#this is a very specific gripe but it gets me so fucking bad man

[tangledinink]

i've actually decided that anyone who's made any disaster twin fanwork that includes dialogue along the lines of, "i can't survive without my other half," or "i'm not a whole person without you," or "life isn't worth living without my twin," owes me $50.

[travalerray]

it's the WORST when you can't interact with a particular fandom at ALL because they are simply incapable of talking about the plot but WILL talk about your NOTP for hours on end so you just mope about it in silence

[artianaiolanthe]

Shaggy Rogers

The only people who call this man Norville are his parents. That is non negotiable, even his teachers don’t realize that’s supposed to be him.

I don’t think the weed jokes should be confirmed or denied so I won’t do that either.

Shaggy’s metabolism is on a different level. It’s gotta be to consume that much and still have room for thirteenths.

Speaking of which… Shaggy’s specifically here for junk, fast food, and street food. His is no refined palette. He eats dog food for star’s sake.

Shaggy is just a magnet for weird/supernatural happenings. Aliens, monsters, ghosts, unless they’re just rancid beings as a whole they see this fool and think he’s friend shaped. It’s very bad for his nerves.

He is the most likely in the gang to be a magical girl. That’s how I’m going to phrase this point and no I won’t elaborate.

I believe in the extended Rogers family tree first proposed by @the-scooby-gang . Barbie as Shaggy’s cousin. Steve Rogers as a distant uncle. Mr. Rogers, the og. It’s there and it’s beautiful.

Horrible Bullshit Output show race rant; Shaggy being black isn’t a bad thing but the well is poisoned. I don’t know if I could do it anymore. But blah blah it doesn’t matter if he’s white to me he can be whatever race and still be Shaggy. Honestly if anyone reblogs this I want a cultural food that Shaggy would demolish and after I do my research I’ll pick the one that appeals to me most and that will be my Shaggy’s background. I dare everyone else to do that too, pick a comfort food and give him roots to it.

He and Daphne are childhood besties, IDK how maybe they met at Summer Camp

Best Version of Shaggy would have to be Scooby Doo and the Ghoul School for me. I know it’s a bit controversial considering the presence of a certain excitable puppy but 1) I kind of adore the idea that Shaggy and Scooby can get into shenanigans independent of the gang and USUALLY those shenanigans are legitimate instead of faked to cover up crimes and 2) I also think it goes to show how Shaggy can actually be pretty chill with spooky scary stuff. My one possible gripe with the gang as a whole is how they tend to peer pressure Scooby and Shaggy to participate in Mysteries or bribe them when they really don’t wanna be there, but movies like this show that Shaggy can vibe fairly well with anything life throws at him. So it just goes to show for me that Shaggy is perfectly happy and content to work with mysteries (even if encouragement goes a long way) and when he’s had enough he knows how to bail whenever he wants to.

A close second is Scoobynatural, I haven’t seen it but that one set of Screenshots where Shaggy and Scooby were like “Hell is real, damnation is real, none of us are safe. We fucking told you so!” is hilarious and gives me so much life.

[hinugundam]

now that the dust has settled: my full thoughts on ff16. obvious spoilers ahead. writing this so i can stop having all these things pinball around in my brain

despite all marketing and me believing it'd be a good game in the end, i wasn't exactly faithful to 16. i didn't expect it to be perfect, and i believe that saved me from feeling deeply disappointed by it. before i even delve into specifics, i wanna say that i still think it's not a bad game and that it has strengths (though mainly in production value and its boss fights) so it's not a whole flop, but at the end of the day it didn't succeed in impressing me. it can shock, but it couldn't impress.

in the first playthrough, that whole beginning portion of the game is near perfect. id say that 1/3 to the whole first half of the game are very strong and had me thinking it'd be great all the way through, but once you make it past that point small issues in writing and pacing become larger and harder to look away from. the ambition and grand scale of everything gets so big that it feels like the game is locking you in a car and driving past it all way too fast. when they said the game was almost 2 disc's and that it was a "rollercoaster" of a ride, they were right. but not the way i thought. i think if it was stretched out and paced better, maybe even being a two part game or a trilogy like 13, the story could've been handled better with less hiccups. events and shit just kinda get away from you, and it doesn't help that side quests are timed weirdly and sometimes awfully, so much so to the point where i felt more engaged in side quests than the main story. at first it seemed to have a solid system: 2 to 3 main story beats, and then some side quests to slow it down a bit. after a certain point the story slows down and almost grinds to a halt and every like 2 main story beats you have oodles upon oodles of side quests go through, and these will all take you longer than the next few main story beats. rinse and repeat. it just kinda sucked ass and by the end i just became so detached from what was going on. the pacing struggles so bad. this isn't to say i didn't like the side quests as a whole; some aren't so great but some i felt touched me more than what was happening in the main story, and that was also kinda. weird.

when it comes to characters i feel like i have a lot of gripes. clive himself bothers me a lot because pre timeskip he's a very nuanced and troubled man, with layers to his character and lots of room for development and growth. you see his low lows and his grips on being a murderer, feeling guilty and alone, and pondering what it means to be a man or a monster, something that's very briefly shown in jill too, but it just kinda. goes away post timeskip. in fact, the feeling of being alone in his suffering and sudden martyrdom is very occasionally touched on by other characters who attempt to convince him it isn't so, but then the game just kinda..makes it obsolete? cause he's alright and he doesn't exactly think on that stuff anymore. he's the man and he can do it all. you don't see clive hit rock bottom again. you don't see him question himself or the things he's learning. at first i thought that maybe his hubris would lead him to make bad decisions, giving rise to more growth, but nah. story just goes on. this is all my own opinion obviously but the fact that it feels like clive changes off screen wasn't good. wanted to see more and feel closer to him. in the beginning you literally see him contemplating suicide..i know years pass between that but i was disappointed by his character the most. for a protag he felt okay, but nothing great. lots of other characters in game suffer from weird writing and being sidelined by plot yet he's the biggest issue for me personally.

my biggest gripe? the entire end of the game. no i don't just mean clive dying on the beach. i mean the entire final act. what the fuck was that. 86 sidequests into the final act that barely takes an hour, and it begins with a qte "fight", dion dies in the most lackluster way after being on the other side of the game the entire time and never even getting to be a party member, and then a 1 minute walking scene which felt so useless, into the final boss with the most cheesy shit. no final dungeon. no classic boss rush. you know what felt like the actual final dungeon? fuckin odin. and even that was super fast. there being no final dungeon straight up pissed me off so bad i don't think ill ever get over that lmao. not to mention ultima was honestly lame, and finding out his truth at literally the end where only clive and joshua are there to know felt shitty. hated it tbh! one of the most boring end sequences in a game ive played in a minute. that ending was clearly catered to a certain audience, and i respect that and the audience, but it wasn't for me and it only made me feel like the game couldn't hold onto its serious nature. having the main character say final fantasy and do a 9999 punch was too goofy for the source material. ff is known for its blend of both but that shit came out of nowhere and was huge whiplash. i wasn't a fan im afraid

there are many little things i could say. ive had a lot of time to sit and ruminate but i didn't walk away caring all that much. gameplay was fun, but even then it still lacked depth. once again feels like an almost great game. i don't hate the game and i don't exactly feel wholly negative about it, but it didn't impact me and didn't stick. after 2 months i was done and i haven't looked back. don't care to platinum and don't personally care for the dlcs but i will play them when they come out. it was a game! they tried hard but it had a lot of bumps and problems. didn't have to be perfect but could have been much better than the final result. would honestly give it a solid 7/10. cheers and onto the next

[oldfritz]

hm for asks, can you talk about hetalia characters you find cool in concept but never bother with? Or about your mutuals' favourite characters!

Tell us about a character you liked but dont really care anymore, and about a character you dislike a lot!

Talk about characters who's fans you dont like, and about characters who's fans are "ah, fellow people with sophisticated taste"!

Talk about a character you like in theory but not in any interpretation or depiction, that is, character you like as a character but dont think they are fit to be in hetalia

I think Yao/Ch!na is a really interesting dude. Ancient man, seen a lotta shit, been through a lotta different styles of government. China has a long and rich history you could do quite a bit with. I took two classes on it in undergrad and, while I don't remember a lot of the details now of who did what/why/when, I found it immensely enlightening from a 'why China is what is is today' perspective, which is what I ultimately got. I don't write him for that reason and, honestly, don't know how I'd fit him into what I'm writing unless I pivoted to making Lutz and Al main characters (which I'm not). I would love some good recs from people who read historically-based stuff that includes Yao. This applies for In/dia too for much the same reasons. What does it mean to be so old when you're immortal? How do you avoid apathy? How do you keep life interesting? Could also go into weightier topics with them as well - how it feels to have been both colonizer and colonized, not sure if it applies to In/dia as well but certainly Yao - but the writer would have to be knowledgeable and skilled enough to pull it off. I don't think your generic fanfic author can - I get nervous about publicly toeing the line myself

I used to be an Alfred and Arthur stan. They were my favorite characters in the entire series!!! They had the benefit of being the countries I'm most familiar with because, if you haven't heard, I got that dual citizenship dudes. Now, don't get me wrong, I still enjoy writing them whenever they appear naturally and have a lot of Thoughts on how they should be characterized, what their relationships with each other/everyone else should be, etc but they're not the main focus of 90% of my fics now. They're guest stars that I love to have on set (goddamn that's trite). As for who I don't like, I've never been a Matthew person. I think it's doing a disservice to an entire country to just have his personality be 'forgettable' and 'soft-spoken.' Which like yeah sure, I follow people who have done more with him and have made him an actually interesting character (credit to Foxholes, whose url changed and now I can't find them and don't wanna tag their history blog), but beyond the one or two characterizations of him, I don't care. Man smells like stale bong water

Eh, I'm gonna plead the fifth on that one. I don't wanna gripe about specific fans because there's good and bad in every subset. Plus, no reason to go hurting feelings. Though those Gilbo stans can be real freaks. Who the fuck likes a country called Prussia?

