#thought that might be a relevant fact 👀

[yumeka-sxf]

I've heard it said around the fandom for a long time that Yor will fall first, but Loid will fall harder. Well, after today's chapter, at least the first part of that is true!

After expecting that the new chapter might simply continue the "Yor's coworkers saw her with Hemlock" plot and then end with the misunderstanding being cleared up before returning to the status quo...I was not expecting Yor to straight-up admit her true feelings! 👀 After reading it, I had to immediately check the Japanese version of that scene. And yes, she uses the word 好き (suki), which is ironically the same word that Fiona uses when talking about her feelings for Twilight.

The latter part of the chapter did make me sad though. Yor now realizes she has these feelings for Loid, but has resigned herself to the fact that they can never be fulfilled: she believes that he only sees their relationship as contractual, but even if he had feelings for her too, her inability to live a "normal" life due to her job would still make it impossible. The fact that she says she's "not a good girl" (because she kills people for a living and has been lying to Loid and Anya about it) gave me the impression that she doesn't think she deserves to have her feelings fulfilled. So she decided to keep protecting her family from the shadows because it would be hopeless to make the relationship anything more than what it is already. At this point, she likely won't try to push her relationship with Loid any further...any future progression will probably have to come from his end (or some major interference from Anya, lol).

I absolutely love the below post from Pim. Past Yor would be way too robotic and/or flustered to even talk about romance, especially when it involves herself. Even though she's never experienced romantic feelings before, at least as far as we know, the fact that she's able to calmly talk about it here really shows how much Yor has developed over the course of the series.

Meanwhile Loid is, well...

Yeah, as I mentioned in my post about the last chapter, he hasn't changed much other than realizing he "slipped up" at the end of the mole hunt arc and needs to be even harder on himself than before. Yor is still leagues ahead of him as far as being true to herself...but again, if she's falling first, maybe he will fall harder. It's just gonna be a long haul 😅

I also wanted to briefly mention Fiona in this chapter. At first she was expectedly elated when she heard she might be assigned the role of Twilight's wife for a new Strix mission. But when Sylvia shot down that idea, she seemed to sigh in relief.

I'm sure the intent was that she was relieved (reluctantly) because playing the role of his wife would make her explode from 好き/suki and she was grateful not to be put in that situation, but it also reminded me of a headcanon I have about her. I feel that as Twilight slowly becomes compromised, Fiona will gradually fall out of love with him because he's not the same person she originally fell in love with. Obviously she's not there yet, but it's a path I feel her character could take down the road.

And, as much as I prefer the chapters focused on the adult characters, I did miss Anya's shenanigans 😆 I had to chuckle at these panels in particular.

Speaking of Anya, sometimes it seems like she cherry-picks what to mindread, but I feel that she mindreads a lot of stuff that she doesn't always articulate. She is a little kid after all, so a lot of the more complex thoughts probably go over her head, so she just hones in on the main ones she understands enough to be curious about. In the below panels for example, we see her getting the mindreading glints above her head, so she's probably reading a bunch of thoughts Yor currently has about Loid and other things that happened recently. So she consolidates it into a simple but relevant question.

Anyway, like the end of the last chapter, it's hard to see if this arc will continue into the next chapter or not. It did seem a bit conclusive, but at the same time, maybe Loid will follow through with what he said about investigating Yor further. He might not do that right away though, so who knows. I did like the little ending text at the end of the Japanese version: "an important secret between mother and daughter."

So now Anya shares a secret with both Loid and Yor individually - with Loid, it's the fact that she's not his real daughter. And with Yor, it's the fact that she's in love with Loid despite their marriage being fake. Will Anya end up spilling these secrets down the line? 😅 She's the catalyst for everything major in the story after all!

Anyway, I have a feeling Yor will more or less act the same around Loid, but at the same time, any notable moments that happen between them may be met with more extreme reactions than before, at least on her part now that he realizes what she feels for him. And now that Hemlock will be working at City Hall for a bit, there's still a chance for the long-awaited jealous Loid arc! The Twiyor ball is in Loid's court now, so we'll see what kind of serves he gives going forward~

Update: Endo just dropped this illustration of Yor with chapter 120 omurice. Heh, the dialogue says "I definitely didn't make this" 🤣

[yupuffin]

Marine biology nerd reacts to Wuthering Waves fishing minigame! Part 1

Hi, I have a BA in biology with an unofficial specialization in marine bio (my college didn't offer anything more specific) so I love everything that has to do with sea critters, and since my enthusiasm about salps got positive reception, I would love to yap about some fun facts relevant to the obtainable fish present in the new fishing minigame in Wuthering Waves 🐟🌊

We're going to start with the...

Fried Egg Jellyfish

The fried egg jellyfish in Wuthering Waves looks like a pretty out-of-pocket design, but fried egg jellies are, in fact, real animals!

Sharing this photo again of one I took near a body of water in my region -- they do legitimately look like fried eggs. 😂 They belong to the genus Phacellophora and are found in most of the world's oceans. (Not to be confused with Cotylorhiza tuberculata, which is also called the "fried egg jellyfish" but is a different species.)

I'm not sure if it varies by region, but where I live, the best time to see them is between mid-July and mid-August, when they appear in droves -- so I see them often enough that I was positively ticked to see them featured in Wuthering Waves essentially unaltered. The caveat would be the note about them purportedly tasting like fried eggs; while some species of jellyfish are indeed edible when prepared properly, I'm not sure about this one specifically, so I can't say I endorse trying -- and even if they are, they probably don't taste like eggs, as jellyfish supposedly bears little to no flavor.

Yarn Eel

I'm going to guess this one is a play on the real animal called the ribbon eel, which is indeed quite colorful, but not necessarily found in large knots. Apparently, while they don't do so well in captivity, they can live for up to twenty years in the wild! (So, depending on who all is reading this... there might be ribbon eels out there that are your age or older. 👀)

(Image source)

Sob Blob

Many of us might be familiar with the infamous, meme-worthy photo of the "blobfish" on which this critter is quite clearly based. However, did you know that said photograph does not accurately portray what blobfish usually look like?

Blobfish live on the seabed at depths of up to over nine thousand (!!!) feet; to maintain their integrity against the immense pressure at that depth, the blobfish's soft tissues are full of water and fat. So if a blobfish were to get caught in a net and very abruptly moved to sea level, where the pressure is much lower, its "water-logged" tissues effectively explode, giving it the unnatural "blob" appearance featured in the infamous photo.

(Image from NOAA, in the public domain)

This is a real blob sculpin shown in its natural habitat -- and in a much more fish-shaped state! Moreover, unlike the in-game Sob Blob, blobfish don't have a lot of natural predators and can get away with a rather sedentary lifestyle in which they remain largely stationary unless it's absolutely necessary for them to move. Moisturized, unbothered, flourishing.

And, saving probably my favorite featured critter of the bunch for last:

Salp

Salps are much less well-known critters than any of the ones I've described so far, I think! Aside from in Wuthering Waves, I've only ever heard mention of them in the 2007 video game Endless Ocean (of which I was also a huge fan back when I had a Wii). I would say they're not prominent in popular culture by any stretch of the imagination, as far as I'm aware.

Salps are tunicates, a type of marine invertebrate that is nevertheless part of the phylum Chordata that includes all vertebrates, as tunicates possess notochords (the embryonic precursor to the vertebral column), as well as other chordate features, in their larval stage. In this case, the in-game description is at least partially accurate, as salps are a key component of the marine ecosystem and are thought to be a food source for a great many other animals, including fish and seabirds -- though it's difficult to tell exactly which ones, since they're gelatinous and don't leave behind much evidence of being eaten in their predators' digestive tracts. They're also purportedly one of the fastest-growing multicellular animals in the world.

Their life cycle involves an alternation between solitary and "chain" phases depending on the generation. While the salps' in-game entry describes them as sometimes "too small to bother with," IRL the biggest salp colonies can literally grow to lengths of one hundred feet!

