Told you guys I’d ramble in due time.

I absolutely adore Bravely Default 2. It came at a really bad time cos I can’t waste 70 hours on a jrpg, but well, it’s too late to be concerned about that now. And as is tradition with me obsessing over a new game / show / whatever, you’ll basically find a fullblown review disguised as ramblings right under the cut. Be aware that I’m gonna talk about EVERYTHING, so spoilers are a given. Some maybe even for the previous Bravely Default games.

Also, if you wanna talk about this game in any capacity, hit me up, I’m DESPERATE to talk more about it.

Just for reference on how long this is gonna be, I made a voice recording while driving to remember all the points I wanna make, and that recording is almost 2 hours long. I did cut it down but still, this is gonna be a lot.

I’ll start off with the things that actually bugged me about the game, since there are only 3 things that really bothered me. First of, I really don’t like that you can name Seth. He has too much personality to be a self insert and player integration is not that big of a part in the game that this decision can be justified. It wouldn’t bother me that much if it didn’t leave a bad mark on the ending. First of all, we were robbed of Gloria desperately shouting for Seth, which makes the impact work less, and it’s just so prevalent that the name can’t be said because you have all the normal sound design going. If they’d just let the credits still play I wouldn’t have batted an eye, but because every other sound comes in it’s so obvious they’re just silently shouting in this scene, which makes it look silly. Like I said, this decision is more a detriment than an addition, and it’s a shame it casts a shadow on an otherwise heartfelt ending.

Speaking about lost potential, the other thing that really bothers me is the lost potential in certain plot points and character conclusions. I mainly mean Adam and Edna here. Both of them have been built up to be these formidable foes but they just, die. If it was just Adam I’d be fine with it, since you expect Edna to backstab him and be the actual big bad of the story, but I cannot fathom why they dropped Edna this HARD. If not Edna herself, I don’t understand why we don’t get more of a reaction from the Fairies and especially Adelle. I mean, Edna was her sole reason she left for her journey in the first place, then Edna dies and that’s it? No part where she grieves for a second? No concern from the others about Adelle? Mind you, I haven’t finished all the Sidequests, so maybe there actually is one in which this is addressed, but I think even just a Party Chat after Bad End 1 would have been sufficient to show how Adelle suddenly feels about the loss of Edna. It would have made Bad End 2 / The Secret Ending even more impactful, because, yeah, of course, you kinda know Adelle isn’t going to turn her back on fairy kind, but one of the reasons she doesn’t leave is because if Enda didn’t get a happy ending, then she shouldn’t either. It would have been amazing foreshadowing if she showed this sentiment before this scene happened. Other than that, it’s a shame that we know so little about Edna, or rather, how she became “bad”. I get she’s supposed to be corrupted by the Night’s Nexus, but how did it even come to this? It can’t have been a gradual thing, after all, Adelle says Edna was always good natured and then just disappeared one day. Really would have loved seeing more of that plot point.

Ok, last gripe I have, some choices in the soundtrack and sound design. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love the OST, and I will get to that, but damn, whatever Revo used for the lead instrument in Wiswald hurts my ears. It’s a really good track, but I always have to turn down my volume because these high pitched sounds physically hurt. And for sound design. Dude, the Night’s Nexus is the least threatening, nightmare fueled abomination that ever existed. I get that its growl is kinda supposed to be layered with Edna’s or sth, but it, it just sounds silly. If they went the route of just swinging between different voices or began distorting it from phase to phase, it would have been fine. But the choice they made really made an otherwise creepy design just absolutely silly.

Ok, enough jammering, on to the good stuff. Like I said, there’s going to be a lot, so I’ll try to be brief in each aspect.

Gameplay

I honestly like the new battle mechanics more than the old ones. This individual, turn based system feels way more dynamic and it’s easier to strategies in battles. Because nothing made me more angry than setting up for a heal and the enemy suddenly being faster than me and killing my healer. Now it’s easier to plan ahead a bit.

I also found myself experimenting more with the jobs. Not sure what it really is, but none of the party members leaning more towards certain types of jobs and the job leveling being way faster probably helped.

And I know some people get up in arms because the boss sometimes can be a real pain in the ass (looking at you pope dude), I still found it very interesting getting around counters or even using these counters as a benefit. As an example, I made Adelle my main physical fighter and gave her lots of counter abilities to help her profit from being countered by enemies themselves. Now, she can attack enemies, get countered, automatically evade that counter and earn a BP at the same time. Made a lot of boss fights way easier and fun to exploit.

Music

Ok, I will try my best to be really, really brief, because in my recording this part takes up almost 40 minutes. Anyways, Revo might have just become one of my absolute favorite composers ever. I don’t know what kind of magic he used, but I initially wasn’t that impressed with the OST, but every time I listened to it, I just fell in love harder and harder. Before getting into specifics, I wanna highlight the two things that made me love this OST overall. First of all, this soundtrack almost seems like a refinement of BD’s. While losing some of that fairytale vibe, it sounds even more fantasy now. And in contrast to the original, this almost sounds more balanced? Like, BD’s OST felt high energy throughout, BD2’s on the other hand manages to find a good balance between high and low energy pieces. Like, the character themes or battle themes are absolute hype, but the overworld themes are a lot calmer and easier to listen to while exploring. Second big point that makes this soundtrack amazing is that Revo is an absolute god at using emotional progression/storytelling and leitmotifs in his songs. And heck, do I love myself my leitmotifs. You’ve got some obvious ones, like the final battle theme in which all the character themes and other leitmotifs are integrated. Then you got some maybe more subtle once, just like how the overworld themes are just the main theme, just a lot calmer and using the lead instruments of the towns of the areas.

But my absolute favourites gotta be the character themes and the main theme. I love how fitting the themes for the characters are and in general, each of them is such a bop. At first I prefered Elvis’, because I sure am a sucker for jazzy vibes, but over time Adelle’s became my fav. It’s just something about the trumpets, and how the theme almost sounds a bit melancholic and bittersweet, that drew me in. And considering her story, mostly her bad end, that the bittersweet tone really fits.

Then there’s the main theme. Just like BD’s it shouts “triumphant anthem” and it definitely gives you a very familiar vibe, but I’d argue it has even better emotional progression. Heck, the first time I heard the music start up in the reveal trailer, I didn’t have to look at the screen to know this is gonna be a BD game. Also, the credit song version had me weeping at the true end. I’m someone who’s very easily affected by music (if me shouting about soundtracks on this blog wasn’t proof enough) and just hearing that ending song, getting the after credits scene, just for the second credits to start as a freaking duet. Dude, at that point I just started sobbing, I’m not gonna lie. Just this little part showed how much Revo knows how to put emotion in a song and also write it in such a way that he can elicit strong, emotional reactions from you too. 

Story

People have been complaining how the story is too boring and kinda disappointing in comparison to the last one, but I just think the games tried to accomplish different things here. Since the BD series is a celebration of old, classic jrpgs, “cliche” storytelling is a given. Though, BD did throw a lot of meta stuff in there too. BD2 in contrast just feels like a direct execution of that initial idea. It feels familiar, it feels comfy and it feels safe. Except for the little things with the endings and then overwriting the Nexus’ “save file”, BD2 doesn’t really get that meta, which is totally fine. It doesn’t try to reinvent or innovate anything, it just wants to be a fantasy story, that might be cliche, but still fun and enjoyable in its own right.

I’d also argue that the pacing is a lot better than the old game, because with BD I sometimes found myself skipping through scenes to get on with the story. Not that this game didn’t have me rushing through stuff as well, but I found it kept my intrigue way better than the original.

Characters

Next to the music, this is the part that I absolutely love the most. While, yes, they did lose a lot of potential with some characters, mostly with the villains, the main cast is just so much fun. I love these 4 dorks so, so much.

I honestly can’t stand how much people compare them to the original cast. Yes, ofc, I’ve been doing my fair share of comparisons too, but calling these four a more boring version of BD’s party physically hurts me. Because except for some initial impressions, the Heroes of Light are completely different from our beloved Warriors of Light.

While yes, Seth and Gloria give off strong Tiz and Agnes vibes at first, they both grow into such different characters that they’re not really comparable. I think this shows with Adelle and Elvis even more. I do understand how people could compare Adelle and Edea, since they’re both the feisty girl type, but I can’t understand how people can see Ringabel and Elvis as the same character type. While those two are the “suave” party members, they act so differently from another. And that’s honestly apparent the first time you meet them. 

Anyways, I love these 4 so much.

We technically don’t know a lot about Seth at all, but they manage to pull so much out of just the fact that he’s a sailor, that it makes him really endearing, really fast.

I was kinda disinterested with Gloria at first, because again, the initial impression was Agnés2.0, but she grew on me a lot. Gloria is way more hard headed and honestly sassy in comparison to Agnés and I absolutely adore it.

Elvis. Elvis, my man. I love this fantasy scottosh wizard so, so much. He’s such a ridiculous character but so endearing at the same time. You got all this dorkiness, with him setting himself on fire as a student, him doing god knows what for a good drink or just laughing danger and prejudice in the face. But then you got his super empathetic and caring side. Mind you, most of his wise moments come from quoting Lady Emma, but still, as much as he’s hopeless with certain social situations, he’s actually still really good at reading the room and playing things smart. He’s a smart and powerful idiot, which makes him a danger to everyone and himself, and I love him for it. (I also can’t believe they called him Lesley I MEAN COME ON)

And then there’s Adelle. I liked her from the start, but I didn’t think she would stick out to me. I think now she’s my favourite character. Not even talking about all the stuff that happens in chapter 3 and onward, because these story threads are awesome in their own right, but there’s just something about her personality that’s interesting and appealing to me. Like I said, I’m not surprised people compare her to Edea, I did too at first, but while Edea walks very close to the line of a Tsundere, I was really surprised that Adelle is, well, not a Tsundere at all. Yeah, of course she’s putting Elvis down a lot, but that stems more from her preventing his ego from going to his head than her being all embarrassed. No, Adelle is actually really well adjusted when it comes to communication. While it’s hilarious that she and Elvis met with her chucking her shoes at him, the two just got along well right from the start. Adelle in general has this really open and helpful personality, but also doesn’t shy away from putting her foot down, even if that sometimes comes out as an embarrassed sputter. She’s also the mother hen of the group. She looks out for the other three and gets concerned about them real fast. 

I dunno, Adelle just really grew on me over the course of this game, and then her kinda being paired with Elvis too, as partners and as partners, makes me like her even more. Because as much as I like their personalities individually, I like their character dynamic even more. I honestly love the relationships between all four of them a lot. You really feel them grow closer as friends and all the little character sidequests just always made me really happy.

Conclusion

You might not believe me, but I really held back there. This could probably have been 3 times its length. As much as I love this game, it’s of course not perfect. It struggles and flails in some parts a lot and it certainly has some aspects that might turn people off. But for me, it was just a very familiar and comfy game that didn’t necessarily deliver anything new, but that told its story in such a way that it still got me excited to keep going. The soundtrack is absolutely amazing and the conclusion of the story actually got me to cry. While not groundbreaking, this game is highly enjoyable and leaves you absolutely satisfied at the end.

Also, I would like to iterate that I am desperate to get more content about this game, so if you wanna chat about it, hit me up.

Anyways, anyone else felt like having a fever dream when everybody in chapter 2 started talking fantasy scottish? Cos I sure did.

Hi, mercyandmagic thank you for answering my asks... :D

Don't know if you remember, but I've asked before of your top 5 fav mxtx characters, and you've answered yours. If you don't mind me asking, can I ask you, why you like those characters (in a longer asnwer)? Sorry, if I ask you similar question again......

Yessss. This gonna be long. We’ll start from 5th and work our way to #1. 

5. Wei Wuxian

First, there’s just something incredibly refreshing about an untamed (ahem) character who says the thing everyone thinks but won’t dare say. It is my second-favorite character trope (We’ll get to the first). Plus, he has a great sense of justice and a self-sacrificing spirit... and yet he is capable of great cruelty, sadism, and hurting others to vent his pain (Nightless City, Wen Chao). Believe it or not, the fact that he has done great evil he cannot undo makes me love him more... because he knows it.  

In Chapter 68, when he’s confronted, he doesn’t deny killing Fang Mengchen’s parents, nor taking Yi Weichun’s leg. He doesn’t show anger at their valid pain; he merely points out that nothing he can do now will undo the damage he caused. 

He also has a low tolerance for BS and a high level of empathy. The fact that he scoffs at the cultivators gossiping against Jin Guangyao, the fact that he isn’t happy they have a new scapegoat, speaks a lot. Plus, he can easily understand why the Hook Hand’s final victim needs to scream (Ch. 124), why Jin Guangyao spared Sisi (Ch. 111) and made the Guanyin Temple (Ch. 110), why Nie Huaisang doesn’t want to admit what he did (Ch. 110), etc. Wei Wuxian is just great.

4. Qin Su

She deserves far more appreciation than she gets. She was involved in the Sunshot Campaign. When society judged Jin Guangyao and Meng Shi for their status, Qin Su never did. She loved the man who saved her life. She was willful enough to be the pursuer in her relationship with Jin Guangyao (Ch. 47), and was open to sleeping with him to ascertain their marriage (Ch. 106). She’s naive and trusting, despite losing her son. She’s loyal AF even to Bicao, even though Bicao literally sold her out for jewelry (ahem, Ch. 85). 

Qin Su. only has a short side role in the larger novel, but she’s a fully developed human.  That’s incredible.

3. Lan Wangji

I relate to Lan Wangji more than any of the other characters. Not being able to communicate, or being afraid to – relatable. Plus, having grown up fundamentalist Christian, I find the way in which Lan Wangji’s stubborn rule-following gives way to a willingness to break the rules when it does no harm or helps those he loves... inspiring. Like, he goes from having himself beaten for being pulled outside the Cloud Recesses (something this scrupulosity-sufferer relates to very well) to giving Wei Wuxian the Emperor’s Smile hidden in the Jingshi (Ch. 65).  

If I may add, I read MDZS around the same time I watched GOT Season 8. There’s a similarity in how Wei Wuxian and Daenerys Targaryen have murderous breakdowns after losing everything and everyone close to them. And yet instead of putting Wei Wuxian down like a dog (side eyes Jon Snow), Lan Wangji takes him away, tries to save him, still believes he is capable of good. In his own words, he’s “willing to bear all of the consequences with [Wei Wuxian].” Lan Wangji believes in redemption, in chance after chance. He’s refreshing in a world that believes one deed can stain you forever. I love him.

2. Lan Xichen

He’s just... good? Like, really good? He has to balance leading a clan with a society that is very Not Good, and this definitely leads to some gray points (The Wens, saying nothing in support of Mianmian, etc). But he, like Qin Su, refuses to judge people for origins. He always has to see the good in others – as Ch. 105 says, “whenever he heard there might be hidden reasons, he just had to hear it.” Lan Xichen wants to know and sympathize with everyone’s reasons. That’s just... wonderful. 

