#as if he doesn’t personally know the queen. as if he isn’t literally capable of changing ‘this’ if he tried.

[cowboy-alfred]

been thinking a lot about punk!arthur…

whether that’s human au or not…i think a canon au would almost be more interesting…

arthur turning to punk in the 70s…what values would he ascribe to it? ik no one agrees with how nations relate to their governments (whether they’re complicit, or if they’re even consulted, comes to mind especially), but how would this arthur feel about the queen? would he subscribe to the same punk that the Sex Pistols subscribed to? all shock and no actual value? smiling and having tea w his queen in the day and going out at night in homemade crust pants (which. ok. i think he could genuinely pull off the homemade look. he’d for sure MAKE his clothes and patches and stuff)?

i love the look of punk!arthur & punk (generally) is v superficial in its politics (all rage and shock but no actual solid politics outside of explicitly political bands) (anyone that says you can’t be conservative and punk knows nothing about the history of punk as a subculture) so he’d fit right in, i think. having political patches that he knows the meaning of and vaguely hypothetically agrees with…saying punch nazi’s and meaning it but the important part to him isn’t in being a safe person for Jewish people to talk to, but in violently picking fights in public.

(does that make sense? the same sentiment that’s behind “rb to make a terf mad” and not “rb to make a trans person feel safe. feel loved.” the importance isn’t placed in the marginalized group. the importance is in the violence and hatred that’s socially acceptable to flaunt. anyway,)

would he feel himself hypocritical? bc for all i say that punk is generally un-political, there is SOME politics that are agreed upon generally—at least, if you’re not a skinhead. and the british monarchy Being Bad is one of those things. would he clench his teeth hearing people say fuck the queen?

or would he 100% be fully on board. genuinely believing every moment of anti imperialism, of protest, of anger. and then a decade later he’d take out his piercings and cut his hair properly and shove his crust pants and battle jackets in the back of some closet, wipe his hands and go back to his government job. which is worse, do we think?

[nightcolorz]

How do you think, why Armand did not allow himself to return to Marius's care throughout the book series, even though Marius seemed to offer it to him?

Armand kind of talks about this in the vampire Armand, he describes how he denies Marius’s invitations to rekindle their relationship because he is frightened of Marius (part subconsciously, and in a way he perceives as irrational) and he is frightened of him specifically because he is afraid that if he becomes close with Marius again he will “loose himself” and become submissive to him again. In other words, Armand knows that if he were to fall in love with Marius again and try to restart their relationship, he would have to become Amadeo, subservient and consumed by Marius, and he is frightened of that. Armand never consciously acknowledges that his relationship with Marius when he was a child was abusive, but abuse and trauma live in the body, and even tho Armand doesn’t consider it abuse he still feels the repercussions of it. Though Armand in tva doesn’t trust Marius, he considers his fear irrational bcus he doesn’t realize that he is afraid bcus Marius abused him. He thinks Marius was perfectly good to him and he is being difficult. So Armand allows Marius to look after his human children as an olive branch apology for continuing to refuse to be around him, and of course Marius harms his children in a very similar way to how he harmed Armand as a child, and I think this causes Armand to never be able to fully trust Marius again.

Armand perceives his own self preservation as his ultimate priority, and is always going to choose his sense of safety over his loved ones. So if someone he loves is causing him to feel unsafe, he is willing to discard them. When Marius is no longer a person who armand considers safe and caring, armand has no reason to want to be around him anymore. And even though Armand throughout the series seeks out dynamics that he perceives as being a replacement for Marius so that he can regain the comfort/purpose/security he remembers Marius giving him, he learns once he reunites with Marius that Marius can not be that security for him anymore. Armand considers his memories of Marius precious bcus Marius provided Armand with security and nurturing that he never experienced again in his life. Marius also abused Armand in a way that prevented Armand from being able to learn how to be an independent person, and in that caused him to always be searching for someone to take care of him the way Marius did. But if Armand were to be with Marius now he would not be given security, he would be putting himself in a vulnerable position by submitting to someone and regaining his (objectively comparatively weak) submissive, human child identity

I think that the reason Armand doesn’t go back to Marius despite always longing for what Marius once provided him is bcus he realized that Marius’s nurturing is conditional. If Armand were to accept Marius’s offer to restart their relationship, to fuel that dynamic Armand would have to become Amadeo again, the submissive child who is not self sufficient. And Armand is both frightened of this, and also he is unable to do this. Armand, despite his trauma response that convinces him that he needs a god to take care of him and give him purpose, is also by queen of the damned, a fully functioning adult 😭. He is a business owner and an entrepreneur, by the vampire Armand he has children. So Armand has taught himself how to live independently and self sufficiently, and he knows that he is capable of it, he’s been self reliant for centuries by the time he reunites with Marius. And Armand is quite literally, a different person than Amadeo. He can’t regain that persona bcus it isn’t him anymore, and Marius can not love Armand if he is an independent adult. Marius’s love for Armand relies on him being the child he was when they were together, and Armand’s love for Marius relies on Marius being the person that he needs when he feels helpless. So even tho Marius’s authority used to be Armand’s main source of comfort and survival, he has found a new way to survive without it, and if he were to begin with Marius again he would have to give up this new empowering life he’s found in favor of one that no longer applies to him, and actively makes him feel vulnerable and unsafe. Marius threatens Armand’s need for control, he threatens his independence and his business ventures, and he threatens his children. And like I said, Armand’s prioritizes his safety. And even tho I believe he longs for and loves Marius, and definitely misses his relationship with him, rekindling that feels dangerous for him, so he’s unwilling

Thank u sm for the ask!!

[winns-stuff]

LO RANT:

I want everyone and their mama to remember that Persephone isn’t actually a grown up. She’s forever fucking 19, I swear I face palm myself every time someone tries to bring that up. Everyone wondering why Demeter is so desperate to stop Persephone going through with this is insane to me because the way I see it Demeter is witnessing her forever teenaged daughter get whisked away into marriage with a man THOUSANDS of years older than her, who in the past has treated her like dog shit and black balled her attempts of rightfully getting title as queen of the mortal realm, has treated women like absolute objects to sexualize and show off to his brothers, abuses his power as king and boss of everyone in the underworld, has shown to have very violent and abusive behaviors and tendencies, has obvious dependency issues, is very obsessive, greedy, gaslighting, manipulating, has a fetish for flower nymphs which Persephone produces and has been stated by the comic to look like them, openly accepts unpaid labor from innocent souls he exploits, and honestly the list goes on.

Bottom line is I have no clue why everyone is not on Demeter’s side. Excluding that stupid ass intervention cause I’ll be honest I don’t even believe that’s actual Demeter, that was literally just a filler chapter to make us ship Persephone and Hades like Persephone isn’t going to be in a dangerous relationship with this man who barely knows her and wants to get to know her. Reread that entire fucking paragraph again you guys because half of it was me stating things that Hades does, so why is he husband of the year again? He doesn’t do anything good for Persephone and he doesn’t even try and change for her. All the changes has been coming from Persephone and her brain isn’t even fully developed yet. And for the folks saying that it’s not the same as humans, I don’t care cause that statement eats balls anyways, if 19 is a healthy and completely normal adult age in god years I’m pretty sure all the gods around Persephone must be fucking ancient because they’ve been there for CENTURIES. I’m sorry but I cannot and will not accept that these literal 10000 year olds will look at Persephone and not see a toddler, if I’m over 100 years old I’m not going to be standing around treating someone who’s barely 19 like some 30 year old mainly because we’re not using our moral or our time scales so that wouldn’t make sense in the first place.

But yeah, Persephone is not mature and although I’m glad some people are starting to realize it it’s still a little odd that y’all are trying to overcompensate her personality and make her seem responsible and put together when she quite literally acts like she’s never left the womb and you can’t blame it on being sheltered anymore at least at this point in the story because Persephone has the most access to knowledge and if she really strived to actually be a competent being in either the underworld or Olympus she would’ve used that smart brain of hers and did some research. She’s literally just an underdeveloped teenager who’s childish and isn’t capable of being 30 years old because physically and mentally she can never age so she’ll basically forever be barely legal. Thank you for reading this bullshit rant I hope many people see it and start realizing this because the way some people just throw the whole 30 years old thing and growth around with her character is atrocious when she’s never made a smart decision in her damn life without someone spoon feeding her the answers.

Of course Demeter would be concerned and scared of Persephone being with Hades since they’re both absolutely fucking terrible for each other and obviously a lot of the people on their “team” don’t actually give two shits about them because if they genuinely did they would’ve never let them meet in the first place.

[j4zz4lop3]

…am i seriously gonna rant about a trash muppet?

Yes. Yes i am

was lizbert megafig fUCKING INSANE

now I’m not a law person so this is purely safety related so let’s begin shall we?

1 i doubt you should invite people who have no knowledge of any type of science to your expedition through a raffle. As a vacation. I get why Triffany is there, i get why Floofty and Snorpy might be there i get egabell and chandlo even but what fucking business does some random purple gossip girl have to do on a remote island?? Some unemployed scammer? A guy who has no actual capability for survival like this? Why the hell do you need them? If you run out of food they’re who you eat first?

2 everything made out of wood. Houses, farm, barn, bridges. (as a side-note only vehicle to get them off the island also made of wood) even before snorpy decided he doesn’t feel safe unless there’s multiple more fire hazards in the village there was still a fireplace that is literally never put out. And their houses were so close to each other that the fire definitely could’ve spread easily

2.5 as another building error, no doors, especially in a town where international law doesn’t apply. Do you WANT someone to get murdered? If not by eachother some random intruder? Snaxquatch? Just overall a big snak? Gramble regularly sleepwalks out of his house, again, in a town with many open flames, wouldn’t happen if he had a door

3 “oh look egabell, a small creature that looks like it’s food but we know literally nothing else about it LETS PUT IT IN OUR MOUTHS, ACTUALLY NOT JUST US LETS LET EVERYONE PUT IT IN THEIR MOUTH”

Miss girl girl has the same investigation techniques as a 3 year old. Also “oh wow it has drastic bodily side effects well that’s not concerning” and “oh they hide peoples BONES in places? And everyone who came before us is dead? How delightful we must investigate this mystery”

4 oh idk…the litERAL ACTIVE FUCKING VULCANO??? Your organizing a vacation on an island with an active vulcano? Like are you sure? Also common earthquakes? I feel like that’s an immediate reason as to why not to do that, Propably just me tho

5 with all the safety hazards there, that are or aren’t lizberts fault (most of them are actually snorpy and floofty’s) only one doctor, who doesn’t actually have anything but a little bag thing strapped to her and isn’t even there most of the time. They’re all just let loose throwing glass jars of peanut butter at each other ( i assume they’re glass because the only alternative is clear jelly with pb inside), setting shit on fire, asking the journalists to throw shit at them (acid, weights) and making murder weapons. And shes just away i guess

If she didn’t turn into the queen of bugsnax I think she’d end up in a bunch of legal trouble for endangering the lives of like 12 whole people and depending on the ending some of them dying just because of her sheer dumbassery

[sarahnotjmaas]

Here it is, my chaotic note taking as I experienced Queen of Shadows 4.5/5⭐️

I do not trust Arobynn. Why does this woman keep working with this man.

Who is with Chaol?? SHE!?!?

I heard the fandom is full of Chaol haters and tbh I don’t get it. I’m only on the 5th book but not seeing it yet

Chaol is kinda dumb haha and super sensitive and 5 books in has yet to prove he can fight like at all. He killed Cain but it was a single strike and that was like his first kill. Ever.

SJM wouldn’t write another tragic love story right!? Cuz Chaol is in need of character building and Nesryn and him are already giving me Dorian and Sorscha vibes.

Listen in SJM books endgame relationships are slow burbs. They have chemistry to quickly

HE PAWNED THE RING???

Kaltain has a collar too!!

Dorian battling for his life with that demon 😭

Aelin, we’re officially calling her Aelin now, is wasting her time with Arobynn she is capable without he’s gonna double cross her I know it

Her showing up to the shadow markets was dope!

When is Manon gonna for something cool. She has an awesome dragon puppy Abraxos and she’s doing nothing. Low key I love Asterin and she clearly has her back so demoting her was a bitch move

This book has more action, I like it

Sneaking into the party as a dancer, nice.

The smoke, very Harry Potter! I could see this scene so vividly in my head

Chaol is being a jerk a little bit. He acts like the whole rebellion isn’t for Aelin. When you start holding your own then you can talk, Mr. I’ve only ever killed one person, otherwise stop bossing Aelin around……

Oh shit Elide is a witch. So she’s in with the witches meaning when she links back up with her childhood homies Aedion and Aelin they will be a steaming pile of shit in the kings bed! Hell yea

When does Rowan come back 😭oh okay

27 chapters lol

I read pine and snow and my heart fluttered

No she made a bath for him with all her fancy soaps!!! BECAUSE SHE YELLED AT SAM FOR USING THEM!!!!!!

Gavriel is Aedion’s father!?!???

Oh no poor Aedion, the blood oath was sworn to him but also…. Why can’t she have both she’s the queen she can make her own rules

THE NIGHTGOWN!!!!! She better get a fucking good night gown i stg!!

My boy Chaol is BITTER! Damn he fucked up in the second book and is gonna be bitter the rest of the series. He’s giving big soft boy energy. #NiceGuysFinishLast lol but I low key still want the best for him. He’s loyal to Dorian at the end of the day. Period. However if he’s trying to free Dorian doesn’t he think giving him full access to his powers might help him beat that demon in his body… just saying

Rowan’s and Aelin are literally dating

Going to Sam’s grave. Having Rowan go with her😭 I’m welling up it’s too much. I fucking hate Arobynn and it better be the sweetest death cuz I hate him so much

So I’m definitely not a fan of the witch maternity prison ward that’s happening. Everything about that is uncomfy and I need it to end immediately. Asterin seems to be the only sane one.