(Image source)

That's about all I have time for today! I've got more critters I can talk about, so be sure to let me know if you're interested in a part two 😉

Part 1 (you are here) -- Part 2 -- Part 3

[cheesycatz]

Parasitic worm pretends to be your valentine so you don't notice that they're the reason you have 24 days left to live

Wormton AU fic is 190k words now! : )

Nothing crazy new plot wise, more bonding and found family stuff. Obligatory fluff after how much these guys had to go through. I like describing all the sounds he makes when isn't trying to suppress them; chirps, warbles, trills, chirrs, chitters, screeches, snarls, and that weird computer whirring sound he makes that may or may not have the same connotations as purring (sorry I couldn't resist)

I'm excited to go through revisions! It's been so long since I wrote some of this stuff that I don't remember the fine details, so it's genuinely fun for me to read through. Also, I had fun making disguised wormton seem as cursed as possible without actually describing his real form until post-reveal. Blue was probably the only one who didn't think he was some deranged serial killer at first sight, which, fair enough. I was kind of worried about a few very minor original characters I added not being accepted, but then I remembered that Trashy the trash can probably has more speaking lines than any one of them and it probably isn't that big of a deal. I hope you enjoy the one chapter with these three kids putting their LPS animal dolls through the most traumatizing, heart-wrenching, dark story as we all did as children (I promise it's plot relevant and contains symbolism).

Drew some non-canon wormton stuff for Valentine’s Day. I mean, I don't know how you would send a valentine to an elusive homeless man with no official documentation of his existence. The asexually reproducing computer worm guy can't feel anything romantic, but he would love to take advantage of you—gladly accept your lovely gifts. Bro’s just teasing haha he would never inject parasitic worm larvae into your abdomen just don't go to the doctor in the next 24 days please he definitely loves you and not the worms hypothetically eating your organs

“worm.vbs” is a reference to the file type used by the ILOVEYOU worm and other old malware. I only know this because I realized that one of the official spamton valentines from last year contains its exact file name “LOVE-LETTER-FOR-YOU.TXT.vbs”. sharing this trivia because it was like the one reference in those valentines that I didn't see anyone mention back then and because it makes me feel smart

Food for thought:

Honestly, he'd be pretty scary if it weren't for his justified fear of the antivirus forces. Malworm safety is all about avoiding disembodied voices trying to lure you into alleys, so the fact that you can physically see his relatively humanoid disguised form would make him seem dangerously trustworthy. I was thinking about what would've happened if he would've gotten help from the person on the phone (probably gaster I guess? idk). He could've totally been like a cult leader manipulating people into willingly becoming hosts because it was honorable or whatever. And that could combine with the fact that their venom slightly influences the brain. And the followers would've thought he was simply dressing up as a malworm and his fall from grace would've been when they realized he was just a malworm in disguise infecting them and prolonging the invasion. I prefer what I have now; lonely hypothetically-murderous wormton is a lot more redeemable than very-murderous cult leader wormton would be. The addisons, or anyone really, would want nothing to do with him. Fun to think about! And only to think about; I'd rather focus on the version I have now.

See you next time at the big 200k 👀 chapter 3 might actually come out before my multi-book-length spamton fanfiction but don't worry I would never abandon my favorite freak of nature

yappin complete B)

[spacejade]

Dawner/Twilight and Hero party focused chapter directory

[Updated: 12 Feb 2025]

Have you ever wanted to revisit a certain moment but couldn't remember the chapter? Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle aka Maoujou de Oyasumi aka Maoyasu has so many chapters and the titles aren't always helpful so I compiled a list of the most relevant Twilight/Dawner (AkaTaso) chapters on my reread! I've also noted down the chapters focused on the other members of the hero party, since they are so few. Hope this is helpful!

Disclaimer: This post is for those who have already read through the entire series and just to be able to jump to certain moments to reread. I encourage new readers to read the whole thing without skipping. There's just so much to love about this manga!!

Dawner/Twilight focused chapters

Ch53: Suya's nightmare of Dawner from their childhood. Now that I think about it, it mentions the time that Dawner went missing (and met Twilight), so it's related(?). It's also the first Dawner-focused chapter in the whole manga

Ch 70: Twilight and Suya have a practice pajama party and the first hint of Twilight's love story. It's not really related but I'm including it since it's directly related to ch257.

Ch232: Twilight turns small after using up his magical energy. @pathfinder7007 reminded me of this small moment where Dawner recognises young Twilight's voice!

Ch257: Twilight's first love story, of his time with Dawner 15 years ago.

Ch316, 318-319: THE Dawner/Twilight reunion, and Twilight's reaction to it.

*ch317 is Harpie+Suya taking care of the sick cursed musician, if you were wondering what was missing

Ch332: Not the focus of the chapter, but Zeus and Twilight talk about Dawner for a bit after saving Goodreste Royal Academy, and you can see some of Twilight's reaction here.

Ch334: Leo gets Chamos to investigate Dawner. Not much on Dawner/Twilight themselves and more on Leo's reaction to it, but we get Dawner's full name here.

Ch339 (Kai runs away from the demon castle)+Ch346 (Suya's bar): These are actually focused on Twilight+Kai but they are also about. This.

Ch384-386: The Hero Party in the demon castle's dungeon mini-arc, up until Dawner meets Twilight (again)

(fun fact, the deserted island was first shown in ch300, the beach chapter)

And that's where we are now! Will I get to update this post next week or will Kuma-sensei make us waiting another 70 chapters?? How exciting 👀

Ch391: Dawner's reaction to finding out that Twilight is Dee

Ch392: Twilight pretends that he has a sisterisghdgdgdhssyvsddkdgks sorry i just read the update asfshdghshjkl. Oh Twilight....

(Bonus: Way back in Ch22, Twilight already had nightmares abt disappointing the Hero. I thought it was interesting how he's always wanted to impress him, even without the connection to "Hee")

Hero Party focused chapters

Other than those already mentioned, here are the chapters focused on the hero party, since they are so few. I didn't include minor 1 frame appearances (especially in the first few chapters) but let me know if anyone wants that too

Ch77: Suya meeting Dawner in her dream. The first time we see Dawner's personality in the current time besides minor appearances

Ch83: I said I wouldn't include minor appearances but look at Dawner being a lil (clueless) shit here. The chapter is focused on Suya's childhood stories but Dawner is there for 2 panels, which i might as well just post here

Ch105: Poseidon tells Dawner that Suya doesn't want to go home. Again a minor appearance but it says sth abt his personality

Ch137: Sunrise's introduction. Queen.

Ch151: Princess Robo Mark III vs. the hero party. Not focused on the personality of the hero party but they sure are there a lot (?)

Ch227: The chapter is actually focused of Zeus+Poseidon but. is this anything

Ch233:Poseidon teaches Suya how to do pull-ups(?official translation?) backflips feat. a tiny flashback to Dawner giving Suya more trauma

Ch238: The lost teddy demon is found by the hero party (hooray! finally another proper Dawner-focused chapter!)

Ch242: The lost teddy demon from Ch238 starts to imitate Dawner and Suya gets suspicious. Really shows what she thinks of him lmao

Ch287: Neo Alrune battles the hero party. I feel like this counts as a Sunrise chapter, yes?

Ch352-353: The hero party at the fake inn. The Waker focused chapters!

Ch383: The suspension of the hero party's quest, right before they go into the demon castle dungeon. Kisho focused with more insight on how the team works together

That's about it for now. Honestly I was shocked at how far apart the chapters were.... How long has Kuma-sensei been cooking... Now with the plot developments I hope we get to see more of the Hero Party though!!

Also please let me know if there's any chapters I've missed or you want included. With nearly 400 chapters there might be stuff that Ive missed... 400... that's crazy.... may maoyasu go on forever....

