#like i think it's a solid choice that makes both those sides of her character more cohesive

[solilakoi]

Monster High March Day 3: Toralei Dancing

Idk why, but as I drew this I imagined her dancing to I Am A Poseur by X-Ray Spex.  Has that kind of aggressive “I dont give a fuck” and abrasive-on-purpose energy that I think Toralei revels in.

[penvisions]

of beskar and kyber {chapter 8}

Pairing: Din Djarin x Force Sensitive! Reader (the Mandalorian x Force Sensitive! Reader)

Summary: You're slowly getting back to a semblance of yourself after being given a life altering choice.

Word Count: 4.2k (it's a short one, apologies)

Warnings: WE GOT SHIRTLESS DIN Y'ALL, canon typical violence, canon typical fighting, trauma, ptsd, nightmares, illness, reader throws up, allusions to past SA (not detailed), gun violence

A/N: this was a rather hard chapter for me to crank out, i wasn't sure how much of reader's personality would immediately show after the events of the last chapter, but i think i managed to do a decent job that doesn't make it feel like it's a different character altogether. she will come out of her shell more throughout the next couple of chapters as she gets used to traveling with our dear mandalorian as an equal

ao3 link || series masterlist || main masterlist

The clearing was silent as the sun made its rise into the sky, displaying an enticing view of warm pinks and deep oranges that bled into the soft blue of the still waning night sky. Your gaze was locked with the visor across from you, so far and yet still closer than anyone had dared to approach you, with an offer no one had dared to extend to you before. But it didn’t feel real, it felt like a ploy despite the fluttering in your stomach at learning the name of the man who you had spent so much time with.

“How do I know this isn’t a trick, Din Djarin?” You spoke with more control than you truly had, voice strong despite the waning tears that now stained your face and left your eyes tinged with a telltale pinkness of their occurrence. Mind working to calculate the situation playing out, an edge of clarity to your eyes now that the high emotions had all but rushed out of your lips in outraged pleas. A new facet of who you were, of how you survived for so long, taking it in and mentally checking it, much like you were doing with the man across from you.

“My name… I have not spoken it aloud since I was a boy. I have not shared it with anyone,” Din took a step toward you, your body instinctively took a step back despite the fluttering in your middle at the confession. It was a warm feeling akin to the heat thoughts of him blazed underneath your skin in the darkness of night, but far more innocent. At the part of him he was willing to give to you, even after you threatened to kill him. “I…. want to share it with you, to prove to you that I will not harm you and give you something in return that could harm me if it were to leave the two of us.”

This was all so new, different sides of the alluring mystery you both posed to each other.

“You saved my life twice, when you had no reason to.” His words were strong, though there was a caressing of emotion in them you had only been allowed to glimpse before. “You deserve the same, you deserve to be saved, given a choice.”

It was hard to believe him, believe the words, the offering he was extending to you. You were sure he could pinpoint the conflicting emotions as they passed over your face. Positive in your very soul that he could tell you had never been handed a choice before and were confused over, especially coming from someone initially hired to capture you.

“It was the right thing to do.”

“As is this.”

“You- you want me to travel with you?”

“Yes, I would be honored to have you aboard the ship.” His tone was solid, with no hint of hesitancy or fraud in his words as they sounded in the air. “You are a strong fighter, a survivor.”

“Free?”

“You are free, I will do my best to ensure it until you wish to part ways.”

“What…what if I do something you don’t like or speak out of place?” The words you wanted to say died in your throat to allow for those ones to come to life. The confession of wanting to remain with him until he no longer wanted you around nearly slipping from your lips as the conversation continued. Because that’s what it was, a conversation. You weren’t being talked at or down to, he was talking to you, with you. He had begun to do so the second you had boarded his ship, even knowing the dynamic that he had initiated by taking you from that compound.

“I will not raise a hand to you, I’ve promised you that already.”

“I’m annoying, I say things under my breath, I-I-I…I’m selfish.”

“Then we can be so together.” A deep chuckle decorated the air of the clearing, making your heart stutter for a reason other than fear and anxiety for the several times since he entered your life. The sound was beautiful, and your selfish tendencies were already returning to you. You wanted more of it, of that sound, of being able to draw that sound out of him.

“Y-yes.”

He closed the distance of the clearing and came up toward you with his hands at his sides as he approached, the rising sun catching his amor in a mesmerizing way. He walked past your still form toward the wall of trees surrounding the space, retrieving the heavy pack he knew you had hidden in the brush. He hauled it onto his shoulder, his cloak billowing more with the weight resting along the upper part of it along his back. “Let’s get everything back on board before some food. Then we can rest after traveling all night.”

You felt a shy smile come over your lips, liking the sound of ‘we’ after being alone for so long. You reached for one of the trunks and hauled it up, following his lead back toward the ship. His steps faltered as he looked over his shoulder and saw the expression. You quietly asked him if he was alright, getting a nod from the man in response.

The hammock from your new pack was secured to the walls of the ship, off in the corner opposite of Din’s small personal quarters, near the wall that made up the back entrance to the ship. Your bag was atop it, heavier now with the other items you had purchased while in town with the villagers just yesterday. A time that felt so long ago, when you were worried about having to bide your time and make a run for it, run away from the man you could feel crossing the space of the hold toward you.

You jumped clean off the floor of the hold when a crate was set down with a loud thunk and you spun on your heels to face the sound. He was rather close as was the sound and your hand was tight around the handle of your saber, instinctually reaching for it. It should alarm you how used you were to his presence that it didn’t register how little distance was between the both of you, but you pushed that thought down to inspect at a later time.

You turned in time to see him using his right leg to scoot in neatly underneath the space below the hammock. There was enough room beneath it and the top of the storage to accommodate the weight of your body while resting.

“For you, for your…things.”

You nodded at him, aware of the weight of his visor taking in the small space you had claimed for yourself. Worry flared for a moment, worry that you had chosen a bad spot or infringed on his space in a way he hadn’t anticipated. It all tapered out of you in a shaky exhale, hands letting go of your weapon as you realized you had clenched your hand tight around it, your knuckles creaking with the effort and your fleeting, overwhelming emotion. Turning back around, you began to unload the pack into the open space of the crate with a small ‘thank you’.

“There…is a small cabin behind the flight room.” He reached out and his gloved hand gently turned you around, so you were facing him fully. You let him do so, your heart hammering in your chest at the casual contact, at his words. “We can make it your own space, more privacy than here in the hold.”

“I don’t want to intrude-“

“You wouldn’t, yours if you want it.”

Your body betrayed you at his words, at the phrasing. You felt your skin tingle as a whoosh of desire flared hot in your middle and your mind decided to recall the feel of his bare hands. You ducked your head, unable to keep a somewhat shared look with him as you pulled slowly from his light grip on your arm.  His hand lingered, brushing down the side of your arm to blossom comfort with his touch, as if he was aware of the waring emotions you were experiencing.

“I’ll…think about it.”

He leaned in close, helmet coming to rest on your forehead in another comforting action. Fingers reached out to wrap around his elbows before you realized you were even moving, reaching.

“I asked you to stay, mesh’la. Please don’t feel like you’re unwanted here.”

Lifting your eyes to gaze into the visor, you felt a shudder of something faint make its way down your spine. You were sure the man could feel the way your body reacted to it, this close to you. You could only nod in response to his words, your own too jumbled in your chest to voice.

With a slow nod in return, he was back over on the other side of the space, taking a seat at the makeshift table. The Child was atop it, exploring the food packages around him with excited gurgles. You felt a soft smile pull at your lips as you watched him, so excited with such a simple thing.

“The village packed us a lot of food, you’re welcome to any of it.”

“Oh, um, I…ate in town.” You shuffled on your feet, turning back to the small corner and began to unpack the items you had purchased in the village. “I wasn’t sure when I would get to eat next.”

It was quiet for a few heartbeats, the man focused on opening some of the wrapped bundles.

“You were going to run, even if that transmission hadn’t come through.” He wasn’t asking for confirmation, he was stating it as if he had been privy to the way your mind had been running, like it was second nature for him to know about the things that had occurred in your mind and influenced your actions. Maybe it was, to an extent. Having traveled with him for some time now.

“Yes.”

“I was going to leave a note.” You admitted, eyes falling closed as you gathered yourself. You didn’t reach for anything as you sat atop the other makeshift seat of a crate. Hands in your lap as you spoke, eyes still trained on the Child and his many noises.

Your lips quirked up when his small form turned to you with an outstretched hand. He was clutching a kebob in his little claw, cooked krill pieces skewered onto it. When you reached a hand out to take it, he fussed, shaking his head with a grumble. A soft laugh bubbled up as you opened your mouth and leaned closer to him. That seemed to be what he wanted, and he giggled freely as he watched you tear the topmost piece away with your teeth and began to chew it. Bringing a hand up to cover your mouth, you exaggerated a nod at him to let him know you liked the taste.

He turned his attention to Din and held his hand out once again.

A shake of the helmet made him frown, a little angry grunt sounding from his chest. He mimicked Din, shaking his head and then brandishing the kebob at him in a wave. He bumped it against the front of the helmet, right where Din’s mouth would be. And again, and again. It was making the only noise in the ship other than the odd beeping sound or so that signaled things were up and running.

With a deep sigh, one of Din’s hands came up and pressed something just underneath the front of the helmet, where it settled over his chin. The hiss of the helmet decompressing startled you and your heart thudded in your chest as froze in place across the makeshift table. Surely he wouldn’t just expose himself so casually…? The Creed of the Mandalorians forbade the removal of the helmet, and while that wasn’t the case for all of them, it was a rather important factor in the practice that Din took part in, that he was raised in. The hint of a strong jaw covered in dark scruff was visible as he quickly leaned forward and took a bite from the offered stick.

Just as quickly as the helmet had been lifted ever so slightly, it was set back in place.

The Child’s happy giggles echoed off the walls. He turned back to you with a large, toothy smile. Willing your heart to calm down, you returned the smile with a soft one of your own.

A shout ripped from your throat, and you were thrashing around as your mind was ripped from its stream of unconsciousness. Heart thudding painfully in your chest, panting with the effort to catch your breath, you sat up from the hammock, swinging your legs over the side of it. It was swinging with your harsh movements, the supports of it groaning with the actions. The door to the personal quarters across the hold slid open and Din’s form filled the doorway, a blaster in his hand.

You were shaking, body humming with adrenaline as your mind had decided to replay a rather harsh memory from your captivity. The roaring in your ears prevented you from hearing Din cross the space, moving toward you in nothing but his helmet and a pair of sleep pants. His gentle hands on your knees startled you and you kicked out at him, sending him stumbling back onto his backside and palms to catch himself.

