#i'd love to know if it changes his romance later on because that seems like. well. a rough start

[myrkulitescourge]

i'm surprised i haven't seen any text posts yet about the Unsubtle Differences between astarion’s tiefling party/high approval forest scene and the one you get after the goblin party.

there’s something so terribly interesting about how the conversation afterward plays out depending on which variation you pursue.

like, most people have seen the tiefling party version by now. astarion basking in the sunlight the morning after, playing off most of what tav says with relative ease, even when they ask about his scars and he tells them about cazador. his cadence is smooth and composed, his smile almost friendly, even though you know, as the viewer, he’s playing a game of manipulation at this point. the only real crack in his demeanor is if tav notices that cazador’s “poem” was written in infernal, which, understandably, startles him.

but recently i watched the goblin party version of this same scene, and everything reads so differently. unlike at the tiefling party, it’s still the middle of the night when astarion tries to leave, thinking tav is asleep—almost immediately after the act, in fact. when tav does speak to him, he’s visibly nervous, halting and stammering in the middle of lines delivered unflinchingly in the other version of the scene. he gestures broadly and fidgets more while talking, his smile comes and goes. there’s even some of his distinctive high pitched, fake laughter sprinkled throughout the exchange, almost identical to later scenes where he's very, very obviously uncomfortable (like if raphael mocks him and magics off astarion's shirt to show the party his scars in act 2, or when confronting the gur children in their cell in act 3, etc etc).

siding with the goblins represents something deeply familiar to astarion, a level of cruelty he's more than familiar with and embraces likely because cruelty and duplicity, to him, go hand-in-hand with the power and freedom he craves so badly—but he won't stay the night with this tav, even if he approves of their actions. no, in this case, he'll keep to what's familiar and attempt to leave them in the forest under the cover of the very same darkness he resents having been cast into by cazador. when he gets caught, it sets him on edge, and everything he says becomes such a blatant lie to save face that tav would have to be completely oblivious not to see through him, or maybe just not care enough to.

but if tav saves the refugees? challenges his worldview and comes out victorious? oh, he'll complain of the poor rewards for his trouble at the party and whine about it being boring, but he decides to stay with tav through the night while they're asleep and on past dawn. he takes a moment to enjoy the morning sunlight, returned to his life after two centuries without. the same is true if you have high enough approval that he asks before the party, in which case, you've almost certainly hit his biggest approval gains: trusting him and supporting his safety. maybe he doesn't trip over his words when he speaks because, well, maybe this is someone he doesn't have to worry about. someone who's already more than proven themselves a foolish, heroic sort with a bleeding heart or otherwise demonstrated that they're already in his corner. in other words, not a threat—at least not to him.

does any of this make sense. i wanna study this guy under a microscope.

#the text may be the same but the line delivery is so enormously different it HAS to mean something idk! idk! #what he knows best but doesn't quite trust vs what's new but seems almost safe seems like the differentiating factor honestly #at least in whether he decides to leave tav immediately or stay with them till morning #which in turn affects how he feels by the time tav speaks to him #not to rag on the goblin route but man #he seems. well. frantic when he gets caught trying to leave asap. #to the point where listening to him feels... pretty bad imo #i'd love to know if it changes his romance later on because that seems like. well. a rough start #astarion #astarion bg3 #astarion ancunin #bg3 spoilers #baldur's gate 3 #bg3 meta #sort of idk #long post

[calisources]

𝐃𝐀𝐑𝐊 𝐑𝐎𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐒𝐌𝐔𝐓 𝐒𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄𝐒.

Sentences were taken from different sources of literature that depict dark romance, these include possessive language, jealousy, power trips, some kinks, innuendos. Some sentences are tamer than others, please use wisely. Change names, pronouns and locations as you see fit. This meme is not safe for all audiences, as it contains adult themes.

Cara is mine, and only mine.

You didn’t seem to be in any danger when you were being my good, little girl.

A crush? I had consumed at least three of that woman’s bodily fluids, as she had mine. 

I worship you.

Very, very bad girl.

So you admit it, I make you scream.

See, my sweet gift? I knew you’d f/cking come around.

My beautiful, sweet gift. I am forever lost in you.

Let me heal those wounds and soothe that ache.

I’m gonna fuck you now. It’s gonna be fast and hard because I’ve waited too long for this.

In this fucked up world of ours, we're meant for each other.

I may have broken you, but know that you've broken me just the same.

Let me free you of the constraints of virtue. Better yet, free yourself.

You're supposedly protected by god, but here you are fucking the devil.

Like this you are powerful. Learn what it is to command the attention of a god.

I need you to take me the way you want me.

I hope you never forget about me and that the thought of me haunts you for eternity.

I was born to be your god, born with the power to make you do what I want.

You've captivated my soul and breathe life into me.

No escaping. I told you I'd never let you go.

I am a poison that all of humanity must fear.

You  ruined me and I can’t be bothered about it.

I forgot how good you taste. 

Real men get their girls nice and ready first.

This girl. She’s living, walking art. And she’s mine.

Do you want me on my knees?

You’re a bad man and you do bad things. You will always do bad things. But not to me.

You are painfully beautiful, do you know that?

Every time you look at me, it feels as if you start a wildfire inside my heart

Such a perfect girl you are, put on this world just for me.

I have killed for you, baby. And I’ll never stop.

You forgot I was a siren.

I just wanted to keep you forever.

I have missed you for so long. And now you are in front of me, but you’re afraid to touch me.

 There can never be anything in the world that would hurt me more than when you left me.

I don’t know if I want to cry or if I want to scream or if I want to fucking kiss you.

Christ, I wish you could see yourself. You look otherworldly.

I used to smell your dirty shirts when you weren’t looking.

In order for me to fuck you, I’m going to need you to be healed first.

 How I’ve missed that filthy mouth.

What else did I teach you?

You taught me how to be a good girl for you.

How to let you ravage me so badly that I feel like I’m on the brink of death.

I'm a simple man who's been reduced to his base instincts to hunt, capture, keep.

If she is my devil, then I will gladly burn.

If you don’t protect what belongs to you, then sooner or later, it belongs to someone else.

The power he holds over me―

You like to be owned by me? Knowing that I will kill anyone that ever tries to steal you away?

You want passion. A love that completely devours every inch of you. 

I know that you long for a little danger, too. I saw how you thrived on it.

It only hurts because I want you so much.

 if you could see yourself through my eyes, you’d know why I chose you. 

You taste like sin.

You're doing so good, Handsome.

No one touches what's mine.

And you are mine. Whether you agree is irrelevant.

I caught you, so now I get to ravish you.

Let’s do something about that mouth of yours, hm?

Be my woman, Ana. Allow me to call myself yours.

I want you to know that you can’t hide from me.

Play nicely, little lamb. Or else, I won’t.

I will do with you as I please.

Show me how much you want me.

You haven’t been getting what you need, have you?

Would it make you feel better if I call you Daddy while you fuck me?

You’ll never know when I’m going to drag you into the darkness.

I’m rough with your body sometimes, but I’ll always be gentle with your soul. 

Fucking hell, you’re sweet. You’re so goddamn sweet.

The flesh wants what it wants.

If you continue to behave like this, I'll actually start to believe you don't hate me.

Desire becomes surrender. Surrender becomes Power.

And I will break you. I will make it so you can't breathe without me. 

What happened to the thrill of the chase?

I just like the way wrong feels.

I swear I won't touch you even with a finger until you ask me yourself.

I need to hear a yes, sir.

#roleplay memes #sentence meme #( cali meme. ) #rp memes #rp prompt #rp musings #roleplay prompt #usft tw #usft meme #smut meme #suggestive tw

[purgatory-if]

demo (tba) | faq | masterpost (you are here.) | art cred @aykaypee

You’re in danger, and every fiber of you knows it.

You’re sure, by now, that no matter what you do you won’t be able to stop it. Maybe that’s a good thing.

...This is the end.

You wish you had something that would remember you.

... YOUR life is a mystery to you when you wake up in the sunny fields of Purgatory. Apparently death isn't supposed to be a full memory wipe to the soul, but that's no problem, right? There's usually some sort of record kept of this kind of thing. If not for special cases like yours, then at the very least for organizational purposes. You're told all of that, assured that nothing is wrong and that this jsut 'happens' sometimes up until the moment they look for yur death and find nothing to speak of. Nothing of your life, either, just to make a bad time even worse.

Without knowing anything like this, it's safe to say that it'll be impossible to pass on. The underworld isn't built for fringe cases like you and even if it was, not even knowing who you were is disconcerting at best and cause for crisis at worst.

So alright. It shouldn't be too hard to find out how one person died, right? Detectives and story characters do it all the time- and now you have all the time in the world.

You should, anyways.

... FEATURES include:

play as a seriously unlucky pc whose cause of death depends on which route you decide to pursue

be whoever you want to be! standard for ifs nowadays; things such as pronouns, general appearance, personality all that jazz

8 romance options (mostly fem/non-binary, 1 option you can choose the gender of) and the ability to play as aro and/or ace

at least 4 poly romance routes!

love me some good vanity stats! vanity stats

get recruited (read: forced) into a 9-5 where time isn't real

beat up time

really symbolic mythology! i could write a goddamn essay on these fuckers

... PURGATORY is recommended for players over the age of 15, though I’m not going to police what you do on the internet. The game will contain major character death and death of all kinds, what is probably sacrilege, memory loss, fantasy violence, potentially sexually suggestive scenes and dialogue (hi ama.), morally dubious behaviour, and more. In-depth content warnings for each chapter and specific routes will be released at a later date.

... 'MAIN' CHARACTERS

THE DIVINE.

Angel (prns selectable) / Witty, charismatic, more than a little bloodthirsty, there's a certain volatility about someone who is Fate embodied. While they take their time on the many, many field missions necessary for stability in the multiverse or whatever very seriously, they'll put their restless passion into anything if it catches their eye for long enough.

Achlys (they/them) / Death itself, stoic and sharp and more than a little intimidating, it's hard not to let their mere presence get under your skin. While it would be nice to say that's not an intentional effect, the only unintentional thing about them is the fact that they're down here, of all places. They seem to be making the best of it.

Esme (they/them) / An angel in what is certainly an analogy for hell, classic, isn't it? They're little more than a shambling mess in a skirt if we're being honest, oh so scared of any shadow that moves in the corner of their vision. They truly do wear their heart on their sleeve, which seems to be an invitation for some to try and stop its frantic beat.

