nathan ingram unsung hero of person of interest. to me.

What physical part(s) of Arsay does her partners find the most attractive! Is it the same for all partners or does it differ between them?

(also optional bonus ask of what part(s) of/about Arsay generally do they love the most, physical or not!)

Meanwhile, if you were to ask the same of Arsay:

final leg of a journey to love thoughts!! (eps 35-40). this got so gd long so under a cut it goes. spoilers, of course:

PLOT STUFF/PACING

pacing for the plot definitely got shredded in the last chunk, which is a damn shame because otherwise i've been finding the pacing pretty much perfect. eps 35-37 in particular felt like they could have been like a 10 episode arc. ep 38, which mostly dealt with wu palace politics, should have been cut or streamlined imo and more time given to the characters we've actually been riding along with the whole story. by the time we get back to the pregnant empress, prince danyang, the first prince whose name i dont even remember, and the prime minister, i do not care about any of them and i think this subplot was simply just trying to fit too much shit into one bag

that said, this show still let the emotional moments hit and breathe and linger. i love the grief for the fallen liudao comrades as we go, as well as the less heavy but still emotionally important moments like yang ying and tongguan bonding over their upbringing. and we got a wedding /;3;/!!! for this show, the relationships and characters matter more than the storyline so im not mad about anything at all

side note: it's so gd millennial to have a story about a bunch of 30 something year olds who want to fake their deaths and retire into obscurity but instead they go and die for a boss they hate

CHARACTER STUFF

this show consistently brought a lot of depth to its side characters (and side side characters!!). i said it in an earlier post, but it bears repeating that even someone like deng hui i didnt expect anything from, but he got such good development and writing that he became a stealth fave. his dying words essentially being "dude, quit fucking around" ? iconic.

i didnt like tongguan as much as everyone else, so im pretty meh about everything regarding him. the attempt to force-wed ruyi was tonally really weird and didnt make sense (i assume there was some cuts made surrounding it). but LOL at him reusing all the outfits and decor immediately for his wedding to yang ying. baby duke, you tacky motherfucker. i ultimately think yang ying deserves better than him, but the good thing is that she knows this, so she'll be able to hold her own and then some entering into this partnership

shisan really was the heart in a lot of ways--the mom to yuanzhou's dad for the liudao. i was not expecting him to break my heart the way he did, but the fact that he held both qian zhao and sun lang as they died and then tried his best to remove yuan lu from harm and saved chu yue and was just very much a nurturer all the way through got me. his character couldve been cheap comic relief but the writing + performance really elevated him into one of the (imo) most memorable wuxia characters. his line wondering who would get to behead his beautiful skull!!! and how his mantra was always that he was going to drink the best wine, see the most beautiful women, and make the best of friends and he dies having lost the ability to see and having just had wine in memory of qian zhao, yuan lu, and sun lang. like. shut up!!

ruyi and yuanzhou were both so great and they're gonna be the drama OTP to beat forever. i loved the gender reversals, that they both were so respectful of each other, and that they also felt very mature in how they handled things and communicated. they were really interesting characters both together and apart and that's always a win-win. they had a schroedinger's ending where it's not super clear if they're alive or dead (i interpreted it as the latter), but what's kind of beautiful is that either option is satisfying to me. if they both died, they're reunited and with their comrades and the story is truly about the journey and the meaningful short connections we have. if they both survived, it's a bookend with the beginning where they each faked their deaths to escape. A+

COSTUMING

i gotta just separately mention the costuming for this show because it was 15/10. the textures, shisan's accessories, the way red became integrated with yuanzhou's wardrobe and blue with ruyi's. the details on the liudao name amulets!! SO GOOD. i love when characters' clothes tell a story on their own

overall i just really loved this drama it is probably my favorite wuxia ive seen so far! it's gonna be in my brain for awhile lol feel free to send fic prompts if you've made it this far :'D

Can I just say Wicked is THEE tragic lesbian romance of all time. Like, Glinda literally sings Elphaba's big solo with her??

Also I didn't realize how important Fiyero was going to be, so...they can have a throuple. If they like. (I fully believed he was going to either die, lose his memories/sense of self, or become completely irrelevant by the end of the story 😅) He was actually so dedicated to Elphaba, I did not see that coming! Also it's super interesting to me that it's implied he was undercover and lying the whole time he was with Dorothy? I'm honestly intrigued by how that played out. It's implied that he is primarily a man of action and doesn't really think things through, but there's also the possibility that he was somewhat deliberate in leading Glinda on to get the Captain position so that he could be at the forefront of the search for Elphaba.

(also. Very funny how The Captain = the only dude with a gun. Including the wizard. They would've all been fucked if anyone else could've shot him. Or at the very least he would've had to start murdering.)

But also personally I don't think he was Not Into Glinda. He just happened to become obsessed with someone else! If not for the Circumstances, they totally could've all three talked it out and made it work!

idk obviously the music is great, but I do feel like the plot and character development took a backseat, leaving the show with a rushed feeling. But also I am always hungry for plot and character development, so that could just be me.