“It’s me, mesh’la.”

You shook your head, bringing your hands up to cover your ears. Your throat constricted and the words you were trying to say warbled out incoherently.

“What do you need?” Din’s voice was dulled, as if you were hearing things through a tunnel. Your vision was blurry as you opened your eyes, blinking away the remnants of the nightmare. It was then that you realized you were crying, tears spilling over your lash line to race down your cheeks. They dripped off the end of your chin, splattering to the floor.

“W-water.” You managed to choke out, your skin feeling so caked in filth and the phantom touches from the men who had held you captive. Poor choice of words, you mused as Din moved to gather a pouch of water from atop the makeshift table. You were shaking your head as he turned back around with it in his hands. He could see the way your muscles twitched even from the short distance, your body reacting strongly to whatever your mind had decided to conjure up during your sleep.

“I need to clean. I feel- I feel their hands all over me.” You were pushing up from the hammock, holding a hand to your mouth as nausea roiled hot in your middle. Rushing across the hold toward to fresher, the door hissed shut just as Din caught sight of you crumpling to the floor in front of the toilet basin and heaving the contents of your stomach.

The sound of the shower running had Din standing in front of the door to the fresher with a change of clothes for you in his hands. He had gathered one of his shirts, recalling the way you had held the first one up to inhale his scent back on Sorgan. A small comfort he could offer you when words failed him, as they so often did, but especially in the wake of what just happened. The knock that sounded from his bare knuckles had you jumping underneath the spray of hot water raining down on your body.

Pausing in your frantic scrubbing, your head shot up and focused on the door through the frosted glass of the shower stall.

“Got you a change of clothes.” Din’s voice sounded muffled through the metal of his helmet and the shut door to the small room. “I can set the helmet to another setting and place them on the sink for you.”

“Th-thank you.” Hopefully he understood with your minimal response that what he was saying was alright with you. He seemed to understand, because the door hushed open, and his broad form filled the space of the room. You watched through the glass paneling as he placed a bundle of dark clothing down atop the sink. His helmet never turned toward you despite knowing he could feel the weight of your own gaze upon him. He left as swiftly as he had appeared, allowing you to finish your shower in privacy.

When you emerged from the fresher with damp hair and a new outfit that consisted of a baggy shirt and pants, the hold was empty. There was a single light left on the wall that held the ramp settled into while it wasn’t activated, illuminating the space in soft light. Your eyes landed on a steaming cup of something left on the table, watching the wafts of heat climb into the air. Smiling to yourself, you moved to take a seat and reached to cradle the hot ceramic in your hands.

You were nestled back in the hammock after finishing the warm broth, the liquid helping to sooth your settling stomach. Despite the comfort of an added blanket and the relaxing residual warmth from your shower, you couldn’t help but wring your hands where they rested atop your middle. Din had checked on the ship’s course before returning to his own space. The hush of his door nearly shutting closed the space off and left a weighted silence in its wake.

Settling down further into the blankets, a muffled sob made its way through your body, and you quickly clamped a hand down over your mouth to stifle it. Eyes darting to the small sliver of space that Din had left his door open to see if it traveled across the space toward him. Nothing akin to fear or worry or the instinct to run washed over you as a bulb lit up and his hand bare hand suddenly appeared and was shoving the door open with swift motions. He was across the space in a few long strides, the fabric of his sleep pants swishing around his legs with the speedy, tempered movement.

As soon as he was close enough, he was leaning over to place his hands underneath the curve of your knees and along your upper back, your hands going up around his neck as if they were made just for that. The blanket fell away from you as he lifted you into his arms, turning away from the set up you had made for yourself.

He carried you across the space back toward the door and it shut behind him as he settled you both into the small bed atop the cot that took up a majority of the space. His body was a warm line beside you, your arms loosening from around his neck to fill the space between your bodies atop the mattress. His hands busy pulling the discarded blanket up around you both, letting it settle around your hips.

Eyes trained on him across from you, breath labored as you took in the bare expanse of his chest. Nearly all of his bronze skin was on display in the dull light that probably needed replacing. Fingers twitching in an effort to not cross the space and run them over the temptation that was so close. You pulled your bottom lip between your teeth, eyes closing to shield yourself from the want. As he spoke lowly to you, the rumbling timber of his voice caressed over you in a muffled sound.

When you opened your eyes back up from a long blink, the confusion in them let him know you had no clue as to what he had just said. His chest expanded as he took a deep breath and deflated as he let it out in a sigh.

“San,” The sound of your name had you focusing on the visor of the helmet looking down at you as he sat partially up on his elbow. His other arm reached out for you, hand encompassing your cheek as he repeated his soft-spoken words. You leaned into his touch, something you couldn’t find it in yourself to be ashamed of or embarrassed about at the moment. It just was, it was right, there was no thinking about it. “Do you want me to turn the light out?”

You reached out tentatively, fingers still twitching with the effort it was taking to restrain yourself from lunging at the man and wrapped your arms around the broad expanse of his bare chest. Fingers digging into his shoulders as you clung to him. Nodding in an answer to his careful question as you buried your head into the crook of his neck. His body moved around and underneath you to turn the light out, shrouding you both in darkness.

The helmet hushed against the fabric of his pillow as he laid down completely beside you. His strong arms came around you and pulled you flush against him, his legs tangling with your own beneath the blanket. Eyes already fluttering shut, you let out long exhale that faltered near the end. You were feeling completely at ease in the wake of that horrible nightmare, safe in this enclosed space, wrapped up in his arms, surrounded by the scent you associated with him.

The feeling of his even, steady pulse humming through his skin where your face was pressed into his neck lulled you into a peaceful sleep.

“I’ve got you.”  

The next morning, or what you assumed was the morning, due to time being hard to keep track during long space travel. It was something you weren’t sure you would ever get a handle on, not having much experience with longer space travel with the focus of seeking out hideaways. The ship had just dropped out of hyperspace, Din having set a random location in order to rest for the night with less threats. He was currently in the cockpit and you quelled the minor nerves at seeking him out after the breakfast you had made an effort to down alongside the Child.

You were cradling him on a hip as you climbed the ladder leading to the partial upper floor, his happy babbling announcing your arrival to the armored man before you physically entered the room. Setting him down in the chair to the right of the door, you turned your attention to the front of the room.

“I chose Tatooine, a few years ago.” Your voice was quiet, nearly a whisper as you walked up behind the pilot’s chair. Eyes trained on the hologram display of nearby planets. “My hideout should still be intact if the sands haven’t swallowed it. I had just installed new moisture farming equipment before…”

Tatooine looked much the same way as it did all those years ago when you picked it out of all the options you had assembled for a good hideout. Washed out and pale as you gazed at the display of the planet before you.

“That’s where….I thought we were when you took me from that compound.”

“Its an easy mistake to make, both are mostly open desert.” He was watching you as you flipped through the rest of the planets displayed as possible locations for the ship to land next, though he had already programmed it for Tatooine. The ships settings displaying as much when you checked the flight path. You could feel the weight of his visor on you as you boldly did so, not having asked to enter the control room let alone mess with the things he was organizing. You turned to face him with a deadpan look, punctuated by a single raised brow and mouth tight in a firm line.

“A fool’s mistake.”

“You’re not a fool, those kriffng bandits were.”

“Landscape here is more limestone, red rock more prominent on Arvala-7.” You gestured to the display with a wave of your hand.

Any other conversation to be had was put on hold the second a warning alarm trilled from the control panel. It was only a second’s notice before blaster shots landed on the starboard side of the ship. Your legs tensed as you tried to keep your balance through the turbulence, hands going out to grip onto anything within reach. It happened to be the armrest of the pilot’s chair. Your head swiveled around to see the Child’s frantic look, eyes wide and sounds of upset falling from him in a steady stream.

“Dank ferrick, we got someone on our tail. Sit down and buckle up, mesh’la.”

previous chapter || next chapter

taglist: @moonknight-s-cumdump @js-favnanadoongi

[pinkandpurple360]

the instas were always a big problem with how the show is written I think

at first it was just fun little updates the characters were doing, but whoever ran Stolas' acc made him way nicer than show Stolas (and agreed that S1 was as best as he got writing wise, if what they were going for was 'actually flawed and interesting') so it got super inconsistent and weird real quick when previous 'Consent is King, telling people off for insinuating he'd take advantage of a drunk Blitzo' insta Stolas suddenly started referencing the full moon deal

the big hiatus between ep7 and s2 left the instagrams just delaying Stolas and Blitzo having their monthly meet up again to avoid resolving it before the show could (like one month Stolas told Blitzo he was ill and called it off, I forget how they avoided it the rest of the time) until Blitzo inexplicably turned up at Stolas' place with the book before s2 dropped in an insta post, leaving fans assuming they'd resolved the issue off screen

then seeing stars dropped and they both acted like nothing ever happened. the writing was just nonstop fumbles from the circus but ep2 was when fans started suspecting it wasn't a one off bad ep but a trend

God what a mess. They should never have led people on with false hope about him being a pro consent guy, in reality not only would stolas be the one to get blitz drunk while himself is sober, he’d probably spike his drink on top of that. Then have his passionate whatever with him unconscious.

I 100% think it’s too late to pretend murder family didn’t happen, you could characterise it as that being his dark side that Octavia doesn’t know about. He only treats blitzø that way, and says if he ever tried to tell anyone “nobody would believe a word” (this is consistent with his character) While his tender side with Via is one reserved only for her, but the more he abuses blitzø and becomes a monster, the further away he drifts from her. And to make things more twisted, since the only way he knows how to show love is by being a father to a scared small child, this explains exactly why he babies and demeans Blitzø, because he forces him into the role of a scared child. I can see there being a scene where Blitz has a nightmare in his bed, and he holds him in his lap and does the starry night trick. If via saw that it could send her spiralling, but not before she noticed the handcuff on the imps wrist chained to the bedpost. More of dads weird kink games…right? So why isnt dad wearing one?

He could be a nasty but multifaceted abusive character. Nobody else in the cast suits the role of villain better. Even kind people in other ways are villainous. And he’s the biggest antagonistic force to IMP. He alone created the striker feud.

Did you see how terrifying he was in some of the Halloween and Christmas merch? Tying B up in ropes against his will? The Halloween one-Where he’s behind the four holding his hands up and smirking?? That’s clearly the bad guy. Not striker. Does striker have an insta? I hope they make one for fizz now actually…

I remember that one post “stols is sick so partying with the fam” he looked so happy 😢 that he didn’t have to go screw him. Cause he loves being around his friends MnM, his daughter, those are the people he loves and will choose every time. As he should. Now he’s trying to get barbie and fizz back in his life, two more people he loves. Those are a solid five people he loves and cherishes. He’ll be fine without this guy.

