#love hearing from you <333

[httpiastri]

Hiii Love!

Gosh, I haven't been here in a while! I hope your doing good!

I actually managed to watch the race last Sunday, which is the first race I have watched since the summer break. That's so crazy 🙈 but I am just trying to get the most of the nice weather before it just starts to rain all the time here.

I am so so happy about choosing to do the year abroad, and even though sometimes there are harder days (like when my au pair kids do the opposite of what I tell them to do) and it gets frustrating, I love this work and the country and the kids of course! One of them was all cuddly today and didn't wanna stop hugging me 🥰

But the race was so good! Even though I am very... unsure what to think about Carlos as a person, I love love love Carlando and the teamwork at the end of the race was everything!! Gosh, I was so nervous!

I was planning on watching the race on Sunday as well, because it's early in the morning before I could go out, but now it turns out I am going out the night before and won't be home till 3 am 🙈 I really don't think I'm gonna be able to keep my eyes open to watch or even get up. How did I do this back home??

I don't know if I missed anything because I haven't read all of the asks, but did you come to a decision about your University? Just if you wanna talk about it :)

Also, I read that you were struggling a bit about a writer's block and I just wanna say that just starting is the most important thing, even if it might be absolute bullshit! You can always improve it later! Hope it resolves itself soon and you have more time to write as well!!

-✨

hello love! i’ve missed you!! i’ve been doing good, how about you? <33

aw im glad you got to watch the race, it was a good one!! not just the boring old “max verstappen wins by 64 seconds” race 🤭 i’ve been kinda unsure about my feelings about carlos recently too but i can’t say no to carlando, such an iconic and lovely pairing 🥰 just wish it had been swapped around so lando had the win!

but yes you’re right for enjoying the weather and spending time with the kids! i’m really glad you feel like going away to be an au pair is the right thing 🥺 since i work with kids too (they’re probably a bit older than yours, though?…) i really get you, it can be annoying at times but it’s also so much fun. and a cuddly child 🥺😭 that’s so sweet awwww i’m so happy for you about this whole thing 🫶

oh god if you’re up that late then it indeed would be hard to stay awake 😩 good thing you can always watch it later! and i hope you have a great night out 😁😁 idk how i’m gonna survive it either, i really wanna catch up on some sleep this weekend… why couldn’t this weekend be a later race 😔😔

about uni, i ended up not going and instead i’m taking a course in journalism at another university! it’s only once a week though, so i’ve been working these last few weeks. first time i’ve ever worked an actual 9-5 job for more than like two days 😵 i’ve done so many other types of work but this is new territory. it’s quite alright so far! the only problem being that i never fall asleep until 1am at the earliest, so i never get a lot of sleep :/ well well!

you’re very right, always when i get a block i just sit down and force myself to write either way. i have barely had any time at all to write these last few weeks tho so i haven’t gotten around to doing it. i did manage to sit down last night though and had a good writing moment! but it was at 2am so my work today is going to suffer from it 🥲 thank you love!

i hope you have a great weekend sweetheart 🥰🥰

[christadeguchi]

you think YOU had a bad day at work?

bonus: sid shrieking "no!!!! NO!!!!!" loud enough to be heard in the stands and on camera

[chilschuck]

`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹ once again i’m so sorry for slow request posts!! i’ve been super busy with work and i also have a con this weekend i’m going to, but i’ll do my best to get you guys a new post out!!! lots of love to you all!!! <3333

[soloavengers]

ok bridal carrying max affinity is cute but this RUNNING ooohhhhh

[twentyfivemiceinatrenchcoat]

As a girl who very often falls in love with straight girls and gay guys your gojo and nobara unrequited love post is giving me feelings(tm)

YOU AND ME BOTH ANON 😭😭😭😭 we’re holding hands rn….. sorry/you’re welcome for the Feelings 😔😔 i’m very happy i can feed those of us who exclusively fall for the unattainable <33333

