#relatable to so many people who WERE alone in their versions of this in their struggles where their parents were absent even just emotional

[doctorcurdlejr]

Niko!! what'd you think of I saw the tv glow. I finally saw it last night and noticed you posting about it so I wanted to know your thoughts :)

Levi!!! I was JUST wondering what you were thinking about the movie after I saw you posting about it as well... we are so media discussion pilled in this way, it's awesome. ANYWAYS I've had so many thoughts since I first saw it and I've been trying to turn them into something coherent for a little bit now.

Ummm okay I have written 1k+ words about this movie, the suburbs, and escapism via teen TV.... clearly I was dying for somebody to ask this I guess so thank you for indulging me <3

First and foremost, I absolutely loved it! I've seen it twice now and the first time I watched it I got to see Jane Schoenbrun talk about the film right after. I already really liked it from that first watch alone. I found it so deeply relatable to my experiences - both in terms of growing up gay and trans, but where I am now in my 20s trying to navigate adulthood. Hearing what Schoenbrun had to say really cemented my feelings and thoughts about the film.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer was a big influence on the movie (it's why Amber Benson makes a cameo as Johnny Link's mom). Even though I don't have the same emotional link to Buffy since I never watched it, I recognize it as the same type of warmth I experienced growing up with Riverdale. When Owen says he feels like his insides have been scooped out but that he's too afraid to look and have that wrongness everybody knows is there be confirmed, Maddy simply responds "Maybe you're like Isabel. Afraid of what's inside you." Tears forming but not falling, breathing shallowly, I grabbed the paper and pen the theater keeps at the seats for people to order food with and wrote that line down - the slip of paper is still somewhere in my car. Writing it now almost feels lame in its simplicity, but it felt like my insides were being flayed open.

During the director discussion, Schoenbrun talked a little bit about this idea of how truly fucking bizarre it is to grow up in the suburbs. Like, when we think about the pinnacle of normality in American culture, it's the image of middle-class cis-hetero-white suburbia. At the same time, despite this cultural dream of normality, everybody is hyper-aware that the suburbs are one of the least normal things ever. So, the ACTUAL cultural understanding of it is that it's where we go to, like, passively kill ourselves (*George Costanza voice* WE LIVE IN A SOCIETY YOU KNOW!). This idea isn't new, I mean there are so many films and shows about navigating that specific bizarre dissonance from Rebel Without a Cause to Heathers to Twin Peaks. Probably half the pre-teen to teen TV I watched obsessively growing up, stuff like Strange Days at Blake Holsey High, Making Fiends, Truth or Scare, and eventually Riverdale, were never shy about being weird and morbid and saying "yes, the suburbs are exactly as bizarre and lethal in the ways you can already feel in your bones at 13." I Saw the TV Glow does a really good job of keying not only into that mental dissonance but more specifically into how those of us who have felt so intrinsically weird and different and wrong fell back on these shows like they were capable of doing the emotional version of a rescue breath maneuver after being drowned.

In high school, if there were two things about me that any person who even vaguely knew me could list off it was that I watched Riverdale, and I was a lesbian - and I was mocked more for the Riverdale. At that age, I was, without a doubt, the most miserable I have ever felt in my life. I rarely left the house because my family lived in a development that made me want to scratch my skin off when I walked out our front door. Owen didn't leave the house for days, afraid Maddy could somehow force him out. I sobbed constantly and frequently to depressing indie rock on the floor of my closet while hoping my family would just once read the (honest to god) KEEP OUT poster plastered on my door since I didn't have a lock on it. Owen didn't leave his room for days, afraid of what Maddy recognized in him. I didn't go on dates and kept my chest binder shoved to the bottom of my bookbag while wearing dresses that could've come from a how-to-be the perfect 50s housewife manual. Owen didn't leave his bed for days, afraid of Maddy touching his neck and Isabel's dress. I also watched Riverdale with the kind of zeal you see in a Pentecostal who has found God and started speaking in tongues to let you know it. I own a button that says, "Don't Make Me Go Dark Betty On You," I cherish it in a way that is only achieved by knowing exactly how corny and trite it is and then moving straight past that because well actually, and most people wouldn't get this, she's holding back something deeply dark and wild and- and disgusting. something painful yet intrinsically her. but i get it, obviously. or maybe not obviously! hopefully not obviously, but- basically, I'm just saying I get it: the experience of reflection and recognition through the other and all that.

Whatever, the point is that this movie is one big glaring trans allegory about how it sucks dog shit to live in the suburbs, and even at our most repressed we find these little snow globes of actualization in the glow of a tv screen that isn't afraid to show you the world you see. I've seen some people say that, like, in this context accepting or coming into your transness is this monumental death of self, which I get, but I feel there lacks a nuance in that because either way Owen is dying. Unlike Maddy who buries herself alive only to come out renewed, Owen doesn't kill himself upon facing the reality that the world is constructed to keep him miserable and the only way out is to take back what it is that the world wants to keep scooped out of him. Instead he just passively lets it drag him to a much more permanent death. This lack of suicide sucks in the kind of way that forces you to sit in your car on the midnight drive home and think to yourself am I letting myself suffocate because at some point knowing the misery became less scary than admitting I've been capable of doing something about it the whole time?

Clearly, I’ve been enchanted by the film’s narrative and meta-textual language. If you're familiar with it, you can see how Schoenbrun built this movie like a long-form dream episode of a canceled teen show filmed in Vancouver. Lynchian? Yeah, sure. Riverdalesque? THIS we cannot possibly deny. Schoenbrun said they included Amber Benson as an act of healing the inner rage experienced at Tara’s death in Buffy. This is a Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa ending Riverdale with a bisexual polycule after his gay Archie play got ceased-and-desisted type move. There’s probably more I could say about the soundtrack and the visuals, but I’ve hit over 1k words on this, so I’ll leave it at I enjoyed this movie a lot. :)

Maddy is an out lesbian who left town to escape the misery and found it strapped to her ankles. She slinks out, an animal pressed against the gymnasium floor, and says "I'm not telling you anything you don't already know." Owen looks into the camera and narrates. He cuts himself open with a box cutter, fully acknowledges what's there, and the movie ends with his suffocating apology parade for the unremarkable inconvenience of his excruciating suffering. You can be gay and trans, you can know it and you can stop repressing it, but you're not going to stop suffocating until you can find a way to destroy the part of you that truly deeply does want to die, reaching for the comforting euthanasia of normalcy. Stop visiting the dream of the life you want and make it into your reality with the same kind of unrepentant conviction seen in some underfunded but wildly ambitious teen television series. In other words: you must try to survive the ego death of being weird. A weirdo, who doesn't fit in and doesn't want to fit in!

#i saw the tv glow #riverdale #< the sister tag to me talking about this movie at this rate... #i saw the tv glow spoilers #asks

[frankenstein-ate-my-left-shoe]

can i say somthing abt steve releasing and finding surprising success with a folks-y personal album that catches the attention of much more famous rockstar!eddie's team who, when people start to realize steve the breakout indy singer and the all but ignored, previously top-of-the-world eddie went to the same high school (at the same time, no less; 'remember? he got held back a couple times in senior year' the reddit threads say), arrange for the two to collab on a re-release/extended version of one of steve's songs?

the one about all the shit he went through without his parents being any wiser, not caring to check up on him after the first time (his now father in all but paper) chief hopper picked him up following one too many drinks at another one too many house parties (and not that steve wanted them to, not after his mother's scathing comments about 'the man he was supposed to be', and 'what are we going to do with you's ran out after the first time.).

the one about how hopper asked if he was a danger to himself and 'son, why do you do this to yourself?', realizing shortly after that the harringtons really didn't care about their son (the son in the drunk tank who kept promising 'she'll call me back, promise.').

the song that to the surprise of everyone, was the one of harrington's songs eddie related to the most. he has been 'young drunk and alone' in the backseat of hopper's cruiser many a time himself, and during one of the many times King Steve was caught too; eddie trying to loosen his cuffs beside the younger man while hopper carted them both across town, falling in love with the same man when he drifted asleep on eddie's shoulder along the way.

the song that he similarly connected to via his own absent parent that could give less of a shit about him if he did get picked up by hawkins' finest, whether on his own or as a result of one of al's hare-brained schemes, a father who similarly wouldn't pick up the phone if eddie needed him thank fuck he had wayne though.

the song that from what it sounds like, he and steve both tried hard to defend their parents for a while before they gave up..

so he agreed, mixed his signature fast-paced vocals into Steve's song (which steve gave him the reigns over, saying 'surprise me munson.'), and stays away via a littany of excuses the first time they were supposed to listen to the final track together.

he can't escape for long though, as his own manager and best friend traitor chrissy gives steve eddie's address and his doorbell rings soon after.

#surprise surprise #noelle is writing something based on a song #dial drunk is a steve song fr #apologies to noah kahan and post malone ahead of time #not saying you guys are in love #but steve and eddie are abt to be lmao #steddie #steve harrington #eddie munson #steve harrington x eddie munson #noah kahan #post malone #noelle writes

[ultra-violet-heart]

Fanfare for Frieren (a fan translation)

This is the English fan translation of Fanfare for Frieren (奏送), the accompanying short novella for the opening theme of the Frieren anime, Yuusha by Yoasobi, written by Jirou Kiso with the supervision of manga writer Kanehito Yamada. The images here are from its print/digital version, which has been a bonus from the special edition of Frieren: Beyond Journey's End Volume 12.

Disclaimer: This translation is made by me for fandom purposes only. This unofficial translation is not affiliated with the official Frieren franchise or with Yoasobi. All rights reserved for Frieren: Beyond Journey's End to its respective committees, committee members, staff and rights holders.

Please ask my permission and credit me+this post if you will be re-translating this to other languages. PLEASE DO NOT REPOST THIS OR ITS IMAGES TO OTHER SITES. PLEASE DO NOT REPOST ANYWHERE ESPECIALLY ON YOUTUBE AND TIKTOK. Please take the fan translations here with a grain of salt. 

I'm posting my Ko-Fi here as currently, I've been having financial trouble regarding my medicine, so if anyone can donate, I would be much grateful for the help, thank you very much.

1.

Five years after the death of Himmel the Hero.

Central Lands, the Capelle [1] Region.

A small city, commonly referred to as “Music City”, was located not far off west of the Royal Capital.

Many renowned musicians, who had established the foundation of court music, went there to study, and they each created orchestras there which continue up to this day. Day and night, orchestral and operatic performances kept theatres crowded, and these performances were well-known in the Central Lands.

The hymns that could be heard from the church also evoked such amicable ties between culture and religion. The singing voices and the performance, both tranquil and powerful, were pleasing to the ears.

There’s unexpected magic in places like this, huh, Frieren thought while walking through the streets with light steps.

She couldn’t visit this place during her journey to defeat the Demon King, but she thought it would have been nice to have taken a detour on the beginning. The journey started from the Royal Capital to the east, she recalled with a little regret.

To that extent, the city was much of a beautiful and isolated place.

The cobblestone pavements reminded one of a flowing music score, while the radial houses reminded one of a well-organized orchestra. The entire city had this atmosphere of welcoming people, so that there was music there for people to listen to.

There might be a wealth of music-related magic in this place. She wasn’t particularly knowledgeable when it comes to music, but folk magic rooted in a distinctive culture was worth collecting for that reason alone.

Following the signboards that were shaped like sheet music and musical instruments, Frieren continued walking.

Just near were an opera house and a museum adjacent to it, and the sound of some rhythm coming from somewhere.

Various sounds overlapped the whole city, however, strangely enough, there was no cacophony at all.

Suddenly, among those sounds, one of the most awkward sounds caught her ear. The timbre sounded like it was carefully walking on ice.

Apparently, a small marching band was passing by in front of the church located in the city’s center. The boys and the girls were preparing for their practice that day, carrying brass instruments too big for their stature and with more percussion instruments than their hands could handle.

A boy wearing a red feathered military hat―or rather, was made to wear one―had this desperate expression as he continued blowing his horn, unconcerned about his reddening face.

Even though from a very young age, all this city’s people had been living together with music.

The sound the boy made while carefully holding the horn, which was said to be the most difficult instrument in the world for humans to play, was not the clearest at all.

However, sometime in the future, that sound will reverberate gallantly and kindly.

Frieren felt it was a timbre suitable for the city.

Frieren continued to walk, as if the small orchestra was pushing her back.

