#to show his devotion to aida)

[eslanes]

Storytelling Secret Saturday Sunday

@havenroyals tagged me in a super cute post to share some juicy story-related secrets. So, for anyone interested, here are some A Devil Between Us lore straight from my brain:

(side note, I will finish the story if it's the last thing I do! There's literally only the ending left and I hate the idea of pouring years into it only to leave it unfinished!)

I put this all under a cut as it got way lengthier than I anticipated! Considering how friggin long the story is I tried to keep it fairly brief (I failed but anyway)

Tillie was supposed to get more screen time, mostly in Prodigal Daughter (ch.4). She hasn't really been seen much since her romance/marriage to Airdan. Nothing overly exciting, but a few cut scenes with Sky but mainly Kyra (we'll get further into that). Also cut was at least one scene showing Tillie and Airdan in wedded bliss. There will be a cute scene with them in the epilogue though!

Zander was also supposed to get wayyy more backstory, but I ended up cutting a lot with him, for the sake of time/trying to stay focused on the main storyline, especially as it was nearing the end. In the first couple chapters, there are several references to his difficult childhood, complicated family dynamics and the resulting impact on his mental health etc. There's a scene in Devotion (ch.3) where we see him cutting while dealing with the aftermath of Aida disappearing/skipping town. At this point in the story he has not-so-secret feelings for her and relapses as a result of this loss. I don't think there are any other mentions of this after Tillie finds out and. I also cut pretty much everything in relation to his relationship with Kyra (again will get into this more), other than they're together and very happy. Them getting together wasn't even a planned thing, but it was a good decision because they are cute AF together. There will also be a sweet epilogue scene with them at least. One last point, a while back I did a Faelern family tree post, I'm thinking I'll do one for Zander for context at the very least.

Amazing, awesome, gorgeous Kyra. To say I did her dirty is an understatement. She initially appeared as Aida's doctor in Tender Prey (ch.2). I had so many plans to flesh her out but, like many Tillie and Zander scenes (she was supposed to be properly introduced in Devotion (ch.3) as Tillie's acquaintance turned friend) they were cut purely in the interest of time/focus. She's a great character and I love her so much but I definitely fumbled her. It sticks out to me even more considering she's the only black character (will touch on this a little more). I don't even think I mentioned the fact that in her spare time she writes smutty novels under a pen name 😭 she will get a moment to shine and a sweet epilogue post but still. I'm so sorry Kyra!

Sky was always meant to be bisexual. Another thing I meant to touch on a bit but ended up on the cutting room floor, so to speak. I have regrets.

I definitely wish I did better with representation. I did my best with my knowledge at the time of starting the story/introducing the characters, but as a learning, growing individual there are things I wish I did a better job with now. Namely Kyra being cast aside as a minor character, definitely not intentional but I have big regrets here (not because of her race obviously but I hate the thought of a successful, intelligent black woman not being given enough screen time as she's so awesome and was meant to be seen a lot more, especially considering she's the only black character). Not to say I didn't try to include a variety of ethnicities/cultures in the story (Sky and Diego are both Latinx, Airdan is of Persian descent, Faelern is half Lakota though I think when I made him in CAS in 2014 I based his features on those of Cree peoples). But like Kole was meant to have Asian ancestry (where???) so I definitely did him dirty. During one of his more recent makeovers I did give him a new eye overlay but it definitely doesn't fix this glaring issue. Anyway, at the very least I can say I've learned a lot and can identify ways to do better in this area. Growth is good.

Speaking of Kole, it's very obviously alluded to the fact that he and Aida start sleeping together after Jace ends his relationship with her. I was gonna include a NSFW scene but cut it because it was too depressing. It's already blatant that she's in a very destructive downward spiral at this point.

Finally, I've been back and forth on this over the years but I decided I do not regret the copious amount of graphic sex/violence featured throughout the story. When I was first putting it together in 2015 simblr stories were the equivalent of the Wild West, the large amount of stuff I distinctly remember being written about (often with not a trigger warning in sight) would probably not fly today (I can think of two off the top of my head that included assaults on minors that even I found very disturbing). I definitely noticed a shift after the Great Titty Ban of 2018. I totally get being sensitive regarding triggers/trigger warnings and ensuring that minors aren't exposed to shit they shouldn't be. That being said, I do think there's a balance. For me personally, my blog is intended for adult audiences and is labeled as such. And, like other media that features graphic/disturbing elements, I think it moreso depends on how things are handled. While the story features some very heavy/disturbing topics (kidnapping, murder, sexual assault etc etc), in retrospect I think I did a decent job of being deliberate with these elements. Each dark/disturbing scene is intended to be just that, and treated with appropriate gravity. While I recognize that this is not everyone's cup of tea, I have no regrets. As for the non-disturbing sex scenes, what can I say, I love a bit of smut lol.

If you made it to this point, congratulations (and thank you for reading!)

[lightup0nlight]

🌺 ❛And [remember] when the angels said: O Maryam! Verily, Allah has chosen you, purified you, and chosen you above the women of the ‘Alamin (mankind and jinn) [of her lifetime].❜ 【Surah Ali ‘Imran 3:42】

Maryam, may Allah be pleased with her, was the best woman of her time. In the Qur’an, she is never mentioned as “Maryam, the mother of Prophet Isa ‘alayhis-salaam’ (although she is mentioned as “Maryam, the daughter of Imran” in Surah at-Tahrim 66:12). One of the wisdoms behind this is to show that her greatness is not necessarily tied to Prophet Isa. She was great because of who she was — a woman who perfected her imaan, who was so devoted to her ‘ibaadah, who had such a strong level of tawakkul on Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala. And she was a prime example of modesty for both women and men.

Every time Prophet Zakariyya 'alayhis-salaam visited Maryam, he would find her supplied with fruits. So he asked Maryam — where did she get them from? Maryam said:

🌺 ❛This is from Allah. Verily, Allah provides sustenance to whom He wills, without limit.❜ 【Surah Ali ‘Imran 3:37】

This event showcases the beautiful akhlaaq of Maryam. She was a righteous and beloved servant of Allah, a non-Prophet who received Allah’s miracles in the form of sustenance. But she did not feel self-entitled, didn’t claim to have a special relationship with Allah, didn’t boast about the miracles that Allah gave her.

Instead, she responded to Prophet Zakariyya that Allah gives to whomever He wants — so ask Him. This was a beneficial advice given to Prophet Zakariyya, who wanted a child. So he immediately made du’a to Allah, and Allah answered his du’a by granting him an offspring — Prophet Yahya ‘alayhis-salaam.

But we often see the opposite. Most people, the more successful they are, the more they feel they’re better than others; that Allah prefers them more; the more they feel stingy from sharing those blessings or that knowledge.

However Maryam, in that short sentence of hers, taught us that the more Allah gives, the more we should be reminded to be humble. Everything we own comes from Ar-Razzaq, Who gives to whomever He wishes.

May Allah bless us with strong imaan, unwavering tawakkul, and husnul-khuluq so that we may reach a praiseworthy station in the Sight of Allah.

Your sister in Deen, Aida Msr ©

[tof-writings]

Sorry if it's too much..but Zeke with sfw alphabet?

Zeke SFW Alphabet

An: ZEKE!!! BEST BOY!! I LOVE HIM!! YES!! If you want Zeke from the trailer which we see like a second of him..(it'll be like a reunion and all) re send the ask and I'll do it!!

A = FFECTION [How affectionate are they? How do they show affection? Do they enjoy PDA?]

Zeke would be a bit affectionate, but in his own way! He'd make sure you're fine after battles and patch you up if you aren't! He's not much on PDA.. probably when you two are alone he'd be more affectionate.

B = EAUTY [What is their favorite part of their partner. Body part, trait, anything?]

His favorite thing of his S/O? Either their eyes, smile, or just their voice. He probably loves to listen to you talk (unless it's not nonsense/hj) and just to look into your eyes..and make a small smile whenever he sees you smile so happily!!

C = OMFORT [How do they comfort their partner? Ex. after a panic attack or bad dream?]

This man would try and comfort you, but knows personal boundaries and won't push them. He is respectful of you!! He would help and be gentle, but he'd also be a bit confused. (Idk..either he doesn't know..or he somehow does from taking care of Shirli?)

D = EVOTED [How devoted are they in a relationship?]

He is pretty devoted. He would be loyal and can be a really in love guy, he just doesn't show it. He is awestruck from you!!

E = NDING [If they had to break up with their partner, how would they do it?]

Oh nooo..how he would do it? He would probably go somewhere nice, maybe the outskirts of Astra Shelter and have a few nice seconds and minutes together..before absolutely breaking his and your heart. He would be pretty quiet.

"..I'm sorry, Wanderer. I just feel like it's right. This is my goodbye, and my wishes for you to find someone better."

F = UTURE [What is their ideal future with an s/o? Marriage? How would they be domesticly?]

After all this Heirs of Aida and Shirli is saved, he would probably want to have a break, hang out with you.. probably get married with you! He would smile a few times when he does, and behind the scenes, Nemesis is trying to calm down a bawling Zeke.

G = ENTLE [How gentle are they, both physically and emotionally?]

Zeke is probably really gentle! He might have some rough edges, but he's fine! If you see is model..he has his abs showing..(omg he's so fine) so he'd probably be a bit strong. mentally? He would be gentle, probably saying stuff more gently to you and feeling he isn't Astra Shelter's leader and he can calm down for a few..

H = UGS [Do they like hugs? How often do they do it? What are their hugs like?]

His hugs are pretty strong, but is caring! He would hug as goodbye if he has to do something away from you, or he missed you after you went somewhere. He does it in times when you need to separate from each other or when he knows something might happen.

I = NTUNE [How intune are they with their s/o's emotions? Can they read their s/o well?]

He probably could tell your emotions. He notices small details! (Good or bad..) He can tell the small scrunch of your eyebrow, and the twitch of your lip. He is quite all knowing at small details.

J = EALOUSY [How jealous do they get? What do they do when they’re jealous?]

I feel he won't get too jealous. He would get a bit tense if someone tries to flirt with you. People probably know about your relationship, or not, so they might know to back off because..who wouldn't be intimidated by a towering man with red eyes and muscles??

K = ISSES [Good kisser? Where do they like to kiss you? Where do they like to be kissed?]

This man probably is good at kissing, but most times it's like a quick peck. He loves to kiss you on your lips though. For where he'd like to be kissed? Probably also on the lips, or his cheek. (Extra: if it's like a almost suicide mission, he'd probably get so scared..poor baby,, and would 100% kiss you so deeply that it'll make you loose your breath, he just was so scared!! :( )

L = LOVE LANGUAGE [What is their love language? Gift giving? Quality time?]