Hmm, interesting question. All the major nations don't bother me and make sense for why they're there. I also appreciate HRE being around, but I'm not crazy about a lot of things about his characterization. I especially hate the bad Italian accent he has in the English dub. Have never gotten that because, as Voltaire once put it, that empire ain't Roman. I think there's a lotta cool stuff you can do with HRE (@kisamesopelagic 's Karl is awesome and parts of theirs has served as inspiration for mine, who tends to linger just-offscreen) but the canon one is very meh. As for one's who I don't think belong point blank period, the entirety of the micronations. I have a hard time buying that Sealand is out here running around like a menace but state, provinces, prefectures, etc aren't. A fucking rusty ass fort in the middle of the Atlantic versus Quebec? Get outta here dude. Plus, besides some of their designs, all their personalities grate on my nerves. A whole ass African continent with next to no characters depicted but yay we got Kugelmugel. Jfc

[ragtimedrakes]

ok here's my tierlist like I promised

s tier:

hephaistos 1: i LOVE THIS FIGHT!!! my only gripe is the way cooldowns get misaligned depending on which transformation you get first. but it's sooo fun otherwise I love all the transformations I love snake <3 hephaistos 2: I <3 high concept. healing this was a blast athena 1: I wish I got to heal this (and athena 2) tbh... I think I disliked progging this but doing it for reclears the past couple weeks it's been really easy and smooth. I just don't like superchain 2b that mechanic sucks.

a tier:

hippo: hippo. I enjoy the water slide mechanic even if it pissed me off for my enochian timer. the stacks are fun hesperos 1: funny vampire man I like him. I think I had a lot of small gripes with mechanics but not enough to put him lower than this bc I enjoyed the fight. I think pinax is funny and I enjoyed the bloodsucker mechanic a lot. passing rot is fun hesperos 2: I enjoy the themeing of this fight a lot. I think act 3 is super mid but the rest of the acts are quite fun even if they're a little simple in hindsight? the thorns obscuring the mechanics is the only really hard part. that said I think curtain call is fun even if it's basically just a heal check carbuncle: tha buncle. stellar first fight of a tier it's just an impeccably designed fight. no notes kokytos: another good first fight imo. "limit cut" is fine I think it's fun. the second one is kind of pointless but whatever. I had a good amount of fun doing this on black mage specifically pandaemonium: this fight sucks bad in a good way. it hates you so bad it wants you dead this giant fucking spider HATES YOU. playing it on black mage makes me seethe like no tomorrow but whateverrrr I'm not thinking about that I'm over it. every mechanic in this fight is pretty fun except for what I call "stupid spinny thing" at the end because it's stupid themis: I love themis <3 my themis <3 honestly he's such a nothing fight to be completely real the only mechanics are like. dark and light + letter of the law. and dark and light is kind of mid. but whateverrrr he makes me happy athena 2: recency bias maybe but she's funnnnn. I like caloric a lot because I'm crazyyyy and I love these kinds of really precise movement mechanics. pangenesis is fun except for when I'm a 0 I hate being a 0. fuck that. honestly the more I think about it I could probably drop this down but I do genuinely like caloric. and I think gaiaochos is really fun. this fight is carried on its theming imo

b tier:

erich: my buddy erich you're a very easy fight but I love you. I still remember the stupid ass encounter I had on my first week raiding but I love you. hegemone: I enjoy this fight a lot but I don't think I can justify putting it in a tier. I'm sorry hegemone I saw your epic parasite worm... cachexia is really fun

c tier:

phoinix: oh my sweet awful fucked up bird. this bird hates you in the same way pandaemonium does but the difference is I was stuck in this stupidass fucking fight for months. FUCKING MONTHS!!!!!! it makes me so fucking mad. if I stop to think about this rationally I think phoinix is pretty fun it could definitely be b tier at least. but it's so fucking ass man agdistis: it literally took me a few minutes to remember her name. sorry girl. she's fine. I actually enjoy purgation a lot and I think the harvests are pretty fun mechanics on their own but the design of the fight sucks such ass. very sad

[norasfilmjourney]

Hey, so I've watched 4 2022 releases recently, so I'm gonna do a "new release roundup" summarising my thoughts on each film I watched; The Gray Man, Prey, Decision to Leave, & Nope. Obviously, spoilers for all the above, but I've seperated them and included a picture so you know when each review starts if you wish to read a specific one. The "Nope" review also counts as a user's canon review.

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Film #1, The Gray Man.

Watched July 22nd 2022.

Don't let the pretty colours fool you, this film is not even remotely vibrant. It's one of the most boring movies I have ever seen. If you tried to come up with a more generic blockbuster plot you probably couldn't. It's like a marvel film posing as a big budget spy thriller.

The fights here are baffling. How did the Russos think it was a good idea to have a cut every quarter second and have the film be filled to the brim with smoke for like every single fight? The editing is so bad it becomes hard to tell what's actually happening.

This is about like 30 minutes too long because half the dialogue is jokes that don't land and theres a completely unnecessary final few minutes.

It also decides to go down the route of instead of making the CIA seem to be a bad organization, telling us that all the bad people are just "bad apples." It's boring, it's generic, it's questionable politically, and it's unfunny. What more is there to dislike, really? 2/10

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Film #2, Prey

Watched August 6th 2022.

This movie fucking slaps. Incredibly brutal film, unrelenting in it's action and viscerality. Even past the (wild) Predator sequences - which were extremely impressive, scary, and fun IMO - we get the sequences of the colonizing people mistreating (to say the least) the natives. It's a weird but really good choice to not have the Predator be the only threat to the Comanche's way of life in this film. I also appreciate that this could've been a really preach-y, liberal "girl power" movie but instead treated the somewhat feminist themes with subtlety and care.

Past that, this film is gorgeous. It takes it's time getting into the action with a fairly slow beginning that prepares us for the (affective) emotional beats that come later. Its cinematography is insane - mostly due to the scenery, but even in the night scenes the fire is vibrant and it's still easy to tell what's going. The visual effects are insane, barely noticable.

I watched this with the Comanche dub, which while good, was unfortunately rather noticable. I would still recommend watching it like that as that's how the director intended. Despite this, the acting felt at least servicable, and at times very good.

I think overall this might be my favourite of the year. The best time I had, other than perhaps Everything Everywhere All At Once - but while that film has noticable problems that are hard for me to ignore, and was likely somewhat carried by my viewing conditions being the best they could possibly be - this film does not past some very minor gripes. Feeling a strong 9/10. Blockbuster of the year?

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Film #3, Decision to Leave

Watched August 27th 2022.

Of the 3 Park films I have seen, this is the work most tailored to his fans, I feel. More than Oldboy and The Handmaiden, this has his specific flare; plenty of weird eroticism, the slightly but not too disturbing moments, and the stylized violence thats still rooted in a sort of realism. If you're an enjoyer of his other work you'll like it, if not, give it a cautious shot. Luckily for me, I am.

I found this to be very interesting from a thematic perspective; it seems to be mostly exploring investigation as an act of love. To imply the obsession, the loss of sleep - and the rest that comes with it - to be an act of desire. Normally, we don't take desire as being love, necessarily - but the desiree's enjoyment of it, the mutual desire, causes one to view it this way. It provides a pretty compelling dynamic, and something to think about, and it starts to hit pretty hard after the credits roll. Unfortunately, it's forgotten subtlety at all in doing this. Not only is there a line pretty much saying the films thesis, but it says it multiple times.

From a more technical perspective; I found the editing to be some of the best I've seen in ages, it's hypnotizing. The cinematography was gorgeous. The acting delivered, and has honestly convinced me to see more of Park Hae-il's work.

The worst part was not entirely the film's part. I found myself to be rather uncomprehensive and zoned-out between the flash forward and the 2nd husband's murder. Although I do think the film contributed to it, because I believe there is quite a bit of unnecessary, bloating content here, causing it to become a bit of a lull and overlong. I can't blame it in it's entirety however, as I've done better with films that are more packed for sure. 9/10, I'd say, but could either drop to an 8 or rise to a 10 depending on how it sits in.

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Film #4, Nope

Watched August 28th, 2022.

I am quite unsure what to get out of this on a thematic level? Quite clearly it intends to comment on a lot of things. My main takeaway was it's entwining of cinema history, race, and spectacle. Multiple times throughout this film it makes a point of the first actor being a black horse jockey - it entwins cinema history with the first actor, race with well their race, and the inherent spectacle of viewing the first filmed human. But I don't think it's a coincidence it then proceeds to make the first notice of the alien through a horse's actions and make it's main trigger to be spectacle.

It also seems to focus on understanding. The primary goal with the monster is to understand it's motives. Between the chimpanzee and Jupe there becomes an understanding that they're okay. It's a mystery film, it inherently wants us to attempt to understand what is going on here. More obviously, at the start of the film our main character and his sister are fairly at odds, and again, they grow to be closer (and therefore, more understanding) by the end of the movie.

While neither of these are particularly something on their own, I think it becomes rather interesting when combined. Throughout history, cinema (especially the western - which this film often seemingly jokes about it) has had a tendency towards the "exotic" peoples, one that turns cultural identities into spectacle, rather than attempting to understand. One that gets horror, thrills, humor, or spectacle out of the unknown. Of course, the subjects have rejected it. The first that comes to mind is the ethnographic classic Nanook of the North I believe, this has had an influence on these peoples' lives that they did not desire. But because they were unknown and percieved as exotic, they became a humorous spectacle for a completely foreign audience, rather than a culture to be understood.

The film starts with a bible quote that summarises it rather well; "I will cast abominable filth upon you, make you vile, and make you a spectacle." We have casted filth upon the unknown. We have made them exotic, an "other", something which many are afraid of. We have made them something special in our culture, something not to be understood but to be gazed upon and talked about.

Past themes, I think this is just a pretty fun movie. It felt a little bloated at times, like it stretched scenes unnecessarily, but this didn't stop me from enjoying it as a whole. There was moments of anti-horror, stuff that should have been scary but intentionally wasn't, such as the alien fake-out near the start, or when something is creeping up behind the guy from the store and it just turns out to be his co-worker. I think this film does that as a whole, it desires to be a big summer blockbuster with a premise that would work much better as a horror film, and was executed as a horror film for quite some time near the start. While I don't think this is a good decision, it does make the film a pretty good time to watch with friends/family with the volume cranked. There's most notably there's the scene of Jupe and his crowd being eaten - which is a twist I wasn't expecting and viscerally terrifying, moreso than anything I've sene in a previous summer blockbuster.

It didn't connect with me as a whole and I don't imagine it'll be very memorable - but it's about as interesting thematically as you can expect from such a big money-bags release. That, along with it being fun, and honestly pretty impressive and cool technically - seriously that alien design that looks like an angel straight out of Evangelion is so cool - and some funny moments made me like it as a good experience quite a bit. Also, it has an Akira homage, so it can't get any lower than an 7/10.

[xxtha-blog]

Hhhm, let's say Killer, Horror, Dust and Cross working for Nightmare BUT canon wise. Like, they all fighting each other daily every minute and every hour to prove their loyalty and use to Nightmare. Because they know, that if Nightmare feels like one of them is not up to his standards, they will be discarded in the worst possible way. So they're cruel to anyone including each other, so Nightmare doesn't kill them. Is that even close to an example of what you meant about something canon about them? I'm curious.

See, saying all of those characters working for Nightmare but canon is kind of contradiction for many many many reasons:

Nightmare would never put a team like that together. Despite the fact he doesn't engage in direct conflict much, he doesn't need a specific group doing work for him. Everyone in that group is practically useless except maybe Killer.

Cross is not a bad guy, he only agreed to do what Nightmare asked in Underverse under very specific circumstances that have now long since passed. He wouldn't do it again willingly, he CANT do it again unwillingly (he lost his overwrite ability) and again, going for my point that when Nightmare wants a specific person to do something he thinks will help him, he can just get almost ANY person to do that based on the situation.

Horror is unstable and useless. Of all the people in the multiverse to bring out of their universe why choose Horror? He literally fucked up his own au enough to make it one of the worst in the multiverse, one Dream doesn’t try to enter. As it is, that au practically needs him there to stay negative. And why would he work for Nightmare anyways? What’s Nightmare going to bargain for? The AU is negative, he wouldn’t want to kill everyone. Horror doesn’t seem to have self preservation. He wouldn’t leave his AU without his brother. He’d have to be held against his will and I’m not convinced there’s much that would make him stay there for long. 

Dust wouldn't work willingly, he only cares about HIS au. he has no business with any other au or any other timeline. One of the creators has gone on record to say though Dust could conceivably work with Nightmare, but he'd only do it to go back to his au. If that wasn't happening, there'd be no point in working for Nightmare, and he'd rather just off himself. Like, this character would rather DIE than work with Nightmare. You can't look me in the eyes and tell me we could do this canonly unless they are being held at gunpoint. https://ask-dusttale.tumblr.com/post/645181783573446656/indeed-i-like-asking-a-lot-of-question-about-this

Killer is the only person who has any inclination toward helping Nightmare because once he takes control of his au, his main goal is just staying emotionless. Extreme negativity drives his soul to change stages, Nightmare gives that negativity, killer has no gripes doing what is asked.

