#i’m genuinely sorry everyone. my crisis cryings will absolutely happen again

[deus-ex-mona]

wake me up when january ends

[obeiii-mee]

How will the bros react to MC self-doubting themselves? Like saying bad things about them or can't be serious someone give them compliment.

Supportive demon bois coming right up! Sorry I took so long to write this anon! Thank you so much for the ask! (Also, thank you all for the love on my previous posts!)

————————————

The Brothers with an MC who self doubts themselves:

Lucifer:

-As the embodiment of pride itself, Lucifer has an overwhelming amount of confidence, almost all the damn time

-So, he was flabbergasted to learn that you weren’t the same

-He always insisted that you aren’t anything but perfect, yet you always seemed to brush the compliments off with a shrug and an awkward smile

-Well, shit, we can’t have that

-Lucifer just got 10x more serious about the matter

-He pulls a really stupid concerned face whenever you insult yourself and he looks more and more like a 48 year old man/dad each time it happens

-He, as of late, increased the number of pet names he has for you and the amount of compliments he gives you each day

-He refuses to let you talk badly about yourself anywhere, at any point in time and encourages every little step you take towards bettering yourself like crazy

- Lucifer wants to prove to you that you are an absolute ray of sunshine and he will go to any lengths to do just that (do not ask)

-He’s even more affectionate than usual which confuses just about everyone in the House of Lamentation, yourself included

-His brothers are feeling a disturbance in the force and they don’t know how to feel about it

-You are possibly the best thing that’s happened to him since he fell as angel and Lucifer is ready to do whatever he can to help you realise that

Mammon:

-“You’re an idiot!”

-“*Sigh*, I know.”

-“Wha-Wait! Y-you can’t say thAT!”

-The Great Mammon is seriously worried about his human

-Being the dense motherfucker he is (i still love him tho) it took him weeks to realise you’re not all that confident in yourself

-At some point in your relationship, he jokingly called you annoying and you just went “Yeah I’ve been told. Sorry.”

-His jaw literally dropped and he almost cried

-He would have choked if he was drinking something

-Tsundere Mammon has gone bye bye and here comes the cuddling teddy bear that is your boyfriend

-He also doesn’t have as much self love for himself as he sometimes pretends to have so he’s kinda in the same boat

-Which means your boat is leaking and you’re perfectly fine with it while he’s panicking and trying to throw water overboard with his hands

-His brothers call him an idiot a lot but he’s a very sociable guy with people skills that he uses all the time in order to coax you out of your self pitiying shell

-Will whine every time you call yourself ‘useless’ or disagree with his compliments because what the hell, you’re literally the most gorgeous being ever let me love youuuu

-When it comes to you and your happiness, he ain’t fucking around. He will snarl at anyone that even looks at you in the wrong way

-Did that to Lucifer once, guess a what happened

-You’ve definitely helped him come to terms with the fact that he is loveable and not a good for nothing scum

-So now it’s your turn!

-Let him kiss your insecurities away please

-Your presence makes him feel wanted so he wants the same for you!

Levi:

-Well then

-It takes two to tango ya know?

-He is the KING of self loathing and no confidence whatsoever in anything he does so every time you put yourself down, he counters it with a self deprecating insult as well

-“I suck.”

-“Nah, you’re pretty awesome normie. I’m the shut in, disgusting otaku who can barely set foot outside his bedroom without having an anxiety attack.”

-It’s like you’re trying to outdo the other on who is worse

-Truth is, he really admires you, especially knowing you chose to date him; an anime nerd with no social life and no communication skills whatsoever

-It hurts a bit, every time he builds up the courage to actually compliment you and you not taking it seriously

-That’s because he recognises that he’s the same and just as harsh on himself as you are

-Levi knows self hatred is something that takes time to demolish

-But you are his Henry after all (also his partner but whatevs)

-He’s not gonna leave you hanging when you need him the most

-He also gradually stops calling you a normie as your relationship progresses, though it still slips through every now and again

-Basically, the first time he realised that you think negatively of yourself, his immediate reaction was: Haha lmao relatable

-But now, every time it happens, he gets all serious

-Puts his controller down and everything, it’s like witnessing a very rare phenomenon and it’s creepy as shit

-He’s also made an effort to be more physically affection though he is kinda shy about it because damn it he just wants to hug you every time you speak badly of yourself

-Probably writes a list at some point stating all the reasons why you are better than him and Ruri chan combined, it’s rlly sweet

Satan:

-He’s a bit curious as to where that mentality has come from

-What triggered you to be so self doubtful?

-He’s basically your psychotherapist and asks you a lot of questions trying to find different causes and solutions for your issues

-Honestly, he puts so much effort into trying to understand, reading books about it from the human realm and whatever he can find in order to help you

-He scrunches up his nose every time you call yourself an idiot or anything of the sort

-Satan knows that insisting you’re wonderful won’t exactly help you overcome this problem of yours

-But that doesn’t stop him from doing it

-It’s not like you can ignore his comments because he will keep complimenting you until you accept them

-He also repeats a lot of pick up lines but that’s just part of being his partner

-What do you mean you’re worthless?!! He would literally give away all of his books and his hatred for Lucifer in exchange for your well being!

-Satan is possibly the smartest out of all of his brothers, so he uses a tactical approach on this one

-Direct affectionate gestures don’t work on you so he’s gonna be more subtle

-Would slightly hint that you are amazing every time you do something for him, like fetching him a book or something

-“Ah thank you. I don’t know what I would do without you love.”

-He’s a lot smoother than he gives himself credit for

-He just appreciates your existence and that there’s someone out there that he doesn’t need to be act hostile or fake toward

-Satan is ready to sit down and listen to you talk about your insecurities for hours on end

-You would quietly say something bad about yourself and he would run through the House of Lamentation before bursting into the room you are in, shouting ‘No! That’s wrong!’ (going Danganronpa on your asses)

-“Welp, I fucked up again. I can’t do anything right.”

-And then, in the distance you hear boss music starting

Asmo:

-*Shocked Gasp*

-How could you say such things about yourself???? Is that even leGAl?

-Of course, the literally prince of Lust, with all of his narcissism, has never experienced things like ‘self doubt’ of ‘bad self esteem’

-Pfft, the fuck is that?

-He only uses the most positive of words when he describes himself

-So obviously he almost falls off the bed when he hears you insulting yourself for the first time

-But ya know, that would leave bruises on his beautiful skin

-“Oh darling, you’re not annoying or a moron! You’re not anything like Mammon!”

-That was a below belt fatal hit, press f in the chat for the second eldest

-At some point, he just genuinely believes you’ve been spending too much time with Levi and that his negativity started rubbing off on you

-But then you tell him you’ve always been like this and he almost has a crisIS

-He’s like ‘Haha, no, we’re going to get a spa day out tomorrow and a few shopping sprees so I can prove to you that you are magnificent in every way imaginable.’

-Asmo loves pampering you in general but on the days he sees you feeling extra sorry for yourself, he goes above and beyond

-Gets very hurt when you brush off his compliments because he just wants you to accept the fact that you’re beautiful

-He’s like a supportive mom lmao, whenever you’re feeling self doubtful, he goes “You’re doing great sweetie, keep it up I’m really proud of you.”

-It’s up to you to decide whether that helps or not

-He’s such a sweetheart in reality, it’s hard to remember that he’s supposed to be horny all the time

-Well he is but that’s not the point, you’re way more important

-Asmo is so much fun to write cuz I can make him so dramatic it’s hilarious

Beel:

-Oh no :(

-He gets very sad everytime you self deprecate yourself

-You can’t do it with him in the room because he’s going to start crying and give you this kicked puppy stare, it will break your heart

-Beel kinda comes over and goes “If I give you some of my food will you please stop saying bad things about yourself? Because it’s not true.”

-Well you can’t say no to that face

-He feels like it’s his fault you’re this self doubtful even though you’ve tried to explain to him you’ve always been like this

-He goes crying to his twin half the time because he doesn’t know what to do

-“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to drop it! Fucking hell, I’m such a fucking klutz.”

-“Sniffle no you’re not.”

-He’s like, giving you large portions of his food now

-Because food makes him happy so he wants you to be happy too

-🙂

-His brothers go in shock every time because the only other person Beel has ever shared his food with before was Belphie

-Physical affection goes through the roof with this guy

-Bone crushing hugs btw

-Your self worth is so immeasurable with him, you can’t even measure it

-W h o a

-I’m being serious, don’t talk badly about yourself in front of him unless you want to be hugged into next week

-You are a literal angel in his eyes, of course he thinks highly of you

-He’s just hoping his presence isn’t making your self esteem worse, that’s the thing that keeps him up at night

-Idk why but he does think that he is a bad influence on your mental well being since he’s a demon

-Beel gives you compliments all the time and it confuses him when you laugh them off uncertainly because he wasn’t joking or lying??

-He’s always supportive of your choices and encourages you to be more confident

-The same way you show your support everytime you come to his games to cheer him on

-Overall, he just wants you to feel special and appreciated

-Because you deserve it

-IneedmyselfaBeel

Belphie:

-He feels like absolute shit

-Becuase he’s well aware he‘s called you a few...not so nice words in the past

-Back then, he only thought he meant everything he said but now that he’s hearing you accept his insults and actually repeating them yourself?

-It hurts his brain and he wants to smash his head against all four walls of the room for being such a cretin

-You do tell him it’s not exactly his fault you think so badly of yourself

-But he still believes he fueled it

-So now he needs to fix it

-He’s tried everything and I mean everything

-It’s kinda working, slow progress is made which he’s really happy about but you know, it’s gonna take a while

-He finally settles on physical affection as the best way to communicate his gratefulness for you being youself

-Oh, he wasn’t hugging you before? He is now, get your ass next to him and let him cuddle you

-Handholding has increased by 69% in the last month, sorry for the loss of your right hand with how much he squeezes it

-Sometimes, he can’t help but a throw an insult at you in a playful manner, because he’s an asshole

-But he always makes sure you understand that he was just joking

-He’s such a little shit, you would be having a chat with him and you would subtly drop a insult at yourself hoping he wouldn’t notice

-But then he stops dead in his tracks, kisses you, says “Shut up, you’re stunning” and then he goes right back to the previous conversation like nothing happened

-Accept his compliments damn it otherwise he will continue to bug you about it for the rest of the day

-He’s an eboy and he’s a dickhead a times, but he just goes soft for you tbh

-If you’re feeling really bad about yourself, he won’t even say anything

-He will just big spoon you for the next 24 hours, good luck going to the bathroom or any meals during that time

-Because once you’re in his grip, you’re not getting out that easily

-He gets so pissy if anyone says something even slightly negative about you to your face

-One time, a random demon called you stupid in one of the classes at RAD and he was like ‘bïtch excuse me what?’

-Snapped his head around at him and everything

-He would have done something worse but he was lazy and feeling really petty

-So Belphie kicked him in the privates from under his desk like a damn spoiled brat

-And then he turned his head back to you, all smiles and rainbows and puppies

-I’m simping so hard for a fictional character wtf

-I had to write more protective Belphie cuz I can’t find anything of the sort anymore and I need flUFF

(Haha, I don’t know what this post is, my writing has officially taken a shit lmao. Sorry this took so long to finish, I kept going back to edit all of them)

Al~

[moon-spirit-yue]

Guys I’m sorry I just had to make a post about Tien. There’s not gonna be a huge description on her like I did with Charanya but I just couldn’t leave everyone hanging with what Tien is like. The picture is what Tien looked like the day she met Charanya. The artist is @baydews and the link is here: https://href.li/?https://picrew.me/image_maker/415524.

• She was basically born to be part of Fang’s army

• You know the stereotypical golden child? Yeah that’s basically Tien. She makes it a habit to exceed everyone’s expectations

• She remembered very clearly how rough the beginning of life was when Fang was on a food shortage which is why she’s willing to do whatever it takes to make sure that never happens again

• She was never directly effected by the food shortage since she was born into a wealthy family but had many friends who weren’t so lucky

• Has three younger brothers she enjoys to harass on the daily

• Strict father and an easy going mother. Definitely an odd combination, but she grew up loved by both all the same

• Also very good friends with Namaari. Kind of like Charanya and Raya, they are in a similar situation which causes them to gravitate towards each other for companionship

• A very happy and optimistic person. Also incredibly outgoing. She’s a very likable woman. Likable enough to the point where quite a few girls crush on her

• Tien never really found herself attracted to anyone until she met Charanya

• See, Tien was in the tent Charanya stumbled upon because that tent is like her safe place. When life in gets to be too much, Tien goes there to unwind

• Tien swore an angel fell into her tent

• She loved messing with Charanya and practically beamed with pride seeing the shorter girl check out her muscles. Guess those long days of training paid off after all

• Loved messing with Charanya and making her blush

• Dumb nicknames were her favorite. Calls Charanya “short stack” and “doe eyes” on the regular

• Tien also loves the conversation and banter she had with Charanya. Since she comes from a pretty high standing family, a lot of people are way to scared to even consider talking to Tien with a bit of attitude

• Tien was genuinely surprised at how lonely she felt when Charanya left. The idea of not being able to see her for three months was practically killing her

• Tien was very in touch with her feelings, unlike Charanya, so she’s well aware that a crush was already forming

• She was ecstatic when she saw Charanya two weeks later. (She definitely wasn’t feeling jealous seeing her talk to Raya whaaaaaaat-)

• She was very pleased when Charanya decided fo talk to Tien even while she was with Raya

• Definitely shows off to try and make herself sound cooler

• “Did you know I got this scar fighting off a huge beast in the woods” “okay what’s the real reason you got that scar” “…..okay so my little brother convinced me it was a good idea it wasn’t my fault”

• Charanya seeing through her bs honestly made Tien fall harder

• Asked Raya what Charanya liked when she left to go the bathroom

• The next time Charanya came to visit a couple months later Tien gave her beautiful gold dangle earrings with crescent moons

• She was not prepared for Charanya to actually start crying

• Tien felt helpless as the shorter girl sobbed into her arms. All Tien could do was hold her until she stopped

• When she asked what was wrong, Charanya explained how she was from Heart and was alone with no one but Raya for years

• Tien instantly offered for Charanya to stay with her. They were had plenty of money so one more mouth to feed wouldn’t make them struggle in any way

• Charanya denied the offer but appreciated it nonetheless

• Tien asked why she couldn’t stay in Fang and when Charanya told her about her delivery service gig Tien swore she fell in love

• Pretty girl with long hair caring about her people make Tien’s heart go brrrrrrrr

• Tien swore she would help Charanya anyway she could. She was always there to help Charanya deliver the supplies to the people in Fang and sometimes helped out in other nations

• When the water disappeared for like ten minutes Tien was less worried about herself and more about Charanya. She had seen Raya in Fang and where Raya was, Charanya was sure to follow

• When they were evacuating the city Tien found Raya to ask where Charanya was. Tien felt like she could finally breathe when Raya told her Charanya was safe in Heart

• When the dragons came back, the Tien was on the move along with many others to visit Heart

• Tien let Charanya have her reunion with Benja and Raya before giving her the tightest hug ever

• “I was worried about you short stack” “good thing I know how to take care of myself tree top”

• Later that night, Tien confessed her feelings. After all that happened, no one knows what could happen the next day so it’s best just to tell her now before it’s too late

• “Charanya I just needed to let you know that I’m in love with you and I hope you would consider courting me” “wait a damn minute. You’re in love with me?” “I mean yeah I thought it was kind of obvious. I flirt with you like all the time” “I thought you flirted with everyone and your words meant nothing???” “Ch-Charanya no- you know what. I think I need to give you a couple minutes to process this. Let me know what you decide”

• A huge ball of nerves each passing second but she was trying to enjoy the festivities despite her love crisis

• When she saw Charanya stomp over to her, Tien was terrified that she had messed up their entire relationship. Until she saw Charanya’s burning red cheeks

• “since I don’t absolutely despise you I would not be opposed to courting you” “*with a shit eating grin* wow you don’t despise me? High praise coming from you” “it is. Don’t get used to it. You can start our courtship by buying me food” “anything for you, doe eyes”

• Tien could not be happier with the way her life was going, even if her day started with a little life threatening situation

Taglist: @faithfulwarrior-og @isitbussinjanelle @tigerlillyruiz @ratld-sideblog

[btsqualityy]

Scripted: Part 12

Namjoon x Reader; Jimin x Reader

Genre: Angst, fluff, President!Namjoon, Head of Security!Jimin

Warnings: (Reluctant) open relationship, mentions of cheating

Author’s Note: People that are in my tag list have been saying that they have not been getting the notifications that I’ve tagged them whenever I post a new part. I know it may sound harsh, but there’s really nothing that I can do about it. I’m not sure why Tumblr doesn’t allow some people to be tagged, but I have no idea on how to fix it. Anyways, I know this chapter is a little bare bones but that’s because the next two chapters are gonna be a ride loves lol I hope you guys enjoy it!