But like idk I think there was some very real fear and maybe even hurt at the root of Glinda's need to be The Most Liked? Like, if you look at her behavior, she doesn't really seem to want anything with all that power, she's more scared of being without it. She doesn't feel like she'll be safe if everybody doesn't love her, which...doesn't happen for no reason, imo.

imma compress all my td2023 season two thoughts into one post, so spoilers below particularly for the final four/five episodes

Okay so, I can't be the only one who's super tired of Caleb by the end of the season, right? Like, no, I don't dislike him as a character necessarily, hell, we didn't have much to go off of for a GOOD while, and I'm certainly glad they actually gave him some substance. But like...really? Putting him in the FINALE? Extending his arc so long that it keeps PRIYA in until the final FOUR?? It just makes them both feel like they overstayed their welcome, especially when people like Damien, Zee and Raj got shafted in favour of their plotline, which was ultimately super exhausting compared to others. It also just felt a little...off, especially for Caleb's teammates in the finale basically being "Team Not Julia," that just felt...so sad. And not in a way that was really earned since he was super wishy-washy for the latter half of the game, especially after Damien was eliminated. Like girl how can you go from having nothing to having too much?? What is this, rags to riches? And just to get all of the kinda low points of the season IMO:

Damien was just straight up robbed, and his elimination left a bit of a bad taste in my mouth?? Like there ain't no way DAMIEN would be dumb enough and/or not paranoid enough to NOT take the idol with him to elimination, like, ON HIS PERSON. I don't care that it was hidden at the campfire, there is no way anyone with his personality, especially after saying he moves the damn thing like four times a day, would NOT KEEP IT ON HIM DURING THE CEREMONY!! That's just an unnecessary risk and it got him taken out. Also, Priya voting him out made DOUBLE no sense, like I get Wayne and Raj being sentimental and all but why would Priya vote him over someone else?? I'm still not over Zee's elimination either. Like, yeah, I get why, he spilled a bunch of tea about everybody, but did they just FORGET THE FIRST AND ARGUABLY MOST IMPORTANT BIT OF TEA??? THAT CALEB WAS FUCKING WITH PRIYA'S HEAD??? Why did they spare him of that? Caleb should've gotten more fucking consequences for not updating Zee on the development, especially when you made him PROMISE NOT TO SAY ANYTHING!!! However, there's a lot of good stuff too that I absolutely adored about the later episodes:

MK and Julia's farewell felt really fitting, even if I felt MK should've stayed over her, plus the hug??? the mutual respect??? Chef's commentary???? real. Raj and Wayne continue to be completely endearing, both with Raj's elimination and Wayne's obvious love and care for him even when he's not there. I mean FOR CRYING OUT LOUD, his worst fear at the time was having to compete AGAINST Raj instead of with him!!! How precious is that?? Plus the HUG????? RAJ'S FAREWELL?????? EVERYTHING ABOUT IT HAS ME SO GIDDY MAN!! "Bowie, get your dancing shoes!" me, being buried in a pile of the hearts swirling around my head and also just, Bowie in the finale being an icon, as usual, even if he isn't competing. His friendship with Wayne as a result of his relationship with Raj and how he's adapted to their ways of thinking is SO!!!!! GAH!!!!!! HE LEARNED THE HOCKEY TALK!!!!! IM WEAK!!!!!! And everyone on Wayne's team being so genuinely happy to support him, especially those I genuinely would not have expected to be there (Axel, Ripper, Chase) but when I think about it, it makes PERFECT sense, and I'm just,,, AGH!!!!! And while the final three and winner may not have been my first choices, I am ultimately pleased with the ending. Wayne winning makes up for the exhaustion of other plotlines in the season, and really, he played fair and square and won. Much as I wanted Julia to win, I'm glad he did.

now that ive actually seen all the episodes I'm gonna be,,, insane and reblog so much td stuff because obviously, so,, AND IF ANYONE WANTS TO ASK ME MORE QUESTIONS FEEL FREE!!! I WOULD LOVE TO TALK MORE IN DEPTH ABOUT MY THOUGHTS OF THE SEASON!!

Preliminary Poll

Guy Gardner

Submission reason:

The most recent comic to feature him and his main friend group “The Human Target by Tom King and Greg Smallwood” ignored literally 30 years of character development and regressed Guy Gardner beyond his lowest point personality wise. And after several issues of him being shoehorned into “asshole possessive macho man who doesn’t even listen to the one person who cares about him the way he cares about them” he gets killed by the one person (Tora Olafsdotter) who throughout both of their character histories has consistently cared about him and the author self insert (Christopher Chance) and then the two of them go upstairs to have sex while the pieces of Guy’s shattered body melt on the floor. All of this to serve a story with weak grasp on the characterizations of all the characters involved where Tora’s main motive for doing any of this is “she felt bad for accidentally poisoning Christopher Chance” and she ends up taking part in the murder of one of the five most important people in her life because of it… Also this book had Guy surrender his Green Lantern Ring because “Hal Jordan is the only thing he’s afraid of” which just isn’t true. One of the most notable times Hal has tried to take Guy’s ring from him ended up with them having a fist fight over it.

