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youraverageaemondsimp · 1 year

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“Be Quiet.” // DILF!Aemond Targaryen x Babysitter(?)!Reader // PART TWO

Here is the long awaited part 2! Though it is shorter than the last one, ik i said I'll publish this after my exams but i got a sudden burst of motivation, also there likely won't be any further parts!

MDNI

WARNINGS: p in v sex, breeding kink, unprotected sex, age gap (9ish years), lactation kink, pregnancy kink(?), tiddy sucking, fingering, fluff, slight angst, giving birth, past trauma experience, + not proof read.

WC: 3.8k

« part one // 🎄 special »

You woke up this morning tired from the activities of last night, you stirred in your sleep which woke aemond up as he unwrapped his hands around you and rubbed his eyes, “Good morning bunny.” he tells you, voice deep and hoarse and you mumble a good morning back before placing a kiss on his face.

It has been a few months since then, becoming officially a part of Aemond's family, though you and Aemond were not married yet, you both acted like a married couple anyway, he called you his wife rather than referring to you as his girlfriend.

You had moved into his house, fetching all the things you needed from your old apartment and shifting to his house, Aenys was more than happy, he constantly referred to you as mama now.

Today was Aemond's day off, which is why he was still in bed with you today, lazing around and basking in your comfort, but to be honest he literally owns everything and can take breaks whenever he wants but he doesn't do that, wanting to remain punctual.

You both get off the bed and go get ready, today you were going to a daycare centre to get Aenys to finally join and mingle with friends around his age, Aemond had rejected this idea when you suggested it, but with enough convincing from your side he agreed, he was still reluctant as hell, bring overprotective of his son.

Aemond had also offered to pay for your tuition since you said you wanted to pursue further education, but you denied it feeling as if it's too much but he insisted, and he eventually got his way in the end, he basically fucked his way to it.

Your classes would start next week, and since you and Aemond would be gone, Aenys would once again be alone in the house, and Aemond didn't want to hire another babysitter, you had also used this point to convince him to put Aenys in a daycare.

You both quickly got ready, throwing on some casuals and went to Aenys' room to wake him up, Aemond went to the kitchen to cook breakfast for the three of you while you got Aenys ready for the day, and as usual, he was on his best behaviour. You placed a small kiss to his nose which made him giggle, before picking him up and going outside his room, towards the kitchen and the dining area, you had noticed how the food had already been set and aemond was bringing in the utensils before he placed them down. You put Aenys down on his chair before pecking Aemond on the lips and you three sat there and ate.

The drive to the daycare was relatively small, only a few minutes. You could tell Aemond was nervous, seeing him tap the car steer repeatedly, a habit you had noticed. Aenys was sitting in the back side as you engaged in a conversation with him.

“I'm swooo excited! I hope it's fun!!!” he yelled enthusiastically and you chuckled, “I'm sure it will be fun, Aenys.” and just like that, you have already reached the daycare centre.

It was big, of course it would be, it's the rich kids version.

You got out of the car first and opened the backdoor to fetch Aenys, and his little cute bag he wore on his back, he was jumping up and down in excitement, and Aemond reluctantly got out of his own car and sighed heavily.

You watched as a few parents came out of their cars as well, basically dropping their kids off, and soon you and Aemond went to do the same.

Aenys was hesitant to let go of your hand first, the teacher had encouraged him to come but he hid behind your leg and covered himself from view due to shyness, you bent down to his level and comforted him, giving him reassurance and to your surprise Aemond also did the same thing, telling him it will be okay, and just then did Aenys let go of your hand and went to the teacher, before she led him inside

This moment made you tear up, watching him go on his own world and then you heard a shaky breath, and looked to your side.

Aemond was trying to contain his emotions, probably scared that something might happen to him, you took your hand in his before rubbing it reassuringly, and he held yours tightly in comfort.

You both stood there for a moment before making your way back to the car.

“What if something happens to him?” Aemond speaks up suddenly, voice laced with concern and you look at him, “Nothing will happen Aemond, I'm sure he'll be fine. You can't just keep him locked away forever.” you reply.

“You're right… it's just-” he sighs heavily.

“I can understand, it must be tough.” you held his hand in yours and he looked at you, and gave you a small smile, before he got inside the car, you went around and got in.

Everything went fine that week, and life began to move, you got into your university of choice and with the major you had chosen in child psychology, classes were going well.

Luckily, you and Aenys' hours matched perfectly, You would drop him off at daycare before going to your university, and then pick him up, Aemond's however were still the same.

But for an odd reason, a few days into your classes you started feeling heavily nauseous, even throwing up sometimes. At first you thought it was due to stress but then you noticed how sensitive your breasts had become, and how your period was late.

You went to pick up Aenys, waiting outside the car while he rushed out of the building with his friends, he was smiling, his baby teeth on full display and it made your heart warm up, his eyes lit up even more when he spotted you, saying goodbye to his friend before he ran over to you and you picked him up, giving him a kiss on the head, “Mama! I want to sit in the front today!!” he said and you reluctantly agreed, not being able to say no to his puppy eyes, you carefully seated him in the front seat before securing the seatbelt and then got into the otherside to drive off.

You usually go home straight after this but you went to the pharmacy and got pregnancy tests, yes tests, multiple cause you really wanted to be sure.

After reaching home, you put Aenys to nap, not before feeding him lunch and then you finally relaxed, knowing he was fast asleep in his room, you immediately took out the pregnancy tests before going to the bathroom to run the tests.

You wait on the bathroom seat, waiting for the tests to load up, legs bouncing in nervousness as you watch the three tests take their time to process and show the results.

Your eyes darted to the first one and you felt your heart leap in your throat, and then the second, and then the third.

Positive. Positive. Positive.

You did not know how to feel, you had mixed feelings about this. You were happy but also not at the same time.

Waiting for Aemond to get home had never felt more agonising.

Time felt like it moved extremely slowly, You were left alone with your nerves, Aenys was napping for longer than usual, or at least it was what it felt like. You scrolled through your phone not knowing if you should text him. You knew he was probably busy, and announcing that you're pregnant didn't seem appropriate, but you couldn't wait until night for his presence.

‘Aemond?

Can you please come home as soon as your work allows you to?’

You text him that.

You honestly expected him to be home a few hours later and not in just half an hour.

He bursted through the front door, slamming it behind him, making you panic thinking you had an intruder but it was just him.

“What happened?” he asks you, voice concerned as he grips your shoulders tightly. You snap out of your shock and hold his arms, before you lead him to the bedroom.

He waits anxiously as he watches you go into the bathroom and bring out one of the tests and show it to him.

He freezes.

Eye darting up at you and the test.

Breathing growing heavy as he processes what you're showing to him, you're taken aback when he yanks you forward and presses his lips tightly against yours, the test drops from your hand and soon, you're pressed up against the near wall as Aemond continues to kiss you, hand trailing up your shirt, pulling your bra down before pawing at your breast.

You hiss into his mouth at the sensitivity and he slowly massages it, thumb tracing over your nipple, rubbing circles as he shoves his tongue inside your mouth when you gasp.

He grinds his hip against yours, and you can feel how hard he is, bulge pressing against you, he pulls away with a wet click, breathing heavily, you can see by the way his eyes shine brightly that he is happy, looking at you with so much adoration, his lips trail down your neck, pressing kisses there and you gasp, hands entangled in his hair.

He pulls back slightly before undoing his pants, still in his suit having arrived from work just a few moments ago, he removes his coat before letting it fall on the ground and then his tie, unbuttoning a few buttons of his shirt. Then he presses against you once again, kissing you so desperately before grabbing you by your thighs and lifting you, you wrap your legs around him to maintain balance.

Just like that he pulls you off the wall and takes you over to the bed, laying you down on it as he hands work to undo your clothes, pulling off your top and bottoms, leaving you only in underwear, but soon that's off too, and now you were fully bare to the the world.

It was arousing, watching him be fully clothed while you had nothing covering you, leaving you feeling slightly vulnerable. He pulls his cock out of its confinement and gives it some pumps.

He spreads your legs apart, revealing your folds to him, burning holes into the sight, and then he enters inside, you moan so loudly at the intrusion, that he has his hand slapping over your mouth once again, “Be quiet, what if he hears?” he hisses softly and you felt an extreme amount of deja vu but you nodded, biting your lip, gripping the sheets below as arch your back.

And just as he was about to start moving, you hear Aenys, knocking on the door.

“Mum!! Are you okay?” you hear his voice and Aemond quickly pulls out, “Fuck, seven hells.” groaning, annoyed by the intrusion and plops down on the bed next to you, and you put on your clothes as fast as you can, before fixing your hair and opening the door.

“Momma! I heard you screaming, are you okay.” he asks, his eyes looking at you with such concern and you smile at him gently, trying to ignore the heat in your face due to embarassment, and nod, Aemond appears behind you and Aenys is surprised to see him.

“Papa's home!” he beams brightly and Aemond picks him up, “Did you not have work papa?” he asks and Aemond answers with a quick no.

“Your mother called me for an emergency. So I rushed over.” He answers and Aenys looks at you concerned.

“What happened mama?” he looks at you, asking you a question, eyebrows raising in concern as his voice becomes less hearable at the end, worried that you were badly hurt.

“Nothing too serious Aenys, it's just that- you know how you told me you always wanted a sibling?” you ask and he nods, “Well, you are getting one, I'm pregnant.” and he squeals in joy.

“Right now?!!!” he asks, which makes you and Aemond chuckle, “Not right now, it will take time.” Aemond tells him and Aenys pouts, “But I can't wait that long!” he sulks and you chuckle.

Aemond didn't know what happened to him the moment you started to swell, the proof of his seed taking as your womb stretched to accommodate the growing foetus, which inevitably caused your tummy to grow, drove him mad.

You looked so pretty with his child in your belly, you were still taking classes, Aemond had requested for them to be conducted online as you cannot travel back and forth, he didn't want to risk your comfort and travelling too much can cause stress for you.

You were 6 months along, and Aenys often talked to your belly, saying things like 'I can't wait for you to come out! I have my toys, hopefully you'll like them!' And then rubbing your stomach. Though he was extremely confused at first, at how a literal human being is growing inside you.

Aemond can never take his hands off your bump, he would rest his head on it gently, press a few kisses and tell the unborn baby how much he loves them, he sometimes dozes off on it, feeling comforted.

He became more physical, well not like he was any less physical, but it was becoming more noticeable and desparate now.

Which led to the moment now.

Him pounding himself deep into you, not hard enough to hurt you but just enough as his hand is placed on your belly gently, caressing the bump before it makes its way up towards your breast, playing with the nipple and pulling on it.

Your hands were held behind your back, face pushed down unto the bed as he took you from behind, watching as your body kept jolting and the moans helplessly leaving your mouth.

“F-fuck Aemond I'm close!” you whimper and he grunts, “Cum for me baby, soak my cock.” he responded and that was enough for you to just reach your peak.

You moaned loudly into the room, and soon after, he came too, spilling himself inside you and pulling out, you quickly turned on your back and laid in exhaustion, hand resting on the bump as you breathed in deeply.

“Did I hurt you?” he asks concerned but you shake your head no, “No, I'm just tired.” you tell him and he places a kiss on your forehead before cleaning both you and himself up.

The pains you felt were unbearable, the contractions being extremely painful as you tried to breath in, just like the nurses had instructed, and you pushed as much as you can, gripping the sheets and Aemond's hand tightly, it hurt for him but he knew you were in more pain than him.

You huffed in exhaustion, not being able to push anymore, eyes drooping off into slumber, sweat covering you, the pain was keeping you awake but making you weak at the same time, and the moment Aemond saw how your grip loosened on his hand, he panicked.

His soul left his body in that moment for a second.

No way.

Please gods no.

Not her.

Not her as well.

His lone eye widened, as his mind raced.

Truth be told, when you were nearing the final month of your pregnancy, he became more paranoid, wondering if you'll suffer the same fate as Alys, and he didn't want that, and yet the scene in front of him was pointing exactly in that direction.

Maybe he was cursed.

Maybe any woman that gives birth to his children is doomed.

A thousand thoughts flowed in and out.

Until he felt your grip tighten again, accompanied by a loud scream as you gave the final push, your ears were ringing and your head spinning, but soon everything was silenced by the sound of a newborn baby crying.

“It's a girl.” they announced.

You let out a shaky breath as you watched in tiredness while the doctors cleaned the baby up and tended to you, before giving the baby to you, you smiled at her, the babe now more calm and cooing.

You noticed her white tuft of hair atop of her head, smiling at the fact that she got her father's looks, and you turned to look at Aemond who seemed to be in daze.

You were alive.

He was happy that the baby was born, but he was more happier that you made it out alive.

“What do you wish to name her?” Your tired voice asks him and he snaps out of his daze, taking in his daughter's features.

Though she is yet to grow to her full features, Aemond already knew that she was already resembling him, her eyes opened to reveal the purple, which was currently resembling almost a dark shade as the baby was just born.

“Daenys.” He answers and you smile.

“Such a pretty name, similar to Aenys.” you comment and he smiles.

It had already been a year since that day, the day Daenys was born, and she was already turning one, Aemond got all emotional, shedding a few tears at the pictures of her first birthday before his attentions snaps to her running around with her brother Aenys, or more like tries to run, it's just her speed waddling considering how she only learnt to walk recently.

You can clearly tell Aemond has a hard time accepting that his kids are growing up.

“Baaaaa Awenys!” She babbles his name in frustration and he giggles before stopping and letting her come to him. Aenys was such a good older brother, he was already protective of his sister, not letting any harm come her way.

“Be careful Daenys.” he watches as you go up to them and sit down with them, probably having finished your online classes. Aemond shifted his office to his house, mostly working from home since he decided he wanted to spend more time with his family, especially his wife.

Yes, wife.

You both got married soon after.

He decided to finally go through with his plan.

And he had never been so happy in his entire life.

You watched as Aenys took his sister in his playroom and started playing with her, sharing his toys, you smiled at the heart warming sight before coming over to sit next to Aemond on the couch.

“Feels like only yesterday I gave birth to her.” you tell him, noticing the pictures he took on her 1st birthday.

He leans his head against your shoulder, breathing your scent in, “Hmm.” he hums, agreeing with you.

