#its honestly ridiculous how many screenshots i have of her WHERE AM I

[saintadeline]

people have been very nice in the tags of that last fio i posted so this means i get to make everyone look at her ok ?

need her in a way that would get me expelled from the outpost of elgado

[ohmygodtheywereparabatai]

i wanted to invite a conversation about this because it’s genuinely been bothering me for a long time. and i in fact wasn’t immune to it either and am just now realizing this is the power of cinematic brainwashing.

but like, tgm is so many bad things. sexist, racist, ageist, to scratch the tip of the iceberg. token characters that meet the bare minimum for diversity, and sidelined women - i’d even say exploited women. a narrative that is so egocentric that it’s miraculous that some characters manage to hold their own instead of being swept under the charismatic magnetism of the reckless bad boy character who can get away with murder because deep down, he’s regretful, and he has a good heart.

what a shallow representation of the military, and what a disservice to those who were inspired to join because they thought the real life experience would mirror even a fraction of what is presented on screen. the reality is that there was never a competition to win a top gun trophy, and in fact today you have to pay 5$ at the top gun school if you even mention the film. that speaks for itself.

tom cruise being a huge part of the production process has made it impossible for me not to hold him responsible for the choices that have been made. to even subtitle the sequel movie with “Maverick”, the same protagonist as in the first one, comes across as insanely egotistical - and honestly a testament to how mav’s story manages to drown out the autonomy and validity of other characters. i’ll explain this terms of ice, penny, carole, and charlie. you’ll notice how i’m gonna be bringing up three women.

ice-

i don’t care that val kilmer gave the okay on using his cancer as a plot point. i care that cancer was not only used as a plot point, but treated like this ^

“i’m dying. you have bigger problems.”

the original script seems to peel back the layers of tgm’s intended messaging, so i’m using several examples. this is what is being communicated. i honestly don’t know what else to add. in or out of context, this is incredibly disturbing - and that it’s played as a self-aware quip from ice, even more so. the bond of wingmen goes both ways, and i just didn’t see that… if anything, that aspect leaned so heavily on the first film (the photo of them smiling at each other) that it just proves my point. it took ice’s death for mav to get up off his ass and do something to keep his career afloat besides get a cop-out from the compacflt. ice in the first movie was a compelling antagonist and voice of reason - now he’s mostly relegated to the role of babysitter, denying mav’s character the growth of accountability by simply erasing his poor choices with a phone call.

it’s why the darkstar scene pisses me off. to stop at mach 10 would have been fine, but to push it just for the sake of it is ridiculous. the fact that earlier mav states “i know what happens to everyone else if i don’t” in regards to his decision only makes this screw-up more laughable, because to me it’s the very contradiction of maverick: his intentions do not balance with his actions. costing the military millions of dollars in a few seconds somehow balances with his heartfelt desire to protect the interests of its workforce.

penny-

shortly before, during, and after this screenshot, i counted a total of 6 times that penny made it clear she would not appreciate mav’s advances. regardless, mav goes on to say “you look good”. this flirtation happens before mav is even aware of her marital status, as he asks amelia “where’s your dad?” in a later scene… which… dear god.

penny also says “it always ends the same with us, so let’s not start this time”, indicating this is a repeated pattern in which her boundaries weren’t respected and moreover, the relationship ended up failing. yet this is framed as the main romance of tgm, a wonderful and nostalgic callback to the original that ends as stereotypically as possible.

i love penny. she’s witty, caring, independent, and of course stunning. so i find her treatment in tgm a disservice to what started out as a rich and compelling character. she later ends up mav’s shoulder to cry on, more or less, comforting him after losing his wingman and his position as instructor. the song “hold my hand” is thematically suited for penny, playing in the background at the bar and in the notes of the score during her scenes - even musically, she is turned into a source of consolation first, and her own woman second. she’s his prize at the end of the film, falling for the promise “i’m never gonna leave you again”, which i don’t buy for a second. they fly into the sunset, presumably signifying a new horizon for their relationship - but i feel so dissatisfied with this arc for her and think she deserved much better.

that mav gets away with this behavior is something i’d like to see more people reflect on. it seems to be a pattern with male protagonists, in which case the function of male and protagonist in hollywood cinema needs an examination.

carole-

top gun (1986):

this is an especially crude exploitation to me. not only is carole the one consoling a young maverick (if a full-fledged 24 year old can be called young, in light of the tendency people have to dismiss his choices in ‘86) after his mistake costs her own husband his life… but her stance, even following a tragedy of that magnitude, didn’t change. goose would have flown anyway, and she knows that well enough - on top of that, it’s easy to see she would have supported him.

it came as a surprise to me that she wouldn’t in turn support her own son, who is clearly committed to a career as a pilot. in the end, i see a cheap narrative device that contradicts carole’s character, undermines her strength as a wife and mother, both in order to serve the interests of the plot. maverick in tgm needs a viable reason to hide a secret, to be tortured by his own consequences, to put further strain on his tension with bradley. there were plenty of other ways to do it, but the fact that it was this leaves a sour taste in my mouth.

charlie-

it’s my understanding that tom cruise’s personal reason (his excuse) for not bringing back charlie was that he didn’t like how their relationship ended. if there’s any source confirming or denying this, i’d appreciate a link.

anyways. yeah. this is… a huge problem with hollywood at large, which kelly mcgillis understands, but i’ll break it down. there’s a simpler reason this pisses me off more than anything. tgm’s entire subject matter is about repairing relationships. penny benjamin was dredged out of obscurity to do it. maverick and rooster’s grudge of 30+ years was used to do it. iceman’s character, as warped as he feels, is another way the film made this its theme. but charlie is out of the question?

that val kilmer could be asked to return, and make an insane amount of money for each second he’s on screen, but such an opportunity is never given to kelly mcgillis, who herself centers on the 1986 poster, speaks volumes to me. tom cruise even planted his foot when it came to reprising iceman, saying he wouldn’t do this movie without val in it.

it’s worth mentioning that viper and slider were also present at ice’s funeral, but this scene was cut out. for a film that’s quite heavy-handed with its nostalgic callbacks, this was an odd decision. until realizing, as my friend put it, that even ice’s death couldn’t be about him, whether it had brought in his own teacher or his rio - his goose. it had to revolve around mav, to catalyze a turning point for him in the plot.

also… a shoutout to the erasure of sarah kazansky, pretty much everywhere. that also tells me a lot.

…

this was just a dissection of the various character portrayals (or absences) in tgm that have bothered me since forever. this isn’t even going into how tgm accomplishes everything that propaganda sets out to do. combinations of stunning visuals, soaring music composed by masters like hans zimmer, the charismatic power of a cast packed with stars… all play a role in the blinding awesomeness of tgm, which has taken me this long to break away from.

consider the white/poc duos in the film: maverick and hondo, hangman and coyote, cyclone and warlock. who has more lines? who plays a greater role? why is that?

i don’t see this as real diversity. it masquerades as inclusion, which i find worse. and to cast an actor of asian descent, and give him the callsign yale? … wow.

framing is powerful. its influence in cinematography is unmatched. a story is being constructed and told not only through dialogue, but sound, visuals, editing… really, nothing can be dismissed as insignificant. i’m not asking for a scholarly interrogation of all media you consume, though, that would be so excellent, and so healthy… but i am trying to raise these questions in the community, of what gets lost when a main character is so overwhelmingly main. when someone like tc has so much control over the decision-making process, since it’s sort of a running joke that maverick is a tc self-insert. my focus isn’t the inclusions, but the exclusions.

and finally, since i’ve unfortunately spent a lot of life writing this post… it’s interesting to me that many viewers in hindsight seem to see top gun 1986 so differently. as kids, they sided with mav over the antagonist. an older audience returning to the first film now seem to side with iceman, seeing him as the rational one attempting to raise important points. i wonder if this will be the case with top gun: maverick in the future. in which case, i’m excited to see more cyclone fans. he’s my favorite character… unsurprisingly.

oh. one last thing.

“the man, the myth, the legend” … the word myth has two meanings:

…

happy reading.

[silriven]

A bit of complaining about how Wrathion is written in the 10.1 PTR

So let's start at the beginning.   I hear that's a great place to start.

Wrathion from the MMORPG World of Warcraft is a rogue (/rōɡ/): 

Free from the constraints of a conscience, these mercenaries rely on brutal and efficient tactics. Lethal assassins and masters of stealth...Rogues often initiate combat with a surprise attack from the shadow. (...) Rogues must take special care when selecting targets...and they must be conscious of when to hide or flee if a battle turns against them.

- Official class guide for Rogue on the World of Warcraft website

Here are some examples of other characters from World of Warcraft who fall under the category of "rogue":

Mathias Shaw: Stormwind’s Spymaster and leader of the intelligence service, S1:7.

Vanessa VanCleef: Successor to her father, Edwin VanCleef, as head of the Defias Brotherhood and member of the Uncrowned.

Valeera Sanguinar: Advisor and bodyguard to the House of Wrynn, Shadow of the Uncrowned.

Lilian Voss: A Champion of the Uncrowned and member of the Forsaken’s Desolate Council.  She is perhaps best known for assassinating prominent members of the Scarlet Crusade, including her own father.

You might recognize these characters as ruthless tacticians who employ subterfuge to accomplish their goals, noble or otherwise, and to protect the things that matter to them.

Wrathion himself has done this, many times in the past, to varying degrees of success.  He even has his own network of loyal spies and bodyguards who he will often send into areas of interest to collect information that helps him formulate his strategies and schemes.   So how does Wrathion, a character who has spent just about his entire life working the long game from the shadows, decide to approach dangerous situations in Dragonflight.

(Text screenshots are taken from Portergauge’s two-part walkthrough of the 10.1 PTR campaign, which you can read here and here.  His follow up thread on the campaign is here.)

Sabellian says: Whelp!  Stop your showboating!  Fall in line and listen to my strategy!

Wrathion says: Your endless whining about a strategy will not win you the throne!

"Strategies are slowing us down.  I especially don't need to have one in order to pursue this contested position as leader to a flight of wary dragons during this fragile period of growth in our tumultuous history."

Alexstrasza the Life-Binder says: Do not underestimate the Incarnates.  Fair skies and strong winds to you all.

Ebyssian says: I must recruit Emberthal to our quest.  Wait for me at the entrance.

Wrathion says: Why?  Surely we four are more than enough.

"Why bother recruiting a useful ally.  Its not like that's ever helped me in the past.  Three dragons and a mortal should be '''more than enough''' to take on another Primal Incarnate when I know from first-hand experience that I alone was catastrophically outmatched against the first one."

Sabellian: I will not tolerate Ebyssian’s dawdling any longer.  These incarnates grow stronger every second, as does my impatience.  Wrathion and I are in agreement.  You may choose to waste your time in wait for our slow-winged sibling, but we would much rather you join us.

"I will proceed with this mission without the older brother that I actually trust and am fond of in favor of the one I have a strained and tenuous relationship with and whose approach to strategy I often find ridiculous."

Sabellian says: Keep low.  We have not been spotted--

Wrathion says: I usually prefer the stealthy approach as well, but now is the time to let dragons be dragons!  Remind these weaklings who they are dealing with!”

"I usually prefer the stealthy approach as well...BUT...." 

 It's honestly worse that they even bring this up because it means someone, somewhere, remembered that it's out of character for Wrathion to act this way and they went ahead with it anyways, for little reason.

Also, where is all of this bravado about the innate strength of dragons coming from.  Wrathion will fall back on that as an intimidation tactic now and then ("You do realize I am a dragon, yes?  That I can breathe fire?  Just making sure.") but he isn't one to flippantly overestimate his strengths and ignore his weaknesses when assessing danger.  His existence as a dragon has always been fragile.  That's why he has bodyguards.  That's why he works closely with mortals.  That's why he'll seek council from characters like Medivh.  That's why he didn't try to fight the Burning Legion with just himself and maybe three other guys. That's why he didn't charge headfirst into Ny'alotha on his own and spent the entire patch training the Horde and the Alliance on how to battle the Void.

Sabellian says: Father!--Wait...Father.  Yes.  I knew that relic back there looked familiar.

Wrathion says: Are you walking away from me?  Two can play at that game!  If you need me, <player>, seek me over there.

"You're not walking away from me.  I'M walking away from YOU!"   

What even is this dialogue.  One of the reasons why the Sabellian vs Wrathion thing is so grating is that it's not even clever banter that they're exchanging.

Wrathion says: Before we start...I know my relationship with Sabellian is certainly strained, but our behavior back there was out of line.  I think it is this place.  Something out there is testing my mental defenses.  Worming its way through my mind and keeping my teeth on edge.  I will speak to Sabellian about the outburst in my own time.  Things are never simple with him.  You both have my apologies.

So something that Portergauge covered in his recap thread about this patch that I agree with is that WoW, the game, does not do subtlety well.  Putting aside whether or not Wrathion can be influenced by the old gods' whispers, this concept is never conveyed well.

WoW has tried a couple of times lately to use magical reasoning to explain or excuse a character's behavior and the way its handled is so unsatisfying because it's often muddled with other emotional reasons why a character might be acting that way.

So is Wrathion behaving brashly because he's being influenced by the old gods' whispers or is is it because he's under a lot of pressure and Sabellian has thrown him off balance and it's making him get sloppy?  Or is it both, because it’s not like he acts any smarter or kinder when he’s in an area where the whispers aren’t so strong.

And where is this all going, what is the plan here?  Is this just how Wrathion is going to be written from now on?  Is he starting down a dark road that will lead to his own demise or is he going to make a come back?  Following through on in-game plot threads is also something that WoW, the game, has a track record of leaving hanging at the end of a patch or an expansion (the night elves' narrative in BfA comes to mind, Sylvanas' loyalist campaign is another) so it's hard for me to be optimistic that this is leading somewhere or will have a satisfying conclusion for him.

And I have to mention that the LAST time WoW tried doing something subtle where specifically old god corruption caused someone to act out of character, that wasn't the audience's takeaway.  It was: "Hell yeah, Anduin's manning up!  He is Varian's son after all!" 

 This time it'll be: "Wrathion's an idiot and an inconsiderate asshole."

There isn't enough of Wrathion acting as his cunning, competent self in this patch to counterbalance all of the times when he's acting thoughtlessly, rude, stubborn, and self-centered.  They take the time to find this balance with Sabellian. They do not with Wrathion.

I've been trying to keep my expectations reasonable (i.e. low), but when I first heard about the 10.0 storyline to pick an Aspect of the black dragonflight, I really did not expect it to turn into this extended exercise in not only why Wrathion would be a terrible Aspect but also why he's actually kind of a terrible and annoying individual, too.  It's not enjoyable seeing him reduced to being just this foil for why Sabellian and Ebyssian would make better leaders.

Wrathion says: He defeated us as if we were nothing.

Sabellian says: He is surprisingly stealthy.  I am sure we can devise an effective strategy if we are not distracted by...

Ebyssian says: The whispers...

Sabellian says: Yes.  They distracted us at key moments.  They are quieter when I use my visage.

And for all the talk of old god whispers, it's never brought up that this subject is Wrathion's bread and butter.  He spent Legion researching how to suppress them, to the success of devising methods that would shield Ebyssian and the Horde/Alliance champions from them.

Ebyssian himself doesn't think to bring this up.  He never once goes: "Hey, Sabellian, have you tried this neat potion of Wrathion's that will quiet those whispers?  It's the only reason why I can even leave the protection of Highmountain in the first place."

Or: "Hmm, Wrathion, your potion doesn't seem to be working as well down here.  Maybe that means something."   As a bonus, this would also offer Wrathion an opportunity to show concern for Ebyssian's well-being and/or Sabellian’s or something.  I don’t know.  There's any number of ways this could've been brought up.

Ebyssian: Our assault will not be successful without the stealth and cunning of Wrathion and his Blacktalon agents.  We must convince him to help us.  Thankfully, I know in his heart he will not deny someone in need--especially if they flatter him.

This is just kind of horrible coming from Ebyssian, of ALL CHAR-- 

 EBYSSIAN. 

 REMEMBER WHEN WRATHION SPENT *YEARS* PROTECTING AND WATCHING OUT FOR YOU FROM AFAR WITHOUT HAVING MET YOU *ONCE* FOR NO REASON OTHER THAN YOU ARE HIS BROTHER???

Besides when has anyone in the history of Warcraft *flattered* Wrathion for his help.  He is almost universally loathed and has always taken action for the good of Azeroth IN SPITE OF THIS. (Please post here if you can remember a time.  I would genuinely love to know.)

Wrathion and Sabellian are still arguing about who deserves to become the aspect and continue their father’s legacy.  Ebyssian scolds them for acting like whelps over a legacy of fear, control, and lies rather than starting a new legacy, one that benefits the dragons in their flight rather than empowers themselves.  Ebyssian and Emberthal then walk away, leaving Wrathion and Sabellian confused and thinking.

I get that this is placeholder text but in the midst of all of this, this in particular is just...disappointing. Wrathion's entire shtick, the core of his character, is supposed to be about forging a new legacy for his dragonflight outside the shadow cast by Deathwing.