Seeing stars was weird because we have blitz absolutely terrified to call stolas in case he hurts or kills them all. His own daughter ran away while he was abusing imps and screaming at Stella. Blitzø is in the office rocking back and forth and hyperventilating about the idea. But it’s not their fault via ran away, her dad was being a monster. And moxxie is calmly telling him they have no choice. When he arrives he’s screaming at them, destroyed the door, and we see moxxie and Millie terrified and shaking. “He seems to like you sir” and he says “my dick is good but it’s not that good moxxie” that is so gross….then they try feed us shit that he’s actually super weak in the human world (no he isn’t) have a cute sassy moment. Woobify Blitz into making baby eyes at his human form…they both insult each other, stolas forced him into a panic attack on stage and sexualised him again. Ozzies is mentioned over text.

What a MESS

[physalian]

Crutch Tropes #1: “I just want to be normal.” 

One cannot write a sensical story that is completely devoid of tropes, much less completely immune to the audience presuming tropes whether you intend them or not. In short: Tropes are not, and have never been, the “problem”.

The problem isn’t even that some become clichés. The problem is when writers use tropes in place of actual character development and detail, because they think just stamping the trope on the page suffices. This isn’t usually done maliciously, either, it’s from inexperience at best, or ego at worst.

Every trope can be a writing crutch—as in, its mere existence gives the illusion of depth where there isn’t any—but there’s a whole subset of tropes that become annoying and exhausting clichés when they don’t have to be. I think they can still be implemented as solid story and character choices with a little TLC thrown their way.

I already wrote about lacking buildup for major character beats and how they’re clearly written to make the audience angry or scared or to pick a side or fall in love, and here is one of the most egregious.

—

No one who’s just been shown the secret otherworld of every fantasy reader’s dreams wants to be “normal”. This line gets thrown around to drive early conflict between the reluctant chosen one and their new badass friends, as if entering this new otherworld or accepting these new powers or responsibilities in any way makes their generic and “normal” life worse.

The writer knows this, otherwise they wouldn’t be banking on the super cool awesomeness of the world they just created to sell books.

The best instances of this trope are well into the story where the character can see and has likely suffered the downsides of this otherworld. Or, a seasoned veteran character comes to terms with the fact that they've given their life to this entity and never got the chance to be normal. By that point, the audience is already endeared to them and right in this mess with them. At the start of the story, we have no idea who this person is.

How to fix: These powers/attention/responsibilities are actually a serious threat and detriment to the character’s ability to live their life and being “normal” is something they have actually never known. “Normal” becomes a gift. Or, the character has a very clear idealized “normal” and the plot is in the way of it.

Without this addition, “I just want to be normal” feels empty and cheap, because most of us readers are “normal”, and can’t empathize with a whining protagonist who we all know will come around eventually.

This trope also loses its teeth when the character cannot define what “normal” they want. Many chosen ones are already written in the midst of their tragic backstory and already don’t live an average life compared to the average reader, but they don’t complain about not being “normal” until they’re dragged out of their miserable existence into the way cooler plot.

But many chosen ones are also just average people, who inexplicably turn down amazing adventures because they just… really want to be homecoming queen, or really love slinging burgers, or taking the bus to school, or doing homework. No one with that life wants to be “normal”, and none of those characters ever articulate just what’s so special about this life.

—

Perfect example of both versions of this solution:

Princess and the Frog: Tiana wants to open her restuarant and wants nothing to do with romance or an adventure. Naveen stands in the way of her "normal" every chance he gets. Tiana's quest is never for romance, it's to undo the magic spell that she got dragged into on accident, and romance is just a happy byproduct.

The Lightning Thief: Being a demigod sounds cool, but the survival rate of these tragic heroes into adulthood, much less 16, is very low, and the book narrative makes it very clear that these so-called heroes are really just beasts of burden doing the gods' dirty work. Percy may not want to continue living exactly the way he is, but at the start of the book, he doesn't give a damn about helping his deadbeat godly dad. When he yearns for normalcy, we can all see why.

—

What is their normal and why do they want it? What are they already doing, or what do they wish would happen, to obtain that idyllic normalcy? I wrote this post about humanizing your characters, and if you’re going to write this blip in the hero’s journey, this is your chance to get as vivid and specific as you can about what this character sees as their perfect life.

[guilty-pleasures21]

After watching Tombstone, I can't help but wonder what Dara or Ali (both if you're up to it) would think of a reader who's like Doc Holiday.

Sick as a dog at a CONSTANT but remains hella strong and fierce in combat. Dies sometimes, but always comes back, and is always ready for a fight. Like- lemme grab short scenes

https://youtube.com/shorts/9tjNYAQLhM0?si=xwbCP5qaXK4V1nMb

https://youtube.com/shorts/c0zP2QRXkrg?si=qTKrMlQkuUdfkld-

https://youtube.com/shorts/bEymttt_6T4?si=pj7eV9JQHPmim86q

What makes it better is that Doc beat everyone's ass.

Hey hey! So nice to hear from you again @queen-shiba ! 🥰

I watched the clips and OH MY GOD I LOVE this guy!!! He's so cool, I think I might just watch the movie myself!

I did my best to try emulate his character in the form of a female reader and I really hope it works, but I'm always happy to try again if you're not happy with it!

Also, I'm going to split what I've written into two parts, a) so it isn't too long and b) because I added some smut (with my love Dara, of course 🥺) and I'm not sure if you want that, so I'm separating it into a part 2 just in case you don't want to read it (if you do though, just let me know and I can tag you when I release it 😊).

The end of this town

Part 1

Part 2

Warnings: depictions of violence

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

Ali followed behind Dara as he led X into the tavern. He still couldn’t believe what he’d just witnessed, especially when he glanced over at X and saw the way she stumbled over to the table Dara had found. Ali took the seat across from them, his curious gaze still trained on X as she slumped over the table tiredly.

“Delam?" (My heart?) Dara bent over to catch X’s eye after ordering them some food and drinks - she needed to get her energy back after all the magic she’d just spent on helping them escape. “The food will be here in a bit. Don’t worry, you’ll be all right.” Ali leaned over the table, eyes wide with disbelief.

“She’ll be all right?!” he repeated incredulously. “What about the entire village she almost decimated?!”

They’d chanced upon a quaint settlement whilst on their way to find X’s mother - the great Banu Manizeh. Of course, Ali had made his objections to the quest, his first priority being to return to the city he’d been exiled from by his own father - it was still better than chasing after a ghost, after all. But Dara had simply left him with the choice to join them or stay behind and starve to death in the desert - a choice that hadn’t really been a choice at all, Ali had grumbled quietly as he’d jumped onto the horse X had left for him. They’d reached the village soon after - a reasonably sized oasis with food and water and a proper bed on which they could rest their aching muscles. But then someone had recognised Ali, and the entire population had grabbed whatever weapons they could find so they could kill him and get the reward money. Dara had tried to fend them off for long enough that Ali could take X and make an escape, but they’d found themselves in a dead end - trapped by a solid brick wall on one side and a crowd of frenzied villagers on the other. Ali had recited a prayer as he’d raised his zulfiqar, ready to go down defending his honour, when suddenly, the entire mob flew backwards like a gust of wind had blown them off their feet. Those of them who hadn’t been knocked unconscious by smashing their skulls into the surrounding buildings had curled up in pain, bloodcurdling shrieks clawing their way up their throats along with the blood that oozed out of their mouths and nose. Ali had turned to grab X and seize the opportunity to make their escape, but she hadn’t seemed present anymore. He still remembered the cruel twist of her lips and the dangerous glint in her eyes, like something truly wicked had taken over her. Ali had watched in stunned silence as she’d taken a step forward, the sickening crunch of bones breaking following after her as she swept past the villagers. She was doing it, he’d realised with horror; she was using her healing powers to reach into their bodies and twist around their insides however she liked. The thought had made him sick to his stomach. Thankfully, Dara had quickly reappeared and bundled X up in his arms, his emerald eyes glowing with concern as he’d brought her out of her trance. X had returned to herself soon after, then collapsed against Dara, leaning on him for support. And that was how they’d ended up here: surrounded by a roomful of vagrants who at any moment do something to set X off. How had he landed himself in this situation again?

“Maybe if you’d kept your headscarf on, you marids-cursed sandfly,” Dara growled at him in anger, “we wouldn’t be in this situation, would we?!” Right. As always, everything bad that ever happened was his fault. Great. Dara ignored the tightening of Ali’s jaw as their waitress returned to set their food down on the table, his attention focused entirely on guiding small spoonfuls of food into X’s mouth. X sighed wearily and took the spoon from Dara to begin feeding herself. But Ali saw the way she continued to sneak glances at him, her full lips curling at the ends every time she saw the concern etched onto his features. His heart cracked at the sight.

“I’ll go get us some rooms for the night,” Ali decided, pushing himself off of his seat. Dara shot up immediately, his thick brows twisted into a frown as he stared Ali down.

“You will stay here and keep yourself hidden,” he commanded, his tone leaving no room for argument. “I’ll go book the rooms.” He looked down at X then, already smiling up at him sweetly, and his expression softened. He tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear, then trailed his fingers down the side of her cheek.

“Make sure you finish everything, jaaneman,” (my soul) he told her softly, his voice gentler than Ali had ever heard it before. X rolled her eyes affectionately, then turned to gesture to the numerous platters spread out across the table.

“You practically ordered me the entire tavern, jaane delam!” (the life of my heart) she exclaimed, her snickers quickly turning into weak coughs. Dara grabbed a glass of water and lifted it to her lips to get her to drink. She obliged, then grinned again when he’d set it back down. “I’ll explode if I try to finish all of it! Here, have some, Ali. You haven’t eaten anything either.”

Ali looked to Dara for permission - not that he needed his permission for anything - and found the warrior’s green eyes boring into him threateningly. X sighed again and nudged Dara with her shoulder, forcing him to look at her and see the frown on her face. Dara clenched his jaw, but silently relented, turning around to go get them some rooms. X pushed one of the plates over to Ali once Dara’s back was turned and he cautiously accepted it.

“So,” Ali cleared his throat once the silence around them had become too awkward to bear. “Are you all right? After … everything?” X shrugged and continued munching on the rice and vegetables laid before her.

“I’ll be fine,” she dismissed him nonchalantly. “Magic follows emotions, right? And I have pretty powerful emotions.” She tried to give him a mischievous smirk, but the effort required to raise her head seemed too much at that point, so she continued to remain slumped over the table as she ate her food.

