#but like the first time i watched non i am too emotional to say anything

[leeknowlover99]

Hihihii can you do stray kids reaction to reader wearing something very short for the first time can be nsfw 🫦 Thanks

sure! sorry it took so long :(

that was so much fun to write! hope you like it ;)

warnings: fluff, suggestive and explicit content, nicknames, tiny bit of angst, slight mention of insecurities

masterlist

chan

you and chan were going for a fancy date tonight to celebrate your promotion at work. you were meeting in the restaurant so you were getting ready on your own. yesterday you went shopping with your best friend and she persuaded you to buy a short red dress. the type you would never buy on your own. but when she make you try it on you thought it looked good on you. however now you felt a bit unsure, you thought that maybe it was a bit too much. but since you were running out of the time the only thing you could do was leave in that dress. you hoped Chan will like it. when you entered the restaurant he was already there waiting. you saw his gaze slowly slide down your body as you were approaching your table. this already made you blush. maybe it was a good choice after all. Chan stood up to greet you and kissed you, hands resting a bit lower on your waist than usually. “you look gorgeous.” he whispered in your ear before pulling out the chair for you. you noticed that he was a bit distracted through the whole dinner. you only realized why when waiter asked if you wanted a dessert and chan answered “no we’re good thank you”. and after you looked at him confused he whispered “we’ll have dessert at home baby” and winked at you.

minho

minho was sure you wore this skirt for the sole reason of pissing him of. after the argument you had last week you did not speak a word to him. and now you were both at Chan’s party, all evening you didn’t give him one look. but everyone’s eyes, including Minho were on you. tight black skirt hugged your butt perfectly. oh you knew how much Minho loved your ass. you also knew how possessive he was.he watched you have fun and flirt with others all evening but when some dude started to get too touchy with you he finally snapped. “execuse me, we need to talk” he barged into you and grabbed your arm. you did not even manage to react before he dragged you to an empty bathroom and pressed against the door. “what the fuck?” you frowned. “don’t ask stupid questions y/n. i know the game you’re playing” you gulped at intensity of his gaze. “i’m sorry, i really am. and i’m ready to commit. but right now you’re really pissing me off” so many emotions were mixed in his voice. you couldn’t find the right words to respond so instead you laced your arms behind his neck and pulled him for a passionate kiss. his tongue immediately found yours and hands started exploring your body. he quickly focused on your ass, grabbing, squeezing and spanking. “you call this funny piece of poliester a skirt, your ass was begging to be touched all night baby girl.”

changbin

you and Changbin started seeing each other in the winter time when it was absolutely freezing most of the time. it did not give you chance to wear skirts or dresses. but now when spring was around the corner you could finally dress better for your dates. today you were going to watch cherry blossoms, so you opted for a short white tennis skirt and blue sweater. you wanted to take some cute pictures. you saw Changbin eyeing you up when he picked you up but he didn’t say anything. you enjoyed the date and talked non stop. “Binnie look a photo booth! let’s take a pic!” you jumped excited. you couldn’t miss a chance to get some new shots with your handsome boyfriend. he agreed and you entered the small space. the booth was really tiny so you sat on a Changbins lap and started posing. however you noticed Binnie being tense. “hey relax, let’s do a hug” you prompted him and moved more towards him on his lap. “oh” that’s when you realized as you bare thigh rubbed around a very prominent hardness in his pants. “why are you hard?” you laughed. Changbin looked at your lap where your skirt was bunched up around your hips almost exposing your panties, he slowly rubbed circles on your thighs. “i just love your outfit princess, that’s all.”

hyunjin

it was your boyfriends birthday and you decided to surprise him. he loved your body, even when you couldn’t say the same. but with his help you were slowly becoming more comfortable and accepting with yourself. you still were far away from letting him paint or photograph you naked but you decided to take a next step. you’ve never worn anything short around him but now you bought a new mini skirt and wore it to your date. he definitely noticed greeting you his eyes wondered around your hips a little bit longer than usual. “ you look beautiful love” he whispered in your ear now. you came back to his place and you were making out on the couch. your mini skirt now hiked up as you straddled him. his large hands gently massaging your ass. “your body is so sexy, i was so hard when i saw you in that dress.” he hissed and you rocked your hips against his erection. “just like i am now. god what did i do to deserve such a pretty girl like you” he mumbled against your neck, licking and sucking on it. “i’m glad you enjoyed your birthday gift Hyun”.

jisung

you and Jisung had been dating secretly for about six months. since you were both idols you didn’t want any dating scandals and people getting into your business. sometimes you had to interact in music shows or award ceremonies. today was one of this days when both your groups attended same award show. it wasn’t a first time but you were super nervous. stylist decide to give you a sexy outfit today, short black dress hugging your body perfectly. you weren’t used to wearing clothes like that, your group’s concept was more boyish. you’ve never worn sexier clothes with Jisung either, when you were hanging out you usually tried to blend in and cover yourself best in the crowd so no one would recognize you. so now you were nervous for his reaction. you knew that he wore revealing clothes himself on the stage. maybe he won’t even notice you thought. however he definitely noticed. he kept staring at you, eyes wide and dark. he was being so shameless that you started to get worried that someone will notice. you excused yourself to go the bathroom and rest from his burning gaze a bit. as you were reaching for the door you heard his voice calling your name. “Y/N!” you turned around and saw Jisung running towards you. “Ji what are you doing? we’re not supposed to be seen together” you whispered. “i just can’t contain myself, you look so good, i’ve never seen you in a dress like that before” he mumbled pressing you against the door lightly. his eyes shined with both adoration and lust. you blushed. “someone will notice” you tried to protest. “i don’t care” he said and pulled you in for a deep kiss, his hands already playing with the hem of your dress.

felix

you and your boyfriend were invited to his parents house for dinner tonight. they wanted to celebrate their wedding anniversary. you decided to dress a bit more fancy than usual. Felix put on a nice shirt and a tie. you recently found your old black dress. it was short but very elegant so you decided it is still quite appropriate for the occasion. Felix entered your bedroom and started looking around. “are you searching for something?” you asked. “yeah i can’t find my watch.” he said finally looking at you. “oh” he blushed. “what?” you asked checking yourself out in the mirror. you looked fine. your boyfriend approached you slowly eyes gazing at your exposed thighs. “i’ve never seen you wear such a short dress.” “is it too short?” you asked worried now. maybe you should change in something longer. “nah it’s fine. just a little bit distracting” Felix responded hugging you from behind. you chuckled and he leaned down to kiss you. at first his lips were sweet and gentle but after a while he became more desperate. his hands started roaming your body and pressing you against his hard on. “Lixie stop” you said a bit breathless from all the kisses. “we’ll crease our clothes and we need to leave soon” you tried to think rationally despite your boyfriend tempting you. “are you going to leave me like that?” he pouted pointed to his erection. “yes, we’ll have fun when we’ll be back, come on!” you protested.

seungmin

you met Seungmin in the dog shelter this summer, you were both students volunteering. you slowly started to get to know each other working long hours together. attraction was there from the beginning, in shy smiles and long conversations, although both of you were rather timid. after two months Seungmin finally gathered enough courage to ask you out. you agreed with pure joy in your eyes which made him a bit more confident. however you have never imagined that on your first date you’ll end up pressed against the cafes restroom door panties to the side, his bare dick deep inside of you hitting your sweet spot. “fuck Seungmin i’m gonna cum” you moaned clenching around him. “cum pretty, cream my cock” he grunted in between of messy wet kisses. and all of that happened because of that damn dress as he said. he could not resist you. after months of seeing you in dirty sweats and overalls you wore the flimsiest little sundress to your first date. and suddenly he did not have any willpower left, dragging you to the restroom in the middle of the date cause he just needed to have you.

jeongin

“look at that dress, it’s stunning” you boyfriend showed you a short sparkly piece of material. “it’s way to short for me and you know that” you dismissed it immediately. “come on, at least try it on. it will look great on you.” he insisted following you around the store. “fine” you agreed finally taking few other pieces with you to the fitting room as well. Jeongin followed you like an excited kid. it was so cute it made you smile. he patiently waited for you to change and gave his opinions on each piece. you left the dress for the end. surprisingly it actually fit you like a glove. yes it was dangerously short but you definitely liked how it looked on you. you must’ve been staring at yourself for a bit too long because jeongin peeked from behind the door and joined you. “wow y/n” he gasped eyes traveling down your body. “i told you it will look good.” his hands found their way around your waist as he was watching your figure in the mirror. “yeah i actually like it, should i get it?” you asked feeling brave now. “hmm” your boyfriend pretended to think about it while his hands rubbed your hips. “i’m not sure if i’ll be able to control myself if you will wear that in public” he whispered in your ear and nipped at your neck. you arched towards him and replied “is this such a bad thing?” slowly guiding his hand down your body between your legs. “no it’s not” he responded grinning and giving you exactly what you needed.

[jwonsoon]

enhypen as taylor swift songs ˚ ༘ ೀ⋆｡˚

☾ a/n: i've been listening to a lot of taylor swift recently and maybe i'm crazy but every song somehow reminds me of enhypen. i've been thinking about them non stop so i made a part two of the post ☼ made since you guys liked that one. this might be kinda all over the place but i hope you enjoy !

JUNGWON

cardigan "When I felt like I was an old cardigan, under someone's bed, you put me on and said I was your favorite"

comfort. he's my perpetual comfort. on days when i feel like i'm doing nothing right, on days when i feel hopeless, he's always there to spark that 1% within me that wants to keep trying. his continuous effort to communicate with engenes despite his busy schedule shows me that the care he holds for us is something so genuine. he reassures me and gives me reasons to love myself. he will see you crying, sit down next to you and patiently wait and listen. comforting you by holding your hand and wiping your tears. he's always there to make your life feel worth living again. jungwon will never leave you hanging or feeling like you aren't enough; you're always enough for him. a/n my jungwonie i love you

JAKE

safe & sound "You'll be alright, no one can hurt you now"

jake to me embodies emotional protection. he's the type to hold you gently while you cry into his arms, rubbing your back telling you it's going to be okay. no matter what happens he's right there by your side the whole time. the reason i picked this song is because i can imagine jake staying up all night with you when you're overwhelmingly anxious. even if his head keeps jerking back and forth because of how tired he is, he'll make sure you fall asleep first so that he can sleep knowing you're alright.

JAY

right where you left me "You left me no choice but to stay here forever"

angsty, i know. there's two reasons why i think this song perfectly captures him. one being, his loyalty. no matter what happens he'll stay by your side. there are time when it's hard to keep going and there's a back and forth struggle but jay will be consistent and check in on you. he will sit by you and wait for you to feel better, his patience has no end when it comes to those he cares about and it's his most charming quality among many others. i also just think he's so "first love" coded. you are never getting over jay! no matter how hard you try! - but don't worry because he's waiting for you to come back too...

NIKI

paper rings "I like shiny things, but I'd marry you with paper rings"

thats bestie!!! riki symbolizes happy young love for me. best friends to lovers type. his teasing flirty manner would always make you giggle. knowing how artsy he is he would definitely make you some goofy paper ring and "propose" to you, leaving you a flustered mess. i just think this song is so upbeat and pretty and incapsulates niki's playfulness perfectly. a/n i love him so much i'm going to rip my walls out.

HEESEUNG

gorgeous "You're so gorgeous, I can't say anything to your face"

i mean... do i even have to explain? heeseung's charm is irresistible. no matter how much his constant teasing would annoy you, when you look up and see his face all of it melts away. he's so hallway crush coded, he would make you feel all giddy inside simply because of a passing head nod or just a slight smile. don't even get me started on his perfect laugh and smile! i can write a 4000 word essay on it. anywho, it's self explanatory. heeseung = gorgeous!

SUNOO

invisible string And isn't it just so pretty to think, all along there was some, Invisible string, Tying you to me?

sunoo is destiny. i remember watching iland and from the very beginning my eyes were hooked onto him. and now, here i am, three years later writing this. his comforting smile and how he gives so much love to those around him helps me recognize how genuinely kind of a person he is. he's someone you want to keep close. no matter what happens sunoo will always find a way to provide you with solace and light on the darker days. he's pretty, the concept of soulmates is pretty, he is such a person destined to be loved and cared for deeply. no one ever hurt him please.

SUNGHOON

the way i loved you "So in love that you act insane and that's the way I loved you"

now, let me preface this by saying, i don't think sunghoon is toxic... this is just to feed my angst loving delusions. sunghoon is the one the got away. he's the one who you cared for so deeply but it was right person wrong time. despite how much he pushed to keep your relationship intact it was hard for him. he didn't want to fight you, he wanted to fight for you. sunghoon is the type to not let you leave until you figure it out with him. he'll sit with you even if you yell at him and just listen to you. he's cares about you so deeply that you can't help but constantly think about him even when he isn't there. - because he is also constantly thinking about you.

