#yes there's plotholes and it's not perfect

[dribs-and-drabbles]

Vice Versa ep 3

It's another long one...and one where I lay down some theories...

It might be called Soft Blush but this episode included many red/pink and blue pairings - the yellow and green pairing also showed up a few times but not as much - which is maybe because this ep focused a lot on Puen and Talay coming together, getting to know one another, going on a not-a-date date, and forming a closeness and attachment to each other...and which partly leads me to think that the show may be coding our two main characters as blue and red/pink (I'm still not differentiating them until there's an obvious separation). I'm not sure which colour is which character yet, and it may not mean anything beyond 'those are their colours', but I'll come back to this later...

First, the ep starts in the same green palette as ep 2, but the scene is a continuation from the end of that ep so it makes sense, then the opening title screen blends the green with pink, add a little blue (!) before settling on the soft blush…and as if to answer my pondering at the end of my ep 2 post, Puen is wearing colour for the first time straight away! (and I know it's the colour of the ep but it could also be Puen wearing his own colour...or Talay's colour...)

So the red-and-blue pairings... It's first seen in the café with their clothes (above) and the blue water glasses, then with the friend group (below) with a richer blue and red on their lower halves and softer hues on the top halves balanced symmetrically across the frame. Note also that Up's hoodie is dark green and also has a yellow triangle (along with blue red and black). Further still, this frame in particular has the four main colours in the background, with the green plants, the yellow lightbulb sign to the right, the blue behind, and red to the left...

And later, Puen has a dark blue shirt with Talay in light pink...and the colours are repeated in Aou's stripy top (and the red/blue sign behind). Up again has a bit of green...but check out his red and blue socks! (In fact, Up's wardrobe has a lot of funky socks in general).

Later still, Aou is in a rich red with Up in a bright blue...and I thought it was an odd choice for the "Have Fun" design on his sweater in the first half of this scene...but it was giving us a hint that they had actually forgiven Tun/Puen and were just messing around.

And we got a few scenes with just Puen and Talay with shades of red and blue...first very pale when Puen is feeling disheartened and Talay is trying to cheer him up... (Note also the purple bag - being a blending of both colours...maybe because they're finding a common ground between them as they're getting to know each other better.)

...and then with the deep, plush, shades of the cinema seating on the not-a-date date. I thought this framing was an interesting...for a lot of the scene in the cinema the blue seats were more hidden in the back in the dark BUT when Puen recites the confession to Talay, it's lighter and the frame pans out to show the stripe of blue at the top as well.

And then the helmet..."The one wearing this is cute" in blue and pink...incidentally, I'd be interested to know if in Thai this sentence keeps the word order...or, more specifically, which words are in blue and which words are in pink - anyone? Also, I had noticed Talay's bracelet before this moment but seeing it here confirmed for me that it is indeed blue...

Going back to the 'flashback' scene…it was the below framing that made me think that perhaps the two main characters are being more specifically coded…with a blue halo for Tun (and surrounded by pink/purple…also note the hint of red to the right). This could imply Tun/Puen is blue…I mean, in the poster images, Puen is in blue denim whilst Talay is in pink trousers…however Talay does say he dislikes pink…but it could be a little like 'the lady doth protest too much'. Yes, he says the pink/red he wears are Tess' clothes BUT he can choose not to wear them.

Of course, there is also an argument for Talay being blue - his name practically indicates this with Talay meaning "sea"…but also he has a blue phone, and a blue bracelet - and Puen could be red - someone said that Puen's second name means "wind"/"air" (so the pink sky that Talay dislikes so much?)…but also the first colour he wears is pink. It could be that as Talay falls for Puen he will accept and like pink more and more.

Who knows…but as I was trying to sort all this out in my head it occurred to me that it could be both…as in Talay is blue and Puen is red/pink but in the alternative universe it's...wait for it...vice versa, with Tun being blue and Tess being red/pink. But also none of this could be right 😂 It might be clearer as the series goes on if these characters are coded this specifically...and in the meantime I'll just keep pondering.

Anyway, note in the above that green is paired with yellow again in Up's shirt...and below, we get another instance where red/blue and yellow/green all appear together. When the four were sat around the table during the screenplay pitch I was sad there wasn't any yellow...but look at Up's socks again!

And so for the extra colours from the past two eps - orange and brown - the former didn't feature much this ep, only popping up briefly with the orange typewriter and in the cinema. With the first scene, Puen had been "lively", living his best life in Tun's body and messing it up in the process, but after speaking with Tess he's instead deep in thought about what he said. And then in the cinema, Puen is playing around trying to see if the other pair is actually a couple whilst Talay is a bit more concerned that they need to work on the screenplay.

Brown had a bit more presence in the ep...and again, one could say it was during scenes where there was a slight serious edge to the conversation or subject matter -> the curved wooden structure in the association at the beginning when Phuwdol, Talay, and Puen are talking about the portkeys; in the café when Talay and Puen discuss the screenplay; Aou's shirt in the 'flashback' when the three friends are discussing their strengths and weaknesses; and finally Puen's t-shirt and shirt at the end during the screenplay pitch and in the last scene with Talay, when he was hopefully being genuine about his promise to live Tun's life well and being grateful for Talay's presence in his life. I've seen some ponderings by others about whether Puen is acting or being real with his feelings towards Talay...and I'm hoping it's the latter...and I'm hoping I'm right with the colour interpretation. We'll see!

[Ep 1] [Ep 2] [Ep 3] [Ep 4] [Ep 5] [Ep 6] [Ep 7] [Ep 8] [Ep 9] [Ep 10] [Ep 11] [Ep 12]

[crookedkryptonitebeliever]

Yandere Brother Pt 3

Tw: suffocating unbearable love, violence, general yandere, female reader shenanigans, infantilization, and of course incest. also christmas

minors and ageless blogs dni please <3

click here for part 1 and part 2

Click here for my new oc Yves (PLEASE READ IT I LOVE YVES)

plotholes and emglish errors everywhere and i could not be bothered :100emoji: please dont point it out thanks xoxo

Caught the Covid fuk now i cant leave my bed im so damn sick and pukey all the time, i dont fuckin know where my roommate is but at least they're not here to get infected, feeling like a busted up rustbucket rn

So this was originally written last year, couldnt find what else to write but this christmas time is perfect, so like dont mind the shoehorning of Christmas somewhere in this fic

You're having your summer break and you plan to pick up on a new hobby. Crocheting, perhaps.

Fuck, your brother picked up your search history from his spyware. Now you're left to deal with $1000 worth of wonderful quality crocheting materials and your big brother being your personal crocheting mentor.

This is where it gets frustrating. Yes, if you have the resources, you would enjoy your hobbies more. But, just like... What if you didn't like crocheting in the end? You're stuck with all these.

It happens to every single potential hobby. Stamp collecting? Your big brother will bid to the death for an extremely rare stamp from the 1900. You're not even fucking collecting the stamps, the stamp book already comes arranged with all the stamps ever produced. A collection that would only give a hardcore stamp collector an instant orgasm upon sniffing it.

Nail art? Where the hell should you keep all the acrylic powders, fake nails, drills and drill bits? Not to mention the dizzying numbers of nail polishes, nail brushes, nail stickers and cuticle sticks. Of course, your big brother is going to hire a professional nail artist to make sure you're practicing your hobby safely while he's learning how to do it himself, so he could replace your mentor too. He would become so skilled that he could qualify to open up a 5 star nail salon. But he's not interested unless you are.

Painting? you absolutely do NOT need all of those tubes of paint. The difference in shades for some of them are so small that you mistook it for the same colour. You would have a headache choosing the right type of paper, right type of primer and right type of fixative to use.

Are you having troubles on painting? Let big brother teach you. You would sit on his lap as he guide your hands across the canvas. Don't you think his warm hand enveloping yours feel nice? Doesn't his free hand feels nice sensually rubbing your thigh? Don't you just feel protected in his hold?

Makeup? Same situation with your nail hobby. You're essentially being babied by him and experienced celebrity makeup artists, you would drown in a mountain of eyeshadow palettes, primers, setting sprays, skin care products, anything and everything related to makeup.

Every instrument ever? Big brother would insist lovingly providing all the music lessons you need. He is a musical prodigy after all. If it's something ridiculously obscure like a Glass Armonica or the Theremin, big brother would master it in a couple of weeks, earn a fucking pHD in it and THEN teach you. No instrument is too expensive or hard for him. Your big brother is crossing his fingers HARD for you to have this hobby.

Chess? Oh, he is also a prodigy in it. He could teach you. Your chess pieces would be custom made to your liking, by the way. It would be the perfect density, perfect size, perfect texture for you. He knows what you like and you hate that.

Sports? Take a look at his "achievement room". It's filled to the brim with golden medals and trophies of every sport competition ever. He's not leaving you alone for this one.

Pottery? Welcome to your very own personal pottery studio, furnished with all types of drying racks, ovens, kilns, turntables and equipments you have never heard of. Big brother is always there to supervise you, making sure there won't be any accidents.

Cooking and baking? You get to have an industrial sized kitchen all for yourself. Everything is decorated such that it looks like you would be on television, starring in a cooking show. You don't need to clean anything, or prep anything, or actually do anything, really. There's a team of professional chefs and assistants to do everything for you. They're paid to cheer and clap and celebrate when you pour cake batter into a pan.

Gardening? Well, there's a massive plot of fertile land for you to garden to your heart's content at the house he bought as your 18th birthday gift. If you want a big project, it will be done overnight. You wouldn't hear the gigantic machineries and vehicles tumbling about due to the soundproof walls he installed. No one would be able to hear you both either, doing god-knows-what inside.

Video games? Your big brother personally do not encourage you to pursue this. But... Nonetheless, he would spoil you rotten with all the latest gaming consoles, limited edition merchandises, pre release copies of your favorite game franchises and whatever your gamer heart desires. All at a hefty price of... Daily cuddles and kisses. And you also have to move in with him. And he gets to decide what game you're playing, if he deems it a "bad influence"? It is not staying in his house.

You rather not.

Nothing is fun because the fun parts are already done for you. You don't get to experience the highs and lows of picking up a hobby, you don't get to explore and experiment. You're literally cursed with luxury.

So imagine your boredom, stress and paranoia during summer break. All your friends are spies for your brother, your hobbies aren't even "yours", leaving your house would inevitably lead you to your brother and all digital footprints are heavily scrutinized by him too. No privacy, no autonomy, all monotony.

You juggled three smartphones at once. Throwing one up in the air, catching the other one with your dominant hand, throwing the last to your other hand. Who gives a damn if one, or all of them breaks? It's riddled with spyware and your big brother would buy you every time a new model is released anyways. Which is... A new phone, a month?

You stopped caring where he gets the money. Obviously he has an assload and can afford to wipe his ass with thousand dollar bills regularly.

It's summer break. One last resort to try and spend your time like a regular ol teenager is taking up a part time summer job. There is a wide variety of jobs to choose from with your qualification. Granted, it's minimum wage and mostly customer service.

