#I think of Ember as an adult personally btw

[schnuffel-danny]

I’m actually obsessed with Skulker/Ember, because it’s like - Either they’re both adults in the 20s-30s age range Or... - Ember really is some 16 year old girl and (because I don’t think they would put an adult/minor relationship in a kids show) that would mean Skulker is also a teenager, which is absolutely hilarious to imagine

#I seriously have no idea how these two became canon lmao #but it's so funny #I think of Ember as an adult personally btw

[ishouldnotbhere]

curious! who in blue lock would you genuinely want to be bestfriends with? and why?

OOOOOH that’s a hard question to answer DDD:

Part of me wants to be like… Barou? Bc other than the fact that I am an obvious simp, the idea of being one of the only people whom Barou tolerates on an equal level just appeals to me lol.

Also, he’s such a mom. Total mom friend. When the members of the Blue Lock squad (+U20 crew, maybe, counting only Oliver, Sae, and Shidou) are legal and they inevitably go out bar-hopping at those ridiculously high-class clubs only Reo can afford, Barou’s fussing over everyone, whether he himself likes it or not. He’s yelling at everyone over the music to “Drink water, goddammit!” and handing them water bottles if they’re too out of it. He’s helping them not get filthy when their stomachs can’t hold up, he’s driving them home, and he’s texting them remedies to deal with hangovers because he cares for his friends he needs them to be in peak physical condition for practice and for fuck’s sake, they need to learn how to take care of themselves like adults and not make such a big fucking mess and dirty everything up. Especially the cleanliness part. Barou tells Chigiri he doesn’t care if Chigiri breaks a leg, that Chigiri’s useless anyway, that Chigiri picking his hair up off the floor is more important than his silly stupid leg.

At the same time, Barou helps Chigiri bandage his knee after practice. Not because he cares. It’s because the tape is rolling around untangled and messing up the floor. Don’t get it twisted, buddy. That’s an hc btw lol that was not canon but I totally see him as that kind of person because look, they may be ridiculously talented, but they’re still human as well as children. 5’7”+ babies

But I do believe Kunigami would be the loveliest friend. We’ve already seen it in the manga. He’s trustworthy, reliable, and a man of character, and yet (maybe precisely the reason) he still helps out teammates who readily dismiss or ignore him or possess none of the nobility Kunigami carries. He’s the friend who’s got your back no matter what, supports you always, pays attention to your minute, seemingly meaningless habits, and lets you cry on his shoulder.

The scene that solidified my love for him (other than his adorable blush when Isagi complimented him) was when Nagi chose advancing in his newly invigorated passion for soccer over his relationship with Reo despite everything Reo has given him (including soccer itself), coldly turned his back on Reo, and Reo is breaking down—his love for soccer, in fact, is one and the same with his love for Nagi but no one could understand, no one could possibly understand, and he’s weak, so weak—and Reo is despairing, collapsing in front of a pack of vultures, and at that utterly abysmal point when he’s certain of nothing except his own isolation, buried under the weight of his perceived inferiority, Kunigami has his back. This kid who is technically Reo’s rival and has just as much reason as the others to watch Reo fail, who has barely interacted with Reo before the match, lifts Reo up. Makes him watch Nagi’s retreating back. Makes him feel the visceral pain. And he says, “Never forget this moment. Let it consume you. Let it burn you. And once the embers have fallen quiet, let the final sparks fuel you.”

I think it was in your previous ask where I mentioned how Barou and Shidou are on opposite ends of the spectrum of ego. Barou plays for his own sake, while Shidou plays for soccer’s sake. I believe Kunigami exists outside of that spectrum altogether. His character is almost cliché; the typical hero-idolizing boy who hopes to grow up to become the chivalrous, upstanding men in his comic books. But in a cutthroat world where young men stop at nothing to gain an edge, where competition is the name of the game and the possibility of elimination far outweighs any chance of survival, where the life of a person hinges on being out for himself and himself alone, Kunigami is literally… an alien. Off the rails. Just, straight up, he doesn’t belong. He’s kind. He’s good. He sees, he feels, he cares. Who in their right mind does that in a place like Blue Lock?

Kunigami’s not selfish like Shidou, or self-absorbed like Barou. He doesn’t play soccer for soccer, or for himself. Rather, Kunigami plays soccer because he loves supporting others.

In the spectrum of ego, where the HECK does that fall?

I believe that’s why he’s a Wild Card. I guess I’m going all English-teacher-pointing-out-symbolism-that-was-never-intended here. All of the characters have pointed out that, other than his physique, his actual talent isn’t all that remarkable. But he stands out as a person because in a prison that intends to stamp out all civil decency, Kunigami is still good and kind. And that, above all else, makes him the best friend you could possibly have.