Right. Was that why she seemed so tired all the time? Because her magic was so powerful that it drained her whenever she tried to use it? But she hadn’t seemed to be as sickly when he first met her - she’d probably been holding back then; hiding the true extent of her power so his father wouldn’t deem her too dangerous to keep around. Ali startled as a metal cup slammed down on the table in front of him and he looked up to find a grizzled, middle-aged man taking the seat beside X.

“You must have been working hard today to work up such an appetite, princess,” he murmured, his breath reeking of alcohol. “Think you can ‘squeeze in’ one more customer tonight?” The man glanced over the table behind them to exchange delighted snickers with his friends.

“Leave her alone!” Ali demanded, leaping to his feet and holding a hand out in warning. He rested his other palm on his zulfiqar, wanting to draw it instinctively, but knowing it would be dangerous to reveal himself here. The man eyed him up and down, then let out a disgusted snort.

“Mind your own business, crocodile,” the man insulted him before returning his lecherous gaze to X. He raised a hand to her head, meaning to reach out and twirl a strand of her hair between his sticky fingers, but she stopped him immediately.

“Don’t touch me,” X told him, her soft voice so at odds with the vice-like grip she had on his forearm. The man sputtered in shock as he tried to free himself from her grasp and X let go of him to continue eating her food. The man rubbed his wrist as he stood up, his eyes still wide with surprise. Then his expression hardened.

“You insolent whore!” he screamed, raising his hand to smack her with it. “I should- AHHHHHH!” He shrieked in pain and crumpled to the ground as he felt his blood pounding against his own skin, fighting to break free. Every face in the tavern spun around to face them at the commotion and Ali felt his heart start hammering in his chest with the fear of being discovered. He had to stop her before she gave them away! Or hurt someone! Or hurt everyone!

“Did you not have a mother or was she too busy crying over your cheating alcoholic scumbag of a father to teach you any manners?” X asked, pushing herself to her feet. Her tone was lazy, her movements slow and exhausted, but Ali saw that same terrifying gleam in her eyes as she looked down at the man.

“How dare you!” one of the man’s friends exclaimed as he shot to his feet. He swayed as he marched over to X, clearly inebriated, but delusional enough to think that he could take her in a fight. X sighed and placed a hand on his chest when he approached her, stopping him easily. Then she grabbed onto his shoulders and pulled him down as she raised her knee to slam it into his stomach. The man gasped, then began wheezing for breath as he sank to his knees beside his friend, still bleeding out of his nose on the ground.

“Anybody else want me to ‘squeeze them in’?” X asked, spreading her arms and spinning around to give the rest of the tavern a questioning look. “I’m feeling generous tonight, so I’ll even offer you a two for one special if you’re interested!” She let out a snicker, then stopped to cough again, the movement causing her to bend over so she could catch her breath. Ali took the chance to rush over to her side and lead her back to her seat so she wouldn’t cause any more of a ruckus than she already had. Ey khuda (oh God), did that goddamned Afshin have to teach her how to fight? When she was already so dangerous?! Ali held onto X’s arm as she lowered herself to the seat, but then he almost fell over when a fist struck the side of his head.

“Wha-” Ali turned around, dazed, and was met with the two more members of the man’s entourage. Was this never going to end?!

“Y-You … f-freaks!” One of the men wagged a finger in his face, his words slurred from all the alcohol in his system. He swung a fist at Ali but he caught it easily, holding the man in place.

“Sir, trust me, you don’t want to do this,” Ali warned him, more concerned about the drunk man than about the young woman happily munching on her food behind him.

“Sh-Sh-Shut up!” The other man yelled at Ali before smashing his glass down on the table. Then he held the jagged edges out before him, waving them around wildly as he tried to focus on his target. “Get out of the way, s-s-sandfly! We want that b*tch, not you.”

Ali winced at his words, knowing that it had been the wrong thing to say. X pushed herself up and turned to face the men, her lips pressed tight with anger. She grabbed the wrist of the man holding the broken glass and tugged him towards her with more force than she looked capable of wielding right then. She glanced at the man's companions, still curled up helplessly on the ground, then pulled her gaze back up to her current target.

“Why is it that the most unintelligent of men are always the loudest?” she asked, not bothering to wait for a response before punching the man square in the throat. He dropped his glass to clutch at his throat and staggered backwards as he desperately gasped for air. The last man standing howled with fury before charging at X, but she just bent over and calmly picked up the broken glass lying on the floor. The man tripped over her hunched form, flying across the room and landing on the table he'd previously been sitting at

“Wha-” he appeared disoriented for a few seconds, but then shook himself out of his daze and ran at X again. She held the glass in front of her as he approached, letting him ram his stomach right into the sharp edges. The man shrieked in horror as the blood began to trickle out of him, then he, too, was writhing around on the floor in agony. X smiled at the sight, her eyes heavy with exhaustion, then she lowered herself to her knees.

She was insane, she was actually insane! Forget about Ali accidentally giving away his identity and putting them all into danger, X might actually just get them all killed sometime soon! Ali knelt down beside X and shook her shoulder, trying to get her to abandon the man whose chest she'd placed her palms upon.

“X,” he hissed at her, his gaze flickering around the tavern discreetly to take in the aghast faces of the people around them. “X, get up. We have to go!”

X didn't listen, choosing instead to stay in position and continue healing the men she'd broken. She hadn't injured them that badly - it only seemed worse because they'd probably already downed half of the tavern's monthly supply of alcohol by the time she'd gotten there. But she'd sober them up now; fix their wounds and clear their minds so they'd know never to treat another woman with disrespect again. Honestly, the state of the world astounded her sometimes: how dare all these pathetic men beat and abuse the very beings who brought them to life, who nurtured them and gave them everything they could ever wish for. Dara would never treat her that way. Or allow anyone else to, for that matter.

She stood up, finally, and the men jumped to their feet at the same time. The four of them stared at X with a mixture of disgust and fear, then they began scrambling over each other to race out of the tavern.

“Finally!” One of the waitresses turned to grin at X, delighted by her show of bravery. Well, ‘foolishness’ was probably a more appropriate word for the situation, Ali thought to himself. “I thought we'd never get rid of the ‘furious four’!”

“‘Fumbling four’ is more like it,” one of the patrons added in jest.

“Or what about ‘frightened four’?” another suggested, waving his cup in the air in agreement. The crowd burst into laughter, all of them throwing their own coins into the pot, and Ali allowed himself a small sigh of relief. Maybe they really could be safe for one night; just one.

[swearyshera]

I want to say I really respect how you're handling Glimmer's arc, her interactions with Bow in particular. Them dealing with the emotional fallout of this in a harsh and awkward but earnest way is really gratifying. I feels like pulling teeth in the best way possible. Glimmer's arc still rings amazingly to me and somehow hasn't diminished since the apology bit.

Is it weird that I "respect" Glimmer's redemption more than Catra's? I guess I always thought Glimmer's heart was in the right place despite like... everything she had going on. I never once felt Glimmer couldn't be redeemed and frankly my opinion on if Catra really "deserved" redemption still flips every time I think about it. If i thought I had a way to annihilate the people who took my family away, I don't know if I'd hesitate to top-rope elbow drop the Big Red Button even as much as Glimmer did. I guess that was Catra's rationale too on a deeper level, but at least Glimmer wasn't fine with the world dying once confronted with that reality, as sad a step up as that is. I feel like the fact I don't feel much sorrier for Catra reflects very poorly on me.

The series had a bad habit of Catra's choices having their more catastrophic potential consequences avoided so her redemption could go down smoother, my most prominent example being the corrupt shera virus. I'd pay damn good money to see how the story could even begin to salvage Adora and Catra's relationship if Adora killed someone like Glimmer or Bow under the effects of that. (not to mention the portal only kills one, albeit very important, person, Adora just happening to survive falling a pit, the story conspicuously forgetting about Angella etc) This sort of thing makes me think the author is cheating or working backwards from the ending they already want. Other characters were involved in some of those choices but that only expands the problem imo.

Glimmer's doesn't kill the universe either, but there's still disastrous consequences for Etheria and people she cares about, pretty much all of s5, and her story is all about understanding what she brought on them, and becoming a more responsible person to her friends/people. I really liked that. The only person Catra is really held accountable to is Adora, and maybe Perfuma on Scorpia's behalf. There's Entrapta but I dont think she operates in terms of blame/forgiveness, at least in canon. I know she literally forgave Catra explicitly, I guess I'm too mean to believe people could let go of stuff that "easily' and write it off like it doesnt count.

I know Catra's arc wanted a more intimate scale and they didn't have time to litigate all this, but my deep gut reaction is "tough shit, you shouldn't have had Catra do all that if you weren't gonna make her face what she'd done", especially since Adora makes a point that Catra is afraid to face people she hurt, then Mermista, Micah and Scorpia are conveniently chipped until the last minutes of the damn show. HP really did Catra a solid there. Glimmer's arc felt more willing to make her culpable in dire shit and not pull punches about it, even less so here, so sincere gratitude from me there. Not that Adora and Catra weren't put through hell but their s5 relationship seems to happen in its own little bubble safe from outside responsibility apart from Adora's martyrdom pathology.

Anyway, very excited to see how the Catra reunion will be handled given everything so far, and for Glimmer and Bow stuff. You've never done wrong by us yet. Sorry for this fucking thesis. Please feel free to point all the ways I'm being a myopic dumbass.

I always see Catra and Glimmer as two sides of the same coin - the same person but treated very differently by those around them. Glimmer had love and forgiveness from the people she grew up with, particularly her mother, whereas Catra had none of that outside of Adora.

But I think the end of season 4, start of season 5, we see a little bit of a flipside of that, and that's what starts making both of them wiser, more mature, etc. Up until then, Glimmer had never really had to deal with consequences for her actions - her mother, outside of grounding her, didn't appear to really punish her when she did things wrong. Even Bow, at least until Fractures, felt he always had to support and agree with her (and his own arc played into that). But when Glimmer decided to plough ahead with her plan to activate the Heart and ignore her friends, she actually had serious consequences for once. She had to deal with losing friendships, attracting Prime. And that wasn't something she'd really had to deal with.

Catra, by contrast, always had negative consequences to even the slightest of actions. Usually by Shadow Weaver, and then by Hordak, she was punished for her mistakes. But in season 5, she gets shown kindness and forgiveness despite her actions, and it too, becomes a turning point for her.

I also don't really see the story as 'redemption'. It's not about Catra or Glimmer redeeming themselves, it's about accepting you've done wrong and making the choice to be better. Yes, they do have apologies to make, wrongs to right, and we don't see a lot of that in the show. But we don't need to. What we see is Glimmer becoming more levelheaded and choosing to use that in place of recklessness. We see Catra choosing to return to Adora in Heart not for herself, but for Etheria. Both these young women have done things that have had a huge negative impact on other people, but they both end up trying to do better, to be better.

