#well i have a baby brother so i guess i'm not THAT biased with having a little sister

[jean-dieu]

A few words on Raphaël's parents

I've written so much about Raphaël I might as well post this here.

So, Raphaël is a Devil-spawn tiefling born in Kenabres, abandonned at birth but adopted almost immediatly. He grew up loved and cared for, but I wanted to explore his relationship with both of his parents a little more.

Raphaël's is the only tiefling of his family. He's in a human family with a few aasimars scattered there and there, like his mother and little sister.

I'm honestly not exactly fixed at how he was adopted. His parents were definitely NOT looking to adopt a child, it was more of a happy accident in a way?

He's been abandoned at the church orphanage anonymously, left on the doorsteps and his mother happened to pay the priest a visit the same day. He'd just picked the baby up when she comes in.

I'd portray him saying something along the line of "another abandonned tiefling, poor lil guy's life is not going to be easy" and she just blurts out "I'll take him in" without even realising it. It was very instinctive and absolutely not planned, and well... Probably an act of pity.

Still, she came home that day to her first son and to her husband with a baby tiefling in her arms, completely terrified of what was going to happen next as it was a very impuslive act. Her first son was absolutely DEVASTATED as he was still quite young and absolutely not prepared to have a little brother, especially NOT a tiefling brother.

Her husband however was VERY CHILL about it, like "well well guess I have another son now :)) oh look he's furry that's cute".

And in a way, their first meeting shaped their relationship to come. Her mother was always overprotective of Raphaël, fearing for everything, from his future to how people perceived him, fearing he'd turn evil due to his heritage, fearing he'd be persecuted. She loves him dearly, it's not the question. But she did treat him different because he's a tiefling, as much as she doesn't want to admit it. It's due to the fact she's herself planetouched: She knows what it is to feel different from humans, and yet, she feels powerless as her lineage is seen as a blessing while Raphaël's one is seen as a cursed. She always saw tieflings as poor unfortunate fellows, and she had to overcome her own biased ideas of what tieflings were as she never really knew any tieflings personally before adopting Raphaël. His father on the other hand, either because he's either very accepting or kind of naive, never thought much of Raphaël's fiendish heritage.

It results in Raphaël having very different relationship with his father and his mother. He could count on his mother to talk about his deepest fears, most personal problems, knowing she'll be there to listen (and eventually kick the ass of the locals if they were mean to him) (she once barged furiously at the garrison and threatened everyone to leave Raph alone as the local guards took pleasure to bully him as a teen), meanwhile he could count on his father to have ... just a normal, healthy relationship, far from his worries and everything. They'd just bond on regular father-son activities and such.

I just want to portray his parents as not perfect. They're definitely good people, and they love him very much and he has so many happy memories of his childhood but I didn't want for them to be too "bland" if that makes sense? Basically his mom is overbearing and probably have a sliiiight savior complex towards him, and his dad doesn't realize what being a tiefling fully implies and doesn't grasp what his son is facing regularly ("what do you mean you've been accused of stealing the 3rd time this month, it doesn't make any sense son").

And Raphaël would die for both of them.

[annkous]

LESSON 20 BABY

Season finale, I think, if the credits at the end are of any hint lol. I expected things to go down south but. Guess not yet.

Lesson 19 ended with quite a happy tune with the brothers up to celebrate their decision and lesson 20 starts with them already going up to Diavolo to give him their answer, all meanwhile reminscing about last night's party where apparently Mammon decided to just strip, lmao. They contemplate for a moment that Diavolo won't let them stay because the Devildom is his domain, after all, and they joke about going to the human realm instead so they don't get separated from Satan and crash in your place instead. Sweats very nervously in I can't have a place to stay because I'm centuries in the past hahaHAAAH.

Barb tells us to go get Diavolo because this man is already training to avoid his responsibilities for when he has to manage RAD. We got three choices: classroom, colosseum or the courtyard. I chose the courtyard and was blessed by Simeon. Apparently, if you go to the classroom you find Solomon, and Diavolo is on the colosseum.

We only have one choice when talking to them, though, and that is to ask them to be the brothers' allies. Which is no small feat. Simeon could be branded as a traitor for what he says here, but it seems he's fully committing to stay with the brothers this time should something go down. I appreciate it.

Asking Solomon can't go down well, considering he's on humanity's side and he's tried to get us to swear loyalty to humanity instead of the demon brothers, and Diavolo... well, he admits he can't deny us if we ask him like that, plus we know he has a soft spot for the brothers himself.

Lucifer tells both Diavolo and Raphael their decision, but they have to ask Diavolo for permission to stay, after all. It's his domain.

Oof.

But Diavolo is one soft demon, and yes, he says he has to look out for his subjects... which is exactly what he's doing. Lucifer and the others are part of the Devildom now, so they're under his protection, and he officially names them the Seven Rulers of the Devildom. Raphael says he kind of saw coming that the brothers would want to stay, and cue me squinting at the screen while remembering how he gave us Michael's message about convincing the brothers to return. C'mon man.

They ask for everyone else's thoughts, and they basically reply that it's none of ther business and they respect the brothers' choice. I found it heartwarming how even if deep down Luke still wants them to go back home, he respects their decision. They grow up so fast sob.

Next up there's gonna be a celebration, a ball, in fact, to celebrate the seven brothers' new appointments. We get moments divided in goups of three.

First up are Asmo, Beel and Luke, who are preparing for the ball. We get to choose who to help choosing a fragrance. I chose Luke because he's my son and I haven't had a moment with him in ages. Plus he has something to say about Raphael.

Apparently Raphael fled back. I did not like it, but in the end it was just me being paraoid lol. Ngl I was expecting Michael to send me a message about how he's gonna kick my ass.

Then comes the carriage. They're wearing the Devilday suits by the way, and look great. I love those suits lol, but anyways, here we can choose who rides with you in the carriage. We have Levi, Belphegor, and Barbatos. I chose Barb, who's aware of the glares he's getting and kisses your hand. This man loves riling everyone up and play innocent lol.

Sir.

A bit sad he's wearing the uniform, but eh...

So you get to the castle, all dressed up...

This absolute bitch.

Call him out Thirteen!! I love you!!

ANYWAYS.

In their brotherly fashion, during the ball they have a bit of a squabble over who has the first dance with you, because of course they do. In this lesson, we have fighting for your dance Mammon, Satan and Simeon.

I was expecting Lucifer to be there instead, not because I'm biased (I am though, not gonna deny it) but because it would be reminiscent of the og!obm dance where he threatens to end your existence if you are planning to use or hurt his brothers.

They were cruel to put me to choose between those three but in the end I chose Simeon, who decided to give me a bit of a stab of pain.

Man if only you knew about your present self who's lost his powers because he saved us haha....... ha........

After the dancing, Diavolo wants to give us a special title, recognizing the hard work we put for the brothers and the entire Devildom. I thought he was gonna give mc a cool title, but when he simply stated "you're now officially a Devilsitter" I lost it laughing.

Thanks.

He asks us to choose one lucky demon to award us the emblem commemorating our new title, and the last three choices are the Big Three: Lucifer, Diavolo and Solomon.

Well. I didn't hesitate. I feel a bit bad for Solomon, though...

This was really sweet, though! That the emblem or "mark on the brow" (it's the chapter title too! so it kinda hints at it already) is given with a kiss on the forehead. I think I woke my cat up with the cooing noise I made lol.

And there they go again, hahah...

But before it all ends, Diavolo goes all out, and not only does he makes an announcement about the founding of RAD, but also-

-that both Solomon and you are gonna join as exchange students.

Back all the way to the beginning baby!!

And with no Michael or threats or cliffhanger, lesson 20 is over and credits roll. End of Season 1, it seems!

I lied. After the credits we get this, because we can't catch a break.

Cool. Great. So the balance is getting worse. I'm gonna assume it's our fault for aiding the brothers here.

We might have avoided Michael this season but I fear he's gonna come for us eventually. Also, during a few seconds after seeing the post credits I thought Michael wanted to restore the balance,,, but then I switched mindsents and thought he actually didn't want to and would rather have the scales to tip in the Celestial Realm's favour instead by bringing the brothers back. I don't know. In any case, this is not the last we're going to hear from him. He's got us in his sights, and doesn't sound good at all.

The extra lesson is Luke catching up to Raphael before he leaves back to the Celestial Realm before the whole ball preparation event.

Sighs and crosses out "Michael wanted the brothers back to tip the scales". Okay. Fine. He might also miss them a little bit, but my man did not lift a finger to help them, so he can stay up there and rot for all I care.

This part of the convo was more interesting, though.

Luke comments he wants to help bridge the gap so the angels can be closer to their former brothers, which is admirable, but Raphael is more inclined towards giving that task and role to the humans while telling Luke to be a Principality instead and watch over them.

