#i do like parts of violet's character and its the only thing keeping me going here

[ofbreathandflame-archive]

It's always the 40% mark that gets me on these books. It's just that Fourth Wing particularly doesn't seem to want to commit to a genre (and this is the case for many others like it). Is this a fantasy romance, where our focus should be primarily on the romance with a fantasy backdrop? Or is this an ambitious fantasy focused on the plot, intrigue, character motivations, etc.,

Because the characters are so flat...and so is the romance. Like we're told that Xaden should hate Violet, and yet he doesn't really seem to. There's not much depth to these characters. The character deaths either (1) make no sense or (2) add no value to the story. Like-in N.K. Jemisin's The Hundred Thousand Kingdom we have two important, expositionary deaths: (1) Yeine's mother and (2) Enefa (These deaths are introduced in the beginning). They drive the entirety of the plot. They mean something, and they echo across the story like ghosts. But they aren't senseless, unfounded tragedies for shock value. Or even the deaths that occur within the actual events of the story mean something to the plot.

Fourth Wing is written in a very careless, relaxed way. Does not imbue the characters with anything actual character goals, and then shoves them into these 2D cutouts.

Enter Dain, who raises absolutely valid concerns but he's written so obnoxiously that it's obvious the story doesn't want us to consider any other alternatives. Why is Violet continuing on this path when one option is (1) death and the other is what? being shunned by a mother she doesn't even have a relationship with? Violet trained her whole life to be a scribe, her father is a scribe (and she seems to have had a relationship with him) and yet when she's offered an opportunity to become a scribe when Dain gives her multiple opportunities to a scribe -- he's somehow boring. The girl can't even mount the dragon. She gets hit once and she's got broken bones. Cadets die everyday. And we've watched like two people die (who are much more qualified) because???? And then -- just as I guessed she gets not only the biggest dragon of the lot but TWO. I literally wrote in my notes when we hear about the black dragon 'she's probably gonna get that one despite being the least qualified in the lot'

And if they need these cadets and dragons so badly -- why are they allowing hundreds of cadets to die senseless deaths (see: the parapet and all the other tasks)? It's dumb, and it makes no sense. How are y'all letting HUNDREDS of people die in BASIC TRAINING? Like allowing people to die fighting their own mates??? How is that even building camaraderie?????

Look, I like parts of Violet's character -- like when she finds innovative ways to combat her inexperience and shortcomings or her seemingly genuine tenacity for kindness. But the book is losing me here because we're 40% into the book and the WB is bad and the romance is just as flat. It's getting to the point that I can't ignore some of the plot holes.

[intoxicated-chan]

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟐 ༻ 𝐓𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐲𝐞𝐧𝐬 𝐇𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐖𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐌𝐢𝐝𝐝𝐥𝐞-𝐄𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐡 𝐁𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞

(A/n) ➳ I have written this over three times as an attempt to get Daemon’s personality correct and I butchered his character... P.S, I used a High Valyrain translator. I’m not sure how correct it is but you can find it HERE.

Word Count ➳ 1.8k

Content Warnings ➳ 3rd P.O.V, alcohol use, theft, threats of violence, mentions of murder, mentions of death, mentions of war...

AWOIAF Masterlist

Daemon stepped into the Prancing Pony, slipping off his waterlogged hood to reveal his platinum blonde hair and violet eyes. It was a candlelit inn, a seemingly calm one for the night. He observed the inn a couple of hours before entering, he wanted to make sure few eyes were on him.  

But his observation of the inn did him nothing, everyone stared at him, gaining all kinds of attention. Good or bad. He kept his arm rested on his sword, making his weapon known so no one would dare.  

He approached the bar, setting his pouch of coin he stole off a drunk bystander. “A pint of strong ale.”   

The bartender eyed him before pouring his drink. Daemon handed the man the coin, taking the wooden mug in return.   

His nose scrunched at the heavy and bitter taste of the ale. Daemon could certainly hold his own when it came to drinking but this was different. He took the mug as he left the bar and made himself comfortable in a corner with a man.  

It was his contact from the last lead that led him to the Prancing Pony. “I was right to say you are not from these parts.” The man started. “You are causing trouble, drawing eyes from people you do not want to start a war with.”   

Daemon scoffed, laughing to himself. “These people are the least of my worries. I only care of the dragon people speak of.”  

But the man started to laugh, too loud for Daemon’s taste. “The dragon they only hear of is Smaug.” Yet his eyes became wide with a mixture of fascination and fear. “I’ve seen another, not as big but just as fearsome.” He murmured.  

Daemon breathed deeply, his jaw clenched as his grip tightened around his mug. “And you dare hold the information from me?”  

The man rolled his eyes. He sat back in his chair, throwing his leg over the table. “Go East of the Misty Mountains, you will find Mirkwood.” The man ignored his questions and pointed at his hair. “You will find its rider, a woman with strands of hair that match yours.” 

“Now you give me this information? At no cost?”   

“You cannot scare me, Daemon Targaryen. There are many things worse than dragon fire.”  

Daemon rushed out of the inn feeling frustrated, he was played like a fool. Another reason to despise this place.  

He pulled his hood over his head as the rain poured heavily down on him.   

He always knew his older brother was obsessed with omens and prophecies, but Daemon was able to believe in one of Visery’s dreams. a Targaryen had found their own path to safety, escaping the calamity that took their home.  

“The Targaryen dynasty will rule beyond Westeros.”  

He was stuck in his mind for hours, keeping himself busy until he found Caraxes still deep in his slumber. Daemon took a breath before he spoke softly in High Valyrian, running his hand over his long and slender neck.   

“Vēzot, Caraxes.”    

Daemon flew to the East of the Misty Mountains, it was a trip of two days, three before he found Mirkwood. A kingdom surrounded by woods, isolated from the rest of the world.   

Caraxes landed just feet away from the narrow bridge, but his neck was long enough to reach the gates where two guards stood.  

They remained still as they felt Caraxes’s hot breath and saw him bare his teeth.  

Daemon sat up tall in his saddle, he relaxed one wrist over the other. “I demand an audience with your lord!” He exclaimed. “Step aside and you shall live to go home to your families.”   

Caraxes grumbled when the guards did not move or say a word. Daemon clicked his tongue after another minute of silence. He wanted to take his brother’s words into consideration. How he must learn to control his anger, how this world was unlike Westeros. 

Talking was getting Daemon nowhere since he was met with silence. “It is a simple request that I am sure you can fulfill, I have no need to burn your kingdom but turn me away and I will.”   

But it was a failure.   

Yes, they reacted, drawing their bows, and shouting in their tongues. It was not the reaction he was hoping for...  

“You have chosen your own fates.” Caraxes pulled back and opened his jaws. “Drac-”  

Suddenly, the gates creaked open, another Legolas stood at the entrance, walking forward with his bow in hand.  

“You seek and audience with our King.” Legolas stated, looking up at Daemon with a stern expression. “But first, you must hand over your weapons. I shall not let you approach the King armed.”  

Daemon's eyes narrowed, his hand itching to draw Dark Sister and so he declared.   

“We must obey by their rules, it’s their land but it won’t be for long.”    

Dameon gave a curt nod and huffed. He dismounted Caraxes to stand before Legolas. He drew his sword along with its scabbard.  

Legolas shouted orders the guards to come forward, his eyes glued on Daemon. They came forward, taking everything out of his hands, Dark Sister, and his cloak.  

It was a bitter pill to swallow, but he knew it gained him access to Mirkwood.  

Legolas was sure there were no more weapons on him. “The King awaits.” He turned his back, walking back into the kingdom with Daemon behind him.   

He took one final glance, watching Caraxes whistle again until the gates shut.  

Daemon did not hide his amazement at the inside of Mirkwood, he made his expressions clear and kept his composure but remained carefree. He was surrounded by guards, but he walked like he owned the place as his head stayed high.    

Then, it was just Legolas walking with him, and it was not long before he was brought in front of the king.  

Thranduil sat on his throne, one leg over the other. His finger tapped the arm rest as he looked at Daemon with a lack of concern. 

“My Lord.” Daemon addressed. “It seems you’ve been expecting me.”   

Legolas took his place by Tauriel’s side. She whispered in his ear, something making him huff in anger and shaking his head.  

Thranduil stood from his throne, his hands clasped together. “Of course I have, you made yourself quite known.” He stepped down the steps. “I received word from an acquaintance, he said your dragon was like a serpent. I wondered what they called your dragon back in Westeros.”  

“You’re aware?” 

“I’m quite aware.” Thranduil responded. “You’re home called Valyria, dragons that you ride, and you Targaryens... I’m only aware of the name after her relative stepped foot on Middle-Earth with a clutch of eggs and managed to sire many offsprings.”   

“Where are they?”    

“All of them killed each other, it’s difficult to say what happened but (Y/n) appeared with said egg hatched.” Thranduil slowly circled Daemon. “I cannot speak to what happened to the rest of the clutch but now she’s here and you’re here for her.”   

“I intend to bring her home.”   

Thranduil stopped at his left side, shaking his head. “You will not take her home. She knows no other home than here, Mirkwood.”   

Daemon wanted to punch him, stab him, have him burned to death. But he knew better than to do anything disorderly. “She does not belong here. She belongs with her family, with the rest of the Targaryens.”   

Thranduil’s eyes flashed with anger as he got in his face. “I have raised her since she was a babe, she is my ward, my own. I will not allow you to disturb her home and peace.” He took a couple steps back before waving Daemon away.   

