#( && can't you see i'm a fool in so many ways. | | character development. )

[flanaganfilm]

The Midnight Club - Season Two

I'm very disappointed that Netflix has decided not to pursue a second season of THE MIDNIGHT CLUB.

My biggest disappointment is that we left so many story threads open, holding them back for the hypothetical second season, which is always a gamble.

So I'm writing this blog as our official second season, so you can know what might have been, learn the fates of your favorite characters, and know the answers to those dangling story threads from the first season.

So for those of you who want to know what we were planning to do, here's a look at what would have been season 2!

AMESH Season 2 would open with Amesh, his glioblastoma advancing quickly. He would tell the first story of the season, but would be struggling to make it through. We'd focus on his love story with Natsuki for those first few episodes as it becomes clear that Amesh's death is imminent.

Meanwhile, Ilonka is trying to reconcile how she was fooled by Julia Jayne, all while falling further in love with Kevin, and she realizes he may be fading faster than he lets on.

Ilonka begins a serialized story in an effort to encourage him to "stay alive a little longer," like he did in season one. And the story she tells is... REMEMBER ME.

This was the thing I was most excited about for this season.

REMEMBER ME is one of my all-time favorite Pike books - it tells the story of a teenage girl who is pushed off a balcony, and awakens as a ghost. She has to navigate being a spirit while trying to solve her own murder. We would have stretched this story out over 5 episodes. We were going to use it as a vehicle for Ilonka to try to come to terms with the fact that she is going to die, and to begin to trying to wrap her head around being a ghost... but this is the coolest part... the lead character of Ilonka's story wouldn't be played by Ilonka. She'd be played by...

Anya.

Because this is how we live on, isn't it? In the minds of those we leave behind. And Ilonka would use REMEMBER ME as a way to imagine her dear friend Anya, waking up as a ghost, navigating the afterlife. And this sets up one of the best mechanisms of the show - even if a character dies, as long as they're remembered by members of the club, they live on in their stories.

As the story starts to pick up steam, though, the group will have to deal with the death of Amesh, which he greets with grace and bravery.

In his final moments, he sees someone in his room - the Janitor from the first season, as played by Robert Longstreet, who says comforting things to Amesh even though he can't respond.

In his final, final moments, the SHADOW descends upon Amesh, and he is engulfed into it, which reinforces the idea that the Shadow is DEATH...

With Amesh's death comes something that upends the entire thing: a NEW PATIENT. We didn't work out too much about who this would be, but it would be a new roommate for Ilonka. Someone taking Anya's old bed. Ilonka would find herself being initially cold to her - just as Anya was when Ilonka arrived. Even feeling like this new girl shouldn't necessarily be ushered into the Club. But of course they would develop a beautiful friendship over the course of the season. The new girl joins the club, where something else exciting is happening - Cheri is telling a story. We hadn't decided which one, but I think it might have been MONSTER.

Natsuki would be the next to die, which would be heartbreaking. And again, she would talk to the janitor just before it happened... and again, the Shadow would come in the final moments.

For Spence, though, things would take a different turn.

The advancements in HIV treatment in the late 90's would come into play, and we'd see his prognosis change. The HIV cocktail came out in Dec 1995, and we really wanted to explore that.

Spence would ride the swell of antiviral advancements, and by the end of the season, he'd no longer be classified as terminal. In the finale of season 2, Spence would leave Brightcliffe just like Sandra did in Season 1, heading off to manage his disease and live the rest of his life.

But onto the BIG MYSTERIES of the season one... here are some answers: What is up with Dr. Stanton's tattoo and bald head? Well, a few things. First, Dr. Stanton is actually the daughter of the original Paragon cult leader, Aceso. Her nickname was Athena, she wrote the Paragon journal that Ilonka found in S1. She turned on her mother and helped the kids escape, but because she was part of the cult in her teenage years, she had the tattoo.

It was her initials that Ilonka found carved into the tree in season 1 (her maiden name was Georgina Ballard, hence the G.B. that Ilonka finds carved in the tree).

She hated what her mother became, and the atrocities of the cult. She reclaimed the property after her mom was gone, and wanted to change it into a place that celebrated life. She was trying to undo her mother's legacy and leave something behind that was beautiful. She is wearing a wig at the end of S1 not because of a sinister reason, but because she is undergoing chemo. Dr. Stanton has cancer. Having helped so many people deal with disease, she now has to deal with it herself.

Her treatment would be successful, and she'd go into remission, but having to face that - while caring for the terminal kids at Brightcliffe - was going to be a very introspective arc for Stanton.

What about the Living Shadow? It's Death, right? Well... no.

At the end of the season, Kevin will die... followed shortly by Ilonka. And as she is dying, two things will happen. First, she'll find herself talking to the Janitor, played by Robert Longstreet... and she'll make a discovery.

HE is Death. And nothing to be afraid of. It turns out no one else ever saw this character. Stanton has a cleaning service, and the Nurse practitioners make up the rooms - the only people who ever saw this mysterious Janitor were the patients. He is Death, and offers them kind words before they die. Then what was the Shadow?

This is an idea we take directly from the book REMEMBER ME, and we'll see it play out in the final moments of Ilona's final tale. In Pike's book, Shari is pursued by a dark entity called The Shadow. When it finally catches her, though, it turns out it is not a bad thing at all.

The Shadow is THEMSELVES. It's the Unknown. As it engulfs someone, in the last moment of their life, it takes them through a place of understanding and catharsis, preparing them for the next step.

THIS is what happened to Anya in S1 when the Shadow finally reached her - that's why she fantasized a life beyond Brightcliffe, which ultimately let her find acceptance of her death. It looks different for everybody, depending on their mind-set - because it is simply an extension of themselves.

The Shadow is just the final catharsis, a return to our original form - it is a moment of true understanding, and once we experience it, we move on to the next place.

We see the Shadow in full effect when it finally comes for Kevin. KEVIN DIES with Ilonka at his side, and it leads to the biggest reveal of the season:

Who were the Mirror Man and the Cataract Woman?

They were Stanley Oscar Freelan and his wife, who built Brightcliffe (fun trivia, he is named after the real-life Freelan Oscar Stanley, who built my favorite hotel in America - the Stanley Hotel. The Stanley is also the inspiration for THE SHINING!).

But more than that... there's a reason that Ilonka only sees Stanley in the mirror, and sees the Cataract Woman whenever she looked at Kevin. This is something else we took from Pike's original book... these aren't ghosts, but glimpses of PAST LIVES.

Ilonka WAS Stanley Oscar Freelan, and Kevin WAS his wife. They've lived many lives this way, and are true SOUL MATES - they always find each other, and they always fall in love. In this life, they knew it would be a short one, so they agreed to find each other in the house they built. They've been "remembering" who they are, and glimpsing their former selves in reflections, and sometimes when they look at each other. This is also why Ilonka's very first words to Kevin in S1 were "Do I know you?" and why Kevin thought she was familiar as well. They are two souls who always find each other, again and again.

The story is this: Stanley was dying, and built this cliffside home hoping that the seaside air would help him. It did, and he far outlived his prognosis (this is also true of the real-life Freelan Stanley). However, his wife began to succumb to dementia.

She would wander the halls, looking for him ("Darling!") and would even forget to feed herself ("I'm starving...") and she eventually refused to leave the basement. Heartbroken for her, Stanley painted the walls to resemble the woodland view, and the ceiling to resemble the night sky, so that it would be a little more beautiful for her.

He also painted a labyrinth on the floor, which was a technique used to try to curb the effects of dementia. She'd walk the pattern of the maze and it was believed it could help her cognition. Eventually, she developed frightening cataracts, but Stanley loved her through it all.

They were soul mates.

So while they seemed scary in season 1, that was just how Ilonka and Kevin's mind were trying to remember their pasts. We even had their faces distorting in ways consistent with how memories degrade over time. When the Shadow comes for Ilonka, and gives her this understanding - this "remembering" - she realizes she has nothing to fear. She and Kevin will shed these personas and be reborn, and have the joy of finding each other another way. The Shadow comes for her, Death takes her gently, and Ilonka goes off with Kevin back into the cosmos, ready for their next incarnation. The series would end with Cheri telling this story to a whole new table of patients, including our new series leads. Most of our original cast now would exist as stories, a story told to the next "class" of storytellers at the table, all of whom we will have met by the end of the season. A story called "The Midnight Club."

Well, that's it... that was what we had in mind. It's a shame we won't get to make it, but it would be a bigger shame if you guys simply had to live with the unanswered questions and the cliffhanger ending. I loved making this show, and I am so proud of the cast and crew. Particularly our cast, who attacked this story with incredible spirit and bravery each and every day.

But for now, we'll put the fire out, and leave the library dark and quiet. To those before, and to those after. To us now, and to those beyond.

Seen or unseen, here but not here.

I'll always be grateful that I got to be part of this Club.

[ddarker-dreams]

Locke, I don't interact with fandoms much but uhhh could you help a girl out and explain the appeal to ENVER-EVIL-ASS-GUY-GORTASH??? 😭😭😭

Like I don't see the appeal 😭 but that's ok 🙏 i can be converted !!! Would you care to explain a lil what it is that you like about him? 👉👈

(On another note, how do you feel about Astarion or any other characters you'd like to talk about (just in generallll))

rubbing my lil hands together ... ohohoho........... for months, i have languished in silence, biding my time until i could conduct my Enver Gortash proselytization. i'll begin with some broad strokes then focus in on the dynamic i built a loose storyline around.

among the dead three's chosen, he's the most reasonable (although, to be fair, the competition isn't steep). his willingness to share authority with tav/durge belies a certain pragmatism most power-hungry folk lack. this is probably why bane picked him out from the riffraff. he's vain, sure (what with his portrait being plastered everywhere), but he isn't arrogant. he knows that to see his goals realized, he'll need to cooperate with others. patience, compromise, calm in the face of unexpected circumstances; these attributes disguise and strengthen his tyranny.

this snippet from the readable item, the ultimate state, specifically the bolded portion is of great interest to me:

What is progress? Progress is the movement of society and culture towards a state of collective unity. Without unity, mortals, each with their own individual agenda, blunder against each other, causing friction, conflict, war. Unity - peace and prosperity - is achieved when the collective follows a single agenda, that of one superior person.

he wants a functioning society, not a wretched one, where evil's inflicted for evil's sake. with that out of the way, i can finally elaborate on my neoliberal business major x humanities major dynamic. i'm sorry to everyone who read that cursed sentence, but it describes this relationship so well, i can't bring myself to delete it .

your early interactions with lord gortash are rife with tension. he senses your disdain, finding it more amusing than threatening. you're an idealist, well-intentioned yet naïve to the ways of the world, at least in his initial appraisal. when your path's cross, he entertains your perspective. you dislike his rhetoric, he believes your aims are as likely to happen as a reconciliation between shar and selûne.

you do have potential though — he won't deny that. gortash starts looking forward to your little run-ins (occasionally organizing these 'coincidental' encounters behind the scenes). unlike the other fools championing your bleeding heart cause, you walk the walk. he can't help but admire that quality. you'll inevitably be treated to one of those 'we're not so different, you and i,' spiels from him. you're easy on the eyes and make for pleasant company, this development was inevitable, in his opinion.

you wanted him to be this wicked, heartless monster, he can see your inner conflict when you realize this isn't the case.

there's a thrill in wooing you. gortash begins inviting you over, offering to make concessions on this or that issue should you plead your case effectively enough. and he does so enjoy hearing your arguments. it's a window into the workings of your mind; his latest intrigue. a few goblets of wine in, he's steering the conversation away from politics or philanthropy and into subjects more personal.

he already knows a great deal about you, courtesy of his vast information network. it spans throughout baldur's gate and beyond. naturally, he keeps this information to himself. you may have an inkling of a suspicion, but he's utilized so many proxies that nothing definitive can be traced back to him.

you develop some influence over him. you haven't made him soft per se, he's just more willing to 'do good' then before, since it'll earn your respect. it's still a means to an end.

