#and while i genuinely enjoyed those scenes and thought they were very well done.

[shadowedvales]

i!!! i think i am about to change my canon once again (is anyone really all that surprised?) in the case of jane’s interactions at school. i am simply craving for her to find a group of girls, or even just one girl to befriend. someone who knows jane has some problems, but doesn’t care. (there’s a lot of rumours about her at school. that she was kidnapped as a child and grew up in an abusive household, and only recently was found by police and put back into the care of her mother and aunt. no one knows what’s true and what isn’t, but after the roller rink incident sam owens has to make an official story about her.) they genuinely like her. they don’t care that her speech pattern is a bit weird or the way she jumps at the sound of the school bells. or that she quite frankly, appears to be academically dumb. someone who thinks jane is a nice girl, fun to be around. someone jane can meet on her own, without connection to the party or anyone she knew previously. jane being able to make a friend on her own would majorly increase her confidence, and help her feel like she’s normal. her having important interactions outside the party / people connected to the upside down. someone who doesn’t know that side of her life, who just knows janessa ives, a girl who has some issues but is getting through them! i think it would be so fundamental to her social growth.

[bestanimatedmovie]

Choose your favorite!

Vote in the other polls!

What fans say:

Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron:

I was a Horse Girl TM, so I watched this movie a million times as a kid. It's honestly the best horse animation I've ever seen, all the backgrounds are gorgeous, and the soundtrack is incredible. Also the plot is anti-colonial/anti "taming of the west". Genuinely cannot pick a favorite scene, but I love the scene where Spirit commits many acts of violence against the US military <3

horsie :) I love how they use actual horse body language instead of just turning them into a dog. Also enjoy how the protags are easily understandable with just body language and neighs. Also the 2d and 3d animation blend seamless.

I cannot begin to tell you what makes this movie so good. It's a corner stone of animated media. The societal commentary. The incredible emotion of not only the story but the animation. The songs. Sound the Bugle makes me cry every time.

This movie was a key part of my childhood and “Sound the Bugle” still makes me tear up.

This is like the greatest horse movie of all time and I will not change my mind. I watched this movie so many times as a kid that both the VHS and first cd I had for it got ruined and we had to replace it with another cd LOL. I once convinced my teacher to let us watch it in class because it had a few scenes with Native Americans and we were learning about them at the time(It's about the old west and the expansion of the United States westward so it has some Native American characters but def not enough to make it a Native American film, but it does have positive representation I think?) The main character is the horse Spirit, a lead stallion for a herd of mustangs. His thoughts are narrated but he doesn't actively talk and the horse behaviors are pretty realistic, also the ART of it all, James Baxter was one of the lead animators for this film and his work is incredible, and hand done. Some of the behind the scenes stuff in the extras makes the animation look 3d its so good, and the camera work is also insane. As a horse obsessed child this movie was a staple for me, and I prefer it even over live action movies with actual horses. ALSO THE SOUNDTRACK OH MY GODDD how can I almost forget, the soundtrack for this movie goes so hard, I used to use some of the songs as hype music not even lying.

The Mitchells vs. the Machines:

It’s in its core about family, how we can drift and argue. Not because of one true fault, but because we are different. It shows how being weird and different don’t make you less of a family while not demonizing people who do have more stereotypical ‘perfect’ families. I think it portrays our humanity and the way we bond and what we do for those we love, what we sacrifice, so well. It’s so funny and so sweet.

It's funny and the family is neurodivergent and it's just really nice v good time it looks like anti technology at first but its clearly more of a criticism on capitalism I just really like that movie its pretty to look at.

It's funky!!! hang on, bullet point list time: - has such a unique and expressive animation style - has a lot of pop culture references that don't really feel overbearing - has honestly one of the best family dynamics in a movie I've seen???? - realistic characters!!! with realistic and interesting character arcs!!! - absolutely hilarious. makes me laugh every time i watch it :) - comedic villain! gotta love me one of those. also she's badass for a smartphone so - tHERE ARE FURBIES - basically it's very chaotic but also heartwarming, and it's honestly my favourite movie :D

Heartwarming story about family! Also kickass animation

Very good stylized animation. Well written and designed characters. Super funny and sooo heart warming. Fucking rad action scenes (again the animation is fantastic). The story comes together well, it's just quite well written. + Protective dad character who's not annoying as hell (that's rare!). I love every part of when they're at the dinosaur museum thing.

[stevesnightmares]

I just re-read the captive prince trilogy after 9 years so here are some thoughts and observations (I read a physical copy while listening to the audiobbok):

No spoilers

the books are super easy to read, I read each of them in a day and never once did I get bored or felt like I needed to take a break. If you enjoy them I feel like they work perfectly if you are in a reading slump.

I might be biased because I was also listening to it while reading but I feel like the writing worked just fine. I saw people say that the writing was awful but I didn't have any problems at all with it. I was never once confused by what was happening on page nor did I ever feel like too little or too much was being said and described.

One of my gripes with the writing comes in book 3 because I felt like the two parts that had Laurent POV just didn't work because it didn't feel like it was a stylistic choice and it didn't feel natural or needed, it just made me think that the author didn't know how to write that from Demen POV (which makes no sense because I know she can)

not only that but I also feel like it would've worked much better if we didn't get those scenes and continued with Demen's knowledge instead of making us privy to something he didn't know. I genuinely think they were unnecessary.

I might've missed something but in book 3 there is also a part where I felt like what Demen is thinking in a chapter and then what he claims and thinks a few chapters later don't align. With no spoilers, this is how it felt to me: chapter 1: demen thoughts: the apple fell from the tree chapter 3: demen thoughts and words: I knew the apple didn't fall on it's own and that there was a reason for it to fall.

I don't know why people say that these books handle its dark themes badly. Personally I think it handled everything quite well. Just because every 3 seconds the author isn't telling you "this is bad" it doesn't mean that it's poorly done or supports any of the bad things that happen.

The characters live in extremely flawed societies that have practices that we wouldn't condemn, so of course they will not immediately start out being against them, it wouldn't make sense, instead throughout the books and events they slowly start to realise why some things are bad. It's called character development.

Not only that, words coming out of a flawed and traumatised character shouldn't be taken as the moral of the book but as what they are: words of a flawed and traumatised character who is lashing out.

I feel like many people saw that very bad things that happen in these books and instrad of saying "I can't read that", which is fair, they decided to take the high horse and act as if it's morally wrong to like these books because bad things are portrayed in them.

Book 2 I think was my favourite, I devoured it and it was just super fun to read.

My second gripe is with Jokaste but without spoiling anything I can only say that her character was imo wasted and that it just felt like the author had 2 very different ideas of who she was in book 1 and book 3.

I LOVE laurent, he's just the type of characters that I enjoy, cold and guarded on the outside but only because he wants to protect himself while being also sweet.

Also really enjoyed many of the side characteristics which I thought were really interesting (I would've enjoyed more interactions between those other characteristics and L and D but that's a personal taste)

I actually think that 9 years ago I only read the first book and the first half of the second while skimming through the rest lmao

also I will not tell you which character I didn't like at all and found annoying when I was 16 but would die for in an instant now because you'll think 16 years old me was psychopath because what the fuck

[antianakin]

@theneutralmime

I think there's probably NUMEROUS reasons fans have for disliking the Jedi.

I think some people might dislike them because before the Prequels came out there was this alternate perception of what the Jedi were/had been that was primarily dictated by Legends which seemingly based them far more on European Knights than anything else, something which clearly appealed to a lot of people and was familiar and fun as an archetype. People became, ironically, attached to this version of the Jedi that they'd grown up with and so when the Prequels came out and they were NOT in fact European Knights with laser swords and magic powers but Buddhist Monks with laser swords and magic powers, it was jarring. So I hear, at least. I had no concept of Legends and I saw the Prequels first anyway, but I'm told this was apparently jarring for people. So it's just a lot of "Well these aren't MY Jedi from my childhood" going on.

And adding to that, I think some people just disliked the Prequels as a whole and so one way to sort-of reinterpret the Prequels in such a way that they felt they could enjoy them more was to decide that their dislike of the Jedi was the intended reading of the film. It's not that they were misinterpreting it or that Lucas had somehow done it wrong, but that the Jedi being unlikable was the whole point. And this is the ONLY way they can see the Prequel films as enjoyable or worthwhile, so they're not going to accept any other explanation. Either the Jedi are supposed to be the bad guys and the films did exactly what they were meant to do, or the Jedi are supposed to be the good guys and the films failed because they didn't get that across TO THESE FANS.

And when you dislike something that much, it's VERY VERY DIFFICULT to turn that opinion around, even after you see other people make arguments on its behalf. As someone who has pretty strong negative opinions about things, I can speak to that from experience. I know people liked the Ahsoka show and even thought it was genuinely well-written and well-acted, I've seen some of their arguments for why they believe that. But none of those arguments are ever going to mean anything to me because my experience of it was so negative that I don't particularly WANT to like it or have my opinion changed. To me, it's just bad. I can't just force myself to understand it differently than I do at this point, even though I recognize other people don't share my opinion.

So some of those people who just had really negative experiences of the Prequel films and the way they depicted the Jedi might just be in a similar position. No amount of knowing other people interpreted it differently, no amount of arguments in defense of the Prequels and the Jedi, no amount of quotes by George Lucas, is every going to take away from the fact that these fans had a really negative experience with these films that will likely always color their opinions of them.

Some other arguments I've seen about why they dislike the Jedi in particular seem to stem primarily from their feelings about Anakin and the way his relationship with the Jedi was depicted in the films. Some of it might come from people having the hots for Anakin and so they just... don't care about anybody BUT him, but some seems to come more from how young Anakin is in TPM and the way it really changed their perspective on this character who had only ever been a villain prior to that film.

