#they've only been calling her their mother for less than a year

[sunflowerdales]

Very early days of Ezra being adopted as Kahlia's ward, she began teaching them all kinds of subjects to get them caught up with their age group and to get them into formal education. Due to how receptive they were to learning, however, she didn't realise how much of the basics they needed to learn.

They could read and write very simple things, but the place they grew up had very limited education at best, and Ezra practically never showed up because they hated it.

Once in a safer and more nurturing environment where they could think more clearly and not be in survival mode constantly, they found a passion for learning and became particularly interested in history and and the arts.

[melrosing]

What do you think about the idea of Cersei and Brienne as Jaime’s Madonna/Whore dichotomy?

talked about this a bit before but I think actually the Madonna-whore dichotomy is widely misinterpreted, and I think even by me to some degree? so pasting the actual definition of the 'complex' below directly from wikipedia.

In psychoanalytic literature, a Madonna–whore complex (also called a Madonna–mistress complex) is the inability to maintain sexual arousal within a committed and loving relationship. First identified by Sigmund Freud, who called it psychic impotence, it is a psychological complex that is said to develop in men who see women as either saintly Madonnas or debased whores. Men with this complex desire a sexual partner who has been degraded (whore) while they cannot desire the respected partner (Madonna). Freud wrote, "Where such men love they have no desire, and where they desire they cannot love." X (emphasis mine)

so rather than being simply a narrative contrast between 'the good virgin and the evil whore' (an interpretation which I broke down here a couple of years ago, to argue that a contrast on the basis of their sexual experience was not an intentional dichotomy within the narrative), the complex specifically denotes that the man feel a kind of asexual admiration for the former and a lowly lust for the latter; he can only love the madonna, but he can only desire the whore. most other sources corroborate this definition.

and this does not apply to the Cersei/Jaime/Brienne trio. Jaime and Brienne's relationship is not, and has never been chaste. Jaime has been staring at her body since the first page of his POV, and she has been looking right back at his. they've bathed together, gotten aroused by it, and then gotten aroused reflecting back on it (or in Jaime's case, thought back on it when aroused lol). their first fight together deliberately references a first night together, and intentionally demonstrates their physical chemistry. there's a lot that's sweetly courtly about jb but it is not an asexual romance: the physical, sexual component is as significant as the courtly.

meanwhile: Jaime has never struggled to love and desire Cersei simultaneously. famously: "the things I do for love". Jaime has loved Cersei since they were born, has been as close to her as anyone ever has been or will be, and has desired her plenty. his desire falls away when he falls out of love with her. there is no split: he loved and desired her once, now he loves and desires her less.

fwiw i think Jaime will never stop loving Cersei, even if he lives to 100. it will just take on a new form, and in their case probably some bizarre mix of 'twin sister who i will always feel some unbreakable bond with' and 'irreconcileable-differences-mother-of-my-children ex that I was in a relationship with since we were teens'. the love is always going to be there, but I don't think the desire will. that also contradicts the dichotomy, which argues that the man feels incapable of love for the whore, rather only desire.

so idk if we're going to use the dichotomy to the letter, it simply doesn't apply. if we're talking about Jaime loving Brienne for her 'purity' and hating Cersei as 'damaged goods', then talked about that in the answer linked above.

[greycaelum]

Hello,how are u?

I've been a fan of your writing for a while now,and im really in need of some comfort

If you can,could u pls write a oneshot gojo x fem!reader where reader is also a sorcerer and one year younger than gojo and they've been friends for so long,and one day reader's mother talks about her marrying someone she doesnt like (her mother tells it from kindness) and it messes reader up to the point of panic attack and crying?and she calls satoru so he could help her calm down?

(you decide whether reader and gojo are in a secret relationship or not.)

Im in need of comfort rn and i would love to see ur writing on this matter

Kaleidoscope Series—Love Me Now, Love Me Never Chapters: {Pacify Her}

—Gojo Satoru X Sorcerer Reader

𑁍 Synopsis:

"Dear..." Your mother's voice called you, and her eyes held you in softness. 

"Why didn't you ask me, first Mother?" Your heart felt as if it was made of sand collapsing as you realise the betrayal.

"Because we know this will be your reaction. You work tirelessly, barely coming home. I simply wish for someone to care for you. Someone who will look out and care for you."

"I could take care of myself." Your eyes watered. Why? Why are you deciding on my life without my opinion?

𑁍 Genre: angst to comfort, traditional arrange marriage

𑁍 WC/CW/TW: (2k)— spoilers for anime only! mentions of teen years & Hidden Inventory Arc, arrange marriage, secret relationship— use of endearments (baby and sweetheart), crying, locking self in the closet, implied panic

𑁍 A/N: Hi sweetheart, work has been keeping me, I'm sorry that this one took a while even though I tried to do it as soon as possible, I hope everything will get better soon and this one helps to comfort you. Sending you a very tight hug! —Grey,

He's obnoxious.

Gojo Satoru in his teens is a menace. One that crawls up on you every time he spots your shadow to pull your hair and poke fun at you.

You've known the man since your first year in college. Nanami often looks at you in worry and helplessness whenever Gojo Satoru comes over to tease you. Haibara looks up to him and would often join in the fun, unbeknownst of your irritation.

Good old day, you've come to treasure deep in your heart. When everything was easier. When life seems to be lighter.

You came from a fairly influential sorcerer clan. Prized for your reversed curse technique that paved your way in the jujutsu society in the less physical struggle over brutal means. But that didn't spare you from stomaching the horrendous scenes curses can inflict. Haibara was the catalyst of your life's turning point.

Everyone started falling out. You see your raven-haired senior left without a goodbye, leaving nothing but the biggest tragedy in your generation. Nanami left as well, unable to take the bullshit of the people behind the power sacrificing the lesser ones as pawns to maintain their status and influence. And Satoru...

"Are you leaving?"

On a cold night, he found you staring at the stars under the tree nearby the training grounds. A bag strapped on your back, and normal clothes you'd wear for your day off. You could see exhaustion brimming around him even though he was in the shadows.

"Everything is in shambles." You sighed, tucking your chin on your knees. "Are youleaving?" You watch him slip his hands into the pockets of his pants and look up at the sky.

You watch your senior's face, he looks so young as you trace his jaws to the softness of his cheeks, the faint glimmer in his ocean eyes from the slit of his sunglasses holds the weariness he has to suppress for so long, slipping through the night.

You have to think again that this man is just a year older than you, still, a teenager in adolescence that is forced to play soldier. Gojo Satoru has become so distant you can barely recognize the youth despite the pretty face he has.

"I can't." He answered after a long time.

And you just know the indifference of that answer. The feeling of being unable to walk away despite wanting to.

"Thought so. Guess we have a long time annoying each other, senpai." You chuckled and stood up, dusting yourself and turning in the direction of the dorm you started walking.

A force collided against your back and your ears are being rubbed until you squirm and glare at the perpetrator.

"Uh-huh? Looking forward to that brat." He just grinned and ruffled your hair.

You can't pinpoint it anymore. Was it when you covered him with your overcoat so he could just hide and swallow his exhaustion as you sit beside him, holding his hands inside his Infinity? Or was it when he started finding you every day, dragging you with him and Shoko? Or was it when he took your hand and your heart felt at peace amid the chaos?

"I'm tireddddddd~" Satoru let out a long sigh and rub his face against your back while his long arms wrapped around your waist, keeping you perched on his thighs.

"Satoru, there are people outside!" You tried squirming away, even pinching the man off of you but to no avail. He's latched unto you like a leech. It's so embarrassing to be caught like this, the only ones who knew are Ijichi, Shoko, and Principal Yaga. Other than that, you're viewed as Satoru's favorite kouhai. Unbeknownst to them, you and this menace have been going out since you were 19.

"Who cares?" He pulled down his blindfold and batted those pretty lashes. Satoru blew you a kiss and giggled at your sour expression. "How could you be so cute? Just like me." He coos at you.

You turned away huffing with your arms crossed over your chest and let yourself be cradled into your beau's arms.

"I have to go to the ancestral house later, my Mom asked me to come. Just reheat the food I left in the fridge and don't stay up late."

Satoru nodded and shifted you to the side, tucking your head underneath his chin.

"Should I pick you up?" Satoru quietly asked, even though he already knows the answer.

"No, they'll get suspicious." You bit your lip. "I'm sorry..."

It's been years and yet your relationship is kept behind the curtains. Satoru has never thought he'd be one to be kept a secret, but after your persuasions even though he badly wants to drive off the men lurking around you whenever they think you're single. Risking your safety to prove your relationship is not enough, he agreed this is for the best.

"Nothin' for you to be sorry for sweetheart." Satoru kissed the top of your head. "Just call me when you're done then I won't worry much."

Being brought up in a more dynamic and liberated childhood, growing up, you know you had it easier than other sorcerers. Your clan may not be part of the elites, but it is an established and recognized clan that is important to the jujutsu society for the special ability of reversed curse technique.

"Mother," you called the regal woman talking with your distant relative.

"Dear, we've been waiting for you. How about you changed into comfortable clothes first then look for us in the study?" She smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes.

You did as you were told, changing into a furisode prepared for you and led down to the study. When you opened the door you found your grandmother, and mother waiting inside. Seeing the stern look on your grandmother's face you suddenly felt the pressing matter this talk is about to make. Your heart pounded and anxiousness started filling you up as you took a seat across from your mother.

"It's the time for you to get married Y/n. Do you like any man right now?"

"G-Grandmother?" You stuttered and look at the straight-faced woman in disbelief. Her eyes held nothing but seriousness. It's as if he could slice through anything with her gaze.

"You've never brought a man home, I'm afraid you'll be a spinster if I do not intervene. The son of the Chiba Clan is a proper and respectable man. He can provide for you and keep you safe." There's finality in her voice that has no room for your reason. When you look at those eyes, you see your Grandmother has already finished everything before you could speak anything about this matter. "Life is short, in this world we're moving. Don't waste that time being all alone." Your Grandmother stood up and pat your shoulder, she quietly left the study leaving you and your mother.

"Dear..." Your mother's voice called you, and her eyes held you in softness. 

"Why didn't you ask me, first Mother?" Your heart felt as if it was made of sand collapsing as you realise the betrayal. You never want to be angry at her. You know she loves you and looks out for the best of your interest. But this one simply breaks your heart.

"Because we know this will be your reaction. You work tirelessly, barely coming home. I simply wish for someone to care for you. Someone who will look out and care for you."

"I could take care of myself." Your eyes watered. Why? Why are you deciding on my life without my opinion?

Your mother looks at you, and sadness clouds in her eyes. "I'm very sorry, but please try. You give yourself away too much in your work, is it so bad to wish that you have someone stay by your side?"