Redemption is based on how other people treat you. This is a story about how you treat yourself. Both are important.

[utilitycaster]

Do you think that the issues with Imogen and Laudna ties into the campaign being more railroaded (compared to C2 specifically) and with less campfire conversations, shopping episodes etc. where more organic character development can happen? While I do find all C3 character's interesting on their own, I feel like most of their relationships with one another are more shallow compared to C2 (that had the Empire Siblings, Veth and Caleb, The Detectives etc.). Do you have any thoughts on this?

I don't actually think so!

I agree that we haven't had as much downtime - and that more downtime would help flesh out all the relationships - but Imogen and Laudna have talked frequently, and all of these things would have helped and wouldn't have taken up significantly more time.

They still don't really feel like they've known each other two years. I bring up that they have because I feel like that fact should be informing their relationship and that they should have the security to disagree with each other, but the fact remains that Caleb and Veth, Fjord and Jester, and Yasha and Molly felt like they'd known each other before the campaign and Imogen and Laudna...really don't. Like, we know they met in Gelvaan, people were doing something to Laudna, Imogen used her powers, they ran off, and they arrived in Jrusar a few months prior to the campaign, but that leaves the entire middle year-plus as a big empty blank. (For what it's worth, I'm also still like, yes, Laudna, I get that you were in the woods for 30 years doing crafts and making Pate, but like, make me feel it; why were you in a point of stasis? Ironically, I feel like Ashton has more sense of history even though the whole point is that they don't feel like that. Fearne was just bopping around at her Grandmas for 90 years and she feels like it. This is a whole separate post but like...this came up with Patia too; I feel like Marisha has a good sense of her characters in the present, but I don't always get a sense that she fills in the backstory in the same depth as much of the rest of the cast; and Laura also tends to work from something a bit more solid in terms of ambiance and vibes but often doesn't have a ton of intricate plot beats. Anyway, point being that Marisha and Laura fleshing out those two years would have done tons of work for the relationship, and that was pre-campaign and totally unaffected by the pace of the campaign.

Any one of these existing conversations could have been a turning point - ie, this is no more extra time. They could have leaned into the gnarlrock fight being a betrayal; when they spoke in the Calloway Getaway they could have talked more; Imogen could have actually asked Laudna to come back (or even said "it's your choice" rather than "I can't ask you"); Imogen could have actually asked Laudna how she felt and what would have been upsetting to her after she was resurrected instead of making assumptions and just telling Vex; last episode, as I said, Laudna could have quite literally just said "I want you to be happy but if you side with Otohan I can't come with you."

I think this is brushing up against something I really try to avoid, which is removing the agency that the women in the cast have. If Marisha and Laura wanted Imogen and Laudna to kiss last episode? they could have. They chose not to. As I mentioned before, Marisha decided to have Laudna have a drink with Ashton. On the airship to Yios, for example, the two of them could, in fact, have said "I go seek out (the other)," and they didn't. There is less organic time to do this the way there was in the Nein campaign, but that does not mean there haven't been opportunities. They've chosen not to take them.

Which means I also think we need to ask ourselves: how do we know that this isn't how Marisha and Laura want to play it? Like, it is, actually, a very interesting dynamic, and the gaps in the backstory honestly work in favor of it if you see this as a codependence that came because both were so trapped in their own loneliness they became stuck rather than a fluffy cottagecore romance. Why assume these actors are aiming for something and falling short, rather than achieving precisely what they want?

[mindmeltonabun-blog]

My Demon: Theories and Analysis for Eps 11-12 Part 1

Hello Readers!

To enhance readability, I've decided to split my theories and analysis posts into two parts! I understand my posts can be lengthy, but they are designed to be comprehensive.

Eps 11-12 were a solid 100/10 in my book! I was truly amazed!! Some of my theories were completely off the mark, while others were almost spot on! I got the big picture right but got some of the finer details wrong. It's worth noting that this writer can be somewhat unpredictable. However, I find this unpredictability fun, as it keeps me interested and motivates me to dig deeper into the narrative so I can make more accurate theories.

For those who prefer to skip my general thoughts about the show, please feel free to jump to Section 2, where I provide an in-depth analysis of the events in Gu Won's past! I'll be posting part 2 of this post either later today or tomorrow!

Ok, thinking caps on! Time to analyze and theorize!

Section 1: General Thoughts

One of the biggest issues I have with this writer is how she tries to push her religious views onto viewers. "My Demon" almost feels like one big Sunday School session. I mean, look at the religious messages conveyed throughout this show. If you believe in God, you're promised both earthly and afterlife rewards. On the flip side, if you don't adhere to God's rules, you're destined for Hell. Even if you simply don't believe in God, the consequence is the same — Hell. How can this be considered a genuine "choice"?

It feels more like an ultimatum than a choice, where the alternatives are either conformity to a specific belief system or facing extreme consequences. The narrative doesn't allow for a nuanced exploration of diverse perspectives or individual beliefs. It's as if the characters are presented with an illusion of choice when, in reality, the options are quite rigid and the stakes are exceptionally high. This approach not only oversimplifies complex matters of faith and spirituality but also fails to acknowledge the richness of human diversity in thought and belief.

While I thoroughly enjoy the great acting, the comedic elements, and the chemistry between the leads in "My Demon," I found myself increasingly bothered by the writer's persistent attempts to incorporate and emphasize her religious views. The show's success in creating an engaging narrative is somewhat overshadowed by the writer's inclination to use the storyline as a platform for promoting specific religious beliefs.

This overt agenda feels not only unnecessary but also distracting. Instead of allowing viewers to appreciate the characters and the plot for what they are, it tends to veer into didactic territory, almost like a sermon disguised as entertainment. While I understand that personal beliefs can influence creative work, there is a fine line between subtlety and heavy-handedness. In the case of "My Demon," it feels like the latter, and it detracts from the overall viewing experience.

In sharing these thoughts, I want to acknowledge that these are just my two cents, coming from the perspective of an atheist watching this show. I appreciate the diverse range of beliefs and opinions that viewers bring to the table, and my intention is not to invalidate anyone's faith or enjoyment of the content. Rather, I'm offering my personal observations on how the heavy emphasis on religious themes affects my experience as a viewer.

Section 2: The Past

Section 2.1:  Rodion Raskolnikov of the Joseon Dynasty

If you've read my "My Demon" posts, you know I often draw parallels between the themes and characters in "My Demon" and those in Dostoevsky's "Crime and Punishment." The writer of "My Demon" takes many inspirations from this novel. Despite its title, "Crime and Punishment" doesn't really focus on the act of the crime but delves more into the intricate aftermath—Raskolnikov's internal struggles, guilt, and moral conflict. Similarly, "My Demon," particularly in Eps 11-12, echoes these themes.

In a nutshell, "Crime and Punishment" follows Rodion Raskolnikov, who commits murder believing it serves the greater good. However, his guilt intensifies, leading to self-isolation and nightmares. Raskolnikov's journey towards redemption begins after he falls in love with Sonya, paralleling events in "My Demon." Sonya's love becomes his salvation, as she encourages him to face the consequences of his actions by confessing to the police. Eventually, Raskolnikov is sent to prison, and during his time there, he finally experiences guilt for the murders he committed. It's this newfound guilt that marks the beginning of his journey towards redemption. Random thought: Even when Seok Min was placed in prison, he displayed no remorse for hitting the pedestrian, and to this day, he remains unapologetic for killing his own mother. It seems like there's little hope of redemption for him haha.

Raskolnikov and Gu Won had something in common — they both liked taking shortcuts and were a bit lazy. In "Crime and Punishment," a servant scolded Raskolnikov for being lazy because he wasn't working. Raskolnikov said his version of "work" was thinking deeply. He was basically a freeloader, benefitting from the hard work of his mother and sister without really contributing financially in any way.

Gu Won was the same. When he was human, he freeloaded off his father, without bothering to do any kind of work. Do Hee was on point when she called him "the most carefree freeloader." His mindset was like those people he signed contracts with — he thought geniuses didn't need to work.

Gu Won's personal philosophy centered on the pursuit of happiness and a strong inclination to take shortcuts in life in order to avoid challenges and pain. He was devoted to the idea of finding easy solutions to challenges, always opting for the path that led to immediate joy. A clear example of this is when Gu Won proposed eloping as a solution to the challenges posed by their differing social classes. Instead of confronting the harsh reality of their social barriers, he suggested fleeing and eloping with Do Hee. However, Do Hee, being the voice of reason, emphasized the importance of facing problems rather than evading them. Gu Won, driven by his hedonistic desires, preferred avoiding challenges to maintain a state of happiness, even if it meant taking shortcuts to get there.

Gu Won, being the sloth that he was, sought an effortless solution to overcome the class barrier that existed between him and Do Hee. He turned to Catholicism not out of genuine religious conviction but as a shortcut to bridge the social gap. His belief in the teachings of the Catholic faith was driven by the hope that, by adopting this newfound faith, he could persuade Do Hee their love could transcend social constraints, given that the idea of equality was central to the Catholic faith. Simply put, Gu Won only believed in God for personal gain and didn't have a genuine desire to commit to God's teachings and principles. He was just one superficial/self-serving mf. God was about to teach Gu Won a lesson though!

While the love birds were in their happy bubble, the world outside was still spinning. Political factions were fighting over power and using the threat of the rise of Catholicism to their advantage. Villages were getting destroyed as authorities searched for Catholics. The people in this village became fearful their small town would be next.

Gu Won's father thought he could use the matter at hand to his advantage. He obviously didn't want his son to marry a Catholic kisaeng so he suggested they sacrifice her for the greater good. For Gu Won's father, it was like killing two birds with one stone. He could eliminate Do Hee while protecting the village from ruins.

The idea of sacrificing one person for the greater good is a philosophical concept called "Utilitarianism" and was present in "Crime and Punishment." There are a lot of problems with utilitarianism (i.e ignoring the rights of individuals), but for the sake of brevity, I won't go into it here.

A question I would like to pose to my readers is do you think Gu Won's actions were justified? From my perspective, I don't think it was. Two wrongs don't make a right. Yes, it was wrong for the villagers to sacrifice Do Hee to protect their village, but it was also wrong for Gu Won to kill them all for it.

The way I see this whole situation is that Gu Won was one big privileged baby who didn't get this way and threw a temper tantrum (kinda like Seok Min). Since he never had to face any challenges or obstacles in his life, he never knew what it meant to struggle. In turn, this caused him to not know how to effectively handle negative emotions such as sadness, pain, disappointment, and anger.

