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#ANYWAY- I love when they utilize this part of her powers so much because I feel like it gets tossed aside a lot
abrushwithdeath · 2 years
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we-the-human · 2 years
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Don’t get me wrong I love Gideon. But I do find as a fandom, or even as casual readers, a big focus on Gideon and Harrow’s relationship is the power imbalance that is weighed heavily in favour of Harrow - and how Gideon is a precious selfless himbo. This leads people to wonder what part of Gideon even likes Harrow. Which is fine, and valid.
But I find there’s actually a little more of a balance of power that makes their relationship even more fucked up and great to read when we realize the inherent toxicity of Gideon’s martyr complex.
Gideon, whose sole goal is to put herself in harm’s way for the express purpose of providing spoils and resources to Harrow and her house (which is essentially just Harrow herself) by joining the cohort. Gideon, who wants to see the look on Harrow’s face when she realizes how talented she is, how brave she is, and how much Harrow now relies on Gideon to be a provider within a very dangerous situation. Gideon, whose sole goal can be broken down to the basic premise of, “fuck you, you need me.”
Gideon, who trots right into a room with a beast and has no qualms about fighting it for Harrow because “it’s arms kinda look like swords”, and who is reduced to a gaping-mouthed mess when she’s genuinely praised for it.
Gideon, who, without thinking, offers her life force to Harrow, despite having should have died from the process of Harrow utilizing it and then offering it again even after what she went through. I find people are thinking in a more of a “this is my love for you” kind of way instead of a “see? You need me. And the way you need me will hurt me or put me in danger and it’s only me who can and will do it. Look what I’m doing for you, you miserable bitch”
Gideon, who flops onto a piece of metal to fully sacrifice herself and is absolutely livid when it doesn’t go her way and Harrow decides without Gideon to try and preserve her. To that Gideon simply says, “all I wanted you to do was eat me.” She’s SO mad with the thought that Harrow doesn’t want or need her.
Which basically translates to, again, “fuck you, I’m going to make it so you need me and it will be under my terms, and it will be so satisfying to see you have to admit it”
And like, yes, we know that the way Harrow’s parents treated Gideon and how that behaviour trickled down to Harrow absolutely has something to do with Gideon’s problem, but also we know that she totally gets that from her dad.
Anyway, I love Gideon but something about viewing her actions this way that helps shift the power imbalance makes reading griddlehark much more satisfying in that one of the parties may not be as helpless and innocent as we think
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comradekatara · 1 year
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the question “does ozai actually love azula?” is really interesting because there really isn’t a right answer. it’s clear that ozai likes azula, much in the way that i like the pen i keep in my bag, but will also not hesitate to discard it once it runs out of ink. and if you consider love to be something that is unconditional (or at the very least, far less conditional than ozai’s standards for his children), then the obvious answer is no, he doesn’t. but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t feel a strong affection for azula, a pride for the way in which her successes reflect well on his nation, his crown, his ego (all one & the same to him anyway).
does he think he loves her? i mean, yeah. sure. he probably also thinks of himself as loving the people of the fire nation—after all, everything he does is in the best interest of his country.
he learned the values taught to him by his father, whose “love” for ozai is clearly also very tenuous. iroh was clearly the favorite, and ozai the the discarded one. so ozai simply expresses the behaviors that he’s learned. he superficially replicates azulon’s relationship with iroh in his relationship with azula while treating zuko like a punching bag, offloading his insecurities onto someone he can only seem to see as the personification of all of his own father issues and neuroses.
obviously ozai sees his wife and children as his property – that’s not even a particularly unique viewpoint for any man (in a patriarchal society) to hold regardless of their social status – but as reflections of himself, anything they do that reflects poorly on him requires extreme consequences to mitigate, seeing as he is in a position of extreme power that he is also well aware wasn’t entirely “deserved.” both ozai and azula banish people when they feel threatened, because to the crown, a threat to the state (ursa and zuko both proving that they are capable of treason) is a threat to their ego (azula's extreme paranoia during her breakdown) and vice versa.
but i find it especially ironic that the only person it's clear ozai genuinely has any kind of real appreciation for is zhao, because zhao's defining qualities of hotheaded impulsiveness and ego at the expense of logic are the exact qualities that ozai would find utterly repulsive in his children – despite, of course, possessing these qualities himself. ozai punishes zuko's impulsive behavior (a quality he himself was likely punished for by azulon) while appreciating azula's tact, patience, rationality, strategy, and ability to sublimate her own ego for the sake of loyalty to her father/nation (all traits that were also admired in iroh, mind you).
when ozai sees his own worst qualities mirrored in his son, he banishes him, wants him dead. he all but writes off azula after he learns that she lied to him, and seems disgusted by her after her outburst. but seeing this egomaniacal, violent drive reflected in zhao is somehow different, and it leads to his constant promotion. in fact, he only thinks to utilize azula to capture the avatar/neutralize zuko once zhao has finally perished at the hand of his own hubris, even though azula is the far more competent, efficient asset, not only in intellect and skill, but also because her loyalty far exceeds her ego.
the irony of it all, that ozai rewards zhao for relecting the worst parts of himself whereas his children have absolutely no leeway, is likely due to the paternal instinct to view his children as his legacy, his property, his burdens, potential threats to his throne/life (the way he was to his father), whereas zhao is just a buddy, not blood.
but back to the original question: does ozai love azula? what is love, anyway? it's pretty clear ozai would kill any of his family members without hesitation if he thinks it would allow him to seize/maintain power. but azula never gives her father a reason to believe that her goals are not aligned with, defined by, his except for when she brings zuko home and secures his position as heir by lying to his face, so she's obviously his favorite family member. but she's his child, and she's a girl, so as much pride and affection as he feels for her, it's clear he also views her as his property, as a weapon. then again, i doubt ozai thinks of himself as some mustache-twirling child-manipulator. i doubt he considers himself evil; he's a powerful man who does what needs to be done. and all told, he's a pretty normal byproduct of his environment.
so no, I don’t think ozai truly loves azula. but he thinks he does. after all, he treats her far better than his father ever treated him.
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pjunicornart · 29 days
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Screw it, lore dump.
I'm gonna drop some lore about Subject 07 and Soul Carving, because I'm bored, mostly. But also because @miasudare's comic (this one) sort of not really asked what their deal is. So, here's their deal. Under the cut...
Soul Carving Soul is essentially the original NaJ PJ. He was saved by Rosey while he was in a black void, but only barely. Everyone else in his AU was completely broken and unsalvageable, how he managed to escape is beyond Rosey's knowledge. Now under her care, Soul was given powers and a new family. 07 is his little brother, and everyone else in The Playground are like honorary family.
His powers essentially deal with the soul, hence his name. His soul in particular is very unique. It's always exposed, appearing to be in a square-ish hole in his chest. No matter what clothes he wears, it's always visible. While he was in the black void, this is a wound he gave to himself, in an attempt to mend damage done by his original home. Anyway, he has the power to "sense" people's souls. He can do something he calls a Soul Reading, in which he connects his soul to their's. Through this, he can tell... pretty much everything about the person. After all, a soul is the very culmination of one's being, right? He can gather information on their personality, he can tell what kind of pain you're in (physically, mentally, or spiritually), he can sense any trauma that may have happened... he can sense it all, even AFTER the Soul Reading is done. If he does a Soul Reading, and his own soul senses that this is someone he should stay connected to, he'll be able to sense that person forever, no matter how far away they are. Obviously, if his soul doesn't see any reason to keep this person in its "database" so to speak, it'll forget that person by the next time Soul experiences the morning of a new day. 07 is one person he can always sense, seeing that he is his little brother. He always knows when Subject 07 needs something, or is in pain.