"No mother. But I—" Satoru's face flashed in your mind. Really, you were just scared to be used out of political means so you hid your relationship. You knew it was unfair to Satoru who loved you regardless of anything but he never asked you to go against your principles just to give in his wishes. He has always valued you more than anyone's opinion. "—I will never any man besides the one I chose."

Your tears threatening to spill. But you kept it in. And walk out of the door despite your mother's call. You ran to your room, having a hard time keeping yourself focused from the trembling of your hand.

You shut your door and ran to the closet, squeezing yourself inside the large and dark wooden wardrobe. With shaking hands, you held your phone and ran through your call logs. Every ring you feel your heart hammer against the cages of your chest, your feet getting cold despite the socks. Static ringing through your ears.

"Baby? You coming home?" Satoru's groggy voice, answered.

A sense of relief flooded you as you listen to the faint shuffling in the background. You wanted to cry, but you bit your lips so you could hear his breathing. 

"Sweetheart? Somethin' wrong?"

"'T-Toru," you hiccuped, angry at yourself for sobbing hard.

"Why are you crying? Where are you?" Worry filled in his voice. "I'm coming to get you." You heard hurried footsteps and the slight panic in his voice.

"Baby? Are you there? Don't hang up alright?"

"Toru, 'T-Toru, Toru," you chanted in desperate sobs, grounding yourself in his name despite the darkness you're in.

"Yes Baby, I'm here. On my way to fetch you. Calm down alright. I'm here."

You shut your eyes close. Wishing the next second you open it Satoru is in front of you. But every second that ticks, the colder your palm gets, the harder your heart pounds, dreading the mere idea of marrying a stranger you barely know. Your throat is constricted, and your chest heaves out the intangible pain seeping into your heart.

To give up Satoru? Not a chance.

"Open up baby," the call turned off and a knock bumped your wardrobe. "We're going home, sweetheart." You could hear the panting that the person is trying hard to mellow down and calm his voice.

The door opened and Satoru squatted down. His clothes are disheveled from the hurry. Your bleary eyes locked on him and you saw his shoulders slacken, but they immediately squared up as he beckon you out of the closet.

"C'mere."

You didn't have to be told twice, crawling out and into his arms, your clutch his shirt as his arms wound around you.

"What happened? Tell me so I can understand what upset you, sweetheart." He coos to you, settling you between his propped knees while pressing a kiss on your temple.

His cool spicy scent invaded your panicking senses. The more you listen to his heart the slower your breathing gets and eventually, you're pushing yourself closer to him, throwing your arm around Satoru's neck.

"They thought I'm not in a relationship and arranged a marriage partner for me."

You felt Satoru's grip over you tighten. He didn't speak but you could feel his sour mood.

"Are you scared?" He moves you to look him in the eye. A flicker pass through his eyes, but before you could recognize it, that pained glint was gone.

"I'm upset." You replied honestly.

You know your mother never meant to hurt you. But your family is meddling in your life too much that it's not even needed. How could they decide on it before asking you when you'll be the one living that marriage?

"Who am I, baby?" Satoru cup your cheeks and pressed your foreheads together.

"You're Gojo... you're my Satoru." You whispered, warmth spreading in your chest.

"Mnn, that's right. Who would dare take you away when you have me, sweetheart?" Satoru opened his eyes and could see the steeled resolve in those ocean eyes.

—GreyCaelum

PLAGIARISM IS A CRIME

Check out the Masterlist for more

All rights and credits of the Jujutsu Kaisen character(s) mentioned images(s) and songs(s) used, belongs to their respective owner(s)

General/Kaleidoscope Series Taglist: @ice-icebaby @aeanya @gummy-dummy @tender-rosiey

[canirove]

Friends, lovers… and an orange | Chapter 4

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Masterlist

"It was so weird, mum... Like, the moment I mentioned his agency, he went all serious and then avoided my question. And before that, he didn't smile like he usually does."

"Since when do you pay attention to the way Mason smiles?" Elizabeth chuckled.

"That's a really good question" Adele thought. "Anyway, do you think... Could an agency do that? Call the paps on one of their clients as some kind of revenge?"

After the chaos at the airport, she and Mason had talked about who could have tipped off the photographers. The only people who knew they were flying that day were their brothers, Jourdan and his agency, and the first three would never say anything. The others... 

"That's too twisted" Elizabeth said. "But I know they've called them without letting their client know because it made the photos look more natural, like actual candids."

"Did that ever happen to you and dad?"

"Never. We were stalked, followed everywhere, harassed... But my agency always protected me."

Adele's parents hadn't had it easy. Her father was the heir of a very important family in the US and was considered one of the most eligible bachelors in the country, and when the press had found out that they were dating, they had gone crazy. Both had been followed everywhere they went, their faces being on all the magazines. The supermodel and the heir, most headlines would say. And his family didn't like it. 

They considered Elizabeth not enough for their son, and had done everything in their power to make them break up. When they got engaged after years of dating, his family hadn't met her yet, and when Adele's dad took Elizabeth's last name instead of being the other way around, they even threatened him with disinheriting him. But they fought for their love despite everything and everyone, and they still were together, happier than ever.   

"So you don't think Mason's agency could have done it?" 

"I don't, no" Elizabeth said. "But less talking about pretty boys and annoying paparazzis, and more about this!" she said, gesturing towards their car's window.

Between Jourdan, Mason and her mum constantly sending her photos of their old trips together, Adele had finally said yes to going to Paris. She would be joining her backstage at the couple of shows she was walking, attending one as a guest with her, and a couple of parties too. Would she end up regretting it? Probably. 

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

"I am so glad you accepted our invitation, Adele" said Maria Grazia Chiuri, Dior's creative director, when she met them for their fitting. 

"Thank you for inviting me" she smiled.

"I myself have picked some looks for you that I think will be perfect."

"Oh, wow. That's so kind."

"Anything for you, girls."

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

"Red or black?" Elizabeth asked while looking at herself in the mirror.

"Black" Adele and Maria Grazia said at the same time. 

"Black it is."

"Adele, now that I have you here, I have to ask again. Are you sure you wouldn't like to join your mum for our mother's day campaign? It would be just a one time thing."

"I'm sorry, Maria Grazia. But being in front of the camera isn't my thing."

"Then what about behind the camera?"

"What?" Adele said.

"Oh, that's an amazing idea! You could take my photos!" Elizabeth said while getting changed.

"Mum, I'm not a professional photographer. There are better people for that than me."

"It wouldn't be as special, tho. And a daughter taking photos of her mother would also work for our campaign" Maria Grazia said.

"I don't think it is a good idea. What would the photographer you hired say?"

"If I explain it to him, he'll understand. Why don't I ask someone from my team to send you the mood board for the campaign so you can get an idea of what we want?"

"And Addie could send your photographer some of her photos so you know what she can do" Elizabeth added.

"Perfect!" Maria Grazia said, not allowing Adele to protest.

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

"I think someone fancies you."

"What?" Adele said. She and Elizabeth had been in Paris for a few days already, everything going pretty well keeping in mind what had been going on back home and in New York. Paparazzis bothered them the usual during fashion week, and all the headlines were about her and her mum, their outfits, and how much they were loving that they were finally doing fashion stuff together.

That night, they were attending a Vogue party where they were joined by people she only saw on Instagram. Models, musicians, actors... Even a couple of football players too. 

"That cute guy over there" Elizabeth said, nodding towards her left. "He can't stop looking at you."

"Who... What..." she said, slowly turning around to look at him. When they eyes met, he smiled at her, and Adele heard herself giggling. He had a dimple on his left cheek, just like Mason did. Mason...

"Go talk to him."

"What?"

"C'mon" her mum said, pushing her towards him.

"But I don't know who he is.”

"An actor from one of those superhero movies. Now go."

"But..."

"Hello there" the cute guy said, his dimple showing in all its glory once again.

"Hi."

"You are Adele Turlington, right?"

"Yep. And you are... Sorry, I'm really bad with names" she smiled, hoping her lie would work.

"Nico Evans."

"Nico, yes, of course! I was thinking about your character's name and I didn't want to say something stupid."

"Nah, it's ok. I'm used to it" he smiled again. God, he was cute. "Would you like to grab a drink?"

"I would love that." 

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

"What time is it?" Adele yawned.

"Too early. Go back to sleep" Nico whispered.

"Then why are you leaving?"

"Because I am attending a show in an hour, and I haven't showered or got changed" he chuckled.

"Oh..."

"Would you like to meet again?" Nico said after finishing tying up his shoes. "Maybe for lunch? I'm leaving tonight."

"I... I can't. My mum and I are meeting some friends of hers that we haven't seen in ages and..."

"Oh, it's ok. Don't worry" Nico smiled, that dimple he shared with Mason showing up again. Why was she thinking about him again? "Maybe another time."

"Yeah, maybe."

"Thank you for last night, Adele. That was... That was amazing. Definitely a highlight of my fashion week" he smirked.

"You're welcome" she giggled, feeling her cheeks get warm.

"Good bye, Miss Turlington. See you soon" he said, giving her a peck.

"Good bye, Mr. Evans" she replied.

[zedif-y]

I lovee the shapeshifter au so far :P

I'm curious what would Grian and Pearl's reactions be to finding Jimmy's note that he's gone hunting, then him not returning. Would they go looking for him? Would they have any luck?

The thing you have to know about Jimmy's perspective of all this, him deciding to leave just to prove himself... Is the fact that he was wrong about what his remaining family thought of him. I say this because Jimmy, for the longest time, truly believed that they thought of him as some kind of... Weakling. Other.

When their parents died, Jimmy was the one who kept the house itself. His workshop was there, and Grian and Pearl have their separate places. They're close enough to come visit as much as they like, and the house is more of a common area for the three of them most days. Jimmy kept all the hunting memorabilia, the grainy photos of his parents and his ancestors and all of their achievements. He takes care of them.

The point is that this feeling has been bubbling for a very long time. The point is that Jimmy's never felt more like a failure than when he found out about his father's dreams for him through old letters in the attic, and flipped through pictures in the family album where his mother is grinning, her trusty crossbow in hand. The crossbow she left for him.

The one he'd never properly used.

All this to say, Grian and Pearl did what they could. They knew Jimmy was feeling this way to an extent, but... He never told them how bad it had gotten. Mostly because the last thing he wanted was to give them another reason to worry, another reason to think he couldn't handle himself.

When they knocked on the door and Jimmy didn't answer... The worry came fast. They grabbed their spare keys, called for Jimmy as they entered the house, and--

They find his note.

Neighbors will tell you that they've never seen the two so afraid, before.

They packed as much as they could and basically ran, following Jimmy the only place he could have gone-- their usual hunting trail, though given his headstart he could be deep in the woods--

"We'll find him," Pearl tells Grian, who's grit his teeth so hard his jaw hurt. "We'll find him."

Jimmy's trail is easy enough to follow at first. Clumsy and obvious. But the forest grows dense, and at some point, Jimmy got lost, straying off the main path the two of them know by heart. Off into uncharted territory.