The rustling of leaves, the gurgling water of the fountain, the happy hubbub from the cafeteria. All the sounds of nature and the noise of daily lives here and there gave the impression they were all pleasantly tuned.

It might be said she could stay in here for years while exploring the city thoroughly.

In one corner of the city, there stood an old-looking music store. Its appearance, reflecting its long age, made it stand out.

For some reason, she entered the store. It was a place she wouldn’t normally stop by, but her feet were strangely drawn into it.

Beyond the store’s creaking door, however, a strikingly different but still atmosphere hung about.

Beautifully polished wind instruments. Stringed instruments without a speck of dust. They were placed on a cramped space, lined like capillary vessels. The store’s appearance made it feel like one could hear the breathing of the old craftsman running the store alone.

As she searched for a narrow foothold and was about to head deeper,

“You.” A voice said. Frieren felt it was a matured voice that carefully aged over many years.

An old man, whose white hair was tied up clumsily, peeked out from the back of the store. His sleeves were still rolled up, as if he was still tending to his instruments a short while ago. She caught a glimpse of the old man’s muscles, which were well-toned for his age.

“You… seemed to have lived a life unconnected to musical instruments.”

Adjusting the monocle on his eye, the old man fixed his gaze on Frieren.

“How can you tell?”

“Because you are a face I have not seen before. Those who love music and those who are loved by music will have visited this place sooner or later.”

The old man asserted his words with such sincere belief.

“Those who love music will immediately be obsessed with the instruments here. Those who are loved by music are people my eyes immediately recognize. So, yes, I can tell. Will you let me see your face?”

And then he beckoned her to come closer.

“My, my, I am surprised. It seems like you are the latter.”

“What do you mean?”

“Your ears, the corner of your eyes, your features. You appear to be an elf.”

“I am an elf, but…”

Frieren didn’t immediately catch the drift of the conversation.

“I have something I want people like you to have.”

After saying, “Wait for me,” the old man turned on his heel and took out a small wooden box from the back of the store and opened it. Inside was a palm-sized ocarina-like musical instrument.

The instrument’s intricate design was obvious even to the untrained eye.

“This is the Möglich. [2]”

“Möglich?”

“Its other name is ‘the Impossible’ [2]. It’s an instrument said to take a hundred years to master.”

“I once heard the horn is said to be the most difficult instrument in the world for humans to play.”

Frieren replied, recalling the boy from the marching band earlier. She remembered him struggling to play.

“That is a topic for ordinary humans. This instrument, however, was originally made by elves. You seem to be unaware of this.”

“That’s right. I didn’t know. Though it’s not strange if some elf did invent something like that.”

Frieren knew some of her own kind who spent so many years just killing time. [3]

“My great-grandfather inherited the Möglich, and he analyzed its structure. Apparently, it is impossible to produce a sound with this instrument unless they continue infusing in a small amount of mana while maintaining a perfect equilibrium. It would take more than ten years to produce a proper sound on this instrument. Fifty years is not even enough for an experienced mage to play one tune with it.”

“Really?” Frieren replied vaguely, not making it clear whether she was interested or not.

“I heard after one hundred years of diligently studying it, the sound one can play from this instrument is unparalleled.”

In fact, the old shopkeeper spent his life trying to master it. However, it was impossible for him to master the instrument as he did not possess any magical power. He could not even make it produce a sound.

“There is yet no one who has mastered it, much less know how to play it, so this instrument is still for sale, waiting for a buyer.”

The instrument had this eye-popping price tag. It was an amount that could already buy a house, and there was no way Frieren could afford it, not with the travelling-expenses-money she had on hand.

Of course, Frieren had no intention to buy it.

Certainly, it was rather interesting a fellow elf spent part of their long life in the form of developing this musical instrument. What kind of elf are they? Why did they give it to humans?

Most likely, she felt that this might be no more than a prank. It was an instrument that made sounds that could not be produced within the very short, fleeting lives of humans, after all.

“I am here because I want to hear the Möglich’s melodies one day. I have long sought for that timbre no words can describe. For so many years, this whole time. I eagerly awaited any who loved music or is loved by music to come here and finally fulfill my wish. It might be an impossible dream now, but I feel the guidance of the Goddess is at work that I am able to meet you, an elf.”

“I’m sorry, but…”

“I have no need for your money.”

“I can’t pay, then.”

“I want an elf like you to have it.” The old shopkeeper said with a strong tone.

His eyes held no arrogance on them, as if he was pushing his impossible dream onto someone else, but instead were filled with unadulterated hope.

“………”

After some hesitation, Frieren replied.

“If there’s no other buyers, I’ll think about it. This should be bought by someone who should own it though.”

“I see… Come back. I am sure you will.”

“I’ll be back. I plan on staying here for a while.”

The old man, as if to remind himself, called out to Frieren as she was about to leave.

“What is your name?”

“Frieren.”

“What a fine name. A name loved by music.”

2.

The dusk was casting its shadow over the city by the time she left the music store.

Frieren felt how the city’s tune changed between day and night.

Unlike the bustling daytime and the soundless midnight, the comforting evening was like a soft breeze caressing her cheeks.

Let’s have dinner, Frieren thought.

During the time she traveled with Himmel and their party, Himmel always decided where they would eat. He had this exceptional ability to find out any restaurant that had what Frieren and the others wanted without them telling him what they were in the mood to eat.

How did you know? She once asked him at the dinner table.

“You all have this way of showing what you’re thinking on your faces.”

Himmel smiled as he said this.

“Heiter’s face now has the color of a ditch.”

Eisen took a glance at the drunkard next to him.

“What?!”

Heiter looked back at Frieren, his face looking like an undead. He was so dead drunk he couldn’t tell the difference between Eisen and Frieren.

“You reek of booze.”

Frieren kicked him while Himmel laughed.

“Frieren, you see, I enjoy nothing more than having a meal with the four of us like this. I choose the food every one of us like as I want to make sure we all have a good time.”

She recalled wondering even then if it was the answer to her question.

She then looked at the restaurant now in front of her and thought it had the same appearance and atmosphere as the one from that time.

This restaurant, called Parlante [3], was such a calm place it was like it was not her first time entering it.

“What did Himmel like?”

Thinking back, Himmel always ordered his food last. It was often a different dish from theirs, or he would choose a dish that was easy to share between the four of them.

After that, he would portion out his food little by little, share that, and say, “Isn’t it more fun to have a variety of dishes at once?”

They had eaten around the table in as many places as she could remember. They partook of seafood when they were in coastal towns, they ate wild greens and hunted game in campgrounds, and they particularly were fond of each region’s local specialties.

“The food that can only be eaten in the place you’re in becomes a shared memory with the people you went in with. Even if you forget, you’ll remember again when you go there and eat the local food. That’s how I want to travel.”

Frieren remembered them talking about this one day, so she then called the waiter.

“Is there any dish you can only eat at this restaurant?”

Would Himmel be surprised to find out she had started thinking like that? Or would he laugh and say, “It’s written on your face,” as if he had already predicted this would happen?

The waiter flipped carefully through the menu pages.

“Our specialty is the l'oeuf omelette [4], made of ten chicken eggs. This dish has four servings, so shall I bring you a quarter of that?”

“No, I’ll order it as it is. If I can’t finish it all, I’ll have the rest on take-out.”

This dish, which was loved by well-known musicians, was bigger than expected and took up a large space on the table.

The evening for one person went on, her recalling that lively dinner table she once shared with others.

3.

It has been a month since she stayed, but she had been so distracted by the magic tool shops and the cityscapes, she wasn’t able to fully explore the small city.

Every time she passed the music store, however, the old shopkeeper would enthusiastically call Frieren’s name.

It had become routine for both of them to exchange small greetings.

It wasn’t particularly a trouble to Frieren, but somehow, she felt like going somewhere a bit different for today.

Not far off the city center, there was a street lined with monuments of musicians. Some were well-known, but others were unknown to Frieren.

At the end of the line, however, she found a rather out-of-place statue.

It was a bust of Himmel holding a violin. It was probably commissioned by the time he was travelling alone in neighboring countries after the Demon King’s defeat.

“He was here, too…” Frieren muttered unconsciously.

His eyes were closed, but his facial expression on the chin rest conveyed such a strong will. This must be the work of a skilled craftsman. One could tell a lot of time was spent making the statue. The finish it had was unique even among the more than one hundred types of heroes’ statues.

“So, he could play such a musical instrument.”

She muttered those words to herself, not wanting anyone else to hear, but from behind her came an unexpected response.

“It’s just as Master Himmel said.”

When Frieren turned around, she saw the speaker was an old woman. There was quite a gap between the woman’s voice, which was quite youthful, and the woman’s elderly appearance. The woman continued with a well-projected voice.

“Might you be Lady Frieren?”

“……?”

For a few moments, Frieren couldn’t understand the words directed at her.

“What do you mean?”

“Master Himmel said that when he came here before.”

The old woman, using skillful vocal acrobatics, reenacted her and Himmel’s state during that time.

“One day in the future, a mage named Frieren will visit this city. I want to make a statue that will serve as a landmark for her.”

“A landmark? Won’t everyone just stop in front of Master Himmel instead?”

“I’m sure they will. But I’m also sure they’ll recognize her immediately as she gazes at me.”

“Is that how it is?”

“Yes, it is.”

The old woman cleared her throat once, ending her little performance. Frieren felt it was strange, given the woman was surprisingly good at imitating voices. She was then told the woman was a former star performer at a circus troupe. It was no wonder that the woman’s voice carried through strongly.

“My apologies for the late introduction. My name is Flöte [5]. I got too excited at meeting you, Lady Frieren. This is embarrassing…”

Her cheeks blushed, a complete change from moments earlier when she was still acting with different voice tones.

“I witnessed a good performance.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

Flöte smiled like a blooming flower.

“It seems like the statue was worth making.”

“Master Himmel lamented the statue wasn’t enough to convey his charm to the public.”

“Himmel would probably say that.”

Frieren then wiped the rust off the bronze statue’s flowy hair with a rag she carried.

“If only there was a ‘spell that removes rust from bronze statues’, this clean-up would be easier.”

“Let me help you.”

“It’s all right. I can do it on my own. So, why did Himmel say that?”

As all the rust was wiped off and the statue’s smile returned, the old woman answered Frieren with a mysterious look on her face.

“I have a favor to ask of you, Lady Frieren.”

She said it so apologetically that Frieren got an anxious expression.

“…What’s the reward?”

“A grimoire with the ‘spell to record sounds in a book’.”

At that point, Frieren broke into a smile.

“All right, I’m in.”

4.

“So, you want to dispel a spell that will not dispel until the caster dies?”

Frieren asked again, repeating the old woman’s words.

“That’s rather difficult. Nearly impossible, even.”

 “’I’m sure Frieren will do it’, that’s what Master Himmel told me before.”

“That’s absurd.”

“I’m also embarrassed to say… I am the caster in question.”

“I’m not getting the situation. What do you mean?”

“I ought to speak in order, then.”

 As the old woman said this, she began narrating her personal history.

Flöte was not born in the Capelle region, but in a family of mages, and her parents moved to the area as they hated the horrors of war, and there they established a magical circus troupe. She didn’t originally want to join the troupe, but due to the education she received, she was able to use various magic spells back then.

One of those spells was the ‘spell to erase one memory until death’. It would be a terrible spell if abused by others, but the spell was restricted so that it can only be cast on oneself.

There were many rumors about its effectiveness, which were never true. Some people said it reminded them of the moment of death where one’s whole life flashed before one’s eyes, while others said it meant like being buried in eternal darkness.

In any case, it was a mysterious kind of magic.

One day, when she was 15 years old, having mastered the spell at such a young age, she then cast it upon herself.

Since then, Flöte had lost that one memory, even until now.

“In short, I want to dispel that oblivion spell I casted upon myself.”

“What memory did you erase?”

“That’s the thing: I don’t know. I did erase it, after all.”

With downcast eyes, she connected her words.

“However, I began to wonder if I did lose something important on a whim, especially as I grew older and get closer to death. If, due to the heat of the moment, I buried that memory I shouldn’t have lost with the magic spell I learned, at least, I want to remember what it is before I die. I’m sorry, you might think of this as a selfish request.”

The old woman finally spoke in a voice appropriate for her age.

“When Master Himmel was in the city, I got an opportunity to tell him about it. He then told me about you, Lady Frieren. That Lady Frieren is sure to do something about it.”