This deficiency in emotional management is what prompted him to explode and kill all the villagers. It's a stark reminder of the consequences when one is shielded from life's challenges and lacks the necessary coping mechanisms. The ability to face challenges and navigate negative emotions is not only necessary for personal growth but also for developing the resilience needed to face adversity.

Rather than face the consequences of his actions (i.e killing the villagers) and the negative emotions stemming from the loss of Do Hee, Gu Won once again took the easy way out and ended his life. He thought he could run away from his problems and avoid being where God was, but he was about to be in for a surprise.

His declaration, "If heaven is where God dwells, I refuse to go there," now seems quite ironic. In the context of this show, God was depicted as being "everywhere", residing not only in Heaven but also in Hell. This notion was further exemplified by the portrayal of God living in a hut in the subway station, symbolizing the underworld/Hell. So, in a twist of fate, after Gu Won died and went to Hell, he ended up where God was too.

Section 2.2: Journey Towards Redemption Begins with Repentance

In "Crime and Punishment," Raskolnikov's punishment was twofold, encompassing both psychological and physical dimensions. The internal anguish and nightmares he experienced following the murders was a form of mental torment, a living hell of his own making. Additionally, Raskolnikov faced physical consequences as he was sentenced to work in a labor camp for eight years. This dual punishment, spanning the realms of the mind and the body, highlighted the profound and multifaceted repercussions of his actions.

Similar to Raskolnikov, Gu Won faced a dual form of retribution. Gu Won's transformation into a demon could be interpreted as a type of physical punishment, an altered state that separated him from his human existence. Simultaneously, the internal struggles he grappled with upon remembering his human memories represented a form of mental torture. In this way, Gu Won, like Raskolnikov, endured consequences that transcended both the physical and mental realms.

Much like Raskolnikov's journey, Gu Won's path toward redemption began with a pivotal moment of admission of the crime he committed. The turning point occurred when Gu Won, similar to Raskolnikov, confessed his wrongdoings to the woman he loved. This act of acknowledgment and vulnerability served as the catalyst for both characters, marking the beginning of their respective quests for redemption.

As I watched Gu Won's confession, it became evident he didn't feel remorse for murdering the villagers. Rather than directly acknowledging his wrongdoing, he framed it in the context of the villagers sacrificing Do Hee, suggesting he believed violence towards them was somehow justified. It was almost as if his moral compass was backward or flipped. Instead of recognizing that loving someone isn't a crime and killing people is, Gu Won seems to think the opposite. In his current state, Gu Won is clearly struggling to place his guilt appropriately. He redirects his focus onto something less severe, his feelings for Do Hee, as a way to avoid confronting the more serious consequences of his violent actions toward the villagers.

For Gu Won to truly grasp the gravity of murdering the villagers, he first needs to disclose to Do Hee that she was the woman he loved in the past. Doing this would require significant personal growth on his part. Based on the preview for Ep 13, it would seem Gu Won may not share this information just yet, perhaps due to his hedonistic and avoidant tendencies.

Gu Won's desire for present happiness seems to drive his choice to withhold the information. This raises the question – is the happiness they share truly genuine, or is it merely a facade built on secrets and omissions? True happiness requires transparency and a willingness to confront the complexities of one's painful past, a reality Gu Won seems to overlook in his pursuit of happiness. He also needs to realize you can't have real happiness without sorrow or pleasure without pain. That's life!

By revealing to Do Hee she was the woman he loved in the past, he would be able to forgive himself for what happened to her. Do Hee would probably tell him that just like in the present, she willingly chose to sacrifice himself to save him and that he shouldn't blame himself for her death in the past. Her reassurance that he shouldn't bear the sole responsibility for her death may be instrumental in Gu Won finally forgiving himself and, in turn, facing the reality of his violent actions towards the villagers.

If Gu Won doesn't want a repeat of their tragic fates in the past, he must make different choices and break free of his bad habits like taking the easy way out of things and avoiding pain. It’s only then Gu Won can be saved from his immortal existence as a demon devil (to be human is to suffer and suffering is great haha) and he and Do Hee can have a more positive fate in the present!

Section 2.3: Do Hee's Father's Contract With Gu Won

This section will be in the second part which I will post either later today or tomorrow! It will contain theories so stay tune!

[edgarallennope]

Hey. I want to say I loved that analysis you wrote about Crowley becoming gradually more bitter and spiteful against heaven and god. And I wanna ask you. What do you think about Crowley's relationship with God in particular? I mean, looking from afar, he looks suspicious towards heaven and god, but I do think he views these two entities in different ways. For him Heaven is pretty much the same as Hell, but painted as nice guys. But God? I don't know, I think the hole is more deep.

ABSOLUTELY I think the hole is more deep. Tbh, I hadn't intended for the meaning of that post to be about an anger and bitterness that was specific to God and Heaven, I meant more in general, perhaps including humanity, but...it makes sense. I'm thinking specifically about his reaction to the crucifixion, his 'oh, yeah, that'll do it', his cold resentment of the human choice, but he knows that was Heavens doing (Aziraphale's line on policy decisions). Similarly, The Spanish Inquisition, something that made book!Crowley drink for a week solid, likely happened without any heavenly influence, but still happened in Her name.

I think a large part of Crowley's resentment towards Her is those who claim to speak for Her, and those who stay fiercely loyal to Her with no input. The Archangels, the more overzealous humans, the Metatron. Eventually, Aziraphale too.

I have been thinking heavily on a scene from Season 1 since seeing Season 2 and writing that meta. it's when Crowley and Aziraphale are sat on that bench in Tadfield, drinking wine, and Crowley asks him;

"Do you think She planned it like this, all along?"

To which Aziraphale says;

"I wouldn't put it past Her."

At the time, I didn't think too much about these lines, but now I wonder how Crowley meant that. The immediate thought is, or at least was for me, that "ah, of course She meant for it like this all along, how ineffable! Classic Her!"

But now I think, similar to the realm of the two exactly's, they both meant very different things.

I think Crowley asked it meaning "This is so typical of Her, to not speak to anyone and to forge Her solutions from pain and heartbreak and death. It's ridiculous. Even by forging our own side, we're still playing Her game."

And I think Aziraphale answered it meaning "Of course she did! She has had a plan all along, and it means everything is going to be okay! That's how she plans everything!"

Crowley doesn't have that blind faith, that level of trust. He still speaks to her, we see that in Season 1 (one of my FAVOURITE favourite scenes), but he doesn't expect an answer. A far cry from the angel we meet in S2E1 who works very closely with upstairs. He asks Her, desperately, to show him a Great Plan. It is not something he'll take for granted, or take on trust, never again. It's something he knows he can't have, and I think that will never stop hurting.

I do believe he still has a very distant affection for Her, despite everything. Despite the fact he can't understand Her. He knows that She isn't to be understood. That She Herself is ineffable. I think his anger, his bitterness, is reserved for the people who believe they can understand her. For the Archangels and humans who follow her will blindly. For Aziraphale, who expects a system as corrupt and blind as Heaven to be fixable because She made it.

Crowley is an optimist, a character trait that I regard as his most tragic. The book says as such, and goes on to say that he knows that the universe will always take care of him. The world, the one he had a hand in making. Not God. Crowley understands that the world has expanded far, far beyond Her reach. God cannot cure the sick and save the dying. God cannot prevent war or famine or pollution or death. God cannot save Crowley when his bosses decide he must be punished. It's not that I think he hates her, not really. He understands what She is, and he mostly accepts it. He knows he can't rely on her, and that it's not because he's a demon. He knows that nobody can anymore.

[necrolord-prime-camilla-hect]

Okay I have Thoughts about Muir’s use of language, and I’m going to ramble about it a little bit. This is going to be Long, and I don’t have any especially profound points, I’m just kind of getting some thoughts out.

I found myself noticing Muir's use of obscure, often archaic vocabulary a lot more on my re-read than I did on my first time reading through, and I think the effects it has on worldbuilding and characterization are interesting.

In terms of worldbuilding, it's an interesting dichotomy with the casual vernacular that is also used, especially the modern cultural references throughout. Those references create a through-line to a point of familiarity for the audience and implies that This World Came From Ours. And the contrast between the aggressively modern, casual language and the academic or archaic language is really striking; the use of that obscure language is establishing that This World Is Not Like Ours. It's been 10,000 years, language is used a little bit differently. The use of words that are probably not very familiar or intuitive to most of the audience is a little bit alienating - and it’s supposed to be. It’s a way of establishing distance between the audience and the world of the story, and imo it’s a much more graceful way of doing so than by making up new sci-fi/fantasy words. The use of more archaic language also adds a little bit more to the fantasy side of things; these people may be discussing space travel, but some of their words choices sound like medieval monks and also they can do bone magic. It’s a whole tonal mash-up (just like everything else about the books).

In terms of characterization... I don’t have quite as solid thoughts about this. I will say that I noticed more of the archaic/academic/very formal language in Harrow than in Gideon, but (at least in the Mithraeum scenes) that isn’t entirely attributable to a pov difference. And even in Gideon, the narration absolutely still includes obscure vocabulary. So I think it may be more of a Ninth thing than a character-specific thing. It’s not just that Harrow is a little nerdy nun who reads ancient books about bones for fun instead of talking to people her age and her vocabulary reflects that (although it absolutely does).  This kind of language doesn’t crop up as much (as far as I remember, please feel free to correct me) in dialogue from other characters, except for when discussing very technical aspects of necromancy. So because it shows up both from Gideon and Harrow, in their internal narration and a bit in their dialogue, I think the effect is establishing a little bit more how cut off the Ninth is from the rest of the Houses. They’re culturally isolated; the language and vernacular of the other Houses has moved on, but they haven’t. (Thematically, this also complements the obvious Ninth worship of something ancient and dead; just overall Ninth vibes, I guess.)

I also think it’s a fun detail to note the difference between how the Lyctors talk and how the other characters talk. It’s so noticeable from John “none Houses with left grief” that it’s almost not worth pointing out, but it seems that the Lyctors talk in a more familiar and casual manner, to our modern sensibilities, than Harrow and Gideon do. This is a notable divergence from the typical fantasy trope of immortal characters talking more formally/archaically, and it ties back in to the worldbuilding point above, about how This World Came From Ours. The older characters have more of a connection to the world that we think of as modern, and the other characters have moved away from it.

I guess my overall point is just this: the very deliberate word choice throughout these books is a fantastic degree of attention to detail, and it adds a lot tonally and thematically to the books.