This is when fear turns into choking dread.

They don't find him on that first trip. Nor the second, nor the third. They don't find him, and the thought makes them ache, makes them tremble into each other's embrace as they sit in their childhood home, the damn thing so cold and empty without its owner.

"Some hunters we are," Grian says one day, choked up and shaking. Pearl gathers him up in his arms, "What are we gonna do?"

Eventually, they stumble upon dried blood in the forest. Ripped up dirt, a dried, bloody handprint on a nearby rock. About Jimmy's size.

But no body.

To say that they're in denial is a bit of an understatement. They refuse to think that Jimmy's dead. Not until they have proof. Not until they can see it.

(They both have nightmares where they do.)

And sometimes-- sometimes they think they see him, fleeting ghosts here in town. A hooded man with blonde hair sticking out and catching the sun, gone before they can approach. Someone who looks like they could be Jimmy, same build or height or whatever-- and they turn around and it's not him at all.

Nearly a year passes. They've kept the house clean for him. They still, though less frequently, comb through the forest for him.

Their baby brother isn't dead.

He can't be, there's no proof. They just have to find him.

(And they're right, though it stops feeling like it. They're right, they do see him, on all those times when he goes back to town to buy supplies and brings them back to Joel.)

(They're right. He's alive.)

(He just doesn't know how to face them again.)

[ichorofthelastlament]

The vae have plagued the land of Kasht for as long as man could remember. They once dominated the world before being chased away into the darkest recesses of the night but never truly gone, always hunting for the next human to become their meal. After eons of lurking the shadows the vae have become bold again, feeding more frequently and spreading their domain.

But that's where you come in. You, the chosen heir of light itself, the one who holds the power of the sun in their veins. The one prophesied to lead a group of heroes like yourself to save not only your people, but all of humanity.

A bronze age inspired fantasy setting, don't expect a one-one real world counterpart/historical accuracy.

Customize your heir: appearance, gender, pronouns, name, personality

Build relationships with your fellow companions on your way to save humanity

Choose how you feel about being thrust into herodom

Combat the Vae, beings who that take inspiration from vampires and fae. Or don't.

Decide how you ultimately traverse saving the world. Will you follow the prophecy or find another path?

More to be determined

MC [That's you]

You grew up in the desert kingdom of Akma under Mother Azira's House. Like many others who'd lost their parents you were trained to be a skilled member of society, you had many options but none so illustrious as being a god's chosen heir. Yet life is full of surprises.

The Bosom Buddy (she/her, trans woman)

You've known Periphae, or Peri as most call her, for much of your life. She is your best friend and closest companion. Working under the Fragrant Lotus, a well renowned brothel under Matriarch Azira's control, she has never been much of a fighter. She's a playful gossip who does a horrid job at hiding her anxiety, its hard to accept that she's chosen to venture out with you of her own will.

The Shield (she/he/they, genderfluid)

Eurus is a warrior from the eastern region of Saeyah who's been trained to fight along side the heir of light all their life. They've anticipated the day where they could fight alongside you, as is their destiny according to the prophecy. They have a carefree 'go with the flow' attitude about most things. Your safety and this quest for the world are not one of those.

The Chosen One The Guide (they/them, nonbinary)

Amani was a priestess that once held the title of the heir of light, they were thought to be the one to inherit the mark of the sun until the Day of Blessings came and it went to you. Now their years of training are being used to help you save all of humanity. A fact that makes them quiet bitter towards you, but Eurus says Amani is haughty and harsh with everyone.

The Mountain (she/her, cis woman)

Valeska is a warrior from the gloom infested lands of the Dhaga, a place full of various nomadic clans. She is quiet quiet skilled with stone magic, a trait they treat with complete disregard and prefers to rely on raw physical strength. You aren't sure if she's cocky or apathetic, but the claims her muscle power is far more useful that her prodigal magical talent. All the same she offers you a helping hand on your quest despite not caring much for the cause.

The Crowned Rose (he/him, transman)

Nymphie is one of the Seven Vae Lords, the one most beloved by the Vae Queen no less. He dutifully enacts his mistress' will though despite his loyalty he does not appear personally invested in her grand plans. Whatever they may be, he has no intention of telling you them. At best he appears amused by you and your compatriots attempts to fight back against the vae, you are no threat in his eyes so he takes joy in partaking in a game of cat and mouse with you all. But no amount of playful gestures can hide the danger they pose to your group.

The Rose's Thorn (he/him, )

Mars is also a Vae Lord in his own right, though rather than pledging loyalties to the Queen he bows to Nymphie and Nymphie alone. He serves as Nymphie's right hand without complaint despite being their polar opposite. For whatever reason he has orders to keep an eye on your group, you don't know if his presence is constant as he is only seen if he wishes to be. Luckily he rarely interferes with your plans, content to observe. He is quiet and blunt with his words, and though he does not appear to have ill intent it is hard to ignore the occasional hungry looks he send your way.

[More to come]

[mhsdatgo]

Coming from a Team Green stan, people using the term "bastards" to refer to Luke, Jace and Joff as if that was an excuse to hate them makes me fucking snort. Yes we know they're bastards, so what. It's what they've heard and been told all their life. If that is enough reason for you to think they deserve shit thrown on them then Imma need you to take off your Westerosi lord "they're born of lesser flesh" whore's best friend heart shaped sunglasses real quick and see them as actual characters because you sound no less blood purity obsessed than TB thinking that "Hightower blood" is enough reason to hate anything regarding Alicent's children.

To think that they aren't deserving of lands and titles is perfectly fine when you look at it from Westerosi people's point of view, but that's no reason to hate them at all? (This also applies to some TB stans who storm the posts of maybe a guy who's chilling reading a book and make it their LIFE MISSION to protect them like they're their mama anytime someone barely mentions it.)

One may find various reasons to like or dislike them. You may dislike Luke for slicing Aemond's eye and never feeling a shred of remorse about it, you may like Luke because you think he did what he thought was best in order to protect his brother (although they could've escaped to their mom the moment he was blinded by dirt, but at least they spared themselves a scolding for being up and about at 3 AM going for someone's throat with a real dagger).

You may dislike Jace because he picked after his mother's "who cares what others think we rule lmao" ass line. You may like Jace because when he said that, he was trying to uplift his little brother who was growing self-conscious about the way other lords and ladies were staring at him. It's understandable. They aren't 2D characters everyone must either love or hate.

If you really want someone to blame for how things turned out, why don't you blame Rhaenyra for thrusting them into failure and sending her 13 year old out knowing the Greens would've sought allegiances as well? I don't know, at least send someone who would've been able to outrun Aemond, idk. You call yourself Queen, girl. Choose someone else, that ain't my job. Why don't you blame Daemon for wanting to send kids as envoys when they've got no experience whatsoever and their dragons are literally just babies?

Remember they were never part of a war until their mother pushed them in. They weren't "thieves" for "stealing" Driftmark. Luke didn't even WANT Driftmark. They just wanted to beef with their uncles in peace for the love of God. That they grew up spoiled brats is another story, the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree.

Personally I don't love or hate Jace or Luke. We've been given wayyy too little scenes for them to look anything else other than Aemond's and Aegon's punching bags, respectively. Except for Jace who got me cheering and screaming for him when he was literally THE ONLY ONE WHO STOOD UP FOR RHAENYRA IN EP.10 but yeah, that was the end of it.

Find new reasons to like and dislike characters. Anything that doesn't involve sounding like an aryan race supporter, thank you.

[therealvinelle]

How does Norway view it’s royal family I’m from Canada and lets just say that we are not big monarchy fans. But I wonder about other countries because commonwealth countries are kind of in a unique situation where their royalty is actually royalty of another country (Britain) and we just pay for it. (no seriously, we pay more for the monarchy in canada than the uk does)

I can't speak for everyone, but I personally am in favor of having a royal family and would find it disappointing and a change for the worse if we became a republic.

The monarchy in Norway came about the right way, when the country became independent in 1905 the people voted with an overwhelming majority in favor of getting the Danish prince Carl to become our king. It was in order words not something imposed upon us by a thousand years of feudalism, but a newly independent people's choice to have a king of our own.

King Haakon proceeded to, when Norway was occupied by the Germans, refuse to accept our government's formal request to disband (as they had been driven into exile and could no longer govern), as well as refuse to surrender. Did this lead to war, yes, but it also meant that through the war we remained an occupied country with a legitimate government overseas broadcasting to every citizen by radio that we could look towards in place of the occupying government imposed upon us.

After King Haakon there was King Olav, who took the bus during the 1973 energy crisis so as to lead by example, and went skiing in the woods like everybody else, he was an immensely popular king. Now there is King Harald, who married a commoner in Queen Sonja and whose children have made even more scandalous marriages (Princess Märtha married an artist and author, Ari Behn, while the crown prince Haakon married a single mother of a child out of wedlock who was and in certain circles remains viewed as very low class), but both Harald and Sonja are very loved. Harald famously is very witty, and more importantly he is a very inclusive and kind-hearted person who made it explicitly clear he is as much the king of immigrants and LGBT people as he is everybody else. He has also competed in the Olympics seveal times, we love an athlete.

The big eyesore is Princess Märtha, whose sins and scandals are money but in a nutshell, she made the choice to be financially independent (good!) only to then do so in the worst ways she could manage. There was the angel school, where you would go learn how to speak with angels (I once went to a party where we read her book and followed her instructions on finding your aura, great fun and I recommend this for a party game), which had everyone laughing at her, to the much less funny adventure she is now on, where she has... gone full Gwyneth Paltrow. As in, she is engaged to a shaman who says children with cancer must have wished the cancer upon themselves and he will also cleanse women's vaginas of evil if they've had too much sex, and she has toured the country with this man using her princess title (The tour was called "The princess and the shaman") which... yes. When they are criticized, they say it's racism because he is black, this has not endeared them to many either.

She can live her life how she wishes, the fact that what she wishes is to give a platform to a man who talks about being a lizard who contains ancient spirits and also the 5G net is bad is what makes people upset and lose respect for the monarchy as a whole.

Personally, I remain in favor of the monarchy because she'll never be on the throne, she is already irrelevant in every way that matters. The relevant royals we do have do their jobs well and responsibly, which is where my wanting to have a monarchy in the first place comes in: I believe in the constitutional monarchy as we practice it in Norway.

The people who make the decisions will be elected by the people, but the person representing the country, whose job is only to represent and better the country through charities and strengthened diplomatic ties, has an advantage if he isn't political and gains a continuity from not being replaced every time he loses the election cycle. In these times of rising populism I think the advantage to having an apolitical head of state and military is even greater. We could in theory vote a populist party into power but we wouldn't have a populist president, the way certain countries experienced not too long ago and stand to do now. As for how one should go about finding such a non-political, continuous leader of the country, I think inheriting the position is as good a way as any to keep the transferrance of power from one sovereign to the next from getting political. In other words, monarchy but keep it constitutional.