Observing Frieren carefully, the old woman then appealed to her.

“Please, will you grant my request? I want to spend the little time I have left, which will pass in the blink of an eye, without any regrets.”

The old woman spoke eloquently, but Frieren didn’t reply, seemingly getting lost in her thoughts.

She walked through the city after, letting time pass, and when night came, she booked a room in a tavern.

Late at night, when the tavern earlier filled with cheerful music finally went quiet, the events of the day came to Frieren’s thoughts as she leafed through the pages of her grimoire.

5.

“This journey must have been a blink of an eye for you,” Himmel said.

The comment came as perfectly natural as picking vegetables in the market.

“I’ve almost died so many times, but now that I’ve made it here, everything feels so nostalgic.”

After the Demon King’s defeat, Himmel continued on as he rode the shaky carriage back to the Royal Capital.

“Frieren. I know you don’t think of this as nostalgic yet, but the day will come when you remember this journey, us, and this moment. I don’t know when that will be. Maybe after I die. Even so, I’m sure you’ll be able to laugh and say, ‘That was a silly journey, wasn’t it?’”

“It’s too early for the serious talk! We haven’t truly defeated the Demon King until we return home!”

Heiter continued to tease them while smiling.

“Well, we still have requests to fulfill.”

On his return to the Royal Capital, Himmel received many requests. He took on small tasks to help people, fixing roads, even searching for lost things.

Their current request back then was from the village undertaker, who asked them to eliminate a monster that only reacted to human corpses.

When asked for more details, the undertaker said there was a dragon blocking the only bridge that connected the village and the town. Since the dragon damaging the area only occurred when corpses were carried away, it was concluded that the dragon had the tendency to target only corpses.

It didn’t respond to scarecrows, and pretending to be dead didn’t work on it either. Since it only paid attention to real human corpses, Frieren guessed it might have eyes that could detect whether a person is alive or dead.

“I’ll act as bait.”

Himmel spoke resolutely, as he always did.

“You just defeated the Demon King, and you want to die here?” Eisen said. “Stop being reckless!”

“Even Eisen, who doesn’t die even if he was eaten by monsters, is useless this time, huh.”

“Heiter, shut up.”

Frieren looked at the two badmouthing each other and then asked.

“Can’t we just borrow a corpse?”

“We can’t do that, Frieren.”

Himmel continued, as if to admonish her.

“A dead person is the image of a life lived fully. We can’t recklessly put that in danger. Besides, even if I’ll be acting as bait, I won’t truly die. Frieren, you can put me in a state of suspended animation, yes?”

“A state of suspended animation?”

She once casted the ‘spell to encase a living creature on ice’ on a ferocious enormous fish. Himmel must have that time in mind when he said this.

“Are you sure? If I make a slight mistake, you’ll truly die.”

“You can do it, right?”

“I don’t know.”

Frieren shrugged her shoulders and…

“Just do it this time. You’re capable of it, after all.”

“Go for it!”

Heiter and Eisen happily cheered.

“I don’t know what will happen.”

Himmel stood on top of the bridge as Frieren took out her staff.

“Frieren. Fire at me.”

A flash of mana concentrated on the staff’s tip then enveloped Himmel. The air around froze, and Himmel quietly collapsed.

Soon after, a very large shadow appeared on the bridge. A dragon came on sight. As it circled the sky above, it went straight at Himmel, as if it had set its sights on him. Its piercing eyes and the sharp claws it brought out now loomed nearer.

Facing that, a large swing of the warrior Eisen’s axe violently exploded.

A heavy, dull sound echoed throughout the area.

White smoke and cold air blended, then wafted away as if they were thawing. One could see that Eisen was the last one standing.

Frieren then promptly used the ‘spell to warm up the skin’ on Himmel’s cold body.

Regaining his breath, Himmel smiled at Frieren with a reddened face.

“See? I told you; you can do it.”

6.

Frieren snapped her grimoire shut.

“The ‘spell to erase one memory until death’, huh.”

The next day, as the morning sun rose, the city became slowly filled with sound.

Frieren woke up on the hard floor far from her bed, and with bed hair she went to Flöte’s house.

It was to put a theory into practice. This was a drastic measure, but in Frieren’s opinion this measure would work.

“Lady Frieren, good morning. Did you find out anything?”

The old woman’s voice seemed refreshed.

“You’ll have to die.”

“Huh?”

“That’s why I’ll put you into the state of suspended animation.”

“……”

There was a moment of confusion from the old woman, then silence. However, after a while, she looked like she had made up her mind.

“Please. I’ll do whatever it takes.”

As soon as she heard those words, Frieren gently raised her staff.

“Lie on the bed. I’m starting.”

“I’ll do whatever it takes, indeed, but are you all right with this…?”

“I’ve done it once before. I can do it.”

“If Lady Frieren says so, then it will be all right. Please do so.”

The spell Frieren casted on the old woman enveloped the latter’s body, and for a moment her body stiffened.

Soon after, however, the old woman’s body regained movement, just like how coloring paint flowed when dissolved in water. She then wore this childlike expression, showing a trace of the young girl she once was.

“How are you?” Frieren asked shortly after. “You technically have died once, so your memory should be back.”

“Hahaha… I was worried like a child…”

The old woman seemed to have recovered her lost memory.

As an adolescent, she didn’t want to join the magical circus troupe. Instead, she yearned for a particular musical instrument.

“The Möglich, the instrument said to take a hundred years to master…”

She strongly yearned for it, but it was too expensive, and she could not spend a hundred years on it, so as a child, she thought she could just forget it existed.

So, she sealed that memory instead. She put the lid on that unattainable wish and began to live on reality.

“I’m glad I remembered… I’ll put my life on the line even if it takes years before I reached my dream, and I’ll start learning from now on.”

“I see. Then, you should have that instrument.”

As the Möglich was an instrument which used magical power to produce sound, without doubt, it would be a good match for Flöte, who was a mage.

“I’ll tell the music store shopkeeper. That there is this customer who has wanted it for a long time.”

“Oh, no. Are you truly sure?”

“I want someone who loves music more than me to have it, you see.”

“Thank you very much. Lady Frieren, I cannot thank you enough.”

“I get rewarded anyways, so…”

“Yes, you’re right.” The old woman took out a grimoire from her bookshelf. “This is the grimoire with the ‘spell to record sounds in a book’. I’m ashamed to say I have already recorded various sounds in this book…”

Flöte’s eyes went downcast as she said this, just like when she and Frieren first met.

“It sounds like a strange hobby, isn’t it? As it was routine for me to travel to various places as part of the magical circus troupe, I had a lot of once-in-a-lifetime chance encounters, and I wanted to preserve them in some form. The local people and the sounds from nature became my source of support. Among these are the recordings of my meetings with Master Himmel.”

“This isn’t a strange hobby. Himmel would have said the same.”

Frieren said she would return the grimoire when she finished reading it, then left the room.

On the same day, Frieren went to Restaurant Parlante, which was now a completely familiar place for her, and ordered an omelette. When she went to bed with a full stomach, she then opened the grimoire the old woman gave her.

Just as Flöte said, the grimoire had sounds from various ages, places, genders of people… some of them were sounds from nature, some being the noise of daily lives.

“You… you look familiar.”

Was this how the old music store shopkeeper sounded like when he was younger?

“I’ll have the ten-egg l'oeuf omelette, please!”

The voice of a very well-known musician continued.

“This time, I’m thinking of starting a marching band in this city.”

“One day in the future, a mage named Frieren will visit this city. I want to make a statue that will serve as a landmark for her.”

She heard Himmel’s voice as she turned a page. His voice was a bit different from the last time she met him, but it was still Himmel’s voice from her memories. It felt nostalgic, too.

And she realized that Flöte’s voice imitation before was a bit exaggerated.

“Please pose quickly! You’re just holding a violin…!”

This was probably the heartbroken cry of the craftsman who made that Himmel bust.

It seemed like Flöte, as a young girl, followed her interests and recorded these sounds from the various places she went, and the chance encounters she cherished. Frieren could just imagine how she looked like during then.

“………”

It might not be a bad idea to retrace that journey with everyone, she thought, looking at the east towards the Royal Capital.

In the end, Frieren decided to leave after staying in the city for around three months.

When she said goodbye to the music store shopkeeper, he excitedly said, “Flöte loves music and is loved by music.” He said the old woman mastered producing sounds on the Möglich at an extraordinarily fast pace, something that would have normally taken ten years.

After all, it was appropriate for those who should own it to have it.

As she was preparing herself to leave with these thoughts in mind, a marching band passed by in front of the tavern.

The boy playing the horn had grown taller in a short time, and his hat now fitted him better. His fingers holding the horn now had calluses on them, and his blowing on it sounded less labored than before.

The sound was brave and gentle, but eventually became grainy.

A celebratory fanfare sounding like a parade salute echoed on Frieren’s back as she left the city.

(END)

Translator’s Notes:

[1] Written as カペッレ in katakana. I decided to translate it as “Capelle”, as the word means “the private orchestra or band of a prince or church”, which is a reference to the marching band in this short novel.

[2] Written as メークリヒ in katakana. In German, “möglich” means “possible”.

[3] Written as パルランテ in katakana. “Parlante” means “a piece of music to be sung or played in the style of a recitative”.

[4] In French, "l'oeuf" means "egg". In short, this word is just a fancy term for "egg omelettes".

[5] Written as フレーテ in katakana. In German, “Flöte” means “flute” or “whistle”.

[6] Frieren was most likely thinking of Milliarde, an elf friend of hers who first appeared in Chapter 69.

#frieren: beyond journey's end #sousou no frieren #frieren #葬送のフリーレン #フリーレン #yoasobi #frieren anime #frieren at the funeral #himmel #heiter #eisen #kanehito yamada #jirou kiso #yuusha #勇者

[genshingorlsrevengeance]

Kind of a dumb request but how about team DEFY + any girls you want with an s/o who somehow managed to build a mech straight out of Armored Core? Insanely maneuverable, loads of guns, can fly, etc and s/o built it in a garage with a box of scraps lol

(GFL/Genshin Impact) Task Force DEFY, Amber, Jean, Fischl, and Yoimiya's S/O building an Armored Core Mech

(Video Source: Pongsifu on YT) Luckily for you, I have been binging Armored Core 6 for the past month, and will hop on ANY request to talk/write about anything Mecha related.

12 stared at the giant 10 meter mechanical behemoth that had suddenly made its home inside Griffin's Hangar.

(AK-12) "...We didn't always have that, right?"

The machine's chest slowly opened and revealed a cockpit containing S/O, waving hello from the seat.

Apparently, they had constructed the mech out of spare parts lying around.

(AK-12) "Impressive...But, why exactly did Griffin have that many parts lying around? And how did you find guns that big?"

On the battlefield, she watches the mech fly around at almost breakneck speed, watching them zip around and eradicate one base after the other.

Kicking tanks and shooting helicopters out of the sky, it was far more effective to watch them fight instead of having to do anything.

(AK-12) "Hm. We'll be out of a job at this rate."

94 knew this was going to happen.

T-Dolls would only last so long on the battlefield before they were replaced by the next best thing.

However, she sure as hell wasn't expecting S/O of all people to surpass her, with a mech constructed out of junk parts no less.

It was honestly awe-inspiring what humans could engineer for the sole purpose of destruction.

And it was also physically impossible. Something that size should not be quad-wielding miniguns and moving that fast.

(AN-94) "...How has your machine not collapsed from the Earth's gravity?"

94 is more confused than anything.

15 was impressed more than anything.

She knew S/O was an engineer, but to construct a mech out of the parts they had was nothing short of a miracle and logic-defying technical prowess.

(AK-15) "How does your machine constantly reload the missiles while on the field? It is the only weapon you seem to have, and no one constructed missiles that large, even during World War 3."

She can't help but wonder why DEFY was even needed if Griffin had engineers like S/O around.

Well, at least S/O was on their side.

(RPK-16) "I wonder if humanity will wipe itself out faster with these new machines."

16 is fascinated by the human desire to make machines to wipe out life faster.

Granted, Griffin usually just fought Sangvis which consisted nothing of machines, but it would only be a matter of time until everyone else had their own version of S/O's mech.

And probably not one constructed out of junk either.

(RPK-16) "I must ask, S/O. How can you be in the cockpit of that thing and not reduce yourself to jelly? Surely the G-Force alone would kill you?"