[aquamata]

some of my pokemon teams :> for @yuuichirouh bc i want you to see them lol

so i don't really have any of my og teams on their games except for alpha sapphire, sword, and violet. and thats because i replayed the ds games so often, but im sure ive transfered them to home or another game

BUT from my most recent playthroughs this is what i got C:

This is my most recent save from diamond and tbh i didnt play diamond that much ever since i got platinum bc i could get glaceon wayy sooner without help.

but this trainer card was my team my very first run when i was 13 :)

not too uncommon from what many other people used LOL

NOW THIS IS PROBABLY MY FAVORITE TEAM EVER, i know its not balanced but idc about that it's got some of my fav pokemon and a cute little guy mascot (chimecho:) it's definitely not the team i first played platinum with but i like the lil story i made for it when i did this playthrough so it's very special to me <3

~~~~~

I was in the middle of replaying black and white and w2 for a story i was gonna write i think so i don't have any saves for them yet but heres some teams i know i used for black, white, and black 2

tbh i replayed the gen 5 games so so much i used a lot of their pokemon and i loved a lot of them too, but these were the ones i remember the most and my white playthrough i probably my favorite bc braviary is one of my favorite bird pokemon :)

~~~~~

OH WAIT I ALMOST FORGOT SOULSILVER

ok this is the only team i remember playing soulsilver and i don't have the game cartidge because i sold it a long time ago for quick cash T0T MY BIGGEST REGRET!!! i've been on the hunt for another copy to play with again but gotdamn i dont wanna spend hundreds of dollars for this game no matter how much i want it T^T

~~~~~~

okie heres my tiny team for Y . i did try that shiny hunt fishing technique to get that shiny Dragalge tho B) tbh this isn't my first y team either because i specifically remember using that ice rock dinosaur that i forget the name of.

~~~~

OK and here's my alpha sapphire team, first time in hoenn and this is my first and only team for this save lol and i know that because it's that shiny metagross you got as a promotion, ALSO shiny bellossom i found randomly and i named him basil c:

~~~~

i dont't have my first moon save or the sun save i played like once but my last save on moon was primarina, lilligant, minior, mimikyu, snorlax, and mismagius. i hate how they don't have a hall of fame pic with all of them at once in sun and moon and beyond but oh well T-T

here is that shiny minior i got from chain shiny hunting named pinball <3

