#hopefully finish s1 before s2 drops

[emiscringe]

The demons won

*kneels near my OC like it’s a cat, hiding the very blatant hell I’m about to unleash onto her*

Come here pls

[accirax]

Disventure Camp All Stars Power Ranking (Round 6)

And, we're back! I'm so glad that the leaking issue didn't wind up making the team have to delay their episode releases, both for their sake and ours. I've been highly anticipating this teaser release, and look forward to cracking into the next round of Power Rankings.

In case you didn't see my last power ranking for Episode 5, the Power Ranking Format is essentially a way of ranking how well each player is doing in the game. So, in essence, this is a long form way of predicting who I think will be eliminated from the competition in the next episode. There will be spoilers for last week's episode (obviously) and its power ranking, so make sure to read that first if you don't want to be spoiled on how I ranked our last boot. If you want more clarification on the rules, that first post will help you out as well. Furthermore, I'm going to be spoiling the preview for next episode, so if you want to go in TOTALLY blind, save this for later. Let's go!

Recap - Connor's Elimination

Current Point Total: 9 acquired/14 possible

'Cause now we have lore! >:D

Well, turns out that my assessment that the Season 2 cast was safe turned out to not be true. At least Connor was my second lowest positioned of the S2 characters, and my bad vibes about the Yellow Tribe were on point... Yeah, that's some copium right there. Seems this whole predicting business might be harder than I thought. Genuinely, though, I'm glad that Connor was at least in the better half of the contestants ranked (barely).

While I'm a little disappointed that Connor didn't make it farther this time around-- I think his placement was nearly identical to how he did in S2-- he wasn't particularly one of my favorite characters, so the loss didn't hurt me that deeply. Instead, he was an understandable sacrifice in terms of making the villains out to be more of a threat, much like what I theorized for Grett. Lesson learned that sometimes the most obvious boot from a tribe simply will be the boot.

Trailer Analysis

Looking back on the last power ranking, I feel like I could have done a lot better if I'd been paying more attention to what we were shown in the preview beyond the song snippet. So, combined with the fact that I'm just really excited to figure out what's going on next episode, I decided that this time around I'd take a closer look. I've never been a fan of analyzing a trailer so closely that you basically spoil the entire story before it happens, but, I don't think that'll happen here...? Depending on how accurate I am, maybe this section will suddenly disappear next time. Who knows.

So, a compilation of relevant things that I think will happen next episode:

Connor and Trevor will have a conversation. While I doubt that this will have anything to do with the elimination order, it is interesting. I'm guessing that Connor will give Trevor some sort of advice regarding his feelings for Derek? Or, even if it can't be counted as advice (given the L he took with Riya), Connor could at least relate. I don't think this is foretelling that Connor will reenter the competition now, though.

Somebody set up a trap to catch a squirrel. My guess is Tom, as a continuation to the drama between Gabby and the others over killing and eating animals. (Aiden confirms in Episode 5 that catching the chicken was "Tom's trap.") However, it could also be something related to Jensen and/or Trevor and Derek, if they started trying to kill the forest animals again.

Yul will take more orders from Emily to make Grett happy. This means that this is an ongoing plotline.

Tess and Ally will reunite at some point. Interesting.

Tom and Jake are definitely going to fight. Given that Tom looks surprised in one screenshot and regretful in the other, I think he's going to realize how much his relationship with Aiden has been hurting Jake.

The challenge will be contestants pushing balls of yarn(?) down towards other teams' arches, trying to score a goal, while other members of the teams try to block them. All teams appear to have arches and people pushing balls. This is definitely another challenge taken from Survivor, I think possibly Gabon...? I'm pretty sure that, in real life, they had to stop doing this challenge because it injured people too much, but that's the beauty of animation!

At least Yul and Aiden will be knocked down, which could be a good thing or a bad thing. Does that mean they gave it their all to stop a ball, or that the ball trampled their attempts to stop it...? Focusing on the second screenshot, though, the Cyan team is stopping yellow and magenta balls at the same time. Assuming the contestants have any say in where they aim, I wonder if the Yellow (Grett) and Magenta (Ashley, possibly Fiore?) teams will align to target Cyan because they have five members. That could be an in-universe reason to keep the teams even with a Cyan elimination, despite Cyan being pretty physically fit.

"Sure, princess. Whatever floats your boat~!"

Given Fiore's placement in both of these screenshots, it seems like one image must happen right before the other, so Fiore is probably addressing Jake. She sounds really confident and mocking... for some reason? Not saying that's out of character for Fiore, but did something happen to make that confidence warranted as opposed to her anger at being on the bottom? Here are my two guesses: 1) Fiore, Ashley, and Ally have made a girls' alliance, so Fiore is dismissive towards Jake because she knows he's on the bottom. 2) More likely, this might have something to do with Tom and Jake's fight. Jake ran in to urgently tell Fiore something, which could be about a development in Tom and Jake's relationship. Fiore doesn't care, so she gets sassy. I'm honestly kind of confused by this, but we'll see what happens.

Those are all of the scenes from the trailer that I thought were important/I was actually able to get something of value out of. Onto the main event: the actual Power Ranking!

Power Ranking

#1: Jake

Other than... being a S1 character, I guess? There really isn't anything that makes me think that Jake would be headed home this week. He's entrenched in drama, he seems to have the numbers on his tribe, and I don't even think that Magenta is going to tribal. To me, it's so clear cut that I don't have much to say. If he does go home, I'll be very surprised.

#2: Alec

Woah, check out that jump! From 12th to 2nd. Adventure Camp Dan wishes he could've had that when moving to Disventure Camp.

Now that Alec has survived one Yellow vote-- which turned out to be Connor-- I think he's pretty safe. The idea of Riya, Yul, and Grett suddenly now turning around and all working together to eliminate their leader feels laughable, given how dysfunctional the three of them are. Like, could Alec really lose that much social capital in the span of one episode, in a challenge he'll presumably be good at...? I'm kind of anticipating a merge at 12 (Episode 7), so I'm hoping this would confirm that Alec makes the merge.

#3: Ashley

Speaking of making the merge, I honestly think that Ashley will be there. After exploring some more of DC's behind the scenes content (the charity livestream they held 4 months ago and Silly Billy's S1 cast interviews), I've come to learn that the DC cast really likes Ashley... for some reason.

Look, it's not like I hate the gal! I just don't see her as the standout, heroic and hilarious character that a bunch of the voice actors seem to. Because I held this opinion, I was unaware of the possibility that Ashley was brought back because she was some huge fan favorite that everyone wanted to see done to justice. If that's the case, I have a hard time seeing the DC writers eliminating her as a premerger again.

I don't think Magenta is going to tribal, and I think that Fiore or Ally would be more natural boots than Ashley would be anyways. Congrats on ranking this high even though you're currently being hunted for sport, S1 girl. I still don't think you're going to win overall, but you'll probably make it through the day.

#4: Yul

Another big jump! Yul's new position is aided by two major factors. The first is that he's one of only two S2 boys left in the game, after James, Hunter, and Connor were eliminated (side note: I did NOT notice that the game only started with three boys from S1. I wonder what level of safety that grants them. Why did they bring back every S1 girl except Lill. That's so many.)

The second is that the plotline between him and Emily is clearly continuing to have relevance. Perhaps I'm relying too much on the rule of threes, but it would be strange, in my opinion, to have Yul lean on Emily for assistance more than once, but still only twice. Perhaps Emily's character was largely designed to assist a major Yul plotline, after all.

He also doesn't seem to have suffered too greatly from that stage light falling on his foot last episode, which bodes well for his odds. Unfortunately, it seems like the viewing public is going to be subjected to Yul for a little while longer (/lh).

#5: Aiden

Woohoo, the other surviving S2 boy. I honestly wanted to put him higher, but the fact that I'm really feeling like Cyan is headed for tribal couldn't let me justify higher than 5th place.

And, there are genuine reasons why I think he could go home now. If that conversation between Tom and Jake ends in them reconciling, the writers might not want Aiden around anymore to continue being a barrier between them. (And, now that the music episode has passed, they don't need to keep him around for his pipes, either ;).) It's been long enough now since Lake's elimination that I don't think Aiden's elimination would feel super weird. He's had a bit of a chance to play for himself, so if his fate now becomes to hang out in a cool hotel with his boyfriend and bestie for a couple of weeks, it wouldn't seem so bad.

...But I still think Aiden isn't going home, dammit! Knowing DC, I doubt Tom and Jake would make up so early unless one of them was going home, not Aiden. They love the drama. Tom and Jake's relationship is more likely to get worse before it gets better. Not to mention, I still find the "James returns" theory very compelling. Although the Cyan girls have plenty of reasons to eliminate Aiden, I still don't really think they would.

#6: Ally

Is it just me, or would Ally's elimination feel... really random right now? Like, how would it happen, and what narrative point would it serve? The show has very deliberately shown Ally bonding with each and every member of her team. She's had multiple one-on-one conversations with Ashley cementing their friendship, she grew closer to Jake by relating to him through song, and was always the one to defend Fiore from Hunter's attacks. All three of them have reasons to like her and want to work with her, so why would they let her go?

However, Ally doesn't cement a higher placement because I do think there are ways that they could swing her elimination. It's possible that the writers only established relationships between Ashley, Jake, and Ally so that there'll be high stakes and tension between which teammate Ashley and Jake will pair with if Magenta does go to another vote. For Ally to go home, they would have to choose to side with Fiore, but that's not totally unreasonable given how they voted last time.

The fact that Ally and Tess seem to reunite in this episode is also troubling. We have the dangling plot thread from last episode that Ally is worried that she and Hunter won't be able to spend that much time apart (which she believes is good for them) before they have to reexamine their relationship. If that fear turns out to be true, I could see that giving Ally an opportunity to quickly get some advice and closure from Tess would allow her to head to the Losers' Motel with a plan of how to handle Hunter in the future.

I still don't think that Ally or Magenta has anything to fear with tribal, though.

#7: Tess

A definite downgrade from last week, but still not that terrible. A lot of Tess' new placement is that, as I keep reiterating, I think Cyan is very likely to go to tribal, so it's hard to justify putting anyone on Cyan too high.

Having the opportunity to reconnect with Ally is also potentially bad for Tess, although probably less problematic for Tess than for Ally. If the writers were like, "well, Tess got one conversation with Hunter and one with Ally, now she's out!", that would be kind of silly, imo. But, still, that chat will eliminate the sort of "immunity" from getting booted that I gave Tess previously.

It's also not like there's no reason for the Cyans to take out Tess here. The swing vote is usually a fairly protected position, as both alliances should be looking to her for aid. But, if neither side finds her trustworthy enough, they could unite to take her out. I can definitely see a potential character arc of Tess' indecision taking her out from the game. If she can truly never make up her mind about whether to trust Ellie or not, everyone could unite to take out their unreliable teammate and save their own asses.

However, from a narrative perspective, this would further postpone the conflict between Ellie and Aiden, which could be kind of anticlimactic. It would also throw away Tess' character over a trait that wasn't even particularly pronounced in her original appearance. Then again, we saw what the writers did to Hunter, so we can't be too sure that Tess isn't headed in a similar direction.

#8: Grett

Much like Alec, I'm a bit less worried about Grett in this episode after we had the Yellow elimination last episode. She's also picking up points from (presumably) being involved in the ongoing Yul and Emily plotline, which could give her some plot armor moving forward.

If Yellow is headed to a vote, I don't really see why Alec and Riya would choose to eliminate Grett over Yul. Riya really dislikes Yul, he's still possibly injured, and Alec has a history of working with Grett, even if it ended on kind of bad terms.

Why put her so far below Yul, then? Well, first of all, Grett is a meta-threatened S1 girl, while Yul is a meta-protected S2 boy. Secondly, I do still think that Yul will probably be the cause of Grett's elimination at some point down the line, even if it's not this episode. Perhaps I should make an overall theory post talking about some of my thoughts on potential endings someday. And, third, I actually did think of one reason why Alec and Riya would choose to keep Yul over Grett... kind of. If Emily wanted to keep Yul in the show for whatever reasons, she could use the earpiece to instruct Yul on clever, strategic things to say that could also convince Alec and Riya that he turned over a new leaf. Basically, it's possible that Emily could girlboss her way into keeping Yul in the game, rather than Yul staying in due to his own merits.

There are other S1 girls (and others) that I believe to be in a spicier position now than Grett, though, so she lands at #8.

#9: Fiore

With Fiore, we enter the realm of players that I seriously believe could be in danger of elimination this episode. Yes, despite my claims that I think Fiore could be the winner, I do think that, if Magenta goes to tribal this episode, Fiore would be the boot. I just don't think Magenta really is going to tribal; ha ha!

It's really that whole, "whatever you say, princess~" that has me worried for Fiore. I'm concerned that, after getting a taste of power with the Hunter boot going her way, Fiore has become overconfident in thinking that Ally is definitely the next boot and that she will make the merge, whenever it is. (Basically, Fiore would think that Ally's presence gives her enough of a buffer that she thinks the merge is essentially secured.) If she goes back to demeaning Jake and Ashley, they could easily choose to turn on her and protect their newfound friendships with Ally instead. Fiore's status as a S1 girl isn't helping that read.

Again, I feel like all of the current Magenta team members are probably going to make the merge at this point, so Fiore should be safe. However, as (in my opinion) the most likely Magenta boot, Fiore winds up at #9 in case of emergency.

#10: Gabby

Thinking back on it, other than being a S1 girl, my reasoning behind Gabby's elimination wasn't that strong.

Or, maybe it was, before Ellie absorbed even more of the villainous energy last episode with her comments about torturing Jake. With comments like that, it becomes even harder to believe that Tom and Aiden would choose to target Gabby instead of Ellie. The farther Gabby makes it into All Stars, the less of an excuse there is for her to be eliminated with very little focus beforehand.

Still, I think Cyan is in trouble, blah blah blah. If some sort of twist does occur that gives Ellie individual immunity amidst her team-- and I don't think that would be a totem, as Ellie using a totem on herself and inadvertently sending Gabby home would basically require her to make her totem publicly known before the vote-- then they could target Gabby instead.

It is harder to predict DC than Survivor because DC has more of a penchant for pulling random shit out of nowhere, like that vote in S1 where Gabby just straight up obliterated Ashley. I wonder if that relationship will reemerge later in All Stars... Gabby would probably need to be around for it to happen, so, clearly, she should stay in.