Amaterasu (she/they) / Don't let her meet your parents, is the only advice I'd give, because she'd be gunning for at least a threesome by the time starters are served. Unflinchingly forward and seductive, they're horribly charming in the most impermanant of ways. There's nothing she'll shy away from trying sooner or later, it seems, in or out of the bedroom.

THE MORTALS.

Viviana Alatorre (she/her) / Businesslike. Some people really don't change when they die, and going to this office just means you see the sun less on your coimmute. She doesn't appear to be dead, or alive, something in the middle. Out of everyone here, she's probably the most terrifying. Even more than the death god, probably because she's actively working towards terror.

Ailbhe Kahinu (she/it) / There's nothing that troubles Ailbhe, and it wouldn't be concerning if she was... y'know, dead. In the face of certain terror, it faces things with a shrug and a sigh. At least she's good-natured about this whole thing, being dragged down here by both her girlfriend (Vivi) and her sister (Rahley). The prices here are better than aboveground, anyways.

Rahley Kahinu (she/her) / Rahley's been compared to a robot more than one time, and while the comparison probably wasn't in good faith that doesn't mean it was necessarily wrong. She's intensely focused on her work, and her skill in that department seems to have drained her ability in things like basic conversation and empathy. So it goes.

M Blankenship (prns selectable) / Previously called 'Hit 'N Run' in the world of roller derby, the violent nickname seems odd on someone as cheerful as M. They act as a sort of tour guide for souls entering the Underworld proper instead of hanging around Purgatory, and it's hard to say their easy extroversion makes them anything worse than great at their job.

THE CONSTANTS.

Stratos C. Lusse (he/him) / The eternal guide to Purgatory for souls lost, souls found and all who are inbetween. He seems to have been here the longest--minus all of the deities, of course.

Octavia Hardin (she/her) / The part-time guide to Purgatory. She seems more likely to throw your soul into damnation if you cross her or anybody she cares about. Stay on her good side!

Salem Astor (she/her) / She would be a romance option if I had the energy to code in a shop feature. But I don't. So she runs free through the city.

Abbadon (prns selectable) / Personification of the past. If anyone can help you figure out what the hell happened to you, then they should be the one to go to. Sometime in the next 5 centuries would be ideal.

Maliel (prns selectable) / Personification of the future. Again, probably someone who can find out in a second what you'll know when you figure out this mystery, if you're able to find them at a good time. The woes of being a primordial deity.

...and more! Probably. Co-workers, pirates, other deities but this is running long.

#if: intro #interactive fiction #if game #if wip #choice of games #interactive game #twine game #twine if #interactive novel #twine wip #purgatory if #masterpost

[pupmkincake2000]

So, after finishing Gale's origin, I think I'd play Astarion's. Don’t get me wrong, but it’s interesting for me to watch the romance with Gale from Astarion's POV, from the very beginning to the very end, because after reading some fics, I realized that I had never seen such a plot before. I mean falling in love with Gale right away, and not after all the events are over. That would be an amazing slowburn.

What do I mean, you ask? I noticed that when people write about this couple, it often comes up like this: Astarion is usually in a relationship with Tav, but when he/she/they reject him (remember the opportunity to remain friends with him, right?), Gail, according to the plot, usually invites Astarion to settle down in his tower and feelings arise later. Even if they flirted with each other before.

And although such stories are well written and interesting to read, I can’t help but feel that there’s a certain… wrongness in such a relationship? I mean, Astarion gets everything right away without doing much, home, a handsome lover who takes care of him and will do anything for him, yet Astarion himself does nothing to get anything of these after the game ends.

People usually justify this by saying that he has already suffered enough and deserves all the best. And I agree that yes, he really deserves it. However, I believe that in this case he achieved nothing on his own. He saved the world, yes, he killd his master, yes, but still... it happens when he has his friends around who would support him and a lover who he seduces for this particular purpose.

Of course, by this point he may already be in a full-fledged relationship, but it all started with a specific goal, right? And don’t think I hate him, I don’t, as I don't blame him for anything, anyone in his place would do everything to get at least some protection and hope for something better. I don’t know if I can explain what I mean in a best way, but I'll try.

Astarion simply moves in stories from under the protection of one lover to another. And usually in such cases, Gale insists that Astarion doesn’t owe him anything… and here I also agree, but in this case the question is: what did Astarion himself do to deserve all of this? Past suffering, it seems to me, is not a sufficient reason to give him everything at once and it doesn't mean he has to suffer more or anything. That is, as soon as Tav breaks up with him (or he with Tav), Astarion falls in love with the one who turned out to be as kind, more generous, who never demands anything in return. And there is, it seems to me, something not quite right in this.

What am I getting at? I would like to see Astarion's story, from a POV of a person who undergoes development, not just getting everything the best as a reward for his suffering. For example, I would like to watch the story from his point of view, when he falls in love with Gale, and for the sake of this love he begins to change, fight his traumas, outgrow them, because he realizes that, perhaps, for the first time in his life, he has fallen so deeply in love.

Without a relationship with Tav (I don’t like it at all when Tav is in the plot, they seem too unnecessary), but independently decided to change. And I want to say right away that by the word “change” I don’t mean anything bad, since he still changes when the player has a romance or friendship with him.

But for me, for example, it would be interesting to observe these changes, this growth, the struggle with traumas because of his love for Gale. Because there is someon who he cares about, not just about himself.

Let's be honest, Astarion is more a taker, Gale is a giver. Sometimes such relationships work but not always. Some people love to give, some people prefer to take. But I do not think it would work for them.

I see them as equals. Or at least are trying to be.

And yes, it can be love from the first sight (why not?), or the relationship can begin quite like in canon: with manipulation and seduction (tho I've never seen a fic in which Astarion falls in love right away), but then the realization comes that this is not just a hook-up that means nothing, but a connection that means, and not just to get someone as an ally who would help kill Cassador (after all, you can kill him simply by being friends with Astarion).

Although love at first sight from Astarion's perspective would be quite interesting, since Gale does not seem at all like a person who is easily manipulated and seduced.

There is something incredibly attractive about experiencing the whole story of this love from beginning to end (and despite the slowdown, they can still sleep with each other), and only then, when the final battle is over, they can go to Gale’s home together , but not because Astarion has nowhere to go and he again risks being left alone, but because by that time he and Gale will already be in love and confess their feelings to each other (I think it will be even more interesting to watch from Astarion's POV), and therefore they will no longer imagine their life without each other.

It will all look even tastier if it all happens long before the final battle, because Astarion will already have something to lose.

I want Astarion to try as hard on the relationship as Gale usually tries in fanfiction to heal his injuries. But I have almost never come across stories where they both worked on the relationship and healed each other equally. In most stories, unfortunately, Astarion gets much more, with almost no effort (we are not to talk about his past suffering), and this is just frustrating, as if he is not able to build his happiness on his own.

Someone may mention his traumas again and I understand perfectly well that not everyone can overcome their nightmares alone. But that’s why I mentioned that I would like to see how both work on relationships. In the game, Astarion is the one who takes, and Gale is more the one who gives (which I've already mentioned), but I would like to see equality, so that both give and take equally. And from Astarion's perspective, this would be incredibly interesting to watch, mainly precisely because he is the one who takes, he isn't used to give, but for his beloved, at least when he realizes he's in love, he would want to do more. To be more than just a taker.

You don't have to agree with me. But this is how I would like their relationship to be.

Oh, one more thing

I see Astarion as someone who tops, I do not mind switching, but top Astarion and bottom Gale sounds nice♡( ◡‿◡ )

#bg3 #baldur's gate 3 #bg3 gale #astarion #astarion ancunin #gale of waterdeep #gale dekarios #astarion x gale #bloodweave

[akechi-stole-my-heart]

If I may ask: how would you have written/rewritten Sumire's confident story? 😊 Unless it's too close to what you did in code violet, sorry 😂 Personnally, I thought the first half wasn't THAT boring, she was endearing but I felt like she was either in denial or hiding her grief about her sister's death - and then I got the truth 😂 I've become a shusumi fan quickly but I still think there's *something* lacking for it to click. And the last scene we see Sumire was underwhelming imho 🥲

yeah! there are a lot of similarities to what i do in code violet, but it's not identical, since I have a lot more freedom in my fic than there is in the game.

i wouldn't change much if anything about the first half. i agree it isn't that boring, what really makes it seem that way are (1) high expectations for the New Special Girl to be exceptional since she wasn't in the original game and (2) comparing her to the other team members who you're already invested in, her conflict just isn't as interesting (at least to me). basically, you start out every other thief confidant already knowing the core of their conflict because of their palace, so you're already invested in their arcs, while with sumire that is reversed, where you don't learn what's actually going on with her later. so, the "boringness" of the confidant is really exaggerated by that. if you didn't like the way they inserted her into the opening sequence (i never had an issue with it, but royal was my first experience, though i did know the stuff with her was added in the rerelease) so she made a bad impression on you, then it's understandable why people wouldn't like her (at first, anyway)

but let's get to the point. my issues with her confidant. they can basically be summed up in 2 points, and the two of them intersect quite a bit (1) the way she idolizes both kasumi and joker and rely on them for her self worth is not properly unpacked and (2) her role as the waifu REALLY impedes her arc.

basically, sumire idolizes joker. her outfit mirrors his exactly, and her arc in third sem is all about...learning that since joker loves her, she wants to both rise to his expectations and can learn to value herself. and that's not bad, but certain lines about how she wants joker to see her really rub me the wrong way. specifically in her rank when they go to the mall and she picks an outfit for herself. i like the part about her wanting to be seen as herself, and the part about joker's reaction ultimately being irrelevant to whether she likes the outfit, and i would emphasize those points more strongly. but the parts about her wanting joker to see her feel a little like she's trying to be a person he will like? rather than being the person that she is. some of the dialogue is pretty meh, and it feels like she's getting her self worth from joker.

the bones of the confidant are good. great, even. but there's just subtleties in the execution that make it not quite land for me. choosing the romance route ends up feeling unhealthy for both of them, where sumire is putting too much of her worth in someone else and joker is entering an unequal relationship where sumire doesn't give him as much as he gives her because he just isn't in a place to. and i think that's a shame.

for me to get behind shusumi, sumire needs to be on equal ground with akira, and she just isn't. and the game is even aware of this--sumire says on white day that she isn't, but that she wants to be someday. and like, it could be her being self deprecating, but either way it's not what either of them deserve. i wish we could get a moment where she's there for akira like he's there for her, but atlus is allergic to joker's friends being there for him so we never get that.