It’s notable that his whereabouts for the First Siege of the Burial Mounds are unknown. Lan Qiren led the Gusu Lan Clan, not Lan Xichen (Ch. 68). Which makes me speculate that while he thought Wei Wuxian was done for, he couldn’t bear to participate in killing the man his brother loved.   

He’s a touch avoidant, as seen when he tells Wei Wuxian he does not want to know why his mother killed his father’s teacher (Ch. 64). (I will also defend him agains the charges that he was wrong to try to reconcile Nie Mingjue and Jin Guangyao – they were his friends and Lan Xichen believed in them. Those two made their own choices, and it was Not Lan Xichen’s Fault). 

Anyhow, he’s good. And he loves Jin Guangyao. I know MXTX said she did not write a romance with them, and I don’t think they ever would have cheated on Qin Su. But that does not diminish that Lan Xichen’s seclusion at the end of the novel, is described as “exactly reversed” from when Lan Wangji was mourning Wei Wuxian (Ch. 114).  

1. Jin Guangyao

My favorite character. trope, the sneaky bastard with daddy issues! What makes Jin Guangyao stand out even among all my favorite sneaky bastards is that... his actions are so very gray that IMO he’s not even really a villain.

For real, what did Jin Guangyao do? Kill his brother who tried to kill him first and was slowly losing his grip on reality and hurting him and Nie Huaisang anyways? (Ch. 49, 50) It was still wrong – and I firmly believe that the motivation was payback for ‘son of a prostitute,’  (as Wei Wuxian suggests, Ch. 104) and not safety – but my point remains. (Plus there’s the implication that Jin Guangshan willed it, too). (Ch. 106).

Married his lover after discovering she was his sister to keep her from being an unwed mother? (Ch. 106) In that situation, I wish he had told Qin Su so she could choose, too, but I fail to find anything condemnable in Jin Guangyao’s actions there. 

Furthermore, when writing “Sentiment” and now “Sunlit Jade,” what I’ve been struck by is that most of his misdeeds end with killing Jin Guangshan. 

The possible exception is Jin Rusong (and since our main source for the idea of cold-blooded filicide and framing of an innocent clan leader is Clan Leader Yao, I am highly skeptical). And Xue Yang remaining alive, but again, we don’t know if Jin Guangyao chose to let him go with a warning/beating severe enough to disable his leg, or if Jin Guangyao truly meant to kill him (I favor the former position, but it’s open for interpretation).

Now, how Jin Guangyao kills and the fact that he does kill his father is wrong. Burning the brothel? Wrong, though I understand his hatred of that place and the people there. Killing the He Clan? Wrong, but 1) it’s on his father’s orders, and 2) he has a rather intriguing reaction when Xue Yang shuts He Su in alive with the corpses. (Ch. 118). 

He looks for something to “comfort” himself. 

This is strange, because he’s previously been a torturer (Ch. 47). What is more torture to him? 

I don’t know the answer, but it speaks to someone who suffers a lot, who did a lot of terrible things in pursuit of a love from his father that never came. And someone who, once he gains power in the position of Chief Cultivator, implements a program to save more commoners’ lives than ever before (Ch. 42).

That’s not the action of a villain.

[Sidenote, and based off a comment that wryhun on AO3 once left me: What I love the most about Jin Guangyao, and MDZS as a whole, is depending on the perspective you take, anyone can be an antagonist or a protagonist.

Jiang Cheng can be Wei Wuxian’s tsundere shidi (reader perspective), or he can be the serial killer of demonic cultivators who refuses to help commoners with spirits unless people have already died (Innkeeper’s perspective, Ch. 92).

Nie Huaisang can be the avenging didi (often a fan’s perspective), or the person who treated the juniors like fodder, killed cats, and sliced up a woman’s body just for revenge (Wei Wuxian’s perspective in Ch. 110, Jin Guangyao’s perspective in Ch. 108).]  

Jin Guangyao is an antagonist because his goals conflict with Wei Wuxian’s. But he’s really no worse than many of the other characters, and in fact, while all have suffered, he’s arguably suffered some of the worst circumstances of all. 

He makes poor choices, although he insists he doesn’t have a choice. I believe that he believes he has no choice... but he does. And that is so very, very tragic. 

I love him and want the world (or really just Lan Xichen) for him. 

Lady And The Tramp 2019 Review 💖 (the original is my fav Disney movie)

so Lady And The Tramp is my all time favorite disney movie for sentimental reasons so I was super pumped to watch this movie. This is my first time writing a review so sorry if this is messy lol.

So one thing a lot of ppl where worried about are the animations but honestly you get used to them as you watch the film. And it's pretty much only Ladys and Tramps (the two main characters lmao) animations that look weird. All the other dogs look fine. The acting was a bit awkward to me at times, so was the voice acting but it got progressivly better as the movie went on. They've also changed up a lot of things which is something fans wanted from disney for a long time when it comes to live action remakes. for example: they made Jack (now Jackline? Jacqueline?) female. At first I was lowkey worried they were gonna make her fall in love with Lady. While I myself am part of the LGBTQ+ community I honestly wouldn't have liked that Like really? Lesbian dogs? Do we really need that? BUT it didn't happen so yeah.🌈 I'm now gonna give you a list of all the things I liked and disliked about the movie.✨

things I liked:

The aesthetics. The scenery was beautiful. The city was beautiful, the color palette was beautiful. it just takes you to a different place and it looks realistic which I really enjoy.

Lady had a more in depth and sassy character. She didn't take shit from Tramp or anyone else. She made several sassy remarks that actually made me laugh out loud. I love her change of character.

Tramp was more likeable and even a bit relateable (at least to me). Not that I dislike the original tramp it's just that he seems to be less cocky than in the original. They also gave him a bit more character and touched more on his backstory.

The amount of non white people. And it didn't seem forced. We got representation of asians, black people, indians etc.

THE DIALOUGE! Hands down the best thing about this movie! The dialouge is hilarious. Made me laugh so many times. And it didn't come off as cringey or forced.

It just overall felt so wholesome uwu 💖

Things I disliked:

They didn't manage to deliver emotions AT THE MOST ICONIC AND IMPORTANT SCENE IN THE MOVIE. The spaghetti/bella notte scene. They.. messed up on that one. It didn't feel romantic, you didn't feel like there were sparks flying in that moment. It was pretty disappointing tbh.

The siamese cats weren't siamese cats. I may be nitpicky about this but come on. I get that people say the original scene was racist but they could've still been siamese cats? They also gave them a new song which I understand. It's just a small thing that didn't really matter but it bothered me a bit.

The dog pound scene wasn't emotional at all either. This scene in the originial ALWAYS makes me cry like a baby. But in the remake they TRIED to make it rather scary than sad but.. it just came off as unimportant? Lady didn't seem like she was anxious or too worried or stressed or like she really cared. It didn't feel like it was this terrible place all dogs are so afraid of.

Also they changed up the lyrics for "He's a tramp". Bascially the singing pound dog (forgot her name lol) left out that she has a crush on him and that Tramp likes his ladies if you know what I mean. So that whole sidechick fight between Lady and Tramp never happend later on.

Instead of Trusty being crushed by the carriage it was Tramp. Ok? Why? I guess they thought Trusty being hurt wouldn't be as emotional but HELLO? It always made me hella emo when it happend in the original. Ofc those sorrowful howls were also from Lady then, not female Jack. We get it. Lady and Tramp are in love. This scene was powerful enough the way it was, it didn't need to be changed.

Also kinda sad that Trusty didn't howl as they chased after Tramp to save him. It always made the scene so exciting and somewhat eery. It was epic to put it in other words. But they left that out too.

Lady and Tramp didn't have puppies. Instead female Jacks (Jacqueline?) owner adopted 2 pups from the pound. Hmm

Overall they left out all of the things that gave the movie a dark undertone which made it seem like it was targeted towards very young kids (which it probably is).

So yeah the negatives outweigh the positives BUT I cannot stress enough how amazing the dialouge is! The dogs are cute, the scenery is beautiful. It was enjoyable even though a few changes have bugged me.

SO OVERALL AS A LADY AND THE TRAMP FANATIC I'D GIVE THIS MOVIE A 6.9 ✨

I was thinking about giving it a 7 (because again fantastic dialouge) but I feel like it doesn't deserve a solid 7. If you like Lady and the Tramp or cute dogs I would recommend watching it though. I had a good time with it and will watch it again! The original stays superior tho of course.

what are your opinions on it? 💖 Let me know

Who would you rather have sex with: Prince or Billy Idol?:  neither because I’m an asexual and I’m into women exclusively but elseway they’re both ok, probably would choose Prince though

Have you ever read any of the Chronicles of Narnia series?: at least one book Do you hate Harry Potter as much as I do?: I don’t hate him but I’m afraid of it as whenever I watched a movie smth really bad was happening to my dad - 6 times - coincindence? I think not... anyway I don’t shove my traumas into other people’s throats, I usually swallow without complaining, sometimes even mentioning that I have a problem with something, I might not only close my eyes but send you stuff about this or that I dislike if you’re a fan because I care more about others than myself *shrug* How many times have you seen the SW movies?: uh oh  What is your favorite anime?: I’m not into anime but I watched Ghibli, I also have sentiment towards Sailor Moon, FMA, Nana, Kuroshitsuji and Minami-ke 

Do you write it as “favorite” or “favourite”?: fav :P or favorite Do you believe in the Zodiac somewhat?: somewhat ;) Can you use a hula hoop?: I can use it on my arm, a bit on my leg, not on my stomach (actually better on my neck than belly) What is the longest distance you’ve ever walked?: pilgrimage when I was still in middle school How long do you think you could do jumping jacks non-stop?: dunno, not as long as I used to  What do you usually use your tokens on at the arcade?: I haven’t been to an arcade yet in my whole life so... What do you think of eyeball jewelry?: yuk What’s better: glitter or rhinestones? glitter Do you like taking pictures of yourself?: prefer selfies over being photographed, I can choose the angle and stuff like this, I take pics until I’m satisfied then delete the rest... Do you like making sandcastles at the beach?: why not Did you have streamers in the handlebars of your bike?: nie, tylko te kuleczki na szprychach, które wydawały taki specyficzny dźwięk podczas jazdy jak się przesuwały, teraz mam podobne na hulajnodze, ale one są stałe, mam też klakson i chciałabym koszyk ze sztucznymi kwiatami dokupić oraz wiatraczek - wiem, dziecinne, ale mam to w dupie - i tak rzadko jeżdżę, mam problemy z kolanem i wolałam to niż rower chociaż czasem tęsknię za siodełkiem, oba jednak ciężko obsługiwać będąc chronicznie chorym człowiekiem (serce i brzuch głównie), może kiedyś nazbieram na skuter  Would you put streamers on your bike now?: maybe How do you like your hamburger?: I really liked those with huge amount of vegetables  If you were able to sell your soul to someone, how much would you charge? What would you buy with the money?: no way! Do you like to be tickled?: I hate to be tickled Does tickling turn you on?: wtf

Did you watch the Power Rangers when you were little?: I don’t think so, Sebastian made me watch all openings once, I think Power Rangers had pretty interesting villains tho Are you good at playing ping-pong?: I wasn’t the worst Do you like to chew on things?: nah

Have you ever freaked out because you noticed your shadow once, in the forest, my dad laughed his ass off  *raz też miałam wstążki we włosach i wiatr je powiał na moją twarz, znów się tata śmiał ze mnie, było mi mega głupio ^^”

Do you get out of bed on the left side or right side:: left *co oznacza, że zawsze wstaję lewą nogą, coś w tym jest skoro moje dzieciństwo było szczęśliwsze, a wówczas wstawałam na prawo hmm...

Do you stare into the mirror when you brush your teeth meh How many different couches did you sit on today 0-1 You just won a free TV series on DVD. What is it Buffy or Call the midwife if not animated, could also ask for Stranger things because I meant to finish it with my father Do you really search for the cold side of the pillow at times I guess If a stranger looked at your signature, could he pronounce your name doubt it, my writing’s a mess

When you sleep next to someone to you do you face towards them or away away if I don’t trust you enough or am ashamed but I roll/kick so I might wake up in a different position  Do you look into the bottom of the cup when drinking from a cup often Do you fall asleep with your mouth open or closed drooling with my mouth open happens every now and then but I try to keep my mouth closed

Do you tend to use “…”  as you can see

What was the last item or location you cleaned just washed the knife Do you make up words when you’re singing and don’t know the lyrics guilty

Do you own an engagement ring? nope

check your shirt’s tag; where was it made? India is there a book you keep telling yourself you’ll read but still haven’t? yep

did your family ever own a vacation home? we’re poor my brother won’t travel places with a language barrier; would you mind it? not that I want to travel but if they don’t know english - I’m definitely not going  do you like watching music videos? love but not the dancing/playing instruments types

are you into philosophy? kinda have you been inside of a police station? I realized I’ve never been there woah are there any flags flying outside at your home? not rn where do you hide things that you don’t want whoever you live with to find? there’s no such place tbh as my mom would find everything if she wanted to and usually she just doesn’t care about personal space or anything like that why aren’t you outside right now? fuck off do you mind drinking room-temperature water? I don’t mind do you think covers of songs usually ruin the originals? mhm

What kinds of advertisements are on this page right now? they’re blocked Has something really heavy ever fallen on you? I don’t recall

Are there any empty plates or cups in the room you are in? mug If you wear makeup, what colors do you usually wear? black If you spelled your name backward, would it be easy to pronounce? very easy If you have more than one pet, do they ever get jealous of each other? my dog was jelly  If you are taking this at night, what phase is the moon in? it’s not that late  Is there a room in your house that you don’t like going in? my sister’s room, attic, basement... Why can’t there be a 30, 40, 60, 70, 80, or 90 dollar bill? too hard to count  Have you ever bitten down on a fork and it felt really weird? omg, spoon as well, awful Is there a pencil sharpener within ten feet of you? hidden but I’m aware that’s there as I put it myself days ago Do you know a lot of people with the same name? (Like a lot of Johns) back in school

Do you think it rains too much where you live? that’d be an exaggeration Are you wearing shorts right now? r u kidding me? Do you like the name Skye? reminds me of my Choices gf 

Do you know anyone who travels all the time? it’s so popular nowadays, gross Do you think it’s selfish to travel all the time, when most people can’t? sorta but it’s not the only/main reason why I’m against  Can you see the moon from your bedroom window? nor currently but some nights

Are your ear lobes attached? no What’s the last animated movie you watched? Incredibles 2 (home, in 2020, not that I didn’t watch any animated movies for 2 years) Do you prefer your bed to be up high or low to the ground? I don’t care much? Do you know anyone who can’t swim? me  Do you bite your lips? yes

...

I think the biggest problem in this fandom is everybody literally refusing to apply critical reading/thinking to legitimate subtext (rather than the “muh interpretation” idea fandom confuses with subtext) and getting mad that things aren’t textually presented exactly the way they want it to be.

This doesn’t just apply to ships and stuff, but also other interpersonal dynamics that character stans then take to offense and drive home.Like, this character didn’t phrase it *to the tee like this*, so we will reject all sentiment very obviously attached to the idea and instead go into bitter stan rampage. 