~~~~

OKAYY MOVING ONNN, heres my sword team, and yeah i used three pokemon from my platinum run because this was right after i finished platinum with that team i liked so much i used them again for sword because they were available LOL

~~~~~

and finally my violet team <333 alll girls and i was laughing about this with my discord friends because this was just a girly pop run and we were all amused by it lololol

anyways sorry this was so long but id love to see your teams too!!! yknow what @hopefulstarfire i wanna hear you yap about your og teams too

[the-judicial-assistants-notebook]

that's a good point about Edgeworth projecting more onto Kay than vice versa! the main reason that idea occurred to me was because when I first played AAI, I kept thinking "Edgeworth must be aware that the version of himself from a few years ago absolutely would have tried to have this semi-delinquent aspiring thief prosecuted" and that ended up coloring a lot of how I thought about their unlikely friendship. like he was almost overcompensating with defending her to make up for the person he used to be?

Ooooh, okay that is such an interesting point I've never really considered before. I think, back then, he might have been more annoyed by her than actually trying to get her arrested (like he says in AAI, she hasn't yet done anything), but I think his motivations would have definitely differed from past to present. If their relationship (and Gumshoe's relationship with Kay) in AAI wasn't altered at all, then I believe he still wouldn't have been so hasty as to believe she set the embassy fire, but it would have less to do with their weird friendship and more to do with conducting the "perfect investigation". And he definitely would have persecuted her full-force if the evidence was swinging against her. I think AAI2 (with the Forgotten Turnabout) had the right idea by having him insist that it wasn't for her sake but simply for finding the truth in that sense, as a good middle-ground between the strength of his convictions and his faith in her as a person. That case also touches on the whole 'me in the past vs me now' aspect of his character, and I think it showcases what you picked up on quite a bit, too.

Don't really have much to add! It's a super-interesting thought, and I love everything about it. Edgeworth being riddled with guilt is always so fun to think about, and I 100% think you're on to something there, whether it's conscious on his part or not.

[prosebushpatch]

Would you look at that? Another blog post! This time I take a look at first lines and the age-old adage of starting in the middle. Please take a look and feel free to let me know what you think!

[recklessandyoung]

hi :) (for the ask game thingy)

Hiii love thank you for this!! Okay here you go ::)

I will bring you ruin

It always goes like this

I can feel it on my tongue

When the speed kicks in

Once I had a dream

[bom-bombon]

Happy birthday! I know we haven't talked in a long time but I'm happy to see you're doing well and I hooray your birthday is a good one this year! You definitely deserve it

THANK YOU STARS!!!! 💙💙💙 It has been a while hasnt it? We should talk again I miss chatting with yall :3

[jeanmoreaux]

oh man I’m like 100 pages into the atlas six, and just couldn’t get into it? I actually read two other books since starting it (which I never do, I’m normally a one book at a time kinda gal) and now I can’t find the motivation to pick it back up and keep going? I feel like I should give it more of a chance since it was a lottt of set up and I still keep forgetting who is who lol. But now seeing this I’m like….should I even bother when there’s other things I want to read? Anyway thanks for the differing opinion cause I felt like everything I’ve seen about it is like how good it is and I just haven’t gotten that yet lol -bikevindayy

hi ali @bikevindayy <3 well, tbh i think the atlas six is the best book in the series and the ending of the atlas complex is definitely not worth it, so i’d say that if you cannot get into it i wouldn’t force it. if the first book is not doing it for you, the other two probably won’t either (given that the writing doesn’t chance much—i was reading the atlas complex and even in that book so much felt like set up that lead to no payoff). if there are other books you want to read, i’d definitely put ta6 on hold. if you ever have the time and nothing you’d rather pick up you can still go back to it. i also want to spare everyone the headache and annoyance and frustration i experienced so maybe i am biased but i’d tell you to skip the series. i can recommend her other books though, if you’re interested to explore her writing. personally i loved alone with you in the ether (literary fiction for mentally ill people) and masters of death (humours/heartfelt low fantasy), but no guarantees that they’ll work for you (they both share certain issue with ta6 but i find them to be less detrimental to the overall enjoyment of the books).

