#the epilogue killed me tbh

[very-uncorrect]

Gay love is stored in the Stanley button

[rosykims]

finished rogue trader. so mad about it i had to take a nap and then start a whole new playthru again to cope <3

[individuating]

my #truth:

ep 1 = ep 7 (beatriceless)

ep 2 = ep 6 (furniture)

ep 3 = ep 5 (tools)

ep 4 = ep 8 (ange focus)

[errantgoat]

me: ok I'll progress my BG3 playthrough a bit so I can finish the game this weekend

also me: plays dress-up with Harv and Astarion for like an hour

[gaygayaurel]

i finally understand what got fans went hrough when i watched fiona and cake (spoilers in tags)

[sunflowersandscreams]

orchestra au is soo fun bc of the little divisions. this story has 8 chapters and this chapter has 4 parts and this part has 3 scenes and this part has 2 scenes etc. and an epilogue

[sunast0es]

the unspoken knowledge that i’ve consumed over 1,008,010 words of homestuck... not counting fics, hs 2 or the many times ive re-read the epilogues.. 

[wp100]

WoW TWW spoilers

Are you kidding me. Don't fucking tell me they're going to KILL Khadgar.

Fine. Take Dalaran away. I'm not happy about that, but don't kill off Khadgar... please. No.

edit: I refuse to believe he is dead. There's no way they would just kill him off like this. Feels really bad if this is true though. Hasn't been confirmed. "They take a moment for Khadgar" he could've teleported at the last minute, for all we know

He'll probably pop out of nowhere at some point. Surely

[tls12lessthan3]

im not gonna lie if i had the power of regression like yoo jonghyuk did i too would kill myself at the slightest sign of things not going my way. id kill myself over anything id die over a juice box tbh. i couldnt get the sword i wanted? jumping into a monsters mouth. i couldnt get my favourite pair of boots? swallowing a volatile motion activated bomb and then doing a cartwheel. i dont give a fuck. i would also use it to mentally torment anyone who annoyed me. you made a joke about my sick black coat? cool! now im fucking dead on the floor and im going to kill you in my next regression before you even open your mouth. how do you feel about THAT. i will defend yoo jonghyuk taking 1863+ rounds to reach the epilogue because it wouldve taken me wayyyyy longer.

[zukka-fic-recs]

Hello! I am totally new to reading Zukka and would love some recommendations. If you've already done this, please feel free to just link to another post! I would love a few recs of what you consider to be "must-reads". I'm open to any length or rating (although I tend to read rated E), I would just love to start with a few that are phenomenal :)

Hi stavro!

Welcome to the wonderful world of Zukka fics!

Here's a Zukka starter pack for you, I limited it to 10 fics to stop it from getting too unwieldy, but it was really difficult to keep it so short tbh, so if you want more lmk!

Zukka Must-Reads

Blue by blacklipscurse

Available on Ao3, Complete (Part 1), Teen, Slowburn, Canon-Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Blue Spirit Zuko, Secret Indentities, Ba Sing Se, Angst, H/C, Homophobia, Physical Disability, Humour / Humor

Wordcount: 192,682

This fic is a whole damn phenomenon in this fandom and it's phenomenal to match! The way the characters are written really draws you in. It's a very emotive fic and I truly cannot emphasise how funny blacklipscurse's writing is, I laughed a lot. Especially at Zuko, and sometimes Sokka. 😅 There is a sequel but it's a WIP and Blue can stand alone. :)

absence of heat, excess of destiny by theycallmesuperboy / @baegarrick

Available on Ao3, Complete, Gen, Canon-Compliant, Alternate Universe - Soulmate, AU - Soulmate-Identifying Marks

Wordcount: 4,336

Absolute classic, and I love soulmate fics so for me this is top tier.

Real Slow by surveycorpsjean (Ao3) / zanimez (Tumblr)

Available on Ao3, Complete, Mature, Post-Canon, Fluff, Smut, H/C, Angst, Ambassador Sokka

Wordcount: 21,490

The way their relationship gently unfurls in this is very satisfying. Highly recommend!

Hallowed by HairCrescendo / @sword-and-stars

Available on Ao3, Complete, Explicit, Smut, Fluff

Wordcount: 4,615

Smouldering smut and fluffy feelings. I'd recommend all of HairCrescendo's work tbh, they're a fantastic writer and they have about a dozen more Explicit works. ;)

three words that become hard to say (I and love and you) by overcomeeithlongingfora_girl / @overcomewithlongingfora-girl

Available on Ao3, Complete, Explicit, Smut, Praise Kink, Subdrop, Domdrop, Light BDSM

Wordcount: 2,977

This fic is hothotHOT, and yet also so sweet and emotional it makes my heart hurt. Bring a fan and some tissues.