I think people saw the Council scene with this fairly small child in the middle of a room full of adults whose job it is to decide his future and really related to his fear and nervousness and defensiveness far more than they related to the Council being put into a difficult position and trying their best to be objective but not unkind. And while you are SUPPOSED to relate to Anakin here to some extent, you're also supposed to be able to recognize that just because Anakin's fears are valid doesn't mean the Council are wrong to see that he's not prepared for this life and that being a Jedi is likely not going to be the right path for him. That second part seems to elude a lot of people because all they see is a scared little boy and so they insist in the same breath that the Jedi stole Anakin away from his loving mother AND that they should've just let him join the Order no matter what. And so when Anakin starts making bad decisions and killing people and being arrogant, they don't blame Anakin for it, they don't trace it back to Anakin's mistrust and dishonesty, they just decide it was the Council's fault for not giving him everything he wanted immediately and causing him irreparable trauma as a result.

People also I think ended up relating a lot more to ADULT Anakin than they do to the Jedi because Anakin is INTENDED to be relatable, he's got all of the character flaws that are causing the entire story to happen, while the Jedi are primarily side characters who have completed their own character journeys and are now there just to guide others. They're the moral compass of the films, delivering many of their themes and messages, but they're not the HEART of the story the way Anakin is. I think this led to a lot of protagonist bias in some ways where they like Anakin and so they just proceeded to come up with every excuse under the sun for why he was right instead of understanding that even though Anakin was the main character and the heart of the story doesn't mean he's not also a cautionary tale of what NOT to do. That's truly it. It's a very long, very complicated fable for children about the consequences of selfishness and greed.

But people these days OFTEN feel like if they enjoy a character then they cannot also be problematic or do problematic things, so if they enjoy Anakin, despite all of the objectively horrific things that he does, then Anakin just cannot be the one at fault for it. It MUST be someone else's fault. And of course the opposite also ends up true where if someone dislikes a character, then they must come up with a reason for why they're problematic to explain it. And thus we also get the Jedi then becoming the scapegoat for Anakin's choices. They didn't like the Jedi, but they liked Anakin, so of course then Anakin was right and the Jedi wrong all along.

And more and more people who see the Prequels this way are the ones creating new Star Wars content, so we keep seeing more stories that emphasize this idea that the Jedi were wrong and Anakin was right. It's obviously in the Ahsoka show, it's in Rebels, it's in Tales of the Jedi, it's in the Cal Kestis video games, it's in the High Republic novels, it's definitely come up in several of the other Star Wars novels, it was (to some degree) in the Sequel Trilogy, and we know it's going to be in The Acolyte. And of course it's just VERY popular in the Star Wars fandom in general. Most fans aren't going to be looking up George Lucas quotes or watching his audio commentaries and researching what he meant by attachment, so they're just going to consume the content that's available and that content at this point is pretty consistently sending the message that the Jedi were wrong and Anakin was right. It's almost entirely inescapable these days. So I don't necessarily even blame most fans for being Jedi critical, I just personally can't stand it anymore.

[princeasimdiya12]

Bucchigiri Finale Thoughts

So I watched Episode 12 earlier today and had some time to think things over. And unfortunately, I realized that I didn't like this episode very much. Granted there are a good amount of moments that I did enjoy and contributed well to the main themes of the series. But there were too many moments that I felt undercut my enjoyment of the show. So fair warning, a lot of what I have to say is fairly critical and kinda negative. If you agree or disagree with anything I've said here, feel free to reblog this with your own comments. And if you're not into negativity, feel free to ignore this.

But I will start by mentioning the things I did like.

Just like everyone and their gyoza-making mothers, I loved the final fight scenes. The choreography was well executed and I thought the animation was top notch, both when it came to Senya vs Ichiya and Arajin vs Matakara. I really liked how in depth they went with the fighting sequences and the dark colors fit really well with the tone of the drama of the scene. The emotional range between the fighters felt incredible; the actors truly gave it their all when going about their fights.

And the part with Arajin mustering the power to save Matakara was beautifully done. I was in awe when Arajin brought up how Matakara became the very monster he tried desperately to destroy which really got a crack on his defenses. The sequence of Arajin reaching out to Matakara's inner child to help him out of his despair was gorgeous. Especially since Ara-chan used the Friendship Stone both to help the inner child and later when telling his old friend that he's not alone anymore. That was really great and genuine character growth, especially since Arajin accepted that he was in the wrong for leaving him all the time.

And as I mentioned in an earlier post, I did love the first scene with Arajin meeting Matakara for the first time. But as a twist, it was Arajin who was inspired by Matakara's dedication to being a Honki Person and volunteered himself to train alongside his new friend. That was a great twist and it adds new depths to how Arajin was actually inspiried by his old friend and not the other way around like we believed for so long.

So those were the parts that I genuinely enjoyed. Now for the parts I didn't really like..

On one hand, while it is nice that Zabu wasn't brutally beaten to subconsciousness, I do kiinda wish that he did have to be hospitalized. It just feels so off-putting how he's relatively okay despite being brutally mauled by Matakara only a few hours ago. Especially since Marito and Kenichirou wound up in the hospital after losing to Matakara. Plus I feel like it undercuts the drama and severity of the situation by having Zabu be fine enough to look for Matakara. It doesn't help that he and Komao don't really do much apart from running around trying to find their friend.

Also, I hope I'm not the only one but did anyone else feel uncomfortable with this scene?

I understand that Mahoro did it in a desperate bid to bring her brother back but the way she described Kenichirou here was just... gross.

Not insane, not weird, not quirky, not even ridiculous.

It was just gross for me to see her dehumanize one of the few dark skinned characters on the show. Even if he's not black/black coded, it still rubs me the wrong way that she would say those things so casually. Especially since Japan can be really casual when it comes to making racist/offensive remarks to brown skinned people in it's media. Plus there are tons of other ways she could have referred to him without calling him a gorilla. Like meathead, blockhead, oaf, ogre. Any other insult could have worked and been more acceptable than the ape insult. And it's unfortunately consistent since she did call him a gorilla during the Gang War Arc.

And then there's this part...

I don't know if it was Mahoro's doing or if that's what the original nurses did, but it was just uncalled for. Both for the unspoken racism and for how it doesn't even apply to Kenichirou's character. Out of the three banchos, he's always been the least violent and was always shown to be tranquil and easy to work with, unlike Marito and Akutaro who were more unhinged, wild and violent in comparison. There shouldn't be any reason for him to behave so violently that the staff would resort to shackling him like an animal. Especially given how defeated he looked when Matakara beat him in a fight.

Another reason why I dislike this scene is because the characters involved (Mahoro, Marito, Kenichirou) do nothing to contribute to the final duel between Arajin and Matakara. None of these characters actually show up until the end when Matakara apologizes to everyone. You could have made it so that during the apology scenes, the two gang leaders could have shown up while covered in bandages or crutches. There really isn't a need to show us Marito waking up since we could get that later on in the end with Matakara apologizing to Siguma Squad.

The same can be argued for Zabu, Komao, Outa, Jabashiri and Hagure. Even though they spend most of their time hunting down Matakara and Arajin, they don't exactly contribute to the final duel or offer any words to the main heroes. They just show up and the duo resolve their problem like nothing.

Regarding Ichiya's secret of him dying, while it's not the worst reason for him to be so insistent on fighting Senya, I do wish there was more build up or at least some hints to it. It just feels like a random reason for why Ichiya developed his grudge against Senya. It's not the worst reason and it does make sense for why he wanted to die like a Honki Person instead of to a random illness, it just leaves a bad taste to how it happened to him out of randomness.

And wow, Arajin is never going to overcome the internet hating him for being a perverted simp mc.

In a way, it makes some sense since Arajin's character arc was never about respecting women or learning that there's other ways to be a man apart from stealing a girl's virginity. That was never the focus as the story wanted him to confront his mistake of abandoning his old friend and not running away from his problems. That said, this still won't look good for him since fans are going to be turned off of Bucchigiri because of his perversions and how the show doesn't encourage him to change.

And as I've come to realize, the show itself doesn't seem to mind with the characters not growing out of their negative vices. A critique I have is that the show doesn't go out of it's way to challenge the beliefs of these characters or push them to grow into better people. Arajin is perfectly okay with being rude to everyone while pursuing a girl just so he can lose his virginity to her, Mahoro continues to lust over her older brother and has no interest in anything else, Marito is still a bloodthirsty bad boy who lives and breathes fighting, Kenichirou doesn't mind repeating high school as long as he gets to run Minato Kai, even Yayako prefers to act like a bubbly airhead rather then act like a responsible and respectful adult. And even with Matakara's corruption arc, he doesn't really recognize how harmful his idolization of Arajin was since the focus was more on his loneliness and trauma of being alone. Maybe because I'm spoiled by Mob Psycho 100, but it saddens me to see how these characters don't grow into better people or make an effort to change themselves. Especially since there can be potential for all of them.

And while I'm glad that Arajin and Matakara were able to become friends again, it feels like a letdown that there's no build up to it. It just rushes straight to them becoming friends again without acknowledging their negative attributes. Th same with puppy boy getting everyone to just accept him with no repercussions or consequences. It feels like letdown as there were no serious consequences for his actions. Like he could just go on a despair-induced rampage again and they'll just keep accepting him. On paper it's rather wholesome, but it does feel contrived if everything just works out without problems or how Matakara doesn't need to work hard to earn their forgiveness. That would have been for a greater character moment and to show Matakara taking responsibility for his actions. But we never see Matakara doing that and him being accepted by the gang feels rather hollow. It's technically nice that he has his friends back and that SS won't have his heart on a stick, but it feels hollow.

Speaking of taking non-responsibilities and being accepted by the gangs, Akutaro is now back with the NG Boys and they're accepting of him?

I really do wish we could have had a scene that explains how the heck he was able to win back his old gang despite them professing that they weren't going to let him beat them around like before. It just feels offputting that Akutaro is back in charge and has their respect with zero explanation or even any build up to it. He spent all his time trying out different jobs and activities but nothing to suggest that he wants to go back to his old club again.