Rowan wearing the almost oil, power move!

No, not the room where she saw Sam’s mangled body😭HE PUT THE RING ON HER FINGER!!! Is she faking it??I knew it lol wait but why did he say don’t touch me like that 😭well good for Lysandra I guess

This book is an emotional rollercoaster

There is something SO sus about her Manons grandma. She bowed to the king!?!?!? What’s in the trailer?? What did Manon see??????

Hold up!!! The King is just another victim!?!? No fucking way!!!! That’s a twist I didn’t expect

ALL THOSE CENTURIES, I WAS JUST LOOKING FOR YOU fuck me up Rowan 😭

Slamming the door on Aedion’s face was a little rude but his timing is awful. Wait Lysandra and Aedion???? Love that, that’s fierce pair

Still not a Chaol hater and the trio of friendship between Aelin, Dorian and Chaol is so sweet. Is Chaol ever gonna find a woman he lives as much as Dorian lol CHAOL IS PARALYZED!?!? He broke his promise to Nesry cuz he can’t walk! I’m screaming “Let’s have an adventure,Nesryn Faliq” okay cute but am I alone in thinking Chaol needs someone meeker?? Like someone softer because I think nesryn is too much woman for him…….kinda (don’t come for me)

I never know what part of an SJM book will make me cry but making Lysandra a lady and having Evangeline be her heir got me actually tearing up!

Manon and Dorian. MANON AND DORIAN!!!!!!

Crying again cuz Rowan smells like Terrasen!

[tokiro07]

Cipher Academy ch. 8 thoughts

[Just Dance, It’ll be Okay]

So somehow I missed the last page during last week’s review. It’s not a big deal, all I really missed out on was that, beyond just standing out for being a weirdo, Iroha is now in the sights of the entire class because he’s proven that he’s capable and a viable threat, and that Kogoe has issued a summons to Iroha

I’ve also realized that I’ve been getting really bogged down in the details of the puzzles, so going forward, I’m going to make an active effort to not dwell too much on them unless there’s something I think is really fun and clever I want to discuss or if it’s directly relevant to the story

So Iroha solves Q.10, another puzzle meant to convey a class number, and finds Kogoe in class 3-D, another uninhabited class. There, Kogoe is once again chowing down on corndogs, which are clearly her favorite food, or at least I hope so considering that she’s literally got four of them in her hands. I think I’d be sick halfway down the second one, especially with how much mayo she’s putting on them

Kogoe points out that Iroha figured this one out a lot quicker than before, and Iroha notes that he was inspired by “those two speed queens,” referring to Toshusai and Kasuri’s quick thinking and movement. He says it as if Kogoe would know what he’s talking about, but context clues suggest that he shouldn’t know that Kogoe is watching him through his glasses, so maybe he was just saying it offhand or figures that Kogoe is already familiar with the other members of his class?

Kogoe points out in a One-Point Lesson that despite being a 2-star question, Umitsubame probably would have a harder time figuring out the answer to Q.10 because she wouldn’t have the background information that she’d be looking for a specific classroom like Iroha had done previously. Because Iroha already knew the gist of the solution, Iroha only had to look for the logic that would be needed to draw that conclusion rather than needing to look for the answer wholesale. Not to say Umitsubame couldn’t have done it, just that Iroha was predisposed to do so. I wonder if that would have made this a 3-star question then?

To prove a point about Iroha’s growing skill, Kogoe gives the sticks from her corn dogs to Iroha with Q.11, prompting him to create five squares with four sticks. This is a take on a classic puzzle where one would take a set of squares made up of matchsticks and change the number of squares only by rearranging, not removing any of the sticks. As pointed out in the One-Point Lesson, the solution that Iroha presents isn’t the only solution, but rather one that points out Iroha’s sensibilities. That said, I don’t personally like the logic of this puzzle because it requires that one mentally fill in the blanks for the squares rather than literally making them. I’m not saying it’s wrong, but someone pedantic enough could definitely make the argument that it doesn’t work with the materials present

Now that 2-stars are so simple for Iroha, Kogoe decides that Iroha is ready for “actual combat,” which is to say solving real-world ciphers rather than simulated ones, not that Iroha is going to fight anyone. Iroha is grateful that Kogoe hasn’t given up on him, despite the fact that she had moved on to Oboro. This is actually a misunderstanding on Iroha’s part, though, as Kogoe didn’t jump to Oboro after being rejected by Iroha, but rather went to Iroha after Oboro and all of the other girls because she’s spreading her tech to as many students as possible to presumably hedge her bets. No wonder Toshusai called her a flirt. Iroha does realize he wasn’t the first, at least, but I wonder how he’ll respond when he learns Kogoe’s motivations. I doubt he’ll be as hurt as Toshusai, but I can definitely see a rift forming between them

Kogoe pulls out her handmade smartphone, revealing to us that the students of Cipher Academy aren’t allowed to have electronics. Ostensibly Kogoe is allowed to as long as she makes them herself as a stipulation of Class M, but they’re staying pretty vague. Nisio Isin is keeping a tight lid on Class M so far, just like he did with Class 13 in Medaka Box, so I’m waiting for the drop. For now I’m expecting it around chapter 20 like last time, but I also won’t claim to be able to predict Nisio’s mind. If I’m right though, you heard it here first

Kogoe shows Iroha what is clearly a tiktok of a soldier dancing, which she explains is a perfectly harmless video in and of itself save for the fact that the video itself is very heavily protected, implying that it carries information that would be dangerous to whatever nation it pertains to

To illustrate that the dance itself is the cipher, Kogoe compares it to the Sherlock Holmes story, The Dancing Men, to which Iroha replies the only work of Doyle’s he’s read is The Lost World, a non-Sherlock story. Kogoe notes that Doyle would be happy to hear that, which I immediately clocked as a clever nod to Doyle’s disdain for Sherlock Holmes. I was honestly disappointed to find that the One-Point Lesson explains that joke, as it meant it was less impressive for me to have known it on my own. Harumph. Funny that Kogoe calls Doyle a tsundere for Sherlock, though

Iroha decides that the best way to understand the code in the dance is to do the dance himself, comparing it to the methods of Kathryn Dance (not a dancer, but I’m willing to bet Nisio referenced her on purpose), which surprises Kogoe because it means that Iroha does in fact read mystery novels, just for some reason going with the much more obscure Jeffrey Deaver than the quintessential Arthur Conan Doyle. I am absolutely sure that Nisio Isin has read both and this whole thing is just a flex, but I love that he’s teasing his own characters for his tastes

We cut to Toshusai and her girls, and Toshusai has deduced that Kogoe is introducing Iroha to actual combat, a curriculum reserved for third-years. Interesting that she’d say that, considering that Kogoe brought Iroha to a third-year class, which implies that this is a deliberate choice on Kogoe’s part. I wonder if that was meant to be a hint in and of itself? It certainly would have made solving the puzzle easier for someone who didn’t have experience from a previous puzzle

Toshusai respects Iroha’s decision on the basis that she lost her code battle with Iroha and Omomuro only managed to tie against him. Omomuro objects, claiming that Iroha had cheated in their encounters, to which Toshusai replies “it would be nice if disqualification happened in real wars.” This is...a surprisingly chilling take. We have the concept of war crimes for a reason, to help limit the effects of war on civilians, but one country’s soldiers committing war crimes doesn’t make them “lose the war.” The ability to hold a country accountable for war crimes can only really be achieved once that country has lost a war and their ability to resist depleted. It’s a cruel and uncomfortable truth, and complaining that one side cheated won’t change the outcome of a real war, so Toshusai won’t waste time doing so here. Instead, she decides to sit back and see how it helps Iroha develop, confident that if things go poorly, she’ll be able to employ Yugata, who has thus far been built up as something of a secret weapon

Like I said before, the drop is coming, and I’m absolutely certain that Yugata is going to be involved. Whether she’ll be an inciting incident like Unzen, a major enemy like Kumagawa or something else entirely, I have no idea, but I’m staying wary of her

Also very cute that Toshusai calls her Tayu-tan. That’s gap moe, kind of like her saying butt instead of ass when referring to Iroha

We cut back to Iroha doing the various dances, dressing himself up for the appropriate sections, one of the moves apparently being a reference to the Indian film RRR, which is apparently about a revolution, so I’m willing to bet that’s going to be a relevant detail. Maybe I should try to watch it sometime...I think it’s on Netflix?

Apparently it’s surprising that Iroha saw it since, as a boarding school, students aren’t able to leave Cipher Academy without permission. Kogoe points out that this sort of thing, limitations on entertainment, is a strong reason to want to stop wars. It may seem childish, but honestly in terms of symbolism it makes sense: war robs people of their humanity, and what’s more human than being able to enjoy the arts? Removing one’s ability to have fun is a way to dehumanize them, so embracing and regaining that ability is the true mark that a war is over, or at least will likely be used as such in this story

Iroha asks Kogoe why she specifically says “stop” instead of “end” when referring to war, to which Kogoe responds that “ending” a war means causing someone to lose the war, resulting in countless deaths. Stopping a war, meanwhile, means bringing the combat to a halt where it stands, preventing further deaths. This distinction sounds very noble, but the exact wording is suspicious; if a war has been stopped and the soldiers are halted, then that means the war can be resumed as well and pick up right where it left off. This is almost definitely what Kogoe would want as a warmonger, since it would be more profitable to resume a stopped war than to end one war and start another one later

That said, Kogoe’s goal is ostensibly to be able to stop wars without fighting at all, having everything resolved through codes, so I wonder, is Kogoe’s methodology really that bad? If all wars are reduced to being fought with pen and paper rather than guns and bombs, won’t that mean that all war is inherently bloodless? Sure, the idea of one country losing and being subdued by another is just as tragic as it ever is, but it would definitely be preferable for a loss to be purely political rather than in terms of casualties. At the same time, though, that thinking of “less bad wars” is probably faulty, and likely an issue that will be presented later on

Kogoe suggests that Iroha use the glasses to solve the cipher, as while Iroha’s morality is an endearing trait, this is a real combat situation and people could die, so there’s no sense in worrying about winning shamefully. This surprisingly ties back to Toshusai’s statement about disqualification; if there’s nothing that can disqualify someone from a war, then in a literal sense there’s no such thing as cheating, but if there’s no such thing as cheating, then what’s stopping someone from justifying any underhanded method in battle? In this scenario, is the use of the glasses tantamount to a war crime, at least metaphorically speaking? While we the reader may be meant to think that Iroha is being silly not using his advantages, it’s entirely possible that this is a subtle hint that certain things shouldn’t be acceptable just because they’ll make things quicker or easier

Fortunately, Iroha realizes what he’s looking at quite quickly; the dance moves represent the subsections of the Japanese syllabary based on their Roman alphabet equivalents, as hinted by the international dance moves including two Japanese dances (being Para Para and Noh). Iroha realizes that, much like in previous puzzles, there is a connection between this and the one immediately preceding it, leading him to think that Kogoe already knows the answer. He looks pretty miffed about it, but Kogoe insists it was just a coincidence

While Kogoe had already noted earlier that Iroha had grown a lot so quickly, she’s actually taken aback by how much more he’s grown than she had initially realized. Still, she would like him to use her glasses, I imagine because there will be certain puzzles that just won’t be able to be solved without them, but also possibly because the glasses need to be used to improve as well, though that’s just a guess for now

Iroha says he’ll be happy to be able to stop a violent conflict, even if he can’t stop an entire war, and flashes just the cutest little smile, clearly charming Kogoe. I still haven’t decided whether I think they’d be a cute ship or anything, but I always enjoy watching someone pine, so I’m all in for Kogoe falling head over heels for Iroha

Iroha then reveals that the reason why he was able to recreate the dance moves is because he was a cheerleader in middle school with a knack for copying movements, which oddly reminds me of Akune from Medaka Box who could also copy techniques he witnessed. It seems like an odd detail to drop, I’m going to keep an eye out for how this kind of ability will aid him in the future

My favorite detail here, though, is that Kogoe notes that she picked this puzzle specifically for the fact that it might prompt Iroha to dance, in reference to the fact that she missed him dancing during the code battle with Omomuro because she could only see from his perspective

Finally, the chapter ends with the revelation that the dancer isn’t communicating some kind of military strategy, but instead is sending out an SOS. How Iroha came to that conclusion we won’t know until next chapter (tomorrow...sorry I took so long to do this one...), but man, what a cliffhanger! Who is this person? What country are they in? What do they need saving from? Undoubtedly this will prompt Iroha to stop another conflict, but how will Iroha be able to help?

More importantly, whatever this conflict is, could it perhaps introduce a major recurring faction who will be a key player going forward? Considering what we know so far, I’m willing to predict that Kick Attack Planning is heavily involved, whether they’re going to be overarching villains or a one-time obstacle

I recently stated in one of my Undead Unluck posts that Cipher Academy isn’t grabbing me in the same way as other series that I love, but honestly that’s why I’m doing these reviews: they’re giving me the opportunity to really dig deep into this series on the ground floor so that when things do develop further, I’ll be able to appreciate it that much better than I would if I was just passively absorbing it week to week, and it’s ideas like this that really get me excited between chapters

I guess that’s the advantage to not having time to do the review until the last minute: not only is there more space between me reading and rereading, now I don’t have to wait as long for the resolution! See y’all tomorrow (hopefully)!!!