Subject 07 07 is another variant of NaJ PJ. He is an experiment which ended with... mixed results. On the one end, his soul was successfully split in two and merged with the half of another person's soul. So he's able to utilize the powers of that person. On the other end, when he came out of the experiment, his mental development was completely reverted. He has the mind of a child. He had to learn how to do everything again. Walk, talk, fine motor skills... everything. Which wasn't easy, especially with a prosthetic leg. However, he was one of their prized subjects, and he persevered. Nowadays, he's mentally around 4 - 5 years old.
Sockits is his favorite toy, which he carries around with him everywhere as a backpack. He's never seen without her, and if he is, something would be wrong. Sockits carries the other half of the person's soul 07's was split with. This means he is forever connected to her. It also means he's the only one who can hear her talk. Speaking of this other person, their powers were very... dark. When 07 taps into that part of him, he grows wings made out of shadow, and he becomes stealthier. He becomes a dark predator. In this state, he is very dangerous. But, luckily, he's too sweet to ever be seen like this, unless somebody hurts the one he loves most. That being his older brother, Soul.
If I missed anything or if you're confused about something, or hey, if you just want me to dump more lore - Ask box is open.
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leojurand · 4 months
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i see people on booktwt praising the radiant emperor duology very often and every time, instead of remembering that i actually had fun reading those books, i think about how flawed they are, and i wish i could understand the endless praise they get. but i sadly do not.
and then i remembered a tweet by shelley parker-chan about dunnett and her novels that actually explains, in a way, why their writing doesn't work for me. the tweet was a reply to someone and it was:
but Dunnett in general never feeds me the (emotional) food and I get frustrated. like bitch these power plays are so good but why don’t you make it JUICY. don’t make me have to use my imagination
it's actually very funny how this explains exactly the problems i have with their duology. clearly, dunnett is a big fan of subtlety. also very clear, SPC is not, and doesn't utilize it much (at all) in their novels.
and the complete lack of subtlety is something that really bothered me in the radiant emperor duology. that, hand in hand with the endless repetition, makes sure you don't have to use your imagination when it comes to the characters. ever. you will be told how they feel about each other and about what's happening and about what they've done and will do. constantly
but that, for me at least, doesn't make you connect with those characters more, and it doesn't make them more complex (in fact, sometimes they feel like two emotions in a trenchcoat lol). of course too little emotional food can leave you hungry, but too much can cause indigestion
the thing is, i don't need dunnett to tell me that, for example, nicholas was battling with the pain of gelis's betrayal and the profound grief of the loss of his closest friend post-SoG. i know he's dealing with those feelings, i'm seeing it, because he fucked off to be a menace in scotland and he's wearing all black and he's kidnapping people to torment them for a while (lol). and that's so much more interesting than writing paragraph after paragraph of his emotional breakdown. because, yes, i can use my imagination. i like doing that!
would the lymond chronicles be better if we got descriptions of how lymond is drowning in pain and self-hatred during basically every chapter in RC or CM? it's obvious that that's what's happening to him. i think it would actually make the books and the character worse, because doing that doesn't fit who lymond is, just like it wouldn't fit nicholas.
the constant repetition of how zhu, ouyang, and baoxiang feel are not "juicy" to me. they're fine characters and i like them. i would even say they're pretty interesting! but you could pretty much define each of them with a couple of words and you would get like. 90% of who they are. no subtlety. no imagination.
you can't define lymond with two or three or ten words. same with nicholas. even dunnett's characters who seem more simple and straightforward, like richard or julius, are more complex than that
another thing is that focusing so much on the emotional journey of the characters means that other parts of the book are completely neglected. the radiant emperor duology is a low fantasy historical fiction. but the historical part of it is given almost no attention at all. if i pick a histfic book, i want to feel immersed in the time period it's portraying. that didn't happen at all while reading these two books. you may like dunnett's minute historical details more or less (hell, i'm a huge fan and even i want to skip most of the historical mumbo jumbo in some of her novels (the ringed castle)), but goddamn she makes you feel immersed in the 15th and 16th centuries
anyway, the conclusion here is that SPC doesn't love dunnett's style, and i don't love their style. i will probably still read their following books when they get published, but i really, really hope they learn just one thing: sometimes (most of the time) books that are subtle, are better
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elfinismsarts · 8 months
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1, 7, 12, and 24 for the violence asks. Get mean, babyyyyy! 😈😈
omg bri I forgot to answer this and then saw someone else answering it on my dash (@kookaburra1701 LMAO thanks for the reminder kb!) and was like "OH SHIT" my b. ANYWAY.
1: the character everyone gets wrong
Vilkas. VILKAS. V I L K A S. The fact that there's even a "Vilkas being an asshole" tag on ao3 is deeply insulting. Most people assume that just because he's unwelcoming in the beginning he's this horrible asshole who is just foul to everyone around him. I've seen people write him to be controlling of both the LDB and Farkas, jealous and insecure, mean for no reason, violent, and borderline abusive. The man is GUARDED. His adoptive father figure walked out on him and Farkas and his secondary adoptive father figure, in Kodlak's own words, deceived him with the beast blood. Like no fuckin wonder the dude has trust issues and is wary of new folks showing up. He can't exactly display his trust issues to his family so he takes it out on the newbies. He's an entire gold mine of possibilities for character development and everyone sleeps on that for the sake of making him a dick for no reason. It just shows a wild misunderstanding for his character tbh.
7: what character did you begin to hate not because of canon but because how how the fandom acts about them?
I already answered this one here but fuck it we ball. Not so much hate as much as it's a "strong aversion to" but Cicero. I can't stand the way he's romanticized and turned into a "I can fix him" scapegoat when really the dude is just a sad tale. Violent insanity isn't quirky or cute. It's sad and unsettling.
12: the unpopular character that you actually like and why more people should like them
Elisif. I'll admit I've seen a few fantastic portrayals of her (@thequeenofthewinter and @archangelsunited come to mind) but for the most part the fandom falls too far in line with the way the men in canon treat her, which is as a ditzy, inexperienced, childish, brainless puppet. I've seen so so so many fics use her as a prop for their (female) LDB in an attempt to make the (female) LDB seem smarter, stronger, more capable, more likeable, and overall just better than Elisif and every time it falls horribly horribly flat and just appears as what it is: a cheap shot at avoiding genuine characterization and character development.
Elisif has SO. MUCH. POTENTIAL. to be either an extremely powerful ally or an insanely formidable enemy and everyone just... ignores that?? I love Elisif and I seriously can't wait to bring her into my fic (working on that chapter rn,,,). I definitely think she rings a bit of Sansa Stark, particularly these two quotes:
"No need to seize the last word, Lord Baelish. I'll just assume it was something clever."
"I'm a slow learner, it's true, but I learn."
idk I just think everyone is missing out honestly.