Everyone has those moments in their life where they have to admit that maybe, they’ve bitten off a little bit more than they can chew. Jimin has had many of these moments throughout his 25 years of life.

Being Chief of Naval Operations and being in charge of hundreds of men and being responsible for their lives on a daily basis provided Jimin with that feeling often. Hell, that feeling is part of what spurred him to take the job as Head of Security for you and Namjoon; in his way of thinking, it would be easier to be responsible for the lives of two people rather than hundreds. However, he never had to worry about falling in love and that potentially making it hard for him to do his job before, until he met you. 

Jimin couldn’t tell if he was in love with you or not. He loved being around you, because you ended up being so much different than what he had thought you’d be. You were funny, and sweet, and one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen in his life (besides his mother and Hana). You also were the strongest person he knew, replacing even himself because he still hasn’t been able to wrap his mind around how you deal with the whole “arrangement” thing. Also, he had never fallen for someone as quickly as he had for you; not even his ex-fiancee, so it kind of scared him.  

Despite how much Jimin liked you though, the obvious situation between you and Namjoon gave him pause, and rightfully so. While Jimin genuinely cared for you and found himself falling more for you everyday, he didn’t know if he’d be willing to wait another four and a half years until Namjoon’s term as President was up. If he did, that would mean four and a half years of sneaking around, not being able to show you off, and of having to tip toe around your husband. Jimin had always known that though; Hell, he knew it when he kissed you for the first time at the marketplace. It didn’t really hit him though, until Namjoon threatened him.

Threats didn’t bother Jimin. He was a fucking Naval Chief, for crying out loud. If it ever came to it, he knew he could kick Namjoon’s ass with no issues. The issue was that Jimin didn’t want to have to deal with that for four and a half more years. He didn’t want there to be this sense of competition between the two of them because in Jimin’s eyes, there was no competition. He was obviously the better choice, but how do you compete with someone’s husband, even if they are trash?

And these thoughts are what caused Jimin to kind of back off you a little bit. You guys were still talking and seeing each other almost every day, but there weren’t as many hugs, not as many kisses. Despite how much Jimin cared for you, he had already been hurt once and he was going to do his best not to let it happen again, his feelings be damned. 

“Park,” Namjoon called out and Jimin shook his head as he broke out of his thoughts and looked over at the President. Today, Namjoon was dedicating a new park that was built in memory of a fallen soldier in the Army. The whole occasion was very visible in terms of press, and there were many notable figures in Korea that were present. 

“Yes Sir?” Jimin replied.

“Make sure that you’re paying attention,” Namjoon told him firmly, and Jimin nodded in affirmation. “As soon as the speech is over, we’ll be saying hello to a few people and then leaving straight after.”

“Yes Sir,” Jimin repeated and Namjoon turned around, letting another one of the security guards lead him behind the stage. You then turned to Jimin once Namjoon was out of earshot, giving him a small, apologetic smile. 

“Sorry about him,” you said. “He’s been an even bigger dick than usual lately. I think it’s the farmer's crisis.”

“Don’t worry, it’s fine,” Jimin shrugged, looking down at his watch and you frowned lightly at his dismissive tone.

“Hey, you ok?” You asked softly, moving closer to him and letting your hand brush against his. “You’ve been acting weird lately.”

“I’m fine,” he told you, looking up at you and setting his hand on your lower back. “The speech is about to start so we need to get you to your seat.” You let him lead you down the steps and down into the seating area where all the guests were, plastering a fake smile onto your face as you waved to several of Namjoon’s colleagues. 

.................................................

If someone had asked you what Namjoon discussed in his dedication speech, you’d have no idea how to respond to them and that’s because your mind was preoccupied. Something was wrong, and you knew it. Jimin wasn’t necessarily acting different towards you, but he was indifferent and that rubbed you the wrong way. 

Once the speech was over and all of the guests present began to mingle, you were talking to the wife of the National Assembly leader when Namjoon stepped over to you.

“Hey, I ran into some old friends so we’re all going to go to lunch and catch up,” Namjoon informed you. “Did you want to come?”

“Um, I think I’ll go back to the House actually,” you smiled. “The benefit is in three days and I need to make sure everything’s in place.”

“Of course,” Namjoon nodded, leaning over and kissing your cheek. “Jimin’s gonna see you home and I’ll see you tonight.”

“Ok, be safe,” you told him and he smiled and nodded before turning and walking away.

“The two of you are such a beautiful couple,” Jisoo, the National Assembly leader’s wife gushed and you just chuckled. 

“Thank you Jisoo-ssi. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I think I’ll be heading out now,” you said. “I do hope that I’ll see you Saturday at the benefit.”

“Absolutely,” Jisoo nodded. “I’ll be bringing my husband and his wallet.”

“Perfect,” you laughed, leaning over and kissing her cheek before waving and walking away from her to find Jimin, who was standing near the stage that had been set up for Namjoon to give his speech.

“Ready to go?” Jimin guessed before you could even say anything and you nodded your head.

“Beyond,” you murmured, expecting Jimin to at least chuckle at that but he just spoke some words into his earpiece before gesturing for you to walk in front of him. You just did as he wanted, making your way through the large crowd of guests and saying your goodbyes before you and Jimin made it to the front of the park, where your large limousine was waiting.

“After you,” Jimin said as he opened the door and held it for you, waiting for you to slide inside before he did the same and shut the door behind him.

“Just back to the Blue House,” Jimin told your driver, who nodded and rolled up the partition for you.

“I’m exhausted,” you whined, reaching down and pulling your high heels off of your feet. 

“You didn’t sleep last night, did you?” Jimin questioned and you shook your head.

“I did, but not much,” you admitted. “I’ve just been so anxious about the benefit, especially since it’s the first event that I’m spearheading as First Lady.”

“It’ll be fine Y/N-ah,” he assured you, reaching over and patting your knee lightly. “You’ve gone over every detail with painstaking accuracy.”

“I hope so,” you huffed with a smile but the smile promptly went away when Jimin dropped his hand away from your knee. “Jimin, are we ok?”

“Yeah, we’re good,” Jimin nodded but he didn’t look at you when he said it, and that kind of set you off.

“Jimin, don’t do this,” you snapped and Jimin looked up at you in surprise. 

“Don’t do what?” He questioned.

“I’m already married to a man who doesn’t talk to me about things, I don’t want that with you too,” you muttered softly and Jimin’s eyes widened.

“No no no,” he tutted, moving closer to you and wrapping his arm around your shoulders and you leaned into him, reveling in his touch. “I didn’t mean to make you feel like that.”

“Then why haven't you been talking to me?” You demanded gently. 

“I wanted to give you time to think,” he replied and your brows furrowed in confusion. “And give myself time to think too.”

“Think about what?”

“About us,” he said. “I know that you don’t want to be with Namjoon anymore but you also said that you aren’t sure how to get out of it, and I don’t know if I’d be willing to wait for four and a half more years.”

“Why didn’t you just tell me that?” You wondered.

“Because I didn’t want you thinking that I’m having second thoughts about what we’ve been developing,” he said, reaching over with his free hand and grabbing yours, intertwining your fingers with his. “My feelings for you are serious baby bird, and I just wanted to make sure that I was comfortable with it.”

“Because of my situation and your ex?” You asked/guessed and Jimin nodded.

“Developing feelings for a new person after you break up with someone that you thought you were gonna spend the rest of your life with is hard,” Jimin admitted. “I know that it’s taken a lot for you to be able to feel like you can trust me after everything that’s happened between you and Namjoon, but it’s taken a lot for me to be able to trust you too.”

“And I recognize that,” you nodded, taking your hand away from his and gently grabbing his chin. “I hope you realize that I don’t take your trust in me lightly.”

“I know you don’t,” Jimin smiled softly. 

“And my feelings for you are just as serious,” you confessed, a shy smile on your lips. “You’ve made me fall for you, Park Jimin.”

“Yeah?” He whispered and as soon as he registered the nodding of your head, he smashed his lips onto yours. Moaning in surprise, you moved your hand from his chin and set it on his neck as you kissed him back.

“What are you doing tomorrow?” You asked against his lips and he pulled away from you.

“Nothing much, since I’m off duty,” he told you. “Why?”

“How about if I come to your place tomorrow night and show you just how serious about you I really am?” You suggested and Jimin’s breathing visibly became uneven. “I guess that’s a yes?”

“That’s a fuck yes,” he replied breathlessly, making you laugh. “As much as I’d love it that though, don’t you have another event with Namjoon tomorrow night?”

“I can make up an excuse,” you replied immediately. “Say that I’m sick or something. I could say anything really and Namjoon probably wouldn’t even question it.”

“If you’re sure,” he relented and you grinned, leaning over and kissing him again. And that’s how the two of you stayed for the rest of the ride back to the Blue House, pressed up against each other in the backseat with passionate kisses and wandering hands. 

“Jimin, we’re here,” you giggled, the feeling of Jimin leaving kisses on your neck tickling your skin. 

“You sure about tomorrow night?” He double checked as he pulled away from your neck to look at you, and you nodded.

“More than sure,” you promised, pressing a quick peck to his lips before you bent down and quickly slipped your heels back on. He then turned around and opened the door, getting out of the limousine and holding the door open for you as you slid out. Once he shut the door, the two of you walked up the steps of the Blue House together.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, yeah?” You said and Jimin smiled.

“Absolutely. I l-,” he almost told you but he caught himself, trying to ignore the suspicious look you gave him. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Bye Jimin,” you giggled, giving him a quick wink before you turned around and opened the front door, stepping inside and shutting the door behind you. Jimin let out a breath that he hadn’t even know he was holding, his shoulders sagging when the reality of what he had almost let slip out of his mouth began to set in.

“God, I’m loosing my fucking mind over her,” Jimin chuckled, running both of his hands over his face as he turned and walked back down the steps, his mind wrapping around the fact that he now had the answer to whether he loved you or not. 

......................................................

Tag List:  @toddsgirl27 @leftieaquarius @joyfulkmusicfan @jennyjq @xcharlottemikaelsonx @pop228 @belatona @babebri144 @dragonqueen01 @paolaa9700 @yiarsan @sunshinein17 @daydreambrliever @lyralefayc @weirdestpersoninearth @peachesandcreamsthings @missseoulite @ramengrace @minyoongi-infiresme @0minabean0 @korkanswers @dchimminie @mysr3 @emily2404xx @leilalago @vonvi-blog @btsxdoll @heartfeltscribblings @nooooooooona @eternalmoonji @lyralefay @jikooksgirl19 @cloudbuffalo​ @moonsjoons @kjooniesbabygirl​

[foxymoxynoona]

okay, back on my bullshit. You’ve missed my existential crisis for Flux, am I right?🥰🥰

Alright CHAPTER 15: Kwang-su, I don’t like the dude. I don’t like his parties and I don’t like him talking to JK and I don’t like anyone talking to JK honestly lol. You know what I think I don’t like him just because he doesn’t do what I want him to do so don’t really take me into consideration here BUT technically I feel like he was being genuine in helping him out when jk told him everything. But still in my head everyone should root for them to get back together so, for now, Kwang-su is black listed. One thing that I already noticed last chapter was that I felt completely numb while reading about jk having sex with other people but, girl, I got A BAD STOMACHACHE SEEING SASHA DO THE SAME. Am I broken somewhere? Lol, am I jealous of Sasha?👀 for real, I wouldn’t want this to be like a subconscious response and justification for JK because “he has been actively hurt” and now I’m unknowingly mad at Sasha. I DON’T WANT TO BE. BABY NEEDS SOME SERIOUS HELP, and the fight she had with Michele proves it even more. AND SHE DIDN’T EVEN TELL MAXI, YOU KNOW SHIT IS HITTING THE FAN WHEN THAT HAPPENS. She is pushing everything and everyone away as if she is a bomb on the verge of exploding and she wants to limit the casualties. Oh and homeboy needs to be careful with who he fucks. No one needs a scandal and most importantly YOU DON’T HAVE TO GO TO THAT FUCKING PARTY ABORT MISSION FUCK GO BACK.

CHAPTER 16: okay the feeling of numbness about jk having sex with other people? Yeah, forget it🤡 As soon as I saw Hallie my heart sank to my asshole BUT IT WOULD’VE BEEN BETTER THAT WAS HAPPENED NEXT. THE MAKEUP NOONA? REALLY? ON COCAINE?!!? “You’re gone and I gotta stay high to keep you off my mind” but boy you took that literally💀💀

Maxi? Favorite character, hands down. He’s there even when he is not, if you find this kind of person you’ve found gold. I love their dynamics. AND THE INTERACTION BETWEEN SASHA AND JK? I’m honestly a mess. Seriously, that was ducking heartbreaking. Comforting and depressing at the same time? As soon as he arrived I though I was just going to cringe because lord knows I hate confrontation and I honestly could never meet an ex after breaking up, burn my shit but don’t make me look at you ever again✨. BUT NO IT WAS SO BEAUTIFUL AND TRAGIC AND REALISTIC AND I WANNA CRY. The way he got her through her panic attack, THE WAY HE WAS SO ACTIVELY HELPFUL TO MAKE SURE SHE WAS IN GOOD HANDS. please, where do I sign up to get a jk, I need him😭

When they talk all their shit out I hope maturity will stand above it all. Like, they made some questionable decisions but, even if and WHEN they get mad about it, they will find a way to settle it in the past. Is this me projecting into a happy future already? Yes, yes it is🤧

Too much? Fuck, I’m so sorry, truly. I wait for a week and this happens. Sorry😢

🌸

I feel like I've done my job with readers having such divided feelings about Kwangsu. yesssss.

