#man does that make my life difficult hahaHA

[felixethereal]

Stray kids for Harper's bazaar

Stray kids cut interview

[Bang Chan]

Q: Who eats the most?

A: I.N!

Q: Who has the strongest mentality?

A: All of us!

Q: Who is the most indecisive?

A: It must be me! I decide what to buy when I go shopping, but I spend three hours not being able to decide. And I end up not being able to buy anything, hahaha. But when I go shopping with Felix, I don’t hesitate. Felix is persuasive and he always encourages me like, “That’s great, you look good in that.” So, I go like, “yeah?” and buying things becomes really easy.

Q: Who relies on you the most?

A: Felix, perhaps? But we have a good relationship where all the members can rely on each other. As we have spent so much time together, we have very deep ties, and we believe in each other. We are such a great team!

Editor’s NOTE

He really takes control of the conversation! He even answered in Japanese to some questions. He has such an elegant and gentlemanly behavior and has an extremely great communication skills.

[Lee Know]

Q: Of all the members who has changed the most since you first met?

A: At the beginning, I had an impression that it might be difficult to get along with Bang Chan as he seemed dignified as a leader, but now he has more affection to SKZ than anyone and is very charming man.

Q: Who is the best listener?

A: It may change according to the situation, but I think Changbin listens to everyone a lot. So does Hyunjin and so does HAN, oh that means we all listen to one another really well.

Q: What is the chemi you cannot resist recently?

A: It’s Seungmin and I.N. They both love coffee but they promised not to drink it for their health. But in fact, they are drinking coffee behind their back. It’s funny and it’s sweet to see them like that.

Q: Who relies on you the most?

A: My cat that I have at home.

Editor’s NOTE

During the recording of 25 Questions, Lee Know was speaking fluent Japanese. He was so caring. When Changbin was about to digress from the main subject, he warns Changbin like a big brother, and he was making a nice atmosphere. We gave them some instant tonkotsu ramen to enjoy back home, Lee Know was so delighted.

[Changbin]

Q: Of all the members who has changed the most since you first met?

A: I think Seungmin. I first thought he was gracious and neat, but actually he is the most mischievous and unique.

Q: Who is the best listener?

A: I talk to all the members and every one of them listens to each other very well. So, it is difficult to pick one.

Q: Please tell me about hidden faces of the members that only you know.

A: When we were living in the same dorm, I heard someone calling me. I peeked into his room, but he was fast asleep. Lee Know speaks very clearly even in his sleep and that was very funny.

Q: Who relies on you the most?

A: All the members younger than myself!

Editor’s NOTE

Changbin came in to see other members’ interviews and shooting sessions for a while. As he received the gaze from the production staff he had met for the first time, he was a bit shy at the beginning, but all through the shoot, he spoke to the members, and really set the mood for 25 Questions recording. He is the unsung hero of the team. Whenever he says something funny, or when other members react to him funnily, he keeps cool. But before you know he is always in the center of the circle. That is the charm he has, and I was drawn in.

[Hyunjin]

Q: Of all the members who has changed the most since you first met?

A: I think Seungmin. At first, he was a no-joker, serious guy but I think he is the strangest person of all the members. He really is, strange!

Q: Who is the best listener?

A: I think I.N. Whenever I talk with him, he is so warm and makes me calm. He is so therapeutic to be with.

Q: Please tell me about hidden faces of the members that only you know.

A: HAN and I.N like drawing and they often paint still life in oils. They paint characters so well and they show the drawings at STAY’s events.

Q: What is the chemistry you cannot resist recently?

A: It’s Changbin and Seungmin. Seungmin teases Changbin first and it starts from there. Then Changbin gets angry at Seungmin and Seungmin laughs at Changbin. It’s always the same and they love it (lol).

Editor’s NOTE

He has the most beautiful pose, and it was extremely difficult to choose which picture to post. You might think whoever is good at dance performance maybe good at posing, but it is not true. Whether you zoom in or zoom out, Hyunjin has wide variations of poses and has a knack for making the clothes look better. Every time he gets one step closer to success, his parents tell him “I believed in you”. Watching the shooting session and interviewing him, I felt that with that self-esteem, his innate ability to express himself will bloom even more.

[HAN]

Q: Who is the no.1 trendsetter?

A: I think Seungmin sets the trend with the way he talks. He talks in such a way so that the members laugh and gradually we all begin mimicking it. It’s kind of difficult to explain, but he uses that funny voice, or he teases us quite often.

Q: Who has the strongest mentality?

A: It is definitely Seungmin. He is really mentally strong. No matter what people say to him, he is never distracted. He has got that kind of strength. Unbreakable strength.

Q: Who is the most indecisive?

A: Felix maybe? He changes his mind a lot, haha.

Q: Please tell me about hidden faces of the members that only you know.

A: There are not many hidden secrets... Bang Chan cannot drink coffee! Well, this maybe famous. But it could be a new information for someone who came to know us recently.

Editor’s NOTE

A soft-spoken man, HAN was embracing other members’ words during the 25 Questions recording. He answered the interview politely and shyly. It was hard to believe that he was the same HAN who has got into the rap bag with the rap legend Tiger JK in the single, “TOPLINE (feat. Tiger JK)” , from the album “★★★★★ (5-STAR)”.

[Felix]

Q: Who is the most particular about food?

A: All of us eat well and eat a lot but if I were to pick one person, it is Changbin. He takes care of his body and does lots of exercise, so he is really healthy!

Q: Who is the no.1 trendsetter?

A: Changbin teaches us lots of buzzwords. HAN is also funny. They are such entertainers, they mimic comedians’ way of talking and moves, and it is so funny we laugh so much.

Q: Who is the most indecisive?

A: Perhaps myself, haha. I decide and I buy something, and I often think something is different afterwards. I regret a bit, then I think “but maybe it’s good in the end”. I keep doing that. I can give good shopping advice to others, though. Bang Chan gave me confidence when he said that I was persuasive.

Q: Please tell me about hidden faces of the members that only you know.

A: Sometimes I can hear a tiger roaring when I am sleeping. Yes, anyone can snore when he is tired. Bang Chan is so busy he often works at dawn, or many times we start early in the morning, so I figure he is tired.

Editor’s NOTE

It was impressive to see Felix greet each of the shooting staff he met for the first time. When a staff from Australia gave him a local sweet the kids love, he showed the biggest smile. It was great to see his facial expressions change so much. He is open-minded to everyone. When I asked them, “Who is the most indecisive?” almost all the members said Felix as if it was prearranged. That was where I caught the glimpse of their relationship.

[Seungmin]

Q: Who is the most particular about food?

A: Changbin. He has this strict rule that the dinner must be finished before the date changes.

Q: Who is the no.1 trendsetter?

A: Changbin talks about buzzwords a lot. He is so good at that kind of things. For example, when he was eating chili crab, he got excited and started singing, “chili chili crab crab” after the lyrics of “chili chili men men”. It just comes at the right point.

Q: Who has the strongest mentality?

A: I think it is Changbin. He has an ability to deal in any situation.

Q: Who is the most indecisive?

A: Felix often changes what he is interested in. Hyunjin changes his mind a lot when he tries to choose something from the menu, or simple things like that.

Q: Tell me about your recent TMI (random incidents).

A: Lee Know is doing a lot of cooking at the dormitory recently. He buys some cooked food and arranges it his way. He’s very good.

Editor’s NOTE

I asked him, “If you were to be reborn, what do you want to be?” “A Stray Kids fan,” Seungmin said. “I want to see how Stray Kids are from STAY’s point of view.” Everyone marveled at this answer. He is a quick thinker but also witty as he answered many questions pretending to be Changbin.

[I.N]

Q: Of all the members who has changed the most since you first met?

A: I think Changbin for me. At first, I thought he was a bit scary but as I got to know him better, he is such a good big brother and making us laugh all the time.

Q: Who is the best listener?

A: "kon kon jeu"(those who are born in 2000, Hyunjin, HAN, Felix, Seungmin ) listen to me a lot. They are a bit older than I am, but they are nice big brothers for me that I can be with like friends.

Q: Please tell me about hidden faces of the members that only you know.

A: It’s Felix’s recent hobby. He seems to like to paint to customize his keyboards.

Q: What is the chemistry you cannot resist recently?

A: Lee Know goes on and on about some facts to Changbin. The words he uses and the fact he talks about can only be called truth, but it is just so funny and Changbin’s pressured face is also hilarious. It is not that he does not talk back, but the rule is that Changbin always loses.

Editor’s NOTE

I.N has a brother who always gives him good feedback. “My brother really gives me great advice and it is very useful for me. As he looks at our team, he always thinks we are great and that also becomes my driving force.” A lovable man-ne(the youngest), how I.N shows his talent freely and purely is because of the affection his big brothers give him.

[dreambigdreamz]

fanfic idea for future reference 😌 it’s a swanlake x eothiriel

This is completely rough draft and I have a lot to work on, but I just found it again amidst my profile from long ago and just had to keep it for sake. And maybe I’d like to share it too — especially @meluiloth because you so kindly tag me everytime but I am always lazy to do anything related to writing 🥲 this one’s in honour for you and all your kindness in tagging me.

So like, the latest one is a Swan Lake plotline where it will start off as a suspense story. (No one else would be reading this and it will be a long time when I finally write and any who read will have forgotten about it so I'm going in all spoilers yes?) Éomer visiting Dol Amroth, the seat of his new friend Imrahil, and when he goes on his solitary late night walks on the beach, he keeps sighting a mysterious silver figure dancing, yknow. And when he tries to follow her once, he sees that she vanished as she ran into the Palace Garden. Now this Palace Garden is the beautifullest of places with flowers, shrubs, and fountains. But there is a big golden cage too, and in it is a snow-white swan that the whole royal family seems to love so much. THAT SWAN IS LOTHIRIEL CURSED BY A WITCH AND HER SOUL WILL BE A SWAN UNTIL SHE FEELS THE LOVE OF A MORTAL MAN AND RETURNS THAT LOVE. 

Like, whenever a young man asked for her hand, she always refused and one young man went to ask help from the witch to make Lothiriel love him back but instead the jealous witch turned her into a swan and she now only has human form in the absence of daylight and ahhhhh

Very simple and plain, Iknow but. For some reason I'm so excited for it to play out. 