I can’t believe I’m rambling like this over a manga about soccer-obsessed high schoolers. Insert that “calm down, Greg, it’s just soccer” meme here lmao. These boys just got me feeling things .-.

#thank you so much for asking me this fantastic question!!! #I’m sorry I always take so long to get back to you #it’s because I know I’m going to write so fucking much about it that I postpone answering until I have time 😭 #I love Kunigami so much when will he come back from the war #I totally bet Kunigami will shift the balance of the game once Barou makes his moves and Sae achieves flow #blue lock #my post

[nestavipers]

Santa here 🎅 or Groucho 🥸 which you can call me if you want to avoid the acotar secret Santa tag! I think it’s fitting—we both wear glasses and have the same hideously bushy eyebrows. Thankfully, I do not share the mustache.

BINBONS ❤️❤️❤️ OMG. I love Shadow & Bone, books and the show. Were you around on tumblr before the show came out and the all the backstage interviews with the cast were used to create S&B reality tv show memes? They were SOOOO FUNNY, and I swear, everyone was passing them around! I used to have a blog (that I wound up deleting for reasons 🤷‍♀️) where I wrote Billy Russo imagines (mostly smut, if we’re being honest, because like…smut is just fun to write) and other Ben Barnes characters, and some Shadow & Bone. He and Charlie Hunnam are my two major weaknesses. 🤣 Don’t judge me but I really wouldn’t blame you if you did.

But I’m guessing you’re also a Shadow & Bone fan? Do you have a preference of books over the Netflix show? And the most important question—Mal or the Darkling? I’m all about the Darkling she says, surprising no one Also, if you’ve read the books, what do you think about the newer ones with Nikolai’s character? I haven’t read past the original trilogy and Six of Crows (which I personally couldn’t get into—I just couldn’t suspend my belief enough for a heist story where everyone is conveniently within a perfect teen age range and all the adults are like, WE HAVE NO ISSUES WITH TEENS IN THESE SITUATIONS AND IN FACT I TOTALLY SUPPORT KAZ BREKKER AND HIS GOONS WITH THESE POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS THINGS THAT COULD COST/PAY ME A LOT OF MONEY, and then I read These Violent Delights and I was physically pained by adult mafia bosses sending their teenage children out to be badass authority figures/track down information/I can only pretend so much, okay?), but I read that the Darkling comes back?

Okay, about the age gap between Feyre and Rhys. I am SO GLAD that it’s not just me that thinks it’s a little uncomfortable for Feyre to be with a 500-year-old I really shouldn’t say anything since I’m writing an age gap story myself and having a grand old time with it buuut is it me, though, or is a trend in YA or New Adult stories to pair young women up with older guys? Like, acotar has the obvious centuries age gap. FBAA is the same. There are all the vampire stories, of course, like Twilight or TVD. In fantasy, at least, it seems to be a thing?

ALSO, what do you mean “albeit minus the violent swordplay”? Your friendships don’t involve violent swordplay? 😅 That’s not normal?

A Shadow in the Ember—GIVE ME SPOILERS. I’m like 11th in line for the ebook from my library 😭😭😭😭 which is not the longest I’ve ever waited for a book, but still! Oh, oh, but here’s my theory for the next book (or whenever he shows back up in the story, BECAUSE I DEMAND SATISFACTION FOR THIS): Malik has not actually sided with Isbeth and is playing along the same way Ian was. I really want to see some Malik/Casteel interactions, even if only in flashbacks, and I want to see Malik get a cool storyline of some kind! Also, a little less plot exposition balanced with gratuitous smut (which felt like was the bulk of book 3) would be nice. I just want more intrigue and actual story to happen. The last one felt like it dragged through parts and JLA was balancing it out with odd domestic fluff or sex until the cliffhanger. 🤦‍♀️ how about you? Any predictions or hopes?

My pup is fine, btw—fine-ish. He had luxating patella, which is a fancy way of saying that his kneecap won’t stay in position (please don’t be offended if I’m assuming you don’t know about dogs and you do), which is typical of smaller breeds since smaller bones mean less space for kneecaps. So, his was out more than it was in, and on top of that he tore his ACL, so he could barely walk on that leg and it had to be surgically fixed. He’s still in pain, though, so he has to go back to the vet this week 😣 do you have any pets? Are you a cat or a dog person?

I know Bitten! I haven’t really read the books, but I have seen the TV show (which I’m sure is basically a separate thing with how many changes they made, because that’s how it always happens!), which I LOVE. Even though they have this weird fascination with showing off Clay’s bare ass every chance they get. 😂 Have you seen the show? Does it compare well, or is it a poor bastardization of the books?