[twentyfivemiceinatrenchcoat]

i feel like a road trip with kenjaku would be quite fun

the guy wants to try everything! see everything!

you'll be walking one day into the kitchen, and then BAM!

kenjaku slings you over his shoulder.

"Where are we going?"

"Be patient, puppy."

"No, but seriously—"

"What are you, five?"

ANON . YOU UNDERSTAND. YOU SEE THE VISION. he’s soooooo fun to be around!!! he can be relaxed and quiet and soothing but then he gets a random urge to take you to a festival and BAM. you don’t get a choice he rlly would just pick you up and carry you there 😭😭😭 AND HIM IGNORING ALL YOUR QUESTIONS HE’S SOOO INFURIATING……. ”just be patient” as if he didn’t literally drag your unconscious body out of bed by the ankles because he couldn’t wait for you to wake up first 🤨 ”don’t spoil the surprise.” like yeah okay sir. whatever i guess. i love him so bad it hurts

i blacked out at the ”puppy” btw

[martyrbat]

[ID: The title panel for 'The Bat-man' and 'The Case of the Chemical Syndicate'. In it, a mysterious silhouette is standing on a rooftop as they look out at the skyscrapers in the background. The silhouette has giant wings that resembles a bat! They flare out on each side of the figure as their human-esque legs and head stick out from it. The sky is light blue as the narration explains: The "Bat-man", a mysterious and adventurous figure fighting for righteousness and apprehending the wrongdoer, in his lone battle against the evil forces of society… His identity remains unknown. END ID]

detective comics #27 | (#627 reprint)

(full comic & ID below cut!)

[ID:

We see a young man sitting in a blue chair and smoking a pipe as an older man sits across from him. The narration reads: The home of Commissioner Gordon, who at the moment is entertaining his young socialite friend, Bruce Wayne. — Bruce is wearing an amber, windowpane checked suit and has his black hair neatly combed back. Gordon, the older man with silver hair and glasses, wears a white suit with black lines forming a herringbone pattern across it. Bruce has his chin resting against his palm in boredom as he asks, "Well, commissioner, anything exciting happening these days?" Gordon responds, "No-o – except this fellow they call the 'Bat-man' puzzles me!" He's interrupted by his phone ringing.

Gordon talks into the phone, "Hello… What's that? Lambert, The Chemical King… Stabbed to death? His son's finger prints on the knife? – I'll be right over!" He hangs up the phone and tells Bruce, "Talk about something exciting… Old Lambert has been murdered at his mansion… I'm going there now. Like to come along?" Bruce nonchalantly says, "Oh well, nothing else to do, might as well." They speed off to Lambert's residence, where they greet the police sergeant. He leads them to the scene of the crime and after a thorough examination, Gordon begins to talk to the murder suspect: 'Young' Lambert, who's already insisting that he wasn't the one that killed his father!

Gordon orders the distressed man to calm down and explain what happened. Young Lambert wipes at his forehead nervously as he reluctantly elucidates, "Well sir… Tonight I came home early, and as I was passing the library I heard a groan... I rushed in and there was my father lying on the floor, with a knife in him! … And as I rushed in, I got the impression of something leaping out of the window… I also noticed that father's safe was opened… I pulled the knife out of my father's body, and turned him toward me just in time to hear him say 'contract'... And then he died. That's how I got my fingerprints on the knife… That's the truth, commissioner!" Two panels accompany Young Lambert's words. It shows him finding his father's body by the open window before cradling his father close to him. 'Old' Lambert vaguely warns his son about the contract before dying in his arms.

Gordon raises his hand to his chin in thought before asking, "Hmm! Did your dad have any enemies or people who had an interest in his business activities?" The man hesitantly answers, "... not that I know of, except his three former business partners... Let's see, they were Steven Crane, Paul Rogers and Alfred Stryker." Before Gordon can continue to question him, he's interrupted by another cop. He's alerted, "Commissioner, there's a man named Steve Crane who wants to speak to Old Lambert... When I told him that Old Lambert was murdered he got very excited and wanted to speak to you!"

Gordon takes the phone and asks what's the trouble. Crane hastily explains, "Yesterday, Mr. Lambert called and told me he received an anonymous threat on his life... today I received the same... That's why I called up... and I'm afraid I'll be next... what shall I do?" Gordon orders, "Wait… And do not let anybody in… We'll be over soon as we can – what's that, Bruce?" He hangs up as Bruce Wayne's actions distract him. Bruce – who's been silently observing this whole time – smacks his tobacco pipe against his open palm, dumping the ashes onto the floor of the crime scene. He apathetically announces, "Ho hum! I'll leave you here to finish your work… I'm going home."