[accirax]

initial thoughts on DCAS episode 19

Emily has really been going full villain mode these past couple of episodes, huh? while I'm overall not a huge fan of how many women have been portrayed as rude/unreasonable as compared to their male counterparts, i do love an evil queen. i support women's wrongs.

oh, Gabby. how many people wish that were true. (very cute gabellie content as usual)

i wonder if this is a soft confirmation that we'll never see Gabby or Ellie compete again.

this is so important. also, Hunter, the heart is on Ally's pajamas, not her casual look with the jacket. unless he just drew that there because he loves Ally so much :D

glad that Tom can finally admit that he is a terrible liar. truly, the person Tom and Jake should blame is the hiring manager who hired Tom in the first place.

if you loved him this whole time then why did you lie to him about having another boyfriend, Tom? ,':/ (/lh) (i know that he was explaining in this scene that it's because he was afraid, i'm just saying that the extent of his fears is something that shouldn't be swept under the rug, and that i feel it wasn't properly set up enough in s1 or DCAS as a replacement. yes it was showcased in DCAS but we never got an explanation as to Tom's thought process between seasons that would change his mind to make him more fearful.)

*several people are typing*

we NEED to see jaiden teaching Miriam a tiktok dance.

this is your daily reminder to not take anything that's said in a greeting too seriously.

c'mon, Fiore, a true gen Alpha-er would know that the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell without having to look it up. unless, oh god, is that too much of a gen-Z reference for gen Alpha to understand...?

HE'S SUCH A DAD I LOVE THEM

this was probably my favorite line of the episode.

this was a really cute detail! even though they were both the archetypal "old person" of their season, Connor is still, like, 20 years younger than Miriam. it totally make sense that she'd still call him kiddo! just, not grandkiddo.

literally even Ellie is rooting for them to finish this plotline already. or maybe she's just feeling guilty for separating them in the first place, and she's lowkey hoping that the damage wasn't that severe.

that's... that's a crime? you can't just burn people, even if they're terrible??? i guess that, given Riya attempting to kill Aiden and directly breaking Connor's leg further, the definition of what counts as a crime is pretty lax in this universe. unless it's about destroying the environment. thanks, Tom! (/j)

also, why is Yul's scar so damn low res?

MCDONALD'S ELLIE ISN'T CANON??? D:

i wonder if this season is going to end with Grett giving Ellie a job/helping Ellie get a job. i could see fitness influencer and fashion designer working together well, as long as Ellie is okay designing athleticwear.

on one hand, i don't like that we don't get to have the finalists pick the people that they're closest with help them in the finale. this feels rather random, and in terms of real-world fairness, having a finalist get stuck with terrible help isn't very fair (i cite Top Chef season 4 as my example). however, i do appreciate how Disventure Camp always mixes the endgame up. it's not very fair in a real-world perspective, but given that it isn't a real game i appreciate the variety.

i also think that this is a nice fix to really incentivize whoever is helping the finalist after (in-universe) we had two really unpopular finalists, Fiore and James, who struggled to get any help. it feels like a reasonable decision that the in-universe showrunners would make.

don't distract him during the finale, you fool!

the Romber strategy!!! wow, and it's even in the first All Stars season, too :D

THE YUL CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT IS BACK ON?!?!?!?!

FIORE FINALE CONTENT! FIORE FINALE CONTENT!

ain't no way she's actually winning and of that $100K though, lol.

y'know, this might as well happen.

Riya and Yul really are perfect for each other (platonic) because every time that either of them gets a chance to either repent and be a good person or double down and keep relentlessly chasing their goals, they both always choose the latter. they're gonna get punished in the finale big time for sure... to the extent that Yul hasn't already been punished by getting that scar(?) to the face. like, seriously, that could be even more damage to his career.

once again, i missed the real Hunter so much :,)

while i love the roast here, does Fiore actually have anyone's respect...?

that's a wrap, folks! the most important character arc of the season is over!

[all-pacas]

ok i was trying to nap because i'm sick and i couldn't sleep and instead i was thinking about house medical doctor. and like. ok. chase is my special favorite, right? i want to punch him in his face, right?

-

I was thinking, though. It's easy to… smooth over and buff out characters to make them more appealing. To focus on traits and interpretations that you like. And to be clear I do think Chase has a lot of good qualities, both in terms of being a likeable character (he's clever! He doesn't take himself that seriously and isn't ego driven, unlike many others in the cast!) and being a fun character to watch (he's always pulling weird faces or being sarcastic!).

But he also has some real fucking character flaws, so let's talk about them. Because I want to. Because I don't like smoothing people out to fit a Narrative. I want to talk about his apathetic moral vacancy.

Like. Chase is apathetic. He truly and honestly doesn't give a shit about other people a lot of the time. He's not aggressive about it, he's not cruel — he tends to be fairly polite, although he's not great at hiding it ("the nurse's phone can take pictures!" "………cool"), he doesn't often talk shit. When he dislikes a patient, he at least tries to hide it (contrast with Foreman, who genuinely sucks at this). But that doesn't mean he cares. He is absolutely fine with lying to patients (Post Mortem), or with billing people for tests and not telling them (Safe). He doesn't care if that's shady. He's super ethically flexible, is the only one of the fellows to be openly pro euthanasia, has zero moral issue with treating Dibala. This clearly isn't because Chase believes so strongly that being a doctor should make you neutral to petty political beliefs, he just… doesn't care much. It doesn't bother him. I don't think he'd go out of his way to be harmful or cruel to someone, but he also isn't going out of his way to help them either.

While we do see him advocating for his patients and getting involved now and then (mostly with children), he never really has any moments where he takes a stand or fights for someone. Cameron, by contrast, does this constantly (The Itch, Acceptance, Fidelity…). Foreman also has several episodes (Fools For Love, Whac-A-Mole, a lot of his S3 development tbh) where he finds and bonds with and over-invests in a patient. The closest Chase ever comes to "getting way too involved in someone's life because he cares" is Moira in Chase, and she's preeeetty explicitly called out as him rebounding and acting out; he's doing the Wilson-Amber reinvent yourself after trauma thing, and it wears off pretty quickly. In Cameron and Foreman's cases too, it's more about their personal issues than the patient in question… but Chase's situation was really about him.

Speaking of being morally vacant! When Cameron might be infected with HIV (Hunting), he expresses some concern and House immediately mocks him for being fake. I don't actually know that it was (he certainly keeps up the thread of suggesting she should take some time off, he's not just being performative), but it's telling that the first reaction to Chase showing concern for anyone is "lol, who are you kidding?" Cameron accuses him later that of not being a good guy. She wants to get laid and live life on the edge, and the person that jumps to her mind when she wonders "who would be down for doing me on meth" is Chase. Nor is she wrong. Chase is an opportunist. Tritter calls him one, and Tritter is correct. He rats to Vogler to save his job, and is barely sorry for it; I'm not sure he ever apologizes. Everyone expects he'll immediately run to Tritter and a huge source of tension in Finding Judas is that Chase can't win: Foreman and Cameron already assume he has, that he's too spoiled and weak to not. Later in S3, when Cameron propositions him, he again goes "free sex?" and signs up, despite calling her out on what a demeaning offer she's making. He tends to pick the easier options. He stays a diagnostics fellow for years longer than anyone else, because it's a safe space. It's easy. He'd rather be a follower than take any risks. (I think there is no room for a reality where he refused his dad's money out of spite or pride. Why would he refuse a trust fund? It's easy. It's right there.)

We actually do see him lash out and stand up for himself here and there. He pushes back against Cameron a few times, actually (Act your Age, Saviors, Teamwork), and he's also pushed back against Foreman and House. But it's only for himself. I can't think of a time he went far out of his way to defend one of his coworkers, or his boss, or a patient. He did get mad enough to, uh, kill, when Dibala threatened Cameron. Which: fair enough? But he doesn't care much for things outside of his immediate influence. He has no problem shrugging off Cuddy in Living the Dream, or an armed gunman in Last Resort. He has no moral stances or political beliefs that we know of (besides, uh, fat people suck and the US immigration system is annoying). He very much does care about people, he's pretty clear that at least some of his apathy is a defense thing after a deeply fucked up childhood, but it's always despite himself. He prefers to do his job and go home. There's an old not-joke about how all surgeons have god complexes. Chase being a surgeon is kind of a retcon, and in a lot of ways he doesn't fit the stereotype — he's not particularly arrogant or superior, he's not even ambitious. He does get touchy about being called wrong, or accused of making mistakes, but I don't think he's any worse than the others on that front (or more prone to making mistakes). But that indifference? His sort of general aloofness? He cares about himself, and his little circle, and watches his own back, and that's it. He doesn't dislike other people, but he doesn't care much either way. Foreman accuses him of being fake. Everyone accuses him of being morally vacant, an opportunist who will do anything if it improves his own situation. And… yeah. Kinda.

[blingblong55]

Masquerade -Call of Duty

This is a collection of quotes from a radio show called 'Dangerously Yours' from Ep titled 'Masquerade'. (none of these quotes or ideas of how the story develops are mine.)

---- GN!Reader, enemy!Reader, enemy!COD character, enemies to lovers? ----

You are a spy for your country, you were sent to kill the target so you made him/her fall in love and you also fell into your own trap. Neither of you can be with the other for if you are, you'll both get killed. So, you tell him/her what your plans were and he/she tells you they knew all along. You are in denial of your feelings for him/her and in the end, you end up killing him/her. His/her last words were, 'I love you R/N." And as his/her people asked if he/she needed help, all they said was basically no, that they want you to find your own path in life and that with hope, someday, you would believe that they were truly in love with you which is very much true.

This next part is of the characters in COD that I think would be the ones playing Rudolph Estefan and you of course play Catherine. These quotes are taken from the comment section...and from what i listened to as I wrote them down

[Italic for the COD character]

----

(Vladimir Makarov)

“Look, [R/N], a shooting star! Did you wish?”

“Oh, I didn’t have time.”

“Then there is something you wish for.”

“Yes…”

“What did you wish?”

“I was wishing that… we were two other people. Two people who need not say goodbye.”

“Perhaps it can be that way.”

----

(Valeria Garza)

[Orange is a third character]

“Oh, I wish you wouldn’t go to see that woman/man tonight, [ma'am]-“

“how could I stay away? Elvear, for the first time in my life, I am completely, head-over-heels in love!”

“but countess Garza-“

“I know what you’re thinking, ‘I have a mission to perform and I have no right to fall in love', but… things don’t always work out the way we’d like to have them work out, hey Elvear?”

“oh, I don’t know what’s to come of all this, sir.”

“no, Elvear, neither do I. Neither do I, but perhaps we shall find out tonight.”

----

(Alejandro Vargas) "[R/N], I offer you the three things most dear to me, my heart, my country and my dreams."

"You are too generous."

"[R/N], you must listen to me. Since that first hour we met, I've been completely yours. There's never been anyone else for me, there never will."

"Oh please, please don't say anymore. There are worlds between us, worlds that can't be crossed with words."----

(Alex Keller)

"I'm going to tell you something [R/N], something that will put my life in your hands."

