#idk how different the actual characters and conflict are between the book and the show

[fitzykreiner]

is it possible to be team black minus daemon? 🤔

[harriertail]

Omen of the Stars reread + a lot of thoughts

The Fourth Apprentice

The cover is actually the best cover in the series are you kidding me? Its so pretty. The yellow blue and dark green r so nice

Why does the TC/ShC stream drying up affect the lake water level and not the RiverClan... river? Does the Moonpool stream still run???

Every mention of Squirrel and Leaf sitting together "so close they were like kits just out the nursery" is an actual STAB in the chest. They go thru so much :((((

A flash flood seems to take out the beaver den (or its just poorly worded?) so what was the point of the journey...

Dovewings personality is snappier than i think pple give her credit for, I kinda enjoy her

Tigerheart literally does not interact with her on the mission lmao what is he on about 'I'm gonna miss you'

Jayfeather missing Lionblaze is act so painful :(

Fading Echoes

So much of the opening of these books is just recounting previous events and character arcs omg this goes for all WC books.

Hollyleaf :(

Blossompaw's siblings joke that she moons over Toadstep. Idk why fucking Thornclaw becomes her mate later on then :/

What is Tigerheart doing on the border ? he doesnt explain it? I actually thought that he was already meeting Dovepaw secretly but then hes not like what is he doing...?

Dovepaw being worried for the other Clans + her thoughts about having this power should put her above the Clan rules could be so interesting. the series back-and-forths over Lionblaze (we must protect ThunderClan) and Dovepaw (we must protect all the Clans) even though Lionblaze gets annoyed at Dovepaw for using her powers to look after ThunderClan???

The whole "being obsessed with Prophecy and what it means" is probs a part of Jay's character (as he baso became a med cat to fulfil his destiny) but it also feels like a gross misunderstanding of what a Prophecy is. All the "the dark forest is rising. This might be what the Three is meant for" is like putting the horse before the cart- a prophecy is meant to describe a situation and hint at the character/means to solve it; but PO3/OoTS has the characters/means to solve, but no conflict :/ its a bit backwards.

I like the mentions of Firestar + Sandstorm going on night hunts etc.

Blossompaw/fall's a cunt lol. Shes kinda fun but shes not nice at all especially to Ivypool.

I love Littlecloud. I love when the med cats share ideas and discuss things 10/10 makes my day everytime

The pacing is actually... not good. Ive defo always been on thr camp of "too many povs and too few chapters ruins the book" but wow FE really shows it.

So much of Doves characterisation so far is about agency and not wanting to be special and have Firestar/Lion/Jay talk to her. I wish this was not forgotten about in later Super Editions.... kittypetdovewing2k24

this battle is crazy tho. I wish more of the DF plot was about stirring up trouble between the Clans and specific troublemakers in each Clan rather than the later nebelous 'dark warriors invade the forest' battle. Ill get to that one day

Night Whispers

Picking right back up in the battle...

and again just recounting the last books events. hollyleaf death/disappearance explanation count: 3

Kinda love how many times shes mentioned. From Lionblaze avoiding the tunnel she ran into to Jayfeather finding the fur that Leafpool hid.... cute

Okay i actuallt love ShadowClan discussing the battle + tactics + training and then the chapter immediately after the TC camp doesnt mention it at all and Ivypaw is like "why arent we discussing the battle? Just because we won doesn't mean we will again!!" interesting character moments + a nice look at differences between the Clans

Ivypaw and dovepaw fighting over tigerheart????? they fight so much but then always wanna be together like jfc.

Dove n tiger have negative chemistry like it just jumps right into "no boundaries can keep us apart". I get shes using him as an escape from TC/prophecy bullshit but like.... rlly? I wish it was just like expanded on. Tbh i wish every chapter had like just two extra pages to actually delve into things a bit better.

Lmaoo lionblaze cinderheart leafpool dovepaw patrol this is so fucking funny brambleclaw u get one point for this

Tigerheart break up scene count: 1

Flametail POV. Interesting but... why? Bad things r coming we know... what was his point narratively? It was cool tho. I liked seeing ShadowClan.

Every single book Dovepaw has a character die/get really hurt and is haunted by their screams. Rippletail, Longtail/Briarpaw, and later on its Antpelt... jesus christ girlie has it SO rough

The ivypaw "nernernenerner im better than you im being trained by tigerstar" to "oh fuck hes actually a bad guy i cant believe the terroristic maniac lied to me" is so rapid shes so funny/stupid

The imagery in this book is kinda crazy. Fire and ice cats and drowning in darkness visions. Very fun.

Sign of the Moon

So the med cats are divided and split up and StarClan does not trust any other Clan cat- but when in StarClan, Barkface and Flametail are hanging out? Crookedstar offers to share prey with Yellowfang? But StarClan is super fractured rn each Clan must stand alone. Okay

Antpelt nooooooooooooooo

Idk what the mountain prophecy actually means like. Firestar was always going to lead ThunderClan into battle.... what is he gonna do that's different...

Rock: i was the first Stoneteller Five chapters later Half Moon becomes the first Stoneteller. This is egregious

Swoop death. that's the fourth death Dovewing is going to be haunted by

The Forgotten Warrior

all the hints to Hollyleaf still... its a nice throughline... the yarrow and tansy and Molepaw/Cherrypaw scenes... shes my fave. sometimes the foreshadowing feels like it could be just Jayfeather coping that she's 'defo still out there' but TFW ties it up well. especially when you get surprised by Sol coming back and its like 'oh they were convinced she was defo still out there :(' and then she's actually back!!!

also the title??? is banger. the Forgotten Warrior, with Leafpool on the OG cover??? wow. espec as its constantly brought up that Leafpool was the medicine cat but no one sees her as a warrior really.... TBH all these titles are just as good as the TPB titles in terms of meaning/how good they are.

Another fox? okay.

SOL.... okay

tunnel adventures part 3.

All this like.. Bumeblstripeing is just kinda naff. Dovewing is clearly tryna force herself into liking him. But then she's also going on about how Tigerheart used her??? NGL i do really wanna see like.. why she changes her mind in AVOS

Brambleclaw lying to protect Hollyleaf is actually like. GOD that hurts. especially when you consider Bramblestar's Storm and how much he misses her. thats his favourite

the cinderheart shit is so stupid my jaw is actually on the floor. what you do mean you've been in love with a cat you shouldn't have. is cinderheart having cinderpelt's feelings for fucking firestar and that's why she doesn't want to be with lionblaze. also they have negative chemistry they literally are CONSTANTLY having issues.

oh my god i swear the 'Sol is secretly working with WindClan' was brought up chapters ago and we are only now dealing with it okay. anyway hollyleaf moment.

its kinda weird we dont get any like. scenes of the siblings just being siblings... they only discuss prophecy/plot shit and dont get to be siblings again - which i guess fits with the whole 'everything has changed' but god it'd be so god to just have them doing like. normal cat stuff - especially when so much of this series has had Jayfeather missing her and Lionblaze

i love Dustpelt and Brackenfur building shit... its so good

Dawnpelt murder accusations. okay.... i can't wait for Flametail to suddenly be argumentative again next book

the battle we've been building to all book is one chapter. cool. Sol runs off again and it's the end of the book. cool.

[idleglowingpixels]

I kinda realised that Mr Komos' song, True Monster Heart follows the same beat as the Monster High Fright song, but the lyrics are like the corrupted version of the original.

Monster High Fright is about accepting

True Monster Heart is about rejecting

Kinda interesting when you think about it

AHHHHHH WHEN I SAW I GOT AN ASK RELATED TO THIS I FREAKED OUT DFGHNBGVFDSF TY FOR GIVING ME SOMETHING TO RAMBLE SOME MORE ABOUT ANON FOR REAL! (Also sorry for the late response, this post has been developing in my drafts for like at least a week now dfgfhng)

I absolutely agree with the conflicting messages between the two songs! I know the song focuses on the story of this universe's Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in the main verses, but the main focus of the song is that message of rejection of anything and everything human.

Also, because of the Jekyll/Hyde bits, it could represent the duality of where the story starts and ends in its interpretation of a "true monster heart." Instead of Mr. Hyde's human-ness making his heart "untrue," it was his utter rejection of & research into ridding himself of his Jekyll, as well as his hiding of the truth in the first place that caused him to be found out and exiled.

His heart being "untrue" had nothing to do with the fact he was half-human, because if it were, then Clawdeen and Komos's presence in and of itself within the school would've triggered its self-destruction. That was proven as a false interpretation by the story in the movie, so it's self-explanatory. A true monster heart is one of self-acceptance, despite one's flaws or differences. That's what Mr. Hyde, and Mr. Komos thereafter, had neglected to realize before Clawdeen proved the point.

Though, I've listened to both True Monster Heart and Fright Song a few times back-to-back, to try and get where you're thinking as far as the beat, but I don't hear it unfortunately (unless you meant the tempo of the song, then yes they do follow the same 120 beats per minute!).

The closest thing I can think of as far as melodic parallels between the songs is the chanting sections. The Fright Song chant is much quicker in the way it's sung compared to the chant in True Monster Heart, however. The whole of Fright Song's chant goes in 16 beats/4 measures, whereas True Monster Heart's chant takes twice as long at 32 beats/8 measures (I was a band/choir kid lol). It's mainly due to how the song kinda drags out the point, and it definitely feels like a nod to Fright Song for sure. Fright Song's chant is only there because 4/5 of the main ghouls were fearleaders, so it was sort of characterizing the cast before actually showing their characters in the webisodes.