Propaganda:

Guy is a complicated character whose writing history gets more complicated by the fact that he’s had personality altering brain damage that gets taken as something to make jokes about by the people who write him often. But now that it’s no longer the 80s he’s usually written as someone who had to do a lot of work to make himself a better person. He still struggles with anger sometimes and he’s still the guy most likely to make a suggestive comment in most rooms. And he definitely still has a very complicated relationship with Tora which often leads to him putting his foot in his mouth. But he tries damnit.

I’m currently on episode 93 in my C2 rewatch and I absolutely love Jester tricking Isharnai but I think that moment being so amazing overshadows some absolutely fantastic character moments from the other 3 ladies of the M9. You’ve got Veth who wants to be herself again so badly that she’s willing to restart a war the M9 has spent a lot of time and effort trying to find a way to stop. It’s such a selfish thing for her to do and would have ruined the lives of so many innocent people but it shows just how much Isharnai and the goblins actually messed her up.

Then we have Beau, the abused child who had to face her abuser again to help a friend the episode before and did it, but had to watch him gaslight her and her friends, get no support or even any real acknowledgment of how they wronged her from her mother or father, was introduced to the child they really wanted all along and despite herself couldn’t help but love him. I don’t think anyone in the M9 truly realized how much returning home messed up Beau and so they were surprised a few days later when she walked into the home of a hag and offered to give up everything and everyone she loves because Luc needs his mother. Beau, who is an asshole most of the time and acts like she doesn’t care a lot of the time, willingly offered to give up everything good in her life for someone else and that is such an important character moment for Beau. The Beau from episode 1 would have never done that. It’s an incredibly selfless act but it’s also proof that Beau believes she’s not worthy of the good things she has and that there must be something wrong with her for her parents to treat her the way they have and for the Cobalt Soul, the organization meant to root out corruption, to accept a bribe to kidnap her. Episode 92 and 93 are why Zeenoth and her father being punished for what they did to her came as such a surprise to Beau.

Lastly, we have Yasha, the woman who has been mourning her wife and best friend for most of the campaign and nearly killed Beau a few episodes before while under Obann’s control, realize what Beau offered the hag and immediately walked in an offered to give up her collection of flowers for Zuala and what she has left from Molly so Beau doesn’t have to make her deal. Yasha would have never done that before Obann and imo it’s a big clue how her feelings have developed for Beau. She willing to give up the way she honors and mourns her first love to keep from losing the woman she’s falling in love with.

This whole episode is amazing in so many ways and is one of my favorite episodes not named The Cathedral.

Hi! I am glad that someone is interested in my posts! I think it would be more comfortable to respond to your reblog this way, if you don't mind, of course.

- On the lack of a first name

I agree, this was most likely the original plan, but it seems to me that by the end of the season the authors decided to make a completely black-and-white morality, so they had to dehumanize Meridian, and revealing the name and the emotional scene between him and Alex would not help this new idea. I don't blame it on the need to develop the plot quickly, because literally one or two lines of dialogue would fix it. So it was the authors who probably decided to go this way.

-The circumstances around him losing his arm

I understand this, and what surprises me is that there was not a single flashback or further details about this fateful event in the character's life. For example, at the GHOST base, in addition to working for Croft, he was looking for a cure for himself. The viewer could be shown some kind of screen with X-rays or diagrams in the background, where we could see some additional structures that were added by Arachnamechs. That would be an interesting little detail.

-The deal with him and Croft

Yes! I really like the way Meridian worked at these moments, his emotions and attitude towards Croft are obvious, as is her attitude towards him. My problem is that it looks like a puzzle with about 1/5 of the pieces missing. We understand what kind of picture should be in front of us, but the key point is missing. Meridian has been drafted and is supposed to hate the entire organization, not just Croft, but he's not trying to destroy the GHOST or kill other employees. Croft treats him not just as an employee who needs to be exploited to the last, until there is no replacement, as the head of a large villainous organization would behave. No, she does not feel such a level of inner hostility and does not show it towards other employees, only towards Meridian. I got the impression that there must have been a personal conflict between them, some specific event or series of events that made them hate each other. But here either the authors did not want to delve into this additional plot, or they did not come up with a reason.

I'm always up for chatting about Mandroid and other aspects of ES! It's actually quite nice to be able to actually discuss Mandroid's character deeper since IMO there's a lot to talk about.

The thing that gets me is that in the show's Production Bible, Mandroid's character description outright refers to him as a tragic villain. It's like the writers were afraid to actually explore this concept fully since that would go against the show's obsession with making humans that hate Cybertronians automatically terrible people.

There really needs to be a Battle of the Bay flashback not just for Mandroid, but so many other characters as well. Dot lost her leg in that conflict and it's when Megatron switched sides. But nope, the show was too busy bludgeoning the audience with the whole importance of family thing.

The thing about Mandroid is that from what's been shown he only goes after humans if they interfere with his plans (the Maltos) or in Croft's case, treat him like garbage. I see some fan content where it has him going after random humans when he just wouldn't do that. His main concern is Transformers not people.