"your life..."

"It would mean my life were the news to get to certain circles yes."

"Then don't tell me, how do you know you can trust me?"

"I love you...and I believe you love me."

----

(John Price)

“you may as well take my heart, [R/N], it’s already full of you. You walked into it the day we met.”

“You’re a fool, John Price.”

“but isn’t any man who falls in love?”

----

(Simon 'Ghost' Riley)

"Do you know what you are to me? You are something to believe in again. You're a type of person that had ceased to exist for me. A fine honest woman/man."

----

(Rodolfo Parra)

“Oh, my darling, you’re such a child. take your foolish little dream in your heart and go, please go!”

“what is it, what’s wrong my dear?”

“you know nothing about me- you’ve known me only three weeks!”

“three weeks…? [R/N], I’ve known you all my life.”

“all your life.”

“it’s true! I’ve seen you in a thousand plays, and read you in as many books. when I’ve heard beautiful music I’ve thought, ‘[She’d/He'd] like that.’ I’ve looked at flowers and known that one day I’d give them to you-“

“Oh, stop, stop! you must listen to me. I am not that woman/man! Perhaps I was once, but I am not now! You see… you were wrong. you can’t trust me.”

----

(Logan Walker)

"I had Elvear look you up the day you arrived."

"And it...it didn't make any difference?"

"It didn't make any difference. You see, I trust you. You came here to betray me and to betray my country, that is your mission countess/count [R/N]. And yet I'm so sure of your love that I will trust you with my life and what is far more valuable the life of my country."

----

(John 'Soap' MacTavish)

“if I betray you…I betray myself. If I betray him, I betray my country. My country is very dear to me.”

“dearer than I?”

“no…no, not dearer than you.”

----

(John Price)

“You’re very clever, aren’t you? I can read you like a book now. You thought I was young, and easily swayed, that you could make me love you, and I would throw over my country—my duty for you—!”

“That's not the way to look at it, [R/N].”

“You weren’t so wise after all! Because you’ve lost you hear me?! Lost! You’ve guessed wrong in our little duel of wits! You forgot how close hate is to love!”

“You don’t know what you’re saying [R/N].”

“You never loved me—! You knew that I loved you, and you used that!”

“[R/N] stop talking like a child—we’re playing for countries now!”

“Yes we are, aren’t we!”

----

(Kyle 'Gaz' Garrick)

“This is a gun in my hand, Kyle…I’d advise you to be careful what you say.”

“Well, rather melodramatic, aren’t you? tell me, will I be the seventh notch on the gun or the eighth? haha. do you mind if I smoke?”

“…smoke?”

“I always smoke at the theatre. somehow it enhances the performance.”

“You can do anything you please, Kyle, but you have very little time to do it in.”

----

(Keegan P. Russ)

“…You mean you’re actually going to kill me...?”

“I mean just that.”

“Well…go ahead.”

“…I’ll do this my own way…Look…you already know my purpose in being here. Now you will either give me my information, or I will kill you. You have until 9 o’clock.”

“You won’t do it. You can’t pull the trigger. You can’t pull it because you love me. It takes a very brave and a very cold woman/man to do that [R/N], I don’t think you can…Isn’t that true? Isn’t that why you’re waiting…?”

“That's not true!”

----

(Simon 'Ghost' Riley)

“Or is it that you want to watch your victim? You want my heart to constrict with agony, my hands to shake! You want me to plead for my life so you can make a generous gesture and spare me…Sorry [R/N], I don’t seem to be in the mood for prayers tonight.”

“You don’t think I’ll do it? That's why you’re so brave…You don’t think I’ll do it…You wouldn’t be so brave otherwise…! You’re a coward at heart! You lied to me, you deceived me—“

“You lied to me…you deceived me!”

“You tried to deceive me.”

“I’m tired of listening to you!”

“You gave me your heart, you know. You’d like me to hand it back, whole again, but I won’t. You’ll live a long time yet, [R/N], an eternity without me. You will look into the faces of passers-by, hoping for something that will, for an instant, bring me back to you. You will find moonlit nights strangely empty because when you call my name through them there will be no answer. Always your heart will be aching for me and your mind will give you the doubtful consolation that you did a brave thing.”

“you dare to talk of bravery.”

“what else do we have to talk about, [R/N]? For me, there will never be another woman/man but you. But for my heart, there is another love that must come before you, my country.”

----

(König)

“you’re so still… your face is like ice. what are you thinking, [R/N]?”

“…what does anything you can say matter? You betrayed me with words. What good are words… when your heart is breaking? if I fail now, I should deserve to die. You tricked me into loving you.”

“Aren’t you forgetting that you came here for the same purpose?”

“I couldn’t have betrayed you, I tried to tell you- you said you already knew. I was as honest as I knew how to be.”

“Do you think I wanted to love you, knowing where you came from and what your mission was? Don’t you suppose that every hour we were together I was thinking, ‘[She’s/He's] just pretending’?”

“I wasn’t! I loved you!”

“and I loved you so much I let you pretend! Because you brought something to my days I couldn’t stand the thought of losing. Listen to your heart [R/N]. Feel it pounding.”

----

(All of the COD characters...for sure)

“Your time is up.”

“Then, my last words, I love you, [R/N].”

“You’re determined to die with a lie on your lips?!”

*gunshot*

“I…love you, [R/N]…”

“Oh, god.”

----

(All of the COD characters...for sure)

“Tell her/him the truth? Tell her the truth so that she/he will watch the stars through tears instead of following the one cold star that is her/his destiny? No, no, Elvear, let her/him think I never loved her/him. One day, she/he will follow a flag to the same fate as mine. We must…leave her/him the strength for that hour.”

A/N: Anyway...hope you liked it?

[bolognamayhem117]

Title: "Looking at Something?"

Length: 2500 words

Pairing: Astarion/M!Tav, elf/elf, paladin/rogue

POV: Tav(Rorik)

Themes: Aggressive flirting, praise kink (if you turn your head and squint), safe for work, mild angst, retconned Canon Dialog.

Warnings: trauma, manipulation, anger, neck wounds, alludes to distant past and recent abuse.

Author's Notes: First and foremost a disclaimer, I created this character on my first playthrough after Robert and I bought the game a year ago. I picked up the controller with zero knowledge of the game's contents after being told you could play as a vampire. I said "That's bold of the developer, fuck it, I'll make Rorik's dumb ass and smeagol my way through the forgotten realms or whatever..." Turns out the person who told me that was referencing the Astarion Origin playthrough. I said "Screw It I'm Doing It Anyway! With the power of IMAGINATION." To my delight and surprise it really wasn't all that hard to use paladin spells, items, scroll hoarding, and armor to very closely model the homebrew build of Rorik the Degenerate Dhampir Sun Worshipping Paladin. He has his own issues which this ficlet hints at. He's cringe, be gentle.

Fic Summary: Astarion is looking for reassurance or praise or... Something, and then the writer remembered they used the intelligence as a dump stat to boost their Tav's charisma and rolled with it. Mentions a friend's character. I only barely proofread so consider this your warning.

Tagged at request: @ghostkingart

“Looking at something?” Astarion addressed Rorik when the paladin passed behind him and paused.

Rorik was tired, he'd stopped on his way back from a piss because something wasn't right. He’d been too beaten by the beasts of the underdark to process the scene before him for its absurdity. The vampire spawn was holding a hand mirror, scowling into it as if scorn might make his reflection appear in its smooth glitter.

The high elf angled the mirror in such a way that Rorik could see himself. Did he always look so serious? Yet disinterested? Rorik seldom sought his reflection, it wasn't a countenance he wanted to face.

“Just looking. What are you doing?”

“I'm looking too, but not seeing very much” Astarion told Rorik almost softly, sadly. “Another quirk of my affliction.” he spat the last word as if it tasted rancid, eyes dark and lips cutting a sour pout.

Rorik had heard these sorrow-songs many times in his homeland and beyond. He was no stranger to this agony, but it never got easier to hear it, even from a spawn he hardly knew, harboring a strain of the cursed malady he was not so familiar with. It seemedthat no matter the variant, it affects one's reflection in glass treated with a paper thin veneer of silver.

Rorik played the fool, wrong as it felt to pretend he needed to ask questions in order to guess how Astarion might feel about not having seen himself in centuries.

“Do you miss it? Seeing your own face?”

“Preening in the looking glass? Petty vanity?!” He bordered on sounding offended, but his expression shifted with the same flippancy as his whims. Sometimes Rorik wondered if Astarion was making himself hard to read on purpose. Now, with a short but heavy pause, he went on with a longing about the droop of his shoulders and the way he looked at the other man, perhaps with jealousy. “Of course I do…”

He continued.

“I've never even seen this face. Not since it grew fangs and its eyes turned red.” And then, those scarlet eyes plunged back into darkness with his last syllables. His seething glare burned as hot as the Sun's love burned his vampiric skin in the day, before the illithid worm at least.

Rorik tried a question he'd heard many times before, sometimes even directed at himself. It might keep him talking. “What color were they before?”

“I... I don't know. I can't remember.” His glare softened with something that half revealed him, but the outraged anguish returned to him, as it tends to do. “My face is just some dark shape in my past. Another thing I've lost.”

Astarion threw down the mirror as he finished, it cracked as it struck the packed earth beneath them. If they were standing in a proper room of wooden or brick floor then the mirror would have shattered in a spectacular fashion.

Spiteing the fact that Astarion needn't air to live, he drew pants of heavy breath as he bared his teeth in his anger. He had every right to be angered, all spawn do.

Patience, Rorik reminded himself. As much as it went against his instincts to stick around within range of teeth while their owner bobbed between drowning in their own righteous fury and the oblivion of sorrow, there was always something about Astarion which lured him in. Rorik could still look at himself in a mirror, most of the time, and he thought maybe the reason he hadn't yet walked away from Astarion while he tantrumed about his past, present or Casador might just be because: he could see his reflection in Astarian, too. His pain felt all too familiar.

“What?” Astarian broke him from his thoughts.

Rorik corrected quickly, unsure what his own expression had revealed. He straightened a head that had tilted toward his left shoulder, fixed his eyes which he guessed had softened upon Astarian’s anger on base instinct. Too close. He'd almost fallen victim to his old habits, but Astarian was no flailing racer stallion who required the softness of a coddling stable pony to calm him. And Rorik was nobody's pony anymore.

“I'll be your mirror. What do you want to know?” It was a cheap distraction, yes, but he found in it genuine empathy. Astarian couldn't see himself, hadn't seen himself in two-hundred years, he deserved the next best thing.

“I want to know what the world sees when it looks at me. What you see.” Astarian replied with another reflection, this time of Rorik’s own sincerity.

The deferring tipping of Astarian's head told it all. A wound had been bared for Rorik to examine, one he could grind salt into and Astarian knew that. It was the scattered moments of vulnerability that helped Rorik stay, too.

He feigned a smile just in time, before his silence convinced Astarion that something was wrong. The others' brows were already creased as he braced to be hurt.

“Well, the shmutz of bullette viscera smeared on your left cheek has my attention right now.” Rorik jabbed casually.

Astarion scrubbed his wrist over his face with an irritable grimace, following Rorik's gesture to find the supposed smear of gore, only to find nothing because Rorik was having a little fun at his expense. Astarion was fastidious in his grooming. He’d missed nothing when he'd washed.

Rorik was rewarded with a glare, so he laughed, “If I didn't like you, I wouldn't jest… I'm not a poet, I'm not romantic by any stretch of the imagination, and I don't do flattery. So brace yourself.”