[spikeface]

Marcel for the character asks? 👀 I know we don’t get like TONS about him in canon, but I also suspect you have lots of thoughts :)

Omg okay I love this, I think I'm just gonna give a few Marcel-related thoughts rather than doing the meme because this is a fun chance to ramble about him, Theo, and Scott (and Allison and Kira, and also colonialism's relationship to alchemy).

1. My headcanon is that Marcel keeps Theo around to access medical records.

This is not a perfect headcanon but it's the best one I've got for why Marcel keeps Theo around, especially early on.

Because, like, POV you're a ruthless alchemist who cares about nothing but success. This nine year old is the closest you've come and maybe at first seems like he might be a success: he's the only stable experiment after hundreds of years of attempts (you lowkey suck at this), and he's even able to fully shift into a coyote-wolf.

But eventually it becomes clear that he's not a suitable host for the Beast. So unsuitable, in fact, that you pivot your entire approach to be about finding people who are already genetic chimeras, rather than this whole organ-theft evil-litmus-test business.

Which means you've got an obsolete experiment and a need for medical records.

It's the mid-2000s, when medical records are increasingly standardized to be digital.

You're a walking electromagnet. Computers hate your horrible body.

Theo makes it his baby business to finagle his way into medical records. Maybe it was even relevant to his parents' jobs?

This would explain why they keep him around, especially when he's younger. I know it's popular in fandom to say he helps lure in the experiment subjects, but I think it's significant that we literally never see him do this onscreen.

What Theo and Marcel do talk about is Theo being tasked with keeping Scott out of Marcel's way, but Marcel also seems to initially have no faith in Theo's ability to do this, as evidenced by the creation of Belasko. Belasko's sole job is to go weaken Scott! He's not meant to be a potential host for the Beast, it seems, because they kill him without seeing if he'll become unstable: his one job was Scott, and he failed.

My interpretation of that is that Marcel didn't think Theo could handle the true alpha, since the McCall pack is notably more involved in fights than other packs (as Theo later remarks upon). And especially when he was nine or ten, how helpful could Theo have been in keeping packs away? Or almost anything else to do with the experiments, since Marcel had been doing them without the help of a nine year old for literal centuries? Making him in charge of newfangled digital paperwork would mean he solves a new problem for Marcel, and explains why Theo seems to be otherwise generally underfoot when he's not dealing with the pack. Marcel has no other jobs for him, and seems to otherwise regard him as a nuisance to be tolerated (as long as he doesn't cross certain lines).

It would also explain Theo's casual confidence with Donovan's medical documents. It had to have been him who got those confidential files. Certainly him who printed them out.

I confess there's a problem with this headcanon, which is that Theo doesn't seem to know that Mason is a genetic chimera. I have no real answer for this except that either 1) Theo got the paperwork out of the way as fast as possible, not really paying attention, or 2) Marcel had gotten irritated with his dependence on Theo, and had been working on ways to access the files himself, all while Theo got older and more capable of handling local packs. Anyway, that's my two cents. #mycents

2. Marcel is properly not a doctor but an alchemist, and the show could have done even more with this by making Scott the Beast.

The Dread Doctor framework is alchemy: the symbolism of the ouroboros, the use of mercury, and the symbolic goal of alchemizing prima materia into the ultimate evil. Marcel is presented as beyond even the fringes of alchemy because he's already, essentially, discovered the elixir of life, one of the primary goals of the alchemists' search for the philosopher's stone. Marcel is an alchemist's alchemist.

Someone else has already pointed out that the pack symbol--represented as two circles for the first time in the alchemy season--is the alchemical symbol for the sun/gold. I adore this connection but am also certain it's not intentional. But it could have been! Scott coming back from the darkest night, ruled over by the strongest moon, to announce his resurrection through the symbol of the sun. The meta really says it all but I adore it.

Another fun little alchmey thing is that the alchemical Latin term for mercury is argentum vivum: living silver. The Allison of it all! Especially since mercury represents the principles of fusibility and volatility, and is best exemplified in Theo, the most fusible and volatile chimera. I don't know how the show could have incorporated this but it couldn't have been worse than the ham-fisted use of damnatio memoriae.

My last fun fact is that another classic Teen Wolf material shows up in the alchemical record: obsidian, known for its connection to Tezcatlipoca. In alchemy, the most famous bit of obsidian was a disc of obsidian obtained (with a very sus lack of provenance) by John Dee, an English alchemist. It has been since identified as an Aztec "smoking mirror," the symbol of Tezcatlipoca.

Marcel could have had one as well! He could have used it, say, to turn Scott into a hybrid of werewolf and berserker--maybe the twin sets of DNA are already there, a remnant of Scott's unique ability to break out of the berserker mask--and turn him into... the Beast, dun dun dun! It would have been so sick.

And with obsidian being critical to the process, Kira's obsidian tail could have been crucial to rescuing Scott. It would have built on season 4 so well. Are you seeing my vision?

[casualaruanienjoyer]

Just gonna casually drop Chapter 5 of my Cadet Aruani series here. Don't mind me 👀 Actually, what did I get myself into??

Want

Breathless.

Intoxicating. Overwhelming. Rough- 

No. None of that.

Soft. 

Softer than Annie expected it to be. Softer than anything she has ever touched. So soft, in fact, that it lingers on her lips like the touch of a feather. And then it disappears just as quickly as it came. 

Because Annie needs air. 

How long has it been since she last took a breath of fresh air? Since she last exhaled so deeply? Has she been holding in this breath her entire life? It might as well be the case, because when she pulls away, she feels relaxed. Oddly calm. The tangled stream of noise in her head is now but a mere thread.

Annie has answers. Well, some answers. Not the answers she desperately needed to discover for her mission. Not the location of the Founder or the royal family, or anything else  that was relevant to her mission in any way. But answers she longed for just because she allowed herself to simply exist, even if only for a moment.

Annie Leonhart is just a nobody tonight. Another face in the crowd. A colourless piece in a colourless puzzle, or perhaps she’s finally started seeing colours instead? Armin’s eyes are so blue when they flutter open. His messy golden bangs tickle his eyebrows and his ears are such a deep shade of red that Annie fights a sudden urge to bite them.

Huh? Was that really her thought? She stares at Armin, dumbfounded, not quite knowing what to feel, if anything. Or maybe she’s feeling everything all at once? Maybe that’s what this low rumble in her stomach is?

She kissed him. She kissed… Armin? Her eyes fall on his lips and the mess in Annie’s head returns. Only this time, it’s 100 times louder, and it resonated throughout her entire body like the splash of a wave during a storm. The more she looks at him, the louder the rumble in her stomach becomes. Her thoughts morph into something so wild it’s almost primal.

And then she catches a glimpse of herself in the mirror to her side and Annie’s chest suddenly tightens with worry.

She looks like a monster.

"Shit! Armin I-" she finally speaks, realising she’s been pushing him up against the door. "I…" she continues, not really knowing what to say. What can she really say, when she’s cornered him like prey? When the ugly beast within her was unable to stop things from escalating beyond the point of going back. When all her body wants to do is devour him whole.

Being a nobody was supposed to be simple, right?

There’s silence. Armin says nothing, and it’s almost scary. Eerie, even. This is the boy who always had an answer for every situation. The same boy who now leans against the door in such an uncomfortable way it makes Annie worry. Is he angry? Upset? Resentful?

"He might have a crush on you, but make sure you don’t -break- him, alright?" 

Scared?

"Say something…" she moves away completely and it’s so cold when their bodies disconnect that Annie wonders if she’s indeed made of stone. Was all that warmth from before…only his to begin with? Has she always felt this cold?

But as she moves away he grabs her arm, stopping Annie in her tracks. A whole minute passes before Armin finally decides to speak. It feels like torture, how gently he holds her even now.

"Annie… did you…?" he mutters as his free hand twists in a tight fist against the door. He looks so incredibly conflicted that Annie cannot read him at all. 