Of course legacy is something that Sabellian and Ebyssian have to contend with too but that it's coming at the expense of Wrathion's character arc, in this way, as something he needs to learn...again...is a big let down.

I don't know how to wrap this up.  I guess sorry I got a bit sarcastic in places and that this was very ranty and not very constructive. I had a lot of thoughts about the 10.1 PTR and I just wanted to get them all out in one place and off my chest.

In conclusion:  Wrathion is a divisive character in the fanbase and I was kind of looking forward to seeing him shine in Dragonflight.  So far he's doing the opposite.  If this is just temporary then I don’t see a light at the end of this tunnel, either, this might be the only big patch where the black dragonflight gets center focus.  I’d still say that I enjoyed the short story but I don't really see what I originally liked about this character in the game itself.

[seekeroftruthpromestein]

Well I beat up a bunch of Queens the other day. Now I guess I’m going to ask them to join me.  Maybe We’ll make heart bracelets and everything. 

First thing’s first a little snack.

Damn look at that chest!!!  I can’t believe it! 

That one. The unopened one. 

Well that explains some things. La Croix insists that she’s amazing. So let’s go test her out I guess.

Evidentally I need to explore the sea a bit more then huh.

Well.. I guess we have to find where she came from?? okay?? 

So I got a new ability from My Advanced Speech Job and... This is level 9?? That’s.. pretty damn worthless for a Level 9, Advanced Job. It’s not even Priority! 

Okay what kind of ridiculous thing do you want me to do?

I guess she wants to run a Buisness. Good thing I already completed Vanilla’s Quest! 

Thank you Cecil.

SHEEP!!! FOREST!! Didn’t screenshot it but I love those sheep. Now for some Alchohol.

That’s convenient.  

Sir that’s Racist. 

That is the saddest thing I’ve ever heard. 

Huh??

WHAT??!?!? OH GOODNESS!!

SONYA! DOn’T FUCKING DEAD NAME HER YOU BITCH!!

Clearly this is a bit lost in translation. Though its cute that they change the Icon. It’s only in the pub though it goes back to normal once you leave.

I never considered these two together but THIS is an incredibly powerful Combo all things considered. Sadly, it isn’t of much use for these one. These Queens just don’t have what i’m looking for.

Oh that’s fucked up.

Comical music is playing but this child just tried to kill herself!! 

WHY ARE WE JUST STANDING HERE WATCHING??

You know It really dawns on me that I don’t know how much time passes. We really did wait like several days huh?

It is cute though. 

Well shoot this is cute. El wiggled her way into a sot didn’t she?

I will protect this child.

You know what? This is cool. I don’t think I really am appreciating the fact that I’m really starting to take the bad guys from the first game that sort of gave up a chance at redemption and are now doing their bests...  Honestly. Welcome to the team!

W-what????????

So i’m doing the arena

THESE BITCHES DID THAT LAMIA DANCE! THE ONE THAT MAKES THEM RESIST MAGIC! MY OWN OP ABILITY USED AGAISNT ME! Well whatever. Completed 10 rounds of this nonsense. And got the Queen who sure does hate that pesky Coliseum. 

Yes yes. Of course. Maybe I should let you fight in the elf cup then?

Honestly not a bad option for dodge tanks like Fairies should I ever decide to get knuckle deep into the Labrinth of Chaos.

Her best move should hit about a 3600 base x 4 ... So against a single enemy about a little less then 15000... Not *Bad* for a physical attack.. But wait. She does have boosts... +30% and another +30%? So another +60% (If they stack) So.Each of those 3600 hits are now what? 5400 or so? 5500 let’s put it down as. That could be good against one foe where all four hits will do about 21k damage. But once again. Blalice does that casually... You know let’s just see her in action real quick.

This might honestly be the better move she has.

This is just an asshole move.

Well my math was off. Non-crit she did about 40k so... Okay. I’m gonna stop trying to calcuate literally any of this. 

Hey! Wow! There’s just FLOODING me with requests right now. 

I do love it when she’s happy.

BUNNI! ITS YOU! WOW! It’s been a WHILE

You bitch.

YOU BITCH!!

YOU LOVING BITCH I LOVE YOU!!

IM GONNA HAVE TO KILL SO MANY TREASURE CHESTS! YOU HAVE RESULTED IN THE DEATHS OF MANY INNOCENT MIMICS!!

So none of the battle fuckers then?

Oh no nevermind. Give some to all of them. 

This...is facinating.

I see.

Such threatening music. 

You know. This is just a good comedy beat. It’s been a while.

Yeah. Clearly it’s the marker face.

Jesus Christ.  Well. That’s a few side quests tackled. Still a few more. I’ll do those next time. 

[littlemisssquiggles]

Hey squiggle meister. What're your thoughts on the flood of people on YouTube who are constantly ranting about the series. And how it's dead after Monty died, and how it's so much worst than before. Etc etc

Tobe honest with you Key, I really don't want to answer this question.I mean it's alright that you asked and I'm going to answer you however I'mgetting a strange sense of deja vu here. Wasn't it not too long ago that youasked me to give my opinion on a similar condition that was happening pre-V6?

Thiswas the issue back then and yet here we are again. You may wanna grab yourselfa snack and settle in because this is going to be one long response post. Let’s just say,this squiggle meister had a lot to let off her chest regarding this particulartopic in the FNDM:

Ihave actually had a small listen to some of these critiques on YouTube and toput it bluntly, I couldn't bring myself to finish most of them. I am a RWBY fan whoalways advocates respecting each other’s opinions regardless of whether or notwe share the same sentiments about the series. I am also a RWBY fan whounderstands that the series is not a flawless show and has suffered more than its fairshare of shortcomings throughout its last arc trilogy. 

Nevertheless, in spiteof this, I’ve also acknowledged some noteworthy improvements in the quality of the show that honestly deserves more praise.As someone who has been with this series since its humble beginnings, I have beenthere for each transformation the show has undergone and in doing so, I haveseen RWBY evolve.

Whilesome of the show’s changes haven’t entirely been welcomed by its fandom (withits main change being something completely out of the showrunners’ control) I’dbe lying if I said these changes didn’t contribute to the show’s success insome shape or form.

Speakingfor myself, initially RWBY earned my attention because, like most RWBY stans, Iwas a fan of Monty Oum before and when I discovered that he had his own seriesproduced by RoosterTeeth, I was interested. I didn’t care what the story wasabout or what it looked like. All that mattered to be me back then was that itwas something from the creative mind of Monty Oum so I expected somethingepically action-packed.

At the start, I joinedthe RWBY fandom becauseof Monty however as the seriesprogressed, my reasoning for sticking with it and staying loyal to the showtranscended my past loyalty to the franchise as a by-product of anartist/animator I admired so much.

Thisbrings me to my main point. You want my honest thoughts onthe YouTube RWBY Rants, Key? To be frank, I’m tired of it. It is exhausting listeningto the tirades of these proclaimed RWBY YouTube reviewers who do nothing butgripe and express their disdain for everything the show does wrong according totheir standards. I am so fed up of seeing this happen time and time again.

Andwhat’s sad is that I don’t think part of this is even due to the show or theCRWBY’s fault. Do you know you are more likely to find a video shitting on RWBYas opposed to one that genuinely outlines its positive elements or at leastpresents a fair and just constructive argument of the good and bad of the show?Do you know how many RWBY hate videos the YouTube algorithm has recommended to mesince V6 concluded? It’s ridiculous.

ButI also know I can’t do anything to stop it. So long as RWBY exists, there willalways be these so-called ---I guess we can call them the ‘hate parade’ type of fans who wait like vultures to a carcass to pick apartthe show whenever a new season comes out.

Anddo you know what the sadder part about watching these videos is?

Thesevideos try to give the allusion thatthey are coming from a practical standpoint---as if the things they’repointing out in their reviews are genuine problems with theshow and that their personal advice to the showrunners are valid enough torectify these problems they indicated about RWBY.

Herein, lies my personal peeve with these types of reviews. The best kind of criticto me is one who can point out a flaw in something, justify why they believesaid thing is a clear flaw and then use their own understanding to outlinetheir concept for a possible solution to that flaw that they respectfully leaveopen to the creators of said property to take their advice or not.

However,this is not the case with these YouTube RWBY Rants; at least from the few I’veviewed. I’ll admit, there are some genuinely good RWBY Reviewers on YouTube. Ofthe top of my head, Thatkaitodan, MurderofBirds are two and believeit or not, I actually like some of EruptionFang’s reviews from time to time. Imay not always agree 100% with everything he says in his breakdowns but in myopinion, I can’t get too mad at the things he says in his reviews/video essaysbecause he’s able to justify it in a manner that I’m able to see where he’scoming from. Even if that justification comes from a place of unbridled rage.Referring to EF, I know he’s been receiving flak from FNDM members regardinghis recent views on Adam’s conclusion and Bumblebee; however if I’m beingcompletely honest here, I feel some of that bashing is unwarranted.

Inall fairness to EF, at least I’m able stomach his opinions a lot better than thatof other RWBY Youtubers. As I said, EF is able to properly defend his pointswell enough for me to grasp the validity of his statements which is the least Ican say for some of the others I’ve listened to.

Oftenat times, on the adverse side of RWBY YouTube, I find myself listening toYoutubers who spend more time outright bashing everypersonal gripe they have with the show as opposed to presenting a good argumentthan gives hindsight to why these problems are such an issue to them. 

Theworst kind are the ones where this Youtubers point out flaws in the show andtry to give solutions to what the showrunners can do to fix these problems. Butmost of the time it’s done so rudely that it comes off more obnoxious thanhelpful. As if these Youtubers are proclaiming to know and understand moreabout the animation production process than the actual people running the showwho have the qualifications and past industry experience

I’llgive you two examples. Not naming names but I recently watched two videos fromtwo RWBY Youtubers---one critiquing the shows character designs while anotherwas a Youtuber’s final video explaining why they were quitting the RWBY FNDMfor good.

 Inthe characterdesign critique, the individualexpressed their disappointment in the recent designs for the RWBY girls and thevillains as of the Mistral Arc. They then proceeded to offer their own tips for how the show could have helped to spruce up someof these designs. However rather than attempting to make their own alternatedesigns to the character outfits, this Youtuber just slapped some rather poorlylaid out flat base colours on top of screenshots of the characters in question.Which from a digital art perspective is…admittedly…lazy.

Iunderstand that not everyone in the world is a designer, much less is a characterdesigner or at least knows how to draw. However…if that is the case then whyare you, as the individual who clearly doesn’t appear to have the design skills,commenting on the work of a studio with a full production team of artists whodo have those required skills and experience and can probably rationalize theirreasons for going with the final designs presented in the show. You get whatI’m saying?

Ifone is going to critique the show’s overall character design then the least youcan do is make the effort to back up your claims. Illustrate your own designsfor RWBY character outfits. Create a mock-up 2D/3D screenshot illustration withproper lighting and atmosphere to see how your design ideas holds up againstthose elements of a scene and then compare that to the actual show’s productionwork. This reviewer didn’t even bother to attempt to maketheir own original designs or even redraw the current designs in their ownstyle and test out their suggested colourpalettes to see if it would fit with the overall design aesthetic of thecharacter.

Youmight be asking now: But Squiggles are you saying I need to know how to draw tocomment about RWBY?

To which I say: No.Being an artist is not a requirement that you as a fan need to really have inorder to comment about something you love. HOWEVER, if you are the type of individualwho has the massive chops to try and dictate a production studio with a team ofeducated and/or industry seasoned artists on how they should handle designingtheir characters without you yourself having the design knowledge to supportyour critiques then… you wonder why the CRWBY often get upset with these typesof fans and don’t take their comments seriously?

Contraryto what others might say, I am not a believer that RWBY is dictated by thedesires of its fandom community. That’s a comment I’ve been hearing buzzingabout since V6 ironically in the face of the recent hate crowd to gather fromwhat transpired with the Bumblebee pairing in the recent season.

Iunderstand that there are fans making the argument that the showrunners onlymade this pairing canon because its popular with its shipping community. Thesame can be said about Neo’s return to become Cinder’s protégé.

Admittedlywhile I might find the CRWBY’s decisions to be questionable at times, this still doesn’t prove that they are run by theirFNDM. If something happens in the show, it’s because it’s something theshowrunners and has wanted to do for some time and picked that current volumeto do so. The mere fact that that thing just so happened to correlate withsomething the fans wanted to see is just a matter of coincidence.

Thatbeing said, I will admit that I’ve noticed one or two members of the CRWBY castwho are guilty of encouraging certain ideas without the show itself officially confirming it in its narrative as yet.

In light of that, Iwill admit this. Regardless of whether or not you as a member of the CRWBY teamsupport a particular ship with all your heart, if other fandoms have taught meanything is that as a cast member you should NEVER encourage anything within yourown fan community. It never ends well and I’m seeing this repeated in RWBY. Butthis is not what I’m here to talk about right now. Moving on.

Inrespect to the video from the individual who was leaving the FNDM, I actually didn’tfinish watching their video because the instant they mentioned Monty Oum and their disdain for the CRWBY not living up to hislegacy and all that stuff, I couldn’t.

Ahyes, the classic ‘RWBY Animation hasn’t been the best since Monty passed away and the RWBYAnimation team are terrible because they can’t replicate Monty’s animation’ debate.How many times is this dead horse going to be beaten?  According to this RWBY Youtuber, ‘replicatingMonty’s style of animation is easy andit is appalling the RWBY Animation Team can’t replicate Monty’s style afterfour seasons’.

Thiscomment not only annoyed me as a fan but also as someone who has studiedanimation before. Again, how many times will this poor dead horse be dug up tobe bludgeoned?  Will these fans everallow Monty’s name to rest peacefully without bringing it up to tarnish theefforts made by the CRWBY to finish the story he started with them?

Iget it. MontyOum was a good animator.He wasn’t the best animator. He wasn’t some genius animation prodigy. He was a creative mind who had his own way of thinking and doing things andfrom that, he established a style about hisanimation that shined through his work. If you were to show me an animatedpiece done by Monty and the same piece animated by another person, I caninstantly tell you which one is Monty’s because Monty had his own style.

That’sthe appeal of Monty’s work, on my opinion. That’s what he became known for by hisfans. However, even though Monty was great at animating fight scenes, his way---hisstyle is NOT the only wayto animate a fight.

Recently,I took the time to go back and count the number of fights that happened overthe volumes. I did this because as of V6, I couldn’t help but feel as if theCRWBY might be shying away including moments where the characters areactually engaged in combat. I omitted the character shorts because onemandatory element of the Character Shorts is a fight scene. I just wanted tohighlight the individual seasons alone.  

Someof this numbers might be a little iffy depending on what I counted as a fight,but here’s what I gathered.

THE VALE TRILOGY

RWBY V1C1:2C2:0C3:0C4:0C5:0C6:3C7:0C8:2C9:0C10:1C11:1C12:0C13:0C14:1C15:0C16:2

Totalfights = 12 Fights

RWBY V2:C1:1C2:0C3:0C4:1C5:3C6:0C7:1C8:0C9:4C10:0C11:4C12:4

TotalFights= 18 Fights

RWBY V3:C1:1C2:2C3:1C4:1C5:2C6:1C7:1C8:0C9:1C10:2C11:2C12:2

TotalFights = 16 Fights  

THE MISTRALTRILOGY

RWBY V4:C1:1C2:0C3:1C4:0C5:0C6:1C7:1C8:0C9:2C10:0C11:0C12:1 

TotalFights = 7 Fights

RWBY V5C1:0C2:1C3:0C4:2C5:0C6:0C7:0C8:0C9:1C10:3C11:5C12:1C13:1C14:0

TotalFights = 14 Fights

RWBY V6:C1:3C2:0C3:0C4:0C5:1C6:0C7:1C8:0C9:0C10:1C11:3C12:1C13:0

 TotalFights = 10 Fights

Why I bring this upis throughout V4 and V6’s runtime I’ve seen one or two all-stars inthe new CRWBY animation team. While not all the fight scenes from the MistralArc were the best, there were definitely some good ones that I stood out to me.

OneV4 fight that keeps being overly praised is the Tyrian vs. Qrow dual. Many fanstend to vouch that fight as the best fight of V4. The only reason that fight isso popular is because it was one of the more important fights of thatrespective season.

However,I’m being completely honest, the Qrow vs. Tyrian one on one was good but itwasn’t the only good fight of V4.

PersonallyI took enjoyment in the small sparring match between Yang and Tai Yang.Believe it or not, I felt like that moment, though small, was well animated andI’d actually give props to the animator behind that small scene. There was a nicesense of rhythm to that small fight that I quite liked.

Notmany folks will agree with little ole me regarding that scene but this just goesto show, we all have our own personal preferences with what we consider to be agood fight sequence vs a not so good one.

Often at times, Ifeel really sorry for the series animators cherry picked to handle the combatmoments for the current seasons because I feel like those animators suffer the most pressure and scrutiny in the eyes of the FNDM. I feel like some FNDM members are sofocused on nagging atthe current CRWBY to capture Monty’s old style of animating fights that they aren’t really giving these new animatorswith their own styles a fair chance toshine outside of Monty’s shadow.