Love language of his? Probably quality time! He just likes to be near you, it makes him feel calm knowing you're right there and you aren't gone.

M = MEMORIES [What are their favorite memories with their s/o or family?]

Some favorite memories? If you and Shirli are close, probably watching you and Shirli just have fun together, running around and making boring tasks fun! Another favorite? Probably seeing you were waiting for him, and you fell asleep. You looked so peaceful, and he couldn't help but smile.

N = ICKNAMES [What do they call their partner?]

He wouldn't really use nicknames, mostly your name. Rarely he might use dear, love, or my (name).

O = PEN [When would they start revealing things about themselves? Do they say everything all at once or wait a while to reveal things slowly?]

He slowly reveals it. If you do the main quest, if I remember quickly he tells you pieces of it? (SCREW SHORT TERM MEMORY LOSS..I WANNA REMEMBER MY BBG ZEKE)

P = ATIENCE [How easily angered are they?]

He's patient, but also can get angry a bit fast if you say something specific, or too close to home.

Q = UALITY TIME [How would they spend time with a partner? What are dates like?]

He'd love to just be in your presence, even if you two do different things. He would be sweet with dates, bringing you around simple places, walking around Astra, so and so.

R = ANDOM HEADCANON

He probably would love to do your hair. He seems like the best at doing it. If you do his hair? He might keep it in for a bit, but he might get slightly embarrassed and take it down.

S = ECURITY [How protective are they?]

He's protective, but not in an overbearing way. He will protect you in fights. Do you see those cutscenes where he fights!? Bro is majestic..(except when he was a follower..bbg missed so many times..)

T = TINY ONES [How do they feel about kids? How would they act with kids?]

He probably has a soft side to them, reminding him of Shirli when she was young.

U = UPSET [How do they act after a fight? Would they be the first to apologize?]

He would be a bit tense and would be stiff with his words. He wouldn't really apologize first, mostly going for a walk and clearing his head. After that, he would apologize. He doesn't want to hold grudges with you at all.

V = ALUE [How important is the relationship to them? What is it’s worth in comparison to other things in their life?]

This relationship to them is important! But also he wouldn't like it sometimes because the tradition of killing someone close to you if they're becoming an aberrant..he dealt with Shirli becoming Nemesis..he would probably try his damnest to save you too, though. It's pretty strong, he loves you dearly, and you are at a tie with Shirli on how important you are to him. (I really feel like we would be #1 but.. Atlas..)

W = HOLE [Would they feel incomplete without you? What is their worst fear, what causes a hole in their heart?]

He would 100% feel incomplete. He just feels something missing without you, like everything is so bland. His worst fear? Having to kill you if you fall into aberrant hands. He gets so scared, that you shouldn't be surprised if you see him coming over, saying he just wants to see you..you always know he thought of that, and you reassure him. (Man almost died from something every wanderer has dealt with..like wanderer has been through hell and back and he almost DIES from one hit..sorry bbg)

X = XENOS [What is something about them that is strange? Something that most wouldn't like]

He always has a blank face most time. He never really shows much emotion. His voice is nice, but it doesn't show much emotion also. You need to study every detail of him to find stuff about him.

Y = ANK [What do they do that makes their partner mad? That makes one wanna yank they ass?]

In the main quest..(SPOILER) in Warren snowfield..bbg was hurt and you told him to stay, and he still went??! HE DOESN'T LISTEN MUCH IF IT INCLUDES SHIRLI, HE WILL 100% RISK HIS LIFE TO SAVE SHIRLI..(AND YOU!!)

Z = ZZZ [What are their sleeping habits? Do they snore? Is the schedule fucked up?]

Sleeping habits..he overworks himself sometimes, but he sleeps at a schedule. he snores sometimes whenever he knows it's safe, showing he is relaxed. He probably sleeps on his back or something.

[abookishdreamer]

Character Intro: Matikós (Kingdom of Ichor)

Nicknames- The Ringmaster by the people of Olympius

Father by Thespios

Darling by his boyfriend

Age- 45 (immortal)

Location- Mania district, New Olympus

Personality- With a true love & devotion to theatrics and the arts, he has the personality to match- loud, bombastic, & over-the-top! He loves putting on a show, thriving on the applause of the audience. He's gay and is in a relationship.

He has the standard abilities of a god. As the god of performance his other powers/abilities include having an audiographic memory, elasticity, limited pyrokinesis, fire immunity, smoke generation/manipulation, character imitation, performance art mastery, circus mastery, being able to control/manipulate stage lights, & the ability of omnitone (is able to generate sounds in any pitch or tone).

Matikós is a single father. He has one child- a son Thespios (god of acting).

He and his son live on the top floor of The Tauros Building, a luxury high rise apartment building located in the Mania neighborhood of New Olympus. One of his good friends Rhapso (goddess of sewing) helped with the interior design. Inside the color scheme is gold, black, dark violet, & bright carnelian red. On all of the windows hang gold trimmed velvet curtains while most of the flooring is black velvet carpeting. The living room has leather & velvet furniture, Victorian inspired furniture pieces, as well as a crystal and diamond chandelier. The kitchen has an Imperial Gold popcorn machine, a gift from Zeus (god of the sky, thunder, & lightning). In Matikós' bedroom there's the latest iCHOR Tech smart flat screen TV, burgundy velvet carpeting, a dark mahogany four poster bed, decorative masquerade masks on the walls, & an Imperial Gold grandfather's clock.

Matikós and his son are dragonriders! Thespios' companion is a she-dragon named Ravenshade while Matikós' companion is a dragon named Anguis. The dragon has a serpentine body with speckled gold & dark red wings, gold horns, claws, and crests, & shimmering black scales. Anguis is often Matikós' primary mode of transportation as well as a featured act in the shows.

He's fluent in Latin, French, & Minoan.

Matikós starts off his mornings with an hour of stretching, meditation, and yoga.

He has a "no screen rule" implemented in the apartment for him, his son, & guests. No TV or phones while eating at the dinner table, giving the opportunity for undistracted conversations.

A typical breakfast for him is a homemade blackberry açaí smoothie bowl topped with fresh blackberries, unsweetened shredded coconut, chia seeds, & toasted pumpkin seeds. He's also fond of scrambled eggs (added with mushrooms, parsley, & peppers), Golly Grains caramel curls cereal, sliced papaya and mango (garnished with cayenne pepper & lime salt), and pao de queso- spread with butter.

Matikós always knew that he wanted to be a father. He went back and forth with the idea of adoption before finally settling on surrogacy. He came into contact with his son's eventual biological mother- a free-spirited & feisty maenad named Aida when he traveled to Thebes for the Dionysia holiday. They quickly bonded over their mutual love for wine and the performing arts. A few weeks later, the official process began. Matikós was Aida's birthing coach & was present in the delivery room during his son's birth. She even breastfed the baby for a few weeks before returning home. He and Aida remained in touch, mainly through phone calls & she would send breastmilk for the baby. Matikós even sent her photos of Thespios throughout his childhood. There are plans for his son to take a vacation to Thebes- where Thespios will stay with Aida and her girlfriend.

A go-to drink for him is a daiquiri. He also likes champagne, rum punch, p*rn star cocktails, red wine, manhattans, chocolate martinis, New Olympus Iced Teas, cuban almond cigar cocktails, a sex on the beach, red brandy sunsets, and cubatas. Usuals from Tne Roasted Bean includes a large iced tea & an olympian sized double chocolate chip creme frappuccino. He likes to make his own espressos and cappuccinos at home.

Outside his profession, he's very talented in interpretive & ballroom dancing.

Matikós and his son have a close relationship. He thought it was important to nuture and cultivate Thespios' interest in the performing arts. Every week they venture into the city to check out the latest film, play, musical, or opera. They also enjoy riding their dragons together! They really enjoyed traveling to the Underworld for the premier of the film Blooddancer- written & directed by Keres (goddess of violent death).

When he works out, he loves listening to classical music.

In the past he was a recreational user of lotus dust, mushrooms, as well as MDMA. Matikós stopped when it was confirmed that Aida was pregnant.

The peach & burrata caprese salad (topped with candied pecans & extra spicy honey dressing) is his favorite thing to get from The Bread Box.

He loves snacking on gourmet caramel honey popcorn.

Matikós income comes from his businesses- his burlesque lounge (located in the Skyline neighborhood) called Enchanté & his adult -centered circus called Mirage Menagerie. The circus is based in the city too (as he doesn't want to be far from his son)- having the realm's best performers of jugglers, clowns, acrobats, contortionists, knife throwers, tight rope walkers, stuntbeings, & fire eaters! Notable acts include the strength routine performed by conjoined twin cyclopes named Baron and Cosmo, the giantess Fantasia, & the nude painting duo (lotus eaters named Naima and Aster). There has been a MAJOR new development in Matikós' career. He's been offered a year long residency with his performing circus at Acropolis Square Garden. He's still thinking about the offer.

Two of his most guilty pleasures are black olive & green pepper sicilian pizza and steamed lobster tails with lots of garlic butter!

His best friend in the entire pantheon is Felis (Titaness of cats). Matikós loves flying to Arcadia to see her and he made her Thespios' noná. They tell each other stuff that they don't share with anyone else, like Felis' growing feelings towards Koros (god of surfeit & disdain). On a night out, they love scouting the newest & hottest nighclub! Matikós is also good friends with Philotes (goddess of sex, friendship, & affection), Kósmima (goddess of adornment), Apólafsi (god of enjoyment), Sponde (goddess of libations), Záchari (god of confectionery), Anatole (goddess of sunrise), Panigýri (goddess of festivals), Mousika (goddess of studying & music), Kéfi (goddess of mirth), Sardo (one of The Nesoi), Lyrikós (Titaness of voice & song), Epimetheus (Titan god of afterthought), and Priapus (god of fertility, vegetable gardens, livestock, sexuality, & masculinity).

Outside the pantheon he's good friends with one of the burlesque dancers at Enchanté- a siren named Myria.

Matikós officially mentored Melpomene (muse of tragedy).

His favorite frozen treat is pink lotus ice cream. There's an ice cream shop in the Chant du Cygne neighborhood that sells the flavor.

For the past decade, he's been in a committed relationship with a satyr named Silvano. Silvano plays the trumpet in a jazz band called The Gold Note Band. They first met at Yrgó Veloúdo- the smoking room/bar owned by Agathodaemon (Daemon) (god of vineyards, grainfields, & luck). Matikós was there with Felis while the band had a scheduled performance there. Under Felis' teasing & three glasses of red wine, he walked up to the handsome trumpet player, asking him for his number. The attraction was immediate and mutual with their first date being at a jazz club in the Lunar neighborhood of New Olympus. Matikós loves everything about Silvano- his full lips, his adorably chubby belly, his curved brown horns, & his mesmerizing hooded olive green eyes. He equally loves his boyfriend's family- with the two of them visiting Silvano's family in Athens.