so honestly, i really wouldn't change much. i'd leave the first half how it is, tweak some dialogue in the second half so it seems less like sumire is getting her self worth from joker, and add a moment where sumire explicitly says she's there for joker and wants to be there for him as much as he's been there for her, so they're on emotionally equal ground with each other.

finally, i do wish we got to see more of her journey, since she really is just at the very beginning of her arc of recovery at the end of the game. but i think it's okay that we don't. there is only so much time allotted to watch her grow, and we see her grow a lot in that time. there's questions she could ask herself that she doesn't have the time to get to, like if she really wants to be a gymnast for herself, or if she's just doing it for her sister. that sort of thing. but again, i think it's okay we don't get to that. i might add a line or two where she says she wants to be a gymnast for herself because she enjoys it, though.

and i guess that's it? i'm sorry for how disorganized this answer is. i haven't really thought in depth about what i'd change if restricted by the confines of the game, and so it's kind of difficult to do a rewrite when that's different than just having problems with what exists. a lot of what i would change can be found in code violet, like how i emphasize that it's "joker makes me want to be seen for who i am, and see him in return" rather than the one-way dynamic of "joker makes me want to be seen and so i will try to be a person he likes" which some of her lines really come across as sometimes. honestly, i think the entire confidant could have been improved by leaning more into the rivalry dynamic. sumire and akechi already have plenty of similarities/parallels, and joker kind of inherits kasumi's role as sumire's rival. so i think it'd have been really powerful if they leaned into that and made it clear that this time, sumire and her rival are equals.

but yeah! sorry this is so rambly. i'm going to end the post now

#sorry it took me so long to get to this I started writing it out right when you sent it #but I was too tired to get my thoughts down coherently and then it got lost in my drafts #sera answers #saemi-the-dreamer #sumire yoshizawa

[anotherblblog]

Utsukare S2 Thoughts

I’ve been enjoying this season too much to do any recapping but now that we have the full season and also about a month and change before the movie I will later.

Anywho some thought.

Yup, Kiyoi has absolutely taken my number 2 favorite character spot. Sorry Oh-Aew, I still really love you.

I love that Kiyoi’s reached this precarious state of live and let live with Hira.

Kiyoi absolutely wants a different type of relationship with Hira and believes/hopes Hira can meet him there in reality but until Hira finishes growing up gets therapy Kiyoi chooses to compromise and give more so Hira can have the opportunity to give back. Kiyoi isn’t defeated albeit a lil exasperated. Kiyoi says this is also his first relationship but there’s a certain mature “this is my chosen person come what may” vibe he has and I love that for him.

Kiyoi in season 2 really reminds of Lauryn Hill’s Ex-Factor - It could all be so simple (ba-ba-ba-baby, baby, baby) But you'd rather make it hard (huh, uh) Loving you is like a battle (it's like a battle) And we both end up with scars Tell me, who I have to be (who I have to be) To get some reciprocity See no one loves you more than me (more than me) And no one ever will (no one ever will, yeah)

Is this just a silly game? (Silly game) That forces you to act this way (to act this way) Forces you to scream my name (yo, yo) Then pretend that you can't stay (yeah) Tell me, who I have to be (I know what we gotta do) To get some reciprocity See no one loves you more than me And no one ever will

No matter how I think we grow You always seem to let me know It ain't workin' (it ain't workin', no) It ain't workin' And when I try to walk away You'd hurt yourself to make me stay This is crazy Oh, this is crazy (this is crazy, uh-huh)

Kiyoi from beginning of the season up to the end just wants Hira to be with him. Just two people living and loving a growing together. It's almost as if Kiyoi doesn't want to be in a romance series. He just wants to be loved. Hira is ready and willing and happy to sacrifice himself and go to such extreme lengths for Kiyoi and Kiyoi is like "ok you'll die for me but can you live with me?"

It's such a wonderful contrast. Kiyoi still has his tsundere side that he would prefer to live in so he has distance between his vulnerable self and Hira/the world but outside of Yusei's blinking and some flashes of tsundere rage/jealousy Kiyoi gives that up too.

Kiyoi hears Hira says he'll worship him and serve him and he's the king and Kiyoi chooses to bend, hoping that Hira will move into the space Kiyoi's made for him.

Other things I love about s2 - Hira feels stuck and lost and sunken into the background and Kiyoi feels he's at the bottom of the pyramid (to borrow Hira's words). Graduation and the expected transition in full adulthood is looming and Hira is largely stuck because he refuses to see that he's not stuck. Kiyoi went from ruling the school to low man on the totem pole.

I was surprised with how much I have come to love Koyama. I have not read the novels so I was not expecting to see him again after his sorrowful sayonara in s1. Koyama and Kiyoi are dynamic together and honestly way more interesting to me than Koyama and Hira. I love Koyama deflating Kiyoi's ego and his playful banter with him. In a longer structured series, I'd love to see Koyama paired and happy with someone else but with what we have, I like him as a friend, ally, and frenemy.

The new supporting characters/the mentors are good. Hira and Kiyoi def need help adulting.

I also love Kiyoi being relatively open and public about his feelings and relationship with Hira. Hira is his and he wants the world and Hira to know it.

I really really really really love Hira starting the season admitting he faked courage to touch Kiyoi and now after almost losing him is ready to both walk the walk and talk the talk. Hira is still hellllllllllllllla unreliable as a narrator but he is stumbling forward, definitely in spite of his lack of efforts/misplaced efforts but he makes efforts!

I didn't know where a second season or a movie could go and I'm so happy with S2's slice of life, low stakes, domestic fluff vibe.

#utsukushii kare #utsukare #my beautiful man 2 #my beautiful man #utsukushii kare 2

[writeforfandoms]

Congratulations on the major milestone love!!!

Would love to see a soulmate prompt for either dear Agent Pike and the shared empathy or for one surly Spanaird and the inability to hurt your soulmate. Dealers choice koukla!

Hi sweet nonnie friend! 💖 Thank you so much for your patience - I know it has taken me *mumble* months but I finally have it here! I went with Marcus Pike because I have a couple other requests for Pero Tovar coming down the line. I hope you enjoy this! 

There’s a not so sneaky Marvel reference in here because I couldn’t resist. 

Marcus Pike x f!reader

Word count: 2k

Warnings: Flirting. Some silliness. Yearning. A bit of self-negativity, but only very briefly. 

Desperado

You had always known your soulmate's job must be something at least somewhat dangerous. You'd feel random spikes of adrenaline - the first one had taken you completely by surprise, left you in a near-panic in the bathroom. Which, of course, you scolded yourself for later. Your soulmate didn't need your panic on top of their own… whatever was going on. 

From that first time, you'd endeavored to be stable as a rock, taking things in stride and trying to keep your own emotions as calm as possible. Of course, you were no Vulcan. You still had feelings. You couldn't squash them out. 

But you did your best to mitigate any damage you might do with your emotions. 

You knew there had been times you'd failed, knew your soulmate had felt the second-hand betrayal of someone you'd thought a good friend. Knew they had felt the heartbreak of losing someone close to you. 

But you thought you had done a pretty good job. You had a stable, boring job. Some good friends. More good days than bad days. 

And if you ignored the ache of loneliness and yearning, you were pretty happy most of the time. It seemed your soulmate was too, more or less. He had had a couple romances that had ended painfully, but other than that. And the random spikes of adrenaline. 

Sometimes you tried to imagine what they were like. Kind, you imagined. Smart. Funny. Caring. Although you knew how much they cared, could feel it in your own heart, sure as anything. 

You'd never spoken to them, but you knew so much about them already. 

Normally, you weren't one to go out much, but your friend Maggie had talked you into going with her to a gallery opening. Art wasn't your forte, but you knew enough to get by. And she begged you, since her girlfriend was busy that night. 

So you caved. 

You pulled out an outfit you'd gotten compliments on before, checked your hair and makeup in the mirror, and were ready to go before Maggie pulled up outside your apartment. 

"You ready?" Maggie asked with a bright smile. She had always been more outgoing than you, dressing boldly and going above and beyond with her makeup. Sometimes you felt plain next to her, but you didn't let it bother you. She had a heart of gold, after all, and she was your best friend. 

"Ready," you confirmed with a smile of your own, buckling into your seat. "How's Carol?"

"Busy," Maggie groused. "They sure keep her busy test piloting things."

You patted her knee in sympathy. "Probably for the best, otherwise the two of you would cause far too much trouble."

"No way," Maggie scoffed. "We're easy going!"

"Macy's."

"You swore you wouldn't bring that up!"

You laughed at her indignant squawk, and felt a surge of warm amusement from your soulmate. Your smile softened a little. You hoped you'd find them soon, whoever they were. 

"So, what's the game plan for tonight?" You took pity on her and changed the subject. 

"Go in, look at art, make appropriate noises of 'oh isn't this just fascinating and unique', drink champagne, and leave." Maggie shrugged. "Should only take a couple hours, I'd guess." 

You chuckled. "Fair enough," you agreed easily. You didn't know the artist, so you didn't much care. But Maggie knew the gallery owner, so you'd be on your best behavior for her sake. 

The parking lot behind the gallery was almost full. Maggie snagged the last spot, squeaking in with a grin. 

"Let's go have some fun," she said, hopping out of the car.

You laughed and followed her, jogging a bit to keep up with her long strides. 

The gallery was beautifully set up, with temporary walls erected to help showcase the art and direct visitors through the space without ever seeming too busy. Maggie took the lead into the gallery, saying hi to the owner and blowing kisses. 

For the next half hour, Maggie was a whirlwind of activity. She introduced you to a few people, pressed a flute of champagne into your hands, and exclaimed over the art. Which, to your eyes, was nothing special. Blobs of color on canvas. That's all it looked like to you. So you just smiled and nodded along with whatever Maggie told you. 

The door opened again, and two men walked in. One of them was classically handsome, probably in his late 20s at a guess, with dark hair and bright blue eyes. His companion, though, had dark hair and brown eyes, with a patchy beard. His gaze met yours, and you felt a bolt of arousal shoot down your spine. 

Not yours, though. Your soulmate's. Your heart dropped a little at the realization. But you smiled a little at the nice, very handsome man. 

"Be nice," Maggie murmured as the two men approached. 

You didn't get a chance to ask her who they were before she was greeting the first one, the blue-eyed one. 

"Paul! So good to see you again!" She smiled at him, easily going into a hug. "And you brought a new friend this time!"