[artbyblastweave]

Anyway while I’m still having my dumb little procrastinative thoughts, Episode 9 has a lot of great examples of beats and ideas that earn goodwill only through the surrounding production circumstances. 

Which is a garbled way of trying to communicate what I’m going for here, so I’ll try again- when they have a six-second shot of Leia with a lightsaber but then communicate that she deliberately... stopped actively training as a jedi (for reasons I don’t remember)... if it were rooted in a production that had been otherwise even faintly thoughtful or not a giant shitshow it’s a direction with the character I can kinda square from a bunch of different directions. Okay, maybe she sees too much of Anakin in herself any time her temper flares up so she’s closing that door out of fear or caution, maybe she’s making an active choice to follow the path of her mother as a diplomat/gunslinger rather than a supermonk, maybe she’s got more going on in her life than her brother, with a husband and a kid and an unstable polity, and if she’s gonna drop something its gonna be the thing her brother is already speciating in. I think these are all solid takes. They invoked at least one of these ideas in the sequence where they showed her jedi training, If I recall correctly. 

But they didn’t invoke the idea because they wanted to explore or give weight to the idea, or provide Leia with a post episode-6 character arc- they invoked the idea as spot scaffolding for a dumb little fan service shot, when they were already awkwardly stepping around Fisher’s death AND the overarching lack of a coherent plan for the trilogy, making decisions to optimize for cheap nostalgia and fanservice. And so I see at least a few people online (not a ton, but some) arguing in circles about whether the plot point made sense for her character, whether it was bad writing on the grounds that it was or wasn’t something Leia would plausibly do, with decent arguments on both sides- but in the bigger context it’s just inseparable from the larger shitshow. 

Every single plot point in that movie, separated from the context in which they actually exist, has strengths and weaknesses, but none of them can be judged on those merits because none of them were implemented in sincere pursuit of those strengths. They were spinning a wheel while browsing twitblreddit! In a version of episode 9 that was a sincere attempt at something, anything, I’d definitely throw myself into the scrum on a lot of these points- “what were they going for, did it work, if not why not-” But they weren’t going for anything with most of these decisions except money and possibly damage control, so it just seems like wasted effort.

[irfire]

OK, wow do I want to talk about all the bible verses Tamsyn uses in her John chapters! But, first a disclaimer: I’m Jewish and have a pretty solid background in TaNaKh and Jewish textual criticism but basically none in Christian/second testament textual criticism. Despite my lack of knowledge in the second testament, I went through and collected each of the bible verses for each of John’s excerpts - along with in some cases relevant following lines - because I just... had to know.

Part of my fascination here is that in many of these verses, John’s experience parallels elements of Jesus’. But, the biblical John is a disciple, not a messiah-figure like Jesus. John blurs the lines between Earth’s disciple, and “god” figure himself. The blurring of the lines in Tamsyn’s verse choices are also particularly interesting following her most recent interview where she said she’s got like six christ characters all running around. Everyone is a christ figure - and they all do it differently. Even the characters that are supposed to just be a disciple find themselves trying to play at a christ or a divine story line. Anyways, what follows is all of the verses and some of my loose and chaotic thoughts. Curious what others are noticing. All translations are from the New International Version and compiled using Blue Letter Bible.

John 20:8 “Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed.”

Okay when I first opened the book and obviously googled this right away I got CHILLS. We open with a reference to reaching the tomb and believing. This both feels like it’s in reference to everyone seeing the Earth as a tomb and believing. As well as, of course, everyone who at the end of the book, will go to the tomb and believe. She begins, as always, foreshadowing the end. And I find that infuriating and incredibly metal of her.

John 5:20 “For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, and he will show him even greater works than these, so that you will be amazed.”

“Most of the bodies got the melt, like we thought they would... But, Harrow... all the ones I touched, all the ones I loved... they stayed incorrupti” (NtN 76).

Fascinated by what is either a careful writing choice, or a sloppy copy error to leave out the period after “incorrupti”. It’s as if Tamsyn whispers back at the scripture to add an ominous open ending to the “amazed”.

John 15:23 “Whoever hates me hates my Father as well.” And continuing to the next two lines “If I had not done among them the works no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. As it is, they have seen, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: ‘They hated me without reason.’”

I’m still sitting with this reference. This is the chapter where U-- And T-- are renamed and John moves them from across the room. “If I had not done among them the words no one else did” feels tied here. John’s growing sense of self righteousness continues as he becomes more fanatic... curious what other’s think. It’s a juicy line and an intense chapter.

John 5:18 “For this reason they tried all the more to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.”

This is the chapter where they stream John’s necromancy. His journey towards presenting himself publicly as a “god” begins in earnest.

John 8:1 “but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.”

This is the story that even I’ve heard about where a woman is brought before Jesus and accused of adultery while he is sitting at the courts and he says “let those who are without sin cast the first stone”. John is beginning to present himself as a savior - people come to see him for their sufferings and their problems. John moves further into the public sphere.

John 19:18 “There they crucified him, and with him two others—one on each side and Jesus in the middle.”

“Anyway, we all had Interpol warrens... Anyone who wanted to go, I let them go (NtN, 220).” This is also where it becomes clear just how bad the situation is - the rich are leaving the Earth to be crucified. The lines are blurry between who is being crucified and is it the disciple, the executioner, or the divine being telling the story.

John 5:1 “Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals.” Followed by 5:2 “Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades.”

Tamsyn also mentioned Bethesda in her article, and earlier on John does seem to get into a kind of faith healing. But the chapter this verse titles is when John begins playing puppet master to a dead world leader in exchange for money and nuclear weapons. This feels like such a sinister perversion of the healing waters of Bethesda, and in many ways this chapter feels like the beginning of the end.

John 3:20 “Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed.” 3:21 continues “But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.”

OOF. What a fuckin’ verse to pair with John going full necromancer while he’s nursing a nuke under his floorboards. WHOABOY.

John 9:22 “His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders, who already had decided that anyone who acknowledged that Jesus was the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue.”

John does (his first?) mass murder. This is the moment of trial to his disciples. They are not thrown out, John manipulates them, and they stay.

John 1:20 “He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, “I am not the Messiah.” … And a few lines following in John 1:23 “John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, “I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’ ”

“I am not the messiah” titles the chapter where the bombs go off. The world is demolished - there is no going back. “I am the voice of the one calling in the wilderness, ‘make straight the way for the Lord’”.

The line from Isaiah quoted in John reads, reads: ק֣וֹל קוֹרֵ֔א בַּמִּדְבָּ֕ר פַּנּ֖וּ דֶּ֣רֶךְ יי יַשְּׁרוּ֙ בָּעֲרָבָ֔ה מְסִלָּ֖ה לֵאלֹקינוּ׃ “A voice calls out in the desert ‘Clear a way for G!d, straighten out a pathway for our G!d through the wilderness” (My translation).

OOF.

John 5:4 From Blue Letter Bible: “Some Greek manuscripts exclude this verse. The NIV related footnote for 5:3 states:

Some manuscripts include here: “wholly or in part, paralyzed—and they waited for the moving of the waters. From time to time an angel of the Lord would come down and stir up the waters. The first one into the pool after each such disturbance would be cured of whatever disease they had.”

From time to time an angel of the Lord would come down and stir up the waters. Alecto awakes. I wonder what disturbances and diseases she will take it upon herself to cure?

[spookberry]

Your art is absolutely beautiful and amazing! It's also super cute and whenever I see it, I smile.

Anyway, what outfit is Frankie wearing in your half normie au? It's kinda hard to tell in some of your art. (They're wearing a tattered red sweater... I think).

Also! What body type did you give the main ghouls? I noticed Frankie has broader shoulders and draculaura is shorter and softer... Sorry if this is strange to ask. I'm just curious.

aww thank you!

I didn't draw Frankie's outfit in full ever, but ur right their sweater is like stylistically tattered. And they've got split pants. One leg is a solid black and the other is their signature palid. But each side has a patch of fabric that matches the other leg. And I imagine theyre wearing like chunky black platforms of some-type for their shoes

When it comes to body types I dont really know what the names and what not for all that is? I know some people have got pears and apples, but Idk I wouldnt know how to point that out to you my brain just doesnt see the pattern for those terms. I did though find this an interesting question so I went back over and did sketches over some of the designs I did.

And I thought it'd be fun to expand on why I went with the ideas I did

for the first five I did I didn't really put a ton of thought into it? I really just went with my gut. Frankie and Lagoona actually have pretty similar body types, with more "masculine" frames ie wider shoulders, flat chests, and narrower hips. Plus theyre both long limbed and a bit lanky. Theyre both a play on a square. When you look at square shaped characters you tend to view them as "sturdier" whether that be literally or emotionally. For Frankie that's square shape is fake. They aren't a very sturdy person, they're new to everything and always on the verge of tripping over their own feet but they WANT to be sturdy. Meanwhile Lagoona is a very confident person! She's comfortable in her own scales. I also wanted Lagoona to have more of a "swimmer's" body cuz, ya know. She's a fish.

I don't have much to say on the other three. Draculaura's body type was inspired by my own, but it's not exactly like mine either, I'm not as short as her lol. Clawdeen has a fuller figure as well, but she's a very active person so a lot of that is actually just muscle.

Cleo is the most generic of the group lol.

Spectra was the next character I actively tried to design, and for her I kinda leaned into her canon monster high body type. Primarly cuz I really wannted to make her look like a y2k girl with the lowrise boot cut jeans and little ballet flats. fun fact tho! I also really wanted to lean into her being a more sharped edged person with the only exception being her round face, and this is to accentuate the type of character she is! At least, my version of Spectra is meant to be a bit more antagonistic. She does mean things without fully thinking through the consequences of her actions and how they might affect the people around her. She can be pretty self serving. But that's not to say she is unfriendly or that people don't like her.

and here obviously is my most recent line up lol.

Much like Cleo I honestly did not put much of any thought into Ghoulia's actual body type.Her pose I did somewhat though, I wanted her to slouch a bit and look kind of droopy.

For Venus and Rochelle I had opposing strategies for both characters. For Venus I wanted to make her very sharp edged and punk, Just overall I wanted her monster type and personality to really come across. And i like the idea of her being pretty muscle-y actually ngl. Rochelle I tried to go for a more "pear" shaped body? Which with the pose and clothing choice I feel gets lost a bit. I like the idea of her having a very soft and rounded silhouette to contrast the whole... spikey rock monster thing lol.

Abbey being giant and thick just makes sense to me imo, but also I really wanted to lean into rounder shapes to contrast the first impression she usually gives people. That whole Cold, Stoic, and Mean impression people get from her isn't true, in reality Abbey is quite friendly and sweet once you actually get to know her.