JK and Sasha seeing each other again is also not something I personally could have managed, lol. I saw several readers previously point out that it just didn't feel right for them to just be GONE. That abrupt loss followed by them both traveling absolutely created this sort of weird limbo space, they both felt it, they both went wild during it, and this crossing paths again was a reality check, and neither of them liked what they saw in themselves or each other. I'd point out too that I suspect they both wanted it to happen. They both expected the other one to be doing better than they were. JK texted sasha, not Michele, about getting his stuff back. Sasha agreed to be the one for the trade off. They could TOTALLY have avoided this. And as another reader pointed out... did JK really want/need his stuff back? This dude who will fucking delete Decalcomania just because*?? He is not nostalgic about things and yet... here we are.

Anyway, definitley not too much, you know I selfishly love hearing from you and I know other readers do too :D

*as someone who is very nostalgic about things and work, no, I will never be over this

[uwua3]

your name (pt. 2)

❄️📚 tsukioka tsumugi

part 1 — part 2 — part 3

summary: you find yourself in a familiar, but at the same time, new place.

author’s note: hi, everyone! :D this is the second part of the ongoing “your name” series~ ♡ this time, from your perspective! please enjoy, have a good day !! ☆(>ω・)

word count: 1,668

You woke up.

It was like a dream, like you had brought something back. You didn’t know what, but you were now awake. As you attempted to adjust to the darkness, all was quiet in the world. Until, you realized you had no idea where you were.

You quickly sat up from an uncomfortable position, the worn sofa beneath you doing nothing to help you feel better. Two separate stacks of unfamiliar papers surrounded both your sides as a T.V. was flashing colors against your shadow. Except… it wasn’t yours, per say. You looked over the sofa at the large shadow, moving your hand to see it do the same. This was real… but, who were you? When you reached into the person’s pockets to find some sort of a phone, you were disappointed to find a vintage, rundown flip phone weighing down the palm of your hand. Great, were you some sort of old man?

Trying not to scatter all the papers onto the ground, you took a careful step off the couch before hearing a sickening crack. This explained why you could barely see, as you crouched down to make out a pair of shattered glasses. You ignored the mess, moving away to find some sort of mirror. Instead, you discovered a barely lit studio apartment with everything wrong with it. The door was closed with a stool, half the lights didn’t work properly, and a distinct smell of cup noodles came from a broken microwave.

As you kept your hand on a wall to navigate, you began picking up small details that made this place home. The heavily marked calendar on the wall decorated the space, multiple photos of what seemed like student graduations neatly framed by the front, and certificates in psychology and education gave insight on who you were living through. It wasn’t perfect by any means, but it felt like a place that made you trust the owner.

By the time you reached the bathroom door, you breathed a sigh of relief that the light didn’t cut out as you flipped the switch. When you looked into the mirror, you expected to see an aged teacher having a rough night of grading. Instead, you could see your expression form into shock at the reflection. You were… a college student? You knew that wasn’t the case considering the multiple Bachelor’s degrees, but you looked so young and old at the same time. It was like the person was physically young, but ancient from the way his hands automatically gripped the sink to keep himself up. You were looking into the eyes of a tired boy, and you could feel it in your bones that no amount of sleep could cure whatever he was going through.

You had to tear your eyes away to turn on the sink, waiting for the water to build up in your cupped palms. The water pressure was barely there, but it was what you needed to remind yourself this wasn’t a dream. For some reason, you had woken up in a random boy’s body in his no-good, terrible apartment. As you washed your face and met your reflection once again, you could sense the determination in the way his mouth formed a line. You were going to find out why you were here.

You took a moment to admire the body you were in. Although the boy seemed to carry the weight of the world upon his shoulders, he was doing rather well for himself. He had long, overgrown dark blue hair that just revealed his same-shade blue eyes. His eyes held the light of a student ready to learn, even after many years of strict academia. His features resembled one of a game protagonist, and you weren’t used to this tall height on your side. Even in just a striped shirt, you could tell he was beautiful in his own right.

“No matter what, I’ll find you again.” You said for absolutely no reason, with no one to hear except yourself—well, him. His voice didn’t take you by surprise; it was expectantly gentle and inherently kind, it was fitting to a light smile like his. You left the cramped bathroom with two goals in mind: 1. Figure out where you were, 2. Decide what to do next.

The room seemed lighter in comparison to before, meaning the sun must’ve been rising. You didn’t have to search long to find a passed-down clock by the sofa’s makeshift nightstand. The lines read it was nearing 5 A.M. as you identified an alarm was about to go off in exactly thirty minutes. Next, you were about to rummage around for any sort of geographic location before a loud car horn cut off your thoughts. Immediately snapping your head towards the opening, you saw a cracked open balcony hidden away behind a bookshelf. As you made your way through, you had no idea how you thought it was quiet. Although it was still the start of the day, you could already see a highway jam packed with automobiles going towards the big city. The buildings around you were nothing compared to the distant skyscrapers, and a realization occurred within you.

You were in Tokyo, Japan.

Before you could go watch what the T.V. was saying, a ring sounded from the flip phone. Hurrying to answer, you stood upon the balcony in an unfamiliar city you always dreamt of visiting. When you finally put the phone to your ear, you noticed how… modern urban accents were compared to your original rural one.

“Heya Tsumu-Tsumu! I knew you’d be awake, you crazy workaholic!” A loud voice made you wince as you flinched back from the sudden volume. Your silence didn’t deter—you looked at the contact—Miyoshi Kazunari as he rambled on. It was way too early for this type of energy, but you could spot college student caffeine addiction from a mile away.

“Lucky for you~,” Kazunari dragged out his vowels when he spoke. Not in a country way, but it was actually a stylistic choice all trendsetters seemed to have. “I’m also crazy! Just finished a project and I got an early morning class.” Kazunari made crying noises, and you genuinely didn’t know if they were exaggerated or he was having his midlife crisis breakdown. Too many things were running through your head, you could barely keep up with the bold personality Miyoshi Kazunari was. How the hell did a quiet person end up friends with an extrovert like Kazunari?

“And because I’m super smart, I know you’re usually grading papers or somethin’. Wanna get coffee today? I need it, bad.” Kazunari invited you to get coffee… but you barely knew your way around your own apartment, nevermind Tokyo. You were so lost in thought that Kazunari took your lack of response as a deafening “no”. A slightly awkward laugh interrupted the twenty seconds of silence, the noise suddenly much less confident than before.

“Ah… sorry, Tsumu-Tsumu. You’re probably too tired, right? You usually don’t want to go anyways, I don’t know why I asked.” Kazunari trailed off in a mumble, clearly discouraged already. Hearing this total stranger give up felt like kicking a puppy. You had no reason to agree, but you did anyway. You don’t know if it was you or “Tsumu-Tsumu” trying to reassure Kazunari.

“U-Um! No, let’s get coffee,” You paused, letting out a similar laugh that was obviously strained. “Kazunari?” It was Kazunari’s turn to be silent on the phone, before exploding into a pattern of shock and disbelief.

“KAZUNARI?! Yo, Tsumu-Tsumu! Are we suddenly BFFS now or what?! You’ve never called me by my first name before, you must be real sleepy!” Kazunari teased, but you could pick up on his revived energy and excitement about the day now. You responded with a laugh once again to show you were listening, and Kazunari took it as a sign to drop the sudden lack of honorifics between you two. As Kazunari said he’d message you the address of the “hottest cafe right now in all of Japan”, you mentally beat yourself up over the slip of tongue.

This Tsumu-Tsumu guy didn’t seem like the type to just call people by their first names. You hoped this wouldn’t severely affect anything for him in the long run. When Kazunari told you to be there by 7:30 A.M., he hung up and an instant message came with a winky emoticon and star symbol. The quiet finally gave you enough time to process everything that just happened.

You had agreed to meet a total stranger—well, to you—at a random cafe in the middle of the biggest city in Japan. You didn’t even know your own name. Staring out at the city you would soon find yourself in, you headed back inside and shut off the T.V. without another word. It was time to get ready and somehow figure out a way to get to… you checked the address again, Omi's House.

You checked the calendar from before and saw neat kanji of a name that felt familiar. “Tsukioka Tsumugi.” You read out loud, subconsciously tracing the characters with your finger. It felt right, you had no doubt it was this person’s name. You were quick to relax when you noticed Friday was the one day Tsumugi had off out of the entire week. You felt pitiful at how the one column of Fridays were being crowded by filled blocks of events, part-time gigs, and more work. When could Tsumugi just get a coffee?

Maybe, meeting Kazunari was a good thing. You found a brown peacoat hanging on the knob of the door and slipped it on. You said goodbye to an empty apartment, and left with no clue where you were going. All you had was a ripped bag and a newfound spark to your eyes.

You were Tsukioka Tsumugi, a random boy in Tokyo, and you were going to make the most of it.

[aros001]

Read through light novel vol. 16. Random thoughts.

"Who is this OC looking f**kboy?"

Those were genuinely my first thoughts upon seeing the art of Takt on the throne. And it would seem my immediate dislike was not unfounded.

Seriously though, everything about him is like someone's self-insert original character for their shitty power fantasy Shield Hero fanfic.

"He dresses really cool, like all modern with jeans and pockets, and he can use all the holy weapons and vassal weapons, and his level is above 300, and he has a harem of totally hot powerful women, and he's the king of his own country, and he can counter everything that people use against him, and he can steal powers he doesn't have, and he can beat Naofumi and all the other heroes with, like, no sweat at all!"

I want All For One to come in and kick this little twerp's ass. Show him what a real OP villain who can steal powers is like.

This isn't a critique of the writing by the way. It feels like Takt is supposed to feel like that kind of character who plays to those tropes and is REALLY easy to hate.

I both do and don't like how Naofumi is acting in the prologue. Obviously I don't like specifically what he's doing because it's creepy and uncomfortable, but I really like the reasons for why. The dude is fried from everything that's happened and unlike Itsuki it's not because of a curse. He's grieving from a heavy loss, easily the biggest he's had since coming to this world, and unlike with Ost's death he has no one he can yet focus his anger on, so he's feeling completely lost and mixed up. Another great moment from Sadeena in helping him regain at least some of his sanity. Sex is a common way people try to find comfort after a terrible loss and if that had been the case I think she would have slept with him or even encouraged Raphtalia to be the one for that. But she could see pretty clearly that wasn't the case. Naofumi wasn't looking for comfort. He was practically a zombie, just going through the motions.

“It seems that from among the four holy heroes, the Shield and Bow have been most active over there. Based on their level of activity, there’s also a bias in the legends about the seven star heroes. They mainly talk about the Hammer, Claws, and Whip.” A bias. The Shield and Bow did complement each other well, that was true.

F**k that! Sword and Shield, BroTP!

“Putting that together with what we learned in Kizuna’s world, it sounds like the effects of the fusing of worlds,” I pondered. There was a wave that had combined the Shield world with the Bow world, and then the Shield and Bow world had been fused with the Sword and Spear world to create the current one. It was only natural that a bias in the legends would arise.

"Worlds lived, worlds died. And nothing will ever be the same."

I've talked before that I'm a big fan of the concept of a Multiverse in fiction, especially in superhero comics. Right away I liked that the four Holy Heroes came from different parallel universes and then getting Glass and L'Arc showed that there were also parallel fantasy universes also fighting the waves. And now we get this theory from the characters that Raphtalia's universe is an amalgam, made up of other previous universes that fused through the waves. It's very Crisis on Infinite Earths and JLA/Avengers.

Reading Queen Melromarc describe the king of Faubrey and I'm just remember a scene that I and many Overlord fans love to the depths of our hearts, of Sebas the butler encountering a naked little fat man who got his sexual thrills off beating the women the brothel provided him. Sebas, like any true gentleman, kicked him in the dick so hard he exploded. Is there some to hope that a similar fate befell the king whom apparently married and killed (and probably even worse than that) 9,999 women? Not even Witch deserves that. Nobody deserves that.

Even though it'd probably take him to a dark place he shouldn't go, part of me was hoping for some karma to occur when Witch revealed herself as Takt's ally to Naofumi. He no longer had the shield, meaning he could attack her like he never could before, meaning he could kill her with his bare hands. I'm glad he used the defense rating attack on Takt, because there's been great long-time set-up for that, but yeah, I wanted Naofumi to at least get to break Witch's nose after everything he's been through. And if Witch wasn't irredemable before, she most certainly is now, proving she has no loyalty to anyone other than herself. She used Naofumi and the other heroes from the beginning for her own goals. Her mother had enough control that she couldn't just do whatever she wanted. And Melty was standing in the way of her getting the throne. She's still a terrible person but there were at least reasons for her to be against these people. But Trash? Her father, who has been loyal and on her side since the beginning, who doted and spoiled her from a young age because of how much he loved her? She had no hesitation in ordering him killed along with everyone else. There was no reason behind it. It was just pure cruelly, greed, and self-satisfaction.

And then...there's the Queen. ...F**k. Y'all bastards were really good at keeping that spoiler hidden. I was accidentally spoiled that Alta was going to die but not through this site. I had no idea the Queen was going to die. Of course Naofumi couldn't have the Shield during that part. If he made Mirellia into a shield like he did Ost and Alta he probably would be unstoppable, because she was just that f**king awesome.

We're pouring one out for you, your majesty. May your youngest daughter inherit your great wisdom and unbelievably hilarious slapping ability.

I'm really glad with Trash's development in this book. Like I've said in past posts, I can feel basic empathy for him given his backstory, but feeling sorry for him was not enough to actually put me on his side, because he was not putting in any work to actually be better or redeem himself. He was just acting angry and crazy and then just sad and withered. Here? While he had to be shaken and roused into it (can't blame him for that as he just lost the love of his life), he puts in the effort to make use of himself and holds himself accountable for his past actions. I really like that he wants to continue being called Trash. That is his penance. Not more feeling sorry for himself or blaming the rest of the world. It's time for him to be the man he knows he's supposed to be.

With all that though, Melty was definitely the person I felt the worst for after the death. Of all the younger characters, despite being royalty and mature for her age, she is the person who feels the most like a real kid, and her crying her eyes out while clinging to Naofumi hurt just like it should, because this little girl just lost her mom. No idea what the expectation is in Melromarc for when Melty should take the throne but for her it's always going to feel too soon, because how could it not?

“Daddy . . . thank you for approving my marriage. You’ve finally agreed to let me marry Ollie,” she said dreamily.

“I’ll make you forget this ‘Ollie’ soon enough, although his keeping you a virgin for so long is something to be thankful for!” Takt cackled. It was clear that he was using some kind of illusion to make her think he was her beloved. “Those who don’t give proper thought to their daughters’ happiness have no right to live!”

Oh good! He's a rapist too!

So Naofumi was the Shield's first choice and the other three were the Bow, Sword, and Spear's third choices. I like the credit that's given that the first choice is not guaranteed to be the best, as they can become just as corrupt or egotistical, or the third choices are not guaranteed to be the worst, as they can grow into real heroes. I'm just wondering how the selection process worked and why they all couldn't get their first choices. The Holy Weapons apparently have some sway over the universes they pulled them from, given the promise of granting wishes if they want to return to them. My immediate theory is that the weapons all set up paths that'd lead their choices to being summoned but just through sheer coincidence and randomness all the first choices, save for Naofumi, kept missing the path. Going down the list, the weapons become more desperate and thus are more willing to use more extremes to get their choices, thus why Ren, Motoyasu, and Itsuki had to be killed in order to be summoned. They missed their window with their first and second choices so now they absolutely have to guarantee they get their third, even if the methods are less than ethical.