[ftwdb]

Don’t say go.

Chapter 18.

Warnings: Dark themes, sexual content, violence, non-graphic description/implications of SA, child abuse and domestic violence. References to addiction. Unhealthy love/obsession/relationships. Soulmate AU. Eventual smut.

Not proofread because I am too tired 😴

It’s dark by the time you feel the strength of The Pull reaching its peak, and you know what that means. You look around into the darkness. In the wastes there isn’t much besides stretches of empty barren land and mountains in the distance. You know you’re not yet at your destination which can only mean one thing. The boy with the flag was headed toward you too.

You see twin lights in the distance. A car headed toward you. Eventually you stop in the middle of the road and just wait. The lights get closer until they shine on your windscreen and you both sit, unmoving, just waiting for the other to make the first move.

You cut the truck’s engine and step out.

The boys does the same. The lights of your vehicles illuminate the night just enough that you can make out each other in the darkness.

The boy steps forward enough that he is more clearly thrown into view and you can see now the warm brown eyes, his features which are so different from Troy’s. Softer but still strong. You hesitate. Your gun is tucked in the back of your jeans and your fingers twitch.

The boy speaks.

“Hi… I’m Nick.”

You don’t say anything, you just keep watching until he clears his throat as if a little unsure of himself.

“You came alone?”

For a second you could have kicked yourself. Coming alone had been a risk but now that he was here, in the middle of nowhere and no one knew where you’d gone you realised how vulnerable you’d left yourself.

“For now.” You answered him flatly. At least if you were vague about whether you had people with you it might make him have second thoughts if he was planning anything questionable.

The boy waits a beat before trying again.

“I guess you felt it too then…”

You don’t want to say the words out loud so you simply nod your head. The boy, Nick, continues.

“I thought I was going crazy at first. I never thought I’d find my… find you. Feel it, you know?”

You frown at this. Everyone worries they’ll never find their soulmate but something in his voice captures your attention. It’s less that he’s worried about the odds and more… something you can’t quite distinguish.

“Why?” You ask.

Nick hesitated before shrugging a little.

“That’s a… it doesn’t matter. What matters now is that… I found you. It feels… weird. Don’t you think?”

Perhaps if you hadn’t already had the experience with Troy you would agree. But you didn’t want him to know that Troy was your soulmate and so you don’t answer his question.

“Look I came here to warn you. Some of the people from my community are coming back tonight to finish what they started before. You need to tell your people to run.”

Nick frowns at this information.

“We agreed to a truce-“

You shake your head in annoyance. You don’t want to explain all this. You want him to just listen to your warning and leave so you can forget about whatever this mistake is between you both and go home, go back to Troy.

“They’re acting of their own accord. Some of the men have certain… loyalties. This isn’t about protecting their home it’s about revenge.”

Nick is watching you closely now and you don’t like the way his eyes are roaming over you. You freeze. You wonder if he can feel your emotions just like you can with Troy. You reach out in the same way you do with Troy and try to find Nick, to feel what he feels… there’s nothing. Just the regular sense of The Pull.

“You’re warning me because of this feeling between us? You came looking for me because of it.”

You shake your head growing more frustrated as all you want to do is head back before Mike and the others see you out here.

“I don’t have time to explain myself. You have to get your people and go, far away from here. Don’t come back.”

Nick’s eyes widen as he realises you have no intention of staying with him.

“But… you have to come with me. When I left earlier, after I saw you, it felt like my heart was being-“

“It doesn’t matter.” You say quickly, all too familiar with that pain. “I can’t come. I won’t go with you. But I don’t want you to die either so, please, leave.”

Nick is staring at you incredulously.

“I can’t do that.”

You actually growl from your frustration with him.

“Why!?”

“Because,” Nick says as he steps closer. You take a large step away from him. You can’t risk him getting too close, having him touch you. You don’t know what will happen. “I just found you. I can’t walk away!”

“Then run! Drive! Fucking skip for all I care! If you stay, you die. Not that I care-“

“That’s a lie.” Nick cuts you off quickly. “Soulmates need each other. Hearts literally break when they lose one another. So why… why are you denying this?”

You swallow nervously and look at truck. You could just get back in now and drive away, but what if he follows? You have a feeling he would. He seems the type. Reckless and stubborn.

“I… it’s complicated.”

You say and you hate how pathetic that sounds.

“It’s Complicated used to be a Facebook status.” Nick quips quickly. “Tell me the truth. Why run from me?”

“I’m not!”

“Then what are you running from!? Or… wait… what are you going back to?”

You clench your jaw as Nick slowly starts to put the pieces together in his head.

“You have someone-“

“No.”

“A boyfriend? Fiancé?”

“No! No one!”

“Your home then, your community. You’re worried this would cause a problem. Conflict? But maybe it could help solve the bad blood between us! Two soulmates who find each other in opposites sides-“

“This isn’t bloody Romeo and Juliet, Nick!”

He grins and it makes you want to slap the beautiful smile off his face.

“You’re hardly Juliet sweetheart.”

You snarl, your anger beginning to erupt. Why won’t he just listen! Why make this so complicated!

“Whatever! Just get in your car and drive away Romeo!”

Nick laughs and it’s almost like he’s enjoying this.

“Oh the universe is truly a bitch. I didn’t think it’d find my soulmate because I didn’t deserve one. But maybe I do. It’s ironic that she would hate me, a poetic kind of punishment I guess…”

Your expression eases but doesn’t soften as you listen to him ramble. Hate? You didn’t hate him…

“Why would you be punished?” You ask, your senses on alert in case this was the part where he confides he’s a serial killer or something.

Nick shrugs again.

“If you got to know me, you’d understand.”

You shake your head again with a weary sigh.

“You don’t listen to do.”

Nick steps forward again and this time the light moves so he’s back in the shadows with you.

“I could… but you’d need to actually tell me something for me to hear it. Something besides “run away” because that isn’t happening.”

You swear at him and he smirks.

“We don’t have time. Your people will be killed.”

Nick rubs his hand over the back of his neck and it finally seems to dawn on him, he has other responsibilities. Other people to protect.

“When are your people attacking?” He says.

“They’re leaving the ranch around midnight, so probably by the early hours of the morning. Before sunrise though.”

“Element of surprise, cover of darkness. They’re smart.”

“And we’ll armed. So will you listen to me now?”

Nick states at you for a few seconds and you almost believe he’d let his people risk being slaughtered instead of going back to warn them.

“Fine.”

You blink at him.

“Fine?”

“That’s what I said. I’ll go back. I’ll warn them.”

“And you’ll run? You can’t fight back, it’ll be a bloodbath.”

“Look I can’t promise anything… we have some stubborn members of our group and they might not take the truce being broken well-“

“The truce isn’t broken. It’s just a small group-“

“Still breaking the truce. Still disobeying your leader, right?”

You bite your tongue. Jeremiah wasn’t their leader officially but…

“Yeah. Yeah I guess. So what? You’ll go back and they try to defend themselves?”

Nick shrugs again.

“If they think it’s more beneficial than running.”

You pinch the bridge of your nose.

“I’m getting a damn headache.”

For some reason this amuses Nick.

“Head rub?”

Your look at him is deadly and he sniggers.

“Joking. Lighten up. Look, I’ll go back and do what I can to stop anymore death. But I can’t promise anything. We lost people. The guy who was in charge came at us like a demon. We didn’t stand a chance…”

Your stomach twists as Nick talks about Troy.

“You want revenge?”

Nick’s expression blanks out and you recognise the perfectly controlled mask on his face. You’d used it yourself before.

“Me? No. But there are those who do.”

“Then convince them their lives aren’t worth it. Tonight is not their night to die. Please… no more death.”

Your voice breaks as you finish your sentence and Nick tilts his head at you. You look away, hating that you’d let some vulnerability slip through.

“Who’d you lose?”

You take a slow breath and shake your head.

“Doesn’t matter. Just… do what you can. And if you can’t save them… save yourself at least.”

Nick looks like he wants to say more. He looks pained.

“Can I… see you again?”

It’s almost laughable. Like a schoolboy asking out his crush. You place your hand on the door of the truck and grip it tight as you give him a firm “no” and turn away before you can see the look on his face.

You slide into your truck and slam the door, locking it before turning in the engine. This was for the best. You didn’t know what else to do. There had been some mistake and maybe Nick had another soulmate out there somewhere too? You hoped so… you didn’t want him to be in pain.

You hear a loud tap at the window and you look over to see Nick still standing there, motioning for you to wind it down. You do, only a few inches so you can hear him speak.

Nick pauses as he looks you over before speaking.

“It’s him, isn’t it.”

You frown and Nick elaborates.

“The guy who attacked us. The one whose skull was caved in. He’s why you won’t stay with me.”

You feel your stomach drop. How did he know? Your hands clench on the wheel as you grit your teeth.

“His name is Troy.”

“Troy…” Nick repeats and you hear the sadness and disappointment in his voice. “Well, you must love him a lot to chose him over your soulmate.”

You avoid his eyes still and stare straight ahead until the light from his car burns your eyes.

Nick continues.

“… I hope he makes it, for your sake. And… I want you to know it wasn’t me. I didn’t hurt him.”

You nod. Not that it would have mattered, as much as you loved Troy you could understand he’d made a choice that led to his own injuries. Even if he’d done it to protect you… you hated that the blood spilled was on your hands too now.

“I have to go.” You say emptily, and put the truck into reverse.

Nick steps back just in time to save his foot being run over as you reverse and turn, glancing back to see his shadow in the headlights as you drive back home. Back to Troy. Back to where your heart felt complete… as you try to ignore how it felt as if you’d just left a piece of it in the darkness behind you…

[never-forget-viva-la-pluto]

GOOD OMENS S2 SPOILERS!!!

This season of good omens is so good. List to follow:

"He's not allowed to stop the execution of 3 children bc the system that agreed to kill them has a permit" like that is the best satire I've heard since Shakespeare

Non stop foreshadowing of Beezlebub X Gabriel. Like it's so obvious so early on. Flies near him, him not wanting to kill them, it hurts to remember, you're perfect.

Aziraphel crying when he thinks he's a demon after lying is such a great first stake in the heart of solidifying that he thinks Crowley is still an angel and won't accept him as he is. More to that, it is so good at showing how that all stems from his own internalized fear. A very queer experience mirrored here...purity something something. Mr. Fell is afraid of falling.

Crowly is very cunty this season. The posts are right

AZ drives like crowley

AZ writing in his diary about his and crowleys dates like a teen girl. Bonus that it's a date to a graveyard to look at a picture of his old boss and they end up in a diseased alley and help a wee lesbian steal a corps. And still writing about it like it was a super cute date solely bc his crush got drunk and acted a fool. Same place for the Beezlebub Gabe date extra bonus

They let Tennant be scottish!

Crowley having a night rider moment

Aziraphel being genuinely in love with humanity and holding the jar close to himself in grief at the doctor's has me emotional. He really does have too much love for one tiny little angel.

Crowley having the time of his life making those two humans fall in love. He loves mischief but he hates harm. He loves to see humans happy and he only shows it when he's alone

Aziraphels debut as a Magician!

Aterik is gender envy. Don't argue with me

Mark Gatiss zombie. No I am not lying not even a little.

Crowley fell for AZ when he gave away the sword but he falls farther every time AZ does a little more good. The way he said " thank you for getting me off the hook back there" was so flirtatious and the smile when AZ knocks over shit in the Magic shop. Hats off the both actors

Old man crowley

Lmao crowley seeing the miracles don't work and deciding to speed read how not to kill his boyfriend XD

The shaky breathing as crowley aims the rifle. There is more tension in that scene than most horror I've seen.

AZIRAPALALALA

Lmao the car is a puppy

Shax being a bad bitch and not underestimating Aziraphels love for his bookshop. 10k demons is called for when sieging that place.

AZ getting things done while crowley fucks around in the back or vise versus is a common scene dynamic

AZ quoting DW trivia like tennant does.

This whole season is about how they realize how much they love each other and having a crisis about it while hell and heaven interrupt with issues regarding 1 John ham

The long running joke in the show is that all the angel's pretend they know a lot about humans as a show of power

Much more miracles and it's awesome.

Not even the seamstress is straight

Azs shop changing into a ball was so distracting to crowley that he momentarily forgot about the army of demons coming for them

John hamm fluffy coat

Crowley reading terms and agreements comes in handy several times

"Happy anniversary, love" I'm screaming and crying I am so full. This season said OK please make this queer friendly. "You're a good lad" "not either" my trans ass is so happy

Also this season is still so ace even though they kiss it still feels very ace energy to me. Maybe it's just the lack of sexualized anything, or maybe it's the variety of body's that so rarely get shown on TV.

