#it's going great guys (<- lying liar who lies)

[strawberrysamara]

[gaoau]

i've been thinking a lot about Suo and i need it to stop, so i wanna analyse him a little bit and say things into the void. normally i like to psychoanalyse characters in fics but i've seen that side of the fandom and i do NOT wanna go there, so i'm saving myself by pulling the same thing i did with Nanao ig.

disclaimer: this isn't necessarily a theory about his backstory as much as it is what i personally wanna see happen. see, if i were writing him, i'd do very specific things that could go in various directions, but since i am not, unfortunately, writing him and he's not my character to fuck with, all i can do is yap. which, also, probably won't be very eloquent.

manga spoilers for literally the whole manga up to date btw.

i don't think we won't be getting a backstory on him, to be honest. with a character like him, yeah, the mystery is part of the charm, and having this much anticipation can suck ass if once the secret gets revealed, it doesn't stick the landing. but i doubt Nii Satoru doesn't have something planned for him. why would bro be leaving Suo's room illustration out of the fanbook if there wasn't something there to talk about? what is in his room to talk about? but that's not what this is about.

anyway i'm gonna be so fr Suo's built like a dog. he's clearly full of shit, and yknow, that's fine, good for him, but there are things that are so painfully obvious he's just straight up lying about. after his fight with Kanuma, which is deadass the first time we see him fight, he says he "doesn't usually get so emotional," which ?? shut the fuck up? that's not true.

i know a liar when i see one. we've seen him fight five times? six if i wanna be generous; in three of those he got crazy emotional (Kanuma, keel, and Endo), and just a tiny bit miffed with the gymnast guy idr his name fuck that freak. which, listen, to be fair, if someone touched a single hair on Nirei's head in front of me, real me too i'd kill a guy. but look me in the eye lil bro don't lie to me. real talk, though, he was more than ready to kill the keel dude, and was going to. he wanted to. he was shaking while Sakura held him back, don't play with me. he wasn't gonna stop just cause someone was interjecting.

bro was itching to kill, side-eyeing Sakura, spitting snark cause how's the hot-headed mf who jumps head-first into a brawl without a second thought staying more rational than him, the rational one? Sakura's talking to him the same way i talk to my dog after she tries to kill my cat. i'm ngl my dog has better self-restraint than this kid. he also just straight up xd's his way out of it? like "oh whoopsies! mb gang! i was just feeling silly goofy! 🤪" like he forgets he's not supposed to glare at people with murder in his eyes.

speaking of murder! this is where i want him to have killed someone before Bofurin. he's, like, 15? so there's not much time to work with, but the same way Kaji was going feral at idk 8 years old, i can see a world in which Suo actually went overboard when he was a younger kid. (i'm not saying this is what things are pointing at, but i want this to be the case. i would do this myself.)

he is emotional, i don't think that's up for debate. i understand why he gets so emotional and i do think it's very noble and cool and swag of him, that's a good person, somewhat, he cares about his friends and it pisses him off when they get hurt. i fuck with that. that's great, get him an ice cream (if he even eats fucking weirdo). but why are we acting like "i am chill ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ" when, clearly, that's not true?

here's where his teacher comes in. for how much grief i'm giving him, i don't think he's all lies at all. i don't think him liking Nirei and Sakura enough to not only speak highly of them, but also fuck a guy up for them, is a lie. i think he is as kind as Umemiya describes him to be, cause honestly, if Umemiya says someone is kind, then they probably are.

i don't think this is necessarily fake as much as i think it's borrowed. it's learned behaviour. it's teachings passed down to him by his teacher. it's discipline. it's not something that comes naturally to him, but it is something a person he respects and looks up to taught him, so he tries to live by it. he's very clearly been disciplined, probably got beaten into the ground by his teacher, got his ass handed to him again and again and again until he sharpened his reflexes and learned how to control himself in a fight.

he talks a lot about adulthood, talks a lot about maturing, talks a lot about self-control and whatnot. which, by the way, this is a child? lil bro you're fifteen go play on your switch idk. but i'd like to think this comes from someone telling him, "hey, what you did was not okay. you have a lot of strength and you're not an animal. use it wisely so you can one day grow into a proper adult." solely cause i want him to have killed someone. that's all i want.

i think it would make sense, really. how funny would it be if he was living similarly to Sakura? i've seen people headcanon him as a rich kid, but he lies a lot, and i wouldn't put it past him to be living in a sad, lonely one-room apartment. there's a billion ways things could be done with him. maybe his parents didn't care to try disciplining him, maybe he grew up with no parents at all. he has a short fuse, that's easy to tell, even if he acts like he's got everything under control. it's a very Suzuri type of situation, so maybe it's not the direction Nii Satoru is gonna take things, but one can dream.

as for the eyepatch, i haven't really thought much about it. the way i see things, he's gotta come from a neglectful background, so losing an eye would make sense. or maybe he did it himself, i'd love to see that (i would do that with a character like this if he was mine). if his eye is even missing at all, cause all things considered, it might be sort of just a way to give himself a handicap to remind himself not to go overboard.

which, circling back to the self-restraint thing, i like to think that's the reason he doesn't really use much excessive force. not to say he doesn't kick and punch, cause lil bro packs a mean punch, but he doesn't gravitate to hitting people. he's usually using his opponent's weight and momentum against them, which is why i was decently surprised when i saw him grab the keel dude and wind back to bash his face in. he's not violent, until he lets go of what little self-restraint he has, and then he is. it's values and principles that come from someone else telling him how to behave, except he still struggles to hold himself back.

to put it in simple terms, if he were my character, this is what i would do. i'd have him kill someone by going overboard as a kid, have him be taken in by this teacher, have him disciplined and clean his act up by beating his ass, and then have him parrot all these teachings at people he meets later. cause that's essentially what he's doing, he's just repeating things someone else told him. what does bro know about being an adult he doesn't even pay taxes go do your trig homework. but he tries, and you can tell he's trying, even if it doesn't come natural, he cares about his friends and he cares about becoming a better person, he's just a little too quick to snap.

you know what i mean? he cares about Nirei in particular, he loves Nirei, he tries to learn from Nirei. (guys i love Nirei i wont shut the fuck up). but fr, he's got that Nanao complex where he instigates things or sets things into motion and doesn't quite participate. he watches from the back, for better or for worse, but he doesn't necessarily involve himself in things. he keeps a distance. he feels like the other side to Sakura's coin sometimes, learning about people and how warm they actually are. he's all prim and proper and nonchalant, but he recognises he's no match for Sakura and maybe even Nirei. after all, it's always Nirei the one grabbing both of them by the arm and dragging them places.

he talks so big and maturely about not meddling too much with people who can't quite handle friendship yet, and then goes "!" when Nirei tells him "? fuck are you talking about? that's the more reason to teach Sakura about friendship." it's the look on his face after Nirei, despite Suo's long-winded and logical argument, goes to Kotoha and insists they help Sakura anyway. he's learning from Nirei too. also Nirei's crazy endearing so real me too but that's beside the point.

i don't think these parts of him are fake, but they might just be artificial. he's still integrating them into his own person and making them his, but he still slips here and there. he's not quite there yet. i hope he killed someone when he was 8yo. that's all thank you for reading thumbsup

[traegorn]

Okay. So I got a super long ask that is... a lot. And it's anon, so I can't respond privately -- but I want to address it.

Y'see, sometimes I get asks which I'm pretty sure get sent to me just because I'm a witch who happens to publicly exist on the internet. Like the person sending it to me doesn't seem to be someone who's familiar with the kind of stuff I say -- or else they probably wouldn't have sent it to me to begin with. And they ask me for advice or help though. So I feel like I want to give it still.

But it's probably not the advice they think they want.

Let's see how this one starts:

So this is how it starts. Now the first thing you might be asking yourself is "When has Trae ever talked about 'demons' online?"

The answer is never. This is not a thing Trae talks about. Frankly, I don't even like the word, because it frames the supernatural world in a very Christo-centric viewpoint. Like I believe in noncorporeal things and "energy-shit," and I believe those things can be malevolent -- but calling them "demons" invites a framework I literally do not believe exists.

(You can think whatever you want -- I'm not in charge of you. I do think plenty of witches need to unpack their Christian upbringings though)

The other problem with the "which demon" line is that it implies some sort of authoritative list exists that wasn't just some jackass occultist writing down everything he could think of to piss off some Christians -- or some Christian pissed at some non-Christians trying to other and villainize them. These two kinds of people are largely where 99% of those lists come from.

If a noncorporeal being exists, and if it's malevolent, and if it's "attached" to someone... it's just some guy, y'know? This isn't some grand story. When someone gets mauled by a bear, we don't say "But it was Lord Ursus! King of all Bears!"

Nah. It's just "that bear over there ate Bob's face." We might name it then -- "That Face-Eater" -- but it's not special.

Anyways. That's just the first paragraph. There's so much more, I'm going to put in a cut.

Okay. So... The person "Dabbles." You know I'm a witch, right? And that I literally promote people dabbling? Like I want folks to try stuff out. And like when y---wait, SUCCUBUS? I read that, right? You think she's a literal succubus.

Can she shape shift like in that Piers Anthony book?

This is where I kind of immediately fell off. Like, no ma'am -- she is not a succubus. She might be a shitty or manipulative person, I don't know - I just have your account of things, but she's not a literal succubus.

Human being. She is a human being. I don't even know what "creates deceit and deception" is supposed to mean. Are you saying she lies to them? Or are you saying she makes them want to lie? Because those are very different. If it's the former, okay -- liars lie. Got it. If it's the latter... nah. That is not happening. If they're lying, then it's their own damned fault.

And like... I don't want to dismiss the concept that a malevolent being can't attach itself to someone, because I've... seen shit I don't talk about. But, like, they don't make people do shit. People do shit all on their own.

If you're to be believed, it just sounds like you're dealing with a manipulative jackass. No external paranormal shit required.

But we continue:

So I dated this person for a while, and she was great when we were the only people in the room. Like when it was me and her, the person she acted like made me fall in love with her.

But the moment a third person entered the room, she would become someone else. She was sharper, meaner, and more defensive. She wasn't the same person.

We broke up for a lot of reasons, but this certainly made it easier.

You're right, this isn't DID. This is just normal, human shit. We become different people at different times. And sometimes the better version we think we see in someone else isn't the true version of them at all, or at least it's only a part of them.

And sometimes when someone changes in a way you don't like in a different context, it's not always the context's fault.

You need to define "portal." Different people use that word for different stuff.