[skyloftian-nutcase]

Things I’ve observed/love about Linked Universe

Sky, my precious beloved Sky, he is the absolute soul of this group, and it’s not in an obvious way, which is what makes it so great. Sky is a quiet, sincere, caring person - he is not an overwhelming presence in the Chain. He looks out for his teammates, he cheers people up (when Legend teases Wind about his mask, Sky pipes in with “I think it’s cool,” to cheer him up), as soon as someone is hurt Sky is literally the first person to help them. E.g. when Time is hurt, Sky goes to him first. When Wild is hurt, Sky helps protect him and Wind. When Twilight is hurt, Sky helps Warriors protect him. He tries to reassure Twilight that the attack wasn’t his fault when they’re ambushed, he takes the heat away from Legend’s Pink Hair Disaster when Warriors and Hyrule tease him about being slow (which has to sting given his journey, but he doesn’t show it, he just rolls with the punches). He’s always seemingly in the background but he is always present, always piping up or hopping in when someone seems to need help, and I love that for him. He’s the first hero, the original, the one who started it all, and it’s just perfect that he looks out for everyone in his quiet manner. I’d love for a story where Sky is hurt or goes missing and the Chain suddenly realizes how much warmth he brought to the group now that he isn’t there. Or I’d love to see the Chain realize that this fluffy bird loving sleepyhead actually has a core of molten magma and is a feral god slaying sass master. Characters who are capable of destroying worlds but choose to be kind, sweet, and unassuming instead are just my favorite.

Time, I love how he’s obviously the leader of the group but I can 100% guarantee it was not something he actually decided, he just started doing his thing and is used to traveling on his own and making decisions (as Jojo pointed out, he’s used to being decisive because he’s dealt with time travel) and the entire Chain just silently agreed “he’s ancient and acts like he knows what he’s doing, he’s the leader.” Time probably didn’t even realize it until a few weeks into their journey and was like “crap when I did become the Dad how do I deal with eight insane children.”

Twilight, Lord, where do I even start with this ranch hand, his protectiveness and Big Brother Energy is everything. Also, he is awesome as a wolf, and after seeing how he was treated as a monster by his loved ones in his game, I understand why he hides his ability from the Chain; poor thing is probably scared they’ll be afraid of him or hate him and that must hurt. I adore his relationship with Wild and with Time, and I really enjoy seeing him look out for his other brothers too, like when he got irritated at Legend for snarking Sky (joke’s on him, Sky is the King of Sass). He is so eager to prove himself to Time it hurts. I hope he doesn’t die. T_T HE CAN’T DIE, JOJO, HE’S AN OLD WOLF WHEN HE HELPS WILD, DON’T CAUSE A PARADOX DANG IT.

Legend truly is a legend, like he is so amazing and layered. I love his sassy defensive shell, I love how he is both Tired of adventuring but couldn’t imagine not doing it, like this kid is clearly hooked to adventuring (as much as I love the fancition about him being like NOPE when the Chain initially finds him, I 100% believe he’d actually be exasperatedly saying “this would happen, wouldn’t it” but secretly be pretty intrigued/excited at the prospect), he’s just traumatized from the whole Marin situation. I also love how he steps in as de facto leader to protect his family when Time, Warriors, and Twilight aren’t there. And one of my favorite moments with Legend was when Wild got hurt and Legend was immediately like OMG HE’S DEAD like chill, honey, Legend is such a drama queen. XD

Hyrule is such a precious bean and I want to hug him so badly like oh you sweet child why do you think little of yourself SOMEONE SHOWER THIS BOY IN PRAISES AND ACCOLADES. I also find it interesting how he has this duality to him, like he looks at the others and says “I’m not a hero like you guys” but when surrounded by enemies he just smiles maniacally and says “TIME TO BURN EVERYTHING” like... guys, Wild isn’t the arsonist of this group, Hyrule is.

Wild is wonderful in all his angst, but my favorite aspect of him is when he gets to be a goof and show his, well, wild side. Him and Hyrule are such an underrated pair, like we need more of their insane gremlin energy together. Send them into a cave and see what happens, Time, just don’t be surprised when the whole mountain shudders and collapses on top of them because Wild set off too many bombs and Hyrule swore the exit was this way but maybe it actually wasn’t. (Twilight had to go digging through the rubble and was not happy while Sky paces frantically at the camp being held back by Legend, who is saying stop being an idiot, Wolfie will find him you don’t have the stamina to dig through an entire mountain and Time is just sitting in a corner silently fuming and waiting to give Wild and Hyrule The Look when they get back while Warriors takes charge of the group because Time can’t be bothered with this BS for the rest of the night)

Warriors I honestly love his charisma and he definitely hides a lot of hurt and trauma under it. Like he’s a soldier, he’s fought in a giant war, clearly he’s going to have baggage, but unlike others (Legend or Wild) who make it obvious, he just acts as the teasing or caring big brother and handles it like a somewhat functional adult, which, as much as I love angst, is a nice change. I’d be interested to see his experiences get addressed at some point, but in the meantime, you keep being a seemingly stable rock for others to lean on, Warriors. *salutes* Also I love how affectionate and loving he is with the youngest heroes like Hyrule and Wind.

Wind just has so much energy to him, he is a delight. So cute, never let your little light stop shining, kiddo. He has a lot of heart and determination, and I love that he is competent and really doesn’t need the amount of babysitting the others try to force on him, but he is still very much a kid. Like unlike Time, who was likely a very quiet, solitary, and mature kid after his adventure, Wind is just so boisterous and has that childlike energy, but it doesn’t detract from the fact that he is still a good fighter.

EDIT! Four is definitely the one I know the least about, but I’ve been looking into him some more and noticed that he is someone who is a mature person and I feel like he wants to prove that he is an adult - like he’s go ta natural maturity to him but he gets offended easily when called a kid by an elder. He’s patient with younger heroes, loves to tell stories (don’t tell me he doesn’t, he was being super dramatic in telling his octorok story), but my favorite thing about him is that the reason he is so even keeled is because the poor kid has FOUR PEOPLE SCREAMING in his head at any given time. Like yeah, I’d be the zen person in the corner constantly meditating too if I had to deal with that. He’s also very observant, he figured out Twilight’s secret before almost anybody else. My favorite thing about him is that the instant he split, Red started having a complete meltdown even though the entire point was to prevent Wild from having a meltdown over the same thing. I can’t stop laughing at that comic, honestly. I think Four has spent this entire journey just watching the others with a running commentary in his head and I really need someone to write that, like imagine when Wild got hurt and it goes something like:

Red: Oh no! He’s hurt, we have to help him!

Green: The Sailor and Sky have him! We have to focus!

Blue: HAHA WHAT A MORON, GET WHAT YOU DESERVE FOR BREAKING SO MANY SWORDS, DUMBASS

Vio: This isn’t productive, we need to focus--

Blue: MAYBE YOU SHOULD JUST USE YOURSELF AS A SHIELD MORE OFTEN SO YOU DON’T BREAK THOSE TOO

Vio: BLUE FOR THE LOVE OF HYLIA

Red: OMG THE CHAMPION IS GONNA DIE

Green: *sighs* We’re screwed.

[peakysanakin]

a bit about Elain's trauma and why it correlates with her rejecting her mating bond with Lucien in the future, a thread:

(WARNING: this post isn't about ships, except Elucien because Lucien is a key factor in Elain's trauma. )

Everyone deals with trauma in their own way and that's totally okay. Some are destructive, some shut people up and others want to not feel anything. Elain, just as Nesta, went into the Cauldron and those moments were horrific for her.

She is literally dragged and shoved into the Cauldron while she cries, struggles and kicks to escape the guards' grasps. The guards and the King keep laughing at her during the whole time.

Elain is used as an experiment for the Queens.

She is used as if she was a mere object.

Her body has been changed forever and she is practically naked, completely terrified and in shock from whatever she has gone through inside the Cauldron. (We know how terrifying and horrible it can be because of Nesta's experience.) Everyone is looking at her, some are even laughing.

Do you know how violating this could feel? To be left naked and vulnerable in front of people who have just terrorized you? How would you feel?

We don't know what she goes through inside the Cauldron, but it was probably very painful and terrifying. Then, she is thrown off it and she experiences this horrific scene, and her mating bond with Lucien snaps.

Another thing has been decided for her.

Not only has her body and life been changed forever without her consent, now her romantic relationship has been decided for her as well. And it's with a man who participated in the plan that made this horrific moment happen.

Lucien is an accomplice of that. He isn't a bad person, but he is CLEARLY an accomplice. (GO NESTA!!)

Elain is dealing with her trauma and she doesn't own Lucien anything. She suffered so much, she was broken and traumatized by what happened to her.

And Lucien and their mate bond are a BIG reminder of the day her body and life were changed against her own will.

We don't know much about her, but we have seen enough of her suffering and how traumatized she is in the books. Feyre always admired Elain's strength, because being kind and gentle in a world so dark takes balls, you know? Later on in the books, Elain is still kind and gentle but more reserved and quiet because she is dealing with her own shit.

Strength doesn't equal to physical force. A big example? Queen Elizabeth I of England was strong and she never fought in a battlefield, but she was intelligent, cunning and brought a Golden Age to her country. She made a place for herself in a patriarcal society and that's how strong she was.

Elain's strength differs from Nesta's, Mor's and Feyre's. She isn't an active fighter like them, but yet she had the guts to fight in the war and stabbed the King on the neck to protect Nesta because she loves her sister and would die for her. Look at this.

No one wanted her to fight, but she chose to. SHE CHOSE TO! This is important. She is scared in the battle camp and doesn't know how to fight or wield a sword, yet she trusts her friends and wants to fight alongside them. 

She might die in the battlefield, but at least she will fight fighting and not be a pawn.

She will enact revenge for what the King did to Nesta, to Feyre and to herself.

MOREOVER –– Another big trauma (aside from happened inside the Cauldron and the dramatic changes in her life), it will probably be center around her body. 

Her clothes, body and beauty are mentioned all the time. ALL THE TIME. Elain, who was a very proper and modest lady (and didn't want to talk about periods even with her sisters), was seen naked against her will by everyone and she probably felt violated.

Feyre mentions Elain's reaction when she sees her and Nesta wearing Illyrian fighting leathers. She mentions how Elain was offered something less scandalous and more proper. 

Imagine how someone so proper would feel after being used and seen all vulnerable and naked by so many people? To have been ogled against your will? To be seen as an “object” to see whether the Cauldron worked?

Nesta is a sexual assault survivor and she also suffered because of their youth, Feyre's sacrifice to provide for them and Elain suffering from the Cauldron incident. She dealt with her trauma in her own way, just as Elain deals with it in her own way. And that's okay!

In Elain's book, her choosing who she wants to be with and how she wants to live from now on will be important. She will turn down Lucien, as it is obvious from what I explained above and because of the following:  Feyre and Rhys comment on how being mates doesn't equal to being right for each other.

Sarah J. Maas said this as well.

She also said that a mating bond is something rare but that some people might be lucky and end up having two. But the main thing is: 

Elain will reject Lucien because they aren't right for each other and she will chose whomever she wants to because she loves that person. That's big and it will be key to the plot.

Elain might end up being lucky and while falling for another person, a new mating bond might develop. But at the end of the day, it will be her choice. 

Not the Cauldron's choice, not society's choice or anyone else. 

Hers and hers alone.

You think she is boring? Well, we will learn more about her and we will see her heal from her trauma. Her body and her choices have been violated, but she will heal and grow for that and gain ownership over herself once again. 

Rhys, Amren and Feyre believe there is more to her than just the kindness she shows. 

“Maybe she was never given the chance to be that way.” “You think I stifle her?” “Not you alone. [...] But I wonder if everyone has spent so long assuming Elain is sweet and innocent that she felt she had to be that way or else she’d dissapoint you all. [...] With time and safety, perhaps we’ll see a different side of her emerge”

“You think Elain is boring?” “I think she’s kind, and I’ll take that kindness over nastiness every day. But I also think we haven’t yet seen all she has to offer.”

“Don’t forget that gardening often results in something pretty, but it involves getting one’s hands dirty along the way.”

“You can’t have it both ways. You cannot resent my decision to lead a small, quiet life while also refusing to let me do anything greater.”

“I went into the Cauldron, too, you know. And it captured me. And yet somehow all you think of is what my trauma did to you.”

“Including Elain, who is more than capable of defending herself against the darkness of the Trove, if she chooses to. Don’t underestimate her.”

Being a seer gives you many powers, but it would take me too much time so I recommend you to read this LONG AND AMAZING list of powers a seer might have posted by @miru5llec​ and you will be shocked and hyped.

If you like mythology and fantasy literature, you know seers are feared and respected. Kings have killed for having a seer in their ranks. They can reach levels of divine status and their ability as a seer gives them many more powers than those I have mentioned before.

Elain might not be physically powerful like Nesta or Feyre, but being a seer makes her more powerful than both of them but IN ANOTHER WAY. Look at the list above (linked) if you don't believe me. 

Her being on the Night Court makes Feysand's court the most powerful in Prythian.

That's why Elain is not boring and her trauma is valid. There is much more to her than what little we have seen. SJM has said so. Rhys, Feyre, Amren, everyone has said so in the books. We will learn about her, see her heal and chose who to love in her book.

“Why?” Elain demanded. “Shall I tend to my little garden forever?” When Nesta flinched, Elain said, “You can’t have it both ways. You cannot resent my decision to lead a small, quiet life while also refusing to let me do anything greater.”

“But Elain said, “I went into the Cauldron, too, you know. And it captured me. And yet somehow all you think of is what my trauma did to you.”

We will see her develop her powers and learn how to use them. She is possibly the key to killing Koschei (the big bad villain) because she might have visions of where his heart is hidden in that fucking box and guide the IC to find it.