Crowleys heaven sneak

"Stay back"

One demon popped like a bubble. There was a sound effect and everything

The bad guys always say things that fucking hurt. They always have the right thing that cut to the core of the characters soft spots

Halo removal should be in more of the fanfics actually that scene was baller

If you watch as all the heaven and hell fight AZ cannot stop staring at crowley

Crowley fixing the bookshop so it stays the same, while AZ changes it. Symbolism something parallels something

Sheen's delivery of the news to crowley was so well done. It's joyful, yet the second he has to tell crowley you can see the hesitation. He doesn't even believe what he's saying. It starts to hurt and he doesn't know why. But hes already agreed. He needed to hear the girls talk more than crowley did and it shows.no notes

ENDING THE SEASON W THE RADIO SINGING THE ENDING FROM S1 WAS PERFECT

Can't wait for S 3 !!!!!

[theysangastheyslew]

Hey!!!

I want to share more suffering with you, homie haha *crying*

What do you think of the episode? Especially 132 part ofc!

Hi friend! :'))))))))) Ooooooh honey that gif is such a mood XD I’ve been trying to collect my thoughts and this is the best I can do atm. Sorry it’s kind of wordy but here we go 🥲

Ok! So ever-present pacing issues aside, the overarching story made for a solid episode and the animation was incredible. Hell, even the things I disliked objectively looked well-done out of context. Overall, that was no small feat to pull off, especially in such harsh working conditions. I truly do want to acknowledge that.

But in regards to 132, you guys already put into words how I feel better than I could. I may not have anything new to add, but I’ll say what I liked first and then put my issues under a cut.

As someone who actually really likes Yams’ art style, I loved that they consistently kept Hange’s face accurate to the manga. It was really inconsistent throughout the final season and they struggled to not make it too short a lot of times. Hange was always still stunning of course but the difference always stuck out to me. Here everyone was drawn well, but you can tell she got some extra attention.

The way they inched Levi closer to where Hange was sitting while talking with Yelena. Insignificant yeah but consistent with their past behavior. Also I’m glad they tweaked the position of his bandages so it looked less like they were painfully tugging upwards on his nose.

The pained expressions of the kids and Hange watching Levi struggle to even hold his gear

The “unrequited love” exchange. It had most of the softness and emotion from the manga even though the weight of that line will never be realized in non-written form. The camera lingered on each frame in a way that conveyed the sentiment. This is what got my hopes up that they would stay truer to the source material with DYH.

I'm so glad they left in Hange's lines to Flochroach about not giving up. Helps show—once again—that they wanted to live

The choked way Levi said “Devote your heart” + Hange’s widened eye and soft gasp at his words. Though not tearing up like in the manga, the shot still looked lovely for the half second it lasted. He doesn't pause halfway through saying it though so this one I'm still wrestling with.

Of course, the last stand. Onscreen, Hange took out at least 16 colossals (including the ones we see trip and get trampled) and definitely more offscreen (when they cut away to show other characters) and for the last few, did it while in the most pain a human body can feel. 7/10 for combat, my ass. Idk about y’all but I can’t stop hearing Romi Park’s screams in my head. I knew it would be nauseating and brutal but dear God. At the same time I cannot put into words how proud I am of them. That's my commander 💜

Ok “like” is definitely not the right word for this but I had wondered when I first read 132 how Hange’s gas tank was so well-insulated that it didn’t ignite, and.. well I got my answer.

I’m thankful that they didn’t show a glimpse of Hange’s bloody, crushed remains the way you see in the og panel. That at least felt respectful to me. This is wishful thinking I know but the defined charred outline makes me choose hope they fell more off to the side from where the titans were walking so at least there was maybe still a body left to recover someday.

The afterlife scene, the kids all sobbing their hearts out, Levi holding his own hand in the aftermath trying to process what just happened, and Onyankopon confirming the plane’s significance all really were appropriately gut-wrenching.

I really recommend taking a little break between The Rumbling and Sinners. It definitely makes the shift in emotion less jarring and less

When I did that with my rewatch it helped with the flow of things.

Ok, now twist me up and call me a pretzel bc here there be some salt :|

I’ll try to leave out my og issues with the manga chapter itself (like how painfully obvious it was all just to make Armin commander and how unnecessary Hange dying was IN THE FIRST PLACE and IF it had to happen at all how it could have been done at the final boss skelepalooza showdown, etc.) and just focus on the episode.

Goes without saying but it bears repeating: pacing. 75% of my issues with the execution of DYH would be gone if they just slowed down a bit. Just let the weight of it sink in a little. That this moment —all shreds of shipping aside— is the end of the line for these two heroes who have been supporting each other for ten years while bearing the weight of the world on their shoulders. But Mappa completely reversed the timing of the sequence of events. In the manga we had a longer, more intimate farewell followed by a last stand that was so short even when you knew it was coming it left you reeling from how fast it was from start to finish. Whereas here they hurried it along to get to the “main event”. Hell, it flows better in gif sets than it does in the actual show.

To me, it felt like Hange’s demeanor didn’t really change from talking with the kids to speaking with Levi, making their false bravado seem like less of a front. I know their tone was meant to sound like they were keeping up appearances, but with how often Hange just gets reduced solely to being a titan freak the way they had Romi say the lines made it sound like actual excitement, especially with the way they drew Hange's facial expressions (more on that next)

Hange’s little smirk after the salute. I kinda get what they were trying to do here but to me it came off as very flippant and dismissive of Levi’s choice of words, especially since they all but got rid of their lips trembling and eye beginning to well up with tears. I wish we’d gotten the big fake smile and laugh because that would have shown better that Hange was overcompensating by trying to put their brave face back on after starting to lose their composure. Their fear is obvious in the manga but it just simply didn’t come through as well throughout this entire exchange.

Sooo Hange almost tears up when Pieck said their words inspired her yet minutes later when their Best Friend tries to say goodbye there’s nowhere near that kind of reaction? Sure, Jan

Levi’s face. Ok look. It’s not a lack of emotion on his part that bothers me. It’s that it’s an entirely different one to begin with. He looks bummed at first yes, but then that changes to what I’m guessing is supposed to be determination which comes off as anger or annoyance (kinda like what changed with his scene with Armin on the stairs). They removed what made this parting different from previous ones, which was the sense of open vulnerability and the dawning realization that now he’s going to have to let Hans go too. See it's not like they were in the middle of the battle just yet. This situation came on suddenly and unexpectedly; it wasn't "supposed" to happen. One second they were on track and the next Hange is being torn away by fate. And yes, the highlights play a part in that transition. Anyone who draws eyes knows the importance of placement and intensity and the major impact they have over the final expression. And when drawing a comic you certainly don’t take up valuable page space with three panels focusing on the hope draining out of someone’s eyes if it wasn’t supposed to be the focus. I mean for fuck's sake, even the Final Season!Nendoroid Levi got it right. Plus, if they could make a point of getting Eren's eyes right during the raid on Liberio they could have gotten it here.

When the camera cuts to the kids watching the titans fall the angle doesn’t let you see that Levi can’t bring himself to watch for more than just a second

NOT MAPPA’s FAULT but since I’m being whiny right now I’m going to add that while ACWNR is a mixed bag to begin with, WIT’s adaptation not including Levihan’s introduction saddens me bc Levi asking Hange to keep watching loses a bit of extra oomph.

Really it just comes down to the fact that there was nothing wrong with the original page. It wasn’t overdone or dragged out by any means but considering many other scenes got shot-for-shot depictions I don’t think we were asking for anything outrageous by wanting a faithful adaptation. The couple frames we got that were almost perfect were so freakin fast you barely had time to process them before it cut away.

I wanted to like it, I really did. Especially since MAPPA did so many things so incredibly well as a whole. My expectations weren’t high, and I did want to give it the benefit of the doubt. But when it came to DYH, it felt both watered down and disjointed, like a completely different scene.

But so it goes. At the end of the day, Hange still dies a horrifying death for plot convenience, and Levi is left behind to suffer once again. It was always going to hurt and I was never going to be ready for it, no matter how it was done.

[roanniom]

Concept: new person to Hawkins just casually and unknowingly sits at the Hellfire table before the rest of the gang gets there, and just doesn't talk for the entirety of lunch because they're too anxious to say or do anything that might draw attention to them. They're pretty much Gomez in this image

Hellfire x non-binary!reader

I love the idea that nobody acknowledges you. Like Dustin maybe smiles at you quickly and then sends a questioning glance to Gareth who just shrugs. And Mike whispers something in Lucas’s ear but Lucas slaps him on the shoulder and tells him to shut up.

And Eddie’s late to lunch because he was out by the woods doing a deal. So it’s just been you and the guys in a charged semi-silence. Them bickering lightly from time to time, but not really engaging in their regular obnoxious discourse. Not with a new person at the table. Not without their leader present.

So when Eddie finally shows up, he slams his black lunch box down on the table and looks from the guys to you and then back to the guys.

“What’s with the little stray?” He asks, plopping down in his seat.

“They just sat down and didn’t say anything,” Mike says dismissively. Dustin slaps him - on the opposite shoulder from where Lucas had slapped him - and shakes his head.

“You’re welcome to sit wherever you want, ignore him.”

“Henderson is right. Our humble table is a safe haven for any lost souls looking for refuge,” Eddie says with a massive grin. You look up from your lunch and try your best to ascertain whether or not he is making fun of you but you’re surprised to find sincerity in his eyes.

“Th-thanks,” you manage to reply. Eddie leans back in his chair and puts his hands together, surveying you over the steepled tips of his fingers.

“You like games, little stray?”

“Yeah. I was in a D&D club in my last school.” Everyone around the table starts laughing and you frown, worried you said something wrong. “But I guess that’s really nerdy? I don’t know, I’m sorry…”

“Did you not tell them what we do?” Eddie asks, turning to the other members of the group sitting around the table.

“No we didn’t say anything,” Lucas says, shaking his head.

“We were waiting for you,” Dustin pipes up.

“What am I, the damn welcoming committee?“ Eddie bites back, tossing a stack of loose napkins at Dustin without malice. He sits up straighter in his chair. “What these mannerless dickheads should have told you is that this here little group of ruffians is Hawkin’s own club of both dungeons and dragons.”

Your eyes light up immediately and you turn to take in the whole table as if for the first time. Noting their matching shirts with a devil on the front. Their faces now seem a lot more open than they’d seemed when you first sat down, though maybe you just hadn’t known what to look for in the first place. Eddie watches you warmly and he snaps his fingers to get your attention.

“So what’s your deal? New kid in town, was it?“

“Yeah, my parents are looking for a ‘new start’ or whatever,” you say with air quotes.

“Aren’t we all, new kid. Aren’t we all.” Eddie considers you for a moment, recognizing in your face and the way you hold yourself the hallmarks of a kid who’s been through some shit and just needs a place to call home. Hallmarks he had once seen in every face currently sitting around the table. Hallmarks he sees in his own face when he looks in the mirror.

“So what do you say? Wanna join?” Eddie asks suddenly. You sit up straight, a massive smile on your face.

“Can I?” You sound so hopeful it almost breaks Eddie’s heart. To combat the swell of emotion in his chest he assumes a faux stern look.

“That depends. Can you afford the entrance fee?”

“Fee?” You ask, suddenly worried. All of the other club members frown around you, seemingly equally confused. “I don’t know if I can…”

“You gonna eat that?” Eddie asks, pointing at your apple. You pick it up and shake your head, offering it to him. He takes it with a massive grin, polishing it against the front of his shirt. “That’s it. That’s the fee. I didn’t have time to grab lunch and I’m fucking starving.”

Eddie takes a theatrically large bite out of the apple as you and the guys laugh. You feel something tugging at your chest as you look at the way everyone begins dissolving into enthusiastic conversation. Lucas and Mike are pulling out campaign notes while Dustin is showing Gareth his new set of dice.

You finally look back at Eddie, who is watching you over his apple. He winks.

“Welcome to Hellfire, new kid.”

[blubushie]

do u just name the guns/knives or do u name other stuff too (i'm asking respectfully)

Ok, since you come respectful I'll answer respectful.

Getting this out of the way: I'm autistic. Object personification is a symptom of autism. It is something I have. This paper will be very sad if you don't read it. I will also be referring to people as "humans" throughout this to separate from my own concept of "people."

I'm an extremely low empathy autistic, plus some other things. While I'll see non-human things as people, I also don't really see humans as people. It's more like watching animals go about their natural behaviours. I'm an outsider looking in, taking notes on behaviour and interactions within the community. I don't think of humans as any different from the animals I observe and hunt. We're all just organisms. Humans are people with our own place in the food chain, try as we might to rise above it. There is me, a person. There is Misty, a person. Once I get to know another human well, they become a person to me instead of just another animal.

Only ones this doesn't apply to is kids. I'm horribly empathetic to kids. Teenagers are on thinner ice but still get empathy. But kids fuck me up hard. If something happens to a child I'll be fucked up for days.