And I see we're moralizing drug addiction. Great. Awesome. Horse is preeeeeeetty high there for someone going to random witches on the internet for advice.

And, like, ma'am (I've been assuming you use she/her from the context of this -- but I'm sorry if I'm wrong), you're asking a witch this and bringing up tarot and talking to spirits and... like... that stuff's normal for like 80% of the people I talk to on a daily basis. None of those people have "demons" attached to them.

It's a weird thing to bring up as "proof."

I feel like you've forgotten what community you've come to with your issue.

So, nothing affects them. Could it be, and I want you to consider this, that it's because nothing supernatural is happening.

There are so many details that I'm missing here, so I can't be sure of the actual dynamics at play, but what you're describing to me sounds like an incredibly mundane, human scenario.

Like, it literally just sounds like you're describing an incredibly unhealthy home -- and I'm not even sure if that's true since I just have your version of events. I don't even know the ages of the people involved. You have given zero indications of anything out of the ordinary happening that isn't explained by "one or more manipulative people are somehow involved in this story and it's unclear which ones they are."

This is not a "demon." What you've described is just dysfunction.

[aleksanderscult]

Was the Darkling that much of a liar as the fandom makes him to be?

Because it's literally one thing for a character to truly lie every other page and another for the reader to have been tricked by the narrative that he's a compulsive liar.

If we thoroughly search and find his lying moments in the Grisha trilogy then it would be these:

“I don’t want to answer you.”

“Oh.”

Then he sighed and said, “One hundred and twenty. Give or take.”

After a moment, the Darkling said, “My great-great-great-grandfather was the Black Heretic, the Darkling who created the Shadow Fold.”

“How?” I pleaded. “How am I supposed to do that?”

“By helping me destroy the Shadow Fold.”

“What’s Baghra’s power, anyway?”

“I’m not sure,” he said. “I think she was a Tidemaker.”

“Because every day we don’t find the sea whip, I’ll peel away a piece of her skin. Slowly. Then Ivan will heal her, and the next day, we’ll do it all over again.”

“Where are they? ” I screamed.

“They are safe. For now. They will be on my skiff when I enter the Fold again.”

“As hostages,” I said dully.

He nodded.

So in the whole trilogy the Darkling lied six times. Four if you count the scenes before he was revealed as the "evil guy".

His first real conversation with Alina is considered both by the protagonist and the fandom as manipulative and shady. He lied about his identity, age and true goal. Now let's take it from the beginning.

The fact that he lied about his age and identity wasn't something personal against Alina. This is the exact same lie he had been telling the world for four hundred years as a means of survival and staying as head of the Grisha. Also, did we really expect him to say "Yeah, I was the one who created the Fold. Hehe what can you do?☺️". We would be lying too if we were in his place.

Another thing that needs to be understood here is that the Darkling was testing her. He was trying to see what her personality is like, how does she feel about her newfound powers and, most importantly, what has she heard and how does she feel about him. I'm pretty sure that he was kinda sure that Alina would have been influenced by the people's views about him. And he was right. Alina was afraid of him thanks to the rumors and superstitions that surround him. If she also knew who he truly was then she would run from that barn ASAP.

Now let's see the next lie that the Darkling spat out. The one where he told her that he needs her to destroy the Fold. This was another test. Trying to see how she would react if she knew her true purpose as the Sun Summoner that everybody expected.

Apparently she failed that test as well:

Alina panicked when she heard that the realm's future lies on her shoulders, when she understood that she would be the one to destroy the Shadow Fold. Imagine how she would react if the Darkling said "Okay look. I need you so I can use the Fold against some nations, not destroy it". Yup, she would scream and run.

There's no way the Darkling would say the truth to her, especially since he saw how frightened and prejudiced she was about him and how clueless she was about the whole economical and political situation Ravka was at this point.

He was waiting for the Sun Summoner to be born and emerge for centuries. He would never risk losing her now because of her narrow views and some brutal truths. It was a matter of life and death for him in order to protect his country. And this girl was too young, too naive to understand.

So no. He didn't do it because he had something personal against her or to seduce her. He did it for the good of his country so this girl would stay no matter what.

Sadly, it's evident that in the end the Darkling's suspicions proved to be right. She run away. And when he found her he chastised her about her selfishness and her inability to see the bigger picture.

“Did you deserve my trust? Baghra whispers a few accusations in your ear, and off you go. Did you ever stop to think of what it would mean for me, for all of Ravka, if you just disappeared?”

“You didn’t give me much choice.”

“Of course you had a choice. And you chose to turn your back on your country, on everything that you are.”

“That isn’t fair.”

“Fairness!” he laughed. “Still she talks of fairness. What does fairness have to do with any of this? The people curse my name and pray for you, but you’re the one who was ready to abandon them. I’m the one who will give them power over their enemies. I’m the one who will free them from the tyranny of the King.”

The Darkling was right, she did have a choice. I once heard a line from a show that said "In life we always have a choice. But sometimes it's easier to think that you don't" and it applies to Alina here perfectly. She had a choice but she said to herself that she didn't. And by doing so, she only proved Aleksander right. She can't handle the truth.

Now the next lie is when he lied about his mother's powers. Don't have to dwell here because it's the same thing as before. It's the same lie he tells everyone "I don't know. I'm not sure". The Darkling (publicly) has distanced himself from his mother and keeps that relationship a secret. It's just part of his persona (just like his age, his identity etc.). Again nothing personal against Alina.

The next one is just some clever emotional manipulation. When he made clear to Mal that he would curve Alina's skin he knew that the threat was just enough. He has seen them act all cutie-cutie and being sacrificial for the sake of each other to a disgusting point so he took advantage of that (I say good for him).

And the last one is just my personal favourite if you ask me. That strategy he displayed there was my most favourite that he ever showed. Since he knew again how the threat would be enough for Alina to come to him like fish on a bait. He embraced his villainous persona and pretended that he would hurt those children if she didn't surrender to him. But he knew better. Mindless heroism would just bring her right into his net and again he was proved right until everything fucked up and died.

In his own words:

“I know what you thought, what you’ve always thought of me. It’s so much easier that way, isn’t it? To puff yourself up with your own righteousness.”

Just some delicious shit actually.

So, in conclusion, no. He wasn't a compulsive liar. But when he needed to lie he did and only for (as he saw it) selfless reasons. In fact, he mostly either evaded the truth or spoke truth. So misinformation just spilled that man's reputation lmao.

[ao3cassandraic]

When angels overplay

Angels, playing a human role new to them, routinely overplay, in delight at their own cleverness and the sheer fun of roleplay. (Demons mostly don't. Crowley only piles role upon role on Bildad the Shuhite because Aziraphale prods him into helping con the angel posse. Until then, Bildad's basically just some guy -- if a guy who asks some rather foreboding leading questions -- to Job and Sitis. In s1, Hastur la Vista looks awful, but plays his role at Megiddo tolerably well; it's Warlock's child-outing-the-naked-emperor bit rather than any solecisms on his part that mess up his scene.) Angels just can't seem to figure out that sometimes less is more.

Muriel totally overdoes the Human Police Officer schtick -- Mrs. Sandwich clocks them just from a moment's glance at them, and so does Aziraphale -- because Muriel doesn't really know what they're doing so they think the thing to do is MORE OF IT. They kinda even know they don't know, but they have to get the job done so they just soldier (heh) right on. When Aziraphale pretends to buy their disguise, they are visibly thrilled.

Aziraphale totally overdoes the investigative-reporter schtick with the publican in the Resurrectionist. He settles down once he's getting some actual useful information, but the way he tosses around journalist jargon at the start is just as overegged as Muriel's Inspector Constable bit, and it comes from the same place of delight in roleplay.

Aziraphale's West End stage-magician career is also a masterpiece of Overegging It (when he isn't a basket of nerves, anyway). He only gets away with it because stage figures are allowed to be mega-flamboyant.

Here's the fun bit. Y'all ready for the fun bit? Here it is.

This applies to the Metatron too. He overplays his role as Kindly Oh-So-Human Appreciator of Aziraphale.

Oh, he does pretty well, the astute manipulative formerly-human-himself sod. He gets by Nina, no problem. The latte for Aziraphale (miracled or not) is a great gambit. He gets by Crowley, even -- Crowley's huge, huge, HUGE mistake is letting Aziraphale talk to the Metatron alone. (Crowley's contempt for Muriel's overplay, which he extends to angels in general, does him a very bad turn here.)

But then the Metatron says something that ground my brain-gears to a halt on my very first s2 watch. "You’re a leader, you’re honest, you don’t just tell people what they want to hear."

I'm sorry, are we talking about the same angel? The angel Aziraphale? The angel who flatly refuses to lead his troops in s1? The lying liar angel who lies lyingly even to the archangels and God Herself? The angel who when at odds with Heaven's archangels invariably finds a way to tell them what they want to hear, even if he has to convince them they want to hear it?

That angel?

Look, sure, it's meant as flattery, but the thing is, I don't think that is even the kind of angel Aziraphale wants to see himself as. He's not Michael or Uriel or Shax or Furfur, jockeying for empty titles and authority. He knows he's dishonest, and he's actually pretty honest with himself about it -- he confesses his lies to Crowley more than once over the millennia! He goes along to get along because it mostly works for him (and, of course, because he is always, always afraid).

But the Metatron clearly expects Aziraphale to buy this overegged line of utter boardroom-bafflegab bullshit. (Oxshit. Whatever. It's shit.) And the old boy's pretty damn pleased with himself at how well he thinks he's doing; he just oozes self-satisfaction.

I continue to hope Aziraphale doesn't buy it. He doesn't buy it. He does his standard go-along-to-get-along thing until he can get back to the bookshop and try to (codedly, codedly, anxiously, anxiously, the Metatron is still near) ask for Crowley's help.

I'm willing to be wrong about this; it's possible this is a cue to the audience -- rather than to Aziraphale -- that the Metatron isn't to be trusted. I don't think I am wrong, though. I think the Metatron went too far and Aziraphale (who is intelligent) caught it. Or possibly he'll catch it in (deus et Amazon volent) s3 when he's had a moment to consider.

P.S. I love that for all the swirling uncertainty about the details, the fandom has quickly -- and I believe accurately -- settled on the Metatron as the hate-sink string-pulling villain. We also seem to be pretty much agreed that there's one or several cons happening around the s2 ending, though again we're all over the place on the details. It's funny! I love y'all!

[mx-loar-tev]

So, about that fic idea of time traveller/serial killer JJ...