Furthermore, stop saying “I want Elucien to happen so Lucien can be happy.” or “Azriel deserves better than Elain because she likes to garden and is mated to Lucien.”

Elain doesn’t belong to Lucien.

Elain can garden, bake and walk around on her hands while singing La Macarena and that doesn’t make her any less strong than Feyre, Mor, Nesta or any other female character.

(Also, in this stupid ship war I have seen people pointing out how she wouldn't be able to give Azriel children because her body isn't Illyrian. This is disgusting. You are basically saying that all her worth lies in whether she can give someone children or not.

Do I remind you adoption exists? Rhys, Cassian and Azriel are brothers by choice, not by blood and they are BROTHERS. You can adopt and be a mother. And you can chose to not have children and that would be okay too. A woman's worth isn't in her uterus.

And that’s it. 

(I posted this thread on Twitter as well, so if you liked it you can go there and RT it or hit a like.)

[og post]

[familyagrestefanblog]

Theory for “Gabriel Agreste”

Saying that I'm EXCITED for this episode is an understatement, I'm THRILLED! So let me give you my speculation for what could happen in it and how it’ll affect the future, because pieces are literally just falling into place in my brain and I just have to write this down.

The episode is called" Gabriel agreste" because in this episode Gabriel will create a (long time) Sentimonster for himself that'll take his place and cover for him in his civilian life while he himself gets completely swallowed by his Hawkmoth/ShadowMoth identity (which is a direct paralell to the fate Marinette just escaped by telling Alya her secret). He doesn't want to "waste" anymore unnecessary time by having to NOT be Hawkmoth, which then completely separates him from Adrien who very much was one of the last (if not THE LAST at this point) few strings that kept him grounded in his humanity.

The episode takes place right before the middle of the season and since it's season 4 we are talking about here its fair to assume that both Adrien and Gabriel are back at (at least) suspecting each other to be Chat Noir and Hawkmoth again at some point. Adrien is going to be even more rebellious after the status quo break and set up of "Lies" so him maybe (or maybe even confirmed already to Gabriel) to be Chat Noir could definitely be the factor that sets Gabriel over the edge, rips these two apart for good (as I foresaw in my analysis of "Jackady") and brings Gabriel to distance himself altogether while covering his own identity from his son by creating a Sentimonster (bc Adriens secret being discovered by his evil family is already forshadowed to hell and back, just like him ending up getting Homeschooled again this season, mark my words)

---

"Queen Banana" is supposed to take place right before "Gabriel Agreste" and we have a leak where it's seen that Adrien is now kinda taking on Nathalies role since she is (supposedly) still bed ridden.

Seriously, just humour me here and stay with me. This would mean that Adrien would get to see and interact with his father much more often and Gabriel wouldn't be able to ditch everything and turn into Hawkmoth as easily as he was able to with Nathalie.

A cover up Sentimonster was actually already kinda forshadowed in "Party Crasher"

by introducing HoloGabe with the intention of providing Gabriel with alibis and to attend meetings etc for him in the future so Gabriel can invest more time into being Hawkmoth. But a Hologramm is not suitable for every occasion, which is where the Sentimonster comes into play.

At first Adrien wouldn't notice much off about his father and the few things he notices Adrien actually doesnt mind. If SentiGabe is really supposed to replace Gabriel as... Well, Gabriel, that also means as a FATHER and my money is on SentiGabe being created to be a better father than the original. SentiGabe does everything Adrien wanted his father to do in s1-s3: Join Adrien at dinner time, spend more time with him, is in general in better of a mood and not such an unpleasant dick and so on and so on.

Easy to say, Adrien basically welcomes the good change he always wanted in his "Father" with open arms and chooses to ignore things that seem suspicious and the always remaining gut feeling of something just being... off. This will collide with the unveiling of more of the family (+ Emilie) mystery which will for Adrien all continue to point at Gabriel as Hawkmoth because of one event that is likely to happen in episode 4.

I'm currently writing on yet another post about this topic in particular, so I will link it HERE for elaboration once I post it, but in short, I think Rena Rouge and the Grimoire secrets Marinette shears with Alya could be the catalyst of Adrien suspecting his father to be Hawkmoth again.

Adriens memories of the time he went through the Grimoire himself in "Volpina" would be triggered again after seing the Grimoire page Rena (honestly, quite recklessly) brings along into battle and from then on things will slowly pile up until Gabriel deflects from himself with SentiGabe in "Gabriel Agreste" (just like he did in “The Collector”)

People WAY to easily forget how ready and serious Adrien was in "The Collector" when he actually concidered his father to be Hawkmoth.

Keep in mind that Ladybug was only able to tell Chat Noir the weakest reasons of her suspicion against Gabriel (while the Grimoire being Guardian property was NEVER found out by Adrien... til NOW) that being Gabriels mysterious personality and the butterfly logo of his brand.

These arguments are weak because they are ONLY actually suspicious in the specific context of Gabriel being Hawkmoth. Once you have proof against that they hardly hold any ground anymore, hence why both Adrien AND Marinette so easily brushed off these points after seeing Gabriel akumatized. I mean, excuse a designer for choosing a BUTTERFLY as his logo when his last name is literally the name of a butterfly type. The fuck kind of accusation is that??

So I hope you understand that when I say that, yes, these reasons DID trigger further memories/realizations for Adrien in that moment

It simply was only the tip of the iceberg.

The fact that Adrien not only gave Ladybug the fucking benefit of a doubt and heared her out about accusing his FATHER of being HAWKMOTH and took it THAT seriously and wanted to find out if his father truly IS Hawkmoth means that Adrien very much sees his father as capable of being Paris villain Nr 1. This... understanding and acceptance of Gabriels nature already had to be in Adrien much prior to "the collector" to set it off like this. And while normally Adrien chooses to turn a blind eye towards his fathers bad qualities in favor of seeing Gabriels redeeming (and even the rare somewhat GOOD) qualities, Adrien only does so because he thinks Gabriel hasn't crossed the line yet that makes his father undeserving of these loving conciderations. But Gabriel being Hawkmoth IS CROSSING that line for Adrien and he immediately sets aside his remaining/choosen love for his heavily flawed father and willingly sees Gabriel for what he is.

Adrien already did it once with only a few somewhat solid reasons and the Grimoire being kept secret from him altogether,

So he will do it again, just this time the proofs and developments are supposed to stay for good.

---

This development would not only be forshadowed by "the collector"

But also by the episode "Ladybug". There Mayura used a Sentimonster version of Ladybug against Chat Noir, using their love against him. What she didn't know though was that Ladybug actually isn't in love with her partner (yet) which ended up with Chat Noir being put in the situation of having to decide which Ladybug he believes to be real.

Does he believe and hold onto Sentibug who returns the love he so desperately seeks in life or does he let go of his hopeful wish and accept the heartbreaking reality of once again not receiving his love in return from yet another person he holds so dear?

In "Ladybug" Adrien couldn't make that crushing decision yet (and don't clown in the replies about this, not only was the situation vastly different it's also a cruel thing to ask of Adrien) but as we are used from Miraculous by now, that episode was only the set up for future events.

What Adrien couldn't let himself believe about Ladybug and Sentibug he will have to FORCE himself to accept about his Father and Hawkmoth. Same set-up of the Sentimonster symbolising Adriens desperate and hopeful WISH what his loved one were vs the crushing, heart wrenching reality of what his loved ones actually ARE. Just that letting go of his wish for Ladybugs love didnt seem "necessary enough" for the mission to succeed so he just couldn't MAKE himself give her up whereas accepting and seeing that his father is Hawkmoth is going to be one of the most crucial sacrifices of the show, changing the game forever. So as horrible, cruel and soul shattering as this is, putting an end to his fathers villainous reign for the sake of the greater good is a reason worthy enough to force himself through his pain.Which brings us once again back to “The collector” (which seriously forshadows almost everything I love that episode), because there is ONE major aspect that episodes sets up like crazy

And that is:

And thats where we are heading now.

This entire time Adrien wanted his Father to behave more fatherly, spend more time with him and improve his explosive behavior but he always got disappointed over and over again. So how heartbreaking would it be if over the course of the second half of the season THIS would be the very reason why Adrien gets behind Gabriels secret? Because SentiGabe behaved too fatherly for Adrien to truly buy it in his heart and when forced to decide what he actually believes his father to be - like the fatherly Sentimonster or the villainous Hawkmoth - Adrien has to and WILL recognize and accept his fathers true nature and turn against him, as it has been set up for a LONG time now.

This season shit’s about to go DOWN!

[antiloreolympus]

10 Anti LO Asks

1. so wait ... demeter could have been a QUEEN (thus allowing persephone to have near equal rank to hades so there isn't a huge power imbalance), but HADES stole that chance from her??? hades is a confirmed misogynist. i hate him lmao. does rachel think that makes him look good? persephone look at what he took from your mother and yourself???

2. it's comical how badly rachel is writing this. persephone has negative agency now because she's just that scared of letting persephone ever have a single Bad™️ action, but in the process all it shows us that Persephone is not a character, she's a puppet being tugged along, quite literally now, by rachel and the other characters. at this point we're going to find out [redacted] is also behind minthe's demise, apollo's actions, even hades' infertility, because that's how bad this is written.

3. So are we gonna just gloss over how RS plagiarized Sleeping Beauty or…?

4. women should be allowed to be emotional or cry, but idk there's something about rachel thinking "empowering" an actual goddess involves making her a weepy mess who needs hera and hades to "fix" everything for her while she really does nothing just seems wrong? especially when her "strong" moments are just of some vague "feeling" taking over her so she's not actually in control. rachel is basically just neutering a literal godess of agency and power/intimidation and thinking that's better?

5. its not even the fact LO is Problematic™️ it's the fact LO just isn't very good?? Like if it was written well and had consistently good art we know it once was capable of then that'd be one thing, but the writing has gotten worse esp when RS puts everything in a moralistic lens so HxP always looks Good™️ (+retconning everything to make it UnProblematic™️) & it's badly drawn?? It's a good idea on paper but RS just doesn't have to writing skill to execute it decently and too lazy to fix the art.

6. To me I think issues like the height difference and age gap aren't inherently bad in LO, it's only in combination with P's characterization that it becomes an issue. If they were closer in age (say P being 200 or smth) and she was more confident/intelligent it would be a non-issue, but making her so childish and helpless (+even in universe the age/maturity gap is seen as creepy) is where the height/age gap becomes far bigger issues that RS self-imposed on herself. IDK what she expected?

7. it's ridiculous there's so many webtoons (including popular romance ones) that have all started AND ended before LO is even half way done, if even that. you guys cant tell me rachel planned anything out ahead of time and isn't putting in filler/dragging it all out when so much less has happened LO while other comics have well done and wrapped up stories in less time. Yeah her next work will not be as successful as LO, but you'd rather have a short, good story versus a dragged out, bad one.

-----FP Spoilers/Mention-----

8. Fast past mention of the mid season finale:

I don't say this with any malice but literally what the heck is that punishment??? It's not even that bad why did P&H react so dramatically. They're immortal, so they can't see each other for a few years, big whoop. Like is that really the best RS could come up with? like talk about anticlimactic and underwhelming. 

9. FP Talk: This is basically Persephone getting a smack on the wrist and being let go easily. Just like every yt person in court to their crimes. I’m sick and tired of it as a POC. Another women getting blamed for what is PERSEPHONES FAULT???! Nah. Nah. Dos not pass the code check. 

10. FP// So if Eris is behind the AOW, why hype Persephone up as the feared Dread Queen? Persephone now has so little power Eris can just control her like a doll, so couldn't some other deity or even Eris herself just overtake Persephone's body and run rampant in the Underworld and use her Fertility powers for their own wants? Because that's what RS has set up here with this stupid reasoning. How can she dare claim this is a story about giving Persephone agency when she's now entirely devoid of it?

[canary3d-obsessed]

Restless Rewatch: The Untamed, Episode 25 part two

(Masterpost) (Other Canary Stuff)

Warning! Spoilers for All 50 Episodes!

Jin Jerks Continued

Jin Furen is all judgy about Wei Wuxian, so it's hard to like her, since WWX is our protagonist and whatnot. But! Jin Furen is actually totally awesome. She adores Jiang Yanli and takes sides with her against her own son. She knows he likes Yanli and works her ass off to do all the courting for him, since he sucks at it, rather than picking a random wife for him and sticking him with her choice. She's always gentle with Yanli in her tone and body language. And Jin Zixuan had to get his good side from somebody.

Wei Wuxian politely tells Jin Furen that it's all over (again/still) between Jiang Yanli and Jin Zixuan, and cousin Jin Zixun rushes up to argue with him, saying he's being too proud and that he shouldn't talk to Jin Furen that way, since she is his senior. Wei Wuxian, still politely, explains the clan politics that underlie every one of these Zixuan-Yanli interactions. As a matter of clan pride, the Jiang Clan can't allow Yanli to be insulted.

Cousin Jin Zixun immediately goes all in on the clan rivalry, beefing with Wei Wuxian about how much prey he caught. Everybody forgets all about Yanli's situation while they talk about the hunt results instead.

The Jin cultivators--parroting what they heard from Jin Guangyao--say that Wei Wuxian has flute-walked 30 percent of the prey into nets by himself. Lan Wangji actually decides to react to something, saying "30 percent? and giving Wei Wuxian such a series of LOOKS, oh my god. 

This Wangxian moment is an important one, I think, because it shows where Lan Wangji's priorities are, and they're...wrong. He's continually telling Wei Wuxian "be good," in one way or another; trying to help him back to the correct way of being a cultivator.  Meanwhile the Lans are totally fine with the Jins being murderous shits who feel entitled to insult high-ranking ladies.