#11: Tom

When I was drafting out my initial thoughts for this list, I originally put Tom really high. Like, top 3 high. But, the more I thought about it, the more I started to feel like Tom could be on the chopping block this episode.

For starters, the love triangle. I said last episode that, because Tom is the central leg between Jake and Aiden, he wouldn't be at risk of elimination. Well... I take those words back, sort of.

Let's look at it this way: if you eliminated any one of Jake, Aiden, or Tom, what would happen? If you eliminate Jake, Aiden and Tom are left. That's pretty boring, because then they could just be friends without any particularly strong (or at least personally motivated) opposition. If you eliminate Aiden, Jake and Tom are left. That's definitely better, because Jake and Tom could simply continue the will-they-won't-they plotline on their own, but you'd still lose Aiden as an obstacle without Jake having any hand in it.

If you eliminate Tom, Jake and Aiden are left. In my opinion, this is by far the spiciest option. Jake would probably be super mad at Aiden for not doing enough to protect Tom from getting voted out, leading to Aiden being justifiably angry that Jake has been so aggressive towards him despite Aiden not wanting Tom to go home, either. I think that having Tom's two "love interests" left to fight each other without him actually being there is the most interesting way in which one corner of the triangle could be eliminated.

But that's all about why Tom "should" be eliminated; what about why he would get eliminated? There are a couple of possibilities here, too. First of all, that argument between Jake and Tom in the preview, which ended with Tom pretty clearly being remorseful about what he did. If Tom gets super demoralized about screwing things up with Jake, it could cause him to be seen as a liability. Or, in an extreme case, Tom could feel so guilty about his and Aiden's kiss that he would ask the girls to target him instead of Aiden.

Alternatively (or even additionally), we also saw that squirrel trap in the trailer, which I said could be hinting at further conflict between Tom and Gabby over the team's diet. If Gabby got really fed up with Tom's carnivore side, she could ask Ellie if they could target Tom instead of Aiden, which Ellie might agree to.

Despite all this, I can also totally understand why the writers would want to keep Tom around. After his kiss with Aiden, his visibility and importance seem higher than ever. If James does return to the competition later, having him chat with Tom would be... interesting, even given James not caring that his boyfriend was stage-kissing another man. And, Tom potentially has a winner plot set up, given that the writers found it important enough to tell us what Tom would do with the prize. With Cyan likely going to tribal, however, the possibility of a surprise Tom boot felt more viable than ever. I'm not putting him in last place, but if Tom does wind up going home, I'm gonna feel pretty smart.

#12: Riya

Much like Fiore, Riya is here as my safety net for who I think would go home if Yellow does wind up going to tribal instead of Cyan. However, I feel like a third Yellow tribal is, on the whole, more likely than a third Magenta tribal, so Riya gets kicked all the way down here.

Without Connor as a shield, Riya is in a much worse position. Yul already dislikes Riya in general, but that only increased after she caused the light to fall on him, and would only increase more if he ever learns that Riya was the one to fire that stray vote at him. Grett would probably work with Yul, which is already 50% of the votes against her.

Alec is definitely Riya's best lifeline, and it could work out in her favor. After all, if Alec continues working with Grett and Yul, if they go to tribal again, the couple would most likely vote him out. However, I think it's really a question of how much longer Alec thinks he has before the merge.

Here's my logic: if Alec thinks there's still a long time until the merge, then, yes, it would be better to work with Riya to have a chance to eliminate Grett or Yul. That's because, the more team challenges there are, the greater opportunity Yellow has to lose again, and the greater possibility that Grett and Yul vote him out.

However, if Alec thinks that the merge is soon, it's better to vote out Riya. If Alec and Riya managed to eliminate, let's say, Yul, then Alec is essentially losing two members of his villains alliance-- one due to Yul's elimination, and one due to Grett presumably withdrawing. Alec has already burned her once before.

That would cause the villains alliance to go into the merge with a maximum of only four members: Alec, Riya, Fiore, and Ellie. The other teams have already been primed to believe that the villains are a huge threat, and with such small numbers, they would be very easily eradicated. Even beyond others, Fiore and Ellie might also be mad at Alec for him dragging them onto his sinking ship of a plan, and try to desert as well. My point is, sticking with Riya could go really badly for Alec.

So, combining that doomsday scenario with me at least thinking that the merge probably will be soon, and the fact that Alec choosing to side with Riya would only put them at a 50:50, NOT a majority, and I can totally see why Alec would choose to vote for Riya.

And, that's not even taking into account Riya's poor behavior! The Yellow Team did lose the singing challenge due to Riya's influence, and they suffered during the diving challenge due to her fear of the depths, too. She's a challenge liability. She was also shown hogging the shower, and is now sunbathing during camp life, proving that she's not a team player. She has way too much confidence in her "power position," as she put it last episode, for where her game actually is. If it's not Cyan that goes to tribal, I can totally see the threads coming together to lead to a Riya elimination.

#13: Ellie

It's just simple math for me at this point. I think that Cyan is almost certainly going to tribal next episode + I think Ellie is by far the most likely boot for Cyan's next tribal = I think Ellie is really, really likely to be the next boot. She's even a S1 girl.

My argument is pretty much the exact same things I said last episode, except now they're even worse. The screenshots from the challenge now make me think that Cyan will go to tribal next episode, as opposed to my confusion about why Cyan would lose a music challenge. We also saw that Ellie has begun to prioritize suffering over strategy, which both increases the odds that people like Tess would want to take her out and decreases the odds that she'd be able to pull off an intellectual move to save herself.

I'll honestly be pretty surprised if Ellie doesn't go home next episode... but, hey, I was surprised by Connor's boot last episode, too! If Ellie does manage to survive another episode, I wonder if I'll have to start reconsidering putting her so close to the bottom. Part of it would depend on how she survives, of course.

The only way to know for sure is to actually watch the episode myself, so, see y'all on Thursday! Thanks for reading!

[behindthesefangirleyes]

I forgot just how much August and Sara truly deserve each other.

[officialheroesofolympus]

To those that followed me for fics (especially drukkari…. Like it’s been a year and I haven’t updated SESD’s last chapter) I am so so sorry for my zero updates💀💀 once the school year ends I’ll be finishing up and posting (hopefully) most fics that’ve been sitting in my drafts for years which primarily include:

Starry Eyes, Stardusted Smiles — MCU’s Drukkari: Chapter 6 (final chapter)

MCU’s Drukkari: The promised fluff piece of them just waking up in the morning together and Makkari showering a slightly insecure Druig in affection

MCU’s Drukkari: Fic addressing the years after Tenochtitlan, Makkari visiting Druig in the Amazon and their evolution from friends to something more

Top Gun Maverick’s Hangster: Getting locked in the cockpit of a faulty plane together

Top Gun Maverick’s Hangster: Exes!Hangster find out they still wear each other’s dog tags and reconcile

Hometown Cha Cha Cha’s Hye Jin/Du Sik: 5 times Hye Jin calls Du Sik by other names, 1 time she calls him by his name (Canon divergence because I started writing it before the show finished)

Kinnporsche’s Kinn/Porsche: 5 times Kinn goes absolutely nuts over Porsche’s outfits but can’t express it openly, 1 time he finally tells Porsche (Canon divergence, also because I started it before the show ended)

Outer Banks’ JJ/Kiara: 5 times JJ confessed to Kiara, 1 time she finally believed him (wrote this for a friend after s1 but haven’t watched s2 so…)

Tenet’s Neil/Protagonist: Coffeeshop owner!Neil and his encounters with his regular customer who seems to be brimming with secrets (literally only wrote 2 paras for this but it IS a fic idea I had mapped out an entire plot for)

After School Lessons for Unripe Apples’ Mi Ae/Cheol: Saw the artist’s drawings of Mi Ae in high school with long hair and wanted to write a fic of Cheol basically going to the countryside for a holiday after middle school ends, them keeping in touch via letters, him refusing to admit that he misses her before deciding to return to the city to attend high school there and reuniting with Mi Ae, only to discover her new look (you can tell this is my fav webtoon at the moment lmao)

Enola Holmes’ Enola/Tewkesbury: Modern AU of part time florist!Tewkesbury who attempts to avoid inheriting his family’s corporation because all he wants to do is work with flowers, and either a barista or tattoo artist!Enola who teaches him to be unafraid to chase his dreams (It’s been sitting in my drafts since I finished enola 1 whoops)

MCU’s Spideychelle: Set after the events of Spider-Man NWH. How Peter falls in love with MJ all over again and how she relearns to love him again

Nevertheless’ Sol/Ji Wan: AU of them as strangers, where Ji Wan volunteers to model for an art class that Sol’s in and the latter kinda, maybe falls in love with the cute model who’s incessantly nice to everyone

Twenty Five Twenty One’s Hee Do/Yi Jin: Fix it fic of how they reunite in their 20s and relearn about this more matured, older version of one another, subsequently falling in love all over again

If anyone has any preferences for a specific fic they do want to be actually uploaded please feel free to drop a request in my asks!! Would be grateful for the help cos I’m kinda overwhelmed with the number of drafts I have and have no clue which one to start on first or prioritise lmao

[kilyra]

Asking for Trouble

A/N: Well no one asked for this so I’m not sure how much interest there might be, but after watching S1 of Cobra Kai, I finally got hit with the urge to write for the first time in ages, so I ran with it. I started watching S2, so I’d say this fic takes place maybe mid S1, when he’s still subletting to a yoga class but is starting to get more students. 

As the city starts to feel a little less friendly, you approach Johnny Lawrence, after your yoga class, for some help. 

Warnings: Bad language but no spoilers. I try to make my stories neutral but this one ended up being based off my own experiences which means it probably is more through a female lens even though I didn’t actually mention gender. Just a heads up.

If you want to be on my tag lists, (all or just a character) just let me know! Gif credit for this amazing gif to @deadlightcircus​

Did he...go by Johnny? Were you really supposed to call a grown man Johnny? Not that there's anything wrong with that, it just felt odd. But you sure as hell weren't going to call him Mr. Lawrence – that was just as awkward since you were also a grown-ass adult. So that left you with...?

And why did he have to be so good looking? It's not like his perfect blond locks made up for the dismissive looks he shot your class, but it added up to him being intimidating in more ways than one.

Hesitating in the doorway, you started picking at the edge of the rolled-up yoga mat that hung off your shoulder. Squishing it between your fingers, you tried to push past your sudden nervousness when you heard the last of the yoga class clear out of the dojo behind you.

Now or never.

Your hand felt numb as you finally forced yourself to knock on the frame of the office door. “Uh...excuse me?”

“You lost? Exit's on the other side.” The man behind the desk gruffly answered without even looking up from his papers.

Taking it as the closest you'd get to an invitation, you stepped inside the office, hovering near the door. "No...actually, I was hoping you had a minute?"

A faint sour scent hit and you glanced towards the trash to spot the source. Three stubby beer bottles were peeking out around the crumbled garbage. Your eyes snapped back to Johnny as he cleared his throat.

“Yeah? Why's that?” His bright blue eyes swept over you once he finally acknowledged your presence. Heat flushed your cheeks under his scrutiny, but if he made any sort of a judgment, his unchanging features didn't offer any clues.

“It's just that you teach karate here, right?”

“And you are?”

It was a basic question, but you felt thrown. “Oh, uh...I'm Y/n.”

Leaning back in his chair and pressing his shoulders back in a subtle stretch, a faint smirk played on his lips. “So what, Y/n? That pansy-ass crap out there not doing it for you anymore?”

It wasn't exactly shocking to confirm he was an asshole.

What did surprise you was how that calmed your nerves. Instant annoyance had its benefits. “I like it just fine, thanks. I was wondering if you had any self-defence classes.”

Johnny's eyes lit up as his eyebrows lifted, changing his entire demeanour. A quick smile replaced the smirk as he sat forward. “Oh! So you want to learn how to fight, huh? My classes are more for kids, but I think I can help you out.”

By the time he finished, he was standing next to his desk with his hands set at his sides. His form-fitting shirt somehow made his posture seem stiff and relaxed at the same time as he cocked his head and kept his focus on you. The arrogance he exuded was stifling.

“No, no I...I'm not looking to fight like that. I'm just looking to, y'know, protect myself.”

“What better protection is there than to kick ass?”

The confused glare he shot you as he spoke cemented the irritation swirling in your chest. Dropping, it became a lump in your gut. He wasn't going to get it. But you couldn't stop yourself trying at least once more to get your point across.

“I guess? But I'm just looking to learn some self-defence moves, not to take a class on fighting.”

Scoffing, his lip curled as he spread his hands apart. "Trust me, there's no better defence than putting your opponent down hard enough that he's not getting back up."

“What opponent? I'm not talking about...Holy crap, you know what? Just forget it.” Slinging the strap of your mat over your shoulder, you backed out of the office.

You were barking up the wrong tree. He definitely wasn't going to get it.

“Whoa, hey wait...”

Ignoring his attempts to get your attention, you crossed the dojo, heading to the exit. It was clear he didn't offer the classes you were after, and the last thing you felt like doing was sitting through a tone-deaf sales pitch of sorts from a guy who refused to listen.

“Would you just stop a sec? I can help.”

His hand clamped around your arm with just enough force to break your stride. His grip was firm enough for you to feel the power behind his grasp, but gentle enough that you pulled from his fingers just by turning toward him.

With his palms facing you, he took a step back before dropping his hands by his sides again. “Hey, I'm being serious here. No one messes with my students once I'm done with them.”

“I get what you're saying.” Pausing, you nodded to the cafe across the street. “When I get here early, I wait there and I see your class going either through the moves or sparring. And I'm sure in competitions or maybe even fights at school, they're going to be amazing. So I get it. But that's not what I'm looking for. I want something for now.”

His eyebrows drew together, softly scrunching his features. “It doesn't work like that, you've got to be willing to put in the wor-.”

“I don't want to wait for three months before I can start feeling safe.”

The air in the room grew thick as a silence stretched out. Apparently, for once, he heard you.

Narrowing his eyes, Johnny's voice was softer, but it still carried an edge. “Are you danger or something?”

Of course he would think that. He was a tough, clearly fit man who could undoubtedly hold his own in any situation – not much could be a threat to him.

“No, it's not like that...just forget it, you wouldn't understand.” Despite the finality in your tone, your feet were glued to the floor.