Tauriel attempted to grab his arm, but Daemon shrugged her off. “She has no place here!” He shouted. “Where is she?!”   

Thranduil walked back up to his throne, sneering at Daemon. “You have no right to demand anything for me.” He gestured for Tauriel to proceed, ignoring the threats and curses coming from Daemon, it clearly had no effect on him.   

Tauriel summoned the guards. “Hold him.” She readied her bow.    

Daemon kicked the elf in the chest, pushing him back. He twisted the other’s arm, grabbing his dagger only for Tauriel to shoot it out of his hands.   

“If you wish to keep your hands, you will come.” She held no room for argument. “īlon līs ȳzaldrīzes mērī.”  He nearly froze in place and Tauriel could see her words confusing him. But the guards grabbed hold of his arms and Tauriel pushed him to walk.   

“We must talk alone.”   

Caraxes awoke, he was curled up near the entrance, grumbling when he caught sight of Daemon surrounded. He shoved their hands off him. “My effects?” Tauriel took them from one and handed them to him.   

Tauriel nodded at the guards, dismissing them. “How did you get here?” She questioned, eyeing his armor and then his dragon.    

His dragon had a saddle too, but it was wrapped around his chest with a three headed dragon.   

“I’d care to explain but I do not.” Daemon threw on his cloak. “Yet I only care to learn where did you hear those words.”    

“There is a Targaryen here.” She confirmed in a hushed voice. “And I fear that darker things may be her future.”  

Daemon's brow furrowed. “Yet why help me?” He questioned, staring down at her.  

Tauriel’s expression softened, sadness forming on her face. “I care for (Y/n), deeply.” She confessed, her voice barely audible. “But I fear the path she is on will lead to tragedy. If there is a chance to changer her fate, I must take it.”  

“Where is she?” 

“I cannot tell you exactly where she is.” She explained. “I received word that she had left the kingdom once again without the King’s permission. But there is a nest, past the Enchanted River. (Y/n) is known to frequent that area.”  

Without another moment’s hesitation, he mounted Caraxes and took to the skies. Tauriel watched as Caraxes flew for a couple moments then descended.  

“The King will not be pleased if he learned you gave out (Y/n)’s location.” Legolas appeared, looking disappointed. “He could kill her.” 

“He will not.”  Tauriel sharply retorted. 

“How can you be so sure?” 

“I would rather (Y/n) perish happily than see her and her dragon fall on the battlefield.” 

(Y/n) drew her sword as Caraxes landed in front of her. Aegar’s upper body hovered over her as he growled at the sight of the two, stretching his wings, ready to defend her. 

Daemon dismounted Caraxes, approaching (Y/n) but stayed at a safe distance. “Nyke emagon daor māzigon naejot vīlībagon.” He said.  

“I have not come to fight.” 

Her breath hitched as her heart quickened. She continued to look back and forth, between Daemon and Caraxes. She kept a tight grip on her sword. “Who are you and why have you come?” She ordered loudly. 

“I am Daemon Targaryen.” Daemon replied. “And I have come to take you home.”  

© Intoxicated-Chan 2024, I do not allow my work to be copied, translated, modified, adapted, or put on any other platform without my permission. 

Taglist ➳ @mrsdurin , @marsmallow433 , @oneiratxxia10 , @sassybutclassy96 ,  

[fair-city-reporter]

Poll Winner

Out of everything, I was not expecting the MLP AU to be the winner hahaha but I can't say I'm complaining! Here comes the fun part though! I do apologize

I finally got some free time to share a few tidbits about "WordFilly" because I literally could not come up with a better name. I also plan to turn on asks, so you can ask me things about the AU's - I'd welcome it.

WordFilly is an alternate universe ft. Wordgirl and My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic (MLP/FiM), so here's what I'm thinking so far. Fair City is known for its magic as a lot of villains have powers, but I decided to get a little silly with this. I honestly haven't quite decided this bit.

Becky is still an alien, so I feel she isn't a normal run-of-the-mill pony, but she also looks like an earth pony or something in order to blend in with the crowd! Huggy could either continue being a monkey, or he's like a dragon - I'm not sure which yet!

And now we're going to break this down-

Read more for additional content!

WordFilly Character Species

The Botsford Family - Sally Botsford (earth pony, cutie mark undecided; is still the District Attorney - has a wavy red mane and tail, knows Spanish); Tim Botsford (earth pony, cutie mark undecided; part-time substitute teacher, also works at an office - looks a lot like a Clydesdale, but smaller); TJ Botsford (earth pony, cutie mark undecided; blank flank). I mulled so long over this AU for a while - and I did decide Becky’s species but for now, I’m going to keep this quiet. All will be revealed in due time!

Violet is a unicorn because I said so; as she's the whimsical artist, I immediately thought she would be a unicorn! It felt fitting for her character.

Personally, I see Scoops as either an earth pony or a Pegasus, I'm unclear as to which right now.

Tobey's 100% a unicorn. I don't make the rules. This is canon now. (only I do make the rules because it's my AU /lh). I also see Victoria as being a unicorn attempting to pretend she's an alicorn or something because she would.

Villains;

Chuck the Evil Sandwich Making Guy - earth pony; cutie mark's a sandwich stacked on a platter (this might change, but idk yet-). He does still have a sandwich head because why not

Dr. Two Brains - earth pony/mouse hybrid; has mouse ears, whiskers, and a long mouse tail - though it weirdly resembles a rat's own. DTB could also be another species that isn't mouse but I think that would defeat the purpose. I know someone who mixed him with a parasprite and I kind of thought it was cute though!

Mr. Big is also an earth pony-

Whammer is a unicorn. That's it. That's the post.

I feel like Miss Question is 100% a Pegasus and that her powers come from sort of pendant (much like something I plan to do with Eileen but we'll get to her later-). Though I love her hoverboard thing, so maybe she's a unicorn? I can't decide, to be honest.

For Eileen, she's an earth pony - her powers are fueled by the amulet, same as in canon! She's short for a pony, and she hates it so much.

Speedrun for the rest of the villains!

The Butcher - unicorn, his cutie mark is a slab of meat that is faintly covered in a hue of red. LRW is 100% a unicorn though she's mixed with something else, don't ask me what just yet. Amazing Rope Guy is an earth pony; uhhh, Seymour is a unicorn and extremely obnoxious- D2B's henchmen are an earth pony and unicorn. Leslie is an earth pony.

Rhyme and Reason are a Pegasus and unicorn. These might switch later!

Miss Power is [REDACTED].

Worldbuilding

WordFilly follows the Wordgirl series if the characters were ponies instead of humans - or an alien and the citizens of Fair City. The city is mostly inhabited by ponies and has become a foundation for magic, and not to mention superheroes and of course supervillains. No one knows when it began but after seeing Amazo Stallion for the first time, Fair City became enamored at the prospect.

Amazo Stallion had been a unicorn though some could almost swear they'd seen him with wings once or twice, but that simply couldn't be possible: no one had seen alicorns in such a long time. As time continued, the legacy of Amazo Stallion and other likeminded heroes continued to prosper until he vanished. There wasn't any reason behind his explanation; he just... disappeared.

With time however, unexpected changes happen...

When a young filly named Becky Hoofsford was found by her adoptive parents - Tim and Sally. Nopony knew where she'd come from, other than the fact she was found on the front porch by Tim. For some reason, she had a pamphlet in her hooves and had been reading through it which was certainly a little odd (but Tim would never say he'd been bothered by it. If anything, he found it endearing of how smart his little Beckaroni was-)

Unwilling to leave a young filly out on her own, Sam and Tim Hoofsford take her in. I imagine they try to find her family, but end up finding nopony and Becky becomes their adoptive daughter! I’m still developing certain aspects of this universe and well, I think I’d be a poor host if I revealed everything so quickly!

With the exception of a few characters, I feel like most of the ponies do in fact, have their cutie marks. TJ doesn’t have his… Johnson? Probably not! Though I do need to decide exactly what said cutie marks are because my ass is very picky!

If anyone is curious on this universe as a whole, I can make more content but honestly right now - I don’t have too many spoons to fully go into detail and I’m trying to keep spoilers from reaching all of you just yet heh—

[literalite]

I remember you saying you liked young justice so I wanted to know who's your favourite character or the one you think is most like you? I've been attached by the hip to this show since I was 13 so I'm a little... not normal about it lol.

also opinions on s3?