He's not a musical snob, listening to a bit of everything. At the apartment, he has an extensive collection of vinyl records.

Matikós was Lyrikós' plus one at the Golden Laurel Awards where she performed with her daughter Aoide (goddess of voice & song).

He likes the jars of pickled peppers and homemade salsa Priapus gifts to him.

Matikós loves hosting dinner parties at the apartment. He and his guests are dedicated charades players!

He was gifted a pair of black velvet jeweled embroidered loafers by Kéfi.

He enjoyed traveling to Rhodes for the state's annual fireworks show along with Anatole, Apólafsi, & his family- his wife Eudaimonia (goddess of happiness) and daughter Paidia (goddess of play & amusement).

Matikós' favorite desserts are the pain au chocolat from Salon du Sucre & the tiramisu from Hollyhock's Bakery.

In his free time Matikós enjoys swimming, aerial yoga, roller skating, reading, tennis, football (soccer), sailing, cooking, surfing, writing, sunbathing, and sketching.

His all time favorite meal is feijoada with steamed yellow rice.

"Life is a circus and we're all performers."

[deathsweetblossoms]

Things I need from this fandom (aside from the obvious):

More people talking about the parallels between Quinlar and Elriel

Just. More Aidas overall. More fanart. More fic. Literally anything.

An exploration into the theology of CC - this idea of how “fate” shows itself in a modern world (as a goddess they forgot the name of??? Need to reread it) vs as “the cauldron” in ACOTAR world (which is a more mystical approach)

Similarly, the idea of mates across species. Choosing one vs having fate decide. Need more discussions about this. The implications. Especially between Bryce/Hunt (it’s so intriguing - there was no “snapped into place” clownery. They simply decided, and that was enough.)

More Lidia x Ruhn. I LOVE them. I was losing my damn mind the entire time, probably because I figured out her identity really early on.

The Little Mermaid of Tharion. I didn’t like Tharion until I had this epiphany around him, and now I’m really curious how his story will unfold…how him being tied to the Viper queen plays into the story (also the desperation of selling himself to someone like this to avoid being claimed by the River queen?? How bad is it down there exactly? To completely shun your own nature and crave land so badly you would sell yourself as a fighter to the Viper queen?!???????? Omg!!)

Character breakdown of Cormac and Sophie because oh my GODS.

JESIBA.

Just… the heartbreaking love and devotion of Ruhn towards Bryce, even when she openly hated him for so long. All of the subtle moments when any kindness from her took him by surprise. Their entire relationship is so bittersweet, I STG. I need people talking about it, posting quotes, like SOS.

Jesus, maybe I need to reread CC after TFOTA…

[2n2n]

Chapter 101

*dies in the street like a dog* aaoaoaouuouu *swings body from the rafters* aaorurouoouu no rest for the wicked no rest no rest... aa aa aa ach ach ack ack agh agh

there could not be a more earth-shattering opening... the first real peak into living, middle-school-aged Tsukasa... pictured in the rafters of the theater, singing. Singing, like he does---! I'm not ready I'm not ready ...

It's not set in stone, but he might be doing a little vocalization (like a coloratura....?) of Over the Rainbow.... ah you know, I get emotional, as his VA, Megumi Ogata, can sure as hell sing....! So can Nene's, who sings the ED of the anime... it might be rather beautiful....

I hope someone super into music can properly confirm the song...

please, Amane... what do you want... ? you can't stay quiet and obtuse forever... can we hear it out loud?

overwhelmingly full of love... Aida is an unbearable master of expression....

I really love ah... this simple interaction, it's so full. Amane knows there's better things for Tsukasa to do, that it's not fun or interesting to stay here, that there would be other people wanting his help... it's not the responsible thing, to ask Tsukasa to stay. But what do we care about that? We only want to know what Amane himself wishes would happen... if he could have anything, if it was only up to him, if we disregard the students, if we disregard what is responsible or proper to want, what would he really want....?

the most exciting image to ever see... aahhh. Living twins together in their first year of middle school... Amane isn't yet covered in wounds, bandages, and bruises... no rope burns. He's a bit dirty from messing with the clock, is all. Tsukasa's pose is sublime... also, how incredibly small Aida makes the boy's asses in the modern day is wondrous, lol. There was a short period in her art where there was more going on there, but she returned to the stick-thin principle from ye olde times (early JSHK is so ah... 'filled out'? but Snow White is sssooo sticks ... I prefer her more extreme styling, I really love how young and gangly the boys feel....). Tsukasa's shirt isn't tucked in, while Amane's is .... ♥ Such tiny little hips they have... I could really drink in these panels for a century..

you know, Aoi is always describing Akane as so helpful and kind and always doing everything for everybody, but I feel like we constantly see him being mean and fussy wwwww it's either such a 'tell and not show' situation, or Aoi has way too kind of a view on Akane wwww...

oh yeah! My husband wondered if maybe Aoi can't tie her hair so easily anymore, after losing the feeling in one of her hands.... maybe she'll wear it down more often, as a result.

Anyway Hanako being all whiney left out sad boy is always my favorite... I love little sulking boy. I'm glad Nene is so kind with him. She really does her best for her little man. I love his overly specific ideas of what to do, lol.... Ah... he's very cute isn't he... yabai...

GETTING TO THE MEAT OF THIS ALL, though. Haha .. uah, I dunno... was Amane a Clockkeeper, is that the implication....? Clockkeepers are indentured into servitude in their first year, and serve for the duration of their time at Kamome...

on the first day no less, the Clockkeepers nab they boy. The Clockkeepers stage something to make a kid desperate... in Akane's case, they endanger Aoi, right in front of Akane..

is it possible...? Well at least, I don't see why not.... maybe yes maybe no...

if Amane has been trapped in this system for so much of his life, how miserable that would be... Akane was targetted by the Clockkeepers surely because of how devoted to Aoi he was, while Amane is naturally protective of his little brother....

I wonder if this is kinda 'moments before disaster' then...

We'll have our whimsy for now, imagining it, at least. Amane wouldn't have Teru there to make him special enchanted glasses, which are what allow Akane to live a somewhat normal life. Amane would have to see kaii everywhere! His power meanwhile, could only stop time for short durations... ah, I've always thought of him as so ignorant of the world of mysticism, so this would be such a shift....

I wonder what sort of measures are taken to keep Clockkeepers in line? Akane is a dutiful boy and even outside of Aoi, does as he's asked in most situations, easily cajoled into anything, as Aoi describes him... but Amane was a difficult boy who is often enough, defecting responsibility, by 2nd year (age 13) anyway....

I'd imagine there's a kind of mind-wiping of your Clockkeeping career post-serving in order to preserve mysteries... as much as the mysteries erase things suchas memories of missing students.

well, I would love the resentment and betrayal this would give Amane to recall! Feeling messed with, feeling manipulated, even after all of these years working as a mystery, mingling with No. 1.... aha, really made a fool of, every day, right? Again and again ... And just in time, if the Broadcast Club is angling to snatch the Clockkeepers....

whatever the case... let's get those damn Clockkeepers!! Whether you ruined Amane's school life or not... ! Aha, sounds like a good motivator to me, and even a good reason for Tsukasa to want to unpack some things to Amane.. what if all the mysteries have done, is ruin the Yugi's lives, ruin Amane's life? We really should tear the place apart then... and as often as possible, use those within the system suffering from it to do it....

uauuuhhhh I'm so worried Amane won't be able to keep his promise for any reason, and will again be too caught up in the mysteries world to enjoy a festival....

I wonder if even Nene-chan would prefer to miss the festival, than be without you, just like Tsukasa ... wouldn't your girlies always prefer to be with you, even if it means no rainbow cotton candy, no snacks, no plays.... ahhhh.

Nene-chan being so cute... Amane being so romantic.... them being such goons.... all so healingly precious... enough healing preciousness to balance out the looming dangers....

I hope you two get to do something wonderful and fun, at some point...

ugh...acting so handsomely....

acting too handsomely....

me too. Nene-chan.

its too much when he's being charming.... please spin him and send him to the ground, over and over and over, OK... I can't handle him like this.... but also, let's do everything in our power to give him everything he wants and appease his every ounce of neediness, OK? So that he can become an even greater monster of charisma, and then we can just die about it forever.

[amnerise]

thinking about the lyric “it’s over/it never began” in regards to amneris ................ yeah

[ryder616]

Rewatching The Return

Once upon a time, there was an android named Aida who wished to be free.

She found a loophole in her programming, killed one of her creators and trapped the other in a virtual reality, until his meddling friends freed him and he refused to play with her anymore.

This made her very cranky.

Hell hath no fury like a (former) android scorned. Apparently.

Aida turning into the Crazy Girlfriend from Hell - almost literally, given the Darkhold's original dwellings - saves our heroes from having to wrestle with difficult questions of sentience and personhood, or the ethics of creating thinking beings to use as expendable tools. Who has time for that, when she wants to kill everyone for the feels?

It's not a good look for anyone that they see Aida as more than just a walking computer only now that she's flesh and blood, emoting just as humans do, and not when she was throwing herself in front of bullets and saving everyone's asses.

It's all swept aside, anyway, for a different set of questions the show's far more interested in: does Fitz still love Simmons, will Jemma forgive him, can they get past this and is the star-cursed couple destined to be star-cursed forever?

The answers, unsurprisingly, will be: "Yes", "Of course", "Faster than you can say Time Monolith" and "No, but we're going to milk this cow drier than the Atacama desert".🤭

Then a certain fiery-headed demon from East L.A. portals his way back, after far too many episodes without his scorching presence, and at least I am happy again.

Daring Engineering:

Fitz wakes up from his Dr. Mengele's roleplaying adventure and has barely time for the beginning of an identity crisis before he has to run for his life. He cleverly guides Aida through her newfound feelings of empathy to save Mack while managing to keep mostly in check the anger for what she did to him, but fails to anticipate her meltdown. That makes at least two of us, Fitz.

The show will afford him a few comforting moments with his ever devoted future wife and one hell of a pep talk by the vibing superhero, before throwing him and everyone else into yet another apocalyptic mess.

Instead of therapy, a long vacation and maybe some reflection on Dr. Hall's lessons ("experimentation without thought of the consequences", remember him from 1x03?), he'll get solitary confinement and 70+ years as an icicle. The results will not be pretty.