"What…?" she asks cautiously.

"Did you mean it?" he replies determinedly, eyes locked with hers. His gaze on her is so intense it makes Annie feel like a deer in headlights. "Did you really want to kiss someone like me?" 

Someone like… him? Someone like Armin? What does he-

But then Annie’s mind brings back small memories from the past year she thought had been blocked. Minor discussions, trivial jokes, really. Recollections of her colleagues throwing around small distasteful remarks about Armin. Whispers filled with mockery about anything from his personality to his appearance. Boyish jokes about his preferences and girlish teases about his looks. The kind of gossip Annie hated the most. None of these truly defined Armin in any way. 

And then she wonders, who is Armin to her, exactly? 

He’s the enemy, a Paradisian, a cadet, a reading partner, a sparring companion, a genius…and also just a boy. A boy that got her flowers. A boy that thought her hands were soft. An idiot, a daydreamer, a tease, someone who liked her. A boy who liked Annie Leonhart, the monster, the beast, the weapon, but also… the nobody. 

A boy who just wanted to see her smile.

"Annie, I’m sorry…I didn’t want to upset you."

It couldn’t be, could it? Was he perhaps worried of Annie becoming a target for such mockery herself? Foolish. Ridiculous. Did Armin really think she cared what people thought of her?

She wanted to read together. She wanted to train together. And it’s so hard for Annie to admit this to herself because she shouldn’t have any wants of her own. She shouldn’t be making friends, she shouldn’t let herself waste so much time. She doesn’t have long left to live. But at the same time…Why shouldn’t she do something she wants, at least this once? 

"What if I did?" she answers flatly, but the mess in her mind is anything but stern. 

Being a nobody isn’t as easy as Annie initially thought. It comes with feelings, with such intense wants that Annie’s never allowed herself to feel before. It’s overwhelming. Staggering, mind-boggling.

So when Armin’s fingers tighten around her forearm, his serious eyes send shivers down her spine. 

"Then… you won’t judge me for this-" he whispers, hands cupping her face to pull her back in his arms, lips meeting halfway. And Annie allows herself to just… exist.

To drown into this softness again-

No. 

This time it’s different.

This time it’s rough.

Heavy, foggy, it reawakens the beast inside her with such force that she grabs onto his shoulders to steady herself. There’s so much going on and Annie can’t help but sigh into his mouth between heavy, heated kisses.

What if she can’t stop? What if she hurts him? Fear burrows itself in the back of her mind and she wants to pull back, to slow down, she can’t let herself turn into a monster again.

But Armin’s hands slide to her waist, keeping her in place. He whines against her lips, begging for her to stay, to just let herself be. 

He’s not afraid of her.

He wants her.

"Didn’t know Arlert was into beasts like you, Leonhart."

Fuck Ymir. 

Maybe Armin was into monsters like her. Would it be that bad? Would the world really end if they liked each other?

Fuck Marley.

Fuck Paradis.

Damn it all to hell!

She doesn’t want to be anything tonight. She doesn’t want to fight. She doesn’t want to spy. She doesn't want to play soldier or be a brave warrior. None of that bullshit.

The only thing she wants tonight is Armin Arlert.

[fazedlight]

pls do ramble about kara’s relationship with kryptonite?? if you want ofc!! love your writing!!! 💞

Yayyy I love an excuse to ramble 👀❤️

I think Kara’s relationship with kryptonite, Earth, and her powers kind of go hand in hand, so I’ll start there.

Season 1 Kara is optimistic. She’s repressed her powers and buried her trauma for over a decade at this point - but now she feels like she’s finally able to embrace some purpose in her heritage, and it’s initially exhilarating.

She has no inherent distrust of people who hold kryptonite - in fact, she didn’t even know it existed until the DEO shot her out of the sky with it. She learns soon after that her cousin has a problem with the DEO because of it, but she seems to sort of understand the need, and she trusts Alex - and through her, the DEO - to strive to do the right thing. (Naive? Yes. But that's where she is.)

Kryptonite weakens her and hurts her, so she has to be aware of it. But it doesn't carry emotional weight as she fights her villain-of-the-week Fort Rozz escapees.

However, by the time season 3 starts - when the rift starts - Kara is far more weathered. She’s survived not only one, but two attacks by armies of supers (both of which are relevant to her history off of Earth).

I think her mindset has shifted a lot at this point. Because now she’s faced villains who could actually destroy her - she’s no longer just doing little acts of good. She’s also fighting to keep her planet from being destroyed (again).

I think she’s a little more desperate, internalizing that she’s not actually indestructible, while carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders.

Then this happens. Kara takes the most brutal beating in the entire show when Reign shows up, sending her into a coma where she has to fight through her fears. She’s more terrified than she’s ever been - both of dying, and what her defeat would mean for the Earth.

This is not a great mental place for her to learn that her best friend had kryptonite without telling her. This is not a great place for her to learn that her best friend has used kryptonite to keep another close friend trapped in a lab.

Lena did nothing wrong here, to be clear!

But all of Kara’s fears are coming to a head at this point, and she’s feeling a loss of trust (even if that’s irrational). I see Kara’s kneejerk reaction as being driven by pain and trauma, imagining how the world would fare without her if she were trapped in a basement (or killed).

She needs to know who has kryptonite, and why. Anything else is a threat that might not only kill her, but damn her planet… again.

When I wrote Plummet (which I assume prompted this ask), I figured the ending might strike some people as odd. But it makes sense to me.

First, Kara doesn’t have the wariness towards kryptonite on an existential level in mid-season-1. She’s worried about Non’s army, but she doesn’t know how bad it’s going to get yet. We’re still a few episodes away from her going on a suicide mission to save Earth.

Second, Kara still has that knowledge that this is someone she trusts that she’s giving kryptonite to. If Cat had gone off and acquired kryptonite on her own, I think that would scare Kara at this point (but not as badly as in season 3). But that’s not what happened here.

But most importantly to me, I think Falling falls short on its ending. Kara launched Cat over her balcony. Cat had a very real fear that she was going to die. This is the same Kara who was shown to be so thoughtful at the beginning of the episode (and the series in general), who broke down sobbing over Alex’s broken wrist at the end. It just doesn’t make sense to me that Kara would be so cavalier about Cat’s feelings in approaching her again (or never even bother to apologize!).

I think it’s more likely that the writers simply didn’t think this through, rather than the writers intentionally making Kara an ass. So I tried to fix it, while remaining canon-compliant.

Thanks for the ask!! 

[ventique18]

Hiiii I just wanted to point out that in Cater’s birthday vignette, he talks about the music club and their different music tastes and mentions that Lilia sang “a guttural screamo song about an unrequited love” 👀 👀I just love stirring the pot of drama 👀👀👀

That's an interesting find, actually. 🤔 It might just be a coincidence, it might not be a coincidence.

Warning: long-ish personal thoughts about Melealia(?), Lilianor(??)

I think in some points of his life he'd entertained the idea that he was indeed in love with Meleanor-- but he's really on and off or confused about it because he doesn't really have a point of reference. He might have genuinely felt hope for a future with her when they were kids, but stopped thinking about it when she rejected him. The only fact we know is that he did and still cares very deeply for her, and it looks to me like he doesn't really care for labels anymore-- she's just an important person to him, period.

The song about unrequited love is interesting though, because whatever type of love Lilia felt for her, it's kinda obvious that she doesn't reciprocate in a romantic way. Aside from rejecting him way back when and then eventually marrying his closest friend, the way she treats Levan and Lilia is extremely, extremely different. She legitimately gushes on Levan while attacking Lilia both verbally and with lightning in the same breath, lol. It appears like Meleanor really only sees Lilia as a sibling.

Not really too relevant anymore, but another fun fact about Meleanor: she's very honest with her feelings. There was a time when she was set up for a date with another dragon, but she hated the idea so much that she did everything she could to terrorize and send the guy back home running LOL. So the fact that she rejects everyone and married Levan, stayed with him, and had a child with him tells us that he really is her one true love.