The only downside to Killer is dead people do not help Nightmare. And Killer isn't exactly a man of non-lethal tactics. None of them can travel AUs either, if you’re going to make a team of negative creating evil guys why choose a bunch of unstable murderous shits that can’t even jump a timeline by themselves, that’s so much more work.

But back to the other ones, Nightmare's aura would destroy Horror and Dust. They would not be able to handle it. Do you really think putting 2 emotionally unstable people next to the man who EMITS INTENSE NEGATIVITY is a recipe for a good team? When Nightmare is around them they'd both lose their shit.

What about interrelationships? Well, Dust and Killer certainly wouldn't like each other. Dust's entire au centres around him trying to get rid of the human for good, trusting them so little he'll still ruin their 'murder route' when they do pacifist. Killer is a different timeline of Dust (alternate timelines and all) that JOINED the human. He wouldn't attack him directly because, well it's Killer and that probably wouldn't end well, but he'd fight him if Killer attacked him first.  https://ask-dusttale.tumblr.com/post/645177670348472321/what-would-be-murdersanss-opinion-and-reaction He would hate Killer if he found out who he is and what he did, and Killer would probably taunt him for being a failure at getting rid of his own human.  Cross wouldn’t like any of them. Again, he’s not a bad guy, why would he want to be lumped with the murder gang here, the man only killed his au to try to save everyone from XGaster, he’s literally just traumatized. He wants to do better, he wants his old au back, but it’s not like Nightmare can bring the au back. What would Nightmare want from him and what would Nightmare be able to give him that would make Cross actually work for him other than threatening his life? 

Killer, let's talk Killer. The man can go into stage 4 from strong reminders of his past. What's stage 4 you ask? Oh, just him losing mind and trying to kill everything and everyone in sight brutally. So don't ever leave him in a room with the others I guess. He’s certainly not stable enough for that one. I don’t even know what to say about Horror, a lot of people think he shouldn’t be in it because ‘he’s not evil’ which just obviously isn’t true, the man straight up murdered a guard and then doomed the entire underground lmao. I guess he’d be more useful than Dust over there, but none of his goals really align with any of the others and I can’t see him giving a shit about any one of them. 

The entire group is just a bunch of not-really-that-useful-to-Nightmare murderers (or just Cross? for some reason) that can’t jump timelines by themselves, that wouldn’t want to work for Nightmare and would have to be severely threatened to do it, one of which may just off themselves if their end of the deal isn’t coming through, one of which can and will try to kill all of them if he’s randomly set off, one of which causes negativity ALREADY and does a damn good job of it, and one of which ISN’T EVIL??? all most whom are emotionally unstable being headed up by a man who radiates emotional instability from his very being. And no, Nightmare doesn’t really have reason kill any of them, even if he did ‘threaten it’. He’d only do it as a last last resort, it’s so much better to make people suffer. But this team is such a god damn disaster that the ONLY way people make it work is by throwing out EVERY SINGLE TEAM MEMBER’S MOTIVES, PERSONALITY, AND POWERS out a window. And I get that people love their found family villains turned good trope, I’m not saying it’s bad.

I’m saying good god good lord is it overdone, I would love it if someone could actually give me something that’s vaguely canon ever. Someone needs to be more creative here 

[munchboxart]

I love how you draw King dedede! Also, thoughts on the Kirby TV show Kirby right back at you?

Thank you so much! Uhm this might get long so apologies for that The anime was a big part of my childhood and for my love of Kirby so I have a LOT of thoughts on it (also this includes some mild spoilers if anyone wanted to watch it)

I love it quite a lot, actually. It was one of the first mediums that helped me get really into Kirby (KRtDL/Super Star Ultra are probably the first ones to introduce me to Kirby).

I think the anime is very fun and really entertaining, but dear god I hate that it isn't game accurate. With the anime being so easy to access compared to the games (if you either don't have the money to afford one OR if you don't want to be spoiled by watching someone's playthrough/gameplay), it unfortunately is easy to think that the anime is canon, which still is a problem to this day.

For the anime content itself, I really like that they tried to build some lore about Kirby himself, and about how he and MK are a species that are destined to be Star Warriors or something, its cute! I don't mind the Cappies either, although I wont lie, it was a little odd going with "Cappy" as the population LOL. Them giving some stories with some of the generic enemies, such as with Bonkers and Knuckle Joe, was really nice. They also chose a really good voice cast for everyone in both ENG and JP, especially Dedede's. I also like the little quirk for Dedede and Escargoon in the JP where they end their sentences with "zoi" and "gesu" (I don't really know the reason for this, but I think it's a personality quirk of sorts? I could be wrong though).

Also I love Chef Nagoya so much, he's so cute, one of my most favorite characters from the anime

I do have gripes with it though. I can't help but feel Meta Knight is... really weak LOL, he's supposed to be the "last Star Warrior" and dear god he feels like just... a retired old man JDSFJHJGHH it's a little hard to be convinced that HE was the last one to survive But he is a little goofy guy, he appears and just runs away giving vague advice as if he's those "wise" people tropes. Also the fact that they didn't make him fly, when (I think) in the pilot, he does. Also just. Dedede himself. NOT THAT HE'S BAD, I quite like him a lot. It's just his characterization fucked me up so badly that I have a hard time trying not to go back to his "big asshole" type characterization.

Kirby speaking. I like that they went with him saying "Poyo", but it's been engrained so hard into my brain that I legit didn't know it was an anime only thing till recently. Although, I think that's fine, but him actually... speaking... words. Feels wrong. And this is also another issue for me, because only recently have I started to accept the "Kirby can speak" headcanon, when for so long, I've accepted that Kirby doesn't really speak since he's a "baby", because of the anime.

This is specifically with the dub. I fucking hate that they made Blade Knight incomprehensible. You have no idea how big of a relief it was to hear Blade Knight have actual speaking lines in the sub. ALSO renaming Lololo and Lalala to "Fololo" and "Falala". That fucked me up so much, it took me so long to get used to their original names

Lastly is the animation. I absolutely love the style they went with for Dedede, it's really expressive! I know that they had to use 3D with some parts to save money/move the process along, but dear god they made some part's 3D when it would have been easier to have do it with 2D. But I guess you can't do anything about that.

By the way, the anime is the reason I have a strong hatred for Kine

In conclusion, the anime is good if you want some entertainment, but it kind of ruined/mixed up a lot of people's perception on Kirby and actual canon. While how badly that has effected the community is up to the community itself, but for me as a big fan of Kirby now, it kind of messed me up a bit that I struggle with separating them still.

[marshmallowprotection]

Saeran’s Passport Package

I’ve been waiting since the 19th to get my hands on this baby and I’m glad that it got here today. It took me a little bit to sit down and go through everything cause I wanted to cry about it the entire time. 

Spoilers Ahead, everyone. So, if you’re not interested in seeing what’s in the Passport set AFTER the events of Saeran’s After Ending, then do not click Read More, got it? I’ve made it clear to you. I will say that it’s worth the money if you’re debating buying it. 

So, we can go over the contents in the box, first as an overview. You receive a letter stamped with a cute sticker as well as the passport itself which holds the notes that Saeran’s been taking and drawing since this all started. I just think that’s cute. My brain said don’t open that passport until we review the letter first so, why don’t we go over the letter first? The little details are really cute. There’s just so many stamps on this baby. 

The little touches are what sell it. You’ve got this man putting his love all over it and there’s a CUTE NOTE of CATS. Sir, was that a touch to Saeyoung? I know you know that your brother is a dork. Homage to brother who is an idiot but too glaringly obvious. It got a chuckle out of me. I know this man, and it’s just getting to me. 

The passport itself is also really cute. It has the art from the promo banner but instead of everyone hustling around together, there’s new poses and all of that jazz. Jaehee isn’t rushing around. Zen’s got a selfie stick, no surprise on that front. Jumin just chilling. Seven and Yoosung... doing what they do best and you know it. RUN, YOOSUNG, RUN.

Saeran and MC... being cute on the inside made me go, “Aw!” Ice cream. They can really just put ice cream and it’s going to make me cry, huh? Really? Is that how easy this is? Am I a joke to you, Cheritz? Is that what this is? 

Now, if you want to talk about the contents in the letter, you get this sheet that is listed in three languages, surprised me, Korean, Spanish, and English, and it lets you tick off little things that you like to do. An itinerary sheet. I feel like this is purely Jumin crafting these. It asks about Cats. Literally. Cats. Wine? Yeah, this is on Jumin. You always come in flex, Jumin, but oh boy, I’m chuckling over here at these little touches. 

You get 2 boarding passes. One with Saeran’s name and one with a blank to fill in your name. I thought that was cute. Tying in that with the CG of the passes in the game with this just makes it more real to me. I’m holding this in my hands and it just makes my immersion feel much more real than it did when I was holding my phone in my hand and playing this out. 

I think merch like this just makes you feel more apart of the story then you do when you’re able to talk and chat, you know? If you really like feeling like you are involved with the game, this is how you do it. You wanna know how I know that Jumin is the one setting this up with Saeran? Flip over the fucking passport and you realize that Elizabeth is on the back.

I’m still laughing. 

I’m trying to imagine this and now, like, I’m starting to see why Jaehee is so damn tired because Elizabeth really is on everything that he can get his hands on and she’s good too many files to sort through when it comes to whatever the photographers take of her. Jumin can’t take photos. He’s either got Jihyun to do this for him at some point, or he’s straight up hiring photographers for her cause he can’t do it. 

I mean, we all know that Jumin will put Elizabeth everywhere but I just— It’s on the BOARDING PASSES? JUMIN! 

There’s also a postcard within the letter that is once more, written in all three aforementioned languages. Saeran says that it feels like a dream when he is with you, like this is where he’s always meant to be. His promise of happiness is made truest when he’s with you. I teared up a little. I know that he means well when he does that but damn, does it take an arrow to the heart every single time he does it. 

Saeran put a lot of thought into this in a very short amount of time. I know that he did this plan likely with the idea that he may not be able to go with us but he wanted us to be able to see the world for him. You know, how he implied that he wanted Saeyoung to see things for him? To live for him? Even if he was dead, he wanted Saeyoung and the player to be happy and free. 

The blurred state on those... doesn’t have names. It doesn’t name Saeran in this photo. 

The implication of his sacrifice with the boarding passes kind of hurts because this is a side note of the fact that Saeran Did Not Know If He Would Live To See This Through. He made it thinking maybe.. if things worked out, it would be an okay future, but this was... God. I just. I’m thinking about the weight of the AE and what that felt like. I almost glossed over the Boarding Pass because I was just so upset with him.

I’m the type to try to sacrifice myself for others, too. I have that in common with Saeyoung and Saeran. 

I think that we’d argue over who should die for the others and while that’s macabre, it’s just the kind of people that we are. We love these people so much that we’re willing to die if they’re safe and sound. Knowing that, I understand what Saeran tried, and even what Saeyoung tries, but it’s hard cause I want to make sure they’re happy in comparison to myself. 

This is where being selfless is a bad thing. 

Does anyone know what a big deal it is for Saeran to have a passport? He’s never had an ID or paperwork in his entire life. If he did, he would’ve been killed, so would his brother. They’re both never had IDs. Unless you count the ones from the Agency and Mint Eye. They’ve got them in the Believer box with their names and faces, but that’s not official. That’s not paperwork that everyone else has. That’s just... 

You know? 