(I'm also colored by how King Haakon handled the occupation, as well as how the King of Spain as recently as in 1981 prevented a military coup in Spain by denouncing the military's actions. How relevant these events are to the present day can be debated, but I think the past couple of years have proven that we should not take the status quo for granted and our democracies can come under threat. When they do, I prefer to have every safeguard imaginable in place for them. If that safeguard spend their time promoting art and charity that's just a big bonus.)

[the-red-thread-that-strangles]

IV.

Akai Shuichi: Did you elope. [03:45 a.m.]

What Shuichi really needs is to lay this mystery his mother so graciously imposed on him to rest. The sooner, the better. So here he is, reaching out in the vague hope that just maybe this meeting wasn't actually about him. It's possible, after all, that one of his siblings did something to upset their mother, and she ended up giving all of them an earful. Letting her dismay be known, as is her speciality.

In that scenario, the most likely culprit is his lovesick little brother. He, after all, does have a partner he's even engaged to, and from what Shuichi has seen from Shukichi's fiancée, she might be prone to rash actions while under the influence.

It does not make too much sense, not really; Shukichi has always been the sibling most aware of social sensibilities, the one with the easiest time dealing with their mother. But at this point, Shuichi's grasping at straws.

Because it can't have been about him, judging by his mother's surprise.

Haneda Shukichi: Without telling the best man? Hardly. [03:47 a.m.]

And just like that, he's back to square one.

.

Shuichi might not have the best relationship with his mother, but he knows for a fact that she's not the type for arbitrary courtesy calls. She's all business, all the time. It's a miracle Masumi has a sense of humour at all, and he's yet to be convinced that's not entirely thanks to Shukichi's influence.

Therefore, Mary must have gotten it into her head somehow that there is someone in his life he has purposefully kept from meeting her. Not that she is wrong, conceptually - if he did have a partner, he'd spare them the headache that is dealing with Akai Mary.

The thing is, there is no one like that in his life. Shouldn't be, can't be. Not again. He's learned his lesson.

.

If in doubt, break down what you know about the case, and extrapolate from there.

Considering his mother only just now came out of hiding, he feels reasonably safe in the assumption that she did not make the relevant observation herself. Instead, it seems more likely his darling sister said something that ticked her off - enough that she figured she needed to confront him about it. Therefore, he needs to analyse possible partners in his surroundings, with a focus on those that Masumi knows. As an extension to the parameters, his family is aware of his cover as Okiya Subaru, whose contacts must also be examined. This has cost him enough time. He will get to the bottom of it, now.

.

For anyone who knows their history, Jodie would be an obvious candidate. Not that he still loves her, can't say that he has in years, at least not romantically.

He's been told he's supposed to feel guilty about what he did to her, but he can't help comparing this slight to some of the things he's done while undercover. He always comes away thinking at least she's still alive. At the time, he gave her the best he could: the truth. It might not have been pleasant, but it's certainly better than the lies and secrets he's buried under, these days.

She has, since his return to the US, made it abundantly clear, on several occasions, that the way he broke up with her was 'tactless, heartless and cruel, even for you, Shuu' and 'you better be eternally grateful Camel and I agreed to still work with you.' And to be clear, he is. They make for a decent team. Time and again they've proven they'll have his back. Sure, they have their weaknesses, but so does he, and in the end, they pick up each other's slack. It's good enough.

The irony of learning to appreciate a good team from a criminal syndicate is not lost on Shuichi - even if technically he learned it from two PSB agents. He's definitely not still sulking because he couldn't get Scotch on their team as some sort of remote consultant; the bureau was adamant, and probably right: He can't be in witness protection and working for the FBI. The less connection he has to this case, the better. Still, some days, he finds himself missing Scotch's level head and Bourbon's ingenuity.

Getting sidetracked. Focus.

He's been careful not to mix his Okiya identity and the FBI. That knocks out Jodie - and Kir, for completion's sake. Masumi doesn't know them, and if he has his way, she won't for a good long while. Their work is far too dangerous to get her involved. Plus, letting her meet Jodie would give both of them too much blackmail material.

Hm. Who does Masumi know, actually?

There's her classmates, Mouri Ran and Suzuki Sonoko, who came by the Kudo manor for a while to help him clean it up. While the latter seems a bit taken by Okiya Subaru, both of them are half his age and he really hopes he has been nothing but the perfect gentleman to them. Even if they weren't, though, theirs is a mess he would really rather not deal with. He's got to assume Masumi is more aware of the specifics of their love lives. He can only hope that, aside from the occassional meddling on Conan's behalf, he would prefer literally anything else over being involved with teen romance.

Hm. While on the subject of the Kudo mansion, Kudo Yukiko has been around to help with his disguise and learning to cook (though Furuya and Haibara have assessed that it is barely edible, so he has a long way to go still). She's a known fan of the Scarlet Agent, and surely it's not difficult for Masumi to figure out that movie is based on his life. Still, the girls haven't been around since the Kudos have officially returned, so it's seems rather unlikely Masumi would be aware of their relationship.

He's not going to think about his little cousin as an option. Masumi is smarter than that.

At this point he's really reaching. There's a couple of undergrad engineering students who have requested private tutoring the few times he's been at uni, some in desperation, some in obvious flirtation. He's denied them all. His engineering degree might not just be for show, but he really can't involve civilians in his business. Besides, Masumi hasn't followed him to university. As far as he can tell, at least.

If he's going into barely acquaintance territory, Furuya asked him once or twice to meet in the vicinity of café Poirot, too injured to stray far. He'd been complaining about Masumi giving him odd looks and stalking him, so she might have been watching them run into Enomoto Azusa. That had been a stilted conversation, even for him. Furuya's coworker had been a stark reminder of happiness that could have been, in a different life. Thankfully, perfectly diplomatic Amuro had cut the conversation short, insisting they had places to be.

And with that, he's reached the end of the list of women in his life. Some of them he'd even consider friends, but none of them particularly warrant the term partner, not even professionally. He hasn't had one since Scotch. Jodie could count, maybe, but the term implies a pair and he's been working in that team for so long that in this case Camel would also have to be considered- wait.

His mother is not the kind of person to use cutesy monickers like 'girlfriend', so he figured 'partner' was a professional catch-all. A work partner wouldn't warrant a reaction like that.

It's a little obvious, in hindsight.

Rei who came by with coffee when the girls were baking in the Kudo mansion.

Rei who complained about Masumi following him.

Rei who has been wearing the family sweater.

Oh.

.

Okay, so. Shuichi can see how Masumi arrived at her conclusion, however wrong it might be. For people like them, the fact they're meeting at all is probably the biggest indicator. They've shaken her tail off pretty consistently, so she wouldn't know they don't actually spend that much time together. And that Furuya is rather insistent on the fact that he's a reluctant ally. Not a friend. He still throws a fit whenever he realizes he's done anything exceeding the minimum amount of cooperation (there's a lot of fits).

The headache is back with a vengeance.

He should have listened to Furuya's concerns, intervened before. But he was kind of supposed to be dead.

Shuichi needs to have a talk with his sister.

.

Like Shukichi had promised, no one in their right mind wants to watch the early afternoon screening of Poultrygeist Two - The Plot Chickens. It's a good thing then that 'in their right mind' describes neither Masumi, who is somehow weirdly invested in trashy horror flicks, nor Okiya Subaru, newly minted horror movie connoisseur, as of two days ago. They reconvene inside.

"A pleasant surprise to meet you here, Subaru!" She smiles cheekily at him, grins.

"Miss Sera, was it?" He nods, and ignores her for the moment, turning to watch the screen. In his pocket, he flicks a portable signal jammer on. Nobody is supposed to know who they are and that they are here, but they can never be too careful.

Okiya Subaru continues staring at the screen until the movie starts, in an eruption of gore, splatter and the violent clucking of chickens. It's way too loud. Perfect cover.

"You two have to stop bothering Amuro." It seems wrong to call him that, but it would be even worse to give away Furuya's identity. Shuichi loves his sister, but she already knows too much and really isn't careful enough about it. Furuya must not be exposed, especially not at this critical junction.

"Oh? You want him all to yourself?" Masumi grins, devious. A reckless proposition, if he's ever heard one. Nobody could contain Furuya Rei.

"It's not like that." He shakes his head, trying to get the message across. "You don't want to get on his bad side." An annoyed Furuya is a vicious Furuya, Shuichi could provide extensive testimony to that effect in court. If she doesn't stop, he'll find a way to force her to. And Shuichi isn't sure he would oppose Masumi leaving the picture until the BO is dealt with.

Masumi's eyes narrow, pensive. She's got good instincts, possibly better than his own. Surely she must've noticed Amuro's dazzling smile sugar-coating what usually amounts to orders you shouldn't refuse. The way steel slips into his eyes when he's on a case, how he doesn't stop until he has his answers. The skills that do not fit in with a waiter-slash-detective.

"If he's that dangerous, why do you keep him around?"

A good question, if he's being honest. But in the end his perspective doesn't really matter. Rei leaves him little choice. If he didn't love his Japan so much, he would've followed Shuichi to the end of the world, and probably beyond, already. Now that he's back, there's no chance he could escape for long.

"Work."

Judging by his sister's raised eyebrow, she doesn't seem to believe him.

"Uh-huh. And that's why you gave him your sweater?"

Not her too with that inane piece of clothing. Why does it always circle back to that?

"As I said, it's not like that. He needed it. He's just not managed to give it back." Which, considering Furuya's general tendency for payback in a timely manner, probably means Shuichi won't. It's been months. That's fine. It's not like he is attached to it. And it suits Furuya.

It doesn't look like Masumi is convinced.

"Look." He's just a little bit exasperated. "You followed him to find me, right? You did, well done. Now stay away from him." She's better off far away from Furuya. To be completely honest, she probably should stay away from the both of them, tainted as they are. But she's family, and he can't quite begrudge her reaching out. He tried the same, after all.

She frowns at him, scans him and then, slowly, a grin spreads over her face.

"Alright, if it's that important to you", she agrees pleasantly, and he's about to breathe a sigh of relief when she adds, "on one condition."

"Name it."

"It's my birthday in a month. You're celebrating with us."

It's not a terrible trade-off, but Shuichi has a gut feeling he'll regret having said yes when all is said and done.

They end up actually watching the rest of the movie, and it's frankly kind of nice to spend some quality time roasting a shitty movie with his little sister.

Case closed. Finally.

.

As he sits awake that night, running surveillance from the sniper's nest in the Kudo attic, he wonders how things got to this point.

For years now he's carefully kept his distance to Furuya in order to not get caught in the blast radius when he inevitably explodes and takes as much as possible down with him.