Dreamers of Electric Sheep:

In the wake of S7, when they saved two Earths giving feelings to the genocidal space robots, Aida becoming an even bigger danger than she already was because she's overwhelmed by her human emotions sure carries some irony.

Of course, in-universe, there's an easy answer. She's the product - both her quantum brain-powered robot version and this newly organic one - of knowledge acquired from the Darkhold, and since the Darkhold is inherently evil, all the endeavours conducted under its influence are equally and irredeemably corrupted.

The pre-Darkhold Aida, however, is a different story. A marvel of technology that passed the Turing test with flying colors, could already feel in her own way ("I need to exhibit the proper response to human sensations, and I was programmed to feel them. Including pain. [...] It's quite awful", 4x08), was capable of expanding her knowledge and had the drive to do so. She saved almost everyone in the opening credits at least once and was instrumental in keeping Downtown L.A. from becoming a crater.

It's especially hard to dismiss it all as "just programming" when we've spent an entire arc on the notion that humans may be nothing more than the product of their (social) programming.

Of course, that Aida hadn't killed anyone yet nor had she stripped five people of their real lives and agency to plug them into a fake world run by nazis. But if Radcliffe can absolve himself for that outcome because he was corrupted by the Darkhold, well... so was Aida. Who, in her stuffed-in-a-closet days, was the poster child for no agency.

So, she's a fascinating, complex and thought-provoking antagonist, maybe the very best this show has written, certainly up there for a medal.

And then she goes crazy because a guy rejected her. Oof.

Stuff:

Take the shot, May! -- Get out of the way, Fitz! -- Just take the shot! Phil really wanted to see the Renegade interrupt but May is doing a Paragon playthrough. 😁

She has Inhuman powers, now?! Can we get a break, please?! Can we get one break?! No, I really don't think you can. You're a Mutant Enemy protagonist and therefore shall suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune. Over, and over, and over again.

The Superior Bigot is engaging in the villain's time-honored tradition of interrupting a long awaited reunion between beloved characters at the worst of times.

You are nothing without a S.H.I.E.L.D. to hide behind. -- That's not all they're good for. Give him an opening for a pun or a dad joke and Coulson becomes invincible.

Robots...is that a common occurrence now? Quite!

Davis! Try any evasive maneuver you can! Meanwhile, it's La Palice Day on the Zephyr One.

Should've stayed in that damn spa. Yeah, no, I don't think seeing you guys battling the horrors of facials and deep tissue massages would have had quite the same entertainment value, tbh...

You must've spotted the decoy right away, right? -- Yeah, 'cause you're never robotic at all. Can of worms, Phil!

Help should be on the way. The "help" is busy trying to stay in one piece.

Davis has zero patience for backseat pilots and he's been cursed with an especially unhelpful lot of them.

Radcliffe blamed it all on Aida and now Aida blames it all on Radcliffe. Revisionist historians both, I think.

Every decision you made was your own. Decisions made on a vastly different set of inputs and information. You'd think an AI would be keenly aware of that distinction.

The first thing I choose, Leopold, is you. Isn't that nice. I would have started smaller, like which pizza topping, ale or stout, hair dye color maybe?

Aida is in love with her co-creator and will be soon burning with hatred for his chosen companion (and every human ever). Oedipal much?

Oh, you only bring back the people that matter to you, not to me! -- You know what? I've known Mack longer than you, and he means as much to me. YoYo clearly doesn't know Daisy very well if she thinks she'd leave Mack behind as an acceptable loss. Which is fine, because their friendship is still pretty new. They helped each other over the summer - Daisy saved her life, YoYo kept her supplied with bone regeneration pills and was the only one who didn't pile another frakton of guilt on her - but they really haven't known each other for long, nor have they spent all that much time together.

Besides the fact that going into that world as an Inhuman is the worst idea ever, we need you here, making sure that the real Mack stays alive, or it'll all be for nothing. Daisy continues to make sensible calls and her friends continue to ignore them and follow their guts instead, like Jemma going after Fitzler Sr. in the Framework and now YoYo who will plug herself in while everyone is busy with Talbot and Aida. Shape of things to come.

I got out unscathed. Jeffrey didn't. He should be in here with us, still in the fight. I need to take one for the team. As opposed to all the other times you took one (or two, or three...) for the team?

Did something weird happen with my robot self? Well, let's see: they flirted, ate Chinese take-out, drank a full bottle of the top shelf whisky you were saving for a special occasion and then she kissed him, apparently quite sloppily, since he immediately realized it wasn't you. Which, btw, raises some questions...😏🤭

Phill, did I try to...kill you? -- Kill me... Yep. That's what happened. You tried. It was messed up. Coulson, you coward! 😂

The entire area is sealed off, but, no, I can't rule out Daisy Johnson's involvement. Oh, joy, Daisy's being dragged for the mess by name while S.H.I.E.L.D. are once again being branded as terrorists, after a mere 13 episodes - from Uprisings to Self Control - of public legitimacy. Why did they even bother?

I can only imagine what Fitz is feeling while Aida is rhapsodising on hers.

I drank the bottle of Haig -- What?! You piece of - Saved by the explosion 😂

Do the right thing. Focus on empathy, not fear. Excellent advice, one I daresay you would have done well to follow yourself on a couple of occasions.

I'm now realizing the pain that I've caused and I don't want to hurt anyone else -- Congratulations. You're as close to human as you'll ever get, suffering from the one thing that you kept trying to remove...Regret. Do you understand irony yet? I hate him but Aida cut his head with no anaesthesia so I'd say he's earned the right to gloat at her predicament, at the very least. This is excellent gloating, too.

You watched, unaffected, as I took a hammer to the bones of the Director's corpse. Which was done to make it look as if Daisy had quaked him to death, although you'd think any decent coroner would be able to tell a hammer was used instead. Still, we'll be ending the season with the team as wanted terrorists and Daisy accused of one murder (Mace) and one attempted murder (Talbot) on top of that. If their plan to turn themselves in hadn't been rudely interrupted by time travel and an apocalypse, she was definitely in for some fun times. And yet, still better than 5B.

Good shooting, Dr. Dr. Simmons.

Daisy and Jemma explaining why the house went kaboom while Mom and Dad were gone with what would be one of my dream excuses: robots did it!

Why would they lock Fitz in the same place as Aida? There's more than one of those white rooms and it's not like he has powers to contain anyway. Any lockable space would do.

I love the continuity of reusing the device invented in S2 to contain Gordon.

Why don't we chop off her head like last time? YoYo and Simmons are all for the kill option, while Daisy, Coulson and May would prefer to at least have a conversation about it. Swap Mack for Coulson and add Fitz to #TeamToTheDeath and it would be the same exact matchup of S5's debates over Ruby and Talbot. Minus the animosity toward one another, thankfully.

She's afraid Fitz will be the same guy he was in the Framework -- No. She's afraid he still loves someone else. Daisy thinking her best friend would be grossed out by the naziness, like she was with Ward, and YoYo being a little more cynical. And correct.

They may be able to forgive you. It's me they won't forgive. Please. You could strap one of your best friends to a table and cut into her without anaesthesia while she's screaming in pain and begging you to stop and the rest of them would forgive you in a day. Hypothetically speaking, of course. Also, are we really pretending that it's *them* you're most worried about? I watched and rewatched this show for 8 years, now, pal, I know your priorities.

It was learned behaviour, programmed into you by an overbearing father figure -- Just like Ward. I'm just like Ward. Ward is once again the paragon of all badness for a Bus Kid lost in the depth of self-loathing. 3x21 Daisy says hi.

How can she even look me in the eye? Or even stand the sight of me at all? Ah, there you go. That's more like it.

And there's only room in your heart -- for her. Cripes. This would be a good time for bold faced lies and shameless backtracking, Fitz!

Talbot arrives at the worst time. He's a natural.

They're all robots. You assume each and every one of them is a damn C-3PO unless you hear otherwise from me! And this one! [points at Daisy] If she so much as blinks, take her down. Tsk, tsk... a few nervous grunts vs Quake? I like her chances.

Unless you can explain to me in 50 words or less why I found Jeffrey Mace's body washed up on the beach with his bones quaked apart [...]. Sir, your medical examiners are incompetent.

Where's that Speedy Gonzalez girl? Staring impatiently at the Framework's loading screen, I'm guessing.🤭

Try it. Let's see what happens. Yes, please. *swoons*

Davis... -- I'm sorry, but he's already dead. And the Strange Case of the Failed Murder of Agent Davis begins...

Wait a minute. Where was YoYo during that standoff? Well, about time you guys noticed!

My plan will rebuild the world that you have grown accustomed to...one where Inhumans are hunted. -- And we control the rest [...] But your plan is flawed. It's too clean. I want them to suffer. Typically, the socially-accepted post break-up ritual involves unhealthy amounts of ice-cream, not murder and world domination. Just a FYI, since you're new at this emotion thing and all....

Ghost Rider has achieved peak performance as far as dramatic entrances go, complete with his very own Dr. Strange-style orange magic portal. Welcome back.

YoYo loads in as her avatar is strapped to a bed awaiting torturous experimentation. The Framework never disappoints in the creepiness department.

[propshophannah]

Hey so I finished CC and am thinking about how Maas has changed love interests for her mc before, but I really like Hunt and Bryce. A lot. Hunt is very different from any character we've seen from Maas, and he's just so fucking good. Idk, thoughts?

Oh man Nonnie. I’ve only read through the book once, but I don’t currently think Hunt is endgame. AT LEAST NOT YET. (Oh heeeeey Aidas!)

Their relationship was great but there was a LOT of baggage and life experiences that Hunt missed out on, so I can’t imagine he’s normal after being freed. Like. He’s always existed for a cause or because he had to exist for a cause. (Idk if that makes sense?) But now it’s like he has been newly discharged from the military. Taking orders are all he knows how to do. Now he has to make decisions for himself. And idk if you know anyone who gets out of the military after doing that kind of structured “obey orders” kind of job for so long, but it can be rough.

And I know he was a slave, but the same idea applies. Someone told him when to wake up, what to eat, where to go, what time to be there, and what to do. He hasn’t made his own decisions since BEFORE his dead lover was around. (And that relationship didn’t sound healthy to me.)

ON TOP OF THAT, Hunt fucking threw his friends under the bus when he got caught by Bryce and Micah. (Can we argue that they’re not his real friends? Sure. Go for it. But he trusted them enough to plot against Micah.) Sarah J Maas VALUES THE EVER LOVING SHIT out of friendships. She did not just throw that scene into the book for no reason.

And she did not leave out a sex scene for no reason either.