I mean, everything about Eomer is simple and plain but so beloved in my eyes 😍

Yeah like a sort of Beren and Luthien meeting. Very simple, but when made with care and love, it makes my heart burst eek I feel like what will hinder Lothiriel's falling in love with him is her being so foreign to that. For sixteen years she was kept safe under the watch of her spinster aunt and doesn't lift an eye at a young man unless her elders permittedly tell her so. So I'm sorry but this girl's mentality was wrecked very beautifully and she simply doesn't know how to handle love

And for the next six years she was a swan, so very very unused to human company in general. Lol me materialising introverts in a poetic way. I think you'll be onboard with that idea. I don't know about you, but I feel so frustrated that I want to go out and mix in with people but it's so difficult to let go of the old restraints that had been for so long.

AND YES HAHAHA I am so making her foreign to love, and even a sequel where, after they have already admitted to each other's love, the curse still isn't broken and she begins to suspect it's because her love for Eomer is really imaginary. She 'loves' him only because she wants to break the curse. She has never known what is love to actually realise what she is feeling is really love. She doubts it. And truly, yes, she is a little selfish and she begins to be scared she'll never love anybody truly and this curse is to be forever. And they set out on a quest to find a way to break the curse and on the way she finds out what it truly is to love someone selflessly, without expecting anything in return, to want someone to be happy even if it means without you in their life. 🤓🤓 I just had to go and add that bit of angst in.

Like the first fic could be called 'So this is Love' and will end as they admit their love. So it's an open ended ending for everyone, those who wants to have the happily ever after can stop there. But the second fic sequel is gonna be like 'What is Love' and will start off with her still turning into a swan even after everything. It does have a happy ending though, I just have this scenario in my mind that they're coming back from the sea on a raft and she runs throgh the water up the beach to her gasping parents, IN DAYLIGHT. She's human in daylight so it means the curse is broken!! And they just share a hug :) I have this quote 'No I've never loved anyone before. If my parents died, I'd cry, but only because I wouldn't know what to do with my life next. Only because I would feel so lost without them to take care of me.' And in the end she finds the true meaning of loving :))) Because, whatever it is, love is love, selfless or selfish. If you love someone, for whatever reasons, it is still love, isnt it?? But for her she's been trapped in the cage of her mind for so long, not trusting anybody in case 'it doesn't work out'. Like, most of my heroines they are scared because they've been hurt before. For her, she is imagining all the hurt that could happen and limiting herself from the joy that was possibly waiting. Ahhh me 😁😁😁

I feel like this is going to be my healthiest pairing yet. They both admit to their flaws in so honest a way and come to terms with their imperfections. Like they actually got to talk!!! The quest symbolises their journey to compatibility, yknow, learning more about each other, and not only that but adjust to each other's problems. For example, Eomer himself realises he did not expect some selfish outbursts from this angelic creature and realises he had fallen in love with her shadow instead, her beauty and dancing in the twilight. He soon learns a lot more about her and learns why she is this way and also like why she is selfish and how to remedy that (she hoards up her favourite cakes all to herself and threatens him not to touch them).But that is bc she has been brought up privileged and not had any contact with anybody outside the world that she doesn't know how to fit in.

I'm so proud of it. 

Like first, you fall in love with someone for their outside. Then you have to endure and try to get to know their inside and then once you know what they are like, it is up to choice to try and get along or leave then. I think that's the three crucial steps to love :] And only after that, can you attest whether that love is 'true' as in compatible for the long run.

Yeah! I need a real life 🫠

Eomer’s flaw is chiefly that he takes things at face value because that’s how he was brought up. The Rohirrim doesn’t have much disguises and are straightforward and honest, you know. And he takes it that way. And when he first saw Lothíriel, that was the case: he took her to be a beautiful creature, a heavenly being. He has to learn the depths and layers of everything. 

And like, one incident is when he’s to leave the next day and asks if she’d wish him to return some day. She says, what would it change if she wish or not? That he’d try to come back at all cost if he knew she wished for it. She starts saying something like ‘But I could tell you that I wish for you to never come back here again. Would that prevent you from doing so?’ 

‘It would.’ 

Startled, she asks ‘Why?’ 

‘Because you said so.’ 

‘But I could be wishing something entirely different and may voice something else because of . . . propriety. And I am only saying this for example, mind you. Would you still take it at face value of what I said, when you probably know it to be otherwise?’ 

‘Yes.’ 

‘Then you are disregarding my— the person’s genuine wish?’ 

‘No. Though you may be wishing something different, I respect the decision you made to not speak of that wish. For whatever reason you thought it fit to keep your true feelings a secret, I will have to respect that decision of your mind that chose to not tell me your wish.’

Is this too cheesy—

I’m sorry I’m so proud of this atm tho

please let me know what you think 🥹🥹

[bluedillylee]

Episode 4 of the Hexer

ooo some similarities with Netflix Witcher (and the books obviously) with these guys trying to rob Geralt and then Borch, Tea, and Vea intervene.

Tea and Vea look terrible honestly like a cheap halloween costume. This Borch is younger than the Netflix version. I wonder if they'll have them all flirt as a nod to the orgy that happens in the book.

AAAA WE HAVE HEADBAND GERALT!!!!! WOO WOO!!!

this is very like the book from what I remember. Geralt upfront warning Borch that people don't like witchers and treat them like lepers. All the smiles Borch is giving Geralt are making me laugh a little. Geralt looks filthy and Borch is smiling at him like he's about to start twirling his hair and giggling.

ok we've got a time-skip from the last episode. Geralt's been on the road for several years now.

Geralt is a sensitive dude huh? i'm really liking this convo with Borch it really reminds me of the books. It might be actual lines from the books i'm not sure i dont have copy with me rn.

talking about his principles and how he works to preserve human life but he doesn't like humanity very much.

pfft Borch telling Vea and Tea not to brawl even tho that dude totally groped her c'mon dragon man don't be such a downer.

drunk Geralt defending dragon omg i think Borch might be in love hahaha

holy shit are we getting the orgy??? goddamn we actually got all four of them in the tub together.

Netflix witcher I am looking at you rn 00 we didn't even get flirting!? and they got to be in a tub together!!! what the hell

DANDELION!!!! (edit JASKIER!!)

ok i thought this when I read the books as well but Dandelion introducing himself as poet, bard and unmatched in the bedroom (wink wink) to Borch is not straight behavior.

Secondly Geralt smiling at Dandelion as he greats him with a happy "Geralt" is very sweet. A wonderful into to their friendship.

oh they call him Jaskier in this too. Is Dandelion only a book name then? wait I remember there being some thing about them localizing the polish name for english readers. hmmm yep he's jaskier in the original polish version.

hold on we're probably going to meet Yennefer in this episode too! It's been very book accurate this episode and Jaskier just said they're waiting on a wizard to arrive.

OMG!! i should've just shutup and watched she's here!!!! aaaaahhh geralt's face haha yes

why is there no equality with nudity? I have seen full on female nudity several times now but have I seen even one dick? its sexism is what it is. I want to see a dick, for feminism!

hmm so Yennefer says he wants a lover and a mother (girl i hear you) and he has no purpose just wandering around killing monsters

aaaa they're hanging from the cliff and the reavers want to let them fall. omg Yennefer tells Geralt to save himself

Jaskier's helping them up (my ot3!!)

ooo scary Geralt begging the reaver to draw his sword so he can kill him. and he's back to looking goofy because wtf kinda kill was that i can't even tell if the other guy is dead or not.

ugh this dragon looks terrible. netflix version was also awful. why is it so difficult to design a kick ass dragon? his head is so small compared to his body as well as having tiny arms. Borch skipped arm day and only jacked up his legs

haha jaskier really is Donkey from shrek, dragon flirting and all

that was all very chaotic but they saved the ugliest baby dragon there ever was. Seriously tho that thing is butt ugly

what does Yennefer mean by saying she is a shard of ice? I'm trying to remember the short story. I felt like in that story she felt like there was a part of her that could never be loved or fully accepted and understood and that's what she meant by it. Hmmm I'll have to go back and read it again.

[lifehunted]

Maybe there was an ending out there where Darda could've succeeded. Killed Marika himself, taken up the mantle of the Frenzied Lord. Burned it all down, every bit of it, this disgusting and loathesome world that his family had set into ruin. Finally brought everything toward unity and peace within the ashes, if nothing more.

But this was not that ending, and he had not won. Darda was here, in the evergaol set for he and he alone, the true hero of this story sneering over him.

A watchful eye was kept steeled upon him- the single and sole eye left between the two of them, laughably enough. Keziah was armed, as he was no fool, but his sword was not drawn. He knows full well that Darda no longer has anything left to lose, nothing to gain in overpowering him.

"Ranni sure was generous enough to make a place for you. There's worse places to spend the rest of eternity than these gaols, that's for sure."

Darda's scorched eye sockets scrunched at the corners. Bemusement? Ridicule? Perhaps cynical disgust, or a mix of all this. He doesn't really give a shit about Keziah, but Ranni has always been more than enough conniving trouble. Before he can manage some comment toward this end, though, Keziah finally draws his weapon- no, it's a different one, a sword he's never seen the man wield before.

There's a distinct, holy glow to it. An odd, unmistakeable thrum of power. Keziah turns the blade over in his dragon-clawed hands, admiring it himself.

"... This is all that's left of Radagon. Marika too. But... I have no use for it, I think."

The glowing blade is tossed onto the grass before Darda, thumping where it lay. The larger man tilts his head toward the sound, instinctive, and after a moment he reaches for it.

... It's warm. Alive. No, perhaps that's just the hum of latent power, still coursing through the sword-corpse. A sorry state for Radagon, that's for sure. But again, it's still...

His mother. The god, the woman. The stranger he'd never known. Is this truly all that's left of such a legendary being?

....

Carefully, the sword is pulled toward himself. Cradled into his arms. A laugh, hoarse and mirthless, finally escapes him.

"And you're just giving it to me? After all this? My, you are a bleeding heart, aren't you. Gifting your ferocious prisoner a god-sword."

Keziah shrugs, roll of the shoulders. The smile he bears is also without warmth.

"You've got no reason to use it. Even if you manage to escape, there's nothing left. You've lost." And... well. He sure won't voice it. But as much as he detests this man, for almost ripping away what little Keziah himself has left. He does pity him, too. Can't say his intentions were altruistic, but at the least... he sympathizes.

....

And besides. It's terribly difficult for a man to kill himself, imprisoned, without at least some sharp manner of instrument.