This is reminding me of when Simeon and Luke both said they'd be your guardian angels, and according to Mammon (and if I trust my memory), guardian angels choose one person only to guard all their life. I miss the present group. I hope we get to see them soon, at least a glimpse even if we don't go back right away. I bet they're frantic over mc missing still.....

I'd like to dig deeper over principalities because yes mythology but also I'm tired and with geographical principalities screwing my research combined with the little patience my sleepy brain has I just give up for now and will just go to sleep after this soft end for the 1st season. Dunno if we'll have something in 10 days. They certainly didn't say it was the end when the announced the lesson, so who knows? Maybe it's a mini break. Maybe not. We can only wait and see, but if they need a break to write more story at a better pace, I'm all in.

I still have to catch up with the hard mode for those extra scenes and lore, but this is all there is for now regarding main story!

Edit: Hard mode! because HOLY SHIT-

AND WE'RE BAAAACK LESSON 21

[merunair]

Well Known Knights of the Round Table Ranked

King Arthur: ???/10 So he's weird because his whole deal is that he's a Good King. The interpretation of what that is varies from person to person so he's wildly different across pretty much everything. Is he a noble and somber figure doing his best? Is he a kind of dumb but well meaning golden retriever of a man? Is he a mighty warrior and shrewd politician? Depending on the person, yes. And while that's really cool, it means I can't really rate the character because there's a million different versions of him. There's also interpretations where he's the antagonist to Lancelot and Guinevere's Whole Deal because I guess it's easier to excuse cheating by twisting the cheated-on character into a jackass. Just make it polyamorous you COWARDS

Sir Lancelot: 9/10 Fundamentally changed the entire canon and story. He's been awarded with the 'Most Accidental Teamkills' award and was voted 'Biggest Drama Queen in Camelot' 7 years running. He's inherently funny as a concept as the world's most popular OC do not steal, doubly funny taking into account that he also caused what I suspect to be the first instance of Vriscourse-esque fandom drama. Legendary. Also he's bisexual and if you give me like a week in The Hole I think that I can find pre-internet sources for this.

Sir Kay: 9/10 Unfortunately overlooked in later works considering he's A) King Arthur's adopted brother B) Funnie and C) A good foil to a lot of the other characters. He's a hothead, bully, braggart, and a jokey kind of guy with more pride than sense that's usually there to get his shit kicked in a bit. A good chunk of knights also have him talking shit at them as their entire motivation for going off on a grand quest. They can't put him in gritty reimaginings because he'd make them too much fun to read/watch. Though I DO admit that he has the potential to be very, very annoying if written poorly. I'd also like to note that he's avoided being made into a perfect-pure-special-Christian-boy-who-does-the-chivalry for over 2000 years and has maintained his shithead status. King.

The G Boys (Gawain, Gareth, aGravaine, and Gaheris): 6/10 I wish people would stop forgetting that Gaheris and Agravaine exist and/or mashing all four of these men into One Guy. I understand the irony of me giving them a shared entry but this is a long post and they're all brothers. It's nice that Gawain got some love recently with the 2021 movie Green Knight. And by love I mean good lord people were horny for Dev Patel. Also Gareth is canonically Baby. He is the ultimate Little Brother.

Sir Mordred: 10/10 MORGAN LE FAY IS NOT HIS MOM. Shoulders the whole final act of the legend as the antagonist. Let's be honest, he'd be a Tumblr sexyman if more people knew about him. He ticks all the boxes: Misunderstood, pale, dark hair, a bit evil, tragic backstory (incest), rebellious... Personally I'd love to see him break containment and take the Sexyman Crown he so rightfully deserves. Duck from Thomas the Tank Engine managed it, so I don't see why he can't.

Sir Bedivere (Bedwyr if you're a REAL gamer): 10/10 I do not CARE if I am biased. This man is my BLORBO. He HAS BEEN since I was FOURTEEN YEARS OLD. And I am VERY UPSET that the most common spelling of his name is borderline un-google-able because of the Fate Series. I am ASSAULTED by mildly horny images of anime men that I wasn't looking for. I was LOOKING for scraggly Welshmen. It's like accidentally taking a sip of someone else's drink. I wanted COKE not TEA dammit. At least they remembered that he has a prosthetic hand. He and Arthur possess the only braincell in Camelot.

Sir Griflet: 10/10 This guy is functionally a different character from who he initially was. Who did he used to be, you ask? Nothing big, nothing important just a minor welsh faerie deity. I don't know how he got added to the canon but I'm glad he did. Now he's Bedivere and Lucan's cousin and sometimes trades places with Bedivere as the last survivor of the final battle who chucks Excalibur into the lake. I like to think of him as a faerie who just showed up, convinced Bedivere and Lucan that he's their cousin, and hangs around Camelot because he finds it all interesting. Lastly: He has like... a hundred different names.

Sir Tristan: 6/10 Look his whole deal is that he's sad. Not sad as in like... pathetic but experiencing the emotion of sadness. That is what he's known for. His name is SYNONYMOUS with being sad. The ORIGINAL Sadboy. He would have an emo cut with those weird checkerboard streaks if he lived in 2007.

Sir Galahad: 0/10 The most inherently funny character in the canon. He was invented as a middle finger to Lancelot. He EXISTS because people were mad at Lancelot. He is THE purest HOLIEST mostest special boy. We're talking 'angels come down to take him away to Heaven' special. The only reason that he's a 0/10 is because I am mad that he steals Percival's role in a lot of stuff or gets mashed with him to form a Dragon Ball Fusion.

Sir Percival: 9/10 To be perfectly honest I only like this guy as much as I do because he has the coolest name out of all the knights. He's a pretty generic 'super cool and special and handsome and chivalrous' sort of knight... But I do not care. He has a cool name and I vibe with the aesthetic it conjures in my brain whenever I read it. I'm not alone in this based on all the adventures he was given until they got given to Galahad which sort of implies that he's the blueprint for the 'godly and virtuous knight who does chivalry'.

Sir Dagonet: 10/10 This guy is great and I'm pretty sure he was almost a meme a few years back??? I just remember getting blindsided by seeing a bunch of tumblr posts about him a few years back. He started his existence as just an asshole braggart who existed to make some of the other knights look better, then a violent, bloodthirsty crazy guy, and now he's a beloved jester who got knighted. I'm a fan of the jester interpretation myself because good lord there's enough 'violent man accidentally murders people' guys running around and Kay covers the 'braggart asshole foil' role in a less obnoxious way. I imagine him with silly little jester bells tied to his armor whenever he goes out on quests.

[talesofmetalandmagic]

Azir the comforter

Azir and Nasus had always had a strong bond.

It didn't start strong, of course. Baby Azir was TERRIFIED of the giant humanoid jackal and alligator towering over him. But since an emperor cannot be afraid there was no parental skirt to hide underneath, and a couple weeks of sweet coaxing and welcoming smiles (as well as Nasus' outright refusal to cane Azir's hands when he flunked his studies, in defiance of imperial orders and praxis) turned fear into curiosity, to fondness, to affection.

As a young prince, the runt of the Emperor's litter, more preoccupied with studies than with battle, Azir was always destined to become closer to the Curator than to Renekton. Nasus always felt bad at having to kick him out when the time to close the libraries for night would come. He brought him dates and tea and bread with honey whenever he spent the afternoons in studies, and held his hand in place of his parents during the funeral of all his siblings.

A prince cannot cry in public... but he can in private, and Nasus' soft hairy chest was the perfect spot to shed his tears. "Don't fret, little bird... it wasn't your fault. You couldn't have done anything. You'll be alright... and whatever your parents may attempt, me and Renekton will always have a place for you"

When Azir was lost into his ascension, Nasus railed at Xerath with a fury previously unknown... so much so even Renekton could hardly recognize his tempered brother.

-What did you do to him? You monster, how could you... he was so good!-

Alright, he's partly biased, but we'll excuse it for loss.

And then Renekton was lost, and so was Azir... and Nasus was alone in a foreign desert, no hand to hold his own after having held so many.

Years pass, then decades, centuries, and then millennia. Azir is lost in oblivion, Renekton is locked in agony, and Nasus has lost taste for life. Sometimes he thinks back of Azir, his sweet little bird, choking his sweetness in imperial artificiality, unable to follow his heart through the loss, the duties, the fears, his biases and an ego he cannot control.

When Azir comes back, Nasus is overjoyed: he swears to himself he'll never, ever lose him again, and no pain or harm shall ever befall his cherished little bird.

So guess what happens when Xerath finds him.

~ ~ ~

One night, during Azir's imperial tour, he finds Nasus late at night, in a creek between the dunes behind the camp, practicing his swings with the halberd while everybody else – even Azir himself, who's relearning how to socialize and have fun – is chilling round the fire with a drink.