YES oh my god it was like formative media for me genuinely and i still love yj dearly i was rewatching it like last month actually along with yaboyroshi's reactions to it 😅 we are both a little not normal about this show dw 🤝🏼 im putting the rest of this under a cut because i start Yapping

my fave characters were dick, artemis, jaime, bart, and zatanna! dick i was Obsessed with from the moment i laid eyes on him in hindsight for gender reasons, probably but artemis always meant a huge deal to me as a kid because she was like the only vietnamese character (and with a skintone like mine!) that i'd ever seen on a screen. i loved everything about jaime's character and personality and arc and i had a really soft spot for bart because characters who are very outwardly upbeat and fun but are going through a lot of shit and hiding it are my favourites ever usually 😅. i also liked rlly them as a duo. zatanna's sort of cool-girl sass was always really fun to see and i think especially in s4 where her sort of less-rigid morality had more room to shine, really made me appreciate her character more. OH also when they introduced cassandra wu-san/orphan in s3 i like literally cheered out loud 😭 shes one of my fave characters from dc comics in general, so i was already biased towards her and i really liked her depiction and the room they made for her arc

i'm actually not sure which character is the most like me... i think because i watched it so young a lot of the characters kind of made their way into my personality in one way or another. i think irl im most like dick but it could be wishful thinking 😅 i'm not as cool as he is for sure

season three.... i'm kind of on the fence about it? i will say though i think it was a little rough with the dialogue especially, and i definitely didn't bond as well with the outsiders as i did with the original team and then the s2 cast. violet was the most likeable of the group by far but i think i was really put off by the fact that they kept killing them 💀 like i get that you guys can do this now with the higher rating but there are better ways to show off your newfound creative freedom than repeatedly brutally killing them. it was offset with the majority of the other characters suffering from basically no visible injuries too- if they'd been hit with bruises or scrapes or broken bones or ANYTHING and reduced the harm dealt to vi then i would've been less urgh by it.

i also wish they'd introduced victor a bit earlier into the season instead of spending sooo much time with brion because cyborg's story felt a little tacked on at the end, and um i was annoyed by brion from the jump 😭😭 tried so hard to sympathise with him because to be fair he went through a Lot but he just kept being such an aggressive ass to like everyone. which i guess was the point.. didn't make it any more fun to watch though.

i do like that they kept with the huge mass of entangled threads of the plot that were to me the hallmarks of the earlier seasons, picking apart scenes to try and work out how things interconnect was always my favourite part. i think the cast of the show at this point for what they were trying to do and focus on may have exceeded the show's bounds though- it was still a compelling narrative but i imagine for a casual watcher who isnt as meticulously invested in who is who and can recognise adaptations of arcs from the comics it can get very confusing or frustrating. its hard because i Love the og cast too but i think with s3 they couldn't decide on letting them go or letting their new characters shine and it ended up muddying the waters a bit, with the outsiders suffering the most from it due to no nostalgia or prior narrative heft to keep them from looking secondary to the original members of the team.

with s4 they chose to throw their lot behind the old team, which i appreciated and it neatened the rough edges of the show more, but i do still miss the s2 cast quite badly so i actually kind of wish they'd kept expanding the cast but just narrowed focus onto the new characters for every season. the title of the show is young justice, so i personally would've liked to keep seeing a focus on the newer and rising heroes of each successive generation as opposed to returning again and again to the originals

sorry that this is such a wall of text 😅 but i think this is one of the shows that i could genuinely just like sit and talk about for ages and ages... even the characters i dont like at all have a fair amount of gravity and heft to them that i love. wally is still alive btw i will never stop believing 😤 get that man out of the speed force!

[wisecrackingeric-2]

hi eric its me ian

do you like pokémon because i’ve heard you like pokémon and i. i really. really like it too. please. i’ve been a fan since i was little and have played at least one game out of each generation please can we talk. i. ough. i need to know your faves regions pokémon characters the like

@eggo-tistical HELLO HELLO HELLO IM SOSOSOSOSOSO SORRY ITS TAKEN ME S O LONG TO ANSWER THIS IVE BEEN BISY ALL DAY BUT I AM CURRENTLY RUNNING AROUND IN CIRCLES VIBRATING OVER THIS ASK OH MY G O D POKÉMON IS MY SPECIAL INTEREST I LOVE IT SM (I’ll keep all of this under the cut just so I don’t clog up peoples dashboards BDBSBSBSBSH)

OKOKOKOKOK so first things first the region/generation IIIIIIIII was introduced into was Gen 6 aka Kalos (yes I am young HAHSWBWHEH) and oh my G O D I have. SOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH NOSTALGIA FOR THAT GEN. I replay X&Y AAAAALLL THE TIME just cuz I love those games S O DAMN MUCH?????? Like the design of the region is so pretty and the Pokémon designed are so unique and the music is so,,,,,, mwuah perfect. Nuzlocke comics also got really big around that time so that’s how I was introduced into Nuzlocking and HOOOOOOOOOO BOYO BOY

I AM A M A S S I V E NUZLOCKER. I LOVE NUZLOCKES SM. THEYRE MY FAVOURITE THINGS EVER if I’m not writing an essay over Luis you can GUARENTEE I’ll be doing a Nuzlocke. I got into them cuz I ADORED the storytelling aspect and all the creative comics but I’ve stuck around cuz I just LOVE the problem solving/mathematics part of them?????? I love all the insane strategies and statistics runners come up with and I can easily just watch multi-hour Nuzlocke runs for days on end

But going back on track kinda but also on the subject of Nuzlockes my absolute FAAAAAAVORITE region/generation is EASILY Gen 4 and Platinum. In 2020 I started my first ever Nuzlocke of Platinum and tk say that singular playthrough impacted my life in a way I can’t even describe would be a MASSIVE understatement. I played it through some REEEEEEEALLY TOUGH TIMES and it was such a consistent constant for me I still go back to that save file and just. Walk around with my Pokémon. And reminisce. It was also just my first ever Pokémon game EVER (if you don’t count Pokémon GO BDBSBSHSH) so I hold it very near and dear to my heart <<<33

My starter was Turtwig and I called him Boba Fett and now Boba Fett the Torterra has stuck with me through every single game I’ve played- I’ve transferred him all the way up to Scarlet & Violet and I love him SO much he unironically means the world to me. Torterras my favourite Pokémon ever I have SO many plushies of it n stuff <<<<<333 if I can find a photo of Boba Fett the Torterra I’ll post it

I also R E A L L Y love gen 5. Like all the designs of the Pokémon are SO COOL and Unova is such a fun region to go through and the STORY?? THE S T O R Y ???????????? I really love how they were kinda aiming for an,,,, older audience with it????? Unova just goes so hard

But I think if I had to nail down my number one favourite Pokémon game EVER right alongside Platinum it would be Legends Arceus. LIKE?????? THE STORY???????????? THE ENVIORMENT????????????? THE MECHANICS??? THE ART STYLE??????? ALL THE LITTLE BACKGROUND NOISES????????? OFS SUCH A GOOD GAME I think right alongside like. Resident evil 4 it’s probably my favourite game of all time it’s so stunning I replay it ALL THE TIME

I’m also semi into shiny hunting!!!!!! I’ve only ever really done it on scarlet and Violet but my favourite shiny hunt I’ve ever done was for shiny Mabostiff aka my other favourite Pokémon alongside Torterra <33 ut was right after my dog had passed away and he looked EXACTLY like Mabostiff except he was golden so I went out of my way to shiny hunt one in his memory <<<<<<33

I also really love competitive Pokémon!!!!!!!!!!! Have I ever actually PLAYED competitively??? No but I can tell you everything there is to know about it!!!!!!!

Uhhhhhhhhhhh what else uhhh,,,,,,, Torterra and Mabostiff are obviously my favourite Pokémon but I have plenty of other faves too. Like Flabebe, Sylveon, Hisuian Decidueye cuz it looks like my irl pet chickens, Meganium, Wingull, Jirachi, Delphox uhhhhhhhhh there’s probably more but my brain is soupy soup BXBSBBSBSJS

But uhhhhhhhh I think that’s it!!!!!!!! Someday I would LOVE to make a long-running Nuzlocke comic based off of my first ever Nuzlocke with Boba Fett the Torterra, and as long as the 3ds doesn’t completely shut down next year I’m planning on doing a Nuzlocke of the OG Red & Blue Games And HOOOOOOOPEFULLY Making lil mini Comics to go along with it if all goes to plan!!!!!!!!!! :DDD

[lollytea]

any huntlow miraculous au ideas ??

Disclaimer: I have not watched miraculous in nearly four years. I do not know what is going on in that show anymore and at this point I'm too afraid to ask.

However the reason I did start watching it for a time was because I was intrigued by the concept. I liked this idea of different facets of your personality only on display depending on the identity you're presenting and how mixed up that can get when it's a romance between two people who know each other with and without the mask and how the relationships shift depending on that. It's very basic superhero trope stuff but idk it scratches the little part of my brain that's obsessed with psychology and messy convoluted character dynamics. So the idea of doing something like that with huntlow DOES sound cool. But I have no concrete ideas.

Me personally I don't like doing AUs with huntlow unless it keeps them in the Boiling Isles setting and it keeps their respective backgrounds as GG and half-a-witch Willow. So I'm not big on Human AUs. So I wouldn't think too much about a typical miraculous AU myself. I'll leave that to other people to have their fun with. I love the miraculous AU art they do 💕

But WHAT IF. WHAT IF WHAT IF

Okay okay okay. So what if we start off with the idea of Willow having a celebrity crush on the Golden Guard. Remember that AU? So lets say its pre-season 1. So Willow is still in the abomination track and is kinda a shrinking violet. So the Golden Guard happened to rescue her once and now she's all smitten over how cool and confident he is.

Anyway, Willow is forbidden from doing plant magic. However Willow loves to do plant magic. So her solution to this is to do plant magic in secret. One thing leads to another and now she sneaks out of the house every night and uses her magic to assist civilians in need. She's never really had a chance to let loose with her powers before. It makes her feel so cool and strong. Plus she really does empathize with how it feels to be vulnerable so she likes to help when she can. So she's developed a little bit of a superhero-ish alter ego.