At some point this fandom really became confused amidst its arguings of “just subtext,” because of the want to divorce all “subtext” from the show, even if most “subtext” usages tend to be “interpretation of content with or without substance, often the latter”, which is not... actually... subtext. But this confusion has also led to the belief that any form of subtext isn’t canon, and then apply the same broken hammer they use to knock down, say, ship talk also to abject refusal to apply critical thinking to the other interpersonal or mytharc subtext elements in the name of being full of rage from their perspective.

Believe it or not, no matter what anybody on the internet tells you, you CAN get bad scores on lit interpretations, and not all interpretations are equal, no matter how many people that want to be bitter about (concept) circle the wagons around the bitter screaming of that interpretation.

There’s something I’ve been trying to put into words for a while, I’ve posted about it repeatedly, but again I’ll cite what @dimples-of-discontent posted recently,

“In my professional life, I often teach literature (which is what my PhD is in) and tell my students that an interpretation is as valid as the argument you can make with compelling evidence from the text (so that, yes, in fact, there are wrong answers in an English class). Like, you can try to argue to me that Hamlet is an allegory for the trade in gemstones at the time but you’re going to have a damn hard time finding it in the text. But if you want to argue to me that Horatio is in love with Hamlet, I’m open to being persuaded. And if you want to argue that it’s a play about anxiety surrounding the succession to the crown once Elizabeth I dies or the theological uncertainty about the existence of purgatory in a country that kept switching from Catholic to Protestant, well, then you’re probably a grad student–what are you doing here in Shakespeare 101?”

“The point is, for me something can be so subtextually obvious as for it to be “canon.” Hamlet is a play about revenge and its relationship to thought and action. Basically, that’s canon for Shakespeareans. But no one said that in the play, it’s just that it’s written in a recognizable genre (revenge tragedy) but does something new with it (stalling the action for speeches about it). Othello is explicitly a play about race–it foregrounds that in the text–but the fact that it’s about the way in which otherness begets self-doubt which begets jealousy is subtext. I mean, now I’m just rambling about my fav plays but you can see the overlap.”

After this it goes into the subject of that particular subtext discussion -- but that right there -- that’s the difference between subtext and interpretation, and not all interpretations are actually in the subtext, even if you think it is until put under pressure to provide a full thematic spread that agrees with the piece (rather than what you WANT the piece to be).

You literally can’t critically understand a piece-in-progress while refusing and refuting any and all subtext because it’s “just subtext.” That literally isn’t how it works. Subtext isn’t just icing or hanging ribbons, it’s a key ingredient to everything that can’t be vocalized in text, especially in a medium where we have visual storytelling in place of active narration.

And again -- this post is about *more than ships*. It’s about why we have so many goddamn bitter stans in this fandom because rather than reading the subtext and intent of an interaction, they dig in their heels about a specific point that isn’t spoken. Because it’s just subtext. And fandom has turned that into “that’s just your interpretation,” and “my bitter one is just as valid even if it’s not actually standing up to the main stream of the story,” or any knowledge that the bitterness *spawns* by digging in heels on this issue and continuing to slide further and further left of what the story is actually telling in the weave of text and subtext. Actual subtext. Not interpretation.

This fandom’s livid unwillingness to accept what certain words like subtext mean (and what they DON’T) is like Ground Zero for most bitterness and BS in this fandom. But conceding to that strips the “but all interpretations are equal” thing, because... who says your interpretation of the subtext is right!!!

I dunno. Does it match with the story, keep me from getting relentlessly bitter or disappointed, have I stayed pretty on point about where the story and relationships are headed with a few surprise twists, cuz storytelling? Yeah. Gotta say I have. Gotta say it isn’t a fluke that this all aligns. 

Subtext is like baking soda, not icing, on a cake. Without it, it falls flat. You may desperately seek a replacement for that baking soda, but you’re probably gonna end up with a weird, flat, bubbly, tilty, or outright bitter cake if you try to apply it to the otherwise exact same mix of ingredients, because not all interpretations fit the existing recipe and are not legitimate subtext. Removing the subtext fucks it up. Trying to replace the subtext fucks it up. And when you sit there chewing on your bitter, crooked cake and blame the cake and the other ingredients because you tried to replace the Subtext Soda, well... look, you’re the only reason you’re eating a Sadcake, okay? And once you start substituting the other ingredients -- the other characterizations and story merits and everything else -- to fit your Subtext Soda replacement -- you have to realize you’re literally not making (or discussing) the same cake, but instead compensating with a whole other product to make your new concoction valid.

And that’s fine -- as long as you realize those interpretations literally aren’t in the canon. As long as you realize you’re using revisionist canon. And even in literature there’s multiple canon-compendium listings, but that’s not going to be the actual creative-canon, just alternate-canon. That canon will never negotiate to the actual central canon, because you are discussing a different product with a different set of ingredients. Continuing to expect creative-canon to comply with alternate-canon and deviations of intentionally maligned misreadings from the core concept is literally intentionally devoting oneself to bitterness.

Have you considered reading an actual story that you like both the content and writing style of, instead of trying to force revisionism on clear purposings of existing texts and yelling because it isn’t what you want? 

C’mon guys.

The intentional cognitive dissonance floating around ideas like “subtext” and “interpretation” in fandom has led to a world where “if I don’t like it, I can argue random points, and no matter what, my viewpoint is valid; and I can use this to construct entire alternate-dimension level perception in which to stagnate in bitterness and intentional misreadings unquestioned”, rather than trying to bridge their reading with what the story is actually trying to tell us, which is the entire point of literary discussion to freaking begin with.

Game of Thrones Theories

It’s always fun to throw these out there and read them again after things have gone down. So here is my revised theory list, as my predictions have altered somewhat...

ARYA STARK

Hate to say it, but I think she’s gonna die. She was obsessed with legends of heroes as a child... and now she is one: Arya Stark who disguised herself as a boy with her sword Needle, favorite of the Many Faced god, who completed revenge on those who murdered her family, killer of the untouchable Little Fnger, and slayer of dragons. I added the last one, because I KNOW she is going to kill an ice dragon with that spear. She is going to be the source of so much inspiration to bards, but she is going to be cut down in this war against the Night King. “Okay... today...” She will tell the god of Death, “But not this second...” as she does one last amazing feat to give the good guys the tipped scale they need...like a bad ass boss. Gendry will listen to her hero deeds through songs for the rest of his life, bitter sweet smile on his lips for his first love and the most bad ass woman he ever knew.

GENDRY BARATHEON

Obviously I love the Gendrya ship, that’s why they come first to my mind, but I don’t think they are fated to be together. Their love is true, but she never wanted to be a Lady in a castle. And I don’t think she’s going to survive to the very end. But I do feel that Gendry is being built up to take the iron throne. That this series is going to end how it began; the wheel will not break, but it will wear down. But this time... a Baratheon and Stark will rule... as it should have been the first time. Gendry will have bard songs to remember his first love Arya, but he will be in matrimony with Sansa. It will be a political move... but as he is kind, she is beautiful and witty... it will work. Love... not sure, but he’ll be true to her, unlike Robert. Oh... and there is still a chance that he could be legitimate...but I’ve already written about that and don’t want to take the time to write it all up again. Short version: It’s all Jamie’s fault the Cersei is crazy and Gendry was raised by a blacksmith.

SANSA STARK

There was a time that I hoped that Sansa would renew her marriage to Tyrion, for numerous reasons (I might have shipped them at one point..), but I feel that Sansa is no longer bewitched by the idea of being married for the sake of love. It is obvious that the north looks to her as their level-headed ruler, and she becomes more and more like her mother every day... so I feel that she’s going to be on the throne... and pressured to marry Gendry Baratheon. They will have a long winter to turn him into the king figurehead he needs to be... but Sansa is the one pulling the strings and whose council he trusts. It will be political, but they could grow to lust for each other and...who knows... love? The fact that they both love Arya (though for different reasons) is just more common ground.

BRAN STARK

I don’t care. But I feel like the three-eyed raven does more harm then good. Pushes people away. And when his plan totally fails, we’ll see that everything was going to play out exactly the way it would have even without his “help.” Hello I can see everything that has already happened: WORST SUPER POWER EVER. Seriously, warg some crap to make things better for everyone instead of making them feel self-conscious for things they can’t control! I truly believe that the death of the “memory of man” is a good thing...all these prophecies and fates make everyone feel trapped... instead of letting everyone carve their future with bold uncertainty. I’m calling it now... death of three-eyed Raven is a GOOD thing. It will help wear down, or break the cycle.

JON SNOW

He never wanted the throne, and I don’t think him finding out who he is has changed that. It’s only there to add drama and tension. I do feel that he’s going to have to play out that prophecy of killing his beloved, Daenerys... because DRAMA. He’s going to end up either taking their boat baby elsewhere to be raised or he’s going to die. I would like to think he would survive... because I don’t think Dany is going to make it... and the dragon line will continue... though maybe not with the dragons...

MOTHER OF DRAGONS

She dead. The days of commanding mythical creatures and magical people are coming to an end. Drogon will die by the Night King’s Dragon, which will be able to HURT DANY WITH IT’S FLAMES since it is not regular fire... so her mortality in battle will come as a hard blow. Strip her of the muscle, which was gained with muscle and dragons, take away dragons and you have a very vulnerable woman with no real know-how to lead or inspire loyalty. So really, in my opinion, her usefulness is going to run shockingly low once the NK army mows over her 3,000 like nothing. Except for drama. So... boat baby and turning against Jon...and having to be killed by him...for....yah now. DRAMA. I’m sorry, but I’m just over her. 

CERSEI LANNISTER

I think Jamie will be responsible for her death, but not in the way that we think. I think she is going to legit kill him. And possibly his gold hand will come into play of her death...whether by being bludgeoned by it (*cough* by Brie of Tarth *cough*) or being melted down into a sentimental weapon to killer her with (*cough* by Brie of Tarth *cough*).

SIR BRIENNE OF TARTH

Oh she gonna LIVE, baby. She gonna team up with The Hound to take down The Mountain. She gonna put the Mad Queen down. And then she gonna be head of the King’s guard. Because that’s how you crush the wheel of sexism, baby!

JAMIE LANNISTER

Dead. Just... dead. He’s gotten redemption, he’s pissed off Cersei and at times is responsible for her madness... so... dead. It’s time. And I’m sure it will be sentimental and in the arms of a gorgeous lady knight which is more than he deserves... Or crumpled up by the Mountain.

TYRION LANNISTER

He’s my fav. He’s my boy. But I don’t know if he’s gonna make it. How nice would it be if he did... that the one that everyone mocks as being weak and useless and ugly makes it out on top...but I just don’t know. If he doesn’t make it, may it be on his witty terms, and not like a coward.

BRONN

Dead.

THEON GREYJOY

I don’t want him to die... because his redemption has been heartbreaking and sincere, but I also don’t want him to live with the memory of what he’s been through. I could see him dying honorably, and it would be a sigh of relief to him.

YARA GREYJOY

You go get that fishy throne! You’re doing amazing sweetie.

NIGHT KING

So I’ve always had a theory that the white walkers and the long winters are basically a reset button for mankind when things get too immoral, incesty, and just unbalanced...so while they are terrifying and it seems horrible that they take infants for their army and slaughter thousands.. look at what the human kingdoms are doing: burning little girls, sacrificing infants, slaughters at weddings, using imprisoning and torturing in the name of righteousness, brother and sister joining in lust, conquerors called messiahs... it’s an unholy mess and the white walkers are like “yucccccck... let’s just mow this over and see if anything worthy crops back up in the spring...” This whole summer verses winter... it’s a tale as old as time: death must come in order to purify for a hopeful spring. It’s a cycle...and I think that the walkers are apart of the cycle when it comes to mankind. But if they are defeated, then mankind is going to be left to face it’s own morality issues, rather than blame an ultimate evil. Can mankind even handle that? And then there’s the theory that the NK is just cruising for a queen, which I find reasonable. And if he is...it’s going to be a Stark, as a call out to the Stark Crow that went mad for a White Walker Queen.

So those are some predictions. It will be interesting to see who gets killed tonight...

Yuletide 2k19 edition

Hiyo, first off I’m moonwolfhowl on tumblr and nightmoonz on AO3. I’m really excited that you got me and I just want to thank you so much in advance and I really hope you have fun with this!!

Secondly, here are a couple things that I like and dislike, (and some prompts but you can take ‘em or leave ‘em). If you’re not 100% sure on if something is or isn’t my deal my ask box is open and the anon option is turned on.  

Ratings: I prefer through T-M, but tbh I’m pretty easy so if you wanna go up to E feel free ^__^“’

Likes, Loves and DNWs:

Likes and Loves!

AUs! No, seriously, every kind of AU

Humor! Especially: sarcasm, witty banter, etc…

Angst and hurt/comfort are awesome!

Slow Burns

MUTUAL PINING and/or SEEMINGLY unrequited feels

idiots to lovers, this can either be enemies to lovers or friends to lovers. sort of related to the point straight above XD

found families

Fake relationship/dating/marriage you know for a cover/mission/(fill in the blank)

Bed Sharing

Sex Pollen

“In Vino Veritas” 

Happy Endings!!

Squicks/DNWs (do not wants):

Character Bashing

Abuse of any kind

Cheating

Actual unrequited feelings

Harm to animals

Non-Con

Incest

Mpreg

Major Character Death

Scat and/or Watersports

2nd and 1st person perspective

Spiders especially Tarantulas, this is a huge trigger for me

Okay! I’m gonna put a break here because this is a long post and all prompts/ideas are below.

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Alrighty, so these are just some silly prompts or ideas that you can take from or totally ignore altogether! It’s really just some ideas that you can look to if you’re stuck or need a jumping off point.  And man, like if you already had an idea? Please feel free to go with that instead, I just want you to have fun  = ^__^ =  

Also again, if you have any questions the anon option is turned on for my ask box.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~OOctopath Traveler - Therion, Tressa Colzione, Cordelia Ravus, and Leon Bastralle

Oh boy this game. I have no words that can even describe how much I LOVE this game. The storytelling was fantastic and I got really invested in not just the main 8 but in all of the minor/side characters too. I know I have Therion, Cordelia, Tressa and Leon specifically but if you want to throw in any of the other characters in the tagset you totally can, same with any side ships (here’s looking **You don't have to include ALL the characters I selected here in your fic, you can mix them up or follow a prompt I have. I only request that you include at least one of the ones picked here <3

I’m kind of open to anything but if you do need a jumping off point (and/or want to see me gush over my favs) check out the prompts below

Therion - I love him and would die for him he is my perfect little trash bandit. It kills me how he longs to belong somewhere but is equally afraid of it for very good reasons. Because of this he’s so heavily guarded and *sobs* his reactions to people (the 8 and Cordelia) genuinely caring about his wellbeing? It just hrrk! I’m so happy I started with him, that I got to see his growth throughout the story and how his emotional wounds finally seem like they’re on their way to healing. Tressa - My adorable little gremlin, she’s such a little badass! While money may be on her mind a lot she’d never cheat anyone! She’s genuinely kind and her travel adventure is so interesting because it’s about exploring the world, experiencing new places—and while she has a certain understanding of this—she learns the true meaning of sentimental value in things. I love her so much. Leon - I love how much of his character is wrapped up in some mystery and that he seems like a tortured but mature soul (as you can see I have a type.) Cordelia - I love Cordelia and she is entirely underrated. She’s been through quite a lot and her faith in my best boy helped him come back into the world able to to trust and love people again. She’s very soft and caring and now that her stolen heirlooms have been restored to her she can come back into the world herself.