I'm toying with plot ideas.

1. Who would end up on her kill list?

Hastings, Askari and Doyle are the one that would take priority in S6. There are also the ones that JJ would feel the most justified to kill.

Izzy, the bank robbers and the other guy (forgot his name) in Hit/Run would definitely anger her so much that she could decide to preemptively get rid of them before they attack the bank in Washington. Not only she almost lost Will (the guy got shot and almost blown up twice), her son was taken hostage and she had to violently fight in front of him in their home. Her maternal instincts might push her to kill Izzy at the very least. Especially if she had already murdered three people in cold blood before that.

I'd need to rewatch the show, especially seasons 6 to 8 to see who could be on her kill list, but there's another name that come to mind: Diane Turner, the woman that stalked and killed Maeve. JJ had seen how devastated Spence had been after Meave's death, so of course she would do everything to save her and give them the opportunity to date.

The replicator is also someone that could be on the list. After all he tried to kill them all and succeeded with Strauss. I don't think JJ liked Strauss that much, even after she got sober, but the section chief is still "one of them". She also saw what Strauss' death did on Rossi, and for that only the replicator deserves to be on the list. He might not be her easiest target though.

2. About the cases:

With the amount of cases she worked on for over a decade, I think it would be hard for her to remember and keep track of it all. I'm sure she'd try to use the Intel she remembers to help with the case and save more victims, but the load of work that would come from trying to PREVENT all these crimes from happening is way to much for a single person.

Maybe there's some cases that sticked to her though, maybe she could focus on these ones if she wants to prevent them. But she can't save everyone and I'm sure it'd impact her mood severely to realise that.

I think she has a notebook written in code where she put every nugget of informations she can remember, along with ideas of how to approach each situation.

3. The butterfly effect.

Each time she changes something, kills someone that would have lived in the original time line, it has unpredictable repercussions. After a while, it would be hard to predict for JJ what would happen then. And sure, saving people's life is good. But there's no way to predict if someone else isn't going to hurt the person JJ just saved. Or just create an chain of events that would ends in tears and pain. It think at some point JJ would be overwhelmed by it all.

4. Lying to the team.

We know JJ is a great liar. Probably the best liar in the team. Her teammates failed countless times to see through her lies. But no one is perfect, especially with the amount of lies JJ would need to keep track of. I'm not sure yet how she would react from the worried and/or suspicious stares from her teammates. She'd be in a lot of pressure, that's for sure, so maybe she might slip at some point. And when you're surrounded by profiler, that can be a fatal mistake.

5. Her pregnancy.

If she killed Askari and Hastings before her humvee was blown and she miscarried, she probably would have given birth to that child. Her pregnancy and taking care of a newborn would impact the story and her ability to keep going with her mission.

6. Romance.

Sorry, I needed to put that here.

I'm quite flexible on who I ship JJ with. I'm a die-hard jemily shipper, I'll admit, but I think Will is okay even if he's not perfect.

I don't like writing Will as a bad guy, but that doesn't mean I can't write them breaking up for some reasons (JJ's odd behaviour since she arrived in the past and went on a killing spree might damage her marriage.) So that's a possibility, I guess.

But I also love the idea of polyamory. Though I'm already going that route in the fic I'm currently writing so I might want to try something else.

I could just not focus on a ship. Not every fic needs to be shippy. After all, the main interest of this fic is JJ, her psychology, the way she interacts with everyone in her life. There'd also be a huge chunk focusing on motherhood since she'd be pregnant.

Thinking about it, JJ being aromantic is something I haven't explored yet. That could be fun to write.

I haven't decided what I gonna do in that department yet.

7. How it'll end.

Or more exactly, what tone do I want to give to that story?

I mean, it'll probably be dark. But do I want a happy ending for JJ?

Even if she feels justified, what she does is morally blackish grey. That plus the weight of the lies and the amount of work that double life would require would be enough to burn her out. Once she stepped into the darkness it would be a downward spiral.

On the other hand, I like the idea of girlboss JJ being a successful charitable hitman/vigilante. I want her to have a little Deadpool vibe (sans sexual jokes and 4th wall breaking). I want her to find a confortable place where she's okay with what she's doing, even if it requires unsavoury methods.

Regardless of her state of mind, should the story end badly for her? Would her teammates find out about her? Would they arrest her? Would she escape? Would she be killed?

Or would she thrive in her new side work and remain undetected by her fellow profilers?

Would she stay at the BAU, considering she had become an unsub herself?

Do I want a happy ending? A sad one? A bittersweet one?

Thanks for reading through my musings.

If you have ideas or want to discuss that story, feel free to leave a comment/reblog and comment/send me an ask.

[mj-ackerman]

SxF Light Novel: Family Portrait Translation Mission 4: Portrait of the Forger Family!? (Part 1)

Read Mission 3: Franky's New Love!? Here. DO NOT REPOST

PART 2>>

“Go fetch it, Bond!”

“Borf!”

“Anya, Bond, don’t go off too far!

“Don’t worry, Yor. I’m also watching them”

Under the clear blue sky, a large picnic sheet was laid out on the park lawn, homemade sandwiches, fruit salad, baked goods for dessert were laid out, and a friendly couple watched their beloved daughter play with their dog with a frisbee. 

This is perfect.

Loid Forger, a.k.a “Twilight”, was extremely satisfied with their appearance, as if they were a model of a happy family. 

With this, no matter how you look at it, it won’t look like a fake family to anyone. 

Spies are easily tripped up by the slightest suspicion or distrust of those around them. Therefore, Loid regularly showed off his family’s harmonious relationship to those around him. Since this morning, they’ve run into several families who live in the same apartment building, and they have exchanged greetings and small conversations. 

It was worth taking a time out of his busy mission schedules. 

“I’m glad it’s sunny, but the wind is a little cold, isn’t it?”

“I thought something like this might happen, so I brought you a blanket, please use it if you’d like.”

As Loid and Yor were talking harmoniously, Anya, who had been running around the lawn, returned with Bond.

“Papa!”

“What’s wrong, Anya?”

Loid, in the manner of a loving father, held his child in his arms as she came running towards him with great vigor. 

“Are you hungry? We have sandwiches here.”

When he said that, Anya answered, “No, I’m not hungry yet,” and pointed to her back.

“That person said he wanted to talk to you, Papa.”

“That person?”

Loid raised his eyebrows and looked up to see a young man standing a short distance away, dressed in worn-out trainers, faded denim, and tattered sneakers. Overall, he’s a long, thin man. With a huge cloth bag hanging from his shoulder and a folding easel in his left hand, Loid saw that his trainers, denim, and even his sneakers were all covered in colorful paints.

He is too young to be a painter. Judging from his appearance, Loid guessed that he was an art student. 

I’m sure the organization’s contact person did not give any indication of a contact request…

In the first place, even if it’s a disguise, contacting the agent in front of his family directly, is such a careless act for a contact person. He’s sure it has nothing to do with the organization. However, he must remain vigilant. Although he doesn’t feel any murderous intent, it still could be an enemy agent. 

As he was quickly thinking about this, the young man approached him. Loid stood up, smiled a harmless smile and asked the young man,

“Can I help you? Was my daughter bothering you, by any chance?”

“No, nothing like that. Um, I’m painting something.”

Although the way the young man spoke sounded somewhat flat, his voice was pleasant to listen to.

“But lately, I have been having a hard time figuring out what to draw or what I want to draw….something is missing in my drawings, but I couldn’t figure it out…. So I was in what I call a slump. Today, too, I couldn’t come up with anything at all, so I was about to go home because I had no other choice when I finally thought, “This is it.”.”

After saying that, the young man bowed his head in a perked up manner. 

“Please, please be a model for my painting. Please.”

“Huh? A model?”

Loid made a surprised expression, but inwardly raised an eyebrow. 

What’s this guy talking about? 

Could it be that he’s really an agent of an enemy organization and he’s after something? However, there is not the slightest indication that the young man was lying. Due to his occupation, Loid is good at seeing through people’s lies. The young man in front of him had none of the characteristics of a liar. 

“You will be famous, Papa?”

Anya, who clasped her hands to her chest, suddenly got excited. 

At that, the young man shook his head, saying, “No.”. At that moment, a strong turpentine smell came out of his matte black hair. Looking closely, there was oil paint stuck in his hair as well.

“Not only your father, I want to draw your whole family.”

“Bond too?”

“Yes, the doggy too, of course.”

“Borf!”

“Oh, this one is very polite, isn’t he? Nice to meet you.”

The young man bowed his head to Bond as if he were a human, and reverently held his proffered paw.

Apparently, he’s really just a good painter in origin. However, it’s still a troublesome offer. Loid hesitated, wondering what to do now. 

As a spy, it would be a bad idea to leave traces of “Loid Forger” carelessly, even as a model for a painting…..

Loid did not show it in his expression, but he casually explored his surroundings with just a glance. Just as he thought, the curious eyes of people around them were focused on them. A couple relaxing on a picnic sheet nearby are watching them with amusement.

“What was that?”

“Something about being a model for a painting. Isn’t that some kind of art student assignment?”

In order to complete the mission without a delay, he cannot afford to be the center of attention here. On the other hand, it would also be outwardly offensive to refuse a diligent student’s request without any hesitation. 

I don’t know where or who is watching us. If the gossipy housewife across the apartment saw this, I'd be in trouble….

“Hey, listen. Mr. Forger was asked by an art student to be a model for a painting and he refused without any hesitation.”

“Oh my, that family was surprisingly cold.”

“They could’ve at least let him paint them. It’s not like they’ll die from it.”

“Oh, maybe there is something wrong with being drawn?”

Loid could easily imagine such a conversation happening. 

As an ordinary and good family, should we do our part in nurturing the young man with a bright future? No, today is a holiday, after all. It would be reasonable to refuse, I could say that we want to cherish our family time alone. 

Loid, who quickly concluded, said, 

“I’m terribly sorry, but I’ve been working a lot these days, and today is the only time I finally got to spend time with my family so….”

When he tried to softly refused the offer, Anya suddenly shouted in a strange voice,

“EHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!”

“What’s wrong? You suddenly just…”

“Th-That patch..”

Anya pointed to the back of the young man’s cloth bag with a trembling hand. 

“Oh, this?”

When the young man flipped the bag over, there was a glittering round patch on the bottom left corner, and in the center, Anya’s beloved cartoon character “Bondman” was drawn. 

“It was a bonus for a Bondman chocolate. I thought it would be a nice marker for my bag.”

“It’s super rare, the mythical bonus.”