24: topic that brings up the most rancid discourse
Oh god there are so many things but I guess I'd have to be basic and say Stormcloaks vs Empire because people just do not have the critical thinking skills to distinguish fiction from reality. Thinking that Fantasy Norway deserves religious freedom does not mean someone is a fucking Trump supporter irl. It doesn't make them racist. It doesn't mean anything about their beliefs away from the internet or who they are as a person. It just means they played the game and very likely took it at face value. And even if they went beyond face value and still came out thinking "yeah the Empire and the Thalmor suck ass at least the Stormcloaks know what they're about"??? Who cares lol
I joined the Stormcloaks my first playthrough because I was like "wow! fantasy vikings vs fantasy romans! Vikings are WAY better than Romans!" It can really be that simple.
Second to that would be OCxNPC shipping. Just utilize the fucking block button and move on for fucks sake.
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lunas-lego-land · 2 years
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Hello Hello Hello! I am already drowning in this au. I love underused characters getting so much spotlight. AND MORRO AND ECHO SJDHISBDNF a rare pair that will live in my heart forever.
But anyway onto the question-
1. I’m super interested in Pixls role in this au. Is she working with Wu’s ninjas? Maybe an internal conscience in Zane? Or is she just chilling with borg this time around?
2. Another thing I’m curious about is the evil ninjas! How did they end up with Wu? How did they get the golden weapons? Are their backstories still the same? And how did they end up here, harming innocent people and going down the path of darkness?
3. Last question I swear! How do our main ninjas powers work? Like we know a base idea of Morro’s and Skylor’s powers. But how do the others work? To what extent is Vania the master of “stone”. And I’m especially interested in Harumi’s jade powers!!!
Ok I shut up now this au is just rly good
IM GENUINELY SO HAPPY PEOPLE ARE ENJOYING THIS SKLDNKSF,,, all these characterss live in my heart and im so happy other people enjoy them too,, citrus shipping beloved
anyways i can answer these boringly with just text so bear with me--
it is insinuated in the first chapter of the fic of this au BUT borg industries has been bankrupt and out of service for quite a while now in ninjago city, and as such cyrus went underground to work on his robotics without restriction. in his loneliness, he made P.I.X.A.L., and when the overlord took over ninjago she sided with wu's ninja, as lord wu had been an investor and supporter of her father. she chills with borg for a bit but eventually gets to enact chaos and villainy of her own!
their backstories are MOSTLY the same; kai and nya's parents disappear, zane was built by dr julien, cole lost his mother, BUT jay found out about his parentage much earlier and chose to pursue wu's teachings. they just have different reactions to their backstories! cole got angry at his father's lack of a reaction to his mother's death and chose to run away; zane became angry upon learning his father intended to steal his memories away upon the man's death and tipped off the skeletons, leaving his father at their mercy; wu visited kai and nya's shop, and knowing their parents he told them about their heritage and offered them a place among his ranks. tldr? they were children capable of more selfish, violent reactions to their traumas and i think that should be explored.
oh boy here we go (: here's the basics of how OUR good ninja's powers' work. in a future chapter their philosophies/mentalities about their powers will be revealed but here's the basics!
TOX
her body is essentially infused with her element, as her bodily fluids are varying levels of venomous. she utilizes this with her FUKIYA, aka her blowgun. she can also summon larger quantities of poison, like nya can summon water, but because she fights mostly in highly populated areas (and she doesn't want to KILL her opponents) she tends to stray away from doing so.
ECHO
they can turn anything they touch into rust, no matter the material. this includes organic things, such as plants, animals, and humans :). they can also manipulate this rust to a certain extent, but they mostly deteriorate things and let their weapon do the rest. this rust gets in their mechanics and inner gears, and if they're not careful they can outright rust their own (important) parts. they require frequent constant Maintenace and upkeep to stay running, but skylor is up to the task!
not a part of their elemental powerset, but similar to zane's future sight, echo has something called Empathy. it allows them to see other people and their intentions, gaining a deep understanding of them. they haven't quite realized this yet, though.
VANIA
like cole with earth, vania requires her element (stone) to manipulate it. she can manipulate all stones in ninjago, including vengestone as long as she is not in direct contact with it. her powers also gift her superstrength (like cole).
BENTHOMAAR
kind of like jay, he can summon lightning, BUT he cannot control it. he can summon storm clouds, thunder, rain, hail, sleet, and other forms of storm. his control is over the entirety of the storm, not its individual parts. he also has super strength but that's because he's a big fish man, not because of his element. sometimes, he'll summon small, harmless storm clouds to entertain fans! it's very wholesome.
HARUMI
jade. the element of harmony and balance. harumi's powers include: healing (both physically and emotionally), luck (both bad and good), and Transformation. her physical and ninja feats are her own-- while her teammates have physical manifestations of their elements to utilize, harumi's powerset is that of a healer, a support. because that's what jade is-- if green is energy, jade is its equal but opposite. tranquility, serenity, passivity. she has no oni or dragon blood, nor powerful blasts of energy to aim at her enemies, but she has something arguably more important-- the ability to heal.
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the-owl-tree · 8 months
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Something that makes me foam at the mouth to think about is how it's always a big deal in this fandom to not "woobify" Mapleshade or "make her too sympathetic," but I have seen multiple people woobify Ravenwing. Like, we can have a whole novella about Mapleshade's tragic past, but this fandom puts up less of a fuss over people woobifying an asshole tom character who was only briefly mentioned to be "having a hard time because he is young and his mentor died recently" and whose other notable characteristic is how he was part of the leadership that exiled innocent children, than over people seeming like they might be woobifying or sympathizing with a woman who was cheated on and used, verbally torn to shreds and physically assaulted during a public exile from the Clan she loved along with her children, and then had her children die in a tragic accident because she was too emotionally devastated to think straight. If I make a post about Ravenwing being a "poor baby who was just interpreting signs and trying to do right by his Clan and was just revealing the truth," I'll get notes saying "too true! Poor baby! He was burdened with too much responsibility!" But if I even jokingly say "Mapleshade did nothing wrong," I get unhinged anons in ny askbox.
Anyway, I think we should all woobify Mapleshade. She effectively utilized girl power by going on a murder spree, and she was just being a little sillay when she manipulated Crookedstar. She is my wet cat, my meow meow.
i think wanting to give character to background characters is fine, i think trying to expand on Ravenwing is definitely fine...but i think to do so while trying to absolve him of his role in Mapleshade's exile is hm! that's where all his meat is!
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crystalelemental · 5 months
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"books-are-my-life-stuff: Maybe SS Leon, SS Cyrus, and Classic Elesa are meant to give people the illusion of "oh yeah Pokefairs might get a rerun or they might not" to make people more willing to pull for them, I dunno. I don't want for banners to get overwhelmingly dense every month than they already are, but I also want a rerun of the old pairs...it's confusing."
I think it's one of those challenging decisions, in the sense of yes, you want to enforce the idea of scarcity and FOMO, pull now to avoid potential calamity, so some have to go a while. But Masters takes absurdly long times to rerun some things, so much so that it has to be preventing profits when pairs that good get sidelined. Maybe it's because people only need one pair for them to function? SS Cyrus and C!Elesa, I mean. They're really fine at 1/5, so maybe that factors in? I couldn't say. But I think frequent reruns of older, well liked PokeFairs is a good way to address both the need for reruns and the increasing number of limited pairs. People don't really like Variety, but they would love some extra reruns. But then your whales don't spend much. So is that worthwhile from the company perspective? Without knowing more about the insider information, it's really hard to say what the correct call is on that front, but I do think reruns can be easily managed and not be a problem. But if the Mix Scout is anything to go by, given the presence of Variety Giovanni, Rei, H!Phoebe, and...the fourth one I forgot, they're more likely to rerun the really good stuff under that paid scout. Which is Not Great!