“Oh.. Kay…?” Astarion murmured.

Rorik straightened his posture to look Astarion from the toe of each tidy elvish crafted loafer up to the top most curl of his head of white silver. Consciously taking him in only topically.

“If I were unbiased and this were my first impression: Your face is long but not overly narrow. Your nose is very straight, cutting a tidy profile. I imagine you've never had it broken. The fairness of your skin hints at a noble upbringing; a childhood spent indoors rather than under the gaze of the noon sun. Your hands are clean and unmarred, so for certain you're not a laborer. You are clearly particular about how your hair is done every morning… Your jaw is angled sharply toward your chin but is neither too strong nor too weak. It suits you well. Your lips are full which reinforces an air of youth about you, and your upper lip is just a bit thicker than the lower without being distracting… About five foot and eleven inches, shoulders broad enough to mandate care toward them when having garments tailored… In all, The world sees a young elf.”

Rorik bit the end of his tongue as he finished, holding back the last and decidedly biased thought: that he saw all these things too but accompanied by eyes which looked as tired as he often felt himself.

Astarion's expression was empty yet soft, gaze drifting into the middle distance until the very end when his brows furrowed and his mouth twisted as if something had curdled in it.

“Eugh! Must you always make everything sound so clinical!? You told Edmund this morning the cactus where your heart should be has beautiful flowers and that was backhanded!” Astarion mocked Rorik's northerner accent, badly, “I know you can do better than that. Ugh, for shits’ sake, why do you find me attractive? Why does anyone find me attractive, Rorik?”

That took Rorik off guard. This wasn't just about forgetting one's own appearance, was it? It was about Astarion understanding how the world was affected by his body being in it. Rorik shifted in discomfort, now put on the spot to summarize the things he personally found alluring. He felt almost dirty saying it.

“I- suppose people can't help themselves but to admire? You're striking. Perfectly styled snow hair, you're well formed… Em, lovely skin? like opal? White opal. Were you true symmetrical I would've drawn my sword, having mistook you for a stone wit-”

“I- I'm not symmetric?? Where is my face uneven!? Tell me this instant!” The high elf squawked, hands smoothing up the planes and dips of his visage in search.

Rorik snorted. Astarion seemed like the type to become offended at the mention of a slightly uneven cupid’s bow. Best not add to his self image anxieties too much. A true lie would have to do.

“You have a freckle or two, perhaps from your recent love affair with the sun.”

“Freckles?!”

“Oh, relax. Not near as many as me.” Rorik reassured.

“Hmph. That was… Better-ish, I suppose. You're onto something, keep going.”

Rorik's expression pinched with realization. “Is that all you're after? Shallow praise?”

“Hardly! I'm also after gold, sex, revenge. Quite the list, really, and failing any of those I will always settle for: shallow praise.”

“Fuck that noise. I can do better than patting your ass with a couple cheap compliments.”

“Care to expand on that? I can't tell if I'm being derided or offered an upgrade from your awkward small talk.” Astarion harrumphed and began picking under his fingernails, apparently checking out of the conversation in a display of boredom.

Rorik stepped closer to recapture his attention, spurred forward by a volatile cocktail of embarrassment, ego, and vindictiveness that had spilled in close proximity to the competitive streak within him.

“I used to be good at this. I swear. You'll just have to be patient while I call it back to me.” Rorik leveled in a low rumble, and it was no bluff. Idle worship of a bloated ego had saved his skin in his youth more times than he could count. This bordered too close to an exhumation of the corpse of his past, but if the occasion calls for it in the name of harmless fun: then let old habits lumber about like a fucking zombie.

Astarion's eyes lit themselves with dark amusement, leaning in too with a smug sneer, “Call louder. I think it ran straight past you.”

Rorik wasted no breath on the others' taunting. He delivered. “Your eyes are extraordinary, they burn through people like a branding iron. I'd rather face a devil I’d sleighted.”

Astarion let loose the bark and giggle of laughter which used to grate on Rorik's nerves, “Oh, not bad… and you said you don't do flattery! Do go on.”

That's one point to Rorik. He wanted more than that. He wanted to win whatever this was. “They have their moments of immeasurably inviting softness, too. Eyes like yours tend to get their way with me, if I'm being honest… And don't let that go to your head.”

“Ha! Hard not to. That's a dangerous admission.” Astarion swayed his shoulders and hummed with an odd, rich texture in his voice. His expression was guarded, however.

“Awareness of one's weaknesses is healthy, I'm told..” Rorik commented rather pointlessly. Choosing pretty analogies for the features of a face he found attractive felt more risky than it should. Rorik's jaw and throat felt hot for no particular reason. “Moving on. Your smile is deadly. Like a bear trap lined with sweet meats and candied fruit. A pout, a grin, a laugh, they all draw me closer…”

Closer. Astarion must've taken the utterance of the word as an invitation. He brandished that smile like a blade now and brought them near nose to nose. “Yes, yes. You're right. But we know better, don't we, Rorik?”

Not fair. Rorik’s naked skull felt like it was on fire, and the feeling was not limited to neck and up.

“We do. You can't lure bats with candy in pretty wrappers.” he tilted his head with his words, ever so minutely, exposing the angry punctures in his throat.

“If it isn't the sweet taste that draws you in, then what is it? Tell me Acolyte.”

Rorik shook his head. “You know I'm a masochist. You know the answer to that.”

“Aw, Little Treat longs to be trapped? How delightfully demented.”

“Mm,” Rorik offered a solemn nod. It was another admission of those dirty weaknesses. “Last thing for now-”

“For now?” Astarion crooned, grinning wickedly as he underlined Rorik's implication that he may have more to say on this particular topic at a later date.

“For now,” Rorik confirmed but teased… Teasing? He'd never teased like this, in this context, before. Best end on a note of humor, “Speaking of teeth, you've the most polite little feedin’ fangs.”

“...What?” Astarion straightened then and leaned away.

Rorik must've thrown him off his rhythm with that one. Right. Astarion was from a small coven, and apparently not one which enjoyed the bleak humors of the condition.

Rorik leaned minutely closer and bared his razors in a grimace with a finger directing attention to them. “I'm saying, your teeth look almost normal. At least compared to these lawn shears I was saddled with. Your smile is still sharp, but passable. Many with the condition aren't so lucky.”

“Good to know I'm not a complete freak.” Astarion harrumphed.

“Maybe I crossed the line. I forget, not everyone reconciles it all so easily.” Rorik admitted, but refused to backpedal that last opinion.

“I suppose I can give you a pass on it, given that you were born with… All of that.” Astarion gave a waving finger gesturing to all of Rorik as he half-accepted the half-apology.

Rorik couldn't help but chuckle and look away, the imagery brought to mind was too heinous and ridiculous all at once. “Well, I was indistinguishable from the living until I consumed blood at fifteen-ish but, sure. I wasn't bottle fed monk blood as a tot. Couldn't imagine that horror.”

"Normal children are horrible enough… Now, why don't you just tell me I'm beautiful and we'll call it an evening.” Astarion shifted the topic smartly, but looked away for a moment too.

The dance was strange. Rorik wasn't sure what they were doing, but he sort of liked it.

“You're alright, Gale is more my type.” Rorik lied, blatantly.

“How dare you!” Astarion's tone was playful, rather than offended, although it's always hard to tell with Astarion, “I thought we had something special… Still, you're nice too. I’d better get some beauty sleep. It seems I need it if I'm to catch up with the competition.”

Rorik could only shake his head. Everyone has a type. Astarion's was apparently fractured faces and a malignant glare. Rainar's glare. Rorik quickly tossed aside the errant thought and the accompanying cruel memory. He dipped his head before deciding to attend his own sleep.

“Sure sure, but do tread with caution. The pursuit of perfection is perilous, and you're already knocking on the door.” Rorik offered with a smirk. This game was… fun.

“Hhmf! Says he's not romantic,” Astarion mocked talking to himself, shooting a dark glance and that dangerous smile over his shoulder as Rorik retreated to his bedroll by the fire.

[character-fan19]

MLB Season 5 Character Analysis: "Evolution"

Introduction

Hey guys, I'm finally back with the season 5 character analyses. It's been a while. Now that season 5 is over I can finally create an outline of how the individual journeys of the characters went and point out the foreshadowing done for them. If you've never seen these posts before in your life, then here I basically take an episode of Miraculous and do individual analyses for the characters who had some form of development in that episode by looking at their motivations, behaviours and thought processes. After season 4 ended, I started this series to clear up the misunderstandings people have about the characters and show them why they acted the way they did. If you want to see those analyses, you can find them here.

Man, was this season full of juicy characterization. Evolution is a very appropriate title for the first episode of this season because that's what these characters do, they evolve, for better or worse. So many things to breakdown like Felix, Marinette's trauma, insight into Gabriel's past, etc. This episode alone gives us Gabriel's descent into madness, Nathalie realizing that Gabriel has gone mad and although it wasn't as big of a part of the episode, Ladybug finally being able to give control to Cat Noir instead of doing everything herself. So let's start shall we?

Character POVs

Gabriel/Monarch

"I won't let you destroy my future, Ladybug! I'll be right back my love, I promise."

I've haven't really done much analysis of Gabriel because there wasn't really much to go off on for his character besides the fact that he wants to bring his wife back. But this season gives us a lot more insight into his character. Makes sense this is the last season of his arc. So let's start with this episode.

This episode shows us just how far Gabriel has fallen from the man he once was. Back in season 1, all he wanted was to bring his wife back, but as he kept fighting Ladybug and Cat Noir, he developed a hatred towards and saving Emilie became less of a goal and more of just an excuse to keep being villainous. In his mind, he still believes that he does this to bring his family back to together but in reality, now he just wants to one-up Ladybug and prove to her that she can't fool him anymore. He has been losing to her for so long that it messed him up and now that he has all this power, he became overconfident which of course ended in his downfall, losing the Rabbit Miraculous along with Nathalie's respect and loyalty. This is only just the beginning of his downfall though.

2. Marinette/Ladybug

"It's you and me, remember?"

After having finally understanding that she needs to let go of control at the end of season 4, she was able to accept help from Cat Noir which allowed her to be comfortable to trust him with a Miraculous as powerful as the Rabbit.

Because of this, she and Cat Noir having become stronger together as a team, having resolved their miscommunication issues from last season and learning that they need to communicate which each other.

Being able to give up control to others may have been a reason she let Cat Noir use the Rabbit Miraculous but it isn't the only reason. She's still a little shook from losing all the Miraculous and doesn't trust herself anymore with holding onto them, blaming herself for their loss even though the situation was completely out of her control. We'll see more of this in the next episode.

3. Nathalie

"You had the Time Miraculous. You could've chosen to save Emilie! You could've chosen to save me! (coughs) But instead you chose your obsession with Ladybug and Cat Noir. You're insane, Gabriel!"

Last but not least, we have Nathalie finally breaking ties with Gabriel after seeing how far he has gone from the man he once was.

This whole time, ever since season 1, the only reason Nathalie was helping Gabriel was because she believed that Gabriel was doing this to save Emilie and he admired his dedication towards bringing his family back together. But over the course of the series, she began to see his increasing desperation and madness and when he chose to one-up Ladybug and Cat Noir over achieving his original goal of reviving Emilie, she knew that he wasn't doing this for Emilie anymore, which was the entire reason she helped in the first place and thus, she lost any respect and admiration he ever had for him and as we see in future episodes, attempt to protect Adrien from Gabriel and antagonize him but more on that in her other appearances.