"You will never leave here again, for as long as you live. Perhaps even past that. The very least I can offer is to return the body of your mother to you."

Darda sneers, lips pulling back until teeth bared. But he does, indeed, hold the weapon closer. His only company, it seems. What a shame.

"... Ranni's full of shit. She doesn't know the way ahead any more than the rest of us. A right shame."

Keziah rolls his eye. Unperturbed, he steps back, and begins to turn away. One single wave of a hand.

"Enjoy the rest of your sorry life, Darda. The good thing about almost everyone dead, at least, is there'll be almost no one to miss you."

His form fizzles out of the confines of the gaol, and he disappears. There's only the faint rumbling of the prison's magic, now. Darda sinks against the grass, cold and unwelcoming.

"... Ha. Hahaha. Well... good a time as any to catch up, isn't it? Mother."

The sword is silent.

[cainluvr69]

Let Me Tell You The Story Of A Rainbow - Chapter 9

Previous Chapter

Owen: Hey, I told you to open a door for me.

Mithra: I did intend to, but it seems my plans have been changed. This person never listens to a thing I say… Why don't you look around with someone, too? Cain is on the next floor up.

Owen: Why would I go with Sir Knight? Besides, he's with Oz right now. I'd rather die.

Mithra: Should I kill you, then?

Owen: Excuse me?

Mithra: You'd really rather die than look around with Cain?

Owen: …You're not very good at listening to other people, either…

✦✧☾✧✦

Figaro: Huh. This is a pretty ornate goblet. It's in good shape for an antique.

Snow: Indeed. I can feel the depth of the long passage of time this piece has endured.

White: Old things have a kind of value that comes from being old. A sort of dignity, you could call it.

Snow: Someone from an era long past imbued their soul into them as they made them.

White: It feels as though I could reach out and touch its creator's life simply by picking this goblet up.

Figaro: The human lifespan is nothing compared to our own, and yet, they can create such wonderful things. Because their lives are so short, they have to rush to leave proof of the value of their existence behind before they die. I imagine they live very restless lives… Still, it doesn't seem too bad to find a way to give your legacy physical form and leave it behind for the future. I'd want to be a little cooler about it, though.

Snow: Oh my my, Figaro dear.

White: Are things getting a bit risqué in here?

Figaro: Hahaha. Of course not. I mean, we were talking about the weight of history this old goblet has…

Murr: Hey, hey! You keep saying it's old, but this goblet's braaaand new! Compared to you three hags, at least. And compared to me too, of course!

Snow & Figaro & White: …

Figaro: Oh, my. How could you possibly accuse a handsome young man like me of that? I'm hurt.

Snow: Exactly, exactly!

White: What could possibly be old about this pretty pair of twins?

Murr: Everything!

Snow & White: Murr, dear! Shut up!

Shylock: My apologies. Has my dear pet done something untoward again?

Figaro: No, he's the same as always. But I've gotta say, hearing you call him your "dear pet" again is rather…evocative.

Murr: I agree! It's better than you'd expect, though! Hey, Figaro, why don't you try being someone's dear pet too?

Shylock: My oh my. Would a person of your status like to be kept as my pet as well?

Figaro: Not if I have to share you with Murr. On the subject, though, can you tell me the benefits to becoming your pet?

Shylock: Mm, let me think… We'll have stimulating mornings, sensual days, passionate evenings, and lascivious nights together.

Snow: That lineup sounds a bit excessive.

White: Make sure the little ones don't hear you talking like that.

Figaro: Hmm. If you're being serious, then I'm extremely interested, but doesn't that sound a little difficult?

Shylock: How so?

Figaro: You won't entertain anything you don't want. You're one of the better Western wizards, but you're still as capricious as the rest of them.

Shylock: Fufu… My, what pointed words. But doesn't whether you catch my interest or not depend entirely on yourself?

Figaro: Now you're just teasing me.

Murr: Hey, if we're having capricious conversations, then that means I get to change the topic! Hey, Shylock, does this goblet seem old to you too?

Shylock: Let me see. It certainly is an item that's seen its fair share of history…

Murr: Right! But you're waaaay older than this hunk of junk!

Shylock: ……

Figaro: …Right, that reminds me. I was planning on seeing what's on the next floor up.

Snow: What a coincidence, so were we!

White: Soooo, let's go!

Murr: Whaaaat. You're all leaving? But the fun has only just begun!

Shylock: Fufu. Say, Murr. Could you say that again for me?

✦✧☾✧✦

Clank… Clank… Cain and I followed that sound, and we found a wandering suit of armor.

Cain: This was the one we saw walking around on the first day, too. I guess it's wandering around on its own again.

The armor stopped in its tracks, turned to me, and bowed respectfully.

Akira: Um…nice to meet you.

Cain: This is a pretty chivalrous suit of armor.

Clank… The armor turned to Cain next and saluted.

Cain: Oh.

Cain saluted in return. The silhouette of a gallant soldier overlapped his face in profile.

Akira: You're so cool! You really know what to do here.

Owen: Wow, you're getting praised just for doing a salute? The Sage is just spoiling you so much, aren't they?

Akira: Owen.

Cain: Oh, you didn't go back to the manor?

Owen: The door I thought was going to open didn't. What a nasty surprise.

And then with another clank, the armor turned to Owen and his harsh words and kneelt down before him.

Owen: …? What's with this thing.

Akira: It looks like it wants to swear itself to you, Owen.

Cain: Looks like this armor's actions differ depending on who it's facing. I wonder what it's based on…? Wait, this is perfect. I want to take it back to its proper display location. Help me out.

Owen: No. I'm just passing through here, and that sounds like a pain.

Cain: But look. It's just staying stock-still, watching you. It looks like it's waiting for your orders. Try saying something to it.

Owen: No way. I'm not this thing's master.

And with that, Owen turned on his heel to leave. But behind him, the sound of the armor's footsteps--clank, clank, clank--followed him happily.

Owen: Shut up! At least walk quietly.

Akira: The armor's intended location is…right over there.

Cain: I'll go keep an eye on them. It'd be pretty bad if his attitude suddenly changed and he decided to destroy the armor.

Akira: Alright. Then I'll keep an eye on where it's supposed to be.

Cain: Gotcha. Heeeey, Owen, wait up!

I watched Cain's retreating back and then turned my attention to the handicrafts and sculptures lined up against the wall next to me. That was when I heard a gentle, floaty voice call out to me.

Aslan: Master Sage.

I turned, and was met with a pair of straightforward amber eyes. Aslan put a hand to his chest, smiling gently, and bowed--a perfect, top-tier gesture.

Akira: Mister Aslan.

Aslan: My apologies for catching you while you're busy. I wasn't able to greet you properly yesterday, either… And on top of that, my father told me that the Sage's wizards are in attendance to assist with the exhibition's security. I don't know how I can thank you enough.

Akira: Oh, no, don't worry about it! I know we said we'd be looking around, but I'm sure everyone's enjoying the event, too. I know I am!

Aslan: I'm so happy to hear that! I know it doesn't mean much coming from me, but it's a pretty impressive display, isn't it?

Akira: It really is. There's still so much of it I haven't seen yet. Is Miss Luca not with you today?

Aslan: I'm sure she's somewhere on the grounds. She can seem a bit spacey, but she's quite willful, too. She'll vanish out of nowhere, and then appear again just as suddenly, so it's not as if I'm letting her run around freely, it's just…

Akira: (She sounds a lot like everyone in the manor. That's wizards for you, huh…)

Aslan: She's a bit…like a cat.

Akira: Huh.

Aslan: Ah. Sorry for using such a strange metaphor.

Akira: Oh, no no! The truth is I was actually thinking the exact same thing…

Aslan: Were you really?

Akira: Yes!

I felt myself smile broadly. We'd only just met but we still thought the same way--it was a strange sense of kinship.

Akira: Wizards are very willful and free-spirited. I feel a little envious of them sometimes, to be honest. Because they all treasure who they are at heart…

Aslan: I completely understand! I sometimes find myself wishing I could like like that, too. Ahh… Sharing how I feel about this with you like this feels a bit strange. Not in a bad way, of course.

Both of us had gotten a little worked up, and as Aslan calmed down a bit, he let out a small sigh.

Aslan: Erm… Have you also run into troubles in living with wizards?

Akira: …Well…it's not something I'd want to say very loudly, but. Sometimes…

My response was a little bit bashful, one hand pressed to my cheek. Once I said that, though, Aslan's grin turned somehow mischievous.

Aslan: What a pair we are.

His amber eyes narrowed as he smiled. I felt like I was seeing the stresses of life drain out of his expression, leaving him a vibrant young man. He was from a noble family, so despite the niceties and nerves that always went along with talking to nobility, his easy, amiable grin reminded me of Cain. He was just a regular young man, too.

Akira: (Being able to have a little gossip session with another person who lives with a wizard…makes me pretty happy.) But… Miss Luca really is amazing. She's so young, and yet she's able to create such beautiful worlds inside her books. Even the oldest wizards in the manor were amazed. Her technical skill is of course also amazing, but the way that she draws such rare plants and animals is what's really stunning. What sort of books did she study to learn about those spirits and mythical beasts?

I asked that, and Aslan's eyes went wide. But only for a moment. His smile returned, and he nodded.

Aslan: No, that would be…the world that she sees.

Akira: Huh…?

Next Chapter

[analogskullerosis]

4, 7, 42 !!!

4. what are you looking forward to?

Going back to school so I can enjoy my first full year as a high school library assistant and do all the fun things I have planned for the year (I started last December so I only got a half year).

I'm also planning on going to a few shows in September. I'm excited to finally get to see Magdalena Bay (a synth-pop duo I've loved for a while now) and I'm catching Electric Light Orchestra one more time in Philadelphia before Jeff Lynne hangs it up. I'm sure there are other things I'm excited for, but that's all that's coming to mind currently.

7. what was your life like last year?

I had just finished earning my master's degree in English Lit, I finally left retail for good (although it would be months before I would start my current job), and was enjoying the summertime. My father was still alive and little did I know that he would be gone in three months. Still strange to think about sometimes. But I was happy then and I'm still relatively happy now! Just some things are different now :)

42. favourite book(s)

Oh jeez! This is a hard one. I don't know if I have a definitive favorite, but I can name a bunch of ones I really love!