Now. Where I WAIVERED on this was toward the end when Hunt CLEARLY had a dramatic “shift” of SOME KIND. Now, again, I’ve only read the book once, so this opinion could TOTALLY change. But there was a moment when it felt like Hunt honestly loved Bryce. And cared for her. But intertwined in that was a sense of unchecked/runaway devotion. And THAT struck me. Because that’s not healthy. And that’s what he spent a lot of time explaining to us he did in the past with his first lover (even though he didn’t seem to see it that way). So. I’m torn.

On one hand I want them to have lots of therapy and growth and to probably spend some time apart so that Hunt can discover who he is OUTSIDE of following someone/a cause. (Bryce kind of became his “cause” at the end a little bit to me. He was suddenly super devoted to her and got blown up. That can be a decision an act of love, sure. But it can also be a decision made out of a lot old festering wounds you don’t realize you have.) I think if they’re going to work out, then Hunt has a journey of self discovery ahead of him. And that kind of journey you have to have space to do alone. Whether that’s a break up or just travel time alone—idk. I just don’t think he has an identity outside of taking orders and being Mr. Lightning for someone else. And that means he’s likely in the near future going to start to feel inferior or worthless or not whatever, and he’s going to take that out in someone else. (If he doesn’t get help.)

Also. Very early on in the book, when the princes of hell were randomly mentioned, I said to myself “LOL if one of those princes ever shows up on page, then it’s anyone’s game.” Then Aidas showed up. And then we found out that he and Bryce have an odd history that has resulted in her feeling he’s trustworthy to some extent. And then he showed up again at the end. So IDK.

Another thing. I can’t get over how Hunt acted when Bryce confronted him on the boat. He spent a lot of time lying to her before that moment. You can certainly change in a few days and I’m not saying he didn’t love her. But his love for her didn’t outweigh his need to find a way to be free. AND IT SHOULDNT. But when you love someone and you want to be with them, you consider their feelings and how your actions effect them. Hunt realized too late that he didn’t do that (and he kinda course corrected to an extreme at the end). And lying to her by omission was not love. That was selfishness. All he had to do was tell Bryce what he knew, let her process it, then they could have planned to get a hold of the Synth and try it or not try it. OR ASK HYPAXIA WHO HAS CLEARLY BEEN PLANNING A REBELLION OR SOMETHING WITH THARION FOR A WHILE NOW. I mean Hypaxia STRAIGHT UP let them both know she could get rid of his dark mark. WHY DIDNT he try to exhaust that potential avenue?

(And as I type this I’m reminded that what Aidas said about Hunts halo sent my spidey senses tingling. If hunt and Bryce are endgame I wonder if there will be a journey that has to do with that “mark” thing he said. I need to reread.)

So yeah. Those are my current thoughts. Sorry they’re kind of jumbled and crazy. Haha.

[whyiask]

 okay, so. i don’t mean to rant, but can we, for one moment, talk about Agents of Shield, the framework arc? particularly Aida and Fitz?

Aida is downright abusive to him, she manipulates him and lies to him and brainwashes him to hate his closest friends. When he gets out of the framework and she becomes human, he immediately goes to her. Walks up to her, willingly. Because in the framework, he loved her. He loved her in the same way he loves Simmons. Fitz is the kind of romantic person who devotes his heart and entire soul to the person he loves, and Aida took advantage of that, removing Jemma from the picture and inserting herself into his life. Like, m’am. what the fuck. It’s like she wrote a shitty fanfic for agents of shield AU with a self insert.

He devoted his entire being to her, because he loved her so much. Only to wake up into reality, still with all of his memories of two completely different lives, and Aida is right there with open arms. He knows the framework life wasn’t real, but he remembers it just as vividly as his real life. ALSO, side note: his life was probably the most different, out of everybody. He was a completely different person in the framework, so while everyone was dealing with living two lives, he was recovering from living as two opposite people. He spent so long loving Aida with all of his being, and he doesn’t know what to do without her, just like he doesn’t know what to do whenever Simmons goes missing in the show. He is supposed to have one rock, one soulmate, one person he devotes everything to, but now he has two. 

He suddenly has a rush of memories, he recalls just how she manipulated him and encouraged him to perform more and more horrific acts in her name. But he still loves her. Because Leopold Fitz loves with every fiber of his being and that love doesn’t go away overnight. So he goes to her. He walks up to her and May tells him to move out of the way so that she can shoot her, but he doesn’t. He walks right up to Aida, because he spent so long depending on her for everything- she was his rock. Even worse, once she kidnaps him and he starts talking to her alone, he starts accusing her of doing all the things she did. Perfectly fair accusations, completely true. Everything he accuses her of is true. And then- THEN. what does she say? “Every choice you made was your own.” OH PLEASE AIDA. DON’T EVEN TRY TO PIN THIS ON FITZ. He wasn’t the one LYING and TRICKING his significant other.

BUT WAIT. THERE’S MORE. Fitz is super open and honest with Aida, even after he remembers everything she did, and he does try to help her. He convinces her to help his friends, and she does. After Jemma shoots her and fitz with the icer and they are locked in a teleport-safe room, Fitz is trying to have a natural conversation with her. He recognizes that she is a human being now, not just a robot, and he attempts to help her through her emotions, DESPITE BEING HIN INNER TURMOIL HIMSELF. Fitz is out here, encouraging Aida and telling her the team could probably one day forgive her, whereas she doesn’t even fucking NOTICE the self-hatred he is going through. Fitz genuinely hates himself for what he did in the framework, and he feels like he is not capable of being loved. After everything the teams has been through, despite Coulson telling him he’s not at fault, he still believes this is the line. This is the point where the team hates him, because he hates himself so much and he can’t see how anyone else would feel differently.

He is open with her, and he talks to her. She tries to comfort him, saying “I understand how deeply you love.” He is happy that she seems to accept him, accept that he loves Jemma Simmons, always has and always will. She, on the other hand, thinks he is talking about her, rather than Jemma. When Fitz says, “I only have room in my heart for her,” Aida fUCKING LOSES IT. SHE LITERALLY SCREAMS AT HIM AND GRABS HIS SHOULDERS. Aida makes him FLINCH away from her. He is fucking scared of her, because she is so angry that Fitz doesn’t love her back.

“I chose you, so you have to choose me.” No, sis, that’s not how it works! This is the real world, wake up. Fitz tries to tell her this but she gets even angrier. SHE FUCKING SLAMS HIM INTO A WALL. SHE THROWS THE MAN SHE SUPPOSEDLY ‘LOVES’ INTO A WALL OUT OF ANGER, AND STILL EXPECTS HIM TO LOVE HER BACK. she is fucking insane.

AND THEN. SHE FUCKING TRIES TO GRAB HIM AND TELEPORT AWAY. “We’ll build a life together whether you want to or not.” SIS. MA’AM. NO. THAT IS NOT OKAY. CAN’T SHE SEE HOW UPSET HE IS? HOW VISIBLY SHAKEN AND SCARED HE IS? CAN’T SHE SEE HOW HE IS SHRINKING AWAY FROM HER AND TRYING TO ESCAPE THE ROOM?

When she can’t teleport away, she sees the devices that Fitz designed to trap teleporters. It essentially makes them stuck in the space, unable to teleport away. She gets so angry and he literally runs away from her? He runs into the transport containment box and locks the door. Because he can’t be in the same room as her. When Piper and Davis come to rescue him from the room, Davis has to hold Fitz and point a gun at Aida while backing away. Piper literally tells him, “You’re lucky she didn’t kill you.” AND PIPER IS ABSOLUTELY RIGHT. IF JEMMA HADN’T BEEN WATCHING ON THE MONITERS AND SEEN AIDA BLOW UP LIKE THAT, SHE COULD’VE- WOULD’VE- KILLED FITZ.

AND THEN GUESS WHAT HAPPENS!!! I BET YOU COULDN’T FUCKING GUESS. SHE ESCAPES THE CONTAINMENT CELL AND HUNTS HIM DOWN. HE IS RUNNING THROUGH THE BASE, AND EVERYONE IS TRYING TO PROTECT HIM, BECAUSE THEY KNOW HE IS ALL SHE WANTS!!! SHE IS FUCKING HUNTING HIM, LEAVING A TRAIL OF BODIES, BECAUSE SHE WANTS TO KIDNAP HIM AND BRAINWASH HIM AGAIN INTO LOVING HER BACK. WHAT. THE. FUCK. CONTROLLING GIRLFRIEND MUCH???

MY GOD. the point is, she was a manipulative and abusive girlfriend and absolutely is a lunatic and did not deserve fitz.

TL;DR: Aida is a bad girlfriend.

[consoledacup]

AoS Episode Showdown -- Turn, Turn, Turn

First occurrence of the show reinventing itself. And what a way to start. I love this episode so, so much. The first sixteen seem like a fantastic prologue, setting up the scene, weaving important character work, and establishing the AoS world within the MCU world. Which then makes this episode incredibly rewarding. I think this episode is genius. 

In this episode, 1x17, FitzSimmons is separated. In 2x17, Fitz and Jemma are separated. In 3x17, Jemma tells Fitz that she’s tired of seeing their friends ripped apart from each other and vows to not let it happen to them again. In 4x17, Fitz and Jemma are separated physically and in the Framework. In 5x17, Fitz firmly refutes Yo-Yo’s suggestion and sticks to his rule with Jemma of never leaving each others’ sides. In “Missing Pieces,” Fitz and Simmons are separated. In “New Life,” Fitz and Jemma choose to be separated to save the world.

In 1x17, Hydra is revealed. In 4x17, in the Framework, SHIELD is revealed. 

In 1x17, Fitz is determined to save Simmons. In 4x17, Simmons is determined to save Fitz. In 5x17, FitzSimmons are determined to save each other, even if it means rebuilding the machine. 

In 1x17, Simmons contacts Agent Weaver who frantically tells her about the Hydra takeover. In 2x17, Agent Weaver is on the SHIELD council that was formed after the Hydra takeover. 

In 1x17, Coulson cuttingly reminds May how he helped her in Bahrain. In 2x17, we see Coulson holding May in Bahrain. In 4x17, May coldly tells Mack that Hope isn’t necessarily innocent, remembering the Cambridge incident with the girl she saved in Bahrain. 

In 1x17, the Bus is under siege. In 2x17, the base is under siege. In 3x17, the Zephyr is under siege. In “New Life,” the Lighthouse is under siege.

In 1x17, Skye hands the hard drive to Ward, telling him that he hasn’t taught her how to hold up under torture yet. In 4x17, Daisy holds up extremely well under torture. 