Conclusion

This season was the beginning for a lot of things, Gabriel's descent into madness, a hint of Ladybug recovering from losing all the Miraculous and Nathalie realizing the monster Gabriel has began and trying to oppose his plans.

That was all for this analysis and I can't wait to get into future episodes and explore all the things this season has given us. It's truly going to be something. Let me know your thoughts and feel free to point out anything I might have missed for any of the characters this episode.

[hughjidiot]

Thoughts on the TDI Reboot Season Two, Episodes 5 and 6

Okay the next two episodes of the reboot have premiered, and here are my collective thoughts on the characters and what's been happening. Spoilers below the cut, obviously.

Nichelle is out 5th and quit on top of that thanks to a fake movie contract planted by Julia. Honestly that kind of surprised me; my prediction was that Nichelle would make it to the merge where she'd get voted off because her improved athleticism made her a threat. I thought it would be ironic: in season one she was eliminated for being weak, and in season two she'd be eliminated for being too strong. Well at least Julia got some villain cred, even if it was a bit contrived and felt like Nichelle needed to lose some IQ points to make it possible. I'm not too broken up, but I can see why others might take issue with it.

(You know what would be hilarious though? If when the eliminated campers return for the finale, Nichelle reveals that people in Hollywood saw her improved performance in season two and actually did give her a movie deal.)

Instead, it was Bowie eliminated first after the merge. Now this makes much more sense: after MK's cheating was exposed, Julia convinced team Rat Face that it was Bowie's idea. Priya and Caleb were both victims of Bowie's schemes at some point, Zee is easy to fool, and Axel and Damien wouldn't know Bowie and MK well enough to know for sure but they do know Bowie placed second last season so they know he's a threat. In any case I really enjoyed Bowie this season: I loved the drama of him being torn between wanting to play dirty while not wanting to upset Raj. And he and Raj are adorable together, so I'm glad the cheating didn't lead to any major problems in their relationship.

Speaking of which, I loved Wayne and Raj standing up for their principles in episode five and refusing to go along with MK and Julia's schemes. And they continue to be hilarious on top of that. If I'm being honest though I kind of hope one of them goes soon, so we can finally see how the other gets along without his bro.

Then there's Zee, who continues to be absolutely hilarious. "I killed Priya's pillow boyfriend!" had me rolling. And he's actually involved with a plotline now! He knows about Priya's crush on Caleb and that Caleb is only looking for an alliance. Or at least, he was...

Caleb appears to be actually falling for Priya. Very interesting development. And Priya continues to be head over heels for Caleb, but at least she recognizes that she can't let it affect her game. Very interested to see where things go with them as a potential ship.

As for our other ship, Ripper and Axel seem to be getting along very well. I've seen some people comparing them to how Geoff and Bridgette were in TDA, but I think that's unfair. Sure they're into each other but not to the point where they can't focus on the game. (Axel getting distracted by Bowie's claim that Ripper was making out with a raccoon not withstanding.) Now that the teams have merged I hope we can see them spending time together and bonding in a way that involves more than making out. I'm surprisingly invested in this ship.

Well look at that, Damien actually won a challenge! I was hoping he'd start being more proactive in season two, and now we might finally be getting that. Especially since he's said he wants to find the immunity idol that's now in play, which Priya and Caleb are also hunting for...

Last but certainly not least, Julia and MK. Julia got some major villain cred these episodes, getting Nichelle and her arch enemy Bowie eliminated. Meanwhile MK's intern scheme was exposed, so that plotline's over. (I love how Chris had no problem with her cheating, but her stealing his hairdryer crossed the line.) They continue to be great together as a bad guy duo, and I can't wait to see more of it. (Especially if it evolves into romance, as I and many others are hoping for.)

Also, here's a bit of irony I noticed: in season one, Julia got eliminated in episode 6, and in season two Julia saved MK from elimination in episode 6.

And that's everyone. Aside from a few minor complaints, I'm still loving this season! The characters are all great, the plotlines are engaging, and the jokes are absolutely hilarious. And best of all I have no idea who could be going home next, so I'm very excited for the next episodes.

[thegreymoon]

The Story of Minglan

I seriously cannot with this woman.

You raised a fucking murderer. So what if you had a difficult delivery? Does this entitle her to kill people? Good for Gu Tingye, somebody should have stabbed her ages ago.

I just love how SHOCKED all these evildoers are that her privilege of rank didn't protect her. However, the only reason it did not protect her this time is because she overextended herself and went after someone of her own class, or arguably, even more powerful than her.

***

LMFAOOOO

I can't believe she is refusing to get involved! Because what a perfect opportunity to strike at Gu Tingye!

***

I love how their biggest grievance remains that they were not allowed to cover up her crimes this time around.

They are not even the least bit concerned about the fact that they raised a narcissistic psychopath who sowed countless misery for as long as she lived.

Anway, eat the rich, etc. etc. etc.

They don't see anyone but themselves as people.

***

Heh.

So, she changed her mind. Predictable. She was never going to let such a juicy opportunity to cause trouble pass her by.

***

LMAO, I am actually pleased these two fools made up.

Or did they? 🤔

There are still six more episodes and plenty of trouble ahead.

***

OH MY GOD, I AM WEEPING 🤣🤣

SHE HAS A LITTLE SWORD AND EVERYTHING, ALL SET TO DEFEND HIM FROM THE BIG BAD GU TINGYE! 🤣🤣

***

He remains such a goddamned idiot.

MY GUY, DO YOU WANT A HAPPY AND PEACEFUL MARRIAGE? DON'T JUST SIT THERE STARING AT HER! REASSURE YOUR WIFE THAT YOU ARE GLAD TO BE MARRIED TO HER NOW!!

***

Well, clearly, not killing you was a mistake.

***

Oh my fucking god.

She wants to take her baby?? The audacity!

But she will not refuse, will she?

***

This poor baby.

***

Oh, lady, you gave up your son for a promotion 🙄

Also, what great fortune? She took this child not because she loves him but because she can wield him as a weapon in the future.

***

Wait, she's not going to be breastfeeding herself?

I mean, I know that nursemaids were a thing throughout history and that even Nanny Chang nursed Gu Tingye, but I'm still shocked a c-drama is going there so openly.

***

OMG 🤣🤣

My love for Shitou knows no bounds 🖤🖤

***

I am so exhausted with his nonsense 🙄

I realise that Minglan being jealous of Fengxian is supposed to be cute and character development or whatever, but I am beyond bored and annoyed by him and his made-up problems and forever pissed that he keeps bringing up Yuanruo to use against her.

Also, I may be letting my personal hang-ups cloud me here but I have literally dumped more than one guy for deliberately trying to make me jealous. Yes, I am a jealous person, yes, I have self-esteem issues, yes, my family of origin made me feel as unlovable as they possibly could and as a result, I am a people pleaser to a fault. I have so much anxiety and fear of abandonment. But no, I am not going to be contorting myself to prove that you should stay with me rather than someone else. Go fuck yourself. The moment you make me "fight" for you means I have already lost. I find it so demeaning. Go forth and chase your dreams with other women, who am I to stop you? Oh, you didn't mean it like that? Basically, you were just egging me on because you find my misery amusing and as a convenient way to boost your own ego? To manipulate me into doing things and behaving in a way that is detrimental to me but beneficial to you? How nice of you to fully go masks off at last! NOW DOUBLY GO FUCK YOURSELF.

Anyway, so many people love Gu Tingye and have told me I will surely love him too. But not only do I not love him, I don't even like him. The closer we get to the end of this show, the more repulsive I find him. In the beginning, I was still fighting so hard to give him the benefit of the doubt, but after that second Manniang debacle, I have fully given up. Plus, it has been hinted multiple times so far that he smells, so no thanks to that. If Minglan's happiness and well-being in this hellhole of a society didn't depend on his stinky ass being alive and well-off, I would not bat an eye at the Emperor beheading him.

***

Wait, they brought her in from a BROTHEL?

Look, I seriously don't want to shame people doing sex work here, but there were no condoms, antibiotics or modern medicine of any kind that would in any way have prevented STDs during this time. If I had to live in this era, I would be disgusted to sleep with a man who frequented brothels and after having sex with the women there, came home to have sex with me.

***

I keep hoping that the Emperor turning against Gu Tingye is some kind of a ploy because he is based on an IRL Emperor and China has strict rules against presenting such people in a negative light... but it seems more likely that he has simply become paranoid and lost his entire damn mind since coming to the throne.

Also, thinking back, Monarch Industry certainly portrayed the ruling royal family in the worst light imaginable, so clearly the rules are not that strict. But then again, those Emperors were not based on real people and actual historical facts (as far as I know). But there is also King's War, which absolutely dragged actual historical figures to filth, however, that drama is a bit older, so the censorship rules were probably more lax.

IDK. In any case, I'm not liking him (or any of this) much at this point.

[pico-digital-studios]

Into, Across and Beyond!: The Game!

Hey, all! As part of an effort to further potential with my Tumblr project, I have a huge announcement to make for you all. Introducing...

An official game adaptation of Sonic: Into, Across and Beyond!, and boy, will it be a treat to behold, huh?

The game has started development today, and you'll be able to look forward to:

Each of the stories in gameplay form

Over 20 playable characters

Plenty of cutscenes to enjoy

Interactive environments to explore

Epic boss encounters with many rogues from the Sonic multiverse

And so much more!

I really hope you're all looking forward to-!

OMT!Tails: Woah woah woah! Hang on a moment.

Huh?

OMT!Tails walks into frame.

OMT!Tails: The story's barely 6 months old yet, and you're seriously pitching a game for it?

Ah, right. I forgot.

CR!Sonic and CR!Sally show up.

CR!Sonic: You okay, Tails?

OMT!Tails: You guys might want to look at this.

CR!Sally: A video game of all our endeavours? Seriously?

CR!Sonic: Looks like it. How would it even work out, though?

OMT!Tails: I doubt it'd ever see completion, though. I mean, over 6 quests to fill out into gameplay form? That'd take AGES, and it's likely going to risk cancellation partway through the process.

CR!Sonic: Yeah, you got a good point there, kid. I mean, can't people just enjoy the stories as they are? They're not meant to be "played".

OMT!Tails: Yeah, exactly. Especially after what I've been through...

CR!Sally: I get you, Tails...

CR!Sonic: Into, Across and Beyond! is meant to be a story project for free and for fun! Pico doesn't have the time or energy to dedicate part of his life to making a game. I bet those children and hate band-wagoners on Twitter would just jump at any opportunity to hate on it for petty reasons. And that's why they have so much-!

D-Sides Mighty enters.

D-Sides Mighty: What's going on here?

OMT!Tails: Oh! Hey, Mighty.

D-Sides Mighty: A game, huh? Don't people have enough Sonic fan-games to play?

CR!Sonic: That's what I've been trying to get at, bud. I mean, the story here on Tumblr's satisfactory enough.

OMT!Tails: Wait, "Tumblr"?

CR!Sonic: Hmm?

OMT!Tails: I thought it was called "Tumblelogs".

CR!Sonic: It was! Well, used to, anyway. I'm guessing it's still called that in your dimension?

OMT!Tails: Mhm.

D-Sides Mighty: Yeah, we don't need to go for a game of this, considering the Spider-Verse IP is copyrighted.

OMT!Tails: Hmm... Give me just a moment!

OMT!Tails spins around the lower text, tweaking it a bit.

OMT!Tails: There! Better?

CR!Sally: Much better! Well done, Tails!

D-Sides Mighty: Well, that's one situation we can finally close the book on, wouldn't you say?

CR!Sonic: Yep. Come on, Sal. Let's head back now.