-I must train, my lord. My blade shan't ever miss a swing.-

-It's past midnight, Nasus. What you must do is rest. Put that halberd down and come back to the camp at once.-

Nasus winces back, holding onto his halberd. -I insist, my lord. Your welfare comes before my leisure.-

-And I, as your Emperor, insist back. It's a pleasant night...-

-I MUST train, my lord!-

How dares he scream at his Emperor? Azir stumbles back, frightened at the sudden growl... and aghast at Nasus' out of character behavior. He's out of breath, tongue dangling, eyes agape – a mad dog, or one in pain.

-My purpose here... is to protect you. Xerath is after you, the kingdom is in shambles, and you're the last thing remaining between us and ruin.- No more Xerath, Gods... no more Xerath! -You were lost, you... you were cold, and Renekton... and then you were gone, for a year, without knowing... without helping, as he... gods, I'm sorry, I'm sorry.-

-Nasus, dear, we don't have to...- Azir doesn't want to think about that. It's done, he suffered and wept and screamed, but things are going better now. Nasus holds Azir's hands so tight it almost hurts, and tears fall down his snout. Whatever he's been holding, it's been there for so long. Has he been drinking? No, not Nasus.

-I'm so sorry, my lord. I know you told me I shouldn't feel to blame, but... It should have been me. I should have taken your place, I'm stronger... and it's my duty to protect you. It should have been me...-

Stop... stop, shut up. Azir raises his hands, unable to speak. The image of Nasus going through all that is enough to make him tremble. He knows he didn't drink, because he knows his Nasus, but that makes his rage and tears real. How long has he suffered after losing us all? Things Azir never thought about, but which cannot leave his mind now that thinking is all he does.

-I failed Renekton, I failed your father, I failed you. Twice over I've failed: it shan't happen a third time. May I not ever know any joy until you...-

-ENOUGH!-

Orders still come natural to Azir, and the sands quake as he taps his staff onto the ground. Nasus' tear-stricken face rises from his arms, and onto Azir's chest, as he sits by his side and holds him close.

-You didn't deserve that. I didn't deserve that. We're here to make sure it doesn't happen again... but we're here to live. If you want me to heal, let me move on. And do so yourself.-

After all, Azir thinks with jaded sadness, if Xerath didn't kidnap me he wouldn't have to send Renekton away from me. If he didn't send him off, my retinue wouldn't have taken him – and he wouldn't be on his way to coming anew. I loved him too. I love both. I'm... tired of going back to that.

Nasus kneels onto the sand, head in one hand, choking soft sobs in his fingers. -My lord, I know... but I don't know how.-

-We'll be alright, my friend.- Azir takes Nasus to his feathery chest and wraps him into his own shawl. -We will be. Now cry it out.-

-My lord, you're the Emperor,- Nasus giggles through his tears. -You shouldn't be the one caring for me.-

You are immovable. But so am I. -I've done... much less imperial things in my life. Besides, an Emperor should have the last word in such things. Now cry it out. Tomorrow we'll talk about this. In front of... dates and tea and bread with honey.-

Nasus sniffles, chokes a laugh. -I missed you so much, little bird.-

[imperatorisaureinova]

FTF thoughts

hookay FTF thoughts here we go! It's long so it's under a read more hah! There are parts about FTF I liked but a lot...also not really. I will say as a disclaimer I do understand that due Disney cutting the show things changed and things that were planned or set up had to be altered or dropped entirely. But there are so many choices in terms of writting and some personal biases from the crew that really just make me wonder "BUT WHY" Philip! Augh again an episode where he spends doing....nothing. Though this is more a general complaint of mine in the series over all esp now I've watched trough toh a couple times is that as a villain Philip doesn't really do all that much. Anything intresting he does do is either cut short, or we only learn about it via flashbacks/background info. I know Dana said she hates writing him and it shows! Which is honestly a shame because even if you dislike him, he's not just a cut and dry villain there's a lot of substance to him. And it's really sad to watch that go to waste.

I DID like the scene with Ghost Caleb, I had theorized for a long time that he was being haunted by the ghost of his brother/previous GGs and it's nice to see I was correct about that. And him saying "Oh, shut up." to them was funny, AND I WAS RIGHT ABOUT HIM HAVING ONE FINAL GRIMWALKER, but sadly much like anything intresting it wasn't meant to be. And now he's possesing Raine.

Which I apolgize for anyone who likes Raine, I really don't. And I'm sad that I don't but Raine just has such little substance, take away the fact they're Eda's ex and...there's not a lot there. Now of course Raine isn't the only character who suffers from this issue but Raine is more in your face because being Eda's ex means they're supposed to be more revelant but there's just not a whole lot there. Raine roleplayers I beg of you, PLEASE help me like Raine! I know they have potential but the show will not provide!

And to close my thoughts off on Philip so far, I'm sad they're just having him do the same thing, all signs point to him going to restart the draining spell, which kinda makes the whole DOU thing feel pretty moot. Sadly the way things are just makes so that there is just not a lot they can do with him in general. I've been expecting him to die by the end of the show since Hollow Mind and I figured he was going to kick the bucket by the end of King's tide so they could give all the attention to the collector (we'll get to him next). But guess he'll still be there for the finale. Regardless RIP Philip Wittebane, you were a great villain but you wound up being wasted.

Now onto The Collector....

Oh boy. Now given he was included because of the cut I was already a little iffy on him since Philip WAS already a great villain for the show, but ok fine, lets see what they'll do with him.

OOF. They pretty much declawed him instantly, compare to how TC acts in season 2 vs how he is in FTF. We got some intresting tidbits such as the collectors having been an entire species, who as their name suggests collect. But if something prevents them from collecting they'd go nuclear and kill everything, except we are shown TC doesn't like this. Which honestly is stupid as hell given HE LITTERALLY HELPED PHILIP TO PLOT GENOCIDE, but no, he gets excused of that because he's "uwu baby" ugh. I am willing to bet that the collector who caught the owl beast will be a different collector and not the one we know (it was a nice nod to see the Owl beast act up when seeing the collector, poor creature was tortured basically)

I also wasn't impressed by the Weirdmageddon but watered down. (The bit with Terra was funny) And Odalia...well she's there...yay? They said they were going to go ham,but fail at going ham F

So The collector so far is just a watered down Bill Chiper and not even a good one at that.

Huntlow, fucking hate it, sorry not sorry. As a trauma survivor I'm honestly so tired of the trope that we need romance to be "fixed" I don't give a shit if "Plus sized girls should see they can get the hot guy too" as a plus sized person, there are different ways they could've done that. Body positivity is important yes but this isn't the way to do it. Did we really need half the episode spend on Boscha and Kikimora? I don’t think so Stringbean? Her design is hella adorable but her being a “shifter” just feels like fan service to me, since many people have been speculating what her palisman was going to be Dana just said “Oh, she’ll be ALL the things so nobody is wrong” they should’ve just been her base snake form. woof, I really don’t want to be so negative but it’s hard to ignore bad writing when I see it, to quote what someone said in my discord server “So far, TTT and FTF really just feel like nothing more than afterthoughts” and honestly, I agree. I will be excited to watch the Finale in April (provided Itunes doesn’t fucking leak it again) but my hopes are all but gone, I don’t have much if any expectations 

[dollarbin]

Dollar Bin #36:

Love Has No Pride

My local record store is hard at work purging $5 titles from table top bins and dooming them to the higgeldy piggeldy Dollar Bins beneath. Are you longing for some Neil Diamond or Captain and Tennille? Well, you're in luck: you can seize their entire 70's catalogs for 93 pre-tax cents a piece. I've passed altogether on both artists so far, but who knows, maybe one day I'll discover that corpulent dogs, medalions and chest hair are the keys to great music.

I got gleefully down on my knees last week and combed through it all, emerging with 15 titles for 15 bucks. Here's the hoard:

Will I ever actually listen to Melanie's first record or Linda Ronstadt wingman Andrew Gold's attempt at a solo album? Maybe? Will I make good on my long ago promise to listen to an unmelted version of Art Garfunkel's Watermark? Someday.

I did listen to Poco's first record, which you can see above, with some anticipation: my famous brother recently recommended it as, basically, another Buffalo Springfield record. But when my eldest daughter asked me to please turn it the hell off I eagerly complied. It sounded more than un poco terrible.

But the treasure, so far, from this latest Dollar Bin haul are three Bonnie Raitt records from the 70's.

Raitt's Nick of Time was a big deal when I first discovered as a kid that VH1 was often less terrifying than MTV. And so I developed an early bias against Bonnie that still lingers. She didn't look like Janet Jackson or sing Tom Petty; plus I was uncomfortable with a lady having some gray hair while rocking the blues: 13 years old boys can be sexist little brats.

But I'm a guy who likes to second guess my biases, and so when I came upon her titles last week in the Dollar bin I remembered that Raitt is friends with Ronstadt and I know have more gray hair than Raitt. And so, I figured, what the hell did I have to lose for 93 cents?