Again.I get it. RWBY was Monty’s brainchild. He’s the creator andno matter how far the current CRWBY takes the series, he will always becredited as its creator.

HoweverRWBY has come a long way since Monty’s days. The show haschanged.The overall look and visual style of the series has changed.Even the production pipeline and the software used to animate the series has changed.The CRWBY hasgrown allowing a greater mix of artistslending their talents to breathe life into the series.

Butwhat seems to kind of still be stuck in the past are some members of the FNDMcommunity. The ones who only watch the show because they are waiting to see thecurrent RWBY recapture that essence of Monty thatthey claimed the show lost after he died.

RWBY is dead after Monty passed away? In some ways, this isboth true and false. The truth is that RWBY did die. The old style that the show was being produced on was laid to restafter its creator unfortunately passed. The false is that RWBY didn’t end withMonty because it’s being continued in its current new style by the people whohelped bring it to life in the first place alongside Monty. The same people whoare diligently carrying on Monty’s project in his place. RWBY isn’t dead. It’sstill breathing. Still going. Because a story still needs to be told.

Ratherthan being judged for how well they can interpret a good fight sequence, theseanimators are judged for how well they can replicate Monty’s style. And when theseanimators don’t live up to that expectation, that’s when the shit storm begins.I myself have been found guilty of comparing the past animation to the present.However now I realized that I was wrong in doing that.

Ithink it’s high time some of these fans let go of the past and accept that theaction fight scenes of RWBY are never going to reflect Monty’s style anymore.

Montyis unfortunately not around to guide the current team with this. And they are doingtheir best to find their own style. To some extent, they found it in V6 becausethe fights in this last season were a tremendous improvement from V4 and V5.

Ifeel like there are some genuinely talented animators workingnow on RWBY who know how to create and sell a great fight and if left to theirown devices, they could really dazzle the audience with their own way of doingthings. I feel like since V4, the CRWBY have been experimenting with how they craftout their fights especially in the new Maya pipeline but it wasn’t until V6where I feel they finally found their footing again.

I think most fanscould agree that the fights in V6 were much better compared to theirpredecessors. One of the best one on one fights was the Neo vs Cinder clash. Whoever was the animator responsible for thatscene should honestly be given more opportunities like thatwhere their work can shine through because that fight was well done. Thesame can be said for the Maria vs. Tok oneon one fight despite how short it was. But the thing is, none of those fightsfelt like Monty’s style to me. It didn’t feel like someone was trying to copyMonty but rather it was someone who probably took a little inspiration Monty’soriginal work and the rest was them bringing their own unique spin to it.

Ifthe CRWBY have been trying to replicatethat Monty style in their fights for the past arc then I’m starting to thinkthat that is what’s been holding them back ratherthan aiding them to move forward.

Thisis why I find the whole point about replicating Monty’s style being easy to be ludicrous. Replicating someone else’s style,depending on the medium is not something you can just do on a fly. It’s noteven something you can perfect in a matter of years. It’s something that takes adeep understanding of the art form you’re using (in this case being animation),time, strict discipline and most importantly of all, guidance and critique from theperson who’s style your copying or someone else who is a master of said style and/orhas a great understanding of it themselves.

That’swhy sometimes you might hear behind the scenes tales about animation studiostaking sometime during their production pipeline to train theiranimators on the style or quality of animation they are trying to emulate in acurrent project. DidMonty do that with the CRWBY? Did Montyget the chance to pass his knowledge and technique onto otheranimators? Did Monty even get to see his story grow to what it is now?

Sadly,no.  Monty was a creator who didn’t evenlive long enough to see his own idea flourish for the six seasons it’s beenrunning; now moving onto its seventh season. As far as I know, Monty passedaway as early as V2. Most people don’t even get the chance to see their ideascome to life but Monty was among those fortunate few who was given the shot tomake his idea a reality.

RoosterTeethgave Monty that chance after he worked with them on some of their otherprojects like RvB. He had made himself a household name within their companyand among that, he had made friends and had formed an in-house family with thecolleagues he worked with both on RvB and RWBY.

Saywhat you will about RoosterTeeth and the CRWBY. The original CRWBY who workedwith Monty between V1 and V2 were the people who knew Montythe most. They were his friends. His family. This is all the more reason why itdoesn’t give us, as fans looking in from the outside, the right to use Monty’sname to disrespect the people who knew him better.

Imay not always like what the CRWBY Writers do with the story but I respect themboth as writers. I respect Miles and Kerry because they are the showrunners. RWBY’s plotstarted with Monty, Miles and Kerry.

TheRWBY hate parade need to stop acting as if RWBY was made by Monty alone.Monty did not make RWBY by himself. Shit, he didn’t even create the plot byhimself.

Montyis credited as its creator because RWBY was his brain child and he will foreverbe remembered as the man who conceptualized this idea. But Monty did not writethe story of RWBY himself. He wrote this story with Miles and Kerry. 

Whatfolks seems to be misunderstanding or downrightneglecting is that Miles and Kerryhave been with RWBY since its start. They are the two people who worked withMonty in developing the story of RWBY

Itis depressing that Monty only got to live long enough to see two seasons of hisbrainchild come to life.

Insteadof honouring Monty’s legacy by showing support to the people who worked with himto make RWBY happen, folks instead use Monty’s name to slander the CRWBY.

Tothe people who are guilty of this, how can you call yourself a fan? Howcan you call yourself decent human beings witha legit conscience by using a dead man’s name to disrespect the people who werehis colleagues and friends just because you were displeased with something theychose for the show? How is mouthing off the CRWBY and claiming that Montywouldn’t have consented to the direction they’re taking RWBY in a definition ofyour loyalty to Monty?

Howwould you know what Monty would have consented to? How would you know whatMonty would have wanted in general?

Didyou know him personally? I doubt any of you did. So why claim that in yourhateful comments?

RWBYis not the Monty Oum show. I've mentioned this before and I will say it again. RWBY is acollaborative effort. Monty may have conceived RWBY on his own buthe birthed this series through cooperation with RoosterTeeth and the talentedpeople who formed the creative team that made this show with him.

Andit’s those same people who are busting their asses volume after volume to keepthe show going. The CRWBY could have easily cancelled RWBYafter V2. It’s not the first time RoosterTeeth has cancelled a series undertheir name. They could have hung up the towel after V2 and called it quits. Butthey didn’t because they wanted tocontinue the show. They wanted to keep moving forward and finish the story theymade together with their friend Monty.

RWBY’sproduction takes time,thought, passion and effort. If the RWBY YouTube Critics community wishto be the type of people who want to tell the showrunners how to properlyhandle their IP, then at least back up your points with the same level of time,thought, passion and effort that is put into the show. 

Andbefore anyone jumps at me and is all like, Squiggles, do you know how long it takes to makea YouTube video essay on my own time? To which I answer with, do you know howlong it takes to produce a full season of an animated production on a studiobudget and a strict deadline within a studio that is juggling multiple IPs?

Anyone can point out a flaw insomething or rather what they perceive to be a flaw in something. But it takes morework to point out that flaw, justify why it’s a flaw by your standards and thentake the time to suggest how it could be improved while throwing in your own workto help boast your claims. But no RWBY Youtuber Critics, at least from the onesI’ve seen, wants to do that. They just want to run their mouths and what’sunfortunate is that they will gather an audience of individuals who do the samewhen it comes to the series.

It’salright if you give your opinion but where it crosses a line is when a fantries to tell the showrunners how they should run their show. It’s even worsewhen they try to do it WITHOUT backing up their claims. You want to downplaythe effort and thought that someone else made without producing your own toargue against theirs?

You want totell the CRWBY how they should write the show? Where are your own retellingsof the show? Where are your own plot breakdowns? Your own scripts possibly accompaniedby storyboards and/or animatics to give others a taste of how your ideas wouldplay out?

You want totell the CRWBY that their character designs are terrible and need rework? Where your own conceptsheets containing dozens about dozens of drafts of redesigns that could betaken?

You want totell the CRWBY that their animation is terrible, that animating like Monty iseasy and the animation of CRWBY would look 100x better if they did x, y, z and123?

WellSkippy, why don’t you prove it? Where is your rendered animation that youpersonally modelled, rigged, textured and animated in your own spare time to backup your proclaimed assessments.

Youmight be telling yourselves, Squiggles why do all of that? That sounds like a whole lotof extra work just to prove points for a critique where I’m trying to tell theCRWBY what to do?

Towhich my response will be, EXACTLY.

Ifthe RWBY Hate Parade wish to make a mockery of the extra efforts the CRWBYmembers put into RWBY, then where is their extra effort? If they at least dothat then maybe I can respect them a little more as people who know whatthey’re talking about because they have the skills and knowledge to back uptheir arguments. 

But how am I as the outsider listening in on some of theseYouTube rants supposed to take any of these people seriously when all they’redoing is making lengthy diatribes slandering the work of others and trying topass off as someone who knows more about animation and how it’s done thansomeone who does.

Dothese fans believe that makes them seem witty?It doesn’t. It makes them seem very disrespectful.

Idon’t understand the fans that are like this and I’m not sure if I want tounderstand. I don’t even wish to discuss them furthermore because at the end ofthe day, I can’t speak for these fans. I can only speak for myself and I knowwhere I stand as a fan of RWBY. If there is one advice I can give to my fellow FNDMfam is that weneed to stop drawing attention to the hate parade. Too often do Ihear more about the negative side of the RWBY community and their opinions ofthe series than the actual good that show and its FNDM has spawned. 

Weas the people who still love RWBY and are willing to accept and stand by it andits showrunners, flaws and all, need to become more vocal aboutshedding light on the positives of RWBY

Eitherthat or just ignorethe haters. Seriously, we need to stop giving these guys anaudience. Similar to how the RWBY Hate Parade spend their time mostly pointingout the negative in the show, we the FNDM often at times draw too much attentionto these folks.

Ina sad way, we’re kind of sending traffic over to them. Giving them moreattention that they don’t deserve.

Thesetypes of fans can talk but we don’t need to listen to them. Because for all theflak they give the series and its showrunners, the RWBY train is still moving;strong and unaffected.

Why?Because I’d like to believe the CRWBY don’t pay attention to the hate paradebut more focus on what they wish to do with the series while looking out to thesmiling fans who help spread good word about their show. And really, isn’t thegood still that’s very much there all that really matters? 

Soto conclude finally, this answer took me way too long to write. Sorry to haveyou wait so long Key. This answer took me some time to put together. Apologiesif it’s a very long-winded answer. I really don’t like discussing any negativestuff in the FNDM. 

I acknowledge that it exists and it’s pretty much alwaysgoing to be there but that doesn’t mean I should give it any attention. But forwhat it’s worth, I hope I said enough to make my full peace with this topic.Cheerios!

~LittleMissSquiggles(2019)

[ryouverua]

Kaito Momota - Free Time #5

I can’t believe Kaito just invited himself over into Shuichi’s room like this -

But wait didn’t we come to y - oh never mind. The minor flaws of prescripted FTEs, everyone! 

“Kaito do you have goldfish amnesia or -”

?!?! I don’t know what to expect from this one. After that tiniest scrap of a hint of a potential confession from Shuichi in the last one (the closest I suppose we’ll be allowed, sadly, since this sort of game likes to keep its protagonist love options open for the most part), I... don’t know what the topic will be. Maybe Kaito will actually tell us about his relationship with his grandparents? That would be really sweet!

Uh, yeah. What?!

KAITO WE BOTH NEED CONTEXT, STAT

can a girl dream that shuichi’s unconsciously moping after having that thought about Kaito in the end of the last OTP and we could get a hint of two-sided saimota -

I’m telling you, Kaito is incredibly good at reading people emotionally. There is no way he’s not about to drag something out of Shuichi, even if both he and I have... no idea what that thing is, tbh. 8′D 

Honestly, it says a lot about Shuichi too that he doesn’t know what Kaito is talking about - whatever we’re going to end up talking about, it might just be something he’s been hanging onto unconsciously and accepting as his ‘default mode’ way of life. If you’re so used to carrying a burden around, eventually you stop noticing it!

...... confess shuichi, confeeeeess what you were thinking from the end of the last otp........

Are you telling me Kaito’s strategy is to bludgeon him via compliments into surrender - ?!

“WHEN I’M THROUGH WITH YOU, YOU’LL FINALLY UNDERSTAND YOUR PLACE!”

“W-What does that mean -”

“YOU’RE GOING TO FUCKING UNDERSTAND HOW WONDERFUL YOU ARE! NOW GRIT YOUR TEETH AND BRACE YOURSELF, BECAUSE WE’RE ABOUT TO GET MOTHERFUCKING POSITIVE IN HERE.”

Oh whoa.

So I really thought we would end up covering this in the main story - not that we didn’t go over Shuichi’s past already as Kaede, but I thought that this would be something shared with Kaito for context. I’m really surprised that we’re only doing this via FTE! With that said, it is definitely a good topic to spend the final FTE on.

Actually, thinking on it, this seems more like Kaito having an FTE with Shuichi. 8′D

For fun, let’s pretend we were doing this from Kaito’s perspective - and he’s choosing to hang out with Shuichi 5 times.

1) Kaito goes to Shuichi’s room to get him for breakfast. FTE 1.

2) Night training that night. FTE 2

3) Training, shared with Maki. FTE 3 (next ones are Maki centric, so they’d be FTEs with her)

4) Maybe the training with the practice sword? Though that ended up being Maki-centric as well, so there might be a better one to fit here.

5) This FTE 5, since it’s Shuichi-backstory centric.

Of course, maybe there’s no real fitting FTE 4 because this one would be the FTE 4 and there’s a future scene that would be a good FTE 5 ~

Ah, so he’s hung up on this part too. Shuichi’s definitely overlooking the fact that ‘finding evidence that was missed’ is not ~accidentally~ solving the puzzle - it’s uncovering the last piece(s) of it, and a skill in its own right. He does suffer from serious anxiety, so he’s clearly having trouble with framing his accomplishment as anything more than a fluke.

And of course, that’s not helped by the fact that he feels guilty because he has sympathy for the culprit. And... with Kaede’s trial, this definitely is a recurring theme. 8′D It’s funny - for someone so worried about other people’s feelings, and what other people feel about him, he does have a lot of trouble connecting and understanding them without having it spelled out for him! Perhaps that might be part of why he’s so anxious about them?

As much as I love Kaito, SHUICHI MY BOY YOU ARE GOING TO STAND UP FOR YOURSELF. I’d like to think opening up like this would set something off in him - he does have some fire in his chest, even if it takes a lot for it to show!

Yes! Yes! Finally, that more aggressive Shuichi we’ve seen in his thoughts only comes out!

Kaito did say his ideal is a rival who can push him...

The outsider’s perspective that Shuichi desperately needs, lest he falls prey to his own worried, circular thought patterns - (you can skip forward if you like, to where the screenshots return to the dorms for a while)

.... But, uh, yeah, I was curious about choosing different options, so I went ahead and played the FTE again to see what would happen if I went via Shuichi’s self-hatred route. Sorry if it seems abrupt, but they’ll line up with the real ending!

Ah, yes, the other aspect of his job he brought up with Kaede - the PI stuff. Unfortunately, what PIs are most generally hired for are finding out if significant others are up to no good... I wonder if he ever feels cynical about love and relationships because of that? Could explain a bit about him and the way he withdraws with himself if he’s left alone, tbh.

If there’s anything Kaito takes pretty damn seriously, it is taking pride in your own work.

WELL it’s nice that he clarified! It really did sound like he was talking about Shuichi, tbh! And this is where it loops back to him talking about the culprit trying to get away from it via trick, and how Kaito would support Shuichi no matter what.

That is... an incredibly simplistic viewpoint, but again, that might be the reframing Shuichi needs to hear.

I feel like I’ve used this gif before but honestly:

That is, uh, a bit of a ridiculous extreme to take this to. Just the kind of ridiculous extreme Shuichi needs to pull himself out of his mental funk ~

Like Shuichi said last time, “it needs to be someone special’, huh?

Get Kaito a cheerleader outfit, stat - !

(I lost some screenshots so I grabbed them from my second play-through, hence the change in scenery)

“ I’LL TEACH THEM A LESSON IN EMPATHY.... THROUGH MY FISTS!”

“K-Kaito that’s assault, you could also get arrested - !”

HNNNG WHAT A GOOD ENDING, WHAT A GOOD BRO....

p-please give something in return though, Shuichi I’m begging you I feel like Kaito needs some emotional support too -

YES GOOD

GOOD ENDING THOUGH

GOOD ENDING

I AM PLEASED

N-No wait, hold on -

I’m not happy with the word ‘depend’ here though! I want it to be a mutual supportive relationship! Even though I love their friendship, I am concerned all over again!

WOW

So I don’t know how many of you watched Hunter x Hunter or are following the manga (if you haven’t, please drop everything and do so honestly) but if you don’t think I immediately flashed back to this moment you don’t know me at all.

AaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAW

Nah, quite the opposite I think. Shuichi, once again you’re really not that great at reading people, huh - or you’re letting your feelings/understanding of others be coloured by your own anxiety again. He’s the kind of person who would encourage your growth. In fact, to harken back to the love hotel again, his ideal is someone who pushes him further! Gosh, I really will end up obsessing over these two in the future, huh...