I have a confession—I have not watched Bridgerton yet (although I love Alex Meyers commentary on it on YouTube, about how it’s a Gossip Girl story about the perils of being the only redhead in England 🤣 ) and I’m not an Outlander fan. I started the books and show for Outlander a while ago and I just couldn’t get into it (as much as the actors for the show are amazing), but I’m generally not too into time travel stories, anyway. Not sure why, it’s just not a thing I’ve enjoyed most of the time? 🤷‍♀️ But, so, IS Bridgerton worth the watch, or are the books better? Because I’ve heard of Lisa Kleypas, but I’ve never tried her books.

ALSO—ALSO. Oh hell, I’m just going to save your whole post so I can find all the book recs and then kiss any social life I have goodbye because there are too many books to read and I’m sure everyone will understand that right?

Also stole your notes hack and wrote this out completely there beforehand so I could just copy and paste 🤣 so thank you for that!

Okay, as a fellow BlindTM person and a fan of alliteration, I’m calling you ‘spectacle santa’ from here on in hahaha.

Yes, I’ve been an S&B book fan for a long time and was SO PUMPED to see how they incorporated the SOC lore and characters into the show. I was not part of the tumblr fandom for the show but I’ve been following the Grishaverse subreddit and most of the memes either got cross-posted there or my friend would text them to me later. I never watched The Punisher and tbh didn’t even realize Binbons was in it until your message (and me googling Billy Russo in confusion). I’ve been semi-following his career since Prince Caspian but other than Dorian Grey and Westworld muuuuuch later, I kind of lost track of what he was up to until S&B.

The only thing I’ve seen Charlie Hunnam in is Crimson Peak, but even just from that I can totally see the appeal. Also omg this is a judgement free zone in terms of fandom behaviour. I have truly seen it all and been part of my fair share of cringeworthy fandom stuff in the past (I can’t figure out to put the wincing emoji face here but just imagine it is).

I looooooooove show Mal (Archie was PERFECT casting) and I tolerate book Mal, but tbh I am ride or die for Nikolai. Like, when they announce the actors for season 2 I am going to pass out. He is my Nesta of the Grishaverse. Segueing into your next q, I’ve read KOS and ROW and while I really, really loved KOS, ROW felt like fan service and tbh kind of reminded me of ACOFAS in that I was like … am I on ao3 right now???? I don’t want to spoil you but there’s a plot line with a major character that made absolutely no sense to me and that I’m still scratching my head over. Anyway, would say KOS is worth it if you like Nikolai, otherwise don’t bother (though, yes, the Darkling does come back but in a weird, wattpad-esque way that I personally did not vibe with At All.)

And omggggg yes seriously the ages of the characters in SOC made absolutely no sense and I always mentally age them up to at least early twenties. I think of myself back when I was a dumbass 17 year old and like … sometimes I think it’s a miracle I survived to adulthood. I actually just picked up a copy of These Violent Delights as a Christmas gift for myself (it’s my first Christmas away from my family so I thought I’d buy a few things and wrap them up so I have something to open on the 25th like a total dork) so I will get back to you on that after I’ve read it.

In general, significant age gaps are one of my big No’s of fiction and unfortunately fantasy is full of them. Like, Bella and Edward was hard enough for me to swallow because he was literally (like, the literal version of literally) old enough to be her grandfather. I don’t care if Rhys/Cassian/Az are all physically young and hot still, they are mentally 500 freaking years old but somehow only possess the mental maturity levels of frat boys in their early 20s. SJM seems to have a real obsession with these gigantic age gaps in all of her books and I am just Not About It.

I haven’t actually gotten too far into ASITE yet (I’m racing against the clock to finish my pile of library books before they’re due) but I am really enjoying what I’ve read so far (more than I did the first Blood & Ash book actually but I am also meh about Casteel which didn't make his whole thing with Poppy very compelling for me).

I LOVE YOUR THEORY. I am super intrigued by Malik’s true allegiance and I looooove storylines about family feuds and strife and drama, so there’s so much juicy story potential I can’t wait to read about in the next book.

I also want more actual story earlier. The vast majority of her books is just ‘we walk and talk here, we walk and talk there, we sleep in this inn, we walk and talk somewhere new, oh look more sleeping somewhere else’ and THEN she’ll throw some giant plot twist in at the very end (which is actually not all that different from ACOSF but I actually enjoyed all the character development in that case because I want Nesta to marry me)

I’m so glad to hear your dog is fine! I had a friend in high school who had the same problem (her kneecaps kept moving around and she wore knee braces for years before eventually having surgery for it). I hope the vet is able to make the residual pain go away, poor pup :( I don’t currently have a pet but my roommate has a cat who I ADORE and I basically get all the benefits of pet ownership with none of the responsibilities, it’s a pretty sweet set up hahaha. I am equally a cat and dog person though! I fostered a dog about a year ago back when I was quarantining with my parents and it was such a great experience. I hope to eventually get my own dog.