And that brings us to today's topic: Eric Kaz's 70's torch song Love Has No Pride. Is it an essential piece of the 70's musical expression? Probably not. The song's a bit overwrought and features some regrettable nonsense about wishing you could buy your beloved's affections; either Kaz wasn't familiar with the song and/or concept Can't Buy Me Love, which seems pretty damn unlikely, or he wished his lady in question would give up her day job and become a woman of ill repute, which is hopefully not the deal, or he just ran out of things to say and grabbed at something silly.

For what it's worth, if you are gonna involve female sex workers in your music I recommend you either get weird and have them bend down to tie the laces of your shoe or go full Ringo and call them women of the night with a big silly grin.

Even so, Love Has No Pride clearly resonated with the record buying public in the early 70's as Raitt, Ronstadt and then Rita Coolidge each issued complimentary versions of the track between 71 and 74. Let's consider them in reverse chronological order, beginning with Coolidge's effort on what may be her best record, Fall Into Spring.

I want to start with Rita, whose records unfairly clog up many a Dollar Bin, because her version of Love Has No Pride is surely why the song dwells in my bones. Coolidge was in my extended family when I was born as she and Kris Kristofferson were still married and Kris, as you can read elsewhere, is my mother's cousin. And so I grew up utterly familiar with Rita's smokey smolder of a voice from my mom's 8 tracks and country radio.

I have no memory of ever actually meeting her, and I doubt I ever did. I was surely left with a babysitter on the rare occasion when my folks hung out with Kris and Rita because, after all, drunken debauchery, which was the performers' calling card, doesn't mix well with babies, especially homely looking ones. And I was mighty homely.

Anyway, take a listen to Rita's version: it's stately and elegant; nothing is forced and nothing is too complicated.

Nice huh? Coolidge consistently drags at the pace, indifferent to anyone who could ever rush her. And by the end we need reminders that she's got an ace band around her: everything in this song centers on Rita and we can't blame the cat on the cover for trying to claim her full attention.

It was a pretty gutsy move on Coolidge's part to record the track; after all, two years earlier Linda Ronstadt had ignored its torch song potential and instead lit up an entire barn. Listen to her throw everything at the tune: we've got back up singers, galloping percussion, 16 different guitar sounds, emerging strings and, at the center of it all, like a detonating star, her own titanic voice.

Ronstadt is one of my favorite singers of all time, and her take on Love Has No Pride is always welcome on my turntable. That said, I prefer Coolidge's slower, simpler arrangement, and I suspect Linda did too. After putting out her version of Love Has No Pride Linda let go of female backing choirs altogether and let a new producer, Peter Asher, help her streamline her arrangements in honor of her voice and solo gesture.

And so, now you know: Rita's take came through the bars of my crib and my own kids grew up with Linda's.

But The Dollar Bin is a mighty force, and it holds many secrets. And, until this last week, Raitt's original take from 71 was one of them.

And maybe, just maybe, her version is the best of the bunch:

Raitt sings the song so simply. Barns don't catch fire, torches are not lit. Instead we've got sweet picking, gurgling bass and a brave woman giving us some straight talk about how she feels and who she loves.

Wow. Bonnie Raitt, people! I'll race you back to those Dollar Bins; looks like it's time to track down the rest of her 70's catalog.

[bklynmusicnerd]

I’m very curious as to how Portia’s brother is gonna “help” her with Spencer. I wanna see if he’s on the same level of deranged as Portia or if his version of help is just having a intimidating talk with Spencer. If it’s the ladder, I don’t think Spencer is gonna cower based off the fact that he held his own when Marshall, Curtis, and Taggert rolled up on him and brushed passed them. In fact, I think he’s more scared of Portia😂

I'm a little biased as an instant Zeke fan, but I think I've seen enough to argue that he's probably not even close to the same level of "deranged" as Portia. I think he's doing his best with the information he's been given. His version of "helping" Portia so far was an intimidating mean mug that Spencer didn't really seem to take too personally. It made Portia happy though so I guess thats something lol.

I'm not sure why Zeke had such a strong aversion to Spencer's resting villain face at the wedding but he has no reason to like Spencer based off how much Portia has poisoned the well. She's telling Trina that she reintroduced Spencer to her Uncle Zeke. But she's not telling her that she's been spinning their situation like Spencer is the sole reason for their recent estrangement.

So from Zeke's perspective, this rich prick has come between his beloved sister and beloved niece and continues to live with the psycho ex who harmed his beloved niece, whilst trying to raise a baby that isn't his. He's also distracted by the new knowledge that his beloved sister is married to a trash man who has already cheated on her with a woman that he also likes.

So, I wouldn't worry too much about Zeke being a serious co-conspirator for Portia. He's already distracted and will be even more distracted once he finds out the full truth (paternity shenanigans). He also joined the list of people reminding Portia that Trina is smart. So I'm optimistic about Zeke.

According to Trina, and she knows him pretty well, Spencer's a little intimidated by all of them. He wants the approval of whoever Trina considers family, but I'd say he's probably least intimidated by Curtis. He's grateful to him but not scared of him.

If I had to bet, he's probably still intimidated by Taggert lol. I don't think he's as intimidated by Portia as he used to be. Only because he knows her standing with Trina has fallen far and she's being very transparent about her intentions. He was more annoyed than anything else.

[meandmyechoes]

Okay, I’m super down for the debate of if Snips is the little sister or first daughter, so thanks for trying to start it. (They can be both but eldest daughter is best for maximum pain and makes more sense with how she relates to people outside of the master/padawan relationship, like Padmé and Anakin. Plus, older sister Ahsoka to the SkyTwins is what dreams are made of.)

Oh, glad to see my opinion shared!

I agree that the complete answer is of course both because that's the complexity and weight of the familial dynamics of our found family, especially when you add in other people like Obi-wan, Padme and Rex.

It's just that I've been seeing a lot lately of people referring to 'little sister' after Ahsoka refer herself to that. The line spoke of her perception while I raised the question to study how Anakin is attached to her and its effect on him. 

Ahsoka is more often referred to the daughter Anakin and Padme never get to raise before S7 came out. It came up especially with 304, 310, 418, when it seems like they were co-parenting.

To throw in to the mix is the comparison with the typical Jedi Master/Padawan dynamic. Because of the ages apart and hierarchy, the typical pair, for example Luminara and Barrisss, are more like parent and child. However, the stereotype does not apply to Anakin/Obi-wan/Ahsoka (between any two of them). The three sides of this triangle is dependent and their roles shift all the time. Again, what makes them fascinating.

Anyway, I don’t think Anakin would’ve stopped at ‘little sister’ level of protective-ness, and he took on a HUGE responsibility agreeing to train her. Or, I will make the distinction that, Anakin feels responsible for Ahsoka becoming the person she is, that he put a part of himself in her, because that was what being a teacher means. He expects of her highly and is proud to have her as his student, his achievement. and I love Dadnakin.

[yuikomorii]

Nahh fr I'm in for the shu slander. I also never understood the "poor bby he lost his bff now he's all alone" ok? So are the others, they are alone just like him and also had it worse(ik I'm comparing them but it is a fact).

Maybe shu stans also see him as a challenge, he swear he will never have someone special again but guess what! You can change him! Sure, ayato has the same concept(and others like him) but just a glance at ayato and you know he doesn't mean it, but shu? Hoho so you're approaching me xdd

We know ayato likes takoyaki, but never shows it in your face like shu does w his sleeping schedule. Every single time I see shu he's either sleeping or yawning, and at some point he began to annoy me xdd he's just predictable ig? He doesn't really has a personality, all I know about him is that he sleeps and plays violin sometimes.

When he smiles from the bottom of his heart I'm like🤨🤨 I just can't believe someone so lazy like him(who won't show any kind of empathy w/o counting the ends of his routes), and also someone who didn't do nun when he found out his brother killed his mom(or at least I think he didn't but considering that reiji is doing well shows shu never cared about his mom in the first place), has feelings.

I like his looks tho. He has this prince vibe he gives off, well he is a prince xdd

// I’m not necessarily slandering him because as I said previously, I do like Shu but I was just stating facts there?^^”

I do feel like the DL and the otome fandom babies him way too much. It was confirmed in a DL book that Shu is the most sadistic out of them all and I’m really questioning how he got this way. Losing a friend won’t make you suddenly that bad, you know. As you stated, everyone is alone, it was mentioned in Subaru’s MB route that none of them got any friends. I do agree that he can be quite challenging, or maybe people like him because they feel like it, with no specific reason since that’s something that sometimes happens.