"books-are-my-life-stuff: I'm surprised they didn't mention 4/5 and 5/5 grids which I think also had a fair amount of controversy. A comment said those grids are optional and often not needed, but some units, like OG Gloria and OG Diantha, have pretty crucial grids that help them to catch up with modern units or patch up their glaring flaws. I still don't like it. EX roles did improve SS Serena and Paulo, but the introduction of it in master fair paid gems ruins it for me too I think."
I was always more positive on 5/5 than most, but then I had the means to make it work. I can see people getting upset with something like Gloria for sure. Her 3/5 sucks, and she doesn't get much until at least 4/5. But that's a higher investment than should be needed. In part, it's a matter of expectation. Had 5/5 grids always been there, I don't think anyone would bat an eye, just be mildly annoyed at all the good tools being at max investment, like how we get slightly annoyed when a pair only has good traits at 3/5. But I do think that this is easily circumvented. Take Cynthia and Lance, for example. As the only pairs with both 3/5 and 5/5 expansions, you get the sense that 3/5 is where all the traits to make them super strong went, and 5/5 is utility to make them easier to use. Even Diantha, good as she is, follows that pattern. You can actually deal better damage with all three with just 3/5 and pushing more power into sync, so they're far from unusable. Gloria's the odd one out, in that...had her tools been 3/5, I don't think anyone would've cared. But because it's only 5/5, it's damning. If she had a 3/5, and it also had good powerup tools? I think she'd be less of a problem. And the 5/5 tools felt like a nice incentive for whales; I've liked having them available, anyway. It was the least intrusive monetization angle they pulled, with the most benefit for players who bothered favoring a character that hard.
The EX Roles are also a bit an issue of presentation. I think his point of, if they hadn't done paid only Master Fairs for cake? People probably would've been fine. It's a neat mechanic! Maybe a little grumbling from people like me who wanted it to be customized and more available to older pairs, but far from the level of irritation. I actually love the PokeFair angle; that also feels fair and great. PokeFairs now come with rewards for pulling, and they have the added draw of "Why don't you go to 5/5 for the full cake?" incentive. They've had some really good ideas that are mutually beneficial. They're just wrapped around...really questionable ones, often interspersed with the good, and it muddies the waters.
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ae-neon · 1 year
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Thank youu for answering my ask.
But this ; If it embarrassed her so much why didn't she quietly ask Rhys to stop giving Nesta money?
I have been wanting to talk of this like forever. I am convince here that the money is the currency used by IC to control Nesta. First of all, in term of politic. We knew CoN is not stable. 2/3 of the court is unstable and the possibility of the pulling French on Rhys is high. And what will gurantee that Velaris people can defend themselves? They are vulnerable without the shield around their city. We see it, one hole on the shield and the attor can attack the Rainbow. Where is their scout? Where is their guard? Where is their Navy that scout the ocean area (coming from a country that constantly have the sea trespassing our ocean with neighbouring country Navy, wtf u doing in our ocean??)
I dont see how Velaris can defend themselves. They dont even have experience going through a war as we seen Hewn City and Illyria. I believe HC and Ilyyria have better plan to defend themselves when there is attack. They are old and thousand years of experience pass down to them + Amarantha situation.
Back to the Money. How on earth Nesta related to CoN politic and peaceful?
1. We know Nesta is powerful. Jeez, Maas give the power of Death but dont seem to understand how to utilize it. Lanthys himself want Nesta as her queen, but sorry dude. Rape attempt them while offering a queen seat isnt effective.
2. 5/7 court in prythian dont like CoN either. I exclude Day Court because Helion seem too friendly and i am sus of their friendship.
3. High King plotline. Aha, i have seen Amren attempt of convincing Rhys to be High King. Amren origin is mystery to us. I believe it has someting to do with Rhys being a High King while Rhys dont seem to like the idea. I dont buy the whole idea of Rhys not wanting to be a High King. We already see him struggling to control CoN and Ilyria and other court having reason to support the dethrone of Rhys. Winter and Summer is still aching from Rhys doing. Spring damaged badly from Feyre doing. 3/7 + 2/3/7 of Prythian wouldnt seem mind to have Rhys dead. (2/3/7 because 2/3 of CoN and overall as they are part of Prythian, hahaahahah)
4. Velaris, as I mention have no solid army unit. Vulnerable and easily die. If the import cut off, supply drain can they survive? Worse, they are isolated from the whole Prythian. The only person that connect Velaris to the rest of Prythian is Rhys and Mor (cass and az were more to army unit, not diplomatic unit). You cut this two person, they are alone. No, I dont believe other court High Lord know of Velaris. Hewn city and Illyria being Velaris neighbour dont even realize it.
Hence why I think Rhys, Amren and Mor might have consider having Nesta as their tool to regain control both CoN and Prythian . I included Prythian because there is possibility of Rhys being a High King and ugh, Maas just love Rhys. Why wounldnt she make rhys a High King when she can?
Amren suggested this idea to Rhys. And it is laughable to think that Rhys refuse the idea because he wanted a normal life and tired of more job to his endless High Lord job description. And NOT BECAUSE IT WAS JUST FEEL WRONG TO USE NESTA AS WEAPON. Anyway, I might be wrong because i dont remmeber what happen next when Amren suggested the idea but NO YOU CANNOT USE NESTA AS WEAPON TO BE HIGH KING BECAUSE I SAID SO.
If Rhys is golden hearted and not wanting to be a High King right. He got 2/3 of CoN to deal. We see in Court of Startforst where Rhys discussing with azriel the possbility of rebel among the Illyrian people. No smoe no fire sort??
Then getting back to your point why dont Feyre just cut Nesta off? Why dont she told Rbys to stop sending money? I am thinking this is why. Ohoho, Rhys is smart. He survived Amarantha and play along the line. He is not stupid, oppurtunity is in front of him.
He got the Death, a mate and Seer (if Elain dont go with lucien to Day court). And an offer from the ancient old old women to be a High King. And Amren as we know has something to gain from Rhys being a High King. Come on, everyone has their own benefit from keeping Nesta in the CoN. Eris said it too, she is wasted in CoN. That male right there, I believe in him because he has more to gain if he had Nesta in his court. Consider it okay, his brother as bastard is on risk being dead if Beron learned that LoA betray him, Eris being abused, possibility of Beron killing Eris because of his alliance to CoN. This man, got a lot to lose here. I believe him and his view that Nesta have a lot of power and useful when it come to politic.
Better, we have Nesta mated to Cassian. A general of CoN. Another reason to have Nesta stayed in the House of Wind and walk thousand stairs each day to buy a bread, lmao. Lock her basically. Surely Nesta dont want to live in Feyre mansion. Rhys and Feyre have a solid reason to not cut off the money and the ties with Nesta.