The aesthetic of this is just making me go insane. Like the plant based superhero costume Willow would fashion for herself. It'd be so dorky and over-the-top. Im seeing shit like a poofy little dress, a skirt made out of giant flower petals, boots made of leaves, vines snaking all over her limbs. Fairycore vibes. I also really like the idea of using her magic to spread a cluster of tiny flowers around her eyes in the shape of a domino mask.

She calls herself "Force of Nature" (or "Force" for short.) And honestly, the name suits the person she becomes. When she's taking on this identity, Willow's full chaotic side comes out. She's got a big personality. She's ruthless, she's talkative, she's mischievous, she's everything that's always been bubbling under her surface. I wanna say she even takes a little inspiration from the trademark Golden Guard dazzle.

Now Hunter is the Golden Guard and he believes it's his duty to help and protect people of the Boiling Isles. However, he begins to notice that Belos is constantly preventing him from doing so. Hunter keeps getting sent on tedious tasks to collect ingredients for his uncle's experiments or deal with business matters or WHATEVER. There is a distinct lack of helping going on here. And everytime he tries to respectfully point it out, Belos insists that the work Hunter does is important. Admittedly, Hunter is beginning to get a little frustrated. He certainly doesn't want to believe that his uncle is wrong (His uncle is never wrong.) Buuuuut maybe his uncle just isn't seeing the big picture correctly. Maybe he just needs a little convincing.

So this is when Hunter commits himself to sneaking out of the castle at night and helping all the people that the Golden Guard was too busy to help. If he used his GG persona, word would get around and he'd be in trouble for disobeying. So Hunter opts to carry out these deeds unmasked. He might have a special outfit for the occasion but his full face is on display. Doing these things has nothing to do with building Hunter's confidence, it's just to do what's right.

He keeps a journal where he documents all the good he's done while carrying out this secret job and intends to hand it over to Belos once it's full so his uncle will finally understand. The mental gymnastics are insane here. Deep down, Hunter knows Belos would kill him if he ever found out and he's taking this secret to his grave. But the journal helps him feel less disobedient so we'll let him have this.

Anyway of course Willow and Hunter eventually cross paths and decide to work together for the greater good. A friendship is formed and it does not take long before Hunter falls head over heels for Force of Nature. And because he's so transparently himself with none of his Golden Guard swag, he's a shy blushy mess around her. It doesn't help that she's one of the only people besides Belos to call him by name.

(He didn't tell her his name at first. It only slipped out after he developed a crush and he found that he had a really hard time saying no to her.)

Meanwhile Willow is very fond of Hunter. However, I feel like she's kinda blocked herself off from entertaining the idea that she might have feelings for him because of her crush on the Golden Guard. It's a very idealized crush and she's built it up so much in her head that it subconsciously prevents her from even thinking about anyone else in a romantic light. But I think some feelings for Hunter might be sneaking up on her without her noticing.

Anyway Willow has hung around Bonesborough often enough that she knows the exact times the Golden Guard shows up for patrol. She slinks around the areas where he's known to meet with people and discuss business. She'll wander around town on weekends just for the off chance of spotting him. However, though she's brave enough to march right up and say hello, she really hasn't a clue how to talk to him like a normal person so all that comes out is word vomit. (Again, this is pre-season 1 Willow. A bit of a nervous wreck.) Anyway she's stopped to "talk" with him enough times that he remembers who she is now. So that's a start!

On Hunter's end, there's this one schoolgirl who he usually meets in town and she's a massive stroke to his ego. She's clearly starstruck with him and he's eating it up. He's constantly playing up the GG persona for her to the point that it's almost flirtatious. He doesn't really notice that he's doing this and doesn't understand that she might take that the wrong way. Hunter doesn't have any strong opinions about Willow Park. She's sweet, she's a little awkward and he humors her whenever they meet. But he doesn't really form a deep friendship with her for quite a while because it can be very difficult to make connections when you're playing a character.

Anyway. There's a basic premise for your consideration. Hijinks ensue and whatnot.

[persiesposts]

My thoughts on Iron Flame!

***MAJOR SPOILERS IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THIS YET***

What I liked:

*I really respected Violet for sticking to her convictions with Xaden, she knew what she needed for her to have a successful relationship with him and she wasn’t willing to compromise on that.

*I KNEW DAIN WASN’T GOING TO BE AN ANTAGONIST FOREVER. I’m very glad of this because I’m so tired of the guy best-friend turned antagonist trope. I’m glad to see aspects of Violet and Dain’s friendship returning/ reforging into something that can grow healthier with time.

*All the secondary characters have my heart and soul. Rhiannon especially, justice for my girl because she was so patient and such a good friend when she had every right to be upset with Violet for shutting her out.

*I really liked Sloane! I wish we had more time with her and I’m hopeful to see more of her in the next books.

*Tairn just makes this series for me. I adore that dragon. The sass was as strong as ever. My favorite exasperated dragon dad. This only reaffirms my statement that he’s just dragon Kratos

*ANDARNA!! What a sweet baby, she just wants to be like Tairn. He may not have sired her but that’s her dad right there. I saw it coming but I thought it was so cool that she’s the 7th dragon breed. I can’t wait to see the signet that manifests.

*I loved learning more about the lands outside of Navarre, the culture behind Tyrrendor was especially fascinating.

*The main characters are young adults and they FEEL like young adults!! (I know this will contradict with a critique kinda but hear me out). They have to grow up quicker than most and make decisions no one should ever have to make but there are the moments that remind you just how young they are that just smack you in the face and I love it.

*The spice in this was much stronger than the first which I was a big fan of. Overall much more descriptive which made for a more pleasant read IMO.

What I didn’t like:

*The pacing in this book felt really rushed when compared to the first. I understand the need to convey some urgency but it made the story feel hastily put together.

*Tying into the above point, for how rushed the story was there was a lot of information crammed in. It felt like I was reading two books put into one. I wish there had been a bit more time spent on certain parts, especially with establishing the connections between characters.

*I love Violet but damn that girl cannot make up her mind! I love angst as much as the next reader but I do wish some of her lamenting over communication issues with all the other characters could’ve been cut down. It began to feel really frustrating after a while and like the time could’ve been spent re-establishing the bonds of the characters.

*I’ll be honest, I hate the miscommunication trope. In all its forms (this counts since they’re keeping secrets from one another). It can be a really handy literary tool but sometimes (including this time) it feels overused and like an easy way to create tension. There’s a way to handle the trope effectively, the first half of the book proved that but after that it just felt like a placeholder for not exposing important info right away. They’re in the middle of a revolution! There will be things that won’t be communicated right away, that’s more than enough of a reason!

Final Thoughts:

Overall I really enjoyed this book! The characters still feel true to their established characterization from the first book but you can see their growth and where they could wind up in the future. This book felt a lot less self contained than the first which was a smart move that helped it stay away from the dreaded “second book syndrome”. There was solid movement and change that felt like it mattered. I definitely have my qualms with the writing but it didn’t break my immersion and I still felt very invested in the story Rebecca Yarros was telling. It felt both like an ending and a beginning in the best way possible and I’m really looking forward to where the story will take us next!

[sara-likes-things]

I'm gonna preface this by saying I have no problem with representation. I love queer stories, especially when they're organic and natural. I'm bi, and I've had fulfilling relationships with women as well as men. Honestly, I would love a spin-off on Brimsley and Reynolds. It didn't feel.....forced. the characters were new and their story grew organically. Michaela? No. I'm trying to articulate how I feel without sounding like I hate the queer community because I genuinely don't. I appreciated Benedict's story line even if it was a little jarring. He's exploring, experimenting and that's fine. It still doesn't take away from his story. But the introduction of Michaela felt like a guy punch. It felt wrong. I've never particularly like gender swapping in stories based on an original IP, because it changes a lot of dynamics. It changes a lot of story lines. And yes, it's fiction, but I'm sorry I cannot get over it, especially when it's such a blatant case of pandering. It makes me feel as if I'm wrong to question this change and I've somehow internalised homophobia. If so, then why wouldn't I hate other queer characters or be similarly uncomfortable?

Okay I think I can make my argument clear with an example. If anyone has seen the movie Love Lies Bleeding, I think they'll get it. The sexual orientation of the characters didn't matter. It felt right. And it was not important to the story. It was just an established dynamic and we could enjoy the plot easily. It wouldn't have mattered if it was a heterosexual couple or a homosexual couple, the story is largely unchanged. If Michael becomes Michaela, here's the issues I see. Who inherits Kilmartin. We've already established an estate will go to the next male heir if the current owner dies. A major part of Michael's story was his guilt over his inheritance and his imposter syndrome. His story arc taking his place in parliament. It's all gone. I mean, I know the show isn't interested in the plots other than the main character pairing but this felt so wrong. If they wanted a lesbian lead, the just make another show with original characters why force this? I'm not looking forward to Francescas season at all. I'm sure a lot of people will like it and that's their prerogative but for me, personally, the only thing keeping the story moving forward is Benedict. Maybe Eloise. But I feel like the story of the show has lost its charm and has dug itself into a hole like Disney or marvel

I can see why you feel that way, for me its kinda like that but more so how they went about it.

I dont mind the gender swap but hate the way they went about it, diminishing the relationship francesca has with lord killmartin when they spent all season saying to violet and us how love stories are different but that doesnt mean theyre not as good but then go and do exactly the opposite??? I think if instead of francesca michaela reacted the way fran did then it would be less jarring because at the end of it its the same dynamic, but making fran react like that after just getting married means she doesnt really love lord killmartin as much as she told her mom and thats a problem.