All Diaboys dislike being alone; solitude, after all, hurts. Shu doesn't want to make anyone special because he is afraid of losing a loved one, which is expectable given that humans aren't immortal. What matters is cherishing every moment with that person and forgetting about the depressing things for the time being. Taking into consideration that you mentioned Ayato, the reason he doesn't want to make anyone special is that he believes that even if he is in love with someone, there is no chance that person will love him back. Ayato's MB route demonstrated that he knows deep down that no one will ever love him, as evidenced by his reaction when Ruki literally told him, "That's why nobody loves you!". Maybe I'm just biased, but I find Ayato's situation far more tragic because Shu is fully aware that he can get anyone, that he's attractive, and that he has a good status, whereas there are characters who are extremely insecure about themselves (Ayato and Subaru for example).

I can't say Shu's feelings aren't genuine, but I do agree with you that, unless we count animals (or Yuma), he rarely empathy outside his routes. I don't recall him ever reacting to Beatrix’ death either; I mean, it wouldn't have been necessary, but she was his mother after all, and she didn't even treat him that badly throughout his life. Ayato cried after killing Cordelia, and she hurt him and his brothers far more than Beatrix. I know that apathetic people exist but something deep down surely must hurt you after hearing such bad news.

[beels-burger-babe]

I have been given permission to go off about this, your mistake cause I gotta a lot of shit to say.

With the funky order of gaining pacts that the Sisters keeper Mc is gaining, I'm both excited and a little sad. Like on one hand, "OH, this is new and exciting I cant wait to see how this goes" plus if Mc if already has a pact with Satan then that weird dating sim mini arc is looking less and less likely. (though this feral Mc would have been fucking hilarious to see in that) That being said, original Satan pact arc not being there means Satan no longer deals with his daddy issues, that's not really a bad thing cause this Mc is so not in the emotional stable place to help with that kinda bullshit. Who knows maybe something totally different happens or he just slowly gets over it just by helping with Harper.

Sad, because the Beel pact arc is getting less and less likely. Now correct me if I'm wrong, but it was basically Mc having that funky heritage that allowed them to bypass getting Lucifer's pact in the original game. Adding Harper to the mix just means instead of going 5 for 6 pacts mc can go 4 for 6. SO BEEL CAN JUST BE STRAGHT UP IGNORD. This isn't just me wanting the original Beel arc written for the following reasons. Beel is best boy, any excuse to write Luke and Harper interacting is a good excuse, this Mc has been looking for an excuse to throw down since day one "you want me to choose I choose violence", also I'm biased. But even if Mc went a completely new rout of getting Beel's pact, he deserves to interact with Harper, not the kid that looks like Lilith. Also he was the most emotionally well adjusted of the brothers. With this Mc, he gains the title of most emotionally stable of the household. I'm excluding Harper cause she's a kid and even then Belphie will make sure that Beel will have that spot in a few chapters.

Also Satan's relationship with Mc reminds me of a cat you bring on and when it lays its head on you, your just "I've been gifted with on honor, I must protect it with my fucking life"

If any of this sounded like I was suggesting certain plot lines to you, I'm not. I'm just making jokes and guesses based on the original game which this fanfic has made it very clear its not following.

OOOOOOOO!!! These are definitely some interesting theories!

So you're right in saying that this fic is definitely a canon divergence fic. The order of the pacts, some of the events surrounding the gaining of pacts, and of course MC's with brother's will be quite different.

However, I do still plan on covering all (except Mammons) earnings of the pacts. Beel and Satan included. Satan's will be less to earn his pact though, and more so to deepen his relationship with MC and address some of his character's flaws and, as you said, daddy issues.

Beel's has been planned in my head for a while, but alas it must be saved as MC will be pushing him back for as long as possible. Poor baby. But I promise we will get some Beel and Harper interaction in the future!

MC is this weird balance of "I can and will fight you," but is also deeply terrified of the situation that they are in. Their priority is, and always will be Harper, and as a result, this means that they are determined to stay alive because they are all Harper has.

And you got Satan and MC's relationship right on the nail! Satan was just interested in the anger and defensiveness of MC at first, but then showed that they trusted him. Not Lucifer. Not any of his brothers. Him. And he doesn't take that lightly.

I loved hearing about all of this and talking about it, so never apologize!

[skyhopedango]

Episode 12! The end! Oh no! ;_; )

I hate it so much that it has to end... At least it got a pretty good ending - a surprisingly good one, actually - with most plot lines wrapped up neatly. Also, I may or may not have teared up at some points. Or even right now. Daaamn this stupid franchise making me so emotionally invested. GAH.

Anyway, the rundown... as soon as I find another package of tissues...

Story makes short work of Boss Man courtesy of Kimie, we knew this was coming, no point on wasting time on it. Bye Boss Man. It was funny though that after a huge psychic superpower fight he went out by getting shot in the back. :D

BABY BROTHERS ARE CRYING, HURRY UP AND SAVE THEM!

I suppose this is where knowledge of the original comes in handy, because I think during Naoto & Takuya's journey to their brothers we were supposed to learn about how the Kiriharas ended up where they did, but well, I guess there's a limit of how much you can pack into 23 minutes. So let's just say that even in childhood Naoto & Naoya had it far worse than their counterparts... having had their powers awakened from birth (as opposed to the Kurokis, it seems), and all the shit that came with that. Plus even after being taken away from their parents, the Kurokis grew up having friends and whatnot, while the Kiriharas had like... Mikuriya. In the original at least there were some other people around in the lab, but in 2041 it doesn't seem like there was anyone, really, other than Mikuriya, so all the boys had was him, and each other.

THIS WHOLE SCENE IN THE SPIRITUAL ENERGY BEAM OR WHATEVER. SO PRETTY. ;_; )

And OH DAMN, so the Kurokis are basically the Kiriharas' reincarnations! HOLY SHIT. I'd been expecting like something since Misaki mentioned Akiko having been reincarnated (and at this point I have a pretty good guess who is her reincarnation... ....c'mon it's Kimie, it's got to be Kimie! and why that didn't create a paradox, well, that's because-- LOOK OVER THERE!!!)

Oh, so that was the symbolism with the game they'd been playing. Ooohh. I like that. Also: observe the Ark behind Naoto on that shot. Nice.

AAHH NAOTO IS SMILING, HE'S GENUINELY SMILING!

I'M NOT CRYING YOU'RE CRYING

AHAHAHA lol Takuya surprise hugging Naoto, and Naoto giving "omg what to do, I'm too emotionally repressed for this" vibes. :D Also, Naoya doesn't get a hug. Takuya may be dumb but he's not that dumb.

Naoto. OH NAOTO. OH MY HEART. Don't feel guilty Naoto, you've done all you could. I mean he's just a guy, really, and especially 2041's Naoto is a lot more sensitive and has way less of an edge than the Naoto in the original. That one was more pragmatic, even if he hated himself being able and willing to do things like killing people even if it was to protect Naoya. This Naoto is different - he's less hardened, more gentle, and also different in how he processes his feelings, he represses them more but I guess angsts over them harder.

And oh poor Naoto, he didn't get a hug. Again. :D;; Doesn't matter, it was such a lovely scene.

Also, who's been cutting onions here for the past ten minutes?! I'm running out of tissues!...

OH NO, the Kurokis' parents?! Oh my god don't do this to me, show...

AAAAAAAH............

Blah blah Kimie, blah blah of course they weren't going to do it, and that didn't happen, and OH DAMN, NAOTO & NAOYA

SO YUUYA'S VISION WAS RIGHT, BUT ALSO NOT CORRECT - THEY BASICALLY WENT BACK AND FIXED EVERYTHING - okay baby Kuroki brothers still had been taken away but that had to be done, and the parents remember and they're reunited, and--

FFS NOT THE ONIONS AGAIN, I'M ALL OUT OF TISSUES ;_; )

Alright, so I guess this is another part where knowing the original puts it all in a slightly different context. Because this whole thing with the parents is exactly the same (minus the Kimie thing) that happens with the Kiriharas in the original, but with a very different outcome. In the original Naoto & Naoya finally manage to track down their parents who run a clock shop, but find that their memories had been meddled with and they don't remember them... and then they can't even get a peaceful farewell, because the villain fucks up the whole thing for the lulz, and it's kind of heartbreaking.

Here, they basically fixed everything - so that the Kurokis don't have to suffer all that shit that they had to go through, from having to live isolated in the lab and growing up suffering from difficult to control powers to having their parents taken away from them forever.

Oh man. Naoto & Naoya are just so awesome. ;_; )

And so they go... to another dimension? to the Awesome Spiritual Place? just disappearing into the spirit universe like Shouko? At least wherever they go now they'll be together...

........please stand by until I finish being overly emotional over the silly woo brocon show........

So anyway, in the end basically Takuya & Yuuya become that world's Naoto & Naoya, doing pretty much the same thing as those two did in the original, being the small change that gets things rolling toward the Awakening - hell, Kimie even called them Saviors, that was Naoya's designation in the original (with Naoto as his protector/knight). Except well, the Kurokis are a ton more well-adjusted, especially at this point in the story. Aside of having a better understanding of everything, better control of their powers and not having the whole world out to get them, at least not seriously at this point- they even have their parents back! Lucky bastards.