This doesn't mean I go around being an arsehole, because I'm polite and learnt a long time ago and that no one will ever really understand my perspective on how I see other people. They'll call you a monster, a freak, a psychopath, etc. They'll think you want to harm humans, or that you're a bad person because you don't see other humans with the same personhood as you see yourself, or say you dehumanise humans. And I don't reckon I dehumanise humans, because all of humanity is like this to me. Additionally, while I'm low-empathy, I'm not a fucking sadist. I don't want anything to suffer. Shots I take on animals are clean and accurate--ethical and humane. I try to have the same approach with people. If someone is in distress, I am going to help them because that's the right thing to do. I might not personally care about the person, but I will help them because it's good to be kind. Sometimes that means I put up with a lot more shit than I should.

When I get close enough to someone, I start seeing them as people. Those in my server, my mates, my family. If I become emotionally attached to something, my empathy starts working and they become a person to me. But this also means that anything with sentimental value to me is now granted personhood. Misty is a person. My rifle, Winnie, is a person. My knife, Kaz, is a person. My stockwhip Stozza, my ute Matilda (though really, Matilda is the camper and not the rig itself). These are all people to me. They have emotions and feelings and this paper will be very sad if you don't read it.

And when something is granted personhood, I grant it a name. There's a reason everyone in my server--my friend group--is given a nickname by me, even if most of them don't know what I've given them. There's a reason my rifle and knife and car have names. There's a reason my dog has a name. People have names.

When I first got Winnie at twelve, she was just my gun. "Can I bring my gun?" No, Jet, we don't bring guns to Macca's. "I'll leave it in the car. I just wanna bring it." I didn't wanna let her out of my sight. She was my pride and joy, even then. And later that year, after I was assaulted, there was days I'd spend shooting tins out behind our caravan, and she was the only thing that made me feel like I had any power over my life. Because she felt powerful. She made me feel safe--like if ever I needed to, I could protect myself. She couldn't change what had happened to me, but so long as she was by my side I was sure it'd never happen to me again.

When I was fifteen and went bush, I brought her with me. .30-06 is fucking overkill for rabbits, but I shot a roo with her and the meat lasted me the whole near-three weeks I was out there until the coppers found me 60km from Ghan. She kept me alive, because I didn't bring enough food for three weeks. To be fair, leaving was an impulse decision and I was also 15 at the time, but still. Her dedication to me then was rewarded with her going from a gun to my most beloved companion, and being granted the name Winnie.

They took her when I was taken into custody, and I wouldn't talk to the detective until he assured me I'd get her back once I left the copshop. I went directly from the copshop into a mental facility, but she was there at the detective's house when he pulled me out of it.

By the time I was 17 and going to high school in rural California, I was in the school carpark when I noticed one of the boys at my school had a semi-auto shotty on the rack in his ute. So on the drive home I stopped by our local gunshop and immediately bought a gunrack for my back window, which is where Winnie rests now when she's not locked in her safe in Matilda or by the door.

Eventually Kaz went from "dad's knife" to "the KA-BAR", then back to "my knife" cuz KA-BAR is a mouthful, then finally to Kaz. By the time I'd bought my camper for my ute, I'd come to terms with sometimes people just Name Things when they get attached. And as I was 17, going on 18, and homeless at the time, I immediately named her Matilda.

When I became a stockman I wasn't given a station knife because I had Kaz and told them I didn't need one, but I was given my stockwhip and after it was used on me I finally gave it the name Stozza. And sometimes I take it out and crack it a couple times just so it's not sitting there coiled in a box at the bottom of my wardrobe.

The pronouns comes with the name territory. I just get a certain vibe off things, if that makes sense? Winnie is, without a doubt, feminine to me. Kaz is feminine to me. Stozza is masculine, but I usually find myself calling him an "it" instead of masculine pronouns because while I'm attached to it for sentimental reasons, it's not quite reached a level of personhood with me yet.

Anyway, hope that covers things. Cheers.

[melikedraw]

I would KILL for a series about Jim's personal life 😭😭 (but considering the current state of screenwriting and storytelling as a whole imma have to beg Disney to please leave my boy alone)

There's so much to unpack about Jim as a whole but yes to every single thing you just said. I think my feelings for Jim are more platonic than romantic now, but I still get EXACTLY where you're coming from cuz please he's literally one of the most attractive animated characters to ever come into non existence

For me it's just the way he moves?? Like despite the fact that he's clearly lost and seeking some kind of anchor to hold onto, his movements never carry any kind of hesitancy

Whether he's up in the air on a solar glider or walking around on a flying ship floating over open space my man just seems so comfortable in his own body and I ADORE that confidence and the way it's so well written that it doesn't clash with the aforementioned lost/seeking state of mind he's in, it weaves right into who his character is as a whole and I am OBSESSED

As for space academy Jim I think I'll put that in another ask cuz this one's already hella long and I gotta deal with some irl stuff first XD but for sure we should trade headcannons!! Any thoughts on how the space academy would be run and where it would be (i.e on montressor, on another planet etc etc)

(Also so sorry if I get the names of anything in the TP world wrong, I've seen this movie so many times but my memory sucks and I keep forgetting 😭)

REAL. SO REAL. AND ADDING ON TO WHAT YOU SAID

How he's move right? Oh my gOD the way he touches his face or how he glances the way his hand and his eyes move feels so real y'know what I'm saying? It feels like he is an actual person like he has so many movements so much personality in the way he presents himself feels so human. And the animators didn't even have to add it but they DID like even if he didn't have those small little things he does the story could still play out the same and the movie would still be amazing but they went the extra mile to make Jim feel like such a real character like such a human character and I love that. It's so rare to have all these little details for a character since animation is so damn difficult but they pulled it off so well???? Which is also why I like him so much. It's so different from other characters bc he feels like a person. Like an actual teenager. And it shows a lot about him too and I love just watching him move around he doesn't even need to say anything just be there and like exist and I'm happy

Also Disney better stay tf away from my babygirl bc if they mess him up I will turn up on the news headlines and it will not be pretty.

OH ALSO his eyes are you emotionful ok so turn out that's not a word by YK WHAT I MEAN I CAN FEEL WHAT HE FEEL THROUGH THE WAY HE LOOKS his eyes show so much about him and I love that

I love him

[egipci]

A J/D horror rec

Plano: Some Town Halfway In Between (~7.5k) by elsi (prince-of-elsinore)

The Tar Man first appeared to me in Plano, Texas. That was the summer before I entered sixth grade. In the summer of 1994, the Winchesters put a pause on hunting to hide from the law. But something found them, haunting Sam's dreams and waking hours. (CW: Psychological horror; Underage Dean)

(Bonus too-long/not-long-enough hopefully-non-spoilery thoughts under the cut)

I first read this story soon after it was posted under very (funnily) scary circumstances which I will not get into now, but I remember pretty early on, less than a quarter of the way through, feeling this false confidence, built on vivid and measured prose, that I can solve the case: What is this thing, and how will they get rid of it? Not only that, I was motivated to solve it, because I was genuinely scared, but also because I was hooked into the world right away, forced to engage with it in the way only a very good thriller demands. (Tar Man, I'm coming for you, and so on. I'm doing the work in my mind! I know you lose, I've watched this show!) This alone, that the world and its particularities are so richly conveyed from the onset, the slow-building dread that doesn't compromise momentum, is testament to how well-paced this story is and how much it accomplishes in such relatively little space.

Even with the mystery uncovered, the horror holds up remarkably well: the Tar Man is as viscerally terrifying as it was the first time. But more than the very effective spookiness it's the layered distance between the reader and the events recalled that truly stands out and makes rereading so rewarding. Sam narrates an episode from his childhood, in first person [gasp], many many years removed, and so in a way it is also a story about both little Sam and his isolation, and the older Sam engaged in retelling and the strange barriers our minds put up to handle the unbearable. We're constrained both by his memory, but also by how little access he had to the Dad-Dean unit (a fact unfortunately often underplayed in many pre-canon fic, and which makes Sam-POV-J/D particularly jarring for me to read).

And so it's only through watching Dean that we learn anything. It's not a voyeuristic watching; Sam is only ten or so, and more importantly there is no need for voyeurism. As Sam articulates early on, Dean and John are "all tangled up and stuck together like conjoined twins." Dean's being is so tangibly oriented towards his father that you don't really need to see them together. We watch how he tries to turn an unfinished house into a home, a habitable place for his dad, through a little side-plot involving some thrifted plates that is so moving and canon-feeling it has become my favorite series of scenes about Dean and John, ever. It's so rare that a story can deliver so much insight into Dean's emotional life and his vision of himself and his relationships and his obligation without explosive dialogue or tediously explicit interiority, let alone through the barrier of another character's perspective.

Of course that Sam isn't consciously voyeuristic doesn't mean I am not (because perhaps, like him, I am invested in quarantining the horror away from the tenderness I want to believe is there). In my latest read-through before writing this I was so taken by a brief, almost throw-away, moment of negative space towards the end of the story, in which Sam fucks up, unintentionally but very seriously, and really hurts Dean. John walks in and Sam is sent to wait alone in his room, where he "was alone up in that dark one-window room for a long time," and I found myself thinking I want to write that story, about John and Dean alone, and whatever secret comfort we don't get to see.

This is all to say: go read it, then read it again, and leave elsi a very nice comment!

[mahou-furbies]

Closing thoughts on Mahou Tsukai Precure!

Since I ended up progressing at unexpectedly rapid speed with the first half of this season I wondered if I would manage to fit everything in this year's summary, and it turns out I did, with a couple days to spare too!

I had seen that the general opinion on this season skews negative, expect for the shippers, which I am not, so I didn't have too high expectations. But I'd say that for me it managed to crawl its way to mid tier.

Like I said in the first impressions post I somehow thought Mirai would be a more toned down lead, but unfortunately that was not the case. Especially in the beginning she really got on my nerves, with how she forced herself into Riko's company and how in many episodes her energetic and carefree way clashed with Riko. But things improved on this front when they properly became friends, and overall I think characters like this work better in a duo where attention can be divided more equally over a group where it can lead to the whole cast singing the praises for her virtues. In the end Mirai isn't the worst of her ilk but I didn't like her either. Cute clothes though.

Then there's Riko who in theory should be my fave, with her more serious mannerisms, but she's tied so strongly to Mirai who drags her down that I didn't end up getting a lot out of her. Still she was likable enough and I would have liked to see more of her working through her insecurities.

Mofurun also exists and… she's just too much, she's such an unbelievably cutesy, saccharine, twee, cloying mascot (especially the voice) that it's a definite no for me. However I must admit that she didn't really ~do~ anything wrong, like she doesn't instigate mascot-causes-trouble escapades and in general manages to be surprisingly chill and level-headed. So begrudgingly I have to concur that she makes for an alright mascot even though I certainly won't miss her.

So completely unexpectedly my favourite character turned out to be the magical baby, who knew? Though to be fair she had very little presence in her infant and baby forms and the next one skipped toddler and went right to small child. Her excited and a little out of breath "Haa!" simply works for me every single time she says it, and she also sounds super elegant in her Cure form; overall very good voice acting work on her. And green cure discourse aside I like her design a lot as well, especially the powerup form. She also has a unique role in both the story (her origin and final fate) and character dynamics (the child to Mirai and Riko's mothers), which is definitely a rarity in Precure. She was responsible for quite a lot of trouble though so logically I shouldn't like her as much as I do, but I've decided to open up my heart for her.

The plot was pretty weak, nobody watches Precure for the plot but here the pacing somehow felt particularly plodding and big revelations weren't set up well enough. Like the headmaster's Very Special Friend, that stuff came out of nowhere, and the show also switches its end boss in the middle but takes its sweet time introducing the new one so we're left with flat randos we know nothing about for way too long. Overall incredibly weak villains, might be an all-time low for Precure. I read that the overdesigned smug bishie one is more popular but to me he was just as boring as the rest.

The supporting cast was decent though and I really liked the three magical school classmates. Though there are two wolves inside me, and one of them wants more non-Cure friends for more varied character dynamics, but the other wants magical girl designs for everyone. I'm glad I knew not to expect them to become Cures though (even one-off side Cures) because otherwise I would have been disappointed.

Even if the story and villains were pretty weak, the finale was still great both in terms of epic mahou spectacle and emotional sendoff for the characters. And they spent a lot of time for a proper timeskip ending, I kept checking the runtime and wondering if they're actually going to focus on quiet character moments for over half of the episode and it turns out they did. So I'd say the ending was one of Precure's best. Or the actual final episode was terrible capitalistic drivel as far as I'm concerned but I'm just going to pretend it doesn't exist.

Final verdict is mixed feelings, with Ha-chan being the only real highlight, but the low points were still manageable. And now I'm ready for the sequel well in advance!