Well, it's not the first thing that humans have done that confused her.

(Angelia) "Hmph. Why did they even bother calling us if they had you here? And could you have done that this entire time?"

Angelia is impressed and annoyed.

If S/O could create a hulking machine of death before, why did they only decide to do it now?

She both dreads and admired S/O's tenacity. To make such an effective machine out of junk took a hell of a lot of elbow grease.

Angelia doesn't question it, seeing that it's working alright so far, but she definitely wants to look into upgrading it.

(Angelia) "S/O, with me. We're painting DEFY's logo on it."

(Amber) "THAT IS SO COOL!"

Amber could create Baron Bunnies with a lot of yarn, but S/O could make a machine that dwarfed Ruin Guards with some random pieces of metal!

(Amber) "You have got to teach me how to do that! And lemme ride it too!"

Amber demands to fly with S/O, even though she can't go nearly as fast as they can.

She watches as S/O wipes out entire nests of monsters before leaping away with its mantis-like legs to the next location.

Honestly, it made her feel jealous.

(Amber) "Heeey, can I ask one of those for my birthday! I bet it'll make flying around Mondstadt a breeze!"

Though as the outrider, she kindly asks S/O not to park the giant machine weighing presumably hundreds of tons in the city.

For obvious reasons.

The color on Jean's skin fades when she heard Klee helped S/O build a brand new toy.

One that put her bombs to shame.

And seeing it park itself next to the cathedral, waving hello to her as she was standing at the entrance-

She was about ready to faint.

(Jean) "S/O! Get down from there right this instant!"

Jean gives S/O and Klee an earful for making such an absolute monstrosity that could potentially damage the land and city!

But seeing it in action and fast it disposed of a Hilichurl camp, it filled her with pride and dread.

Pride for her S/O's creative ingenuity, but absolute fear for what S/O and Klee could make next.

Especially considering how fast S/O's machine moved, and the weapons it had.

Where did Klee find the gunpowder for quad-cannons mounted on it?!

(Jean) "I pray that it won't blow up the city on accident..."

(Fischl) "...WHAT?!"

Fischl completely breaks character upon seeing the giant machine staring at her.

(Fischl) "How did...Why...?! Get down from there and tell me how this mechanical monstrosity came to be!"

(Oz) "You just want to ride the machine yourself, Mein-"

(Fischl) "SILENCE!"

...But yes, she constantly nags S/O to let their Prinzessin give the machine a try.

She finds it so friggin' cool, and desperately wants one of her own, in purple!

She watches with some kind of morbid satisfaction watching S/O's machine wipe out their enemies in electrical explosions.

(Fischl) "I hereby dub your steel horse…Raven, of the 621th star!"

(Oz) "…Why 621?"

Oh, that's where all of Yoimiya's spare fireworks have been going into.

(Yoimiya) "HOLY CRAP! What on earth did you make, S/O?!"

The machine seemed like it leapt from another world!

Especially with how fast it moved, honestly she was amazed S/O wasn't vomiting their guts out as soon as they exited.

While it seemed like it would do massive damage, instead they used it for something even better.

As the machine soared above the skies of Inazuma, the cannons on the arms and shoulders fired toward the moon, the starry night exploding into hundreds of beautiful colors!

They had transformed their machine into a firework powerhouse!

And with how fast it moved, it was able to provide a show from one island to another!

(Yoimiya) "Next festival, you're letting me ride with you! I want to see the work we've done up close!"

#girls' frontline x reader #genshin impact x reader #ak 12 x reader #an 94 x reader #ak 15 x reader #rpk 16 x reader #angelia x reader #amber genshin impact x reader #jean gunnhildr x reader #fischl x reader #yoimiya x reader #ak 12 gfl #an 94 gfl #ak 15 gfl #rpk 16 gfl #angelia gfl #amber genshin impact #jean gunnhildr #fischl von luftschloss narfidort #yoimiya genshin impact #genshin impact imagines #genshin impact headcanons #girls' frontline imagines #girls' frontline headcanons

[milaisreading]

Caught in the middle

Pairing:

Nagi Seishiro x Reader x Reo Mikage

Warnings ⚠️: Reader uses she/her. Requests are open. This is my first time writing anything poly related.

A.N: due to popular demand (5 people asked) I am in the process of making the Kaiser x Reader x Ness version of this.

⚽️Blue Lock belongs to:Muneyuki Kaneshiro and Yusuke Nomura⚽️

"Are you alright, (Y/n)? You have been quite out of it?" Anri asked as they both left Ego's office to do their daily tasks. The girl has been acting weird for a few days, Anri noted. (Y/n) would forget where she had put some documents, accidentally tripped multiple times a day or would zone out. What was weird to the woman was her reluctance to help the team out, which was the basic requirement for her job. Anri was worried and brought it up with Ego, but the man dismissed, unsure what it was either. But today she will find out what it was about.

(Y/n)'s whole demeanor changed and she turned into a nervous wreck as she noticed the way Anri was looking at her.

"W-what do you mean? Everything is fine! Nothing to worry about here." The girl laughed nervously and Anri shook her head, not believing a word (Y/n) was saying.

"You have been acting weird the whole week, tell me what the issue is."

"Nothing is the issue-"

"If you don't tell me, Blue Lock might need a new manager soon." Anri said. She didn't really mean those words, but it was the only way she could get a word out of (Y/n). The bait seemed to work on the girl, as she looked around the hallway for a moment and sighed, admitting her defeat.

"It's just... I have some issues."

"Is the team the issue?"

"No, no it's me. I... I did something I shouldn't have done." (Y/n) quickly answered back, worrying the woman.

"And what did you do?"

"I... promise you won't tell anyone?" (Y/n) asked in hesitation.

"Of course I won't, now what is it?" Anri asked as (Y/n) took a deep breath and spoke up.

"I think... I might have fallen in love... with someone from the team." (Y/n) said as Anri took a moment to process her words.

"Ahh! So that's why you were so hesitant to see them alone. This is adorable, (Y/n)! Who is it?" The woman asked in delight as the girl moved a little closer.

"That's the issue, it's not really one person... more like two..." (Y/n) admitted, embarrassed by the whole situation.

"Two? Who?" The woman asked, intrigued by now more than ever. (Y/n) felt her face heat up more and she motioned for Anri to move closer. Anri felt her eyes widen as she heard the names and started giggling.

"Them?! Oh my God, I need to see how this will end! When do you plan on confessing?"

"Never!" (Y/n) answered back, shocked that Anri would even ask her.

"Never? And what do you plan to do with your feelings?"

"Hide them. Bury them inside me and hope they fade away. Confessing would make it just awkward, especially when those two are so close."

"I don't think that's a smart idea, (Y/n)-"

"It's not! But it's better for everyone. Besides, their main goal is going to the World Cup and not their manager confessing to them. Let's just leave it at that."

Anri sighed as (Y/n)'s justification, but decided to keep quiet.

'It's not like it won't come out eventually... Knowing how obvious she is.'

While Anri and (Y/n) were talking, neither noticed Reo and Nagi hiding close by. They heard the whole conversation and were left baffled at (Y/n)'s confession.

'Our... My manager in love with two people from the team?! Who could that even be? We don't have many eye-catching guys, except for me that is.' Reo thought, trying to think of someone.

'Hm? I wonder if it's me, we are pretty close and she let's me sleep on her and play games during rests. It has to be me.' Nagi thought, blushing a little bit at the thought.

"She likes me?" The two said at the same time, then narrowed their eyes and glared at each other.

"What are you talking about, Reo? (Y/n) obviously loves me. Didn't you see the way she always wakes me up and makes sure I don't miss my meals." Nagi argued as Reo rolled his eyes.

"That's called taking care of a child, Nagi. What (Y/n) needs is a man who knows how to treat her well and take care of her. Which is me."

"Man? We are both the same age, calm down. I can relate to (Y/n) more and take her to fun places."

"And I can buy her anything she needs or wants and can make her laugh. Besides, she always compliments how well I adjust my moves against an opponent. Also, she really likes listening about all the places I have been to."

"And she loves listening to me talking about my video games and we have common shows we like. Besides, my scores always leave her speechless.... that wide-eyed expression always looks cute on her." Nagi sighed, his cheeks turning red. Reo nodded his head and smiled, remembering some things he liked about her too.

"I like it when she turns a little shy once the attention of the room is on her. And did you see her expression when she saw her favorite meal was for dinner?"

"Aha~ it was so cute."

The duo nodded their heads, both having a dreamy expression in their faces as they thought over (Y/n)'s confession.

"Do you think that she maybe likes someone completely else? She never said the names, at least we didn't hear them." Nagi suggested, making Reo gulp and shudder.

"Horrible, horrible thought. Well... I will take it upon myself and confess to her. Then we will see who she likes." Reo said, getting up from the ground.

"Bad idea, let me do the first step." Nagi said, trying to push his friend our of the way, but Reo glared at the taller and shook his head.

"No way are you doing it first."

"Get out of the way, Reo."

"Fuck off, no!"

The two argued for a while, but stopped once they heard Ego call them to join the training  session.

The whole day for (Y/n) was quite a hassle. Not only did Ego give her a lot more work than usually, but the team was acting off too. Well, not the whole team, just Reo and Nagi. They were at each other's throats the whole time. They would either make snarky comments towards each other, trying to beat the other's score on the field or just glare when someone else from the team would talk to her. It was really hard to work with them like this not only for (Y/n), but also for the rest of the team. Ego had scolded them a few times, but it didn't work.

'What a day... why are they acting so off? This is worse than that time Nagi picked Isagi to play with.' (Y/n) shuddered at the memory, remembering what Chigiri had told her about the bathroom incident. Shaking her head, the girl thought back on the two and her heart picked up a few beats.

'Even with all these arguments, I can't be mad at them. They are both so charming and cute. Reo with that cute smile of his and how he is always so eager to explain and talk about various topics with me. And Nagi, he is so calm and easy to talk to, tho he can be easily annoyed at times. But still, he is such a great player and friend, not to mention he is handsome...' (Y/n) stopped in her tracks and shook her head in embarrassment.

'Calm down, (Y/n)! You need to stop thinking like that before it gets too awkward! They are great friends, that should be enough for you-'

"(Y/n)! There you are, I was looking for you everywhere!" The girl shrieked as Reo's voice was heard and he wrapped his arms around her shoulders, pulling her closer to himself.

"R-Reo?! How can I help you?!" The girl panicked at the closeness, but made no attempts to move away or something. The boy grinned at her and spoke up, neither noticing Nagi approaching them.

'S-so...close.' (Y/n) thought.

"I wanted to tell you something! It's urgent!"

"You do? What is it?" The girl gulped as Nagi cleared his throat, standing on the other side of her.

"We have to tell you something." Nagi corrected.

"Yeah, we." Reo grumbled.

"Is it about how off you two have been acting the whole day? Did you two fight?" The two looked at each other awkwardly and Reo let (Y/n) go.

"Well yeah, it involves you too." Nagi admitted.

"Me? What did I do?" (Y/n) asked, her nervousness fading into confusion as the two looked at each other and back at her.

"We kinda heard what you said to Teieri-san this morning." Reo answered. (Y/n) kept quiet for a moment, her eyes widened slowly and she started getting lightheaded.

"Y-you two did?"

'They couldn't have heard their names, right? I whispered it to Teieri-san.' (Y/n) gulped and looked back at the duo.

"So, who are they? Who are the guys you like? Trust me, I can fight-" Nagi groaned as Reo elbowed him to his stomach, then sent the flustered girl a nervous smile.

"What we Nagi wants to say is... we both... well..." Reo grew nervous and started avoiding eye contact with (Y/n) as Nagi recovered from the hit.

"We both like you. We wanted to tell you this before you confess your feelings to whoever the assholes are."

"That's enough, Nagi." Reo warned the albino as (Y/n) looked at the duo in shock.

'They both... like me? What now?! This can't be happening... I was planning on never confessing and living alone with a cat or two.' The girl shock her head as the duo kept on arguing.

"I..." (Y/n) started and caught their attention. Both boys looked nervously back at the girl, expecting her to reject them or something.

"I...well the guys u was talking about were... actually you two."

Nagi and Reo's eyes widened, cheeks turning red as they kept on staring at the girl in shock. Embarrassed, (Y/n) covered her face unsure what to do or say.

"So... are we now a-" Nagi cut himself off, embarrassed to say anything.