CJZX continues to snipe at Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji continues to judge WWX for being unsportsmanlike.

(more after the cut!)

Wei Wuxian says that he's just showing his capability, and CJZX tries to tell him both that 1. he's practicing evil cultivation and 2. he's just playing the flute. WWX offers him Chenqing and says "show me your capability" which I think is cultivator speak for "fight me, bitch." 

Cousin Jin Zixun moves the goalposts, saying that Wei Wuxian broke the rules, and starts in with class-based dogwhistling, saying "it's understandable that you don't know the rules," and citing examples of Wei Wuxian’s previous bad manners at cultivation events. 

Things escalate and pretty soon Wei Wuxian is yelling at everybody, threatening to tell them why he doesn't carry his sword, (which would actually clear up SO much) and saying he's going to beat them all using necromancy whatever is just this side of necromancy. 

Cousin Jin Zixun tosses his birth status at him, and then it's ON. Scary music, shaking fist, Chenqing booting up...

Lan Wangji, who has been singularly unhelpful since CJZX started talking, suddenly forgets his judginess as he's swept into motion by his constant fear of whatever is going to happen next time Wei Wuxian loses his temper. 

He rushes to Wei Wuxian’s side, grabs his wrist, says his name, and wills him to chill the fuck out. Jiang Yanli joins him, grabbing Wei Wuxian's other arm, and Wei Wuxian manages to get control of himself.

Queen Yanli

Yanli has had it, and she has Wei Wuxian stand behind her while she goes to politely reduce Cousin Jin Zixun to a heap of smoldering cinders.

First she recaps CJZX's accusations against Wei Wuxian; says she doesn't know a lot about the hunt, and apologizes formally on her brother’s behalf. WWX says "Shijie!" but she shakes her head at him and he shuts up.  

CJZX laughs and tells her, in a tone designed to infuriate Wei Wuxian even further, that Wei Wuxian doesn’t rate her apologizing on his behalf, and says that their clans are like family; reinforcing WWX's outsider status. I don't think CJZX is taking orders from Jin Guangyao, because he's way too big of a snob for that, but he's definitely helping JGY to move his agenda forward.

Even Lan Wangji is having trouble staying cool during this exchange; he is focused on keeping Wei Wuxian in check but he’s also angry himself, judging from what his neck is doing here, anyway. *Stares at his neck for way too long*

Wei Wuxian is super upset about Jiang Yanli apologizing, and he’s unable to hold back tears, even with Lan Wangji using the power of extreme staring to help him. 

Jiang Yangli is nowhere near finished, though and she turns around and proceeds to tell everyone that they suck, that it's not Wei Wuxian's fault if he's more talented than everybody else, and that they are just making up rules because they are a bunch of losers. 

Clan Leader Yao has the nerve to say that they know the rules "in their hearts" which is just another class-based dogwhistle. 

Yanli defends Wei Wuxian's cultivation method to everybody, saying it's something he worked at and put effort into--that it's different, not wrong. She's literally the only person who defends his cultivation style, even though they all have benefited from it.

Then she gets right up in Cousin Jin Zixun's face and tells him that it's not ok for him to insult WWX by calling him the son of a servant, and she wants CJZX to apologize. (full gifset here) All of the Jins and Captain Blowhard Clan Leader Yao are SHOCKED at this idea. Jin Furen tries to talk Yanli down but Yanli politely nopes her away, so JFR tells CJZX to apologize.

He's saved from having to actually do it by the arrival of Jin Guangyao and Lan Xichen, who jump down off a box fly over to find out what's wrong.

Jin Furen yells at smiley, blinkey Jin Guangyao, telling him he should be able to figure out what's wrong, saying "aren't you good at judging the situation," i.e. aren't you a conniving little creep? She's bitchy but she's not wrong.

When the "30 percent" thing is explained again, Lan Xichen gives Wei Wuxian the same Lan Glare of Sportsmanship Disappointment that his brother did. 

Lan Xichen: It's fine for my boyfriend's obviously power-hungry family to insult my brother's war-hero best friend in a bid to reduce his social status, but him using magic powers in our magical creature hunt is super wrong.  

Jin Guangyao and Lan Xichen explain that they're going to open up more area for the hunt, but it's too late to make Cousin Jin Zixun happy. He takes his ball and goes home. 

The Breaking of the Fellowship

The remaining group stroll slowly through the woods, Jin Furen and Jiang Yanli together, while Wei Wuxian walks at a bit of a distance and Jin Zixuan follows right behind his mother. His mother offers to beat him to make Jiang Yanli feel better. See? Perfect Mother-in-Law material.

Jiang Yanli tries to leave again, and is stopped again. This time Jin Furen tries to convince her to come back to the stands to sit with her and Jin Zixuan, and not to go with Wei Wuxian. First she tries saying that it's not appropriate for her and Wei Wuxian to be alone together. Yanli shuts that right down, saying that Wei Wuxian is her didi. Then Jin Furen says that Wei Wuxian has "strong wicked energy" and that he may do something evil. Like fighting back when he is ambushed on his way to a party.

Jiang Yanli repeats that Wei Wuxian is her didi, and says that she'll never leave him. JFR keeps trying but Wei Wuxian steps up and takes Yanli by the wrist and goes to lead her away. Jin Zixuan finally, FINALLY admits that he likes Jiang Yanli. 

He is embarrassed, Jiang Yanli is delighted, and Lan Xichen is amused. 

Jin Zixuan runs away and Jiang Yanli agrees to go back to Jinlintai with Jin Furen. Wei Wuxian is super immature unhappy about it....

....but he accepts her decision, in a nearly wordless exchange that we’ll see echoes of much later, between him and Lan Wangji. (Exceptionally cruel gifset here)

Wei Wuxian formally bows to Jin Furen, asking her to take care of his sister. Because he recognizes this for the parting that it is.

Jiang Yanli isn't wrong to make this choice. She deserves to be happy, and married women in this environment can't live with their original family. But she told Wei Wuxian, over and over, that the three of them have to stick together, only to change course and leave him behind with no warning. It’s not even five minutes since she said "I will never leave him."  Wei Wuxian isn’t the only person making impossible promises in these parts.  

Jiang Cheng and some Jiang cultivators show up, and everyone, including Wei Wuxian, tells Jiang Cheng that he missed an important scene, but nobody will tell him what actually happened. 

Wei Wuxian says he's going into town, and he leaves Jiang Cheng behind just as abruptly as Jiang Yanli left him.

Jiang Cheng asks Lan Xichen what happened, and Lan Xichen says "there was an argument but it's mostly smoothed over now; also, Jin Zixuan says he likes your sister."  Ha ha ha ha! Of course he does not say that, he says "You should ask your sister at the banquet" and Jin Guangyao says it wouldn't be appropriate for them, as outsiders, to comment.

I would like to see Jiang Cheng respond to this by beating the crap out of them with Zidian for being a couple of coy bitches, but he just furrows his brow. 

JGY hangs back from the group for a second to tell JC that WWX is sooooo great, before they all head back to Jinlintai.

Insecurest Boi

As everyone is walking Jiang Cheng hears Captain Blowhard saying that Lotus Pier made a strong impression today, and that they'll be able to recruit a whole lot of disciples. The cultivators are of two opinions about whether having Wei Wuxian is a good thing for a clan. 

Then a Jin cultivator says he heard that the Yin tiger amulet is made of the missing piece of Yin iron. He says he overheard it from Jin Guangyao. He says even if it's not for certain, the timing fits. Jiang Cheng reacts to this as if he 100% believes it, because Jiang Cheng is a dumbass sometimes. 

He should just frickin’ ask Wei Wuxian about the amulet. Lan Wangji asked where he got it and Wei Wuxian told him, and Jiang Cheng, while they have their issues, is officially on WWX's side, so there’s no reason for WWX not to tell him.

The Jin cultivator goes on to say that the Jiang Clan ain't shit, that all their deeds belong to Wei Wuxian.  Jiang Cheng takes all of this on board totally unfiltered. Literally everything that any Jin cultivator other than MianMian says is propaganda coming from Jin Guangyao, but Jiang Cheng thinks they're friends and doesn't know how to recognize manipulation. 

Jiang Cheng is hearing the exact same criticism that Jiang Yanli heard, but he's not equipped to handle it, and instead of fighting back he gets angry at Wei Wuxian. Despite all his recent growth, he is still crushingly insecure, and this is hitting him right in his tenderest spot. Jiang Fengmian has a lot to answer for.

Instant Replacement Sister

Wei Wuxian is off working through his own feelings; he's wandering the street in Lanling with a bottle of wine in hand. Wen Qing, in her red Wen robe and her hooded cloak, is wandering the street in the opposite direction. They pass each other without seeing, in a moment that's excruciating to watch the first time. 

But then some Jin cultivators obligingly push her to the ground, and Wei Wuxian, with his beautiful heart of fucking gold, hears someone who needs help and turns around.

For a moment he smiles in recognition, before the smile clouds over. Wen Qing, for her part, looks horrified; perhaps it’s everything she’s going through, but perhaps she can see that he, in his own way, is struggling nearly as much as she is. Meeting with her will galvanize him and give him the life direction he desperately needs.

A Day Late and a Tael Short

Lan Wangji wants to solve Wei Wuxian's problem, but he lacks imagination, so his best idea is to hide him in Cloud Recesses. 

Lan Xichen points out that Wei Wuxian might not be on board with that. This conversation is short, but it has some layers, once you know about their parents' relationship. Lan Wangji frowns but doesn't have a second idea.

[nikethestatue]

ok so u know these posts where azriel is made out to be toxic? and they say he does it with mor and elain. let’s say that’s true. literally what makes them think the same thing wouldn’t happen with gwyn?? if he had this so called toxic behavior with 2 women what makes gwyn so special he wouldn’t do it with her? like why are they acting like gwyn is prythian’s therapist? i find it very hypocritical and i promise you gwyn isn’t special.

He is only toxic when he is with the 'wrong' woman. All his toxicity disappears when he is with Gwyn. But let's examine, shall we?

Let's recall the times he was 'toxic'.

Mor:

He told Mor that she cannot/should not go to the Human Lands and try to infiltrate the Human Queens' palace, because she'd be caught and strung up.

Rhys agreed with him.

Cassian, by the way, told her a similar thing, later on, when he told her that he didn't want her to go to the continent, and needed her with the army.

Rhys agreed with him.

Are they also toxic?

Azriel lost his temper against Eris during the HL meeting. He didn't lose his temper against Mor. He didn't say anything to her at all. She was insulted and he assaulted the person with whom he had a very bad and turbulent history.

He was the only one who spoke up against Tamlin when Tamlin was insulting Feyre, his High Lady. He warned Talmlin, another High Lord not to speak to Feyre the way Tamlin did.

Perhaps, he doesn't like it when women are insulted? Maybe it goes back to watching his mother who was abused and insulted and tormented by his father and stepmother? Perhaps it's knowing about what happened to Cassian's mother too? Perhaps it's watching what happened to women in Illyria, how they were clipped and treated in general?

Maybe he attempts to protect and defend and save females, because there is residual guilt of a son who couldn't protect him mother?

Going back to Mor. He clearly had feelings for Mor, at least back in the day, when they were teens. She and his 'best friend', both knowing of his feelings for her, still went ahead and slept together. Not only did they betray him as a friend/brother, but also put Mor in grave danger. The whole affair resulted in Azriel volunteering to go into AC and rescue her. It was he who found her with nails embedded in her womb. So, did 'toxic' Azriel go on some crazed revenge journey? Did he guilt Mor for sleeping with Cassian? Did he challenge Cassian? He did none of those things. He wanted to evoke the BD against Eris and Beron, perhaps wouldn't mind killing Keir, but he was so toxic and completely incapable of controlling his emotions and behaviours, wouldn't he have done all of those things? What's more, knowing that it's Mor's right to call the BD, he, and Cassian, stepped back, letting her deal with the situation as she saw fit.

Beyond that, with Mor--what did he ever do to her? He sat next to her at the dinner table? He looked at her? They do live as a family unit, and it would be hard not to glance at her. From what we know, it was Mor who begged him to go and finally dragged him to Rita's, it's Mor who was capable of getting him to talk, it was Mor who held his hand, who had no problem sunbathing in front of him and Cassian when they were sparring. It was Mor who had an assigned chair in HoW with a golden pillow. If she was so disturbed by him and he was so threatening in his actions, wouldn't we logically assume that perhaps she'd avoid him like the plague? She never did. In fact, she very much did the opposite.

Lastly, Elain.

So his toxicity stems from the fact that unlike Amren and Rhys he doesn't want to send someone he cares for and someone who is not tested at all in any kind of combat/scrying to find objects so powerful that they had to be 'forgotten' by the world?

He voiced his opinion, not even in front of her, but to his HL and part of the IC who are making these decisions. Did Cassian want Nesta to go? Or scry? Not so much.

What else did he do? He armed Elain with TT? Did he say that she should be hidden somewhere? No. He did what he could for her, and that was that.

Now, curiously, the same people who claim that he is possessive, domineering and toxic towards Elain and Mor, in the same breath claim that him not reacting to Gwyn being in the Blood Rite and caring little about her, and sort of forgetting that she was part of the whole deal was because he felt that 'they trained her well' and she was in no real danger.

So which one is it?

I think that the most honest answer would be--he does care for Mor and Elain. Doesn't want them to get hurt. But doesn't curtail their freedom or capabilities. He doesn't really care about Gwyn in the same way. He doesn't want her to be hurt, I am sure, but she in not front and center in his mind. He isn't 'changed' with Gwyn, isn't better --he is just not into her.