Seeing this tangible thing in my hands is a testament to Saeran Choi being alive and thriving. He’s not afraid of showing his face. He’s living. He’s a free man and nobody can kill him for existing. Does that not weigh on anyone here? It hit me and I wanted to cry. I might break down thinking about this later because I just take this too seriously. Look at him. Look at HIM. Okay? Did you look? Now, LOOK AGAIN.

Okay, I’m not going to share every single page inside of the passport but I will give you little snippets of the journey ahead and show you what he writes and draws. Yes, he’s drawing. I knew that he was talented because he is great at doodling and drawing, but he knows how to have such a cute style that I want to gush about and he probably has no clue about how cute it is because nobody’s ever told him!

Okay, so the trip is broken up over a few months and into segments. You know how I was surprised by the 3 languages? Yes, this passport is written in three languages and it stays that way. It implies that Saeran knows English and Spanish, or at the very least, he’s been studying them, I get that it’s kind of a neat tie in to make sure that all languages are included but I only English and I can only read Spanish, I suck at conversational Spanish, so I could only read the English and Spanish sections. 

So, if anyone wants to throw in what the Korean segments say, please do. I have a rough idea, but it’d be nice to know. The first segment of the trip is spent traveling over Korea. You see the things that he packed in the bag! 

I almost had a heart attack because I thought the vitamins were Caffeine Pills. I was about to beat my Husband and make him go to bed. Thin ice, Saeran. Thin ice, the Special Believer package implied you take more then ten and I want you to go the fuck to sleep at night. 

He packed his hanbok! Look! You remember? From the title screen event? The blue shirt is the one that he matches with MC in. There’s so much I’m screaming about it. 

It shows you things that you do. Like, biking, karaoke, gardens... is there a locket bridge in Korea? You know? If you put them together on a bridge, it’s said that your love lasts forever. I forget where that came from but I guess there must be one in South Korea, too. Oh, and food. Can you believe that he can eat whatever he wants now? I’m sobbing. 

Please. 

HE’S IN HANBOK. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH.

Okay, here’s the thing. I only have one gripe with the Passport Package and I’m going to say this again at the end, but I really wish that they had included big photos for this because the Passport itself it rather small and I wish that I could have bigger photos of this. It’s my only complaint. Literally, it’s the only thing I have to say about the box that will affect my rating. Look, we’re doing cheesy couple stuff! 

HE’S DOING THE HEART THING WITH HIS HANDS.

A KISS. 

KISS.

GUSHING.

DYING. HELP. ME. 

God, I wish I wasn’t broke. I would commission someone to do this for my MC. 

The second and third portion of the trip are spent in the U.S.A. and Mexico, I was so surprised by that! New York and Hawaii specifically are what they name and I was. Well, those are really far apart, huh. I mean, those are very popular spots. I’m not surprised. I’m chuckling because he’s got matching outfits. 

Saeran Choi, you really want the embarrassing couple look, don’t you? Well, if it’s for you, I’d do it. Did... Saeyoung or Jumin set us up, are we fucking loaded? There’s mad bank here. 

Saeran and MC basically are living per Jumin and Saeyoung, to be honest, because Saeran’s never had a job and MC is... your MC literally agrees to go and test a game in the woods, how good can our lives be? I’m broke, boy. I ain’t got nothing. So, I like to think that those two are offering to let Saeran be as happy and free as he wants. No expense. Like, kindness. The RFA is too damn much, I’m gonna cry. I’m starting to understand why the RFA didn’t hear from us for months. 

The final Check-In with the RFA is set 6 Months after the events that take place when we save Saeran. The events of this Passport cover 3 months. So, we go back to Korea after this adventure and met up with Saeyoung, because we know that we’re hanging out with him in the conclusion. So, if they haven’t really heard from us, that means that we’ve been traveling more with him. 

I kind of like that. 

We’re spending time with Saeran alone and time with the brothers together, and that’s sweet! I love that. I need to write more about it. 

I’m trying not to laugh about this Mexico portion but it looks like he passed out from an ice tea... lemonade...? It’s surely not alcohol. Maybe too much sugar, I know that crash can hurt. I’ve been there. I just know that you’re not implying the man with alcohol trauma is gonna drink. Nope. Neither he nor Saeyoung ever will do that. I stand by that statement and I’ll die by that statement. Bite me my tongue if I’m wrong, but I stand by that. 

Saeran is at least mindful of the sun. He’s also made notes that the perfect time for sunset is 18:34. Cute. He notes that it’s time for the Day of the Dead as well, so that’s fun!

IS THAT A FUCKING V CACTUS—

TWO V CACTUS—

There’s actually a portion in here where he asks you certain questions and you have the space to fill in it. I like that it’s interactive. 

Do you have favorites sweets? Are there things about yourself that you hide? Did you make sure to ask Santa what you wanted? I’m wheezing. The food doodles are one thing, and the Christmas photo is one thing, but he really drew himself as a butterfly and the MC as a bug catcher. 

“CATCH ME, MC.” 

Help me. 

I’m laughing so hard.

Saeran, you fucking goofball.

And, the last page of the passport is us assumedly returning home with all kinds of trinkets and gifts. Flower crown, snow globe, cactus, hats, listen, there’s a lot of details in this photos that I really wish I could have it blown up. 

That’s really my only complaint about the Passport Package. I really want to have bigger photos that are shared. I wouldn’t have minded if it was the photo of the final CG in the game, or the Christmas photo, I really would have enjoyed getting that to have for myself. 

You know? The passport itself is roughly like 5 x 7 or so, so while it’s not big, it’s still like. I would love to see the details blown up. It’s smaller then the diary, that I know for sure. I think it’s the only thing stopping from giving Cheritz a 10/10 on this item. 

I’m going to have to give them a 9.8/10 simply because it feels like we are lacking one big photo. 

I guess I’ll print my favorite CGs and decorate my room like that. But, all and all, I really enjoyed reading this and it made it feel like I was there and I was able to reflect on Saeran’s vacation with the player. Like, he was doing this as we were going using his little doodles... I’m in love with this fucking sap. I’d say that this is worth the money. 

For sure. 

My only gripe aside. That’s a personal problem, not really a content problem. I love this bastard. 

Look at him, he’s GOT A PLUSHIE. I have so many things that I want to write about now thanks to this. Saeran, darling, sweetie, my love, I am dying. Either way, I’m glad this arrived when it did. I needed this. I justified getting this for myself because I don’t expect to get anything for my birthday in early February but I’m happy I have him.

It’s been five years since I found this game in August 2016. I’m happy that it’s been here with me. 

[regina-del-cielo]

Immortal Siblings AU | Four, then three, then four again

I mentioned that the bulletpoint post describing how the Guard from the Immortal Siblings AU found Joe had totally run away from me. It has, in fact, become a study on them grieving over Lykon and then finding Yusuf. 

I have, somehow, reached a sort of natural end to the amount of bullshit my mind can add to this list/fic draft. So, if you want to give it a read... grab a snack. It’s long. I’m sorry.

Warnings for Wikipedia levels of historical accuracy - I added links to the relevant pages when quoting historical events, but since I was just trying to work out a timeline (famous last words), the research wasn’t extensive. There’s a lot of hand-waving.

By the end of the 11th Century, I think Andy, Quynh and Nico haven’t been in Europe for a while, not really. They moved south, and then east, after the sack of Rome of 410 CE. Seeing the great cities fall has become hard for them, especially for Nico, who is a nomad at heart but has a soft spot for cities, together with Lykon, the true city boy in the group. He’d seen it happen to Athens, he wasn’t sure he could deal with seeing Rome wilt.

For reasons I cannot fathom, my mind is settled on them having been in India when Lykon dies (possibly sometime around the middle of the 6th century, in the mess that was the crumbling of the Gupta Empire???)

Seeing him die destroys them, and they take a break from any battlefield to grieve their friend and brother. They wander, occasionally helping but almost never raising their weapons, too leery of injuries and of losing each other.

(Quynh, who was the first to notice Lykon’s wounds, has nightmares that make her cry in her sleep. Andromache holds her so tight Nico can feel the tension on her muscles against his back. He and his sister barely sleep, scared of the open spaces of Asia as they’d never been before. Lykon was the youngest of them and he died, what if they stop healing too?)

(If Nico stands guard over his sisters and feels an ache in his chest seeing how they hold onto each other, he’s never going to say it out loud. His Mache deserves the love she shares with Quynh. But sometimes he wishes he had someone to hold him like that, one he can call his heart.)

The first time they go to battle again like in the old days it’s almost the end of the 10th century, and they’re helping Quynh’s lands gain independence from China. They have a reason and a specific side to root for, and it’s the kind of cause Lykon would have approved of. They find purpose again.

They are distantly aware of how things are holding up in the west – they know Constantinople has crowned itself capital of the Roman Empire (what is left of it anyway); they know of the new religion, Islam, and how it was brought further east with the armies conquering Persia. They met the Varangians on the Northern Plains of the Rus’, when Andy insisted on going back to their steppes for a while.

They acquire new swords, repair the old weapons, make improvements on their bows. They travel, and help, and listen. They learn new languages. They heal.

They’ve just spent the winter in Samarkand when they hear merchants newly come from Constantinople talk about the Frankish armies that took Antioch and making their way further into Palestine. 

The words ‘freeing Jerusalem from the infidels’ make Andy sigh in exasperation and twist Nico’s guts. The three of them don’t really understand the point of going to war for a god, but Jerusalem is old, and she’s been coveted by many throughout their long lives. Things like this never end well, they know it intimately.

But they’ve been away for a long time, centuries at this point. Things are very different from when the Romans had the power. They are less eager to throw themselves into the battlefield now, and there’s much they don’t know about the dynamics of Europe and the Levant. Still they’re worried, and decide that they’ll move west to see if something can be done, for the civilians at least.

At first they travel slowly, keeping an ear out for gossip spoken by the caravans coming from the west. Things radically change, however, when they dream of a new immortal (a man, with a curly black beard and shining dark eyes) dying on the walls of Jerusalem and reviving to an unprecedented slaughter – said man is, obviously, absolutely terrified and they feel it.

He’s also woken up surrounded by living enemies, with high risk of being killed or injured multiple times, and of being seen.

They are still too far away to do anything more than hope that the new guy is clever enough to keep himself alive until they can reach him, but now Nico is all for moving west at full speed to get him out.

“What the everloving FUCK is happening over there?!” is the common theme in their thoughts; nothing about this war they’re walking towards is making any sense.

Yusuf al-Kaysani is, in fact, clever enough to keep himself (and a few other civilians to boot) alive and get out of Jerusalem when it becomes clear than no matter how many Franks he kills he can do nothing to stop them alone. (It’s a fucking carnage, and he’s so tired). He walks away from the battle and tries to reach some sort of safety in the desert.

When he’d decided to stay in Jerusalem and fight instead of escaping the siege, Yusuf had considered the possibility of dying. He had not accounted for waking up from a fatal wound with no sign of having been hit in the first place.

And then there are the visions. Or dreams, he’s not sure. They don’t seem to make any sense? Who are those people?! Is his mind so addled by the war that he’s conjuring scary warrior women and a stupidly handsome man, armed to the teeth and camping in the desert?

(fantasizing about handsome men in his sleep isn’t exactly news for him, but there were never women in those. And none of his usual dreams involved weapons. Something is definitely off)

For the following days, Yusuf makes sure to stay away from human settlements while putting as much space as possible between Jerusalem and himself – the last thing he needs is to become a potential target for any invader that may cross his path.

But he’s alone, having nightmares, constantly on edge, and in a body that suddenly doesn’t feel like his own anymore, since he doesn’t even have the scars to prove that the injuries he sustained were real to begin with.