[theeangeltimes]

Some Brief Thoughts on Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir S5 // SPOILERS!!! 🐞

This past week I finally got caught up with the entirety of Miraculous Ladybug after hearing about how the show FINALLY gave us some interesting stuff after the mediocrity that was season 3. Two years late, yes, but it’s because season 3 really had me believing that perhaps I was too old to enjoy the show now. However, season 4 + 5’s highlights showed me that there is still a lot to enjoy from this series.

Not that this context is necessarily needed, (I just kinda wanna gloat hehehe) but I’ve been a fan since the show’s first season was still airing. Like, back when you could only watch the latest episodes in English if you watched it subbed and when all the non-French fans still called Cat Noir Chat Noir and when the idea of Gabriel Agreste being Hawk Moth was still just a mere fan theory. So I have quite a bit of emotional investment in this story and have been anticipating its reveals and everything else it has to offer for the good part of a decade.

And so I’ll say this:

• the show should have ended here at the end of the Hawk Moth arc rather than dragging out the butterfly miraculous being missing and seemingly appointing Lila as the next main baddie

• Adrien should have found out that Gabriel was Hawk Moth and Gabriel should have found out Adrien was Cat Noir before his death

No other villain’s reveal and existence will be able to have the same shock value or emotional payoff that Hawk Moth had, especially not Lila’s of all people. How is anything she’s going to do or any secret of hers going to live up to a missing wife being kept in some creepy capsule in a secret basement, unknowingly being the father of your enemy, and your child being a sentimonster of your creation??? (Which don’t even get me started on how much I HATE the fact that they made Adrien, Felix, and Kagami sentimonsters…) Plus, five seasons containing 26 episodes each on top of multiple movies/specials is a good run, I’d say. They should have just let the show end with only 5 seasons. It has run its course!

And speaking of how long this show is, it being confirmed that everything that we have seen happen has taken course over roughly 9-10 months is INSANITY.

Perhaps I just need to sit tight and see if the showrunners will have me eating my words in the next season(s), I really hope they do. (Although, I am not looking forward to the whole Avengers-esque superhero squad bs. I don’t like drastic change and I definitely don’t like those kids {except for Luka, Kagami, and Felix 🫶}.) I mean, there’s still so many big questions we still need answers to in regards to the Agrestes and Tsurugis plus there is technically still time for Adrien to find out about his dad, even if Marinette promised to not let him know. AND—most importantly—we still have time for Ladynoir revealing their identities to each other!

[the-bar-sinister]

In Justice We Trust (104203 words) thesavagesabretooth

catch up here.

With Simon Blackquill and Athena Cykes assigned as their psychologists, the Phantom and Fulbright must grapple with their identity, their deeds, their future, and their love for the twisted samurai whom they betrayed.

All the while, Edgeworth and Wright find their relationship tested as they walk the narrow path between pursuing real justice, and the dark age of the law.

-

December 25, 9:30 am

Robert affected Bobby's bright, shining smile as the interpol agent touched his arm. He snapped to a salute and Athena saw him nod at her as she opened the mood matrix.

"Well, Ms. Kelso," he began, "at the moment it looks to me like the first car must have belonged to the target the agents were following. I'd guess that someone in that car shot at the agents in the following car, and then swerved to make it look like they were killed in a wreck."

“Tracks to me…” Agent Kelso mused as she pulled the bullets back out from her sleeve to flick between her fingers. “Though it still seems too easy to me…I’m worried , you know? These bastards killed two good, honest men. If we’re not smart about this they’ll get away unpunished.”

Athena's eyes flicked to the mood matrix as she tuned out all but the conversation before her. It barely registered anything at all despite the agent’s proclamation.

There was a sudden shadow over her, and she realized that Simon had stepped up behind her elbow and was watching her work. He didn't interrupt, either her, or the conversation, but gave her a nod of greeting.

"Is that too easy, though? If they thought they did away with both the agents, then they'd only have to deal with local police," Robert said. "No offense to the amazing justice officers they have here, but if they see two bodies in two wrecked cars on the highway, well, I don't know if they'd even have gotten to the gunshots. Nobody guesses there was another guy in the first car and he makes a clean getaway, right?"

Kelso flicked a rifle round in the air with her thumb, and caught it between her fingers with a pensive look on her face. 

"You could make that assumption, yeah. The scene’s designed to make you forget about the shooting.”

It was a non-committal answer, drawing Athena’s attention back to the matrix as she sensed…something.

It wasn’t quite discord between them. Not a tumultuous tangle of emotion that was dying to break free into the truth and understanding, nor the confused misfiring of emotions during a time of stress.

There was not a single ripple across the screen.

It was a glassy lake, providing a clear image of Robert and Kelso chatting behind it. It was a sensation of absence, notable for its familiar strangeness. 

"Exactly," Halblicht nodded. "The scene is set up to make you come to an immediate conclusion, without feeling the need to look any deeper."

Kelso chuckled as she flicked the bullets between her fingers again with the rhythmic click against her rings. “So the killer makes it look like a wreck and slips away while we’re too busy making assumptions. If that’s the case, sir, we could be wasting time here while the guy vanishes back into his network.” 

"What do you make of it?" Simon murmured quietly in Athena's ear.

Athena frowned and leaned her head back to whisper. 

“Nothing good, Simon. I’m not picking anything up– normally I’d think Widget was malfunctioning, but …” she tapped her ear “...I haven’t been hearing anything , either. I’ve been picking up a lot from Agent Ash, but..”

Kelso glanced her way for a moment, the bullet pinging as it flipped in the air and landed between her fingers again. 

Simon's eyebrows raised and Athena could feel his mixed emotions, anxiousness, as well as an interest and curiosity. "But not Kelso. Fascinating."

"I agree, Agent Kelso!" Halblicht nodded, breaming broadly and bringing Kelso's attention back to him. He adjusted his glasses. "I can't say I'm familiar with how interpol operates unfortunately– how would you advise picking up the trail from here?"

Athena shook her head quietly, feeling much the same as the emotions radiated between them. “It’s very fascinating. I can’t help but wonder…”

Kelso flashed a bright smile at Halblicht in return as her hands went up to her own sunglasses in her hair. 

“Honestly? I think we should tell Agent Ash that we’ve found all we have here and join the team in the nearest town. It’s likely the survivor of the fake crash slipped there to try and contact backup or extraction. If it was back in the day we woulda sent one of the mass-investigation teams but…well. Things change.”

She glanced Athena’s way again with an expression of casual amusement without a ripple of emotion behind it “I’ve been meaning to ask…what’s that gizmo you got there, pretty?” 

"Interesting device, isn't it, Agent Kelso?" Simon purred. "Cykes-dono, would you like to explain it, or shall I?"

Neither of them got a chance, however, because that was when Ema came back.

“Took some doing,” Ema’s voice was grim…and as Athena turned towards her, Widget picked up a strong undercurrent of sadness and fear in pulsing blue waves. “But it’s open.” 

Halblicht looked up. "I take it it isn't good news, Ms. Skye?"

Kelso’s smile fell from her face. “...whatta we got?”

“A complication,” Ema snorted as she stepped aside and gestured towards the trunk, “that completely fucks our whole perception of the case.”

Athena’s heart sank, and it showed on her face as she muttered “....the classic turnabout at last. Mierda.” She hopped up to inspect the trunk with nervous anticipation. 

Simon followed along with her, and Halblicht, she noticed, brought up the rear behind Kelso.

When Athena peered into the trunk, what she saw was a blackened lump. A large blackened lump. And then she started to make out features.

It was a body. Burned and destroyed, but very recognizably a body. More recognizably even than the ones in the front seats of the cars, having enjoyed some small protection due to having been shielded by the trunk from the worst of the flames.

Athena shuddered, her eyes going wide as she took a photograph with Widget’s internal camera. Her eyes scanned what features and details she could as her heart hammered in her chest.

“A third body…”

Kelso whistled as she leaned over her shoulder. “...well that ain’t good, is it?” 

"I'd say not," Simon drawled, peering over Athena's shoulder. "We have two missing agents, and three bodies. And a very manipulated crime scene."

Halblicht spoke up. "Could the target they were following have had some unfortunate soul in the trunk in the first place, Prosecutor Blackquill?"

"Grim idea, detective," Simon drawled. "This is the agents' car, however."

“Maybe it’s one of the assailants.” Kelso mused.

Athena tuned them out for a moment as she leaned in to pick whatever details she could from the charred corpse. Face…hair…clothing…identifying markers. Anything the fire had not destroyed. 

There was nothing on the corpse that had survived the fire. No clothes, no jewelry, no shoes.

Actually… that was very odd. They'd found fragments of clothing on the other corpses, but this one– better preserved– had nothing.

“The corpse is naked.” Athena said out loud. “There’s not a single trace of clothing, burnt or not. There was a naked corpse shoved in the trunk.”

Kelso put her hand on her chest with a little gasp , ponytail bouncing around her face as she grimaced. “....eeesh. Grim.” 

"Grim indeed," Simon murmured, his hands behind his back. He spoke up sharply. "Detective Halblicht– why might our suspect have stripped this body naked and not the other two?"

Halblicht affected a guileless, puzzled expression, touching his chin. "Tricky question, prosecutor Blackquill! Could be an obscure fetish?"

"Ha! interesting perspective, but doubtful, half wit," Simon sneered. Athena, astonished, realized that they were doing some kind of bit. "Cykes-dono, improve on Halblicht's answer for me."

Athena choked, as Simon pulled her into it– coughing for a moment before she lowered the holoscreen after taking another picture.

“There’s not a lot of direct evidence about it being a fetish, aside from the nudity…” she mused before continuing. “If I was to guess, it’d be either to attain them for themselves or to hide a fact about the body. Clothes are an identifying marker, after all…Agent Ash said the same thing earlier.”

She turned towards the others. "But what are clothes, but an outward expression? The image of what you’d like the world to see as you.’ Which is true both from a personality standpoint, and from a literal…I think the clothes were taken either to remove the identifying marker…or to divert it onto another.”

Agent Kelso started flipping the rifle rounds through her fingers again, multiple now at once as she tilted her head. “I’m not following you, Miss Cykes.” 

Halblicht saluted. "I think Miss Cykes might mean, either they took the clothes so the body wouldn't be recognized, or so some other body would be– Agent Kelso. Uh, was that right?" 

He grinned hopefully at her and there was no emotion in it– which meant that the smile wasn't an accident, it was as all deliberate things are, communication.

Athena’s smile in return was the same as his as she nodded. “That’s right. What we have here is someone the killer didn’t want recognized…or wanted to be recognized as!”

“Like a fucking disguise?” Ema Skye grumbled from beside Simon.

Kelso whistled low, before she put her hand to her chest and laughed, pointing a lazy finger…and the tip of a rifle round… at Athena as the quiet chuckle hung in the air. 

“Good one, Miss Cykes! I mean, I know we’re dealing with spies here, but isn’t it a little short notice for a disguise? You can’t just throw on someone’s clothes and call it a disguise, you’d be caught in a second. Right?” 

"I'd wager it depends on the skill of the spy," Simon offered. "And how well the person being impersonated was known to others. Still, we have no proof that's what was done with the clothes. They could have been used in some other way. Perhaps you have a suggestion, Agent Kelso?"

Agent Kelso chuckled as she started tapping the bullet through the space of her fingers. “Easy. Something got on the clothes that the killer didn’t want seen. Blood, hair, something like that. They didn’t have time to clean it up so…into the fire it went. Or hell, maybe they took it with them.” 

"Oh, that makes sense," Halblicht nodded enthusiastically. "After all, the body didn't burn as well in the trunk, so they probably put the clothes in the main part of the car so it would be destroyed."

"Interesting premise," Simon purred. "Athena, you're our defense– can you poke any holes in that argument?"

“Well…even burned clothes leave things behind. There were scraps of clothing inside the cars, right? But was there enough residual to imply a whole other set of clothes? And on top of that…” She smiled despite the growing pulse of muffled concern through the static. “Why strip the whole body? Why not just remove the tainted clothing?”

Kelso tapped another bullet through her fingers, a second joining the first as she nodded “I guess…but it’s possible the remainder of the clothing’s mostly ash on the bottom of the car. There’s no way we could tell what outfit it came from.” 

As they were chatting, Athena heard the distinctive musical trill of Agent Ash's cell phone ring again.

Simon meanwhile, tapped his chin. "There's no way to tell indeed– but dental records identified the other two bodies. It's likely they'll identify this one too, given time. However, as you mentioned, time is exactly what we're short of. So perhaps we can figure it out by logical process of elimination."

Athena nodded seriously, glancing at Simon “We’ve done it before…we just need to look at this case from every angle…maybe we can crack it before the dental records come in.”