Omg I could not get through Bitten the show, to me it was a terrible adaptation but I also hold the book in really high regard so my standards probably weren’t very fair. I highly, highly suggest giving the book a try because it’s just excellent and there’s this whole [note that I had to stop writing here to go pick up and cuddle my roommate’s cat who was crying for attention in the other room but who is now purring away next to me on my bed] fun supernatural world with all of these awesome characters over the span of like 13 books to explore. It’s one of my comfort series, for sure (though of course … there is an Age Gap romance in the last couple of books but I just cringe my way through it).

LOL at the Gossip Girl/perils of being a redhead thing re: Bridgerton. I enjoyed the show, it’s a lot of fun and a great watch over the holidays, but IMO the books were better. Book 2 is AMAZING so I’m so excited about season 2, and if we ever manage to get to book 6 I will be overjoyed because it’s the best in the series IMO.

Outlander definitely isn’t for everyone, that’s totally fair! I’ve been a fan for a very, very long time and it was one of my earliest fandoms (back when it was awkward teenage me and a bunch of middle aged women leaving comments on an old-school message board years before the show was ever a thing) so it will always have a big soft spot in my heart. I love time travel romance as a genre so if that genre doesn’t appeal to you, Outlander definitely isn’t the right fit.

I did the same thing as you and immediately filed away the books recs you gave on goodreads, I can’t wait to see how many of them are already available to borrow at the library!

And I’m going to go back and tag all of our chats with ‘spectacle santa’ so you can always find them that way later ;)

I HOPE YOUR WEEK IS OFF TO A BEAUTIFUL START, MY FELLOW BESPECTACLED FRIEND <3 Did you get up to anything exciting this weekend btw?

#spectacle santa #i will definitely keep you posted re: ASITE because i keep seeing memes on here about a character I don't think I've met yet #and I am Intrigued

[electrika]

zutara rant

ya know after rewatching atla as an ✨adult✨ (well i’m 19 so barely) i have to say i really don’t understand why aang and katara got together in the end...

just hear me out!!!! (btw this is very long, I apologize)

when i was younger i really disliked katara as a character for some reason. really I think it was just internalized misogyny. but ultimately, i didn’t want her and aang together because i thought he deserved better, meaning someone who liked him as much as he liked them.

now i think katara is such as badass and i love her so much. you can be a strong and be femenine at the same time, those traits can coexist and i totally see that now. but ya know, that was my childish reasoning behind being anti-kataang, because i hated katara and wanted better for aang.

as a child i was also anti-zutara, i genuinely liked the zuko and mai pairing, though i really just wanted zuko for myself lol. (and my peanut sized child brain never considered mlm, so zukka wasn’t even on the table, i’m sorry)

but now i think zutara makes the most sense and here’s why:

even from the beginning with book one there’s connections between zuko and katara

“you rise with the moon, i rise with the sun”

katara’s necklace in the water bending scroll episode and the one where zuko tracks them with june’s shirshu

there’s also so much red and blue symbolism with the blue spirit and the painted lady (opposite colors/nations helping what the hate most. for zuko its freeing aang from zhao, for katara its helping the fire nation people.)

zuko learning to redirect lightning which is a move derived directly from water bending

talking about losing their mother in the crystal catacombs

etc.

by book 3, katara has zero romantic interest in aang. sure they kissed at the invasion and it was cute, but when he tries to kiss her again (during the ember island players episode) she was not into it at all. she backs away immediately and said she was “confused” but i think she only said that to spare his feelings.  and in my opinion it’s also because of zuko. katara had JUST made up with zuko the episode before and it’s clear he really understood her. 

a lot of people have been pointing out how katara says to aang and sokka that they don’t understand why she wants revenge on the guy who killed her mother, and yeah its pretty messed up for her to say that to them. especially becuase her and sokka have the same mother and aang’s whole race was wiped off the face of the planet, BUT she grieves differently. sokka even says he doesn’t really remember their mom, he thinks of katara. so the void he may have had for their mom was filled by her. for aang, he had the teachings of the monks about peace and forgiveness, and he had sokka and katara to support him. 

katara didn’t have that experience. she was the last person to see her mother alive. i can imagine that she probably felt tremendous guilt for it and for the fact that her mother died protecting her. on top of that, her dad left to fight in the war, and she was left as caretaker at such a young age. katara was forced to grow up very quickly. 

zuko’s path is kinda similar. his mom left, sacrificed herself for him, and then his father banished him and gave him an impossible task to complete, forcing him to grow up almost instantly. that’s a pretty similar arc in my opinion. so in the souther raiders episode zuko totally understands katara’s need for revenge. i think thats why they understand each other very well.