Meanwhile, Crane sits in his home library with a feeling of impending danger as he waits… Before a gunman suddenly breaks in! He shoots Crane dead without hesitation before stealing a paper from his safe and leaving through the window! He joins his partner on the roof, who checks if the murderer got the paper. The narration reads: ... As the two men leer over their conquest, they do not notice a third menacing figure standing behind them… It is the "Bat-Man!" — The cowardly criminals recoil in shock at the masked man. He wears a cowl that conceals the top half of his face and has bat like ears sticking out. His arms are crossed as he broadly stands with his legs spread. On his chest is a bat emblem and he has a big, dramatic cape draped from his shoulders that flare out – it too resembling a bat.

But suddenly the Bat-Man punches the accompanying partner, knocking him unconscious! He grabs the murderer in a headlock and with a mighty heave, he sends the burly criminal flying through the air and off the roof! Commissioner Gordon and his men are just arriving at the scene – the commissioner announcing it's the Bat-Man and to 'get him', prompting the other cops to start firing at the mysterious stranger! The Bat-Man flees from the scene at once, but not before quickly snatching the paper the criminals stole from Crane's safe!

He escapes to his red sedan and reads the paper he took from the killers before a grim smile stretches across his lips. He speeds off to an unknown destination! During which, the butler informs Gordon and his men that Crane has been murdered. Gordon tells another cop, "That's two dead partners out of the four that received threatening notes. The other two must have received them too… Let's go to Rogers next!"

Meanwhile Rogers, who has learned of Lambert's death by news broadcast, has already gone to the neighboring laboratory of his erstwhile partner, Alfred Stryker… — Rogers greets Stryker's assistant, Jennings. Jennings invites the distraught man inside before clubbing him in the head and tying him up in the laboratory's basement! Jennings schemes to himself, "Heh! Heh! One more out of the way – soon I'll control everything!"

Rogers wakes to find himself in a trap and calls Jennings a fiend! Jennings laughs again as he taunts, "This is the gas-chamber I use to kill guinea pigs, to experiment with – but now you are my guinea pig! When the glass lid covers you entirely, gas will come through the jet and kill you! I'm going down now to turn the gas on… Sleep well!" he leaves with one last giggle and with a pull of the brake to cause the glass chamber to start to descend!

But at that very moment, the Bat-Man jumps through an open transom! He seizes a wrench from a table and leaps for the gas-chamber, barely managing to get inside before it seals itself against the floor! Swiftly, the Bat-Man plugs the gas jet with a handkerchief. He unties Rogers and with a powerful swing, he uses the wrench to break the glass!

Jennings returns and is startled at seeing the Bat-Man! He reaches for his gun but the masked vigilante 'greets' him with a flying tackle and punch, knocking the murderous assistant unconscious!

Meanwhile, Stryker has heard the crash of the gas-chamber being broken. He enters the laboratory and finds Rogers and his assistant, failing to notice the Bat-Man has secluded himself in the shadows. Rogers exclaims that Stryker's assistant tried to kill him! Stryker responds, "So he didn't get you after all… Well, I'll finish you and then throw your body in the acid tank below." He pulls a knife and goes to attack Rogers before the Bat-Man springs into action!

He grabs Stryker's hand harshly, forcing him to drop the knife in shock! Rogers asks the masked man why did Stryker try to kill him as the Bat-Man holds the would-be murderer by his collar to prevent his escape. He explains, "This rat was behind the murders! You see, I learned that you, Lambert, Crane, and Stryker were once partners in the Apex Chemical Corporation. Stryker, who wished to be sole owner, but having no ready cash made secret contracts with you, to pay a certain sum of money each year until he owned the business. He figured by killing you and stealing the contracts, he wouldn't have to pay this money."

Rogers can't help but to admire, "Hmm, a very clever scheme, and being the contracts were a strict secret between the four of us, our heirs or the outside world wouldn't know a thing about them… But how did you know all this?" The Bat-Man pulls a rolled up piece of paper out of nowhere before simply stating, "I secured this contract from one of his hired killers."