Gen ideas:

Tressa and Therion teasing TF out of each other doesn’t matter what about or who about. I just love them and they have such a brosis vibe

Tressa spear fishing and shocking Therion or everyone by it, you can add any and/or all of the characters in the tag. (Inaccurate Tressa, "What? I live in a Port Town my dudes.”)

I know this is cheesy but Therion having his first Apple Pie would destroy me ; __ ; it can be when he’s little or an adult, AU, Canonverse or Canon divergent it can be a Birthday treat to himself, it can be the first thing he pays for with money he earned on his own. If you want to include any character my sign up sheet or want to include any other octo character(s) that’s fine too!

Shippy ideas (which I’m a little more into but whatever you are comfortable with is a-okay by me):

Cordelia Ravus/Therion (Thordelia)

THEM *SWOONS* I just love them, Cordelia helps my baby boy trust in people again and brings happiness back to his world… and he has so much respect for her I’m just— ; __ ; I just love them

Actor & Author relationship: AU, Canonverse or Canon divergent you name it!

Again Tressa teasing TF out of Therion but specifically about Cordelia (esp after his chapter good god. *swoon*)

Cordelia’s POV on her Noble Thief

Anything post game like I wouldn’t mind seeing her rebuilding Bolderfall, visiting each layer of the city and helping it thrive

Fake Dating. Any Setting XD

The “I’m supposed to take out the target but I fell for them instead” is also very good

Tressa Colzione/Leon Bastralle

; w ; their relationship and care for each other—like Thordelia’s—makes my heart melt

Any kind of them traveling together and developing feels on the open seas post game

Her being his apprentice and learning from him while teaching him some new things

Does Leon have a thing for the arts? Is that why he’s particularly enamored endeared to Tressa spotting the painting?

yeah ngl anything, my thirst is real

A Very Shippy and utterly ridiculous prompt. Tressa x Leon (Treon? Lessa?) and/or Thordelia (however if you wanna include other side ships like Olberhardt or H’aanit x Ophilia for example you can go for it!)

Masquerade! Can be Canonverse, Canon Divergent or AU!

A Masquerade ball in which: 

They can either know each other beforehand or not

Halloween Party, Adults, College AU

idk this is just something to have fun with and hey lol if you wanna make it more mature feel free

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Promare - Lio, Galo, Gueira, Meis

Man this movie messed me up and all the right ways. Honestly one of the most chilling things was to see all of the Burnish being used as engine fuel… I like—ngl I cried, and then when Lio gets used as the core? ; __ ;

Honestly I will be happy with anything you come up with, there are so many possibilities just know that a heavy angst fic is A-okay by me, but if you want to do a flufflier or humor fic those are also so Very VERY good. I have some ideas below but again like if you have an idea in mind or started something by viewing my likes list go for it!

**You don't have to include ALL the characters I selected here in your fic, you can mix them up or follow a prompt I have. I only request that you include at least one of the ones picked here <3

Lio - Um yes I love him. He’s just such a tortured soul and true cares about people. I like—honestly he is my favorite character. The way he used his flame to protect Galo? How hard he fights for the Burnish? How hard Gueira and Meis fight for him and stop at nothing to save him speaks volumes about the kind of person he is. I just love him and want him to have nice things

Galo - This wonderful brilliant dumbass. I also love him and despite me calling him a dumbass he’s actually pretty with it when it comes to adapting to his environment. He also takes in new information and rather than reject it out right he examines it critically. Like the way he approached Kray about the Burnish experiments was not the smartest… However, he still went to find the truth no matter how much it could have hurt him and that really defines what kind of guy he is.

Gueira & Meis - So unfortunately we didn’t get to see much of these two but what we did get to see was GOLD. I love them, I love how they fight so hard to protect their fellow burnish and how loyal they are to Lio. Like omg when the Burnish were being rounded up but they used the last of their strength to save Lio, believing—knowing that he would come back for them? *hrrk* My heart.

So okay!!! Ideas and/or prompts! Again you don’t have to use these if you don’t want to <3

Anything Shippy with Lio and Galo + hurt/comfort?? 10/10

An AU where the Promare gift the Burnish with their “fire bending” abilities permanently

Anything found family esp if it's adopting Lio's litter fam with Galo's ; w ;

I'd love to see what was going on with Gueira/Meis while they were locked up side by side. What did they talk about? Their faith in Lio? Them possibly growing up with Lio? Their feels for each other? And honestly you can go as angsty as you want to with this.

Gueira & Meis being over protective (big bros) of their boss and bestie Lio. (Poor Galo lmao)

Feel free to include any other characters you want from the tag set or canon in general ^___^ 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Crescent Moon - Any

Ah… my poor beautiful tiny manga fandom… I love this 6 volume series so much. The storytelling can be fast paced at times but it doesn't even phase me considering how detailed and intricate the themes, lore, relationships and monsters & magic are. For this fandom anything goes, like any AUs, tropes, canon compliant or divergent is all welcome here.

Bonus points if you have your own take of the song/legend: “Princess Princess why do you cry?”

If you want to make a fic about the Princess and the Demon boy when they were kids, or have any fic at all featuring them (kid or adult) I'm all for it.

I love Mahiru Shiraishi/Mitsuru Suou they are such little disasters anything with them would be amazing but I’m a multishipper so if you have a ship that isn't them and you've been dying to write your ship? Write your ship! I'd love to read it!!! 

And anything including Akira is god tier - he is the bestest boy. 

I’m sorry I know this prompt is very open ended and very vague but like I’d just be happy with anything

Who are your fav and least fav hxh char?

This is actually really really hard cuz I don’t see any of the characters as Bad in the sense of being poorly written and that’s usually what I base my favorites off of. I’ll probably be giving more explanation through the lists.Favorites:5) Alluka Zoldyck - The reason she’s number 5 is because while I adore her and love her personality, I do agree with some sentiments that she was a shoe-horned character in the Election Arc. She’s obviously important to Killua and his character development, but since we haven’t seen much out of her not only in that arc but anywhere in the series, it’s hard to judge her and truly fall in love with her character.4) Kite - Another one that’s more or less iffy for me. I do enjoy his/their character a lot and how important he was to Gon and his development, but I’m of the mindset that if you want to kill off a character, one that’s very important and that you know will further(or destroy) another character’s development, they should stay dead. And you can argue that Queen Kite and Human Kite are different people altogether, but there’s still the fact that Kite somehow got reborn as an Ant even though, as far as we see, there’s no nibbles taken out of his corpse at all. I guess this could be written off as Togashi not explaining his Nen abilities too well or just yet, since apparently that mace he summoned is only ever used when he wants to win or at least get out of a fight alive. 3) Leorio Paradinight - I adore Leorio just like everyone else but my god I can’t help but feel like he’s more 2 dimensional than 3 dimensional. He’s an all around good guy, he does have his faults, but they’re so minor that they aren’t even brought up beyond the Hunter Exam Arc. He wants to give people a free alternative to medicine and getting medical help and that’s amazing. He goes to college, he studies a lot, great. I can understand the struggles of money, sure, but I’d like to see him actually struggle and show more 3 dimensional qualities other than ‘GOOD BOY’. And since we haven’t seen him at all very much this arc, I don’t think we’ll be really seeing him go through the struggles that we want him to go through. There was the election arc where he wanted to see Gon get healed up, we did see him cry when he saw he was okay. But I want to see him when he can’t save someone, where he feels utterly powerless about something, where even if he has his Nen and can detect tumours and what not, he still can’t do anything to help them. I want to see his morals be challenged, I want to see what he will do when faced with a severe choice, one that will leave someone dead or suffering or not in the right state of mind once it’s all said and done. I just want to see him actually face the struggles the other characters have faced so far and not just be this all around good guy.2) Kurapika - We’ve seen soooo much about Kurapika since the start of the series. We know about his past, we know about his morals(somewhat) and we know what lengths he would go to to reach his goals. This current arc does have me scared for Kurapika and what will happen to him. But this is also the second arc where we’re focusing more on him than the other characters which is totally fine, I get it. His whole character arc does need a resolution and a conclusion. And we’ve seen his character develop really well, where he used to prefer doing things on his own, pushing himself too far(and it can be argued that he’s STILL doing this with Emperor’s Time), even questioning himself during Yorknew(at least in the 1999 version). And now he’s more than happy to have help and partner up with a group or individuals in order to ensure the safety of everyone and figure out what the correct course of action is rather than just letting his rage cloud his better judgement. Of course, there’s still so much more to this Arc that we haven’t seen yet so for what could possibly happen, no one really knows. 1) KIllua Zoldyck - I can relate to Killua the most out of all of the cast and that’s why he’s number 1 on the favorites. Throughout the series, we see him grow and develop into a proper human being. He has his hiccups and he has his moments of thinking he can do things alone for his friends’ sake. But he tries his best and he does his best to be the person that Gon has taught him to be. He moved past his horrible upbringing, overcame a fear that he didn’t even know he had, he stood up to his abuser, he saved his little sister from said abuse and potential further abuse, he has made leaps and bounds to try to help Gon and save him from a certain death only for that special friendship to wind up broken to the point that it may not even be repaired. But he’s made so many more friends and a new family that he adores and can be himself around. No need to be afraid of his family, no need to be scared of his older brother coming to get him in the middle of the night, no being alone, no killing people just because his family said to. He is his own person with his own faults and, of course, his own ambitions now. For someone who’s been abused/currently in a bad situation, he’s an inspiration and very obviously goals.Least Favorites:5) Hisoka - Obvious reasons. He’s a well written, very creepy character that you can’t help but like BECAUSE he’s such a creepy, morally ambiguous character. I just wish, you know…He wasn’t the way he was.4) Illumi - Again, obvious. I do adore him, and I do adore writing him, but being abusive, manipulating his younger brother to the point that he actually is so afraid of him as well as just jamming a needle into his brain is just despicable. He’s just downright evil, though he doesn’t see anything wrong with what he’s doing. I guess you could call him Lawful Evil? Or at least True Evil. And you could argue that he was made that way by his parents, BUUUUT KIllua was raised almost the same way, so that doesn’t really apply to Illumi. I doubt we’ll see any development for him beyond wanting to control Killua and Alluka, though, which really sucks but HEY at least he’s really fun to write.3) Kastro - NOW PLEASE DO NOT BE ALARMED. I ADORE KASTRO WITH ALL MY HEART. What makes him a least favorite is the way Togashi wrote him. I hate characters dying for silly or no good reason. I still stand by the fact that the injuries he got would in no way cause him to die, but HEY. I AIN’T A MANGAKA WHAT DO I KNOW? I love Kastro and he deserved better. I wish we got a little bit of background on him, too. Like where he came from, why he was so interested in Martial Arts, What lead him to going to Heaven’s Arena, etc. I made my own little headcanons for him and where he came from, but those don’t even count. Togashi you let me down. Togashi you are my least favorite character(JK I love you and everything you do, please don’t stop writing and being an inspiration).2) Ging/Genthru - These two are together for different reasons, but I wanted to include them both on this list. Ging is a deadbeat dad who made his son feel like absolute shit because he abandoned him. Because of Ging, Gon has severe abandonment issues and we can see that throughout the series in the way he talks and refers to his dad becoming a hunter. I know what it’s like to have those horrible thoughts spin through my head BECAUSE I was made to think I was a burden and shouldn’t have been born by my own parent. It’s just horrible, especially when he doesn’t even show any concern for the boy during the Election Arc.Genthru is on this list more or less because his character as a whole sucks. Can you remember his motive for wanting to blow up the whole player base of Greed Island? I sure as fuck can’t. And if the reason is ‘Just because!’ well guess what, that’s the shittiest thing a character’s motive could be. If there was a a huge treasure at the end of it, or like just a chance to, I unno…maybe get a card made after you? Then I guess I could understand a motive? Greed is a very strong motive for a lot of Shounen Villains, so that’s not too far off. But otherwise, Genthru isn’t that great of a villain and honestly very forgettable.1) Chrollo Lucilfer - Again, I mostly dislike this character more for moral reasons. I do enjoy writing him and I do enjoy his character and what he brings to the dynamic of certain arcs. But as a person, he’s despicable, too. He’s a True Neutral character, only looking out for himself and getting whatever he wants. He only cares for his Troupe and that’s it. He doesn’t shed a tear for people he’s killed for petty reasons, yet he sheds a tear and becomes enraged when one of his own friends is killed either in battle or suddenly and horribly. He could care less about those around him, and purposefully riles others up just for entertainment(this is speculation). He’s the type of character you dread interacting with in a game/DnD because you know that he doesn’t care if you have to die nor does he care if you did die while going to fetch a treasure for him. YOU are the NPC, HE is the Player. Nothing more, nothing less.

I'm soo happy you're back!! I've missed the sacrifice au so much and still think about it sometimes and suddenly I've read the whole thing in a day again. It was one of the first proper long fanfics I read years ago and one of my favs ever!

Thank you so much anon!

“Do you plan on showing mercy any time soon?”

There’s a little amusement in Valka’s voice, a teasing lilt, but Astrid wonders if there’s a more sincere sentiment underlying it.

They’re cradled in the stone windows of their living quarters, sharing a bowl of berries as they watch the aviary. Below them, unaware of his audience, Hiccup has a new dragon prosthesis in his hand, and he’s chasing a Changewing with a torn wing back and forth. Curled up on a rock, Toothless looks on with barely stifled smugness, his tail languorously flicking side to side.

“Giving him hope wouldn’t be mercy.” Astrid replies with a taste of bitterness. “I don’t do anything just because I like watching him squirm.” Though there was a little satisfaction in it. “I do it because I hate him. I don’t want him near me.”

She never would have said such a thing so bluntly to Valka before. When she first came to the sanctuary, she tiptoed around badmouthing Hiccup, worried that it would make Valka angry. After these several weeks, though, they’ve become so close– it’s almost like talking with her own mother.

Almost. Not quite.

“You hated him once before,” the older woman mentions, her tone casual. “How did you overcome it the last time?”

It’s a fair question. Astrid ponders it as she rolls a berry across her tongue. Was it the day he took her to Bulg for the first time, giving her a taste of freedom? Was it learning about his past from his mother? It’s hard to say when she started enjoying his presence instead of despising it.

“Maybe it was just a trick of the mind.” She shrugs, tilting her head a little. “I was a prisoner. I had nobody else.”