But, if Rhys did be High King in the next book and whole Prythian miraclely bowed to Rhys. That will be interesting. Very. We can see which court rebel, which court out of nowhere worship Rhys and join 'i love Rhys' cult. Really. That will be fun dont you think?
Look, this is just what I think and I try to put myself in rhys tight situation. Really, this man are really Louis what? XII? Or Macron? HC and Illyria have no reason to listen to him if it is not for the whole magic transferred to Rhys as High Lord.
I am looking foward to the next book. Fun, I like it. I would like to see which direction will Maas take. From her Interview with the fan, we can see she really love Rhys. Feyre character seem to water down to make way for Rhys to have all the spotlight. Because Feyre in book 1 and 2 might have slapped and beat Rhys ass for his behaviour in Acosf with the whole Nesta as weapon thing.
Hello again. Your takes are very interesting.
I agree that Nesta is kept there because she's a key for Rhys and Amren's plans however innocent sjm might try to make it look.
But for Feyre? Idk if she knows everything or not since I haven't read ACOSF. But personally I do think it sort of came down to the need to control someone she felt was below her or at least under her rule. Because otherwise it doesn't seem like she has much legitimate authority in Night.
I think SJM also realised that the places Nesta might go would be bad for what she wants for Rhys. Autumn, Spring and Summer specifically.
Unfortunately SJM probably realised she made Nesta too powerful. It's nice to throw around poetic lines like "stole Death from the Cauldron" but suddenly she had to show us and she couldn't because that alone puts Nesta at some weird goddess level.
The points about Velaris having no protection are so true!!!! They have been secret for thousands of years and now Rhys has exposed them. Unfortunately most of this problem might be touched by sjm but it's honestly very interesting
I know I sound like a broken record and but is really true that all of this nonsense could have been avoided by the simple changes of
just having Rhys and Nesta be together, (it's easier to believe Nesta stepping into politics, she's very clever and can't fall victim to daemati abilities or obvious manipulation)
Make the CoN and Velaris the same place,(most of the action and the plot should happen in the same place)
Stop having the narrative explain away and justify Rhysand's morally grey actions (sjm stop it)
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icharchivist · 7 months
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so icha. how are we feeling about lodi?
oh dear, that's the question huh.
mhmmm i'd say we don't have enough for me to care strongly into either direction i'd say, but there is a possibility for him to be an interesting character in further event, especially if Kolulu was a real influence on him.
Overall his set up is pretty interesting in itself. The contrast between the outgoing, loving and giving idol persona, and the empty, starving actual persona is really interesting as it is.
I do think the little commentary on how he is an idol because thanks to his emptiness he can afford to give away and give away without ever feeling like he's actually sacrificing a part of himself, is, kinda grim but an interesting take on what an idol character can bring.
His powers... i'm actually not a big big fan of the axe being turned into a mic and him having a music related power on principle, but it's utilized relatively well in the story especially when it combines with Felix's ability, so i don't have any real complain about it.
My only problem is him stealing Kimi to Boku No Mirai >:( that's MC's song!!!!! at least make your own song instead of constantly taking ours and not having ANYONE comment on it!!!
anyway like i said i do really like the contrast on outgoing idol VS actual empty shell, it's just that so far as it was just set up, i don't think we explored in depth what could be interesting about this concept.
I'm REALLY curious about why he feels this undeserving of feeling anything. Is it just something natural for him, is he naturally apathic, or was it another result of the Child Abuse Event that he probably had to deny himself so much that now it's as natural as breathing?
i think it's possible it's the later because of how he actually reacts to Kolulu insisting on showing him kindness and feeding him. You see too many times that he's genuinely puzzled by the fact she insists, and when he flashbacked to it he especially remembered Kolulu speaking about how, despite growing into poverty, her parents loved her so much they made sure she was well fed, so it's important. I feel like there would be a set up on how to make him realize that perhaps this emptiness isn't so normal.
Especially with implications that he was present during the cult Manamel's sister was a part of in the past. Considering how Manamel's parents, who were part of this cult, killed themselves once the cult dismantled, and that Manamel points out that Lodi's empty stare reminds her of the look her parents had when they killed themselves in front of her.... there's some loaded stuff going on here.
In his profile it's said he doesn't like to eat at all, period, and it's reinforced by his scene with Morilynn, and yet he still forces himself to eat the bread Kolulu gave him, *after* they fought, despite finding it disgusting.
So i think there's a set up perhaps out of him wondering if being this empty is right for him? And it could make for a great character growth.
as of now though, the problem with characters who are defined by their emptiness is that. well. they're empty. There's not a lot to discuss.
However i did think the scene at the end with Morilynn was interesting. On one hand we had Morilynn, non-human, trying to eat human food and doing it wrong, and trying harder in harder to connect to humanity despite being totally disconnected from it. Meanwhile, next to them, Lodi was unable to eat and was grossed out by Morilynn's attempt at humanity on what he is trying to get rid of.
there's a sort of dynamic at play here on the non-human wanting to be human VS the human who wants to be non-human, the empty shell VS the unconstrained being, that could make for a really good future dynamic as it goes. especially considering who their respective chairmen are. Judah who takes care of Morilynn is human who does all sort of experiments, leading to Morilynn experiencing more on their body as well, while Nereus has been stripping herself more and more of her humanity to mock God, and we have her taking care of Lodi as a "producer" or sort. idk it's an interesting choice.
All in all, i think my take in the end is..... There's a good set up for a character, but the event didn't give him much to munch on to explore it, so by the end, i don't feel super strongly about him, but i definitely see potential on how to flesh him out going from here.
I personally really hope Kolulu is instigating a change in him.
It kinda sums it up i'd say?
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yetie · 1 year
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I wrote a multi-page length... well, essentially an essay about CSM in my computer. But ... I feel it's not even worth posting because it's too wordy and there's just too much to even get into.
My main take aways from reading the manga are this:
• The overall pacing was too fast. More time to sit with the characters would make everything that happens later one million times more impactful. Like it does feel rushed, and then it just jumps into part 2 or whatever with very little breathing room. (I sped through reading the series in 2 days so take this with a grain of salt) *also: I love a slow burn narrative and this is made evident in my passion for Naruto which is 700 chapters long so...
• Makima as a villain falls flat in my opinion. Her motivations have no substance behind them, especially given how she abandons them all for a selfish end anyway. I get that anyone would want to eliminate the bad things she sought to in the world, but as a devil what did she stand to gain, and what personal motivator did she have? If it was just for the sake of 'control,' there are hundreds of other ways to achieve that. It just would have been nice to have some backstory or context. She feels very hollow, and just vile and cruel for the sake of it. (I love a good villain, love some good corruption, but makima just... I don't like her, there's nothing redeeming or even sympathetic about her at all)
• the way she manipulates Denji into eating her is unsatisfying. I kind of was anticipating he'd get this brutal and gratifying revenge on his manipulator/groomer, but in the end it's what she wanted anyway.
• part 2 doesn't really interest me because I did spend time getting attached to power and aki. And like while power's moment at the end was really cool, it was also like ah. Why are you throwing away these really interesting characters so soon? For shock value? There are ways to achieve this kind of story that could have even really impactfully utilized power and aki's deaths. But this would require more time, and overall it again just felt rushed and now we're onto something else I guess.