With the big final boss, the World Eater as Naofumi called it, I'm theorizing that he/she/it is using the waves to fuse multiple universes into one so that he/she/it can eat it all in one go.

I only have two issues with this volume and they're both kind of nitpicks. The first is with Trash's plan, specifically with the Glawick ore. I don't remember it ever being established before in the series. I really liked the Rucolu fruit being used in the Cal Mira wave battle because it was set up way beforehand, so it feels like a lot less of a Deus ex Machina. Same with Naofumi using defense rating attacks after his battle with Glass. That's good set-up. The ore doesn't break the story, it just feels very convenient that such a thing happened to exist. If I'm mistaken and it was set-up before and I just forgot, please let me know.

The second is Naofumi and Raphtalia being separated again after a trip into another universe. The story next volume seems like it'll be very different from last time but that part does feel like a repeat of what we've already seen. Plus, with the new status quo of Naofumi knowing how she feels about him, I want to see their interactions now that he's recovered a bit from the loss of Alta. Again, it's a nitpick, since I'm certain they'll find each other again, but I don't like feeling like I'm being deliberately kept away from what I want to see.

“The source of your power, the one true hero, now orders you. Reconsider the state of all things once more and bring down a storm of flame upon my target! Drifa Firestorm!” Takt completed the spell.

...

“The source of your power, just a hero, now orders you. Reconsider the state of all things once more and scatter the storm that would burn its target! Anti Drifa Firestorm!” I read the magic Takt had incanted and activated magic to nullify it. With that, the fire tornado scattered into nothing, as though it had never existed.

Biiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitch!

“I’m here to destroy everything you possess,” I menaced quietly. “Your pride, your dignity, everything you treasure. I’ve already half-destroyed your composure and your arrogance. Now it’s time for the other half. False hero, possessing six of the seven star weapons and the shield from the four holy weapons! Now face the reality of being defeated by a regular guy who holds none of the legendary weapons!”

No wonder Raphtalia couldn't be in this part. After hearing that line I don't think she'd be able to hold herself back and would have tackled him like a wild Albedo in heat right then and there.

I am so looking forward to when this volume's final battle is animated, especially the part where Naofumi gets his shield back. That is going to feel like such an epic, heroic moment.

So Rishia unlocked Pay-to-Win. ...I don't really know what to say to that. What do ancient magical relics care about money? ("What does God need with a starship?")

So the person Malty had Ren give a sword lesson to back in vol. 11, was that Takt, King Faubrey, or someone we don't know yet, like the mastermind behind everything?

Is Kizuna marked for death now? From how Fitora made it sound to Naofumi, when a Holy Hero dies a new one can't be summoned if the others are still around. If Kizuna's world works similarly, she might have to die or there'll be no Holy Heroes other than her.

Naofumi really likes his Dragon Ball Z, doesn't he? Which is appropriate given I just realized that the Energy Blast from the Spirit Tortoise Shield is almost literally the Kamehameha. Seriously, Kamehameha translates to "Turtle Destruction Wave".

So...what the heck do I do now? I've spent about a month reading through 16 volumes of Naofumi's rise and I know there are at least 6 other volumes that haven't been translated to english yet. I'll probably go find another LN series to read until vol. 17 comes out in July. Though I am curious if RoTSH has a fan translation site like Overlord and Konosuba do.

Original Reddit post: https://www.reddit.com/r/shieldbro/comments/fot3tj/read_through_light_novel_vol_16_random_thoughts/

[taggedmemes]

SENTENCE MEME ⟶ JON RICHARDSON: ULTIMATE WORRIER / 2.01 always feel free to tweak the sentence to fit your muse.

“This is home to all the worries.”

“We’ll be fretting about psychopaths, photographs, and misspent youth.”

“I’ll be confronting my biggest worry with some aversion therapy.”

“It’s a bit like an S&M dungeon.”

“Anything in particular worrying you at the moment?”

“My trousers are quite tight.”

“It’s worse for you, because we’re married.”

“I worry that I had a weird childhood.”

“Sometimes you find that out the hard way, like right now.”

“When you’re using it as an icebreaker at dinner parties it’s a bit much.”

“I don’t know how I feel about that.”

“I think that might be horrible.”

“I can’t bear the feel of these things.”

“No, that’s really horrifying.”

“I feel like I’m on a dogging documentary.”

“I worry that I’ve fallen in with a bad crowd.”

“He sounds like a real piece of work.”

“He’s a shit.”

“Instead of flowers, we used slices of vacuum-packed cheese.”

“I just think he’s a bully.”

“Do you think you’re easily led?”

“I think I’m the bad crowd.”

“I know I’m an a-hole.”

“When we see you, we can tell that you smell.”

“I’m often in situations that I don’t want to be in.”

“It was meant to be a joke but it backfired.”

“Everyone will see the torture you subjected me to.”

“When we go out, you look really nice, and I look like this.”

“You’re quite a lot fitter than him.”

“You’re supposed to stick up for me, not agree!”

“I think this one is of you crying at the end of a darts tournament.”

“I’m shock ya and say no.”

“I don’t look good in photos, and I’m the same way in mirrors.”

“In the flesh, I’m dynamite.”

“I don’t really know what to expect from today.”

“Stop doing that hamster face.”

“Move on to the next stage, unbutton your shirt.”

“I found that quite excruciating.”

“The only thing I was uncomfortable with was what I was wearing, the forced intimacy, and being watched and photographed by a stranger. Apart from that, it was lovely.”

“I just want a picture of us looking smart.”

“If I put on camera my sex look, it might ruin my career.”

“He looks like he’s shit himself, but he’s angry.”

“I just can’t do the face he wanted me to do.”

“You look like you trusted a fart and it’s backfired.”

“I’ve never done this. It might not wor– Oh, it’s works.”

“His nipples look very hot from here.”

“Stop trying to get away from me!”

“I think I’ve given more than anyone could ever ask for.”

“I’ve done enough favors for the next forty, or sixty years.”

“I’ve learned a lot about myself. Like when a man tells me to take my shirt off, I just do it.”

“There are a number of questions I have.”

“It’ll be a conversation starter, if we put it in our hallway.”

“I don’t like it, I hate it.”

“I’m going to break that painting into 306 pieces.”

“I worry Netflix is turning me into psychopath.”

“Our entertainment by watching the most terrible things that ever happened to people on the planet is pretty crude.”

“I could dispose of a body and know what to plant on top of it.”

“I know it’s bad, but I’m fascinated by it.”

“He had a kettle full of dicks.”

“Your hugs are like when you’re deflating the air out of a lilo.”

“This is genuinely my favorite video on the internet.”

“Could I honestly be a psychopath?”

“That was a lovely slam and I enjoyed it.”

“If you are worried about being a psychopath, you are clearly not a psychopath.”

“You’ve met your match today with these absolute nutjobs.”

“I’ll be made to suffer for the sake of entertainment.”

“I’m worry I’m due a mid-life crisis.”

“There’s lots of things to worry about when you get old.”

“That’s a very kind way of saying ‘you were an ugly youth’.”

“Just buy a pub, because then you get to live in a pub.”

“This is all very bleak.”

“I’m a big fan of vermouth, and generally if you’re buying vermouth you’re in your seventies.”

“He wants to legally change his age.”

“I never want anyone to look at me and feel sorry for me.”

“I want me to look at me and go, ‘Wow, what’s she going to do next?’ and the answer will always be to get a tit out.”

“We were gonna bake you a hash cake without telling you.”

“I used to give you breast milk without you knowing.”

“Does this mean I’m not vegan?”

“My mid-life crisis will involve hot pants, rollerblades, and piercings.”

“This is my version of a mid-life crisis.”

“See anything you like?”

“You’re doing it again? You prick.”

“From this angle, it looks like you’ve wet yourself.”

“I’ll tell you what. I feel so alive.”

“If this is a mid-life crisis, then bring it on.”

[makeste]

BnHA Chapter 164: Life or Death Battle

Previously on BnHA: The internship kids returned to the dorms and were greeted by their worried pals. Iida hemmed and hawed. Momo made some tea. Satou shoved an entire cake into Deku’s mouth. Ochako realized she wanted to save people in addition to earning money to ease her parents’ poverty. Sero and Kirishima showered Kirishima with affectionate concern. Bakugou quietly chilled on the couch pretending not to be worried. Kaminari slid over and called him “Kacchan” like the homeboy he is. It was all amazing. The next morning, Bakugou and Todoroki headed off to their provisional license course. All Might and Present Mic showed up to chaperone them, and we learned from All Might that Kurogiri was indeed captured by Gran Torino and Naomasa, but Giganto escaped after dealing some heavy damage. The group arrived at the training course location, and everyone’s windy fave Yoarashi greeted them along with Camie (the real one!) and fucking Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs (Seiji). Also Endeavor was there to watch. And he’s going to have a private chat with All Might. Should be lots of fun, this.

Today on BnHA: Our best boys Bakugou, Shouto and Inasa (and Camie) begin the day’s training course. Endeavor cheers Shouto on from the stands and everyone is like “...” but then they notice All Might sitting next to him and they’re like “OH FUCK YEAH, ALL MIGHT.” Gang Orca walks out onto the floor, compares all of the kids to fish feces, and fucking yeets my three faves across the room. He then informs them that they lack heart, and thus he is assigning them a special trial. Enter a group of about 25 screaming elementary schoolers, plus their harried teacher who is constantly on the verge of tears. Baku, Shouto, Camie and Inasa are told that they’ll be in charge of them, and that to pass this test they’ll need to cooperate and move the children’s hearts. This is, of course, a recipe for perfect chaos, and to make things even more entertaining, Mic decides to do play-by-play commentary. Meanwhile, a surprisingly subdued Endeavor asks All Might exactly what it means to be “the Symbol of Peace.”

(As always, all comments not marked with an ETA are my unspoiled reactions from my first readthrough of this chapter. I’ve read up through chapter 187 now, so any ETAs will reflect that.) 

looks like the kids have changed into their hero costumes and are trudging towards wherever the course will be taking place

aww Inasa is aggressively trying to be friends

LIGHTEN UP GRUMPY GRUMP

also I’m kind of with Inasa on this one. sorry Shouto. I’ve only had cold soba noodles like once but I wasn’t that big a fan. but udon is the shit though

Shouto apparently feels very strongly about this

I honestly can’t tell if he’s just really particular about his food, or if he feels like Inasa is trying to sneak up a metaphor on him and he’s like NOPE, NOT HAPPENING. THIS ZARU SOBA IS NOT GIVING UDON THE TIME OF DAY

oh my god Inasa is literally saying “WE’RE GONNA BECOME BEST BUDS WHETHER YOU LIKE OR NOT”

did you hear that Shouto. WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT

that means it’s happening. because like. look at him. this big fluffy airbending teddy bear is not going to not let it happen

meanwhile Bakugou is watching and being creeped out. by their attempts at friendship? or something else?

MERAAAAAAAA

I’ve been having a bit of an insomniac phase myself. so I feel ya bro

also they’re in this gym that, surprisingly, actually looks like a normal gym?? although there’s a bunch of playground equipment in one corner which is odd

Mera says that so far they’ve been doing the training course with the ten of them, but today there will be an eleventh person joining them

so is that Camie then?

meanwhile All Might and Mic are entering the spectator area and looking for someplace to sit

Mic wants to sit near the front to see better, but All Might doesn’t want to stand out

well he is pretty famous. and not to mention that Endeavor’s still right there as well and I don’t know if they’ve had their chat yet orz

oh jesus

yep. wouldn’t want to distract anyone. definitely not looking to do that, nope

starting to see why Shouto was angsting so much over that text

so Endeavor is actually screaming encouragement at him, but in his obnoxious Endeavor way

I feel like. he’s actually trying. oddly enough. but he’s just. so terrible. in so many ways

oh snap I forgot all about this

yep. the guy that wouldn’t autograph your book and subsequently changed the course of your life by causing you to withdraw your application from U.A.

oh shit now All Might’s getting recognized too

I hope they cheer the fuck out of All Might and it’s like, who even fucking cares about Endeavor

:D

hee

that’s Bakugou’s dad, you know. ever since chapter 120. and Deku’s dad too, obviously. Shouto he can be your dad too if you want. plenty of All Might to go around, and it’s not like your old man is doing such a bang up job

Shouto is literally saying “hmph” and even Bakugou is staring at him like “what’s this guy’s problem”

Mera’s telling everyone to calm down and pay attention to him again lol

and now real!Camie is properly introducing herself

ahhhh

so that’s the cover story Shiketsu came up with? or is that a story they’re telling the other kids? or does Camie herself genuinely believe this and no one actually knows she was briefly abducted and replaced by Toga?

and um. just to make sure. this is the real Camie though... right?

she’s acting differently enough that I think it is

Seiji is sitting with a Shiketsu teacher in the stands and they’re discussing it!

he says she’s “a complete and utter fool” and the teacher is gently correcting him and saying she’s “just bubbly”

so they did figure it out!

Seiji seems to actually be beating himself up for not realizing that she’d been replaced

(ETA: yeah, so rereading this, I’m getting some definite shipping pings from them now. Seiji’s clearly guilt-stricken about what happened to her, and clearly worried about her still. he didn’t attend any of the previous training sessions, based on Bakugou’s reaction, but he came along to this one now solely because Camie was going. he’s not going to let anything happen to her again. Seiji is, in fact, just a big ol’ softie you guys.)

the teacher is saying they need to make up for the absence of the Symbol of Peace immediately

I guess with this being the first time Shiketsu has been targeted, they’re finally realizing how serious this is too. U.A.’s been mixed up in this for a while, so they already know

heyyyyyy!

LOOK WHO’S BACK

he’s talking some shit about them, oooh

I assume he’s purposely trying to rile them up for whatever reason. probably because at least several of them are only here in the first place because of their poor anger management

everyone is instantly sobering up

lol Seiji

lmao

wow Gang is really laying it into them

ben·thos /’benTHäs/ (noun): the flora and fauna found on the bottom, or in the bottom sediments, of a sea, lake, or other body of water

did you just call my son a sea sponge. did you just compare them to fish poop

...

his feet

he just. flung him

is it weird that I really want to make this into an icon

...

is the whole rest of the chapter going to be like this

THERE IS NO RIGHT ANSWER HUH

this is now my favorite chapter in the history of time. also this is one instance where I’m already sure it’s impossible for the manga to be outdone by the anime. because how could it be. visually this is flawless

oh wait? is that it? just those three? no one else needs extra guidance?

so they’ve already singled out these three in particular as being the ones with the most potential, huh. sorry, Rest of the Kids

he’s chewing out Bakugou for his behavior toward the rescuees, and the other two for their whole starting-a-ridiculous-fight-in-the-middle-of-a-disaster-rescue-scenario

he says the thing they lack most is “heart”, and that they can’t expect to be heroes without it

“do you think that everyone will willingly grasp your hand when you offer it to them?!” oooh I like that. basically these idiots need to learn to be more approachable

“survive this life or death battle” lol oh shit

based on the tone of this chapter so far, I can’t help but wonder if this is going to end up being something comedically tame after all of this dramatic buildup

oh my god. suddenly I’m thinking back to that playground equipment. don’t tell me...

