#first off the book isn't even out yet so why are you framing this as if it's confirmed info or something

[anthrologies]

instagram algorithm serving me so many reels lately of people reading sjm books and then complaining about the characters like "when you're trying to finish acosf but nesta keeps getting in the way" or "acotar5 is coming next 😁 but it's going to be about elain 😔" (side note NOT EVEN CONFIRMED!) why are you even reading the books if you hate the characters so much. do you guys know you don't have to read them?

[leftduck9986]

Foreshadowing, out of order?

In storytelling, is there a single word that means "the opposite of foreshadowing"?

WARNING: in trying to wrap my head around this, there will be wittering!!!

Wikipedia tells me that a flashback is a method of foreshadowing.

The Bullet Catch in the NZF minisode, being a flashback as well as told before the "present day" [speculated] event it sets up a clue for, well, that's what I've understood foreshadowing to mean until now, because isn't foreshadowing always presented before the event it foreshadows comes to pass?

The flashback/memory minisode, A Companion To Owls, is told after the "present day" event it foreshadows. Does that still count as foreshadowing, or is it instead considered "the big reveal" because it is told after?

And is this all that is meant by various things in Good Omens 2 being "out of order"?

The Hiding Miracle and the Memory That Both Foreshadows and Reveals It?

Indeed, it was a tiny miracle - as titled in the soundtrack - that worked as planned and "barely moved the dials" (but still a miracle in which "Noone will have noticed A Thing" however tiny it was, and that "Nobody notices he's here (...) Nobody can spot him, (...) especially if they're looking for him").

I believe it was the first of three events that happened that night, which, became the main focus of this "quiet, gentle, romantic" season, but paling in comparison to the other two events. Moving on!

Returning to how A Companion to Owls isn't told until after The Hiding Miracle and clues us in as to what was actually going on: this tiny miracle was made to appear far more powerful than it actually was, with the use of showmanship:

The ceremonious setup of being positioned on the circle in the middle of the room hidden under the carpet, between Aziraphale and Crowley; he could have been standing, but instead, "Jim... Sit in this chair." And it's a beautiful chair, like a throne, but Jim being taller wouldn't have worked for the image of the 'W' (similar to the 'W' shape made with Shadwell standing between Aziraphale and Crowley at the airbase, in the book Good Omens.)

ta-da!-look-at-this-very-complicated-and-powerful-miracle-that-we-are-doing

Why perform at all then, for an audience of none?

Ah, they're not alone, oooOoOoOOOoOoOooo, spooky. Go and see for yourself: check out the bottom left area of the screen when Crowley returns to the bookshop and says, "I'm BACK" (this is to do with the "framing opportunities" secret mentioned in the Gavin Finney BTS article https://britishcinematographer.co.uk/gavin-finney-bsc-good-omens-2/) Aziraphale calmly replies, "Yes, I can see that" and later gasps, reacting to something happening off-screen at 40m41s.

So this performance, not yet knowing who their audience might be, could be as a precaution, just in case.

Gabriel instinctively crosses his hands and is confused when Aziraphale and Crowley uncross them - or likely because Aziraphale was even standing there at all - because he remembers, or rather, in his mind's eye, sees the shape left behind by a missing piece of furniture.

The ceremonious setup of being positioned in the centre, between Sitis and Job, this time in the background to have Bildad appear a little shorter in height for the stylized 'W', then crossing his hands. The pot containing Sitis and Job's children being the circle, hidden by the circle of carpet (robes) made as Sitis and Job embrace.

ta-da!-look-at-this-very-complicated-and-powerful-miracle-that-we-are-doing

Had we seen Jim's and Crowley's conversation about memory before The Hiding Miracle instead of much later in episode 5, then it would have been foreshadowing, yes?

*temper rising* A "reveal," or "out-of-order foreshadowing"? (VBUAXNAUSX*keyboard smash*NYVIFGNOMAI) grrrrrr!

...

After the Job story is told, (save for the final scene) and Aziraphale calls for Crowley, my head-cannon used to be that Aziraphale wanted to talk about hair -

Aziraphale: Crowley, I gave you lovely long locks in my retelling of this story, how about you? Crowley: Nah, "shoulder-length bouncy 'bob'" is what I put - a "Lob" I think is what they're calling it these days.

But now I think that, to book-end Crowley's beginning with, "Your boss said that to Job, do you remember?" (imo they are so good at blending in, they can act human better than any human can act human! So, while feigning the memory span&loss&retention of a human, of course they can remember most everything. Angel stock: constitution of an Ox, memory of an Elephant.) Aziraphale may have wanted to remark on Jim's crossed hands from the night before and how similar it was to Crowley's doing so; that it was evidence of Gabriel still somehow being able to connect with images from his memory. "Crowley? You also did that thing... does Gabriel remember?"

If each minisode contains something that foreshadows or reveals what magic tricks occurred during this season's present day events, I feel that the only thing left is from "The Resurrectionists" minisode, where Crowley Goes Large (woah, woah, woah, another case for The Song Is The Clue?!?) ... or makes himself, something or someone else tiny.

"Size and shape are simply options" after all, so I do wonder about Hell's Usher, where the only time we've seen him is when he is small enough to fit in a bathtub and yet he is HUGE in the opening title sequence of season one. Behind him, Noah's Ark stranded between two damaged buildings (or one damaged building and maybe the Pleasure Cruiser Morbillo?)

Something else that may be revealing of stories yet to be told of the past, while also foreshadowing a near-future event:

Based on what Crowley said, this is not the first time Crowley and Aziraphale have performed a half-miracle together! Whatever biiiig miracle they're about to do (speculated event #2) could still be completely balanced and undetected, but then a plume of miraculous activity emerging from the circle gateway (privately speculated event #3) is what poor Aziraphale will appear to take the blame for.

Things being out of order may have started with the question, are season two's present day events being told out of order? There are other things appearing out of order as well, for example a change in the order of colours in the Rainbow (for "present day" episode two only I think, beginning Violet then Red, etc.) Or, in this case, narrative devices being so intertwined, one flashback-event can contain images and phrases that both foreshadow something yet to happen as well as to reveal what happened in a part of the story already told.

As always, please no asking or tagging Mr Gaiman as this blog post contains theory and speculation, thank you.

[liketwoswansinbalance]

What if Evil Rhian and Evil Rafal interacted? Give me a good show, boys. 🍿

Note:

Expect violence and all-around ugliness.

Also, thanks for the prompt. This was a fun one!

⸻

Rafal: The one thing I can agree with Vulcan on is that we should've kept the name: The School for Evil and Good.

Rhian: What.

Rafal: You heard me. Clear as a death knell. Vulcan should've killed you while he had the chance. Instead I'm bedeviled by you, a foul nuisance spawned from "Vulcan's stithy."

[To clarify: In his Shakespearean insult, Rafal is now referencing the mythological, Roman god Vulcan, not Vulcan of Netherwood.]

Rhian: Well, you're a raging egomaniac, for someone who thinks himself the finest puppetmaster in the Woods despite being inadequate when set next to me.

Rafal: As if you're not one. And such language from the so-called Ever. Dean 'Headache' would blush.

Rhian: All right, let's say I descend to your wretched level, if only to vanquish you: you left me in the Doom Room, to rot!

Rafal: If you weren't a traitorous snake, I wouldn't have left you. Besides, you went behind my back to the Kingdom Council to frame me! To launch a war campaign against me without a jot of forewarning. I should have done worse while you were still vulnerable, hanging there, numb.

Rhian: And yet, I overheard you say to Midas that your aim was to take over all the Woods? What say you to that, devil brother? If I win and take over, I'll string you up by your vocal chords.

Rafal: [derisively] That's anatomically impossible. You're new at this, aren't you?

[Rhian lunges for Rafal, and they get into an all-out duel to the death, executing remarkable feats of arms, considering the pitiful weapons they're armed with.]

⸻

[During an intermission afterwards:]

[They are black and blue, battered and bruised all over, sustaining minor cuts, each gasping for his breath, and they are seated on chairs, beside one another.]

Rafal: I should've brought my poleaxe, or even a halberd, so I could fracture your skull properly. Strike out the brains and dash them on the floor. [shakes his head.] Would've been great fun to ram a longsword through your ribcage, too, had I brought it along. [He twists his letter opener around idly.] This meager, little thing isn't suited for thrusting; it barely did any damage.

Rhian: [nursing a long, open slice on his forearm] I think you did enough with that letter opener. [He sheathes his dagger.] Though, someone should've died, even if you failed to shear me in two. What gives. What's the matter with us?

Rafal: [glances over at the Storian] Looks like someone or some thing wants us alive to provide the entertainment. I'm not opposed to trying again though. Why don't we? I'd love to rip out your heart. It's not as if it's getting regular use anyway.

Rhian: And I wish to wreak the same harm upon you, with your tongue besides. I hate hearing that grating voice. So monotonous. You could be a punishment for others in Hell where you belong. Your lectures are torture enough.

Rafal: Well, you won't have to hear me much longer. Not that you ever listen. Your dismembered ears will make excellent trophies of war. I could have them plated with gold—gold on the outside, rot on the inside, just like your tainted soul. [He smiles to himself, satisfied, and then, fishes through his jacket pocket and finds a long piece of thread in a clump, trying to untie it, so he can use it to garrot Rhian, or at the very least, choke him effectively enough.]

Rhian: And I'm sure your bones would make a lovely tea set, once they're pulverized. [Rhian reaches over to clock Rafal upside the head with a book.]

Rafal: [leans out of reach, rolling his eyes] Child's play. [He shoves Rhian off his chair and that devolves into a second fistfight on the floor, more vicious than the first, in an all-out brawl as they forgo all dignity.]

Rhian: At least I have HONOR! [he bellows to stall Rafal, while attempting to summon his dragonfire.] I'll scorch you like I would a snowman!

Rafal: [raising his voice as he throttles Rhian in the neck, punctuating every sentence with a punch] You? Honor? You're the least honorable man I know. At least my Evil's out in the open, for all to see. Everyone knows I use underhanded means. Everyone knows I'm a two-faced backstabber. And they rightly take precaution and obey me. [spoken through his teeth with a clenched jaw.] My Evil's a publicly-acknowledged fact. Can't say the same about you, you who went to the Kingdom Council, who indelicately skirts around Ever customs despite claiming to be one. Which makes me the "honorable" one, by your twisted definition.

Rhian: How dare you— [as he rakes his nails across Rafal's face, drawing blood that clots immediately due to their self-healing, as per the original oath, leaving shallow, stinging wounds that knit themselves right up.] I will outlast you!

[Don't ask me how they can still heal despite breaking their oaths. The Storian derives sick entertainment from mindless repetition and senseless, brutish violence. That's why.]

[And, the Storian doesn't bother to write because this is a regular occurrence with two Evil twins—it's unworthy of a tale, infighting not balance. And so, the Pen just watches and waits and watches...]

[genericpuff]

The Mishandling of LO’s S3 Mi(n)season Hiatus - Part 3 2/2

ALRIGHT. THIS IS THE LAST PART. I MEAN IT THIS TIME.

I had completely forgotten how long the mi(n)season finale for S3 was, but I suppose it makes sense considering it was operating as the true cliffhanger before the 4 month break.

If you haven't read the first 3 parts of this episodic breakdown, please go check these ones out first:

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3 1/2

Alright, let's get this show on the road!

CAUTION: THIS IS PART 2 OF THE THIRD PART OF A 3 + 1 PART SERIES IN WHICH I WILL BE SPOILING MUCH OF EPISODES 251-253. THIS EPISODE CONTAINS TOPICS SURROUNDING SEXUAL ASSAULT. THIS WILL BE A LONG POST. BRACE YOURSELF.

We've gotten delusional Leuce. We've gotten erasure of the SA. We've gotten a complete bastardization of the original myths that this story got its claim to fame on. The dread has set in, and all I want to do is get off Mr Bones' Wild Ride. But we have one more stretch of mind-numbing track to go, because the reveal of Persephone starting winter was not the end, oh no. The true cliffhanger of this episode - upon which the fans and critics alike have sat on for 4 months - proves that when we think Rachel has gotten crazy enough in this circus she calls a "retelling", she manages to prove that yes, she can make things even crazier, and no, you will not have a good time.

Ironically, despite that opening, I actually have a lot less to say about this last part of Episode 253 than I did about the first part. Obviously there's no feasible way to top "Persephone causes winter", but this episode does come rather close in its absurdity. Ultimately, if these essays have proven anything, it's just how much Rachel retcons things, to such an extent now that she seems to be retconning or outright forgetting information that she established just a handful of episodes prior. You'll see what I mean here as we go along in this.

As soon as it's hinted at that Persephone has started winter, we cut away to Apollo. Because, as per LO tradition, we can't spend longer than 10-15 panels on a single scene.

Already this seems like... really odd framing.

This is Apollo. A character who has been a villain since basically the beginning of the comic, when he sexually assaulted Persephone. This is not something that's up for debate. This is not something that can be refuted, as much as the comic may try to erase it or twist it into something else.