in the episodes after the souther raiders zuko and katara are so close. he makes a point to sit next to her during the play, they're also very close in proximity when looking for aang before the comet. she’s there to support him when he seen his uncle again, and when he challenges azula to the agni kai for the throne. why did the strongest water bender on earth go with zuko to reclaim the fire nation throne when aang and the rest of the gaang went to fight the fire lord and his army?! (for plot reasons it’s so katara can heal him from the lightning when he essentially took a bullet for her. but wouldn't she be more helpful destroying a navy fleet or their ground troops???) but even so, just being there with zuko instead of aang is a big deal!

another point i have, is that aang HAD to let katara go in order to go into the avatar state. there was a whole episode on it and that’s WHY he died! so him letting her go forces the story to move along. it doesn’t mean they no longer have a connection, but i think with all the mothering and mentoring katara did for him that a romantic relationship between them doesn’t make sense in the end.

also maiko is just not a very healthy relationship. in the fire nation it seemed like they were each others “safe place” away from azul and their respective families. but in the end zuko didn’t trust mai (i think because of her apathy) and she didn’t like his temper which they argued about in the beach episode. she did save him at the boiling rock and while i don’t doubt they care for each other, i don’t think it’s in a romantic type of way. i don’t think either of them knew what love was in their childhood so they assumed it must have been romantic when in reality they just cared deeply for each other (and also i think mai and tylee are gay for each other soooo...)

another similarity between zuko and katara is how they are treated as benders. zuko was always being compared to azula who was quite literally a prodigy. he wasn’t necessarily bad at fire bending but since azula was so amazing he looked weak in comparison but he totally could hold his own with zhao during their agni kai (just like when katara fought master paku). katara was also considered weak. the whole first season until the north pole, she struggles to bend her element. but all she needed was a good teacher. and especially after she met hama and seemed to unlock something in herself, her skills were unmatched. similarly, once zuko found the correct “fuel” for his fire bending and learned to bend it using techniques from other elements, he was definitely a force to be reckoned with. (not to mention he also completely masters wielding dual swords too.) by the end of the show they are both masters of their element. zuko learned from the sun warriors and katara learned from the northern masters (but i’d say it had more to do with hama).

katara and zuko are just too similar and mirror each other too much for their characters to not have a romantic relationship.

i truly think that making kataang canon was a last minute decision because zutara makes the most sense for the sake of the story.

#rika’s thots #atla #avatar #avatar the last airbender #katara #zuko #zutara #kataang

[surrealredmoon]

Gaming AU - Sleepless Night

Soooo.... hey guys! Now that life is starting to chill a little I’ve found myself wanting to write again (yay \o/). Here’s a little something for the Gaming AU that was inspired by some very sleepless nights I’ve had recently. It’s set in the time before everyone met in person and before Weiss and Yang really began to hit things off. Anyway... ENJOY!

Weiss lay on top of her bed, staring at the patterns of moonlight filtering in through the open curtains onto the ceiling. Briefly, she glanced away to look at the clock on her bedside table, 2:45am. She’d been laying there for a good three hours now, her mind once again unable to switch off and let her get the rest she so desperately needed right now.

Sighing to herself, Weiss sat up. Well if her mind wasn’t going to let her rest, she may as well do something semi-productive… well semi-productive to her at least. She was sure her father would be shocked and appalled if he ever realised that his youngest daughter was exactly that type of person that made his business so successful.

Monitors blazed to life as she hit the power button on the PC, bathing the room in blue before the home screen loaded up. It didn’t take long before the all too familiar log in window popped up and the theme music began to play through her headphones. Quickly, Weiss entered her details and began loading in on Myrtenaster.

Once she’d loaded in though, she sat back and stared at the screen. She hadn’t actually considered what she wanted to do to try and pass the time. She opened up the Looking for Group list, scanning through each of the different game modes to see if there were and active groups, even though that wasn’t very likely given the time. She’d finally found a couple of groups looking for one of the high-end adventures and was about to join one when a whisper message popped up in the chat box.

(whisper from) Ember Celia: so… cant sleep again?

Weiss raised her eyebrow. What was Ember doing up at this time? And more importantly, how did she know that this wasn’t the first time she’d logged on when the insomnia made it clear she wasn’t going to get any sleep that night?

(whisper from) Ember Celia: ello?

(whisper from) Ember Celia: I knw u didnt fall asleep at ur desk cuz u jst logged on

Weiss rolled her eyes, even as a small smile tugged at the corner of her lips, and typed a quick reply.

(whisper from) Myrtenaster: You know, it’s getting harder and harder to believe that you’re not stalking me when you say things like that.

She could almost hear the chuckle and teasing tone in Ember’s response.

(whisper from) Ember Celia: well I dnt normally show as online this late

(whisper from) Ember Celia: stops the weirdos messaging me :P

Weiss’ small smile turned into a frown, concern growing in her that perhaps she might not be the only member of their guild who suffered from insomnia.

(whisper from) Myrtenaster: Are you often online this late? Or is this a one-off for you?