OH MY GOD

TODDLERS

holy shit. I count at least 24 of these tykes. and it looks like at least some of them have already manifested their quirks too oh shit

oh my god

Katsuki please don’t murder the small muppet child. I believe in you. babysit the shit out of these brats. you can do it

why do I suddenly have the feeling that maybe the elementary school just needed a substitute really last-minute and so this somehow ended up happening

now the big bird kid who called the grenades lame is running away crying

Bakugou is being chewed out by the other children and desperately trying to do some crisis management that consists of yelling at the kid to “STOP CRYING DAMMIT”

who the fuck is this

does Monoma have a younger brother we don’t know about

meanwhile three other children have cornered Shouto and are grabbing something on his utility belt and shouting “IT’S A PEEPEE” repeatedly

on the plus side, I can already sense Endeavor’s fight or flight instincts kicking in, and with any luck he’ll be out of there before we even get started

Shouto is patiently explaining that the thing on his belt is not, in fact, a peepee

this approach is not really working out for him

meanwhile still more children have surrounded Inasa and are just. punching him. for absolutely no reason

but Inasa is just taking it, and looking up at Endeavor and thinking “I won’t become like him.” awww

and yet this is not really working out either

you know, I wouldn’t have expected this to be the case, but so far Bakugou is actually managing the best here

Camie’s there too, and she’s asking if she’s supposed to be part of this training as well and what’s up with that

Gang says she’s a special case since she didn’t participate in the real test

she’s exasperated, but says that she likes kids anyway so whatever

and there’s a panel that we’re just going to skip riiiiight on past, thank you very much

suffice to say, the female kindergartners are now ganging up on Camie out of jealousy that their popular male classmate appears to like her

also, forget what I said before about Bakugou faring the best so far

little Billy, that is not a toy. please put down the grenade

these kids make flashback!baby!Kacchan look like a perfect little angel. at least he was cute

Gang somehow has faith in them though

you guys. if Kacchan somehow manages to bond with a bunch of snot-nosed little brats and become their mama I will lose my shit. please please please

(ETA: arguably this is exactly what happened. what a fine arc)

the rest of the class is meanwhile being shuttled along to have some boring lecture

lol Bakugou is despairing loudly

THIS IS THE CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT YOU NEED, BUSTER. YOU SIT THERE AND YOU TAKE IT

and seriously though, wasn’t he always the leader of his little pack of brats even as a child? can’t he just somehow tap into that little brat energy and take command of this group of kids as well? he does have a weird sort of charisma, and always has. and he’s shown patience and leadership in the past at unexpected times. I really think he can do this if he just puts his mind to it

All Might, Mic, and Endeav are sitting in the spectator section in silence

Endeav and Mic are dotting up a storm lmao

oh my

ARE YOU GOING TO PROVIDE COMMENTARY

-- HE IS OMG

he says an event without commentary has no soul

brother I’m right there with ya. why do you think I even do this. we should go get kicked out of a movie theater together

All Might’s asking if they really need “soul”, and FUCKING DUH THEY DO, ALL MIGHT

oh shit he’s commandeered Mera’s microphone

I can’t believe this man is the fucking U.A. traitor. maybe. admittedly seeming less likely by the minute

anyways, now that Mic is gone, All Might is figuring he might as well get this awkward conversation over with

he says that he doesn’t really know what to say to Endeavor in his current state

Endeav is asking if All Might’s aware that over the past month the crime rate has risen by three percent

hmm. someone sucks at his current job of being number one, huh

oh no

is Endeavor

having character development

...

motherfuc...

shit

okay look. one, dude is basically a rapist, albeit in a manner that’s just barely society-approved. two, he beat his wife and child. and three, he then had his wife committed when she had a breakdown and never bothered to do anything to try to help her (and also, you know, he’s the one who caused said breakdown in the first place)

so just a reminder. that Endeavor. not a nice guy

...but. it’s a story. and if a character actually shows a desire and willingness to try and change... well. I’m not necessarily just going to dismiss it out of hand

but this motherfucker needs to show some remorse, though. otherwise, fuck that

so whatever, Endeavor. let’s see. I have a feeling this is going to be a long, arduous process, and it might not even pan out. but it’s interesting, at the very least. and so in that sense, I’m here for it. hell, I welcome it. after all, we sure as hell didn’t get too much complex character development in the previous arc, Nighteye aside. so this... this is good

BONUS:

lmaoooooo @ “likes beer” oh god. no salary in the world would ever be enough to compensate teachers for everything that they do and all the shit they have to put up with

the fact that she’s a newbie is apparent just at a glance. give her a year or two under her belt and I bet you anything her personality completely changes. teaching is basically baptism by fire. but she will eventually learn to improvise, adapt, and overcome. and she’ll probably be a lot more drunk too lmao

[binnie-binnie-bambam]

I have been so curious on your tags you have for groups...... can you please tell me a few because I am genuinely curious what you have for them. They are great and hilarious. Like baby nunu boulder I can think about at 3 am and laugh over it

Lmao, yeah I have a weird brain 😂 and I’d love to tell you! Idk what groups you’re into so I’ll just go through them all haha Some have stories, some are just obvious. But I’ll just give the rundown since I talk a lot anyway 😂

UPDATE: I have to put a keep reading thingy because, oh my god I wrote so much. I’m terrible.

Astro

MJ: Happy Virus

That’s a given I think since it’s something he’s known by but he really does make me extraordinarily happy so it fits.

JinJin: Smiley Jinwoo

I love his full name and I almost always use an idols full name in any situation. I mean “JinJin” is adorable obviously, but “Jinwoo” makes me real soft. And he’s a smiley puppy and I can think about his smile anytime and it will automatically make me feel a million times better.

Eunwoo: Prince Dongmin

Again with the full/real name. And “prince” because not only is he very princely in appearance, he also has, in my opinion, some of the most important qualities a prince should have. I’m all about appreciating him for more than just his face!

Moonbin: Binnie Bug

So I have this thing where I only call specific people “bug”. Like it’s not a nickname I use lightly, it’s special to me for a reason that I’m not even able to describe. Binnie just happens to be one of those specific people. And my favorite name to call him is “Binnie” because it sounds cuddly and cute and I call him “Bin” or “Moonbin” when he’s being rude 😂

Rocky: Dancing Minhyuk

Real name again 👍 and he’s extraordinary at dancing. Nothing exciting about this tag, honestly. It doesn’t mean I love him any less!!! I would protect him with my life.

Sanha: Bbu Bbu Sanha

Sanha is captain of Astro’s boat. 👌 And he’s beyond adorable when he says “bbu bbu” so every time I tag it it makes me giggle and smile because I think about how cute he is and how much I wanna pinch his cheeks urghhhhhh I love him.

Got7

Mark: Quiet Sparkle

Mark can sometimes be super quiet and reserved and I really like that side of him. I mean I love his weird loud side too but something about quiet Mark is oddly soothing to me. And to me, he literally sparkles at any given moment.

Jaebeom: Jaememe

I genuinely think it’s impossible for him to avoid being a living, breathing, walking meme and I love it so much.

Jinyoung: Heavenly Jinyoung

Another pretty generic one. He’s just straight up heavenly. In all the way omg (he’s such a great bias wrecker 😩 aghhhh save me from himmmm).

Jackson: Wang Puppy

A given. A typical nickname of his but I just think it’s so cute and accurate. I like to think he’s mainly cute and adorable considering I qualify him as my best friend and most people want to avoid falling in love with their best friend, but I will admit that he messes with my head sometimes and thus, the tag is far from accurate in those cases…

Youngjae: Happy Sunshine

The light of my life (well one of them. MJ and Yeonjun and Youngjae are all one giant sunshine of my life). And happy is my favorite look on him. Excuse me while my heart flutters because I love him so much.

Bambam: Damn Bambam

I actually say this multiple times a day. And more than just for when he’s doing something ridiculously attractive. Sometimes it’s “damn Bambam, why are you so cute and dumb?” other times it’s “damn, Bambam is the best meme.” just to name a few 😂

Yugyeom: Brownie

I know this is also a common nickname for him, although I think people spell it Browny, but for some weird reason, when I first got into Got7, I don’t remember exactly what Yugyeom did, but it made me think of a cosmic brownie, ya know the little debbie snacks, and that’s what was in my brain when I thought up a tag for him 😂

TXT

Yeonjun: Baby Sunshine

He’s the baby out of my three sunshines, the other two as previously stated being MJ and Youngjae. He seriously makes me giddy with happiness and, like I said before, he lights up my life and makes it better.

Soobin: Cucumber Watermelon

I read somewhere when they first debuted that he has a nickname of “cucumber” because he’s tall and I thought it was cute and went with it. The “watermelon” part is because one of my favorite outfits he’s ever worn reminded me of a watermelon. I shall include a photo to illustrate my point, but also because he’s adorable.

Tadaaaaa!!!

Beomgyu: Fluffy Sparkle

Because he’s fluffy and cuddly and cute and squishy and I just wanna squeeze him. Plus fluffy hair on him is my favorite. And he’s another natural born sparkler. Idk how he and Mark do it!

Taehyun: Doe Eyes

They were the first thing I noticed about him. They always look so gentle. Even if he’s bursting with happiness and laughing away, his eyes are still so sweetly soft. I love them.

Hueningkai: Dollbaby

I took one look at this boys face and thought he was an absolute doll. That perfect porcelain skin and those defined petite features, he’s just beautiful and a lot of the time he doesn’t even look real to me.

Monsta X

Shownu: Baby Nunu Boulder

I too laugh at this on a regular basis lmao. He seriously has such a baby face though. Like it’s so cute and his eyes when he laughs I just *squeals into a pillow* “Nunu” because it’s a nickname of his and “boulder” because he’s, well, very large 😂

Wonho: Sin Axolotl

I explained this recently but I’ll just say it again since I’m on a roll lmao. He’s, a lot of the time, sinful to look at. But he’s also basically the cutest living being. And if he was an animal, I know everyone says bunny which I totally agree with, but in my brain, he’s an axolotl. I made a post about it a while back with photos side by side and, quite frankly, I cried a little about how cute I find the comparison to be. Maybe I’ll look for it, and cry again, and repost it.

Minhyuk: Soft Angel Face

I don’t mean this in a negative way so I’m not really sure how to word this without it sounding that way, but 95% of the time, I’m not wildly attracted to Minnie. It’s not that I don’t find him attractive at all, it’s just he’s more often than not extraordinarily adorable and pretty to me. There’s still that 5% of the time where he messes with my head but for the most part, he’s very soft and sweet and angelic looking to me.

Kihyun: Hamster Clam

This is one of my personal favorites 😂 This is the one I think about at 3 AM and laugh about. He’s compared to a hamster all the time and I love it so much and think it’s so accurate. But the clam part *starts laughing again* There’s this moment in some interview of MX’s, I have no idea what it was since I’ve never seen the full thing, just this clip that’s permanently ingrained in my mind, but Kihyun says something about like clam chowder or something and than Changkyun takes the mic and says “You look like a clam. Sorry.” It makes me laugh randomly and that’s why I chose it. Every Monbebe knows about that clip I’m sure. I’m still relatively new here so I don’t know everything and feel like I have to explain what I do know lmao

Hyungwon: Anime Prince

He’s so princely to me. Like he just looks regal. Don’t get me wrong, he’s a complete dork, but he looks very princely in my opinion. And to me, and probably other people, he looks like he just stepped out of an anime at any given moment of any given day. As an anime and manga lover, it makes me feel some type o’ way.

Jooheon: Joobee

Obviously known as JooHoney, I wanted to go off the beaten path and this is what my brain came up with. It’s not very creative, I’m aware of that. But I think it sounds really adorable and it fits him and I’d probably call him that if I knew him irl too.

Changkyun: Crisis Causing Boy

Curse this boy, I swear. He messes with me sooooo much. One minute he’s squishy and so so cute and I just wanna cuddle with him. The next minute he’s *string of curse words*. A demon. A demon, I tell you. He has caused me to have more crises than I can count so that’s why his tag is what it is.

As for tags for members of other groups I don’t stan yet, I only have one because I couldn’t pass up the opportunity when it presented itself in my brain. Also, I consider Ateez to be one of the groups I stan but I don’t have tags for them other than their names yet. Anyway, the one I have a tag for.

Woozi: Oojigoojigoo

I both hate myself for this and am impressed that I’m crazy enough to think of this. I just had to find out that his name is pronounced “oo-ji” and not phonetically. My exact thoughts when I discovered this are as follows: *gasp* “Ooji.” *has epiphany* *another gasp* “A baby.” *fawns over his cuteness* “Ooji - gooji - goo!” *is ashamed* “I’m a disgrace. I am the scum of the earth. I’m a genius!”

So yeah, I wrote a fucking novel I’m sorry 😂 You probably didn’t want all of this information. But now everyone knows my secrets…..? Are they secrets? Not really. Anyway, I’m sorry this is the longest post ever but I hope you at least find something of this entertaining or cute or any positive emotion really. And thank you so much for asking. I love exposing my horrible mind and terrible sense of humor to the world.

No seriously thank you. I’ve got questions about my tags before so I’m glad people are at least somewhat interested in them and what they mean/where they came from. I might update this is I think of more tags for the groups I get into in the future. This was fun. For fucks sake, I need to shut up, I’m so sorry.

[annabethisterrified]

Book Review: THE BURNING MAZE (The Trials of Apollo #3) by Rick Riordan

There are no spoilers unless you click ‘Read More’!

California is burning. After shutting down the oraclic sites in New York and Indiana, Apollo (aka Lester Papadapaulos) and Meg McCaffrey team up with Grover Underwood to find the source of the burning maze, a morphed portion of the Labyrinth where the third oracle is trapped. Along the way, they must work with demigods Piper McLean and Jason Grace to figure out how to navigate the twisting, smoldering maze.

But the third emperor of the evil Roman Triumvirate makes Nero and Commodus look pathetic. With the stakes high and their world burning, Apollo and his friends must put out the flames before they devour everything. 

In classic Riordan tradition, this third installment amps up the drama and danger. With dark and mature themes, the lighthearted aspect of this series begins to dwindle away as real consequences and devastating decisions wreak havoc upon Apollo, Meg, Grover, Jason, and Piper. The Burning Maze is a cinematic, heartbreaking adventure that elevates the stakes and leads us to the grittiest part of The Trials of Apollo. Once again, this book proves that this third series is not a spin-off or separate from Percy Jackson and the Olympians and Heroes of Olympus; The Burning Maze proves that The Trials of Apollo explores the loose ends and lingering fears the first two series laid out. A must-read for any fan of Riordan’s mythological mayhem. Just, uh, grab some tissues first.

SPOILERY COMMENTARY BELOW!

Heyyyy there! So seriously, massive spoilers ahead. You sure about this? Okay. Also, I gotta break this down into chapters. It’ll be the only organized part of this, trust me.