About Lilia and Levan... I'm genuinely not sure. We don't know much about him, so we don't know if he's actually the one Lilia's probably singing about. 🤔 It's also an interesting twist if he only sees Meleanor as a sister and actually likes her husband instead. 🤣 But if that's so and Lilia thinks it's unrequited, then that's probably what it is.

TL;DR: Whichever way though, if Lilia really was in love, he's very sad lol. Meleanor, as assertive and honest as she is, clearly never showed any desire to be with him much less marry him. We don't know how Levan felt, but it's also clear he didn't make moves on Lilia because Meleanor wouldn't have pursued him then.

I know Lilia is content with what he has now especially since he loves his boys to the end of the world and back, but if he ever decides to seriously pursue romantic love, then I hope it's healthy and fulfilling for him this time.

[melien]

Some lil updates

The BC is coming! Hopefully today or at latest tomorrow. I was going to share it earlier but yesterday I wasn't feeling well due to the heatwave and couldn't do anything. After this episode I'll try to update at least once a week.

I think after the BC is over I'll genuinely just chill on this blog and do whatever whenever, but my overarching plan is to retell all my classic legacies (well the holy four as I call them: Fletchers, Maples, Lilygreens and Trinquiers + there will be a certain Fletcher spinoff after the Galactic Crusade story as well). They're literally always on my mind, even when I had breaks from sims and storytelling, and I have so many ideas about them. It's genuinely like a multiverse now. And my ambitious plan also includes eventually playing those legacies further with the new generations, which will be quite emotional I think. But I'm not rushing into it, it's like my big plan for the next couple of years perhaps. The Lilygreens might be on a hold actually because me and my creative partner want to explore the alien planet lore better through showing more of Gale and El's childhood and it needs more thought. But some others may even start soon - most likely the Maples, or the Fletchers for their 10-year anniversary in September. No promises though, my health and energy levels are definitely not the same as they used to be, that's a fact, unfortunately, so it will just be my own tempo. There's like a big dissonance between what I want to do and what I can do.

This brings me to - it pains me to say this but I think Electromagnets is most likely cancelled, I actually loved how it was turning out but now that I have a set plan with the legacies, I feel like most storylines that I have planned in Electromagnets would be told in the legacies anyway. E.g. Freya's story in the Trinquiers, Eden will also appear both there and in the said Fletcher spinoff, Milo and Irene will be Fletcher gen 8 again (it will take forever but I believe in myself), same with Lydia and all the relevant characters to it. Electromagnets also was supposed to have a few storylines with characters hardly relevant to the main ones and was generally supposed to be like an almanac of everyone's subplots and I feel like it will be too much jumping between them and that it's best to just tell every subplot in their respective legacy in time. I kind of feel bad for it though because the title was so cool.

I'm keeping Galactic Crusade though because it's technically a spinoff story of the Fletcher legacy so organically fits into everything and will also lead to a spinoff legacy. 👀 (and I just enjoy it a lot, it gives me numerous brainrots which can't be for nothing)

Also Swiftacy may be back, it's so chill and I'm happy with how it's going, I see it more like an exercise in storytelling (I have it on short lifespan too) but it's very enjoyable and relaxing when I'm not in a mood for elaborate plots and deep character development.

[kenjiyabuki]

stuff that made me go 👀 from ep1

Well, gore-y horror from between 70s-90s w queer subtext is one of my most favorite genres ever, so obviously this show is right up my alley. Just the idea of Thai folk horror and 90s slasher fusion w a bunch of tense gay situationships sprinkled on top sounds like a dream to me <3

so OFC I enjoyed the first episode, the gore, haunting past, creepy mask and dick biting and all & now i'm ready to theorize

here are some little details that got my attention and some thoughts that were thunk by me:::::

After Por's (Us) classic setting-the-up-story horror tale gets called out as teasing from White (Fuaiz), Por and Top (Jet) turn the accusation back to his boyfriend Tee (JJay), calling him the best at tricking the younger ones/newcomers to the group.

Based on the trailers, it's safe to assume that in the past, it was Non (Barcode) who was the gullible young one and he was bullied (among other things that will happen to him) even after group decided to utilize him for the short film. Compared to loudmouths Por and Top, Tee seems more on the quiet and stoic side (albeit w anger issues) so this is definitely a clue. Trailers made me think Por was the main terrorizer of Non but maybe Tee played a bigger role.

If Non is the whatever the hell that is dwelling the forest, then why did he cop a feel from Tee while him and White were busy being the couple who chooses the worst time and place to get nasty in a horror? Is it a payback for the tricking the young ones Tee was so good at?

If this isn't a translation mistake, Jin (Copper) calls the movie "his" even though the credits says otherwise.

Firstly, I want to thank my trusty Yandex Image Translator for making this revelation possible:

While Jin says that he made the film for a contest he was in, it's Por who is credited as the Writer/Director/DoP. In fact, Jin's name is only under the cast list, along w Tee, Top and Fluke (Bump).

And maybe even MORE IMPORTANTLY, although we clearly saw him in the movie, taking off the mask just before Por shuts of the laptop & later Top admits he wrote the story, Non's name is nowhere to be seen in the credits. Not only he "disappeared", they also made it seem like he wasn't there in the first place. Uhmm, that's a cunty move to do to an old "friend"...

That really suspicious and ambiguous conversation between Tee and Por.

They might be talking about Non BUT Tee specifically says he doesn't want HIM, which i'm assuming to be White, to get involved and find out more. Por's face drops at first but then he brushes it off w saying it wouldn't matter even if he did because its not relevant anymore.

There are also other new guys who are oblivious to their past but it's White who is worrying Tee. Along w Por's reaction and him constantly teasing their relationship, I think this might be a sign that Tee and Por might have some kind of history??? I am hoping that as messy gay entangled relationships on top of the supernatural horrors would be even more fun!!!!!!!!!

Phi and White's lil sexual tension moment.

Here's the thing: this wasn't even a set up for Jin or Tee to get jealous or anyone to get thoughts because they weren't there to see it. It just happened so quickly and then Phi turned back his attention to Jin to get scolded (as he should) BUT i was stuck on it because what was the reason????????????? Why did White seemed lost in thought over it?

Jin might be jealous of Tan (Mio) for some fucking reason?

Jin gives Phi half a blowjob, BITES HIS DICK (best moment of the ep), chews him out (verbally) and then suggests Tan in his place. Well, Tan and Phi do seem close and Tan knows about their failed FWB. Still, it's interesting that Jin singled out Tan and thinks they had a similar thing, even though Phi assures him that isn't the case.

Honestly, the possibility of tangled relationships is getting to me AHHHH I didnt get that vibe from the trailer at all but I will be glad to see it. Insert the *I'm excited because I love mess* gif I cant be bothered to search rn.

Top being the token salacious fool archetype of this slasher.

Following up on the theme of horror gays being in entangled situationships: A high Top making passes at his friends might not lead anywhere as it just might be him fulfilling his role as the facetious, big mouth guy. But i will just put it aside just in case..... 👀👀

Bonus strays thoughts::

According to character profiles, all the boys are the same age, except Tan and White who are 2 years younger

Por says to Tan "you two got in [their friend group] in 12th grade". I am assuming other person is Phi as White got into the group as the boyfriend. I want to see how they got to be friends tho.

Smoker Tan has asthma and he needs an inhaler which definitely won't be a big problem in the future, right?

It's interesting how Phi wants to be a director and we fittingly saw him being a leader, being levelheaded and "directing" the critical situations, assigning roles to the group etc

Top claims Non is haunting them because they completed his film without him. Babygirl, I dont know if intellectual property theft is enough to turn into an evil ghost, I know you guys did more than that.