It took at little while for the response to come through, so Weiss began to reorganise her inventory while she waited.

(whisper from) Ember Celia: I guess probs more often thn I shld

(whisper from) Ember Celia: bt nt as often as u I bet

(whisper from) Ember Celia: btw Im runnin round doin sum gatherin n events if u wanna join

A party invite popped up on Weiss’ screen a moment later and she accepted. At least this would give her something to do, and it would be nice to just casually chat with someone. Even if that someone had a tendency to infuriate her most of the time. She opened up her map, found the marker indicating the location of her party member and began making her way over.

Ember Celia: so whts got u up so late?

She took a moment to decide whether or not she wanted to open up to her guild mate about what had been causing her so much trouble recently as she cleared out some Grimm that had crossed her path. Eventually, she decided to hold off revealing too much; after all, even though she’d been playing with her current guild mates for almost a year now she’d never dared to reveal anything about herself aside from the fact that she was from Atlas.

Myrtenaster: Oh just stressed about school work and such. All those normal young adult things.

Myrtenaster: What about you?

Myrtenaster: Actually, don’t tell me, I’ll guess. You probably have a report due tomorrow, but instead of focussing on an important assignment you thought it would be far more productive to play instead.

‘Dammit Weiss! This is why they call you the Ice Queen…’ Weiss sighed. ‘Ember hasn’t done anything except offer you some company and express some concern. But noooo… you couldn’t let your stupid walls down for one minute.’

She had just typed her response of “I’m so sorry Ember, that was out of line.” at the same time a response came through.

Ember Celia: Myrtenaster, when was the last time you actually slept? For like a whole night.

Before the irrational part of her brain could take Ember’s comment as an insult the rational side noticed the change in their writing style. The fact that Ember had put the effort in to use correct grammer, something they rarely did… much to Weiss’ distain, seemed to imply genuine care on the other gamer’s part. Weiss found herself in an internal struggle over how to reply; be honest and open up, or revert to her usual behaviour and strengthen her walls. The battle was still waring as the next messages popped up.

Ember Celia: I know it’s not really any of my business but I doubt this is all because of ‘normal young adult things’ and I get the feeling that if it’s as bad as I think it is you probably don’t have anyone to talk to about it.

Ember Celia: So I want you to know, I’m here if you need someone to talk to… because I look out for my friends.

Ember Celia: Even if they are an Ice Queen who can’t take a joke sometimes.

Weiss just stared in shock at the screen as Ember’s character ran off to fight a pack of Grimm that spawned nearby. She still wasn’t sure exactly what to make of the situation she was in; and yet she found herself typing.

Myrtenaster: Thank you Ember. That actually means a lot to me.

Myrtenaster: But I don’t think I’m quite ready to talk about it… yet.

She held her breath, anxiously waiting for a reply.

Ember Celia: No problem. How about we just play instead for now?

Ember Celia: I was thinking about doing some of the low-level dungeons to get some new clothing items.

Ember Celia: takes a lot fo wrk to keep this pretty ass lookin so fiiiiiiine!!!

Weiss snorted at the abrupt return of the crass and unabashed Ember she was used to. Yet she couldn’t deny the small smile once again tugging at her mouth.

Myrtenaster: Of course that’s where all your in-game effort goes. Ohm forbid you should show up to a raid wearing the same outfit as the previous one.

Ember Celia: AH! theres my ice queen!

Weiss’ smile grew.

She didn’t even realise how long they had been playing together until the first few rays of sunlight creeped across the room. Checking the time, Weiss noted she still had a little over an hour before her alarm would go off.

Myrtenaster: Well I should really try to get some sleep before school.

Ember Celia: That would be a good idea…

Ember Celia: And I should probably get started on that report I was avoiding!

Myrtenaster: EMBER!

Ember Celia: Whoa! I’m kidding!

Myrtenaster: You better be.

Ember Celia: Or what? You gunna freeze me Ice Queen?

Weiss narrowed her eyes at the screen, as if she could make the other feel her glare through it.

Ember Celia: I bet you have cold toes

Ember Celia: And I bet you’re the type to try and put those cold toes somewhere warm when you snuggle with someone…

Weiss glared harder, not responding.

Ember Celia: Alright, I might be a bit over tired…

Ember Celia: So I’ll leave that line of teasing for another night…

Ember Celia: I hope you get some rest.

Ember Celia: And don’t forget what I said before. Online or offline, I’m here if you need me.

Her expression relaxed enough for her to type out a reply.

Myrtenaster: Thank you Ember. Aside from that last comment… tonight was surprisingly… fun.

Ember Celia: Yeah, it was.

Myrtenaster: Have a good day Ember.

Ember Celia: Yeah you too. I’ll see you for raid tonight!

The smile was back on her lips as Weiss signed out and shut everything down, climbing into bed and preparing herself to try and fall asleep again.