1. That Fun Five Letter Word...Starts with D! 

2. The Devolution of Jasiper

3. Apollo’s Arc

4. What Comes Next...?

5. Miscellaneous Sobbing

-----

CHAPTER ONE: THAT FUN FIVE LETTER WORD...STARTS WITH D!

I am not okay. Like, really not okay. Granted, I’m writing this review less than thirty minutes after finishing, so maybe I need more time to process what just went down but....damn. Like, my stomach ACTUALLY HURTS. I AM IN PHYSICAL PAIN BECAUSE OF THE CONTENT OF THIS BOOK.

In a good way, you ask?

Uh. It’s hard to say. This book is tricky to review. I’ve had an easy, breezy time describing my feelings for all the PJO, HoO, and ToA books prior. But in The Burning Maze...everything changes. 

For years, a lot of us on here have lamented the fact that we felt Riordan’s books have lacked a degree of consequence. On the rare occasion that he did kill a character, he brought them back-- Jason in The Lost Hero, Hazel, Leo...I could go on. 

And it’s not that we’re bad people who want to watch our favorites perish! We just...well, if you keep bringing back dead characters, we start to lose the fear that a character’s death should instill.

I guess he heard us, then.

Because if you’ve read this book, you understand too-- there isn’t anything bringing Jason back. This was real. Final. (In his own words!) And that kind of hurts. A lot. But at the same time, as heartbroken and sick as I feel, this is what we’ve been asking for for a long time-- something that reminds us of what’s at stake. 

Something, I suppose, to make us remember that. (See what I did there?)

Now, I’ll talk more about this in Chapter Two because I have a lot of confused feelings, but I for one, when it was announced that Piper and Jason would be in this book, assumed it would be a joint arrival, if that makes sense? I wasn’t expecting the two of them to be starkly and individually portrayed and explored...and yeah, I gotta wait til the next section to talk about this. Back to Jason’s demise.

And yeah, this was spoiled for me. And yeah, it was my own fault, so don’t feel bad for me. Still, I didn’t know HOW or WHY he would die, so there was plenty of heartbreak for me to uncover along the way. I was mentally steeling myself for the first 300 pages of this book, dreading what I knew was coming, crying at nearly every scene he was in (which frankly, wasn’t many scenes!) and basically losing my damn mind remembering ceaselessly all the times we’ve had over the past what? EIGHT YEARS? Since Lost Hero came out? I’ve loved Jason since The Lost Hero...since I was TWELVE. I am now TWENTY. I watched him grow. I waited impatiently every year for the next HoO book to release. I watched him fall in love with Piper and expand his loyalties and grow stronger and wiser and end up with such a fitting duty-- pontifex maximus.

And today, eight years later, I watched it all get ripped away. 

And I’m torn, because I think in a dark way, this is an absolutely tragically beautiful arc for Riordan to explore and utilize in ToA. I think it was a long overdue and necessary decision that clarifies the real danger our characters should have been exposed to much earlier. 

But I really thought he was going to be okay after Blood of Olympus. I thought our Seven were safe. I had already imagined and accepted what their lives were going to be like-- I had imagined he and Piper’s kids, his job as pontifex maximus, everything that was going to unfold for him... I thought the great tragedy of his long, happy life was going to be not growing old with his sister, Thalia. 

And it was hard to have him brought back into the action just for half of a book, just to get killed so gruesomely, so violently...without even getting to say goodbye, a fact that Piper and Leo later lament. So am I outraged at this writing decision? Or simply as a loyal reader? I think it’s the latter. I am angry for Jason and the friends he left behind, but I also deeply respect this writing decision. It’s a weird balance, and my thoughts will likely evolve as I have more time to digest.

I don’t feel good thoughts about this book, but that’s not a negative on the story. I think Riordan knocked it out of the park. That doesn’t diminish the dread and devastation I feel as a reader who has loved Jason for eight years. As a reader who had happiness for Jason’s future, and as a reader who really, truly, thought it would happen. 

Then again, isn’t that the whole point? Demigods are never, ever safe. And now Apollo will always remember what it is to be human, because Jason did such a goddamn noble job of it. 

I’m proud of that boy, and deeply sorry for him. I’m gutted. I’ll miss him terribly. I just hope this arc is further explored and resonates in the final two books in this saga. I just hope it wasn’t for nothing, but I know it won’t be. 

Don’t get me fucking started on 

Coach Hedge: “I was his protector.”

Leo: “Where’s Jason?”

Goodbye, please see Chapter Five for more screaming!

CHAPTER TWO: THE DEVOLUTION OF JASIPER

Ironically, this somehow hurts me just as much as Jason’s death? Like...okay. Let me think of how I can articulate this, because I’m feeling a lot of things. 

First off, I (unlike many of us bloggers here) genuinely loved Jason’s character and his romantic pairing with Piper right from the get-go. It clicked for me. It really resonated, and I was fully supportive. I loved the strange dynamic of having this fake foundation, and watching it develop (seemingly) into something real-- something unique and strong, a soaring romance worthy for a daughter of Aphrodite. 

We didn’t see it happen on-page, but they were an official couple by The Mark of Athena and I was behind it 100%. They had rough patches that I guess were indicative of future problems, but they were easily swept aside by the larger importance of surviving their Argo 2 mission. I loved their tender, intimate moments in The House of Hades and The Blood of Olympus.

Truly.

So I was confused when they were broken up (again, something we don’t see happen on-page) in The Burning Maze. And being from Apollo’s perspective, we of course will never fully understand why this happened. 

Now again, I have to deal between looking at this from two perspectives. Am I upset at the author’s decision, or just as a really-passionate Jasiper shipper? Of course, my immediate thought was that one of them had broken it off to protect the other, probably thinking “oh fuck if one of us is gonna die in the maze, maybe I should break this off to avoid future pain”. But then jason goes and tells apollo that it was PIPER that broke it off well before the burning maze was even a thing and i’m like WATTTTTT

I’m still like WHATTTTTTT

So, I wait for Piper to have her heart-to-heart with Apollo. (Listen, I fucking LOVE Piper in this book. What a badass motherfucker. Holy fuck.) And I’m expecting her to give a concrete, selfless reason for breaking things off with Jason.

I wasn’t expecting her to have fallen out of love with him.

But the more Piper explained herself, the more I realized that I was just the type of secondhand observer that Piper had started to resent. Apollo put it succinctly: “Your relationship was born in crisis.” 

It really was-- beyond Hera’s meddling and Aphrodite’s hyperfixation, these kids were also in WAR MODE. That’s enough to stress anyone out. I hadn’t really stopped to consider what Piper was dealing with, as a daughter of the love goddess. How everyone expected her to have everything romantic figured out. To have a love story to rival Percy and Annabeth’s. How her first love must be the love of her life.

And the whole world-- and the whole pantheon-- was watching them and expecting it. Judging them, all the time. 

Like, yeah, girl. That’s a lot. I think I get why Piper did it, even if it broke my heart. That being said, I do wish that if Jason had lived, they eventually would’ve made their way back to each other and fallen in love for real.

But Piper was right. She deserved to forge her own identity, even with the world restraining her constantly. I wish I knew exactly where her feelings for him stood, but at least we know with certainty that she always considered him her closest friend. She clearly loved him so much, more than anyone-- even if it was a different type of love than the one they first shared.

Just because she’s Aphrodite’s daughter doesn’t mean she should have to fall in love so dramatically and eternally. That isn’t fair for her. Her first remark to Grover was cutting and clear-- Jason and Piper were never like Percy and Annabeth. 

And this is still hard for me to stomach, since I love(d) them together, but I am glad Riordan is exploring the much more realistic aspect to relationships. As someone in a long-term relationship, I can empathize with Piper’s fears. The world always wants couples to be “Percabeth”-- together forever, utterly known to each other. 

But the reality is, most couples are nothing like Percabeth. And that’s okay-- that’s normal, and as sad as that is, at least it was acknowledged and addressed and explored. 

It took away some of the sting of Jason’s death that I’d been anticipating. I thought maybe there would be some last-minute confessional, some last tender moment between them. There wasn’t. He was torn away so fast. 

I’m devastated that Piper has to live on without him. But she has her father, Hedge and Millie, Leo...she’ll be okay. She’s a fighter. Always was. 

It’s hard to see one of Riordan’s hallmark couples fall apart in a way you don’t expect. But I can’t say it’s not realistic, and it’s kind of relieving to see one of his romances take on the tough stuff and not fall into a sweeping, encompassing romance that is usually unrealistic. 

CHAPTER THREE: APOLLO’S ARC

YEESSSSS RIORDAN DONE GOOD ON THIS PART

Apollo’s narration and character has finally developed into someone I can truly empathize and sympathize with. As cool as it would’ve been to see some of these scenes from other character’s points of view, I was really happy to read through Apollo’s eyes. I love love love where his character is going.

God....him referring to Jason as ‘brother’...his obvious care for Meg...it got me good. I’ve always liked Apollo as a narrator, but this is the first book where I LOVED IT. He’s set on a good path! He’s still funny, thank goodness, but there’s also a darker, wiser grace to him now that gives the story a more serious edge that will definitely help the books moving forwards.

I can’t believe he tried to kill himself to save the others. Ugh. What a guy. 

Love him!

That is all.

CHAPTER FOUR: WHAT COMES NEXT...?

So, I did a big happy dance when the next prophecy was revealed....REYNA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I LOVE REYNA OH MY GOD WE GET A WHOLE BOOK WITH HER I’M PSYCHED FOR THE TYRANT’S TOMB 

But beyond REYnA!!!!! and Camp Jupiter????? I don’t really know what to expect for this fourth installment. I imagine we’re going to Delphi for the final book, but sticking to the Bay Area for The Tyrant’s Tomb??? 

I’m like...extremely apprehensive because a lot of people are predicting that Apollo and Reyna are gonna fall in love?????????????????????? like what with her final prophecy: no demigod shall heal your heart

umm. first off, reyna could do WAY better. But like...is this actually gonna happen? UHHHHH????? Guess I have a full year to think on this one hmmm

CHAPTER FIVE: MISCELLANEOUS SOBBING

soooooo i’m like kinda numb kinda devastated kinda in love with this book kinda wanna throw it against a wall

Like, okay, I recognize that as an author Riordan did an excellent job writing this book and I am so excited to see what goes down next.

BUT ALSO I HAD BEEN IMAGINING THIS DREAMY REUNION SCENE BETWEEN LEO/PIPER/JASON AND THEN IT HAPPENED EXCEPT JASON WAS IN A COFFIN??????????????????????????????????????????? FUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I ALSO CANNOT BELIEVE PIPER IS MOVING TO OKLA-FUCKING-HOMA i mean actually I’m really happy that she’s finding her roots and that she’s taking some well-deserved family time and that coach hedge is with her but also I WISH SHE WAS WITH HER CHB AND CF FRIENDDDSSS

at least it’s kinda close to Indianapolis?

jesus christ

Anyway, I really loved Piper in this book-- my queen, my crush, my...oh my god i just love her she’s a fantastic character and i really hope she’ll come back somehow for the final battle

I’m also happy that Grover gets to go back to CHB and see Percy and Annabeth again! Yay!!! And I’m happy that Camp Jupiter hasn’t burned down to the ground yet! Yay!!!!!

In conclusion, I will grieve Jason Grace forever. But damn, what a book. See you next spring, demigods. 

PLEASE MESSAGE ME TO TALK ABOUT THIS IF YOU’VE READ TBM I NEED TO CRY MORE

[agentdammers]

Grand Torchwood Rewatch 1x12 & 13

IF YOU FALL I WILL CATCH U I’LL BE WAITING........ T I M E A F T E R T I M E

One season down...... It’s a Finale Double Whammy, just as it aired back in 2007! Crumbs of Jack Lore drop into our laps, some absolute plot bullshit takes place, an old man is there!!! fuck it let’s get this over with

content warn: pisstaking, fun having, oh! plot bullshit!, i absolutely lose my fucking mind, Owen Harper!!! I Won’t Hesitate Bitch

1x12 “captain jack harkness”

- a thought before we dive in, but man owen gets A LOT of story stuff over the course of the 2 seasons he’s in right??? like more story stuff than ianto and tosh combined. interesting

- AH FUCK!!! A VOTE SAXON POSTER. REMEMBER WHEN?

- so..... here’s a thing. “Ohhh people have heard music from a derelict building! better send torchwood in!” how... does that come about? Could it be squatters or something??? fuck it, let’s send in a Secret Government Agency! they’ll sort it out. i mean we don’t know what they do exactly but i imagine at least one of them is a ghostbuster or something lmao, whatever

- OH NO THIS CREEPY OLD BITCH!!! i forgot how scary he looked!! god, this dude must be a million, or a vampire, or likely both

- tosh’s eyes get SO BIG WHEN THAT GUY ASKS HER TO DANCE I LOVE HER SO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!! she’s the best one!!!!!!

- wish i could wipe this episode entirely from my memory because that fucking reveal when the Real jack harkness introduces himself? F    U    C   K

- speaking of tosh, finding it extremely unconvincing that she, a tech nerd, would go out with a laptop with an almost completely flat battery... like, c’mon. she would be prepared

- Gwen cooper, a fully adult woman: haha me and my friends;;;; came here 4 a dare;;; cos its spooky lol....

- the camera on this show has me fucking SCREEEAMING “He wears a cravat.” THERE’S A DRAMATIC SLOW MOTION ZOOM IN ON THIS GUYS FUCKING CRAVAT AND THEN ON IANTO’S FACE LOOKING AT IT AND ITS ALL IN FUCKING EARNEST LET ME DIE!!!!!!!!!

- the dance they’re at is called “KISS THE BOYS GOODBYE DANCE”, which is what my finishing move would be called if i was a character in a fighting game

- ianto and owen slapfighting over their shit girlfriend experiences fucking owns genuinely lmao

- tosh pops the top off a tin and then cuts her hand open on the obviously blunt fucking lid?????? jesus christ

- “I’m tired of living in awe of the rift!!!” .....................first i’ve heard of it. I love that owen is talking as though the rift has been a major fucking factor throughout the entire series up until this point, rather than a thing that’s just been vaguely fucking referenced as the reason why a bunch of weird shit just seems to happen in cardiff. no, im not standing for this. You can’t pull out the rift at the eleventh hour and then talk about it as though it’s a Hugely Important plot device when the biggest role it’s had over the stretch of the entire 11 Whole Ass episodes prefacing this was to allow the plane to come through in “out of time”. y’all have barely mentioned the rift this entire time and now you want to act like its the hellmouth??? eat my ass!!!!!!

- and continuing on that note: apparently they’ve had a machine that can manipulate the rift in the hub......... the entire goddamn time. but no one thought to MENTION it i guess!!!!!!!! pfft, why would THAT be important??? right???? right?????

this plot bullshit almost makes me feel bad for how harsh i was about “cyberwoman” but, i will admit.... despite this Absolute Fucking Nonsense, i do find the jack and tosh storyline in this episode really fun and interesting. its just unfortunate that all the stuff arrrrround that is some kind of fic scrawled in the back of a kid’s math book.