CR!Sally: Good idea, Sonic.

The couple headed off.

D-Sides Mighty: Wanna go grab a bite at Burger Monarchy, Tails?

OMT!Tails: Sure thing!

They left too.

Well, that's that, then. You're NOT getting that game. In the end, it was a cleverly-veiled April Fools' gag!

Happy April Fools' Day, folks! You've got all there is so far of the story to enjoy here from the comfort of Tumblr. Plus, I've been generous enough with each post to compile links to every post for this project on a Master Post that you're more than welcome to view on my profile. Well, see you around in the next post!

...

...

...

...

???: It's all the same for your heroic delusions. That is, until you finally meet ME. I already won because I was two steps ahead and found a way to tap into what I desire most. You think a hero of Mobius, let alone a type of Sonic, always has a chance against Dr. Eggman? HA! Don't make me laugh. I ripped that hope to pieces for my Sonic long ago. And soon, with the power of MY Chaos Emeralds, all other universes will follow... Now, you'll all see how big a man I can be. It's time to say goodbye to humanity, heroes...

???: And hello... to the NEW NORM! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

The reveal of the final main antagonist... coming soon.

[phonkscribes]

itd be funny if self aware reader catches Wesker writing fanfiction (write this pretty please)

Also I'm becoming 🦷 anon now

-🦷

Hello 🦷 anon, and I too think it'd be funny if the reader were to watch him do that.

He's typing away, fingers fast on the keyboard as he glances over at his second monitor. The secondary mode of Evil Resident open to the character selection screen. Wesker thought that his weekend ought to be devoted to updating the newest chapter of his reader insert fic on Ao3, then spend some sweet time with his beloved main as a reward. This scene in particular is one that his fellow fans have been waiting for, it's the third time he's writing it where you happen across the reader all by themselves. Of course he might've written in himself, but what would his friends think? Chris follows his account, eating up chapter after chapter because the fool can't write a decent fic to save his life. Typical. He didn't understand your character as well as he did.

It was one of the reasons why Wesker was so on the fence for allowing him a morsel of his work. As he types away, he pauses to glance over at you, a sigh falling from his lips. The build up is being dragged on for far too long, there isn't a good place to introduce you into the story that doesn't feel out of place. He worries that if he does it so suddenly, it'll break immersion. You furrow your brows, not liking your little pest to look so worried. He's far too young to be developing wrinkles now. What could possibly be making him feel so troubled?

"Is something the matter?", you ask, a little irritated with his prolonged stare and pout on his lips.

"Hm? Oh... it's... it's nothing, I can assure you", he replies, getting right back to work with his typing.

You're not convinced, and perhaps he knows that. Your eyes peer through the screen as you stare at his surroundings, various posters and figurines were casted in his background, many of which happened to involve you. You're no fool, so you can assume that whatever it is he's doing must also involve you somehow. If only there were a way to shift the monitor to face the other. You fold your arms, shifting yourself from the border that occupies you to instead glance at the reflection of light in his shades. Words appearing backwards as the cursor blinks before he hits the backspace key.

"What are you writing?", you prompt him further, determined to get an answer that satisfies your liking.

"... It's a project I'm working on", which isn't technically a lie.

You can see the way his blue eyes avert to the side, so it must embarrass him. You're able to put two and two together, especially when you briefly see your name flash once or twice in the white light on his shades. The longer you stare, the more nervous he becomes, wondering why you're almost glaring at him with that intensity. A chuckle sounds from either side of his headphones, making him shiver as you smirk. At this point it's rather obvious, so you aren't sure why he's trying to hide it.

"You're writing about me, aren't you Albert?", your hand holds your chin as your eyes crinkle a tad, "Planning a confession, dear? Or perhaps you're living out a fantasy you cannot fulfill"

He frowns, flustering at your words as he switches tabs to access your monitor. He knits his brows together as he hovers the mouse over the exit button on the screen, putting you behind the door of character select so that you can't see him write out exactly that. Even if Wesker can't see you, he knows you're laughing at him, finding it rather amusing as he brings his hands to his eyes, pushing them under his sun glasses to blush in shame. As much as he loves to hear you tease him and the sound of your voice is enough to make him so happy, he really does need to finish this.

"Seven minutes. Seven minutes and then I'll be able to play with you", he sighs, a groan heavy on his breath as he cracks his fingers.

The sooner he gets to work the sooner he can make you take damage for interrupting him, in his own way of punishing you. Were you trying to make him angry? Not that he could ever be mad at you... for long. As he gets back to writing paragraph after paragraph, he's satisfied with his length of five pages, although an idea comes to mind. Wesker shifts back to your game, and relinquishes you from your character select prison.

"Hello again dear, took you long enough-"

"Before we get started, could you... look over it... please?"

You raise a brow, having half the mind to scold him for interrupting you, but deciding against it. This is a first, given that you don't typically see him anyways when he's writing and most often he does not involve such writings in your conversations while in the game. Well... you suppose you could, given that it is about you, after all. He also happened to ask nicely, so there's that too.

"Fine. Show it to me", and he carefully scoots the monitor inwards for you to read.

You don't quite understand the context of what's going on given you're cutting into the story rather than starting at the beginning. Wesker waits with a straight face to hear what you think, hoping that it isn't so cringey that you refuse to talk to him for good after reading it. However as you motion for him to scroll on your behalf, you're amazed at how well he's able to understand you. It's as if you're right there yourself, talking with this 'why enn' character. In the chapter you seem to be infatuated with them, drawing your hand out to their face with intimacy. He's described how your hand feels, how you look at that person with a hunger to your gaze. Is it odd that you're beginning to blush yourself?

The pacing is fine, quick where it needs to be, but long on the details and information that matters and is enticing. Although the reader isn't someone whom you'd be so taken with if you're honest. They're not your type, but you don't voice that to him. When you reach the end of all five pages, he moves the monitor back to its original position so that you're facing him.

"Wh- What did you think?", he stammers, determined to get anything he might've done wrong right.

"That line where I depart just as the gnat", which was what you called his partner in the game, "came to save them... I wouldn't say that"

"I see, I'll change that immediately. Is there anything else?"

"You... you must really love me...", you let it tumble out, surprised at your own words before you frown at his face as it begins to change. Determination blossoms to barely contained excitement as Wesker nods, restraining a smile on his face as you wave him off.

"Whatever. Are you finally free now? I feel like I've been here for ages", you huff.

Love… really… such foolish emotions are beyond you. You’ve never loved anyone or anything in your life and you aren’t about to start now for some… boy! And yet… here you were, heart hammering out of embarrassment. It’s second hand you’re sure. You’d assume your programmed smirk when he typed something extra in his author notes. You’re able to decipher it through the backwards text appearing on the screen.

Sorry this chapter’s a little late. I had some help from a friend of mine’s. Please enjoy the sixth chapter!

The moment he toggles back to you, he notices you staring again.

“Is something wrong?”

“No- not at all”, you answer, loading into the level select as he gets ready to play as you.

[hoppipolla]

The lover's hand: A Midnight Museum episode 4 rambling

Will GMM TV pull a If Marnie Was There card on us with Khatha and Dome? They might. They probably will, but since it hasn't happened yet, I will be in denial until the big reveal.

It hasn't escaped you that Khatha's touch grows gentle whenever he touches Dome. So far, Khatha has allowed himself to touch Dome to either protect him or make sure he is safe. But in today's episode, things have developed a bit.

The beginning and the end of today's episode confirmed that Dome (let's pretend his real is name Dome for now) and Khatha have met before, a long time ago. Khatha lost Dome however, under traumatic circumstances which seem related to the creepy seated mummy we've seen in previous episodes.

The bond they share has nothing in common with the kind of bond siblings might share. Siblings don't look at each other like that nor do they touch each other like that either. (I don't even need to add screencaps here, you know which scenes I'm talking about). The intense relief Khatha feels when he sees Dome after many years resembles the kind of relief a tragic lover would feel seeing their long lost lover again with whom they can't reunite yet. I mean look at him! That look is the embodiment of selfless love, not brotherly love.

To prove the point everyone agrees on, I'll now focus on Khatha's hand gestures in today's episode (i.e Midnight Museum episode 4).

I've said in a previous text post that Khatha does not want anyone to see he cares for Dome although everyone is pretty much aware. Even Bam. This is again proved in this episode when he doesn't meet Dome's eyes — at first — when he voices out his worry and asks Dome to stay close to him.

What's even more painfully interesting in this scene is what Khatha says next: "I will be able to stop it in time". The way he says it might hint at the fact that, in the past, he failed to stop "it" in time. However, things are different now. Dome is back and Khatha intends to have him stay by his side no matter what. "It" won't happen again, whatever that is. Not today. Not ever. His words are more than a mere statement. They're a promise.

Khatha's feelings for Dome aren't clear in the sense that they are strong emotions, all intertwined. But one thing is for certain: he deeply cares for Dome and although he wished he could hide that, his body betrays him because his hand will always reach for him. There is something achingly beautiful in the way Khatha always seem to want to be in direct contact with Dome whenever he is hurting. It's as if he wants to take his pain away and replace it with comfort. He wants to be the only one suffering and he cannot bear seeing Dome risking his life and going through the same kind of pain he must have experienced at one point during his immortal life.

Tor's way of showing how relieved his character is whenever he fears for Dome's life and realises that he is safe is beyond amazing. His eyes speak volumes and his micro-expressions make your heart squeeze in your chest. I can hear the thoughts that might have crossed his mind the second he believed Dome wasn't breathing anymore. His agony is so loud and yet Khatha remains so quiet whenever he is scared, hurt or distraught.

In the beginning of this text post, I've described Khatha's look as the embodiment of selfless love. The perfect illustration of that selfless love is when he tells Dome that his immortality is not a curse hence the fact that he doesn't need anyone to save him from it. We all know it's a lie and so does Dome who is no fool, but Dome is aware of what Khatha was trying to do. Khatha didn't want to put an additional pressure on him and so implying that he is not cursed meant that he needn't become some kind of saviour.

Dome sees that and as the empath he is, he is devastated. He feels for Khatha but he knows him not controlling his powers (or anything that's happening to him) is not helping and, in a way, he may have felt relieved by Khatha's thoughtfulness .

But Dome knows that this the face of a man made so utterly lonely by a curse so ancient that he himself has forgotten that this excruciating pain is not natural. The camera angle here makes us see Khatha through Dome's eyes and it's heart-breaking.

[themattress]

Unpopular Opinion Re:Dragon Ball

Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection F is great; many of its detractors are the ones with the problem.

And I'm not trying to insult them by saying that; it's actually an understandable logical fallacy they've fallen prey to, but it's a fallacy all the same and I need to highlight it. Basically, many fans say Resurrection F "hasn't aged well" or is the weakest of the new Dragon Ball movies or is even outright bad, and their arguments all come down to the same thing: there's not much story or character development or meaningful changes to the status quo. It's "filler".