I've made a post about this before, but IMO Mandroid and Croft are good foils to each other. If Mandroid is fire then Croft is ice. Croft is a very frigid person in general going by her interactions with Schloder and when she tries to arrest Dot and Alex. As ridiculous as her master plan of conquering Cybertron is, it does fit in nicely with her control freak tendencies. I mean, she has a personal army of mindless robots while Mandroid went out of his way to give the Arachnamechs personality. I have this headcanon where the two just instantly disliked each other upon first meeting.

Hi. Can you tell us how do you believe byler will happen in s5 in the most realistic way? How the love triangle will be resolved?

Hi :) I usually hesitate to make specific s5 predictions because I have a feeling it will be different from what any of us expect so I don’t want to pretend I’ve got all the answers. That being said:

These are my general thoughts/predictions going into season 5:

First, I think it’s likely El will spend a lot of time bonding with Lucas (because of Max–didn’t Caleb allude to this already?), and probably Hopper too. I think she’s really going to come into her independence and realise Mike’s ‘love’ isn’t doing anything except holding her back. We see throughout the series that her character develops when she is not with Mike and stagnates/regresses when they are dating. With her parental figure returned to protect and support her, and newfound determination to achieve her goal i.e. save her best friend (something Mike’s ‘love’ couldn’t help her do), she really has like…not much need for him? I think El got what she thought she wanted (Mike’s confession), only to find it wasn’t what she really needed (it didn’t help her win in the end), and she’s going to be processing this come s5.

I think Mike will recognise that El is pulling away and direct his attention to the person who actually does need him: Will. We already see the beginnings of this in ‘2 days later’: El isolates herself in her old room, clearly not happy, and Mike chooses to comfort Will instead of going to her. Same pattern as in the final shot: El walks away from Mike, alone, and he stays by Will’s side.

Mike and Will are likely going to spend a large chunk of the season together. This has been foreshadowed (‘We have to kill him’/‘We will’, them paired in the final shot). Will is probably going to find himself in danger early on (he’s the supernatural focus of the season and it’s confirmed they are jumping straight into the action), which will bring the return of s2 Mike in full force.

I think we will get a lot of romantic tension, and references to their history to remind the audience how special their relationship really is. And most crucially: the gradual unveiling of what’s really going on in Mike’s head—probably while he himself is coming to terms with all of it—so the audience can begin to piece together why he’s changed so much since s3. I’m not sure how they will do this (more explicit pining? Vecna? Mike confiding in someone else?) but it’s really important otherwise Will is going to look like a second choice.

Thinking about the break up, mid-season is most likely to me because I just don’t believe Mike or El are quite there yet in their arcs for an early season split. Imo, Mike still needs to process that his ‘feelings’ for El are rooted in attachment/codependency (though I do think on some level he is aware that he’s not actually in love, which is why he did everything in his power to avoid the word—friends don’t lie), which will naturally happen when he starts to accept that how he feels for Will is what love is supposed to feel like. El also needs time to fully understand that she’s better off without their ‘romance’. The time-skip is a mystery to me, but I think Mlvn have to break up before it happens. (If their relationship makes it another two years and then Byler happens, Will is again going to look like a second choice and no-one is going to buy it).

As for how the break up would actually go down, I can’t be sure but I hope it will be amicable and light-hearted (maybe even a bit funny like an ‘I dump your ass’ callback as I think El is most likely to initiate), just one of those things that feels inevitable when it happens as they’ve both been spending time apart and prioritising other people and realising they’re actually happier that way. That would make sense if everything I have said up to this point is how it happens. Of course it could be more dramatic, but I think either way it will be emotional and end with them hugging it out.

After that…I don’t think we have enough to go off for any solid theory. But what I personally believe is that there will be a very dramatic confession scene for Mike and Will. I’m talking like Max’s running up that hill scene level of drama. Flashbacks and everything. I just think there will have been way too much build up and if they’re going to go for Byler, they really need to commit to it. I think it’s going to be one of them trying to save the other's life.

I obviously do think they will have quieter moments after though—maybe this is when they kiss. And I truly don’t believe El is going to be heartbroken over Mike and Will. I think by the time anything happens between them, El will have come to terms with how incompatible her and Mike were. I am of the belief that El likes the idea of Mike more than she actually likes/wants Mike. I don’t think she will struggle to move on once she realises this. Honestly I kind of hope the three of them can laugh about it in the end because that would be so healing to see.