Anya muttered in a shaky voice. 

For Anya, who loves bonuses and Bondman, it must be a very coveted item. 

Loid had a bad feeling about this, and said,

“If it’s Bondman Chocolate, I’ll buy you one on our way home.”

He put his hand on Anya’s small shoulder to calm her down as she stared at the patch, the young man then said nonchalantly, 

“If you don’t mind, can I give it to you?”

“Really!?”

Anya’s face shone brightly.

“I glued it on, so I'll give you the whole bag instead. I can’t give you the things inside of it, so I’ll find a garbage bag somewhere and put it in.”

Loid then hurriedly stopped the young man who was about to go looking for a garbage bag as he said,

“No, there’s no reason for you to do such a thing…”

“But she seems to like this very much. I would be very happy if she keeps it.”

After saying it as a matter-of-factly, the young man went to a mobile van parked nearby and returned with a black garbage bag. 

Without any hesitation, he put what’s inside the cloth bag into the garbage bag and said,

“Here you go.”

“Fank you very much.”

Anya was so pleased that she was almost jumping for joy when she was handed the bag with a rare Bondman patch. 

Ugh….what’s with this guy? 

It’s very difficult to deal with someone who doesn’t offer exchange conditions, such as accepting being a model for the painting in exchange for the patch. If that’s the case, then Loid can just do whatever he wants, but people with nothing but best intentions at heart are the most difficult to deal with. 

It can’t be helped…

With that, Loid made up his mind. 

It was not that he was going to be painted by a famous painter. He told himself that there would be no problem as long as he was painted by an art student. 

“Thank you for doing that for my daughter’s sake. If it’s okay with my wife, we’ll be happy to be a model. Is that okay, Yor?”

When he asked Yor, who was sitting on a picnic sheet watching them, for her consent, his good-natured wife gave him a flustered smile. 

“Yes, Anya was very happy too, so it would be nice if we could at least help him.”

She responded with a soft smile. 

The young man was puzzled and asked, 

“Um, did I do something to be thanked like that…?”

He was honestly very happy to have them model for his painting as he said, “Thank you.”. He bent down deeply and bowed his head and held out his right hand, which was stained with paint, to Loid.

“My name is Felix Curtis.”

“Nice to meet you, I’m….”

Loid, who reflexively grabbed the right hand of the young man named Felix, almost introduced himself briefly and then he stopped. 

Felix Curtis? 

Felix Curtis is one of the most popular painters of their time. He is a rather eccentric artist who rarely appears on the stage, so his face is almost unknown to most people, but Loid just read a newspaper article of him recently that his painting was sold for an amazing price. 

Don’t tell me it’s him? No, I believe Felix was in his mid-thirties…

However, the man in front of him looked like a teenager, no matter how he looked at him. 

Even though he thought that the man in front of him was completely different from what he had read in the article, Loid regained his composure and continued to speak. 

“Pardon me, I’m Loid Forger. I was a bit surprised, you share the same name as Felix, the painter?”

“Yes. I’m the person himself.”

Loid was absolutely at loss for words by the matter-of-fact response. 

….Oh my god.

His expression was almost tense, as expected, but he quickly changed it to a surprised one and said,

“I didn’t expect it to be you.”

“Do you know him, Papa?”

Anya tugged on Loid’s jacket. 

“No, but he’s a very famous painter.”

As Loid hid his inner turmoil and answered Anya’s question, Felix began to set up his easel on the lawn and said,

“Well then, I will start the preparations, you guys are free to do whatever you want.”

Anya peered at Felix and asked, 

“This frail and slender guy is very famous?”

She even gave him a rude nickname without permission. 

“Nothing like that, just a normal one.”

“Are you a billionaire?”

“No. Most of the money I receive is donated to art schools and other organizations. Painting costs money after all. I want many young people to paint freely without worrying about money.”

Felix answered each of Anya’s questions in a very serious manner. 

He was a wonderful spirit. If that is true, then this man named Felix is a man of considerable virtue. Moreover, If Loid refuses the offer he once accepted, the Forger family could quickly gain a bad reputation. 

As Loid was thinking that his retreat was even more cut off, Yor spoke to him in a whisper,

“......Um, Loid, is Mr.Felix really that famous? I thought he was just a student.”

“......Yes.”

Loid also responded in a whisper. 

“He is what you might call a man of the moment. He is a rare artist known for his use of transparent paints to create photorealistic paintings that look like photographs. I’ve seen his works in museums, and they are astonishingly elaborate. A certain art critic once said in admiration, “He turns every canvas into a camera lens.”.”

As he was explaining to Yor, Loid also chewed over the details himself. 

That’s right. That’s the problem.

What if the painting of their family, which at first glance looked exactly like a photograph, were to be mistakenly displayed in an art museum? 

This is a worst-case scenario….

As Loid was thinking that he had to avoid that at all cost, he heard Yor said,

“It’s amazing, he looks like he’s the same age as Yuri.”

She was smiling and admiring him, but then she suddenly frowned. She then asked nervously, 

“Um…..no matter how famous of an artist he is, it’s not ….likely that a painting of us as models will be displayed in an art museum, is it?”

“If he was an average painter…then no?”

Loid responded cautiously.

“In his case, there are a lot of people who want even a rough sketch from him. And when it comes to full-scale work…”

As he told her this, the blood drained from Yor’s face. Because, as you know, Loid has no way of knowing--- that she is an assassin with the code name of “Thorn Princess”. 

So far, no one has ever seen the face of the Thorn Princess and survived. ----But, there can be one in a million.

If there was someone who she failed to kill and by mistake sees Felix’s painting in an art museum and finds out that the Thorn Princess has a husband and a daughter, there is no guarantee that Loid or Anya will not be in danger. 

Thinking that, she turned pale. 

Wh-What should I do? But, it’s unnatural to refuse an offer that we have once accepted unless I can tell them the real reason… You must avoid having your face painted at all cost, Yor!

After desperately squeezing out all the wisdom that she had, Yor came to this conclusion….

“Yor? Is something wrong?”

Loid, unaware of Yor’s situation, was worried about her, who had suddenly gone pale and silent. He called out to her in a concerned manner. 

“Are you feeling sick?”

“No, I’m quite full of energy!”

Yor’s smile was clearly strained as she answered him with a smile.

“But aren’t you sweating a lot?”

“Uh…u-um..because it’s really hot.”

Saying that, Yor took off the blanket she was wearing. But unfortunately, under it was a thin sleeveless shirt. The wind that blew on her was unexpectedly cold, and Yor sneezed loudly. 

“If anything, the wind feels chilly… you also expected it, so I brought you a blanket, right, Yor?”

“No, I was wrong. It’s actually very hot today!”

He was afraid to pursue the matter any further with Yor, who was still shaking stiffly as she responded with a firm smile. 

“What’s wrong with you, Yor?”

Loid was puzzled by his wife’s sudden suspicious behavior. 

“Based on the conversation earlier, I guess she was okay to be a model for a student’s painting, but perhaps she doesn’t want it to be displayed in an art museum.” 

If that’s the case, then it’s the same with Loid but….

“Unlike me, who’s a spy, there should be no reason for Yor to be so reluctant about it. No, wait. Yor work at a tight-knit city hall.”

Certainly, it would be troublesome for her if she became a model for a famous painter and had her face to be known. It’s possible that some people might even say absurd things like she is paid by the taxpayers and she’s being frivolous.

At the very least, it will draw unwanted scorn from her co-workers. Maybe she was worried about that. 

“Yor’s relationship with her co-workers are like that after all…. I see, so that’s how it is.”

Loid found himself nodding as he realized the reason for Yor’s inexplicable behavior, and Anya, who had been looking up at him for some time, blurted out before she even knew it,

“You’re way off, Papa.”

“?” 

As usual, she suddenly said something he didn't understand.

Loid raised an eyebrow and asked, 

“What’s wrong? What’s I’m way off about?”

Saying that, Anya responded somewhat flustered, 

“It’s nothing.”

As Loid tilted his head at his daughter, inexplicable as usual, Felix finished setting up his easel and said, 

“Well then, let’s start soon.”

At that, Yor timidly raised her hand and asked, 

“Would it be alright if I go to the restroom over there for a bit?”

“Of course, please go ahead.”

As soon as Felix gave his approval, Yor rushed to the restroom at a tremendous speed. 

Overwhelmed by her momentum, the three of them looked off in stunned disbelief at Yor’s back.

“Is your mother an athlete or something?”

“My mama is an..as..as…a someone who works in the public sector.”

“Works in the public sector? You sure know difficult words. Smart kid.”

“E..ehehe.”

“Borf!”

Loid was distracted listening to Anya’s conversation out of the corner of his ear.

“Oh, so she was just holding herself up for the restroom..”

Maybe the comment about not wanting to be painted was simple my own overthinking, and Yor was just cold because she was out here for a long time. 

As Loid was thinking about whether he should casually put a jacket on Yor once she gets back, or if a blanket would be better, Anya was looking at him again. Moreover, her eyes seemed to be warm and somewhat compassionate, and when Loid turned to look at her, she was already working with Felix trimming Bond’s fur. 

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

[ca-suffit]

I have a question for you concerning the show and racial education. Like, it's wrong to call Armand manipulative? Bc I found him very manipulative, but I don't want to sound racist telling it. How should I point his faults? Or I shouldn't?

It's not wrong to call Armand manipulative or Louis a liar or any of those things. Every character is complex and u can say that out loud! It's great to have black and brown characters have these layers instead of be one dimensional stereotypes. It's also good there's so many of them around too, not just one or two. U don't have to worry about sounding racist for commenting on what the writers and actors are saying is there for u to see in the characters.

What makes this stuff racist is if u were to talk about it in a way that reveals ur own bias. This is what a lot of the white fandom ppl do. A rly obvious way would be like "u can't trust Louis to tell the truth, he's black," or "show Armand feels less innocent than book Armand." Most ppl aren't doing that tho. Usually u'll see it in ways like how Lestat's behavior is talked about in a way that's easily forgiven, misunderstood, or going to be revealed to be a lie, but *everything* shitty about Armand is true, no question. Then there's usually a doubling down of "it's not about race, it's in the books!" The show has so far not given any indication that Lestat is innocent of anything, so to want everyone to lighten up on the white guy but say the brown one is "clearly" evil is gonna make u sound racist af.