And yet, the vibe I get from this is, "Misled but good-deep-down character being taken advantage of by a sinister being." This isn't the type of framing we should be seeing around a character like Apollo.

I mentioned it ages ago in my post about the SA erasure that it really feels like Rachel is slyly trying to make Apollo empathetic, from giving us an entire episode in his perspective to adding extra panels into the books to making Persephone weirdly reminiscent of feelings for Apollo that she never had.

One thing I also touch on in that post is how Apollo is framed against Zeus. Zeus is also a villain character for much of the series, and even after he's "redeemed", the fanbase still considers him largely to be an antagonistic force. So to have Apollo be trying to take down Zeus comes across as very "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" and I really don't like seeing that framing when it's regarding a rapist.

And this scene largely feels the same. It feels like Rachel's trying to sway the audience into believing Apollo is like Draco Malfoy - a misled boy who "didn't know any better" and was being manipulated by a greater evil. If you haven't guessed by now, that "greater evil" is Ouranos.

Why is it Ouranos? In my opinion (so take this with grains of salt) this is because they need to somehow "one up" Kronos and give Persephone and Hades a tangible force to fight against, to draw a clean line in the sand between "good" and "evil" so that we, the audience, will be forced to categorize Persephone and Hades as "good" and someone else as "evil".

But really, why Ouranos? We're told that he manipulated Gaia to use her powers in an attempt to create "hierarchy" (whatever the FUCK that means, I don't think Rachel really understands how societal hierarchies are created) but there's NOTHING to imply that he was tyrannical or "evil" in the same way that Kronos has been depicted. Rachel's basically submitting this whole plotline to "well it's in the prophecy" but there was NOTHING dictating that she had to try and write a "prophecy" storyline to begin with. So as a result, it feels very tacked on and it's hard to tell what the point is, it really just seems like Rachel watched too much Marvel one week and decided that Lore Olympus - a fantasy romance - needed a big bad.

And by extension it feels like Apollo is being used as a pawn in this dynamic. By making him subservient to an "evil" force, it means he can labelled as definitively "evil", and thus it gives Rachel a vehicle to have Apollo taken down - or even perhaps empathized with much like in the Draco Malfoy sense - without having to touch the SA plot that she set up and never resolved.

He was evil before, but he wasn't the kind of evil that Rachel could write around. Because she doesn't know how to write SA or give her female characters any sense of retribution or agency. We've seen that already with her robbing Demeter of winter and Persephone of her feelings regarding the SA. There was never going to be a chance in hell she was going to be able to write herself out of a plotline she's been procrastinating for 4+ years.

That said, this is just a vibe I get, so I'm not gonna speak on it much more. This is one of those "we're really not gonna know until the comic returns" situations.

Once again, Rachel's trying to make Apollo seem like a "master manipulator", but she's also trying to make him seem like he's the one being manipulated, but she's ALSO trying to write him as a big dumb idiot who literally can't grasp consent. Apollo has to be one of the most inconsistently written characters in the entire comic, and yes, that includes Persephone. Again, it just goes to show she hasn't been able to fully commit to the SA plotline because Apollo's motivations and intelligence levels change with each passing episode. Sometimes he's being nefarious and plotting to overthrow the King, other times he's literally asking a nymph if she'd be willing to cut her hair to look like Persephone. The comic can't choose and so we, the audience, can't tell why Apollo is even still here.

Again, this is SUCH bizarre framing. If we're to believe that Persephone has been "cursed" by no longer being able to create Spring, only Winter, then does that make Ouranos and Apollo the heroes here? Because Ouranos is right, if Persephone is causing winter, that's going to kill the mortals, which is the complete OPPOSITE of what she's trying to do. So what are we left with? A plotline where Apollo and Ouranos might actually have a point about how she rushed into a marriage with the King of the Underworld and sacrificed everything that gave her agency and power - both metaphorically and literally - in the process?

Again, this is why Rachel fundamentally misunderstands the original purpose of The Hymn to Demeter and how she's, by and large, made her retelling worse in an attempt to be "subversive". It puts the plot and character motivations in a place where it's hard to tell what the story is trying to say, I can understand if maybe Rachel's trying to write a conflict where Apollo uses this information to manipulate her, but it doesn't help that knowing EVERYTHING we know about the H x P relationship within the context of this comic, Ouranos has a point that Persephone's union with the King of the Dead is problematic. It might not be the same "problematic" that we're all thinking of, but it really just reinforces the criticisms of this relationship. Is the comic really asking us to say "fuck the human race, they're in love" ??? Because that's NOT what the point of the original myth was in the slightest and it's just a really weird place to put your audience in.

It's 4:45 AM right now as I'm typing this so my thoughts are a little scattered, but all this really feels like is an attempt on Rachel's part to create a new "big bad" for her to use as a distraction from the SA plot and to give Persephone a "flaw", but that "flaw" really only takes away the strength of another character.

Oh, and by the way? This whole "you need the fertility goddess" thing? THE COMIC HAS ALREADY TOLD US THIS WON'T WORK BECAUSE SHE HAS TO BE IN LOVE WITH APOLLO FOR HIM TO BE ABLE TO USE HER POWERS. SO RACHEL'S ALREADY WRITTEN HERSELF INTO A CORNER THAT SHE'LL EITHER HAVE TO SOLVE OR RETCON ENTIRELY. DO YOU SEE WHY THIS IS SO ABSURD???

This line is kind of jarring because we had the Kassandra prophecy at the beginning that talked about the herb, but the prophecy Ouranos is talking about is the one about the sons of kings overthrowing their fathers. I definitely forgot about that one for a hot second reading this, I didn't get how this sequence related to the poisonous plant thing because they're framed as completely separate prophecies. It's not like Kassandra said in her initial prophecy that this plant would be used to overthrow a King again, she just said that the plant still existed and Psyche figured it out on her own that Apollo was gonna use it on Zeus. IDK that's just something that bugged me (also again, why are they believing her prophecies when we literally just had it established an episode ago that no one believes her prophecies LMAO)

Because if it wasn't enough for LO to have one Evil Robot Jeff Bridges villain, it had to throw in another one for good measure. It's just a line of dads and grandpas going back centuries waiting for their turn in the ring with Persephone.

lmao I love this 'hint' at Apollo being the one to write the note from Hebe and leave the cupcake for Zeus. Like... duh? We already put that together as SOON as Psyche said gasp "Zeus!" and then it showed Zeus eating the cupcake while Psyche called him on the phone telling him Apollo was gonna try and harm him. This sequence of 'revealing what really happened' doesn't work here because we've already been told what happened.

Except we know he won't. There's no tension to this whatsoever.

That's Hebe by the way.

It's odd that Apollo is embracing this prophecy when he has a kid himself. He literally has a fully grown son in this comic. I guess Apollo forgot about that, just like Rachel.

And that's it. That's the midseason finale. Ouranos is the new twist villain and Apollo is... whatever the fuck Rachel plans on doing with him.

Now, this leads me to my original motivation to create this series of reviews. It spawned from a conversation we were having in the Discord, discussing what it must be like to be a free reader who hasn't paid for the FP episodes that are still behind a paywall. This is not standard for LO, it hasn't kept FP episodes behind paywalls in the past during long hiatuses like this. I can even prove this with screenshots from the Wayback Machine, during the last midseason hiatus:

(whoof, that rating has dropped. I know it doesn't seem like much but for a series with millions of readers, by law of averages it takes a LOT of poor ratings to pull that number down compared to a series that only has a few readers)

Point is, this is the first time Rachel/WT have done this. Now, I will make this perfectly clear, I don't think this was a decision that was purely on Rachel. WT controls much of the backend like paywall costs, release dates, etc. so I'm not gonna go pinning this on her.

However, I do think this is a completely bungled attempt at trying to get people to pay up. LO has been dropping in views steadily but surely since the midseason break for S2. It's not pulling in the peak numbers that it used to, while it does still pull in a lot more views and money than other series on the platform, it's nowhere near the juggernaut that it once was in terms of record-breaking numbers, and I think WT knows that. So this really comes across as a stunt to get readers to FP, assuming that people will HAVE to pay if they're left waiting for 4 months.

But here's the flaw in that logic - people are still going to have to wait 4 months anyways. Reading those 3 locked episodes, especially all at once, will still leave you in the same place as you were beforehand.

And it shows in the numbers that people aren't falling for the bait.

Again, 17k likes still isn't anything to sneeze at for a FP episode, but it's still just barely above the new average that LO has gained over the past two years. I remember a time when those like counts would be 30k+. And now, despite being on break 4 months with these episodes still locked behind a wall, it's barely able to scrap by its new average of roughly 14-15k, and that average is when episodes are actually updating.

Obviously like counts = / = viewcounts but when they fluctuate, we know that the views have to be as well by extension, at least to some extent, and that's still engagement that's dropped of in and of itself. And we can also see a rough look at how the views have dropped off through the comic's landing page. Now, it's hard to compare data because there was a time when WT actually didn't give follower/view counts on the landing page (this was also when the like count capped at 99k) but we can still see a downslide in growth very visibly in the view count, sub count, and most of all, the rating, which has been steadily dropping for years now.

August 2020:

May 2021:

November 2021:

March 2022 (don't get confused by the 995 million, this is where view count comes in):

September 2022:

March 2023:

Today (October 24th, 2023):

Again, there's no way to get a true clear picture of LO's stats beyond this surface level data, but it does show that LO is just not getting the rapid growth it used to. People are moving on from it. And while its view and sub count are steadily increasing (albeit slowly for a webtoon that gets as much marketing as it does) the average rating is going down. It's clear that the majority of LO's growth happened between 2018 and 2020, which would make sense as the series was still relatively new compared to how it's become old news today, and Webtoons experienced a boom in 2020 due to the COVID-19 lockdowns - a boom that they think still applies in the year 2023, judging by their attempts to import as many series onto the platform as possible and capitalize on an audience that just isn't there anymore.

All of this leads me to wonder - what's in it for free readers after all this? Because if you recall from where we started, the cliffhanger they started on was Hades - possessed by Kronos - attempting to strangle Persephone, a cliffhanger that was resolved within seconds for FastPass readers. If they don't FastPass after that, they'll be met with numerous reveals that don't even make sense for the plot as a whole (such as Leuce making up the text messages).

Again, I don't want to claim that this was a decision on Rachel's part, but it really seems like either she didn't plan this hiatus, or her inability to write naturally without the need for addictive-style formatting as a crutch made it so that the free readers would be given the worst midseason premiere ever.

And what are we, the FastPass readers, going to return to? There are still so many plot threads that have been left unresolved, multiple villains being setup, and as far as Webtoons and Rachel have revealed during NYCC, LO is supposed to end by the spring. That's 20-30 weeks TOPS, which isn't exactly a whole lot of wiggle room for a writer like Rachel who's chronically bad at pacing and getting to the point of the plots she's established.

I know there are so many readers right now anticipating the return of this comic, some of whom genuinely believe this comic is "better than ever" and others who are critical of it but hope that the comic will come back in a better state after the hiatus. But right now there's so much evidence to support the contrary - that LO is about to come back in as bad, if not worse, condition than it was in when it left.

And through all this, for a comic that's finally ending after 5 years, I have to ask - where is the hype? Why are Webtoons and Rachel keeping the finale of this comic behind closed doors? Where's the promotional art, the hinting at what's to come, the attempts to generate any semblance of excitement for the readers who are still left after clinging onto this ride for 5 years? Why were the fans themselves barred out of their own communities during the majority of the hiatus?

And that just leads me to an even more discouraging thought. This is not meant to accuse Rachel or make assumptions. It's simply a thought that I had while thinking about what the series could possibly pull upon its return, so please, take this with MOUNTAINS of salt. It's one thing I hadn't considered with the knowledge that LO will be returning with 3 episodes still behind a paywall, a 'buffer' in and of itself for Rachel to work off of.

Rachel only technically needs one episode ready for the release. Not three as she normally would if the episodes had been unlocked like in previous hiatuses. That's not including whatever buffer episodes she would need beyond the upload schedule, but she's proven to be chronically bad at maintaining a buffer as well since day one.

We haven't seen any promotional art. No hinting. No hyping beyond what's been seen for her "Rachel Smythe Presents" series.

With all that in mind, I have one question to leave this on:

Has Rachel even started working on Episode 254 yet?

[secretly-of-course]

hi!!!! i need to know your opinion on this but do you think hunter knows he has a crush on willow/what a crush is? and do you think willow has a crush on hunter? i need your huntlow opinions 😌🤌🏼

hi!!! I want you to know I have been looking forward to answering this ask all day 🥰

*slams fists on the table* NOW LET'S DO THIS THING

Now we KNOW that Hunter has a crush on Willow. I mean just look at this boy and tell me he isn't completely smitten. But does HE know? That's a bigger question.

[ID: a screenshot from the episode "Thanks to Them," showing Hunter wearing his Cosmic Frontier cosplay and smiling and blushing at Willow (out of frame).]