Not to mention that this is still bad news for Minato Kai since Akutaro still has his hatred for Kenichirou and still longs to destroy him. And given how he also hasn't grown out of his negative vices, it's more than likely he'll come up with a new plan to destroy them albeit a different approach. Though the other gangs will be aware of him trying to wreak havoc on them again, I sincerely doubt that that'll stop Akutaro from having his revenge. And with the NG Boys and Girls behind his back, he definitely has a shot at it.

Then there's the resolution with the Nyan Nyaight Love segment. While it was endearing with the Receptionist wanting to help out the Customer, I'm just trying to wrap around the logic behind the Receptionist accepting him again.

It doesn't make sense to me how he'd be accepting of the guy who abducted one of your prized cats, lose her, and then just welcome him back with another cat. It's setting up a cycle for the Customer to fall in love with a new cat only for him to become obsessed with her and then try to steal the cat out of "love". And while the show focuses on him learning to lose his shame of visiting NNL, it doesn't try to challenge his dependency on cats for company along with his hostile jealousy.

Is the Receptionist aware of this potential problem and how it can happen again to another cat? Is the manager of NNL willing to accept the Customer again along with the risk of jeopardizing his business? I can't imagine how difficult it must be to promote a cat only to lose it because of a depressed nutjob.

Also, to the anon who was grossed out by Arajin's mom, I'd like to give a complete apology to you for refuting your claims. Because this...

This was not necessary.

I mean, it is interesting to know that Marito shows attraction to girls/women which gives more depth to his character. And while it is weird for him to hit on an older women, it's still technically okay since it is normal for teens/youth to show attraction to adults that catch their interest.

But what isn't okay is Yayako's reaction to his attention.

Again, she is a grown woman getting over excited because a teenage boy is trying to hit on her. And she's okay with this? Like ma'am, not only is that concerning because of the blatant age differences but you're also a married woman (according to the additional info). How are you so lenient with being hit on by a guy who could pass for your son? Like really? I used to think of Yayako as a quirky, wholesome woman who needed to not let her son treat her like trash. But now I'm seriously questioning her values and how she treats everything in her life like a soap opera.

In regards to Mitsukuni being in a coma and waking up, it was... okay. Like I'm happy that Matakara will get his big brother back and they'll be able to move into an apartment like they wanted to. But I feel that the reveal of him being in a coma undercut alot of the emotional turmoil Matakara went through. I don't know, it just feels rather hollow knowing that Mitsukuni was always there and was going to make it out alive while his little brother was running around like a war machine. It's conflicting in all honesty.

But what isn't conflicting was how much I really didn't care much for Senya returning in the last shot. I wasn't moved by Senya showing up in the last scene or how Arajin secretly missed him. Maybe it's because of how Arajin constantly yelled at him or acted like he didn't care. And while he does care in his own way, I just felt disinterested in the reunion and I had no strong emotions of Senya returning. It doesn't help that the part with Senya and Ichiya "leaving" didn't really have alot of emotional depth to make the reunion more impactful. Senya not coming back would not have me upset.

And those would be my thoughts on the final episode. For those who stuck around to read all of this, I thank you for doing so. And to those that stuck around, I apologize for the excessive negativity. And like I mentioned above, you're more than welcome to reblog this with your thoughts and whether you agreed, disagreed or have something to say regarding my post.

Thank you all for taking the time to read this along with my other posts for this ridiculous show. Your feedback means alot to me and I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Nana na na, Nana na na, Nana na na na na...

[maplebean2003]

I went into wish by Disney with an open mind even while knowing people seem to have hated it and we all wish (haha) that the concept ideas were what they stayed with but alas here we are,anyways -

I found this movie genuinely beautiful with the mix of 3d art and 2d art it's the ONLY time I've seen it done so well as if it were concept art painted upon a canvas! It felt very much like classic Disney however it was very unmemorable and I can't see myself rewatching this

There was one song out of the whole movie that I could say I would've enjoyed hearing as a kid but now it's kinda meh

Another song slapped but not hard enough for me to want to sing it

The villain was just...super relatable and frankly I don't understand why he was seen as so bad when he had very valid reasons to be upset - did he take it too far? Absolutely

It almost feels like they forgot half way their plan with his character as I was expecting him to be MUCH worse when in reality he deserved a redemption arc

An apology even from the kingdom for abusing his powers so much and only seeing him for that alone

His song was not a villain song either it was nothing sinister or evil even so that was disappointing

The side kick goat seemed very annoying to me where they tried too hard to make him funny or even likable when he probably could've just not existed and the movie wouldn't have been changed in any way shape or form

The star was cute and I enjoyed how it was a different media form than she was but I found myself not caring if he was captured or not really as I felt I didn't get to bond with it at all in time for the ending to have any impact on me

Though that may be because I am 20 lol but I think even as a child I wouldn't have been bothered by it much

Id rate it a 3/5 but really the three only goes to the art because that's the only thing that saved this movie for me unfortunately

I wanted to like it but at least it wasn't AS bad as people made it out to be

Id say watch it once at least but I watched it in 2x speed sooo...idk lol the plot felt very simple honestly in a bad way

The characters felt human enough but just...very flat at the same time where I just couldn't connect or relate to anyone except the villain

I don't see why he got such a bad wrap when Elsa did pretty much the same thing and she got a redemption

Why's it okay for her but not this man?? Idk it was odd to me

Also Bambi was in it with John from Robin Hood in the background which I actually thought was super cute :)) Bambi is all grown now!

Anyways I'd watch for the art but nothing else

My hopes weren't high to begin with so I wasn't really let down by it

It surprised me twice at least with certain twists and one instance of actually evil action being taken where the king shatters a wish of a woman....but my shock was quickly taken away unfortunately when the wish was immediately brought back like 5 minutes later somehow which didn't make any sense to me at all :// it seemed like they just didnt want anyone to complain but I think it would've been better to depict the woman either repairing her wish with help or having a new one instead of just... immediately having it back just perfectly fine

The other scene that had my jaw drop was a surprise betrayal that I won't tell cause it genuinely surprised me as it was not hinted at in the slightest beforehand

I understand why the betrayal happened though at least so it wasn't half baked like most of the movie seemed to be

But yeah Id say 3 outta 5 or 2.5 out of 5 somewhere between those and no higher as the art was the only thing that REALLY saved it for me

Now being stingy I would've LOVED watching the original plot they had for this movie as a lil star twink guy would've been goals /gender envy to the max but alas I get why

They wanted merch to sell easily most likely so they dumbed it down and made him more marketable ;-; twink death pipeline for sure

[ramonag-if]

I just had to tell you. The way you write family angst? Akin to how our old pal Da Vinci wields a paintbrush. Masterfully.

When Ahlf died? I was gutted. Genuinely. I'd been watching him and MC interact, holding out hope that they'd one day get to form a... warmer father-child relationship. Then he died. MC watched him die. I watched him die. I MC was so devastated, I MC called Crown's name stupid (Sorry, Crown. You too, Irus). Let it be noted that I'd been playing the shy/sincere MC till then. I was so gutted, MC moped/angsted all the way to the temple, while I sat there internally blubbering over the loss of MC's grumpy, emotionally unavailable, father.

(In case it hasn't been made clear yet, I also have father issues in the spades).

(Also, MC recovered their shy/sincere nature eventually. And became absolutely besotted with Irus. He obviously already knew, but still. Don't tell him that.)

(You can bet that I MC took all the chances to mourn/blubber over Ahlf whenever the chance came up, though. Those chances did come up frequently enough, now that I think about it. That moment when MC goes through Ahlf's box of letters in his room at Ellie's castle, mourning him and whatnot. Thanks for that, by the way. Really. I'm glad you didn't gloss over the persisting, subtle ache that comes with loss, which so many stories seem to do.)

Then, Salyra. Mama. MC had thought she was dead. I was convinced she was dead. So, seeing her alive and well and with a whole new husband and child to boot was. Wow.

By then, I had already fully immersed into the story. And while I don't see MC as myself, rather as an odd extension of my soul that I'm watching like some omniscient being who has nothing better to do with their time, I was, well.

Gutted. Again. And MC, too.

I MC's been going back and forth between being uncertain or bitterly angry for a while now. And Maybe accidentally gave Rana a Mean Look while still reeling over how Salyra was alive, with a new family.

When Salyra protected Rana from MC's Big Bad Stare and gave MC a disappointed look? Wow. Delicious scene. MC damn near imploded into a very sad confetti of abandonment and bitterness anger, but I really have to admit. That was peak writing and character interaction right there.

The best thing? None of the characters were demonized for all the things they'd done wrong. Not Ahlf, not Salyra, not MC. They were so human, in their actions and reactions and emotions and tears. You can hate them, you can love them, you can feel nothing about them, but they weren't just characters with an 'MC's parents: kind of really bad at it' label tacked on. They were characters made human, fleshed out and alive and raw.

Which is why it makes it hurt so much more. Makes all the family angst hurt so, so much more.

And I'm all for that, obviously.

Ah, and a special mention! The scene where MC just hugs Irus for comfort after another showdown with Salyra? Spectacular. Outstanding. Covering your arm with gold star stickers as we speak. I have to admit, I damn near melted at that scene. They're so cute. God.

Aaand after that long, long spiel that was definitely just 90% rambling, I'm bringing whatever this mess is to a close. So, Ra; (can I call you that? It sounds cool) thank you for bringing this story into existence, and for sharing it with us all. It was a lovely, beautiful experience, and I'm excited to see what lies ahead in this bloody wild ride you're taking us all on. You're awesome. Once again, thank you!!

Ah, thank you so much! 😭💖 Your message just made me smile like a fool! I don't think I'm anywhere near Da Vinci levels in writing family angst, so it means a lot to me that you enjoyed what I've written so far.