Agent Ash answered the phone in the corner of her vision, and Athena’s keen ears heard her start to laugh again, picking up only a snippet of her reply through the barely stifled snickering “... you heard me. Your best chess metaphor, for old times sake.”

For a moment Kelso seemed distracted, her reply cut off as she strained to listen to Agent Ash. 

"Something wrong, Agent Kelso?" Halblicht asked with a doggish cock of his head.

“Looks like the pack leader’s got a call, that’s all.” Kelso’s tired smile returned to her face. “Probably just from an old friend, it sounds like.”

Sheila Ash had begun laughing again, leaning against the side of the van with her arms around her stomach, cackling away as she thumped its side with the palm of her hand.

“...a real funny old friend,” Kelso finished “where uh…where were we, guys?” 

Simon folded his arms. "We were about to try to deduce the identity of the stripped body. Why don't we start with who was at the scene. Half bright, what information are we starting with?"

Halblicht saluted. "Sir! Uh, we know for certain that the two agents would have been at the scene. We have the target and potentially a second person that the target met up with at the airport."

"Good. So that's potentially four individuals at the scene of the crime. Athena– any insight?"

Athena tapped her cheek with her gloved finger as the mood matrix hovered…pointed towards Kelso.

“C’estBizzare …” she mused as she tapped away. “we have four potential individuals on the scene, with two interpol agents and potentially two agents of the Organization. The target and a handler presumably, oui? And yet we have three bodies. One was clearly moved from the Agent’s car to the target’s car…and another shoved in the trunk and stripped naked. Meaning one of the bodies has to be from the Organization.”

Athena tilted her head to the side “...specifically the one that was stripped and stuffed in the trunk. But that leads to an obvious puzzle…”

Kelso’s brow furrowed. “...mmm…maybe the target was killed and the organization wanted to be rid of the body?” 

"That's possible," Halblicht said, stroking his chin, "If the target was killed in the crash that their compatriot initiated to hide the bodies."

"Oh, good theory," Simon said. "Too bad that this body has a gunshot wound." He pointed to the corpses' temple.

“Then maybe the organization executed their agent.” Kelso countered as she pushed rounds through her fingers again.

“We all saw firsthand what happened when the agent wearing Bobby Fulbright was compromised…failed the mission.” She hissed through her teeth with her hands raised up .“they might have decided the target failed the mission, or figured out interpol was on to them and disposed of old trash.”

Despite her hiss of concern and ‘uncomfortable horror’...Athena registered nothing again. She frowned at the display. “...mm.” 

"Seems like adding a body might complicate the scene though," Halblicht considered. "Wouldn't it have been more practical to keep the failed agent around and execute him where he wouldn't draw extra suspicion?"

“Everyone makes mistakes, Detective. Maybe he had no choice?” Kelso countered with a roll of her shoulders.

“...Agent Kelso?” Athena spoke up. She saw Sheila moving out of the corner of her eye, gathering something from the trunk of the SUV. “How’s it make you feel? The state of the scene, the third body…the executions of your comrades?”

Kelso turned towards her with a tilt of her head. 

“...I don’t think right now’s the time for that kinda thing, miss. We’ve got a third body on site and a lot of unanswered questions. Let’s save the ‘feelings’ talk for the post-mission therapy sessions.”

Athena’s reply was interrupted by Sheila, who walked over with a wolfish smile on her beautiful face.

“Hello, cubs~. I have some distressing news!” 

"It's been a day for that," Simon said. "Why don't you enlighten us."

The quiet, almost imperceptible jangle of metal caught Athena’s keen ears…and she saw the glint under Sheila’s coat of something metal. It was when the woman stopped and crossed her arms, that she saw it was a pair of handcuffs newly clipped on her belt.

“Agent Kelso, darling?” she cooed cheerfully as the Agent’s head snapped up.

“Yes ma’am?” Keslo saluted sharply to her, only for Sheila to wave her hand.

“At ease, cub…bad news…someone’s broken into your car! My dear, old friend Miles Edgeworth reported it in to me just now.”

Kelso’s eyes widened. “...wait, really?? Shit…shit, as if my luck wasn’t already terrible!”

Despite her words, hidden deep within them…Athena saw nothing on the matrix. Nothing but the faintest flicker, there and then gone, of fear. 

"That is bad luck," Halblicht agreed, frowning. He stroked his chin. He was another placid mirror of nothing. "Were you keeping valuables in there?"

Kelso shook her head, running her hand through her hair and grabbing her sunglasses a little more firmly. “No sir, just my suitcase. I dunno why someone would break in…”

Athena leaned on her hands, listening in as the mirror of emotions stayed near-still before her. The only emotion registered was Agent Ash’s near present, overwhelming joy, which she tuned out of the Mood Matrix with a few taps of the screen.

Ash leaned forward, smiling thinly. “Maybe they thought they could steal your gun. You have it on you, cub?” 

"I should hope so," Simon murmured. "Very bad form to leave those lying around." 

His gaze flicked over to Halblicht, and Athena felt a sting of mingled emotions. She noticed his eyes linger on where Bobby Fulbright used to keep his shoulder holster. He had very much not been given a gun for this case.

Athena noticed the gesture, and a dark worry grew inside her. Halblicht wasn’t armed. She wasn’t armed…Simon wasn’t armed, not even with a wooden sword.

Kelso pulled out a pistol from a holster under her coat…and lazily spun it around her finger with the rifle rounds clutched between the fingers of her other hand like some sort of claws. It was a large, nasty looking gun.

It was bigger than any she’d seen in the states with the strict gun laws, with a strangely thick pistol grip where the clip was inserted and a muzzle longer than her hand.

“Of course I brought it, ma’am. I’d never be stupid enough to leave it behind.” Kelso chuckled “...looks like they must have gone through the trouble of breaking in for nothing.”

Sheila shifted, her hands on her hips– one by the pair of handcuffs Athena had seen, and the other by the grip of a silver-etched pistol of her own in her thigh holster. She smiled brightly at Kelso before she nodded.

“Good girl…but that’s not the only bad news I got.” 

Simon's eyebrows rose. "Oh no? And here I thought things were going poorly enough."

“Agent Kelso~” Sheila began with a chirp in her voice. “...can you tell me about your movements when you landed yesterday?”

Kelso spun her gun around her finger, “my movements, ma’am? I arrived at the airport and departed the plane. I tried to follow the target and the other agents, but was delayed on the way out by some airport foot traffic. I wasn’t able to catch up, and lost sight of them.” 

"Probably saved your life, by the look of it," Halblicht sniffled, giving an artfully tragic look over the burnt and twisted cars. It was interesting, really, to see when he was performing like now, and when he was genuinely emoting.

“Yeah…” Tears brimmed in Kelso’s eyes as she turned her eyes downcast with a scuff of her foot. “Poor guys. They were good agents. Maybe if I were there I coulda done something to help. Saved them, maybe, or died trying.”

Athena was fascinated by it– this interplay of false emotion, when she’d seen Halblicht, both sides of him, truly emote over the last few days– and Kelso, a placid lake of emotions so quiet she could barely pick them up aside from easily missed flickers buried in the sea of static.

“Oooh…” Sheila wagged her finger, before she broke out laughing again, half doubling over “Bzzzt! Wrong answer! You are NOT our lucky winner, Agent Kelso!”

She stifled her laughter long enough to lean forward with a wicked grin. “You were seen pulling out of the parking lot in your car directly behind Agents Fish and St. John. By security camera no less.” 

Simon turned more fully toward Kelso, and Taka's wings fluttered restlessly. "Agent Kelso, that's quite the discrepancy."

Kelso’s gun spun faster around her finger as she smiled nervously, glancing off to the side. “Guess it is, huh?”

“Do you have an explanation for your pack leader, Kelso?” Sheila purred. “Or do I need to call in the interrogation team?”

“I got scared!” Kelso suddenly said, an expression of fear etching onto her face as she put her hand to her chest. The gun stopped spinning, dangling from her fingertip by the trigger guard as she leaned forward with a plaintive edge to her voice. “I’ve only been in Interpol for a little bit…and I’m doing my best…but when I saw what those people did to their own agent? I got scared. I slowed down on the highway and let them slip away.”

“...so it was dereliction of duty?” Sheila tutted her tongue. “I remember you during training…you were always so much stronger than that.”

Despite the woman’s tone and face there was nothing in the matrix– ripples so small she could only barely feel them.

"We all get nervous sometimes, Agent Ash, you should give her a break," Halblicht said gently. "I can't blame anyone for being afraid of these people. Even an interpol agent– that's an interesting side arm you've got by the way, Agent Kelso."

“Huh? T-thanks, sir.” Kelso blinked away her tears, wiping at her face with the back of her hand before she held up the gun. “This? Thanks. It’s a custom Five Seven, sir.”

Sheila put her hand on her chin with a smile. “You’re right, of course. We’re only human…fear is appropriate.”

Athena glanced at Halblicht with a significant smile before she waved her hand…’go on’. 

Halblicht looked delighted. "A Five Seven! Custom! Well that explains the bullets you've been playing with, doesn't it? Unmodified Five seven doesn't use such big rounds!"

Simon slipped away from Athena's elbow, and disappeared out of her sight as the discussion continued.

“Sure doesn't, sir.” She slipped the clip out of the gun, and began casually loading the rounds from her fingers into its feeder. "But this one does. It’s a little hard to handle, but worth the trouble.”

Athena watched the gun carefully, just in case. “But even with such a powerful gun, you didn’t follow your fellow agents that night? Where’d you pull off?”

“Hmm??” Kelso looked her way. “sorry, I didn't quite catch that.” 

"I think Ms. Cykes was wondering how far you went along before you got cold feet," Halblicht said, still smiling. He watched the gun carefully, as she was loading it, and Athena felt a glimmer of almost unnoticeable anxiety flash through him. "You didn't witness the wreck, did you?"

“If I had, don’t you think I would have called it in?” Kelso said. “I…didn’t get much further than the edge of town. I pulled off into a roadside rest area and tried to compose myself.”

She clicked the clip solidly into the gun with a loud clacking sound.

Athena’s anxiety matched his, and she tensed up a little at the sound, a breath escaping her lips. “So you didn’t see any of it.”

“It is a shame…” Sheila sighed. “We could have used a firsthand witness in this little sordid affair. We really thought you’d have been able to handle the job, Agent Kelso…” 

Athena felt Simon's mixture of smug pleasure and deep anxiety before she saw him step back in behind her.

"It is a tragedy," Simon said. "But as the detective said, I suppose it saved her life in the end. We should probably move on with the investigation."

“Welcome back, Simon.” Athena murmured as she tapped on the screen.

Kelso rubbed her arm “...I’ll put in my resignation papers when we get back to the office, ma’am. Sorry for letting you all down.”

Athena gave her a smile. “it’s okay, miss Kelso. The investigation’s not over yet…let’s see what we can do, right?” 

"I got a little more information from Skye-dono while you were talking," Simon said. "Interestingly, our fellow in the trunk wasn't shot with the same kind of weapon as the unfortunate agents."

Athena gasped deliberately, her hand going to her lips. “Really?? What was the victim shot with?” 

She was beginning to have an inkling– and Simon confirmed it.

"Rifle rounds, in fact. Which is fascinating because our third body was also shot at much closer range than the other two."

The cartridges that Kelso had been playing with… were rifle rounds.

Athena tensed, glancing at Simon and Halblicht out of the corner of her eye. She could hear Kelso take a soft intake of breath.

“Well…shit.” she heard Kelso muse.

Simon held up a hand sized portable UV light that he must have gotten from Ema. "Agent Kelso, would you mind if I looked you over. As a formality?"

“I’d mind a lot actually.” Kelso said with a quiet chuckle, her arms crossing over her chest. “...what, do you suspect me or something?”

“It’s just a formality, Agent Kelso.” Athena soothed with a wave of her hand. “...nothing’s going to come up, and we can move on with the investigation.” 

"I should probably go over Agent Ash as well, while we're at it," Simon said with that thin, mean smile of his. Athena could feel his rising anxiety.

Halblicht had very carefully and subtly moved closer to Kelso.

“If you must!” Agent Ash chuckled, her hands raising from her hips.

Kelso reached up to grab her sunglasses, pulling them off and into her hands as she held them up. “...alright, fine. Go on. I got nothing to hide.” 

Simon stepped over to Agent Ash first, and swept over her with the UV light. "Thank you both."

Agent Ash was patient, winking at Simon as he shined the light over her to no visible reaction.

“If you’d like a closer look, Samurai, just ask after this whole mess gets sorted out.” 

Simon flushed and Athena could sense his embarrassment. He shook his head. 

"I'm afraid I'm somewhat booked up, Ash-dono. But thank you all the same." He turned toward Kelso. "Agent Kelso– your turn."

Kelso rubbed her thumb along the side of her glasses as she walked towards him, right near the corner, with a lazy smile. “Hope you’re ready for a big surprise…I’m clean as a whistle, sir.” 