"I am so sorry, this is all because I couldn't keep my mouth shut." (Y/n) said. Reo shook his head and walked up to her, removing her hands to look the girl in the eyes.

"It's not your fault, it's really nobodies, but we should have approached you differently with this... but now that it's out, Nagi and I thought of something." Reo said, catching (Y/n)'s attention.

"And what would that be?"

"How about... we 3 try dating?" Nagi now spoke up.

"You mean us 3...at the same time?" (Y/n) asked as the three nodded nervously. The girl thought over the idea, it sounded unusual. Not that she didn't hear of those relationships, but she never imagined herself in that spot. But, would it hurt?

"That sounds nice." (Y/n) admitted, smiling a little. Reo was the first one to speak up, tightening his grip on her hands.

"Alright then. Don't worry (Y/n), I will be the best boyfriend you can find-"

"You mean we will be." Nagi corrected as he walked over to the duo and picked (Y/n) up.

"Nagi!" Reo glared at him as the girl started fidgeting nervously.

"Come on, I want to sleep." The boy said, running off with Reo yelling after him.

"Hey! Come back here!"

"Hmm... no!" Nagi yelled back as the girl let out a giggle, holding tightly onto the boy.

#bllk #blue lock anime #bllk x reader #blue lock x reader #blue lock manga #manager reader #reo mikage #reo mikage x reader #nagi seishiro #blue lock nagi #nagi seishiro x reader #blue lock reo #reo x reader x nagi

[luci-luck]

Earth “ponies” go first! MASSIVE autism dump comin’ atcha live

TW: ableism , grief , parental death (just in case the tags failed)

This is more so for me but I still wanted to share 🫶

Sandstone (Pinkie):

- b i g puppy energy

- Built for work but prefers to play

- Has crystal pony genes but depression makes them subdued. Can only go full crystal mode in a moment of pure and raw jubilation.

- after constantly being told who she’s supposed to be, they rejected the idea of labels entirely

- no labels for gender or sexuality means loving Pinkie does not impact your sexuality score!

- (intersex is not about gender but biological sex. That being said many intersex people use intergender as their gender as it relates to their experience as an intersex person.)

- deals with internalized ableism due to conservative fillyhood environment. Feels bad when they need to ask for help/support. Got herself an unofficial certificate in psychology so he can be his own therapist (it doesn’t work out)

- Parents would totally support the pony version of Autism Speaks just saying. Pinkie’s dad thinks neurodivergency is curable with hard work and the right attitude whilst her mom mourns the loss of her son after the diagnosis.

- ADHD makes xeir rejection sensitivity off the charts

- Internal battery runs on the company of others so can’t ever live alone.

- Had problems with food insecurity

- Relies on sugar as a steady supply of dopamine

- Can have moments of poor motor control. Clumsy

- Eyesight is bad but doesn’t wear glasses. Afraid that ponies will start thinking he is smart and they will expect even more from him. (In human world she wears contacts)

- Feels embarrassed being high support needs and just wants to be treated like everybody else. Hates when xer parents call her “special”

- Also hates being infantilized but is not confident in their decision making

- Xe is a sensory seeker unlike the rest of their family who are all sensory avoiders. Sisters compromise and try to meet his needs. Pinkie in turn tries to be mindful of their touch aversion but finds it hard sometimes. “Everypony’s just so scoop-able!”

- Trained Gummy to “stay”. Is very proud of his emotional support gator

Applejack:

- Is incredibly strong for her size

- feels like she has to constantly prove herself worthy of taking over the farm. Has gotten into arguments with Big Mac about overexerting herself

- Is a hinny (donkey mom and stallion dad) (ofc hinnies are supposed to have tails more like horse but I love the lion tail on AJ so 💁‍♀️) (I said mule in ALT text because most people don’t know what a hinny is)

- Because of this, she is more calm under pressure and thinks more logically

- has major depression from grief and ptsd (duh)

- Isn’t used to being in a stress free environment so she creates the stress

- Likes running the apple stand but certain families trigger her

- Obsessed with anything from the past generation. A time when her parents were young and happy

- Can be a bit insensitive to other’s problems and wants them to “put on their big girl pants” like she had to.

- Feels like she has to fill in the roles her parents used to do. Especially so Applebloom and Granny don’t have to stress over as many things.

- Was in the process of cutting her mane when she remembered that AB liked to braid it so she stopped half way.

- Is the mom of the friend group. Makes sure everyone’s needs are met before tending to her own. (Which is bad btw)

- Has problems with insomnia but getting better.

- Struggles with OCD and will repeat unnecessary tasks if she believes it will help protect her family

- Has an emotional support dog named Winona who also reminds AJ to take breaks 🐕‍🦺

- Sees no point in getting her chronic pain checked out. Will hopefully change her mind in the future. Wears leg braces to ease the soreness.

- Got diagnosed later on. Grief masked her autistic traits.

- Also has a hard time asking for help but has gotten better after she found out that Applebloom has been internalizing that mindset. She must lead by example

- Stick around long enough and she’ll happily invite you over with a hot cup of cider 🍺

- (Other people tend to fall in love while getting to know someone. Demiromantics however need to get to know the person first and then develop romantic feelings later)

- Thought she wasn’t capable of developing crushes until she got to know Coloratura.

#tw ableism #tw parent death #tw grief #mlp applejack #applejack #mlp pinkie pie #pinkie pie #mlp fim #mlp g4 #mlp headcanons #demiromantic #intersex #I’m not sure if I should add these or not but I did give small explanations for each one #mlp friendship is magic #mlp fan art #mlp fanart #mlp redesign #mlp #so many tags #actually autistic #autistic adult

[halemerry]

Alright, I've had a few people ask for this now so time to take a break from the big draft I’m writing to dig a little deeper on angel rankings in relation to Crowley.

Before we get into it I want to preface this by saying I am not a religious scholar. Like many of us I have a complicated relationship with religion and as a result this stuff was a long time special interest of mine but, as always, take it with a grain of salt.

To be frank, even if I was an expert, I think it’s also important to keep in mind that the Good Omens angel hierarchy has already taken some liberties on its own. It hasn’t been shy about reinterpreting things to suit its needs or about pulling from various sources to establish its own lore. It's definitely its own beast and there's no guarantee the universe operates the same rules that have become the most popular ones.

That all being said, let's get cracking.

So in canon we actually don't know that much about angelic rank. Before season two we knew there were Principalities and Archangels and that's about it. This season decides to give us a little more information. Muriel is a Scrivener (likely they'd fall under the general Angel category) and then we get a nod to Thrones and Dominions being a thing. We also learn there are orders/classes of various ranks.

With the exception of Scrivener which isn't a traditional rank at all as far as I can tell, these ideas all fit under the traditional Christian angel hierarchy.

The most influential version of this hierarchy comes mostly from Dionysius the Pseudo-Areopagite's De Coelesti Hierarchia (On Celestial Hierarchy). He divides angels into three Spheres, with three Orders within each Sphere. The Lowest Sphere contains the orders Angels, archangels (different from Good Omen's Archangels who are at the top of the food chain so to speak), and Principalities. The Middle Sphere contains the orders Powers, Virtues, and Dominions. And then the Highest Sphere contains Thrones, Cherubim, and Seraphim.

Now onto the angel that would become Crowley.

Thanks to us witnessing Crowley opening a document only accessible to Dominions and above, we can eliminate the lower half of these rankings.

This leaves us with Dominions, Thrones, Cherubim, Seraphim and the Good Omen’s version of Archangel.

Dominions are tied to things like regulation. Their job is to keep passions in check and deliver justice and judgment (to be frank these last two are in some capacity apply to most rankings of angel), They’re built to keep ranks beneath them organized and optimize their performances. They’re organizers. They’re functionally middle management and are sometimes known as Lordships. They’re also occasionally tied to the set of angels that destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. 

The really only thing that even kind of suits him here in my opinion is the interacting with lower ranks bit but the vibe doesn't seem quite right with that. Crowley as we know him is not even really a leader even in his own schemes and has a tendency to rely on his considerable talent at improvisation and quite frequently on the cues Aziraphale tends to send him. (We get a stellar example of this dynamic actively in play in Episode 2 this Season). We also know now that the angel in question tended to work alone. He seemed baffled by the concept of Earth, as if it had been a long time since he’d had a check in with Head Office. 

So Thrones are what people tend to think of when you say the phrase Biblically Accurate Angel. They're the wheels with a bunch of eyeballs. They contemplate the power of God and have, you guessed it, ties to justice and judgment but in a more contemplative sort of way. They are associated with peace and submission, except for when they are sometimes also associated with the erelim - a ranking in the Jewish Hierarchy that tends to be more of a warrior class. They're maybe most famously associated with being a part of the chariot that moves God's throne around. They live where material form begins to take shape and are tasked with maintaining cosmic harmony.

Honestly I don't mind this for Crowley. That last bit especially sounds close to what we see him doing. And there's something very fun to me about a former Throne going off and getting himself a big gaudy throne. I’ll admit I have a hard time associating him with something so passive and again I feel like it doesn't quite fit how out of the loop he was about Earth, but this is probably the second favorite option of mine here.

If Thrones are the wheels of God’s Throne then the Cherubim are the ones making those wheels turn. They’re often represented as pushing Thrones about and attending God directly. Their job is to magnify God’s glory and serve as representatives of God’s power. They also, notably, were thought to be the superhumanly strong guards tasked with the protection of Eden.

Because of this we get a very old piece of theory: that Aziraphale was a Cherub who had been demoted. I’ve gone through phases with this theory but I definitely think it’s at a minimum fun to consider. And though I'm hesitant to take any Amazon promotional materials too seriously during the strike, there's a post here they've made recently that refers to Aziraphale as such.

Partially because this theory is so old and so rooted in the lexicon of my headspace for this media, I don't like this for the angel who would become Crowley particularly well. Superhuman strength feels weird in regards to him, as does situating him as a guard of Eden. And even if that line from season 2 where Crowley talks to Beelzebub about scaring that cherubs was talking about young angels and not literal cherubs, it seems like a weird phrasing for someone who was once the other kind of cherub to use. I like this better than Dominions but not nearly as much as Thrones.

Now Seraphim are a little unique. Their primary job tends to get framed as singing praise to God. They seat themselves around God's throne and sing holy, holy, holy at God. Several interpretations of them argue that they are different from angels entirely and only got grouped in with them in later texts like De Coelesti Hierarchia. They purify Isaiah in a vision he has and have strong associations with smoke and heat. They're tied to clarity and purifying via fire and occasionally are thought to help keep the world in order. Interestingly enough the word Seraph comes from saraph which means to burn and Seraphim can be translated as the fiery ones or those who kindle. Saraph is also used in certain contexts to describe a fiery flying serpent.

Now I’ll admit the Seraphim theory was always one of my favorites. If the show hadn’t recently been adding more ticks to the Archangel column I think I’d still probably be in this camp. There's the obvious bits that tie in here like the fire and snake imagery associated with both. But I can't help but to think of how often we get Crowley implying that just maybe God intended what they'd done to be the right thing. Or that scene where Crowley prays on the throne in season 1. He hangs off of it instead of sitting and begs God to not destroy them. It's an echo of a twist on what a Seraph would do in Heaven.

Now that just leaves us the Archangels. I won’t reiterate my other meta other than to link it here, but I do think the show at the very least wants us to consider this as a possibility.

In my opinion? Seraph and Archangel sit near the top of the metaphorical likelihood scale. I'd then follow this up with the Throne, then the Cherub, then the Dominion in order. But who knows! Half the fun of Good Omens is it doesn't always play by the traditional rules. And honestly there's something fun in never having an answer here. After all, no matter where he started, Crowley is Crowley now and that's the way it should be.

#good omens #good omens spoilers #gos2 spoilers #good omens season 2 #good omens meta #Crowley #angel hierarchy

[henrysglock]

[Lumax voice] Turn Around, Look At What You See! In Their Face...

(If you couldn't already tell: I have finally lost all my marbles.)

I'm sure this has occurred to other people by now, but if El's memories leading up to the 4.07 monologue are ripped directly from Brenner's (<- slayful Nat post, required viewing), and she runs in to see One killing Two...then doesn't it stand to reason that that is what Brenner saw when he ran into the Rainbow Room in 1979?

Now before anyone hops in to correct me: There's definitely a version of things where Brenner finds El alone in the rainbow room after the massacre. That's not in question. We all know that happened at some point.

