#which isn't to say you can't ever use them cuz I certainly do. but like. come on. adding a clarifer doesn't make it gender neutral.

[sharkgirldick]

I dunno how to tell you this, but saying "gendered term (gender neutral)" doesn't actually make it gender neutral. If you care then just use an actual gender neutral phrase. "Y'all" fits just about anywhere "dudes" or "guys" would fit.

[bullet-prooflove]

OMG "Kelnon, Prompter of Matthew Keller" I love that! It makes me feel like a knight of the round table lol. Thank you for bestowing me the honor of being knighted, I'm glad I could make your morning better! And yes, I agree ol' Matty boy certainly does have a long way to go since he tends to keep all of his emotions locked away far down in the deep hole of his mind. It's like what Neal said to him during the last episode of the show.

[SPOILER WARNING FOR ANYONE WHO HASN'T SEEN WHITE COLLAR GO CHECK IT OUT IT'S GREAT]

Matthew is once again giving Neal shit for being "too trusting," and Neal hits him where it hurts by saying that yeah, maybe he is very trusting but he also has many people in his life who truly care about him. Whereas Matthew is all alone in the world. And Ross McCall is such an amazing actor cuz you can see for a split second that Matthew was indeed hurt by what he said! There's this flash of pain in his eyes that slips away just ad quickly as you see him put on his "bad boy" persona again to protect himself. And then only minutes later have Peter shoot him dead, and the camera pans out to show him all alone with no one to mourn him??? So poetically tragic, I love it. One of the best TV villains!

Sorry for the long ramble lmao has it been made very apparent yet that I love him? Is it starting to become clear? Anywho, I'd also be curious to know what the "meet-cute" was for the reader and Matthew and at what point did both of them realize "oh shit, I might feel something for this person!?" But that's not an official request or anything! Only you get to choose what you write and don't write, and I totally respect that. I hope you're doing well! 💗

- Kelnon

I have always felt that Matt is very aware of his status as a 'Blue Collar Criminal'. Neal describes him as such in one of the ep. I feel like Matt is very working class, he knows what it's like to have to fight to survive, I imagine he suffered an abusive childhood with his father in a criminal gang and he had to 'work' otherwise he didn't eat or was punished. He learned the family business in a brutal way. He is ridiculously practical because he was never allowed to have the same moral opportunities as Neal. Emotions are weakness is a lesson he learned from a very young age and it's made him hard.

I think he had a very traumtic event in his youth regarding a woman betraying him. I imagine he fell in love, considered going straight and his father killed her so he would learn that love is a weakness and because he wanted to keep him close. I believe in return Matt killed his father before disappearing and making a name for himself. I don't think he has ever had a person who actually cared about him. Even the girl he was associated with was on his father's payroll, she was set up as a learning experiance. He felt genuinely for her but she did not for him. His father still killed her anyway because he could see the depth of Matt's feelings and thought he needed to learn that lesson.

I think Avery is a naturally warm, empathetic person but she's very coveted in their world. I think a lot of criminals playing at their level struggle to form relationships outside of other criminals because it means hiding those aspects of yourself. You can't tell your partner you're stealing a Monet because if you're caught they will become an accomplice so you have to have a secret life and that fractures a relationship. Also their world is very male dominated so the ratio of attractive women is very limited so Avery is used to getting hit on ALOT by the men she works with which makes her guarded. She has walls but she isn't afraid to be herself, she knows who she is and she doesn't try to hide it and that's what Matt finds attractive. She's the most direct and upfront person he knows, she cuts through all the bullshit and she sees through his bullshit.

I imagine they met through a joint assignment possibly through Neal. Game recongised game, afterwards they worked a few ops on their own. I think Matt loved the way she made him laugh, I think it's been a long time since he's allowed himself to relax. I think he fell in love with her ability to be open when he's so closed off. I think the moment he realised he was in love was when he found himself telling her about his history because she asked him to tell her something real about himself.