Ur meant to feel uneasy about Armand rn, about Armand and Louis, about the theatre, all of this stuff. All of these characters are doing things that are fucked up and meant to have u questioning everything. If u look at how ppl write, u'll see how often Daniel and Lestat are seen in positive lights for doing fucked up shit that black and brown characters can't do without being instantly condemned. How many ppl said Louis is the worst for anything he does to Daniel but overlook *all* Daniel's behavior towards Louis (AND Armand AND the staff)? If Lestat were the one doing those things to Daniel, ppl prbly wouldn't even notice. Did u see ppl complain about Lestat making that man slap himself in the theatre in S1? Even when Lestat is doing some antiblack, outright abusive shit to his own family, the fandom is calling it "cunty." No other character has done anything close to that but we're supposed to forgive him already because that was all "Louis' lies" and "we'll see the truth soon" (that it was all Armand, wtf). Louis does a fraction of a fraction of that to a white character, who is consistently being disrespectful towards everyone, and he's "gone too far." Do u see the difference? We're going to be seeing more of Armand so u can watch how the fandom is gonna be racist af about this in real time. Ppl will not be as affectionate to him as they were to Lestat. He's going to instantly be said to be "bad" and "evil" and Loumand is fucked up, Louis needs to go back to Lestat etc. These are things u can rly think too, it's not racist to not like Armand or Loumand because it *is* fucked up. But u'll see the difference still tho. Ppl who overly imply "it's not a race thing" when hating on Armand, Louis or Loumand are probably racist because there's no reason to have to clarify that if it's not. Nobody rly thinks ur racist for saying stuff ur supposed to notice. Nobody needs the black and brown characters to be perfect, we know they're all fucked up too. It's the *way* u talk about it.

damn this was long lol. I hope that made sense? anyone can add on too if u wanna elaborate on this. I know white fandom has ppl fucked up on this bcuz they're telling everyone "the others" all think u can only talk positively about black and brown characters and everyone hates Lestat cuz he's white but that's not true. They're lying to make u hate specific ppl on purpose and victimize themselves. It's typical white supremacist "logic," like politicians do when they say CRT promotes racism, or stealing the word "woke" and turning it into a negative association in ppl's minds. get educated about their bs so u can avoid getting manipulated by it.

[heartkaji]

[ ★ ⸻ @xocielito ]

★ OVERVIEW

hihi ! your perception of atsumu is so in sync with mine omg 🤞🤞 anyway, i can imagine you and atsumu having a sort of princess x knight trope. it’s a relationship dynamic where atsumu showers you with princess treatment, going out of his way to make sure you’re always comfortable and get what you want. you’re extremely precious to him and he makes sure to show it through his actions 🙂‍↕️

Q1 — WHO FELL FIRST & WHO FELL HARDER

you fell first ! i can imagine you always silently admiring him from afar, watching him laugh with his teammates & interacting with friends. you’d always wanted to be a part of his inner circle but you were too shy 💔 i can imagine you attending every single game of his, and at some point he notices you and from then on shoots you an acknowledging wave whenever he sees you. you two don’t become fiends until a mutual friend steps in though : one of your close girl friends happens to be friends with the twins and after you tell her about your growing crush on the blond she makes it her mission to help you out. she introduces you two after a match and although you’re shy at first atsumu is everything bright; he shakes your hand with vigor and a sweet grin on his lips, telling you he’s noticed you before and he’s greatful for your support. that kind of made you feel like more of a fan than friend, but you soon get to spend more time with atsumu through your mutual friend and eventually you two become friends on your own 💘

atsumu fell harder. i can imagine him not even realizing it till samu and suna point out that he’s becoming a ‘simp’. apparently, according to his twin and teammate, atsumu has a habit of staring at you across the classroom, unlocking his phone simply to see your face in his wallpaper and switch it back off, bringing up your name for no reason in conversations…yeah he’s got it bad. at first he’s quick to deny it, but eventually he accepts his fate. he’d be a liar if he said he didn’t think about you more often than not or that he doesn’t get all that excited when he sees you after a long day. he has no idea what you did to bewitch him honestly, especially since he didn’t even care about you that much at first, but he definitely can’t say he hates it 🤞

Q2 — TOXIC THINGS THEY DO ?

refusing to take responsibility for his actions. i can very clearly imagine atsumu lying or straight up gaslighting you when you accuse him of something he 100% did. i feel like he hates confrontation and he’ll do anything to avoid taking blame or being the ‘bad guy’ in the situation. if he lies to you he’ll also keep up the lie until you catch him, if at all.

he also lies over the smallest things. i think he can get pretty anxious about you thinking he’s cheating so he’ll lie about small things like where he’s at. if he’s out with let’s say a female childhood friend, he might say he’s with sakusa instead 😭 it’s not like he had bad intentions, usually he’d tell you before going out but this time he forgot and he kinda just lied on the spot 😬 he’d rather tell a quick lie than have to go on explaining what he’s doing, why he’s there, etc. atsumu thinks that as long as he really isn’t cheating and his conscience is clear it’s no big deal. someone tell him it IS a big deal though cuz regardless of the context lying ain’t right ❌

Q3 — WHAT’S HAVING A FAMILY WITH THEM LIKE ?

ATSUMU IS DEFINITELY A GIRL DAD. 100% !! okay so at first he was going on about how he wants a little boy who he’ll teach how to play volleyball but at your gender reveal you sliced the cake to reveal color pink. he was excited to be a father nonetheless and though he wanted a boy at first you can’t even tell ?? he loves his baby girl SO MUCH. you definitely ban candy after 6pm while atsumu sneaks her some and tells her not tell her mommy 💘 i can 100% see him dressing up in tiaras and tutus to play tea time with her as well ☹️ it’s the cutest thing ever

at some point he gets you guys a family dog. it’s a labrador named snickerdoodle (named by your daughter who couldn’t stop giggling and repeating the word when she discovered it). when atsumu’s not working he spends his days at the park with your daughter and dog, tossing frisbees to them both and playing tag. whenever they come home they’re ALWAYS covered in sweat and mud, you have no idea how they always manage to get so dirty but oh well 😭. though who handles the cooking is irregular and more or less shared between you both, on weekend nights atsumu handles all the cooking. your daughter loves watching kids cooking shows and she often makes her dad watch along. on weekend nights the two insist on recreating some of the dishes they’ve seen together 💘 it’s so cute but the food is always a hit or miss; either tasting good or horrendously bad 💔 you always have to keep some takeout in the fridge just in case; you will NOT be getting a stomach ache for the sake of their antics 🤦‍♀️

>> 𝐌𝐀𝐈𝐍 𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐓 <<

© ─ heartkaji ; do not steal, copy, edit, translate or reupload

[kmze]

Thoughts on 4x13-4x23 TBH I had a lot of fun watching this half! I liked Elena’s no humanity arc and I enjoyed Silas fucking around with everyone and getting inside their heads. I also liked the detours to NYC and the storybook town Katherine compelled. There is some good foreshadowing this half and it was definitely much better than the first half of S4 (at least to me) The worst part was Bonnie’s storyline because of how tragically it ended and that she wasn’t in control of herself for much of it (this season was rough for her, might be her roughest). Also everyone appears to be dumber for plot reasons (or maybe it was just Damon being put in charge too often). Thoughts below!

4x13

The way Rebekah body slammed Elena CTFU!!

Klaus is such an asshole. As much as I have enjoyed some of the Klaus and Caroline scenes this season (my feelings about them have evolved, they are a necessary evil lol) stuff like this will always turn me off about them.

This Forwood scene is both touching and heartbreaking. Caroline reassuring Tyler he did the right thing because he freed the hybrids, and calling him a leader. They’re so great.

Again it's so cruel how the show is handling Beremy in regards to Bonnie. They came back together pretty quickly, which isn't a bad thing because it shows Jeremy has been pining this whole time (which your own fault my guy). However, they are just setting Bonnie up because he's gonna die! All those shirtless muscle grazes for nothing.

Rebekah dropping truth bombs though about how everyone should shut up about taking the moral high ground.

I like that Caroline always finds a way to stay alive! She knew she could use Klaus’ feelings for her against him to cure her, and she doesn’t have to give him anything in return. Adapt or die.

4x14

I am so tired of hearing about the cure already!

These beach/forest island scenes are making me zone out, I have no idea what's going on with this plot and very ready for it to end.

Nah Klaus was being way too nice and forgiving, Tyler and Caroline needed to be quicker figuring that out.

For someone who hates Elena she sure does talk about her ALL THE TIME JFC Rebekah, get a life.

But EL OH EL at Elena trying to get Stefan back to worshipping her by talking about his feelings on being human and when she asks why he didn't tell her he says "because it wasn't about you" BURN!

I like how you can subtly tell its Katherine when she goes to bite the hunter. Elena never would have done that.

Poor Forwood :(

Klaus is so fucking delusional “you know I would never hurt you” you just did less than 24 hours ago!

4x15

Stefan and Caroline have great silent communication.

Sometimes I read Reddit against my better judgement and for some reason they all believe Stefan and Bonnie should have happened. But I’m sorry after 3.5 seasons into this rewatch Stefan doesn’t give a flying fuck about Bonnie! Whatever “friendship” people think was “ignored” does not exist! He basically told Damon to leave her on that island with a 2000 year old psychic immortal because Damon needed to use the sire bond (!!!) on Elena. Bonnie doesn’t really fuck with him either, ever since Grams died she keeps her distance more than I noticed before. I think Bonnie recognizes how much Stefan is a lying liar who lies.

I think that’s why Bonnie ultimately got closer to Damon than she ever did to Stefan. Not that she trusts Damon or even really likes him until S6, but he at least shows her who he is all the time.

Damon and Caroline do not have good silent communication lol.

The crazypants Bonnie scenes are amusing in a scary way during all this heavy stuff.

This was one of the most emotional episodes of this show ever and I mean that in a good way. Nina deserved more accolades for her performance because it’s really heartbreaking, and she does a fantastic job of switching from extremely emotional to “emotionless” humanity off.

The scene where the trio walks out of the house while it’s burning you see Damon and Elena keep walking together but Stefan stays back a bit to look at the house and gets separated from the two of them. I felt like that was foreshadowing that Stefan is going to move on and essentially leave the triangle.

4x16

Wait did Elena just imply Caroline has seen her naked!

Damon’s list of things Klaus sucks at CTFU!

I feel like Stefan always has a vervain needle in his pocket LMFAO! Phone, keys, wallet, vervain needle. It will also endlessly amaze me how often vamps get roofied by vervain needles in broad daylight and just no one cares.