The book I've probably re-read the most is The Great Gatsby and it's my go-to example of a breezy story that's just easy to go back to and just holds up well. Very few people can be called "The Voice of Their Generation," but I think F. Scott Fitzgerald really captured the world around him and his specific moment in a way that few others could. I think The Beautiful and Damned also does that really well.

I've always loved J.D. Salinger's Franny and Zooey (to the point where I wrote my undergraduate thesis about it). The way he writes character dialogue is simply unmatched. Most of that book is conversation, but it never feels like it's dragging. You feel like a fly-on-the-wall listening in on two characters talking about heavy stuff that maybe you shouldn't be hearing, but you can't resist. I know Catcher in the Rye has a reputation and stink surrounding around it, but Holden Caufield is such a fully realized character by the end of the second page and his narrative voice just jumps off the page. Salinger's characters have always felt like real people to me and it makes for incredible reading.

Two recent favorites of mine have been Reaper Man and Soul Music by Terry Pratchett, two of the many books in his Discworld series. I love them for different reasons. Reaper Man explores why Death himself feels its important to give a shit about the humans he's tasked with taking to the afterlife ("What can the harvest hope for if not for the care of the reaper man?") Soul Music is just a great demonstration of Pratchett's humor, his ability to weave pop culture and music references seamlessly into his fantasy, and present a fun and heartfelt story that explores what happens when his characters are introduced to something from our world (rock n' roll in Soul Music's case). Terry's "Death" series of Discworld books kept me laughing and kept me going when my dad passed (don't ask me what attracted me to the "Death" series during that time hahaha). Different Seasons by Stephen King has always been one of my favorites (it got me back into reading in tenth grade). I fell in love with "The Shawshank Redemption", really enjoyed "The Body" (which became the movie Stand By Me) and loved the realistic horror of "The Breathing Method." I'm currently knee-deep in his Dark Tower series, but that's one of my favorite King works because the horror is understated and not supernatural based. He uses the four novellas in that work to explore realistic characters and real horrors (prison, how easy it is to fall into fascism, learning about your own mortality, and the fear that comes with difficult pregnancies and the unknown-ness of whether a mother will survive the delivery). I love it! I revisit it every couple years.

I could shoot your ear off about books forever, but I promise I won't do that! :)

Anyhoo! Thanks for submitting some questions! This was fun!

From this post. Feel free to submit a number, if you so choose!

[thiswaycomessomethingwicked]

1, 17 and 37 for Vetinari?

Ahhh our difficult to pin down patrician!! A classic and a favourite <3 <3

1. Canon I outright reject

Hahaha well. I mean. TP wrote a Trope, a caricature, not a character with Vetinari. He's too perfect to be believable as a real person*. So, you know.

--

*I get why. Vetinari can't have any real fuck-ups, because then TP would be writing a different series than one-offs "the baddie of the week," which is what his bread and butter was. To have Vetinari be a real man would mean there would be true mistakes and real repercussions that couldn't be resolved as easily as TP liked to wrap up his stories. And that's fair! He wasn't writing complex political fantasy. But that does mean the canon is limiting and 2D when it comes to side-characters, including Vetinari.

--

I suppose, I reject the portrayal of Vetinari at seventeen in Night Watch because lol like hell is that any seventeen year old I've ever known. And I've known (and was my myself) "firm head on your shoulders, grounded, hyper realistic about the world" sorts of kids. They're still kids. Vetinari in Night Watch was just Mini-Patrician.

And I reject that whole-heartedly. This is one of those instances where TP really shone with his bit-characters because Downey is a perfect Stroppy Posh Obnoxious Dick-swinging Prick as only a fundamentally rich, privileged seventeen year old boy can be. Vetinari is very bland in comparison. Again! Too perfect. It's boring.

So yeah, I prefer an Awkward, Weird, Posh Prick of a seventeen year old to whatever TP wrote with Vetinari. He can still inhume a patrician. Just give him pimples and make him awkward and weird. The Tiger Scene is a small recompense - and even then, it feels too....adultish? In a weird way? That just doesn't jive with me.

17. Quotes, songs, poems, etc. that I associate with them

Too many to list outright. Fuck. Here are a very, very few that I've compiled offhand. Honestly, this is deserving of a whole second ask.

Poems/Books

Blitzed Out, Lauren Turner (poem) - granted, I apply different aspects of this poem to almost all characters.

The Glass Essay, Anne Carson (poem)

Willful Subjects, Sarah Ahmed - a full book on the concept of will and willfulness. Particularly of the concept of "willfullness" as a charge to be laid against others in a means to remove their will/agency. Anyway, it's always struck me as a book Vetinari would have on his bookshelf.

Coyote in the Dark, Coyotes Remembered, Mary Oliver (poem)

Two Atheists Banking on an Afterlife, Lauren Turner (poem)

The Awake and Sleeping Ye, Anne-Marie Turza (poem)

The Undying, Anne Boyer - another full book. Granted Vetinari doesn't have cancer, but her writing on illness and disability are things I lean on when writing Vetinari.

Litany, Billy Collins (poem)

Songs

Feel It Still, Portugal - the Man

Bury a Friend, Billie Eilish

When We Were Young, The Killers

If I had a heart, Fever Ray

Devil's Backbone, The Civil Wars

Fair, The Amazing Devil (this is truly The Downey/Vetinari song)

They Provide the Paint, Streetlight Manifesto

Drinking Song for the Socially Anxious, The Amazing Devil (another Downey/Vetinari one lol)

Quotes

"If God exists he isn't just butter and good luck. / He's also the tick that killed my wonderful dog Luke." - Mary Oliver excerpt from "At the River Clarion"

"To love rightly is to love what is orderly and beautiful in an educated and disciplined way." - Plato's Republic

"When we cut the ripe melon, should we not give it thanks? / Aand should we not thank the knife also? / We do not live in a simple world." - Mary Oliver excerpt from "At the River Clarion"

"What I want to say is / that the past is the past, / and the present is what your life is, / and you are capable / of choosing what that will be, / darling citizen." - Mary Oliver excerpt from "Mornings at Blackwater"

"I don't know what God is. / I don't know what death is. / But I believe they have between them / some fervent and necessary arrangement." - Mary Oliver excerpt from "Sometimes"

(Honestly - every Mary Oliver poem has a small set of lines somewhere within it that will remind me of Vetinari. Or, rather, I will call them to mind when I write him. Obviously, when I am reading Mary Oliver I am too busy weeping over small and gargantuan beauties to be thinking about fanfiction.)

"Regardless, I want to spell out that, in Judaism, a person can do real, profound, comprehensive repentance work and even get right with God—experience atonement—even if their victim never forgives them. Repentance and forgiveness are separate processes.” - Danya Ruttenberg excerpt from On Repentance and Repair

"Monuments are interesting mostly in how they diminish all other aspects of the landscape. Each highly perceptible thing makes something else almost imperceptible." - Anne Boyer excerpt from Garments Against Women

"It took me so long to realize / there are people who start fires, not to tend them, / but to see how things burn, and it took me even longer / to realize some places need fire simply to survive." - Caitlin Scarano, excerpt from “During the Wildfires” (this is also a Grima quote, honestly)

37. What they really think about themselves

As noted in the first question - Vetinari is a hard one to read and write because he's two dimensional in the text but given enough that he's not a full blank slate. But it's also a lot of nonsense we're given to work with. Masks, really.

And I think that's partially it - does Vetinari know what he thinks about himself? Or is he wholly Patrician, now? When he looks in a mirror, what does he see? Ghosts of previous patricians hovering in the hinterlands? Nothing so melodramatic as that, likely, but maybe. He has his maudlin moments in the books.

Fundamtenally, though, I think Vetinari's biggest trick is that he isn't faking anything. There's no mask. There's no cover. This is just who he is as a person. Cold, ruthless, calculating, cunning - but also given to a dry sense of humour, partial to moments of sentimentality, of being maudlin or philosophical when the mood strikes - also loves his irony and sense of occasion or moment and so on.

I think he has a fairly grounded sense of self. We're never given reason to think there's misalignment between how Vetinari sees himself (practical, efficient, capable) and how he behaves as patrician (practical, efficient, capable).

I'm not sure I'm really get at this question. But that's what I have to say on it for now. More may come to me later.

----

Thank you so much!! I do love talking about this weird freak of a man. Bless him that scag.

[m1ckeyb3rry]

SHSHSHS HONORARY MUTUAL SHUT UP IM SO HONORED!!!! Also @/i-am-so-strange you’re too kind!!!!! Hsjshsjs always happy to provide more bllk content hehe but also thank YOU for supplying us with that glorious art I really got a kick out of seeing that LMAO I’m ngl stressing hiori is one of my favorites HAHAHA

BRO I LOST IT AT THE YUKI MARIOKART!!! We’re literally being stalked it’s insane….yes Reddit is definitely….a place…..honestly I only really use it when I wanna see non bot reviews for things and occasional bllk news because there’s usually at least one chronically online member active whos posting the latest stuff….