Bottom line is that I refuse to qualify him as misogynistic or toxic. I feel like he respects women much more than some other, very prominent, male characters in the books. Not wanting to see the woman you love/like in danger isn't some flex on her autonomy. It's a pretty normal thing that men are conditioned to do.

[thickenmyblood]

hey maca :)) I have sth that I’d love to hear your input on! (wall of text incoming so beware- I’m absolutely not mad if you don’t want to answer lmao). Basically it’s about how you portray women in your works and to what extent you see that portrayal mirrored in the canon books. I have noticed that a lot of writers tend to go a traditional route with for example daughters not being heirs like you also mentioned in an answer for a wtsioa ask on here. Considering the cultures Vere and Akielos are based on that’s obviously very logical and a lot of authors (including you) make it work fantastically! Yet personally I never got the vibe of Vere and Akielos being as patriarchal in canon, mostly because the Information we get is kind of confusing. On one hand damen is a walking manosphere (and. all of Akielos in general as well) without any prominent female figures in his life but on the other hand damen only ever speaks appreciatively of for example the female vaskian warriors. Both countries seem to ban women from the army yet Damen also refers to a warrior queen. The regent is a total misogynist but with the wording Laurent uses it almost seems like that is more the exception and not the general rule of veretian court life. Both countries also have ties to Vask, an exclusive matriarchy and Akielos is said to be similar to Patras which Pacat has stated is also partly a strong matriarchy due to vaskian occupations in the past. I could go on for a lot longer but I guess that damens overall positive attitude towards women and especially stereotypically spoken masculine women is what sticks out the most to me. It just seems kind of misplaced in a world that supposedly is as sexist as the original cultures from our world. Which is why I’d say both countries do have gender roles but are overall a lot more egalitarian than their respective real world og cultures. But that’s only my take and I’d love to hear more on what others think about the portrayal of women in canon and how they chose to portray it in fanfiction. Love you and your new work, hope you’re doing well❤️

HELLO!!! Thank you for asking me interesting stuff :, ) you always have the best questions and my sad little inbox is open to you any time, friend. I divided this into parts, so:

My portrayal of women: I need to work on this a lot lmao. I’m not proud of any female character I have ever written for this fandom, and I’m also not proud to say I struggle horribly when it comes to writing female OCs, especially if the story is not about a female character that is a literal projection of me. Or Bella Swan (yes, Twilight literally shaped my sad little brain and the way I write and consume fiction).

Authors writing female characters in a “traditional” way (for fantasy settings): I can’t speak for other authors but I definitely think, in my case, that using the “it’s a patriarchal society, women have no rights, women can’t be heirs, etc.” blueprint is a matter of being lazy. It’s quick, and easy, and it’s been done before so we all know how it works and a) it’s unlikely that you’ll mess it up (in the plot hole kind of way) and b) it’s obvious that most readers know how the usual system works and so you don’t have to spend paragraphs or even chapters explaining it to them. I am very lazy when it comes to world-building for fics. Why? Because when I’m writing fanfiction I don’t give two shits about the world, I just care about the characters doing Things and having Feelings. The moment you start to question these issues (a society where women can join the army, where they can be heirs, where maybe they can have multiple husbands, etc.) a billion issues arise because it’s not the “usual way” and so you’ll have to deal with “unusual problems”. See: plot holes, info-dumping, etc.

Vere and Akielos in canon: I think the books get very, very confusing at times when it comes to gender roles in that specific world. They also get very confusing about how royalty works, in my opinion. So:

Damen never mentions female influences in his life, not even nannies or wetnurses or anything. He mentions past queens and his mother, but even then… It’s always struck me as “what the actual fuck” that we get no information on Egeria. In TSP, he doesn’t even read as curious to me, especially when I think of that line that goes something like “oh, well, he’d never asked how tall she was”.

Then you have Jokaste, who is highborn and also… perhaps trained in politics? It’s unclear to me if she’s ever been directly involved in meetings or been an active member of the Council or even been allowed to study these issues. Clearly, she’s smart and capable and cunning, but like… how? Did she have private tutors? Is she a self-made woman? Like, what’s up with that? Are women allowed to engage in public politics? Are they allowed to be kyroi?

IMO, Damen complimenting the female warriors in Vask has to do with how appreciative he is of war-related stuff. Like, he thinks people with his own qualities are neat. We see this time and time again in the books—having honor, being brave, respecting one’s family, protecting those who need protecting… He compliments these things when he sees them in others, especially in Laurent. Obviously one of the big changes in Damen as a character is that he goes from being daddy’s boy to being like “well, actually… maybe war isn’t always the answer, and maybe war isn’t always honorable”. The Vaskian warriors prove themselves worthy of praise in a “manly” way, if that makes sense. (In the same way, Laurent proves himself in the Okton, not so much to Damen but to other Akielons). So, in essence, War > Any issues he may have about women doing Stuff.

Don’t judge me for this but I can’t remember the Regent talking about women. Do you have any quotes about that? I feel like Book 1 is super rich when it comes to world-building stuff and yet it’s the book I remember the least. I know he obviously has a preference for boys and not girls, but I don’t recall him having interactions with Vannes or ladies at court? I’M SORRY I’M SO STUPID but I don’t own the book so I can’t exactly word search my way out of this one, and so instead of saying stupid stuff, I’m asking anyone reading this (lol, you and my mom probably) to please tell me what canon says on this issue.

Ties to Vask: Er, yeah, I mean… They’re clearly not at war with Vask and have some sort of economic deal (there are Vaskian pets in Arles? Which makes me wonder if they, like, buy them from Vask? Or if the pets are Vaskian and turn into pets in Vere? Slaves are not like pets so I don’t know?), BUT just because they have deals with this kingdom/are on good terms with the ruler does not mean they necessarily approve? Like, maybe they’re like “yeah, it’s weird they give women so much power, but also I need that silk/leather/WHATEVER, so I’ll shut up about that”.

“Akielos is said to be similar to Patras which Pacat has stated is also partly a strong matriarchy due to Vaskian occupations in the past.” Is this in the books or is this something she said in an interview/post-releasing the trilogy? I know in the books there’s a quote that Akielos and Patras are similar because they both have slaves, but other than that I can’t quite remember anything about Patras? Like, I don’t recall Pacat giving us extensive and thorough world-building on either nation, at all. Once again, I am asking you for more explanations on this because I literally don’t remember.

4. My opinion and a Stupidity Disclaimer: As I’ve said above, there’s a lot of stuff I don’t remember and so I’m not trying to preach to anyone reading this or even saying that I hold the truth about… anything. I’m answering questions as I see fit and asking more questions when I run out of answers.

I believe world-building is not one of Captive Prince’s strong points. I will not elaborate on this because this is already long enough but there is simply, in my opinion, not enough material to reach any solid conclusions when it comes to world-building questions such as the role of women in Vere and Akielos, how compulsory homosexuality affects the development of highborn men and women in Vere, exactly what makes Akielos’ view on women different from Vere’s (if there’s any difference at all), the history of gender roles in this world and how it’s evolved up until canon, how Lamen can solve the heir issue without recurring to, once again, “the usual stuff” (concubines, bastards, marriage to women, etc.). It’s clear from what I’ve read that Pacat has come a long way as a writer and that her new trilogy has a lot more in-depth explanations to world-building questions, but this is not the case with CP, and so I’m afraid my answer to most of this is “I don’t know, and I don’t think anyone can know for sure”.

Lastly, I think I struggle a lot with understanding the role of women in this universe because I simply did not see enough women doing stuff, so I don’t know what’s permitted, what’s unacceptable, what’s illegal, what is straight-up execution worthy, etc. This is not me complaining about the lack of female characters in CP, at all, which I know is contradictory to stuff I’ve said in the past (I answered a couple asks a year ago about how I’d wished we’d gotten Vannes’ POV or Jokaste’s POV in the short stories). I’ve changed my mind, and so I think Pacat is entitled to write whatever she wants, just like I’m entitled to talk shit about KR with any living soul who will listen lmao.

To end this on a spicy note, I think sometimes we consume the wrong media and then complain because it doesn’t have what we wanted. If you’re looking for a trilogy with strong, fleshed-out female characters, Captive Prince is not for you. If you’re looking for a trilogy on female struggles and, I don’t know, defying… the male gaze… Captive Prince is not for you. There are plenty of books out there that focus exclusively on female characters, featuring sapphic relationships, and dealing with gender issues. WHICH IS NOT TO SAY WE SHOULDN’T BE HAVING THESE DISCUSSIONS. This is not about this particular question, but more about a lot of posts I’ve seen floating around… complaining about Pacat’s writing and the themes she didn’t explore.

If anyone has made it this far, thank you for reading, and know this is NOT me telling you what to think. This post is an open question that anyone can engage with, although I hope people will engage with this directly and on this platform, instead of… taking it somewhere else where I sadly can’t engage back! Unlike what happened with our awesome fat Laurent discussion, I will be replying to any questions I get on this (Note: I did not reply to most of those questions because a long time had passed and they were sort of repetitive).

[babybamf]

Meeting and Dating Warren Worthington III

(Not my gif)(Requested by anonymous)

(We’re just gonna throw together a little au, alright?)

- You met Warren after Xavier brought him back to the school. Most people stayed away from him and rightfully so; he had teamed up with a malicious god and was partially responsible for the destruction of your school.

- You’d stayed away as well, which is what he seemed to want. He wasn’t exactly putting himself out there to make friends, not with his glaring and standoffish demeanor.

- A part of you figured that he really didn’t want people around him. That, no, he wasn’t just being “cruelly” ostracized by his peers; he was actively and consciously making sure people stayed away.

- But then another part of you reasoned that few people had actually attempted to get close to him, and to be fair, you hadn’t liked those people either.

- You’d contemplated going up and introducing yourself. In fact, you’d tried to, taking a deep breath and maneuvering your way across the school grounds towards him with that exact idea in mind. But the minute you came almost close enough to throw away any doubt that you were approaching him, he’d looked up at you with such cold and venomous fervor that you’d lost your nerve.

- Instead, you’d; thankfully, managed to continue on walking and coincidentally run into a younger student that you’d known, making it seem like that was your intention all along. You decided that day that Warren Worthington just hated people and you shouldn’t interfere with that.

- That would have been the end of it, and at the time you wished that it was, but that wasn’t the case. The moment you walked past the boy, it was like you’d painted a target on your forehead.

- Everywhere you went, Warren Worthington was there to stare at you from across the way. He’d set his sights on you and you weren’t sure which emotion was behind his gaze, though you were pretty sure it wasn’t one of the good ones.

- It took a few months of this, and you wondering if he was planning on killing you, for anything to actually happen.

- You’d been sitting in the lunchroom, reading a book when you heard the rooms chatter die down. There, at the entrance, stood Warren.

- He scanned the room, his eyes landing on you; much more passively than most other times, before moving to the nearly empty table across from yours. He made his way towards it, unfazed by the students who’d been occupying it scrambling to leave, and soon enough he was seated a few yards away with a perfect view of you.

- You tried to ignore him, turning to the book you’d brought in hopes of just forgetting he was there. Although, it was easier said than done when you could feel his eyes on you.

- More than once, you’d glanced over and caught him watching you; albeit it a bit more casually than usual. You wondered if he’d specifically come into the room just to look at you, you’d never seen him inside before; and he wasn’t eating, so you had to assume so.

- Finally, you turned back to your book and promised yourself you wouldn’t look at him, no matter how much your body was screaming for you to. The monkey part of you brain told you that this was a test and that averting your eyes was the proper move to make; so you made it ...up until you could feel someone standing in front of/at your side.

“I’m Warren,” Boy were you not expecting him to be British. His voice was like honey, even though there was a twinge of; what seemed to be, discomfort to it. He seemed out of his element. “I’ve seen you around. You’re Y/n, right?”

“Yeah uh, yeah, that’s right. ...Hi.” You answered nervously. He nodded and a long moment of silence passed between the two of you before he asked if he could sit down.

- It was awkward at first but then he asked you about a band and you started a near hour long discussion about music.

- Soon enough you were talking like it was a normal thing to happen, up until you were interrupted by a peer who told you that someone wanted to see you. You excused yourself and walked away, feeling more confident now that you knew you weren’t going to be murdered.

- Warren was sort of like a changed person after your first few initially awkward conversations; at least he was to you. He was still his intimidating self to everyone else but you; and in some regards Storm, seemed to be an exception.

- After a few weeks of you slowly seeing more and more of each other, he finally decided it was time to ask you out like he’d been intending all along. Well, he asked you out in his own way.

- It was late, he’d caught your attention with a “psst” and a flash of a bottle of liquor and motioned for you to follow him as he led the two of you outside. You soon found yourself sitting with him in the dark of the night, taking swigs from the bottle he’d snuck with you.

- You caught him watching you while you brought the bottle to your lips, taking a small gulp before moving to pass it back, only to be met with his face close to yours and his hand sliding onto your cheek. It was a matter of seconds before his lips were on yours but that short moment of anticipation had your heart racing.

- You spent the rest of the night talking and kissing and by morning you were official.

- Soo much Pda. He’s constantly touching you and trying to get you to kiss him.

- He loves when you kiss him. Surprise him with a little smooch; you’ll never see anyone look more in love than he will.

- Hand kisses.

- His hand in your back pocket.

- His arm wrapped around you constantly.

- Warren alternates between only calling you pet names and only calling you your name. When he is using pet names, he’ll call you things like babe, birdie, and love.

- He’s surprisingly loving considering how violent he used to be. You don’t expect it at first but he’s absolutely adorable when he’s around you.

- The instant he sees you, his day gets 100x better. Even if his face just goes from glaring to neutral whenever his eyes land on you, rest assured that his bad mood goes away the minute you appear.