“It could be. It’s a possibility.” That’s why she likes Valka so much. She doesn’t judge, and she doesn’t let her feelings blind her to reason. “The best way to find out would be to give him a chance now that you’re free.”

Astrid wrinkles her nose, flicking her gaze to Valka’s face to show her displeasure before glancing back at the bowl. Her fingers flick and dig for the largest, most perfect looking berry. “You want me to forgive him.”

With a heavy exhale, Valka makes a vague gesture with her hand in Hiccup’s direction. “I’m biased. Mothers aren’t very good at seeing the worst in their children.”

Astrid doesn’t reply, instead throwing fruit at her.

The other woman’s laugh is hearty and warm. “I mean it. If you look at him long and hard, you might be able to figure out why exactly you fell for him in the first place. Or–” She shrugs. “You find that it was only your nearness to each other that pushed you two together. Either way, you won’t know until you try talking.”

Astrid feels her eyes roll upwards– not in disrespect, but unwillingness. She unfolds herself from the crook of the stone window and slides down the wall so she can stretch her legs out in front of her. Her jaw tightens as she knots her fingers in the fabric of her tunic, as if she can hold the little life inside just as tight. She glares ahead.

“I’m just… so…” Shaking her head, Astrid huffs like a perturbed dragon. “I’m so angry.”

“Are you angry?” Valka takes advantage of the new space in the window, propping her feet up where Astrid had been sitting. “Or are you hurt?”

“Both? Mostly angry.” The stone behind her feels cold through her clothes and even seeps through her braid. “It’s like there’s this hot coal in my chest, always burning. Always stinging. When he leaves me alone, it’s just kind of sizzling, but when I see him–” Her words lose traction, and she struggles for the right thing to say. “I want to rip it out.”

They sit in quiet for a moment. Hiccup’s voice just barely floats upwards from outside.

After a few minutes of thoughtful silence, Valka crawls out of the window and places the bowl by Astrid. She grabs her staff and walks towards the exit to the aviary. Over her shoulder, she cheerfully says, “All coals burn up eventually.”

It’s well after midnight when Valka rouses Hiccup from his sleep, squeezing his shoulder with a warm hand. He blinks blearly into the dark, startling a little when he makes out the frightful mask of his mother’s helmet.

“I told you not to do that,” he mumbles, pushing up on an elbow and rubbing his eyes with the heel of his hand. “You know that thing is creepy.”

She makes a noise of amusement, more of a purr than a laugh. An evolution after living with the dragons for so long. “Sorry, dear.” Then her tone drops, more serious. “I couldn’t sleep, so I went for a flight. There’s a ship of trackers skirting the ice.”

Toothless must pick up on the sound of warning in Valka’s voice, because he rustles in the corner and yawns, sitting up.

“What’s brought them so close?” Hiccup pats his furs for his flask out of habit before remembering he doesn’t have it anymore.

“Not sure.” His mother glances over her shoulder, as if she’s being watched. “It might be our comings and goings. I’m going to try and draw them away.”

“You’re leaving now?”

She straightens and bobs her head in a nod. “There’s no time to waste. If word of our location spreads, we could be swarmed with trappers in a day’s time.”

He begins to pull his furs aside. “Shouldn’t I go with you?”

Her hand on his shoulder stops him. “No. I need you here to protect the sanctuary if it turns out to be a distraction. If they slip by me or if another ship arrives, I need someone who can organize the dragons and defend us.”

The idea of sleep instantly evaporates. He reaches a hand for Toothless, and he’s met with a scaly nudge. “Do you think I need to get Astrid out of here?”

Valka’s eerie mask tilts back and forth in a display of uncertainty. “I think it’s better if she stays. The ships are still a few days out by boat. No sense in moving her over an unlikely possibility, and if something does happen, she’ll probably be more help to you here.”

He doesn’t entirely agree. The idea of Trappers and Astrid in the same place makes his skin prickle with uneasiness. But he trusts that Valka doesn’t think the ships are an urgent threat. Even more nerve wracking than the idea of nearby ships is the thought of the two of them being alone in a frosty silence without his mother as a buffer between them.

“I’ll hold everything down here,” he assures her. “I’ll send a dragon if we spot anything.”

Once she’s gone, the place feels too quiet and open. Hiccup figures he’ll get a couple more hours of rest before getting up– he might need it in case of an emergency– but he’s wide awake. Instead of staring at the ceiling and sighing, he decides to take Toothless for a late-night flight. It’ll let him keep an eye on the horizon and stretch his dragon’s wings before the rest of the world stirs.

No ships, so far as the eye can see. It allays his fears a little to see nothing but black ocean and blue ice for miles. The ship Valka saw must be rather far out indeed. That makes him feel slightly better about the threat of the sanctuary being found by trappers.

He enjoys his time with Toothless until the sky begins to lighten. Thor knows his Night Fury enjoys it just as much as he does, having been making less regular trips across the archipelago. The cold air that slips through his flight suit is exhilarating, and it helps him think. Everything feels a little bit clearer near the clouds.

There are a few dragons from the sanctuary that are starting to rise and skim the water’s surface for food. They play and dance in the ocean spray, giving Hiccup an idea. He directs Toothless to snag a few fish for themselves and heads for home just as morning light begins to sparkle off the sanctuary spires.

He’s never been a great cook, but fish is one thing he can do with no problem. Catch it, throw it over a fire, make sure it doesn’t fall into the flames. He remembers some of the harder nights with Toothless– back before they found a place to settle– where he was so hungry he would hardly wait for the fish to cook through before tearing into it. These days, since he has the luxury of time, he sometimes tends to let it burn.

That’s probably the smell that brings a bleary-eyed Astrid inside. At first her expression is just sleepy and confused, probably expecting to find Valka at the fire, but she pulls up short when she finds him instead.

“Good morning!” He blurts before she can have a chance to run away. He’s trying to plate a trout that’s falling to pieces, struggling to keep it in one piece. It’s a good thing that blacksmithing has stripped him of most feeling in his fingertips, because he’s sure they’d be blistered by the heat. “Toothless– show the good lady to her seat.”

As rehearsed, the Night Fury stalks behind her and uses his nose to nudge her towards a seat. Astrid makes a noise of indignation but doesn’t object. She watches Hiccup with a sharp gaze, which is only slightly softened by a tinge of curiosity. Her arms stay crossed defensively in front of her.

“Breakfast, to start the day.” He sets the fish on the stone next to her, already sure she wouldn’t take it if he handed it over. His strategy is to keep her distracted with conversation until she slips up and speaks to him. “Fresh pike, caught just hours ago by your favorite offspring of lightning and death. A cup of tea, ready to brew. Mom’s going to be out for a few days, but if you need anything, I can get it for you.”

Without replying, Astrid picks up the plate and sniffs it cautiously. The expression her face pulls isn’t promising. His hands are pouring hot water into a cup of tea leaves, but his attention is fully engrossed by her every movement.

It must be at least slightly tempting, because she picks out a less scorched piece of fish and brings it to her lips. He’s pleased when she doesn’t immediately spit out her first couple of nibbles, but before he can get too excited, her brow suddenly furrows. She sets down the plate with a little force and uses the back of her hand to wipe her mouth.

Instead of waiting for disappointment to set in, he inhales deeply and presses on.

“Fiske’s wife actually showed me this tea. You remember Fiske? His wife is kind of terrifying.” When he steps close to hand her the cup, he can tell that she’s breathing a little unsteadily. Valka tells him to check on her whenever she ends up sick to her stomach, but he’s always pushed away– verbally and physically– whenever he tries.

She takes the cup from his hand, eyeing it warily. This time he stands next to her and watches as she takes a tiny sip. Surprisingly, a minute amount of tension seems to melt from her stiff frame, and she adjusts her hands around the tea to hold it tightly. Wordless, she stares into the fire and slowly nurses the cup.

His relief is potent. He darts back to his own breakfast and sits on the stone bench next to hers.

Toothless curls at her feet and sits his head in her lap for scratchies, which he is granted albeity distractedly. If Astrid notices him using his long forked tongue to try and reach chunks of the fish on her plate, she doesn’t say anything. There’s a weariness to her features that he can’t help but notice out of the corner of his eye.

They sit in silence for a long time, which is more progress than he’s made with her in the weeks since he returned. He’s scared to say something to pierce the bubble of civility she’s decided to wrap them in, worried that the moment he tries to appeal to her that the ice and thorns will reappear.

Eventually, after Toothless has cleaned off her mostly untouched plate, she tilts the cup in her hands back and forth. “What is this?”

It’s pathetic how quickly he jumps at the question. “Raspberry leaf, alfalfa, and dried ginger.”

Astrid nods, handing the cup back to him. Hiccup’s not sure if that means she’s done or she wants more, but he stands and begins preparing a second.

“I’ve been wondering something,” she begins, resting her elbows on her knees and lacing her fingers together. “If you’d never left Berk, do you think we would’ve been friends?”

The thought causes his hands to slow momentarily, but then he’s able to shake it off. “I hope so.”

The first streak of annoyance crosses her features, informing him that his reply wasn’t what she wanted to hear. “I mean, you were spoiled and obnoxious, but I never disliked you. But would I have liked you? Not just like I liked Snot, but could we have wanted each other there the way we did on our island?”

Something inside his chest swells and overflows at the little word our. Such a tiny, inconsequential word, but it’s the first ray of hope he’s felt in a while. Stepping over Toothless, he presses the cup into her accepting hands and sits with his back to the bench, just a little bit closer to her.

“I used to think about it. Pretend that instead of running from Berk, Toothless and I saved it. And everybody learned to trust dragons, and my dad was proud of me, and you fell madly in love with me. Some nights, I would dream it so vividly– it felt almost real.”

Astrid exhales a short laugh into her tea. “I dreamed that I found the nest and killed them all. There was a feast in my honor, with wine and roast and honey cakes.” Her tone is wry. “There were some winters where the shortages were so bad, I’d wake up chewing on my quilt.”

He breathes his own humorless chuckle. She shakes her head and smooths a hand over her hair.

“I just wonder,” she whispers, eyes closed. “Did our attraction to each other play tricks on us? Were we using each other to pretend we aren’t both irreparably damaged? Was there anything that was real between us?”

Hiccup jerks back, surprised by the sharp pain of her questions. He shouldn’t be surprised. He asked himself those same things over and over after taking her to meet his mother for the first time. They were easy questions to ask before he knew what it felt like to have lost her– possibly forever. Now, it’s almost shocking how wrong they seem.

For a moment, neither of them speak. They watch the fire flickering lowly, with the sound of dragons waking and chattering in the distance.

Hiccup risks shifting to look directly at her. If he reached out his hand, he could just barely touch her. He wants to.

“I didn’t leave because I didn’t want you,” he says slowly and quietly.

Her laced fingers immediately clench. “Don’t.”

“I left because I wanted you more than I thought made sense. Enough to scare me.”

“Hiccup, stop.” Her sigh sounds frustrated, and she sits up, holding out a hand as if she can physically block his words from reaching her.

But he can’t. This is the closest he’s gotten to her in weeks, the most she’s let him speak since he arrived. He feels like he has to blurt it out before the door shuts again and they’re back to frosty silence.

“I’ve spent a long time trying to outrun my past. Things I’ve done, things I’ve seen. I wanted to keep it all in the tailwinds where it can’t hurt me. But you– you, Astrid–” He tries to take her hand, but she pulls away. His own hands curl and flex with nervous energy. “You slammed into me. Made me actually want to be still for a while. And then before I knew it, you weren’t something behind me, you were the only thing in front of me.”

“I can’t do this!” She stands abruptly, almost breaking her cup as she sets it down. Backing away, she stabs a finger at him and glares with watery eyes. “You can’t do this, Hiccup!”

“Please, Astrid, just let me explain!” He’s on his feet too, and Toothless whines in sudden confusion. “I was afraid of slowing down, of stopping, of wanting something I wasn’t guaranteed to keep.”

“I gave you everything! What more of a guarantee did you need?”

A flicker of ire ignites under his skin. “Can you really tell me you would have been happy with that life forever? Forsaking your family, your village, hidden away and always waiting on a cliff for me to come back in one piece? Hiding our identities and never really settling in one place? Can you tell me you wouldn’t have wanted out eventually?”

“I don’t know!”

“And can you swear that I could always protect you from my enemies? I have a lot of them. Can you promise you would be safe? Your child would be safe?” Even the thought reminds him of the trappers in the far distance, creeping closer and closer to their sanctuary. It stirs a panic in him that he can’t stifle.

“I don’t know!” Her voice breaks. She paces like a dragon in a cage, eyes of crystal blazing. “I could forgive you being afraid, because I was terrified the day you left. But how can I trust you, Hiccup? You take our future in your hands and make decisions without stopping to consider how I feel!”

“What do you even mean? I’ve spent weeks considering your feelings, trying to repent, but you cut me off at every turn.”

“Because I want you to know what it’s like!” Tears finally spill onto her cheeks. Without even pausing to wipe them away, she takes a few steps towards him. “To believe that you could love someone if they would just let you!”

He grabs her by the elbows. “Then just let me!”

“I told you, I can’t!” Astrid breaks away, shoulders rising and falling in near hysterics. He wants to chase her as she turns away and crosses the room, but there’s something keeping his boots welded to the floor. For several minutes, they both stand in silence. Catching their breaths and sorting through all the words floating between them.

Then she faces him again. The tears are gone. The door of opportunity has been closed. He can see it in her face, the cold detachment and prickly guardedness. It’s as if a wrought iron door is clattering as it rushes to shut between them.

“Give me the dishes,” she says, “I’ll wash them.”

He wonders if she notices the way she holds her hand close to her body, as if it’s itching to cover her abdomen. She’s worn nothing but baggy clothes while she’s been here, and they hang on her frame. It makes her look even skinnier than before she came, and it leaves him forever wondering about their baby. Is she showing at all? Is she punishing him by hiding? His anxiety could choke him with the way it tightens his throat.

“I’ll do them.” He can hear the defeat in his own voice. “I know how to get the Night Fury spit off anyways.”

Astrid doesn’t argue and leaves without another word.

Boom. The wrought iron door slams down.

Hiccup wonders about his dad a lot. What he’s up to. Where he goes. What he would do or say if he knew it was his son beneath the Dragon Rider’s mask. And damn it– he misses him. Even though Stoick the Vast has become famous for his hatred of dragons, Hiccup still misses him.

It takes everything in him to avoid his father’s house, the Great Hall, anywhere he might see his dad’s giant figure and be tempted to watch for a while. And really, he should wait until it’s darker, until the rest of the island has gone to sleep. The sky is only a purplish navy. But he has time on the mind. He has to be in and out quickly, to get back to the sanctuary before Astrid starts to think he’s abandoned her again. He’ll be in for a world of hurt if she notices he’s gone.

Unsurprisingly, the Hoffersons’ door is unlocked. He’s already been watching the village since before sunset– he knows Calder is down by the pier helping tie up the last few fishing boats to come in. Astrid’s mother entered the house several minutes ago, and she hasn’t shown signs of leaving. Now is the best time to move.