That’s how I see it generally, but like I said I leave room for myself to be proven wrong and I’m always open to different interpretations (especially about Mike). Also, I don’t really see it as a love triangle? I mean it is one, in the technical sense. But I think that implies Mike is going to be ‘choosing’ between Will and El, and I really don’t think that’s the story here. I think for Mike it’s a story of realising it’s okay to be who you are (in a general sense and about his sexuality), and with that comes accepting who the right person for you actually is. Hope this answers your question!

idk what ppls problem is with steven's development in future when imo it is a pretty realistic progression for a kind and sweet child who faced Intense Trauma to turn violent and lash out and be afraid and angry and aggressive and spiteful. And also he's sixteen. yknow. a teenager.

like idk maybe its just because I experienced it like that and some of those scenes w him hit really hard but i really liked the way they took his character. trauma, especially to that degree, does not and will not make you a well-adjusted and non-destructive person, whether toward yourself or others (which in his case it was both). it is with the help of others we can learn to cope. its why having a support system is so important

the scene that hit me the most was the scene with white where he imagines shattering her - as someone who has had thoughts like that toward someone who abused me in the past but is making an effort to be better now, it like. Really caught me off gguard but in a good way. in a way that i felt seen. and that's why i feel like the way they did things was so important: it's important to showcase that trauma responses are not always crying and running away or hiding. they can be lashing out, they can be full of hate and anger and the Want to hurt people like they hurt you. And that doesn't make you a monster, even if you feel like you are one.

IDK im rambling now and none of this makes any sense probably i just dont get what the big problem is with future i think it was great

also can ii say the part at the end where all the gems who contributed to steven's trauma directly were crying and making it about them. I literally said "Okay stop making it about you then!" while waatching w my bf and then connie comes along and says exactly what i was thinking. Thank you connie for being normal

Will we see more Lily and Sirius moments in Falls the Shadow? Would love some more headcanons on their relationship🤗

Yesss actually their friendship is quite a big focus from chapter 9 onwards. They don't even know it yet but they're about to be besties. Here's a little excerpt:

Sirius sighs, tossing the book back down onto the table. “Yeah, you’re probably right. You sound like Prongs.” “Prongs…” Lily repeats thoughtfully. “What does that even mean, anyway— why do you lot call him that?” “He likes forks,” Sirius says without missing a beat. “Forks?” Lily says, laughing. “Yeah, right— what about… Padfoot, then?” “I’m dead stealthy.” She snorts. “And, er— Wormtail?” “Someone’s been paying attention,” Sirius says, playing for time while he thinks of a good explanation. “Don’t change the subject.” “He tried to grow a moustache in fifth year,” Sirius says, grinning at her. “And that’s what it looked like.” “It looked like a worm’s tail?” “Yeah, like half a worm. The arse of the worm, if you will.” Lily shakes her head in exasperation. “You’re lucky you’re so good at lying.”

Anyway headcanons (also just what I'm developing in my fic)

So something Lily really ends up liking about Sirius is how brutally honest he is about pureblood society. James is somewhat sheltered from this imo, his parents are progressives and they're new money, they're not really part of ~pureblood society~ the way the Blacks are. So honestly although James obv has some idea he doesn't really know, intimately, what those sorts of people are like the way Sirius does. And Sirius doesn't try and protect Lily from this, he just tells her:

“...anyway, look, I know these old pureblood families, I know how they work, better than James does— play their little games all you like, they’ll never accept you, never.” Lily looks back at him, resolute. “I know. But thanks for being honest with me about it.”

moving on:

Another thing they share is a sense of humour and a sort of reckless, anti-authoritarian streak. Yes, James has this too, but I see him deep down as being somewhat more thoughtful and circumspect. James has had an incredibly privileged life; on the face of it you'd say Sirius has too, except that his parents were the scum of the earth lol and he was disowned by them. On some level, Sirius can understand Lily better because he knows EXACTLY, intimately, what she's up against in the wizarding world.

Sirius also greatly appreciates intelligence and basically as soon as he starts giving Lily a chance he immediately recognises that she has it in spades. He likes having intellectual equals, that's what drew him to James in the first place and it's also a draw towards Lily. She can match him dig for dig, razor wit for razor wit. Even when they're in disagreement about something it's fun for him, and that's important to Sirius.

In order for Lily to have written Sirius a letter like the one she did, they had to be really close imo. And I believe he loved her deeply, and she him. They become really good friends in seventh year and it only grows from there. Lily really admires the fact that he turned his back on all the beliefs that he was taught as a child. Sirius, for his part, admires someone who is brave enough to stand up to what he fully knows is extremely dangerous and pernicious in wizarding society.

it's mutual respect baby. obv in my fic they also bond over: not really giving a toss about Quidditch but only caring because of James, and of course their shared vendetta against Professor Buttercrambe, which James is a bit more cautious about. Despite their initial misgivings/hostility they both deem each other more than worthy of being the most important people in James's life.

Anyway that's what I've got off the top of my head but I love their friendship so much and I have a lot of fun writing them together. So expect lots of sirius+lily interactions in short order!