I think for her it started off very much as sex. Matt's attractive, intelligent, dangerious but he's emotionally unavailable, which originally made her feel safe as there was no danger of attachments. They had similar tastes and became very attuned to each other as lovers. I think it was very on and off, usually when they were in each other's orbit by accident and then I think for Matt it started becoming less accidental. I think for her she realised she enjoyed spending time with him outside of the bedroom. I have this image that once when they were casing a place as couple they both sat down in front of a painting they had no interest in stealing and he told her how he felt when he looked at it. Not from a technical stand point but from an emotional one and it really resonated for her because he was describing real feelings in that moment, something she had never seen from him before and she realised there was incredible emotional depth under the surface. Afterwards I think she took him for gelato and it became more like a real date, her arm linked through his as they walked through the park. They started doing more couple like things after that, dinner, wine tastings, art showings, things that weren't related to jobs they were pulling, things they actually enjoyed doing together.

[nerdylilpeebee]

Was just neck-deep in discourse but my brain goes really fast between 2 things sometimes, so little rant about something personal now that I need to get off my chest. Feel free to ignore this if you want:

I am a lonely person. That is obvious. XD if you've followed me for a while you've likely seen my posts about this very subject several times. XD

But my brain is mean and likes to keep bringing it up, so here we go.

I want a relationship. A romantic one. But I have no confidence in that department at all (and this isn't helped by the fact that I'm ugly). Especially in person. I'm on a dating app, but no one ever responds to me and the only people who "swipe right" so to speak are either bots or people with OnlyFans, so it's pretty clear I'm not gonna have any luck on those.

Everyone I meet irl who I find appealing in that regards is already in a relationship. The friends I make who I get close to and form an intimate bond with either are not compatible with me sexuality-wise or already have a partner. XD Yep, that is my luck.

And tbh, it all just feels hopeless. I want one and every time I work up the courage to put myself out there, no one is interested or someone is but only cuz they want another onlyfans customer. It's been over 15 years since I last had a proper relationship.

I've never kissed anyone, and hell, I've only held someone's hand ONCE and that's cuz a drunk friend saw us together and forced us to hold hands. XD I'm 26 now and while I know I still have plenty of time, I just can't picture anyone wanting me that way. And every time I think "well, maybe, it's not like I'm the ugliest person in the world and I know based on my friends that my personality isn't garbage" it gets shot down by the fact that I just can't muster the courage to do anything IRL and online no one is interested when they can see my face, which in turn makes irl even harder.

In the end, I know what I am. An ugly pre-transition trans woman. If I wore make-up and dresses I'd be a walking stereotype, minus the fact that I'm young still. To most of the world I'm not even a woman. To any potential romantic partners, I'm almost certainly not a woman. XD there's no amount of dysphoria that would get me to try to present myself to one as such. I don't look like one. I don't sound like one. It'd just cause unnecessary confusion and awkwardness if I tried (not that I'll hide that I'm trans, I just won't really have any will to insist on them treating or viewing me as, well, me. To them I won't be Nora, especially in person).

I'm... Not even sure why I'm posting this rant. What is anyone supposed to say to this? Nothing new. The same empty-feeling platitudes everyone always says. And it's stupid and unfair to be upset anyone for that. XD there's literally nothing else to do.

[iturbide]

Thanks for the Emmeryn stuff! It does help! I really like the idea she hugs Chrom too tight cuz she's been worried. ; u ; Do you have any more ideas about how she is with her siblings, or like, with close friends, where she can be a little more casual? How does she react to Lissa's pranking people? (does Lissa ever prank her?) Do you think she was taught how to use any weapons, like to defend herself?

I'M SO GLAD THAT IT HELPS I love Emmeryn a lot and have a lot of thoughts about her because of it. ;v; So I absolutely have more ideas about her relationships with people she's close to hold tight.

Emmeryn loves her siblings so much. They, more than anything else, are what keep her going and give her the strength to hold firm in her beliefs. She wants to make a better world for them -- and while it certainly has benefits for all the people of Ylisse, I think that first and foremost, she set her sights on peace for the sake of her siblings. Emmeryn spent her earliest years in a country falling to ruin because of her father's crusade, so as soon as she was crowned Exalt and had the power to do so, she ended the war and tried to make the peaceful world she couldn't have for herself, so that her siblings could have better childhoods than she did.