---

Fun little headcanon/ramble that I forget if I ever mentioned about Fright Song, but with Holt Hyde being released in the 1st Signature wave with the rest of the the main ghouls and all, I think it was because he's intended to be the singer of the rap section before any subsequent content with the character was released (No offense but I don't think Holt DJs because he's a good singer sdfgbfds). This would line up with his current crush in canon with Frankie, as well as his former crush on Draculaura from either the diaries or books, maybe both? I forget. :'D Also I feel like Holt wouldn't hesitate to call Cleo vile immediately after saying she's charming either, he's very direct with his words. (I also interpret Jackson/Holt as bisexual because Deuce is included in the rap I DON'T CARE Y'ALL IT MAKES SENSE!)

Also I always interpreted the howl-like sound at the end of the rap as "Holt ran outta time/battery power for his music and transforms back to Jackson as it transitions to the rest of the song." It kinda works with how the beat kinda drops down with the howl, like a TV being shut off or something idk.

Ghoulia also debuted with Signature Wave 1 but she's only in like a second of the music video in the background, I figure it could've been budgetary reasons for the animation, to save on animating an extra character. Also I imagine flame-y hair wouldn't be very fun to animate in 2D, and Deuce's snakes moving on their own were bad enough I imagine to animate, so it begrudgingly checks out as to why Holt isn't in the animated bits with everyone else.

BUT I JUST WATCHED THE MUSIC VIDEO BECAUSE I WANTED TO FOR THE SAKE OF THIS POST AND THE GUY SINGING THE RAPPING BIT HAS, YOU GUESSED IT, A BRIGHT FRICKIN NEON RED LEATHER JACKET. He doesn't have the dual-toned shirt BUT IT'S WHITE AND THIS IS CLOSE ENOUGH FOR ME Y'ALL! XD

If any straws for these dumbasses can be found I SHALL GRASP THEM fr they're my blorbos :'D

[yanderes-galore]

Alright. It's a Rojka 'Kasaan (Halo: Envoy) scenario, with the reader being an envoy/diplomat he meets after becoming one himself. Romantic, could lean platonic too.

Sure! I haven't finished the book but I do know the plot as I watched a really good summary twice. I love the views this book shows in Halo lore so I tried my best to keep him in character! One of my favorites for sure! If something is wrong, please help me figure out how to make him more in character! :) Warning, this is lengthy and NOT proofread, I apologize in advance.

I SUGGEST THIS BOOK A TON- Thank you so much for the request :) Here's a summary for those who need some background!

Spoilers for Halo: Envoy (Loose AU after the end of the book)

Fresh Start

Yandere! Rojka 'Kasaan Scenario (Halo: Envoy)

Pairing: Romantic/Platonic

Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, Human/Sangheili pairing, Obsession, Rojka is getting used to more civilian/envoy life, Dubious companionship, Death mention, Grief, Inner turmoil, Mentions of violence, Possessive thoughts, Dubious relationship, Tame yandere due to the time period (Could probably try to make him worse, idk-), Manipulation mention.

The title of Envoy was much different from his previous title of Kaidon. Rojka didn't mind too much as Melody had shown him how influential the role is in a place like Carrow. Especially if you are still trying to smooth over previous conflicts between two cities.

Rojka had struggled with the less hectic lifestyle at first. Sangheili were not used to negotiations but Rojka had learned a lot. After the whole Carrow Conflict he'd learned there was benefits to working with humans.

He used to hate the species for his homeworld... but vengeance had long since left his mind after working with the Spartans....

His new title as Envoy has taught Rojka how to speak with Sangheili and humans alike. Some were still hesitant about making deals with the other, but some had favored the idea. Rojka wondered if Melody had felt like this with him or any others....

This new job and title had allowed Rojka to meet new people. He became less aggressive when acknowledging others and even met fellow diplomats. Meetings between Suraka and Rak for negotiations were frequent after the whole civil war.

Most of them felt plain to Rojka. Humans and Sangheili speaking amongst each other over political affairs between the two cities. Various topics such as shipments and repairs.

Then Rojka met you, another Envoy sent to oversee these meetings and bring up issues. The Sangheili Envoy was both intrigued about this human yet hesitant. Even months after the conflict he still struggles with his opinions of humans.

Although he did enjoy them more than he did prior due to Melody explaining the similarities of the two species and their issues.

You were human, like most of the diplomats. There were some other Sangheili diplomats but not many. As said before, not all Sangheili preferred negotiations on Carrow.

Despite you being human Rojka found himself drawn to you. The way you held yourself and spoke with authority impressed him despite you being so much smaller than him. You may not be a fighter... but your voice could make many turn heads.

He was initially a bit anxious about how you'd treat him, which was strange for him. Yet when you spoke with him, cranking your neck upwards to meet his gaze, you treated him as you would any other. Negotiations were negotiations, at least in the eyes of politics you were friends.

Rojka could never manage to pry his eyes away from the outfit you wore as an Envoy. He himself wore different armor from his Kaidon days, his head now adorned with a grey crest on his helmet. He wasn't sure why his eyes kept flicking to your outfit....

As diplomats to humanity, Rojka actually talked to you a lot. Most of which was related to your titles and jobs. Occasionally conversation within Suraka between you two would shift to more casual.

Rojka would have issues trying to make his speech more suited for human understanding. You both spoke Sangheili due to the job but sometimes phrasing came off more aggressive than intended. He learned that when he made an offer with Melody... one that put her off for a moment according to her actions.

Rojka never imagined he'd be so interested in a human such as you. Even with Melody he never thought to ask about a human's life. He wasn't expecting you to ask about his.

Luckily you respected him enough not to pry into his history... something he respected. You respected him, too... you liked his motive of peace. He even remembered your words when he told you his purpose for joining as an Envoy.

"I admire that you want best for your people. As an Envoy, it's our goal to maintain such peace times. You made a great choice."

Such simple words from your mouth... but something about how you said it made it stick with him. Rojka learned to observe the similarities and differences between you when he became an Envoy. When it came to you... it made him even more interested.

Part of Rojka hoped that you two could set aside the sins of your species collectively to grow closer. He wasn't sure why he wanted to be so close to you.... It was actually quite the foreign thought of Sangheili and humans being as close as the two of you.

Rojka liked that you two could be considered more than allies. In your words you considered him a "friend". When you said that it made the Sangheili a bit warm.

He liked that you trusted him as not only a fellow diplomat, but a friend. Trust... he always found it hard to come by during the Sangheili civil war on Carrow. Even now he originally struggled with it.

But having such a bond is important to being an Envoy.

Melody and you had opened him up to trust again. It had made him grow into his new title. He... felt very attached to the two humans.

He held Melody in high regard due to her role in the Carrow Conflict. Although you were the human who managed to make him feel... odd. It wasn't just respect he felt towards you.

His feelings felt more akin to how he'd feel towards another of his own. You may be smaller, weaker, softer... that didn't matter to him. He just wish he knew how deep this connection went.

Did he like you like a warrior? Perhaps the feeling was more similar to that of a mate? The thought perplexed him but for a moment it was considered.

Rojka felt inner turmoil when his eyes flicked to you. The Sangheili knew he enjoyed your presence despite not knowing how. He found himself making an effort to appeal to you at times, too.

It was little things. Things that he didn't notice at first. Like when he lowered himself to meet you at eye level or offered to accompany you on diplomatic trips to Rak. At first he thought it was done out of respect, you are small and he knows Rak more than you.

Then the thought of him caring came to mind again.

Was it really that farfetched? He'd always yearned for somewhere to belong, a homeworld to live on... and comrades to care for. After the death of Thars, the traitor, and many others... it wasn't too hard to think he wanted another connection.

You brought out something in him. An urge that drove the Envoy to come closer. Something made him want to... how does he describe it?

The Envoy wasn't sure. Each time you came up to him he felt like he wanted to hold you. Such an action was not common in his species but he had seen other humans do it to show care.

Even as an Envoy the Sangheili showed a desire to defend. Being a diplomat held dangers, like assassins or arguments. Such threats made his mandibles twitch when they were aimed towards you.

While diplomats are not typically armed, he still knew physical contact. It's surprising how fast the Sangheili would shoot from his seat to stand beside you if you were threatened. His thoughts were clear in these moments, he still had a fighting spirit harnessed to defend you.

As a Sangheili it was hard to drop his past of violence. It's in his nature to get a bit hostile towards situations. As a result, Rojka would be on edge if someone mentioned you.

Murder, dishonorable killing, has been something he's refused. But the idea of killing others around you has flashed across his mind more than once. He's kept such thoughts to himself, but seeing other's speak to you makes him grimace.

Rojka wishes he could figure you out. Why do you spark urges within him? You make him yearn for duels and bloodshed in your name... you make him want to pledge himself to you.

While Rojka deals with his emotions you only ever notice his silence. When you do, you take him by the large hand and call his name. Such an act pulls him back into the conversation, yet his gaze is now on the hand engulfed by his own.

Rojka does not regret meeting you. Not in the slightest. You may spark conflicting thoughts within him as a human but he could not bear to let you go. No... Rojka wants you to know you and him are destined.

Someday, Rojka hopes to explore his care for you more. He hopes to never part from you as an Envoy. He hopes he'll never have to give you up, ever, like the most of his brethren.

The thought of his homeworld still brings pain...

"Rojka." Your voice cuts through his thoughts like an Energy Blade. How long had be been... reminiscing?

"...yes?"

"Another moment caught in your thoughts?"

Rojka pauses. Why should he think of any of this now? All that matter now is here and now. All that matters is you...

Oh how he hopes to keep you....

"Yes."

"Care to talk about it in private?"

His mandibles twitch. He couldn't tell you any of this- How would you perceive such emotions? Surely you would be put off by his... obsessive and possessive intentions as of late?

"No..."

"I understand. I do not wish to pry. I am just concerned is all. I can leave you to it if you wish?"

Rojka says nothing. Those words make his thoughts bubble again but he says nothing. All he wants to do is stare.

Clearly... he admires you in some way. He doesn't care how as of now. He slowly begins to accept the fact he likes the idea of you. He likes the idea of being around you. He even tosses around the idea of keeping you to himself someday....