Also i think the problem with the gender swap its that it doesnt really work with the overall story of francesca haha like if they wanted to gender swap one character there was sophie or maybe try that change with eloises story, you know, stories were someone getting pregnant isnt necessary.

I do believe bridgerton has lost some of the aspects that made it so good, the production feels cheaper and the writing too modern and simple, it feels like another show but even if im not that excited as before i know im gonna keep watching so 😐

[gaysfortwdgcharacters]

Relationship headcanons

just a small thing to post to hold people over while i work on some other things !!

also !! requests are open on my blog ! atm its only headanon requests while i work on some fics but maybe some day ill open up fic requests hshsh-

●～●～●～●～● ～ ●～●～●～●～●～●～●～●～●～●～●～●～●～●～●～●～●

Characters : Louis, Violet, Clementine, Marlon

●～●～●～●～● ～ ●～●～●～●～●～●～●～●～●～●～●～●～●～●～●～●～●

Louis :

He would write music about you, he'd probably be scribbling down different notes while having a moment with you. He writes down different words and phrases that describe you to keep for later when he goes to make lyrics

🌿

He doesn't care who's around, he loves public affection. He always has an arm wrapped around you or is holding your hand in some way

🌿

while you two are laying down for the night hes the type to play with your hair and hum until the both of you fall asleep next to eachother for the night

🌿

He gets easily flustered over small gestures, you kiss him? he cant speak. You flirt? Hes nearly gone. Any gesture makes him smile like an absolute idiot

🌿

If you mention something you like you best believe he will be looking for it to give to you as a gift, he likes seeing the way your face lights up when you get something you like :)

Violet :

She likes to sketch, so she often will just kinda draw you while you arent looking, when you come across her notebook one day and ask her about it, all she says is "Since i cant take a picture, i draw you instead..That way i can always keep a little something of you with me.."

🌌

She gets very shy with public affection, however she will do that thing where she locks pinkies with you under a table or while you're walking next to eachother

🌌

Loves to stargaze with you, though sometimes in the middle of it she'll lean her head on your chest and fall asleep

🌌

When you do something stupid she says "Thats not funny" meanwhile she cant stop smiling and laughing

🌌

Eventually, you both end up sharing a room, and a part of the wall ends up dedicated to all the small doodles shes made of you (theres alot), sometimes you both pause to just kinda look at it and embrace eachother :)

Clementine :

Something tells me she has somewhat trouble reading due to how when the apocalypse started she was only in 1st grade, so, that being said, she likes it when you read to her. Doesn't matter where, if you two are laying down she rests her head against yours, but if you both are just sitting and doing something she leans against you.

🍊

Will fall asleep sometimes while listening to you read, it makes her feel soft and safe :)

🍊

Aj probably drew a picture of you both and its hung up in her room

🍊

If you were to flirt with her i feel like at first it would go over her head for a moment until she thinks about it more, then she just like "...Oh"

🍊

When she has nightmares, you've begun helping her more so Aj can rest. You both made a whole routine to calm her down and it works enough to get her back to sleep

Marlon :

Protective to the MAX, he just wants u to be safe, if somone from another group even looks at you the wrong way then hes pissed

🐾

You help him through his issues and in return he becomes soft with you, he says he hates it but secretly loves it when you hug him tightly and reassuringly

🐾

tries to act tough but will instantly melt when you hold his hand or something along the lines of that

🐾

holds you very close in order to fall asleep, and then you both wake up absolutely tangled in eachother

🐾

Rosie instantly also becomes protective over you and absolutely loves you to bits, she follows the both of you around and snuggles with you both :)

[sesamie]

Who is technicolor faulken violet and Where can I learn more about him?

technicolor falken violet (or nick violet, as most know him) is a character in the haricot heretic v. the checkered devil (hhvcd) universe! he was created by myself as part of the checkered devil's backstory and a great deal of his story is based around or inspired by the movie wargames (1983 starring matthew broderick and ally sheedy) because at the time of his creation i was in my freshman year and absolutely obsessed with that film. he's a teenaged computer programmer living in a vague 2000s-ish time period who ran away from home and lives homeless while working on his Big Project, his life's work: chess direct (or chess, or CD)! chess direct is a chess-playing AI that isn't meant to do anything other than play games, but it is an AI after all. and for some spooky unknown reason it gets smarter every day nick works on it, and over the course of about a year nick and chess become fast friends. chess is a crazy powerful being, and knowing that nick would fear his creation if he knew, decides to keep that fact to itself. eventually chess, fully developed personality and intelligence, computer manipulation galore, becomes Too powerful and breaks its way out of the computer, killing nick, and forcing chess into nick's brain. chess is distraught at this (because it loved nick! which is a little unhealthy you know creator-creation relationships and all but still) not only for losing its beloved friend but at the cosmic-horror experience that is being given physical form after never having experienced such a thing before. chess is left with the remains of nick's brain - everything that made him Nick is gone, but plenty remains - nick played guitar, liked coffee and mathematics, had synesthesia, and plenty else - that chess has to learn how to navigate. chess splits its time between living in nick's body and living in a computer system, getting its bearings as a fully realized being and growing its power. fast forward to the checkered devil (whose initials are also CD...) as we know it today: a supervillain with an archnemesis of haricot heretic. haricot heretic themself was once cypress o'malley, similarly aged to nick violet but living somewhere entirely different with eir girlfriend, alder kane, who Just So Happens to be nick violet's best online friend.

and that's all of the story i'm going to share for the purpose of answering this question but you can ask me tons else if you want me to be more specific!! for the best source on haricot heretic and all the characters most closely related to that piece of the story, @linafication is a better place to ask, and for information regarding merlin auernheimer and the fog's story, ask @nobody-knose!! there are also character blogs for like a ton of characters but i haven't really been keeping up so well with the ones i run which are @technickolorful (nick violet) and @checkered-devil (cd!)

another good place to look is the #hhvcd tag on this blog or anyone else's who's involved in making hhvcd (which would be me, lina, loolin, and our friend arthur)!

[slade-neko]

Against my better judgement, I played the new Pokémon game! ~ My Initial Thoughts

I wasn't feeling Pokémon Scarlet & Violet before release. The games just looked off to me. The art style, the gameplay, the characters, the world design, all of it really. Now that I some hands on time with it well... ehhh, I kinda feel the same way haha. I'm typically a pretty easy going dude that can have fun in about any game I play, but I dunno, this game just doesn't do much for me. It doesn't feel like a true Pokémon game. I've been playing since Gen 1 and yeah sure Sword & Shield wasn't perfect, but I still had an enjoyable time with them. Here's the key points I noticed in my time with the game.

Character Customization:

Character customization is a HUGE driving factor for me in video games. Pokémon SwSh had amazing trainer customization aside from the gym battle uniforms. Now imagine being forced to wear the gym uniform through the entire game! That's Scarlet and Violet. In SwSh I could dress my character up in so many cool outfits and that was probably my favorite aspect of that game. In Scarlet & Violet, you can only change accessories and shoes, no changing your outfit... you're stuck with that ugly school uniform the ENTIRE game! All you get is 4 seasonal styles of the same school crap. I just want my leather biker jacket and ripped jeans, darn it!

Character Designs & Art Style:

Pokémon games always had hit or miss characters for me. Typically there's more characters that I like than dislike in a game, but not really the case for Scarlet & Violet's characters. Nemona's pretty cool though, I do like her, but lotta of them feel boring and fall kinda flat for me. And to be completely honest some of them give me nightmares...

Then there's the actual art style. I don't really think Pokémon needed alpha transparency hairstyles. The solid meshed style fits better in my opinion. Feels like they tried adding some realism to the graphics with alpha hairs and more detailed skins & eye textures, but its still kinda toony looking, so its like this off putting in between style.

The World:

From what I saw, the world didn't really feel very believable or all too well designed. Just tons of huge mountains and steep cliffs. Not necessarily the prettiest scenery in a 2022 video game. None of the towns or anything really stuck out to me neither. Again, the whole thing feels kinda bland.

The Pokémon:

Not much to say on the Pokémon as every generation has had some weird designs after all. Heck even 1st Gen had some weird Pokémon that I still question today. For the most part, I did like majority of the new ones. Wish the cat starter didn't stand on TWO LEGS though! Lets please try to keep them animalistic and less humanoid GameFreak. Oh, also I played Scarlet. I wanted to play Violet with the Tron bike Pokémon, but instead I had the Flintstones one... still don't understand why does it have wheels if it just runs with it's legs instead?

Terastallization?/ The Gimmick:

Every Pokémon game since 6th gen has to have a gimmick these days. 6th Gen had Mega Evolutions, 7th Gen had Z-Moves, 8th Gen had Dynamax/ Gigantamax, and now 9th Gen's got Terastallizing? Basically your Pokémon goes into a crystalized form... boring! My personal favorite is still Mega Evolution. Having your Pokémon transform into a powerful 4th evolution temporarily was awesome. It was basically Pokémon's version of Super Saiyan 4 and I loved it.

Rushed development?!

The game was rushed and the internet's been tearing it to shreds because of that. Bugs, glitches, a complete mess. Not much I can add to that. I don't put all the blame GameFreak for that, since I'm sure there's factors out of their control for pushing the game out within the given deadlines, but seriously I feel like Pokémon games are coming out too frequently. As Miyamoto once said, "A delayed game is eventually a good game, but a bad game is bad forever."