As she began going through her mental exercises to try and shut off her brain she kept finding herself distracted by thoughts of what had happened and what Ember had said. She had the distinct impression that she would fine Ember online again at the same time tonight. That thought made her feel surprisingly content, even if she would have to deal with Ember’s teasing.

As she felt her eyes close, she curled up to fall asleep, noticing that her feet had come up as if to tuck between someone’s shins. Weiss’ last thought before sleep finally took her was just how annoyed she was going to be at Ember for being right about her cold toes… 

#freezerburn #weiss schnee #yang xiao long #rwby #gaming au #I wrote the draft for this whilst incredibly tired #and I'm out of practice #so sorry in advance if it's not great #xP

[theincorrigiblemagpie]

Rishton Ka Chakravyuh (Episodes 65, 66) - Can we calm down with the Bollywood music?

October 23 & 24, 2017

Listen, all I want to do is keep up with my daily dose of Anami and Satarupa. IS THAT TOO MUCH TO ASK FOR.

Anyway, we’re doing 2 episodes together, cos whattodo about my asli dunya.

Right off the bat, fucken Harry, nincompoop cousin of the nincompoop Avdhoot, shows his kameenapan by grabbing Poonam with 2 of Avdhoot’s lame friends and trying to rape her in a billiards room.

Hereon, if there was ANY doubt about how they’re subverting (admittedly hamhandedly but I’ll take it) the traditional hero-heroine roles in a desi soap, may they be forever laid to rest.

Anami A) finds Poonam’s bracelet that she’d given her on the floor outside the billiard room.

B) bursts into the room in silent, shaking rage and a teary Poonam runs to her and hugs her for comfort.

C) after the two chelas run away, knowing what’s good for them, thrashes Harry within an inch of his life.

D) grabs a reluctant Poonam’s hand and drags them in front of everyone and makes Harry apologise to Poonam.

(LMAO that girl in blue at the back is the same Mean Girl who’d picked on Anami on her first day of college and later claimed to have befriended her. Good to see we invite friends and not complete randos.)

Ofc Kamini plays the typical upper caste/class bitchy slut-shaming aunty and humiliates Poonam and tries to blame it on her. Anami tries to talk sense into her but Kamini threatens to blow it out of proportion. And THEN.

Everyone’s Godmother Satarupa steps in. She gives Kamini false hope by saying, yes, it was Poonam’s fault.

And then finishes the sentence with “it was her fault ki Poonam didn’t give him a tight slap the very first time Harry tried to molest her and that she didn’t do what Anami did.” (Which is a very problematic thing to say, but very dramatically effective.)

Man, she put the fear of GOD in Harry by stalking toward him. Matlab, I could momentarily SEE a genetic resemblance between Narayani Shastri and Mahima Makwana, I tell you. What powerhouses.

She finished the whole scene by telling Kamini that she should thank her lucky stars Anami found Harry and not Satarupa herself because...

She literally leaves off there and we must infer that Kamini knows about Satarupa’s tendency to quietly get people who sneeze wrong bumped off.

Ofc Pujan tries to smooth things over while Kamini leaves with Harry. Ngl Kamini is a real babe and deserves better than to be married to this useless scheming Pujan and have a useless grown ass son and nephew. She shoulda gotten herself a sugar daddy instead.

Pujan promises deep vengeance (ofc because the Durga idol falling and breaking will be the ultimate apshakun and hence, revenge). Rolled my eyes so hard, they almost fell out of their sockets.

So, we have full band baaja and they’re bringing the idol in with shots that have come out of a white person’s wet dream of colourful, exotic Incredible India.

And OMG IT HAS A HALF OF A SECOND EXPRESSION ON ITS FACE. I mean the very pointless Baldev ofc.

Anami, our local Spiderman, notices a thorn stuck in one of the palanquin bearers feet amid all the chaos and bends to pick it out. Giving herself the perfect vantage point to also hear the loosened screw drop out and immediately dive under the palanquin to save the idol.

After a moment of panic, everyone is reassured as she emulates the Flavour of the Season, Baahubali.

No, seriously.

Like, people don’t even TRY to help this skinny SEVENTEEN YEAR OLD girl who has been FASTING all day to carry this massive idol that probably weighs more than her for the first 5 minutes. For show.

Then, we get Baldev grabbing one end and Satarupa grabbing the other end and Dadaji Vikram clearing the dropped embers in her path with his stick.

Not before he’s had time to process the whole thing and question his entire life and worldview, though.

How Hum Saath Saath Hai. If it was made by Ram Gopal Verma.

This is the face of a man who has messed up very badly all his life and only the tip of the iceberg has become visible to him and he suspects the presence of the Titanic wrecking monster below the surface.

Gayatri makes obvious statements about Anami being deviroop and being sent to protect Lal Mahal etc etc. Lady, I don’t think it’s quite going to pan out like that.