You pull away a bit only for Rojka to reach out and grasp your arm. You pause, looking at his grip. Your eyes then trail up to the face of the Sangheili.

"Stay."

He utters a brief phrase and you comply. You may make him feel complex but he doesn't want to drive you away. In fact... he takes his chance and pulls you close beside his armored body.

He doesn't want you to leave ever, actually...

It's cruel to think but Rojka thinks of ways he can make such thoughts happen. You both have power but he may have more with his connections. If he did want something with you he could always pull a few strings.

The thought makes him a bit sick. How dishonorable. How could he think of such a thing? Why did he want to isolate you? Why did he want to force you to stay with him?

His thoughts are knocked loose again when you shuffle against him. He freezes when he sees you look up and smile. Did he... make you feel similarly?

Yes... this was why he wanted to keep you. You'd make a great alliance. This was why he wanted you to himself.

He doesn't notice himself wrap an arm around you to pull you closer. No one should bother asking what you're doing. He'll silence them.

It's decided... Rojka will do whatever it takes to make you his own.

Even if it means returning to his past of bloodshed... he'll keep up the peace, yet he's keeping you too.

[lemonhemlock]

i think when ppl talk about rhaenyra having a birthright they don't actually know what means. if that was true for rhaenyra she would have been her father's heir from the time she was born. but i kinda get why someone would use those words but that sort of language is a lot more convincing than "claim."

also rhae being 8 in the text when she's named princess of dragonstone versus 14 in the show- what kind of difference do you think there was, in terms of emotional impact on her? idk if that makes sense, lol. like book rhaenyra probably can't remember a time that she wasn't first in line to the throne, whereas tv rhaenyra can remember because for almost the first 15 years of her life she wasn't viserys' heir

Hi again!

Technically, Rhaenyra did have a "birthright" to the throne when she was born, but that was because she was the only (living) child. As soon as a living brother of hers was born, her birthright was to be second in line, after him. Of course, as soon as he died, she reverted back to being first in line. Until Aegon was born.

I think the age difference is really interesting in that regard, because the older Rhaenyra is, the better chance she has of understanding that dynamic and internalising it. Like you said, if she is named heir at 8, it's easier for her to forget that she wasn't always no1. But maybe it's also a little more, IDK the right term for this, maybe honest? For Viserys? In the books, he's 20 years old when she is born and 28 when he names her heir. Certainly, no one would have considered him at the end of his heir-making career, yet he still insisted on Rhaenyra. Whereas in the show, he is much older - his actor is a 50 year-old-man. Not to say he couldn't still sire children, but deciding on Rhaenyra when both of them(!) were so young is a detail that maybe someone writing an adaptation could focus on as evidence of true belief in her (if incompetent politicking).

Of course, a lot of this can just be attributed to GRRM's typical bad maths or attempt to force through as many events as possible within a tight timeline - which would explain why everyone is so young all the time.

Anyway, back to Rhaenyra, I think they did explore that a little, as they did give Rhaenyra lines to that extent - how Viserys always wanted a son, not her, how her mother died trying to fulfill Viserys' wish (and ultimately downgrade her in the line of succession), how Viserys intends to replace her with Alicent's son, etc. It's a very fucked up idea to ultimately wish for your replacement just so your mother could get a respite from the pain. NGL - that was a very compelling conflict point that made young!Rhaenyra sympathetic. Unfortunately, it went completely away with her adult self, which they sanitised into this blank canvas and stripped of most personality traits that she resembles a YA novel heroine.

Looking back, I wonder if it were not better to skip the last time jump altogether and just end the 10-episode season at Driftmark. They could have included 3 extra episodes to bridge the divide between young! and adult!Rhaenyra and explore some of the ways in which she ultimately found the position of heir dissatisfying. Which, again, could have been an interesting character exploration. Imagine finally getting the recognition that you wanted only to discover that you greatly dislike all the restrictions that come with that recognition and you become so cantankerous and disparaging of it that you end up wishing you never named heir in the first place, all the while living as if you have no responsibilities.

[erdasmcnonsense]

One thing I find kind of charming in an odd way about MCYT stuff is that it's often hard to tell what exactly is canon and what is, so to speak, "only" gameplay. Even with the lore-heavy things like Empires, it seems, but tbh particularly with stuff like Hermitcraft where the roleplay isn't necessarily the central focus and people jump in and out of it a lot.

Like I'm already in a lot of fandoms where what counts as canon is a bit fuzzy, for varying reasons. Anything from "the author only actually published two works for the setting in his life, everything else was published posthumously and edited by someone else, and half of it is collections of various unfinished versions that conflict with themselves" to "well there's the core tv shows and movies, but then there's also hundreds and hundreds of officially licenced secondary-canon books, many of which are basically just commercially published novel-length fanfic, and a lot of which conflicts with itself" with a pitstop at "so there's details that were scripted but never made it into the final movie/tv show/whatever, but fandom likes it and uses it as if it had been said in the movie, and also it's mentioned in the semi-official novelization of the movie, so it basically might as well be canon but also it kind of technically maybe isn't". Not to mention "early installment weirdness means this work has details that don't really make sense with later canon, but it technically still is canon"

So I'm already used to canon that's a bit pick-what-you-like or just fuzzy around the edges. I can navigate that, I can live with that. In some ways I generally quite enjoy that (although it does get a bit annoying when people try to argue a point based on something the author quickly scribbled on the back of a grocery store receipt once at 2am which was then published like fifty years after his death in a book you haven't had the time and interest to get your hands on and read, and which detail isn't referred to anywhere else in his works) because it's fun having that leeway there, and sometimes fun to try and come up with how things fit together in places where canon gets a bit wonky

But there's just something so charming about MCYT's particular style of vagueness of canon. Maybe it's because it's coming from the collaboration of lots of people, springing naturally from people having fun, and from the way that people playing on different SMPs and such can sometimes mess with the lines between them because some people may acknowledge the other series to some extent and other people may not. Also the way that friendships may carry over because the ccs are friends, but at the same time the characters might be strangers, they might even be mortal enemies, and just

idk how to phrase it, but it is so much fun, and it's even more fun watching other fans (who are more clever and better at writing than me) play with the possibilities of that

[r1caner]

been thinking about it and wanted to get others' thoughts on this. with more mature percabeth fics - (I don't write nsfw but I guess this could refer to that but I'm talking about it bc im thinking of my fucking Weed Smoking Percabeth Fic Because I am a high loser.) - are writers adapting features of walker and leah (eg annabeth being black, percy being blond) or sticking to book descriptions or shying away from anything explicit about their appearances at all?

I don't want to do that weird thing that people do with like Idk stranger things characters or something and making the characters portrayed by 11 year old actors do disgusting shit and then be like But they're aged up! Ohhhhhh ok! Kill yourself :) Like THATS WEIRD WE ALL KNOW IT'S WEIRD. And that's how I feel but people are saying there is no separation between book or show percabeth and their descriptions and I'm conflicted !

like. Ok we now see percy as having lighter hair whatever and annabeth being black and if you're bothered by that walk into a cannon thanx! that's not what I'm talking about

Idgaf that they look different from their og descriptions bc they capture the essences of the character and were chosen by rick riordan (and actually think its wonderful bc if u think about how riordan wanted annabeth to be very frustrated with how she is perceived because she's so intelligent and is capable of so fucking much but people don't think it bc she's….blonde? Like ok. I get where he was coming from I guess.....? but be for real. with how young black girls are constantly underestimated annabeth being black is great even just for just the narrative reason of her being so brilliant and people having such weird resistance towards it. not even acknowledging anything else about why it's great. ANYWYA) ANYWAY ANYWAY.

we see them that way now because that is how the characters are portrayed in the new adaptation - the pjotv percy and annabeth hold the real features and identities of walker and Leah.

and I don't think I want to like. Take that, these kids' appearances and identities, and apply it to a more mature theme like fucking. getting high or making out whatever. It's like. the characters look like that because the actors look like that idk if that makes sense but the thought popped in my head and i can't put it aside IDK MAN it just feels weird and creepy to me to co opt the appearances of these kids' portrayals for more mature themes that have nothing to do with them but to do with the separate entity of the characters themselves

But am I being fuckign crazy like Please save me pjo Tumblr Save me Save me

[sixstepsaway]

So this tweet popped up on my Twitter yesterday and I just...want to talk about it more than my quote tweets had space for.

Firstly, the replies to this tweet seem to list every relationship on TV ever, which cements in my mind that "abusive TV relationships" truly and utterly depend on the viewer, rather than the actual TV relationship.

Secondly, some people are listing things like Hannibal and Will, and if you think that's an 'idolized relationship', idk what to tell you. Others are listing the Doctor and Rose, the Doctor and Clara, the Doctor and Martha, which... I can't say those relationships are perfectly healthy, but abusive? Come on.

Most of the couples listed in the reply to this tweet are couples that are interesting. They're dramatic and have unrealistic highs and lows. That's the appeal of them. People have listed Chuck and Blair, which I do not think the majority of people who enjoy that relationship want to emulate. Maybe someone wants "someone who loves me as much as Chuck loves Blair" but that's a long way from idolizing the entire relationship.

Besides, this doesn't even dip into the crux of what I want to say here, and that is that all of this is fiction.

First and foremost you have the fact that unless your Main Plot is something entirely removed from the relationship, most TV (or book, or movie, or whatever else) relationships will involve drama, and most drama requires elements that people will dub abusive.

Obivously there's a difference between "A raped B and then they got married later on 😍" (one of the examples in the replies, in fact; General Hospital?) and "C and D had a big fight but got over it later", but narratives are driven by conflict and drama.