LMAOOOO NO ITS SO FUNNY HAHSGSHAAH ok but that makes more sense I feel like it’d be hard to expand too much on a request like that!! I love how it coincidentally lined up with Isagi being difficult/not as interesting to write about though LMAO

Wait that��s a good point HAHAHA maybe your inner tabieitaken agenda seeped out and you attracted side character enjoyers (me)……is that a sign to slide in secondary main character thoughts /j that is pretty hilarious though……I mean granted I also contributed to the hiori pile a bit when I sent in that like…(wanted to put this note in here that I straight up FORGOT what I wrote omg let’s see how long it takes me to scroll and find that ask I could’ve sworn I wrote it down somewhere but the fact that I don’t remember exactly what I wrote down is kinda embarrassing LMAO)

LMAOOO no because I love the idea of building up ego nation and just leaving like idk those cheesy stories where the lore is like yeah our great founders/creators one day disappeared HAHAHAHAAH I forgot that the man canonically doesn’t do laundry or cook decent food so that’s true too I’m here for the long ride though if you do end up writing that at some point then we can truly become the fake ego nationals LMAOO

MEGUMI I love megumi too omg bruh the recent events in jjk are really not good for the soul someone bring back megumi and his shadow animals :( Ah yes very brief Yuta interlude LMAOO (pi slapped so hard) also SHDJSH GET OUT SHIN AHS MY FAV TOO I also really liked Kija too!! I’m still sad that they didn’t continue with the anime though I heard it’s because it was just promo for the manga? Man. Ok but being converted by content is a little too real it happens to me too often….you know what’s funny. I saw a tiktok roasting Karasu for being number 3 and then like disappearing and I remember saying to my friend “yikes I don’t even like Karasu but why’d they do him so dirty” haha. Ha. I have no idea how it spiraled from there but it was quite literally shortly after that moment. But yeah I’ve definitely been converted by a good edit or piece of art! I’m pretty certain I started liking chigiri after seeing some fanart someone showed me LMAO

No I have full faith in you….you’re cooking in Michelin chef mode…so take your time LMAOOO it really does make me realize yet again that no one is serving Karasu nation like you s2 bring my man some justice….ok genuinely crazy has me really curious like if we’re talking genuinely crazy via Mira standards I’m eyeballing something around 30k (don’t say anything to this LMFAO)

WHEN I TELL YOU I LAUGHED SO HARD “I’d stay downstairs when my brother has friends over” IS SO FUNNY??? I’m actually crying but also agree!! I usually don’t watch as much slice of life to begin with so

the oikawa thing is actually so funny as a running joke now but I think (I’m also not a hardcore hq fan nor have I dipped my toes in the hq circles on social media) it stemmed from people actually thinking oikawa was really mean…? Maybe?? But if that was the case I’m like…..he seems pretty regular to me….seeing people put him next to like Sukuna and Kenjaku though is so hilarious LMAOOO

“#unfortunately idt I am built for the sports manga/anime life” AHAHABAAHHAAHAH you really were in for it LMFAOOOO

The soccer dudebro side of the fandom…ah yes….you know sometimes I forget dudebros actually watch and then I’m painfully reminded by some power scaling tiktok…this is also oddly specific but I remember seeing Maddie on tiktok talk about how she traded some blind bag keychain pull with a dudebro and gave her Kunigami to him for nagi or Reo or some Nagi Reo combo keychain and I really thought to myself like wait dude bros watch and buy merch?? Then I realize it makes sense that he wanted Kunigami LOL

HAHA Honesty translating is so fun and gives me more opportunities to use the target language too so I got you!!! <3 Classic Otoya activities indeed….CHATTER X CHATTER CHEMICAL REACTION IS CRAZY guys we are devouring bllk itself we devoured kaneshiro now he’s gotta give us his seat as bllk creator!!!!!! And also ok good I’m glad LOL I didn’t want to be like rapid fire pinging your inbox and messing up anything HAHAH

Oh…omg…….wait I hope that all worked out ok for you because omg….yeah that’s so awkward and honestly sounds like a nightmare…..hoping you get some platonic male irls too!!! Maybe you just have too much rizz LMFAO well….at least you didn’t find out during the actually dinner ig!

-Karasu anon

LMAOOO idk if i follow you or not but trust i would if i don’t…you’re like one of my tumblr besties atp HAHAHA one of my elite employees 🫡 and YES that art cracked me up poor hiori was struggling

to be honest if i’m looking smth up or i have a question i always go straight to the reddit results…truly it’s the best place for research questions because you can tell by upvotes how accurate smth is and especially if you’re looking for an answer about the contemporary world it’s better to get answers from people who live that experience vs study it!! so i can never be a full reddit hater even if some sections of the community are horrific

HAHAH i think a more focused prompt like that might’ve made me struggle for ANY character but yeah it coinciding w isagi definitely made me do a double take…although i would def write for him again if anyone else ever requested for him LMAOO i just wouldn’t seek out writing him on my own the way i do w tabieita and nagi

LMAOOO i give off a general aura of side character enjoyment 😩🙏🏻 that was back when my blog was only nagi themed too and he’s pretty popular so i’m surprised i didn’t get more reqs for him too!! you can always slide secondary main character thoughts my way 😋😏 but yeah i just found it funny that i’ve gotten more reqs for karasu than literally any other character…maybe too it’s because once i wrote for a side character the people who are into more random characters realized i would write for them and came to req?? vs people who like more popular characters have a wide range of people they can req/read from so they might not even see my blog in the results compared to me being one of very few authors who writes longer fics in the hiori/karasu/otoya/etc tags…idk if that makes sense but it could be one explanation

no because idk if you saw the vol30 color spread with the coaches but why is ego looking lowkey kinda…like sure i’ll join ego nation myself if i must HFJDDNJSSN

OMG YONA OF THE DAWN FAN???? you are officially my fav person ever I LOVEEEE YONA OF THE DAWN I CANNOT BELIEVE YOU ALSO LIKE SHINAH BCKDNFJSDJDMSN WHY ARE WE THE SAME PERSON 😭😭😭 he’s my fav ever omg…besides him i rlly liked hak and soowon 😓 but shinah is my number one my bae my man 👹 forever hoping for a reboot of the show because from what i’ve heard the manga is sooo good and yona is such a well written fmc!! i need them to get mappa level animation and finish the whole show 😔 i’m surprised they haven’t yet it’s one of the most popular mangas i’ve heard?? i know SOOO many people would watch it if it came out plus it would appeal to such a broad audience because it truly has everything 😩 okay sorry for the brief rant i just love yona of the dawn i wish the fandom wasn’t NONEXISTENT because it has so much potential for fics art and analysis!!

i’ve learned to never say i don’t like a character because almost immediately after i WILL fall in love with them!! idek how i started liking karasu because after season one i could not tell you who karasu otoya or any of the others were (i did remember liking yukimiya though)…after i finished the show i was SET on not reading the manga because i thought it wouldn’t be as fun as watching it animated but the same mutual who convinced me to watch the show told me to read the manga and eventually i caved 😩 and that was when i was like “ok lowkey why is karasu so fine…” but it wasn’t until i took a break halfway through third selection to read epinagi that i really became a FAN 🤔 at least i think that’s how it happened HFJDJSN i don’t remember it as well as i remember becoming a fan of nagi (didn’t gaf abt him until i realized i was lowkey giggling at his scenes in team z vs team v…tried to hold out as a rin fan throughout second selection but it was impossible and then i was the number one nagi fan before i knew it)

i will not comment on your prediction 🤐 but michelin star meal OMG i can only hope it’s that good…truly i am doing what i can for karasu nation 😭🙏🏻 laying a foundation for those to come after me (aka his fandom which will surely grow after s2) 🤞🏻 i wonder what his fanon version will look like actually 🤔 are we going to get fboy tabito??? hopefully not because aiku and otoya are right there but bby karasu is a sarcastic dark haired handsome asshole who’s secretly a sweetheart so i do fear he’s going to be bastardized a la the itoshis a bit 😔 at least i can imagine him being flirty even if i do think he’s too much of a loser and undercover loverboy to ever sleep around or anything

i guess by slice of life/chill anime standards oikawa might seem mean?? like he’s nothing compared to sukuna/kenjaku or even kaiser but in comparison to others in the show he might be ruder hence the general perception of him being as such…no idea though 😩 i agree it is funny seeing him in the top villain compilations

LMAOOO I HAD NO IDEA WHAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN TO ME TRULY now i’m in so deep but like i love it…the bllk community on tumblr is also rlly fun and i’ve made so many mutuals/friends because of being active in the fandom which has been awesome!! no regrets for sure

PLEASEEE the dudebros are awful but also hilarious to me like lowkey i love them because they simply are so unreal like NO ONE irl talks like that 😭 one time i commented on a bllk dudebro’s tik tok and my comment was the only one he responded to despite how many of his fellow dudebros also commented…tell me that was the most interaction you’ve had w a woman in weeks without telling me 😓 but also omg the chokehold that kunigami and barou have on dudebros HAHAH i’m always scared to say i like barou because i need to specify it’s NOT in a dudebro way it’s in a “he’s my housewife and i love him very much” way

PLS WE DEVOURED KANESHIRO FR entering destroyer mode now…watch out the tongue’s abt to make an appearance 😩

unfortunately i have a lot of accidental rizz 😔 one time i actually didn’t realize i was on a date (i thought it was a family hangout) until the guy’s mom told us she was leaving so she didn’t third wheel us and then i had to pretend i had a boyfriend so i could escape 😭 that was a crazy day because that guy knew i was in love with his best friend?? so idk what he thought he was doing there…anyways this time i just pretended like my father wasn’t allowing me to hangout with anyone so i got out of it 😪 unfortunately no matter how hard i try to have male friends irl it inevitably ends up with them asking me out and me saying no 💔 one day it will be different i hope 😩

[arcplaysgames]

yeah because Mitsuo is not the killer, I know this, you know this, we all know this

if finding a fake killer gets me tuna tho i'm in, i'll frame a man every day, i don't care

WAIT WAIT THE STORYBOOK FROM THE SUN LINK IN P3P GOT PUBLISHED? Man its a dark children's book. Beautiful but nihilistic. You know the kids who read that are going to have a lot of difficult questions their parents do not wanna answer. Good, though.

Summer Festival! Nanako is adorable. AND GET THIS. BRACE YOURSELVES. MAKE SURE YOU ARE SITTING DOWN AND HOLDING ONTO SOMETHING.

DOJIMA ACTUALLY SHOWS UP TO TAKE CARE OF HIS DAUGHTER. I KNOW. I KNOOOOOOW. Shocking. Usually this girl is being raised by six teenagers and the human personification of a mascot character.

A STUNNING turn of events!

Teddie is such a manipulator lmao. First he suggests everyone pair off to enjoy the festival bc That's What You Do At Festivals, then gets the boys deliberating who should go with who, then while everyone is all turned around, he swoops in to take all the girls out around the festival so no one is 'left out.'

lmao. i love Teddie. I'm actually trying to pin down why Yosuke's horny boy bullshit annoys me but Teddie does not. It may be because he's SO flagrant about it, he's SO over the top, you know going in its a Yes, And scenario. Or, you can slap him, lmao.

After, Rise invited me out to a one on one date to the festival. She's very funny and boisterous but I think I'm friendzoning everyone in this playthru. I haven't found anyone I wanna date. And I know there is one more option coming so I don't want to accidentally pen myself in, like with Akihiko and late-comer Aigis. Poor Aigis.....

Not about to let anyone begin to assume he's a good dad, over in the Hierophant SLink, Dojima reveals that his wife died in a hit and run while Nanako was in nursery school. Which explains why Nanako barely remembers her.

Dojima's whole deal is that he's still working that case, still trying to find out who killed his wife. He claims its for Nanako, that someday in the future, she'll appreciate it.