After a couple of weeks, the appearance of the strangers in his dreams starts feeling safe and comforting; they seem to operate like a little family, and God knows how much he misses his own.

(should he try to go back home? Would news of the siege reach his family before he does? Would he be able to go back to his previous life in the state he’s in? Could he keep this secret from them? Would they still love him or think him a monster?)

Despite their impressive warrior appearance, they feel... kind. And gentle. Sometimes, it feels like they’re trying to reassure him, even. Especially when he dreams from the perspective of the man.

The sensation those dreams leave on his skin is like a cape. You’re not alone, it whispers. Wait for us.

Andy, Quynh and Nico have just left Baghdad when the dreams change, and not for the better - Yusuf was passing through a village when a band of marauding Franks started harassing the locals. He moved to defend the villagers, but was overwhelmed and what’s worse, the Franks saw his wounds close too fast. Their reaction was vehement: they called him a demon, incapacitated him and then brought him back to their garrison, with every intention of ‘properly getting rid of him’.

Nico wakes up screaming and Andy has to sit on him so he doesn’t just sprint ahead without actually knowing where the fuck he’s going.

“We can’t just raid every single Frankish encampment in a twenty mile radius around Jerusalem, Nico!” “TRY ME” *Aggressive Sibling Bickering follows* *Quynh doesn’t bat an eye and just rolls out a map of the area she purchased and starts mapping out the fastest routes*

Yusuf is having a Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Week at the hands of his captors, who are getting disturbingly creative in their tortures, but whenever they let him fall unconscious he sees the people of his dreams travelling much faster than before, looking Royally Pissed Off, and the surroundings are... starting to look familiar too? 

If he tries to pay more attention to the conversations his torturers are having with each other outside of the tent he’s in and hoping the dreams go both ways, so the maybe-real trio can find him easier, now that’s nobody’s business but his own.

(spoiler: it works)

When they are in sight of Jerusalem, the immortals find a drunk “pilgrim” boasting about his band capturing a ‘pagan demon’ while coming back from their victory at Ascalon, follow him back to his camp, and as soon as it’s feasible they attack.

(Andy will later gripe that Nico didn’t leave her anything to do because he just paved his way through the Franks like he was harvesting wheat.)

seeing the Stupidly Handsome Man of his dreams standing in front of him covered head to toe in blood, with a double-bladed axe in one hand and a sword in the other, staring intensely at him as if to peer directly into his soul is... an experience for Yusuf.

(he may have composed a lot of poems about that first vision of Nico through the centuries. The words ‘avenging angel’ have been used quite profusely, too)

The protective instinct that Nico has felt for the newest immortal since the first dream clutches at his throat when he finally sees him, chained to a pole and so thin his clothes barely cling to his body, but with the softest dark eyes staring back with a glint of recognition when he comes closer.

(he could cry with relief at the knowledge that he’s not scared of him. Nico has seen the faces of the men that were keeping him captive, he knows he looks a lot like they did, and that he paints a gruesome picture.)

“Are you alright?” Nico asks first, in Greek. (He knows, from the dreams, that his captors prayed in Latin. He wants to make sure that the other knows that he’s not like them.)

“You were in my dreams. You came.” Yusuf answers back in the same language, although his sounds much newer than Nico’s.

“Of course. We’re not meant to be alone… and no one deserves to be in a cage”.

Nico uses the axe to break the chains, and by the time he’s done Andy and Quynh have reached them and his sister throws the keys at him to open the shackles.

“Couldn’t take a moment to get them yourself, little eagle? You wanted to show off your skills to the new one?” Quynh teases, just to see Nico blush. Andy stares at her brother and their new companion for a few beats, before finally asking his name.

“Yusuf ibn Ibrahim ibn Muhammad Al-Kaysani, known as al-Tayyib” he answers, letting out the first smile in weeks at the raising eyebrows of his saviours. “Just Yusuf is fine.”

“You have a sense of humour, brother. I like you!” Andy snorts, before cutting her palm with the edge of her axe, and showing him her fast healing.

“We are like you, Yusuf. That’s why you dreamt of us, and we of you” Nico adds gently, while Quynh offers her waterskin to Yusuf. They also offer their own names.

“We need to clean up this mess and move away from here” Andy says, while Nico helps Yusuf up. “One of those fuckers was boasting about an undying demon with others in a tavern, the last thing we need is to fight our way out against their whole army because someone else decided to come check if he was saying the truth.”

“It’s been a long time since we were in Kush” Quynh whispers, and Yusuf sees their faces open in a look of affectionate grief he remembers seeing on his Baba’s eyes when he talked about his own mother.

“We can talk about it more when we’re somewhere safer” Andromache suggests, before moving to set up the stage of an ‘accidental’ fire.

As they’re riding away, Yusuf turns slightly to watch the camp burn, leaving no trace of the invaders that hurt him. Jerusalem looms in the distance - lost, and wounded. If he were a little less exhausted, he could  easily work out a metaphor about his own situation.

But then he looks at the three people of his dreams – Quynh, Andromache, Nikolaos – that came for him. Who are the same as him, immortal.

His world has turned upside down, and there are so many questions to ask, and he could sleep for a month straight – but one thing is certain. 

He’s not alone anymore.

[akuma-homura]

higurashi sotsu

okay it’s night time and i’m anxious about some stomach sensations but

While I am content with the ending episode, and it did make me feel happy, accepting it at face value, it’s time for the Gripes Post

I also do acknowledge, and feel, that. Yeah it’s...what the hell?

Satoko pretty much got a slap on the wrist for what she had done.Barely even that. Maybe I can take that with witches/loopers morality in regards to that sort of stuff is skewed or something but... it just... feels..... weird???? Idek, I just wish it was actually addressed some. But I guess she is living in a world without Rika, technically, for those 3 years she’s off to St. Lucia, so...

Shrugs a lot

Also. I’m... conflicted about what happened with Eua? Like, oh, so this... is when she chipped her device? Hanyuu did it? ....Why baby??? Hanyuu’s chipped horn being a red herring in that regard? They did say the two were the same/Hanyuu a piece of her, but... ...eh?????

And also, I just... can’t brush past how poor the writing decisions were for the rest of the season, only for it to end up like this. I personally don’t think Rika and Satoko were like... TOTALLY out of character, but also I see where that comes from because the writing decisions are ??????

like... how to say. The beats to the story I guess seem in place, but how it actually gets written out is off. I still think it isn’t OOC for Satoko to end up as she did-- but the way it was written was just. Bad. The pacing of it was just bad. Enough for her to look like some one-note villain or something. I did enjoy her more maniacal moments, like before she shot Mion, for example! But it’s just... the rest of everything. I STILL feel like if they wanted to do the Witch vs Human conflict, they should of built it up NOT ONLY in Tatariakashi. They should of built it up through the other arcs, but no, they just had her look mwahaha evil.

ALSO, THE GOD DAMN STUDYING THING. THEY REALLY JUST BOILED IT DOWN TO THAT. I still believe and reiterate, I feel like theorists and fans would write a better fanfic with more nuance than how this ended up.

I also feel bad for Satoshi as a character, being pushed out until the literal very end--- but also, Shion???? So I guess Satoko holding her ribbon in that one poster was..... for no reason at all, huh? and Rena had the opportunity to be relevant too, but wasn’t used at all in such a way...

I also still.... don’t like Teppei being ‘redeemed’. I get that Ryu07 considered it a failing to not do so for him in the OG series, but... ...fuck, man.

Gou/Sotsu probably gets a 4/10 for me overall, Gou by itself is higher but combined with Sotsu is just.... eugh.

Literally would not recommend it to anyone. If they wanna see Higurashi(specifically see), I’d just point them to the OG anime.

At least the music’s good, and we got  new version of You

[toosicktoocare]

I’ve got BatFam on the mind. 

Jason sinks back against his couch, humming pleasantly, and he’s just about to kick his feet atop the ottoman and open the new book he’s been eager to dig into for a month now when a quick, patterned knock on his apartment door interrupts his eased thoughts, startling him briefly before he sighs loudly. 

He’s just decided to ignore it when the knocking continues, accompanied, this time, by a small voice he, unfortunately, recognizes almost immediately. 

“Jason?”

He makes sure the groan that builds from the back of his throat is dramatically loud and equally as long as he drops his book on the abandonded couch behind him and starts to the door, undoing the locks and pulling the door open with a familair frown reserved specifically for the damned “family” of his. 

“Replacement,” Jason bites out, fingers curled lazily around the edge of the door. 

Tim’s drenched before him, shuddering slightly with his arms wrapped tightly around his too-slender frame, and his normal, calculated composure looks to be nudging the brink of breaking. He squeezes under Jason’s arm, letting himself into the apartment, and Jason drags a deep sigh out. 

“I need your help.” 

“Did you already forget where the door is?” Jason asks, jerking his thumb over his shoulder. “Because it’s right there, and I’m happy to escort you out.” 

Unfazed, Tim slows his pacing down, stopping in the center of Jason’s entryway. “Dick’s been kidnapped.” 

Jason rolls his eyes, a bad habit he hasn’t cared in the slightest to remedy. He drags narrow eyes up and down Tim’s uniform. “And I care because?” he draws out, arching both brows. 

Tim sighs at this, and if Jason weren’t borderline dangerously annoyed, he’d be a little impressed that he’s managed to just barely get under Tim’s skin. 

“Look, seeking out your help made the most sense logistically.” 

“Logistically,” Jason parrots back flatly. 

“You’re the closest to our location.” 

“And, you came here instead of helping,” Jason points out, motioning toward Tim’s suit. “Why waste the time? You’re capable of helping him yourself.” He’s hoping, smally, that the fraction of a compliment will boost Tim’s ego up just enough to send him out the door, and yet, Tim visibly deflates before him, tugging his mask off and coughing into the crook of his arm. 

“I shouldn’t be out.” 

“Because you look as if you took a deep dive in the Gotham River in the dead-ass middle of winter?” 

“And because I have the flu.” 

Jason frowns sharply, eyes flicking from one too-flushed cheek to the other. Without thinking fully, he crosses the room and slaps a palm to Tim’s forehead, finding him alarmingly hot to the touch despite the icy water dripping off him.

“You do remember that you’re kind of missing your spleen, right?” Jason questions lowly, stepping back to further assess Tim’s condition through gaze alone. 

Shuddering, Tim hugs himself tightly, eyes casting to the ground. “Dick asked me to come out and help. I told him it may not be a good idea because,” he pauses, turning to hack harshly into his fist, “well, that. But he insisted.” 

“He insisted,” Jason repeats darkly, eyes flashing a brief red. 

Tim meekly nods, swaying on his feet, and Jason growls in the back of his throat, guiding Tim to the bathroom. “Christ. Hot shower and change into something dry,” Jason spits out, already whipping toward his bedroom for his suit. He’s quick slipping it on, easy muscle memory, and he’s just slipped a few guns into the holsters at his sides when Tim clears his throat. 

“You’re going to help?”

“Apparently,” Jason grumbles, hands adjusting the clip of rubber bullets. “The last thing I want is you keeling over in my apartment and the big, bad, Bat blaming me for it. Plus, I now have a reason to rip Dick a new one for being a fucking idiot.” 

“Thanks,” Tim sighs, visibly relieved. “There’s a dock with a wooden boat house at Gotham River, east side.” 

“Got it,” Jason starts, pasuing, mask only pulled over his forehead. “Hang on,” he stops his quick movement toward the door, whipping around toward Tim. “Did you actually deep-dive in the Gotham River when it’s close to the negatives outside?” 

“Got dizzy,” Tim mutters, coughing. “I kind of fell.” 