The end. *sniffle*

Oh boy. What can I say? The existence of this show has taken me by completely surprise, being a reboot of an old niche franchise I'd fallen in love with and didn't expect seeing anything new for ever again. And y'know, my expectations were loooooooow because the previous anime was, as I'd mentioned a few times before, bad, like, actually really bad.

And then Night Head 2041 turned out to be - actually really good! It had just the right touches, with the animation (surprisingly good and detailed!) and just the visuals in general, and the characters! I love this Naoto and Naoya, from their design to their characterization that is similar but yet still different from the original but in ways that work so well! And I grew to like the Kurokis a lot, too, also Takuya is so pretty it's just not fair! Although the Kiriharas are always going to be the best. Also, I really want Kimie's leggings even though I could never wear them.

And I mean OK, I'm clearly biased, but even with my fangirl glasses off this was a perfectly alright show. And for a fangirl like me, oh... where do I even start. I won't even start, really, it's like half past midnight over here and I'm still running on an emotional high. Will post moe tomorrow because if I tried now I'd just post the whole damn thing.

I know there's still the manga adaptation of 2041 that's going to go on for a while still (and the novelization that I'll read now) but I'm going to miss this show so much. Thank you for everyone involved in it! You made my summer and early autumn, and pretty much my 2021 so far. Bye, Kirihara Naoto & Naoya...

[aerltarg]

Maybe this is a stupid question, buuuuut:

I just can't imagine a world that Rhaegar comes back from the Trident, wins the war and becomes king. No, I'm not a anti Rhaegar, matter of fact I like him very much, I'm just can imagine how would Lya, little Jon, this whole affair, would settle in the capital. The norm that fics (at least those I read) tend to follow is to make Rhaegar:

1. A douche, paranoid and destiny-obessed king.

2. Completely incompetent, aloof monarch, that deep down has a heart of gold, but can't really be understood.

I mean, isn't he supposed to be a scholar since he was a kid? What's are your thoughts about it?

oh, yeah, i can totally understand this! it's is the whole point in canon actually, "the wrong man came back from the trident". you would expect a hero win against his antagonist and have a happy ending w his lady love but it doesn't happen. instead the subversion happens to them with rhaegar being killed by robert who becomes obviously a shitty king and lyanna dying after him. they were never supposed to have happy ending, they were created as tragic and doomed and dead from the beginning for the whole plot to start, jon to have his parentage mystery and dany to take the passed baton as the last dragon, prophesied savoir and the heir who has to carry entire house on her back now.

as for the realistic rhaegar wins aus that's the difficult question. tbh we just don't know enough abt their situation, plans and wishes. you see, e.g. in agot we can be right in ned's head and see his motivations, what he was thinking abt, what he was planning, what he was hoping to do. but if his story was told the way rhaegar's was i bet he would have his own crowd of haters and ~intellectuals~ jumping out every two seconds w their "hot takes" how actually all hints abt what rlly happened (ned being a good man w his own sense of honour, justice and experiences affecting him and the deal w cersei's children) doesn't matter and he was an ambitious prick, planned to grasp the power by being joffrey's regent and make his daughter sansa queen. (you can actually insert there any bullshit and still don't reach the level of stupidity of such "hot takes" this fandom loves so much lmao). also he would be blamed to the hell and beyond for being too stupid and not foreseeing the future and actions of other ppl bc ofc after everything happened it's so easy to say what was so obvious to notice. also they would say that the deaths of his men and horrible fates of his kids are 100% his fault and even straight up say he killed them lmao. i can rant abt it for hours so yeah. this is a situation w too many unknown variables bc it depends too much on actions of too many characters we don't know enough abt. the only thing it's possible to tell for sure is the fact that there couldn't be any perfect solutions since things got too complicated at this point.

such fics as you've mentioned tho are just a part of this dumb fanon where rhaegar is "too prophecy obsessed"/"incapable of love"/shrodinger's rhaegar both smart and stupid at the same time/whatever/all of this combined lmfao. the man was notably intelligent from the early age as you've absolutely rightly mentioned, his guesses abt himself being tptwp have nothing to do w egocentrism as some parts of the fandom would want us all to believe unless he wouldn't be so reasonable abt it and later on, after so many years, wouldn't have changed his mind and thought his son could be tptwp.

and literally fuck all antis that think you shouldn't consider prophecies that hold real power in this fantasy world lol. you know, aegon the conqueror was said to be motivated (or at least partly) to unify westeros by the prophecy and still got the treatment of perfect/maximum close to perfect figure of a leader everyone should look up to from the narrative and grrm. prophecy obsessed much, huh? i don't even talk abt all these parallels between him and rhaegar grrm put there not for bitches to ignore them completely! and i will never get tired of reminding that dismissing prophecies is UNWISE for targaryens of all people. the house whose story is built on the dream of young daenys and her father aenar that listened to her despite common sense (or what local "anti magic"/"anti prophecies" clowns consider to be common sense). targs would be as dead as the rest of dragonlords if not for daenys the dreamer. who else in the world has as many reasons to take prophecies seriously as them?

yet antis out there act as if rhaegar is one dimensional weirdo whose every character trait is abt mf ~prophecy obsession~. like how can they miss one of the main points so badly?? the game of thrones distracts ppl from the real danger beyond the wall, yk, the one rhaegar was aware of and meant to deal with. there wouldn't be such a problem if he became king and had as many years of head start before ice zombies apocalypse as ignorant bobby b did. rhaegar had to die just for westeros to sink in shit and our main heroes to save everyone to make this story more epic LMAO

so yeah, too many ppl portray rhaegar as this one dimensional robotic creature without any knowledge of what feelings are idk even for what reason. it seems these ppl can't read for real bc rhaegar was not only intelligent af as well as dutiful ("it seems i must be a warrior" but "he loved his harp more than his lance") but also. ugh emotional?? my boy had constant emo sessions w brooding at ruins of summerhall, sleeping out there beneath the stars all alone and writing songs that made all women cry. does it sound as someone who "isn't capable of love" lol? folks act as if he was completely heartless from the day he was born (bc he didnt play w other kids ig??) but in reality their emotional range is less than the one of a spoon in comparison to rhaegar's lol. i'm not even gonna address the horrible attitude of demonizing him for his implied depression, vile clowns never listen to themselves when they talk abt targaryens and their "madness".

tldr; these fics are mostly lame af and suck at characterization if they're making rhaegar like that lol. anyway his character isn't abt being a good or a bad king, it's abt being a would-be-king for characters in books and readers in reality to sigh over his tragic aura and pretty aesthetic abt how it could've been. however, grrm clearly doesn't write rhaegar as evil or incapable as some parts of the fandom would want to try to persuade others. realistically speaking in the scenario where he wins there couldn't be any perfect decisions but it's a territory of speculations on thin air and lit nothing more since canon doesn't provide us with enough information to rlly theorize anything instead of building biased headcanons some ppl call "analysis".

but remember what barristan said about rhaegar while practically watching him all his life, from a literal baby to the man grown:

“I know little of Rhaegar. Only the tales Viserys told, and he was a little boy when our brother died. What was he truly like?”

The old man considered a moment. “Able. That above all. Determined, deliberate, dutiful, single-minded.” (ASOS, Daenerys I)

“Prince Rhaegar’s prowess was unquestioned, but he seldom entered the lists. He never loved the song of swords the way that Robert did, or Jaime Lannister. It was something he had to do, a task the world had set him. He did it well, for he did everything well. That was his nature. But he took no joy in it. Men said that he loved his harp much better than his lance.” (ASOS, Daenerys IV)

[spock-smokes-weed]

I know nothing about the boruto show but. Is there ever gonna be a point in your menma universe where boruto realizes that "oh shit. I'm a bad brother" or is he just gonna have no critical thinking ever

hey so sorry this took so long to respond to, I saw it but I've been thinking about it since it's been a minute since I've thought about the Menma Universe.

Since my initial posts about it I've had a bit of a change of heart about Boruto, I still don't like him that much and think there are more interesting characters in Boruto (cough cough Sarada), but I do think there are a lot of pieces of his character that I find interesting and think would lead to him becoming a better brother after realizing how cruel he's been.