I felt really bad at the way Ahlf died, but his death had been planned long before Chapter 1 had been written. His death was supposed to be less dramatic than the way he went, but as I do try to remind readers, I'm a pantser opposed to a planner when writing so I rarely stick to my chapter outlines and will usually just go with my gut 😅 Ahlf's death really set the tone for the rest of the game, so I'm glad you enjoyed all the small moments to simply mourn his death. I knew that I was going into IF the way I normally write books - emotions are valued over branching/plot points.

Salyra was never going to be this complicated. She wasn't going to be married with another child either 😅 I obviously ignored plans and went right ahead into Angst Central, because I kept questioning Salyra as a mother and the person she would have become in the absence of Ahlf and the MC and suddenly, she was very complicated and brought a lot of baggage.

It was definitely important to showcase that it isn't all good and bad with Ahlf and Salyra. I know neither of them is perfect - no parent is perfect though they are quite far from that bar of being good parents 😬 You'll always get the choice to feel as you feel and the characters will always respond to your MC's choices. I do prefer the emotional development of the characters to the external factors, so glad you're feeling it too!

I actually enjoyed the scene where the MC cries into the ROs shoulder opposed to the hug. But that's just me, being an emotional wreck of a person when playing IF 😅

Please feel free to call me whatever you want 😋 I am quite liking Ra because Ra is my favourite Egyptian god and from my many nicknames over the years, I've never been called Ra before 😂

Thank you again for your support and kind words! I really do appreciate it 💖 It really makes writing the game worthwhile and pushes me to continue writing it.

[alovesreading]

sooo excited for cr can we get a teaser pretty please?🥹

of course anon!! im disgustingly hungover rn so i hope your reactions to this bit give me enough energy to push through getting the moodboard done i would say to proofread as well but i genuinely am dead rn

anyway! here’s the teaser, enjoy 🫣🤭 (it's two bits from separate scenes but i thought you deserved the treat after waiting so long)

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Before they could leave, Ella made everyone get together to take pictures. A few with her own camera but most of them with her phone so it was easier to ask someone from the lads’ crew to take a picture of them all.

She smiled when looking at the results, her heart swelling in her chest seeing all the people she adored in one frame.

When she looked up, she caught a glimpse of a tan straw cowboy hat that the guys had been gifted, and getting an idea, she took it with her up to where Alex was standing, in front of a mirror by their trailer brushing his hair back after having put gel in it.

She cleared her throat to get his attention, his smile flashing for her through the mirror before he turned around.

There wasn’t even a prompt from her before she placed the hat on his head, not caring about messing up the task of fixing his hair he’d just done.

A chuckle slipped past his lips when she smirked and took two steps backwards, swiftly turning on her camera and bringing it up to her eyes so she could take a picture she knew she’d love.

“How do I look?” Alex asked her while adjusting the hat on his head, giving her a twirl that had her smirking.

“Like you were meant to be a cowboy.” She concluded as she perfected the focus of the frame, fighting herself not to bite her bottom lip and make it obvious that she was having the most sinful thoughts about him.

Not that it wasn’t obvious to him, the way her eyes darkened and went all over him with a speed that screamed she was trying to enjoy every bit of her view. He smirked back and teased, “Do I?”

Pathetically honest, she nodded, pressing the shutter and rolling the film before walking towards him. She stood flush against his chest, after having moved the camera to her side so it wouldn’t come between the proximity she so longed to have with him.

Fixing the collar of his striped shirt which clearly didn’t need to be fixed, Ella hummed, “Mhm, just missing a bolo tie and your very own boots.” Her hands brushed over the fabric on his shoulders and then smoothed down his chest. Her eyes wandered everywhere as her touch went over him and when she looked down and past that big buckled belt he had on to hold his black jeans in place, she saw his choice of shoes and gulped harshly at how well it all tied together, “Though those chelsea boots you’ve got on work well.”

Alex couldn’t bite his tongue any longer, his insides lighting on fire under her attentive gaze and he wanted to get a reaction out of her. So, with a smirk still plastered on his face, he clicked his tongue and played, “Right, stop flirting with me.”

In a split second, she blushed hard like he had caught her red handed and there wasn’t a way for her to fight against the accusation. Her tongue tangled in itself, mouth opening and closing like a fish out of the water and choking on the words stuck in the back of her throat, before the only recognizable sound was a weak, “I’m not–” that she interrupted to just tell him to “Shut up!” as she playfully shoved him away from her.

“Joking! I’m joking!” He said loudly in between laughter, she didn’t want to smile to keep her facade on but there was no way she could force the corners of her lips not to lift when the sound of his giggles reached her ears. Yet, she still hid her bright red face behind her hands so he wouldn’t get the pleasure of seeing what his words could do to her.

Taking a few steps to close the distance, one of his arms wrapped around her waist. She tried stepping away but he leaned into her space, keeping her flush against her chest. She felt so warm, she shrieked when he kept her trapped in his hold.

Her body temperature only rose when he dipped down further so that his lips brushed against her ear and he whispered in a sultry tone, “You can flirt with me all you want.”

Every sound she could let out after that died in her tongue, her breath hitching in her throat as he dropped a singular peck on the side of her neck before pulling her up with him and leaving her with a squeeze of her waist, taking the hat off his head and putting it on hers.

Stupefied. She was completely stupefied. 

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“Save a horse, ride a cowboy?” Nick asked with a raise of his eyebrow, Kelly’s arm hooked around his as they walked closer to the entrance of the southern bar.

Ella turned around at the inquiry, a smirk on her face as she continued slowly walking backwards and opened her arms as if presenting the event for them, “Ladies, you’ll have to steal the hats of the cowboy you wanna ride tonight.”

Katie and Breana giggled at the information, not even sure of what to expect. Matt had his arm wrapped around his fiance’s waist and he made a show of tucking her closer to his side when he said, “Think that’s already arranged, no?”

But Ella let her answer open enough to just hint about how messy this all could get if they wanted. “Have fun!” She sing-sang, giving them all a wink before turning on her heels to face the door, opening it wide for them all to come inside the establishment before her and when Alex walked through the threshold, her smirk got bigger as she was swallowed by the familiar tunes playing loudly inside the pub.

The lads had decided to go to the bar to get drinks first, getting what each of the girl’s wanted before leaving the table they’d chosen; but when they came back, they learned that they had to be quick about putting the cowboy hats on their partners.

A guy had come up to Katie, clearly chatting her up because of how Katie’s cheeks were red and her eyes kept going from the lad to Jamie. The guitarist had turned up a notch in his pace and walked quickly to the table, setting his wife’s drink in front of her and dipping down to peck her lips so that the lad got the clue.

“Sorry man, didn’t know she was with someone.” The lad said with his hands raised, the lack of a hat on Katie’s head confusing him but he realized his mistake when he dropped his gaze and noticed the wedding band that adorned the model’s ring finger.

Despite the apology, Jamie made a show of taking it off his head and placing it on Katie’s. The model blushed even more when seeing Jamie so evidently territorial and she bit her bottom lip when he nodded with a fake smile, “S’alright, now you know.”

The tone of his voice was threatening enough to make the guy hurriedly turn around and leave, not even saying bye to who he had just tried to chat up.

Ella chuckled, watching as the rest of the band who had stood there halfway to the table with pressed lips was finishing their walk back, trying not to laugh at a fuming Jamie.

When they all placed the drinks on the table, Ella patted it to bring Jamie’s attention back to them, since he had been glaring at the guy’s back as he walked away, and with an amused grin, she loudly warned the lads, “They’re fast so go on placing those hats on your girls.”

It was enough for Nick and Matt to quickly place their hats on Kelly and Breana respectively. Ella brought her whiskey and coke up to her mouth to take a gulp of it and chuckled at the lads’ panicked faces as the alcohol went down her throat.

Tonight is promising.

Noticing there was one cowboy left, Ella left her glass on the table and leaned back in her seat. She looked at Alex and wiggled her eyebrows to tease him, “Only a matter of time until they come to snatch yours away now.”

But Alex surprised her when he shook his head, rounding the table to lean down and whisper in her ear, “Don’t think so.” just as he took the hat off his head and placed it over Ella’s.

Maybe it was being home that brought her the confidence, or the delicious taste of Tennessee whiskey on her tongue, or perhaps finally giving a name to all that she felt for the singer, but she adjusted the hat on her head and turned to whisper back in his ear, “Good choice, sweets.”

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i know they're short but i can't share much more without giving it away so i hope this can get you excited for what's to come.

if you want another little teaser though, i would highly suggest going on youtube and watching this (keep and eye out for what happens around minute 1:34) think you can imagine how Ella felt with that Arabella performance 👀👀👀

anyway pray for me to power through this fucking hangover and i'll see you guys with this chapter very very soon (hopefully monday!!!) mwahh love yous xx

[claire8216]

Fic Tag Game

Thanks @fandomscraziness22 for the tag!! 🩵

How many works do you have on AO3? 10! My page says 7 but I have some I've published anonymously.

What's your AO3 word count? 122,718

What fandoms do you write for? It's been a while since I've posted anything but when I do find the motivation to write it's usually Julie and the Phantoms, Outer Banks, or The Summer I Turned Pretty! I've written some for other fandoms too but that was a looong time ago haha.

What are your top 5 fics by kudos? (Not including the ones I'd like to remain anonymous 😉) - Fire Red and Ocean Blue (TSITP) - I Hate the Way I Don't Hate You (JatP) - Been Counting My Blessings Thinking This Through (OBX) - Something Like That (JatP) - I'm Standing in Your Line (I Do Hope You Have the Time) (JatP)

Do you respond to comments? I really try to respond to every comment, even if it takes me a while to respond! I genuinely appreciate people who take the time to not only read my writing but also share with me their thoughts, so the least I can do is respond back 😊

What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? Oof in general I usually stick to happy endings so there hasn't been a ton of angsty endings! But I once wrote a fic exploring a character navigating the aftermath of the sudden death of his wife. It ends with him bonding with a woman in a bar who had also lost her husband, and they dance together and while it's nice to have some sort of companionship again, there's an unspoken agreement that nothing and no one would ever compare to their late spouses. (Based off the song Ghost of You by 5SOS, specifically the last line!) I don't usually write major character deaths, and I actually ended up taking that one down because it was too sad for me haha.