“Fucking hell,” Jason curses, snagging the keys to his bike before stalking out of his apartment, slamming the door behind him.

***

“Do you have a plan?”

Jason works through a colorful string of hushed curses at the sudden sound of Tim’s rough voice in his ear, forgetting that he’s never actually disconnected his comm. 

“Yeah,” he whispers, eyeing the boat house from his corner cover behind a brick wall. “Shouldn’t you be sleeping or some shit?”

“I wanted to help you. I hope you don’t mind, but I’m borrowing your laptop so I can have eyes on multiple locations.” 

Jason’s working through a grunt that he doesn’t mind, but his brain wraps back around unspoken details. “I have my laptop password protected.” 

“’I am the Red Hood’ isn’t exactly a hard password to crack.”

Jason shakes his head, a huff slipping past his covered lips. “I’m moving far away from all of you after this,” he mutters, standing from his cover and approaching the boat house. 

“Hood, what’s the plan? You’re wide open right now.” 

“About that,” Jason draws out, stopping before the wooden door. He can hear multiple voices behind the rickety walls, Dick’s voice standing out loudly among the others. “I think I’ll just walk in, say a little hello.” 

Tim groans in his ear, muttering how he should have ignored logistics to find someone more competent, and Jason laughs lowly before kicking the door wide open, a sly smile curling against his covered lips as multiple men with guns whip toward the door, numerous barrels aimed right at him. 

Dick’s in the center of the room tied to a chair. His face is beginning to fade to blues and blacks, yet the look of pure, innocent surprise on his face completely contradicts the entire situation. 

“Hood?”

“I’d say long time no see,” Jason starts, one hand slowly moving to ghost above a gun at his waist, “but you’re a little hard to make out with all the swelling and bruising.” 

Dick rolls his eye that’s not swollen to hell, and Jason starts forward ignoring the rings of clicks that echo from every gun that’s pointed toward him. 

“Hey, aren’t you the Red Hood?” 

Jason cocks his head to the side, turning toward the voice. “Well, I do have a hood, and last I checked, it’s definitely red.” 

“Watch it, smartass. What business do you have with this one?” The man speaking, some gruff, bulky blond with distasteful tattoos littering his fingers, motions toward Dick with the barrel of his gun, and Jason tenses slightly, his hand now laying fully atop the gun at his waist. 

“Bird infestation,” Jason grumbles. “Gotta get this one to get rid of the other.” 

“Red Robin?” Dick calls out, jerking against the ropes that have his hands tied tightly behind the chair. “Is he okay?” 

“Jury’s still out on that one,” Jason mutters, and Tim crackles in his ears. 

“Hood, I don’t like these odds. I’m going to call for back up.” 

“No need, Replacement.” Jason drags a slow gaze back toward Dick, and though they disagree on 90% of things, they still, somehow, share this odd ability to communicate via look alone, and Dick gives a single nod to his silent question. “I have help.” 

“Jason-”

Jason slips both guns out from his holsters and stretches his arms out wide and open. “Let’s go, boys.” 

The next few seconds are loud, gun shots ringing out from every direction, and Jason feeds off the familair sound, adding into the mix with his rubber bullets that don’t miss. Dick, as he predicted, has broken the wooden chair he’s been tied to and has managed to wiggle his wrists free from the ropes. Jason covers him with one gun while targeting those running toward him with his other. 

The fight lasts a minute and forty-three seconds, with Jason and Dick ending on top, multiple unconsious men at their feet. 

“I’ve already notified Gotham PD,” Dick starts, rubbing at his wrists as he steps over a few bodies. “Where’s Tim? He was fighting outside, and one of these assholes broke my comm.” Dick’s tense, fear laced heavily in his voice, and Jason steadies his eyes into a sharp glare. 

“He’s back at my apartment, sick-” is all he manages out before Dick’s racing out of the boat house. “-as fuck, no thanks to you,” Jason finishes flatly to himself. He slips his bike keys from his pocket and starts out the door when he can hear sirens in the distance. 

***

Jason makes it back to his apartment a few seconds after Dick, and he’s making a very serious mental note to move far away when he slips through the open door to see Dick hovering over Tim, pressing a palm to his forehead, counting Tim’s pulse with his free hand. 

“Dick, I’m fine,” Tim whines, swatting at Dick’s hands, and Jason pulls his mask off and cocks his head to the side. 

“Spleenless, the flu is not ‘fine,’“ Jason gripes out, and Dick whips around to him, eyes wide, before dragging a quick gaze back to Tim.

“The flu? Tim, what the hell?” 

Frowning, Jason approaches the two, eyeing Tim dangerously. “You said he knew.” 

“I calculated a few scenarios,” Tim starts, coughing weakly. “I figured you’d be more likely to help Dick if you were pissed at him.” 

“What kind of fucking backwards logic-”

“-Dick!”

Jason’s unable to finish his thoughts when Dick drops to a knee in front of him, one hand curled tightly around his abdomen, his face pinched in pain. 

“Dick,” Tim presses again, shoving the laptop from his lap and leaning over the side of the couch to get a better look. “What’s wrong?” 

Jason’s seen some shit when it comes to this twisted family he can’t quite get out of, but he can truly say that he’s never seen Dick’s stoic composure crumble under the weight of injury, and his eyes grow wide all on their own, a lump building in his throat. 

“Nothing,” Dick grunts out around clenched teeth, his jaw a hard, sharp line, and Jason blinks around the muted grip of fear, groaning instead and pulling Dick to his feet despite Dick’s hiss of pain at his side. 

“Alright, Dickie Bird. Since my home is now apparently the house of the hurt and helpless, let’s look you over. One bird down in my apartment would be bad, but two? No fucking way.” 

He calls out for Tim to take some damn medicine as he drags Dick into the bathroom, pulling at Dick’s suit until the top half’s pulled down, revealing dark purple bruising littering Dick’s sides. 

“Your ribs?” Jason guesses, and Dick nods, swallowing back a moan of pain when Jason presses lightly on Dick’s sides. 

“Doesn’t seem broken, but we’ll wrap it just in case. I’m sure Alfred will personally kill me if I don’t.” Jason moves for his first aid kit, very much aware but choosing not to adress the hard eyes watching his every movement. 

“Jay-”

“I don’t want to hear it, D,” Jason says, snagging some large bandages he can wrap around Dick’s torso. 

“Thank you.” 

Jason groans loudly, crouching down to start wrapping Dick’s ribs. “I said I didn’t want to hear it. What’s up with you birds and your piss poor hearing?”

“I really didn’t know that Tim was sick. He seemed off, but he was insistent that we go and investigate the boat house. He said he had reason to believe they were smuggling drugs underneath the floorboards.” Dick hisses sharply when Jason tightens the bandages, promptly shutting him up. 

“I should have known that your mother hen instincts would have never let typhoid Timmy go out while sick.” 

Dick rolls his eyes around a wince, hand ghosting across the bandages when Jason stands up and backs away to critique his work. 

“Things just got a little out of hand.” 

“Clearly,” Jason says dryly, and Dick frowns deeply when he stands, the pain pulling at his sides hot and overwhelming. 

“I’ll call a cab-”

“-don’t,” Jason sighs loudly. “It’s late. You both can stay, but your asses are gone in the morning.”

The smile that spreads across Dick’s lips is blindingly familiar, and Jason finds he’s at ease with Dick’s boyish charm overcoming him once more. 

They slip out of the bathroom, and Jason starts to his room to get a change of clothes for Dick, pausing in the doorway to see Tim passed out on his bed, his breaths loud, congested. 

“I can move him to the couch,” Dick offers from behind him, and Jason only shakes his head silently, padding quietly into the room. “You both can sleep in here. He’s already infected my bed, anyway.” 

“You sure?” 

“Yes,” Jason sighs, only faintly aware of how many times he truly sighs whenever one of the damn birds is around. He shoves clean clothes into Dick’s arms before stalking around him to change his own clothes, maybe take a hot shower to chase away the lingering chill, and finally, hopefully, start his book. 

“Jay?” 

Jason stops, one foot already in the bathroom. “If you look at me with those stupid, puppy eyes and say ‘thank you’ one more fucking time, I’ll make sure your ribs actually break.” 

Dick smiles wide and holds a hand up in mock defense before he slips into the bedroom and nudges the door closed, and Jason shakes his head, his own breath of a smile flicking at the corners of his lips as he closes the door behind him. 

[mydisasteracademia]

Random Shigaraki Headcanons

This boi. This grubby boi. I love him so much but at the same time he would probably literally dust me so... (oof this one kinda dragged on and on... lol)

Literally has no idea about real-life relationship dynamics outside of what he’s observed in his own parents, in Sensei, and in Kurogiri. All he thinks in the beginning is that people who claim to love you will stand by and let you be hurt, that villains took care of him better than any damn hero, and that he can only truly rely on himself. (And Sensei.)

It takes a loooooooong time of interacting with other people to break himself out of this mindset, and even then, sometimes it comes creeping back if bad things happen.

Getting into canon territory with this one, but really, really, reeeeeeeeally hates heroes because they didn’t even bother to help him when he was going through a whole mental breakdown. Literally one of the only reasons he hates them so much. I know this is pretty much canon, but I doubt he would ever grasp Stain’s ideology of ‘maybe some are good’ because in his eyes, not even the underground pro heroes even bothered to see if he was okay. Remember the scene from the manga with the old lady when he was a child? Yeah. There were bound to be heroes he bumped into, even off-duty ones, and nobody even gave him another glance.

Has extremely bad abandonment issues. If he likes you, he’s gonna want to keep you because he didn’t really have anything nice to call his own while growing up, and Sensei kept him fairly isolated so he literally tolerates nobody else other than him and Kurogiri at first. Reacts horribly when his friends want to break off the friendship. Goes through a whole depressive episode for a while, his old insecurities pop back up, and he really thinks he’s worse than trash and not worth anyone’s time or attention for a while. Prime time for Sensei to further twist his mind.

On that same note, if you’re dating, for the love of everything still good in this world do not break his heart. He will never forgive you. Literally will go to the grave before he forgives you for doing what you did (whether it be cheating on him or completely dropping him like a hot potato). Although this might also extend to little issues that make him feel like you don’t love him enough, he’ll forgive you if you show him plenty of attention and apologize for whatever he was upset over. If you cannot remain patient through his toxic mindsets, it’s best not to get into a relationship in the first place with him if you want to still remain friends afterward, because breaking it off means instant heartbreak.

Anyway! Back to happier, funnier hcs!!

The whole embodiment of the “Wears black in summer because I look good and am willing to suffer” vine. Will not give up his comfy black shirt and sweats for anything because yes, he does look good in black, and yes, he is willing to suffer. He’ll switch to a v-neck tee though. Even he’s not that masochistic.

Really prone to dry skin. I know that’s canon, but just... this poor man can’t keep moisturized to save his own life. Constantly has to apply a special moisturizer that’s specifically made for ultra-sensitive skin and has no scents whatsoever.

Will gripe about having to spend so much money on ointment and moisturizer for both him and Dabi. It’s one of the very few things they bond over, other than having a shitty father and pushover family... and their hatred of All Might.

Shigaraki 100% would be Dabi’s alibi if he actually managed to kill Endeavor. When it comes to the shitty dad club, he’s a fuckin’ ride-or-die.