If you work as a barista, the cafe or juice bar you'll be working at will LOVE the crap out of you.

Your older brother will visit daily and increase their sales tenfold. Of course, he would pick the drinks that you like doing. It's okay if you fucked up, its only your beloved big brother's order, you can add as much sugar, salt, pepper, cyanide as you want. He will never yell at you, never tell you that you made anything wrong or never even die.

The management will suddenly see a surge in daily customer count. Thanks to big brother's networking. And like him, they also will accept anything you make with no complaint... As per his instructions. You could go full on ridiculous and give them a cup of ice drizzled with strawberry scented dish soap and call it Tutti Frutti, they would still pay for it and take it with them. Though, you're not sure if they ever consumed anything from you.

Without fail, your brother would visit you during every break and hand you your meal along with a kiss on the forehead or the cheek. He would bring you out to eat but you would refuse everytime. You also didn't want his company, which made him pout and whine without fail. But it's nice that he would actually back off after the sixth "no".

However, you know that fucker is watching you from a hidden camera somewhere in the nooks and crannies of whatever breakroom you're resting in.

He would engulf you in a big hug when you get off work, telling you how proud he is of you for getting through another workday like a champ. Praising you for all the hard work and excellent performance, making sure to soothe and comfort you if you happen to come across a rude customer earlier in the day.

You try not to think too much about their fate.

You will be fed, bathed and loved after every shift.

Hell, he would even build up a company from scratch just to hire you. Any position you want, barista, manager, cashier, back office work, janitor- you name it, you get the "job" and get paid a pretty penny. All your other coworkers and customers are probably paid actors and actresses to simulate a "real life working experience" safely. He controls it all, making sure you have just the right amount of drama, the right amount of diplomacy and the right amount of gossiping. You're rarely pushed out of your comfort zone, though. Big brother always has your safety and best interests at heart.

Of course, he will never tell you all of this, to keep the immersion going. You're going to feel sad that you're not exactly experiencing reality. But a bastardization of it. Might as well star in a trashy reality TV show instead, at least, it's much more authentic than whatever your big brother has going on for you.

He doesn't need to even tell you though. You would pick it up easily and quickly especially if you already watched the Truman Show. Don't tell him you did, god help you if he ever gets an inkling that you knew about the existence of the Truman Show. He deemed that movie as demonic propaganda and he needs to lecture some sense into you. If you want out, just say that you're 'bored' and want to do something else. Your big brother will gladly drop everything and do anything in his power to help you "achieve" what you want.

But for the sake of "plot" in this latest installment, you agreed to work in a quaint little bubble tea stall. Where you're the only employee, making drinks for whoever is ordering in front of the shop's decorated window.

Of course, your big brother miraculously happens to work in a nearby skyscraper as one does. It's not that you didn't do your research, you were a hundred percent certain he didn't work in that building, because that fucker never goes to work... At least, physically. Perhaps he does his job, whatever that may be, through online means.

You were planning to use your bicycle to get there that you got yourself with "your" money. He never bought you a car or a bike or anything that would get you around, he saw it as something unnecessary. Why would you need it when big brother is available 24/7 to bring you anywhere?

Actually, you could have gotten yourself a car with the allowance he gives you every day for being cute and adorable, and being patient with his incessant kisses and hugs and cuddles and love and touches and his fucking insanity in general.

But you know that he's going to kick up a massive fuss about driving alone. It was hell to even get your license with him actively trying to sabotage you at every exam- which includes him stooping so low to bribe the examiner to fail you. However, you persevered, and you got that stupid license. All the while, he was lamenting about how you're going to leave him all alone, how you don't need big brother anymore, how society pressured you to grow up too fast and recklessly drive off wherever.

You knew better than to fall for that. Or even entertain it either. Eventually, he gave up trying to guilt trip you into crying, apologizing to him and sobbing in his arms, promising that you won't leave him.

It's not like he DIDN'T kick up a fuss when you said you're using a bicycle either. He began freaking out about your safety, fearing that you might get run over.

Well. You admitted defeat. He's driving you to fucking work and back. It's not worth it to fight this battle.

So you began working in the stall. You had someone train you for your first 2 weeks. Then you were on your own.

The owner, who is also the person who showed you the ropes around there, said business isn't good, but it isn't bad either. So you didn't need to worry about rush hour where hoards of thirsty, sleep deprived office workers trample over each other to get their daily boba fix. It's pretty peaceful working there.

But what you do need to worry about, is your fucking big brother.

He would come and buy a drink, whichever you like to make. It can be the most expensive one, or the cheapest one, the most elaborate one or the simplest one. It's up to you, he will pay for it and happily drink what you made.

You could make him pay for the most expensive drink there is but serve him a cup of lukewarm water, and he would still drink it with glee and fork over his money, telling you to keep the change (which is usually a hundred bucks extra).

Let's say you want to be decent and make him drink that you know he would actually like. Which is anything that tastes generally fruity. And insist that you like making it even though it actually sucks.

He knows. He can tell that you're specially making his favourite drink. And that makes him happy and more obsessed with you if that's even possible at this point.

He would leave a massive tip and a kiss on your forehead.

Although your brother is fucking gross and weird like that, you still love him. Probably a bad idea but you're working so hard, trying your best to earn money honestly just to get him a Christmas gift.

Despite the restraining order between your parents and him, your brother is still invited back home each year to be jolly together. Preparations start a few days before Christmas, where you would see an unusual sight.

All of your immediate family members in the same room, or at least in the same house together without fighting to the death. Your dad's bones are intact, your mom didn't have her insecurities jabbed on for once. They're not exactly on speaking terms, per se.

You woke up one morning to see an... appropriate sized tree for your parent's house, erected in the middle of the living room. Adorned with beautiful ornaments and... are those pictures of you on the ornaments?

Wrapped presents were patiently sitting under the tree. There was a small box with your father's name on its tag, another small one with your mother's name on it. A decent sized box was addressed to your brother, must be a combined present from your parents.

Your shoulders sagged in defeat when you saw your presents took up the perimeter of the tree and even conquered the couch, the back of the couch and under the coffee table. You lost count after gift box #27.

Since everyone is in the kitchen, you quickly place the presents you got for your parents... and your brother.

You panned to the fireplace. Your Christmas stocking is filled so much to the brim that your brother must have added 5 more next to your original one. Your parents' and your brother's stockings are relatively empty. You stuffed them with candies and nuts to make them look less embarrassing.

You straightened your back, that should do it. Your ears perked up when you heard some clamoring in the kitchen. It must be your brother.

You let out a surprised yelp when you're yanked back by a pair of arms that snuck around your waist. "Merry Christmas, my little wittle precious baby!" You squeezed your eyes shut and scrunched your face as he attacked you with a barrage of kisses.

He giggled and squealed as he held you in his arms and twirled you around in glee. You let out a scream of horror as your feet dangle off the ground. He does this every Christmas morning when you were a child to wake you up further and get you excited for the holiday. But you're not a kid anymore, and this is horrifying.

Finally, he stopped and put you down. Your hair is frazzled and the world around you is gyrating. He squeezed you in another hug and gently rocked you side to side.

He immediately unlatched when you said you're hungry. Your big brother gleefully lead you to the dining table, where he fixes up a napkin around your neck like a bib. You asked him why is he tying a ribbon on your hair, he said that you are his Christmas present and he is spoiling himself this year.

Before you could respond, he gave you a brief peck on the head before frolicking away into the kitchen.

Your parents came out of the kitchen, greeting you. They're holding a tray full of steaming hot breakfast foods, no doubt your brother forced them to make it for you. Every Christmas generated a metric ton of leftovers. It's because your brother wanted you to try all of the foods from all over the world. But don't worry though, the leftovers could be so intact that it was given out to neighbors and friends and extended families. Some didn't even need to cook after that, the sheer amount of leftovers was enough to fuel ten more Christmas gatherings.

Croissants, quiches, various types of bread, eggs, ham, bacon even panettone made from scratch. Looking at the spread in front of you is dizzying, your big brother sets down the last plate right between your hands. It's a breakfast plate your brother customized to fit your usual preference, everything is shaped into a heart. He patted your head as he took a seat next to you.

Everyone ate in silence. Everyone was focusing on their own meal except... your brother. Who else would rather stare at you adoringly instead?

He asked if you wanted to go make snowmen outside. Not without proper winter protection, that is. You shrugged, it's not like you could escape your family anyway. Your friends are all busy with their own families, and you don't even have friends. Everything is closed and if you lock yourself in your room, your brother will just pick the fucking lock and force his way in.

Your parents tried making small talk, this earned a feral glare from your brother because it interrupted the connection between the both of you. They paid him no mind and began asking about your life. You tiredly replied to their questions and asked some back yourself, to try to find any sense of normalcy. Your brother would be disengaged with the words coming out of your parents mouth, but highly interested in what you had to say.

The rest of the morning went by uneventfully. You offered to help clear the table and do the dishes. Your brother just 'aww'd at you and gave you an appreciative kiss on your forehead. That wasn't an explicit yes, he appreciated the gesture, but he wouldn't allow you to dirty your hands doing chores.

He told you to wait for him to clean up. In the mean time, he gave you permission to open some of the gifts he got you. Frankly, you don't even want to deal with it at all, it's just too much crap. You decided to go through the stockings instead and grab some snacks for yourself.

As expected, he filled it with the most expensive treats and the freshest oranges. These types of foods are usually served in a formal setting, like eating gold crusted caviar at a 10 star restaurant, all dressed up in fancy clothes. But he just... shoved it in a Christmas stocking as if they're mundane chocolates.

Whatever, you shoved some into your pockets.

You turned around to see your brother smiling lovingly at you. He wrapped a puffer jacket around you, his scarf with his cologne on it, a pair of thick mittens on your hands , a winter hat snuggly fitted to your head, and a pair of thick pants he made you wear in front of him.

He picked one of your numerous christmas presents and handed it to you. He clasped his hands together expectedly as he watches you.

Your brother urged you to open it, go wild. Rip the wrapping to shreds. You felt so bad seeing how well wrapped it is and the quality of the wrapping paper is... indescribably good. It doesn't even feel like paper, it feels like silk.

So your carefully dismantled it, trying not to tear anything. You look up to see that your brother is pointing his camera at you, capturing this very precious moment. He encouraged you to go on.

You managed to remove the packaging and revealed a box of expensive winter boots. These are high quality and you would have been the source of envy even though most of your "friends" are also from wealthy families. Not everyone gets to have these.

You appreciate it but... You already had a pair of winter boots, the ones from last year, and the year before that. And the year before that, and a week ago where your brother is freaking out about you potentially having frostbite on your toes.

"It's the latest model! It was released as a part of a Christmas special, it will keep you warm and protect your feet too. It was selling out fast, I'm so glad I managed to get a pair for you, I can't have my sweetiepie sad on Christmas day!" Gushed your brother. You slipped them on.

You can't tell the difference between the one you had last year and the one on your feet now. Maybe some minor difference in it's stylistic design but... they're equally as comfortable.