• power's devil design SO SICK!!!! loved that
• overall the art was lovely, I really enjoyed it
• himeno could have been a really great character if she was written better. There are just glaring flaws there. Like you can have a fun, flawed female character without them being like that I'm just saying!!
• aki's whole thing is good, I actually love that he's also just as rude and immature as Denji and power but he's more stoic about it. It's a fun twist on that trope I guess. One of my favorite moments in the whole manga was when they were in Hokkaido (p sure that's where they went) and they were all watching the snow fall outside. I think the series would have benefited from more calm, character building moments like that. Especially more bonding moments with the trio, like when they cooked for aki :'| or when they took care of power during her PTSD nightmares. More of that!!!! More family moments!
• the snowball fight ripped my heart out though. Like ough that was actually really emotional, even if I think aki's narrative could have been dragged out longer, the way it came to an end with the snowball fight just wrecked me. Also like the irony of him turning into the gun devil kinda.... Oof. Okay.
• speaking of gun devil, I thought it was too large scale to be interesting. Like I think I just prefer small town horrors over like "it's the end of the world!!" like okay gun devil kills 5 million people per second, we get it 🙄
• aki and angel devil - very good. The concept of like "I'm going to sacrifice some of my lifespan just to save yours" is .... Augh. It's my brand is all I have to say. Ofc would have liked more development there as well but that's really just a running note I have about the whole story.
• you could see the influence from other stuff that I personally really love a lot. I mean okay all shounen is inevitably influenced by what came before it, but you could pick out the HxH, Naruto, Evangelion and dorohedoro in there. Particularly there is so much connection to drhdr that I wonder if the creator was actually straight up inspired by it?
• the setting doesn't feel as developed as I would have liked. So humans are aware of devils and it's a part of society but like ... Extrapolate on that I guess?
Anyways this is extremely subjective and I'm really picky because I like long, drawn out plots with painstaking character development. But I did really enjoy csm, the characters are lovable, and the art is really excellent.
• I had seen the darkness devil panel before - with all of the astronauts and I thought it was going to be a lot more interesting/important than it was. I don't mean to be a hater but I was disappointed that it wasn't more developed as a place or concept or something.
• edit: one more thing is that there were too many times when they told us instead of showed us something. Like makima telling aki that Denji could turn into chainsaws would have been so much cooler if there was a little moment where aki could see it first hand before knowing. He'd be so surprised and then be able to ask questions after.
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ruthlessreality · 1 month
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Bad Child: pt 1 (TW!)
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I accept this title. In the eyes of my parents, I have and always will be the bad child. I was always told by them that they should have forfeited the whiskey and bought condoms instead. My name growing up was hardly ever my legal name, "Dumbass" was what I was referred to. I was never physically abused, but emotionally and mentally I was. Neglected? Absolutely. They didn't believe me when I said I couldn't see or that my chest hurt constantly, and so it took until adulthood for me to be diagnosed with a degenerative eye disease and a serious heart condition. I can remember times I was forbidden from clothes and forced to wear one outfit for weeks at a time, leading to my being bullied in school, which was still a sanctuary for me compared to my own home. Crying wasn't allowed. Being mad wasn't allowed. Being anything other than happy wasn't allowed because, to them, as long as they weren't beating the hell out of me, they were winning at this whole parenthood thing.
Dad was a drug user and dealer and seriously addicted to gambling. We moved a lot because he either pissed off the wrong person or he lost all of our rent money at the poker table. I can remember a period of time he bet what was suppose to be money for our utilities. He lost and we were without power and water for weeks. No showers and canned beans for dinner. It was my job to bag up their literal shit and throw it out. It was my job to walk a few miles up the road with empty milk gallons and fill it them with water from the gas station. I was 11.
Mom, well she's the type to stand by her man no matter the situation. The Bible says the order of obedience is God first, spouse, and then children after all. That's what she would tell me anyways. She smiled always and told us we were loved. Shit's hard to believe when I was constantly being ridiculed and humiliated by one parent and the other was never brave enough to say "this is not okay." She did try to leave once, I was 6 I think. She came into my bedroom late one night, crying, having just had a brawl with my father. She had me hide the car keys and begged me not to tell him where they were, no matter what he did or said. As I typed that last bit out, I realize she wasn't trying to leave, she was trying to get him to stay.
I began self harming around 12 years old. When they found out, their response was to lock me in my room. They didn't believe in mental health or therapy after all. Needless to say we didn't discuss it. Or much of anything that really mattered. I grew into a rebellious teen. Drugs became an escape. And after my accidental overdose, I was court ordered to a facility. I loved it there.
That's weird right? That someone could find happiness locked up? But I did. I may have only been permitted to stand in the sun an hour a week, living with a bunch of other fked up detoxing teenagers, but it quickly became home. My dad stopped talking to me. I was "seeking attention" and "making him look bad." My mom wrote to me in the beginning. She even came and saw me for a home visit. Only I wasn't allowed to go home. Dad said no. So we had lunch at a park nearby before she sent me back.
I was there for 10 months. 4 months longer than what I was suppose to be because my parents temporarily lost custody of me. They refused to take part in individual or family therapy. They never called. Mom stopped writing and ignored every home visit I was allowed. They essentially gave up one me, so a Judge ordered me to stay despite having completed my treatment until my parents decided I could come home again. I was 16.
And shit only got worse from there...but wtfe, right? At the time, I thought every lived the way I did. I thought everything was completely normal.
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aquanthis · 3 months
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digging deep into grims ocland. raz info 😏⁉️
jesus christ that IS digging deep. i haven’t thought about raz since high school it feels like. i remember so little of his lore but i can do my best to piece it together lmfao. i wish i had any kind of ref image for him but uh he is an oc from so long ago and most of those old ocs have been collecting dust for yeaaaars except the few i’m really attached to
anyway here goes?
okay so i hunted down my original ramble about him just now and i forgot how much i liked this concept lol. i’m realizing i still really like my old ocs
anyway! raz is a magicverse sorcerer. he’s genderfluid and bisexual. he’s one of the most famous models in the western magic world and frequently ends up in the few magazines/newspapers that exist in sorcerer society (usually only widespread in bigger cities/places with high concentrations of sorcerers). he’s also kind of a porn star on the side, though he takes that a bit less seriously. anyway, he’s considered very handsome in a traditionally masculine way, which causes one of his major conflicts, in that he can’t be out as genderfluid or try to present in a more feminine way without risking his job(s). he defaults to using he/him because it’s easier but likes any pronouns :)
his magic type is air. he can harden air into a sword or shield (for example, but he can make just about anything), and can also animate it into familiars, though unlike other notable sorcerers he can’t keep them around forever because he has to spread his power quite thin to do so. he’s quite powerful, which makes him even more popular in sorcerer society, though he’s not exactly the biggest fan of his status!
he’s a big sweetheart really, though you wouldn’t know it from his photoshoots (they often make him appear more masculine than he really is). he has a pet rat (that i can’t remember the name of) that he keeps with him all the time, generally hidden away in a pocket or kept in his hoodie hood. it’s very well trained and he’s obsessed with rats in general.