And listen. The trauma of your spouse being murdered is not a joke. That's really heavy stuff. Your life falls apart as a pillar is just suddenly taken out, and surviving the loss of that kind of load-bearing structure is very fucking hard. I got zero judgement there.

However. Nanako doesn't give a shit. Her mother is a distant figure that doesn't affect her life anymore but via her absence. There is zero doubt in my mind that Nanako would remember Dojima more fondly as a man who stepped up to be her fucking father rather than having the closure for, sorry, a woman she has likely already forgotten the face of.

So again: get your shit together, Dojima.

SUMMER BEACH EPISODE. lmao poor kanji on his bike. also, Teddy is in bear mode. WHY is Teddie in bear mode? That seems much harder to travel with.

I'm not even gonna squint at Yosuke. Yosuke, someday, you will look back on your youth and feel so goddamn embarrassed at yourself. You are the very model of a modern repressed bisexual.

LMAO irl cackling. his response is so blaise. "why would i????" hahaha

lmao i missed it but chie and kanji were racing at like mach speed.

Of course because we need shenanigans, Teddie has been pulling at swimsuits to no avail. Well, almost no avail.

Hey, what is with the lightning bruiser boys and their tiny swimsuits, lmao. We are creating such a Specific trope here with them, it's bemusing. The venn diagram is something all right.

(Wait i JUST fucking noticed that Kanji has a fucking scar in the exact same place Akihiko does. What the fuck. That is a WILD coincidence.)

FUCKING YOSUKE AND REVERIE'S AVERTED GAZES LMAO. gdi teddie.

the voice acting here is a fucking treat, i cannot tell you enough.

everyone's doing amazing, sweetie

compared to the spring camping trip, this is a ten out of ten

[cerastes]

gf and I like to watch your VODs (timezones, man), and, ok, first of all, you are freakishly good at Dark Souls, you dismantled every boss so far except maybe two on the first try with just a dinky shitty dagger, so that's really metal, but also, you have converted us both to your church of leveling HP. The few times you got nailed by anything remotely dangerous, our first reaction was to think "oh yeah, he's dead" and then you'd take like maybe a third of your HP, from attacks that usually killed us outright. Maybe if we had leveled HP, we would've fared better. Also it's really funny 1) how chat called you out on your "hey man" habit, and 2) the fact that you just sort of know the frame data for every boss from what I could tell? To the point where you literally only had to focus to fight Midir, otherwise you were just reading chat and making jokes midfight? Even with Gael and Friede and shit? Is that just experience or did you datamine every single boss' frame data and commit it to memory?

Glad you are enjoying the vods, haha.

Yeah see, I take personal issue whenever people start with the whole "Soulsborne games are codified by dying in one hit" bullshit people just decided to believe because they were garbage at building characters. You can get so, so tanky in any given Dark Souls, as I've proven countless times, even here with the dagger build, and yet, this line of thought is pervasive even among industry professionals! You go play Nioh 1 or Code Vein and they fucking also bought into that! Everything kills you in one-two hits in those games because of how prevalent the objectively incorrect opinion on how the game works was and still is. And it's not like Fromsoft has encouraged it, either, you can be Very Tanky in any of their games. Even Bloodborne, which is the most touch-and-go, agility based game, lets you take some considerable damage before you keel over. Whenever I hear people say something to the effect of "oh, Dark Souls, and games like it, are just hellishly, unfairly difficult because you just die in one or two hits" all I can hear is "I'm Very Bad At This Game And Have Opinions On It Even Though I Don't Know Much About The Game". It's not like pumping your STR or DEX to 40 frame one at the start of a run does you any favors, you get shit damage from stats in the early game, stats only contribute meaningfully to damage in the late midgame and endgame, when your upgraded weapons have scaling worth shit. You're meant to level up 1) dmg stats for weapon requirements 2) everything else into weight limit, stamina, HP, attunement, etc utility and quality of life stats for your build in the early game, and you start leveling dmg stats around the midgame.

Anyways! Yes chat lets me know about my habits more often than I figure them out myself, I find it really funny, though. To answer your question, I know the frame data just from experience. I have over 1000 hours of gameplay on DS3 specifically, and like 1700 hours over the three Souls games, not counting Sekiro, Bloodborne and Elden Ring. I'm dangerously obsessed with Soulsborne but that's given me insight and the ability to do party tricks like the ones you see in the vods, like low profiling specific moves or doing the barehanded switch parries, hahaha. It also helps that I did a Soul Level 1 run of DS3 and had to learn bosses REALLY well in order to finish it.

Anyways play Soulsborne and feel free to ask me any questions about it, they are my favorite games.

[zapgraptrash]

42, 4 ocs of your choice :)

as in 42 (x4) times? i'll do that and do number 4 just in case i misread lol

42. Let them vent for a second, without the fear of being judged. What would they like to say?

slyger: WHY is it that OTHER ANIMALS can eat their own kind and it's accepted as part of NATURE, but when I do it, i'm A CANNIBAL and a MENACE TO SOCIETY? i'm not even fully human by the arbitrary standards! i'm sure PLENTY of other people would think this is STUPID if they too were to eat another human. it's not like i even do this ALL THE TIME either??? it's all STUPID, FUCK SOCIETY, HANNIBAL LECTER WAS RIGHT.

zapper: YOU KNOW WHAT REALLY GRINDS MY GEARS? grappler: taking multiple dicks at-- zapper: WHEN PEOPLE DON'T PUT THE LIDS BACK ON THINGS. HOW HARD IS IT TO DO? YOU WERE JUST USING THE THING, YOU WERE ABLE TO REMOVE THE LID JUST NOW, WHY IS IT SOOO DIFFICULT TO PUT IT BACK AFTER? grappler: is this because of the toothpaste or the pringles? zapper: YOU LEFT THE FUCKING CAP OFF THE TOOTHPASTE AGAIN??

dom: why do Hot Dogs come in Package of 10 but the Buns come in Package of 8? for the People who don't have a Bun with their Hot Dog people might say. but a Hot Dog with no Bun is just a Sausage. if you want Sausage, why would you buy Hot Dogs? there is no Substance to a Hot Dog Sausage alone. the Bun and the other Filling is part of the Dog as a whole. if you want Sausage alone, that is when you get Bratwurst or something. it makes no Sense to Dom why Buns come in 8 and Hot Dogs come in 10.

jeffrey: it's sooooo hard to be surrounded by MORONS all the time! in fact i have dedicated a paragraph of crticism to each of these empty headed freaks i am forced to be surrounded by, day in day out-- thaddeus: nobody has time for that. jeffrey: babe no i need to-- thaddeus: send post.

---

4. What is the thing they like the most about their friends and what is the thing their friends like the most about them?

grappler can answer this since blah blah his colour is the Harmony colour in the pride flag

i mean what's not to like about me right. i'm a fuckin riot, i'm the coolest person they know.

do i gotta give a reason for all of em? well ok i guess. they're not listening right? this shit is so lame.

uhh granox. he's hilarious and he doesn't even try to be. just the way he says shit and when it takes like 3 seconds for his brain to catch up that's hysterical.

ricky now that she isn't like our boss anymore, she's actually cool as hell. ultimate wingman. wingwoman whatever. she'll literally big anyone up and make em believe they can do anything. everyone needs someone like that in their life y'know.

dom, if you like ever wanted a friend who will dish out the physical affection, she's the one. i know it sounds big cringe but her hugs rule. and she like hangs on to your every word, she like remembers the smallest of things

thaddeus i mean uh have you seen him? yeah he's hot as hell and oh my god he sure knows how to [REDACTED]. ok but like fucking aside, he like knows a ton of shit? once you get him talking he'll talk your ear off about something and it's like, so cool to listen to? always the quiet ones.

does masuyo like consider me a friend? well i hope she does i guess. she's badass. like in the effortless way. not many people can pull that off.

slyger sucks ass hahaha he's a big fuckin baby. (is he listening? no? ok well you know the animal people he draws? what the fuck that's awesome man.)

i'm not gonna talk about zapper fuck him haha. he like knows how annoying i think he is already.

[poorks]

What’s your partners top three favorite characters of yours and why?

I asked him and he separated them into two categories: Horny and Story

I'm just gonna copy/paste what he said in here:

Story

Claire "Biased, because she is my ideal woman. Short, spunky, incredibly burpy, with a big belly and pretty colors. The hinge of her character is on the mundanity of her. She’s a character you could meet at work or eating way more than anyone else at the buffet or showing off her huge pregnant belly at Yoga class. She lives such a normal life, and as such, is a profound object of affection as she deals with life as a very pregnant working woman. I think everyone on the blog dreams of meeting a Claire. Someone to muse on after she touches your shoulder and smiles at you while brushing past you at a movie Theater. Look at that enormous belly. She’s someone else’s. But you still get lost in the idea of her. Like watching sunshine dappled leaves from behind the cold iron of a prison cell. You must imagine the leaves feel good, nurtured by it. You must imagine."

ViVi "I’ve always had a thing for monsters. ViVi represents what’s so alluring about the different varieties of pregnancy story. She’s ineffable, she’s unchanging, she’s predatory. She’s the horror nestled in the innocent. My favorite part about her is how easy it is to set her down in a narrative. It’s not hard to admire the brilliance of her design and themes, it’s even less difficult to imagine her as a central figure in a story. She is hot, yes, but she’s also inhumanity underneath a shell of porcelain. And like any truly great monster, she has a core of sympathy (at least in our RP)"

Suyin "All memes aside, she is a tragic figure. A dark reflection of the transformative power of self loathing. The endless spiral into thinking and becoming. Suyin is colonized by an alien being beyond understanding, but also, by her own dysmorphia and self hate. If only she knew she was truly a woman. Truly worthy of love. But she never does. She accepts anything but herself. In every version, Witch and Demigod or Internet Femcel, she is the Azoth, animating spirit hidden in all matter that makes transmutation possible.The woman poisoned by her own inability to accept what she is does not have to be wretched."

Horny

Claire "UGHHHH PREGNANT BOSS LADY???? I have a thing for Claire’s design and what I said about her story is 78% of what is hot about her. But also she’s the peak Mommy design. Soft and sweet and beautiful. Of all the characters on Poorks, I could fall for Claire (or Ife)"

Victore "I have a thing for Victore. She is the model of pregnancy versatility. Any creature…any a man pleases. Aha…hahaha…a man shall fill indeed."

