#2. it's not relevant to the plot by any slightest

[xenonmoon]

"Are you for hire?" "No"

and then does the task anyway

bestie just don't do it if you don't want to

[darkfictionjude]

Etymology nonnie here! I wanted to share some thoughts.

The kiss poll was not surprising to me in the slightest. But I don't know if it's entirely based on us players wanting to remain chaste and virginal, saving our MC for the RO's. That is, I'm not sure the only reasons many are holding back is due to loyalty/devotion to an RO. There are other motivations.

1. While the game and the blog seem open when it comes to sex and sexuality discussions, I do not feel compelled to explore that aspect of MC so far. At least, not with other people. What I mean is that MC potentially masturbated for the first time just now. Going for the 'how life', as fun as it may be, feels like a way too big of a step. MC is basically just discovering their own personhood and sexuality. And personally, I do feel a bit protective of my MC. Not because I want to infantalize him (I will point out, once again, that my MC is male), but rather because I would prefer he explores himself by stages.

That said, the kiss in particular is not sexual. It cannot be. But is a big step in the sense that it requires interacting with someone else. So, at least I would prefer my MC to have some more time to explore and understand himself prior involving anyone.

2. The nature of the kiss itself is not really arousing nor fun. We are pretending to date someone, who we are very well aware does not, nor can, feel romantic love nor desire towards MC. Worse, my MC is also gay. So the kiss, other than being an act, would not be enjoyable for any party involved. Especially so because you can be successful on the pretense without it. So, it's not even a necessary evil.

After all, for me, what makes fake dating such a fun trope to be involved in, is the potential of the fake turning true. Here, that's not possible nor desired. And, at least for me, the potential for personal growth MC can get out of the kiss is null. Now, I may be wrong. I didn't try the kiss. Yet I do recognize the kiss can be relevant on the long run if it helps an MC realize why the kiss may not be enjoyable. Or if they realize they fancy a particular gender that Charley is not a part of. That said, the game already allows MC to feel lust for an RO that may be the same gender as MC. Therefore, the kiss is not really that significant of a moment when it comes to the realization of sexuality. It has the potential to, of course. Yet, I don't see my MC needing it.

3. Charley is already in a relationship. The whole point of the pretense is to allow Charley escape with their beloved. So, for me, the kiss feels a bit icky. Not to say I won't try to experience cheating or adultery within the realm of IFs. There are some where it's inevitable (so many have an arranged marriage plot, and most of the RO's are not the arranged spouse). But, since there is no pleasure to get from this specific kiss, then what's the point? It's not even angsty, since it's not going to affect Charley's relationship.

Now, I do realize I do sound overly critical of the kiss. But that's not my intention. I understand its inclusion, and I wouldn't mind going for it in a future playthrough just to see how it is. Truth is, however, I only tend to go for different playthroughs on IFs that are finished. Here we are too early into the story to feel much compelled to experiment. At least, in my case.

After all of this, I'd like to say I'm not someone who necessarily goes for chaste MC's. It entirely depends on the particular IF, and who the MC and RO's are. For example, When Life gives you Lemons is written in such a way being involved sexually with all of the RO's feel almost like the intended thing to do. It's such a horny IF. So living my best hoe life in that IF, and other with similar vibes, is something I enjoy and can justify to myself. It makes sense given the world and the characters.

Now, compre that to an IF where the MC lives in a more restrictive society. Say, a fantasy medieval world (which is rather common). And the MC is a sheltered and/or controlled individual, either because they are raised to be a weapon. Or they are prisoner for most of their life. Or simply because their behavior is heavily monitored, and sexual liberty can have serious if not nefarious consequences. Would I go for a sexually active MC in such worlds? Most likely not. I do enjoy, I think, the idea of MC's who are incredibly capable and experienced in the battlefield, but have no experience whatsoever when it comes to romance and sex. I love the juxtaposition. Like, the amount of times I have played MC's that are dutiful and effective combat machines but bashful and incompetent when it comes to love is ridiculous.

And, for this IF in particular, I just don't see myself whoring my MC around as of yet. Maybe in Season 2 (yet I think is unlikely, since by then my MC will be hopelessly in love with Imre, so he will have no interest to be with anyone but Imre himself, even if my MC will not know if it will ever be possible). Since in that season MC would be more mature and have a bigger understanding of their own body and sexuality. And I would understand taking the step to interact with others in a sexual or romantic way.

Let's put it like this. I would probably be more willing to go for kisses, flings and things like that in this IF if we weren't playing as MC. For example, if I played as Imre, I probably would be a proper hoe. Yet, if I played as Lorcan, I wouldn't because I don't see Lorcan being that sexually active. In part because I think he is not really good at seduction (his charm comes from how pathetic he is, although I'm sure he would deny it). So, what I'm saying, is that the POV from where we play can also have a big effect on how sexually adventurous we behave in an IF.

But these are just my thoughts. I'm sure many would disagree. Perhaps, dear Jude, you yourself will have plenty of counter arguments. Although I'm not sure anyone but you will read this fully, since I do have the flaw of indulging on my verbosity. And unlike Sam, I'm not offering an interesting new idea that could easily develop into a completely different story.

Yeah I feel like the kiss is a potential for growth. First of all everyone has had that awkward first kiss, and second of all it can be contrasted for mc with the other kisses they will give the ROs and to notice how and why it was different. That’s a big step in sexuality deciding how things work and what you like. Honestly the kiss really isn’t a big deal as you’re making it out to be dear etymology nonnie 😭 it really lasts like maybe 5 seconds 😭

Although I will say some people in sexuality don’t go step by step they take a plunge which is equally valid

Hahaha that sam mention 💀

[kyriolex]

Look say what you will about Himawari having Kurama but I'm literally seeing some BS and I need to rant.

I keep seeing people say Himawari should've had more to do with the Hyuga Clan and I'm sorry but I gotta disagree

Just fucking LOOK at what Kishi did to the 2 most prominent Hyugas!

One was killed off in the shittiest way and the other got nothing beyond being the MC's wife in the Boruto era

The man had TWO chances to make a Hyuga be relevant and prevail but he somehow managed to drop the ball on BOTH of them and completely destroyed BOTH of their potential

(Hinata. Neji. I am SO sorry this happened to you my sweeties. You both deserved so much better... 😮‍💨)

Why in the fuck would I want that kind of fate to befall on Himawari? 

At least with Kurama, that can almost guarantee Hima remaining at least somewhat relevant to the story (since Kishimoto adores Kurama)

On the other hand, Kishi straight up does not appear care about the Hyuga clan in the slightest and its evident by the fact that he initially forgot to give Hinata's OWN CHILDREN the Byakugan 

Call Kurama an asspull all you want but let's not pretend that Hima would've been any better off with Hyugas ESPECIALLY not Hiashi lmfao

Cause Kishi was never gonna explore the Hyugas, even if Himawari's hidden power had turned out to be anything else

It is a damn waste he never explored the Hyuuga clan in Boruto, considering they’re the Otsutsukis’ descendants. Even without the alien connection, it would have made sense to at least acknowledge Himawari’s heritage. Choosing your own path is a huge theme in this series, and showing Himawari’s or Boruto’s attitudes toward their Byakugan (or lack thereof) was SUCH low-hanging fruit.

But at least Himawari and Kurama can be each others’ plot armor.

[kaybreezy3000]

The Anti Hero's Pitfall of Arrogance

Five Hargreeves / Female OC

What happens when you disarm an exceptionally arrogant person, one that is a self-absorbed, teleporting, teenaged superhero? The answer is not great things.

Get ready for Five like you've never seen him before... (Chapter One and Two Post)

- This AU starts off when the Hargreeves are 16 and but is based off the show. It's going to give you a look inside Five's mind at that time of his life and not all of it is good, but I promise it's not all bad. I always make sure to give our boy his day to shine.

Warnings and Tags: sexually explicit content, flashbacks, teen bad behavior, survival horror, bad decisions, regret, POV Five, aggression issues, suffering, humor and angst and fluff, redemption, sweet Five and mean Five in same story, Dolores is a factor, hurt Number Five, Five makes fun and dirty check lists in this one, Young Five is really something, Starts as him in his teens then the rest he is 21, Plot twists and many tags left off to avoid spoiling the story, shocker ending

-this first post will be 2 chapters, the story is 44,600 words, 7 chapters total, posts will be every 5-6 days till done.

⚠️-this has some sexually explicit parts but also a real story and not really about all that stuff as much as the rest. If you want to avoid that particular type of explicit material, click my AO3 link at the end of this post and read the version on there instead. It has warnings for start and stop points to read the story without the mature content.

Chapter One: Fateful Days

I was always anxious after our missions, but not because of what we had just done. It was because I knew that we’d be thrown in front of the cameras, expected to perform another kind of show for the public. As we sat in our line of chairs waiting for reporters to call on us, instead of making my nerves easily seen, I carefully controlled my facial expressions and tried to hide my bouncing knees by discreetly pressing them down under my sweaty palms.

My answers to their questions always came out smoothly, not even the slightest waver in my voice. Years of practice learning to hide any sign of fear paid off in those moments. I was a perfectionist in all things, but in gaining fans, I failed because I know that I came off as the most arrogant and aloof of any of my siblings, but it was better than looking weak.

Number Five Hargreeves was not the most likable of the superpowered members of the infamous Umbrella Academy, but I pretended not to care about that and so many other things.

Our life at the academy was extremely private and exceptionally challenging, but it was while placed in the spotlight that I struggled the most. Those were the times I found it hardest to hide how young and inexperienced I really was when it came to anything that really mattered in the real world.  

My indifference towards everyone was part of a façade, but also not. My behavior at home wasn’t much different than my public persona. I always knew the answers; I was always better than everyone at everything. This kind of thing, the missions, being the heroes, it was what we were made for; or that’s at least what dad always said. And I was damn sure going to be the best at it, and everyone was going to see that, including my family.

Not all of us had so much pride when it came to our powers or public appearance. Some of my siblings felt the exact opposite about all this, but me being me, I didn’t see anyone else’s suffering as relevant when it came to my flawed view of the big scheme of things.

I should have.

Constantly edging out my family because of my dickhead aspiration to best them was just as prevalent when we were all sixteen as it was when we were very young. Only then, I no longer would bat an eye over their private tears and their personal sorrows. Before that, sometimes I would make myself available to them. I would every so often try to comfort Klaus by reading to him to drown out the ghosts as he tried to fall asleep, or I would sit with Vanya just so she didn’t feel so alone. Ben and I often shared the same interests academically and he was the only one I considered anywhere near my equal in all things intellectual. But by the time we hit our teens, even he and I rarely spoke unless necessary.

At only thirteen years old, the cutthroat mantra we were brought up on was backfiring. Instead of being the team dad wanted, we were pulling away from each other.

As my own way of dealing with all the mental manipulations and general bullshit of our home life, the older I got, the colder and more closed off I became. I wasn’t the only one doing this. We all lacked when it came to handling anything emotional, but I was the biggest offender.

That was probably why, that fateful day, I wouldn’t let anyone else snag the fan letter that was tossed out over the loud line of spectators. I had to win.

It happened while we were doing our final photo shots for the press on the stairs of the courthouse. With my eyes gazing out at our admirers through my mask, I saw the girl that threw it, and next to me, I knew Luther and Diego did too. The girl was the type that caught everyone’s eye.

Even someone as self-absorbed as me could see that she was very attractive.

Based on what I could tell, she was the same age or near it. Based on her clothing, I quickly determined that she attended one of the city's prestigious private schools that was focused on the arts. It was one that was specifically for those that were musicians or dancers and destined to make their careers in that area. The dark blazer and matching pleated skirt weren’t that much different to ours, but the crest near her lapel showed that she wasn’t just an obsessed fan trying to dress like us, though the crowd was full of those too.

She was different. She was special; we all knew it. Her long strawberry blonde hair was slung over her shoulder in a tight braid, and when her big blue eyes met mine, she smiled in the most curious way.

My self-assured smirk faltered in an instant.

Being I was neither tall or strong, or funny or even charmingly ridiculous like Klaus, none of the fangirls or guys usually paid me any attention. Her looking at me in a flirtatious sort of way was entirely new territory for me and I didn’t know how to react to it.

The small white envelope with red lip prints pressed along its seal perfectly matched the girl’s lips that threw it. My plan to piss off my brothers in any way possible was still in place when it landed at my impeccably polished dress shoes. I stomped on it, then bent over and snatched it up before either could pry it out from under my foot.