"This is Marcus," the man introduced. 

"Nice to meet you," Marcus murmured with a polite smile that warmed when his gaze met yours again. 

"I don't think you've met my friend," Maggie said, ushering you over closer as she gave the men your name. 

"Hi," you greeted, a little shy. 

They both shook your hand, and you could have sworn that Marcus's eyes lingered on you a little longer than was strictly polite. A little thrill ran up your spine, all yours. Marcus smiled slowly and released your hand with one last squeeze. 

"More champagne?" Paul offered, looking between you all. Maggie gave him a thumbs up, and he vanished to go find champagne. 

"How'd you get roped into coming, Marcus?" Maggie asked, looking curious. "I don't think I've seen Paul bring you before."

Marcus nodded. "This is my first time," he agreed, looking at Maggie. "My job involves art, so Paul thought it would be fun to drag me along."

You couldn't help it grin. "Funny, Maggie thought it would be fun to drag me along," you offered, looking at him. He really was handsome. Much nicer viewing than the artwork. 

Marcus smiled again, and you felt a little warm under the collar. "Fortunate for me," he agreed in a murmur. 

"I gotta go say hi to someone," Maggie said, barely concealing the outright glee in her voice. "You two play nice." She winked and left before you could grab her. 

You huffed, and Marcus chuckled. "Sounds like she wants us to get along." 

"She likes to think she's good at match making." You shrugged. 

"Oh?" Marcus offered you a hand with a smile. Excitement from your soulmate bubbled gently through your veins. Oddly on point timing, really, but you didn't mind. 

You took his hand with a shy little smile. "She thinks I need to get out and see people." 

Marcus nodded, stepping in closer to you. "Haven't met your soulmate yet?"

"Not yet," you murmured. "I wish. I know they're fine, but I haven’t met them. I don’t even know where to start looking.”

“No hints?” Marcus asked with a little sympathy.

“Not really. I mean, I get these adrenaline surges from them, so either they’re an adrenaline junkie or they’re in some kind of job that causes adrenaline.” You shrugged. “I’ve thought about looking at firefighters or law enforcement, but without an idea of where they are…” 

“Hm.” Marcus looked at you for a few long moments, quiet. Deep within you, within the part of you that connected to your soulmate, you could feel a niggling of hope and suspicion. 

“What about you? Found yours yet?” 

“I thought I had,” Marcus said slowly. “But, no. Not yet. Mine is quiet, mostly. The usual occasional outburst, but they seem to be pretty steady most of the time. They’re just a general warmth and happiness, to me.” 

You blinked at him. Perhaps it was wishful thinking, perhaps that niggling of hope within you was influencing you, but it almost sounded like he was describing you. But he couldn’t be. There was no way. 

“How do you even test if it’s them?” you asked, swaying closer to him, caught in the pull of his eyes. 

“Try sending emotions to one another,” Marcus murmured. His tongue darted out to wet his lips. You swallowed. You weren’t sure if the hope you were feeling now was yours or your soulmate’s. “Watch for reactions.” 

“Found the champagne,” Paul announced. You and Marcus both jumped, shifting apart. Paul seemed completely oblivious to what he’d just interrupted. “Where did Maggie run off to?”

“Not sure,” you answered, looking away from Marcus. You felt foolish for having hoped. Of course it wasn’t him. “I’ll go find her.” You turned away from the two without taking any champagne, striding off. You felt embarrassed. Had you really just been so blatantly flirting with Marcus? You’d only just met him, you had no reason to be flirting with him, not like that. Ugh. You were such an idiot. Getting your hopes up that you’d found your soulmate. 

Especially since you could still feel their hope. 

You turned a corner around one of the temporary walls and went looking for Maggie. Though the studio wasn’t huge, it was large enough that you didn’t see her anywhere. You spent a solid thirty minutes searching for her before you gave up. You were tired. You just wanted to go home. 

You stepped outside to text Maggie to update her. The temperature had dropped, just enough that you were chilly, and you shivered a little. Of course. Icing on the cake. 

A soft call of your name had you turning, and there was Marcus. He was watching you, brown eyes warm and concerned. 

“Are you okay?” he asked, stepping closer slowly. 

“Fine,” you said with a shrug, pasting an easy smile on your lips. “Just waiting for Maggie.” 

“Mind if I wait with you?”

“Free country.”

Marcus stopped next to you. Wordlessly, he shrugged out of his jacket and put it around your shoulders. You could feel concern from your soulmate, not sharp but warm. “You were shivering,” he murmured. 

“Oh. Thanks.” You hunched your shoulders a bit, tugging his jacket further around you. 

“Can I ask you something?” Marcus turned, one hand gently cupping your elbow and encouraging you to turn until the two of you were facing each other. 

“Okay.” You were confused but willing to play along. 

“Do you feel this?” 

For a moment, you were just even more confused. Feel what? His hand on your elbow?

But then you did. Hope, warm and bright, from your soulmate. Happiness. You blinked in wonder, lips parting as you looked at him, and he grinned at you. It was perhaps the most pure expression of joy you’d seen from another person in years. 

“I do,” you whispered, eyes wide. “Holy shit. Are we–?”

“That’s me,” Marcus agreed, his other hand now cupping your other elbow and slowly reeling you in closer. “I can feel you, too.”

You laughed, a little overwhelmed in the best way. “I can’t believe it.”

“I can.” He stepped in closer, bare inches between you now. “I’ve been trying to find you for a long time.” 

“And now that you have?” You tipped your head and smiled at him. 

His smile was bright and happy and beautiful. “Do you like pancakes?” 

“Love ‘em.”

“Wanna ditch this and go eat?” 

Your smile matched his, your hands resting lightly on his chest. “You driving?” 

“Of course.”

“Lead the way… partner.” 

His smile widened and he slid his grip down to your hands. He didn’t let go until you were safely in his car and buckled in. You texted Maggie a quick update, told her to enjoy and that you’d check in later, and then…

And then you were free to enjoy the first meal of pancakes with your soulmate.

--

Taglist: @oonajaeadira @green-socks @grogusmum @quica-quica-quica @littlemisspascal @queridopascal @fandom-blackhole @sarahjkl82-blog @cannedsoupsucks @liviii98 @adriiibell @pbeatriz @withakindheartx @linkpk88 @anditsmywholeheart @ohheyitsokay @amneris21 @javierpinme @pintsizemama @pedrostories @alexxavicry @elegantduckturtle @pjkimrn @mswarriorbabe80 @luz-introvertida @bruxasolta @lowlights @seasonschange-butpeopledont @princessxkenobi @chaoticgeminate @thirddeadlysin @beskarprincessjenny @evyiione @eri @the-feckless-wonder @janebby @idreamofboobear @jaime1110 @recklessworry @hotchlover @bowtiesandsandshoes @scorpio-marionette @buckybarneshairpullingkink @snarwor @borinquenasoy 

#jen's 500 follower celebration #marcus pike x reader #marcus pike x you

[liloinkoink]

I know you're suffering, but personally I love bad dating sims and I'm having the time of my life. and I'd love to know more about the game and/or isekai's hypothetical plot

one, please know this is how this cut off in my notes.

two, yes of course. i would love nothing more

i’m putting this under a cut actually

the game plot i think i mostly got most of the information out in asides and can be pieced together in the fic—player starts at the engagement party, picks a love interest, and then does what they can to get rid of the villain and get a happy ending. most of what i came up for as far as routes and endings goes is in the fic itself, since Martyn took the entire party to just throw out ridiculous and annoying amounts of exposition, as is isekai standard. i honestly had a lot of fun coming up with those—i did bounce the game plot around in a gc, so they’re not 100% mine, but i thought what we came up with was pretty clever

stuff about the game i couldn’t fit because there was no reason to even come up with it, but would influence martyn’s actions if this wasn’t a oneshot, includes like. the way the game works, you only pick one person at the party, and the rest of them sort of drop off out of the plot. if the player picks, say, cleo, then impulse goes home to his kingdom, etho is standoffish and you don’t talk much to him, and Scar will mostly avoid genuine conversation on account of committing so much crime. there are opportunities to change your route later—impulse will write you a letter somewhere mid game, maybe, or you have a random encounter w etho or scar—but switching from your chosen love interest mid-game greatly increases the chance of getting one of their bad ends

Martyn doesn’t actually know the endings that well. he knows the parts of the game Ren is in pretty well, but the good ends? not so much. had i written more of this, that’d probably have caused him problems—there’s probably crucial information on character motivations and such in those—but eh.

(i sort of wanted to include some neutral ends, but that seemed like too much work)

as for the rest of the fic’s hypothetical plot, there were actually two!

we did actually come up w some ideas for if the fic proceeded as a normal isekai, mostly in that we all got wildly invested in isekai treebark. personal favorite message in that particular part of the conversation:

Ren is genuinely a compelling character in this fic to me (the hardest part of writing this was truly trying to pretend he wouldn’t be deeply beloved in fandom tbh), like. again, i alluded to a lot of this without directly saying it or said it in parts, but Ren’s pretty lonely/insecure here in this piece. he’s trying to do what he can for his kingdom, have a relatively pleasant marriage with someone who could at least be a friend.