Random but I kinda want Fluke to be the Final Girl, surviving until the end w just a puke bag and 2 years of medicine knowledge.......

[neo-somnovem-thirst-account]

Okay I'm not current on CR at ALL (every time I have enough time try and catch-up I'll get through an a handful of episodes and then be inundated with time consuming tasks and have to set it down again, but one day I will catch up) but I'm hearing about some ™️Discourse happening so I'm just gonna say something, but I don't even know if it's at all relevant. (I think it might actually be anti-thetical to whatever is currently happening but I'm having thoughts) I guess let me know if I'm making a fool of myself due to lack of context, this is maybe more about CR in general though so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ .

When in real play, TTRPGs aren't always going to flow smoothly or have characters make the smartest choices or even the choices that make sense for them as characters. It's just a fact of how weird the play space that role-playing games exist in can get, especially when it's done in formats geared towards an audience. Sometimes a player will just be in a weird place and it will blend into a session, or time between sessions might get stretched and suddenly you feel very differently about certain in games decisions. If you care a lot about making a perfect story that can be sold as a streamlined story, then it would be an issue, but if your just playing for fun then it doesn't really matter.

I feel like this is exacerbated by the fact that CR in my mind has always tried to be a game/player first situation over being a story/viewer first situation. What I mean by that is, in the game itself they don't always try and force a streamlined well thought-through story, though they definitely do try to make it more polished and well written. It's one of the things I always liked about CR, that the funky amorphous feeling of the role-playing heads pace is way more tangible in the campaign. Characters sometimes make wildly out-of-character decisions, or stories take weirdly convulated and unnecessary turns. It makes it feel more wobbly and imperfect and I love it dearly, as that just happens sometimes in role-playing, Shit gets weird when you let your friends into your brain.

That being said, when you're viewing it as a weekly show, that aspect can be so VERY frustrating because we're used to getting streamlined thought-out storylines from media. It can totally be enough to stop people from watching CR altogether if it bothers them enough. It's almost certainly the reason why people prefer other TTRPG shows like D20 or TAZ (refering entirely to the mini-seasons as ive never made it all the way through the big seasons of TAZ, so major grain of salt on this one), but it's also what makes CR feel different. D20 and TAZ and most other live play shows are usually short-form stories which allows/forces them to cut through the role-player brain fog and just focus on telling good stories.

Obviously CR does sometimes let the fact that the audience is watching 👀 affect their in game moments, and that's okay... because their role-playing, and role-playing is inherently imperfect. CR is more likely to experiences both ends of this dichotomy (being widely unstreamlined/convulated and being very streamlined/railroaded) because they are longer form and trying to capture that role-playing headspace, but they are ALSO a company who has based their careers around those organic (and imperfect) stories they tell, and how they are recieved by fans.

At the end of the day, I guess what I'm saying is, if you want CR but as a perfectly streamlined and well told story, but also maintaining some well-placed and intentional wobbliness, then the live campaign just isn't what you're looking for. Honestly in my mind that's what you'll get from the adaptations of the campaigns (Tlovm, TM9 show when it comes out, the comics, the books etc.) so I bet people who don't like the wonkiness of the campaign love those right!...right?

Obvs I'm not saying you can't be upset with whatever decision the Hells made (or didn't make) that has people fighting, but I also think that this decision they made being wrong, imperfect, or unsatisfying from a story perspective is just what can happen in TTRPGs. Capturing that is, to me, what CR is all about, and what endeared me to it so much before other liveplays. It captures the unique thing that happens during roleplay that is specifically experienced by the roleplayer and not the audience. Which can obvs be a little unsatisfying for the audience member sometimes if we're wanting it to feel like a show and not an experience.

[gu6chan]

nahhh the euphoria animated adaption is SHIIIIT. bad animation, voice lines I’m 90% sure at least some of them have been lifted right from the game, NO hot latex lady, and the True Route is wrapped up SUPER quick. solid 4/10 for most, 0/10 from me due to aforementioned lack of best girl

Initially sent: 18/05 at 16:40 First things first, I wanna give you a nickname, can I call you latex-anon? :3< That sounds kinda lewd in a way that might be a bit personal for you though, so maybe I could call you euphorianon instead... Or if you have a different nickname you'd like to use, please lemme know, I'm all ears 👀 im very fond of you, looking over and chatting over my first glance into this rabbithole!!!!! lol Also, pardon the fact I haven't gotten to your previous ask from this morning, I will answer it!! I thought this would be more relevant to grab real quick because i just saw this one coming back after pausing like... 4 minutes into the second episode to comment specifically about the animation and how Rika actually looks like an improvement to her VN design where Natsuki is a slight improvement, Rinne and Nemu are more or less standard of what I'd expect from an adaptational form (Not on par with the VN by merit they have to optimize designs specifically for the sake of animation, but they're still faithful enough! I like Rinne in particular, and am sort of 50/50 on the choice to give her slight expressional changes in the adaptation! It's cute to see and I enjoy it, but at the same time I dunno if it adds or takes away from her character.... hm 🤔) miyako was also so cute for the literal 30 seconds we got to see of her!!!! the animators couldnt save her from the story but they gave her their good graces at least 😭😭

but then there's specifically.... kanae? i wanted to talk about???? She's not terrible, ofc, but compared to the others Kanae is relatively REALLY off-model in a VERY noticeable way that kinda took me off guard when i first saw her skdghjsdjkh i think its the fact the hairs not as fluffy (it also looks shorter?) and she doesn't have those same babydoll eyes? which is a shame bc that's what made her design so cute to me in the vn :,) I'll have to run a comparison when im done with this but i'm like 90% sure that's it lmao I kinda expected it to rush through the plot if not diverge away from it entirely (which im lowkey hoping for tbh, this could get me shot but anime divergences like that have always been very enjoyable for me lol) since there's no way in HELL theyre going to fully adapt a 30-35 hour visual novel whose complete story is dispersed through 3 majorly different routes without taking some shortcuts lol, though that's okay!! If I wanted the story that's what the VN is for, this is mostly just because I enjoyed the vn and want to see cute girls get tortured in a different medium now lmao I can't speak too much on the animation quality in particular mostly because a majority of hentai I've ever watched were like.... from the 90's to the very early 2000's? (I watched one from 2013 and one from 2007. that's literally it i can count them on my fingers) so it's funny the animation quality gets brought up because the bar is so far into the dirt for me that i admit i was awed by euphoria's animation quality in particular 😭 I KNOW THERE ARE SCENES WHERE I CAN HEAR THE BUDGET LITERALLY SCREAMING FOR MERCY BUT COMPARED TO EVERYTHING ELSE IM JUST LIKE "oh my god those are consistent jiggle psychics and the thrusting animations are more than 2 frames.......... holy shit" But I'm so glad you mentioned the thing about the voice lines!!!! I'm assuming they rehired the VAs for the characters??? So that might just be part of it but LITERALLY that was my first thought too i was literally like "did.... they just copy the voice lines from the vn???" because maybe it is just the voice similarities, but i SWEAR ive heard that exact intonation before.... idk how i feel about it tbh its uncanny but i AM glad the voices aren't too different (And Rika in particular was noticeably less obnoxious sounding lmao) I figured the lady in black wouldn't be there, which is a SHAME, but i kinda figured with the condensation they'd have to do it was inevitable.... 😔 there's just no winning, huh.... At the very least, Episode 6's thumbnail DID show Rinne's cultist look so we (or I?) have that at least? God I hope There's a couple budding thoughts I have about Keisuke's characterisation in the anime vs. the VN, but I'll wait till I'm done before I say anything in half-confidence. lol I also really like the soundtrack. That piano.....

All in all, thanks for the thoughts!! I'll be looking forward to keeping updates as I watch on. :)

[adamsvanrhijn]

I wonder if Thomas is travelling with Guy as his servant and therefore if there is a servant's quarters Thomas would go there. I didn't think about it but someone brought it up in a post. Personally I interpreted the job as a PA type thing.