What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? The rest of my fics pretty much all have HEAs because at my core that's what I enjoy most haha. But my favorite and probably fluffiest ending is Fire Red and Ocean Blue.

Do you get hate on fics? I don't remember ever getting any hate! *knock on wood*

Do you write smut? What kind? I do not, but I always enjoy reading a good smut fic!

Do you write crossovers? No, but I love AUs or fics based off of other books/shows/movies!

Have you ever had a fic translated? Also no haha.

Have you ever cowritten a fic before? I've attempted to, a loooong time ago when I was first getting into fanfic. Nothing ever came of it though, we were both, like, 12 so it fizzled haha. I have no idea where that person is today but I hope they're doing well!!

What WIP would you like to finish, but doubt you ever will? Back when s1 of Outer Banks came out I started working on a Jiara one night stand fic and got about halfway done. I still think about it often, but too much has happened in s2 and 3 it just wouldn't make sense anymore and I'd basically have to start from scratch.

What's your all-time favorite ship? This is a tough one! My oldest and most beloved ships will always be Romione and Percabeth. But no ship has ever, and may never again, have me in a chokehold quite like Juke did during the height of my JatP hyperfixation. So one of those three! 😂

What are your writing strengths? Ooo I love a good theme or motif or analogy and bringing everything back around full circle. It makes my little perfectionist virgo brain very happy haha.

What are your writing weaknesses? Sometimes I'll rush through the little details just to get to the main plot points. I constantly have to remind myself to slow down, a sort of "stop and smell the roses" if you will, and set the scene or create unique little character details to make my fics more descriptive.

Thoughts on writing dialogue in a another language for a fic? If it's needed it's needed! I usually will copy/paste and look up the translation if I need to.

First fandom you wrote for? Glee haha. I used to be OBSESSED.

Favorite fic you've ever written? I feel like this answer changes depending on my mood haha. Right now I think it'd have to be Been Counting My Blessings Thinking This Through, but that could totally be recency bias haha. I am very proud of it though!

What fic would you want to rewrite someday? I wrote this PJO (Tratie) fic called Rivers about 10 years ago and to this day the idea behind it is probably one of my favorite ideas I've ever had for a fic. When I reread it now, I can't help but see the writing of a 15 year old girl who had no idea what she was talking about and was unable to execute it in the way I wanted to in my mind haha. I always tell myself I'm going to rewrite it, and maybe with the show coming out soon, it'll inspire me to!

This was so fun!! Tagging @story-courty @bex2313 and @writerownstory and anyone else who wants to participate!

[wowowwild]

You said Sick Days was your favorite of your fics right now so could you do idk... If I just list some numbers you can pick which ones you want to answer, right? 3-6, 8-12 any of those. Thank you!

I love this fic so much I will do all of them ily for this.

3: What’s your favorite line of narration?

Is it cheating if I don't choose only one? I'm not choosing only one, this blog is my domain and I will do what I want forever.

I really want to include the section where Apollo says 'eugh' but it might rightfully gross people out.

'No time for that, Justice! Your sopping wet boyfriend needs a towel and at least eight hours of sleep, stat.' -Apollo desperately trying to avoid psycho-analyzing his boyfriend

'Apollo was a vision standing in the doorway with a tray of breakfast and Klavier thought he might die.' -Klav just really wanting his eggs

4: What’s your favorite line of dialogue?

Also not choosing only one.

“You’re thinking too hard. Feed me my ice cream.” -Klav being a brat (well deserved)

“Ja. I can do anything if I put my mind to it, Herr Forehead, so jot that down.” -Klav being sassy yet entirely too genuine

“It appears he has no court appearances, so please tell Prosecutor Gavin he has the rest of the week off and that if he shows up despite this I will suspend him.” -Edgeworth being the best boss ever and caring for his subordinates

There were also some exchanges but I'm sticking to single liners as prompted, I do follow some rules.

5: What part was hardest to write?

I had to rework the part where he went to get the medicine and ice cream a couple times, but mostly this fic just flowed out of me.

6: What makes this fic special or different from all your other fics?

So I started writing it while sick and I just wanted to be taken care of so I thought 'What are things I would want someone to do for me?' which made this fic really more about their relationship and how they support each other than some greater narrative. Usually I am struck by a funny concept and then work around it, but this one was genuinely about the kind of love that comes with a healthy extended partnership.

8: Did any real people or events inspire any part of it?

Answered this above, I was sick. I was sooooo sick. Next time I get sick we're doing the same but in reverse and Apollo is going to be so grumpy, representing the part of me that gets grumpy instead of pathetic when sick.

9: Were there any alternate versions of this fic?

Nope! I wrote most of this in one sitting so there wasn't time for there to be multiple versions. Most of the scenes were one and done as well.

10: Why did you choose this pairing for this particular story?

I wanted Apollo to take care of me. Klavier is my special boy. It just worked out.

11: What do you like best about this fic?

I made so many quick character decisions, particularly about Klav, and I'm happy with all of them actually. My favorites are that he was very close with his Oma and that he just casually keeps a story book by the bed, probably one that his Oma read to him. He is also specifically Austrian in this fic which is reflected in book choice but idk if that's even something people would notice.

12: What do you like least about this fic?

I don't know how else I would have written it, but I made a lowkey ad for Project Gutenberg when referencing the book and it feels clunky to me, but I might just be nitpicking. I genuinely enjoy everything else. I think as a story it's good, I think technically it's good. I stand by my assessment that this is the best thing I've written so far.

[vinnywinnii]

Assistant PT.2 (Viktor x M!reader)

Hello, this is part two. I'll try writing in more fluff and some intimate scenes at some point, but I'm sticking more to fluff in this moment. Maybe some sexual tension at some point, but I haven't yet decided. Anyway, enjoy part two!<3

After you had finished your work (so a couple hours later) and Viktor suggested you guys hangout and go out somewhere together, you really needed some rest. Though as always, you were resisting it a lot. Now you were basically mumbling with your head down on his desk.

"mmh." You mumble, trying not to pass out and fall asleep at his desk.

"Assistant, you need sleep. You can't keep up with this, you already finished the required assigned work I have given." The tall, slim man spoke. His voice was smooth, and even softer than usual. It sounded very soothing, at least to you. The russian accent also compliments the soft tone he has.

"mm.." you mumble, barely having your eyes open. You head is down on his desk while you mumble short responses, barely making him know that you're still awake.

"And I thought I was overworking.." he muttered under his breath as a soft chuckle escapes his lips. He is slightly worried, you're staying awake just to do extra work. Plus, he's made you stay on night shift almost every night this week. And he knows you work day shift for a different job every other week as well, so you've only been sleeping on your lunch breaks.

That means you've barely been eating as well, really only having an apple and a quick coffee throughout the day. He feels bad for making you work more nightshifts. He already has you for day shifts every other week, you working day shifts for your second job on the other weeks he doesn't have you.

Its worse that you only make enough money to get food for your parents and to pay them rent, even with all this work you've done. He's very proud of you, you're a perfect young man.

He notices you've stopped responding with the cute little sounds and short word responses. He looks down at you, your hair covering your face with you cheek prepped on your arm. You look cute sleeping, your medium length brunette hair covering most of your face. He ends up smiling softly before catching himself, his cheeks growing a bit warm. He's definitely growing fond of you.

"you're a brilliant young man.. you're parents should be proud of you. If not, I'm sure proud of you.." he says, his more professional tone breaking. It's more loving, like he's speaking to someone he's loved for years on end.

He pulls out his notebook, scribbling a few things in the notes and closing it. He then puts it on his disorganized desk set up in the lab and smiles down at you, moving his hand up a bit and brushing some hair out of your face to see your closed eyes and handsome looking facial structure.

"you really are very handsome, and quite lovely to be around.. and you work so hard." He whispers to you, knowing your sleeping very soundly. He seems.. to favor you. Everyone does, but he definitely favors you for more than just you being a fantastic assistant. You're so sweet, so caring.. and very sympathetic. You're just a great person, and you don't find those around a lot.

He kisses your forehead gently, stroking your face. He hopes you don't wake up, he doesn't wanna have to explain why his hand is caressing your cheek. He doesn't wanna be called irresponsible, kissing an assistants forehead and holding his face a bit. He really does adore you, he always has. He just never wanted to admit it those few months.

"I wish you were awake to know how good you really do.. how much people really appreciate you. How much I really appreciate you. I care about you. I cherish you, Assistant.." He whispers, his tone genuine and his smile affectionate. He can't help but feel as if this is wrong.

He's a cold, stern man. He doesn't ever fail to make sure you know what work he's given you, and when it's due to him. These past few months of you being his assistant, you haven't failed once to do something right. You do so well, and he knows you don't believe it. You overwork yourself, just to try to prove you aren't lazy. Yet nobody thinks that, not even him. He admires you, as you admire him.

It's out of character for him to feel this way, to wanna give you simple praise for the work you do. He feels like he's softening for you, and he doesn't know if he should be happy that he's feeling some sort of love. He doesn't know what type of love, but he wants to protect you from this cruel world.. this dark place isn't good for someone as soft and nice as he sees you.

"I'll protect you, from this world. From the bad people here." He whispers more softly, his smile growing as he watches you sleep at his desk.

He ends up taking you to the couch next to the coffee pot you had made him coffee in earlier, setting you down there for some rest. You'll have to wake up in the morning for your second job, but he'll be happy to walk you there and provide for you.

He sets you down on the couch, brushing your hair back with his fingers and wrapping you in a blanket. He hasn't stopped smiling since he saw that cute, sleeping face of yours for the first time. He never wants this to end, but he doesn't wanna ruin a perfectly good professional relationship between you two.

He kisses your forehead once more before he sits in the chair at his desk, next to the couch you're laying on. He lays his head down on the desk, next to his papers; his eyes staying open for a bit longer. He watches you for a bit longer before one last mutter before he falls asleep.