On top of that, most people write fanfiction in their mind whether they realize it or not. If you say to someone, "Hey, what do you think X would do if someone hurt Y?" and they shrug and reply, "Probably go ape and kill everyone to save her?" they've just written fanfic. So have you. Most people have a preconceived notion of how characters would be in certain situations, of how they would treat other characters or, in the case of self-shippers and similar, themselves.

I think this is where a lot of the confusion lies, really. Let's use Dany and Drogo as an example.

People in the replies take issue to people 'idolizing' their relationship (which seems to mean: dressing up as them for Halloween or writing 100k of fanfiction about them, not anything deeper than that), but we didn't see a lot of their relationship on screen. What we saw was Drogo raping Dany (something that didn't quite happen that way in the book), and then Dany taking control of the situation, and then an episode or two later Dany seemed to be in love with him (I do not like how they changed their relationship for the show but kept her ending up in love with him, to be clear) and he seemed very adoring and proud of her, especially in the heart-eating scene.

When her brother threatened her and their child, he killed him to protect her. He put her first, turned her into a Khaleesi, gave her strength and freedom. These were all things we saw on screen.

However, the human mind does not like blank spaces, we automatically fill in the gaps. Most people's idea of Dany and Drogo's relationship probably involves a subconscious image of him curled around her with his hand on her baby bump, of him supporting her on the nights she missed her brother, of him learning to show kindness and love towards her and so on.

This leads to people who didn't like the relationship they got on screen, who filled in the blanks with something bad and toxic, to believe these people are 'idolizing abusive relationships'.

On top of that, for a lot of people (women and queer people especially) these relationships are a power fantasy.

They don't want someone like Drogo (and, sometimes, they imagine themselves as Drogo, protecting their Dany from her brother, being a protective warrior type etc), but that doesn't mean it isn't a power fantasy.

When men watch John Wick or Breaking Bad, people do not rush to condemn them for clearly wanting to go on murder sprees and cook meth. We all know that it's a power fantasy, that it's just something that exists inside of their minds to enjoy, much like every work of fiction.

As soon as women and/or queer people have their own power fantasies, fantasies of big strong scary guys who attack and kill and hurt everyone around them but never lay a hand on them, it's always essay material. It's always time to talk about how stupid they are,

On top of that, there's this thing that writers - almost always the male ones - do, where they make a male character that women and/or queer people latch onto and see as excellent and boyfriend material and a romantic power fantasy, and then when they have that male character turn on the woman in his life and hurt her they turn around and go, "haha stupid women! Don't you know that men who hurt people will ultimately hurt you as well? Gotcha! lol you're so dumb!" as though they are not the ones who wrote the character as doing that. Yes, we know that violent men ultimately turn on the people closest to them, we are not stupid. That's the point of a power fantasy - a world where you have power and that does not happen.

It's just really weird to me how things like this get turned into A Thing, where clearly someone is doing something wrong and romanticizing something bad.

I suppose it comes back around once more to the tale as old as time: Women* shouldn't read books, they're too stupid to differentiate between fiction and reality and can't be trusted with their own hysterical minds.

It's pathetic and it's frustrating and if I didn't see so damn much of this absolute bullshit of this idea that people who enjoy fiction - especially those of us who enjoy it so much it engulfs our lives to some degree - must be less trustworthy when it comes to knowing fiction isn't reality than those Morally Pure Souls who enjoy it less and Aren't Freaks About It, and so clearly know the difference.

Let people enjoy their power fantasies in peace, without turning it into essays on how bad it is to idolize a relationship between a woman with three dragon children and the leader of a wandering desert tribe in a fantasy land that doesn't exist.

[navree]

Question for you, oh ASOIAF/F&B analysis queen: Do you think GRRM will ever actually finish ASOIAF? I feel like no, and like he should just hire his former assistant (half of James S.A. Corey) to finish it because GRRM clearly doesn't want to (or feels pressured from the reaction to the show idk). I know you appreciate Dany as a character - do you think that, if the books ever actually did continue (lol), she would've ended up like she does in GOT? (Also, side note: sometimes I think you interpret female characters in ASOIAF with more nuance than GRRM himself appreciated/intended, but maybe I'm just not giving him the benefit of the doubt.)

Unrelated: I don't watch HOTD (I just like Rhaenyra because Emma D'Arcy is a great actor), but sorry they did the B&C scene incorrectly. They should've owned up to the choices Team Black makes.

So, the thing to know about me is I am an eternal optimist. Not unrealistically so, but I am someone whose first instinct is that things are gonna work out in my favor, even if it takes a while. So I do think that GRRM is gonna at least finish The Winds of Winter, if only because he has been actively working on it for, like, ten million years. I'm a bit more iffy about A Dream of Spring, if only because George is not a particularly young man and I wouldn't be shocked if he ended up dying of old age before completing it, especially since the length of wait time seems to double with every new release. If TWOW gets finished this year, than we're supposed to expect ADOS by, what, 2044? By which time George while be in his mid-nineties? Winds also doesn't need to solve every dangling plot thread, since it's still not the last book, which is good because I think part of the issue and wait time, based on George's context clues, is that he's kinda written himself into a corner on at least one key thing and has been struggling to figure a way out of it (along with what I assume is more pressure due to the show's catastrophic ending).

I think it's possible we'll see a version of what we saw in the show with book!Dany, because the issue most people had wasn't necessarily with how Dany's arc ended, but the steps taken to get there, which were rushed and sloppy and made no sense and grotesquely out of character. But I think it's going to look very different, because the show and the books literally cannot end in the same way. The choices made in changing character motivations, character storylines, and even straight up cutting arcs and plots and whole entire swaths of people means that ASOIAF is an entirely different narrative to GOT, and the stories cannot line up in their conclusion. That's part of what sunk GOT, David and Dan knew key beats of how the story ended, but had switched around so much in getting there that all these characters are functionally different people in a different plot, so trying to force them into book storylines didn't work. Like, the whole thing with "the bells". There is a character in the books, Jon Connington, who has a trauma response associated with the bells of King's Landing that could lead to him making dumb decisions that would eventually result in the destruction of the city. But the way that would go about in the books is nowhere near what we saw in that fuckass show. @turtle-paced has a post about how that would work that I cannot for the life of me find but the gist of it is that there will be some bells ringing to signify surrender during the conflict between Dany and Aegon/fAegon, but that Connington will likely ignore it and keep fighting because trauma response, Dany will then continue hostilities herself in the face of that, and at some point the fires involved, cuz she has dragons, are going to reach the cache of wildfire Aerys hid all over the city and blow everything sky high, because that wildfire has been given way too much significance to not matter. Very different from Dany seeing abject surrender and just deciding to become She-Hitler on a whim, because it involves characters that the books set up, like Jon Connington and Arianne Martell and Aegon/fAegon and the involvement of the Golden Company, who were literally all cut from the show. So Dany likely will have a moment where she causes mass destruction in King's Landing, she might even have a moment where she rules and might exhibit some darker tendencies, and she might die (I'm still on the fence on whether that'll happen or not), but it's not gonna be like we saw in the show, and the circumstances of any death on her part is going to be entirely different.

I probably do give more nuance to most characters, especially Fire&Blood characters, than GRRM intended, it's that eternal optimist in me that wants to believe that stuff is well written. But for F&B I at least allow that part of it is straight headcanoning because of how muddled and sparse the information is, especially when it relates to characters from the Conquest. Is there any evidence in the text for my firm belief that Visenya was a lesbian and the real "love triangle" was her and Aegon both super into Rhaenys? No, there is not, but I will go to my grave believing it.

God I wish Emma D'Arcy was in more stuff so I could see more of them, they're so good and I'd kill to have them act out scripts that are, like, well written. Honestly finding out the leaks about how they were doing Blood and Cheese really turned me off of watching season 2 even though I was tentatively back on board due to the Aegon dad stuff, because it's just badly written, and the cop-out excuse of "oh there's some stuff you can't legally do with kids involved" makes no sense because y'all are making a TV show, you're filming, you know editing and cuts and multiple takes and different angles exist. Do you actually think that D&D were having Lena Heady and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau simulate graphic sex, including elements of nudity, literally right in front of ten year old Isaac Hempstead-Wright? No, of course not, they edited that together from two separate takes, oh wow how novel that's never been done before. And they did that because Bran catching the Lannisters fucking is, like, important to the plot, and honestly Blood and Cheese doing what they did in the way that they did it is too. It turns the smallfolk hard against Rhaenyra and her faction, which is important because it's a smallfolk uprising that leads to her fleeing King's Landing and ultimately dying and losing the war, and it's part of a broader trend in ASOIAF about how monarchy is a bad system. Rhaenyra sanctioning Blood and Cheese and not punishing Daemon in the slightest for this egregious action shows that she is not, in fact, the right choice for the Iron Throne. And neither is Aegon. Because there's no right choice, because this war specifically was entirely useless and that's why, narratively, it's the beginning of the end for House Targaryen, and broadly because birthright monarchy is a scam and should not exist. There's a reason why all the kings who've sat the Iron Throne in ASOIAF are bad, that Tommen is a bad king, that Joffrey was a bad king, that Robert was a bad king, that Aerys was a bad king, that even a lot of claimants aren't really gonna be good kings (Renly was an idiot and Stannis, for all I love him, is too hard headed and rigid). And conversely, there's a reason why the rulers we see who are the best morally tend to be the ones who've come the closest to being democratically chosen, Robb was chosen by his bannermen by popular decree, Jon was elected by the Night's Watch in a democratic vote, Dany was willingly followed by free men and women who were given the option not to (and even all three of them have issues when it comes to ruling and are far from perfect monarchs). There's not really such a thing as a "good king", not firmly, because a monarchy is inherently unjust. Rhaenyra's claim is inherently as illegitimate as Aegon's, it rests on "Daddy said it's mine so it's mine" rather than "Mommy said it's mine so it's mine", because that's how hereditary monarchies work and that's bad. And having Rhaenyra allow acts of senseless brutality in her name due to personal hangups is a part of showcasing that. There's no good side in this civil war, there's no good and righteous claimant, and whitewashing so much of Team Black's actions weakens the overall story (but at least makes their stans look like the hypocrites they are, considering they were all about book purity when it came to, like, the concept of sapphics in Westeros but now all the people chanting "we support all of Team Black's war crimes after that boring ass plank of wood got eaten" have gone dead silent about the deviations when it comes to making Daemon and Rhaenyra not be monsters, shrug dot emoji).