Okay mature analysis time is over.

IT’S

UNDERWEAR TIME

What the fuck does that mean

Wait, wait what the fuck doES THAT MEAN KAITO

hgnghngh I don’t usually post the FTE summaries but this one got me right in the kokoro

Even if you don’t believe in Saimota, please appreciate this broship that transcends space and time

[yakumtsaki]

Ok I knew I hadn’t posted Unions in forever but good lord. The screenshots after, not before, AFTER this.. are the previews for this. Like we’re literally talking ancient history here. Let’s dive right in and see if we can wrap this up sometime during a human’s natural lifespan. SO when we left off we were desperately trying to make friends for Wyatt’s final promotion, ‘desperately’ being the operative word. We’ve done some pathetic shit in our time but shittalking each other to Apartment Life nobodies is honestly peak gutter, so you know. our natural environment. Spoiler alert, the kids are teens now and Wyatt has still not gotten promoted! Truly the Picasso of incompetence.

Good ol’ uncle Gunther is also here for some reason which I’m guessing is ‘came over uninvited’ but at least someone is paying attention to Shajar for once. Beggars can’t be choosers and Gunther as a father figure is the equivalent of someone leaving a button and good vibes in your cup. 

-So you see Shajar, life is nothing but a slow march towards our certain doom so who cares if your parents hate you?? My parents hated me till adulthood and I turned out amazing as you can surely tell by my stripes/plaid/indoor sunglasses combo!

-Think long and hard before procreating, brother, because there’s no guarantee you’ll even like your kids. Looking at you, Shajar.

-Um can I go now?

-Don’t know why you’re here in the first place and not in the crypt where we’ve set up your bed and everything! Kids these days.

Oh right, Brit Brit is also here so I guess I did invite these douchebags over. Way to go @ me.

-BRITTANY HOW COULD YOU TEAR THE MORAL FABRIC OF OUR WIFE-SWAPPING-BASED LIFE PARTNERSHIP LIKE THIS???? JUST STEAL ONE OF THEIR PETS LIKE AN UPSTANDING CITIZEN 

DON’T YOU DARE BRIT-

Ugh nevermind, it’s Sophie aka Brittany in cat form. Take her!

And take Shajar too while you’re at it cause absolutely not @ Victoria dying but the gnome drama living on. ENOUGH. This almost makes me appreciate Cyneswith’s ridiculous 10 nice points for a split second..

..but then I turn around and see this. GOOD GRIEF. How did Jojo and Wyatt produce vegan Tinkerbell here not even god knows.

This alliance of obnoxiousness is but the first in what is gonna become a running theme of every annoying flop in this neighborhood looooooving Maxx. Can’t keep kindred spirits apart for long! Honestly this legacy is turning me from pet maniac to Captain Ahab, like on one hand you have fucking Maxx who hasn’t done anything yet but just you wait till he grows up- 

-and on the other you have FUCKING VICTOR’S GHOST TRYING TO KILL US EVERY NIGHT. Apparently Victor + being a dick = a love not even death can tear asunder. Seriously tg kids can’t die cause these overactive freaks are up all night till the sun, are up all night to get some (entertainment), are up all night for good fun, are up all night to get lucky murdered.

This happens about 3000 times per night, I’m not even taking pics of it anymore, but it’s worth pointing out that everyone in this house, both alive/dead and human/non has a raging hate boner for Shajar in particular. It’s uncanny and depressing..

..and speaking of depressing, UGH. My poor, poor Shajar. I actually attempted to intervene and have them interact being the moron that I am:

JOJO WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM 

.....................................WHERE IS VICTOR’S GHOST WHEN I NEED IT

Yea sure, waste your niceness reserves on fucking Goro here instead, who isn’t even the cat heir and is about to go live on the farm (not a euphemism, Daniel and Melody’s literal farm). This Jojo fuckery is seriously starting to bum me out on top of pissing me off, let me find something cute to look at to raise my spirits..

No.

No.

NO.

Disturbing stuff.

Seems about right.

Old habits die hard.

No.

Ugh.

Ugh.

UGH.

OH FOR FUCK’S SAKE

FINALLY. THANK YOU CATS. Now let’s get back to this nightmare..

..and I mean nightmare in the technical sense of something not real occurring when you’re asleep, because Wyatt maxing a skill is truly the stuff of Taylor Swift-Wildest Dreams.mp3. It’s official, the only thing standing between us and Wyatt’s LTW is social ineptitude. But what if we revolutionize the friend game by approaching someone who can’t leave..

..because she’s contractually obligated to be here?? Go for it Wyatt!

-So Kaylýnn, you have the français maid thing going, I’m French and in need of a hag, c’est match made in les paradis!

-Yea sorry, Henry III, but it’s my professional policy to not fraternize with married clients I have no chance of fucking. 

-But..but you’re just a face template fiasco!

-..I have some bad news for you.

Kaylynn left Wyatt dick in hand and went to pet the cats, so I guess the day has arrived for me to go from being the leading Langerak hater of this community to being the leading stan-

-and apparently the leading Jitmakusol stan as well, which as we all know is a large and very competitive group. DOWN WITH JOJO

Well at least you still have this invaluable stamp of approval! All I see in this pic is 3 bags of trash.

Look at this trove, treasures untold, how many assholes can one photo hold? The reason there’s more awful people in our house than usual is the “exciting” occasion of the Shajar/Wulf double birthday and honestly even by our standards this party was especially terrible. Like it makes the one where Komei and Marissa happened look like Project X.

When this is the situation 10 seconds in you know you’re in for a good time. I don’t think a single positive interaction took place this entire party and I’ve subconsciously (?) forgotten every birthday since. What a loss!

Wulf is up first, and of course since this is Wyatt’s literal one and only parenting-related job, it took 3 cakes to happen and no one is paying attention by the time it does.

Wyatt makes one last-ditch effort to kill his child via decapitation and obviously he thinks it worked thus the wide smile. But Wulf is named after the spawn of Satan, head spinning comes with the territory-

-as do incredible looks. Gunther hair + tuxedo, and you think your little yellow blazer is subversive?? Step it up.

-If the sunglasses weren’t blocking the power of my stare this child would be dead by my sheer resentment.

Happy birthday, Wulf! 2/2 surviving murder attempts.

Wulf gets this Don Corleone makeover because a) he also survived murder attempts b) wedding tuxedo c) trying to avoid a Gunther mental breakdown. He looks exactly like Wyatt, like I don’t think there’s a drop of Jojo in there..

..BUT MAN IS THE PERSONALITY PURE UNION. Another nice little addition to our ever expanding freakshow.

Shajar time and no one is paying attention now either but there’s no cake malfunction, they just don’t care! And why should they? What is she, their child?

Wyatt can’t even be bothered to stay standing for literally 10 more seconds. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a parent do that before but you can always count on Wyatt for this sort of innovation. 

And this is what Shajar grows up to: Wyatt half-asleep, Daniel waiting to beat him up and the rest reacting to Wulf having shit himself. I don’t think any further comment is needed. 

Now, having lived through the experience that was Daniel and having marveled at Shajar’s seemingly genetic unlikability, I’m sure we can all tell which is the one aspiration she should under no circumstances roll because it’s going to make nails on a chalkboard seem like a fun musical break.. Yes, this is not a drill..

..we have another trainwreck firstborn who can’t get their own family not to hate them roll popularity. AND DANIEL WAS NICE. Shajar is bringing 1 nice point to the table so all I can say at this point is fml. 

And of course because the above wasn’t bad enough on its own and we always need the overkill, gaze upon whatever the fuck this is-

-YE MIGHTY AND DESPAIR. GOOD GOD SHAJAR 

LOL. Well with the custom sky this is an Under The Dome situation so technically you’re not wrong but still. fucking popularity? Leave the sky alone and aim for ‘slightly above ground’. Even that is pushing it.

Good, finally we return to reality and face the facts. Couldn’t agree more! 

[fromthedeskofelizabeththird]

Fracture 7/10

Please note that this chapter references torture, drugging and character death. I sobbed some ugly tears writing this. It honestly hurt me

If you like Juyeon, go love on @yoosungshoodie, since Juyeon is her OC. The banner comes from @kiserusmoke!

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Epilogue | AO3| Masterlist

Three months ago

Nari’s train was running late. She frowned at the timetable, muttering to herself that of course it was . She had chosen to take it as an experiment, one that she was careful to lie to her family and friends about. As far as they knew, she was doing it for the environment, when in reality she was considering selling her car. She doubted she would be unemployed for long, but if that proved to be the case, using the bullet train would be easier on her finances than a car.

She took a seat as she waited for the next train, taking her phone from her pocket. She had been checking the business and job listings of three different news sites and loaded up the first, frowning almost immediately when the page finally loaded.

KOREA’S MOST ELIGIBLE BACHELOR: an exclusive interview with the heir to C&R

She could not deny that he was handsome, but the carefully posed photograph inside of his office only added insult to injury. It was difficult not to imagine those stern features dismissing her from C&R.

Nari opened her emails instead, scrolling through the usual spam and lingering over a particularly curious entry.

Paradise awaits you, Nari Song

With a smirk, she opened the e-mail, expecting some kind of shopping coupon or horoscope spam. The actual e-mail was even more cryptic, though, and she read over it several times to try and gauge its meaning.

Don’t you want to escape from this filthy world?

This is an invitation to paradise.

Are you suffering from your past?

We will help the pain go away.

A world filled with pleasure…

A world filled with truth…

A world with no tears….

A world with no rejections…

Accept the angel’s invitation and enter the mysterious messenger.

There was a link at the bottom and Nari clicked it, curious of the messenger and quietly acknowledging the clever marketing at play. No matter how many pretty words an advertisement had, there was no match for a person’s natural curiosity. The appstore entry was equally as vague, listed as the angel’s invitation with no screenshots. Two people before her had offered reviews, claiming their lives were changed as a result of the app, offering no further details than that. Nari read over the page twice before clicking download. She had nothing better to do, after all.

Her train arrived as the app finished downloading and she watched her screen as she gripped the nearest railing. By the first stop, she had created a login and proceeded to the opening screen, which offered no answers either, looking exactly like a messenger platform, with icons for e-mail and some form of texting function. She tapped at each, taking in the empty contact pages and coming to the conclusion that it was some kind of chat room, even if no one appeared to be online.

She was about to put her phone away, deciding to take another look later on, when the screen went blank, displaying green letters of code that she did not recognise.

Three months later

“What foods do you like?” Ray asked, arranging a fresh napkin on a saucer for his guest.

“Hmm?”

Judging from her expression, she was curious of his motives and he couldn’t find it in himself to blame her. The elixir of salvation was, after all, bitter on the senses and he did not want her to suffer any more than was necessary. The very thought of her face crumbling into one of agony left his heart skipping beats and palms clammy.

He had never been able to stand the thought of her coming to harm; had picked her out from hundreds based on that fact alone. She was different to the others: fragile and mysterious and completely out of place in the ordinary world.

“Ah! I’m sorry to ask such a strange question,” he said, “I just wondered if my cooking suited your tastes. If you’d rather something else, I can go and prepare it for you.”

“Oh,” she said, “please don’t worry! Everything here is…”

She gestured at the table, at all of the pastries and soups and other dishes that he had prepared for her.

“This is more than enough.”

“I’m so happy you think so! Although…I must say I am still curious. I’ve never had the chance to cook for someone like you before.”

“Someone like me?”

Ray blushed, realising too late that his words might come across as offensive.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean to insult you!”

“You didn’t,” said Nari, her smile softening into one of sympathy. “Hmmm…let me think.”

She never got the chance to tell him, however, for C607 entered the garden and shattered the relative peace.

“Miss Song!” She called, waving and running towards the pavilion as fast as her heels would allow. “Miss Song, good morning!”

C607 had taken to her role as Assistant Park almost too well. Most of the clothes she used when in character came from her own personal collection, which she had abandoned upon her initiation into Mint Eye. The boldness of it made Ray’s toes curl; C607 discarded her beliefs as quickly as her clothes and her love for the paradise was transparently insincere.

“You weren’t in your room,” breathed C607, “I’ve been looking for you.”

She took a seat at the table and helped herself to a cup of coffee, quite deliberately not acknowledging him. He knew it was deliberate; that Miss Park had no reason to interact with him and going out of her way to do so might arouse suspicions, yet he would be lying if he said it didn’t bother him.

“Have you heard from Driver Kim?”

Nari was straight to business and Ray spotted the mean edge to C607’s smile even if she didn’t.

“I spoke to him just a few minutes ago, actually. He’s really sorry about the delay.”

“Is he…” Nari hesitated, thumbs tracing the edge of her cup, “alright?”

“Of course he is! He’s never been better.”

C607 took a sip of her coffee, leaning forward as if to whisper a secret.

“Actually,” she said, “he told me to tell you that we can leave as soon as you finish breakfast.”

Ray pretended he didn’t notice the joy in Nari’s eyes; the way she gulped down the rest of her coffee and dusted crumbs from her lap. He pretended he didn’t notice C607 reaching for her hand and guiding her away from the pavilion; away from him.

And he absolutely pretended he did not see C607 sneering over her shoulder at him.

Nari couldn’t believe her luck any more than she could hide her excitement to go home.

She all but threw her belongings together to the amusement of Juyeon, who lingered in the doorway and pointed out the things she missed.

“At this rate, that Ray guy will think you’re running away from him,” she laughed. “He is a little weird, don’t you think?”

Nari disapprovingly glanced up from her purse.

“He’s a little… enthusiastic,” she said, “but he means well.”

“Haven’t you seen those long lingering looks he gives you? I think he has a crush on you.”

“Don’t be ridiculous!”

“I’m not being ridiculous! It’s clear to anyone!”

Nari sighed, turning to chastise Juyeon, only to freeze at the sight of her swooping forward with a cloth in her hand. It smelled of something, something sweet and artificial, and she writhed against Juyeon’s grasp, digging her nails into the nearest arm and throwing back her head to try and loosen the one gripping her hair.

She realised it was chloroform only moments before her eyes fell shut and her body limp. She stared at her own outstretched hand, reaching and flailing, convinced she would remember Juyeon’s smile forever.

Jumin’s upcoming wedding had had something of a ripple effect on C&R. For the majority of employees it was gossip; hushed comments and carefully hidden tabloids. For the other select few, it was extra work. Almost overnight, the country had grown fascinated with Nari Song, whether it was the clothes she wore, her origins, the hidden truth of her relationship with Jumin; there was some part of her that intrigued everyone.

Suddenly the PR department had not only the prospect of a scandal to deal with, but weeks of careful research into a person that ordinarily would take months. They needed answers for any given official statement and ideas for how best to build her public image, whether it was denying the engagement came as a result of a pregnancy or scripting her replies to interview questions.

On the receiving end of arguably the highest amount of fallout was one Jaehee Kang, who found herself in an endless cycle of adjusting schedules, advising the PR department, passing on memos and more.

She had come to dread it whenever Jumin called her to his office because it never preceded anything good. This time around was no exception to the rule and she mentally reshuffled all of her recent e-mails and phone calls in an attempt to gauge exactly what Jumin was about to tell her. It seemed almost optimistic to wonder if he had a new pet project in mind.

“Mr Han?” She said, after knocking at his door. “You asked to see me?”

Jumin was in the process of flipping through the pages of one of the files from the mountain at his desk.

“Ah, Assistant Kang,” he said and waved her over, though never looked up from the file. “I have a task for you. It’s of the utmost priority.”

“Of course,” she said, pulling out the notebook she had been keeping her pocket. The constant adjustments and additions and reshuffles were difficult to keep up with at the best of times and she had taken to scribbling them down where possible.

“I need you to make a cancellation.”

“A cancellation,” she said, pen at the ready. “Of which particular appointment?”

“All of them.”

Jaehee glanced up from her notebook.

“P-pardon?”

Surely she had misheard, though that hope rapidly dissolved as he finally set aside the file in his hands.

“Sorry…that was vague,” he said. “I would like for you to cancel everything in regards to my engagement. My regular business appointments may remain the same.”

He said it casually, though Jaehee could only stare. He had finalised the design for the cufflinks he would wear on his wedding day only the night before and cancelling months of work in a single day never happened without a good reason. She wondered if she ought to ask about Nari, though decided against it. If the worst truly had happened, then reminding Jumin of the incident would only make matters worse.

Instead she accepted his task and pulled her phone from her pocket after sitting back down at her own desk.

Nari….is everything okay?

Ray had spent most of the evening and some of the morning preparing dishes for Nari’s breakfast. He had chosen each and every one based on things he had watched her eat through hacked security cameras in the penthouse she called home. He had cast his mind back to mornings in which she made coffee and wrapped her arms around Jumin’s shoulders, stepping up onto her tiptoes for kisses as he picked up his cup. He had remembered chefs entering the premises and anxiously waiting at the side of their dining table until dismissed. He also remembered Nari reaching into the back of the kitchen cupboard for sugary cereal: the same sugary cereal that Jumin occasionally reached for when he ate breakfast alone.