Courtesan by lesbianophelia / @mendontprotectyou

Available on Ao3, Complete, Explicit, Post-Canon, Established Relationship, Light Praise Kink

Wordcount: 2,200

So scrumptious I just want to eat it. Prepare to feel things. 🔥

For Peace and Zuko by BeersForQueers / @omgbeersforqueers

Available on Ao3, Complete, Explicit, Slowburn, Alternate Universe - Arranged Marriage, Future Fic, Canon-Divergence

Wordcount: 43,277

Speaking of classics, honestly you could read anything and everything by BeersForQueers and I would recommend doing so! They're a longtime member of the fandom. They were there for this ship when it needed it most (I want you to know that I just blew a kiss to the sky). Having said that, For Peace and Zuko is one of my absolute favourites. The sequel Ice Cave makes for a lovely epilogue.

when the prison doors are opened by alternatedoom

Available on Ao3, Complete, Explicit, Underage, Sickfic, Angst, H/C, Voyeurism, Animal Killed for Food, FWB, Imprisonment, Dub-Con

Wordcount: 164,648

I don't know if this counts as slowburn given... ahem, the progression of things. On the emotional front, perhaps. Their relationship development is messy in a delicious way, really twists you around into such wonderful spirals... Idek if I'm making any sense, that's what this fic does to my mental capacity! Every character interaction is just so so good and the way the tension gets ratcheted up and then unwound is captivating. I could gush about this fic all day, but instead I'll just leave it at: it's really, really good and you should read it.

In the Soft Light by CSHfic and VSfic

Available on Ao3, Complete, Teen, Slowburn, Pining, Canon-Divergence, Alternate Universe - War Ended Early, Angst, H/C, Firelord Azulon, Miscommunication, Pining, Underage Drinking, AU - Moon Spirit Sokka, side Bakoda, Sickfic, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Bed-Sharing

Wordcount: 83,904

Some of my absolute favourite authors in this fandom and all of their work is fantastic quality. In terms of spot-on characterisation, wonderful descriptions, plenty of humour to balance out the angst... Their writing is masterful, and this is one of my favourites of their fics. They have more mature/explicit works as well. ;) (Side-note: I absolutely adore Zuko in this fic).

(do you take this jerk to be) your one and only by jatersade

Available on Ao3, Complete, Teen, Slowburn, Angst, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Arranged Marriage, Bed-Sharing, Misunderstandings, Pining, AU - Royalty, Alternate Universe - 100 Year War Ended Early, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse

Wordcount: 55,846

I love the arranged marriage trope and I love it when authors play around with the gang's status as the children of royalty and world leaders, and this fic does all of that so well. Jatersade's pacing and the quality of their charecterisarion really elevates this fic.

---

I wanted to keep this list to complete fics, but I do have to mention feels like we only go backwards by oldpotatoe, because although it's a WIP it is iconic.

Also, a personal favourite of mine that has been discontinued (but didn't end on a cliffhanger or anything) is invisible string by wilteddaisy (taotu). I have it saved to my phone as a PDF for when I need a comfort read, that's how much I love it.

[starlightshadowsworld]

My thoughts on Bsd chapter 117

Spoilers below

I knew it!

Well not really but I knew Bram being here had something to do with Akutugawa. That's his godamn coat.

... Wait nooo.. Nooo! Fuck you don't make me watch Bram die again.

Aya trying to mean to lessen the blow. Bram feeling like he failed her. The flashbacks to his daughter...

"One day I'll carry you on my back"

Devastating how dare you.

Honestly considering how seriously Akutugawa keeps his promises, this seems like a good idea.

Ayyy Kunikida!

I do love how we're leaning into making Fukuchi some eldritch horror. Because fundamentally he should not exist.

Because it goes against everything. He is not of this world, of course his very existence fills you with dread.

I didn't think one look would take out Junichiro tho.

Kunikida filled with absolute terror and still having the strength to say what are you, fuck he's so cool.

Oh... Fukuchi can talk. Kinda ruins the vibe a little tbh but okay that's a choice.

"I am all. I am none." I am justice. I am the night. I am Batman.

I agree Kunikida what is going on at this airport? Everyone in Bsd talks about shit going on in the Train station but that is nothing compared to whatever this is.

Public transport man don't use it in this universe. Or any transport to be honest.

I love that Fyodor's just standing here not saying a word like okay fine you can have this one.

Ohhh ohh why did he sneak up on him ahhh nooo. Also you can't see one of Kunikida's hands and I am concerned.

Oh yeah this is the first time anyone in the Agency but Atsushi and Fukuzawa have dealt with Amenogozen.