and yet. who are bdubs’s romance options, to Ren? the captain of the guard who is supposed to be trusted to keep him safe? the financial advisor who is supposed to help keep his country afloat? two foreign powers who he’d want to keep the peace with, who could lead armies to his door? his fiancé colluding with any of these people is a horrifying prospect, especially if he doesn’t know it’s ‘for love’—it could just as easily be purely a bid for power. and really, it’s not paranoia if they’re really out to get you. he goes from sort of uncertain about the whole thing to his trusted people suddenly turning on him, accusing him of being a villain and keeping apart true love while he’s simply trying to follow the life set out for him to be a good king. when he loses that path he sort of just. loses his mind. listen ren has not done anything wrong i’m an AtPM Ren apologist listen—

speaking of ren apologists. Martyn was also a pretty lonely and an entirely purposeless person before meeting the micra, which. he wouldn’t directly address or acknowledge it, but this familiarity with what Ren is feelings is a large part of why he wants to see a happy ending for Ren so badly

so Martyn stretches out the hand he couldn’t admit he wanted someone to offer, and Ren falls in love instantly. this actually makes Martyn’s entire goal easier—Ren is no longer interested in playing the villain in Bdubs’s story. he wants to be the love interest in Martyn’s. had a few ideas abt that particular desire, ranging wildly from really cute (i cannot stop thinking abt smth Beans said abt Ren seeinf Martyn across a garden and the wag of his tail being audible under his cape) to crushing to my soul (he’s a lonely guy, Ren is. thinking about how isolated he feels and how much Martyn is a light in the dark for him kills me dead)

the ending of the actual isekai plot was going to involve Ren faking his fucking death so the two of them can run away together. personal favorite conversation that never was would be Ren telling Martyn he should be dead (as lead up for proposing to fake his death and elope) and Martyn, who has been trying to avoid that for weeks, being like Ren for fuck’s sake—

i don’t have so much for the timeloop because i literally refuse to flesh it out to avoid temptation. however, a dating sim is a game where one is encouraged to play over and over again until they get the desired ending (or even just to see what will happen). Martyn’s own canonical third life lore is that he’s been playing in death games a while. it matches up pretty damn well, i think, and if i were interested in running with it, i imagine something interesting could be done with it

also, Martyn would be meeting Ren for the first time again every single loop. which is a fun detail to me. i want to be tragic about it—Ren repeatedly forgetting about him should be angsty—but i genuinely cannot believe he wouldn’t fall in love over and over again tbh. it’s love at first sight every single time, simply because Martyn cares about him too much not to show it and Ren will be swept away by that every iteration

that said, if you’re interested in the idea of an isekai timeloop, i genuinely recommend Surviving Romance. it will feel like a bit too much at parts bc it does have maybe Too many premises. but keep going, it’s worth it

also, bonus trivia. i need you to know there was so much stupid shit we came up w abt Martyn before being isekai’d that i couldn’t fit because Martyn didn’t think it was noteworthy enough to mention. that man owns an ita bag. he has downloaded mods to romance Ren and deleted them due to bad Ren characterization (too much Cool Sexy Evil Villain, where is the sad and lonely cringefail dogboy who Martyn fell in love with??)

#oink asks #medusasresfridas #treesekai

[oswaldsleftbicep]

real important question here: who do you think that is the best husband material from the game? and pls rate them from best to worst-

rating the boys as husbands

a great way to wrap up my married life series! i kinda dived more into the cons of marriage in this, stuff i didn't get into in the original posts. i'd love to hear what y'all think about this, how you'd rate them, etc. that being said, these are all my opinion, based on my own perception and standards as to what qualities a life partner should have

married life hcs: part 1 | part 2 | part 3

genre: other, angst if you squint

cw: first draft and unedited rambling

Lucia

❧ he's a great husband; not much changes in your relationship so it's all still very fun and youthful and full of spark

❧ he pulls his weight around the house and makes sure to support you always

❧ since he's the breadwinner, you aren't required to work in order to keep y'all afloat, so if you aspire to be a house spouse, this one is for you!

❧ he has his moments where he doesn't take things as seriously as he should, he likes to brush things off and look on the bright side as often as he can. however, he knows very well when to stop and take things seriously, which saves you from a lot of intense arguments

❧ also, because of his work, he gets incredibly busy and there are times where you see very little of him and it can get stressful, especially once the two of you get so used to seeing each other all day, every day. the stress of being the new king also piles up on him, and every now and then he really struggles with managing it, and he can end up snapping at you or shutting you out for a bit

❧ overall rating: 9/10

Levy

❧ y'all have a very quiet marriage and life together- which absolutely isn't a bad thing! it'a all just very lowkey, but the love is always there

❧ and the life and home you two share is so full of domesticity and comfort, it truly is a safe space for the both of you

❧ you both have to work to support yourselves, which paired with the fact that he's not extremely helpful in terms of housework is,, not the best thing ever. don't get me wrong, he tries his hardest, but growing up having most things done for him is a deeply rooted habit of his

❧ you also have to keep in mind his attitude; levy is a very stubborn man, and he's been known to go behind loved ones' backs to get his way. communication and patience are musts in your marriage with him

❧ when arguments do happen, expect the silent treatment and cold shoulder, but by the end of the night, he will always come back to you and neither of you will go to sleep before talking things out

❧ he might take you for granted every now and then, but his love, appreciation, and admiration for you is eternal and will keep him tethered to you forever

❧ overall rating: 7/10

Mefy

❧ you love him, and he loves you. that's something that you have to remind yourself of a lot.

❧ right off the bat you have the secrecy about what he does for work; you have essentially no idea about his life outside of your shared home, and you often find yourself wondering, "who is my husband when i'm not around?"

❧ similar to levy, he doesn't do much around the house, and he doesn't seem to be too apologetic about it. this especially sucks considering that you have a job too. you can't stay home to take care of things, so you have to squeeze in time after work to meal prep and clean the house

❧ a lot of the time, you just feel like your marriage was more of a mutual agreement than a statement of your romance and devotion

❧ if you can set aside his secrecy, deceptiveness, and meanness, he's very sweet and considerate of you and your relationship. he sets aside his own opinions, and pays attention to the things you care about, keeping them in mind to bring up at a later date

❧ he leaves you wondering a lot of things, which can cast shadows of doubt in your mind, but you know he's faithful and will always return to you. that trust and confidence is one of the biggest things keeping your marriage afloat

❧ overall rating: 4/10

Oswald

❧ trying my best to set aside my own biases for this one-

❧ it's very hard to find a man more devoted to you than oswald. he takes his vows very seriously, and dedicates the rest of his life to act as your servant not literally of course but ya know. anything he can do to make sure you live a safe, comfortable, and secure life, he's doing

❧ he really tries his hardest to help around the house with cooking and cleaning, but his strength really lies in the latter. it's very endearing tho, seeing him try his best and looking to you with a sparkle in his eyes, eager to please

❧ but then you have to keep in mind his other job; assuming that he continues working for lucia and kaim, and until there is a complete cure for his condition, he will likely continue to be sent on missions. how long he's gone for, you never know, and the only solace you get is his promise to return home to you

❧ and then you have the effects of his condition. he tries to keep you at a distance from him when he goes on a rampage, but things can happen. he's hurt you once before, and it would absolutely eat him up if that ever happened again. there are risks, but in the end, it's an illness and support from the one he loves most is what keeps him together

❧ overall rating: 9/10

Kaim

❧ he's dedicated his life to servitude; to him, marriage is just an extension of that

❧ he wouldn't just marry you for the heck of it tho, he really loves you and is thoroughly devoted to you, and it shows with how gentle he treats you, and how he pampers you in his own special way

❧ you know that being married to him ensures that you'll be well taken care of and secure in your way of life

❧ but it's hard for him to keep home and work separate, and it can sometimes seem as if he's more your boss or overseer than your husband. he takes charge of a lot of things at home, has specific expectations, and instructs you on things to do a lot

❧ it's rare for him to just relax and be with you, as his life is basically his work. the infrequent, sacred time you have to yourselves is often right before bed, unwinding together and relishing in each other's closeness, which appears to be all he needs

❧ overall rating: 6/10

Mikael

❧ this man has a lot of complexity to him, and a lot of it is due to internal conflict. he has such string desires, but because of his upbringing, way of life, and status, he's learned to stifle those desires down into performative indifference

❧ he relies on you to help him with that, and he's learned to be comfortably vulnerable with you, which really strengthens your marriage

❧ he sticks his nose up at a lot of domestic housekeeping tasks, resulting in you either doing it yourself, or forcing him to help out while he pitches a fit lol

❧ he's a big homebody, which shows he's comfortable in the house you built together and gives you slight peace of mind in that you always know where he's at, but if you ever want to go out somewhere, it can take a while to get him to agree

❧ in order for this marriage to last and be successful, you have to be willing to help him, to help each other, grow and adapt and heal. there's a lot of therapy-esque reflection and conversation between the two of you, most often late at night

❧ overall rating: 5.5/10

Ricardo

❧ he's surprisingly great to live with: he's tidy, does his part in housework, knows how to cook

❧ the fun and youthful excitement of y'all's dating stage relationship lasts very well into your marriage; he refuses to go quietly into your aging together, and really values having memories and fun experiences together

❧ his frugality can get a tad bit annoying, especially because it's conditional. he's great at budgeting and paying bills and dues, but every now and then he'll make an impulsive financial decision

❧ which ties into his reckless behavior. having you and your marriage in his life definitely calmed him down, but old habits die hard. at his core, he still has those heartless, borderline psychotic impulses

❧ and let's not forget his dark ending. he is capable of that, and whether you're aware of it or not, the risk for that becoming a reality is still there. you've helped him change and become a better person, helped him mellow and settle down, but how much can nurture reverse nature?

❧ overall rating: 6/10

Noel

❧ he tries his best, but doesn't fully grasp this whole marriage concept

❧ the beginning of your union together consists primarily of you teaching him how to live with someone else. every now and then, it makes you worry about if you're treating him like a child

❧ don't get me wrong, he learns and understands eventually, and he becomes a good person to share a life with, but for a good while in the beginning, your union gets tested

❧ he's a prime example of you need to live with your partner for a while before you get married

❧ honestly, you don't feel as though your relationship with him changed much after marriage; if anything, you just feel more responsibilities piled up as you have to essentially train the poor man to be a husband

❧ and it's not his fault, remember that, he's lost everything at one point, memories included, and every day is a learning experience. as long as he has you by his side, he's confident that he'll become everything that you deserve

❧ overall rating: 4/10

Lucas

❧ life with him is full of adventure and bright, warm feelings. with it, though, is a feeling that you're walking along a tightrope, suspended high above the surface of the earth, but as long as you have your focus on one another, you'll always remain balanced

❧ it's not like y'all are struggling to get by either, early on in your marriage just has the classic vibe of newlyweds working hard to save up and build a beautiful life, sticking by one another through thick and thin

❧ his,, collection of belongings can be a reason for a bit of stress, especially if it all just continues to pile up. he won't clean or organize his belongings regularly unless you ask him to, and he never really sees a problem with it

❧ the two of you are always up to something, there's hardly ever a boring day in your shared life. on the other side of that coin, though, is his desire to always be going somewhere, wandering about and almost getting himself into trouble with his nosiness

❧ this one's hard to explain, but all he's ever wanted was you. he's waited countless lifetimes to have you, and he'd do it all again. yet, there's just something about him that tells me there's an unfulfilled desire within him, something that he'll continue to search for and will leave him perpetually, partially unsatisfied with his life

❧ overall rating: 8.5/10

#my. hcs #nightmare harem #nightmare harem hcs #nightmare harem lucia #nightmare harem levy #nightmare harem mefy #nightmare harem oswald #nightmare harem kaim #nightmare harem mikael #nightmare harem ricardo #nightmare harem noel #nightmare harem lucas #otome games

[mjsparkour]

So we all know s3 is basically like a copy-paste situation of the s1 love triangle only with the more compelling female lead (in my opinion, Nini works much better as a recurring character or secondary lead) and the circumstances are a little different. They are in a summer camp which is where EJNini first dated same as Portwell. Only EJNini's relationship got to form with Nini outside of Ricky. She got to know a version of herself she liked and was growing comfortable with until her past relationship and unresolved feelings (her love confession which Ricky didn't say anything to...sounds a little familiar doesn't it? just you wait) ultimately confront her in the in the fall.