Ray wasn’t sure when exactly he had mentally inserted himself into every situation; cooking Nari pancakes instead of Jumin Han. He was not sure when he had decided she was miserable and only he could make her smile. They were selfish thoughts, out of line with the Saviour’s teachings, but his mind drifted nonetheless.

After Nari left with Juyeon, he returned to the kitchen, sinking his hands into the steaming dishwater and scrubbing each plate at a time. Technically speaking, he did not need to undertake such a task himself. Any given believer would happily have accepted any such order. He wanted to clear his thoughts, though, wanted to scrub the scrub the plates clean where he could not his mind. He wanted to wash away Nari’s happy expression at the prospect of returning home.

He had always condemned Juyeon and her selfishness; her desire for approval more so than paradise. The irony of it was clear to him now that he wanted Nari to smile and laugh for no one but him. He wanted her to smooth the creases out of his shirt, rearrange his tie, rush to greet him when he walked through the door. Even the sting of the hot water could not erase it.

The previous night he had reached for elixir, desperate to quieten his mind and focus. It was becoming increasingly difficult to ignore the dark thoughts at the back of his mind, though. The whispers that repeated everything he did not want to hear.

The saviour will use her to convert Jumin Han.

He scrubbed harder.

She will choose him at the everlasting party

Harder, he scrubbed harder.

Even in paradise, she won’t love you.

He stopped, the water from the sink spilling onto the floor.

You’re wrong, he thought to himself. You’re wrong and I’m not listening to you anymore.

He squeezed his eyes open and shut, reaching to place the dish he had been washing alongside all of the others. There was no dish, though, only his hands; hands that he had so vigorously scrubbed that they were bleeding.

I won’t listen

His squeezed his hands into fists, the sting of his broken skin satisfying on the senses.

I won’t listen.

I won’t

Posing undercover as an acolyte came with an equal amount of perks and downsides. Nobody questioned Jihyun’s ignorance on the matter of their special guest and he found that some believers had curiosities of their own. It was, however, increasingly difficult to continue feigning ignorance. Even as someone outside of the castle for an extended period of time, he should have known which rooms were normally out of bounds. Twice they caught him at the stairwell and twice he lied about his presence there. Finally, on the third attempt, he changed his tactics and told a half truth.

“I want to see her,” he said, shrugging off the believer’s hand on his shoulder. “The Saviour thinks she is special…I want to see it for myself.”

It was a risky move, considering, but ultimately one that paid off. The three of them climbed the stairs to an empty floor, eerily silent to the point that everything they said and did left an echo.

“I heard her ceremony is tonight,” said one of his group, a woman, whose pretty face lay obscured by her hood. “I overheard Mister Ray telling Miss Jenny that the elixir would be ready once he added the final touches.”

Elixir

Just the word sent shivers up his spine. He knew the implications even if he did not the finer details. Jihyun stopped in his tracks, wanting nothing more than to steal Nari away from that terrible place. He opened his mouth to demand they take him to the saviour; to tell them that he was no believer. Before he could, though, footsteps rang out in the empty corridor and his heart skipped a beat.

A handful of other believers were coming towards them, led by a woman in a magenta uniform. He knew her face, despite the fact that he had only seen her on a couple of occasions.

Back when he was still recovering from his eye surgery at Jumin’s penthouse, he had taken every chance to help Nari adjust to her new role. Sometimes that amounted to describing the personality of interviewers or the places she should avoid if she didn’t want to be swarmed by the media. At other times, his help arrived in the form of making tea and reading through the seemingly endless lists of things that needed her attention.

On a few of those occasions, Nari’s assistant had visited the penthouse, though for the most part he only ever encountered her as a disembodied voice on the other end of the phone. The few times he had seen her, she had been clutching bubble tea or informing Nari of appointments added to her schedule at the last moment. He was sure he had seen her at one of his exhibitions too, though the last time he had had one he and Rika were still together, so he was sure he must have been mistaken.

The more he thought about it, the more it made sense for Rika to plant someone like her so close to Nari and he wondered exactly how long she had been planning such a move. How long had Juyeon known about Rika’s plans? In any case, he realised that she must have been the ‘Miss Jenny’ the other acolytes had spoken of.

He clenched his hands into fists at what followed her; she led a number of hooded believers, one of whom cradled a body in their arms.

No. Not a body. Nari.

The acolyte held her with the same amount of care one would expect of a ragdoll, allowing one of her arms to dangle to the floor as the other lay crushed against their body.

All he could think about was her laughter all of those months ago. The three of them once played poker; Nari setting down her earrings and Jumin a book from his shelf. He had long wondered what to bet himself and ultimately set down an IOU.

“An IOU?” Jumin had said, examining the paper.

“Yes,” he said. “Whoever wins this can ask one thing of me in the future.”

“That’s potentially dangerous.”

“Are you suggesting either of us would take advantage of him?” Nari had laughed and, beaten, Jumin shuffled the cards.

Unsurprisingly, she won, and Jihyun knew from Jumin’s soft smile as she turned the pages of her new book that he was not the only one who had allowed her to win.

Of late, her laughter only left him guilty. It was his fault that she had been tricked into the apartment; his fault that she lay unconscious in front of him. Every time she laughed, he remembered Jumin’s lips against his own and his own deep, dark need to believe she could not be trusted.

He remembered Jumin’s insistences as they sat on the roof of the penthouse that they tell her about the kiss they had shared. He wanted her to know everything, and it was Jihyun who protested. He hated change, yet wanted everything to. He did not want to hurt her even slightly, yet wanted to steal away everything she held dear.

He was the one who couldn’t be trusted; Nari’s bright smile when she returned to the penthouse only serving as a cruel reminder of his betrayal. She was so eager to know if they had enjoyed the meteor shower and he realised too late her full intentions. It was no coincidence that she had left them alone together; that she had orchestrated everything in the hopes that they would repair their friendship.

He could not bring himself to regret the kiss, but he was sure he would regret the betrayal for the rest of his life.

“Juyeon,” he called, dragging down the hood of his cloak.

She seemed surprised that anyone had called out to her by name, though the shock left her as soon as she saw him standing there.

“Let her go,” he said, gaze drifting from her to Nari, his trembling hands breaking any illusion of composure.

“Well, well, well,” said Juyeon, approaching him in the same slow, practised fashion a tiger might. “What have we here?”

They took him to a cell in the basement. Jihyun knew from observations and conversations with acolytes that up until recently, such a thing was rarely done; it was the norm to take prisoners and any intruders before the saviour until they were cleansed and no longer deemed dangerous or, alternatively, died in captivity. For him to be isolated so quickly meant only one thing: he was considered an enemy of the organisation and if Rika came to see him at all, it would be to announce whatever torture she had in mind for him.

The guards draped a hood over his head that smelled mouldy, as if it was designated for drownings, and he choked at the smell as they pushed his shoulder to get him moving. They probably only walked down a couple of short flights of stairs, but it felt like he walked for miles. Finally, the guard tugged the cloak from his head and kicked him into the back of his new prison, locking it behind them with a mutter that they would come back once they had received orders.

“Come back and let me out of here,” Jihyun threw his body against the bars. “Tell the saviour to come!”

They did not acknowledge him, though, no matter how hard he shook the bars. He slumped to the floor despairingly, considering Nari’s limp body in the acolyte’s arms. In retrospect everything was obvious to him; he should never have suspected her, should never have fallen into the trap of questioning her intentions solely because she had won the heart of his friend. He should have told her everything from the beginning instead of succumbing to jealousy.

He wondered if he would ever get the chance to explain her current circumstances; if he would ever be able to take her hands in his and explain how he had kissed Jumin on the roof of the penthouse. The latter scared him most of all and he could not bear to imagine her reaction. In his heart, she would always be happy and smiling, brewing good coffee and pouring bad wine. She would always be the one who laughed at his double entendres and scolded him for missing meals.

And in that moment, just like Ray before him, he realised his love for her like a storm cloud overhead.

“M….Mathter V, thir,” someone mumbled in the adjoining cell, dragging him out of his thoughts. He peered into the darkness to make out the owner and gasped when he saw.

“Driver Kim!”

This was not the Driver Kim of days past, however. This man drooled blood and had cuts across his temples.

“What happened to you?” Jihyun said, holding onto the bars that separated them. “Who did this?”

Driver Kim’s eyes glazed over at the memory and Jihyun regretted asking him.

“I’ll get you out of here,” said Jihyun, seeing the occupants of the other cells for the first time. He recognised them all; had seen their faces in Luciel’s files. They were all members of the agency and all MIA. The ones that weren’t unconscious groaned in pain at their injuries, some even chained to the floor of their cell.

“I’ll save you,” Jihyun muttered. “I’ll save you all.”

Somehow.

Nari’s senses were muffled when she opened her eyes. For a moment, she thought she was back in the penthouse and half expected Jumin to be beside her.

It came as something of a surprise when she found herself tied to a chair in a strange room, arms bound behind her back and someone, whose voice she only half recognised, muttering that she was waking up.

Nari lifted her head, instantly regretting it as a sharp headache flooded her senses. She hissed with pain, leaning over until she could see straight ahead before making a second attempt to sit up.

Juyeon was standing on the other side of the room… or at least she thought it was Juyeon. This Juyeon had on a strange magenta uniform with a rose fixed to her blazer. What’s more, even though that Juyeon stared her in the face, there was no hint of recognition in her features.

“Ju…Juyeon?”

Juyeon did not reply. It was someone else who reached for her face: someone with sharp nails and a black mask that obscured their features.

“Welcome to paradise, Nari Song.”

They reached to clamp their hand down over her nose, clutching a vial of a bright blue liquid in the other. Nari clenched her mouth shut, unable to tear her eyes away from Juyeon, who watched her struggle without a reaction. Beside her stood Ray, who fiddled with his hands and avoided her gaze.

Her chest burned and she gasped for air, giving her assailant the opportunity to force the bottle against her lips. The liquid inside was bitter, burning her throat and insides, through when she tried to spit it out the masked stranger slammed her hand over her lips, forcing them shut until she had no choice but to swallow.

“What have you….done to me?” She asked, trying to spit out the remainder of the liquid, stomach churning so forcefully that she was sure she was going to throw up.  

“Please,” she murmured, the shakiness of her hands transferring into her voice. “Let me go.”

“Don’t look so sad,” they said, so close that their breath was warm against her face. “I would never hurt someone so precious to Ray.”

Nari’s heart skipped a beat and Ray called out from the other side of the room.

“Saviour-”

“You may leave.”

Nari’s thoughts had been muddled and confused even before having a chemical forced down her throat and she dug her nails into her palms in an attempt to stop the room spinning. She remembered Juyeon’s words only a short time earlier:

At this rate, that Ray guy will think you’re running away from him. He is a little weird, don’t you think?

Haven’t you seen those long lingering looks he gives you? I think he has a crush on you.

As Ray and Juyeon left the room, Ray’s hands twitching and his expression one of concern, Nari could not help but think about how comforting it was that at least one part of her stay had been real. Perhaps it was the drug, or her own fear, but when the door closed it echoed in her senses. What was going to happen to her now? She wished Juyeon and Ray would just come back, for even if their intentions were far from pleasant, she would at the very least recognise their faces. There was something strange about their ‘saviour’; a kind of familiarity that she did not understand.

“You have such beautiful eyes,” said the saviour, “I can see why Jumin favours you.”

Nari’s heart skipped a beat.

“What do you know about Jumin?”

“I know that Jumin is the CEO in-line,” said the saviour. “I know that he prefers the finer things in life… Egyptian cotton, aged whiskeys…intelligent women. Most importantly, I know that he wouldn’t let just anybody into his inner circle. Tell me, how do you find my RFA?”

Up until that point, C&R was the most obvious reason she had been kidnapped. She had, of course, forgotten that without enemies to the RFA she might never have arrived in the apartment all of those months ago.

“ Your RFA?” She said, realisation rapidly sinking in.

She finally understood why the masked woman looked familiar. Even with the mask on, her resemblance to the girl in V’s photographs was obvious.

“No,” said Nari. “You- you’re dead!”

“That’s what V told you,” said Rika, “and you must not believe his lies.”

Nari was not so naive as to think V had never lied to or kept information from her. She had watched him play poker, after all. He had an excellent poker face even as he let her win.

“I’m sure he had his reasons.”

“It seems he has already poisoned you,” laughed Rika. “I wonder what sweet promises he whispered in your ear to make you trust him so much.”

“He didn’t whisper anything! I know he’s a good man.”

Rika sighed, clearly unimpressed with her answer.

“Tell me Miss Song,” she said softly, placing a hand on Nari’s shoulder, “what are you afraid of? Shall I guess?”

“I…no…I-”

“Hmmmm,” Rika searched her face. “You stayed with the RFA even after there was no need for you to. You attend every meeting Jumin asks of you… could it be?”

She smiled cruelly, sending shivers down Nari’s spine.

“Are you afraid of being alone?”

Suddenly Nari was fourteen again, sticking pictures of idols she did not even like to the inside of her locker. Rika pressed a finger against her lips, coming to a conclusion before she could confirm or deny it.

“Sssssh, it’s okay,” she said. “In this place, no one will leave you. We will be kinder to you than the RFA. Nobody here will dictate how you dress or what you eat. We will not lie to you or ignore you, like Jumin and the rest of the RFA.”

Nari thrashed, eager to shake off Rika’s touch.

“I LOVE Jumin,” she protested. “I want to make him happy.”

Even as she said it, she knew how it sounded. She would not have believed her either.

“You’re very kind,” said Rika. “And so simple minded. What makes you so sure that he cares for you?”

Ordinarily, Nari would have been offended by such an insinuation. Ever since news of her engagement went public, she had scowled at so many articles about the status of her private life that Jumin had stroked her hair and warned her that she would age prematurely. Now, though, all she could think about was the clatter of her engagement ring against the kitchen tiles and Jumin’s words on the messenger.

Perhaps I only loved you because I thought you were something more. Perhaps you were always meant to be a stranger to the RFA. I think… that if I had not proposed to you so publicly, in such a way, I might never have married you.

Every breath left her mind and body fluttering, as if she bobbed up and down on a stormy sea. She hated herself and her own naivety. How had she never realised that she was being manipulated? How had she allowed herself into such a situation?

“He loves me!” She spat, closing her eyes. She refused to believe Jumin’s affection was a dream; just another stain in her ivory tower.

Rika seemed delighted by her responses, reaching out a finger to catch her tears.

“Jumin…loves me,” said Nari, more to herself than to Rika. “He loves me.”

He loves me.

She remembered Sarah Choi’s horrified expression as he leaned in for their first kiss; a kiss that tasted of pancakes and gave her butterflies.

She remembered how her hand trembled when he fell to one knee at the party.

She remembered the scent of roses against her skin as he sat behind her in the bathtub to wash her back.

He loves me .

She also remembered his expression in their last argument; the sound of him moving around the kitchen as she waited for him to knock on her bedroom door.

He loves me

He loves

He

She repeated it even as everything went black and her head lolled over onto her chest.

“Don’t worry,” said Rika, stroking her hair. “I’m not the same as them. I want you exactly as you are.”

She cupped a hand around Nari’s face, feeling for her breath against her skin. She had made such a powerful elixir and many people were not strong enough to survive the ordinary batches. Those that did came out transformed, butterflies from a painful chrysalis, wiser for their introduction into the truth of the world.

Nari’s breaths did not come, however. Rika’s hand remained as cold as it had always been. With a frown, she pressed her fingers against the other woman’s neck, feeling for a pulse where there was none.

She let go of Nari’s head, then, sighing deeply and crossing the room to pour herself a cup of tea.

Perhaps they were not so similar after all.

Three months earlier

[elviriel]

Thanks for asking, @la-petite-fadette! I made a separate post for this, since it was getting kind of long, hope that’s okay. 

And I was actually thinking of talking about this for Braven week when I saw the “when they became your otp” moment so, the question comes at a perfect time. It convinced me to actually type it out! 

To answer that question adequately- because I'm very wordy and incapable of answering quickly, watch me get off-topic under the cut as I try to walk you through my history of shipping on The 100. This is all a lot of honest rambles about what I shipped and why I stopped. 

Dear followers, if you ship B*llarke, don’t read this. It’s only going to upset you, so stay away :)  Also, Braven shippers, this post talks about B*llarke a lot. and about Raven x W*ck a bit And about internalized bias and things like that. Just so you’re warned :) it does talk about braven though oF COURSE

So how did I get into Ravenbell? To get there, I have to start with B*llarke because.... well, you’ll see. 

The thing is, like many others I think, I shipped B*llarke before even watching the show.

Gifsets of that season 2 hug were everywhere on my dash, and I was like: “oh my this is cute.” then I started watching the show, and while I fell in love with Raven at first sight, B*llarke had that enemies to lovers potential that kept me hooked.

They had fun chemistry in season 1. They started antagonistic then started liking each other more. They were the leads. It made... sense? And I genuinely liked them. So there I was, shipping it happily. Everyone shipped it, so it was on my dash all the time. It fueled my shipping, and I knew it was all leading to The Hug. 

Ravenbell was.... well. not even a thing if you looked at the fandom, judging by the people I was following. It was either Fl*arke or B*llarke. L*nctavia too. 