Someone really should've told the others this fucker lives up to his name as the space time sword.

Atsushi you might wanna go the other way, whatevers going on there isn't looking so good.

Thank you Kunikida, see why don't we all just pack up our shit and leave.

"Tanizaki when I give the signal use your ability to escape"

You know this means whatever comes next is going to have everyone be like erm actually it could just be Junichiro's special ability.

Asagiri knows this fandom to well.

... AHHH!!!??!????? WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK

KUUNNNIIIKIIIIIDAAAAA!!!

That better have been Junichiro's ability I swear to God nooooo! OHH AND ATSUSHI GOT THERE TOO LATE

Whyyyy why would you do this?!

Ohhh his hands are melting I'm like actually crying.

I feel like this itself is a sign that those killed by Amenogozen can come back because no one dies in this series. Because there's no way Asagiri would just kill Kunikida off... I hope.

Atsushi grabbing Junichiro out of harms way like that must've been the hardest decision to make to go.

"Fantastic move"

He's so proud of them.

Very confusing statement from Fukuchi that this blade shouldn't be able to harm Kunikida(?) as it stabs him. I don't know what this line means, if it's meant to mean anything.

Literally paralleling lines to when we thought Kunikida died in the helicopter soo... I dunno what to think anymore.

Also during the helicopter thing, Kunikida essentially told Junichiro that he was in charge... And now Junichiro's had to watch him maybe die again.

The shot of his notebook on the ground is just foul.

Atsushi no it's not you're fault!

I share the sentiment Junichiro I really do.

... THE SWORDS ABOVE HIS HEAD WHATF THE HELL?!

And it ends.

I don't think they'll get Junichiro too but Atsushi was alone in the epilogue.... Oh no.

[ellieluvr420]

We meet again, darling pt.20 (detective Abby Anderson x criminal reader x detective Ellie Williams)

Synopsis: Abby Anderson is a skilled detective that's never let a criminal escape her grasp, until you. You've infiltrated every part of her life and she still can't get you. As she grows more and more intrigued by you she finds herself descending further into darkness until there's no way back. She takes your hand and follows you as if your presence is the only thing giving her life knowing that you are the most dangerous thing for her. Her life will never be hers again and she will stop at nothing to keep following you down your path of corruption.

Violence!! I mean obvi but just so you know LOL

OMG cannot believe the series is actually over. I'm kind of sad tbh but i already have plans for an epilogue that i am rlly excited to start. Now that this series is basically done if you have any requests for me to write or even any questions in general pls lmkkkk bc u guys are so cute to chat to I love it <3

You’re woken by someone slapping your face a couple times, your head throbs and every muscle in your body aches, it’s quiet where you are except for the inhaling of a cigar and the sound of drops of water hitting the floor periodically. You keep your eyes closed until you feel a hand pinching your nose and lips shut. Your eyes fly open only to be greeted with the Met bosses face once again, once he sees you're awake he lets go allowing you to catch your breath. Your arms are handcuffed to a pole above your head and your tiptoes are barely touching the floor, you feel a drop of water land on your head and look up to see the pipe you’re handcuffed to is leaking, as your eyes adjust to the dark lighting of the room you take in your surroundings, a basement you assume with no windows but you can’t see any stairs, only a door out of the room that seemed hundred of miles away.

“Good, you’re awake. Didn’t want you to miss any of this of course.” He smiles sickeningly and your face remains completely emotionless. You watch as he walks over to a table in the corner of the room and you notice the various tools: a taser, a knife, what looks like a big lighter but a small blow torch, there are other things but you can’t make them out from where you’re stood. He follows your eye-line and chuckles as he walks to the table where he picks up the knife. “All you have to do is beg sweetheart and I won’t ruin that pretty face of yours.

“Stop stalling like a little bitch and get on with it already.”

“Stubborn… I like it.” He takes the cigar from his mouth and presses it to the part of your chest that escaped from under your top. You hiss but bite your tongue, you won’t let him enjoy this. He looks at you to elicit your response and his face grows unamused by your lack of a reaction. He takes the knife and drags it down one of your arms, again you focus all of your energy on not reacting which only angers him more. He violently slashes at your cheek and a small squeak leaves your lips more out of shock than anything else. You feel the warm drips of crimson dripping down your arm and you see a small puddle gathering below you, the cuts were deep but not life threatening so you brace yourself for more of this.

“You know you heard that story of me killing a man’s wife?” He huffs at your calmness.

“Yes.”

“I heard stories about your wife too. Where is she?“ His face grows dark and he punches you in the mouth, the taste of iron fills your mouth and your dart your tongue out to feel the tear in your lip that was the source of the blood.