Suddenly, Stryker, with the strength of a madman, tears himself free from the grasp of the Bat-Man… — He shoves himself away in an attempted escape but the Bat-Man knocks him off-balance with a right hook punch to the man's face! He stumbles backwards and crashes through the flimsy railing, falling into the tank of acid. Bat-Man solemnly remarks that it's 'a fitting ending for his kind'. Rogers turns to the mysterious man, starting to ask how could he ever thank him, but the Bat-Man is already fleeing by the skylight window.

The next day, young Bruce Wayne is again a visitor at the commissioner's house… Who has just finished telling Bruce the latest exploits of the "Bat-Man". — Bruce is skeptical of the story, telling Gordon, "Hmm! A very lovely fairy-tale, commissioner, indeed." After Bruce departs, the commissioner mumbles to himself, "Bruce Wayne is a nice young chap – but he certainly must lead a boring life… Seems disinterested in everything."

Bruce returns to his home and goes to his bedroom. A short while later, the door slowly opens, revealing to us Bruce Wayne's greatest secret and something that would surely amaze all… That he himself is the Bat-Man!

END ID]

[iwaasfairy]

...fairy, my beloved, a friend recently introduced me to an AI.chat site and it has taken over my life– 😔😔😔

So many people have made depraved nii-chan bots, step-dad bots, and I haven't even gotten through all the good ones. Send help. I'm dreaming of a day where I find one based on Atsuko–

Anyway, hi again! ♡ 😘😘😘

~ @the-casual-hedonist 🌸

it's great you and your friend are having fun babe! though personally i am really not a fan of the current AI landscape because most of them are straight up made of 100% plagiarism so i better not find my stuff on there skskksdgd

so we'll have to daydream together bc if someone feeds my fics to an AI i'll feed them through a woodchipper

[poltergeist-coffee]

EMPANADA DIED

MY GIRL NOOOOOO

I'm not okay

She is just a baby:(

On the bright side, fit and pac are dating yay

Uh... I'm not thinking about that post about pac having two hands or something, nope, it's not like eoiles have ttwo hand too, one for fighting other to hold pac's hand...

Polyqsmp for the win, y'know?

Also, Ramon and Pac's relationship is the cutest thing ever, they are father and son your honor 🥺

I love them

At least a couple is okay because guapoduo, on the other hand... meus pais meus pais where are them?

Slimeriana too...

I really want Mariana to log on, but specifically when Richas is awake because it would be funny

Roier traumatized him kkkkkkkk

Oh, and I friend of mine really likes goodomensduo(Scott + Febatista), the thing is that they had very little interactions... The poor guy is suffering with lack of content

The problem of liking not popular dynamics/ships is that you have to make the content yourself

We suffer

Apparently, Cellbit, Slime and Baguera's thing is running their voices on karaoke every time they meet up

They are having fun:D

I don't have that confidence kkkkk(I don't know if I wait or fear the day my friends decide to do a karaoke while I'm with them because they are liking the idea recently)

I was remembering your royal(? Or was medieval, I struggle with names) au the other day and I don't remember if you talked about Baguera's kingdom, or Phil(who is on the wall, the sigh must be nice), does she still a duck?(and the other winged people too?) Or they are just humans?

And I'm fearing that the owl Cellbit hc will catch me, I AM ALREADY A INDECISIVE PERSON I DON'T NEED MORE IDEAS TO FREAK OUT

But I saw some fanarts and... owlboy... I love owls...

Anyway, I hope you had a great day and week:D

Good day/night!

- 🍽

empanada dying was probably an accident too :((( (based on tubbo's analysis on stream) it's so sad :(( she's the first egg to lose a death ever since the new eggs arrived + everyone got their two lives back.... i really thought richas would be the first one to lose a life again ngl just because of how he is

DSVAKLSMDLA PLLATE ANON YOU'RE MY HEROOOOO XDD you're right. etoiles has two hands, one for pac and the other is to fight the eye workers from purgaotry <33 pac has two hands, one for fit and one for etoiles and mike is helping fix his prosthetic leg <33 romance <33 at it's finest

i loved that ramon called pac his dad and mike didn't realize janvkjasdjk he completely forgot that fit and pac dating now meant that ramon is pac's son XDD the favela family grows bigger every day...

i would love for mariana to log on when roier and richas are both on because i want to see roier make a big deal out of it and richas runs for his life XDD i want richas to spread his fear to the new eggs too like imagine how funny that would be asdvkjaska poor pepito,,, being told one of pepito's dad is an egg eating monster