So Ravenbell flew past me. I enjoyed their interactions- definitely saw the sexual tension.

Hell, I will admit that when they hooked up in season 1, I felt lowkey threatened, as I think many B*llarke shippers did.

My threatening did not, however, transform into me hating Raven because I loved her a lot. She was my absolute favorite. People disliking her because of that thing honestly made me like her more out of spite- not that she needed it. My love for Raven Reyes knows no bounds.

And even then, I think I was kind of hoping something more would come from their hook-up- but I was still in B*llarke land then, so I both wanted it and I didn’t.

That’s the thing about me- honestly, I tend to pick a ship and it’s hard for me to get over it once I ship it. I’m less like this than I used to be, but yeah. I tended to hold on tight to ships

I did think, though, that maybe Ravenbell would go somewhere in season 2, after their late season 1 interactions. It kind of surprised me that it didn’t.  So season 1 happened, and then season 2 rolled around. I loved season 2 in many ways, but Raven’s general storyline in season 2 was very unsatisfying to me. Raven x W*ck was nice, at first. I wanted Raven to have a love interest that wasn't Finn. I enjoyed the banter- but then when it progressed, I found myself grimacing at Wick putting pressure on her. I was like “really man? She just lost the boy she loved forever, her family, can you chill?” I saw everyone being all heart eyes at that ship in the B*llarke tag, and I was wondering if there was something I’d missed. Because I wasn’t really into it.  I did notice, though, at the end of season 2, Bellamy saying “Is that Raven?” like he wanted to cry. It made my heart do a thing. But again, still in B*llarke land. I got a lot of feels at the end of the season. She kissed his cheek. I was crying.  Still firmly into B*llarke at this point. Even if the possibility of Cl*xa then highly interested me. 

But anyway. On to season 3.

Season 3 is when I stopped shipping B*llarke.

Mostly because season 3 started, iMO, sucking. I was angry at the Bell storyline. I was angry at how Cl*xa was handled, I was angry at the Lincoln death/Ricky Whittle on set drama... Season 3 nearly got me to quit the show tbh. 

So my B*llarke shipping was sucked into my frustration with the show. And I didn’t like the idea that L*xa was killed off to make way for B*llarke- I now realize that it wasn’t the case, but the way the fandom framed it... It turned me off the show, the ship, all of it. 

I also lost interest in Cl*rke as a character for many reasons that I won’t go into- my season 3 frustrations are never-ending tbh and somehow, when B*llarke reunited at the end of the season, it fell kind of flat to me? I was like: “but wait where’s that romantic chemistry I thought they had” (the answer was it probably wasn’t there in the first place but anyway i’m not here to throw shade)

anyway, my reaction was: “Huh. so I’m over b*llarke.” 

Also, as I got more frustrated with the show in season 3, I started going into “anti tags” and found meta that talked about several aspects (I think some of them were even written by you? I know I’d seen your name in tags before I followed you for Braven joy) such as the show’s racist patterns, etc.- and also, I distinctly remember reading a great piece of meta about how the show rarely lets characters of color interact without a white character present, and that.... got me. I was like: fuck that’s true. 

When I say season 3 sucked though, I want to make it clear that while it did IMO, it only... highlighted some of the problems that were here all along in the show. Honestly I’m really not proud of the way I missed - or ignored- some of the show’s patterns, and they really came to light in season 3. The fact that I missed those aspects is fully on me. A lot of viewers were aware of them before. Just not... me?  Wow am I getting off-topic. The question was about Ravenbell. Okay. Focus, Audrey, focus. 

I wasn’ t even going to watch season 4, at first, but my husband wanted to, so I knew I wouldn't be able to resist. I wasn’t really into the 100 then anymore tbh. 

Before season 4 rolled around though, I visited the Ravenbell tag. The reason is ridiculously personal and has, at its basis, NOTHING to do with Ravenbell themselves. A happy accident, really. 

To be completely honest, I started writing a book (wee!) where two main characters hook up and they look like Ravenbell a lot. Tall curly-haired boy, shorter dark-haired lady, both of them brown-skinned... so I wanted screenshots of them to make my own private edits for myself like the little goblin that I am- and looking for screenshots on google images led me to the Braven tag, and then I.... could not... get out.

Looking at the Ravenbell scenes in gifsets, looking at edits, honestly made me go: “........ huh. HUH. how come I don’t ship this more? They’re my favorite individually and usually, I ship my favorites together. Not always but often How come I broke my own pattern?” 

The question to how come I broke my own pattern probably has an answer that’s both obvious and shameful tbh. The fact that I didn’t ship Raven with Bell even if she was my favorite character, over Cl*rke, says a lot about how much TV structure and internalized shit influence us. I’m a lot more conscious of that than I used to be. I know you’re familiar with candyumbrella’s tobin structure posts- and honestly, misreading B*llarke as Tobin?

That was me. Me 1000000%. I can admit it freely because I’m super over it but that was the case. 

Probably the reasons the meta mentions- even if it wasn’t conscious on my part. I somehow- had this idea in my head that Bell*rke was the ship. That the romantic chemistry was there. That the storyline was going there. That they had the development, the attraction, etc. 

As it turns out.... well. Nope? 

Those Tobin metas also intensified my Braven shipping by 10000% since then but anyway

Really though, the braven tag and its contents - that I kept visiting for non-book-edit purposes- made me start shipping it. A lot. A lot-lot. Mostly because the more I looked at their pretty selves and thought about them, they made... sense?

The fact that I was super over B*llarke freed up the way for me to ship Braven. It sounds silly, really, but that's 1000% what happened. 

Anyway, by the start of season 4, Braven interacted.

I squealed.

I wanted more of them.

I kept visiting the tags. More and more and more. I rewatched some of their scenes and saw things I’d missed. I remembered how really, in season 1, it looked like something more would come from their season 1 scenes- until that was mostly dropped in season 2. And the writing for season 4 was more satisfactory to me, for the most part. There was more Raven. A LOT MORE RAVEN. So between my renewed fondness for the show, my heart exploding with feels over Raven Reyes all the time, my little heart fluttering over Bellamy Blake constantly, I went from “oh that would be rly nice if the show went there again” to “help I ship it so hard I would die for them” and honestly there’s no going back for me now.

I realized that not only was Ravenbell super based in canon, they made sense. They bring out some passion in each other that lacks in their interactions with other characters IMO. And honestly, after all the shit they went through, I want them to be loved and protected and treated well- and if you look at the show’s canon, IMO, that’s with each other. I’m not nearly as skilled with Braven meta as the rest of the fandom is, so I won’t bother explaining why I love them because honestly, the fandom’s said it all. And I can feel it in my chest now- they evoke the kind of love that B*llarke used to evoke for me, only even deeper because (no shade to anyone who likes Cl*rke ) I’ve always loved Raven much, much more than I like Cl*rke, even when the latter was in my top 5 favorite characters. The admiration I have for Raven Reyes knows no bounds, and god, Bellamy Blake, don’t get me started. Loving him has been a ride, because he has been through so much and grown so much and you know that meta, Raven Reyes as the secret hero of his development? I think about that every goddamn day.

And honestly, back in B*llarke days, I was annoyed with some of the fandom’s tendency to... reduce Bell or Raven to Cl*rke. I never liked the trend of making Raven out to be some sort of B*llarke cheerleader- and I think starting in season 2, I was a bit annoyed by the idea that everything Bell did or said was directly related to his love for Cl*rke. Even if I shipped it, that was... irksome, even if it took me a while to realize what bothered me. 

Honestly the cracks in my B*llarke shipping were probably there from the start but anyway. I still shipped for a loooooong time

I spent season 4 waiting for Braven to interact more, getting increasingly annoyed with Cl*rke, thirsting for Braven to interact ALONE- and then completely exploding when he offered to go get her and the hug and the scenes in the finale and gkljflkgjdlkjgdfkgjdflkjkldjflgjfdlgkjfdlkgjfdklgjfdklgjflgjd. Keysmash sums up my feelings efficiently. 

Honestly, I think it’s the Ravenbell tag that made me get into it before season 4 rolled around, and increasingly through the season. The gifsets, the metas, the everything- mostly because the tag helped me realize a lot of things that had happened in the first three seasons and that I’d missed because I was into another ship. Complete and utter tunnel-vision. 

And now, as I await season 5, I visit the tag all the time and read all the meta and look at their pretty faces and think daily about what a fool I was to miss that ship for such a long time. I honestly can’t believe myself  Anyway, if you read all that, thank you? I hoped you enjoyed my ramblings. (Also, this may sound like a silly question, but am I the only one who went from B*llarke to Braven? I feel like I can’t be, but you know, if anyone else ship-jumped, let me know so I can feel less alone and we can cry together about the foolishness of our youth) 

[slavicbarbi3]

Thoughts on Success

I in no way consider myself a feminist. The word itself makes me cringe. I am a beautiful, fiscally conservative woman with a steady career, who has worked hard to be where I am. I never realized until I became a SUCCESFUL woman how many men and women are uncomfortable with my presence & sheer existence.

As a successful woman I have faced ridicule where my male counterparts receive praise. Upon commenting to someone how many hours a week I spent in the office or on-site with clients I was asked by a wide-eyed, (I am sure well-meaning) woman in her mid 50′s, “How much do you see your kids? Maybe you should change careers...that's a lot of time away from home...especially that young.” While my male counterparts are given the classic “Look at you, burning the candle at both ends for your family!”

I have also faced disbelief that I, a woman, could negotiate my first sale at a higher commission than the agency standard. I closed on a half a million-dollar property at 9 percent commission meaning I walked away with 6 percent and the agency, 3. For an entire month rumors spiraled I was sleeping with my clients, a rumor I may add, affected my personal life when a co-worker took to social media to state said rumors as fact. The screenshot of the post was sent to me by a friend &  co-worker. This was promptly put to rest when I addressed her at my cubicle in the center of the agency, my boss in earshot. I calmly, and professionally called her out about her lack of professionalism, and reminded her of the repercussions such behavior could have.

After that I received either apology, or people stayed away from me. (I liked those people better.) My boss apologized profusely and told me it would not happen again, that there would be training. I told him it wouldn’t be necessary, it wasn’t his fault, I thanked him for taking care of it on his end. I stated with a smile, that I was fine and was satisfied. No training necessary I just wanted to work. He seemed uncomfortable and thought maybe I meant something else. He felt he needed to cover himself, because in his mind. women never mean what they say. He mandated the training, to which I told him, I would not attend.

I later concluded she was angry because the listing from which I obtained the client was originally hers, she was sick so I was asked by my boss to show the property. The client and I built a great rapport, and after listening to his needs we determined my listing was a better option and price for him. He brought me two more clients, and I closed all three sales within my first 90 days at the agency. My client list kept growing from those initial three sales. The rumor milling co-worker was eventually let go after she threw a flute of champagne in my face at the company Christmas party, where I was recognized for being the highest seller in the office.

Even to women, my sheer existence, the “no-nonsense” way I carried myself, my success was a threat. Her husband had chatted me up at the party, nothing inappropriate just a simple exchange of congratulations and light conversations. which I can only postulate lead to the eventual rage behind the champagne flute incident.

He told me, many months later on a coffee date that was the night he had decided to divorce her. He filed the day after Christmas and it was served to her on Valentine's day. Ouch. He said at home, I had become a fixation of her lack of confidence. He had warned her that the rumors and posting would be a very bad idea. He said when he met me at the party he realized all the things she had said about me were completely false, and that he had dealt with this with her for years. She even once accused him of cheating on her with a woman in her office even though he had never stepped foot in it. The imaginary affair sparked the creation of a joint Facebook account. We went on several lovely dates and had a wonderful summer fling. in the end, I did not pursue something more serious. He was a bit bitter but accepted it and we remain friends. After the champagne flute incident, it took about 6 months for my boss to relax and realize I was, a woman of my word, and I was not going to do anything I didn’t want to do. My boss and I grew to have a great mentor-mentee relationship. When he saw I had a way with people, and was very good at selling, he took me under his wing (within a respectable distance so not to concern HR) and I became a broker within 16 months of my career.

Once I became a broker, I was able to have more control over my time, I spent more days working from home, enjoying my kids. I no longer needed my full-time nanny to drop them off and pick them up from school. She stayed on part-time while she attended college.

By age 30 I had made my first million dollars, had my own brokerage firm, and was “the boss”. Which wasn’t bad for a girl who only had a 2-year degree from a community college and was raising two kids on her own.

With both my kids now in school, I had decided it was time to go back to the dating world. I am a very efficient person. The questions I ask someone to determine whether or not I meet them. Several times I had experiences where guys had given me the “right answers’ but when I met them they were more interested in talking about my money, how much did I make? How much did my car cost? This was always a red flag and I often promptly ended the date there. I even once had a guy ask me if I fucked my boss to get my job. To which I responded “I wish that was possible! It would have saved me 250 hours that I could have spent with my kids!” followed by me asking the bartender to cash me out.

No matter where I turned it seemed I faced some sort of stereotype, gender norm, or judgment. I learned quickly I had to be careful who I entertained whether it be romantically, professionally, or platonically. The more my wealth flourished, the more I attracted leeches.

One night I came home, I popped my heels off and I poured myself a drink, my usual nightly routine. My nanny had just finished dinner, she asked me about my day. She told me about the boy's day. I remember her taking my glass, and she looked into my eyes. I am not sure if it was my tired state, but I had stared too long. She took my disheveled look like an open invitation to kiss me and proceeded to grind on me. It took me what felt like way too long to realize what was happening. I pushed her off and we awkwardly stood there for a moment both trying to collect our thoughts. She apologized, and said she thought she sensed something. I told her it was ok. She started panicking, asking if she would be fired, to which I said “no of course not! it's ok! I will see you tomorrow” She had admitted to me, via email, she was very attracted to me and wanted to be my sugar baby. To which I told her, I didn’t want to make our relationship unprofessional. I kept the email for “just in case” because one thing I learned early on in life before the military or anything else was “CYOA” (Cover your own a**!) She was a no call no show the next three days. I thought nothing of it and hired a new nanny. This time I hired a single mom of 2 in her mid 40′s, who came with great references and was much cheaper hourly than the au pair agency. She and her oldest daughter both clean for me every Wednesday and Saturday and I set her sister up with a job at the agency. She is a fantastic fit and has been with us for two years now.

A month after the kissing incident,I received a call from the agency stating the young lady was preparing to sue for damages and wrongful firing. A simple forwarding of the email resolved the case, and I received an apology from the agency. Her lawyer dropped her as a client. She had illegally recorded me in my own home and this was her only evidence. My full video on the nanny cam and the email were enough to clear me of any wrongdoing. About 6 months later I received a check from her lawyer for my time and legal fees. I am now 32, and I can honestly say while being successful has its benefits, I often miss when I was broke. I miss the lack of judgment I faced. I had different stress as a broke single mom than I do now. In fact, I think I have MORE stress now. When you become successful you must be hyper-aware at all times. The constant feeling of being on edge, who to trust, where to invest, and the constant ridicule can be tiring. The only difference between the new me and the old me is I can take a vacation to get away from it.