You thanked your brother and finally gave him what he actually wanted from all this: a hug. He put away his phone and returned the embrace, sinking so deep into your jacket that neither of you can move without stumbling. You know he expected you to show gratitude for all his gifts through his main love language; touch.

It is exhausting.

After that, he brought you out to his private plot of land which he made into a park, complete with swingsets, monkey bars and slides. But these aren't for the public, it's for you. All the equipment are well maintained and look brand new even though you know it's been there for years.

He's not fond of throwing snowballs because it could hurt you. But he allows you to throw as much as you want at him. Even after the stunt you pulled last year.

You packed snow around a rock and hurled at him with all your might, it went straight to his head and his right eye was busted for months. Your brother didn't see that as something wrong, though. Even if you tried to apologize, he said that it was an accident and it was alright, he still loves you dearly and you did 'nothing wrong'. The first thing he did after recovering from his injuries at the hospital is to take you out for hot chocolate and then give you a backrub back home because winter could make your muscles stiff; and hence you must feel strained and sore.

He was still mildly bleeding from his gauze at the time, it was covering at least 70% of his upper head. Your brother was clueless when you asked if he needs any painkiller for his recent injury. He claimed to not feel the pain, but his wincing tells you otherwise. He rewarded you for your concern nonetheless with hugs and kisses and another massage.

You laid yourself on the snowy ground and started making snow angels. Your brother had his camera out and began capturing every moment he has with you.

You felt uncomfortable. And the cold is nipping at your bones even though you're thoroughly insulated by the sophisticated winter gear your brother made you wear. You're ready to go home now.

It shocked your brother and made him a bit desperate. He stammered and stumbled over his words, asking you if you wanted to play on the swing, build a snow man, play on the slides, the merry go around and... throw snowballs at him. Are you cold? He was in the middle of removing his own jacket to layer it onto you, but you stopped him.

You said you're tired. You don't find this fun and you're too old for this.

Maybe you're thirsty? He packed a flask filed with steaming hot chocolate for you- no? You're not thirsty or hungry? Maybe you wanted to use the bathroom-- no? You don't have to go?

He tried listing out all the possible reasons you wanted to go home and all its' solutions. Desperately wanting you to stop growing up so fast.

You got sick and tired of this, you yelled at him at the top of your lungs that you wanted to go home. You then stormed away towards the car, leaving your brother to stand there in silence, his camera capturing your explosive outburst.

Your brother saw you slamming the door angrily as you got in.

He sighed, gulping and hovering his finger over the delete button. But he ultimately decided against erasing the footage, it's still a video of you after all. Your brother assured that he's coming to the car, he wipes a stray tear away as he heads to his vehicle.

The both of you stayed silent as he drove you home.

Once you arrived, you bolted out of the car and ran back in. Locking yourself in the bedroom and barricading the door with random furniture. Hugging your knees close to your chest as you pray that your brother does not go after you by climbing into your windows.

And... he didn't. He left you alone for once. For a few hours too. It gave you the much needed relief, you felt like you could breathe now.

You're starting to feel a bit hungry. And you're hungry enough to be willing to face your older brother. So you began unbarricading, placing your dressers to it's original place.

You carefully unlocked the door, fully expecting him to be waiting outside for you. To your surprise, no one was in the hallway. You could hear some noises downstairs, in the kitchen.

You cautiously went down, the tree is still intact. Nothing is broken and there doesn't seem to be signs of a fight. You released a breath that you didn't know that you were holding, happy to know that you don't need to spend another Christmas at the hospital visiting your badly battered parents.

You whipped your head to the sound of your brother calling your name softly. He's holding a baking tray and a bowl, you can't tell what is in there because he's too tall. He smiled at you as he set it down on the dining table. The tray contained freshly baked parts of a gingerbread house and the bowl contained vanilla frosting.

You scanned the rest of the table. There are numerous small glass bowls containing different types of candy and snacks; from pretzel sticks to colourful chocolate rocks, to real gold leaves. Piping bags with metal tips are present too next to a box of plastic gloves.

Your brother pulled your chair out and invited you to sit there. You did, and he called you a good girl. His good girl. As you put on a pair of plastic gloves, he kissed you on the temple.

You asked where your parents are. He said that they're preparing the food for dinner, which includes ham and a roast turkey. And 15 other dishes.

You quizzed on, asking if there will be more people coming in. He shook his head: no. It's only the four of you. In the meantime, you should enjoy yourself building this gingerbread house. He puts on his own pair of plastic gloves too and began filling the piping bag with icing.

The two of you worked in peace, you opting to decorate the house while he pipes the details on the gingerbread men.

There is only two, a large one and a smaller one. You can guess which represents who.

You noticed the odd choice of attaching the small one to the large one's torso. With strategic use of the candies and frosting, he made it look like the larger gingerbread man is carrying the smaller one on its hip. He piped your defining features onto the baby gingerbread, and piped his features on the larger one.

He noticed you staring, your brother asked if you had a hard time connecting the pieces with frosting and if you needed his help. You said no, you just need a spatula from the kitchen. He tried to get up from his seat, but you pushed him back down, saying that you can get it yourself. He pouted, telling you to be careful and not touch the knives or stoves. Your brother went back to obsessing over the details on his gingerbread men.

You went inside the kitchen and greeted your parents who are busy cooking. You go through the drawers to find a silicone spatula and decided to help pick up some stray food scraps on the floor, throwing them into the bin. But as soon as you step on the pedal and have the lid swing open, you saw two crushed, but perfectly edible, gingerbread men in the garbage bin.

You returned to the dining table to see that your big brother is proudly presenting his work. He said this represents you and him... as if you already haven't figured it out. He said he dreams of having you live with him in a perfect fantasy house, fantasy world where you never have to grow up. And he will always be there by your side, taking care of you till the end of time. You will be pampered and spoiled rotten, you don't have to do anything, you don't have to lift a finger. Your big brother will do everything for you. He would even breathe for you if he could.

You nodded in acknowledgement, too tired to engage with him. You sat back down, continued with the gingerbread house. You failed to notice the flicker of sadness in his eyes, your brother felt so neglected and unwanted these few years. He wished that you were a kid again so the both of you could play together and be happy. The more he tries to win your favour, the more distant you get from him. He is endlessly chasing and you are running non-stop.

The rest of the afternoon went by uneventfully, other than the fact that your big brother rests his head on your shoulder the whole time.

Now, it's time for dinner. You tried helping them bring out the dishes, your brother praised you for being a darling as usual. He lets you have the first bite of the turkey, tearing a small inconspicuous piece of flesh from the bird and hand feeding it to you. It's still warm, juicy and delicious. Maybe it's the feeling of being special that makes it even tastier.

You chew as you brought out the casserole, setting it down on the table.

You looked at the spread. It looks like a buffet at a high end hotel. So many varieties and extremely nutritious.

Your brother fixed your napkin bib for you again and took food for you. Slumping in your seat, you were thinking of protesting but you knew it's easier to just wait for him to carve the best parts of the turkey for you and let the food pile up neatly on your plate first. He returned it to you, all your favourite dishes are on it within sensible portions. But these are still a lot of food for a person.

He didn't care about praying. Your brother wanted you to eat as soon as possible because you must be hungry. And it is absolute sacrilege to let you go hungry.

You insisted that you join your parents in saying grace and you're not that hungry. Your brother looks uncomfortable, still believing in his sick mind that you're starving to the point of emaciation. But since you are adamant in doing such 'pointless' things In his mind, he agrees, only if he leads it.

Everyone bowed their head down and held each others' hands.

Your brother said the shortest, most insincere, laziest grace ever. Once he fulfilled your requirement, he urged you to eat.

You're upset, you felt really angry and you thought he was mocking you instead. So you opted to eat alone in your room, you made it clear that you didn't want anyone in. Especially not your big brother.

He cried out a desperate plea to get you to stay with him. You ignored him and took a couple more of your favourite finger foods. Predicting a fight between your brother and your parents.

You wrenched your arm away from his powerful grip and fled the scene, hurrying up the flight of stairs. Only slowing down when you're out of sight.

As you thought, sounds of verbal fighting started resonating throughout the house. You heard your brother screaming his head off at your parents for being bad influences and poisoning you to hate him. Your parents defended themselves and this only fuelled the fire. You didn't want to be around when your brother started hurling chairs, so you slammed the door as hard as you could. The sudden loud noise did stop the commotion downstairs briefly. But it continued soon after.

You ate alone, in your barricaded room. Wishing that you're born into a 'normal' family, with 'normal' trauma. To a lot of people, you are complaining about a blessing. But you are always feeling alone, the only person facing a problem which everyone sees as a solution.

You scraped the last bits of food with your spoon. Waiting for the sounds of the ambulance or at least for the fighting to quiet down.

You looked at the clock. It's 1 AM. It's been relatively quiet for a while now, they should be finishing up their fight or cleaning up. Time for you to return your plate.

You grunted as you pushed the furniture away from your door which felt like the umpteenth time. You left your room and head downstairs.

Hearing soft sobs from one person, your brother. He's sitting in front of the tree, hugging the present you left for him earlier. The presents addressed to your parents are both missing, presumably being taken back to their room. A blanket is loosely draped around his shoulders.

You took slow steps, unsure if you should comfort him or not. But before you can even decide to chicken out, he spotted you. However, to your surprise, he didn't approach you or tell you to come forward. He gave you a soft assuring smile, before returning his attention to the tree.

You set your plate aside and went by his side. Your brother watched you with puffy eyes full of love, yet it tells you that he has been irreparably hurt by something... or an accumulation of things.

"Thank you..." He whispered, refering to the gift you gave him. It isn't something particularly valuable to you. It's a picture of the entire family in a photo frame. Your brother is going to cherish it, because it is a gift from the person he loves most in the world. But deep down, he secretly wishes that it was a photo of you and him alone.

He still looks extremely upset and distraught. Almost like he is at the brink of a breakdown. Your brother usually verbalizes what he wanted, but he couldn't this time.

You wonder what your parents got for him. You peeked over his shoulder to see that an unopened box containing a plain T-shirt and a pair of socks is carelessly discarded to the corner of the room.

Then, it clicked. Just like you, he felt alone. Maybe you will never understand why he holds you so dear in his heart. Just like how no one will understand him either, his struggles are unique to him with no one to relate.

He destroyed the relationship between himself and your parents. His friends are all superficial. You're grown up and constantly rejecting his love.

Not a single one of you paid attention to him. Yes, it is hard to think of a present for someone who has everything. But they could have put in a bit more effort, the colour of the shirt and socks aren't even in his favourite colour or in the correct size. You could have removed your parents from the photo, your brother will never remove it himself. Because that would mean defacing your gift for him.

And growing up, your parents never saw him as... a person. As someone with feelings and a personality. They only saw his value as a trophy piece to show off to their friends and family. Same goes to his friends now, if it wasn't for his skills and possessions, he would be nothing to anyone.

He had to beg to be loved. Even that isn't reliable, he could give it his all and everyone around him will expect more. Your brother could never dream of being the receiving end of his own affection. It seems like an impossibility to him.