He deliberately makes noise when crawling through Astrid’s bedroom window. It’s much safer than going through the front door or wandering downstairs where Calder could walk in at any moment. And it works. After a moment of pacing heavily across the bedroom floor, he hears rapid steps on the stairs. The door bursts open.

Mrs. Hofferson looks slightly disappointed to see him, but she doesn’t have a weapon this time. She doesn’t immediately scream or alert the neighbors or threaten him bodily harm. Maybe it’s because he’s been here before, and he’s the closest thing she has to news of her daughter. Maybe it’s because he has his facemask flipped up so she can see his eyes.

“I’m human,” he says before she can recover from her surprise. Her blue eyes dart to and fro as she evaluates him, just the way her daughter does when she suspects there might be a threat looming. “I’m not a monster, and I’m not a danger to you or your family.”

“Did you find her?” the woman asks, keeping her voice as low as Hiccup’s. He figures she has just as much to lose if he gets discovered. “Do you have her?”

“Not as a prisoner,” he qualifies. “She’s free.”

Maybe it’s not quite the right thing for him to say. Her brow seems to crumple with hurt and confusion. “She hasn’t come home.”

“She can’t.” Hiccup doesn’t want anyone on Berk knowing about the baby. It’s risky even doing this much. “I can’t tell you everything. But she’s alive, she’s safe, and she misses you. I can prove it to you. But I need something first.”

The Hofferson matriarch keeps her chin up, even as it wobbles. She watches him narrowly. “You’re not what I expected. Not what they say.” After a long moment of staring into his eyes, she must decide that he’s safe enough to cooperate with. She exhales a steadying breath. “Well, then? What could the Lord of Dragons want from our humble home?”

Hiccup feels the corner of his mouth daring to turn upwards. “First, I need your promise this stays between us…”

It’s something he hasn’t done in a long time.

He’s practicing a speech.

“And I promise that from now on… I’ll always be by your side.” Hiccup recites the same words he’s repeated over and over since leaving Berk. He’s reorganized them and rearranged them and eliminated them altogether. He’s written and rewritten a thousand different ways to tell his wife that no matter how many times they argue, no matter how much she despises him, he’s not going anywhere.

He has his gift from her mother stashed safely away, and his heart is thrumming with a nervous energy. With the time spent flying across the archipelago and back, he’s had time to think. And despite all the ways she told him– explicitly and implicitly– that she’s not ready to forgive him yet, she did say one thing.

She might have loved him. Once.

It’s a small thing to hold onto. Barely even mentioned in passing. It’s completely possible that any small amount of affection she held for him once is long gone now. But he’s seen the way his mother’s eyes cloud when she thinks about his dad. He remembers the way his father would reminisce about her. Similarly, if Astrid loved him then, she could love him now. It might not be too late.

At least, that’s the hope that he’s holding onto. That and an envelope from Berk.

It’s after mid-morning when the sanctuary comes into view. He’s relieved to see that there are no strange ships nearby, no nervous-looking dragons. Everything as he left it the day before.

Just as they’re approaching the island, though, something happens. Toothless’ ears prick, twitching this way and that, and he draws up in an alarmed loop-de-loop.

“Whoa!” Hiccup reaches out to touch his dragon’s crown. “What’s going on, bud?” His first, most terrifying thought is that there’s an enemy. An intruder. Someone’s breached the sanctuary.

Toothless whirs and barks in response, ducking with renewed speed to enter the maze of tunnels that make up the sanctuary’s caves. He moves so quickly that his rider’s vision is blurred as he dives through the stone labyrinth. Hiccup can feel the tension and urgency in every flick of the dragon’s wings.

They spill out near the top of the aviary, and a nest of hatchlings scatter at the commotion. Hiccup quickly scans the scenery, but none of the other dragons seem as agitated as his. The Bewildebeast is unphased by their entrance, staring intently into the distance. If there was a trapper here, wouldn’t the dragons know before anyone else? Wouldn’t the alpha have sensed approaching boats?

Toothless jerks in the direction of the Bewildebeast’s gaze, and Hiccup is pulled into flight just as he recognizes a pair of yellow and blue wings. Stormfly.

She’s perched near the alcove that Astrid has made into her room. Hopping back and forth with a frazzled energy, the Nadder screeches and flaps frantically towards the wall. His heart hammers against his breastbone as he watches Stormfly scratch the ground in distress.

Hiccup doesn’t have to say anything– his dragon is already zeroed in on the scene. Terror has frozen his blood in his veins, leaving him cold and numb and afraid.

“Astrid!” he shouts, and he’s tripping out of his saddle before Toothless has even properly touched down. Stormfly reacts by hissing and turning on him, using her wings to block his view.

“Hiccup!” Astrid’s voice calls back, sounding thready and strained. “Stormy, it’s okay, let him by.”

Whether she’s obeying her rider or intimidated by Toothless, the Nadder backs down. Just slightly at first, and then stepping aside so Hiccup can see Astrid sitting on the ground, leaned back against the cave wall. Her shoulders are hunched around her, and there’s sweat glistening on her forehead. When she slowly pushes to her feet, she keeps one hand knotted in the front of her tunic. She’s wincing.

“Astrid, what happened?” He’s immediately at her side, giving her his shoulder to steady her. “Is there somebody here?”

“Where were you?” Her accusation says volumes. She was looking for him. Before he can even answer, though, she asks, “When will Valka be back?”

“I don’t know,” he answers honestly. “Tell me what’s going on.”

“I need her,” she insists, letting him lead her over to Toothless. Stormfly’s irate chirping lessens just slightly at the sight of Astrid’s arm hooked around Hiccup’s side. “How far out is she?”

“I don’t know.” The second time he says it sounds even more pathetic. “She could be a couple of days out by dragon by now, maybe less.”

“Frigga,” she swears, looking upwards so she can blink back tears. “I don’t know what to do.”

He shifts her in front of him so that she can lean against his dragon, who is watching with concern and confusion. Hiccup cups her face in one hand and grips her arm with the other. “I’m here. I’m here, Astrid. What happened?”

After a moment of squeezing her eyes shut, clearly trying to not cry, she swallows and exhales slowly. “Something’s wrong,” she says. Her voice shakes. “It feels like– it just hurts. And I’m bleeding. I don’t think I’m supposed to.”

And there it is. His worst fear. Something he can’t protect her from, something he can’t stop. He has no answers, no way to help, and he feels absolutely useless. It’s exactly what he always knew would happen eventually, what he told her he was afraid of.

But there’s something– something else. Maybe something that’s been there forever, or maybe something that just grew there overnight. But it’s a steadiness. A calm that he couldn’t expect.

This is his wife. His child. And all the fear, the shock, the uncertainty that he feels somehow is dampened by the panic in her face. He has to act now, do something, and then he can process his own emotions later. For now, he has to be her husband.

“Here’s what we’re doing,” he begins, hoping his voice isn’t trembling as much as he is. “I’m taking you to the closest village. I’ll send a dragon out for Mom, tell her where we’re going so she can meet us there. Okay?”

Astrid doesn’t argue, doesn’t protest. She holds his eye contact, gaze full of trust, and nods.

“Okay. Now. It’s going to be a few hours’ flight. Do you think you can hang on to me or does Toothless need to carry you?”

He’s going through a checklist in his head: he needs to untie the saddlebags to lighten the load so Toothless can be faster; he needs to write a letter to his mom and find one of her tracking dragons; he needs to get her fur coat and consult his map. His thoughts are racing faster than he can keep up.

“I can manage for a little bit, but I don’t know how long.” In this moment, he can tell she’s forgotten how angry she is at him, how much they’ve fought. She’s holding tight to his shirt and leaning into his arms. “Can you hold me in front? Like the night of the sacrifice?”

“All day and longer,” he promises. When he pries her hand off of his arm, it’s with utmost gentleness and a tinge of regret. “Rest here with Tooth. We’ll be leaving in a minute. I’m sure the baby’s fine.” He’s not, and he hates it, but it seems like the right thing to say.

“You didn’t even want this,” she whispers, and he can see the paranoia slipping into her features, the hurt and the anger. “Why do you care what happens to the baby?”

“Stop.” He squeezes her shoulders and ducks his head to look her straight on. “You’re not doing that to me now. Not when I’m about to do everything in my power to make sure you and our baby are alright. Do you hear me?”

Astrid nods. The doubt in her expression seems to flee. She searches his face. “Our baby?”

He kisses her forehead. Hard. “Ours.”

Such a tiny word.

IDK if you've talked about this before or if somebody has asked about it but how do you view the relationship between Fury and Tony? Like, I was rereading TWIFFON and the chapter where Fury gets a clue about /how/ badly the Avengers mucked up I get a vague feeling of a distant relative crashing the reunion, realizing the reason they've been distant is because the fam is shit and only came back for the fav nephew. Or am I reading too far into it? XD

I’m pretty sure it’s come up before, but it’s been a while and it was mostly in the comments so if any of this sounds familiar, that’s why. [Also, you’re not wrong as to who’s his favorite.] 

Also, don’t be surprised if a chapter with these themes shows up later on in FtOS, because turns out Fury feels are a thing and he’s one of my favorite characters in the MCU as of now.

Finally: under the cut, because this became impromptu meta and RIP mobile users otherwise.

Here’s my take on things regarding Nicholas J. Fury:

Not sure how it was in the comics, but from what I’ve seen in the MCU, Nick Fury and Howard Stark were pretty close. Maybe they weren’t the best of friends, but since Howard helped found SHIELD and Fury’s Fury [aka badass and pretty high up the chain even before shit hit the fan], they worked together a lot. 

Howard was clearly shit at this ‘keeping a work-life balance’ thing [I mean, the man founded a company and a Vague Yet Menacing Government Agency, ditto as to his nonexistent relationship with his son and what happened later on], but his position also means his family’s in the spotlight for more reasons than one. 

I mean, even if Tony hadn’t been the sole heir to a corporation, he was also potential leverage because of Howard’s position in SHIELD: thus, Fury’s keeping an eye on the kid if only for safety’s sake. He’s not a godfather, per se, but…in some ways, there’s no denying he’s pretty close. [That Awkward Moment when the then-Deputy Director of SHIELD saw Tony Stark grow up more than his own father did.]

And since in my AUs, at least, Howard’s more a neglectful parent because he is shit at emotions than anything else [long story], he’s also quietly proud of his son, so Fury’s also hearing Howard talking about how great Tony is [even if Howard never said that to the one who needed it the most, because he is The Worst at communicating things, where’d you guys think Tony got it from?].

So, Fury’s seeing Tony grow up from an early age, check.

And since the Stark family’s been in the spotlight since day one, it’s pretty easy to keep tabs from there, even after Howard died. 

Fury’s pretty busy, of course, running SHIELD and just generally being his badass self, but he’s also keeping a low-key eye on Tony, all the while. Nothing big, because he likes to keep his cards close to his chest, but Phil Coulson’s well aware that he has a soft spot for Tony and Maria Hill had a good idea too. 

Because he knew Howard, and the sentimental part he routinely denies he even has quietly wonders what his old friend would’ve thought of the man his son’s shaping up to be. It’s very easy to recognize the flashy mask for what it is, when he’s seen who it was based off of, and he’d known Maria Stark well enough to see her influence too, in the Merchant of Death, and it’s probably not something he should feel proud of but he is. [Especially after Afghanistan, and seeing Tony at his best and at his worst.]

And sure, Fury was one of the strongest proponents of the Avengers initiative, but…well. 

Anyone asks, it’s just a pet project, nothing special. Fury’s secrets have secrets, and he may like people but he doesn’t trust them, after all.

Unofficially, though? Fury’s one good eye was as quietly proud of Clint and Natasha as he himself was of Tony, and the man’s card collection was one of the worst-kept secrets in SHIELD. Dr. Banner seems like an okay guy, and struck him as a far better idea than the idiot who thought Blonsky was a candidate for his place. Thor was unexpected, but he wasn’t complaining; friendly aliens were a far better sight than the alternative, after all. 

But out of the entire roster, when the chips are down, Fury knows who his favorite is.

 Because sure, Fury’d set out to recruit good people, the ones he’d be willing to trust with the fate of the world; but out of them, there’s only two people who he’s got a comfortable read on. [Dr. Banner and Barton had different priorities, Thor wouldn’t have the same stake in things a human might, and Romanov reminded him too much of himself for him to ever lower his guard.]

Steve Rogers was a legend, after all: Fury’d known Howard, and Peggy, and heard their stories. He could easily and confidently say that he must’ve been a good man, for Howard to tear himself up like that looking for him. Suffice it is to say, meeting Steve was not a disappointment, to say the least.

But it’s Tony Stark who he’d rather have on speed-dial, if push ever came to shove [like it did in The Avengers with the warhead]. Because Fury saw him grow up, was there for it even. 

Seeing Tony reach his full potential and burn so, very brightly while trying to make the world a better place is just…it strikes a chord he would never admit to, is the point. [After all, Fury became the Director of SHIELD for the exact same reason.]

Actually, in many ways, Fury and Tony are similar. 

Leaders of their own organizations? Check. Have to make hard choices and deal with lesser evils because the alternative’s worse? Check. Don’t trust people but wish they could? Need I go on?

Just…so many feels for the Fury-Tony relationship, because Howard may have been the Absentee Father of the Year but I did not get that same vibe from Fury. 

Magnificent bastard? Yes. Chessmaster? Hard to lead an intelligence agency otherwise. But it is also very plain to see he cares about Tony, and you can pry the ‘they’re quasi-family’ headcanon from my cold, dead fingers. 

He’s the uncle who drops by every so often, is what I’m saying. Mostly seeing things from afar, but he cares all the same. 

In TWiFFON, he’s officially dead and just doing his own thing; he’s not a part of SHIELD, anymore, just watching things from a distance. 

Fun fact: in an early draft of the fic, he was slated to be a janitor on the R&D floor after DC, snarking in the memos about Decker’s melodrama [and ignoring the irony of it all], and when Tony found out he would’ve headdesked and gone “wtf how is this my life?!” while Fury’s laughing at him even as he’s patting him on the back and going “wow I forgot how much I didn’t miss this bullshit”. [You can tell I like the Almighty Janitor trope, can’t you]

Clearly, I didn’t go that route. 

However, you guys are more than welcome to picture him now sitting in front of a laptop at a Starbucks or something, reading the headlines and laughing at Tony the entire time because he doesn’t have any paperwork to deal with anymore, this is officially not his problem and turns out Tony’s life makes for free entertainment at its finest. 

why is amy your least fav companion?? genuinely just curious bc she isn’t my favourite but i thought she was okay

HONESTLY, i dont think there’s one big reason as to WHY she’s my least favourite? but moreso a multitude of things that come together and coalesce into one big resentment pile that’s been building over the years. 

sometimees its a exacerbated for Pettier reasons- whether that be my own moffat salt (hate this man<3) or, like, me being just generally bored with how much praise she gets everywhere i guess?