"You know," Halblicht said, "That saying's always confused me a bit. I don't know why a whistle of all things would be clean in the first place."

Simon huffed a laugh as he shined the UV light over Kelso, carefully and slowly. Athena could sense his deep attention as he held it over, looking for anything amiss.

Athena frowned/ As the UV light went towards her neck, up over her chest, Agent Kelso seemed to fidget with the edge of her glasses all the more.

Action spoke louder than words. It was easier than emotion…just like in the restaurant she let herself move on instinct to hop forward and snatch the glasses out of Kelso’s hand.

“I’ll hold onto those for you, Agent! We don’t want them getting in the way!”

As Kelso turned with a sharp retort on her tongue, the light passed over the inside of her collar– illuminating a small stain across the back of it.

“Hey, give those back, Miss Cyk–” 

"Cut yourself shaving this morning, Agent Kelso?" Simon drawled, flashing the light on the drops of blood.

“As a matter of fact I did…” she said with a thin smile. She took the opportunity to hop a few steps away from Simon with a cold look in her grey eyes.

“But I seem to recall…” Sheila mused with a rub of her chin, “that you didn’t have time to even shower this morning, Agent. That’s why you haven’t changed since last night. We kept you pretty busy, after all.” 

Kelso's two steps carried her closer to Halblicht's bulky form. He leaned in, peering at her through his amber sunglasses with a thin, cold smile. "Admittedly, your jaw looks clean as a baby's bottom, Agent Kelso. An admirably close shave."

Athena looked up from the mood matrix. “I’m not registering much in the way of emotion, Detective. I’m maybe picking up a little fear, though.” 

 Kelso’s sleepy, affable demeanor crumpled into a cold stare

“I’m not afraid. As for the shave…” She backed towards Athena instead with a smile Athena knew was faker than all the rest. “I’ve got a steady hand and a good blade. That’s all.”

“...then why’d you cut yourself? And where’s the cut?” Athena asked quietly as Ema and Sheila took the perimeter around her, moving just on the edge of her vision. 

"I have a theory, if I may," Simon said. He didn't wait for permission. "I think perhaps that Agent Kelso did in fact follow the other agents. I think perhaps that Agent Kelso was at the scene of this very crime."

“Which leads one to wonder…” Sheila put her fingers to her lips with a smile. “just why she chose to lie about it…my, my…unless…”

Athena nodded at Simon “...it’s a good theory. A solid one that has a…concerning conclusion, non?”

Her fingers tested the edge of the glasses, finding a strange spot where the meal yielded more than it should. Like a switch.

“Bullshit,” Agent Kelso began spinning her gun again around her fingertip, the other hand sticking in her pocket. “I wasn’t there. You’ve got nothing but theory and speculation. I let myself fall behind.” 

"Silence, Agent Kelso," Simon said with a thin smirk. "In fact have two pieces of evidence which you are not yet privy to. The first, is that the bullet from the third corpse matches the ammunition that you've got in your hand."

She jolted– and a handful of bullets came tumbling from her fingers to ping upon the ground as she yanked it from her pocket.

“You can’t possibly have done the rifling tests so fast! Just because it’s similar…two of my friends…my comrades…are dead, Prosecutor Blackquill. You can’t possibly think I killed someone” Her voice carried a plaintive note…but Athena still registered nothing but performance to her ears and to the matrix.

Just like the Phantom of the Courtroom before Robert’s true emotions had been drawn forth.

"Silence!" Simon repeated, louder this time. "The second piece of evidence– traces of blood were found in your car. All over the console and passenger seat. Quite a great deal of blood, in fact, which must have been cleaned up in quite a hurry. Much more blood than one would get, cutting oneself shaving."

Kelso jerked back , nearly tripping as her foot stepped atop one of the bullets and caused her to slip…conveniently, Athena noticed, further away from them and towards the car.

She opened her mouth to protest, her eyes brimming with tears. 

“I…I…” It was gone in an instant, smoothed out with a neutral sigh of breath as her thumb clicked the safety of her gun.

“Well.” Agent Kelso said blandly with a listless smile. “not much I can say to that, is there?” 

"I'm afraid not, agent," Simon said. "Would you like to come quietly for further questioning?"

Sheila had her hand on her hip again, against the grip of her pistol, as she stepped forward. 

“It’s in your best interest, sweetie. I told you earlier… I’d know if there were a traitor in the pack. And it’s checkmate.” She smiled wolfishly as she clicked the strap off her holster. “No room to wriggle away now, I’m afraid.”

Athena gasped suddenly, but not at Ash. For the first time, a strong emotion radiated off Kelso. Despair. Sadness, fear. It came in a sudden flicker of emotion that lit up Widget’s screen before the woman smiled with a shrug.

“No can do, friend,” Kelso glanced towards Halblicht. “he knows that’s not an option.”

Before Athena could act on the ping of emotion, Kelso raised her gun in a smooth motion to press it to her own temple. 

Three noises split the air at almost the same time. 

The cry of a man. The rapport of a gun. And the scream of a hawk.

[groggyaeneator]

If y'all are gonna be creeps yourselves and chase me down to my own fucking platform and scare me half to death after I have tried time and time again to LEAVE this situation (and am being punished and lied about for trying to LEAVE, specifically!!!) you may as well get an explanation from me.

Shit that this bitch did to me, I guess. CW for endangerment/reckless driving/drugs/boundary violation/suicidal attempts/lying about suicidal attempts/blatant fucking manipulation and more idk. This whole thing in non exhaustive if I went through specifics we'd be here all day.

I want to start by saying I don't want anyone to go after her. This is, by all extents, personal relationship issues that never should have went public in the first place. This is not a callout post this is me defending my ass.

I feel like I'm being cornered and pushed to defend myself. No one who actually knows me or follows me FROM tumblr even knows what's going on. It feels silly to post this here, but I'm not really being given a choice. I don't know what's being said about me behind my back and I'm scared! So here the fuck you go lol.

She would consistently belittle me, press my boundaries, endanger my life, and invalidate my concerns. She would consistently offer to drive me and be under the influence, roadrage, speed/tailgate excessively, and/or be playing games or editing pictures while driving (usually always at LEAST 2 or 3 of the above at the same time) and WHENEVER I asked her to stop she would call me "silly," tell me I needed THERAPY FOR MY ANXIETY, or blow up at me and call me a bad driver. I watched her often do the same to her partner. If I approached her about this stuff later on, she would tell me she was joking and that I can't take a joke, and that I need to learn to "regulate my emotions." If I drove her, she would destroy my car and when I told her not to smoke in it (I work at a school! I can't have it smell like weed!) she said I worried too much and kept pushing me on it until she did so anyway. She said I was being paranoid and "needed therapy" for being afraid of my car smelling like weed. There's burn holes in my car from her, loose weed, and parts of my door and glovebox are broken completely from her just fucking kicking the shit out of my car after I asked her not to.

This is really only one damn example of this behavior, but this type of behavior extended to all other aspects of our relationship. The worst fucking part is, whenever I had an issue with how I was being treated and tried to talk to her about it maturely, she would joke and tell me I was being silly and that she loved me and if I "believed that she loved me" and "had any trust in her at all," I shouldn't care about her belittling me or take it personally. She said she was always in my corner and never do something to hurt me INTENTIONALLY. If I ever pushed these issues or asked her to stop using certain phrases with me or speaking to me a certain way anyway, she would say "I can't deal with this right now," and start posting on her mastodon about me being a shitty boyfriend, tell me directly that she hated me or to go to hell or that she wanted to kill me, or threaten to break up with me. She would later tell me that I should not care about her posts about me or be offended by them, because it was just her processing and I needed to respect that and "she loved me anyway." That privilege, however, never extended to me. Every post I made about anything in our lives she would confront me about, call me insane about, and tell me I needed therapy, even when the posts didn't trace back to her in any way or wasn't even negative.

She took every waking moment we texted to remind me I was a bad partner. I always tried to be there for her, but she would often tell me "my intentions" didn't matter and that I was incapable of "treating her right" and doing what she needed. If something bad was happening at her house and I offered to pick her up, I was "too busy offering her with solutions to care." If I tried to be like "wow that sucks" I was "ignoring her." If I asked her what she needed I was "talking to her like a therapist." If I was like "wow I'm so sorry that happened to you" I was pitying her and treating her like she was "fragile." She didn''t like me offering to "help." If I didn't respond I was a dick. If I tried to ask what she needed from me, she would get angry at me regardless, telling me to "just be normal dude, idk!" If I ever tried to bring this up casually, simply asking how to care for her so I knew how, she would accuse me of trying to start a fight. All I ever wanted was communication and all I ever wanted was to treat her well. It felt like a never ending loop at times.

She would consistently commit crimes and leave me to be the one to deal with checkout/payment, be the driver, etc. On weeks where I told her I wasn't good enough financially to pay for shit, she would ask me again and again anyway, or just assume I would by handing me shit last minute when I was checking out or ending meals at restaurants with "hey can you pay for this?" after we had already sat down. She convinced me to endanger my life and got me in legal trouble which I won't go into here. I was naive and maybe should have established these boundaries better, these were mixed-fault incidents, but I still feel like these situations were shitty.

When I was suicidal, and she broke up with me, I asked her to distance herself and to please not use my friends as ways to evade this boundary. Instead, she went behind my back and tried to convince my best friend that I was ACTIVELY attempting (when she KNEW I was at work and safe!) which understandably freaked him out and ended in my transphobic mom getting involved and outing me to people I wasn't comfortable with. She later tried to call this friend messy, because he was uncomfortable with her and really shocked after the situation.

After we broke up and I asked for distance, she told me we could still be friends, and continued to send me and all of my friends snaps on SnapChat, and shoot me messages. When I WOULD respond, she would often antagonize me for it, bringing up old arguments and generally just trying to get under my skin.

The one and ONLY time in our relationship she apologized to me for her behavior, she, in the same breath, told me that I still should not be upset with her because she didn't "mean it" and that I was "also being shitty to her" so I should think hard about my own actions and demanded that I "make it up to her."

I want to make it clear that I WASN'T the best partner! I wasn't emotionally mature enough to handle a relationship at the moment. I'm a messy person and I'm self aware about this. I've owned up to this on numerous occasions, and I DID START THERAPY for it! I am consistently trying to improve and better myself. I was obsessive about her, and made many bad personal decisions during our relationship, including spending too much money on her and spending all of my free time with her. There were times I was probably an awful and exhausting person to be around. There were also parts of our relationship where she was very good to me. Things weren't all bad. There's a reason I stuck around for as long as I did. There's quite a lot of evidence of this in a lot of our old posts.

I recognized that this relationship was toxic on both ends. However, I tried to distance myself and move on. She, evidently did not want this for me and kept messaging me and my friends on Snapchat. This past week she did this, tried to convince me to block evade her partner after he had blocked me and was weird about it after I asked like 3 times for her to drop the conversation and not involve herself. Then she brought up something about lex and when my response was a little too sarcastic (my bad, admittedly) she deleted our message history and blocked me entirely on snap. June has a lot of history of blocking and unblocking me on a whim. By this point, though, I had done a lot of unpacking of our situation through therapy and otherwise, and figured this was the end of things: so I sent her one final text stating that I was done trying to "reconnect" and did not want her to attempt to reach out again. I was admittedly a little spiteful in this message, but I'm also human! I really honestly feel that wanting space was justified.

Evidently by the fucking public reaction she was angry about this. I really can't imagine the kinds of things she's saying about me to set off THIS kind of reaction, but until this point I've really have done MY best to keep her name out of my mouth. Apparently I waited too long though. Right now though, I'm really feeling cornered and feel the need to defend myself. She knows the kind of danger I'm in if I'm going to be outed (but always kept calling me paranoid, like my safety measures against it were never valid).

I would say something like "I believe she's a good person and we just had clashing personalities" but at this point, that theory has done and fucking died, considering how she's tried to go after me time and time again after I asked her to LEAVE ME ALONE!!!

I understand it's her word against mine and she has a lot more social collateral, or whatever. Posting this is probably futile, others have already made up their minds about me. But people are obviously checking up on ME here against my wishes and trying to drag me back in, so if anyone's undecided, here you are. I'm really just some dude trying to live his life.

At this point I would really just like to forget things and move on.

[sneezemonster15]

i can totally understand why young girls would ship SS in the early-mid 2000’s. it was so easy to self-insert. take me for example, i was a young child with an unrequited crush on a popular boy and a total loser. i projected hard. she started getting on my nerves really quick tho. by the time i figured out how to watch shippuden (it was only available online in my country) i could no longer stand her. i know many people grew out of that ship as they matured themselves and realized just how bad it was, but i seriously don’t understand how so many of the og fans are still around, reveling in scraps given to them only in the form of non-canon material. it’s so embarrassing. and knowing that so many grown ass women cling to that nasty ship as if their lives depend on it makes me squirm in discomfort.