The way NH!Elena stops when she sees Stefan and Caroline dancing and stomps over GREATEST MOMENTS IN TVD HISTORY! I firmly believe this is the first time we see Stefan have his more than friendship feelings for Caroline (the ones that scared him and he pushed away) and actually act on them.

OMG am I ready for Rebekah to go away already!

Klaus and Hayley have ZERO chemistry wow. They definitely get better on TO but this was painful to watch.

Personally I would have told Stefan “not my problem” re: NH!Elena but Caroline is nicer than me. She’s also still kinda falls for his tricks at this point (wait until S6 my friends).

4x17

Love the 1977 flashback mostly for the use of Psycho Killer.

KLEFAROLINE! I can’t believe this is the only episode ever that they all shared scenes at the same time.

Isn’t Shane dead?!? I can’t follow this storyline at all man.

You can always tell how bad the show is treating Bonnie by how bad her wig/hair is and right now it's getting bad again. It looked great with the curtain bangs but the full bangs are a no-go. How this show managed to make Kat Graham look NOT gorgeous on purpose is it's most heinous crime.

I think we can all agree when Klaus said “don’t underestimate the allure of darkness Stefan, even the purest of hearts are drawn to it” it was him propositioning Stefan and Caroline to have a threesome.

I’m really enjoying the NYC scenes and the flashbacks. It’s giving a different feel to the show and I like it, almost the opposite of how it made me feel in the beginning of the season. Maybe we’re transitioning with Elena again but this time it's about having no humanity and hedonism so it's like grimmy, dark and sexy. Also change of scenery once in a while is a good thing.

Klaus pushing Stefan against the tree was way more sexual than the script intended me thinks. Then Caroline rushes over, and that’s why we only got one episode of this throuple, le sigh.

Damn NH!Damon was cold blooded in the flashback with Lexi, I forgot about that.

4x18

Katherine compelling a whole town reminds me of WandaVision now.

Stefan pointing out how incompetent Damon is lol always funny (and true).

NH!Elena intimidating Katherine is GOLD! Nina is having so much fun with this arc and I love that for her.

Damon and Stefan being like “ew” at Katherine and Elijah like they both haven’t slept with her AND her doppelgänger.

Honestly the vial the cure was in did not look like a 2000 year old vial so like again, morons. Damon for some reason thought Katherine was as stupid as him and hide it in the most obvious spot.

NH!Elena is right how fucking stupid is Elijah that he trusted Katherine or believes anything she says EVER. He's just as gullible as his sister.

I’m with Elijah honestly Klaus no one cares about you being tormented, you’re the worst and this is karma. I'm also with him in regards to Rebekah and her insisting on taking the cure, you wouldn't last one day without superpowers, you're just bored and need attention.

4x19

Caroline still got the better dress lol. I do love when she uses men's affections to get herself things.

Silas appearing as everyone was a good villain for this half. Gave everyone an opportunity to play something different, plus there’s always something scary about a shapeshifter especially one that can read your mind.

Bonnie going cray-cray again but even worse her hair and this dull dress WTF?! Like they gave her prom queen but at what cost! I hope Kat burned this wig once she was free from it.

I personally feel like the Steroline prom dance affects Stefan more than Caroline. She maybe feels a little tingle after they share a look but Stefan’s reaction is way more played up. He’s the one who lowers his head like they might kiss and then the breath he takes after. My heart. Love how this becomes such an important moment in their love story, especially for him. He mentions it in his speech about loving her changed his life, and oh yeah his friggin' wedding vows!

See another vervain needle! This guy!

I'm sorry but LMFAO at Klaus talking about humanity saying mockingly "why does this always happen to innocent people" because he's kinda right! Being human in this world would be super lame with all the supernatural power and knowledge they have.

Elijah knows there's a super-powerful immortal psychic who can impersonate people wondering around and he doesn't ask for even a little bit of clarifying information when "Rebekah" says she passed his test. Also he just believes she passed his test? HOW IS HE THIS GULLIBLE?!

4x20

The first scene cracks me up in retrospect like “we three are contractually obligated to be in all episodes so here’s some random dialogue to fill that” LMFAO

MARCEL <333 you beautiful sexy ass hell man, I shall always crackship you with Bonnie Boncel4lyfe

Elijah is just as bad as Stefan when it comes to his brother, like OMG just let that man GO! Some people just don’t want to be saved man.

The Klamille scene when they looking at the painting and discussing it is really nice (plus great song). I know technically he looked at art with Caro first but like Cami actually appreciates art and Caro couldn’t really care less beyond distracting him lol.

4x21

IDK if I can believe Caroline was valedictorian… I mean I don’t think she’s dumb or not determined enough to get it but there is no way she attended enough classes to get it. Sorry show I don’t believe you.

You know Caroline is moving up in the TVD food chain when Matt turns a dig about her from Rebekah into a compliment!

Matt being the trigger for Elena made sense, he got the biggest emotional reaction out of her when she first saw him in the woods. I don’t think Damon got any real emotional reaction out of her tbh, and Stefan got some with her jealousy over Caroline and when he compared her to Katherine. This just proves Matlena should have been endgame like I’ve always said!

4x22

Stefan definitely had Caroline babysitting Elena.

Sorry but I love how everyone doesn’t even entertain the idea Elena could kill Katherine. They are like she’s 500 years old and 500x smarter than you, you will die.

Lexi’s comments are great foreshadowing for Steroline. They are ambiguous enough that they don’t say Stefan has feelings for Caroline but they don’t deny it. Lexi definitely seems to think so though and she's known him for over 100 years so...

I know Katherine and Elena have tons of reasons to want each other dead but it felt like they played it up on purpose this episode and the next one to make them fight and give Katherine the cure. It’s not OOC or anything just feels more manufactured than it needed to be.

I can’t believe they killed Bonnie! I know it’s temporary but JFC she can’t catch a break, this was an awful season half for her. Fuck Julie and Dries.

4x23

I can’t believe they had Stefan graduate LMFAO zero people believe he attended more than 2 classes this whole year.

I like how the Klaroline scene in 4x23 and the Steroline scene in 6x22 work in tandem. I used to view it as a conflict but now I appreciate how they work so well for Caroline. Two hot powerful guys promising her their heart and she gets to choose which one whenever she wants since they both gave an open timeline. It girl behavior!

I don’t think I ever zone out more than when Damon and Elena make one of their yelling love declarations of toxicity. I will never understand their appeal.

Poor Stefan. I do feel a little bad but they did hint all season he was going to be the one to move on and he knew it too. Through a rewatch it’s easy to see the hints and foreshadowing. His scene with Damon where he says he’s “not not happy for you” is great too because that’s what matters to him more in the end.

Human Katherine! Such a great storyline excited for it!

HELLO MY SHADOW SELF

Lines that made me laugh:

Rebekah: You’re like Sherlock Holmes with brain damage (she's annoying but she is funny!)

Elena: You got Lexi’d! (CRYING I swear everyone is funnier without humanity)

Caroline: I don’t know if this is your new weird way of flirting, but it sucks. (her delivery was the best part)

[legendarybelmont]

i feel like the fact that giro is a shady, cringe liar is a very undervalued and underused aspect of his character in fandom despite the fact he very much is all that. sure hes semi-responsible but he canonically completely lies to vent about how he met model z (confirmed in zx tunes soundtrack notes), for one thing, and even then if you arent a vent truther he very pointedly didnt tell aile jackshit until it was quite literally forced from him. he was more frank than he was with vent, actually telling her he was a guardian, but even then he was as vague as possible, as is shown with prairie and how she has to tell aile later on that giro watched over her primarily (at first) thanks to orders from ciel. not to mention how giro talks about model x in response to questioning in the intro -- "im sure its very powerful and very dangerous. its probably better we (you) dont know". brushing off all inquiry, making it very obvious he never intended to tell or show the protagonists a thing in the first place. if he wasnt forced into it, he probably wouldve kept omitting everything about himself to them, basically! indefinitely! and, of course, theres how he tells at least vent to deal with his salt regarding slither inc. in summary, "be as salty as you want, but dont show it in town, they arent going to like it". this is very shady. he is not an upstanding citzen. girouette consistently withholds information and even outright lies (and ropes others into said lies, poor fucking vent, EVERYONE was in on it) about incredibly important things, and he is generally quite a shady person, running a vaguely illegal transport company/front for a paramilitary organisation, as well as the literal opaque visor in his megaman transformation implying a need or desire for anonymity, especially with how in the manga vent doesnt recognise giro on sight. also in the manga, giro is shown to be incredibly blase about the whole megaman thing when he talks to vent at first, in, coupled with his other behaviours, is what i assume an effort to throw him off and downplay the importance of the situation, as usual. hes also really cringe in the manga too btw its great i hate him who says "YO" after dropping the craziest bombshell of vents life on him all casually

girouette is not a very honest person, and this is true ESPECIALLY in vents route. i can only assume that raising vent, an incredibly precocious and easily aggravated person, made his existing tendencies worse than how they ended up with aile, who he seems more open with, if only for her calmer personality in comparison. i wish this was more commonly depicted with him :( he is usually just watered down to 'responsible father figure' and like, yeah, sure, whatever, but hes a lying liar who lies! and hes vague and occasionally facetious! and he is so shady even just in his vibes! come on guys i swear hes such an interesting character when you look past the impression he is actively trying to project

p.s: yeah sure, his open affection with aile is cool and all, but what about his strained but very present and existing care for vent, that he yet feels the need to hide beneath numerous layers of deflection and faux-challenge? the care that, apparently, for some reason, he feels he cant express so blatantly as he does with aile, perhaps because he feels vent wouldnt appreciate it? and such. vent is also incredibly underrated. vent and giros dynamic, something that informs so much of giros character, actually, really is kind of forgotten huh. the price of aile-centric fandom. love aile tho

[crplpunkklavier]

can we perhaps get an apollojustice analysis🧐👉👈

he’s rude he has no volume control he cries in court he punches his clients he’s my sonsband he’s the light of my life. greg davies vc its LITTLE APOLLO JUSTICE

alright so i don’t know that i’d call any of what i do here a character analysis. i know you sent this in response to my post with klavier writing advice, so i’ll try to do the same here. this is a collection of things i try to keep in mind when i write apollo.