For starters, I believe that Hunter does in fact know what a crush is, at least in the text book sense. He reads a lot, so it would be likely that he has encountered romance in some form through that. We know at least he likes Ruler's Reach, which despite King's edits we know still had some of Luz's influence. Also, fans who know Star Trek have pointed out that the character Hunter's blorbo is a parody of is married to a botanist so there's no way he would miss that.

Since it's common for teens to have one-sides crushes on adults in their lives like teachers or friends' older siblings, I used to head canon that when Hunter was younger he could have had baby crush on Steve or someone (bi hunter rights!) but since in "Thanks to Them" Hunter specifies that he wasn't allowed to interact much with the other scouts I now find that to be unlikely. Willow is most likely his first crush.

As for being AWARE of his crush, let's look at the timeline.

In Labyrinth Runners, Hunter is already showing signs of his crush on Willow though I don't think he is aware of what his feelings mean yet at this point. He blushes at her, he tries to make himself somewhat presentable for her, but he doesn't really know why.

[ID: Two screenshots from Labyrinth Runners. In the first, Hunter is blushing while looking straight ahead. The second shows the moment immediately after where Gus confers with who he believes to be Willow while in the background Hunter is seen awkwardly brushing dirt off his cloak.]

But fast forward to Thanks To Them? I think he knows by now. For this reasoning I point to the "Buff Brains" scene.

[ID: Two screenshots from Thanks to Them showing the hexsquad minus Luz in their shack. In the first, everyone is cheering and posing triumphantly all except for Hunter who is standing with his arms limply by his sides as he looks at Willow flexing and blushes from his cheeks to his ears. The second image is nearly the same except now Hunter has raised his arms to cheer with the group.]

Hunter doesn't just get distracted by Willow's muscles here, he catches himself getting distracted, which leads to him snapping himself out of it and adding on his awkward "HA HA YEAH" several seconds after everyone else has gone quiet. Hunter here to me seems like he is trying (and failing, bless him) to keep it cool, as opposed to in LR when he made no such attempts, because at that time he wasn't aware he had to. Whether or not he came to this conclusion on his own or had help from Gus or Amity is a question for fan fiction.

Now the next part of your question, does Willow have a crush on Hunter? Absolutely.

But Secretly, you say, how can you be so sure of this when Willow has never blushed at Hunter? Well I'm here to say she doesn't have to, and why? Because of Raeda.

When just looking at Hunter's side of things, or looking at our canon blushy couple lumity, it can be easy to say that only blushes equal crushes, but this isn't always the case.

Enter Raine. Raine does not typically blush at Eda, even when she blushes at them, but no one in the fandom doubts that they are in love with her.

Raine and Willow are actually a really interesting comparison because for the most part they only blush when they are embarrassed. Raine especially blushes when they are on stage.

[ID: two screenshots, the first of which is from "I Was A Teenage Abomination" and shows Willow with bright red cheeks as Amity mocks her poor abomination skills. The second is from "Eda's Requiem" and shows Raine looking red and embarrassed after Eda mocked them in front of the BATs.]

The only time I could find Raine blushing at Eda was in this flashback, and they only did it AFTER they were caught being flirty not while they were LITERALLY CARESSING EDA'S HAND suggesting they were more embarrassed about being caught than anything else. And even that blush was nothing compared to how red they get on stage.

[ID: Two screenshots from the flashback in "Eda's Requiem," showing young Eda and Raine sitting on their hilltop. In the first, Raine is shown adjusting the position of Eda's hand on her lute, while in the second Raine has pulled away and is looking to the side awkwardly with a slight blush on their face.]

Willow and Raine will literally be holding the object of their affection in their arms and not blush.

[ID: The first is a screenshot from "King's Tide" and shows Willow smiling softly while carrying a Hunter over her shoulder as she has just caught him in midair. Hunter is blushing but Willow is not. The second is a screenshot from "Eda's Requiem" and shows Raine carrying Eda bridal style while she proudly holds up a glyph. Raine is smiling but not blushing.]

Willow and Raine will BLATANTLY flirt without blushing.

[ID: the first is a screenshot from "Thanks to Them" and shows Willow standing in a doorway while winking and pointing at Hunter (out of frame). The second is a screenshot from "Eda's Requiem" and shows Raine reclining while smirking and pointing at Eda (out of frame).]

They also have these fond smiles that are reserved just for the object of their affection.

[ID: the first is a screenshot from "Clouds on the Horizon" the moment after Hunter and Gus have just done their special handshake. Luz looks extremely confused as she looks at them but Willow looks at them with soft eyes and smiles fondly. The second is a screenshot from the flashback of "Eda's Requiem" and shows young Eda and Raine on their hilltop while Eda plays her lute. Raine is leaning their head on their knee and looking at Eda with soft eyes like Willow's and a fond smile on their face.]

Damn, these spot the difference games are getting tough!

And just for fun, let's compare Hunter and Eda.

These two blush early and often.

[ID: The first is a screenshot from "Any Sport in a Storm" from the moment after Willow refers to "Caleb's" next day off. Hunter looks back at her with Flapjack on his shoulder and has a slight blush on his cheeks. The second is from "Them's The Breaks Kids" from the moment after Teen Raine has just done an impressive grudgby move. Teen Eda stands holding the ball with a light blush on her cheeks.]

I mean look at them.

[image ID: the first is a screenshot from "Labyrinth Runners." Willow has pulled Hunter in for a group hug with her and Gus. Hunter is blushing deeply and has a confused and distressed look on his face. The second is a screenshot from "Eda's Requiem" and shows Eda smiles and blushing while Raine extends their hand to her.]

In addition, we know Willow goes completely FERAL when Hunter is in danger.

[ID: two screenshots from "Clouds on the Horizon." The first shows an angry looking Willow, surrounded by vines she has summoned and eyes glowing with green magic and spell circles around her hands. The second shows Willow frantically trying to start the air ship to go after Hunter who she believes has been kidnapped while Amity tries to assist while also telling Willow to slow down.]

Of course, Willow is a protective spirit by nature, but we've never seen her act so rashly to protect her other friends, not even Gus or Luz. Because if you recall, to protect her friends Willow thinks she must be both strong and wise. It would have been wiser to take a minute to come up with a plan to retrieve Hunter before jumping in, it was not so wise to try to commandeer and airship that she has no idea how to fly. This is significant because Willow's emotions are so strong here they are overpowering the part of her that's usually rational and likes to think things through before acting. She cares about Hunter so much.

So in conclusion, Willow definitely likes Hunter back. She at least is more likely to actually be aware of her feelings from early on though, since unlike Hunter she had normal social interactions growing up and is more likely to be familiar with the subject of crushes.

Thanks so much for asking!

[mists-reading-nook]

Do you wanna ramble about you ideas of Reader isekaied with little siblings, Reader being obsessed w/ Greek Mythology and a religious reader who worships one or more Greek Deities perchance? 👀👀👀👀

Omg yesss!! I love ranting abt my au ideas omg-

First off,reader with little siblings

I feel like depending on the age it could be really cute. Like,you get isekai'd,no big deal. Only to look next to you to find your little sibling laying there. We could go the angst imposter au route,where everyone believes that the creator is an only child,so they Hunt you down for lying,or you BOTH are accused of stealing the "divine light and divine frame's" faces. Either way,you have to not only protect yourself,but your sibling as well.

The aftermath would be so much worse,because either you both die,your sibling is captured and used as blackmail,or something even worse.

But that's not all,because we can also go the normal cult au route,where both you and your sibling are worshipped. You try to keep them out of the spotlight (in the event they are much younger than you),but it ultimately doesn't work. I can imagine that if your sibling isn't as loved as you,the acolytes you assign to thier care aren't very happy.

Taking it a step further,what if your sibling is Demonized in all the holy texts of Tevyat?

Something that goes like:

"The younger sibling betrayed thier kind older sibling,yet because the divine creator loved them so,they were forgiven."

So now your acolytes treat them really badly when you're not around :[[

Oooo what if reader was helping thier sibling farm for the account,so the texts say something like this:

"Long ago,this world was created by a kind God,who created this world as a gift for thier younger sibling,who wasn't gifted with the gift of creation as they were"

Boom,now while you created tevyat,your sibling rules it. Bonus points if the sibling is really young and can't really make the big desions.

There are legit so many directions I could take this prompt omg-

Next up,reader who has a Greek patron god

Thier creator? Worshipping a "higher god"? Absolutely blasphemous! That's is what the initial reaction Is. However,after a while,(in cult au),it is generally an accepted belief that your patron god was your mentor,and you were just humble about your abilities. (Much like sucrose)

In imposter au,you are even more screwed. Stealing thier gods face while also refusing to worship Them??

Your crimes mustn't go unpunished.

In normal cult au,they simply cannot wrap thier head around it. But now,your acolytes tend not to bat an eye when you speak of your "god". They find it strange,and they think that you have been misguided in some way,but they won't comment on it. To them,you are thier God and they have no reason to question your beliefs.

They will,however, speak of it behind your back.

It's a similar case with reader who is obsessed with Greek mythology

The constant references to mythology are confusing to them. Often times there are people around you that write down everything you say,and the sheer amount of references to this "greek" mythology baffle them.

Why do you have such an obsession with other gods? You are the creator,they are lesser than you. If anything,the people and gods in this mythology should be worshipping and thanking you for your interest.

It'd be really funny if reader randomly made a reference to a Greek hero and the acolytes are like:

"..what."

Then that starts you on a long rant about the specific story,and you re tell it almost word for word.

Also,I like to think that some (all) of the stories you tell them end up into books,except the names of the gods are changed to either one of your titles or an archon name. Some context is changed as well,so it just ends up being really funny.

You go to a store one day only to find a children's storybook. Its set up like an aesop's fables book for some reason. You flip to a random page and see the name "Narcissus".

It's the story of Narcissus word for word. Some names are changed,but there's no doubt about it.

You end up buying the book,and a couple of Tevyat mythology books on the way. You wanted to spread more Greek mythology throughout Tevyat,and if all you had to do was tell your favorite acolytes a tale or two...

You grin. You were going to be doing a lot of storytelling today.

****

End of rant!!

I rlly enjoyed writing this omg

[idyllic-ghost]

glasses; seungkwan x reader

request: i saw this was an option for requesting so i wanted to try (๑˃̵ᴗ˂̵) is there anything you really want to write about? or if you can't think of something at the moment, may i request seungkwan fluff with prompt 49?

synopsis: your best friend shows up in new glasses, and you just can't stop staring.

prompt 49: "this isn't a date"

a/n: totebag seungkwan au...

cw: mentions of food (cake and coffee)

genre: fluff, friends to lovers

word count: 1.6k

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

You had been staring at your best friend for almost ten minutes now. He hadn't noticed yet, and what he didn't know couldn't hurt him... still, you felt bad about looking at him in this way.

The university library was nearly empty, and you were sitting in a small nook where you could be shielded from the few people there. You were supposed to be working on an essay while Seungkwan was studying for one of his finals. The essay you were supposed to be working on needed to be turned in at the end of the week, and you only needed to make some final touches to it. So far, you had done nothing. If Seungkwan knew of this, he would've scolded you for not working - but he was way too engrossed in the book he was reading to even look up.

Seungkwan was your best friend and had been since middle school. The two of you went in separate directions for university, but you still went to the same school. You couldn't help each other with homework anymore, but it was always nice to have some company while working... until today when Seungkwan walked up to the table, happy that you had managed to snag the best table in the library, wearing glasses. Round glasses with a silver frame, perched onto the bridge of his nose. You immediately teased him for needing glasses, your way of hiding how much you liked them on him.

Ever since your senior year of high school, you had been crushing on your best friend. He had always been cute, but something changed during the summer before your last year of high school - he was different from the boy you used to know. Good different. Very good. The glasses only added to his charm.

Your staring had started out as glances from time to time while reading through what you had already written. It only took one extra long stare until you were physically unable of looking away. Now you had fallen off the deep end, and you couldn't get back. If it wasn't for the fact that those glasses made him look so smart, and his focused pout and furrowed eyebrows. Seungkwan looked like a study-date dream come true, in his cute button-up and classy jeans. Compared to your half-shabby self, he looked absolutely stunning. It almost made you start wondering if he was going somewhere after this, or if the library for some reason suddenly had a dress code.

"Are you doing okay?" Seungkwan interrupted your thoughts, bringing you back from staring off into space.

"Oh? Yeah... just tired," you murmured. "You know what? Why don't we uh... we should grab some coffee."

"I'm down for that." He giggled and closed his book. "You look like you need it."

You can't respond. You only laugh quietly and pack up your things. It doesn't take long, you didn't really take anything out of your bag. Seungkwan had swung his tote bag over his shoulder and was now offering a hand to you. You looked between his hand and his face, wondering what he could possibly want from you now. Your brain truly was fried at this moment. To not make him wait any longer, you did the first thing that came to you. With a quick swing of your wrist, you put the strap of your backpack in his hand. A slightly flustered and annoyed smile reached his lips. He huffed and pouted but still put your backpack on his back, leaving you wondering what you did wrong.