Because somehow, Rei has never gotten the memo to distance himself from the job. A bleeding heart like him that cares too much, too quickly, and lets his emotions dictate his actions is a terrible choice for an undercover agent. He should be dead three times over in a criminal organisation, and yet. And yet.

Shuichi knows, first-hand, the determination it takes to carry on, despite all their work takes from them. What he buried to keep going might possibly, one day, be recovered. But Rei? He immolates himself for the country he loves so dearly. So the world can be brighter, the people safer. In the end, all that will remain of him is a burnt-out shell, nothing but ashes left in his wake. How much further can he go, until he runs out of fuel?

In the years they've known each other now, things have never been easy between them, but Shuichi's never been the one to wish him harm. It was Bourbon who wanted Rye dead, saw him as a threat. Then Amuro Tooru wanted Akai alive, the last thread connecting to Scotch. Shuichi is not quite sure what Furuya Rei wants with him, now.

To be kept so close he's mistaken as Rei's partner is foolish. And a privilege he'd never thought possible.

He's standing side by side with a dying star, and all he wants is to watch it burn a little longer.

.

Sweater weather AU masterpost

[earlgreytea68]

Regarding the Easter Pete and Patrick spent together. That was Easter of 2011. So during hiatus.

We talk a lot about hiatus and timelines and such so here is my take:

2010: I think they had very little communication. Hence Patrick not really knowing Pete's son.

2011: Pete's Ex filed for divorce early in the year. I think this lead to Pete and Patrick starting to talk more. Patrick spends Easter with Pete. I think they had some ups and downs throughout the year but they stay pretty close.

2012: Patrick writes Confessions. Pete sees it and reaches out. I think a lot of Patrick not getting back to him right away was probably due to his ADHD. (For me personally I'll see that I missed a call or message from a friend while I'm at work. Then I won't remember to call her back until it's like one am three days later. Which I can't call then so I have to write a note and it becomes a whole thing. Anyway)

Pete and Patrick get together a couple times in 2012 to write music. When they are sure they have something they reach out to Joe and Andy about starting up FOB again.

So I think that yes there is some history revision nowadays, but also I think if you ask them Pete and Patrick will say they had become good friends again in 2011 and 2012 because it's most likely true.

Another point I always want to bring up with hiatus is that Pete and Patrick were never going to hang out in public together because if they were seen together everyone and their mother would be gossiping about FOB getting back together and at that time they were just trying to be friends.

Yes. This makes total sense. Also I'm pretty sure Pete has said that Patrick reached out after the divorce got filed to try writing some songs and they did indeed write together a bit. It's pretty clear from the way Pete tells this story that neither one of them was doing this to actually write songs. To me this connects with something else Pete has said, that Patrick doesn't really hang out without working and that Pete figured out that to see him he had to stop inviting him to parties and start proposing writing sessions lol. Anyway, this is Patrick Stump's love language, this is what he does: A bad thing happened to Pete, so he reached out to say they should try to write together. This was the equivalent of saying Let's go get hammered together or let's go get pedicures together in other friendships. That detail has always stood out to me, that Patrick did reach out to Pete in 2011.

It really is clear that they always considered themselves friends, they were just living less in each other's pockets than they had been.

And it's also true that they would have kept anything quiet, as you point out, because in those days Pete was absolutely battered by paparazzi and it would have been worse if he was hanging out with Patrick in public. But also, I think this so often about them, they really seem to genuinely be friends. Which means that we only see the tip of the iceberg of their interactions because most of them are just between the two of them, and we only see them obliquely referenced, because they're not ours, they're theirs, and considering how public their friendship has always been, I think they're really good at maintaining that boundary for the good of the friendship. It's actually really sweet and makes me think of how very careful they are with each other and what they have together. They lucked out and they've really always known it, even in the middle of what looked to the rest of us as a vicious hiatus. <3 <3

[jessicas-pi]

📙 📕 please?

OOOO ok since you sent two I'm gonna give you two AUs--a short one and a long one!

the short AU idea is one I call Hi, You've Reached The New Republic. How Can I Help You?

It's based on the premise that, at the end of TRoS, Ben doesn't die. He lives and joins the good guys! But he did a lot of bad stuff, so he's going to be punished. Originally he gets sentenced to death, but Rey is sad about that, and so Poe and Finn step in because Rey Cannot Be Sad. But, also, they understandably resent the bad stuff he did, and they're allowed to be a little petty, as a treat. So they suggest Ben be sentenced to a fate worse than death.

And by "fate worse than death," I mean customer service.

So now Ben works for the New New Republic, answering phones, and he has to deal with all the garbage that customer service workers get, and at this point, Rey's Not Mad Just Disappointed face is the only thing keeping him from turning evil again. Force Ghost Anakin Shenanakins optional.

the other AU I have in mind is a crossover based on Crooked House, which is an Agatha Christie novel! It's long so i'm putting it beneath a cut.

SO, when I read Crooked House, I got like half a chapter in and was absolutely OVERWHELMED by the sabezra vibes from the main couple. It's like, guy meets girl, guy is in love with girl, girl reciprocates, guy goes off to war for a few years, guy and girl are reunited. also, girl has an absolutely insane family where literally anyone could be a suspect in a murder.

ANYWAY i immediately came up with an AU, as one does. I call it Crooked Clan.

I haven't decided if I want this AU to be set in our world in the past, in the canon star wars universe, or in a star-warsy-yet-vintagey universe that is different from canon. I'm thinking the third option probably.

So, the idea is that Sabine's clan isn't ruled by her mother, but by her grandmother, who also owns the Darksaber. Sabine and Ezra are friends in this AU--which happens in a universe where Order 66 was never a thing--despite Ezra being a Jedi and Sabine being Mandalorian. They've known each other since their teenage years, like in canon, and they're very close.

When Sabine is about 22, her grandmother dies under mysterious circumstances, and Sabine asks Ezra to come help her. Ostensibly as moral support, but she actually suspects there was foul play. Ezra agrees immediately because he would do anything for her.

it becomes clear soon that there WAS foul play. The obvious suspect is Gar Saxon, Ursa's distant cousin, who invited himself into their home and is known to be ruthless with a dislike for the Wrens. And due to a technicality, he would become ruler of Clan Wren unless the previous Countess specifically left it to someone else. And the will Sabine's grandmother supposedly made is missing.

But, one-by-one, it becomes clear that everyone in Sabine's family is suspect.

As follows:

Ursa, Sabine's mother, who was supposed to inherit rulership of the clan

Alrich, Sabine's father, who would willingly do anything for his wife

Tristan, Sabine's brother, who was ruthlessly bullied by his grandmother and openly hated her

Eris (an OC), Sabine's aunt and Ursa's older sister, who was disinherited less than a month ago for her supposed "madness"

Bo-Katan, a family friend who turns out to have previously been associated with a terrorist organization known as Death Watch

and finally, Sabine herself becomes suspect, when her grandmother's will finally resurfaces, and she learns that the rulership of the clan--along with the Darksaber--was left to her.

I haven't worked out ALL the details yet, but I have a LOT of vibes in my head, and... yeah, that's the ramble! There may be more someday! But I make no guarantees!

Thank you for the ask!! :D

[spikybanana]

@wolfstarmicrofic - prompt: dark/key - hello folks happy chinese new year. which means they're chinese today :) [cw: talk of food]

Harry pushes open his godfathers' front door to the sound of Remus shouting up the stairs.

"Sirius! Sirius? Oh, hello there Harry" Remus waves at Harry with a rolling pin in his flour-covered hand, and chuckles. "Didn't even hear you come in. I really thought we aren't old enough to be deaf yet."

"Alright Moony?" Harry finds his lips twitching up, accepting a flour-less pat on the back.

Remus gestures vaguely at he roof. "Want to see what your dogfather is up to up there?"

"I thought he'd gone out."

"Well no, there's his key on the wall right there."

"Ah, he must have forgotten it then. I bumped into him at the store." Harry says, dropping the bagfuls of fruits on the kitchen counter, "He was determined to get the right kind of vinegar for the dumplings."

Remus snorts. "He likes to pretend he can tell the difference. You know, I think Tesco's plastic bottle works just fine. Did he take the bike, then?"

"Ye. I saw it parked outside the shops."

"You never see him forgetting his bike keys." Remus shakes his head, and Harry laughs. "More likely he's not even locking it anymore. I keep saying, nobody here would bother stealing it. The moment anyone sees someone other than a crazy old man on that thing, they'd know something's off."

As they speak, the living room window slides open, and Sirius pokes in his head before he proceeds to climb through the window. "Now who are you calling a crazy old man?"

"Oh my dear lord." Remus mutters, though his voice is fond. He shoves the rolling pin at Harry, hurries to take the bags off Sirius and helps him through. "Don't remember the door bell?"

"What's that? Never heard of it." Sirius grins, blowing a strand of silver hair from where it fell out of what Remus has dubbed the drunk McGonagall bun.

"You're not a day past seventeen in your head."

"Have patience, we're a few years off from seventy yet— oh hello Harry, pass me the rolling pin?" Sirius says as he weaves fluidly through the room, "besides, Moony-dear— the man who refuses to retire has nothing to say about ageing gracefully."

"Oh, maybe next year." Remus waves a hand dismissively, and Sirius and Harry snorts at the same time because he's been saying the same thing for a decade.

Then, they get to task, descending upon the pile of half-rolled out dough and dumpling filling on the living room table. They've been doing this for two and a half decades, every Chinese New Year's Eve, ever since the end of the war. If you asked Remus or Sirius, they'd no longer agree about why this started. Sirius says that Remus missed hope, and Remus says Sirius wanted to replace what he hated about his family. But Harry remembers that first year, how they barged into Harry's miserable apartment and chased him out of bed, shoved a cabbage into his hands claiming they've dug out Remus' mother's recipe. It had been such a mess, none of them quite knew what to do and Hope's instructions said little more than "proved dough, no yeast; pork filling; boil". It took them all day. In the end, all the dumplings came out precariously shaped and half of them disintegrated in the pot. But as they packaged some of the less malformed dumplings to Ron and Hermione's families, Harry thought— that was the most any of them had laughed, since the war.

After that, it just kept happening, year after year. Harry would bring along his friends and then his kids, and they banter through the afternoon into the night, while making an amount of food that could give Molly Weasley a run for her money. Every year, they tell the story of how Hope once taught James' whole family how to fold dumplings, and they laugh about how Sirius would religiously stick to Hope's preferred brands of seasoning. Every year, they try to put up the state-run celebration programme, only until Sirius inevitably turns it off in anger. They've never made it to the New Year's countdown.

"Merlin's bloody balls. How do I always forget what narrow-minded bigots they all are." Sirius would say, throwing down the remote that may or may not be vaguely smoking.

"Not all of them," Remus would reply lightly, "Ma had loved the traditional operas, back in the day."

And now, after all of Harry's kids have grown out of the firecrackers, it's quiet again. But they're still here, the three of them.