Rain when you're writing a longer fic or a slow burn, how do you write in the other characters life when the love interest isn't there? I did I plotline, based of what happens in each episode in the series but I always fall short on what the main character is doing or supposed to be doing 🤣 like I want to establish friendships as well outside of the love interest to give the story more depth.

putting under a cut to spare the dashes! :)

so i’m assuming you’re talking about like in a fic when the mc/reader is interacting with someone other than the LI or when the LI is interacting with someone who’s not the mc/reader, right? in that case, here’s a couple of things to keep in mind:

a lot of a relationship’s development actually happens outside of the main two ppl directly interacting with each other, right? like think about when ppl joke about a guy texting a girl, and he’s texting all her girlfriends too cause they’re all dissecting his texts and brainstorming how to text back — but it’s literally how people interact!!!

make sure that you’re writing about the characters as much as you’re writing about the relationship the characters are in/gonna be in — if the character is flat, then no one will care about if they’re in a relationship or not, right? we’re out here yodeling about fictional ppl being in fictional relationships bc we have their OTHER fictional non-romantic relationships to give us context on who they are as people/characters — how zoro interacts with sanji and nami and luffy are all very different, but they all give us insight into who he is around different types of people. and from there, you can piece out how he would be around mc/reader, depending on the kind of person she is. the reverse is also tru — how mc/reader interacts with the other canon characters will give us (the ACTUAL readers) clues into her personality, etc

sometimes, you need the comedic relief — sometimes, you need the peanut gallery! sometimes, you want the fucking ppl in the background muttering to each other about these two idiots in love who REFUSE to acknowledge their own feelings so that the audience can feel vindicated in their own !!!!!!! that mc/reader and the LI are indeed idiots!!!! right like the other characters can act as kind of like the “chorus” in a greek/roman play who echo the audience, and those interactions are super important too!

friendships are just as if not MORE important than the romantic relationship!

in the same vein, enemies/coworkers/acquaintances/teachers/etc etc etc anyone who might inhabit the world around the main character(s) orbit is and can be interesting to the story if you allow them to be. you can get some really good supporting cast in there and they might actually start to steal the show LOL (death before decaf is a good example of the ensemble cast going a bit nuts imo LOL — i had a lot of fun with that one and i think most of the length actually came from me having fun trying to picture how the op cast would fit into a college campus au)

have fun with it!!!!! it’s not that srs!!! <3

parting thoughts on watashi no oshi wa akuyaku reijou

FUCKING DELIGHTFUL well. for the most part

i will say it clearly has its strengths and weaknesses, or at least aspects i enjoyed more and aspects i enjoyed less. whenever the focus is actually on claire and rae = brilliant, flawless, hilarious, adorable, more of this please forever and always

the middle arc was just not that compelling to me. i do think it was necessary, as it clearly was part of the plot of the game, but it just wasn't executed in a terribly interesting way to me? i guess the issue is it failed to get me invested in the side characters, so even if they drop a sister fucking bomb it's sorta like well who give a shit

like the political intrigue was not that intriguing. is the thing. but it also wasn't the worst thing ever, it was just meh in an otherwise very enjoyable series

i liked the manaria arc a lot more because even with a new character 'in the way' the focus was still very much on claire and rae and the development of their relationship

though! one thing that iirc happened in that middle arc that really surprised me, in a good way, is claire is shown to be in some ways... very not great? like it's possible i'm giving the writing too much credit here, but the moments when claire is overtly racist and/or classist are very grimace-worthy and imo very important to have

because it reminds you that, yeah, she is literally supposed to be a villainess. and while we can hope to see her learn and grow in rae's company, it makes sense that she wouldn't be some perfect angel, or even necessarily a good person, to start with

anyway the confession was cute and the finale was a very solid ep imo, but i do feel like the confession could've been even stronger. the most compelling part of rae's feelings and character arc to me is her insistence that she's happy as long as claire's happy, even if that means seeing claire with someone else

and while i do believe that rae genuinely believed that, it was an important part of her development to realize she's not actually okay with that. so i sort of wish that had been more a part of the confession, like a declaration to claire of "this is what i thought i would be okay with and i am very Not okay with that"

i don't think it was necessary to make that explicit to claire's face, since rae did have that revelation herself, but selfishly i would've rather seen more of an emphasis on it since it was my favorite part lol

with that cliffhanger i do wonder if we'll get an s2... but even s1 alone was pretty damn satisfying, and when it's funny it's so funny

Hiii 👋 I just wanted to say I’ve been a fan of your blog since the good ole Downton Days and I’m so chuffed you’re a ACGAS fan too! Tbf right now the fandom is super down in the dumps (me included). How are you remaining so positive since Audrey x Gerald development in the Christmas Special?

Hi Anon! Thanks for your message, and happy holidays! So nice to hear from our old Downton Abbey crew again, I think a lot of us migrated here.

To be honest, there are a few reasons I’m not worried. (Sorry, it’s long).

1) Because I honestly love Siegfried and Audrey as friends and surrogate family. Their bond is special and beautiful, whether or not it ever becomes romantic. (Although I hope it does). They are life partners, involved in all the most important parts of each other’s lives. They have coparented Tristan (and James and Jess), they’re each other’s confidant and source of comfort. That’s special in and of itself.