[disaster-j]

Just finished ep1 of 3 Gentlebros and! I still like it!! It seems the show will focus on one brother at a time, at least in the start, and ofc the oldest comes first. Luke's character Itch was the brother I liked least from the trailer and so far that hasn't changed. He’s acting like an unreasonable jerk but he's doing it out of anger on his step mother's behalf, in an ill advised attempt to protect her and his family, so for now I won't judge him too harshly. Mook's character Kaew is great! But she's making all the wrong choices too. She's letting her sister manipulate her into taking the fall for her own selfish actions and making the situation worse for herself by getting involved more than she already is.

From the promo it does seem like Kaew will finally start to clear up the misunderstanding and that Itch might actually believe her. But there's also the issue with the step mother who definitely won't leave Kaew alone anytime soon. She's bad news imo, her behaviour is classic mistress turned wife shit. She knows her husband is a serial cheater and that he's the problem but still focuses all her energy on harassing the women he sleeps with instead of stopping his behaviour or leaving him. She knowingly broke up his marriage with Itch's mom but still manipulated Itch into siding with her and doing her bidding his whole life. It's pretty frustrating to see him treat her like some sort of angel when every move she makes screams toxic manipulator. Like, their mother isn't winning any best mom awards either, she's overbearing now that they're all adults but was clearly negligent when Itch was a child so it makes sense that he wouldn't have a good relationship with her, but I don't think she deserves to have her own son choose the woman her husband cheated on her with over and over again either. I hope Itch sees the reality of his parents' situation and finds a way to reconcile with his mother. It'd be a really satisfying arc imo.

Other than that, we only see glimpses of the younger two brothers Thames (Tay) and Arty/Ashira (Gun) but I really enjoyed both their scenes I think they reflected a lot about their respective personalities and familial dynamics in a short amount of time.

Thames is apparently a mom luang (high born) and his personality reflects that. He follows his mother's say far more than the others, even when he pretends like he doesn't care what she says or wants. He’s quiet, polite, reserved and classy, even a bit fancy compared to his brothers. Despite them all being born into rich families he's repeatedly singled out as a bougie man by the other two. It's a very interesting role to see Tay in and I think he's gonna kill it. It will be hilarious seeing the super reserved and noble Thames fall for Punpun's bold and spicy character. Can't wait to see those two together!

Arty, the youngest son, is very much the baby of the family. As a college student probably in his late teens he's the only one still dependent on their mother and the only one she has some amount of control over. He’s childish and quirky, unserious in a way that absolutely gets on their mother's nerves. There's a sense that she's disappointed of how he behaves and where his interests lie, but she also seems too busy trying to get Itch back to really pay much attention to Arty. I have to wonder if part of why he starts the whole fake relationship drama is because he wants her to pay attention to him more?

Overall, the first episode is a pretty solid watch. Kaew is a pretty sympathetic character and her and Itch have solid chemistry for this point in their relationship. The drama is entertaining but not too over the top and the interactions between the brothers and their mom add just enough comic relief to balance it all out. Definitely would recommend checking out the show for anyone interested in silly family dramas and romcoms.

[mediaevalmusereads]

A Night to Surrender. By Tessa Dare. Avon, 2011.

Rating: 4/5 stars

Genre: historical romance

Series: Spindle Cove #1

Summary: Spindle Cove is the destination of choice for certain types of well-bred young ladies: the painfully shy, young wives disenchanted with matrimony, and young girls too enchanted with the wrong men; it is a haven for those who live there.

Victor Bramwell, the new Earl of Rycliff, knows he doesn't belong here. So far as he can tell, there's nothing in this place but spinsters... and sheep. But he has no choice, he has orders to gather a militia. It's a simple mission, made complicated by the spirited, exquisite Susanna Finch—a woman who is determined to save her personal utopia from the invasion of Bram's makeshift army.

Susanna has no use for aggravating men; Bram has sworn off interfering women. The scene is set for an epic battle... but who can be named the winner when both have so much to lose?

***Full review below.***

Content Warnings: explicit sexual content, internalized ableism, medical trauma, blood, description of a physical injury

Overview: I realized I started at book 2 and read this whole series without going back to the beginning, so here we are. I very much like Tessa Dare's Spindle Cove series, as a whole, and the first installment is a good setup. While there were things here and there that didn't quite gel with me, the book was overall a solid romance novel, so it gets 4 stars from me.

Writing: The writing in this book is about what you would expect of a Dare novel. It's quick, it's humorous, and readers will have no trouble following the action. Dare also does a really good job of weaving her themes together and setting up ideas at the beginning of the novel, bringing them together once again towards the end. It made the book as a whole feel carefully planned and coherent, and for that, I think Dare deserves a lot of credit.

Plot: The non-romance plot of this book follows Victor "Bram" Bramwell, a lieutenant colonel who finds himself "promoted" to Earl of Rycliff following a wartime injury. He is tasked with running a volunteer militia to prove his fitness for war, and if he does well, he may be given back his military post. The problem is that the only major settlement on his lands is Spindle Cove - a seaside retreat for gently-bred ladies.

Susanna Finch is the daughter of a famous gunsmith, and before Bram came to town, she was the defacto figurehead. Now, with Bram and his militia threatening the peace and safety of Spindle Cove, she must figure out a way to get Bram what he wants without risking the way of life the women have built for themselves.

What I liked most about the plot was the exploration of what it meant for men to have "purpose" and why women's spaces are so threatening to the patriarchy. For a large portion of this book, Bram and his companions maintain that the Spindle Cove way of life has emasculated the men living there, but the more we read, the more clear it is that patriarchy poses a threat to all. I will admit, I wasn't wholly on board with this plot at first; there were some instances where it felt like Susanna and Spindle Cove were being asked to carve out a space for men, even though the village itself was set up as a haven for women to escape patriarchy. Over time, I came around, in part because the message was less about male and female spaces but more about making a space where everyone felt comfortable.

Characters: Susanna, our heroine, is stubborn, independent, and wonderfully spirited. It's easy to be on her side because she cares so desperately for her friends and for Spindle Cove as a whole. I found her struggle with her relationship with her father to be compelling and complicated, and her history as a healer to be moving. If I had any complaint, I would say that Susanna is a bit too easy to forgive, especially after the men come barreling into the local tea shop and almost kill someone. In my view, Susanna could have taken Bram and the others more to task for insisting on masculine spaces when doing so causes so much hurt and destruction. It would have been a good opportunity to explore questions of why women-centered spaced are important, but Susanna doesn't quite go far enough.

Bram, our hero, is fairly easy to sympathize with due to his abundance of internalized ableism and associating self worth with "action." Bram is single minded in his pursuit of returning to his old life, but his injury is such that he will never be physically the same as before. Thus, a large part of his arc involves learning to build a new life and find a new purpose, and that's something I think a lot of people can understand. I do think, however, that Dare should have leaned harder into him for his thoughts about gender. While Bram does change and does end up softening his stance, he also goes into Spindle Cove with rigid ideas about men and women. While Dare does a good job challenging this in some places, I think more of these rigid ideas could have been taken to task.

Supporting characters were fun and enriched the story. A lot of them will figure as protagonists in subsequent Spindle Cove books, so if you'd like a more in depth assessment, feel free to check out my other reviews. But suffice it to say, the secondary characters made for both a charming community at Spindle Cove, and even Bram's companions (bull headed as they are) grew on me.

Romance: The romance between Susanna and Bram was fine. I really liked the trust and intimacy that they built later in the book, and I enjoyed their battle of wills that made the two of them rivals (to lovers). Bram's hunger for physical touch was endearing, and Susanna's insistence on giving Bram what he needed (versus what he wanted) made for some compelling emotional intimacy. The only thing that wasn't quite my jam was the speed at which their lust developed. I personally find it preposterous when the hero and heroine have such raging lust for one another from the get go, and Bram and Susanna's physical attraction was a little ridiculous at first. Over time, though, their physical longing felt balanced by their emotional longing, so things got better as their relationship developed.

TL;DR: A Night to Surrender is a strong introduction to the Spindle Cove series, pitting to stubborn, headstrong protagonists against one another while also exploring the gendered expectations of "purpose." While there were things here and there that weren't to my personal taste, overall, I found the concept of Spindle Cove intriguing and I look forward to reading more Dare novels.

[bitegore]

hey so which of ur ocs would wanna hang out with a godawful flesh woman who is here to hang out and be an affront to god. Shez not overtly hostile just one of those characters who does as she pleases becasue trying to kill her is pointless. She just keeps regenerating from the remains and continues doing as she so pleases.

amusingly enough, I actually have enough characters like this in one of my worlds that that wouldn't even make a good handful of them bat an eye and I'd need more context lol.

Ayleh (cyborg possessed by at least two ghosts from a different dimension, here to light things on fire mostly) seems like the obvious choice, as another godawful woman who is here to hang out and do whatever she wants, but Ayleh's "whatever she wants" is pretty hostile to other people as long as she doesn't know them. Girl who views the world as a very clear delineation between "people" and "NPCs who aren't real people" and doesn't really give a damn about the latter.

Rex spends like 40% of his time around other godawful people who do whatever they want and acknowledge no law under the sun and he's also an unkillable flesh atrocity, so as long as she'd not give him a hard time for his personal idiosyncrasies such as "refusing to discuss his life or almost anything about his past or family or present employment details with anyone or else" and his propensity for "being drunk, high or both" at all times he'd probably get along with her just fine.

Taz would get upset if she were mean to any of his friends or family but he doesn't really care outside that, so anyone who tries to kill her is probably no good in his books anyway and as long as she's not causing serious problems in his life he'd probably chill with her too.

....yeah everyone from Closerverse is kind of just like that, I think. Even if they're not similarly unkillable and/or uninterested in acknowledging any law but their own desires, a solid 20% of the overall population is made up of "shaidbloods" who are, like, literally just like that. A very solid handful of them are like that. There's a reason for that, but it does mean that characters in that particular 'verse are way way way more familiar and cool with undying meat atrocities than the average character.

For the rest...

Bait would find her really interesting. But Bait is also a horrible sadomasochist torturer and killer for fun and profit, so I think she'd probably find out about the whole immortality thing and be like "omg wait. wait. can i take you apart please please please please please please please please can i cut you into a hundred thousand tiny pieces please please it'll be fun please" and I feel like your girl wouldn't have as much fun with that as my girl would.

Redshift would try to stay out of her way. He's got things to do, anyway, and they probably wouldn't coincide with the things she has to do because Redshift is like a guy who takes orders and follows them lol. They might wind up on opposite sides of a conflict, but Redshift doesn't really fight physically so it'd be a surprise if they met in opposition.