"It's not yet dark out. The days are getting longer." Remus says, as he starts kneading the second batch of dough.

Sirius hums, leaning back and watching Remus' forearms appreciatively. "Weather's beautiful out there. 'S bloody cold, though, I miss when I could stave through a winter with the leather jacket. At least the night will be clear."

Remus snorts, shares a side glance with Harry. "See what I mean, Harry? Old man still thinks he's a teenager."

"We balance out perfectly. Not all of us have been old men since we were a teenager."

"To be fair, Remus, he's right. You've dressed like this for as long as I've known you."

"Oh no darling. Moony's been dressing like this for as long as I've known him."

Remus calmly flicks pieces of dough at Sirius, who's laughing roaringly. And Harry thinks only about how it means more than the world, that these two men, after their whole lives, could have this easy warmth and happiness with each other. He thinks, no, he wouldn't give this up for the world. He'd be right here year after year, helping them through the frankly ridiculous amount of dumplings they still insist on making and mailing out. And after he leaves for the night, Harry just knows that they'd be out in the garden, arm in arm under nothing but stars. Remus will pretend he can recognise anything beside Sirius' namesake, and Sirius will pretend he's looking at the stars at all, and the new moon is kind, as will be the year they begin at each other's side.

[aihoshiino]

chapter 132 thoughts!

I FORGOT WE WERE GETTING THE CHAPTER THIS EARLY. OSHI NO JUMPSCARE!!

All joking aside, seeing some of this new movie material is very interesting. Given her focus on smiles, I wonder if Nino is at all inspired by the similarly named Nico from Love Live?

And holy crap, it's the real Takamine and Nino! Seeing them here was a bit of a surprise but it does sew up some internal logic that some folks had been questioning for a while - such as the fact that you, uh, can't make a movie about real people without their permission! This seems to confirm that the B-Komachi members included in the movie, at least, were fine with their portrayal even with it being relatively negative. Indeed, Takamine seems to be taking things in good humor even if her bossiness hasn't gone anywhere in the intervening years…

That said, I think this does highlight one of the emerging issues of the Movie Arc which is just that things are feeling so… truncated, I guess. Given that OnK is supposed to be about the entertainment industry and how closely it has focused on this sort of behind the scenes technical stuff, it feels really weird that we're just blasting past anything that could be inconvenient or slow down the filming even if it would be interesting to see. Like, how did Himekawa feel about this script, that portrays his mother (presumably) as a child abuser? Was there any legal red tape involve in portraying these real people? What did the old B-Komachi think about this movie proposal? It's just weird that we're not getting any focus on these sorts of details when they're otherwise Onk's bread and butter,

And speaking of things that feel weird… is it just me or is it kind of bizarre to see the twins having such a lowkey, understated conversation? This is the first time they've had an extended on screen exchange since the big reveal and it's kind of… nothing. In general, there has been a really baffling lack of focus on Aqua with regards to Ruby in the last chunk of chapters (seriously, no reaction at all to Ai!Ruby?? For real???) and Ruby similarly was in such a loved up haze about him it's weird to see her being so chilled out.

That said… Ruby calling him 'Sensei' is interesting. It confirms more or less that she is essentially projecting/overriding Aqua with Gorou and seeing him entirely as the latter and I can't help but wonder if our relative lack of insight into Aqua's thoughts and feelings since this reveal dropped are because he's having a very different set of emotions to this recontextualization of their dynamic than Ruby would like…

Moving on to Kana and Nino, I think this is a super interesting conversation for a whole lot of reasons I'll get into shortly but mostly for how it characterizes Kana and the KanKane rivalry in contrast to Nino and B-Komachi. To paraphrase a friend, the main tension that fuels KanKane's animosity towards each other is the pedestal Akane put Kana up when she was young and the way she continues to characterize Kana largely only in relation to that pedestal, whether she's on or off it. Akane has not, however, fallen as far as the B-Komachi members and in turn, Kana refuses to do the same. Regardless of her idolization of Kana, Akane acknowledges her as a rival who can be beaten — and therefore, implicitly, a flawed human. That the two of them can have victories and losses in their relationship means they recognize each other as equals. And as Nino puts it, that simply didn't exist in B-Komachi because 'nobody could rival Ai'. The process of idolization is also a process of dehumanization.

And this process, IMO, reveals something incredibly exciting I've been wondering for months. This chapter almost without a doubt confirms Nino as the narrator of 45510, one of the canon short stories written by Aka. The tangle of hatred, desire, jealousy, admiration, animosity and idolization are all things expressed both by Nino and the 45510 narrator who we know to be one of the founding B-Komachi members. Not only that, but her destructive vindictiveness towards anything that could tarnish her image of the perfect idol, Ai, as expressed in 45510 also surfaces here… but I'm getting ahead of myself.

evil gay women huge w miss nino i'm free thursday night and would like to hang out please respond to th

The moment between Ruby-as-Ai and Nino is both sweet and a little disconcerting for a variety of reasons. Ruby's intentions here are undeniably kind and it was, ironically, incredible like Ai of her to see someone in pain and immediately decide she wanted to reach out and do her best to help. Even so, it's a little eerie to see Ruby so confidently put words in Ai's mouth when we ourselves know just how deeply Ai was hurt by the animosity thrown her way by the other girls.

And Nino… whoa boy.

This exchange more than anything else confirms 100% for me that Nino is the 45510 narrator. Her disgust and immediate rejection of Ai's humanity and the possibility that she could be vulnerable and hurt is exactly the same as the one that leads the 45510 narrator to delete Ai's final cry for help. She clings to the image of Ai's perfection in her mind, unable to conceptualize her as anything other than a shining, invincible, untouchable goddess because then she might have to take responsibility for the fact that Ai was just a human who was in pain and that Nino exacerbated that pain.

thank god kana is here to say what we're all thinking. she's right, too. gen 1 b-komachi is a freakshow and i don't respect literally any of these people

And the last page…

I honestly don't know what to make of it, really. It's exciting to see Hikaru potentially finally getting involved in the story and to confirm a connection between him and Nino. This raises a whole armada's worth of flags about her involvement in and knowledge of the events that lead to Ai's murder but with so little info to go on, it's hard to make a guess either way. It's also, admittedly, a little hard to get too excited about this just because the manga has been so unfocused lately, bouncing around from topic to topic and even things that seem to be gearing up to have a major impact on the story and characters have just breezed by without any long term changes. I hope that this means the movie arc is finally really getting into gear but… man, I don't think I'll know what to make of it until we're on the other side and can review it in hindsight.

[merp-blerp]

So I haven't seen Disney's Wish myself (I'm waiting for it to assumedly go to Disney+, theaters are a lot of money to spend too often), so I can't speak on the film from my own point of view yet, but I have seen the reaction to it so far and I wanted to share my thoughts on why I think some of these reactions are happening, based on my own experience of watching and listening to the Disney fandom's critiques over the many years I've done so. These are just my observations based on my experiences and it's okay to disagree, just be cordial.

Opinions below the cut ↓

I feel like a part of why Wish is the way it allegedly is has to do with something that has been plaguing Disney for a while: trying to prove bad-faith criticisms wrong instead of knowing their strengths.

I'm sure they still happen, but especially in the early and mid-2010s Disney had a lot of half-baked criticisms directed at their stories and characters. Wish might be another one of many attempts to quell these critiques. For example, I remember a common piece of writing advice would be to make villains complex all the time, with villains who are evil for evil's sake being seen as less well done (this was towards media in general, but it applied to Disney too), so Disney began the surprise villain and/or the sympathetic villain trend in their films. Now people have seen that shtick so much they want traditional villains back (me too). It's now overdone and no longer shocking or subversive in their movies anymore. [And as a little add-on, I understand why people want King Magnifico's design to be more "traditionally villainous" but I'm actually happy he isn't, as it's really hard to design a villain like that without perpetuating some kind of bigoted stereotype that a lot of traditional villains have. Even Mother Gothel, one of the last, if not the last of the classic villains Disney has attempted, had a lot of antisemitism baked into not only her design but also her actions. Disney's done that a lot, which is likely accidental, but still bad. I'd much prefer him to look and act like some guy over an awful Jewish stereotype or something similar.] People also called princesses with the temperaments of, say, Aurora, Belle, or Cinderella "boring", or hell, "sexist" in their characterization, so the heroines were made more relatably quirky, as that type of humor towards/by girls and women were very popular in the 2010s. Asha is allegedly somehow both socially inept and socially competent, which arguably isn't a flaw at all, just contradictory. (My neuro-spicy brain wants to somewhat lean towards neurodivergence when I hear that, but I haven't seen the film, so what do I know?) Now people are souring to that too, understandably, as that humor's kind of dated and overdone with Disney's heroines. These traits aren't bad on girls automatically, especially if they make sense for the environment they grew up in like Anna or Rapunzel, but they've just been done to death with Disney. Ironically, now when I see people suggest alternative traits for Asha they propose a more "sophisticated", "mature", or "self-assured" type of personality, aka, what the "sexist" traditional heroines had a lot of the time.

The newer tropes Disney tried to do in place of their old ones don't have as much staying power as the old. Once they're done so much they get stale. If they're based on trends in media rather than being actually captivating in writing, they become timely. People can digest characters like Cinderella, who are interesting and aren't overly worried about upholding trends in their characterization, for centuries whether they realize it or not. But characters like what Asha is allegedly like are based on trendy, shallow politics that aren't as deep as they sound, maybe sometimes even circling right back into the bigotry it was trying to combat (like the girl-boss stuff), and become overdone and/or dated if they aren't done well or in a new way. I feel like because of the poorly made assessments that people used to make towards Disney, Disney is almost embarrassed by their past films when they really shouldn't be. This is why the recent remakes tend to over-correct the originals. In the original Beauty and the Beast, it was not a flaw that Adam was eleven when he was made to look like a beast in my opinion, it just made it more interesting, but some reviews saw it as a bad thing, so they changed the line in "Be Our Guest" that implied his age. It was seen as a flaw that the original Cinderella didn't have a clear reason to stay with her abusive family, even though that's how familial abuse works often and it's really rude to victims to ask "Why don't you just leave?" or something like that; so Disney gave Ella the explanation that she stays because it was her father's home in the 2015 remake, which only added more flaws when you remember that she does leave the house in the end anyway. What was the point in saying that? People wanted strong female characters, so Mulan in her remake is a flawless, emotionless girl-boss. It was seen as sexist when female characters wanted romantic love because "girls don't need a man, so romance is sexist", so Disney stopped telling love stories and focused more on issues of the self, which isn't bad, but now people want Disney to tell love stories again and are disappointed that Asha didn't have a romance with the mostly cut "Star-Boy" character in Wish (again, me too, I love Disney's love stories). All of these are overcorrections to things that were never flaws to begin with, just nit-picks from bad observations of their films. There are too many examples. It's like Disney is insecure.