Is this just in the context of DA3 or like, in general? I'm curious what their reasoning was, because I don't think that makes sense with what we know!

Context + canon refresher since I just saw the movie and it's fresh in my mind...

First of all, "servants' quarters" isn't even a universal concept—especially by this point in the 20th century, especially outside of the UK.

By 1928 and especially by 1930, the vast majority of people do not have servants, let alone live-in servants who travel with them. Domestic workers like cooks and cleaners are likely to not live where they work and to have more than one client. Some services a lady's maid or a valet might have provided, like mending or planning travel or personal shopping, are outsourced; some, like dressing a person, are simply not relevant anymore.

Such that, if you're traveling with your same-sex companion/partner/lover who is not your servant, you don't gain any safety or security by falsely claiming that they are your servant — if anything, you're shooting yourselves in the foot when it comes to being able to interact normally in front of others & inconveniencing your host who probably isn't prepared for this scenario.

When you & your lover already present to strangers as, & are in fact also in, a lateral professional relationship, there isn't really a reason to claim otherwise. Way easier to tell the truth, including that you both have identical accommodation needs. With hosts who don't have all the details, this would most likely look like adjacent rooms, adjoining rooms, a suite or room with multiple beds, etc. Obviously for familiar hosts who do have the details it can be whatever the host & guests would like.

Changing that up just because you happen to visit a rich person who has live-in servants with dedicated servant accommodations doesn't really make sense and is very inconvenient and complicated. In addition to being a bad move where your relationship's longevity is concerned.

Anyway, on top of all that, Guy says out loud on screen that he doesn't even see value in the social role associated with servants when he speaks with Thomas in the butler's pantry:

THOMAS: Suppose someone comes in. What would they say?

GUY: I don't care. I've lived in America for ten years now. I don't believe in that stuff anymore.

We see him demonstrate this with how he treats and speaks to others while he's at Downton. With Thomas specifically, a couple examples of this are, when he insists that he and Thomas address one another as equals, and in an even more revealing way, in their first 1:1 interaction, when he doesn't seem to be thinking about it and speaks to Thomas with more familiarity —light-hearted teasing — than most would find appropriate in context between a guest and a servant, which he seems to then realize after the fact (based at least in part on Thomas's reaction) and immediately explain and apologize for. It's giving season 1 episode 2 Matthew Crawley but way more thoughtful. Some characters could never!!!! 👀

HOWEVER, none of the above context even matters...

...because Guy also says out loud that he expects as part of what he is proposing that Thomas will be comfortable on his own terms with however much involvement or meaning he wants, making the choice to clarify this out loud rather than leave it ambiguous (emphasis mine)—

GUY: Hollywood gets some bad publicity, but I live in a place called Hancock Park, and it's... it's pretty nice.

THOMAS: I can believe it.

GUY: Well, why don't you come and see for yourself?

THOMAS: What.

GUY: I mean it. I travel a lot for my work, and I don't have a wife to look after me, so... [pause] ...you could do it.

THOMAS: I'd be your valet?

GUY: More than that. You'd run the house and organize our journeys, make me comfortable. [beat] Make us both comfortable. ...Of course, if my career folds, then we'd have to think again, but...

THOMAS: Your career won't fold.

and

THOMAS: Tell me, did your offer mean what I think it did?

GUY: It can mean as much or as little as you like.

THOMAS: I'd like it to mean a great deal.

GUY: Then you're in luck.

So like, Thomas being the one responsible for figuring out the travel in the first place and making BOTH of them comfortable... He is the one who gets to make that choice!!

& I personally don't think that's at all what Guy would hope Thomas would choose... or that he [Guy] would let it go undiscussed if he [Thomas] did make that choice. That does not appear to be at all what Guy has in mind. Even if they're keeping things strictly professional, I think his expectation on traveling arrangements would be what I describe above for two professionals traveling together—same exact level of accommodation, near enough for work coordination & collaboration, but they're not stepping on each other's toes and can lock the door on each other if they so wish.

My personal interpretation, supported by Dominic West saying Thomas is Guy's lover in that interview recently, is that Actually when they are traveling together they are simply not going to lock the door on each other though 😌💅🏻 They have their reasons 😌💅🏻

[angst-is-love-angst-is-life]

director's commentary on Trophy please 👀👀

Trophy

Oh gods where do I even start-- my magnum opus, my beloved, the every-horrible-thing-I-could-think-of-happens-because-no-one-stopped-me (and boy did my best friend try) fic

This was so long I'm sorry-- as you can see, I always want to talk about this fic but have ✨anxiety✨. When asked about it though-- it's what my brain needs to allow it lmao. I do hope you enjoy :)

The first line was originally (as a thought) "I deserve this" , this was scrapped because the concept became irrelevant in later drafts (and now it may become relevant again-- who knows). The first bit before it cuts back to the race was originally the first of a back and forth kind of flashback thing. ex. chapter 2 would have taken place in the present with hints as to what happened, and chapter 3 would directly follow the events of chapter 1. If the way I explained that didn't make much sense-- that should be enough to show why this has since been changed💀

A single step away– but in the corner of his eye; a flash, a blur— and Zoom tackled him off the magnetar.

This was very intentional. I specifically wanted to mention just how close Barry was to winning as he did in canon. Makes everything that happens next all the sweeter, to me :)

There are many parts and lines that are going to hit so much harder later on and that's all I'll say about that matter for the moment.

“You really thought you could defeat me?” His low whine turned into a howl as Zoom pressed harder on an evidently broken rib. “Forgotten I’m the fastest man alive?” Zoom leaned further down and Barry bit his cheek to prevent a shriek. “Don’t worry.” Tone laced with venom, he wrapped a hand around Barry’s windpipe. Zoom’s mask was inches from his face, blocking the breach. “You’ll have plenty of time to remember.” He clawed at the hand desperately, struggling for air. 

This is one of my favorite scenes ngl. I wrote this whole excerpt after rewatching the Enter Zoom scene and wrote nothing else for the rest of that night lmao. Tis where you get the parallels between those first two lines and ones in that episode "You really thought you could defeat me?" is just slightly changed from "{Harrison Wells}, you thought you could defeat me {with this}?" And as I type this, I have discovered another layer to that parallel that is extremely relevant to the story. Holy shit this is awesome (I will not be saying. spoilers.) ANYWAYS; the other parallel line. "Forgotten I'm the fastest man alive?" comes from "Never forget, I am the fastest man alive." I love parallels. Let's just say that Zoom is very irritated and a little offended that Barry seems to think he {Zoom}'s less powerful than he is. May need a couple more reminders...

Knew I needed another really bad injury besides the broken rib to both bring the Enter Zoom parallels to a climax, and to make the next scene/s work. I thought "Hey! Speedsters can't run if their leg is broken!" and that was that.

“Now you can watch your precious multiverse die. Knowing you’re the one who destroyed it.”

This might be my favorite line and it is the only anything from the first draft of chapter 1 that made it to the final draft. Also I wrote it at 5 am because of course I did.

Somewhere behind the two speedsters, there was a scream

The person who screamed will not be revealed in this fic but I do know who it was and there is an in-universe reason for it besides simply directing the attention away from Barry. I wrote a companion piece off of that reason-- may post it if I feel like cleaning it up a little. But for now, feel free to theorize :)

And finally, to round out the chapter 1 fun facts and commentary-- something I've wanted to say since that fateful day it was posted.

Around 50% of chapter 1 was written on March 14th from 5-11 pm with no food, no water, and no bathroom breaks. I had the power of whump and the speedforce on my side and I was DETERMINED to post it on Barry's birthday and it fucking worked.

THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH FOR ASKING AND ENABLING ME BECAUSE I HAVE PUT WAY TO MUCH THOUGHT INTO THIS FIC AND AM DELIGHTED TO SHARE IT!!!