- also the size of owen’s fucking NADS in this episode!!!!!!!! “Don’t compare yourself to me.” SAYS MAN CRYING OVER THE GIRL HE KNEW FOR ONE (1!) (SINGULAR) WEEK!!!! as opposed to ianto’s longterm girlfriend being turned into a monster and eventually murdered by his own team!!!! Like, i understand that’s owen’s problem actually goes beyond that, and its not so much about diane herself but about the fact that he let himself feel close to someone again after his fiancee died but for us, The Audience, watching this as it airs... we haven’t unlocked owen’s tragic backstory yet. and without knowing all that it just makes owen look really bad and like a huge fucking tool lmfao.

- NEVERMIND THE END IS GAY AND SAD AND Y’KNOW!!!!!! i am a man of simple pleasures, at heart, and so... i’ll let it slide. jack meeting his namesake knowing that he’s going to die and them having a moment is more of the kind of emotional content we would get in episodes of doctor who, and its Just Right

- in honesty, theres a bunch of stuff about this ep that i DO like. that tosh gets a prominant role for a change, while gwen gets to do fuck all. the whole Real Jack story. owen gets shot and pops a tit out at the end. its just unfortunate thats its all wrapped up in this rift thing thats been wheeled out last minute for a Big Season Finale with no real foreshadowing or build up to it at all lmao. but, moving on...............................................................................................

1x13 “end of days”

- RHYS BUNS DETECTED, A SOUND WAY TO KICK OFF ANY EPISODE

- lovely reading voice ianto’s got..... i also like owen acting up to make sure we know that they remember him being shot in the shoulder last episode lol.

- “owen, if you open the rift you’ll break it” (owen opens the rift anyway) “owen, you opening the rift broke it” (owen GASPS IN DISMAY, ME??? REALLY?) yes bitch open your ears

- “So are we going to sit around crying into our lattes or are we gonna do something about it?” OWEN..... IS THIS. SUPPOSED TO SOUND BADASS I.... GENUINELY CANT TELL? IT SOUNDS BAD, OWEN

- jack was so likeable last ep now he’s a DICK. gwen calls him out on how he talked to owen and he’s really fucking catty at HER for no reason at all????

- i haaaaaaaaate this scene in the hospital where a Mystery Illness has all the fucking symptoms of the bubonic plague but apparently every doctor in the entire hospital never did high school level history and are all incapable of recognising it. if fucking *i* know what symptoms of the bubonic plague are im sure they didn’t need Absolute Brain Genius Owen Harper who is seemingly the only person with any sense in cardiff to come in and diagnose it. i also hate how owen just like casually mentions to the doctor yep, this is caused by people falling through time dude yknow!!! like they do!! expect more of this to keep happening probably idk!!

- “I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU OPENED THE RIFT WITH THIS MACHINE WE HAVE THAT’S FOR UHHHHHHHH UHHHHHHH OPENING THE RIFT *big fuck off galaxy brain*” thats basically this episode.

- i love that owen has followed jack all this time but NOW in a crisis is the time to actually lose it and start questioning his authority bc they dont Actually know who jack is like???? you’ve been fine not knowing this entire time before??? thats not to say that jack isn’t an entire dumbass himself. he expects them all to follow him blindly and its so creepy. he’s like a cult leader, and as they all have Torchwood Stockholm Syndrome that ive mentioned in previous episode run downs they’ve all just gone along with it.

- owen having a little cry on the way out is such a Good scene bc he puts on such a brave and defiant front tho 💕💖💘💕

- i dont know why the really quick flashback to diane flying off in the plane made me lose my fucking mind, its just like “LMAO IN CASE U FORGOT: SHE WAS THE PLANE LADY. I KNOW SHE WAS ONLY IN FOR LIKE TWO MINUTES, BUT DONT WORRY ABOUT IT.”

- gwen for fucks sake!!!!!!!! not again!!!!! after all the cryptic shit and lies she’s told rhys up until this point, she now knocks him out and locks him in a cell and STILL offers no explanation. this poor fucking dude!!!!!!!!! and it’s about to get even worse for him...

- the way gwen screams “RHHHHHHEEEEEEEEEEEEUUUUUUUURRRRRSSSSS”

- YES EVERYONE REBEL AGAINST JACK!!!!!!! FUCK THIS DUDE!!!! you’re doing what a creepy old dude who is Absolutely Definitely evil wants, but still

- why does gwen start doing shit on the computer when toshiko, the computer expert, is standing right there, like.............

- JACK TRYING TO SMACKTALK TO ENTIRE GANG LIKE HIS OWN CLOSET ISN’T CHOCKFUL OF FUCKING SKELETONS

- i forget, does anyone know jack’s immortal apart from gwen? or was it just the shock of owen actually Shooting Their Boss? the only onscreen death i can recall of his after suzie shot him was in “cyberwoman”

- god, minutes ago they were all like FUCK JACK!!!! JACK DOESN’T KNOW HOW TO SAVE US AFTER ALL!!! and now theyre all crawling back asking jack to save them all from cgi pig Ganon and its just..... a lot to happen, over the space of about half an hour.

- the ending is so anticlimatic and also why does sucking all the Yummy Life Energy out of jack make abaddon die?????????? Though in its defence... after like 3 bowls of cereal, i too am like OUCH OOF MY BONES

- aaaaaaaaaand rhys is back! will he get treated any better from here on out? i dont remember!!! guess we’ll see.

- bit much of gwen who’s actually known jack the shortest time of them all to be like NO, let ME be with him uwuwuwuuw

- ahhh!!! ianto smelling jack’s coat ;_;

- aaaand jack’s back too. AND HE GETS TO HOLD A CRYING OWEN? FOR ME? oh you shouldn’t have! this Almost makes up for all that rift plot bullshit (almost. i still know what u did.)

- ANDDDDD OH SHIT. FUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!! THE GOOD ENDING. HERE COMES THE TARDIS. FUCKING YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

...............................and there it goes. one season down. sorry this one was so long!!! i love and appreciate anyone to takes the time to read these posts. thank u!!!!

[nihilismbot]

Simpatico for the pairing thing!!

Fake datingIt’s hard for Brainstorm at first, since he has actual feelings for Perceptor. Ultimately, he decides this is as close as he’s going to get to really dating Perceptor so he goes all in. After all, if Perceptor makes too much of a show of rejecting him, then the whole fake dating plan falls apart.

Finally, Brainstorm can call him “Percy” and hold his hand and rest his chin on his shoulder to look at what Perceptor is working on. Sure, it’s all fake, but it’s not like Perceptor is ever going to actually have feelings for him.

Except that Perceptor liked Brainstorm the whole time. He went through his own small “I hate that this is fake” crisis, but he ultimately swallowed his pride and did what he had to. Which was easy while Brainstorm was also being stiff and awkward, once he loosed up, it was a lot harder for Perceptor to ignore his feelings.

One day, Perceptor finally snaps at Brainstorm that he genuinely likes him and he can’t do this fake thing any more. 

Other than “and everything is resolved and they real date” I am now out of ideas!

BodyswapThey do a terrible job of acting like each other.

The biggest problem is that Perceptor is really hot? And has a really hot alt mode? And how does Perceptor get things done when he’s so hot? The crew knows something is wrong when Perceptor can’t stop posing in front of mirrors and generally strutting around. 

Perceptor is simply bad at acting. He tries to mimic Brainstorm’s mannerism, but he’s so stiff about it that no one is fooled for a second. 

Brainstorm also is conflicted between his desire to brag and his desire to have people recognize him. If he differs to Brainstorm, he’s really differing to Perceptor. Sure, no one knows that but he knows that! And that’s bad enough!

Sexpollen/fuck or die/aliens made them do itThere actually was a good fic with this premise!

Brainstorm is apologetic. He wants this, but wants full consent on Perceptor’s part. Perceptor has a difficult time convincing him that this is very much wanted, please.Dark!ficPerceptor secretly plots with some of the crew members to overthrow Rodimus. As part of the plan, a group of Rodimus supporters are kicked off the ship and are stranded on a planet with the DJD rapidly approaching. Included in this stranded group is Brainstorm and- OH WAIT

Secret kinksBrainstorm has a not-so-secret microscope kink. Perceptor has a very secret dominance/submission kink that he’s hoping to take to the grave.Their first kissIt’s shortly after Brainstorm’s trial. Perceptor approaches him to say something, anything he can to offer comfort. The words get lost as he looks into Brainstorm’s eyes. 

Brainstorm’s been trying to keep up appearances, but he’s tired. He’s so tired. The trial was hard, the entire time travel journey was hard, and having to lose Quark again was hard. He cracks a smile at Perceptor, but his eyes are dull and unfocused.

Perceptor can’t find the right words. “It will be okay” sounds hollow at the best of times and it’s absolutely meaningless now. “I’m sorry for your loss” or “I understand” don’t sound any better. So he says nothing. 

Taking a step forward, Perceptor reaches out to hold Brainstorm’s hand. Brainstorm looks at it with unfocused eyes and he begins to tremble. He collapses against Perceptor and sobs.

Perceptor lets him stay there as long as he needs. He gently caresses Brainstorm’s back and lets him cry, it’s been a hard day. 

Finally, Brainstorm leans back, still shuddering from his breakdown. Perceptor pulls him forward and locks their lips before Brainstorm has a chance to fully understand what’s happening.

Those are all the words he needed.

Meeting the parentsPerceptor’s parents are very proper and stiff and meeting them is like taking a jaunty trip to the pit for Brainstorm. All jokes are met with blank stares, any discussions of Brainstorm’s work in weapons development put a sour look on their faces, even praising Perceptor’s theories doesn’t seem to put him in their good graces. 

When they finally leave, Perceptor smiles and tells Brainstorm that it went well and his parents seemed to like him. Brainstorm gives him a weird look.

Brainstorm’s parents are on the opposite end. They’re loud, they fight, they have no idea what their son is talking about the moment he says the word “science.” They love Brainstorm though, and he loves Perceptor, so they love Perceptor. And their son is quite the catch! Good job on nabbing him, Perceptor!Moving in togetherPerceptor likes minimalism. Brainstorm likes having everything where he might need it. This could work out find, but “where he might need it” is anywhere in the house. Brainstorm doesn’t like to be limited in his work area, so he has collections of things all over the place.

“Why is there a soldering iron in the kitchen?”

“For soldering, obviously.”

“Why are you soldering in the kitchen????”

“Why not?”

A crossover of my choiceCrossover with Sailor Moon. 

Everything is the same, but they’re sailor scouts.An AU of my choiceCollege Professor AU.

Brainstorm is the fun professor that everyone loves and he has maybe set fire to a classroom before!

Perceptor is the boring professor that everyone dreads.

No one believes them when they say they’re married.

[shinneth]

Gem Ascension Tropes (Peridot-specific: S)

Reference:

Primary Peri Post ▼ Primary General Post ▼ Full Article

Say My Name: Per canon with Steven, Up to Eleven. She cries out his name a lot in GA, even when the situation really doesn’t call for a dramatic cry.

Screw Destiny: After seeing Sapphire’s Prophecy in Chapter 7 of Act I, Peridot nominates herself to be the one who will ultimately be left behind while everyone else escapes Homeworld and safely flees to Earth. However, Peridot makes it clear that she has no intention of needlessly sacrificing herself and will do everything in her power to escape with everyone else without compromising their own safety. She spends the final chapter of Act I doing everything she can to make a difference and pays close attention to her surroundings to see what might cause her to succumb to the prophecy so she can avoid it. Peridot very nearly succeeds, but ultimately falls victim to her own clumsiness at the last second.

Self-Fulfilling Prophecy: After witnessing Sapphire’s vision of how the end of Act I will play out, knowing whoever is bringing up the rear in the Crystal Gems’ escape from Homeworld will be the only one to fall and get left behind, Peridot elects herself for the position. But, she makes it very clear to Sapphire that based on what she saw, nothing hindered the Crystal Gems’ escape based on the vision, so Peridot refused to interpret this as a necessary sacrifice. Since the vision wasn’t clear on what causes the remaining to fall in the first place, Peridot is very attentive of her surroundings during the final battle. The way it ends up playing out, Peridot can’t see anything that would cause her to fall (though the timed falling gates in the tunnel show her how she’d get separated from her group). She’s mere seconds away from reaching Steven and Garnet (who already made it to the finish line) before falling and getting Separated by a Wall from her friends. The reason for Peridot’s fall? Her own clumsy nature. Despite Sapphire interpreting Peridot’s position as a sacrifice while the vision didn’t show anything to suggest that being left behind was necessary, Peridot realizes her friends are initially unable to take off, as the spaceship is tethered to the makeshift chute she and her friends made when they first landed on Homeworld. White Diamond is no more than a minute away from reaching all of them, and while Peridot is very weakened and injured, she does have just enough strength to use her metal powers to sever the chute’s connection to the spaceship, allowing it to fully take off just in time.

Semi-Divine: Emerged as this, but said divinity was benign until White Diamond induced artificial growth of those elements.

Sesquipedalian Loquaciousness: Per canon, and Up to Eleven in this continuity. You could make a separate page of her alternative phrases invoked with this trope alone. Still also prone to Techno Babble.

Sexual Euphemism: Considering Peridot’s penchant for Sesquipedalian Loquaciousness, she has alternative verbiage for nearly every aspect of sexual activity that she uses in place of the usual terminology. She almost always refers to sex as “coitus”. But that’s nothing compared to her way of phallic phrasing…

Shapeshifter Identity Crisis: Discussed and downplayed; this is a legitimate concern Peridot has with her Chartreuse Diamond Alter Ego, but Chartreuse herself isn’t really that distinct from Peridot in terms of personality. Then again, there haven’t yet been many opportunities for Chartreuse to display any differences when she’s primarily there for a quick power boost, teleportation, fusion, or accidentally comes about when Peridot is mentally or emotionally unstable. Peridot does confide in Steven that Chartreuse is a bit less restrained when it comes to certain urges and especially has a dirtier mind (something Steven himself picked up on in Chapter 6 of Act III). Possibly justified in that Peridot doesn’t really want to give Chartreuse enough time out to really form her own distinct personality, though now that Peridot has accepted Chartreuse as part of herself in GA’s finale, that suggests she will have more of a presence in post-GA events.

She’s Back: After being Left for Dead in Act I’s finale and only being present via prerecorded messages throughout Act II (with just a small scene of how she’s faring in the present day at the very end of said act), Peridot is front-and-center again come Act III. 

Shorter Means Smarter: Even post-ascension, Peridot’s one of the shortest members of the Crystal Gems, and of course is The Smart Gem.

Shut Up, Hannibal!: Whether she’s Peridot or Chartreuse Diamond, Act III shows several instances of her invoking this trope on White Diamond.

“Shut Up” Kiss: Gave one to Steven in Chapter 6 of Act I that doubled as a Motivational Kiss. 

Sibling Yin-Yang: Zig-Zagged with 5XF. They led virtually opposite lives on Homeworld; once 5XF is brought to Earth, however, she displays several mannerisms and characteristics that Peridot happens to share. These details were brought to light with little to no influence of Peridot’s own, so they are quite genuine (whether 5XF admits to that or not). Despite that, 5XF at her core proves to be a very different person from her sister. At the very least, no one will confuse the two for one another and they’ll never be regarded as clones.

Sigh of Love: Peridot does this a lot, mostly in Steven’s presence after they become an Official Couple. Especially prevalent in the post-GA stories.