Kinda sensitive over the fact that both he and Midoriya have the same sort of red shoes, but he loves his pair too much to throw them out. Purposefully aims for Midoriya’s shoes every single time they meet each other on the off chance that they get ruined enough for him to get different shoes, unknowing that he literally can’t just... get differently-colored shoes due to him being originally Quirkless (yes, The Shoes™ theory strikes again)

Literally never forgets a single thing about people he cares about. He’s the type of person who will remember every single thing you tell him about yourself, and especially birthdays. While he doesn’t exactly show his affection very loudly, he would be the type of person who tell you “happy birthday” on the day of as soon as he first sees you, and would treat you a little nicer all day that day.

This boy just has the biggest, scarred heart for his ‘good crowd’. I cannot stress enough just how much like Midoriya he could’ve turned out if he hadn’t been abandoned by society. This mf would give the green bean a run for his motherfuckin money.

“I really just hate the world and everything in it... except for you, maybe I could make an exception for you because you’re nice to me and I appreciate your company too much”

Even though I hc quite a few League members to be like cats when it comes to affection, Shigaraki’s spirit animal is a cat. Likes to lounge about in off-moments, slow to affection and very quick to remember exactly how people treat him, yet if he likes you he shows affection quietly enough that it’s not obvious at first. Like “oh, you’re in the same room as me. It’s not like I missed you or anything, me sitting right next to you at the bar when it’s totally empty means nothing. The fact that I’m looking right at you when you’re talking doesn’t mean I like you.”

LOVES HUGS. If you hug him and he likes you, you’ve probably made his whole day. Depending on how things are going, probably his whole fucking week. Just please hug him, he needs positive affection so bad

Major tsun-tsun. The most tsun-tsun. Grumpy until you get to know him, and if he likes you he’ll show you in little ways: listening to your ideas more, letting you stay closer for longer, maybe getting you something like food.

AFRAID OF TOUCH. I REPEAT, AFRAID OF TOUCH. Not from anyone he likes, of course; this baby is so touch-starved that he deserves a thousand hugs. But if he likes you, he will not initiate physical affection because he’s so afraid of accidentally dusting you. The memories of his family dying (except for his father, because #FuckKotaro2k21) haunt him almost every time he dreams (and if that doesn’t, then other traumatizing events certainly do), and he absolutely would not forgive himself if he dusted his favorite League member/civilian.

Definitely likens the rest of the League to his MVPs after a while of knowing them. Knowing how he operates, it’s adorable.

Would begrudgingly let Toga play around with his hair. I can just see him sitting blank-faced, staring at the mirror as she talks about whatever while brushing and braiding it into a cute plait. He would be hesitant to undo her hard work afterward, no matter how much he grouches that it “ruins his boss vibe”.

The kind of person to go to McDonalds at 3 AM just because he was craving chicken nuggets and ranch. Yes, ranch. He’s an old-school mf who don’t got no time for no barbecue.

Gets really irritated over Toga mooning over Uraraka and Midoriya, but doesn’t stop her from talking about how much she wants to ‘be’ them. (Encourages homicide. Advises homicide. Spinner has to stop her from actually getting ready to commit homicide.)

Disgruntled™

G L O A T S about the time he took away Overhaul’s chance to use his Quirk. “Yeah, we would’ve been satisfied with Compress taking his left arm away to be petty, but then Overhaul had to be a sentient piece of dick cheese, and well, y’know I couldn’t let him get away with that”

It’s becoming a problem. The others have learnt to tune him out once he gets going. Compress just smiles under the mask when he remembers it. Nobody knows what he’s really thinking.

His damn crowning moment. His apex point. There’s no going further beyond that (until he finally defeats Midoriya and takes over Japan as the world’s most feared villain of all time).

“Shigaraki, I’mma let you finish, but AFO still holds the record for being the most infamous villain of all time! Of all time!” <-- let the boy dream okay, he’s been waiting for this moment his whole damn life

Can you tell that I’m still horribly salty over Overhaul being an ass? Because I’m still horribly salty over Overhaul being an ass

Chronic emo phase. Hears the G note and just sighs heavily

Has probably seen hentai. Doesn’t really get the appeal of high-pitched feminine screams. Probably more of a tiddy man than an ass man. Just... boobie

His first fictional crush was Aeris/Aerith. Legitimately lost his shit when she died.

Man Crush Monday is Sephiroth all the way. Especially his one-winged angel form. Wanted to cosplay him for Halloween but didn’t because the cosplay was too costly.

Will make “That’s what she said” jokes in the most deadpan voice. At least Mustard kinda snickers at them.

Probably would’ve been pretty patient with Eri. Her traumatic past certainly would’ve pitted her as a kindred spirit with him, and he would think her Quirk would be a powerful asset if used right. Probably would’ve practiced it by destroying something and then telling her to rewind it so that he can break it again.

Shigaraki, holding Eri by her armpits: “I’ve only had her for ten minutes but if anything happened to her I’d dust everyone in the room to make her feel better”

The rest of the League: “???????? Okay?????”

Legitimately holds a powerful grudge against parents who abuse or neglect their children, especially against abusive fathers. Almost as powerful as his hatred for All Might. Will actively go after someone he sees is abusive to their children and will not let them live.

Would probably adopt an orphan after killing their abusive parents. “Oh, that was your dad/mom/parent? Well guess you’re mine now. Let’s go get chicken nuggets, kid”

Might somehow rope Dabi into going abusive-parent-hunting with him during a raid. Takes great pleasure in seeing the guilty party’s horrified, pained look on their face as they slowly dissolve into a pile of ash.

[ashleyfanfic]

Ranking the Bridgerton Books

I've read all but one at least twice now, so I'm gonna give my ranking. 1. Romancing Mister Bridgerton - Colin and Penelope since the first time I saw them interact in the show, but their dynamic in the book I like just as much. You get snippets of them being around each other in the first books, but there is a pivotal scene in An Offer From A Gentleman that hurt me into my soul and I have never felt for someone as much as I felt for Penelope in that moment. And then in their book, you can see their friendship grow because as long as he's known her, it's taken him so long to see what everyone else already did. Penelope is amazing, even if she is hiding things from him. The scene in the carriage, but specifically their first time and Colin thinking that he wanted to make love to her in front of a mirror one day so she could see what he saw...lord. Also, Lady Danbury is phenomenal in this book. 2. This was really hard for me to decide which one I liked more, and the truth is, I actually read one of these books more than twice and that was The Viscount Who Loved Me. If you know anything about me, you know that I am a huge fan of Enemies to Lovers, and boy does this deliver on that. I love Kate. She's a whole lotta spitfire and just says things to Anthony that NO ONE else would say because she's adamant that her sister could do better. But then things shift and she sees him differently. The storm scene in the library cemented my love for Anthony Bridgerton. The "Oh Kate" KILLED ME. Dead. The Pall Mall game, which, I'm gonna be honest, if they don't give to us I will be FURIOUS! That shit was legit funny. But then there's the bee, the gazebo, Colin pissing off his brother. And the love story between Kate and Anthony and how these two idiots find love in one another is just *chef's kiss* 3. This was really hard because I loved this book so much. When He Was Wicked is the spiciest of all the books in my opinion. And it's because we start with Francesca being married. You don't see her wedding or courtship to her husband, John, in the other books, you just learn that she was married. And her relationship seems to be a good one. They love and care for each other. But that's not the story that's actually being told. We meet Michael Sterling (and if he's not played by Richard Madden I'll fucking burn the world down), a rogue, rake, an altogether scandalous man, and the cousin and close confidant of both John and Francesca. There's already a flirtation with Michael and Franny before John dies, but Michael would never act on it. Then he dies and both of their worlds are turned upside down. But it's when Michael returns from India and the two are being sought after by others that they're teetering on the edge of something. Michael knows his feelings but doesn't think he can betray his cousin like that, and Franny is just afraid of her feelings for Michael all together. But then there's their first kiss, and then Michael riding to fucking Scotland to seduce her into being his wife, which she doesn't agree to do right off. But the creme de la creme of this book, aside from Franny finally realizing her feelings, is the scene in the cabin when they get stuck in the rain. It's one of the women taking her sexual agency and fucking using it, and Michael is a more than willing participant. That scene was fucking hot. They also have a beautiful Epilogue if you want to read it.

4. To Sir Phillip With Love is a strange one for me. I love that Phillip and his weirdness appeals to Eloise, who I don't think would ever be content with an ordinary man. I could also see someone like Eloise being courted in such an unusual way as letters. What kind of puts me off about this is Phillip's treatment of his children. I get that he eventually catches a clue as to what's going on with them, but through most of the book, he doesn't even bother trying to be close to them. The best part of this book are 1) the brothers Bridgerton storming into their home and trying to pummel Phillip all while Eloise fights them for her man, and 2) the scene at My Cottage where Philip seduces Eloise.

5. While I think this book is the most unoriginal in terms of beginning and end, it's not a bad book throughout the middle. And I'm talking about An Offer From A Gentleman. This series actually shows that Step parents/Siblings aren't all bad, take a look at the Viscount and you get nothing but love between Mary, Kate, and Edwina. But this book goes with the wicked stepmother. Of course it does, it's ripping off Cinderella. The first chapter with the ball had me uninterested and it felt like a slog to get through, but once we get away from the Cinderella aspects and get to Sophie and Ben's actual story, I'm more into it. UNTIL Benedict decides that he's going to wear Sophie down about becoming his mistress. From book to show, Benedict is the most different in my opinion. I can't imagine that guy ever doing what book Ben does to Sophie. When he finally realizes who Sophie is, it's cathartic really. Because on the one had, she's known who he is the entire time, even knew he was looking for her, and said nothing about it. I do love Violet in this book. I love their scenes at My Cottage and I love the idea of a Colin Firth type scene for our Benedict, but the rest of it left me very underwhelmed.

6. It's In His Kiss was cute enough, but my problem with this one is that Hyacinth is in all of the other books as a pesky younger sister, a girl if you will. So, it's really difficult for me to wrap my head around her being a grown woman at this time. And it would take a special man to handle her. Gareth is that man. I love the scenes with Lady Danbury. She shines everywhere she goes, though. I don't know, I just didn't feel this one and I guess it's because seeing Hyacinth grown is weird to me.

7. The Duke and I. If you've seen the show you've read the book, I feel. This book had so much promise until THAT scene. Like, I get it, you're mad about being lied to, but the man was drunk and Daphne took advantage of that. It caused him to start stuttering again, it was so damaging. And she wasn't sorry. I guess that's my real gripe. She wasn't apologetic about what she did. This is the only book I read once.

8. On the Way to the Wedding felt like a lesser version of the Viscount. Gregory wanting Hermione, but having to go through Lucy to get to her... I read this story before and it was done much better. Not that I dislike Gregory or Lucy. I don't. I just don't find either of them as compelling as Anthony or Kate. I don't have a lot of thoughts about this one because once I hit the wedding I was like "I just want to be done with it already". Maybe it was burnout. I don't know. Perhaps if I start with this one instead of saving it for last I'll have a better opinion.

[qqueenofhades]

I really don’t want to start a discourse™, but I want you to know that I really appreciate how you write joe and Nicky in deo volente. So many of the fics I’ve read have placed yusef in the role of more sexually experienced and less devoted to god, while Nicky is depicted as an inexperienced and virginal priest/knight/monk and so forth and so on. Your narrative of joe out there rescuing people and being faithful, while Nicky looks back on his life of gambling and pleasures of the flesh ...(1/?)

Not to say that there’s anything wrong with either, obviously. I love guilty priest Nicky and repressed Nicky and p much every Nicky. But in the vast array of fics out there, it’s rare to see the opposite. Not that you’re working in a binary morally good/religious vs. not way. Your writing in the fic is really subtle and and your characterizations reveal a lot of depth. I just think it’s cool to see Nicky, average second son of a duke, drinking and gambling and feeling terribly guilty (2/?)