Also, how are you, as a writer, gonna say that the core of the story is Rhaenyra and Alicent, and then not include Alicent in Blood and Cheese? Like, she was there, she was physically attacked, by this thing that happened as a result of Rhaenyra's wants and wishes! And you don't do anything with that? You don't want to give Emma D'Arcy the chance to perform that delusion conflict, that she wanted revenge but didn't even get it, and worse, someone she loved so dearly, still deep down loves so dearly, was assaulted and put in real danger as a result? If the leaks are true and Rhaenyra and Alicent are gonna have a secret meeting in the next couple episodes, imagine how wonderful it could be if Rhaenyra has to confront that not only has her side hurt Alicent emotionally in torturing her daughter and murdering her grandson, but physically as well. Imagine Rhaenyra, full of righteous "the throne is mine" crap but having to confront the still healing physical wounds on Alicent's body. It could be so good for Rhaenicent character interaction, even for Daemyra character interaction if they wanted to still whitewash Rhaenyra and have it be Daemon going off script against her wishes, but at this point I'm not entirely sure Ryan and Sara are good at their jobs.

[stormyoceans]

Hiiiii, i am curious to know what do you think the last twilight will tackle in regards to the characters of mork and day? and what is something you want to see?

[TAKES OUT HER MANIFESTATION LIST] SO HOW MUCH TIME DO YOU HAVE ANON

no im just kidding.. i mean not about my manifestation list that could take hours to go through, that's very real, but im not gonna keep you here for that long ;;;;;; anyway, if we're talking about overarching themes that i think are gonna be in the show, there are actually some recurring ones that p'aof likes to put in his series and that i am pretty sure he's going to further explore with day and mork, such as:

money and social class difference;

family conflict and emancipation;

failed dreams and trauma;

moving on from the past and embracing the future;

taking responsibility for your actions;

communication and self-expression;

the concept of home.

i could honestly spend hours talking about each and every one of these, how they were depicted in p'aof's other series and how i think we're gonna see them being portrayed in last twilight, but this would get way too long, so to try to sum it up i'll just say that most of these are built on dichotomies: past vs future, traditionalism vs modernity, societal expectations vs the concept of self, it's not just the main love interests coming from two different worlds and colliding with each other that bring these contrasts to the story, but it's every relationship between all the different characters. we know that mork and day meeting each other is gonna change their lives forever, the two of them embarking on a journey that will help them regain their self-confidence and faith in the future, but this will also force changes on everyone around them. it's hard to talk about this since we don't know much about mork, but one thing im sure we're gonna get, for example, is a major conflict between day and his family when it comes to his disability and what is best for him

i have yet to mention disability as one of the themes that the show is gonna explore because i think it kinda goes without saying, but at the same time i want to point out that, in particular, i feel like they're really gonna delve into what being a queer person with disability is like and the importance of having the support of a community. maybe it's just a coincidence, but i find it curious that during the pride event in this week's episode of be my favorite we got this particular shot:

not sure if the nod to last twilight is intentional or if im just delusional, but i do believe we're gonna get to see this in the show

ANYWAY. im rambling way too much and idk if any of this makes sense ;;;;;; as for something i want to see.. uuuhhhh [looks for something in her list that she hasn't talked about yet] i don't necessarily want mork to go back to school and gain a higher degree because while i think education is important im not the biggest fan of how a person's value is measured only by how 'book smart' they are, however i do want him to realize his own potential and for day to be the one to push him into dreaming and wanting something for himself again, even if it's just.. idk getting a bigger garage or changing career completely and opening a restaurant or whatever

[emileesaurus]

AMC IWTV PILOT THOUGHTS, mostly critical, mostly unfiltered, bear with me if I phrase something clumsily

Calling the original interview (which they're implying is the original book, somehow, even if it didn't get published in this universe) "a fever dream told to an idiot" makes me want to 1v1 the showrunner. It's so disrespectful that everyone watching with me had a simultaneous "dude, bad look" moment.

The lore changes are honestly baffling. Loved Louis saying "it was my last sunrise" while doing a 10AM interview behind tinted windows. Why get rid of the death sleep! It's such a big thing! (Why do they still sleep in coffins in this, actually? I wonder if they'll explain next episode?)

Stealing the hover bite pseudo-sex from the 94 movie but making it way less hot in spite of the full ass? Also awkward. I liked the thumb bite, that was kinda hot, but the rest of the scene was… like a worse version of another scene in the movie! The one where they share the girl at the play! The blocking was even the same, but their positions were switched. Odd choice to reference it so heavily when they're claiming to be so much more faithful.

The dialogue was… not good. Anytime something was almost subtle, they made sure to have another character say something to undercut it. It doesn't feel like a show that trusts its audience to handle nuance or complexity.

BRO THE SHITBOX SCENE???? Why was that even there! It was so vulgar and crass and unnecessary and I don't know what it added other than showing what Louis has to deal with in his demeaning life, but between that and Lestat killing Lily, I'm pretty unhappy with the brothel material so far. And hearing the N word ten minutes in was jarring. Not sure RJ was more qualified to write this than he was the plantation storyline.

Lestat CONSTANTLY infodumped about his backstory, but not in a way that allowed any other characters to interestingly or meaningfully react to it, which was so frustrating. He told Louis more about his past before making him in this episode than he did during all of Interview, but there was zero emotional weight to it. It felt more like Rolin Jones trying to prove he read the books by throwing in easter eggs. Look! Lestat is mentioning that he composed this song for a violinist he knew! Ignore how nonchalant he sounds while saying it and how totally meaningless that is to Louis, our point of view character! It's there for the audience, but what does it mean to Louis? Textually, nothing. I'm devastated, as someone who's made her hobby trying to write those specific reveals. It was just… there.

And as someone with a PhD in Loustat, their interactions didn't feel authentic to me. Lestat's speech in the cathedral was so weird. He fell for Louis because he saw him threatening Paul with a knife in the street, and he interrupts Paul's funeral to neg Louis for ghosting him after they fucked, which is pretty awful even for Lestat — who should understand grief! He fell for Louis in the book because he was mourning Paul so intensely, and his sensitivity and strong (if hypocritical) moral center intrigued him.

Here, I'm less sure what appealed to Lestat; this is a very very different take on Louis, and it seems more like he was attracted to his capacity for violence and… idk, something about the way he's stifled by social mores? I'm not trying to be dense, I couldn't get a good read on Lestat's motives, in spite of his long-ass monologue. I don't think the extra bonding time deepened their relationship, and I don't know if we gained anything by having Lestat drop the L word right away. Where is my two century slow burn?

Speaking of that: Lestat appears to be the cultured one this time and I hate it? Lestat introduces Louis to opera (while Louis has to pretend to not get it); Lestat owns his own luxury townhouse in the Quarter (the Rue Royale townhouse belonged to Louis in the novel). Where is the conflict with Louis thinking Lestat is an uncultured hick? Where is the angst of Louis thinking Lestat only wanted him for his money if Lestat is a property owner who dropped the L word before he ever turned him? Louis is supposed to be able to hold his intellectualism over Lestat, but this AU seems more like Lestat introducing Louis to that world? I can see why that would appeal to this version of Louis, if that's typically not allowed to a Black man, and I don't want to ignore how his race and time period inform his relationship to culture.

But it feels like they took away so much of the character's gentle, intellectual, introverted nature to give him "more of a spine." He admits in the confession scene that he's run to the bottle and the card tables and etc. his whole life. Paul died the morning AMC Louis was turned, well after Lestat had decided he wanted to make Louis his companion; in the novel Paul's death was the impetus for Louis's moral decline. It's an odd reversal, and it leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

Why did they make his relationship with Paul so much more antagonistic and then make Paul's death so obviously not Louis's fault? Don't get me wrong, I'm not team "Louis did it" by any means, but it feels weird to have Louis PULL A KNIFE ON HIM but the day he dies they just have a nice conversation. He really just walked off the roof because he's cRaZy!

Does this Lestat kill mostly evildoers or not? I know in the books he's inconsistent about it, but this is supposed to be The Real Prince Lestat, so you'd think the writers would have a set idea of what his deal is, ethically speaking. So far his kills have been 1) a lamplighter; 2) a sex worker who Louis paid too much attention to; and 3) two priests. I want to know what he's going to claim he does! Also that exploding head punch was hilariously excessive!

Louis gives his whole monologue about the drumming of Lestat's heart while the music is a glorious swelling string section with absolutely no percussion. I thought that was marvelously bad sound design.

This take on Daniel sucks ass lmao

EDIT: I forgot to mention that between the cathedral scene and the dinner with Paul, Lestat is coming off as way more of an arrogant reddit atheist than he ever did in the books, where to me it seemed like he always had a strange sort of respect for sincere religious belief (as someone who lost his faith himself). idk, I know his thoughts on God fluctuated along with Anne's, but it struck me as out of character to have him so angrily fixated on this whole "religion is a lie" thing that he would trigger himself with it at the dinner table and self-righteously kill two priests.

idk dudes, I really wanted to say something positive, but I didn't enjoy almost any aspect of it. Maybe episode two will be less dour? These are just my initial impressions, maybe time and other perspectives will give me additional food for thought and I'll soften on some of it.