"sleep well, solnyshko." He mutters quietly, his Russian accent making the name slip smoothly off of his tongue.

"...mm." you mumble.

Aww, solnyshko (Солнце, солнышко) actually means "sun" in Russian, it's a term of endearment. It can mean 'little sun', 'my sun', or just 'sun.' i think its the cutest thing!

I hope you enjoyed, I know these have been slow for now, I'm working on it. I'm trying to explain how much Viktor really loves the reader. He thinks the reader is cute, handsome, hardworking, and overall just a great guy. He admires him. <3

[fereldanwench]

How does your V feel about River. I just did a playthrough where my own V was crushing after someone else (Takemura) and that whole scene with the kids wanting her and River to get together made both me and my V wanna curl up in a ball and die from how awkward it was. Just curious as to your own feelings on River.

Ahhhhh, so I was writing a very long answer, and then Tumblr just wiped it on me. 😭 Thanks, Tumblr.

ANYWAY, River's romance wasn't for me or Valerie. 😅

I'm gonna put the rest under a cut in case anyone wants to avoid River critical opinions, and I really want to stress that this is just my preference. I'm not trying to convince anyone not to like their boy--I actually liked River outside of his romance, and I genuinely enjoy other folks' River ships. I also think a lot of my issues with the romance can be chalked up to neglect from the devs. But playing through it was nevertheless a minefield of squicks for me.

From Valerie's perspective, she basically saw River as a decent, principled guy while they were working together on the Rhyne/Peralez investigation, but thought their relationship, working or otherwise, would be concluded when they wrapped that up. She admires that he wants to stick to his convictions and go to IA with the corruption, but she is a much more cynical person when it comes to the powers that be, and he doesn't respond overly fondly when she says such.

So Valerie is very surprised when he reaches out for help with Randy, and she assumes it's totally out of desperation rather than any interest in her personally. Johnny, of course, picks up on it, which she sort of brushes off, but when River starts saying things like "I'll tell you about it over a beer sometime," she does get the sense that maybe he's interested in more than just her professional help.

By this point, though, Valerie is smitten with Goro. She's denying it to herself, and trying to keep her focus on the Relic and fixing her terminal condition (which River doesn't even know about), but either way: she has no interest in pursuing anything romantic or sexual with River.

She does help River with Randy, because despite any awkwardness she feels around River, she's not gonna let a kid potentially die because of it. But again, when they part ways, Valerie thinks that's that. So when he calls later, telling her that he misses her and inviting her to family dinners, Valerie is immediately like hey, buddy, don't do this.

I think the most in-character thing for her would be to not go to the dinner and just wish him well on the phone call, but since the game won't let you close out the quest without making an appearance, I made her suffer through the world's most awkward family meet-n-greet.

Valerie doesn't dislike kids, but she's not overly keen on them either, particularly those who aren't related to her, so playing with them and a man she's trying to let down gently is incredibly uncomfortable. She also doesn't particularly appreciate the way Joss probes into her family life or plans for a family life, and when the kids do the "raise your hand if you think River and V would be a good couple," Valerie has pretty much fuckin' had it.

And then, when they're chatting up on the water tank, Valerie is frustrated that River implies she's been stringing him along when she's tried as nicely as possible to tell him she's not interested. She's also sober and the daughter of an addict who lost her life to drugs and alcohol, so she does not find his "I can be awfully charming when drunk" comment endearing at all.

So, after all is said and done, Valerie doesn't really want anything to do with River anymore. She might be willing to help him professionally again, and she's still friendly with him, but she doesn't think of him as a friend.

As for my personal opinion on the romance, I think it was just incredibly underdeveloped (especially compared to the ladies), and that lack of development paired with the fact that he's the only male romance option available to female Vs ends up having a lot of frustrating and troubling implications.

It does kind of feel like CDPR made a very bold assumption that what women who are attracted to men want in a relationship is something that is heavily centered around family and children. As a woman who does not like that in real life or fiction and often has to defend my own child-free relationship, I found that very off-putting. And this isn't to say that it shouldn't exist at all--I fully support anyone who does enjoy this take on a romance, and I'm glad they got to have something they enjoyed--I just really wish it wasn't the only option.

I also don't like that there's no way to reject him without subjecting yourself to the awkward family dinner. It makes him feel very pushy if you're not into him, which I feel probably isn't the intent. I'm sure some folks would take the stance that it's more realistic, but I'm okay with forgoing a little realism if it means I don't have to have the uncomfortably immersive experience of telling a man I'm not into him while we're sitting atop a water tower and he's getting drunk. 😬😬😬

I also really disliked both his and V's responses if you chose the "ever feel lonely?" prompt, which I talked about here.

But the Peralez/Rhyne mission with him is actually one of my favorites in the game, and if his story had stayed more in that route, like fighting the corruption in the NCPD, I probably would have enjoyed him overall a lot more.

And if I remember correctly, Goro's creation also ended up affecting how River was utilized in the story--I think he was supposed to have a bigger role in some of the corporate happenings, but the writers realized they wanted someone deep inside Arasaka instead, hence Goro. Well, first it was going to be a more villainess lady character, and then it became Goro because they wanted to humanize Arasaka more.

So yeah. Those are my complicated thoughts on River. I mean, from the in-character perspective, it's pretty straightforward, but my own opinions on him are kind of ambivalent.

[myckicade]

Mayans M.C. - 05x05

*pounds head on work desk*

Fuck. You. EZ.

While we're at it, fuck you, too, Sofia.

Anyway.

Conspiracies first. (Second? Third?).

Updated Guesses of Who's in the Coffin:

Angel

Marcus

Creeper

Heroin - I had this feeling after a good, long think, and... Yeah... It tracks. So to speak.

*ahems*

I genuinely loved a couple of things about this episode, and I would like to get right into those, if I may.

I have been loving the Big Brother Miguel vibes since the start of the season, and it's only getting better. (I mean, if I didn't know what I know, I would have almost thought that he was hitting on Angel, BUT. He must have studied that boy damn close if he knows his body from a security camera. Y'know what I mean?) *ahems* It might just be me, too, but I felt this sense of... reluctant longing in Miguel's tone, when he agreed that he didn't know Angel. Kinda' broke my heart, a little bit. Here's this guy who has family he clearly wants to protect, but also refuses to acknowledge beyond that. While he and EZ have some ugliness between them, he and Angel - minus the warehouse - don't have that much on-screen history to work with. ** This is why I firmly believe that something terrible will befall Angel, and Miguel will have to take it up with EZ. Something is going to tip Miguel's hand on this secret, either his or Filipe's. I just really kinda' hope I'm wrong about what that something is. **

I did enjoy that little Not-Fight-Club scene. I need to re-watch, because I want to know why Isaac said, "It really is you"?? Did I mishear that?? Because, if so, that sends me down a whole winding path of questions and conspiracies. (Again, I need to re-watch a few things, at least, because I have zero idea whether I missed something, and now look like an idiot for having these thoughts). Neeevermind. I found my answer. I just love JR Bourne, and while I haven't been... in love with Isaac, he's doing a fabulous job with the role.

Bishop holding a baby. Need I say more? I mean... C'mon. That was sweet as hell.

His storytelling, as well. The man may have the Short and Angry down, but he definitely knows how to play Big Fish.

Izzy laying down the law. Once she got out of the car, I was shouting, "YEAH, BITCH!! I love you, dude, but, YEAH, BITCH!!" It's about time Marcus hears the words. -_- . That he took Santi out for some Father-Son Time afterward? *sobs* MY HEART!!!! <3 <3 <3 . Marcus has been such a dick for so long, it was good to have him put in his place, and reminded that he has more to live for that the damned Club. P.S. Have they mentioned the baby's gender yet? I wanna' know. >XD.

Hank getting to help his Mom gets me. Every time. I don't care. Anything concerning that man is emotional. I swear.

Gotta' say... I kinda' loved that ending... Things - storylines - are FINALLY beginning to feel like they go together. I have a little bit of faith back.

Very briefly, there were a few things that I disliked, as well. (As usual).

Fuck you, Ez.

A supplementary 'Fuck You' to the following folks: Sofia Emily EZ Potter Katie Everybody Who Ignored Kevin's Widow EZ

I hope we get to see Elio again?? I like the dude, and I'm sad that he and Bottles got split up. :( .

Not enough Bottles. Damn. I didn't think I'd end up liking that kid so much. I can't help it. Alex Barone is adorable.

I could have done without Letty and Hope scream-singing for, what was it? Two, three minutes? It felt that way, anyhow.

While I'm glad we still have Nestor around, I'm pretty damned bothered by the lack of use of his character? If that makes sense? I mean, here's a dude that's capable, trustworthy, honest, dedicated, loyal, and he's tending the fucking bar?! Prospect was... just not where I expected him to land, I guess? And, for so damned long. In bed with the enemy, sure, I get that. He just feels like such an afterthought to the series, at times.

EZ's little speech to SAMDINO was a nightmare. It was like being on the phone with Xfinity's automated services. I felt for Isaac on that one. I would have lost my temper, too.

Consider this my Weekly Complaint about Emily, if filed a day or so late. Ugh. Her little speech about Motherhood - though valid - made me roll my eyes. While Miguel is certainly no prize in the marriage department, I wish he would have just cut bait a long, LONG time ago.

Beyond that? I pretty well enjoyed this episode. The preview for next week didn't thrill me to my core, but... We shall see.

Until next week, Y'all!

-Mycki

[amethystroselily]

Hello there

I'd like to ask your thoughts on sskk as a ship?

I don’t really ship it. I thought I did for a while, but it turned out I just really enjoyed their rivalry.

Like, I don’t dislike it or anything. It’s good in theory I guess, but the “we genuinely want to murder eachother” to frenemies is just so much more endearing to me.