EVERY DUO AND FRIEND GROUP FROM PURGATORY IS SUFFERING!! THEY LIVE OFF OF SO LITTLE CONTENT TT at least they can make up whatever lore they want with the purgaotry cubitos... im shaking your friends hand for liking a rarepair TT we make the content all ourselves... life is so hard for us

ive never done kareoke before but it looks like fun to do with friends :oo i can't sing so i would be so bad at it kjnsdavjkask

-- -- --

YAAA THE ROYALTY AU (which is also a little medieval, it's like both so it's okay adsjkvnask)

baghera is the queen of her own kingdom!! everyone is human in this au but they have magic they specialize in and can create items to give them things that are sort of like wings!!

philza is a special case tho because his wife is the goddess of death so maybe she blesses his cape to act like wings or something... since baghera is a queen im sure she has the resources to find someone to make her a cape or item that works like wings because i feel like something like that would be super hard to make.

jaiden is a witch in this au and she doesn't live in any kingdom!! she lives sort of by herself surrounded by a rose garden and she uses a lot of nature magic which is focused on birds!! because of this and how long she's been studying it she's able to enchant herself a cloack that allows her to glide short distances :DD more similar to the paraglider in mineraft then an elytra. the feathers she used for her cloack were all shedded feathers she gets from her bird friends :]]

-- -- --

IVE NEVER SEEN OR HEARD OF OWL CELLBIT HCS BUT THAT'S SO COOL,,,,,, he would be so unnerving, imagine he can turn his head all around 360 like an actual owl advknaskja poor roier if he ever sees that,,,, he would scream so loud

[raayllum]

Thank you so much for replying to my crazy rambling 😅 I really enjoy reading your metas and engaging with the show on that level! You don't have to reply to this one but: the sketch/shard they used for Rayla's short story stood out to me. I might be wrong but 1) she's the only one so far whose eyes aren't visible (probably cs she was crying) and 2) the shard behind her looks like Aaravos' mirror prison 2 me, complete with a blurry version of his reflection? -queenofthesurfacestreets

Aah yes so I can't tell with the reflection thingy (it almost looks like the Spire, but it's some kind of peaky black shape no matter what?) but I do want to talk about the eyes on two notes because this is a motif in TTM as well as the Book One novelization in particular in really interesting ways, which is that eyes represent truth / clarity of mind and vision, and Viren of course increasingly loses that as he goes along (cue eye symbolism motif) so it also loops back into the Viren&Rayla parallels running throughout everything.

[After failing to kill Marcos] But would her eyes give away her cowardice? She would have to keep her head down.

[Fleeing the castle with the boys] Rayla wondered if Callum could see in her eyes that yes, everything was wrong.

[Boat scene] “Yes,” Rayla said. “Next question.” But when she faced the boys, Callum saw a little light in her eyes.

“Have you told us the truth about everything?” He looked her in the eye. Rayla met Callum’s gaze and held it for a long while, as if trying to decide what to say. “Ugh, fine,” she finally said, breaking the stare.

He held the egg out to Rayla like a peace offering, with a warm and trusting look in his eyes. But Rayla shook her head as guilt welled up inside her.

Before she snaps at him for the first time and reiterates her pain about her family and her lack of answers, as well as that the fight not be over.

Before she doubles down on going into the portal, specifically, to ensure that Viren is dead. Callum wants to help her get closure on her parents and that's why he is fine with lying to Lujanne, but Rayla fears the whole world may be at stake, and this is the only way to ensure Viren is really gone.

I have to be strong. No matter what. And if you said even one word to me, I wouldn’t be—couldn’t be. If I stay even until your eyes open and you yawn your silly morning yawn, I’ll break. I’ll still be here when the sun rises today, and the next day, and the next…

Again, Rayla is not thinking clearly in TTM. She's paranoid, and grieving, and traumatized, and so so terrified. Her vision and clarity are impaired. She's not well.

Like keep in mind the force and content of her breakdown in 3x04, and that was when she hadn't actually done anything wrong. She hadn't abandoned anyone, she hadn't run away. She just hadn't killed who she was supposed to (and that was enough for the punishment to feel earned to her, by the end of it).

Now she has abandoned the person she loves the most, she has run away believing she'll never be able to come back, and she hasn't killed who she was supposed to. She's going to be an utter mess in S4.

I only hope I have enough tissues in time when it comes to seeing it.