(Regardless of the manner of death...no broken bones or gouged eyes...okay!)

However, as I'm sure we're all aware...these guys are different guys.

(This detail has been beaten into the ground but always bears repeating)

So, what is in question is what close-up Brenner saw when he ran into the Rainbow Room.

Those duplicate memories appear to belong to close-up Brenner:

i.e. not the Brenner who runs in and sees El at the start of 4.08. (This isn't to say that that Brenner doesn't have those memories or similar ones, but he's not the Brenner whose memories are being featured. Begone, thot.)

So, arguably, if El has close-up Brenner's memories...then she should be running in and seeing what he saw, no?

So what did he see? Someone just slightly shorter than him, who walked close enough to warrant a tight shot.

That POV (as has been discussed ad nauseam by many) is far too tall to be any version of El:

But it is about the right height for someone a few inches shorter than Brenner...something like:

So, tl;dr: I want to play a clip for you.

I love choreography and camera work. That's art right there.

However, that video doesn't include the subtitling that accompanies the visuals that link El finding One to Brenner finding El:

Now, it's difficult to compare anything after this point (though not impossible, can't keep a south Wisconsin boy down. I will be using them for comparisons later)...because of course that's when weird, random blood starts appearing:

Hence, the clock is visibly frozen after that point:

This smacks, to me, of the same kind of shit that happened with 004 when the kids were bullying El—Scenes that never actually happened in the real past being spliced into a tape that cuts off and then picks back up like no time had passed/nothing had been spliced in. It makes more sense if you read the post I linked, since the video in that post makes my point clearly.

< TANGENTIALLY RELATED >

The anime nerd in me is tempted to liken this whole deal ^ to JJBA/DIO's time-stopping stand "The World" in...that's right...Stardust Crusaders, wherein DIO pause time for everyone but himself, which I'm certain others have done as well.

Tbqh...I'm still here:

Specifically a reference to The World/DIO vs Star Platium/Jotaro, both of which are time-stopping stands...(Much to think about irt Jotaro/Star Platinum developing time-stopping powers later on in terms of El, sure, but also in terms of "Everything was hard for [One]...He walked in here, and it was like something had changed. He told me he had figured it out.").

[Distant screaming as I'm forcefully prevented from going on a "Stardust Spider-Stardust Crusaders-Dio Brando-Joestar Family-Dio's Bone-Green Baby-Green, Green Grass of Home" tangent in this post...and don't get me started on DIO's regen healing/vampirism from the ancient stone mask...don't get me started on King Crimson and Golden Experience Requiem either...]

Not to mention the DIO reference with One linking this scene to (you guessed it) Edward Munson:

Edward Creel proven once again, but this time it's via goddamn JJBA and Brenner fuckery. (And yes, yes, I know about DIO the band. This ain't about her. Things can have multiple meanings. It was a Choice to associate Henward with DIO and Eddie with DIO. I rest my case.)

< ANYWAY, TANGENTS ASIDE >

As I said earlier, close-up Brenner is shot at a distance baby El could never have achieved. She passes out on the far side of the room, entirely too far away to have been anywhere near close enough for a close-up of Brenner's face, height aside.

However, ignoring the blood fuckery and disappearing gate cracks:

Some-One else has enough energy left to walk towards the doors. All the way over, in fact. So while those close-up shots are 100% out of range for post-gate baby El, they're very much in-range for 3:46 PM One.

Tl;dr: It's entirely possible, if not likely (based on the choreography and camera-work in these scenes) that close-up/angry Brenner was addressing One rather than baby El.

#st nina project #henry creel #el hopper #martin brenner #stranger things and jojo's bizarre adventure

[class1akids]

Whats your take on the mischaracterization of the todorokis specifically dabi shoto and endeavor.

I feel like there characters are always portrayed incorrectly. They get so watered down and it's very frustrating.

What mischaracterization are you thinking of? In fics, meta, or OVA and spin-off material?

I think there are a couple of issues at play:

1. The Todoroki fam plot got dribbled into the story in small doses. Most of what happened isn’t truly revealed until 300 or so chapters. So Endeavor’s early characterization as seen through Shouto’s eyes got really deep into fandom. (The Endeavor’s Bad parenting tag).

Similarly, the “Touya is a good sibling” idea is something people were really attached to.

And for Shouto, there is a tendency to flanderize him and make his awkwardness and blunt, literal nature his entire personality, while ignoring his kindness and wisdom.

2. The characters change a lot and their relationship to each other is very dynamic. So while it’s in character for Shouto to hate Endeavor a lot early on, i think starting from the Pro Hero arc, his relationship with his father is much more complicated. I don’t see it ever be truly happy, but I think it can get to a place of slow mending.

3. The Todoroki dynamics are hellishly difficult to write well. As someone who has written some fics, I find it very hard to write them interacting with each other. I think even Hori is struggling with landing them well. Both Ch 301-302 and 388-390 were revised heavily in volume versions.

4. It being a family plot, there is a lot of projection going on. A lot of older men relate to Endeavor’s story of change and tend to paint him nicer or say that he wasn’t a terrible father. Many people also use the Todo-kids, especially Shouto and Touya to write about abuse (sometimes personal experiences).

The Todo-fam is written with a lot of nuance and ambiguity and requires reading between the lines. I found that the most productive way to deal with it is to interact the interpretation that resonates with me, leave the stuff that sounds ooc to me alone while acknowledging that everyone has a right to use their own filter to the story.

#c1a asks #canon vs fanon #Endeavor #Dabi #Todoroki shouto #keeping up with the Todorokis

[overshelter]

REVIEW: Heaven Official's Blessing

WARNING: Contains numerous SPOILERS, so CAUTION!

<< REFERS TO THE UNREVISED VERSION >> This is the author's third work and also her longest. TGCF, unlike SV which seems to focus more on the emotional and MDZS which focuses more on themes such as forgiveness and overcoming, seems to pay more attention to the feelings and relationships between the characters. The fact that the MC, Xie Lian, has lived for just over 800 years is definitely not something that can be easily overcome. Having lived, felt and related to numerous types of people over such a long period of time, it's completely natural that he would end up making extremely difficult decisions or be driven to almost irreparable psychological damage. In fact, I still find it incredible and truly admirable how he managed to overcome and move on even in the midst of many things. Even if there were moments in the current timeline when you can see that some of those wounds were merely treated, but never truly and completely healed. Most of his relationships in the beginning are completely in ruins, and don't seem to have any chance of recovery. But even with all that, he has still managed, not to mend, but to patch up many wounds that have emerged over the years. The other characters were also written and developed in a very human way, which was an unparalleled point of attraction in my opinion. What really stuck with me was that no one in this story can be described as entirely good or evil. Everyone walks a fine line between these two sides, fighting and doing the best they can for themselves, their loved ones and for a hope of happiness. All their decisions, actions and emotions are extremely relatable if you simply put yourself in their shoes without having any kind of prejudice in mind. They show that we can all reach a point of no return if we are pushed to the limit. Moving on, another crucial point in this story is undoubtedly the romance. It was developed in a very sweet way. So sweet that you end up melting with every interaction. HuaLian really is that fairytale couple, who have an enviable and perfect love, with a true sense of eternity. It's completely impossible to look at them and not feel like you're floating or have that warm feeling in your chest. To tell you the truth, I think they're the couple with the cutest vibe out of the three by this author. I'd say they're like that teenage romance or the taste of first love. That love that burns, that warms you, that won't let you forget it. A gentle love that makes you feel complete and totally welcomed. With this person, you feel like the whole world could turn its back on you and everything would still be fine. Because that person, that person alone is enough. That person you know and feel will never, ever abandon you and will always be there for you, supporting you no matter what. That's how HuaLian makes you feel. That's how they are. A simple, sweet and engaging definition of the word love. TGCF is also a very good story in terms of holding your attention. There are lots of things happening all the time, well-developed schemes, backstories to be discovered, new characters and a whole range of extremely attractive contexts that you can't take your eyes off. Everything was very well written and crafted, with nothing that seemed tedious or unnecessary throughout. MXTX, for me, is an author with a real talent for writing. Everything is very captivating and can hit you hard if you choose to give it a chance. Well, I'll stop here, as I feel I have nothing more to say. I hope you give this baby a try!

#heaven official's blessing #tian guan ci fu #tgcf #mxtx novels #mxtx tgcf #mxtx #mo xiang tong xiu #hua cheng #xie lian #hualian #san lang #danmei #yaoi #gay #novel recommendation #novel review #novel #book recommendations #book review #yaoi bl

[wonderlandsakura]

What if Danny was never drawn to his own haunt cause he had a One True King kind of situation

-

The Keep, the Haunt of the Ghost King has never completely matched the needs and wishes of any of the Ghost Kings.

It has always been too small, too big, too filled with rooms that they never needed the use of, too bright, too dark, too childish, too comfortable, too humble, too welcoming, too filled with little glowing stars for some unknown reason??

While the presence of each new Ghost King did change the place slightly, no matter how long their reign, the place never truly became theirs, the fundamental base of the Keep never changed, never bent to the one using it.

(It was however still used by them, as it was a symbol of their power.)

The more easy-going Kings theorised that it was simply because they had another haunt that had actually formed with them, while the Keep had been through many hands and thus could not be anyone's solely, but was rather the Infinite Realms'.

To truly change the Keep, they theorised, was to irreversibly change the Infinite Realms itself.

On the other hand, the more controlling Kings that passed through the Crown and Ring sought to warp the Keep to their control by force, but all ultimately failed.

There was one among them, however, that managed to warp the Keep the most, whether it was through the awesome and fearful power he wielded against even his own subjects, the amount of change he brought upon the Infinite Realms buy forcing it to adapt to being without a someone specific to do the duties of the Ghost King, or simply the comparitively long rule compared to other Ghost Kings that had been obsessed with some form of control.

Ultimately, however, no one could truly change, control and make the Keep their own.

Why?

Well, simply put, it was because it was not their Haunt.

The Keep was formed at the same time the Infinite Realms itself was formed (before even the first Ghost King was an idea), formed to house the one and only being who would serve and protect It and It's people, protect It's relations with the other Realms it was connected to and simply keep the balance between It and Them, between Life and Death.

It becoming the Keep was something caused by the population of the Infinite Realms, believing their strongest and wisest the one foretold to them in the words they had been formed knowing:

Do Seek our Savior when, The Trials Three are Done, First that of Acceptance, Second that of Conquering, Last that of Self, and then, We Crown our King, the One, the True, And celebrate as all is balanced once more

Well whether they were supported by the population or were egotistical mad men, none of them were that which they believed them to be.

Until Danny.

-

Did you know, did you know?

On the day of his rebirth, the Infinite Realms sung in the Cores of all it's people.

Did you hear, did you hear?

He protects all who need it, even those who were once his enemies, those that are different, those that aren't his people.

He is Kind and Accepting.

Did you know, did you know?

He brought down Pariah Dark, the Tyrant King, one only the Ancients working together could capture.

(But didn't he have help? Wasn't he aided? Two hands closed that coffin)

He fought him alone, without help from any other, with a device that amplifies one's power, like the age he doesn't have.

(He's so young.

Did you hear? Oh did you hear?

The King's a Child.

He's so young, so young, so young.

Did you know? Oh please, did you know?

I know you didn't.)

He is Powerful and Conquers all who pose a threat.

Did you hear? Did you hear?

They say he fought himself, a stronger and greater version that destroyed his world.

A Tyrant King that killed every being.

A true ghost, with power rivaling an Ancient.

The ghost halves of two Halfa.

(Aren't the ghost halves of Halfas more powerful?

Yes, they are.)

One who caused such fear that the Realms rejected him, that the Observants sought to end him before he was born.

(They wanted to kill the King, Our King.

How dare they. How dare they.

He's Ours!)

Did you know? Did you know?

He Won.

The King, (Our King) Won.

He has Defeated the worst aspects of his Self.

Long Reign The King.

(He has completed the trials.)

Long Reign The King.

(He is Just and Kind.)

Long Reign The King, The One True King, Always and Forevermore.

(He is the King, Our King.)

-

When Danny stepped into the Keep for the first time after his coronation, he knew it as his own.

He knew the place, every corridor, every room, like it was a part of him he had always had but never used. (It was though wasn't it? A part of him?)

Unlike every other King before him, the Keep was perfect for him.