“I want one that has your features.” the words slip from his mouth before he can stop them and you look at him, “I mean- both aenys and daenys look like me, or at least, have my features, I want a kid that has yours, your [hair-color] coloured hair.” he lifts his head up and caresses your hair, you give him a smile.

“What are we waiting for then?” you tease and his eye widens before he smirks too.

“I'll call my mother to pick them up.” he says hurriedly, way too excited and quickly dials her number which makes you huff out a laugh.

Getting some alone time with kids around is tough, and getting some action while at it? Nope not happening.

It's not like Aemond blamed the kids for it, but he missed you, he often reminisced about the days in the past where he would fuck you on every surface possible when Aenys was asleep or not around, but now he isn't able to do that anymore, considering you both got busy with kids and work.

And the way motherhood suited you so much only made it worse, he has to constantly not think about wanting to get you pregnant over and over again, he loves it way too much for it to be normal, though he doesn't rob you of your independence.

Aenys and Daenys were so confused when Alicent came to pick them up, she gave you a knowing smirk and you blushed slightly, Aenys refused to go but Alicent somehow convinced him and so they went.

And now you both are alone.

Aemond had your hands tied above your hand and he took his sweet time with your body, kissing every inch that he missed for the past few months, savouring each and every little moment, the way his mouth would latch on to your nipple, leaking your sweet milk into his mouth, and he moans at the taste.

Though you had weaned off Daenys just recently, you still produced some amount of milk for a bit until your body had to adjust and realise that it shouldn't produce milk anymore since you aren't feeding anymore, and with Aemond now suckling it seems it might take a while.

“Fuck it tastes so divine.” he asserts, his hand moving up and down your body, giving the other breast a squeeze, and then he went lower and lower, fingers parting your folds as he dipped them inside, smirking at feeling how wet you were and you squirmed.

He started pumping them inside and out, watching as you gasped, hands struggling in their tied up state, he continued to suckle on your breast before shifting to the other one to do the same.

As you reach your peak on his fingers, he deattaches himself and pulls his fingers out, giving them a long sensual lick, before shoving them into your mouth, and you obey his silent command, sucking on it.

He pulls them out and his hands grap the underside of your thighs and lifts your hips, settling in a position where your legs rested on his shoulder as he entered in one swift motion, morning when he felt the ridge of your wall, he thrusted up into you violently, making you moan out loud and struggle to keep your hands still, nails digging into your own flesh at the pleasure being given to you.

He closed his eyes when he felt you clench around him, trying to stop himself from cumming before you, though it seemed to fail when he heard you let out a moan of his name, he grunted and spilled himself inside you, but continued to move, his hand rubbed circles unto your clit, urging you to reach your orgasm and you do.

“Fuck! Aem!” you throw your head back, as it hits you as a shock, electricity travelling up your body.

And that was the night Aenys' and Daenys' little sibling, a girl, once again, Aelora, was created.

Just like Aemond had hoped, she was born with your features, though she had one purple eye and one of your eye colour.

Aemond was content with his life, and you are finally pursuing your career and maintaining a healthy balance between work and life.

Everything was perfect.

———

GENERAL TAGLIST:

@watercolorskyy @cl-0-vr @chompchompluke @namelesslosers @snowystark @spookyaemond @sweethoneyblossom1 @this-isnt-madness @persephonerinyes @eltherevir @sidni3003 @aleidag1rly @cryingforlife @fan-goddess @hannaeditzs @grungegrrrl @thekinslayersswordhand @aemondsbabygirl

DM TO BE REMOVED!

PART TWO TAGLIST:

@marihoneywk @nightdiamond866 @targaryenmoony @siriusdumblittlepuppy @givemeeverything

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avastrasposts · 1 year

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The Pilot and his girl

ch. 1 - TLoU AU

Frankie Morales meets the love of his life and starts creating a new life for himself, her and his little daughter. But things are about to change in ways no one could've imagined with the outbreak of the cordyceps infection.

Series Master List

The idea of putting the guys from Triple Frontier in to The Last of Us was a random thought I had a few weeks ago. I really wanted to explore what Frankie Morales would do, who he would turn into, if he had to experience the outbreak, fighting to protect himself and those he loves in a whole new way.

I'm having so much fun writing it and I really hope you'll enjoy reading it! The first hints of TLoU pops up in chapter 9.

No age gap, our reader and Frankie are the same age, no use of Y/N, no physical descriptions.

Edit: Making this easier to navigate - Chapter 2

Frankie’s at the corner of the bar, his back to the wall, as she walks in. The boys, Pope, Ben and Will, are arguing about some finer point of something or other, he’s not really paying attention anymore, so he’s the only one who notices her. A bachelorette party tumbles through the door first, the bride to be wearing a tall plastic tiara on her head, and her friends trailing behind, all wearing Friends themed t-shirts that say “The one where Lizzy marries Steve”, cackling loudly and making “wooohoooo” noises. The boys immediately turn and check out the girls but one look at how far gone they all are, this is probably the only bar in town that will still serve them at this level of intoxication, they turn back to their conversation.

She’s trailing behind her friends, coming in after the others and just about hiding the t-shirt under her jean jacket, looking a lot more sober than the rest of the hen party.

Frankie can’t help but stare, the way the black jeans are hugging her curves makes his heart rate pick up, but when she pushes her hand through her hair and smiles at her friends it feels like it stops in his chest, pausing a second before racing again. He swallows, tugging at his cap, pulling it down deeper over his eyes as he tries to look without staring. She glances around the room as her friends occupy one of the large booths next to the jukebox and start a giggling argument about what songs to play first. Somehow her eyes catch his and he feels heat creeping up his throat as he quickly looks away, down at his drink, over at Pope, anywhere but at her.

…

Against your will you’ve been talked into ending your friend’s bachelorette party at a local dive bar in a part of town you and your friends usually don’t hang out in. Your usual hang out had refused to serve your friends, seeing as they certainly were about four tequila shots too far gone, and you’d been ready to call it a night then. Bachelorette parties weren’t even really your thing but as Lizzy was the last of your friends to marry, apart from yourself, you couldn’t really back out when she begged you to come. So after failing to get into three clubs, Lizzy had bribed the bouncer to tell her of a bar that would let them in and he’d told them to try The Outback Bar across town.

So here you are, pushing open the door to a place that was decorated to look like something out of a Crocodile Dundee set while your friends squealed over the stuffed plush kangaroo by the jukebox. The bar is half empty, mainly regulars scattered around the place, some playing pool at the back. This neighborhood isn’t exactly the best so you scan the place for any potential troublemakers but one of the booths is filled with three middle aged ladies sipping on some sort of cocktails and it makes you feel a bit more calm. How bad could a place be if a group looking like local high school librarians were drinking at it?

At the bar you spot four guys involved in an animated conversation. Well, three of them are, the fourth one is looking at your but ducks his head the second you catch his eye, his hand shooting up to rub his neck under a mop of dark curls that stick out under his cap. His eyes are shaded but you can make out his curved nose and nervous smile as he glances over at his friends, still rubbing his neck before his hand slides down and rubs his patchy beard instead. He quickly shoots a glance your way and you feel like you’ve been burnt when your eyes meet just for a second, his face softens into a quick smile before he drops his gaze again. Before you can help yourself you smile back and you hope he saw it before he looked away. Smiling at random men in bars was dangerous business but this man had such a sweet, soft smile that he’d pulled a smile in return from you before you’d even realised what was happening.

Your friends call you over to the booth and then order you to the bar for a pitcher of beer and tequila shots, deciding you’re the only one sober enough to order for the table. You shake your head and laugh at their loud demands for more liquor but you decide a pitcher of beer won’t do much damage this late in the game anyway.

The bartender is busy serving another patron so you lean on the counter and try to sneak looks at the man at the other end. The bar is a big rectangular shape, wrapping around the open shelving system in the middle and it lets you peek through the opening towards the four friends at the opposite corner. Two of them are blonde and blue eyed, similar enough looking to be brothers, and both conventionally handsome, you know your friends would be all over them. The third man has shorter dark hair and even at this distance you can see the grey around his temples. He’s handsome and something about him tells you he’s probably very aware of how good he looks. He’s waving his hands around, trying to make some animated point to the blonde guys, as they both laugh and shake their heads.

The fourth man, the one with the cap, seems to be listening with only half an ear as he tilts the liquid in his glass around the rim. Out of the corner of your eye you try to get a closer look at him. His hair is curling around his ears as well as around his neck, and as he smiles at something his friend says you see a dimple in his cheek, his eyes crinkling at the corners as the smile all but transforms his face into something warm and soft. He’s got a scruffy looking beard over his jaw and chin but a thicker moustache that seems to be trimmed just above his top lip. The cap that’s pulled down securely on his head is well worn and beaten and it seems to be a permanent fixture on his head the way he tugs on it every now and then. You can’t help but wonder if he’s hiding a bald patch under there but his dark curls are thick even when he swipes the cap off his head, smooths them down and pulls it on again.

As Frankie tugs again on his cap he looks over the bar towards the booth the bachelorette party has occupied but he can’t see her. Quickly he scans the bar and feels heat shoot through him as he meets her eyes through the bottles and shelves. This time he doesn’t duck his head straight away, her eyes hold on to him as she gives him a smile before dropping her own gaze to the drinks menu in her hand, still smiling. He keeps watching her, unable to pull his eyes away, and when she lifts her eyes towards him again he feels his lips pull up in a smile that he can’t even seem to control. This woman is gorgeous and she’s looking at him with a smile so sweet he’s losing his breath. Before he knows what he’s doing he lifts his hand from his glass and gives her a quick wave.

The movement draws Pope’s attention and he’s immediately looking over Frankie’s shoulder, trying to see who his friend is waving at. Catching sight of her Pope exclaims;

“Damn, Frankie, she’s cute, go talk to her, man!”

“Shut the fuck up, Pope, dammit.” Frankie sighs as he sees her look away. The bartender has come to take her order and she starts talking to him.

“I’m serious, Fish, she’s into you, go talk to her, get her number. If you don’t I wi..ll.” Pope makes a show of standing up from the stool and Frankie grabs his shoulder and pulls him down again while Pope laughs at his friend’s awkward glance back at the woman. Ben and Will have also turned, craning their necks to see what the fuss is about and Ben gives a low whistle as he sees her leaning on the bar.

“Pope’s right, Fish, go talk to her, she’s hot!”

“Na, na, I changed my mind,” Pope laughs, slapping Frankie’s shoulder. “Frankie here will run headlong into enemy territory with his balls out, but what he doesn’t have the guts for, is to talk to someone like her.”

“Just shut up, Pope, seriously,” Frankie grumbles as he downs the last of his drink and pushes it across the counter.

“I’ll bet anything you don’t have the cojones to go over there and get her number, buddy.” Pope grins, enjoying riling his friend up as a red flush creeps up over his throat.

Frankie glances over at her again, she’s waiting on her order at the bar. As he looks her eyes flick to him again and when she meets his gaze she stays locked on him for a second before she looks down at the counter, a shy smile creeping across her face. No doubt she noticed how all of them now seem to be focused on her.

“Ok, Pope, what’ll it be, what do I get if I get her number?”

“A hundred bucks, I’ll give you a hundred bucks because that’s how certain I am that you don’t have the balls to ask for her number.”

“You’re on.” Frankie says as he slides off the stool, “You’re gonna pay for my first date with her.”

...

You can tell you’re suddenly the topic of conversation among the friends on the corner and heat is creeping up your cheeks as you feel four pairs of eyes on you. You glance over again, looking for the man with the cap and when your eyes meet him you can’t help but smile again.

The bartender brings you the pitcher of beer you ordered, no tequila shots, and two baskets of fries. You pay and start grabbing the order and throw a quick glance over at the corner again but this time the man with the cap isn’t there.

“Hi, sorry, do you maybe wanna hand with that?”

You suddenly hear a low voice behind you and you turn to see the man with the cap standing in front of you, a shy smile on his face, his hands stuck deep in his jeans pockets.

“Yeah, sure, that would be great, thanks,” you return his shy smile as he grabs the pitcher and the tower of glasses from you. You take the fries and lead the two of you over to your friends’ booth. They all cheer as you arrive, immediately grabbing the food and drinks. You turn back to the bar, two large jugs of water are waiting for you on the counter and the man follows you back.

“Thanks for that” you smile at him and he gives you another shy one back.

“I’m Frankie, Francisco Morales,” he says, his hand seemingly by its own accord shooting up to rub the back of his neck while you give him your name. His smile widens as you lean on the bar counter, not grabbing the water straight away and he mirrors your action, putting his arm on the counter and standing close enough for you to smell his body wash and the warm cotton of his t-shirt that’s stretched tight across his broad shoulders. The dimple is back and you notice how he’s got small bald patches in his scruffy beard that’s dappled with grey in places.

“So, bachelorette party, huh?” he asks and nods his head towards your friends who are now toasting in beer and howling along to “I want it that way” by The Backstreet Boys on the jukebox.

“Yeah, I’m the designated “get them all home in one piece” person tonight,” you sigh with a crooked smile at them. “They are a bit too wasted to still be drinking but you know…” you shrug your shoulders and give Frankie a grin, “been there, done that too.”

“Got the t-shirt,” he smirks, lifting the edge of your jean jacket with his finger tips to show off the “The one where Lizzy marries Steve” t-shirt you’re sporting under it.

“To add to my collection,” you reply, laughing as you look down at the print. “I think this is the 8th one. Lizzy is the last one to be married. The couple from the first one has already gotten divorced and remarried so we’re getting through them.”

“Any of them yours?” Frankie asks and you notice how he’s frowning his forehead, his brow knotting as he looks at you as if he’s nervous for the answer.

“No, none of them mine,” you can’t help but smile, his face is adorable as his expression drops into a shy smile. His dark brown eyes are very expressive, crinkling again at the corners as he steps a little bit closer to you, giving the busboy room to collect the glasses from the bar behind him. The music from the jukebox suddenly turns off as the softer lights of the bar are replaced by harsher bright lights.

“Closing time!” the bartender calls from behind the bar as your friends boo and jeer, sinking the last of their beers. “I’m taking these fries to go!” you hear Lizzy slur and you cringe inwardly as Frankie glances over at them.