There were a lot of cafés around campus, trying to profit off of the poor and tired students and the overworked professors who just needed their daily dose of caffein. However, you knew where to find the best café. Better than any other café on campus. Seungkwan had found it within the first week of going to the university. Neither of you had tried any place after that, it was just that good. Of course, you didn't actually know if there was a better place, but neither of you had the time nor money to try to find it out.

As soon as you walked through the door of the Corner Café, a pleasant ding sound greeted you, followed by the old man who owned the café welcoming you as well.

"Two iced americanos?" he asked with a knowing smile.

"Yeah... do you want anything else?" Seungkwan asked you.

You looked through the many assortments of pastries, cakes, and bread. Cupcakes, brownies, gourmet sandwiches, and their specialty chocolate cake. They all looked amazing, especially the chocolate cake, but they were too expensive. You shook your head disappointedly.

"My wallet would start crying," you admitted shyly.

"Don't worry I got it." Seungkwan shrugged. "What do you want?"

"Oh... um..." You looked between him and the display of desserts, you knew better than to argue with Seungkwan over this. "Just a brownie then."

"Hey, come on... get something nicer," he complained and jokingly pushed your shoulder.

"What? Brownies are nice," you argued.

"But they're not fancy," Seungkwan countered.

"It doesn't need to be fancy." You looked over at him with pleading eyes, despite knowing that it never worked on him.

"How about the chocolate cake?" the old man interrupted your bickering.

Seungkwan looked at the chocolate cakes and pulled out his wallet, satisfied with the choice of pastry. The old man smiled and opened the sliding doors to the pastries. You tried to stop your friend, assuring him that brownies were fine, but he didn't let you convince him. This was as close to a compromise as you could get.

"My new server will bring it out for you," the man said as he was ringing you up. "You two can have a seat."

Seungkwan picked the seat you always picked, right in the corner as far in as you could get. There was only a couch seat with a table in front of it. You didn't mind. Sitting so close to your crush may be nerve-wracking, but it didn't make it any less wanted.

"You really didn't have to pay." You sighed as you sat down next to him.

"Of course I did," he said as he put your bags under the table. "I said I would."

His words surprised you, as you didn't remember having a conversation about buying you cake. But you didn't have time to question it, as the new server walked over with your orders.

"Thank you," you said in unison.

"Can I just say you guys are too cute?" the woman said. "Is this your first date?"

"This isn't a date," you said with wide eyes.

"It's not?" Seungkwan turned to you with knitted brows.

The server gave you an apologetic and awkward smile before scurrying away, leaving your americanos and the chocolate cake on the table. When you looked over at Seungkwan you felt a stab in your heart at his sad expression. Worry struck you like an ocean wave. Had he thought this was a date? When had you asked him out on a date? Had he asked you out on a date when you weren't listening?

"Not to my knowledge." You took the iced americano in your hands, the cold glass helping to chill your sweaty palms.

"You asked me out," he accused.

"What? When?" You panicked and put your drink down on the table again, afraid that your shaky hands would drop it. "Are you sure it was me?"

"Yes, it was you!" Seungkwan exclaimed. "We were at that house party a few days ago. You asked me out when we were sitting on the balcony."

You thought back to a few days ago. You remember the house - a big white house, with several floors - and the music, that had been so loud that you couldn't stand it. That's why you had gone out to the balcony with Seungkwan. Memories came flooding back and a groan escaped your lips. Your friends had been trying to get you to confess for ages, and with alcohol in your veins you had stupidly blurted it out while the two of you were alone.

"I'm sorry... I forgot," you mumbled and put your face in your hands. "Oh my god, this is so embarrassing..."

"No, it's not." Seungkwan rubbed your back. "I mean, it's a little bit embarrassing... but you're fine."

A laugh rumbled up from your stomach, and soon Seungkwan joined in too. The two of you let go of all the tension with laughter, and when it was finally gone you looked at each other. He was still smiling, and so were you. It was hard not to when all of the weight on your chest had finally lifted. So many years of pining, only to accidentally go on your first date together today of all days.

"I dressed up for you," he admitted.

"Good to know." You held back another fit of giggles. "I thought the library had gotten a dress code."

"Seriously?" He scoffed. "You're so oblivious."

"I'm oblivious? I was staring at you for like ten minutes and you never even said anything!"

"I noticed that, though." He grinned and started drinking his coffee.

Your face grew warm. He had seen you staring. For ten minutes. You cringed at the fact that you thought you were getting away with it. As Seungkwan laughed, you leaned your head on his shoulder to avoid his gaze.

"It was the glasses," you mumbled out your confession. "I was staring at you because of your glasses."

"You like them?" he asked with a grin.

With a soft smile, you lifted your head from his shoulder again. You studied his features and watched as he grew flustered from your staring.

"They make you look even prettier," you said.

"Oh, stop it!" He couldn't handle the pressure, and gently pushed you away.

"I'm being serious! They suit you!"

The two of you looked at each other, him glaring at you while you grinned proudly. You always enjoyed making him blush. A new feeling was in the air, along with a new tension in your chest. A giddy feeling, instead of a lovesick one. All you wanted to do was squish his cheeks together and dote on him.

"Is this our first date?" he asked suddenly.

"If you want it to be." You nodded and looked back at the cake. "Otherwise I'll pay you back."

"No way."

"Then I'll get the bill on our next date." You were nervous, but you thought it was better to just get it out. "Because I like you, a lot... and I'd like to go out on another date with you."

"I'd like that too... and I like you too." Seungkwan nodded. "Can I hold your hand now? Or are you going to make me carry your bag again?"

"You were trying to grab my hand before?" You chortled.

"It's not funny! I felt so rejected!" he clamored.

To shut him up, you grabbed his hand. When your fingers intertwined it felt like they were made for each other. All this time, and you never knew that his hand was so perfectly structured to fit in yours. You're glad he bought you that cake, and that someone else finally pointed out the obvious mutual feelings - you should really thank that new server. More importantly, you were glad to be holding his hand and you made sure to savor every moment.

[shwarmii]

You know the books and like Clarisse and I haven't read the books yet, so maybe you can explain something for me? They say the gods don't always claim their kids especially if they don't have 'glory' yet, and they say (and I see on tumblr) that Ares doesn't like his girls, and he's overly mean and almost abusive to Clarisse, but she's HIS.

Does it ever say when/why he claimed her? Was it a possession thing even though he doesn't at first like her or approve of her? Did she do something special and he went yup that's my kid I guess?

this ask is referencing this post

oooooh, okay, uh... important things to note: (1) i have chronic memory loss, (2) i havent read these books in years, so let's see how i do from what i remember lmao

regardless, thank you for asking me a question! very sweet that you thought id have the answer

the answer will be a bit of a spoiler in terms of world-building, so lemme just

⚠️ pjo world-building + mild plot spoilers below ⚠️

so, the last book in the first series ("Percy Jackson and the Olympians") reveals most of the unclaimed kids are actually the demigod children of minor gods

these minor gods were implied to have been fearful of what might happen to their kids if their kids were claimed. because then, their kid would need their own cabin, and a minor god getting a set-up right next to the big 12 could cause anyone in said big 12 to percieve that act as a slight, and might take out that fury on either the said minor god in question OR their newly claimed kid. not even Hestia had a cabin for her kids, and she used to be in the main 12 until she stepped down for Dionysus to be amongst the big 12 instead (when the minor gods are allowed cabins, she gets cabin 21). Percy Jackson is the one who makes the demand that every god claims their kid within a time-frame of arriving at Camp Halfblood, which then gives the minor gods a pass to claim their kid without being worried they or their child will be punished for doing so

Riordan makes this a very small reveal, considering how important it is. but Percy isn't friends with any unclaimed kids really, all the people Percy meets who are new to Camp get claimed within the book they are introduced in. so there's no one to really be our emotional throughline for that reveal, nobody for fans to theorize who such-and-such's godly parent might be. it takes up only a few paragraphs, unfortunately, not much; definitely not a full chapter. i dont remember if there were any stragglers from the big 12's kids who had been unclaimed up to that point? i dont think there were many, if any. it sets up and disillusions in one go that the whole "you get claimed if you are worthy" as having been an assumption the kids made to find "logic" (in a self-deprecation way, similar to how divorced kids or kids of a single parent may "logic" their parental situatuon as their own fault) to their unclaiming

however, the toxic notion of "achieve glory = godly parental attention" is still prevelant in the claimed kids too. it is why Clarisse targets Percy; he comes into camp having already fought a minotaur and won? him doing that sets off her insecurities about not being worthy and makes her jealous, which is why she goes after him so often before Percy's first quest. there's very few chances for kids at camp Halfblood to prove themselves, unless they leave; and they only can leave by either sneaking out (and dying, or at least risking death) or going on a quest (which also risks their deaths). so any chance to prove themselves for glory, in friendly or unfriendly ways, is highly covetted

i mention this because Clarisse HAS proven herself to her dad in some way. her electric spear is from Ares. now, because we dont get a lot of gossip about WHY Ares gave her a gift (esp since he isnt the gift-giving sort. he values violence/battle prowress, strategy, and victory (regardless of if that is an "honorable victory" or not)). she likely proved herself in an above-average way from her cabin-mates but not in a legendary way. if it had been legendary, we wouldve heard about how she got her spear when people were warning Percy about Clarisse. and we know Clarisse didn't earn her spear as a reward for a quest (or as "good luck" gift before a quest), because Clarisse's first quest comes in a later book. but yeah, makes it all the harsher in this world where it is so hard to get godly parental attention that Percy broke the one token of it that Clarisse had (and, no, Ares never replaced it. tho Clarisse does get a new spear called "Maimer"; but all the kids, including her cabin-mates, call it "Lamer" behind her back unfortunately), and Percy breaking her spear definitely adds to her hatred of him. so Clarisse HAS proven herself to her dad once. and it is unlikely that she did something so great that he claimed her and gave her a spear in one go. so the two (her being claimed and her getting the spear) are likely unrelated events

now, did she prove herself in order to get claimed? perhaps. the big 12 gods tend to claim their kids as a reward within their first year or less of being there (fucked up that Poseidon chose "good job humilating that Ares girl who misdirected her anger to be at you" for Percy's, but okay). it isnt until Percy Jackson wins the war that he demandingky bargins for all gods to claim their kids. but yeah, out of the big 12 (minus the Big Three, minus Artemis, and minus Hera = 7 gods), they all are decently prompt when it comes to their own kids. they are implied ot have been, at least. again, very few stragglers, if any, that were not the demigods of minor gods within the books

Dionysus especially was prompt (bc he is AT the camp). which, i know this is a tangent, but i gotta talk about Dionysus as a godly parent because the books barely do. but part of his punishment regarding being exiled to Camp Halfblood isnt just about his punishment being no throwing parties and no Olympus. his punishment is his own kids, and not in the way that initially sounds. Camp Halfblood kids dont live long. theyre considered lucky to make it to college-age, and absurdly lucky to get to their 30s. Percy himself never imagines himself getting older. this fucked up lifespan is resolved in many ways thanks to the "Heroes of Olympus" series. but, before then? Dionysus' exile is about being forced to be a present figure in his kids' life and watch them all die tragically young, being forced to help bury them. he's actually very traumatized from it all. he even begs Percy at one point to keep an eye out for any Dionysus kids during the war's final battle; and he even runs up to some of his kids who survived (i think? it was his twin girls?) and hugs them, crying. we dont get to know any of Dionysus' kids through virtue of none of them being friends of Percy, so we don't get to really know how Dionysus is like as a parent, especially as a godly one that is very present in his kids' lives. we get glimpses of him in the background, and for a guy who misdirects all his bitter anger about his exile onto the campers who are not his kid... he sounds lovely to his own kids? idk, thats at least from what i remember. shitty and bitter to other kids at camp, very loving in a quiet and traumatized way to his own. its not an excuse but it does make sense. (its also why he hates Percy; his presence means dangerous things will happen as long as he is alive, which therefore puts his own kids in danger. ...maybe thats why Percy isnt friends with any of Dionysus' kids, maybe he forbade them from getting close to Percy? idk)

but yeah, the big 12 are all p good about claiming their kids in the book, in retrospect once its revealed that the unclaimed children are largely the minor gods' kids. the timeline Percy forces them into does demand they somewhat untangle the "claimed as a reward" aspect too which is nice, they now just have to claim their kids p much as they are (unless their kid doesnt something great FAST), and not during a moment where it is good for the godly parent's image to be associated with this "moment of glory"