Single-Target Sexuality: Her behavior heavily suggests this for Steven.

Skyward Scream: What Peridot first lets out in anguish over losing Pumpkin.

Slashed Throat: The end result of Peridot being Tricked to Death by White Diamond, although subverted in that this doesn’t kill Peridot at all since she’s a gem. The point of White doing this was to invoke Your Mind Makes It Real on Peridot (which she succeeds in doing) to shock her senses enough so that it makes her lose consciousness. However, the lingering visual haunts not only Peridot’s memories, but also Steven’s… leading to some very significant changes in both of them down the line.

Sleep Cute: At the end of Bottled Up, this happens to Steven and Peridot on the roof of the beach house.

The Smart Gem: Per canon, she is this trope even more so than Pearl (outside of knowing anything about Era 1). Peridot retains this role even after becoming a Hero Protagonist.

Small Name, Big Ego: Per canon, even with her added Heroic Self-Deprecation.

Big Ego, Hidden Depths: Peridot has quite a few self-esteem issues, even more so than her canon counterpart. She can be surprisingly mature when she needs to be, and despite being so self-centered, Peridot doesn’t hesitate to put her friends before her.

Snark-to-Snark Combat: Engages in this with Lapis a few times; it’s the best way she can passive-aggressively vent her frustrations towards Lapis that don’t get properly addressed until way later in the story.

Social Climber: Exclusive to Peridot prior to her Earth assignment. She was very much The Backstabber variety. This trope can actually be credited for Peridot being able to ultimately become a better gem befitting the Hero Protagonist she becomes in GA, despite defining who she was at her absolute lowest point.

The Sociopath: Before she was promoted and assigned to Earth, Peridot was a very egregious one. Averted after meeting Jasper, as explained in This is Who I Am Chapter 3, where that experience alone forcibly shook this trope right out of her. However, a sliver of it must still remain, given the nature of Peridot’s Heroic Safe Mode…

Sorry That I’m Dying: How Peridot prefaces most of her messages to her friends in Act II.

Stepford Snarker: Peridot has her moments of this in Act I, but it’s most prevalent in Act III, right around the point where she’s holding the Jerkass Ball in Chapter 6 because she’s agonizing over the fact that she and Steven can’t fuse. She’s not ready to tell anyone else (and they’re on a mission, so it’s not the time nor the place), so most teammates who dare address her in early Chapter 6 will get some unwarranted sass.

The Stoic: Peridot emerged as one. She was the only one in her facet who felt no pain when her limb enhancers were equipped shortly after she emerged; so much that she barely even noticed it was happening. This helped make a strong first impression for Peridot, who later used the respect she earned from her early life to transition from this to The Sociopath. This trope was forcibly shaken out of Peridot courtesy of Jasper via a Near-Rape Experience when they were first assigned together. What little composure she had left after that was soon diminished entirely as her repeated confrontations with the Crystal Gems after getting stranded on Earth further pushed Peridot past her limits. Shortly before she was finally captured by her enemies, Peridot was such an emotional wreck that even the kidnapped Steven could tell the stoic demeanor he first saw her with was little more than a façade – and later defined it as an example of Homeworld’s oppressive way of keeping gems from truly being who they truly were. Late in Act III, Steven confirms Peridot truly not embodying this trope was what really saved the world, as he likely would have listened to Garnet and never freed Peridot from the Burning Room had he not seen her vulnerable side. However, much like her sociopathy, a sliver of this trope does remain deep within Peridot and only comes out in extreme situations that call for it – namely Heroic Safe Mode during Chapter 4 of Act I, as well as manifesting in her dark persona known as “5XG” in Chapter 5 of This is Who I Am.

Strapped to an Operating Table: Willingly at first, since Peridot’s aiming to get new limb enhancers in Chapter 4 of Act 1, and she needs to be strapped to such a device to have them applied. However, it quickly becomes a trap as 9FC ruthlessly mangles her limbs.

The Strategist: Single-handedly plans out the entire rescue mission in Act I. She proposes Lapis’ necessary change in combat style due to the change in environment, and she performs a great number of feats in the final battle on the first act seemingly on the fly. Downplayed after Act I, as she’s entirely absent for Act II and spends a good chunk of Act III either kidnapped or mentally compromised. However, Peridot’s still chipping in on plans by Chapter 5 of Act III; the role just becomes more of Pearl’s out of necessity.

Street Smart: For Homeworld, she is. She isn’t quite as sharp as 5XF in this ability (largely due to being a delusional egomaniac when she lived there), but Peridot is very well aware of how to behave in a way that won’t draw attention on Homeworld; hence why she’s the team’s navigator and guide. 

Supernatural Angst: Peridot is afflicted with this early on in Act III when she learns that she’s an Unwitting Test Subject. While she comes to accept who she is by Act III’s conclusion, this never fully goes away.

Suspiciously Specific Denial: Always the reason why Peridot can’t lie her way out of a wet paper bag.

Peridot: “Are you suggesting I’m just trying to act tough because there’s a giant scary messy battle going on and it’s definitely not terrifying me? Because I swear it isn’t!”

Sweet and Sour Grapes: Arguably how one can sum up Peridot’s entire life in the GA continuity. See Cosmic Plaything for more details.

Swiss Army Superpower: The nature of having a power charged by will means Peridot (and Chartreuse) has almost limitless possibilities for how to utilize it. So long as she knows what she’s trying to do with her power and can picture it in her mind, Peridot wields the most versatile power one could ever have. Of course, with Peridot specifically, there’s only so much she can do with said power before it starts taking a toll on her corporeal form – in order to truly have the bare minimum of limitations, she has to be Chartreuse Diamond while wielding the power. Still, even with the power cap, the variety of utility inherent with Peridot’s will remains unmatched by any other Crystal Gem.

Symbolically Broken Object: The Dramatic Shattering of Peridot’s visor at the end of Act I after she trips and falls head-first into a metal-framed door. Serves as a punctuation to Peridot’s (presumed) fate to die at White Diamond’s hands when she was so close to escaping with her friends, and factors into The Reveal regarding her Mismatched Eyes.

[johannesviii]

Earthworld

Some highlights of the last EDA I’ve read (Earthworld).

I took these screens while reading, along with my reactions. As usual, this is full of spoilers.

This is exactly what everyone needed after the Earth arc, and especially after Escape Velocity and Anji’s lackluster characterisation. She’s reintroduced in this book, and what a wonderful addition to that TARDIS team! And the book tackles the topic of Dave’s death, where the previous one kinda refused to do so before sending Anji directly into space.

Come to think of it, the book tackles a lot of things it didn’t have to, and succeeds, too. Eight’s responsability in the destruction of Gallifrey constantly threatens to make a comeback in his mind. The issue of Fitz being a copy of the original Fitz is discussed at last - a thing all the books since Interference failed to do properly (including The Ancestor Cell). Come to think of it, Earthworld might just be the best Fitz book so far, which is a baffling thing to me considering that’s his twentieth book!

The plot itself is mostly a good runaround in an amazingly fun setting - it never really threatens to be more than that, but it’s still pretty refreshing. It’s a great standalone book, a fun romp, a very good character piece ; it works on nearly every level. What a breath of fresh air. 8,5/10

My bad, I seem to have picked the novelisation of An Unearthly Child.

We’re only on page one and I’ve already laughed out loud once. Good sign.

I just had a flashback of the scene from Memory Lane where Charley tries to use a mobile phone, and I imagined these two dorks trying to have a conversation over mobile phones and I’m giggling

Also Anji thinking Fitz and Eight are embarrassing idiots gives me life

This is a 3 out of 10 on the scale of Bad Ideas.

WE’RE ONLY THREE PAGES INTO THIS STORY AND I’VE ALREADY SAID “IDIOTS” THREE TIMES

Oh my god Eight

Thank you for your precious contribution Doctor

FITZ NO

Are you telling me that the Doctor can only use the sonic as long as he’s distracted and babbling about special interests now

Because that really speaks to me as a person

Meanwhile Anji is trying to cope with Dave’s death by writing him emails and this shouldn’t be that funny

Oh no he still has some memories of Sam and he doesn’t realise it

Okay so I need to make this t-shirt right now immediately

One thing I don’t really like about the writing is that some dialogues are entirely one-sided. It’s not the best example, but in some scenes you only get half the dialogue and it’s very strange.

We’re all very happy for you Doctor but why are you so happy about that

OH SHIT HAHAHA that’s a great idea!

Wait a f█cking second

Is this some sort of Disneyland very loosely based on Earth

I love you Anji

That girl must be a New Who fan who calls Ten “the second Doctor” probably

I probably should smile but I’m actually sad

That coat has only a few hours left to live & I have zero doubts about this

Here’s a better example of what I was saying earlier about having only one side of a dialogue. It makes scenes shorter, true, but it’s very distracting.

I’m laughing but I’m also pretty sure people from 3000 years ago would laugh their asses off if they could see some of our reconstructions of their lives

I still love you Anji

1) A++ description of McGann’s voice

2) That last bit was Not Okay

Also here’s Anji trying to determine which Jungle Book character suits the Doctor best and it looks like a long shitpost

First I laughed about Fitz being the orang-utan, and then I remembered that character really wants to be human and I abruptly stopped laughing

You were on Earth and you didn’t see Blade Runner when it came out? Aw

“he mentally kicked himself for not even being able to look at a babe without thinking of the Doctor” I’m screaming

How did you guess

Only every three months?

Considering it’s been 30 books since Seeing I, and taking into account the fact that I almost wrote “TOO SOON”, we can safely assume that I will never, ever be over Seeing I

I absolutely love this conversation, and also sky-blue pink is still a color, just an impossible one, and it’s quite pretty

Holy sHIT TALK ABOUT MOOD WHIPLASH

OH NOOOO, HELP, CUTE

THIS SHOULDN’T BE THAT F█CKING FUNNY

HE JUST SLIPPED IN THE DAMN BLOOD WHY AM I LAUGHING SO HARD

Unfortunately this is what popped first into my mind before the most logical explanation for their names

9847221° friendly reminder that I absolutely love Eight

FITZ NO

This book makes me laugh way too often this isn’t fair

Oh the indignity

Fitz no. Just. No.

I just choked on my cereals

1) They think Aristophanes plays are cookbooks and they aren’t even questioning this, like, how does that fucking work

2) Fitz once got trapped in the classical section of the TARDIS library

3) for two days

4) for two DAYS

5) and decided to read old plays just in case there was some sex scenes in them

holy shit

there’s genuine tears of laughter in my eyes

This book is quite the emotional rollercoaster isn’t it

Okay so that explains quite a few things. Fitz is with the originals, then.

THIS IS WHAT YOU GET FOR TRYING TO CONVINCE PEOPLE YOU’RE A ROCK STAR FITZ KREINER

I shouldn’t be laughing so hard

I’m still laughing but I’m also so happy for him

Live the dream, Fitz, live the dream

Well except it wasn’t technically you, except it was, except it wasn’t

HOLY SHIT ARE WE FINALLY GOING TO ADDRESS THIS PROPERLY?!

NOT

F█CKING

ALLOWED

OUCH

Addressing a disturbing trend in SF! Good!

Well to be fair, theropods are sorta like big swans

1) Eggy-put Zone

2) Dozens of cats

Hey wait a f█cking second that’s not the same sphinx okay that’s a whole different mythology, also I’m laughing again, this book is probably adding quite a few extra months to my lifespan

Friendly reminder that I love Anji

Which would definitely work on you, Doctor, just a reminder

Meanwhile, in Not Okay Land

At the moment? Not much

I... sorry there’s a thing in my eye

I’m so happy for him

HA HAHAHA

SPOKE TOO SOON F█CK

Back to a place I haven’t been to in a long time, aka “want to hug Fitz and rock back and forth” street

Meanwhile Fitz is doing the same thing to a small crocodile

STORY OF MY F█CKING LIFE

Listen Eight I'm still not ready for The Turing Test references at this point and you’re making me really sad so please stop

Here’s a quick update on the “Johannes loves Anji” situation

Keep this poster for the TARDIS

Something is extremely wrong

Meanwhile, in “Eight finds new and interesting ways to hurt himself”

Oh so that Fitz was an android, then.

Every time I think this book can’t get more bonkers, I’m proven wrong

I would pay money to see a tv version of this damn scene

I shouldn’t laugh but I can’t help it

“HE WAS GOING TO HAVE TO PAY ATTENTION TO WHAT HE WAS DOING WHILE HE WAS DISTRACTED”

Unexpected Dark Eyes: The Great War feels

WE HAVE A WINNER, FOLKS

I DON’T THINK FITZ IS EVER GOING TO BEAT THAT AS FAR AS “EMBARRASSING MOMENTS” GO, THAT ONE PUTS “GETTING MUGGED BY A UNICORN FOR A CHOCOLATE BAR” TO SHAME

His life is so full of horrible things that his only reaction to being locked up in a cell with a corpse is “at least it’s not rotting yet”.

Oh shit they found about the TARDIS that can’t be good

“Nothing good could possibly be called ‘the machine’”

NOT. F█CKING. OKAY.

This is stressful but also fascinating??

Good. Good.

You’re not telepathic Fitz Kreiner so I doubt she got all that

I completely forgot he had lost his trousers and now I’m laughing again

Told ya

You can’t swim? You can’t swim?? You go through time and space and you can even spacewalk but you can’t swim????

Anji is unexpectedly strong

I’m so happy he still remembers Iris on some level even if he couldn’t recognise her in Father Time

1) Hugs

2) Hugs are good

3) Anji huddled in Eight’s velvet coat

4) “he seemed to count in her head as another girl”

Filed under “need to draw at some point”

Marlin and Lancelet

I have no words

Eight plays “Marlin” because of course he is

Also I’m not screening everything but Anji was brilliant

BAD IDEA

VERY BAD IDEA

9 OUT OF 10 ON MY SCALE OF BAD IDEAS

FOR ONCE I AGREE WITH FITZ

NOOOOOOO

This is so damn weird. Funny and stressful at the same time.

Eight is reliving the memories of the dead queen and it is so f█cking weird

In a good way but still

YES BUT I DON’T WANT TO ALARM ANYONE BUT THEY WERE STILL CONNECTED TO THE THING SO I EXPECT SOME SIDE-EFFECTS

HAHAHA

Also “to Fitz’s incredulous horror”

Uh guys

Guys if he thinks he’s dead now, shouldn’t you worry about that or something

I told yoU GODDAMMIT

“quietly pleased”

Oh, that explains quite a lot, actually.

I just realised Anji’s was only coping thanks to pure adrenaline and constant distractions since Dave’s death and she’s inevitably going to crack sooner or later once everything is solved here.

AND STRAIGHT BACK TO THE BAD IDEAS

Hmmm cute?? Not acceptable? Thank you

The TARDIS did a very good job and all is well.

Every time that happened before, that person died, Fitz

Crisis averted.

I’m getting surprisingly emotional about all this

Well I’m really f█cking sad now

Don’t make me cry please Anji oh no

The butterfly room is still there but is now empty after all the butterflies were nailed to that door in The Ancestor Cell and I’m getting teary but also kinda happy, this feeling is extremely confusing

A++ ending, goddammit that last scene was wonderful