The fallacy? Dragon Ball Super, which came around after this movie, is responsible for this line of thinking. Back at the time of Battle of Gods, there was no expectation that any such movies were going to be pivotal chapters in an ongoing narrative. There was no guarantee that we would see Beerus and Whis again after the movie kind of sent them off in a pretty close-ended way, or that we'd hear anything more of this "Super Saiyan God" form. And while we did end up getting those elements in Resurrection F, that doesn't change the fact that beyond them no character grew or changed in Battle of Gods either. No real lessons were learned, no big insights gleamed other than Videl being pregnant with a quarter-Saiyan child (something that was already a foregone conclusion) and the lengths Vegeta is actually willing to throw his pride away for his loved ones' sake, and the most radically changed characters from how they've been before were the Pilaf Gang who were completely tangential to the story! Resurrection F is much the same: nobody learns anything, we get something of a new insight into Vegeta's character and discover that Beerus approved Planet Vegeta's destruction, and a (sort of) new character is introduced (Jaco), but otherwise it's a close-ended movie. The main difference is that its got even less of a narrative than Battle of Gods, it's an action movie with a thin excuse plot. And that's exactly what it was marketed as. Nobody was fooled in 2015 as to what the movie was going to be: just an entertaining action flick where Goku and Freeza will finally have that big rematch on Earth that got cut off (pun intended) by Future Trunks before. As a movie, it achieved precisely what it needed to.

But then Super came out, which reframed Battle of Gods as a genuine new beginning of a serialized narrative. The other Super anime arcs (Champa, Goku Black, Tournament of Power), two Super manga-exclusive arcs (Moro, Granolah), and two Super movies (Broly, Super Hero) now all connect to one another. And in this new context, Resurrection F's only important holdovers were Jaco and the newly introduced forms (Super Saiyan Blue and Golden Freeza), and one could credibly argue those could have been introduced elsewhere without the need for Resurrection F's story. So now it feels more like filler, but again, Toriyama and all the people who made it had no idea of knowing that at the time of its creation. You can't just say "they should've not bothered and just brought Freeza back for the first time in the Tournament of Power" because there was no plan for the Tournament of Power to even be a thing back then! Just as for all Toriyama knew Beerus and Whis would never return after Battle of Gods had it not been successful, he had no idea if this return of Freeza would be the only one he'd be able to have or not. Context is everything here.

Tl;dr: Resurrection F is supposed to just be a fun movie. So enjoy it as a fun movie.

[thelongestway]

Dawn: Trailed

Now that the spoiler embargo is gone, well...

This is probably my favorite expansion. On par with, if not better than, HW (My personal rating otherwise goes HW>ShB>Ew=Sb=Arr). I went through it without reading anything about others' experiences, and you can imagine my surprise about the incredibly mixed reception!

I was even more surprised, because I was going in very burnt out on FFXIV, and had really been expecting to go in and say "eh, this was ok, sure, but nothing special."

Instead, I got exactly what I wanted or, dare I say it, even needed. That is to say, this:

So this review is going to be reflecting over the type of story this is and what made it so appealing to me specifically.

Tons of spoilers below the cut!

What I thoroughly enjoyed about Dawntrail:

the "not my circus, not my monkeys" vibe

the worldbuilding

the pacing

And I think these things are related. But let's start with the pacing.

My usual way of playing is "do story, do available sidequests as they pop up, a couple of fates along the road, etc". I usually wind up with a class fully leveled and a class half-leveled by the end of the story. My WoL is very thorough and meticulous, and a firm believer in "get the lay of the land" first.

In most previous expansions, that meant there were spots where I went stir-crazy, because something about that flow didn't click; there were many places I was bored but also did not want to skip things, because while it felt bad to do them immediately, it would feel even more out of place to do them later. To wit: Moogles HW (even though I loved the crafter quests later), Ruby Sea SB, Twine etc ShB, Ultima Thule EW (yes, not Labyrinthos part 2 - sorry my friends, I love insane academics, while Ultima Thule really, really did not hit for me).

This was not the case in DT. There wasn't a single moment I felt truly bored. And specifically I enjoyed the vibe that you can come and go at any moment - the fact that the succession isn't really your problem helps with this a lot. This is why the amount of Wuk Lamat didn't particularly bother me - my WoL just went "oh, fantastic, any fallout is your problem, not mine - I'm just here to see the sights and talk to people". He got to have a good night's sleep without being interrupted, for gods' sake - unheard of!

On a player level, this worked wonderfully, because I hate it when writers try to raise the stakes by making it personal. Usually, I have a very visceral reaction to that, which is primarily "you do NOT get to decide what makes it personal for me", and I can count the number of times that kind of bait worked for me on one hand. In FFXIV specifically, Haurchefant and Ysayle in one expansion - and never again (although should anything happen to the twins, yeah, that'll work). Having another character take the brunt of "this has to be personal For Them" is really one of my favorite vibes. That said, I'm very much a worldbuilding-over-story girlie. Give me a world to muck around in, and I'm happy. And if I don't feel punished for taking my time, this becomes even better - I detest time-based long-term gameplay, I have enough of that IRL. Which means that for me, the vibe of this whole expansion was "excellent, I've got an excuse to be here - oh, we're moving on? You go on, I'll catch up". The last time I felt like this was really in HW, while the resolution to the Monetarist plot was brewing in the background. "Yeah, we can't really go back to our three home states for long. Great - let's explore the floating islands and see what the deal with the Dragonsong war is. We've got nothing but time." In both expansions, giving me time to fool around let me develop a personal connection - not to the characters, to the space. And by the time the plot picks up, I am hooked.

So aside from being my favorite type of worldbuilding, the feeling that "the plot is on pause and I have time to breathe" is unironically one of my favorite things in games, and what lets me feel like I've been relaxing while playing a game. And, well, I really needed a vacation from IRL bullshit, and I got just that.

It was one heck of a surprise for me to see that's not the case for most other players. To showcase this, I actually quite enjoyed one of the most controversial storytelling moments - which was "you've found the City of Gold! ...Now before you go in there, the current ruler needs to inform their successor about the bullshit going on down there, and you're not invited". My WoL's reaction was an amused "yeah, sure, I'm not in a rush - we'll get there (not that you can stop me from poking my nose in). Now, what else did you say was here? Xak Turaal?"I know a lot of other players got thrown out of the illusion of verisimilitude here; for a lot of people, the pacing here felt like a jarring stop. For me, though, it felt like breathing space; like a promise - there's no rush, we'll get there. Take your time, relax. It was like the game said "yeah, I see the load you carry normally. You don't have to for a few hours". And that was great.

It was the same with Wuk Lamat. The big cat wants all the bullshit I hate? She can have it, and my gratitude with it! The only time my WoL felt irked with her was the "invitation to be part of her government" - but even that moment was basically fixed immediately by the WoL's reaction! Which is: you stare at Wuk Lamat silently - silently even for the WoL, no gestures or implied responses, she sheepishly goes "you don't have to answer now... also I got you that pass to Xak Tural I promised?.." Only then do you smile. And you have the option of basically turning around after that and walking directly into Xak Turaal without talking to anyone except Erenville, which I found appropriate and more than a little hilarious. Finally, much later, Wuk Lamat even goes "ok, yeah, I get it now, the invitation was kinda stupid, sorry" - which is a big Point for her in my WoL's eyes.

And you get to just walk away! And there are no problems arising from that! And you walk into Shaaloani, doubling down on the "nope. I am On Vacation. Nothing but the wind and the vibes", and it was exactly what I wanted and needed. And then, after Shaaloani, once I've thoroughly relaxed, the plot picks up! I've had my rest, and now I get to do shit! 10/10 hit in the personal preferences, no notes.

All of this would've been enough to bring DT on par with HW and above ShB (which had the "new world exploration" down pat, but was also much more inconsistent in its pacing for me). But what brings it really... Above HW for me was the last zone. Because that zone hit stuff I'd been needing to have a good cry about, and I spent 8 hours doing just that: reading through and sobbing.

Now, this was a very personal hit in the themes. I mean, it was mostly coincidence that it hit that hard. But it was what I needed.

Dawntrail is an expansion that has two main themes: vacation (break, pause, freedom) and death. Death, while always present as an FFXIV theme, here is discussed specifically in the aspect of "leaving behind stuff for others to take care of". These two themes are bundled in extremely neatly, you keep going back and forth between them, and they reach a crescendo in the last zone, which is a memorial disguised as an amusement park; a memorial whose paperclip-optimizer managing AI was about to try and kill everyone it could reach in order to keep that memorial's lights on. So you walk into a deteriorating attempt to make the "between-space" of vacation last forever, and then you turn that vacation into death, and that comes as a relief.

I won't go into the IRL bullshit that made me cry over this. But the mix of "you can't capture happiness in a gilded cage" and also "you cannot exist in that liminal space where you temporarily leave your burdens - you shouldn't try to actually live there", and finally "someday you will have to leave your burdens to someone else, and you will never solve everything forever" - yeah, I needed that. I needed a good ghost story right now, and I didn't know I did. So the last zone hit insanely hard, and I loved it.

And it hit all the harder because the focus wasn't on me. For contrast, Ultima Thule was my least favorite zone of EW. It was a total, absolute miss for me - the exact kind of "the writers are trying to make it personal" that I hate. I think I have the exact feeling about Ultima Thule that most people have about Dawntrail: if the plot had been moved a few steps to the side, I would've enjoyed it - say, have the Scions lean into "we're building a bridge, and whoever gets to the end will have to handle the rest. WoL, though - you're gonna have to be the last one to go, we need you to bring us back. Let's walk into this with our eyes open" rather than into the "sacrifice" aesthetic. But they didn't, and it didn't hit for me. I felt sort of numb and irritated throughout.

Meanwhile, Living Memory - and its focus on a bunch of NPCs I didn't know, and then Krile, and then Erenville and Cahciua - let me experience what I needed to experience without also feeling like the writers are dragging the requisite emotion out of me with pliers. For once, playing through the story as a Black mage was amazing - I was very much "okay, time to put on my thaumaturge ritual robes and hold a funeral". It was a somber feeling, but also it felt like it should.

And then you get a multidimensional key out of it! And you end 7.0 alone, looking at a map with the key in your posession, and you can see the gears turning in your WoL's head as they plan... That's my personal perfect ending.

As a result, this expansion made me reflect very heavily on my own personal preferences on pacing and plot, and how the niche that I inhabit is probably smaller than I thought. Things that are absolute dealbreakers for other people are barely blips on my radar; while things that are absolutely monumental to me often go unnoticed. Good stuff to know for a writer - and I'm very grateful for getting a story that was written so close to what I like.

[almadesarrollo]

things that could happen in MLB from S6 ONwards PART 1

Well, after seeing how the series works, I am watching it again and every day I discover new things, new clues to be able to better understand how the story is going to develop, in this case we are clearly talking about Felix and Marinette, the real story , and I have come to understand so far how at least the first 5 seasons could be classified, and don't worry, I know they have different names, I don't remember all of them, but I'm going to give them my own name, so that we can understand everything better, according to what that I have seen... to begin the plot is actually about 4 characters, Adrien, Kagami, Felix and Marinette, among these four where the mess or the move arises, so to speak, and based on that, each season helps us in some way to get to know each one of these better, so that we can better understand the story,and how the whole plot will develop:

-SEASON 1: introduction: THIS SEASON IS INTRODUCTION, IT PRESENTS US MAIN AND SECONDARY CHARACTERS, BUT THEY ALSO GIVE US THE FIRST CLUES OF THE SERIES, SO SAYING, SO THAT WE CAN FORM THE PUZZLE (WHY IT STARTS FOR A REASON, RIGHT?) They are all names of akumatized people, but don't be fooled, through the akumatized people they give us thousands of clues, this season it is vital to see it since, thanks to it we can start the story ourselves and see where the starting point is... you will find many clues related to Felix, and all, ALL THE CHARACTERS PRESENTED ARE IMPORTANT, THERE IS NONE OF FILLER, THEIR DESIGNS AND ATTITUDES, ALL GIVE US INFORMATION.