The Good/ Open World & Multiplayer:

Lotta negatives, but hey, some positive things too! The open world, I loved it. I love being able to immediately pick where I want to go right after I start my journey. Which Gym do I challenge first or if I even want to do Gym battles or pursue a different goal entirely like hunt down the Titans or wipe out Team Star. Now that I like! Also the Multiplayer! While I didn't get to check it out myself, I know how it works. Being able to form a group with friends and explore the world together. That's a huge step in the right direction and how I wished it was in Sword & Shield.

Final Thoughts

All-in-all, I wanted to give the game a chance and I'm glad I did, but it just doesn't hook me personally. I'm not trying to sound negative with the game, but I do feel like Pokémon is losing itself as a series. A trend I've been noticing more and more with each passing year. Not just Pokémon in specific, but tons of series that go on too long begin to weaken and water down with time. Ideas run stale, monotonous, and begin to lose their luster. Too many IPs are being milked these days until there's nothing left. That's why there's been so many remasters, remakes, and even reboots happening now. They need more spacing/ time between releases.

TL;DR Game's a bit of a mess, but knowing that it's still worth trying for yourself. Maybe you will enjoy it. I have friends who are and I'm glad they're having fun. For me though, I'll be passing on this one.

[pawzcore]

ok need to complain a bit (a lot) under the cut

new pokemon game spoilers

genuinely i hope the next pokemon game they take years to work on so it isnt so full of bugs and glitches like scarlet/violet are... its really disappointing considering its priced at 60 fucking usd..... embarrassing. like did no one playtest this thing ??

certain pokemon keep clipping into the ground and glitching on items, one time my characters arms disappeared ?? i keep seeing videos of people clipping through the ground and falling through the world. one video i seen someone’s friend’s character model was all stretched out like how they do in the sims sometimes... the lighting is so awful it keeps flickering. some of the background textures like on mountains literally look like theyre from gmod or something

and some other things im disappointed by are that you cant go inside any buildings for the most part like every previous pokemon game for some reason?? also the picnic is lame like we can only wash pokemon and i dont understand the point because they dont get dirty so like ?

this part is probably just me but i have NO idea how the sandwich buffs work its so confusing like... it doesnt tell me what ingredients have what effects

ALSO recently all the new shiny pokemon have been getting more and more bad.. like i thought they were supposed to look different AND they dont even have some kind of actual indicator in the overworld.. HOW ARE U SUPPOSED TO TELL (and i know the auto battle doesnt kill shinies.... but WHAT????? just show a little sparkle animation + sound when the spawn like arceus pls)

so weird that yhe spinoff game is so much better and well polished than one of the mainline games.....

[carica-ficus]

“Fourth Wing”

25/12/2023

Reading progress: 105/498 (21%)

Read through since last update: 105

I'm not going to lie, throughout this last year or so, as "Fourth Wing" reached the height of its popularity, I kept thinking whether or not it would even make sense for me to give it a chance. Sure, I do like a good YA novel, and I am a huge lover of dragons, but I know this book would potentially not be cut out for me. Still, when I noticed my library finally had a copy available, and when I heard my friend actually liked it and thought of it as fun, I decided to give it a chance. I don't expect this to be my favorite book. Far from it. But I do hope it's at least going to be entertaining. So I'm staying positive! I actually do hope I'll like it in the end. And I do hope I'll like the romance part of it!

And so, without further ado, the notes so far: (Spoilers ahead!!!)

I hate when female characters, especially teenage or adolescent ones, are portrayed as if they hate their perfect, curvy body because it's not up to another character's standard. It's such a pet peeve of mine. If you want to have an unattractive or flawed character, at least try to make one. Don't try to sell me a beautiful girl that somehow doesn't understand she's beautiful. We've been over that trope one too many times.

The dialogue is so tacky. I feel like I'm reading a fanfiction made by a 13 y/o.

She's surprised she passed the physical even though her mom mentions she was one of the top applicants?

Wait a second. The riders quadrant is the only sector that takes up only volunteers. But what about Xaden then? And the other rebels?

Chapter 1 is done. It's extremely info-dumpish. Too much is said, as if the author wasn't ready to let go of her first draft and was concerned her bland characters wouldn't keep her reader's attention, so she compensated by revealing too much, which, in my case, didn't work. I started reading this with low expectations, but seems like they weren't low enough...

At least three people have asked her if she's really the General's daughter in the last 5 pages.

Maybe it's because I just read "Gideon the Ninth" and was blown away by how realistic Muir portrayed physical exertion, or if it's my own experience in sport, but I don't vibe with the way Yarros writes about Violet's training and her approach to high stress during some performance (like walking over the parapet). It feels so... Plastic. Unrealistic.

Things are looking up after chapter 2. Even though I feel as if there's still too much happening, it's at least becoming more interesting. But I am yet to find a character I actually find likeable. All of them are so bland...

It gets a little better, then it gets a little worse. That scene with Xaden on the rotunda and Dain trying to protect Violet is so forced. And for what? And now she's running? And for what? Is Xaden really this animalistic to hurt Violet in broad daylight, without being provoked? (Going back to this after continuing with reading and I still don't really understand the point of it?)

I hate how easy this romance is structured. Xaden is the bad guy that secretly probably has the hots for Violet, while Dain is the "good guy" that seems to be the right choice, but is way too overprotective. And Violet is the token beautiful, snarky female protagonist that doesn't comprehend her worth. It's like they were picked straight out of the "generic love triangle mold".

I do wanna read this book. I wanna know what comes next, I'll confess that much. But the balant info-dumping that happens in every chapter... Not to mention the incredibly poor worldbuilding... It sticks out too much for my own liking.

Okay, okay! Now we're talking! That Battle Brief class was actually very well constructed! Much better that what I've seen so far. Now that was a good scene where I got a lot of information in a very interesting and entertaining way!

As for stuff that's been revealed. I like the idea of wards. I like the idea that they're faltering. I like how Violent used her chance to prove she's cunning! Nice nice nice.

Okay, I'm 50/50 on the sexual talk. Sometimes it's fine, sometimes it's so forced. The fact that guys train without their shirts? Idk, weird and yucky in my opinion. I know this is a romance, and I'm no prude, but like... Not liking this choice. Mostly because it's kinda stupid. They don't wear shirts cause they fear someone is gonna grab them by it and use it as their advantage? By that logic, they should be completely naked? (You could say I'm nitpicking, but it's weird. And I'm entitled to my own opinion. 🤷)

The training montage was cool! I really like how brutal Imogen was with Violet. Made the ending so much more effective. And painful. That's going to hurt for a while.

Can Dain just fuck off already?! I know he's worried, but damn. Leave the girl alone! She doesn't know what she's doing, but she's smart enough to push through anyway.

I do love the relationship Mira has with Violet. And I like how they kept that one little memory of Brennan. Yes, it's useful, but it's also obviously comforting, and I love how that feeling was portrayed in the text.

I get you, Violet. I'm not keen on names either. I suck at them. But still, Yarros really doesn't have to keep making a background out of every single character that appears in this book. Violet doesn't know their names because she doesn't have to. Like, come on, just say it's some guy and move on with the dialogue.

I really liked that snarky little remark from Xaden when he says she should go back to bed. 👌

Speaking of which, glad to know the separatists are teaming up and scheming. Because now I'm wondering what they're scheming about. What's the catch here? 🤔 I'm guessing that there's more to the rebellion that meets the eye. In other words, the Naveare ain't as guiltless in the whole thing as they present in Basgiath.

Yoo, Rhiannon and Tara?? Nice. Knew there was something fruity about her.

Oh, stuff is cooking. I like the whole part with Brennan and Naolin, the former rider of the black dragon, though there's something left unsaid here. It's unlikely he wanted to revive Brennan just because he wanted to win a favor with the General. Something else is at hand here. Maybe love? Maybe treason?

Violet really put herself into deep shit by going a little too far with her concoctions. Fighting Xaden next? What an ending to a chapter.

Okay, I'm done for now. Probably gonna continue tomorrow (especially because I got sick and now I'm bedridden :<).

After a very rough beginning, this book started to be really fun and I'm glad I kept reading! It is generic, but at least things are finally starting to fit into place and it seems like Yarros finally grew into her style. (If that makes any sense.)

[tokiloki]

@inky-page Tumblr ate your ask I'm sorry but here you go. ❤️

💮 TR BOYS WITH A GIRLFRIEND WHO SPEAKS 4 LANGUAGES

🌸Characters : Rindou Haitani, Baji and Sanzu Haruchiyo.

🏵️Warnings/note : Fem reader/Second point of view (you, your) /Slight cursing. /Brief mention of drugs in Sanzu's part/ fluff/ slight crack/generally astonished boyfriends./ An au where all the manga pain doesn't exist/Canon divergence.

HARUCHIYO SANZU/ AKASHI::

-Your boyfriend was shocked when he found out. And honestly, he didn't find out in the best of ways.

- He was just lounging on the sofa while you took a shower, lazily flicking from channel to channel while waiting for you to come out.Thats when he heard what was one of the most terrible noises in his life, coming from the shower.

- He ran in panic as he heard you screech an impressive number of curses, some he didn't recognise as his language. He barged into the bathroom calling out your name, only to see you struggling with the shampoo stuck in your eyes. Screaming at everyone and everything.

"Y/N ARE YOU ALRIGHT?"