Perhaps he is doing all of these despite getting nothing but disgust and disdain from you is all to protect your innocence, to not put you through what he had to face. It's just that he went about it the wrong way. Or maybe he is just... wrong in the head. Or maybe he was hoping by loving you so much, you would give him the intense type of love he was yearning for his entire life.

Either way, he is alone.

The both of you are now seated in front of the fireplace. You didn't want to open presents, your brother is okay with that. He did not nag you to do it for once. Snuggling closer, the both of you shared a blanket. He still looks unhappy and crestfallen.

You remember you still had the ribbon bow on your head.

He hovered his arms around you as you squirm in his grip. You managed to crawl into his lap and rest your head on his chest. He lets out a chuckle and some sniffles, clamping his arms back down around you.

You reminded him of one last gift. Your brother is confused until he saw your ribbon.

From that moment on, he burst into tears of joy. He found you so unbearably adorable, so unbearably cute that his heart couldn't take it. An excited squeak escaped his lips as he held you even tighter. Peppering kisses all over your face, neck and head.

He started blabbering in baby talk, calling you every pet name and listing out everything he loved about his 'gift'. Repeating that this is the best gift he ever received and this is all he ever wanted. You are all he ever wanted. Praising that you remembered what he loves.

You hope that he could feel a little less lonely tonight. You can't peer into his head and know exactly what is going on inside. But you knew, he was happy.

Your breathing calmed him down and he closed his eyes, nuzzling against your neck. The collar of your shirt wet from his tears and your arms are secure around him. Your brother mumbled "I love you." as he adjusted you on his lap. Pressing your form against his, enjoying the heat that the both of you shared. Wishing that this moment will never end and you will never part from him.

You realized another thing too as he strokes your hair.

Your older brother is the only person in the world who harbors true, undying, unconditional love for you.

Even though he has his flaws, there will be no one else like him. Ever.

So you closed your eyes and melt into him. Just like before, you felt safe.

The both of you fell alseep in front of the hearth, surrounded by gifts, mostly unopened ones. Snowflakes floating down from the skies and landing delicately at the edge of the roof. Feeling unburdened and content in the living room.

Merry Christmas.

[guilty-pleasures21]

So, I was researching Queen Victoria (for the upcoming Bridgerton fic - I FINALLY managed to fix that plothole that was bothering me!) and this idea had me kicking my legs and giggling when I was supposed to be sleeping so I could get up for work the next day (spoiler alert: I overslept 🥲). Well, I hope it was worth it. It's only 3 parts now, but let me know if you guys are interested in a full-scale story!

The Queen and the Duke

Part 1 - the ball

Part 2 - the alliance

Part 3 - the wedding

Warnings: None.

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

“So, what do you like to do in your free time, Your Highness?” She’d only just been crowned Queen and yet, every man in her cabinet seemed to already have their own opinion on whom she should marry, fighting over who would best strengthen her position as monarch. So, in an attempt to assuage their concerns, she’d thrown a ball inviting every eligible suitor on the continent to get a chance to prove themselves to her. Of course, she had no intention of marrying anytime soon, but it wouldn’t hurt for her to get to know her eventual prospects.

“Oh, well, of course, I enjoy a good hunting trip every so often, Your Majesty,” the man dancing with her replied. She’d made all of them wear masks so that she wouldn’t be partial to any one of them in particular. But they had all been instructed to dance with her in a specific order; the same order in which they’d be announced to her tomorrow, revealing their true identities. The man’s eyes lit up now through his mask as he remembered a story he seemed especially fond of. “Oh! There was this one trip on which I chanced upon the most beautiful fox …”

X did her best to listen, not wanting to appear rude or hostile towards her guest, but then he started going into gory detail about his hunts and she found her heart squeezing with sympathy for all the poor animals he’d slaughtered.

“Perhaps …” X interrupted him swiftly, “we should move on to something else, Your Highness? Unfortunately, my ... delicate womanly sensibilities are being rather affected by such a gory tale.” She peeked up at him, hoping he would fall for the feeble excuse, and breathed a sigh of relief when he did.

“Oh! Yes, of course, Your Majesty,” the man replied, seeming a little embarrassed that he had not previously considered her delicate sensitivity. “My apologies. It was not my intention to offend you in any way.” X cheered up a little at his understanding.

“It is no problem, I assure you,” she replied quickly. “Do you have any other interests? For example, reading?”

“No, I'm afraid I've never been one for the written word, Your Highness,” the man replied, disappointing her. But she’d known it would have been too much to hope for a man who would have been as interested in classic literature and ancient history and romantic poetry as she. Nevertheless, she pressed on, undeterred.

“What of the spoken word? Do you enjoy watching plays? Or perhaps the opera?” she suggested, hoping to find some common ground between them. But the rest of her night followed in a similar fashion: agonisingly slow and painfully boring.

X sank into the seat beside Lady Jane, her close friend and lady-in-waiting.

“A pleasant evening, my Queen?” the Lady teased her, sensing her frustration immediately. X winced at the joke and turned to face Lady Jane, her features scrunched up in irritation.

“Honestly, Lady Jane, it's like they mass produce all of these ‘eligible suitors’!” she moaned. “Either that or they simply all receive the exact same handbook on how to present yourself as the perfect example of a man at the peak of society.”

She groaned and covered her face with her hands. “Perhaps Lord Alfred was right and this was a stupid idea after all. What does it matter whom I choose to marry if they're all just the same?”

Lady Jane snickered at the young Queen’s rant, but a tinge of pity coloured the edges of her smile.

“Well, perhaps if you look past their interests, you might find subtle differences in their personalities that would help you make a decision?” she suggested hopefully. “Whose voice was the most gentle? Who held you most tenderly?”

X took a moment to think about it, sifting through her numerous interactions that evening. But she was quickly interrupted by the smooth and unfamiliar voice of a suitor she had yet to encounter that evening.

“Your Majesty,” the man greeted her, bowing low before straightening to hold a hand out to her. “I hope I am not too late to request a dance with you.”

X glanced up, her expression startled as he pulled her out of her thoughts without warning. He was tall, the stranger; large and imposing in his red tailcoat and silver mask, so that she questioned how she could have possibly missed him in the room that night.

“Oh!” she exclaimed suddenly, realising that he was still waiting for her response. She placed her hand in his, allowing him to pull her to her feet. “Of course, Your Highness!”

Wow! Even standing, she barely grazed his shoulder! She gazed up at the man as he led her to the dance floor, puzzling over his possible identity. She turned to face him and reached a hand up to clasp his shoulder as they assumed the appropriate positions. Her stomach fluttered at the feeling of his broad muscles beneath her fingers and she turned her gaze away, shy at the realisation that he was the first man of the night to make her stomach flip with excitement.

He felt a warm feeling flood his chest at the way she turned her head away from him shyly. He’d known she’d be cute, given her young age - a mere eighteen to his twenty-two - but he hadn’t expected her to be so … breathtaking.

“Do let me know if you are tired, Your Majesty,” he entreated her. “I understand you have had a long night tonight and I do not wish to keep you on your feet for any longer than necessary.”

Her lips formed a perfect little ‘o’, taken aback by his unexpected thoughtfulness. “Oh! Thank you, Your Highness.”

His lips curled at the sight of that sweet little smile returning to her features, and they soon began their dance.

“But it is not your fault that you have not had the chance to speak with me until now,” X continued, taking note of his foreign accent. “It would be unfair of me to dismiss you as such.”

“On the contrary,” the man replied immediately, “it is absolutely my fault that we have not had the chance to speak until now. I wanted to be your last dance partner of the night.”

Her lips twitched at the ends, amused by the conviction in his voice. “Whatever for?”

“Well, your last thought of the night would be of your last partner of the ball: me. And your first thought the next morning would be of your last thought the night before: me.” He flashed her a knowing look and she couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh. His lips stretched wide at the sound, his heart fluttering in his chest at the sight of her delighted smile.

“What a strategic mind you have, Your Highness,” she praised him. “A fine quality to possess in a man who is to be wed to a queen.”

“Is that your proposal then, Your Majesty?” he retorted quickly. X gave another little giggle, her body heating up at his easy flirtation.

“It was but a mere observation, Your Highness,” she dismissed him playfully. Dios, she was adorable. And intelligent too, so easily responding to his mischievous banter without any of the awkward self-consciousness ingrained into so many of the sheltered young women of the nobility.

“That's all right,” he reassured her. “I've still got plenty of time to sway your mind. Or, hopefully, your heart?” She pressed her lips together, trying to maintain a thoughtful expression so she wouldn’t give too much of her emotions away.

“Hmm, we shall see about that,” she decided. “So, tell me, Your Highness, what do you like to do when you're not planning alliances with foreign monarchs?” The man spun her around, then tugged her back into his arms before replying.

“That depends. Would you rather hear about my hunting trips or all my lessons in political negotiation?”

Her smile twisted into a grimace as her stomach dropped at the prospect of another meaningless conversation. “Whichever pleases you, Your Highness. Although I must admit that I am partial to conversations that do not involve gore or cruelty.”

¡Santo cielo, she was so sweet! Even despite having partaken in the exact same conversation for what must have been almost twenty times that night, she was still willing to entertain him and give him his chance to speak. “You would listen to me drone on about the same stories you must have heard repeated a hundred times throughout the night?”

The smile she’d forced onto her features faltered at his teasing words.

“W-Well, as I mentioned before, it is not your fault that you were preceded by so many men in much similar positions to yours,” she pointed out. “It would be unfair of me not to grant you the exact same opportunity as the first person I danced with tonight.”

Ay, Dios, she was going to make such a wonderful ruler: sweet and kind and intelligent and thoughtful. He only wished that she would give him the chance to support her through it all.

“How thoughtful of you, Your Majesty.” And he'd have to make sure to preserve her sweetness and morals in the face of all those who would dare challenge her. Yes, he'd stay on the sidelines, stoic and resolute, her anchor in a stormy sea. “But I was only joking, my Queen. Why don't you tell me what it is you enjoy doing in your spare time?”

She grinned at the question, delighted to finally have someone inquire after her interests instead. And he seemed to genuinely want to hear her responses as well! “Well, I enjoy literature. And philosophy! It is important to know what is in the minds of your people in order to do right by them.”

He smiled at the way she lit up as she spoke about the things she loved. He asked her a few more questions, letting her carry on about her favourite books and schools of thought, and the two of them continued to dance the night away.

“You study the sciences?!” X asked, intrigued. “Like … a doctor? Are you a practitioner of medicine, Your Highness?”

He smiled at the way she bounced in her seat in excitement - they'd retired to some of the chairs placed on the edges of the dance floor a while ago, but so captivated had they been by one another that their conversation had continued without pause. “Not exactly, Your Majesty. I am simply a scholar, that is all. It would be extremely unwise for you to put the life of another in these hands.”

He rested his hands on his knees, his palms turned up towards her, and she bit her lip, hesitating for a moment. She reached out and brushed her fingers carefully across his palm, then glanced up at him and grinned before pulling away again.