Every unwanted aspect left behind by the previous tenants (cause that's what they were, weren't they? Tenants.) had been either removed or shuffled into one of the many storerooms created precisely for that at the moment he had been officially crowned.

(And what a crowning it was, for the moment the Crown and Ring had been put on, something in all the ghosts settled, like a missing puzzle piece, a yearning fed, a prophecy ingrained in them fulfilled.)

The Keep felt to him like home he had lived in every day of his life and yet never been in, a part of himself he was rediscovering after a long time without.

As Danny wandered through His Keep, he knew what lay behind every door, what every room was for, the location of everything in the Keep, like a nostalgic walk through a childhood home that he had not visited in a few years, but yet had not changed.

It felt like coming Home.

#yes i did indeed rewrite the prophecy of the one true king for this #sorry #it doesn't rhyme anymore sadly #king danny phantom #ghost king danny #danny phantom #danny the one true king #immortal danny #I'm not 100% happy with this but meh #my first time finishing and posting something like this on tumblr i think

[quitealotofsodapop]

Sorry MK XD Part 2:

(Link to Part 1)

Putting these two asks from @writingamongther0ses + @weaverpop (who asked Part 1) together for convenience:

It's not everyday that you learn that you're an asexually-reproducing eldritch stone monkey spirit and that you're in-fact Pregnant.

First person he tells immediately is Mei.

Not seeking advice, but comfort.

Mei has a moment of shock (her bestie is preggers), awe (she's gonna be an auntie!), and horror (it's a almost-always-fatal type of pregnancy). She hasn't any experience with this kind of dilemma. She does give MK a coarse glare when he (bashfully) explains how it likely happened - having a vacation holed away in a mountain cave isn't a bright idea when you're a stone monkey. She does give uber support for whatever MK decides to do with the pregnancy. Lots of crying hugs are shared.

However it's still S4...

When the rest of the gang are still busy being trained by Subodhi, MK is left alone for a bit to contemplate his situation - it's the first time he's had some time alone without Lao Tzu bothering him for medical testing.

Macaque appears asking whats up.

MK just starts bawling.

Macaque: "Whoa! Didn't think you were the crying type, kiddo." MK: "Monkey King is gone. The Jade Emperor is dead. I might be some sort of chaos entity. And I'm incubating an egg that will kill me. I'M ALLOWED TO CRY!" Macaque, shocked: "... can you repeat the last part again?"

Ofc much like Wukong, Macaque would 100% offer to get MK some "No-More-Baby Spring Water" from the Kingdom of Women - as he himself is aware of the extreme risks a stone egg carries. But the suggestion just makes MK cry even harder.

Cus MK *wants* this baby. It feels like something he has a true choice in. He didn't have an ideal start to life, and he wants to give his "Egg" a chance he didn't get to have, no matter the bad timing or risk.

Macaque insists MK reconsiders after the Brotherhood are dealt with.

Once they reunite with Wukong in the Memory Scroll, Wukong just *knows* something is off with MK. Gold-Vision clicks on and Wukong makes a startled gasp!

Wukong: "EGG."

Macaque, nods: "Egg."

Wukong: "Since when?"

MK: "Uh... a couple of weeks. Remember when I went on that break? I sorta... accidentally semi-buried myself in clay and paint for a week or something."

Wukong, pauses to think: "Idiot cub!"

(*Wukong pulls MK into a soft hug, and monkey-chirps that he's going to be ok. Worried tears stream down both of their faces*)

Once they get back to the crew and begin devising a plan to take down the Brotherhood, MK discovers somehting unfortunate from Nezha.

Nezha: "By the way Monkie Kid, I wish you good health." MK: "Huh??" Nezha, not reading the room: "Your condition. Lao Tzu was very excitable, even with the invasion from the Brotherhood putting a damper on things. No matter your choice, I wish you swift recovery." MK: "How many people know?!" Nezha: "Word spreads fast, practically all of the Celestial Realm knows at present. Gold Star of Venus was the first informed obviously. And of course Lao Tzu's assistant was made aware of your condition - how she's related to Jin and Yin I'll never know. And many of us in the barracks learned it from Lao Tzu himself talking in the halls." MK: "wut" (⊙_⊙) Pigsy, angry-worried: "...what condition are we talking about here!?"

MK gives an abridged version of whats going on with him to the gang, nearly giving dear Dadsy and Baba Tang heart attacks in the process.

Pigsy, fuming: "It's was that Red Prince punk wasn't it!?" MK: "Dadsy please calm down! I made it myself!"

Wukong and Macaque continue to offer the Spring Water so that MK doesn't have to go through with the process, but the monkey boy has made his decision on the matter clear. He wants his Egg. And if it comes down to him needing to weigh the price of immortality to survive and raise his kid, then he'll take it.

Now back to saving the world...

Azure Lion is ultimately defeated not just by the fury of a pregnant Shi Baomu, but by the worried protective power of multiple gods and immortals coming to MK's defence. Particularly with a giant Jade-Toothed Rake (Pigsy), the power of the Golden Cicada (Tang), the flames of a dragon and a god (Mei and Nezha), and the backup of the Queen Mother of the West herself - who pretty much rips Azure Lion in half with her bare claws in retribution for her felled mate.

Flower Fruit Mountain is still split in two. But it bursts back into life shortly thereafter.

The cosmos is still fractured, but the Queen Mother has taken her husband's burden in place of Nezha (he insisted but the Queen Mother dismissed him since he "was but a mere child").

The beach party occurs and the gang is still coming to terms with MK's condition.

Especially the Demon Bull Family. And especially if Red Son managed to dodge the Scroll in this timeline.

DBK: "When am I to expect my grandcalf?" Red Son: "FATHER!" MK: *shrugs noncommittally while eating an ice cream*

#MKEgg au #stone egg talk #pregnancy tw #lmk mk #qi xiaotian #lmk aus #sun wukong #lmk nezha #six eared macaque #lmk lao tzu #liu er mihou #lmk s4 spoilers

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

I wish if the ml writers really want the whole princess and knight thing they'd do it like Ariel from little mermaid especially since they both similar enough. 1) they're isolated 2) curious about the outside world 3) parents don't want them out. The whole meeting their love interest should just be a bonus, not become the whole personality like the writers did for Adrien in s4 and 5. :(

I have mixed feelings about the knight and princess thing. I'm big on messing with gender roles, so I like it in theory. I actually saw the art before I saw the episode that it's in and loved it because I thought that it was fan art. Then I realized that it was official art and I liked it a lot less because it didn't fit the story. Adrien wasn't a helpless princess. He was a knight, too.

Little did I know that the princess and knight art was apparently foreshadowing just how badly the writers were going to botch the ending.

Damsels in distress of any gender aren't a bad thing in and of themselves. It's perfectly normal to see a character get trapped and need outside help or to have a character start in a position where they have no power. The reason why Damsels in distress are so looked down on is a mix of the gender stereotyping involved and the way that they're traditionally written as having no agency. Adrien is, sadly, a perfect example of the second issue. He's the pretty arm candy who couldn't possibly help himself. He just needs to wait around and, one day, a big strong knight will save him!

This would make some sense if Adrien didn't have a miraculous, but he literally wields one of the two most powerful miraculous in existence. He has the ability to escape his prison when he's trapped in London. He just doesn't because he's a poor helpless maiden who needs someone else to save him, making us all wonder why the writers gave him a miraculous in the first place.

Let's compare Adrien to Disney's Cinderella (the 60's version, not the 2010's update which was somehow less progressive than the original). The original Cinderella does what she's told because she has no way out. She's a victim of prolonged child abuse with no wealth or personal belongings, very similar to Adrien at the start of Miraculous. But when Cinderella is given a way to magically get out? She immediately takes it, just like Adrien does. And when she's locked away with no way to escape? She still tries to get out! She bangs on the door! She calls for help! And when help comes? She grabs it, leading herself to freedom.

That's how you write a good Damsel in distress. You give them as little power as possible while also making them an active part of the story. They're someone who wants to change their reality, who might even try to change their reality, but who truly can't due to circumstances beyond their control. It's a very relatable situation for many people and why Cinderella is my favorite fairy tale.

For Adrien to fit this role, season five needed to take away his power and they honestly could have done that. When he learned that he was being shipped off to London, he could (and arguably should) have told Ladybug that he was being forced to leave Paris. This could have led to him giving up the ring for the safety of the city. A selfless, noble act that no one could fault him for. After all, it's not like Ladybug has other heroes that she could call on! If Chat Noir isn't around, then she could easily be screwed.

Then, when the final comes and Ladybug has to fight alone, it's not because Adrien is too weak and frail to fight off the nightmare dust that literally every other teenage character in the show manges to fight off. Instead, dust or no dust, he literally cannot escape his prison. He has to rely on Ladybug because he has no other choice. We could even see him trying to fight his way out, thinking of her all the while.

Instead, we get Adrien once again failing to use his love to win the day. Between Chat Blanc, Ephemeral, and this mess, I'm not sure what the show is trying to tell us, but it's nothing good. It amazes me that some people think things are going to get better for our poor kitty.

I mean, they might! This show has never been anything close to consistent about anything, so he could surprise us all next season. But it would still be a massive, unexpected shift and you're better off expecting more of the same.

#ml writing salt #ml writing critical #ml season 5 salt #adrien deserves better

[nights-flying-fox]

It's Not Pain (It's Applause)

So!! I learned today is one of my fav albums' anniversary, and of course i had to write something quickly based on a song in the album!! I present you this Dimension Hopper Leo AU fic, which is just Hop looking through his adventures and thinking at late night hours. I didn't check it for any mistakes, so i hope everything is correct haha!! The song that the fic is heavily inspired is "Battle Cries" by The Amazing Devil :]

(Also Null belongs to @noxvee6 and Twin-Sync AU belongs to @little-banjo-frog ^^ )

Tagging @tmntaucompetition because it is mentioned here too, even if not very detailed hehe

《 words and ao3 link will be added later, I don't think there are anything that needs warning, but if there is please tell me so I can add!!》

☆ ☆ ☆

 He had never thought he would see an older version himself from an outside view, let alone himself. But fate had surprised him. Perhaps it wasn't fate at all, but his choices.

 Turning the pages of the notebook he wrote his discoveries in, he sighed. He looked at the pictures of Neon. He was one of the future versions of himself that he had met. He had ended up being a great friend to him, teaching him some basics. He smiled at the picture of him being busy as a leader. Neon had given him hope, maybe one day he could be like him. He was afraid of the possibility and the responsibility, but those were just a few details next to many good possibilities. 

 He still regretted not asking him some things, but who knows, maybe one day he would. And maybe one day he could annoy the heck out of him, tell him he met a Leo with hair, pointing out his lies. (He was aware he could never know about that possibility, but it was worth teasing the old man.)

He also was one of the people who had proven he wasn't alone. When alone, at night he thought about how without his family he wouldn't go far, he would remember him just like others. He would answer the question of who would save him if he fell (but could they save him when he fell in the deepest part of it all, when he would accept he wouldn't be able to go back home?).

 Leo shook his head. He didn't want to think of any possibilities about the future. He had found a moment of relaxation, a calm hour. Who would've known it would be so hard to rest while visiting almost every timeline that exists? Somehow, trouble never stopped finding them. Make it a villain, a plot twist, or a war. There always was something to do, even if he didn't belong. Even if he had his own war to win, a home to reach.

 He turned the page, humming at the image of the four turtles who had recently discovered they were a family. Honestly, they  must've been idiots to not notice they were related. Or maybe it felt like that to him because these faces belonged to his family as well. Whatever, he was happy to have met them and to know fate had reunited them. They had a lot to catch up to, just as Leo would when he would reunite with his family. 

 Turning pages he came across the picture of younger Big Mama and Lou Jitsu. He cringed, remembering the way he ended up in the past. They sure had an interesting love story, but it definitely was not Leo's cup of tea. 

 He turned the page quickly. After a short while he ended up seeing the grumpiest Leo in the universe. Null's big frown was visible in the picture. His smile returned, big and genuine. Who would know a version of you who wanted you dead would end up being as close to you as your real family? Leo hoped to see him soon, tease him by calling him his big brother. He was sure Null didn't mind, but the guy would do the favor of rolling his eyes and going along with it. He was proud to know him, seeing how he grew to be a better person. He hoped he was proud to know Leo as well.