Gina won't have that opportunity to form her relationship in the same way because Ricky is there, the reminder of her unresolved feelings and her past is with her. Ricky and Gina's relationship has largely been on her terms. So of course, in their first interaction since 2b the first thing Gina does when she talks to him is confront that in the same way he tried to with Nini in the pilot. She did something they're both comfortable with, wanting to start over and not talking about what happened previously, good and bad. This allows them to move forward while moving backward, which seems something so in character for both of them. For Ricky this is what he'd wanted with Nini the second she came back from camp with a new boyfriend (while she was set on moving forward), he'd just wanted everything to go back to the way it was. Gina just wanted to know her place in a non-familiar environment by vying for the lead role in s1 and now. They both sought familiarity in their changing environments with their own respective schemes and poorly executed plans that ended up tying them together in a way they didn't expect. A way that felt beyond friendship or romance.

Ricky is tied to her relationship with EJ unintentionally (in terms of the character's intention, but very intentionally in terms of writing) in the same way Gina was tied to Ricky and Nini's. Gina was the one who brought him back to the show, which ultimately led to Rini getting back together. Gina was the one who told him to send Nini that song on valentines day and she was the one who told him she'd be flattered by a sweet gesture even if he'd gone behind her back (the chocolate theory better be right chile...who would've thought I'd be saying this in the year of our lord 2022). In other words, she was keeping the wrecked home together.

Even Rini's love confession isn't their own because seconds later Gina says her own version of I love you (the scene is more emotionally charged and heartfelt). Similar to Nini's first love confession it's one he can't answer back to but everything is different. Ricky said it himself that night, "-maybe I'm back to who I always was. I don't know, somethings different." Ricky didn't say it back to Gina not only because he was in a relationship at that point but because he knew that was not what she needed to hear. He knew what she needed to do was say it, because neither of them knew if or when they'd see the other again. That wasn't the convenient choice, that certainly wasn't the choice that made their lives easier but he knew she needed to say it and that's the difference. He did it out of respect for her, he put her needs above his own. Ricky joined the theater group with the intention to prove to Nini that he could still be the boy she loved despite everything changing in his life. He was clamoring at an opportunity to keep things from changing which was clearly shown in their relationship in season 2. He put his needs above Nini's, which would be fair to argue he did the same with Gina in s2 because of the fact that he didn't check with her even though she was living without her mom for the first time??? Granted I understand if he wanted to give her space after the confession but cmon.

Ricky's place in Portwell's relationship is a bit more subliminal in 2b and then much more direct with his presence in s3. It really starts with Gina doubting EJ's interest in her with not wanting to confuse a nice gesture and a romantic sign. So when she finally gets not a sign, but an outside party to clear things up she decides (because she's a person that pushes through things) to pursue it. Ricky just making the decision to go to camp (without any intention of destroying a relationship) throws a wrench in her plans because even though she's moving forward like she always has, the feelings are still there. This is something she's never had to deal with before.

Rini and Portwell feel like hurdles more than they do actual relationships. They feel like cookie cutter disney relationships, like something somebody is telling me I should root for rather than show me. They don’t feel as real or natural as Ricky and Gina. This doesn’t mean those relationships don’t have value or don’t/ didnt make the characters happy. But if we’re being real the break ups will only have Ricky and Gina become better versions of themselves upon separation. We already saw it with Ricky. The reality is EJ is about to enter college while Gina is still in high school which could put him miles away from her not just in distance but the fact that they are in different stages in life. Gina has already had to be mature and grow up so much over the years because of the fact that she’s moved everywhere. Ricky was incompatible with Nini, they needed to figure out they weren’t going to work out, to break out of childhood and find themselves outside of each other. Which has proven great for both characters.

Both Ricky and Gina haven't quite learned from their relationships yet that "love unspoken can be the loudest of all". If the chocolate theory proves correct he's a little farther in the game than she is, but Gina could catch on. This would be her sign.

#ricky x gina #rina #hsmtmts #ricky bowen #gina porter #hsm #I didn’t mean to write an essay I really didn’t #😵‍💫 #they’re a crazy little Disney ship sorry

[theartfulmegalodon]

Well dang it, I've had a nibble of engagement, and I'm finally letting it tempt me. Wanna read my comic scripts? I'm really hoping you do!

It is planned as a 30-issue comic series. I have chosen to write the entire thing and make it as good as I can before I attempt to draw any of the actual pages. Partly this is perfectionism, and partly it is because I know how long it would take me to attempt to draw it, and how unlikely I'd be to ever complete it. I wanted to focus on completing something, and I've chosen the writing.

I have written 15 (half!) of the 30 issues, and they have already seen many, many revisions. (Much thanks to the three people who have read them and given me feedback!) I am quite confident that these first 15 issues are very close to their final forms, and they are definitely good enough for me to share with you all.

I have also done a few sketches and bits of standalone art for the characters*, so while I have no comic pages drawn yet, I will occasionally include some of these sketches in with the script, just to give your optic nerves more of a workout. It's the least I can do! I'm thinking I can post one issue script per week? That's 15 weeks of new content for ya, with more to eventually follow!

*All designs subject to small changes down the line.

I post these issues mainly to share them. My experience has been that people almost never want to read a comic script, but sadly, the writing is as much as I can do right now, and I am in fact proud of what I've done so far, and very much looking forward to tackling the second half. However, I am always looking for feedback, and I will be WIDE OPEN for questions, critique and suggestions. Not saying I'll necessarily change things based on your feedback, but I do welcome it! Also, of course, I'd love it if you shared these around, talked them up to your friends, if you like them!

Read on for more about the story itself!

River & Ash is a slow-burn supernatural gay romance, set in an alternate version of our real world. The material is treated maturely (I like to think) but with only about a PG-13 rating. (No smut, no super-strong language.) There is angst in parts of it, but there is also a lot of wholesome shmoop. And while the focus is mostly on the evolution of the relationship between the two main characters, there is also plot, and mini-arcs, with minor superheroics, alternate history pop culture, and an original mythology and history that is teased and then slowly revealed over the course of the story. It also happens to have a very proactive, driven individual for a main character (River). I say this just in case, like me, you don't love when magic/the supernatural just sort of happens to the protagonist to kick off a story.

Ripped from the introductory page that begins every issue…

"Once, the world was full of magic… because humanity once shared the world with demons. History tells that for thousands of years they coexisted, sometimes happily, sometimes not, but one truth never changed: any human who made a deal with a demon would be granted incredible power of their own… for a price.

But in the Middle Ages, during the rise of the Catholic church, a small pocket of humanity attempted to purge these magical beings from existence. The details were lost to time, but what is known is that the demons who survived collectively renounced mankind and disappeared, removing themselves and their influence. 1101 became known as the year magic vanished from the world.

Centuries later, on the same day he suffers a horrifying loss, River McAllister is given what appears to be a real demon book. These rare, indestructible relics have been mostly hoarded away, and there hasn't been a confirmed demon sighting in over a thousand years. It seems impossible. He knows it probably won't work. But if he can find a way to translate it, he might just be able to summon the demon that belongs to it… and maybe make a deal of his own."

The first will be posted forthwith. Thank you in advance so very much!

#River&Ash #comic writing #comic scripts #really hoping to find even a smidgen of an audience here #Godlings? never heard of it

[thephysicsofmiracles]

This evening, I went for a stroll in an area I hadn't explored yet. The cloudy moon was ghostly and in the Celtic wisdom which my mother bestowed upon me, (though I was the only one listening!) I know it symbolises the caution to find stillness in the unknown and not make hasty decisions - wait for more information to come to light. I stumbled upon a community garden filled with flowers of strange varieties and burgeoning fruit and fat hens that stared at me obnoxiously. After wandering for a half hour or so, taking mental notes and snap shots for my own future permaculture planning that I've been envisioning for years, I was captivated by a fluttering ensemble that wafted over-shoulder so close I heard it's winged rapture reverberate in my ear, which turned out to be two butterflies in the midst of a balletic waltz, tumbling over, around and besides each other, amorously lost in a spontaneous orbit of mutual admiration. My immediate thought was: "If only I could be loved like that." Bold as they were, their time together seemed fragile, and I walked on as proscenium-arched jacarandas graciously harboured their momentary paradise. Wandering on and musing some more, I came by a tiny library the size of a doll house, the likes of which children had labouriously constructed containing an assortment of books and paraphernalia and labelled above in painted handwritten letters, "Free". I decided to peruse the generous but tatty collection, hoping for something with poems or a local guide to trees and native fauna. Immediately, I was surprised to see a copy of a recommendation from a friend from about 18 months ago, which I'd had on my "to read" list ever since: The Celestine Prophecy. I had recalled the conversation I had with her where I confided about finding someone I felt a strong, energetic pull toward and the confusion I experienced when they developed a serious connection with someone else. She recommended it for the clarity it provided around soul contracts and past lives and how the dance or "quantum entanglement" of two Souls can progress you just as powerfully and passionately in your Soul's development without an ensuing romance. It rang true because the inspiration I received from him to change my life was a profound turning point for me, one which I have only motioned forward from ever since. Something about his example, his heart’s intention to continuously evolve and self-invest in the face of the common adversities most Australian males almost never overcome for fear of social alienation from their immediate family and friends, mirrored my transformation intensely and helped me re-route toward my authentic individual purpose on Earth (outside of everyone's expectations) seriously for the first time. At that point I had only an inkling he had found a deep connection to someone; it wasn't until much later that my apprehensions were confirmed, although I was the same tangle of sadness and perplexity, missing someone I hadn't the opportunity to know but somehow felt a complete otherworldly sense of belonging to or with, or something. I don't know if I'll ever read it, to be honest, but it's message does give me the strength to let the beauty of the knowledge be mused over with sincerity and conscious appreciation for its value and fleeting cycle of life, before it passes out of view. I know my heart's song belongs to a great someone, and I am praying that his integrity and self-investment to prepare for a strong foundation for true love is as intentional and committed as mine. Though the meaningful passage of tangled magic that was this persons deep reflection has left a gentle imprint on my life that I hope will yield the same love which he discovered in a kind-natured someone, to me in due time. ~ Chantal Eva

#boy mama #motherhood #children are the future #mood board #nature #poetry #aesthetic #beautiful #feels #inspiration #law of attraction #epic #love #inspo #prose #positive #poet #poem #lit

[cherries-in-wine]

A rant/review of immortal desires:

hiiii this is my first time posting on Tumblr so sorry if it's messy- also english is not my first language so I'm sorry for any mistakes

Since immortal desires 2 is coming up I just wanted to share my thoughts on the book and this random incident that won't stop bothering me lol

So i absolutely love cas like bro's the finest bad boy love interest to ever exist he's so baby girl I love him but after the whole confrontation with mc's mom outside the fighting pit where they accidentally reveal that cas was at the crime scene in front of the entire crowd of vampires- that's a guaranteed being-summoned-to-the-nexus-and-executed. Seeing how fiercely protective cas is it just seems so odd that while mc is at the Nexus with their mom later that night being executed bro's just out with the hunting party??? 😭😭😭 I'd expect cas to put up an even bigger fight than gabe about the covens killing mc like he'd be kicking and screaming and threatening the elders and stuff but he's out feeding??