“Shut your mouth you little cunt.” He storms over to the table and grabs both the taser and the lighter. You hold your breath in anticipation until he holds the small blowtorch at the arm that he hadn’t cut. You screeched at the sensation and started to thrash until you heard the sound of the taser being turned on, before you can react it’s being pressed to your stomach. You feel as if every nerve in your body is being set on fire at the same time as you convulse with the electric current, he doesn’t remove it for at least 5 seconds and by the time he does you're slumped as much as the handcuffs will allow, everything is spinning and your vision is shaky at best.

“You sent your wife to jail for your crimes. You’re a coward.” The look on his face was indescribable, you knew you had him where you wanted him.

Abby and Ellie were racing through the streets in Abby’s car following the gps to where your location said you were. Abby had slipped a tracker into your bag when you said you’d be going to kill the Met boss on your own. She knew you’d be angry at her for using one of your own trackers on you but she didn’t care, all she cared about was your safety. Her heart was in her throat and her mouth was dry as she drove as fast as her car could take her to you.

Ellie had messaged you to tell you that she’d be at Abby’s so Jeremy knew to pick her up from there but when the message went unanswered both their nerves spiked, Abby had been watching the stationary tracker since you got there but her nerves only got the best of her when it had been an hour and you still hadn’t moved.

“Get out of the fucking way.” Abby yelled at the drivers in front of her, not that it had an effect. There was traffic everywhere and she felt sick at the thought of you not being okay, she left a symphony of car horns honking behind her as she cut people off left right and centre.

“Abby up here take a left, we’re not that far now.” Abby spins the wheel to the left and the car skids round the corner. As they reached the destination your tracker said you were they both grabbed their hand guns that had silencers on them and jumped out.

They approached the house quietly and checked to see if the door was open but weren’t surprised to find it was locked, they walked round the back of the house and found an open window to climb through. They crept through the house checking each room with Abby leading and Ellie following behind watching their backs. They open a door to see 3 men sitting at a table playing poker and before the men could say anything Abby shot all three, they all fell and Abby took a step further into the room only to see you weren’t there either. She whipped her head round when she heard the quiet click followed by the subsequent whoosh of Ellie’s gun being fired twice, she rushed out to see two men dead on the floor on top of each other. Abby looked at Ellie who was just staring at them.

“You okay?”

“Yeah come on we gotta keep going.” Abby took the lead once again until they reached some stairs leading downwards. Abby turned to look at Ellie and they both shared the same look of hope and desperation. “I’m gonna go down there, stay here and keep watch?”

“Yeah yeah go.”

He lurched at you and as he got close enough you kneed him hard in the crotch and then pulled on the chain of your handcuffs and jumped upwards, you gripped your thighs round his neck and squeezed with all your might. He thrashed around but it only made you squeeze tighter, you watched as his lips turned blue and his eyes bulged out of his head, bloodshot and wide with fear. You squeezed harder one last time until you see the light fade from his eyes and feel him go limp against you, you untangled your legs from his neck and watched in amusement as he crumpled to the floor, it was only after watching him for a peaceful moment that you realised you were now stuck dangling from this pipe. You yank at it but it doesn’t budge unsurprisingly.

“Fuck.”

You’re standing staring at the unconscious man on the floor contemplating where to go from here when you hear a loud bash against the door, and another and another until the door slammed open as the wood splintered and cracked. You were sure it was one of his men but when you saw Abby standing in the doorway staring back at you and the man before you with a look that could only be described as relief your body relaxed and you exhaled the breath you hadn't realised you were holding.

“We came to help you but it looks like you’ve got everything covered here.” She gestures at the man on the floor and you laugh a little, the adrenaline that had been powering you was slowly dissipating and every movement hurt, you winced and she came rushing towards you.

“I actually had no idea what I was going to do from here so thank you.”

“Oh my god, did you just say… thank you?”

“Shut up and help me down.”

“There’s my girl.” She chuckles and starts looking around for something to get the handcuffs off but comes up unlucky. “Fuck it.” She grabs a crowbar she found and starts bashing it on the pipe until the section you’re attached to comes loose from the section next to it which sends you falling to the ground, though Abby catches you before you can. As she’s helping you to lean against her Ellie bursts into the room, the look of pure happiness as she sees you is wiped away by devastation evident all over her face when she notices your condition: a swollen cheekbone painted with purple and black as well as a small cut where the skin was broken open from the large ring you noticed on the man's finger, a split lip and a thick cut across your other cheekbone that was still dripping blood down your face, the circular burn mark on your chest and the large seeping cut going down your arm. She noticed the puddle of blood on the floor as well as the way you were trembling and her heart shattered at the sight.