As his hardened stare continued to capture your gaze, his fingers tapped along his thumb as though he was tempted to clench his fist. “Then explain it to me.”

Was he annoyed? Angry? Did he truly have the audacity to be the irritated one?

Dropping the yoga mat from your shoulder, you stood it in front of you, letting your fingers nestle into the curled edge. Ignoring your hammering heart, you let out a curt sigh. "Fine. Let's start with the fact that I work in a decent area. Nothing fancy, just a bunch of office buildings and cafes, but it's nice enough. And yet police are issuing warnings to stay aware of your surroundings because the purse snatching and pickpocketing is getting out of hand. In the middle of the day, it just happens so fast. I don't even feel safe running out for coffee, nevermind the fact I take public transit there. Pretty much just a matter of time, really."

The corners of Johnny's lips turned down slightly, but he didn't interrupt.

“And forget coming home to unwind now because they just issued a warning for anyone using the trails by my place. Lone joggers are being assaulted and they can't seem to catch the guy, so they're asking everyone to jog in pairs. Running without my headphones in isn't enough since there's not much I can do even if I did hear someone coming. And because I don't really know anyone in the area to go with, I just don't because it's better than being freaked out the whole time.”

Your rant picked enough speed that if he had wanted to say anything, he'd have to try to talk over you first. He didn't.

“Hell, just then, you grabbed my arm and didn't even give it a second thought.”

Swallowing back anything he might have said, Johnny's gaze finally broke from yours as his eyes darted to the side, but you kept going.

“And neither do the other assholes who do the same thing when I'm just trying to have a drink with friends. They just grab my...arm if I'm lucky...and the easiest way to stop it is to be polite and try to be on my way. Because if I tell them exactly what I think about it, it just draws the whole thing out into a big, ugly mess and ruins my night anyhow. I hate it. It's not fair. And, no offence, but I'm not interested in going through the motions like your students for months...I want to go for a run, now. Or sit and have a fucking beer, now.”

Huffing a long breath through your nose, you realized he was still staring off. Was he even listening anymore?

Before you could ask, he rubbed the side of his knuckle against his chin and nodded. “Alright. How does seven work for you?”

“What?” You were ready for another rant or even to storm off and hopefully make it out the door. But this?

Dropping his hand to his side, he turned his full attention back on you. “I still think...no...I know the best defence is a good offence. You know you're safe when the other guy is going down and staying there.”

He paused just enough for you to jump in, but as his icy eyes bore into yours, it was hard to focus.

Waving you off, even though you stayed quiet, he continued. “But...I hear you. I get it. I mean...I don't get it, I guess...but I can show you some basic ways to break a hold and create some space. It'll be a start at least.”

Slowly, your shoulders melted as the realization sunk in that you made your point.

“Hell, I can even teach you a wrist lock or two for when some uh...asshole grabs your arm.”

You couldn't help the chuckle that broke free. Your laugh seemed to pull a quick, lopsided grin from Johnny before his face grew serious again. It was gone in a flash, but your chest fluttered at that glimpse of warmth.

“So if you're really interested, be here tomorrow at seven. We can start with some basics and go from there.”

Chewing your lip, you started to wonder if this was such a good idea or if you were just asking for trouble. But you'd already come this far...

“I'll be here.”

Taglist:  @foreverfaeries  @flower-two-writings  @getlostinyourparadise   @selfishkiddo  @angelicshinigami  @parkersbabey

[sunsetcurve]

learn to love without consuming (1/4)

fandom: knight squad relationships: arc / ciara, minor or one-sided arc / oc and ciara / oc word count: 4,603

a/n: eek. it's finally here. if you follow me here you know that i've been working on this for a few weeks (months?), but the idea has been sitting in my drafts for basically forever. almost since i watched the show to begin with. the recent resurgence of the ks fandom prompted me to dig this back up and gave me the motivation to actually try and finish, because fuck it! i love my babes and i want more of them.

so quick note is that this picks up pretty soon after the season 1 finale but disregards basically,,, everything that happens in s2. s1 and the finale proceed the same way except prudy never finds out ciara's secret, so she and warwick don't know at the moment. this chapter was initially gonna have more scenes that drove the plot/romance arc but once i got upwards of 6k with a few major scenes left i decided it would be best if i split the chapter up, so for now it’s just a lot of me trying to work around the convoluted knight squad lore to establish my own. i know that's not exactly what everyone is here for, but i promise things on the romance/action front will pick up soon. i'll place warnings as detailed as i can get without spoiling in the tags and notes as i go, but just anticipate fairly significant violence by chapter 3.

anyway! i have talked enough. the title is from thus always to tyrants by the oh hellos, the rating is t for swearing/violence, there are three more chapters that are in the process of being written, and reviews are like crack as far as i'm concerned. i really hope you like this! thanks for reading <3

dedications: this fic is first and foremost for @ciara-knightly, who is not only my amazing beta but also the whole reason this fic exists. she helped me so so much with the development of the plot and worked through it with me even way before i decided to really start writing it, and i wouldn’t have been able to do this without her. all of the notes she left after beta-reading were so so helpful and really made this whole fic make sense so basically i owe her my entire life. she inspires me to be a better writer all the time and i love her. everyone say thank you shona!!! also tagging my lovely friends and some people who have expressed interest, who are in no way obligated to read this; @juliesdahlias @mistyskiesrambles @dr-rigatoni @willexs @taylorswiftrulestheworld @onplanetmars @neshatriumphs @zackmartin @julies-molinas @soni-dragon @yagorlemmalyn @hopefulbeautifulfool @cactus-con @waterisntreal @onetwothreefarkle @bitchmilsky

summary: “Now that Ryker isn’t a threat anymore, the councils are supposed to resume as planned, and Astoria is set to hold the first one two weeks from now.”

“Okay,” he says slowly. “That sounds exciting.”

Ciara nods. “It is! I finally get to meet some of the other nobility, and actually get to be involved in Astorian politics for once. But my dad won’t let me go without an escort,” she says, and then hesitates. “Which is where you come in.”

read it on ao3

The morning before training that day, Arc is testing his skills against a heavy bronze padlock when Ciara enters the squad room and drops a brown paper bag on the table in front of him. 

“These,” she announces as he raises an eyebrow at her, “are for you.”

He pulls open the package and is instantly greeted with a rush of warmth and the smell of vanilla. “Dragon puffs?” he says, half in awe. It’s a clear bribe, but he can’t help but shove a sugar-coated sweet in his mouth anyway. They’re an Astorian original and possibly the best thing he’s ever tasted; he’d tried them once at a bakery near the castle and hasn’t stopped thinking about them since. 

“Okay, what do you want?” he says then, words muffled around the cream and pastry.

Ciara pulls a face at his manners, but still manages to blink innocently at him. “Can’t I just do something nice for a friend?” she tries, but it’s half-hearted.

He swallows and grins at her. “Nice try, Princess. Your dessert deliveries always come with an ulterior motive.”

Huffing a sigh, she sits down next to him. There’s this subtle air of anticipation lingering around her, one he can only sense based on how in tune they are after so long of being teammates. The two of them have this easy way of reading each other now; they’ve been spending more and more time together, something having shifted in their dynamic after the battle against Ryker. He can’t quite place what it is, but he knows it’s only brought them closer. “Do you know what the Council of the Five Kingdoms is?” she asks finally.

He shrugs. “Sure. Nobles from each kingdom used to have a big ball every year to talk trading and politics and other boring stuff…”

“Except there hasn’t been a council since Ryker’s invasion, because the kingdoms have been isolated and preoccupied with their own safety,” she finishes for him. Her fingers tug at the lacing of her leather gauntlets; she’s nervous, but he still isn’t sure why. “Now that Ryker isn’t a threat anymore, the councils are supposed to resume as planned, and Astoria is set to hold the first one two weeks from now.”

“Okay,” he says slowly. “That sounds exciting.”

Ciara nods. “It is! I finally get to meet some of the other nobility, and actually get to be involved in Astorian politics for once. But my dad won’t let me go without an escort,” she says, and then hesitates. “Which is where you come in.”

Arc chokes on his second dragon puff. “You want me to be your escort,” he says flatly, once he’s finished coughing, “to the Council of the Five Kingdoms?” Normally he’d jump at the chance to spend a night dressing up and eating castle food. But the council is a decidedly different scene; there’s a set of formalities, politics underlying everything, and too many chances for him to expose his lack of knowledge when it comes to Astorian customs. Not to mention that Catalias’ royals will be there. He doesn’t know if he can stomach looking them in the face, knowing what they did to Seagate.  

Ciara grimaces. “Look, I know it’s not exactly your thing, but my dad won’t let me go alone. And this really means a lot to me.” Her eyes are pleading, and Arc feels his resolve chipping away.

“Can’t one of your actual guards go with you?” he tries. “Or, Prudy or Warwick or someone?”

“I’ve already talked to my dad about it,” she explains. “You’re the only Knight School student he’d let protect me, because you already proved you could when Ryker invaded. Besides, if something were to happen…you’re the one person who knows I can handle myself as Ciara.”

There’s this brief stretch of silence where Arc works his bottom lip, and Ciara looks as though she’s debating something. “Also,” she adds finally, with the soft flicker of a hesitant smile, “I thought it might be fun to go with you.”

Arc blinks at her, caught off guard by the admission. There’s this sudden buzz in his chest that he can’t push away; in truth, he doesn’t like the idea of her spending the night with someone else either. Maybe, by some miracle, this will actually be a good thing. “Alright,” he relents. “I’ll be your escort.”

Ciara’s face breaks into a grin. “Yes! Thank you!” She throws her arms around him, and he’s shock-stilled, a rush of warmth flooding through him as he hugs her back. When she pulls away, her eyes are shining with excitement. “Okay, I’ve gotta go tell my dad you said yes, and there’s a million things to do, but I’ll see you at training later. You are the best.”

“I expect dragon puffs for life!” Arc calls after her as she disappears through her passageway. He leans back into the couch, lightheaded, and in that moment, he realizes abruptly that there’s almost nothing he wouldn’t do for her. 

And he is so completely screwed.

*

Two weeks later, Arc is standing outside Ciara’s bedroom, waiting for her to finish getting ready.

It feels odd to be out here in the open. Generally his visits to her chamber are accompanied by an air of secrecy, but tonight, he’s a guest in the castle. He’s dressed like it, too, decked out in the guards’ typical formal wear: pressed brown pants, a white shirt laced up the front, and a navy leather jacket trimmed in gold, with Astoria’s crest on one shoulder. He looks kind of dashing, honestly.

Despite the confidence boost his new look offers him, his hand keeps drifting to the hilt of his sword. It’s sheer force of habit; he only associates this brewing sense of apprehension with battle, and his muscles are responding in kind. He’s glad, at least, that he turned down the other guards’ offer to lend him one of their ceremonial blades and instead has the familiarity of his own. Hopefully he won’t need it, but it’s a steadying presence all the same.

“Almost ready!” Ciara calls from inside, and Arc carefully unclenches his fingers from around the leather grip of his sword. He has to keep it together tonight; she’s made it clear how much this means to her. The last thing he wants to do is embarrass her in front of nobles from all five kingdoms.

Well, four, he reminds himself. Seagate won’t be attending. There isn’t anyone left to represent them. 

The thought makes his stomach twist. 

He’s saved from having to dwell on it by the sound of Ciara’s door unlatching. “Better prepare yourself, Princess,” he teases, leaning against the wall, “I look pretty good, and the last thing we want is for you to get too smitten—”

He breaks off as she emerges from the doorway, all the air in his lungs leaving in a sudden rush. He’s trying hard not to be the cliche of a guy scraping his jaw off the floor at the sight of a pretty girl in a dress, especially not like this, with Ciara—but he can’t help but think that it’s ridiculously unfair of her to come out looking like that. Her dress is a pale blue, falling gently off her shoulders and cinching at her waist, and her tight curls are weaved with strands of gold and tied into a low knot, some of them falling loose to frame her face. There’s a crown of gold leaves and rosebuds settled in her hair. 

“You...um…” Arc searches for his voice, “you look amazing.” His mouth feels dry.

Ciara smirks and reaches up to adjust the collar of his uniform. “You don’t look so bad yourself. I’m definitely smitten,” she jokes, like it’s nothing for them to be flirting openly. It should be nothing. Except his skin burns where her fingers brush against his neck, and he suddenly wonders if she can hear his heart pounding.

He clears his throat. “We should probably get to the ballroom.” 

She nods. “Give me your arm,” she says, looking at him expectantly. When he raises an eyebrow, she continues, “You’re my escort, remember?” 

“Oh, right.” He lifts his arm obligingly, his cheeks warm.

“I really wish we’d had more time to go over Astorian customs,” she breathes as she takes it, more to herself than anything. “Between training and helping with preparations, I’ve been so busy…” His nerves must show on his face, then, because she squeezes his arm gently and amends, “Sorry. You’ll be fine, don’t worry. Just stay close to me, okay?”

“Not a problem,” he grins without missing a beat, and Ciara scoffs and shoves him, the smile tugging at her mouth taking all the bite away from it. 

They can do this, he thinks. The two of them have kept up appearances for each other for months now, have fought and trained and battled Ryker together. They’re Arc and Ciara, unstoppable duo. One little party should be nothing.

As they make their way down the hall towards the ballroom, flanked by guards, Ciara lowers her voice. “When we get there, most of the nobles should be inside already. The herald will announce my father first, then us, and then each of the other three kingdoms. We’ll be beside the thrones as they come in—you’ll stand by me, left side—and once they’ve all been announced, we can leave the thrones and mingle. Bow to each of the rulers as they come by.” 

They had, at least, practiced his bow. Arc swallows back the dread in his throat; all he has to do is stand beside her and greet the other royals, it’s easy enough. For a moment, they linger outside the entrance to the ballroom, until an official-sounding voice announces the King. “We’re next,” Ciara whispers to him, eyes glinting with excitement. “You ready?”

He nods back at her, and the voice calls, “Accompanied by Sir Arc...Princess Angelica of Astoria!” They step into the ballroom, greeted with applause. Arc doesn’t think he’s ever been in a place this lavish; the walls are white, accented in deep gold, and the floors are polished to a gleam. The ceiling looks hand-painted, ornately decorated in constellations and swirling designs, and crystal chandeliers dangle over their heads, casting a golden glow over the whole room. He tries not to look too awe-struck. 