that being said, that doesn't mean Ares is a good dad in the books. the one moment we do see Ares and Clarisse together is in a later book, and she is uncomfortable in his presence and one time even flinches around him. i dont think Ares physically abuses his kids, mostly because i dont think he is present enough in any of his kids' lives to find a fucked up "reason" to hit them (i would not be surprised if the flinch and whatnot was from a sparring match gone too rough the last time they met tho). i think it is more so a flinch because Mrs. La Rue likely has gone after similar men to Ares, therefore making visual markers of Ares (eg. a leather jacket, motorcycle, etc) triggers to Clarisse's mind to be on guard as these other men have been unpredictable and/or abusive; and Ares hasnt been around Clarisse enough for her to trust him not to be the same nor does she trust him enough to be comfortable in general around him (as it's an Event when her dad shows up, not just some Tuesday). and that's in the books. thats not accounting for the tv show deciding "Clarisse will never be good enough to Ares because she is not one of his sons" (which i think makes sense in a representation point of view; but i also think it makes less sense sense about Ares specifically. because Athena is also a god of war, and theres even evidence that Aphrodite is/was a god of war when she was initially worshipped, so Ares is aware of women being equal and capable; Ares was also the patron of Sparta, which was the city-state with the most rights for women, one of which was that it was only one that allowed women to protect themselves against their husbands. and you could also argue, due to some of his actions in his legends, that Ares protected mistreated women. however, "Percy Jackson and the Olympians" states that Olympus' move to New York meant that the gods changed to better reflect their enviroment, and Ares is the most likely best-fit to represent the Western/American brand of toxic masculinity. so. his depiction in the books works well enough for a man still in an affair with Aphrodite who upholds glory in battle as the pinnacle of human greatness, and his built-up depiction in the show to be more abusive and sexist does and doesnt make sense. i care more about representation and a good story than i do have Ares be academically perfect to how we understand his lore to have made him out to be, personally). but yeah, in both versions, he's been set up as a shitty dad. he's inattentive and lacking self-awareness at best (and, again, is still actively having an on/off affair with Aphrodite, which no doubt complicates his kids' feelings for him the same way any irl dad cheating and/or paying more attention to his girlfriend than to his kids would) in the books. which does then feed into Clarisse's relationship with him. Ares, like many of the gods, sees their kids as extentions or representations of themselves. so its good when things are good and you make them proud, but then anything you do badly then "reflects badly on them too" which can be really damaging to a kid

the only gods we see as exempt from this mindset of extension/representation (other than obviously Hera and Artemis, as neither have any biological demigod children. Artemis does have her mistresses of the hunt tho) is arguably Dionysus as aforementioned, kind of Poseidon as he keeps trying to connect with Percy (also maybe Hades for the same? we don't see him a lot, so it is hard to tell), as well as Apollo kind of? Apollo had his initial personality kind of backtracked and retroactively better-dad-ified, as he got his own POV book series ("The Trials of Apollo"), which includes a very heartfelt scene for when he got reunited with his son, Will Solace. so the gods arent terrible parents with all the same ideaologies, but they are absent more than they are present (with the exception of Dionysus, whose punishment is to be present and get attached 💔 not an encouraging move, guys)

which brings up another important point: that we dont really get other points of view in the first series, Percy is all we get. and though Clarisse is his ally (i love that Riordan did not have her betray the camp for the war in the first series. she just doesnt fucking like Percy lol), she is his most argumentative ally. in order for the reader to know Clarisse's backstory and know if she had to earn her claiming or not (which again: i dont think she had to. she may have been manipulated to think she did tho via the whole "i will claim you as a reward/i will claim you when it makes me look good and i can have some of your spotlight" bit), as well as learn how she earned her electric spear from Ares that Percy broke, Clarisse or someone close to her would have to sit down and tell Percy about it. and Clarisse wouldnt do that because she is not close with Percy; and nobody close to Clarisse would do that because they know Clarisse would feel betrayed if they talked about her private stuff to anybody, Percy or otherwise. all we really know about Clarisse La Rue's backstory is she was born in Phoenix, Arizona; and the satyr who led her to Camp Halfblood was Gleeson Hedge. that's it.

and i have a lot of complaints about how Rick Riordan writes (mostly how he writes women and people of color, especially women of color. but other parts of his writing does suck too). and part of the novel aspects of the new show is it allows "Percy Jackson and the Olympians" have a new re-write with a team of writers (which does still include Riordan), so there are likely things that will be changing. hopefully, unclaimed children will have a spotlight (i would love to have a show-exclusive character be unclaimed, but thats unlikely to happen). again, i havent seen the show yet, but it is possible that they will not follow the books in the aforementioned claiming details and will instead go "no, all claimings happen in a moment of glory", rather than "it was going to happen if you were a kid of the main 12 regardless, and we are just waiting to do it when it most looks good for us to announce you are ours". maybe they will explain the circumstances around Clarisse's claiming and spear, i dunno. the first series of books are all written in First Person POV and limited to just Percy's, and the nature of television is to be more Third-Person Omniscient, so there is a good chance we will learn things outside of what Percy knows this time around

but yeah! that's the climate around claiming and parenthood at Camp Halfblood, which even impacts claimed kids post-claiming; and everything we know about Clarisse past and her relationship with Ares before Percy Jackson arrives (at least in the books, lol) if you read this far, i do apologize that this is very long and that i kind of meander into some tangents. i have a habit of overexplaining. however, i hope that makes sense!✌️

[sevlawless]

okay so the n route has been bothering me ever since i played it and i needed to air my frustrations out as a way to cope i suppose

for reference my main detective who i use for n is felicity, but sometimes i also use arabella to test out some options i wouldn't normally pick and just to see how the romance works with a detective that isn't exactly that compatible with n. so when i first played, i used felicity and then later on when i was doing a deep dive into the romance and the plot, i was using arabella just to see if certain things held up yk! and lord how i wish it did LMFAO

just a little disclaimer that this is all just my opinion and i'm willing to listen to other points of view about this! and i do not mean any of what i say as a dig or to be hateful toward n, they are my favorite li in twc and the fact that i love their romance and their character so much is probably most if not all of the reason why their route in book 3 was so weird to me, and why i make the critiques that i do.

under the cut because this is a doozy and also book 3 spoilers

first of all the main thing in the demo chapters is that n gets mad if you try and fight the trappers bc they are so scared of losing you and like i GUESS i get it but this is literally our life now you're just gonna have to get used to it. and this wouldn't have even been an big issue for me if it was properly addressed! when i played using arabella i tried being mad, i tried staying mad, and it kept getting swept under the rug by the plot. like are we seriously not going to talk about this??? at all?????? and it seems very ooc for n NOT to say anything about it when you get a moment alone because why would they not address it, ESPECIALLY if your mc was still upset over it. AND ESPECIALLY IF YOU’RE IN A RELATIONSHIP LIKE- these things need to be discussed in order to grow as a couple and there needs to be healthy communication or else this is not going to work. like you're telling me we were living with unit bravo for WEEKS and this shit just never got brought up again?

this also ties into my next gripe- n's backstory. so, if you snooped in the demo they won't tell you anything, which okay. mc shouldn't have done that, sure, but n doesn't even give a reason as to why they're upset by that. obviously you can be like "well i think anyone would be upset if you delved into their past without their knowledge or permission" but YOU ARE IN A RELATIONSHIP WITH THIS PERSON WHY IS THERE NO COMMUNICATION OF FEELINGS. i would have appreciated that scene a hell of a lot more if n sat you down and was like "i'm upset that you did this, here's why," but all they do is get sad and then that's it. when i played as arabella i had her snoop AND get upset over the argument during the trapper fight, and n said something along the lines of "i know sometimes we regret doing things" as a reference to snooping AND the argument which??? just does NOT hold up at all and had me irritated as hell.

if you didn't snoop in the demo, n takes you to their room and shows you a picture of their family and talks about them and how his brother joined the navy and didn't come back (their brother was killed by vampires) and that's why they decided to join the navy, as a way to try and figure out what actually happened. this scene started off great, but it's cut short way too quickly because n drops the photo and the frame breaks. and then they basically just shoo you out. there's really not any option to comfort them, and the option that is there is not good enough. and it's not that n had to tell us EVERYTHING in that one scene, but it's more so the fact that it NEVER gets brought up again. your mc can't take a moment to bring it up and n sure as hell doesn't say anything else about it. which is so ?????? im sorry you supposedly love this person (im saying this for both mc and n) and yet neither of you address it again??? it makes no sense at all.

onto the research/combat scene… i've done the combat scene once so i can't really speak on that as much as the research one so. most of the research scene is fine aside from the fact if you're not in a relationship (which i did for one playthrough with felicity) n brings up bobby if you dated them which felt so bizarre but anyways. the option to realize you love n… i would love this IF the option where you tell n you love them actually mattered. LMFAO if you tell n you love them they literally just stare at you and then the sex scene pops up. like are you kidding me??? n would not just leave you hanging like that even if it was just to say that they don't feel that way yet. and the sex scene itself is… fine i suppose but it doesn't feel as intimate as it should be. there's little to no dialogue and it just feels so weird to read. like why would neither of you be saying anything?? not to mention the fact that you're literally OUTSIDE of the warehouse where any of ub could see you at any point it just feels wrong to have sex at that point at least in my opinion. and the talk after feels so short and weird i feel like both the detective and n would have more to say. and that moment is quickly brushed away by the plot.

i guess the next plot line is whether u told tina or verda or nobody about the supernatural. going into book 3 this was probably what i looked forward to the most and ofc it barely delivered. i liked seeing tina and n interact but that quickly turned sour for me, not because tina started rightfully bringing up how much mc has been through, but because n really does not do anything with that pov being voiced to them, which is so fucking ooc it pains me. when they go to talk to mc after their conversation there's no discussion just "i wanted to see you" okay but WHY did you? i would have taken a li pov of what tina relayed to them literally anything! and it's just another thing that gets swept under the rug because of the stupid ass plot.

another thing about the dinner that gets lost in the plot of book 3: tina/verda bringing up your li possibly drinking your blood and mc can react a number of different ways and i wish it had been talked about more than just in that moment 😭

the only scene that i genuinely enjoyed in all of n's route was after that building caves in on mc and you're back at the warehouse traumatized and bruised and defeated. n runs you a bath and if you pick that option helps you out of your clothes and then helps you settle into bed. i wish there had been more discussion of anything in that scene but mc was so out of it i was okay with no talking. and then redacted petname <3 the other thing i was most looking forward to! one thing i did dislike about this scene though was that we didn't really get a glimpse on how n was feeling yk usually mishka offers the li's pov on a scene and not having that made that moment not feel as rounded out.

the pool scene… first of all why did n get this one. like it would have made sense for m, hell even a! and again the scene felt so shallow and then the option to have sex. you're telling me your first time with n can be on a fucking pool table???? that is so not their vibe AT ALL and it feels so weird to even have that there. it was unnecessary as well as the other opportunity to have sex and i feel like mishka just put them in there as like fan service when who (in my opinion) genuinely wants this if they romance n and have them as their main route. i had hoped the first time n and mc have the opportunity to have sex it would be a more intimate setting because that's more fitting for them and my nate mc, felicity. but nope! and then the scene gets cut short because n has to go on patrol??? and again the sex scene itself … neither of them feel personable it's like a "one size fits all" type of approach and that just does not work if this is supposed to be interactive fiction where we create a personality for our mc's that cannot fit this specific mold mishka wants to put everyone in.

being invited to what might as well just be a fucking slave trade (i have many thoughts about this auction plotline as well but for now im discussing n's route) had me so confused because why would mishka even do that and then n's comment about the stationary? i need you to be fucking for real. the scene before you leave for the mission with n just felt so weird like we get it n is protective of mc but at this point it just felt like a hinderance which sucks because one of the things i love most about n is their deep care for mc and they just sounded like a broken record and it annoyed me so bad.

after all that, the scene when you come back and n is in tears confessing their love for mc i wanted to enjoy it i really did and i just could not upon replaying because it feels so unbelievably hollow. we have not discussed anything pertaining our relationship and when there are things that need to be discussed they are so underwhelming it's hard to even care. there are a handful of things n and mc both need to work on in order for this relationship to work and the fact that they're not being addressed makes it difficult for me to enjoy anything about this route. you can't even tell n you love them back for fuck's sake like hello.

a theme that i did not think was going to be as prominent as it was in this book but n contemplating mc turning into a vampire and AGAIN there wasn't ever really a discussion about this between mc and n and i feel like this will come to a head as the books progress but i don't think it fit into book 3 considering so many other things were being thrown at us.

all in all i truly desperately wanted to enjoy book 3 and enjoy being with n but i cannot when there are so many things ignored, sidelined, or just completely forgotten in order to push the plot forward.

[hollow-keys]

I saw Wonder Woman #2 today and I decided to read it out of morbid curiousity, so mamma mia, here we go again:

I read Tom King's Wonder Woman so you don't have to, round two (link to round one here).

First off, framing. Yet again, this issue is narrated by the Sovereign, but this time it's narrated to someone. And that someone is Trinity, Diana's daughter that Tom King created. She gets no lines and she doesn't appear on panel, but given the Sovereign refers to Diana as "your mother," there's only one character it could be. First of all, this is Diana's book, it should be told from her perspective. We get no insight from her, nothing from her perspective, she shows even less emotion than in the last issue. This is not the treatment Tom King gave Batman. Second, I do not care about the OC daughter. I do not want to hear about her.