[punkscowardschampions]

Rio & Buster

Rio: Nance text me so I'm here Rio: but, you don't have to talk if you don't want Rio: but you can too Buster: Get out Buster: You can't be here Rio: I am now so Rio: Avoid the living room, like Buster: Just go Rio: Buster, what's happened? Buster: Rio, just leave Buster: It's what you're gonna wanna do anyway Rio: I can't 'til your family is back Rio: Why? Buster: Please Buster: I can't do this Rio: But you have to? Buster: I don't know Buster: I don't fucking know anymore what I have to do Rio: Alright Rio: You've got to decide right now? Buster: The decision's already been made Rio: Okay Rio: Who by? Buster: Chlo as per Rio: What's she done now? Buster: Don't Rio: What can I do? Rio: Or do you want your Dad or? Buster: I don't want any of you Rio: What do you want? Buster: Like that matters Buster: It's all fucked Rio: It does Buster: To you maybe Buster: For as long as that's about to last Rio: Definitely Rio: I'm not going anywhere Buster: You can't say that Buster: You don't know Rio: I can Rio: Talk to me Buster: Fine, but you asked for this Buster: You should've just left Buster: Chlo's pregnant. She says it's mine Rio: Ah Rio: That explains it Buster: Is that all you've got to say? Rio: I don't know what to say Rio: Just, I get it Buster: No you don't Buster: You can't Rio: I'm not saying that Rio: I get why your room is trashed Buster: Well, cheers Buster: Come up if you wanna smash something yourself Rio: Jesus Buster: And if not, you know now so you can go Rio: No Buster: Yes Rio: I'm not going Buster: I'm not gonna cry on your shoulder about this so where does that leave us? Rio: I don't know Buster: Let me know when you figure it out, like Rio: What, you get to not know but I've got to work it all out Buster: Not really my decision what you wanna do, is it Rio: Well Rio: I don't fucking know Buster: You and me both, babe Rio: What is she doing? Buster: Keeping it Buster: And hopefully a DNA like I asked Rio: Right Rio: and if it's yours, what are you doing? Buster: Raising a kid with her Buster: Nothing else I can do Rio: There is but Rio: that's the right thing Buster: No there isn't Rio: Not the first or last Buster: Yeah 'cause that worked out so well for Drew and your sister Rio: Well, how the hell do you reckon this is this going to work out well Rio: you hate her Rio: she's Rio: a mess Buster: It won't Buster: But at least I'll have tried instead of just giving up Buster: Same as how I tried to tell her its a bad idea to have this kid Rio: This is fucked Rio: she can't be a mum Buster: I know Buster: But maybe it won't be my kid and she won't be my problem either Rio: Yeah but maybe it will Buster: Well it's not like I can sub you in to be the kid's mum instead Rio: Shut up Rio: How is she so stupid Rio: Jesus fucking Christ Buster: How am I? Buster: It is what it is Rio: Why isn't she on the pill Rio: who isn't in this day and age it ain't hard Buster: Feel free to hit her up and ask Buster: She's very keen to be your friend anyway, like Rio: What? Buster: [Sends the Rio related relevant screenshots] Buster: We had a great chat Rio: She's Buster: I know Rio: Are you sure she's even pregnant Rio: she isn't taking this seriously Buster: I'm not sure of anything Buster: I don't even know if I actually fucked her so Rio: This is Rio: This is the worst thing that could've happened to you Buster: Tell me something I don't know, babe Rio: I can't Buster: Do you get now why I need you to fuck off Rio: No Rio: not really Buster: It's too much Buster: I can't do this Rio: That's not fair Buster: None of this is fair Buster: Or part of the plan Rio: so everything has to go to shit Rio: fine Buster: It already has Buster: Don't act like you're fine with having her around forever Buster: I have to be stuck with her, you don't Rio: Sounds like you've decided for me Buster: I can't do that Rio: You have though Rio: I've got the message Buster: Babe Rio: What Rio: I'm fucking off Buster: I'm sorry Buster: I just need you to know that before you go, okay Rio: No you don't and no you aren't Rio: because I didn't want to go and you aren't stopping me so Buster: You think I want you to go? Rio: You don't know what you want Rio: I didn't think that extended to me but it is what it is, yeah? Buster: Don't Buster: Of course I want you Buster: I'm just trying not to be a selfish cunt for once Buster: Isn't it hard enough doing this without all this bullshit added? Rio: It doesn't suit you Buster: Yeah, well, it's gonna have to start Buster: I can't be a selfish cunt with a kid, can I Buster: Time to change my suit, babe Rio: Good luck, Buster Buster: Rio, come on Buster: I don't want to leave it like this Rio: You're right though Rio: You have to Buster: But Rio: You know what you've got to do Rio: What is there to say? Buster: I love you Rio: I love you Buster: Don't go Rio: Nancy will be back with your parents in a minute Buster: I don't care Rio: I can't stand in the way of you doing the right thing can I Buster: Us being together is the right thing Buster: We both know that Rio: I don't think she'll agree Buster: She doesn't get a say in it Rio: What about your kid Buster: If it's mine, it's mine Buster: She can't change that if she decides she wishes it wasn't Rio: But it's not fair to put this shit on it Rio: there will already be enough from the situation with her Rio: never mind adding this Buster: I know but she's already ruined so much Buster: I can't just let her take everything Buster: I don't get to go to America and I don't get to be with you either Buster: Fuck that Rio: I know Rio: It's fucked and I really am sorry Rio: it's just fucked Buster: It's only fucked 'cause I fucked it all up Buster: You don't need to be sorry Rio: It wasn't even you that's the worst part Rio: I can't be angry because it was so wrong and weird and horrible Buster: You can be angry at me for going out and getting in that state though. I am Rio: It won't change that it happened, and it definitely won't change that there's going to be a kid Buster: Nothing will Buster: Not how much I don't want it or how much I want you Rio: No Rio: I know Buster: You still get to react to it how you want Rio: I don't want to be angry Rio: I'm tired of it Rio: I wanted to be with you Buster: So come upstairs Buster: Be with me Rio: No Rio: I can't Buster: Why not? Rio: Because you're only doing it because you don't want to think about this anymore Rio: and I can't deal with knowing that Buster: I want you to stay 'cause I love you Rio: Your parents are going to be here soon and you're going to have to tell them Rio: One thing at a time, yeah Buster: I can't tell them while Nance is here Buster: Let's just both go and I'll do it later Rio: Better she hears it from you than her Rio: though yeah, it's going to be fucking awful Buster: She won't say anything, her parents don't even know yet Rio: You suddenly trust her? Buster: She seemed actually bothered about that Rio: Well who wants to tell their parents they're knocked up Rio: not even a boyfriend in sight Buster: She wants me to tell them with her Buster: I said I would Rio: Jesus Christ, Buster Rio: Why don't you just marry her Buster: Don't Buster: I couldn't say no, she asked me and it's not like I wanna tell mine Buster: I'd love to have someone in my corner for it, like Rio: Yes you could Rio: You aren't together, that's such a ridiculous thing to ask Rio: what kind of message do you think it sends to her and her 'rents when you wanna show up all honourable fuck's sake Buster: I was just trying to help Buster: I thought she was scared about it Rio: More fool you Rio: Honestly Buster: I'm an idiot, alright Buster: Whatever Buster: I'm not saying I handled any of the convo well Rio: Because it was a fucking farce Rio: she's probably faking it Rio: who just drops it into a text conversation Rio: I don't buy it Buster: Me either honestly Buster: But we'll see what she comes back with evidence wise Buster: Shopping bags of Baby Gucci don't count, unfortunately Rio: Of course she has Rio: Stupid fucking girl Buster joined the chat 3 hours ago Buster: Like, the levels at which she is not taking this seriously or understanding how fucked any of this is Rio: It's concerning Rio: Maybe her parents will make her Rio: at least you can make sure she tells them if you're there I guess Buster: I mean, I know you don't think it's a good idea but I can also be there to correct any bullshit she tries to say to them Buster: I wouldn't be surprised if she says we're together, you know Rio: Well yeah, that's why she wants you there Rio: so it doesn't look like just a party hookup Buster: What the fuck am I actually gonna do, babe Rio: I don't know Rio: All I know is, you've got what, 8 months, 'til it's actually here so Buster: I'll say that for her, she's given me plenty of warning Rio: You know, hit you up for those push presents Rio: Fucking hell Buster: Don't Rio: I'm not laughing at you but Jesus if I don't Buster: I need a fucking drink Buster: Come with me Rio: Alright, I'll drive you Rio: I'll have to text your sister you know Rio: they'll be worried, more than they are already Buster: I'll do it Buster: I've gotta say sorry for how many times I told her to fuck off etc Buster: Should probably invite them all for drinks 'cause they're gonna need it but Rio: Okay Rio: Proud of you Buster: Don't Buster: I can't start laughing right now I don't trust it Rio: Let's just get you that drink then Buster: I'm not trying to drink alone and be that level of sad cunt, cheers Buster: I'll get us a cab Buster: Leave your car there Rio: Alright Rio: but I don't trust getting wasted Buster: Alright Buster: It's not like I can anyway, I'm gonna have to face the fam at some point Buster: Not as if I can just fly back without talking to them now Rio: Not really Buster: I need to stay here for a while Buster: I literally can't see Chlo until I calm down Buster: She's gone to a party tonight so Rio: Will they let you? Buster: They can't stop me Buster: But once I explain, they'll probably agree it's a good idea Rio: Once they see your room, like Buster: Don't take the piss out of me Rio: I'm not Rio: It's real Buster: Yeah Rio: Have you hurt yourself? Buster: I'm sure I would have noticed by now Rio: Let me come up and check Buster: I'll come down to you. You don't need to be dealing with this mess along with all the others Buster: If I leave a blood trail we'll know what's up, like Rio: Not funny Buster: You don't need to worry about me, babe Rio: That's a lie Buster: I'm alright, I promise Rio: Don't Buster: See for yourself Rio: That's not what I mean Buster: I know, but what can I say? Rio: Nothing if you're not going to be real Buster: Rio, come on Buster: Give me a break, will you? Rio: Seriously? Buster: Yeah, seriously Rio: Fuck off Rio: seriously Buster: Don't start Buster: Let's just go Rio: You go Buster: Babe Buster: Stop Buster: I don't need this from you right now, yeah? Rio: Oh, I'm sorry Buster: Why are you being like this? Rio: Don't be stupid Rio: just come on Buster: How am I being stupid, asking a fucking question? Buster: Just talk to me Rio: I'm fucking heartbroken, Buster Rio: and I don't know how to deal with any of this so give me a break too, alright Buster: I'm sorry Buster: I know, okay, this is so fucked Rio: I know you are Buster: Please don't go Rio: I won't Rio: I'm not Buster: I love you so much Rio: I know Rio: and I love you Rio: but you know that this is going to end it right Buster: Don't say that Rio: Even if we don't talk about it Buster: If you wanna end it then you end it Buster: Otherwise no Buster: It won't Rio: You can say that now Rio: but when the kid's here Buster: What? You think I'm gonna leave you Buster: How does that work? Rio: Because we don't get to work in the real world Buster: Shut up Buster: You don't know that Rio: I just know Rio: You're not going to want to explain it or deal with the backlash, when you've already got all that to contend with Buster: Fuck that, you're guessing Buster: And fuck you if you think I can't handle that Buster: I've gotta tell them about this kid, I want to tell them about you. It's different Rio: I don't want to make your life any harder Buster: You're the only one who doesn't do that Buster: I need you. Don't you know that? Buster: Everything will only be harder without you Rio: You're going to be a Dad Buster: If you wanna use this as your out, I can't blame you Rio: Don't say it like that Rio: I don't want an out, it's not like this is the perfect opportunity for me, fuck off Buster: It is though Buster: Then we don't have to tell your fam, I know you don't wanna do it anyway Rio: Just because I don't want to rush it Rio: Why is it so bad to keep things private Buster: It's not private, it's secret Rio: It had to be Buster: Says you but that doesn't mean I have to want to keep it like that Rio: Well, it's beside the point now isn't it Buster: No Rio: You've got so much more you have to focus on now Buster: I've always had a lot going on Buster: Find a better excuse, babe Rio: Exactly, it isn't just this kid Rio: it's school, all that Buster: It's hard, yeah, it'll get harder Buster: But I'm not just giving up Rio: Babe Buster: Do what you've gotta do Buster: I can't be mad about it Rio: Don't expect me to decide right now Buster: I'm not Buster: I don't have a fucking clue what I'm doing right now apart from losing my shit Rio: Sounds about right Rio: not like you were gonna cry with joy Buster: not like anyone is Buster: Chlo can bullshit all she likes but none of this was planned or how she really wants it Rio: Well, it's happening regardless so Rio: we'll all have to get used to it Buster: Yeah Rio: Cab's here Buster: Alright Buster: Are you still coming? Rio: Yeah Rio: Said I'd keep an eye on you Buster: Where are we going? Buster: The fewer people I have to see the better for them Buster: And us Rio: Don't worry, I know a place Buster: Good

[echoslammin]

Yuletide 2018 Letter

Dear Yuletide Author,

I’m Echoslam on AO3. Thank you very much for checking out this letter! 

General Information:

Likes: Any kind of AU, romance, friendship, introspection, worldbuilding, smut, canon-appropriate pop culture references, humor (all kinds - comedic situations, witty dialogue, running gags, memes, etc. Seriously, if you’ve ever wanted to experiment with bizarre crack, I’d be happy to be your guinea pig). I also *love* metafiction and nods to quirky game mechanics and canon in-jokes.

DNWs: Body waste kinks, poly, bestiality, non-canon incest

Most of my favorite works tend to be character studies and fluffy romance, but I definitely enjoy darker stuff as well, if that is your thing. Feel free to ignore my prompts and go with your own ideas! If there's a story you've always wanted to write, please have at it, and let me share your enthusiasm. I'm a huge fan of all of these games and am just so excited at the thought of reading fic for any of them.  

Links by Fandom:

Heroes of Might and Magic III Girls' Frontline The Secret World Liar! Uncover the Truth Liar! Office Deception Liar! Scheming Socialites

Heroes of Might and Magic III - Any Character 

I just about had a heart attack when I saw this in the tagset - I've loved HoMM since I was a kid, and III is my favorite in the series. Truly, the turn-based strategy game of my heart. I loved all flavor text in this game, especially the snippets of lore on the heroes and their backstories. If you're writing about any of them, I'd love all kinds of details - from their army composition to the spells and artifacts they have equipped.

Prompts:

Lorelei and Synca relationship development, whether as friends, enemies, or lovers. Since their specialties are harpies and manticores, respectively, how does that work out in combat? Technically, you couldn't have multiple heroes on your side of the battlefield until HoMMIV, but how would these two interact if they were fighting together?  

Anything based on the story campaigns. Maybe missing scenes from Dungeons & Devils or a "bad" ending for Long Live the Queen where the Nighon forces are victorious?

Detailed description of the siege and takeover of an enemy stronghold or the development of a new township.

One of the game mechanics that I always found interesting was how, when you open a treasure chest, you have the option of taking the gold or "distributing it to the peasants" for experience. Is that really how it works? What is the peasants' view of the heroes in this game?

少女前线 | Girls' Frontline - Any Character

Another wonderful surprise in the tagset! I just started playing GFL this year, and I've found it extremely fun and addicting. I actually found the plot very engaging, and the armory of T-Dolls is irresistibly cute.

Prompts:

I love the idea of a gift exchange between members of the Anti-Rain Squad. Maybe someone gives M16A1 a bottle of her beloved Jack Daniels?

Orchestra AU! Just...anything based on this picture would be amazing.

Anything focusing on team dynamics, especially if you want to incorporate references to game mechanics (different T-Dolls and their buffs/active skills, etc.) Or hurt/comfort after an intense firefight.

You know how T-Dolls are made of sugar, spice, and everything nice a combo of manpower, ammo, rations, and parts? How exactly does the factory utilize those resources? What do they even do with all those meals ready-to-eat?

Coffee shop AU starring Persica (the woman loves her caffeine).  

The Secret World - Any Character

One of the best MMO experiences of my life. TSW combined so many things I love into one game: an awesome modern setting, dark humor, and an incredible story with amazing characters. I play the Legends reboot from time-to-time, but I prefer the original version and still like to play on the vanilla server (kind of fun having an entire MMO to yourself, heh). I've also played the tie-in game, The Park, and really loved that as well.

I was fascinated by all the narrative details in this game, like the lore honeycombs and ambient story telling. If you could incorporate that into your writing, that would be fantastic.

Prompts:

Long ago, on the TSW forums, someone mocked the idea of a schmoopy Sonnac/Geary romance as a terrible idea for a fic - I want to read that story! Whether you want to make it complete crack or be serious about it, I would love to see something develop between these two. Maybe they go on a date for tacos at Dante's stall? Or maybe Geary tries to troll Sonnac somehow, and he plays along until the last minute...and then snark ensues.

Issue #5: The Vanishing of Tyler Freeborn is my favorite for a reason: filthy NPCs. I would love to know what filth-infected versions of Geary and Sonnac would be like.  

Anything Moose/Andy. This is the romance I was waiting to see blossom, but alas, it never did. What happens when Andy finally catches on to Moose's crush on him? How about rescue romance or rides on Moose's chopper? Pining on Moose's end, requited or unrequited, would be good, too.

I love the world of this game so much, especially the urban areas (the faction hubs, Fusang, Tokyo) and New England. Would love to read anything about a bee of any faction exploring and going on missions, their opinion of their handler, etc. Please do go into excruciating detail about your bee's gear and abilities, because I'm all about that. What are there primary/secondary/auxiliary weapons? Which NPCs are their besties? Tell me everything!  For the record, my main was a Lumie that chose not to side with the Dreamers, but I'd by happy to read about any faction/alignment.

I adore faction rivalries, and the ones in TSW were just awesome. Whether it's old school Templars vs. Illuminati or you get the Dragon involved somehow, I just love witnessing all the contention. Seriously, you could just write 1,000 words of back-and-forth trash talk, and I would absolutely adore it.  

ダウト～嘘つきオトコは誰？～ | Doubt ~Usotsuki Otoko wa Dare?~ | Liar! Uncover the Truth - Any Character

Since last year, I’ve become a huge fan of this mystery/romance app with its feisty heroine and the quirky Liars she has to unmask before finding her Mr. Right. If you’re interested, I maintain a sideblog dedicated to it over @whoistheliar​ as well as a random screenshots blog: @liarscreenshots. (Warning for spoilers at both links).

All of the characters in this game,"Mr. Right" included, have their own imperfections, and it feels like half the point of this game is giving you the opportunity to navigate your feelings about certain character flaws. I love how MC isn’t a blank slate and is very much her own character. She can be quite a mess at home and has a lot of insecurity about her humble background, seeing as she’s originally from a small country town (IIRC one of Joe’s side stories mentions that she’s from Akita prefecture).  

I definitely enjoyed the sequel stories, but I'm more fond of the main route of the game. Shipfic revolving around MC is something I would love to see, but I would be open to other pairings as well, especially between secondary characters. I would also welcome gen or friendship fic.

Prompts:

I loved the multiple endings you could unlock at the end of every chapter and the insight they gave into each Liar's backstory. Anything expanding on those would be great, especially the True or Love endings. I really enjoyed seeing POV from other characters besides MC.