It's moments like these where immortal desires just does things for convenience like it's so obviously poorly planned.

I think my like for the book only stems from my love for vampires and I'm a teenager so ofcourse I'll eat up a highschool romance and although immortal desires is a 10000 times better than the smutty trash they've been releasing it's still very....eh?

The characters are good- but they're underdeveloped af and it's even worse if you consider the fact that it was originally supposed to be a standalone. I know i can't really compare it to bloodbound (absolutely adore that book- the plot, the antagonists, the love interests, the world building, even the side characters are just perfection) because the stories don't have anything in common other than the fact that they both include vampires but bloodbound did everything so much better. For example kamilah being so cold and cynical makes sense because she's been alive for 2000 years and experienced so much..why did cas hate his human life and why does he despise humans so much? I hope this makes sense but specially in vampire books getting a backstory is essential for connecting with the character so in immortal desires they feel like a clay sculpture that had so much potential but it was never painted properly so although it could've been a masterpiece it just looks trashy. Even the flashbacks in immortal desires feel so lazy- unlike bloodbound there's no change in clothing/hairstyle to show the different time periods.

And it doesn't make sense for mc to get over cas killing someone and Gabriel's betrayal (if the only person I thought i could actually share my problems and connect with turned out to be a spy for that very fucking problem i would be PISSED) so quickly.

The pacing is really off too like I had trouble keeping up with how much time had passed because it felt like the story started off really slow then was rushed at the end.

I didn't really love the addition of talismans either because I just find them stupid and lazy honestly like "RAHHH I'm an all powerful vampire that's been alive for centuries I'm gonna kill you" and then MC's just "hi all powerful vampire that's been alive for centuries and is skilled in killing humans and fighting i found this random ass charm hanging from a tree/in a cave/on the ground that is ridiculously powerful and for some reason never runs out of magic and although I'm a fragile human with 0 experience I'll kill you all in seconds hehehe" like?? 😭😭😭

And again bloodbound does it so much better like mc knows she's the weakest of the pact but she does everything she can to help. Even kamilah knows she isn't good at fighting so instead some stupid shit like trying to teach this human hand to hand combat in one day to fight against a fucking vampire (what gabe did) she teaches her to use her wits like instead of fighting back you dodge their attacks to use their own momentum against them. AND THAT SCENE STILL HAD SEXUAL TENSION LIKE IT WAS DONE SO WELL.

Another thing that bloodbound does better is that the actions actually have consequences like mc actually gets injured/dies if a lot of wrong choices are made whereas in immortal desires literally nothing happens.

I'm sorry for the rant lol that's all for now. Thank you so much for reading<33

#immortal desires #choices #pixelberry #choices immortal desires #pixelberry choices #choices stories we play #choices stories you play #cas harlow #gabe adalhard #bloodbound #bloodbound choices #immortal desires book 2 #immortal desires book 1 #ID choices #ID 2 #immortal desires 2

[onewomancitadel]

is it just a coincidence that the madame and her two daughters who tormented cinder have blonde hair and blue eyes like jaune does

Character design is very deliberate. It's communicating a lot visually, making you draw subconscious connections. I initially predicted Blake/Yang on the basis that their eyes (the window to the soul)/Aura are matching, which in a setting where your soul ~has a special colour and everyone's named after a colour~ seems like a big deal. It's not lost on me that this is true for other pairings such as Ruby/Oscar (silver/gold, but also her red Aura/his green Aura) and Ren/Nora (pink/blue). I'm not sure if this holds true for Emerald/Mercury (red/grey) but they do have the matchy-matchy of black and white, so maybe it's not a hard-and-fast rule. Anyway, point being I'm looking for matchy-matchy.

Blake looks like Raven.

I'm not saying anything Oedipal is going on here, but I am saying that inherited conflicts are redeemed through the romances, and if Yang has problems with her mother, her love interest (who also runs away) kind of looking like her (and then later lopping off her hair so she doesn't) probably isn't an accident.

I'm aware that you have sent three different sets of anonymous asks to me disputing that Blake/Yang was never intended to be canon and 'reeks of direction change' (and similarly you dispute Ren/Nora), but there's no way I can answer this question without drawing reference from indisputable canon romances, irrespective of my personal feelings about them. If you can't accept the patterning of the given canon romances, there is absolutely no foundation to discuss Jaune/Cinder, and frankly I'd question why you think the ship has any basis in canon anyway if you don't have basic trust in the storytelling. But I'm still willing to answer this question because I think it's interesting and with drawing on the other canonical romances and Ozlem I think there is intentional patterning going on here.

It's no accident that Jaune doesn't just have the blond hair/blue eyes combo like Madame and the sisters but also like Salem's original human form, which your average literalist would erroneously take to mean he's related to her, but in my books I think it's more symbolically related to the fact that if this is the given conflict for Cinder (being tormented), drawing visual allegory to someone who's not going to give up on her and is not going to hurt her and is central to her redemption is pretty clever.

Personally I feel it goes back to that the cure is also sort of the poison, it's the thematic idea of the wound that can be healed only by the weapon that dealt it.

On the other hand, between Cinder and Ruby alone they basically have the same haircut and are going on the same emotional journey. So they're sort of the 'same' person symbolically (which Jungian-wise make sense, as Cinder is her Shadow). But they're also too alike in that in any given position in the story, neither one is really interested in knowing who the other truly is (because they refuse to interrogate themselves/understand themselves/accept pain/joy). So the question is how you make those two meet in the middle, and Cinder can't really do that until she confronts the reality of her own situation, and the same is true of Ruby (which is why this development with her across this volume is so calculated). Cue Jaune.

Anyway, my point is that if the character design is intentional, that Jaune is effectively a bright, pretty version does say some things to me. Some very specific things. This is why I can't really parse where Jaune/Weiss or any other Jaune pairing figures in, because it basically breaks a majority of the storytelling, but further to that kind of makes some of the character design nonsensical lol. It makes it feel a lot less intentional anyway. Cinder's orange eye is perfectly complementary to his blue; this is an early point you can find I made a few years ago on my blog and I have some old tags which discuss the subject further, but it's pretty straightforward. If we're going by their little paint-by-numbers romantic nonsense through the RYB and RGB models, right now we've got yellow/purple (Blake/Yang), red/green (silver/gold, Ruby/Oscar), pink/green (Ren/Nora), and you'll have to forgive me but I'm wondering where the blue/orange figures in because that's the third of the RYB model. It's probably likely that I'm missing a few here off the top of my head (and I'm still somewhat uncertain about Emerald/Mercury, but they parallel Ren/Nora too much to be ignored - and there's every possibility something develops with them more clearly romantically in the future, e.g. the slow incorporation of blue with him in opposite to Emerald's red, black/white thing going on with his Aura and her clothes...) but I think it's worth making note that Jaune/Cinder is the ship which fulfills blue/orange.

So that's why I think the character design is worth paying attention to. I wouldn't put all my eggs in one basket. But I think it's very intentional, especially as to how it relates to the already given narrative set-up. To my eyes, it augments it. It's not necessarily argumentation on its own - irrespective of character design these ideas can be communicated, especially the Reverse Ozlem elements (with simple, pure cinematic paralleling it's done) - but it is definitely something that makes me suspicious and feel less like I'm making shit up. That being said, I rarely introduce this as my first point with the ship.

The refutation is the null hypothesis, which is that it means nothing. Which is not all that fun to think about, and I can't really control it from happening. I'd rather try to reason now, because I think expecting better is not a regrettable practice; having actual substantial trust in a story is not embarrassing. That's the risk inherent to speculating about Jaune/Cinder, one supposes.

So it is a bit of a strange one, because I think it's sort of offputting to some to consider, but I think thematically it does make sense (the pain of being truly alive, the poison is the cure). At a minimum it makes you think about Jaune in the context of people who've really hurt Cinder, and then makes you wonder why he would have anything to do with that.

Thanks for your ask.

#seraphina's asks #user: megashadowdragon #knightfall #paint by numbers with RWBY #I have a tag for it somewhere I need to fix it all lol #seraphina ruminates over V9 #rwby9

[saint-ambrosef]

Hi! I sent the Shadow and Bones anon to @that-catholic-shinobi and saw your replies! So now I'm curious and I love when people rant about things, in the show what do you think they got right? And what did you feel was done wrong? Was there scenes that they did from the books that were close to the source material, but felt different in tone/ect or were just wrong? Was the Matthias and Nina romance in the main trilogy or the Six of Crows section of books? (I watched the show, I felt weird with how hot/cold they would be in such a short amount of screen time, like being on a roller coaster, I think it made the romance feel extra sudden and strange to me)

Anyways, I hope all these questions don't bug you, I'd love to hear your thoughts cause you seem like you really enjoyed the books and know your stuff. I do think I will give the books a try cause you and that-catholic-shinobi made them sound pretty interesting! Thanks!

Oh hello! I love sharing my thoughts on stuff like this. :)

The first thing to know is that the duology and trilogy occur in the same world, but the stories are relatively unrelated. SOC is also set several years after the end of the trilogy. So none of the duology characters (Kaz, Inej, Jesper, Nina, Matthias) existed in Alina's story.