His palm turned cold as she pulled her slender fingers away and a spurt of disappointment rushed through him at the absence of her hand in his. But then she treated him to that adorable little smile again and his stomach fizzed at the sight.

“Your Majesty,” Lady Jane began, leaning over her shoulder to catch her queen’s attention, “it’s getting rather late. Perhaps you should retire to your chambers now?”

“Oh.” Her stomach sank at the thought of having to be parted from him already. She turned back to the thoughtful young man, trying not to let her disappointment show too badly. “Your Highness … would you … would you tell me your name?”

He gave her a soft smile, the edges tinged with disappointment. “I thought that wasn’t allowed, Your Majesty?”

“W-Well …” X clenched her fists to stop herself from grabbing onto his forearm. How desperate would such an act make her appear?! “I’m the Queen. And I make the rules. And I say you can tell me your true identity.”

She looked up at him, her features hard so she wouldn’t look like the teenager she really was. He chuckled anyway at how blatant her feelings for him were, but in truth, he found himself relieved by the prospect.

“Tomorrow, Your Majesty,” he reassured her calmly. “We will meet again tomorrow. I promise.” He held his hand out to her and she placed hers in his, letting him bring her fingers to his mouth and brush his lips against her knuckles. He stood up then, still holding onto her hand, and gently tugged her to her feet before releasing her to give a low bow. He took a step back, putting some distance between them, then waited for her to take her leave.

X sighed, disappointed. But then a resolute expression overtook her features. “Tomorrow, Your Highness.”

She turned to leave and he watched her go with a smile. Then, once they were safely away from the vicinity of the ballroom, she turned to her lady’s maid, determined. “Lady Jane, you must find out who that man was! I fear I shall lose sleep tonight puzzling over his identity!”

Jane grinned at the Queen’s dramatics. “Are you sure you would like to know, Your Majesty?”

X paused and turned to Jane with a disbelieving look on her face. “Yes! Of course! He knows absolutely everything about me and I know nothing about him!”

Jane chuckled softly, her heart warming at the thought of her friend finding someone who was able to make her so happy so easily. “I’m sure that can’t be true, Ma’am. You did spend more than an hour in conversation with him tonight.”

She gave her queen a pointed look and X burst into delighted laughter.

“I suppose I did, didn’t I?” She continued down the hall, her mind consumed with thoughts of the young man she’d spent so long enjoying the company of that night. “Though it wasn’t nearly long enough.”

She gripped the armrests of her throne, trying to stop herself from tapping her fingers impatiently as the next suitor on the list was formally introduced to her.

“Prince Christian Frederik Georg Michael, second son of King Frederik of Denmark.” The young man strode into the room, his blonde hair neatly swept back from his cherubic features. He bowed before her when he reached her throne and X flashed him a kind smile when he straightened. But he wasn't the one she was looking for. She kept her thin smile fixed on her face until the prince left the room, then she exhaled and slumped over in disappointment.

“Just one more, Your Majesty,” Lord Alfred assured her from his position beside her. She straightened again at the revelation, her heart thudding in her chest at the thought of finally seeing him again. The steward cleared his throat and X rearranged her features into an expression of disinterest, not wanting to give her emotions away so quickly.

“Infante Miguel Francisco Álvarez de Borbón y Fernández - Duke of Seville and first nephew of the King of Spain.” But he was so handsome, with his thick brows and his chiselled features and his tanned skin, and she felt her heart give another little flutter at the sight of him.

He strode into the throne room, his eyes fixed straight ahead, his features set into his usual stoic expression. “Your Majesty.”

But then their gazes met and her lips curled into that adorable little smile that had his own lips turning up at the ends. They gazed at one another for a moment longer, taking the other in completely, then she cleared her throat and straightened her expression, suddenly remembering the other people in the room with them.

“Thank you for coming all this way, Your Grace.” She nodded at the Duke before turning to address her prime minister. “Lord Alfred, if you would be so kind as to dismiss the rest of the party for the remainder of this afternoon. I shall see them again at dinner tonight.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.” Lord Alfred gave his queen a low bow, using the opportunity to discreetly size up the young man who had so clearly captured her heart. Then he left the room to go dismiss the failed suitors. X stood up and made her way over to the Duke, her steps measured and precise so she wouldn't come across as too eager.

“Your Grace, I have arranged for a walk around the gardens this afternoon. Would you care to join me?” She held her breath as she waited for his response, hoping that she hadn't just dreamed everything up last night. But the Duke took a step closer to her, his expression soft as he gazed down upon her.

“I would like that very much, Your Majesty.” He held his elbow out to her and she accepted it keenly, the same adoring expression on his face reflected on hers.

“The Duke of Seville?!” Lady Anabelle hissed to her two friends. “Isn’t he the one who dismissed his cousin for being an ‘insolent fool unworthy of his time’?!”

“And in front of his entire court, too!” Lady Delia added, keeping her voice low so the Queen and the Duke wouldn't overhear their conversation. Lady Jane frowned, her stomach starting to tighten with concern over how the Duke might end up treating the Queen once they were married.

“But … should we warn Her Majesty?” she suggested, allowing her friends to pull her along with them down the path. Anabelle waved away her worries nonchalantly.

“Oh, I doubt our Queen would ever let anyone treat her in such a manner.” She glanced over at the Duke and gave a longing sigh at his broad and towering form. “No matter how handsome he might be.” The three women turned their attention to the couple in front of them, their heads bowed towards one another as they murmured to each other, their lips stretched into equally dazzled smiles.

“I daresay they look rather … taken by one another,” Delia commented. Then she turned back to Annabelle and nudged her playfully. “But I’ve heard that the Duke is a rather difficult man to impress.”

Jane sniffed, offended by the remark. “Well, it is not as if our Queen is lacking in any way.”

Delia's lips parted with a horrified gasp. “Oh, of course not! If ever there was anyone who could possibly melt the heart of that frigid duke, there is no doubt in my mind that it would be our endearing Queen.”

She gave Jane a warm smile and a reassuring pat on the arm and she relaxed. They heard the Queen let out a pleased giggle and looked up to find her turn her head shyly away from the Duke's. But his gaze remained fixed on her, his expression soft and admiring as he looked down upon her, and Jane felt the rest of the tension leave her body.

She looked up at the Duke, a tinge of fear clouding her expression as she clung onto his arm.

“And you will return in a month’s time?” She didn’t mean to sound so desperate, having only really known him for two full days, but the thought of not seeing him again made her stomach curl. The Duke gave her a reassuring smile and a pat on her hand.

“Yes, my Queen. And we shall correspond as often as possible during that time.” She grinned at his reciprocation of her feelings and his smile widened at the delighted look on her face. She really was cute. And so clever too. Such an accomplished and capable young woman and she would choose him? When she could have the hand of any man she so desired? He took hold of her hand to remove it from his arm so he could press a kiss to her knuckles in farewell. “Until we meet again, my Queen.”

She deflated, disappointed by his necessary departure. He was just so clever and so interesting, so well-read and so kind. She just knew she'd be counting down the days until she could see him again. The Duke got up on his horse and gave her a final wave before speeding back off to his faraway homeland.

[what-even-is-thiss]

It's super fun to nitpick things from time to time but you can't seriously allow yourself to think that a piece of fiction is required to have zero plotholes and inconsistencies.

Those things only really become problems when they ruin the feel or overall effect of the story.

Yes most time travel stories for example won't make perfect sense. But does that matter? When criticizing a story that "makes no sense" pure logic itself isn't the main thing you should be focusing on unless the story itself instructs you to focus on that.

As a writer I take a lot of inspiration from surrealism and write surrealist type fiction from time to time. Surrealist fiction by nature is confusing and illogical and tries to force the reader to challenge their own logical perception of reality, emotion, politics, etc. Even when I am explicitly writing surrealist fiction though I often get feedback like "this story made no logical sense". Yeah. Because it's surrealism. That's kind of the whole point. What do you have to say about it beyond that?

When criticizing something, I think it's important to meet it where it is. One cannot judge a romantic comedy by the exact same metrics that they would judge a cookbook. As a writer and as a reader I am fine with criticism, but what I am not fine with is every piece of media being treated like it's some form of logic puzzle that must make cohesive perfect sense under intense scrutiny.

Yes, a time paradox was created when that character did xyz. And? Does that detract from the storytelling? Did it ruin your enjoyment of it? Why? Does that even matter in a story like this? If so, what does that say to you about the story itself? Where exactly did it fail in its goals? What is it perpetuating that you wish it wouldn't? Why? Is it genuinely a bad storytelling decision or do you just not like this type of story?

Criticism is fine. It keeps the conversation around media fresh and when done correctly it gives creators the ability to reflect and improve and audiences the opportunity to make informed decisions. However if your criticism is only ever about surface level logical inconsistencies and barely noticeable plotholes, that's not really doing anyone any favors.

[curator-on-ao3]

Again, cool response to the last question, so I'll let you pick from these options:

And there are things I have fan-fixed in my head to the point that I have to remind myself that the fix-it isn’t part of the actual canon: favourite one of these?

Or

Your/a favourite part of actual canon. Like, maybe something little but it's just so lovely and fitting to you and you're just happy that it exists?

I’ve been a little down on Trek lately, so I’m going to type as fast as I can to brain-dump, in show order, the first things that pop into my mind that I absolutely love in Trek canon:

Kirk calling Nomad his son, the doctor

Christine Chapel’s snark to Roger Korby about schtupping the androids

Mark Leonard’s performance in Balance of Terror

the Horta (a great mama)

“Edith Keeler must die.”

Captain John Christopher, United States Air Force. Serial number 4857932.

Tribbles

the lesson of The Cloud Minders that we must have empathy and listen to others when they tell us about their lived experience in an environment unlike our own

the cheap-ass animation of TAS

Q

Bynars and Minuet

Beverly Crusher’s frustration in Arsenal of Freedom (and the episode’s Good Ship Lollipop joke)

Picard shooting the other version of himself in Time Squared (to clarify: out of respect for those times when we have to stop ourselves from getting caught in loops/doing stupid stuff and we summon up the courage to break a bad cycle and move forward)

K'Ehleyr

Picard out-lawyering the Sheliak

Rachel Garrett; Yar and Castillo

Lal (but I can’t watch the end anymore, it hurts too much)

the Shakespeare and “Set a course for Betazed. Warp 9.” comedy in Ménage a Troi

Best of Both Worlds, I and II (Shelby inclusive)

every conference table discussion in all of TNG

Beverly’s jump in Remember Me (such a damn good episode)

the reveal in Future Imperfect (which one? all of them)

The Dancing Doctor tap dancing with Data

Darmok. And Jalad. At Tenagra.

Ro Laren

Troi saying, “You could have easily been right” to Ro in Disaster

Hugh, Third of Five

the fact that The Next Phase has so many plotholes and they’re forgivable because the episode is so fun and great

Scotty on the holodeck version of the TOS bridge and Picard joining him

Rascals!