Wait I am confused. This person was a boy or a girl?

I think I understand. I know for a fact that there are many SNS fans who once were SS shippers. But they grew up and took responsibility for how they consumed media, which happens when a certain amount of self awareness sinks in..with time and experience..internally processing data received from the external world, which as a result, sharpens your intuition. Which then directly affects how you view and then process further external data. Data gathered from real life and media.

I suspect that many SS/NH shippers who are insanely delusional about their ship are simply operating on emotions. Think about the kind of arguments they give others. They know what constitutes canon, what doesn't. They know SNS is legit, it's all fucking there. They know SS is bullshit, they know Kishi mocks Sakura and SS like no one's business (like honestly, who's asking him to do it? Really what obligation is he under? This otherwise humble, quietly intelligent, kinda goofy, a bit childlike and deeply introspective at the same time, and frankly kinda mousy man, says such blatantly snarky and downright insulting shit about his own characters as if he ain't the author who is freaking writing them that way in the first place. Lol, no really, Kishi is a bundle of contradictions himself.) Lol.

But coming back, I really do struggle sometimes to find the right tone to talk about SS stans or address them. I suspect internet and anonymity gives them a free rein to exercise fulfilment of desires indiscriminately. They can behave however they want, believe whatever makes them happy and no one gets to destroy that as long as they are fulfilled. Numbers help. Stans give and receive validation from their peers. Whatever external validation they need to keep believing in SS ship, despite everything that negates it in canon, they get from others in their ship and they give validation to them in return. A sense of community builds. There's strength in numbers. And so dogmas and headcanons acquire a semblance of truth for them, through this very effective echo chamber, it fortifies their wacky theories and headcanons and they sheath themselves deliberately from reason, or anything that threatens to question their beliefs/belief systems that serve the object of their self comfort, desire, fulfilment. Their beliefs are really emotional in nature, you can't fight emotions, and internet gives them a platform to experience those emotions. Age doesn't matter if one isn't self aware. Lots of old people are shitty. Of course, I don't support enabling it but I guess I understand it a bit. Because I also get emotional here. I feel much more free to experience my raw emotions without trying to camouflage it too much. I reasoned with myself soon after joining this fandom, my first fandom, that here, I was a fan first, so I shouldn't judge myself too harshly for my opinions and understanding. A lot of which is way more emphatic compared to how much I would let it show it IRL. Media, stories and art have that effect on people.

And I feel conflicted sometimes. But well, the same reason exculpates me as well. I can be emotional and talk about them freely because this is a fandom and we are all here because of the same story that affected all of us. The only difference is we are insecure about different things. Lol.

Which is why I make it a point to not interact with them, because I know I would lose my patience with them much sooner than I with other people I don't generally agree with.

I understand why women do it. Even if I cannot relate with Sakura. So I vent on this platform while not actively engaging them.

But at the end of day, I feel everyone should expect so much more from themselves because more than anything else, Sakura's and Hinata's characters by design are so limited. Like I know it's all tied up with their self esteem, or its lack thereof, but at least don't glorify something that makes you this limited and miserable. Don't tell me it's better than everything else and is the best thing in the world because it is not. It is so small, So cheap. Such a piddling thing, so reductive and limiting and humiliating. Why project on those two? You should expect so much better from yourself. Like why can't you dream bigger at least in your imagination? Where you can have everything or anything you want, and nothing gives you a better opportunity to do that than media, but you choose the most limiting of all things and characters? Isn't it suffocating and painful? Well, in any case, just don't glorify it, turning a blind eye to facts and then gaslight me for my stuff. That's not acceptable. Even if I know where you are coming from, don't justify it. It gives the wrong impression to others, especially other women, who have enough odds stacked against them already for you to jump in on the bandwagon too, and being women yourselves no less, it's humiliating for both of us.

They use their emotions as a free ticket to say and do things indiscriminately, without thought and honesty. Cultivating emotions (and sharing them) should enrich you and help you grow, not make you regress even more.

[noveratus]

I just finished watching the Witcher season 3. Here are my thoughts on this season:

First, I should make it known that I have not read any of the books and I played the witcher wild hunt very briefly since I wasn't a huge fan of the combat system, so there is a chance that I'm not the target demographic for this show. Perhaps they were trying to appeal to the fans of the series. If that is the case, I apologize for my thoughts. These are the thoughts of a casual watcher of the series who is very passionate about writing and stories and general.

The best word that I would use to describe this series and just the whole show, in a whole, is confusing. Things just seem to happen, and I am left wondering what even is the story here. The show feels both too slow and too fast for the story it is trying to tell.

Season one is by far the best. Despite the non-linear timeline, you can understand what is happening, you understand what the arcs are, what the characters want, and you have a notion of what is going on. There are still confusing moments, particularly those with the elves and Cintra. Her journey feels so slow compared to both Yen and Gerald since, once you remove all the magic and all the dressing, their stories are about family, with Gerald's being about the fear of letting people in and Yennifer's being about being accepted enough to be loved.

Then we have season two, which is just political nonsense for the most part. We barely get any time with the main trio, and it is mostly just a lot of nothing. People speak and tell your their plans and whatever, but it summarizes to a bunch of nothing. There is a 6. Everyone wants Cintra, but that's it. There is essentially just one character arc in this season that goes through a character arc with that being Yennifer, and while I do have conflicting emotions about it, it is definitely a character arc. Besides that, the closest thing you get to character development is Cintra's fight montage scenes, and while those can be fun, not everything has to be deep and sad and depressing, that is not what they are. They try to be exactly that. Bleak. Like the show is turning to you and asking, "Aren't you enjoying seeing how much these characters for basically no reason? This is what will make them stronger! They aren't really learning anything, just getting beaten until they seem like they can be excusable to be strong enough to survive what will throw on them next! Isn't this deep? Isn't this exciting? Bleak and depressing equals deep guys! C'mon!" When it comes to the plot, it is essentially people saying "shit is going to happen, shit is really going to happen. We will kill this baby. You know we will kill this baby! Wanna see us do it? We will do it! Just watch it! And hah! We did it!" And that's pretty much it. Pretty much the only thing that carries over from season 2 to three is Yen's arc, and the first thing they try to do is try to retcon it. So yes, season 2 is a boring, confusing slog where things just happen and feels very pointless.

Then we move on to season 3. Season three starts well. I honestly enjoyed the first episodes, with Yennifer trying to regain the confidence of both Gerald and Cintra, and I think it works. I enjoy seeing Cintra and Yennifer butting heads, it makes sense, they are different people who can teach each other a lot after everything they went through, and you see glimpses of this, and while Gerald's hunt doesn't make a lot of sense since he just let the guy go, I think that the subsequent plot with the fake Cintra and the missing mages is fine, I'm invested, I want to know what is going on, and then the ball happens and that is a good episode, it has mystery and this sense of magic and actual illusion and I was hyped. Truly, I couldn't wait to see where this was going, and then we had a betrayal, and then another and suddenly the elves are here, and they are the bad guys and the racist is in the right and gets treated like a hero and Ciri is there and then she isn't and why did you leave in the first place, Yennifer, if you were going to come back to help your people?! What did you think was going to happen? Sunshines and rainbows?! There is this huge battle where a lot of people die, but I'm left just confused because, oh my god, there is even more political nonsense here and it carries on through the last three episodes where, again, nothing really happens besides the nonsense politics while Gerald is recovering and I'm so done. Ok, that is not completely true. There are two segments that I would like to mention, the sorcerers and Cintra. I think that, while not that important development wise, since Cintra goes from point A to point B back to point A, the desert part is good. It is visually interesting. It shows her skills, and while bleak, it is entertaining. They are showing you something that isn't characters talking about something no one understands or trying to make something deep out of something that isn't. This is a girl trying to survive in a desert in a harsh environment. I can understand that I want her to succeed in that. Now, for the sorcerers, they are mourning, they are dealing with loss in the middle of war. I can understand and sympathize with that, but then you have Tissaia's death that is framed as this noble sacrifice when it isn't. It is sad, yes, but the audience isn't really given a moment to process that, it is framed so that her death is about Yennifer, like losing her will make her stronger and I have serious problems with any media that shows suicide as anything noble or brave or good, like one's death is preferable to them being alive.

Now, I have avoided speaking about Jaskier so far because, and I want to make it clear that Jaskier is my favorite character in this show, he is sadly pointless. Don't get me wrong, Jaskier is essentially the heart of the Witcher, but when it comes to the narrative, the story itself, he is only there for fan service. They tried to fix this with Radovid, but it still didn't work, it didn't truly affect the narrative since the most important part of Radovid's character is that he becomes the king and, so far, that has nothing to do with Jaskier. Dandelion is just there to look pretty and occasionally get saved by Gerald, which I find particularly funny during the action scenes where he just disappears or runs around with nothing to do. The sad part is, Jaskier is a bard. A man known for the art of speech and song and playing with people's emotions. He would be perfect for a political piece, which seems to be what the show is going for, but instead, they put him in situations where he is completely pointless.

So, in the end, I didn't like season 3. I liked the first half of season 3, despite its issues like the Wild Hunt bit, but the ending was disappointing. It didn't diminish my enjoyment of the first part, so that is something I guess, but still. And I want to make it clear that I don't think this is the writer's fault. I would like to put my theory hat here for a moment and take a shot saying Netflix desperately wanted the Witcher to be game of thrones. They wanted all the politics and gritty realism and bleakness from that show, but the Witcher just isn't that, is it? I haven't played the games a lot, but from what I understand, the Witcher shines most with its side missions, the ones where you don't have the end of the world, but a person trying to survive, and love, and find happiness in a world where humans seem to be at the bottom of the food chain. The Witcher's tv show seems to completely forget about monsters until it is convenient for them to remember when, in the game, even if you are powerful, there is a chance you will struggle with what you are fighting if you don't know how to fight them. And this, this sense of survival is pretty much gone in the show. It is just politics that say nothing really with a moody superman thrown in the middle of it.

[gillianthecat]

I'm having the horrible feeling that I'm losing interest in BL 😭 Or at the very least I need to add some non-BL variety to my watch list so that the BL shows I am watching will hold my attention. I'm enjoying Between Us and The New Employee but not with the same intensity as before and I feel like I have nothing to say about them.

I've glancingly seen your posts for Reborn Rich. If you have the spoons, can you share what liked about it, or if you've talked about it elsewhere, link to the post? ❤️

Me too 😕 I am also worried I'm losing interest in BL. The only shows I'm managing to keep up with are two I'm not feeling that invested in: Candy Color Paradox (which I don't think is very good but first I was pulled to figure out why, and now I'm just watching for Izuka Kenta) and The New Employee (which I like a lot but mostly it feels more like an intellectual appreciation rather than an emotional connection). Probably this pulling back is overall a good thing for my life, as I'm going back to school and need to focus on the real world. But it makes me sad—I don't want my love for BL to be a brief thing that comes and goes in 6 months, I want to keep it a part of my life. In part because I like it, but also because of the community I've found here, with people like you.

Hopefully for both of us this is just a temporary thing and we will regain our interest in BL shows. I know for me part of what's going on is it's hard for me to watch a show now without wanting to write about it, and that's simply unsustainable with the number of shows I want to watch (or at least want to want to watch), and I need to figure out a new approach. It only worked before because that was literally all I was doing with my time most days. And that's not actually how I want to spend my life, once I emerge from that bubble of avoiding the real world.

So I need to find a way to just watch shows without it feeling like an obligation, just for fun. That's part of the reason I've been watching more non-BL, I don't feel the need to talk about them in the same way. Although honestly I've also been struggling to focus there too, so a lot of it's not about BL, just my attention span at the moment. The only two shows I've recently watched straight through, completely absorbed, were the Korean revenge drama The Glory, and the 2018 Japanese BL The Novelist.

So to answer your original question, I'm liking Reborn Rich, but not captivated by it. I'm on the fourth episode, and I'm largely continuing at this point because I want to figure out what the show is trying to say, if anything about money/wealth/chaebols/recent S. Korean history. And because I like watching Song Joong-ki onscreen (the other show that I've been intermittently watching is Vincenzo). But it's very well done, and expensive looking, and the story is intriguing. This is another one that I went into without seeing the trailer or anything; I watched the first episode the week it came out, last fall, then for some reason (probably saw a post on here) decided to pick it up again. So I'm not quite sure where the story is going, which makes it interesting for me.

I was going to write more detailed thoughts, but in support of me being a responsible student and having a life outside of drama series, I should really go to bed. Whatever I have written should be under my reborn rich tag, but I think it may just be the one post.

It's always wonderful to hear from you 😘 Let's keep talking on here regardless of the role BL has in our lives.