Fanfic Writers: Director's Cut

[the-flesh-is-willing]

Not going to lie, I really don't want to spam numbers for the couple ask game right now, but I do want to know about your characters' relationship, soooo. 1-30. :3.

(You don't actually have to answer all of them if you don't want to, you can just do any you want to do- /gen) 🌻

oughhh tyty for the ask /gen

for those unaware, tl;dr: good princess/evil queen gfs :>

couples ask game for reference

princess prima garon (she/they/one) is the archetypical heroic good princess whose family was descended from a chosen one hero that defeated an evil overlord and sent them into exile. prima is the new chosen one to defeat a new evil: vindicta nox (any pronouns), queen of the neighbouring evil kindgom and descendant of the evil overlord prima's ancestor ousted. instead, they fall in love. (also turns out the kingdom's not that bad, just has a "villainous" aesthetic)

1. at first their families were. concerned. but over time stuff worked out and now they get along fine/their countries are allies

2. see above, i think it was harder for friends to get over distrust though

3. don't know, hmm.

4. i imagine prima's most relevant ex might be the lancer to her leader in their hero-team? but either way they're on good terms and that was a while ago, just ended up being kind of incompatible for a committed relationship. maybe prima dated around as well but this would be a childhood friend... turned first love or something? 👀 considering making them arospec and realizing that later/vindicta feels "different" from the rest. vindicta is definitely also a different type of person from the people prima thought they should be dating... xe's much easier to be around as a Partner. vindicta may have a previous ex that they also ended up not being too compatible with, but that ex had a worse attitude about it and it ended on worse terms.

5. initially, they don't get many chances to sleep in the same bed. however physical touch is vv important to them (totally not projecting /s) so when their families and the people in their kingdoms became more okay with it they spend the night together alllll the time. usually at vindicta's place because he's, yknow, actively ruling crows country and travel arrangements are a pain in the ass. ANYWAYS prima loves sleeping tightly curled up into vindicta. or the two spoon, they probably have one of those couples' pillows so your arm isn't crushed

6. they ABSOLUTELY give each other nicknames/pet names. vindicta calls prima riri, while they call xem vin. vindicta uses a lot of the typical flirty villain pet names: "my dear", "my sweet", etc. this happens to fluster prima a lot, though it's hard for one to admit the obvious fact that one finds it attractive. prima isn't big on pet names except using the ones her gf calls her sarcastically sometimes, which it finds kinda funny. sometimes they jokingly call each other their full names and titles.

7. vindicta likes how strong-willed and determined her riri is, almost stubborn. however, this can almost be exasperating and sometimes prima doesn't know ones own limits. less decided/articulate on what prima likes and dislikes about vindicta

8. not gonna go into too much detail about this (i am a minor) but prima: vindicta's overall height/build (vin is the taller one), and voice if that counts as physical vindicta: probably into collarbones? and the uhh waist/stomach area yk.

9. didn't know what this was, looked it up. seems to be about commitment and also just, happiness in a long term relationship? so i guess so.

10. haven't built out too specific of a timeline yet but they've definitely had big fights over what i mentioned in #7 with vin getting frustrated over prima being kinda self destructive and almost obsessed with "the right thing"

11. idk how to articulate this 😭

12. the respective royal families/courts freaking out, crises in both of their kingdoms, probably a death in prima's family

13. as i mentioned, both really value physical touch. they also both do a lot of words of affirmation (building off of hero/villain banter). besides that vindicta leans more gift giving and prima more acts of service/quality time. in terms of unique expressions of love, they like sparring with each other and helping improve the other's swordsmanship. prima enjoys trying to cook things that vin might like and generally like... presenting skills she's learning to him. meanwhile vindicta likes surprising darks gf with gifts related to their interests in particular, dark really enjoys their reactions.

14. idk what really counts as a "little thing" but? prima: smelling petrichor after rain. finding shapes in the clouds, moon, or stars. experiencing hypnogogia before falling asleep. running your hand along cold, polished stone. enjoying a drink so warm it almost burns your tongue. vindicta: happy vestibular stimming. waking up as the sun rises. noticing the seasons change. aspects of prima's style of magic usage: a pinkish yet golden light, a hard-to-describe tingling feeling.

15. prima definitely picked up a bit of that "flirty villain" vibe in her mannerisms, while vindicta has grown a bit more lighthearted and energetic in conversation. they copy each others' stims.

part 2

[theflyingfeeling]

I am not saying I have s good gaydar but it is beeping loudly at especially Olli 🙈

But a genuine question I know it’s all a joke and nothing serious but do you seriously think Olli and/or Aleksi might be lgbt and do you think they actually might have a crush on each other? I know it’s none of our business really but people (me) tend to be curious 🤷🏻‍♀️

Love your blog btw ❤️

Yeah I can't proud on having anything even remotely resembling a gaydar but sometimes I wonder... 👀🤨🤭

(putting the rest behing a read-more 🫣)

In all seriousness, as I've said many times before, I've always thought there's no way BC is 100% heterosexual. I just don't believe it 😌 as for who in the band is not straight, I'm hesitant to speculate or comment on anyone's sexual orientation (outside fanfics / delusional headcanons, that is), but I mean... obviously it's a possibility? 🤷‍♀️ however, as much as I'd love to see Olli and Aleksi together or even just crushing on each other for real, I must admit them being queer is more likely than them being queer AND having a crush on each other. Then again, they wouldn’t be the first people in the history of the universe to fall for a friend, neither would they be the first people ever to have a crush on Person A while being in a relationship with Person B...

So my (boring) answer to your question is it's possible 🤷‍♀️ one might argue that e.g. Olli wearing that t-shirt with the rainbow on the backside that was made/sold in collaboration with his local LGBTQ+ organisation is relevant here, and maybe it is, but at the same time a completely heterosexual person might as well wear a shirt like that to show their support (to a friend or a family member or just in general, because why wouldn't he? he's a good bean and that's exactly the kinda thing I'd imagine him doing). Same goes for Aleksi's "everone is gay" Nirvana shirt. Sure, there are other "hints" the may have "dropped" (accidentally or not, like that moment in Aleksi’s twitch stream when he refused to read the comment out loud once he noticed it was basically calling him a straight person 😂), but not quite enough for me to actually lean towards any explanation more than the other. I know both of them are currently in long-term heterosexual relationships, so it's rather safe to say neither of them are gay, unless they're been fooling their poor spouses this whole time, which I honestly don't believe is the case. But them being bi or pan for example is totally a possibility as far as I'm concerned, since I don't understand why 'heterosexual' should be the "default" and that everyone is assumably straight until something explicitly proves otherwise. I'm sorry but to me the fact they're in hetero relationship is NOT enough proof 😌

And if someone's tempted to make a comment along the lines of jfc what are you on, of course they're not crushing on each other, they're FRIENDS and you're delusional omg, I want you to ask yourself: is it REALLY that far-fetched that two friends who reportedly 1) really enjoy each other's company, 2) have common interests, 3) share the same kind of humour, 4) spend a lot of time together when given the chance, and 4) possibly find each other attractive (just speculation) would have a crush on one another? Just a teeny tiny (🤏) crush? I think not 😤 Especially in Olli/Allu's case, since they've only known each other since idk 2019 or something like that? Suddenly I can't remember when Timebomb came out or when they worked on it lol but anyway, it's a little different in comparison to Olli's other bandmates whom he has known since he was a teenager / literal child, so I'd imagine he views e.g. Joonas and Tommi as his brothers almost. With Aleksi he doesn't have that kind of history, although I'm sure they too have engaged in all sorts of brotherly activities... 🥰

Even considering the case they're both in relationships, it wouldn't be a complete impossibility. Especially in long-term relationships I'd say it's rather common to have an odd crush on someone else from time to time. Whether or not they do anything about the crushes is another story entirely

Yeah, anyway, hope this helps! 😇 have a great weekend, curious anon ❤️