“So, seeing as I’m running out of time,” Frankie begins, still standing close enough for you to feel the heat coming off of him, “I wanna ask for your number, maybe?”

“You’ve got to earn that privilege, Frankie,” you look up at him. “I don’t usually give my number out to guys I’ve just met at random bars on Saturday nights.”

“Yeah, no, I get that, probably a smart strategy too,” he falters. “I would’ve bought you a drink first and maybe we could’ve talked a bit more but you know, I didn’t want to not ask anyway.” He scratches at his beard absentmindedly and shoots a quick glance over his shoulder at his friends who are all eagerly still watching the conversation. “Maybe we can catch up here sometime, do you ever come by this place?” he asks.

“This is my first time here, it’s really on the wrong side of town for me,” you admit, starting to regret not giving him your number but old habits are hard to shake, not giving out your number to random guys being one of them.

“Oh, ok, I get it.” Frankie looks down and scuffs the toe of his boot on the bar’s skirting board before looking over at his friends again. “I should just go then, get them home too.”

He starts to move away as you see his dark haired friend make a gesture as if he’s rubbing imaginary money between his thumb and fingers while smiling at the two blonde guys.

“Did your friend make a bet with you about getting my number?” you ask him, suddenly putting two and two together.

“Yeah, kinda, it wasn’t serious or anything, he was just, just, kinda pushing me to work up the nerve to come over and talk to you.” Frankie stutters slightly and your heart contracts as his hand shoots up to rub the back of his neck again, his dark curls becoming ever more unruly with each pass of his hand across them.

You suddenly feel arms wrap around you from behind and a wave of perfume and tequila washes over you. Lizzy is giggling in your ear, tugging you away from Frankie. “Sorry, lover boy,” she squeals, “She’s mine tonight!”

You shoot Frankie an apologetic look as Lizzy pulls you over to the booth where the exasperated bartender is trying to convince your friends that it’s time to leave. Frankie gives you a small wave before stuffing his hands in his pockets and turning back to his friends. You turn to the tasks of gathering your friends together and calling for an Uber to get you all home safe.

...

As you leave the bar with the bachelorette party, getting them out the door is like herding cats, you spot Frankie and his friends making their way across the parking lot. Frankie’s got his back to you but you can still make him out, his unruly curls sticking out from under his cap, backlit by the flood lights in the lot. A smile suddenly creeps across your face and you call out to him.

“Frankie, wait up!”

He turns as you make your way towards him, and his friends all turn too, immediately breaking out in wide grins. The dark haired one gives Frankie a quick shove as to motion him towards you and Frankie picks up his feet. You meet him halfway across the lot.

“Give me your phone,” you say and hold out your hand towards him.

“Why?” he says with a confused look, but he still fumbles in his back pocket to pull out an old iPhone with a cracked screen.

“Let me win that bet for you,” you grin as he taps in the pass code and hands you the phone.

Frankie’s confused look changes into a wide grin as you add yourself as a new contact in his phone and hit “save” before handing it back to him.

“Make sure your friend pays up what he owes you now,” you smile before turning back to your friends who are yelling at you to hurry the fuck up as the Uber you ordered pulls up to the curb.

As you walk back across the lot you suddenly hear Frankie’s fast footsteps approaching from behind. Turning back towards him you stop as he puts his hand on your arm, his calloused fingers are dry and warm against your bare skin, his grip gentle, just resting against you.

“Does that mean I can call you too?” he asks, his dark eyes barely visible under his cap, but you can see the shyness from before returning.

“I’d be disappointed if you didn’t,” you smile before reaching up and pressing your lips to the bare patch in his beard, giving him a quick kiss. Behind him you can hear his friends whoop loudly and cheer, someone yells, “Go, Fish!” and when you pull back from Frankie a blush is creeping up his throat, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck as he grins. You smile again and pull away from him, letting his hand slip down along your arm before his hand gives your fingers a small squeeze and lets you go. Turning back to your friends, who are still yelling at you to get a move on, you hide an even bigger smile. As you quickly make your way over to the waiting Uber you feel butterflies flutter in the pit of your stomach. The light scratch of Frankie’s beard still on your lips and his warm hand imprinted on your arm.

…

Later that night, or early morning more like, your phone pings as you're brushing your teeth, getting ready for bed. It’s a number that’s not saved in your phone but as you pick it up you have a good feeling about who it might be from.

“hope i didnt wake you. just wanted to give you my number too so you didnt think i wasnt serious and only did it for the bet. sleep well.”

As you read the message your phone pings again and you tap to the new message.

“sorry, it’s frankie, i forgot to say”

You can practically hear his voice through the message, see his frown as he curses himself for forgetting to sign off with his name in the first message and it makes you smile, thinking of how his brow had knitted together as he first talked to you in the bar, that soft, shy look under the peak of his cap.

Quickly you save his number as a new contact in your phone and reply to him.

“Hi Frankie, you didn’t wake me, I’m still up :) Thanks for your number. Did your friend pay up?”

You finish brushing your teeth as you watch the three dots move, indicating that Frankie is typing a reply.

“ye he did, although he’s not convinced you didn’t give me a fake number so i guess i have to show him this to prove it.”

You smile to yourself as you type, moving towards your bed.

“I guess I have to keep it clean then.”

Frankie’s reply comes quickly this time.

“that line alone is going to get me into trouble…”

You giggle to yourself as you tuck yourself in, holding your phone up as Frankie keeps typing.

“so i have all my winnings to spend and its only fair that I share them with you. can I maybe take you out someday?”

“I’d like that, call me tomorrow and we can maybe work something out?”

Frankie’s reply is almost instant.

“i will, sleep well, hermosa”

“Hermosa?”

“beautiful“

“You’re making me blush… Sleep well, Frankie”

You feel yourself grinning like a fool as you put your phone on your bedside table and close your eyes. Trying to not let your mind run away with you, you squash down an excited little squeal as you burrow yourself into the pillow.

#triple frontier #frankie morales #frankie morales fanfiction #frankie morales x reader #frankie morales fluff #frankie morales x you #pedro pascal #the last of us fanfiction #the last of us #pedrostories #pedro pascal characters

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deramin2 · 3 months

Text

Essek constantly gushing about his partner but pointedly not giving his name hits me so hard in the feels.

Two formative childhood experiences for me:

ONE

I was severely, mercilessly bullied as a child at every school I went to even if they're was no overlap of kids, and authority figures either ignored me or directly told me it was my fault. I was socially toxic. Any other kid who publicly associated with me was also targeted for harassment. I was best friends with a girl around the corner but because I was a couple years younger (in itself an invitation for bullying) and a parish, we could never let anyone know we were friends.

I've been told I should be upset at her for this, but it wasn't her fault. It was the other children who made it a fact that she would be harmed by publicly being my friend. She didn't make those rules, we were both just honest that it existed and there was nothing we could do to change that. The best we could do to survive was at least protect her. And that benefited me by actually having a friend.

So if we talked about each other it was"my friend." No names. No acknowledging we knew each other in public. No introductions to other friends. Keeping that divide up was necessary to survival. I had a couple friends on the same freak level as we and we were in fact targeted with additional harassment to get to the other person. It was a legitimate threat to live with. At some point I just stopped thinking it was ever necessary to reveal who my friends or family are unless it's both explicitly relevant and necessary.

TWO

I learned to use the internet in the late 1990s when anonymity was considered a best practice. Don't give out your age, sex, location, or other identifying information. You don't know who is on the other side of that screen or what they will do to you if they know. Sperate your online and offline worlds to protect yourself.

This helped reinforce experience one because clearly adults also acted like those kids and this just normal human behavior no one will ever put a stop to that you need to be on guard for at all times. Build in air gaps so if one of you is compromised it's harder for the perpetrator to get to other people you care about. Defending them through anonymity is a way of showing you love them.

Also since some family are searchable through have state government jobs that right-wing nut jobs chips target them for, I wanted to make sure they couldn't be connected to me as a queer trans disabled person active online. In case something I said led to them being targeted.

(This is correct advice, even though it flies in the face of modern online conventions. There are tons of malicious people on three internet who will target you and anyone you love if they decide to hurt you.)

RESULT

By default, I refer to people by their relationship to me, not their name. My friend, my partner, my parent, my family, someone I know, etc. Often I avoid gendering them to make it even harder to identify them. I have to consciously consider if the person I'm talking to has any reason to know my associate's name. Blacklist everyone, then whitelist exceptions.

I do this even if both people know each other because the specific association feels dangerous. Better to be viewed as acquaintances than a meaningful relationship that changes how either of us could be viewed. It's not even really a judgement on thinking the person is untrustworthy, I just don't want to spend any extra energy thinking about it. It doesn't even feel relevant because my relationship to this person fellas like it conveys more information that actually matters.

ESSEK

Essek knows both he and Caleb are being targeted by powerful people who have shown they will target loved ones to get to them. Additionally, tensions between the Empire and Dynasty are still high and it could very easily compromise how their own sides view them if it's known that they're romantically entangled with someone from the other side. It could also blow each other's cover and make their meeting places more vulnerable to attack. Especially if their enemies know they could hit both of them at once.

It's genuinely dangerous for their connection to be known, so they don't name names. It's not even a matter of whether Bell's Hells would intentionally misuse that information, but what they also could just let slip to the wrong person. It's not really worth the risk when "my partner" is all the information they actually need to understand him.

My guess is that Essek said "Bren" is hiss partner because they already know a Bren sent them to Astrid. And since Caleb no longer uses the name Bren it would be much harder to connect them. It would have caused more questions, more prying, and more risk to give no name for his partner when directly pressed. So he gives a truthful but less dangerous answer. The anonymity is an act of love.

#critical role #critical role meta #critical role campaign 3 #Mighty Nein #Bell's Hells #Shadowgast #Essek Thelyss #Caleb Widogast #Bullying #Childhood Trauma

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modernsuperhero · 5 months

Text

Btw ages ago I came up with a Scarian au where Scar is of course the mayor of a lovely city. He's quite wealthy too - before his venture into politics he designed the very successful Scarland theme park, which rejuvenated the city's economy and boosted his own pockets too. He's very active in the community and generally beloved by the people.

He is also secretly HotGuy, the city's vigilante superhero, using his wealth from Scarland and his connections as mayor to try to untangle the mess of corruption and organized crime throughout the city! And also like, saving cats from atop trees and things if he happens to come across those too. The city however has recently become host to a deathly parasite, the lethally beautiful Mother Spore. Because she's an independent villain, HotGuy has no way to anticipate her attacks and just has to drop everything when she starts to try to take over another city block or something.

However, HotGuy is not the only person running around the city with a mask and a dream! There's one character who's known just as much for his menace as for his heroism: Poultry Man! Poultry Man may not be a villain, but far be it from him to veer away from pranks or minor shoplifting. HotGuy has chased him down after catching him egging buildings or nicking treats he didn't pay for, but he's also shown up to help HotGuy pull survivors out of the water when there was a terrible bridge collapse, or help break up fights that start to get too violent.

And then, of course, there's the final masked figure in HotGuy's career: his sidekick, CuteGuy! He simply appeared one day, kitted out in military grade weapons and body armor spray-painted pink and white, complete with frills and bows and bullets, asking how he can help. HotGuy is skilled at combat and firing his bow, but CuteGuy is on another level. For some reason, he follows HotGuy's every command to a T, never taking the lead despite obviously having extensive experience. Despite his compliance, he refuses to discuss his past or identity.

Somehow, though, none of these three characters are ever in the same place. If Mother Spore is ravaging a street, Poultry Man doesn't make a peep, and CuteGuy never comes to HotGuy's aid. Poultry Man always gets away with his pilfered knickknacks before CuteGuy arrives, and so on and so forth. And you see, Scar is no fool. He knows all three's secret identities - or rather, identity.

[More under cut]

It is none other than one of Scar's long-time friends and neighbor: Grian.

Grian has known Scar since his dreams for Scarland were nothing more than doodles in his teenage sketchbook. He adores knitting, baking, and taking his cats (however unwillingly) on walks outside. Scar moved into the mayoral home when he was elected, but he still owns his old house right next door to Grian's. Grian is a cheery architect who proudly boasts about being Scar's friend.

And Scar has no doubt in his mind he is also secretly terrorizing the innocent people around him, and that he has both attempted to kill, protect, and annoy Scar as HotGuy on countless occasions.

...Okay, he doesn't know WHY Grian is doing that, or... how, but it HAS to be him! He swears all of their voices are the same, and even with the different masks on they all look exactly like him! And, he's never seen any two of them in one place! Scar is sure Grian's innocent civilian facade is nothing more than that.

It also explains some things: Mother Spore's flirtatious remarks whenever they fight, Poultry Man's annoying cackling when he leads Scar on another chase across town, and CuteGuy's insistence on keeping him alive and following him like a shadow.

Grian and Scar used to be close. But as Scar's life got more complicated, he had less and less time to spend with his friends.

As baffling as it is, Scar is certain that while he was gone Grian became a supervillain of epic proportions, and he's probably only just begun toying with HotGuy and the rest of the city for his own amusement.

...

The truth is Scar is completely wrong!

Grian, Mother Spore, Poultry Man, and CuteGuy are, legitimately, four different people (or entities, looking at Mother Spore) who have never met.

Or, well, that depends on your definition of "met". :)

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alexanderlightweight · 6 months

Text

I miss writing. I miss malec

I plot in my head every night but it’s not the same.

I miss writing about how Magnus and Alec tease and find and appreciate and murder for each other and how much they love each other.

I miss Team Immortal and how Magnus and Cat and Ragnor and magical rituals and the spiral labyrinth politics and the finer elements of magical and warlock culture and

I miss diving into world building with magical botony and zoology and thread magic to pocket dimensions. How magic isn’t equal and there’s different levels and wild nature magic. The way that while the spiral labyrinth has changed and evolved, that it still holds to the very oldest of rituals. Everything carefully and continually read by each new Elder and the acolytes of the library learn by trade. Because knowledge isn’t kept in books alone. There are singing histories and spells kept alive by enchanted pieces and the memories of those devoted to learning. Carving and thread work and rituals in tapestry or furniture.