Anami places the idol in its spot and when the pandit wants her to start the pooja, Vikram is all “no, Avdhoot must do the puja.”

Once a chauvinist piece of trash, always a chauvinist piece of trash.

He does look shifty while saying it, though so Gayatri swoops in and tells him that this puja wouldn’t even be happening if not for Anami so he can stop being  a jackass. And also tells Pujan to shut it when he tries to intervene. With the happy result that Anami gets to do the puja. Which we’re made to suffer through with dramatic intercuts of Sudha wild-dancing with dhunuchi at her asylum all set to Jai Maa Kali from Karan Arjun.

I wish I was making this bit up.

Just going to leave these screencaps here because truly what cinematography but what jaatra-level writing, shyah.

(Note that Baldev has reverted to his usual stony glum-face. Like, why do they even pay an actor for his role.)

Dheeru makes a lone entry and skulks around. He joins the family conclave that forms after the puja where the adults talk about the future of Lal Mahal. Gayatri, Satarupa and Dheeru are all heavily and vocally pro-Anami and want Vikram to change his mind about Avdhoot. They use major puja metaphors to make their point. Pujan is stuck because he doesn’t want to be seen rooting for his son for selfish reasons while no one cares about what Baldev has to say (nothing), as usual. The man is an irritating cardboard cutout.

But THEN, I am reminded of why I fucken love this show and am still surprised by it when they tone it all the fuck down and VIKRAM makes the most logical point of all.

He points out that he’s willing to back down from all his prejudices and accept Anami as heir. But that will not change that Anami will not accept this family as her own. Royal Steel and Lal Mahal need stability which she will not provide because she has been uprooted from the only place she considers home (Benaras) and she will leave the moment she is legally able to. They need to accept that.

Yeah, Gayatri, even I hate it when chauvinist men make sorta vaguely legitimate points.

But then, Dheeru points out that he hasn’t given Anami that chance even. He’s sentenced her without allowing her the slightest room to prove herself.

AND THEN, Vikram finally relents because “Dheeru has never made a wrong decision for Royal Steel.” Whoa I think he’s referring even to the unexplained fall Dheeru took and went to jail for.

He says ki since Avdhoot has been given a chance to prove himself (LOL WHAT WHEN DID HE PROVE HIMSELF HE’S LITERALLY DONE THE EXACT OPPOSITE OF PROVING HIMSELF ALL THROUGH GODDAMN SAVARNA PATRIARCHS), Anami should also.

Vikram will personally test the two of them and judge based on their capability (sure) and not their gender and take it from there. I can’t explain how much all this talk of (fake) meritocracy and inheritance gives me intense michmichi.

But it does lead to this hilarious scene which explains exactly how the two main interested parents feel about this situation.

Satarupa is like “I’ve already fucking won this just give Anami the crown and don’t go through this farce.” And Pujan is like “GOD FUCK ME SIDEWAYS.”

Oh btw, while this intense conversation is happening, Adhiraj and Tanya have arrived and all the kids start dancing to Nagada Sang Dhol (INCLUDING ADHIRAJ which is EXACTLY as awkward as you imagine it is). Can’t even screencap, I’m telling you. Avdhoot is genuinely at least in lust with Tanya? (YUCK) Harry is giving him advice upar se! Matlab MEN ARE TRASH. He was beaten up not 4 hours ago for being an almost-rapist. I hope Adhiraj beats both Avdhoot and Harry up solid (I won’t even consider it police brutality). Where is Ila, man? Why is she missing the awkward fun?

Also, I was mistaken. Everyone is aware of everyone’s identities, it seems. There is no surprise at Adhiraj’s appearance and Avdhoot clearly knows Tanya is his sister so they know he’s Dheeru’s son? Dheeru also had figured out that the girl he met on the road is Anami of Lal Mahal. I dunno, I may have missed stuff when I tried to catch up on 40 episodes together. But then why were Pujan and Baldev treating Adhiraj as just a CBI officer when he brought Anami home after the chemistry lab accident? Surely they should’ve brought up his connection to Dheeru to taunt him better?

Possible continuity errors, methinks. ANyWay, tomorrow we have nutty Sudha’s desperate bid to force Anami’s hand and come to Lal Mahal by trying to commit fake suicide. Fun. Not. Honestly, Sudha and Baldev deserve each other and Satarupa needs an intense, powerful, interesting man who has some conflict of interest with her but is also drawn to her. And while we deserve decent women friendships, I also am teetering on shipping Anami and Poonam because that was some relationship-y symbolism in the beginning. 

Whatevs man, just give me Satarupa and Anami (and Gayatri) dealing sick burns to the men and I don’t care about anything else.

#rishton ka chakravyuh #rkc #narayani shastri #mahima makwana