But chat with me if you've seen it! I'm curious to hear from other Loustat fans in particular, since it seems like a lot of us are really into it, and it just... didn't feel like my ship at all except in the most superficial possible way. I'm bummed! I wanted to be wrong, but most of my concerns have so far ended up being well-founded.

[zooone]

hello!! I've just found your blog here and I've been really wanting to try and write for wilbur like you do!! though I'm new to writing, could you give me some tips on when you're new to writing? :DD

hi!!!! im so sorry it took me so long to answer this i was trying to gather up as many tips as i could ^_^ im sooo honored that youre asking for my help it makes me so happy!! here's a ton that ive learned just based off my experience, im no like professional and this is all just tips ive accumulated to my style over time 

–one, and i think this is the most crucial in a fanfic setting, but CAPTIVATE YOUR READERS!!! 

when i write, i try to replicate books as best as i can (more on that later), but this is the one thing that a book author could get away with that a fanfic writer cant. 

because your piece is only something that people will find through scrolling and its (more than likely) not a fully fledged book, people are more inclined to click off if you dont IMMEDIATELY captivate them. 

i often see people begin a fic with a couple paragraphs of context (and again this is absolutely no hate to anyone who does this, its just what ive found to work best) which can be interesting if done right, but chances are that readers wont enjoy it if you hand everything to them on a silver platter. they stay engaged when you keep them guessing or predicting. 

and i get thats difficult to do with just a tiny little blurb!! but when i write- no matter if its 100 words or 10k words, i ALWAYS start off with dialogue. quotation marks are the first thing that people are drawn to and i find it catches people's attention more when there's immediate action. 

the exception i have is with the gr!wilbur fic; i tried to set the scene a little bit without giving too much information, and then i started it with one of my favorite starters:

"he stomped away from her on the rooftop as she followed after him."

i remember researching "how to start a book" cuz i was so unmotivated with a blank space, and then i found a video that talked about a book (i cant find the video nor the book) that began with an intro along the lines of this. 

it seems so simple but it does so much. it introduces the main characters (gr!wilbur and angel), shows the setting (rooftop), and sets up a conflict that can keep readers engaged (why is he stomping away from her? why is she following?)

it was such an actually life changing thing to find and its just so creative. 

–two, make sure that youre making it clear whos talking!!

this is a bit more difficult if youre someone like me who doesnt like the you/your or even the i pronouns in fics (idk it just seems too personal to me, i like to think of the reader as a character in itself), but it is still equally as important to establish whose speaking in the text. 

THIS ALSO INCLUDES MAKING A NEW PARAGRAPH FOR NEW PIECES OF DIALOGUE!!!!! 

look at the difference between;

"hey- i didn't expect a hello from you, but a thank you would at least be nice!" she yelled as he speed-walked away with his grumpy walk and stone shoulders. "i'm talking to you!"

"and i'm not," he grumbled, fiddling to put his hood back onto his head as a way of closing himself off. 

"just-" she flapped her wings, trying to be alongside him. "just have some gummy worms, please?" 

and 

"hey- i didn't expect a hello from you, but a thank you would at least be nice!" she yelled as he speed-walked away with his grumpy walk and stone shoulders. "i'm talking to you!" "and i'm not," he grumbled, fiddling to put his hood back onto his head as a way of closing himself off. "just-" she flapped her wings, trying to be alongside him. "just have some gummy worms, please?" 

its the same words and the same text and the same dialogue but the second is just SO compressed and confusing to read "especially if you have a character talk like this" "and then another piece of dialogue with nothing in between" 

another thing i like to do to establish this is have alternating dialogue. this was difficult to do since gr wilbur isnt exactly the talkative type, but i wouldnt make angel speak in one paragraph, and then the next speak again. if that makes sense. 

like this;

"i want you to have them right now," she enunciated her words, crossing her arms and trying to copy his expression. she was fighting her usual bright smile under her pursed lips. "in front of me." 

"you look like you haven't been taking care of yourself," as she spoke through a pout, he could feel his face warming up, like tiny little punching bags beneath his skin. "i wanna make sure you're eating." 

its reallyyyy obvious that when there's a conversation, its two people speaking. and from just a reader's standpoint, i began to read the second pragraph as if it was wilbur speaking. which of course didn't make sense. 

so even if character 2 (wilbur in this case) doesnt speak, i try to add either a description (what are they doing? even if character 2 isnt responding, how are they reacting to character 1? whats their body language? facial language?) or a small tinyyyy bit of dialogue. 

–three, sometimes less is more!!! 

a lot of the times when i try to paint a picture, i end up over explaining things and the meaning of the words get lost when i use too many of them. 

you could have the most profound description thatll make readers wanna tug their hearts out, but if its too overused then it kinda loses its meaning. its like the dynamics of a song in the sense that the loud parts are only loud because there are super soft parts. 

heres an example i have from one of my older fics;

"Your teeth bit on the inside of your cheek as you sat down, more closer to the stage this time. Your knee rose and fell quickly as your leg bounced with nerve."

it may not seem like a lot, but chances are that people already understood the fact that the reader was nervous, so showing that she bit her lip AND was bouncing her leg was just counterintuitive. 

there are so many more examples of me doing this in the past but umm i dont wanna unearth those anymore

dont get me wrong; you should still add descriptors, but just dont overdo it. and sometimes i see people who have the opposite, in the sense that they dont have enough descriptors and its equally as confusing. so find a happy medium!! 

example of not enough;

"hi wilbur!" she spoke. 

"hi, angel," he responded. 

"how are you?" she smiled with a giggle. 

he sighed happily at her laughter. "i'm good."

im so guilty of this honestly and im so rusty cuz a huge factor of it is practice!!! 

–four, this kind of links to the last one, but Little Details. 

this might just be a personal preference, but i love little details When theyre done right!! 

one of my favorite people who does this is the infamous writer . u know her . u love her. @harbingerofheartbreak my very good friend 

i first noticed this in her fic, "archangel," soot;

"i know he's a prick. do you think i want him to teleport to me everytime i have a fucking mental breakdown?" you slammed the sponge down and turned to him, pointing a soapy finger.

reading the words "soapy finger" like actually changed my life in a way i didnt know was possible. just the adding of small details that arent just "she shrugged" or "he sighed", but instead adding to the setting and scene and adding special little details Without Overdoing It!!!

it just . ugh . i dont know if its just a writer noticing these small things, but i find it really cool how it adds so much and makes you really feel like the author put work into making those tiny little things. 

also another huge personal preference but i really love alliteration and play on words type stuff. i will always sneak in a little alliteration just to keep my work interesting with a certain flow to it. also (if your reader is anyone like me), putting a little alliteration adds emphasis and attention to certain things. 

its really really nice, but the accumulation of all these little details takes SO much attention and so much practice, so dont be frustrated if its difficult to think of on your first couple tries!! 

–five, dialogue!! 

i spoke about trying to replicate books as best as i can, and dialogue is one of the most important things in that sense. i often see fics who show expression through dialogue, and i used to do it too, but it just looks generally unprofessional (imo!!)

for example;

"WILBUR!!" she screamed. "WILBUR GIVE IT BACK!!!- I'LL KILL YOUUU!!"

wilbur laughed. "i-i dont... know what y-you're talking about..-! haha..."

"wilbur!" she yelped, suffocated through her laughter. her lungs betrayed her as she playfully slapped him. "wilbur give it back- ill kill you!" 

wilbur frantically looked around, his hands behind his back and his eyes wandering. "i dont- i dont know what youre talking about." he spoke, in a sing-song tone.

kinda an exaggeration but ive seen so many fics write dialogue like the first one and idk if its another personal preference, but it just doesnt seem really professional. and usually when you put all the emotion into dialogue like that, it takes away from the emotion you could incorporate into a character's actions or body language or even their thoughts. 

i try to avoid writing dialogue in all caps or with too much punctuation or stuttering, because again, less is more. but also dont do too little;

“see wilbur it wasn’t so difficult was it?” she giggled, and the noise stabbed wilbur a thousand times in the stomach.

“actually it was,” he bit the inside of his cheek, rocking back and forth on his heels with nervousness. “my bed is a literal stone i wish it were made out of feathers."

“see, wilbur? it wasn’t so difficult, was it?” she giggled, and the noise stabbed wilbur a thousand times in the stomach.

“actually, it was,” he bit the inside of his cheek, rocking back and forth on his heels with nervousness. “my bed is a literal stone. i wish it were made out of feathers."

it may seem minuscule, but things like this can ruin the flow of your work. what keeps me engaged as a reader is the plot or the writing style or the characters, not the fact that i have to slow down to remind myself whos talking or where they were supposed to pause when they spoke. that kinda stuff just unmotivates me to read it, if that makes sense. 

–six, FORESHADOWING AND CONNECTING

one of the most powerful things ever is foreshadowing and as above so below has a TON of it. idk if i can share examples cuz a lot of it is foreshadowing for the sequel, but i like to picture foreshadowing as a sort of inside joke. its special cuz it feels like a little secret between you and the author that only you know. it also shows that you have a coherent plan and youre not just writing on the fly. its professional and its personal. 

another huge thing is connecting. wrap the story up the same way you began it or make small nods to it as you go. 

in the beginning;

she had a lot of questions about wilbur. 

not the type of, "what's your favorite color?" or "what's your favorite band?" questions. more like, "on a scale of one to ten, how much does being a murderer really affect your mood?" 

all of these questions would go unanswered. including "what's your favorite band?" no matter what, she just could not crack the code of wilbur soot. 

to say he was intricate would be an understatement, and her ongoing curiosity would surely be the death of her. 

unless he had something to do about it. 

at a turning point;

“so, what’s your favorite color?” she asked in a light tone, licking at her ice cream.

a wave of dismay washed over his face. he couldn’t think. “t-teal?”