(BC... LIKE? FOR THE RECORD, i can see how some ppl can stan her - and a lot of what i dont like abt her is abt my own tastes frankly, and this whole THING is just abt my own tastes which idk i feel like thts a given but im putting the disclaimer Anyways since some ppl are like tht  -BUT NONETHELESS YKNOW HOW IT IS SOMETIMES. its irritating when everyones, like, v in ur face abt a character tht u cant give a shite abt. and so u kinda start to get a little more irritated with the character themselves, purely bc of tht. like i said: its petty, but eh i find it easier to just throw my hands up & accept the pettiness rather than suppress it and/or look for justification. just let myself be annoyed by her, yknow, and be bitter in my own corner rather than get too deep abt it. but anyways thts a whole other conversation)  but like... ultimately with amy, i think its just? god. whilst.... i can find some semblance of balance with every other companion, i find it very ahrd to find.... anything... abt amy to like. whether it just be minor shite tht isnt to my taste, or deeper shit, or yada yada. like with other companions tht i dont outright stan, there’s something there, yknow? something i like. clara is probs the most relevant yet also complex example - bc her lows are so, so fucking low theyre burrowing into the ground - but a lot of the writing with clara is also some of my favourite stuff in the whole damn show. so whilst i hate her deeper than i hate amy, i also love some of her a lot.  whereas, like i said, with amy theres none of tht love; theres just the shite piled, tht i dont fucking like.

I MEAN. like. FUCK, man.  theres very brief moments where i like her, and some stuff tht happens with her tht i do enjoy but its so quickly ruined? like i do sometimes like the amy/rory/doctor dynamic - and at its best, its one of the better tardis dynamics in the show - but its best is so fleeting imo and every other time ive found it bothersome to downright insufferable. whether it be ruined by the annoying forced love triangle earlier on; the  horrible plotline of s6; or the weird, flanderisation of 11 in s7a - as the whole show devolves into, like, the fun adventures of a weird grown child and his babysitters. (but my s7 rant is a whole other thing lets not . lets not touch tht fucking mess <3). 

 and so its just. like i said. the shit i dont like is all that defines her, to me? whereas some ppl might like some of her shit- thts all i personally have, for her.... all the horrible plot shit she was tied into- i cannot stand it. season 6 plot-wise is horrific & the epitome of moffat performing fellatio on himself to a crowd of millions puarrrrrrrely because the man can and will love himself tht deeply no matter how much of a clown he looks. then just in general. her personality. ggg0sddfp sdfj dspf.  (bluescreens)..... 

I . LITTRALLY STYARTED WRITING A MINI RAMBLEY ESSAY but im finding it hard to . articulate it without  veering entirely into a conversation tht i dont think i can do proper justice . so im going to surmise wht i was going to say, with:

 i absolutely hate the way moffat writes dialogue, how every scene seems to be ppl competing to say the funniest thing, bc none of them feel like real fucking people;  and as an extension of that, i hate how he writes “strong, SEXY women” its so annoying  and i hate this horny man <3 . and certainly whilst thats a sentiment that extends to river&clara, with amy its again tht sad case of me not finding. anything else with her,  and instead just left with. that. so its hard to fuckn look past any of it when considering her as a character and so when ever i think abt amy im just like. ah jeez.  (& instead im haunted by all the weirdly sexual comments moffat makes abt  her like god bless<3333333 horrid)  

 again i think. as a conclusin its. there really isnt a fucking single amy thing tht just represents all the reasons i dont like her. its just a solid dislike for prettymuch... everything there with her........... like i just. i dont know what else 2 say of it :(

i REALLY don't understand the kind of audience who don't realize jon is a hostage right now. they took his boat and his weapons, but d/ny said he wasn't a prisoner so i guess he could just swim to shore and walk unarmed back to the north if he wanted to no big! and then there's the folks who think kneeling is the same thing as making an alliance like literally i don't understand how the big speech about perpetuity could have gone so far over their head like the stakes are high dudes

This will kinda cover a huge portion of my up-coming “Targ!Bowl vs Targ!Cest” - post, but who cares since you asked and I wanna talk about.

Though I absolutely understand you and your frustration I kinda do understand why some parts of the audience don’t realize all that, or at least not the severity of it. 

I’m not even talking exclusively about the shippers who, to like anything from 50 -99%, don’t care what happens as long as their ships becomes canon, or the stans who will find a way to sugarcoat and excuse absolutely anything, anything I tell you, before admitting their fav has done some seriously terrible things or, dear god, “problematic” traits and storylines. 

It also seems plausible to me that some parts of the more general, non-obsessive, “I don’t read the books” or “have a blog about it” kind of audience, have trouble to really grasp these issues. You wanna know why? D&D are half-assing it. Right now they are half-assing two narratives, instead of whole-assing one.

I propose the following theory: 

Right now D&D are setting the stage for dark!Dany, while simultaneously selling her as Jon’s love-interest this season. Those two narratives are pretty much forced to hold the other one back, because Jon can’t fall for “ the villain”, while Dany can’t break bad out of the blue.  

Leaving us with this incoherent mess, slightly ooc characters and actions that don’t influence the story in a “logical” way or even contradict each other.

Dany’s “transformation”, if you will, has to be properly foreshadowed, it has to be sufficiently hinted at from the moment she touches westerosi soil. The audience has to be able to look back and think “Oohh… I guess what she said there wasn’t alright. Should have seen that”. But she also has to appear loveable enough to warrant any kind of affection Jon displays towards her. The audience’s reaction once dany does break bad should be “But why did Jon!? Well, I guess I didn’t think she was that bad back then neither.”

There you have it. That’s why her behaviour seems so appaling to some people, while others are still strong advocates for good!Dany and everyone in between doesn’t know what the fuck to think. That’s why you can make a strong case for both, or more precisely for neither.

This is apparent when you look at the fact that every “negative” characteristic she portrays is counter-attacked with one of two things: 

Someone else making a comment, implying the exact opposite.

The narrative conveniently jumping to a new plot point, reducing the immediate emotional impact of what we just saw.

Here are some examples:

Varys interrupting their dispute at it’s climax | Their first meeting didn’t go particularly smooth. They did not see eye to eye, they were not moving towards an understanding. Quite on the contrary, their interaction become more antagonist with every line of dialogue. It’s starts with both of them playing nice (in their own way), moves to Dany saying that Jon is breaking faith, Jon telling her that he doesn’t give a fuck about her birthright and ends with Dany outright accusing Jon of being in open rebellion (!!!). Where do you think that conversation was heading at? An intimate conversation about dead brothers? Dany has made her stance on Northern Independence clear, she see’s it as treason, I swear to all the gods, if Varys hadn’t walked in right then and there she would have explained what exactly the punishment for treason and oath breaking is. Try making a romance out of that. But conveniently enough Varys did come in at the perfect moment, dissolving all the tension into nothing, ending the scene on a half-baked Jon is her prisoner-but-not-really note.

Tyrion telling Jon about Slaver’s Bay | I don’t know if you had noticed, but Dany left her undeniably good accomplishment of abolishing slavery out of her little speech. She exclusively focused on awful things that have happened to her and the two big achievements that make her so god-darn special: Bringing dragons back into this world and making the Dothraki cross the Narrow Sea. All her statements were about her, not about the good she has or could do in this world. I strongly believe this is to imply that her conquest is deep down rooted in selfish desires. Contrasting Jon, who embraces his role as king to protect and save his people. So of course, we need another character to swoop in and remind us of the good things she has done. Too make it more clear: Dany says that “faith in herself kept her going”, Tyrion reminds Jon that “she protects people from monsters”. 

Jon is a prisoner, but hey, he gets dragonglass | Jon was a “prisoner” prisoner for exactly five seconds, when he - rightfully - complained about it to Tyrion. It is establish that Jon wants to leave, but simply can’t, because Dany took his ship, thus making him her prisoner. If D&D had some balls they could have pursued this narrative, but instead wooossshhhhh we are jumping ahead to Jon being allowed to mine dragonglass. Now it doesn’t matter whether Jon is staying on dragonstone by his own free will or not. He needs that dragonglass, so of course he will stay to mine it. The audience was forced to contemplate Danys decision to lock him up for like a minute, before rendering the conflict obsolete. Begging the question why it was necessary to begin with, if not to show Dany doing some un-nice things to one of our protagonists.

Varys and the whole “burn someone alive” issue | This isn’t limited to her interactions with Jon. I am going to talk about Dany threatening to burn Varys alive, very much, very soon. Right now, all I want to say is that it is not a good omen. It’s one of the clearest indication so far that Dany will embrace her “inner dragon” and cause some serious destruction when doing so. Dragons plant no trees. But all the not-so-great undertones of her interaction with Varys are forgotten in the next scene when she embraces Melisandre with open arms saying “we decided to pardon all those who served the wrong king.” Sucking all the dark implications of threatening someone to BURN HIM ALIVE right out of the audience’s mind. Emphasizing that part where she pardons former “traitors”. If that scene would have cut away from Dany right after “her promise”, without reminding ous of her “forgiving” side, that little comment would have left a way more bitter taste in your mouth than it did. 

I don’t wanna spoil anything from episode 4, (next paragraph contains very minor spoilers!)let’s just say that Dany demanding that Jon bends the knee, is met with another character stating that “Dany was chosen by her people”. Supposedly trying to establish a parallel that doesn’t hold any water in her current situation in westeros, anyway. But again, it is taking the sentiment expressed by Danys actions and words (a chosen king should kneel to her, whom his people didn’t choose) and twists it to paint Dany in a better light (she too was chosen by her people). It doesn’t make any sense when you think about it, but it fabricates enough emotional connections, for the audience to soften their view on Danys opinion on northern independence. 

Do you see what I mean? I have a couple other examples, but some of them are from episode 4 and I’m going to go into this in my upcoming post anyway. The unobservant and/or biased show watcher simply has no time to properly process all this in one go. I’ve watched each episodes several times, am pretty obsessed with this whole thing and even I took some time before noticing a pattern. 

Most people will just stick to that component of the narrative which is coherent with what they already know: that Dany is one of the good guys, a hero of this story. All her questionable actions are either dismissed or boiled down to “well, it turned out okay in the end”. As sloppy as the individual narratives seem to be (neither dark!Dany, nor, let’s call her hero!Dany are well developed, they overlap, contradict each other, etc.), they did a fantastic job at keeping the audience in the dark about it. Why? 

Because for one reason or another she has to fuck Jon. Why that is, can only really be judged once we seen the whole of season 7, probably season 8, but I do have a couple of ideas why:

It happens in the books and D&D shouldn’t have cut the episode count. Maybe Jon and Dany hook up and/or develop feelings for each other before she breaks bad in the books as well. But since we only have 10 episodes where that could happen and dark!Dany and targ!bowl also has to happen at one point, those two storylines overlap. It isn’t too far-fetched that something will happen in the books as well, since Jon unknowingly committing “incest”, while being tormented about falsely-assumed incest is just too … fucked up, not to have crossed grrm’s mind.

It’s a red herring to throw the audience of Targ!bowl and Jonsa. Yes, I do belong to the people who are pretty very much certain that Jonsa will be endgame. I also belong to the people who are pretty very much certain that targ!bowl will happen one way or another. Believe me or not, I believed that Jon and Dany would rather fight than fuck once she comes to westeros, way before I ever thought about Jon and Sansa being a thing. So it’s not because I’m a salty shipper. So what else do I have to say? It’s a red herring, they are throwing us off the rails, to make Jonsa and Targ!Bowl extra-super-duper-surprising in season 8. And probably a bit rushed as well. Great. Just what I wanted. At least Jonsa was properly set up in season 6 and they mention each other every episode. Coincidence?

They want to have a sex-scene with Kit and Emilia. D&D are trash. They have sexualized countless other encounters on the show, single-handedly coined the term “sexposition”, I do believe they could write in a Jon x Dany sex-story just because. You can call that fanservice if you like. I’m not going to stop you. 

Maybe they thought Jon and Dany having “a history” would make targ!bowl more engaging. Could be.

Either way, I personally feel a bit exhausted by this decision. Not because it “threatens” my ship, it doesn’t imo and not because I’m so opposed to the idea of Jon and Dany hooking up or even having a love-affair. It’s because the screenwriting is sloppy. It’s because they are messing up Danys characterization and maybe Jon’s as well. It’s because both Dany and Jon contradict themselves and the development of their relationship simply suffers by Dany being set on the path to the dark side, without any character on screen noticing it (at least yet. I have this feeling that Tyrion will seriously start to doubt all this very soon.) 

I know this got way too long again, but giving unwanted, unnecessarily long answers is my forte after all. 

I’m still holding my fingers crossed for Jonny playing Dany, all I can do is wait and pray. Let’s see how the rest of the season / series progresses, but for now I’m going to leave you with some wisdom from Ron Swanson, D&D should have taken to heart IMO:

Tagged by @essenceofspace !

1. Coke or Pepsi:

Coke, definitely. I don’t mind Pepsi and learned to tolerate it okay because that’s what my Mom likes best, but if you give me the choice I will always pick Coke.

2. Disney or Dreamworks:

They’ve both got some of my fave movies. Spirit: Stallion of the Cimmaron and Prince of Egypt are beautiful movies. However, if I go by consistency of excellence, I’d probably go with Disney? But I don’t really have a preference in the way of “I’d rather watch one company over the other”. Dreamworks just seems to reeeeally fluctuate with quality.

3. Coffee or Tea:

I like both alright. I prefer iced coffee and bottled teas lol. I drink tea more than coffee, though. Coffee tends to make me have to shit PRONTO and sometimes when it doesn’t make me have to shit, I still end up like...kinda having an upset stomach? Which does not help my anxieties. So I drink it sometimes but I have to be in the mood and in my own home near a toilet to feel comfortable with it lol. Don’t take me out for coffee, I will get nothing except maybe a water :)

4. Books or Movies: I’m not really sure...I guess books just because it lets me imagine things the way I want them? But they both require a level of attention that I have a hard time maintaining these days. I wonder though if part of my loss of interest in books comes from my eyes getting worse. I haven’t read much since getting them, so it could help.

5. Windows or Mac: I don’t have a strong preference, really. I don’t do a lot of fiddling with my computers, so as long as they can run what I want them to run, I’m fine with them. My desktop is Windows, my laptop is Mac. I’d say my only complaint is how fucking expensive everything Apple is. :/ Wilhelm’s needed repaired for years now but I just can’t justify the expense.

6. DC or Marvel:

Marvel, definitely. There’s some DC stuff I like, but I tend to gravitate towards Marvel more. I’d say Batman and Teen Titans are an exception. But mostly Marvel for me.

7. X-box or Playstation:

Uhhh I don’t really know to be honest? I grew up in a Nintendo household so I’ve never really owned a Playstation or X-box until living with James. Kind of how I feel about computers, I guess. As long as it’s got games I want to play lol. I suppose Playstation probably caters to me a little better.