If Disney understood that these things weren't bad in essence, Wish would be more liked by its critics; if Disney wasn't afraid to let their female characters have actual flaws, not see romantic love as something dated, not continue to listen to these types of shitty judgments, or just take more risks again because that's what shaped the company—taking risks against the odds, Wish would be better (I assume all of the former based on what I've heard, again I haven't seen Wish myself). The pseudo-feminism and CinemaSins type of critiquing from the 2010s has mostly died out. The culture's changed. The tropes people once condemned are now being begged to be brought back. What goes around comes back around. It showcases what was truly timeless and what was just a trend in media.

In my opinion, old bad-faith "fan" responses are partially to blame for these themes in recent films, but of course, Disney is ultimately at fault because they make their own choices. There could also be plenty of other reasons why Wish feels half-done to some, like the alleged poor treatment of employees behind the scenes.

By the way, if you were a Disney fan who had these types of opinions in the past, you shouldn't be hard on yourself about it, especially if you were just a kid listening to and trying to appeal to the adults that were around you or influenced you. The latter is the boat I was in once, and now I've grown up past that. Needlessly cynical film takes and pseudo-feminism were all the rage for a while and many have had that phase of being really into those mindsets. You're not bad if you've been in it at any time in the past as long as you are learning and growing.

I'm choosing to be optimistic about Disney. Somehow I still am. They have been in a creative rut for what seems like a while now. Disney-creative doesn't seem to be allowed to tell the stories they want to tell, instead being made to cater to the wrong people. The people who like to insult Disney more than they like watching their films. They should make movies for the fans of all ages who love them. But I believe Disney can bounce back from this. Disney has been through rough patches before, but these rough patches in the past have led to eras like the Disney Renaissance. I'm hoping the backlash from Wish will lead to Disney making changes once more. They've done that repeatedly in their complex 100 years of establishment. Gone are the times when the Disney remakes were panned by fans but still made tons of money that justified their continued production. And long gone are the days when fans were actually excited about the prospects of Disney recreating their movies (because yes people felt that way once upon a time). Now the remakes aren't making as much as Disney wants and sometimes even flopping. Gone are the days when their animated films were their critical lifeline, Wish proves that they are not immune to being received poorly. It's time for something new. Or old done new. Just something different. It would be one thing if this were just another bad movie, but this was their 100th-year celebration, you think they'd be more careful to not muck it up. But apparently, all it did was reflect all the flaws that have been in Disney's storytelling as of late. That's why the backlash is so great. It feels like the last straw. Once time goes on past the 100th-anniversary era, I think the hate for Wish will die down, but that wouldn't make it less potentially flawed. When I first caught wind of this film, way before we had a trailer even, I was very excited that it seemed like a return to form for Disney, but apparently, it might not be, and that's got a lot of people disappointed, especially since this movie was meant to be a celebration. I've loved Disney for as long as I can remember and I know a lot of people are the same way. People wouldn't be so disappointed in the state of the company if they didn't care deeply about Disney and believed that they could do better. I still think Disney could be great. I still believe in them. They just need to believe in themselves again.

If you made it this far, thank you so much for reading! ♥

[praxieuser]

PRAXIE'S SUPER AWESOME SUPER COOL THEORY ABOUT DANIEL BEING IN THE MOB:

because the where the magic awakens discord server seemed to vibe with it, and it's like. a little bit funny.

SPOILERS MAY BE PRESENT! PROCEED WITH CAUTION!

as the title says, i thought up a crack theory about the Pages being previously part of / in charge of / otherwise involved in a mob. here is the thought process for how my adhd crack led me down this path:

1.) the headline of the muggle news paper and what it implies

note that the headline is "The Bloody Pages" headlines during the turn of the century were more dramatic, news headlines i've seen are more straight forward if the perpatrators aren't well known. for example: "Father-Son Duo: Mass Heist, Mass Murder" would be what i would expect if the Pages were largely unknown. but they are specifically references by their last name implying the family itself is pretty infamous for this kind of thing. and while i can't quite ascertain this, dad Page and bro Page look like they're dressed in that sort of 20th century gangster style in their picture of them getting arrested: dark coat, dark vest instead of looking like run in the mill burglars with skii masks.

2.) the gravity of their crimes

it's implied that along with a heist, they've committed mass murder. this implies to me that if they killed that much people in one sitting, they either had other people with them OR it was just the two of them but they had firepower, and since this is the UK and not the US, purchasing guns has stricter regulations, especially guns that are something like AK-47s? with the intent of doing harm? the chances are they'll sniff you out.

this to me implies either: they had the power and influence to rally up goons OR they had the money and contacts to smuggle arms

3.) this partially explains kaleena and esme's thing

starting with kaleena, not only does it partially explain her infamy in the wizarding world (imagine, a wizard not only doing magic in front of muggles/to harm muggles but being in a muggle mob?) it also coincides with gridley calling her a world class criminal. maybe she was more underground before marrying daniel's dad, but ended up coming up on the surface as she became more involved in the mob, whichever path, it makes it clear she has experience in criminality

for esme, it explains the "knows more than she lets on" thing she has going on: she knows of her mother's involvement in the mob, but since she was definitely still underage, we can say she was kept farther from it. she probably hasn't seen anything firsthand, but she knows what she knows. we could also say that in general aside from their older brother, the Page kids were kept far away from gang business for there safety: making it so daniel didn't know about the mob

4.) shit i highkey made up but listen that's what you're here for

so then, if kaleena was in the mob, we could say that maybe by the time she had daniel, she decided to be less involved in the frontlines to stay with the kids more since they're a huge vulnerability bc they're in a mob and presumably have a few enemies, but also bc she probably genuinely cared for them. making it so she's very close with daniel, which could explain the strength of daniel's later denial

then we could say that, by the time dad Page and bro Page get arrested, she's old and she's rusty with her magic, since she's been spending most of her time taking care of the kids for a few years, explaining why she gets caught despite being a "world class criminal". but then all daniel would know is his father and brother are the big bad, and his mom just loved them so much she tried to break them out. and since he was still very young, we can say that esme didn't want to tell him the truth bc you try telling your 5 year old brother both of your currently incarcerated parents, one of which is he is very attached to, were mobsters.

and because he's got a whole complex about it by the present time, having The Talk™ with him is even more complicated, especially when esme herself is presumably only somewhere aroumd 17-19 years old and has to juggle taking care of daniel and her own personal struggles brought on by the arrest of her parents

5.) but why doesn't daniel know about the mob in the present time?

could be that he knows his parents are in a mob but doesn't say it bc his whole thing is getting bullied for crimes his family did and he'd rather not pour gasoline on a house on fire, and is under the belief that his mother was there against her will OR that his mother wasn't involved at all, bar her trying to break dad Page and bro Page put of jail.

and thats my delulu corkboard crack theory on why daniel's family is part of the mob. thank you 🚶

[the-ghost-king]

I spent about two hours on this over the past couple of days in total, and I'm sure I've missed a few things and I guarantee that some of my opinions will not be shared by others and that's okay. I'm comfortable with people adding on their own thoughts and feelings and continuing on a conversation if they wish to.

Before I truly begin: this book isn't bad, that doesn't mean it's good it just means it's not bad. I think this book is both wonderful and awful, this book is both exactly what I expected and unlike anything I could have come up with. I will also clarify before you read this that I have never personally enjoyed any of Oshiro's work I've read, if you're someone who enjoys Oshiro's body of work there may be many places you disagree with me and I would like to note that ahead of time. I would also like to note that these are simply my initial thoughts, I finished TSATS two days ago and I have done some thinking and pondering over it since and these are the conclusions I have reached in that time. I cannot say how much of this I will agree with in a week, or a month, let alone three, or a year. I considered writing an essay and then decided a bullet point list would be sufficient, there is no order to these bullet points and some conversation points move in a circular way, I did not proofread this either. Also be aware there will be spoilers. Without further ado, my thoughts:

- Hades is weirdly ooc plus having him be responsible for this and him knowingly harming Nico and Nico just being like "oh ok i understand" undoes so much of the relationship progression from Pjo to BoO to ToA to here!!! Hades is still a god yes but he was becoming something of a father figure to Nico as well again and he just throws that all away because Nyx and Bob were "being annoying" and Nico is just… fine with that??? And they just jokingly brush the whole Hades loved more Bianca thing under the rug WITH MARIA RIGHT THERE

- Why are we reintroduced to Persephone like she's a new character? Sure it's from Will's pov and they've never met but the readers have met Persephone multiple times before!! It was weird to reintroduce her!!

- Worst editor ever, a few typos and apparently some copies have Nico saying his mother is Bianca? He also calls his mom Maria instead of mom or mamma? And we've only ever heard nico call maria mamma before this point so him calling her mom is less weird than him calling her Maria but still off

- Will… still doesn't have a personality entirely and what personality he was given does not match the personality he has in ToA OR in BoO??

- Once again, I don't like Oshiro's pacing and you can tell how hands off Rick was with the whole thing - I've never personally been a fan of Oshiro's work and one of my top reasons has always been their terrible pacing. I will read a phenomenal paragraph and then spend the rest of the chapter struggling to find anything that feels worth my time, and while i felt within chapter there was a fair bit of consistency between different chapters there was not- i would read one chapter that read well and felt amazing and then the next 3 chapters would feel like useless side plot that served no purpose. Oshiro also really struggles to maintain tempo in their work imo.

- Characters defining their sexuality in explicit terminology or labeling isn't inherently wrong but its also not in line with what we've seen so far and while this could be a sign of progress it could also be a step back so instead it's best to consider how this effects or determines characterization

- Nico's coming out party…. God… why?

- There's also this weird thing with so much of the sexuality/gender stuff that it feels more like a lecture than an authentic experience, for me personally based on the flow of these conversations and the events and things i feel like it was done to make this more palatable for a cishet audience rather than to maintain and authentic experience??

- Anyhow the thing where Nico kind of makes Will come out in front of camp is giving me love simon flashbacks and i just have to say making someone come out to a large group or in public just to be with you is so so gross… there was no reason for this to be a plot point whatsoever imo, it feels really ooc and it does that really upsetting thing lots of ya books do where it tries to depict that in order to be authentically and "properly" queer one must be public in their grsm orientation which i think is a pretty harmful/hurtful idea overall but especially in media designed for preteens and teens who are more likely to be living in environments where coming out is unsafe

- None of the jokes land

- Literally they have the worst nicknames for everything. I liked the cringe otherwise, it did have young teen relationship vibes… but that was unforgivable to me personally but i guess other people liked this? To each their own!