“Come on we need to get out of here.” Ellie sounds rushed and Abby immediately scoops you into her arms, you put your still handcuffed hands over her head so you could hold onto her neck and her arms sat snug under the backs of your knees and around your back, encasing you in her arms.

“You ready?”

“No, I need to kill him.”

“Fine.” Abby puts you down but still keeps you propped up against her side, you grab the knife and the taser and kneel over him, jabbing the taser straight into his crotch and turning it on until he woke up, when he met your eyes you smiled and blew him a kiss, which looked a little comical because of the handcuffs still around your wrists, before slitting his throat from ear to ear, blood splattered out all over you and you felt euphoric. He choked and squirmed but as he went still and the life drained from his face you nodded at Abby and she scooped you up once again. Ellie stayed in front of you two as you rushed out of the house, by the time you reached Abby’s car your vision was blurry and everything was spinning, your injuries were catching up to you and you just wanted to sleep.

“El get in the back with her.” Abby placed you gently into the back of the car and Ellie followed suit as Abby jumped in the drivers seat and sped away back to yours.

Ellie gently manoeuvred you so you were leaning on her chest between her legs. You hadn’t noticed she was crying until you felt a tear drop onto your face from where she was hovering above you.

“Don’t cry, I’m okay.” Your voice was croaky and barely there but she heard you and nodded. She looked at Abby through the rearview mirror and saw the same worried expression knitted into Abby’s eyebrows.

“Can either of you do stitches?” They both stopped their tasks, Abby treating your burns with the first aid kit you had and Ellie cleaning the cuts that littered your body.

“Seriously?” Abby questioned.

“Yeah. It’s not a big deal if you can’t I just hate doing them on myself.”

“You are not giving yourself stitches.” Abby sounded annoyed but her face was a picture of disbelief.

“I’ve done it before and I did a first aid training course when I was 17. I’ll be fine.” You go to sit up but feel Ellie’s hand gently pushing you back down.

“Just stay still please, I will get you the stuff to do the stitches.” Ellie’s voice is soft but firm and you decide to listen considering all they did for you today. Ellie goes to the first aid kit and brings back everything you need. "Before I give this to you, I have to ask, how long ago were you 17?" You roll your eyes at her before realising what she was saying.

"Are you asking me how old I am?"

"Yes." Abby answers for her.

"I am 33. You're 36." You point at Abby then at Ellie. "And you're 34. Now can I please have that?" You gesture at the medical equipment in Ellie's hand with the finger that was already pointed in her direction, she hands it to you as Abby and her nod at each other in triumph that they finally got the answer to the question they were both wondering about earlier.

They both watch in horror as you stitch your cuts as quickly as you can, once you’re done you all breathe a sigh of relief and you sit quietly processing everything that happened today.

“How did you know where I was?” Abby’s cheeks immediately redden and she looks like a guilty child as she avoids eye contact.

“I tracked you.” You pause, taken aback but a smile grows on your face that even you take a second to register.

“Thank you. Both of you, you saved me from myself today. I shouldn’t have went alone but my arrogance is a fatal flaw.”

“You? Flawed? Pshhhh.” Ellie responds and your quirk an eyebrow at her. You all laugh and once they’ve finished treating your wounds they come to lay down next to you.

"Abby can you pass me my phone please I need to make some calls."

"I think you should rest."

"I will, but I need to ring Jeremy quickly. We need a plane to catch tomorrow don't we?"

"You can book us onto the next flight tomorrow." Ellie chimes in.

"I'm not booking a flight, I need Jeremy to make sure the jet is ready to fly tomorrow."

"The jet?" They say in unison.

"Do you actually think I would fly on a public plane? How would I even do that when I'm officially dead?" They laugh at the snobby tone of your voice but also realised you had a point. Abby gets your phone for you and you ring Jeremy to explain, he confirms everything will be ready for you tomorrow so you thank him and end the call.

"I hope you've had fun in the city because we are never coming back."

"Anywhere with you is better." Abby whispers.

"We'd follow you to the ends of the earth." Ellie adds.

You don't reply, simply choosing to kiss both their lips but all you keep thinking, with a sick smile on your face, is:

'I know.'