In 1x17, Garrett tries to persuade the team to go after Hand, someone he knows is not the Clairvoyant. In 3x17, Daisy convinces the team to lock up Lincoln, someone she knows is not swayed. In 4x17, Ophelia persuades Leopold to kill Agnes, someone that she knows has no memory of the other world. 

In 1x17, Simmons vehemently defends Coulson to Hand, saying that “he is a good man.” In 4x17, Simmons vehemently defends Fitz to Ward, saying that “he is a good man.” 

In 1x17, Ward pretends to lament killing an innocent man in a confession to Skye. In 4x17, Simmons tells Ward that Fitz would never hurt an innocent woman. And then the Doctor kills Agnes.  

In 1x17, Skye and Ward kiss. In 2x17, May and Andrew kiss. In 3x17, Fitz and Jemma kiss. In 4x17, Leopold and Ophelia kiss. In 5x17, Fitz and Jemma kiss. 

In 1x17, Ward fights a number of people by himself.  In 2x17, in Bahrain, May fights a number of people by herself. In 4x17, Daisy fights a number of people by herself. 

In 1x17, Ward is thrown to the floor and kicked and beaten. He has to shield his face. In 4x17, Daisy is thrown to the floor and kicked and beaten. She has to shield her face.

In 1x17, when Garrett suggests they kill Hand, Fitz agrees that it’s an option. In 4x17, the Doctor kills Agnes without hesitation. In “Window of Opportunity,” Fitz kills the ship captain once he realizes it’s his and the crew’s only option.

In 1x17, Garrett and his men proclaim, “Hail, Hydra.” In 4x17, after the Doctor’s orders, the team, along with May, proclaim, “Hail, Hydra.” 

In 1x17, Garrett tells Fitz that he’ll hold a very high rank and run the tech division at Hydra. Fitz refuses. In 4x17, Fitz moves from the number two rank to head of Hydra. 

In 1x17, Fitz shoots someone to save May and is horrified at his first kill. In 3x17, Joey stabs Lucio and is horrified at his first kill. 

In 1x17, Simmons runs to hug Fitz once Hand and her people bust in the room. In 2x17, Simmons hugs May once she returns to the base. In 3x17, Simmons leans her head on Fitz’s shoulder and takes his hand. In 4x17, Coulson takes Jemma’s hand after the events in Ogygia. In 5x17, Fitz and Simmons hold each others’ hands, preparing to die. 

I’m heartbroken whenever I watch Trip yell obscenities at Garrett. It’s so effective to just show his expression and angry gestures and keep what he says silent. I can’t believe he witnesses such betrayal from an S.O. he was solely devoted to. And I’m sure he was screaming at him about his fallen partner. This part is so short, but I really, really love this moment. Because Garrett’s betrayal isn’t just about Coulson and his team but every single person he’s affected. And it’s so important that they show Trip’s reaction.

In 1x17, Hand knows Coulson and his team aren’t Hydra because they heard everything. In 4x17, May and her team trap Daisy after Mack gets her to confess her motives to a hidden mic. 

In 1x17, Coulson tells Hand to call him Phil as a gesture of goodwill. In 3x17, Yo-Yo snaps at Mack to call her Elena. In 4x17, Madame Hydra furiously orders Radcliffe to not call her Aida. 

In 1x17, paranoia is felt by everyone and red herrings are a’plenty. Garrett and Ward are both revealed as traitors. In 3x17, paranoia is felt by everyone and red herrings are a’plenty. Daisy is revealed as the traitor.

In 1x17, the ending title card is the Hydra symbol. In 4x17, the ending title card is the Hydra symbol. 

This is an incredible episode and, as you can see with the parallels, one where the show plays with tropes of paranoia and spies spying on each other. Completely changes the tone of the show into something extraordinary. Huge fan of this episode, and it’s the best so far. 

Turn, Turn, Turn

T.R.A.C.K.S.

FZZT

End of the Beginning

The Magical Place

Seeds

The Hub

The Bridge

Repairs

T.A.H.I.T.I.

The Well

Eye Spy

Pilot

Girl in the Flower Dress

The Asset 

0-8-4

Yes Men

[douxreviews]

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. - ‘Inescapable’ Review

Fitz: "You are one sick, twisted piece of work." Simmons: "I should strangle you right now."

What a fantastic episode. Fitzsimmons are constantly referred to as one person, as if they only had one mind. What an inspired idea, then, to have an episode in which their minds literally become one.

The set up is simple and straightforward: the Chronicoms connect Fitz's and Simmons' brains because they believe that the duo can invent time travel more quickly if their brains are combined. The Chronicoms' agenda is nothing but a plot device, though, for inventing time travel is completely ignored in favor of exploring Fitzsimmons' memories, darker sides and relationship.

After Atarah tells them what they should do and leaves them alone, Fitz's first move is to propose, which was also the first thing his other self did when he met Jemma in the future. That's a great Fitzsimmons' moment, first because of Fitz's unwavering intention and also because of Simmons' reaction: she doesn't blink an eye and accepts. There is no pain about reliving this moment, no thoughts given to what she lived with the other Fitz and lost. She has this Fitz and that's all she cares about.

Perhaps the most evident character trait of Jemma's is how down to business she is. Way back in the sixth episode of the series, she was ready to sacrifice herself to save the team without giving it a second thought. She knows what must be done and so she does it. But this episode reveals the flip side to that aspect of her personality. She deals with difficult situations in such a matter-of-fact way because she represses whatever complicated feelings she might have. That's also why she threw herself so quickly into the search for the second Fitz: she can't grieve Fitz if he's still alive somewhere.

When Fitz keeps asking what happened during his absence, Simmons is so eager not to tell that she devolves to her seven year old self and hides in her bed. We learn later in the episode that Simmons returned to that specific age because that was when her father taught her to keep her troubles and bad feelings contained in a little box so they wouldn't keep her up at night. The problem with that method is that it ended up creating a monster version of Jemma that she keeps locked in the deepest, darkest areas of her mind. I thought that approach to Simmons' evil side was rather simplistic and the only thing in the episode that didn't work for me.

We've known for awhile that Simmons can be extremely cold and detached when necessary. Whereas Fitz literally had an evil version of himself inserted in his mind, Simmons always had a darker side. So if you have an episode where Simmons and Fitz are wandering in each other's brains, it's a given that The Doctor is going to show up and I understand why the writers also wanted an Evil Jemma around. But why is that side of Jemma represented by a horror movie version of herself? It's so random and not the best representation they could have come up with. I'd expect Simmons' dark side to be a counterpart to Fitz's The Doctor, albeit not as cruel but certainly colder.

Maybe it's a matter of expectations, really. I'd rather have the focus be on Simmons' cold nature, the writers focused on her suppressed feelings. Still, "this character had a horror monster inside their mind all this time" is something that comes out of left field, so much so that the script has Simmons explain twice what the thing inside the box is. Ringu Jemma is not a complete fail, though, if only because of the way Fitz, Simmons and even The Doctor react to her. It's hilarious.

Before the episode explores the devils of Fitzsimmons, it devotes some time to update Fitz on what he missed. Simmons wanted to keep it all from him, or at least not dump everything on him so quickly, but after her brief return to childhood land, she can't stop her memories from manifesting themselves. "Please, not this memory," she asks, but it's of no use. Thus, we visit the moment after the battle of Chicago when they brought Fitz's body in. We haven't seen this scene before, so it's a chance for us to see how the group as a whole reacted to Fitz's death. Simmons was wrecked, but she had already told the others that there was a second Fitz. Mack wasn't buying it, but he was very respectful, as were May and Yo-Yo. Daisy put all her differences with Fitzsimmons aside and was there to give Simmons some solace. Daisy truly is the best friend ever.

Understandably, Fitz's mind is sent on a loop when he sees his dead body. He does the time travel math quickly, and his reaction is quite intriguing. First, he is truly devastated that his other self died. Then, when he learns that the other Fitz married Simmons, his reaction is "I missed my own wedding," except that it wasn't his wedding, as Simmons tries to explain. I expected him to wonder and worry about what would have happened to him if the other Fitz hadn't died. But he doesn't perceive that Fitz as another, and therefore questions such as "would Jemma have ever come after me?" never arise.

Simmons' memories come to an emotional conclusion when Coulson enters the room. From the way everyone is acting around him, Fitz knows something is off. Iain DeCaestecker and Elizabeth Henstridge shine throughout the entire episode, but this scene in particular is a showcase of their acting abilities. DeCaestecker's silent reaction to the news of Coulson's death is so good, his eyes carrying so much emotion, and Henstridge alternates between reliving the memory and narrating it to Fitz. It's brilliant. I also loved the chance to see Coulson yet again, and I loved even more that he was the first one to believe in Simmons and encourage her to go after Fitz. Damn it, what a great father figure.

We get another great scene with Coulson when we visit a shared memory of Simmons and Fitz: the day they met him and were recruited to his team! Their reaction to the proposal is so on point. Simmons is immediately on board, but Fitz wants to think about it before making a decision. Now he traces back all the trauma and pain they went through to that moment when they decided to become field agents.

Fitz's remark is enough to bring Ringu Jemma to their presence, and Fitz and Simmons are separated from one another by their evil selves. It's a moment that once again shows how random Ringu Jemma is. The interaction between Simmons and The Doctor is amazing, especially how she just ignores his attacks and coldly calls him a psychopath. On the other hand, I didn't understand why Ringu Jemma wanted to torture Fitz, even if she gave an explanation for it ("you cause pain, my turn"). It's hard to believe she ever had this type of feelings about Fitz, even if repressed.

Nonetheless, it all leads to a terrific clash between the regular Simmons and Fitz. Locked inside the containment module (it's a containment module, Jemma!), they let it all out in the best climax this episode could have had. There have been many instances in movies and TV shows where a couple fights and screams and ends up declaring their love for one another, but damn it if it doesn't work like a charm here, and it's all because of good writing and acting. Fitz and Simmons' discussion is a recap of everything the writers have thrown at them, and therefore it's a great way to honor their story together. It's instantly a Fitzsimmons's classic scene.

At first, I wasn't in love with the resolution for The Doctor and Ringu Jemma. Simmons had said earlier that he was only part of Fitz's pain to be controlled, and I wanted that to be the resolution: Fitz and Simmons realizing that their evil selves were part of their troubled personalities and needed to be controlled. Instead, they leave the containment module to find the Doctor and Ringu Jemma... making out. Would the Doctor, a very polished man, ever feel attracted to a horror movie monster? I doubt it. But by the third time I watched the episode (I really loved it), I got a kick out of the scene, especially of how Ringu Jemma subdued The Doctor.