They make their way to the platform on which the thrones rest, Ciara nodding and smiling and waving at the other nobles as they pass. She stands next to her father, and Arc takes his place on her other side, placing his hands behind his back and trying, for all the world, to look like he belongs there. He wonders suddenly if he’s stood too close to her, and if it would make things worse for him to shift over now, and if his indecision is showing on his face—

And then, almost imperceptibly and hidden from the ballroom’s view by the folds of her dress, Ciara reaches over and links her pinky with his. It’s a tiny gesture, a friendly reassurance, but Arc feels a tide of warmth swell in his chest all the same. He lets his gaze flit to her for just a moment, and her lips are graced with a small smile as she tugs his finger gently. 

His breath hitches, and he fights to keep his face a passive neutral as the herald announces the next kingdom and he turns his attention back to the doorway.

“Presenting King Hugo, Queen Luciana, and their son Prince Isaac of Catalias!” 

Arc’s stomach turns as the couple enters, trailed by their son, all three of them swathed in lavish red and gold. Their reputation precedes them; he knows little about the prince, but the king and queen are infamous for their hoarding of wealth, their favorance of the rich nobles and landowners of their kingdom over the common people. Arc knows them best for what they had done to Seagate. 

His hand twitches for his sword, but he fights against the instinct.

True to form, the two have a haughty look about them, all starched clothes and stiff smiles as they bow to Ciara and the King. The two of them return the greeting with Arc following their lead—grudgingly.

“I am so pleased you could join us tonight,” the King smiles, a little tight-lipped. “It is high time that Astoria and Catalias united again.”

King Hugo nods back. “I couldn’t agree more. The honor is ours.” 

Arc detects a veiled sort of tension between the two of them, hidden well underneath the cordial formalities. He glances at Isaac, whose eyes are trained intently on Ciara even as he and his parents move to greet the other guests. Something about it is unsettling.

He’s so focused on Isaac that he almost misses the herald’s announcement of the next kingdom. “Queen Damyanti, and her children Princess Aadhya and Prince Kavan of Khurjan!”

Queen Damyanti is the picture of elegance, draped in silver silk that almost seems to glow against her dark skin. Aadhya looks around fifteen, with the same deep eyes and regal expression, and Kavan must be ten or so. He grins toothily as the three of them approach the thrones and bow.

The King’s expression is much warmer now. “Queen Damyanti. It has been too long. I trust Khurjan is doing well?”

“Not quite as well as Astoria, perhaps,” she replies, and it’s teasing, no sharpness to it. “This ball is absolutely lovely. Princess Angelica, you look so beautiful. Just like your mother. I was so sorry to hear of her passing.”

Ciara’s eyes go soft. “Thank you, Queen Damyanti,” she nods back. “It’s wonderful to finally meet you.”

“You as well. It’s a shame your sister couldn’t make it, but hopefully we’ll all gather again soon.” She gives a small, departing nod and joins the rest of the nobles, Aadhya giving them a bright-eyed smile and Kavan waving enthusiastically as they follow her. Ciara laughs. 

“And finally...King Jesper of Vysalt!”

Arc is confused for a moment; he wonders if he had remembered the name of Vysalt’s king wrong. Then a young man with a head of dark curls and a smattering of freckles against tawny brown skin enters, his crown just slightly crooked. His eyes are wide and dark, and a jagged, white scar cuts across his cheekbone. He can’t be much older than they are.

“He’s the king?” Arc whispers to Ciara under his breath as Jesper makes his way over to them. “How old is he?”

Her expression twists a little in sympathy. “Seventeen. He wasn’t supposed to inherit the throne so soon. His parents were killed when Ryker’s army took over his kingdom.”

Arc isn’t sure what to say to that. He knows what it’s like to lose everything to Ryker—he can picture the flames every time he shuts his eyes. But he hadn’t known about Vysalt or the fate of its royals. They had been close allies with Seagate at one point, one of the only other kingdoms without much wealth, and their king and queen had been known for their generosity. 

Somehow Arc had thought the damage had been done to Seagate alone, but now he wonders how the other kingdoms fared, if they suffered just as much. If any of them came out as unscathed as Astoria did.

“Your Majesties,” Jesper says as he bows, and there’s a note of pity in the King’s expression as he returns the gesture. Arc can only imagine how he feels about someone so close to his daughter’s age having to run a kingdom on his own. 

“King Jesper. How are you doing?” 

It’s a more personal question than he had asked the other royals, Arc notes. Jesper smiles easily; it’s soft, highlights his deep dimples and makes his dark eyes glimmer. “Well, thank you. Vysalt is recovering with time. As am I,” he adds, voice quieting for a moment.

The King nods back. “That’s good to hear. Let us know if there’s anything Astoria can do to help.”

Something flickers in Jesper’s expression, hard to read and gone so quickly that Arc wonders if he imagined it. The young king bows again before moving to join the others, but not before he catches Arc’s eye and smiles warmly. It surprises him—the other royals had hardly given him a second glance—but he returns it with one of his own. Beside him, Ciara lifts an eyebrow, her expression a mixture of amusement and something else he can’t place. 

“What?” he asks quietly, and she shakes her head, glancing away. 

“Nothing.”

He wants to pry, but the King is clearing his throat, getting ready to address the room. The chatter dies down as all eyes turn to him.

“My fellow Astorians,” he says in his deep, booming voice, sounding more formal than Arc has ever heard him, “and my guests from our neighboring kingdoms...I am honored to welcome you to our castle, and so pleased that we could all be in attendance tonight.”

Not all of us, Arc thinks, but no word of Seagate comes up. 

The King continues, “For decades, our kingdoms have been isolated and divided by Ryker’s armies. We have long suffered under his forces, but his threat is gone for good. Thus, tonight is more than a council; it is a symbol of our victory, a symbol of our unity as we move forward and rebuild. So enjoy yourselves! After all, we have so much to celebrate!”

To Arc, the sentiment feels hollow. He got his revenge, and of course he’s glad that Ryker can’t hurt anyone else, but it doesn’t change the fact that Seagate is in ruins. It feels suddenly difficult to celebrate with the weight of his village’s absence lingering in the air around him. The rest of the partygoers don’t seem to share his hesitance, though; the room breaks into applause and cheers, several of the guests raising their goblets jovially. 

Ciara gives him a subtle nudge, jolting him out of his thoughts. “Now we get to mingle,” she grins, leading him off the throne platform and towards the crowd. 

He follows dutifully as she heads toward the table where the other kingdoms’ royals have gathered, Astoria’s king staying behind to greet the other royals. Queen Damyanti is in conversation with King Hugo and Queen Luciana, but she doesn’t seem entirely pleased about it, and Jesper and Kavan are laughing at something Aadhya has said. Isaac hovers next to them, looking like he’d rather be anywhere else. He has his father’s golden hair and clear blue eyes, but the frown on his face is entirely his mother’s.

It disappears, though, the moment he sees Ciara approaching them. “Princess Angelica,” he greets her, with a little too much enthusiasm for Arc’s liking, “I’m so honored to finally meet you. You’re even more radiant in person.” Before she can say anything, he takes her hand and kisses it swiftly. Arc narrows his eyes.

Ciara gives a forced-sounding chuckle and curtseys, pulling her hand back. “Thank you, Prince Isaac. I’m glad you could make it. Allow me to introduce Sir Arc, my guard and escort for the night.”

Arc bows—and if he never has to bow to another pompous royal again, he thinks, it’ll be too soon—and Isaac offers him a dismissive sort of half-smile. Any further interaction they would’ve had then is thankfully avoided by the other royals noticing Ciara’s arrival.

“Hi, Princess Angelica!” Aadhya says brightly, with a neat little dip of a curtsey, “I’m Aadhya.” When Ciara and Arc begin to return the gesture, she waves her hand with a tiny scoff. “Oh, you don’t have to do that. Formalities. Just come sit.” She returns to her chair and pats the seat next to her, and Arc decides right there that he likes her.

Ciara takes the offered chair, and Arc takes the only other open spot, in between her and King Jesper. As Ciara launches into conversation with Aadhya, Jesper turns to him. 

“Hi,” he says, a small smile tugging at his lips. “I’m Jesper.”

Arc bites back a laugh at the unnecessary introduction. “I know who you are, Your Highness,” he replies lightly.

“I know. I was just trying to give you an opening to tell me who you are.”

Oh. That’s unexpected. There’s no prerogative behind his words, no assertion; Jesper’s grin is almost bashful, his voice easy and bright. He doesn’t sound like a king, just a seventeen-year-old boy trying to flirt. Arc can’t help but return his smile.

“I’m Arc,” he says. “Normally I’m a student at Knight School, but I’m the princess’s guard and escort for the night.” 

“Wait,” Aadhya pauses her conversation with Ciara to lean over and look at him, “You’re the Arc who defeated Ryker?” 

“I helped,” Arc says with a shrug, and the princess’s eyes go wide. She turns to Ciara.

“Were you there too?”

“I was—” Ciara pauses for a moment, “hiding. I was hiding. Arc got me to safety.” 

He grins a little at her, tongue between his teeth, knowing it must be killing her to hide what she was actually doing. She narrows her eyes and kicks his leg under the table in response, a silent shut up. He lifts his eyebrows, like, I didn’t say anything, and she rolls her eyes in an entirely non-subtle manner. 

Across the table, Queen Damyanti is watching their exchange with a raised eyebrow, Arc notices belatedly. She has a mildly amused look on her face, but doesn’t say anything about it. Instead, she states, “Battling Ryker face-to-face must have been quite the experience.” 

“What was it like?” Prince Kavan asks eagerly from beside his sister.

Aadhya elbows him. “Kavan,” she hisses, but Arc just grins.

“No worries. It was…” he trails, trying to think of what to say and suddenly aware that all the royals’ eyes are on him. He shifts in his seat. “It was scary, obviously. He had the Armor of Astoria, and a whole army with him, and most of the Astorian knights under his spell. But, y’know. We Knight School students are pretty formidable. We all took him on together. Wouldn’t have been able to do it otherwise. I wasn’t half as scared as I would’ve been without my squadmates watching my back.”

He glances at Ciara, who smiles softly and nudges his foot, gentler this time. Jesper has that same unreadable look on his face and Aadhya has her chin propped in her hand, her expression amazed, but Queen Luciana gives a snide sort of scoff. 

“It’s a wonder it took so long to defeat him, then, if a group of students cut him down so easily,” she says. “Perhaps Ryker was never as great a threat as we all made him out to be.”

There’s a cut of silence across the table in which Jesper visibly stiffens. “With all due respect, Queen Luciana, Ryker’s attacks were devastating. Or have you forgotten what happened to my parents?” he demands, without any respect at all. His eyes are blazing. 

“I’m merely pointing out that the only real damage done was to the less...fortified kingdoms,” she sniffs. “Ryker only breached Catalias’s walls once, and he was driven out rather quickly.”

“Well, not every kingdom has Catalias’s resources.” Ciara sounds like she’s choosing her words carefully, frustration masked well behind them.

King Hugo gives a huff of a laugh; his blue eyes are cold. “My dear princess, you have no cause for indignation. Astoria lost the least to Ryker, what with your,” he waves a hand, “magic bubble.”

Ciara opens her mouth but falters, brow furrowed, and across the table, Queen Damyanti speaks up. “Nevertheless, Ryker was still a formidable enemy to all of us. We were only prepared for his attacks because he targeted Seagate and Vysalt first. And Seagate’s destruction is a clear example of his power.”

“Oh, even you can’t argue that Seagate was rotting long before Ryker got to it, Damyanti,” Hugo replies swiftly, and Arc’s breath catches in his throat. Queen Damyanti shrugs in agreement, her expression passive; Arc almost stands up, but Ciara’s hand on his leg underneath the table stops him. 

“Don’t,” she hisses, just barely loud enough for him to hear, “Let me handle this.”

Though as it turns out, she doesn’t have to. Before she has a chance to speak, Jesper is already bristling, his voice sharp: “As if Seagate’s corruption justifies the destruction of its people?”

“It’s thieves and criminals, you mean?” Isaac scoffs. “Seagate was a wasteland. The kingdoms are better off.”

The words ring in Arc’s ears, alongside the pounding of his blood. They sound painfully similar to what Ryker had said to him on the mountain—rats and thieves, I did the five kingdoms a favor—and he thinks fleetingly that he’s going to be sick. He’s always known that Seagate was looked down on by the other kingdoms, but hearing them say so casually that what happened, the flames and the destruction and all of the death, was deserved—

“The people were only thieves and criminals because Catalias took advantage of them,” Jesper argues. “I hope I don’t have to remind you that it was your government that poured money into the gangs of Seagate for their own profit and allowed them to stage a coup in the first place.”

The words are deadly and cold, but Arc feels a flash of admiration for Jesper; the king has no obligations towards Seagate, and yet defends it like his own. King Hugo’s gaze hardens. “You’re blaming Catalias for Seagate’s problems?” he says with a derisive laugh. “If anything, Ryker’s attacks only revealed that Seagate was a kingdom full of people that weren’t worth saving.”

“That’s enough,” Ciara says abruptly. Her hand tightens on Arc’s leg, and he can no longer tell if he’s the one trembling or if she is. There’s this burning fire behind her eyes; she looks, Arc thinks briefly, the same way she does in battle. “What happened to Seagate was a devastating tragedy, and I won’t let you treat it as otherwise. Those who disagree aren’t welcome here.”

It’s a weighted statement, one she doesn’t entirely have the formal authority to make, but no one dares to contest it. A heavy silence settles over all of them. Arc doesn’t know how long he can sit there with all the heat under his skin; he doesn’t remember when his hand found the hilt of his sword, only that he’s gripping it tight enough that the leather bites into his palm. He wants to stand up and tell them that none of them would be here if it weren’t for him, a thief from Seagate. In truth, the only thing holding him back is Ciara. In a battle between her steady hand and the storm in his chest, she wins without even trying.

He doesn’t say anything or look at her, but her gaze flits to him for a moment and she just knows, standing up. Before she even opens her mouth, Isaac is on his feet too. “Going so soon?” he asks. “Would you care to dance, Princess?”

She looks at him coolly for a moment. “I would, actually.” And then, she turns to Arc, offering him her hand, “Sir Arc, dance with me?”