(Because elder isn’t a title based on just age but also elder knowledge. Warlocks who especially dedicate themselves to either singular or a plethora of fields and excel at creation and learning become elders. The very best researchers and scholars of the wealth of knowledge and magical prowess. Being an elder isn’t just a perk it’s a dedication and an oath to the protection and betterment of their people. Active oaths to keep them from stagnating in the decades of immortality and aging.

If you truly start slacking or losing your way, the magic prods you. Eventually you are forced to make a choice, forsake your roll as an Elder and retract and be released from your vows. Or uphold them. )

Metalworking and leather working and the labyrinth contains it all.

I love expanding on the shadowworld and the different ways magic is used by each race and how they all separately interact with the outskirts of the mundane world.

Of figuring out how a warrior society would work and the different styles of life that could have evolved.

And how much sheer adoration and platonic love is between the three of them. And the trust.

Because even when Ragnor is ignoring Magnus (a petty fight that turned into a research binge that turned into a few more years of silence than intended while Ragnor experimented in a pocket library) Magnus is still going to show up and make sure he’s fed and hydrated because the pettiness never outweighs the care.

(Cat has spells on all their vitals and vise versa. But she sent Magnus over with an excuse around year theee when she figured Ragnor had just lost track of time. Magnus doesn’t even remember that Ragnor was being petty and Ragnor doesn’t remember the argument at all).

I miss Alec figuring out what he enjoys and that he’s allowed to enjoy.

Honestly I got a little off track but I’ve been wanting to write malec and post for so long.

I miss the interactions and comments and looking forward to new Wednesday prompts. I miss writing Wednesdays so much and I’m looking forward to starting them up again when I’m healed :/

This took about an hour to write the first time but half got deleted and had to be rewritten when Nightshade started barking outside (it’s past the neighborhood noise curfew and I had to run to grab him so we stayed polite).

Nightshade likes to go outside and ‘guard’ the house for a bit every night before his door gets locked shut for bed, but since bed is subjective to my insomnia and not his sleep schedule he sometimes goes to ‘guard’ rather late. He huffily settled in his crate, perturbed I wouldn’t let him ‘protect’ the House.

Honestly I’m just happy I can write on my phone without a ton of pain anymore.

💜 lumine

The House made a rule (without me lol I was outvoted) that every time anyone buys anything they have to consider if it’s for public House use and if it is, how likely I am to injure myself with it. Or how likely is it to randomly break and hurt me.

It’s very sweet but I hate that it says something that they all agreed. It’s also hilarious because I’m the one who does all the yard work (I’ve had to delay fertilizing for a month and had to stop PT for 3.5 weeks while it healed enough for me to go) so I have axes, clippers, trimmers I use frequently.

#lumine talks to ppl #lumine talks #lumine is tired #lumine writes #lumines world building #malec #team immortal #shadowhunters #lumine is injured/sick… again

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iliveforyouilongforyouvesuvia · 2 years

Text

The Arcana HCs: M6 when the child they have with you is an exact carbon copy of them

To clarify: said children are, by natural or magical processes, the biological child of MC and their beloved; and the child's assigned sex at birth is the same as the love interest in question. Apparently all your traits are recessive.

Julian

There are two drama kings in the house now, and only one stage. That may or may not be a good thing

Baby proofing the house for this level of clumsiness is impossible

Child has the same thirst for knowledge and insatiable curiosity, with even less maturity (can you blame him? He's a kid!) And it gets him into so much trouble

Julian is teaching him how to be The Best Actor

They put on plays for you in the kitchen and rope you into it

Child has the same tendency to mentally spiral, and teaching him the coping mechanisms he needs for it is helping Julian grow so much

Same tendency to get himself tangled up in ridiculous situations.

The best moment was when he (as a five year old) walked up on stage in the community theater during a play so he could confront the villain up close for treating the heroes so badly

The actors were so charmed they improvised him into the performance

After you put him to bed that night you found Julian crying into his leeches, he was so proud

Child now has a standing invitation to star in any appropriate performance

Portia makes him his little costumes

Mazelinka is always in the front row adding a cutting commentary loud enough for the entire audience to hear (they love it)

The South End has sworn their allegiance to him

Nadia jokingly calls him her little rival

Asra

So many pranks

Asra is determined to be the best parent they never had, and staying present in his son's life is giving him a whole new perspective on his childhood and his parent's experience

It leads to a few rough conversations he was avoiding with them, but yields the best results

Grandma Aisha and Grandpa Salim

Always down to watch your kid when you two need a break, but beware, he'll come back with a plethora of new spells to use

He loves Faust and she loves him. He practiced crawling by following her around the shop

Does not know his limits and does not want to. Asra has to remake the wards on the doors to the shop every few months to be harder to unlock because his son keeps trying to go off on unannounced trips

Regularly steals the big feathered hat and wears it around the shop. It always slips over his eyes

Sees the way Asra fawns over you and follows that example to a T

Sometimes you team up with him to prank Asra

One morning you couldn't get Asra to wake up for breakfast so you gave the kid some markers and let him play Picasso all over his dad's chest and face

Asra noticed the two of you giggling all morning but couldn't figure out why until he caught themself in the mirror just before lunch

So proud of their son's artistic talent he refused to wash it off

Wore the most chest exposing shirt he had to show it off

Muriel was so confused when you three went to visit him that afternoon

He remembers meeting Asra at that age by the docks, and begins teaching the child how to paint on animal carvings

Child likes to practice on Faust with watercolors now. She feels fabulous.

Nadia

Raising an independent child who is convinced she knows best and needs no help is Difficult

Nadia is much quicker to lose her patience with her than you are

They both rant to you about how difficult the other is

Have fun being the peacemaker

It's actually not that bad, Nadia knows exactly what her daughter feels like and goes out of the way to help her feel empowered and unique

It's important to her that her daughter has a good upbringing, but she also wants her to have the freedom to pursue her desires

So competitive when you three go horseback riding it's not even funny

This little girl has so many doting Aunties she's at risk of getting spoiled rotten

Natiqa teaches her the art of negotiation very early on and this little girl is so precocious she picks it up right away

Next time Nadia is entertaining visiting dignitaries she crashes the reception and start negotiating a trade deal

The visitors are impressed, slightly intimidated, and completely caught off guard

Nadia takes full advantage of that and the two of them work together to seal the deal

You begin having terrifying visions of what would happen once she grows up and the two of them share a common goal, or worse, a common enemy

Portia is the worst enabler and fills her in with all the palace gossip she desires for her to use as she sees fit

Muriel

You didn't know a baby could be this quiet

You start to worry a bit with how little he talks, until one day a butterfly lands on his chubby little fist and he's so excited to tell you all about it that he almost forgets to breathe

Basically he doesn't speak unless he feels like it, or until you find something he likes and then oh boy he's so happy to open up and chatter about it

Like Muriel, he's big for his age, but unlike Muriel, he grows up out in the woods where he doesn't have any reason to worry about it

Muriel can't stop marveling over him

He wakes up every morning and finds so much joy in giving his son a childhood full of life and wonder and peace

Realizing how much he would do for his son gives him appreciation for what his parents tried to do for him

Innana is fiercely protective

When your son was learning to walk she would stalk beside him just in case he needed her as a landing cushion

It's not uncommon to find the two of them curled up together under a tree taking a post lunch nap

He adores Uncle Asra

Asra stops by pretty regularly, always with something new and interesting for their nephew

But the best days are fishing days

Muriel will get up early with him and they'll trek out to their favorite fishing spot so you can have a day to go into town

The two of them will sit side by side, maybe they share some conversation, maybe they enjoy the quiet together

So excited to show you everything they caught

He definitely inherited his father's love for eel

You'll make a campfire for the catch and feast all evening, until he falls asleep under Muriel's cloak and you carry him inside for the night

One time he was watching some of the chicken's eggs hatch and the babies imprinted on him

Watching him walk around giggling both confused and delighted with a gaggle of chirping yellow puffballs trailing him was one of the best afternoons of your life

It wasn't so great when the sun went down and you told him they weren't allowed to sleep in his bed and he'd have to wait until morning to see them again

Portia

There is so much hair, everywhere

You love them both and you love their beautiful curly red hair but you just pulled a strand out of your tea and you don't know how much more you can take

One of her first words was "Pepi" and she was mimicking the cat before she was speaking full sentences

Portia loves to play tag with her in the garden, chasing her around the vines and diving in for tickle attacks

The baby squeals. The baby giggles. This child is laughter and joy personified

This child has no concept of danger and it makes Nadia so stressed

She hears you call the Countess "Nadia" but she also hears Portia call her "milady" so she just calls her "miladidalia"

The palace is her playground once she's old enough to walk over and all the staff adore her

Knows all the shortcuts and secret tunnels in the palace by the time she's 7

It's not hard to find out where she is though, just follow the giggles

Ilya adores her, it's his precious little sister all over again!

He drops by almost every day with an offering for the princess

The first time she calls him "uncilya" he cries

You trek into town with her and Portia every week to visit Mazelinka

Lots of singing and dancing together

The summer after she turns 6 she tries to stowaway on Mazelinka's ship

She almost succeeds

Cue you and Portia hunting all over Vesuvia in a frenzy

Nadia has all the palace guards out looking too

The guards all know and love her already, they would have rebelled if she hadn't let them

Asra's tracking magic points you in the direction of the docks, where Julian gets one of the vendors to admit to giving her a ride to Mazelinka's ship (he didn't know what she was plotting)

They set sail this morning and now the moon is coming up

Nadia's already summoning the royal yacht when Mazelinka's ship reappears on the horizon

So many kisses and hugs and tears of relief

So much scolding the next morning

Deep down once the panic has subsided Portia is so proud and excited for her little adventurer

From then on you start incorporating important traveling skills into her upbringing (world maps, basic self defense, phrases in the main languages) because you know it's only a matter of time before your little girl takes the world by storm

Lucio

Lucio's trying his best, he really is, and it helps that he understands his son so well, but taking care of kids does not come naturally to him

Especially quiet displays of affection

Thankfully his son is anything but quiet

He loves following Lucio around and piggybacking off of his antics

If he's not mimicking his father he's off with Mercedes and Melchior terrorizing everyone in the vicinity

You understand now why Morga had such a hard time letting Lucio suffer consequences

He is adorable when he is in trouble, and also so scared

You have to learn the balance of letting him understand what he's done and suffer the consequences while letting him know you've got his back

Lucio on the other hand indulges his every whim

The two of them have a shared love of shiny things

He likes to put on his dad's fancy regalia and strut around the palace like a peacock

Most of all, he wants a pretty golden arm like his dad

Has a tantrum when he tries to pull it off of Lucio's shoulder and it doesn't work

It leads to a very helpful conversation about why Lucio has a golden arm, and what wars are, and the importance of valuing human life

Lucio is so impressed with imparting that lesson early that he immediately commissions a golden sleeve/glove for his baby boy as a reward

Now they match \^.^/

#the arcana hc #the arcana headcanons #the arcana #asra alnazar #julian devorak #portia devorak #nadia satrinava #muriel of the kokhuri #lucio morgasson #asra the arcana #julian the arcana #nadia the arcana #portia the arcana #muriel the arcana #lucio the arcana #arcana shitposting #the arcana game

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kawaiijohn · 11 months

Note

Dipper accidentally summons King Phantom to Gravity Falls to help against Bill?

okay never thought i'd write anything with GF buttttt here ya go @guardianrex <3

And Happy super late tenth birthday gravity falls. Hope this rocks.

"You're just a teenager!" Dipper pointed at the lanky boy from behind the table turned cover. His finger shakes a little as he wills himself to be brave.

"You're just a teenager!" Dipper pointed at the lanky boy from behind the table-turned-cover. His finger shakes a little as he wills himself to be brave.

"And you're just a kid," said teenager yawns, rubbing sleep out of heavily bagged eyes. "Is there a reason I'm standing in my living room with some kid I don't know at ass o clock in the morning?"

Dipper swallows. He'd meant to summon the 'Infinity King', a figure Grunkle Ford had found information on during his travels. The King of All Reality was supposedly an eldritch being of unknown origin and deathless power, one that could possibly be asked to help deal with Bill and his crap.

And his research was going perfectly! The texts Ford had shown him a few weeks ago- the very same texts that Dipper had stolen while Ford was asleep, were translated quite easily (who knew Pig Latin was a viable language in some realities?) and used without his Grunkle's knowledge. Against said Grunkle's warnings.

But ignoring warnings could have gone much worse. At least the figure floating three inches off the floor looked about as human as Dipper did. He knows from personal experience (what a weird summer) it doesn't mean much, but at least the King's skin wasn't like, inside-out or something gross. He shudders at the thought of the possibility.

Although the King looks nothing more than a teenager who just woke up, Dipper could still sense something about the guy was... off.

Unnatural

Dipper realizes he's been staring for a while, and that he's being stared back at. He points more confidently at the King and swallows his fear.

"Takes one to uh... takes one to know one!"

Smooth

The Infinity King sighs and pinches his brow. "Look, kid. I don't know how you summoned me or why you summoned me, but I'm very tired. I have no money, and I would like to go back to bed before the test I have tomorrow."

"Oh man, is it not summer break for you? That stinks."

"Buddy I'm in summer school, it does stink. So I'd appreciate being able to leave. Please."

"Oh yeah let me just-" Dipper almost falls for the believable performance before catching himself. "Wait a second, that's dumb. I'm not gonna fall for that, Infinity King!"

Dipper shines his flashlight into the King's eyes and is on the receiving end of a very angry stare. "Ancients help me..." the King sighs.

"Nobody can help you! Those sigils are for trapping ghosts and spirits! So now you gotta listen to what I say."

"I really don't have a choice, huh?" The King crosses his legs and places an elbow on his knee. "Alright, shortie. What did you summon me for? Need dating advice? Video game level can't be beat? Annoying sister?"

"I'm not so dumb to summon a powerful being for petty squabbles or whatever!" Dipper grumbles. "I'm dealing with something really really bad, alright?"

He walks up to the border of the circle and shows the King the journal, specifically the pages on Bill Cipher.

"What the hell is this thing? An evil triangle?" the King asks and begins to read. "Don't like how that page gives me goosebumps."