“really? i wouldn’t have guessed that,” she swung her legs beneath the bench, clearly unbothered by wilbur’s confusion. “you don’t really dress like a teal-lover. do you think the moon is real?" 

what? 

"no, bad question. hmm. what’s your favorite band?”

his heart fell into the pit of his stomach, thorns poking at his sides creating a terrible sting on his abdomen. he opened his mouth to speak- maybe cry and release his feelings; but nothing came up. not even an answer to her stupid question. it was nauseating. 

she began talking about the sort of music she liked, but none of it struck his brain. he felt sick. he wanted to scream and sob and punch something. but he sat still like he was posing for a renaissance painting.

at the end;

she still had a lot of questions for wilbur. 

not the type of, "what's your favorite color?" or "what's your favorite band?" questions. more like, "wilbur? hello? please help- this hurts- are you still there?" 

and she was starting to lose hope in the fact that those questions might be answered. 

one things for sure; her curiosity will be the death of her. 

unless he's got the courage to do something about it

even just the slight nod to the beginning gives your readers a reminder of everything, and drawing back to your beginning is like wrapping everythint up with a nice little bow ^_^

–seven, characterization and descriptors 

this could also connect to one of the previous tips, but Stop Describing Characters So Much when theyre introduced!! 

if you're introducing a character, dont give an entire paragraph to describing their height, eye color, hair color, clothes, etc. its boring and doesn't engage people and it messes up the flow. 

dont get me wrong, you can mention those things in quick passing so that your reader isnt confused (ie "his brown hair stood up, still clinging to the static electricity from his hat." or "her white dress went along with the patterns of the wind") but having just one big long paragraph like;

"wilbur was tall. very tall compared to everyone else. he had brown eyes and bushy eyebrows that carried his emotions. he wore a gray hood that sometimes covered his face. he wore a bag that slung across his torso. his brown hair was usually uncombed and messy. he had bags under his eyes."

its just generallt not interesting enough!! tell me about his body language; whats his posture look like? does he hold his head up high with confidence? is he slouched over in careless sadness? 

AND ALWAYSSSS OVEREXAGGERATE INTRODUCTIONS I CANNOT STRESS THIS ENOUGHHH 

pick a signature trait for your character and make it THE most noticeable thing when theyre first introduced. 

angel is naive and optimistic? shes gonna sound stuck up and unrealistic to such an extent that its almost annoying. 

wilbur is grumpy? the first thing hes gonna do is be super duper mean and hurt everyones feelings 

quackitys a jokester? first thing he does is tell wilbur to literally take his shirt off 

there's such a power in establishing a character into a certain category and playing with that. think about their characterization; is this category gonna change? will it change positively or negatively? will it change quickly? what makes it change? why? theres SO much to he said about character arcs in itself. 

another huge thing about characterization is just being realistic. it doesnt really apply to au fics like gr!wilbur, but if youre writing a blurb about wilbur at a concert- im so sorry but there is barely a chance that hes gonna go up to one of his Fans and instantly fall in love with them. 

and everyone has a preference of course!! if thats your kind of jam, go ahead im not judging. but as a personal preference, i don't really enjoy it when the characters dont seem realistic or wilbur's dialogue is definitely not something that he would say. 

but again, at the end of the day, everyone has their preferences and by all means tweak your writing to YOUR standards!! write whatever makes you happy!! dont let some writer named zone let you dictate how to write and what you should or shouldnt write. it should all be with your own preference (and also respecting other peoples boundaries ofc) 

one of the biggest mistakes ive made as a writer was robotically writing, or in other words only writing so that i could Produce something and get a couple notes on tumblr and thats it. doing that is what made me fall out of love and with writing. 

aasb was the first fic i finished on my own accord, and of course i had friends like flore and carrie to push me on to continue, but i wrote it because it was an idea i loved. not because i wanted to post it for the people of tumblr. thats one of the beautiful things that flore taught me, whether it was unintentional or not, but its helped me so much. 

and a ton of these tips takes Time and Practice as everything unfortunately does. ive certainly improved my writing game since like 4 years ago from both reading and writing to pick up certain little traits that ive loved from other peoples works and incorporated it into my own style. 

i think the person whose had the most influence on my writing is. in fact. florence harbingerofheartbreak. and im not even saying that cuz shes my friend im genuinely so amazed by her work and her stuff is severely underrated 

and also this is only a fragment of tips, there are a plethora of actual professionals that could give out their tips but again at the end of the day its all what You Do. 

and by all means id loooove to read any of your works (not just this anon, any of your guys' works) so please please please dont be afraid to send em to me!! i hope these tips help ^_^

[sailforvalinor]

Incoherent thoughts on Gilmore Girls season 1:

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Lorelai Gilmore is nothing like my mom, but watching her and Rory’s dynamic makes me miss my mom. Like maybe it’s because I’ve not seen my mom other than via phone for two months, but I was actually tearing up during the scene where Lorelai comforts Rory after she finally breaks down after breaking up with Dean.

I relate to Rory in a lot of ways (I too carry a book everywhere just because), except I was somehow even more shy and awkward at her age, lol

LUKE DANES MY BELOVED. There are many things I appreciate about this man (his banter with Lorelai is just !!!!!) but how intensely dad-mode protective he gets whenever it’s even mentioned that something bad’s happened to Rory has me in stitches. Surprised at how quickly he seemed to get over Rachel in the last episode. Good for him though! NOW TELL HER YOU DUMMY!! (THE FLIPPING TOOLBOX!!)

I’m trying not to let my scattered knowledge of what happens in later seasons color my judgement of this one, so it must be said that I have a soft spot for Dean. Like, that supermarket scene—I will be thinking about it for the rest of my life IT WAS SO CUTE. And yeah, he overreacted over the whole “I love you” thing, but really neither of them handled that well. To be honest, at least as of season 1, Rory and Dean are handling their relationship in a far more mature fashion than most 16-year-olds. (Yeah yeah I know, it doesn’t last…*sigh*…) Also I had no idea that he was Sam Winchester until my roommate told me 😂

I have conflicted feelings about Lorelai’s parents? Like, on the one hand, they are controlling and manipulative, but it is put in question whether they’re even aware of that fact. Not that that makes it any better, but it gives them a very human element with a lot of nuance that I feel like, if this story were told now, they wouldn’t have. You also get this sense that Lorelai isn’t really trying to repair their relationship in this season, or at least isn’t trying very hard, because she’s so certain it’s doomed to fail and that change is impossible. It’s very interesting.

How are Lane and her prospective doctor boy doing??? I need to know!!!

I also don’t love the Christian representation in Lane’s mom, but I can’t say I don’t find her hilarious sometimes.

I also love that it isn’t cut-and-dry whether Paris and her friends are Rory’s friends or enemies, but people who end up in either category or somewhere in-between from week to week. Feels VERY true to life. Same goes with Tristan to some extent, I suppose, but I mostly want him to step on a LEGO.

The Gilmore’s totally unhinged neighbors are some of my favorite side characters in this show

SOOKIE AND JACKSON MY BELOVED

I don’t know why, I just don’t like Max Medina. Like, he’s done nothing objectively wrong (other than the premarital sex thing of course, but that’s a different conversation), but I just don’t like him. And it’s not just because I like Luke! Idk, he just rubs me the wrong way.

[daisywrites-stuff]

Apologies in Writing

I love noticing the way characters apologize in writing. I've just written an apology scene and wanted to talk about it.

Apologies can show a lot about a character, and when you can show your character through their apology, it makes both the apology and the character so much better. For example, it can show how a character feels about why they're apologizing. If your character doesn't understand what they've done wrong, then they'll apologize differently than a character that is overcome with guilt.

An apology can also show their background or backstory. If your character has had everything in their life handed to them, they'll apologize differently than someone who's had to work for what they have. Apologies can also give information on a characters motives! A person that has nothing to lose will apologize differently (or maybe not apologize at all!) than one who has everything on the line. It can also show what kind of character they are. Do they avoid conflict? Are they only doing it to get something? Do they grovel? Or act nonchalant?

An example of apologies (or non apologies!) showing character is in the song "Betty" by Taylor Swift (I'm a swiftie, if there are any other swifties here pls come ily). The song is about a boy, James, apologizing to his girlfriend because of a summer fling he had while they were still dating.

He begins his apology by saying,

"You heard the rumors from Inez You can't believe a word she says Most times, but this time it was true"

He begins by blaming another person, Inez. He deflects the blame, avoiding the apology. Already you can tell that he's not one for conflict and he doesn't want to take responsibility for his actions.

The next part of his apology is,

"But if I just showed up at your party Would you have me? Would you want me? Would you tell me to go f--- [censored for tumblr because idk the rules] myself? Or lead me to the garden? In the garden would you trust me If I told you it was just a summer thing? I'm only seventeen, I don't know anything But I know I miss you"

He blames his age and he never actually apologizes. He also says that his fling didn't mean anything to him, showing that he doesn't value Augustine (his summer fling). Does this mean he values Betty? By the way he's avoiding apologizing, it doesn't seem like it. The rest of the song showcases him not saying "I'm sorry" once.

This is a prime example of apologies showing character. It's amazing and such a smart way add depth to your characters.

Some things that helped me put character into my apologies is think about their background, how they view the situation, the actual situation, and their traits.

In my book, the characters are both apologizing to each other. The first character, Christabel has never really had to apologize. She grew up in an environment where she never had to be wrong. She also doesn't believe that she's done anything wrong, she did, in fact, indirectly participate in events leading up to what happened, but she was not the sole person at fault. Because of the way she views the situation, this leads her to believe that she has no need to apologize. But, she's also a very caring and loving person. She genuinely cares for the other character and doesn't want conflict between them.