Arc blinks up at her and takes it as he stands. “Absolutely, Princess,” he says, letting her lead him away from the table and glancing back only long enough to catch the dumbfounded expression on Isaac’s face.

[oh-lali-lali-lali-lalipop]

@mysteriousdbzgt: Hi oh-lali-lali-lali-lalipop! Thank you for your ask. First of all, thanks for asking this question here on my personal (and also for the follow over on t&bftw, welcome aboard! :D) I think you can probably tell from here, that I’m a huge supporter of them becoming romantically involved lol I don’t shy about that here, but I like to present a more neutral stance over on my news dedicated blog, to not influence others of my personal opinions. With regards to the new season, as much as I would be supportive of it, I unfortunately highly doubt that they would become “official” in S2 or anything in the future, but will remain extremely dedicated and attentive to one another, regardless of their constant bickering. The creators of the show are more than aware of the popularity of the “couple”, being constantly popular at doujinshi events and the continuous amounts of merchandise that they bring out, which regularly focuses on the main duo rather than all of the Heroes all the time. The fandom is primarily dominated by women, when originally the show was supposed to target men and “salarymen”, but attracted a completely different demographic that they hadn’t anticipated. I can only think that’s mainly because of the appeal of K&B. Also not helped by some of the staff’s, let’s just say, “unfiltered” thoughts when they discuss about K & B in older interviews, centering around “love” and other similar notions. I think they still want to keep this series aimed towards a male demographic, even if the results don’t line up as they expect. But highly ironically, it’s what makes the show successful, so I doubt they would want to change how they portray Kotetsu and Barnaby’s relationship. Personally I would be absolutely over the moon if they did become “official”, because they’re just perfect for one another (hehe) and it could just break so many standard conventions/boundaries on how media portrays same-sex relationships, if done appropriately, and not be labelled with any genre tags like “BL”, “yaoi” or anything similar, and still simply just be a “drama”, “superhero” tale, with the two main males eventually getting together but not make a big song and dance about it. If we want to normalise LGBT relationships within our media and what we consume, then we need to drop these tags and portray them in a healthy manner, which I think the show does well between them both. I believe that the staff have the talent to pull it off, they just need to be cautious on how they do it. Like you said, how FE is presented in the show which such great self confidence about themselves and who they are, really shows that they can write this. Also T&B’s spiritual successor show, Double Decker (who had a lot of the same staff) tackles some LGBT themes pretty well, so they could absolutely do it. But yeah, I don’t think they’ll become “official” unfortunately. But if anything, I anticipate that KxB will most likely be working even closer together in S2, so they’ll be more in tune with one another, and possibly open up even more to each other than they did before. Hopefully they’ll be over the huge feuds and split apart phase, which The Rising focused on (they’ll still bicker all the time, but that’s just how they are), so we can see just how far their relationship has come and changed for the better. Anyway this is probably way too long (sorry), but always interested to hear your thoughts too! :)  

Heya! Before I start I just wanna say thank you so much for taking the time to give me such a thorough reply, it is incredibly well thought out and written! I also want to say I am so freaking sorry you had to type out my monstrosity of a name (seriously didn’t think about that when making the joke lol). Oh, and I’m equally sorry for the formatting of the reply... really had no clue how to go about it, so I just defaulted to going about it the roleplayer way haha. Anyways, for starters, I think I should say that I actually agree with you a lot. You see, logically I think it feels highly unlikely they’d make them “official” in the new season. I’m not sure if I feel like it’s unlikely because I, someone who’s in the LGBTQ community, am a pessimist (aka, I’m negative regardless of proof) who is use to companies not delivering on it/assume companies won’t deliver on it.... or if I’m genuinely, but unconsciously, picking up on Sunrise’s stance of “not gonna happen”. Despite all that I still feel stupidly hopeful about it (y’know, heart louder than the mind and all that jazz)... and I guess for the sake of the discussion I’ll break down why! lol So, I got into the fandom.... around the time of The Rising, I think, so anywhere from 2014 to 2015. I instantly fell in love with it all, but I did end up falling out of the loop for awhile (being a teenager and all that). Recently (recently being that I finished S1 on Friday, watched The Rising on Sunday, and now I’m here lol) I got back into it and.... wow, a lot of it is the same, and.... at the same time it felt like I had so much more to process. It’s still as amazing as ever, if not even more so, and just like with everything else I love with my entire being I started to analyze it and read into it (maybe a little bit too much so lol).  In all honesty, KxB seriously stood out even more so than it did last time for me (I don’t know if it’s because I’m now accepting of my sexuality or what) and while it’s not actually the best part of the series to me (God, Barnaby’s arc means so much to me what with me struggling with cPTSD, but that story is best left on my RP blog) I do have to admit that the pairing is... incredibly meaningful, and beautiful. Moving for me, really.  I guess the following observations, and hopeful thinking that came after it, could be deduced to me just wearing shipper goggles, but considering my habit of over analyzing and breaking things down... I do try to make predictions and opinions logically, and with that in mind it’s why I’m so stuck on the “hopeful thinking”, since a tiny bit of logical thinking is fueling it. Tiger & Bunny is about human relationships, really. For a show focusing on NEXTs... it’s really about humanity, corruption, society, relationships... and KxB all along the first season is written as an undertone, like a slow burn (which is entirely fitting, and seriously makes any relationship better), which fits because the first season is, in actuality, not focused on that (the plot being bigger than we can see and all that). In the end, having rewatched it, I also noticed how, really, the undertone is written in such a way that.... it feels like Barnaby is the one with the “crush” (or is the first one to realize it) which... kinda fits with the old statements from the crew. Kotetsu the forever oblivious one who hasn’t had an epiphany yet (although if I’m being honest, The Rising seems to have this “side-plot” feeling of Kotetsu having the epiphany when he realizes what he’s lost, which is what I meant by the flow of the series somewhat feels like it’s building towards it)...  .... There’s also the whole “leaving it to interpretation thing” they said back then. Which, I have to agree with some other people that it feels like it’s just a way of saying “it’s romantic but we don’t want to take that risk”.... and that was back around 2011. It’ll have been decade since then when S2 is released, and, while a decade is just a decade, a lot has changed on a societal basis since then. Even during this decade long gap Sunrise has become more bold with their representation, whether it be Double Decker! or The Rising.... almost like they’re testing the waters...  and what better way to champion representation than to make two main characters the representation? This franchise is... so human in it’s story, and the meaning doing such a thing would have for so many people... in a way, I think out ways some of the risks. I feel like the build up is there, the want is there (tbh seeing posts on tumblr of people talking about how they hope they’ll get a kiss in S2 or something “official” like that also fueled this)... it just depends on whether they’ll feel afraid or not. Which is, really, why I asked for your opinion. You do such good work at trying to bridge the gap between the Japanese fandom/Sunrise and the English speaking community (which, btw, you are amazing at, I can’t thank you enough for the work you do), and I knew you’d be more informed on Sunrise’s attitude and statements, as well as the general opinions and depositions of the Japanese fans. In the end, I can “read into” things all I want, but it won’t matter if you can’t understand the one who pulls the strings... and because of that I wanted to know your opinion.  I’m so so sorry this got so long!! I’m really horrible at summarizing myself, so this turned into a major ramble.... I’m gonna wrap it up now before this turns into a novel haha. Again, thank you so much for responding to my question and for being open to discussing it, it means so much! I truly respect your opinion, since it helps me clear my own thoughts, as well as gives me a dose of reality so I don’t get my hopes up too much... I guess in the end though, a part of me is going to continue to think that they just might have the heart to do it, irregardless lol. I look forwards to seeing what you have to say about what I’ve written here!

[fanfic-inator795]

OFFICIAL TMNT TWITTER JUST CONFIRMED - WE WILL BE GETTING NEW RISE OF THE TMNT NEXT WEEKEND! ...Granted we still don’t know what epi will be airing or whether it’ll be on Saturday or Sunday but - hey, progress!

And, now that they’ve got an official date set, hopefully we’ll be getting a promo/trailer for the final third of Season 1/beginning of season 2 if that one listing is right (which, I don’t think it is but, if Nick decided to air an epi from s2 before s1 was even finished it honestly wouldn’t surprised me given that a good chunk of the beginning of s1 was aired out of order :P)

But yeah, here’s hoping for a trailer or promo drop either tomorrow, Saturday or next Monday! Just one more week guys, and then hopefully no more hiatuses till the usual Christmas/New Years break!

[something-tofightfor]

He’s Not Here - Part 7

Pairing: Billy Russo x Reader

Word Count: 3900

Rating: M (language)

Author’s Note: I don’t own Billy’s character. I’m just writing this for fun.

Parts 1-6 can be found on my masterlist (link in bio)!

Feedback is welcome - Always. I’d love to know what you think!

Summary:  A memory of the night you realized that Billy considered you a friend... and when you realized that you might be in over your head.

** Takes place a few years before the events of Daredevil S2 and Punisher S1 **

Tagging: If you want to be added or removed, let me know.

@banditthewriter @breanime @obscurilicious @padfootagain @madamrogersstorytelling @ooo-barff-ooo @agent-bossypants @suchatinyinfinity @chibiyanai @songtoyou @doneobrien @diorskisses @ilkaeliseb @editboutique @marauderskeeper @delicatelilyflower @drinix

15 months ago 

You and Billy had fallen into a routine that had started the evening you’d met him, just under a month ago. Though you wouldn’t consider yourself friends, you exchanged text messages a few times a day, and occasionally sent pictures back and forth, too. It was easy, and it was fun because he was actually very endearing, but with each message, you felt yourself learning a little more about him - something that you weren’t sure you wanted, because it made you feel connected to him.

He was good looking. He was funny. He was driven. He was protective, as was evidenced by his response to you telling him that someone had run into you on the subway, leaving a large bruise on your arm as they grabbed you to keep their balance, an almost immediate “how dare someone put a mark on that body of yours; want me to find him and kick his ass?” showing up on your screen and bringing a smile to your face. He was attentive… and he was honest. Billy wasn’t shy, and as you’d put your foot down that first night, turning him down, he’d been forthcoming with you each and every time he’d needed to be - and sometimes when you didn’t want him to be, too.

Billy didn’t do “relationships”, he hooked up with women, sometimes seeing them more than once, but more often than not, that wasn’t the case. In the month that you’d known him, he’d sent you texts about four different dates - and those were just the ones you knew about. They were simple texts, him making jokes about one of them being clingy before they’d finished their first drink, talking about how another had refused to leave his apartment in the morning, freaking out because one of them showed up at his job, even though he’d never told her where he worked. And you’d responded each time, playing along, telling him that maybe he needed to be more selective, that he needed someone to “look into” them before he went out with them to ensure the level of crazy wasn’t too high… but deep down, you’d been hurt - more hurt than you wanted to admit. You made your choice. You turned him down. It was the right thing to do.

He’d kissed you exactly twice, and both of those  times were on the first night you’d met - which had been the only time you’d seen him in person. And that was probably a good thing, too… because after feeling his mouth on yours and his hands against your face and his fingers in your hair, you understood all too well what drew those women to him, what made it worthwhile for them to have his attention for one night. He was flirty with you, of course he was, because that’s how Billy operated. He knew that he was good looking, knew that he was charming, and knew that everyone around him could see it - so it was up to you to keep things platonic.

Failed date number five was in progress, and Billy had been sending you texts every few minutes, giving you a play by play. ‘Shouldn’t you be paying more attention to her? She’s not gonna go home with you if you’re constantly on your phone’. There were a few minutes before he responded, and you actually laughed out loud as the text popped up, your feet up on your coffee table as you sprawled out on your couch. ‘They always do? Come on, Billy. I didn’t. No more perfect track record’. There was no response, and you sighed, flipping through channels.

Then your phone rang. Picking it up, you saw that it was Billy calling, and you felt your stomach lurch. Stop it, he probably hit the wrong button. But it rang and rang, and finally, just before it went to voicemail, you picked up. “Hello?”

“Hey you.” It was the first time you’d heard his voice since he’d put you into the cab, and your eyes closed. It’s so smooth. “So…” He trailed off and cleared his throat. “Not gonna say hi?”

“Aren’t you on a date?” Your voice was quiet and you rolled your eyes, shaking your head. Goddammit. “Why are you calling me?”

“She went to the bathroom.” He paused. “I want to leave but I can’t get out of it.” You laughed, the sound coming out of your mouth before you could stop it. “It’s not funny.”

“Yes it is.” You sighed, still chuckling. “You were just talking about how she’d for sure go home with you, and now five minutes later, you want to leave.” He scoffed.

“I got a bad vibe, she’s not worth it, not tonight.” Would she be worth it on another night?

“So leave. Stand up on those long legs of yours and walk out and go home. Without her.”

“You noticed my long legs?” You could tell that he was smiling. Shit. “I can’t do that, though. I’d have to wait for a car and she’d follow.”

“Want me to come save you?” You were joking, trying to make him realize how stupid he was being - of course he could just get up and walk out - but you were shocked when he whispered the word “yes” into your ear. “What? Are you serious?”

“Yeah, I … We’re at that place across the street from the Crown. She wanted to go there, but I haven’t been there since we went and…” He paused. “Shit. She’s coming back. Please come.” The line went dead, and you pulled your phone from your ear, staring stupidly at the device. Billy Russo, a man that you’d met once had just called you to save him from a bad date that he’d gotten himself into. You paused, closing your eyes and dropping your phone onto the couch. The Crown was twenty five minutes away, and you’d need to get dressed - but you couldn’t get the tone of his voice as he’d said ‘please’ out of your head.

Sighing, you heaved yourself off of the couch, already thinking about what you were going to wear.

---

There had been little traffic - an honest to God miracle - and so barely 40 minutes later, you were standing outside of the bar he’d said they were at, trying to work up the nerve to walk in. It’s just Billy, he’s… he asked you to come, to ... “Shit.” You ran a hand through your hair, tugging it through the loose waves and shook your head. “Goddammit, Billy Russo.” What were you even supposed to do? “Walking in is the first step, dumbass.” With a shake of your head, you opened the door and stepped inside, immediately walking to the bar and ordering a drink so that you had something to occupy yourself with. Alright, Russo… where are you?