 And then there were the pages dedicated to the competition he had found himself in. Various alternative versions of his family were all over the pages. He wasn't even sure if he knew all of them. He still grinned, it was fun. The other Leo and Donnie– they were team Twin-Sync–  had become great friends of his, and multiple pictures of them together decorated a single page. He had also gained a new fear towards mushrooms, and had found a new fun game to play. Who would know Muppets could be so bloodthirsty? Game nights were wild…

 He closed it and sighed, so many memories. So many dimensions and timelines. He was happy for all of them. Everything he had learned, everything that helped him become someone better. Everyone he had met and knew and helped. Every time he hopped somewhere new, it felt like restarting a new work of art– at least a Mikey had used that metaphor once he explained to him his adventures. And so many times he was told to hop away once he could, but so many times Leo refused. He couldn't stand to see his family in danger (again). And no matter the pain, it was worth it. Everything was worth for any version of his family. With them he felt like he could summon the Gods and the stars. Heck, he even felt like they were Gods. (He pushed back the memory of an older self of his saying that they were just kids.)

 And there were times he had trouble with those versions. Some that didn't trust him, and some that he had to not trust. There were bitter moments, but there were good ones too. (He swallowed down the pain of the words he had heard from some. The way some wield them as if he was an enemy.) They tried to get rid of him, sometimes. They must've forgotten Leo was stubborn. They could say goodbye, but he won't.

 Leo took a deep breath. It was crazy how he had ended up here. Everywhere. Whatever. It was as if he was walking in the darkness searching for light, but the darkness grew. (And he was afraid he was sinking so deep it was too late.) But he wouldn't give up (even if everything felt like going against him). He wouldn't turn his nights into them, especially when he was about to hop again. 

 Maybe one day he would do everything. Enjoy the calm, or show his skills in a fight. Maybe he would make a season finale, find the right portal. The smiles of others that he reflected would be truly his family's. (And no longer his mask would hide the tears.) Instead of staying, he'd keep hopping as much as he would keep hoping. (He would hide his fears with every new beginning.)

 And he would take a sigh. (And the battle cries in his mind would be buried deep.)

 And every time, it will be worth it for them. It can't hurt him if he'd have people he loved with him.

 (He wouldn't scream. Maybe he was at the end of all the things. It wasn't the time to ask himself how he was.) As long as he believed, he was okay. He was fine.

 Maybe tomorrow was the day. And finally, maybe everything would be over.

#rottmnt #rottmnt fic #dimension hopper leo au #the amazing devil #happy birthday the horror and the wild i love you #nighty writey #rottmnt leo #BATTLE CRIES #my belived #Spotify

[redjadethewriter]

My take on Blank The Series:

Age Gaps, GL, and Trauma

To make a slow-burn romance interesting to watch, especially with age gaps, regarding WLW relationships, we need many elements.

First, we need a decent cast pair. Second, we need believable performances from the actors who play these complex emotional characters. Third, we need drama. We need a reason behind each action and dialogue exchange between the characters. This is where the story becomes important. We have the characters' story and the plot of the major stuff going down. The back story of the two main characters is the most important to flesh out more than the side or supporting characters.

I'm just going to say it: I'm impressed by the performance of the two actresses who gave life to these characters.

Lately, I've had several coronaries because Thai GL has turned me into a Junkie for their content more than my own countries' versions of sapphic relationships. And they are making age-gap relationships so much more compelling to watch.

The premise is as basic as it comes in terms of story arcs. Actually, I agree with some people that "Blank" and "Gap the Series" were gender-swapped stories. Usually, a wealthy older man falls in love with a young girl. So, now we have an older prominent woman falling in love with the young girl instead, but they made it more tender and somewhat light-hearted. I understand this is an adaptation of a naughty novel, which is fantastic. I write naughty, too. But the series is more tasteful. It focuses more on the crucial aspects versus the naughty.

By the way, I enjoyed the playfulness in both the shows. It's nice to have playful flirting involved versus extreme seduction right out of the gate. Both shows remind me how a romantic relationship or even pursuing a special someone can have a silly, playful approach. It doesn't have to always be serious and get to the sexy stuff. As an older Lesbian, I have a similar playful nature when I'm allowed to express it. Thus, I feel for the older characters willing to become playful with their much younger romantic partners.

However, there's one thing I can relate to since I'm in my late 30s. Is the extreme insecurity of being romantically involved with someone younger than you? In Blank the Series, the age gap difference is 16 years. I'm glad they raised the age bar because it would've caused a lot of issues.

It's funny because I was the girl in my early 20s who hooked up and dated older women in their 30s. The age gap was not 16, but 13 years between me and the older women I had short-term relationships with. So, watching the interaction between Khun Nueng and Anueng, oh my gosh, right way, I thought Khun Nueng was in trouble in so many ways.

Now that my position in life has switched and I'm a similar age to the women I used to date, I understand the complexities they went through. You just only know once you experience it for yourself. Insecurities around age are an enormous factor in reality and in this story. More than the woman loving women aspect or even the drama of others accepting the relationship. Really, the destruction comes from the older woman who can't deal with falling in love with someone younger than them. When you sprinkle trauma on top, with a side of keeping a facade or reputation, it can get chaotic super fast.

Not only did Khun Nueng become attracted to Anueng quickly, but she couldn't resist turning Anueng away, no matter what. The actress performed those rigid responses really well because, in reality, I would have to visit a chiropractor to break my body. The tension alone of repressing my desires would turn me into a ball of knots. Especially if I had no willpower to turn away the person. Ugh... I don't even wanna think about that. Because knowing my karma, something would put me in that position in life. I even resist dating any women in their early 30s. In the late 20s, I will say to the sky, "F***...Why me?" I'm like that anyway each time I fall for a woman. "Oh, f***...Why me?"

I have to sprinkle some satire on this topic because I can already see that the root of every decision and action Khun Nueng makes is based on that insecurity. Internally, she doesn't want to believe Anueng when she constantly says she only wants to be with her and loves her. It doesn't matter how often it's said; it is something that Khun Nueng must overcome regarding age-gap insecurities.

In the ending scene of episode 6, I reacted, "You totally just wanna keep piling on the torment, don't yah?" It's clear throughout the six episodes that she's in love with the girl. She can't even admit that she gets jealous. And oh my gosh, older adults' actions regarding jealousy are more diabolical than younger people. Actually, the older you get, the more sinister it gets. The passive aggressiveness turns up. Believe me... The sky is the limit on tactfulness and mind-f***ing when women get vengeful. Oh, my gosh... I still love women, regardless. LOL! Sweet as poison.

Khun Nueng's stoic demeanor is just a mask. She represses her emotions and vulnerability. Khun Nueng abides by stoicism, which rarely benefits emotional growth. We witness this when she refrains from showing anyone her weakness, so she doesn't cry in front of people, even at her grandmother's wake. When she finally ends up alone and breaks down, Anueng shows up, and Khun Nueng feels safe enough to break down in front of her. Which is hard to do that. I also have a stoic facade, so I recognize that bullshit a mile away, and I know exactly how hard it is to repress grief. Once it erupts, it hurts like hell, but I knew Khun Nueng was fully F*** because there's really no turning back with that kind of intimate exchange they had.

I can't wait for season 2 to see how that bites her in the behind.

Obviously, I don't want Khun Nueng to suffer anymore, but through her mistakes and emotional and mental anguish, she will learn what or who is truly important to her because she's dumb. Just because we are in our 30s or late 30s doesn't mean we are free from stupidity. She definitely needs to make better choices and stop playing so many mind games to protect her ego. She needs to learn to be more upfront about her feelings and wants.

Hopefully, we get that.

I have faith they will.

#blank the series #show review #life blogging #thai gl #gl drama #gl series

[thecherrytarot]

𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐚 𝐉𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐕𝐒 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟.

pile 1 → pile 2 → pile

a 'masked self' is the mask that you put on in front of other people and your 'real self' is the version that you rarely show and hide from others. pick the photo you feel the most drawn to and please remember that this is a general reading so take what resonates!!

𝐏𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝟏:

𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟:

some of you may be out of touch with your feelings. you may act like feelings are a distraction from achieving your objective. it's not like you completely neglect them, you have good control over them and know when to set them aside to make use of your logical brain. you may have had to take responsibility for the house from a young age because someone failed to take theirs (?) you have a strong sense of what is right and wrong and are very honest about it. sometimes you are offensive but brush it off as people just being "too sensitive for this harsh world". not gonna lie it gives those 'alpha/sigma' vibes. you may unintentionally want to gain power over others because you feel like only THEN will things go right and there will be a balance. due to this, people might think that you are a "cold-hearted person" but you are just trying to stay true to your principles. this self of you has a huge ego and may even show signs of anger issues.

𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟:

you ARE someone with great inner strength and you DO have great leadership skills, it's just that you lost your way over the years. you may be too lost in your own thoughts and beliefs. there was little to no support from your family (alcoholic parents) and you may have to deal with things on your own, especially on a financial level. due to this, you didn't have time for the emotional side and now you are the 'strange antisocial' person. you may take aggressive control of things because you are afraid of financial failure or just failure in general. "I have lost so many things so many times and now i can't afford to lose the things i am left with" you care deeply for others around you and try your best to show them that, its just that you may not know the best way to do that. your unhealthy ego is just a way to protect yourself from all your insecurities. you always had to be the strong and dependent one and now you don't know how to show emotions and weaknesses. some of may even be patients of mental illness

𝐏𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝟐

𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟:

Some of you may have gone through many difficult times and carry the knowledge of your experiences to make decisions and help others by giving advice. People see you as someone who is optimistic despite all the troubles that you faced. I am not sure what these troubles are but they may be related to you moving and changing places constantly or you having to make some kind of huge sacrifice in your life for something bigger. I am not getting a clear message but I heard someone saying "if it was me, I couldn't have done that. you are so brave". Some of you are often the centre of attention and know how to have real fun. people enjoy being around you because you are always down to do something to do exciting. Despite all this sometimes you feel like you are misunderstood and excluded from the people that you give your energy. You are someone who adapts to changes quickly (maybe because some of you faced a lot of instability). you don't let setbacks hold you down, in fact, you come back stronger than before. You are someone who loves deeply but doesn't feel ready to face your feelings. you rather have intellectual connections with people rather than a physical ones.

𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟:

You are someone who is educated in a lot of things and a wise teacher to your friends and family. You want to be someone that others can depend upon because some of you were alone when suffering and now you don't want anyone that you know and love to go through what you went through. Even then some of you may think that the world was against you and that you also deserved to have someone by your side but lowkey in a victim-complex way. You have little control over your emotions and may even suffer from low self-esteem. You feel like an imposter wherever you go, this could be a reason why you are afraid of being successful (but at the same time you don't wanna fail). Another reason might be social anxiety or maybe some of you suffer from some sort of mental illness. maybe this was the misunderstanding from your 'masked self' people think that despite all that you went through you are doing fine but you want to tell them you are not doing, you feel like you are anything but fine and that you didn't deserve any of things that you went through and deserved to live a "normal" life like everyone else. Also, people always come to you for advice or when they are bored but when it's your turn you feel like no one is there for you.

𝐏𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝟑

𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟:

I feel like there is little difference between your masked and real self. Some of you may act a bit distant from others because you have other more important things to focus on. Due to this people think that you are someone who is arrogant and that you have low self-esteem. you are just protecting your peace because you get angry quite easily. you are more on the stubborn side because and too comfortable in your comfort zone which isn't a healthy one. It's not like you don't completely want to change, it's just that you feel exhausted to deal with the change that will come.

𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟:

yeah, it's not much different from your other self. you are someone who is tired of life's ups and downs. You feel like luck is never on your side and you are always in the wrong place with the wrong people at the wrong time. Some of you wish you lived in the past or that you could relive your past to make different choices. You aren't someone who is arrogant or lazy though, you do try to love and grow but get held back by your own shortcomings. Some of you want to move to a new place to have a new start but for some reason, you cannot do that. This could be because your family didn't support your ideas due to financial issues. You might have lost your way in this mess. You are not getting what you need and you might find that you are on the wrong path. " Lord must have been generous to you. He never answers any of my prayers. I don't know why- what did I do? What is wrong with me? Please just tell me so I can get better" this dialogue from the movie Pearl came to my mind so take however that suits you.

#free tarot reading #bts tarot #pac tarot #pac reading #general tarot reading #tarot reading #pick a card reading #love tarot reading #pick a pile #jimin tarot