- On that note! I've talked a lot about Solangelo being two sides of the same coin in terms of how their relationship works and while symbolism would have been nice straight up seeing Nico given a coin by will was also cringe and too far? Nico gave Will his ring, this thing that we've built up over the series to view as a representation of his grief and loss and his family and love and home and a culmination of Nico and Will gets nico… this coin he just seemingly had made that has almost no symbolic meaning beyond that? Nico's ring is basically a character unto itself, not only does giving a physical object and having Nico outright state the symbolism of it ruin the "show don't tell" logic of authoring it also feels hollow as the reader has no connection to this object like Nico's ring. There was no reason for this other than to make an equivalent exchange which is kind of a sucky way to weigh a relationship… it could have been better for Will to give nico something from his past as well and to have the piece come up in a memory or something OR for will and nico to have exchanged these gifts at some point on or just before their journey so the reader got to experience this connection as well

- Will's pov was kind of trash actually

- Why doesn't Will ever talk about finding Nico attractive?

- We never have it explained what exactly makes Nico a "star" ..? Like its constantly alluded to or even stated he is a star but we never actually get to see why

- Will never really "goes dark" the sniffles are not dark, dark would be like straight up plaguing them or having some sort of ability to radiate heat and blast things or craft his own weapons out of light or just something beyond singing and having the heart blast effect thingy…

- Their relationship is stated they've been together a year and trauma can definitely change things but for whatever reason their relationship feels more new and raw and tender than it did in ToA??? Why??? They do not feel like two fifteen/sixteen year olds who have been in a relationship for a year, they feel like two thirteen year olds who've been in a relationship for three months?

- I also personally feel conflicted about them not having a major kiss scene? Like on one hand it's nice to see queer couples treated like any other couple and kisses to be fairly casual mundane interactions! But on the other hand being a queer couple especially an mlm couple in a children's/ya series and being able to show physical affection is really quite uncommon tbh and I would have liked to see maybe a little emphasis at least on the first kiss that the audience gets to experience on paper just to sort of acknowledge that groundbreaking act? But maybe that's just me?

- Additionally speaking all of their prior banter is just.. gone..? They literally don't joke around except for 2 or 3 lines in the book despite previously being a very banter heavy couple? There is no reason they can't be both soft and comedic or have banter yet be tender to one another? It's like all the joy that was previously in their relationship was traded for arguing and bickering and this weird pettiness that feels ooc in general but especially from them?

- What was the plot point of going to Sally's house to send the iris message? Why was Sally brought into this? She's cool and we love her but there was no plot reason to add her? Even the percabeth iris message only minimally added to the plot

- Why is Will so bothered by death? Like I'm cool with him feeling weak in the underworld. I can respect that from a tension building pov and also being in the dark does go against his nature but like death is not something against his nature? He is well acquainted with death? People die in medical settings all the time i guarantee he has lost many patients and brushed shoulders with thanatos more than most people at camp + he lost A TON of siblings in the war he would have to be familiar with grief AT THE VERY LEAST but yet he seems to lamblike to all these things the whole novel I feel it weakens his character, the story, the plot, previous books, and his relationship with Nico- if they wanted him to have some reserved hesitations about death they could have done it much more tactfully but they didn't?

- I also hate every time some sort of discussion about him being a healer comes up because yes he is a magical exception that makes him a "natural born healer" but they take that too far imo, yes he is a magical exception but the way this stuff is worded gives this like "Will is such a good healer he never fails or breaks down or fatigues from it" and i just feel like it becomes an unrealistic and unhealthy example after a certain point and I would have loved to see that exploration that so many fanfic authors have done wonderfully about how Will is overworked and needs to learn to take care of himself before his patients just to add that depth to his character but Oshiro and Riordan just skip past this and again it feels like a massively missed plot point to give Will a deeper character

- It's also weird everytime Nico is like "Will always takes care of me now I have to take care of him" because again it just feels like such an unhealthy way to view a relationship… like if a partner gets sick 3x a year and the other partner is sick 5x a year partner A shouldn't be like "well now you owe me two sickness helpings" or something you know? Thats so petty and immature and unhealthy for a relationship and it's something that can be unlearned but also like if they've been together a year and they're supposed to be like a perfect fit according to what i think the symbolism was trying to get at (so much of this book feels like a rough draft not a final cut istg) then why is this even included anyhow?

- Also Nico is ooc at points, he seeks to heal others a lot of the time as well- Hades even mentions this, how even when Nico is offered something for himself he uses the gift to help someone else- this is a quality Nico and Percy (and Jason) all really consistently display throughout pjoverse EXCEPT Nico doesn't do this early on in the text?? He is unfazed by the nature of some things in the underworld (Will is right the fields of asphodel are perhaps more horrific in some way than the variations of hell provided in the underworld) and Nico is just like "yeah that's just how it is here" which kind of goes against that character trait + (though i may be confusing fanfic and canon here) didn't Nico and Hazel have a whole convo about how upsetting or painful asphodel is?? It goes on kind of even more so in this regard though where his regard for humanity seems significantly less so than in previous texts, there's something else as well i can't exactly put my finger on yet that also feels ooc … I'll keep thinking lol

- Once again to the "why is Nico a star thing" we have Nico constantly talking about how live exists even in the underworld and it's obviously intended to be a metaphor for hope and finding light in the dark and therefore a whole solangelo metaphor too but Nico brings it up and Will doesnt understand and then they argue (?) And then the metaphor falls flat because we never get to see this explored; we just have it Stated out loud a few times? Like there are many good explanations as to why this keeps getting brought up especially because we can also tie in how Will and Nico are alive down there or how Nico is seperate from the rest of the underworld because despite being part god he is also part mortal

- Once again Tartarus isn't actually scary and there's only so much "it's for kids" I'm willing to accept there, give it more Coraline please!!

- Again an issue with the Nyx thing, Nico doesn't agree with Nyx about who he is because Nyx cannot understand life and Nico can because he is mortal- Nico's mortality is a hugely defining aspect of his character because it sets him apart from the gods and the dead that make up so much of his life- in order to truly appreciate death and the afterlife you have to actually live and know life and change and things and the gods in their consistency are more like ghosts than anything

- It's also very irritating that this was never explored !!! So much of what makes demigods special in the rest of the series is their godhood and their connection to godhood, they are powerful because they are beyond human. However in Nico's fight with Nyx and some other aspects of Nico's behavior but most notably Nyx vs Nico is the culmination of this situation is that Nico's greatest strength throughout tsats is that he is mortal. He is powerful because he is human. He does all the things he does the way he does them because he is human. He is something beyond the gods' understanding because he is mortal- and that's all just swept under the rug for…? Honestly i have no idea why it makes no sense how that is a constant theme in this book yet it feels like the book falls constantly short of actually grasping that concept.

- And if you're wondering what the plot symbolism of Will being involved in all this is? I dont fucking know he doesnt have one he was kind of just dead weight the entire story!!! He was basically there just to help Nico pick some fruit and have dialogue with. I feel like Will was potentially supposed to represent how the "average person" would feel on this adventure but personally I feel if that is the case that I may be one of the worst people to understand that perspective as I have a peculiar and poetic love for death and dying.

- Plus when they're wandering through Tartarus's digestive tract (if you're reading this and you haven't read the novel yet or you didn't yet finish it, yes this is a thing that actually happens) and Will starts struggling with his memory, I would have loved to see the effects of that situation on Nico explored more as I would assume amnesia and people forgetting about him/leaving him would be a very difficult thing for him to deal with yet instead we're just told they passed stories back and forth and that made everything all right + not sharing much of those stories with the audience was again a missed character building moment for Will and a missed relationship building moment between them!!

- Them cuddling in the hut together and Nico wanting to wake Will up to share his nightmare was kind of cute though I will admit to that much

- I also hate how they put all this time and work into saving Bob and then Bob just fucks off into the sunset like everything is normal?? He just fucking dips like nothing even happened??

- Also people have been saying Will kissing Nico when he found out Jason was dead was wrong, and look idk if I'm personally going to go that far but I do think as a first kiss it's definitely weird than cute?

- I think Will's background and childhood could have been expanded on a lot more to make him an interesting character- we learn some about his life with Naomi before camp (and its nice to see her as a complete person and I think she has cool mom vibes for real) but I feel like the only adventure we get to hear about is him and his mom being in New York for concerts… what about other places around the country? what about the life he had with her when she wasn't touring?

- Along this same vein I feel like Will's behavior in the story not only doesn't match his behavior from the previous appearances he's made, but that for someone who seems to have spent a lot of time on the road getting to experience lots of different places (even if it was just the US, that's still pretty significant) I once again truly cannot understand his weird behavior about dead people and the underworld- its not only inconsistent with previous behaviors and beliefs he's exhibited but if he's been show so much diversity from a very young age he's probably naturally curious and inquisitive as well as naturally adventurous and outgoing- yet instead he basically just sticks his nose up at everything underworld-ish?? It not only weakens the plot, his character, and his relationship it also makes no sense with previous set ups AND it has no true culmination by the end of the story because we never truly see him accept or enjoy the underworld and what it has to offer he merely endures it.. so again, what was the point of him acting like that?

- Unpopular one: coco puffs are very cute but i find them unnecessary and completely over the top even for pjo and i can see them becoming annoying later on but that's just me personally.

Okay, I'm going to call it quits here. There's probably more I'll think to say later on but I feel this is a good summary of my initial thoughts. Weirdly enough, despite the negativity here, I would still recommend people read this book? I feel conflicted about whether or not the book belongs among my favorites, and it would certainly be the worst book among my favorites and/or recommendations for novels if I do end up feeling it belongs there. I have to say even despite as much as this book fails, I admire what it was attempting and I think like so many works in pjo before it there was a level of unrealized potential here amongst the text that will always be mildly infuriating. I feel very strongly that this book is a whole new era in Riordan's pjo verse, despite some aspects being "cringe" or some things being literary flops and emotional failures in my opinion, i do think this novel may be one of the most "mature" pieces in Riordan's collection- even in his and Oshiro's failure to bring MOST of their narrative full circle or to tie up their loose ends I can see what they're going for and I think having a taste of that potential really did something for me. I have read lots of books that leave me staring at the ceiling for hours in wonder and awe with a feeling i cannot describe as anything other than a "readers hangover" a desire to hold onto that book and to keep it beside me for a long time just to remember reading it, and I would pick it up many times through the following week or two just to rediscover certain parts, i have to say this book has definitely not been that. However I did spend a long time looking at the ceiling pondering it, and I do think I will reread it in the next week or so- but I have less a desire to return to the events of the novel and more a desire to simply upturn more stones in the landscape and find what I am missing. I want to say I hate the book, that it has no redeeming qualities, that everyone should simply leave it behind because of how awful and excruciating I found this novel- that wouldn't be accurate. I think this is the greatest book I have ever had the misfortune to read, I have never cared so deeply for a book I cannot stand. I absolutely adore this awful thing. I feel comfortable saying that for me, personally, percy jackson will never be the same again and that this book has completely changed the field and depth of my experience. I am literally failing to put into words how this book makes me feel. I suppose this book is my most wretched child and I shall cherish it dearly.