- He’s always incredibly gentle whenever he puts his hands on you with innocent intent, like when he’s pushing your hair back or helping you put in an earring.

- He’s definitely affection starved and heartclenchingly so. You’ll go to gently touch his face for one reason or another and he’ll act like he’s never felt something better in his life.

- Cuddling is a bit difficult with the whole wing thing but you try your best. Sometimes you’ll just lay side by side and hold hands, other times he’ll cocoon the two of you while you lay on top of him, and other times he’ll lay down and you’ll just snuggle yourself into him the best that you can.

- Going flying. He rarely goes really high up with you in his arms, he himself is afraid he’ll accidentally drop you or you’ll get hurt in some other way.

- Stargazing or watching the sunset/rise on roofs of buildings.

- Sneaking out to spend time with each other away from everyone else.

- Blasting rock music as you drive through town.

- Abandoned building picnics? Abandoned building picnics. What’s better than being able to destroy everything around you and not being bothered by anyone.

- Nighttime walks around town. He sorta likes just wandering around the city with you.

- Helping him shop for clothes that will actually fit him, or helping him cut holes into his clothing.

- He’s grown to love his wings over the years so he always straightens up with pride whenever you compliment or touch them.

- Hickeys.

- Constant making out. He can’t get enough of you.

- Groping, blatantly too, just right in the middle of the street or hallway.

- Innuendos that make you blush.

- You’re either treated like a queen or being harassed like you’re dating a horny teenager. There is no in between.

- Kissing his scars.

- Occasionally, he’ll tell you stories about his fighting days. He finds it amusing to watch your face change whenever he recounts something particularly painful or malicious.

- He’s been known to get drunk for several different reasons so you’ll just have to find out which one it is while making sure he doesn’t die from alcohol poisoning or any dumbass decision he may make while wasted.

- Sharing booze.

- He probably has a tattoo of you or your name somewhere on his body. He’s a reckless person; it fits the vibe.

- He loves people knowing that the two of you are together, he’s so proud.

- Sooo many compliments.

- Sarcasm and affectionate name calling.

- He always gives you the cutest smile and a kiss on the cheek whenever you get him a gift.

- As surprising as it may be; considering the way he acts, he’s genuinely charming; and his face isn’t that bad either. He’s capable of making literally any girl swoon yet he still feels lucky to have you in his life.

- I feel like Warren just doesn’t like people and probably for a number of reasons. With that being said, he prefers to keep to himself, though he’ll tolerate social events; and your friends, for your sake.

- Warren is the type of boyfriend that would rather be seen than heard. Sure he loves talking with you, but he would rather listen to you talk instead of actually talking himself.

- With that being said, he can talk your ear off whenever he gets angry or jealous, wanting nothing more than to divert your attention from everything else and make you focus on only him.

- He’s a pretty jealous guy. He hates seeing other men around you, especially if it seems like you’re really close or that the guy has a thing for you.

- He’s definitely fought a man for flirting with or disrespecting you. The man does not play when it comes to you.

- Whenever the two of you fight, he’ll turn into the biggest sarcastic asshole that you will ever see. That being said, he’ll never yell at you unless you’re walking away from him and he’s calling after you in exasperation.

- If he’s in the wrong then he’ll apologize; albeit slightly begrudgingly. He isn’t very used to it so bear with him, he’s trying his best.

- He doesn’t tell you he loves you very often but you’ll definitely be able to tell that he does, especially as your relationship progresses.

- Though he may not vocally express it, he doesn’t intend on giving you up any time soon so let’s hope you’re in it for the long run.

[luci-in-trenchcoats]

By My Side (Part 2)

Summary: Jensen and the reader grow more tense with each other at the cabin but a revelation leads to a change in more than just location...

Masterlist

Pairing: Bodyguard!Jensen x reader

Word Count: 4,300ish

Warnings: language, mention of underage drinking/accidental death, angst

A/N: Enjoy!

_________

Twenty Hours Later

“Welcome home,” said Jensen, climbing out of his SUV the same time as you. You raised an eyebrow as you looked at the cabin in front of you. “You gonna carry your shit or what? Bodyguard, not your butler.”

“When you said cabin, I thought-”

“I told you. We’re off the grid. Most off the grid people don’t have quartz countertops and crown molding in their homes,” he said. “This is as good as I could get last second.”

“As long as it’s clean,” you said. He laughed and you stared back at him. “What?”

“Okay princess. There ain’t no cleaning service out here. You want something cleaned in there, you do it yourself,” he said. He slung a duffel bag over his shoulder and tossed one at you, nearly knocking you to the ground. “I’ll even let you pick which room you want.”

“Might take the kidnapping at this point,” you said, sighing as you followed him across the dirt yard. “We drove back in here for like an hour.”

“Hour and a half actually. Nobody’s finding us,” he said. He grabbed a key from under the rock by the door and undid the lock, swinging the door open wide. “Home sweet home.”

You followed him inside and cocked your head.

“Okay, this place is a lot nicer than I was expecting.”

“I guess I’ll take that as a compliment,” he said, tossing a bag back towards a hall. You set your bag down on the kitchen table, narrowing your eyes at a picture on the wall. There was a little boy with a fishing pole and a pair of familiar green eyes staring back. 

“Is this your cabin?” you asked, nodding to the photo.

“It’s in the family. Dad let me have it when I got out of the service,” he said. “I needed some alone time to decompress a bit. It’s safe. Trust me.”

“You were a cute kid. Too bad you’re sort of an asshole now,” you said.

“You were an asshole first,” he said with a shrug.

“I’m not a fan of some stranger coming into my life and telling me how to live it,” you said.

“I’m not telling you how to live your life, Y/N. That’s not my job. Keeping you safe is,” he said. “There’s two bedrooms. We have to share a bathroom.”

“Alright,” you said, Jensen pushing open a few solid wood doors. One was furnished a bit plainly and had a queen size bed, the other a set of bunkbeds and a full bed shoved against the wall. 

“Take it,” he said, nodding towards the larger room.

“You’re bigger than me,” you said.

“Yeah, well that’s true but you’re also paying me. Take the bigger bed. The couch is a pullout anyways. Go on,” he said. You sighed and set your bag down on the bench, Jensen tossing his bag in the other room. “I need to go into town and finish getting supplies. Before I do that, we need to go over a few ground rules.”

“Of course we do,” you said, plopping back on the bed and watching a cloud of dust appear in the air.

“There’s a first aid kit in the cabinet over the fridge. There’s an emergency satellite phone there also that is to only be used in a real emergency. Washer and dryer we use once a week. There’s a solar panel on the back of the cabin that’ll help save us gas. We’re going to try and limit needing to use the generator more than we need to. There’s not much in the way of hot water. There’s a lake nearby and a few trails you can walk around but they’re probably overgrown at this point. Unless you’re in danger, never leave the premises. If you need something that’s not here or on the list, tell me now. I want to limit trips to town to once a month if possible.”

“Cleaning supplies,” you said as you sat up. “This place is dusty.”

“Alright. I’ll be back in about four hours,” he said, turning to leave. “There’s a shotgun in the gun safe. Key is in the nightstand drawer. Try to keep out of trouble.”

He didn’t look back as he left, the door opening and shutting, the sound of an engine turning on and slowly back away.

“Well. Might as well try to make this place more livable in the meantime.”

Four Hours Later

“Hey. I’m back,” said Jensen. You lifted your head up from the couch, Jensen flipping on the light switch. “You don’t have to sit in the dark.”

“You said to save the generator.”

“During the day. It’s after eight,” he said. He made a few trips in and out before he finally locked the door after himself. His nose twitched and he glanced over at you. “It doesn’t smell as musty in here.”

“A wet towel works when you don’t have a swiffer,” you said.

“I grabbed fast food,” he said, setting a bag down on the table. “Eat up. Last take out for a while.”

“I was thinking while you were gone,” you said, Jensen putting things away while you took out a burger and a box of fries.

“I bet that was difficult,” he mumbled.

“You know I’m not gonna stay here if you’re gonna be an ass.”

“I frankly don’t give two fucks. I’m here for money. You want to go do this job back home, that’s fine with me,” he said.

“Well fuck you,” you said. You got up and went outside, not getting too far from the cabin before it was pitch black. You stopped by the end of the truck, staring at the darkness you knew was the dirt trail that would eventually get you to the main road.

“Don’t be an idiot,” said Jensen as he stepped outside.

“Why do you care? I already paid you,” you said. “You know what? Why don’t you just go and leave me here by myself. That way you don’t have to hang out with the dumbass actress.”

“I never said you were a dumbass.”

“You literally said that thinking was difficult for me not two minutes ago. Maybe I don’t know every little thing about whatever the fuck badass shit you learned in murder school but I am not the helpless bimbo you think I am.”

“Do not trivialize taking a life. You have no idea what it does to you.”

“I know a thing or two. Don’t assume you know a thing about me.”

“I had a full background worked up on you. You never-”

“The summer I was a camp counselor? You remember reading about that in your little background check? Another counselor drowned at camp that year. I know a thing or two.”

“Drowning is not the same as-”

“You have no clue what I’m capable of.”

“What? You saying you did it?” he asked, crossing his arms at you. 

“It was an accident. It could have happened to any single one of us,” you said. “Don’t use that whiny little bitch excuse for being a hardass. People die and sometimes it’s your fault. It doesn’t give you a free for all to be an ass.”

“An accident isn’t the same thing,” he said. He walked over and narrowed his eyes. “Inside. Now.”

“No. I should have followed my first instinct and fired you,” you said. You spun back around, barely getting a step in as strong arms wrapped around you and lifted you off the ground. “Hey! Put me down!”

“You’re a freaking idiot,” he said as he carried your squirming self back inside. He set you down at the table, shoving your shoulder when you tried to get up. “Eat and go to bed.”

“I’m not-”

“Do you have any idea why I’m a hardass? Why that might be? If I give a shit about you, I can’t do my job because then I’m going to worry. I’m going to worry about how you’re feeling and I don’t have time for that. You had a scare, fine. I calmed you down. Out here, you have to suck it up and deal on your own. I will keep you safe but we’re not friends. We’re a boss and employee and that’s it. Eat your damn dinner and go to sleep.”

He grabbed the bag with the remainder of the food and went into the other bedroom, slamming the door behind him. 

“Dick,” you said quietly. Ten minutes later you were changed into your pajamas and crawled under the blankets, staring out the dark window. “I just wanna go home.”

You didn’t speak when you made your way into the kitchen the next morning. Jensen was sat at the table with some rugged looking laptop and a cup of coffee. It probably worked off a satellite if you had to guess. You poured a cup from the pot for yourself before heading outside with it. You walked over to the dock on the small pond nearby, staring out at the calm water as you sipped on the warm liquid.

“You didn’t kill anyone you know,” you heard behind you. You didn’t turn but did hear one of the boards creak. “Being unable to save a guy who shouldn’t have been out there in the first place doesn’t make you a murderer.”

“I was on lifeguard duty that day,” you said.

“Yeah. That day. You weren’t at work when it happened. No body made that guy go underage drinking and swimming in the middle of the night. In a thunderstorm.”

“We were all drinking. No one was paying attention to the storm. It was the first and last time I’ve ever been drunk.”

“It wasn’t your fault. It was no one’s,” he said.

“I know. You think I should get over it,” you said, wrapping your arms around yourself in the cool air.

“I was going to say, it wasn’t your fault but I get feeling responsible for things that aren’t your responsibility.”

“I guess,” you said. “You find out who this person is yet?”

“No. I’m going to be spending most of my time working at that. Don’t go too far from the cabin, alright?” he said. He began to walk away and you turned your head, looking him up and down.

“I thought you didn’t want me going outside,” you said.

“Not alone at night, no. You can’t see your surroundings. During the day, stay within eye sight of the cabin and I think it’s acceptable for you to be on your own a bit.”

“Jensen,” you said. He turned and looked at you, waiting for you. “If I pay you more will you at least try to be a little nicer like you were just now?”

“Listen to what I say and I’ll be the nicest guy in the world,” he said, heading back to the cabin. “You want breakfast, make your own.”

“Good chat, Jensen,” you said, shaking your head at him. 

When you’d finished with your coffee you popped inside to put on some clothes better suited for outside. He gave you a quick glance before you slipped on some sneakers and had a hand on the door.

“Ah ah,” he said. The chair scratched against the floor and next thing you knew, he was right there, reaching into his back pocket. He held up a small little thing and pushed a button, flipping a blade out. “Switch blade. From now on, this doesn’t leave your side ever. I don’t care if it’s the middle of the night and you’re taking a piss. It goes with you.”

“Keep it with me. Understood,” you said. He put it in your palm and nodded.

“Open it.” You flipped it open and stared at him. “Where would you use it?”

“Maybe I’ll stab the guy in the dick. How’s that sound?” you asked. He smiled a little and looked away.

“Not a bad choice. Vulnerable points if you have time to think. Aim low. Up here, rib cage will try to do its job. It may hurt but not incapacitate. Down low, you got better odds. All else fails, just try to stab something.”

“I got it,” you said, slipping it into your pocket. He took hold of your arm as you started to leave and you groaned. “What now?”

“The keys to the truck are under the rock by the corner of the house. The flat one. If you have to get out of here for some reason and I can’t take you, you take yourself and don’t think twice,” he said.

“I understand,” you said. 

“Well...enjoy your day,” he said. He dropped your arm and went back to his computer. You headed outside and started to explore before he could come up with even more rules for you to follow.

Four Hours Later

You were stood on the edge of the shore, trying to teach yourself to skip rocks on the water when you heard a rustling behind you. Your head shot back over your shoulder, Jensen wearing a strange smirk on his face.