[x-liv25-jamieswife]

ok so here are my thoughts on the first three chapters and the prologue of tgg (and like the two other chapters we got before)

don't read if you don't wanna hear criticism on lyra, other characters, and stuff. these are my opinions and you can have your own (obviously)

also, i just want to say that my opinions will definitely change as a i read the book. this is based off of what we know now (which isn't much).

also i counted the amount of chapters for each character. lyra has 31. gigi has 28, and rohan has 24 (25 with the prologue). there's an epilogue called the watcher who i'm pretty sure is eve (and probably sets up book 2)

ok. i'll split this into parts so it makes more sense

lyra: most people here seem to love lyra, but i honestly don't think she's anything special (so far). she seems to be a mix of avery, grayson, and jameson. her inner monologue resembles avery, her coping mechanism (running) is similar to grayson's, and the fact that she showed up at school in pajamas and went to a class she wasn't even enrolled in gives off jameson vibes (the jameson vibes are not as strong as grayson and avery but they're still there). i do find her backstory interesting, and i'd like to learn more about it. i also find her acing a test for a class she didn't attend weird. it was only 10 questions but why? her attachment to numbers isn't weird, but for her to be able to detect a pattern in an test is kind of excessive in my opinion. i get that jlb probably wrote her this way so that she's able to play the game, but, idk, i honestly don't know how to feel about it (all ik is that im a bit iffy about it. avery acing a test made sense. she attended the class and studied really hard for it, but for lyra to just randomly ace an exam for a class she doesn't even attend just seems a bit random). i did like the scene where she throws a ball at her catcaller's face.

she's not a bad character, per se, and we literally know next to nothing about her character so its not that i don't like her, its just that, so far, she seems to be like every single other jlb main character (avery, cassie, etc). this literally goes for the other characters (gigi and rohan). don't get me wrong, avery is my favorite character and if lyra is anything like her, i think i'll like her. i just wish lyra wasn't a copy paste of avery.

oh, and, idk why, but thought her having a little brother was kind of cute (especially if he's really young, i'd like to read about their dynamic). her being a dancer is also nice.

i do hope lyra and avery become good friends. i think they have a lot in common (the hawthornes ruined (or tried to ruin) their lives (tobias giving avery the fortune knowing she might die, using her, skye trying to get her killed, etc), they seem to think similarly, etc) and could really hit it off. avery also needs friends who aren't trying to get her killed (*cough* rebecca and thea *cough*)

its really late, and i have more thoughts on lyra but i can't seem to put them into words so ill make another post someday.

rohan:

rohan seems very similar to grayson and jameson. in tbh, he seemed to be more like jameson, but, reading from his pov, his inner monologue is clearly more similar to grayson's (at least from what i remember, i read the chapters a while ago). im glad that he's not an exact copy paste of another character and at least a little different. after what we got from tbh, i expected him to be a jameson 2.0.

i'm glad we now know his motives and why he's participating in the game. also, i think its crazy he's been in the devils mercy since he was 5. he probably hasn't been training since he was five, but i still find this interesting. im excited to read more about his childhood. where exactly are his parents?

i don't have many thoughts on him. im still kinda disappointed he's similar to jameson and grayson, but i was sort of expecting it so it wasn't like what i felt with lyra. anyways, i think i'll like his character. i'm especially excited to read more about his childhood.

gigi:

ik she's similar to xander, but i've liked her ever since i read tbh. im still disappointed (like with lyra and rohan) about her being like xander, but i've come to terms with it. she seems really sweet and kind-hearted (a bit like sloane from the naturals whom i love). she's definitely not my favorite (that title goes to avery), but i do really enjoy her. some people find her character annoying, but i don't think so. i'm really want to read more about her (just like the other characters).

i don't think all of her chapters will be similar to the one we got bc i remember a scene in tbh where grayson said smth like 'maybe she isn't happy all the time' after seeing her a little sad (or maybe she's the one that mentioned not being happy all the time. idk i just remember a scene that mentioned that gigi isn't always happy). i doubt that all of her chapters will be like the one we got bc of this, but i might be wrong. if they are all like that, i dont think itll get too annoying bc we have rohan and lyra chapters in between hers. anways, ik i'll like her in tgg (bc i liked her in tbh even though sometimes she made me cringe)

final thoughts:

i think i'll like tgg (i liked all of the jlb books ive read so far). i'm a bit disappointed that the characters are so similar to some that we already have but i think i'll get over it. i do think that it is safe to say that, bc of this, tgg won't take tig's spot as one of my all time fav contemporary books (i separate contemporary from fantasy and stuff bc it doesn't make sense to me how im supposed to rank books that are completely different) and none of the pov characters will replace avery as my fav (this is confirmed, i see so much of myself in avery and i read her books when i was at my lowest. no one will replace her). i am quite tired so this may not make sense or might be repetitive. i have some other thoughts, but im too tired to write them down.

[senlinyu]

hi! i’d like to start by saying i love manacled, all you want, and ltdi :) your works mean so much to me.

i have two questions for you:

1 - what draws you to dramione?