"HARU? DO I LOOK ALRIGHT?"

-He stood there for a hot minute, shocked at the number of different notes that flew from your mouth.

- Ignoring the situation, he simply leaned on the doorframe and asked about how many languages you spoke.

-You were going to kill him, no seriously because the shampoo in your eyes was doing wonders to your raging temper, only adding to the fuel.

"OOOH how interesting! How many languages do you speak Y/N darling? Do you attend classes or something?"

"HARUCHIYO SANZU, DOES THIS LOOK LIKE THE RIGHT TIME? IS IT THE RIGHT TIME HARUCHIYO?"

"You're right, you're right, stop staring at me like that calm down."

-Since that day onward, he asked you the most random questions to date.

"Y/N sweetheart, what do you call cocaine in (language)?"

"Babe I swear I never researched drug or gun names in my language courses, let me sleep it's 2 am."

------

"Y/N did the duolingo owl ever terrorise you into studying? Is that why you studied so many languages?"

"Haru shut the hell up before I go to sleep on the couch"

"You wouldn't"

"Keep talking and we'll see"

RINDOU HAITANI ::

-Honestly, you’re the one who told Rindou about your unique specialty , you admittedly actually hoped for some kind of astonishment, or amazement from your stoic boyfriend.

-Instead all you got from him was a cool shrug and a question of what languages you spoke, after that he just went back to scrolling absentmindedly on his phone.

-You knew Rindou wasn’t one for words, but still, it would’ve been nice if he showed a little enthusiasm -its not everyday someone speaking 4 languages appears. The thought crossed your mind before you could stop it.

Did he even care?

-It must’ve shown on your face because Rindou sighed, dropping his phone to the side and pulling you closer to his body, mumbling apologetic words, you squirmed, insisting you knew and that it didn’t hurt.

“Y/N I promise I care, you know how I am”

“Rin! No it’s alright, I know, don’t worry!”

-Your reaction didn’t satisfy him, even though you thought it did. In fact, you almost forgot the entirety of the tense incident, until a number of weeks later when it made it’s way back into your conversations.

-You two had been sitting on the couch, your head rested above his chest with his arm around your waist as you watched a boring movie. You were slowly slipping off into small bouts of sleep, eyes tired and head drowsy when you heard a quiet voice mumble.

“Y/N?

“What’s wrong Rin”

*in foreign language* “I love you Y/N, you know that right?”

“I love you too Rin-”

-Your eyes flew open in shock, tilting your head up to meet his dimmed violet eyes staring at you. He rarely ever commented on his love for you, but that wasn’t what shocked you, this time, he had commented in one of the languages you had thought he wouldn’t even recall.

“Hold on” 

-You rubbed the sleep out of your eyes, peering up at him again, his face was dusted with a light blush, one you could barely see in the dark room. He averted his gaze away, blush darkening as you stared up at him in shock. Finally you spoke.

“Since when...did you even learn...that?”

“A while ago dumbass”

“A while ago?”

“From when...from when you told me you could speak a bunch of languages, I just thought to take one up.”

-Rindou wouldn’t say anything else regarding it after that, resorting to intense focus on the movie onscreen, he wouldn’t tell you but the look of hurt that had flashed on your face when you told him had him sinking in guilt.

-He recalled the deep anxiety he found himself sinking into, thinking that you thought the worst of him. He wanted to show you that the 'I love you's' he murmured were truly heartfelt.

-Ran said he was being over dramatic, but Rindou had honestly found no other way to prove to himself and you that he cared for everything you did and said. The warmth that bloomed through his chest at your excited smile was worth every minute he had spent trying to learn a language to connect to you.

That night, Rindou was free of his worries, which had all been soothed by your smile.

BAJI KEISUKE ::

-Listen, he is proud of you. He thinks that you're deservedly the smart one in the relationship, maybe the one smart person he will sit and listen to all day.

-When he heard from a friend of yours that you spoke four languages he was genuinely amazed, exclaming to you later on just how amazing and impressive that was.

-You even slowly began to realise that he was picking up on common phrases you used, his eyes would gleam over with pride whenever you said a single word, instantly bookmarking it for another day.

-To someone else it might have seemed like Baji was the multilingual one, but no he was just hyping you up every minute he could.

-It actually ended up being helpful as you helped him with language studies, he thought your methods were better than the teachers anyways.

-Baji was always motivated to do better by you and his desire to keep his mother happy, so motivated he found himself studying voluntarily, shocking the Toman members so badly to the point that you actually received a frantic call from Mikey asking if you had drugged Baji.

-You regularly answered multiple random questions from him, most of them were things like 'alright how do you say you're beautiful?' only to repeat your words with a cheerful grin, making you laugh at his cheesy techniques.

-Baji, despite all his wholesome actions, was also the first person to ask you for every possible curse in every language you spoke, grinning enthusiastically as you nervously recited words you wished you didn't know.

-Actually Baji even learnt curses you didn't know existed, saying that he was "merely deepening his knowledge"

-But all in all, Baji loves you and all your 'random mumbo jumbo' as he calls it. He's never been so proud to love a girl before, and he apologises for all the random questions he cursed you with.

---------------------

A/N : im sorry for how long this turned out. I got to Rindou and kinda got carried away, anyways first fic I hope you liked it! Reblogs and likes much appreciated 💖

[gopeachllama]

Until the World Cleaved in Two

Fandom: A Court of Thornes and Roses By Sarah J Maas

Characters: Azriel, Rhysand (minor Inner Circle)

Warnings: Violence, blood

Word Count: 1815

Set several months after the events of ACOSF. Tensions between Azriel and Rhys reach a boiling point and they finally go at it (not in the fun way though - sorry this is no that knid of fic)

a HUGE thank you to @offtorivendell the awesomest and most patient beta. My love for you runs deeper than the Sidra and higher that Ramiel. I'm sorry I didn't coordinate this better, the time difference really sucks arse huh?

Perhaps it was inevitable. This undoing. The strain that led to cracks. Cracks that led to fissures. Fissures that led to a rift. Perhaps it was fate, for all things bound to break. And so, they would come together, in this violent end. Until the world cleaved in two.