Manu "I LOVEEEE Manu’s design so much. The story isn’t there for me to put them on the story list, but I have to give Manu this, they are my most treasured indulgence. Biggest burper and trends towards a much larger pregnancy. I have to put them here for the sake of my monkey brain. Also slime pregnancies are underrated"

"Honorable mention: Everyone else"

[cross-armageddon]

Day 21 - Hayato Edogawa/Birthday

Hayato Edogawa's Birthday 2023 Special Lines

Kaii: Happy birthday Edogawa-kun! I'm really terrible with wishes... I hope this gift will express enough. (It took me a lot of thinking...)

Ranmaru: I will admit it - I was in charge of the whole celebration party in Sekai. So what of it? Everyone deserves a good birthday and if planning is a part of it, I might as well run it.

Ikuo: I was having so much trouble coming up with a good gift and then I saw Rin, KAITO and Miku came together to throw such a beautiful concert, despite not having anything in Sekai... If I spent a little more time to think it through, I could've given senpai something more creative.

Miku (Prima Vista): By myself, I'm unable to give you much, so I reached out to the others and made you this song. Will you stay behind in Sekai with me for longer after your celebration? Please..?

Ichika: Oh dear... I didn't get a lot of sleep lately... I'm not used to getting bombarded with texts at night, especially not from Kaii, asking to help with a gift... But if he wasn't able to sleep, that meant he was deep in trouble.

Saki: Woah, Haya-chan has his birthday in the middle of summer? For some reason, I think it really fits him, haha!

Shiho: Hayato's birthday, huh... I only found out through Ichika, so I don't really have time to reach out properly. I could send him a message through his socials... How do you even find this guy anywhere online?

Honami: Oh my, if I knew Hayato-san's birthday was today, I would have baked him something... Finding out on the day of the birthday is a little embarrassing.

Toya: What are you doing in front of the gate..? I wish to show you something, Hayato-san... Just follow me, okay?

Akito: There he is! Happy birthday! ...Don't look at me like that. The cafeteria surprise wasn't my idea. But it sure does kind of look like a fun way to celebrate a birthday.

Tsukasa: Hahaha! Most splendid surprise I could've come up with, isn't it? It was difficult to get the whole cafeteria in on this, but there isn't anything a star can't do to make a special someone smile! Happy birthday, Hayato!

Rui: That's our guy of the day! Time for a show of your life! Prepare the celebratory cannon... Fire in the hole!

Mizuki: Oh? It's the big man's big day? Happy birthday! Let's do karaoke sometime! ...What do you mean no? We can do it if it's just the two of us!

Hayato: I used to wish for everyone in my world to celebrate my birthday together with me. Now that it's finally happening... I can't choose between any of them anymore. I'll spend a little of my time with each of them, then leave quietly and accompany my family instead.

i know that all this setup would've usually meant Nene would be today, but WRONG it's his birthday today, say happy birthday

[fredrickzoller]

You have now sparked a very vivid curiosity in me in relation to Dieters family dynamics, something tells me it’s MESSY cuz that man (ie: that ANT) hasn’t experienced, what one would call, a “good day” in years (if ever) and it seems as though his bullshit runs DEEP

HAHAHA hoooooo boy man do you got a lot to look forward to in Der klaren Sterne, then. To give a short answer: you are correct, Dieter has not been happy or had a "good" day in a long long time. This does tie directly to his family dynamic but also to another friendship/relationship that was important to him in his teenage years (that i'll go into. That Hans is Very Interested to know more about. :) :) :) ) Spoilers I guess, that I'm willing to give. Yay I get to talk about my OC's! It's mentioned in i picture my own grave but I have Dieter having lost his father during WW1 - he would've been relatively young, around 7. So he's old enough to remember his father but Johanna (who is 5 1/2 years younger) does not; she only knows their stepfather, Ulrich, as a father figure in her life. Thing is... Dieter knows that his mom and stepdad were carrying on their affair while his father was still alive, and off in the war. They don't know that he knows (because why would he? He was just a kid, would he have really been that perceptive? And lmfao yup), but this all comes to light during DKS one night over dinner (when Hans is there lol). So suffice to say, Dieter has very little regard for his stepdad (there's the frog incident too... lol maybe I'll share about that some other time) and especially his mom who he sees as a disloyal whore. This factors into him being very opinionated about Johanna's relationship with her husband, Kurt - and also about what he soon learns concerning a woman Kurt considers a friend. And there's, of course, Dieter's insecurity with... he views his family as not living up to the "standards" in place with what's expected in Nazi Germany, but then he has to grapple with the idea that perhaps he's the most traitorous of all of them. (Oh but he's making up for it! He is!) (Also, in Nazi Germany, infidelity was not necessarily frowned upon, at least in re: to the men. They could have as many side pieces and children as they wanted, it was all for the Fuehrer's vision, of course. Women were expected to be obedient and loyal. But I think with Dieter, because he knows how difficult it would be for him to ever be in a heterosexual relationship combined with what he view as his father being betrayed, he projects what he wishes he could have into the expectations he sets for Johanna and Kurt. So he's much more stringent in his view/opinion of fidelity.) (I love writing this all out and being like: How will Hans dissect him and manipulate him in every possible way he can imagine??) THANK YOU FOR YOUR MESSAGE i love getting to talk about this so much. He's so miserable it's great lmfao.

[atopearth]

Cupid Parasite Part 3 - Shelby Snail Route

I love how thorough and dedicated Owen is to his job that he made a date plan according to what he thinks Shelby would do for a date lmao. OMG, I knew Shelby was the one swimming in the pool but I didn't expect the CG!!! I love it. 10/10 approval. He's so hot, I'm enthralled. I can see why Lynette couldn't take her eyes off him (even though it was mainly because of his swimming form). HAHAHA at Owen taking out a jelly drink for lunch😂😂 Omg and then he just left?!? Time for work?! That was the end of the date?! I am DEAD😂😂 LOL at Shelby wondering if Owen has any common sense for sending a photo of Lynette in a swimsuit to him😂 It's so funny how both Shelby and Owen can be so clueless. Oh btw I'm glad Lynette told Owen off when he took a photo of her in her swimsuit without her consent, definitely a no no! Anyway, I find it really sweet how much Shelby trusts Lynette to tell her his secret so honestly. Like yeah, his lies were running out of steam and he was starting to get desperate, but he sees how capable she is and understands what kind of person she is and felt that he could tell her because of all that. I find it so sweet that despite Shelby being in a predicament, when Lynette suggests that she pretends to be his wife for now, the first thing he thinks about is her feelings, how her parents would feel and how marriage is a lifetime thing and he doesn't want her to "sacrifice" herself for him and his company. I love how casually Lynette said they should live together, she's such a great woman, I love her🤣 I love how Shelby drew out a contract and made the condition that if she didn't like the arrangement or finds something not to her liking, they'll cancel the whole thing. He really does prioritise her feelings and thoughts above all and I think that's so sweet.

I loveeee Lynette's look as the President's wife. The elegant dress with her hair down is sooo pretty! I can see why Shelby was shocked when he first saw her, she's stunning! Shelby is so considerate, it's so touching. When he apologised to Lynette for making her lie for him, my heart squealed🥲 I absolutely love how Shelby had a talk with Lynette to see if she was uncomfortable with anything and he put his phone facedown and didn't look at it at all! Considering how busy he is all the time and answering emails/messages nearly every moment of the day, seeing him doing that for Lynette was very sweet. He always says that Lynette is very sincere and passionate about her work, but Shelby is just the same when it comes to work and relationships. I really liked how they both individually worked on their respective projects at a cafe together. I like how comfortable they are starting to get with each other and I enjoy seeing them communicate.

Peter is the new secretary Shelby hired to help out Owen?! What a riot😂 Is Lynette's dad the one trying to sabotage Shelby's reputation? And is Peter his spy?😂 I'm glad Lynette is telling Shelby off and making him realise that even for a pretend couple, it's difficult if she never sees him since it makes it harder for them to act like they're comfortable with each other when they haven't been seeing each other. She's so cool to be so honest with her boss haha! Even though it's funny how serious Shelby can be about work to the point that everything else in life is foreign to him, at the same time it sounded so sad when he basically said a man is nothing without his prestige, it was basically as if he was saying that if he didn't keep doing what he's doing right now, he and his life would become worthless. Awww, I love how Shelby is making baby steps in trying to be a better "husband". It was so cute when he called Lynette the ideal wife, my heart🥲 LMAO, I died when Lynette got out a banana to add to the silhouette of them so the reporter or whatever outside will know that Shelby really does have a partner. It was so funny when Shelby told her no and she got disappointed😂😂😂 I'm glad Shelby is becoming more interested in Lynette personally. It's mainly because he feels like he can't understand the existence of someone who could disregard the need for status, but the fact that he really wants an answer from her shows that he wants to know more about her and that's good enough for now haha.

Lmaoo at Lynette drying her underwear outside and Shelby having the shock of his life seeing them hanging outside🤣🤣 He's so cute🤣 Shelby laughing made my heart melt🥺 It was so sweet when Shelby grabbed Lynette's hand to cool off her burn, I love how everyone else just stared at them and had their own different reactions🤣 Shelby taking in Lynette's opinion and deciding to delay going back to his work for the day to have dinner with her for once was really heartwarming. It must have been a difficult decision since he's always so hardworking but I'm glad he's finally learning to relax with Lynette instead of always just working himself to the bone. Omggg Lynette fixing his tie and helping him putting on his jacket like the perfect wife was the most adorable thing ever! It was really sweet how Shelby so gently held Lynette and let her cry her heart out. It felt so terrible seeing Lynette called a thief and having her own colleagues doubt her. Shelby is so reliable and efficient, I love him hahaha. I always love how protective Claris is of Lynette too🥺 I'm glad the planning department lady properly apologised to Lynette in a very sincere way, Lynette deserved every bit of that apology. We should really thank Shelby for making that lady investigate Rome & Julie Wedding since by doing that, it helped her understand that plans aren't everything and that it's because someone like Lynette delivers these plans to the clients so well that people are satisfied.