If I remember correctly, Luther said nothing, but he did roll his eyes at me before he went back to waving at everyone like he was a princess on a float at Disney World-not that I had ever seen one of those, but I had seen pictures.

Diego elbowed me in the ribs as discreetly as possible, then angrily complained, “Stop trying to steal the show. You did enough of that in there with your cocky little stapler stunt and all your flashy-flashy teleporting crap. You are such an asshole, Five. That was meant for me!”

I would have nailed him back, but my death glare would have to do, because dad was watching our immature exchange, a scowl making his usual displeased face even more unpleasant.

It was not that I craved the attention of our female fans the same way that they did. No, that wasn’t it. For me, it was all about the satisfaction to beat them at anything and everything. What I did inside the bank to one of the would-be robbers was merely me doing my job. Fuck Diego and his stupid knifes. If he doesn’t like that I’m better at taking people out with nothing but office supplies than that’s his problem not mine.

I clenched the letter, determinedly keeping it from their greedy hands because I knew all too well that my brothers weren't much better than a pack of wild dogs fighting over a bone when it came to attention and if I let my guard down, the letter would be gone. Pivoting to my left to block Diego's next attempt at getting the letter, I also did my best to search for the girl who threw it, but to my disappointment, she was gone.

Looking back on it now, as I stare down at my feet trudging along with the worn heels of my boots scraping across the broken and burning hot pavement, I wish for nothing more than the chance to go back to that day, or even to the next day, so I could do just about everything differently. I wish that I would have not shut my family out in thinking I was doing something good for myself.

I wish I hadn't done what I did to that girl.

I wish I had the guts to walk away from all of that like she said I should do.

I walked away alright, just not the way she meant.

Now, all I want is to get back to fix this.

Now, my whole focus is surviving long enough to find a way home, which also reminds me that I wish I hadn’t stepped on that shard of glass that sliced through the side of my boot, causing a deep gash in my right foot.

The dried blood from three days ago is crusted to the torn leather, and the color of it reminds me of her lips and that deep crimson red on that letter.

I can almost feel them. They were the first and last real lips I ever...

Anyway ...  Now is not the time to dwell on all that. I will always wonder who she really was and why she did what she did. But, right now, it’s looking like I’ll never know the answers to those questions.

Right now, things aren’t looking too hot.

Actually, they are, that’s the problem.

It’s very fucking hot.

The unforgiving sun is burning my back through my clothes, but I can’t take them off because they are the only thing protecting my skin from the sun’s scorching rays. Wandering in the heat of mid-day this time of year is not the best idea, but when we woke this morning, we had to go. If we hadn’t, we would have been sitting ducks, waiting the entire day out in the open, frying on the pavement, and that wasn’t smart either.

My breaths are becoming shallower despite my physical struggle to keep pulling Dolores and our meager belongings behind me in my cart. The strap around my waist that’s attached to the wagon is digging into the protruding bones at my hips. I can feel my skin rubbing clean off me because it’s already chafed from days of endless walking. I keep tripping more and more over the last hour or so, and I’m finding that my eyes keep closing for minutes at a time.

I stopped sweating a long time ago.

I am out of water.

I am not stupid. I know this isn’t good, and neither is the fact that I can’t feel my right foot anymore, but I refuse to stop to rewrap it or to stop and eat the contents of one of my unlabeled, beaten and bent canned goods. I rationed what we have with us, and I can’t eat for another ten hours.

Being dehydrated is nothing new and even turning back now, it’s still two days’ time to the last place that may or may not still have drinkable water.

As for my foot…

I will be okay. It will heal.

I will find water. That’s the biggest problem at the moment. I just wasn’t planning on this oppressive heat or that there would be no rain in the last two weeks. As I lay with Dolores last night, staring up at the stars, we could hear thunder to the west, coming from the direction we’ve been heading, but again the rain never came to us. Everything is drying up. The earth is cracking, and the roads are buckling in the heat wave that’s making it feel like we are in a furnace even at night.

For the last two days there has been nothing but windswept open areas. We haven’t found shelter because there’s nothing other than collapsed structures that at one time had been someone’s home, but now are nothing more than scattered rubble.

It’s like something blew everything around here clear off their foundations. There have been no abandoned cars along the crumbling road.

Seeing the very decomposed or skeletal remains of the passengers as I trudge by them would be a welcome site at this point.

As far as I can see, there’s nothing but minimal indications of long ago burnt vegetation. That may mean this had been cleared farmland. This being a rural area could explain why there is nothing out here, but it could also mean that I am nearing something horrible.

I am leaning on something horrible because this looks like another planet. One that looks like it never had the ability to maintain life.

I clearly went the wrong way. I like to pretend I’m smart, but that’s just one of my many issues. I lie to myself all the time and I always have.

Smart people don’t propel themselves blindly, teleporting forward twelve years in time to escape a life that can never be escaped, only to go so far that they end up at the end of the world, too pathetically weak to function and with no fucking clue how to get themselves back.

Yup. Stupid.

Maybe I am getting better with this whole lying to myself thing if I am openly admitting that.

“What do you think, Dolores, am I getting better owning up to my vast supply of shortcomings?” My voice comes out hardly a whisper on my cracked lips. I don’t even turn to look at her. I don’t have the energy.

‘I think we are in trouble. We need to turn around before it’s too late.’

Dolores ignores my ill-timed attempt at humor. She sounds scared, and she is right about turning around.

She never lies.

This was not where I meant to end up in a world where I’m the last living creature among the other few scurrying insects, and not to wherever the hell I am at, which is maybe still somewhere in bumfuck Pennsylvania.

Arrogance as my perpetual guide, and despite her warning, I keep on walking, dragging her along.

Depending on how you look at our codependent situation, she has to follow me. I like to pretend it’s willingly, but even as convoluted as I can make things in my brain, even I know the truth about that , but like usual, I am good at ignoring the truth. No wonder Dolores didn’t find that funny.

No wonder she is scared.

Since day one, Dolores has been unwavering in her vow to stay by my side, and to be whatever I need her to be. But now, as her partner and her only friend, and because we share much more than a platonic love at this point, it’s not fair of me to cause her so much distress. As I slowly pull her along, I can feel her worried eyes looking at my back and I hate that in doing this to myself, I’m doing it to her too.

“I’ll go just a little further, up over this next high ridge.” My torn fingers slipping out from under my waist strap, I point to what I mean, which isn’t more than another quarter mile.

My arm flops at my side after only having lifted it for the briefest moment. I don’t even bother to push down on the handles again or to slip it back under the strap before lurching along again.

“If I don’t see anything promising at that point, then I’ll turn back,” I reassure as my eyes scan the horizon ahead and the heat ripples off the ground cause the image in front of me to blur.

I know I took a wrong turn somewhere days ago, but that’s just it, in the apocalypse, every turn is wrong. It’s only by luck that I ever find anything helpful, like food, or any other supplies that might keep me alive. Even looking in obvious places, like in ruins of what was once a grocery store, or a pharmacy, can turn up next to nothing. It all depends on how damaged the area is. As we are finding, since we left the city and moved away from the devastated coastline, destruction seems to be everywhere, but this area is the worst I have ever seen.

It figures that when I finally venture out beyond the usual 100-mile radius I’ve been scavenging for the last five years that I’d go in the one direction that led me to this.

Road signs are sometimes still there, sometimes not, and even with maps for navigating it is hard, and that’s because almost nothing looks the same.  'Welcome to this town' signs are a huge help, but they are also a cruel reminder of the amount of life lost in each empty civilization I come across. Many signs are simply gone like everything else.

One big empty world, and to make things worse, now I think I’m lost in the wasteland.

I am in the middle of nowhere of Nowheresville and I don’t know what else to do besides keep walking.

I’ll certainly die if I stop.

“I know you’re scared, sweetheart. I will be okay; I promise I won’t leave you.” This time, my attempt to make Dolores feel better about my deteriorating condition is only in my head, and this time my reply isn’t just to her.

My mind is only half here on this desolate stretch of nothing. At least I’m aware of it, so that must mean I’m not fully hallucinating, which is great news. I do that frequently, and it’s for various reasons, like accidental high level food poisoning, fevers, being offensively drunk, general craziness, you name it.

When I say that I’m not leaving them, I mean my siblings too.

I never stop seeing the faces of the people I love but regarded with so much indifference.

Their blank and bloodied expressions, some crushed almost beyond recognition, some charred almost black, they all stare up at me from the remains of our burning home as I scramble to dig them free.

I never stop trying to tell them that I’m sorry, but they never reply.

They can’t because they are all dead and so is everyone else.

I’ll admit, I am not just dehydrated. I have an infection from that damn gash. The antibiotic I’m taking must not be good anymore.

The worms spill out of Allison’s broken skull as I pull her along to bury her with the rest of my family, but even that doesn’t make sense. They weren’t rotting when I found them. The rot came later.

Somehow even though it’s been years since this smell filled the air, I am hit with surges of smokey burning flesh, the scent coating my tongue, making my stomach instantaneously roar with sickening nausea but also ravenous hunger.

Nearly falling this time, I trip causing my injured foot to twist in an unnatural way. As I try to swallow my body’s attempts at forcing a dry heave, it’s with no saliva to help it along and the desert in my throat nearly chokes me. I cough on the upthrust of bile, the pitiful sounds of my gags are as weak as I feel.

I painfully stumble over my own feet, but manage to stay upright, swaying as I force my eyes off the quivering ground. I try focusing them instead on an area of broken road a few feet in front of me. One foot in front of the other, I keep moving, eyes ahead this time so I don’t fall over another large crack in the road.

My mind screams at me. ‘They aren’t here. You buried them years ago! Focus or you are never going to make it. You have to make it back; that’s all that matters.’

Dizzy, and confused, I try to remember again why Dolores and I are here. My plan was to search outside the city for anything to make our life easier. Something like a more forgiving weather pattern for example. Surviving the first several years in a suffocating nuclear winter and then the actual winters after that with only a handmade shelter and a sea of broken concrete around me has been working, but there must be places that were left in better, more livable conditions.

I can’t get physically strong enough to get back if I am starving all the time. I can’t get back if I freeze in the next few months when winter hits us again. I can run my numbers and figures, calculating the ways I can get back to them from anywhere. Being a few blocks from my childhood home, so close to the red waters of the toxic ocean while living in the ruins of the city library isn’t getting me any closer to them.

Dolores and I have been walking for forty-six days, seven hours, and thirty-six minutes, and my plan had been going fairly well until a week ago. Getting us away from the densely populated coast proved an okay move until I found myself in a very rural area, lost, and in the middle of a major weather change that I had no way of predicting.

After hardly surviving our last brutal winter, I thought there was nothing worse than the bitter cold, but right now, with my body literally cooking and no way to get out of the heat, I am finding that it may have been a major miscalculation to come so far into the unknown.

The valuable liquid remaining in my body is abandoning me in sheets of sweat again and that is just another not good sign.

Neither is the unexpected view of what appears to be a gigantic hole in the Earth. It covers the landscape as far and wide as my eyes can see. As I slowly make my way towards it, the road ends. There’s no more blacktop. It’s just dirt.

I can just make out the edge of the crater. The bottom of the abyss is empty as the rest of my world.

Just one massive hell.

“Dol-or-es… I messed-up ag-ah-in. Um-so- I shoo-d ha..ve listen-”

Just before the ground slants at an impossible angle, an angle that looks like it’s coming way too close to my face, that’s the thought that I can’t articulate that takes me away into the darkness.

I should have listened to her, only I don’t mean Dolores.

Chapter Two: Rain

After that weird exchange with that girl on the street, an unfamiliar excitement filled me. I wanted to read the note, but I couldn’t because we were still supposed to be smiling for the cameras. Then after our final group picture for the press, we were loaded into our waiting cars.

Klaus flopped himself down on the back seat next to me, causing me to have to move in the middle, which I knew was coming.

Not a second later, Diego took the remaining space to my right, glaring at me resentfully. “I mean it, man. That hot chick wasn’t trying to throw that letter to you. Just give it over. Why do you even want it? It’s not like you like girls or anyone else for that matter.”

I stared straight forward, my lips smugly pulled to the side. “I think that girl most certainly intended for me to get her little love letter and just like always, you are jealous of me.”

“Fivey you like girls, don’t you?” The way Klaus asked it and looked at me, it’s like he really thought that’s what this was about.

It wasn't.

Diego snorted out an obnoxious laugh as he pushed his knees into the back of Luther’s seat in front of him, while also taking up even more of my room in the middle.