8. Dragon Age or Mass Effect:

Dragon Age. I haven’t really gotten to play Mass Effect yet, but space as a whole just doesn’t quite appeal to me as much? I do certainly love the alien races and seeing new environments is cool, but overall it just doesn’t hold the appeal to me that Dragon Age’s brand of fantasy does. I feel more creative with DA’s world.

9. Night Owl or Early Riser:

An unfortunate mix of both? I tend to stay up late and wake up early. I don’t really enjoy waking up early, my body just doesn’t leave me much of a choice.

10. Cards or Chess:

Cards. I always forget the rules to chess, card games are usually more straightforward for me.

11. Chocolate or Vanilla:

I assume we’re talking ice cream. Vanilla. For one, chocolate ice cream just rarely tastes like actual chocolate to me. Plus, you can customize vanilla however the hell you want without clashing flavors.

12. Vans or Converse:

Neither really. I pretty much just wear tennis shoes/running shoes/whatever the fuck you call them lol. New Balance is comfy. The shoes I’ve been wearing are New Balance and some kind of Dr. Scholl’s brand.

13. Lavellan, Trevelyan, Cadash, or Adaar:

Honestly, I’m not sure? My very first Inquisitor was Adaar, so I definitely have a soft spot for them and it was cool to play a new race. But I don’t have a total preference. I model my characters in DA to resemble/act like my characters I write. So I don’t view them as their race, just the character I stuck with that race.

14. Fluff or Angst:

I like both, man. Give me some seriously angsty shit followed by sad fluff. Give me happy fluff. Give me heartbreaking shit. GIVE.

15. Beach or Forest:

Forest. Beaches are great, don’t get me wrong. I enjoy them and I’ve been to a few on vacations when I was younger. But beaches are pretty much always hot unless you go north. And the heat and I are not on good terms. I’d say the downside of forests is they can be fucking humid, and humidity = mosquitoes.

16. Dogs or Cats:

I have a stronger preference towards cats. I’ve always loved them, grew up with them, etc. But I still love dogs and I’d like to have one someday. I’ve basically mentally adopted James’s family’s dog Jake. We’ve always snuggled together when we get the chance and he loves the attention. He just needs to be reminded that I am dainty and cannot be a chew toy sometimes xD

17. Clear Skies or Rain:

Hmm...I really don’t know here...Sometimes I really crave rain, but too much rain can be dreary because I start to feel cooped up. But too much sun can get tiring too because sometimes you just want it to be cooler. I guess it just kind of depends on the season.

18. Cooking or Eating Out:

Here’s the conundrum that ruins my life, aight. Aside from not having money, I can’t really eat out much. I fucking love restaurant food, even just fast food, but here’s the problem: I can’t stand eating in public 90% of the time because anxiety + phobia. I feel trapped and it’s rare that I can relax and properly eat a meal in a restaurant. But I also hate cooking. Which means I actually just eat a lot of junk food when left to my own devices lol. I did cook today though! I steamed some sugar peas and broccoli in teriyaki sauce. Low maintenance and yummy~

19. Spicy Food or Mild:

I can’t stand spicy food. It tends to upset my stomach more often than not. I eat food so blandly half the time you could mistake me for an old woman.

20. Halloween/Samhin or Solistice/Yule/Christmas:

Christmas holds the most sentimental value for me, but I don’t get excited for it like I used to. But I don’t really get excited for Halloween either. I like decorating for both, though, and seeing different decorations.

21. Little too cold or little too hot:

A little too cold. Being a little too hot sends me into anxiety sometimes (what doesn’t tbh) because being hot in general can upset my stomach. Winter’s my favorite for a reason.

22. Superpower

I wanna communicate with animals, Eliza Thornberry style. But I’d also like it to extend to insects and stuff? I’d never be alone.

23. Animation or Live Action:

Animation. It’s more expressive generally and you can do whatever you want with it with no worries about practical effects and the like.

24. Paragon or Renegade:

I would probably end up in the middle, maybe leaning more towards paragon? I prefer to be nice but sometimes it’s just not an option, man. You can’t please everyone.

25. Bath or Showers:

Showers, but it would be nice to have the option to take a bath sometimes. Unfortunately, our tub has a section cut out of it because the last tenant was disabled, so we can’t fill it :C

26. Team Cap or Team Ironman:

If this is about Civil War, I ain’t picking sides. I’m in Switzerland territory with the X-men.

27. Fantasy or Sci-Fi:

Fantasy, but both are good :3

28. Fav Quotes:

I don’t really keep faves, honestly. My preferences change too much. But one I cling to actually came from a dream of mine where I spoke to Christopher Lloyd as Doc Brown lol. But it was meaningful and comforting.

"In all my years of travel, I've never met anyone in the past, present, or future whose path wasn't vastly important."

29. Youtube or Netflix:

Just depends if I’m on my computer or on the couch lol. I don’t use Netflix on my computer.

30. Harry Potter or Percy Jackson:

I haven’t read Percy Jackson and don’t really have an interest in it, so definitely Harry Potter.

31. When I Feel Accomplished:

Uhhh...I guess when I make something I’m proud of?

32. Star Wars or Star Trek:

I’m honestly not huge on either, but I guess I have more good associations with Star Wars because of the people around me.

33. Paperback Books or Hardback:

Hardback, I suppose.

34. A world without literature or music:

Uh...no. I’m not choosing that lol.

35. Who was the last person to make me laugh:

James, probably.

36. Sour or Sweet Candy:

Depends on what I’m in the mood for, honestly. I like sweet stuff but sometimes sour is just great.

37. Believe in aliens?:

Yeah I mean, the universe is too vast not to.

38. Dawn or Dusk:

Dusk, I think.

39. Piercings or Tattoos:

I don’t have either and I probably will never have either. I prefer tattoos on others, but piercings are fine.

40. Girls? Hot?:

Uh yeah man.

41. Snow or Fog:

Snooooow~

42. Sleep facing the wall or room:

I don’t have a real preference where I’m facing as much as whatever side of the bed I’m on.

43. TRC of AFTG:

Uhhh???

44. Horror or Drama:

Drama I guess? Just because horror often upsets me. But I’m not huge on either genre.

45. Orcarina of Time or Majora’s Mask:

Majora’s Mask. I feel it’s got more complexity and emotion to it. 

46. Living in nature or city:

I prefer kind of a medium? I don’t want to live in bumfuck nowhere but I don’t want to be in a city either.

47. Any addictions:

Art supplies ;A;

48. Languages:

English is my first language, I’m working on Spanish and German.

49. What music do I listen too:

Pretty much anything I end up liking? Limiting yourself to a genre is silly.

50. Fav mythical creature:

I’m not sure I have a favorite but I do have a soft spot for mermaids and centaurs.

51. Safe zone:

There really isn’t one, ever. There’s a downside to any locations or person.

52. First fandom:

Probably Pokemon? Either Pokemon or DBZ.

53. Cartoons or Adult Shows:

Animated anything :D As long as it’s good, I don’t give a fuck who the target audience is.

54. Current music:

Not listening to music right now.

55. Favorite starter?:

Like Pokemon? I have a nostalgic soft spot for Totodile. It was back before I could look up to see what the Pokemon would look like, so I had no idea my little Totodile would grow up to be a big badass Feraligatr and I freaking LOVED it. I feel the same way about Mudkip. Weirdly enough, I prefer to start with FIre types rather than Water.

56.  What would your witch’s familiar be?

Probably just a cat lol.

I meant to do real things this evening, but instead I spent 3 hours making a Tegan and Sara primer. Soooo enjoy if you want

Okay so Analise010 asked for a Tegan and Sara primer, but I didn't find any I liked, so I had to make my own. And then well...it became a lot. SORRY FOR THE EXCESSIVE LENGTH.  But also I'm lazy and didn't include photos, that was a step too much effort.

The Basics Tegan and Sara are a band. It feels weird to call them a band when it's just the two of them (plus whoever's in their backing band at the time), but wikipedia calls them an "indie pop singing duo" and that's worse, so let's go with 'a band'. They are both lesbians. No, they're not dating. They're identical twins. Their faces are incredibly similar so I don't know why I even have to say that, but a surprising number of people think they're dating, so. For a while it was very easy to tell them apart, but then Tegan took out her labret piercing, and their hair for the Love You to Death tour is more similar than it's been in years. But I think Tegan cut her hair sometime in the past few weeks, so hopefully it's simpler again. Sara has a narrower face than Tegan. You can also use their tattoos to tell them apart, but honestly we'll be here all day if I continue at this level of detail.  When they're preforming, Tegan always stands on the left side of the stage and Sara on the right (from the perspective of the audience). Both of them write songs, sing, and play instruments. Generally, they don't create together. They each write their own songs and then work together to polish and edit them. Whichever sister wrote the song is the one who sings lead vocals on it. They have EIGHT albums. So many! And as far as anyone knows, they're planning on making even more music.  We're gonna do this shit chronologically. 1. Under Feet Like Ours (1999) Listen, maybe don't start here. There are some gems to be found, but they were babies (only 19 years old!), and it shows. Plus, about half the songs also appear on their second album, so you won't be missing a lot.  It was initially released with the band name "Sara and Tegan" until they decided it sounded better the other way, changed it, and haven't looked back since. My fav tracks Clever Meals This is Everything 2. This Business of Art (2000) Again, about half the tracks come from Under Feet Like Ours and it was only released a year later, so it feels a little young too. But by picking the best bits of their previous album and adding in new material, it definitely feels like a step up. My fav tracks My Number Not With You Hype 3. If It Was You (2002) This is where we start to get a little less folky.  More pop-y, more electronic, and definitely more upbeat. More love and breakup songs, less undirectional teenage angst. My fav tracks Living Room - This is a Tegan and Sara CLASSIC. If they play it at a show, it's usually in the encore, and the entire room ERUPTS when it starts. Underwater I Hear Noises Terrible Storm 4. So Jealous (2004) This is kind of the beginning of their mainstream success. A lot more critical attention and some radio play for their singles. The first time I ever heard of Tegan and Sara was between this album and the next.  I was in high school and fell for them hard, and honestly they've been my favorite band ever since. My fav tracks I Was Walking With a Ghost - The White Stripes covered it, which honestly probably contributed to T+S's popularity a lot, but I think that fucking cover is awful Where Does the Good Go Speak Slow Fix You Up

5. The Con (2007) This is it. This is the album. This is the one that cemented their success and brought in many of their lifelong fans. And it's the reason I'm even writing this fucking thing in the first place. Today they announced The Con X - a tenth anniversary tour where they'll be playing an acoustic arrangement of all songs in album order, and I've been excitedly swooning about it all day, which is why Analise asked for a primer.

My fav tracks The Con Hop a Plane + Soil, Soil - two tracks that appear in that order on the album and you have to listen to them in a row. The mood change is just everything and so perfect.  I'm probably in the minority for putting Soil, Soil on my favorites list though, so do what you want with that... Burn Your Life Down Nineteen - listen, this probably isn't the best track ever, but it's so satisfying to wail along with. Great stuff at live performances Back In Your Head Dark Come Soon

(I know it's a lot, but count yourself lucky that I didn't just list the whole album)

6. Sainthood (2009) Getting even more electronic here! This was probably their most experimental album I think. It's also the first time they co-wrote a song, "Paperback Head".  That's not one of my favorite songs, but I'm glad they tried out something new.

My fav tracks Hell Alligator - which I mostly just love because Sara says it was inspired by Rihanna, which makes no sense to me when you listen to the song The Ocean Sentimental Tune Someday - for this one, I'm just gonna leave you with a quote the Autostraddle review, which imprinted on me very early after I first listened to it and now it's all I can think about every time I hear the song:  "At first listen, this track may sound like an anthem a garage band might   be inclined to write, one of those “fuck you, world! we’re gonna be   famous one day!” tracks – but IT’S NOT, and that’s partly why it’s so   great. This isn’t about how the world has wronged Tegan. It makes me   think of a 17-year old Tegan getting over a first relationship and   putting on a false bravado to prove she’s going to become something,   like she’s trying to convince herself rather than anyone else."

7. Heartthrob (2013) This is where people started throwing around the word 'sellout'. Which, in general, as a concept can just fuck off entirely. Yes, I think they were trying to reach for more mainstream success, but why is that a bad thing? More success = more chances to hear them live and a better likelihood of getting even more music. Plus, there seems to be this idea that musicians at the start of their careers have the most artistic freedom and are the most 'real', and after that they're doing what the record label wants. But that doesn't make any goddamn sense. Do you think 19 year old Tegan and Sara had any clue how to navigate the music industry and ensure that their artistic vision got out there? No. They've said in multiple interviews that they're originally piano players who were basically forced into the indie folk acoustic guitar thing. This album brings those keyboards to the forefront and they don't have to pick up guitars at all if they don't want to.  Plus, no matter the change in sound, the lyrics are pure Tegan and Sara. That's never going to change.

My fav tracks Closer - the music video is an amazing giant queer sleepover party and everyone should watch it I'm Not Your Hero Drove Me Wild How Come You Don't Want Me I Couldn't Be Your Friend

8. Love You To Death (2016) It's just over a year old and they're currently touring in support of it.  This is the album where (in addition to their songs about romantic relationships) they have some distance from some of the rough patches they've had as sisters over the years and can finally write music about that. White Knuckles and 100x are both songs inspired by those times. Plus, they made a video for every single song on the album.

My fav tracks Boyfriend - their queerest song to date, don't let the name fool you U-turn - oh god I love this song but the music video is terrible. Okay so it's not a terrible video in and of itself, but I don't like it at all for this particular song Dying to Know Stop Desire Hang on to the Night

Misc

Yay! You made it to the end of my babbling about each album, so do you know what that means? MORE BABBLING ABOUT OTHER THINGS. I'll try to keep it short though (mostly because I'm lazy and want to eat dinner soon)

- When they recorded The Con, they also filmed the entire thing and turned that into a movie with a 'chapter' (about 10 mins each) for each track. It is DELIGHTFUL and a great entry point for getting a feel for their personalities and learning more about them beyond just liking the music. A wonderful person has collected the chapters here and here

- Banter! A super important part of Appreciating Tegan and Sara is their concert banter. They talk more during shows than any other band I know of and a lot of it is fucking hysterical. It also feels like their way of setting boundaries, you know? They share so much and talk about things from their past very freely, which stops people from poking into their current personal lives more than they might otherwise.  Maybe at some point I will make a curated list of my favorites, but see above re: lazy etc. For now, just search youtube for Tegan and Sara best banters. You'll find plenty.

- Live screw-ups. There is always one song that Tegan can not remember the words to or play all the way through. As soon as she figures it out, it'll happen to another song (Admittedly, this is happening less lately as they play more festivals  and want to look good in front of randos who don't know much about them). Which leads to plenty of fabulous footage of Tegan fucking up a song and swearing. Sara also fucks up occasionally, but less often. Sometimes they power through, sometimes they restart, and sometimes they have the audience sing it.  And I can't explain why it's so adorable and precious but it just IS. Again, not gonna link to vids, but the song "Northshore" has some of the best because it's so fast.

And now I'm done typing for real this time :)