Love triangles are my guilty pleasure, and I would definitely enjoy reading a situation where MC has to choose between two of the Liars and/or Mr. Right/Ayumi. Would love it if things got Very Emotional.

I always like marriage/honeymoon/married life stories, and MC's occupation as a wedding planner complements that wonderfully. How does she get her love interests or friends involved? Are there wedding crashers? Will she serve takoyaki at the wedding??

In the main story, MC found out each Liar's secret before things got too serious, but what if the emotional stakes had been much higher? For any of the Liars, would MC react differently if she didn't find out the truth until after falling in love over a longer period of time? Basically, I'd like to see your take on a "Bad Ending."

So, after following this game for a while, it seems that other players have very strong opinions about the various Liars, so in case it helps you, here's a summary of my take on them:

1st Liar: SQUICK. SQUICK. SQUICK. Honestly, they seems like a very nice guy in all their side stories, but stil...squick.

2nd Liar: I find their profession very interesting, so I'm a bit biased in their favor, despite their true nature. Could see them with MC after getting a ton of therapy. They also definitely have some chemistry with the 9th Liar, lol.

3rd Liar: I can't bring myself to hate them; they're just too ridiculous. Side note: I really like Nanyami as a character.

4th Liar: Never forget the fountain pen!! This guy is a bit of a tragedy, so I do have some sympathy, but imo that slap from MC was well-deserved.

5th Liar: I think the fandom unequivocally regards this one as complete garbage, and for very good reason. Still, I have to admit that their side stories appeal to my morbid side (it's like they're in a bizzarro world where MC's personality is completely erased). Also, I do find their character design very attractive - I'm not proud.

6th Liar: Umph. Definitely in my top tier along with 7th Liar. In terms of sheer chemistry with MC, I think this guy wins hands down. I'd be up for both seeing them walk away from the issue that makes them a Liar or embracing it.

7th Liar: They made me cry buckets. I love them with MC so much, and the way they're always smiling through their pain just makes my heart ache.

8th Liar: Out of all of the Liars, I felt that #8 was the most outright malicious. I just wasn’t convinced by the ending of his Lover’s Route. I know he's damn attractive, but wow, that attitude...

9th Liar: I really feel like the 9th Liar got the short end of the stick in the main story. His interactions with MC kept getting interrupted by unnecessary drama, and it felt like they never got the chance to really get to know each other. Also, LOVE Rumi!

"Mr. Right": It seems that people are really divided on this one. Some see him as the most precious cinnamon roll, but people have also told me that he comes off as a creepy stalker. (I've seen him  get called problematic more than once). I’m pretty sympathetic towards him myself, but I’d love to see your own take on him, whether romantic and sentimental or super dark.

ダウト～オフィスは男女の嘘だらけ～ | Doubt ~Ofisu wa Danjo no Uso Darake~ | Liar! Office Deception - Any Character

I love the Liar! sequel every bit as much as the original game. You can bet that I’m super hyped that Voltage is going to be releasing Lover’s Routes for it in the future. Office MC was very no-nonsense, and I would like to see what she would be like in the process of falling in love, or even just getting a chance to let her hair down and hang out with her coworkers.  

Prompts:

Post-game or redemption story revolving around any of the Liars, with the exception of the 2nd, 3rd and 5th. Ideally, this would end on a positive note with them being able to have a reciprocal friendship/romance with MC.

Office Battle! I was so amused by the Star Wars parody that kept popping up throughout the story and how everyone seemed to be totally into it except for MC, who’s just completely out of the loop. Maybe one of the Office Liars tries to teach her about the series or something like an Office Battle AU that’s basically Office Deception in space?

Narration of some part of the game from James’ POV. I loved MC’s cat and found it hilarious how she kept spoiling him at home while being so disciplined at the office.

Liar! Commentary:

1st Liar: Honestly, I thought they were super cute, and I wanted to see them make some more Cactaur cookies for MC.

2nd Liar: What a tool. I have to admit, I was amused by them sucking up to MC for the rest of the game after being found out.

3rd Liar: I thought they were going to be my 7th Liar 2.0, but N O P E. I found their backstory a little amusing, but they're just so slimy.

4th Liar: A real sweetheart. I love that they become MC's right-hand coworker after their chapter.

5th Liar: Not a fan of Rat Face McGee, tbh. Wtf, dude.

6th Liar: I have a weakness for "falling in love with the mark" scenarios and really wanted see it work out with this Liar. I also loved the idea of them going on to work for Uncover the Truth's 6th Liar, as was suggested in their Dumbass Ending and one of the sidestories.

7th Liar: DEEP SIGH. I love them despite their self-centered/obsessive actions. Will always be a fan of them pursuing MC, whether requited or not.

8th Liar: I like their kink, lol, and their accusation scene was hilarious. I really wish their behavior had been less invasive.

9th Liar: Just like with 6th Liar, I like to believe that they really cared for MC at the end. I think they were a perfect "Final Boss" for Office Deception especially compared to the more one-note villains. They did some horrible things to get what they wanted, even putting the 8th Liar in the hospital, but I’ve always wanted to see something that shows some of their inner conflict once they realize they’re hurting someone that has actually become a friend to them.

"Destined Partner": They've grown on me a bit, but one thing that definitely put me off was how they threw the 8th Liar under the bus during their route. (Sure, tell MC they've got a dirty secret and don't clarify at all as to what it is...) Seems like they're hiding a spiteful streak.

ダウト～セレブは華麗に嘘をつく～ | Doubt ~Serebu wa Karei ni Usowotsuku~ | Liar! Scheming Socialites - Any Character

I almost mistyped the title above as Liar! Screaming Socialites, but honestly that would be a pretty apt name for this game, because wow, does this cast go off the rails. The chapters are shorter than in previous routes, and MC is a bit more passive. I was worried this was going to be too "Gossip Girl" for my tastes, but I actually really enjoyed this one, even if my heart did get stomped on once again. (Loved the hyper Eurobeat accusation music - it was like something out of Initial D).  

Prompts:

Ship fic with MC and 8th or 9th Liar. Love triangle maybe? There's so much that was left unexplored at the end of the game. Would MC abandon her lifestyle or try win her parents over? Something based on one of the love endings would be great as well.

I also adore the potential Liar that turned out to be MC’s true BFF through thick and thin. I love how they're both anime fans and their favorite shows are clearly based on Touken Ranbu and Land of the Lustrous. Also, what exactly was BFF doing to test the 8th Liar during that awkward scene at the mountain resort in the 7th Liar chapter? I really wanted details on that, but it never got explained.

Okay headcanon: Given the similar detailing on their dresses, I think Kyoko and Reina shop at the same place. What would an interaction between them be like? Would they dish about their respective MCs?  

Liar! Commentary:

1st Liar: I have nothing but pity for this poor kid. Definitely see them still being friends with MC.

2nd Liar: Ick. One of my least favorite among all the Liars. Would like to see them get some comeuppance for their actions.

3rd Liar: This one hurt. Would really like to see them redeem themselves. Maybe they were secretly attracted to MC the whole time and just wanted to get her attention?

4th Liar: I enjoyed investigating their elaborate lie, but as a character they really fell flat for me.

5th Liar: WOW. That escalated quickly. I have to say, the 5th Liars in these games are probably the best fodder for something grim and disturbing. I think the implied rape in the bad ending was the darkest point in the entire series.

6th Liar: It felt like, with this Liar, Voltage was trying to have their cake and eat it too. Like, "Oh nooo, they're so kinky!" *wink wink* I actually really liked them despite their being the token kidnapper.  

7th Liar: I hated the way this Liar was presented. Their friendship with MC was really nice, but then it just had to get ruined.  

8th Liar: MC’s rejection of them was devastating to me. They really won me over despite the nature of their lie, and I really believed it when they claimed their feelings were sincere. For someone who was supposedly trying to con her, they did a hilariously bad job of it - like, they never tried to pressure her when she was vulnerable and even set up this really over-the-top charade just to make her happy, only for it to be what gets them exposed. It's almost like they were setting themselves up to fail. I really need a Lover's Route...

9th Liar: Surprise plot twist! This Liar was set up for some really interesting development which...did not happen. Would have loved to have seen more of their inner conflict. I ship them with MC the most after 8th Liar.

"Destined Partner": Definitely cute, but I found them to be rather pushy when they brought MC over to their place. Also, what ever happened to the pet rabbit?  

Thank you so much for your time! Hope you have a great rest of the year and a wonderful Yuletide.

[redvelvetvenom-blog]

the only thing i could be jealous of you for is your is your 10k fake tits

some days it hurts more than others but today it hurts more than anything to write, i dont want to do it/ todays like one of those days where i dont feel like myself. but today is also one of the first days this year that i have woken up and known what day of the week it is. todays also one of the first days i was productive. yeah, i cant believe it. actually i can. i mean look where i am. writing is the only way i can communicate effectively with people... when im talking i feel like im always searching for words or saying to much or not saying how i really feel. i feel like im annoying the person which honestly i dont really care about but in relationships where it matters i usually just isolate myself and ignore them because the thought of being misunderstood which is my reality scares me to death and makes me furious and just give up.  i havent been writing and i feel like my brain is in this disgusting knot i dont recognize. im focused on irrelevant shit like jen and her lies and my nails and bleaching my asshole (actually that one  is important) and making peter not think im 12, and stewart losing interest in me, when im completely apathetic about my future and my physical and mental heath and making friends or having a job. its gross. i am gross. although i am the most attractive i have ever been i am also the most ugly and un put together on the inside as ihave ever been. its funny cause a year ago when i was writing and also dealing with a lot of loss, and going for days without sleep, dealing with my rape (more than one unfortunelty), and completely losing it due to the dope, i was somehow okay because i was writing. its like my own self medication. without writing my thoughts, its like i cant speak or think. and so maybe that sounds stupid but i cant explain how good it feels, as scary as it was to start, to speak again. i was so scared. i wouldnt admit it to myself, i just would ignore it all together. but i was so fucking scared to write, to type to be more specific. i could write in my diary, that would be slow and my hand would hurt and id NEVER be able to catch up to my thoughts. and thats been this whole year. its been a whole year. tina is a bully. i dont like her, but i feel like i cant live without her, and being an ex heroin addict, i feel pretty stupid saying that. but i am not a functional drug addict. some people are. infact, most people on here tumblr, “tumblr tweaker girls” or whatever or hashtag tweaker nation seem like they are doing more than just fine. like it hasnt completely destroyed their life like it has mine. but its funny because i was one. atleast until some dude decided to start blackmailing me because he found my page but he is irrelavant and so is that and not worth my time to talk about. moral of the story: dont bitch if you post videos on tumblr of you smoking meth in your bra. its not private, even if your tumblr is. anyone can figure out how to get the software to download your videos or pictures or whatever. well besides the obvious screenshot. anyways, ive come to the long and painful but unavoidable conclusion that stewart is not worth my time and wasnt since he moved up there. i should have never talked to him after the car incident because as much as i love him and it hurts, that was not fucking acceptable and me doing meth isnt an excuse for him to take it personally and lash out on me or punish me by pretending i dont exist. i just had so much happen and with all of that came low self esteem and with all the lies i was telling it was IMPOSSIBLE for me to feel good about myself. i guess it comes with borderline personality disorder but all that shit is nonsense to me because theyre going to find anything they can wrong with people and slap a name on it and then tell you your not normal. everyones fucked up, i am extremely fucked up and im okay with that. i cant understand it all now, fuck im only 20. up until this year i was ashamed of everything i did and everything that made me who i am, and its so hard to break out of that. in all honesty, i still dont really believe i am beautiful with or without makeup and thats fucking not true but i am insecure. but in the grand scheme of things, life is way to short to feel bad about yourself the way i do. i know that. life is to short to be in a haze trying to forget about everything and going through the motions, as lame as that sounds. ive been doing that and ive been waiting to die subcontiously because the truth is i dont really value my life like i should and i havent learned how to be happy on my own. i am the most materialistic person i know, and that unlike everything else i am not ashamed of because i know that it is so far rooted me that theres no use in denying it or being embarrassed because its not my fault, its the only way i know how to feel better. its always been. but the fact that i constantly feel like i need something to fill this hole is getting ridiculous and so is my shoplifting. i am way to fucking good at it and i have gotten away with it to many times to where its become my biggest addiction. i didnt really even notice it till a few months ago. ive noticed that everyone who does dope has a hustle, well almost everyone. atleast of the people i know. some of them are stupid, others are brilliant but not thought out as well as they could be or excecuted in the right manner, and some are like the expected, selling drugs or your pussy. i kind of am ashamed because my “hustle” is retarded, and i want a job more than anything. unfortunately my social security card has been stolen 3 times already this year and i cant get another one,  i cant even dance. i dont know how it started, but for about a year now, ive just been living off whoever i could, and the bare minimum. bare minimum is a broad term, because somehow i still have a car and a cat and expensive makeup, an iphone 7,hair products and my drug habbit supplied, but i dont know for how long. ok. honestly time. i dont like it anymore than i like the fact that i am a slave to this chemical but i have spent the last year filling my days with going from store to store stealing shit. anything from iphone cases to shoes to greeting cards to lingerie, you get it. ive gone into several stores and filled up my shopping cart and then just walked out. im not bragging.. its pathetic. in fact im sure no one is reading this anyway and im more than okay with that. the point of this page is for me and to be able to keep a record of my thoughts without having to worry about anyone i know reading it and so i can go back and read it, like an online diary. i got the idea from jenna from awkward but im not sure what she used for hers. i used to have one but had to delete my page because of all the drug related pictures and videos i had posted of myself, which unfortunately i can still find on youtube or here if i really try. i am ashamed, but a little less then before i wrote all of this. this is my truth. and my voice and my last little shred of sanity i have to cling onto because its the only way i know how and i dont even feel like i know or trust myself anymore. if you dont want to read this then please dont waste your time, the less followers the more i can make sense of this war inside my mind.. also please no messages trying to help me or anything, its annoying and i dont need your help. thanks, its 9am and im passing the fuck out. goodnight. more for nxt time <3 bbygrlldz

[finessasimmons]

y'all niggas gonna stop

ya’ll niggas gotta stop … deadass . i have so many feelings right now. okay so boom, its 6:25am. I woke around 5 because i had this intense psycho thriller-esque dream that i’m sure will make a great movie someday, so i wanted to write it down. 

then, somehow -- i found my way in my screenshots and in the depths of tumblr where i just saw way too much for my own good and proceeded to piss myself off beyond recognizable belief. 1. the niggas i’ve dated are fucking ridiculous. I mean really. And reading through the misogyny, the belittlement that comes from such misogyny, the dumb fuck assessments/opinions/questions that also stemmed from such misogyny… was tew much. 2. I really am proud at how I stood up always for MY womanhood. Now, womanhood - is defined as “the state or condition of being a woman”, but outside of my menstrual cycle, I’m not sure exactly what it means for me to “feel” like a woman. & seeing as though not all women have menstrual cycles, that can’t be … whatever! this isn’t the time for that, but i digress . When I most notice my “womanhood” or feel my “womanhood” is when its being challenged by the man and his misogynistic patriarchal views on MY being. i.e.: what i should be doing, how many partners I should have, how much i should enjoy having sex, etc. Its just a mess.

I had a guy, ask me, If i was okay with a partner, ejaculating on my face, in my mouth, breasts, etc. (me and this man have never been intimate at time of conversation). I proceeded by saying, if I am in a sexual relationship with someone, and he dicks and mouths me down properly, he can do a LOT. BUT if he does not, not only will he not get to do that, but he will not get to do much else because upon recognition that he cannot satisfy me sexually, I will proceed to stop being intimate with him. Which sometimes results in a number block/change. SO, he gets all tight assed, like “WOW. so thats intense…” NAH nigga, whats intense, is how you (as previously stated in conversation not written here ) could tell me all the things you expect for your sexual partner to be able to do to you, and insinuate that if she doesn’t that she's “wack” and YOU’D be suddenly less interested in her entirety [which I did not take personally because tf, you aint talking about me], but when i express my sexual expectations, you take it all personal and get in your bag about it, just like an ego-driven emotional ass bitch. grow up.

NOW, I’m not going to go into too many other messages in my phone because I’m already pissed off and ready to go apeshit on any nigga that texts me today, lmfao -- but THESE NIGGAS GONNA STOP. I have a friend, who I kinda had a crush on that I recently found out was beating on his ex girlfriend. now, i saw him last summer, and he couldn’t really say much, but by what he did say, I gathered he was in some sort of abusive situation, with him being the abusee. Honestly thinking about this right now has me ready to chuck my macbook out the fucking window. but anyway, my BFF knew a lawyer that could help, so I (being a plug), got that information and forwarded it to him to help. I felt like I wanted to help him because he was just so sweet and seemingly docile and I wanted to slap anyone who’d abuse someone like that. But apparently it’s the other way around. And now… I kinda wish I could see him because instead of all the dick riding fantasies I once had, I now have fantasies of fucking his ass UP. 

IM GOING ON A RUN BECAUSE I CANT. YALL NIGGAS GONNA STOP.