Your eyes scanned the room as you sipped your drink, and after a minute, you saw him, sitting at a small table with his back mostly to you. His shoulders were rigid, posture a little too straight - not at all the relaxed stance of a man on a date that he had any interest in continuing. Your eyes moved across the table, and your mouth dropped as you saw the stunning brunette sitting across from him, her eyes sparkling and her cleavage well accentuated in the low cut top she wore. That’s what he goes for, though… what’s the problem? Taking another drink from your glass, you watched as she leaned in, putting her hand over his and cocking her head to the side with a flirty smile. Billy gave a firm shake of his head but the girl laughed, patting the top of his hand, seemingly oblivious to the fact that he’d curled his fingers into a fist rather than let her hold them. Even from thirty feet away, you saw her tongue slide out across her lower lip, her eyes on his face. Why hasn’t he left yet?

“Hey.” A voice in your ear jarred you, and you turned to face the source of it, pasting a smile onto your face. “What are you drinking?” He was about your age, dark haired and good looking with an earnest smile on his face. “Can I get you a refill?” No. You shrugged, looking back at him and then sighed.

“Actually… I appreciate it, but no, thanks.” He looked crestfallen, but your eyes wandered back toward where Billy was sitting, the girl now next to him and blocking the side of his face from view before they made it back to the guy’s. He was still looking at you hopefully.  “Really, it’s nice of you to ask, but…” I’m just not interested. The man nodded once before turning away, and as you turned your attention back to Billy and his date, you felt yourself stiffen. She was running her hand up and down his arm, leaning in to speak into his ear, the other hand on his leg, squeezing the top of his thigh. Is she really doing that? It’s… pathetic.

Without thinking, you took a few steps toward them before you froze. What are you going to do? Billy’s posture was still stiff, and yet the girl didn’t seem to notice, leaning in even closer. Just tell her no, Billy… get up, walk away, you tell people no all the time. But he didn’t, and so you continued walking, your brain going into overdrive as you made your way to their table. Taking the final swig of your drink, you set the glass down before you rested a hand on your hip and cleared your throat. “William Russo? What are the odds?” The brunette froze and Billy did too, his head whipping to the side and to the sound of your voice. As he locked eyes on you, you swore that you saw stars; his gaze was so intense and you’d forgotten what it was like to have him staring at you in person. “How long has it been?” You smiled, a wide smile that you made sure reached your eyes and he stood quickly, the dark haired girl’s hands falling away from his body as he took the steps toward you, his arms going out to hug you automatically, his hands against your back. Oh, God, he smells so good.

“Thank you.” He whispered into your ear, pressing his lips against it briefly. “You saved me.” He pulled back and looked you over, a genuine smile on his face has he turned back to his date. “Kate, this is the sister of my best friend from high school.” You nodded as the girl frowned. “God, it’s been years, what are you doing back in New York?” He gestured across the table at an empty seat as he settled back into his, eyes bright. Quick on the uptake, Russo. I applaud you.

“Oh, I couldn’t impose, I see you’re here with someone, I just wanted to see if it was really you, I haven’t…”

“Yeah, we’re on a date.” The other girl - Kate - spoke, and you fought back a wince as you heard her voice, high and whining. “It was nice to meet you, but my boyfriend-”

“Not your boyfriend, sweetheart. I just met you.” Billy’s voice was deadpan, and you wondered why he hadn’t done this before you’d gotten there. He looked at you. “We’re here together, yes, but ... “ He trailed off and you realized that this was the second time he’d gone out of his way to point out to you that a girl he was with wasn’t his girlfriend. And that’s when you figured out your angle, your face lighting up. Here we go. Sliding into the seat that he’d gestured to, you looked back at the girl, a saccharine smile on your face as her eyes narrowed.

“I see nothing’s changed.” The girl’s eyebrows shot up. “In high school, Billy was shameless. He … ‘went out’ with a different girl every week, never locked one of them down, barely remembered their names.” You laughed and though Billy’s face was stony, you saw the light in his eyes. I’m just getting started. “That was a problem, of course, since he saw most of them all the time in classes or at functions.” You reached out, touching his hand gently before resting yours flat on the table - he didn’t flinch. “I was wondering if he’d changed his ways as an adult, but I’m…” You shrugged. “I’m guessing no, since I don’t see a ring on his finger, and you remind me of the desperate cheerleaders from the opposing schools that would fawn over him at football games.” Where did that come from? The girl’s eyes flashed, and you laughed, shaking your head. “I’m the one that got away, though.” You smirked at Billy, deciding to inject a little truth into the conversation. “Wouldn’t sleep with him no matter how hard he tried.”

“I didn’t try hard enough, apparently.” Billy’s voice was wry and full of laughter. “It worked with everyone else, but the patented Russo charms didn’t seem to work with you in uniform or out.”

“You turned him down?” The girl sounded shocked, again reaching out to Billy, her fingers stroking over his shoulder, eyes wide and a small frown on her face. “How? How could anyone? He’s a ...” God, you’re groveling. Be better. “He’s so hot.”

“He’s more than a pretty face, Kelly.” She frowned and mumbled that her name was Kate. I know, bitch. “He never saw himself as that, and I refused to be just another notch when he can’t even see what he really has to offer someone that will give him a fair shot.” You shrugged your shoulders, eyes on Billy’s. He wasn’t smiling anymore, instead he was looking at you with wide eyes as he realized you were speaking the truth. “I still do.” Not sleeping with you, Russo. It’s not happening.

“Well, it’s a good thing I’m out with him tonight instead of you, then.” Kate bit her lower lip again, eyes sliding down to Billy’s mouth. “I’ve got no problem with focusing on - “

“Hey, come on now.” Billy had leaned forward, reaching out for your hand, his fingers gripping yours. “Not a notch.” He shook his head, and though he was just keeping up the ruse, you felt something shifting between you. He’s not talking about this fake high school story. “I wanted to take you out.” He shook his head and smiled at you, and Kate disappeared. The bar disappeared. Everything disappeared except him and the hand that was on yours and the curve of his lips. You idiot. You walked into this. “I still do. I just didn’t...I don’t know how to do that. I don’t know how that works when i’m not thinking about one night at a time.” His tongue darted out and your gaze dropped to his mouth.

“Billy…” His thumb was moving over the back of your hand slowly. “You…” He was staring at you and you felt like you couldn’t breathe. All you could think about what the kiss you’d shared on the sidewalk, the way his breath had felt against your skin, his hand on your hip - the way his thumb against the skin of your hand was soothing you. “I can’t.”

“Uh, excuse me.” Kate’s voice cut in and the spell was broken. “Right here, Billy.” She sounded angry and as you tore your eyes away from his, you saw that she was glaring at you. “And you… as… heartwarming as this reunion has been, we’re on a date, so if you could leave, that would be wonderful.” She huffed and scooted closer to Billy, but he straightened up, shaking his head.

“Nah, I think this date’s over, Kate.” He stood, grabbing his leather coat from the chair back. “I’m… I’m not interested.” He glanced at you, nodding slowly. “It was nice to see you. Thanks for the reminder of everything in this life I’ve never had.” He put the coat on, and then looked down at the brunette, sniffing once, his nose wrinkling. “I won’t answer you if you call or text, so… don’t bother.” And then he was gone, turning and walking away and leaving you at the table with the other girl. What the fuck was that?

“What the fuck was that?” She was angry, slamming her hand on the table. “I was counting down the minutes until I got him in bed, goddammit! Where’d you come from?” You held back laughter and just stared at the girl, unsure of what to think about Billy’s outburst. Yes, it was abrupt, but…. “Goddammit, I was looking forward to him, can you imagine what he’s like in bed with those goddamn fingers and his mouth? And -”

“He wasn’t going to sleep with you.” You shook your head, standing. “I just wanted to say hello to an old friend, but...he wasn’t going to sleep with you.” You sighed, watching as her jaw dropped. “And even if he caved and you wore him down, or something happened, he’d be gone in the morning and you’d never hear from him again.” You shrugged. “At least he saved you from losing your dignity for a chance to hop into his bed for a night.” The girl sneered as you turned away, reaching out to grab your arm.

“I’d be different.” You actually laughed as she spoke. “I’d make him see what was right in front of him, what it could be like.”

“You don’t know him, Kate. You wouldn’t be different than anyone that came before you, or anyone that comes after you.” You sighed. Do I even know him? No… not really. “None of us would be.” Emily’s words rang in your head as you stepped away, and you hung your head.  Leaving her at the table, you made your way out the front door of the bar, your head still down. As you turned the corner toward a well lit area to hail a cab, you stopped, leaning against the fence and taking a deep breath. What the fuck was that? Why am I… As you tried to steady yourself, you closed your eyes, replaying the conversation in your mind.

“Thank you.” His voice was coming from to your left, but it wasn’t close. As you turned your head, you saw him standing there, hands in his pockets beneath the overhang of the building next to the bar. Your breath caught in your throat as you took him in - everything from his boots and well-worn jeans to the smooth set of his face and the effortlessly styled hair made your heart ache. How did this happen? You’ve never let this happen before.

“Shouldn’t have come here,” you mumbled, closing your eyes again and shaking your head. “I can’t do this.” You felt him move closer but he still didn’t touch you. “Billy, don’t.”

“Don’t what?” He was so close, it sounded like he was speaking into your ear, his low tone soothing and heartbreaking at the same time. “I’m not doing anything.” He took another step closer to you and then stopped. “I sincerely meant it when I said thank you, and that I wouldn’t pressure you into anything. You turned me down, and I’m happy about that.” Happy? He’s happy I don’t want to sleep with him? “No. Happy isn’t the right word.” He sighed and you finally looked back up at him, fighting back tears.

“I’ve met you twice, Billy. Twice, and I’m so conflicted.” You shook your head, fingers tangling in the chain link in front of you. “I know who you… what you want people to see you as, but is that really you?” His mouth opened in surprise. “I don’t want to change you, I don’t want anything from you.” Liar. “I’m not stupid enough to think that you’d change for a woman, or you’d care about…” You trailed off, finally straightening up and looking him in the eyes. Rip the band-aid off. “I just want to be your friend, Russo. Those seem to be in short supply for you, and I’m not going to be another woman throwing herself at you like Kate, or like Emily.” You shook your head twice. “That’s not me. I don’t want scraps. I don’t want part of someone.” 

“I know.” You couldn’t believe what was happening - on a New York sidewalk, nonetheless. You hadn’t meant to begin this conversation, in fact you hadn’t even known you’d wanted to have it with him, but his words at the table, the way he’d been stroking your skin…. “I know it’s not you, and I meant what I said, too.” He shook his head. “I want to take you out, and I want to get to know you.” No, you can’t do that to me.  “I don’t know where that will lead, or what I can give you more than that, but…”

“Let’s start as friends, Billy.” You nodded, your words sounding a lot stronger than you felt. “Be my friend. Let me know the real you.” You shook your head. “No expectations. No promises. I don’t want playboy Billy. You can leave him to the others.” You winced inwardly, thinking about all of those others before and still to come. “You’re going to do what you want to do, but I won’t let you push me away like you do with everyone else.” He smirked, raising an eyebrow. “I have to believe that you already consider me a friend, since you messaged me tonight to help you out.” A nod. “I can handle...that. I can handle friends.” Can I? 

“What can’t you handle?” He took a step forward, his eyes warm and his voice even lower. “There’s something you’re not saying.” Do I tell him? Yes.

“I can’t handle feeling like I’m being used.” Lay it out.

“It wouldn’t feel like being used, though.. I’d make you feel - “

“Billy.” He stopped and you shook your head. “I have no doubt about any of the things that you could make me feel.” You felt your cheeks reddening as you remembered his teeth in your lip, the feeling of his beard against your cheek and the smirk on his face in the first photo he’d sent you. I want to kiss you again, right now, on this sidewalk. “No doubt at all. But… I can’t let that happen.” You swallowed. “Friends is enough for me right now, but if it’s not what you want, then… this is goodbye.” Please.

He was silent for a few moments, and then he shook his head. “You’re serious. You’re really going to stick to this. You think you wanna be my friend and nothing more.”

“I am. I do.” I don’t want to, but I have to.

Another sigh, but finally he nodded, looking up at the sky for a moment and then back at you. “Alright. Fine. Can I at least buy you a drink for coming all the way out here and getting me away from Kate?” The tension was broken and you laughed, stepping toward him and nodding your head.

“Sure. The Crown?” He nodded and the two of you began walking toward the street, crossing carefully. Second time here with him.

Reaching the halfway point of your walk, you felt his fingers close around yours, holding tightly. You didn’t pull away. Friends hold hands sometimes, right?

---

[themikewheelers]

I still don’t understand why Cara and Noah said that they start filming in fall/ October idk maybe they’ve changed the schedule because of someone from the cast, i mean why would they lied about that. I guess we were all hoping they would start filming sooner so the premiere is sooner too.

i honestly don’t know? i mean honestly there could be a billion reasons but we just don’t have anything to decide if we think a reason is plausible or not. maybe originally filming was supposed to start sooner but then there were some delays and now it’s happening later. maybe they originally figured it would be fall, but then bc of scheduling conflicts with any of the main cast or crew members they hadda reschedule. there’s a lot of reasons filming could be delayed. actors might have conflicts, the writing might not be coming along as fast as they need it, there could be issues with getting the set ready, contracting legal issues, etc. I do think it was originally supposed to be sooner tho and there was some delay. Like Noah just said end of summer which is ambiguous, but Cara specifically said October and I don’t think she would have said that if she had no idea and was just speculating. She probably was originally told it was likely October but the date wasn’t set in stone and now it’s pushed back for whatever reason. Or honestly, maybe they’re telling the cast to keep giving us different timeframes to throw us off. I rlly don’t know what it is. S3 didn’t start production until 6 months after s2 came out, which was a LONG delay and I really don’t know why it took that long, esp since they started filming s2 only 3 months after s1 dropped (and the cast had only just finished press tour shortly before filming too). I really don’t think they would go any longer than 6 months this time, and it’s already been almost 3, so hopefully very very soon, whenever that may be

[canonicallysoulmates]

Supernatural 14.20 (Season Finale)

After watching this episode, and if I’m being honest for the last couple of episodes, I can fully understand why j2 decided to end this show and while it’s still painful and I’m still not ready to let Sam and Dean go, sometimes letting go of the things we love is for the best and I think this is one of those cases. The love and thought and quality is not there anymore from the EPs/writers, so I’m thankful j2 decided to end Supernatural. I’m sure it wasn’t an easy decision because I have no doubt in my my mind that they love this show but it was the right thing to do. It’s time to say goodbye to this show, I’m just sorry we have to say goodbye to it with Dabb at the helm. 