Boruto has a lot of interesting ideas, ideas that I really like but don't think are executed that well, and the biggest theme I guess you would say is the generational gap between the Boruto kids and naruto's generation. Because I won't lie I do think Naruto fans are a little biased against the kid (i was too so no shade here) but I think Bortuo's brat behavior is normal. He's a kid who has grown up in the looming shadow of his dad being this world uniting hero and the village Hokage; all the while he just wants his dad to spend time with him. Bortuo's core motivation seems like peanuts compared to what naruto went through, and I feel like we're all more inclined to write him off as a spoiled brat for that. And honestly, I think that's the point. Boruto and Naruto have a very hard time understanding each other because Boruto grew up in a world of peace and Naruto did not. Boruto got to grow up in a world where ninjas weren't that big deal anymore, with two loving and alive parents. Naruto had to fight to get people to notice him, had to scrape and claw for respect. Naruto had to go through a lot to get where he is, and I think because they live in a time of peace and Boruto is safe with two living parents, he might not think about how constantly being at work would be hurting his son. Conversely, since Boruto was raised in privilege it's hard for him to really see the perspectives of others, and often acts in very self-centered and selfish ways. This makes sense because he is a 12-year-old child, but it's still something he has to overcome.

So where would Menma fit into all of this? Well, I think it would be a case of Naruto giving Menma special treatment, not out of a place of malice but thinking that his kid who lives in two homes and with unstable chakra control might need more attention than Boruto. And over time that breeds bad jealously in Boruto that manifests as not only anger at Naruto, but Menma as well. For me, I would want an arc of Boruto becoming worse and worse as a brother before it reaches a boiling point. And that's when Naruto would see his error as a parent and try to connect with his son like he sees that he's been failing too.

Idk if y'all have seen Boruto the Movie (you should, it's good) but a major plot point is that Boruto cheats in the chunnin exam so he could get his father's attention. It wasn't really resolved in the movie itself, but I love that idea, and the scene where Naruto catches him cheating is iconic, and I think I would want to use a combo of that and Boruto lashing out at Menma in some way. And when everything has calmed down Naruto and Boruto finally have a heart-to-heart to understand each other. And after that he makes an effort to right his wrongs with his baby brother knowing that his father is supporting his every step.

This got super long and was far more about my feelings about Boruto than my Menma universe, but idk i have feelings about that funky kid and how he has the potential to be interesting.

I didn't even get into anything with how Sasuke's whole host of generational trauma adds to that mess with not just his own family, but into Boruto's life as well.

But anyway, I'm still surprised people are still interested in my Menma universe. He's not original in the slightest and is even kinda cringe, but I still love him and that family drama that he creates by just existing. I'm so sorry Menma, my little freak of nature, I have cursed you with angst and drama, and the two most mentally stilled dads on planet earth. g-d bless.

[amairainherlilbubble]

JIMIN trios

I started following BTS last year in August?? I guess so. I was done with the exams and had lot of free time and was bored to hell. I really didn't pay attention to anyone's dynamics back then. I mean why would I?? That was none of my business. Well it IS none of my business too but still I have my 2 cents to share about few dynamics.

So let's talk about trios todayyyyyy....

Well well I'm not going to talk about all the trios in BTS.. I'm gonna be biased here and will only talk about the trios which involves Jimin. There would be other Jimin oriented trios which I might have missed or unnoticed but again your opinion is yours and mine is mine. So you are free to share your opinions too.

Let's get started with the most adorable trio and end with the most chaotic trio😂 jijjiik

1. Vminkook - cute trio (maknae line)

Taehyung, Jimin, Jungkook

For me, this trio is the cutest since they're the maknaes of BTS lol. No still they are not too chaotic and not too soft when they're together. I can tell this will be the almost perfect team (almost coz I don't believe that there's something called perfection lamo) to be in or the dangerous team to compete with. As I have seen and observed, these three are equally competitive.

There are times, when JIMIN has taken care of V and JK. It's not a hidden truth that Jimin shows extra care, concern and affection towards them. If you have observed carefully, JIMIN always makes sure to appreciate and compliment V and JK every possible time. And again there are times, when V and JIMIN team up to tease JK😂. Sometimes, we also get to see the partners in crime on a mission to tease Jimin. Not to forget, the way V and JK hypes up JIMIN.

2. JinJunMin - soft trio

Jin, Namjoon, Jimin

This is my most fav trio. I don't even know how to describe this dynamics. Whenever they're together I get a feeling of two elder brothers protecting their baby brother. Or to be more precise I can say father, mother and son (not to offend anyone but this is what I feel). They're cute together. I still remember their salad vlive, iconic boat rowing in IN THE SOOP (If you haven't watched I recommend you to watch that because it's damnnnnn cute. Jimin looked extremely tiny in that boat). I think jimin can be more carefree when he's with Jin and Namjoon. And somewhere, I feel both Jin and Namjoon loves to fool around Jimin.

I think I have already mentioned this, Jimin either becomes a baby or a babysitter when he's with his Jin hyung and Namjoon hyung..

3. JinKiMin - unique trio

Jin, Yoongi, Jimin

This is a unique trio and one of the underrated trios just the way the bond between Jin and Suga is underrated (by the way I don't know what they call Jin and Yoongi together as a duo). For me, this is the trio that stood out during ‘In The Soop’. Gaming Buddies? Also Drinking buddies. Although, I haven’t seen much of their moments as trio together but I hope one day they will come out as an official subunit with a wonderful song. Not to forget their dance vlive.

4. HopeKookMin - 3J ( Dance line)

J-hope, Jungkook, Jimin

I find this trio endearing. We all know they used to be roommates (yeah I know originally it's only J-hope and Jimin who used to share room together but Jungkook likes to sleep in his hyungs room so....). These 3 can create magic when they dance together. I personally love when there HopeKookMin dance break during any performances. I still can't get over from 3J dance break in we are bulletproof : eternal. And it's not a hidden truth that both Jimin and Jungkook love their Hobi hyung a lot. And sometimes, I feel they crave for his attention and affection. As a bright person, Hobi always loves to accept love and reciprocate.

5. Jijinjung - chaotic trio

Jimin, Jin, Jungkook

They're the most chaotic trio. Sometimes Jimin becomes peacemaker between Jin and Jungkook. They bicker a lot lmao..😂 At those times, I really feel bad for Jimin, he looks so done with these two😂😂😂.

But on a serious note, they are fun to watch. Jin with anyone is fun to watch (I personally love JinMin). They love teasing each other and it is like  Jungkook teases Jin, Jin teases Jungkook and Jimin and Jimin teases Jin. You can go watch their chaotic vlives to understand what I meant.

[songofclarity]

(its osmosis(?) anon) Yes Nielan because i also love da-ge with all my heart 🥺 tbh i initally didn't plan on watching the untamed (or getting into any of the mdzs media) so i wasn't bothered about avoiding spoilers when i kept all the mdzs stuff of my dash. i guess i didnt immediately latch onto xichen? and let's just say i got interested and started reading ppl's thoughts and headcanons and before i knew it i'm sucked in so deep i was like, guess i might as well watch it at this point,(1)

(2) but anyway, initially what stood out the most was ofc all the wangxian; when i wasn't looking very hard, xichen was there mainly as a sweet supportive older brother. then the 3zun started coming in, and i became invested in xichen's role in the plot and his relationships. from what i saw of him, he worked so hard to keep things together while also having his obligations as sect leader and how a lot of things just went downhill for him, and i guess what's interesting is that,,

(3) seeing all this from the outsider perspective of mdzs lore, i never saw xichen as a "doormat" or whatever some ppl think of him? (tho i was biased because the blogs i was following all liked xichen, which is how i know i have good taste 😌) also i'm really sorry agdjdgdk i don't think the entirety of my ramblings can be packaged into asks- i just felt that xichen, for all his faults, lost so much at the end, and his song really was a huge punch to the gut like-

(4) -in his position, what else could he have done? personally i don't know how he's handling all that grief in seclusion! i'm in pain just reading about him!! ofc the next logical step was to experience that pain first hand. we to episode 3 so far, and its gonna be a long, slow ride, lemme just say that. i don't think my opinion of xichen will change very much. he's such an interesting (and tragic?) character, a lot of them are. (ok thats it for now, sorry for the spam i hope none got lost hhh) 

(4.5 of 4) one more thing agdjdgf having watched up to episode 3, current thoughts are: 1. sizhui and jingyi are extremely Baby, 2. wwx Please and 3. xichen is so cute when he's enjoying himself 

First you love Lan XiChen, whom I also love, and now you put out there so casually that you love Nie MingJue with all your heart! I hope one day you might step away from being Anon and come out into the light so I can follow back and bask in the brilliance of your company, Anon 🥺

Also it’s the opposite of spam when I solicited your thoughts 🤲 So don’t even worry about it, I love to hear all about it! And I think I got all of it and I loved all of it! Your spark notes assessment is just super on-point! Fandom at large doing Lan XiChen justice by the sound of it, as is your good taste~

Sweet older brother: Check! Working hard to try to keep things together: Check! Not a doormat: Check! “What else could he have done” just absolutely yes, that is the question! The novel shows him and how he’s handling seclusion and it’s still so sad...

“ofc the next logical step was to experience that pain first hand“ LOL Absolutely, absolutely, that is a big mood! 🍿 All those spoilers aside, it’s really about the emotional journey of it all anyway.

