intention.

But here's another thing I wanna bring up because even in the couple of scenes that you may know that I'm still not so big of a fan of, at least in the English version, there's even some things I still like about them both- even in the English because while some of the dialogue in it could've been better, the same thing happens nonetheless.

So I still haven't said much about this scene but ever since I've had my perspective and opinion on the overall portrayal of Eggman in this game massively shifted for the better, this scene has grown on me. So oh boy here we go, I'm finally talking about it properly.

Regardless of how it was presented and the line was delivered in English (which I would've changed personally as it can be easily misinterpreted, even by me at first) he still let her go and sacrifice herself for him, once again to protect him and "fulfill [her] function"

From start to finish of Eggman talking about Sage in this game, or even further back if we're gonna include the prequel comic, the main thing he praises her for is for being created by him as a genius and for protecting/serving him efficiently.

This is the reason he praises her in the memos, from protecting him from hazards and carrying out his orders (but the second she strays he snaps at her) and ends up bragging that she's "loyal and efficient" as a reason to value and be proud of her. This is also the same reason he first compliments her to her face on screen as he says he's proud of her.

He values her for the ways he can benefit from beginning to end and the fact this never changes throughout the "development" is the reason he still lets her go so easily. He doesn't beg for her not to leave and risk his life to prevent this, he instead lets her go on her snicide mission to fulfill the function that she was created to have all along!

And why does Eggman want The End to be defeated? Because he couldn't harness and use it in the way he wanted, it was against him, and it was a threat to his life and the world he wants to take over and rule. This is the only reason he's ever helped save the world in any game, for his own ass and the planet that needs to exist to take over and rule.

He values his own life and the world over his "daughter" who he still allows to go and sacrifice herself to save them. Like everything in life, he puts himself and his desires first, just like he's been shown to in every single game. Because the whole point behind his character, behaviors, motives, evil and all is that he's deeply egotistical and selfish.

He let her go. He doesn't consider other options, he doesn't beg Sage not to go. He doesn't spend a moment taking any risk at his potential expense when his creation, his servant, his protector, presents an option that involves carrying out her true purpose that he never lost sight of the whole time in every single way he interacted with her.

I'm personally not a fan of this next line though, it just feels out of place with what's actually happening, which is one of the only ones I'd change about the English version now, aside from tiiiny memo things. I'm not a fan of this and it hasn't grown on me despite everything else because it just doesn't feel like him. But at least the overall context of the scene remains the same.

But with everything I just described above prior, the Japanese version reflects all those points I made in this line so PERFECTLY.

Eggman lets her go because while he's essentially sending her on a snicide mission, he still has a bit of faith that she might make it. And it's for no other reason than for the way that he sees her as a masterpiece. Once again, this bastard is incapable of praising her without praising himself, the creator which made her this masterpiece! It's fucking great.

So even though he doesn't 100% expect her to die, he's again still sending her out to danger which had the possibility but didn't try to prevent it because she's fulfilling her function and she's his masterpiece. So she should do what she was meant to all along in protecting him and saving him and the world he wants to rule, and believes she could because HE created her.

So JP >>>>>>> English for how it gets that second point across so clearly but I'm still happy that the context is at least the same in both regardless, I just think it should've been presented in a way in English that wasn't as easy to misinterpret. Japanese gets it across perfectly in comparison Imo

And right to the very end, Sage also stayed true to her function by protecting and keeping him safe like she was created and ordered to. When she thought she'd no longer be around to do it, she tried to deliver her wish for someone to carry on her role for her (like Sonic would though LOL) because she knows and accepts it's what he wants most.

The only difference is that she just learned to apply feelings of love to it that she learned from Sonic and friends, it just made her even more loyal when emotion became involved. And that leads right back to why Eggman ever valued and praised her at all in the first place and stayed the same to the end.

But I gotta say I like the Japanese version of what Sage says in her sacrifice better for this dialogue:

Because damn. Sage is still asking if he'd praise her, as if she's still not even certain. Why would she have to question this if Eggman was really such a good, loving, caring, selfless and genuine father figure. EXACTLY, because he isn't. We didn't see that happen in the game lol

I also really like how this uncertainty of Sage's also appears multiple times throughout her Dear Father song. With how it says "I hope you are not mad at me" because she isn't certain in getting unconditional love and praise from him, as he only praises her for when she does exactly as he asks for his own gain.

Because even when she does try other options that still have his best interests in mind, he doesn't react well if she doesn't do it in the exact way he asked. Like when it came to suggesting working with Sonic as a solution which enraged him, then keeping him trapped in Cyber Space to keep him safe then trying to urge him to get back in which he responded with anger again. So she has a reason to be uncertain.

The song also acknowledges that she was trying her hardest to make him proud of her and that she knows to do that by protecting and serving him well. And look at the other lyrics also showing uncertainty and questioning of how Eggman feels about their relationship! "maybe we could be a family" and "hope that you feel the same" !!!!!!

Then the most obvious case of uncertainty is when Sage asks if Sonic thinks Eggman cares about her, which I talked about more here.

If Eggman was such a great and loving father towards Sage at any point in this story on screen or not, she wouldn't have to wonder and be so uncertain in this scene with Sonic, the sacrifice scene, and her song.

That's because Eggman's "love", praise, and value of her is conditional and shallow and this is seen all throughout the game. She's praised when she serves him well and he can find use and take pride in her but he can just as easily snap at her. This is exactly how the dynamic should be, the difference between Sage and Eggman's side of it is fascinating.

As for this next moment, I never had that much of a problem with it, even before my big shift in perspective that made me like it all much more. You can't see his face to see exactly how he's expressing himself in this moment but it makes perfect sense for him to be very disappointed in this loss, even though he let it happen to save himself and the world he wants to rule.

Because he had so much pride in his genius efficient creation and what it could do for him, as loyal and efficient as he wishes in his creations. But not only did his plan go wrong but when he finally escaped Cyber Space, he barely got to put use to his creation to its full potential and he's already losing it.

But that's a short lived disappointment anyway as he has a determined look when he's immediately like "oh wait, I can do something about this actually" lol

Then in the post credits scene, you can clearly see that he is indeed bringing her back with evil intent, as the sinister smile on his face says it all! He's going to get to put her to that potential after all.

So there are my new thoughts on those moments since my huge opinion and perspective shift! The more I analyze this dynamic and how it was handled in the actual game, the more I understand and love it for the accuracy and faithfulness to who Eggman really is 💜