2) Because I actually think they’re playing the (really, really) long game with them. I could be wrong, but that seems to be what the writers are doing. It seems quite intentional. 3 years on screen together may seem a while for some, and I suppose she’s been his housekeeper for around 7 years so it feels like ages. But imo, the best slow burns imo are the ones where you’re never quite sure if they will or won’t. It’s the little crumbs they leave scattered here and there, it’s the longing looks and angsty build up that makes it so delicious tbh. I just hope they get renewed for enough seasons to see it through. (Plus I am a Carson & Mrs Hughes fan, so 3 seasons doesn’t feel that long! Lol)

3) And lastly, because I don’t actually think they’re ready to be together yet. They’re still in the process of getting there.

Siegfried has probably had to longest way to go, in terms of being emotionally ready to realise, admit and accept that he has feelings for his housekeeper. In Season 1, he opened himself up to intimacy and the possibility of love again. He did that with Dorothy and then Diana, (although who knows why she’s been such a non-entity this last season. Maybe the actress wasn’t available?) And now, at the end of S3, he literally just resolved one of his biggest character arcs - his complex relationship and feelings for Tristan (and even then, only with a lot of encouragement and support from Audrey). He’s emotionally levelled up.

Now, I think it’s Audrey’s turn. Gerald befriending her/ pursuing her has allowed her to imagine she could be with someone again, after leaving her husband. It helps her relationship with Edward is also on the mend, since that’s been a source of so much guilt and pain for her. As for her feelings toward Gerald, they do seem to have deepened somewhat suddenly. I know some people said it felt very out of blue considering she had friendzoned him. But maybe she liked him all along and simply didn’t feel she could be more than friends, much as she wanted to. Or maybe it was brought on by the war, and him moving away. Either way, I think he’s a good man, simple and uncomplicated, which is just what she needs as she’s testing the waters of romance again. I think he’s also serving as a catalyst for Siegfried to realise the depth of his feelings for Audrey, which is v exciting imo.

Siegfried is also a good man, but things with him are as ever, more complicated. Their status as employer and employee, and long time friends also raises the stakes a lot more. Considering she’s a lot more self-aware, I think Mrs Hall knows she might have certain feelings for Siegfried (seemed a bit disapproving / jealous of his relationships) but I don’t think she has considered it could go anywhere. I feel that this budding relationship with Gerald will be pivotal in a shift between them. It might motivate her to get her divorce from Mr Hall, and resolve that source of pain from her past, too.

TL;DR All that said, I think they’re getting where to need to be, and I think we should enjoy the journey. It’ll be all the more sweet if and when it happens.

there's so much to say about this conversation between furina & neuvillette in 4.2 and i think a lot of people try to use this line in particular to push them as a ship ( which is fine, you do you ), but personally? not how i feel about them at all and i want to take this in another direction for a minute. i don't think furina is implying anything about neuvillette here ( whether it's as a deflection or not ) and is in fact kinda insinuating the exact opposite lmao, but more on that in a moment. imo, she's not necessarily talking about "watching" her in a lurid or sexually charged way, she is talking about the act of being looked at. over five hundred years of pseudo-godhood, furina has literally made herself to be looked at — there are certainly sexual implications you could take from this more generally, especially with the marilyn monroe influences in her character, although i won't really be talking about this here, i feel like that is a topic all of its own — by others. she is the leading lady of fontaine, she must be centre stage, she must draw the audience's gaze and she must keep up the facade. i think, when this line is paired with this one from her SQ, too, it makes more sense in context~

in turning herself into something ( i say something instead of someone, because she doesn't really have a personhood and that is her greatest problem going forward following the AQ ) to be gazed at and marvelled at, she has also turned that gaze into her ultimate fear. she knows that people must look in order to believe in her apparent divinity but, as i've talked about before, furina is acutely aware of how fragile that facade still is and is obsessed with controlling how others perceive her, even all these centuries later, especially in the wake of the impending prophecy that she seemingly cannot stop. she cannot get close to people, she cannot allow people in, she cannot develop any meaningful relationships out of fear that the role of the divine starlet on high will shatter. as she says~

plenty is made in her character stories of how difficult she is to work with in a professional capacity as an actress over the years lmao, but there is one exception to this: neuvillette. she has had no choice but to work with him for four hundred years and, while i don't doubt that she is still a complete nuisance to work with at times ( thank you for your service, neuvillette ), the two of them still made it work. there's no way that furina could have worked alongside neuvillette for that long and not given him a glimpse behind the curtain — as he points out in the line before hers in the AQ, he knows that she has never been as superficial as she claims to be. but the point that i think furina is getting at here is that neuvillette has never weaponised that knowledge of her character against her like he does here. neuvillette knows her better than anyone ever could, he never needed to look or marvel at her from a safe distance as regular fontainians did, he would express a certain amount of impatience and tut at her i'm sure but — and this is the important thing — would still quietly fall back into their routine of running fontaine together. i think furina found a great deal of comfort in that relationship, as close to an equal partnership as she was capable of having. convincing him that she was focalors was a very different task to convincing fontaine that she was focalors ( given that he is the hydro sovereign ), and yet he had never verbally expressed any doubt to her until this moment — which is also why i think she becomes so defensive to him afterwards.

and as a small sidenote, i also just find it oddly poetic that the one character who was never that preoccupied with looking at her over all those years as everyone else was, is the one most glad to see furina's return to the stage in her SQ ( where, as we know, she receives her vision ).