"He's an inter dimensional demon and a jerk. He's also evil and messing with my family."

"Well, I don't know what I can do, but inter dimensional jerks happen to be what I fight most." the King sighs. "What can I do to help?"

"First you gotta make me a-a deal!" Dipper's voice squeaks, realizing what he's said aloud before looking around to make sure Bill isn't going to pop up out of nowhere.

"Kid, I don't think deals are a good choice for someone your age, nor with an inter dimensional being like me."

"Yeah, but like, your kind is kinda all about deals, right?"

"No, but I guess if it makes you feel better... how about you buy me a pizza when this is over. A pizza, and a milkshake of my choice."

"You're serious?" Dipper squints.

"Deadly." the King grins.

"Alright, deal then-"

"Okay, drop the shield and we'll shake on it."

#dantes vibe corner #guardianrex #my fic #danny phantom #dipper pines #dp #gf #crossover #answered #phanfic #danny fenton #dipper

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itsmeanyango · 7 months

Text

ASTROLOGICAL TIMELINES: AGE 23-66

The information I'm sharing will put you YEARS ahead. If you'd like a personal reading, just reach out to me in my DMs or reach out to me on my WhatsApp business here.

I was writing reports for clients who wanted to know how Pluto in Aquarius would affect them and this inspired me to write the following.

Initially this was going to be life transits from age 25 to 65 but I've decided to start from age 23 because I know how HARD that particular year is.

I won't touch on every particular thing each year, I'm just touching on the events(astrological) that will make or break you given your personal choices.

Since you have this information now, please don't break you❤️.

I am also just copy pasting things from different readings I have done because source tells me someone booked a reading for a client who paid them a lot. In short, someone stole my reading to masquerade as their own work. I hope one day someone googles particular words from their reading and comes across my post then wonders, “hey, why are you using the exact same words from a reading I had done yet I never booked with you?”

I want to start by saying that although I've chosen age 23 as the starting point, age 17/18 is where the shift usually begins because that's the first “real” taste of freedom experience because you've just finished highschool + feel like an adult. The snare here is drugs, alcohol,sex and or romance. It could be all, it could be one or it could be some. Different circumstances make one fall into those snares, not just being idle.

If you get into substance abuse it tends to get out of hand and interferes with your relationship with money and even your education (university/college).

If it's sex, it greatly interferes with your relationships + attachment style(this is a good opportunity to work on your attachment btw). You will grow to be in dysfunctional relationships of all types from friendship to romance to work/professional relationships. Your perception of relationships will be skewed.

If it's romance, well that's where most people actually go downhill real quick because they let love get the best of them.

Are you doomed for any of the above three? No. However, it takes a special kind of someone to turn their wheel around and fix it all(especially in record time, which is before 23 or your first Saturn return). You can come back from all your poor choices, so many people before you have done it and so can you. It just takes extra strength and determination ESPECIALLY when you are in an environment that's set to be your number one enemy.

Age 23

The major event here is your 12H profection year. I have a deeper post for each element(fire, earth ,air and water) on 12H profection years here, go read it.

12H transits are not fun. 12H profection years are usually the longest 12H experiences unless one has planets in their 12H. The shorter the 12H transit, the harsher it is because you have a short timeline to deal with so much. That's why some months you wonder why everything is working against you. Some people already have particular months marked out as their worst months because they have noticed a pattern (this does not mean 12H transits are the main astrological reason why).

Let's say two people of the same age(maybe even twins), present with the same burn degree on the same body part. One is writhing in pain, screaming and crying. The other is just there, even eating a pack of crisps as if nothing is wrong. It may seem shocking and one may say everyone has their level of pain tolerance.

Then you find out that the one who is not flinching has been living with chronic pain and now this new pain is nothing new to them, they are in pain almost every day and without painkillers anyway.

That is how 12H transits are. Some people just shrug off the harsh experiences like nothing. Or share the most life stopping experiences like it's nothing because those experiences have been the order of the day. Everyone else is like, “are you okay?” and they are oblivious.

However, to those who have never experienced earth shattering things, 12H profection years and transits feel like they have been walking in circles in hell. People with 12H placements don't feel that 12H transits and profection years are all that bad. They feel it in their 1H profection year, because it's more quite and peaceful yet this(quiet and peace) is something they are not used to.

Next is age 24, which has the 1H profection year.

1H profection year Jupiter return. This is your first significant Jupiter return. Your actual first one was about 12 years ago but you were too little to understand. Chances are you had some good luck that year or you went through absolute mental anguish. This may have also manifested through your parents having some great financial fortune or opportunities. That fortune was supposed to be used on you, if misfortune ensued then it's because they did not give to Caesar what belongs to Ceasar.

Anyway, at 24 most people are graduating from university or have graduated from university. They wonder about the next step and it's usually in hope of employment and financial gain. However, what tends to happen is a magnitude of misfortune because whatever Jupiter touches expands.

It's really just a huge big tower moment that's meant to wake you up to who you really are, to shake off societal beliefs and values that have been drilled into you through different systems like your family and educational institutions as well as religion. If you handled your 12H profection year without resistance, this may not be as harsh of an experience. You will probably be in a state of Por qué? Not in dejection, but acceptance to learn the lesson or let whatever is next come so that you can move to the next chapter already.

Some people however, are very fortunate. This is because their parents married well(spiritually) or the nature of their birth chart is favourable for this astrological life event.

However, Jupiter has power over both money and the psyche. Money makes man mad. So whatever happens this transit, your psyche is impacted and it's up to you to be grounded or not.

Between age 28 and 30 you have already started your Saturn return, although some people begin to feel the shift(tends to come with challenges) at 27.

When religious leaders say “the day of judgement is very near”, they mean hell but what the day of judgement being very near means is your Saturn return.

Your Saturn return is the day of judgement, but it lasts way more than a day You became an adult in most places at 18, but this doesn't mean you are ready for the adult world. You are just learning. By the time you are 23 you have been five years an adult. A five year old child can talk, walk, feed themselves but bathing not really. They also can't go anywhere on their own. Five years as an adult, you are just finishing university and now wondering about the way forward. At age 12 you are almost a teenager and looking ahead thinking that high school is nearby. You are also probably wondering if your peers will like you, especially the gender you are attracted to.

Twelve years as an adult, at thirty you are wondering if you have made the right choices in your twenties and if the choices you currently carry with you from your twenties will be good or bad for you. Just like how at age 12 a child starts following the crowd to fit in, you might do just that at age thirty because everyone else turned out fine…but that's just what you see, or that's just what they show you.

Now when you followed the crowd at age 12 or watched people follow the crowd, how did that work for you/them?

At age thirty when you are before Saturn answering for the twelve years of adulthood (keep in mind that it takes the sun going round twelve zodiac signs to count as an astrological year), what do you think will happen for having followed the crowd? What about following Yourself?

Following the crowd looks like keeping the peace by not addressing what bothers you, looking the other way in the face of injustice when you know that what's going on is wrong( i.e being an enabler or perpetuating abuse) not standing up for yourself.

Saturn does not just punish you for being a bully to others. Saturn punishes you for not respecting and loving yourself. Sad but true, that's why people get baffled when the sweetest kindest person goes through horrendous things.

If you are the sweetest kindest person to others but an absolute horror to yourself, Saturn will punish you for that. So you better start self loving yourself!

At around 36 you get your Jupiter return.

It's your second one, the first one was around age 24. Jupiter returns are seen as the return that brings you luck. But why would luck come to your door when you don't make space for it?

Jupiter returns to see if you learnt your last lesson twelve years ago and prepared a space for the gifts he bears. It's like not putting milk and cookies under your Christmas tree for Santa yet you have the capacity to. So Jupiter simply tears down everything you consider fortune and this time expects to have found you ready in 12 years time.

At 24, Jupiter returns to see if you decentered your caregivers and the systems you have been through. If not, that tower had to come down like the London bridge song.

At this same age you have your Nodal return and Saturn opening square. Your Nodal return is the North Node simply returning to remind you who you are and where you are going. This transit is not harsh, it's like a reminder in your phone to make that call. It's up to you to follow the reminder or ignore it.

For your opening Saturn square, Saturn is back to see if you are getting it together or using his rewards well. It's slightly challenging and will remind you of a time you went through something similar. All you have to do is learn from your history, apply the relevant lessons and you will be okay.

Between age 41/42 and 43 you have your Saturn opposition and Uranus opposition.

Uranus is the planet of change. Change and transformation are very different. When someone says you have changed, it's because they recognise you but you are somebody they used to know. When you transform, you can slowly walk past people you used to be close to and they will not even stop to say hello because that is now a total stranger they see.

Uranus type of change is revolutionary. Consider how the coca-cola bottles have changed over time. Even without the logos you can tell that those must be coca-cola bottles. Uranus opposition manifests as midlife crisis. At this age you find families having issues when the parents are 41-42. If someone had their first child at 28, when they are 42-43 the child is now 14-15. The parents are going through a crisis and the child wants to be heard but nobody at home was there to listen. Then when the child grows up they talk about how it all started when they were 14. 15 and pregnant sound familiar?

Saturn opposition on the other hand is feeling like being selfish. You know you have responsibilities and people depend on you but you are just so tired of doing the right thing. “I feel something so wrong doing the right thing, I feel something so right doing the wrong thing”. That's counting stars by one republic. But is it worth it? Is it worth losing all the hard work you have put in so far because of a "short" stint in the sky that is simply calling you to discover uncomfortable parts of yourself?

The next transit happens around age 46 and it's your Pluto square and Nodal opposition Let's start with the nodal opposition.

Remember that Nodal return ten years ago that came as a reminder? Well, now whatever that was is facing some opposition. This is also happening after the quarter life crisis has been building up. You probably have a child who is now turning 18 and leaving home. Maybe there are other children but if not, you may be too distracted in your vices to even start feeling empty nest syndrome. So now you decide to do exactly what you wanted to do because your child isn't there to judge you, but you say that your reason is that you didn't want them to see the mess and get hurt.

The most destructive period of ones life is between age 41 and 48. Seven years a slave. This is why one should strive to start getting it together by 25 then thirty and ultimately at 35 so that all these challenges don't shake their foundations because they already did the inner work. When you are young and have the energy, use it wisely because when you grow older and your body just wants to rest you will find it easier to become everything you said you would never be than to be the version of yourself five year old you wanted to become.

At 48 you have your Jupiter return again.

At 24 Jupiter wants you to detach from your parents so that you can have some “wealth” of your own to start your life.

At 36, Jupiter returns to see if you'd like something to help you through 41 to 48 or you are still living in the past.

At 48 Jupiter returns to see if you have the capacity to be a custodian of generational wealth or if you have decided to live like you're in the tower of Babel that is built and falls over and over again.

I want to add that Jupiter rules Pisces but also Sagittarius. When you look at the pisces symbol, the fish are swimming in a circle. That's a loop. Infinity is a loop. If you don't learn from the past, you will forever be in a loop that will make you loose your mind. Sagittarius in this sense under Jupiter means, “you should have known better”. So everytime Jupiter returns, Jupiter expects you to have known better.

From here at 48 you now have your Chiron return coming in from age 49 to 50.

If you have done the work, nothing will scare you. Especially you being someone whose weakness has always been visible. Own your weakness and nobody will ever use it against you.

Age 54 is your nodal return,

it's not the first one you've experienced but this is a good time to look at memories back then. Good or bad memories. At 54 you are also looking at all the relationships you've had in your life so far. They can act as guides to the question, “have I been true to me?” That's a good journal prompt. You don't have to wait for 54, you can start now so by the time you are 54 you look back with fulfillment at your life choices. Your relationships are a direct reflection of who you are.

You'll also find yourself wondering what you are here for and you'll hope you have accomplished your purpose. This is not like the existential crisis of the mid twenties or the adult realisation of the thirties. This one comes with peace or bitterness.

Between age 58 to 60 you have your second Saturn return.

This is heavily about self judgement. It won't be Saturn on your case like at your first Saturn return. It will be you against you, Like Jekyl and Hyde(read this story).

Thinking about your choices in life. Wondering if you should have done better. Feeling like you have been in the same place forever.

You're looking at all the lessons you've learnt, all your accomplishments and deciding if they were beautiful or vanity.

Most people have soul eating regrets at this age and these regrets start manifesting as disease.

Finally between age 63 and 66 you have your closing Uranus square.

Remember that rebellion that started boiling up in you from age 21 to 24? The one especially if 23 was a tough year and you felt like you wouldn't make it through? That's what's coming in this age.

Now, is it(rebellion) worth it? That's the question you'll need then.

#pluto in aquarius #Astrology life transits #Pluto square #Saturn return #nodal opposition #Uranus square #12H Profection year #Chiron return #Birth chart

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anderperrylover · 7 months

Text

THOUGHTS? DEAD POET'S SOCIETY EDITION

Just thoughts I wanted to get out there

So Dead Poet's Society? Right? Now that I think of it was a film that came out when my dad was in his like late teens (technically he was around the same age as some of the cast). And somehow this film - made and released during their time has been one that resonated with the next generation? I am looking at the film and thinking, and I couldn't help but wonder.

I am not talking specifically about the aesthetic or anything but namely how this one film was definitely not made for my demographic. However - 35 or so years later I read a post here or come across a playlist or an edit or a series of head canons - I see how much this single film has impacted generations who came after.

I relate to this film on a very personal level (put the shipping factors aside). I remember watching scenes with Neil and I could almost recall having similar conversations in life and I had to take a step back and think as to why I wanted to block this film out for a while. I resonated with Todd as a writer but also as someone who had a very similar experience (shy - lack of confidence - but one who found their people). Other than that there were relationships within the story that made me look back at the ones I have and had and all that I am grateful for.

Also as a coming of age film I feel like it is one of the most realistic ones out there. The themes and the extremely bittersweet ending are raw and it hit me like a pile of bricks. The fact that they fell apart because of the things they loved - the heart of the group not being there made things drift apart - and those dreamers and poets who speak out are the ones to leave behind a deeply flawed system (and the cause and reason and leaving is depicted in extremely sad ways - they might give up on everything - or be kicked out for what they believed in - or carry extreme guilt for the rest of their lives) - There are those who fall in love and the ones that betray you and all of that can happen in just a few month. Things that took years to build like friendships and fellowships can crumble because of something external and all you believed in might not fix that.