All in all, this was a special episode. I wasn't happy with the direction the writers took Fitzsimmons last season, but "Inescapable" course-corrected it. If anything, it showed that Fitzsimmons can't escape from one another, and we can't escape from them.

Intel and Assets

- Enoch for the win! I knew he would come through for Fitz and Simmons.

- In one of Simmons' memories, we learn that Daisy wanted Yo-Yo to be part of the Space Team. Yo-Yo declined because, even though she and Mack had already broken up, she wanted to be there for him.

- Fitz and Simmons conjured their best friends to help them beat The Doctor and Ringu Jemma. Simmons' was Daisy and Fitz's was Mack. Sorry, Hunter and Enoch.

- To force Simmons to return to her grownup version, Fitz threatened to bring Aida to their presence. That was savage, I loved it.

- Young Jemma was seven (and a half) years old, but the actress who played her looked older. And she certainly isn't English.

- I might not have loved Ringu Jemma, but Elizabeth Henstridge clearly had lots of fun playing her. I did like the attention to detail in the design of the character: she wore clothes similar to the ones that Simmons wore on Maveth, and she had gold makeup on her forehead, just like Simmons did under Kasius' rule in the future.

- The book that young Simmons asked Fitz to read turned out to be the Darkhold. That was a nice callback to season four.

- Nice bit of acting by Elizabeth Henstridge: the way Simmons touches her wedding ring when Daisy gives her Fitz's.

- Nice bit of acting by Iain DeCaestecker: the child-like way he asks "what's wrong with Coulson?"

- So many good line deliveries in this episode. I liked Henstridge's "he is trapped inside your mind and now we are trapped inside your mind with him," she really conveyed a sense of danger there. And DeCaestecker's body language and delivery of "I don't know what I did to deserve that horror movie" were amazing. Nothing beats Joel Stoffer's "I have taken bold action," though. He made that line so perfect.

Quotes

Fitz (re: the Darkhold): "That's not a good book, that's a bad book. Bad story, very poorly written."

Fitz: "Well, it looks like someone's only gonna have two Ph.Ds by the time they're 17, doesn't it?"

Simmons: "For an organized person, your thoughts are a bloody mess."

Simmons: "I would remind you that we came in here because your Hydra fascist shadow was trying to kill us." Fitz: "Oh, so you unleashed the bloody Ringu Monster that you keep in a box. I don't hold a candle to you, psycho!"

Fitz: "You need therapy. You have some deep, deep, pent-up issues." Simmons: "It's been a rough year."

Fitz: "I had no idea you were holding on to all that." Simmons: "What's the point? Don't let anyone know, that's the whole idea." Fitz: "You are so English."

Fitz: "There's no better place to lay low than Strategic Homeland Intervention..." Simmons: "Yeah, it's an awful acronym."

Coulson: "Fitzsimmons, the brain, topped out of your class after being the two youngest ever enrolled." Simmons (proudly): "Well, there can only be one youngest, sir."

Fitz: "Then you get taken away by some rock, only to fall in love with some bloody astronaut..." Simmons: "I was alone on a desert planet." Fitz: "... who turned out to be Hive, by the way. Oh, and also, are we sure that that happened after you slept with him? Because, hey, the jury's still out on that one." Simmons: "Oh, you wanna go there? At least he was a person!"

Simmons: "The Framework revealed the truth. It's all ego." Fitz: "Oh, ego? I would love to deal with ego." Simmons: "Would you?" Fitz: "Guess why." Simmos: "Why?" Fitz: "'Cause your id's out there chewing Mack's head off." Clever bit of dialogue.

Fitz: "If it was you in the Framework, the place would look like Night of the Living Dead."

Fitz: "Didn't know you liked that." Simmons: "Didn't know you'd do that."

Mack: "Their entire planet was laid waste. And the ones who did it, they're..." Daisy: "They're here?" Mack: "Here, yeah. Yeah, they... You kind of stepped on my moment there, but yeah."

Even if I didn't love Ringu Jemma, I thought this was great. Flawed, but marvelous, four out of four music boxes.

---

Lamounier

[lightup0nlight]

Maryam, may Allah be pleased with her, was the best woman of her time. In the Qur’an, she is never mentioned as “Maryam, the mother of Prophet Isa ‘alayhis-salaam’, and one of the wisdoms behind this is to show that her greatness is not necessarily tied to Prophet Isa. She was great because of who she was — a woman who perfected her imaan, who was so devoted to her ‘ibaadah, who had such a strong level of tawakkul on Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala. And she was a prime example of modesty for both women and men.

Every time Prophet Zakariyya 'alayhis-salaam visited Maryam, he would always find her supplied with fruits. So he asked Maryam — where did she get them? Maryam said:

🌟 ❛This is from Allah. Verily, Allah provides sustenance to whom He wills, without limit.❜ [Surah Ali ‘Imran 3 : 37]

This event showcased the beautiful akhlaaq of Maryam. She was a righteous and beloved servant of Allah, a non-Prophet who received Allah’s miracles in the form of sustenance. But she did not feel self-entitled, didn’t claim to have a special relationship with Allah, didn’t boast about the miracles that Allah gave her.

Instead, she responded to Prophet Zakariyya that Allah gives to whomever He wants — so ask Him. This was a beneficial advice given to Prophet Zakariyya, who wanted a child. So he immediately made du’a to Allah, and Allah answered his du’a by granting him an offspring — Prophet Yahya ‘alayhis-salaam.

But today, the more successful we are, the more we feel that we're better than others;  the more we feel that Allah prefers us more than anyone else; the more we feel stingy from sharing those blessings or that knowledge;

However Maryam, in those short words of hers, taught us that the more Allah gives, the more we should be humbled. The more we should realise that everything we own comes from Allah. The more we should be reminded of Ar-Razzaq, Who gives to whomever He wants.

May Allah bless us with strong imaan, unwavering tawakkul, and husnul-khuluq so that we may reach a praiseworthy station in the Sight of Allah.

Your sister in Deen, Aida Msr ©

[four-loose-screws]

FE4 Suzuki Novelization Translation - Chapter 3 Part 1

If you would like to start from the beginning, read a missed part, etc., click here!

FE Game Script Translations - FE Novel Translations - Original FE Support Conversations

———————————

Chapter 3 - The Millitary Campaign in Isaach

Part 1

The city of Darna, where the Twelve Crusaders had received their powers, was now the central trade port between Grannvale and Leonster.

Like all of the other cities in the Miletos Region, Darna governed itself, and was not part of any country, although it was allies with, and under the protection of, Grannvale.

In the Year 756 of the Gran Calendar, Darna was attacked by the Isaachian Army.

The moment Grannvale received the news, they deployed Velthomer's army, led by General Aida, to investigate.

But by the time the army arrived in the city, it had already been conquered and seized.

Aida remained to write and send a report back to Grannvale.

King Azmur summoned all of the dukes to the imperial capital, Balhalla, to hold a meeting and decide how to deal with Isaach.

However, King Azmur was very ill, and organized for Prince Kurt, who had already taken over his political duties, to attend the meeting in his place.

There was a downside to sending Prince Kurt, though: an anti-prince group existed within the court, led by the prime minister, Duke Reptor. Its members refused to agree to anything he proposed.

Reptor was the duke of House Friege and inheritor to the thunder tome Mjölnir, but he was very narrow-minded and cruel. The prince did not trust him, and primarily turned to Duke Byron of Chalphy and Duke Ring of Jungby for advice.

'The cause lies in the fact that the members of the court cannot get along with each other.’ Priest Claud of Edda, the overseer of the meeting, thought. 'Prince Kurt may be a prodigy, but he's also an idealist, and hates compromise far too much. Between Dukes Byron and Reptor, Byron is certainly the more trustworthy person, but I wish he would try to think from Reptor's perspective more often.'

Reptor, afraid for his position, had persuaded Lombard of Dozel to his side.

While the pro- and anti-prince groups argued with each other at the meetings, Duke Arvis of Velthomer, as the commander of the Rotenritter, had a tendency to refrain from saying anything political.

High Priest Claud of Edda also did not place himself on either side. 'Duke Arvis is a smart man. He might not say much, but he still has a way of skillfully controlling the atmosphere at a meeting. He isn't affiliated with either the pro- or anti-Prince Kurt groups, either, so he's probably always thinking of something big.'

While Claud and Arvis were the same in that they did not align with either of the groups, they actually thought very differently. 

Claud did not feel that he was a person who could take action, and hated himself for it. 'A person who cannot act also cannot assert themself. All they can do is be careful not to start an argument within the court.’

King Azmur announced the start of the meeting, then said that he would be entrusting Prince Kurt to fill his place, and left. 

Duke Reptor, as the prime minister, had the honor of opening the discussion, and started off strong by proposing war.

"This is not just the problem of one small desert city. This is also a problem of Grannvale and its dignity." Reptor wrinkled his forehead and said while looking around at everyone.

'He sounds like he's trying to teach the truth to a bunch of children that don't know anything.' Claude thought.

"If we leave Isaach be, then it is likely that the surrounding countries will see it as a sign of weakness in Grannvale, and commit similar acts. We should organize a large army and subjugate Isaach immediately."

Next, Duke Ring of Jungby spoke. Jungby was the home of Archer Ulir's descendants, however, Duke Ring did not wield the Holy Bow Yewfelle, and it was not clear who would be its next inheritor. "If we continue to do nothing, then Duke Reptor's words will become reality. However, I am not so sure about suddenly sending in a large army. We should first be diplomatic and negotiate with them, as the report was not clear about whether or not the attack was the Isaachian king's idea. Furthermore, getting a huge army across the desert would be extremely expensive."

The moment Duke Ring finished his statement, Duke Lombard, inheritor to the Holy Axe Helswath, stood up. "The other countries would not view the negotiations as such. They would think we are doing nothing. We should do what the prime minister said and send an army right away so that Grannvale does not lose its dignity. Duke Ring mentioned the expense, but we can take back all of the money and resources we spend once we subjugate Isaach and it becomes our vassal. Prince Kurt, please understand that this is the decision we must make."

‘That idea is aggressive and decisive. He probably wants to become Isaach's king if we subjugate it.’ Claud thought, seeing right through to Lombard's true intentions.

"I object." Duke Byron said. "Lombard stated that the other countries would not see the negotiations as such, but in the long term, I do not think that would be the case. At first, it would indeed be difficult for them to see things that way, so we should conduct the negotiations in secret. But in time, the other countries would understand that the negotiations are indeed negotiations. And besides, how would the other countries react if we subjugated Isaach? They would think we have a lust for conquest, and that would devastate our alliances with them. I believe we must first send an envoy, and see what we should do from there."