OPINIOMS ON GRANBY…..?????

Jesus Christ three of yall messaged me about Granby why does everyone want opinions on him specifically First impression: It feels so long ago but i started the first book like less than a month ago bwahhhhhhh. At first I had mixed opinions on him. I thought he was going to be like Dayes (so cringe), and my opinion of him really didn't change that much until like, he obviously started not being a dick lol lmao. I honestly really like his character arc in the first book specifically because like. Mans got the courage to be like "Fuck im sorry for being rude and uncouth but I *cannot* let things continue this way" and honestly thats a really cool and chill moment. Like i love long and drawn out sentences (i love Jane Austen i love Jane Austen) but also i really like it when a character is real blunt and just doesn't drag it out. That also especially took guts because the last time that he did something like that Laurence threatened to get him in trouble for insubordination (very smooth Laurence)

Second Impression: Thats right baby Granby gets three impressions because hes that cool. This is Granby precisely from the beginning of Throne of Jade to *right* before he gets Iskierka. Just absolutely most badass guy imo. Super reliable. Best friends with Laurence, super competent. This is Granby at his best and treated with the most respect, and I think Novik had to give him Iskierka to nerf him.

Impression now: I feel so fucking bad for Granby. My severe dislike for Iskierka is not really hidden but she has dragged my poor Glorbo through the mud. When I think of Granby now i just think of that cat that had its face in milk and looks miserable and sad. Like goddamn what did they do to you. Hes still a really strong and awesome character, and it was AWESOME seeing him storm up to Poole in LoD; but he gets so much horrible stuff just tossed on him because Iskierka is a petulant child. Genuine princess behavior, hes a tired king.

Favorite moment: Its a tie between him telling Iskierka to fuck off and listen to him for once, and him in a blistering rage and storming up to Poole. Like you cannot understand how much i love those moments. Just Granby finally putting his foot down and going "No. I will not deal with this bullshit any longer, there are going to be consequences now." Of course that doesn't really go anywhere in LoD because Laurence is also a fucking badass, but meh. The heart was there, man was about to commit civil war in the Aviator Corp just for his friend. I really appreciate that <3 But also on the other hand I REALLY like him standing up to Iskierka in Crucible of Gold because HOLY SHIT she was so insanely disrespectful to him. Like I don't *care* that she is 'his dragon', it was like borderline homophobia in my eyes and the fact that it came from someone so close to him and the entire point of his service in the corp just broke my heart. So i'm glad that he put his foot down for once and made her listen to him. Setting boundaries is really important, and I think that he set them quite well.

Idea for a story: Any of them where he gets a better dragon than Iskierka. JKJKJKKJKJKJKJK Nah but fr i think my only real story idea with Granby would be to explore all of the things that he was doing when he wasn't with Laurence. His constant Struggles with Iskierka and having to deal with being friends with someone that committed treason for a cause he believed in. Most importantly how he developed and maintained any sort of relationship with Little. I dont have anything super unique unfortunately, its hard for me to do something that would be in character without getting rid of the things that make his character, if that makes sense?

Unpopular opinion: Hmmmmmmm well I haven't been around the fandom long enough to really see what is and isn't popular opinion with the blorbo, but i think that my most controversial statement about Granby is that I don't find him that amusing. I love and adore him and i think hes great but he is very sincere in my eyes and that leaves very little in the way of him actually being funny. I think there are only a couple of moments where I think hes funny/in a funny situation. But oh well.

Favorite relationship: Finding any non platonic relationship in Temeraire is so hard for me. I want to say my favorite relationship is him and little, but also i dont care about little that much. I think hes cute! But i was given very little to work with in the books in the way of *their* relationship other than that they have fucked. And like, idk. I think my favorite relationship in general though, is probably him with Iskierka, funnily enough. I think it shows the best of both characters whenever its done right, and I think it really let Granby Be His Own Character. Like everyone in the Corp wants a dragon. Duh. But when Granby gets his, she's a nightmare! He has to go through this long and twisting road where he is afraid to take too wrong of a step because Iskierka, and because hes friends with Laurence(traitor adjacent), and because hes always wanted dragon and hes afraid to fuck it up and etc etc etc. And he kinda has to learn to stand up for himself and others in a way that he probably hasn't had to before. Its not really a path that the other Aviators get to take, they just become background characters after they get their dragon. I mean even Ferris just drops off the face of the earth when he gets his Prussian.

And Iskierka is great because despite how horrible she acts she really does care for him, im not blind to that. But her path in their relationship is that she has to learn to stop being so overbearing, so crazy, so difficult to work with. She has to understand that she is not infallible, and that the things that hurt her are not the same as the things that hurt other dragons, and that realization comes at a pretty horrible time in her life. She has to grow up, which while we see other dragons grow up in this series (like mentally i mean), i dont think that theres ever so stark a comparison as with her.

Idk if that makes sense, but I like their relationship the most out of Granby's relationships because its the most unique for both characters, imo.