(Also something weird just jog my memory if I am wrong but throughout the film these three use O Captain, My Captain - and its all in important moments - The last one to use it is Todd - Which I just think just captures his growth - he's taken up the confidence brought by two of his closest friends and a teacher who changed his life for at least a small fraction in time)

I had a few teachers in my life like Keating. They are the reason I never gave up on writing or doing things I love. They gave me reason to believe that I had something small I could put to use - I had a teacher who taught me at 14 who told me to never give up writing and another teacher who told me to continue writing poetry - another who showed to me that I should continue to fall in love with reading - another who showed me that the world was beyond the academics (as I studied classics - it was far more than that cookie cutter stereotype) - Also Keating as a teacher who actually listens - who is there to guide and help the boxes that literally hold students in uniformity

I don't know why - and how a film from the past can have such an impact on me in the 21st century - Very few films have impacted me in this manner and most of the films that have impacted me in that way were released in my lifetime. That being said I think myself lucky to have this to go back to. The film is a cathartic ritual of living, laughing in the moment and weeping and crying afterwards.

#dead poets fandom #dead poets society #film discussion #film discourse #ilovedeadpoetssociety #nostalgia #Ilovethisfilm #realism #happinessandheartbreak #comingofage #angst #happiness #neilperry #toddanderson #johnkeating #charlie dalton #stevenmeeks

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swiftieblyth · 6 months

Text

The Nightshade Sisters Philosopher’s Stone: Chapter One- Heading to Hogwarts

Warnings- dead mom, abusive dad, raised by aunt uncles and godparents, death eaters, Voldemort, violence and murder, Draco Malfoy, Lucius Malfoy, all other Harry Potter stuff

Let me know if there’s anything else!

“Hurry, we’re going to be late!” A girl with long, wavy, light brown hair yelled, running to Platform 9 3/4 holding her little sister’s hand.

“We’re not going to be late, just calm down.” A boy the same age as the girl replied, pushing a cart with all his stuff in it. “Let Rosie enjoy the experience. It’s her first time.”

“Oh really?” The older girl remarked. “I didn’t know that, thanks Ceddie.”

“Okay, okay,” a lady in her late 30s early 40s cut in. Her dark brown hair flowing down a little past her shoulders.” “You lot calm down. We’re almost there.”

The group walked up to the platform and stopped. “All right, you ready, Little Rose?” The boy asked, smiling down at the timid little girl with matching dark brown hair as the older lady.

“Is it scary?” The girl asked. “Walking through the platform.”

“No Rosie,” the older girl said. “It’s going to be amazing! It’s brilliant!”

“Would it make you feel better if I grabbed your other hand?” The boy asked, The little girl, Rosie, nodded her head and held his hand in her other hand.

The group walked through and made it to the other end of the platform. “Blimey,” Rosie breathed.

“It was cool, wasn’t it?” The older girl asked.

“It was.” Rosie smiled.

“Loo, it’s the Weasley’s,” the older girl remarked. “Rosie, you remember the Weasley’s right?”

“Kinda, the red haired family right?”

“Yeah, that’s them.” The boy explained. “The twins are in the same year as me and Lacy.”

“Oi!” The older girl, Lacy, called. “Fred! George!”

Two red haired twins turned around and saw Lacy as she came running up to them.

“Lacy!” The smiled in unison, as they all three hugged.

“Lacy dear,” a plump lady with red hair smiled, as the three pulled away. “How are you? How was your summer?”

“It was okay, Mrs. Weasley. How was yours?”

“It was well, thank you dearie.” The plump lady said, pulling Lacy into a big hug.

After a few seconds Mrs. Weasley let go and Lacy looked at the youngest red haired boy. “Ron, it’s your first year too, right?”

“Yes,” the boy replied.

“Brilliant! This is my little sister, Rosie,” Lacy explained, gesturing to her little sister, who was holding the boys hand. She had a shy smile on her face as she tried to hide behind him. “Rosie, this is Ron, the twins little brother. He’s in the same year as you.”

“Hi,” the youngest boy smiled.

“Okay, you lot better get going on the train,” the lady with dark brown hair smiled.

“Right. Bye, Aunt Joyce.” Lacy let out, hugging the lady.

“Now you two,” Mrs. Weasley ordered, looking at the twins. “This year, you behave yourselves. If I get one more owl telling me that you’ve — you’ve blown up a toilet or —“

“Blown up a toilet?” George asked. “We’ve never blown up a toilet.”

“Great idea though,” Fred remarked. “Thanks Mum.”

“It’s not funny!” Mrs. Weasley stated, as Lacy walked up to the twins. “Lacy dear, keep an eye on them this year.”

“I always do, Mrs. Weasley.” Lacy smiled. “I’ll do my best to keep them out of trouble this year.”

“You’re a dear, Lacy. Now boys, Lacy has her own little sister to look after this year, so I expect to not get her in trouble. And do look after Ron.”

“Don’t worry Mum,” Fred smiled. “We won’t get Lace into too much trouble.”

“Yeah,” George agreed. “And ickle Ronniekins is save with us.”

“Shut up.” Ron said.

“Okay, my kids,” Joyce called out. “I need to get going.”

“No, don’t go!” Rosie cried, hugging her tight.

“Hey, don’t worry, Rosie,” Joyce whispered softly, crouching down to be eye level with the little girl. “Hogwarts is going to be amazing. You’re going to have so much fun, and you’ll have Lacy and Cedric to look out for you, no matter what house you’re in, okay?”

“Okay. I’ll write to you every day!”

“I know you will. Uncle Remus and I will love to hear from you. Try to make some friends okay? I love you.”

“I love you too,” Rosie let out, pulling away from her aunt as she stood up.

“Don’t worry Little Rose.” Cedric called, picking her up in his arms. “We’ll look out for you, and help you make friends. These are going to be the best years of your life!”

“Bye, Aunt Joyce,” Lacy smiled, hugging her aunt.

“Bye Lace. Look out for your sister, and take care of her, okay.”

“I will. You take care of yourself too, okay? It’s been a hard year for all of us, but I can’t imagine how hard it’s been for you. I’m always here if you need to talk.”

“I know, Lace. You’re so sweet. Now, I know you have Cedric and the twins, but if Rosie ever needs to talk about it, please be there for her.”

“I always will be there for her.”

“I love you. You should have never have had to gone through all of this.”

“Neither should you. I love you, Aunt Joyce.”

“I love you too, Lace.”

“We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes time,” a voice echoed through the train. “Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to the school separately.”

Rosie’s heart started racing, and her hands started shaking as she held her breath. She was sitting next to Cedric and Lacy and instantly grabbed their hands in hers.

“Hey, Rosie, it’s going to be okay,” Lacy reassured, looking down at her terrified little sister. “Just think, Uncle Remus did this, and Aunt Joyce did this once, and so did Uncle Tim. If they hadn’t, they wouldn’t have met.”

“And so did my parents,” Cedric smiled. “And if it was t for Hogwarts, my dad and your aunt wouldn’t have met and become best friends, and you and Lacy, along with Hannah and Emma wouldn’t be my Godsisters.”

“I’m scared,” Rosie breathed. “What if I’m not in Hufflepuff? Then I won’t know anyone.”

“You’ll make friends,” Lacy assured her. “Did you bring your book?”

“Yeah.”

“Then just read that whenever you need to. And Cedie and I will always be there.”

The train came to a stop and Rosie squeezed there hands. “It’s going to be okay, Little Rose.”

“Would it help if she was with Ron?” Fred through out.

“That would be amazing, Freddie,” Lacy smiled, looking across the compartment at him. “Do you know where he is?”

“He should just be in the compartment next to us, with Harry Potter,” George explained.

Lacy looked at Cedric with a sad look, and he gave her a knowing look back, as Rosie started shaking more, tears coming to her face.

“Could you to go get Ron?” Lacy asked as Cedric hugged Rosie. “We’ll meet you right outside.”

“Of course,” George agreed, leaving the compartment. Fred got up, but looked at Lacy with a concerned look. “Come on Freddie, let’s leave them be.”

Fred nodded and walked out with George. Lacy watched watched them close the door then joined the hug. “Hey, what’s wrong?” She asked.

“I’m scared,” Rosie sobbed.

“I know, I know. But it’s going to be amazing.”

“I don’t want to leave you two.”

“Oh, Little Rose, you’re not leaving us,” Cedric explained. “You just have to go see what house you’re in.”

“I’m scared. What if I’m not in Hufflepuff…”

“It’ll be okay. You’ll make friends, Rosie.”

“But I don’t want people to pity me,” Rosie cried into Cedric’s chest. Lacy let out a breath as she looked at Cedric, tears forming in her eyes.

Cedric gave Lacy a weak smile as he tightened his grip on Rosie. “Hey, they won’t, Little Rose. And if they do, just come tell me, and I’ll take care of them.”

“Really?” Rosie asked, looking up at him.

“Really.”

“And so will me and the twins.” Lacy added. “We love you, Rosie, and so many others are going to as well.”

“I love you guys,” Rosie let out, hugging them again.

“We love you too, Little Rose.”

The three pulled apart from the hug and stood up. “You ready?” Lacy asked.

“Yeah.” Rosie nodded.

The three walked out and met up with the twins, Ron, and Harry. “Firs’ years!” A big man yelled. “Firs’ years over here!”

Ron and Harry started walking off, but Rosie grabbed Lacy’s hand. “Hey, it’s going to be okay.” Lacy let out, crouching down to be level with her. “Cedie and I are going to be here for you no matter what house you’re in.”

“I love you,” Rosie breathed, hugging Lacy.

“I love you too,” Lacy breathed, kissing her head. “Now, I’ll see you in just a little bit. You’re going to do great!”

Rosie smiled, and walked off with Harry and Ron.

Lacy watched as Rosie walked away, sipping a tear from her face.

“Hey, it’ll be okay, Lace,” Fred let out, grabbing her hand.

“Thanks, Freddie,” Lacy smiled. “I’m just worried about her. She’s always been a shy girl, but it got worse after our uncle died.”

“She’ll be okay, Lace,” Cedric cut in. “She’s strong, a lot like your aunt.”

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animebw · 9 months

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Short Reflection: Fall 2023 Anime

Is it fair to call 2023 a disappointing year for anime? Maybe it's just that 2021 and 2022 were both so above and beyond that coming back down to normalcy from that peak feels like a letdown. But man, between a mostly uninspiring winter lineup and summer being possibly the single worst anime season since seasonal watching started being a thing, there's been plenty to complain about. Thankfully, there's been plenty to appreciate as well, and while this fall season hasn't been truly transcendent, it's at least left us with a slew of worthwhile anime to close the year out. So let's sift through the rubble and rank all the shows I finished to see which ones ended as true must-watches, which are still worth a look, and which you can skip without missing anything.

Firefighter Daigo (1st Half): 4/10

So, remember Space Brothers? Remember how wonderfully that show balanced naturalistic character building with the excitement and beauty of exploring a high-stakes environment like space? Have you been looking for another show to hit that same sweet spot of grounded maturity and tangible whimsy that makes your childhood dream job feel more achievable than ever? Well... guess you better keep looking, because Firefighter Daigo is not that. There's some beautifully nail-biting tension to the rescue sequences themselves, expertly stacking one thing after another going wrong as our protagonists are forced to think on their feet to save lives under the most pressure imaginable. But the characters are utterly bland, the production is boring on a near-inconceivable level (man, remember when this guy directed a single good-looking episode of To Your Eternity and completely failed to live up to that potential ever again?), it wastes over three minutes each episode on recap footage, and it take such a bizarre, condescending attitude toward its one female character that the whole thing left a bad taste in my mouth. It's an overly cheesy puppet show playing at being a real story, and I will not be sticking around to see if its second cours improves in any way.

Stardust Telepath: 4.5/10

Man, I'm frustrated I didn't like this one more. I always appreciate Cute Girls anime that put this much polish and energy into their adaptation, and the concept of socially awkward Umika Konohoshi wishing she could escape this planet to make friends among the stars, only to find her place on earth on her journey to reach there, has all the makings of a coming-of-age masterpiece. Sadly, it's done in by the simplest of failures: melodrama overdose. All the attempts at heartstring-pulling are so overbearing and browbeating that every moment that tries to drag tears from your eyes just leaves you exasperated instead. It completely lacks confidence in its ability to touch your emotions on the quality of its writing alone, so it smothers you in sappy speeches and ear-bleeding Feel Sad Music until you feel like you're choking on the stuff. Not even the top-shelf yuribaiting between the two leads can wipe the frustration away, and I'm about the easiest mark for that kind of stuff as you can imagine. Someone get this forehead-touch almost-kiss telepathy into a better show immediately!

I'm in Love with the Villainess: 4.5/10

I honestly feel back about being so down on I'm in Love With the Villainess. Lord knows I'm always complaining we need more isekai with an actual point to make, and an unapologetically queer take on the shoujo villainess trope that actually has something to say about the lesbian experience amidst the romantic goofery certainly fits that bill. Except, well... I already watched this show when it was called MagiRevo. And when it was called Mage and Demon Queen. And in a world where those two stories basically perfected the "lesbian disaster courts a closed-off tsundere" isekai-adjacent fantasy yarn, there's nothing this show can offer that hasn't already been done so much better. Well, okay, the conversation in episode 3 exploring the pushy protagonist's complex self-loathing relationship with her own queerness was certainly unique, but you end up spending the rest of the show waiting in vain for it to do something that interesting ever again, only to be met with overly tropey writing, cliches, and unexpected swerves into problematic WTF territory instead. There are good ideas here buried here, but it needed a better studio to refine it to the point it needed to be, and it got stuck with Platinum Vision instead. What a shame.