Deanna’s “Ancient West” outfit

the Jefferies tube music and make out session in Lessons

Attached. Oh, my heart.

the Enterprise with three nacelles … and that absolutely perfect last shot of the series

“You exist here.”

Sisko’s casual, everyday affection for Jake

“Old Man”

Rejoined. Lenara Khan. The love. That kiss. The emotional stakes. All of it.

the three Ferengi hitting their own heads to try to fix their universal translators so the 20th century Earth military people mimic the movement to try to communicate

every second of Trials and Tribble-ations including Sisko working overtime to stop fuckmaster Dax, tossing the tribbles, Sisko meeting Kirk, “We do not discuss it with outsiders,” and so much more

Kira blaming Bashir for putting the baby inside her when … you know … behind the scenes

The Sons of Mogh helping with the harvest in Children of Time

Far Beyond the Stars — some of the best if not the best science fiction I have ever seen

the monster fakeout (and kindness) in The Sound of Her Voice, even though the end makes me cry

“Computer, erase that entire personal log.”

Solok

Sisko and Kassidy discussing their comfort levels about a simulation in which the reality was segregation

Janeway waterfalling off the sofa to be closer to Mark on the screen

“Warp particles!”

the lizard babies

the two Janeways in Deadlock

Remember (a painfully good Holocaust episode that doesn’t get enough credit and, yes, I know the path the script took and I’m glad it ended up as a B’Elanna episode)

“I don't know what I'm seeking.” “Then I believe you are ready to begin.”

“The child you spoke of, the girl. Her favorite color was red.” Also, Tuvok’s meditation lamp in the window for Kes.

hot damn, Counterpoint, yaaas

everything in Relativity

“The Yankees, in six games.”

Janeway going after Seven in The Voyager Conspiracy

“This is Lieutenant Reginald Barclay at Starfleet Command.” “It's good to hear your voice, Lieutenant. We've been waiting a long time for this moment.” “The feeling is mutual. Unfortunately, the micro-wormhole is collapsing. We have only a few moments.” “Understood. We are transmitting our ship's logs, crew reports, and navigational records to you now.” “Acknowledged. And we're sending you data on some new hyper-subspace technology. We're hoping eventually to use it to keep in regular contact, and we're including some recommended modifications for your comm system.” “We'll implement them as soon as possible.” “There's someone else here who would also like to say something.” “This is Admiral Paris.” “Hello, sir.” “How are your people holding up?” “Very well. They're an exemplary crew, your son included.” “Tell him, tell him I miss him. And I'm proud of him.” “He heard you, Admiral.” “The wormhole is collapsing.” “I want you all to know we're doing everything we can to bring you home.” “We appreciate it, sir. Keep a docking bay open for us.”

“Nice hair.” (Live Fast and Prosper)

Janeway and Jaffen in Workforce

the spot-on legal concerns of Author, Author

“Set a course. For home.”

(Nothing from Enterprise or Prodigy only because I haven’t watched enough of Enterprise or any of Prodigy)

Burnham and Georgiou forming the delta with their footsteps

the CGI on only the shields protecting Burnham from space

“Are we in session? Because I didn't know you were practicing again. Because if I have your undivided attention for fifty minutes, I can think of a whole bunch of other things we could be doing.”

“That's as depressing a trait as I've ever heard.” “I don't give a damn … I still don't give a damn.”

Cornwell beaming in, phaser aimed, taking command of Discovery

Cornwell phasering the fortune cookies

Cornwell’s voice breaking: “So my Gabriel is dead.”

Detmer’s little bounce when Emperor-as-Captain Georgiou takes command

Pike beaming aboard and instantly being all like MOJAVE to prove to the audience he’s the guy from The Cage

New Eden. Everything. Oh my God (pun intended). The visuals. Owo’s backstory. Pollard patching Pike up after he’s shot. The light at the end. Oh my God, yes. That episode. Yes.

Number freaking One beaming aboard and having her lunch briefing with Pike (Chris and Una’s decades-long friendship wasn’t canon yet, but it shows here so beautifully)

Gabrielle Burnham

“In case the shit hit the fan.”

Michael Burnham on truth serum

Book

Laira Rillak, everyone!

Q&A

season 1 Raffi Musiker

Fleet Admiral and Commander-in-Chief Kirsten Clancy

“You owe me a ship, Picard.”

“You need a feather in your hat.”

Riker greeting Picard

Hugh greeting Picard

the separate trio of Raffi, Clancy, and Deanna all telling Picard he’s shit

Rios singing in Spanish

President Annika Hansen

everybody finding each other in the Confederation Universe

Liam Shaw — a character with incredible highs and lows

Majel Barrett as the computer voice when the crew gets to the Enterprise D

“Somehow I figured you might.”

everything in Ghosts of Illyria

Spock and La’an’s mind meld

Spock and T’Pring in Spock Amok

“You cannot resign. The loss to Enterprise would be unimaginable. To me.”

“If you’re going to steal a starship, do it correctly.”

Neera Ketoul

La’an normalizing needing to eat all the time as a teenager (especially important for girls to hear)

Pike and Una visually checking in with each other so often that it’s in their cartoon versions (that whole episode, actually, including, “Riker!”)

That’s scrolling through episode titles and jotting down stuff I love off the top of my head, fam.✨

Thank you so much for this ask, anon! ❤️ I needed this positive energy in my life.

[forthbeaming]

so pit babe has ended and i need to write a liebesbrief to the show. the unhinged vroom vroom omegaverse show did something nobody thought it was going to. it made us care. it made us care for every character, impatiently waiting for another episode. despite its absolutely ridiculous premise, it was a show that tried to convey so much - and it did, successfully.

im not the only one who shook his head when the racing show based on an omegaverse was announced (allegedly without the omegaverse trope). i was in if only for pavel bc let's be honest, if there is somebody unhinged enough to pull omegaverse perfectly, it's pavel. then the trailer dropped (still not omegaverse) and it looked actually promising. there were some well-known faces and the special effects looked good. and then, after so much waiting, we got our hands on the first episode. and look and behold, it was an omegaverse after all. alpha x alpha omegaverse nonetheless. after that, it just got better and better. with every new episode, we got more and more invested in these characters - for all of them because they all deserved our attention and love.

they made us care for the protagonists and hate the villains. the ridiculous vroom vroom show that we started to watch just for the fun and giggles became a show about being loved and to love in return, about finding your family and friends in a place you least expected it, about breaking the barrier and fighting against a fate that was decided for you. (they also give us a potential mpreg because there is no proof that babe is not pregnant)

yes, the show wasn't perfect. it had its flaws and its plotholes and loose threads that could be tied better (the most important being, where is kenta?) but overall, it gave us way more than we came for.

[gwenllian-in-the-abbey]

Moar haterism. 🔪 #25

#25 Common fandom complaint that you're sick of hearing:

Thank you Branwen for indulging me. I have the perfect one for this because it's stupid and dumb and it drives me absolutely crazy every time someone brings it up. Am I actually going to bat for the show, for once? Yes I am!

If you visit the HotD subreddit at all, you'll see a thread every couple weeks or so bitching about the so-called "plothole" that was created when Criston was not punished for killing Joffrey Lonmouth, and every single time it will have hundreds of people in the comments going on about how it made so much more sense in the book because it was a tourney, and how it's so unrealistic that Viserys/Rhaenyra/Corlys/Laenor/Rhaenys did not demand Criston's head for killing poor Joffrey, the sworn sword of Laenor (sworn sword is always emphasized, like this is a big fucking deal). So let's break this down, and figure out who exactly is putting their neck out for the Knight of Kisses.

First of all, House Lonmouth are some second or third tier Stormlands nobodies (I looked up House Lonmouth before I called them nobodies and look at their coat of arms. lmao.)

Deeply unserious. Anyway. The most notable Lonmouths are notable for being friends of Laenor and Rhaegar. So yeah. This is a coattail rider house, not big movers and shakers. I'm sure mom and dad Lonmouth are not happy about their son getting his face bashed in at a betrothal ceremony, but it was a kingsguard who did the bashing, and they're just a nobody house from the Stormlands. The queen sends a purse for funeral expenses along with the body and says sorry for your loss. Are they going to travel to King's Landing and press the issue, pick a fight with the queen, and accuse a Kingsguard of treachery? A kingsguard who has after all taken a holy oath to defend the king, and who claims your son was threatening the princess? Probably not. You have a good cry and try to put it behind you.

That leaves Rhaenyra, Laenor, Viserys, and Corlys. So let's examine them, one by one.

Rhaenyra feels bad for Laenor. He's really upset, and she's shocked that Cole did such a thing, but she is also kind of nervous. Cole has a secret about her that could get both her and Cole killed, and if Cole is facing execution for murder, he might just let that secret out. After all, if there's going to be an investigation, Cole will be questioned. She's also eyeing the queen a bit suspiciously. And why is Alicent all of a sudden sticking her neck out for Cole? Could he have told her? It's a bit suspicious, she's keeping her mouth shut.

Laenor? He's heartbroken! He loved Joffrey! They were about to have the perfect setup, and then Cole ruined it. But... his dad is glaring at him with his, "you better not fuck this up face," and he's always been a bit spineless when it comes to standing up to old pops. And he knows Joffrey must have said something to Cole to set him off, which means Cole probably knows. If he accuses Cole, will dad back him up? He doesn't have any leverage on his own, he's just the heir, not the actual Lord of the Tides.

And Corlys? Corlys wants to slip Cole a purse as a thankyou. He was so worried that his son was going to flaunt his lover at court and cause a scandal. He was already having nightmares about the whispering people would do, especially if Rhaenyra failed to produce an heir. He doesn't know why Cole killed Joffrey, but he can hazard a guess. He's glad Alicent wants to sweep the whole thing under the rug. Rhaenys feels bad for her son, but she agrees with Corlys. And really, it was foolish to bring Joffrey to this event. What was Laenor thinking?

And finally, Viserys? Alicent told him she wanted to spare Cole, and clearly there's something more to the story, but he's not really all that interested in digging into it. He feels sorry for the family, so when Alicent asks if she can send them a purse for the funeral expenses, he agrees. He's heard rumors about Laenor's preferences, and and he certainly doesn't want this to be a big deal. Is Laenor going to make it a big deal? Cole was Rhaenyra's sworn sword too. Fishy. In fact, better move up the wedding so that this incident doesn't blow up into something bigger to derail the match. He needs this match to go through. Also, we all know that cops can get away with killing people for much less reason, and that's in our world with a supposedly impartial third party justice system. Westeros doesn't have that. There's no DA, no state to bring charges, no independent trial by jury. If you want justice, you have to seek it and no one is seeking justice for poor Joffrey.

And for people who say that this needed to be spelled out? What do you want, exactly, a scene in which Corlys looks into the camera and goes, "sure glad my kid's lover is dead and not around to fuel the gossip." Lord. Just use context clues. Alicent covered it up and no one followed up because Joffrey was a nobody from the Stormlands, Laenor was gay, and Cole knew all their secrets. It was in everyone's interest to sweep it under the rug, and so they did. You can prefer the book version, but this is not a plothole, it's not something that needs to be explained, it's FINE.