“What’s wrong?” you asked.

“You’re not very good at that,” he said, picking up a flatter rock. “You need to flick your wrist more.”

“You know how to do everything, don’t you.”

“I spent more than a few summers here. Not a whole lot to do,” he said. “Got it all the way out to the catskills over there once.”

“You’re not worried about my lack of rock skipping skills,” you said. He shook his head and shot a rock out, getting a few skips off before he stood by your side. “I can take it. What’d you find out?”

“How often do you read in detail the contracts your manager gives you?” he asked.

“For my shows, word for word. Appearances, I skim sometimes. Why?”

“You sign anything with Boom stunt services lately?” he asked.

“I signed some insurance thing I think, so I could do a few stunts on the show,” you said. Jensen nodded and crossed his arms. “What?”

“Your manager lied to you. He thought you were getting stuck in a rut with your show, your wildly successful show, so he hired a stunt man, one you signed off on and agreed to fake kidnap you. Even the drugging part of it. To help your image. Make you appear strong but vulnerable. You actually got a lot of offers recently for good movies after what’s happened.”

“My manager…” you trailed off, balling your hands up. You stormed back towards the cabin, Jensen on your heels. “I’m gonna fucking kill him! What the fuck is wrong with him!”

“Technically, you did sign a document saying you understood the arrangement,” said Jensen. “But obviously not. Based on what I’ve found and saw happening before, there’s no credible threat against you. My suggestion would be a lawyer at this point.”

“Can you take me home now please, Jensen,” you said, squeezing your eyes shut.

“I’ll load up the truck. We’ll be back tonight.”

Later That Night

“Y/N,” said Jensen as you wandered straight over to your liquor cabinet when you got home. “He’s quitting and paying a substantial amount for you to not press charges as well as covering all of your moving costs and my pay. You don’t have anyone after you. I know it doesn’t feel like it but consider it a win.”

“I moved out of a house I loved that I can’t go back to, I’m far away from my friends, the one person in this industry I’m supposed to trust hurt me and this has been nothing but a complete waste of your time. I’m sorry, Jensen,” you said as you poured yourself a double.

“You didn’t waste my time,” he said as you sat on the counter, knocking back the liquor. He walked into the kitchen and took the bottle by your side, pouring himself a glass. He sipped his slowly, your head ducking down. “I would like to stay on as your bodyguard if you’ll allow it.”

“For what?” you asked. 

“Protection for you, same as before. This time though, I’ll make sure to keep you safe from the people you trust,” he said. You raised your head, Jensen licking his lips. “Managers, agents, anyone. The only person I will trust is you. You let me be the asshole bodyguard, scrutinize the people you work with. This never has to happen again.”

“Why would you do that? You don’t like me,” you said. He finished off his glass and set it aside, stepping right in front of you and staring you in the eye.

“I don’t recall saying that.”

“We aren’t friends. We’re a boss and employee. Your words,” you said.

“I still don’t hear the words I don’t like you in there,” he said.

“I can’t trust you to take care of me, protect me, if I think you hate me.”

“I don’t hate you.”

“You have a funny way of showing it.”

“I told you. It’s very difficult to do my job if I care about you,” he said. “But the situation has changed. The threat is smaller. Safer. I can be friendlier...if you don’t question when I ask you to do something. My job is to protect you. You have to trust that all I am ever trying to do is keep you out of harm’s way. If we can agree to that, we can find a good rhythm, one where you don’t even notice I’m there and one where I know you’re okay. The threat before might not have been real but it exposed a problem. As long as you are living alone, you need someone here, just in case.”

“We will negotiate a new contract, one I can end anytime I so choose, and will detail when and when not you are on the clock.”

“Negotiating with you will be fun,” he said with a smirk. “We have a deal?”

“Do you really think I need a full time bodyguard?”

“We can negotiate that,” he said.

“I’m serious.”

“I think powerful, pretty, single women should use the advantages available to them to protect themselves.”

“We’ll talk about it,” you said. He smiled and headed for his bedroom, your gaze following him as he walked out of view. “Jensen.”

“Yeah?” he said, popping back into view.

“We’ll figure out your new contract in the morning,” you said.

“Yes mam,” he said. “If you need anything else, you know where to find me.”

“Goodnight,” you said. He left and you lightly swung your feet, staring down at the hardwood floor. You hopped down and put the bottle back in the cabinet, taking a deep breath. 

Nothing was wrong. Nothing at all. 

But something still felt strange. You couldn’t put your finger on it. Maybe Jensen sensed it and that’s why he wanted to stay. But he wasn’t shy about coming out and telling you how it was. 

You sighed and went to the freezer, taking out a pint of mint ice cream and heading upstairs to bed, hoping a night of sleep at home would put it out of your mind.

“No way,” you said as you sat back in your chair in your home office the following morning. Jensen was smirking from the other side of the desk and was leaned back in his own, your lawyer sat at the small sofa with his laptop and typing up what the two of you were going back and forth on. “When I am filming and appearances we agree on.”

“We already agreed on those. Now we’re negotiating the parts we don’t agree on.”

“I do not need a bodyguard on the weekends. I already compromised on the you being on at night thing,” you said.

“Well, I’m going to be living in that bedroom so-”

“Actually, you’re not,” you said. He raised an eyebrow and you sat up straighter. “I decided last night that seeing as how I don’t particularly like this house and Jared and Gen just moved, I’ll be moving closer to my friends. I saw a home last night with a small guest house in the back that would be perfect for you.”

“I might as well be living in a different home at that point. It-”

“It is connected to the main home. I thought you might appreciate your own space and to be frank-”

“You don’t look like a frank,” he said. You smiled a bit, Jensen’s grin growing.

“If we’re going to have a long term relationship, which considering the possible trajectory of my career this might very well be, I’m going to have to insist on you having a separate space for yourself. You will of course have full access to the main house at all times but if I have friends over or a date, I would like my privacy. I’m sure you would like your own,” you said.

“If we’re going to have a long term relationship, any of your friends or a potential boyfriend are going to have to learn to live with me being around. No exceptions. I will give you privacy but I will be staying in the main house. As for you moving closer to friends, I welcome it. They’re my friends too after all.”

“Let me pose a hypothetical question to you. Say I meet a guy, we date, he moves in with me. Are you going to continue to live in the main house?” you asked.

“That will depend on the circumstances of your life at that point but if he’s living with you, I would move into a guest house or suite,” he said. “I may possibly move to my own place entirely. As I said, it’s going to be highly dependent on your life at that time.”

“I can agree to that. But your bedroom in the main house will have some space from mine,” you said.

“Understood. I will keep my own personal excursions out of the home,” he said.

“Good,” you said. “Now back to the weekend thing.”

“I’ll compromise with you. I am off duty on the weekend but I reserve the right to protect you if I feel you’re in danger,” he said. “I will keep to a small area of the house on my off days for your privacy.”

“I appreciate that but I won’t enforce it if you choose to watch some TV in the family room. You being off duty on the weekends does mean that if I go out, you are following though,” you said.

“Compromise. If you go out and I want to go, I can but I don’t have to,” he said. “I can use my discretion.”

“What if I want to go out with my friends?”

“Go out with your friends. I may or may not come. I’ll stay away, let you enjoy your fun without me interrupting unless I see a threat. Deal?”

“Alright,” you said. “But I reserve the right to fire you on the spot for anything and I mean anything. Two weeks pay if I do.”

“Okay,” he said. You were surprised at how quickly he accepted that but he seemed indifferent. “It sounds like we have most everything settled.”

“Rob, can you send us both a copy of the contract for review then and-”

“Oh, I have something else,” said Jensen. “A little...requirement of mine.”

“We already discussed pay and benefits.”

“Those are fine. I’ve found in the past we don’t get along when you don’t listen to me. As part of our working relationship, you will take a self-defense course chosen by myself and you will learn the different things that if you do, will make your life safer and minimize the need for me. They are for both our benefits. One’s a short book and the other a two hour class. Is that acceptable?”

“Yes. Rob, write up our contract for us please,” you said. He said he’d have it by the end of the day and you slumped back in your seat, Jensen staring at you. “What?”

“Want to go pick out a house?” he asked.

“What?”

“You want to move. It’s Sunday. Open houses.”

“Rob’s already put in an offer on the place I mentioned,” you said.

“Oh. You don’t even want to see it?” he asked.

“The pictures seemed nice. I’ll renovate what I don’t like. I’m not moving again after this,” you said.

“Oh. Cool. I will pack up most of my things in the meantime,” he said as he stood up.

“It’s Sunday. You’re not at work right now. Do whatever you want, Jensen,” you said.

“New contract isn’t effective yet,” he said. “Besides, knowing you we’ll be in the new place in a week. Might as well be prepared.”

_______

A/N: Read Part 3 here!

[draceempressa]

FINALLY VIL OVERBLOTS AND PROVES THAT CALLING HIM MEAN GIRL IS THE EXACT THING YOU SHOULD NOT DO

this essay here  explains perfectly why he overblot, as he is becoming the mean girls people in  and out  universe trying to make him be. And let’s be real, the fact that people do have prejudice that “elegant beauty” type of people , with the mindset of  “you care so much about your look/do so much beauty care, then you must be a superficial bitch  is and your looks is all there is to you” , all in all, realistic. ” when TW is actively trying to disprove this. Yes, its a bishie fest joshimuke. But it’s also still very psychological, on point social and deep (and even have psychological horror). TW keep disproving that good looks/fanservice bait means lack of depth, be it in the plot or the character. 

It also proves the point that the actor is not the same as the character. Tom Felton is not Malfoy, Tom Hiddleston is not Loki, heck, Hanae Natsuki is no Riddle,  this is obvious , yes, but you know out there many people think otherwise. Vil’s problem  maybe not relatable, but still realistic.

Yes, Pomefiore is the dorm based on the beautiful queen  . Yes, beauty matters. but it’s not the only thing that matters. Pomefiore has proves itself thru the story that it’s not the fight you pick, it’s the method, and I’ll say this again, that in Pomefiore, everything you can use to your advantage is beautiful, and beauty is power. Therefore everything is power. 

Despite his statement of beauty is the most solid form of power is, Vil still doesn’t slack in the academic and physical aspects. If we reverse his mindset that beauty is power, that power is beautiful, he is comparable to those meritocratic ruler where one thinks the ones who filled the role or rise to power should be those who are capable to fill the role, not only in being pretty, but also smart, skillful and strong. Vil even has quote that true beauty did come from intelligence. 

This also explains why Epel  grinds his gear so much. Epel pressed a lot of his buttons at once, from being prejudiced/sexist “feminine people must be weak” despite literally handing him his ass multiple times, refusing the idea beauty is power, and cute and adored but ungrateful about his assets. I don’t think Vil see himself in Epel, more like he see, of all people, Leona in Epel. Leona has even more assets in him (ranging from his magic, intelligence, physical power as beastmen,etc) but refuses to hone them, not exactly grateful about his possession of them-at least, not according to Vil. in Vil’s book, the most gratitude you can show about your assets is  to properly hone them. 

If anything, Vil see himself in Deuce. Like no matter how hard Vil works, he couldn’t top Neige, no matter how hard Deuce do he just can’t be smarter than Ace, who is cunning and probably also more booksmart than him as well, and Deuce know that as well. Deuce even tell Vil to his face that they have worked hard, but Vil as well Deuce himself knows best that hard work does not always pays-, that’s why Vil was so upset with Deuce telling him that. On the other hand, this is, exactly why Vil openly congratulate him despite boy literally just beat the crap out of him. To say Vil is as obsessed with growth and hard work as much as he is with beauty is no exaggeration, however he will openly congratulate those who did grew with their hard work like with Epel  or Kalim/Jamil in Fairy gala.

By the way, consider this: Vil finally lost it when his years of hardwork prove to be unfruitful. He has been believing beauty is power as much hard work should have pay since he was a child, probably it has been more for a decade, with bonus a prejudice on top of all of that. Only recently Deuce trying to be better person, to see power in intelligence ,to believe that hard work always  pay, only to be topped in by Ace and many more in NRC despite not working as hard.  Imagine all the stress if if it has been long Deuce believed hard work always pays. 

I’m not going to argue that Vil is a selfless man, as indeed even if his “help” benefits him in a way, like telling Leona to be less lazy and to Epel to see cuteness as power is practically shoving his ideology over other’s throat, that he still benefit from it yes, but the point is that he’s actually the least bitch,if not perhaps most beneficial to others , or even most reasonable of  other great seven incarnate so far, yes, despite being the Local Elegant Pretty Boy.. Riddle’s rules are often unreasonable, Leona would insult anyone to feed his superiority inferiority complex, Azul is scammy, Jamil  is backstabbing , Idia is textbook gatekeeping otaku that actively insults everyone like Leona, even if he has special contempt for extroverts, hardworkers, and “normies”, while unlike Leona, he isn’t exactly able to hold his insults and is textbook internet toxic that hides behind the screen, when Malleus is petty as well and isn’t exactly the most effective leader as he also leaves a lot of his prefect job on Lilia. 

Yes, this is written with bias for Vil. I will admit that before finishing this , but still,this game trying to convey plenty of messages, but ofc ppl conveniently ignores it, because uwu fanservice games. And of course, it goes back to Vil, despite the clear fleshing all over the personal stories will “only be uwu poisoner mean girl” for haters, and that, despite all his hate for prejudice for “elegant people are bitchy”, he too is prejudiced at the idea “showing emotion /leaning to others is sign of weakness”, or even if people will still be prejudiced and call him mean girl despite all of this, canon or analyses otherwise, but I still want to say this.