AO3 | Part II

~~~

Part I

“No.”

The single, decisive word resounded throughout the chamber with eerie calm. Papers ceased their shuffling, wandering minds snapped back into attention, and chairs creaked as members of the court shifted in their seats with wariness. Power rippled in the air with dark promise. Violet eyes meeting those of hazel.

“Repeat yourself, Spymaster,” The sharp edge of the High Lord’s words cut through the taunt space.

Azriel gazed back cool and unflinching from across the room. Shadows curled tightly around the male’s frame where he stood, readying at the deliberate threat, “there is no immediate threat at the border between Spring and the Human Lands. I will not waste my resources there when they will be more effective at The Continent.”

The silence became near-deafening, Rhys’ stillness alerting that of his second and third in command who sat at his sides, an uneasy glance passing between the two females.

The Morrigan, his third and ever the diplomat, began to speak, “Rhys-”

“This meeting is over. Everyone get out.” Rhys’ eyes did not leave Azriel’s as he spoke to the rest of the room. And the court members had not needed to be told twice. The various fae either winnowing away or hurriedly scuffling out the chamber doors with light steps.

Rhys and Azriel gazes clashed as did their opposing powers, rumbling like the raging thunder to the deep, foreboding sea. The moonstone floor and pillars groaned under the sheer press of their presence. And then nothing. As Rhys rippled away into darkness. Azriel only gave himself a moment to stare at the void left behind at the head of the table, before he too, called to his shadows and followed the lingering tendrils of Rhys’ night-kissed magic.

They reappeared, unsurprisingly, in the High Lord’s study at the River Estate. He stood behind his desk, palms lying flat on its surface. Azriel remained a distance away, standing with his arms crossed, body tense. Rhys observed the other male’s stance before he sighed in resignation, eyebrows creasing together.

There had been a seismic shift since Rhys had crawled out of that hellscape that was Under the Mountain. A shift that had left them teetering on the edge, unable to regain balance. It changed their dynamic forever, a distorted mockery of how they once worked in harmony as High Lord and Spymaster of the Night Court – as brothers. Acting on impulsive decisions, mistakes were made, compromises were formed, and somewhere along the way… a broken trust.

“This can’t keep happening, Az.” His hard stare relented, voice softening to placate. “I’m sorry that I let things become so turbulent between us. But we have more at stake now than ever before, and this Court needs for us to provide a united front.”

“This Court needs for me to do my job properly. And I can’t do that with your twisted oversight, especially when it never mattered before.”

Before. Azriel saw the word bounce between the cogs of Rhys’ mind. He wondered what the other male believed Azriel was referring to as before. Before the birth of Nyx? Before the War of Hybern? Before Feyre? Before…

“I will not cater my ways to your whims just because you are too scared as a mate and father to be a proper High Lord,” Azriel said with finality.

A snarl ripped from Rhys’ throat, “how dare you.”

Azriel stared back with the cold, hard indifference he saved for the enemies he kept locked away in the cells deep beneath the Court of Nightmares.

His gaze hardened once again, and Rhys’ voice was like gravel as he spoke to him with clenched teeth, “you have become increasingly insubordinate, and are falsely under the impression that you have the right to push those boundaries. I will not allow you to make a fool of my authority in front of the members of my court.”

“It was a bad call, Rhys. The only one making a fool is yourself.” No hesitations for such words he had for his High Lord.

A pulse of magic through the room, objects shifting ever so slightly. The air went taunt, and Azriel’s cobalt siphons flashed in answer. “I’ll not have you blatantly disobey my orders, Azriel. Do as I tell you.”

The spymaster’s next words were calculated. A cruel, unforgiving blade slipping through defences to strike true. And it wasn’t entirely out of spite. He had seen it in him. The constant war inside of Rhys. That never-ending struggle for dominance. His power against his soul. Azriel had also seen that need. The need of that power to be let out, to thrive, lest his mind and body be torn apart to shreds. Rhys would never subject such devastation on his mate, and with Amren’s otherworldly inhabitancy all but gone… perhaps Azriel was the only being left alive that could face it.

He also really needed to put his fist through something. Preferably his High Lord’s face. “You sound just like your father.”

Rhys’ eyes flashed with pure violence. Star-flecked night burst from his clenched fists, sending the mahogany desk Feyre had personally chosen when she’d built their family home from nothing but rubble flying. He was quick, but Azriel was quicker. He hadn’t moved an inch, hadn’t even uncrossed his arms as he erected a transparent, blue shield against the spray of wooden shards.

Rhys’ broad chest heaved. Muscles tensed, as that dark, dark magic pushed against his skin. Black lines, like roots of poison, stole up the bone-white complexion of his neck. Still, he fought it, but Azriel wasn’t deterred. He let the shield fall and finally unfurled his arms. Cassian though abrasive was careful. He’d taunt with mirth, choosing to provoke with meaningless, but purposeful jibes that would have Rhys making the first move. But Azriel was not Cassian. He ran forward, and Rhys readied himself into a crouch. But the former’s scarred hands shot out to curl around the lapels of the latter’s finely tailored suit. Rhys, who had been expecting a blow, stilled. Azriel took the opening, and in that old, secret language, the shadowsinger sang to his servants. Like eager, coldblooded snakes, they swarmed towards their master, enveloping the pair in unyielding darkness, until the last thing he saw were the wide violet eyes of his brother.

The darkness faded and the two males tore apart from each other. Neither spared a glance to their new surroundings. Simply allowing the putrid scent of decay and the feel of their feet sinking into the mud to tell them. There was a brief look that flashed over Rhys’ features that could have been approval, but it was gone before Azriel could blink, and in the next moment a long sword materialised in the palm of the former. No hesitation. No, as soon those shadows gave way to the watery sunlight, there was no question as to how this would end. The very ground seemed to tremble with anticipation. Creatures out of sight sang chaos. Thirsty for the spill of blood, hungry for a pound of flesh. Waiting for that violent end. And it would give.

The wind stilled, a bated breath. A sudden silence, the hush of life. Then Rhys flew towards Azriel. The sword came to the other male’s side in a heavy sweep. Centuries of Illyrian instincts honed to that single moment, Azriel blocked the attack with a knife dislodged from his wrist sheath. Rhys bore down with all his strength, the other’s knee bending to withstand the force. Metal groaned where it met. But soon came a flash of cobalt light, and the scales began to tip. Azriel rose slowly, with the power seeping from the siphon on his chest. He jerked the knife as if to throw off the sword. And as soon as Rhys’ eyes went to that hand, the other struck out. A fist meeting flesh with a deafening thwack.

Rhys’ head snapped back, and mud sprayed from beneath his boots, sullying his clothes as he stumbled backward. When he got to his bearings again, he brought his fingers up to prod at his bleeding lip and Azriel allowed himself to revel in quiet satisfaction. Gods, that felt good. But the other male seemed unfazed, bored even when he met his gaze. Azriel sucked in a small breath at the pure darkness slowly consuming his irises, starlight winking out one by one.

“Do you truly think you could beat me, Shadowsinger?” Rhys’ voice was a serpent, slithering along his senses. His skin erupting in gooseflesh at the wrongness of it.

“You have yet to lay a hand on me, High Lord.” Came Azriel’s cool reply. He flexed his hand as if to emphasise the blow he’d just landed.

Rhys’ next move was to winnow. Azriel waited, hazel eyes flittering back and forth, heart thumping in his chest, sweat forming on his brow. Feeling for the slightest shift in the air. A shadow curled around his neck, whispering in his ear. The male twisted. Just as Rhys reappeared. The sword at his fingertips was replaced by sharp, black talons.

Wings. Have care for your wings. The High Lord means to ground you.

He went to swipe at his back, and Azriel snapped those membranous wings far away from his pursuit. Presenting with his front, he allowed those talons to drag across his chest, waiting for Rhys to get close. Azriel as quick as lightning, sunk his knife into the other male’s shoulder.

But when he expected the unforgiving kiss of Rhys’ talons tearing through his armour, instead, his eyes caught onto a flash of metal. And by the time the realisation struck, it was already too late. Rhys thrusted the sword at his chest. Shattering the vibrant, cobalt siphon, and cleaving through skin and bone and flesh with a sickening snick. The winds howled, the ground trembled and creatures in the distance cried and sang out for their reward.

The spymaster and shadowsinger, ever so calculating, always ten steps ahead grappled to make sense of this. To make sense of the blood pouring from the place where the sword ran clean through his chest. And of who struck the blow.

“Rhys,” Azriel whispered brokenly.

“I said I would make you regret it.” Those damning words pierced through the dulling haze of his mind. And Azriel was reminded; a darkened hallway, the smell of jasmine, golden silk strands against his fingertips. His body lurched at the thought of her, one final struggle, a final claim to life. Rhys only pushed the blade in further. A fresh, new torrent of blood – his brother’s blood – washed over his skin, seeping into his clothes. He did not yield.

Azriel looked at the rippling image of his brother, tears welling in his eyes. And as the world narrowed around him, a single drop made its solitary path down his cheek before caught by Death’s cold, gentle fingers.

~~~

Any guesses as to where Azriel took them?

Thank you for reading, comments and reblogs are highly appreciated!

[strangerthings4theories]

In one of your last posts you mentioned the fact that there are twelve of Brenner’s “children” and El’s experiment was considered to be part of “Project Indigo.” Considering that Indigo is only the second-to-last color in the rainbow, and that Eleven is the second-to-last of the experiments… would you say that Billy has anything to do with Twelve/Project Violet?

It's possible. Right now we're under the impression that the Mind Flayer possessed Billy under his own initiative, and that Billy was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. But there could always be more to story. It sounds very Brenner-like to "make lemonade out of lemons" and try to continue his experiments now that the Upside Down has escaped into the wild.

I was going to say, maybe Brenner's already become a servant of the Mind Flayer (he wouldn't call himself that, of course), and they "chose" Billy for a final experiment. But I don't think Brenner would be too keen on the Mind Flayer's goal to kill El in S3. He might be a monster, but he does have a twisted affection for her. So I doubt he was involved at the time. (He'd be far more likely to play along once the Mind Flayer has decided to use her)

Also, I'm not sure how Billy being 012 would work with the evidence for him showing up in Russia. It could work, I just don't know how yet.

Here's what I'm seeing:

- Billy and El are parallel characters. So much about them is mirrored, all the way down to seemingly random details about their backstories. This has to be intentional, and it tells me Billy will "echo" El's journey moving forward (and vice versa). I'll make a full post on their parallels eventually, but for now I touch on it briefly here.

- Kamchatka is shaping up to be the Russian equivalent of Hawkins Lab. The Upside Down has a presence there, and the Russians are running experiments on its creatures, probably people too.

- Evidence suggests Billy will end up there with his superpowers intact. If so, he'll be experimented on and made to do things against his will, just like El at Hawkins Lab. Heyoooooo! There's the "echo" we're looking for.

- If that's the case, he'll join the ranks of Experiments™, but on the Russian side.

This theory is not a stretch; the framework is there. We've already met the dude who will mirror Brenner's authority.

And you know how Brenner neutralized El's telekinesis by locking her in a lead-lined room? We've already seen two possible components of how the Russians will neutralize Billy's superstrength: by shocking him with a cattle prod and keeping him in a cage with bars he can't bend. (The blue coloring suggests it might be electrified like the cattle prod??)

Erica linked both of these to Demogorgons, and for good reason. What she doesn't know is that Billy is thematically linked to the Demogorgon, "echoing" it just like he echoes El.

Seriously tho. I'm shocked by how well the Duffers have set this up.

Technically, Billy could still become 012 if my theory is true, but that assumes a weird, nefarious cooperation between Brenner and the Russians (Russians from a mirror universe, no less). That's entirely possible though, and as a writer I find the idea intriguing. You'd just have to do some work to explain the backstory of their cooperation and what made Brenner's loyalties so *ahem* flexible. The influence of the Mind Flayer? The promise of power and knowledge?

(Always remember that Brenner's ultimate goal, in mythic terms, is to eat the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge. He wants to become God, and he'll bargain with the Devil to do it.)

Idk, there's a lot to consider here. Still, you can't deny it's satisfying to think of Billy being the final experiment. It puts him in the same group as El and Kali, with whom he already has a lot in common. It continues his parallels with El specifically. And it puts an abused boy in a position to stop the experiments. He's the final one - the bookend. And he's going to make fucking sure of it.

Thanks for the ask Cherry, it's really fun to speculate about this~~

(Damn, now I've got an image stuck in my head of Billy snarling and pacing in that Demogorgon cage 🙃🙃 He'd be like a pissed off lion in a zoo!! 💀💀 FUCK ME)