But on to the actual story. So, it starts with Diana on an open field being approached by Steve Trevor, who is acting on behalf of the US government and is telling her to stand down because she can't win.

Look, I didn't think I'd ever complain about Steve Trevor, incredibly basic WW supporting character, being mischaracterised but. Isn't he meant Wonder Woman's staunch friend who pretty much always takes her side? Hasn't he seen Diana in enough battles to know she doesn't just lose? She's fought gods, armies from outer space, the forces of Apokolips, why does he think the US army is beyond her? He's underestimating her for no reason.

And more importantly, because she is the title character, why doesn't Diana seem to care that her long time ally is being a coward?

And why does Diana care about the soldiers wellbeing at this point? Why is she trying to get them to go home with no consequence and no hint of anger about how her or her fellow Amazons have been treated when they've already made their stance quite clear? People are dead! They've already made their decision, you already tried to extend them mercy. Now you fight. The thing about Diana is that mercy is always her first port of call, but when the other side has made their choice she meets them and she does have anger about the injustices they've committed. Here, she just doesn't seem to care.

Also, Diana's nihilism about the ways of men, that they will always "crash upon the rocks" is at odds with her optimism. She knows that humanity contains multitudes, some crash, some don't.

Anyway, the whole issue parallels her fight against the army with flashbacks to her final fight on Themyscira to prove herself worthy of being the Amazon's champion and Wonder Woman. This parallel makes no sense to me. Those fights were completely different.

One is against an army to defend herself and her people from enemies who want them dead, the other is against an ally in a tournament, a battle where no one's in real danger. Or at least, that's how it should be. Usually when this moment is shown, it's a good faith tournament to find out who the most qualified person to serve as champion is, they're all allies who respect each other. Here, the opponent is shown to be hateful towards Diana, genuinely seriously injure her and there's no sense of camaraderie between them.

While Diana and her opponent are trading barbs before their fight, the other Amazon gives her a chance to surrender. Diana responds "Honour is won with swords, not surrender," which is incredibly out of character for her. Yes, there are cases where Diana would consider surrender dishonourable, but it's not an absolute rule. She believes in compassion and peace, which means surrender is sometimes the right course of action. The framing of it as an absolute here does a disservice to her.

Steve Trevor would not fucking say that, Amazons do not fucking act like that and the last panel makes no sense. It's said by present Diana but only makes sense as a continuation of past Diana's sentence. present WW just said "To tell me who I am." with no words before that. To parallel these conversations, present Diana talking to Steve would have had to have said "Neither you nor anyone else has ever earned the right..." in the fifth panel so the seventh panel made sense for both sides. The composition here was thoughtless. Yes this is a nitpick, but details matter. Where are the editors? Sidenote: her mask is ugly.

Anyway, then we get these choice narration boxes from the Sovereign.

It's just. So bad. I want to make it clear that at no point is the Sovereign framed as an unreliable narrator, despite being the villain who's diametrically opposed to Diana. This just appears to be, Tom King's genuine take on things. I would ask if he understands that you cannot believe in peace and do nothing in the face of violent status quo, but I don't have to. Of course he doesn't. And of course he calls her an idiot while he's at it. Remind me, did he ever call Batman anything like that?

We then get more pathetic "Of course I want Diana to win, I'm still gonna serve with her enemies though" Steve Trevor. I should make it clear tho that he's not actually fighting against her, he's just watching the fight and updating Sargeant Steel.

Anyway, then we get a bit of narration that says:

"Infantry. Be it conscripts or... Well it's always just conscripts. If you can't do it from afar...Or with haste... Then get the grunts to rush in close and kill and die in what you will tell their children was a patriotic mission."

Tom King, stop processing your war trauma here. Any one of these soldiers could have stood down, they chose to enforce a genocidal policy. It's on them. Stop framing them as victims who were taken advantage of, they're grown adults who chose to be there.

Anyway. Another caption box from the still-inexplicably-narrating-this Sovereign:

"...And prepared to meet the onslaught of angry men with the grace of a princess born and proven."

I ask this again, did he ever treat Batman like this? Does he ever emphasise Batman's grace and frame him as being above anger? Why does Diana need to be like this?

And now for an unnecessary Macbeth reference.

"For some time the missiles rained down. No man of woman born could have survived such a salvo. But of course. She was neither a man nor born of woman. She was Amazon. Forged first of clay. Then steel."

I don't think this reference makes sense considering the line in Macbeth is a prophecy, a warning that Macbeth missed. But here it's a measure of power. She's powerful enough because she's not a man of woman born, which makes no sense because that has nothing to do with power. I'm nitpicking. Again. I know. But the Macbeth reference is such a shallow attempt at being badass. And as a sidenote, it should say "She was AN Amazon."

"Potty train." "A pup." God this dialogue is so bad. Amazons do not fucking speak like that.

Then Diana smashes a tank with another tank and there are cartoon stars on the impact sight. This is meant to be a serious battle, why are they there?

"Many people lie about your mother. About her family, her origins, her abilities, her wants her needs. Every tale of the great Wonder Woman provides us with more insight into the teller than into their supposed protagonist. They faithfully project their own fears onto her with the aspiration that her legend can ease their daily panic."

So close to self awareness and yet so far. It's so ironic.

"Men in the field, I admire your courage! I honor your service and your loyalty! I do not wish to harm you! But if you proceed... I will... Over and over... Drop a 55-ton abrams tank on your pathetic little heads!"

Again, why does she not seem to care about the violence they've committed against her and her people? Why does she continue to respect them and wish no harm upon them? Where's her sadness, her righteous fury? And the bit where she says she'll drop a tank on their "pathetic little heads" is so out of character and it's such bad dialogue. When Diana makes threats, it's not like that.

Anyway, y'know the flashback fight? Yeah, well, the issue ends with the reveal that her opponent is the Amazon that committed the massacre which kick started this whole thing, which is such a cheap retcon it makes me roll my eyes.

After all this, I think I put more thought into this post than Tom King puts into any of his writing. I hope the next issue isn't bad enough that it inspires me to do this again. I'm tired.

[hella-hound]

re: episode 6 and who Grover is going to say is the traitor

Anyone else have a fear in the back of their mind that they're going to drop the Luke bomb early? Everyone, those who have criticisms with the show and those who love the show are talking about pacing pacing pacing. So would this be part of that pacing we're talking about? Moving up vital parts or wiping them away completely for the sake of pacing?

what that scene at the end of episode 5 has given me is one horrifying thought about what Grover found out, or what he thinks he found out.

I suspect (and hope) that Grover will think that Clarisse is the lightning thief which, okay. that's fine, (actually more than fine, it might be the first change that I really, really like.) It moves up some other conversations/thoughts; pretty sure I remember that Percy suspects that she's the lightning thief after they find out Ares planted the bolt on them in Denver. It definitely plays on the clear rivalry between he and Clarisse that we've established from the start. I'm excited for all the implications it could mean. Does Percy finish his quest angry at her? She hones in on him at camp, messing with him, telling everyone, and trying to show that he's not strong enough; and then frames him to solidify her effort to get rid of him? Does he go back to camp guns blazing at Clarisse, telling everyone she's the traitor?

That all said, that's the best case scenario. Grover saying that anyone else is the traitor/lightning thief might be a let down now that I've gotten excited over this. And yes, it's highly doubtful that he's going to say that its Luke, but on the off chance that this happens, can you imagine how it's going to play out the following two episodes? (Like, truly why the f is Hermes at the Lotus Hotel anyways?)

My problem with it is because Annabeth and Luke's relationship is not the same in the show as it is in the book. It doesn't feel as strong or as loyal. Annabeth is so, so adamant that Luke can be saved. It's been a while but I think she stays that way until she's taken in ttc. It's a big point of contention between Annabeth and Percy, I remember there being a point when they refused to talk about Luke together because they breakout into fighting even. And even then she watches him fall from a cliff in ttc she is able to keep hope that he's still alive.

In the show we have yet to see them have an interaction. We know they know each other well, Annabeth tells Percy that he was the one who was friendly with her while they traveled to Camp-- Thalia being more standoffish. And Luke goes far enough to call her his sister! but we never see the proof behind that. There's no scene of them talking, I don't even know if they talk about Capture the Flag on screen. And I know this sounds silly but Annabeth isn't shown to have the same girlhood crush she has on Luke in the book. If it exists, we don't know yet. Silly as the crush is those things make you blind to failures and mistakes. It's one of the main reasons why Percy believes Annabeth keeps a soft spot for Luke.

I have a feeling that if Grover dropped the Luke bomb that his only defender would be Percy. That's the only relationship we've taken with us from Camp. With the differences they've made with Annabeth's character, there's no way she'd defend Luke after hearing that. Her show personality is too honest and distrusting; she'd probably hear that, play it over in her mind and be like, "Okay yeah makes sense." without explaining her reasoning as to why she came to that conclusion. And there's nothing that we have to back up anything different other than Luke's offhanded comment that "Annabeth's my sister." in episode 2.

And there you go, the surprise of who the real traitor is ruined two episodes from the end. I can't even guess how that plays out from there? Do Annabeth and Percy have continual disagreements about it? Are we shown more proof that lends a hand to evidence for or against Luke being a traitor? idk, can't stop thinking about how this is going to play out. They took the time to change where Grover was during the waterpark scene and took away his part in it, they better make it worth it, you know?

[aroacehanzawa]

THANK YOU FOR RBING WITH YOUR THOUGHTS especially the last line.

i really do miss when bsd stayed in its own genre, and I KNOW before someone comes at me that sometimes you gotta do a little exploring, a little swaying. but not like this. i just dont enjoy the manga anymore because it's so far from what i fell in love with. and again before someone says oh then why are you reading it and complaining if it makes you so mad😤😤😡 IM NOT EVEN READING IT. I CHECK THE LEAKS AND I GO YEAH THIS IS STILL JUST FYODOR AND DAZAI NOT DYING. also because i care about the characters and i still want to see how the whole thing is resolved cuz guess what im not gonna just stop reading it after i invested 3 years of my life into it.

anyway yeah. as i said. whagever.

ME TOO.

The thing is that bsd has always been something more than just silly detectives vs port mafia shenanigans, but it managed keep this larger world contained in a way that made sense in the story. For example the book, which is practically a deus ex machina device, still had its place and function in the story - francis wanted it to bring back his daughter, and even the usage of the page to frame the agency was logical.

Even the more high tech stuff like the eyes of god surveillance system was well played - not only did we get a funny ace attorney moment of francis interrupting the courtroom and buying the software, it actually became plot relevant in the cannibalism arc to locate fyodor and early doa arc to find mushitarou. (and francis's death fakeout was actually good, because it wasn't overdone yet, plus we got a nice and fun redemption arc for him)

But then we're suddenly getting a bunch of new ability weapons like fukuchi's sword and prison realm one order and idk. what else have we had. Time manipulating cat lady who was practically used as an off-screen human ability weapon for dazai's convenience and then immediately killed off with no name no dialogue no character #feminism.

All this while it seems like asagiri completely forgot about the part where atsushi is somehow a beacon towards the book, but that isn't too surprising because it feels like asagiri has forgotten about the role and personality and agency of the characters in general. The thing that drew me into bsd in the first place was its sincere focus on the human experience, the way that each chapter and mini arc seemed to have something to say about the overarching themes of finding a reason to keep living and a place to belong. Now i feel like the last time we got to see any of this kind of commentary was with tachihara's arc, or briefly with sigma, but it still feels too shallow.

And like you said there's nothing wrong with a little exploring and a little swaying, in fact i think the whole premise of bsd is that it allows for so much exploration, but to me it feels like the potential that bsd held in the beginning is just not being met anymore. Or rather we're just not heading in the direction we could've been going in.

Atsushi and his implied connection to the book like i mentioned earlier. The order of the clock tower that has been teased since agatha's introduction and some sporadic mentions/implications of its existence since then. Dazai and fyodor's unknown first meeting (this is why i also don't like them killing off fyodor just like that because we still don't know anything about him BUT the way we've ended up in this inexhaustible loop of dazai wins fyodor wins dazai wins fyodor wins i also don't see any way out of it unless one or both of them die so. asagiri just look at what you've done)

idek what i'm trying to say here i'm just really frustrated because i've invested so much of my time in following bsd and it's like as a reader i'm not even getting anything out of it.

anywya read orv for good plot and characters and worldbuilding and literally perfect storytelling and respect for the reader

[bottlecaprabbitgames]

happy almost birthday! squeezing in some q&a questions before it's too late.

you don't have to answer these: (saw you were playing Sun Haven) what's your favorite video game? what video game do you have the most hours in?

Game Qs:

Any idea how much time (in-game) your series will span? The events will be ongoing for a few years' time?

Will the MC ever meet another Alpha? Spoilers? Will the MC ever have the opportunity to look into why... Alphas disappear... once they enter the employment of the Advocacy?