I don’t know where to begin and I have a lot to say so this isn’t going to be very linear, in fact, it’s going to be the opposite and I apologize in advance for that but hopefully, I will be able to express what I feel and my points in a way that is understandable. 

I’m going to start this opinion post off talking about Chuck being turned into a villain and what I feel is a very unpopular opinion cause I didn’t like that, I know for a lot of y’all Chuck has always been the villain of this story that’s fine and dandy, I’ve never subscribed to that, and I can understand why some would be excited or find it interesting that God is the last big bad, go big or go home and all that, but I take issue with it cause to me this character has never been a villain and making him one is changing who he is, now I’ve never hidden that I like this character just as I’ve never hidden the fact that my views of this character are slightly influenced by my own personal beliefs nonetheless I am going to try my best to explain why I’d never seen him as a villain without getting into those beliefs. 

There are two ways I see this character: as a character and as a representation of Kripke/the showrunner. In neither of these views have I ever seen Chuck as anything other than flawed but loving his creation. 

Looking at him as a character only, I completely understand the argument some might make that Chuck has played Sam and Dean like puppets, but I’ve never seen it that way, to me he’s never been this master puppeteer who has controlled every aspect of Sam and Dean. I’ve always viewed him as a flawed but complex character that regardless of whether or not he put things in the boys path or how many those things were, which is not an argument I’m going to get into in this post, he’s rooted for them, he wants them to make the right choices and win - cause he’s always given them free will, even in this episode when they don’t play along and do what he wants he still didn’t take away their free will even though he easily could have, and in Swan Song the whole point of it the beautiful aspect about it is that the boys chose each other, that Sam and Dean’s life was theirs, that they playing or not playing along with heaven and hell’s plan was up to them and they chose not to play along-, and in a way he loves them like to put it in the most basic of terms before this episode where he’s turned into a villain I would have said Sam and Dean were his favorite creation. 

So, I’m not just not ok with the implication that this whole time Chuck has been controlling everything, that everything that has happened has been because Chuck wanted it that way, or that Sam and Dean never actually had free will, I’m just not ok with any of those things. I don’t like it.

If I look at him as the representation of Kripke and stop looking at him as a character, I can understand even more why he is the way he is and be more...forgiving I guess; he was an accurate representation cause Kripke did write Sam and Dean to be in those situations but at the same time he loved his creation. 

I feel like I made no sense so to put in hopefully more understandable terms: 

As a character: I have put you in or let you to some of these situations but I have given you the free will to choose how you handle them and I’m rooting for you to make the right ones and win.

As the representation of a writer talking to their creation: I have put you in these situations but I did it because I love you and I needed you to grow and take a life of your own. 

Not sure that’s any more understandable, my thoughts on this character are very difficult to explain but the gist of it is, I’ve never seen Chuck as the bad guy. 

[And, as to the argument of why hasn’t he stepped up more to help the boys, if he did there’d be no show. He’s an all knowing all powerful character if he appeared to help every time the boys had a problem there would be no show cause he could solve the problem with a snap of his fingers so I can understand and forgive the writers for not...using him?]

Anyways, to me, his personality in this episode doesn’t make any sense and Dabb changed him to make him into a villain [Note: I do not believe for even one second that he was always intended to be a villain, Chuck was introduced by Kripke back in s4, Kripke had no plans for this show to go past s5 and nobody expected it to reach s14 so saying him being a villain was always the plan makes no goddamm sense to me so save your breath]. I will say however it’s fitting that Dabb would turn Chuck, a representation of the show creator/showrunner, from flawed but loving, into a villain who throws a temper tantrum and undoes all of Sam and Dean’s hard work, I didn’t know Dabb was so self-aware!  

I don’t know, maybe if this character had never been introduced, or if he had been written differently or if I didn’t see him as a representation of the show creator/showrunner, maybe then I could get behind the idea of him being a villain but as it is I got issues with it. 

From a story POV I’m also not the biggest fan of God being the last big bad, I actually don’t find it that creative. I think it would have been a lot more interesting and creative if they had actually killed him and they either had to deal with the repercussions of that or even more fun if Sam had been the one to kill him and turned into God. Which I actually thought was going to happen for like 3mins after Sam shot Chuck (I watched this epi live and there was a commercial break in between I can be given some leeway for this), well to be honest, I thought he was either going to become God or King of Hell or return of his powers, either way, any one of those three would have been 100% more fun than what we actually got, but I guess I should have known better than to expect Dabb to ever give Sam a storyline, it was probably torture for him to write Sam doing something as badass as shooting God in the first place. 

Now, to be fair, we might still get Sam with powers or King of Hell!Sam, the shows not over yet but I’m not going to hold my breath for it. And maybe something cool will be done and I’ll warm up to the idea of Chuck being the villain but as of right now that’s not the case and I don’t see my view changing anytime soon. 

That being said, it was great to see Rob Benedict again! He’s looking good! 

Moving on from all that, this episode could have been so much more. It should have been so much more, this is the last season finale ffs! But this didn’t even feel like a season finale, the only time it did was at the very end during the last, I’d say, 5mins. the rest felt more fitting for a pre-season finale; take the last couple of minutes away and this would have been more fitting as 14.19. Or even as a standalone episode it would have been better, cause there’s a concept used at the beginning of this episode, that imo would have been good for a standalone, and it’s that Jack made it so people can’t lie, I think that could’ve made for a fun standalone and it’s a pity that instead it was thrown in here cause it didn’t contribute to the plot if anything it actually played a large part in making this feel like less of a season finale. 

I’m not gonna lie to you guys the ending with all the monsters and the zombies appearing did make my jaw-drop and for a minute I felt something akin to excitement for s15, but as the scene continued that excitement started dying down and something about it started bugging me. It wasn’t until the episode finished and I started thinking about it and what that ending could possibly mean that I realized why that was and it’s because that little spark of excitement I felt when the woman in white appeared was because of nostalgia. 

It’s because I saw her and the creepy af clown and bloody Mary and I didn’t imagine current Sam and Dean fighting them, my mind saw them and immediately went to s1 and s2, that little spark was because I was reminded of the show I love so much, the show that is now coming to an official end and never coming back, and again I won’t lie, for that minute my mind considered the possibility that s15 would be a throwback an homage to the beginning but as the scene continued on I realized that while s15 does have that potential to be something beautiful that pays tribute to the early seasons there’s a way bigger opportunity for it to be a destruction of the legacy j2 have built. And now that the opportunity is there, there’s a big chance that s15 will be a revolving door of secondary characters instead of being about Sam and Dean. 

I’m worried that instead of Dabb doing something beautiful that pays tribute to the early seasons it’s just going to be a lazy retelling full of retconning. And it frustrates me that he undid everything Sam and Dean have done, that instead of original new stories we’re bound to get a retelling of the ones that we know and love and are already perfect. 

Also, I fucking hate that feathers is gonna be around for the last season especially if the last season is meant to be an homage to s1-s2 cause that useless prick wasn’t introduced till s4...maybe they can start with s4, work their way backward and kill him off. 

I won’t deny that there were good moments cause there were! When Dean was about to shoot Jack that was legitimately tense, Sam shooting Chuck was badass, I loved Sam standing up to Dean and telling him that he couldn’t lose him and Jack, I liked the conversation between Sam and Chuck in the Bunker, I loved Dean making weapons for him and Sam at the end, so there were legitimate good moments scattered throughout but for me in the overall scheme of things those moments, as much as I enjoyed/loved them, are not enough for me to consider this a good episode and sure as hell, not enough for me to consider this a good season finale. Especially considering this is the last season finale and even more, if I compare it some past season finales like my beloved AHBL. 

If you liked this episode, that’s wonderful I’m happy for you, but...I don’t like the way it left me feeling. It left me feeling hollow, and frustrated, and angry and conflicted and worried about s15. 

I wish j2 the best of luck in making s15 a good one, they have an uphill battle ahead of them. 

As for me, I’m happy this season is finally fucking over and I’m looking forward to the break before the last season begins. 

[sunjaesol]

This is about season 2 of Anne with an E, I personally thought the the beginning was alright the middle went more downhill and the the ending was done very well. The whole season felt very off to me and it felt riddled with plot holes in my opinion with Anne being more obnoxious than unintentionally being rude, Gilbert being less like Gilbert?? I’m not sure how to describe that but any way the “a skirt isn’t an invitation” line. And especially the lgbt storyline cole being lgbt would be (1/2)

[these also belong to the same anon] + Realistic but I felt that they were simply doing it more to say we support and include LGBT than to actually write a character as LGBT. Once you figure out that Aunt Jo (1)and Gertrude(2) were together starts the confusing mess of that storyline. In the first season I got the impression that they were just like Anne and Diana best friends who grew old together but I feel this season through it in your face without much context in that one ep. and then Cole(3) openly comes out and next (2/4)Why his sexuality seemed to randomly change and just make him seem to angery bc he was frustrated from being closeted?? Idk and then the billy situation, I felt Cole threw a hint that, that’s why billy is rude and frustrated bc he was not dealing with his sexuality. I’m not sure it just seemed poorly done and unrealistic. It’s 1908 and the lgbt community was shamed and treated unkindly (unrightfully) but still it doesn’t make sense to me that there would be 4 possibly 5 lgbt characters during(4/5)sorry it’s long but yes it didn’t make sense to me for so many openly lgbt characters not only bc the time period but also bc it was only explored for 2 episodes and then was almost forgotten. I felt the characters just understood too quickly. I believe Anne would be understanding and kind but also question it even for a moment bc she is always thinking and this was pretty unheard of. I feel bad analyzing it so much it just didn’t click to me so I was wondering you’re thoughts. Thank you sm:))

***

Hi anon, thanks for the long post!Okay, so in my opinion, season 1 was better than season 2, simply because I enjoyed the stylistic format more in s1 than s2. Saying that, I understand why you found s2 a bit weird at times. Some parts were weirdly placed and not perfectly finished, but overall it was great and I forgave the flaws. I hope you can enjoy it more after perhaps a second viewing?

I’ve explained this before, but Gilbert was still Gilbert, at his core, yet he has changed due to being at sea for so long and for losing his father. We simply cannot expect him to act the same like he did before. If you’ve seen Teen Wolf, just think about how much broodier Stiles became after season 3 due to all the mental fuckery he went through. Anne was indeed quite obnoxious at times, and I do wish (like I’ve said before) they’ve made her socially more mature and kept the childish innocence in her imagination. That said, she has grown from season 1 and shows a lot more consideration and empathy. If we get more seasons, we’ll probably see an even more adjusted Anne. Do realise that because of the trauma she’s been through, she’ll do some shit like HAVING to be liked as an effect of being neglected and yearning that love and attention.

Now, “a skirt is not an invitation”, I didn’t like that line either simply because they didn’t delve into it further even though it was a very bold statement. I’m not going in depth about this because I’ve answered this in another ask fully.

It was actually implied that Jo and Gertrude were lovers? N'importe quoi. I do understand your confusion around the whole topic of LGBT in this season. But, it’s not unlikely so many people were like that in that time era, despite it being oppressed. It’s from all ages. What was odd is how it was represented. Although inclusivity is important, they showed it in an odd way as if being different means having a different exterior. (also explained further in different asks) I’m not sure if anyone is officially “out” though, aside from Cole. Jo and Gertrude played it off as best friends living together, and I think the other people at the party are just living the marginalised artist lifestyle, secretly having intimate same sex connections.

Everyone perceives things differently, but I actually didn’t think it was implied Billy was gay? I think it was Cole simply dropping a truth and saying that Billy’s perceptions of life may be distorted due to shitty values and beliefs made by his conservative family. It adds up, since he doesn’t kill the fox in the end, indicating on personal growth. (Definitely excited to see THAT happen in a hopefully season 3!)

I don’t actually think they understand it (the concept of homosexuality) all yet. You don’t have to understand to accept/tolerate. Especially, on Diana’s part. She loves her aunt, whether she understands homosexuality or not.

I think you meant Cole’s personality and not sexuality? I don’t think he was angry at being “closeted”, more so at the world in general. He lives in poverty, has “unmanly” hobbies and gets unrightfully bullied. To his classmates, he never even shows signs of being homosexual. (Unless the depiction of a guy braiding a girl’s hair is seen as gay, but I digress) He’s just the poor outcast, who gets harassed for doing the right thing and the things he loves doing. Him being homosexual had little to do with his outrage.

Anyway, I hope the Charles Dickens long answer was what you were hoping for haha.

[psycho-alchemist]

Hi so first of all you seem really awesome and your blog is amazing, I always love seeing what you've reblogged on my dash. Second, I was wondering if you had any anime recommendations of like your all-time favorite animes or series you think everyone should watch? I just finished a Fullmetal Alchemist rewatch and I'd love to find some new shows to get into. Thank you!!

Oh wow thank you, that’s so sweet of you!!

Three anime everyone should watch (not including FMAB, since that’s a given and you’ve already seen it):

Steins;Gate - Not many people talk about S;G anymore, but the people who have watched it pretty much unanimously love it. It’s about a man named Okabe and his friends who discover how to send messages to the past. But in doing so, they start to change their world too much, and suddenly all of their lives are in danger. Okabe has to undo the mistakes he made to save his friends’ lives and change the world back to the way it was. It’s a really cool time travel show! From what I have seen, most people who dropped it did so because it seems to move pretty slowly at first. I actually nearly dropped it too during my first watch, but upon rewatching I noticed that there are a lot of subtle hints dropped during the “slow” episodes that something horrible and tragic is about to happen. There’s this very faint, ever-growing feeling that something isn’t right, and suddenly it’s too late to fix anything.Time travel is a very very tiny theme in media, but I love it because it’s a great opportunity for pseudo-science and angst. The helplessness a main character feels as they try to fix things in a fucked up world when no one else around him even realizes how fucked up it is? 👌🏽👌🏽👌🏽 Steins;Gate handles the angst and plot twists really well, and it also manages to avoid all the plot holes that often come with badly written time travel stories. I am usually of the mindset that if I need to wait more than 4-6 episodes for an anime to “get good,” then it’s not worth it. Steins;Gate is a very rare exception to that rule, and I think everyone should watch it!!