By combining these two distinctly separate stories, the plot felt disconnected and bloated. Cramming eight protagonists into one TV show spread the screen time too thin. The only reason they shoehorned in the SOC characters that otherwise have nothing to do with Alina's story is because they're fan favorites who will draw views - but then each character gets a fraction of their book counterpart's development. (Not to mention major side characters like Genya who barely show up at all).

The consequence is bad pacing. Stuffing the show with so many plot lines necessarily speeds up each. E.g: In the book, Alina is at the Little Palace for months, accounting for half the novel. So much happens: her friendship with Genya, the breakdown between her and Mal, dicey Grisha politics, the delicate balance with the Grand Palace, the lavishness between training and Small Army assignments, propaganda, in-depth exploration of Grisha magic system (!!!), tensions between the First Army and Second Army, etc. The show had to cut all of that to make room for the other story lines. It makes her story feel so shallow.

I mean, Kaz, Jesper, and Inej show up and look cool and do cool stuff but you don’t really find out much about them besides vague suggestions that Kaz wants revenge, Jesper is gay and gambles, and Inej is religious. It's such a disservice to their characters.

Most of Alina's story in the show is pretty similar to the book plot. There's just lots of little changes that don't make sense to me, portrayals of specific characters or scenes.

Was the Matthias and Nina romance in the main trilogy or the Six of Crows section of books?

It was in SOC. Even then, it's told as a series of flashbacks. Where they left off at the end of S1 (Nina pressing charges against Matthias to save him) is where they start off in the books. So they start off with a complicated, bitter relationship that is only gradually explained through Nina's flashbacks as the duology progresses.

Was there scenes that they did from the books that were close to the source material, but felt different in tone/ect or were just wrong?

Many lol. The main one that jumps to mind is the scene where the Darkling and Alina kiss. In the books, the Darkling's motivations are described as rough, wild, possessive, desperate without passion; he even says she's just a sexual distraction, and it's later revealed to be a manipulation tactic. It's disturbing and contributes to the theme of predatory authority. But the show depicts it as sweet, romantic, and motivated by affection. It made me gag.

The reason they did that was again for fan service. Book!Darkling is characterized as a cruel, possessive, power hungry man who would manipulate anyone and everyone for more power (literal or political). But of course many fans popularly decided he was a sexyboi with a secret heart and shipped him with Alina. So the show re-characterizes him as more sympathetic, emphasized his loneliness, downplayed his self-preservation and trumped up his "All I want to do his help Grisha" motivation.

The show additionally added in a sympathetic backstory to explain his creation of the Shadow Fold – that his pregnant wife (girlfriend?) was murdered in cold blood by muggles for no reason!! He just wanted revenge and justice!! This never happened in the book; he was just power hungry and wanted to terrify his enemies and Ravka by tapping into a power he couldn’t ultimately control

There's also the fact that they totally glossed over Genya's tragedy. She's a tailor grisha, which is rare. In the book, the Darkling "gives her talents" as a gift (aka enslaves her) to the Queen (who abuses her), and she becomes the very unwilling mistress to the King (which the Darkling relishes because now she can spy for him). Her life is miserable and she's considered an outsider even amongst Grisha. This is why she bonds with Alina. And that's why Genya's betrayal at the end of Book 1 hits so hard - she feels compelled to side with her ultimate abuser, the Darkling, because of his terrifying power. In the show we only have like three scenes of her and Alina interacting, yet they still act like Genya siding with him was some major betrayal.

But we don't have time for that subplot because the show-runners needed to shoehorn in all of Nina and Matthias' completely irrelevant scenes and focus on fucking Fyodor for some reason.

Characterization aside, the overall choice regarding which scenes to focus on was odd, too. The entire last episode was only like a 15 page scene in the book. They invented scenes of her and the Darkling yet breezed over the history of amplifiers and Morozova’s three legendary beasts. The first episode spends so much time embellishing how Mal and Alina end up going into the Unsea. Or the whole story the show concocted about West Ravka seeking independence (which is not a bad plot idea, but this show was already so bloated, why!!).

Then there were the details they changed for seemingly no reason. E.g. Book!Alina is an orphan born at Dva Stolba on the Shu Han border, which would seamlessly explain why show!Alina is half-Shu. But they changed it so her parents were destroyed by the Shadow Fold?? Why? And in the show, the court is suspicious of Alina because she’s Shu. But in the books, non-Ravkan Grisha (Shu, Fjerdan, Suli, etc) were quite common in the Second Army, as Ravka was known as the one place Grisha weren’t persecuted. So a half-Shu Sun Summoner wouldn’t have been that big of a deal. These are subtle changes that don’t really affect the show, but they are nonetheless unnecessary and/or slightly change the tone of a given scene.

Oh, also, they fucked up Zoya's characterization. They made her so cringy!!! She’s supposed to be this gorgeous, hot-headed, effortlessly smooth but sorta bratty squaller. Look how they massacred my girl...

There were definitely some casting wins. Ben Barnes as the Darkling was perfect. Kit Young portrayed Jesper perfectly and I cannot express enough how well he nailed the character. I thought the actors for Nina and Matthias did a good job too.

My most controversial opinion is that Freddy Carter as Kaz was a miscast. He's a good actor, he's just way too delicate and aristocratic looking to play a convincing street rat/bastard of the barrel.

Anyways. As a stand-alone television show, Shadow and Bone is quite good. The production value is impressive compared to most Netflix shows, with great cinematography, scene direction, and decent effects. It felt comparable to the big screen. Some of the actors were perfectly cast and the acting overall was positive. But ultimately, this show is a book adaptation. So of course there will be comparison to the original novel. To me, it's not a particularly faithful adaptation - everything felt pretty similar and yet slightly to the left, if that makes sense.

I really wish they made S&B and SOC separate shows. Or have their original stories run parallel to each other without interacting (sorta like the first few seasons of GOT with its different story lines).

Read the books!!!

[taintedsoul-if]

What is wrong with the anon that asked for a selectable gender option for Cadmus?

Don't get me wrong, I don't think it's a bad thing for someone to want more flexibility. But he asked for it being openly homophobic and that being the only reason

That being said, I would like to say that I don't think it's really necessary to do a lot of extra routes just because one or two people are unhappy. People have partners that they later regret. You're literally not forcing anyone to date Cadmus in the future, but it seems like it's kind of important that we were married to him in the past. And there are other characters we can date in the future.

I don't know if with the "friendship route" you mean that instead of us being married to him we were good friends, and although I find it interesting, I think that would change too many scenes in the future. Not to mention that it seems that you already have many things planned that you would have to modify.

If it really was something you thought about doing before, do it. If it's just for that person, I'd recommend either not doing it or writing it as a bonus when you're done with the book, so you don't interrupt your current writing process.

Now, if you meant something else, I might have sounded very silly. But in the end my message of "don't change things for something only one person said" still stands. And more when that person is openly rude and intolerant. And that he probably didn't even read the demo or paid much attention to it considering he mistook Cadmus's name for the name of the country he rules.

PS: I love the way you write and I loved the demo, keep it up.

PS2: I used a translator, sorry if something was translated wrong

You see Anon. I grow up in a homophobic community. At a certain age I never knew what LGBTQ stand for but I did heard my father saying if any of his children came out as gay one day he would hang them to death/slit their throat. I was very depressed at that time and I couldn't help asking my father what those people ever did to harm them "straight people". My father responded. They're the ones that are responsible for most of the raping and kidnapping. I just shook my head at his small minded behaviour.

I just couldn't help myself. At that time my sister loved reading M/M romance. She was the one who pulled me down that rabbit hole and ever since then I never looked back. I do believe love has no gender. At the end of the day only one being can judge us for our sins. We as human beings have no right whatsoever to loathe, kill someone just because they're gay. They're human beings as well. With blood same as anyone else. I am just tired of small minded people. This world is not like it once was in the Victorian times where a man has to hide his lover behind close door in fear.

Cadmus has lived in my mind for years and he has always been a man. His dialogue would not sound right as a female. At the start of this book I never thought about Trysten/Trista and Nyssa/Nyala. But because I wanted my readers to not feel uncomfortable I decided to add two more romanceable npcs. I understand that most are uncomfortable with the fact that Cadmus is a man. But in the prologue did he do anything to your character? No he did not because I have a sense of measure. I understand he's the most interesting RO at this point because he's a madman. So most wants to get on this bandwagon. I also understand that there's going to be constructive criticisms.

I do understand all that. Reading that ask today made me rethink everything. Wondering if I should even continue my story because of those words. I couldn't help wondering how other readers felt. If they would dislike my story and not want to read it anymore. Everyone is a human being. I don't want anyone to come on my blog to spread hate about gay people. Everyone deserves love. It's not their fault they grew up loving the same gender.

People who makes it their main goal in life to antagonize gay people makes me wonder if they're a closet case and they're just jealous of the fact that Joe/John was brave enough to come out. I am a peaceful person. I do not believe in fighting unnecessarily. I came here to write and interact with mysterious people who genuinely liked my demo and wanted to gush about their crush on a certain RO! No more negative energy please.

Anon I'm sorry if I'm ranting to you. Reading your ask, I felt as if a dam opened up inside of me and I just couldn't hold back anymore.

Everything for Cadmus is already planned and I wanted to toss in the friend route because I didn't want anyone else to comment on the fact that they're not gay.

But what most don't understand is these interactive ifs are text based you control the story. There's always another way around. I have a favorite author that I love reading from and she had an RO that I did not like one bit. Instead of going on her page to complain I actually just avoided that romance route completely. Sometimes we can be the bigger person and not hamper down on others. I am already up to my neck with planning out my story. Learning coding. Reading books about the topic I want to write about. Trying to sleep at nights and eating on time.

I'll carry on as I have. I won't allow one ask to dampen my mood for my story. If it steers others off then that's just how it is. Cadmus is MALE and he'll remain that way.

It's insulting to forget the name of my character as well. It's very hurtful. I am not being rude. I am just being straightforward. Anon. 😭 thank you for listening to my long rant. And for giving me words of encouragement. I really appreciate it.

I am glad that you're enjoying the story so far! 🤗

#rant #CADMUS IS MALE!!! #lovely anon #I'll try to calm myself down a bit. I can't write when I'm emotionally. #have a wonderful day/night anon. thanks again for your words of encouragement #also your English translation is perfect! 100% ☺