“Five, doesn’t feel anything for anyone and if he did happen to swing the direction of the ladies, he wouldn’t have a clue what to do with one, especially not a total fox like that. Did you see those legs in that outfit, dude?”

Luther piped in his two cents worth next. “I did.” He turned back with his big muscular arm on the console so he could face us. “And Five, yeah, really? Diego’s surprisingly right for a change. What’s the deal with that letter? You could care less about our fangirls or guys, not that I’m saying it matters if you like guys or girls or whatever,” he blabbered.

Klaus laughed, interrupting Luther’s attempt to belittle me or support me or whatever that was supposed to be. “Oh...buddy, I saw them too, and though I don’t usually get a boner over the more delicate of the stems dancing around in this garden of life, I’ll admit, that girl was something, and I’d make an exception to stick it in her any day.”

At this point, I noticed our hired driver looking back at me through the rearview mirror with a look of disgust in his eyes. I supposed that this was not what he was expecting from the world's infamous superheroes. Turns out, the joke was on him and everyone else because we were way more immature and even more emotionally stunted than your average teens.

“Dude, stop kidding yourself. You’d fuck anything with legs.”

“True,” Klaus agreed to which Luther mumbled something apologetically to the driver.

Fuck me, I wished I was in the other car even though that meant I’d be with dad. My jaw twitched as I tried to ignore all the idiocy. The car pulled out, and rather than acknowledge the two morons or answer Klaus’s question, I looked out, hoping to see the girl again.

My hand wrapped tighter around the letter in my pocket, my smile returning as I thought about how she looked at me, and how mad they all were about it.

After sitting for a debriefing with The Monocle, one that was filled with ridicule even though we completed the bank mission successfully, we all sat for our usual mostly silent dinner, and then finally after hours of waiting to be alone, we were released and allowed to go to our rooms for the night.

I didn’t hesitate. In a flash, I was in my bedroom located in the third-floor attic space. Rushing out of my portal, moving a few steps to my desk, I pulled the chain on my lamp, filling the small room with warm yellow light.

My shaky fingers carefully worked open the letter as I sat down in front of my piles of notes and books. The kiss imprint was placed over the seal, but I did my best not to ruin it.

For as little as I thought or cared about girls, right then, you’d hardly believe it. I felt so unlike myself. My heart was racing as I unfolded the piece of paper inside.

Reading the first line, my heart felt like it stopped altogether.

Holy shit. She did write it for me. I was just being a jerk about all that, but…

What in the…

What is that supposed to mean?

My mind raced with the implications of the words, ‘I promise I will make it worth your while.’

I flipped the envelope, looking down at the red kiss she left me.

Did she like me? Like, like, like me?

I felt stupid even thinking about that question, but I couldn’t help it. It was like I was pissing brain cells and turning into Diego.

Our fans were known to pick favorites and collect our little plastic figurines and buy our posters, but I never thought I was one of those coveted idols, or that I was anything like my brothers when it came to irrelevant things like girls and who they ‘liked.’

The idea of this girl having pictures of me in her dorm room made my face feel hot.

She couldn’t get me out of her head…

Meticulously showering every part of my body and fighting for room in our shared sink area to finish my nightly routine didn’t help calm me down. Lying in bed trying to forget the letter and the girl was getting me nothing but more antsy.

It’s not like I never thought about girls. Diego was wrong about that. I was a teenager with rampant hormones running through me that caused intense feelings that occasionally couldn't be denied. When that was the case, I quickly took care of matters and moved on, nothing more.

I knew it was normal bodily function for someone my age to be stimulated with the simplest of things and end up with a hard on, or to experience the wonders of morning wood or mid-night wood accompanied by arousing dreams that seemingly come out of nowhere. I wasn't embarrassed by my need to pleasure myself. Like everything else, I approached it practically and efficiently, taking things into my own hands (or literally into my own hand as it were), and then after letting go of some of my millions of thoughts and a little bodily fluid I didn’t need, I was free of all that again.

Not everyone in this household was as discreet about their masturbation sessions. I had walked in on Klaus too many times to count while he was in the showers going at it. He may be a lot of things, completely uninhibited being one of them, but at least he cared enough to know that I was attracted to women not men. The shower thing with him and I and my blasé reaction to him jerking himself in there very frequently while I was in there too was probably part of that, but clearly my other siblings weren’t sure which way I ‘swung’ as they put it.

I couldn’t really blame them for their jokes. I never joined Klaus when he snuck out to meet our groupies for whatever they did together, but I had heard him and Diego going on and on about their various supposed exploits that they each have made when it came to those types of things that were intimate in nature. As much as I hated to admit it, if I had tried to talk to them about it, I am not sure what I would have said. They were right, I didn’t know anything about girls other than the basics that we learned in anatomy and physiology. And I was not intimate about anything unless you counted getting smacked in the face or getting choked out as intimate.

I hated not knowing things.

Fuck Diego and his teasing, and screw Luther and his perfect ‘I’m better looking than you’ thing he was born with. The more I lay there, the more I felt like I had to go meet the girl. I was curious what it was all about, but to be fully honest, I wanted to go because I thought that I knew what this was about and simply meeting me wasn't all she wanted.

This was my first chance to be around a girl alone that wasn’t one of my sisters. Who knew what could happen. Maybe something good?

At eleven fifty-five. I couldn’t take it anymore. I had looked at my window about a million times thinking about those red lips and that picture perfect smile. Just the letter afforded me major bragging rights but meeting her and the rest of it that could happen, yeah.

I had to go or I'd drive myself crazy wondering what I'd missed. 

Springing from my bed, inelegantly tripping over my own feet while on my way to my wardrobe, I tore off my cotton sleep pants and t-shirt.

Flinging the doors open revealed what I knew all too well. I had nothing other than academy uniforms to call my own. With a cursed fuck it, I mechanically dressed as I always do, my practiced hands neatly pushing up the knot on my tie before pulling my vest down over the top of my stupid shorts. Knee socks and shined black shoes on, I was the picture of… Well… Myself, I guess.

Looking in the mirror, I threaded my fingers through my hair making sure it was lying flipped to the side like I preferred.

Glancing at my clock showed that I had exactly four minutes.

Blinking myself down to the street was nothing. If I really wanted to, I could blink blocks away or even further, but to do that, first I would need to know the coordinates of where I’m trying to land, or I would at least need to be able to see it or have been there before. I had never been to the corner of 25th and Park, but I knew approximately where it was, and if I wanted to get there in time, teleporting was the only way.

That was not super brilliant if I was shooting for blending in since I was dressed in my well-known Umbrella Academy uniform and I was going to have to use my power, but I had no other option. That blunder alone proved how little I was ready for the real world and how different I was to normal people.

By that late hour, the streets were thankfully mostly free of pedestrians near the Academy, but I knew that wouldn’t be the case closer to downtown.

Making sure to land out of sight, I blinked a block at a time, heading towards my destination. Each spatial jump left me feeling energized, with not even a hint of fatigue. Dad would be proud of me for that if not for the fact that I'd just snuck out of his house.

It took me nine blinks to get there, but even then, I wasn’t unsteady when my feet hit the pavement of the alley a block down from where the girl was supposed to be waiting for me.

It’s then that I noticed a storm was coming. The faint flashes of light followed by the sound of rumbling thunder were letting me know that our little rendezvous couldn't be outside unless it was very short.

Again, the reality of her waiting for me hit home. All of a sudden, I was not so sure of myself. I had no idea who she was or what this was really about. Even if this resulted in me finally having some experience with the opposite sex, this wasn't a good enough reason to do this. It’s not like I’d brag to my dumbass brothers about it if something did happen with the girl. I also could just lie and pretend I met up with her. I was no storyteller but I was sure I could come up with something that would make my brothers just a little less full of themselves when it came to me and my lack of knowledge as it pertained to girls.

What I was doing was so stupid and I knew it, but I couldn't help myself.

Glancing down the street, I didn't see her, but I did see other people. This area wasn't nearly as upscale as the block and surrounding properties of the upper east side where I lived. Here, there were cheap bars and clubs on each block, and the homeless were front and center nearly everywhere you looked.

Why would she ask me to meet her here?

As a man with a grizzly beard and a cart pushed past me from down the alley, he asked me for some change. I told him I didn't have any money, which was sadly true.

As he cussed me out and moved on, I found that I was really starting to regret my hasty decision to come, but that's when I saw her. I didn’t know how I missed her at first. It might have been because she was sitting on the sidewalk with her back against the darkened window of the corner store.

With a black baseball cap pulled down low as she played the guitar sitting in her lap, I just thought she was one of the many street people sitting out panhandling.

Ignoring the next guy asking me for change and the strange looks of a couple that staggered past me, I stepped out of the shadowed side street to get a better look at the red haired girl. 

Sure enough, it was her. I could see that long braid, same as before, slung over her shoulder. She was dressed totally differently, not that I expected her to be wearing that short schoolgirl skirt, but I also didn’t imagine faded cargo pants, combat boots, and the baggy sweatshirt.

I could just make out the sound of strings being strum and the faintest sound of a female voice as I watched her.

Curiously, I felt drawn to her despite my new reservations. That was until a man stopped and dropped a few bills into the guitar case at her feet. She looked up, her smile of thanks as bright and warm as the one she'd given me earlier that day.

I stopped advancing, and my jaw dropped.

Tucked in tightly at her side was a duffle bag. The same kind that all the people out there seemed to have on them.

It dawned on me that she was homeless.

Why else would she be out here that time of night playing for money? I had so many questions, only one being, why wouldn’t her parents care where she was?

I couldn’t take my eyes off her as I back pedaled. Due to my inattention, my back ran right into a guy that looked like he could stomp me into the ground if he wasn’t so drunk, or if I couldn’t just as easily drop him in less than a second flat thanks to Reginald and his constant training. 

I was in a daze as he shoved me aside and yelled, "Get the fuck out of the way kid!”

As I staggered, I heard her soft voice.

“Five?”

My neck snapped back her way.

Oh shit.

Righting myself, I stopped mid step in my retreat, but even as she stared at me, like a coward, I blinked away.

This time when I landed, it was with much less grace. I fell out of my portal, back on my ass, catching myself before my head slammed into the air conditioning unit behind me. Panting from shock and the jump to the rooftop across the street, I edged myself to the ledge of the building to look down at her.

She was standing there with her guitar in hand, motionless as she looked at the spot I had been standing in.

She raised a hand, rubbing her cheek as she frowned.

I felt like a first-class piece of shit.

I didn’t even talk to her but I thought I was more than willing to do other things with her that did not involve talking. Who does that? What was wrong with me?

I felt disgusted but I quickly swallowed it down. 

Even sitting there knowing what I just did looked bad for so many reasons, I remained frozen as I watched her slowly turn around and begin to pack up her things. She crouched, taking the bills and change out of the case, stuffing her loot in the front pocket of her hoodie. Then, snapping closed the hard leather case, she didn’t so much as look back in the direction I had been before she took off down the street.

The first of the raindrops were beginning to hit the ground, pelting my hair and my shoulders. Instinctually, I pulled my academy jacket tighter around my middle even though it wasn't that cold.

The area we were in was nowhere near that private school whose uniform she was wearing, and she wasn't heading in the direction of where there was any housing that I was aware of.

I followed her.

I needed to know if I was right. A part of me, one that I didn’t want to admit was there but very much drove me in everything, needed to prove that she was not someone I should be associating with. I knew that sounded bad, but it was the truth I had been raised to believe. People like me didn’t talk with people like her.

Making sure to stay back so she couldn't see me, I went after her. She led me a few blocks away to an even more dilapidated and industrial looking area of the city that was not far from the docks. That was where I saw her enter what looked like an abandoned building. I knew it was not in use because it was boarded up. The only reason the girl got inside was because she knew that one of the boards was only being held on by one nail so she could swing it aside and disappear in the darkness.

I was right.

Why I didn’t stop there, I still don’t know.

Waiting just a few minutes to make sure she didn’t come back out, I entered the building the same way she did. It was nearly pitch black inside at first. My eyes had not adjusted to the dark because the boards were blocking most of the streetlights from shining inside the entire ground floor. When I could see, all around me was garbage and what looked like old moldy couch cushions and things that people must have used at one time or another while they squatted in there. But other than the obvious drug paraphernalia that showed at one time others had been using the place, the floor was quiet, and the girl was nowhere to be seen.

I knew she came in, and I didn’t see her come out, so I kept on looking. It wasn’t until I reached the top floor, by way of taking the stairs and blinking myself along when things didn’t look safe, that I heard her and the sound of water trickling as it made its way in through hidden parts of the building. Even with that and the sound of the hard rain falling on the roof, I could tell that she was singing again.