1. he’s rude

this one’s great. followers may know this about me, but i am also rude. it’s come up in my posts sometimes, because i actually have such poor manners that it becomes a problem for me every now and then. i swear a lot! it just comes out of me. sometimes, i have to write characters who don’t swear, or who swear very little, and that’s hell. that is hell for me. it’s a miracle i haven’t cursed yet in this post. just makes it easier to express shit, you know?

but apollo swears. i promise you that. apollo justice swears like a fuckin sailor. i…… will be honest i can’t be assed to find it, but there is a post on here where a lovely tumblr user broke down the speaking styles of various aa characters in the japanese original. if anyone wants to go find it and let me know, be my guest!! but what i remember about that is that apollo justice has a pottymouth. and ever since i’ve read that, i have clung to it with all my might. look me in the eyes. let apollo justice say fuck.

he also has no social skills. he isn’t rude on purpose! although i think sometimes he can be. i think he can be a mean little pissant when he doesn’t like someone. you know he would have ended daryan crescend’s life then and there if they hadn’t been in court.

but anyway, i think sometimes he is also just pretty bad at talking to people. he’s a lawboy! he’s built to practice law! he doesn’t know how to do anything else!! when he sees that vera is scared in the detention center, he makes the perhaps worst attempt at smalltalk we ever see in the entirety of the series. he doesn’t know how to be tactful, and he isn’t going to learn, because aside from law apollo is also all about truth. he sees lies, and he’s a bad liar himself, but sometimes lying is expected of you in social situations, and he’s not going to do it, and he won’t like it when other people do it. he’d rather be rude. and he will be. he will be very rude.

2. he has no volume control

as a person with adhd. very nice to write. i’ve never uttered a quiet sentence in my life. everything i’ve ever said i’ve screamed at the top of my lungs. also not on purpose! it just comes out that way.

if you write apollo justice, just remember to make him scream now and then. whenever he’s remotely excited about anything? scream. have him animate it with his body too! apollo’s sprites don’t just slam the desk, he hits it with both fists! he jumps back in surprise when something happens, and he pokes his big old forehead when he has to think. he’s an animated guy, and whatever reaction feels exaggerated to you in the moment is probably the one to go for.

3. he cries in court

and now, for something completely different.

he’s a little softie. :] we all remember apollo being in tears when he thought trucy had been kidnapped, even though he barely knew her then. he also mentions journaling in canon, where he goes back and leaves intricate retellings of his adventures in his diaries. also!! he really enjoys lamiroir’s music. for all that he’s loud and brash and impulsive, at the end of the day, the man probably sits down with a cup of tea and a soft-lit desk lamp to write about his day.

i would also like to take this moment to remind everyone of his reaction to meeting plum kitaki.

???: You, kid with the hair. You want something? Apollo: Urk! M-M-Me? No, not a thing! Bye! Trucy: Apollo! We can't leave without questioning her! What if she knows something! Apollo: B-But th-the Kitaki Family...! (They're the biggest organized crime syndicate in town!) ???: If you're going to ask something, ask it. If you're man enough. Apollo: Waaaaugh! R-Right! Trucy: Yay! Way to whip him into shape, ma'am! Apollo: (Does she know no fear!?) Plum: I'm Plum. Plum Kitaki. Wife of the fourth head of the Kitaki Family business. Friends call me Little Plum. Apollo: I-I'm l-little Apollo Justice, attorney at law. *gulp*

that’s right. he’s little apollo justice. :) cmaaahn. he’s just a little guy, and it’s also his birthday.

4. he punches his clients

ok, he punched one client.

i’m bringing these up in this order though because i think apollo’s impulsiveness is a really fun juxtaposition to him shaking and sobbing at having to speak to a woman on the street and in broad daylight, across from an active police scene swarming with cops no less, just because her name is kitaki. because i still think he IS impulsive.

i’ve had klavier bring this up in exorcism because it’s still one of my favorite apollo bits:

Klavier: Let us imagine you are walking through the park. You see two men facing each other. One with a pistol trained on the other. ...What would you do, Herr Forehead? Apollo: Well, I... I guess... I would try to stop them. I'd probably shout, "Stop!" Klavier: And you, Fräulein? Trucy: M-Me? Well... I'd probably scream, "Eeeeeek!" [a bit later] Stickler: Tossing the pistol aside, he fled from the scene. Apollo: [Hold it!] You didn't try to apprehend the criminal? 

i just… i mean, who would. who in their right mind would “try to apprehend the criminal.” i’d shit my pants, klavier, that’s what i’d do in that situation.

but apollo seems pretty sure that he would intervene, and you know what? i believe him. i think if apollo justice walked through a park and saw a guy shoot someone and then take off, he would fully chase after him like a fucking rabid dog, and then he’d probably jump him and call the cops, and when they’d get there they’d find bite marks on the guy for some reason.

he just also gets really scared when he sees mafiosi, instead of attempting to arrest them. essentially i just think, apollo sees something, anything, and reacts to it in the biggest, wildest way possible. a mafioso will have a normal conversation with him and apollo will scream and cry. a passerby will hold a knife to someone’s throat and apollo will single-handedly beat him to a pulp. phoenix wright will smile at him and apollo will uppercut his childhood hero. it doesn’t have to make sense. it just has to be batshit.

5. other stuff

two more things i’ve thought about a lot while learning to write apollo are his loyalty and his confidence.

loyalty first: there is not an ounce of misplaced loyalty in this man. once it became clear that kristoph was the borscht bowl club killer, apollo was on him, and he took him down. i fully believe that if phoenix had been the killer, apollo would have done the exact same to him. there is one moment in turnabout succession when kristoph first takes the stand, where apollo kind of gulps and thinks that this still feels like he’s his mentor, but he gets over that PRETTY quickly lol. and he wasn’t thinking about sparing kristoph for being his mentor, he just remembered to stand up straight and be a good lawyer in front of him.

confidence second. i get. SO bothered. when people write apollo without it. you listen to me. this five foot nothing freak thinks he is the best thing since sliced bread, and as a german person it’s difficult for me to say this about bread, but he’s right.

apollo thinks he’s fucking fantastic. he’s VERY proud of his vocal routine, he thinks it’s GREAT that he screams every thought he’s ever had. he’s really nerdy about law, he tells plum and trucy that he loves long and boring procedures as a lawyer, shamelessly. he very firmly believes in his hairstyle. everything you see apollo justice do he does on purpose. (which also makes me think that he knows EXACTLY what he does when he rolls up his shirt sleeves every morning. whore.)

the few times we see all of this slip is when he has to deal with rock star klavier. there’s a couple of times where he thinks that he wishes he could be as cool as klavier, but i’ve honestly never read that as apollo suddenly becoming self-conscious. i genuinely think he’s just annoyed that there’s someone whose shtick (being a very weird very loud lawyer but tall and with a guitar) looks cooler than his own shtick (being a very weird very loud lawyer but short and with no guitar). apollo thought he was hot shit before he met klavier and he continues to think he’s hot shit after he’s met klavier, but now he also thinks that he should be rich and famous for being apollo justice because that would make him even cooler. and, again, i kind of agree.

i think that’s mostly it? he’s a good guy and i like him. he gets annoyed with his clients for being weirdos sometimes, but there is that underlying theme in aa4 where all of apollo’s clients did commit a crime, just not murder, and apollo never drops them for it. he is an almost exact replica of hercule poirot in that he is short, weird, REALLY sure of himself, and doesn’t care if people commit crimes except if it’s murder, in which case he cares so much that he becomes a feral animal. all he needs is a mustache. and he’d probably think he’d look really cool with one too.

[kissmethroughthebone]

I feel so...... disoriented.

A wonderful date, followed by the next morning getting attacked by his ex. All over some tapdancing financial analyst who I wasn't even SERIOUSLY seeing. Why was I in it? God.

Like, something about this dude was too perfect. He was everything I wanted in a man to manifest, and even got me a ruby bracelet I had secretly desired for ages. And I was like, what's the catch, Universe?

Turns out the catch is the catching of hands at 8:30am by a screaming banshee with an Aliexpress clearance sale wig.

And of course him, he was wanting me around since I'm the only girl he has as an option, but slowly distancing and being stingy, since I suppose whatever classy and elegant softspoken charming woman he thought he knew vanished after seeing me with no wig, pimphand his ex, and then set him straight, ever so gently, I was ridiculously calm even, for lying to me in the first place.

He didn't cheat, they were 100% broken up, she just wanted to start drama. And a man lying and saying they were broken up half a year and just roommates, is a huge difference from saying they were broken up a month only. But regardless, not a great scenario all around.

And oh lookie, the guy who was so generous from the jump and a sweetheart and allegedly wanted to do all this extravagance on my birthday, is now conveniently busy, and "saving money" and whatnot.

And I cut him off since he's now going on a trip. Ah, that doesn't scream money-saving to ME.

Also paired with him telling me last Thursday that he wanted to do this one event with me "next weekend, on the 10th or 11th", and then I had to ask HIM myself last night if he was still down. And he conveniently forgot to tell me.

Ah, for someone always on his mind, he sure forgot about plans we made, or to remotely tell me that the plans are undoable thanks to a spontaneous trip.

Fuck him.

Ah well, I don't get to score an apology gift the size of Texas. A conveeeeeeniently undocumented "destruction of his personal items and stealing all the money in his wallet" from his ex. What dumbass would "forget" to take photos of evidence of a destruction of his items? The DA would throw his case out. His funeral, if he is telling the truth!

I shall take the L and move on, ah well, at least I got it on video. And oddly enough that boosted me to the algorithm on multiple social media sites, so, lol.

And now just using men for stuff on my bucket list and refusing to get attached even if I wanted to. I just no longer respect them at this point. It's a cruel joke to even think about liking them.

The last guy I claimed publicly was messaging women on FaceBook Dating behind my back, even during the good moments, so fuck him. The guy before that was actively sabotaging our relationship by being paranoid of me seeing others, whole time he was the one seeing others. And overall I hate a man that gets stingy, comfortable, or unbearable...

I only came back to the recent fella since I wanted an apology gift at best and a hangout buddy that paid for my stuff at worst, but alas. A liar that lied to make himself look good would of course keep the habit. Ah well, let's dip, thank you.

[ash-and-books]

Rating: 2/5

Book Blurb:

A Chickasaw woman who can’t catch a break serves up a little white lie that snowballs into much more in this witty and irresistible rom-com by debut author Danica Nava.

Ember Lee Cardinal has not always been a liar—well, not for anything that counted at least. But her job search is not going well and when her resumé is rejected for the thirty-seventh time, she takes matters into her own hands. She gets “creative” listing her qualifications and answers the ethnicity question on applications with a lie—a half-lie, technically. No one wanted Native American Ember, but white Ember has just landed her dream accounting job on Park Avenue (Oklahoma City, that is).