It could work, but it needs so much development and build up for it to make sense romantically to me. So sskk fanfic just feels kind of off because of that sometimes. But it could work really well if given the proper development.

My other problem with sskk fan works is that people act like those two like eachother way more than they actually do. Like, somehow that’s one of the ships the fandom decided was pure and wholesome yet angsty???? When their genuine hatred of eachother and them slowly overcoming it is the appeal. Like people finally acknowledged Soukoku had their issues and somehow that lead to believing Akutagawa and Atsushi were the healthier more loving alternative????

Also I feel like an underrated part of their dynamic is that it isn’t done developing yet. They’re becoming partners. They are learning to trust eachother. But they aren’t quite there yet. Especially Atsushi. Akutagawa might trust Atsushi at this point (or maybe he’s really just that desperate for Dazai’s approval). But Atsushi doesn’t trust him yet. That’s the whole point. That’s why their fight with Fukuchi ended the way it did. And maybe the fight with Fukuchi was the final push? But we haven’t really seen that come to fruition yet.

Also. Just, none of their interactions read as romantic whatsoever to me. Like, there’s no real romantic chemistry, there’s no sexual tension. None of their interactions could ever realistically be misconstrued as flirting. Neither of them are the type for their malice to ever come off as anything other than malice. The only scene I could ever see as romantic between them whatsoever is Akutagawa’s last words. You know how there’s scenes where characters weren’t supposed to be flirting with eachother but they definitely were? Yeah, that’s NOT shin soukoku. They just have a very interesting dynamic. It’s great. The development is phenomenal. Doesn’t read as romantic.

But there’s so much potential there. It could be really romantic if written right in fanfic. But it’s really hard to trick myself into interpreting any of their canon interactions as romantic. But I suppose they could work as something that could eventually lead to romance.

I think Akutagawa warmed up to Atsushi when they fought Fitzgerald, and was just being difficult after that, but I think Atsushi genuinely fucking hated him all the way up until they fought Fukuchi. So I guess I could maybe see it as one-sided. Akutagawa can have a crush on Atsushi, as a treat, but I refuse to see it the other way around. (As of now. Idk, maybe I’ll change my mind in the future)

I do want Atsushi to hug Akutagawa if they ever properly reunite (like he did with Kyouka and Kunikida when he thought they were dead but they weren’t), and Akutagawa to be completely taken aback because he’s not used to positive physical contact, and then Atsushi realizes what he’s doing and immediately stops and is like “actually… what the hell am I doing right now” and Akutagawa’s just frozen in place like “Don’t EVER do that again” and it haunts them both. But, like, it secretly made Akutagawa feel a little warm on the inside, and he almost cried when it happened. But he’d also rather die than it happen again.

[ladytrevelyan99]

Chuck FanFiction Scene - Part 1

Thought I'd write a little scene from a FanFic I want to write. It's a CaseyxOC one. Been watching it recently and felt like writing a few scenes I been thinking about. Been watching House as well, so some Fics might come from that too.

Fan Fic Below

The four of them stayed in silence for what seemed like hours, removing the gear that they were wearing. Sarah had gone off to consult with the organisers of the event, whilst Casey and Chuck tidied up. Chuck gave Casey a concerned look, as he looked over at his friend Lilith, sitting in one of the few seats available in the wide-open space of the room they’d found, in the parking lot. She had been sitting in silence for some time, her eyes mainly trained on the floor glancing over dents and holes made by previous cars and people that had once travelled through this area. 

“It’s completed, we are officially done!” Sarah called as she entered the room. A beaming smile came from Chuck, and he immediately looked over at Lilith catching her attention from the floor.

“You hear that! We’re done! We’ve officially completed a spy mission. How exciting was that? Am I right?” He walked over to her his hand out for a high-five, she glanced up at him, there was a short pause before she smiled politely and stood up but didn’t give him a high-five.

“Yeah, that’s great Chuck, can we go home now?” She asked as she walked away.

“I uhh… I don’t get it, I thought you’d love this.” He questioned her unexcited response and glanced at Sarah and Casey looking for any kind of aid. Sarah was going to speak when Casey spoke first.

“A car should be here in 10 to pick us up.” Lilith looked at him and nodded, he was packing a large black duffle bag and had placed it on the ground.

“Great.” She stated and tried to look for something else to look at while she waited.

“Lilith-. “Chuck started, but before he could finish, she interrupted him.

“Can I offer some friendly advice?” She stated as she moved slowly to turn to face him, he paused at the interruption and smiled, nodding.

“Sure, of course, anything.”

“If you plan on doing anything like this for anyone else?” She motioned with her hands as if the area around them was the entire ordeal they had gone through and then looked directly at him. “Don’t.” She stated plainly. He knew he had messed up, she was usually quite cheerful, something in this event that they had planned really didn’t sit well with her.

‘I’m really sorry, I just thought you’d enjoy this.” She shook her head, Sarah moved to stand next to Chuck.

“We really just wanted to surprise you and show you a good evening.” She interjected.

“Give the kid a break, he just wanted to make you happy.” Casey jumped in on top of that and instantly Lilith felt backed into a corner and ganged up on, she frowned, which as Chuck was very aware of, wasn’t an action she did often.

“Listen, listen. They’re right, sure, I did this to make you happy, I truly truly didn’t know it would get so intense. I honest to God just wanted to have a fun adventure filled night with you guys and things got out of hand. I’m really sorry, this won’t ever happen again.” His hands moved whilst he talked, she knew that every word he said was genuine, but she could still feel that angry ball in the centre of her chest, she glanced away for a moment and contemplated how she would react to this.

“I believe you Chuck.” she eventually said, and a smile began appearing on his face as she continued talking. “Being shot at and those explosions, I would definitely call getting out of hand.” She was on the verge of explaining in a calm matter why she was so upset with the whole thing.

“It was all fake, you know.” Sarah added and the fury built up more. Chuck chuckled and nodded.

“Exactly! Exactly, it was all fake, even though it seemed real, you were never in danger.” Lilith had her polite smile on and nodded.

“Is that so?” She questioned.

“Yeah, yeah, I mean you have Casey to thank for the explosions. Man should have been a pyrotechnic or something for movies, right Casey?” Casey glanced over to him and looked back at her; she was making her way back to the couch to grab her gear that she wore during the fake mission.

“You know me. I love to blow something up.” He added his version of a grunt laugh when he finished talking and she walked back nodding.

“Oh well, you know, if it’s all fake then it’s all right huh?” She was smiling and Chuck seemed to have fully relaxed. Lilith placed her hand in her pocket. “It was just a fake gun fight we ran through.” She stated while smiling and Chuck and Sarah smiled with her. “And this is just the fake bullet.” She pulled out a bullet that looked like it had hit something and threw it on the floor to roll at Chucks feet, Chuck and Sarah were no longer laughing and Casey stepped away from the table he was at towards her. “That hit my fake bullet proof vest.” She chucked the vest that had clearly been hit on the floor in front of them. “And left this fake bruise.” She had stopped laughing now and lifted up her top to show her stomach that had severe purple bruising on it, the verbal poison she left on the word fake increased every time she used it and noticed the very concerned looks they were giving each other. When Chuck saw the bruise, his hands instantly went over his mouth, and he stepped forward.

“Oh my god Lilith, are you okay? I am so so so sorry.” She dropped her top, Sarah became concerned and stepped forward.

“Why didn’t you say anything?” She questioned; Lilith shook her head.

“Because I knew it wasn’t fake!” She increased the volume of her voice before lowering it again. “When this thing started it was fun and dandy, but from the moment you guys started giving each other random looks and giving me hesitant unrehearsed lines. I knew it wasn’t fake anymore.”

“I’m calling an ambulance.” Casey stated as he began walking away, she was tempted to tell him not to, but stopped herself, she was in a lot of pain and something to help her would be could. She could feel her body heating up from the pain, having cold sweats and a nauseous feeling in her stomach. Moving around this much wasn’t helping, but she was too angry to sit down.

“You should have said.” Chuck pleaded, looking extremely concerned.

“You should have pulled the plug!” She raised her voice again, Sarah looked between the two, knowing this could lead to a conversation no one wanted to have, she was going to say something but got interrupted. “The moment you knew something was wrong. You should have gotten me out of there!” Lilith took a step forward, closing the gap a bit more between her, Chuck and Sarah.

“Chuck was just doing what needed to be done.” Chuck nodded along with Sarah’s input. Lilith nodded and looked to Chuck a sad smile came across her features.

“Right… Can’t risk it huh? Even if it means putting one of your friends in danger?” She stated, the questions obviously rhetorical. Casey came back into the room.

“Medical unit will be here soon.” They looked at him.

“Medical unit?” Sarah questioned; Casey shrugged as he approached Lilith.

“Figured if she already knows, this way it stays off the record.” He moved his hand out obviously trying to assess the bullets damage done to her. She backed away.

“Off the record. Oh, so not only is it okay to just put some random civilian… Wait not even a civilian, A tourist! In harms way, it’s better to have the medical treatment of said tourist off the record?” Casey gave her a look, suggesting what she said was obvious.

“Gun shot wounds must be called in by medical officials. Our guys don’t have to do that.” He made another attempt the check her injury and she backed away pushing his hand away.

“Casey- .“ Chuck called, Casey looked at him.

“I need to see if the injury is bad.” He said to him then looked back at her, she was looking at Chuck now.

“That whole situation may have been made to look fake to me Chuck. But my life is not fake. I am a living, breathing human being and you and your…” She paused looking between them trying to think of the right word and continued when she thought of it. “Team, put me in danger, just to further your own interests. I thought I was your friend.”

“You are my friend.” Chuck shouted taking a step forward but didn’t want to get too close to her and Casey in case she felt threatened.

“There was no time to extract you. Chuck wanted to get you out of there. I was the one who made the call to keep you in.” Sarah stated, her cold stare looking right at Lilith. Lilith met her gaze and nodded.