[md-confessions]

Oh that doll confession is interesting and I somewhat agree, but It mostly just made me think about why i love murder drones so much again! This is probably going to sound like i'm getting a little defensive but I promise I'm not here to start a fight I just want to tell my thoughts and I wonder if others feel the same.

I don’t think every show have to be a masterpiece with amazing writing.

I think we NEED shows like murder drones, that are a little messy with plotholes and afterthoughts and that doesn't know what it want to be exactly... because those are the things that really get my creativity going. Shows like these are what makes me want to write too.

When I first started watching the show I was amazed by how like... sincere? It was? I could tell that the creators were having fun with the characters and the settings and the jokes without worrying too much about it being coherent (I, like everyone else was very confused on my first watch. I was also very entertained) and that was what truly hooked me. It was a reminder to me that a story doesn't have to be perfect to be enjoyable, and that got me into writing again. Sometimes you just want to put characters in situations and make cool shit happen and I think that is Liam Vickers main goal honestly. 

Should Liam have dropped the high school setting? If he wanted to make a perfectly crafted story; yes. But for my personal enjoyment: NO!!!!

I'm currently in the process of writing a multichapter fanfic that I spend a lot of time thinking about and I can pretty much guarantee that I would have even thought of it if the shows writing was "better". I obviously still would have loved the show but I probably wouldn’t be active in the fandom.

I don’t even need filler episodes/comics like everyone else seem to want (I wouldn't complain if we got those tho) I'm writing those myself haha. 

.

[onehundredandeleventropicalfish]

One thing I never got about the TV show or comics is the vortex and while Dream says they are naturally reoccurring and have nothing to do with him in that regard I find that confusing since Unity didn't become the vortex due to the sole reason of Dream being trapped and Rose didn't become the vortex until Dream was free. It feels like a huge plothole to me and also another thing I don't understand is why wasn't Unity's and Desire's family line dream children like Daniel.

to answer the second question first, since that's the one i can give a concrete answer for! daniel was a very unique situation

the show and the comic have two different explanations for what made daniel half dream, i think the show was a lot simpler and easier to grasp, but both are explainable

in show canon, daniel is half dream because his father straight up was a dream - hector was already dead by the time daniel was conceived. lyta is the only physical parent here, the rest is dreamstuff

in comic canon, lyta was pregnant before hector died, but she then spent years and years in that dream, extending her pregnancy far beyond the nine months it should normally take, and that much exposure to the dreaming while being formed (in an unnatural way bc it was so drawn out) made daniel half dream

as far as unity and desire's daughter goes, that's more of a demigod situation? she was conceived in a dream because unity was asleep, but desire isn't just a regular parent, and conception when it concerns the endless is a weird topic altogether (desire doesn't really have dna this is canonically a thought baby sort of situation). given how the endless interact with each others' realms, i'd imagine just desire being part of the equation cancelled out any influence dream might have had here. and aside from that, it was a normal pregnancy that took place in the waking world, for a normal duration of time - the walkers aren't 100% human but they aren't really any % dream

and then we get to the next part of this - being half dream isn't the only thing that made daniel daniel. dream chose daniel for this, appointed him as successor when he visited lyta in season of mists

and daniel as a toddler trailed dream sand behind him and had the ability to walk into the dreaming, but he was still half human, and still not yet a perfect successor to dream of the endless

until kindly ones, when loki stole him and killed him. daniel-dream tells lyta in the wake that that fire burned away his human half, leaving only the immortal dream

and for a final piece, morpheus gave him the emerald. granted, this probably wasn't a necessary step, i think it was a gesture to help him control his powers a bit better when first ascending. but it was yet another thing that made the universe mark him as the person to ascend if the original incarnation of dream died

which are all things that set him apart from miranda walker (or her mother, in show canon)

as far as vortexes go, honestly that's something i wish either the show or the comics told us more about, there's so little lore or explanation on it

but if you want my educated guess - there's a difference between dream not making the vortexes and dream having nothing to do with them

vortexes are naturally occuring, yes, but in a healthy dreaming, a living dreamscape. they are an inevitable consequence of the way the dreaming works - an entire universe of minds, all forming a dimension together, with no knowledge that they are doing it together, the natural push and pull and chaos of such a place, somewhere you're going to find a place where it's the most concentrated, the eye of the storm that everything else is swirling around. part of dream's job is to keep that great ocean relatively level, so you don't end up with whirlpools - and since he doesn't make them and doesn't know how they're formed, sometimes that means you just need to manually get rid of them whenever they show up

but you also won't get whirlpools if you drain the ocean of water

which is what cutting dream off from the dreaming did. the endless and their realms aren't wholly separate entities, a part of dream is the dreaming and a part of the dreaming is dream. when you cut a being in half like that, by keeping dream magically shut out from the realm, they've both lost vital functions, and they'll both be weaker and hurting for it. and we see, in both the comics and the show, the effect that dream's imprisonment for that long had on the dreaming - it's broken and dead. and dream himself is equally lacking in power and life (show dream especially, he is visibly starving)

and the doll's house arc doesn't begin until dream breaks the ruby, and gets back all the power contained within it. even with dream physically back in the dreaming, they both needed time to recover fully before anything like a vortex could form

[lyscot-blog]

Is there any flaws you noticed or think Dungeon Menshi has? Like plot holes or something that could have been done/explained better uwu

for me dunmeshi is perfect or feels like its perfectly suited for me.

But yes on a technical aspect there are some flaws, like there was a part where I think it makes more sense for some other characters to do this or that.

[SPOILERS]

Its interesting to imagine the winged lions powers and how unstoppable he is. He is the embodiment of magic, but how come he can be defeated that easily Laios, is there limits to that power? Maybe but I guess it never was expanded on.

Then theres the question of how does the magic works? It answered some but there are still unanswered questions.

But can you say these are plotholes or just unanswered questions?

I think the characters arc of everyone in the main group is fine. But I always want to see them travel further. I want to see if Itzutsumi will ever be separated from her beast soul (or will she come to accept it) I also wonder how will Senshi grow out of the dungeon. I also want to see more stories and characters from the canaries.

But I get it that you cant fit everything in just a story. A movie is short and theres always limits to what it can and cannot add. If it does, itll feel bloated.

[incarnateirony]

Maybe the route Jensen going for is a properly remastered revival. I don't see him making up his mind for letting someone else play Dean. The whole thing started because he couldn't let go. He will always be Dean.

Yes and no. He couldn't let go because of the state of Dean's narrative. He's actually at peace now that he has control of that. His inability to let go was past tense, and isn't current. He's already walked the therapy path he and Robbie are dragging the fandom through by their ears.

Jensen loves these new kids, and while he adored JDM and Cohen, he still can appreciate Drake as John. I don't see him being so selfish as to think only his take of Dean can ever be it. He's seen the power that comes with fresh talent.

I think his love for Dean is more profound than that. When people view fiction, their brains actually don't determine it as fake in the moment, which is why we have emotional reactions. And we also recognize familiar storyarcs like the hero's journey. And when something is just emotionally offensive--not just THAT Dean died, but HOW he died, HOW his content was cut, HOW his friends were slapped at, the HOW--all of it imparted a grief both to us and Jensen like if a family member died in a horrific and insulting way.

And because the story didn't have closure, that shit rots in your brain. Same as us. But thing is, Jensen's manifested Dean's closure, and taken it far further than ever before. That trauma brainrot is being put down here.

So I just don't see him being beyond willing to give Dean to a new generation too, remastered and told a lil more compact, a lil more neatly, straighten out a few hilarious early plotholes and the like, make S1-3 a season and 4-5 a season and so on, you can actually do ALL the characters even greater honors while staying loyal to the core material, but modernizing it for the current audience.

The whole. does dean choose this life, in his moment of death, does dean choose to be born into this world, literally gives a perfect reboot cycle point, too, while on the other end Our Dean/Jensen can do some revival case with the classic characters just written to be FUCKING FUN.

[bluiex]

I saw this idea from another anon (I think it was 🐗 anon) and thought it was such a good idea that it spurred me to write out everything for scarian in my au so info dump be upon ye

- Grian is the Flying type gym leader, located in the desert city of Sahara

- His partner pokemon is a Xatu that sits on top of the gym doors and watches over the entire city and knows everything, which is how he meets scar

- Scar runs a Cafe in Sahara with his leipard, Jellie, as the mascot (and if the cafe is just a cover up for the evil organization ConVex then who would know?)

- One day, Grian's xatu comes flying into the gym with urgency and starts trying to drag grian away

- Since xatu can see the future, it usually tries to drag grian away from the gym to prevent fights, robberys, or some other crime

- Grian follows it out of the gym and into a new Cafe that just opened up (when did that get here?)

- Xatu decides to perch itself right on the register and wait (Jellie is not to pleased with some random xatu pulling up next to her)

- Scar walks out of the back to see xatu staring right into his soul and starts to ask grian if this pokemon is his

- Grian, trusting xatus intuition, starts to interrogate scar but Xatu isn't acting normal, it's not attacking and it doesn't seem to be in an urgency anymore

- As Grian starts leave he tries to call Xatu back into his pokeball but it refuses to leave

- So Scar, being the hospitable man he is, offers grian a seat and start chatting with him (It was almost closing time anyway)

- Eventually Xatu gets off the register and perches on grians shoulder, as grian starts to leave scar asks him for his number

- Grian leaves the cafe with a new number in his phone and maybe a new crush as well

This I gonna have to have two parts cus I have so many more ideas (Sorry if this has a lot of mistakes and plotholes, I wrote this in 30 minutes while listening to a lesson soooo) - 📀

Bonus :

- After grian leaves scar gets a call from false (oh yeah she's part of convex in this au) basically yelling at him for almost getting caught and that xatu can see the future so it could know about the secret hideout and- (Scar stopped listening a long time ago, how did he not notice how cute the gym leader was until now?)