Shelby holding a press conference to announce that his wife doesn't exist was pretty much inevitable, but seeing him have the resolve to do it to protect Lynette was sweet. It was so hard to watch him feel so small and weak, but I'm so glad Lynette was there to give him her shoulder just like how he supported her before. It felt so heartbreaking to watch him think that he's nothing without his prestige and be so worried about what's going to happen from here onwards. But I'm happy that Lynette told him she would be by his side even if he had no prestige, and that everyone in the company follows him because they respect him for who he is and not his status. It's so like Shelby to be so thorough and prepared to have been preparing for the announcement for a while now and to have emailed the company presidents he was affiliated with about the news before the conference. It warms my heart to see the overwhelming support everyone is giving him. Lynette giving Shelby a kiss on the forehead and saying goodnight was so cuteee. I'm so happy that Shelby is trying his best to find a way to confess haha. Shelby and Lynette going on an amusement park date is the cutest thing ever. Lmao at Ryuki and Raul randomly appearing🤣 AHHHH I hated how that random president made Shelby lose his chance to tell Lynette😭😭😭 Them enjoying the night scenery with Lynette wearing Shelby's jacket was so romantic, I need them to be happy together😭😭😭 I understand their hesitation but stilllll😭

Honestly, it makes me so mad that Shelby misunderstood Lynette to be the type of girl who cares about status, but at the same time I understand that what he truly doubts isn't her, but himself. He's just constantly seeing everything around him in a biased way to fit his lack of confidence as a person, he's just constantly feeding himself the idea that without prestige, he is nothing, and he's projecting that on to everything Lynette does and it's just so saddening. I love Claris though, she's so good at seeing other people's feelings all the time haha. LMAO, I was wondering why Lynette was staying so meek, and then when she woke up in the morning and thought about everything again, she started getting mad at Shelby and it was just so cute🤣🤣 I love how she was all mad and sulky saying she doesn't care about the company anymore, and Claris is just like let's just go to work first and talk at night loll🤣 Shelby was really mean though and I agree that Lynette should be annoyed with him. Honestly, I find Shelby's back story kinda silly in the way it was portrayed but I understand why he's so insistent on living up to his name and being SS in everything. I guess I just found the whole thing quite shallow.

Lmao at Ryuki spraying both Shelby and Lynette, they deserve it😂😂 Hooray to gods getting drunk on chocolate! Honesty is key! I wanted one of them to take the initiative but I guess this is all right, since in reality I'm sure a lot of people miss out on being able to tell others their true feelings because they make assumptions, misunderstand and are too afraid to really take that next step in fear of failure, so yeah, hooray to getting drunk honesty at times like these haha. On the other hand, I find it hard to believe that Gill didn't notice Lynette getting drunk lol! Has Owen been brainwashed?🧐 LMAO at Owen complaining and insulting Shelby with his limited vocabulary😂😂 Man, can Shelby be any cooler? Legit, when he shot the gun from Owen's hand and said he's SS in everything, I was like yes man, I believe you, you are definitely the best, 10/10! Anyway, even though it was funny, I feel sorry for Owen. He's been so stressed from work already, and now he's been brainwashed and nearly did something like shoot Shelby or Lynette with a gun!! LOL when Lynette shot Mars and the robot vacuum cleaner with her bow and now he's in love with the robot and chasing after it😂 I feel bad for Owen, like yeah apparently the majority of it was because he held a grudge against Shelby himself, but I honestly feel like the whole thing was a rather "cheap" way to make it that Lynette's dad isn't that bad and everyone should be responsible for their own actions. I guess I would have preferred they either developed Owen's dissatisfaction with Shelby instead, since I always enjoyed how trusting of a relationship Shelby and Owen had with each other.

Shelby making mistakes while filling in the marriage registration form is the cutest thing ever haha! On the other hand, I'm kinda disappointed that Lynette has become Shelby's secretary. Yeah, it's definitely an important job and higher level, and she can suggest plans easier blah blah, but I feel like for Lynette, what she loves the most is personally being a part of matchmaking couples together, so it's a bit sad imo. I'm glad Mars repented properly and promised to make things right with the world again, especially when it comes to Owen. But yeah lol. I guess we get to see Lynette in a wedding dress for every ending? Exciting! If Claris knows Allan, I feel like she's definitely 100% related to the gods in some way. I think the normal ending where Lynette becomes the branch manager of a new branch of Cupid Corp is more like her haha. Btw the treasure hunter ending with Raul is hilarious, so unexpected😂😂 Lmao the bad endings are so wild😂😂

Overall, Shelby's character and KENN definitely carried this route for me lol! Honestly, from the moment I first heard Shelby's voice and saw his looks, I was smitten, he is 10/10 (SS I guess) haha, loveee the sultry and mature tones to his voice, it's sooo good🥺🥺🥺 All of Shelby's CGs are so hot too, like dangg I could not choose. Otherwise, I actually think the plot went downhill after they stopped being a fake couple. Initially, I wasn't sure if I liked the fake couple trope but I actually really enjoyed how they handled it. I liked how seriously they took the contractual relationship, and how much they understood that even contractual relationships needed something to build from, and that helped them get to know each other better. I liked how much Lynette enjoyed it, and I liked how much Shelby prioritised her thoughts and emotions, and did his best to make sure she was comfortable and happy. He's like the best fake partner haha. I really loved how considerate he was and how much he cared about her, whilst Lynette made the whole thing so much more enjoyable by expressing her thoughts honestly a lot of the time. So yeah, when the misunderstanding happened and they both just assumed things without saying anything, and it only got resolved because Lynette was "drunk", I was like where did all the maturity from the beginning go?! It was still cute, but I was sorta disappointed. I also feel like they did Owen dirty in this route and I'm so sad about that because I really really like him. He deserves the best, or Melanie anyway😭 Shelby's backstory was also done rather shallowly as I said before too. However, I would still say even though there are quite a few flaws in this route, I still loved it heaps because of Shelby, he was too great of a guy, it was impossible to not enjoy the route imo haha! Ending was wild too, but Shelby was cool so that’s all that matters imo.

[black-ajah-hq]

WoT S1E1 Retrospective Part 4

Final Part!

Spoilers below for the entire show/series

go to previous

^ I watched this episode with a friend (who knew nothing of WoT) and he was saying that the effects here look really weird/bad. I didn’t really care at first, but looking back there’s definitely something that just feels...off. I believe that this is partly due to the weird white back light that is being cast on Moiraine, which doesn’t really make sense...the weaves are all around her not just behind. I think a more subtle light to show her channeling would have been more effective. 

^ cool imagery, but again, I wanna complain about Moiraine’s choreography. Channeling here suffers from what I have dubbed “magical inefficacy” in which the magic user spends far more effort looking like they’re doing magic than actually doing magic. It feels inefficient. Her movements should have been snappy (they are in some parts) and instead the majority of channeling moves require so much effort to weave, it just feels like a trolloc could swoop in and take her out at any second. It simply does not seem worth the effort to channel because she’s not getting nearly enough output as work she’s putting in.  Vaguely this sequence reminded me of the bending in the live action The Last Airbender movie, but not quite as bad as that. I think...elemental magic is just difficult to pull off in live action.

^ THE WOMENS CIRCLE HAHAHA i love them

^ Laila fights with a hammer...interesting :)

^ so in the show Nyn is a ta’veren too...which means the Dark One probably wants to have a chat with her. I’m assuming this is why the trolloc dragged her off instead of immediately killing her. 

^ i’m not convinced this is the only reason why they took her! She’s a ta’veren!

^ I like the idea of Perrin killing someone accidentally to set up his story...but I don’t like that person being his own wife. At all. I really wish it was Master Luhhan (at least) because wife fridging just isn’t it...

 It really makes me wonder how they’re going to do Perrin’s relationship with Faile, because setting up that romance in the show where that starts in the book timeline is waaaay too soon. Perrin needs years of therapy to recover from this, realistically. 

^ the books could be very gory in parts but actually seeing it on screen makes me o.o

^ the acting!!!! holy crap

^ NO don’t pull it out!!!  jeez, you would think Lan as a warder would have at least some medical knowledge in case his Aes Sedai gets wounded. That is, unless they had to pull it out because the blade has Trolloc poison on it? 

^ not the Winespring Inn!!! ;-;

^ this was so dark, man, i feel bad for Perrin 

^ Don’t be rude, Rand, she just saved your father’s life!!

^ The fact that they cut right to Rand after Moiraine says “They’re here for you” feels a liiiiitle too obvious. But that could be just me since I already know who the DR is at this point

^ well, dang. There’s really no time here to “think” about going with Moiraine. The village is so crippled that that they can’t really fight off another wave of trollocs (honestly, they couldn’t fight the first wave either without moiraine). The urgency here is what forces the EF4 to make their decision without really weighing it. It’s either they go with a stranger who as an Aes Sedai probably knows what they’re talking about...or almost certainly doom their village.

^ At the very least I’m happy that we got the “The Wheel of Time turns...” iconic phrase somewhere in this episode. 

^ Sigh. One of my fave parts looking back at EoTW is Tam and Rand’s last chat before Rand decides to go. We were ROBBED! JK, i know it doesn’t fit into the story here (plus focusing on Rand too much would be a no no) Sadge. I will pretend it happened behind the scenes

Final Thoughts:

IMO this isn’t the worst episode, but it certainly isn’t the best either. Once i “accepted” the changes it makes it a little more enjoyable bc I’m not nitpicking the show based on the book canon. 

WoT desperately need the “Rings of Power Treatment”, where we’d get this first episode drawn out into two quieter episodes that take their time setting things up and getting us used to the characters. From what I’ve heard, many non-book fans had trouble connecting to the EF5, so a slower start to the story might have fixed that! Realistically, WoT is  incapable of doing this since WoT isn’t an established on-screen franchise and many who watch it are unfamiliar with the source material. The showrunners needed to focus on getting the audience “hooked” faster in order to retain their interest. It’s unfortunate but it’s what needed to happen. 

Has the worst cold open out of all the episodes. Grrrr

I enjoyed how they tried to give each of the EF5 backstories here, not just Rand

This goes for the entire season (excluding one episode) but it kinda feels to be like a high-budget fan production. I can tell there was care going into the script, but they also had to take many liberties with the story to make it work as a TV show and fall within budget and time constraints. However, a lot of the editing/lighting/direction feels very amateur, and this is especially apparent in the scene where Moraine enters the Winespring for the first time. There a general “weirdness” that’s happening with this show on the technical side. I’m praying it get’s fixed in future seasons.

To me, this still feels like WoT. Not exactly how I remember from the books but perhaps another turning of the Wheel. I can get on board with that 

The actors here are AMAZING. I think that’s the main reason why I think the show still embodies the spirit of WoT. The characters act for the most part like their book counterpart would act if they were in the same situation.