2 - how did you decide on the ending for manacled? (i think it is such a beautiful, well-done end to the story)

i don’t know how to sign off on this ask other than just saying you rock!

Oh thank you so much. Tbh, I don't really get to choose my hyperfixations, they choose me. Mostly I enjoy dramione because you can get all kinds of flavours in the pairing, whereas I find other pairings to be a bit more limited in what stories I find believable for them.

As for the end of Manacled, I always knew the ending was going to be the pair of them living in obscurity with their contributions towards ending the war unacknowledged, knowing that their war-time choices would be villified or misunderstood and choosing to live in peace rather than try to vindicate themselves. But it wasn't until a couple months into writing the story that I got the idea for the final epilogue and the closing line. I always knew that I wasn't going to kill Draco or Hermione, and that the rest of their lives would be relatively happy/peaceful, but I didn't want to close the story on a feel-good note because it felt thematically inconsistent, I wanted to highlight the lack of credit in a way that would resonate with the readers. Since most of the story was deeply embedded in Hermione's POV and what she considered important, shifting into an omniscient POV let me recontextualize things about the omissions of history, especially war time history, particularly when it comes to individuals who don't fit into the archetype of heroism, and how the stories we're told both in fiction and real life are often framed in particular ways in order to make us believe certain things.

[articularreview]

⚠️Spoilers for Shinrei tantei Yakumo - the lamenting doll file 03 and the epilogue⚠️

Here in case you missed it

I just read it and spontaneously wrote this.

Be careful if you haven't read it yet.

The file starts with where it left off the last time with them deciding to locate Mahiro's mother.

I kinda forgot about it since we haven't seen Isshin for a while, but this volume reminded me of how much Yakumo is influenced by Isshin. Be it the way they talk or sometimes even their mannerisms.

It's pretty much a given that they'll have to stay another night at the hotel but that would mean Haruka will have to stay in that creepy ass room again. Isshin really told Yakumo “accept the situation or sleep with her”😭😭😭

But sadly It's just like Gotou said, Their relationship label won't allow it smh

Gotou's snores and Isshin's bad posture are KILLING ME. My mom entered the room while I was having a fit of laughter I just looked crazy to her 😭

Isshin is so chill he doesn't care if you try to make him look bad. Rather his hilarious responses made Gotou look silly for complaining. Poor Gotou-san. Maybe I should learn from him... Unbotherement sure is powerful~

Anyways I guess that means Yakumo is the only one who sleeps normally hahaha

Just like I expected, Mahiro's death is weighing Hiromi down. kinda knew it from file 02, but hearing the details from Masae made me want to cry. No parent should ever go through this.

And so they split into two teams: team Gotou and Yakumo. and team Haruka and Isshin. All I'll say is that the latter team sure is a good match.

And then we have Gotou-san who not only has to put up with Yakumo's comments but also got a Salary cut too!! He suffered too much this trip. Imagine wanting to skip work only to get dragged all the way to a whole different prefecture. Still kinda his fault for ignoring Ishii smh.

Speaking of Ishii I'm happy he and Makoto were mentioned even though they didn't make an appearance. Isshin's mere presence made up for any other character's disappearance. Kaminaga-sensei is a genius for mentioning Eishin too. I think references like that will increase in the complete version. Knowing the future and the direction of your work sure makes a big difference. It was really interesting knowing that Eishin was the one taking care of Nao when Isshin's not around. Nao must really miss Isshin even if she doesn't show it on her face. I head canon afterwards Nao being overjoyed to see not only Isshin but Yakumo and Haruka too after his two-day disappearance.

The scene when that madman dragged Haruka gave me the chills. Kaminaga-sensei using TTCM as a reference sure was brutal I ended up imagining it. Haruka did her best till the very end but the situation was hopeless. She can't even resist. her mouth, legs and wrists were taped. And on top of that he had the audacity to slap her! How dare him! If that man wasn't charged with attempted murder after all this I'm throwing hands!

In the end the case was solved and we find out that Takahiro-kun was the one talking to Hiromi all along. It really broke my heart knowing that all this time he didn't even know he was dead and yet played along to try to comfort Hiromi who was mourning for her child. What a strong kid. He and Mahiro are.

The lamenting doll huh... makes sense.

In the epilogue we learn that Yakumo can't handle hot food which I thought was really cute.

Tbh his whole food preference was quite unexpected. First we learn that he has a sweet tooth (Which Haruka thought doesn't suit him at all lol) and then a similar situation to the one in the epilogue happened in vol. 7 iirc when Yakumo was (again) staring at the sake and when Haruka asked if he can't drink he stubbornally tries to only to spit it out. This man just can't be honest😂 I actually really respect men who don't drink or smoke so that's a flex~

Now some of my favorite Yakumo lines which for some reason all happen to be verbally abusing Gotou (Can't blame Haruka for laughing because c'mon how could you not?)