Barakamon - I am not a fan of children, so an anime about a misanthropic twenty-something-year-old spending a summer on a rural island with a bunch of country kids is not something I would typically even glance at. When I originally saw it on the Summer 2016 roster, I wrote it off instantly. But during the first week of the new season I had finished all my other anime, so I watched it out of pure boredom. And boy, was I FLOORED.Barakamon is a surprisingly charming and hilarious story. Handa, the main character, is relatable to the average dramatic grump like me who would prefer to stay indoors during the summer, away from the bugs and sunshine and nature in general. The children are actually realistic, unlike a lot of the children or children-passing lolis we often see in anime. They’re a tiny bit bratty and very mischievous, but it’s actually really refreshing and endearing. The situations they get themselves into are ridiculous and hilarious. And despite Handa avoiding them at first, he ends up getting very very attached to them, and them to him.I was very reluctant to like Barakamon, but the first episode completely charmed me, and every episode thereafter. The humor was rarely an overdone punchline, it was situational and felt very authentic. I still laugh a lot just thinking about some of the scenes!

Psycho Pass (season 1) - This is only regarding season 1. Don’t bother watching s2 or the movie. But Psycho Pass was a special show for me, not just because of the very fascinating world-building but because of the way it makes you think about how morality works. How do we decide what is good and what is bad? How do we determine if someone is guilty or innocent? How do we make the judgment on whether someone deserves punishment or forgiveness? Psycho Pass made me think about those questions in a way I never really had. It actually made me agree with the psychopathic villain for once, which had never happened to me beforehand. (I’m pretty black-and-white so I usually side with the good guys and hate the bad guys without questioning it.) I understood and agreed with the villain’s philosophies, and it was really intriguing to consider that anyone could become a villain if they twisted their thinking the wrong way. In addition, Psycho Pass also brings up an interesting point of what would happen if humans didn’t go through any kind of stress or hardship. It suggests that perhaps stress and trauma are...not good exactly, but perhaps essential to the human experience.In short, Psycho Pass made me think about humanity and morality in a way I never had before. Again I am only speaking for s1, since s2 and the movie fell off that trend, but s1 was a fantastic watch and perfectly fine as a standalone series.

Those are the two I recommend to everyone, regardless of what genres they prefer. Here are my other favorites: 

Haikyuu!! - If you’re a fan of sports anime, or would like to watch sports anime but don’t like the overdone sports moves, Haikyuu!! is a great watch. It’s funny, it’s inspiring, and the sports actually don’t defy the laws of physics. The characters are all very lovable and have a great dynamic.

Hunter x Hunter - If you’ve been looking for a fun action series, HxH is definitely worth it. It’s got great action and really cool storylines, and it has a fun shounen feel without being overbearingly so. It’s a pretty long one at 148 episodes, and I definitely understand how intimidating that can be, as someone who hesitates to watch even 2-cour series. But Hunter x Hunter was worth every single minute, and I cannot stress that enough. It’s so much fun to watch, the characters are so unique and interesting, and the last two arcs are Angst Central if that’s what you’re into. It’s got someone for action fans who love fluff and those who love angst, and I am so so glad I decided to watch it despite its episode count looming over my head. 

Kaichou wa Maid-sama! - If you love a good rom com, definitely check out KWMS! The animation is done in a way that brings out each of the characters’ charm and really adds to the energetic, cute feel of the show. I’ve rewatched it more times than I can count, and it never gets old!

Kimi ni Todoke - If you love rom coms but want a slow-paced romance, KnT will do that for you. It’s still really funny (first anime that made me laugh so hard I couldn’t breathe!), but the romance is slow and steady. Some people have complained that the romance is too slow, and while I won’t disagree, I think the show still did a great job showing a very shy girl slowly establishing deep relationships, both platonic and romantic, with kind people. 

Bokura wa Minna Kawaisou - Technically a rom com, but don’t expect too much romantic development! It’s more like a comedy anime with a side romantic plot. But there’s nothing wrong with that! I love the characters; they’re all super eccentric but go together perfectly. And don’t get me started on Brain Base’s gorgeous animation and the lovely soundtrack! Overall this is just a really pretty, aesthetic, feel-good fluff show. Perfect for casual laughs!

Hopefully this helps you! :) If you would like recs from one particular genre, just let me know and I’ll tell you what I like!

[friskarm]

the writing meme: nico!! ur nico has one of the most distinct voices ive ever read n i gotta.... deep inhale.. gotta kno ur thought process behind that. also maki if ur down for it, bc ur anime mack interp got me S h o ok td

hdsjfk okay u,wu i will talk abt Thos Kids....

nkmk are defs my favs out of all the love live kids....maki is rlly important to me for a whole host of reasosn that u will find out when i finally finish writing maki fic, and nico is just. god i love nico yazawa so much

the two of them make an incredibly potent pairing, and it’s honestly kinda tough to imagine any kind of canon-compliant situation where they’re not super important to each other!! even in AUs where they’re not paired together, i still find myself making them bffs at the very least ;;

so!! this got kinda long so heres the Read More

i’m actually gonna start with maki bc she’s by far the easiest to sum up

- for one, maki is actually...pretty kid-like. for all the “maturity” she tries to give off, it is very much something she constructs and not something she naturally exudes. maki is pretty idealistic, despite trying to make herself come off as cynical? it’s difficult to write, but you know someone just Knows Her when they manage to frame her POV like she’s being cynical, but when you read what she’s actually saying it comes off idealistic!! yeah. she also has a tendency to get really excited!!!! and then pretend she isn’t. she’ll go and try really hard on her own but she gets suuuuper embarassed when people call her out on it

- which brings me to my next point - maki is really worried about how people see her! she works really hard to construct this persona of ~maturity~ and ~elegance~ and ~intelligence~ but when u talk to her for like .2 seconds u realise she’s kinda adorable? definitely this part of her comes from probably being around adults more than other kids when she was young - and she’d probably get praised for being mature and so naturally she’d think maturity was some kind of end goal. regardless, her facade drops when she finally feels comfortable with people, but it Does take a lot!! the sleepover episode in s1 did a lot for her but i don’t think maki had truly opened up until they sung snow halation in s2...at least from the anime timeline!

- maki’s love for music - i suppose this is kind of an obvious one, but it’s still entirely critical to her character. maki loves the Shit out of music!!! she wants to make people feel things, she wants to Move them with the things she composes. i don’t think she has a particular preference for any type of music, either. she does say she prefers classical + jazz, but keep in mind maki has a Persona to uphold. she sings aishiteru banzai with all her heart when she thinks she’s alone - i think she deeply appreciates any type of music.

- extending on that point abt maki’s persona - her pursuit for “maturity”, if you could call it that, goes beyond that. she genuinely believes she should be trying to be more mature, and i definitely think this part of her is a huge reason why she conflicts with nico a lot! regardless, maki has a tendency to deny herself things she likes based on the premise that it’s immature. she’ll isolate herself in order to prevent participation in activities that seem immature, but because she still actually does want to participate, she’ll just kinda satellite around it. she also kinda wants to grow up as fast as possible, i think.

- maki gets really attached to her friends!! i like to think that bc of a strict up-bringing, maki never had the opportunity to make all that many friends, so being in high school with muse is such a good experience!! she’s the one who pushes to assert her friendship with rinpana in episode 4 season 1, and despite getting embarassed over it, she really does care for them!!! i can imagine not being after school navigators was hurtful for her bc it’s literally her three best friends....she was probably placated by the fact she got to be in the ~cool hot~ group solge but still, y’know?

- i could go on and on but the rule said 5 max so :ccccc

anyways niconii time!!

- nico is super, duper passionate about becoming an idol. this deep-rooted passion and desire to succeed is at the root of her character, and really, if your nico isn’t gunning with all her might for a particular goal, you’re not writing nico right!! being an idol, to nico, is probably the most important thing to her after her family. most importantly, as long as she thinks she has even a .1% chance to succeed, she’ll go for it with everything she’s got. i think that’s really important

- nico is very family orientated, too!! she loves her mum and siblings (and probably her dad, too, wherever he is) with all her heart! a lot of people felt conflicted abt nico’s episode in s2, but i think it showed the extent she’s willing to go in order to protect her family!! nico doesn’t come from money - a single mother with four kids is going to be incredibly difficult to live with. in order to give them something to hope for, she constructed a persona for herself in which she lives as a super idol - probably so that her little siblings have something to hope for!! or smtn. idk the gravity of nico’s situation is definitely dependent on ur preferences but regardless niconii loves her fam a Ton

- nico is also pretty mature, actually. this is kind of a weird one bc nico acts like honorin for the most part, and even maki calls her out on being immature (which is hilarious, honestly). the thing is, nico has had to look after her siblings for a Long time - which probably meant she didn’t have all that much free time when she was young to go and...be a kid and do kid things?? and part of her realises that her time as a Kid in highschool is ending soon and that when she leaves she’s going to need to take on adult responsibilities...but for now, she can be a kid. so she does - she goofs off, acts like an idiot and a child because she can! nico is also very pragmatic!! for all everyone mocks her she really does have a good understanding of the way the idol world works (she’s just maybe in the wrong show bc honoka kousaka is actually a deity or smtn), and whilst she can sometimes be a bit cynical, she’s actually really good at acknowledging when she’s being shitty abt smtn, owning up to it and apologising and learnign from it. ya

- nico might be cynical but she’s actually kinda hopeful when she lets herself be? it’s not constructed necessarily, it’s a genuine lack of faith in the world, but it’s not so strong that she can’t deny it - especially being with muse and honoka even more so inspires her to just...have a little faith in fate again. or have a little faith in nozomi, both are good.

- also, nico has a potty mouth. sorry i don’t make the rules

and then there’s nkmk as a concept!!! dam i luv these kids. they’re kind of difficult to talk about bc the way they’d interact is almost entirely dependent on the situation, but i’ll try and speak generally!!

- nkmk conflict, fundamentally. nico and maki have so many contrasting personality traits, they’re awful. but they’re also really similar in a lot of aspects, and have a lot to relate to each other with, and a lot to learn from each other. before they hop the honesty fence, they’re probably just gonna fight a lot, after the hop the honesty fence, they’re probably gonna have a few minor disagreements every now and then but generally get along really well! when they’re sitting on the honesty fence? well, thats the interesting part!!

- nico is somebody who acts childish but is probably mature on the inside. maki is somebody who acts mature but is probably childish on the inside. personally i feel like this is a big thing they’d come into conflict with each other about - they have different values and come from entirely different places so it takes a lot of work for them to understand each other!!

- nozomi annoys the shit out of both of them. she’s a meddler and stick her nose into places she shouldn’t. they love her, and also love to hate her.

- they’re both very driven people, but different things get in the way of them achieving their goals!! nico, i think, tends to have external obstacles - physical or otherwise something outside of herself!! maki tends to have internal obstacles - preconceptions or mental obstacles that prevent her from achieving her goals.

- it’s 2:30am and i need to sleep but hopefully this is what u wanted...thank for reading if u made it this far wao i wrote a ton...

[grazhir]

Going Medieval

Uh, where to start...

Sure, there's plenty of shades of Rimworld in there, except not even close to being as cute, or as demented, or perverted.

Z-levels, of course, which takes some getting used to. But, it means I can dig down two levels, wall in a room with clay, and use it for food storage, so things don't spoil so damn fast. Cause really, medieval people don't have refrigerators (or even ice boxes, one presumes).

Naturally, I've restarted multiple times as I figure certain things out, though the current save is almost through winter of the first year (assuming they don't starve). The hall's ground floor holds the great hall (minus the deco, because I don't have the linen for banners), a workshop, and a barracks (and for some reason, the doors between that and the workshop went missing).

S1 has the kitchen (hearth/stove and butcher table) and the "library" (all three research workstations plus storage for all those damn books they keep generating).

S2 has cold storage for food, with 2x2 anterooms at either end (one to close off the stairs, and one leading out into the clay quarry).

Presently building two wings and an adjacent building, though one can't be finished until all the shit on the ground there gets shifted to a stockpile (and whoever finishes up crafting all those limestone blocks for flooring). And, well, until spring and I can get hay again for thatch, because there seems to be fuck-all difference between the roof types (and I think thatch is just a hair better?).

Issues?

Tutorial says squat about using PageUp and PageDown (that I remember) to navigate levels. It mentions the on-screen buttons in the upper left (a bitch to use if you have edge scrolling on) and using CTRL+MouseWheel. Pfft. It goes by halves. So 5.0 elevation is like, ground level, walls down, but 5.5 has the walls up.

Speaking of the upper left, stockpiles. There's an overlay on them (stockpiles appear to be rope-defined squares or something) for colour, but it's not solid, it's more like a mesh? Whatever it is, it's ugly as fuck, so I turn it off. But if I mess with changing the size of a stockpile, odds are it'll turn itself back on again. So fuck you. Even with the overlay off they're ugly as fuck, and mousing over them is just hideous.

Mining... Sure, okay, but did you really have to mine the block with stuff already on it, thereby dropping it down to the next level, forcing me to mine my way to a clear enough spot that I can have a staircase constructed so a hauler can grab materials to place on a stockpile? Because you can't build something if something is there (such as a pile of clay). I mean, you can place the piece, but either you wait for someone to haul the material out of the way, or you cancel the build item and force someone to haul (because you can't click on the material itself if a wall or staircase is on top of it). And clearly, in the case of mining, no one can get down there unless it's already on levels and a natural ramp is present.

Why are my books decaying? Seriously. Sitting on a stockpile, indoors, roofed over, and when clicked on give no indication they'll die. All that research drives the knowledge out of someone's head, and the books mysteriously vanish? And then I have to make up the difference with an extra 15/20/30 research before I've made up for it? Bizarre.

There's no history. Like, in Rimworld, you can at least click on a colonist and see their recent social interactions. But these peeps don't talk to each other. Again, early access, so who knows how things'll change. Nothing anywhere (that I can see) showing when RandomColonistX showed up and wanted to join the colony.

The almanac is mostly useless at this point. Words words words, but no actual information half the time. Hopefully that will change.

There's other peeves, but maybe another time.

[scrabbleknight]

How Nervous are you about Amphibia Season 3?

Nervous? Not at all. Excited, yes.

I'm trying to finish s1 of my fanfic before s3 drops. Hopefully, I'd even do like half of s2. Just don't want to be left too far behind, ya know.