Accountant Ember thrives in corporate life—and her love life seems to be looking up too: Danuwoa Colson, the IT guy and fellow Native who caught her eye on her first day, seems to actually be interested in her too. Despite her unease over the no-dating policy at work, they start to see each other secretly, which somehow makes it even hotter? But when they're caught in a compromising position on a work trip, a scheming colleague blackmails Ember, threatening to expose their relationship. As the manipulation continues to grow, so do Ember’s lies. She must make the hard decision to either stay silent or finally tell the truth, which could cost her everything.

Review:

When a Chickasaw woman lies on her resume to get a job she never expects to find herself falling into an office romance. Ember Lee Cardinal wants a job but after dropping out of community college and having barely any work experience, she's facing rejection left and right, so she decides to take a "creative" aspect to her resume and lies about her qualifications and ethnicity. Ember is half Native American and half White, and writes that she is fully white on her resume. She is desperate to land her dream accounting job and surprise surprise she gets it. Yet things get complicated when she begins to fall for the hot IT guy, Cherokee Danuwoa Colson. Despite the no-dating policy at work, they begin a secret relationship... but Ember's lies start to pile up and if the truth gets out she's done for. Can Ember find a way to save her job and her relationship or will her lies catch up to her and cost her everything? This one was unfortunately a miss for me, I really wanted to like it but honestly the only thing it had going for it was that it had great rep but otherwise the storyline felt a bit lacking. It's a really simple office romance plot and honestly Ember isn't all that much of a likable character that I found myself rooting for. The romance just didn't feel like it was all there for me and the whole "lying" and being super under-qualified for her job wasn't really that great either. Ember lied to get a job that she wasn't even qualified for in the first place and honestly her resolution for the "work place dating" policy was not that great. I just didn't care all that much for the romance or the story by the end of the book unfortunately. While this one was a miss for me, if you like office romances maybe you'll have a better time with this one than I did.

Release Date: August 6,2024

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group | Berkley for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

[bellatrixnightshade]

"You're Gonna Go Far, Kid" Rafal Song Analysis (with some other mentions too)

My Rhian "Like a Villain" one here.

Song:

Also, this will involve Lord of the Flies references here and there, so a slight spoiler warning?

To the song:

Show me how to lie, you're getting better all the time And turning all against the one is an art that's hard to teach Another clever word sets off an unsuspecting herd And as you step back into line, a mob jumps to their feet

I imagine this as Rafal remembering when he was still alive, just watching everything unfold. I believe this may refer to Jack's influence over the boys of the island in the book. But in Rhian's case, he is a liar by stealing identity and teaming up with Marialena, the liar. And I think he lied in Fall to escape prison after Midas chose Rafal. Rhian turns people against the One, and I have always viewed him as the charismatic speaker who doesn't even need a script. When Rhian speaks to people, it's dangerous because somehow, they will follow. I don't see Rafal as having the same exact talent, and I have headcanonned him as someone who needs to practice speeches like everyone else in order for it to be decent. Rhian also turns people against Rafal, the herd being the trio and the other students in the main series, by pretending to be him. The mob could be his armies of trained soldiers or zombies or a mob against him. Against Rafal. But mostly I imagine the armies he got after the Kingdom Council meeting.

Now dance, fucker, dance, man, he never had a chance And no one even knew it was really only you And now you steal away Take him out today Nice work you did You're gonna go far, kid

This could be Rafal being killed, though he did have a chance, technically. It could be Peter Pan killing Timon, and Rafal assuming it was Rhian, with war breaking out because of his assumption. In Lord of the Flies, they kill Simon and start behaving like barbaric tribes. The Great War was led by three children/teenagers, in a way, because even with a life centuries long, the twins had teenage hormones and way of thinking. As the adults were weak, passive, and not leaders, this happened. I was also thinking of Rhian killing that soldier with his breath, and that guy didn't have a chance. Rhian shrugged it off and basically went all like "this is an example of what'll happen if you try that shit again. Got that?" But Rafal as a ghost tells Rhian bitterly that he'll go far with his violence, dishonesty, and manipulation. The "kid" part could be the way he has always viewed Rhian.

With a thousand lies and a good disguise Hit 'em right between the eyes Hit 'em right between the eyes When you walk away, nothing more to say See the lightning in your eyes See 'em running for their lives

Again, Rafal sees Rhian as the liar and using his face as the "good disguise." Now Rhian is a killer and he becomes someone people fear, starting from the army camp when Rafal was still living. When Rafal is dead, people fear Rhian through the false Rafal he acts as. Perhaps Rhian's callousness runs even deeper than Rafal's ever has. Because Rafal would never have lied the amount of times Rhian did or have worn his face. Rhian is more emotional and sensitive, which gives him an advantage. He now has a method to destroy someone to their core. He is the most dangerous because he never appeared to be. He should be feared most because of how his nature is. "Good disguise" can also be when Rhian started it by lying to Marialena by acting as Rafal to her when he spied on Midas and Rafal. This ties into my last paragraph. Also, I wanted to mention even Rhian's trap about the moth thing and how he pried and picked at Rafal to the point where even he was unsettled. Rafal is clever yes, but can we mention Rhian??? He is like the orca that is the true apex. He kills and scares off the sharks.

Slowly out of line, and drifting closer in your sight So play it out, I'm wide awake, it's a scene about me There's something in your way and now someone is gonna pay And if you can't get what you want, well, it's all because of me

This may be Rafal as a spirit looking upon his dead body and Rhian being so nonchalant about it. In fact, Rhian's attitude towards Rafal's death matches the previous lines of the song! Rhian is certainly out of line, and Rafal is that one thing in his way. After what Rafal said to him, Rhian makes him pay for sure. He thinks that he not being School Master is all due to Rafal being alive and taking that from him. Demoting him. Allowing him to die. Rafal will see himself as the victim here, which is what the lines sound like.

Now dance, fucker, dance, man, I never had a chance And no one even knew, it was really only you And now you'll lead the way Show the light of day Nice work you did You're gonna go far, kid

Nobody knew it was really Rhian-- main series included! And since these lines switched to first person, it could be Rafal saying he clearly had no chance to meet the students in the main series, or to show them who "Rafal" really was. He never had a chance to live a Good life because Rhian took that away. Rhian is now the one who will "lead the way/show the light of day." At least, he thinks he can, with the attitude that permeates the last chapter of Fall. The last two lines could be Rafal begrudgingly praising Rhian's work as a villain where even he himself as the sadist was outdone. Maybe Rafal also tells Rhian he'll go further than Rafal when it comes to villainy and evil.

With a thousand lies and a good disguise Hit 'em right between the eyes Hit 'em right between the eyes When you walk away, nothing more to say See the lightning in your eyes See 'em running for their lives Clever alibis, Lord of the Flies Hit 'em right between the eyes Hit 'em right between the eyes When you walk away, nothing more to say See the lightning in your eyes See 'em running for their lives

I suppose this part does confirm the Lord of the Flies references! But I imagine Rhian fooled the staff who existed immediately after the war into believing there was no murder. It was just that the Storian killed him! (I think it actually implies it in the book.)

[ellesliterarycorner]

Writing Convincing Liars

Deception is a key part of a lot of stories. A key part of deception is lies, not always, but especially in stories, lies are normally a big part of stories and a great way to show when characters are being devious. Whether the character lying is the hero or the antagonist, lies in your story should be believable (unless they're deliberately unbelievable lies). Lately, I have read a lot of lies in books that are either completely out of characters, unconvincing and/or unbelievable, or just not good lies at all. If you don't lie regularly(and I hope you don't), writing convincing lies might be difficult. So, in order to make sure all our lies are believable and uber convincing, here are a few pointers.

Keep Us Guessing

Lies in fiction are pretty similar to lies in real life: the best lies are built up from parts of the truth. Mixing truths and falsehoods together makes amazing lies, and those are almost always the most convincing lies. If a character is lying about their method of doing something, let them be honest about their intentions. Let the character use an indisputably true, factual event as a rallying cry to a false cause (this is a very common occurrence throughout history). I talk about this more later, but you want to keep both the readers and the characters guessing. You kinda even want to confuse them a little bit. By not having your characters just straight up capping about everything they do and weaving together the truth and lies, it automatically makes the lies more believable for the readers and your characters

But That Is So Out of Character

Not all lies are bad! Sometimes small lies are actually a good thing. The movie the Good Lie is an excellent example of how certain lies can even be beneficial. That may not necessarily be the case in your story, and regardless of the nature of your story you should think about why the character is telling the lie, what the lie us about, and what would actually be in character for them to say. If your character loves their family above all else and hates to see them hurt, they’ll probably lie to shield their family from a painful truth. If your character is a Littlefinger-esque who lies every time they open their mouth, they are probably going to be willing to go a lot farther in the lies that they tell in order to get whatever they want. Nothing is more frustrating than when a character tells a lie simply to further the plot, but it is so incredibly out of character for them to tell the lie. Make sure that whatever lie your character is telling feels like something they would actually say. 

But Does Anyone Believe You?

I’ve noticed this kinda annoying trend in books lately. Basically a character will legitimately be a pathological liar, and because they are a pathological liar, no one ever believes their lies, and everyone is like, “oh, haha, that’s our friend Mark. He’s such a quirky little dude.” Like, no, my guy, Mark is not quirky. He’s a pathological liar and needs to please seek help. Just like everything else in your story, lies should serve a purpose. If a character is lying just for grins and giggles, what is the point of that? Especially if no one ever believes them. You could use that for comedic relief I suppose, or to establish character growth. Maybe the character tells pointless lies, but as they grow as a character and as a person, they tell the truth in a critical moment. But, there probably needs to be an actual point to every lie that is being told, and ideally, someone needs to believe them as well. Lies should have a consequence, and there is no consequence when no one even believed the lie in the first place.

What Does The Reader Know?

Especially, when you’re writing in third person, your reader will almost always know more about everything that’s happening than the characters do. Your readers have the advantage of a wider perspective. An author may show the reader what the villain and the hero are doing while neither of those characters, presumably, knows what the other is doing. In that case, it’s a lot easier for the reader to catch a lie because they know what all parties are doing. If you really want to confuse your reader, you can avoid having scenes in the liar’s point of view that would prove they’re lying. Why do you think GRRM never gives us a Littlefinger POV? Having that would probably blow up everything we think about the story and reveal dozens of lies we probably didn’t even know about. Instead, give the reader hints in other perspectives, but let them find out the truth alongside your heroes/protagonists.