She had a very nice voice.

This floor of the building was like the others, only it wasn’t as dirty and it looked like no one ever ventured this far inside. From what I'd seen, the building should be and probably was condemned, and nobody should be there, but yet she was.

Unable to drop it even though I knew I was right; curiosity drove me closer to the sound of her voice softly echoing through the large mostly open floor.

The closer I got to her, the more I could hear the rain. It sounded like it was pouring down, splashing against something.

As I crept closer, my shoes ever so quiet on the gritty floor, I saw what appeared to be a small office enclosure off to the side of what was probably at one time a busy workspace full of factory workers.

Peering inside the glass windows, I could see her bag and her guitar case, but she was not there. I moved around the barrier into what appeared to be her makeshift home. I noticed mats laid out on the floor, made up like a bed and the blankets wrapped in plastic to keep them semi-clean. There were personal items, dozens of candles, and small stacks of books, the titles I couldn’t make out in the darkness.

It was bizarre, all of it was but her voice felt like it drew me to her. The beauty of the vaguely familiar French lyrics, ones of love, happiness and the beauty of life, rather than sadness and being utterly alone in a dirty warehouse in the murky darkness, were creating a strange sort of paradox of contradictions. 

♫ Quand il me prend dans ses bras (Hold me close and hold me fast)

Qu'il me parle tout bas (The magic spell you cast)

Je vois la vie en rose (To see life in pink...) ♫

I knew that I could escape again in less than a second, and I knew that she was just around the other wall of windows. I could see her now, but it was clear that she couldn’t see me.

Her body was outlined by the ever-present city lights coming in from outside.

It looked like she was…

I couldn’t tell.

Brave or stupid, I came closer, moving around the farther side of the office enclosure.

Like a statue frozen in place, my eyes felt glued to the scene before me.

The rain was cascading down from a hole in the ceiling, one that wasn’t much bigger than a few feet but had clearly been there long enough to cause the roof to bend down near it due to rot.

The girl named Phoebe, was under the sparkling spray and she was completely naked.

Her arms were up over her head, drawing her hair back from her face as she angled it up, reveling in the chilly stream as bubbles slipped over the mounds of her breasts, down her flat stomach, and between her legs where they chose a path down either of her milky white legs.

I could smell the faint scent of the soap she held in her hand, the feminine rosy scent of it a stark contrast to the musty building around us.

Her calf muscles balled up as she rose on her toes as if she might just fly away. She looked like some kind of otherworldly angel that was above all the decay around her.

Her eyes were closed, and she didn’t open them as her hands slid down her body, rubbing the sudsy bar slowly over her chest with one hand while the other slid down between her legs.

I was in a trance as I watched this, fully aware that the sight was causing things to stir in me in places they shouldn’t, but I was unable to stop myself from looking. I didn’t even realize I had made an embarrassingly throaty sound until her eyes flew open, their piercing aim falling directly on me.

After the initial shock of seeing that she was being ogled by a perverted voyeur, those lupine eyes narrowed and that seductive looking smile of hers thankfully appeared.

“Five! You came back!”

She actually looked happy about that fact, and not at all bothered that I was still staring at her.

When I said nothing, the girl reached up to her towel that was hanging on nail sticking out of a pillar, not even fully wrapping it around her as she rushed my way.

“I thought you changed your mind. I am so happy you didn't," she chirped.

Now that she was standing right in front of me, dripping wet, with those eyes peering up at me and her towel dangling in front of her, I could see something else going on in her expression, but I didn't understand it. I just couldn’t put a finger on it. But she did put a finger on me. 

I watched it happen as if in slow motion. She reached out and touched my arm, gently pulling me with her back towards the crude area where she slept.

"Come on," she whispered, and her touch and the sound of her voice sent waves of heat over my already burning skin. 

Even if I had wanted to blink away from her at that point, my body wouldn’t let me. 

Link to chapters Three and Four

Poor Five, so broken...

Thanks for joining me for another one of my Five-centric stories. The next post is coming soon but if you can't wait, click below.

Link to this as well as my stories and art on AO3

Link to my other posts on Tumblr

[blvcklizard]

So, I've decided to recycle an old theory of mine, because I actually believe in that part of it.

I think Sigma isn't actually born from the book, he was simply given amnesia by the page. (Now, I don't doubt that the book can create people. I just don't trust that Sigma is.)

I see how that might be related to other things, but it's a little weird to me that Sigma's age is stated to be "unknown" in his character card. Like, if I remember correctly we know that according to Fyodor, he was created three years ago. And sure, the "unknown" is probably referring to his physical appearance, so what about the other parts of his info that are "unknown"?

It's his birthday and ability name. And yes, that makes sense, since those are two things that are taken from the irl authors, and Sigma isn't one.

Except that if that were true, why not make something up? He obviously has a birthday (even if I'm wrong and it happens to be the day he was written down) and ability name, and if Sigma is just "Sigma", no more and no less than the character we've seen, there is no reason why those couldn't just have been made up. Like, neither of these informations are plot relevant, and while it gives him this aura of mystery and unfamiliarity, there doesn't seem to be a real reason beyond that.

Because here's the thing, the character we know as "Sigma" doesn't really exist. For all I know, it's actually been stated that Sigma isn't his real name, but what's giving it away even more so is his ability. Correct me if I'm wrong but the only ability user in the series that isn't based on an author is Nemo, and I'm not counting him because he only appears in a light novel. I can't think of a reason why Sigma would be the exception here.

I see that this argument is rather weak in light of the actual theory, since just because he's probably an author too doesn't mean he can't be born from the book, but let's keep looking at his ability. It's, said simply, flawed. Taking only the bare base into consideration, he can't use it for his (or whoever is using him, poor Sigma) benefit without giving his enemies the same advantage. And like, yeah, it makes sense, there are very few abilities in this manga that don't have any weaknesses/ties to conditions, but if the DOA had the opportunity to create a perfect character, why wouldn't they get rid of this? The only explanations I could think of are that giving their enemies information is part of their plan (and I'll say it as it is, I'm not smart enough to judge whether this is true, because I can't imagine it is, but I may very well be overlooking some stuff) or that they couldn't give him a different ability because of the plot rule (which makes even less sense to me). The information exchange just seems like more risk than Fyodor would usually be willing to take, but maybe that's just me.

On a similar note, if you think about it, the role Sigma played on the DOA's plan... is ridiculously small. He's strong, and yet they threw him away after one move, and technically he had been meant to do even less, as Fyodor told him not to pick a fight with the Hunting Dogs (although I can very well imagine this was a reverse psychology type of thing since he knew Sigma would do it anyway). My point is, there are so many ways you could use a person that's created from the book, and none of them apply to Sigma in the slightest.

Okay, and why tf would the DOA mess with Sigma's memories?

1. As Fyodor pointed out, it's a power boost. Assuming that his personality didn't drastically change, Sigma would be a lot weaker without his wishes and despair driving him. (I like how this is turning against the DOA now, but let's see how this proceeds.)

2. It might have been a practice run. Overwriting memories is like, a central part of the DOA's plan and I don't see Fyodor as someone who likes taking risks. So if they were going to power up Sigma a bit anyway, this was a perfect opportunity.

Who is Sigma then?

...no idea. In the original theory I said that he might be Mishima, and while the possibility exists, I don't think it has any more base than literally any other suggestion (aside from how similar their names are, to be fair). His color pallette also fits the russian characters, so maybe he's someone else entirely.

[gascon-en-exil]

If you’re still taking these for the ask game then how about 2,7, 8, 12 and 15(doesn’t matter if the ship is canon or not) for Claude Von Riegan

That was from a month ago, but I can scroll back and look up the questions again.

2. Favorite canon thing about this character?

That he's a narrative wild card, written more in the vein of a character like Lewyn where he has his own motivations and goals outside of the standard blue-lord-vs-red-emperor plot. Neither Houses nor Hopes realizes Claude's potential in the slightest, but every so often there are glimpses of what his story could have been if the developers had had the time, budget, and ambition to make his routes into more than variations of others. I suppose they deserve partial credit for the concept at least?

7. What’s something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you like?

In a rather twisted way related to the above, I find it darkly appropriate that fandom very often uses Claude as a cudgel in whichever side of the Edelgard vs. Dimitri fanwank war you favor. If the games themselves treat Claude as a character who can't really stand on his own, why should fandom be any different?

8. What’s something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you despise?

Partially related to the above, the insistence on bi Claude despite there being little to no canon content to pull from would ordinarily be a benign staple of fandom...but it's often paired with the assertion that Dimitri is straight, as a way to vilify him/the Lions/AM/AG. For as much writing on Dimidue (and Dimilix) as I've done over the years...no.

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

Unlike Dimitri, Claude is the type to have fathered a child as a contingency plan in the event that he can't fulfill his dreams, which leads into the idea that he'd do so in CF. That way, after he dies his kid can become the Leif/Altena seeking vengeance and the realization of their father's ambitions in a postwar scenario resembling FE4 Gen 2.

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

I'm not very invested in any of Claude's ships, but I do like him with Hilda after I realized that they have the same respective hair colors as Quan and Ethlyn, and how this turns CF Chapter 14 into a riff on the Aed Massacre where the wyverns are on the losing side this time. See the above headcanon for why that would be relevant.

[selenityshiroi]

HDM TV Adaptation overall opinions

So, now that all three seasons are out I want to get some more thoughts out there. I haven't rewatched the whole series again, but I still have impressions from what I've seen over the release schedule.

First, casting:

The main casting things that threw me off were Ma Costa (the actress was perfectly skilled but I'd just always imagined her as a big, powerfully built woman and it was the one character image I'd never been able to push out of mind) and John Parry. I have nothing against Andrew Scott but the main plot point of John Parry prematurely aging, because he lived in the wrong world for so long, was COMPLETELY LOST by having him played by an age appropriate actor. It also removed any sort of surprise, because he looked just like his photos from the real world and, therefore, we all knew who Jopari was the moment he appeared.

I was surprised when we got dark haired Lyra and Marisa, since they had been described as blonde in the books. But my main ??? reaction was to do with the scene where Lyra's hair is ripped from the bomb and the tension of the moment when no one knew if the single hair that remained was Lyra's or the Golden Monkey's.

The bomb scene ended up completely different (and, in my opinion, not for the better in the slightest) so that moment never became relevant. But both Lyra and Marisa were beautifully acted and portrayed. And I've never been one to believe that appearances need to be 100% consistent with text, so other than the 'how will xxx work' I was never bothered by the change.

I was always impressed with Dafne but I do believe that she really grew into the role as time went on. Her performances became stronger with each season and I am so unbelievably astounded by how powerfully emotional the end of the series was.

Ruth was darkly charismic the entire time. It worked beautifully for Marisa, although I do think that the show used her too much, in some cases, trying to show off such an intriguing character. And in doing so kind of spoiled some of the mystery and unravelled her too much too soon.

But my favourite casting was that of Amir Wilson. The moment he stepped onto screen, suprisingly but brilliantly early, I was convinced completely by his performance. We'd waited so long to see Will Parry on screen, especially after the movies failed to launch into a franchise, and he was worth the wait. He captured every nuiance: the boy too young to be a carer, like so many children, but doing it anyway because it was necessary. A boy who never wanted to fight (or kill) but could do so because it was necessary. A boy who you would think would be jaded by caring and love...but could never not do so because it was oh so necessary.

But I don't think I can fault any of the performances on the show. All of the cast were brilliant. Even if I wasn't sure they were used in the best ways at all times. So a huge applause for the casting team.

Secondly, writing:

Let me start by saying that this series was a good adaptation. It wasn't perfect and it has it's flaws, but it was good. I can tell that the source material was loved and treated with care but I feel that there were limitations placed that negatively affected the way the story was told.

Each season, in my opinion, could have done with 2 more episodes, at least. Whilst it was ABSOLUTELY the right decision to introduce Will in season one and intertwine his and Lyra's stories (instead of cold opening season two with him like The Subtle Knife did) I do feel that season one significantly missed out on developing Lyra. And, unfortunately, they never really corrected the clipped away moments and ended up removing the main, defining arc for Lyra Silvertongue.

Her ability to craft stories and lie.

That being said, one of the show's greatest strengths is how wonderfully they developed the build of friendship into love between Lyra and Will.