I suspect that Emm did everything in her power to give Chrom and Lissa that peaceful childhood -- which includes trying to give them as normal an upbringing as possible. Rather than push studies on her brother that would prepare him for future rule, should something happen to her, she arranged for more mundane tutealge: reading, writing, arithmetic, etc. She tried to ensure that her siblings would recognize that everyone in the halidom was deserving of equal respect, regardless of their class or place of birth. This contributes to Chrom and Lissa's easygoing manner with commoners and nobles alike (especially compared to Maribelle).

Related, but this also explains their inability to recognize Grimleal symbology like the eyes on Robin's coat: Emm never taught them how to spot Plegian iconography, to keep them from succumbing to the prejudices of the wider halidom, meaning that while they know enough of the history between Ylisse and Plegia, they don't actually have a solid visual reference for what Plegians might look like until they actually go to Plegia, by which point Robin is so ingrained in their friend group that they wouldn't dream of kicking them out.

As much as her siblings mean to her, though, Emm keeps a lot from them, telling herself that it's for their sakes. Even with Ylisse now at peace, politics are strenuous and frustrating at the best of times, a delicate balance of keeping multiple groups with disparate needs happy to avoid the outbreak of civil war. She never lets on about this to Chrom and Lissa, though, because she doesn't want to burden them: that sort of burden isn't part of the peaceful world she wanted to make for them, after all, so she shoulders all the pressure on her own. She does her best never to cry around her siblings, even if she wants to: her tears are a private release for her, and if Chrom or Lissa happens upon her while she's crying she will swiftly try to get back under control and pretend it didn't happen to avoid making them worry.

This isn't to say that Chrom and Lissa don't want to help, or haven't tried to take some duties on to make her life easier. I tend to think that Chrom taking over as Captain of the Shepherds was his way of trying to ease some of his sister's burden: by going afield and dealing with simpler matters on her behalf, she could focus on the larger issues facing the halidom. While Emm does wish that a militia weren't necessary, she does appreciate her siblings' willingness to act as her agents in the wider halidom (and beyond, when it eventually comes to Regna Ferox), seeing to matters she can't easily tend herself.

Emm might keep up some of the mask with her siblings so that she doesn't burden them with her problems, but she certainly doesn't keep them at the arm's length she does most people. Her smiles are warmer and her laughter more open, and she's much less reserved on the whole, showing much more emotion than she does in public (though she still keeps a firm lid on any frustration or anger she might feel, preferring to take a gentle yet firm approach in correcting their behavior). In private she enjoys lightly teasing them about minor embarrassments and fussing over memories of their youths that they find mortifying; she can also let loose and just be silly with them, making funny faces to get a laugh out of them.

Emm tries to encourage her siblings' pursuits as much as she's able, and so long as Lissa's pranks aren't hurting anyone, she's usually the sort to laugh it off and encourage others to do the same. It's just harmless fun, something to spice up the day. With that said, though, Lissa may have pranked Emm when she was much younger, but probably tapered off dramatically as she got older because she could see the stress it caused Emm when Lissa snuck a frog in her sleeve, and she really doesn't want to stress her big sister out because she loves her: it's not fun to see Emm in distress. The worst she does now is sneaking into her sister's study and putting all her quills and ink on the wrong side/in the wrong drawer.

With a partner or especially close friend, I like to think that Emm would be easygoing, expressive and excitable with a sweet smile and a sweeter laugh. She can be playful, but she also enjoys the quiet moments she can share with good company, the kind of comfortable silences that are only possible with people you share a deep bond with. She would even be willing to let down more of the walls that even her siblings aren't allowed to see past, once there's a suitable bond of trust (something that's not easily established -- she's well aware that of how people might try to win her favor just to abuse her station, and tends to over-scrutinize interactions for possible ulterior motives). For someone that close, Emmeryn would even be willing to express doubts and fears that she would never otherwise give voice to.

Emmeryn was almost certainly trained to defend herself, though she probably refused physical weapon training following her father's death and her rise to the throne. Her distaste for war extends to the arms associated with it, and she staunchly refuses to handle them. Instead, she focused on her magic training for self defense, building off the lessons she first received from her mother. At the end of the day, though, she will only use that magic as a last resort (she's already been wounded and is unable to run); she will always pick her staff first if she has the option.