Uma Musume Season 3: 4.5/10

At this point I have to wonder if even Uma Musume is getting tired of its own shtick. It's been three seasons and an OVA of the most melodramatic sports anime histrionics imaginable, and all that shouting and wailing has to get exhausting after a while. And while season 3 is still every bit as overblown and overbearing as the franchise has always been, it also feels like it's poking fun at itself for taking this nonsense so damn seriously. Two characters have a sappy emotional heart-to-heart while furiously paddling a paddleboat. Former protagonist and resident crybaby Special Week's tearful speeches are basically ignored by everyone else in the cast as they keep talking over her and tuning her out. The running gag of the Overly Serious Race Commenters get upstaged by a pair of even older, more seasoned Overly Serious Race Commenters. Hell, even the fact we only get a single idol performance at the very end seems to hint at just how weary this story's become of its own conceit. Uma Musume has always been an overthought, overdesigned mess of a show, so bloated on anime nonsense and ill-matched tropes that it rarely manages to capture anything real amidst the corporate plasticness of it all. But I'm not gonna lie, there's something equally hilarious and depressing about seeing it finally start to admit its own pointlessness.

Ron Kamonohashi's Forbidden Deductions: 5/10

How good does a show have to be at character banter to make up for a failure of writing in pretty much every other respect? That's the question Ron Kamonohashi's Forbidden Deductions seems willed into existence to answer. As a snappy buddy-cop comedy between an eccentric genius detective and his beleaguered straight-man sidekick, it's every bit the equal of 2011's Sherlock. As an actual mystery thriller... it is also, sadly, every bit the equal of 2011's Sherlock. I could watch the titular Ron fail upwards through his case-solving conundrums dragging the hapless rookie detective Toto with him all day. Their chemistry is infectious. It's just a shame the actual detective work is so hacky and contrived, cheap solutions to mostly dull mysteries that never give you that "Aha!" moment of seeing the puzzle pieces come together. And the overarching plot involving prestigious detective academies, shadowy criminal syndicates, and bizarre involuntary hypnosis powers feels like it purposefully ignores every opportunity to explore any ideas deeper than basic shonen moralizing. I might still pop back in for season 2 to enjoy more wacky hijinks between the leads, but if you're looking for something to scratch your mystery itch, give this one a pass.

Arknights: Perish in Frost: 5/10

Now that's more like it! Sort of. Almost. Okay, look, for the first half and change of its run, the second season of Arknights manages to be every bit the improvement on the first season I was hoping for. It streamlines the plot to keep a constant, propulsive forward momentum, pushing its characters forward and keeping the narrative lens focused so it can do justice to all its major players. And it pushes all those disparate factions on a collision course with each other that leads to constant, meaningful consequences and character building, aided by a production that hits its high water marks far more consistently than season 1. It feels like Arknights has shaken off the bloat and become the best possible version of itself, a dark action season with some genuine muscle behind it... at least until we enter the final stretch and the pacing goes absolutely out of control, speeding into a brick wall so fast and recklessly that you're barely able to understand what the fuck just happened by the time it's over. It's shockingly rushed, to the point you feel like you're watching someone recite the Wiki at you while skipping over all the connective tissue that would make these plot points make sense. It's a frustrating end to a season that came so close to being good, and I can only hope any future installments never make that mistake again.

Undead Unluck (1st Half): 5/10

Undead Unluck is host to one of the single most bonkers sci-fi settings I've ever seen, anime or otherwise. From what starts feeling like just our world with some supernatural freaks and weirdos causing havoc, it gradually reveals itself to be something more akin to a nightmarish cosmic RPG in the hands of a mad god, where none of the rules of our world can be taken for granted and reality is only ever a hair's breadth away from turning on its head. It's a deliriously creative premise to build a shonen battle manga out of, and I can't wait to see what other insanity the writers can milk out of this setup. Which is good, because otherwise, hooooooooo boy this one does not get off on a good foot. What fucking genius decided the main duo's dynamic should be built around the guy molesting the girl to make her powers activate? In what universe was building a love story out of that sexual harassment a good idea? I'm sorry, but when you've mistaken a swaggering half-naked dude-bro casually trying to outright assault his partner as cute hot-and-cold couple banter, you have officially lost the plot. Can somebody break into Shonen Jump studios and teach this company how to write a proper romance one of these days? Deku and Uraraka can't carry the whole genre on their back, guys!

Migi and Dali: 5.5/10

Is Migi and Dali a good show? I honestly don't think I could tell you. What it is, is utterly bizarre in everything in does, yet somehow kind of makes it all work? It's a Diamond-is-Unbrekable-esque off-kilter small town murder mystery, with a pair of identical twins pretending to be one kid to fool their new adoptive parents as they search for the person responsible for killing their mother years ago. The whole thing plays like a pitch-black parody of stereotypical suburban life, finding the cracks in the facade of normalcy and ripping them open until your only options are to laugh wildly or cringe wildly at the resulting desecration. And you will do plenty of both all throughout as it ping-pongs from accidental twincest to toddler play to to not-so-garden-variety abuse to Excessive English and basically everything in between. If there's an aspect of your stereotypical boring, domestic family experience that Migi and Dali can twist into a grotesque mockery of itself, it'll do just that and then some. The unfortunate side effect, though, is that it can be hard to tell where the line lies between intentional commentary and just being gross and uncomfortable for its own sake. And when that threatens to veer into some really misogynistic territory in the final act, it becomes even harder to stomach. Still, I can safely say I've never seen anything quite like this show, and considering the manga's author tragically passed away recently, you can't help but respect the people making it for honoring her memory this way.

Shy: 5.5/10

Shy is one of the rare manga I've read before the anime came out, inspired by a friend who came across it at random and it became their favorite manga of all time after just eleven chapters. I wasn't quite as swept away, and I don't think it's maintained the level of quality its first couple arcs had, but man, there's something special about this one. Which is why I am personally begging you not to watch the anime and go straight to the manga, because this adaptation really doesn't do justice to how electrifying and soul-enriching the manga can be. Masaomi Ando's a good director, but his penchant for paneling and stylistic insert shots, an aesthetic which works wonders on heavily atmospheric mood pieces like Toiled-Bound Hanako-kun and Scum's Wish, is completely at odds with the needs of a straightforward superhero battle series. The manga's artwork has this wonderfully sketchy, explosive quality that makes every action panel feel like a rush of cascading moments; here, every action scene quickly descends into a mess of moving jpegs and awkwardly placed insert frames that cripples its ability to wow you. There's enough of the manga's triumphant spirit preserved that it still shakes out decently- the orphanage arc that closes out the first season is wonderful enough to survive any imperfections from page to screen- but if the story of Teru's struggles and self-actualization touched you at all, you owe it to yourself to check out the source material to experience this story in its best form.

The 100 Girlfriends Who Really Really Really Really Really Love You: 6/10

Listen, you know me. You know how much I despise the harem genre. There's barely a single example of the form I consider anything above mediocre slop. So how did a show with this premise manage to get into my good graces? By understanding one simple fact that so few harem anime seem to realize: if you want something this inherently stupid to work? Embrace the fucking stupidity. Throw caution and common sense and good taste to the wind and just go absolutely bugnuts. Why settle for a scant five or six barely interchangeable waifu bait when you can have one hundred distinct and memorable personalities? Why waste time on cheap melodrama that nobody cares about when there are fourth walls to break and scenarios to push far beyond their logical extremes? 100 Girlfriends knows that the only proper form for this genre is sheer anarchy, going so far over-the-top with its jokes and setups that it's impossible not to get swept up in the sheer audacity of it all. And somehow, by imbuing this madcap nonsense with just a drop of sincerity, it actually makes you care about Best Boy Aijou Rentarou and his ever-growing posse of romantic partners as a strangely healthy polyamorous support system for each other. It's far from flawless and good lord is it problematic from top to bottom, but if you can vibe to its particular brand of earnestly empathetic chaos, it's an experience like none other.

Overtake: 6.5/10

Overtake is the most frustrating kind of anime: a really good show that's constantly threatening- but never fully succeeds- at being great. It has all the pieces you could want! A masterful production from veteran directer Ei Aoki that brings the world of Formula 4 racing to life with tactile, lived-in lushness. Characters who breathe far beyond the confines of the screen, rich with inner life and complex relationships where you come to love the rivals just as much as the scrappy underdog protagonists. A story that tackles genuinely moving and mature ideas as it explores what it means to give your all to something, even when the risks may be too horrifying to reckon with. It's as perfectly positioned for greatness as you could ask from a sports anime... and yet it never quite takes off the way you want it to. It's just missing that little extra something to push it over the edge, but for the life of me, I can't figure out what that might be. It's still absolutely worth a look, but as much as I liked it, I'm gonna be stewing over why I didn't love it for a while.

The Ancient Magus Bride Season 2 Part 2: 6.5/10

Alright, that's more what I was hoping for. After a frustratingly slow and plodding first half, the back half The Ancient Magus Bride's second season finally starts paying off all that torturous setup and reminding us that when it wants to, nothing goes harder than Chise's tale of trauma, abuse and recovery, especially now that she's the guiding light for another girl crawling out of pit much like the one she was once trapped in. It's genuinely powerful watching her try to help Philomena out from under a painfully familiar burden, struggling save someone like her while she's still struggling with the scars her own darkness has left on her. And whenever it's focused on that, it's as good as The Ancient Magus Bride has ever been. It's just a shame that whenever all that potent character drama gives way to fae-on-fae magical showdowns, it's some of the ugliest, clunkiest, most poorly staged action in all of fall's lineup. It utterly fails to capture the sense of eldritch awe and wonder this series' magic invokes, leaving it feeling like a shell of itself even when everything else is operating at full capacity. Hopefully, future seasons will take the time they need to bring that aspect up to par, because a series this steeped in the haunting grandeur of its aesthetic cannot afford to cut corners on that aesthetic.

Spy x Family Season 2: 7.5/10

Do my eyes deceive me? A Yor-centric arc? This show finally gives one of its nominal protagonists a turn in the spotlight after ages of underuse with a big, lengthy, consequential story that lets her shine like never before? It's like Christmas came early. I've been up and down about Spy x Family over the course of its run, but the cruise ship arc that dominates this season is everything great about this show operating at the top of its potential, and god damn is it marvelous to watch unfold. If only it was this good on a consistent basis, it would be an easy shoe-in for one of the greatest anime of the decade. But you know what? As long as it keeps delivering highlights like this, I've got nothing to complain about. At this point, Spy x Family has comfortably settled into being a reliably entertaining action-heavy family sitcom with lovable characters and occasional moments of greatness, and if that's all it ultimately amounts to, well, there are far worse things to be. Just please, for the love of god, keep Yuri off screen as much as possible.

Scott Pilgrim Takes Off: 8/10

So cards on the table: the live action Scott Pilgrim vs the World movie is one of my favorite films of all time. It's such a perfect explosion of geeky awesomeness from one of our greatest living directors, managing to push the medium of live action closer to anime than it ever was before or has been since. So the prospect of seeing the original comic actually made into an anime was very exciting to me. How cool would it be to finally see the source material that inspired this movie brought to life, never mind with Science Goddamn Saru pushing the animation into overdrive? But much to my shock- and eventual delight- Scott Pilgrim Takes Off had much more exciting things in mind than simply slapping a decades-old comic series on screen. Instead, it's something closer to an Evangelion-style Rebuild, taking a sharp left and remixing the story and characters with the perspective of a more mature creator, reckoning with his successes and failures alike as he re-assesses the story he was trying to tell and what parts of it still hold value today. It's Scott Pilgrim as told by someone who's outgrown the transient young adulthood central to the narrative, taking stock of his past from an older, wiser perspective and making amends where he fell short before. And as much as I might have liked a straightforward adaptation, what I got instead was so exciting and fresh that I can't complain. If only every anime was this willing to get creative with its source material.

The Apothecary Diaries (1st Half): 8.5/10

Say a prayer and set off some fireworks, folks: the shoujosei renaissance is here! After a years-long drought, the anime industry is finally remembering that stories targeted at women and girls are also worthy of high-profile prestige adaptations instead of settling for barely animated table scraps. And of all the breakout hits we've had this past year and change, none have slapped quite as hard as The Apothecary Diaries, a historical Chinese mystery drama that marries fascinating courtly intrigue with a bitterly honesty exploration of how the lowest rungs of society- women and poor people especially- are systemically crushed by the structures that govern their world. As hilarious as this show can be, it's also unnervingly frank about the darkness the Emperor's courtesans and their servants must reckon with as pawns in a patriarchal society. And it drives that message home with a truly wonderful protagonist in Maomao, a girl who just wants to keep her head down and get through life without drawing unwanted attention from the forces that could easily squash her like a bug, but has too strong a moral compass to look the other way when she sees the people around her suffering from those same injustices. It's the story of a powerless person using all the tools at her disposal to keep the world's cruelty at bay, and watching her struggle to win what small victories she's capable of against such an overwhelming power structure makes for some of the most gripping television I've watched in quite a long time. And if the second cours is even half as good as good, it will still earn its place among the years' best.

Frieren: Beyond Journey's End (1st Cours): 9/10

The big fantasy adventure is over. The demon king is dead, the world is at peace, and the heroes who defeated him slowly grow old and die in the new age they ushered in. All, that is, except Frieren, a near-immortal elf with such a long lifespan that a human's life is a mere drop in the ocean for her. But with the passing of her former party's leader, she realizes just how much the short time she spent on that adventure have affected her. Ten years- a mere millisecond in the life of an elf- has changed the way she sees the world more profoundly than she ever could have dreamed. So she sets out on a journey to retrace the steps of that adventure, to reconnect with her memories of the old friends she's only now realizing she wished she got to know better before it was too late. Along the way she picks up a couple of those friends' young disciples to join her party, walking reminders of the past she left behind and the future that awaits her. And through their travels, she slowly begins to understand humanity and her place within it... and all the experiences she will carry with her long after they've faded into mere memory.

I'll admit, there are times I like being an anime hipster. There's something inherently indulgent, if not exactly healthy, of feeling superior to a mass-market piece of entertainment that you're too Smart and Intellectual to be fooled by. But sometimes, you just gotta call a spade a spade. Sometimes, the weeb consensus gets it really, really right. Yes, Frieren: Beyond Journey's End is every bit as self-evidently spectacular as everyone says it is, so on-its-face magical it's almost kind of insulting. It's a quiet, meditative fantasy exploration of grief, longing, the passage of time, and what it truly means to live a fulfilling life when everything you cherish within it must one day fade into nothing. It's poignant and intimate on a level that's hard to describe, yet equally grand and majestic whenever it wishes. It's also one of the funniest goddamn shows I've watched in a while, with jokes that hit from unexpected, awkward angles that left me rolling on the floor. If his work on Bocchi the Rock hadn't already proven it, this cements Keichirou Saitou as one of our greatest modern anime directors, a master of melding tones and moods and imbuing every shot with vibrant inner life. It's almost disappointing whenever it leans into action; as spectacularly animated as its battles are, it's those quiet moments of grace and warmth that truly make this show something remarkable. Bottom line, Frieren is a runaway leader for 2023's best TV anime, a show we'll be talking about for decades to come. I can't think of a better high note to start 2024 on.