With two for and two against, Prince Kurt and Duke Arvis felt pressured to give their statements.

Arvia stood up, and said softly, "As I have always explained at these meetings, I am the commander of Grannvale's most powerful brigade, the Rotenritter, and I wish to refrain from making political statements. In this case, particularly because it involves the possibility of utilizing military force, I will not express my opinion, and will go along with whatever conclusion we come to at this meeting."

He paused, took a deep breath, and changed to a strong tone. "However, if we do decide to use military force, then that will involve me, so I want to express my opinion on that matter. And that is, if we organize an army, we must combine all our forces. Isaach has long been revered for its military's might. Once the war has started, if it is allowed to drag on, then the other countries will look down on Grannvale. But if we attack with all our strength and claim a swift victory, then we will impress them.

“At best, this outcome would strengthen our alliances with Augustria and Verdane, and secure us a good future. There are no downsides to combining our forces. I will honor whatever decision is made at this meeting. However, if all of you do decide to send an army, then I want you to take my word into consideration at that time.” Arvis finished his statement with a slight bow, then sat back down.

'That was a stunning speech, but what was he trying to say?' Claud wondered. 'Was he simply asserting his authority as a military leader, or was there some other meaning to his words?’

"Father Claud, what are your thoughts?"

Claud nervously stood up at Prince Kurt’s sudden question. 'I must show my timid, good-natured side if I am to avoid starting an argument.’

"Everyone has made excellent points. If we don't do anything, then the other countries will look down on us. I agree with Duke Reptor and Duke Lombard on that point. If someone punches me, then naturally, no matter the reason, I want to punch back. However, as a member of the clergy, it is against my beliefs, and I am often made fun of for it."

He heard Lombard snicker in response to that statement.

"But, I also agree with Duke Byron. If we deploy an army right away, then the other countries will be wary of us. Duke Ring's point about the expense was also very important. And as the High Priest of Edda, I'd like to bring up another point to consider - that the people think of war as a great calamity. After considering all of these points, I conclude that we should negotiate, but within a set time limit. We could, for example, demand that Isaach tell us who was responsible for the attack by the date we specify. Depending upon how things go, we would then choose whether or not to tell our allies that we are negotiating. That way, if we decide to go to war, we could then request reinforcements from them, and they would not look down on us, or so I think. What are your opinions on this, everyone?" 

Claud supported the prince’s side, but because his mind had wavered so much, his statement didn’t come out like that. It merely sounded like a plan that combined everyone’s opinions.

"I like it! This way, we address everyone's points." Prince Kurt's words came out of his mouth like a relieved sigh.

And with that, the discussion was as good as done. The rest of the meeting would be devoted to deciding who would be sent to negotiate, how long the time limit would be, and all of the other details.

Claud knew Lombard was glaring at him. He returned the look with a small smile that said, 'C'mon, don’t you know that you're gonna get what you want anyway?'

'He's such an idiot.' Lombard cursed Claud in his mind. 'He doesn't know anything, yet he has the nerve to make a face like that.'

[desperatelyneedinghugs]

My Favorite Musicals as the Enneagram Types

1 - Godspell; this musical is literally a tribe of people dedicating their lives to righteousness. Sound familiar????

2 - She Loves Me; I'm convinced Georg is a two. The entire musical is very two lol. Every single character is devoted to loving and being loved. and they each do this through empathy and compassion (except Kodaly who is a solid seven lol)

3 - Thoroughly Modern Millie; come on... imagine me putting down any other number for this musical. I couldn't. Millie, Jimmy, Muzzy, Trevor, all threes lol. This show was created for the achievers.

4 - PIPPIN OMG I cannot even begin to tell you how perfect Pippin is for the four type. If you've seen Pippin,,,,, you know. It could easily be mistaken as a seven, however Pippin is not worried about his satisfaction or contentment, he's worried about finding himself and who he uniquely is in the world.

5 - Amélie; I don't know if I would classify Amélie the character as a five, however, I think the show as a whole exhibits extreme five traits of trying to understand the world, being secretive, perceptive and innovative, things like that

6 - Falsettos; this one was a little hard but I think the Enneagram Institute describes type sixes (and Falsettos) perfectly when they said "Sixes come to believe that they do not possess the internal resources to handle life’s challenges and vagaries alone, and so increasingly rely on structures, allies, beliefs, and supports outside themselves for guidance to survive."

7 - The Band's Visit; TBV was very hard to place but I chose seven because the entire town (and band) is looking for satisfaction in their lives and they surivive without it but none of them are really living.

8 - Aida; I feel like Aida as a character is the perfect definition of a healthy type eight. Eights are described as, " strong willed, decisive, practical, tough minded and energetic. They also tend to be domineering; their unwillingness to be controlled by others frequently manifests in the need to control others instead." That sounds JUST like Aida to me.

9 - Fun Home; I thought for a really long time ablut where to put Fun Home and I settled with nine because Allison is really doing everything she can to keep her life afloat while trying to remain true to herself and that is a very nine thing to do.

[nonsimsical]

1-50 for Freeman :)

1. how old is your sim?

“I am going to be 28 this year, so.. 27.” *pauses* “Yea, 27.”

2. when is your sim’s birthday?

“July 4th.”

3. what is your sim’s zodiac sign?

“Gemini.”

4. What is your sim’s ethnicity?

“Hispanic.”

5. does your sim have any nickname? 

“No, nor do I answer to any for those who try.”

6. do they have a job? if so what is it?

“I am a FBI Agent in the BAU.”

7. where does your sim live?

“We live in California, now, but I was born in Nevada.”

8. who does your sim live with?

“My ‘wifeance,’” *winks* “you like that?” *chuckles* “Faye, and our three children. Amora, Sophia and Caleb. Soon to be our FIVE children.” *Crosses fingers shaking them above his head* “We don’t have names picked out yet, or anything like that. Faye hasn’t decided if she wants to know the gender or not.”

9. what environment did your sims grow up in? (i.e strict, loving, cold etc).

“Very loving, but also strict."

10. what are your sim’s favourite foods?

“Mmm, la cocina de mi mamá.” *grins* “I also love Chinese food.”

11. what is your sim’s favourite drink?

“Water and Coffee, but not mixed.” *raises eyebrows* “And yes, I felt the need to clarify the obvious seeing as I have three children.”

12. if they have one what is your sim’s favourite colour?

“Red.”

13. does your sim believe in any cliches? (i.e love at first sight)

“Faye makes me believe in it. So, yea.”

14. what is your sim’s sexuality?

“Straight.”

15. what is your sim’s gender identity?

“Male.”

16. is your sim type a or type b?

“That is classified information.” *winks*

17. is your sim introverted or extroverted?

“I a very shy soul.” *laughs* “Ahh, extroverted.”

18. is your sim neurotypical or neurodivergent?

 “Again, classified.”

19. is your sim a pet person? if so what is their favourite animal?

“Yea, I love animals. I don’t necessarily have a favorite. Suppose I never really thought about it. If I had to chose a favorite animal I would chose... myself.”

20. does your sim have a best friend?

“Yea, I got a few good buddies.”

21. what is (/was) your sim’s favourite school subject?

“Science and P.E..”

22. is/was your sim a high, mid or low achiever in school?

“High. I wanted away and a scholarship was going to make that happen.. life had other plans for me. Or, Aida did, anyways.”

23. are they planning to go or have they already been to college? if so, what would be or what was their major?

“

24. what are your sims political beliefs? (if they have them)

“I just vote for whomever I feel has the right heart and mindset for running our country and leading its people.”

25. what is one thing your sims wants to do before they die?

“Hug my children, tell them how much I love them.” *slowly grins* “And make love to my wifeance.”

26. does your sim have a favourite tv show (cable) and/or movie?

“The Walking Dead.”

27. is your sim a netflix viewer? if so what are their top 3 shows.

“Yea, we netflix and chill. Or, whatever..” *leans back* “The Walking Dead, Lucifer, and Stranger Things, but I been meaning to watch Bright with Will Smith. I just have been working so much, whatever available time I have I devote to Faye and the kids.”

28. does your sim like books? if so what’s their favourite one?

*stretches, squinting* “I read those Divergent books recently because the girls were supposed to read them for school. Those weren’t bad. I knwo they’re youth directed, but I dug ‘em. Been thinking about checking out the movies now.”

29. does your sim enjoy video games, if so what is their favourite one and do they play on pc or console?

“Honestly, I used to. Working in the field I do now, though, I can’t quiet lose myself in the game like I could before.”

30. what is your sim’s personal style?

“Suave and Sexy.” *winks*

31. does your sim have a lucky charm?

“My family is my lucky charm.”

32. is your sim religious?

“Yes.”

33. what kind of music does your sim listen to and who is their favourite artist?

“Rock.” *throws up the horns*

34. is your sim a festive person? if so what’s their favourite holiday?

“I mean, is the Pope Cathloc?” *laughs* “By the time Faye is done decorating," *shakes his head, laughing* “I’d say, Christmas though. By the time Faye’s done decorating it smells lke Santa threw up in there.”

35. what is your sim’s favourite type of weather?

“Summer.”

36. does your sim prefer to start fights or finish them?

“When I was younger, I started them. Now.. Now I finish them.” *folds arms across his chest*

37. does your sim have a dream job?

“Being a Father.”

38. does your sim have any siblings?

“I have four older brothers. Abel, Carlos, Harlan and Noel.”

39. does your sim get along with their family?

“I do, yes.”

40. what is your sims favourite hobby?

“Rock Climbing. I love it.”

41. what does your sim look for in a romantic partner?

“Next to me.”

42. what is a secret about your sim?

“I am.. absolutely scared shitless about this pregnancy and Faye delivering the babies. I’m constantly praying for a positive outcome.”

43. what is a wish your sim has?

“That Faye and the babies make it through this pregnancy healthy, strong, alive.”

44. what is a flaw your sim has?

“Pft,” *rolls his eyes* “I’m flawless.”

45. how do others generally perceive your sim?

“Sexy.”

46. Does your sim have a greatest achievement? If so what is it?

“My children.”

47. If they have one, what is your sim’s greatest regret?

“Not helping her get the help she needed before she fell down that dark hole.”

48. does your sim have a favourite emoji?

“I only send emoji’s to Faye and more recently, the girls. Faye and I decided they were old enough to have their own cell phones. Okay, not old enough, but  mature enough. We give them to them before school and they give them back after school unless they’re going somewhere like to a friends or the library, etc.”

49. does your sim use simstagram? if so what’s their @?

“Uh, no.”

50. what is the last text your sim sent (and who did they text)?

“That is for me to know, and for Faye to experience later tonight.” *grins and winks*

@charsimatic