Does Quinn have any cool scars? What are his hobbies?

Would Sylvia ever want to get matching BFF tattoos with the MC? Tasteful or tacky?

RO Qs:

How do ROs feel about an MC that likes to bite? Affectionate bites <3

ROs reaction if they and the MC got stuck somewhere overnight and it only made sense to sleep next to each other for warmth, but they woke up cuddling the MC?

ROs plan a romantic date night?

Someone is being annoying and persistent, hitting on the MC even though the Mc isn't interested. MC spots the RO and blurts out, "here comes my bf/gf/partner!" RO reactions?

The birthday has come! Let's get into these Qs, heheh!

My favorite game OF ALL TIME is definitely a tie between Pokemon Platinum and Fallout 4! Pokemon Platinum is the first game I ever had that I owned, and Fallout 4... god. I don't know, it's just so good??? Sun Haven is DEFINITELY in spot #2 though.

The game I have the most hours in... hmm. Probably Skyrim. I don't have them recorded because I played it mostly offline, but I know I have well over a thousand hours in it. How many exactly, the world may never know, though...

HMM. This is something I'm still debating! I know at least a year will. Maybe 2. I don't really know the time for each individual game in the series' time frame until I'm in the midst of planning and writing!

The MC WILL meet more Alphas! Actually, they have already, they just... don't know it yet. And yes. MC will indeed be looking into the rumored disappearances of Alphas... it's actually part of the main plotline in Book 4.

Quinn does have some pretty cool scars, with stories linked to each one! To go with the ask for his hobbies, he actually has small scars on his fingers from when he first learned to whittle as a child, and from some mishaps with putting bait on fishing hooks. He has a pretty gnarly scar on his ribs from his youth, when he was only a detective, before he even became his father's deputy. He was investigating the disappearance of a young man, down in a cave not far outside of Armington. He found that the man had been taken captive by a female Arachne... a spider-humanoid creature, and this particular variety has a nasty acid spitting capability. By the time he managed to get himself and the man out, it had eaten through his protective gear and hit the ribs.

As for hobbies though! Whittling, fishing, making sure MC isn't off doing something stupid again, and he likes reading horror or sci-fi books. He's a big fan of Stephen King and James Patterson.

Sylvia absolutely would get matching BFF tattoos with MC! She'd probably try to convince them to get something floral or related to birds in some way.

A BITEY MC... excellent. I'm ngl I would love to affectionately bite. Just a lil nibble.

Okay with it: Iri, Adontis

Has a thing for it: Blake, Fawn

Unsure of why or how it's affectionate, but allows it: Freja, Loche

AAAAAAA I LOVE THAT TROPE! I'm taking this as like crushing phase!

Blake... would be all for it. He'd actually probably snuggle closer and fall back to sleep. He is a very cuddly dude, and he sleeps easier when there's someone else in the room with him, especially someone he's romantically interested in. He might even give MC a very light kiss on the temple.

Loche... oh man. Their heart would be POUNDING and they would feel such an intense longing. They'd curl MC closer to them, gently running their scarred fingers ever so lightly over their face, memorizing every curve and dip. There would be a seed of hope down in their chest that this will eventually be something that happens every morning... if Loche can just tell MC the truth.

Freja would freeze. She wouldn't move an inch, she wouldn't even breathe. It'd take a few long moments for her to gently pry the MC's arm from around her waist and extract herself from the warmth of the covers. She'd cover them back up and proceed to leave them to sleep, her mind still replaying the incident over and over and over again.

Iri is a cuddlebug, just like Blake. They'd MORE than welcome MC cuddled up to them or being cuddled up to MC, even that early into their relationship. Iri would have the BIGGEST grin, then simply go back to sleep.

Adontis would wake, taking a moment to breathe in MC's scent, then realize just how close he is to MC. In fact, they're curled up to his chest, his arm keeping them close. He would softly smile, run his fingers through their hair, before easing his way out of the bed, making sure to pile the pillows around them and tucking the covers to keep the warmth in. It would be a memory he holds close, even deeper into the romance.

Fawn... hmm. She's a hard one. She'd stiffen for a moment, her senses wiring themselves up, before she realized what exactly is going on. She'd slowly relax, especially once her body and mind caught up to each other and she realized how comfortable she is with this. With them. She'd bury her nose in MC's hair and keep them close, until she felt them starting to wake. She'd move away, back to her side of the bed, and pretend to be sleeping.

A romantic date night....

Blake is a simple man, which I'm sure you've all figured out by now. He'd probably make dinner and have it outside on a cool but not chilly evening, fresh flowers on the center of the table, and he'd be waiting outside for the moment MC got home. He'd be close all through dinner, and would want to curl up on the couch with MC after, holding them close to his chest. Now, I can't say that when they get to the bedroom it's still gonna be all romantic and whatnot, but he does have their favorite candles on the nightstands and the dresser, and he washed all the bed linens and put fresh ones on. Simple man.

I'm going to be honest, Loche doesn't know much about romance. They're trying to learn, to figure things out for MC, because they want to know how humans show affection and love, so they can give that. They would rely heavily on the team for help, and would eventually decide to do something similar to Blake: Loche would ask Freja to help them make a dinner that is fitting for 'romance' (and Freja would be happy to help, she finds it very sweet and also she's a big romantic herself), have the table set with rose petals leading to it from the door, and probably would take Iri and Adontis's advice to offer MC a massage with warm oil.

Freja, Ms. Big Romantic at Heart, who loves her romance novels to bits... would have to wage war against her crippling social anxiety and fears of [redacted] to do the very best she can. She would have Adontis screen and handle calls for the night, so she can plan her method of attack. I can without a doubt say a hot bubble bath with MC's favorite candles and scents would be part of the night, MC's favorite meal cooked to perfection, and the two of them curling up together on the couch to pick back up on the show they've gotten super behind on. Lots of affection, starting slow as Freja relaxes.

Iri, Iri, Iri... definitely would take MC out to their favorite restaurant, and get them whatever the wanted, no holds barred. And when they get home? There's a full-body, sensual massage waiting for MC with oil and Iri's very warm, big, capable hands.

Adontis... I'm sure it's not surprising that Adontis is a man with expensive tastes. He would buy out the most beautiful point of whatever city or town they're in, have whatever meal MC would like whipped up to perfection, and he'd break out some of his oldest wines. Gentle music playing, the soft sounds of the night creatures, and talking. His hand would migrate to MC's thigh for most of the dinner, and when he gets them home... well. He's worshiping them until well into the wee morning hours, for however long they can handle.

Fawn. God, Fawn's questions are really making me think! Hmm. I definitely know she'd steal one of Adontis's finer wines, a sweet red, and would get flowers that remind her of MC to give to them. She'd have them two gifts: a painting she did of them that's probably not one MC would want the general public seeing, but it's not exactly sexual... just shows MC, through and through, how Fawn sees them; and something more utility-wise, like a knife she made herself or something to keep MC from harm. She's not one for romance, but she'd try to make sure MC knew how she feels about them, and would probably ask them what they wanted to do.

HMMMM, what stage is this? Crushing? Middle of the road? I'll do middle of the road.

Blake would probably nearly choke on his beer, but mostly from surprise. He's not been called a boyfriend in goddamn ages, and here is someone he's really wanting to be with yelling that that's what he is. He'd look between MC and the person pestering them, put two and two together, and go into Big Angry Werewolf Sort-Of-Kind-Of-Boyfriend mode. Very scary if you're on the receiving end, I mean, Blake was a biker for pretty much all of his 'human' years, and he never got out of the ruffian habits.

Loche doesn't socialize much, and the boyfriend/girlfriend/partner stuff is still something they're learning. Like, they know the baseline meaning, but hearing MC call them it wouldn't immediately spark something. Instead, they'd read the exasperation on MC's face and the blatant interest on the pesterers... and. Well. Loche is a lot scarier than Blake, as Loche does not go by the normal societal rules, and was instead brought up in a world where if someone is bothering the person you're involved with... well, sometimes it ends in the death of one of them.

Freja would freeze. Statue-level freeze; not a single part of her body would move, except her eyes. Her mind would be running wild, her heart beating rapidly, but her eyes would be taking in the scene before her. And she'd realize what exactly is going on. When her mind can get over the being called "girlfriend" bit, she'll haul ass over in her very prim and elegant manner, and make this annoyance feel lesser than a fly.

Iri would grin IMMEDIATELY. And would not take the aggressive stance. Oh, no, Iri likes a more... fun approach to things. So they'd swagger over, wrap their arm around MC's waist, and kiss their cheek and ask what all the fuss is about. Meanwhile, staring at the annoying person with such a cold look that they feel nailed in place.

Adontis... is a gentleman in all things. Except when the romance between him and MC starts to grow. Then, well, disrespecting MC is like slapping him in the face. And Adontis does not deal well with being disrespected. He'd give MC a warm smile and crook a brow, before coming to tower over the annoying person... and let them get a glimpse of just what his vampiric form can really look like. Needless to say, they'd be scared shitless.

And last but not least in any way, Fawn would not handle this with any grace. No, Fawn is a lot like Loche in her thinking, and the moment she sees how uncomfortable MC is? Her vision is going red. And she's planning to give one threat to the annoying person... and if they don't take the hint? She'll give them an asswhoopin' that they'll be smarting from for months to come. If she doesn't just y'know. /eyes emoji/

Thank you SO much for the questions and birthday wishes!!! I hope you enjoy the answers!!!

[gandalfthemorallygrey]

Hi unfortunately for you I was thinking tonight and got carried away so here's why Love From the Other Side by Fall Out Boy is Crowley to Aziraphale and Wasteland, Baby! by Hozier is Aziraphale to Crowley here's a super long post about it

GENRE

Love is alt rock, loud with guitars. I'm willing to believe Crowley is down for that sort of thing, even if he (might) prefer classic rock (or maybe that's just the Bentley). Wasteland isn't the classical that Aziraphale prefers but it is 10x softer than Love, with an acoustic guitar and soft vocals. Plus given Hozier's background and general themes it fits pretty well. I picked both of these songs a) because they were what I happened to be listening to but mostly b) because they're both about the apocalypse.

LYRICS FROM LOVE

We were a hammer to the statue of David / We were a painting you could never frame and / You were the sunshine of my lifetime

The sunshine bit is pretty obvious so I'm skipping over it but I really want to talk about the first line. Sources (the first few websites that popped up from my Google search) tell us that the statue of David by Michelangelo is widely thought to symbolize Florence's freedom and independence from Rome. David glares out in the direction of Rome daring it to try anything. Now, initially, I was like "well this doesn't fit at all my theory is ruined" but then I stopped looking at the "hammer" as a sledgehammer meant to destroy the statue and rather a hammer that might have been used in conjunction with a chisel to CREATE the statue of David. Aziraphale and Crowley created their own independent side (Florence) where they could be themselves without the interference or retribution of anyone from their respective former sides (Rome). They constructed a safe haven. The second line, the painting one, I take to mean the state of danger their relationship (in whatever form it existed in) was in while Heaven and Hell were still breathing down their necks. Their relationship was beautiful and worth saving, but could never be displayed or discussed openly for fear of retribution.

We're told we gotta get ahead, yeah / No matter what it takes / But there's no way off the hamster wheel on this rat race

This I take to be about the Arrangement, and Crowley's reasoning for beginning it. They're stuck in an unwinnable war against each other which each set of higher-ups is deadset on winning. Closer to the ground, though, Crowley and Aziraphale can see that the whole thing is inane and nothing much changes when the apparent "hereditary enemies" do each other's jobs for them, because the net effect is the same.

I'd never go, I just want to be invited, oh

Tbh this is just a Crowley thing to say

Generation sleep

HE LITERALLY DID THAT HE SLEPT THROUGH THE 19TH CENTURY

LYRICS FROM WASTELAND

All the fear and the fire / Of the end of the world / Happens each time a boy falls in love with a girl

Playing fast and loose with the gender in these lyrics but otherwise Aziraphale spends his apocalypse frightened and on fire (they both do, at different points). He also is by far the more anxious of the two about their relationship in whatever form it so happens to be in at that moment. He constantly worries about what Heaven would think about it or what would happen if they were caught--something tantamount to the end of the world, one might say.

All the things yet to come are the things that have passed / Like the holding of hands, like the breaking of glass / Like the bonfire that burns, that all words in the fight fell to

First things first: in the words of Neil Gaiman himself, they like holding hands. Then: the thing that burns when it comes to Aziraphale is his bookshop; all the words he's collected and hoarded throughout the years. They fell in what could generously be described as a fight with Shadwell. The time this all comes together in the past would be 1941. The church, glass included, breaks pretty thoroughly. Aziraphale thinks his books of prophecy are lost in the blaze of the Blitzkrieg. Again, and I cannot say this enough, they like holding hands.