Dropped:

Shield Hero Season 3 (4 Episodes)

My Daughter Left the Nest and Returned an S-Rank Adventurer (3 Episodes)

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sure-to-lure-someone-bad · 1 year

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Do y'all ever remember that we only have Luffy's backstory starting at 7 years old? What was he doing before Shanks? Where was he living? Who is his mom? Where is she? Did he have any friends? Why is he so scared of being alone?

Theory and analysis under the cut

Like, I think about that scene after Ace and Sabo had saved him from Blue Jam's lackeys a lot. Ace asks why Luffy wants to be his friend so bad and Luffy says that being alone is worse than being hurt. That's a child speaking from experience.

I also think about that scene in Chapter 137 where Luffy saves the parent of the baby Lapin even though it had almost killed him and two of his crew.

Maybe this was just showcasing how merciful and kind Luffy can be, but I don't think so. I think, in that moment, Luffy was relating to the baby Lapin. I think Oda was drawing a direct parallel to something Luffy may have experienced as a child, basically giving us a hint to more of Luffy's past. I'm not sure if it was his birth mom or a caregiver, but I think Luffy has been in a situation where a parental figure died because no one was around to help them and Luffy was too young and weak to save them.

I feel like this explains the shadowed eyes in the image. We've seen Luffy save many previous enemies without the indication that Luffy is so personally affected. I could believe that it's because he's worried about his crew, but in the next scene he has a serious expression that would've been plenty fitting on pulling up the Lapin. Maybe I'm overthinking, but I truly think there's more than concern for his crew or anger at the Lapins affecting him here.

On top of that, Luffy having a traumatic experience as a young child where he felt helpless would follow a recurring theme in his character arc. We've seen Luffy at three of his lowest points in the manga where he has been too weak to protect his loved ones.

First, chronologically, was Sabo.

Luffy has always been a passionate kid, so maybe this is his first experience with loss, but I don't think so. This seems like a reaction to feeling like being too weak to save his loved ones is a pattern. Most kids Luffy's age have a hard time grasping death. They might know that it's not a good thing, but most don't understand exactly what it means. It might be different for him because he has been around Grey Terminal, but I doubt it. Yet, he knew instantly what Dogura was saying and what it meant. There was barely a period of shock or denial.

Luffy is experiencing grief at a level of intensity that fits more with someone who knows exactly what death is. I really don't believe that this is his first time losing someone.

Second was being unable to protect his crew from Kuma.

The phrase "What's wrong with me...?!" really stands out to me here. Luffy definitely takes his role as captain seriously and knows that it's his duty to protect his crew, but we know this self-blame is also influenced by the reopening an old wound. He has worked hard for a decade to make sure he was strong enough to protect his people, and here he has failed once again.

Finally, third is the loss of his other older brother, Ace.

This, of course, led to the two year break where Luffy and his crew focused on training and becoming stronger to take on the New World. I would also like to point out that Luffy didn't emotionally stabilize until Jimbe reminded him that he still has his crew. He was grieving his brother, dealing with a sense of helplessness, and feeling alone in the world. Garp may be Luffy's grandfather, but he obviously neglected Luffy. The bandits might have grown on Luffy by the time he set sail, but I don't think Luffy considered them family in the same way as Ace and Sabo. Ace and Sabo were the only family he had until he met his crew. This isn't the grief of someone with a support network and people to motivate him. In this moment, and in all of the time since deciding to go after Ace, Luffy has pushed his nakama out of his mind. This is the grief of someone who has been too weak and feels like there's no one left to even try to protect. Someone all alone.

Luffy's character is one who's weaknesses are loneliness and helplessness, and that implies a lot about his developmental years. I truly believe that Luffy's backstory will involve the death of a parental figure. I also think that Garp either was even more neglectful than we realize or didn't know Luffy existed until he found out through Dragon.

I also think that Luffy's longing for freedom will also tie in somehow. We know he and no one who knew him as a child was a slave for the Celestial Dragons because he didn't recognize the symbol on Hancock, but maybe there was a nami and arlong-esque situation.

I'm so desperate for his backstory 24/7 lmao.

#one piece #op #monkey d. luffy #one piece luffy #one piece theory

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idsfantasy · 10 months

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Okay so, head up, I think your videos are cool and I respect the effort and work you put into theories. I also understand not every theory is going to be actually reflective of views, instead following different roads of logic to see what seems the most likely.

But the big reason why I think robot people being in the games is such a reviled concept by so many people, is that it feels like a lame twist that doesn't really accomplish anything and doesn't really go anywhere. And part of that is the source material it comes from. (Warning: long and emotive analysis incoming)

In the actual Fourth Closet book Charlie being a robot isn't handled well. She's written as a mostly normal human person with internal emotions, struggles, and thoughts only to be completely discarded because she's "not real". As soon as it's revealed, she immediately kills herself and Elizabeth with no narrative buildup, and the only possible resolution is a cliffhanger ending that is never fully explained and left up to speculation. We don't really feel the weight of this on anyone, except possibly John, who never discusses it with anyone and never actually ponders what that might mean beyond feeling bummed the girl he wanted to date is dead and also not human. It also gives Circus Baby a very needlessly convulted backstory for the sole purpose of having her run around in a humanoid form and double down on the henchwoman characterization introduced in FFPS.

It doesn't even really explain much beyond a few strange lines and wonky plot threads, it's a thing that happens and despite Charlie being a protagonist she doesn't really get to react to this.

Sammy is completely dismissed as a concept despite it being such a big deal in TSE and TTO and the whole point of Charlie's arc of acceptance and grief. And we get one line saying he's actually alive... and living with the mother Charlie herself mentions talking to in the past. It's a mess.

The only character who is made more intresting and given more weight by this reveal is Henry. Because it changes perception from "flawed man struggling with mental health but ultimately a very loving to father" to "all the above but also with those flaws much more prevalent and damaging". It's fascinating because what he does is incredibly messed up on so many levels, yet entirely understandable. Henry in the novels is a straight up antagonist, not a villian, and not actively malicious, but someone very poorly coping and causing harm by proxy. And that's reflective of a lot of people who are understandably struggling and need support, but at the same time refuse help and find themselves sinking deeper while their loved ones feel helpless. It's deeply tragic, and leaves Henry being a much more nuanced character, mainly because of the fact Charlie doesn't know quite how to feel about him. When she's still allowed to have thoughts, at least.

The whole point of the Charliebots is that grief and loss can make vulnerable people susceptible to delusion, and how that effects the children around them. Both the Charlie-bot and Circus Baby are shaped around trying to conform to a grieving parent who wants them to fill a role that at a certain point, they simply can't. The moment Charliebot stopped living past the age of three, she simply wasn't reflective of that real little girl anymore. She was someone new, based on the hopes and dreams her family had for her. The Charliebots are so so intricately linked to this theme, that I really feel removing the idea of androids from it is kinda insulting to the whole premise.

William blatantly says he couldn't build robots like that, Circus Baby is build upon a failed experiment her modified for his own use, even the Twisteds were implied to be a joint effort. He also simply didn't see his kids in the same way, I truly don't believe he would drive himself to that same point of delusion for kids he just doesn't love.

I've seen some fanauthors right really compelling narratives around these ideas, but they simply aren't in the actual texts. To approach something purely logistically is to deny to narrative and emotional potential of it.

Yes, it's 100% possible. I don't doubt Scott might try to do it. But that doesn't make it impactful. So if he doesn't want to engage with the premise outright, and doesn't say it outloud, then why should I care either? If he's not going to committ to the idea and explore it, then neither am I.

Glad you generally like my videos! And I understand that perspective, but I disagree. Honestly, I think robot people works great thematically for the modern era.

Ithink part of the interest with Charlie being a robot is that she's a robot, but she IS alive. She's not the original Charlie, but because of Henry's emotions she has her own soul.

With William, his goal iirc wasn't to create a human *looking* robot. His goal was to find a way to create that same spark of life that Henry did, but he wasn't able to. Elizabeth was the closest but she's still an actual human soul inside a robot.

When I suggest that robot people are present in the modern games, I don't think they were made out of love, and I don't think they have that artificial soul that Charlie in the books had, hence the connections to CC and Elizabeth. Heck, we know for a fact that there are robot people present in Tales, so why would that be impossible in the games? The issue wasn't making a human looking robot, it was giving said robots life.

Just because we can't see the end goal at the moment doesn't mean there isn't one. Additionally, assuming Scott isn't going to engage with the premise or saying it out loud is probably something to steer clear of. After all, the main evidence I use for Gregbot isn't the weird vision or him looking like the Crying Child, but the wall code in the Sister Location room that describes Gregory in SB to a T while also saying "I built the breath they hunt drawn to life not real still keen" etc. That seems pretty "out loud" to me given the obscurity of most things in these games tbh.

So I do think Scott has committed to the idea. That's why there are 3 robot people in Tales. That's why there are 2 Vanessas. That's why there's the wall code in SB. To me, it seems as though the themes of Help Wanted and onward are highlighting where the line is drawn between the real and the artificial, the virtual and genuine. And imo, having characters who blur the line between the mechanical world and the real and the spiritual adds pretty well to that whole theme. We just haven't seen everything play out yet since we're only partway through the arc.

I understand if you disagree, but I think writing it off as something to consider would be the wrong move personally. Hope you have a nice day :D

#I am very much a robot person defender lol #fnaf #five nights at freddy's #fnaf security breach #five nights at freddy's security breach #fnaf vanessa #vanessa fnaf #gregbot #gregory fnaf #fnaf gregory #tales from the pizzaplex #william afton #circus baby #elizabeth afton #charlie emily #fnaf crying child #answered asks

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thenarddogmeister · 6 months

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Poor Things. Yorgos Lanthimos. 2023

WOW. Poor Things was great. I was too tired to write a more formal review so I have compiled a collection of thoughts - mostly what I loved about the film.

Firstly, I loved the diverse and nuanced representations of all genders in this film. The film obviously explores themes surrounding feminist theories such as the ethics of sex work or the toxic masculine urge to own women and instead of falling into the trap of having really two dimensional characters, we see a diverse group of characters and ideas. For example, we see Mark Ruffalo's misogynistic character in a constant attempt to own and control Bella Baxter but we also see Harry, who engages in intelligent conversation with Bella and encourages her freedom inspiring travel. Speaking of the idea surrounding men trying to own women, we can use the diverse character selection to demonstrate how Lanthimos presents us with three-dimensional and well thought out themes and ideas. Willem Dafoe's character, who pays a macabre paternal figure to Bella, also tries to control and trap Bella. Sure, he does it to protect her but it still entraps the maturing and individual woman. This complex male representation (by having two men do the same thing but with different motives) reflects the world more authentically as many fathers try and control their daughters under the guise of protection but ultimately it just perpetuates the unfortunate truth, which is that women have limited power and autonomy in the world.

This same complexity can be seen when analysing Ruffalo's character even further. He is the cause of a lot of the comedic chimes throughout the film, which can be very entertaining to watch but expertly, Lanthimos is careful to also express the danger these men can pose. Duncan (Ruffalo) can be seen as entertaining but Lanthimos ensures to capture his aggression towards Bella and the danger that it poses (she is eventually kidnapped by him in a creepy and frustrating sequence). Moreover, this theme is developed later with the introduction of Alfie, who we see as extremely domineering and scary whilst he too kidnaps Bella at gunpoint in a tense and unnerving sequence.

I also loved the choice to create such a surrealist environment. From the ultra-wide camera lenses to the dreamy set designs, it all felt so surreal. I think (as a woman) this reflects a woman's experience in an interesting yet identifiable way. Navigating the world as a woman growing up can be very confusing especially as the mass amount of societal pressures and rituals that women are subjected to begin to weigh down upon you without any explanation why. Suddenly men are catcalling you, boys are talking over you in class and you feel super uncomfortable and guilty when wearing shorts around men but you don't understand why. Being a woman can feel uncomfortable and scary in this world but thanks to Lanthimos' sensitivity when exploring these ideas, he makes sure to also represent how positive it can be to be a woman. He does this by making his sets, albeit surreal, extremely beautiful. I immediately think of the candy-floss esque pastel colours in the sky as Bella stands on the roof in Lisbon or the enchanting song we hear as Bella explores this new country, which is made extra significant as the camera slowly pushes in to Bella's subtly awe-struck face in a shot, reverse shot sequence between her and the musician. The musician was a local woman, which supports Lanthimos' reoccurring theme in the film of solidarity between woman and how enriching that can be.

Now, I know a criticism of the film is the explicitness of Bella's sex life despite not knowing her mental age. Whilst I understand these criticisms, I think it is implied that she has matured enough to engage in sex as her speech develops to an adult-ish level and she discusses in a blunt and intelligent way (a staple of Lanthimos' filmography) the reasoning behind her choices, even if it is the simple desire for sex. Also, I think this ambiguity could add to the film's interest in exploring women's debates. The age of consent is something that is greatly debated and different all around the world. Many recognise that it is used as a legality to absolve older men of any legal trouble when engaging in sexual activity with younger women. Moreover, maturity and a readiness for sex cannot be quantified by a certain age as all women are different and it circles back to this idea of men controlling women and deciding what is right for them. By keeping Bella's exact age a mystery, we are forced to contemplate the age of consent and how we should treat women who decide they want to have sex.

I loved this film for its themes, performances, score, aesthetics and more so I would absolutely re-watch it (and plan to in the near future) as well as recommend it to everyone.

#film #film review #cinema #movies #yorgos lanthimos #emma stone #mark ruffalo #poor things #oscars 2024 #academy awards #feminism #feminist

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