as previously mentioned, he’s very handsome but he’s kind of embarrassed about it in day-to-day life and tries to brush it off as much as he can. he doesn’t like the amount of attention it gets him. outside of work he wants to be left alone most of the time LOL. also he’s very physically strong and can lift pretty heavy stuff, though he rarely utilizes that strength because. well. he’s a big softie. (he does pick up his girlfriend though. he’s not a fucking coward)
anyway he’s also kind of secretly a huge nerd. he��s really interested in human video games/media and other parts of human culture and if you ask him about it he’ll ramble for a LONG time. he wears leather/denim jackets a lot but he’ll wear nerdy ass graphic tees under them because it makes him happy
also his girlfriend is ayame, a demon who’s seb’s oc :3 i won’t get into her lore because 1. i only partially remember and 2. she belongs to seb, but she’s the first one to actively encourage raz presenting in a more feminine way. they’re this image (with ayame doing raz’s makeup obviously)
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oh also, i forgot to do a physical description because i usually have art or screenshots or something. raz is tall and has tan/olive skin, with dark curly hair and freckles and a slightly hooked nose. he’s, uh, pretty obviously jewish. intentionally on my part (i was really into projecting my jewishness as much as possible onto my ocs when i was in high school). he also has a lot of dark body hair and he’s extremely sexy for that <3
erm if there’s anything else, i probably don’t remember ✌️ know that raz loves his girlfriend so much and lets her peg him til he can’t walk i mean what who said that. it’s 5:30 am i’m done bye
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azuisreading · 10 months
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Nothing Between Us by Manda Mazanec
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Meera Taylor is ready to start the life she’s always dreamed of. Gone are the days of living out of her car and hiding from her past. With an apartment she can finally call her own and a new career, Meera agrees to give the small town of Morganville a chance at being her forever home. The only problem? She can’t seem to evade Gabriel Henry, the one man she was told to avoid and yet the same sexy grump who seems hell-bent on stealing her independence—and her heart. Earning himself a reputation as a womanizer, single dad Gabe has zero interest in settling down. He doesn’t believe in romance or soulmates. He’s well aware of Meera’s less-than-stellar opinion of him, and that’s okay. She isn’t his type anyway. But when Meera’s estranged husband shows up in Morganville, Gabe finds himself coming to her defense and coming lip to lip with what might just be his needle in a haystack.
Review
I was part of this fabulous book’s ARC team and am writing a review because I loved it. A new addition to my comfort reading shelf.
The title line appears one time in the book and then it seems to appear again but it’s different. And I loved it. I also loved a lot of the story details, if not all.
Meera gave me clumsy girl vibes at the start, but she’s just an unlucky woman and with that I can relate. Her past is heavy and hasn’t finished with her yet, and though I haven’t experienced many of her circumstances, it wasn’t an obstacle to relate with her (finally, because it’s a common struggle with female protagonists).
Gabe… sighs. It was love at first encounter. And it was hard not to fall in love again each time he reappeared in the scene. And his POVs?! To die for. He can try to lie to himself (and Meera too, given the case), but, as the cover says, one only can do it for so long.
I love, I love, I love soulmate hints. Just special conditions like this one for second opportunities. I haven’t dived enough, but it’s just so much enjoyable when he’s a single dad (and the daughter is so lovely). When the kid gives their permission and consent because the person the parent wants is just so right, for the kid, for the parent, for both of them, it’s just so… beautiful and fulfilling. When he’s so stubborn to admit it, but has obviously fallen hard, and is showing it so much for everyone but is so blind to notice it themselves. I will always love a bit more communication, but one can only do so much, and we are never perfect as humans. Oh! Of course, the protective man, and not just because he’s such a good boy, but because he just doesn’t want you to touch her. Even when she’s fighting for her independence, she accepts that the feeling he gives her is so empowering.
And there’s so much forgiving and proper healing that I haven’t seen before! You can be a bad person and not deserve it, but they will do everything in their power to make you go on the right path. Not only that, they will try to help everyone they can to not pass through what they lived through. There’s no reason to not help each other. We’re all here trying to do the best we can and we don’t have to do it alone, we can do better and reach farther with help.
This book gives so many pieces… I find courage, peace, support, and healing. It was so empowering and inspiring. So endearing and dreamy. A bit frustrating, because c’mon! But happy. Happy and calm and satisfying. It’s so much more than just a romance. It’s fresh air.
Phrases that I liked so much that I marked them while reading
«“It looks like you hit your head pretty good on the way down,” he says, placing a small ice pack on my forehead. “Though I don’t know how because you never made it to the floor.” “Oh,” I say as I touch my forehead, heat rising up my neck. “This is from earlier.” I leave out the part where I lost the fight with the utility pole.» — Chapter Two.
«And I have a hard limit when it comes to making a fool out of myself. Once a day is enough.» — Chapter Two.
«Her eyes grow dark as she says those four beautiful words I live for. “Get that fucking bastard.”» — Chapter Four.
«“It’s complicated.” “Then uncomplicate it.” I suck in a breath at the demand. Normal people would have taken my comment as a sign to stop asking questions. But Meera is anything but normal.» — Chapter Six.
«I force out the oxygen trapped inside my chest and do what lawyers do best. I deflect.» — Chapter Six.
«Once she’s chucked the carpet into the dumpster, she studies me, as if she’s trying to figure out whether she should let me into her apartment or throw me out with the carpet.» — Chapter Six.
«“Come on. We can talk and walk at the same time.” “How do you do that?” I ask, propelling my feet forward again. “Do what?” “That.” “Well, if you must know, I place one foot in front of the other, making sure to shift my weight evenly as I go.”» — Chapter Nine.
«“You’re making this more difficult than it needs to be. Just ask me what it is you want to know.”» — Chapter Nine.
«“You left your purse and room key at the reception.” “Nice try. My purse was on the nightstand, next to the bed.” “It pains me to have to tell you how much of a gentleman I really am,” he says solemnly. I scowl again. “By the time we got back to the bed-and-breakfast, you were out cold. I realized you didn’t have your purse, and since I knew you had an early flight out, I tucked you in and ran back out to get it for you.”» — Chapter Nine.
«My stomach twists. Because I want her to be bummed. I want her to want me to stick around. Hell, I want me to stick around.» — Chapter Ten.
«I know I shouldn’t enter the surgical room, but tell that to the side of my brain that actually gives a fuck.» — Chapter Twelve.
«“Honey, you don’t have to explain a thing. If Sophie wants to draw a picture for you, you’re already a rock star in my book.”» — Chapter Thirteen.
«“I tried to convince her to stay. I offered her a warm meal, and when I walked out of the room to grab plates, she disappeared. Took Sophie with her.” Evelyn breathes out a long, steady breath. “You have no idea how hard that was. To know that child was about to endure more trauma all because I turned my back.”» — Chapter Thirteen.
«I turn back to get Meera’s bag, but Tom stands in my way. When I move toward him, ready to barrel through him if I have to, he put his hands up. “Okay. Okay.”» — Chapter Fourteen.
«“Thank you,” she says, “for all of that.” She waves at the door and the juice box. “But I could have handled it.” “I know, but I’m glad I got here when I did. I wouldn’t want to lie to the police. [...] We’d have to hide the body, and I’m not good at lying. Never have been.” Meera throws her head back and guffaws.» — Chapter Fourteen.
«and though her laugh is my new favorite thing, her confusion is adorable.» — Chapter Fourteen.
«“He knew my grandma would smother me with love but worried that I wouldn’t survive without knowing how to hang cabinet doors.”» — Chapter Fourteen.