From the very beginning this was all trimmed out. We never got to see her telling lies with the Oxford Children and the Gyptians. We never got to see her lie her way out of London when trying to escape. We never saw her extended, planned out deceptions and investigations in Bolvanger. Lyra's ability to lie and craft stories was a core part of her in the books. It was why she was named Silvertongue. She described it as something she could do for Will because he was too honest to protect himself when needed. And it ended up being removed entirely from the subplot in the Land of the Dead, destroying the storyline with the Harpies and 'Tell them stories...but true stories'.

I'm not sure if these moments were originally removed for time and they ended up having to cut her arc completely or if the decision was made to 'sanitise' this character trait? If it's the first it's disappointing but kind of understandable how it ended up that way. If it's the latter then it's kind of unforgiveable. Either which way, Lyra's arc and development it the single biggest criticism I have of the entire show.

Bringing Will in earlier allowed us to get a sense of his character before he and Lyra crashed into each other in Cittazgaze and it made their intitial interactions more wary and tentative than they were in the books (where there was more tension as Will was still a bit of a mystery to the audience and his character traits were being explored on all scales through his interactions with Lyra). It made things a little more natural between them on screen, in my opinion, and we saw the friendship unfolding gradually.

This continued on throughout seasons two and three and the trust and bond between them was very believable. I was always wary about how the end of The Amber Spyglass would be portrayed on screen. It's such a deeply emotional and heartwrenching ending to the books but full of love and young passion. And it would be so easy for this to be awkward or cheesy or overdone (I love the audiobooks but the ending is a little cheesy in performance, for example). But it was knocked out of the park. It felt like two teenagers in love, but it also felt full and mature and genuine and you could believe their heartbreak and that they would continue to love each other until their death. It was such a fine line to walk but it was phenomenally done.

I also didn't like what they did with Asriel. Almost all of his arc was in the background of the books. And maybe that allowed rose tinted glasses but I never really felt he was disdainful of Lyra in the books. He always felt distant and unreachable, but to me there was always a sense that, underneath his grandose plans and ambitions, he still loved Lyra. I think they took it too far in the show and that love was lost. And it made the confrontation with Metatron feel hollow. Because it never felt like he was doing it for Lyra. It felt like he was doing it for himself.

As I mentioned before, I'm not sure Marisa was always adapted with the same careful touch. Ruth Wilson's portrayal was so powerful that they clearly wanted to capitilise on that and they gave her scenes that revealed more of her character and even some of her backstory from the Book of Dust trilogy. But one of the things that I thought was done so well in the books was how you never really knew her angle. You never knew who she was playing and what her motive was. Not until the very end. By showing more of her character some of that mystery was eroded and I think it made her role in the final season less powerful.

And, because of the utter lack of Lyra's character trait of lies and stories spilling out of her like water as a way to protect herself and those around her, we also miss out on the depth of the Land of the Dead. On how the Harpies hate lies and are so used to the dead trying to lie their way into 'salvation' that they provoke hated and fear through their retaliation. That Lyra herself is viciously attacked by the very same Harpy who eventually saves her from her fall. That her true stories are what eventually bring hope and light to the souls around her and draw the Harpies in like a moth to a flame. That they negotiate safe passage for those who can tell true stories of their lives. That children will be allowed freedom because they haven't had time to build stories, but adults should have lived their lives fully and should have had something to tell.

One of the limitations I feel the show had to deal with was the fantastical elements that would need extensive CGI. I'm willing to suspend disbelief over crowd scenes with suspiciously hidden daemons because it's very understandable that animating daemons for every extra would be very expensive and not totally necessary for immersion. But I feel like some of the writing decisions made for season three was to limit CGI usage. Obviously the storyline between Mary and the Mulefa was very truncated. But I do like and appreciate how they showed her learning and living with them through the evolving subtitles and her notebook. It was effective and well done.

But I feel that the Gallivespians being so heavily removed from events (no longer accompanying Will and Lyra to the Land of the Dead and causing such drastic changes to scenes such as the Bomb) was less well handled. It removed elements that added depth and worldbuilding. And I hate that the Bomb is no longer about corrupt men and Marisa's desperate love and Will frantically trying to save Lyra from a threat from worlds away but is instead a ridiculous power move from Metatron.

Which is one of the reasons why Lyra and Will agree that they have to live full and complete lives. Why they can't just wither away in less than a decade in a foreign world. Why they have to live for love.

I do see how and why some of the writing decisions came about. But the ripple effect they had on the HEART of the story was profound, tbh.

But since I have mentioned CGI and how it shaped things:

I want to give a huge round of applause to every single animator who worked on the character daemons and bears.

When the series was first commisioned I was so petrified that a BBC show would never have the budget and skills to make the daemons be so seamless. But they are so beautifully animated. So wonderfully expressive. When we first saw Pantalaimon speak I was overwhelmed because his little facial expressions and the twitching of his ears and the rustle of his fur...I was so impressed by the care and attention to detail and it's continued on throughout.

The VFX studio did phenomenal work and I can't thank them enough for breathing life into the characters I'd always feared would be puppet like characatures.

So, yeah, overall:

I enjoyed watching this show so much. I read Northern Lights and The Subtle Knife in secondary school and The Amber Spyglass came out when I was in college. They were the books that took me from my teenage years to my young adult life. And I joke often that The Amber Spyglass shattered my heart two decades ago and I've never recovered but, tbh, it's not that much of a joke. It profoundly affected me and to this day I still flinch at the idea of tragic love and separation and long for resolution.

Seeing the story portrayed, finally, on screen was a joy. I actually cried when the commision of the series was announced because the books meant so much to me and I hoped and trusted the BBC (and Julie Gardner, who I knew was a fan thanks to Doctor Who interviews) to do it to the best they could.

The final product is not perfect. There are changes I don't like and scenes that are missing. Some of the aspects have been lost or amended along the way. But there are also some changes that worked for the better or were adapted with a care that showed the love for the source. There are some criticisms that I can live with because I enjoyed other aspects and some criticisms that will always grate a little.

There are details that were introduced with the TV series that I will take back to the books (Cloud Pines under the skins of witches? inspired. Mary being a lesbian? Felt so natural I forgot it was a small change) and I happily take the visuals and beautiful performances into mind.

The books will always be precious to me. And, even with some critiques, this show will now always be precious too. They aren't interchangeable but I can take the best of both and enjoy them together. I can imagine Ruth Wilson spitting out 'Lyra's exceptional' and Dafne Keen whispering 'because he's Will' in a dream, even if the TV show never gave us such scenes. Because the words still live on the pages and the portrayals still exist in my minds eye. And that is a great gift to have.

(Also, in a lighter and less serious note...now that the series is complete and I expect more and more people to become aware of this franchise and the world building...please give us more daemon fics for every single fandom. I love daemon fics and all fanfic authors who bless us with daemon fics deserve their own Republic of Heaven here on Earth)

[wonkyreads]

The Stars Too Fondly by Emily Hamilton

2 out of 5 solar systems

Cleo McQueary is lost in life and absolutely obsessed with what happened to the crew of Providence I. Twenty years ago all 203 of them had simply disappeared and no one at NASA seemed to care enough to figure it out. Cleo and her friends, though, hatch a drunken plan to break into the space ship to puzzle it all out for themselves. The plot spirals out of control from there in ways the official synopsis doesn’t touch on so I feel obligated to leave out as well.

The Stars Too Fondly is marketed as a queer space odyssey rom-com and while I can see where they’re coming from, it (along with the mention of a heist) wasn’t anything like what I was expecting. I’d compare it to Becky Chambers’ Wayfarers more than just about anything else and it has too much heart to be distilled down into just ‘rom-com.’ I can see it being an absolute hit with the right audience. That audience just really wasn’t me.

First of all, this is very much science FANTASY more than the hard sci-fi I’d expected. I’m a chronic overthinker so every modern day pop culture reference and impossible piece of science magic sent me spiraling. And there was a metric ton of that. So, if you’re the kind of person who will wonder why TikTok and Thomas the Tank Engine are still relevant in 2061 or if a ‘food extruder’ would be super convenient or a hellish prospect for someone with celiac, then this might be a skip for you. I think I’d have had an easier time with all of it if Providence I hadn’t been launching a mere 17 hypothetical years from now when it seems people from 2061 had made little to no new scientific advances (despite so many kids purportedly having gotten obsessed with Providence and then going into STEM fields). And also if there was a single pop culture reference that wasn’t from 2019 or later. I care far too much about the logic of it all and this is a book that requires the reader to largely just go with the flow. It is intentionally silly and often requires a hefty suspension of disbelief.

Because I am nothing if not nitpicky, a couple smaller things that made it difficult for me, personally, to stay within the narrative: Sometimes conversations lacked dialogue tags and it tripped me up every time. This is about a group of 20-somethings, but it absolutely leans very YA (by which I mean I haven’t read someone sticking out their tongue so often since fanfiction in 2010 but also the cadence of the writing/narration is very bright and young and often immature). I just cannot pinpoint why the formatting chosen for this novel didn’t work for me. It flips from a close third following Cleo, to old Providence I reports and private messages, to a [REDACTED FOR SPOILERS] perspective rapidly within each chapter. Usually I love having multiple weird perspectives, but I think there was a lack of separation, especially at the beginning, that got under my skin as a reader.

Probably the biggest issue I had over all was honestly a marketing problem where huge parts of what the plot of this book is about were fully left out of any synopsis I read before or after. I was honestly so excited to read this book (between sapphic space heist, the title, and the cover I was so sold) and I’d have never requested it if I’d known that it contained a plot point (plot gimmick, trope, ??) that I almost always dislike. For the record, it’s a totally fine plot point/trope and doesn’t require a content warning of any kind, I’m only not being explicitly clear about what I’m talking about here because they chose to leave it out of their marketing and I’m writing this review before the book is actually out. I’m trying so hard to avoid spoilers. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not holding marketing decisions against Hamilton, it’s just super frustrating in general.

I feel like I’m being so negative when I don’t necessarily mean to be. This debut was not all bad. Not in the slightest. I can recognize that it wasn’t meant for me. It didn’t focus on what I wanted it to and I went in with all the wrong expectations. It’s just that as someone who often reads reviews before I pick a book up, I want to get all the reasons I wasn’t 5-star in love with this out of the way first.

So now for some of the things done right: There’s what I can see being a solid romance here and beautiful found family dynamics. I enjoyed the diversity and the different places each character was coming from and how easy it was to distinguish where their priorities differed. There’s action sequences that fully drew me in. I love the inclusion of multimedia bits, especially the ones that give new information from an unexpected direction (I mean, the one that’s very clearly the abstract for a scientific article? So good!). There are ideas and themes here that I absolutely adore, like how far people will go for those they love and how easily power can corrupt an ideal and just the messy business of still having growing to do into your twenties and thirties and probably forever. I can absolutely see this book being loved. Truly and fully.

I’m just so utterly bitter that it couldn’t work for me.

[I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Huge thanks to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for this eARC.]

[dathwan]

Ultimate Film Festival Survival Guide, Pg. 79-82

Most posters seen at film festival have an amateur look that, well, represents the film in a bad light.  The festival is like a job interview and there you are in jeans and a grubby T-shirt.  You need a poster that feels like a smooth Armani suit, not a stinky T-shirt.

The first piece of advice for any filmmaker wishing to create an eye-catching poster is to acknowledge that you are a filmmaker - not a poster designer. ... If you tell a designer exactly what you want them to do, they will do exactly as you tell them.  If you allow your designer some creative freedom, you are more likely to get a newer and cooler ideas.

However, if your budget does not allow for a poster designer and you are forced to create your own poster, there are some basic things you should know.

... Allen (poster designer) suggests asking the right questions before embarking on a design. “Is the poster positioning this film in the best possible way?  Can you tell what it is as you drive by it at forty miles an hour, looking at it in a bus shelter?  Really, a designer has to be aware of the issues beyond the obvious aesthetics and layout.  For me, a great poster is one that manages to straddle all of the fences just mentioned: sell the film, off the slightest hint of something new, be well-balanced in layout and design - and look really cool.”

... The best piece of advice I can give you for your poster look is to keep it simple. ... Granted, in some cases, a distributor wants you to show all kinds of action, explosions, sex, etc., in your poster.  But sometimes, it might be better to show less.  Especially if you have no stars, no photography - often in those cases, we go with a simple icon, or a concept idea that captures the viewer’s attention.”

11 ELEMENTS OF A GREAT MOVIE POSTER DESIGN

1. Invoke feelings. • Create some sort of emotion.  This can be done through color, image, etc.  A great poster sparks interest and makes people stop on the street or in a theater lobby.  For example, a poster for a comedy should make you laugh, or at least smile.