“Is that supposed to make it better Sarah?” Lilith questioned, Chuck looked to Sarah and back to Lilith. “Is that supposed to make me less angry at him? I’ve seen you do it before, maybe what you’re saying is true, but I’ve seen you interject yourself to take the blame from Chuck, even if he might actually be the one at fault.”

“It was my order.” She demanded; Lilith shook her head.

“You don’t get it. It doesn’t matter. He chose to do it your way, he chose to keep me there, instead of fighting for his initial instinct to get me out of there.” Chuck looked to Lilith as if realising something.

“You’re right, I should have fought harder to get you out of there. I just… I don’t know, I trust Sarah.” Lilith nodded.

“He knew you could handle it.” Casey’s voice next to her spoke, she had momentarily forgotten he was there, the pain had subsided for a moment as she had stopped moving around.

“Well, thanks for the vote of confidence. But you were wrong.” She stated calmly and no one seemed to have anything else to say.

“Now that we’re done talking about our feelings. I need to see that bruise.” Casey stated, he moved his hand, but Lilith wasn’t having any of it, she was angry with him. She didn’t want him touching her. She lifted her arm quickly to push his arm away, the quick movement and hitting Casey’s arm to move it was a bit too much for her side where the bruise had hit and pain shot through her. She grit her teeth and a pained moan left her lips, her left hand immediately lifted to grab her right side and felt her legs get weak. She could feel herself falling, her legs reacted and tried to balance her, but Casey caught on to the pain in her body almost before she even felt it and was ready to grab her.

“Oh my god Lilith.” Chuck called out and he rushed forwards with Sarah behind.

“Is she okay?” Sarah questioned.

“This is what I wanted to find out.” Casey stated a hint of sarcasm in his voice as he moved her over to a seat and knelt next to her. She had her hand firmly on her side and had her eyes tightly closed, she didn’t seem to be breathing. “Breathe Lilith, breathe.” Casey all but ordered, she hesitated for a moment before a slow, shaken breath left her lips and an equally shaky and shallow breath was taken in again.

“Are you okay? Do you need anything? Casey, should I get anything?” Chuck questioned as he loomed over Casey’s shoulder as he was knelt. Casey slowly turned his head and only slightly and annoyed growl left his lips and Sarah placed her hand on Chuck’s shoulder.

“Come on, let’s go keep an eye out for that medical unit.” Chuck looked back at Sarah, then at Lilith as she took her shaky breaths, her eyes still closed, before looking back.

“Right, right, sure.” He nodded and they started moving back to the door. “We’ll be right back; it’ll be okay Lilith.” He shouted as he got further away”

“Moron.” Casey said under his breath before looking back to Lilith, he scanned her face and took a breath. He needed to be calm if he was going to be able to check this wound. Angry wasn’t going to get him anywhere. “Lilith. I need to see where the bullet hit, alright.” The words he used made the sentence sound like a question, but it was very much an order, she opened her eyes and glanced at him, she was trying very hard not the throw up and keep her body under control, his eyes were stern, but somehow there was this sympathy hiding in there somewhere. It’s not like she wanted to stop him from having a look, her focus was purely on herself, she didn’t want to move in case she cause herself more pain. She wasn’t used to this; this was by far the most painful thing she’d ever experienced. She didn’t know how to tell him she couldn’t move, she decided to suck it up and just move her arm. As her muscles in her arm relaxed, she instantly regretted her choice, it seemed that applying pressure to the area was actually making it hurt less. Her eyes snapped shut and her whole body tensed causing her to whimper softly in pain.

“Woah, woah. It’s okay.” He noticed she had tried to move. “Don’t move, just keep breathing.” She kept her eyes shut now, she was getting worried at the pain she felt. She felt fingertips and then fingers grip the wrist of her right arm, she opened her eyes to see what he was doing, he slowly and careful lifted her hand up and away from her stomach and placed her hand on her leg. She felt more pain as he moved her arm, but she kept breathing and he didn’t stop despite the flinches, she was great full of that, it made it hurt less. When her hand was moved, he lifted her shirt and looked at the bruising, when he looked up, he noticed she had opened her eyes and was looking back at him.

“Well, good news. You’re not bleeding internally, at least not badly. You’ll need an x-ray to check for anything acute.” He paused and moved, grabbing something, when he was done, he tilted his head to the side. “Bad news, I need to check for broken ribs.” He showed what looked like a leather holster for a small weapon, maybe a knife. “I’m gonna need you to bite on that.” She furrowed her brows at him, as he brought the leather to her mouth, she seemed to refuse to open her mouth, he shrugged and moved to put it away. “Or you can bite your tongue off and maybe choke on your own blood.” He stated, her eyes widened and she stared at him, he stared back, unflinching as if it was all the same to him either way they did it.  She grimaced slightly and reluctantly opened her mouth.

“Good girl.” He said in a low voice, she felt her whole-body flinch, he placed the leather strap in her mouth, he then moved her right had onto his left arm. “Keep your hand there.” He ordered, she did so, he then moved his arm to rest on her leg and under her other hand. “Keep that hand there too.” Another order, she did it. Then he lifted her top again and without warning arm pressed three fingers hard onto her rib cage. The pain was so sudden and intense, she immediately clenched her hands into fists, grabbing fist fulls of his shirt, the material stopping her nails from digging into her skin. She bit down hard on the leather, she groaned in pain when he first pushed down, but now held back any kind of painful noise, not wanting to appear at all weak. She raised her head and looked at the top left of the ceiling, trying to make it so that Casey couldn’t see her face, her arms and back strained, his fingers walked across each rib, pushing on her skin. She wanted him to stop but couldn’t even think about anything else other than the pain she was feeling. For Casey, he was being gentle. If she had broken a rib, the last thing he wanted to do was make it worse by pushing it open, he needed to know if she had a severe fracture now so he could report it to the team that was arriving, and they could attempt to treat it immediately. He knew that she was going through a lot of pain, she he didn’t stop to make sure she was okay between each rib, he just kept going.

His fingers walked across the last rib and the moment he was done he quickly retracted his fingers, it hadn’t taken long, but to her it felt like an eternity, she hadn’t stopped gripping his top, he knuckled were white, her back, arms and legs were all cramping and her jaw was so sore, it took a moment before her body began relaxing. She took a deep breath, which she retreated immediately and winced, she let go of him and her arms fell limp, she looked exhausted, he didn’t say anything as he removed the make shift strap from her mouth, her mouth and lips were dry. She didn’t try and move at all.

“They’re here.” Chuck came rushing in with two men carrying large bags, Casey looked at the men.

“Took you long enough.” They didn’t respond to him and knelt down in front of Lilith as Casey stepped away. “She has no severe internal bleeding and no major breaks in her ribs.”

“Roger that Colonel.” One of the men stated.

~~~

That's the scene, I've got another that I'll post after editing. I edited this one as best I could, but I'll probably see some punctuation mistakes.

Hope you enjoyed reading it

[deliciouskeys]

001 for Maevelander :)

* when I started shipping it if I did:

Episode 3 of season 1! They had so many good interactions. I was really intrigued by what kind of person Maeve was to be able to not only date HL, and also somehow manage to extricate herself out of a relationship with him, still be alive, and still have him clearly pining to get back together.

“See that’s what I like about you. You always tell me the truth”. And then in episode 4… the harrowing plane scene. The Boys writers say it sets up a contrast between HL and Maeve’s moralities, of course, but I thought it was also a fascinating example of someone staying silent about a serious crime because it’s their ex-partner who did it. Her evolving and increasing disgust and self-judgement as events spiral out afterwards was very interesting to watch.

* my thoughts:

I do think with each season their interactions got less satisfying 😕 But I adored morallygray!Maeve walking with the devil side by side in season 1 ❤️❤️❤️

* What makes me happy about them:

I thought Maeve was a badass female character, and I really like to think/read about how she first discovered and tapped into HL’s mental subbiness.

* What makes me sad about them:

Well, the fact that they were never really on the same page at all about the relationship is pretty sad. The scene in S3 where she tells HL that she hated him from the start makes her yet another person gaslighting him (don’t think the writers intended this scene to be tragic but it was)

* things done in fanfic that annoys me:

I have to say none of the Maevlander fics I’ve come across have annoyed me. Hypothetically, I’d be annoyed by a fic where HL was cruel and abusive to Maeve and she was meek and long-suffering.

* things I look for in fanfic:

Maeve being dominant in bed, but also Maeve being afraid of HL. The fics that pull off both of those aspects really rev me up. Also, it’s not a requirement but I’ve been delighted by the percentage of fics for this pairing that involve a pegging element— not a necessity by any means, but makes me feral.

* Who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other: 

Maeve can be with Elena if that makes her happy (maybe this is my own problem but I wish Elena were written as a more interesting character. I didn’t quite feel the chemistry.) I loved Maeve with Butcher, even though it came out of left field— but it would have been an interesting endgame, imo. For HL… he probably needs to end up with someone who genuinely loves him. Which might be impossible if he doesn’t get depowered. He’s going to have to be single dad parenting Ryan :/

* My happily ever after for them:

Homelander harvests her eggs and makes super babies via surrogate…. Juuuuust kiddingggg. I would have loved if Maeve never broke up with him but stayed on as the jaded, cool kid vaping in the bathroom while HL tries to reason with her and please her with romantic gestures, and never dumps her even though she’s undermining his clean cut earnest image and costing him points.

* who is the big spoon/little spoon:

I love HL being possessive of her, hovering around her, coming up behind her, trying to get into her space (Clarification: don’t condone irl, just compelling dynamic). He’s the big dumb eager spoon that her little spoon has to stave off periodically.

* what is their favorite non-sexual activity:

Apparently he liked weekend getaways to Europe with her. I think HL is into the glitz and PR of the relationship. But Maeve didn’t really enjoy any of that. I’d love to have had a glimpse into what HL references as understanding what it’s like for one another, being lonely at the top of the fame pyramid. Did they have quiet nights in where they watched movies and ate ice cream straight out of the pint container? We’ll probably never know from canon.