The other character, Elisabeth grew up the exact opposite of Christabel. While Christabel had whatever she wanted whenever she wanted, Elisabeth didn't have that kind of luxury. She grew up in a poor area and had to work for everything she earned, which made her a very hard worker and very conscious of both her and others actions, but she also had to miss out on a lot of things. Elisabeth felt like she had been wronged, she didn't have anyone to blame so she blamed Christabel, who at the time she believed was at fault. Some time passed between their incident and the apology, and in that apology, Elisabeth realized that Christabel wasn't totally at fault, though her anger is still justified because of the role Christabel played.

Elisabeth knows that Christabel is not totally at fault and it wasn't right to blame everything on her. So she apologizes for that, for blaming her. She was justified in some (maybe even a lot) of her anger because Christabel did play a role so she won't fully apologize for blaming her. She says it straight out, saying the words "I'm sorry." On the other hand, Christabel never apologizes. Her actions and the way she talks shows she's sorry, but she never actually says the words.

I think this is a super interesting way to show a character's traits and backgrounds, so even though this is crazy long I wanted to share it.

[asongofmarvelanddc]

Y’all will hate me but I prefer almost every change Bridgerton made with season 2 compared to the books.

- I’m glad they changed the forced marriage thing after the bee sting because been there done that. Also there’s like 5 episodes after that so what will fill the time even?

- The fact that Kate has such a strong reaction to storms because her mother died during a storm…after 23 years…and God knows how many storms…I don’t know, I feel this one is just silly tbh. I would like to have learned more about Kate’s backstory though.

- The trauma bonding scene between Kate and Anthony in the library. A lot of romance writers use this to show compatibility, and for me it’s always been icky and lazy. The whole “we both feel responsible for our families” is a much better point of compatibility than “we both witnessed the traumatic death of a parent”

- Anthony’s reasonings for not wanting to marry for love changing from “my dad died young which means I’ll deffo die young and I don’t want to put my wife through that” — which is…a reason — to “I saw how devastated my mother was when my father died and I don’t want my wife to go through that” which is much more valid.

- The most controversial one is Edwina’s change because I actually like it 🤭 Idk I just like that she was actually a point of conflict because it 1) provides another valid reason as to why Anthony and Kate can’t be together, and 2) a reason as to why no one is pushing them to get together which allows the whole story to fill out an 8 hour season.

- A lot of people think Edwina came off as dumb just because she didn’t realise what was happening between Kate and Anthony much sooner, but she never came across that way to me. She’s a young girl who’s used to her sister stepping aside so she can shine, and I don’t mean that in a bad way, so of course she wouldn’t notice. In a way, her arc this season is like a late coming of age story because by the end she’s very certain of the things she does and does not want out of life, and actually seems ready for marriage. It leaves a lot of rooms for future exploration of her character if the show decides to do that. (personally hoping for princess edwina)

That said, if all these changes had been in the book, it would’ve made for a very annoying read because the book would be way too stuffed and I’m sure I would’ve gotten tired of all the back and forth and all the threads. It’s interesting to see the difference between what works and what doesn’t in a novel versus a TV show, because I’m certain the book’s plot would be perfect for a movie.

[inhuman-obey-me]

not a request, but do any of the mods have opinions on Raphael in game?? I’m really hoping the devs are hinting to a new character but 👁👄👁 idk. He seems to have a chip on his shoulder regarding humans and Beel described him as “sarcastic”. I just (grabby hands) want some conflict

We got a lot of various tidbits about Raphael in Season 3, and it certainly seems like he’s being set up as a more major character for Season 4! From what we've seen so far, it seems perhaps less that he has a chip on his shoulder about humans in particular and more ... that he gives us yet another look at how the Celestial Realm operates/behaves. 

So yes, let’s talk about ✨ Raphael ✨.

(spoilers for everything below, of course)

We’re first introduced to Raphael after Solomon’s cooking does some weird dream time-travel shit and wake up to Angel!Asmodeus finding us in the Celestial Realm. 

One of the first things he does is check to make sure that MC isn’t with Raphael, as he’s currently avoiding him since he went to a human world party. And what does Raphael think of an angel sneaking off to go to a human world party?

Raphael thinks it’s a wicked and immoral thing to do. Interesting. 

As you meet the other brothers as angels, Raphael's name is mentioned a few more times, all basically around the fact that he's going to get on their case -- especially on Asmo's. Mammon mentions that he saw Raphael walking around looking for Asmodeus and he had his spear on him, which Asmo is not too happy to hear. Asmodeus also mentions that Raphael has probably been badmouthing him to Lucifer, and Lucifer later tells Asmodeus to take care of the situation lest he find himself "at the pointy end of Raphael's spear".

So, we get a pretty clear picture that Raphael is pretty strict and enforces the angel ways by, well, force.

( Fun Fact: There is a probably a reason Asmodeus in particular seems to be the one shown getting in Raphael's crosshairs -- in the Book of Tobit and the Testament of Solomon, Raphael is the angel that thwarts Asmodeus and his demonic, dastardly plans. )

But Asmodeus isn't the only one who didn't get along with Raphael. During the test to get your first star for your sorcerer's license, Beelzebub makes a mention that Lucifer and Mammon used to go and gang up on Raphael together, arguing with him. This is the first hint we see that Lucifer didn't actually get along with Raphael either.

Later, during the second Celestial Realm "trip" (the fairy trick), this is reinforced by a bit more direct information from Lucifer in regards to Raphael. When Satan and MC run into Angel!Lucifer, he starts complaining about how Raphael is dumping a bunch of work that is not Lucifer's responsibility on him, probably as harassment since the brothers are always getting into shenanigans. Truly, he never got a break huh. It's Lucifer who says that Raphael always has something snide or sarcastic to say to him.

A bit later, Lucifer also talks about how he doesn't really have many angels to ask for advice, listing the other seraphs and noting that Raphael in particular is "generally snide and unpleasant".

So, pretty safe to say -- Lucifer did not like Raphael and the two did not get along.

The next tidbit we get about Raphael's personality and who he was is when going to the amusement park with Belphegor to meet Diavolo, and this one is slightly different. Belphegor recalls a moment where he got lost in the Celestial Realm and ended up stuck in a tree. Who came to save him? Surprisingly, Raphael!

When you ask Belphie if he liked Raphael, this is his response:

Belphie seems to extend the most grace in regards to Raphael, but mentions how he always looked sullen & irritated and that at times, he seemed like he could be a demon in disguise. He basically is constantly bossed around by Michael and looking after his every need and whatever he says.

So! We've gathered that Raphael was/is a snide, sarcastic, unpleasant, irritable, and overworked high-ranking angel. The brothers for the most part did not get along with him, and he seems to strictly adhere to the Celestial Realm's way of things.

So, that brings us to Raphael's role in the story . . .

When Barbatos visits Luke at the Angel's Halo to pick up some coffee to take over to Serenity Manor, Luke mentions that he's been worried about Simeon. He says Simeon has been spacing out a lot, and seemingly avoiding Michael.

That's when Barbatos asks if Michael made the request for Simeon and Luke to come to the human world in person, and surprisingly, Luke responds no -- it was Raphael who said it. Or at least, it seemingly was, as Luke cuts himself off due to his cupcakes being ready to take out of the oven.

The subject is dropped and the scene moves on. We see a text conversation between Barbatos and Lucifer (in the Fantastic Three chat) afterwards, where Barbatos mentions he has something he'd like to discuss with Lucifer while he's over. Presumably, it's about his suspicions on what's going on with the Celestial Realm.

From there, the rest of season three plays out, and then we get to the after credits scene.

And lo and behold who shows up? Raphael. And Simeon is ... not thrilled to see him.

Given what we know of Raphael's personality, plus Simeon's expression here, we can safely assume he says that line rather mockingly. "Brother" seems to be a general term angels use with each other, like brethren of an order, but it almost seems to sound like a threat here. Remember your place kind of vibes.

Simeon puts on a polite smile and says he's so glad Raphael could stop by, and then we get an ominous text conversation between Diavolo and Lucifer to end the season. Diavolo has received troubling news from the Celestial Realm, news they should be concerned about, news about Simeon.

Now, Season 3 has had numerous scenes showing that Simeon is feeling a bit distant from the Celestial Realm. We have:

Luke's concerns earlier, about him spacing out all the time and avoiding Michael

Simeon's mysterious meet up with someone that Belphegor thought he recognized

Simeon's confession that his happiest time in the Celestial Realm was when the brothers were still angels

The fact that Simeon was demoted -- he used to be one of the highest-ranking angels as a seraph, but was demoted to archangel at some point (you can read our two fics here and here which expand on our headcanons and thoughts around this)

Simeon's PTSD-like reaction to seeing God/Father during the boogeyman incident, which shows someone's biggest fear, and is convinced that the boogeyman was showing his fear and not Lucifer's (which we agree with)

We also saw in Season 2 that Simeon has no issue talking back and being snarky to Michael. All in all, we can pretty confidently conclude that Simeon is on thin ice at best, and at worst? He's very likely in some real trouble.

So Raphael showing up at the Angel's Halo to greet Simeon in such a manner certainly makes it seem like he will have a much bigger role in Season 4, and if you're looking for conflict, he's probably come to deliver.

He is the strict, snide, sarcastic, unpleasant angel that does all of Michael's dirty work. He upholds and enforces the Celestial Realm's ways, which we know includes looking down on demons and certainly doesn't seem very forgiving to misbehaving angels either.

Raphael isn't here to be Simeon's friend.

Lesson 60 Hard Mode shows that Michael has sent a sealed envelope listing the next two exchange students that will be arriving in the Devildom from the Celestial Realm, and Asmodeus and Mammon both express shock at the two names they listed. They obviously recognize them. Could one of them be Raphael? Maybe, but it's not clear. Guess we'll just have to wait and see when Season 4 comes out.

Either way, we too are certainly looking forward to some conflict and major stuff going down in the new season. 👀