«but catching Tom there, trying to hurt her, was enough for me to want to camp out on her deck and make sure Mr. Up to No Good didn’t return.» — Chapter Sixteen.
«“Darlene wasn’t my type.” “She’s gorgeous. I’m surprised she isn’t your type.” “We’re two very different people.” “Ah, so she’s nice?” “Funny,” I growl.» — Chapter Twenty.
«“I want to know.”» — Chapter Twenty-One.
«“How do I fix this for you?”» — Chapter Twenty-One.
«“A raccoon? That thing looks like a man-eating vampire with four legs.”» — Chapter Twenty-One.
«I stomp on my brakes and then look in my rearview window. No one is behind me, thank fucking God. “You what?”» — Chapter Twenty-Five.
«“You won’t be inconveniencing anyone. You’re going to have to learn that it’s okay to lean on others. I think you’ve been on your own for far too long. You’ve forgotten what it’s like to be cared for.”» — Chapter Twenty-Five.
«“I need to hear it, Meera. I need to hear you consent to this.”» — Chapter Twenty-Six.
«“You can lie to yourself all you want, Gabriel, but I know you better than you think. I’ve never seen you look at a girl the way you look at her.”» — Chapter Twenty-Nine.
«“I saw how fast you ran to her at the bar when other men took interest,” she continues. “And the way you pulled out the chair for her at dinner…” She laughs. “You’ve invited plenty of people over in the past, but never, not once, have you looked like you were completely captivated by a woman’s presence.”» — Chapter Twenty-Nine.
«Every time, I assumed she didn’t want to inconvenience me. But I realize now that it was never about that. She wanted to learn how to do things on her own. She didn’t need me to do those things for her. She just needed the support.» — Chapter Twenty-Nine.
«“I’m sorry,” I start. It’s as good a place as any.» — Chapter Twenty-Nine.
«And there it is. The first memory. When she sauntered through the front door to the Tipsy Brew Garage three years ago. That’s the moment I lost the ability to think straight. Ever since that day, I’ve been a fucking mess. Except it’s actually the day I cleaned up my mess. Because three years ago, I feel for a woman I didn’t even know. Because breathing the same air she breathed made me want to be a better man. And her presence in my life again after all this time might mean I finally have the chance I missed out on then.» — Chapter Twenty-Nine.
«My response to Gabe wasn’t a lie. I am okay. I’m in my apartment with my door locked, and I’m breathing.» — Chapter Thirty.
«“I’m sorry.” “Sorry? Stop that shit. Every time you say those words, you’re taking responsibility for something, and you didn’t do anything wrong.”» — Chapter Thirty-Two.
«He places his hands on either side of my face and dips his head, brushing his nose against mine. “I’m going to kiss you right now. Please don’t pull away.”» — Chapter Thirty-Two.
«“Did he hit you?” This is when Meera grows quiet. I know this kind of silence. I’ve seen it before with my mom. “Ask her that in a different way,” I say. Meera and both officers turn to me in unison. “She doesn’t want to lie to you. She won’t say he hit her if he didn’t actually hit her. But ask her if he hurt her. Look at her wrist. Look at her throat.”» — Chapter Thirty-Three.
«I can’t help but feel a bit of pride when she repeats that last part. Because she took my advice, and that might have been what saved her life.» — Chapter Thirty-Three.
«“You’re staying with me until the cops have Tom behind bars.” When I huffed at his ridiculous suggestion, he grabbed a bag from the top shelf of my closet and pulled out a drawer, ready to pack the damn thing himself. With a frustrated huff, I pushed him out of my way and tossed clothing and my toiletry bag into the duffel he refused to set down.» — Chapter Thirty-Four.
«“If I get obnoxious, I give you permission to put me in my place.”» — Chapter Thirty-Four.
«“But this morning, when you wouldn’t wake up, when those paramedics stabbed you with that glucose pen and you wouldn’t respond… the fear I’d been running from? It was nothing compared to what I felt then.”» — Chapter Thirty-Six.
«I can’t take it any longer. If he tells me he’s not done one more time, I’m going to lose it.» — Chapter Thirty-Six.
«I’d never been invested enough to fall in love, but maybe that’s because I hadn’t met the right person.» — Chapter Forty-One.
«“I need to say something, but I don’t want you to panic.” I’m already panicking enough for the both of us.» — Chapter Forty-One.
«I can’t believe I’m doing this, but Jack was right. I was scared. I’d fallen for Meera, and I didn’t know what to do with that. But I won’t hide anymore. I’ll face these feelings head-on, and if Meera doesn’t feel the same way, then I’ll deal with that later.» — Chapter Forty-One.
«He waits, holding me hostage with a look of pure adoration.» — Chapter Epilogue.
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It got interesting around here yesterday. Even more so than usual.
It “came a rain” and the wind was noticeable. I’d been to a sweet meeting with the leadership team of The Gatherings and was reflecting on the wisdom of that group when I noticed traffic stopped on 207.
A large tree limb (tree sized limb) had fallen across the road.
After a spell of waiting and deciding I joined the rest of the group executing a U-turn in the highway and then made my way home on the backroads.
The ”interesting” was just beginning. That tree limb brought down utility lines and when I got home The Cutie was sitting in the dark. Took the better part of four hours to get the lights on again. I am thankful for the crews that had to manipulate chainsaws and do the dangerous work of reconnecting electricity.
I thought some about sharing how important it is to focus on the uncountable hours that we have electricity as opposed to a minor interruption now and then.
But there have been tens of thousands of devotions told about that very thing.
So I decided to share with you how good it is to have a full tank of hot water.
The Cutie needed to get ready for The Gathering at SRB last night. When the power finally came back on she hopped in the shower and scrubbed up. While she was in the process the power went off again. The blow dryer went silent but the process was near enough completion that she could make do if necessary.
Thing is, I needed to shower also. I found a battery powered lantern and got the supplies together and jumped in.
Except for the dim lighting it was pleasant taking that hot shower - until the hot water ran out.
Then it wasn’t so pleasant.
So anyway, I let the soap rinse off around the chill bumps and got the job done.
Now to my point.
I hope.
That tank of hot water stays ready because it is constantly fed. So long as the current keeps flowing all is good. If the juice gets cut off the tank can’t do it’s job until someone, somehow, somewhere, does what it takes to restore things to what they were meant to be.
My reserve of Spirit has much the same risks and rewards. There come storms, to date rather rarely, that interrupt the grace and shock the system. They are never pleasant but they are always reminders of how unwise it is to take precious things for granted.
And there is a great crew out there, with a great manual, who cut away the debris, do the reconnecting, and flip the switch. They take risks, endure unpleasant circumstances, and make renewal possible.
That would be you.
You are the linemen (linespeople?) who keep the Spirit flowing.
Because of the men and women of Florence Utilities we made our way to The Gathering with our clean selves. There we sang and prayed and lived into the power of God’s love that is always there but sometimes needs “conducting.”
And the tank got filled.
Because of the women and men who pray for us, remember us, feed us, and don’t give up on us we can make our way to the Promised Gathering with our clean selves. There we will sing and pray and live like we didn’t know life could be.
And the tank got filled.
Oh, and the power came back in time for The Cutie to dry her hair.
Love you children. Peace be with you.
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