2. Well thought-out typography. • Type should compliment the image, yet not attract undue attention to itself, and it should work with the imagery as a unit.

3. Second read. • For example, take a look at the FEDEX logo.  Have you ever noticed the hidden arrow inside the type?

4. Good photography.

5. Great copy. • Always important, especially for comedies. “Four Score and Seven Beers Ago...” made my Senior Trip poster work.

6. Logo. • A logo that stands on its own.  A great logo compliments the poster and works well in its own context, because it will often be used on its own in other mediums, such as trailers.  The logo should actually compliment the poster, instead of “floating” out in front of the poster, and not acting as part of the art-work.

7. Translatable. • Translates well to other formats.  Some things may look great at 27″ x 41″ on a one-sheet, but how will it look on billboards, bus sides, websites, or in a black and white in a newspaper?

8. Relevant to the film’s story/plot.

9. Show something new.

10. Hit the target. • It should please the intended audience.  Know your demographic and be sure the poster appeals to this group. ... It’s commercial art...it’s about marketing, not just what looks good.

11. Bad finishing skills. • Have proper Finishing.

[inkykeiji]

⋆₊˚⊹♡ AU + series masterlist

© all work & content posted belongs to inkykeiji 2023. do not under any circumstances modify or repost. do not copy or claim as your own. do not recommend my work on tiktok/wattpad. do not read my work as asmr.

✰ 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤 𝐦𝐲 𝐛𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬 ✰

.｡*⋆ 𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 ⋆*｡.

✰ break my bones but act as my spine

shigaraki x reader x dabi ⋆ warnings: 18+, noncon, drug use, daddy kink (implied ddlg dynamics), size kink/size difference, graphic depictions of violence, murder, blood, possessiveness/general toxic relationships, degradation, implied dacryphilia, pining ⋆ words: 10k

✰ i cant tell my wrongs from my rights

shigaraki x reader x dabi ⋆ warnings: 18+, daddy kink, drug use, cheating, masturbation, non-consensual audio recording, possessiveness/general toxic relationships, size kink/size difference, one (1) mention of physical abuse, pining ⋆ words: 14.2k

✰ she fell in love with the devil, or worse

shigaraki x reader x dabi ⋆ warnings: 18+, symptoms of mental illness including: suicidal ideation, false memories, intrusive thoughts, paranoia, and drug-induced psychosis (delusions), cheating, noncon/dubcon, drug use and addiction, the slightest hint of degradation, minimal prep, size kink/size difference, rough sex, daddy kink, dry humping, fingering, verbal fights, blood ⋆ words: 27.2k

✰ help me now, i’m running on empty

shigaraki x reader x dabi ⋆ warnings: 18+ minors do not interact, depictions of severe metal illness including psychosis (delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech), one psychiatric assessment, family members that mean well but just Do Not Understand in the slightest, toxic relationships, cheating, extreme guilt, slight power play, minimal prep, size difference/belly bulge, slight coercion, dacryphilia, slight degradation/dumbificaition, marking, cum eating/feeding, multiple orgasms, overstimulation if you squint, rough sex, reader is quite flexible, verbal fights, blood, daddy kink, drugs, 2 references to tarantino’s reservoir dogs that are relevant to the plot, keigo goes as both hawks and keigo ⋆ words: 23.5k

✰ and i don’t wanna be a memory

shigaraki x reader x dabi ⋆ warnings: 18+ minors do not interact, murder, cheating, betrayal (kind of?), one (1) slap to the face, depictions of severe mental illness (mental breakdown), one (1) big knife, cheating, a very brief trial, a LOT of crying, size kink/size difference, tummy bulge, reader is quite flexible, minimal prep, toxic relationships, guilt, self-reflection, difficult decisions that hurt to make, using sex to avoid emotions + reality, daddy kink (very slight), blood, gore (slight) ⋆ words: 8.4k

✰ but if you send for me, you know i’ll come

shigaraki x reader x dabi ⋆ warnings: no smut but still 18+ minors do not interact, discussion of mental illness, an altered (and kind of unrealistic) inpatient program in the psychiatric ward of a hospital, visitations to the psychiatric ward at the hospital, talks of medications used to treat mental illness (non-specific), mentions of doctors and nurses, implied poly relationship, implied cheating (and confession of such), brief discussion of fucking and implied explicit audio recordings being received, a fear of tense rickety relationships being triggering, codependency, tomura’s father is one again referred to as The Boss, daddy kink without the kinkiness ⋆ words: 3.9k

.｡*⋆ 𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐭𝐬 ⋆*｡.

✰ i like the way they run, then fall, then die

shigaraki x reader ⋆ warnings:  18+, torture, murder, blood/gore, graphic depictions of violence, daddy kink, size kink/size difference, spanking with a belt, edging, mild degradation, possessiveness/generally toxic relationship ⋆ words: 4.6k

✰ if i find a way would you walk it with me

dabi x reader w a hint of shiggy ⋆ warnings: one (1) mention of cum + use of the word Daddy ⋆ words: 3.7k

✰ i’ll keep you in mind, from time to time

bmb prequel oneshot! dabi x reader w a hint of shiggy ⋆ warnings: sad boi dabi, very sick reader, it’s implied that tomura has cut her off from everyone she knows, pining, daddy kink, mention of drugs ⋆ words: 2.9k

.｡*⋆ 𝐜𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐦𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 ⋆*｡.  

✰ you’re all that i need, underneath the tree

dabi x reader w a hint of shiggy ⋆ warnings: pining, daddy kink (w/o the kinkiness), generally toxic relationships ⋆ words: 3.3k

✰ 𝐭𝐨𝐮𝐲𝐚-𝐧𝐢𝐢 ✰

.｡*⋆ 𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 ⋆*｡.

✰ i can take you there but baby you wont make it back

big step-brother touya x reader ⋆ warnings:  18+, pseudo-incest (stepcest), noncon/dubcon, slight somnophilia, emotional manipulation, toxic relationship, size difference mentions of drug use ⋆ words: 7.1k

✰ all she want is payback for the way i always play that shit

big step-brother touya x reader - part 2.1 ⋆ warnings: 18+, pseudo-incest (stepcest), public sex, cheating, drug use, generally toxic relationship (possessiveness, jealousy), size difference, dubcon if u squint i guess???, the tiniest bit of cumplay ⋆ words: 11k

✰ do i make you scared? baby wont you take me back

big step-brother touya x reader - part 2.2 ⋆ warnings:  18+, pseudo-incest (stepcest), non-consensual branding (burning something into the skin),  noncon/dubcon, dacryphilia, cheating, degradation/dumbification,  emotional manipulation, cumplay/snowballing, cockwarming, size difference, generally toxic relationships ⋆ words: 7.1k

.｡*⋆ 𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐭𝐬 ⋆*｡.

✰ at least i have the memory

takami keigo x reader ⋆ warnings: 18+, noncon, drugging, implied stepcest ⋆ words: 3.3k

✰ i take my pills and i’m happy all the time

big step-brother touya x reader ⋆ warnings: 18+ minors do not interact, stepcest/pseudocest, drugs, drug overdose, tense family dynamics, dacryphilia, slight degradation, age gap, extreme codependency, generally toxic relationship (possessiveness, slight jealousy), blowjobs, semi-rough sex, size difference/size kink, implied trauma/abuse ⋆ words: 14k

✰ i don’t know where, but she sends me there

big step-brother touya x reader ⋆ warnings: 18+ minors do not interact, stepcest, toxic relationship, extreme codependency, very clingy + needy, mentions of yakuza related activity (torture and drugs), minimal prep, marking (biting, scratching, bruising), blood, size difference, a hint of overstimulation, somnophilia (kinda; reader gives him permission), dacryphilia, a bit of choking, a hint of dumbification, degradation, praise, infantilization ⋆ words: 5k

✰ i’m about to show you the beginning is the end

big step-brother touya x reader ⋆ warnings: no smut but still 18+ minors do not interact, stepcest/pseudocest, verbal fighting, extremely toxic relationship, marking/bruising/hickeys, drug use ⋆ words: 4.8k

✰ i love you - i know

big step-brother touya x reader ⋆ warnings: no smut but still +18 minors do not interact, stepcest, toxic relationship (possessiveness, jealousy), star wars spoilers (lmao???) ⋆ words: 2.1k

✰ you told me that you love me, that’s not easy to do

big step-brother touya x reader ⋆ warnings: 18+ minors do not interact, stepcest, dubcon, size kink/size difference, dacryphilia, inexperienced reader (but NOT a virgin), toxic relationship, dumbification/degradation, fingering, minimal prep, multiple orgasms, rough sex, praise, painful sex, a hint of blood, slight mindbreak ⋆ words: 7.7k

✰ say you’ll love me to death, cause i will

big step-brother touya x reader ⋆ warnings: 18+ minors do not interact, pseudocest (stepcest), public sex, minimal prep, extreme jealousy, toxic relationship ⋆ words: 4.7k

✰ 2022 touya-nii AU summer collection

a collection of smutty oneshots set within my touya-nii universe that embody the feeling of summer

✰ the clock is ticking, running out of time - hypothetical situation, not canon

shigaraki x reader ⋆ warnings: 18+ minors dni, cheating, implied pseudo-incest/stepcest, toxic relationships, the slightest hint of degradation, noncon/dubcon video recording, extreme feelings of guilt ⋆ words: 4.4k

.｡*⋆ 𝐜𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐦𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 ⋆*｡.

✰ my snowman & me series 

five part christmas cabin series

✰ 𝐭𝐚𝐠, 𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐭 ✰

.｡*⋆ 𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 ⋆*｡.  

✰ little bit of poison in me

dabi x reader ⋆ warnings: 18+, noncon/dubcon, physical abuse, drug use & abuse + graphic depictions of addiction, mindbreak, overstimulation, manipulation, lowkey yandere vibes (which will get worse), daddy kink, a brother a lil too obsessed with his sister + questionably close sibling relationship, generally toxic relationships (possessiveness, jealousy), rough sex, semi-public sex, cumplay/cum feeding, minimal prep, degradation/dumbification, choking, kinda brat taming??? ⋆ words: 14.8k

✰ i can taste your skin in my teeth

dabi x reader ⋆ warnings: 18+ minors do not interact, daddy kink, power play, blood, physical fighting, verbal fighting, manipulation, toxic relationships, size kink/size difference, rough sex, pussy slapping, dumbification, praise, degradation as a form of emotional release/therapy, thigh riding, dacryphilia, cum feeding/snowballing, minimal prep, the faintest hint of mindbreak, marking, implied car crash/accident, physical abuse + mentions of physical abuse, graphic depictions of drug use and addiction, drugs in general, needles (heroin) ⋆ words: 25.6k

✰ i love it when i hear you breathing, i hope to god you’re never leaving

dabi x reader ⋆ warnings: 18+ minors do not interact, toxic relationships, drug use and abuse, overdosing, hospitals, blood, verbal fights, daddy kink, minimal prep, size kink/size difference, degradation/dumbification with a dose of praise, rough sex, biting/marking, dacryphilia, a hint of mindbreak ⋆ words: 14.9k

*:༅｡ 𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐬! ｡༅:*

✰ tags for hypothetical situations and headcanons set in the AUs i’ve created!! ✰  

#𝐭𝐨𝐮𝐲𝐚-𝐧𝐢𝐢 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞

#𝐛𝐦𝐛 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞

#𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐢'𝐬 𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐚𝐜𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐚!𝐚𝐮 (actual tag is #inky.darkacademia)

#𝐭𝐨𝐝𝐨𝐫𝐨𝐤𝐢 𝐭𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐝𝐚𝐛𝐢 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐨𝐮𝐲𝐚

[therealvinelle]

I was reading your metas about twilight and worldbuilding (thank you for writing them! they made me see the books with new eyes), and you referred ASOIAF and the "why don't peasants revolt?" question, and I just wanted to answer it! There is actually the start of one going one in the books! The War of The Five Kings have been probably the most disastrous period in the history of Westeros (maybe even worse than the civil war Dance of Dragons, and that one was fought with fire breathing (1/?)#

giant beasts), thanks to this the peasants have started to organize themselves led by the High Sparrow (I don’t think it will end well for them, but the discontent against the nobles families and their irresponsibility towards their feudal duties is there and is causing a big backlash), there have also been revolts and rebellions in the past where the smallfolk have participated due to their discontent with certain kings or lord (by example, Robert’s Rebellion, (2/?)#

because King Aerys was cray-cray and the prince had disappeared in the thin air with his mistress), but is usually hard for grassroots movements led by the peasants to take hold thanks to logistics, lack of common ideology, training, etc. The Sparrows led by the Faith is probably the first attempt that have some success (3/?)# (Sorry to ramble in your inbox! I know you have to lot of messages, and this short message became into a word vomit about a high fantasy book that hasn’t been completed in three decades, have a nice day!) (4/4)#

Right, I forgot about the High Sparrow.