1. “sizhui and jingyi are extremely baby” is the truth, you’re right!

2. "wwx Please” Ahaha, honestly Wei WuXian and his chaotic energy in Mo Village is one of my favorite things. Please do go watch the donghua one day too because CQL is good but donghua Wei WuXian going wild in Mo Village is just *chef’s kiss* incredible

3. “xichen is so cute when he's enjoying himself” 

I’m so happy CQL ends at episode 3 where he’s forever enjoying himself and being cute and nothing bad happens ever 🥺

[sungwanns]

holy crap your family IS tall! i'm just seeing rowoon from SF9 in my head (he's the only one i can think of that's above six feet tall) then adding more inches to him...i'm sure you guys look up to each other (≧◇≦) awww that's so cute tho! couple outfits with seungmin would DEFINITELY be easy - you can literally just buy the same kind of clothes. size and all.

...huh oh yeah. with felix and minho in the same dorm, i can definitely see the others still coming around for dinner/late night snacks. i think hyunjin mentioned he and minho recently ate in minho's room, too. and wow, you're going to have so many SGs! how many groups do you follow btw, and are you going to get all of their seasons greetings?

oh dang jungkook? ...maybe since he's also an idol, your brain just figured that's close enough HAHAHAHA. ah well - i'm sure the boys will come around soon enough.

YES JULY BABIES ARE THE BEST - whether cancer or leo (my mom's a cancer too, actually). and thanks for linking the site - i tried it out and put in an estimate of my time of birth, and apparently i'm a libra rising. can i just say the part where it said i'm a perfectionist yet indecisive is very accurate. have you tried putting in the info for your biases here? tho i imagine it would be hard to know their times of birth hahaha

AWW THANK YOU TOO XD tho tbh just picture a skinny, small-ish high-school-student-looking asian lady and i guess you'll get me HAHAHA.

RIGHT?? and you just know chan's concern is genuine - how can we not just melt?? HAHA yeah i'd hope he gets the reference too - i know he's lurking around here somewhere...and in case the day comes that i DO throw that danny devito comment at him, he better know where it's from too!

man we all need vacations - i hope school's winding down for you already. and thank yooouu i'm trying not to do too much anymore, but there's just so much going on all the time! all these kpop companies should be paying us - WE'RE the ones promoting their groups for free! ( ;∀;) and i feel that - that's one of the reasons i can't make myself start dramas sometimes too. too much work to process what's happening. OH AND CROCHETING! that's so cool! do you make your own clothes? the best i can make is a hat as for my own offline hobbies...dear lord i feel like i have none. i make graphics or watch youtube videos during my spare time...yeah okay it's probably time i start reading physical books again or something.

eyy fruits basket! i've been meaning to start that - is it good? and holy crap, one piece. if anything, that just tells me you have dedication. how many episodes are there - 900+? and the manga - i don't even know how long that is anymore. 30 eps behind is definitely not bad XD ooh my brother loves jojo...maybe i'll finally give it a shot when i get the time. as for cheesy ones, i'd probably recommend kaichou wa maid-sama/the student body president is a maid, and kimi ni todoke/from me to you! if i remember correctly, the anime doesn't cover the whole story, so you may have to read the manga afterwards, but even on their own they're pretty cute.

ahh maknae on top! that's actually my favorite too! if they release this as a physical single i will DEFINITELY buy it but yesss alien has a special place in my heart, together with minho's DAWN choreo. hyunjin's play with fire too, just because it was a very hyunjin way to announce "I'M BACK!" after his hiatus ♥

awww you are DEFINITELY felix! and i have to agree - you give off a very sunshine-y, happy, vibe even just from the few messages we've sent each other. now i wonder what aura i give off - maybe black? or maybe like a neon color that kinda hurts the eyes LOL

animation! okay that is VERY cool/impressive! ah but yeah if you're getting too tired, i agree you should just take a break before you burn out. i can imagine that even though you like drawing, having to do it for 3-hour long classes every week would be tiring for both your brain and your hands (i hope your wrists are okay). ah i've been okay for the most part - thanks for asking ♥ definitely need more sleep, but i'm not hallucinating (yet) so it's all good! ohh now i'm curious tho. have you made any animations of skz?? because i would LOVE to see those!

oh wow that's another difficult question...all their albums are so good! hmm, but if i had to choose, i'd probably say go:sei/go:live because it's what hooked me into this mess in the first place, and all the songs are just so good! phobia is still wrecking me hard i love yellow wood and noeasy too, tho...i guess that's my top three. i think i know what your favorite album is - is it i am YOU?

AHH ALSO have you seen the MAMA performance??

Yeah HAHA whenever my extended family goes somewhere together people are always like 👀👀 LMAO but yeah im pretty average height for a girl in my family!! Ah that would be so cute 😭 I have a few kinda wild clothes im a hyuna wannabe 😔 so i would love to put some of those on him LMAO

Hopefully that’s something that keeps them going to each other’s dorms!! Especially bc i know that none of them can pass up felix’s sweets <<3 But i follow a lot of groups 😭 including but not limited to: woo!ah!, aespa, fromis 9, itzy, txt, mcnd, enhypen, the rose, twice, and hyuna, sunmi, somi, and woosung for soloists!! i’m sure there’s more i can’t think of off the top of my head!! And there’s some more too that i follow but i can’t name all the members like weki meki, loona, & nct !! I indulge myself in random albums from these groups but for big stuff like SG i only let myself buy for skz and red velvet since those are my ults or i would be broke 😭

Right HAHA i woke up and i was like ??? I guess kinda close??? I haven’t tried again bc i just fall asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow LMAO

Oh a fellow cancer!! But i totally agree!! my aunt is a leo too and she’s the best <<3 Oh a libra rising!! now i just KNOW you’re so pretty!!! but yes HAHA i have some of my fav idols birth charts saved… Yeah haha it’s like impossible to know what their risings are but other things aren’t as influenced by the birth time so it doesn’t matter as much!! like i know that jisung is a pisces moon (so am i!!) and seungmin is a cancer moon <<3 I love my water moon boys <3 but luckily someone asked chan his birth time on a vlive and he told them >>:))

it really is he’s the sweetest :(( HAHA right like ik you and felix are floating around here you can’t pretend 👀

No i totally feel you!! Like everytime you think you’re done something else pops up!! like ive been doing a lot of last minute holiday things so sorry ive been a little slow in my responses!! 😭 and so true!! especially when i promote their group better than they do … I’m looking at you sm But i do sometimes!! ive made a top or two but clothing wise i like to make sweaters/cardigans the best!! but i think i make amigurumi the most!! but a hat is still so good!! what color would you make your hat? 🥰 no but that’s still good!! whatever you find relaxing!! I watch a lot of youtube too!! especially while im crocheting and during my occasional embroidery projects!! I can’t really watch anything when im drawing or i’ll get distracted lol

For fruits basket yeah!! i really like it!! It like gets more intense as it goes on!! HAHA but yeah i like hate finishing shows?? like i hate getting attached to characters and then never seeing them again so when i first started watching anime when i was 14 i finished a show i really liked and i was devastated AJHDKS so i looked up the longest anime and the rest is history 😭 but yeah they just recently hit the 1000 episode!! But i go through phases of watching a bunch of it and catching up and then not watching it for a while and falling behind … talking about it is making me wanna watch it again… but !! my brother loves jojo too haha he’s actually the one that told me to watch it!! Omg i’ll definitely have to give those a try!! thank you for the recommendation!! :))

Oh me too!! I hope one day they just put all the skz players together and sell physical copies that would be great😭 like it can have a cd for the songs and a dvd for the dances!! But you’re so right about hyunjin’s!! It was the perfect way to come back !! When it came out I was like !!!!!!

!! Thank you !! 🥺🥺 I would say you give me very like warm color vibes?? like maybe a warm darker purple ?? like a deep magenta?? Like this!!

HAHA thank you!! my wrists are always being put through it with all my dexterous hobbies LMAO Ah but the worst part is having to stand at my easel for three hours straight it always makes my feet hurt 😭I’m glad you’re doing well!!💙 I hope you don’t start to hallucinate any time soon LMAO but i have not :(( however i do have random bits of fanart on my blog!! they’re pretty old though & i did some of them super fast so i wouldn’t say any of them are particularly good but i haven’t had the time recently to really make personal drawings!! My favorite one on my blog though is probably the one where i drew changbin as zoro from one piece !! <3

Omg those are such good choices!! I’m gonna struggle to answer my own question… AKHDKSJS you really called me out like that😭 but that and i am who were my favs for so long but now their newer ones have been so GOOD UGH … hmm… i think nowadays i would have to choose noeasy, in life, and miroh as my top three in no particular order!!

Ah!! yes i did!! they’re so amazing and talented!! and 3racha!!!😭 and I adore their outfits!! especially seungmin’s i loved the colors in his!! and jisung’s bandanna 😭