-SEASON 2: THE VILLAIN/ADRIEN, This season is well known for somehow knowing the villain, monarch/Gabriel, IN IT WE SEE WHAT HE CAN DO THAT HE CAN'T DO WITH THE AKUMAS, HOW HIS MIRACULOUS WORKS ETC...But what if it can be highly criticized for not being a great villain and so on, but it is also vital, do you know why? because to make a good villain you have to know how far he is going to go, and what he is capable of both physically and mentally, AND THANKS TO THIS SEASON WE KNOW WHAT THE REAL VILLAIN IS GOING TO BE: ADRIEN (that's why the first This season's episode begins with the revelation of Gabriel) through Monarch we know what Adrien is going to be like and what he is capable of, this season is full of clues about Adrien's future and his villainy, and this does include chatnoir, but not only that, this season makes it clear to you with several clues (very funny and graphic,They use a lot of puns with the "b") that Adrien is literally a baby and that he is not suitable for a superhero, he was created for a villain (what we have seen about Chatblanc is only the beginning ) That's why there is so much ridicule about him, that's why they nerf him... he's not a superhero, we don't have to take him seriously...

-SEASON 3 THE ICE QUEEN/KAGAMI, this season is also vital and it helps us to know Adrien's romantic interest, yes, Kagami or as I like to call her, the ice queen (haha, like with Adrien's baby too There are many clues to that in the series) another great villain, Kagami, was introduced in season 2, but this season 3 is dedicated to her, what attitudes she has, what her life is like, more about the tsurugi, etc.. yes, although I know shows us with someone who, well, has social and emotional difficulties, don't let this fool you, she is the daughter of the tsurugi, in the same way that Adrien is the son of the agreste, nothing is just because, SHE IS BAD AND in the future she will to make Marinette's life impossible, that's why in this season 3 their friendship begins, this season they give us clues about how she will break into Adrien and Marinette's love life, how she is going to be a tyrannical and heartless ruler and Ladybug will try to overthrow her (there's a reason they call her ice queen, a queen without emotions, very cold) and how she is going to betray Marinette, in various ways, we know that this season is Chloe's fall and let me ask you, doesn't it seem like a coincidence that Chloe is precisely nicknamed "QUEEN" AND THAT HER MIRACULOUS PARALYZES PEOPLE?, PARALYZES, FREEZES... BUT APART FROM THIS KAGAMI HAS another function, to give dynamism to the series, her name means "mirror", what do you look at? When you see yourself in it?, your reflection disappears and if you take the image of yourself out of that mirror, what do you have? an inverted image, therefore things and characters are inverted when they interact with it, (I already talked a little about this in my post where I talked about pretension and Felix being Adrien, there you have it).

-SEASON 4 THE GREAT GUARDIAN/MARINETTE, well, this is the official title that was given to this season, it is also ideal for what it foreshadows, this season is dedicated to our protagonist MARINETTE/LADYBUG, her emotions, her double life and her responsibilities both as a heroine and as a guardian, how she tries to carry out everything, it is one of the hardest seasons, because in some way it foreshadows everything that she is going to suffer, and part of this suffering is going to be because of Adrien, and The thing is that if the series makes something clear to you, it is that if Adrien is a baby both in civilian life and as a superhero, Marinette is the babysitter, as you can see things are uneven and Marinette/Ladybug is going to lose her nerve, (this season is just the beginning of What awaits her, Adrien will betray her. Marinette always helps others, but do others help her? This season is one of the most important because it gives us a clue as to how she is going to lead her double life, how she is going to rise, from all this, she is going to empower herself, and she is going to become that heroine that many of us have been waiting for, With great self-esteem and self-love, she will learn to love and value herself and she will heal, but in the midst of that healing she will have great support and help. Yes, Felix, if the daycare has more children (kagami), more babysitters are needed. No? Felix will be that companion that she really needs, her friend, and from friendship to love there is only one step, right? There's a reason Felix was created to protect Adrien, right?

-SEASON 5 REVOLUTION, FELIX Y ARGOS, this title is also official, and the truth is that it suits him perfectly, this season is a season dedicated to Felix, point of view, how he thinks and feels, and everything that his life implies, his past and present, that's why he debuts as Argos, in a chapter with the same concept as his name "emotion", FELIX IS ADRIEN'S TWIN COUSIN, A SENTISER CREATED TO PROTECT AND CARE FOR HIM, BUT APART FROM THIS, HE IS THE COMPANION , FRIEND AND LOVER OF MARINETTE/ LADYBGU AND FUTURE CHATNOIR, Yes ladies and gentlemen, he is THE FUTURE BATTLE COMPANION OF LADYBUG, and in the same way that Adrien was created to be a villain, Felix was created to be a hero, and a great hero , BUT ALSO TO be Marinette's perfect friend and boyfriend, and yes, I know, the feligami came out here but I'm telling you that it won't last, since as I just said, Felix was made for Marinette in the same way that Kagami was for Adrien, This season gives clues as to what the Felinette relationship will be like starting from the base of friends, then best friends and battle partners, lovers and finally boyfriends and even married people, and in battle her partner as Argos and later as chatnoir, the same way how the feligami is going to break and because (I'm following you, kagami is going to treat Felix very badly) how his relationship with Ladybug will be, in all its phases, but above all and the most anticipated, how it will be As chatnoir, Felix will be the chatnoir that for many many many years we have been waiting for, with things they will be serious and there will be no jokes, that is why in this season, chatnoir is more focused...Because through chatnoir / Adrien tells us about Felix with the MIRACULOUS OF THE CAT, but there is more Plagg will adore him, FELIX WILL BE EVERYTHING WE FANS HAVE WANTED BOTH IN THE WORLD OF SUPERHEROES AND IN LOVE, he will know how to listen and understand Marinette , and he will accept the relationship whatever it is, that she chooses, he will treat her as she deserves,HE WILL CARE FOR AND PROTECT HER, he will love her from the heart.

Well, now that we know a little about how each season goes, we will tell you how they come together, as we have said, each season helps us get to know each of these 4 characters in depth, now, well, each season adds extra information about what proposed the previous season, and that's how it connects.

For example, let's say there is a birthday party and Marinette wants to give Felix a gift:

Season 1 would give us some clues about the place (the wild mansion) and who Felix is ​​the birthday boy (but in a very subtle way) and some reference to Marinette's gift. So you see it but you don't understand it very well, because obviously you need clues.

then you get to season 2 and it adds more information about this, it tells you that the person throwing the party is Adrien and that he is a little jealous of Marinette's affection for her cousin, and you see how she decorates her house for him (I remind you, is an example, this is not real) and we see how Marinette knits him an indigo blue sweater for example, you are already understanding that yes or yes it is for Felix, but equally if you doubt, there is the clue of a jealous Adrien, you think about the possibility and also because of the color of the jersey, the decoration of the house.

Season 3 arrives and you see how Kagami is undecided because she doesn't know what to wear to the birthday and her boyfriend doesn't pay any attention to her, and there you begin to understand every time that it could definitely be Felix the birthday boy and that Kagami wants to look good for him because It's a special day and since you know that feligami is canon, you think more about how everything fits together.

season 4 arrives you see how Marinette is told about the party at Adrien's house for "someone very special to Kagami" and we see how Marinette is really excited and we see her design an indigo blue sweater for "that person" and she also proposes help Adrien with the decoration and, by the way, she takes the opportunity to ask him, since they are cousins, if he would like that gift, but she also tells Kagami that she looks beautiful and that her boy is not going to stop looking at her, you definitely sense that he is felix and that also the bond with marinette is special and that adrien is extremely jealous, and that the feligami is on its last legs.

until season 5 arrives and Felix says that it is his birthday and that he is going to celebrate it in the wild mansion, and invites all his friends, and when he sees Marinette, she hugs him and he reciprocates, unlike Kagami, which which ends in a fight with Adrien because he is very jealous and Kagami is sad.

It's crazy I know, well it's an example, but you see it, right? It was all the same, the puzzle was Felix's birthday and creating a beautiful moment Felinette, and each season gives a piece so that we can little by little put it together, with T1, T2 and even T3 we already knew that things were going for the felinette or feligami. That's the whole series.

[haleigh-sloth]

but im a hero stan????? i like the villains sure but i dont care about them. i just think hori wrote the story sometimes in a way that MIGHT maybe fool some ppl into thinking that some of the villains (shigaraki, stain) have something to say abt the corrupted society and could try change it in their own violent ways (no offense but thats how a revolution works) and some of yall go like "yeah no they just wanna die and not do shit" unironically as if ppl not liking it was wrong lol

I'm gonna have to break this down because there is a lot here.

"i just think hori wrote the story sometimes in a way that MIGHT maybe fool some ppl into thinking that some of the villains (shigaraki, stain) have something to say abt the corrupted society and could try change it in their own violent ways (no offense but thats how a revolution works)"

The story didn't fool anybody. It was our wishful thinking. I can very honestly look back at the manga and see that, nowhere in the text does it imply that the villains are seeking any actual change. Tomura has the right reasons for his anger, but he has not once channeled it into a productive outcome (AFO has a lot to do with this). His first goal was to just...KILL All Might?? And he attacked a high school to do this, with the intention of killing the kids. Already, right off the bat, you know that this character is not thinking in terms of solutions, just in terms of anger (justified anger). I'm sorry but it's not on Horikoshi that people took that as an attempt to reform shit.

You bring up that violence is often involved in revolutions, and you are right. But comparing this:

to a revolution geared toward accomplishing something is just, wildly off the mark. No offense to you, but just opting to kill everybody is NOT how a revolution works, actually. The comparison is not good, so I'm really not going to even dwell on that little comment because it's not worth the discussion.

I can get where there might have been some inkling of hope for a reformative idea on the League's part, and I can't deny I was in that bandwagon too. But when I became frustrated with the manga not focusing on the League that way, I had to readjust my reading. And it was not hard to see that it was just MY wishful thinking. Because that's exactly what it was.

I think a lot of people really forgot this scene in chapter 222. Or like, they discount it as irrelevant now. But no, this scene onward has embodied Tomura's entire character.

"Destroy. It. All."

Look, I've also participated in the "the League are the protagonists of the story" shit too. But again, wishful thinking. They are not the protags, and when they kill and destroy, they are never framed in a positive light. The only time they are framed as the protags is during MVA, when they are attacked and are fighting for survival. And I mean, Tomura winning the fight against ReDestro was a technical win, but for his development as a person it was very detrimental to him in so many ways. They were the protags of that arc, but that arc was so much negative development for them, which should be very telling about what their positions in the story are.

The closest they've gotten to a "revolution" type of reaction was the heteromorph riots--and even then they were written to attack a hospital full of patients and hospital staff trying to help people. So again, their actions can't be backed up and it wasn't portrayed as a solution to literally anything.

"and some of yall go like "yeah no they just wanna die and not do shit" unironically as if ppl not liking it was wrong lol"

Sorry but this is like, exactly how they've been written from the get go. Maybe you don't particularly care, but the villain fandom doesn't want to grasp this.

It isn't ironic because literally--that's who they are.

Do I even need to point out that Touya is canonically suicidal? How is Touya supposed to reform anything if he's dead lmao. There is no valid explanation to somehow twist his actions into something that produces a solution.

Again, it's not about whether people like it or not. That's not what I'm saying. I'm saying that parroting the very safe criticism of "it's bad writing" is just lazy. It rids people of acknowledging that they either misinterpreted the text, got lost in headcanons, or straight up just don't like that it didn't go the way they wanted--which is a frustrating thing to admit, so everyone just resorts to "omg bad writing".

It's not bad writing for NOT delivering on shit that was never promised.