I also love the idea that Emm was never trained to ride a pegasus, despite pegasi being emblematic of Ylisse: it was considered too dangerous, given the risk of grievous harm that could come from a fall, so she got some cursory instruction in horseback riding and that was it. She does wish she could have at least tried, though: she wonders if it would feel freeing to be up in the sky like that, the world and all the problems that go with it shrinking below her, and maybe then she would be able to breathe easy in ways she hasn't been able to in...perhaps as long as she can remember.

[sayakxmi]

[Magi reread; special edition] Night 36.5: Night Flight & Night 37: Rememberance

So, fun fact, remember how in the previous chapter Morgiana just took Alibaba & left? Well, apparently Ohtaka made an extra, Night 36.5, which covers that flight.

Here it is.

Like, I'm already dealing with this dumb photo limit, guys, so I'll just stick to commenting it. Overall, it's just really neat, and worth reading. Also, I was right regading the WHY Morgiana sees Alibaba as her benefactor (spending that month in Qishan, using his wealth to help out her and all the other former slaves). It's really neat, honestly. The fact that she wants to thank him, and she wants to help him out now that he might need it, too.

There's just two small probems.

One of them is the fact that it's made into a joke - Alibaba hears none of it, because he's busy passig out, cuz she's moving too fast, and that really doesn't look good. Why is it that whenever Morgiana tries to be voulnerable, Alibaba doesn't hear it? There's gonna be at least one more moment like that in the future (god, I'm not there yet, and I'm already dreading these fucking boat chapters; last time I didn't finish my reread, because of them, ugh), and that doesn't promise a very good romantic relationship for the both of them. Again, Morgiana's an exception for Alibaba, but in a negative way.

And then there's the other problem with it - it's an extra. Remember how I've said that there were signs of Morgiana being eventually sidelined? This is one of them. Why is it an extra? Why not make it a part of the chapter? Why isn't it treated like something important? Why aren't Mogiana's feelings treated like something imporant? The writing's were on the wall, guys, they really were.

----Night 37----

He means Anime!Sinbad.

Thank you, Ja'far, for being the one guy to remember this.

Oh my fucking god. I was always thinking how weirdly Alibaba's lips were detailed for some reason. His mouth is open. That's all. They're not detailed. It's just open mouth. Oh my fucking god.

That realization aside, I am, once again, sad.

I want to say something funny or insightful, but I'm mostly just sad reading that. "Hehe, to think that there were so many things that I can do!" There are, but you wanted to see your best friend again. And he broke that promise you've made. Not because he wanted to, just because he feels trapped in the mess he's currently in. Man, I'm just sad.

Why is he so cute.

Ughm stop making me feel feelings.

AGH

COME ON

Of course you were. You decided this is your bestest friend ever several hours into meeting him, bro. Agh, this shit must hurt so badly.

Hm.

SHE JUST YEETED HIM IN

Talk about awkward, but also, gdi, Alibaba, you sure end up in this sort of position more often than you should.

Awkward.

They're trying ok.

You know, I blame neither of them here. Morgiana has a point, but I also get that it's difficult for Alibaba to talk about it, and he's under so much pressure already, to have just another person come here and tell him to hurry up and do something. Like, I do feel bad. But again, I get where Morgiana's impatience comes from.

Totally understandable.

And you're right. But you're missing a lot of context that you're about to get.

Still, her reaction is understandable, and, frankly, so is Alibaba's hesitance. Like I've said, I blame neither here. They're both in their own rights.

Like, for the past six months that's kind of what Alibaba's been dealing with, because of Cassim. No matter how much I love him, and I love their relationship in general, that most certainly was pretty abusive. We've already seen it. So to suddenly have another person yell and demand things from him...

Aladdin is (technically literally) a godsend. It honestly matters so much that he lets Alibaba actually cool down first. Also, worth mentioning that the conversation between Alibaba and Cassim happened, idk, half an hour earlier? It's probably still fresh in his mind.

He waited for him : (

I can't with him still similing. God.

Ugh, the fact that he DOESN'T JUDGE HIM. Everybody always judges him, or demands things from him, but here is Aladdin, who, in spite of everything, still believes in him. I just fucking can't, y'all.

You won't meet him until much much much later, you'll even manage to die in the meantime.

Existence is pain, I am suffering, this is just too fucking much, god, look, how Cassim is smiling, he's a baby, oh my god, I'm so fucking sad man, why was I born in this world, just to suffer-