I still find the world of Asoiaf to be fundamentally suspect in that the peasants are treated like dirt yet agree to serve their lords. To strike down a rebellion you need men, and the lords of Asoiaf take their men from their peasants. More, Westeros is one country. These men are asked to take up arms against the other kingdoms, but these are neighboring kingdoms, their people trade and interact all the time. Westerlands and Riverlands are neighbors and as Westerlands has bad soil but lots of gold from mining, and Riverlands has fertile soil and rivers (good for transporting goods), one can assume the common folk have close contact. And yet, when their lords start to war over something that doesn't concern the commoners in the slightest, they take up arms with no questions asked.

There is no religious reason given, like "our lord is anointed by the Father and we must obey him", or particular loyalty to their lord, "Lord Tywin is the reason we have what we have, he's worth fighting for", no reason at all. I'll give that the men of the North do love the Starks and this is plot relevant, but beyond that it never comes up. That weakens the worldbuilding for me.

George R. R. Martin seems to me to be an author who creates the world order he wants and then justifies it.

The violence against women is another good example. Judging by what Martin has said he wants to dismantle the idea of medieval knightly chivalry, he believes (or wants) this to be a matter of historical accuracy. And that, apparently, means all the rape. There's no real consequence to that. The commoners just lie back and take it. And when combined with the same guy making Daenerys a sexually liberated fifteen-year-old who has sex with her female slaves, I'm gonna side-eye the hell outta the guy.

However, it's been years since I read these books, so any level of detail is dangerous waters for me. I will instead refer you to @asoiafuniversity, as that blog has damn near everything on it. Go nuts.

[thosewickedlovelies]

Writing Masterlist

Hello and thank you for visiting!! Below are fics I have written or am currently writing. All works are cross-posted on AO3 :)

Series

AND THEY WERE WALLMATES  |  Javier Peña x F!Reader

You share a wall with Javier Peña, but that doesn't make it any easier to get to know him.

E for Explicit  |  Part 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / post-series: 7 / 8

Anything That Shined | The Thief x Heroic!F!Reader x Marcus Moreno

What unfolds when the Thief debates on adding a few Heroics to his collection?

T for Teen | friends to lovers, enemies to lovers, eventual threesomething, fake dating

prologue / part 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 /

Into the Woods  |  Frankie ‘Catfish’ Morales x GN!Reader

You and Frankie keep running into each other in the woods. That's it, thats the plot.

All audiences  |  fluff, comfort, romance

Backstory / chap 1 / chap 2 / comfort interlude / chap 2.5 / the farmer’s market (last half smut) / drabble: Firestick / the picnic (smut)

the “Rancher Boys” universe  |  Jack Daniels x Reader x Javier Peña

Javier can’t shake a vision of himself leading a peaceful, fulfilled life at Jack’s Ranch and Wellness Center. Naturally, he first has to check in undercover to investigate its head rancher, the ostentatious Jack Daniels, and make sure that the place is worth it.

Teen for now  |  spy shenanigans, occasional references to Narcos canon-typical content; annoyances to lovers, cute animals and sexy cowboys

part 1: Get or Get Got

Morning Views  |  E for Explicit  |  800 words  |  morning smut, somnophilia

Cowboys Candids, X-Rated Edition | E for Explicit | 2.5k | cheeky slutty husband Jack

One-or-Two-Shots

Drabble: spurs

it's where I belong | 1.9k words | Rancher Boy!Javier Peña's queer awakening (bi!Javi x OMC)

When Missions Go Right  |  Frankie ‘Catfish’ Morales x afab!Reader

E for Explicit  |  7k  |  ‘I thought I lost you’ smut, only minimal angst

“Ask me”  |  Frankie Morales x GN!Reader x Santiago Garcia

T for Teen  |  1k  |  sexual tension, established couple inviting a third

The answer (part 2 of “ask me”)

E for Explicit |  1.7k  |  smut, poly romance vibes

Be the Girl You Wish to Meet in the Bar Bathroom  |  Santiago ‘Pope’ Garcia x F!Reader

T for Teen  |  3.3k  |  sexual tension, realization of feelings

An Ode to Marcus Moreno’s Arms  |  Marcus Moreno x GN!Reader

Mature  |  2.2k  |  vaguely smutty imaginings

we could be Dreamers - Prologue | Marcus Moreno x GN!Reader

Teen | 1.6k  |  worldbuilding. set in the same universe as above

Some Pedro boy headcanons: their reactions to you wearing a necklace that doubles as a vibrator

Explicit | 3.3k | afab!Reader. Really more like ficlets than headcanons; individual warnings listed when relevant

All Was Golden in the Sky  |  Pero Tovar x OFC!Reader

E-M  |  17.6k  |  A call for mercenaries leads Pero Tovar to China. Along the way, he forms a connection with a member of the Crane Corp. Asian/Chinese!Reader

Coping Mechanisms | Dieter Bravo x afab!Reader

E for Explicit | 4.8k | offscreen drug use, dirty bathroom smut

Conversation Pit | Dieter Bravo x afab!Reader

E for Explicit | 4.1k | horny Dieter shenanigans, a surprise dom appearance 👀, mmf threesome. Same universe as above, but there's no plot connecting then

wildflowers | Joel Miller x GN!Reader

T for Teen | 1.5k | The slightest change in the air between you and Joel

Messenger Bird | Oberyn Martell x afab!Reader x Ellaria Sand

E for Explicit | 5.9k | You knock on Oberyn's bedchamber door at just the right moment

Press Play | Tim Rockford x afab!Reader

M for Mature | 1.8k | Detective Rockford's tape recorder finds itself an unexpected use

Private Eye | Tim Rockford/Marcus Moreno x F!Reader

T for Teen | 2.2k | Will you and your secretly super-powered partner be able to solve this case and what's brewing between you?

[ramblings-of-a-mad-cat]

If Rickon had just named his direwolf ZaggyZig he might still be alive

(Deep inhale)

Okay first of all, I laughed. In the interest of fairness, I shall admit that I snorted. But this is a situation similar to that scene of Papyrus from Undertale. Where yes, I'm laughing, but I hate that I am laughing. Cause here's the thing. The whole zig-zagging thing is...kind of a reach.

This meme is everywhere in the GOT fandom and listen, I get it. I understand why people are frustrated that Rickon, by all appearances, came within an inch of survival and only died because of his own foolishness. So it would feel like a plot contrivance. But to tell you the truth, this meme irritates me about as much as the "Harry can't duel" meme from the Potter fandom. Because much like how that joke doesn't really hold up in the actual story (Harry was a literal D.A.D.A. teacher, of course he knew more than Expelliarmus) I don't think this one holds up either.

1) Even if Rickon was running in a zig-zag, that's still a relatively consistent and predictable pattern. Now I am not an expert on archery, but I don't see how this would make him that much harder to hit. The way to dodge those arrows was to be unpredictable and there aren't too many moves he could have done in that interest, especially since he didn't see them coming.

2) But let's say zig-zagging is smarter and safer, as most fans seem to agree that it would be. That doesn't mean Rickon would know this or think of it in the moment. Even if we assume he was taught this kind of thing, would he really remember it while he's pumped with adrenaline and fear? All he's thinking about is getting to Jon as quickly as possible. I'm not sure how old he was either, but didn't Robb say he was like six in season one?

3) Finally, do you really think it would matter? Ramsay was never going to let Rickon survive that scene. He wouldn't have cut his binds if there was even the slightest chance that Rickon could outfox him and make it back to Jon. He made Rickon run instead of walk, who's to say he wouldn't have insisted on Rickon running in a straight line? And then having his army launch a dozen arrows at Rickon for "cheating" if he ran in a zig zag? This was Ramsay's favorite gambit - giving someone hope and then taking it away. No matter what happened, he would have found a way to ruin it.

So yeah, I have my issues and frustrations with the later seasons of GOT like everyone else, but this isn't one of them. If anything, Rickon dying in that scene is much more "Game of Thrones" than if he had lived. It's more realistic. I'm just saying, if this were Season 7, he would have made it out alive. (And I love S7, it's my favorite, but that doesn't stop me from fondly ribbing at it.)

In general, I am somewhat disappointed by the lack of relevance that Rickon has, and I've been waiting for an excuse to talk about this sweet little walnut cracking sweetie. The thing about Rickon is that, despite him having a charming personality from everything we see (He literally names his direwolf "Shaggydog" which is hilarious and iconic) he's simply too young to have the prominence or agency that Bran does. And whenever Rickon is even mentioned, it's almost always in conjunction with Bran. Like how everyone thought the two of them were killed when Theon sacked Winterfell. Rickon scarcely ever gets any moments of meaning to himself and he's easily the most irrelevant of the Starks. Sure, I guess he was extra motivation for Sansa and Jon in S6, but come on - they were going to liberate Winterfell anyway. 

@tartheanmaid I am quite curious to your thoughts about this!

[missypup]

10,25,32 for ask game

I had to really rack my brain for these, thank you!

10. Has a piece of writing ever “haunted” you? Has your own writing haunted you? What does that mean to you?

Ohhhh I kind of hate this question because of the answer. The book Thirteen Reasons Why haunts me to this day. Honestly I want to say because I read it during a very bad time in my life, which was a poor decision. In this example I see it haunting me as this thought just perching over my head continuously. I’ll randomly think about it and just try anything to stop thinking about it.

I do have my own writing that haunts me. Second Chances, my Overwatch WIP on AO3. It haunts me because I want to finish it, I do. I got very close to finishing it but... I had to give it up, at least for now, because the people who were in my life that I wrote it for aren’t in my life anymore. So whenever I think about working on it or even just rereading it I can’t. The worst part to me is knowing people really enjoyed it but I can’t bring myself to give them an ending.

So, I think writing can haunt you in different ways. You can have good haunts too! But I can’t think of anything right off the top of my head that’s a good haunt. I wish I could instead of the sad examples!

25. What is a weird, hyper-specific detail you know about one of your characters that is completely irrelevant to the story?

I have an OC named Wren that I only use for personal non-fandom works and I know he can juggle. Is it relevant to him, to his story, or to any part of the plot? No! But he can juggle!

Throwing in Shoba since she’s my most recent OC obsession: she can’t balance on one foot!

32. What is a line from a poem/novel/fanfic etc that you return to from time and time again? How did you find it? What does it mean to you?

“Why is a raven like a writing desk?” From Alice in Wonderland.

I know a lot of people would probably say something deep and meaningful, or something sweet, what have you. But for me, this line right here made me realize two things: 1) I wanted to fill my days endlessly with writing and 2) My writing did not have to always have meaning. The Hatter gives an answer of “I haven’t the slightest idea!” And then that’s it. The riddle was asked, the answer was unknown. And that was okay! But what did the unanswered riddle create? A hole. A puzzle. An opening for others to create an answer where they saw fit. To me that’s what the line represents: an opening into a world that’s become my little haven. I can write what I want, how I want, and if I leave a few holes behind then that’s okay - someone else can find the answer they want to.

[blackgirlsuperherorants]

With more articulation, I'm ready to talk about why the push for Lokius simply bothers me, and this can be said for other m/m or w/w ships that fans push to be canon so hard just because they ship it.

It's the framing. The framing that if Marvel doesn't do it (or whatever the brand is), it's because homophobia, and if other fans don't like it/ship it, it's because homophobia (even if they ship other queer ships and are queer themselves.) And the biggest problem with that is that it overshadows the REAL issue of lack of queer representation on screen in mainstream nerd media, especially from big things under the Disney umbrella (Marvel and Lucasfilm/Star Wars, especially.)

It makes it bad that your ship isn't canon instead of bad that there haven't been any queer romances on screen in the MCU.

And like, as a writer myself, I find myself dissecting the stories of other media all the time. I can watch an MCU movie or series and pretty much assess what direction the story is going in by the narrative points they're hitting. I knew Sylki was basically gonna happen (even if just a kiss) because narratively, that's what the show was doing as soon as they had that "what is love" conversation on Lamentis-1. It didn't mean I liked it. But I knew it was happening.