Guilty about the crusades and the fucking horror of crusade 1 without being excessively devout. Just an average dude. Not some paragon of virtue (btw, I’m on chapter 2 of the fic, so I don’t know how much your characterization changes moving forward. You have a lovely ability to combine your incredible knowledge of history, your beautiful writing, and these intimate details of the characters that make them fit— fit the canon and fit the history. (3/? Shit I’m sorry this had gotten way too long)

I enjoy the way you’ve really inserted us into the quotidian aspect of history. Aaaaaanyway— the discourse that I was afraid of: I think that a lot of fans of the movie that are generating fan content (tysfm to all of you beauties, btw 🙏🙏♥️) are westerners (which is a whole nother kettle of fish) and that carries a sort of ignorance about the Muslim world in the Middle Ages and this desire to simplify Europe as “Christian” “fighters for faith” etc. (4/? Fuuuuck. One(??) more)

And when we do that, we end up as characterizing the brown people as “not that”. The thing I love about this fandom is that people are definitely down on the crusades. I feel like all the fic I’ve read has been particularly negative about those wars, but the thing I love about your fic is that you don’t just say war is bad because people died and it was despicable and this pious white dude says so and this one brown person agrees. (5/6, I see the end in sight I swear it)

Instead you give us a larger cast of Muslims and Arabs and really flesh them out and give them opinions and different interpretations of faith, and I really appreciate that. The crusades were terrible, and we know this because these regular dudes who struggle with their different faiths and lives say so. And I just. I think that’s really great. Also, I fucking love yusef’s mom. I feel like more people would be accepting of the gift in this fashion and I think she’s lovely and (god damn it 6/7)

Aaaaaaaand. The bit where yusef returns and she’s already gone breaks my fucking heart. Also the moment where he’s like “I’m not sure about Abraham’s god, but my mothers god is worth my faith”?? Just really fucking great. So. Excellent fic. Excellent characters. Excellent not-being-accidentally-biased-towards-white-Christians. That is what I came here to say. Thank you so much for your amazing stories. I love them and I love history. Sorry about the rambling. idek how I wrote so much. (7/7)

Epilogue: tl;dr: you’re great.

Oh man! What a huge and thoughtful comment (which will in turn provoke a long-ass response from me, so…) I absolutely agree that no matter what fandom, I don’t do Discourse TM; I just sit in my bubble and stay in my lane and do my own thing and create content I enjoy. And I don’t even think this is that so much as just… general commentary on character and background? So obviously all of this should be read as my own personal experience and choices in writing DVLA, and that alone. I really appreciate you for saying that you love a wide range of fan creators/fanworks and you’re not placing one over another, you understand that fans have diverse ranges of backgrounds/experience with history and other cultures when they create content, and that’s not the same for everyone. So I just think that’s a great and respectful way to start things off.

First, as a professional historian who has written a literal PhD thesis on the crusades, I absolutely understand that many people (and regular fans) will not have the same privilege/education/perspective that I do, and that’s fine! They should not be expected to get multiple advanced degrees to enjoy a Netflix movie! But since I DO have that background, and since I’ve been working on the intellectual genealogy of the crusades (and the associated Christian/Muslim component, whether racially or religiously) since I was a master’s student, I have a lot of academic training and personal feelings that inform how I write these characters. Aside from my research on all this, my sister lives in an Islamic country and her boyfriend is a Muslim man; I’ve known a lot of Muslims and Middle Easterners; and especially with the current political climate of Islamophobia and the reckoning with racism whether in reality or fandom, I have been thinking about all this a lot, and my impact on such.

Basically: I love Nicky dearly, but I ADORE Joe, and as such, I’m protective of him and certainly very mindful of how I write him. Especially when the obvious default for westerners in general, fandom-related or otherwise, is to write what you are familiar with (i.e. the European Christian white character) and be either less comfortable or less confident or sometimes less thoughtful about his opposing number. I have at times tangentially stumbled across takes on Joe that turn me into the “eeeeeeeh” emoji or Dubious Chrissy Teigen, but I honestly couldn’t tell you anything else about them because I was like, “nope not for me” and went elsewhere rather than do Discourse (which is pretty much a waste of time everywhere and always makes people feel bad). This is why I’m always selective about my fan content, but especially so with this ship, because I have SO much field-specific knowledge that I just have to make what I like and which suits my personal tastes. So that is what I do.

Obviously, there’s a troublesome history with the trope of “sexually liberate brown person seduces virginal white character into a world of Fleshly Decadence,” whether from the medieval correlation of “sodomite” and “Saracen,” or the nineteenth-century Orientalist depictions of the East as a land variously childishly simplistic, societally backward, darkly mysterious and Exotic, or “decadent” (read: code for sexually unlike Western Europe, including the spectrum of queer acts). So when I was writing DVLA, I absolutely did not want to do that and it’s not to my taste, but I’m not going to whip out a red pen on someone else writing a story that broadly follows those parameters (because as I said, I stay in my lane and don’t see it anyway). Joe to me is just such an intensely complex and lovely Muslim character that that’s the only way I feel like I can honestly write him, and I absolutely love that about him. So yeah, any depiction of hypersexualizing him or making him only available for the sexual use and education of the white character(s) is just... mmm, not for me.

For example, I stressed over whether it was appropriate to move his origin from “somewhere in the Maghreb” to Cairo specifically, since Egypt, while it IS in North Africa, is not technically part of the Maghreb. I realize that Marwan Kenzari’s family is Tunisian and that’s probably why they chose it, to honor the actor’s heritage, but on the flip side… “al-Kaysani” is also a specifically Ismai’li Shia name (it’s the name of a branch of it) and the Fatimids (the ruling dynasty in Jerusalem at the time of the First Crusade) were well-known for being the only Ismai’li Shia caliphate. (This is why the Shi’ites still ancestrally dislike Saladin for overthrowing it in 1174, even if Saladin is a huge hero to the rest of the Islamic world.) Plus I really wanted to use medieval Cairo as Joe’s homeland, and it just made more sense for an Ismai’li Shia Fatimid from Cairo (i.e. the actual Muslim denomination and caliphate that controlled Jerusalem) to be defending the Holy City because it was personal for him, rather than a Sunni Zirid from Ifriqiya just kind of turning up there. Especially due to the intense fragmentation and disorganization in the Islamic world at the time of the First Crusade (which was a big part of the reason it succeeded) and since the Zirids were a breakaway group from the Fatimids and therefore not very likely to be militarily allied with them. As with my personal gripes about Nicky being a priest, I decided to make that change because I felt, as a historian, that it made more sense for the character. But I SUPER recognize it as my own choices and tweaks, and obviously I’m not about to complain at anyone for writing what’s in graphic novel/bonus content canon!

That ties, however, into the fact that Nicky has a clearly defined city/region of origin (Genoa, which has a distinct history, culture, and tradition of crusading) and Joe is just said to be from “the Maghreb” which…. is obviously huge. (I.e. anywhere in North Africa west of Egypt all the way to Morocco.) And this isn’t a fandom thing, but from the official creators/writers of the comics and the movie. And I’m over here like: okay, which country? Which city? Which denomination of Islam? You’ve given him a Shia name but then point him to an origin in Sunni Ifriqiya. If he’s from there, why has he gone thousands of miles to Jerusalem in the middle of a dangerous war to help his religious/political rivals defend their territory? Just because he’s nice? Because it was an accident? Why is his motivation or reason for being there any less defined or any less religious (inasmuch as DVLA Nicky’s motive for being on the First Crusade is religious at all, which is not very) than the white character’s? In a sense, the Christians are the ones who have to work a lot harder to justify their presence in the Middle East in the eleventh century at all: the First Crusade was a specifically military and offensive invasion launched at the direct behest of the leader of the Western Roman church (Pope Urban II.) So the idea that they’re “fighting for the faith” or defending it bravely is…

Eeeeh. (Insert Dubious Chrissy Teigen.)

But of course, nobody teaches medieval history to anyone in America (except for Bad Game of Thrones History Tee Em), and they sure as hell don’t teach about the crusades (except for the Religious Violence Bad highlight reel) so people don’t KNOW about these things, and I wish they DID know, and that’s why I’m over here trying to be an academic so I can help them LEARN it, and I get very passionate about it. So once again, I entirely don’t blame people who have acquired this distorted cultural impression of the crusades and don’t want to do a book’s worth of research to write a fic about a Netflix movie. I do hope that they take the initiative to learn more about it because they’re interested and want to know more, since by nature the pairing involves a lot of complex religious, racial, and cultural dynamics that need to be handled thoughtfully, even if you don’t know everything about it. So like, basically all I want is for the Muslim character(s) to be given the same level of respect, attention to detail, background story, family context, and religious diversity as any of the white characters, and Imma do it myself if I have to. Dammit.

(I’m really excited to hear your thoughts on the second half of the fic, especially chapter 3 and chapter 6, but definitely all of it, since I think the characters they’re established as in the early part of the fic do remain true to themselves and both grow and struggle and go through a realistic journey with their faith over their very long lives, and it’s one of my favorite themes about DVLA.)

Anyway, about Nicky. I also made the specific choice to have him be an average guy, the ordinary second son of a nobleman who doesn’t really know what he’s doing with his life and isn’t the mouthpiece of Moral Virtue in the story, since as he himself realizes pretty quick, the crusades and especially the sack/massacre of Jerusalem are actually horrific. I’ve written in various posts about my nitpicking gripes with him being a priest, so he’s not, and as I said, I’m definitely avoiding any scenario where he has to Learn About The World from Joe. That is because I want to make the point that the people on the crusades were people, and they went for a lot of different reasons, not all of which were intense personal religious belief. The crusades were an institution and operated institutionally. Even on the First Crusade, where there were a lot of ordinary people who went because of sincere religious belief, there was the usual bad behavior by soldiers and secular noblemen and people who just went because it was the thing to do. James Brundage has an article about prostitution and miscegenation and other sexual activity on the First Crusade; even at the height of this first and holy expedition, it was happening. So Nicky obviously isn’t going to be the moral exemplar because a) the crusades are horrific, he himself realizes that, and b) it’s just as historically accurate that he wouldn’t be anyway. Since the idea is that medieval crusaders were all just zealots and ergo Not Like Us is dangerous, I didn’t want to do that either. If we think they all went because they were all personally fervent Catholics and thus clearly we couldn’t do the same, then we miss a lot of our own behavior and our parallel (and troubling) decisions, and yeah.

As well, I made a deliberate choice to have Nicky’s kindness (which I LOVE about him, it’s one of my favorite things, god how refreshing to have that be one of the central tenets of a male warrior character) not to be something that was just… always there and he was Meek and Good because a priest or whatever else. Especially as I’ve gotten older and we’ve all been living through these ridiculous hellyears (2020 is the worst, but it’s all been general shit for a while), I’ve thought more and more about how kindness is an active CHOICE and it’s as transgressive as anything else you can do and a whole lot more brave than just cynicism and nihilism and despair. As you’ll see in the second half of the fic, Nicky (and Joe) have been through some truly devastating things and it might be understandable if they gave into despair, but they DON’T. They choose to continue to be good people and to try and to actively BE kind, rather than it being some passive default setting. They struggle with it and it’s raw and painful and they’re not always saints, but they always come down on the side of wanting to keep doing what they’re doing, and I… have feelings about that.

Anyway, this is already SUPER long, so I’ll call it quits for now. But thank you so much for this, because I love these characters and I love the story I created for them in DVLA, since all this is personal to me in a lot of ways, and I’m so glad you picked up on that.