Be still, my indelible friend / You are unbreaking / Though quaking / Though crazy / That's just wasteland, baby

I looked up the word "indelible" for this. It means unable to be forgotten or removed. Huh, kind of like an immortal demon that always has your back. Crazy. Crowley is both extremely fidgety and also has stopped time at Aziraphale's behest mid Satan-is-coming earthquake, so these lines could have double meaning within this interpretation.

And when the stench of the sea and the absence of green / Are the death of all things that are seen and unseen / Not an end, but the start of all things that are left to do

I have literally no idea where the stench of the sea factors into all this but both Heaven and Hell have a distinct absence of green when Aziraphale and Crowley make the switch. Not only are they meant to have died then and there, but their relations with Heaven and Hell actually did die, as well as the Usher (things seen and unseen). But this stunt isn't the end, rather the First Day of the Rest of Their Lives.

IN CONCLUSION,

This started out as me listening to music and quickly spiralled. Both Love and Wasteland can be interpreted through the lens of Good Omens to make sense and, as an additional benefit, have gay pining. I hope you enjoyed reading it, and I'd love to hear your counterarguments/other songs you think are Aziraphale and Crowley coded.

[monstersinthecosmos]

Isn't it implied that Armand was sexually abused even before Marius when he was basically a child sex trafficking victim? Kind of don't even want RJ to touch that backstory at all at this point tbh

Oh yes, I would say it's not even "implied" as much as very clearly part of his backstory. He's kidnapped and trafficked and winds up with Marius because Marius purchases him.

I will say when I talked about this yesterday I said "Especially because Armand's experience of it doesn't fit neatly into RJ's whole 'rape makes you tougher' trope since Armand doesn't ask the reader to think of it as rape." which!!!!!! I will fine tune here and say I meant his experiences with Marius are the rape he doesn't try to sell us as rape. Please don't get me started on TVA meta and Armand's reliability as a narrator since we are in AMC land today on this post. He's clear about what happens to him when he's trafficked, and when Marius first "rescues" him he's so traumatized that he's nonverbal.

So it absolutely does not make him tougher; it makes him traumatized and vulnerable. I think even his respite of living with Marius is undone when he gets to the cult and re-embraces his fervent religious beliefs. It makes me wonder if he's overcorrecting and seeing his time with Marius as sin. He doesn't recover from this for like 300 years!

But that kinda leans into like a lot of the casual readers' ambiguity about who & what Marius is, also about Anne's intentions writing it/the branding contamination of her erotica career. I would even argue that a lot of casual readers don't even make it this far into the series, anyway. This is probably the most divisive book in the series because some people read it as fun vampire erotica that's just packed to the rafters with sexy & extremely common kink tropes, other people go WAIT WHAT THE FUCK? lol.

I'm not completely buying that the team on this show actually read the whole series, or at least not as deeply as fandom nerds have 😂, and like I think everyone has to remember that Tumblr & fandoming are echochambers and people outside in the regular world tend not to be this sensitive to these topics. Especially when it comes to topics that are more familiar in queer spaces. So it wouldn't surprise me if the Venice era was read uncritically. I almost wanna say maybe even read as Anne intended but what the fuck has this show told us about what Anne intended? LOL.

But there's a lot of ambiguity in TVA with Marius's intentions again don't let me waste Marius meta on an AMC post and the thing people often romanticize about him is that he rescued Armand. And like I just wonder if the show, seeing how they're handling Claudia, would lean into the like Ricean precocious child trope and try to play it off that Armand is asking for it or enjoying it.

And much like the way they're portraying Lestat, I think it's worth noting that Marius's actons often come from grounded places, and the harm he does is not always intentional. Personally I don't think the show has framed Lestat as particularly sympathetic, although they've given us some clues about why he's like this. I think fandom is really extrapolating on that stuff and woobifying him LOL so just. WHEW WOULD THEY DO THAT TO MARIUS? HAHA. fucken yiiikes.

I am *eating popcorn gif* waiting to see if the completely rampant Lestat apologism will extend to Marius bc it's hilarious to me that he has been demonized by fandom along with his fans but yet Domestic Abuser Lestat is just sad about his ex uwu louis is so mean 2 him

So anyway yeah idk man. I'm not thrilled with what the show is saying about teenagers and sexual assault so I definitely have some concerns about Armand. But I also feel like it would be such a cop out to age him up, because him being turned at 17 and looking like that is so important to his character. All of this stuff is important to his character. Like idk I don't want them to shy away from these topics but I just hope like, if there's meaningful feedback from Season 1 maybe they write it more sensitively and with more nuance going forward.

I hate to say it but we can only hope that the show continues on its path of making it the fuck up and maybe none of this will make it to the screen anyway. hopes & prayers. please leave my son out of this adshjgkadg

[loki-hargreeves]

It's late when they finally make it through the front door; shrieks and blood-stained frames still dancing around in their minds, relentless, torturing them. Marc, Steven and Jake never talk about how it affects them to still be the fist of Khonshu, the protectors of the travellers of the night; but they don't have the need to, either. They all know what it feels to take a life, and they try not to, but it's not always possible.

Jake's the one in charge of the body tonight. He knows Marc and Steven better than he knows himself, and he also knows that with the number of people involved in the mission they just succeeded in, his other alters aren't quite right to make it home. So he fronts, allowing them to rest in the headspace like Steven or vanish somewhere in the subconscious like Marc.

Either way, it's their choice. The same way that it's Jake's choice to get them home safe and take care of the body once he gets there: washing the remaining blood from his hair; eating, drinking water, getting under the covers and cuddling you after a long week of not seeing his best girl, too. All those things that Jake doubts the others can do without breaking.

Because he hates it when they break and you have to reassure them; because Jake thinks that when you signed up to be their girlfriend, you didn't sign up to mother them, to fix the wounds their actual mother left. He says nothing because he knows the others need it, but he will never let you worry for him the way you worry for the others.

Jake is expecting to find you awake, maybe have dinner together if you haven't yet. You always wait for them to come back, even when they tell you not to. And that's why it's so weird, and all his alarms go off, when he opens the door to find the flat in complete darkness.

He squints in the darkness, trying to get his eyes used to it; and locks the door behind him.

"Where is Eli?"

Steven's distinctive accent almost makes him jump. The flat is so silent and dark that Jake is starting to think you've gone out somewhere. He finishes with the five —yes, five— locks they have on their front door and then turns around to see Steven's faded reflection on the glass of a picture frame.

For a second, all he sees is the actual photo it holds. It's the first picture you have with him, with Jake, after the first date you both had. He loves that picture. Then, he looks at the reflection.

"How do you expect me to know?" he asks. "You are seeing the same thing I do."

Steven frowns.

"It was a rhetorical question."

"Seguro que sí..." (Sure it is...)

Looking for you, Jake gets into the bedroom space. He doesn't even switch on the lights, not a single one of them; he doesn't want to risk waking you up in case you are sleeping. So the moonlight is the only thing guiding him through the maze of books that it's their flat. And it isn't until he is standing next to you, that he actually can get an image of you curled up under the covers. 

Jake crouches down to look at you, a gentle smile showing up on his now calm features. He never looks and feels as content and calm as he is when he's next to you, especially when you fall asleep in his arms and he gets to admire you without you arguing that he's looking at you too much.

But even if you look somewhat peaceful while sleeping, he feels a knot in his stomach, a gut feeling. Something is wrong, something feels very wrong even if he doesn't know what it is. And he is one to follow his instincts, they have never failed him.

That's why he turns on the bedside table light. You don't look bad now that he can see you properly, but you don't look completely peaceful either. Your lips are pursed, your fist is clenched around the duvet, and you're wrapped up to your neck when normally you complain that it's too hot in London. This is normal for you when spring is just beginning, Jake thinks, especially coming from a Finnish woman. Even though he doubts any other Finnish complains about the weather in London as much as you do.

Slowly and gently, not entirely meaning to wake you up, he tucks a couple of strands of hair behind your ear. Your skin is warm under his calloused fingers and cold hand, and once he touches you Jake knows it's very hard to make himself stop. But then, you frown and gasp under his touch.

Jake frowns too, mirroring you. Something is definitely not right.

"Eli... mi amor," he caresses your cheek gently, with the back of his fingers. "Are you having a nightmare, baby?"

That's directed more at himself than at you, but he still whispers.

"Elisa," he gets closer, his hand cupping your cheek and hoping to wake you up in the gentlest way possible. He doesn't want to scare you if you are having a nightmare. "Eli, wake up. Venga, mi amor. Ya estoy en casa."

He expects you to jump awake. He's ready to catch you in his arms, actually. But you don't. With a long exhale, your eyes open. They are not frightened, Jake notices, there are no tears in the corner of your eyes or restlessness in your pupils. He smiles, relieved, and for a second, you smile too.

Then your features change. You jump back away from him, as far as the bed goes, and for a second he's worried that you might fall from it.

Jake frowns, panicking for a second, wondering if he still has blood on his face despite washing it as best he could in the restrooms of a bus station on his way back.

"Mi amor, it's me," he smiles, but it doesn't reach his eyes. He's worried and confused, two feelings that he hates to have because it means he's not in actual control of the situation.

"I know it's you," you respond.

He feels his fingers beginning to shake. He hates it.

In a desperate attempt to get closer to you, one of his knees rests on the edge of the mattress, his whole body stretching forward before you reach out your hands and tell him.

"Don't get closer, Jake," you say. "I'm being serious."

His heart shatters, and it shows on his whole face; the way a muscle in his jaw ticks when he clenches it, the way he looks as if he was in pain. Well, because he is.

"Wha- what?" he asks, he sounds like a lost soul. "Why?"

Bringing a hand to your face, two fingers pinching the bridge of your nose, you sigh.

"I'm sorry, Jake, baby. I have covid," you tell him. "I just don't want you to catch it, okay? I just got a positive test earlier."

But if you thought that would make him turn away, you were very wrong.

"How are you feeling?" he asks, trying to get even closer. "Are you alright? Is there anything you need?"

"Could you just... back off, please?"

He chuckles, because he just has to.

"Elisa, come here and let me take care of you," he says. "We are immune to diseases too, not just knives and bullets. Come on, get here."

At first, you hesitate. Jake is very capable of lying to get what he wants, especially when that includes your well-being. But you need him right now, more than you need anything else. And you slowly crawl back to him, to his warm body and gentle hands and the loving non-sense that comes out of his mouth. Your boys have been gone for a week, and you missed them.

"How was the mission?"

"Forget about the mission," he says, now holding you in his arms. He lowers his head and brushes his nose against yours. "How are you feeling?"

His own heart breaks again when he sees you trying to get closer, even if he has you already firmly pressed against his heart, your thighs over his lap.

His pulse quickens.

"Do you need to go to the hospital?" he asks.

"No, it's not that," you respond. "I think I'm losing my taste and smell. Everything smells like smoke. And I'm... well, terrified."

"Uhm..." he says. He strokes your arm, up and down. Not only because you need it, but because he needs it too. Then, he tries to light up the mood, as best he can. "Well, Marc will be very happy that someone finally will eat his food, I guess."

You chuckle, lightly. Then scold him for making fun of Marc. Jake silently ravishes in how you seem to look a bit less concerned about the whole covid situation.

Then, a comfortable silence settles in. You have half of your face pressed against his chest, and the sound of his heart is lulling you back to sleep. Even the cotton of his t-shirt feels nice against your fingers. Jake keeps caressing all the flesh he can reach: your arms, your naked shoulders, the outer side of your thighs, your knees...

You're almost falling back to sleep when you ask him.

"I'm scared it will be permanent," you say, wrinkling your nose as you try to smell the scent on his clothes, and, although you can make out something underneath the smell of smoke, it's not enough to satisfy you. "I don't wanna be sick."

"Don't worry about that, mi amor," he says. "I won't let anything happen to you. You know I will do anything. If I have to threaten Khonshu into healing you, I will."

You smile.

"Would you do that?"

"For you, Eli? Anything, mi amor," he says, his warm hand still making its path on your arm. "We love you so much. The others would be lost without you, I wouldn't be able to make it home each time we go away if it wasn't for you. You're our light, baby."

"I love you too, Jake," you chuckle, even if it comes out sad because of your own tears drowning your words.

"Go back to sleep, nena," he says. "I'll be here in the morning."

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

THERE AREN'T ENOUGH WORDS IN THE ENGLISH DICTIONARY FOR ME TO EXPRESS HOW HAPPY THIS MADE ME!! I can try to express that with reaction pics and by screaming, but it won't do the joy any justice.

You're literally an angel, I've thought so before this too but now??? I'm convinced you're a bunch of angels, rainbows and sunshine in a trench coat trying to pass as one person.

My crops? Watered. Skin? Cleared. Soul? Healed!! This made me so damn happy that I don't even care about being sick 🥺

When I read my own name, I almost screamed because I could picture it in his voice 😭❤️

You know me so well and you know I love angst and hurt/comfort. The parts about Marc's cooking and complaining about London weather were absolutely brilliant as well, I'm obsessed. Your writing is among my favourite things this world has to offer so reading this felt like the nicest gift ever. I love this.

THANK YOU!!! What have I done to deserve you and this?