Similarly, there's no romantic undertones to Loki and Mobius. None. For Marvel to make them a couple, it would mean they'd be doing it simply because the two present as men and it would make stans happy. And while there's something to be said for fan service, it would be annoying to watch them cram two guys together who aren't romantic in the slightest. I'd much rather see Loki meet some guy and have the same type of undertones they were giving to Sylvie and form a real bond to where the kiss feels earned and warranted. Not just put him with the nearest man because "he gay lol."

And how you guys are claiming it's being queer that makes you want this is beyond me. It's not being queer that makes you want this. I don't want queer characters that fuck everyone of whatever gender(s) they're attracted to even when it doesn't make sense for them to. I want real love stories. I mean, yeah, sometimes we can have a slut character, because that's fun, too, but that's not even what y'all think Lokius is. You seem to want them to be in love. But why? Because he's the first friend Loki made that isn't through Thor?

I hate that, too, because I hate this idea that queer people cannot have friends of their same gender without wanting to fuck them. IDK how y'all are, maybe y'all are like that, but I almost never have wanted to fuck any of my friends. The only few exceptions have been when I tried to befriend someone I had a crush on (in which case, usually the friendship can't work, really, because I have a crush on them.) I also think it's okay if you can have casual sex with friends, or if you have a friendship that develops into romance, but Jesus, do you people not have friends that you don't want to fuck? I am bi, maybe more pan (gender kind of doesn't matter to me, I guess) and I'm friends with people of all kinds of gender identities and like... I love them as people, which is why they're my friends, but I DO NOT want to fuck them. Especially my closest friend. I talked about her, before, here, but she's like my sister. The thought of fucking her is gross, to me. Not because she's gross, but because it feels incestuous.

Loki shouldn't want to fuck Mobius just because they developed a friendship. And that's very much how it's written on the series. They almost dislike each other (or Mobius is at least indifferent to Loki) and then they become friends.

That's not to mention the power dynamic that exists, there. And I know some of y'all are subs, but yeah, it's a bit gross to imply a sexual relationship with Loki's captor.

But on to Sylki. It sucks that I feel like most of y'all hate Sylki because Sylvie is a girl, and not just because it's bad in other ways. Like, the reasons Sylki is bad have less to do with "it should have been Mobius" and more to do with it being a lazy 1980s action movie plot that should have never happened. I'm not as creeped out by the selfcest (as many of you wouldn't have been if she was a he, I'm almost positive), but what's bad about it is that they couldn't have a strong female lead character without her being the love interest of the main guy. She didn't need to be, especially because she was a Loki variant, anyway. There was no need for it to have romantic undertones, and there was no need for them to kiss. It was sexist more than it was homophobic (and I can't help feeling like y'all are kind of being biphobic in this case. Maybe I'll talk about that, later, but yeah.) It was sexist bullshit. And there's valid criticism that Sylvie is underdeveloped. She's just angry and something for Loki to project affection onto.

I was also hoping they'd do a "found family" type of thing with Sylvie and Loki and let her be like the sister he never knew he needed, but no, they had to go trope and make her the love interest. It was lazy and bad and basically went "If Loki girl, main Loki want bone!"

Basically, having the main character fall for a character just because of their proximity and gender is bad and I hate it (and it would have been bad with Mobius, too, but yeah.)

Both the Mobius and the Sylvie thing also feel kind of racist, to me, because the show has prominent Black women who aren't even presented as desirable to Loki. And y'all, of course, ship him with anyone but the Women of Color. Y'all can pull true love with Mobius out of your ass, but he couldn't possibly fall for the Black women. lol.

Anyway. Not every show needs ships, and this show shouldn't have had any. I hate it. It's bad.

I guess on the biphobia front, I have heard some takes that it's not biphobic because Loki being queer in the MCU which hasn't shown any queer relationships, and Loki being the first openly queer character means they shouldn't have shown him with a woman presenting character. Which, I guess I get where you're coming from... but I have also been in fandoms for a long time and I see mostly girls saying this shit, which is what leads me to feel like it's simply jealousy. It happens all the time when a long-beloved single male character/celebrity suddenly starts dating a woman. Everyone hates it. And like, we haven't seen Loki be with ANYONE in the MCU, because mostly he's been doing villainy and his dating life hasn't been relevant. If the demigod says he's bi, he can kiss a woman. Especially a woman version of himself. Like I said, I hate it for other reasons, but pretending it's because he should have kissed Mobius is utterly delusional. He probably shouldn't have kissed anyone. Not in this series. There was no reason for any canon romance, especially because the show has a season 2 and we'll have time to see Loki develop earned, deserved romance with someone.

I'd much rather see them create a character just to be his boyfriend than have y'all push Marvel into making Lokius canon, which is a nonsense ship that only happened because Mobius is the only prominent male-presenting character before we meet the other Lokis.

My sincere wish is for people to remember that their ships are just ships and to enjoy them without getting all self-righteous about it. I TOLD y'all that Lokius wasn't gonna be canon like 4 episodes back, and here y'all are acting shocked and like Marvel took something from you. NOBODY expected y'all to ship Lokius. It's not even queerbait.

You can make clear arguments as to why Sambucky was queerbait. It's there in undertones in the actual series.

You cannot watch Loki and tell me you thought it was queerbait, unless you think men can't have conversations or hug goodbye without being romantically involved. Which means, in my opinion, that you need to learn about healthy masculinity.

Again, this is not a defense of Marvel. They DO need to let characters be queer, for real, and not just by saying " A bit of both". Like, let Loki be queer. Let Deadpool be queer. Let these queer characters be queer on screen. Yes.

But please stop making it about your ship. I'd rather see a flashback of Loki dating a guy and see him kiss someone he loved back on Asgard than watch y'all force Lokius. Because my queer rep is not about your crackship. It really isn't. And the fact that y'all keep calling us homophobic for not liking your ship REALLY needs to be addressed.

Like, when will y'all stop? I got on Stucky shippers about this shit in the past. All of us gay as hell, too, we just don't like YOUR ship. A lot of us like other queer ships. A lot of us like queer ships in other fandoms, too, and even have queer OCs. YOUR ship just ain't it. Stop forcing it. Literally, most of the ship wars between MCU fans have been queer ship vs queer ship, not really queer ship vs straight ship. Like, the number one Stucky rival ship was Stony. Not Steggy. People are not homophobic for not wanting your ship.

Sometimes it's because they ship something else.

And sometimes, like me, it's because they want something to make sense narratively and not happen for the sake of it happening. It's always better writing to have a character meetcute a new love interest than to magically turn a platonic friendship into a romantic relationship. Like, even when the characters are straight. Like, when Moesha dated Hakeem. It was just weird, even if he was kind of a great boyfriend. He was just supposed to be her friend, and people didn't really like it because it didn't fit narratively.

And that's why ships for the most part should be left to fanfiction, with the exception of a few where fans are right to call out the writers for not making it canon because it's clearly bait (like what happened to Destiel shippers. To see Lokius shippers compare themselves to THAT was so ridiculous. Destiel shippers had a decade of evidence only to be let down by a criminally unfair ending. Lokius shippers saw two men have a deep conversation once and lost their minds.)

Anyway, I'm not saying don't ship Lokius. I don't even hate it, really. I just think it obviously shouldn't be canon, and fans pretending like they were robbed of it is ridiculous. Literally, Ao3 exists for this reason. I will never see Steve fuck Sam Wilson, so I wrote it into my fanfic. I am not mad that they didn't actually date in the main MCU storyline.

[stenchofthesea-absenceofgreen]

To Boldly Go, Ch 2

co-written with @ending-with-stars , based on the star trek au by @luftballons99​! 

Chapter Title: Universal Translator Rating: T for Tim’s Flirting Pairing: jonmartin, jonmartim if you squint, pre-relationship Read on AO3: here

“-and once you’ve collected the relevant samples from Ceti Alpha 6, we have readings from Ceti Alpha 4 that we need you to investigate. We’ll be sending the full mission breakdown shortly.” Admiral Elias Bouchard droned on the viewscreen of the bridge. Most of the bridge crew had tuned him out several minutes ago, though one of the navigators had gone suspiciously glassy-eyed, but Jon sat straight-backed in the captain’s chair, paying rapt attention “as befits the captain of a vessel when receiving orders from a superior officer, Commander Stoker.” 

Tim, for what it was worth, thought Admiral Bouchard just liked the sound of his own voice. Literally all of this could have been sent in a single message, but no, they had to sit like good little Starfleet officers while Admiral Monotone slowly bored them all to death. He made a face at Sasha, who, sadly, was sitting within sight of the video call and could do nothing but purse her lips against her laughter. She turned the slightest bit and flipped him off so Admiral Bouchard couldn’t see. He grinned and made more faces and lewd gestures, trying to get her to crack. 

He realized too late that the vidcall had ended and the entire bridge was staring at him right as he stuck his tongue in between his first and middle fingers held in the shape of a ‘V.’ 

“Mr. Stoker, are you quite finished?” Captain Sims asked, his face the picture of Vulcan stoicism - if not for the tiniest twitch of his left eyebrow that Tim knew to mean suppressed annoyance. (He wasn’t allowed to tell you what it meant when Jon’s right eyebrow twitched.)

Tim grinned. “Why, did you want a turn, Captain? Commander James is about to crack, I just know it. Can you cross your eyes? That might get her to laugh.” 

Sasha failed to turn a snort into a cough. “Tim!” 

“Sasha!”

“Commander Stoker, if you could cease distracting Commander James, we have work to do,” Jon cut in. He turned to the helmswoman, “Lieutenant Rosie, plot a course for Ceti Alpha 6, warp 3 when ready.” The pilot nodded and tried her best to hide her smile as she turned to the controls, her back to the Captain. The bridge quieted at the Captain’s chastisement, but Tim was still bored and feeling lucky. 

“Captain Tightpants is at it again, Sasha, what are we to do?” he said in Romulan. 

“Ooh, I don’t know, Tim, why don’t you say that again in a language I actually speak?” Sasha replied sarcastically in Latin. 

“Just because you decided to learn a dead language to flex on a professor doesn’t mean we all did,” Tim said in Vulcan. 

“I will not hesitate to court martial you both for insubordination,” Jon interrupted in Federation Standard. 

“Do you think he knows Japanese?” Sasha said in Japanese. 

“Yes, Lieutenant Commander James, I understand Japanese,” Jon responded, again in Federation Standard. 

“He’s such a spoilsport. How’s your Swahili?” Tim switched to Swahili, ignoring Jon entirely. 

“Tim, I literally taught you both Swahili after you begged for a month and Jon didn’t want to be left out, remember?” Sasha responded in Klingon, the harsh syllables a contrast to the Japanese from before. 

“Klingon was the second language I learned as a child, Commander James. Please return to your work and cease these childish games, both of you,” Jon cut in, still in Federation Standard. 

“Oooh, he’s starting to use his special Captain-y voice, Sasha, how am I supposed to concentrate now?” Tim asked in Risan. 

“Again with the languages I don’t know,” Sasha singsonged in Swahili again, fiddling with the controls at her station. 

“I started teaching you Risan!” Tim switched to Swahili as well. 

“Yeah, but you started with the swear words!” 

“Sorry to interrupt, but I really need the Captain’s signatures on these,” came a voice by the turbolift. 

Everyone on the bridge, no longer pretending to work, turned to face Dr. Martin Blackwood, standing awkwardly with a PADD in one hand and a stylus in another. He balked under the attention, gaze darting between Jon, Tim, and Sasha. 

“You speak Swahili?” Sasha asked. 

“Y-yeah. I needed a third language to apply for Starfleet medical, why?” Martin responded, still looking nervous. 

“A third language?” Jon asked, and, if the slight widening of his eyes was any indicator, immediately regretted it. 

“I speak Polish as well.” He replied, this time in Standard, “I learned it to impress my mum, but - er, well, she just criticized my accent,” Martin chuckled, but it fell flat as he fiddled with the stylus. 

Tim grinned at Martin with half-lidded eyes. “Oooh, I don’t know Polish! Wanna teach me, Dr. Blackwood? I’m a quick study, I promise. All my professors said I have a gift for languages... a talented tongue, if you will.” He wiggled his eyebrows as a light blush spread across Martin’s cheeks. 

Jon cleared his throat. “I think we’ve wasted enough of Dr. Blackwood’s time. The PADD, if you will, Dr. Blackwood.”

Martin jumped a little at being addressed. “Right! Yes, sorry, of course, h-here you go, Captain.”  

It wasn’t until after Jon signed the PADD and Martin headed back into the turbolift when Tim spoke again. 

“I bet Dr. Blackwood could pick up a Vulcan…" he paused, "phrase or two easily enough, what do you think Captain?” 

“Tim!”