• “You can say that because you've never heard it yourself. Compared to Gotou-san's snores, even a train would be quieter.”

• “A member of the police stating that he'll be driving under the influence? Japan is finished.”

• “I'm saying bears can't understand the taste of wine. What if someone made up a new proverb: bears and wine.”

• "I don't want to waste any more calories than this."

• "Well, that's not surprising. A bear with damaged taste buds such as Gotou-san will never understand."

Bye I'm using these irl.

I'll also add these two because I keep remembering these two exchanges and laughing:

1)

"I see. If you don't want to, it's fine. But please stop bringing cases to me from now on."

"This and that are a different story."

"No, it's the same thing. Ah, that's right. So that Gotou-san will stop bringing me cases, I'll be reporting to the police that you've been leaking investigation details to a civilian."

"What!? Don't joke with me! I'll get fired if you do that!" Gotou shouted in panic.

"Good then. That way I won't have to involve myself in cases that have nothing to do with me, and taxpayer money won't have to go into paying the incompetent Gotou-san; just like killing two birds with one stone."

"What did you say!?"

"Isn't that great? This way, Gotou-san can also play around to your heart's content. So it'll be more like killing three birds with one stone," said Yakumo, grinning as he looked at Gotou.

He really stabbed where it hurt. Having been commented like that, Gotou wouldn't have a way to refuse. "Fine. I'll help. Happy?"

Gotou lifted his heavy bottom up from the sofa reluctantly as he sighed. Yet Yakumo wasn't done with his counterattacks.

"Not really, it's fine even without Gotou-san helping."

"That wasn't what you said earlier!"

2)

"Sorry about that. Could you please tell me what I should do?" Gotou asked formally while swallowing his displeasure.

"You should know if you listened to the story"

"I'm asking because I don't know."

"You should have if you paid close attention to the whole story."

"Well I don't know!"

"Is that something to be proud about? Good grief.”

Too much Yakumo😂

Volume 11 is up next. I'm really really excited for this one because Unkai and Miyuki are one of the best antagonists I've ever read. I'll never forgive them for what they did to Yakumo but their back stories are very very well written and explains how they ended up that way. That last arc will wrap everything up. I remember reading the book description a while back but Laute's translations stopped at the time so I thought I'll never read it.

The day has finally come!!!

[gold-rhine]

fontaine is so interesting to me because it's on one hand got very interesting and well written quests, both lore wise and storywise, but it's also the first nation I feel we're leaving without making it Better. sure, there's no tsunami coming any longer, but the country itself? All the societal issues - from extreme wealth inequality, to a laughing stock of a justice and court system, and the most dire children in danger crisis the game's ever presented us with - have gone largely unresolved. even the ending of arlecchino's story quest with house of the hearth felt like just sweeping the actual problems (orphanage preying on the vulnerable children in fontaine and exploiting the dangers in order to train them as child soldiers and spies for a foreign government under the guise of giving them a home and family) under the rug. inazuma's ending wasn't well done either, but at least there was actual societal changes; the vision less husks became themselves again and the traveling decree was lifted, allowing families and friends to reunite. it's just so strange to me that genshin used fontaine to introduce really dark themes, but also never actually wanted to engage with them beyond "look at this really fucked up thing we did to these children" and "yeah, the justice system is fucked. we're not gonna show its improvements though, sorry"

sorry, this was a bit of a ramble, and maybe i've gotten it wrong. just wanted to share and discuss:)

ok where do i start.... dont take this as confrontational, im just not sure how to phrase it

the fact you see entire country not being dissolved into water, the actual god dying and ruler of country changing as less of impact than ppl getting visions back and being able to travel while raiden is still an absolute tyrant ruling by fear is like. interesting perspective.

in my personal taste portraying large societal changes as immediate result of one boss battle is silly actually. fontaine justice system being fixed in a moment by like. killing a whale would be very silly

that being said, neuvi did very much say he's going to reform fontaine and justice system specifically in the epilogue, he even postpones archon warcrimes trials and celestia war for that.

art can critique things without offering solutions on how to directly fix them and create utopia. like. to "show societal improvements" is not like, definitive goal of any piece of media critiquing societal flaws. the goal of this kind of satirical critique is to highlight and deconstruct these flaws by exaggeration. like, we don't say "why is The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas doesn't show child being freed and society being reformed?? Why doesn't black mirror show how to fix flaws of technology???" like. spending story time on giving step by step solutions for problems of fictional society created to be purposefully over the top caricature of irl systems would be kind of. missing the point tbh