OMMGG YES YESYES

The Xatu is so perfect for Grian

And it dragging him to the baddies lol only for Gri to get a crush. Same for Scar lmao

[xarrixii]

to those of inquiry,

my introduction

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hello, fellow traveler of the hellscape that is this website (or app, if you happen to be on your phone using such)

my name is @xarrixii, and i am better known as "arri"

i have a separate blog from this one designed for reblogging other peoples' work. if that's something you're more interested in (my taste in writing), then i suggest you visit @the-arrikive

masterlists a long way under the divider

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i have come from a land not so far away (planet earth) to share the nonsensical nonsense of my brain (my writing).

i write both longer, novel-like stories and responses to writing prompts when i'm feeling it (feel free to send me one, if you'd like). my brain is random, though, so i can't guarantee i'll get something out right away.

i am irregular. do not expect something like weekly uploads. you get a story when i remember to post one and have one available. i shall not rush the accidentally filled plotholes genius i breed.

sometimes i make edits. i've made a lot of edits recently, like layout/ease of access and also wording on some of the earlier chapters. (already read chapter one of cinder? i changed the beginning because i hated it and i personally would put down the book immediately if i'd found it in the library)

i still hate the first sentence but honestly, the noggin can't think of anything better so we'll cry about it later

also, grammarly hates me because i don't like its grammar rules and i don't capitalize my "i"s when i'm casually speaking. i hate grammarly because some of its suggestions are stupid. i just don't want to turn it back on every time i eventually end up needing it.

less important: i am cisgender. i identify with she/her, but i could really care less (not quite sure that counts as any). i am pansexual. (frying pans don't have enough personality, don't ask about them)

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what i like reading:

i love, love love love love love love love it when a book focuses on its characters. there's nothing wrong with taking in the fantasy world they built for the people to live in, i'm all for that as well. it's just a trend i see that the more a book focuses on following its plot, the less it focuses on the people riding out that plot.

i'm a firm believer in characters "building a plot" based around their actions, even if that means an author built a plot and then designed the perfect character for enacting it.

also, i grew up a gacha kid (gacha studio/life/club). that means i'm familiar with cliches and love it when people throw them on their heel. it's also (unfortunately) made me enjoy love stories less (which makes things difficult since books that focus on characters almost always have some love plot that works out).

i'll read a hero x villain, sure. but sometimes i might think up the ending where they don't love each other (platonic and rival)

ask me any time about what i enjoy reading if i've confused you (it happens a lot).

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what i like writing:

this one's a lot simpler, i like writing what i like reading. because if i wouldn't read it later, why would anyone else?

due to me being cringe once upon a time, i spent several years writing out roleplays (yes, i was the edgy roblox kid too) with some friends, so anything super long i write for a very long time from now will be my personal adaptation of something that's already existed before

writing prompts are the truest test of my creative abilities, though. making up new characters, a new environment, and a new plot based on the whims of a few sentences from time to time is what keeps my rewrites from being copy-pastes.

that also just keeps it fun for the friends who wrote it with me once and will read it from my fingers typing it again

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also to note, i'm not afraid of writing about blood, gore, violence, and the like, and i'm also insensitive to what all needs to be tagged, so any help with that goes a long way

most of my writing prompts will be written with non-binary characters

if you find me fucking up pronouns please notify me where i diddled it up thank you!!

so about being a gacha kid

i suck at drawing. the physical descriptions of my characters are laid out in gacha apps, and yes i am mildly embarrassed about it. but putting their designs down somewhere means i have something reliable to refer to while writing.

thou shalt not judge me for it.

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hobbies

writing. i guess a bit obviously. i also still enjoy playing video games and listening to music. i like watching horror games, but can't bring myself to play them. i also make a lot of jokes about violence. i mean a lot. but i know when to take something seriously.

favorite roblox games including: entry point, scp: site roleplay, funky friday, robeats, 3008

i also play genshin impact occasionally, and no i'm not elaborating.

if you couldn't tell by now, i talk too much. moving on:

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masterlists

hey, me! i know you're reading this, because i know you're the most likely suspect for looking for these links all the time.

"Cinder" Masterlist writing prompts

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looking for more? ask me! send me prompts! FILL MY INBOX!!!

[arobinwithoutbatman]

☢ What fads/trends are you so over?

Hating on a thing for whatever reason. Why is it cool to hate on a thing before you've even tried it?

I mean sure if you try it and end up not liking it, that's an entirely different thing and entirely fair. If you're not trying it because it doesn't personally interest you, that's fine!

Yes I'm primarily thinking about Gotham Knights and Wayne Family Adventures.

Because no, Gotham Knights isn't a perfect game by any means but by God it was fun! And gave us some wonderful found family. I'm personally in the camp that Cass should've been Batgirl with Babs being Oracle ~~and I'm actually attempting to write that fanfic~~ but I also understand that Barbara Gordon is the more recognisable and therefore more profitable name. The story was pretty barebones but perfectly servicable, no major plotholes that I noticed and all tied up pretty neatly! It's fun! Games are supposed to be fun! People remember that gaming is supposed to be fun, right?

And Wayne Family Adventures is fluff. I happen to thoroughly enjoy fluff. In case it escaped anyone's notice, I'm very much a fluff writer; I enjoy some good angst but always with a happy ending. And you know what? It introduces people to the names and the major situations that have happened in different continuities. It's not everyone's cup of tea and that's totally fair but don't dismiss it entirely because it's a fantastic jumping off point for people to figure out which characters they might want to read more about.

I mean, shit I'm liveblogging my thoughts of Tim's run in comics! From when he first appeared in the 90s! And only about a year on from starting this blog!

[crusherthedoctor]

Unpopular opinion: Lost World's story is better than most people think, and it didn't deserve to be the turning point in the fandom from "hoho I love that now Sonic doesn't take himself too seriously like in '06" to "Pontaff are a bitch ass motherfucker and they pissed on my fucking wife".

The D6 aren't winning any Best Villain award any time soon but they're harmless (and I still say that Zor is unironically very entertaining). Sonic and Eggman teaming up since the beginning of the game lead to some pretty interesting scenes like the one where they discuss about destroying Lost Hex. Eggman using Sonic and Tails to claw back to his final boss position shows how quick he is at planning and how ready to manipulate others he is (and his scene where he destroys the ice wall by punching it is raw). Sonic has some believable emotional moments, such as getting furious when Tails gets kidnapped or feeling alone and guilty when he believes everyone died. Hell, I will even defend Tails' behavior, because it makes sense that he'd irrationally feel insecure that Sonic (in his mind) would rather team up with Eggman than leave everything to him. (I don't like the resolution of that conflict though)

It's not Best Story in the franchise, but you know what? It is more solid than many stories in the franchise.

strongly agree | agree | neutral | disagree | strongly disagree

While we're on this subject, let me add a second controversial opinion on top of this one: all the 3D Sonic stories have flaws. All of them. "But what about-" Yes, even that one.

That's not to say they're all bad - some of them are good, some of them are much better than others, and it goes without saying that I happen to enjoy some of them personally - but putting on my objective lens, I wouldn't say any of them are truly S-tier. There's always something pretty major holding it back, and not just of the minor nitpick variety. Like the non-Sonic characters that make an appearance not being used as well as they could have been, or too many plotholes to ignore, or tonal issues, or certain trends that desperately need to die out. Among other things, depending on the game.

This does NOT mean I think they shouldn't bother with stories period. That wouldn't make sense coming from someone who takes his Sonic universe know-how fairly seriously, and the Classics still had a story anyway despite their lack of dialogue. I also don't demand literal perfection, since that's always going to be subjective. It just means they need to try a little bit harder, so that I can praise a story without having to add a noteworthy "but" or "despite" anywhere in the sentence.

[its-the-cat-queen]

*flutters down on iridescent wings*

It is me! The Infodump Fairy! I have come to cast a spell upon you that will cause you to ramble for way too long about Trolls! Please, o’ talented one, tell me why this series has captivated you so!

(Ok but seriously I’ve seen your stuff for it (which fucking SLAPS btw) and this is a series I’ve never really been very interested in, so I’m very curious about what draws you to it! Only if you want to share, of course! As you can see, I am not a real fairy and my spells are fake lol)

Oh dear Infodump Fairy! Your spell is taking its effects!

Asfdhgd seriously though, believe me, I have no problem rambling about Trolls all day jvjfjhf. This is not gonna be very coherent, so sorry in advance. 😅 (Also, thank you, I'm so glad you like my work! <3)

Okay so. I've actually been here since the trailer for the first movie came out (I wasn't very active in the fandom back then, though). I was already invested from that moment on, specifically in the two main characters, Poppy and Branch, and their dynamic, who I took one look at and said, "yeah, I ship that" hfjhf. I think what mostly got to me was the characters, the designs, the fact that it's such a fun and colorful world, and of course, the music. The songs are so good! Like, all of them. Yes, they are mostly just covers of already popular songs with some word changes here and there, but my GOD, are they good covers! But anyway, love me a musical with fun characters! Personally, I think all of the characters have deeper issues about them than what you can see on the surface and what you would expect from a children's movie franchise. Like, Branch has so much trauma it really just feels like in every movie they are just trying to give him more and more problems hdkhdjd. Which of course, makes him a pretty compelling character altogether. Do other characters have as deep issues as him? Some of them. But like, they don't really have that much screentime, sadly. While Poppy and Branch are equally important characters in the first movie (and well, in all of the movies, imo), the second movie is what I would dub as "Poppy's Character Development - The Movie" jgkjfjfj. While the first movie operates with the whole "happiness is inside of all of us, we just need someone to help us find it" kinda message (which doesn't fully stick the landing but oh well), the second goes for stuff like differences, equality (of sorts), and tbh some kind of colonialism metaphor?? It also widens the world of trolls as we've known it, as we learn of other tribes of trolls, who are all connected through different kinds of music. So the whole worldbuilding here just makes things even more interesting.

Now the third movie. In the words of youtuber Mann of 1000 Thoughts, it "gives no fucks in all the right ways". Tbh the Trolls timeline has already been questionable, as is, with the Netflix tv shows that came out after the first and second movies, but this just throws another ranch in the system, and says fuck you to the timeline altogether jckbfh. Like, I managed to make it work once I dedicated a good half hour figuring out how Branch's secret long lost brothers who he was in a band with when he was a baby fit into the picture, but it's not perfect even then. There would definitely still be plotholes gkfhfgf. But at this point you just gotta turn your suspension of disbelief on and just go along with it, cuz it is SUCH a fun experience besides all that. (This goes for all the movies btw. Turn your brain off, you're gonna have a great time jfkhf.) Ngl this is the movie that really got me to jump right back into the fandom with full force, and now I'm back to thinking about all of the previous movies as well and appreciating all of the characters. Tbh when I watched the trailer for the third movie, I thought that the whole long lost brothers storyline was the worst idea they have ever come up with, and then I watched the movie and I was like, "fuck this is the best thing ever" gjfgdhd. Idk, we learn enough about Branch's brothers for them to be compelling characters of their own, while we also have a 20 year old gap in which we can pretty much imagine anything into, cuz we don't actually know all the details about how they got to where they are today after the band broke up. Idk, it's like a sandbox you can play in. And that is so much fun. Also, yeah. The music in the third movie also SLAPS! I listened to the soundtrack on loop for a week after watching it jfkhfh.

The humor is also great in all of the movies, in my opinion. I think my humor operates on Trolls standards at this point, which everyone can decide for themselves if it is good or not hkfjfj. I'm having fun so that's all that matters to me.

But yeah, it's just. Idk. It's difficult to pinpoint something very specific that lured me in. Although, I did mention quite some stuff altogether jfkjjf. It's all about the experience for me. The movies are just filled with so much energy, which I love, and they are, in my opinion, the perfect combination of that energy and emotional impact. Are they perfect movies? Absolutely not. But I'm enjoying myself immensely while watching them, and that's l that matters. Soooo yeah. That's about it for now, I've already been talking too long hkfhfjf

Hope some of this made sense, at least jkfjfj. Thank you for the ask <3 You sadly had no idea about the beast you would unleash fjdgdhd.